ZOELO

WELL, IT IS THE HOLIDAYS, AFTER ALL

2011-12-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

OUR LIME TREE

2011-12-20T11:44:00.000-08:00

YEAR'S END 2011

2011-12-20T11:41:00.000-08:00

Best wishes for the holiday season and the coming new year to all of our friends and family.
This has been a busy and eventful year with a big change to our lives. Gone are our toys: power boat, houseboat, RV. Our traveling is greatly curtailed and we are reveling in staying home in our new house. This is a new role for us and we are adjusting. In fact, our place is so cozy that we sometimes find it hard to leave it.
We did venture out this week with a three day two night trip to Laughlin with a club from the village. We did not want to drive the five hours ourselves. We went not to gamble but to see our friends Jan and Sally who stay near there for the winter. They are full time RVers. We had a wonderful day with them, it seems we never run out of things to talk about. The time at the casino though was awful with smoke and lousy food. We will not go again.
Old friends, Sitara and Sue stopped by on their way back home to New Mexico. We have also met three new women who have joined the Rainbow Club and we look forward to getting to know them better. I am planning to have a meeting after the first of the year to determine the interest in forming a “Foodies” club. What form it will take will be determined: fine restaurants? Cooking? Organic foods? Sustainable farming? Wines? We’ll just have to see what the members want, if anything. It could be interesting.
I am still doing my oil painting and look forward to learning even more this next semester. I was hoping there would be a class in abstract painting but it was cancelled.
I was trying to figure out what I could do with all the limes on our tree. Then it hit me, margaritas! Duh! Our dear little lemon tree is coming along fine and should be producing next year.
We think of you all often and wish the very best for you.

OUR NEW LEMON TREE

2011-12-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

LOVERN'S OIL PAINTING

2011-12-20T11:39:00.000-08:00

LIVING ROOM, DINING ROOM, KITCHEN, ATRIUM

2011-11-14T16:34:00.000-08:00

LIVING ROOM VIEW

2011-11-14T16:33:00.000-08:00

NEW GRANIT COUNTERTOPS. KITCHEN TO BE REMODELED LATER

2011-11-14T16:32:00.000-08:00

OUR NEW HOUSE HAS BEEN DECORATED

2011-11-14T16:28:00.000-08:00

We are finally settled in our new home and it is even more wonderful than we had hoped. The move went very smoothly and we set a new record (for us) of 24 hours from the last item delivered to all boxes flattened. The move was made even smoother by the assistance of Zoe’s son, Russell, who came down earlier and moved most of the boxes over , installed grab bars and towel racks and did all of the heavy lifting.
Zoe did a great job of coordinating the workmen who were scheduled and my job was doing the change of address notifications. We had the microwave/convection oven from our rv installed in the house. I really love that unit. A new dishwasher, kitchen sink and faucet, and a beautiful granite counter were installed in the kitchen. The large patio was tiled as well as the atrium in the house.
Zoe’s daughter, Susan, came down and did a wonderful job of decorating the place. She was like a whirlwind. When she said we should paint one wall in the living room red, we had some doubts but she does this for a living so we trusted her judgment. It has turned out a very dramatic room. The deep red is offset by latte color on the other three walls. It accents the cream couch and complements the black in our furniture. A new area rug was added to the mix.
Then she moved on to paint one wall in our bedroom a blue-green (Foam) and the other three walls the latte color. The latte color also graces the hall between the bedroom and the office (second bedroom). Planting a lemon tree with ground cover in the patio was next. No rest for her, she gathered the material and built a waterfall in the atrium with surrounding plants. It made us tired just watching her and what a gorgeous result we got from it all. Now we can hopefully sit back and enjoy it.
Susan was also here to assist Zoe when she had her eyelids operated on. Her eyelids had begun to droop so low they were interfering with her eyesight. So now Zoe has a photo of her black-and-blue eyes to put in the safety deposit box. Ha. Ha.

OUR BEDROOM

2011-11-14T16:26:00.000-08:00

OUR ATRIUM

2011-11-14T16:21:00.000-08:00

NEVER SAY NEVER

2011-10-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

Friends and family have heard me strongly state many times that I never wanted to own a house again. There is always something that needs fixing or change. The house owns you, you don’t own the house. So what have we done? Bought a house here in the village. We love this place so much that we want to spend the rest of our days here.
Technically, we didn’t really buy a house, we bought a share in the condominium association. This means that they take care of almost everything. They maintain the landscaping, outside painting and repairs. They pay the taxes and insurance as well. They also replace the appliances every 20 years and maintain them if you buy through them. It’s my idea of how to have a house! Add to that over 200 clubs or interest groups, seven club houses, six pools, two golf courses and a stable.
We love the place we bought ( it’s not the one we have been renting). It is 1025 feet with two bedrooms and one bath. The seller has painted throughout and installed new carpets. It has an atrium off the dining room and a huge patio. I just discovered that it has a large lime? lemon? tree by the front gate. Life is sweet. We got the keys just today and will start the process of ordering and having new appliances installed and tiling the patio.
We will have pictures of it soon. Right now it is pretty bare. We have another month on our lease here and so will gradually take things over. We will not try to move ourselves this time but have professional movers and cleaning. We just can’t do that stuff anymore.
The good news is that we have finally sold our houseboat. Zoe flew up to Sacramento last weekend and my great grandson came over to help her clean the boat. He did all of the heavy work and Zoe supervised. He is such a sweetheart. We couldn’t do the eight hour drive up there, it is too hard on us. It is good to have that off of our minds and our expense for moorage.

