Joyce And Ernie's Big Adventure

Catching Up At The End Of January

2012-01-31T08:23:00.000-08:00

Clayton, Our Leader. He always gets us back.

Somewhere out in the wilderness

Moses Lake'rs Mike and Joyce (a.k.a. "the other one" or "Sr.")

A couple of shady characters, Ernie & Joyce (a.k.a. Jr.) at "Al's Place" (speakeasy)

We're getting bad at updating the blog, as this life is becoming "normal" and maybe not quite as new and exciting as in years past. Not that we're getting bored with it, but just more used to it. So, all of the new things (friends, golf, hiking, off roading, socializing, etc.) are now becoming a regular part of our lives, so we don't feel the need to blog as often. But, we will try to make an effort to update on a weekly basis.
The past couple of weeks have found us hiking the back country on Thursdays, golfing a couple times a week, taking the occasional drive, and socializing. Joyce will be joining the Ladies golf group on Wednesday (tomorrow), and I will be playing on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. That may be overdoing it, but we'll see. We went to a very rustic golf course on Sunday with a couple from Nampa, Idaho who are also newcomers to the game, and had a great time.
Last night there was a 1930's themed cocktail hour and dinner in the park hall. We had a good time, and got into the spirit by dressing for the time period. The park is divided into 4 sections, with each being responsible for providing entertainment, hosting the weekly meetings, etc. for one month. Our quadrant has the month of March, and we're getting organized for our main event which is going to be a Southern BBQ. I kind of volunteered to be in charge, and cook ribs and chicken. We anticipate serving about 125 people, so it will be a challenge!!
Our White Sulfur Springs, Montana friends ( Tary & Wayne ) arrived in Apache Junction over the weekend, and will be staying nearby until the 1st of March. They're coming for dinner this afternoon, and we'll be doing salmon on the grill.
It's only a month until the Spring Training Baseball games start again, and we have tickets for 3 games. Ron and Diane (friends from Tulsa) will be out for 10 days, begining on the 3rd of March, and we'll be taking in a couple games then. The baseball is great, but there are so many other things to do! I had planned to get a non resident fishing license this winter and get into that a little, but I haven't even been over to the Big 5 store yet. ( this is not whining )
The weather has been great, with temperatures in the 70's. Soon we should be hitting the 80's with overnight lows around 50. I think that we've had a little rain once or twice in January. So until next time,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Stay Dry, Ernie

Back In The Desert Again

2012-01-08T10:33:00.000-08:00

The "home away from home" with new window coverings

Stock tank for cattle and wildlife

Old abandoned gold mine

The starting point for the hike

Taking a break along the trail

We got back to Apache Junction on the 30th of December just in time for a 70th birthday party for our Moses Lake friend Mike. We didn't get back to the RV park until well after dark. All survived in our absence.

Monday January 1st found me on the golf course for another humility lesson. Just when you think things are going well, reality jumps up to knock you back down. The good thing is that "there's nowhere to go but up!!" Tuesday we had sun screens installed on the motorhome, and Wednesday I went with the 4 wheeling group for the day into some old Arizona gold mining country. It was hot and dusty, and no gold laying around on the ground. Thursday we went for a 6 mile hike into the back country with the hiking group. We were all glad that we didn't go any farther than that. Thursday night was my first ever win at the Hand and Foot (card game) tournament. Friday found me back on the golf course with the golf group. There was improvement over Monday's outing.

Saturday we took a drive to Winkleman, Arizona to check on Georsetti's Grocery. We had gone there last March, and were curious if they were still operating. They are celebrating their 100th anniversary. The store was started by the grandparent's of the current operators, and hasn't changed much. Pretty cool.

Now we're up to date again, so "stay tuned for next week's adventure"..........Ernie

Almost Christmas

2011-12-20T15:15:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-11T19:54:00.001-08:00

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

2011-12-03T06:32:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-25T19:29:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-18T06:30:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-10-07T10:29:00.000-07:00

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)

2011-07-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

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)

2011-06-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-18T22:10:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-14T06:32:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

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

Heating Up On The Road

2011-06-03T05:53:00.000-07:00

We left home Tuesday morning with temperatures in the 50's. Thursday evening we arrived in Wickenberg Arizona with temperatures in the mid 90's, and projected to be around 104 today. This is how it will be for the next 10 days or so.
We headed east from Seattle, then dropped down through Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, then into Arizona. We crossed the new bridge at Hoover dam, but couldn't appreciate the enormity of that project. The bridge barriers are tall, so unless you stop and walk out onto the bridge, you don't have a view.
This morning we will be headed East through Phoenix and Tucson, and on into New Mexico. We should finish the day somewhere near the Texas border. From there it will be about 600 - 700 miles to Austin, and unless we get crazy, that will get us there on Sunday afternoon.
Fuel prices continue to drop as we head south with the price of diesel more than 50 cents a gallon less than at home. With this round trip projected to use about 300 gallons of fuel, it starts to make a significant difference. We'll update again from Austin Texas. Ernie

Mr. & Mrs.

2011-05-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

Notice the police tape on the car.

Jake the Ringbearer waiting patiently for his part in the ceremony.

Cutting the cake. The wedding topper was a boy and girl hiker and a dog that looks like Jake.

Josh and Brynn were married on Sunday May 22, 2011. It was a lovely wedding in a beautiful setting. The ceremony almost came off without a glitch except for a few minor stumbles: someone had forgotten to unbutton the bride's train on her dress which resulted in a delay of her walking down the aisle and the guests and groom wondering if she changed her mind...and...the chaplain forgot to tell the bride and groom to kiss at the end of the ceremony.

Flower girl "Ella" (bride's niece) was too cute strewing rose petals down the aisle. Ringbearer "Jake" (Josh & Brynn's dog) carried the rings down the aisle attached to his specially made long tie and white collar. Brynn's 2 sisters and Kristin were bridesmaids. Josh's groomsmen were 2 friends of his and his cousin Anthony from Chicago.

While my sister and family were here from Chicago they managed to get in a fair amount of activities. They love the Pike Place Market and went there twice, to the Space Needle, we had dinner at Ivar's on the waterfront, walked all of Lincoln Park. The day after the wedding we all had breakfast with the newlyweds at the Easy Street Cafe in West Seattle.

Tuesday morning Josh and Brynn were here at 6:30 a.m. and we took them to the airport as they were heading for a 5 day honeymoon in Hawaii. Later in the day we took Patrice and family to the airport as they were going back to Chicago.

So that's a very brief outline of our last week and a half. It was crazy busy with activity and it was a lot of fun, so this week we've been decompressing. - Joyce

9 Days and Counting

2011-05-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

The sun came out the day we took Ron and Diane to the ............... ..................

Pat Cohn at the wheel!! The keys WERE NOT in the ignition!

Passing by " The Trees Of Mystery" in Northern California

Stumped by the giant redwoods.

Grandog Jake showing off his new traction devices.

Snoqualmie Falls with blue sky.

Ron and Diane at the Mariner's Team Store.

10 days from now it will all be over and Josh & Brynn Fowler will be getting ready to head off to Hawaii on their honeymoon. But until then the beat goes on.
Ron and Diane made it back from their Alaska cruise on Tuesday, and made it safely back to Tulsa very late Tuesday night. They had warmer weather in Alaska then they did in in the Seattle visit portion of their trip. We still haven't seen 70 degrees, and it's the middle of May!
Next Wednesday Kristin gets home from South Carolina. Then Thursday night Patrice, Paul, Anthony, and Cassie arrive from Chicago. We have rented a 7 passenger van for a few days to get around. We're hoping that the weather improves a little ( or a lot ).
The motorhome is still at the shop awaiting parts to complete the warranty repairs. I did stop by the shop earlier this week to pick up the camera accessories, and I can now add some trip pictures. We are planning to make a Texas run the first part of June. Kristin is flying down to Austin on the 29th of May, and we volunteered to bring her "stuff" down. And, we thought that we may be able to find some summer like weather along the way.
I played the back nine at West Seattle Golf Course on Wednesday. It is much more challenging then the courses I saw in Arizona. It's a good thing that I had lots of golf balls, as I left a few in the woods! We're going to try to find an easier course near by. Or we may just go to the other side of the mountains where the sun may be shining.
Stay Dry, Ernie

The Calm Before The Storm

2011-05-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

All is quiet now with only 17 days until Josh and Brynn's wedding. I'm thinking that things may get a little hectic as the big day grows near.
Our friends from Tulsa ( Ron & Diane ) left us yesterday and are now cruising toward Alaska. We had lots of fun, and were a little busy trying to take in the highlights of the area in 4 days. We managed to visit the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, the Waterfront including brunch at Ivars, We Rode the Ducks, saw the Fremont Troll, visited Snoqualmie Falls, Took the Safeco Field Tour, Saw a Mariners Game, and Ron and I squeezed in a morning visit to the Snoqualmie Casino! We also took a driving tour of the city. and walked Lincoln Park. Ron and Diane are probably happy to get away on the cruise ship to relax for a few days. They will be docking on Tuesday, and hopefully will have about an hour to tell us about the cruise before heading to the airport to return home. They had never been to the Pacific Northwest, or Alaska before.
The Motorhome is at the dealership getting the issues resolved that were discovered on it's maiden voyage to Arizona. It will probably be there for another week or two awaiting parts. Then we may be heading off on a short ( 3 week ) road trip to Texas to deliver Kristin's "stuff", as she is going to be living in Austin for at least the next year with 2 other young ladies.
So for a little while things will be quiet here. Two weeks from today Patrice & Paul, and Anthony and his girlfriend Cassie will be here for a 5 day stay for the wedding. So for now, I will be enjoying a little solitude. And if the weather would improve a little, maybe a little golf can get squeezed in!! Ernie

Home, But Not Alone

2011-04-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

We left Apache Junction on Saturday the 16th with temperatures forecast for the mid 90's. We arrived home on Thursday the 21st with temperatures in the low 50's! Saturday was fairly nice with the daytime high hitting the mid 60's. So far, this was the warmest day of the year. Today was so cold when I was up on the roof cleaning the roof drains that it felt like I should be putting up the Christmas lights. The forecast does have the temperatures back in the low 60's over the weekend just in time for our company (Ron & Diane) from Tulsa.
We had a good trip back home. We stopped in Cotati, Ca. to visit with relatives there for a day. From there we went to Crescent City and stayed overnight on the edge of Redwood National Park. Then it was on up into Oregon where we spent the night just south of Tillamook. From there it was about a 5 - 6 hour drive home.
On Friday the motorhome went back to the dealership to get the issues that we discovered repaired under warranty. We have no idea how long they will need to get everything fixed, but we're not going anywhere for a while.
On Saturday we went up to Keith and Sheilas to visit, and pick up Hairold T. Cat.
Hairold got back into his regular routine as soon as he got out of the cat carrier. He's about a pound or so up from his normal weight, as he spent his entire visit indoors. After his 6 week outdoor adventure last year he probably thought inside was a better idea!
The house seems to have survived without us quite well. Another day or two and all should be back to normal. We're looking forward to our company, and just hope that the weather cooperates. We will have indoor and outdoor options on our to do list.
Apparently we left the camera accessories in the motorhome, so we can't download picture for the blog. When we pick the coach up from the dealer, we'll get some pictures up. Ernie

Cooling Down

2011-04-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

That's All Folks

The "Welcome to Apache Junction" sign with the setting sun

The Hitching Post (Literally) just outside of Apache Junction city limits

One Last Shot of the Superstions at Sunset

Crossing the Oakland Bay Bridge

Peacocks or "Here We Go Again"

Here we are in Petaluma California (40 miles N of San Fransisco) on the 105th anniversary of the San Fransisco earthquake. There is a definite chill in the air, with a little moisture on the ground, and fog in the air. We will be here for 2 nights to visit with my cousin Bob and cousin-in-law (?) Mabel who live in Cotati.

The trip here was an interesting one as it took us through the high desert of California to the Pacific coast. We left Apache Junction Saturday morning with the temperatures predicted to reach the mid 90's. We spent the night in Lancaster California where I believe it was in the upper 90's. We arrived in Petaluma about 4:30 Sunday afternoon to partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid 60's. It may be time to put the shorts back in the closet.

I had a South Dakota flashback this morning when I opened the curtains to find 3 Peacocks/Peahens walking around outside the coach. I'll be keeping a sharp eye out to see if they bring more of their kind tomorrow! At least there's no snow on the ground.

Tomorrow we will be heading north up the coast on 101. With a little luck the weather will be good as it's a beautiful drive. We will probably roll in on Thursday, but we could get in late in the evening on Wednesday. So, this will be the last post until we get home.

Stay dry, Ernie

Golf, BBQ, and Cactus

2011-04-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sunset

Dinner for 12

It looks like the sky was air brushed into the picture

Sizing up the putt on her first time out

The Golfer

Joyce has been out on the golf course twice since the last blog. The crowds are thinning out now, and you can walk on without a tee time and not have people breathing down your neck. I believe that she's doing better than she thought she would. We just need to keep it up when we get home.

Monday we had a BBQ and had a total of 12 people here (including us). Several of the people we hung out with most were leaving later in the week, so we had one last get together. We had ribs and chicken, and now we will be working on the leftovers for a while.

Wednesday I got almost everything squared away in the storage compartments for our departure on Saturday. We will be going to the Bay Area, so will probably make it to the Bakersfield vicinity on Saturday. From there we will head up to Santa Rosa for 2 nights, then head north on hwy 101. We will most likely make it home on Thursday.

That's all for now, and the next update will be from somewhere on the road. Ernie

Where are we?!?! (Or, DeJaVu)

2011-04-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

hmmmmm. This looks strangely familiar

No Explanation needed

Tortilla Flat General Store (Gift Shop)

Prickly Pear Cactus Blooms and Canyon Lake

We woke up this morning at 4:30 to the sound of "rain on the roof". The good thing is that we don't leave until next Saturday. It's about 50 degrees with steady rainfall as I write this at 11:00 a.m. There are supposed to be showers all day, so we are going to a movie.

Yesterday we took a drive to Tortilla Flat in the afternoon expecting to see lots of blooming cacti. There wasn't as much as expected. That was possibly due to the low amount of rainfall this spring, but it's trying to make up for it today! We hadn't been up there for a month or so, and it was good to see it again. Yesterday was also a golf day for me, and that went well for the most part. Only one more Friday golf outing to go. Tomorrow could be a good day to go out as the temperatures will only be in the upper 60's and sunny. Most of the snow birds have left and the golf courses aren't nearly as busy as they were just a couple of weeks ago. And I've come to realize that most people here don't play any better than I do, so if I went by myself and played with 2 or 3 others, I'd be OK. Or, maybe I can get Joyce to play!!

