Wet dogs, wet people

Aug. 12-18, 2013 Coeur d'Alene RV Park, Post Falls, ID

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RV LIFE:
Ahhhh, blogging is good for the soul. I feel so much better after my rant about the RV park. Finding and editing images to post distracted me from what I was so angry about.
I am now on my 2nd glass of wine. One glass is usually sufficient to relax me. But today is a 2 glass day after finding out about the extra charge for our dogs.
I was so looking forward to visiting this area. Years ago we saw a real estate ad for a lovely piece of property reasonably priced. So our goal has always been to check out this area.
I think next time we are in this area, we will  stay near another lake that is less popular to get a better feel for the country life of Northern Idaho.
We did pick up a couple of free real estate mags. Droooool! There are still parcels of land with nice acreage and even a house on it. We are more interested in the land and area first. The house comes second. We are simple folks and don't need a 2500+ square foot house. But I would like a garage or barn for turn into a kennel to temporarily foster hard to place English Setters. We'd also like some kind of water element, whether it be lake, pond, river, or stream. I prefer being surrounded by pine trees, but open enough to hike through. We will have a good portion fenced for our dogs. Just thinking out loud. We're not ready to settle yet.  There's still too much to see.
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SIGHTS:
Coeur d'Alene Lake - Coeur d'alene, ID
Our rating 5 out of 5
What a lovely lake with so much to do.
Hovercraft Rides
Cruise Lake Coeur d'Alene on a double deck pontoon type boat.
Kayak on the lake
Fishing on the lake
Parasail over the lake
Hike along the lake which is what we did. We hiked Tubbs Hill, which is about a 2.5 mile loop.
One half is along the water and the other is inland through the woods.

Mudgie the Moose
Millie the mouse on antler

This trail is also called The Mudgie & Millie Trail. They have a sign letting us know of the adventure of Mudgie Moose looking for Millie Mouse along this trail. What a great way to get kids excited about hiking.

We were surprised that the path was so rustic. We were expecting blacktop, but it is packed dirt with roots and rocks making for an uneven walkway. We even came upon a swinging bridge!

My brave husband and not so brave Devin (see him creeping along?) walked the bridge first. Scott strongly suggested I take the alternate path around on solid ground. The bridge really wiggled and Scott had to keep Devin close for fear of him taking the lesser of two evils and jumping off! There were also gaps between the wooden planks that a dog's paw could easily get caught in. I took Scott's advice and walked around.
It was a beautiful walk with many areas to stop and take a dip in the lake.

The day we hiked was cooler, "only" 86° instead of in the 90's. Fat Debbie refused to wear shorts, so was hiking in jeans and a black t-shirt.
The water was beautiful and so inviting!

We found a spot that was actually like a mini beach. We were quite overheated by this time, so the water called. First the dogs went in, then Scott went in, then Debbie went in.  Devin wants to keep his feet on solid ground while in the water, Scott & Debbie waded. Then Scott went deeper into the water hoping to teach Devin that it's ok to not touch ground and actually swim. Slowly and repeatedly, Scott would throw a stick just far enough that Devin would have to swim to get it. Our baby swam! Scott got is shorts drenched.

And yes, I decided to not care what others thought and I slowly waded deeper and deeper until was over waist deep in the water, in my jeans. But oh, the water felt so good. And the lake bottom was covered in smooth small pebbles, so it was like a massage on our feet. Heaven on Earth!

After a few romps through the water, Lyla was happy to just observe.

This was our swimming spot. Nice, huh?

We were at almost the 1/2 way point of the loop. So the walk back was very comfortable with my wet jeans to keep me cool.

Scott found three geocaches along this loop. The final one he had a little difficulty with. Is it above or below? Dang, it's below. Here's Scott helping Devin down the little "cliff" to get to the geocache.

This is a great vacation spot. They have a high rise hotel or a beautiful wood Adirondack type hotel both lakeside with beach and marina access.

