So, this is a place that RARELY freezes much - even in the dead of winter - right? But last night it got to 32 degrees - and it's still September! Wacky, crazy cold spell this week. So, I'm not buying the tale that 1/2 the states in the union will be underwater due to any massive ice-melting flood any time soon. Sorry, Al. I'm just glad I brought my UGG boots - much to my family's mocking, since we certainly did not pack in such as way as to be expecting to encounter chilly temps like this - but hey - who's having the last laugh now, eh?!! It sort of feels like we're back in South Dakota! Although, I do believe the temps are unseasonably warm there now - right? Hey - enjoy it while you can, eh?! This is the best time of the year in SD, I say. I love it when the air gets cool and clean and crisp, and all the fall colors start popping out all over. Spectacular. Too bad we're missing it.
A couple of bad fires here the last couple days sent tons of black smoke down the valley. It seemed to fill the RV and it was actually tough to breathe. It looked like dusk in the middle of the afternoon and was like driving in black fog. Very strange.
The RV park we're staying at next to a golf course, so Judah is pleased as punch. He's been over there chipping and putting and plans to play a round in the next day or two. Some RV parks are really family friendly, with a pool, or a game room or something - and - some are not. This one is not. It is filled with old retired people and their dogs. It still amazes me the number of people that RV for a living. They have no home except their RV and they just sit in one spot for weeks and weeks, and months, even years. I don't think I could do that. A couple months, yeah, but years?! Nah.
Speaking of old retired people and their dogs, I am telling you, these people are OBSESSED about their dogs. Now, we were pretty obsessed about our cats before we had kids, so I kind of understand, but the image yesterday takes the cake. I saw this couple with what I thought was their grandchild in a baby stroller - and you know exactly where I'm going with this - yep, the dog was in the stroller and they were walking around the park, happy as you please. WHAT? I thought that when you took a dog for a walk - it was so the DOG - COULD - WALK!!! You gotta be kidding me. Now, isn't that going just a wee bit too far??
Well, better run. Gotta find some thermal underware, because, well, for those of you in the know, we need something to cover our heads with in this cold weather! :) Um, maybe I'll just turn the heat up this time . . . (sorry, inside joke)
Blessings,
jill and all
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Since we ARE in Washington State . . .
This is great. Enjoy!
God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael , the archangel found him ..... resting on the seventh day.
He inquired, "Where have you been?"
God smiled deeply and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look, Michael. Look what I've made."
Archangel Michael looked puzzled, and said, "What is it?"
"It's a planet," replied God, "and I've put life on it... I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a place to test Balance."
"Balance?" Inquired Michael , "I'm still confused."
God explained, pointing to different parts of earth. "For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while southern Europe is going to be poor. Over here I've placed a continent of white people, and over there is a continent of black people. Balance in all things." God continued pointing to different countries, "This one will be extremely hot, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."
The Archangel , impressed by God's work, then pointed to a land area and said, "What's that one?"
"That's Washington State, the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful mountains, rivers and streams, lakes, forests, hills, and plains. The people from Washington State are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent, and humorous, and they are going to travel the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking, high achieving, carriers of peace, and producers of software."
Michael gasped in wonder and admiration, but then asked, "But what about balance, God? You said there would be balance."
God smiled, "There's another Washington . Wait till you see the idiots I put there." :)
Cute, eh?
Blessings,
jill and all
God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael , the archangel found him ..... resting on the seventh day.
He inquired, "Where have you been?"
God smiled deeply and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look, Michael. Look what I've made."
Archangel Michael looked puzzled, and said, "What is it?"
"It's a planet," replied God, "and I've put life on it... I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a place to test Balance."
"Balance?" Inquired Michael , "I'm still confused."
God explained, pointing to different parts of earth. "For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while southern Europe is going to be poor. Over here I've placed a continent of white people, and over there is a continent of black people. Balance in all things." God continued pointing to different countries, "This one will be extremely hot, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."
The Archangel , impressed by God's work, then pointed to a land area and said, "What's that one?"
"That's Washington State, the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful mountains, rivers and streams, lakes, forests, hills, and plains. The people from Washington State are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent, and humorous, and they are going to travel the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking, high achieving, carriers of peace, and producers of software."
Michael gasped in wonder and admiration, but then asked, "But what about balance, God? You said there would be balance."
God smiled, "There's another Washington . Wait till you see the idiots I put there." :)
Cute, eh?
Blessings,
jill and all
Friday, September 25, 2009
Just checking in . . .
The golf course Gary and Judah played yesterday was nestled right next to the Columbia River and looks beautiful as you drive by. Well, looks can be deceiving. The ground was so wet it felt like it was moving or as if the grass was floating right on top of a body of water. It was like walking on quick sand. The sand part makes sense with it being like the Sahara here, but wet? Either they are pumping millions of gallons of water on this course overnight, or the river is flowing right underneath it!! I thought for sure we were going to get sucked in with every step, never to return. It was a bit creepy. And it was sooo noisy with the traffic since it sits right next to the interstate. It was almost hard to hear each other talk. But, Gary and Judah had fun anyway. On number 9 they both hit their shot right next to the green, within inches of each other. So, Gary says, "We'll have a chip-off." So Judah hits first, and chips it right into the cup! Gary steps up and says, "That was pretty good, but I can get it closer." To which Judah declares, "That's impossible!" But Gary steps up and chips his ball in as well. So, that ended nicely. But we won't mention what happened on the water holes and the sand traps . . .
We went to pick grapes today. It was so cool to see these huge cluster of grapes just hanging there on the vine. It was so peaceful up there in wine country walking down all the rows that hung overhead like a canopy. We picked 32 pounds of grapes! At 60 cents a pound, how could you not?! And they are so unbelievably sweet - almost too sweet really. Some had already turned into raisins, and those were sweeter still. Just amazing
Well, we are ready to move on. There is so much to love here, but we've decided to go a little nearer to the Cascade Mountains. This valley gets filled with a smog-like cloud that filters down from the north along the river, and just hovers here. It looks almost like Los Angeles at times. It must be from all the chemical spraying of the orchards. So, we've decided to head further north. Besides, we'd like to be around a few evergreen trees instead of sand and sagebrush.
It's still been 90 degrees here this week. I don't know if that's typical or not, but it sure is nice.
And it's been kind of non-eventful kind of week - which is not a bad thing for us AT ALL - you know - given our track record! :) We actually don't mind a bit of boring! Well, I don't - Ezra on the other hand, is having a little tougher time with that. It's a bit hard, but, hey, he's learned to play a mean game of shuffleboard with his left hand, so that's good. Hey - it's better than jumping off the picnic table and doing a summersault, or climbing the light pole at the library like spiderman or hanging off the railing on the RV. (Yes, with his CAST ON!!! Is it any wonder I am getting gray?) So, you know, I'll take a little boring whenever I can get it!
