Summer is flying by!

Our park squirrel buddy!

Donna has increased her work hours as the park is getting very busy with summer visitors. I don't mind though. It's so much fun working with my co-workers and also meeting so many people who come in to the park. Most of them are so happy to be here and fun to take care of. It's rare to encounter anyone who isn't happy. Makes for a fun job!
Water aerobics is going along. We don't have as many participants as we'd hoped for but we go ahead and do our thing anyway. It's fun and great exercise.
We have a special visitor coming to Portland next week. Our friend, Barb Murphy, who we met this winter in Hemet, CA, is coming to visit us for a while. We are all excited about the opportunity to get together and enjoy each other's company once again. She lives in Victoria, BC, so it's not a real long trip for her. In October, we plan to go to Victoria to visit her also.
We miss Beth and Julia but I console myself with spending time with Sarah, my youngest daughter. She's gone back to college, so her time is limited as she also works full time. I'm so proud of her. It's a big challenge but she's definitely up to it.
Tom is busy waxing the Journey again. He bought an electric buffer for the job this time and it is looking very nice. People keep coming by and asking him if he wants to come and do theirs! I don't think he's too interested in doing that!
Hope your summer is great. Keep in touch with us!

The last day of June!

The Grotto Meditation Chapel, Portland, OR

The Cave at the Grotto

I can't believe it's already the end of June. It doesn't seem possible that we've been here two and a half months and it's almost July! Our time flies faster each day. Beth and Julia left on Monday and we were sad to see them go. We enjoy them so much and Julia brings something new into our lives every day. As always, we would love to live closer to them but are just grateful they are living on the mainland where we can see them more often.
Tom and I have both been down with summer colds, but although it slows me down a lot, Tom seems to keep on trucking along. He's a tough one for sure. He still loves his job as do I and we find a lot of pleasure in meeting and helping the people in the park. It's surprising how many people have a hard time finding the trash bins! It gives us lots of entertainment.
We haven't been doing much sight seeing since we've been here this year, but I did manage a visit to one of my favorite spots - The Grotto. Beth, Julia and I went last week and wandered around the grounds enjoying the beauty of it all. Julia especially loved the meditation chapel where she could see the city and all the planes flying by. It's a spectacular sight and one that everyone should try and see when in Portland.
Hope everyone has a great 4th of July and we'll catch you all later.

Summer is almost here!

Grandma Donna and Julia in the kitchen! Julia loves to help!

Where is the time going? We've been in Portland now for almost two months!! Soon, we'll be over halfway through our commitment here to work. We are both enjoying it very much. The park is getting busier as the summer approaches so both of us are busier. We like it that way.

Our granddaughter should be up to see us this week. We're waiting with baited breath! She is always so much fun. She will be starting school in August so these impromptu trips will be more difficult. It's hard to believe she'll be five in September.

Big news - Donna applied for Social Security last week! It's just not possible that I'm old enough to apply for Social Security! I always thought I'd get older, but just didn't think it would happen so soon. I guess that little check will help make up for the getting older part!

We met another Excel couple last week - Ken and Lee. We had them come over for a visit, then the next week, they had us over for some wild card game. It was fun and great to meet such nice people. That's still one of the nicest parts of our life style. It seems we make new friends every where we go. Some of them will be life long friends too.

Hope where ever you are, the weather is great and you're enjoying it.

Home again!

One of my many girlfriends at Smith Center, KS

rockintom sporting a hat made with dyed chicken feathers

Tom just returned from a five day trip to Kansas via Denver, CO, to attend the Excel family reunion. Excel is the brand name of our 5th wheel and every three years, Excel owners are invited to travel to Smith Center, KS, to a "family reunion". This year there were fewer rigs than three years ago - about 150 less, but it didn't deter all the fun loving people who attended - Tom being one of them. They ate a lot of food, had seminars, dances and saw so many friends new and old to visit and catch up on all the activities since they were last together. Time passed way too quickly and before he knew it, Sunday morning came and he was back on the road again. Tom was fortunate to be invited to stay with some of our Excel friends, Tim and Roseanne. Thank you guys for showing him such a good time. I hope he was a good guest!

Donna chose to stay in Portland to keep the home fires burning and to start leading the water aerobics class starting this morning. There were a total of five people in the class today and we expect the crowd to grow as word gets around. The time Tom was away was a great opportunity for Donna to spend some enjoyable time with her daughter, Sarah. With the part time job here in the RV park and the volunteer job at the hospital, Donna is keeping busy. It's a change from the full retirement life.

Our granddaughter will be coming back to Portland in the next few weeks to visit us again and we're looking forward to it. She always adds joy to our days.

We celebrated completing four years full timing today. June 1, 2005, we began our journey in our brand new 5th wheel. It's gone so fast and we still love what we're doing. We can't even imagine a life more full and fun than we're having.

Hope you are all well and happy.

Weekend of Fun

A shining example of the folks you meet at the Portland Saturday Market!

Julia trying out a mask at the Portland Saturday Market

Last weekend, we were blessed with our granddaughter's presence. Her parents were going to an outdoor concert and asked us to keep her for the weekend. We had her with us from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon. Donna had to work on Friday afternoon, so Bubba was in charge. He and Julia fed the ducks, went for a walk, played games, picked flowers and decorated the rig with them, watched a movie and fixed dinner! They had a great time just the two of them. Saturday, bright and early, we took the MAX (light rail) from Gresham to downtown Portland to the Saturday market. Julia loved the ride and the market was full of all kinds of people, booths with many different artists' renderings, food of course and plenty of fun. After walking around for a while, we had lunch then headed for home. We had a short stop at a shopping center before we continued our trip. Julia was ready to keep on going, but grandma Donna was pooped! Sunday Julia, Sarah (Donna's other daughter) and Donna took off for a girls' adventure. It was fun in the parks of Gresham. Julia was very happy to run and play to her heart's content. Sunday afternoon her parents returned, tired, dirty and happy. It took the whole week for me to recover, but it was worth it all.

Work is going well for both of us and Donna started her hospital volunteer job last week - loves it. We've already been here a month and time is flying by. Hope everyone is having a great spring soon to be summer. Happy Memorial Day!!

Great News!

Portland Fairview RV Park Workcampers Summer 2009

Today I went to the oncologist and after a quick exam, he told me he'd see me in 6 months! Yay!!!! I had blood work done and they'll let me know if anything comes up but he seemed confident everything was fine. I feel fine so I think he's right! The sun is shining today and we are so happy with life! Work is going great for both of us. I had a wonderful Mother's Day with Sarah, my youngest daughter. It's the first time in at least 9 years that I was able to spend Mother's Day with one of my daughters. What a thrill! It doesn't get any better than this. Hope spring has sprung for everyone and that life is good for all of you.

Rainy days

Rockintom's new sunglasses! Don't think he'll be recognized in these!

Spring has sprung here in Portland!

It's "rainy days and Mondays" here in Portland, but that's what makes it so beautiful and green. I've finally started working in the office at the registration desk on the computer and answering the phones. It's a lot of fun meeting new people and all my coworkers are very pleasant to work with. I've had my orientation for the volunteer work at the hospital but no start date yet. We're taking advantage of being back here to catch up on our preventive medical appointments. This morning it was off to the dentist for a cleaning - we are both doing great with our teeth! Then off we went to the eye doctor's to get an adjustment on my glasses. Tom decided he definitely needed a new pair of sunglasses to give him that extra zing in life and of course, get him some more attention. I think the above picture will demonstrate how desperate he is for attention! Life is great and we do have sunny days too.