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.