Only one week to go and in a way it seems like we just got here. Next year we will probably be extending our time here. We've become a lot more involved in the local activities this year and hope to do more next year. We talked about maybe staying until the Saguaro Cactus bloom around the first of June, but temperatures would be triple digits then. We shall see.

Ernie

Local Stuff & Road Tripping

2011-04-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

B-17 Sentimental Journey. You could fly in the plexiglas nose for $700

P-51 Mustangs

1963 Ford Fairlane Police Car

Hotel Connor in Jerome Arizona

We thought this was interesting. Are those bugs in there??

The View Down the Hill From Jerome

Just a short blog to get caught up again before I forget what we've been doing! On Sunday we went to the Bass Pro Shop in Mesa. It is a HUGE sporting goods / outdoor recreation store. It makes REI in Seattle look small. It has a lot of stuffed and mounted animals. Snakes, Deer, Mountain Goats, Cougars, etc. in addition to lots of live fish. There was a catfish in one of the big tanks that must have been at least 30 pounds. We had lunch at a restaurant in the store that had a 10,000 gallon salt water tank with tropical fish. Just like snorkeling in Hawaii sideways. Coincidentally they had excellent fish and chips there. Hmmmm.

On Monday we went to check out the Commemorative Air Force Museum in Mesa at Falcon Field. They had a fully restored B-17 and a B-25 Mitchell Bomber as well as a couple 0f P-51 Mustangs and numerous other aircraft. You can take a half hour ride for $425. You can ride in the Plexiglas nose of the B-17 for $700. We opted out. Falcon Field was a training site for pilots during WW2.

Yesterday we took a road trip to Jerome Arizona, which is north of us near Sedona. Jerome was built in the mid 1800's as a copper mining camp. It operated through the 1950's, and there was enough copper mined there to give everybody in the world (at the time) 13 pounds. that's a lot of copper. The town is built on the side of a steep mountain, and became a ghost town in the 60's. Now it's alive again and booming with tourists as it is only about 20 miles from Sedona. We stopped for dinner at an Amish restaurant in Black Canyon City on the way back. Good food. We made it back about 9:00.

Stay Tuned, Ernie

Good Golf / Bad Golf

2011-04-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

Very interesting this game called golf is. I can already see how frustrating it can be if taken seriously. Last Wednesday I went out with another beginner and shot a 40 on a par 34. This was my best game ever, and I even had a birdie (first ever) on a par 3 hole! Then on Friday, I went out with the regular Friday group from the RV Park, and shot a 49 on a par 34 with every tee shot going off in a direction that was not relevant to the flag. Except for the ground ball that I hit up the middle that went for about 50 yards. It's clear to me that I need a lot more time at the driving range, and when under pressure I collapse. Last Tuesday we went to the Mariner's final Spring Training game played at the Diamond Backs / Rockies new stadium in Scottsdale. We went with our park neighbors Mike and Joyce from Moses Lake. They have a connection with a big league umpire who was able to get us 4 seats behind home plate for a sold out game. Great seats, nice park, and the M's won! Yesterday the temperature hit 100 degrees or close to it. A little too warm even for Joyce. Today it's supposed to "cool down" to about 95, then drop all the way into the mid 80's for a few days. Tomorrow Joe and Lindy will be here for dinner. We will be cooking the last of the salmon fillets that we brought down on the grill. We went to Lowes and bought a new outdoor table and some chairs so we have something to leave in our shed on our new (to us) site for next year. Two weeks from today we will be starting our trek back north. We're hoping that the rains ease up, and the temperature rise up a little before we get there. Until next time, Ernie

Warming Back Up

2011-03-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

They think that I need one of these

Rocks and wild flowers

The desert is begining to bloom

" The Hiker". Proof for Kristin!

Desert Horned Toad (Horny Toad) on the hiking trail. About 4" long and camouflaged.

The temperatures will be back up in the 80's in a day or two. It's been in the comfortable mid 70's the past few days which suits me just fine. Hopefully the temperatures back home start heading for the 70 range, as we will be back in 4 weeks.

We've been relatively busy all week with baseball last Tuesday, 4 wheeling (for me) on Wednesday, a 7 mile hike on Thursday, and a golf game (for me) on Friday. Either today or tomorrow we will be taking a road trip. Monday we are going to visit friends that we met here, who just bought a house in the area. Tuesday is the last Spring Training game, and we will probably go see that. We may also see the game on Sunday if we're here.

Yesterday's golf game went relatively well. I shot a 43 on a par 32. I managed to shoot par on several holes, but shot 4 over on the first hole. It's amazing how bad you can hit the ball when you have a group of people watching. We (Joyce and I) may get out with another couple from the park next week on a nine hole course. I found that it's a lot easier to play with a couple of people than with a large group.

It's hard to believe, but 3 weeks from today we will be heading out. We will be taking 5-6 days getting home with a stop in the Bay Area for a couple of days. From there we will be heading up Highway 101 up into central Oregon, then cut over to I-5. With a little luck the weather will be decent along the way. We've only seen rain 2 or 3 times since about the 19th of January.

The park here is really beginning to thin out now, as people start leaving here around the middle of March. Quite a few are leaving the first of April, and by the time we leave on the 16th there probably won't be more than about 20 left. The park holds 120 rigs. Right now we have 2 empty sites next to us. That's all for now, Ernie

Cooler Weather

2011-03-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

Geosetti's grocery in Winkleman AZ

Ichiro warming up

Felix on the mound

Ichiro rounding 2nd and heading for 3rd

Tater Tot lost his shoes, but won the race!

The temperatures dropped out of the 80's over the weekend, and Monday was low to mid 60's with rain. People here seem to get about as excited about these rain events as we do when the sun comes out in western Washington!

On Friday we took a short day trip to the small town of Winkleman, which sprung up because of the copper mining in the early 1900's. We noticed an old grocery store called Geosettis, so we had to go in to check it out. The grandsons of the original owner now are running the store and butcher shop. We thought that this was a strange place for Italian immigrants to end up, but the storekeepers told us the whole story. We must have been there close to an hour. The copper mines in the area are now huge, and are owned by Asarco.

Today (Tuesday) we went to see the Mariners play the White Sox. We left after the 7th inning to beat the traffic, with the Mariners leading 7 to 3. Tomorrow I am going with the 4 wheelers again somewhere into the Arizona back country. The Thursday hike may be back on the calendar as the temperatures should top out in the mid 70's. On Friday I will be golfing with the group from the RV park. I'm hoping that it will be a better experience than last time. Joyce and I got out to the driving range last weekend, and we will probably get out again Thursday afternoon.

Ernie

Saint Patrick's Day Hike

2011-03-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

The 5 Coke Ovens

Taking a break along the trail

Horseback riders along the hiking trail

Hikers enjoying some shade before heading back out

Cactus begining to bloom on the hiking trail

Today we went on what probably was the last hike of the season here. The temperatures are getting up there, and with that comes the snakes. We did approximately 5 -6 miles today, but didn't venture off the Jeep road. No more walking through the narrow trails and climbing over the rocks. We finished the hike today at noon, and the temperatures were approaching the mid 80's. It's been in the 90 degree range the last few days.

Yesterday I got to go with the off road group again as one of the invitees had to cancel at the last minute. We went back into a canyon to an area known as the Coke Ovens. There are 5 kilns that were built in 1882 to produce charcoal from the mesquite trees that are abundant in that area. The charcoal was used in the nearby smelters to process the ore. It amazes me how they built the structures without any type of power equipment. The stone blocks are approximately 18 inches square, and the structure are about 30 feet tall.

Our friends Ron and Jan headed back to the rain of the Seattle area on Wednesday. We had a pretty busy schedule the week that they were here, and after today's hike we just pretty much kicked back for the day. We may take a little road trip tomorrow as the temperature are supposed to be cooling off by about 10 degrees for the next few days. Our next baseball game isn't until next Tuesday, and hopefully the temperatures will be comfortable.

Ernie.........................

Fun in the Sun

2011-03-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

The view of the valley on Thursday's hike

Hurst SC Rambler. Rare, Rare, Rare.

Goodguys car show. Love those Mercs!

Joyce, Ron, and Jan at the Wrigley Mansion

Wrigley Mansion complete with tourists (Ron & Jan)

The temperatures are rising supposedly into the 90's this week. It will be in the upper 80's today, and we've got baseball tickets for the M's / Cubs game this afternoon. Our seats are not in the shade, so I'm sure that most of you are feeling sorry for us now! After the game we are going to Joe and Lindy's for dinner.

Yesterday we went with Ron and Jan to the Wrigley (gum) Mansion in Phoenix. Very interesting. It always amazes me how much money some people had during the depression. After the tour we went into Scottsdale and had dinner at a very good Mexican restaurant. Then we rushed back so as not to miss the amazing race.

Saturday, Ron and Jan and I went to the Goodguys car show in Phoenix. That show is HUGE. Then, that evening Ron and Jan came over and we barbecued one of the salmon fillets that we brought down with us. After that it was a few games of Mexican Trains.

Friday I played golf with a group from the RV park. It was the least fun I've had playing golf, as I was teamed up with a couple of "serious" golfers. Tom played on his college golf team in his day, so is a very good golfer. He shot par on the nine that we played, but wasn't happy that he didn't do better. I on the other hand was 18 over par for the nine. I don't know if I will try golfing with the Friday group again.

On Thursday I went hiking, but Joyce opted out. It was getting pretty hot, so we only went 5 or 6 miles. It was a little less than 3 hours. We didn't see any rattle snakes, but with the temperatures climbing, that becomes a concern. We're not sure if the hike will happen this Thursday. This brings us up to date.

Until next time, Ernie

London Bridge

2011-03-10T06:48:00.001-08:00

Joyce and the London Bridge

London Bridge

Ron, Jan, Joyce and the London Bridge

Yesterday (Wednesday) we ventured over to Lake Havasu City with Seattle friends Ron and Jan. This was the first time Joyce and I had been there. The area is a little different from here, as there is more color to the surrounding hills. The bridge is pretty amazing in itself, and to think that they dismantled it, shipped it over and reassembled it is impressive. This coming weekend is the beginning of spring break for most colleges, and Lake Havasu City will have thousands of college kids.

Today's temperatures are supposed to be creeping into the 90's. We have our weekly hike scheduled for today, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's cancelled. If it's still on, I'm thinking it will be a little shorter than the last two 8 milers.
Ron and Jan are going to be in the area for about a week, and we will probably be squeezing in another day trip. On Saturday Ron and I will be taking in the Good Guys car show in Scottsdale. So, next week you can expect more car pictures!

Our air conditioner was repaired (under warranty) on Tuesday. Just in the nick of time as the temperature forecast is in the 90 degree range for the next several days.

Ernie

Midnight at the Oasis

2011-03-05T21:05:00.001-08:00

56 Lincoln Very unusual custom

64 Plymouth Sport Fury Gorgeous in black!

49 Merc I wanted one of these way before I was old enough to drive

60 Buick LeSabre

59 Oldsmobile 98

56 Chevrolet Bel Air

4 Speed Dual Quad Positraction 409 But those wheels need to go!

58 Plymouth Belvedere

56 Ford Fairlane Victoria

54 Mercurey Monterey I had one of these once

Joyce and I went to Yuma today (430 mile roundtrip) to visit my brother and sister in law today. My brother and I went to the "Midnight at the Oasis" car show for about 2 hours. So the text will be short, and the pictures will be a little longer than usual.

Enjoy, Ernie
P.S. These are just a few of my personal favorites

Baseball, Hiking, Road Runners, and BBQ

2011-03-03T20:39:00.000-08:00

Why did the Road Runner cross the road?

Rick the Peanut Man

We're going that way?

Clayton, our hiking leader pondering.

Cactus, Rocks, and Joyce

Busy week! We started out with a baseball game on Tuesday the 1st. We actually saw a Mariner win over Texas. It was a sunny day with the temperature in the mid 70's. We don't have another game scheduled until the 8th, but may work another in between.

I got in one more round of golf on Monday, but now that Tary and Wayne are on their way back to frozen Montana, I am golf partner less. I need to convince Joyce to join me. If we get the last tee time of the day, we don't need to worry about somebody breathing down our necks.

There were a couple of Road Runners in the RV Park on Tuesday. Managed to get a couple of pictures before they made their break. This is the first time I've seen one outside of Texas.

We did another 8 mile round trip hike into the back country today. Temperatures were getting in the 80 degree range on the way out. Good workout!

We did a 11 pound Beef Briskit overnight cook last night. We had a couple of our neighbors over and we managed to take care of most of it.

Ernie

Snow/Hail in the Desert

2011-02-27T14:47:00.000-08:00

The view from the Motorhome

Snow on the grill and smoker

Quite a view from the back of the adobe hacienda

The rock formations are amazing

Saguaro's and snow on the mountain

We woke up this morning to find that it had rained rather vigorously overnight. It was quite cloudy and about 10:00 this morning the skies opened and it began to hail. It hailed/snowed for about 10-15 minutes. It must have been cold at the higher elevations as it was about 50 degrees at ground level. We went for a drive after lunch, and the Superstition Mountains had turned white! We were told that this only happens about every 4 or 5 years. There were people all over taking pictures (us included).
Yesterday (Saturday) was a golf day for me. Wayne and I played the same 9 as last Tuesday. I managed to better my last score by 1 stroke. I parred 2 holes on this nine, and had 2 shots at making a birdie. Maybe next time. We are going out tomorrow afternoon for the last time as Wayne and Tary are heading for Montana on Tuesday. I am going to have to recruit a new partner.
Our first baseball game comes up on Tuesday. The weather will be mostly clear and in the low 70's. Should be just about perfect. Ron and Jan (Seattle friends) are coming down on the 8th, but will be spending a couple of days in Yuma before hanging out somewhere in this area for a few days. That will keep us busier than normal for a few days.
We will be taking a day trip to Yuma on Saturday the 5th to visit my brother and sister in law, and for me to check out the "Midnight at the Oasis" car show. It's about a 200 mile run one way, so we will need to get an early start to get back here before dark. If we make it back by 6:30, I can play Hand and Foot!
We have a BBQ planned for this Thursday, for our neighbors who have taken me out on the UTV adventures. I'm planning on doing a overnight brisket cook. We went to the Mining Camp restaurant today to buy some of their home made barbecue sauce. I had it with the beef ribs when we ate there a couple of weeks ago, and thought it was an outstanding sauce for beef.
So that's about it for now, and as Paul Harvey would say, "Stand by for the rest of the story."
Ernie

The Sun Is Shining

2011-02-24T18:57:00.000-08:00

We had a beautiful day for hiking in the back country out of Apache Junction this morning. About 15 people from our RV park drove 7 or so miles out of town to a trail area called "Bulldog Gulch". We hiked a total of 8 miles round trip with a stop halfway thru for lunch and rest. This was our second hike and not nearly as steep as the previous one. If you think the desert is just a vast flat plain of sand and cactus, there is so much more to it than that. We hiked small hills, riverbeds, saw beautiful tall rugged rock formations. It was green because of all the rain we had over the weekend.

