NEXT YEAR I WILL COMPETE

I was surprised to see the Pohutukawa trees which were growing along one side of the parking lot where we parked our rental vehicle at the Hilton, during our visit to Valencia CA.
Pohutukawa trees grow along coastal regions in New Zealand where I grew up, so the sight of these lovely trees with their striking blooms, made me think of my homeland.




The range where the 2008 Steel Challenge was held, is out near Lake Piru. As you can see from the photo, the area is very dry, and the dust covered everything, including shooters and everyone else.
Temperatures were very warm, and if you were not used to living with this kind of heat, then it was rather uncomfortable. I was happy to leave the range at the end of each days events, and get back to our air conditioned hotel room, for a nice long shower.



MrC was in squad 4, and I must say, they are the nicest bunch of people. There were 8 stages to shoot starting with "outer limits' which is not the most favorite of some of the shooters. The other stages were, Pendulum, Roundabout, Showdown, 5 To Go, Speed Option, Smoke & Hope, and Accelerator.

RO, (range officer) Gene, AKA "Gunny" timing Scott as he shoots "5 To Go"

Gunny runs a "tight ship" when it comes to how he wants the rules adhered to concerning this event he was running. He is a "no nonsense" kind of guy and by golly you had better listen and mind what he says. All this said, he has a great sense of humor, and under all that gruffness, there is marshmallow.


Matt knocking some paint off the steel plates.






Jeffrey, showin' smoke
as he shoots the "Smoke & Hope" stage.

Flora, the only woman in squad 4

Flora is taking her first step towards the second box, of the two, you have to shoot from in "outer limits". This stage takes some serious concentration as there are several things you have to be paying attention to, to have a successful run.

Don (below) and Dale (right) both starting out towards the second box in "outer limits" to finish the run. The setup is, 5 steel plates, one of which is a "stop plate"
so you shoot 2 plates from one box, move across to the other box, shoot two more steel plates ending with the stop plate. If you accidentally shoot the stop plate before the other four, then you are "toast" I have made this mistake before, and from then on paid a lot more attention to what I was doing.

Mike P shooting "outer Limits"

Bryan (right) making the plates ring.




David (left) deep in concentration.

My Honey MrC doing his thing.

MrC's gun, a High Standard with a 12 inch Volquartsen barrel, and his unusual grip, brought quite a few comments. One of the most common comments I hear when people first see his gun is, "what the h--l is that?"
I am so proud of my honey, he placed 24th out of 55 shooters in his class, and they were the best in world he was up against.

As we left the range after another long hot day, we noticed a number of cattle under the trees, enjoying the shade, except for "old Bossie" Guess she does not mind the heat.

A quick photo of Magic mountain as we drove by.

I am not a fan of roller coasters. Never been on one and don't want to.

We had a wonderful time in California at the World Steel Challenge and look forward to next year.

This, in a comment on Keewee's Corner, from Flora "Already looking forward to next year and please promise me you'll shoot! We ladies will have a blast"

Yes Flora I will be there. I do have many hours of practice ahead before then.

HOME SWEET HOME

We just arrived home a short time ago and we are bushed. Stay tuned for more on our visit to Valencia and Lake Piru CA. I may have something for you to read tomorrow afternoon/evening.

Second day from Valencia

Yesterday I was MrC's support team/person for his day of competition shooting. As for his performance, he did extremely well and I am very proud of him. The results have not been posted yet, but one thing I can report, is that, he shot far better than last year.
This being my second year as a spectator and not a shooter, I am more familiar with the events, so perhaps I will participate next year.
There was some amazing shooting, with some of it being covered by the local TV stations.
The day was very long and uncomfortably hot. We were glad to get back to the hotel to shower all the dust and stickiness off, then collapse onto the bed to cool off in the breeze from the air conditioner. We were too tired to go out and eat, so we ate a cinnimon roll we had bought in a package from the bakery at local grocery store yesterday.
After breakfast today we are going out to the range, to watch the center fire shooters (we shot rimfire yesterday)

FROM VALENCIA CA

We left home at 7am this morning and had an uneventful trip to out hotel here in Valencia.
It was nice to check into our room, and turn on the air conditioner, as it is quite warm and humid outdoors, which is not we are used to on Whidbey Island.
In a little while we are driving out to the range, so MrC can get in a little practice before he shoots in the Rimfire event, in The World Steel Challenge Championships tomorrow. Then we will go to Marie Callender's for a nice dinner.
That is it for now, stay tuned for updates.

