Rea's Place

2011-09-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

Time Passes!

Can't believe I haven't posted since early Spring and now it's Fall! The year has flown by with many plans, changes in plans, new endeavors and expanded awareness.

I've gone green in even more ways than I've ever been. Jack and I went to Austin and visited Brett, Maya and Concetta Bettin Pilgrim. I had a very short camp hosting season due to missing a step when exiting my trailer and pulling a ligament. Learning more new and different technology eats up hours, days, and weeks but it is very interesting and will be rewarding.

Life is rich and I feel blessed to be health and strong enough to do the things I love to do!

I'll post again soon but for now I'll just say I have launched two e-commerce web sites and am on a steep learning curve!

My sites are Road Trip Gadgets and Gifts and Rough Green Edges . Check them out and give me any feedback you can. I'm trying to tune them up!

2011-03-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

Hmm, I'm noticing a pattern here. I never finished the tale of my Thailand Trip - although I think of it often! In fact, I dreamed last night of the great dinner we had in Bangkok where so many of Brett and Maya's friends came and shared the evening with us. So many laughs and Brett introducing me to new foods. And then the dream shifted to another night when we stood on the roof of one of the sky-scrappers and looked out over all of Bangkok...warm breezes...and I had the wrong shoes...which was true almost the whole time I was in Thailand. They don't have size 9's in that country. It was a poor idea of mine to buy some nice shoes to go out in when I was there.

And I see that I stopped at Day 2 of our latest trip to Mexico although I think of it every day that the cold wind blows and snow filters down! I had lunch with Ava today and that the first time we've sat and talked - just the two of us - since those two glorious weeks! Our tans are fading...

And now our next trip is quickly approaching! Off to Austin to see Brett, Maya and Cetta for two weeks! I get to 'see' Cetta when we Skype but it's not like being there! Jack's stay will be short but I'm staying for 14 days!

I also am gearing up to see if I can do something with technology from home! That' going to be a long (6 month) process but I think I might make a go of it.... we'll see.

So do I pick up from the Thailand point, Mexico point or what? If I have any readers... let me know.

2011-02-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

Monday - Day 2 In Zihuatanejo

Morning broke bright and clear. In the course of the night Jack and I figured out that the picturesque clock tower two blocks from our little 9 room hotel is a primary time piece for the village of Zihuatanejo. It dongs out the number of the hour on the hour, chimes once at quarter after, twice on the half hour, three times on the 45 minute mark and chimes three times and dongs the hour 5 minutes before the hour. You learn fast when it is going on all night long. You also get used it pretty quick. By the third night it was just another pleasant part of being in Zih.

After a leisurely walk and breakfast at La Pearl Negra Jack and I decided to hit the Mercado to get some essentials for our little closet kitchen - chiefly coffee.

We squeezed through the tightly packed market and picked up some fruit and avocado's for snacks too. The next day when I introduced Ava to the Mercado she was fascinated... it was nothing like the Commericial Grocery Store others had steered her to.

We knew Leo, Brain and Ava had a condo in the La Ropa beach area but didn't know exactly where they were and we were without a cell phone so we had to just wait until they came to us.

One of the places Jack and I wandered to was Cafe Marina on Paseo de Pescedor which I had

discovered on my very first trip to Zihuatanejo in 2000. While we sat sipping our Coca Cola Dietez and watching the people pass by we were tickled to see John and Susan, also of Klamath Falls! They joined us and we caught up on their travels and news of the others while we had

lunch together. They knew where Ava, Brian and Leo where staying and tried to describe it to us but being unfamiliar with the La Ropa Beach area it was lost on us.

Of course, Brian, Leo and Ava came by Villa Mercedes while we were out to breakfast and shopping!

When we returned to Villa Mercedes we found a note from them that we'd meet up at the 6 pm English Speaking meeting that is held across the street from the Biblioteca (Library). Well, Google Earth was a little less than helpful with that address. Jack and I spent the afternoon

locating the meeting place and then rushed back to our room to seista, shower and change before 5:30 pm.

The gang was all at the meeting at 6 pm along with about 30 other Canadians and Americans! The meeting room was packed with people even sitting on the floor. After a great meeting we all went down to Danny's on Playa (Beach) Municipal and had dinner ... literally. I slipped off my shoes and sifted sand through my feet as we ate dinner to candle, star and moonlight!

It being 9 pm and way past Jack's normal bedtime we left shortly after eating after Ava and I had made plans for her to join us at our place at 6:30 am when Brain, Leo and John were heading out for deep sea fishing.

And so another day in paradise was done!

2011-02-11T19:09:00.000-08:00

Our Latest Mexico Vacation - Jan 23 to Feb 6 2011

I've told a lot of people I'd post details so I guess I better do so before memory fades and the routine of life at home takes over.

Jack and I actually left Klamath Falls on January 22 because we have to fly out of Medford, Oregon to use our Alaska Airlines air miles. Alaska Airlines used to fly out of Klamath Falls but that came to an end a couple of years ago when they retired the 'little' jet that flew this route. Anyway, Michelle came over Friday night and got settled in to be the house sitter/dog nanny so we were able to

make a comfortable 2 hour drive to Medford where we spent the night at Best Western.

An afternoon in Medford can easily be wiled away. We went to Barnes and Noble where Jack used his Christmas gift card from Sister Teri to by W.E.B. Griffin's latest book to read while on vacation. A trip to Macy's reveled Jack's favorite aftershave is no longer available ANYWHERE except online so he settled for Calvin Klein's Obsession. Diner consisted of good old American Black Bear hamburgers and fries. We had a date with a cabbie for 4:30 am to take us to the airport so we didn't stay up late.

At 5 AM, still somewhat drowsy, I sat with our carry-on luggage while Jack went to the airline counter to check our one and only large bag (loaded with fins, snorkels, masks, etc.) After talking with the attendant for a minute I noticed Jack turned to me with a huge grin and then turned back to the lady behind the counter. Now this could be his see-how-patient-I-can-be-in-the-face-of-frustration look which would mean something had gone haywire with our tickets, plane, or our luggage was overweight or it could be something good. I figured I'd know soon enough so I just stayed where I was.

Upgrades for two first-class seats on the 4 hour long flight from L.A. to Zihuatanejo was the reason for Jack's 90 watt smile. Our vacation was starting off really well! Even the 2 hour delay in L.A. didn't disturb our bliss.

Stepping off the plane at the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport was like stepping into summer here. We'd dressed in layers knowing that the average temperature in Zihua is 86 degrees and at 6 PM it was all of that. We peeled off the light jackets we'd worn that morning and smiled at the first time tourists who were visibly sweating by the time they'd collected their luggage and started for Immigration. Our only hic-cup came when I couldn't locate the baggage claim ticket. The officials were requiring a ticket to match to each bag before letting a person proceed to the next check point. After several minutes of rummaging through my magic-expandable travel purse and both carry-ons we located our claim ticket and we were on our way again.

Treating ourselves to a private taxi from the airport to our lodging cost $37 dollars! A pretty steep increase from 4 years ago but it was worth it not to be crammed into a station wagon with 6 or 7 other people. The ride into Zihuatanejo only takes about 15 minutes and locating Villa Mercedes was easy.

Although Romaldo wasn't fluent in English we manage to make ourselves understood and he lead us to our room. We were supposed to be in Room #9 but he set us up in Room #8 which had a balcony over the pool and garden. Jack was somewhat disappointed because he was looking forward to having a balcony over the street where he could watch people and cars but it was not a big deal. Being told we still owed the balance due was.

Always, always carry a print out of reservations, receipts and charges when traveling! Excellent advise! I had a printed copy of the email I'd received stating we were paid in full and there was a $0.00 balance due at check-in. Even with this the night clerk made several calls to the manager and it was not entirely cleared up until the next morning. Jack bowed out and let me handle the situation. We'd brought our mini HP so I went online, located the managers original email and forwarded it to him with a note we were at the Villa and had been told we still owed monies. Everyone was very gracious despite the unknowns and the issue was cleared up by morning. The manager handles several properties and had just forgotten to let the front desk know when we had paid in advance.

We were in our room and out again to get dinner by 7:30 pm.

We'd read reports of an armed robbery a block from our lodging a week previously on ZihuaRob 's Message Board (the greatest place to find out what is going on in Zihuatanejo from the people that live there or frequent it often) and we didn't want to be out walking late so we simply strolled a few blocks down Calle Adelita to Nardo's Restaurant. It being Sunday evening not many places were open on this street. We know that most of the action occurs down by the basketball court on the Paseo de Pescedor on Sunday evenings but we didn't want to go that far. Our first dinner was less than stellar but it was food and we were back in our room shortly after dark.

It having been a long day we only sat on our little balcony and enjoyed the balmy air and accordion dominated music from El Centro for a short time before retiring for the night.

We were pleased that at first glance at least Zihuatanejo was still much the same as it was 4 years ago!

2011-01-11T02:53:00.000-08:00

2011-01-11T02:35:00.001-08:00

Jack and Sharen Rea! On a Caribbean Cruise, scuba diving off West Palm Beach, Florida, chilling in Oregon or kicking back in Zihuatanejo, Mexico - life is good!

2011-01-03T20:08:00.000-08:00

New Year 2011 How strange that sounds to my ears! But I am doing what I can to make this a good year. I got up and participated in the Hangover Handicap Run/Walk in Old Town Klamath Falls on New Years Day. I say participated because I did not run or even speed walk. With Jaycup on a leash I strolled, along with another non-runner, the 2.8 mile course. At one point we passed a few others and remarked we wouldn't the the last ones to finish but they all picked up their pace towards the end and I have the distinction of being the last one across the finish line. My companion for the event was a visitor to Klamath Falls so it only seemed right to let her cross before me. My time in the Sunday Herald and News is listed last (of course) as 43.37! The winners finished in 12 minutes 43 seconds. But I was out there!!!!!

2010 was possibly the busiest year I can ever remember.

Jack and I celebrated 2010 New Year's Eve in Vero Beach, Florida with Diane and Keith.

In March I went to Thailand where Brett, Maya and I spent 3 weeks going from Bangkok to Tonsai to Chaing Rai, to Laos to Chaing Mai and back to Bankok. During that time I got lost in Bangkok, suffered from heat stroke in Tonsai, fell and twisted my ankle severely in Laos. I also rode an elephant, visited all the famous sites in Bangkok, experienced a culture radically different than anything I've ever known, got to spend time with my future daughter-in-law and enjoy several wonderful Thai massages - just to mention a few of the good things that happened.

May 2010 was spent in preparation for Brett and Maya's wedding. We took our travel trailer to Zion National Park a week before their May 29th ceremony and took in the area. After the weekend celebration and a quick trip back to Oregon I took off for my summer job as a camp host in the Deschuttes National Forest.

June, July, August and up to September 12th I lived in our travel trailer at first Quinn River and then Cultus Lake with Jaycup and Shiloh and 'worked' as a camp host. I love being a camp host and the summer passed quickly. I had snow on my birthday for the first time in my life! August 31st is normally still considered summer... even in the mountains!

On September 17th I experienced the most frightening event I can remember. After a two day hospital stay and a week of paralysis on my left side my life returned to 'normal' but I was left with a deep appreciation of friends, health and mobility as well as some less desirable apprehensions.

OCTOBER 5 Concetta Bettin Pilgrim was born while I was on my way to Austin, Texas! My first grandchild! I got to spend the first 10 days of Cetta's life with her, Maya and Brett. I didn't see very much of Austin on that trip but that was fine with me. I got to see my granddaughter day and night.

On returning to Oregon I made a side trip to Pendleton, Oregon for what turned out to be my last visit with my brother. Two years ago the doctors had given him only months to live but now he was in the infirmary.

Gerald died on November 12 from liver failure. Death of a close friend and Uncle Jim followed within 30 days.

Christmas 2010 was made special by a number of things. One, Jack and I were home and got to put up our own decorations! Secondly, Mom and Teri came up from Anderson and spent several days with us which included Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was the first time since I was 19 years old that we shared a Christmas together!

Those were the highlights of 2010. I'm hoping 2011 will be less busy!

2010-12-18T03:08:00.000-08:00

The latest picture of my little granddaughter! She isn't even two and a half months and she is supporting her own weight and holding her head high! Brett and Maya got together with Maya's family for a combination Thanksgiving - Christmas which Brett called Thanksmas - and this picture was taken of Cetta with her Auntie Kate. Many thanks to Maya's cousin, Vanna for sharing the pictures of that day with me!

2010-12-15 Cettas Thanksmas

2010-12-18T03:06:00.001-08:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

2010-11-12T16:03:00.001-08:00

We enter in this world with nothing... and we leave with nothing. If we are lucky we have left behind good memories and are thought of fondly by those still on this earth.

Today I tearfully say goodbye to my only brother, Gerald Dean Smith. He stopped breathing last night. His life story is over. I'm sure it wasn't what he would have had it been. I wish it had of been different for him and for us as siblings. My sister, Diane, has written a very eloquent post on her blog. I can not put together anything close to her kind and loving words so I am just posting the link.

http://seaami.blogspot.com/2010/11/may-you-rest-in-peace.html

2010-08-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

MY SUMMER.....Living in my travel trailer, being a camp host
Walking forest trails with my trusty companions
Enjoying 'refreshing' swims in the high mountain Cultus Lake when I am not working.

Life gets simple when you cut out TV, instantaneous telephone calls (a lot of times the reception is such I get a message much later than the call came in), no traffic, no restaurants, and only short interactions with people. I work, walk, read and make baby things. Life is good!

2010-07-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

I am terribly amiss at updating this blog. I know I have only touched on all the events of my once in a lifetime trip to Thailand! I have yet to tell you about riding elephants, sleeping in tree houses in the Laos jungle and the wonder of having my lost camera returned to me in the metropolis of Chaing Mai ( much to everyone's surprise!) but that will have to come at a later time or in person.

Right now I am working as a Camp Host/Attendant in the Deschuttes National Forest along the Cascades Lakes Highway outside of Bend, Oregon. It's the easiest job I've ever had and it is not lack of free time that keeps me from posting... it's the extreme 'lay backness' of being up here. I do my rounds, read, float on the reservoir, walk trails with the dogs, or read.... whatever I feel like until it's time to do the rounds again.

Shiloh crashed and tore her shoulder up almost a month ago. She is still healing. So far I have not crashed or tore anything up on me! I am getting very tanned though! :-)

Ahh, must tell you of the random act of kindness I received yesterday..... I went in to Bend to get the oil changed on the car. While waiting in the shadeless lane, pinned in behind 2 cars with 3 more cars behind me waiting to be serviced at Oil Can Henry's in Southern Bend a man jumped out of a pickup that had stopped at the red light on the road running parallel to the OCH line, ran over to my car and handed me a $10 gift card for Oil Can Henry's! He returned to the pickup without saying a word and jumped back in just as the traffic light turned green. He was gone before I could say anything! And the card was good! So my oil change was $10 cheaper which helped to offset what I'd spent at Goodwill!

Thank you kind stranger!

2010-05-15T03:05:00.000-07:00

Belated Mother's Day in Anderson California

I celebrated a belated Mother's Day with my 'other mother' Mom today. Judy Bland has been my only Mom since my mother passed away almost 21 years ago. Today I drove down to Anderson California, where she lives, and spent the day with her. As always I throughly enjoyed being with her. We are both Virgo's and naturally move through our day in very compatible ways!

After a beautifully sunny 2.5 hour drive down Hwy 97 and I-5 I got to sit and chat with Mom for a couple of hours before we went to Vittles and had our favorite lunch.... patty melts. From there we went to the nursery and picked out a pink clematis which I'd promised her when Aunt Margo died. I didn't send flowers for the funeral... I prefer giving a plant to my loved ones that can grow and be a memorial of the one that has passed on to the next phase of existence. We also got her Mother's Day gift... a hairy looking grass to plant in a very unique pot Friend John gave her. I'll have to get a picture of it and post it for anyone to be able to understand how that works together! Of course we looked at every plant in the nursery while we were there!

I only got to see Teri for a couple of minutes as she was dashing off to Farmington to visit with her daughter, Ryan, for the weekend but we exchanged ideas for travel arrangements to Brett's upcoming wedding in Utah and their plans to visit me at Quinn River Campground later in June.

Thank goodness for longer days! I made it back to Klamath Falls shortly after 8 pm and it was still light! The drive was extra-ordinary for me for some reason. I noticed several landmarks I'd never seen before although I've traveled that stretch of highway for 30 years now and colors just seemed especially vivid.

Maybe it was just that I had such a happy heart. I love Mom and it was good to see her in such good health and happy. There has been a great deal of sadness and worry for her lately but she is still able to enjoy a good day. Maybe I learned that from her. She certainly has been a model of stability in my life! Thank you God for all our mothers.

2010-05-09T21:28:00.001-07:00

MOTHERS DAY 2010

Is the first one in ten years that I've spent with Brett!

He was laying in bed and told Maya he was going to call me like he has for the last 7 years that he has been overseas and then he remembered I was in the next bedroom!

So I got this lovely bouquet of roses instead! (At least partially because Maya said a phone call just would not do!)

Jack took all of us to a delicious Mother's Day Buffet brunch at Nibleys on the Green where we all ate until we were uncomfortably stuffed. The restaurant gave Maya and I each a long stemmed rose - I'm the retired Momma and she is the Momma-to-be.

Jack snapped this picture of us as we were leaving the buffet.

Once we got home I recieved calls from my other two sons wishing me a happy mothers day so my day was complete!

And then it was time for Brett and Maya to pack up their SUV for the next leg of their journey. Today it was only to Grants Pass to spend the night with friends of Brett's and then they are heading over the Coastal Mountains to hook up with Hwy 101 in Crescent City, California and go along the Pacific coast line to San Francisco.

The car top carrier and back of the vehicle were packed with the essentials and camping gear as the two will be camping in Zion for a week before Jack and I get there and two weeks before the wedding.

Brett and Maya had a week of bonding with Shiloh and Jacup so saying farewell included them as well as Jack and I! Maya is a dog lover too - which is almost an absolute requirement for anyone staying in our house for any period of time. Shiloh loved snuggling up to Maya on the couch and listening to the baby's heart beat anytime she could. Jacup warmed up to them after a few days. He is something of a one person dog - I'm his person. He tends to ignore all others and be a bit stand offish.

So now the house is back to just Jack and I. Seems rather empty.

All the projects are done and the containers stacked in the garage - waiting to go in the travel trailer after I've put all our stuff in for the trip.

My momment of feeling at loose ends came quickly to an end as 6 o'clock approached and I went to tell my story as a guest speaker at one of the local recovery treatment centers.

My life is full. I am fortunate to have family and community connections that give me a feeling of purpose and usefulness. Even with the unknowns around Dad's health, the pressures of the upcoming trip and wedding I get to ENJOY today. Life is good.

2010-05-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

What have I been doing with my time?

Brett and Maya arrived in their sleek new-to-them ride on April 30th and the days since then have flown by.

Friday night we had a pazole dinner party with friends that doubled as a cupcake taste testing. The vegan chocolate cupcakes passed muster without any changes. Everyone was surprized that the favored mocha almond cupcakes were sugar and gluten free so they are a go - with modifications. It was decided to forgo the almonds and increase the coffee flavor. Brett has a sensitivity to nuts! I didn't know that! The angel food cupcakes were the worst. They were dry. Krista contacted a real baker (her ex-sister-in-law) for some tips on making a moister angel food cake.

Saturday we were off with my hiking group to the Rim Trail above Moore Park. It was only an hour and a half walk but everyone enjoyed it. Brett and Maya got to streach their legs after days of traveling. Then we set to the numerous wedding preparation projects!

Sunday we took in the caves at Lava Lands National Park in California. It was only an hour drive and the two caves we went through were terrific. Mushpot Cave was lit and and interpretive signs but Golden Dome Cave was not. I felt like a true spulunker! The visitor center supplied us with high powered lanterns which were a must as the floor was uneven and there was absolutally no light coming from outside. I think I'll take my bicycle helmet next time too. The ceiling were really low in some places. There are many more caves yet to explore but we wanted to take in Captain Jack's Stronghold also so we limited ourselves to two.

Among the wedding projects I packaged up the wonderful homemade jam's my sister Diane sent to be given to the international guests. Maya and Brett have hand picked the special guests to receive the blackberry, blueberry, triple berry and pear mix sweets!

And for those who wondered if Hogback Mountain was something out of Harry Potter.... here is a picture of the real Hogback Mountain that several friends and I climbed several weekends ago! The Lone Pine on the top of the mountain was our goal. Now every time we look up we can say, " I touched that tree- I own that mountain!"

