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)
___________
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

Peace

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

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RV LIFE:
Perfect weather
Green grass
Quiet campground
Good book
Beautiful yarn for new project
Calm dogs
Good cup of coffee and a cookie.
PEACE!
I am having a blast here. Even though we had two rigs park next to us and block our view, this is still a lovely place to stay. The sites are set at angles, so even though they may be close, they don't feel it. Most of the time, we have not had neighbors.

A motorhome from Massachusetts pulled in near us. I was sitting outside reading. They no sooner parked and a little boy comes out and walks right up to Devin to say hello. Poor Devin is afraid of kids. His name is Isaiah  and he's about 8 years old. Anyone who knows me, know I do not generally like kids. We go to parks that don't have swimming pools etc because the less the park offers for entertainment, the less likely families will camp there. I gave Isaiah some treats to give to Devin, hoping to help condition Devin to associate good treats with children. Devin would take the treats then run away.
Isaiah then proceeded to show me his campfire lighting kit in a leather pouch. He was trying to make a spark with a piece of metal and a rock. I told him he should try a magnifying glass and a leaf. His eyes grew wide and you could see the "lightbulb" go off in his head. He knew about magnifying glass and and the sun, so was fascinated by my suggestion. I would have NEVER suggested it, if he didn't seem responsible enough. This was a very smart 8 year old. I liked him. Sometimes a kids will just hit the small soft spot in my heart. He then proceeded to show me his feather topped fountain pen. He tore off this itty bitty piece of scrap paper (about the size of a dime) and gave it to me to try to write with the pen. I oohed and ahhed and said "cool". He was very happy to impress me. Sweet boy. It was a pleasure to meet him.
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SIGHTS:
Ilwaco Farmer's Market, Port of Ilwaco, WA
Saturdays May-Oct 10am - 4pm
Dogs allowed!

Nice little market. Not really a farmer's market. It is more of a craft market. There are many local artisans that create beautiful works of art.
I picked up a beautiful wire wrapped double

hummingbird feeder.










From the same vendor, Crack Pots, I picked up a painted stone pendant. It was a little pricey to me, but I was in "vacation mode", which is not a good thing when you are full time RV'rs.

There were so many things I wanted to buy! There were oil lamps made from sliced onyx . If I didn't have a tub full of candles, I would have picked this up. But the RV disciplinarian in me prevailed. Candles are used up and then that space is free. These stone candles would have to be stored safely for travel and would always take up space.  This is one of my incentives to continue to live in an RV. I won't be picking up "stuff". Even though this "stuff" may be beautiful and unique, I take a picture...it'll last longer and take up no space except on my computer hard drive. I know as soon as we settle into a house, we'll start to accumulate. I REALLY do NOT want that to happen, but I know it will, IF we settle.
There was a food truck selling delicious salmon chowder. Yum!
A few crocheters selling their finished projects. There were Jams, honey, scroll & turned wood work for purchase. There are canneries all over this area to purchase fresh, smoked and canned seafood.
We were entertained by some local yokels, a couple of mermaids.

 

There happened to be a couple of "exact" reproductions of two tall ships moored at the Port of Ilwaco for 4 days. We saw the Lady Washington happened to be moored at the Port of Ilwaco for 4 days. She is an "exact" reproduction of the Lady Washington that sailed in 1787 from Boston, down around Cape Horn and up to Vancouver.

We could go aboard for a $3.00 donation, which I did, but really not much to see. A lot of ropes to hoist the sails.

There were day cruises offered also. I asked a volunteer how many sleep on the ship. I was told anywhere from 12-18 people. If I was younger and without a hubby and pets, this would be a very cool experience. Except for the fact that I get seasick! For $500.00 you train for two weeks, on how to live and work on the ship. Then you go out on tour with the ship. The volunteer called it a free vacation. Once you pay the initial $500.00 and pass the course, you are welcome to join any of their excursions if there is room. She said it has been a wonderful experience. Interested?  Here's the info.

The Port of Ilwaco is not only a marina for pleasure boats, but it is also for working fisherman. I found this sign interesting and sad. I believe a fisherman's life is difficult.

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CRAFTS:
I'm STILL trying to use up the red acrylic yarn, plus I still have fun fur yarns from when I was making dog sweaters. So as an easy travel craft, I just made some simple single crochet decorative dog collars. I used 1 strand of the red acrylic and 1 strand of fun fur and single crocheted around elastic.

