Almost Christmas

We've been home one week today. It's been very busy with the finishing up of shopping, visiting, parties, etc. Last Saturday was Dick and Linda's annual event that was quite spectacular as usual. We even stayed up into the early morning hours for that one. We don't do that too much anymore.
In 2 days Kristin will be up from Austin for 5 or 6 days. That will add a new wrinkle to the works. But she did promise to help me with the batch of Bock Beer that I brewed back in October just before we left. It's pretty good if I do say so myself!
Saturday is when things really get busy. Our daily schedule is as follows; Saturday we're at Keith and Sheilas, Sunday we're having our Christmas Day open house, Monday we're at Josh and Brynn's, Tuesday we're at Keith and Sheila's again, Wednesday and Thursday is prepare to head south, and Friday we're back on the plane to Phoenix. PHEW!! Hopefully the weather warms up a little more down south for our return, and hopefully the weather stays dry here until we leave. Surprisingly there has been very little rain this month, and none of the other four letter word, snow. This has been the driest December on record. Something's bound to happen. I'll be making a visit to the driving range Thursday morning to attempt to hit a few.
We don't have any pictures to add this time, but we'll make up for it with lots of Christmas pictures next time. Merry Christmas to all.
Ernie

Disneyland in December

Disneyland Entrance

Walt Disney and the Mouse statue in front of the castle

Woody

Us at the Haunted House

Mickey's Galore

Last Tuesday we took a drive to Anaheim California to spend a couple of nights and visit Disneyland. We checked in to our Worldmark condo in the afternoon, then checked out the local area and had dinner at the Cheescake Factory. Tuesday morning we headed over to Disneyland. The park is all decked out for Christmas, and was really pretty. We had anticipated small crowds. Wrong!! We thought with the schools still in session that it wouldn't be too crowded. Wrong!! I've never seen so many strollers in one place. But, after the Christmas parade at 5:30, the crowds thinned out. We were there from 9:00 a.m. until about 9:00 p.m. with about a 1 hour break in the afternoon to go back to the condo to change to warmer clothes for the evening. We rode several rides, watched the fireworks show, and checked out a lot of shops.
Thursday afternoon we returned to Apache Junction. Our Seattle friends, Ron and Jan came down on Tuesday for a week. We will be on the same flight to Seattle on Tuesday the 13th. We've been hanging out together the past few days. But, in a couple of days it will be back home for a busy 17 days.
Today we had a Barbecue (ribs) for 10 at our site. We decided to get together with the other Washington people in our section of the park. We had a good time, and probably ate too much. Tomorrow will be one last round of golf for me until next year. Hopefully the weather will hold up, as the forecast is for showers. It should be in the mid 60's, so a rain shower or two shouldn't be a deterrent.
Until next time, stay dry,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ernie

December Again (or) HO, HO, HO

Once again December is upon us. And, the way the weather has been the past few days, it feels like December. Daytime highs have been struggling to make it to 60, with nighttime lows dipping down to the mid 30's. According to the local weather people, this would almost be considered an "Arctic Blast." We've even had a shower or two to prepare us for our return on the 13th. Last Thursday's hike was even cancelled due to the threat of rain. The weather hasn't put a damper on my golfing "attempts" though. That's a whole story in itself. It's up and down like a yo yo. I'll be spending more time at the driving range!
Last Tuesday we met our friends Joe and Lindy for dinner in Mesa. We went to an Irish Pub called The Harp. The food was very good, and the restaurant wasn't very busy, so all of us (even me) could hear each other. We will be getting together again in January for barbecued ribs at our place.
We will be taking a 2 day journey to Anaheim on Tuesday for a Disneyland visit. We've never been there without kids, and were able to book our Worldmark timeshare. It's about 350 miles from here, so no big deal. We've been there during the Christmas season before, and it's a great time to go. Mid week before Christmas break, the park shouldn't be crowded, and the weather forecast calls for sunny skies with temperatures in the mid 60's. We'll be back on Thursday.
That catches us up again, and next weeks edition will have some pictures. (We haven't taken any this week.)
I'm about half way on my "wax the motorhome project", and will have it completed before we head north on the 13th.......Ernie