OUR NEW HOUSE

2011-10-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

BLUE WHALE. HARD TO GET PICTURES

2011-08-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

WHALE WATCHING

2011-08-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

We went with the Ocean Club on a whale watching cruise out of Dana Point. I had just finished reading Richard Dana’s book “Two Years Before the Mast” which described his time in the early 1800s plying the West Coast from San Diego to San Francisco and so I was curious to compare our excursion to his. The same topography is there of course even with the increased population and buildings. We were fortunate to have a beautiful sunny day and calm seas. (I had taken my Bonine just in case anyway.)

There have been many blue whale spotted on the route this summer and we were not denied that pleasure too. They summer in California and winter in Alaska. We saw several, some quite near our boat, Can you imagine, the blue whale is the largest animal to have ever existed, even larger than the dinosaurs? They grow to 98 feet long and weigh 200 tons. They are a baleen whale so have no teeth but their mouth is so large that it could hold a Volkswagon bus. Their spout shoots about 39 feet into the air so it easy to spot them. They usually travel about 12 miles per hour and live alone, not in groups like other whales. They usually don’t show their tail (fluke) when they dive so are not as dramatic as the dives of some other whales.

After the exhilaration of watching the whales, we cruised to Newport Beach and Balboa Island for lunch. The captain pointed out several of the wealthy homes that we passed, many of them occupied by movie stars. We had a few minutes after lunch to sightsee but since the shops next to the dock were mostly tourist types, we opted to head back to the boat for our leisurely cruise back home.

PELICANS ON RESTAURANT IN NEWPORT BEACH

2011-08-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

ONE OF MANY ARE DISPLAYS. THIS ONE GERMAN ARTISTS

2011-08-14T12:18:00.001-07:00

ADMIN BUILDING ON SOKA CAMPUS

2011-08-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

REALITY

2011-08-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Seattle awoke us both to the reality that we can no longer travel as we used to. We were both totally wiped out afterwards. We are not up to traveling long distances and my back pain and walking have gotten worse. So we have cancelled our planned two-week stay in an apartment in Venice, Italy. It was a sad decision after a year’s planning but also takes the stress off of us. We must be content with shorter trips closer to home.

To test this out, we traveled the six miles to the new Soka University to see an art exhibit there. Soka University is only ten years old and is a private, non-profit liberal arts college on 103 acres that overlook a wilderness park. It was started by a lay Buddhist organization dedicated to peace, education and cultural exchange. The non-sectarian interdisciplinary curriculum is student-centered with average class size at 13. About 60% of the students are from the US and 40% from more than 40 other countries. Everyone studies a non-native language and spend a junior year semester abroad that is included in the tuition. Students whose parents make less than $60,000 per year receive free tuition. My kind of college!

The art exhibit was of 16 German artists and I was hopeful that it would include one of my favorite artists, Feininger. It turned out to be contemporary artists however but still very interesting. Another floor had an exhibit of student work. The exhibits were located in Founders Hall that is built with same Italian stone as in the Coliseum in Rome. The copper dome on top is modeled after the Florence Cathedral.

While there, we also checked out the handicap parking and access to the Performance Arts Center. The new center has a 1000-seat concert hall that has acoustics designed the same as the Disney Hall. They are starting a concert program that features top artists at a very reasonable price. For example, Emanuel Ax will be playing at a price of only $23 per ticket (for seniors) on a grand piano that he donated. We are also going to hear a violinist who will perform on a Stradivarius.

We are also going to two concerts at the Segerstrom Concert Hall in Irvine. They are through the Lovers of Music club here. They offer tickets at a group rate and furnish a bus to the Hall. This will be our local emphasis this year.

OVERVIEW OF THE CAMPUS IN LAGUNA HILLS

2011-08-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

PEACE FOUNTAIN AT SOKA UNIVERSITY

2011-08-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

LARA AND JOSE

2011-07-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

3 GENERATIONS, ZOE, SUSAN, LARA

2011-07-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

SEATTLE VISIT AND A WEDDING

2011-07-19T12:35:00.001-07:00

We flew to Seattle to Zoe’s granddaughter’s wedding. It also gave me an opportunity to see my daughter, grandson and great-grandchildren. It was a very rewarding trip but exhausting. Each time we go we hate the mad house that is in Seattle and vow not to go again. I think this was the clincher.

The trip started off with a 4 am wake-up to catch the 6 am flight. The car rental prices are so high at the airport that we took a taxi to nearby Renton and got one for one-third the price at the airport. (good tip if you ever fly in there). From then on it was a marathon of driving from one end of the county to the other every day.

Zoe stayed at her daughter’s and I stayed at mine until the wedding. It gave us both a chance to really visit with them. My daughter, Anna, lives on Cottage Lake but dreams of relaxing by the lake were thwarted by the ever-present rain. All of Zoe’s family had gathered for the wedding so she was kept busy there visiting and preparing for the wedding. I met my grandson, Brookes, for lunch with his three children: Tori, Chance and Hope. He is the Food and Beverage Manager at the airport Holiday Inn so lunch was free as well as our last night before flying out (at 6 am of course).

The wedding was beautiful. Daughter, Susan, did a great job decorating for it. Lara was a gorgeous bride and all the men looked handsome in their tuxes. We were surprised to find that the new “in” wedding color is black-and-white. Especially moving was when the groom, Jose, sang to his new bride.

It was wonderful seeing everyone but we are very happy to be back home. We are getting too old for this. We are so content here.

