Tag Archives: art

Things Change

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By the time you read this we will be halfway home. As I sit here, thinking, I have absolutely no idea where halfway might be. But, we’ll be heading that way some time this morning.

The mornings here in Baker City have turned frigid and Max doesn’t like that much because he’s so short and his stomach hairs get wet in tall grass. He hasn’t complained openly about that, but it’s evident in he way he looks over his glasses at us that reveals the truth. He also misses all his squirrel friends in his back yard at home.

Yesterday we visited a museum in town that looked promising, and it was. The biggest draw was a gold nugget that weighs about 15 bs, seriously. It’s huge. They have it, and lots of other nuggets on display behind 1 inch glass vaults. The big nugget is valued at around 11-hundred-seventy-five-million $$, a worthy sum for something you could put in your pocket. Surely it would hasten your pants to fall to the floor should you attempt to carry it that way.

There are many more photos of this venture, but I need to get this thing into a current status. Working from behind wears me out, and Diane’s ill so we needed to make plans for heading west to home instead of north to Hell’s Canyon. Yes, we’re calling it quits for this trip.

Diane had an infection that I may have mentioned, and took a bunch of pills to kill bacteria. It cleared up the urinary tract issue, but apparently killed bacteria required to help digest stuff. That resulted in severe abdominal pain. Since she’s the driver on this trip we pooled our thought with the Daron’s and chose to depart this morning with a new destination.

While packing up, Max lounged between the trailer wheels to ensure he wouldn’t be left behind.

This is the dog run area that Max will miss when we’re gone. It’s nine acres of off leash freedom.

The original plan was to turn right on Highway 82 in La Grande and head for Elgin for the night, then move on toward Hell’s Canyon tomorrow morning. Instead, we turned left on Highway 82 in La Grande with a pause in Summerville (population 135) to find Cliff’s Grandpa’s Grave then continued on H-82 to Elgin for the night. Susie found the grave no problem.

The jaunt to Elgin from Summerville took about 15 minutes and it was fairly easy to find the Ha-Wa-Nu RV Park. It’s located on the banks of the Grand Ronde River. That seems odd to me because the Grand Ronde tribe owns the Spirit Mountain Casino. We pass it on our way to the beach once in a while. It’s odd because we’ve been traveling around in Oregon for many days now and all the cars have Oregon plates and we recognize names of places we’ve been before. Normally, when we travel, it involves many states instead of just one.

The end of this trip was the Umatilla RV Park on the Columbia River. It’s very pleasant here and ALL of the grass is green. Max loves it, as do we. After dinner with the Daron’s, we rested well in preparation for our next leg to The Dalles. Dusty is looking forward to that.

Day 103 – Thursday – Laundry Day

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Yup, all the clothes are dirty again. She didn’t know it, but I’ve been running around the Bone Yard for the past 3 days without underwear. I didn’t realize how much denim chaffs.

I don’t normally lie so blatantly, but that’s a big one. Old denim doesn’t chaff at all.

Helping with the laundry is something I always do willingly. That’s a tradeoff because I’m totally not allowed to actually do laundry unsupervised. There once was a sweater Diane really liked …. need I say more?

As directed, I put designated stuff into designated washers and put washed clothes into designated dryers. When clothes are dry, I help fold them.

In the morning, I called brother Jack to wish him a Happy Birthday. I try to do this every year but think I didn’t get it done last year. He’s much older than me so it’s OK. It was good to talk with him. During our talk he mentioned that Roberta lives somewhere down here and said he’d see if he could find her phone number and/or address. Our guess was that she’s in Green Valley. Not long after that visit, he sent me a text with a phone number. When I took Max on his afternoon walk, I called the number and had the pleasure of reuniting with my long-lost cousin. We had a nice long visit, remembering some of the many things we did together as children. It will be great to look her in the eye and say Hi. May be toss in a hug or two.

I’ve kinda kept track of her over the years through contact with other family members but was never in position to make contact until now. Plans are in the works. She’s only 36 miles away.

