September is Just Around the Corner

 

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.

 

At the Gun Show

Labor Day usually marks the end of summer for many people.  I think we’ve all been conditioned with that.  It used to be when the kids started back to school vacations were over and so was summer.  However, when we lived in Texas schools started back again the first part of August.  It's still very hot in Texas in August.  Summer definitely wasn't over.  The vacation part of it might have been over but not the hot days.

The Pacific Northwest is known for late summers.  Nice summer weather really doesn’t start to arrive until sometime around the middle of July.  August usually brings the hotter days and September is usually pretty nice.  This last weekend the weather was only near perfect but the people I spent it with were really perfect.  

We had another family gathering.  We tend to have a lot of those during the summer.  This time even Justin was back.  The only one missing from our family outing was Terry.  He is still in Arizona with his family.  Eventually, he’ll board that plane and head north again … eventually.  He's thinking once his father gets settled again he'll head back for a few days.  Besides there are enough people coming in right now that chaos is in the air.  When they head back home, he may head back to Arizona or maybe just get the wheels on the motorhome moving.  I'm sure most of you know how this works.   This definitely is not the time of year to be in Arizona anyway.  The best time to be there is winter … not summer when temperatures soar above the 100 degree mark.

Getting ready for the games

Just posing

 

Saturday started off with a trip to the Gun Show.  We didn’t buy a thing.  It was something to do so we went.  We even drove through the outlet parking lot in Centralia but none of the stores grabbed us so we kept going.  It was a stop at Joann’s and a stop at Michael’s.  We had taken two cars.  The boys were in one and the girls were in another.  Sometimes this works best and other times … well, not so much.  This was one of those times it just worked best.

<<-- The black smudges under his eyes were self inflicted with charcoal ... to look the part of BBQ King!

Justin had asked his mom to fix one of his absolutely favorite meals while home on leave … Rouladen.  We all love rouladen.

An intermission in Saturdays’ activity was taken so she could cook and the rest of us could eat.  As usual … it was delicious.  Once dinner was over a few card games were set up at Tammi’s place. We had a group playing a game of “Magic” and another group playing a game of “Spades”.  I'm sure I was the only reason they played Spades because I love the game and don’t play Magic. However, they humored me.

Sunday wasn’t much different. We were back at eating and playing cards again.  This time Justin was in charge of the barbecue.  The rest of us were either in charge of buying the food, eating the food or cleaning up after.  It was a perfect day.

More cards were played and then three took off to run a few miles.  The rest of us let them do it.  Why spoil their enjoyment if we tagged along.  Sabrina usually runs about 7 miles at a time and Sandi is running a couple miles with her.  Justin runs with them but part of his personal workout usually includes a gym and a pool where he normally swims for two miles.  Don't you feel the pain  -- running miles and swimming miles at a time ???  Ugh!!  I hurt just thinking about it.

Sandi, Justin and Sabrina (even though she never comments she's just about my most faithful reader.)

‘Tis life on the road.

The Final Call ?

…. for each of us, isn't life about determining your own finish line?   

Terry has received many calls over the last year about the health and downward spiral of his father.  Many times the calls were made as if that would be the final call.  He had gotten to the point of always questioning it similar to the boy who cried “Wolf”. However, the call he received just a little over a week ago he didn’t question.  There was a difference in that call. He thought that might really be the final call.

We have all lost loved ones.   We have all gone through times where we’ve said things we shouldn’t have said or not said things we should have said.  Maybe we’ve done things we shouldn’t or again, not done things we should have.   Maybe we forgot to say, I’m sorry.  Maybe, they forgot to say it. 

Sometimes the passing of our loved ones leaves such sorrow behind and other times not so much.  Relationships are very tender things.  Some are strong and some .. well, not so strong. How we treated others and how others treated us can never be changed.  What it was, was.  Many times we don't think about what we should have said or what we could have said until it's too late.  The peace we need sometimes leaves when the person moves on. 

The call Terry received this time wasn't really the final call.  The difference was that this time it wasn't a sibling making the diagnosis.  It was the doctor expecting Terry's father only to last a day or two.   After checking American, Southwest, Alaska  and US Air for seats, he discovered no seats were available.  It was summer and a busy Monday – one of the worst days to travel.  Our daughter, Tammi, had found an option for him … one first class seat on United via San Francisco was available using her points that night.  She grabbed it. 

