Thursday, August 4

Chad 16, Tawny's boyfriend was testing how long he could hold his breath and Tawny 14 was making sure he did not cheat.


Could we say she is leading him around by the nose??
The Willamette River
Yesterday Joyce gave us a tour of the area(Eugene/Springfield OR) so we could more easily find our way around although I must say the GPS has been a big help in that endeavor. We stopped and picked blueberries. I have never been overly fond of blueberries but then I had never eaten them directly from the bushes on which they grew either. There is a tremendous difference. In this picture Butch and Joyce are waiting for me to return so we can start picking. Butch ate 3 of them...I was sooo proud of him!!


Last night we went to Roaring Rapids Pizza Place with our Oregon family. We ate pizza, visited and enjoyed a beautiful view of the Willamette River.

Tuesday, August 2

We have been on the road for several days...hmmm...let's see we left Marlene and Bernard's in northern Iowa Wednesday morning and it seems like a long time ago. It is easy to get confused when we are on the move. But now we are in the Eugene Kamping World RV Park and paid for a week. I have WiFi and that tickles me pink.
We have been to the grocery store and took Corkey's advice...she told me every time you have the opportunity to sign up for a discount card from a store to do so. So we signed up for an Albertson's card and saved $4.00+. We keep the cards in the car as Corkey also advised and then they are handy when you need them and when you travel as much as we have you can get quite a stack of cards!
Angel is adjusting nicely to being a traveling cat. She rides underneath my seat and sleeps most of the time. She comes out every time we stop, to see where we are then scoots back under the seat when we take off again.
The ride through the mountains was a breeze compared to the other times we have been in the mountains or on twisty curvy roads. Our new MoHo handled extremely well according to Butch. The aforementioned Corkey and Allen told us they get 10.5 MPG by driving 55 with their Mountain Aire so Butch decided to try it with fuel prices such as they are and we ARE getting 10 MPG too!
I have started a new Swedish Weaving project with sage monk's cloth,Red Heart Lt. raspberry and medium sage yarn. I love those colors together.
I had Internet most of the time with Verizon but rarely with WiFi without paying...and I won't pay! The Wifi is so much better and faster but so far the Verizon has been the one I can count on.
A close up view of the blackberry bushes
Sandy River at Troutdale
At Troutdale in the Sandy River RV Park the Sandy River is the back edge of the park...very close! These bushes were loaded with blackberries.
We are currently in Troutdale Oregon...very near Portland. It is not our final destination but we are getting much closer. We should get there today. Northeastern Oregon looks much different than we expected. It is very much like Eastern Colorado. I-90 follows along the Columbia river and is beautiful. The negatives are that we are too big for our britches and places to pull over are not all that plentiful. The Flying J in Troutdale is so packed with truckers that it was impossible to stay there so we ended up in a wonderful though expensive RV park along the Sandy River. We walked down to the river last night and discovered an abundant supply of blackberries as well as a nice view. I will go back again this morning with my bucket and a camera.

Sunday, July 31

Webshots Photo Home Page

Webshots Community - barbie1943's Photo Home Page
We went to Yellowstone yesterday and it certainly lives up to it's reputation. There were far too many photos to post on the blog so I put them in an album on webshots and I put the album in first place for your convenience.;-)
The animal pictures were taken by me and yes we were that close. They warn about getting too close but not many people pay much attention to that. We were never in any danger...I used my zoom. We saw many,many bison and a few elk but no bears and that is probably a good thing. It is a beautiful place on the earth, although in my opinion, a bit spooky.
Orange Hot Spring- This was one of my favorites. You could hear it percolating.
A Yellowstone Bison - Butch and I figure they have a union and decide who has road duty for the day. This big guy was only about 20 feet from the road.
A Yellowstone Elk

Friday, July 29

Ice is Nice
(In Case of Emergency)

Paramedics and EMT (Emergency Medical Treatment) personnel know what
"ICE" means and they will immediately turn to a victim's cell phone for
clues to that person's identity. You can make their job much easier if
you add an entry in the CONTACTS list in your cell phone under ICE, with
the name and phone number of the person that the emergency services
should call on your behalf.

It wouldn't hurt to list more than one contact -- ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc.

- - -

Originally established as a nationwide campaign in the UK, ICE (In Case
of Emergency) allows paramedics or police to be able to contact a
designated relative/next-of-kin in an emergency situation.

The idea was the brainchild of East Anglian Ambulance Service paramedic
Bob Brotchie and was launched in May this year. Bob, 41, who has been a
paramedic for 13 years, said: "I was reflecting on some of the calls
I've attended at the roadside where I had to look through the mobile
phone contacts struggling for information on a shocked or injured
person. Almost everyone carries a mobile phone now, and with ICE we'd
know immediately who to contact and what number to ring. The person may
even know their medical history."

A campaign has now rapidly spread throughout the world as a particular
consequence of the recent terrorist attacks in London. This is a simple
move which can save lives and put the minds of loved ones at rest.

And while you're at it, put your name in or on your cell phone and your
laptop and when it is accidentally left at the airport security
checkpoint, you can be paged immediately!


