I'm back!

Lisa called to remind me that my Day 1 posting is two weeks old so here's an update on our trip. My intentions were to blog it but my internet access was limited after the first day so I just kicked back and enjoyed myself.

We spent a couple of nights in Grants Pass with Dick's sister Betty. While there we drove out to the ODF&W and I found out that this is the last year that I'll have to buy a fishing license. Next year I'll qualify for my pioneer license. After GP - we drove to Red Bluff turned right and went thru Gold Country to Grass Valley, spent a night, breakfasted in Truckee, had to use the GPS to figure out how to get back on the freeway and pulled into Reno in time to throw in a load of laundry in MIchael's washer and ran to Cabella's. I saw a great T shirt there, just not in my size:

I 

LOVE

it when I catch more fish than

MY HUSBAND

I got a life jacket to wear when I use my kayak this summer. Michael had lasik surgery Saturday and by Sunday morning was back to 20-20. We took off for home Monday morning at 7:15 when he left for work and pulled in the driveway 12 hours later! We really had an enjoyable easy drive north from Reno through Alturas, Lakeview, LaPine, and Sisters. Great weather the whole trip, good roads except for the ruts from snow tires in Bend and from Truckee to Reno, great mileage (32+) for the first road trip in our Camry.

Laundry on Tuesday, a day with Alex on Wednesday, tried to drug myself out of a runny nose with NyQuil on Thursday and took off for the beach for the weekend on Friday with ten close friends.

Back home to more laundry - the never-ending story!

I got the name of a new-to-me author from a book store owner in Grants Pass - Arthur Upfield, who writes mysteries set in Australia. His detective is Napoleon Bonaparte, known as Boney. I found a couple at the library today.
    (By the way, Teri, that's why I was so interested in watching that movie Saturday night about Potatoes because you said it was about Australia but it wasn't - it was about Zulu's and farmers in Africa and I couldn't understand their English and that's why I went to bed - sorry)

I have a couple of purse orders, a couple of books, and a few new songs to learn so I'm planning to stay put for a little while! It's always good to go, but home's the best!

January Get-Away Day 1

Our goal: get away for awhile. Foot-loose, fancy-free, wide open spaces, the wind in our hair - that sort of thing - you know, your typical retirement life. Oh, yes, and sun would be an asset. We packed the car and drove off this morning with really only random ideas of what and where to do and go. We're supposed to be in Reno on Friday to see Michael so are taking our time getting there, heading south on I-5.

First stop was Albany where we had breakfast at lunch time in a little cafe and then dropped by a used book store we like. I had hauled along my collection of Nero Wolfe books by Rex Stout, 35 of them. He's an author my dad introduced me to years ago and I have enjoyed collecting and reading his books over the years. I had talked previously to the manager there about cashing in my collection and we'd talked about the higher price of a collection rather than just the base buyer price so I was thinking my collection should sell for about $100+.  He would be delighted to buy the books he said but, unfortunately, had forgotten our previous conversation and wanted to give me $1 each which resulted in me packing the books back out to the car and us moving on. I'll list them on Amazon and show him!

Next stop Dick's brother Bill's house in Albany for a visit on their deck in the sunshine. We had been seeing so much high water-the Pudding River was Pudding Lake again; every little creek was over its banks and trying to be a big river. Bill and Bev said that both their front yard and back yard had been flooded yesterday but they were dryer today. Water water everywhere.

The Living Rock Museum that we wanted to visit in Brownsville we discovered to be closed on Mondays. Didn't they know we were coming?

We continued south. Our target: a motel with a hot tub, my current idea in lieu of warm weather for Dick's back comfort. The AAA book showed us a Best Western in Canyonville near the Seven Feather Casino - casinos have good food for cheap prices because they lure the people in to gamble and the food is just an extra - that's the rationale. Now Canyonville is not that big - 2 exits and not that much between, trust me we saw it all. The GPS, when Dick finally got Gertie off mute kept saying Best Western was on the right, or recalculate, or turn around, or on the left, but it simply wasn't there. Finally I pulled off the road and called the hotel which, just last month, decided to call itself the Holiday Inn Express, change its signs and of course its rates but neglected to tell us.