This week the family has been alternating by his bedside .. 24 hours a day.  Tomorrow his brother heads back to Virginia but the schedule still goes on.  However, the doctor today was surprised that the father is starting to improve.  He will shortly be moved out of hospice and back into another care facility.  However, I'm not so sure when Terry will return.  It may not be for another week or so and then maybe just long enough to ready the motorhome for travel south.  Only time will tell.

We never know when we may not have another chance.  Sometimes it’s best to say what needs to be said before that Final Call.

'Tis life on the road.

Nuthin’ Works As Planned

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.

Remember these?  I posted these little maps just a short time ago.

Well …. this is what they look like now.

Sometimes decisions aren’t always ours to make.  Sometimes we make decisions based on others.  Such is the case. This last week Terry has been in Arizona with his family.  The jello is still shaking and the itinerary is definitely written in chalk.      However, this year is definitely not the year he feels we should be venturing across country.  Besides …. have you been watching the fuel prices?  Maybe it's a good decision not to travel too far anyway.

Friday night Justin arrived.  Uncle Sam allowed him to come home on leave for a week and we're thrilled to see him.  Of course, "Papa" isn't thrilled he isn't here to spend time with him.

 

 This first picture of Justin and Sabrina would have been a good one if I'd taken the time to make sure it was in focus before I took it on my iPhone.  I figured if I made it small, it wouldn't be so obvious.  It probably would have had to have been much, much smaller.    Here it is anyway.

Mom and Son

Waiting for the limo (Dad) at PDX.

That’s all, Folks!

‘Tis life on the road.

Summer Reflections

 

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.

 

I’ve learned a few things this year. Maybe I should say I’ve confirmed a few things. Having a home base is very different than not having a home base.  Or, should I call it our summer place?  Is it good? The answer to that might be a strong maybe. It just depends on what the purpose of it is. In the past we’ve had this little place that we would usually pull our motorhome into and settle at for maybe a month or so but not a long period like this year. There wasn’t much work to do in the past so it was just a time to practically do nothing. A month isn’t a long time.  It felt good to have our own dirt  ... really, really good. This year it’s been a lot different.

We also had a constant visitor in the past but that was before Uncle Sam had other ideas.  This year not so much until recently.  Our granddaughter, Sandi, has been spending some time with us ... which we like.  She's such a doll to have around.  We have talks.  She goes on walks with me, goes swimming and tries to win at bingo!  We also have great neighbors with the deer and the birds.   We don’t see a lot of our two-legged neighbors except on the weekends.  Then, they come in groups.  We used to like weekends best.  Now we like the quiet weekdays but September is coming.  When September shows up it starts getting pretty quiet just about every place.

Lee and Sabrina spent some time with us last  weekend.  We sure enjoyed their visit.  They were amazed at all the changes.  Justin arrives tomorrow.  In preparation for his homecoming he has already given his mom a list of foods he wants and mentioned he wants a barbecue with us. That’s our boy!!!!

We’ve been doing one heck of a lot of work that we didn't have to do before.  All work and no play makes Jeri a very dull girl. Half of me has a tremendous hitch itch and the other half wants to nest.  I'm not so sure I like the fight within.  In the winter things aren't so quiet and we have lots of company most places we go.  I do miss the camaraderie of our RV friends and being on the road.  You know the saying .. I’m just crying in my beer … but, oops, I don’t drink beer!  Sandi would tell me I'm having a pity party.

It may be too quiet here but being in an RV park during the summer can really be just the opposite.  It's a zoo.  You find many young families with tents, trailers and pop-ups. I’m not against that.  I think every family should spend time outdoors and camp with their kids.   It’s just that I don’t necessarily want to have my motorhome parked next to them.  The problem is the parks are full during the summer with people.  Actually it’s not just the parks.  It’s the neighborhoods, the fairs, the beaches and just about every place else is full too.