Perfect hiking weather today - sunshine, a slight breeze and about 60 degrees. When the sun shines here it seems warmer than in Seattle, possibly because of the lack of humidity and the angle of the sun. At any rate, we all warmed up within a half hour and were wrapping our jackets around our waists. Of course, Ernie did not even start out with a jacket!

My feet and legs were very tired after all those miles, but a shower and clean clothes a few hours after we got back to the park made us feel like new. We met friends Lindy and Joe for dinner at an Irish pub called Murphy's Law in Chandler. It was very busy and noisy and we had a good visit. Since I'm not a beer drinker, I went for a Margarita - not very Irish but refreshing as well!

It was a very good day. Keep warm! - Joyce

Golf Story & 4 Wheeling in the Snow

2011-02-23T20:54:00.000-08:00

For Josh, Brynn, and the granddog

Looking for the pot of gold

Crossing the creek

4 wheelers in the snow

The view from the abandoned mercury mine

On Monday I had my 3rd adventure on the golf course. After my 2nd outing last Thursday, I figured out part of my problem. Monday we played 9 holes, and I shot a 44 on a par 31. I only had one really bad hole shooting a 8 on a par 4. I managed a par on one hole and had several other opportunities to shoot par. The next thing I need to start working on is putting. This was by far my best outing.
We took a drive out of Apache Junction to the south about 15 miles on Sunday just because we had never been out that way before. We had a little rain and sun which made for a pretty good rainbow. We took some pictures, but it didn't do it justice.
Today (Wednesday) I went out with the UTV group for an adventure into the back country. We went back in to an abandoned mercury mine from the 40's/50's. We climbed quite a bit and got into into about 6 inches of snow. Apparently it gets pretty cold up there overnight. The snow fell over the weekend when we had rain with temperatures in the 50's. But not anything like back home, where Keith and Sheila (and kids) had about 10 inches of snow last night with more in the forecast.
Tomorrow we are going out with the hiking group, then meeting Phoenix friends Joe and Lindy for dinner. That's about it for now, and even tho it's only in the 60's. I'm not willing to change places with any of you. Ernie

Rain in the desert

2011-02-19T15:27:00.000-08:00

Just to make us feel at home, it rained today. It was in the low 70's just before the rain, and it dropped about 20 degrees during the rain storm. Everything is so dry here that the water runs off. They have detention ponds along the roadways to keep from flooding the streets.
We were going to hit a few balls at the driving range this afternoon with Wayne and Tary. We all went to lunch, and while there the deluge began. We stopped off at the driving range after lunch thinking that maybe it would stop, but it just came down harder. We will try again tomorrow. So now Joyce and I are back at the motorhome. I was hoping that the Washington / Arizona basketball game would be on one of the local TV stations, but no such luck.
Joyce is doing laundry and reading a book, and I think I will have a rum and coke and bide my time until hand and foot (card game) starts in about an hour and a half. I would have taken some rain pictures to post here, but most of you have seen it before. Stay dry!
Ernie

BBQ

2011-02-16T09:18:00.000-08:00

The view from the motorhome

Ribs, Chicken, and beans waiting to go

Making smoke

The finished product

Home away from home

Yesterday I fired up the smoker for the first time since we got here. We did 2 racks of pork back ribs and 1 chicken. One of the neighbors from a few sites over wandered over after about 4 hours of cooking time to let me know how good it smelled. That's always good to hear. We had 2 other couples over for dinner. Mike and Joyce who are from Moses Lake, and Pete and Margaret who are Arizonans. Pete is the guy that took me out on the UTV last week, and after dinner I got an invitation to go again next week. There's not a lot of food left over, but enough for dinner tonight, and maybe lunch tomorrow for me and Joyce.
Today we are going to meet a couple that Joyce knew when she lived in Montana for lunch. They now live in Colorado and are visiting in Arizona. Joyce hasn't seen them in at least 25 years. When we get back I need to get the smoker ready for the next cook. Last night's dinner guests volunteered to buy the meat.
Tomorrow afternoon will be my second venture out on the golf course. I hope to see some improvement, but if not, oh well. The weather is scheduled to make a turn for the worse beginning tomorrow. They're talking rain. Sometimes when rain is forecast, it sprinkles for a few minutes and that's it. Doesn't even get the ground wet. I think that I'll continue wearing sun screen anyway. Stay Dry, Ernie

Desert Valentine

2011-02-14T19:26:00.000-08:00

Today being Valentines Day, we decided to celebrate by me going to the driving range and Joyce doing laundry. Joyce got a Valentines cactus, as the Easter cactus I gave her 3 years ago died of over watering. She now has a genuine Saguaro. I have my second shot at golf coming up on Thursday, and I need the practice. I've come to the realization that if I'm going to play golf that I need to go to the range at least twice a week.. Last Friday actually went fairly well. Wayne and I were paired up with a couple in their mid 70's, and I could out drive the female half! I managed to play 9 holes with the same ball. I did come within about 3 feet of the water hazard, but managed to keep the ball on dry land. So for a first outing, I would have to say that it went rather well. I probably averaged between 2 and 3 over par per hole.
Tomorrow the smoker gets fired up for the first cook of the season. I'll be fixing 2 racks of pork back ribs and a chicken. We are having 2 other couples over for dinner. If all turns out well, I will post some BBQ pictures tomorrow evening.
Weather has been in the low 80's for the past 3 or 4 days. There is rain in the forecast for this coming Thursday, with temperatures in the mid 60's. No complaints as to the weather.
Baseball is just around the corner as pitchers and catchers reported to camp this week. We may have to take a drive up to Peoria to check out some of the practice sessions. Our first game is just a little over 2 weeks away.
Stay Tuned, Ernie

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-02-11T10:05:00.000-08:00

At the top of the Mesa.

The hiking group on the mesa.

Joyce was glad we were'nt going any farther.

Checking out a herd of desert mountain goats.

Look at that form (note the ball).

It's been a busy week here in sunny Arizona. On Tuesday Wayne and I went to the driving range and hit a bucket of balls. Wednesday was my great off road adventure day with a group of 6 UTV's and quads. We went 11 miles back into the hills over some pretty rough terrain. I rode with a native Arizonan (Pete) who lives here in the park during the winter, and up in the White Mountains in the summer. He's been on this route in the past, but said it was rougher than he remembered. Now I now why they have skid plates. I took pictures until the camera battery died. With a little luck I will get some posted.
Yesterday (Thursday) Joyce and I went with a hiking group of 14 on a 6 mile round trip into the mountains not far from here. We went to an area where the Apache's wiped out a group of Spanish soldiers sometime in the 1800's. The site was on a mesa with only one way in and out. All around was a vertical drop of about 500 feet. Apparently the Apache's chased the Spaniards onto the mesa where they proceeded to wipe them out.
Today (Friday) Wayne and I have a 3:00 tee time at a 9 hole golf course. While we're doing that, the ladies are going to the Mesa swap meet. The swap meet is huge, and if a person had the stamina could probably spend the better part of the day there.
Next week I plan on firing up the smoker for the first time as a payback gesture for Pete and his wife for taking me on the off road adventure. So this has been our busiest week yet, as we both are feeling pretty close to normal. It's just a little over 2 weeks until our first baseball game. Oh and by the way, it's supposed to be in the mid 70's this weekend, and near 80 next Monday and Tuesday. Ernie

Post Super Bowl

2011-02-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

Watched my first Super Bowl in about 10 years today. Fell asleep in the 2nd quarter, but woke up before half time. Saw most of the 2nd half. Ho Hum. Joyce did laundry. Pretty exciting.
I'm feeling almost normal again, and will probably make it to the driving range tomorrow to see which direction the golf balls fly this week. On Wednesday I will be going on a UTV adventure in the dessert. Thursday, Joyce and I should be going on a guided dessert hike with a group from the park. We went to REI today, and I bought a hat for hiking that has a spf rating of 50. Should keep the top of my thining haired head from getting burned. Also bought a (one) pair of wool hiking sox for $20. That's more than I usually spend for shoes!!
Tary and Wayne (Montana Friends) are staying in Mesa until the 1st of March. My only attempt at actually playing golf was with Wayne when we visited them in White Sulfur Springs Montana last September. I am trying to get Wayne to golf with me once or twice in the next couple of weeks. Then maybe I will have enough confidence to try on my own. Joyce may be getting out on the links (golf talk) too.
That's about all for now, and we are looking forward to the potentially big week ahead.
Ernie

Record Cold

2011-02-05T16:43:00.000-08:00

Yes, we have been a part of Arizona history - record breaking cold temps this past week - in the lower 20's. Wouldn't you know it, our heat went out middle of the night a few nights ago - woke up and it was 46 degrees in here. A small technical error on Ernie's part where we ran out of propane which supplements the electric heat at a certain point. We unhooked all systems, pulled in the slides and drove the RV down the street a few miles to get the propane tanks filled.

Ernie went to 'urgent care' on Tuesday - diagnosed with strep throat. Had a mild case as he was feeling better the next day after being put on antibiotics.

Last Saturday we were invited to an impromptou BBQ across the 'street' where we met a few more people from Washington state. We connected with our friends Tary and Wayne from Montana yesterday, had a nice visit and went to dinner at the Mining Camp Restaurant outside of Apache Junction. They will be here thru February so will get together again to attempt a golf game (Tary & Wayne will have to have patience with us).

Ernie back into shorts as of today. I'm not ready for that yet. = Joyce

Life in the desert

2011-01-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

We are now into day 6 of our journey, and haven't managed to do much yet as neither one of us is feeling great. Joyce is getting better, and I just don't have a lot of energy. Yesterday was my day to be on the telephone for extended periods. Our washer/dryer combination was not pumping the water out when Joyce went to use it Tuesday night. That took quite a bit of conversation with the service department which is in Clacamas Oregon. There is somebody coming out to change the pump this afternoon. Then we got our 4G upgrade from Verizon yesterday. I was on the phone with them for so long that the battery went dead in the cell phone! Fortunately we were at the final stage of the installation process when the phone died. It seems to be working pretty good but not quite the "lightning speed" the guy on the phone kept talking about. I was on the phone so long with him that my ear hurt. I didn't understand half of what he said. Between his accent and the computer lingo, I was about ready to throw myself under a bus. But it's all installed and now we are even higher tech than we were before! This afternoon we are going for an outing to Best Buy to buy a hand held rechargeable vacuum. Whoopdeedoo!! That will be our adventure for the day. The washing machine guy is supposed to be her around 3:30, so we need to be back by then.
Weather is still very nice. It's around 70 degrees but it's been a little windy. It beats 40 and raining.
Until the next chapter,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ernie

The Torch Is (Being) Passed

2011-01-25T04:28:00.000-08:00

Joyce is continuing to improve but now I am beginning to come down with something. Yesterday we got out to get some lunch, go to the Post Office, Bank, and last but certainly not least, Target! I took a nap in the car during the Target visit. We were out for about 3 hours, but the Target visit is testimony to Joyce's road to recovery. I just hope that I get a milder version.
Still haven't completed the wash job on the motor home. I have one side left to do. I plan on getting on that first thing this morning, as the sunny side is what is left. The water here has so much calcium in it that you have to dry the washed area immediately, or it looks like crap. I need to get that done soon in case I have the same crud as Joyce has had for the past week.
The park is having a Beer and Pizza event this afternoon with a local Beach Boys tribute band. We are planning on attending. Another sign of Joyce's recovery. I'll be keeping an eye on her to make sure that she doesn't over do it with the beer! Ernie

Roughing it RV style

2011-01-23T19:56:00.000-08:00

We've been here for 48 hours now and are beginning to get squared away. Got the car washed yesterday, and started the wash on the motorhome today. Managed to get to the driving range today and hit a bucket of balls. Some go left, some go right, and a few go straight. Should be interesting when I get out on the course.
Joyce is still feeling poorly, but is showing signs of improvement. Tomorrow she should be out and about some. She needs to get some sun. Windy today, but still about 70 degrees. The wind should be gone by tomorrow, and the long term forecast is still calling for low 70's and sunny.
We'll probably get out some a little later this week to explore a little and get some pictures posted on the blog. Ernie

Settled in at Apache Junction

2011-01-21T21:18:00.000-08:00

Got here at 5:30 p.m. which is 6:30 Arizona time. So once again I got to back in to our space and hook up in the dark. Joyce did a good job of directing.
Joyce is still feeling like crap. Sounds like somebody passed the cold bug around at the last ladies get together. I had a similar one about 2 months ago that was hard to get rid of.
No pictures taken yet, so none to post (yet). Will work at getting something done in that respect next week. Went to Wal Mart tonight, and while there are always some interesting folks there, I didn't see any that were picture material. We'll work on that!
The weather forecast for the next 5 days is low 70's and not a cloud in the sky. It's time to break out the shorts. Ernie

Oranges right off the tree

2011-01-20T17:12:00.001-08:00

Pulled into the Orange Grove RV Park in Bakersfield California about 3:30 this afternoon. Mostly sunny with temperatures in the low 60's. I just picked about 15 pounds of oranges in about 10 minutes. Wish I would have brought the juicer and the vodka! Joyce has managed to come down with a cold, and as I write this (5:00 P.M.),and she is sound asleep. We've got over a hundred channels on the TV here. Won't have time to watch them all! Tomorrow at this time we should be in Apache Junction. We had a short run today of about 300 miles. Tomorrow we have a little over 400. We'll catch up again there, Ernie

In Lodi Again X2

2011-01-19T21:39:00.000-08:00

Here we are for the 3rd year in a row at Flag City RV Park in Lodi California. Pulled in just before 5 o'clock. Weather is mostly sunny with temperatures in the low 60's. Getting real close to shorts and sandals weather!
Tomorrow we are off to the Orange Grove RV Park just east of Bakersfield. We stayed there last year also. The park is in an orange grove, and you can pick as many oranges as you want. We made off with about 15 pounds last year, and they were excellent.
From there it will be into Apache Junction Arizona on Friday. Still hoping to make it to Barrett Jackson in Scottsdale over the weekend. We shall see. So now it's off to bed so we can make another early escape tomorrow.
Ernie

