Food, food, games, more food . . . Damn mannequin

We are coming to the end of our stay in Western Washington. 

When we arrived, everything was perfect. I met my first grand-dog, Zack. 

He’s such a love bug!

The weather I reserved, did not disappoint. I guess it does help to phone ahead. (wink) We stayed at Snoqualmie River RV Park and Campground. 

Our first excursion was to the North Bend Food and Crafts fair.

Josh and the lovely, soon to be, Mrs, ~ Monica

We ate food that tasted soooo good going in, but left regrets later on. Why does fried food taste so good? Don't really want the answer to that. More of a mental fist to the skies question.

At the show, we rummaged through tie-dyed clothing, crystal jewelry and hemp products. Came home with some Elderberry White Balsamic Vinegar. Sweet!

We have taste tested food from several (okay a little more than several) of the local establishments. Who knew you could find good Mexican food outside of California?!

Monica spoiled me with very yummy gluten-free carrot cupcakes with a crunchy cookie top and cream cheese frosting. I have a freezer full…about a months worth; should last, what, a week or so? 

We cruised Alki Beach. Found some good fish and chips (and clam strips!) 

Bought Cotye a raincoat that is fleece lined. (How did I know he’d need this in the near future? Oh duh, I used to live here.)

I am getting ill thinking of all the food we ingested this past week or so...If I hear anyone say anything about "avoiding the elephant in the room" - I am going to be more than a little paranoid that they aren't using a euphemism!

Back to the beauty that is Alki and Seattle on a sunny day.

 \

We squeaked through teeny-tiny roads…

...(thank God we weren't in the RV)...

…to get to jam-packed freeways. 

Fortunately we were heading the opposite direction of the cars that were parked with their engines running ...

We saw a new (to us) Seattle landmark.

(The toad in the foreground is of course, the air-freshener for THE TOAD)

Spent an afternoon at the Ballard Locks where we saw BIG boats… 

…MEDIUM boats…

…and the tiniest of boats with the tiniest of passengers. Look closely.

After the boats were lifted to the lake level, we found some green grass for our 4-legged boys to, well, shake a leg on.

                        

Seattle was bursting with beautiful, vivid colors!

  

When we weren't sight-seeing, Monica and I went in for pedi’s with sparkles.

Forgot to get a pic of our sparkles gosh darn it!

Then, I found a hair salon around the corner from the RV park 

and got my hair all cut short!

When both Josh and Monica were working, Mark and I hit the nearby outlet mall, while the outlet mall retaliated by a hit to the credit card.

You know, I think the beautiful, mountainous surroundings have a relaxing effect on shoppers. I noticed it was much less painful for Mark to open his wallet than in crowded, indoor malls with no scenic views.

I also got a chance to visit with my Auntie Mayme who is 102 and going strong. She amazes me.

Back at the RV we spent time by the fire. 

This is how the Randall’s scorch their marshmallows…and yes, the yellow is pure flame!

Upside; melts the chocolate in the S'mores mighty fast.

Downside; can remove top layer of skin off tongue if you get too anxious to eat your flaming S'more!

We played cards…even Zack had to laugh at all the 12’s his mommy was collecting.

The dogs had a go as well, but got bored when they realized

 we wouldn't let them eat the cards.

  

After about a week of fun, a storm rolled in and the barometer did not play nice with my body. It never does. I have been flat out like a mannequin ever since the weather turned. I’d make a sad face, but it hurts to grimace. 

Must be time to move on! Ha, that’s funny, since I can’t move! Ha Ha, wait, laughing hurts too, and none of this is funny.

We bug out tomorrow. Hoping this damn disease is less finicky in the next town. Damn, did I just say damn? Never mind. Just turn the damn page. sigh

The Honey Wagon

Today was an exciting day in the Randall RV. Mark was up early with the blinds all open. He was watching for the Honey Wagon. 

I’m sure some of you know what a Honey Pot is . . . it’s a ‘sweet’ name (pun totally intended) for a portable toilet.

Now the Honey Wagon . . . let’s see, what is the easiest way to describe this? It is like a Dog Walker, only replace the dog with an RV and the walking with a suction hose. This thing comes around and literally sucks the crap out of your RV.

I wonder what this guy says when people ask him what he does for a living? I think I’d go with RV Walker.

It was amazing to see men flocking around this thing as it went from RV to RV. The Honey Wagon attracts men, like poo attracts flies. Same way as an open hood on a car does. 