I’m blaming the little outing we took to the coast as being responsible for my hitch itch.  However, it really started before that … thus, the trip to the coast.   We have a little shindig planned here right after Labor Day.  When I originally started this blog over a week ago, we were thinking we'd pull out shortly after that.  However, family happenings sometimes change things and they have done just that.  We will share with you the changes in a few days.

I also originally wrote we didn't know where we would head but now I'm going to say we do kinda know where we'll end up this winter but just don't know quite how we'll get there.  We’ll be back to our little summer hideaway next year and maybe get a chance to look at nesting differently.

‘Tis life on the road.

Picnic and Schedules

 

Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.

 

Once a year Sabrina is in charge of her church’s annual picnic event and every year we plan to attend.  This last weekend was the picnic.  It was a gorgeous day and a wonderful event.  We also got an unexpected relief from the temperatures that had been hovering between 90 and 100.  Instead a cloud cover moved in early but blew away to an absolutely gorgeous day in the low 80’s.

Sabrina and Lee arrived early to help set up the event.  Tammi provided the pop-up canopy right at the lake’s edge.  We needed something to provide so we provided the empty stomachs.  How’s that for team work?  We all pitched in to make this day together a great one and it was.

I have never seen as much road construction as we’ve seen lately.  Your tax dollars are really out there working.  They’ve especially been working on a 3 1/2 mile road we take to our little place. We never thought the road was in bad condition but it must have been or they wouldn’t have decided to tear it up and repave it.    It’s not much of a road and it’s way out in the boonies.  The construction crew has tied this up for a couple weeks now with long delays.  It’s not been fun. 

We’re hoping they finish up with the road soon because every car around needs a real good bath.  Besides … all the delays have been rather annoying.

This is the latest unfinished project we have around here.  It’s a deer feeder.  We have to get shingles yet and fix a roof for it.  However, we’ve been able to keep the deer out of the yard and not have to pooper-scoop behind them now that the food is closer to the road.

Do you see the twins on the left side of the picture?  They kind of blend in.

Check this out.  This is the new toy I want.  Well, I don’t want one of the new ones because they are bigger.  It's the 2008 Polaris RZR that I'm interested in.  The 2009 model is 10” wider than the 2008 and the years after are even bigger.  I also want a red one but I’ve learned in life I don’t always get everything I want.

Justin will be flying in this weekend.  We’re all looking forward to having him around.  I offered to provide tickets for his flight but then so did his Aunt Tammi.  Tammi’s offer was better than mine.  Her tickets were confirmed …. mine were standby tickets.  He’ll be home on leave for a week before he heads back to Norfolk.   Terry is in Arizona.  He would be sick if he missed Justin but sometimes we just aren't able to control our own schedules.

- - - - - -

‘Tis life on the road.

A Reason to Keep Diabetes in Check

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.

Most of us know a little about diabetes.  Terry has diabetes and had a few complications with it at times.  I also have several friends with diabetes … thus, the blog.

We know there is a type 1 and a type 2 diabetes.  Type 1 diabetes is the rarest form with type 2 the more common type of diabetes.  There are many other differences between the two and also many similarities because they both are associated with the production of insulin.

There are many obvious reasons to keep your diabetes in check but the discovery of diabetes type 3 gives yet another reason.   I bet most have never heard about a type 3 diabetes.  That’s probably because it’s only really been discovered or rather, named that,  within the last few years.  More recent even than the discovery of the disease itself is what this type of diabetes targets.  It’s considered the brain diabetes.  Scary, huh?

This type of diabetes is harder to diagnose and harder to treat.   It appears that having type 1   or type 2 diabetes is necessary for developing this new form of diabetes.   Thus, it is also called double diabetes.  Type 3 diabetes does to the brain what the other two types do to the kidneys.  Without production of insulin in the brain the brain can not function as it should.

When this third type of diabetes was discovered a few years ago there was much discussion and controversy about the possibility of it being associated with Alzheimer's disease. There is speculation now of splitting the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s into two forms.  Thus, a huge reason to keep  diabetes in check.  Not all Alzheimer’s patients have diabetes but many with diabetes do develop Alzheimer's.  Thus, the two diagnosis. 

Check out a very recent article.  The article discusses cholesterol levels required for good brain activity and the need to maintain a low carb and high fat diet – healthy saturated fat diet.

