Easter and Beyond

How can Easter be cold and dreary (most in my memory are) with the Message that is received at the break of that day?   Nathan, Cailyn, gkids, and Alton and Marti Ann (Cailyn's parents) joined us at church which was then followed by gathering at our home.  Jess, Amanda, and Henry (friends of Nathan and Cailyn)  and Kari and Eric (Kari's friend) joined us for the day.  It rained, hailed, and it was sunny and  gloomy.  We, at several times, redirected Jensen on his command to " go outside"  We were warm, comfortable, and well fed by food, the camaraderie of friends and family,  and the Easter message.

On Thursday, Nathan and Cailyn flew out to Arizona to help lead a Christian conference in the Phoenix area.  They will tack on a few extra days of relaxing in the sun.  We will have the grandkids for 8 days.  So far, after two days, it has been sheer joy.  Last night I set the DVR to record the royal wedding.  This morning, Jane and Barb ate their breakfast near the TV, with their bonnets and gloves.  Jensen wanted his hat on as well.

By mid morning we were at our city library for some story telling ( I am proud of our city as the most impressive building in town, other than the hospital, is the library)  which is located at our central park.  In the afternoon Janie, Barb and I worked on a "sand box" which will actually be filled with more friendly pea gravel.   The evening found us at a carnival, sponsored by a deaf and hard of hearing group, of which Kari plays a pivotal roll.  On arrival home, we noted Loki's second birthday, gourmet canned dog food and a candle.  Fun day.  Celebration,  education, some work, and some sharing.  A day of balance.

Need a sand box full of pea gravel.

future engineer?

We won these as prizes at Kari's carnival.

Happy birthday to Loki, he is 2.

2 Weeks?

Wow, it has been almost two weeks since I last posted.  The weather has been awfully cold and wet, the grand kids and kids continue to brighten our days, and we have been incredibly busy for a couple of old retirees.

We've had the gkids overnight twice.  It is so much fun.  They have grown and developed over the last few months and it seems that each day brings new discoveries and insights.  As Janie has now begun to understand and reason more, we have to be careful what we say.  Jensen has changed from a "toddler" to a little "man with a mission."  We now, after 15 years of not doing so, lock our bathroom doors.  The gkids are on the move and we now have to watch our step.

We "need" some Rice Crispy squares

follow the "mother goose"

Great Expectations.  Time to lower the hoop.

But there has been a lot of work to do as well, inside and out.  Our acre, lined with trees, takes a lot of our time.  A large maple died last summer and on our return home we found that it had dropped several large branches.  The fall was tricky and it lodged into a nearby fir tree.  After several attempts at dislodging it, our last resort was to back up the RV to it, attach a large chain, and pull it down.  Barb takes credit for pulling it down.  Yes, I know.  Sometimes the best man for the job is a woman.

Life is good!

dangerous problem

Barb pulls it down

Now the hard part.

HOME

Home by 4.  With the grandkids by 7.  Life is good!

Pacific Northwest

We didn't get an early start as Jeff, my former roommate at PLU who now lives in Sacramento, advised that we not try to fight the Sacramento traffic until 9 a.m.  It worked.  The pass through Sacramento was relatively easy, except for the potholes and cracks that define California highways.  By 4 p.m. we had crossed the CA/OR border and within 17 miles I had to turn on the windshield wipers that had not been used in over a month.  How does the rain know where the CA/OR border is????

Tonight we are camped in Canyonville at the 7 Feathers Casino.  We have been here twice before and parked free in the parking lot.  Tonight with Dancing with the Stars and no TV signal, we are across the street in the fee based RV park with free cable (actually, I want to see the NCAA final). 

 It is raining.  We must be close to home.

French Camp

We got an early start Saturday after a very warm night. We had dinner with Gene and Lola Friday night and when we returned to the RV at about 8 p.m. it was still 88 degrees. The trip west was a constant pull up to around 2400 feet then we dropped down into the brown smog at San Bernardino. Turning north, we climbed up to 4,000 feet and the high desert. By noon we were in Bakersfield buying gas at the same truck stop we had visited in February. The gas had gone up 76 cents a gallon in that time.

I 10 into SanBernardino Smog





We continued up highway 99 and pulled into French Camp around 4 p.m. French Camp is just south of Sacramento and, in the 1830’s, was the southern terminus of the Oregon/California Trail. French fur campers working for the Hudson Bay Company gathered here.

The emerald hills between Sacramento and the Bay Area

Sunday afternoon we drove the Jeep to Fremont, just 60 miles away. Uncle Bob, the last remaining sibling of Barb’s mother, lives there with his wife, Donna. Both in their 80’s, Bob recovering from a broken hip and other challenges, Donna with Alzheimer’s, they are now considering moving into a care facility. We had a good visit discussing family history and stories.

Uncle Bob and Aunt Donna

We leave early tomorrow hopefully settling into an RV camp in Oregon. It has to have cable TV access as Barb must see Dancing With the Stars.

Leaving the Desert

So we leave the desert tomorrow to head home. This has been quite a trip. There was the blown engine, a flat tire, plus the other normal maintenance items that one has aboard an RV. The RV is a home put on wheels. “Earthquakes” are frequent therefore the home needs constant maintenance; systems have to be monitored and repaired.


We’ve run the gamut for weather. Early we dealt with cold and wet. Today it was 100 degrees.

This two month trip was designed to check in with friends and relatives, explore San Diego, and explore southern CA and AZ for possible winter long term housing. Financially, it has never been in our capacity to consider real estate in the southwest. Now, with homes selling at 50% of 2007 numbers, opportunities abound. However, Barb and I are not ready to give up life on the road.

The mobility we had on this trip really affirmed our nomadic tendencies. Our times with relatives and friends in Medford and Sacramento were special. When the engine blew 40 miles north of our San Diego destination, it was a huge financial blow but opportunities rose out of that setback. We would have never experienced Ocean Beach and we had our first experiences with SoCal laidback lifestyle. We hoteled our way through SD and made the best of it. But we know we missed some significant experiences at the RV park in Chula Vista, our original destination.

We recovered to travel east of SD to see the Border Patrol (and talked with them) scouring the hills above us (Pio Pico). We left there to climb east above 4,000 feet then down below sea level on our way to Yuma. We found that Yuma has flourished (we saw nothing that describes Yuma as flourishing) due to its proximity to cheap healthcare in neighboring Mexico. We spent time in Casa Grande and visited Barb’s cousin in Tucson.

Phoenix was better this time with great times with our Mariners. Even though Camille threatened to throw me out for partying near the Mariner’s front door, Brian and Kay, Bruce and Kris, Karen and Gene, are always welcoming. This time Gordon and Carol joined Wayne and Laurie at their new home in the area. Bruce and LouAnn, Pam and Don were camped just a few spaces from us. Phoenix kept us busy. Fun.

Camping on the historical Colorado River, the border between AZ and CA, was special with cousin Karen and Bill next door.

Then we drove to Thousand Trails in Palm Desert, just two miles down the road from sister Hope (the lady with 3 names aka: Corinne, Connie) and Spitz (LeRoy) and brother Gene and Lola. We so enjoyed time with family. Twelve days in one space is a luxury, especially since it is covered by our membership. It has turned uncomfortably hot, a signal that it is time to go home. A long trip is ahead. Miles of fond memories are behind us. Life is a journey. There are peaks and valleys. There are many, many peaks.

Hot

101 degrees in the Palm Desert today.  "It's a dry heat."  Guess it is time to go home.  We plan to leave here Saturday a.m.