Yep It's a Really Big Dent in the Ground

Last night we stayed at Enchanted Trails RV Park and Trading Post just west of Albuquerque NM (the trading post means they sell cool jewelry and other stuff in the office.)
We knew we had 2 more nights before reaching Mom and Dad's and and this place was perfect. Dogs allowed, Passport America, free wifi, hottub,nice laundry and even a Camping World right next door.
Well the hottub wasn't up and running and the wifi wasn't bad(if you weren't using Vista like John hahahahah!) but it was great to sit and watch the storms go by.
Today it was stop and look at that really big crater we have been driving past for so many years.


And it was a HUGE dent in the ground. The Meteor Crater Museum was really interesting. The wind was blowing so hard that we couldn't walk on some of the trails but it was still a fun way to spend a few hours.

Water In the Desert

Click on this picture to see how much fun you can have diving in New Mexico!


We've driven thru Santa Rosa many times on I-40 ,but not this time.
I've been trying to dive for the last 3 months and this I couldn't pass up.
The Blue Hole is used for dive training here in western NM.
Thanks to my lovely assistant John I even have pictures.

Heading West !!!

It's time to "kick the tires and light the fires".
For the next few days we will be "enjoying the journey" getting reaquainted with The Muffin and life on the road.
Our first day out was a nice cruise up Hwy 19 in Florida from St. Pete's to Tallahasse and then we were heading west.
Of course our first night was spent at Casa de Walmart in Crestview.
After filling with gas(2.99 a gal...OUCH) we were on the road again.
I know I should be taking pictures but I don't know if my pictures could capture the site, smell and feeling as we sailed down I-10 just as the sun was coming up behind us. Everything was so cool and green.....and the fragrence of all the flowers and fresh mown grass was so amazing. Maybe its just that we so love being on the road.
We made one stop in Vickburg Ms to visit the Vicksburg National Military Park.Mom and Dad had stopped there several years ago and enjoyed it so we thought we would to... and we did. It was really warm tho so we couldn't leave the Airhead in the Muffin for long.
We decided it might be a good night for an Rv Park so I plugged the laptop in to may phone and found several in the area. Criteria: Dog friendly, wifi, preferably no train tracks nearby.
Rivertown Campground fit the bill.
So now we are rested ,sparkly clean and ready to hit the road.

A Day at the Tampa Bay Aquarium

The pre-construction phase on a large Target remodel is sometimes pretty sporadic for us, leaving plenty of time to see the sights of the areas we are working in... in fact thats one of the best things about our life on the road.
Here's John enjoying a shark from a very nice vantage point, Outside the glass.


The Tampa Bay Aquarium was just another example of when in Florida if it's not in or on the water it just isn't!!!!
It was such a great way to spend a day.

Pedal and or Paddle Power Kayaks Are the Way to Go

Pinellas County Fl is a kayakers paradise. Whether you are paddling around in the mangroves at the southern tip in Fort DeSoto Park,

where John and I were lucky enough to see a couple little manatees swimming around.

Or near the W.Bay Causeway where Chuck and Mary, our neighbors at the RV Park ,test drove their new peddle or paddle kayak, you can't help but have fun.

And if you want to really get into it, at the north end of the peninsula is Honeymoon Is. where you can park and launch for a nice paddle to Caladesi Is Park.

Here's Chris getting ready to launch.

And a couple of pirates hiding out in the mangroves.

Lynne and John Who???

WE ARE STILL ALIVE.... I seem to have even out done myself at bad blog updating. It's not that there hasn't been a ton to write about, I just.... well you know! Anyway we are back in Florida ,having met a bunch of new people between then and now and seen and done some cool stuff.
For anyone that's interested I'll be filling in the lost spaces through the magic of post options(even I can turn back the hands of time on a blog) with pictures of people, projects and places and hopefully use all the new features now available on blogger. BE HAPPY, STAY SAFE AND ABOVE ALL "ENJOY THE JOURNEY"

Visiting My Grandson Dylan

Believe it or not until this weekend I had never seen, held or smelled my grandson Dylan..... and he was born last fall. Bad! G-ma Bad!
He is just as happy and cute as everyone said but some things you just have to check out for yourself.
The circumstances were a bit unusual but nothing could have kept me from going... you see he was in the hospital and there was a snowstorm heading their way.
Worth it? ... just click on his photo and see for yourself.

I still am mystified how he can always be so happy with everyone poking at him.