Our conversation carried on until it got dark, and it ended while Max and I sat next to the laundromat. We’re only 4-5 RV’s away from there but it’s still a little unsettling to be that far away with no flashlight knowing the coyotes are patrolling the area. I know it’s not likely we’ll be attacked, but you just never know. They might be hiding just around the corner. With Max on guard, I doubt if there’s any danger, but I can pretend. It keeps my sphincters in shape.

That’s it!

Just for fun, here are a couple of school photos that do not relate to this post at all except they are related to us in the form of Grandchildren.

First is Siah. He’s 3.

Then there’s Jasper. He’s 4.

Then there’s Mom, our daughter Jennifer:

Day 101 – Tuesday – Tacos and Nachos

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Today we visited a museum where all the displays are all miniatures. Very stunning stuff. I took at least 125 pictures and videos of the displays. I know, it doesn’t take me long to use up that much film and there’s no way I’ll be able to share all of them with you. I was fascinated looking at the incredible work the artists created. The houses and everything that fills it were awesome, but what got me the most was the art created at the end of a #2 graphite pencil. Simply amazing.

Max enjoyed it, too, and we didn’t even have to pay his way in.

The miniatures start before entering the museum. The door is beautiful.

Next to it is it’s miniature.

The pencil art is amazing.

This is the couch from Beetlejuice. It’s not a miniature, but it’s pretty cool.

I took a lot of photos but I didn’t do justice to the displays so please visit the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures website and see for yourselves.

Day 77 – Saturday – Oro Valley

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Diane picked today to visit Oro Valley to attend an American Indian art and craft show. It was held in the National Parks Store located at 12880 N Vistoso Village Dr., in Oro Valley. Max and I had to stay in the car while Diane went shopping. We had to stay behind because I couldn’t find Max’s car leash. I’m sure it’s in there somewhere but I’ll be darned if it would reveal itself to me. So, I improvised and used my belt. It took a bit of adjusting for both of us because Max is accustomed to using all 16′ of his leash but my belt is only 3′ long. There was a lot of jerking going on until we found the limits of the belt. It wasn’t the best solution because I needed that belt to keep my pants up. Without it I was having a little trouble, but it worked. I just kept yanking them back up.

I saw someone with a dog go through to the doors, so I figured it was OK if we also entered. It was. We barely got through the door when a lady walked up and asked if Max could have a treat. He never turns down a treat. He did, however, do exactly what I told the lady he would do. She broke his snack in half and gave him a piece which he took and held it for a bit, tasting it. Then he put it on the floor and looked at the lady as if to say thanks. He pretended to ignore it for a bit, so I reached for it as if to pick it up and he grabbed it before I got close. It’s a game we play. Then he chomped it up and ate it. I gave him the second piece and he didn’t mess around. He just ate it.

We walked around the room where the art was being displayed. The artists were manning the tables, making new art which was pretty cool. I looked at a few pieces and admired the work, but the prices were way over the top for us. A 5×7 original watercolor was $120. After that, I didn’t touch anything else and returned to the store part of the venue. I did, however, decide that I needed to figure out how to paint stuff. Looks easy, right? Thinking about that for a minute brought me back to reality. Painting requires talent and ability. All I have are the physical tools. But, instead of just talking about painting isn’t getting it done. So, I’m going to give it a shot. One of these days.

There must have been 5-6 ladies working the store floor and every one of them came to visit with Max. He was pretty popular which was great because he detracted everyone from watching my struggle to keep my pants up. He’s quite a personality.

After leaving that the store, I did a search for the nearest Petco we could get a reasonably priced leash. The closest one was only a few miles away. I got the leash, and a new toy for Max, and got my belt back. It was a good trade.

All the sudden, it was time for lunch. Diane found a pet-friendly place down the road called Teaspoon. They had a large, covered patio area and we had a terrific lunch. The writing on their sign indicates they serve Breakfast, Brunch, and Lunch. No dinner.

