Big Gathering at the Brickwells'

We had a surprise visit from some old friends a couple of days ago. Rene and Leun were our neighbors here at the park for a month last year and they have come back for a few days on their way back to Canada. We invited over the folks they knew from before and a few others we just met this year and ended up having a big welcome back party for Rene and Leun last night. Very fun gathering of friends old and new.

New Family Member

My nephew Clifton and his wife Sylvia were expecting the arrival of their first child on December 7th. Brighton Alan Peotter surprised us all by coming a bit early on November 23rd, giving the whole family something extra special to be thankful for on Thanksgiving this year.

Thanksgiving 2010

This year our daughter Shannon and her husband Pat came to visit us for Thanksgiving. It was so wonderful to spend some time with them both. We played a round of golf, watched some football and ate a delicious turkey dinner. A Thanksgiving Trifecta!

Baby Blanket

Yesterday was the baby shower for my nephew's wife, Sylvia. I'd been working on my gift for the baby since we were in Montana this August. In fact, that was one of my main sources of entertainment while we were there. Anyway, I finished it just in time for yesterday's party. Whew.

Visit with the Lairds

Yesterday we took a drive down to Green Valley, just south of Tucson, to visit and golf with our friends Doug and Karen Laird. Like us, they are from Alaska and had been spending the last few years traveling in their motorhome. Last year they built a house in Green Valley. It's such a lovely, comfortable home that every time we visit them, we start to think about settling down ourselves. But then we realize we've still got so much of this great country yet to see, it's just not time for us yet.

Home for the Winter

We made it to Palm Creek Golf and RV Resort, our winter home here in Casa Grande, Arizona on September 15 and were greeted with 110 degree temperatures. Oh boy, what a welcome! The park is still pretty empty except for the folks who live here full time in the park models and village homes. I kind of like it this way. Very quiet, and peaceful.

We went right to work on extending our patio area, a project we've been planning since last year. We must be insane to have done the work in this heat, but now it's completed and we can enjoy it for the next several months.

This is "before"

And this is "after"

Golf here is free for residents until at least the middle of October, so Tom has been going out every morning around 7:00 am with a group of his buddies from here in the park. Even at 7:00 am it's still too hot for me to try golfing, and it's too early besides. But Tom is loving it, and the camaraderie with all "the guys."

One of the benefits though of waking up so early is seeing sunrises like this. Tom took this picture a couple of mornings ago.

The temps are still 100+ every day so we're spending most afternoons floating in the pool trying to stay cool. Hard work, but someone's got to do it.

Zion Nat'l Park - Shuttle Road

Friday we went back to Zion, taking the shuttle road deeper into the park. The shuttle stops at several view points and trail heads along the way and we got off to explore at almost every stop. Because our dogs were still back at the RV, we knew we could only spend about six hours in the park, so we didn't take any of the longer trails. But we did hike most of the shorter ones as well as going part way on some of the longer ones. By the end of the day, my neck was sore from continually looking straight up.

At one of the view points, we were able to watch some rock climbers going up the sheer face of "Angel's Landing." In the full view photo, I've circled their location. I can't even imagine attempting something like that.




We again took over 100 pictures, and these are some of the best. But even these don't do justice to the beauty of the place.



We relaxed at home over the weekend, catching up with chores like laundry and enjoying the first games of the new NFL season. Sadly my team lost today. We'll see what happens with Tom's team later tonight. But I digress...

Tomorrow our plan is to drive along the public road that goes through the park to it's eastern end, so I'm sure our camera will be getting another workout.

Zion Nat'l Park - Kolob Terrace Road

Today we went to the Zion National Park visitor's center to get some info on how to best spend our time while exploring the park. We learned there is a scenic road, accessible only by park shuttle, that takes you deeper into the park and has several stopping off points where you can hike trails and get a better look at all the wonders of the park. We decided to do that tomorrow when we'd have more time, but asked the Ranger what we could see in just a couple of hours today. He suggested we take a ride up Kolob Terrace Road which follows along the western edge of the park and brings you to Lava Point Lookout where you can see out over much of the park. We took his advice and we're so glad we did. Every twist and turn in the road revealed a new and amazing view. These are just a few of the 100+ pictures we took along the way.

Hurricane, Utah

Early this morning, after surviving a night of high winds that rocked the motorhome, we were back on the interstate headed even further south. Our destination: Hurricane, Utah where we planned to spend the next few days and hopefully do some exploring around Zion National Park. We arrived here around 1:00 and immediately decided to extend our stay to a week. This area is just beautiful and the weather is perfect! We are staying at one of the parks in our membership network, so it's a free stay and as we all know, free is good! This is the view from our "front yard".