Today is go through the camping gear day. Brett and Maya will be in Zion before anyone else and are going to be camping until it is time to take over the houses at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort.

Jack is busy preparing the truck and our new-to-us travel trailer for our trip to Zion more towards the end of the month.

The wedding is quickly approaching and excitement levels rising! Emails are flying through the ether!

2010-04-23T15:02:00.000-07:00

CRAZY COYOTE! I had a little excitement on my walk with the dogs today.

Since I've been home from Thailand I've been trying to keep up the habit of walking for a couple of hours each day. Although I walk a variety of places today I decided to take one of the old four-wheel drive roadways that run along the side of Hogback Mountain. After the initial 30 minute uphill section it is flat and runs across the side of the mountain which makes for easy walking and wonderful views of Klamath Falls, the lakes and Mt. Shasta. At the hour end of the walk we were high on the ridge and looking down on Old Fort Road.

For some reason I looked behind me and was surprized to see a coyote watching me and the dogs from about 50 feet higher up on the mountainside. He was about the same size as Jaycup, all grey with white fur around his eyes and yellow fur outlining his ears. I wasn't particularly alarmed but I looked around for others as friends have told me they are seldom alone and can be dangerous for dogs if there is a pack of them. Another 50 ft higher and some 60 yards back I spotted a smaller coyote making its way towards us. Scanning the rocky mountainside I could not see any others so I started walking backwards along the roadway while watching the coyote closest to us.

The coyote moved along paralell to us as if on his own path, watching me and Jaycup who was bounding around following scents in the sage brush as usual. When the coyote spotted Shiloh his ears came forward and he seemed to focus on her. Since I was taking so long to come up the roadway Shiloh had streached out in the shade of a juniper tree to wait for me. The coyote stopped directly above the tree and began making it's way down the hill towards her. Now I became a little concerned.

Calling Shiloh to me I took her ball and tossed it downhill and well ahead of where she had been lying down. Moving forward quickly to put some distance between the coyote and us I could see the wild one smelling the air and inspecting the spot our little spotted dog had been. Then he took up his trail again and trotted towards the shoulder of of the mountain.

That alone would have been enough excitement but our coyote interlude was not over.

Reaching the end of the roadway I decided to make the short scamble up to the ridge just above us to see what the view was of the other side. Jaycup and Shiloh romped up the hill faster than I did and disappeared over the top. As I crested the rise I saw Jaycup chasing the coyote through the small grassy field. They were both running flat out and were going to be out of sight in just a minute so I yelled for Jaycup to come as loud as I could. I'd also heard coyotes would lead a dog into an ambush and was afraid that might be what was going on!

Jaycup dutifully broke off the chase and peeled off to the right to return to me. The coyote immediately gave chase and as they sped between some sage bushes and rocks I heard Jaycup yelp. A moment later he was in the clear again, tail between his legs and ears flattened against his head as he made a beeline for me. The coyote paused in the open and then dug up the ground with his back feet. Declaring himself the winner?

I told Jaycup it is not a good idea to turn your back on a coyote and it didn't seem like Jaycup was any worse for the encounter but we immediately started back for the car. Periodically checking behind me to make sure the coyote wasn't following us down the mountain side I congradulated Jaycup for not getting hurt.

That was premature. It took an hour to get back to where I'd parked and by then Jaycup was limping noticably. The coyote had broken the skin on the inside of Jaycup's right leg at the elbow. A small patch of bloody fur marked the spot but he wouldn't let me see it. In the ten minutes it took for me to drive from Foothill Road to the house on Homedale I could tell Jaycup was hurting. He couldn't sit or lay down and was trying to balance on his three good legs on the seat.

After rinsing him off on the back patio I could tell there was a quarter sized wound but couldn't tell if there was muscles torn so off we went to the Vets.

Jaycup in now resting comfortably - a pain killer injection and a muzzle were needed to get him quiet enough to cut the ragged skin flap off, clean the wound and confirm no muscle or bone damage was done. Stocked with two weeks of antibiotics and pain killers I returned from my 'afternoon walk' more than a hundred bucks lighter!

Several women friends and I are supposed to hike to Lone Pine on Hogsback Mountain tomorrow. I will not be taking the dogs.

No more Hogback Mountain walks for these two dogs! Shiloh seemed totally oblivious the entire time to the presense of the coyote but then I had a ball so that isn't surprizing. The coyote was interested in her though!

2010-04-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

February 27, 2010 - Day 4 A Day of Wat's

Brett and I spent Saturday touring the three most famous Wat's in Bangkok (Referred to as the holy trinity of Bangkok's early history)

Wat Pho (house of the Reclining Buddha)

The Reclining Buddha fills the entire building. Only a hallway around the edge if the figure remains for the people to walk around it. The soles of the feet of the Buddha are covered with mother-of-pearl depictions of the 108 different favorable lak-sa-na of a Buddha (characteristics of a Buddha). Although the core is brick covered with plaster the entire figure is finished in gold leaf!

Thailand is ornate to say the least and the Grand Palace grounds, which includes Wat Phra Kaew, is the most ornate of all. We hired a guide to take us around the grounds and tell us what we were seeing. She promptly supplied Brett with a 'proper' pair of pants - his jeans with the knees worn out did not pass muster. You'll recognized them - their dragon pants. Although it was in the 90's with about the same amount of humidity you will notice I have long pants and a sleeved shirt on. Shoulders and legs must be covered at Wat's.

Pictures of the Emerald Buddha were not allowed but the temple was full of golden buddha's surrounding the famous Emerald Buddha. It is really a single piece of carved jade not emerald and is housed so high up and behind so many other buddha statues that you can't really see the detail of the Buddha. He was wearing his multimillion dollar winter outfit. According to our guide he has three outfits, one for each season, which only royalty can handle. The Prince was coming the next day to change the emerald buddha's garb so we had come on the only day I would have been able to see the Palace grounds and the temple.

The Grand Palace is spectacular in size and splendor which is appropriate as it was the royal residence for many years. There are many more pictures of my time in Bangkok and of the different temples in my facebook 'Bangkok Feb 25-28' alblum.

Wat Arun was the oldest and most challenging of the wat's we visited. The 82 meter high prang (Khmer-style tower) is covered with mosaics made up of broken pieces of china! Back in the early 19th century, when the tower was built, ships from China that put into port here used tonnes of old, broken porcelain as ballast. They dumped the ballast when they filled their holds with merchandise. Using the multi-colored pieces the Thai's decorated almost every square inch of the Temple of Dawn.

The sound of temple bells will always remind me of Wat Arun. The wind off the river blew almost constantly and keep the bells tinkling. It added an extra fantasy quality to the temple grounds.

We climbed up the knee high steps to the balcony that goes around the tower and got to see Bangkok streaching out in all directions. It is a huge city! It was here, at Wat Arun, that I made my most useful purchase of my Thailand trip - a fan!

2010-04-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

February 26, 2010 - Friday Day 3

Going to the Extremes in Bangkok

Maya had Mother watch on Friday. Brett had to stay home and attend to paperwork around getting enrolled in a program in Sussex, England so he and Maya can live together while she is getting her Masters Degree there. He also had to oversee the distribution of the belongings they had posted and sold over the Internet in preparation of their permanent departure from Thailand 10 days after my visit ends. Since the three of us will be traveling to different regions of Thailand for the majority of my stay the 4 days in Bangkok had to be used wisely.

So after breakfast at the little restaurant on Soi 6 Maya and I set off to participate in the refugee visit she'd asked me earlier if I would like to participate in. In anticipation of the visit I'd picked up a couple sets of jacks (a small rubber ball with 10 plastic 'jacks' that you try to sweep up between bouncing and catching the little ball.) to give to the children and use as a conversation piece. I thought we would be having lunch with them and giving them a chance to practice their English. It wasn't quite like that.

Anyway, we dash off to make the 10 a.m. sign-in time. After hoofing it to the train platforms we took two different Sky Trains in quick succession during which time Maya explains to me that we are going to the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center which is really jail for the people that have overstayed their Visa limitation. People come from countries experiencing bad economic or violent times on Tourist Visas with the hopes of gaining refugee status. Many do not get through the paperwork or are denied refugee status but they stay anyway. They have left Sri Lanka, Somalia and the other countries with no intention of returning and their home countries are aware they have filed for refugee status so returning will not be pleasant to say the least. The 'detention center' is segregated. Men and woman only see each other in the visiting area at such times that they each have a visitor. So we were going to sign in to visit a couple so they would have the opportunity to see and talk to one another...not so much us.

MOTORCYCLE TAXI

As we left the train platform Maya asked me how I felt about motorcycles. I told her I didn't have any problem with them and she explained we needed to take motorcycle taxi's to get to the Center in time. Traffic in Bangkok is intense but the motorcycle taxi's can go between cars and down streets that are to small for cars so they are the fastest way to get around. I was willing but a little uncomfortable about Maya and I splitting up and my inability to tell the driver where I wanted to go. Maya assured me she'd take care of that and she would take the second 'taxi' so she would be right behind me.

That lasted five seconds. Almost as soon as I got on behind the taxi driver and clutched him by the shoulders (I didn't want to seem to familiar with him by touching his waist) Maya's 'taxi' sped past us! As long as I could see her ahead of us it was ok but when the driver made a turn and went down a very narrow alley I was less serene. The ride was not long but I could not tell a person how many alleyways we traversed. Popping back on a main street the driver pulled over and pointed to a large building across the street - indicating that was where I was going. I paid him my 20 baht fare (maybe 65 cents) and he was gone. I looked up and down the street - both sides - no Maya.

I decided to cross the street and stand right next to the sign on the wall that did say Immigration and Detention Center in English. I was at the right place but maybe not the right entrance. There were no other non-Thai people in sight. Breathing deeply I resolved to stay right there until....I was arrested for loitering if necessary. Maya would find me...I just knew she would. I didn't know how to say Brett and Maya's address but Maya had written it, in Thai, in my little blue book that I had in my purse so I could flag down a taxi (not a motorcycle taxi!) and show him the page if I had to get home alone. Thank goodness for Maya's foresight!

Only a few minutes passed but it seemed like half and hour before I heard Maya's sweet voice saying, "There you are!" We were equally relieved! "I was having visions of having to tell Brett I lost his mother!" Maya wailed. As it turns out, my motorcycle taxi driver had driven incredibly slow - probably because I had his shoulders in a death grip - and Maya had been dropped off by her taxi several minutes before. She thought that I may have been dropped off at the corner or another entrance so she went looking for me and became more distressed with every passing minute.

Together, and not to be parted again, we proceeded to the check-in area.

DETENTION CENTER

An American named Becky was the organizer for the visitation and 14 people from all walks of life and many different countries were there to participate this Friday. The family Maya and I 'visited' where picked up for overstaying their Visa's in October. They had only the clothes they were wearing when they were picked up but they were grateful their two sons were with them at the time. Sometimes the parents are picked up and the children are not - creating additional distress to the situation as the children are left to depend on the charity of those around them when that happens. Maya had shopped quickly after we found out who we were visiting so we had gifts of meat, writing utensils, toiletries, sweets and my jacks for the kids that they would get after we left. The detention center supplies rice and vegetables period.

The visiting area was two open areas separated by chain link fences with a two foot gap between the two. Conversations had to be somewhat shouted back and forth. After visiting for a few minutes - they were from Sri Lanka and could speak English although so heavily accented I could not follow what they were saying- we indicated the packages that were for them and left so they could spend the rest of the visiting time with each other. They were very grateful for the items and for us coming. I pray for them - they could be there for up to two years and then still deported. I am glad my future daughter knew of such a good thing for us to do!

PARKS AND PAMPERING

In contrast to the bleakness we just left Maya and I stopped at the Life Center Shopping Mall and had cheese cake and iced mocha's on our way to spend a couple hours at a spa where I was going to experience a deluxe Thai massage.

During our coffee stop Maya and I got to know each other better by sharing about our families, past experiences and future plans. It was the best chat Maya and I had the entire trip!

Leaving the Mall we entered Lumphini Park. It is a beautiful park with two lakes and walking paths winding throughout. Maya told me this is where Brett usually ran when they lived in this part of Bangkok. We watched a man using two poles lashed together to reach the high branches of one of the trees to pull off some kind of pod. He offered us several of the pods and demonstrated how to eat the large white pea-like seeds inside. Each orb had a black seed inside it. Maya thanked him and we continued on our way munching the gift. They were not sweet but did not taste bad. Shortly afterward I broke out in a coughing fit that brought tears to my eyes and left me light headed. Sitting on a park bench I struggled to get my composure back and stop coughing. Offering me water Maya earnestly started questioning me, "Is your throat closing up?". After a few sips of water I was able to let her know I think they just got caught in my throat. We discussed the questionable wisdom of our eating unknown fruit plucked from a tree in a park and given to us by a stranger. We still do not know what it was we ate!

Another sky train ride and we were in the more touristy area of Sukhumvit Road where we walked to Relax @ 24 Spa. Two hours later we emerged from the spa in a post massage daze and wandered back towards the train station. Our two hour pampering cost about $55 each! I was called 'Madame' and treated so royally I felt uncomfortable! But it was wonderful.

When we'd nearly reached the train platform I realized I'd forgotten my watch at the Spa. Maya suggested we return to get it but she was unaware of the growing blister on the bottom of my foot. I assured her I would not miss my $19 Timex watch and insisted we NOT walk the 10 blocks back.

Since finding the spa and getting our massages had taken longer than we expected it was now nearly 5 pm. Both of us were hungry so we decided to go to a soup vendor across the street to get a bowl of soup to tide us over until dinner.

I gave Maya 'rush' number three for the day when I stepped out into the street in front of a motorbike. Mind you, I'd been watching Brett and Maya step out in front of cars, trucks and buses so I thought a motorbike was of no consequence. Grabbing my arm Maya jerked me back to the sidewalk with the instruction to NEVER step out in front of a motorcycle. Ok, Rule #1 was established.

Rule #2 came shortly afterward. Our noodle soup was delivered to us and an array of spices offered. Not knowing what to do I watched Maya and copied her choices. Five spoonfuls of the soup was all I could eat. Rule #2 - Do not spice food like Maya does. She likes everything SPICY.

The ride back home on the Sky Train was during rush hour and it was amazing. There was no shoving or pushing or nasty attitudes. The river of humanity poured in and out of the trains smoothly and peacefully.

STRAY DOGS

After a shower (you take at least two a day in Bangkok) Maya and I set off to meet Brett for dinner with some of Brett and Maya's friends at one of their favorite restaurants, Pla Dip.

During our walk to the one of the main roads where we could catch an auto taxi I witnessed how well Thai's treat stray dogs! Along the edge of the roadway, beneath a highway overpass, we passed several squares of white paper heaped with a mixture of rice and dry dog food. Several stray dogs were already eating their dinner but there was enough for many more. The only skinny dogs in Bangkok are old, sick ones ready to expire.

DINNER AT PLA DIP

What an extravaganza! We had duck con feti, real sushi, soft shelled crabs, wasabe mashed potatoes, chicken and pitchers of beer and water! Brett insisted I taste everything and I did! I really liked the duck and the wasabe mashed potatoes. I surprised myself and liked the soft shelled crab also!

It was a great treat to meet so many of Brett and Maya's friends! The infamous Marcus, Brett's best friend, was charming and not nearly as wild as I had imagined he would be. His lovely wife, Pascal, was tolerant of yet another night out. They had had company for a week and she had hoped for a night at home but they came out for "Brett's Mom's Dinner Party". Turned out Brett's co-worker, Steve, was from Reisterstown, Maryland - where I lived and went to high school! To meet the first person from that area since I'd left 34 years ago at a dinner party in Bangkok, Thailand was incredible. I caught up on what was still standing and what had changed in the three decades I'd been gone. All their friends are articulate, fun-loving people and I had a wonderful times chatting with them all. Maya and I shared our adventures of the day which kept everyone in stitches.

Our night ended after midnight again!

2010-04-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

Thursday - Day 2 in Bangkok (con't)

I absolutely do not understand why they outlawed the fish foot spas in the US.

Seems like it is a win-win deal!

It was a nice way to treat your feet after walking on the hot streets of Bangkok!

We went on to purchase the tickets to the most awesome theatrical show I've seen since seeing The Phantom of the Opera in San Francisco many years ago!

One of the things I really wanted to see while in Thailand was traditional Thai dancing. I had read in the Lonely Planet Thailand book about a demonstration given at one of the temples but Brett and Maya treated me to Siam Niramit! We could not take pictures of the production but some of the actors were available to pose for pictures afterward which is what you see here. These are full grown Thai dancers! You can understand why I didn't find much in the way of clothes I could buy in Thailand!

The show itself was wonderful. Three 'acts' contained all the types of Thai dancing I'd seen in the movies, on the internet and read about. The costumes were beyond description and the elegance of the dancers spellbinding. If a person knows the legends, myths and history of Thailand I am sure it would be even more meaningful but the pageantry was spectacular enough to mesmerize a farang like me. The scale of the show is epitomized by elephants, decked out in full royal regalia and carrying the "Princess and Prince" walked through the wide isle between the upper and lower decks of seats as part of a royal procession. Special effects were incredible.

The link for Siam Niramit takes a minute or so to load but you will get a real glimpse of what the show is like for your patience! Be sure to have your speakers on ... but not to high!

The three of us also toured the "village" area and Maya said they were pretty accurate reconstructions of the different hill tribe architecture. I saw my first little rice pattie there!

The night was magical for me. I am very grateful Brett and Maya knew to take me to see it!

Thursday night ended with a comfortable taxi ride back to our garden spot between Soi 4 and Soi 6.

It was a spectacular full first day in Thailand.

2010-03-31T17:44:00.000-07:00

Thursday - Day 2 Bangkok Hospital

After a great nights sleep and coffee in the garden Brett and Maya introduced me to their 'soi'. A soi is a small street off a large multi-laned street. Usually only a car and a half wide and lined with parked cars, street vendor carts, restaurants and shops a soi serves wheeled and foot traffic. Brett and Maya's place was flanked by Soi 4 and Soi 6 off Ratchawiti Road. Soi 6 had all the shops and restaurants on it so that is the one we accessed the main roads from the most often.

This bright and warm morning we strolled the block or so down the soi to their usual breakfast restaurant. It has no name - you just know where it is. After placing our order we settled in the eating area set behind the open air cooking area and watched what Maya assured me is really bad Thai TV until our breakfast was served. I went with the egg and pork omelet which was served over rice to ease myself into Thai cuisine.

True to my promise to Jack and my doctor we set off to get my last of the series of three hepatitis vaccinations I was supposed to get as soon as I got to Bangkok. Our planned destination was the Travelers Clinic next to the nearby hospital. I gamely followed Brett and Maya as they threaded their way through the crowds along the streets and then on the elevated

walkways that allow people to move from the sky train platforms to the various streets without impeding the wheeled traffic on the streets. Since Victory Monument is not a tourist area of Bangkok very few signs are written in English so I had to be told the large white building complex we were entering was the hospital.

In a large reception type area rimmed with windowed offices Maya explained at the information desk that I needed to get my last hepatitis vaccination and I was inducted into the Thai medical system. Moving from station to station went pretty smooth until it was discovered that I'd been mistakenly listed as Mr. Sharen Rea. That got me shuffled back to the records area for a re-do. As I was sitting and waiting to be called for further processing I was amazed at the number and variety of Thai's preparing to travel. There were some very old and some less than healthy folks waiting for their travel shots. When a nurse in a 1950's style nurse uniform beckoned me to come forward I figure they'd take me in the little room and give me my shot so I went in without Brett or Maya. That only lasted a minute. A woman sitting at a small writing table began asking me questions - I think. She looked at me - I looked at her. Then I went to the door and beckoned Brett and Maya to join me.... they were smiling at me when I opened the door - I think they had a bet on how long it would take for be to be back in the doorway.

Maya explained the situation. The two had a nice discussion. We three were directed back out of that closet and directed to go to another window to pay. That done we were directed to go to the Pharmacy window. Brett, Maya and I became a little concerned. Was I going to be given a shot through the pharmacy window? Had there been a misunderstanding and I going to be give the treatment for hepatitis instead of a vaccination? Were hep vaccines self administered in Thailand? I was waived to the window. We were the only farangs in the reception area so I guess they knew who we were and I was handed a small vial with a clear liquid in a plastic bag. Hmmm.