A word or two from the road

2011-01-18T19:52:00.000-08:00

We made it out of town about 8:00 this morning. It took about a half hour to get to I-5, but once on the freeway there was no stopping us. Fueled up before Vancouver so we won't have to fuel up in Oregon. For those that are unaware, you can't pump your own fuel in Oregon. Last year I pulled into a station where there were already 5 or 6 cars at the pumps with 1 attendant. It took almost an hour to get out of there! I shouldn't need to fuel up until somewhere near Sacramento. We are staying just south of Roseburg tonight. We pulled in about 3:30 this afternoon. We took a walk around, then came back and fixed some dinner. I managed to program the televisions so we get all of the available channels, and we also figured out how to use the microwave. We're getting pretty high tech!!
Tomorrow I hope to pull out by 8:00, and make it to Lodi California. It's about a 400 mile run, so with a lunch stop and a fuel stop, I would hope to roll into Lodi about 4:00 in the afternoon. All went well today. We're able to cruise easily at 60 - 65 mph. 400 miles takes us about 8 hours with a couple of stops. That's enough for 1 day. The new Motorhome is much more comfortable and is much easier to drive than the old one. One negative is that we don't have as much interior space when the slides are in. This is not a complaint, just an observation.
Until next time, Ernie

On The Road Again (almost)

2011-01-07T16:38:00.000-08:00

10 days from now we will be somewhere in Oregon with a little bit of luck. Hairold T. Cat will be vacationing at Keith and Sheila's in our absence. Hopefully he has better sense than last year! We've been working on getting ready to go. We have some of our stuff in the motorhome, and I've been going over the operator manual so we don't have any surprises (I hope). We should be pulling in to Apache Junction the evening of the 20th. I am hoping to make it to the Barrett Jackson car auction in Scottsdale on Saturday the 22nd. I've watched it on TV, but seeing it live will be exciting for me.
The day before we leave is Grandaughter Monica's 16th birthday. So we will be there for the day, then bring the Motorhome back down here Sunday evening for a quick escape on Monday morning.
When we return around the 20th of April, we will have about a week to get squared away before Ron & Diane (Oklahoma friends) get here to spend a few days before cruising to Alaska. We're all looking forward to the visit, and I'm sure that they're looking forward to the cruise. Then in May, the big event for the year takes place on the 22nd, when Josh (son) and Brynn (future daughter in law) get married! And on the 28th of May, our nephew Anthony is graduating from college in Chicago, which we are planning to attend. Somewhere in all of that I need to be able to work on my new pastime of golf. Then to top it all off, in the late summer or early fall we will either be embarking on a"around the country" motorhome trip, or a trip to Europe (not by motorhome). So there you have it. We've got plenty to think about. Ernie

Now I can say...........................................

2010-12-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

Here it is the first of December, and when someone asks when we are headed south, I can say, "Next Month!" We plan to head for the Valley of the Sun on the 17th of January. After the November snow crap we had last week, January can't come soon enough for me. We upgraded our motorhome about a month ago to a new 2008 Winnebago Journey 39Z. If anybody is interested in seeing what it looks like, google the make and model. It sat for 2 years at the factory in Iowa, so it is a "new" 3 year old coach. When we head south next month, it will be our first time driving it (other than driving from the dealership in Kent to Stanwood).
We've been busy lately with home improvement things like painting, putting up new window coverings, etc. We are contemplating putting the house on the market next spring, so we're trying to get the things done that need getting done! Not sure about selling the house yet, but if we decide that's what we want to do, we will be ready. We'd like to have a little more outside space, and a little less inside space. Best case scenario would be to find a big lot (about an acre) and have a house built to our specifications. It would be nice to have covered RV parking, a nice big garden space, and a big front porch for sitting & barbecuing.
Until then, I am just patiently waiting for next month..................Ernie

The Big Apple & The Windy City

2010-10-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

Main hall Ellis Island where immigrants were processed.

Approaching the Staute of Liberty by boat.

Times Square - thousands of people!

Metropolitan Museum - NYC

View of Manhattan skyline from pedestal of Statue of Liberty

Patrice viewing Manhattan skyline from Rockefeller Center.

There is a reason Frank Sinatra sang about New York and Chicago. These cities are positively alive with energy. I enjoyed an adventure packed 10 day trip and got to share it with my sister, Patrice, in celebration of her 50th birthday.

I left Seattle Sept. 23 for Chicago. Patrice and I flew out of O'Hare Airport Sept. 25 for LaGuardia Airport in NYC. Our previous trip to NYC had been with friends who had lived there so we were on our own this time.

Stayed a block away from Times Square at The Hilton Garden Inn. Great place to stay, accessible to everything we were interested in.

To touch on a few of our outings:

- 2 Broadway plays ("Wicked" and "Lion King")

- To the "Top of the Rock" - Rockefeller Center where we experienced fantastic views of Manhattan and also took a tour of the NBC Studios.
- An entire day spent at The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Immigration Center.

- Lunch and a walk in Central Park.

- Rode the subway!! Took no taxis!

- Went to Trump Tower where Patrice managed to get a "Trump Tower" labeled umbrella when it was a torrential downpour - a nice doorman took pity on her.

- Bought 48 hour pass to ride a double decker hop-on/off bus to tour the island of Manhattan. We had the best time with great tour guides.

- Got off bus near Little Italy and had lunch at a sidewalk cafe - reminded me of Italy last year. Then we went to Ground Zero which is very moving despite all the construction. Across the street is a church built in the 1700's where George Washington worshipped.

- Took a night bus tour of Brooklyn and the city.

- Admired all the different architectural styles from modern buildings to 18th century buildings - it was fascinating to see how they all co-exist.

Headed back to Chicago on Sept. 30. Stayed with Patrice and Paul for 3 days which gave me an opportunity to see my nephew, Anthony, in a college play. The next day we took the train to downtown Chicago where we had lunch at Navy Pier, then took an architectural tour by a boat ride on the Chicago River. The next 2 days were spent going to some local areas and visiting.

Arrived back in Seattle around 10pm Sunday Oct. 3. All the flights , security and waits at the airport went smoothly. We had perfect weather while we were there (except for the 2 rainstorms we got caught in).

So here we are in mid-October and Fall has set in - there is a chill to the air, but we have been enjoying sun and for the most part blue skies the last few days. The trees, plants and bushes that turn colors are beautiful right now and it's really stunning when we have a sunny day.

Till next time - Joyce

Home Alone

2010-10-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

Just a short blurb to bring you up to speed about the goings on here. Joyce has been vacationing (without me!) since last Thursday. She's spending some time with her sister for a few days in Chicago, and a few days in New York City. She will have to do an update next week when she gets back.
The cat and I have been staying busy as we have had a crew here the past few days installing new windows and sliding patio doors. They will be finishing up on Monday. Our job has been to take down the window coverings, move all the "stuff" out of the way, then put everything back when the room is completed. To be honest with you, the cat hasn't been much help! He hasn't been letting me out of his sight.
Tomorrow and Sunday I will be at Keith and Sheila's to help with putting in new decking material on their front deck. I just hope that the weather holds up for the next two days. Sunday night Joyce gets home, and Monday the windows will finished, and Tuesday we will be back to normal(?), Ernie

Big Sky Country

2010-09-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

Wayne & Tary and Joyce & Ernie in front of waterfall

This k's for you Kristin (this was in front a winery near Walla Walla)

Wayne and Ernie golf carting at White Sulphur Springs

Joyce on a 4 wheeler

Whenever we go to Montana I remember why I like it there so much. Wide open sky and spaces and very few people, plus beautiful land scapes. It took us 2 days to arrive in White Sulphur Springs (about 75 miles northeast of Helena). Our friends Tary and Wayne had invited us to park our RV next to their house and plug in to their electricity so it worked out well. They have a lovely new home a mile out of town set back from the main 2 lane road about 1/4 mile. From any window in the house was a view of expansive land and mountains - loved it!

On the first day we were there we drove to Bozeman (where I lived 30 some years ago). Sadly, it is not the charming small town I remember but an overpopulated town and an example of unchecked and uncontrolled growth at its worst. However, all 3 places I lived in are still there and basically look the same. I could see a small glimmer of what I remembered it to be, which is basically the older parts of town.

The following day we went to the Alberta Bair Museum in Martinsdale. Interesting history of a family that made their wealth in sheep ranching. On Saturday we rode ATV's thru the fields - fun! Ernie played his first round of golf on the course at White Sulphur with Wayne. Sunday we took a nice drive in the mountains and hiked up to a waterfall.

We spent many fun hours visiting, eating, and playing "Mexican Train Wreck" while we were there. It was a very relaxing vacation. Thanks Tary and Wayne!

Arrived in Stanwood last Thursday late afternoon. Unloaded the RV and headed home - pouring rain - welcome back to Seattle!

Will start packing for Chicago and New York City tomorrow. Ernie will be busy while I'm gone supervising the window installation and helping Keith with his new deck. The cat will keep him good company!

Hope to get some pictures posted along with this entry. - Joyce

September already

2010-09-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

The view from the back of the speedboat

Paul at Yosemite
Yosemite Valley
Patrice and Paul at Lake Tahoe
Big trees

Today is Monday the 6th (Labor Day), the unofficial last day of summer. Officially there are about 2 weeks left, but the weather is saying Fall. I still have about 3 weeks left on my "Vow of Shorts" taken in Bakersfield California about the 15th of February.
Yesterday we were at Gail and Randy's for the Labor Day weekend BBQ. Must have been about 20 people there, and I had a couple of comments about the lack of blog postings. Apparently some people actually read this stuff! So, I will dilligently attempt to do a better job. If we start lagging again, blame Joyce!
We spent the last full week of August at Angels Camp California with Patrice and Paul. We had a good dose of summer there, as the temperature exceeded 100 degrees on 2 days (104 & 108), and the rest of the week was in the mid to upper 90's. But we returned to mid 60's, and that's where we're stuck. We had a great time on the trip. We put a little over 1000 miles on the rental car. We spent one day at Lake Tahoe, and one Day at Yosemite National Park, with the rest of the time poking around Calaveras County. We saw the Giant Sequoias and lots of neat little towns that sprung up just after the gold strike of 1849. We even rented a speedboat for a couple of hours one afternoon. We traveled a lot of roads that we had never been on before. The only disappointment on this trip was that the Ponderosa Ranch Tour no longer exists. We drove out there only to find that the ranch house is a private residence. I was looking forward to seeing the Hop Sing mannequin standing in the kitchen again. Everything is probably in a TV or Movie museum somewhere.
Tomorrow we are heading out on a short Motorhome trek to White Sulphur Springs Montana to visit with friends Tary and Wayne for a few days. There weather is about the same as ours, with highs in the mid 60's, and overnight lows in the low 40's. I've even got 2 pairs of jeans packed, along with several pairs of shorts. I'll definately need to bring a jacket along.
We will probably get home around the 15th-16th, which will give Joyce about a week to get ready for her trip (without me) to New York City with Patrice for an early birthday (Patrice's) girls getaway, for about 10 days. During that time I am hoping to get the new windows installed in the house and fire up the smoker a couple of times. I'm thinking it's about time to do a briskit again.
We are still looking at a 7 day Carribean cruise with Ron and Diane (Tulsa friends) on the 7th of November. It will be 2 years tomorrow that we met them on a similar cruise. I hope to get everything nailed down in the next couple of weeks.
Now that we are all caught up again, I will attempt to add a few pictures from the California trip.

2 Years Yesterday

2010-08-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

It was exactly 2 years yesterday that we set off on our "Big Adventure". I remember our first day out we landed in Hermiston, Oregon; the temperature was 107 and we discovered that the rear air conditioner was not working! To celebrate that anniversary, yesterday the temperature here was 97 degrees and we have no air conditioning! It's cooled off a couple of degrees today and should drop to the mid 80's tomorrow, then it will be back to the 70 degree range for the rest of the week.

Saturday we are flying down to Angels Camp California for 7 days in the California gold country with Patrice and Paul. The temperatures there should be in the 90's, but there is A/C! We will be approx 50 miles from Yosemite National Park. We've only been in that vicinity once before, and that was about 15 years ago, so it should be a lot of fun.

When we return we will be heading out for a 10 day motorhome trip to visit Wayne and Tary (and Auggie) in White Sulphur Springs, Montana.

Upon our return from the Wild West, Joyce will embark on a 10 day journey to Chicago and New York City with her sister Patrice. Hairold and I will be on our own and we anticipate an increase in smoke from the BBQ over the 10 days. We will also be getting all of our windows in the house replaced during that same period.

We are still looking into taking a 7 day cruise with friends Ron and Diane in early November. We're leaning in that direction but haven't made reservations yet. November is never a good weather month here and the Caribbean sounds good to me, so I think that it will be happening. We will also have to start looking at Arizona reservations around the lst of October if we are going back down for Spring Training 2011. So as you can see, the "Travel Director" is going to be getting busy soon. And on top of that we are looking at duplicating the "Big Adventure" in the opposite direction in 2011.
Ahhhh, retirement....Ernie

234 Years

2010-07-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

Today is the 4th of July, and summer in Seattle is just around the corner. We're still topping out in the 60's, but the forecast calls for mid 80's by the middle of the week. Some of us will transition to that easier than others. We probably won't see daytime highs in the 60's again until October.
We spent 3+ days in Las Vegas last week where it was over 100 degrees every day. At night it "cooled off" to around 80! We haven't seen 80 for a daytime high yet in Seattle. It will be interesting. I don't like anything over 80, but it will be nice to see some sunshine in the morning while having that first cup of coffee and reading the paper.
Our summer plans have taken a change of direction as the job that I was scheduled for fell through due to permit issues. It amazes me that a government agency is unable to work with other governmental agencies to secure the neccessary permits to fix a section of highway before it has to be shut down because it is no longer safe!But that's life in Washington State. Or at least on the west side. But we don't seem to have any problem funding and spending for electronic signs up and down our highways. Yesterday we were heading south on I-5 to visit Pat & Steph in Shelton, and the traffic became stop and go around Fife. Lo and behold the overhead message sign showed up to advise me that traffic was heavy and I should watch out for slow moving or stopped traffic. I'm sure glad that the sign was there. The carnage could have been terrible. I don't know how we have managed to survive up to now without signs to alert us to the obvious. It used to be that it was the drivers responsibility to monitor the traffic and watch out for brake lights. I guess now we just have to watch the signs and hope that we read them in time to avoid rear ending somebody! I can't wait for the first lawsuit when somebody sues the state because the sign didn't warn them in time that the traffic was slow or stop and go, or that they rear ended somebody because they were distracted from driving while reading the sign! Electronic message signs are my latest pet peeve. (if you hadn't noticed)
Today we will be getting together wit friends for the annual 4th of July BBQ, and to celebrate the upcoming begining of summer in Seattle. So happy 4th to all, may we have many more, and lets blow something up! Maybe one of those damn signs!!
Ernie

