We are enjoying our time here in South Texas with new people arriving daily at the RV park. After Thanksgiving there will be a big influx and the official start of the winter season will begin. Our weather has been beautiful in the 55-75 range and low humidity with a slight north wind. However, the last several days the wind has been howling out of the south with the temps 75-90 and high humidity....the kind of weather I dislike. The overnight low temps have been setting high records. We have been holed up in the motorhome with the air conditioner running. However, I guess that is better than our Montana home where they have been having unseasonably cold weather and even some snow.
One good thing about staying inside is that we are using the time to sort and name our pictures we took on our Mexico trip. Both Dan and I carry cameras with big lenses to take pics of the birds we see. The challenging part becomes in the ID of the birds. In the field, our leader Dave, would tell us what they are but after seeing about 225 species in various stages of camoflage in the bushes, and about a month after the fact, it becomes a guessing game as to what some of the birds are. That plus the fact that many are southern birds that we are not used to seeing. We have had some spirited discussions on what some of them may be, ending with "Well, it is your list" [a birding expression for "I don't believe you but I am not going to argue".]
We are back in the land of citrus groves and this time of year is harvest. There are roadside stands everywhere. I really like grapefruit and have found a way to eat it which I really like. I peel it, cut it into bite sized pieces and put them on a plate in the freezer for about 4-5 hours. By that time they have ice crystals in them but are not rock hard and are really delicious. I can hardly wait until evening every day so I can have my frozen treat.
For Thanksgiving dinner the RV park is having a dinner at the clubhouse where they supply the meat and we bring the accompanying dishes. Instead of doing that [the clubhouse is noisy] we have decided that we will eat with friends Anne, Scotty, Linda and Jim. When I went to buy the ham today I had a nice surprise. If you buy a ham [which I was going to do anyway] they gave you a turkey for FREE!! Being my mother's daughter, I could not pass that up. The fact that our RV refrigerator is way too small didn't slow me down a bit.....free was free! Dan is really good at creative arranging and the turkey is now in the fridge, thawing to be cooked on the weekend. We both love cold turkey sandwiches and then stewing the bones to make soup so we will be in great shape for food for the next while. Our local grocery store chain often has really good specials like that.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
She strikes again....the once a month blogger!!! Maybe things will improve but don't hold your breath.
We have arrived in Mission Texas for the winter after a stop in Tucson for a birding trip into Mexico and in Lawton Oklahoma for a visit with family and friends. Both stops were most enjoyable.
As mentioned in my previous blog [is your memory that good?] Dave picked us up plus 6 other people for an 8 day birding trip into NW Mexico and down as far as his home in Alamos. It was a great trip with lots of birds. I think I got 33 lifers and Dan got 23. My back held up surprisingly well all things considered. For a complete trip report go to
http://www.solipaso.com/sonora-yecora-alamos-and-the-sea-of-cortez
I had been concerned about security when driving from Tucson into Mexico because of the smuggling and illegal activity. However, I was absolutely amazed at the lack of evidence of such activity in that area of Arizona. However, when we got to Texas it is an entirely different story. I think things have worsened since last year with many areas by the river being a cause for concern. However, we can stay away from there and all should be OK. Even though our RV park is not far from the river there are Border Patrol around all the time plus the property is fenced and locked from dark to dawn.
Our week at Lawton was spent at cousin Jo's house along with great food and hospitality. At Ft Sill we got some of the shots necessary for our trip in January to Peru.
We also had a "slight mishap" with our cell phone when Dan put it in a half full glass of water that was in the console of the car. We have been trying to dry it out [to no avail so far] but in the mean time, our good neighbors Mike and Linda found our old phone in the office at our house and mailed it to us. It did not have any of the old numbers in it as I had hoped but at least we did not have to spend $250 for a new phone. Plus, Anne knew how to re-activate the old phone so we are all set. It sure is nice to have good friends who can bail us out of our messes.