Well, that's it. We are glad it's finally the end of the week. We are so looking forward to a restful day tomorrow. Hope you all have great weekend too!
Blessings,
jill and all
Still not a short enough post? Rats. Maybe next time I'll do one-sentence snippets with bullet points.
Yeah, don't hold your breath.
We went to pick grapes today. It was so cool to see these huge cluster of grapes just hanging there on the vine. It was so peaceful up there in wine country walking down all the rows that hung overhead like a canopy. We picked 32 pounds of grapes! At 60 cents a pound, how could you not?! And they are so unbelievably sweet - almost too sweet really. Some had already turned into raisins, and those were sweeter still. Just amazing
Well, we are ready to move on. There is so much to love here, but we've decided to go a little nearer to the Cascade Mountains. This valley gets filled with a smog-like cloud that filters down from the north along the river, and just hovers here. It looks almost like Los Angeles at times. It must be from all the chemical spraying of the orchards. So, we've decided to head further north. Besides, we'd like to be around a few evergreen trees instead of sand and sagebrush.
It's still been 90 degrees here this week. I don't know if that's typical or not, but it sure is nice.
And it's been kind of non-eventful kind of week - which is not a bad thing for us AT ALL - you know - given our track record! :) We actually don't mind a bit of boring! Well, I don't - Ezra on the other hand, is having a little tougher time with that. It's a bit hard, but, hey, he's learned to play a mean game of shuffleboard with his left hand, so that's good. Hey - it's better than jumping off the picnic table and doing a summersault, or climbing the light pole at the library like spiderman or hanging off the railing on the RV. (Yes, with his CAST ON!!! Is it any wonder I am getting gray?) So, you know, I'll take a little boring whenever I can get it!
Well, that's it. We are glad it's finally the end of the week. We are so looking forward to a restful day tomorrow. Hope you all have great weekend too!
Blessings,
jill and all
Still not a short enough post? Rats. Maybe next time I'll do one-sentence snippets with bullet points.
Yeah, don't hold your breath.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Sometimes, you just gotta make do . . .
It was simple, really. Unclogging a clogged toliet. A little chemical, wait a few hours, and viola! Right? Um, not exactly. Okay, how about using a hanger? No? How about two? Wrong again. The lastest attempt I could hardly behold. And while I can not in all good conscience devulge all the horrific details, let's just say that Gary is not afraid to get dirty when the job calls for it. Sewer man to the rescue! Able to leap . . . well, maybe that doesn't apply here. All I know, is I would have just called Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame and let him handle it. Nope, not our Gary. He dove in there (okay, not literally) and well, has any of you seen the movie 'RV' with Robin Williams?? Well, it wasn't quite that bad. (Thank God) At any rate, while he's in there plugging away (pun intended) the rest of us wimps just stood back and held our noses! Poor guy. But, hey, a little soap, a little bleach and lots of water later, and, well, I wish I could say it was fixed, but it isn't. Not quite. But hey, you have to give the guy MAJOR points for the effort, I say. But, I think we're on to plan D about now. I'll let you know how that works out.
And do you know what to do when you don't have a real gasket for an outside light fixture, well, you improvise. You have Judah trace the light's shape onto a styrofoam plate, cut it out, stick it in there, and viola! Hey! It worked! One job complete, and one, well, not so much.
This is totally off topic, but I have to stick it in. The golfing's been hit and miss for Judah and his dad this trip. You know how it is - you play some good rounds, you play some bad rounds and then, every now and then, you play one of those out-of-your-mind rounds. Even if it wasn't on a normal course - it was sort of a Par 3 course - well - 6 par 3's and 3 par 4's. Anyway, Gary pars all of the par 3's and birdie's all the par 4's. He was quite pleased, I must say. Then a few days later he gets a 38 on a regular course. For not playing but once a week all summer, he'll take that. And Judah's been doing pretty good as well, shooting 6 over par the last time they played. Not bad for a couple of duffers!
Okay, what do you do when you can't swim and you can't rollerblade and you're bored out of your mind? You invent games. Like - roll the golf ball down the street. Or use the caps from water jugs and flick them at targets. Or cut the plastic frame that the steering wheel cover came in and use it as a frisbee. Hey, you have to come up with something when you don't have TV or video games!
It's going to be 90 degrees today and 95 tomorrow, so we're hoping Gary can actually take a day of vacation so we can go play on or near the river. Or maybe rent bikes and ride the Douglas Fruit Loop or hike the Audobon Nature Trail. We have to do Something. But, I think we'll stay away from Bombing Range Loop, as that goes around the government's nuclear testing site that's just down the road from where we are staying. Yeah, and you wonder why nothing grows in the hills out here, well, except those lizards with two heads. I just hope we don't start glowing. :0
Well, enough tidbits. I'm really going to try to have shorter posts.
(Oh, stop laughing.)
Blessings,
jill and all
And do you know what to do when you don't have a real gasket for an outside light fixture, well, you improvise. You have Judah trace the light's shape onto a styrofoam plate, cut it out, stick it in there, and viola! Hey! It worked! One job complete, and one, well, not so much.
This is totally off topic, but I have to stick it in. The golfing's been hit and miss for Judah and his dad this trip. You know how it is - you play some good rounds, you play some bad rounds and then, every now and then, you play one of those out-of-your-mind rounds. Even if it wasn't on a normal course - it was sort of a Par 3 course - well - 6 par 3's and 3 par 4's. Anyway, Gary pars all of the par 3's and birdie's all the par 4's. He was quite pleased, I must say. Then a few days later he gets a 38 on a regular course. For not playing but once a week all summer, he'll take that. And Judah's been doing pretty good as well, shooting 6 over par the last time they played. Not bad for a couple of duffers!
Okay, what do you do when you can't swim and you can't rollerblade and you're bored out of your mind? You invent games. Like - roll the golf ball down the street. Or use the caps from water jugs and flick them at targets. Or cut the plastic frame that the steering wheel cover came in and use it as a frisbee. Hey, you have to come up with something when you don't have TV or video games!
It's going to be 90 degrees today and 95 tomorrow, so we're hoping Gary can actually take a day of vacation so we can go play on or near the river. Or maybe rent bikes and ride the Douglas Fruit Loop or hike the Audobon Nature Trail. We have to do Something. But, I think we'll stay away from Bombing Range Loop, as that goes around the government's nuclear testing site that's just down the road from where we are staying. Yeah, and you wonder why nothing grows in the hills out here, well, except those lizards with two heads. I just hope we don't start glowing. :0
Well, enough tidbits. I'm really going to try to have shorter posts.
(Oh, stop laughing.)
Blessings,
jill and all
Monday, September 21, 2009
God's creation never ceases to amaze . . .