THE WORLD'S BEST

These last couple of weeks have been a busy time for us. On Wednesday morning we catch the shuttle which will take us to Sea tac to catch our flight to Burbank. We will pick up our rental car then drive to Valencia, about half an hour, where we check into our hotel for a four days stay.
MrC and I were there last year about this time to shoot in the World Steel Champion Match, that is, MrC shoots in this one, I find it all rather overwhelming being around "the best in the word" and elect not to shoot.
I sure hope the weather is not as warm as it was last year. I do not do well when the temperatures are 100+ F.
Keewee's Garden has been planted with some vegetables for fall/winter harvest, and the watering system I recently installed, works perfectly. It sure saves time standing around with a hose in hand, doing the job manually.
Today, after I arrive home from work, I need to focus on getting the clothes I plan on packing, organized. I will have to take several outfits to change into, as being out in that heat all day, I get all hot and sticky and clean fresh clothes are a must. Beside it feels so good to have a nice long shower, then put on dry clean clothes after we return from a day at the range.

I hope to do a little posting on our adventures from Valencia, but I am not promising this will happen.

IMAGINE THE OWNERS SURPRISE

A fawn followed this beagle home -- right through the doggie door -- in the Bittinger area.

The owner came home to find the visitor had made himself right at home.

THANKS LINDA, FOR THE CUTE STORY.

What kind of nut are you

Little Old Me from A New Day, A New Way Of Life, has a fun little survey asking what kind of nut are you? Apparently I am a Cashew!!!

You Are a Cashew

You are laid back, friendly, and easy going. Compared to most people, you have a very mild temperament. You blend in well. You're often the last person to get noticed. But whenever you're gone, people seem to notice right away!

What Nut Are You?

A NEW HOBBY

As if I didn't have enough to do already.
I was so taken with the lovely dried flowers, a friend had embellishing her photo albums, that I just had to try this project for myself, especially when I discovered how easy and inexpensive, it was to make the press.

With the help of MrC, ( well truth be known, he did most of the construction) I now have the flower press made, and the first four layers of flowers and a couple of ferns pressed between cardboard and a moisture wicking paper. Next Sunday I will undo the wing nuts and reveal the dried flowers.
I have not yet decided how I will use the dried flowers, ferns and leaves, but I will have a collection which should keep me amused during the cold days of winter.
When at the thrift store the other day, I found a plastic case which used to hold a child's set of art supplies, and I thought it would be just the thing to store the flowers in layers between parchment paper, until I use them.
They tell me that you should have plenty of hobbies when you retire, so this can be my "getting the feeling of retirement, practice." *grin*

This is too true to be very funny.

The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money.

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.

A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
A billion hours ago our ancestors were Living in the Stone Age.
A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans. It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division.

Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu, is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans. Interesting number, what does it mean?

Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.
Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans, your home gets $1,329,787.
Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.
Washington, D.C., Ottawa, Canada.... HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken??

Tax his land,
Tax his wage,
Tax his bed in which he lays.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes is the rule.

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirts,

Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.

Tax his booze,
Tax his beers,

If he cries,
Tax his tears.

Tax his bills,
Tax his gas,
Tax his notes,
Tax his cash.

Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.

If he hollers, Tax him more,
Tax him until he's good and sore.

Tax his coffin, Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.

Put these words upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me to my doom!'

And when he's gone, We won't relax,
We'll still be after the inheritance TAX!!

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

No taxes existed 100 years ago.

We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world,
and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What happened? Can you spell 'politicians!'

And I still have to 'press 1' for English.

What the hell happened???

SOMEONE WATCHING OUT FOR US

We are back from our BIG adventure and there was a little more excitement than we anticipated. I will give you the short version, well as short as I can make it.

We left Whidbey Island for Coeur d' Alene on Thursday evening on the 6pm ferry.

Around Bellevue the needle on the temperature gauge in the RV, hit the red mark, and lucky for us, we were right near an off ramp and a nearby "park & drive" which we pulled into.

MrC put on his "mechanic" hat and took a look under the hood to see what kind of problem we had. After lying on the hard asphalt with antifreeze dripping on him (and a few cuss words later) he found that the radiator had a small split on the lower left corner. I can tell you for a fact, I am always so impressed at how my honey can fix almost anything.