That is a good way to attract men, by the way, if you are a single lady. Pull into a parking lot and lift your hood. Men can't resist it. Doesn't work on doctors or lawyers though . . . they are typically clueless as to what is under their hood.

Well the excitement is over. The RV's have all had their enemas and the men have all retreated back to their own rigs. Must be nap time. I'll go along with that!

Family Reunion ~ Party of four please!

Oh my head. I think I misplaced it. I must say, I have become much less organized now that I am living all over the place. It is harder to keep track of what day of the week it is, much less the date.

We thought the reunion with my brother Chuck and his family, was scheduled for the first weekend of August. Well . . .


It appears there were two emails floating around; one group email listing August 9th and then a personal email listing the first weekend in August.  Unfortunately I picked the wrong email to look up when we made our RV site reservations. Bummer. Big Bummer!

All was not lost. Even though we missed the family reunion, which will go on as planned on the 9th, we were fortunate to catch my brother, Chuck, and his wife, Maureen just returning from a camping trip and they were able to meet up with us at a nearby restaurant for lunch. For that I am truly grateful.

Not only have I become a bit scattered living on the go, I am not adapting well to not having access to my hairdresser.

Cheri I miss you!!!

AND, my nails look like a boys. I suck at painting my own toenails. Eyebrows, hair cuts and colors, manicures, pedicures; I don't know how to do this stuff on my own and I don't want to go to strangers. I want my own hand-picked posse; my girls I've been working with for years. (big pout)


Feeling very frumpy nowadays. Must work all this out. There are a lot of things you don't think about, little details that turn into big deals when you are not stationed in one area. Lots of adjustments. Not all are bad.

Just had a wonderful afternoon/evening with our dear friends, Cai and Marty. (Darn, we forgot to take a group photo!). One of the biggest perks of  having your house on wheels is being able to visit with friends and family. No packing involved. No planes to catch.  It is such an odd, yet wonderful feeling to bring your house with you on all of your travels!

Exhausted, even from only a few hours of travel, our friends brought dinner to us. We enjoyed, not only their great company, and delicious take-outs, but one of those fun, roving conversations...in my opinion, those are best kind...meandering from topic to topic to topic! Didn't realize how tired I really was until they left. I miss them already!

Very short post tonight. We are at Lake Sawyer RV Park in Kent, Washington for the night. Tomorrow is another travel day. We need to be packed up and out of here by 11am. Sounds easy, except I know my body will want to sleep in until noon. Mind over matter. Or is it I mind, but it don't matter. Uhlk.

BUT, once we arrive at our next destination in Issaquah, we get to stay put for nearly two whole weeks! Longest stint yet in one spot. Looking forward to that!

Cheri, (my hairdresser friend) I may have to cheat on you. . .October is a looooooooong ways away. But I still love you and will get back to you as soon as I can!

Good night all! Sweet dreams!

Back from the Land of Noservice, in the Valley of Nobars

I am writing to you from the Land of Noservice…in the Valley of Nobars, just adjacent to Noshowers and Nosewage. Oh my, whoever said camping in an RV is not real camping should smell me right now. Wait, I meant you should smell Mark right now! I smell like grass and flowers and pencil shavings. Okay, we are getting way off topic here.

This leg of our journey began as we left Bend, Oregon and drove to Ellensburg, Washington to visit my lil sissy.

Other than the fact that my beautiful great niece, would scream (as in cry hard) whenever she saw me. And my sister’s Chug, Izzy, would scream like a Banshee whenever she saw Cotye, AND her giant black and white cat, Riley, chased us out of her yard like it was a Rottweiler when we attempted to get to her front door; it turned out to be a wonderful few days, spent with my sissy and ALL five of her kids, who haven’t been together as a group since like, forever!

Wouldn't it be nice if family and friends all lived within driving distance of each other? Whadda ya mean, NO! Okay, well maybe in the same State, that would work, right?

Anyhoo ~ It was a momentous occasion, and I think we left just in time where we didn't over stay our welcome, so we are actually invited back! (Unless her animals have a vote in this.)

While in Ellensburg, we stayed at the KOA. On the weekends, I do believe everyone in Ellensburg with a camper or tent also stays at that KOA. It was crAzy! Children darting out of nowhere; mostly on some form of bike or scooter or strange little go-cart like cycles. Then when the weekend was over, the place became a ghost town. And I do NOT say that lightly. 