Patiently Waiting For Summer

2010-06-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is the longest gap that we have ever had since we started this blog almost 2 years ago. My Mother passed away on the 24th of May. She was almost 95 years old, and had been in and out of the Hospital about 8 - 10 times over the last 2 years, so it wasn't a complete surprise. I only hope that I can stay in good health as long as she did.
Joyce and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary later this week with a short 4 day trip to Las Vegas. It will be near 100 degrees there, which will be a shock to our systems since it has only reached 70 2 or 3 times this spring! We have not seen 75 since we left Arizona in April. It's beginning to look like it may be "one of those summers" in Seattle. This is the only time that I can remember that it hasn't hit 80 at least once by now. And the long range forecast doesn't show anything above the low 70's. Maybe after the 4th of July our summer will start. That's been known to happen.
It looks as if I will be returning to the work force for about 10 weeks beginning in mid July. There is a small project that I have been approached about doing the inspection on. I have committed myself to do it, so unless something unexpected pops up to circumvent that plan, I will be working until the end of September. If for some reason it falls through, we will probably get in a road trip for a couple of weeks or so. Otherwise, we have a week scheduled in mid August at Angels Camp in the Sierra Nevada's in California. We are now in the "thinking stage" for a BIG road trip in 2011. It will probably be a bigger (more miles and more time) than the original "Big Adventure".
We are also in the beginning stages of figuring out where to hang our hats for the next stage of our lives. Now that we are both officially retired, except for my occasional transgressions, we are trying to figure out where we want to live. We know that we don't want to be too far away from Seattle, but would definitely like to get out of King County. We've looked a little in all directions over the last couple of years, but are now concentrating on heading north. We shall see. I'm sure that nothing will happen for at least a year. We're not in a rush, but don't want to wait too long either. So right now, we're just doing a little talking and looking. We have decided that when we do make a move, we will not go much more than an hours drive from Seattle. Almost all of our friends and family are in the Greater Seattle area, and we don't want to lose contact with anyone.
Today is Father's Day, and we are getting ready to head up to Keith and Sheila's for dinner. And now that our lives are back to normal(?), we will try to not let the blog slip again. Ernie

Hairold T.(the) M.(miracle) Cat

2010-04-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

On Thursday the 29th, Sheila called to say that Chandler was pretty sure that he had spotted Hairold T. Cat while weed whacking around the house. So we drove up after dinner, and after about an hour of calling and whistling for him, he walks over to me. He was so light when I picked him up. that I had to check for the lack of front claws to make sure it was really him. After making his break on the 29th of March, he resurfaced on the 29th of April! He appears to be doing all right other than losing 1/3 of his body weight. That would be like me losing about 70 pounds in a month!! So, if you really want to lose some serious weight, just live out in the wild for a month or so and just eat what you can find. Guaranteed to lose weight in a hurry.
We had pretty much given up on him. I figured there was about a 10% chance that he would have been able to survive this long. He has no front claws, so that seriously cuts down on his hunting ability. And to take into consideration that he is 16 years old, who would believe that he could survive a month in the wild. But he did. He must have some damn good genes. He will be staying in the house for a few days to get some meat back on his bones before going out to take on the neighborhood dogs. He's probably not out of the woods yet, but so far so good.
Ernie

Home

2010-04-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

Altering our plans, we decided to drive the 500 miles from Boise to Seattle and arrived Sunday evening. Managed to unload at least half of the RV when we got home. Yesterday we drove the RV to Stanwood and parked it back at its' home at Sheila and Keith's place.

People are asking us where we are going next...at this point it's Colorado for one week in August to meet up with my sister and her husband.

During the 2 1/2 months we were gone we also enjoyed visiting with a lot of different people we know which was a highlight of the trip for me. In all, I counted 20 people we know that we were able to get together with at some point on this trip - friends and/or relatives from Calif, Montana, Phoenix, Seattle, Tulsa, Salt Lake City, Boise, and Texas.

We had a good time and saw a lot of interesting sights; of course, it's always good to be home, especially since it's Spring in Seattle. - Joyce

Idaho

2010-04-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

Left Monument Valley Friday morning and stayed in Provo, Utah. We had a nice dinner and visit with Jandora and Tom - they had invited us to their home nearby. We left Provo Saturday morning and arrived near Boise, Idaho last night. I had contacted my cousin Linda who lives in Boise the day before so we had dinner with Linda and her husband Bill last night. It's Sunday morning 9:45 a.m. and we are just leaving the RV park we stayed in so it's 'on the road again' for us. We plan to overnight in Ellensburg, Washington and arrive in Seattle Monday afternoon. -Joyce

Monument Valley Arizona/Utah

2010-04-22T19:34:00.001-07:00

We arrived at the Rv Park at Monument Valley Wednesday afternoon about 4:30. We drove the last 50 miles or so in a dust storm that at times cut visibility to about 100 yards. The wind gusts were hitting us from the side at about 40 to 50 m.p.h. Needless to say we were pretty well worn out when we got here. About 6:00 the winds began to settle down, and we were able to start to see the fantastic scenery. We are surrounded by huge red rock formations in the RV Park. Today (Thursday) we took a 14 mile drive out thru the rock formations. The sun was shining and the air was clear. It is hard to believe that places like this exist. The scenery is nothing short of spectacular. We took so many pictures that we ran out of memory. We had to download them to the computer to go back out to get a few more at sunset. This place ranks up there with Bryce, Zion, Yosemite, Glacier, and Yellowstone Parks. We're glad we decided to take this side trip!
Tomorrow we will be heading out in the morning for Provo Utah. We should get in in the late afternoon. We will be getting together with Tom and Jandora for dinner. Joyce and Jandora are old high school friends. We haven't seen them since passing thru Salt Lake City on our original "Big Adventure" in 2008. Saturday we should be closing in on Boise Idaho. then on to the Hermiston Oregon vicinity on Sunday. We probably will be rolling into Seattle during Monday's rush hour. Then it will be back to normal (?) at least for a while.
Ernie Having trouble adding pictures. Will try again tomorrow. Still having problems! Got a few pictures up, but can't add captions. They speak for themselves.

On the Road

2010-04-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

Before we left Lubbock, Texas we visited the Buddy Holly Museum which is housed in a refurbished 1890's train depot located in an industrial area. I was only 8 years old when Buddy Holly died in a plane crash, but Ernie remembers its well since he was an 'old' 13. I found it interesting as to how the museum put his music in to perspective regarding most of the bands that formed in the 60's.

We drove out of Texas in to New Mexico and are staying near Albuquerque tonite. We took a wrong turn along the way and couldn't turn around(small 2 lane country roads don't accomodate RV's that need to do that!) but we ended up where we wanted to be anyway and saved about 50 miles, so I suppose it was a good thing. We were in the flatlands of Texas and eastern New Mexico for a lot of miles but we are climbing in to high country again as we are at about 6600' here. - Joyce

Turning in a Northwesterly Direction

2010-04-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

At The Texas Museun of History in Austin

At The LBJ Library in Austin

San Antonio River Walk

1700's era Mission in San Antonio

Hay Sculpture In San Antonio

Sunday Evening, and Back to Work for Kristin

Went to Marble Falls, Texas to pick up Kristin for the weekend on Thursday evening. Had bbq ribs and brisket at Coopers, one of many Texas bbq's, and definitely very good. That same day we had toured the LBJ Western White House near Johnson City. went to Austin the next day to the Texas Museum of History (very well done) and the LBJ Presidential Library on the campus of the University of Texas. Friday we went to a flea market and to a winery. Sunday we headed for San Antonio where we went to the Alamo, the River Walk where we had lunch and to a Mission that was built in the 1700's. Before we dropped Kristin off back at camp we had a late dinner in Marble Falls. The three of us had a fun visit and we saw a part of the country that was unexpectedly beautiful and very interesting. I was very happy that we took the opportunity to spend some time with Kristin.

This morning we left Johnson City and are staying in Lubbock, Texas overnight. We plan to stop at the Buddy Holly Museum tomorrow morning before heading out of town.

Hope to get some pictures posted tomorrow night. - Joyce

Howdy from Johnson City Texas

2010-04-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

I will be your driver today

This looks very familiar

Too bad there was'nt some red in here also

A lot of Bull

Prickly Pear Cactus among the Blue Bonnets

More Color

This guy showed up in the road (2 lane 60 m.p.h.!)

We pulled into the Roadrunner RV Park in Johnson City Texas about 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday. After getting set up, we went to the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce for information about the area. It's a pretty area in what is called the Texas Hill Country. It's cattle ranching for the most part. This weekend is the Wildflower festival, so things will be hopping. I think it is their big event of the year. We went to the LBJ National Park here, and took a tour of his boyhood home. It was very interesting, but we had the house tour to ourselves. After that we had a late lunch / early dinner at a cafe that advertised "Authentic Hill Country Cuisine". Seems like Chicken Fried Steak is the local specialty! Later we took a drive out in the hills on about a 40 mile loop to view the flowers. Unfortunately it was an overcast and sometimes rainy day. The flowers were quite spectacular, but if it had been sunny pictures would have been a lot better.
Tomorrow we are going to spend the day between the German themed town of Fredericksburg, and a Tour of the LBJ Ranch, also known as the Western White House. I wonder if they have any Beagles there?? In the evening we will head up to Marble Falls to pick Kristin up for the weekend. We will be going to a BBQ joint called Cooper's. It was recomended to Kristin, so we will see. The rest of the weekend will be consumed by Austin, San Antonio, and whatever else we decide.
See Ya Pardner, Ernie

Head em up and Move em Out

2010-04-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

The real Batman

The Big Bad Kitty (for all you WSU folks)

The Big Bad Wolf

A tourist at the Sonoran Desert Museum

Saguaro facts

Wildflowers and blooming cactus

A tourist at Canyon Lake at Tortilla Flats

48 hours from now we will be on the road heading for New Mexico. Yesterday we took our last road trip from here (for this year), and went back down to Tucson to visit the Sonoran Desert Museum. Turns out that we had been there before when we stayed in Tucson for a week about 5 years ago. There were a lot more animals out this time then when we were here the last time which was sometime in January of 2004 or 2005. The temperatures yesterday were in the mid to upper 80's. The weather forecast has it getting to 90 by this coming Thursday. By then we will be in Texas. I haven't looked at the forecast there, but doubt if it will be quite that warm. 90 is outside of my comfort zone.

We will be heading out Monday morning and will be getting into the Austin area on Wednesdayafternoon. From there we will be spending some time in Austin, San Antonio, Johnson City, etc.

Kristin will be staying with us for 3 nights, and has a couple of Barbecue joints she wants us to check out. Texas is big on Beef Barbecue which is good, but I prefer Pork. The Salt Lick Barbecue is one that is on the list to visit. Thei9r menu has beef as well as pork, and chicken when in season.(???) I'm hoping to find a new sauce or two to bring back. You never know. Last year in Apache Junction is where I found Bone Suckin Sauce.

We will probably start winding our way N.W. on Monday the 19th unless there is more that we have to see around Austin. We haven't figured out the specific route yet, but I would like to go through Lubbock to see the Buddy Holly Memorial. He was right behind Elvis in my book, and as with Jfk and Elvis, I remember exactly where I was when I heard of the plane crash that took his life. We should be home around the 26th or 27th unless we get sidetracked, or if the weather is too cold at home for shorts!!

Wish us luck, Ernie

Our Last Week in Arizona

2010-04-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

We arrived here 8 weeks ago today and plan to head out this Monday, April 12. We went to our last two spring training baseball games last week. The RV park we are in was totally full when we arrived here; now it's half empty with people heading for points north.

Friends Joe and Lindy, who live in the Phoenix area, were here yesterday for a brisket dinner cooked up by Chef Ernie. They brought Blue Moon beer and a bottle of red wine plus a salad. Add that to the brisket, beans that were simmered on the BBQ, and rolls - it was a yummy meal. We enjoyed a good visit, good food and good drinks.

Ernie had to restock his supply of "Bone Suckin' BBQ Sauce" today so we went to the specialty store in the little town where he found it last year. Then we decided to take a drive up a winding 2 lane road that we had gone up before which is set among enormous rock formations. There were wildflowers in yellow, orange and lilac colors set against the spring green of the grass and trees.

Tomorrow or Friday we plan to drive down to Tucson to go the the Sonoran Desert Museum which has plants and animals of the area and it's all outside. It's been recommended by several people we know.

The weather has been just perfect the last few weeks. Blue skies and sunshine - it does lift your spirits to wake up to sun and know it will actually last all day. - Joyce

Easter in Sedona

2010-04-05T13:20:00.002-07:00

What can you say?

I haven't said "wow" this much since 1969

Tourists

Joyce and the giant chicken

4' long bunches of red chili peppers

Colorful Pottery

Yesterday (Easter) we decided to make the trip back up to Sedona for lunch and some poking around. It was about a 3 hour trip to the restaurant where we ate with Ron and Diane. We were impressed the first time there, so decided to go back. It was a little more crowded than last time, but we got right in just before 1:00. The food was good and the service was excellent! After lunch we drove around and checked out several of the shops. The weather was very nice, around 70 degrees and clear skys. We drove down a couple of back roads and took a lot of pictures. It's hard not to get carried away with the camera there. We got back to the RV park a little after 6. The Amazing Race comes on at 7:00 here, and we made it back with time to spare. It was about 320 miles round trip. Kind of like our Sunday drives to Ellensburg for ice cream.
We will be heading out from here on Monday the 12th. We will be heading east about 1,000 miles to hang out with Kristin for a few days in the Austin, Texas vicinity. She has the following Friday, Saturday, & Sunday off. It even sounds like she will be staying IN the motorhome for the 3 nights!! She's even become fond of Barbecue!!! What is the world comming to??? We will probably start winding our way northwest on Monday the 19th. We don't have a plan for that leg yet, and we may do some visiting on the way home. It looks like we could be home around the 26th. We're hoping that the weather will be in "springtime mode" when we get home. I'm holding true to my word not to go back to long pants before October. As long as it's in the 60 range I'll be good!
Enjoy the pictures, and for any of you who have never been to Sedona, they don't do it justice!
Stay warm, Ernie

P.S. We are having company tomorrow, and I,ve got a 10# Briskit going in the smoker tonight for a 16 hou cook.

The end of a busy week

2010-03-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

2 Dodger fans and 1 Mariner fan at the game

Ron and Diane in their matching Dodger's shirts

2 room house built into the rock at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Along the trail in the Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Reminder sign to stay on the trail!