Dan did some maintenance stuff on the motorhome [with help from friend Ken] then packed it to head south. After a couple of blips in the battery compartment and an extended diagnosis/repair time we got to Bentsen Palm Village [600 miles from Lawton] on Tuesday. Anne and Linda had made a terrific dinner of pulled pork, macaroni, green beans and cole slaw so we grabbed a bottle of wine and headed to their place to finish it all off [it is so nice not to have to cook after driving all day]. It is great to see old friends again and catch up on everything....even though we had seen both couples at our place in Montana last August, plus both Anne and especially Linda are MUCH better at keeping up with their blogs than I am.
Yesterday was Veterans Day plus our third wedding anniversary. When selecting a wedding date it looked like November was going to be best. I liked the idea of Veterans Day [since Dan was in the Navy for 21 years] but wasn't sure if that was a good idea. However, when he said it was also his mother's birthday, the deal was sealed and 3 years ago we went to New Hampshire and got married at his brother's place. The last 3 years we have eaten out at our favorite Chinese buffet here in the Valley and of course I ate too much [I even had a cream cheese stuffed jalapeno for you Jerrie!!]
As I mentioned, I have been pleasantly surprised how well my back has been holding up. We got our recumbent trikes out of the car and have been riding them with no problems for me. Then this morning I went with Anne to the clubhouse where she and others have been doing zoomba dancing which is a heck of a workout. I tried it and so far no problems. I did not get as vigorous as the others, but at least I was moving.
Will end this for today and will try to do better about posting in the future.
We have arrived in Mission Texas for the winter after a stop in Tucson for a birding trip into Mexico and in Lawton Oklahoma for a visit with family and friends. Both stops were most enjoyable.
As mentioned in my previous blog [is your memory that good?] Dave picked us up plus 6 other people for an 8 day birding trip into NW Mexico and down as far as his home in Alamos. It was a great trip with lots of birds. I think I got 33 lifers and Dan got 23. My back held up surprisingly well all things considered. For a complete trip report go to
http://www.solipaso.com/sonora-yecora-alamos-and-the-sea-of-cortez
I had been concerned about security when driving from Tucson into Mexico because of the smuggling and illegal activity. However, I was absolutely amazed at the lack of evidence of such activity in that area of Arizona. However, when we got to Texas it is an entirely different story. I think things have worsened since last year with many areas by the river being a cause for concern. However, we can stay away from there and all should be OK. Even though our RV park is not far from the river there are Border Patrol around all the time plus the property is fenced and locked from dark to dawn.
Our week at Lawton was spent at cousin Jo's house along with great food and hospitality. At Ft Sill we got some of the shots necessary for our trip in January to Peru.
We also had a "slight mishap" with our cell phone when Dan put it in a half full glass of water that was in the console of the car. We have been trying to dry it out [to no avail so far] but in the mean time, our good neighbors Mike and Linda found our old phone in the office at our house and mailed it to us. It did not have any of the old numbers in it as I had hoped but at least we did not have to spend $250 for a new phone. Plus, Anne knew how to re-activate the old phone so we are all set. It sure is nice to have good friends who can bail us out of our messes.
Dan did some maintenance stuff on the motorhome [with help from friend Ken] then packed it to head south. After a couple of blips in the battery compartment and an extended diagnosis/repair time we got to Bentsen Palm Village [600 miles from Lawton] on Tuesday. Anne and Linda had made a terrific dinner of pulled pork, macaroni, green beans and cole slaw so we grabbed a bottle of wine and headed to their place to finish it all off [it is so nice not to have to cook after driving all day]. It is great to see old friends again and catch up on everything....even though we had seen both couples at our place in Montana last August, plus both Anne and especially Linda are MUCH better at keeping up with their blogs than I am.
Yesterday was Veterans Day plus our third wedding anniversary. When selecting a wedding date it looked like November was going to be best. I liked the idea of Veterans Day [since Dan was in the Navy for 21 years] but wasn't sure if that was a good idea. However, when he said it was also his mother's birthday, the deal was sealed and 3 years ago we went to New Hampshire and got married at his brother's place. The last 3 years we have eaten out at our favorite Chinese buffet here in the Valley and of course I ate too much [I even had a cream cheese stuffed jalapeno for you Jerrie!!]
As I mentioned, I have been pleasantly surprised how well my back has been holding up. We got our recumbent trikes out of the car and have been riding them with no problems for me. Then this morning I went with Anne to the clubhouse where she and others have been doing zoomba dancing which is a heck of a workout. I tried it and so far no problems. I did not get as vigorous as the others, but at least I was moving.