After MrC used a piece of heavy duty bungee cord, a strip of metal plumber's tape and a sheet metal screw to patch the split, we limped our way along the freeway making the return journey back home. When we arrived home, I threw all of MrC's wet antifreeze covered clothes into the washing machine, fixed us some food to eat, for when we resumed our journey, and MrC went to work on pulling the radiator out of the RV and making repairs. I told you he is good at repair work, as we managed to get back on the road and catch the last ferry off the island at 12:30.

Of course, we were both very tired by now, but we had an Eddy Brown Memorial Metal Match to shoot in Coeur d' Alene on Saturday at the Fernan range, and we wanted to arrive on Friday, get set up in our camping spot, and put in a little practice before the event on Saturday. We drove until 3:30am and finally pulled into a rest area at Vantage, slept for about three hours before continuing our journey in the morning, into Moses Lake where we enjoyed a hearty breakfast.

We arrived at the range just outside Coeur d' Alene around 12:30 and found a shady spot for the RV out of the heat. Dang it was hot, and I was not looking forward to a day of shooting in that kind of heat on Saturday.

Shooting my favorite stage called Zig Zag

I spite of the heat, Saturday turned out to be an exciting, fun filled day for both of us. We both shot well in the Eddy Brown Memorial Metal Match with MrC winning 1st place in the .22LR Division, and I was hot on his heels with 2nd place. Whooohoo!!


After all the awards were given out, we hit the road once again for Missoula MT, where we were to stay at a friend's place over night before the drive to Deer Creek range, for Sunday's Montana Shooting Sports Association's Celebrity Bowling Pin Shoot
We pulled into our friend Gary M's place around 11:30pm and collapsed into bed for a few hours sleep.
We arrived at Deer Creek range in time for the shooter's meeting, before the days event started, We forgot we were in a different time zone, and were nearly late but just before we left Gary's he did remind us about the difference in times between WA and MT

Once again both MrC and I came home with certificates of Award. I have one each for, Second Place .22 pistol, High Lady, and most Supportive Spouse. MrC has one each for, First Place Single-action Revolver, First Place 9mm Auto, First Place .22 pistol, and Fast Run of the day. another big Whoohoo!

Sooooo, after the match in Missoula we went to Mackenzie River Pizza to have something to eat and enjoy the company of our friend Gary and his son Ty before starting on our journey back home.
On the return journey we once again, spent a few hours at a rest stop at Vantage, then next morning we enjoyed a tasty breakfast at Ellensburg. After breakfast, feeling tired but happy to be returning home, we pointed the nose of the RV towards Whidbey Island and zoomed our way along the freeway, until just as we came up on North Bend, there was an awful bang and loud crunching sound from under the hood and the temperature needle shot up onto the DANGER red mark. MrC and I glanced at each other with an OH S--T what now? look, and once again we were lucky to be right at an off ramp which we limped/coasted down into the parking lot of a gas/convenience store, where one more time, MrC put on his "mechanic hat" and looked under the hood.


This time it appeared the bearing in the water pump had exploded, but we think "The big man upstairs" was looking out for us (perhaps he drives an old rig like ours) as there was a Schucks two blocks away where they had just one water pump on the shelf which fit our RV. AND both times we had mechanical troubles, there just happened to be an off ramp we could use and we were not on the top of a mountain pass or some such place.
My VERY TALENTED sweetheart, changed out the broken water pump, for the nice new shiny one, and had us back on the road in under two hours, and all this included walking to Schucks twice for parts. Ladies, never question why your guy seems to carry what we may think unnecessary junk in his toolbox, because believe me, they can fix almost anything when they have the right tools and "bits & pieces"

So there it is, our BIG ADVENTURE is over, and now I am going to have a nice long shower before enjoying at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

PAY BACK

Jennifer’s big formal wedding was fast approaching and she was delighted to hear that her Mom, Sheila, emerging from a nasty divorce, had finally found the perfect mother-of-the-bride dress.

Two days later, she was shocked to learn that her new young stepmother, Fawn, had purchased the same dress.

She asked her stepmother to buy another dress since her Mom had already altered her purchase. Fawn refused.

After two more weeks of frustrating shopping, Sheila found a dress that was not as nice as the first, but would serve.

When asked by a friend what she would do with her original dress, she grinned and replied, “I’m wearing it to the rehearsal dinner!”

