Here's Some Christmas Pix We Took

Christmas At The Salomones

Finally got to posts the pix. We had such a good time. It's so much fun to enjoy Christmas with family and especially when you have a 6 year old granddaughter. Our visit was very relaxed and enjoyable, that's what makes it so memorable. Thanks for a great Christmas visit! Tom and Donna

A Very Merry Christmas!

Well it's the day after Christmas and finally updating the blog!!! We are having a great time in Ukiah, CA with the kids and our precious 6 year old Grand Daughter!! We've had a couple of days of decent weather, but yesterday afternoon it turned off rain.....guess it could be worse!!! I (Tom) left my umbilical cord to my camera back in the rig in Hemet. Darn, so no pix to post today. Oh well.

Julia had so many gifts that she had to take 3 breaks to get them all opened!! Santa was so good to us this year. Donna and I are so Blessed that we live everyday is like Christmas all year 'round. If we want it we just buy it and call it Christmas for next year. That is all except the new 2011 Chevy Tug I want.......er eh but don't need.....says the boss!!! 8-)

Tomorrow we leave here and go to Sacramento to spend the night. There, Donna catches the Amtrak to Portland and rides back in a car with here girlfriend Barb (mine too!!!) from Canada which she meets up with in Portland. They will drive back to our winter home in Hemet. Barb is staying with us for a few weeks while she's on her holiday. We are so excited to have Barb stay with us. She is so much fun and a most gracious guest (and she likes my smoked chicken and Sunday Brunch at the Elks!!!) We hope the weather will be good to take some day trips and sight seeing adventures while she's here.

We hope all had a very nice, fun and safe holiday time. We sure have!

Half way through the month!!!

Where is the time going? We're almost half way through December. Today, I (Donna) finished the 3rd in a series of injections in my left knee that will, hopefully, help it to feel better. If not, a knee replacement is not far off. When I have to have it, I want to be in Portland.

We are all ready for Christmas will Beth, Jim and Julia. The presents are wrapped, the packing hasn't started yet, but it won't take us long for that. We are going to drive the car (Chase) and leave the rig here. We will be staying with Beth and family for the Christmas holidays. We are really looking forward to it. Julia is ready for us to come and see all her Christmas decorations. She has made several of them herself.

Life in the park is going well. The weather has been outstanding, we've been making new friends and getting reacquainted with old friends. That's the best part of living this life style.

December already???

Pix of Golden Village RV Resort

I can hardly believe that December is already a week old!! Tomorrow is Pearl Harbor Day. So many years ago, but I always remember it - not that I was even alive at that time, but it was such a huge moment in our history.

We slid into December with barely a splash. The weather is still great and we are enjoying the park immensely. We took some time yesterday afternoon and reacquainted ourselves with the beautiful shuffleboard court here. It's in a big buidling and it's really a fast board. We finally remembered how to play about the time we left. We followed that up with a few games of pool. Tom is a good player, but always says he's "just average at best". All I know is that I was really impressed. I managed to hit a few balls in the pockets, but it's a good thing there wasn't any money riding on it! I would have been broke for sure.

We finished our Christmas shopping over the weekend and wrapped everything so we're all ready for the kids in a few weeks. We're leaving here the 22nd and Tom will be returning on about the 28th. I'm going on to Portland, OR, to meet a friend of ours from Vancouver Island and we're going to spend a few days driving down to Hemet and have some girl time. We're both looking forward to it, but a little concerned about the weather. We've agreed we can just stop wherever if the weather gets bad. She is going to spend a couple of weeks with us here in Hemet. This is where we met her two years ago, so we have lots of fun places to go and new places to discover. I'm sure the time will fly by.