Thanksgiving 2011

Us

Petroglyphs

Ditto

More Petroglyphs

The view back down to the valley

Popular Hiking Destination

Thanksgiving was a little different for us this year, as this was the first time we weren't home with family. We started our day with a short hike in the Superstition Mountains to some ancient Indian petroglyphs. It was about a 4 mile round trip hike. On the way back out we encountered a Tarantula crossing the trail. He / She was about the diameter of a soda can. We thought that we got a couple of good pictures, but when we downloaded the pictures, there were none of the spider. The camera battery had died. So now we will be on the lookout for Tarantulas on our Thursday hikes. This was the first time we had seen one. Later that day we had a very nice Thanksgiving dinner at the community hall. The food was excellent, and we didn't have to do any of the work!!

Wednesday was a golf day for me. That went well, and I managed to shoot a 99 for 18 holes. So I've got the "break a hundred" out of the way. I played 9 holes today with the group from the park and shot a respectable 44 on a par 32. Joyce spent the majority of the day today at a holiday bazaar with a couple other ladies.

Tomorrow morning we have somebody coming in to measure for sunscreens for the windshield and front windows of the motor home. I started waxing the exterior a couple days ago, and will continue that over the weekend. And, I've been informed that the interior needs to be cleaned tomorrow also. That only takes a couple of hours, so there will still be time for relaxing in the sun. Temperatures have pretty much been in the 70's and are projected to stay that way for the next week. It's going to feel pretty cold when we get back home on the 13th of December.

Until next time, stay warm and dry,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ernie

Getting Back Into The Groove

Winter Home in The Sun

150 - 200 Year Old Saguaro Cactus

Arizona High Desert Rock Formations

Taking a Break Along The Trail

We rolled into Shiprock RV Resort in Apache Junction on Tuesday in the early afternoon. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent getting set up and reuniting with some of the folks that we've come to know over the last few winters. Thursday morning was the hiking group's first trek of the season. There were 13 of us, and we started off easy with a 4.6 mile hike. I think that was about enough for most of us. Thursday evening marked my return to Hand and Foot (card game) in the hall.

The motor home gets washed on Saturday. 1200 miles, with the last 500-600 going through California farming country makes for lots of bugs that committed suicide on the front of the coach. Then hopefully we will be able to get our sunscreens made for the windshield before flying back home in December.

So far the weather has been perfect, with daytime highs in the mid to upper 70's. With a little bit of luck it will stay this way, then we'll freeze in Seattle in December. As I look out the window now, the sky is clear with a gentle breeze.

Hopefully we'll be able to get onto one of the many golf courses soon. I'm signed up to play with the Friday group next week, but need to get out once (or twice) before then. I think the driving range may be part of my agenda for today.

Now we're all caught up and we even have a few pictures! Until next time, Ernie

A Short Note From Along the Road

Night 3 of the latest journey finds us about 10 miles east of Bakersfield California at the Orange Grove RV park. The oranges are just beginning to ripen, and I think I can find a few good ones tomorrow before we head out.
The plan for tomorrow is to go to Quartzite Arizona, which is about 375 miles from here. Then Tuesday morning we will have about a 3 hour drive to Apache Junction. That way we will arrive during daylight for the first time ever! We should have everything in good shape by Friday.
Weather has warmed back up to the mid 60's and sunny. Good enough for me to get back to shorts and sandals. No more "longs" until December 13th for the flight back up to Seattle. I'm hoping that the weather back home will be better then than it's been this weekend.
Sorry that there's no pictures to accompany this writing, but we haven't taken any yet. We'll try to get some on for the next post from AJ.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ernie