MY INTERNET

One very imprtant thing to us (now) is access to the internet. It is something we take into consideration when choosing an RV park. It's how we keep up with our weekly reports for work and keep in touch with family and friends.
Tengo (a service you can buy for a day or month or year) is available here and it is not the best coverage. Hmmmm I've been dragging these Dustyfoot tripods around for a year now... I wonder if my favorite Datastorm installers can get me going with my own dish???


I guess so! Just click on the pic to see how easy!

HOME (for the next few months)

We arrived at Vacation Village in Largo Fl. near St.Petersburg early this afternoon and within 10 or 15 min. Jim and Chris pulled in behind us.
This is no small feat as they are living and working doing Computer seminars and Datastorm installations at Peace River Preserve 80 miles away.
What a great surprise. It's John's birthday and our anniversary today.


So first to the beach and then a nice lunch.
Tomorrow we'll check out the jobsite!!

Welcome to Florida

Just after filling with fuel in Florida we noticed our exhaust sounded alittle louder.... Ouch , one of the brackets holding the muffler up was broken creating a small crack near the muffler.... baling wire and we are on our way.

Why the Party Is At the Walmart In Katy Tx

It had been a long few days of driving but a real confidence boost for me.
Within the first hour of leaving Mom and Dad's John was hit with the evil bug that had taken it's toll on Mom.... Arghgh !! The cool thing was that although John was down for the count on the sofa he didn't care how I drove.
Today was the first day he drove and we are almost out of Texas so when the Prevost pulled in next to us and 3 very fun looking people stepped out it was a sign. Super Walmarts are a good place to stop for a quick night but not often do we really get the chance to visit our neighbors.


Nigel and Jane were traveling with their friend Ruben in his Prevost to an Auto Auction in Scottsdale Az.
They supplied the BBQ and Shrimp and we broke out the rum. What fun. After a quick tour of Ruben's coach we discovered he had no personal photos in all those frames so we snapped a couple pics, printed them out and TADAA! Home!

Here Ruben is talking to his wife in Canada. See John has recovered nicely.

Tomorrow FLORIDA!!!

A Really Short Visit

We only have a few days and wouldn't you know it Mom has caught a horrible bug. She was so weak that it surprised me she was up for a quick lunch with Shirley and Earl (my son Ryan's other grandparents).
Here is Mom,Earl,Shirley,John and Dad outside the restaurant.


Tomorrow we head east shooting for 500 miles a day. John and I take turns driving so it isn't as tough as it sounds. We've done this drive so many times it's to bad we can't put the CM2 on auto pilot.

One Last Romp On A Pacific Beach and Turn Left

We stopped for a quick photo and then back on the road. I really didn't think we would see more snow but it IS winter !!


Tonight it's Red Bluff RV Park to drop off the tool trailer til summer when we build the house with Dick and JoAnne and then on to Quartzsite.

Not All Detours Are Bad

Because of snow we decided to head for the coast when we reached Albany Oregon. This brought us to within miles of John's godfather Reagan and his wife Rachels' home. Although it was short notice for them we were welcomed with open arms, you see we have been trying to get together with them for years but just seem to keep missing them. They are great, still traveling in their Ford van that Reagan customized himself.


We promised to keep in touch and headed on our way finding a nice RV Park for the night near Bandon Or.
Robbin's Nest RV Park and Jim's Gems.
Just click on the photo below to check it out.

We'll be makin tracks in the morning as we have til Jan. 15th to make it to St Petersburg Fl. and we have many stops to make... but this detour was well worth it!

Be Careful What You Wish For

Well we were packed and ready to head south... Only as far as Port Townsend. Having no definite plans til summer (when we will build a home with friends in N. Calif.) Heck I'd even said my goodbyes(for now) to Barb.


And the phone rang. It was Jesse in Florida.
He and the warm weather had been on our minds for sometime and wouldn't you know he made us an offer we couldn't refuse. So instead of the Keystone Ferry and Port Townsend it was I-5 and Florida for another Target remodel.
Of course there is snow in the pass between Or. and Ca. and we must stop in Quartzsite Az. to see Mom and Dad. It is so cool living on wheels!!!

Upholstery on the Road

Upholstery is something I love to do and every once in a while I get a chance to do a really unusual piece. Thanks to open hearts and doors of friends like Tim who gave up his living room for me to tear it down in.


And to Barb at North Whidbey RV Park that let me use the rec-room to rebuild it.

Maybe next time I should consider where I am.... an RV!

Presents???

The Weather is Here; I Wish I Was Beautiful

And it just keeps coming. First it was flooding (rain instead of snow in the mountains)
Then we had snow at sea level, followed by below normal temps and then THE WIND.
Thursday evening as we secured things around the park and filled propane tanks I just kept thinking about how wonderful this summer was.
It hit at 2:15 a.m. Fri morning with a crack....a tree near us went down just skimming the motorhome next to the Muffin.