We still find it hard to believe we've been here for over a month already. Hope you are all having a good month so far. We'll be back in touch soon.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Thankgiving Dinner at the Hemet's Elk Lodge

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving day. Here in Hemet, it's been absolutely beautiful - a little cool, but blue skies and sunshine all day long. We had a very relaxing day and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the Elks Lodge. All we had to do is sit at a pretty table and be waited on. The atmosphere was very nice, the food was delicious and we enjoyed it immensely. When we came home, Tom took a ride on his bike to work off a few calories, but neither of us went overboard with our eating. It wasn't a buffet, which was a good thing for us as we tend to want to try everything and overeat. We managed to get in a lot of phone calls yesterday and today to wish family and close friends Happy Thanksgiving. Since there was no way to reach everyone by phone, we are sending our wishes to you this way. We have so much to be thankful for today and every day. We feel that we've been Blessed with so much - wonderful family, friends and our health is holding up pretty good too. What else could anyone ask for? God bless you all.

ELVIS Comes to Golden Village Palms RV!!!!

Elvis at Golden Village Palms RV Resort

So, tonight we went to see an Elvis impersonator. He was quite good. His singing was much better than his moves. If I closed my eyes, I could hear Elvis, but when I looked at him, he just didn't have the Elvis pelvis going! We really enjoyed the show though. It was a great way to start celebrating Tom's birthday - yes it's tomorrow! November 19, 1951, Mr. Tom Clapham presented himself to the world and now here he is just having a great time, Tonight as we were waiting in line, all these people kept greeting him and he didn't have a clue who they were! It was hilarious. I guess he's kind of an unforgettable guy, huh? So, Happy Birthday Tom! We are looking forward to a fun day of birthday time and enjoying the last good weather we'll have for a few days. We could use the rain anyway. Life is good for the Claphams.

Settling in

Golden Village Palms RV Resort

We've been here almost two weeks now and Tom is still working on the rig - it's never ending. Some of the things, like washing the rig and vehicles are just regular maintenance that he always does, but there are several issues with the rig that he's had to take care of too. The weather the first week was very warm, in the 90's and we used the A/C every day. Then last Saturday it cooled off and it's been perfect weather ever since - mid 70's during the day and 40's at night. We couldn't ask for anything better. We've both had colds and are on the mend from them and getting anxious to get out and do fun things. The shuffleboard court is right across the street from us and we plan to frequent it often. Water aerobics is 5 days a week and the pool is perfect temperature for them. We love to go and make a lot of friends during our time there. Of course, the hot tubs are a great draw for Tom and he goes often in the evening and has great conversations with his fellow "tubbers". He's talked to many people who were here two years ago and they remember him. I don't know if that's a good thing or not!! The park is still pretty empty, but people are coming every day and by the first of December it should be getting busier. We're going to see an Elvis impersonator next week and have heard he's really great. The entertainment is something new to the park this year. I guess the guests have requested it many times and the park is giving us what we want. We'll tell you all about it after the concert. Hemet's population is now over 67,000 since the latest census, so it's shown growth over the last 10 years. It has just about everything to offer that we need and when we want a little adventure, we go to Temecula and go to Costco and Trader Joe's for the special stuff. Can you tell we're getting old?

Hemet - our home for the winter months

Park Sierra Coarsegold, CA Escapee Park

We arrived in Hemet, CA, on Monday afternoon and have been busy getting all settled in for the winter. Last week we left Ukiah on Monday and went to Sacramento to visit our friends Becky and Ron. Tuesday we went to Coarsegold (about 40 miles from Fresno) to an Escapee park there. It was a beautiful park, very wooded and hilly, but the sites were level. We planned to stay two nights, but liked it so much we decided to stay until Sunday. We have our friends Bruce and Jenna there and spent some time with them. Tom also went to a social hour, pot luck and a tarantula festival. Unfortunately, while there, Donna had a cold so didn't do as much socializing as Tom did. He had a blast though. The weather was great too. On Sunday we headed toward Hemet, spent one night on the road and then as I said arrived Monday afternoon. The weather is VERY warm. We've had the A/C on all three days since we arrived. It's just beautiful. We've been reacquainting ourselves with the town and the park. This park is really nice. It's as good as we remembered it and they've added some things. They have entertainment they bring in now. An Elvis impersonator is coming this month. As Elvis is one of Tom's favorites, we're planning on going. Water aerobics is also going on so we're starting tomorrow. All in all I predict it will be a great winter and we'll be keeping you all posted as time goes on.