Will end this for today and will try to do better about posting in the future.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Getting Ready to Leave
I have certainly been less than diligent in keeping my blog updated. It seems we just do stuff around here and the time just disappears. I intended to add photos to this, but am not going to get that done.
Our summer was late getting here but it was well worth waiting for.....and still continues. We are getting temps in the high 40's to 70's with clear beautiful day. No frost yet, and no snow on the 10,000 ft mountains. It will be hard to leave.
Our community garden was very productive this summer....lots more than we needed. We ate loads of fresh veggies gave them away. Last year I got a dehydrator so tried vegetables and was very pleased with the results. I did about 25 lbs of green beans as well as a lot of carrots, squash, apples, pears etc. Tried the veggies in a stew and it was a great. Sure an easier way to keep them since our freezer will be turned off for the winter.
This computer is driving me nuts!!! [again]. The letter "R" just fell off the other day. Took it in and the guy said a new key could be ordered and just snapped into place. However, there was not enough time to get it done before we leave. So now when I type, if I have to hit "R" my finger falls into a hole and touches an electrical connection. So, if Dan finds me dead at my computer in the near future, he will know what happened.
Have had more back injections, all with varying degrees of success. However, the one I had last week seems to be helping. Hope it lasts at least until we get to Texas.
We leave on Monday to drive to Tucson where we store our car at a friend's, then will leave from there for a birding trip into NW Mexico. The guide is Dave who was our guide on our 2 Alaska trips. He and his wife have a hotel in Mexico and do birding tours from there. They are really nice people and we are looking forward to the trip. They will pick us up [and 6 others] in Tucson and drive through Nogales into Mexico. That concerns me a little as that is a bad corridor for the smugglers of drugs and illegals. However, hopefully everything will be OK.
After that trip we will head to Oklahoma to Lawton to pick up the motorhome and then head to Mission [arriving Nov 8] where we will spend the winter at the same location as previous years.
I love our house and location and friends here and at times, don't want to leave. However, I also love to travel, see new places, stay at our familiar Texas location and catch up on friends from previous years. The only thing is, the packing up and moving is not a fun thing...especially from here. There is a lot to do to get things ready and it is not particularly fun [the birds are really going to miss their feeders]. At the moment we are up to our ears in preparation but once we are on the road, all that is quickly behind us.
Sorry about the lack of photos. They take a bunch more time and that is what I am running out of. Fingers crossed for us as we travel.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Travels with the Scotts
Since I have not posted to my blog for a long time, and since I have a lot of photos, I am going to make two separate postings so when you get to the bottom of this, keep reading [the Harvard Classics, Montana style!].
In between all the great projects Scotty did for us while they were here, the four of us took some trips to see some of the local sights. Montana is such a huge state, there is no way we could have hit anything but the local high spots.
One day we went into Missoula, had lunch downtown then went to a carousel near by. You need to have visitors that look up local stuff, because I did not even know it was there. I had never ridden a carousel but got lucky and caught the brass ring.
Another day we went to the Daly Mansion, a beautiful place built by a wealthy early settler to the Bitterroot Valley. The group who runs it has been fortunate to get some grants for renovation as it is a wonderful example of local history.
From our house we can look up and see St Mary's Peak. One day we drove to near the top and looked down at our house [our house is 3600 ft and the peak is 10,000]. One of the local delicacies are huckleberries which grow on bushes at higher elevations, and are a favorite of bears. We stopped and picked some, although there weren't a lot [not sure if it was the bears or the tourists that ate them!]
Anne is the one who got me into wood carving [although I have not done much in the last year] so one day we went to the neighbor's yard and looked for cottonwood bark that is a favorite of carvers. Anne had gotten some different and interesting pieces of wood in her western travels and started experimenting with them. She also got a new camera while here, and was trying it out. In between all this we did some cooking, ate some good food, drank some beer [guys] and wine [girls], told and heard some great stories and all in all, had a great time.