Maya asked a question and the guy at the counter pointed down another hall. So off we went in that direction and there was another nurses station. She had needles! Good! None of us wanted to give me a shot! Two hours had lapsed when we emerged from the clinic. Maya told me I could keep my hospital card as a keepsake - which was when I found out we had not been able to find the Travelers Clinic listed on the internet and went to the regular hospital for my shot. So all those people weren't travelers getting travel vaccinations - they were every day Thai's in the walk-in clinic! This was only the first of many instances where I found myself clueless as to the details of the situation!

With the must-do done we set off to see the Chao Phraya River by water taxi. My second meal in Thailand was at an American restaurant called Rick's which wasn't very exotic but the fish foot spa that followed was! The little fish swarmed one foot and then the other for a ticklish 15 minutes!

2010-03-28T22:21:00.000-07:00

THAILAND HERE I COME!

Dressed in my 'warm' garb for the Medford to Portland segment of my journey to the Far East I took off on schedule from the recently remodeled Medford Airport for the short hop North to Portland, Oregon.

Mike picked me and my bags up and we swung by Carl's Jr. to pick up hamburgers for dinner at the house. As Caleb dug into his hamburger he cheerfully encouraged me to enjoy my last taste of anything other than fish and rice for the next three weeks. BOY WAS HE WRONG!

The flight from Portland to Seattle was short, sweet and uneventful. I've learned all the things you can not carry and what shoes not to wear when you will be going through airport security so I went right on through every check point without a hicup.

By pure chance I had selected seat 39B on the big transcontinental Korean Air jet. What a great seat! The flight attendant seemed concerned that I might not want to be by the bathroom but the trade off was only having one person sitting beside me during the 10.5 hour flight into Seoul, Korea. The ride was bumpy but I still managed to sleep awhile and the rest of the time was taken up with movies and eating. They do feed you on the international flights - and feed you well. My concerns about being offered only Korean food were completely unfounded.

I did get what I thought was yogurt on my breakfast tray - but it wasn't. I watched others and they put a soy sauce looking dressing in it and seemed to enjoy it. I tried but the taste didn't appeal. That was my experimental food for the day. I am determined to give atleast one new thing per day a try!

Seoul to Bangkok flight seemed to be really short and I was in Bangkok, through customs and imigration in no time. Then I was lost.

The Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand is new, extremely functional and traveler friendly until you get on the other side of Customs. Then you are facing a blank white wall with no obvious exits. Watching others I noticed people went to the far end of the wall on either end and disappeared around the edge. Left or Right? I went left because it was closer.

On the other side of the wall was a short maze like hall with a couple of switchbacks and then you were in a huge open area filled with people moving along with purpose. In front of me was a set of revolving doors that obviously lead to the outdoors and waiting taxis but I really wanted to be with Brett and Maya before I left the securty of the airport so I looked over every sign in sight (none of which were in English) for a hint of where to go from this point. Over head there was one small sign with an arrow indicating that down the corridor to my right was the Meeting Area. Since it was the only English option I went down the corridor while scanning the crowd for Brett or Maya.

After what seemed like a very long walk and no sight of a 'Meeting Area' I was beginning to consider returning to my starting point and looking for other options when I heard "SHAREN". Not to be egotistical or anything but I figured that must mean me so I immediately stopped and looked around. On the far right side of the corridor, on the other side of a red ribboned off area I caught sight of Maya's lovely face and Brett's wonderful grin! Awww, they did come for me!

There had been some concern on my part about what day I was actually arriving in Thailand - the international date line came into play somewhere around Japanese air space which threw me 15 hours ahead in time. So although I left on Tuesday I was arriving in Thailand after 11 pm on Wednesday night. Or so Brett assured me and he was right. I was in Tuesday but Wednesday in Bangkok was over before we got to their place.

Brett and Maya were both rather impressed with my economy of luggage. Because I didn't have to pick up baggage I guess I ended up not going out the exit they were watching for me from and I was on the other side of the red tape! We worked our way down until we came to an area where I could 'cross over' and I got big hugs from Brett and Maya before we went in search of a taxi.

Bangkok at night is like driving through Los Angeles except I could not read any of the street signs! Highrises, four lane freeway full of fast moving cars, stores open and lots of people out and about on the sidewalks even though it was after Midnight and it was a Wednesday night.

Victory Monument is a tall Washington Monument looking tower - well-lit and impressive in the middle of a large round about. Brett pointed out that if I got lost if I could get to Victory Monument I'd be able to find the house. As if I was going ANYWHERE with out them, ha! Within minutes of being in Bangkok I was sufficiently aware I was totally out of my element.

Brett and Maya had made arrangements for me to stay in one of their landlords two guesthouse rooms. It was spacious and a charming blend of new and old. I loved it immediately. The landlady's dog, though, did not take to me at all! Something that didn't change in the following four days. I don't think I smelled 'right' to him!

So after what seemed like a long day to me but was actually two days I said good night to the young ones and went to quickly to sleep in my princess suite!

2010-02-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

READY, SET TO GO! My two little bags are packed to the max. I have all my money (dollars and baht), drivers license, passport, divers certification card and credit cards in my money belt. Disposable paperback books tucked in my bag. And it's 2:30 PM. Can't print my boarding passes for my Medford to Portland leg of the trip until after 5:30 today.

So I'm letting you all know I will be incomuticato for the next three weeks after this post. I'm not even taking a cell phone! Traveling light - but bright - my LL Bean backpack is as bright pink as one can get! Thanks to my sis I also have one of those neat little suitcases with wheels and a extendable handle - it is a modest navy blue but I've added a neon orange tag with my name on it and a salmon pink ribbon. I will be able to spot my "stuff" anywhere!

Woke up to 20 degrees this morning to the 90 degree weather in Bangkok is going to be something of a system shock. The low's at night in Thailand are running between 60 and 70 degrees! Dressing for the trip is a bit of a challenge! Sandles, capri's, light blouse, sweatshirt (which will be left in Portland for the return trip) in Oregon's winter weather may look a bit odd tomorrow but I don't want to pack anything I won't need for my 27 hours of travel!

Just think - in two days I will be in Thailand! WOW! I am going to try not to leave my mouth hanging open in awe! Brett has assured me it is going to be like nothing else I've ever experienced! I'll be keeping a journal and taking pictures so you'll get my veiw of Thailand when I get home!

Until then, take care of yourselves my loved ones! I'll think of you as I travel!

2010-02-19T00:09:00.000-08:00

Thailand "Plans" - and we all know what can happen with plans!

But here are the dates that Brett, Maya and I have already bought tickets or made reservations for and the links to those that have them (as was requested by loved ones here at home!)

Feb. 22rd - Monday - I fly from Medford to Portland and spend the night at Caleb and Mike's. (I'll see plenty of hotels in the next few months and seldom get to spend time with my son's!)

Feb 23rd - Tuesday -8:30 am I will be at the airport for my 10:30 am Horizon Air flight from Portland to Seattle and there I get on Korean Air at 1 pm to make the long flight overseas. I arrive in Seoul Incheon International Airport at 5:35 pm although the flight is 11 1/2 hours long --in other words it is going to be the longest 4 1/2 hours in MY life. The final leg starts at 7:20 pm when I board the Korean Air flight to Bangkok - which is another 2,281 air miles (6 hours) and I arrive in Suvarnabhumi Inernational Airport outside Bangkok at 11:10 pm on Tuesday night. Plum amazing! My total airtime will be 21 hours and 40 minutes! And I will have traveled 7,610 miles in that short time!

I will be staying in the Victory Monument area of Bangkok, Thailand for my 5 days there. Brett and Maya's place is 40 seconds away according to Brett! :-)

Feb. 24th - Wednesday - WHEN I wake up we will be off to get my final shots so I'll be protected from Hepititus and Japanese Encephilitus and whatever else Maya has for us to do that day...I'm sure it will all be awesome to me! We will be in Bangkok for 5 days - items I'd like to see are The Oriental Hotel/and "the river", the flower mart, have a converastional afternoon with refugees, see where Brett has worked, try a thai massage, see traditional thai dancing, visit the Ancient City, and visit the famous Emerald Buddha and whatever else catches my eye! :-)

Feb. 28th - Sunday Evening - we fly from Bangkok to Krabi airport in Southern Thailand where we will be staying at Tonsai Beach which is within walking distance of Railey in Krabi Providence. There we will be splashing in the ocean, I will watch Brett and Maya climb (if I can) the huge limestone walls, sea kayak and I hope to get in a two tank scuba dive!

March 7 - Sunday Evening - we fly back to Bangkok to spend one night in the big city again.

March 8 - Monday - we fly to Chiang Rai airport in Northern Thailand. From here we plan on seeing the famous temples in Chiang Mai, the mountain town of Pai, Mae Hong Son (where Maya often worked). We are going to do atleast some of this on scooters! (I got a little practice in on one in the Caribbean you remember?)

March 10 - Wednesday - Chiang Rai- We have reservations at the lovely Mirror Art Guest House before we head off to Laos

March 11 - Thursday - We will be catching the early bus to the Thailand/Laos border town where we will take a ferry boat across the Mekong River to Houayxay (pronounced "way sigh"), Laos so we can check in at the Gibbon Experience office before 7 pm in preparation for our 3 day 2 night adventure . We will spend the night somewhere in Houayxay - it only has one main street. Here is a link to a woman's travel tale that has done this already- Waterfall Gibbon Experience- Best three days ever - I'll let you know if I have the same experience!

March 12 - Friday - We will be driven to Baan Toup village and then we hike into the Bokeo Nam Kan National Park - along the Nam Nga Valley to spend two nights in tree houses 300 feet in the canopy that are accessed by zip lines.

March 14 - Sunday - Return from the jungle and Laos the way we came and stay at the Banilah Guest House in Chaing Mai for two nights.

March 16 - Monday - flying into the Bangkok Int. Airport from Northern Thailand. We will have dinner there together and I board my Korean Air flight shortly before 1 am on March 17th to begin my trek back to the U.S.

March 17 - Tuesday - 8:15 am I'll be at the Seoul Incheon International airport where I will people watch, read, eat, crochet and entertain myself for the next 10 hours. I did this to myself so I will not complain. At 6:20 pm I will leave Seoul, Korea and arrifve in Seattle at Noon on the same Tuesday. My Horizon flight leaves Seattle at 2 pm and I arrive at Portland about 3 pm. I am hoping Caleb will be there to take me to his house where I will spend the real night.

March 18 - Wednesday - I'll be back at the Portland Airport at 2 pm for my 4 pm flight to Medford. It lands at 5 pm and Jack, my loving husband, will be there to pick me up and drive us home to Klamath Falls.

I think I will be tired so I am not planning on doing much for a few days once I get home but you never know... :-P

2010-02-18T23:39:00.001-08:00

We are back in Klamath Falls! In fact we've been back since about January 11th! We have just been busy little bees and blogging got squeezed out. Here's a quick update for anyone curious about what's happened since the Loxahatchee River Trip!

Diane and I had a Bingo Night, had a couple of girl's days out and went to the Gaylord Resort in Orlando together before we all flew back to Oregon - Diane and Keith to see to the repair of their Coos Bay house - Jack and I back to our house in Klamath Falls.

The new bamboo flooring was in but the house had to be put back together. Furniture put back in correct rooms, rugs purchased and put down, all the surfaces in the whole house wiped down as the fine saw dust had floated everywhere, and then we unpacked from our two month trip! These things took a few days to accomplish!

Then I kept looking at the walls....dingy white with scuff marks and settling cracks. And I started collecting paint chips... Shortly afterward I had a discussion with a professional painter we know and since he wasn't busy he gave us a heck of a price on painting the whole interior and making the little repairs that needed done to boot. My sweetie seldom tells me "No" and he didn't this time either. So our home is now colorized!

It took a little longer than we estimated to get the project completed because I came down with a flu - rotten little buggers got me on the plane home I suspect. Anyway, we moved everything to the center of the rooms and then I went to bed sick. The house was torn up for a good 10 days with our painter being very thoughtful and taking a break for 4 days when I was the sickest. Moving the furniture around was hard on both Jack and I as his back was all bound up to the point he was going to the chiropractor and finally to the Dr. for medication to undo the muscle spasms and I would break out in coughing fits if I excerted myself very much! But we got it done!

I am all but done with the coughing, hacking horrible crud and Jack's back is getting better. All this is very good since I am leaving on this coming Monday for my long awaited, planned for, and anticipated 3 week trip to Thailand!!!

2009-12-28T19:38:00.000-08:00

Loxahatchee River - Jonathan Dickinson State Park - Trapper Nelson Interpretive Center

Diane and I had GREAT day on the Loxahatchee River! It didn't go the way we expected - we arrived at 9 am (which means we were up at 6 am and on the road by 7 am) to hear the Captian of the River Queen explaining to the 10 people standing by the river that the 9 am tour was cancelled due to mechanical problems. That took the wind out of our sails for a few minutes.

Then it came to light that we could rent a little skiff for the same price as the tour. We got our key and loaded into the boat and tried to get the motor going. The Captain stopped tinkering on the big pontoon boat and came over to us.

He asked if we knew what we were doing. Diane and I said "No" in unison so he got in the boat and started the engine. We were happy! Diane took over at the engine and I cast off the lines. Into reverse we go, point up river and the engine dies. The Captian looked a bit dismayed on the dock. But a couple pulls and it started again. A few minutes later we were putt putting up the Loxahatchee River without a guide. We had a map and had been told to stick to the main river... OK?!

The main river was a little hard to discern a few times but we pretty much followed the visable flow of the water and made very few sidetrips, of which all always led back to the 'main'. Several islands divided the channel and we did our best... there were no signs until 50 feet before we arrived at the interpretive site.

The river is like a mirror and the spanish moss draped from the trees looked so exotic. Osprey and turtles were everywhere. We even saw an alligator swimming up river.

The Trapper Nelson Interperetive Center has been restored to it's original state and gave a great feeling for how he lived, what his rustic wildlife zoo had been like and the abundant way things grow here in Florida. He had almond, orange, lemon and apple trees, pineapple plants as well as a vegetable garden! We'd only rented the skiff for 2 hrs so we had to miss the Ranger's talk and head back down river.

Again we loaded into the boat and again we could not get it started! Diane pulled until her arms wouldn't let her anymore. Then I tried until we could smell gas. So we figure it is flooded and sit in the boat contemplating our situation. About that time two men and a boy pull up to the dock in kayaks, unload and head up the path to the center. Disappointed that there wasn't any offer to help we tried starting the engine again ourselves. No luck. But then we hear a voice saying, "I'll be back in a minute - I'm going to see if I can give those ladies a hand." Music to our ears! Evidently the choke only needs to be out the very first time you start an outboard motor. We had tried it both ways with no luck but it started for him on the second pull! We waved as he went back up the trail and Diane proceeded to get us out of the slip with an unique three point turn technique.

Once we had made our 90 degree turn we proceeded to putt slowly but steadily towards the opposite shore. "Watch your head." Sis says coolly as she drives us beneath the huge, spanish moss covered tree branch directly across the river from the interpretive site and runs us up on the bank. I have to admit I don't know what Diane was doing with the engine... I was fixated on the bank coming closer and closer - and crouching down so I wasn't knocked out of the boat by the branch! After bumping the bank the sound of the engine changed and the skiff backed slowly out from beneath the spanish moss shrouded branch.

"Well, now I know you have to HOLD the lever when you want to go in reverse." Capt. Dee said as we began our trip down river. My offer to 'drive' was declined so I continued in my role as photographer snapping pictures of the osprey, turtles, a fishermen with his Tarpin, panama trees, and the alligator that swam by!

Our trip ran a little longer than the hour and a half that is given for the trip... other then our starting challenges the only delays we experienced was when we chopped up some salad for the fish in one area while navigating to get a good picture of the big green turtles on a log! Although a passing kayaker offered to give us a push out of the clump of water vegetation Capt. Dee had us backed up and in the main channel before they were finished making the offer. She's got that gig down!

We opted for the morning tour because they said it would be the best time to see the most wildlife but we definately saw more on our way back to the park dock. We also came across alot of other boaters! They were coming up river in kayaks, canoes, and skiffs! It became absolutally congested when the big River Queen came around the bend towards us with the 11 o'clock tour group. As they passed the Captain announced to the passengers, " And there are our first timers!" I think he was relieved to find us on our way back!

The tide had gone out when we pulled back into the park slip so it was great that a young man was there to aide us in tieing the skiff on and climb up onto the dock. We turned in our life vests and the key to the tempermental outboard motor feeling very pleased with our self guided tour!

Diane put the top down on the little Dodge Shadow and we headed home with the wind in our hair and smiles on our faces feeling closer to sixteen then sixty!

We made one more stop while in the park which we were tickled that we did when we got to see 10 baby alligators with two adults. At the same gator viewing spot in the park that Jack and I had seen our first alligator in the wild a couple of weeks ago Diane pulled over and we walked to the spot were I'd taken my pictures that day. It looked like the exact same very-dark alligator was there (how could one be sure?) but this time there were baby alligators on the bank and in the water around her. With there being more water than before the second alligator was able to lie nearly completely submerged wit only eyes, nostrils and the top of his head showing. A fellow photographer said there were 11 babies but Diane and I could only find 10!

So went our day at the Loxahatchee River! Sharing adventures with your sister can be even more fun at 50+ than when kids!

2009-12-27T17:06:00.000-08:00

Whew! I just made our reservation at Watchman Campground at Zion National Park for our stay there to attend Brett and Maya's wedding on Memorial Day Weekend 2010 and I got the LAST RV spot available!

Here I am organizing the housing for the wedding party and I almost missed the window to stay where I wanted to! Isn't that ironic!

We enjoyed a bright sunny day at the Vero Beach Museum of Art with Jim and Sue Tews a couple of days before Christmas and a comfortable Christmas with Diane and Keith. I'm really enjoying the time Diane and I have to chat! I'm sure Jack and Keith think it is endlessly but we do spend some time quietly. Like right now while we are both computing! :-)

Tomorrow Diane and I are setting out bright and early for the Loxahatchee River tour at Jonathan Dickinson State Park. Jack and Keith opted not to go so it will just be us girls.

Diane and Keith's plans for January took a turn that has them returning to Coos Bay January 9th so Jack and I have changed our reservations and will be returning to Oregon that day too. We are looking forward to seeing our puppies, friends and our new floor! I am sorry that the time with Sis has been cut short.

We'll just have to make the best use of the time!

2009-12-17T21:35:00.000-08:00

Key West and Back in a Day and a half!

We had promised ourselves we'd get down to Key West while we were here this time. Sue and Jim Tews furnished with the name of a place to stay that was simple, centrally located and very affordable so we made a reservation and away we went! We'd been warned that since we don't drink Key West wouldn't hold much for us once we'd seen the sights so we only reserved one night.

After a bueatiful, hassle free drive down the Florida Turnpike to Homestead and then US 1 over all 42 bridges through the keys we tossed our bags in our room and headed one block over to Duval street. It was four o'clock and we wanted to be sure to make it to the Sunset Celebration on Mallory Square on the other side of town.

It turned out the trolley is a tour ... not a trolley like San Fransisco... so we hired a pedi-cab to take us the 1 1/2 miles to the square. Jack's gout had subsided but we didn't want to push it by walking both ways. We got there in plenty of time for a quick walk about the square (which was just beginning to fill up with the various vendors and entertainment acts and a few people sitting on the walls waiting for the sunset) and dinner. We decided to try Cuban since neither of us had ever eaten any.

Pepe's was right there so we had a seat. Cuban food is not spicy like we assumed it would be. It was tasty but not spicy. Jack got a pork dish and I thought I ordered something like chille relleno's but I got tart-like cups made of fried plantains filled with different meats and one with seafood. All good - just different from what I expected!

We strolled through a sculpture garden and then back to Mallory Square in time for the sunset...such as it was. The sky had clouded over and we didn't get the spectacular sunset so often shown but what we had was the sunset on the day Jack and I went to Key West so it was great for us!

There was a lot going on in the square - a guy getting out of a straight jacket, a belly dancer, jugglers with fire sticks, a one-man band (which was really good!) and several booths selling jewelry, blown glass, balloons and trinkets.

Ice cream was our main interest and we'd seen several on our way down so we took our leave of the festival at Mallory Square and began our stroll down Duval Street. We didn't really plan on walking all the way back to our motel on South Street but we did! We window shopped, enjoyed listening to the different music from the different bars on each block, checked the ice cream shops for bubble guy ice cream (Jack's favorite) and pretty soon we were only 5 blocks away! We settled on soft ice cream cones about half way and that made the muggy heat more bearible.

Once back at the motel we were sweaty and ready for the pool! It was only 6:30 pm but pretty dark so we got to enjoy a moonlight swim before retiring for the night.