HAPPY DAY! TWO YEARS CANCER FREE!!!

YES, THIS IS A CAPITAL DAY!!! FIRST THING THIS MORNING TOM WISHED ME A HAPPY TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY OR BIRTHDAY FOR BEING CANCER FREE. I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO QUIT SMILING. LIFE IS GOOD AND I'M SOOOOO LUCKY!!!! YAY!!!!

Tom here...later in the day. We went to dinner to celebrate our good fortune. When we came home we each got a piece of Dove's chocolate for desert. You know...the one with the message on the inside of the wrapper. First of all, these were the special edition breast cancer month chocolates with the pink outer wrapper. The one that Donna got had this message inside "I thrive because I haved survived" Really a very special message on this very special day. Wow! God is Good All The Time!

Pumpkinfest and Other Stuff

Misc. Pix

We've been in Ukiah a week already! Time flies by as we all know. It was a busy week with pickling, freezing and dehydrating vegetables from Beth's garden. Donna, who is NOT fond of kitchen work -especially cooking - spent a couple of days helping with that. They have beautiful harvests from their garden. Julia is in school half days so Grandma Donna and Bubba have been helping out with the driving back and forth. It's fun to see her classroom and how she interacts with the other kids. Then when she gets home, she's ready for the pool and hot tub. What a rough life! We went to the Harvest Festival on Saturday - tons of people and fun things for the kids to do. Julia had a great time. We love watching her dexterity on all the different challenging things they have. She is such a climber. Sunday Tom did a salmon fish fry with a recipe he had received from his Hawaiian friend. It was delicious and everyone ate their fill. So, as you can see - busy, busy, busy. Don't know what the plans are for this week, but we're up for whatever happens. We are having much cooler weather this week, thank goodness. Last week it was in the 90's every day. Hope all is well with you.

Flowers, Abalone and Beautiful Views

Mendicino County Abalone Cook Off

We have really enjoyed our week here in Ft. Bragg. We saw the botanical gardens, a couple of movies, had some great food and Tom went to an Abalone cookoff. He has some pictures as you can see. Abalone are sea snails and divers go after them. They can only dive for them two seasons a year, spring and fall. The shells are very large and here in Mendicino County they have the most abalone in the WORLD. We didn't have a taste of them, but Tom enjoyed seeing the cooks and watch them prep anyway. We made a trip to Little River where "Same Time Next Year" exteriors were shot. Unfortunately, the place was closed. It had been made into a B & B and the owners failed to pay their taxes, so the bank took it over a couple of years ago. We were disappointed to but that's what happens sometimes. We didn't even get a picture! Oh well. There were so many other beautiful things to see. We had a nice drive again today south down the coast a ways. The ocean views are spectacular. Tomorrow we head back to Ukiah to spend time with the kids and animals. How fun!

On the road - AGAIN!!!

Leaving Portland Fairview Park and Visiting Ft. Bragg, CA

We left Portland, OR, on Friday, Oct. 1, and headed south. We had our extra passenger, Cookie, traveling with us. I'm happy to report she did very well on the trip and is now in her new home with our granddaughter. Julia was very surprised and thrilled to get her new cat and they are already best friends. Cookie loves to be loved so she will fit in well with them. I don't know if she's met Hazel (the dog) yet, because we dropped her off and then headed for the coast. They have company for the week and we thought it was better to let them enjoy their company and we'd spend more time with them next week.

We are in Ft. Bragg, CA, and it's beautiful here. We are going to start exploring today. We were lucky to find a beautiful RV park amongst all the really awful ones in the area. There are some of the worst RV parks here we've ever seen! This one reminds us of the Wilderness RV Park at Disney world in Florida.