Max spent the whole meal under the table or under my chair. Diane had a huge turkey omelet, and she’d give him a piece of turkey every now and them. He’s really a good dog.

One of the many pretty girls working at the Teaspoon couldn’t let us go without giving Max a hug. He’s a sucker for pretty girls.

We left there around 1440 and headed home after the young lady above rescued us while we were trying to get a selfie.

The chosen route took us through the heart of downtown Tucson where we’ve been a number of times. This is what it looks like. Not only are there just a few larger buildings, some really long freight trains run right through the heart of the city. They don’t go slow, either. The underpass you can see behind the barriers takes traffic under the tracks so there’s no disruption. We’ve never been that direction because the GPS always makes us take a left turn at the light, to a bridge that goes over the tracks.

Although the last photo showed some clouds in the sky, I had to include the next one to show you the Catalina Mountains as seen from the base near the Bone Yard. It’s much more dramatic that the one of downtown.

This next photo is the left side of the above mountain range taken on our way back to the valley. They call this area the Catalina Foothills.

That’s all I’ve got.

Day 65 – Monday – It’s Cold in Tucson!

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When I got up this morning, (0600) it was 46 degrees. It’s not the first time that’s happened since we’ve been here. That puts a different spin on my understanding of what “snowbird” means. The weather people even had long talks about 6-8″ of snow on Mt. Lemmon yesterday. That caused me to do a little research that revealed Mt. Lemmon is only 20 miles from us. It’s even on Diane’s hit list of places to visit. I think she changed her mind yesterday.

This isn’t the Arizona we heard about while shivering next to the fireplace in Oregon at this time of year. Instead, here we sit in the middle of a valley where the sun shines 300 days of the year shivering in our booties. There’s hope for a change in the weather, though, because looking out the window I see that all the clouds are gone, and the sun is shining brightly. When Max wakes up, we’re going to go stand in it.

IN all fairness, Mr. Lemmon is 9,159 feet high, and they have a ski resort up there. So, I suspect they expect the snow. I just wish they’d let me know so I could have packed a few parkas.

It’s 0707 now and I’ve managed to make enough noise to wake Diane which was a good thing. She knows where the electric heaters are. I looked but didn’t want to make too much noise which turns out to be a waste of time. She knew what I was doing. Now we have a little electric fireplace up and running and it’s getting warm inside. I may survive.

I had to drag Max off the bed, away from his cozy spot. The heaters were under the bed so it was necessary that he get up. Now he’s making his alternate cozy spot on his fuzzy pillow in the driver’s chair while he waits for me to finish breakfast. I envy his ability to go for many hours without having to urinate. I think 2 hours is my limit. He can last for 8.

Here’s something you may like. It’s a 46+ minute video taken by someone who took the Bus Tour Through the Bone Yard in 2016. Sadly, they don’t do this any more.

After the day warmed up, we cleaned our house. All the windows were opened, we vacuumed, and scrubbed carpets. The results are very satisfying. We figure we should probably do this at least once a month. We’ll see how that works out.

I have no photos taken today so I’ll share an old one with you as I depart.

Good Night

Twenty-Fifth Day – NAS North Island

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Today we made a trip to the commissary on NAS North Island to replenish our dwindling cache of various kinds of protein, vegetables, and other kinds of sustenance that we like to eat. There are times when I kinda wish we didn’t like so many different kinds of ‘things’. Shopping would be a lot easier. We wouldn’t have to walk up and down all those isles. It could be confined to just a couple of them. Then, however, we wouldn’t have any fun eating like we do.

On the way out of the RV park we were greeted with a whole line of new Seals watching some other ones duke it out on the beach with some automatic weapons. The troops on the beach were not visible so I’m only guessing about who they were and what they were doing, but I do know that the Silver Strand Beach belongs to the Seals.

While Diane went to the commissary I went to the Navy exchange at the other end of the building. My mission was to get a sewing kit for Diane and a sketch pad for myself. I brought a large container of art supplies but forgot my sketch pads. I think I know exactly where they are. At home. In the computer room. Near my computer. Dang! Guess we’ll visit Walmart tomorrow.