Carousel at a park in downtown Missoula
Scotty and Anne
Daly Mansion
Daly Mansion
Daly Mansion
Daly Mansion
Picking huckleberries [is that Scotty or a grizzly!]
In between all the great projects Scotty did for us while they were here, the four of us took some trips to see some of the local sights. Montana is such a huge state, there is no way we could have hit anything but the local high spots.
One day we went into Missoula, had lunch downtown then went to a carousel near by. You need to have visitors that look up local stuff, because I did not even know it was there. I had never ridden a carousel but got lucky and caught the brass ring.
Another day we went to the Daly Mansion, a beautiful place built by a wealthy early settler to the Bitterroot Valley. The group who runs it has been fortunate to get some grants for renovation as it is a wonderful example of local history.
From our house we can look up and see St Mary's Peak. One day we drove to near the top and looked down at our house [our house is 3600 ft and the peak is 10,000]. One of the local delicacies are huckleberries which grow on bushes at higher elevations, and are a favorite of bears. We stopped and picked some, although there weren't a lot [not sure if it was the bears or the tourists that ate them!]
Anne is the one who got me into wood carving [although I have not done much in the last year] so one day we went to the neighbor's yard and looked for cottonwood bark that is a favorite of carvers. Anne had gotten some different and interesting pieces of wood in her western travels and started experimenting with them. She also got a new camera while here, and was trying it out. In between all this we did some cooking, ate some good food, drank some beer [guys] and wine [girls], told and heard some great stories and all in all, had a great time.
Carousel at a park in downtown Missoula
Scotty and Anne
Daly Mansion
Daly Mansion
Daly Mansion
Daly Mansion
From St Mary's Peak
Our house is in the middle of the picture [what do you mean you can't see it!]
Our house is in the middle of the picture [what do you mean you can't see it!]
Picking huckleberries [is that Scotty or a grizzly!]
Goodbye to the Scotts
Our friends Anne & Scotty have left and we sure do miss them. As I mentioned in a previous posting, they stay at the same park in the winter where we do, but this year, instead of going home to visit family in New England for the summer, they made a trip through the western part of the country and spent time with us. Scotty is an amazing handyman and boy did we have stuff for him to be handy with. Below are some photos of the projects he did [with Dan, his able bodied assistant].
The light over our dining room table was one that I had disliked since we moved here. The guys replaced it with an antique fixture that we brought from Oklahoma that had been given to Dan by a very good friend. The lights in the kitchen were track lights that only illuminated the island, but no light over the kitchen sink [who wants to do dishes anyway]. It didn't matter in the summer when there was lots of light but early spring and late fall it was a problem. They replaced the original with a different kind of track light that was longer and flexible so that it lit the sink and adjacent counter tops.
We have radiant heating in our floor but it was put in 12 years ago when the house was built and while it worked well, we were not sure if it needed any repair or maintenance. Scotty has installed many of these units so checked ours, and said it was a really good system and did not need any repairs, other than a shut off switch for safety, which he installed.
In the shop, he got our second well working [we have plenty of water for domestic use but this well is for irrigation etc], fixed the heater, fixed the generator, and installed 20-30-50 amp electicity [and built a box to put them in] to take care of any visiting RV's.
The light over our dining room table was one that I had disliked since we moved here. The guys replaced it with an antique fixture that we brought from Oklahoma that had been given to Dan by a very good friend. The lights in the kitchen were track lights that only illuminated the island, but no light over the kitchen sink [who wants to do dishes anyway]. It didn't matter in the summer when there was lots of light but early spring and late fall it was a problem. They replaced the original with a different kind of track light that was longer and flexible so that it lit the sink and adjacent counter tops.
We have radiant heating in our floor but it was put in 12 years ago when the house was built and while it worked well, we were not sure if it needed any repair or maintenance. Scotty has installed many of these units so checked ours, and said it was a really good system and did not need any repairs, other than a shut off switch for safety, which he installed.
In the shop, he got our second well working [we have plenty of water for domestic use but this well is for irrigation etc], fixed the heater, fixed the generator, and installed 20-30-50 amp electicity [and built a box to put them in] to take care of any visiting RV's.
We kept telling him he didn't have to do all this stuff but he said he loves projects. We really did appreciate all he did for us.