I gave a couple away at the Doggie Olympic Games.
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BOOK REVIEW:
Veil of Night by Linda Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A light reading murder "mystery". I really enjoyed the book, but must admit for anyone that is looking for a good murder mystery...don't bother with this one. I figured out who the killer was quite soon. In spite of that, I enjoyed the characters and got very frustrated at the bridezilla who is a spoiled BRAT. Love the wedding planner theme. Even though I did not have an elaborate wedding, I enjoy reading about other's wedding plans.
The love interest is your typical MAN, meaning big, hunky, strong, protective.
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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
Tentative:
Neah Bay, WA
La Push, WA
Coeur d'Alene, ID

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

Enjoying the Pacific Shore

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

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PETS:
Lyla is a "superstar"! She made it into the local paper...we think. We see her photo and snippet on line, but we can't find the paper anywhere! It's the Lower Columbia, WA edition of The Daily News.
Here's her photo and snippet below

We attended the Doggie Olympic Games in Long Beach, WA. A nice little event, small compared to the doggie events that I've attended in the Tri-State area (NY-NJ-PA), representing Above & Beyond English Setter Rescue. They organized doggie activities to enter (we arrived too late) and try to win "gold" medals. They had
What, No Ducks? Ball Toss           Nadia Comaneci Agility
Rip Van Winkle Sleep Off              Dunking For Dogs
Filla Fuller Brush Shedding             Luciano Pavarotti Commemorative Sing-Off
Babe Ruth Obedience Baseball         I’ve Got Rhythm Musical Sit
Peanut Butter Lick                         Frisbee Throw
Who’s Your Daddy? (What breed mixes your dog is)

You won't find this kind of event at the Jersey Shore. Oh no! Dogs are dirty creatures that carry diseases that could harm their precious (spoiled & entitled) children.

Fun agility contest

Devin looking for a dog to play with

Lab dug out a spot to keep cool

Kites and wind ornaments abound

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SIGHTS:
Long Beach Peninsula is a lovely little quiet line of communities. We are at a  nice quiet park that is next to Baker Bay. Long Beach reminds me of a mini Jersey Shore. Fun Beach, which is a site for Washington's SW Coast boasts, "Just outside the reach of the mighty Pacific, the popular Long Beach Boardwalk stretches for almost half a mile."  Wow! Really? A half a mile?

I remember walking along the connecting boardwalks of Avon-Belmar-Spring Lake, NJ that were about 7 miles long. Wildwood, NJ boardwalk is about 3.5 miles long. Seaside boardwalk is about 2.5 miles long. Both of these boardwalks are full of carnival games, t-shirt shops, local food, etc.
After reading the article below, I am more appreciative of being brought up so close to the Jersey Shore. It was an experience that is unique.
As a young child, living in Asbury Park, NJ, I remember my Mom walking my brother & I the 6 or 7 blocks to the beach. We had to walk through a tunnel first to get to the sand. I remember my brother had a habit of squatting at the water's edge and pooping in his bathing suit. Ewwww!
Then around age 11, we would go to the Belmar, NJ beach with my Nana (Mom's Mom). Nana would pack us snacks and lunch. She used to make us pickle sandwiches, which was white bread, mayo, and bread & butter pickles. Mmmm! To this day, I still enjoy slices of pickles on my sandwiches.
Then during my teenage years, I would spend my days at the beach with my girlfriend, Lynne, whose summer job was to rent out beach umbrellas. We'd spend the day sunbathing with baby oil all over our bodies and playing Spit. Good times.

Yes, on the weekend, the beach would be this crowded.
As a native of the Jersey Shore, you learned to not go anywhere on the weekends in the Summertime.
When I was working the midnight shift in my early 20's, I would head to the beach to sleep. I'd put lots of sunscreen on and cover my face. I'd sleep until about noon and then head home. Also in my 20's was the time to hang out at the boardwalk and people watch or be watched by other people.
As an adult, I have little interest in going to the beach. I prefer pine forests and babbling brooks. But I'm glad for the Jersey Shore experience.

