A richness of friends

I am experiencing a richness of friends and so far everyone wants me to move back to Washington. I talked to my son Dan today and he reminded me to beware of the siren song of summer in WA.. How true. This place is heaven when the sun is shining but oh the cold, gray gloom of winter. Washington does not have a "snowbird population....No, it is a "sunbird" group that flee the place in the winter. AZ and CA. are a gathering place for Washingtonians who no longer wish to exist in the grayness of winter. Rain in not the issue.....cloudy days without the sun is what has Seattleites looking longingly at rooftops and wondering if jumping could be an answer. I had a wonderful evening with a group of housing women who are loosely known as the "Old Girl's drinking Club". It was heaven to be back with my people and held in the glow of their spirits. They have known me for nearly 20 years and amazingly, they still like me!LOL I will be spending the summer up here, thinking about my choices, enjoying my friends and appreciating the fact that I have such freedom. God is good and life if full.

Friends, friends, everywhere!

I am having such a good time checking back in with old friends in Seattle. I attended a luncheon for the Housing Development Consortium this week. Over 400 people honoring the HDC's 21 years and their founding ED's retirement. Lots of familiar faces plus many folks I didn't know. Tells me that in the past two years the housing field in WA. is attracting new people....a very good thing. "The old Girls Network" is gathering on Friday for drinks and I can hardly wait. I also went to lunch with Marianne and her daughter Kim. So nice to see Kim again...and spend time with her. I am staying with Marianne for the remainder of this week and then heading North to see my sister and settle in to Anacortes for the summer. The weather has been great...a little rain but lots of sunshine and mild temps. It was beautiful on the water today. Pictures are of Kim, Marianne and me plus the view from the resturant. Live is sooooo good.

Woke up today in Washington, State

I left Sandy, Oregon Sunday morning and drove to friend Marianne's place to spend some time. Was able to stash Ms. Capri at Marianne's daughter's house. I had such a wonderful visit with my cousins Peni and Lee and was able to spend some time with cousin Treva. Fell in love with their new doggy, Cami.

It is nice to be back in WA. I was able to set up my car radio to my old favorite stations....88.5, 94.9 & 98.1. Today "Moby", my car, gets washed. Marianne has some projects for me to help with....looking forward to paling around with my "Pal". It is good to be "home".

Surprised the Cousins!

I finally hit rain in Oregon. The skys opened up and helped me remember why the Northwest is so green. I was on Hiway #5 and decided the best thing was to find a nice warm, dry motel and stop for the night. I stayed just south of Eugene at La Quinta and enjoyed it much. Next morning I called my cousin Peni and said I'll be there about 3PM. She sounded a little surprised but was very welcoming. So I drove in their driveway and enjoyed hugs all around. It is great seeing Peni and Lee again. They have a lovely home in Sandy, Oregon surrounded by beautiful landscaping which they have created over the nearly 20 years they have been in this house. I also got to meet "Cami" their new rescue dog. She is so sweet and seems to have adopted me. We spent the evening snuggled up together on the couch.

This morning I woke to a beautiful "Saturday" morning, looking forward to the day. The only problem being that today is Friday!!! The day I was suppose to arrive. Imagine my surprise to realize I had lost a day. No wonder Peni sounded surprised....I was a day early and obviously, a few brain cells short. No harm done....Peni and Lee rose to occasion and we are getting an extra day of visiting. I've been taking pictures and will post them soon. Tomorrow, Cousin Treva is coming to visit and Peni is making a rhubarb and strawberry pie for me. Life is good....now I have to go walk my new doggy friend, Cami.

Nice Day Exploring Crescent City,CA.

Woke up to bird song and sunshine on the river. Easy day, headed into Crescent City to see what I could. The Pacific Ocean is gorgeous...so nice to be back on the water. The pictures say it all. Tomorrow I head up Hwy 101 to hwy 199 to Grants Pass and then Hwy 5 to Portland. I'm going to drive as far as I can but plan to stop as far North as I can tomorrow night so I can arrive at my cousin Peni's midday on Friday. She has a beautiful home and garden in Sandy, Oregon. Can't wait to see what is in bloom.

Highway 101....great drive

So, I left Rohnert Park at 9:30 AM and decided to take CA. Hwy 101 north, planning on ending up in Crescent City. At about 5:30PM I was still about 25 miles south of Crescent City and getting very tired. I checked the Passport American book and found the Klamath River RV Park, "Right on the River" and pulled in. Good choice. I've got a site on the river, all the hookups, including TV. I decided to stay for two nights before I head for Oregon and Hwy 5 to Portland. It is cold and foggy...a real change from AZ. Fortunately, I brought some sweatshirts and am actually enjoying this change of climate. Don't want a steady diet of this but it is a great change of pace.

The drive today was wonderful. Slow but beautiful I drove through the California Redwoods which is close to being in nature's cathedral. I love this part of CA. and plan to come back this way and spend some extended time. I'll get some pictures tomorrow. Tonight I'm just snuggling in and enjoying the night.