I LOVE BEING SEMI-RETIRED

We are loading the RV and getting "outa town" once again. This time we are going to shoot a Steel challenge match at the Fernan Spokane Pistol Club near Coeur d lene on Saturday, then afterwards we will be driving to Missoula Montana to shoot in the annual bowling pin match to be held on Sunday.

This will the third year we have competed in the bowling pin match in Missoula, which has always been a lot of fun. The people are very friendly, even though the last two years the weather has been extremely hot, leading one to think, tempers would be a little frayed having to deal with temperatures above 100 degrees F. I know, last year, I was feeling irritable towards the end of the day as we do not experience temperatures in the 100'sF on Whidbey Island.

As I said, being semi-retired is wonderful. Being able to take time off work, to enjoy time away with my honey, is very important at our age. ( We are classed as seniors) You never know what tomorrow may bring, and it could be that we may not be able to enjoy such adventures together.

HERE KITTY KITTY

Anyone who has a cat will appreciate this one.

Click HERE

A WOMAN'S WEEK AT THE GYM

If you read this without laughing out loud, there is something wrong with you. This is dedicated to everyone who ever attempted to get into a regular workout routine.

Dear Diary,
For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me.
Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.

I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.

My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

________________________________
MONDAY:
Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess - with blond hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile.. Woo Hoo!!

Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!

Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week-!!

________________________________
TUESDAY:
I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT-!! It's a whole new life for me.

_______________________________
WEDNESDAY:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.

Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for that early in th e morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.

My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other s**t too.

_______________________________
THURSDAY:
Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late - it took me that long to tie my shoes.

Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. She sent another skinny b***h to find me.

Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank.
_______________________________
FRIDAY:
I hate that b***h Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it.

Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the damn barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich.

The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?

________________________________
SATURDAY:
Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.

________________________________
SUNDAY:
I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter (the little s**t) will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!

WE ARE BACK TO THE DAILY GRIND

AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT ADVENTURE, AWAY FROM THE "RANCH"

MrC and I had a very nice weekend away from the daily grind. On Friday evening, after we arrived at our friends home, and set up the RV etc. we rode with our friends in their car, to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. The food was excellent as was the conversation.

From where I sat I looked directly at a family of four. Mom, Dad and two little boys who were probably two and four years old. At first I was not really paying too much attention to the family, but something caught my eye, and that was all the food on the floor under the highchair of the youngest child. I don't mean a few crumbs, I mean, what looked like almost all of the food from this kid's plate, whole tortilla and all the fixin's. To say the least I was appalled that the parents were not paying close attention to their child, in fact as time went by it was plainly obvious they did not care about the mess, and as they got up to leave, shrugging their shoulders, brushed the rest of the food from their kids, onto the chairs and floor and left the restaurant stepping on some of the food as they went. I wondered what their home looked like.

Saturday morning, bright and early, John, MrC and I decided to eat breakfast at a 50's themed diner before spending a day at the range, shooting a Fun Steel match. It had been years since eating at a diner like this one, the food was delicious and the atmosphere took me back to memory lane, it was wonderful. John's wife Jeanette, is not a shooter, so stayed at home for some much needed R&R.

At the range we set up in our squads and proceeded to shoot the six stages. Now, I was not sure how I was going to perform as it had been several months since I had done any shooting at all, but I was pleasantly surprised and performed rather well. The placings have not yet been posted so I do not know where I ranked. It was extremely warm as we walked from bay to bay shooting the various stages and thank goodness we had an old umbrella in the RV which helped keep the sun off of me. I do not do well in the heat and was glad the day ended when it did as I was getting to feel very uncomfortable and irritable. We drove back to our friend's home for a nice cold drink then enjoyed a BBQ, under the shade of some lovely tall trees, which surround their home in the woods.

Yesterday, Monday, it was back to work for me. I was to work just four hours, then planned on returning home to work on my gardens But you know what they say about " the best laid plans" I received a call at my first clients home, asking if I would pick up an extra shift, to cover for a care giver who called in sick. Big hearted me . said yes I would do it, so ended up arriving home around 6pm.
As I climbed out of my car, I glanced at the vegetable garden, as is my usual habit, and thought I saw a row of peas moving. There wasn't any wind, so it could not be the wind moving my peas and as I looked closer I saw a tiny rabbit, up on his hind legs, happily munching on MY PEAS. Oh S--T, I said to myself and ran to the garden to grab hold of that little criminal by the ears, hold him up, and give him a lecture. Of course he was too quick for me and as I chased him he hopped very quickly towards the wire fence, we thought as rabbit proof, and wriggled his way through and out the other side, sheesh!!!!
The outcome of all this drama, was a quick trip to the hardware store for a couple of rolls of chicken wire, and with the much appreciated help from my honey, we now have 27 inches of chicken wire covering the " will not keep LITTLE bunnies out, wire " around my garden. I sure hope this works, if not then there will be another trip to the hardware store for enough chicken wire to make the fence higher.
Update: So far so good. I have seen the little rabbits sitting outside the fence looking in. *grin*