BROOKES, HIS FAMILY AND LOVERN

2011-07-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

VIEW FROM ANNA'S HOUSE

2011-07-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

MY FIRST OIL IN PROGRESS

2011-06-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

SPRINGTIME AT HOME

2011-06-06T11:16:00.001-07:00

I have joked about having a nose job and eye lift here but it turned out to not be funny. Basal cell cancer was found on my nose and lower right eyelid. Both removals went so deep that I had to have plastic surgery on both. The nose is a pretty well healed back to normal. The eyelid will take a little longer and was really ugly with “panda eyes” on both eyes. Some stitches were taken out yesterday but three more have to come out next week. I have been promised there will be a little ‘tuck’. We’ll see. In the meantime I look like a pirate with one eye closed but no patch.
Zoe has been teaching a five-week course in beginning computing and loving it. Evidently her students love it too as she has been getting all kinds of accolades. You know Zoe, she works very hard most of the week perfecting her lesson plans and it shows. My painting classes are over for the summer (except for open studio) and I have almost completed my first painting. I am very happy with it. I knew it would be a little difficult for a first painting as it had so much detail but I have learned a lot and am happy with the results. It was very well received in the class presentation. I already have my next painting picked out to do.
The climate here is so conducive to plants that the flowers are just beautiful. The maintenance people do such a wonderful job that we have a riot of color everywhere. We have a yellow rose bush that I especially enjoy. I love having fresh flowers in the house. In front of the house is a profusion of a flower called ‘Lily of the Nile’. I thought it might be related to papyrus but it turns out to be of the amaryllis family.

ROSES FROM OUR GARDEN

2011-06-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

LILY OF THE NILE IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE

2011-06-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

OUR NEW ELANTRA TOURING CAR

2011-05-04T12:13:00.001-07:00

SHAUN, LOVERN'S GREAT GRANDSON

2011-05-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

AT HOME IN LAGUNA WOODS VILLAGE

2011-05-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

We are adjusting to the reality that we now have only one home. No more packing up for the summer, using different doctors, grocery stores and hairdressers. We plan on being here for A long time. While there is so much to do we realize it will be there tomorrow and the day after that. We don’t have to do everything at once. We can pace ourselves. This was brought home this past weekend when we went to the boat to check on it. The packing and unpacking were a vivid reminder. Thank heavens we had my great-grandson (can you imagine?) who did all the physical work for us.
We have attended classes on the Kindle, the Nook and Excel. We finally decided to quit struggling to get my walker in our Saturn and bought a 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring car. The Saturn was a wonderful car but took a beating being towed for seven years behind the RV. Zoe’s son bought the Saturn and is thrilled with it. He also bought one of our Kindles for his wife and we then bought the Nook. I love the Nook because it is backlit and I can read it in bed without bothering Zoe at night. Also we can download books free from the library. So we have one Kindle and one Nook. The Kindle is better with the internet.
I am still attending the oil painting class three hours a week and loving it. Of course I wanted to jump right in and paint something but this teacher insists on getting the basics first which is exactly what I need. After the preliminaries, I will finally start on my painting this week (a French café, of course) and am excited about that. Zoe has volunteered to teach a five-week computer class and is looking forward to that.
We are going up to the houseboat this next weekend to check on it and do any cleaning that might need to be done. We are hoping to have more action on selling it now as the weather is better. The same applies to the RV. Our friends, Jan and Sally will come down from Sacramento and have lunch on the boat with us. My great-grandson, Shaun, will also stay with us for three days until his apartment is available. He will be attending school in Sacramento. It will be fun to spend some time with him.
It seems like we get more technical all the time. We now know our way around the Kindle and the Nook and have learned that we can get Google on them, even when we are in Europe in September. We are enjoying the ease of Netflix streaming of free movies on our TV. Zoe’s daughter is in Mexico for a couple of months and they communicate face-to-face with Skype on the computer for no cost. Sometimes it’s almost overwhelming.

TALKING TO SUSAN IN MEXICO ON SKYPE

2011-05-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

ALL OF THIS IS THE 400 YEAR OLD TREE AND THERE IS MORE OUT OF PICTURE

2011-03-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

MORE ABOUT LAGUNA WOODS VILLAGE

2011-03-03T15:49:00.001-08:00

The longer we are here in the Village, the more we like it. The house is very handy and comfortable. The facilities in the Village and surrounding communities are fantastic. We have gone to some of the entertainment and really enjoyed them: classical concerts, the music of Andrew Lloyd Weber, and impersonators of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. We hope to soon hook into the music clubs that attend concerts outside the Village.
There are over 18,000 residents here and over 12,000 homes. The medical facilities are outstanding and they are used to dealing with seniors. The medical facilities include everything from emergency, clinics, hospital, rehab, assisted living to hospice. All within a two mile radius. Zoe’s love of trees is reinforced by the over 18,000 trees of over 200 species. Many of the trees are from foreign countries and give the appearance of being green all year round. We hiked (strolled really) in a park here to a 400 year old live oak whose main trunk is actually below the ground and the “trees” above ground are actually its branches.
We have had quite a bit of company. Lovern’s nephew from Massachusetts was able to stop by from a business trip. Zoe’s son and her daughter and son-in-law stayed several days. Old friends from the Pueblo park, Sitara and Sue, came and an old friend of Lovern’s stayed a few days to celebrate Lovern’s birthday. Most just wanted to chat but we did make it down to Dana Point and plan to go back there often. It was the site of the tv series, “Murder She Wrote” starring Angela Landsbury. They made the town look like New England village.
Lovern’s health issues still remain and by mutual agreement, she has stopped the physical therapy and will work out in the warm pool (one of five) in the village as well as do more walking with her walker.
But all in all we are having too much fun.