First we sat by the ocean, drinking in the pristine air, watching the bald eagle soaring overhead. It was funny to watch the school of little black fish next to the shore feeding on who knows what and the bubbles made by either crabs or oysters or something under the sand. Of course there were the noisy gulls - everywhere. We found sea shells and cool rocks and yes, slimy sea-weed. And out in the distance, we could see Mt. Whistler, it's snowcapped peaks towering over British Columbia, Canada. And the water that went on and on and on. There were elk and deer and there was quiet and peace. It was hard to leave such a beautiful place, and we will miss it.
As we drove through Tacoma, we could see Mt. Ranier straight ahead of us, surrounded by thick clouds that made it look like it was floating or just hovering there. It was huge and seemed so close and almost terrifying. We just marveled at how majestic it was.
Soon we were surrounded again by evergreens, tall and foreboding. Slowly we crept along a 10 mile stretch on the interstate for 2 hours due to construction, at times not moving an inch. On the top of the summit, creeping over the pass, we could see through the trees - a magnificent site. Clear, deep, blue water, with sparkling crystals bouncing off it with the setting sun. It was a large lake set back against the timbered trees and clear blue sky. And it was spectacular. And it was something we wouldn't have ever noticed had we been zooming along at the regular speed limit.
What wasn't so thrilling to look at was a guy, with, um, more than a bit of a pouch, in tan pants, and no shirt, jogging up and down alongside the traffic on the shoulder, grinning. (He too, was made by God - just a little differently I suspect!!) Yet he was running faster than we were driving. A couple of other people got fed up and just pulled their vehicles over and sat there chatting with each other while the cars crawled along. We got to hear everyone's musical tastes as we passed each other, windows down, taking in the cool breeze. It seemed like it was taking forever.
Then suddenly we decended out of the mountains and the entire landscape changed. The trees disappeared and brown, dull, rolling hills took their place. It was like walking through a time warp into another world. Not a speck of green to behold, except a little splotch here and there on some of the scrub brush that dotted the countryside. I felt like we had landed on the moon - barren, cold, dry, and lifeless. Not completely ugly, just incredibly different.
And then as you come over the hill and enter the valley, you see the acres of orchards that blanket the valley floor and line the sides of the hills. The vivid green set against the harsh, tan earth is a stark contrast. You continue on and meet up with mighty Columbia, Snake and the Yakima rivers, that join together as one as they wind around the cities, before heading west to the ocean.
It's all so amazing - the variety, the beauty, the wonder of nature that God has placed all around us. If we would just take the time to just look at it, really look, and take it in and enjoy it. It's all so diverse and marvelous and breath-taking. No matter where we are, we can see His handiwork and we should, at least for a little while, absorb it and appreciate it if we can. It tells of His glory and power and His fantastic artistry. And I am truely in awe.
And yes, this appreciation is fleeting, as we must stop looking at some point, and get absorbed in this thing called - life. The hustle and bustle, the mundane and the aweful, the regular routine of our lives. The needed part, really - as we can not, though we may wish it, sit amongst His creation and ponder forever without a care to the flow of our work, family, laundry, bills, school, cooking and cleaning, stopped-up toliets, broken arms, flooded basements, and the rest. But, if we can, when we are able, to notice what's around us - the things He has made, be it flowers and trees, animals and people, and rivers and stars. It may just give us a bit of joy and perhaps a sense of calm for a time. Don't you think?
Well, that's my introspective moment of the day! Yeah, I know, I'm no Robert Frost, but I can pretend, can't I?! (I know he wrote poems that rhymed, and this mess, well, doesn't - but he's the only deep-thinking guy that wrote about nature that I could come up with at the moment) :)
Anyway, I really do thank God for his awesome creation, and I guess I just wanted to share a bit of it. I'm sure that some of you are in the middle of the spectacular color-changing fall season now. So - get out and enjoy it!
Blessings,
jill and all
As we drove through Tacoma, we could see Mt. Ranier straight ahead of us, surrounded by thick clouds that made it look like it was floating or just hovering there. It was huge and seemed so close and almost terrifying. We just marveled at how majestic it was.
Soon we were surrounded again by evergreens, tall and foreboding. Slowly we crept along a 10 mile stretch on the interstate for 2 hours due to construction, at times not moving an inch. On the top of the summit, creeping over the pass, we could see through the trees - a magnificent site. Clear, deep, blue water, with sparkling crystals bouncing off it with the setting sun. It was a large lake set back against the timbered trees and clear blue sky. And it was spectacular. And it was something we wouldn't have ever noticed had we been zooming along at the regular speed limit.
What wasn't so thrilling to look at was a guy, with, um, more than a bit of a pouch, in tan pants, and no shirt, jogging up and down alongside the traffic on the shoulder, grinning. (He too, was made by God - just a little differently I suspect!!) Yet he was running faster than we were driving. A couple of other people got fed up and just pulled their vehicles over and sat there chatting with each other while the cars crawled along. We got to hear everyone's musical tastes as we passed each other, windows down, taking in the cool breeze. It seemed like it was taking forever.
Then suddenly we decended out of the mountains and the entire landscape changed. The trees disappeared and brown, dull, rolling hills took their place. It was like walking through a time warp into another world. Not a speck of green to behold, except a little splotch here and there on some of the scrub brush that dotted the countryside. I felt like we had landed on the moon - barren, cold, dry, and lifeless. Not completely ugly, just incredibly different.
And then as you come over the hill and enter the valley, you see the acres of orchards that blanket the valley floor and line the sides of the hills. The vivid green set against the harsh, tan earth is a stark contrast. You continue on and meet up with mighty Columbia, Snake and the Yakima rivers, that join together as one as they wind around the cities, before heading west to the ocean.
It's all so amazing - the variety, the beauty, the wonder of nature that God has placed all around us. If we would just take the time to just look at it, really look, and take it in and enjoy it. It's all so diverse and marvelous and breath-taking. No matter where we are, we can see His handiwork and we should, at least for a little while, absorb it and appreciate it if we can. It tells of His glory and power and His fantastic artistry. And I am truely in awe.
And yes, this appreciation is fleeting, as we must stop looking at some point, and get absorbed in this thing called - life. The hustle and bustle, the mundane and the aweful, the regular routine of our lives. The needed part, really - as we can not, though we may wish it, sit amongst His creation and ponder forever without a care to the flow of our work, family, laundry, bills, school, cooking and cleaning, stopped-up toliets, broken arms, flooded basements, and the rest. But, if we can, when we are able, to notice what's around us - the things He has made, be it flowers and trees, animals and people, and rivers and stars. It may just give us a bit of joy and perhaps a sense of calm for a time. Don't you think?
Well, that's my introspective moment of the day! Yeah, I know, I'm no Robert Frost, but I can pretend, can't I?! (I know he wrote poems that rhymed, and this mess, well, doesn't - but he's the only deep-thinking guy that wrote about nature that I could come up with at the moment) :)
Anyway, I really do thank God for his awesome creation, and I guess I just wanted to share a bit of it. I'm sure that some of you are in the middle of the spectacular color-changing fall season now. So - get out and enjoy it!