They are currently upgrading McEuen Park near the entrance to Tubbs Hill. There will be a splash pool, playground and dog park!
Hike around Coeur d'Alene
North Idaho Centennial Trail
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PETS:
We attended the Mutt Strut in Liberty Lake, WA. This brought back many memories of when I would set up for events on the weekends for A&B Eng. Setter Rescue.
We arrived around 10:30 and the "strut" was already over. The signs for the walk were taken down already. We were able to still see a couple of vendors/rescues. Angie, an A&B foster mom introduced me around. Networking is very important in rescue. How can a rescue based in NJ have a foster home in WA. And how can a foster home in WA, transport their foster dog to the adoptive family in TX? Through wonderful volunteers that have connected through networking.
The Mutt Strutt was put on by Pawpular Companions Pet Supplies. This is a great pet supply store in Liberty Lake, WA. Great food, lots of interesting treats, plenty of leashes and yes, even froufrou attire for the itty bitty dogs. The Strut (walk) was to benefit Higher Ground Animal Sanctuary. "Like" them on facebook!
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BUSINESS REVIEW:
Alsin-Finch - Spokane Valley, WA
"For the animals in your life"
Our rating 4 out of 5
Sort of like a PetSmart but with better quality food. They carried Taste of the Wild dog food, which is what we feed our dogs. PetSmart does not carry this.

I want him!!!

I gave Devin & Lyla a bath the other day. They both are not happy at all about bath time, but afterward, they love getting rubbed down with the towel. Then we need to make sure they don't roll in the dirt. So here is the alternative.

Wish I could edit to add what she's thinking, like this video below.

Actually, I picture Devin more hurt by how mean I could be , by thinking "I thought we were bonding since we now cuddle at night. How can you be so mean to dump that water all over me and humiliate me in public?"
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WHERE WE'RE GOING:
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

WINNEMUCCA RV PARK, Winnemucca, NV 89445

Winnemucca RV Park

 Winnemucca, NV 89445

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RV PARK REVIEW:
Can't really rate this RV park. We were lucky to get a site since we didn't arrive until 4pm and they only had 2 sites left.  Staff is nice.
- SITES: Tight together, short, buddy sites (shared utility post).
+ HOOK UPS: FHU
- PETS: Policy states must be under 25#'s, but they let our 60# dogs in without question. Small (10'x20'), dirty fenced in pet walk area. No poop bags supplied, but they do supply a heavy metal shovel and a bent up rake to scoop. A sign is posted that dogs should be on leash. Huh? In a fenced in area? I'll be glad to leave tomorrow.
 That is the only place they want dogs to do their business. The grassy areas along the edge of the park are for tenting. They try to use every inch for income. These tent areas are 10'x10' areas with a grill along the fence line.
/ WIFI: Free, but they did not offer us the code and we didn't bother since it was only overnight.
/VERIZON INTERNET: Very slow, sometimes timing out.
-SPRINT INTERNET: No signal at all
I was VERY happy to leave this place. I couldn't take this more than one night. I'd rather boondock in a parking lot than stay here.
Now, when I hear the name Winnemucca, its a trigger!

WINNEMUCCA?!! Slowly I turn, step by step...

Maybe you're too young to know what I'm talking about. Let the video below explain.

Here's another RV park with a ridiculous pet friendly policy. Story is from GO PET FRIENDLY, travel blog.
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SIGHTS:

Traveling from Boise, ID to Winnemucca, NV, we did spend about 45 minutes in Oregon.
This trip on US 95 took us through a lot of nothing.  Desert like, desolate ridges, then we hit some huge sand dunes, before arriving in  Winnemucca on Winnemucca Blvd. at Winnemucca RV Park. (Ohhhhh, that name will haunt me!)
We saw at least 3 casinos in this town. I think the town "boasts" 5 casinos.  Gee, that's a reason to stay. Yea, right. When I was in my late 20's I used to go on bus trips to Atlantic City. Someone from work would hire a bus and we'd fill it up. Lots of drinking on the bus. My friend, Beverly would make a thermos of Kamakazi, and we'd do shots the whole 1.5 hr drive down to AC. By the time we arrived, we were feeling very goooood. Part of the package deal for the bus, was we'd recieve a roll of quarters to get us started at a Casino. But not Bev and I. We'd use the money to go eat, or shop or whatever on the boardwalk. They were great times.
I didn't realize all of Nevada allowed gambling.  The only thing I like about the casinos are the cheap and good buffets!
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RV LIFE:
Weather has been crazy! Extreme changes in temperatures. Arriving at Winnemucca (slowly I turn...), it was terribly hot. So hot the dogs didn't want to get out the of air conditioned truck even though they were stuck in there for 4 hours. When I got them out, they tried to jump back in!
I was hoping to do a quick wash (if there is such a thing), but it was so hot out, I have HAVE to stay inside.