We all survived a very busy week, and now it seems kind of unusually quiet. We dropped Ron and Diane off at the airport this morning, and as I write this they should be at the Tulsa airport waiting for their luggage. Just as I wrote that the phone rang. It was Ron, and he said they were at baggage claim waiting for their luggage!! We must have put about a thousand miles on the cars over the past week. We went to Tucson, Sedona, Tonto National Monument, and 4 Baseball games! It was a full week and then some. We've got them thinking about an Alaska cruise with a little extra time to hang out in Seattle. Ron said he wants to catch a flying salmon at the Pike Place Market.
Back on the home front, Hairold T. Cat made his break from Keith and Sheila's. He was lurking by the door, and when it opened he headed out and hasn't been seen since. He has now been AWOL for a week, and it's not looking too good for his chances of returning. On the bright side he's 16 years old and had a pretty good life. All cats should be so lucky.
We are seriously looking into making a side trip to see Kristin in Marble Falls, Texas. It will add about a week to our adventure, and cover an additional 2200 miles. If we do that, we will get home about the 26th or 27th of April. Otherwise we should be home about the 21st.
This next week we will try to get tickets for a couple more Baseball games. Most of the games we have seen this spring were sold out or close to it. Not sure what that's all about, but the Dodger's Mariner's game that we saw yesterday (Saturday) set the attendance all time record for a Cactus League Spring Training game. Things are begining to wind down, and the temperature's begining to crank up. It's supposed to be in the upper 80's by mid week.
I'll be adding some pictures shortly. Ernie

Friends, Baseball. Sedona and Beyond

2010-03-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

The view from recliner at the RV Park

From the deck of the restaurant at Sedona

Junior Ranger Hinnen

Ron and Diane

All of us with a part of the Sedona landscape

Montezuma Castle National Monument

A view from the bleachers at Peoria

Looks like the score is tied!

On Saturday the 20th, Ron and Diane arrived from Tulsa to spend a week in the sun. We dined on Barbecued Ribs, then sat and visited into the night. We had all met on our cruise out of Miami in the middle of the opening chapter of "the big adventure" in September of 2008.
On Sunday, we took a drive to see the Montezuma Castle National Monument, then we went on to Sedona to take in the sights. While there we had a very good late lunch before heading back to Apache Junction.
Monday we all went to the Mariner's / A's game at Peoria. Monday evening we had Barbecued chicken and some of the leftover ribs from Saturday. Tomorrow we will head down to Tucson to tour Old Tucson Studios, and possibly one of the other nearby attractions.
Later in the week we will be heading back to Tonto National Monument and Ron and I have 3 more baseball games.
The weather has been what we consider normal with daytime highs in the low 80's. It got a little warm at the game this afternoon, but cools down nicely at night. Tomorrow it will be in the low 70's for a day with a chance of showers, then back to normal on Wednesday.
We will have a recap of this busy week on Sunday. Ernie

Midway

2010-03-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

We found this one along the trail. Even manged to frame it well!

A healthy Saguaro, a dead Saguaro, and a Saguaro skeleton.

A view out from inside the ruin.

A section of the ruin.

Posted by the Department of Redundency Department. oops!

A Saguaro skeleton

Along the trail to the ruin

The view from the trail!

We have officially reached the halfway point of this adventure. We've already started talking about the next one, but it may not be until next year. We're kicking around the idea of another
"around the country" adventure, but it would be in the opposite direction of the last one.
Last week we decided to take a drive to the Tonto National Monument. We discovered that we had been there about 10 years ago when we spent a week in the Worldmark Condo at Pinetop. This time we hiked up to the lower ruin. There is also a larger upper ruin (1 1/2 miles each way) that is a guided hike. We thought we would save that one for next week when Ron and Diane are here. The pictures on this blog were all taken at Tonto.
Yesterday we went to Tucson where we met Seattle acquaintances Jim and Cindy Goodman, at the Mariner's / Diamondback's game. This is the last year for Spring Training baseball there as the teams will be moving to a new park in Scottsdale next year. We had good (and inexpensive) seats, $5.00 up close parking, and $3.00 Hot Dogs. This was the best Baseball bargain of the year. We even had a coupon for buy 2 tickets, get 2 free! But we did burn up the better part of a tank of gas. It's a little over a 2 hour drive each way.
We are probably going to catch the Mariner's / Ranger's game on Wednesday at Peoria. Last year for some reason that was the match up we saw with the least attendance. For whatever reason, you do not see many Texas license plates here. Next week will be busy when Ron and Diane are here. We will be taking 3 significant road trips, and going to 4 Baseball games. We are looking forward to it!
The temperatures are in the 80 degree range now, and are predicted to stay that way. The last time I looked, the 10 day forecast only showed a couple of days below 80. It's like August in Seattle.
Until next time........................Ernie

One Week Later....

2010-03-09T21:21:00.000-08:00

"Wildlife" Arizona Style

Cactus don't always grow vertical

Chihuly sculpture at the entrance to the Phoenix Botanical Gardens

"Tourists". Note: One wearing fleece and one wearing shorts!!

Yuma Car Show. 1951 Chevrolet identical to the one I (Ernie) learned to drive on in 1962.

Went to our 2nd ball game today - Mariners vs. Cleveland Indians. How can I describe this experience? Now, it wasn't snowing, but after the 3rd inning Joyce retreated to the car for warmth. At this game I wore, in addition to my jeans and shirt, a fairly well insulated jacket, a scarf, gloves and a blanket. The wind was actually what made it so cold. Not that I'm complaining about the weather (Joe...) but I just wanted to describe the experience. Ernie lasted until the 7th inning and then he came out to the car because he felt sorry for me (or - maybe he was cold - he wore shorts). It was actually funny, I felt like we were at an April ball game at Safeco Field.
The rain and clouds here are very different from Seattle and depending where you're at in the valley, you can have sun or lots of rain. The mountains here resemble the ones in Hawaii because of their formation plus they're now green instead of desert looking.
This past week we did some exploring of the area, becoming acquainted with where the different communities are located. On Saturday Ernie drove to Yuma again to go to a car show so he was gone 12 hours. I chose to stay 'home,' relax, and read. On Sunday it rained a lot so we saw a movie and took a drive out of metro Phoenix to McDowell Park in the foothills and decided we'd go back there again when it was less wet. Yesterday we drove to downtown Phoenix (about 45 minutes from here) and were going to a museum of history but it was closed, so we drove around downtown exploring the area. We had lunch at an In N Out Burger (kind of like Dick's in Seattle).
It's late in the evening and as I'm writing this I hear the pitter-patter of raindrops on our rubber roof...hmmm. However, rain is good, especially in the desert, so bring it on.
"Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"... Joyce
The weather forecast calls for the last of the rain to fall later this afternoon. Right now (9:00 a.m.), it is mostly sunny but on the cool side. After today it clears up, and starts to heat up with temperatures getting to the 80's next week! From here on it looks like the weather will be what you would expect for this area. We will probably need to get more sun screen soon. It should be plenty hot when Ron and Diane get here on the 20th.
Just after Joye headed for the car at the game yesterday, the clouds cleared out and it was bright and sunny! It was still a bit on the windy side, but comfortable. At the end of the 6th inning , Joyce had been back at the car for about an hour, and there was probably about an hour left in the game, so I headed out too. The M's ended up losing the game 6 to 4, and I believe that they are now 2 and 3 in spring training. They lost both of the games that we attended, and if I remember correctly, they lost 8 and tied 2 of the 10 games we went to last year!! We may go see their game against the Giants tomorrow in Scottsdale. There should be no blankets, coats, etc. required for tomorrows game!
Ernie

Spring Training game #1

2010-03-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

Does this mean that I'm going to have to take up carpentry?

The kid

The Ichiro highstep

"A river runs over it" at Tortilla Flats

The pitmaster at "work."

Today was the first game of the 2010 Spring Training season in the Cactus League. We saw the Mariner's and the Giants play to a 7 to 7 tie after 9 innings. Not sure how the game ended up, as we decided to head back. We are about an hour from the park in Peoria. They pretty much played what could be considered a starting lineup for the first 4 innings. It was a near perfect day with clear skies and temperatures in the low to mid 70's.

Yesterday we took a run out to Tortilla Flats. We were amazed at how green it is. The road was closed beyond Tortilla Flats due to the river flowing over the road.

On Monday I fired up the Weber Smokey Mountain and cooked 2 racks of baby back ribs along with some Italian sausage. It tastes just as good here as it does at home. I'm running low on Bone Suckin Sauce, but I think I know where to get more. We discovered a BBQ Joint at the ballpark today. I'm going to have to give it a try. The name says it all!!

Browner Ernie

Great Weather and Friends

2010-03-02T19:20:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful sunny warm day today - just what we've been waiting for.

We took a drive up in to the Superstition Mountains today to Tortilla Flats - a stopover for travelers back in the day. Now it's a tourist draw and there were a lot of people there. The mountains are spectacular and dramatic and the rain has greened everything up.

Later, we met friends Joe and Lindy for dinner at an Irish Pub in Chandler. Good beer, good food and good company. I actually drank almost an entire beer (due to encouragement from Joe and Lindy). We plan on getting together again for an Ernie BBQ event at our place.

Tomorrow is our first Spring Training Baseball game - go Mariners!

Back from Yuma

2010-02-28T10:32:00.000-08:00

We made it back from Yuma about 7:00 Saturday evening. It's about a 210 mile trip (one way). It took just over 3 hours, as most of the way the speed limit is 75. We had a good time with Ron and Jan, and they drove us around quite a bit. The clouds chased us all the way from Yuma to Apache Junction, and the rain started falling again around midnight. It's almost noon, and the sky is just begining to brighten up a little. The weather forecast looks good for the rest of the week with temperatures in the low to mid 70's. Our first baseball game is on Wednesday, and it's supposed to be sunny & in the low 70's. Just about perfect for sitting out in the sun.
Today our plan is to do some grocery shopping, and make a Target stop for basics. I had thoughts about firing up the Weber Smokey Mountain today and cooking some ribs, but the weather isn't cooperating. Maybe tomorrow.
Ernie

Fun in the Sun

2010-02-25T20:34:00.000-08:00

Ichiro, Junior, and Milton Bradley at the batting cage

Ichiro, Junior, and Milton Bradley at 1st base working on "pickoff plays".

Jack Wilson, Jose Lopez, & Franklin Gutierrez with David Aardsma on the mound

Rolls Convertible In the player's parking lot at Peoria.

Sign at Desert Valley YMCA outside of Scottsdale

Saguaro Cactus loaded on pickup at a local nursery. Approximately $1500 worth ($100 per foot)

The weather is now in full cooperation with us. Yesterday we drove over to Cave Creek which is near Scottsdale. We found a YMCA, and made a stop there for Joyce to give it a cursory inspection. She said it was nicer than the West Seattle Y. We took backroads back to Apache Junction, and went through Paradise Valley. Pretty pricey houses out there with really nice scenery.
Today we went back up to Peoria to catch some Mariner's Spring Training. They have approximately 63 players in camp. All of the big names are there, and got quite a few pictures of Ichiro, Junior, Jose Lopez, Franklin Gutierrez, David Aardsma, etc. I even managed to snag a ball during batting practice. I'm not sure who hit it out over the right field fence, but Ichiro and Junior were both hitting when I went out to try for a ball. After practice I got Mike Saunders and Milton Bradley's autographs on the ball. We will catch more practice sessions, and should be able to add a few more signatures.
This evening we went over to the hall at the RV Park and played Hand and Foot. Joyce ended up in the money ($7.00) finishing 3rd out of about 25. I'll try to get her to one of the local Indian Casino's while she's "on a roll".
Tomorrow we will be heading over to Yuma to meet up with Seattle friends Ron and Jan. It's about a 3 hour drive, so I hope to get rolling by 10:00 a.m. We will be staying overnight and coming back to Apache Junction Saturday evening.
Until Sunday,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ernie

Here Comes The Sun

2010-02-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

Today got us back to what we always considered to be "normal" for Arizona. Clear blue skies all day with no clouds in sight. We went to a Big 5 store where we both got new walking shoes. So tomorrow we should be able to get back to our normal walking routine, and leave the treadmill behind. I've got a bit of a backache in my lower back that I think was because of the treadmill walking the past few days.
After Big 5 we went to Peoria for lunch and to check out whats happening at the Mariner's training facility. The players go through drills and workouts from 9:00 to noon daily. We may go back up tomorrow or Thursday. The gift shop was open, but $25.00 for a T-Shirt seems rather pricey to us. Maybe Joyce can check them out at one of her Target forays.
Tomorrow I am going to wash the car and let the rain drops fall where they may! It's supposed to rain on Saturday, but we will be in Yuma then. So with sunny and warmer weather for the next couple of days, we should be getting out exploring and taking pictures to add to the post.
Ernie

Would You Believe Hail?

2010-02-22T18:41:00.000-08:00

OK, so this is absurd. We woke up to gray low clouds and rain (did we ever leave Seattle?)

About noonish we saw possibly the worst rain/hailstorm we've ever seen before. It was almost scary. The hail was so thick it obscured everything around us and even tho I know better I thought it might pound a hole right thru the roof - imagine how loud it sounded being inside this metal tube. Oh, and did I mention there was thunder and lightning to go along with it?

Finally we decided to venture out after the storm passed. We went to an outlet mall in Tempe. Not Ernie's favorite thing to do, but not much else to do on a day like today. He did manage to buy another pair of shorts to add to his khaki collection tho.

The huge black clouds were still hanging around when we went in and came out and once again when we neared Apache Junction it was pouring. We're thinking the clouds stack up against the Superstition Mountains and that's why we got so much.

We hope to see the sun soon. - Joyce

Tuesday morning 7:00 a.m..
Things are back to normal this morning and the sun is rising in a cloudless sky!! Whoop De Doo
I don't know if the temperatures will get out of the 60's today, but it's supposed to be back into the 70's tomorrow. I'd like to take a drive up to the Mariner's training facility in Peoria today just to take a look around. The parking area and practice fields are open (and free) and maybe the team store too. It will be nice just to get back out into the sunshine. I think that we were taking it for granted here. Dare I wash the car?
Ernie

Rain, Rain Go Away....

2010-02-21T17:48:00.000-08:00

This was Day 2 of grim black clouds and torrential downpours. Good for the home team (the desert), bad for the visitors (us!).

Yesterday we ran a few errands (Camping World, Target) then found a Mexican restaurant in Mesa for dinner. The food was supposed to be the kind made in Mexico City and it was certainly different than the usual fare, but very good.

Today we did our accumulation of laundry from 10 days (I did do a load of towels and sheets once already). Lucky for us the laundry room is only a few steps away and makes it very convenient. Since it was a rainy day, lots of people were doing their laundry.

This afternoon we went to a movie and saw "Shutter Island" with Leonardo DiCaprio. It was a good movie but a little long (almost 2 1/2 hours). We're home now and Ernie is cooking pork chops on the grill.