Blessings,
jill and all
Friday, September 18, 2009
Do berry bushes like Latin music?
Yesterday we picked blackberries and what a fun experience that was! It was a hoot. This berry orchard is a small little place just outside of Sequim and the owner is a very cool artist who specializes in oil painting and does the orchard on the side. (or is it the other way around?!) His hands were covered with red/black stains and we wondered if it was from the berry juice or his painting. He has speakers mounted on poles all through the orchard that plays piped-in music of various kinds: Jazz, Classical, Latin, and some Israeli/Arab/Indian sounding stuff. It was so cool to be out picking berries in the bright sunshine and warm weather listening to this beautiful music. We could have stayed there all day, but 4 buckets later, we decided we better quit. I'm telling you, once you start, you just keep going like you're on auto-pilot or something. And what were we going to do with all these berries anyway? Well, a 1/2 of a bag disappeared on the way back to the RV park, we froze one bag, and another 1/2 bag is gone this morning - so I think we'll have no trouble getting rid of them! They are delicious!
One thing that is not fun is waking up at 5am to the blood-curdling sound of a gas alarm. Here we were, sleeping so soundly and the alarm goes off - and it's one of those really high-pitched 9000 decible sounds that pierce your eardrums and makes you want to run away. The kind that just rattles your brain. Thankfully, we had an extra alarm, because when we first bought the old trailer, this same thing happened and we put in a new one cause we thought the old one didn't work and that's why it just kept going off. But it did work, just a little too well. I don't like gas anyway, and to have the alarm go off, makes me think we're going to get blown to smitherines. But, these alarms are so sensitive, they can go off from the fumes of hair spray or cleaning chemicals and various other stuff. So, Gary checked things out, and re-tested the new alarm, (which was actually the old alarm from the old trailer) and everything's fine. I think. I hope. (did you follow all that?!)
We drove down south a ways a couple days ago to look at this co-operative farm a guy is starting. You drive for about 3 miles into the mountains on these very narrow curvy roads that were originally logging roads in amongst the tall timbers and hills. Then all of a sudden, you come out into this clearing that is just beautiful. Hills on all sides, covered with huge evergreens, 2 rivers flowing through with pristine-looking water, 4 swimming holes, millions of wild berry bushes growing all over, and a man with very big ideas for it all. It was an amazing piece of property, all tucked back in there in the quiet. Lovely. The boys, of course, had all kinds of plans for it - like, building a raft and taking it downstream, building tree forts with different levels with lots of ladders and bridges connecting them, fishing, swimming and who knows what else. It's like something out of a story book. It is a really, really great place. Now if we only could find this exact kind of place on the EASTERN side of the Cascades and where we could buy the whole place ourselves -not as part of a commune, and that didn't cost an arm and a leg and part of the other arm . . . yeah, well, we're still looking. :)
The weather finally turned from being rainy and dreary and depressing - and the last couple days it's been magnificent. Sunny, not too hot, not too cool - almost perfect. No bugs, no wind, the air is so pure and clean and the view of the mountains with the wispy clouds hovering around is just splendid. Now I remember why we loved it here so much the last time we came. Peaceful, calming and breath-taking. Aaaah!
Better run - it's laundry time. Fun, fun. Later today we're going to another u-pick farm, so who knows what we'll find when we get there! It's going to be vegetables or - more blackberries. Tis the season, you know. I'm thinking blackberry pancakes, blackberry smoothies, blackberry tarts . . . MMM.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Blessings,
jill and all
One thing that is not fun is waking up at 5am to the blood-curdling sound of a gas alarm. Here we were, sleeping so soundly and the alarm goes off - and it's one of those really high-pitched 9000 decible sounds that pierce your eardrums and makes you want to run away. The kind that just rattles your brain. Thankfully, we had an extra alarm, because when we first bought the old trailer, this same thing happened and we put in a new one cause we thought the old one didn't work and that's why it just kept going off. But it did work, just a little too well. I don't like gas anyway, and to have the alarm go off, makes me think we're going to get blown to smitherines. But, these alarms are so sensitive, they can go off from the fumes of hair spray or cleaning chemicals and various other stuff. So, Gary checked things out, and re-tested the new alarm, (which was actually the old alarm from the old trailer) and everything's fine. I think. I hope. (did you follow all that?!)
We drove down south a ways a couple days ago to look at this co-operative farm a guy is starting. You drive for about 3 miles into the mountains on these very narrow curvy roads that were originally logging roads in amongst the tall timbers and hills. Then all of a sudden, you come out into this clearing that is just beautiful. Hills on all sides, covered with huge evergreens, 2 rivers flowing through with pristine-looking water, 4 swimming holes, millions of wild berry bushes growing all over, and a man with very big ideas for it all. It was an amazing piece of property, all tucked back in there in the quiet. Lovely. The boys, of course, had all kinds of plans for it - like, building a raft and taking it downstream, building tree forts with different levels with lots of ladders and bridges connecting them, fishing, swimming and who knows what else. It's like something out of a story book. It is a really, really great place. Now if we only could find this exact kind of place on the EASTERN side of the Cascades and where we could buy the whole place ourselves -not as part of a commune, and that didn't cost an arm and a leg and part of the other arm . . . yeah, well, we're still looking. :)
The weather finally turned from being rainy and dreary and depressing - and the last couple days it's been magnificent. Sunny, not too hot, not too cool - almost perfect. No bugs, no wind, the air is so pure and clean and the view of the mountains with the wispy clouds hovering around is just splendid. Now I remember why we loved it here so much the last time we came. Peaceful, calming and breath-taking. Aaaah!
Better run - it's laundry time. Fun, fun. Later today we're going to another u-pick farm, so who knows what we'll find when we get there! It's going to be vegetables or - more blackberries. Tis the season, you know. I'm thinking blackberry pancakes, blackberry smoothies, blackberry tarts . . . MMM.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Blessings,
jill and all
Monday, September 14, 2009
Aaah, the lavender capital of North America . . .
Yeah! We are in Sequim, Washington. (Read - 'skwim' - as in - rhymes with 'swim') And we are so glad to be here. It was a long morning for Gary and the boys getting the equipment put together to tow the RV and then the long drive north. We had forgotten how curvy wurvy the road was to get here. Whew. We barely made it before dark. Thank God we did, as there was one slightly scary episode driving on I-5 in Portland. Bumper to bumper traffic to get over the bridge of the Columbia River and we were putzin' along and suddenly the big storage door on the RV swings open! Yes, right there on the freeway! India and I were in the suburban (another story) following Gary and the boys in the truck that was pulling the RV and we were just atad bit, um, stunned. I call Gary on the cell to tell him, and he had not noticed! Now, I will tell you, Thank God we were going pretty slow right then with the traffic being backed as it was, so nothing flew out of the trailer and Gary was able to stop. I then ran out (India was driving) and shut the door. Yes, right there on the freeway! And there was a car between us, so who knows what they and everyone else were thinking. :) I just kept thinking, Thank God this happened right at that time and not when we were going along at 70 mph! Crazy, eh? We pulled over at the next rest stop and locked up tight all the doors and compartments - just in case. Good grief.