We got up at the first sign of light - about 7:am - jumped in our swimsuits and headed to the Rainbow Pier to go snorkeling. We'd asked a young man at the tiny beach at the East end of Duval Street where we could find the best snorkeling and he told us to go to a pier off Reynolds Street and snorkel around the pilings from the old pier. The locals ALWAYS know the good stuff! The beach was only about 5 blocks from the Spanish Garden Motel on Simonson and South that we were staying at so we made it to the beach for sunrise!

It was bueatiful! The sunrise, the snorkeling, the birds, the water. Jack and I swam the length of the old pier and we saw more fish than ever before. I took some photo's that I've posted to facebook, if you want to see them and the ones from the rest of our trip. I just put a few here.

After our early morning snorkeling Jack and I packed up our bags and hit US 1 going North. We took the East coast route off of Key West to see the other shore (we drove in on the West shore route). We saw the all three of the beaches Key West has to offer that way.

The drive back to the main land was great. We didn't see any of the horrific traffic everyone always refers to but then we were traveling on Wednesday and Thursday... not peak days!

The next stop on our road trip was The Everglades National Park that lies to the West of Miami. We lost the blue skies as we neared Homestead and kept hoping the rain would hold off for us to get to do an airboat ride! Frommer's Florida recommended Gator Park as the best for the money when taking an airboat ride so we headed directly there.

The rain held off until after our airboat ride...almost...a little rain but nothing like what followed later and it was warm as always. The tour included a alligator "wrestling" show too and the opportunity to hold an alligator. We learned a lot about alligators and saw a number out in the everglades and more at the park! The show was really a demonstration of how the Indians used to capture alligators live not a wrestling match! And as you see I did it- I held a 3 yr old alligator! He was actually soft and warm!

The ride up the turnpike to Vero Beach was long and difficult. Blinding rain squalls passed over us off and on the entire time. It was good that we had decided not to stay an extra day in Key West or outside of Miami! I'm hearing all kinds of reports on problems on the highways due to the rain. We pulled in here about 6:30 pm and it has been raining hard since!

All in all our whirlwind trip held a lot of fun and will be the source of good memories!

2009-12-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update...once again it is late and I have a writing assignment to get done BUT I wanted to post these pictures and update everyone on our activities before they are old news.

As usual, getting the pictures in order is a pain so I'll leave them as they are and you can read the captions ---

The chronicalogical order of things

December 1 --- Beach combing for shells at Treasure State Park, Vero Beach area

December 2,3 --Arts and crafts days...all my friends got a "specail" christmas card cuz Sharen had time on her hands!

2nd weekend in December - We drove North to Fort Christmas to participate in their Christmas festival - on Friday- and the vendors were just setting up - in the pouring rain. The festival is on Saturday and Sunday... typo in the newspaper...The goal was to have our Christmas cards hand stamped from Fort Christmas and we were still able to get that done and we saw the restored Fort Christmas so the 90 minute drive was not fruitless just very, very wet! Think rainstorms on I-5 in Albany! Traffic stopping intensity at times!

December 9th - drove 50 miles South to Jonathan Dickinson State Park. U.S. 1 is not the fast way to get to Hobe Sound from Vero Beach... incase you ever need to know. We reached the park about 1 pm on the hottest day ever recorded in December in Florida. The Educational Center was great (and air conditioned) and the rangers were very friendly.

Since we didn't have a CD player normally furnished for doing the auto tour they dug around until the found a printed booklet for us! I came out of the center loaded with phamplets and a Florida State Campgrounds book that is a treasure! We drove the route and got out of the vehicle for wildlife (3 turtles and an alligator) and to climb Hobe Mountain but passed on the other hikes - it was just too hot.

BUT I will be going back to go on the Wild and Scenic Loxahatchee River 2 hour guided boat tour to the Trapper Nelson Interpretive Site. The ranger gave me the scoop on the best time to go and gave me the direct line to call and find out when that would be for the day I come down. The Loxahatchee River was the very river designated as wild and scenic. Alas, there is no white water involved but considering the type and number of intimidating wet residents I'm ok with that. A 27 passenger pontoon boat takes you up river through the swamp to the Wildman of the Loxahatchee compound ... WHO could pass on that? I am hoping Diane and Keith will feel enthused about driving down and doing it with Jack and I.

December 11 - Today! We drove East to Lake Okeechobee to visit Jim and Sue Tews at their place. They drove to Vero Beach last Feb when we were here so we went to them this time. Central Florida is very much like Fort Klamath area... lots of ranches and cows but not much else. Sue made us a great pork roast meal in a state of the art piece of kitchen gagetry that didn't heat up the motorhome one bit! They have created a great spot with waterfront property on two sides! Lake Okeechobee is behind them and their patio boarders a "little" lake. We watched Sandhill Cranes, Ibis and a couple other birds I don't know the names of as we sat on the patio and visited. As always the time went to quick and we needed to head back to Vero Beach long before we ran out of conversation! The day was as grey skied as the past 5 days have been but going to dinner with friends made it brighter!

I loaded all the pictures from Fort Christmas and Jonathan State Park on my facebook so go there if you want to check them out! So much for a quick update!

I hope everyone is enjoying the season!

2009-12-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

WE HAD FUN on our Eastern Caribbean Cruise!

This was our second time on the Carnival Glory so we got a GOLD sail and sign card! We also went to a special afternoon gathering for repeat cruisers where they served great snacks and all you could drink for the 45 minute social! The fruit juice was good in addition to the diet Coke! We certainly didn't break their budget on what we consumed! There was a cute contest and we got to hear the Captain speak.... a nice little perk altogether.

Time went quickly and even with 3 days at sea we didn't get to do many of the activities available. Our dinner time was 8:15 pm so that was usually the last thing Jack did each day! We had such a great group of people at our table that ours was the last to leave the diningroom each night - never before 10:15 pm! I went to most of the productions afterward after seeing Jack back to our room. The live music, dancing and comedy was very entertaining! Each day in port, whatever port we were at, we shopped! I now have some more trinkets and a few very nice pieces of jewelry!

In Nassau we rented scooters and zipped up and down West Bay Street which follows the coast line--- driving on the left side of the road was the only real challenge! I had a blast... Jack swore I was trying to get us killed but I don't think he was serious. The drivers did tend to just pass us like we weren't really there. I was going the speed limit because my front tire wobbled if I went over 40 mph. The woman said she'd give me a nice lady's scooter... Jack left me in the dust a couple of times... his didn't have a wobble. We went to the Ardastra Gardens Zoo because we were lost and saw the sign. In the parking lot we took out the map the scooter rental gave us and got our barrings again. The guard there gave us some directions to Fort Charlotte and then stood by exclaiming "Oh dear" "Oh dear" as I repeatedly tryed to get my scooter to start again. The fourth try was sucessful and I happily waved good bye and headed away from his pesimistic cloud. Jack followed. After Fort Charlotte we just enjoyed putt-putting around and taking in the beautiful beaches, lush vegetation and many, many vacation homes. We got to watch a couple of minutes of cricket also!

Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas was very full as there were three cruise ships in port! Our shore excursion there was 2 hrs shopping followed by 2 hrs at Megan's Bay beach after returning us to the ship to drop off our purchases. The "taxi" ride up and over the ridge that seperates the island into the Caribbean side and Atlantic side was like a wild mouse ride at a carnival! The roads were very narrow with hairpin turns both up and down! I was glad I was still wearing my sea bands! The water at Megan's beach was wonderful and the sand as white and soft as it is always described. We had two of the best sirloin burgers I've ever had at the beach reasturant and then enjoyed the water!

Our third port was Philipsburg on St. Maarten. I'd found a restored plantation on the internet for us to explore while we were on St. Maarten. The beach excursions to Orient Beach all warned that nudity was common and Jack and I agreed we hadn't been faithful enough to diet or gym to be participating in public viewings and there weren't any other excursions offered by the ship that peaked our interest. Unfortunately, due to water damage created by recent heavy rains the Mr. Vernon Plantation was closed. But before we learned that we boarded a van "taxi" that was bound for Orient Beach. I showed the driver where we wanted to go and she said she'd take us there after dropping off the other 9 passengers. So we did go to Orient Beach and were there long enough for me to be able to verify that people were indeed totally nude. Our little jaunt around the island... which we saw two thirds of during our ride... cost us $40. Our driver was a very outspoken woman and she shared her views on marriage, promiscuity, children, education, dating and divorce during our ride which was very enlightening. Some things are the same all over the world! Leaving our lady driver behind Jack and I opted to take the water taxi to Philipsburg to do some more shopping!

Town was simple to navigate... there is the Boardwalk, Front Street, Back Street and Old Street that connects them all! We got our coffee cups and a few christmas gifts and were ready to return to the ship and relax!

We set sail at six and enjoyed two days at sea during which I mainly slept and read. Jack enjoyed rambling about the ship and snacking as the mood struck him. I had a rotten head cold so I stayed pretty much in one place...bed in our cabin. The heat and humidity agrievated my sinus condition so I stayed indoors. I enjoyed my rest though! Our last night at dinner we exchanged information with our table partners and agreed to met at Oscars for bluegrass music in Sebastian this coming Sunday at 2 pm. Four of our companions are from other small towns within an hour of Sebastian! The third couple are from Canada and had to return to jobs so they had to pass! Casey and Shanta have invited Jack and I to Winterhaven for a canoe trip down the Walk-in-the-Water Creek to see authentic Florida (undeveloped and ungroomed) and we will be taking them up on their offer!

It was a great seven days during which time we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary and Thanksgiving! We are really blessed!

2009-12-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

Time is passing quickly! We've already been home from our Eastern Caribbean Cruise for 3 days! As usual I came home sick! It was only a head cold this time thank goodness. Now Jack is hacking away and feeling miserable. We've made a little headway on decorating for Christmas since our return but that's about all.

The islands were are lush and full of tourists! There were three cruise ships in port everywhere we went so tourists are not rare in Nassau, St. Thomas or Sint Maarten!

I loaded the pictures and worked on them for a bit this evening. I'll finish tomorrow and post some pictures!

Here's wishing all those in my life a great holiday season!

2009-11-19T16:56:00.000-08:00

Another beautiful sight! The floors are done!

2009-11-19T15:49:00.000-08:00

Beauty Abounds here! From the flowers blooming in the yard in November to the striking sunsets over Indian River color is everywhere!

I spent a little time trimming the vigerously growing bushes around the yard today and brought a bit of the color in for us to enjoy indoors.

Jack and watched the sunset over the Indian River earlier this week and I snapped this picture. We are enjoying Florida!

2009-11-17T15:57:00.000-08:00

Full day... a little coffe and donuts at the clubhouse... alittle yard work... a wonderful stromboni for lunch at Nino's on SR 60 and 43rd Ave.... a walk on Avalon Beach collecting seashells and playing in the surf to ankle depth... then on the way home serenity was lost when the car locked up in third gear. Because Jack knows how to drive a clutch and do it well we managed to get the car to the garage that Keith uses despite the loss of "linkage". Being non-mechanical by nature I have no idea what could have caused the problem or what it is going to take to fix it but we happily left it in Bob's hands and let him give us a ride home!

Serenity has returned and Jack and I are happily enjoying the evening. Bob will call us tomorrow and we'll get the car fixed, until then we still have use of Keith's pick-up. All is well. And anyone that know's Jack know's what kind of a MIRICLE that is! God does wonderous things!

I am now waiting for a response from Reality Trade about my refund from them. I was assured if I didn't receive a valid offer on my Paradise Cove time-share in 6 months I'd get a full refund. I haven't recieved any offers and six months is up. We'll see how honest this outfit is. I wrote the letter requesting my refund and mailed it today.....

2009-11-13T19:52:00.001-08:00

Things are happening at Homedale! Mike and Tim have only been there for a couple of hours and the old carpet is gone! I think they want to get back over the passes before any more snow falls!

2009-11-12T22:59:00.000-08:00

Jack and I are in Vero Beach, Florida enjoying the warm, although not sunny, weather. We've unpacked and settled in to "village life" pretty quickly. We've been to watch the crashing Atlantic Ocean twice and stayed on the boardwalk! As you can see the ocean has taken possession of the beach! This picture was taken at 1:30 PM today!

We attended the retiring of the flags ceremony at the community building yesterday. Rain poured down at the precise moment the new flags were raised so we sang the Star Spangled Banner from under the eaves instead of under the flags. I can't remember the last time I sang the national anthem. It was surprisingly emotional. The ceremony was continued indoors where the details of retiring a flag was explained as the worn flags were correctly cut up and prepared for burning at a later date. I knew nothing of proper flag ediquette! Jack did from his days serving at the American Legion but it was all new information for me. Amazing how many "blank" spots I have at my age...not of things I've forgotten but of things I've never known!

Today Jack and I met with Peggy at 8:30 am in the pool for aquasizing! While I think it might be just a tad chilly I was surprised to see a local man dressed with a stocking cap, heavy coat, thick socks and hiking boots on walk past the community building as we toweled dry from our session in the pool. It's all relative. Friends from Klamath Falls said it snowed a little last night and this morning...it is really cold there!

Mike is headed down to Klamath Falls tomorrow, with his roommate Tim, to install bamboo tongue and groove floors in our livingroom and hall! I am thrilled! I am looking forward to pictures of the project! Mike has promised he'll take and post some!

I booked our Caribbean Cruise Thursday night! Such great deals are available when you are right here! We're going for the 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise to St Thomas and St. Maarten islands. We will be in Nausau, Bahamas for our wedding anniversary and at sea for Thanksgiving. I'm sure our Thanksgiving Dinner will be excellent! I have to pinch myself every so often... I have so many neat things going on in my life right now it seems like a dream!

With that said I better get some sleep. We are expected at the pool at 8:30!

2009-11-04T15:44:00.000-08:00

Trailer's tarped, addresses collected.... we're getting ready!!!! Wind is blowing and the leaves are falling down. This time next week we'll be in Vero Beach... 83 degrees and sunny!

2009-11-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

Awwwh, Jack is doing the happy dance today. He is unemployed! We went to the Daily Bagel this morning and chatted with friends that had given him up as dead. He has been to Fred Meyer's to check out the long missed aisles on his way to the green meat section. The Tuesday Noon Meeting was thrilled to see him again! His three month long, 6 day a week, 10 hour a day job is done and he gets to do the things he habitually did for the 5 years before this stint, briefly.

We're preparing in earnest to leave for the Atlantic shore. Jack has cleaned out the gutters, blown the debris away from the house, and has all the snow equipment poised and ready for use when needed. I am gathering all the pertinent information that we may need while away and making arrangements for our new flooring to be put in while we are gone.

Unemployed, but still quite busy!

2009-11-02T15:53:00.000-08:00

BIRTHDAY'S IN RENO, NEVADA!

Jack and Signe- two people I love very much-have birthdays one day apart. Each year we do some thing to celebrate the passage of another year. This year the four of us went to Reno together for a long weekend. We had a great time - with Signe being the big winner. She drew a lot of attention getting her winnings back to the room and we had quite a time fitting all four of us and her haul in the car!

Leo had some kind of majic going on with the video poker machines and would make bank off of a $5 'deposit'! Jack enjoyed the crap tables and they enjoyed him being there! But they were not too brutal. I had more good fortune playing slot machines than I have ever experienced! We all returned to the slots that could one could win a Mini Cooper on at the Silver Legacy time and time again. No Mini Cooper for any of us though! Signe joined me in one round of a Black Jack Tournement and then sat out. Leo joined in and won a round and then we both lost but in the mean time Signe won a drawing for tickets to that evenings Comedy Show!

Four days and three nights went by very quickly.

We ate lots of great food and went to the National Automobile Museum as well. That was much more interesting than I thought it would be! I am not a car buff in any sense of the word but the museum is set up in a very interesting way. Period streets lined with appropriate cars, driving clothing of the times, hats! and wonderful hatpins too! Although we originally planned on spending a day at Carson City but we just ran out of energy one day!

Sunday came with the challenge of getting Signe and her winnings loaded in to the car.

We made it home with everyone happy to unload! Nemo was a great pillow but really squelched conversation! None of us could see each other! The California border guard thanked us for her laugh for the day! At the rest stop more comments were received by amused onlookers as we bailed out for a potty break. Oh, did I mention we stayed at Circus Circus? Signe won the largest stuffed animal they had at the bottle ring toss!

Home again, Jack and I are now preparing for our long vacation in Vero Beach. Today was Jack's last day at work. We weren't sure it would be until this afternoon but all the work passed inspection and the job was offically complete! Yeah! Jack is doing the happy dance!

The snorkling gear is now packed and ready to be sent to Vero and I'm writing my list....

We're off to Portland on Sunday and fly to Florida next Monday morning. Michelle and the dogs will be keeping this house warm while we occupy Diane and Keith's!

2009-10-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

Nothing new here in Klamath Falls. I am recovering my voice but haven't ventured from the house yet. Tomorrow I am. All thoughts and prayers are focussed on Makkiah and his recovery.

2009-10-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to the picture album I posted on facebook of my day on the road with Brett and Maya.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=33653&id=1450940976&l=94fffcc749

Currently I have laryngitis and can not talk. I am beginning to really see a pattern...
Got to break it if I'm going to go on all these wonderful trips I have planned! I am going to check in with a Naturalpath. Maybe they have something that can truly improve my immune system.
Currently I am on a 7 day regiment of prednesone and an antibiotic - which create their own set of problems!

Hope everyone else is hale and hearty! Don't forget to pray for Makkiah - his surgury is tomorrow!

We love you, young man! You are such a trooper!

2009-10-10T17:38:00.001-07:00

Introducing Jaycup!

We think Shiloh and Jaycup make a pretty couple...they are about the same size!

Here's Jaycup the bed bug! He puts himself to bed at a reasonable hour each night and isn't always ready to get up and get going when the rest of us are. He let us make the bed around him and stayed put until he was ready to go.

He's pretty lay back a great deal of the time!

We think we'll keep him!

2009-10-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

I have pictures of Jaycup to share with everyone but Jack keeps taking the camera to work with him and I forget to download them in the evening... they will get posted...eventually. He is working out well. Maya put it the best when she said he looks smarter than he is. He is desperate for Shiloh's attention and will bark at her, jump on her, take toys from her to get it. Typical boy! Shiloh, used to Mike's more mature affection (benignly ignoring her unless she seemed to be having a problem), is getting a bit grumpy with this younger man. Actually they are supposedly the same age - but maybe girl dogs mature quicker than boy dogs too. Several people have suggested to Jaycup that if he were to learn how to throw the ball he could have the undivided attention from her that he desires. I on the other hand am acting as the pack leader and jumping on him when I see him being a bully to her. It's a process...

Licorice on the other hand is having absolutally nothing to do with the new comer. She is either in our bedroom or in the study. He is far to intense with his interest in her for her comfort. I have seen her sitting in the hallway a couple of times in the past day or two so maybe she is warming up to the idea of sharing the house with Jaycup. We will see.

BRETT and MAYA were here for the best part of 4 days this week! I finally got to meet the bride-to-be! I could not be happier with her. She is genuine, fun loving, outdoorsy, easy going, intelligent, opinionated, physically bueatiful and self-confident! I may have hugged her to much and plied her with too many questions but she was gracious about it all. I also hugged Brett alot but he is kind of used to it. He is also not very talkative and she is! Yeah!

We discussed wedding plans, Thailand, good books, men, dogs, future plans for them, cooking mexican and thai food, the state of the United States from other countries points of view, the dangers of standing on rim edges, rock climbing, riding motor scooters on Thailand's country roads but not in Bangkok, jewelry, clothes, shopping......

We spent a day going to Crater Lake, The Big Obsidian Flow, and Paulina Peak at the Newberry Monument. It was a sunny, relatively warm day and the pictures turned out pretty great. I posted a bunch of them on Facebook.

This is the only picture of Maya and I that we thought to take. We were just busy doing stuff I guess. They have one picture taken just before they left on Thursday of the three of us that is on their camera. I hope to get a copy of it when they get back to Thailand.

Jack is ready to be done working for this year. Each day he is telling himself that he is working now so he can have fun in Florida! Fun in Florida! Fun in Florida!

I have my clothes picked out for our Florida stay and am just waiting for the end date of his job to start packing them and the snorkeling gear we will be sending ahead of us. The baggage charges make Fed Ex or any of the others rates reasonable!

Enough for now... have to get out in the sunshine for a bit!

2009-09-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

Alot has happened in one short week!

Monday was my 53rd birthday and someone hit my little red car in the grocery store parking lot! Not a great birthday present but the car is still drivable. It just has a bit to a black eye! The estimate on it's repair came very close to our deductible - of course! It was a hit and run so it will be us that foots the cost.