Time to Move On

For the last two mornings we woke up to frost on the ground. So even though we've really enjoyed our time in Montana, it was definitely time to move on. We got everything ready to go last night and pulled out of our campsite early this morning. Tom drove about 360 miles to get us to Lehi, Utah, just south of Salt Lake City. We are spending the night in the parking lot of the Cabela's store here. I'm warm again and we have a fabulous view! What more can we ask for?

Montana Trout Fishing In August/September

(by Tom)

I came into southwestern Montana thinking that I knew pretty much everything there was to know about flyfishing. However, I found out that trout in the streams around Dillon, Montana, are smarter than your average flyfisherman. This place is the "church of trout" and you better be baptized with knowledge of the bugs that they eat and how to toss 'em!

First thing that I found out was that I swung the flyrod like a caveman's club, so I went through rigorous training in the water as to how to get the fly out there without scaring the fish to the end of the river.

Our fishing friends who told us about this place have been coming here every summer for seven years. Rick and Mickey had a lot of patience teaching me the correct techniques of flycasting. Rick also taught me how to tie the flies that the trout will bite on during different times of the season. These flies match the bugs in the river that the trout feed on. I had to match the hatch. There are different bugs on different days that emerge from the bottom of the river and we had to find the fly that looked like these certain bugs of the day. I am proud to say that I was able to trick the trout into biting my flies that I tied. Rick taught me well. I was able to catch my largest rainbow trout of the month the day before I left which measured at 21 inches. My average catch size was between 18 and 20 inches with some 10 to 12 inchers in between.

I must say that Rick and Mickey are probably glad that I'm gone now because we fished everyday for a month and missed maybe 5 days due to weather or sightseeing/shopping, including one day at a fly fishing seminar.

I finally wore out my old waders and bought a new pair. I also ended up buying a new flyrod because my old one just wasn't up to the job of bringing these large trout into the net.

I lost many more trout than I brought in but I was told that if I brought 1 into the net out of 10, I was doing very well. These trout are "fish of a lifetime" and I am blessed with the fact that I was able to bring many to the net during the month. I'm very glad that I didn't have to pay a fishing guide to do this because it would have cost me thousands!

I want to express my appreciation to Rick and Mickey for their patience in teaching me the art of catching these Montana trout and being there with me daily and for taking pictures of the big ones that didn't get away. You made me a happy fisherman with trophy pictures to remember my time there on the river catching and releasing those fighters for somebody else to enjoy, maybe even me again. Yup, I believe in "catch and release" for conservation of our fine fish. I used to keep every fish that I caught when I was younger, but now I just don't eat as much fish unless it's from the store. I just enjoy tricking them and catching them. This was the longest sustained fishing trip that I ever had and I thank my wonderful wife Jo for having to go without tv, telephone, etc. for a month to let me do it.

I hope you enjoy the slide show with a lot of the fish that I caught.

Anniversary

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary. It's been a fabulous 17 years and I wouldn't change a thing. We celebrated by going out to dinner with Mick and Rick to a steak restaurant close-by. The atmosphere was typical Montana. Very casual dress by patrons and staff alike, what looked sort of like card tables and folding chairs in the "dining room", booths in the bar, and stuffed animal heads covering every wall. But the food was great and we enjoyed our evening out. We topped the evening off back at home with champagne and strawberries with cream for dessert. I can't wait to see what the next 17 years has in store for us.

Limited Internet

It turns out Dillon Montana is not an area directly serviced by AT&T which is our cell and internet provider. And it also turns out that although we have unlimited internet usage on our AT&T account, that does not apply when we are in an area not directly serviced by AT&T. There is a limit when we're on a "partner" network and we went way, way, way over that limit within our first few days here.

After talking with AT&T they have agreed to cut us some slack and not cut off our internet service while we are here this month. They were actually quite reasonable about it and will be letting us go what I guess will probably be over 50 times our limit. In return, we have agreed to curtail our internet usage. Which means I won't be making any more blog posts until we leave Montana....another two and a half weeks from now.

I'll save all of Tom's fishing pictures and anything else interesting and post it all then.

Bird Watching

Yesterday two of these pretty yellow birds were perched in the plum tree beside our motorhome for a little while. This one was kind enough to pose for a picture. I didn't know what kind of bird they were so asked some friends on Facebook and email for some help identifying it. The consensus was it is most likely either a Bullock's Oriole or a Western Tanager. According to Rick, who has the local knowledge, there are a lot of Western Tanagers in this area, so I started leaning in that direction. But then I heard from my friend Elizabeth, who has the most bird knowlege of anyone I know, and she assures me it's a female Bullock's Oriole. I hope it comes back again. It sure is lovely.