Alzheimer’s is not a disease any of us want.  The thought of having any type of dementia is certainly not appealing.  Not all dementia is Alzheimer’s.  We probably all know someone somewhere at sometime who has had this disease.  We certainly don’t want it to be us.  This is just one more reason to keep a watch on sugar spikes and high glucose levels.

The most important point is this: it isn't "diabetes" that raises your risk of developing dementia, it is your average blood sugar. There is a close relationship between A1c (average blood sugar test)  and your likelihood of developing this type of dementia.

Research is very new on diabetes type 3 and it's association with Alzheimers so it’s something we’ll probably be following for a while.  In the meantime we’re going to learn to use a little more coconut oil and coconut products.

Keep tabs on that blood sugar as we want to continue connecting on the road but there's also another little issue that we need to keep in mind as all of us age.  What is it?  Well, even with slight dementia someone else may be put in charge of what you can and cannot do.  This boils down to the question of who to trust with your future  .. just in case.  I'm not talking about money either.  Only recently we have become aware of a couple situations where older parents have given power of attorney to one of their children.  In both cases the older parent is made to live in situations that are not necessarily of their choosing.  Once that power of attorney is given it just may be difficult or impossible to change.   It's something to keep in mind before giving anyone the right to anyone to make decisions for you.

‘Tis life on the road.

Hotel Stay vs RV Stay

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”

One idea of traveling in an RV is that you have all your stuff with you.  You don’t have to pack and unpack.  You also don’t have to worry about figuring out what hotels to stay at and what hotels not to stay at.  Of course, you do have to worry about about the RV parks a bit.   Some we would never stay at and some we really like.  One thing for certain in an RV is that you always have your own bed with you.

It’s so much nicer to sleep in your own comfortable RV quarters than sleep in a hotel bed.  Actually, it’s even more than that.  I’m sure most of us have our own horror stories about places we’ve stayed in the past and other great reasons for that RV.  However, there are some times that even we like to take a vacation.  Some of those vacations require us to sleep elsewhere.  Such was the case recently.

We took a little trip to the coast.  Since we didn't take our motorhome with us it meant that we needed to get a hotel for the night.  I had two blogs while we were gone and one of those mentioned the hotel we stayed at.

A new reality show on TV is Hotel Impossible.  Have you watched it?  It’s kind of like watching the Kitchen Impossible shows which make you real leery about eating at some restaurants due to the things you see in the kitchen on this show.  The hotel show is like that too as they clue you in to places where the hidden dirt in the room may be hiding.  The middle of this month another hotel show started with Gordon Ramsey.  It was Hotel Hell.   Hmm … wonder what he knows about hotels?  I think we all know a little.  It's what we see when we stay.

Recently I read a news article on some of the dirtiest things about hotel rooms.  There are a lot more places in that hotel room that are just as bad as dirty mattresses.  To begin with you might just keep your hands in your pocket and stay away from the TV remote and the light switch.  Like I said it’s not just the beds we have to worry about.  Maids may clean the bathrooms and change the sheets but they also bring a lot of dirt with them into the room from the other rooms as they mop and use the same sponge from room to room. Doorknobs tend to get wiped down but the bedspreads, curtains and other things you might touch don’t.  One thing I always worry about are the blankets and bedspreads.  You know they aren’t cleaned after every occupant and who knows what happens to them before you get the room.  After watching the show a few times, I now understand I have had reason to be worried.

Having an RV doesn’t mean you always will be able to sleep in your own bed.  Sometimes we still travel and visit places without the RV.  Your RV may not be germ-free but those germs are your germs.  The idea of picking up someone else’s germs isn’t pleasant. Picking up bedbugs would be even worse.  I’m not sure how to get around that other than touching as few items as necessary when staying at a hotel for the night or two.  Perhaps, wearing gloves would even help more … I guess for right now I’m thankful we have our own beds.  Our friend, Linda, suggested bringing a flashlight and checking.  Watching those shows can make one paranoid about the places we sleep and the kitchens that prepare our food.

So, for now I’m happy just to have our own little quarters and take our bed with us most places we go.  Besides we know that we’ll always have a place to spend the night.  Not only does Motel 6 keep the light on but so does Walmart and Flying J with no reservations required. There is an advantage in pulling your own bed with you. 