Wednesday I stopped by the vet's with Mr. Mike, my 15 year old chocolate lab, to have him checked out...I thought his bad breath was indicative of an abcessed tooth. It was much more serious than that. The bad breath was a result of his kidneys and liver shutting down. He also had water building up in his lungs which would be pnemonia shortly. I had to make the difficult decision to have him given the shot to put him to sleep. It was very peaceful. He simply went "to sleep" with his big head in my lap. He wasn't freaked out or nervous. It was very sad for me to loose my companion of the past 10 years but I didn't want him to go through a long slow deterioration, I loved him to much to watch that.

Thursday I was surprised with a call from the Census Department! I took the test last spring and missed several calls soon after so thought that was a dead deal. Evidently not! I will be in Portland for the week after Labor Day for training and then work for about 8 weeks for them doing the same kind of work Jack did. That will be really nice for filling out the travel budget!

Friday we were all tired in our household. Shiloh is at a total loss without another dog in the house. She wandered all night last night. It's surprising how much noise those little tags make on her dog collar!

My 9 am appointment at the Health Department for my travel vaccinations went really well. I didn't hardly even feel the needles. Two in each arm. Thyphoid, tetnus, Hepititus A & B and a polio booster. I'll get the Japanese Encephilitis shots when I get to Bangkok.

I felt to well Michelle and I went out to the Humane Society and found Shiloh a companion! His name is Jaycup and he is a yellow lab/golden retriever mix. He is the same age and size as Shiloh with almost as sweet a disposition!

Today the impact of the shots hit. I can't hardly move my shoulders, my head aches, etc... but I'm willing to go through it! Jaycup is fitting right in the family and all is well in general. Hope it is the same with everyone out there!

2009-08-12T21:48:00.001-07:00

Camp Hosting is done for awhile now. I had all my illusions of what it would be like shattered and if I go to do it again I will do so with more realistic expectations AND I will ask a few more questions!

Chatting with a few others that have done hosting I guess Michelle and I got in with a pretty demanding outfit and not all places are as unsettling. There was definately no 'peace' with the crew there. Sucked the joy right out of being in the woods on a high mountain lake, they did. Oh well. It's done.

I'm really enjoying carpeted floors, a full sized shower, my flower garden, seeing friends and high speed cable connections!

Although I don't have to get up at 6:30 am to walk Shiloh before I go clean 7 latrines I still have to get up at 6:30 am (or 5:30 am) to walk Shiloh because she thinks it's time and wakes me up! I think being in town has knocked her internal clock off - we never got up at 5:30 am at Willow Lake!

Jack is up that early though and preparing to go to work! He's inspecting for BPA for a couple of months. So I'm being the home support person now! It's pretty cool the way God is working this all out for us. We'll have the funds to play this winter!!!

2009-08-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

I'm loving the flower gardens this year!They have taken off like it is supposed to...without attention from me! I love the cottage garden look!

Ha! I just read my own blog and see that I posted repeats of my favorite pictures! I am definately going tooooo fast. But that is drawing to a conclusion. Sunday is the last day of Camp Hosting at Willow Lake for me. And I am ready to be home until we leave for Florida in the Fall.

This is so nice to come home to since our camp site has become a powder dry dust bowl and getting into the lake is a challenge due to the writing schedule I have developed in addition to my hosting duties. It has ended up being how it is when you are working two part time jobs - grueling. But I have a great winter to look forward to and continue to try to find something great in each day.

Early morning walks along the lake shore with Shiloh are a great start to each day. Watching the Bald Eagles soar and fish the lake is awesome. Osprey are always over head too. Riding around in a noisy gas golf cart nicknamed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is entertaining and always is an easy segway into chatting with campers (as I wait for it to decide it is ready to go again!)

Sis posted some great pictures of her awesome garden and that reminded me we took some snapshots of Jack and I in the corn patch last time I was home so here's our latest picture!

The garden isn't producing much this year...the really late spring that ran into the end of June it what I am putting it to. My pumpkins aren't even in flower yet and I haven't seen a zuchinni either! The corn has but on ears though!

With not being home I didn't replant lettuce so once the early crop was gone I decided to let the garden rest! And me too. With only 48 hours out of the woods I just find it hard to get out in the garden!

Well, it's time to pack up, go grocery shopping and head back to the resort for my last four shifts.

The camp hosting at Willow Lake adventure is drawing to a close. I suppose I may miss it later.

But my new role is housewife! Jack started working for Bonneville Power Administration as an inspector this past Monday. He'll be working 4 10's and 2 8's so I'm needed at home as the support staff! And glad to do it!

Cheers!

2009-07-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

Such are the images I've been able to enjoy this summer as a camp host in Oregon.

And tonight I booked my flight to Thailand for February 22, 2010! The airfare was great and Jack said "Do it" so I DID! I'm smiling so big may cheeks hurt! I didn't make it to Japan while Brett was there but I am going to see Thailand and parts there abouts with Brett and Maya!

2009-07-08T01:51:00.000-07:00

Michelle and I went from Camp Hosting in a high altitude coniferous forest next to the swiftly moving waters of the Upper Rogue River and numberous waterfalls to the lower, dryer area next to the still lake waters of Willow Lake below Mount McLoughlin within the month of June!
We went from leasurely strolls along the shaded half mile streach along the Rogue River pulling a little green garden cart with all our cleaning supplies and paper work to having a work uniform, a golf cart to zip around the campground in and a work routine that has us up early in the morning to get our rounds done before the campers are up and wanting to use the beach, bathrooms and day use areas!

The 4th of July every one of the campsites were rented and there were hundreds of people to keep up with and clean up after so we were pretty exhusted by July 6th when the resort cleared out. My friends Caron and Steve came up and spent the weekend here. Caron cooked Michelle and I breakfast and Steve cooked dinner each day for all of us. Michelle and I often just skip dinner... neither one of us is really in to cooking.

Jack and Mr. Mike went to Nancy and Ed's for hamburger's for the 4th and had a good time out there. I heard that he was asking around to see if anyone had seen his wife lately....I'm getting the reputation of being a gypsy amoung Jack's friends. But we will be wandering the highways together this winter and spending months in Florida!

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July and is getting settled into their summer routines!

2009-06-17T01:27:00.000-07:00

CHANGE is constant in my life! My stint at Campground at Natural Bridge drew to an end on Monday. Jack pulled the trailer to my new assignment Tuesday morning and I'll be starting as a one of 6 camp hosts at Willow Lake this coming Friday!

So instead of the rush and roar of the Rogue River in the coniferous forrest I will be beside the still waters of a bueatiful high mountain lake looking at Mt. McLoughlin! That is when I get to sit and look!

http://www.southernoregon.com/willowlake/index.html

At the interview I was told, " You pay money to loose weight with Jenny Craig but with us you'll loose weight and we'll pay you!"

2009-06-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

HEY! Turn's out there are several Natural Bridges right here in Oregon!

Here are some links on where I'll be.... maybe some of you would like to join me for a day or so this summer!

http://www.twoatlarge.com/camping/campbest.html

http://blog.oregonlive.com/terryrichard/2008/07/camping_oregon_top_10_tent_sit.html

A YouTube video of the natural bridge and trail - see the river coming out of the cave and where it disappears underground!

http://www.southernoregon.org/out_about/about_roguenaturalbridge.html

Includes good Driving directions:

Review of the history of the Rogue River and Prospect area (which includes the Natural Bridge)

http://www.oregonlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2008/08/oregon_offtrack_a_fine_prospec.html

http://www.ohwy.com/or/n/nabrpro.htm

Info on the rafting/kayaking run - Class 3-4:

http://oregonpaddling.northwest-rivers.com/natural%20bridge.htm

Mellower run - alittle down river - Class 3

http://www.riverfacts.com/rivers/12704.html

Well that should give you some idea of where I am and what I'm doing until October!

Union Creek, and Becky's Cafe, are only 3 miles away!

See ya!

2009-06-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

HERE'S THE LATEST - I have a been called to go to work at my second most dream job (the first being paid to write)! Tomorrow I start at the National Park Service Natural Bridge Campground as a paid Camp Host! They will be paying me to be in one of our most bueatiful campgrounds along the upper Rogue River in the Rogue Umpqua Recreation Area! I can hardly believe it. I started wanting to be a camp host about 18 years ago but didn't have the trailer....

So I will be pretty much out of reach...unless you come visit me at the campground except for my two days off.

The campground is very basic....firepits and pit toliets.....but the sites are large and almost all of them have river frontage! I will be writing after I make my twice a day rounds and taking in the local hikes - so I can be good camp host and be able to answer questions about the trails. Union Creek is only 4 miles away so Betsy's Cafe will be getting to know me! I'll be broadcasting from there when I do!

So I'm off to pack up the trailer!!! Cheers!

2009-05-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

ALMOST JUNE! Wow, Spring has gone quickly. Just recently Jack pointed out to me that I have been on the go since January and with a little reflection I see that he is correct!

January was Arizona with Dad, which was also a trip to Mexico and San Diego!

April was Florida with Diane and Keith at their wonderful home in Vero Beach, with a few touristy things, like the McLarty Treasure Museum at Sebastian Inlet State Park, scuba diving in the Atlantic Ocean off West Palm Beach, lunching with an old working buddy of Jack's who now lives in Florida, and two visits to the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral. Jack and I went the first day (the day he flew back to Oregon to start his job as a quality control person for the 2010 census) and the second day Diane and I drove up and took in the parts that Jack and I didn't have time or energy for!

April also contained a week long trip to Utah with Mike to check out Zion National Park for Brett and Maya's wedding next Memorial Day Weekend. Not only did we check out the town of Springdale, Utah for reception options etc... we took some time to explore some of Zion Canyon. Mike and I hiked 6 of the 11 hikes listed in the Welcome Newspaper they had out at the Park Entrance. The first picture is of the mouth of the Hidden Canyon - a one mile trail that goes 875 feet straight up! The second picture is of Mike in one of the water washouts in Refrigerator Canyon on the Angels Landing Trail. The rest are all Angels Landing Trail pictures. It was the best! We climbed 5700 feet to the peak of Angels Landing! We both bought the t-shirt - WE EARNED IT!

There is no way pictures can do the Zion Canyon justice! You have to see and experience it for yourself. It is more accessable to the average person than the Grand Canyon!

And after those outings were little jaunts... bike riding with girlfriends on the Oregon & California Bike Trail on a bright and warm Sunday afternoon. We rode 19 miles!

Camped and white water kayaked on the Klamath River with other friends on Memorial Day Weekend . We started with 7 on the upper streach and it wittled down to 5 for the second section

to Gottville Boat Ramp. Mike joined us on the second half. He and Caron took the waterfall route I've been avoiding for all the years I've been going down the Trees of Heaven to Gottville section! They said it was a blast!

Between those activities I've been getting my flower gardens in order and planting things in the vegetable garden. We have lettuce of 4 kinds already!

I also have been interviewing for jobs as a camp host! My friend Michelle and I are hoping to get put on at the Natural Bridge in the Rogue Umpqua Forrest. We've interviewed for two places and are hoping one will come through.

And I'm continuing to write my own articles, do hired out content writing, and working with Maya on developing their wedding website http://brettandmayagetmarrried.wetpaint.com/

So there you are, that is why I haven't been posting very many blogs! I'm to tired by the time I get home!

I hope everyone is enjoying Spring in ways that make them happy!

2009-05-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

The family has been in motion and now everyone is settling down again. Diane has made it back to Coos Bay after a scenic road trip through the state of California. Brett and Maya are currently making their way back to Bangkok, Thailand after what sounds like a culunary delight of a visit in Austin, Texas and some beach time in Tulum, Mexico.

The footloose wanderer I usually am, I have been staying home. Closely tied to my computer at times and puttering around in the garden and yard at other times. I heard from several friends that Jack had been making noises about 'grounding' me after the Utah trip. No need, I was tired of travel and ready to be home for a bit. But now Memorial Day Weekend is fast approaching and the first river trip of the year! I'm winding up for take off!

It's looking like the count will be about 12 people for our get-away. Most are rafters and the main focus will be doing the two runs connected to the Trees of Heaven Campground but I'm taking the domino's too.

2009-05-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I mixed pleasure with work. I spent the day traveling to interview for a Camp Host position. On the way I stopped to walk along the Rogue River Gorge (Brett's favorite spot) in Union Creek and then turned off Hwy 62 just a little further down the road and took the Natural Bridge trail. In all my years here I had never stopped and viewed where the Rogue River goes underground for 200 yards. Seeing it gushing out of the lava tube is awesome.

The interview in Prospect took about an hour and was very pleasant. So different than interviewing for IT positions! Mike and Shiloh were interviewed also, as they would be with me if I happen to be asked to host a campground for the summer.

After the interview a picnic lunch proceeded a walk along the trail that runs by Pearson Falls and to the gorge that Mike, Caleb, and I "discovered" about 15 years ago. The rocky gorge we climbed through to connect to the trail on the other side is a thundering rush of white water right now. I failed to take a camera! I remembered our Cub Scout outing where the water had risen enough from our original scouting hike that we had to carefully get everyone over the streams of water coursing through the boulders. If it had been flowing like it was yesterday that would not have been possible! Lots of good memories passed through my mind on the short hike!

Time has certainly passed quickly.

2009-04-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

Sunshine and raindrops! It's warm either way! I think a person can live here without a single coat!

This morning Diane and I did a walking tour of the community. I know where the camper will be parked and where the dog park is that I can play frisbe with Shiloh at this fall! I also got to meet a few more people and their dogs here!

Jack has safely returned to Klamath Falls and was joyfully greeted by our two fur kids.

I have been talking about looking for work and my willingness to do any kind of job... so when I got to Vero Beach Sis let me know that she had something for me. There was an Easter Weekend Breakfast at the community center and an Easter Bunny was needed. Being one of the newest residents I was asked if I would be willing.....

It was fun to be a bunny for a little bit.

Hopping around the club house to distribute candies and get pictures taken was equal to an hour workout in a sauna! The kids, young and old, seemed to enjoy my antics.

2009-04-14T07:56:00.000-07:00

My First Florida Weather Watch

It's 11 am - check out time at the Holiday Inn Select near the Orlando International Airport and the TV screens in the lobby are repeating Tornado Warnings over and over with doppler screens showing the storm front as it is moving across the state. Currently the thunder, rain and winds are hitting this area but the 'high wind cell' is behind that and coming this way. Hmmm a whole bunch of new terminalogy to learn and dechipher!

The advisory is to stay in and do not drive if you do not have to so I believe I will have breakfast here at the Holiday Inn and watch the screens a bit longer. The storm warning extends to Melbourne Beach... about half way to Vero Beach... my destination.

Jack flew out at 6 am this morning and should be in Portland, Oregon in a few more hours. Mike will pick him up there and then he'll be on his way across the state to our home. He may be dealing with snow and ice issues! Every area has it's "issues"!

Yesterday we spent a great day at the Kennedy Space Center before checking in to the Holiday Inn. Jack was asleep almost immediately! The Shuttle Experience was interesting but not as good as the space shuttle ride Diane and I did at Disney World a few years ago. Touching a real moon rock was cool, seeing the Land Rover and the emmensity of the rockets was awe inspiring.

I planned to return today and see the IMAX shows and the Hall of Fame but think that will have to keep for another day. Since I got the tickets signed I can go back within the next 7 days. Maybe Diane and I will drive up one day. It's only an hour away.

Thunder is rolling and lightening striking! I think I'll go eat something! Comfort food!

And of all times my cell phone battery has run out! Darn!

2009-04-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

Vero Beach Vacation is well underway! We've been here since Wednesday the 8th and have managed to do a FEW things! Wednesday it's self was mostly jet lag day but Keith, Diane and I did make it to the Wednesday night dinner, gospel music hour that evening.

Thursday Jack and I took a driving tour of Hwy 1A1 from the Causeway Bridge (SR 60) to Fort Pierce. We stopped at the local dive shop, Deep 6, first and discussed local beach dive sites and how to tell if it's a good dive day off the Vero Beach sites. Then went and scoped out Pepper State Park where the lobster are enormous. Lobster season ended in March so we will have to wait until our return in the fall months to get to go after those big boys! When we returned home Diane, Jack and I took a refreshing swim in the pool and then had a great BBQ chicken dinner.

Friday was scuba dive day! We went out on the Deep Obsession with Jim Abernathy's Scuba Adventures for a two-tank dive off West Palm Beach. It was everything advertised. Lots of sealife, including a sea turtle, a romoria companion for Jack, and several moray eels The seas were to big for my sea bands to compete with and Jack and I were both very sea sick. The currents worked against us and we had to work hard to stay with the reef along the Flower Garden Reef so much so Jack was exhusted after the 1st dive and did not do the second one. I would have skipped the second one but I was to sick to stay on the boat - I had to get back in the water to get any relief. The crew was great and got me rigged up for the second dive and then got be launched into the water. At 55 feet deep I was fine! I didn't take the camera on the second dive, which was at the Breakers Reef - named after the famous West Palm Beach Breakers Hotel that the reef is directly infront of. I wasn't feeling up to finding it, so there are no pictures of the hawksbeak turtle that swam through our school of divers or the batfish that came up out of the sand and "flew" away. While I was diving Jack got a really good start on his suntan.

We were a little done when we got off the boat so we rescheduled getting together with the Tews until Saturday! Here's me after a rough day at sea!I'll post more later!

2009-03-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day to one and all o' ya!

We're having Colcannon for dinner with 10 of our best buddies. I don't think we'll be singing or dancing jigs but I watched a few people doing it on TV today.

Jack has manned the kitchen all day and the time is approaching for guests to arrive so I better close with wishing you the best of the luck of the Irish!

2009-03-12T14:47:00.000-07:00

Pay it Forward - Web Style
I got this from Diane's SeaAmi site

The Rules:

1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?

2. Winners must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your Three Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love!If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!

So the challenge is out there to those that read my blog! I am interested to see who will comment on this post!!

2009-02-25T22:28:00.001-08:00

The gardening article was inspired as Leo and I worked on our greenhouse gardening project. Although we both have been gardening for years neither of us have ever grown plants in a greenhouse so this is an adventure.

While putting all the little seeds in the containers we discussed all the ways that a person can make money from a garden with out all this meticulous attention to detail! A woman I worked with in Roseburg sold the starts from her Japanese Maples and I've bought wonderfully healthy perennials at garage sales! I'm thoroughly enjoying writing!

Jack is busy tumbling our sunstones from this past fall's trip. They are cleaning up nicely and Jack is going to design a necklace out of this batch for me. Sunstones and obsidian needles interspersed with beads. We are planning a trip to the bead shop for Friday afternoon.

Mike is scheduled for his "interview" at Klamath County Library Main Branch on Friday also. This interview is so he can be part of the "Read to a Canine" program at the library. I was in Arizona when the original orientation was held.

Here is a snapshot of one of the places Dad and I visited while traveling the highways between Bullhead City, Algodones, Yuma, and San Diego. We are a family of outlaws...

Hope everyone else is finding rewarding ways to get through this dead time of winter!

2009-02-25T00:06:00.000-08:00

I've really been published! Maybe not a real big deal to some people but I'm pretty jazzed about it. It's always been said write about what you know so I wrote about Angels in Whiskers. Check it out! The link to the left will take you right to it!

Let me know what you think!!

2009-02-16T02:22:00.000-08:00

Remember Angels In Whiskers I was blogging about in November and December 2008? Well, the website I created for them is now on the web! Check it out! http://www.angelsinwhiskers.com/
Mike and Shiloh can be seen under "Our Angels"! Now you can know what Angels In Whiskers in Klamath Falls is about!

Other than that I am now busy learning some ways to make money with my skills from home! I'm excited to be working with words, not computers, and have visions of writing creatively again.

Hope everyone had a great Valentines Day! I got to "chat" with Brett in Thailand on Instant Messenger ! Jack and I treated ourselves to a Valentines breakfast out and then later Jack put together a 3 course dinner! AND he gave me a wonderful card! I, on the other hand, didn't have a card, didn't cook, and was a very bad example! Jack was definitely the chief sweetie this year!

This time last year we were floating in the Caribbean on a cruise ship! Jack was enjoying all the variations of chocolate they supplied for Valentines Day and I was in bed sick! Jack brought several little delicacies to the cabin for me to try but I couldn't enjoy them. I did have a card and present for him that I'd bought before we left for the cruise and gave it to him that morning - so I'm not hopeless - just distracted this year!