I'm rambling on. Suffice it to say that after an adequate meal, adequately priced at the casino we came back to our room to try the hot tub. Dick's bathing suit was about a size too small so it was a struggle but he managed. The jets in the hot tub were so strong that he was grateful for the tight fit as were we all! The hot water did feel good on his back and he's sound asleep after watching some new episodes of Pawn Stars and American Pickers.

We ran out of the rain and I had to put on my sunglasses when I was driving. We're having a good time and will probably be in Grants Pass tomorrow for a few days.

Milestone Monday

One year ago I brought the drum set and the "how to play the drums" videos home. Here's a picture of one of our Christmas gigs complete with antlers and noses. The Grandmas - Siena, Judy, Pat, me and Joyce had a great time and our audience, well, we'll find out if they ask us back next year.

Snow Camo or Fort Holstein?

For Christmas I tried my hand at a tent to go over the card table. I found exactly the right amount of of fabric in my stash which means I didn't have to buy any and try and figure out yardage for an "out of my head" pattern. I had just the right amount, it wasn't girlie, and it was heavy enough to hang well. I have no idea how come I had it in the first place (considering that white Charolais' have always been our breed of choice) but I thought I'd be able to sell it as snow camo.

It was an instant hit but I may have to rename it Fort Holstein.

A Christmas Story

Last summer, like the summer before, we camped on the banks of the Rogue River 7 miles up from Gold Beach on the Southern Oregon almost to California coast. You can see our trailer in the picture I shot from across the river. It's the one in the middle.

When it was warm I'd sit in the shade of the myrtlewood tree in my sister-in-law's camp next door. When it was cool, I'd relax in the rocker and enjoy this beautiful view out our rear window, drink a cup of coffee and work on a crossword puzzle, and wait for the jet boats to roar by.

The only thing that would make life at Huntley RV Park (I've renamed it Huntley-on-the-Rogue) much better would be to be able to get in that inviting water on a sunny afternoon and float from one end of that huge rock bar to the other soaking up the rays, splashing a little refreshing spray, enjoying the flora - reeds and trees bending to meet the water's edge, fauna - buzzards and osprey, seals and salmon.  I've got the picture in my mind, not romanticizing it a bit (note the buzzards - not romantic but interesting to watch as they catch the thermals across the river) but just not the means of transportation.

I could have my loving husband drive me to one end of the rock bar and I could launch out in my ______________ and then float the river down to the other end where he could pick me and my ___________ up and haul us back to camp where I'd enjoy a nice little dinner that my sis-in-law would have fixed for me and spend the evening around a campfire toasting s'mores and telling tall tales. I just don't have a "means of transportation" to fill in the blanks.

Until now!!!!!!!!!!!! For Christmas after opening the robe that I'd picked out and the vest that I already knew about, my wonderful husband surprised me with a KAYAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God is good and he's good to me and one of the ways he's good to me is by having my husband get me such a great present! Here's the box:

I don't know how to photoshop my face over that guy's (not to mention my girlish figure!) but you get the total picture here.  Now don't be like Ralphie's mom, teacher and even Santa. (You'll shoot your eye out - remember?) I'm not going to shoot my eye out or even the rapids. I'll float only on calm water. I'll use my Cabella's gift certificate on a life jacket. I'll take every precaution - but I can hardly wait for summer.

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I thought I'd try blogging this year.

On New Year's Day a few years ago I launched what became my "line from Lynn" emails with my sole objective being keeping in touch. I had quite the email list. Then came Facebook so I added my postings there. This year I'm trying something new.

I'm not sure about a blog. My word games don't accept the word "blog" as a real word, however, I thought I'd give it a whirl.

Recently I've been trying to fit the Christmas decorations back into the closet and have rediscovered the wealth of photographs, slides and movies that are stashed there. In addition to what I've generated, I've inherited a wealth of projectors, films and diaries from my parents. I'm reluctant to just throw things away My intention is to deal with them this year by digitizing as many things as possible. There is an appeal to cyberspace. It's vast.

Whoops! Gotta go. My grandson's up and needs me to play with him.