Scotty and Dan replacing ugly light fixture.
New light fixture
New light fixture
New track lighting in kitchen
20-30-50 amp RV hookups in weatherproof box
Fixed heater
New hose bib [backyard never had one]
Second well in shop now works
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Philipsburg, Montana
Skalkaho Falls with Anne & Scotty
Doe Brothers Restaurant at Philipsburg
Restored Building...Philipsburg
Historic Jail...still in use...has solar panels!!!
Area around Philipsburg
Gem Mountain
Searching for Sapphires
We have really enjoyed having Anne & Scotty here. Dan and Scotty have been working on the myriad things that always need to be fixed when you have a house. Scotty is really a master and Dan is becoming an experienced assistant. We now have 20, 30 and 50 amp hookups for any visiting RV, as well as solutions to the water and sewer connections. There is no way we could have done those things by ourselves.
Friday, to break the all day work hours, we took a drive up to Skalkaho Falls then over to Philipsburg for lunch. After all the stops to look at birds, deer, butterflies, flowers, plants, lakes, trails etc we finally ate lunch at 4 pm. The drive was beautiful up through the Sapphire Mountains and the town of Philipsburg is a real experience. It is a restored 19th century mining town and they have done a wonderful job. Almost all of the downtown is on the National Register of Historic Buildings, and painted in keeping with the period. We had lunch at Doe Brothers which was decorated in 19th century motif. After lunch, we walked around the town admiring all the buildings and flowers [while shaking down our lunch so we had room for ice cream cones] then headed back home.
Along the way we passed Gem Mountain where they mine sapphires. You can buy a bucket of gravel, sluice it in the water to clean it, then pick through and find possible sapphires. Then they will look at your treasures and tell you what they are worth and if the stones are worth doing anything with. We talked about trying our luck but decided to head down the road. Good thing as we didn't get home until 7 as it was and I am sure those buckets of gravel are not designed to make you rich!!
Friday, to break the all day work hours, we took a drive up to Skalkaho Falls then over to Philipsburg for lunch. After all the stops to look at birds, deer, butterflies, flowers, plants, lakes, trails etc we finally ate lunch at 4 pm. The drive was beautiful up through the Sapphire Mountains and the town of Philipsburg is a real experience. It is a restored 19th century mining town and they have done a wonderful job. Almost all of the downtown is on the National Register of Historic Buildings, and painted in keeping with the period. We had lunch at Doe Brothers which was decorated in 19th century motif. After lunch, we walked around the town admiring all the buildings and flowers [while shaking down our lunch so we had room for ice cream cones] then headed back home.
Along the way we passed Gem Mountain where they mine sapphires. You can buy a bucket of gravel, sluice it in the water to clean it, then pick through and find possible sapphires. Then they will look at your treasures and tell you what they are worth and if the stones are worth doing anything with. We talked about trying our luck but decided to head down the road. Good thing as we didn't get home until 7 as it was and I am sure those buckets of gravel are not designed to make you rich!!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Hummingbirds
Rufous...immature male
The "Junk Yard Dog" ...who else can I beat up!!
Calliope with broken bill
Black chinned at Anne's feeder
Through Anne's window.
We have had a few hummingbirds at our feeders all summer....black chinned, rufous and calliope all of which I feel sure had nests somewhere in the area. Now, with fall approaching, migration has started and the chaos has begun. The birds that have been in the area are stocking up on calories, and the ones that have been up north are taking advantage of the feeders as they pass through. The immature male rufous are very territorial and spend most of their time chasing off the others. As a result, I put a second feeder in the front yard out of sight of the one in the back yard so that "tough guy" would have to fly over the house if he wanted to defend both feeders....and defend them he does. You can hear the little skirmishes constantly through the day and up until dark. Today I decided to try to take some photos. On looking more closely, there was a female calliope that had a broken top bill and could not/would not retract her tongue. I ended up with a few good photos [after taking MANY] and will post some. Our friends Anne & Scotty who are staying in their motorhome at our place have a feeder that attaches to their window. The window is tinted and the birds cannot see in so you can take a close-up picture through the window without them knowing. All in all a terrific time waster!! but lots of fun.