To back track a little - on Friday we decided we'd head for Hwy 101 and travel the coast down to Ukiah. Remember, I'm following Tom in the car now. We were heading west across to Florence, when suddenly, Tom turned south on a little road. He said that our GPS told him it was a bypass of Florence to go to Coos Bay which was our destination for the first night. The "bypass" started out as a two lane asphalt road. After about 10 miles, it narrowed to a one lane road. A few miles latter it turned out to be a dirt road for about 25 miles.It was very winding, very steep in places and slick as it was misting that day. Following Tom, I Kept seeing his curb side going so close to the edge of the "road" that it was scary. I called him on the walkie and told him he needed to make wider turns. He said he was already on the top of the crown of the curve when he went around it. One time he actually slipped off the side. toward the ditch! I thought for sure we were going to have to call out a wrecker. There was no place to turn around and no other cars the whole time - which was a good thing because it was a very narrow, one lane road. What should have taken less than an hour to get to Florence from where we turned off, took us almost two hours as we could only go 10 to 15 miles an hour. I was so glad I wasn't in the truck with Tom as he was not a happy camper. He was so mad at himself for following the GPS! We decided to stay in Florence that night because we were exhausted from our trek along the mountain ridge. We decided to get up early on Saturday to make a little better time. As we attempted to put the TV antenna down, there was no sound of the motor running. Tom had to climb up to the roof, check it out and then finally, take a screw driver to loosen the screws to put it down. We didn't get on the road until 11:00 am. The rest of the trip to Ukiah was uneventful (thank goodness) and we arrived early afternoon on Sunday at our daughter's house. Now we have a week to just relax and enjoy the coast - very beautiful and wild here. There are a lot of cliffs that overlook the ocean and the views are spectacular. We plan to go to Monticello this week where "Same Time Next Year" and "Overboard" were made. There are plenty of things to see here so we're sure we'll run out of time before we run out of things to see and do. My knee is doing so well now - no pain at all - so we'll be able to do some walking. We're calling this our vacation - yes even though we live full time in our 5Th wheel, we still need a vacation now and then. Life is so good for us!

End of summer

Donna's Hand Work Crafts

It's officially fall now as of Wednesday, so it's time for the Claphams to head south for the winter. We're leaving the park on October 1 and going first to Ukiah, Ca to see the kids and spend some time with them before we go to Hemet, CA, for our winter stay. Tom has written the last few blogs (can't you tell they're all about food?) so he told me it was time for me to put my two cents worth in! I've been busy all summer with my usual craft things and on my birthday I decided it was time to start a photo gallery of my projects. He suggested I include some here, so there you go.
I've had all my doctor visits for the year and some procedures (colonoscopy) so I'm ready for fun in the sun for the winter. Yesterday, I had a cortisone injection in my knee that's been hurting all summer and expect it will help a lot. I can get back to my water aerobics and walking. It's been too painful this summer to do it. As each year goes by, it seems there is something else that starts to fall apart on me, but at least "I can still drive". There's a joke about that and I always think of it when I hear I have to have another medication or some procedure. It keeps me laughing. The good news is that on October 21, I will be cancer free for two years! Now that's something to really celebrate. Gosh, this has been all about me, hasn't it? Well,Tom has been busy getting ready to hit the road - washing and waxing all the vehicles, re-arranging the storage areas outside the rig, checking tires, etc. He will be well prepared when we go and he definitely has "hitch itch". The road beckons. I'm torn because I love Portland and always am sad to leave it. It's so beautiful here. I don't know how it would be in the winter though. Tom's also been doing a lot of barbecuing and sharing his great food with our friends. They sure appreciate it. They'll miss his cooking for sure. Hope all our family and friends are doing great and look forward to seeing some of you this winter.