Back from Hawaii and ready to head south

The beach at Kailua

Waiamea Bay

Stopped to sample the fresh shrimp along the road

Surf's up

Sunrise from our condo at Ko Olina

Punchbowl Cemtery "wreath trees" with Honolulu in the background

Pearl Harbor

We returned from 8 days of warm sunshine last Saturday to temperatures in the 40's/50's. We are now biding our time waiting to head for the warmth of Arizona.
Hawaii was very busy with Patrice and Paul staying with us for the first 5 days, then hanging out with Gail and Randy for the next 3. Saturday the 22nd was Connor and Kelley's wedding which was quite the affair. I don't think we've ever been to more lavish wedding and reception. We had a great time.
The day after the wedding, I came down with something that took the wind out of my sails. No appetite, running a fever, and a rash that made me look like a lobster. After the 3rd day, I thought that it may be a reaction to a new medication that I had just started. I think I was right, as the last 2 days I felt normal again.
Now it's time to head for the desert southwest and back to the 80's. We should be on the road Tuesday or Wednesday barring anymore unforeseen circumstances. The next post will be from Arizona with pictures to match. Ernie

3 Months and no Blog!

The last post was on the 10th of July, so we thought it must be time to update. One month from now we should be in Apache Junction (or somewhere nearby). Once back in Arizona, we intend to update the blog on a weekly (or so) basis. It's been a relatively quiet summer since July, with no big trips, but lots of short day trips. This all changes in 2 weeks when we head off to Hawaii for 8 days, then it's time to load the motorhome, secure the house, and head for the sun. This will be our first time in Arizona in November. Temperatures should be in the 80's then, so it should be close to perfect. We've got plane tickets home for the Christmas holidays, and will be arriving in Seattle on the 13th of December, and heading back to the sun on the 30th. Then depending on what's going on at home, we will probably come back up around the 1st of May.
Stay Tuned, Ernie

Mid July (Almost)

Hairold Doing What He Does Best

Watching For Rafters (in the wind)

Back Up Just a Little More........................................................

Old Tanker Truck and Horses in the Corral along the Yakima River

Rafters on the Yakima River

Colorful Flower Pots

The Homestead

The View From The Front Porch

6 Gallons of "Home Brew"

We made it past the 4th without getting blown up or anything too crazy. There hasn't been a lot of excitement since the last episode. The 4th was spent between Gail and Randy's for a few hours, then over to Josh and Brynn's for the evening which turned into what sounded like the front line in WW II! Don't think I've ever heard that much artillery going off except for Ron and Jan's, which is right near the Muckelshoot Tribal Fireworks sales area.
On Thursday we took our weekly drive with a destination in mind, but forgot to bring a map! So we ended up in Yakima with a drive down the Canyon Road which winds down along the Yakima River. The weather was nice, and we stopped in Cle Elum on the way home for dinner.
Other than that, it's been the normal maintenance projects inside and outside the house. I started the first batch of home brew on the 5th, and it is Merrily bubbling along. It will be 14 days to bottling time and I'm now frantically trying to empty enough bottles to be ready. Joyce is no help in that department.
We went to dinner with Joe and Molly last night over on Leschi at the Blue Water Bistro. Good company, so so food. Joe and I have a tentative golf date set for this Saturday morning. That will be my first "real" time out since April in Arizona. Should be interesting.
The motorhome is still in the shop, and haven't heard a word in about 10 days. It will be nice to get it back so we can take a small trip or two to check everything out before we head south in the fall. Later, Ernie

Waiting for Summer (Or Something Like It)