DANA POINT, CA

2011-03-03T15:49:00.000-08:00

OUR TV SYSTEM AND XMAS TREE

2010-12-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

OUR NEW DINING ROOM

2010-12-23T09:17:00.000-08:00

SETTLING INTO OUR NEW HOME

2010-12-23T09:11:00.001-08:00

It’s official, we are now Californians. We have our drivers’ licenses, car registration, voter registration and even organ donations. The logistics of moving have been almost overwhelming but we now have cable tv (free but $10 a month for HD), broadband for our computers and a digital local phone. We even have our Netflix streaming up and running. We have had our rig brought down to the storage lot here in the community in the hopes of better control on selling it. Susan has sent down many of our old pictures from Scottsdale since she is moving and so our place has a more settled appearance now. I am especially happy to have our Chinese liquor cabinet back.

There are clubs for every conceivable interest here (even a medical marijuana group) but we have been too busy to check them out. We did have two couples over for Thanksgiving. We went to the annual Christmas parade of boats at Newport Beach. Unfortunately, it was raining and so not the usual 200 boats were out. We also went to a LGBT dinner and met some interesting people that we hope to get to know better. Of course, Zoe is already thinking about how she could make it better. Now that the logistics have been taken care of, we are hoping to become more active and meet more people.
I’ve found a great doctor who is a diplomat in both cardiology and internal medicine. I like the idea of someone who can treat all of my body. I’m also going to an orthopedic doctor as my walking seems to be getting worse rather than better (It’s my back not my legs.) He has the most fantastic physical therapy setup I have ever seen. My daughter Peggy calls it a ‘spa’ and in truth it is. There is a table where you lay down with low electrical stimulation while a warm whirlpool bed massages your back. There is an arcade kind of platform where the screen is divided into four squares and a circle moves around between the squares. You need to move little balls into the circles with the movement of your balance. There is also a vibrator platform that most people stand on but because of my knee replacement, I sit on it and do leg exercises. I’m looking forward to getting on the ‘rack’, a table that stretches you. It looks like it will feel good to get pressure off my vertebrae for a while. After the exercises, a chiropractor checks my spine to see what progress has been made.
Right now I am going three times a week which is a drag but I want my walking improved by Sept. when we go to Venice for two weeks.

A CORNER OF OUR LIVING ROOM

2010-12-23T09:11:00.000-08:00

DECORATED YACHT IN NEWPORT HARBOR

2010-12-23T09:10:00.000-08:00

THE OUTSIDE OR OUR NEW HOUSE

2010-12-05T12:20:00.000-08:00

THIS ROOM WAS COMPLETELY FILLED WITH BOXES AND BAGS

2010-12-05T12:19:00.000-08:00

BIG CHANGES

2010-12-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

Zoe and I have never shied away from changes and are on our way to another one.

When we left the houseboat this year, we headed to an Alfa repair place to have some upgrades installed (Blue Ray e.g.). While they were working on the rig, we drove down to see some friends in a retirement community at Laguna Woods, CA. We were thoroughly impressed with the town of over 18,000 residents. It has everything and all maintenance inside and out is taken care of (my favorite part). It is a beautiful location between San Diego and Los Angeles and has huge tree (Zoe’s favorite part) over 50 years old. It is only six miles from the ocean and there is LGBT group of over 200.

We shared with each other that we were ready for some changes in our life. I felt that I no longer had the strength or energy to help with the maintenance of the houseboat or the rig. Zoe felt that she was getting not sharp enough to drive the rig as it was too tiring for her. So we have both the houseboat and the rig up for sale and have leased a two bedroom condo that we are excited about furnishing. We have always thought of ourselves as ‘minimulists’ since we live in an RV. We have been amazed at the boxes and bags we have filled for the move. Our backs know each one.

So if you know of anyone in the market for lovely houseboat or a great RV, send them our way. Our phone will stay the same but our new address is 2131 A Via Puerta, Laguna Woods, CA 92637.

OUR LIVING ROOM WITHOUT PICTURES

2010-12-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

OUR DINING ROOM WITHOUT THE PICTURES

2010-12-05T12:14:00.000-08:00

SF BEACH FROM THE CLIFF HOUSE (PACIFIC OCEAN)

2010-09-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

JAMESON AND DENAE IN THE BAND

2010-09-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

OUR TRIP TO SAN FRNACISCO

2010-09-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

We decided to go to San Francisco to hear Zoe’s grandson’s band play. He advised us to obtain earplugs as it is alternative rock and loud. It is wonderful that his wife plays in the band as well and they can be together as the band goes on tour next month. We stayed in a small hotel that was recommended and has a wonderful French restaurant dedicated to Joan of Arc with lots of supporting artifacts. It gave me a mini-French fix. Zoe had her stroll down memory lane as she lived and had a business for several years in the San Francisco area. It seemed that every turn brought back remembered incidents to her. The first thing we did was have lunch at the Cliff House above the Pacific Ocean. It seems that Zoe spent many hours there years ago.