Next project is to build a squirrel feeder so they will leave the bird seed alone. They have knocked two of my bird feeders to the ground resulting in broken feeders which cannot be repaired. The next feeders I buy will be the type the squirrels cannot get bird seed from.

That is about all for now, there are a few weeds in the garden needing to be pulled.

A LITTLE R&R FOR US

Another week almost at an end, and I have not written anything since Monday. I have no real excuses except to say, I am darn tired. My job is not only physically taxing, but also emotionally draining. When you work with the elderly, or folks who are infirm for one reason or the other, then dealing with their daily problems and woes, leaves me feeling exhausted at the end of the day. Sooooo, MrC and I are loading our RV and getting away for the weekend. We are taking the ferry from Keystone across to Port Townsend and driving to Silverdale where we are meeting with friends. Tonight we plan of enjoying their company at a Mexican restaurant for dinner, then tomorrow we are attending a Fun Steel match at at the Kitsap range, which should be a good way to release some of my built up tension, as I shoot at and hit , or not, the steel targets. One way or another, just the fact that I am getting away from the work environment will recharge my batteries.
So wish us a happy relaxing weekend, we both need this one.

CHUCKLE

A blonde walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer. She says she’s going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000. The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for the loan, so the blonde hands over the keys to a new Rolls Royce. The car is parked on the street in front of the bank, she has the Title, and everything checks out.

The bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. The bank’s president and its officers all enjoy a good laugh at the blonde for being so dumb as to use a $250,000 Rolls as collateral against a $5,000 loan. An employee of the bank then proceeds to drive the Rolls into the bank’s underground garage and parks it there.

Two weeks later, the blonde returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41. The loan officer says, “Miss, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is why would you bother to borrow $5,000?”

The blond replies, “Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?”

If you were wondering

Gosh, It looks as though I have grown too lazy to post on a regular basis, but believe me this is not true. Now the warm weather has finally arrived, I have been spending more time outdoors in my garden, along with working at my job.
My vegetable garden is coming along nicely, now the temperature had risen and we are getting more hours of sunshine. I have spread a layer of Llama beans over the garden beds which can be used directly in the garden without danger of burning plants. One of my clients I work with, has two llamas and her handyman bags all the llama manure and wood shaving from their stalls. I asked Mrs S. who used to be an avid gardener before her illness, about the llama manure and she told me about the benefits of it's use in the garden, and says I can take as many of these bags of llama beans as I want. Today, the trunk of my car will be filled with as many bags of llama doo as will fit and my flower gardens will benefit from an application tomorrow on my day off.

Yesterday I drove up the Island to
Oak harbor and while looking around
the garden department of KMart
I found a beautiful hanging begonia
called Bonfire begonia and it was
marked down to $5.99,
of course you know I had to buy one.

Evidently these plants had just arrived
in the store so they reduced the price
as it is late in the season.

I also bought two beautiful Heliotrope.
What first attracted me to this plant
was the vibrant purple color,
then I caught a whiff of the
light, almost vanilla like fragrance.


There is always room for an extra plant or two in my garden, or I will make room *grin*


I did arrive home this afternoon with five more bags of llama beans, which will be spread over the flower gardens.
So you see I really have been busy, and not sitting around eating bon bons and watching TV all day.

Could this be called Potty humor?

Traveling across country by car, I decided to stop at one of those rest areas on the side of the road. I go into the restroom. The first stall is taken, so I go into the second stall. I had just sat down when I hear a voice from the other stall ask, “Hi, how’s it going?”

I am not the type to strike up conversations with strangers in restrooms sitting on a toilet. I didn’t know what to say, so finally I said, “Not bad.”

Then the voice asks, “So, what are you doing?”

I am starting to find this a bit weird, but I reply, “Well, I’m going back east...”