Scott is the cook in our family. He hasn't been cooking as much while living our RV life. The kitchen is very small and there are so many new restaurants to try out. But when he cooks, it's always a treat.  He even cleans up the kitchen and does the dishes, well sort of.

I guess he doesn't like to do flatware. Can I really complain? No I can't, but I can still tease him about it. Yes ladies, my hubby is sweet, easy going, a gentleman, & he cooks...and he taken...he's mine. I'm very lucky.
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PETS:
We were late arriving in Winnemucca (grrrr! that name...) because we didn't wake up until 9:30am!!!! I'm usually up by 7am because Devin gets me up. The last 2 days, he has let me sleep AND HE HAS CUDDLED WITH ME!!! So, is this because he is not feeling well because of his sore feet? or is he just changing? I love that he is cuddling with me, but I don't want to be sleeping to 9:30am again...7:30am is a perfect time for me to wake up. Do you hear that Devin?

Secret to a good cup of coffee.

Santa Fe Skies RV Park 

Santa Fe, NM 87508

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RV LIFE:

This morning my husband, Scott made me a cup of coffee. Now, keep in mind, to make ME a cup of coffee, I mean to make a cup of coffee FOR me, is quite simple. We have a small single serve KEURIG coffee maker. So just pop in a "k-cup" and push the button. I drink my coffee black, no sugar. How easy! I'm a low maintenance, I hope fairly easy to please type of gal.  Scott brings the mug of coffee to me.  I take a sip and ahhhhh, wonderful.  I said to Scott, "This is a really good cup of coffee!", he said, "Do you want to know my secret? L-O-V-E"  Awwwwwww. Ugh, too sweet.

I came across a new blog the other day. I'm now subscribing to it. This guy is a funny, funny writer. He keeps me laughing.  This couple is just starting out their transition to full time RV'ing. They are in the process of fixing up their home for sale. This is what we went through about 9 months ago, only we hired people to do it. That's why we never bought new cars, fancy clothes, new furniture, etc. We saved our money so we could hire people and ease our stress level.  Anyway, they are living in their RV locally while fixing up the house. I'm enjoying reading about this difficult transition of purging, the RV learning curve, etc. Been there, done that and still learning.
Check out GATORS & GRAPEFRUIT and leave a comment with some words of encouragement!
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FOOD:
PANTRY RESTAURANT Our rating 4.5 out of 5


Huge Breakfast:Nice atmosphere with Southwestern plates on display and other artwork. A diner type atmosphere.


FRESH CORNED BEEF: Description from menu-Slow roasted corned beef brisket with sautéed green onions served on a bed of Pantry fries topped with two eggs cooked your way. Served with toast or biscuits with country gravy.  $9.99

Delicious! Cubed pieces of corned beef...yummy. This was over their breakfast fried potatoes which were very good also, topped with 2 eggs perfectly cooked over easy as requested. This also included 2 country biscuits and gravy.  I could make a meal of just the biscuits & gravy. Delish...A huge plate and too much to eat.

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES: Order of two. The waiter warned us that the pancakes were really large, but we thought we'd share if need be. Waiter was correct. The pancakes were between 10-12" in diameter. Light and fluffy though. This was served with packets of REAL butter and WARMED syrup.

SAUSAGE PATTIES: 2 thick slices of sausage. Nothing exceptional, but still good and nicely cooked with just a touch of crispness.

The wait staff were very nice and efficient.
We hope to return for another breakfast. I'd like to try the Stuffed French Toast!

Pantry update 4/19/12:
Just came back from dinner at Pantry. If we lived in Santa Fe, this would be our "go to" restaurant.  Scott had the meatloaf & I had the reuben sandwhich.

GARDEN SALAD: Large salad with crisp romaine, green peppers, tomatoes, cukes, radishes and home made croutons. Scott had italian dressing & I had raspberry vinaigrette. Dressing were average.

MEATLOAF dinner with brown gravy, vegetables and mashed potatoes: Meatloaf was very good but nothing exceptional. I think a slightly thicker slice would have been nice. I don't think the mashed potatoes were home made. The sauteed vegetables of FRESH green & yellow squash, carrots, and broccoli were excellent. The meatloaf dinner also came with a thick slice of Texas toast, which was good.