Labor Day Bash with our Friends

We were invited to our friends and neighbor's site here in the park. I did the BBQ chicken and everything else was done by Kriss and Lorie. Oh my, was it good. I'm letting the slideshow tell it all. The weather was absolutely perfect, and we had such a great time. Hope your Labor Day was great, too!!!!

Saturday Morning Market in Portland

Saturday Morning Market in Portland

My sister Toni and her good friend Phyllis came to Portland for a visit. I took them down to the market and we had a lot of fun. Check out some of the pix we took. There wasn't quite as many weirdos as usual, but we had fun anyway. Great Greek chow! We also went to the Italian Festival in Pioneer Park. Yum. That's it for now.

More Entertainment in the Park

Sarah Getto

Last evening we had a great entertainer in the park, Sarah Getto. This is her second year to play here and she's quite unique 'cause she plays several instruments, all kinds of music, and sings like a bird! This is all done while being totally blind. She was born blind, with a cleft palate (6 surgeries), and slight stuttering impediment. After college she has hit the road with her parents doing gigs all over the US in their Class A motor home. Most gigs are done in RV Resorts just like ours. To learn more about this amazing gal, checkout her website. For some reason, the link isn't picking up here. So copy and paste this in your browser. http://www.sarahgetto.com/

Donna's trip to Ukiah, CA

Julia and Hazel

August 2, I left Portland for Ukiah to visit Beth, Julia and Jim (daughter and family). Having Chase (our new auto addition) made it possible to make the trip in comfort. What a fun car to drive through the mountains of Oregon and California. I drove down Hwy 101 and came back on I-5. Both ways have spectacular sights to see. I spent one night on the road and arrived on the 3rd.

After a quick greeting to the family, I was introduced to the newest member, Hazel. She is a 5 month old lab/hound dog/doberman mix. I think she's mostly hound dog. She is a very sweet, playful, lovable, intelligent and energetic puppy who fits in well with her new family. She is devoted to Beth who does the majority of her feeding, training and companionship. Each week she goes to "puppy class" with her family and is learning good social skills and the family is learning how to be good dog owners. She's easy to become attached to even though she's still a bit on the mischievious side. Right now she seems to be all legs! During the time I was there, she grew enough to put her front paws on the kitchen counter and "explore" and take whatever catches her eye.

The whole time at Ukiah, we were busy with canning, shopping, craft projects and just enjoying each other's company. Julia is going to be starting her second year of school next week and is excited at the prospect of having a new teacher. Jim has been working diligently to get the pool ready for swimming. They had hoped for this summer, but it is a bigger project than they expected. It looks beautiful though. All that's left is getting the pump and light put in before they can fill it with water. Beth is working hard both harvesting their garden and taking care of all the beautiful vegetables and fruit they have - thus the canning. I haven't canned in many years, but thanks to the internet, we were successful in canning, applesauce, apple juice, apple butter (get the theme here?), pickles and zucchini. I also was sent home with lots of fresh veggies to share with Sarah (our other daughter). One of our craft projects was making table puppets for Julia's teacher. She uses them to tell the children stories throughout the year. It was a fun filled, creative day.

It was difficult to leave the family and head back to Portland, but we'll be back in less than two months to spend time with them again. I remember each time I visit them why nature makes us have children when we're young enough to have the energy to bring them up!! They are wonderful, fun, and exhausting for a grandma!!!

Ah, to be home again with my favorite guy.

Cute Little Travel Trailer

Early 60's Shasta Travel Trailer

Just a quick post on an old TT that is in the park. It is an early 60's Shasta. The lady Dr. has been spending a lot of time and money to freshin' it up. She a Holistic Medicine Doctor out spreading the word in her rig. She chose a special spot in our park that we call "the trees". It is rather rustic with a very natural setting that some of our clients prefer. Check out my little slideshow I did on it. I love the little wings off the rear sides. This is the way it came from the factory. She was gone when I snapped the pix, but she told me the inside has all been redone, too! Enjoy!