Then I hear the guy, all flustered, say, “Look, I’ll call you back. Every time I ask you a question this idiot in the next stall starts talking to me”

UH OH! WE HAVE BEEN BUSTED!

Last year we had caught a glimpse or two of a squirrel darting up into a tree, but none near the bird feeders. This year it is a different story. At first I thought there was just one squirrel, then a few days ago I was sure that the critter I was seeing seemed smaller. Yesterday I saw two squirrels gobbling down sunflower seeds so my suspicions proved to be correct.
I must say these two sure are entertaining.

"If I sit in the pan of seeds, I will get my share before the birds get here"

" I sure hope I can hold on long enough to get my fill of peanut suet"

"There's gotta be an easier way"

I really didn't think you would notice a few itty bitty seeds were missing!

The Bathing Suit

When I was a child the bathing suit for the mature figure was boned, trussed and reinforced, not so much sewn as engineered. They were built to hold back and uplift and they did a good job.

Today's stretch fabrics are designed for the prepubescent girl with a figure carved from a potato chip.

The mature woman has a choice - she can either go up front to the maternity department and try on a floral suit with a skirt, coming away looking like a hippopotamus who escaped from Disney's Fantasia or she can wander around every run of the mill department store trying to make a sensible choice from what amounts to a designer range of florescent rubber bands.
What choice did I have? I wandered around, made my sensible choice and entered the chamber of horrors known as the fitting room.

The first thing I noticed was the extraordinary tensile strength of the stretch material.
The Lycra used in bathing costumes was developed, I believe, by NASA to launch small rockets from a slingshot, which give the added bonus that if you manage to actually lever yourself into one, you are protected from shark attacks as any shark taking a swipe at your passing midriff would immediately suffer whip lash.
I fought my way into the bathing suit, but as I twanged the shoulder strap in place, I gasped in horror - my boobs had disappeared!

Eventually, I found one boob cowering under my left armpit.
It took a while to find the other. At last I located it flattened beside my seventh rib.

The problem is that modern bathing suits have no bra cups.
The mature woman is meant to wear her boobs spread across her chest like a speed bump. I realigned my speed bump and lurched toward the mirror to take a full view assessment.

The bathing suit fit all right, but unfortunately it only fit those bits of me willing to stay inside it.
The rest of me oozed out rebelliously from top, bottom, and sides.
I looked like a lump of play dough wearing undersized cling wrap.

As I tried to work out where all those extra bits had come from, the prepubescent sales girl popped her head through the curtain, 'Oh, there you are,' she said, admiring the bathing suit.

I replied that I wasn't so sure and asked what else she had to show me.
I tried on a cream crinkled one that made me look like a lump of masking tape, and a floral two piece which gave the appearance of an oversized napkin in a serving ring.

I struggled into a pair of leopard skin bathers with ragged frills and came out looking like Tarzan's Jane, pregnant with triplets and having a rough day.

I tried on a black number with a mesh midriff and looked like a jellyfish in mourning.


I tried on a bright pink suit with such a high cut leg I thought I would have to wax my eyebrows to wear it .

Thanks to Judy for the laugh.


Finally, I found a suit that fit. a two-piece affair with a shorts style bottom and a loose blouse-type top.

It was cheap, comfortable, and bulge-friendly, so I bought it.
My ridiculous search had a successful outcome, I figured.
When I got home, I found a label which read -- 'Material might become transparent in water.'

So, if you happen to be on the beach or near any other body of water this year and I'm there too... I'll be the one in cut-off jeans and a t-shirt!

BANKS LAKE....PART 2

One of the events at our annual trip to Banks Lake everyone seems to enjoy, is the Saturday afternoon potluck.

Peace to you too.

Everyone is too busy eating to pose for a photo.

MrC. has cooked his hot dog over the open fire just the way he likes them, and Bob is waiting for his to come out of the fryer. We used the fryer to cook all the fish Dale and Fred caught. There is nothing quite like fresh fish, cooked to perfection.

Fred pouring champagne.

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Every year I have observed this tree growing on the rock and it is slowly getting larger.

MrC and a yellow perch he caught.

In previous years we have caught many of these perch, but sadly this year this was the only one. In fact the fishing was rather poor not only for perch, but bass and walleye too.

MrC doing his best to hook a "big one" It did not happen, and I was not interested in fishing at this time, as I was enjoying listening to the birds in this little inlet off of the main lake.