That's been about the extent of our last few days in case you thought we were outside soaking up the sun..... - Joyce

As you can see, there were no pictures again! That's because with the state of the weather, we haven't been motivated to go anywhere to take them. It's overcast again this morning, but I think we need to get out of here anyway. Since I didn't wash the car last week and it been raining since Saturday, maybe some reverse psychology would work. If we get another soaker like we've been getting for the last 2 days, I wouldn't even need the hose. I'm sure that the neighbors would all think that I'm nuts. Most of them have been walking around dressed like they're in the Yukon Territory, and I refuse to give up my shorts and Hawaiian shirts!!
Life's still good,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ernie

Settling In

2010-02-19T18:05:00.000-08:00

The Assistant Editor at work

All set up at Apache Junction

White Sulpher Springs own Tary & Wayne with their "outfit"

A succesful orange hunt

Going after the big one

Yesterday Ernie spent hours cleaning the top and outside of the RV. I organized and cleaned inside. Late afternoon we were invited to our next door neighbors' for an informal get together with some other people. Today we were invited to a potluck with about 15 other 'neighbors' where tables were set up and we had a meal revolving around 'trash can turkey' (turkey cooked in a regular tin garbage can on charcoals).

We started walking again in our 'neighborhood' - we've found a loop comparable to what we walk at home, but no hills. No sidewalks, but very few cars. The area we are in is semi-rural and the Superstition Mountains loom over the valley floor - they're very dramatic and desert-like.

People who are here are from all different places: California, Wisconsin, South and North Dakota, Delaware, Florida, Washington(!), lots of Canadians and more. Most people arrived here in Oct and leave in April. Everyone seems very friendly. Lots of people have dogs (both big and small). There's a man who has 2 cats - he takes them out on a leash.

Tomorrow there is a 90% chance of rain which pretty much guarantees it. I think our weather will be similar to Seattle for a day or two.

Will see you in less than a month Ron and Diane - it will be warmer then too!

Taking it easy in AJ- Joyce

Finally got around to downloading and getting a few pictures posted. We haven't taken very many yet, so this is the best we can do! We may take in a movie tomorrow if the weatherman is right, and it rains. It seems like an odd concept. I have held off on washing the car, as I do not want to take the blame for rain. Next week at this time we will be in Yuma overnight visiting with Seattle friends Ron and Jan.

We will try to get out a little more and get some pictures to make this a little bit more entertaining. Until then, Ernie

Arrived at Destination

2010-02-17T21:06:00.000-08:00

Arrived in Apache Junction around 1:30 pm. There are about 130 spaces in this RV park and it looks completely full. Ernie spent a few hours getting the RV set up for our 2 month stay which is more involved than staying somewhere for a day.

Uh-oh, they were just talking about a 'winter storm' arriving - I wonder what that means in Arizona?? It was 78 degrees today....

Will spend tomorrow getting settled in, doing some cleaning inside and out. -Joyce

Salome, Arizona

2010-02-15T22:17:00.000-08:00

Here we are on the outskirts of Salome. Arrived 6pm (AZ is one hour ahead of Seattle - until, of course when Daylight Savings kicks in and Seattle is the same - but that's another story).

Traveled about 400 miles today mostly in desert terrain that looks like the moon and over a very rough 2 lane winding hilly road for miles and miles. No rest stops because they're all closed for 'maintenance' (or we think the state ran out of money and closed them down for a while).

We are staying in the same RV park as Tary and Wayne, our friends from Montana. We walked over to their site and even tho we were late for dinner, they were kind enough to feed us. We had a nice visit and 15 years of catching up to do. As we walked back to where our RV is parked we were amazed at the galaxy of stars that are out. Living in the city we forget how amazing the night sky really is.

Tomorrow we stay put for another day and will probably explore the area with Tary and Wayne, then for dinner have some of Ernie's BBQ'd chicken he brought from home. -Joyce

Lodi, Calif. and on to Bakersfield

2010-02-14T17:47:00.000-08:00

Friday and Saturday found us in Lodi (again) - we stayed at the same RV park as last year. After we got settled we drove 1 1/2 hours to Cotati (near Petaluma - which is a half hour from San Francisco!) Had dinner Friday night with 5 of Ernie's cousins at a restaurant that is still in the country and was an old stage coach stop. Next afternoon drove back to Cotati and out to dinner again with 2 of his cousins. Then back to their house to look at old family photos.
Left Lodi this morning and we are staying outside of Bakersfield, Calif. in an RV park that is surrounded by orange trees. Of course Ernie got an orange picker instrument from the office and he picked about 2 dozen oranges fresh off the tree - yum. It was up to 70 degrees today at one point.
Our drive today was very pretty thru central California's agricultural valley. The hills were a beautiful green with lots of livestock grazing. Some fruit trees were beginning to flower out in preparation for the work ahead.
We left I-5 today and are on our way east towards AZ. Ernie may add a little more to this and hope to put in a few pictures too. (Kodak moments for Diane)
My 2 cents worth: Weather is getting near perfect for me. It should be in the mid to upper 70's tomorrow. The shoes and long pants are going into retirement at least until we get back. Time to break out the Hawaiian shirts and sandals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Ernie

California here we are!

2010-02-11T18:06:00.000-08:00

We are in Redding California listening to the pitter patter of raindrops on the roof of the motor home. We rolled out of Coburg right on schedule at 9:00 a.m. I decided to fuel up before we got on I-5, so it was almost 9:30 before we got going. Since you can't pump your own fuel in Oregon, and there was only 1 attendant at a busy station, it took almost a half hour!
It was windy but dry for the first 2-3 hours, then in the Siskyou's by Mt. Shasta it started to rain. Seems as if we were right in the clouds going up and over several mountain passes. On the bright side there was only a little snow on the side of the road. The coldest temperature was 38 degrees at the ski area. We got here a little after 4:00 p,m, Tomorrow evening we will be somewhere in the Bay Area.
The long range weather forecast for Apache Junction calls for temperatures in the mid to upper 70's!! That's warm enough for Joyce, and not too hot for me. And since one of us forgot to bring a rain jacket, Joyce can't get out for a walk.
Stand by for more from near "the city by the bay.",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ernie

It's always something

2010-02-10T19:07:00.000-08:00

It seems like it never fails that something goes wrong at the beginning of another chapter of "The Big Adventure." This time it wasn't the Motorhome, but the house. It seems that the programmable timer for the front porch lights that I installed about a month ago decided to die last night around midnight. I spent about 2 hours resetting and reprogramming only to have it fail each time. So this morning at about 6:30, I was at the Home Depot making an exchange! Got the new timer installed and programed, we got the motorhome loaded up and hit the road at 10:00 a.m. We made it to a campground in Coburg Oregon at 4:30 p.m. Tomorrow the plan is to make it to Redding California. We are trying to travel 250 to 300 miles per day. That way we don't have to try to get on the road at the crack of dawn, and we can still make our destination before dark. We should make our destination in Apache Junction either on Tuesday or Wednesday. It just depends on how much time we spend visiting on the way.
We're really glad that we got the furnace in the motorhome fixed yesterday as the temperature didn't make it to 50 today, and tomorrow doesn't look any better. Now I just need to keep an eye on the propane tank so we don't run out.
We haven't had anything to take pictures of yet, but when we do we will post some.
I think it's time to hit the shower and get some sleep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ernie

Ready to Hit the Road!

2010-02-08T21:10:00.000-08:00

We have spent the last week or so getting ready to head south to the desert country of Arizona. We decided to head out on Wednesday rather than Tuesday. The front furnace in the motorhome will not stay lit, so I am going to take it in to get fixed on Tuesday. The weather conditions down south are such that the furnace wil be needed in the late night and early mornings. But, right now it's about 15 degrees warmer than at home.
Kristin left this morning for a 4 month job at a kids camp in Austin Texas. From there she plans to go to another camp in Colorado for the summer. Hairold T. Cat is spending the next 10 weeks or so at Keith and Sheilas in Stanwood. He hasn't bitten anybody yet, and is starting to settle in. He was pretty ticked off when I brought him up on Saturday!
We should have a straight shot down I-5 to southern California as the warm weather appears to have eliminated the threat of snow in the Siskyous. We plan to spend an extra day in the bay area visiting relatives on my fathers side. Then we may spend an extra day at the California/ Nevada line with some friends who are spending some time there from Montana. We haven't seen them since we spent a year (94/95) in Billings. We may not get in to Apache Junction until Wednesday the 17th, but wer'e not in any rush. That still will give us about 2 weeks before our first baseball game. So for anybody who reads this, it's time to start paying attention as we will be updating at least on a weekly basis.
Ernie

Long Time No Blog

2010-01-11T18:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas cookies ala Kristin
Horses and sleigh at Leavenworth
Brynn, Kristin, & Josh at Leavenworth
Kids sledding at Leavenworth
Joyce, Kristin, Ernie, Brynn, and Josh at home for Christmas
Ready to head out for a Christmas party
Snoqualmie Falls during the freeze

I can't believe that I let this slip for almost 2 months, but I did! Ther really hasn't been much to write about. We've finally gotten past the holidays and are heading toward the time to head south(4 weeks from today).Our weather has been a vast improvement over last year, with only about 1 week of freezing weather. We have even seen more sunny days than normal this winter. And we only saw a few snowflakes once, but they didn't cause any problems.
All of the Christmas decorations are back in their storage boxes and tucked away until next season. The grass isn't growing, and there are no flowers in the pots. I do need to get out and do some serious pruning before we leave, but I'm a little apprehensive after last years slip and near impaling while pruning. I've still got a bit of a scar from that one. I find that when I create some small injury that it takes a long time to go away!! Hence I am hesitant to tackle too much knowing that we "hit the road" on the 8th of February.
Joyce has now been officially unemployed for about 6 months, and is looking forwrd to not going back to work any time in the near future (if at all). I don't think that the word "retired" has the negative conotation that it did a year ago. She is looking forward to our adventure to the Arizona desert as much as I am. We will be staying for 2 months this time, and will probably take a week for travel in each direction. I have relatives in the Bay Area that we will probably spend a day with on the way down. While there, we will have our friends Ron and Diane from Oklahoma out for a week of Baseball and sightseeing. We also have friends that will be in the Yuma area for a week, and we plan on getting together with them for a day or so. And it should be in the 70's and 80's!!
Well, that's about enough for me, but I believe that Joyce will be adding her thoughts in the next day or so. We will also be adding some pictures.
Later, Ernie

Closing in on December

2009-11-23T09:33:00.000-08:00

Here we are in the last week of November already! The leaves are almost all off of the trees (and my roof). The weather has been it's normal wet self with a little extra wind thrown in. Yesterday we had an early Thanksgiving dinner with Josh & Brynn here at our house as they both work on Thursday. So on Thursday, Joyce, Kristin and I will be going to our friends Dick & Linda for dinner.
The fact that yesterday was the 46th anniversary of the most significant history altering day of my life, almost slipped past me. It was around mid day when the light came on as to the date. Seems like only yesterday.
On a cheerier note, we are getting closer to our venture to the dessert southwest. The motorhome is all cleaned up, waxed and covered up. About 2 months from now all we need to do is take off the cover, load it up, fill the gas tank and point it south. We may take our time heading to Arizona. We are scheduled to be there the middle of February.
Kristin has taken a job at a camp in Texas teaching environmental education that starts in the middle of February for four months. Then she is scheduled for a camp in Colorado for the summer. So she will be away for the better part of next year.
The house is getting bigger!
I'm sure that I have probably left out some significant news, but this is all for now.................................Ernie

Reality Sucks

2009-11-05T18:48:00.000-08:00

As I sit here and write this, I think that last week at this time we were enjoying temperatures in the mid 80's and sunshine. We were watching the big waves (complete with surfers) at Sunset Beach on Oahu's North Shore. Now it's in the mid 50's, the wind is blowing, and the rain is falling! I did manage to get up on the roof today to remove the leaves. In another 2 or 3 weeks they should all be gone. The joy of trees. We did have a couple of good weather days this week, and I did manage to get about 3/4 of the motorhome waxed. With a little bit of luck, I will be able to finish it up on Sunday, then get the cover on so we'll be ready to go in February. I am pleasently surprised at how good it looks with a fresh wax job. It's 8 years old now, but it looks almost as good as new. We will have our friends from Tulsa (Ron & Diane) visiting in Arizona for a week in March to hang out with and take in some spring training baseball. We are all looking forward to that. I wasn't too happy with the World Series outcome, but there is some talk that Hideki Matsui could end up a Mariner next year. That could be interesting.
So for now there is not much going on. The next trip (Arizona) is all planned out, and no concrete decisions on "what to do next". We are looking at a week in New Mexico possibly late summer at the World Mark Resort in Taos. I think that we would both like to pull off another "big adventure" motorhome trip. We could incorporate New Mexico into that. We shall see. It's going to be a long, cold, wet winter with lots of time to plan!!
Until next time, one last ALOHA! Ernie

Surf's Up!! (The last day)

2009-10-29T22:06:00.001-07:00

Today the ocean was a whole lot different than it was yesterday. The great snorkel area we were at yesterday was getting pounded today. It would have turned me into hamburger meat! Talking with a surfer today, he told me that the waves were about 8 feet. The measurement is at the back of the wave, and the front is twice that. So an 8 foot wave is 16 feet high comming at you. There were quite a few surfers out today, but they are quite a ways out, and they don't come anywhere near shore when they terminate their ride. We were at Waimea and Sunset Beaches this morning, with the best surf at Sunset. The Banzai Pipeline is between these 2 beaches which are only a couple miles apart. We tried to get some pictures of surfers, but were only able to get the body surfers and the boogie boarders.
I did find one well protected cove to snorkel this afternoon that had lots of fish, but was only 3 feet deep with a lot of sharp rocks and coral. I managed to keep from getting scraped up. Only stayed in for about half an hour.
We took a drive down part of the east coast (we drove up it Tuesday) and checked out a couple of gift shops, then stopped for lunch. We didn't find much interesting, and a lot of the little roadside souveneir shops weren't open. They must not have known that Joyce was comming!
Tomorrow morning we head for Honolulu to catch a 1:45 flight back to reality. We've been getting lots of weather information from the home front, and it doesn't sound good! Snow in the mountains and hail in Seattle. We can hardly wait for February and the Arizona sun.
You'll be able to recognize me at the airport tomorrow night. I'll be the guy in the shorts, sandals, and Hawaiian shirt.
The final aloha, Ernie and Joyce

Cowabunga!