Friday, July 30, 2010
For the last few days we have had friends visiting [full time RVers] who stay at the same RV park we do in Texas [when our neighbor Mike saw the Texas license plates in our driveway he said "there goes the neighborhood!"]. Anne & Scotty are staying at our place with limited hookups [although Scotty is such a great handyman that he has solved all the hookup problems] while Jim & Linda are staying at a park south of here where hookups were easier to manage. They have had dinner here a couple of times and once we ate out [Chinese]. For one of our dinners we had pork chops [cooked expertly by Anne] and fresh vegetables [that I had picked that day out of our community garden]. There is nothing that tastes better than just picked veggies. We had potatoes, peas, carrots, cabbage and beets. Yummm!!
We also had home made apple dumplings. For over 100 years our town has had a festival called the Creamery Picnic where there are a lot of food booths and a barbeque cookoff. Our church women make and sell apple dumplings, which is our one fund raiser for the year. These dumplings are well known and people come from all over to get dumplings. We made them this week, they will be frozen then sold at the festival next weekend [thawed then microwaved then served with ice cream for only $3.50]. Since we had made them the day before our dinner, I bought some early and that is what we had for desert.
Yesterday Anne & Scotty left to fly to Maine to be with family for a week, leaving their motorhome here, while Jim & Linda will continue on their way. Dan and Scotty have some projects to work on when the Scotts get back. We don't want to work him to death but sure do appreciate Scotty's expertise as you sure need to know what you are doing especially when you get into electrical stuff.
The poppies that were blooming [see earlier photos] have now gone to seed and while they are beautiful at the time, cleanup is another deal. We have decided that next year we are going to limit their production.
It has warmed up here [in the 90's] but even without air conditioning in our house we are keeping cool. This place is well insulated and we manage the temps by opening the windows at night when it gets into the 50's then closing the windows and blinds during the day when it warms up. I am the first one to complain when it gets hot but even I am happy.
We have a pond on our place that has thousands of small fish, and obviously some large ones. I have tried my hand at fishing but I sure don't have the magic touch. Our neighbor told us that the fish were easy to catch....ha!! Good thing my life does not depend on eating what I catch.
I have had the second back injection when they burn the nerves. It is an improvement but not back to normal [I think those days are gone...I will always have to be careful]. It will take a couple of weeks to get maximum benefit from the procedure.
We also had home made apple dumplings. For over 100 years our town has had a festival called the Creamery Picnic where there are a lot of food booths and a barbeque cookoff. Our church women make and sell apple dumplings, which is our one fund raiser for the year. These dumplings are well known and people come from all over to get dumplings. We made them this week, they will be frozen then sold at the festival next weekend [thawed then microwaved then served with ice cream for only $3.50]. Since we had made them the day before our dinner, I bought some early and that is what we had for desert.
Yesterday Anne & Scotty left to fly to Maine to be with family for a week, leaving their motorhome here, while Jim & Linda will continue on their way. Dan and Scotty have some projects to work on when the Scotts get back. We don't want to work him to death but sure do appreciate Scotty's expertise as you sure need to know what you are doing especially when you get into electrical stuff.
The poppies that were blooming [see earlier photos] have now gone to seed and while they are beautiful at the time, cleanup is another deal. We have decided that next year we are going to limit their production.
It has warmed up here [in the 90's] but even without air conditioning in our house we are keeping cool. This place is well insulated and we manage the temps by opening the windows at night when it gets into the 50's then closing the windows and blinds during the day when it warms up. I am the first one to complain when it gets hot but even I am happy.
We have a pond on our place that has thousands of small fish, and obviously some large ones. I have tried my hand at fishing but I sure don't have the magic touch. Our neighbor told us that the fish were easy to catch....ha!! Good thing my life does not depend on eating what I catch.
I have had the second back injection when they burn the nerves. It is an improvement but not back to normal [I think those days are gone...I will always have to be careful]. It will take a couple of weeks to get maximum benefit from the procedure.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Trip Photos - 1
Cottage where we stayed.
Private entrance and driveway.
