Sunday, May 30, 2010

ODYSSEY= “… any extended journey”

My unfortunate choice of words last week in the title of my blog was a bit confusing since I didn’t mention anything about our odyssey in the text. It made perfect sense to me but obviously left some of my readers scratching their heads. Maybe this next post will help clear up the mix-up.

I keep a log of our mileage in a small notebook and as you can imagine since we started full timing, I have filled several of these and put them away in a safe place … do you know where I’m going with this? Thinking it might be of interest, I planned to give you our exact mileage since we last parked here in Shelton but that is not to be. Those notebooks have apparently grown legs and are on their own odyssey. How does one lose something in 200 square feet? It isn’t easy but it can be done! However, I know they will be found and when they are, I will make a note of our last mileage FYI.

In 2008, we were parked at our dear friends, Gloria and Les’s home in Shelton from June 3 to September 3 … exactly three months. We drove south along the Oregon and California coast then east across the southern United States through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to Arkansas. We made a side trip to Tennessee then backtracked into Missouri and into Iowa on our way to Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula. Our trek took us south in Michigan to Ohio then east to New York and Pennsylvania then back into Ohio. We moved southeast through Kentucky, eastern Tennessee with a quick trip into West Virginia then southwest into Alabama then south into the panhandle of Florida. Our winter stop was 20 miles SW of Orlando until we left to travel west once again 16 April 2010. Our trek back to WA followed the same southern route only in the opposite direction and we arrived back in Shelton May 22nd after being away from our family and friends for almost two years (21 months actually) and covering somewhere between 12 and 14 thousand miles.

It is very good to be back after being gone so long.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time …





Lake Shasta ... full for the first time in years!

Look at how high the level of the lake is now. This is the most water we've seen in Lake Shasta in many years.

Beautiful Mt. Shasta in California.

Black Butte north of Mt. Shasta in California.

A metal cow sculpture in a field near Yreka, CA.

A pretty tree in the median near Lake Shasta.

Penny the Pace with The Red Ranger hooked up at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Roseburg, OR.

On the bridge over the Columbia River.
The weather hasn't changed a bit since we left.

Crossing the Columbia River from Oregon into Washington.

Our exit to Shelton ... the sun came out to welcome us back!

Our yummy welcome back dinner at Gloria and Les's house ... pot roast and all the trimmings.
Yummy!

Wookie and his sister ...

Zena ...

Les, waiting patiently for his first trout on Spencer Lake.
It finally showed up ... :)

One of Phil's first trout caught on the first fishing trip with Les on Spencer Lake.
Can you tell he is a happy fisher person?

Crossing Case Inlet on the Harstine Island Bridge.

Penny the Pace parked in her new home for the summer at Gloria and Lester's house.

Joy on the sidewalk in front of their friend's new store ... Rocks n' Rhinstones in Shelton, WA.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

A TWO-YEAR ODYSSEY COMES TO AN END ...

We are in Roseburg, OR for the second night camped at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. W & E for $20.20 a night. Very quiet except for the freeway noise but only a couple other rigs. This is going to be a short post with lots of pictures because I’m writing it on Friday. We are on the road and I do not know when I’ll have a chance to write again. We are expected in Shelton, WA on Saturday afternoon and Phil and I look forward to spending the rest of that evening with our dear friends and hosts, Gloria and Les—therefore no chance to write and schedule a posting of my blog before Sunday morning. Does that make any sense? It's late and I'm pooped so probably not but hopefully, you can figure it out.

Two days before leaving Pleasanton the Alameda Fairgrounds was inundated with Rvers arriving for the Irish wolfhound Club of America National Specialty competition. Penny the Pace was surrounded with these magnificent, sociable animals in all sorts of very large pens, tents and canopies. We couldn’t help but go for a walk and get a giant puppy fix and one 15-month-old male liked Phil so much, he nearly knocked him down rubbing his massive head against Phil’s leg. They are just a wee bit smaller than a Great Dane but with heavier bodies. We loved getting up close and personal with these wonderful dogs.

On Tuesday, we rode with Robin and Walt to visit a beautiful country estate featured on the PBS series named America’s Castles. FILOLI http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filoli is set on 16 acres of formal gardens surrounded by 654 acres owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It is open for public tours, which include self-guided tours, guided tours, and nature hikes. The largest gardens are working gardens for the production of cut flowers for the mansion and for the growing of some vegetables. Eleven full-time horticulturists and over 100 volunteers who come weekly maintain these gardens. It was a cool overcast day for our visit but perfect weather to spend several hours exploring this lovely place.

To cap off our visit with my sister, Robin and her family Walt drove us to San Francisco and we enjoyed dinner at the historic Cliff House Restaurant. Our table overlooked the ocean and several huge rocks as well as the remains of the Sutro Baths on the north side above the beach. The food was expensive (Robin says about normal for San Francisco prices) but tasty with fairly large portions. Note to Roger: Phil had a hamburger that was a fair match to the one you had recently but no doubt cost a lot more! :)

Thanks for stopping by …
Until next time!



In the Pleasanton, CA Wal*Mart ... they were parked here for two, maybe even three days!
What's wrong with this picture?
Yes, that is a Newmar coach (a very expensive RV) ... and the owners are doing their best to ruin other rvers overnight parking privileges at Wal*Mart!

Phil giving this wonderful pup some lovin' ...
they were both enjoying it very much!

A pen full of pups! Three of the light colored Irish Wolfhounds ... they come in all colors.

Joy getting a really giant doggy fix! What a great dog ...

We spent Sunday afternoon at the San Ramon Community Theater.
The Front Row Theater production with only about 60 seats was a silly melodrama and the cast did a fabulous job with all the song and dance.
It was a very enjoyable afternoon!

FYI ...

Did you wonder what FILOLI means?
A combination of the first two letters of each word of Mr. Bourn's credo:
Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life.

Some of the garden shop formerly the driveway into the garage.

FILOLI gift and garden shop.
Formerly the carriage house then garage.

Just one of many fountains scattered around the estate.

Phil captured this exotic looking bloom with the macro setting.

Garden as far as the eye can see ...

Everyone's favorite ... a deep red tea rose.

Salmon colored beauty.

Pretty in pink ...

Delicate yellow, orange and pink bloom.

Joy, looking over a beautiful spread of Autumn Joy!

BIL, Walt and sister, Robin ...
stopping to smell the roses ... :)

The back of the mansion ...

Joy, at 5' 1" showing the size of the fireplace in the grand ballroom. It is one of 17 in the house.

Walt and Robin, pointing with her cane at the collection of volumes written by Winston Churchill in the library.
They own the same set.

I loved this screen!
Perfectly embroidered in cross stitch it is big enough to fit the whole family behind it.

The kitchen stove. How would you like to whip up an omelet on this baby?
Quite a copper pot collection as well.

A cabinet loaded with a collection of cut crystal glass pieces. The sparkle was incredible.

One of several giant pots of begonias surround the front door. Fragrant and oh so lovely!

The most beautiful aviary I have ever seen. Three white doves live inside and it is completely covered with succulents attached and growing in the wire walls. Just gorgeous.

The impressive courtyard and entrance to the country estate of FILOLI.

Fishing off the cliff below the Cliff House. He was one of several men casting into the sea while we looked on.
The waiter told us they catch some really big fish in these waters.
That did not happen while we watched :)

My view out the window beside our table at the Cliff House in San Francisco, CA. It was foggy earlier but cleared for us while we had dinner.

Joy's beer battered cod fish and chips. The last two pieces went home with me.