Divorce Court

July 9-17, 2013 Point Hudson RV Park, Port Townsend, WA

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RV LIFE:
The RV life continues to be a great life. We have had absolutely perfect weather for the past 3 weeks or more. Now that we are in Northern Washington, we are being tricked into thinking this is the norm. We've had perfect weather, except one evening we had high winds. Other than that it's been 55-60° overnight and all over the 70's during the day. With the breeze off the water cooling the temperature. There have been times I've sat outside in the sun with a blanket on. I took a two hour nap outside yesterday. I have learned to embrace my wonderful life of relaxation!
I believe we are looking out to the Puget Sound and on to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This is much prettier than looking over the empty vastness of the Ocean. What I see is an Island across the way with huge snow capped mountains. Lots of sailboats on the water as well as cruise ships and the ferry.

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SIGHTS:
Port Townsend is a quaint little town with a variety of things to do in a 1 mile radius. There are coffee shops all over the town and hidden along side streets. I don't know how they can make a profit with there being so many in such a small area.
There are plenty of restaurants and yes, all within an easy walk. I checked out Yelp for reviews and no restaurants had bad reviews. Most were excellent and others were average to above average. Very rare to have such a wealth of good restaurants so close.
There are also 2 yarn shops in town, about 3 bakeries, plus upscale thrift shops, art shops, a spice shop. I really enjoy walking through town.
The marina is right next to us and you can go on a 1/2 day or all day sail, rent a kayak, go whale watching or just watch the variety of boats come and go.

Port Townsend Farmer's Market is held on Wednesdays and Saturdays in "Uptown" Port Townsend. Uptown does not mean the Northern part of town, but literally, the higher elevation part of town.
Wednesday's market is very small but also less crowded and still had the essentials for me. There was home made cheese, 2 bakeries, 2 produce stands, a just a couple of crafters. The Saturday Market was twice the size and more crowded. As most things in Port Townsend, this was within walking distance, but uphill!

Looking from uptown to downtown

The architecture is really interesting also. Lots of old brick buildings. Many of the stores have kept the exposed brick walls.

It's been a joy walking along the shoreline, walking through the neighborhoods with all the beautiful flowers gardens in bloom and walking through town with all the little touches that give Port Townsend the small town feel.

A beautiful quilt just hanging in between a couple of stores.

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PETS:
Anyone following my blog knows that I am a domestic animal lover. I fostered Setters when we lived in NJ. I would never tell Scott when I was getting a foster dog. He did not enjoy the extra work and disruption of his schedule that a foster dog entails. So, if I don't tell him, he can't say no. Once the dog is here, Scott may show his displeasure, but soon warms up to the dog. I know how far I can push my husband and keep the peace and avoid divorce court. Then when our home was filled with 4 dogs,because he decided to adopt one of our Irish Setter fosters and I adopted a senior diabetic English Setter,  I started to foster guinea pigs. Earlier this year while in TX, I picked up a stray little 15# Rat Terrier type dog without asking hubby. We were packing up to leave and Scott said, what are you doing with him. I said, "Taking him with us!", not "Taking him with us?" That was a close call. It's very different in an RV. It's difficult to separate the animals and people if needed. But I had a good feeling. I neutered the little guy...Renny, the terrier mix, not Scott! And we found a great home for him in WY. All is good. When I got my first and only tattoo, I didn't tell or ask Scott. I just did it and faced the consequences later. Luckily, Scott liked it.

Again, if I don't ask, he can't say no. We are almost 19 years married, so I guess I know how far the limit is.
Then the pet sitting gig comes along. Ask Scott? Nooooo! Tell Scott? Noooooo!
Through the blogging grapevine I was able to help out a family that needed a pet sitter for their rats. Yes, rats! Rats are really great pets for kids and adults. I feel they are much better than gerbils and hamsters. My little experience with gerbils and hamsters is that they bite. Ouch! I've never had a pet rat bite me. My buddy, Cagney (as in James Cagney, "You dirty rat") used to squeak and hang on the end of his cage to be near me while I exercised on the stepper. I had to let him out and put him on my shoulder to keep him content.