Secluded amidst the trees
Covered patio with comfortable chairs and large gas grill
Furnished with everything you need
Beautiful landscaping around cottage and the home of the hosts
We would recommend this location to anyone visiting the area.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Photos from trip - 2
Passion Flower
Orchid
Orchid
Peace Arch International Border
Canadian border...flag made from blooming plants
US Border ... flag made from blooming plants
Ferry boat crossing
A visit to my brother's place
For the last 10 days we have been visiting my brother who lives on Vancouver Island. We only get there once a year but always enjoy the time we spend together. He has recently bought a new house which he is remodelling so we stayed in a cottage owned by some people about a mile from his place. That turned out to be a great decision because the place was fantastic. Very secluded, surrounded by trees, a beautiful garden, lots of birds, gracious hosts and a very reasonable price. I put out a hummingbird feeder and very quickly had little guys coming to drink. The cottage had a living room, kitchen, bedroom and large bathroom, a porch outside with a big grill plus a new computer with high speed internet. They had equipped the place with everything you could possibly need/want including coffee beans and a grinder. I cooked the meals and everything I needed was in the kitchen. It was amazing and we really enjoyed it.
One of my favorite things to do while in that part of the country is eat fresh salmon. We drove to the next town [about 30 miles] and bought fish that had just been caught...delicious. I also bought LOTS of just picked blueberries which were delicious, and only $1.40 a pound. I always buy fresh in the store but they don't compare to "picked the same day and bought on the farm". If it sounds like my main motivation on our trip was food, you are absolutely right. My brother is just an after thought....just kidding.
While we were there Dan had his 70th birthday. He got calls from several friends the day we left who knew that he would be away for his birthday and then on the actual day, he got lots of emails with greetings. Then we had a dinner of filet mignon, fresh vegetables, baked potatoes as well as cake and ice cream. All in all a great day.
One of my brother and my favorite things to do is go to garage sales. Dan is not crazy about this but goes along anyway and often finds goodies. But he has to go with us because last time George and I left him at home while we went to the sales he fell off a ladder and broke his wrist. He is now not allowed to stay home by himself!! When planning our trip we made sure we were there for 2 weekends and a week so that we could get to the maximum number of garage sales.
Since George has moved from the mainland to Vancouver Island, our trip to visit entails a 2 hr trip on a ferry. We have been going by one route for a couple of years and this year decided to try something different. The trip up was great and the departure site was much more convenient than in previous years. Our trip home was another matter and resulted in "the day from hell". I am an interstate driver and dislike slow traffic and stop lights when trying to get somewhere. To go home the way we came involved slow roads. I thought we should get to an interstate ASAP then our 700 mile trip home would go a little faster. The one hesitation I had was that the border crossing on the interstate would be busier than the one getting off the ferry. But I thought "how bad can it be?" I sure found out when it was WAY too late to change my mind. The lineup at the border was 1 1/2 hours long. When we got up to the check point the line branched into 3 lines. As usual, just like the grocery store, I picked the wrong lane. The guy we had pulled us over for an "agriculture inspection". I told him we just had salmon and blueberries but that was not good enough for him. We had to park the car, leave the keys, surrender our passports and go in a building that was crawling with people....both inspectors and "criminals" like us. A woman came and asked us questions then made us stay in the building while she went out to inspect. After a while she came in, entered something in the computer [we are probably now on the "do not fly list"] then came and told us we could leave. After living on the border and crossing at the same location all my life that is only the second time I have been inspected. I don't much look forward to having to do that again. Next time we will go home on the other ferry. We had gotten up at 6am to make sure we had an early start but by the time we got through customs and on my favorite interstate it was afternoon.
We made good time...for a while... then we got caught in the rush hour traffic in Seattle which is a nightmare. Almost any time you drive through that city the traffic is heavy. I told Dan that if I had to live there and drive to and from work in that traffic every day I would just quit work and go on welfare! I guess I have lived in small towns for too long.
But wait....the day from hell is not over yet. We only got as far as Ellensburg Washington and stopped at a motel. We were relaxing and watching TV when we noticed that the air conditioning was getting louder and louder. Dan tried what he could to get the noise to stop but to no avail....and of course the maintenance people had gone home for the day. In the end they moved us to another room and at 10pm we were hauling our junk down the hall....but it was quieter. Thank goodness that day was over.