This is a really great article about
"The Boardwalks of Jersey
Wednesday, August 10, 2005 

Nobody does boardwalks like New Jersey. With all due respect to Coney Island and Virginia Beach, no place in the country matches the breadth and depth of boardwalk culture found along the Jersey Shore. This coastal institution was invented in Atlantic City in 1870 to keep people from dragging sand into the hotels along the beach. In the years since, Jersey boardwalks have given the world both salt-water taffy and Springsteen. The state's 127-mile coastline hosts an eclectic mix of boardwalks ranging from wholesome to honky-tonk. Below is a south-to-north tour of five of the state's six most famous seaside promenades. (Atlantic City is excluded, in part because its boardwalk has been Trumped by casinos as the town's main draw.)

-- Jeff Schlegel

WILDWOOD. People come to Wildwood for its beaches -- the widest and cheapest (i.e., free) in New Jersey -- for the scores of 1950s-era doo-wop motels that sport space-age angles of Jetsonian proportions, and for the boardwalk, a roughly three-mile-long human circus of noise, junk food and amusement rides. The boardwalk -- part honky-tonk, part family playground -- has a few quirks that give it an endearing quality. The bocce court with Italian music playing on the loudspeaker and the Boardwalk Chapel, between a tattoo parlor and a pizza parlor, has been the voice in the carny wilderness for 61 years. Barkers offer passers-by the chance to touch live sharks or fire paintballs at live targets. Vendors sell T-shirts with bawdy messages, and there's no shortage of pizza and soft custard.

Despite development pressures, Wildwood is trying to preserve its roughly 150 doo-wop buildings and the heritage of its golden days from the '50s and '60s, when it was a music hot spot.

"We claim that Wildwood is the birthplace of rock-and-roll," says Paul Russo, owner of the retro-'50s themed Cool Scoops ice cream parlor in North Wildwood. Bill Haley fired the opening salvo of a musical and cultural revolution when he and his Comets played "Rock Around the Clock" for the first time in public at the HofBrau Hotel in 1954. And Chubby Checker did "The Twist" for the first time in 1960 at the Rainbow Club. In October, the boardwalk's convention center will host the second annual Wildwoods Fabulous Fifties Weekend featuring Checker and Buddy Holly's original Crickets. 800-992-9732, http://www.wildwoodsnj.com/ .

OCEAN CITY. This attractive resort has never dispensed a drop of alcohol. Founded in 1879 by a group of Methodist preachers as a Christian retreat and camp meeting place, Ocean City remains a dry town and is quite proud of it, thank you. "We roll up the sidewalks at midnight," says Elaine Burton, store manager at Fralinger's Salt Water Taffy. Keeps out the riffraff, says Burton, who touted such wholesome boardwalk happenings as the baby parade, hermit crab races, french-fry and taffy-sculpting contests, and classical concerts and plays on the Music Pier. Ocean City is short on booze but not on fun. The wide, two-mile-long boardwalk is crammed with arcades, mini golf, souvenir shops and rides.

The central boardwalk is a hotbed of salt-water taffy, including Fralinger's at 11th Street and Shriver's Salt Water Taffy and Fudge at Ninth Street. Shriver's has a Victorian feel, along with a glass-enclosed room where visitors can watch taffy and fudge being made. Any notion of a nasty taffy tiff among rivals is quickly dispelled by a clerk at Shriver's. "We're all one big happy family," she says.

And for those in need of adult beverages, the Circle Liquor Store is conveniently located in Somers Point at the entrance to the bridge to Ocean City. 800-232-2465, http://www.oceancity-nj.com.

SEASIDE. It's known as Jersey's lowbrow boardwalk town, a teen haven and blue-collar summer retreat that's long on tacky and short on good taste. On the plus side, it was home to MTV's summer beach house in 1999 and 2002, and it made Surfer magazine's list of top 10 surfer towns. The boardwalk ambiance here is heavy on the carny, but it's also an unpretentious atmosphere that screams "Loosen up and enjoy." That's summed up at the Bamboo Bar on the Boulevard in Seaside Heights, where a sign reads, "Helping ugly people get lucky since 1941." At about three miles, the boardwalk passes through both Seaside Heights and Seaside Park, with the rides and stands on the Heights end. The Funtown Amusement Pier is noted for the Tower of Fear, a 225-foot-tall ride that takes you straight up and then teases you by vacillating up and down before free-falling back to earth. The Casino Pier is home to a gorgeous carousel, a 90-year-old masterpiece of 58 elaborately hand-carved animals, intricate trim and whirling carnival music from a Wurlitzer military band organ.