REUBEN sandwich: Pantry cooks their own corned beef. Sandwich was very. Fresh hearty rye breast, and not overwhelmed with 1000 island dressing. This plate came with a crisp dill pickle slice and HOME MADE potato chips. The chips were excellent & addictive!!

TRES LECHES cake: Delicious.

CHOCOLATE FLAN cake: Slightly disappointing. The chocolate cake base was good. Not real sweet (a good thing). Almost like a light brownie. Topped with a layer of flan, which I felt was tasteless. Chocolate syrup was drizzled over top. I think a caramel or butterscotch syrup would have been much better with this combo.

Still hoping to make it for our 2nd breakfast there before we leave.
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RV MOD/ACCESSORIES:
Kitchen counter space is at a premium in an RV. We do have the part that can lift up for extra space, but we want MORE! We went to Target and bought a resin/plastic cutting board a little larger than one of our sinks.  Scott cut it to fit over the sink and we rarely take if off. This is part of our counter top now.

We replaced our sink drains with just SCREEN DRAINS, so the sinks do not hold water now. I hate running the water constantly or on and off, on and off to do the dishes.  So we purchased a COLLAPSIBLE SINK. I love it!! This is exactly what we needed. Purchased at Camping World.

Sink collapses fairly flat so I can just throw it in the under the stove storage, otherwise known as the oven or in the slim drawer under the oven. Now I can fill up the collapsible sink with hot sudsy water and really feel like I'm getting the dishes cleaned.  The tub can of course be used for other things, such as a bucket to clean the rig, a paw rinsing station, when the dogs paws are muddy or dirty, etc.
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ELECTRONIC WOES:
As long as I can keep Lyla and Devin off my keyboard and off button, my computer is working fine. My computer is basically on all day long.  So when I go outside for something, the dogs want to know "where Mom went". So up onto my chair, then onto my desk, hopefully missing my keyboard Lyla plants herself to look out the side slide window to keep an eye on Mom and make sure she doesn't leave without her.

I use my computer mainly for file keeping, web surfing, email and blogging. Scott likes to play those fancy games on his,so he needs a better computer than mine.  His computer has been going blank lately. He realized that the computer was ok, but the screen was not showing anything.  Being the computer savvy guy he is, he figured it was the video card. He hasn't had to buy a video card in a couple of years, so he had to research the best ones for his needs.

He ordered a
XFX FX787ACDBC Double D HD 7870 1050MHz 2GB DDR5 2XminiDP HDMI Dual DVI Graphics Cards - Black Edition.  My gosh! The name is longer than the link!! Oh, and I guess they are now called "Graphics Cards". What the hell??? Good thing we keep our money separate! This thing cost $389.00!!!!! Men & their toys.

When it comes to computers, we want it NOW. Luckily, Santa Fe Skies RV Park accepts personal mail delivery here, so we didn't have to have it forwarded from Escapees mail  in Livingston, TX. Two days and he's back in business. Let the games begin! 

What is that hanging on the front door??? Oh, he can't be serious??!!!????

 I DON'T THINK SO! You want privacy, then don't full time in a 35' RV! Actually, it all works out fine.  If he really needs to have the full effect of his games, he puts on a set of headphones and I don't hear all the guns shooting, or cars vrooming. I can just do as I please and laugh at him squiggling around in his chair and screaming and yelling at the game, or talking game stuff with his fellow gamers.

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PETS:

Bad Mommy! I've been emailing & blogging. It's amazing how time consuming blogging is.  I've been up since 6:30am when I took the dogs out for their morning walk.  It is now 2:30pm and I haven't stepped foot out of the RV since the morning walk. 

Lyla can hold it "forever". She's content to lay around the house as long as Mom is near. Devin being the active 1.5 yr old Irish Setter has also been a very good and patient boy today.  He's just now starting to get a little squirmy. Bad, bad Mommy! Time to let the dogs out!

(Not our African Grey Parrot.) 

INGLIS, FL 34449

Shoulda, coulda, woulda....

RV LIFE: Lesson learned: relax, slow down, enjoy the present.

