Sunday, June 29, 2008

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”

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

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!




Monday, June 23, 2008

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!

Friday, June 20, 2008

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.


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.


Tuesday, June 17, 2008

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.


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.


Monday, June 09, 2008

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.

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.

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.

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.

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

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.

Monday, June 02, 2008

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.