Portland's Celtic Dancers Performed in the Park

Portland Celtic Dancers Performing in the Park

Donna went down to Ukiah, CA for a visit with Beth, Jim and Julia. She will be there for another week or more, so I'm doing a quick update here. The weather has been perfect! High usually in the high 70s, low 80s with nights in the mid 50s. Super!!! Yesterday evening we had some Celtic dancers in the park performing for the tenents. They were very good, however, only 1/2 of them showed up. I'm including a little video clip just to give you an example of the performance. It was good, wholesome entertainment for all.

Next Saturday night, we'll have a gal coming to perform also. Her name is Sarah Ghetto, and she is AWESOME. She was here last year for the first time, and while she's sings like a bird, the notable thing is she is completely blind. She taught herself to play the guitar and sing. She can sing anything and does a great job of it. Looking forward to seeing her again. Hopefully, I can get a clip of her and post it here.

Our good friend Barb in Canada, is dealing with her elderly Dad's illness who's in the hospital now, so please help us by sending prayers and positive thoughts to Barb and her family. Enough for now! Remember to have fun and enjoy life folks!

Weekend Adventure

Mt Hood Timberline Lodge

5th Wheel Accident 7-24-10

Saturday we took a nice ride with some friends of ours, Paul and Kathie. We went to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. It was a beautiful ride up the mountain. Everything is so green and there are lots of flowers. As we neared the top of Mt. Hood, the vegetation thinned considerably. We saw many snowboarders and skiers getting ready for some fun. It's hard to believe there's still snow on the mountain in July. We explored the inside of Timberline Lodge and thought about having lunch there, but they only had a buffet so we decided to drive back down the mountain a ways and go to the Rendezvous Restaurant. On the way down, we suddenly saw flashing lights - a lot of them. As we drew closer we saw a fifth wheel almost turned over with 2 wheels off the ground alongside the truck that had been pulling it. Obviously it had jack-knifed. Upon some investigation by Tom and Kathie, we learned that a Toyota had pulled out in front of the fifth wheel and the driver of the fifth wheel swerved to avoid T-boning the Toyota. That's when they jack-knifed. Luckily no one was hurt. We weren't delayed at all because there was a parallel road that we took to bypass the accident. We were able to go on and enjoy a wonderful lunch at the Rendezvous and continue our drive. All in all it was a very good day - especially since no one was injured.

We have been staying quite busy here again this year - well, Tom does anyway. He is always fixing, improving, cleaning, watering and generally being on the go. It's what makes him the happiest. Donna is still working at the office only now it's two days a week, instead of three. Next week Donna is heading down to Ukiah, CA, to visit Beth and family. It will be a great opportunity to meet Hazel, the new family puppy. I'm really looking forward to it. Tom will be "batching" it for a week or so and I'm sure he'll do very well. He always manages to find plenty to keep him occupied.

We're really enjoying our new car and love the low cost fuel and ease of getting where we want to go. Tug is resting getting ready for our trek south in a few months.

Hope the summer is going well for all our family and friends.

Our New Addition

Our New Baby, Chase

Last weekend, Tom made a trip to Pennsylvania to pick up our newest addition - a 2005 Chevy Cobalt LT. We had been considering buying a car to do our daily running around in and not have to always use the truck (ol' Tug). This opportunity arose from our good friends, Paul and Cheryl in Pittsburgh and we jumped on it. Tom flew out to Pittsburgh and then drove back to Oregon in the new ride. We named it "Chase" because it's going to be our chase car when we travel. Donna will drive the car and Tom will pull the rig - Donna will follow him. On his way back to Oregon, he was able to visit Donna's sister, Sally; friends in Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado. That helped to break up the trip and make it more fun, but he enjoyed the trip too. He loves to get out and drive.

Tom arrived home on the 4th of July and got to spend some time with our good friend, Barb, from Victoria, B.C. She had come to Portland to spend the weekend with Donna for a "girl time" while Tom was gone. It was so much fun and we had lots of good talks, eating, shopping and playing cards. It was hard to see her go. We both enjoy her company very much.