The reason we went to Texas

No Comment

Hart Mountain in Cody Wyoming

Joyce and the Horsey in Deer Lodge Montana

Sculpture in the Oregon Garden

Multnomah Falls

Ron, Jan, Joyce, and some good looking guy

No Explanation Needed

Junuary is almost over and we are waiting patiently for the 4th of July and the official beginning of the summer season in Seattle! Our last taste of summer weather was about 2 weeks ago in Oklahoma. Since then it has deteriorated slowly and now we are back to high temperatures in the upper 60's. We took a ride east of the mountains on Friday (our anniversary) and found some low 70's there, but nothing like it should be near the end of June. Seems to me that the weather is a little odd everywhere this year.
Our adventure to the Oregon Garden with Ron and Jan last week was fun, and we packed a lot into a couple of days. On our way home, we stopped at Multnomah Falls along the Columbia River in Oregon. We have been by there before, but had never stopped. The falls are spectacular. We made it back home on Monday night about 10:00. We'll be going to Ron and Jan's for dinner this coming Saturday. They live just a few blocks from an Indian casino and huge fireworks stand, so Saturday night should be quite loud.
Our Moses Lake friends Mike and Joyce were over for a visit yesterday. We had some grilled salmon for lunch and plotted a couple of possible RV adventures for this summer. We also talked about the possibility of caravaning together to Arizona this fall. We've never gone south in November before, so it should be interesting and hot, as it usually is in the 90's then. Maybe we will get back out on the golf course!
So that's about it for now, and we have no big adventures planned until our Hawaii trip on the 21st of October. But, you never know when we may get itchy feet and head out on the road. That is assuming that the Motorhome gets all of the warranty work taken care of, and it gets out of the shop. It's been there since we got back from Texas....................................Ernie

Home Again

We rolled in on Thursday evening about 8:00. Tuesday night we stayed in Deer Lodge Montana and we had definitely left the summer weather in the rear view mirror. The rivers in Montana were at the highest levels that we have ever seen. The Yellowstone and the Clark Fork were running high, wide, and muddy. And, there is still lots of snow in the mountains.
On Wednesday we stayed in Post Falls Idaho. Nothing exciting there. The weather was deteriorating even more, as it poured rain that evening. We headed out Thursday morning around 10:00 and made a stop in Moses Lake to visit with snow bird friends Mike and Joyce. We had a nice lunch and visit at their house before heading off on the final leg of this journey around 4:30. The plan was to miss the rush hour traffic coming in to Seattle, but we still hit stop and go traffic on Mercer Island!
Tomorrow (Sunday) we are headed off to Oregon with Ron and Jan to spend the day and overnight at The Oregon Gardens. We have never been there before, but Ron and Jan have, and say that it's very nice. So it's up at the crack of dawn to hit the road again. This time I get to be a passenger, as Ron will be doing the driving. That's going to seem a little odd.
When we get back, we will download pictures and recap the past 3 weeks................Ernie

Onward

From the flatlands of Nebraska to Cheyenne, Wyoming was our Sunday drive. Our one diversion for the day was a rest stop at Pine Bluffs, Wyoming where there was an archeological dig sponsored by the University of Wyoming. A professor and students have been excavating part of a hillside and found objects dating back tens of thousands of years; a building was put up right over the actual dig site. We found it interesting so spent some time talking to the people interpreting the information.

Yesterday we drove thru some high winds and cool weather. The countryside is unusually green and rivers and creeks are overflowing. Cody, Wyoming was our destination, where we met up with my cousin who lives here. We had dinner together in town and a good visit. It had been at least 10 years since we've seen each other.

Destination today: somewhere in Montana. Stay tuned.

Wrapping Up Austin

Kristin and Ernie at County Line BBQ restaurant.

Looking south down Congress St. toward downtown Austin. This is a famous area with lots of funky shops that's supposed to be frequented by actors and 'famous people' and 'regular' people (like us?).

I just liked this sign where we got our sno-cones.

Enjoying a sno-cone (aka shaved ice) on a very warm beautiful Austin evening.

Turtles, turtles everywhere......

Where we ate (BBQ of course) - I liked the sign.

More turtles.....................up close and personal................

Our last day in Austin was Thursday; we moved the RV to a small park 30 miles north in a rural area. Drove back in to Austin to pick up Kristin and we went to 2 large antique malls. For dinner, once again had BBQ at a place called "The County Line" located next to a creek. After dinner we went to look at the creek and it was full of hundreds of turtles (see picture). On the way back to drop Kristin off at her apt. we stopped for sno-cones on Congress St. - a popular activity on a hot summer night. I have not had to walk out with a sweater 'in case it gets cool' since we arrived in Texas.