Signe and I ran the 5K Winter Wings fun run this afternoon! It used to be called the Bald Eagle Run. It was the first fun run we did together in 1996! I have no idea how long it took us - I do know only one person was behind us! The strong head wind going out was the same as it was 13 years ago! We enjoyed ourselves and finished before all the goodies were gone at the finish line! Linkville Lopers did a good job hosting the run! Next month is the Run for the Music! I'm getting back in to it!!!!

2009-01-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

My trip to Arizona is coming to an end. It's been busy but restful also. I've fed burro's carrots on the street of Oatman, seen the Elmore branch of the family in San Diego where we had a huge family picture taken (15 people) before Rod and S'te move to Bremerton,WA, wandered the streets of Algadones, Mexico looking for ways to spend my remaining pesos from our Yucatan trip and experienced the longest line of my life getting back across the border. Friday Dad and I will spend one night in Las Vegas at the Golden Nugget and then I'll catch my plane home.

A good 2 week visit!

2009-01-12T15:59:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm off to Arizona to visit my Dad for a couple of weeks. Jack will be staying home with the dogs on snow standby! I don't know how much internet access I'll have so I may not post again until February.

While I'm there Dad and I are going to drive down to Algodones, Mexico so Dad can get some dental surgery done. I'm hoping we'll be able to take in a few ghost towns along the drive there (Dad may not enjoy ghost towns after having dental work.) Algodones is right across the border from Yuma, Arizona. There seems to be quite a few we could check out. Oatman is very close to Bullhead City, where Dad lives, and I know we will go there if no where else.

I've been reading about Nevada and Arizona ghost towns for the past couple of days in preparation. We have 4 books on western ghost towns as it is one of the things on our list of things to do in our retirement. Jack's parents had a couple of books that we kept and Jack had a few of his own.

I love our personal library! It's so neat to just go to the shelves and find a book on the topic's we are interested in. I have been known to be fiscally irresponsible around two types of items, books and plants.The Goodwill As-Is store is a treasure trove of books for me! Hardbacks are a dollar and paperbacks 50 cents! I've gathered almost all the Sue Grafton, Clive Cussler, W.E.B. Griffin, Tom Clancy, and James L. Michener books. I really enjoy the search through all the books as I look for our favorite authors - and have a wide Miscellaneous group of books as a result!

As for plants, Leo is a source of inspiration for me. He orders seeds! Last Friday night when Signe and Leo came to dinner Leo and I poured over the seed catalog's and put together our order from the Farmers Seed Catalog. Seeds are much cheaper than nursery plants! Our share was $8 for enough vegetable seeds for the whole garden! We have access to a green house and plan to start puttering around in it in March. When Leo mentioned rounding up containers for use in the greenhouse I went out to my garden shed and was able to gather over 50 empty containers from last years nursery purchases! I hope I can get good with growing things from seed... that will save me from my self guilt on how much I spend in that area!

My current obsession is crocheting. I have just learned how to do it. I've made 6 washclothes, 3 scarfs, and am on the assembly stage of my first afaghan. Hours pass completely unnoticed! It's soothing to me. It's like therapy or meditation! I love watching something come together in my hands! I've already got the yarn for my next afaghan!

So that's it for me for now! Hope you'll are fit and well out there!

2008-12-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We have a white Christmas here! And when the sun is out it is lovely! Saturday before Christmas a bunch of us got together and went snow shoeing out on the Skillet Handle by Klamath Lake. Christmas Eve we gathered again at Nancy and Ed's for dinner and fellowship but the continuous snow cut our evening short. Being 12 miles out on Hwy 140 they get more snow than we do in town and the plows run less often. We were safely home by 7 pm!

The bueaty of life has been reinforced by recent events. I am exceedingly grateful for Jack and I's health, our reasonable financial stability, and my extraordinary sons.

I am so proud of how they work together in times of crisis - no matter what the crisis or the form of support needed. Not only do they come to each others aid in the form of money, but even more importantly, they give each other time, energy, compasssion and companionship!

I don't view myself as having been sucessful in very many aspects of life but the fact that my sons are good to each other and to people in general gives me a sense that I was a good influence as a mother. The proof is in how they are today.

These thoughts and feelings have filled my mind and heart this Christmas and made it rich!

2008-12-17T12:33:00.000-08:00

-3 DEGREES!
I've always said I wouldn't go any further North because it's to cold up there - so the cold is coming to me! It's a record cold for Klamath Falls! I'm staying in doors but I see lots of cars going by outside so there are many that are braving the outdoors. It's actually warmed up to almost 20 degrees now that it's afternoon.

All the presents are sent out and I'm just sitting back with my crocheting and staying warm! Hope everyone is doing likewise!

2008-12-13T15:34:00.000-08:00

HOLIDAY GREETINGS! Here's our holiday snapshot! The poinsetta is our christmas tree this year!

Shiloh has healed up wonderfully and is going at full throttle again. The vet's assistant had suggested we put a child's tee shirt on Shiloh to keep her from licking the stitches they'd put in. We got two for her and Shiloh liked her tee shirt so much that when I took it off of her to show the stitches to Mom she crawled up in to the chair I was sitting in and hide behind me! She nuzzled the tee shirt in my lap as if asking me to put it back on! We all got quite a chuckle out it! She did the same thing each time we "undressed" her! I went from never having "dressed up" a dog to putting one in tee shirts and then angel wings for the parade in one week! She looks cute in both!

I spent a few days with Mom and Teri in Anderson, California. I was great being 'just us girls' ! We sat and visited about anything and everything that came to mind! We also tried out some great receipes which I brought home and made for Jack. He loves the "Best Dip" Mom! I haven't made the Cream of Chile soup for him yet but I know he'll like that also!

Shiloh was in the Klamath Falls Snowflake Parade - wearing bells and angel wings - on December 4th! There was an Angels with Whiskers float but we were part of the group that walked our dogs and let the kids (and adults) in the crowd pet them. It was a quick mile! I was dressed warm so as not to get cold and had to strip gloves, headband and scraff off after jogging to catch up with our float each time I stopped to let folks pet Shiloh! It was fun!

Mike and Shiloh have their individually embroidered Angels with Whiskers vests! These dogs are starting to have wardrobes!

The glucose test came back that I am not diabetic... no news there. I was referred to another doctors office to look in to sleep apnea. I went and I agreed to do the sleep study they recommended but after receiving the information on the cost I am going to cancel the appointment - $3,500.00 for the overnignt sleep test. I may have some degree of sleep apnea but it is not life threatening and I can deal with it by taking naps as needed! It's a case of ROI - a lot of money spent with questionable return. Although the technology exsists to diagnose and treat any and everything - the cost is to great for the minimally insured. Once again I am reminded it is VERY costly to become involved with the medical world and one needs to limit contact to only instances that REQUIRE medical attention.

I want to spend what money I have LIVING life not giving it to the medical community to figure out all the details of my personal oddities! I've survived just fine without figuring out why I feel tired so often. It's not diabeties, thyroid or anything else they can figure out with the blood tests so I'm going to just drop it and continue to live with it as I spend the money they would use up in diagnostic tests on trips to Florida and Thailand.

Ha!

2008-11-25T05:13:00.000-08:00

Reno was where Jack wanted to go for his birthday so we did. I surprized him with tickets to see Athlion in the Eldorado Showroom. Athlion was a Cirque du Sole type show and was great. Jack had never seen anything like it. We also drove up to Virgina City and spent the day going through the mining museam, the town itself, and even a walking tour of the least productive mine there! Aside from that we ate good food and gambled just enough to bring back what we took for gambling money! All in all a good trip!

We drove into quite a snow storm on the way home! I guess we timed that trip just right. It has since all melted way but it remains cold most days and snow covers all the mountain peaks around us.

This last weekend we attended a funeral for a friend that lost her battle with heart disease. It was an amazing service. She had planned the music and many aspects of it herself. What struck me was how she could exude love from the casket that set before us! It was very positive and comforting. Jack had known her for 30 years and he said she'd always been that way. Amazing.

That same day Shiloh somehow managed to cut her shoulder! The ten stitches and drain are covered with a very chic looking tee-shirt tied at her mid-rif. Makes me think of aoreobic's teachers every time I look at her! She got used to the tee-shirt fairly quickly but the not being able to run, jump, or fetch anything for two weeks is a different matter. It's been two days and she thinks she is "well". I'm hoping she won't pull the stitches out!

We are going to spend Thanksgiving Day with friends here in Klamath Falls. The boys are going to family dinners in Coquille and Coos Bay.

Traveling to and from Klamath Falls in the winter is always so risky! It's the greatest drawback to living here. Once winter sets in we're pretty isolated.

Later this morning (8 am) I go for a two hour glucose test... again. I told them the results of the one I took a few years ago...that it takes three hours for the "drop" to hit me but they want to do the two hour test anyway. They are testing for diabeties...I have the opposite - hyper-glycemia. Oh well.

Good news is my liver enzymes have almost returned to normal! Jack's are back to normal! We are jazzed about that!

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

2008-11-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

Murder Amoung the Mateys was a great sucess I believe! Signe and I marveled at having 20 friends that would be willing to participate in a murder mystery pot luck dinner and I was thrilled at how creative everyone was with their costumes and characters!

Rebecca, aka Jean Golddust, lead a revolt against the Govenor when he wouldn't cave in to her blackmail efforts and the Napiers were stripped of their jewels and mystery money. The booty was returned to the pirates - the 'rightful' owners!

Karrin, aka One-Eyed Wanda, had alliances with everyone and even got Jack, aka Cutthroat McPherson, and Judy, aka Gurglin Uma Scarr, to make a blood pact! She really drew blood on their fingers! Alan, aka Buckaneer Bradshaw, had the most outlandish outfit with a nose ring and a huge antique light switch cover on a chain worn as a necklace!

The pirate ship cakes were a surprize for everyone. Several people thought they were just props...like the galley rat on the table!

Signed did get all the candles blown out - after a couple trys!

Jack had a great time with 'Uma', 'Wanda', and 'Breathless Betty' all attempting to win his alliance to their various schemes! I ended the night with a big slice of chocolate cake and ice cream which gave me a sugar hangover the next morning! I really had a blast planning the party and all the guests exhuberent participation made it a birthday party the Signe will remember for a long time.

Thanks to everyone that came and played their part - which was everyone!

Commodore Clearing (Brad) won the Men's Best Costume award and Julianna Napier (Cary) was voted Women's Best Costume. Cary and Michael (Mrs. and Govoner Napier) and Karrin ( One-eyed Wanda) took the Most Dramatic award - a three way split! And four people correctly identified the murderer! Tracy, AJ, Carrie, and Rebecca are super slueths!

I enjoyed this mystery dinner even more than the Chicago Caper dinner we did a couple of New Year's Eve's ago!

Now I'm back to finishing up the Angels in Whiskers web site. I'll be posting our fur kids graduation pictures soon! We got our names in the local paper as the latest graduating class of therapy dogs in the Angels in Whiskers program. I have to close now because Shiloh and I are going to visit the folks at Pelican Point Retirement Home at 6 pm!

2008-10-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

Our fall days are brisk and clear! I love it. A couple of folks have mentioned it being a sad time of year but I don't see it that way at all. The plants are dying back to take a rest...they'll be back in the spring!

We've spent a few hours in the yard the last couple of days - getting yard debris raked up and hauled off, pulling up the plants that have frozen and adding them to the compost. I'm sprinkling all the seed from the flower heads throughout the wild flower section...all volunteers will be welcome come Spring!

Last week I got 318 bulbs planted - an assortment of daffodils, tulips, crocus, grape hyacinth, dwarf Iris, Dutch Iris and Puschkinia(Striped Squill). All but about 30 of them went in to the 8" wide by 46' long strip between the chain link fence and our driveway in the front. I am trying the layered thing where supposedly I'll have flowers blooming there from February through June. We'll see...

Today I spent some time setting the guest bedroom up in such a way I can also use it as my "workspace". I've been working on the Angels In Whiskers website on the kitchen table. Between the laptop, printer, folders and papers the table is full... and then it's time for dinner and/or company so it all has to be "put away". Wednesday a girlfriend said she uses her guest room as a "study" where she keeps a desk and can leave projects spread out. What a concept! Dual purpose room! I didn't have to buy a thing! All it took was some rearranging and now I sit infront of the window at my desk/sewing machine creating this blog! Friends are so wonderful!

Just an update on the family - Caleb returned from his rock climbing trip at Smith Rock last weekend safe and sound, Mike is nursing a pulled muscle in his leg and getting grumpy at not being able to "do" anything with this wonderful fall weather, Brett just did a quick trip to Malayasia - stitched foot isn't stopping him! Brett is currently looking for another teaching position in Bangkok. Maya went smoothly from one position to another and is in her second week at the new job! Rod has returned from 6 months at sea and S'te and the kids are estatic to have him home. Diane and Keith are canning up a tuna storm in Coos Bay before they leave for San Diego at the end of the month to visit S'te, Rod and the grandkids.

Life is good!

2008-10-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

It's "Angels with Whiskers" and Green Tomatoe Relish days here!

Today was the second training class for Shiloh and Mike to become "Angels with Whiskers", therapy dogs! It is a local group of people that take their trained dogs to nursing homes, hospitals, libraries, and schools to allow those participants to pet the dogs which work the magic they do to calm and bring some happiness to those that touch them.

Shiloh and I got busted back to basic training. She is young and easily distracted. I am simply uncoordinated! Giving a command, correction, and serving up a treat at the same time is more than I seem to be able to do! Poor Shiloh - she ended up just confused! We get to go to an "extra" class Tuesday morning - a basic obedience class - to give us both a chance to get the hang of all the routines. Mike is just a doll and doesn't need the extra attention.

Last night the temperature dropped to 19 degrees here. Knowing the freeze was coming I spent Friday gathering all the green tomatoes off my plants. The haul was 12 quarts, or a peck and a half, of green tomatoes! Jack and I reviewed Green Tomatoe Relish, Chutney, Pickle and pickled tomatoe reciepies and choose an Uncooked Green Tomatoe Relish to use this wealth of green tomatoes in. We've chopped and diced for two days and now are ready to fill the mixture in pint jars come morning. I hope everyone we know likes Green Tomatoe Relish. We are thinking we'll require all vistors to take a pint with them when they go... otherwise I think 20 pints are going to last YEARS!

Life is full!

2008-10-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

Camping was fun. We hooked up the trailer and went to Dairy Point Campground for a few days before continueing on to Lakeview to meet up with Gary, Susie, Patty and Wayne for a day of fun at Dust Devil's Mine in Plush. While we were at Dairy Point Jack and I got to cast for rainbow trout on Dairy Creek and the Chewacan. I haven't been fly fishing for over 12 years and was really tickled to catch four when we went to Jack's favorite spot on Lower Dairy Creek. We had to do a little steep downhill four-wheel driving to get there which may be why there were fish in that spot!

This was Shiloh's first real camping for days trip and she got so tired she lost the curl in her tail for a day or two! She fetched sticks from the water and swam to her hearts desire. Even though there were cattle all around (it's free range country) she didn't chase any of them OR roll in the droppings! YEAH! She must have learned from her very brief "life on the ranch" in Tulelake that those activities bring great displeasure from the people in her life!

Mike enjoyed exploring the willows along the streams and even worked himself up into a fit of barking once when a group of cows forged their way through near our camp.

Sunstone digging this year was more enjoyable because we went in October instead of late June. It warm enough to wear sleeveless shirts but not so hot is sapped your strength. Jack and I sent off the stones that the Dust Devil's crew said could be facetted so we'd have finished stones from this outing. We still have last years stones in baggies on the shelf. Gary and Susie had sent theirs off - through Dust Devil's Mine - and they came back just bueatiful so we followed suit this year. They said we may see them back in as little as 6 weeks!

Mike, Shiloh and I went to our first Angels with Whiskers training yesterday. We will be going to training classes every Saturday in October and then will do our testing in November. If we pass Mike and Shiloh will get their green Therapy Dog vests and we'll start going to the local nursing homes, hospital, schools, and library for sessions with people with disabilities, health conditions and/or emotion problems. It's really been proven that contact with dogs lowers blood pressure, generates endorphins and calms down many stress related conditions.

2008-09-22T21:36:00.000-07:00

Caleb did a super herculian job on the trees! The neighbor's roof is no longer in danger of being damaged by falling limbs, sunlight streams through to my flower beds, and all the debris is hauled off to the dump!

Jack and Caleb worked together with ropes, power and hand saws to get the over hanging limbs off the trees we wanted to keep. Then Caleb went to work on the the saplings. Saplings sounds small but most of them were 30 or more feet tall! We got the elms and birch done Thursday. We planned on attacking the willow Friday morning with hopes that it would only take another 2 or 3 hours.

Friday morning plans changed drastically when Caleb got a call from Portland that his roommate was in ICU at OHSU! Tim had been involved in some kind of accident and had suffered brain trama. While I fixed Caleb food for the road he went up in the willow tree and knocked what he could out and then was on his way back to Portland check on Tim in the hospital. The good news is that Tim was released Saturday and it looks like he's going to be ok.

We enjoyed having Hank and Jasmine as much as seeing Caleb! Hank and Mike seemed to remember each other. They wrestled and raced around the yard. Shilo and Jasmine are the same size and temperment - both love to fetch and are mild mannered. I got to take "the pack" for a walk in the Klamath Falls hills and it was a hoot! I'm easily entertained these days!!! Four big dogs streached out on our livingroom floor was a great sight. We had a full house!

Today I got the ground ready for rasberry plants that I'm getting from Fort Klamath tomorrow. Gifts from Leo and Signe. They have a huge rasberry patch at their cabin and are letting me dig up enough to start my own patch! They'll set roots this fall and may even produce berries next July! I'll have strawberries, blueberries and rasberries all from my own back yard next year! So cool!

Waiting now to find out "the rest of the story" from Thailand on stitches either Maya or Brett received Saturday, the 20th...

2008-09-16T21:35:00.000-07:00

Talked to Mom and she asked for pictures of the backyard so here they are. The wildflower section is really in all it's glory! We have two pears on our pear tree and one apple on the apple tree this year! Although some of the vegetables in the raised garden have been bitten by the frost I'm still getting lots of kale, swiss chard, zuchinni, yellow squash and carrots! Brussel sprouts and pear tomatoes are still ripening too.

The sunflowers and hollyhocks made a good showing this year and will be even thicker next year. Neighbors, Dan and Bev, told me today I can dig up all the lambs ears I want from their front walkway... they were going to just toss them! I'm excited about that ... it will line the grass "walkway" from the south side yard to the back wonderfully.

This is how it looks this year.

2008-09-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

What have we been doing lately? Logging! Really only trimming the trees around our house before winter hits. The frosts have already bitten the squash and pumpkin leaves in my garden so we know that fall is not far away. Here is our current project!

We were happy to say we have managed to miss the roof, rain gutters and MY CAR! Sometimes only by inches!

We have called in the calvery. Getting that group trimmed down and hauled off took Jack and I three days!

I was feeling pretty embarassed at being so "out of shape" until I remembered we returned from Mexico on August 14th. We were down for 8 more days with dengue fever. So we have only been on our feet for alittle over 2 weeks. That is not very far in to the 12 week recovery period the doctor said we'd experience. I've marked my calendar for the remaining 10 weeks so I won't forget again!

Caleb is coming to help us get the rest of the tree work done! The 6 chinese elm's between our house and the neighbors have to be trimmed so they don't lay on their roof and thinned so the suckers don't break this winter. The willow tree is the really BIG project. Several dead sections need to be cut out!

Prior to the tree project I drove over to Coos Bay and spent a couple days running around Coos County with my sister, Diane. She drove us up to Powers to visit Aunt Nita and Uncle Jimmy. I haven't been on the Powers road for many years... I still don't like it! The visit with Aunt Nita and Uncle Jimmy was great with the added bonus of seeing our cousins Linda and Debbie, who just happened to be there too. Years go by between seeing my Dad's side of the family and I don't even realize it until we get together and catch-up!

This last Saturday we attended the 1st Annual Blues Festival at Veterans Park in Klamath Falls! Can you believe it? Klamath Falls! It was a great day and I was there from 11:30 am to 7 pm! The day could not have been better - blue skies and not to warm! Tommy Castro was the big name band of the day but my favorite, of the 4 bluegrass bands, was the Craig Allen Band - local KF guys.

2008-09-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

Bangkok Thailand in "State of Emergency" is the headline. I'd been watching the hurricaine news with an eye on Vero Beach but now I'm all over the net looking for all the news I can on what is going on in Bangkok and find that the protesters shut down airports in Krabi and Phuket in Southern Thailand as well. Irish newpapers state that the International Schools have shut down for the week and Thai schools will be closed for three days.