Along the boardwalk, the aroma of sausage, funnel cake and pork roll is a constant yet pleasing presence. This is no place for dieters, and after sampling a fried Oreo at Cuzin's Freedom Fries, I ventured to 3 Brothers From Italy for slices of Sicilian pizza. The sand on the floor seemed to defeat the original purpose of a boardwalk. 800-732-7467, http://www.seasideheightstourism.com.

POINT PLEASANT BEACH. In essence, Jenkinson's Boardwalk is Point Pleasant Beach. The boardwalk stretches about a mile south from the Manasquan Inlet, and the section with entertainment and dining facilities is only about a third of its total length. Within this short space are a food court, sushi bar and full-service restaurant in Jenkinson's Pavilion. There's also Jenkinson's Aquarium, as well as the Jenk's nightclub. The boardwalk also features a fun house, four arcades, three mini-golf courses and an amusement park with 27 rides.

Point Pleasant Beach bills itself as family-oriented. It offers children's beach shows on Monday evenings, family games (a version of the old "Beat the Clock" game show) on the beach on Tuesday evenings, and Radio Disney concerts on the beach Wednesdays. Sunday nights it shows family movies on the beach. The town owns the boardwalk, but the beach is owned by an assortment of private entities who charge admission. The owners of Jenkinson's Beach (not the Jenkinsons, by the way) control the biggest slice, and they operate most of the boardwalk businesses above their beach. That's commonly called Jenkinson's Boardwalk. 732-892-0600, http://www.pointpleasantbeach.com.

ASBURY PARK. Two words summarize this once-grand resort: abandonment and Springsteen. The former is evident on the north end, where the beach is fairly quiet and the boardwalk almost completely empty. Changing times and race riots in 1970 had left Asbury Park a faded, seedy remnant of its storied past by the time local hero Bruce Springsteen sang about it. Places made famous by Springsteen -- Palace Amusements from "Born to Run," the Casino from "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" -- are demolished or in utter disrepair, respectively. But on the south end, there are tentative signs of life as you pass through the enclosed walkway between the restored 1930s Beaux-Arts convention hall and Paramount Theatre buildings. The nearby Fifth Avenue Pavilion is fully open with vendors selling food and sundries, including pizza and portobello mushroom wrap sandwiches at the Beach Place. There is optimism in the air.

"I'm bullish on Asbury Park," says Ed Gasper, owner of the Beach Place.

Gasper says three of the boardwalk's eight pavilions are open, and he believes the town is in the early stages of a turnaround that will eventually attract enough visitors to entice developers to follow through on grandiose plans, such as turning the derelict Casino site into a modern entertainment magnet. In 2004, the mile-long boardwalk was rebuilt. This year the Casino walkway connecting Asbury Park's boardwalk with neighboring Ocean Grove was reopened. Officials say the town saw a 15 percent jump in beach and boardwalk revenue in the past two years, and construction vehicles buzz near the boardwalk, working on shorefront residential projects. Asbury Park is a reinvention in progress, with condos under construction selling for $1 million while the city languishes with some of the state's worst poverty and unemployment levels. 732-775-7676, http://www.cityofasburypark.com/ ."
© 2005 The Washington Post Company

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WWW://
I'm sorry to say, but I am going to have to return to using the word verification security for comments. Anonymous is a prolific commenter with useless or inappropriate info. It has gotten to the point that Anonymous has become a stalker. It follows all my blog posts and is trying to be the center of attention.

I have to delete about 25-30 of this shameless self promoter's comments every day!

I only allowed anonymous because one of my friends said she would like to post comments, but didn't want to show her name.  Well, she has never commented, so no need for my stalking anonymous to be able to do so anymore. I'm taking my blog comments back under my control.
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CRAFTS:
I finished my Sunhat. Most people knit or crochet a summer hat with cotton yarn, but that just makes for a floppy hat. I wanted a stiffer hat so the brim would stay put and block the sun.
I bought household twine from Walmart and it worked out beautifully! The twine I bought was Lehigh Household Twine, 45M, 150ft. for under $2.00 per roll. I used 4 full rolls, which came out to under $8.00 for the project and  200 yds. of fingering to sport weight twine. I used an "E" hook.

