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
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