Life is getting back to normal, working in the park, Tom working on his projects, and Donna knitting. The water aerobics is going well - Tom is very consistent with it and we're getting some people in the park to join us this year.

Hope you're all enjoying your summer.

Fairview, OR Big Truck Show

Fairview, OR Big Truck Show

Well Tom went to the local Big Truck Show held in the Target parking lot. Not a big deal, but fun to watch all the little kids getting to sit in some really big trucks! They are as much fun to see as the trucks themselves. They had give-aways and free popcorn....now we're talking. The big rescue truck was cool. I really enjoyed seeing the equipment these folks have to work with. Actually there is no fire fighting equipment on board. They had several compartments stocked with the "Jaws of Life" equipment. Way kewl.

No much else going on....the weather has decided to straighten up and it is 78* and sunny today. Nice. Our jobs are going good and it is fun to be in Portland this time of year!!!

Just Some RV Park Antics

Funny Looking Fleetwood Limited!

While sitting still for a while it's kinda hard to come with new stuff to post. Only one pic this time. This is a old Fleetwood Limited thats like 40 ft long. I was taken back by the short wheel base. It looks like it could do a "wheelie" if it wanted to! I thought it was funny looking.

I also wanted to share some antics that happened here in the park while under my expert reign!! Ha! Check them out!

RV Park Adventures while being a Park Host at Portland Fairview RV Park

1. Awoken at 2:15 AM with a gentleman telling me he thinks he saw a spider in his water box. No problem with the water, he wondered if I come get it out……he didn’t appear drunk or anything………Yes sir, I’ll get right on that in THE MORNING!
2. Lady rang door bell at 5:15 AM and told me the office wasn’t open and she wanted to mail some post cards as they just “had” to go out. Yes mam, I’ll get right on it!!!
3. Couple from Sweden came at 10:30 PM in a Rental class C. Got him checked in and about an hour later he came to the door to tell me…..I make “boo-boo”. He had put his sewer hose in the irrigation chute instead of the sewer. OH SHIT……come on Clorox…..
4. Lady drove in and wanted me to check out her turn signals not working. She didn’t want to stay overnight……and oh BTW, can you fill my tank with water while it’s here? WTF?
5. Guys pulls in off the street with his toyhauler and drives in a empty site. When I went to investigate….he didn’t want to stay overnight……he just wanted to dump his tanks…..that’s all. Ha!
6. I didn’t see this one, but an 85 yr. old man came in and got a spot for the night in his very upscale 45 ft. MH. Took him almost 30 minutes to get the thing lined up in the pull thru. Next morning he drove off without breaking camp. The sewer hose and electrical cord broke off, but for some weird reason the water hose stayed intact and pulled the PVC water pipe up all the way from the water box at the site to the street and finally the hose broke. The PVC was sticking straight up in the air about 15 ft. high with the hose attached shooting water like a gusher. They only billed the poor old chap for $120 which he paid!!! How would you like to be on the road with this guy?
7. Folks from Norway came in with a 24 ft. Class C rental. Long story short….they were on “holiday”. When I asked how many people, he said 8!! What? 2 Adults and 6 children ages 5 to 20 years. After some conversation they had been touring the US for 32 days!!! What? He explained that in Norway people live in VERY small places. Unbelievable! Asked if they needed WiFi code, he responded, “We don’t allow TV or computer on holiday!! I went on a “security” check to their site just to check this deal out. They were all setting having dinner at 2 picnic tables they had put together. Amazing! Sure wouldn’t want to be in that rig if the stomach flu was going around. Ha!

I think that's enough for now!