There are also quite a few hummingbirds hanging around our campground so we put up a feeder that attaches to our window. All the better to watch them up close. If I ever get a decent picture of one, I'll post that too.

Fishing, Fishing and More Fishing

We've been in Dillon for six days now. The campground is very no-frills but it's peaceful and relaxing so that's fine with us. Tom is spending his mornings and evenings getting fly-tying lessons from Rick and his days getting fly-fishing lessons from Mickey and Rick. Not that Tom didn't already know how to fish, it's just that Mic and Rick are real experts and have been sharing a lot of valuable tips with Tom, including where to find the biggest fish. Tom has caught (and released) some whoppers already.

Fishing doesn't particularly appeal to me, so I'm enjoying quiet time alone at the motorhome each day. Keeping myself entertained with books, computer, crochet projects, the dogs etc. It's a great life.

Montana, a New State for Our Map

We left Washington this morning, heading for Dillon, Montana for a month. We stopped for the night in Missoula. Neither of us have been to Montana in our adult lives, so this is new territory for us both. And of course, it's a new state to put on our map keeping track of the states we've been in since starting this retirement adventure.

The highway followed along the Clark Fork river for much of the way and we sure enjoyed the scenery. Tomorrow we will get to Dillon where we will join our friends Mic and Rick who spend their summers fishing there every year. They are quite the expert fly-fishermen and Tom is really looking forward to learning from them.

Golf Day

Today is 2 for 1 day at the golf course here so I decided to tag along with Tom for a round. I hadn't swung a golf club in a couple months, so I didn't know what to expect. Things started out pretty good. My warm up chipping went well and the few shots I took on the driving range before heading to the first tee were more or less straight. First four or five holes I was still happy with my performance, getting an eight on a par five, which for me is really good. But then we got to the second par five hole and things started going down hill for me. I was getting tired and my shots were getting sloppier and sloppier. Finally I gave it up and decided I would just drive the golf cart and "caddie" for Tom.

Deer Park Revisited

We left Brewster this morning to go to Deer Park - about 20 miles north of Spokane. We spent a month here at a beautiful RV park on a golf course and decided we couldn't get this close to the place without staying there again for at least a week.

We arrived this afternoon around 1:00, got set up and settled in and Tom had a tee time scheduled within an hour.

All the sites in this park are wonderful, but the site we were assigned is particularly nice. We are facing the golf course just past the 8th green. Close enough to easily watch the golfers, far enough to not be too worried about any errant golf balls.

Last Day at the Hooks'

Tom and Sherry drove us out to see the Grand Coulee Dam and then to Roosevelt Lake where they keep their boat. The 180 mile round trip drive took us past everything from wheat fields to dense forest. Unfortunately the day turned too windy to take the boat out for a spin. We had to settle for spending a bit of time aboard the boat while still in the marina. But that was fine. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed it all.

We spent our final evening at the Hooks relaxing on their deck watching the moon rise. Thanks again to Tom and Sherry, great friends and great hosts!

Brewster, WA

We left the cold of the Seattle area behind and are now basking in the warmth and sunshine of Brewster, WA. What a difference. I love it.

We arrived yesterday at the home of friends Tom and Sherry. We are parked on their property and it feels like a luxury RV park. Their home is just lovely with beautiful landscaping and an amazing view of the Columbia River.

Black Diamond, WA July 2010

We finally got out of Junction City and made our way to Black Diamond, Washington for a visit with some of Tom's family.

We arrived a couple days before the 4th of July and so we were able to spend the holiday with the family. We had a lovely brunch at Mom Brickwell's place along with Tom's brother, Jim and his wife Lori and our niece and nephew Katie and Colby and family friend Larry. Then we tagged along with Jim and Lori to a party some friends of theirs had. Lots of good food and an amazing fireworks display in the evening.

Tom, Jim and Colby got in a couple rounds of golf and eight year old Colby put the men to shame.

We also went to one of Katie's riding lessons and were able to witness her growing skill on horseback.

It's been great being able to spend all this time with family, but the weather has been mostly cold and cloudy. It's green and gorgeous here, but I need some sunshine soon! We have a few more days here and then we're going up to Brewster, WA for a visit with some friends there. The forecast there is for hot temps and sunny days. Bring it on!

Junction City, Oregon

We've been at the Guaranty RV Service Center in Junction City, Oregon for almost two weeks now. We had a couple of small items we wanted taken care of with the motorhome and then we also have a foggy side window (seal went bad) that we wanted to have fixed. It turns out though that the glass in the side window will need to be replaced, which is why we've been here so long. We're waiting for the new glass to arrive. It should be here within the next day or two and then we'll be on our way again.

As in the past when we've been here for repairs, we are staying at the "camping area" for the service center, which is basically a large parking lot with electric hookups and a central water and dump station. But it's convenient when you're having work done, and it's free, so we're not complaining.