And so we're here in the far northwestern part of the lower 48 and breathing the fresh ocean air and the amazing scent of lavender. There are fields here that are just a blanket of purple, spanning acres and acres like the wheat fields back home. Absolutely beautiful. Lavender is said to have a calming effect on people and I'm hoping that's true. I've got a few boys who maybe need to go hang out in those fields for an hour or two - or three - or - say -- they always said they wanted to sleep out under the stars sometime . . . MMM :)
(Actually, maybe I'm the one who needs it!)
Well, tomorrow (Monday) it's back to the grind. We do hope to go raspberry picking after school's done, and maybe take a little hike or something. We'll see.
Well, this is a first. A short post! Can you believe it? No? Must be the lavender.
Blessings,
jill and all
And so we're here in the far northwestern part of the lower 48 and breathing the fresh ocean air and the amazing scent of lavender. There are fields here that are just a blanket of purple, spanning acres and acres like the wheat fields back home. Absolutely beautiful. Lavender is said to have a calming effect on people and I'm hoping that's true. I've got a few boys who maybe need to go hang out in those fields for an hour or two - or three - or - say -- they always said they wanted to sleep out under the stars sometime . . . MMM :)
(Actually, maybe I'm the one who needs it!)
Well, tomorrow (Monday) it's back to the grind. We do hope to go raspberry picking after school's done, and maybe take a little hike or something. We'll see.
Well, this is a first. A short post! Can you believe it? No? Must be the lavender.
Blessings,
jill and all
Sunday, September 13, 2009
We're moving on up . . .
First of all, Ezra is doing pretty well with his arm. But you know how bad it itches inside the cast, though, so it's beyond bugging him. Poor guy. But he's managing. He's having to learn how to do everything with his left hand, which is pretty awkward, but he's getting it. 5 weeks to go and counting! :)
Judah finally got to golf once this week on a course called a pasture course. And they didn't name it that for nothing. It is a pasture - literally. But he doesn't care. Just so he's out hitting the balls around, he's a happy camper. He'll take his chipper and hit around on the grassy places at the RV park here. Obsessed, eh? It's a good obsessed though, I think. And we are now whiffle ball-less and soccer ball-less. Noah hit the whiffle just a little too hard and smashed it in half. Who is he anyway, Derek Jeter?? As for the soccer ball, another RV ran right over ours and popped it good. Man, these RV parks can be dangerous!
Well, we finally traded our little hovel in for, well, a bigger hovel. The 'new' trailer is the same year as our old one, this one is just a little longer and has a slide-out. So, we feel like we're living large! We do not have to walk around and over India's books, our computers and their cords, the laundry basket, everyone's shoes and each other. And we each have a place to sit when we eat!! Pretty much everything has a place now - including Judah, who is thrilled to be sleeping in a 'bed' after a month and a half of sleeping on the floor!! This RV has a couch - imagine that - which is actually a futon/bed. It sure is nice to have just a little bit more room - I gotta tell ya.
Well, we we're a little busy this week it seemed, with school and work, and the pickup and the trailer stuff and we didn't get to go out and see the sites like we wanted. India took another college test and passed well. She's got 51 credits now, so she's happy about that. We did get to pick blueberries and that was fantastic. They were wonderful and at a dollar a pound (I know!) you can't beat that, can you? We love picking our own fruit. It is so fun to be out in the orchard and getting everything so fresh. And the taste is beyond fabulous, you can't even compare it to store bought. That's yet another reason why we're drawn to this region. Good - REALLY REALLY GOOD food. And you know - we love to eat, so it's great!
Better run - we're off to the Olympic Peninsula today - God willing. We'll see how the 'new' truck pulls the 'new' trailer. The truck is a loud beast, compared to our Suburban. You feel like you're driving a semi. At least I do. Judah decided to name it 'Delores', much to Ezra's and Noah's objections. I love it. Now they're working on a name for the trailer. Are trailers considered masculine or feminine? Whatever, I'll keep you posted. :)
Blessings,
jill and all
Judah finally got to golf once this week on a course called a pasture course. And they didn't name it that for nothing. It is a pasture - literally. But he doesn't care. Just so he's out hitting the balls around, he's a happy camper. He'll take his chipper and hit around on the grassy places at the RV park here. Obsessed, eh? It's a good obsessed though, I think. And we are now whiffle ball-less and soccer ball-less. Noah hit the whiffle just a little too hard and smashed it in half. Who is he anyway, Derek Jeter?? As for the soccer ball, another RV ran right over ours and popped it good. Man, these RV parks can be dangerous!
Well, we finally traded our little hovel in for, well, a bigger hovel. The 'new' trailer is the same year as our old one, this one is just a little longer and has a slide-out. So, we feel like we're living large! We do not have to walk around and over India's books, our computers and their cords, the laundry basket, everyone's shoes and each other. And we each have a place to sit when we eat!! Pretty much everything has a place now - including Judah, who is thrilled to be sleeping in a 'bed' after a month and a half of sleeping on the floor!! This RV has a couch - imagine that - which is actually a futon/bed. It sure is nice to have just a little bit more room - I gotta tell ya.
Well, we we're a little busy this week it seemed, with school and work, and the pickup and the trailer stuff and we didn't get to go out and see the sites like we wanted. India took another college test and passed well. She's got 51 credits now, so she's happy about that. We did get to pick blueberries and that was fantastic. They were wonderful and at a dollar a pound (I know!) you can't beat that, can you? We love picking our own fruit. It is so fun to be out in the orchard and getting everything so fresh. And the taste is beyond fabulous, you can't even compare it to store bought. That's yet another reason why we're drawn to this region. Good - REALLY REALLY GOOD food. And you know - we love to eat, so it's great!
Better run - we're off to the Olympic Peninsula today - God willing. We'll see how the 'new' truck pulls the 'new' trailer. The truck is a loud beast, compared to our Suburban. You feel like you're driving a semi. At least I do. Judah decided to name it 'Delores', much to Ezra's and Noah's objections. I love it. Now they're working on a name for the trailer. Are trailers considered masculine or feminine? Whatever, I'll keep you posted. :)
Blessings,
jill and all
Monday, September 7, 2009
The fine art of rollerblading . . .
Well, I didn't expect to spend last evening in the ER - but there we were. I heard the scream and knew it wasn't just an, "I scraped my knee" kind of scream. No, it was the one where the hair stands up on the back of your neck and you just know there'll be more blood than you really wanted to see. Gary went out the door and yelled, "Oh, my gosh!" and then I knew it was really bad.