Pix in the Park

Portland Fairview RV Park Animals

No real big news. It's been raining quite a bit, also some sunshine from time to time. Tom has snapped a few animal pix in the park. A lady was walking her young black standard poodle in the park and the dog had a bottle of water in it's mouth....funny. Tom's been playing "Father Goose" to the local ducks. He's been feeding them cracked corn near the rig, so now, a couple times a day, they come to the door justa quacking!!! I think they are saying "feed me". Just like feedin' a stray dog, they come back for more. They really are fun. Enough for now!

Happy Memorial Day to all! Let's all remember the folks that served and also the ones that gave their life for our freedom.

Spring has Sprung in Portland

Pix of Flowers and Duck in Our RV Park

I just had to snap a few pictures in the park while it was sunny and warm. Now the Oregon spring rains are here. It sure makes for pretty flowers and green grass. The ducks here are laying and sitting on their eggs. They do it for about a month before the eggs hatch. We take a little food and water to them because they don't leave the nest while sitting and they spin around the nest every few hours and peck at the ground for food. It's so much fun to watch Mother Nature at work.

We are enjoying our workkamping jobs and all the folks we work with. In a few weeks the summer rush will be upon us and it gets even more fun. Enough for now! We will let you know as exciting adventures enter our little FT RVing lifestyle! Hope all is well with you.

Portland for the Summer

Our Site at Portland Fairview RV Park


Jim, Beth and Julia Having Fun!

Here we are in Portland at our summer jobs. Donna started working on Sunday and Tom starts on Wednesday. The park is fairly empty so far, but it looks like there are reservations coming. The weather has been wonderful. Being back is great. Everyone has welcomed us with open arms. We felt like celebrities the first day because everyone was stopping by to welcome us. We have a great spot where we can see all the goings on and we both like that. Donna has been able to spend time with her daughter, Sarah, and has plans for lots of fun activities together this summer. Ducks are sitting on the nest and we'll have ducklings before long. We miss our family in Ukiah but we hope to see them this summer. We had a wonderful time with them and always look forward to seeing them again. Above you can see they enjoy being silly just like we do. We think this summer will be full of fun, friends and family - what else could we ask for?

Back on the road - again

Julia and Her Mom Beth at Playground After Mother's Day Lunch!

Mother's Day was so special this year as I was able to spend it with Beth and Julia. It's the first time I've spent Mother's Day with Julia and the first in many years with Beth. We had a great day spending family time. We even let the men join us! I had a sleepover with Julia - I didn't get a lot of sleep, but she was happy. In the morning we went back to our 5th wheel to let Mommy and Daddy sleep in a bit - we were up at 6:30 am. We waited for Beth to get up and finally at about 9:15 we couldn't stand it any longer, so we took her presents and went to see her. We had a good time opening presents and oohing and ahing before everyone got ready to go to dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Clear Lake Oaks that Tom and I had discovered on our way to Ukiah. It was a beautiful drive, a wonderful dinner and Julia even got to play in a park by the lake on the way home. We also bought fresh strawberries from a roadside stand and had strawberry shortcake for dessert! All in all, one of my best Mother's Days. Now, we're in Crescent City, CA, after leaving Ukiah yesterday and we'll be in Portland early tomorrow. It was a gorgeous drive yesterday up the coast even though it was quite windy - as in the wind blew and road is very winding! Today we'll travel throught the Redwood Forest some more before hitting I-5 toward Portland. We're looking forward to starting our summer jobs and seeing family and friends again.

May Fair

May Fair at Julia's School

Sunday was the May Fair at Julia's school. Bubba (Tom) and I worked a couple of the tables. I helped make "Shooting stars" and Tom made fruit shish-ka-bobs. It was fun. The kids did maypole songs and dances and everyone was really enjoying it all. The weather was perfect for it too. We've been keeping busy still with doing chores to make the house better for the kids - Tom does an awesome job. Beth just can't stop praising him and of course, he loves that. We haven't been doing any sightseeing but we've seen a lot of this area on other trips. Spending time with Julia and Beth just makes it great being here. We'll be here until after Mother's Day and then be heading north to Portland.