Finally a Picture of Shelley

Things keep turning up on this camera.....go figure. Anyway....this is Shelley and me at her house in Nevada City.

Mother's Day with Katie

I picked up Katie at noon and we went into Santa Rosa for lunch. Had a lovely chat about her plans, ran some errands, did some sight seeing and then back to see her dorm room and a campus tour. Katie is doing so well.....almost through school for this year. She heads home the end of May. Next year she gets to upgrade her living situation a bit. She is excited about sharing with her sorority sisters and having her own room and bath. The Sonoma State University campus is very nice, small and manageable, in a gorgeous part of California. Katie is very happy with her choice of school, a very good thing. It was a great day for me and a wonderful way to spend Mother's Day. Tomorrow I am on the road again, north to Portland, Oregon with a stop or two on the way.

Got batteries, Got pictures

When I pumped up the batteries on my camera I found some of the Shelley and Di visit. Nothing with Shelley but several with Kit and Di and one showing the view from their house.

Nevada City Rocks!

I spend a great 27 hours with my old friend Shelley and her family, Di and Kit. Sadly my camera behaved badly and I have exactly ONE picture of this reunion. I hope Di's pictures will eventually fill in the gaps. Nevada City is an old California gold mining town that ooozes with charm and history. Shelley and Di have a lovely home high on a hill, surrounded by trees and a green vistas. I was able to park Ms. Capri in their driveway, complete with water and electric. Best RV spot I've had on this trip. Their little boy Kit is now 6+ years old and a joy. While I was visiting he signed up for soccer and got to wear his jersey and we kicked around his new soccer ball. Shelley & Di loaded me up with local wine and "Shelley baked" bread and coffee cake before I hit the road. It is so good to see good people living a happy life in a beautiful place.

I left Nevada City and drove west for about 3+ hours to Rohnert Park, CA. where Sonoma State University is located. I arrived about 7PM last night and got settled into the Wine Country RV Park. Today I am spending the day with my granddaughter Katie. She is in her first year at the University. What a great way to spend Mother's Day. Just sorry her Mom, Onay, can't join us.

P.S. first stop is camera battery central!!

Great time with Niece Tracy

I have spent two days here in Carson City, NV. visiting with my niece Tracy and her new family. What a fun time. We have lunched, shopped, talked and talked, laughed ourselves silly and visited a few watering holes. I love this area. It is surrounded by snow capped mountains, the weather these two days has been perfect and their is lots of history and neat neighborhoods. Carson City is the capitol of Nevada so it is a lively place plus being just 65 miles south of Reno and sooo close to Lake Tahoe. Tracy took me on a tour of her favorite thrift stores....a sure way to please Aunt Judy. We found some treasures and stopped for happy hour at the oldest bar in Nevada to celebrate. The picture of the bldg. with the bunting is the bar. Tomorrow I head to California to check in with Shelley and Di in Nevada City. It will be fun to see them.....it has been a long time. Then on to Sonoma to spend some time with my granddaughter Katie at her college. So far this has been a great start to my summer trip.
P. S. I am loving this clean, clean air around here.

Beautiful Drive North

I left Barstow yesterday morning and drove 387 miles north on Hiway 395. What a beautiful drive....mountains and green and pretty little mountain towns. Got as high as 8,000 feet, totally natural!! It was slow going since I was climbing most of the time. Arrived at the Carson Valley RV Park about 6:30PM in Minden, NV. Called my niece Tracy who lives here. She and her guy Ed came over to have a glass of wine. I was so great seeing her. She just celebrated her 50th birthday and she looks marvelous! Today she and I are going to Tahoe for lunch and tomorrow off to Reno for the day.

367 miles under my Wheels!

My first day on the road went pretty well. Had to get back in the rhythm of pulling the trailer. It can be a little stressful with 3200 pounds of metal looming up behind you. It was slow going...any incline (ie..mountains, etc.) means I slow down to about 45mph. Plus it is interesting to watch the gas gauge move down. I am averaging only about 9-10 miles per gallon. Came very close to running out of gas before I hit my destination. On this route.. (AZ 93 to Interstate 40) it can be a long way between gas stations. But all in all things went well. I ended the day at a KOA (Kampgrounds of America) in Barstow, CA. It is windy and dusty...gee, reminds me of home. LOL. Now I am going to have some dinner, a tall cool drink and hit the sack early. Life if good!

On the Road Again!

Today is the day I head North. I had a great list of "To Do's" to get ready. Thought of everything.....almost. forgot to have the trailer checked out at the Dealer Service. Went in this morning at 7:30 and they fixed a couple of minor things and said I'm good to go. Sooooo, I'm going. Hope to make it to at least Barstow, Ca. today. I've got 756 miles to get to Carson City, NV. My first visit stop with my Niece, Tracy. I'm planning on at least 300 miles a day average. Sometimes however, I get a second wind after my 300 and want to keep driving. That's what I love about unstructured travel. I can just go with my flow of energy and joy and stop when I want to. So wish me well.......the journey begins!