I'm glad I wasn't the first to see him, cause they all say I probably would have fainted, and they may be right. When I looked out the door, I didn't see any blood, and I'm wondering what happened and Gary just said, "He broke his arm, it's pretty bad." And so I said, "Okay, let's go to the hospital." And we took off his rollerblades, grabbed his shoes and jumped in the sub. We had no idea where to go, of course, so we asked a guy at the gas station and off we sped.
Gary then explained to me what he saw. His arm was bent clear backwards at a 60 degree angle, and instinctively, Gary just grabbed the wrist and pulled it straight. After the initial moment of total agony, it actually gave him some relief, although he was still in A LOT of pain. The bone had been pushing into the arm and looked like it was just on the verge of poking out the skin, but thank God it was not.
Long story short, 4 xrays, a mean quasi-nurse that about killed him just trying to put the iv in, (she never did, just left him black and blue, and a really nice nurse took over and did just fine, thank you very much) , 5 electrodes - 3 on the chest, one on his side and one on his leg (are you kidding me? what on earth for?), blood pressure cuff and oxygen - (it was a broken bone - not major surgery - for Pete's sake), and a respritory therapist - then finally the orthopedic doctor came in, re-set the arm a bit more, (actually Gary had gotten it lined up pretty well himself) and 3 1/2 hours later and we were out the door.
The poor guy. What a way to end a perfectly good rollerblading ride. The terrible tale? It was follow-the-leader with them following each other just a liiiittle too close. Judah hit some bumps and fell, totally uninjured (thank God), and Ezra flew over the top of him, breaking his fall, literally, with his hands - and - snap. So, poor Ez is pretty much out of commission for active sports and swimming (and showering) for about 6-8 weeks. Not good. But, he's not too sad that he doesn't have to do his writing for school, I can tell you that. So mom's going to have to write down his math problems and workbook answers as he does them. It would have to be his right arm. But, last time it was his left, so I guess he just wanted to even things out a bit.
So, that's our latest bit of excitement here on the Aderhold Adventure Channel. Frankly, I'm hoping they cancel the series - I could use a little lull in these kind of adventures, if you know what I mean. But, I thank God he's doing well now, dispite it all. He is one tough cookie.
Well, better run. We are going to an orchard and pick some peaches, nectarines and blueberries. MMM.
Take care everyone. And don't rollerblade too close to anyone - just a little piece of advice.
Blessings,
jill and all
I'm glad I wasn't the first to see him, cause they all say I probably would have fainted, and they may be right. When I looked out the door, I didn't see any blood, and I'm wondering what happened and Gary just said, "He broke his arm, it's pretty bad." And so I said, "Okay, let's go to the hospital." And we took off his rollerblades, grabbed his shoes and jumped in the sub. We had no idea where to go, of course, so we asked a guy at the gas station and off we sped.
Gary then explained to me what he saw. His arm was bent clear backwards at a 60 degree angle, and instinctively, Gary just grabbed the wrist and pulled it straight. After the initial moment of total agony, it actually gave him some relief, although he was still in A LOT of pain. The bone had been pushing into the arm and looked like it was just on the verge of poking out the skin, but thank God it was not.
Long story short, 4 xrays, a mean quasi-nurse that about killed him just trying to put the iv in, (she never did, just left him black and blue, and a really nice nurse took over and did just fine, thank you very much) , 5 electrodes - 3 on the chest, one on his side and one on his leg (are you kidding me? what on earth for?), blood pressure cuff and oxygen - (it was a broken bone - not major surgery - for Pete's sake), and a respritory therapist - then finally the orthopedic doctor came in, re-set the arm a bit more, (actually Gary had gotten it lined up pretty well himself) and 3 1/2 hours later and we were out the door.
The poor guy. What a way to end a perfectly good rollerblading ride. The terrible tale? It was follow-the-leader with them following each other just a liiiittle too close. Judah hit some bumps and fell, totally uninjured (thank God), and Ezra flew over the top of him, breaking his fall, literally, with his hands - and - snap. So, poor Ez is pretty much out of commission for active sports and swimming (and showering) for about 6-8 weeks. Not good. But, he's not too sad that he doesn't have to do his writing for school, I can tell you that. So mom's going to have to write down his math problems and workbook answers as he does them. It would have to be his right arm. But, last time it was his left, so I guess he just wanted to even things out a bit.
So, that's our latest bit of excitement here on the Aderhold Adventure Channel. Frankly, I'm hoping they cancel the series - I could use a little lull in these kind of adventures, if you know what I mean. But, I thank God he's doing well now, dispite it all. He is one tough cookie.
Well, better run. We are going to an orchard and pick some peaches, nectarines and blueberries. MMM.
Take care everyone. And don't rollerblade too close to anyone - just a little piece of advice.
Blessings,
jill and all
Saturday, September 5, 2009
The rain in Spain, er, Salem . . .
So, we're on the west coast of Oregon, and it is raining cats and dogs. Typical, you say, right? Well, they have actually had a severe drought here all summer, I mean, not so much as a drop of rain and the countryside is all brown and dead. We get here and it decides to pour. Go figure. And it's supposed to rain all weekend long. And it's Labor Day weekend end, to boot. Oh, well. Good time to head to the mall, right? :) Maybe tomorrow.
NEWS FLASH!!!
We finally bought a pickup! Huzzah! We got a 2004 Ford 4X4 diesel (hey - they did not take the stimulus money you know) and I think it's going to suit us well. It has a lot more power than the suburban, so hopefully we'll be able to go more than 20 mph up hill! It's pretty nice, and it's a four door so there is plenty of room in the back for the crew. We'll have to get a topper so we can store all our junk that is currently in the other vehicle though! But, it should work. (God willing) So, we have an extra slightly used suburban to get rid of - anybody interested?!
We drove up to Portland and, well, it's not Salt Lake City. It's hard to compare such a clean city with wide streets to Portland with it's grafitti and trash and super narrow roads where each one has 13 different names. I mean, we are driving on Tualatin Rd for 3 miles and after turning to the right 3 times, to the left twice (and yes, we're still on Tualatin) all of a sudden it just stops. To the right is one name, to the left is another. So, we go by the directions and take the road to the right, which after 3 blocks the name suddenly changes. Just like that. We keep going (per the map) and after 5 more blocks, the name of the road changes again. This happens 4 TIMES and we're still on the same road! What? I mean, one guy giving us directions tells us, "Well, you go a little ways on 2nd, then it turns into Bell Rd. then it turns into River Rd. and then it turns into Davis Dr. We're on the left." ??? And we haven't driven 2 miles! I mean, it's not like it's on the edge of a suburb so that you're in one town and then all of a sudden you're in another (that would actually make sense) - no - it's all still the same town - they just decided to change the name in the middle of the road. I think they just wanted to confuse the visitors!
