Those itty bitty dogs!

Aug. 4-10, 2013 Silver Cove RV Resort, Silver Lake, WA

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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

RV LIFE:
Ugh! It's hot! This is only the 2nd time we've used the AC this summer. I have a feeling we'll be using it every day this week.
Wish I was back on the Peninsula. 64° in Forks, 77° here at Silverlake.
My patience is being tested! The RV Park internet is slow and sometimes non existent. Our Verizon internet is barely usable.

My neck and shoulder are still killing me. Scott believes it is a pinched nerve in my neck. When does it get to the point of going to a Dr.? Wish I had some stronger pain meds.
The pain is so bad that when we visited Mt. St. Helen's, I just stayed in the car. If there's a good side to this, dogs weren't allowed on the trails or even the sidewalks, except in the designated pet area. I felt like we had some contagious disease and needed to be segregated! So I stayed in the truck with the AC running off and on and the pups in the back.
I finally broke down and searched through our box of prescriptions to hopefully find some pain meds. Aha! Our previous Irish Setter had bone cancer and was given Tramadol to ease his pain.  We put him to sleep before the meds ran out. So yes, I'm taking my dog's prescription drugs. Of course I looked up side effects and mixing with other drugs and food, etc. The Tramadol takes a long time to take effect, but the longer you take it, it seems to work better.
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PET PEEVE:
Prejudice against large dogs. Upon arriving here at Silver Cove RV Resort, I was reading their brochure to find out about recycling, pet rules, wifi code, etc. I came upon a "rule" that bothered me. Permission needs to be given for dogs over 50 pounds. Grrrrr! That is not stated on the website, nor did they mention anything when I called to make reservations. Luckily upon registering, we had no trouble. Also, only 2 pets per site.
What poop do you usually see not picked up? The itty bitty poops. It may be small, but should still be picked up.
What dogs do you usually hear barking as you pass by. The itty bitty dogs.
What dogs are the ones growling and showing their teeth? The itty bitty ones.
Yes, I guess I'm generalizing, just like the RV Park is generalizing about large dogs.
Most large dogs we find in RV Parks are quiet and well behaved. They have to be or they would be considered a nuisance, or dangerous. But those itty bitty dogs can pull on the leash, go after my large dogs, bark, growl & show their teeth and that is tolerated.
Itty bitty dogs need obedience training also. It takes training to keep a dog from barking at a passerby. It takes training to keep them from jumping on people. It takes training to desensitize them to strange dogs & walk calmly by. Big dog or little dog, they both should be well behaved.
Every morning I passed an RV site that had three yappy itty bitty dogs. My dogs calmly walked past while these itty bitty dogs ran to the end of their tethers, barking and growling at our dogs. This is times three!
I admit, I purposely walk by their site, just to cause the commotion. Maybe it will make the owners a little more aware of the disturbance their itty bitty dogs cause. Oh, and another thing. There is a 2 pet limit. They have THREE yappers!
I suppose we are disregarding the park rules about pets also. But nobody needs to know except you and me.
2 dogs (over 50 pounds)
2 pet rats (temporary)
1 African grey parrot (Not a noisy bird)
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5 total pets  Tsk, tsk!
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SIGHTS:
Mount Saint Helen volcano - WA

Dogs not allowed.
There are quite a few pull offs on the road to view Mt. Saint Helen. Also there are about 4 visitor's centers. They each cover a different aspect of the area.

The cost is $8.00 to go up the trail to the lake formed after Mt. Saint Helen blew. We again used our Nat'l Park Svc. Annual pass, so more money saved.

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RECIPES:
Back when we were in Port Townsend, WA, I had a great smoked salmon sandwich. I asked what the dressing on the bread was. I was told it was Pesto mayo. I love pesto, but never buy it. I decided to make some.

                    PESTO       

1 cup firmly packed basil leaves
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1/4 Olive oil
1/4 cup ground hazelnuts or pine nuts or walnuts
1 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice

Place all ingredients in food processor.
Cover and blend for 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape sides.
Makes about 3/4 Cup.
Toss with pasta or spread on a sandwich.

I felt good being able to use basil that I grew in my own mini garden

Red Petunia, Thyme, Rosemary, Basil and Cilantro

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Wednesday, August 7, 2013

RV LIFE:

Via facebook, Scott found out he has a relative here in WA. John & Ella Mae drove about an hour to come visit us at the RV. We don't entertain much, so I was a little nervous, plus didn't know how much neck & shoulder pain I'd still be in. All worked out fine. The pain was tolerable (still on Tramadol). I made deviled eggs and put out cheese, sopressata and crackers. I liked that we had cheeses from Port Townsend and Sopressata from Astoria. John Buskirk is very interested in genealogy (I have no interest), but Scott is interested. John had a 3" binder full of letters written by Buskirk's and history of past Buskirk's. I was really impressed by the quality work that he put into this. All pages neatly typed with photos interspersed and sheets all in page protectors.

When they first arrived, Lyla greeted them at the door and came out to get a better sniff. Ella Mae says, "Oh you have a dog and it's a big dog!", I said "We have two, and a Parrot and we're pet sitting". I didn't mention what kind of pet (rats) since some people freak out about rats. When we headed indoors Scott mentioned the pet rats. Ella Mae wanted to take a look, so I took Patches out and she thought he was cute. Ella Mae is ok in my book!

For 35 years, they made their living being puppeteers traveling through out the country. Ella Mae made all the puppets (similar to muppets). Check out their website.

John & Ella Mae were quite easy to talk to and Scott really enjoyed talking about family from Minnesota that he met during his childhood.

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Friday, August 9, 2013

RV LIFE:
These are the days I love. We finally had a break in the temperature. It was overcast today which kept the sun from heating everything up. I was able to have my breakfast, coffee and toast outside. I then read a bit, and brought my laptop out to catch up on emails. Then I did some crafting that I've been putting off.
Scott smoked ribs in our Cobb grill. Yum. The dogs stayed outside with me. I was in one chair and Devin was next to me in a similar chair.  He's my buddy.
I really love this life!
My pain has either subsided or the Tramadol is working better. I will try to take Aleve tomorrow and see how the pain is.

Yesterday Scott took our Sea Eagle 330 canoe/kayak out in the canal. This was it's maiden voyage. I wanted to go out too, but again, my shoulder pain was just too intense.

Scott is very happy with this product. He said it seems very stable, meaning it does NOT easily flip. He also said the separate inflatable seats and backrest were very comfortable. I look forward to trying it out.

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CRAFTS:
Finally, I used up all that acrylic red yarn!!!! Hallelujah!

That's one way to use up a lot of yarn! And no, that is not me.

Here are my final projects I crocheted with this seemingly never ending yarn.

A little 2" heart that I made into a pin for Valentine's Day.

Headband made in Tunisian crochet stitch

 Puffy heart garland for Valentine's Day decoration

Phew, enough of that yarn!
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WHERE WE'RE GOING:
Aug. 12-18, 2013 Coeur d'Alene RV Park, Post Falls, ID
Aug. 19-28, 2013 Jim & Mary's RV Park, Missoula, MT
Aug. 29-Sept. 1, 2013 Jennifer's Driveway Boondock, Bozeman, MT
Sept. 2-5, 2013 Mammoth Campground, Yellowstone, WY (Tentative)
Sept. 6-15, 2013 Horseshoe Bend Campground NFS, Lovell, WY (Tentative)
Sept. 16-30, 2013 Wheels West RV Park, Custer, SD

south for the Winter of 2013/214