Oh ya! With the help of a nice lady, I managed to get a sewing kit. Diane needed it to sew up Max’s toys that have mysteriously sprang leaks allowing bits of cotton to invade our living space and somehow wind up in some little dog’s poop. Very odd, don’t you think?

I took the sewing kit back to the car and went to the commissary to accomplish my other mission – select some vegetables. Which I did. I got an avocado, some tomatoes, and a head of lettuce. Now I can make a proper salad.

While leaving the base Diane spied the gas station so we pulled in and I filled it up with $4.30 a gallon fuel. That’s not a bad price considering the higher prices all over town.

About the fuel thing – though the prices are elevated they aren’t nearly as high as we thought they would be. For that, we’re thankful.

After the gas stop, we continued to the exit gate, passing the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). It’s got here before we did, and it’s been here the whole time. We had to drive right past it to get off the base.

Last week, on our first trip to the exchange, the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) was also here but she up and left without letting us know. We know a couple of people who used to be stationed aboard the Nimitz.

We made it ‘home’ without any notable incidents, and I took Max for a long walk because he’s such a good puppy. He’s actually amazing.

Here’s another photo I took this morning, or yesterday afternoon, of one of those Sea Hawk helos the Navy uses. It zoomed over the ships on the Naval Station side of the bay then dropped to a hover and just stayed there for a while. They do that once in a while. I mentioned this before. It’s pretty amazing. We still don’t know what they are doing but we can appreciate the skill needed for the pilots to do this for so long at a time without getting the wheels wet.

Gotta go. Stay safe.

Eleventeenth Day – Relaxing in Space #45

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Today we did pretty much nothing. That’s right, nothing. Well, nothing other than eat every once in a while, walk Max, try to make the Dish system work, visit with neighbors, and walk Max. Eating was sporadic, walking Max three times was mandatory (he insists), and visiting with neighbors just happens.

Then, there was all the gunfire going on up and down Coronado Beach for 5 hours, 4-9 pm. Everyone knows it’s the Navy Seal training, so I just look at it as the sound of freedom. The weapons being used were semi-automatic but I’m not sure of caliber. I’ll ask my new friend, Ray, a retired Gunners Mate Chief from Arkansas, who just happens to be driving an almost exact replica of our RV. Yes, he and his wife and 3 dogs also has a Holiday Rambler Neptune XL, but his is a 2008. He and I had a nice visit and will we’ll be getting together again. Fun guy. Much younger, be he’s a fellow chief so we understand each other.

The last walk of the day for Max was just as it was getting dark. The RV Park is situated on the water side of a housing area where houses are no doubt very expensive even though most of them do not have a water view. At the end of the park the asphalt turns to and brush, a good place to walk a dog. There’s a path through the brush that goes toward the homes and circles back around to the park, but going that direction, at that time, had us walking directly toward the gunfire. We couldn’t see what was going on because of housing and sand dunes, but we could definitely hear them. Max didn’t want to have anything to do with going that direction and made it clear he wanted to walk aways from the noise. I let him choose the direction and he led me right back to the RV which was about 1/2 a mile away. That tells me a little about what he may have been subjected to while running the streets in California before we got him. He was not a happy camper out there.

Back at the RV we watched a documentary on 9/11 that showed us a great deal about what happened before, during, and after the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. Both Diane and I remember that day vividly, as I’m sure most of you do also.

Today was much cooler than yesterday. The next few days are supposed to cool even further. It’s nice to not having your clothes stick to you all the time and to have the A/C units running nonstop to cool things down. It was nice on our ears. We don’t know how long the cooling spell will last, but it’s OK. Today was beautiful and comfortable. We’ll take it that way any day.

Seems like there was something else I wanted to share but all I can think of is that Diane pointed out that I misspelled “presidential” on my last entry so once this is done, I’ll correct that.

Be safe.