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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:
Speaks the Nightbird by Robert R. McCammon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoy historical novels. This did not disappoint, although was somewhat drawn out at times.
In 1699 a young woman is convicted of being a witch and destined to be burned at the stake.
A magistrate's assistant is determined to prove her innocence. But he is the ONLY one who believes in her innocence. Is she truly innocent or is his opinion skewed by her beauty.
A good story, but also very depressing.



View all my reviews
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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
Tentative:
Neah Bay, WA
La Push, WA
Coeur d'Alene, ID

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

I miss New Jersey....

Apr. 18 - Apr. 24, 2013 Meteor Crater RV Park - Winslow, AZ

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NOT! I do miss Spring in NJ though. I'm sure I can find the same kind of Spring in other areas of the country, but here in Winslow, AZ it's all brown and some green. Sigh.  I've been seeing photos of Spring Flowers on other bloggers posts. Sigh.

Lily in my NJ garden

NJ Garden

NJ hostas

I really miss my hostas. I sort of gave up flower gardenings when we adopted Setters. They are not good off leash, so they couldn't be in the front yard with me gardening. I lost the heart for gardening when there were no dogs to keep me company. But hostas are easy care, great edging, great ground cover and come in thousands of varieties. They start showing in April and within a week are huge. I had them all along the edges of our yard.



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PETS: 
I met a nice young man (don't I sound OLD?) at the dog park here in our campground. He is taking some time to travel the country. Sort of his "bucket list" before he has to settle down with a real job and real responsibilities. He purchased an old Bounder Motorhome and has a scooter. He's from MA and headed West and is now heading back East.  His friends are very envious. He says he invited them along. But they were not adventurous enough to leave their "cook" jobs that they've had since high school. Opportunity lost and may never be possible again, until MAYBE retirement.
His roommate is Rocky, a really nice 110 pound rescued black lab. Devin is thrilled to have a playmate again!

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RV LIFE:
We are having plenty of down time this week. There isn't much to do in this area.  We visited Meteor Crater (review below), and went into the actual town of Winslow, AZ. Rt. 66 passes through there, so of course there are plenty of places with that theme. Sorry folks, I couldn't care less.

There is not much area to walk or hike here either, so this will be a very sedentary week. I do not have the discipline enough to just walk around this small park over and over and over, just to get 10,000 steps in a day that is recommended.


Another thing I don't miss in NJ, my job: 
Ya know what's nice about our RV life? I'm retired and away from the crap at my job.

This is from our APWU (union) facebook page.

Ex Co"worker" Sue's post : APWU Sucks. I had my issues, yes. But my Union Rep got me fired. The union rep (Ed: name deleted) sucks. She called me an F'N C---- I responded and got fired. Thanks for taking my money, Red Bank Local, the most "dangerous local around" (Ed: the union's motto)the only ones you have to look from are the Union Reps. They kiss ass
Ann's reply: So nothing you did was what actually got you fired? They just fired you because a Union Rep said to do so? I'm confused.
My reply:  I guess you don't know Sue.
Sue's reply: Neither do you Debbie. There are always two sides to a story.  Mind you own business Debbie, you never talked to me before, oh yeah, you were another ass kisser,/ supervisor wanna be.
Ann's reply: OK. I see now why.

Perfect!!! Sue showed her true colors in her reply to me. Ann also saw and understood.

Ahhh, those pleasant memories. Do you know how I was an ass kisser? I did what my supervisor's told me to whether I liked it or not. Yep, that's kissing ass and yep, I got along with most of my supervisor's. I had an uneventful 32 yrs in the postal service and glad for it. I put in my time and my work ethic and was blessed by being able to retire early at age 53!

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SIGHTS:
Meteor Crater, Winslow, AZ $16.00/per person admission
My rating 1 out of 5
Scott's rating 3.5 out of 5

Scott really liked it and would have rated it a 4 out of 5 if the price was cheaper. I would have rated it 2 out of 5 if the price was cheaper.

This is the best preserved and first proven meteorite impact site on Earth. It is about 1 mile across, 550 feet deep, and about 2.5 miles around. In the museum is a detailed history of the founder and how it was eventually proven to be a meteor crater and the money spent and possible wealth in iron, blah, blah, blah. Glad I brought my Kindle to read!