I was given another rat as a birthday present from my niece after my first rat died. Both rats died at around age 2 1/2. I was heartbroken, just as I would be for a dog. No more pet rats for me. I just can't go through the heartache every 2-3 years.
Enter pet rat sitting! What will Scott say? Doesn't matter. It's a done deal. I have made the commitment and once they are here, what can Scott do?
I met the Boyinks while we were at Diamond Lake, OR. Somehow we got on the subject of pets and my pet rats were mentioned. The day we left Diamond Lake, the Keiter's arrived to meet up with the Boyinks. The Keiter's mentioned how they wanted to go to Canada, but don't think they'll be able to because rats can't go into one of the cities in Canada they want to go to. Hmmm, Boyink's mention Buskirk's and through email, we make the secret plans to transfer Chino & Patches to us.
The day after the Keiter's arrived at the same RV park as we are in (Pt. Hudson), they stop over, oh, just to talk...no mention of rats. Scott enjoys the conversation and likes them. That's good. Ten minutes later, the whole family arrives carrying a cage and paper bags. Huh? Well "honeeeeeeey", I said we would pet sit their rats so they can go into Canada. It's ONLY for 6 wks. He can't get mad at me in front of them.
The ratkins are settled in our RV and I'm outside trying to relax, but wondering what Scott is thinking. He comes over to me and says, "I would have said yes". Oh my gosh! He is such a sweetheart! All is well. This was meant to be. Not only are we in the same RV park at the same time to transfer the ratkins to us, but we'll also be in the Yellowstone area in the same time frame to transfer them back.
Scott was very understanding. We are sort of in the same predicament about Canada as the Keiter's. We have an African Grey Parrot that plucks itself bald. Even if we got a health certificate for her, she looks sick and we don't know if they'd allow her in. So unless we can find someone to watch her for a couple of months, we won't be going to Canada and Alaska anytime soon.
So divorce court has been avoided once again. My hubby is the best. You can read the Keiter's version of this story in their post here.
Devin is handling the new critters quite well. Much better than I thought.

And let me introduce you to Chino & Patches.

Chino on left, Patches on right. Awwwww!

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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Somewhat depressing, but in the end some realizations.
Set a goal and trudge on for the reward at the end.
Don't let your relationships just go on without keeping it alive. One day you wake up and feel like strangers.
When you set the goal, remember it's your goal and not to be "shared" with others unless that was your original plan.
I think the book could have been much shorter, but overall, I liked the characters and how their lives were changed.

View all my reviews

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WHERE WE'RE GOING:

July 18-20, 2013 Elwha Dam RV Park, Port Angeles, WA
July 21-27, 2013 Cape Motel & RV Park, Neah Bay, WA
July 28-Aug. 3, 2013 Riverview RV Park, Forks, WA
Aug. 4-10, 2013 Silver Cove RV Resort, Silver Lake, WA
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. 2, 2013 Jennifer's Driveway Boondock, Bozeman, MT
Sept. 3-9, 2013 Mammoth Campground, Yellowstone, WY
Tentative
Sept. 10-16, 2013 Pete D's RV Park, Sheridan, WY (Tentative)
Sept. 19-Oct 2, 2013 Custer, SD

south for the Winter of 2013/214

Chillin'

June 25- July 8, 2013 River's End RV Park, Chinook,WA

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RV LIFE:
Yep, just chillin. What's that mean?
From the Urban Dictionary: "1. relaxing doing nothing special.  2. To be in a state of prolonged satisfactory boredom. 3. A positive phase of being, not regarded as being bored, but not in the process of doing anything worth elaborating upon."  
But, elaborate I will. That's part of what my blog is about. Elaborating about daily activities or non-activities, so family, friends, acquaintances, or just nosy people can keep up with what & how we're doing. Read on...or not.
So, yes, I've been just chillin. Scott has been working. He's been doing some more wiring for our solar power. He's also still been researching about the proper set up. As he reads more and more, he realizes he's done a damn good job! He hasn't made mistakes that make you lose power from the panels through the wires to the batteries. We aren't really looking to boondock, but we like the option of being able to. For two weeks, all our lights (LED) have been working off the solar panels. Even though we're not paying for electric, it's nice to be able to use less.
As his reward, every morning and every night I've been...
           get your mind out of the gutter...
                     making his morning coffee for him & in the evening making a beautiful salad.
Not much, but it shows my appreciation of him and he enjoys my efforts.