2009-10-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

Here we are on the North Shore of Oahu where a bunch of the surfing spots that the Beach Boys were singing about in the early 60's. I snorkled today in a little beach that was just a couple miles west of the Banzai Pipeline, and just a couple miles east of Waimea Bay! The water here is clear as can be, and the fish are plentiful. I spent about 45 minutes in the water while Joyce read a book on the beach. Then we stopped at Waimea Bay and spent about an hour talking with a couple who relocated there from Europe about 35 years ago. After that we went to Hale'iwa for lunch. I had a pulled pork sandwich that was pretty good. Then we cruised around the shopping areas a little. By now it was mid afternoon, and a break with a nap sounded good. When we got back to the place where we are staying, the key that we left hidden in a fake rock was gone! Not just the key, but the fake rock also. So we spent an hour or so contacting the owner, and getting another key. Apparently the new young dog they have has been known to do strange things like move rocks and shells from their places. By then it was Mai Tai time, and the World Series was on. A-Roid went 0 for 4and Philly won 6 to 1, so all was well again.(Go Philly's)
Internet connection is very weak here, but I will try to post some picture later today or tomorrow.
Only one more day,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ernie

Hawaii Day #4 & 5

2009-10-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday we spent the day hanging out here at the resort. This property is so nice that it wouldn't be right not to spend time here. We had a sales presentation to attend at 2:00 in the afternoon which lasted for about 2 hours. It's very tempting. It could be something that fits into our plans at a later date.
Sunday evening there was a "Torch Lighting Ceremony" on the main lawn. That's where the pictures of the people dressed in native attire, and playing with fire came from.
It was well done and lasted about an hour.
Yesterday we went to the Punchbowl Volcano National Cemetery on the hill overlooking Honolulu. The cemetery was started in the late 40's. We spent a couple hours there.
As the name implies, it's located in the crater of an old volcano. That is where the other pictures posted came from. It makes you stop and think about what the generation that born in the teen's and twentie's went through. There is a complete history of World War 2 depicted in large murals begining with the attack on Pearl Harbor, and ending with the Japanese surrender. There are many thousands of names on the marble walls of the soldiers and sailors whose remains were never recovered. Looking through the cemetery, I came upon a marker for a young man killed in action just 4 months after his 17th birthday. When I was 17, I was in high school. It makes a person think.
We will be checking out of here at 10:00 this morning, and will be heading to the north shore. We will be staying just a few miles from Wiamea Bay and the famous surfing at the Bonzai Pipeline. The surf is just begining to get big there, so I hope to get some good pictures. Will up-date the blog from there.
P.S. The temperatures are still mid to upper 80's!!
Aloha again, Ernie and Joyce

Hawaii day 2

2009-10-25T12:01:00.000-07:00

We went to Hanauma Bay in the morning for snorkeling fo Ernie, and beach sitting with a book for Joyce. Spectacular area and quite crowded. Huge bay, and very shallow reef. Probably not more than 3 or 4 feet deep anywhere. The water was warm, but slightly cloudy. Saw a fair amount of fish, but not like on the big island, or the area where we snorkeled on Kauai. I did see a couple of eels, and one big turtle.
After the beach we headed to Molly's Barbecue. Molly is from Texas, and has had the business here for about 10 years. I had a combo plate with beef briskit and pork ribs. The combo came with 3 sides plus cornbread. Joyce had the briskit sandwich. It was all very good!
After lunch we came back to the resort and relaxed, and in the late afternoon took a walk along the beach. We went to a place called Aloha Salads and got dinner to go. We ate outside at one of the many tables around the property.
Today we have a sales presentation to attend, and we are talking about going to the Punchbowl Crater National Cemetery where many of the Pearl Harbor dead are buried later this afternoon.
Aloha again, Ernie and Joyce

Hawaii, the first day

2009-10-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

Arrived on schedule Thursday afternoon, picked up the rental car and headed over to our 5 day home. The complex consists of 3 huge highrise buildings. Everything appears to be quite new, and the grounds are immaculate. Ther are several swimming pools & restaurants. There is a very nice sandy beach lagoon that is perfect for swimming. Unfortunately the lagoon is not good for snorkeling.
We took a drive up the west side of the island yesterday. It is approximately 10 miles to where the road ends. For about 5 miles the beach is covered with tents, tarp covered vehicles, leanto's, etc. There are hundreds if not thousands of people living sort of permanently on the beach. Beautiful beach that looks like Nickelsville. I don't understand it, but maybe it's a native Hawaiian thing. But I guess if I was a bum and just wanted to do nothing, this would be the place to do it. Mid 80's during the day, and low 70's at night. Today we are heading over toward Honolulu, and go to Hanauma Bay State Underwater Park to snorkel. I'm sure that it will be very crowded. We will update again in a couple of days. Now I hope that I can add a couple of pictures, then have a little breakfast.
Aloha, Ernie & Joyce

Back to "normal"

2009-10-04T16:13:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot going on since my last update. Joyce made it home from her European Adventure with Kristin on the 29th of September. They saw a lot, and for the most part had a good time together. Now we can get on with our travel plans starting with 8 days in Hawaii later this month. I'm looking at making arrangements for some time in the Arizona sun with Spring Training Baseball thrown in. We'd like to go from mid February to mid April. We shall see. Baseball season ended today for us with the Mariners going 85 & 77 after last years 61 & 101. Counting Spring Training, I saw 25 Mariners games this year, and Joyce saw almost that many. If this was Juniors last season, he finished with a base hit on his final at bat. Almost everybody wants to see him back next year. We shall see.
Last Sunday I attended a memorial service for an old friend who passed away way too soon at 60 years of age. This was the 3rd passing from a group that hung out together in the mid 60's. I hadn't seen her in at least 30 years, and we were just in the process of setting up a reunion of those of us that are still in the area. But on a brighter note, several of us who hadn't been together in years have re-connected. I intend to not let people slip away any more, and e-mail will allow us to stay connected. These damn computers are good for something!!
It's a beautiful day, the barbecue is loaded with three racks of pork back ribs, and there's beer in the refrigerator. Life is good. Stay connected. You never know.
Ernie

More Rome

2009-09-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

I'm losing track of days but I think it was Saturday we went to The Coliseum (think Gladiator) and all the surrounding remaining buildings/sculptures left from 2000 years ago. We took a guided tour (there are a lot available) to get some idea of what went on there and how it was constructed. There was a lot of very brutal goings on in that arena. Now they have concerts (Paul McCartney was there recently). After a short food break we went on another tour to Palatine Hill where the rulers lived. It's hard to grasp that some of these building are still standing. There are still gigantic pillars and parts of the Roman Senate still left and the public is allowed to walk around and look at all of this. There is a huge amount of antiquities - we spent most of the day there.
On Sunday we left early to gain entrance in to the Vatican Museum. We waited outside in line for 1 1/2 hours, then spent at least 2 1/2 hours inside and didn't see half of what was there. There were ancient and Renaissance(sp?) paintings, thousands of sculptures from B.C. time, then all the paintings on the ceilings and walls. The biggest draw was the Sistine Chapel of course. The scope and sheer number of historical treasures there are beyond anything I can describe.Add to that the thousands of people from every country who are all there at the same time to view these items and it's quite the experience. That was pretty much our day and afterwards we went back to our B&B to eat and rest. There was a nice eating/dining area which gave us a place to eat and rest without being in our room all the time, altho we did nap after each of these outings. It's been about 90 degrees daily.
Today being our last day we checked out at 10 a.m. and went to a street market and went over to the Vatican one more time. There was a very brief scene from some film being made set in the '30's and there were actors dressed in German Nazi uniforms with the Vatican as a backdrop. We kept walking and ended up in a quaint small old neighborhood and they always have these huge ornate churches at every corner and all the streets are narrow and cobblestones. We had lunch at a restaurant outside again. It was good to get away from where all the major tourist draws are located so that we could get a real flavor for the normal neighborhoods. Afterwards we walked thru a beautiful old Botanical Garden from the 1600's.
By then it was time to head back to our B&B where they were holding our bags and we had a taxi pick us up for the 40 minute ride to our hotel at Fiumicino Airport. It's a clean, new, modern hotel (Hilton Garden Inn) which I like after all the B&B's. They are interesting and different, but a little luxury is nice too!
Tomorrow Kristin and I go our separate ways - I will catch my flight from this airport at 8:15 and then fly to London for a 5 hour layover before heading for Seattle. Kristin has to backtrack to a secondary airport to catch her Ryanaire flight to Spain.
This is a our last day in Europe. I'm ready to head for home - my shoes and sandals are worn out - it's been a great trip. I will ask Kristin to publish more pictures when she gets home from Spain. Time to get some sleep because tomorrow will be a long travel day. See you in the States! - Joyce

Pictures from Italia!

2009-09-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

Due to the very slow internet connection which I am currently stealing from some nice roman person in our building, I have been anable to properly download my pics onto the shutterfly site. So here are some highlights from the past week including Cinque Terre, Florence, Siena, and now Rome! ~Kristin

The view of Vernazza while hiking in Cinque Terre

More Cinque Terre hiking!

Mom in Monterosso, the neighboring village.

Last sunset in Vernazza

The view from our B&B in Florence (The Doumo and Bascilica outside)

Florence from top of the bell tower (which I climbed, not mom).

Salumi at the city market in Florence

Me with Florence in the background.

The Tuscan view from outside our hotel in Siena

Piazza del Campo, Siena

Street artwork, Siena

Mozart winery, Tuscany

St. Peter's Bascilica, the Vatican, Rome

Me at the Spanish steps, Rome

Mom at the Trevi Fountain, Rome

Mom at the collosium, Rome

Italy

2009-09-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

Here we are over a week after my last post. Have had no internet service until now. Here is a brief snapshot of our past week:
Left Nice, France last Thursday 9/17. Let's just say the train system in Italy leaves a lot to be desired. We were supposed to leave at 10:15 but the train never showed up and thus began our 8 hour day of hopping off and on trains (which should have only taken about 3-4 hours). Reached Vernazza, Italy on the coast about 6pm - beautiful picturesque small town. Next day took a hike along the upper coast line between 2 towns - this town has more stairs than I've ever seen in one place in my life. Saturday we hopped the trains between all 5 towns - another crazy train experience but at least they were short distances. Had a lovely dinner in the town square sitting at outside tables.
Last Sunday Sept 20 we took the 3 hour train ride to Florence, Italy. Stayed at a Bed&Breakfast in an old building that had been remodeled and it was right next to the 700 year old Cathedral. Kristin climbed up the tower attached to the church - 400+ steps - I declined and waited. On Monday we toured on foot - the 'market' was especially interesting - esp. the indoor food market. The meat case is fascinating - no animal parts go to waste (even the pig's head was there).
Tuesday we caught train to Siena, Italy - got right on and all went well - things are looking up with our transportation! We even took a taxi from train station to hotel - we're getting smarter. I liked Siena better than Florence - not so overwhelming and more laid back. We had a lovely dinner at an outside restaurant and met a couple from Alberta Canada with whom we had a fun visit. Next day we walked back in to the center of town and went thru a restored church/hospital that was hundreds of years old. We kept walking down deeper underground - got kind of creepy because we were about the only people there. It was nice to see daylite again! Had decided earlier to go on a Tuscany wine tour at 2pm - turned out to be quite an adventure and lots of fun. The last winery all 20 of us sat at long tables and were given 3-4 generous wine samples. It turned in to a party....The host was about an 80 year old man who only spoke Italian and the winery had been in his family for a long time. He was quite a character. Kristin and I had a nice chat with a couple from Colorado. There are a LOT of American tourists in Italy.
Yesterday (Thursday) - 3 hour bus ride to Rome - the best transportation we had yet -a nice CLEAN (unlike the trains) bus with only 12 passengers. Arrived Rome 3pm - insane traffic. Caught a taxi to our hotel, got settled, then went walking and ended up at the Vatican and St. Peter's Square where we spent about 2 1/2 hours. Got right in as it was late in the day. It is difficult to describe in words St. Peter's Basilica - it's like nothing I've ever seen. The sculptures are magnificent. Today we went to The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and many other places. Had another very nice dinner at a lovely restaurant just down the street from our B&B - every restaurant has outdoor tables and seating and the weather is perfect for that. Need to get some sleep. Tomorrow we will attempt to see The Coliseum and more. Ciao!

A Word From The Home Front

2009-09-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

The cat and I have now been on our own for almost 2 weeks. Neither one of us has lost any weight, and we're doing alright. I got a new smoker / Barbecue that I have been playing with. I've cooked on it twice now, and am impressed. Yesterday I put a five pound pork shoulder on about 11:00 a.m., went to the baseball game about 2:00 p.m., and when I got home at 7:00 p.m., the meat was almost done. I gave it another hour, and it was as good as it gets! I'm getting hungry and it's only 10:30 in the morning.
I've spent 3 days with the motorhome getting things done. Tomorrow Keith and Sheila are having some BIG trees cut down, so I will go up in the morning to move the motorhome, and try to stay out of the way. Today I will be hanging out at the house doing laundry, etc. Woo Hoo!!
Unfortunately for Joyce and Kristin, the weather here has definitely been better here than it was for them in France, and so far Italy hasn't been too good either. Hopefully that improves and they get some beach time. They have been having a great time.
Anybody know how to operate a washing machine??????? Ernie

Monaco

2009-09-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

Rain, rain and more rain. Felt like we were back in Seattle. By the time we figured out where to catch the bus for Monaco, we had been walking in the complete downpour for at least 15 minutes. Piled on the bus along with a huge German tour group.

We were anticipating a ride along the coast to Monaco which would have some nice scenery, but all bus windows were fogged up and we could see nothing. The bus driver was having a hard time clearing his window and we were on a narrow 2 lane road above the sea.

Got off the bus at the base of the granite rock that holds the castle. Climbed a steep grade for about 10 minutes to get there. Meantime it's still pouring. Kristin took some good pictures and then we got in line for a tour. The Grimaldi family has been in that castle since the 1200's. There were a lot of references to Grace Kelly who died in an auto accident above Monaco in 1982. Some of the family still lives there. The views of the harbor are stunning - many large luxury yachts. It's a compact crowded town and the traffic is very intense with narrow winding streets. The castle overlooks the sea and the town.

Kristin spotted the Monte Carlo Casino so we decided to walk there - by now the rain had let up a bit - we almost gave up because there's a lot of construction in the area (they're digging in to the granite rock below the casino) and we couldn't figure out how to get there. We finally find the front of the casino and they don't open for another 30 minutes. So Kristin took some pictures and we decided to catch the bus back to Nice (45 minute ride). We were so tired from walking around we both fell asleep on the bus. Walked back to our hotel and the sun finally peeked out a bit. We had planned to go down to the beach sometime while being here but the weather has not been good at all.

Tomorrow we catch a train to Vernazza, Cinque Terra, Italy where we will stay Thurs, Fri, Sat. On Sunday Sept 20 we head for Florernce, Italy - no internet service there. So the next time I post will hopefully be Sept. 22 or 23.

Au-revoir from France for the last time. Next time it will be 'ciao baby'....