My theory - when the people came over on the Oregon Trail, each built a house - right - and they would just call the road they were on - say - Jones St. Then the Williams family came in and built their house a mile away and called the road going by their house - Williams Rd. And after a while, as the area grew and the two roads finally met it was, "Hey, this is Jones St. " and neighbor number two says, "No, it's not, it's Williams Rd." And it became the Hatfields and the McCoys of street naming. So to avoid blood-shed, they decided to just leave the names as they were and let the rest of the planet figure it out. This insanity exists all over this area! Not just Portland. It's in Salem, and every town around here. Maybe that's why even Google is confused, cause we have gotten lost about 5 times so far. Crazy.
One very nice thing about the Oregon coast is my Aunt Troona who lives here. She is the most wonderful person and we had a really great time visiting her and her husband Lee. I would love to be able to see them more often. They are fantastic people and a joy to be around. It's great to have nice relatives, isn't it?
Well, have an RV to look at tomorrow, so hopefully we'll get something bigger, soon. It's getting a little cramped in here. Did I mention it has 240 square feet of space?? Well, it feels like 40. And it feels like it's getting smaller as time goes by! (why is that?) Pretty soon, we'll need to have a couple of the kids sleep out in the pickup!! Just kidding, of course. (that is, if they don't quit bellyaching at each other . . .) But, it would be nice to upgrade just a wee bit, don't you thnk?
Well, this RV park has an indoor hot tub with my name on it. So, I'm going to do a bit of relaxing here shortly. Perfect thing to do on the day of rest - for what else does one do on a normal rainy day besides relax, read - or maybe shop? :)
Anyway, hope you all have a really great Labor Day weekend!
Blessings,
jill and all
NEWS FLASH!!!
We finally bought a pickup! Huzzah! We got a 2004 Ford 4X4 diesel (hey - they did not take the stimulus money you know) and I think it's going to suit us well. It has a lot more power than the suburban, so hopefully we'll be able to go more than 20 mph up hill! It's pretty nice, and it's a four door so there is plenty of room in the back for the crew. We'll have to get a topper so we can store all our junk that is currently in the other vehicle though! But, it should work. (God willing) So, we have an extra slightly used suburban to get rid of - anybody interested?!
We drove up to Portland and, well, it's not Salt Lake City. It's hard to compare such a clean city with wide streets to Portland with it's grafitti and trash and super narrow roads where each one has 13 different names. I mean, we are driving on Tualatin Rd for 3 miles and after turning to the right 3 times, to the left twice (and yes, we're still on Tualatin) all of a sudden it just stops. To the right is one name, to the left is another. So, we go by the directions and take the road to the right, which after 3 blocks the name suddenly changes. Just like that. We keep going (per the map) and after 5 more blocks, the name of the road changes again. This happens 4 TIMES and we're still on the same road! What? I mean, one guy giving us directions tells us, "Well, you go a little ways on 2nd, then it turns into Bell Rd. then it turns into River Rd. and then it turns into Davis Dr. We're on the left." ??? And we haven't driven 2 miles! I mean, it's not like it's on the edge of a suburb so that you're in one town and then all of a sudden you're in another (that would actually make sense) - no - it's all still the same town - they just decided to change the name in the middle of the road. I think they just wanted to confuse the visitors!
My theory - when the people came over on the Oregon Trail, each built a house - right - and they would just call the road they were on - say - Jones St. Then the Williams family came in and built their house a mile away and called the road going by their house - Williams Rd. And after a while, as the area grew and the two roads finally met it was, "Hey, this is Jones St. " and neighbor number two says, "No, it's not, it's Williams Rd." And it became the Hatfields and the McCoys of street naming. So to avoid blood-shed, they decided to just leave the names as they were and let the rest of the planet figure it out. This insanity exists all over this area! Not just Portland. It's in Salem, and every town around here. Maybe that's why even Google is confused, cause we have gotten lost about 5 times so far. Crazy.
One very nice thing about the Oregon coast is my Aunt Troona who lives here. She is the most wonderful person and we had a really great time visiting her and her husband Lee. I would love to be able to see them more often. They are fantastic people and a joy to be around. It's great to have nice relatives, isn't it?
Well, have an RV to look at tomorrow, so hopefully we'll get something bigger, soon. It's getting a little cramped in here. Did I mention it has 240 square feet of space?? Well, it feels like 40. And it feels like it's getting smaller as time goes by! (why is that?) Pretty soon, we'll need to have a couple of the kids sleep out in the pickup!! Just kidding, of course. (that is, if they don't quit bellyaching at each other . . .) But, it would be nice to upgrade just a wee bit, don't you thnk?
Well, this RV park has an indoor hot tub with my name on it. So, I'm going to do a bit of relaxing here shortly. Perfect thing to do on the day of rest - for what else does one do on a normal rainy day besides relax, read - or maybe shop? :)
Anyway, hope you all have a really great Labor Day weekend!
Blessings,
jill and all
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Cause I – like Hood River – am long winded . . .
I told you this was the windsurfing capital of the world, and that is so. But it’s also the kite boarding capital of the world. Kite boarding is where you stand on a wind surfing board, kind of like a surf board only instead of a giant sail attached to the board, YOU are attached to a gigantic kite that goes where the wind takes you. Now, these guys can really fly. Literally. We sat and watched a couple guys just get lifted way up into the air and seem to hang there at the mercy of(or cruelty of, depending on your viewpoint) the wind, til the gust subsided and let them float down onto the water (or drop down, and some not so gently, I might add). Can you say, ouch? You see hundreds of these ‘sailors’ in just this one spot here. It’s a miracle none of them crash into each other or the kites don’t get all tangled up as they pass by. We were quite amazed by that actually.
Now, to clear things up – we are in Hood River – the town called Hood River, for you see, no windsurfing or kite boarding is actually done on the Hood River the river, no, the actual surfing sports are done on the Columbia River that flows directly passed Hood River, the town. Got all that? Right.
It is so fun to just sit on the grass with all the other tourists and watch as these brave (or stupid – you decide) men and women go back and forth with their very colorful sails and kites. Ezra wants to kite board in the worst way, but you have to be at least 90 pounds to do it – so as he is, I imagine we’d find him back in South Dakota by week’s end. (Seen the movie ‘Up’ anyone?!) He does love it here and could really get into this stuff I’m sure. He’s the ready-for-danger um, action kind of guy. But I am not the ready-for-danger or action kind of mom. So, he’s grounded (read - must stay on the ground) til he’s – oh – 25. Hey, I let him windsurf in The Hook, the protected practice area, wha’d you think - I’m going to let my 11 year old get carried away down a whirlwind of a river attached to a kite?! Ha. I think not.
It’s a very strange thing though, the wind is windy only in this area right here. Yesterday the boys went down to the local high school football field, on the Washington side to fly their kites and there was nary a stitch of wind. Yet, down the road a ways closer to the river, (Columbia River, that is, in Hood River, the town) it’s super gusty. Strange indeed.