We will be heading North to Port Townsend, WA. We'll be way up by Puget Sound and just a ferry ride into Canada. I have been planning and reserving our spots for the rest of the summer. I hate being committed, but I don't want to arrive and be turned away. Once we start heading South in October, we'll probably go back to our week to week plans instead of 2 months ahead planning. You can see at the bottom of the post the new places listed where we'll be.
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SIGHTS:
Just chillin. We haven't really taken the opportunity to look around the area much. We never made it to Cape Disappointment, which is only 5 miles up the road. We haven't walked the wonderful trails in the area. This is why I can't lose weight. I'm not exercising, just chillin.  Scott has been finding local geocaches, so he's getting some exercise.
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PETS:
Just chillin, beautiful weather and I've been hanging out with the doggies outside daily. The campground filled up for the holiday. The weekenders came and also brought their families, which means, eek! Children! There were 4 tents set up across the street from us with a large group 14 people and 3 dogs. I was pleasantly surprised at how quiet they were. Only one time, in the evening, did a 3 yr old go running down the road screaming and crying, which totally freaked poor Devin. During our morning walk a sweet 7 yr old girl was riding her bike round and round and round the park. She spotted us and started asking questions and decided to ride beside us. Devin just didn't know what to do. He gets excited over bicycles, but then there is a child on it. He would try to stay close to the bike, the then girl would try to pet him and he'd duck down and back to Momma. The exposure is good for him (well not the screaming kid), but well behaved calm kids.
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BUSINESS REVIEW:
Caton's Capers, Astoria Market, OR
My rating 4.5 out of 5
Great customer service. Beautiful, good quality collars. Would like the collars priced between $18.-$20. instead of $25.
We stopped at the Astoria Sunday Market again this week. We picked up a couple of martingale collars. I had one special made for Lyla, but ends up it looks better on Devin.  We ended up with a different new collar for Lyla. Julie of Caton's Capers has a greyhound. She makes and sells dog collars. Very nice woman and nice products. She has a nice variety of martingale collars which I swear by. Her collars sell for $25.00 each. We received a $5.00 discount for buying two.

From Wikipedia: "A martingale is a type of dog collar that provides more control over the animal without the choking effect of a slip collar.
Martingale dog collars are also known as greyhound, whippet or humane choke collars. The martingale dog collar was designed for sighthounds because their necks are larger than their heads and they can often slip out of buckle collars. These collars have gained popularity among other breed owners in the recent past with many trainers now recommending them instead of choke chains or buckle collars.
A martingale collar is made with two loops. The larger loop is slipped onto the dogs neck and a leash is then clipped to the smaller loop. When the dog tries to pull, the tension on the leash pulls the small loop taut, which makes the large loop smaller and tighter on the neck, thus preventing escape. Properly fitted, the collar will be comfortably loose when not in use."
Martingale collars don't allow a dog to slip out of his collar. I think all volunteer dog rescue transporters should use these for transporting. Scared dogs can easily slip out of regular collars but not martingale collars.
Here are a few varieties of martingale collars.

 http://www.stepaheadcollars.com/about-martingale-collars/

         

May be found in PetSmart

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RESTAURANT REVIEW:
Smoked Salmon Chowder Food Truck, Astoria, OR & Ilwaco, WA Markets
My rating 2 out of 5, Scott's rating 3 out of 5

It sounds delicious, it looks delicious, but...
I found it very bland. What few pieces of smoked salmon were in it, were very good, but the chowder was almost tasteless.
The chowder was nice and thick, but had no creamy or buttery taste. It seemed like it was just flour based. (In clam chowder, there is a slight clam taste throughout because clam juice is added.) I thought the green herb specks in the soup was dill. I LOVE dill. But it was only dried parsley which adds appearance, but no flavor. I DID eat the whole generous serving. But the only reason I ate it was because of the fresh veggies in the soup. The corn kernels were crisp, the shredded carrots added texture and the celery added some flavor.

Bowpicker Fish & Chips, Astoria, OR
My rating 3 out of 5, Scott's rating 4 out of 5

We found out about Bowpicker from fellow bloggers rave reviews. It's probably become an Astoria "destination" because of it's unique "building" which is a Bowpicker (fishing boat) remodeled into a food truck type of place, but stays stationary.

The other unique thing is that their fish is albacore tuna, not cod. I wanted to try Bowpicker just because of the tuna. The tuna was good. Definitely a sturdier meat so it was very easy to pick up with my fingers and eat in the truck on the way home. I was surprised that it didn't have a stronger flavor. The steak fries were just average frozen thick cut fries. The fish was good, but would I wait in line for it? No. Scott also said he wouldn't wait in line, so that is why he gave 4 stars instead of 5.

This was a short line! About a dozen people and it took 1/2 to put in my order. Earlier in the day there were about 40 people in line. I would not be waiting for over an hour for average fish & chips, even if it is tuna.

Olebobs, Ilwaco, WA and Astoria Market, OR

Olebobs' storefront is right by the marina at Port Ilwaco. So it's worth stopping and enjoying the view also. I am not going to rate this one. I don't think we did it justice by just ordering fish & chips. I will say, that I prefer cod, which this place used. It may break apart more, but it is a sweeter flavored fish. I have found that fish & chips in this area are different than fish & chips on the East coast. I'm used to a heavier batter. I'm not saying one is better than the other, just different. The lighter batter is not as filling or greasy.

Olebobs has great reviews on Yelp. They all talk about the crab and how fresh it is. Scott was offered ice to keep his frozen crab cakes safe for the drive home. He hasn't tried them yet.