I brought my walker and got lots of walking as we spent a day at the Academy of Sciences and the new building of the de Young Art Museum in Golden Gate Park. The Planetarium show at the Academy was excellently done and I hoped it would inspire some of the children in the audience. The de Young had fascinating exhibits of South Sea carvings and masks as well as an intriguing show of textiles that were art pieces in their own right. We opted not to see the Impressionist paintings from the Musee d’Orsay as we have seen them a couple of times in Paris. The new building is unique in that it allows visitors to be able to follow their own path through the exhibits and does not restrict them to a pre-set route. The 144-foot tower twists so that we were able to see the north-south streets of San Francisco laid out below us.

Of course we had to visit Chinatown and ‘discovered’ a wonderful dim sum restaurant that was filled with local Chinese with nary a tourist in sight (except for us of course). On our last night we decided to splurge at the restaurant Michael Mina that specializes in ‘small plate’ cuisine. The small plate image soon faded as the first course came. There was a rectangular plate divided into three sections with three preparations of the main ingredient in each section. With a second course in the same format plus a dessert and complimentary chocolates at the end we were stuffed. We had been able to walk down to dinner but grabbed a cab for the steep journey back to the hotel.

We took a detour on the way back home to Santa Cruz to see Zoe’s other grandson and his university. We had a lovely dinner with him on the pier over the bay. The college was unusual with different college sections and dorms tucked in among the trees. You would really need to be young and healthy to walk that campus we decided.

It felt good to be finally getting out to travel some again. Zoe is healthy and I have not had the health problems that have limited our excursions the past couple of years.

DE YOUNG MUSEUM

2010-09-06T11:54:00.001-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO FROM DEYOUNG MUSEUM TOWER

2010-09-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

FARMER'S MARKET IN PORTLAND

2010-08-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

LOCATION OF FAMILY PICNIC ON PUGET SOUND

2010-08-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

LOVERN'S FAMILY VISIT

2010-08-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

The baby birds in our electrical box have all grown and flown away. It was an amazing nest. The mama bird had even wound a string around the electrical cord to help hold it in place. Now we are watching the bird nest in our boat horn and one in the same pipe on the dock as last year. The boat horn nest is fascinating as there seems to be two birds that laid eggs in there. They come at 7 PM and both get in that small space to feed the baby birds while two other birds sit on the nearby railing to wait their turn to feed the babies. Very interesting. You can see the exciting life that we lead.

Since we had to cancel our planned RV trip up to the Northwest, I decided to fly up instead. I flew into Portland and my daughter, Peggy, met me. She took a week of her vacation to visit with me the fabulous towns of Bremerton and Longview. Her fellow workers were impressed. NOT! While I was gone, Zoe drove down to San Luis Obispo to see her son Russell and his family. Russell had an operation on his foot and was pretty much homebound.

The next day we rode the Intercity train, MAX, from her town Hillsboro to downtown Portland. I wanted to see how they had fixed it up. We didn’t find the center I had seen on tv but we did find a farmers’ market in progress. Lots of berries were on display and I found the rare find of gooseberries. I quickly bought three boxes in the hopes of making a gooseberry pie. With other goodies in hand , we had lunch at a French café to celebrate Peggy’s birthday.

Next it was off to Washington state to see my other daughter, Anna, near Bremerton. We admired her place and yard that are all spruced up for a prospective sale. We headed to the restaurant by the ferry terminal to have dinner with her two sons, Matt and Ben, and another grandson Brookes. Matt is working on his electricians journeyman license. Ben is a senior in engineering at the University of Washington. Brookes has just gotten a job at the Sea-Tac Holiday Inn as the beverage and food administrator. The chef quit a few days after Brookes started the job so he is doing that job also until they hire a new chef. It was great to see the young men and to hear of their interests.

The following day we had a lovely picnic on a bay on the Puget Sound. Anna had made the gooseberry pie in the morning so it was cooled down enough for us to eat when we returned. On the way home the next day, we stopped in Longview and had dinner with my son, Frank, and his wife Linda. Back at Peggy’s, her daughter Alysia drove me and her son Davonte’ to the Seaside on the ocean. A final barbecue with Peggy’s other granddaughter Rashanna and most of the great grandchildren ended the visit. It was wonderful to catch up with everyone again.

OREGON COAST BEACH IN JULY

2010-08-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

US PARKED IN THE FREIGHTLINER FACILITY WITH THE 18 WHEELERS

2010-06-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

OLEANDERS DIVIDE EACH RV SPACE IN BARSTOW

2010-06-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

HEADING BACK TO THE HOUSEBOAT

2010-06-14T15:17:00.001-07:00

After a month of rest and recuperation, we were finally on our way back to the houseboat for the summer. It seems that we left Arizona just in time as the temperature climbed over 100 and kept going up. Our first night’s stop was at the Freightliner repair center on the western outskirts of Phoenix. We can rely on them to give us a thorough annual maintenance. They even provide a parking area with electrical hookups for the overnight stay.

We still did not want to push it too much so stayed the next night in Kingman in northern Arizona. This park is also a place for horse owners to stay with their horses and trailers. Next we made it to Barstow and tried a new park to us. We were impressed by its well-planned layout and the oleander bushes between each space that gave privacy.

In Bakersfield we stayed at a park owned by an RVing /women member. They gave a good discount and the overnight area was new and well-appointed. We couldn’t say the same for the park in Madera but it was about the only park at the right distance for our travels that day.

We arrived at the houseboat to find that the birds had been busy. There was nest of wide-eyed babies in our power box and a new nest built of mud in our boat horn. We were very pleased how well the houseboat had weathered the winter without our faithful Cap’n Toni around to check it for us. It was good to bake back on the water again.