We made it home the next day with no further "adventures". It was good to be here, even though the grass had grown like mad...a situation that Dan remedied this morning. The bird feeders and the water feature were also empty so the little critters were mad at me. However, all is now back to normal.
I have had trouble posting photos so will post some of our trip and the cabin where we stayed as well as a butterfly and orchid garden in a different posting.
One of my favorite things to do while in that part of the country is eat fresh salmon. We drove to the next town [about 30 miles] and bought fish that had just been caught...delicious. I also bought LOTS of just picked blueberries which were delicious, and only $1.40 a pound. I always buy fresh in the store but they don't compare to "picked the same day and bought on the farm". If it sounds like my main motivation on our trip was food, you are absolutely right. My brother is just an after thought....just kidding.
While we were there Dan had his 70th birthday. He got calls from several friends the day we left who knew that he would be away for his birthday and then on the actual day, he got lots of emails with greetings. Then we had a dinner of filet mignon, fresh vegetables, baked potatoes as well as cake and ice cream. All in all a great day.
One of my brother and my favorite things to do is go to garage sales. Dan is not crazy about this but goes along anyway and often finds goodies. But he has to go with us because last time George and I left him at home while we went to the sales he fell off a ladder and broke his wrist. He is now not allowed to stay home by himself!! When planning our trip we made sure we were there for 2 weekends and a week so that we could get to the maximum number of garage sales.
Since George has moved from the mainland to Vancouver Island, our trip to visit entails a 2 hr trip on a ferry. We have been going by one route for a couple of years and this year decided to try something different. The trip up was great and the departure site was much more convenient than in previous years. Our trip home was another matter and resulted in "the day from hell". I am an interstate driver and dislike slow traffic and stop lights when trying to get somewhere. To go home the way we came involved slow roads. I thought we should get to an interstate ASAP then our 700 mile trip home would go a little faster. The one hesitation I had was that the border crossing on the interstate would be busier than the one getting off the ferry. But I thought "how bad can it be?" I sure found out when it was WAY too late to change my mind. The lineup at the border was 1 1/2 hours long. When we got up to the check point the line branched into 3 lines. As usual, just like the grocery store, I picked the wrong lane. The guy we had pulled us over for an "agriculture inspection". I told him we just had salmon and blueberries but that was not good enough for him. We had to park the car, leave the keys, surrender our passports and go in a building that was crawling with people....both inspectors and "criminals" like us. A woman came and asked us questions then made us stay in the building while she went out to inspect. After a while she came in, entered something in the computer [we are probably now on the "do not fly list"] then came and told us we could leave. After living on the border and crossing at the same location all my life that is only the second time I have been inspected. I don't much look forward to having to do that again. Next time we will go home on the other ferry. We had gotten up at 6am to make sure we had an early start but by the time we got through customs and on my favorite interstate it was afternoon.
We made good time...for a while... then we got caught in the rush hour traffic in Seattle which is a nightmare. Almost any time you drive through that city the traffic is heavy. I told Dan that if I had to live there and drive to and from work in that traffic every day I would just quit work and go on welfare! I guess I have lived in small towns for too long.
But wait....the day from hell is not over yet. We only got as far as Ellensburg Washington and stopped at a motel. We were relaxing and watching TV when we noticed that the air conditioning was getting louder and louder. Dan tried what he could to get the noise to stop but to no avail....and of course the maintenance people had gone home for the day. In the end they moved us to another room and at 10pm we were hauling our junk down the hall....but it was quieter. Thank goodness that day was over.
We made it home the next day with no further "adventures". It was good to be here, even though the grass had grown like mad...a situation that Dan remedied this morning. The bird feeders and the water feature were also empty so the little critters were mad at me. However, all is now back to normal.
I have had trouble posting photos so will post some of our trip and the cabin where we stayed as well as a butterfly and orchid garden in a different posting.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Photos from the Refuge
These are some of the photos we took yesterday at the Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge about 8 miles from here.
Savannah sparrow
Great horned owl chick
A second Great horned owl chick. We saw both parents and 2 chicks
Great blue heron and 2 chicks
Two Great blue heron chicks
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