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CRAFTS: 

I reorganized my yarn stash...again. I made a spreadsheet and corresponding photos of the yarn I have and EXACTLY where it is stashed in the RV. I felt like I went shopping again. Some yarns I forgot about. I've really got to knit more.  I've got yarn in a suitcase, yarn in a laptop backpack, yarn behind the odd space under the stairs in the basement, yarn hanging from a towel holder in the basement, yarn in my craft cabinet...I cannot say I'm bored.

Hanging on towel rack

Under the stairwell

I did have one casualty, but I might still try to save it. It is a cone of acrylic chenille that was given to me, so really no loss if I need to throw it out.

Somehow it got wet even in a ziplock bag. It has some mold on parts of it. There must be 800 yards on this cone. I think it would make a nice sweater. I think I'll let it dry out a while and then test it out.

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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:
Undead Sublet by Molly Harper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Teen vampire book. Vampires can live and get along with humans and there are even laws of behavior and rights of the vampires. Very cute short story.
Can you imagine a human chef trying to create recipes for vampires? Basic ingredient of course is blood. Then try to make that blood remind vampires of foods they ate as humans.
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WHERE WE'RE GOING:

July 9-17, 2013 Port. Hudson RV Park, Port Townsend, WA
July 18-20, 2013 Elwha Dam RV Park, Port Angeles, WA
July 21-27, 2013 Cape Motel & RV Park, Neah Bay, WA
July 28-Aug. 3, 2013 Riverview RV Park, Forks, WA
Aug. 4-10, 2013 Silver Cove RV Resort, Silver Lake, WA
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. 2, 2013 Jennifer's Driveway Boondock, Bozeman, MT
Sept. 3-9, 2013 Mammoth Campground, Yellowstone, WY
Tentative
Sept. 10-16, 2013 Pete D's RV Park, Sheridan, WY (Tentative)
Sept. 19-Oct 2, 2013 Custer, SD

south for the Winter of 2013/214

We've got Solar Power!

June 14 -24, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR

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RV MODS:
The reason Scott didn't go to the Farmer's Market the other day was because he spent the weekend installing solar panels and all the wiring that goes along with it.
Unfortunately, I can't tell you much about it. I know we needed 2 extra batteries and of course the solar panels. I'm so proud of Scott for researching and being able to install this. We will be stopping by AM Solar in the morning for them to check out his work and make sure all is working properly.

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BUSINESS REVIEW:
AM Solar, Springfield, OR 97477
Our rating 5 out of 5
Although we did not have them install our solar, we did purchase the panels from them. They were very willing to share their expertise with Scott, which really gave Scott the confidence to do the install himself.
AM Solar came highly recommended from fellow RV bloggers. Of course, since they're booked until the end of the year, should be proof enough that they do great work.
An added bonus is they love dogs and gave us homemade, grain free biscuits for them!
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RV LIFE:
We have really enjoyed our time here in Eugene. Armitage County Park is a beautiful park and if we are ever in this area again, we will definitely stay at this park. I like the feel of this area. Oregon is looking good for a contender for where we may settle, if we settle down.
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FOOD:
Even though we aren't "camping", we still enjoy a campfire and making camp pies!
We've made not only dessert pies, but also our favorite, Ruebens!
There are many recipes on the WWW. Just search for camp pies, hobo pies, or pie irons.


Pie Iron Reubens

Rye bread
Deli sliced corned beef
Deli sliced swiss cheese
Sauerkraut
Thousand Island Dressing

Corned beef on rye. 

 The meat is only in the middle of the bread because the bread is larger than the pie iron.

Add Thousand Island Dressing on top of meat

Add sauerkraut

Swiss cheese

Melt butter on pie irons

Place sandwich in pie iron and squeeze shut.

Hold over fire and check for doneness after 5 minutes.

All done. Break off the burned part outside the main sandwich.

Give the burned excess to your dog. The don't mind burnt.

Enjoy. Want a bite?

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PETS:
Devin & Lyla have been enjoying the dog park. A great bunch of dogs.

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RESTAURANT REVIEW:
Hawaiian Time, Eugene, OR
My rating 5 out of 5
I only tried one meal, but based on that one meal, I want to go back! First, I love rice and this meal comes with two scoops of white rice. Also a side of macaroni salad, which I really enjoyed. Then the main meat on a portion of the rice. I had the Honolulu Beef, which was a Korean-style marinade and made the beef really tasty.
Very casual restaurant.

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WHERE WE'RE GOING:
June 25- July 8, 2013 River's End RV Park, Chinook,WA
July 9-17, 2013 Port. Hudson RV Park, Port Townsend, WA
Tentative:
Neah Bay, WA
La Push, WA
Coeur d'Alene, ID

WA, ID, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/214