NEW NEST IN OUR HOUSEBOAT HORN. (SO MUCH FUN)

2010-06-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

BABY BIRDS IN OUR ELECTRIC BOX (nest is on the electric cord) READY TO FLY

2010-06-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

GOING AROUND A CURVE

2010-05-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

DURANGO AND SILVERTON NARROW GUAGE RAILROAD, COLORADO

2010-05-20T11:07:00.001-07:00

I had heard so much about this railroad as a ‘must see’ in this area that we all decide to go on it. We opt for the parlor car where we can observe the passing scenery from armchairs and be waited on by the train attendant. Rough!

This railroad is a 45-mile extension of track that was constructed by the Denver and Rio Grande Railway run by General William Jackson Palmer in 1881-82. Narrow gauge means there is three3 feet between the rails instead of the four feet eight-and-a-half inches found in standard gauge rail. Narrow gauge was chosen for this length of track because it allows the train to take sharp curves better, it weighs less and it can be installed faster and with lower costs. It also operates with lighter, less expensive equipment.

The track is squeezed between the rocky cliffs on one side and the thousand feet drop-off on the other. We are glad that it takes sharper curves well as we look over the edge to the stream far below.. On some curves the train almost doubles back on itself. The attendant assures us that they have never lost a train over the edge---except for the time a landslide knocked an engine and car into the abyss below.

The coal-fired steam engine spews heavy black smoke and cinders, discouraging open windows. Chunks of coal litter along the tracks where they have fallen from the fireman’s frenetic stoking of the furnace. In the dry summer weather, the train is followed by a small jitney that scans the tracks for possible fires started by the hot cinders.

In the lowlands, we pass the Baker Bridge where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid made their final jump. We spot a herd of elk in a cow pasture where they have spent the winter sharing the farmer’s hay. Further on we startle a family of deer with several does, fawns and even a five-point buck.

After a leisurely day, we are back at the Durango Depot that is the original structure that was built while the line was being constructed. We have enjoyed our time in the Four Corners area and especially the companionship of Jan and Sally but Zoe’s ribs are still very painful and I am still very weak and can’t walk much. We realize that we are in no shape to continue our planned itinerary of the long trip to Washington State and back again. We decide to head back to Arizona to rest and heal. We regretfully say goodbye to Jan and Sally as they continue on to Washington State. Zoe will fly up for her grandson’s graduation and I will fly up in July to see my kids. Sometimes you just have to slow down.

THE TRAIN IS CLOSE TO THE CLIFF

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DEEP IN THE CANYON FROM THE TRAIN

2010-05-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

MESA VERDE FROM A DISTANCE

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MESA VERDE, COLORADO

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MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, COLORADO

2010-05-14T10:10:00.001-07:00

A few miles further is Mesa Verde National Park. I can’t believe that we will be driving to the top of mesa on that mountain to Mesa Verde National Park. This park is unique in that it is the only national park set aside “to preserve the works of man”. The park is huge, consisting of 52,073 acres with 8100 acres of that designated wilderness. Fortunately, Jan and Sally are doing the driving for our touring of the park, saving Zoe’s sore ribs and my weak legs.

The park was created in 1906 to preserve the archeological heritage of the Ancestral Puebloans (originally called Anasazi, Navaho for “the ancient foreigners”). The park has over 4,500 archeological sites. Of those, only 600 are cliff dwellings. The buildings here are built of sandstone shaped into rectangular blocks about the size of a loaf of bread. These buildings were occupied as living quarters. From 550 to 750 people lived in pithouses, a sunken living area a few feet in the ground with four timbers to support the roof.

The Ancestral Puebloans settled in this area by AD550 and occupied the Colorado Plateau region until AD1300. Some of the sites involved extensive hiking, climbing ladders and steep inclines which we could not do. Fortunately, there are many other sites that we could easily walk to or view from overlooks. On the six-mile Mesa Loop Road we were able to view twelve archeological sites including surface dwellings and cliff dwelling overlooks. Two of the most fascinating were the Square Tower House and Cliff Palace.

Square Tower House is a beautiful cliff dwelling built in an alcove in the upper walls of Navaho Canyon. It is named for the prominent four-story-high structure against the curving back wall. This is not like the other round towers of Mesa Verde but was planned with windows, doorways, and flooring plus plastered inner walls. Access to the site is by hand-and-toe holds pecked into the cliff walls.

Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling. To visit it you have to take a short hike and climb five ladders at a 100-foot overall vertical ascent. We viewed it from an overlook. Unfortunately, there are written records so we can only surmise the Ancient Puebloans’ history from excavations and scientific analysis . Their structures reflect their skills and traditions however.

Each evening we had the enjoyment of Jan and Sally joining us for dinner and delightful conversations.

MESA VERDE, COLORADO

2010-05-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

MESA VERDE, COLORADO

2010-05-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

A CHACO CANYON STRUCTURE

2010-05-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

LOVERN AND ZOE TOURING CHACO

2010-05-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

CHACO CANYON, NEW MEXICO

2010-05-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

Back on the road at last. Zoe fell and injured her ribs and they are still bothering her and I am still weak and hobbling but we are going to give it a try. We head first for Chaco Canyon, a destination we have been trying to get to for several years. Our trip has the added enjoyment of caravanning with our friends Jan and Sally. We have been spoiled by the mild winter in AZ and are surprised by the coldness as we head north. Time to break out our ski jackets.