We took a drive out to the coast a couple days ago and went to Carl Washburn Beach. Oregon beaches are rugged and beautiful, but always windy and usually a bit on the cold side. Still we enjoy spending a bit of time there and the dogs love it. We spread the ashes of our dogs Roz-z and Molly there on previous visits and on this trip, Monet joined them.

Back on the Road

I know it's been too long between posts, but there wasn't a lot going on in our lives for April and most of May. My niece Kinsey had a major roll in her high school production of Guys and Dolls so we went to see that. It was fabulous and Kinsey wowed the crowd with her solo. A few weeks later, another niece, Aubrey, graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. I drove up with a bunch of the family for that wonderful event. It brought tears to my eyes, I was so proud of her.

In early May, Tom's brother Jim and his family, along with Tom's mom and her friend Larry came down to Scottsdale for a vacation. They were there over my birthday and we met up with them, Shannon and Pat, and my brother and sister-in-law at the Elephant Bar Restaurant for a huge birthday dinner. Great fun.

Temperatures were starting to warm up and by mid-May we were quite often in the 90's and on May 20th it reached 100. We left Arizona on May 21st.

We stayed a couple of nights in the Palm Springs area, which is a place we really enjoy. Then the plan was to stop over for the night in Bakersfield on our way to Sacramento. One night became two when we had to find a CAT dealer to fix a bad injector in the engine. Thankfully the people at Quinn CAT were nice enough to bump us ahead of another job and got us on the road again quickly.

We hung out in Sacramento for a week, visiting with various friends we have in the area. We were a little surprised to realize how many people we know who live there. In our short week, we didn't even manage to see everyone we would have liked to.

Then it was on to Rogue River, Oregon where my mom and step-dad live. We are staying at the Valley of the Rogue State Park, which is a beautiful park with lots of gorgeous trees. It's all so green. I love it. I'd missed this in Arizona.

We'll be here for another week, then we'll head further north.

Visit from a Friend

We had our first non-family member come to stay with us this past weekend. Tom worked with Ted for over 25 years and they both retired around the same time. Ted is to blame for Tom's obsession with golf so I didn't know whether to welcome him in or kick him out. No, not really. We were happy to have him visit us for a couple of days. We played golf (of course) had cocktails on the patio and enjoyed some time by the pool.

Phoenix "Good Guys" Car Show

It's been awhile since I've taken over a post in the blog from my good wife Jo. I'm the one who experienced this bit-"o"-blogorama.
We've made good friends with our Canadian neighbors next door and "Jerry" saw that there was going to be a big carshow in Phoenix, Arizona. He wanted to go but his wife was uninterested. He asked me and I jumped at the chance. It was nice going with someone who was interested in good old fashioned American muscle car iron from the past. I used to be heavily involved in cars, namely drag racing and am in love with all of that shiny chrome and paint. I've never been to a big carshow outside of Fairbanks, Alaska and have only seen that type of show in "Hot Rod Magazine".

We got there and I was bedazzled with all of the gorgeous cars shining in the Arizona sun. The weather couldn't have been finer for a car show. I took tons of pictures but have limited them for the slideshow. Jerry and I only made it through three quarters of the show before we had to go. There were over two thousand cars there and most were "to die for". I hope you enjoy these pictures. I'm warning you though, put on a bib because you'll drool over these cars. My shirt was drenched by the time I got out of the show.

Catching Up

I haven't been posting since we've settled down to a fairly normal routine here in Arizona for the winter. I figure you're all just not that interested in hearing about us visiting with friends and family in this area or going to movies or playing golf or hanging out reading books or having the occassional happy hour with some of the neighbors. But still, it's probably time to make an entry to keep things up to date.

I crocheted a blanket for my great-nephew Matthew for Christmas. I hadn't crocheted anything in a long time and I forgot how much I enjoy it. I just picked up a pattern book for crocheting stuffed animals, so I'll try my hand at that next.

In late January, our niece Lorrie Grace came to Arizona to visit her friend Kim who lives in Flagstaff. She had to fly out of the Phoenix airport, so we met up with her and Kim for lunch before Lorrie's flight. We loved seeing her again, even for such a short time. And it was fun visiting with Kim who we hadn't seen since before we left Alaska.

Shortly after that, Tom's brother Bill came to visit us for 5 days. He and Tom had a great time playing golf almost every day.

Yesterday we spent the day at a dog show in Scottsdale. We didn't enter either of our dogs, we just went up to socialize with friends we generally only see at dog shows.

So, that's more or less the highlights of the last couple months. I'll try to be better about posting updates every couple weeks even when nothing overly exciting is going on.