Brett teaches at one of the International Schools in Bangkok and Maya teaches in one of the local schools so I'm assuming they have a few days off. Sounds like the trains aren't running, also due to the protesters, so they may not be able to do much with the unexpected free time. I'm anxiously awaiting a reply to my email to Brett asking how this is all effecting them.

When I hadn't gotten a reply by this evening I attempted to make a telephone call to Thailand. All three attempts ended with busy signals. Are they on the phone or am I dialing incorrectly or are the unions doing as the reports stated and disrupting utilities?

Mike had shared with me this weekend that he has called Brett a few times so I called Mike to inquire as to how one correctly dials Thailand. Whew! He'd read a post from Maya this morning on Facebook that they were ok and not in any danger from the protesters.

Now I need to learn how to do Facebook. Or is that another site that parents aren't expected to be on? Like MySpace.com.

Learning is a lifelong task.

2008-09-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

Oh, it is official. The tests came back positive. Jack and I had dengue fever. Did I post that? We found out our liver enzymes are about 3 times higher than normal and at this point that is the only remnant of having the fever. That and having low energy levels still. So we will be very choosy where we travel and when. It's the second bout that can be life threatening! Tests will be run on our blood counts and liver enzymes in 3 months to make sure everything goes back to normal.

Jack, Mike and I enjoyed my 52nd birthday on Sunday! First was the 5 hour, 13 river miles trip down the Upper Klamath River!

It was awesome! The rapids were Class 4+ because only one turbine released water Sunday. When the John C Boyle Dam releases two turbines some of those Class 4+ rapids become 5's and there are different routes that can be taken. It was all fine with me. I had a great time and got to work my muscles plenty. The pictures don't do the rapids justice but I'll post a few.

One memory is of our 10 ft raft going sideways down into the trough of a wave and the wave breaking right over Mike's helmet, our raft filled up to our knees with water and the guide was yelling "Paddle forward!" How did they do it before self bailing rafts! I didn't get a picture of that... I was otherwise occupied! It was a thrill a minute for about seven miles! We were soaked to the bone and a bit chilled because it only got up into the low 70's that day. The water was pretty warm but the wind kept us chilled.

I was really pleased with Noah's Rafting Tours (http://www.noahsrafting.com/klamath-river-whitewater-rafting.php )and two of the couples that were on the trip were repeat customers with nothing but praise for the outfit for all the rivers they run. Our guide, Clayton, did an excellent job of letting us have lots of action but not ever making us fear for our lives. The safety talk on the bus on the way up to the launch site was the scarest part of our trip.

Paco put "the fear" into us with what to do "in the unlikely event". And then we saw the streacher board strapped to the tree at the end of Hell's Half Mile of rapids and we got a little sobered up again.

Then when Mike and I got back to Klamath Falls Jack had the worlds best barbaqued rib steak dinner ready for us! After that he brought out my birthday "cake" - Strawberry Cheesecake! Jack and I were asleep by 9:30 pm!

I don't know how long Mike stayed up Sunday but he slept in until 11:30 Monday morning. I had been up since 7:30 but had also taken three "naps" by then! I roused myself up to eat brunch and then napped some more. Mike was fine watching TV, reading some of the stuff we brought back from the Yucatan, looking a pictures of the trip and generally just relaxing with Jack as I dosed off and on. I really used ALL my energy on Sunday! Labor Day did not have any in it at our house!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!

2008-08-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

Our Yucatan Trip - 1st 3 days, Aug 5, 6, 7 (Tues, Wed, Thurs) 2008

Our first night, Tuesday August 5th, we spent in Playa de Carmen which is the standard tourist town. We paid $2.20 a piece for our dinner of tacos by going to a "local" resturant on Calle 15 (as recommended by "Let's Go Mexico") and then $12.00 for two ice cream cones on Calle 5! Granted it was Hagen Das but it was a quick lesson on how important it is to know where to go!

The beach was beautiful and completely lined with hotels and resorts. This was not the Mexico we'd come to see so I didn't take many pictures. I did snap a shot of the the military patrol that we followed out of Playa de Carmen on our way to Tulum! And this was the "nice" town!

Here are some pictures from our days in Tulum, Mexico. We spent Wednesday and Thursday there.

Wednesday skycycling and swimming in cenotes at Hidden Worlds Adventures.

Thursday at the Tulum Ruins

followed by swimming and sunbathing on the beach in front of our $35 per night cabana!

The toliet and shower were in a seperate building and the electricity was a car battery that could light the single light bulb hanging from the palapa roof but we were right on the beach! The other places we checked to the left and right were $150 a night and they didn't have electricity either!

Our cabana was just far enough below the one sand dune between it and the beach that the wonderful sea breeze didn't get to it. After spending all of Wednesday night in our cabana sleeping fitfully in the still, hot air I made arrangements with the resturant owners to have a beach lounge chair left out for me so I could sleep on it in the area where they served food outdoors - literally on the beach. Jack sat up with me until everyone had left the beach for the night and then he retired to the cabana and his mesquito netting. I sprayed myself down liberally with insect repellent and streached out on the lounge chair. It was wonderful. I watched the stars brighten, listened to the surf, and enjoyed the wonderful ocean breeze as I drifted off to sleep.

Sometime around 11:30 or Midnight I was awoken by a "noise". Looking over at the "doorway" off the beach I could see a dark shape on the white sand. Visions of the HUGE iguana's we'd seen at the Tulum Ruins that day made me shudder at the thought of one coming any closer than it already was! Rolling off the far side of my lounge chair I shoved the chair in the direction of the "shadow". The end of the chair came up against something solid. Much more solid than I imagined an iguana would be. Maybe it was the low wall that seperated the resturants area from the beach proper. Cautiously I stepped over the knee high wall to see the "shadow" from that side.

It was a sea turtle! She had made her way up the beach to lay her eggs and had it in mind to make her way through the opening in the wall. I had startled her and she was already turning around. She was 3 or 4 feet long and moving as frantically as a sea turtle can in the sand. I moved away and she rested. It was a magical moment for me. I love turtles. Especially sea turtles (tortuga's). She resumed her trek back towards the water, resting after every two or three "strokes" in the sand and I moved along with her at a respectful distance. I waded in to the water as high as my knees with her which is when a large wave freed her from the sand and she disappeared into the dark water. I sent wishes with her that she find a safe beach to lay her eggs on tomorrow night and returned to my lounge chair smiling.

I'd thought about running for the camera and waking Jack up but decided against it. She did not need any additional stress and this was a memory for me. A reward for sleeping on the beach.

In the pre-dawn I woke again to sounds from the beach - this time it was a group of four armed soldiers or policemen making their way from the beach resort at the left end of the beach to the path between the two hotels at the right end of the beach. They didn't seem to notice me and I didn't move. With full daylight I saw lots of little lizard tracks around my lounge chair too. Not a magical moment at all.

At breakfast the next morning the owner of Trescelunas Cafe told me I was extrodenarily lucky to have seen the turtle... she has lived in Tulum for 5 years and has never seen a sea turtle! Jack wondered why I hadn't waken him. I explained I wasn't sure it would be a special thing for him and didn't want to break the spell of the moment. He seemed to understand.

Next installment will be of Friday's drive to Isla Holbox and our stay there!

2008-08-25T22:37:00.001-07:00

Things are getting better every day!

I actually got up, showered, dressed and put makeup on yesterday! We went to breakfast and in the afternoon we went to a fund raiser for the new Klamath Falls Humane Society building. Sitting in air conditioning and listening to local musicans for 1 1/2 hours required a two hour nap when we got home but Hey! we went out of the house!

Our house guest, of the last 4 months, made the final move to her new apartment this morning! I will miss the talks we shared, between commercials and Jack and I's trips, but it is good for everyone to have their own space! Cyntzi has had a heck of a year and I'm hoping this is the begining of the upswing for her! Watching her deal with the medical issues as they've been diagnosed has given me a renewed determination to do all that I can... while I can! Cyntzi is only 5 years older than I and she didn't expect things to unravel as they have in 5 years!

Sunday is my 52nd birthday! And today Jack arranged for my birthday present! Finally, after many years of thinking, talking, and intending to do it I am signed up to go down the Upper Klamath River on Saturday! Class 4+ for 7 miles! Wha whooo! (That is not the same as a Class 5- right, Mike?)

I'll be in a guided "big" raft... not my usual Aire Strike inflatable kayak... for this one for two reasons. One - I've been told the water AND rocks are way to wicked for an IK and two I'm not sure I am recovered enough to see my own self through any whitewater just yet. I'm not planning on "sluffing off" but if I run out of steam there will be 5 others in the raft that can help compensate! I've felt better every day since last Saturday so by this coming Saturday I am expecting to be ready!

Cyntzi has dubbed me the "unsinkable Molly Brown". I kinda like that!

I'll post Yucatan pictures soon! Love to all!

2008-08-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

We've been home one week today. On Monday Jack and I went to our respective doctors - the antibiotic seemed to knock out the fever and killer headaches but we were not "better". Blood tests show elevated liver enzimes and low white blood cell count for both of us. The dengue fever tests have been taken and sent off... Weakness makes us "take it easy" even if we are silly enough to mow the lawn or vaccum the carpet. One bout of activity requires 14 to 16 hours of rest!

Jack is now up and around more than I. Although we've both developed a red, full body rash I am the only one that has swollen up with retained fluids! My feet and legs ache more than anywhere else although I ache all over. Dizyness has become my constant companion anytime I am up and walking around! The doctor says there should only be another few days of this stage... and then up to 3 months to recover strength and energy.

This morning Jack shared he thinks he isn't being impacted as hard as I because he was inoculated for all the jungle diseases when he went to the Phillipines when he was in the military 45 years ago. Hmm? I think it's the female tendency to retain water. Don't know if that is one to pose to the doctor or not.

I have managed to get the pitures from our trip on one computer and will try to get them sorted and tagged. We did get around on what was our last trip to Mexico. Even if this isn't dengue Jack is clear he never wants to go to Mexico again.

I am reading a novel, Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko - which I had started before going to Mexico - and find it fits well with the read, sleep, dream routine I'm doing! The book is different than any other I've ever read and I have to do it in small doses.

Everything is in small doses right now!

2008-08-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

We are home. We are sick. Doctor prescribed the antibiodic given for denge fever. Ciprofloxacin.
We were bitten by many, many insects or many bites by some bugs. More later.

2008-08-04T01:44:00.000-07:00

Mike was hiking across a glacier in the Cascade Mountains near Three Fingered Jack last weekend and this weekend he's on the water with me and "the girls".

On Saturday, August 2, 2008 Shannon, Johanna, Mike and I spent the day on the North Umpqua River between Glide and Whistlers Bend Park! I floated this section many times when I lived in the Roseburg area so I knew it would be safe even with the higher than normal water levels all the Oregon rivers are experiencing this summer. There have been two deaths at Blossom Bar on the Rogue River - right where I went out of the raft the first year I did the Wild and Scenic Section with Willie and his friends! The newspaper articles say where people normally can push off the rocks (which I did when I went in) the water in now so forceful that the women were pinned against the rocks and not able to push off or come to the surface in the highly airiated water.

The waterfall just before the take out was the only technical section and we all took the slot on the far left side of the picture (River right) so we had it easy.

Some other boaters didn't know about the falls evidently and when they tried to get over to a safe slot they got stuck and really had a time of it. Johanna is sliding on by as they struggle to get their raft off the rocks! The guy standing on the rock really is running a risk of being left out there!! They did get through intact and with everyone they started with!

We had our lunch just below the falls discussed the dangers of skin cancer due to over exposure to the sun. We ALL got sun burnt because the day started out overcast and we didn't put sun screen on our legs!

It was a fun day - all splash and giggles white water! This was my July river day! A little delayed but I'll do another river in August to stay on track with atleast 1 day of whitewater each month this summer!

Tomorrow Jack and I depart for our 9 day trip on the Yucatan Pennisula of Mexico! There we have tickets for one day of skycycling, snorkeling in cenotes, and exploring caverns outside of Tulum on the Ultimate Canopy and Cavern Adventure. If interested you can read more about it at http://www.hiddenworlds.com/adventurepackage.aspx !

Our overall plans include seeing the Mayan ruins at Tulum and Chichen Itza, visiting Isla Holbox for the best seafood in Latin America (per the posts on Trip Advisor), spending a Sunday in Merida, exploring the Progresso area and any littl e puerto in between.

Will post again after the 15th!

2008-07-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

Whew! The big birthday project is done! Packaged, addressed and poised to go to the post office in the morning. I started the project two weeks before the 22nd and am still sending it out two days late! Many hours, thirty years portrayed, and a long walk along memory lane for me! I hope it brings smiles and inspires memories and the sharing of stories.

Between sessions with the scanner and computer I helped Jack go get, unload, rake, and water down two yard of decomposing granite around the big willow tree in the backyard and the extension of the driveway to the back of the shed.

Tuesday evening we had the whole gang over to welcome Leo's daughter and her family to Klamath Falls. They are visiting from Salt Lake City, Utah. I made Carne Con Chile with all the fixings (following the reciepe Grandma Judy gave me many years ago!) Everyone really seemed to enjoy the food and the company. I'm getting better at cooking for 12+ people. I only burned the rice and I did it far enough in advance that I was able to get a second batch done before the company arrived! Yeah!

We'll be leaving for Salem in the morning. Jack's class reunion is Saturday in Philomouth. Tomorrow evening we are meeting with Caleb to celebrate his 27th birthday. Last Saturday we met with Mike and had a birthday lunch at a Thai resturant in Eugene. We tried thier version of Mango Sticky Rice for dessert....mmmm will have to suspend opinion until I can taste what Brett and Maya are eating called Mango Sticky Rice. The two do not seem to be the same!

That's it for now folks!

2008-07-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

Added one, created two and lost one on the Rogue River whitewater trip!

Johanna is as much a water dog as I - I could tell when she arrived with her own tahiti and a life vest! Ed and Shannon had a blast! Any time I looked back at Shannon all I could see was her beaming smile. I asked if it was a smile or grimmace - with a laugh she confirmed she was having a great time! Although this was Ed's first time on a river he made everything look effortless - no matter what the rapid looked like he never seemed the least anxious. In his quiet way he said he's in for any whitewater trips I plan.

Nancy is not a whitewater person. My tipping over and swimming the first real rapid out of Hellsgate Canyon (this year it is much more powerful than any other year I've done this section making it a "real" rapid rather than a riffle) had her looking for the way back to the car. She made it though the rapid herself just fine but watching me going under water a few times unnerved her. I told her I was just 'demonstrating' how to swim a rapit (an unplanned demonstration!) but she wasn't going for it. So we deflated her tahiti, packed it in one of the other IK's, and she rode with me in mine until we got to Galice Resort.

Rather than shooting the rapid's and going in at the boat ramp we beached the IK's upstream of the Galice Resort and I walked Nancy across the gravel bar. The rapids we'd run just previous had undone her last nerve and I was afraid to try to take her down what is normally a rather narrow shoot and around a bend. Walking through rattle snake alley was preferable...I didn't tell her the area's nickname until that evening. I just told her to really watch her footing - we didn't want a twisted ankle!

When I returned to the river bank Ed, Johanna, Shannon and I continued down the river. The shoot just prior to the Galice boat ramp is washed out due to the high water! I could have gotten Nancy around the bend without subjecting her to more whitewater!

There were surprises all day! Familiar rapids gone, new ones in unexpected places and the force stronger than usual in the normally dicy rapids below Chair Campground. The biggest shock was seeing the tourist jetboats from Grants Pass at Galice Store! The store clerk said that started last year! And this year with the high water they are going almost to Graves Creek boat ramp. These are the "little" jetboats - they only hold 36 people! Sure messes with the peace and tranquility of the trip when they come roaring up.

I didn't take a camera since I was going with 4 novices so there aren't any pictures. Maybe next time. We are considering a North Umpqua run later this week. The July 19 plan to go on the Klamath River was "smoked out". There are 16 fires burning in the Trinity-Shasta area and all the smoke seems to be coming our way.

Enough for now... hope everyone is enjoying what they are choosing to use this day of their life to do!

2008-07-12T23:11:00.000-07:00

I'm watching Spanish dubbed "In the Line of Fire" to get my ears used to the tempo of Spanish. We'll be enjoying the Yucatan in less than 3 weeks! I've been doing the Rosetta Stone lessons but by watching this movie I can tell it's going to be a challenge... a fun one I hope!

Our 8 day stay will included seeing Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Isla Holbox, Chichen Itza, and the Merida area. We're going with a reservation for a room the 1st night in Playa del Carmen, a backpack a piece, our "Let's Go Mexico" book, a map of the Yucatan, and a rental car! This is monumental for Jack! And he told me he isn't as anxious about this trip as he was about our honeymoon trip to Zihuatanejo! That one was much more structured than this one! Life is an adventure and it's so good that Jack is relaxing in to letting it be that!

But before August 5th we have a day whitewater river trip planned for July 19th, Jack's class reunion in Philomouth and a birthday dinner in Salem with Mike and Caleb on July 25-26!

I have to get Brett's address to get his birthday present to him in Thailand!

My retirement days are full! Hope all is well with all my loved ones out there!

2008-07-10T00:38:00.000-07:00

It's HOT in Klamath Falls! Amazingly hot for this time of year! Three foot of snow on the roof this winter, freezing temperatures at night until the end of May and now triple digit heat in the first half of July. Global warming and the new ice age in the same year! It's to hot to sleep...our usual wind has not picked up to bring cool air into the house.

We left Coos Bay on Monday morning and now on Wednesday evening it is a distant memory of cool days!

Jack and I spent 4 days and 5 nights at "Campo Beatty" which gave us lots of time to interact with all the grand-nieces and nephews! S'te still looks like a teenager - even though she has three of her own!

Last Thursday we were up at dawn to make the most of the minus tide for clam digging in Charleston. We were all too sucessful - cleaning 72 clams took the rest of the day! Diane fried a huge batch up and we still had some to freeze! S'te and the teenagers went again Friday morning but all of us "old folks" were to "down in the back" to go again!

Diane, S'te and I spent most of the Friday cooking, baking, and preparing for the family gathering on Saturday as we caught up on the happenings of each of our's lives. With Diane in Florida, S'te in San Diego and me in Oregon we don't get togeather and just "chat" very often.

Saturday was a huge sucess in my reckoning! Uncle Homer, Aunt Peggy, Cousins Robin, Kerri and Tammy came with their spouses and adult children. Kerri even brought their brand new granddaughter! Diane and Keith's good friends Clint, Sally, and Donna where there too. Mike made it down from Corvallis and discovered his second cousin by marriage also has a Honda Shadow motorcycle...and that they live in his area! Maybe a renewed family connection there! Jaleel spent as much time as Mike would let him on the motorcycle...complete with helmet and jacket! Mike is his new favorite cousin!

After visiting with the adults for a bit I organized a water balloon playoff for the kids that wanted to play and throughly enjoyed their fun. Everyone got a little wet and we had a ton of laughs at the antics. The little 3 year olds were overjoyed to be part of the "competition".

Sunday 9 of us went down the Siltcoos River Canoe Trail in Jack and I's inflatable kayaks. S'te, Ty, Mak, Raquel, Jaleel, Laderia, Destiny, Brayana and I put in at Lake Siltcoos about 2 pm. Just in time for the afternoon winds to make getting to the mouth of the river a real challenge! The kids had never paddled before so it was fun to watch them get the hang of making the boats go where they meant for them to go! S'te took lots of great pictures. She is a great photographer and Ty is following in her footsteps.

There was a spot along the trail for the kids to climb to the top of the sand dunes which flowed directly into the river. Everyone swam across the river and back! Then we practiced getting into the boats from the water - just incase someone wanted to jump and and swim later in the day. We shipped our boats down the boat shute at the dam and came to the esturary portion of the trail sooner than anyone wanted to. We could hear the surf pounding as we pulled out of the river. With the little ones we didn't want to risk actually coming out in to the Pacific Ocean and getting turned over in the waves!

By 5 pm we were in dry clothes and packing the equipment in to the pickup. S'te and the kids went on to walk on the beach while Jack and I headed back to Campo Beatty! Diane and Kieth treated all of us to a great BBQ chicken dinner and we celebrated Cavelle's 1st birthday with song and cake!

It was never to hot and never more chilly in Coos Bay that a light sweatshirt didn't fix. The sun shined every one of those four days! I got to chat and play and be on the water!

It really was a great visit!

2008-07-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

We're so busy I can't keep up with it on the blog! The deep dive - was interesting in that they proved to us how it is to be "narked".