Chaco Canyon is located in the Four Corners area where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico all come together. Chaco Canyon was the center of a thriving culture a thousand years ago and was settled by the Anasazi people. The Chacoan culture began in the 800s and lasted more than 300 years. They constructed massive stone buildings using masonry techniques unique for their time. The buildings were planned from the start as opposed to the usual method of adding as needed.

By 1050, Chaco was the ceremonial, administrative and economic center of the San Juan Basin. More than 150 great houses were connected by a network of roads that were engineered and planned. It is thought that the buildings may have been mainly “public architecture” that was used in times of ceremony, commerce, and trading by many peoples and clans.

The largest of the great houses is Pueblo Bonito. It was planned and built in several stages and was occupied from the mid-800s to the 1200s. It eventually grew to four stories high and had more than 600 rooms and 40 kivas (ceremonial pits). It is still sacred to many Native American groups today. The modern Southwest Indians are descendants from the Chacoans.

Thanks to my walker, I was able to explore this wonderful site.

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

2010-05-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

LOVERN'S LEG EXERCISE MACHINE

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LOVERN'S ICE MACHINE

2010-04-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

MY OPERATION AND TONI'S PASSING

2010-04-20T15:35:00.000-07:00

Operation: I had the corrective surgery on my knee replacement as planned. The knee was turning in so much it threw my back and hips off and made walking difficult. I was very impressed with the facility, the Spine and Joint Hospital. They have an excellent staff and take good care of you. My nurse only had six patients to tend so you got quick and efficient care. I was in the hospital for two days and then brought home. I teased Zoe, calling her Nurse Ratchet but she really took excellent care of me. She was run ragged doing both of our usual jobs plus caring for me. I was able to walk right away but the pain was even greater than the original operation, to my surprise. The climbing (and pulling) up and down the steep stairs on the cruise ship seemed to have strengthened my muscles. I received aids at home to help with my recovering. A flexor, nicknamed the rack, worked my knee to keep it flexible and get back to the correct bending. (I got it to 110 degrees). Then there was the icing machine that helped keep the swelling down. After two weeks, the original machine went back and I got a portable one to keep. All of these with the addition of my sleep machine for sleep apnea make our place look like a mini-hospital. A nurse came to the rig and took my vital signs for two days a week for two weeks. A physical therapist also came four times a week for two weeks. I felt very cared for.

Toni: Our detailed plans for the summer are as usual thrown into disarray. Our friend,
Cap’n Toni, finally succumbed to the cancer riddling her whole body. Anyone that ever met her, liked her. She will be missed. We have been coordinating her small estate with two other women and Zoe has had to fly to California to help. Right now everything is up in the air but it looks now like we will be heading to Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde soon.

LOVERN'S BREATHING MACHINE

2010-04-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

TONI AT THE HELM OF SACRAMENTO RIVER FERRY

2010-04-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

THE SHIP TAKEN BY LOVERN FROM TENDER

2010-03-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

OUR HOTEL ON BARBADOS

2010-03-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

COCOA BEANS ON MARTINIQUE

2010-03-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

NUTMEG WITH REDDISH MACE COVERING

2010-03-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

OUR CLIPPER SHIP CRUISE

2010-03-28T09:32:00.001-07:00

We went on a cruise to the Grenadines in the Caribbean on the Royal Clipper. It was wonderful to share the cruise and the time with Lovern’s daughter, Peggy, who joined us. The Royal Clipper is the largest full-rigged sailing ship in the world. It is a gorgeous ship in the style of the old clipper ships with rich mahogany and brass décor. The islands it visited are: Barbados, Grenada, Tobago Cays, St. Vincent, Bequia, Martinique, Mustique, Union, St. Lucia. These were all new islands to us except Barbados. We spent two extra days before the cruise and four days after on Barbados, one of our favorite islands. The self-catering at the hotel there allowed us to watch our dietary needs and not have to eat out at every meal. These islands pretty well completed islands we have visited in the Caribbean. Zoe checked and it brings to 95 islands we have traveled to in the world. Guess we’re island crazy. At one point, we were moored next to the ship “Ocean” where the people buy their own cabin and live in it while they travel the world.

The islands have endured six years of drought so were not as lush as usual but pretty anyway. Each island seems to have its own flavor. Grenada was fascinating for is varied tropical plants and to see them growing in their natural habitat. Mustique Island in Bequia is known as “the home of the rich and famous” and impressive estates line the shore although, for some reason, they seemed to be mostly Canadians. Martinique is actually part of France and has always remained under French rule. It is also the birthplace of Empress Josephine. It was originally known as “the island of flowers” by the Carib Indians and that was confirmed at the marvelous Botanical Garden of Balata. Sulfur Springs on St. Lucia is billed as the world’s only drive-in volcano. This historic site is the result of volcanic eruptions over 300,000 years ago. Bathing in the sulphur water is supposed to have medicinal properties. Nearby is the Botanical Gardens and Diamond Baths with more lush gardens and a beautiful waterfall.

The crew of the ship were very attentive and were at a ratio of one member for each passenger. Some of the passengers chose to climb the mast where they could relax on a couch on the upper platform and view the watery scene. We opted to relax on the lounges on deck instead. I thought the food on board would be simple but turned out to the best that we’ve ever had on a cruise. Breakfast and lunch were buffet but dinner was served at our table.

Because of Lovern’s problems walking, we had a wheelchair for her at each airport which greatly simplified our travel. It allowed us to slide unimpeded through check points even on the way home when spring break flooded the airports. Age does have its advantages sometimes. Lovern is slated for an operation to replace her artificial knee on March 23 and we hope that will be the answer to her walking problems.