Scott was a Geology major at Catawba College in NC, so he's really interested in this and can understand it better than I can. He really enjoyed the museum. What turned me off was there was a replica of a piece 3' long, 2' wide piece of a meteor (Helsinger meteorite). The real piece was on display just outside the museum. Artists can make things look and feel so real, I become very skeptical of anything on display. I'm outta here. I sat on a bench reading, while Scott enjoyed the museum.

Seeing the crater itself was anti-climatic. Is it because we just were at the Grand Canyon the week before? Or was I truly able to judge this crater on it's own? Either way, it is difficult to realize the size of it from their 3 viewing posts. Yes, they state the rim is about 2.5 miles around, so we were prepared to walk the rim. Not gonna happen sucka! You are not allowed to walk around it, and can only view at their 3 lookouts.

Can you tell I'm not a fan? They are spending 20 million dollars!, yes, 20 million dollar$!$!$ on a "Sustainable Visioning Masterplan" to renovate and expand the visitors center. I did not see a railing and walking path around the rim in that plan. What a waste!

A definite tourist trap at $16.00 per person. 

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FOOD:

On to a much more enjoyable topic. Lunch! Ever since enjoying the home made tortillas at Verde Lea Market in Cottonwood, AZ, I am so hooked on putting almost anything between them.

I stated before my coleslaw mix, pica de gallo in a tortilla. Today I added sliced cucumber and some Tuscany Herb olive oil. I bet it would taste good with cucumber or ranch dressing also. Maybe add sliced avocado, hmmmm.

A healthy lunch.

Eat those veggies!

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FOOD PRODUCT REVIEW:

Philadelphia Indulgence, Cinnamon

My rating 4.5 out of 5 

I rated the chocolate flavor in a previous post. Now it's time for my second sampling. This is also delicious, although it won't satisfy my chocolate "needs" like the chocolate cream cheese does. This tastes almost like the Cinnabon frosting, only thicker.  I'm not sure what to use this on other than maybe a sweet roll, or...tortillas! I told you I was using all kinds of things to stuff a tortilla! 

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RECIPE:

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Rollups

Soft Tortillas

1 pkg. Philadelphia Indulgence, Cinnamon

Sliced apples or bananas (optional)

Spread cream cheese (and fruit) on tortilla, roll up and eat or layer, then roll up and slice for a nice bring along snack while visiting friends.

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CRAFTS; 
My 6"x9" rectangles have been shipped off the the HAP (Handmade Afghan Project) to make into an afghan and sent to VA hospitals.

1850 Old South Gown This is a crocheted outfit for a "Barbie" type doll. This is for display on your bed. I've had these patterns for years and years.
When I had to purged my craft room to get ready for RVing, I had to decide whether to keep these supplies or give them away. So I brought the material for one project and have been working on it for the almost 2 yrs we've been RVing. My heart is not in this project. What am I going to do with it? I guess try to sell it on Ebay or Etsy or find a nice Grandmom who would want it for her Grandchild.
So far I've completed the base of the skirt. I'm now ready to crochet the ruffles. I am a project crafter. I hate to have a project unfinished. So this project is my outside craft project because the sun give excellent light for this thin thread and tiny crochet hook use.

Sample

I'm also experimenting with a sun hat pattern. I've seen so many sunhats for sale in this area. They are crocheted and I KNOW I could make them, but...what is the material they use? It's not cotton, it's much stiffer so the hat holds it's shape. So I'm experimenting with some twine I bought at Walmart. I plan to make the brim wider and hopefully curl up a touch. Well see.

Cable Jacket

Sample

 I've been a good girl knitter and knit a swatch, soaked and blocked.

Yes, it is full of cables, but it is made with worsted weight yarn, so the bumps and jolts riding in the truck will not be too much of a problem. Come back next year to see the finished project. I hope it doesn't take that long! But it could.
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WHERE WE ARE HEADED:
Apr. 25, 2013 (Tentative) Calizona RV Park, Needles, CA
Apr. 26, 2013 (Tentative) Sierra Trails RV Park, Mojave, CA

Apr. 27 - May 5, 2013 (Tentative) Sequoia RV Ranch, Three Rivers, CA

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

NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014