The apartment Kristin shares with 2 of her friends is very cute and a good size for them. Before they moved in, new carpet and countertops were installed and the whole place was painted. Kristin has her own bedroom and bath, and the other 2 girls share a room and bath, since they've known each other a long time. The kitchen is a good size; they are on the ground floor and have a small back patio. So after 5 days of showing us the sights of Austin and having a nice visit, we bid 'adieu' to Kristin, gave her a big hug, and said goodbye. I have to admit I did so with a little difficulty, but she seems very happy and loves Austin.

Yesterday morning we left early for our next destination 30 miles north of Oklahoma City - Guthrie, OK - the first capitol of OK before it was displaced by OK City. Our OK friends Ron and Diane drove over from Tulsa and we had dinner out (BBQ again!). We experienced lightening, thunder and wind last night - good old midwest summer weather.

This morning we drove thru the rest of Oklahoma, all of Kansas and into Nebraska where we are staying outside of the small town of York, Nebraska. At one point somewhere in Kansas we were in the exact geographical center of the continental U.S. That was about the extent of the excitement for the day as it was all farm country all day.

After driving approximately 800 miles due north, tomorrow we take an abrupt turn west and hope to arrive in Cheyenne, Wyoming tomorrow afternoon.

One thing I've learned that Texans tend to say a lot is 'y'all' --- so hope y'all will stay tuned for the next installment. - Joyce

Sweltering in Austin

The "Home Away From Home" in New Mexico

Us and Big Rocks in New Mexico

We had Texas BBQ here - it's out in the hill country about 20 miles outside of Austin.

Texas State Capitol Building

Downtown Austin in the background.

Bats flying out from under the bridge in Austin

The Boyer girls with the Rosengren girl

We rolled into Austin Saturday evening, and proceded to miss the turn for the campground, which turned into an adventure. But we made it and were all hooked up by about 9:30. The temperatures have been in the 100 degree range, with Monday hitting 103 and breaking the record for that date by 6 degrees! We always seem to find some extreme weather, but so long as we don't encounter tornados or the like, no problem. As Archie Bunker said " ca saroo saroo".
On Sunday we transferred all of Kristin's "stuff" to her apartment and met her roommates. Then we had dinner here at the RV park and visited. On Monday we went to the Salt Lick barbecue for a late lunch / early dinner, then toured the Texas state capitol building. Later that evening we went to Ladybird Lake to see the bats fly out from under a bridge. This is a big deal here, and there were hundreds of people there. There are 1,500,000 bats that fly out every night. Even though the temperature was 100+(with humidity almost as high), and we were right on the water, there wasn't a mosquito in site! It took about an hour for all the bats to vacate their perches.
On Tuesday we went up to Dallas to visit our old West Seattle neighbors Craig and Wendy and their 3 girls. It's approximately 225 miles to Dallas from here, so the round trip added up to a lot of driving. And I will testify that Texans DO NOT drive friendly! We had a nice visit at the Boyer's, and it's hard to believe that their girls are getting to the "young lady" stage. Maggie is 12, and will be entering 7th grade. She was just a baby when they moved in across the street from us. Olivia is 5 now, and was just a baby when they moved to Texas. And Kate is in the middle. Kristin was their babysitter for quite a few years.
Today we had a late breakfast with Kristin, then Joyce and I went to Fredericksburg for the day. We spent the afternoon at the Chester Nimitz Pacific War Museum - it was extremely interesting and well done.
Tomorrow we have to leave the campground we're in and go about 30 miles north for the night. There is a huge Motorcycle rally in Austin over the weekend. We're told that it's almost as big as Sturgis. Then it's up to Oklahoma City to meet with Ron and Diane for the evening. Then it's north through Kansa, Nebraska, and into Wyoming to pick up I-90 for the journey west.
//////////////////////////////////////////////Ernie