BANKS LAKE MINI VACATION

This past week I did not have any time for blogging as I spent all my time working, going to classes for further education for my job, then in between all that, I had to find the time to load our RV for our annual trip to Coulee Playland at Banks Lake with the Fishin' Club.
The weather during our last couple of weeks had been wet and dreary, so we were delighted to find sunshine as we headed up over the Cascades on our journey to Banks Lake.

We just love this beautiful drive along the tree lined road, with spectacular views of the mountains.

Does anyone know what these clouds are? They certainly were beautiful and interesting.

This year there is still a lot of snow left to melt away.

I seem to take a picture or two of these craggy peaks, every year we travel this route to our vacation destination. There is so much beauty, one can't help snapping every lovely sight they see. Well, at least I can't.

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Our first day out on the lake, we went into one of the many little side channels off of the main lake. These channels and bays are very quiet and calm, and as we use a battery run trolling motor in these locations we make little noise.

Floating along quietly, we came across a turtle going about the business of enjoying a bask in the sun, but as we drew closer he became nervous, and with barely a splash, he dove of the branch and sped away under water.

This lovely Mule deer was quite nervous when she first noticed our presence. MrC and I sat very still in the boat and watched her, and when she felt we were not going to harm her she calmly went back to grazing.

We did have a nice trip away with our friends, and I will post more soon.

OUR WEEKEND OF RELAXATION

After I arrived home from work on Thursday afternoon, we made the decision to stay at home rather than risk the bad weather which was in the forecast. But after an hour or so, the weather made a change for the better so we said "what the h--l let's go anyway, so we loaded the rest of the food in the RV and left to catch the ferry from Keystone over to Port Townsend.

Our RV, although small and not a gas guzzler like those huge bus size rigs, is very comfortable and suits MrC and I just fine. AND we can get into campsites those huge RVs could never in in a million years squeeze into. Case in point was the campsite on the Dungeness River we were heading for. The road down into the camping area is very narrow, with turnouts in case you meet another vehicle. It was uneven with ridges and potholes after all the rain during this past winter, and, did I mention it is steep. Yes indeed, it is steep, keep your seat belt buckled or you may end up on the floor of your vehicle. *grin* So you see, anything other than cars, SUVS, pickups with campers and our small RV could not get down the road to the campground.

On the ferry crossing, these two cruise ships passed by, seemingly racing to get into harbor, they both left a wake which had the ferry captain telling us to hold onto our drinks when we ran across the rough water. He wasn't wrong as the little ferry did quite a dance across the cruise ship wakes.
From the dock in Port Townsend it was about 45 minutes drive to Dungeness Forks campground.

We have stayed at the Dungeness Forks campground on several occasions, and just before you cross the bridge a few yards before the campground entrance, there is a flat area beside the river where folks have made a camping spot. The ground is quite level and previous campers had made a fire pit. This time we were pleased to find that no one had laid claim to this lovely campsite, so we pulled in and set up camp. It was also a no fee area, not being in the National Forest Campground.

As we had already eaten on our drive to the campsite, all we really needed was dessert, so the fire was lit, and let burn down until there were nice hot glowing coals, just right for toasting marshmallows over. After a few, OK, more than a few, lovely golden brown, crisp outside and squishy inside, toasted marshmallows we settled into our cozy bed for a good night's rest, lulled to sleep by the water rushing by just a few feet from the door.
Take a look at the video at the end of this post, (turn your speakers on) and you will hear the sound of rushing water we heard, only it was muted inside the RV.

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Next morning, after a good breakfast we dressed warmly, because the day was still chilly, and went for a walk across the bridge, through the campground, then followed the river along the trails which went up river. We went as far as we could before running out of trail. I am sure there are more trails but we just followed this particular one.

The trees look quite beautiful all decked out in moss. It was very quiet walking along the trail under these majestic trees, and we enjoyed the solitude.

A couple of old giants long since fallen and now clothed in moss

Every so often we would leave the main trail, to follow a smaller one, which would lead us down to the loud, swiftly flowing river. We had to speak loudly, to hear each other over the sound of all that very cold rushing water, making it's way over the rocky river bed, and eventually to the ocean. How beautiful this place is.

One very determined plant, clinging to life between the rocks beside the river. One good flood and it would be swept away.

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From the campground, we followed the road up, and I mean up, for quite a distance. Our legs told us we were climbing on a steep incline going up and also when we walked back down. I think we need to do a little more walking , we are a little out of shape after being indoors all winter.