WATERFALL ON ST. LUCIA

2010-03-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

CLIMBING THE MAST

2010-03-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

FOOD ON THE SHIP

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THE FRONT OF OUR CLUB HOUSE

2010-02-14T12:31:00.000-08:00

WHAT IS GOING ON AT THE MERIDIAN

2010-02-14T12:21:00.000-08:00

We are enjoying our time here at the Meridian RV Resort. The people are friendly and very active. Our neighbor across from us has quite a sense of humor. He calls their rig “Stuff A Lot Inn”. On Halloween they had a huge vampire bat across the front of their motor home. Next to him, the man attended the huge classic car auction in Scottsdale and returned with a custom auto with twelve cylinder, six carburetors and all stainless steel. He sent it off in a trailer to his winter home. The auction brought in over 40 million dollars.

This has been an unusual winter this year. It has been colder (for AZ , in the 50s and 60s) and wetter (we had over half the year’s total rainfall in January alone). We are finally having our usual weather, about 76 today and a gorgeous sunny day. Of course, we plan to leave for awhile and go on a local bus tour down just across the border into Mexico. We will be at Puerto Penasco for three days and two nights. We thought it would be a good break.

We continue to improve our health. Zoe has her vertigo and dizziness under control with her limited salt intake. They found that I have severe sleep apnea and I am now on a breathing machine at night. It is thought this might be part of the trigger for my heart concerns. I am slated for an operation on my right knee in March after our cruise in the eastern Caribbean on the five-masted clipper ship. This is the knee with the replacement that has turned in so much that it throws off my back and hips and affects my ability to walk. I will be taking the walker with us on the trip to Mexico and on the cruise. Hopefully, after the operation, I won’t need to use it as much.

CUSTOM CAR AT OUR PARK

2010-02-14T12:16:00.000-08:00

HALF DOME, YOSEMITE AT XMAS TIME

2010-01-05T17:56:00.000-08:00

OUR HOT TUB AT YOSEMITE

2010-01-05T17:55:00.000-08:00

OUR XMAS TRIP TO YOSEMITE

2010-01-05T17:52:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks before Christmas, we drove to our houseboat in the Sacramento Delta (700+ miles each way). It was a different experience seeing the Delta in the winter. The fog was intense and the weather chilly. We finally figured out how to use our propane wall heater and then we were cozy. The fog, however, presented problems if we had to drive anywhere, especially in the Delta. It was scary driving the narrow roads with the canals on both sides out there in the fog. There were often pileups on the I-5 Freeway because of the fog.

We had come to help our friend, Cap’n Toni in her preparations for an operation on her hip to replace bone destroyed by her bone cancer. She is also diagnosed with lung and brain cancer. She keeps a positive attitude through the whole thing.

After seeing her through the operation and settled in rehab, we joined Zoe’s son, Russell, and his family in Yosemite National Park. They had rented a five bedroom house with four fireplaces. Zoe was ecstatic as we had a fireplace in our master suite and we had a fire each evening. Snow fell while we were there and left about a foot that led to fierce snowball fights and tiptoeing to the hot tub on the deck. We had great fun with guitar music and tall tales from Russell. They even found an outdoor ice skating rink that they all enjoyed.

We ended up coming home on Christmas Day and that was okay with us.

ZOE'S FAMILY ICE SKATING AT YOSEMITE

2010-01-05T17:51:00.000-08:00

OUR ROAD TO OUR CABIN IN YOSEMITE

2010-01-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

NEPHEW TOM'S HOUSE IN STURBRIDGE

2009-12-29T09:27:00.000-08:00

US AT STURBRIDGE

2009-12-29T09:26:00.000-08:00

OUR VISIT ON THE EAST COAST

2009-12-29T09:23:00.000-08:00

At the end of the cruise, we rented a car and drove from New Jersey to Massachusetts to visit Lovern’s nephew, Tom. As the CEO and President of a medical equipment company, Tom is extremely busy but still finds time to have fun and entertain. He exudes warmth and good humor. On Sunday he put on a big lobster feed with a lobster each plus steak, chicken and roasted corn. The setting was ideal overlooking the small lake there. Most of the family was there except for one daughter: wife Leah, daughter Leah and her boyfriend, Tom’s mother and father (my brother), his aunt, and us. The lovely fall day and changing color of the leaves added to the enjoyment. Zoe loved spending the evenings listening to Tom’s entrepreneural ideas.
It was back to work for Tom on Monday so we visited the nearby Old Sturbridge, the recreation of an 18th–century village. The cobbler was especially interesting as it was a time when there was no left or right shoe but all the same. We were intrigued with a little girl who discovered she could move the handle on the water pump and bring us water. A ride in a carriage made us wonder how anyone could last on a very long bumpy trip.
On Tuesday we decided to visit Nantucket Island. We spent the night in Kennebunkport and caught the early ferry. We were blessed with good weather again and wandered around town and found a place for lunch. Lovern just had to get fish and chips. We found nautical chart place mats that we had been looking for for some time at a chandlery.
Next we drove to see old friends in Connecticut. The shorter driving distances on the East Coast are helpful. The visit ended up to be only a dinner and breakfast as our friends in the final stage of moving permanently to their home in North Carolina.

STURBRIDGE, MA

2009-12-29T09:22:00.000-08:00

NANTUCKET

2009-12-29T09:21:00.000-08:00