RV PARK REVIEW:
Dec. 8 - Dec. 15, 2011
RIVER LODGE RV RESORT Inglis, FL 34449
$27./day (w/Good Sam) Site #30
Our rating: 3.5 out of 5 Would return for overnight, or if no where else.
+Free Wi-fi: Excellent speed
+Clean modern bath house & laundry
+Nice sized enclosed dog play area
We are currently at RIVER LODGE RV RESORT. Nice enough place, but not Highlands Hammock! I didn't realize how good I had it until "it's gone". We "shoulda" stayed another week, we "coulda" stayed another week. In hind site we "woulda" stayed another week. I'm done rushing to make it to Canada in July. As the time draws near and we need to rush then, so be it. But for now, I will relax and if we especially like where we are, we'll extend our stay.
I'm not saying this place is not nice.  It's just your typical private RV campground.
At least it's not just an open field. But there is no breath taking view, even though we do have woods behind us.

View from rear window

There are no squirrels running around all day to entertain and and keep our setters on their toes, but there is a seasonal tenant's cat that is free to roam and excite our setter, Devin.
There is a nice fenced in dog area, but sigh, no other large dogs to play with.  There are just a bunch of little yappy dogs, that charge the windows of their motor homes, and bark & growl as I walk our well behaved QUIET dogs around the park.
This park has EXCELLENT free Wi-Fi! It's the fastest since living at home. But, I rather be outside at Highlands Hammock than inside with a quick computer.
There is nothing around here. We are right off Rt. 19 which has just been expanded, so is quite a busy highway.
There's a nice sound barrier wall, that really does a nice job of blocking the traffic view & noise. The greenery that is growing up the wall is pretty cool.  It looks like a Donna Dewberry One-Stroke painting mural.

By the office are a couple of these bushes (below), that I've never seen in NJ.

Nice swimming pool, 2 bathroom/laundry buildings.  Paved roads.
I believe this is a new RV resort and they plan to expand in the future.

FOOD: Our eating habits have changed since RV'ing F/T.
Scott has lost at least 30 pounds, me? well, uh, maybe 3 pounds? I don't get on the scale anymore. All my life I have had to carefully watch what I eat and exercise to keep my weight where it should be. When I hit 50 and stopped dieting, I gained 30-40 pounds!
I'm hoping now that I don't have cookies & ice cream in the RV, that I'll lose weight without really trying.  I've gotten into the habit of having a bowl of cereal for lunch, which does a very nice job of keeping me satisfied until dinner. If I want something sweet, I eat Malt-o-Meal Tootie Fruities, which are very similar to Fruit Loops. If I'm just hungry, I'll eat a bowl of Malt-o-Meal Mini Spooners, which are similar to mini wheat squares.  Good way to squeeze in a glass of milk. This replaces COOKIES & milk.
For a snack at night, I have a glass of milk with chocolate or caramel syrup in it. This replaces a large bowl of ice cream and now I'm getting some more calcium & vitamin D.
We're also more active between bike riding, hiking and HAVING to walk the dogs several times a day.

CURRENTLY READING: I think I'll add this segment as I start a new book.
The last two books I read were true story books.
The Godmother by Richard Smitten.  This was about a really evil, cold woman who moved up to be a powerful Colombian cocain dealer. No regard for life if it got in her way. Interesting.
The Blooding by Joseph Wambaugh. About trying to solve a couple of cold case child murders just when DNA was discovered. This wasn't worth the read.
Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught. Yes, it is exactly what you think it is. A girly romance and it is set in the 1800's. I needed a break from the sad, but true stories.  I am loving this book! I picked it up at Highlands Hammock book exchange, by the laundry.

PETS: Devin is coming along with his training.  He is not so absorbed with the wildlife that he doesn't listen. After a little whistle, he turns to look at us and we say come and 90% of the time he comes.
He seems to have regressed into more puppy behavior as far as chewing.  He has begun to grab our shoes, chew on the furniture, & counter surf.  He did not do any of this until now. Sigh...another thing to work on.  We'd love to get rid of the crate, but if we want to keep him safe and our RV intact, then he needs to be crated.
Although Devin is more pup than we really wanted, he is still a good dog and has many endearing habits.
See the video below. He loves his squeeky toys!

All our pets have transitioned to RV living very well.
Our African Grey Parrot, Swayze who has plucked her feathers for 15 yrs, is actually growing some back now.
Lyla has found her spot

Devin has found his spot

The good news is they have chosen separate chairs, so there is no fighting for the chair, well....
The bad news is, where do we sit????

Devin has also learned how to open the screen door.  He slides the plastic part over and then rests his head on the opening, which in turn pushes the handle down and magic, it's open!