While we were on the boat ramp each one of us was timed on how long it took us to pick out and point to numbers 1 through 20 which were randomly placed on a water proof chart that was taken down to the deep dive platform. At 80 feet deep we were timed again and the time it took was twice as long for me! And I distinctly remember thinking, "I'm doing it much quicker this time! Must be because I've done it once now." And then a small jellyfish pulsed by and was caught up in watching it move through the water until the instructor tapped me on the shoulder and showed me that everyone else had started off in the direction of the shore.

Point being that your thinking isn't as clear when you are deep and you need to be very aware that reaction time is slower than you think it is. A drunk with out the hangover!

Jack and I went North to Port Townsend and took the ferry to Whitbey Island then went off to LaConner where we spent two days. It was grey and wet except for the afternoon we spent on San Juan Island at Lime Kiln Point. There the sun broke out long enough for us to enjoy our picnic lunch. I spent the ferry ride through the San Juan Islands out on the front deck watching for the Orca's. Normally they are seen at Lime Kiln Point but on this day they were at Anacortes. I watched in hopes of seeing them coming through the channels. As the ferry approached the Anacortes terminal several bright colored boats zoomed up and I spotted the Orca pod moving through the water between the boats. There were 6 or 7 of them and with the binoculars I could see the rippled dorsal fin of the male Orca featured at the Whale Museam we'd visited in Friday Harbor. I was jazzed to get to see them before we left!

I am not cut out for the overcast coast! We drove down to Paradise Cove the following day and after another grey rainy day, which we spent driving to Seaside for a bowl of clam chowder, Jack and I decided to cut our trip short and return home. The high blue skies of the Klamath Basin were a welcome sight!

And so ended my 1st road trip of retirement!

2008-06-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

May 31, 2008 Saturday evening - The Night Dive!

Jack and I woke up from our nap, made a quick dinner and joined Margie at 7 pm in the small dorm to go over the fish and fauna we'd seen during our afternoon dive. It's always easier to check the dive computers for information when sitting with someone that knows how many times to tap the left or right button to get the screens to change to where you want them.

Being the slowest at getting geared up Jack and I started assembling our equipment as soon as we were done with the Underwater Naturalist paperwork. The rest of the class was to be suited up and ready at the boat ramp at 8 pm. With our "head start" Jack and I were suited up and ready when Kaya came down the ramp. That was a first!

Kaya is the class instructor... Jack and I were assigned to Margie. I think we were the "special cases"! Whatever the reason we were lucky to get Margie as our individual trainer. She took the time to get us properly weighted, show us the intricacies of our dive computers, point out the octupus under the ship remains, and share to 'wonder of the deep' amoung other things.

After the instruction portion of the night dive we all shrugged into our BC's and headed down the ramp to the waters edge. As we did a bueatiful bald eagle swooped by and landed on the point just past the ramp. In the gathering darkness the white feathers gleamed. Noble and regal he watched our group of seven black hooded, bug-eyed, white faced humpbacked creatures swim out in to the dark waters. Wondering what type of creatures we were?

Before going in I made sure I knew the compass heading for where we were going, the heading back, that Margie's tank light was white, and Jack's was red. I turned on the big hand held light, swallowed my apprehension and waded in with my dive buddy, Jack.

The mission was simple. Navigate out to the bouy, practice communication skills with lights underwater in the dark, look around for the nightlife, turn our lights to our chest and experience the darkness and watch the luminous fauna glow, then navagate back to shore. All the time staying close to your dive buddy.

I got an unexpected extra credit assignment. My hand held light dimmed to a orange-red glow after only the first few excersizes. I could see Margie's white tank light ahead of me but as I looked around for Jack the glow didn't penitrate the darkness enough for me to see him. I didn't see his light either. We had stirred the bottom up with our decent and visibility was extremely bad.

First I shook the light hard several times - that's what works on our flashlight at home. Then I banged on the side of the casing feeling more anxious as the 'glow' faded to nothing. It was completely dark. "Keep breathing. Be still. Think the situation through. Move slowly and deliberately." I repeated to myself. The 7 mil gloves made unzipping the pocket on my BC by touch awkward but I managed to get it done and pulled out my back-up flashlight. Basically by braille I oriented the flashlight and found the On switch. And there was LIGHT! Whew! And the little light seemed much brighter than the large one! And there was Jack and Margie - not far away. I guess if I'd looked around longer I would have seen their lights but I'd become very focused and tunnel visioned around the fading light in my hand.

I was very glad to see them! I did not want to do the lost buddy routine no matter how much extra credit could be earned. I'd embarrassed myself enough earlier in the day!

Signaling I was 'OK' I happily let Jack take the lead in navigating us back to shore.

Topside Margie complimented me on handling the situation so calmly. Evidently she'd been watching me the entire time. She even admitted she'd enjoyed watching the process and was impressed that I solved the delimma without assistance. I accepted the praise, mentally promising myself I will not be doing any other night dives.

One more dive to go! Sunday morning 8 am at the boat ramp for the Deep Dive!

2008-06-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

Advanced Open Water Certification Dives

Friday - May 30th- We were up at 5:30 am and had the trusty Tahoe Trailer on the road at 7:20 am! First stop was Caleb's house in Portland to deliver the two recliners. Rain and clouds hovered over us all the way to Portland but we caught a break in the showers long enough to get the chairs into the house dry. We were back on Hwy 205 within 20 minutes. 30 minutes later we had crossed over the Columbia River in to Washington.

Retracing our steps to Mike's Beach Resort from the Washington border took 3 hours pulling a trailer which had us in the RV site about 5:30 pm. This was good because Underwater Naturalist had been added to our certification and I still had to do the chapter excersizes to hand in come morning.

The air was warmer, the waters clearer. Hope rose that this round of dives would be better than those done in March. If they weren't, I doubt we would continue with the sport.

The only other occupants at Mike's RV campground were a group of young Asians that had gathered for an oyster cook-out. The first few showed up with bags of oysters, followed by several carloads of friends. I slept but Jack heard them laughing and talking until 4 am. They were not overly loud just enough to keep him up. Not good when you have 3 dives planned for the next day.

Saturday, May 31st 9 am We are suited up in full 7 mm wetsuits, hoods, gloves, booties, BC's and dayglo tanks! Our first dive was an equipment check dive to check out Jack's new BC (Bouyancy Control Device), wieght distribution, and final Peak Bouyancy swim through the PVC diamond! Everything worked and we were jazzed!

Then came the navigation dive. Jack lead us out to the bouy on the compass heading as directed. I was to bring us back using a reverse heading. Numbers and I are not really on a first name basis and when I looked down at my compass to set my course I had no idea what numbers to use! So I headed to shore using "natural navigation" - following the upward slope of the bottom. I knew I was "off course" as we approached the 15 ft level and did our safety stop. The large oak leaf looking seaweed was nowhere in sight. After our 3 minutes swimming along at 15 feet I lead Jack up the slope into a batch of sea grass - first time we'd seen that! Surfacing at 5 feet we were looking at Margie and Kaya's ( our instructors) smiling faces. They were standing ankle deep in the water and greeted us warmly. Jack surfaced, looked at them and just pointed at me.

They were so nice! I'd taken us from one side of the resort's beach to the opposite side. Margie just said she was glad we didn't keep on going! They'd been following our bubbles first from the boat ramp, then from the pier, and finally along the beach! I really appreciated the lack of criticism! I felt pretty stupid.

Margie gave me a new navigatgion task of leading Jack from our current point on the right side of the pier back to the pier pilings - compass heading of 60 degrees - from a piling I was to make a 90 degree turn - to the right for a new reading of 150 degrees and proceed out in to the canal looking for 5 different kinds of fish, 4 non-fish, and 2 plants to identify later. When we were at 1000 psi we were to return to the shore at the boat launch on the left of the pier where we'd original started at, which would be at a bearing of 300 degrees! What a task! And she really believed I could go through with it!

So off we went! Jack dutifully followed me. We made the turns using the compass headings and got to explore something of the Hood Canal. At 40 feet we ran in to a thermoclime just as we came across the remains of a fiberglass boat. Jack indicated to me that he was cold and wanted to move out of the cold water - great underwater comunications! I settled myself on the bottom and rest the bezel on my compass to N off 300 degrees and headed back. We came up right at the boat launch!!!! I did it! We'd been underwater for 40 minutes! It was a great dive!

We exited the water feeling like we really are scuba divers! Shedding our gear we debriefed with Margie and got our marching orders - time to eat and rest up for the NIGHT DIVE. She gave us several id books to look for life we'd made note of during the dive and we returned to our little Tahoe. We were to met with Margie at 7 pm - the night dive would be at 9 pm... after some instruction time. Reading went to napping almost instantly when we streached out on the bed to go through the books! We were so exhusted!

2008-05-30T00:44:00.000-07:00

Trailer is RE-packed and we are poised to start out in the morning... a few hours from now!! Yikes! I was ready for bed at 9:30 pm then it crossed my mind that I should check the details on the Washington State Ferry system. I think I have it figured out now... or I'm so rummy I think I have it figured out and it's just an illusion! Important thing is that I now know that we have to have a reservation to take the ferry from Port Townsend to Keystone and I have the phone number to make that reservation! Ha~

Tomorrow we deliver recliners to Caleb in Portland and then scoot on up to Mike's Beach Resort on the Hood Canal http://www.mikesbeachresort.com/scuba.htm , where we will complete our Advanced Open Water Certification dives! Jack maintains it will be his last "cold water " diving. I'm looking forward to seeing the local octopus!

We are staying at in the RV section at the dive resort and when our classes are done on Sunday we are continuing up the coast to Port Townsend taking the ferry to Whidby Island and going on to La Conner, Washington to spend 3 or 4 days seeing what the Potlatch Resort has to offer these days. It has been 12+ years since I've been there.

I'm hoping we'll ride the ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor and on one day. I seem to remember hearing that you get to see the best of all of the islands by just standing at the railing during the ferry ride. Maybe get off and have lunch at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island... we'll see.

We plan to drive back home via the Oregon coast route and stay at Paradise Cove Resort http://www.araresorts.com/our_resorts.html in Wheeler for a day or two and check out the crabbing and swimming pools! It is so cool having a trailer and the time to be able to just go and stay until we want to go again!

Our approximate return will be 2nd week in June... I'll post again then!

Love to you all!

2008-05-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day Weekend 2008

It's been pointed out to me that I haven't blogged in months - since about the time I put in my notice at work that I would be quiting! Two months was a long time to train someone and wrap up a job! I worked with a great bunch of people and wanted to leave everything as well documented as possible. I'm a bit compulsive about that stuff. So I wore my love for writing out during the work day!

But as of May 22nd I am officially retired! I want to thank family and friends for the cards, best wishes, flowers and plants I received Thursday! My work fellows furnished a day long potluck to celebrate my good fortune at being able to retire at my "tender" age! From beginning to end it was a wonderful day!

Jack and I left Friday for 4 nights at the Trees of Heaven Campground and enjoyed Memorial Day Weekend with Mike. I got to share my enthusiasm for inflatable kayaking with my youngest son on the two Klamath River runs adjacent to Trees of Heaven campground Saturday, even though it was a bit chilly and overcast. And I got to take my "new" IK on the river for the first time.

Sunday we drove about 30 miles down river to where the Scott River runs into the Klamath River with the intention of running the 3 mile class III- section just before the confluence. Before going up the Scott we scouted the 1 mile section between the confluence and Sarah Toten Campground take-out that California Whitewater lists as an optional extension of the Scott run. There's a set of BIG rollers that Mike and I took time to really look over and a small take out at Sarah Toten that we were afraid we could easily miss so we'd dismissed that option and returned to the bridge at Hwy 96 to find the Scott River takeout.

That did not begin or end well! Where the book says the take out is the Lost Ductchman's Mining Association (LDMA), has taken over the entire junction and posted Private Property and No Trespassing signs everywhere. We took a dirt road that looked like it ran right in front of all their signs and might go to the river but the road ended at a group of shacks a little above the river. I got out and was explaining to a woman sitting there that we were looking for the public access to the river when we were joined by a "Hatfield" looking man who gruffly informed me we were on private property, that the signs said "No Trespassing", and since we aren't members we had no business on the site, repeatedly. I explained to him why we were trying to make our way to the river and asked if he knew where the public access was. He just repeated his statements. We left with the feeling a shotgun could come out at any moment!

Glancing at the river as we left we saw that the option of "continuing on down to Sarah Toten Campground takeout" wasn't an option! The Scott is split by a gravel island right before the Hwy 96 bridge. On river left there is a waterfall that would separate an inflatable kayak from it's kayak er and on river right the gold prospectors have channeled all the flow through a series of sluice boxes. It is not navigable anymore.

Traveling up Scott River Road we spotted a little sign that said "River Access" and we went down that road - skirting another encampment. The sandy beach is overgrown with willows where we think the takeout used to be. A machete would be needed - which we didn't have.

We went on across the bridge and went down the road on the opposite side of the river to check out what looked like a possible take out spot. When we turned the truck around to head back to the main road this is what we saw. Those are Rottweilers. Two more joined the four you see as we started back up the road! Can you imagine trying get your gear loaded after a river run and being greeted by a pack (6) of rottweilers! We decided that we would not be doing the Scott River run.

Mike and I are planning on checking out other runs on the Santiam this summer... if there are put-ins and take-outs where Soggy Sneakers says they are!

It's been grey and raining since we returned to Klamath Falls on Tuesday afternoon! So strange for our area! It's nice to reflect on the past weekend from the couch!

2008-03-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time coming but I'm finally feeling almost normal! The coughing is almost gone and energy is returning!

I've had lots of time to dwell on our recent cruise with Diane and Keith. Even though I was in my stateroom for the last part of the trip we managed to pack as much in the first three days as some folks do in seven so it was a good vacation. I certainly got a lot of rest during the second half of it!

The first day ran into the second one for Jack and I. We were up at 6 am Friday, flying out of Klamath Falls to Portland at 4 pm. During our 5 hour layover in Portland we ran in to a Klamath Falls neighbor and Caleb joined us for dinner so time went quick. Sleeping on the plane during the all night flight was the plan. It didn't work out. There was turbulance the whole way and everytime the warning sound went off I jumped a foot- waking both Jack and the other passenger sitting with us.

The warm, soft air in Orlando felt wonderful after the weeks of cold we've had in Klamath! Diane and Keith picked us up and we were looking for breakfast at 7:30 am Saturday! They do not feed you on airplanes anymore. Our food was a warm cookie around 3 am!

When we got to Port Canaveral we got sidelined to a dirt parking lot. Sis mentioned that was 'different' . With my belly full I wasn't able to stay awake any longer so I laid back the seat in Diane's van and took a nap. Sis got out and chatted with the flagger to get the scoop on why we weren't allowed to enter the regular passenger parking lot. Keith, Diane and Jack getting back in the van woke me up and they shared the news as we made our way to the passenger unloading area. A piece of luggage had been left unattended and the bomb squad was called. No one was allowed to leave the ship for seveal hours after the normal departure time which set everything back a bit. Sis seemed to think that might freak me out but it didn't phase me. After a night of turbulance on the airplane what's a bomb scare?

I was amazed with the organization of the cruise terminal. The porters were really hustling to get the tons of luggage for the delayed boarders sorted and loaded when it started pouring down rain! It wasn't cold but it was getting everything wet! Those guys kicked it up another gear and got the huge carts under cover! It wasn't long before the rain was over and 2,000 cruisers had been checked, stamped, photographed and boarded!

Can you tell who came from snow country?

Sis knew just where we wanted to be. Off to Deck #9! The Lido Deck - where we wasted no time getting food and drink as it was now 2 pm. The ragge music was going, the food was great, we were on the ship - Jack could finally relax! Keith and Diane explained the Carnival Capers activity sheet and showed us how to kick back.

Jack and I explored the outside decks before we started moving just in case I wasn't able to once we were underway!

The ship was big and bueatiful! It was everything that the brochures said it would be. Diane and I left the guys on the Lido Deck and took the Spa tour. That tour included a trip though the men's locker room which brought on a lot of remarks about the "guaranteed satisfaction" slogan! Everyone was in a party mood! After scheduling an 8 pm Hot Rock massage and ginger body rub we returned to the Lido deck just in time for the required life boat drill.

Then we got to go to our staterooms. Jack and I quickly unpacked and I was already in my nightgown when our portress came to introduce herself! Our dinner time was at 5:45 pm and I needed some real sleep before then! We got about an hour of sleep and then headed one deck up to the Platinuim Dinning Room. Diane and Keith had been checking out what the ship had to offer while we slept! We wished Diane a happy birthday and gave her a package to unwrap. It was a bunch of "dust collectors" for her dresser. As I'd expected Jack was ready to call it a day as soon as dinner was over so after tucking him in Diane and I headed off for our girls night out 2 1/2 hour spa treatment. It was decadent!

After that I slept like a baby! And so ended our first day on the ship!

2008-02-24T22:11:00.000-08:00

That was our first day Fun Day at Sea. A day in the warm sun with nothing to do all day but lay around, eat, swim, test out the water slide and watch the activities on the Lido Deck!

The sea bands worked... mostly. Walking through the casino Sunday afternoon I got a sudden view of the ocean and it rocked me for a bit so I avoided the windows for a while. Other than that I seemed to get my sea legs and was able to enjoy the day.

Sunday was "Formal Night" and Jack rented a tuxedo! I have to scan the picture of us taken by the ships photographer.

We got back to Klamath Falls last Sunday evening but it wasn't until today that I spent any time sorting pictures out or really doing anything besides sleeping!

Seasickness wasn't a problem but by Tuesday evening -the third day of the cruise -I had a terrible headache and a very sore throat. Wednesday morning I was in the infirmary with a temperature of 103. Ampicillian, lots of fluids, and bed rest were all the Dr. could be do for the virus I'd come down with. So the best part of the cruise, for me, were the first few days. We have some great pictures and some stories that I'll share when I'm well. For now I just wanted to let everyone know we are back in the USA.

This past Monday the only thing I did was go to the doctor and get another round of antibiotics and a cough surup that did stop the coughing - and knocks me out. I made it through Wednesday and Thursday at work but Friday I was laid low again with coughing, fever and general hurting. Saturday and today I've remained inside and resting. I'm hoping tomorrow to be able to start out the work week right.

This is the whole post for now - goood night!

2008-02-04T22:31:00.000-08:00

This is the same patio. I thought we had some snow right after Christmas but it has kept snowing and none of it is melting! This is the patio a few days ago!

I went out and finally got the snapshot of my snowbirds when they were knee deep in the real snow!But it has continued to snow and now they are almost buried!

Jack has been vigilant about keeping our driveway and sidewalks cleared (it's a law here that homeowneres have to have them cleared by 8 am). The mound of snow in our front yard won't be gone until JUNE!

When I got home from work today the three feet of snow that was on the roof now surrounds the house. Jack and his friend Steve got up there and knocked it all off.

Todays newpaper headlines were of three large buildings in downtown Klamath Falls that had their roofs cave in due to the weight of the snow on them. The Pine Street Safeway was evacuated and remains so tonight. The employees noticed the back loading doors bowing and strange noises were being heard. Nobody is taking chances right now!

Is there any doubt that we are ready for the Carribean?

It was wonderful to participate in a women's sweat this past Sunday. The snow was deep enough I wore my snowshoes to get there! It was very special to come out of the sweat lodge and be standing bare foot in the snow - steaming!

Life is so full of good experiences! I hope you are all enjoying what life has to offer you! One of my favorite sayings is "What I do today is important because I am choosing one day of my life to do it."

2008-01-27T22:21:00.000-08:00

It's been a fruitful weekend. We brought home the last of what we wanted from Dad's house. The estate sales people are getting everything ready for a sale next weekend - if the weather permits!

I wrapped my fruit trees. We haven't seen the deer again but I want to be prepared ahead of time. It's a good thing I did that Saturday during a warm spell (40 degrees) because we had snow coming down sideways this afternoon and tonight. There is 5 inches of fresh snow on the ground right now. No telling what it'll be by tomorrow morning!

We've filled all the bird feeders for the hungry winged. We are seeing flickers, chicadee's, all kinds of finches, and sparrows at the feeders. Licorice loves watching the action from the various windows.

Jack and I got his clothes picked out and set aside for the cruise. I now have sea bands and meclizine tablets to combat sea sickness! Our dive logs have been located and put in the carry on...we're getting excited!

I've cooked twice this weekend! Dinner Saturday night and breakfast today! I didn't leave the house all day today. It was nice to just stay home!