However, there are some extreme hotels to stay in if you’re really looking.  Here are a few.

	DogBark Park Inn B&B Cottonwood, ID
Hotel Costa Verde 727 1965 Boeing Jet 2 bedroom suite Costa Rica
	Alpha Resort Tomanu Igoo like inn. Northern Japan Rooms are made of ice
Hobbit Motel J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Belgium

‘Tis life on the road.

Winchester Bay and the Dunes

Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.

Map of Dunes

After watching Hotel Impossible we had become a little leery of hotel rooms.  This show has unveiled as much wrong with hotels as Gordon Ramsey or Robert Irvine has with restaurants.  When you’re in small little beach towns your options are limited.  The first place we pulled into we noticed the drapes on the windows were really thin kitchen curtains.  We thought that was a bad sign so we moved on.

We saw these little maps at many of the stops.  It was interesting to see where we were and just how big the Dunes really are.

ATV speed limit on special ATV lane.

Lots of folks were fishing from the end of the dock.

The next hotel we pulled into was older but appeared clean. It needed a good paint job but other than that was fine.  The room was definitely inspected before the good old American Express card came out.  Once we checked out the room and paid for the night we pulled off the bedspread.    Anthony (of Hotel Impossible) thinks all of these extra little spreads and blankets should be eliminated.  We agree because they are rarely washed.  Aargh!  Off they came.  Are we paranoid?  Maybe a little.   Maybe a lot.  We only discovered the following day that we had missed a nice, new Best Western down the road.  Oh well … our little room worked for us that night.

Lots of ATVs at campground.	One trail to the dunes.
Another trail to the dunes.	And, another trail to the dunes.

After checking in we were ready for dinner.  There was a Main Street Diner just down the street with a very full parking lot.  We thought that might be a good sign.  What a great choice this place was!  The clam chowder was fantastic.  It was loaded with potatoes and clams. I also ordered chicken fried chicken. The menu indicated it had a very light batter.  It was one of the best I have ever had!  Fantastic!

Umpqua Lighthouse

Foggy view of dunes with ocean in the distant.

Winchester Bay was just down the road. The following morning this is where we were off to.  I know we had been through the area before but we had never checked out the Dunes and ATV riding.  This time we did just that.  The morning was very, very foggy but as the day moved on the fog moved on also.  Pictures speak best.

Winchester Bay RV Park -- Gorgeous

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After we checked out some of the dunes and some of the parks, we turned around and headed back towards Florence.  We stopped there at the Little Brown Hen Restaurant before heading inland. I ordered the melted crab sandwich ... delicious!!  However, the cup of clam chowder certainly wasn't the best as there were very few chunky potatoes and not much in the way of clams.  The sandwich and service would certainly make it worth going back to though.

Our route back to I-5 was via Hwy 126.  It was a good road but I still prefer Hwy 38 from Reedsport.  It was smooth sailing all the way back … well, almost.  

Big enough for a large group to view the dunes.

I want to ride a sandrail.  $28 for 30 minutes with a pro driver.

We did make one little stop at the Monaco factory north of Eugene at Coburg.  The factory is at exit 199 and just off the freeway.  We’ve spent a few nights in their RV area.  Our motorhome slide is a little crooked so we felt it might need to be checked and fixed.  An appointment was made to have that taken care of on our way out of the Northwest.

Historic bridge in Florence.  Sun was shining and the fog had disappeared.

I did say it was smooth sailing all the way once we hit I-5.  Actually, that was an exaggeration.  Once we hit Portland we again got stop and go traffic due to an accident.  It was miles and miles of traffic.  Once through it we were on our way to pick up Duchess.  She was sure a happy dog when we arrived.

Monaco has a great little RV park for customers.

We heard a forecast about fuel prices last night on TV.  The forecast is that fuel prices will break a record later in the year.  We're wondering what that's going to do to folks heading south for the winter.  At one time there were so many cancellations at snowbird RV parks that you could almost get in anyplace.  It'll be interesting to see what happens but not so interesting as to want to hand over more cash to fill up that fuel tank.  Only time will tell.
 

‘Tis life on the road.