So, since we couldn’t join ‘em, we had to beat ‘em. The boys got their big trick kites out and went to the grassy area just next to the windsurfing area and had a blast. The wind is so strong here, the kites we have nearly carried the boys away right there. Good thing the kites were a wee bit smaller than the ones the kite boarders were using, or I’d have three kids half way to Colorado by now. They are pretty good at flying them, even though they had to really work at it. It was fun to watch, til the sprinklers came on. Well, I guess that was fun to watch too! :)
We have been visited by little bees the last several days as we have been eating outside. At one point, Gary had 5 of his little friends all over him and his food. I've decided to eat in the trailer, thank you very much. Bees like that, well, they are pretty harmless, but yesterday, they brought a body guard, a wasp, and it of course, stung Noah. Thank God for activated charcoal. Ever hear of it? Well, as a shameless plug, we have friends who sell kits for spider bites, but the stuff works wonders on all kinds of bites. Bees, spiders, snakes, even scorpions. Go to: www.brownrecluses.com A good friend of ours got bit by a copperhead snake and the activated charcoal is what helped save her. (Aside from God, of course) Amazing stuff, I’m telling you. Nice to have on hand just in case.
Now I am going to give you another piece of advice. Before you decide to move to another RV park because you want to save a few bucks, look at the fine print. What I mean by that is, the new place may not be all the brochure says it is. Oh, it’s nice and new and all, but they didn’t say you had to first of all pay a toll just to get across the bridge to get to the place, PAY to take a shower, nor did they tell you their internet , though fast when it works, doesn’t work too often. And they also failed to mention that the railroad tracks are 20 feet from your window! Literally. Wouldn’t be too bad if the trains didn't run every other hour – ALL NIGHT LONG! You know how they say a tornado sounds just like a freight train barreling down on you? Well, a freight train at 2am sounds just like a tornado. The first time I heard it coming I wanted to run for the basement. Then I remembered – I’m in an RV – there is no basement! Not good for light sleepers, I can assure you. (says Gary: A train ran by here?) So tomorrow we’re moving on, God willing. I have to get some sleep!
But I will miss the fresh picked fruit here. Peaches, nectarines, berries and the most fantastic tree-ripened figs you have ever tasted. Unbelievable. I could live here just for that. Fresh fruit all summer and fall, how can you not love it? You just have to pick the right RV park to park in, and all will be well. Or, I guess you could just find some land and/or a house and well, stay here. That would work too. . .
Well, today we plan to drive up to Goldendale on the Washington side and stop and see Stonehenge on the way. Apparently, someone erected a replica of the famous site right here in the Gorge. So, since I will most likely never see the real Stonehenge in England, we’ll stop and check it out. It’s got to be better than the car Stonehenge made of actual cars standing on end in the same pattern somewhere in Kansas. It’s safe to say I don’t have to see that attraction before I die.
And with that novel of a post - I say, adios.
Blessings,
jill and all
Now, to clear things up – we are in Hood River – the town called Hood River, for you see, no windsurfing or kite boarding is actually done on the Hood River the river, no, the actual surfing sports are done on the Columbia River that flows directly passed Hood River, the town. Got all that? Right.
It is so fun to just sit on the grass with all the other tourists and watch as these brave (or stupid – you decide) men and women go back and forth with their very colorful sails and kites. Ezra wants to kite board in the worst way, but you have to be at least 90 pounds to do it – so as he is, I imagine we’d find him back in South Dakota by week’s end. (Seen the movie ‘Up’ anyone?!) He does love it here and could really get into this stuff I’m sure. He’s the ready-for-danger um, action kind of guy. But I am not the ready-for-danger or action kind of mom. So, he’s grounded (read - must stay on the ground) til he’s – oh – 25. Hey, I let him windsurf in The Hook, the protected practice area, wha’d you think - I’m going to let my 11 year old get carried away down a whirlwind of a river attached to a kite?! Ha. I think not.
It’s a very strange thing though, the wind is windy only in this area right here. Yesterday the boys went down to the local high school football field, on the Washington side to fly their kites and there was nary a stitch of wind. Yet, down the road a ways closer to the river, (Columbia River, that is, in Hood River, the town) it’s super gusty. Strange indeed.
So, since we couldn’t join ‘em, we had to beat ‘em. The boys got their big trick kites out and went to the grassy area just next to the windsurfing area and had a blast. The wind is so strong here, the kites we have nearly carried the boys away right there. Good thing the kites were a wee bit smaller than the ones the kite boarders were using, or I’d have three kids half way to Colorado by now. They are pretty good at flying them, even though they had to really work at it. It was fun to watch, til the sprinklers came on. Well, I guess that was fun to watch too! :)
We have been visited by little bees the last several days as we have been eating outside. At one point, Gary had 5 of his little friends all over him and his food. I've decided to eat in the trailer, thank you very much. Bees like that, well, they are pretty harmless, but yesterday, they brought a body guard, a wasp, and it of course, stung Noah. Thank God for activated charcoal. Ever hear of it? Well, as a shameless plug, we have friends who sell kits for spider bites, but the stuff works wonders on all kinds of bites. Bees, spiders, snakes, even scorpions. Go to: www.brownrecluses.com A good friend of ours got bit by a copperhead snake and the activated charcoal is what helped save her. (Aside from God, of course) Amazing stuff, I’m telling you. Nice to have on hand just in case.
Now I am going to give you another piece of advice. Before you decide to move to another RV park because you want to save a few bucks, look at the fine print. What I mean by that is, the new place may not be all the brochure says it is. Oh, it’s nice and new and all, but they didn’t say you had to first of all pay a toll just to get across the bridge to get to the place, PAY to take a shower, nor did they tell you their internet , though fast when it works, doesn’t work too often. And they also failed to mention that the railroad tracks are 20 feet from your window! Literally. Wouldn’t be too bad if the trains didn't run every other hour – ALL NIGHT LONG! You know how they say a tornado sounds just like a freight train barreling down on you? Well, a freight train at 2am sounds just like a tornado. The first time I heard it coming I wanted to run for the basement. Then I remembered – I’m in an RV – there is no basement! Not good for light sleepers, I can assure you. (says Gary: A train ran by here?) So tomorrow we’re moving on, God willing. I have to get some sleep!
But I will miss the fresh picked fruit here. Peaches, nectarines, berries and the most fantastic tree-ripened figs you have ever tasted. Unbelievable. I could live here just for that. Fresh fruit all summer and fall, how can you not love it? You just have to pick the right RV park to park in, and all will be well. Or, I guess you could just find some land and/or a house and well, stay here. That would work too. . .
Well, today we plan to drive up to Goldendale on the Washington side and stop and see Stonehenge on the way. Apparently, someone erected a replica of the famous site right here in the Gorge. So, since I will most likely never see the real Stonehenge in England, we’ll stop and check it out. It’s got to be better than the car Stonehenge made of actual cars standing on end in the same pattern somewhere in Kansas. It’s safe to say I don’t have to see that attraction before I die.
And with that novel of a post - I say, adios.
Blessings,
jill and all
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