We lost about a dozen trees in the park. Our power is all under ground but outside the park lines were down all over the area in fact there are still neighbor hoods with no power!
Fortunately no one here was hurt and only one rig sustained damage.


100 mph winds can rip your roof right off. Dave said it makes a weird noise but the real givaway that something is amiss in the dark is when you stick your hand up to the skylight in the shower and nothing is there.
2 a.m. also coincided with high tide .


This is the parking lot at Deception Pass State Park (across the street from our park) on Friday afternoon.
And this is the pass entrance . These are wind driven waves....


Kayaking anyone??

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW,LET IT SNOW

BRRRR!!


Whidbey Is. Wa.

The Beginning of the Next Excellent Adventure

Today was the last day of the Burlington Fred Meyer remodel. It's hard to believe 6 mos. (and 22 days) have passed since we started.
There were a few OOPs

A lotta laughs


And made more new friends.


It's these people that work in the store everyday that really make the difference between success and failure of an open store remodel. They not only helped the customers find their way thru the chaos of construction but helped us complete our jobs ( literally in some cases).
THANKS!!!!

It Only Takes 3 To Howl At the Moon

Just a little gathering Barb (the Rv park Manager) thru together again. This time it was a combo Halloween/October fest. I guess that is why the bonfires, costumes, brautwurst and beer.


Not that Erza, Barb and I were having fun but...... it's on our job description!
Everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves as well.

Then and Now

Then is October 1997. John and I are living in Port Townsend and are involved with the Kinetic Scultpure Race for the first time.



John was a Kinetic Kop and I was Tsunami Mommi (behind the scenes helping to decorate,instigate , infiltrate and all around maintain a state of perpetual indulgence.)
This being our first fall back since then we at least had to watch the Rose Hips Parade( another fun event that coincides with the Race. I'm not sure which came first but at least the people still at it haven't lost their enthusiasm .


Here's Mike (another Kinetic Kop) this year riding in style.He has been involved in the Race as long as I know of. When he's not, you can find him spreading the joy of Solar Energy!!!

End Of Summer

A sure sign summer is just about over is when the kids go back to school.


Today is AJ's (left) and Kelly's last day here on the job. The have been working for ICG ( the general contractor) this summer but now will return to college. AJ will probalbly continue in the construction industry and Kelly may go on to be an educator. What ever they choose they wil be forces to be recond with....

Dylan Ryan Reid

OK, OK, I'm acting like a .....well you know. Anyway this is the first picture.
Being a "long distance " grandparent you will be saved from all the gory details concerning bodily funtions and a constant stream of the strange and sometimes humorous anectdotes.

GRAMMA ALERT !

Yep at 9 am CDT Ry and Steph had a little boy.
Dylan Ryan Reid and his Mom and Dad are all doing great.
Don't have any pictures yet but I do know he weighed in at 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 20 and 1/2 inches tall.
HMMMM... I guess now I can start shopping.... that is what grandmothers do isn't it?

Just Another Day In the Great NorthWest

I never get tired of this drive to and from work....Just look at what we saw on our way home tonight.


Deception Pass Bridge looking south.

Always Something Going On In Port Townsend

Another beautiful evening. I can't beleive how great the weather has been this summer.
Sue (Tim's sister),Tim, John and I along with a few other friends took advantage of that fact and took in an Art Walk .


I don't know what Sue is saying but she has John's attention.

10 YEARS......

Yes we have a need to travel and 10 years ago today we took off on what seems like a short but very educational life on wheels or water or whatever.



We left Tahoe, our jobs and friends for what we hoped would be a traveling and working adventure. When not living in our van we were living on our boat" Spirit Keeper".
Things were different then. The idea of living and working out of and RV wasn't as common place as now. Cell phones and computers have come along way!!!
We were "the youngsters" then. Many people thought we were nuts, or something.
We have stopped from time to time and actually lived in houses to enjoy a spot or new friends for any where from a couple months to several years but are always drawn to travel again. Our gifts ( or abilities) have made much of this possible and continued good health hasn't hurt.
We are continuing our adventure. Making new friends and seeing new places while trying not to loose touch with all the people and places we've come to love along the way.
So..... ENJOY THE JOURNEY!

Afternoon Entertainment

A bit of afternoon entertainment by one of the guests.
We are lucky that everyone(especially me) doesn't have to sing for thier supper.
This is Wayman Lombard from Las Vegas Nv. He and his daughter entertained us late today. What a treat. I thought about how much Mom and Dad would have enjoyed this.