One windy night, I could hear what sounded like a child, circling our loop on a tricycle. You could hear as the child pedaled, that the trike had one squeaky wheel and an old-fashioned bell on the handlebars that barely worked. It would pass by the RV at specific intervals. I could hear it, plain as day, but there was nothing to be seen! I was up all night. Lots of strange noises that did not belong in the group of noises I have become accustomed to living in the RV. I would have liked to have solved this little mystery!

We had an early check out. I was beat, but I have to be that extra set of eyes, so I stayed awake. Driving out of Yakima I just have one question:

 

Yakima, what happened here?

Next stop; the boonies. Rimrock Lake Resort. Being in the woods is heaven…but where there is good, you will typically find equal amounts of bad. I have been begging for a REAL campground, you know, no paved RV pads, no neighbors staring out their RV windows into yours, to see what you are having for dinner. (Awkward moment when your eyes meet and you realize you are doing the same thing). This is it. Mark, at my direction of course, threaded that big RV like a needle through all these trees.

         

Nothing but green on all sides. Here is a shot from our dining table.

Trees are almost inside!

I could feel the weight of the world lift off of my shoulders. Then I picked up my computer to get on-line and found there was no connection. PANIC! Quickly tried our cell phones and found Mark was able to call me, so I calmed down a bit. I imagine this is the feeling an infant gets when the umbilical cord gets cut. A quick panic, unexpected slap, some crying and then the realization that you are still breathing; yes, that’s exactly how I remember it. We’ll be fine. Besides, I cannot complain, especially since I was the one begging for remote camping. (shoulders sag)

We got settled in, feeling like royalty in our large rig, when all we could see nearby was a pop-up trailer and some cabins the size of a loo.

The path in front of us led directly to our own private corner of the lake.

We sat and watched the sunset, while Cotye took in his new environment. Being a city boy, chipmunks, black squirrels, chirping birds, jumping fish and turtles were all new things to Cotye. It was fun watching his head turn quickly at each new discovery, like a tilt-a-whirl ride at the fair. He has decided he really, REALLY wants to taste a little chippy-chipmunk! But mom says no. Icky, bad taste. I don’t think he believes me though.

One of the reasons Mark picked Rimrock Lake as a stop along the way is because when he was a boy in Minnesota, he remembers visiting a great uncle, who had a cabin just below the dam here. Although his great uncle has since passed, we set out in search of this cabin. This area is nothing less than stunning!

Koochman Rock

Rimrock Lake

Stopping at the local store for a cold beverage,

 I felt like I had walked onto a movie set. 

Some of the items they sold seemed so surreal to me.

Although I no longer drink soda, I could not pass up a Black Cherry Cream Soda in a glass bottle (SO good!)

As it turned out, the road that angled down from the store to the water looked very familiar to Mark, so we followed it down. He was certain he was in the right area, but had no idea which cabin had been his great uncle’s. We stopped to ask a couple, working out in their yard, if they might know anything. They suggested we check out the signs at the end of each row of cabins; many of which had never been updated. Also, the placement of the name on the sign indicated where the corresponding cabin sat on that street.

Sure enough, there was Great Uncle Walt Fischer’s name, still on the sign. 

The cabin was on the corner and as Mark looked closer, familiarity seeped back in through 40 years of cobwebs. How fun for him to recapture such a delightful memory! Heck, I’d be happy just remembering if I took my morning meds!

After three days, the tanks on the RV were getting full and we were missing our internet. Pathetic. I know.

Well, we have a reunion scheduled in Chehalis on Saturday so time to get a move on. Here are some beautiful sights along the way.

Open your window, poke out your nose and sniff the green right off those trees!
One of Cotye's life lessons. It works; immediate bliss!

Mt. Rainier. One of God's best handiwork's!

We are now situated at a Thousand Trails in Centralia, Washington. This place is a zoo. Would not recommend it to the best monkey I know. Once again, we are without sewage hookups, but at least they have dump stations and clean showers handy.

I hate public showers but this one felt soooo good. I soaped up like three times and my towel still came out dirty. Better burn that one. Dang, and I thought I had gotten a good tan; all gone now!

There are no site reservations here. It is all on a first come, first serve basis. They don’t even keep track of who is in what site at the front check-in station! There are a lot of one-way loops, short sites that won’t take our long rig and no way for us to back up with our Toad connected at the back. We finally disconnected the toad and ended up pulling head first into a site (which is backwards, in case you didn't know) but we fit. We are plugged in. And the shower house is on our left; pool on our right…more importantly, forest out our front window. 

We’ll only be here for two nights. We will survive, after all, we have Internet!