--submitted by Sky Granny

Obviously, this tip is not just for seniors. Makes sense to me. And while you're at it, maybe it would be a good idea to pass this
tip along to friends, family, and neighbors. The more ICE the better, if
it helps make EMS folks' jobs a bit easier.

Thursday, July 28

Butch's Mom at 18
We have had plenty of adventures the past two days. Tonight we are in a Wal Mart lot in Gillette Wyoming. Last night we stayed in a campground in Murdo SD. Made several trips around Murdo looking for the cheapest diesel fuel. Son Jason can best understand that last sentence...and then we had trouble finding a place to park for breakfast. Finally found one and asked this old lady in a pink golf cart if it was okay to park there and she said sure if we bought her a cup of coffee...so we did. Crusty old babe of 92 who has lived a full and interesting life.
Butch chatted with Zeke
...And the corn palace today
The Corn Palace in 1897
We stopped at the Corn Palace in Mitchell S D. Good for a break.

Wednesday, July 27

The ragbrai riders on Monday got soaked to the skin late in the day from Milford to Estherville. It was a downpour when I took this picture through the windsheild of the car.
Marlene has an excellent view from her kitchen window
Marlenes Raindropped Dahlia
The Kelley's driveway

Friday, July 22

Terril Iowa

Well, we arrived in Terril a little while ago. I am on Marlene's computer cuz I have no signal here. She is shopping.
We are thinking of finding a campground because it has been so bloomin' hot and we need both of our air conditioners. Now and while we were in RC we run the front one in the daytime and the back one at night. We need a 50 amp plug in to handle both at the same time. We'll see. It feels cooler up here. Amazing the difference a 100 miles can make.
I ran the GPS on the way up.That thing still amazes me. Telling me how many miles and tenths of a mile it is to the next turn and which way the turn will be and how many minutes and seconds it will be till we arrive at the turn. I am loving it!

Here is the quote for the day...I loved it too!
TODAY’S QUOTE

"Men want the same thing from women that they want from their
underwear... a little support, comfort, and freedom."

--Jerry Seinfeld

Tuesday, July 19

Rockwell City Iowa
On the nature trail- Rockwell City Iowa

Monday, July 18

I received this message from Karyn Juilfs about the round barn-That round barn at Twin Lakes belonged to a family from our church. (Milton and Mary Heins) They donated it to the Bible Camp two years ago and it was quite a project to see it moved the five miles to get to it's new home.
Karyn
Scott told us to not be surprised if we had deer visitors and he was correct! This morning at 7:30 AM.
Rockwell City Deer

Sunday, July 17

We are in Rockwell City Iowa at the RCRV park. It is one block north off hwy 20 at eighth street. It is a wonderful little park and the price is right at $10 a night and that is with full hook up. It is listed in www.freecampgrounds.com. Clark's Grocery is less than a block away and there is a second grocery store downtown. An excellent little restaurant (Jots) is a short distance away as well. Behind the RV park is a walking/nature trail. Twin Lakes is 5 miles away. My sister Myrla lives here and has all her life so it makes a nice place to park and then visit with her and Scott. My mother lived here for years before moving to Cumberland to be near us. Today while in the grocery store a lady thought she knew me. She more than likely had my mother in mind.
These Hollyhocks are in sister Myrla and Scott's yard around her garage and the corner of her house. I asked her if she had planted them and she had not. They had a rural friend bring some dirt in to place around their foundation and the hollyhocks were an unexpected bonus the next summer.
This georgous round barn is along the bike trail at Twin Lakes
Black Iowa Soil
Rusty display along the Twin Lakes Bike Trail
It's a Roadmaster
A small covered bridge on the Twin Lakes Bike Trail
Fishermen at Twin Lakes
Twin Lakes near Rockwell City Iowa on a hot summer morning
Butch wanted to ride by the houses at Twin Lakes while I stayed on the trail.

Saturday, July 16

Leo and Keri had two major projects at their house this summer and Butch was involved in both of them. There are new shingles on the roof and the sewer project and this shot shows both. Photos courtesy of Leo Brooker
Sewer project at Leo and Keri's house
Butch was the foreman...and they needed one!
Sewer project at Leo and Keri's house
Leo's new sewer hole

Tuesday, July 12

This years deer picture did not compare to last years. See the last one in the August 2004 archives to see what I mean.
I have been riding the trail everyday to Cooper and back which is nearly 18 miles roundtrip from the moho. It has become easy, routine but never ordinary. These three were todays special treat. I saw two others besides in other places. I also saw a raccoon and we were a big surprise to each other!!

Monday, July 11

The Depot Today

Winkelmans Switch- July 10th 1971
Taken July 10th 1971
The Depot in its heyday

Depot inside
The Greene County Arts Council changes the display about every 30 days or so.
The Depot-inside
I volunteered at the depot yesterday and it was a slow day due to heat and wind so I took photos of photos I found lying about. This is the depot a long time ago.
In Cooper there are four circles where grain bins used to be located. It looked like a perfect place for a square dance. Well for four squares anyway!
On our trail ride today I happened to catch this bird on takeoff. This photo opp is a one in a million shot...at least with my camera.