Being an avid gardener, I am always looking at all the plants I pass by. These little succulents with pretty little yellow flowers, were growing on the rocks beside the road.

This little red beetle caught my eye as he sat in the middle of the road. What a bright little fellow he is.

The bright colors of the wild Columbine stood out from the the various shades of green surrounding it.

After we had come back to camp from our walk, and were sitting beside the campfire, I glanced up and saw a flash of bright color about 25 feet along the riverside from where we were sitting. As we looked, a person launched themselves in a kayak, out from behind all the bushes on the river bank into the swirling water. He/she was shortly followed by three other kayakers. They were down the river and out of sight in a flash. I guess if you enjoy this kind of adventure it would be a Whoo Hoo! moment. Not for me, thank you very much. I always have the fear the kayak would tip upside down, and I could not get it right side up, and I would drown.

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Next morning before leaving and returning home, we walked the trail which goes from our campsite up the river. We walked the trail until we came across a slide we decided was too unstable and dangerous to cross. There was a huge drop down to the river and calling out search and rescue would not have been a good thing, that is, if you were still alive when you reached the river waaaaay below!

It is so beautiful on the trail. The trees are covered in moss, as are the banks beside the trail. I was fascinated to discover so many different types of moss. The ferns come in all shapes and sizes, some growing on tree trunks, some pushing their roots into cracks in the rocks alongside the trail, other growing happily in all the rich leaf mulch.


The trail winds around, up and down and in some places is very narrow so watching where we put our feet was so important. One false step and you could end up rolling down into that icy cold river.

Since last year when we walked this trail, there must have been some high waters rushing down carrying all these logs along, until the piled up beside the huge rocks. Mother nature is quite creative when it comes to arranging logs in a river.

I found these dainty little flowers, the size of a small pea, growing in a shaded area beside the trail.

This video is taken from the bridge you have to cross to reach Dungeness Forks campground. You can just make out the white on our RV through the trees on the left. The noise of the rushing water is quite loud, but as I said, it is muted when you are inside the RV, and it is very soothing and soon lulls you to sleep.

Just love some folk's sense of humor

TIME OUT FOR US

Here in the Pacific Northwest, as usual we are getting our fair share of rain, and the Spring had been considerably cooler than usual.
MrC and I are not going to let this kind of weather, stop us from filling the fridge in our RV with food and taking off for the weekend.
Both of us have had way too much to do these past few weeks, so we are both now pretty much worn out. Getting away from the telephone, knocks on the door and work for a couple of days, will allow us to recharge our batteries.
We do "the time away thing" as simple and basic as possible, hot dogs and marshmallows for a cookout, if the weather permits, sandwich and soup fixins', snacks and of course plenty of coffee if it is cold.

Our favorite campground, Dungeness Forks, is right at the fork of two rivers, and is a fairly primitive area where no large RVs or trailers can go, but our rig is small enough to navigate the steep downhill narrow road, to the campsite. There are trails beside the rivers to walk, or we can just sit around the campfire gazing at the flames and let out our minds wander as they will. There sure is something hypnotic about the dancing flames which puts you into a state of relaxation, just what the doctor ordered!
I have another couple of days work and a class for further education to do with my job, then I can finally relax. I really am not all that thrilled about all this extra learning stuff, as I have not been in a classroom situation for many, many years and find it tiresome, and hard to retain all that is thrown at us in one day. I guess this is all part of growing older sighhhhhh! Oh well, I have just two more classes next week then it will be all done until we do a refresher next year sometime. You never know, I may have decided to retire by that time next year and won't have to sit through all the yaddda, yadda, yadda.


You all have a wonderful day.

RESTAURANT CLOSED TO RABBITS

A little while ago, as MrC opened the front door and looked out, I heard him say. "bring your camera and come out here and take a look at this"
Around here you never know what you are liable to see, so as I was walking towards the door I was turning on my camera ready to take the picture of a lifetime, OK, at least an interesting picture.


"Are you waiting for the gate to be opened?" I asked the bunny. He/she seemed to be looking longingly at all the vegetables inside the fenced garden. "Sorry wabbit, this is not a restaurant for rabbits, and these vegetables have not been planted for your enjoyment" With that he/she got up and hopped away.
Do I feel bad? not at all. We have about 9 acres of nice alfalfa pasture the rabbits can eat.