We were planning on heading for Arizona today, Saturday the 29th, but due to unplanned circumstances, we won’t leave until Monday (New Year's Eve). Golly gee, it is so hard to believe 2008 is here already!
We hope you all had a peaceful and blessed Christmas like we did. On the 24th, we joined other family members at Don & Carol’s (Ken’s brother) for an early evening of sharing wonderful stories of past Christmases, great food, and good drinks. One of those drinks was some very special wine that Ken’s dad made over 35 years ago. We couldn't believe the wine was still good after all these years, but it was....just matured more (grin).
Later Christmas Eve, we were at our daughter’s home watching our 3 great-grand-children open presents (now that was a WILD time…lol). The little ones are ages 4, 2, & 1. Needless-to-say, they were very “exuberant” in seeing what Santa’s Elves left them. The “real Santa” was not due until sometime before dawn with their “special” stockings full of goodies.
Around 11 pm, Ken & I headed for Church and Midnight Mass. Before Mass, the congregation joined the choir in singing Christmas Carols. The sound was wonderful! After the Carols, we had a beautiful Mass celebrating the birth of Christ. It was a long, busy day, and we were very tired when we got home (1:30 am) but it all was worth it.
On Christmas Day, we picked up Naoma (Nomi) and took her to our daughter’s (LeighAnn) for our traditional “family dinner.” Nomi doesn’t eat much these days, but she happily ate snacks and most of her Ham dinner. We all were thankful when Tim’s, (our son-in-law) mom (Ann) arrived from California safe and sound. Even with all the snow in the mountains, Ann had fairly clear roads all the way from Redding. After dinner we set around and visited until it was time to take Nomi back to the Assisted Living Facility. She was tired, but glowing from the fun day. We are so thankful knowing Nomi is safe and well cared for in the facility. I don’t think we would be leaving Salem if she weren’t.
On the 26th, Ken went about taking down his many Christmas decorations. He did pretty well and had the majority of them cleaned and put away by late Friday the 28th. As I said earlier, we were planning on heading south this morning, but during Christmas we heard some funny noises in the Jeep’s engine. The noises turned out to be the power steering pump which was leaking. Ken kept it going over the holiday, but knew he would have to replace it before heading south. He found a new pump and replaced it, but the new pump continued to make strange noises. After talking with the pump supplier, Ken found out the bearings in the pump needed to be used a bit before quieting down….and yes, it has. However, should it again start making loud noises, it is under warranty, and any auto supplier will replace it. I guess we will put it to the test once we get on the road.
The main reason we won’t be leaving until Monday is on Christmas day, we received the very sad news that a close friend’s dad died. She and her husband had to fly to Texas for the funeral, and won’t be back until Sunday evening. We said we would watch their “baby.” The “baby” is a beautiful 6 year old chocolate Cocker Spaniel. We truly love having her and couldn’t see them placing her in a kennel. Our hearts and prayers are with Nancy and Wayne during this very sad time. We love you guys!!!
We are hearing (and seeing) that many highway passes are covered in snow, but hopefully, we will find a route on Monday where the snow isn’t too bad. Our thoughts are to travel east through Reno and Las Vegas then on to Laughlin and finally Queen Valley. However, until we start out and see what the roads are like, we won’t know the exact route. My cell phone is “Windows Mobile” ready (smart phone) and I can check the road cams as we travel south to see which highways are the clearest. I also can read and send emails from my phone. Isn’t technology great!! Of course, it is a cell phone and IF there is no cell service in the area, it won’t work.
There will be more news once we begin our trip south.
Until then, here’s wishing you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
December 29, 2007
December 19, 2007
Christmas Lights
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Finally, we have a few pictures of the Christmas lights to post. We ended up leaving the good digital camera with the coach in Arizona, so have a smaller digital that Ken ended up taking some pictures with. The pictures really don’t do justice on the lights, but it gives you an idea of what we look like at night. The whole neighborhood is lit up, so it really is pretty. Ken says he didn’t put up as many lights as he usually does, but I honestly can’t tell any difference. The only thing I see missing is a huge five pointed star of lights that he puts in the middle of the front yard. Everything else looks like it has for years. This year he will only have the lights lit through Christmas; then they ALL have to come down so we can be on the road by the 28th or 29th.
This is a shot of the front yard....pretty bright!
Now here is a shot of the side yard. That huge tree is a pole of lights and garland. Ken has a lot of fun putting that up in the wind (lol). Thankfully, we have a strong son-in-law and grandson that helps. That tall dark thing in the extreme middle front is a telephone pole, not a flaw in the picture.
Today, we are in the midst of a new series of storms hitting Oregon, and are having very strong steady winds with up to 50 mph gusts. Snow is falling as low as 1,500 feet and will continue for a few more days. The mountains are supposed to get several feet of snow from these storms. As it stands right now, we are anticipating driving through a lot of snow on our way back to Arizona, but we have “Snow Claws” for the Jeep, so aren’t too worried. We found out last year our Grand Cherokee that has 17 inch wheels can’t use the normal chains or cable chains; There is no clearance between the tires and frame for them to work. After checking with many dealers, we ended up with “Snow Claws” which work in Snow, Sand, and Mud. Let’s hope we don’t have to use them in ice…..I don’t want to find out if they work there or not. At least driving the Jeep back to Arizona is going to be a lot better than trying to handle a 40 foot motorhome that weighs in excess of 38,000 pounds and towing a Jeep (65 feet total) in snowy or icy conditions.
We have had a very busy last few weeks trying to tie up many loose ends and getting things ready for our departure soon after Christmas. Our 92 year old lady friend is safe and secure in an assisted living facility. She isn’t in the best of health, but we are happy knowing she has the best of care if she gets worse. IF something should happen while we are gone, Ken will fly home, but hopefully, that won't happen. We have a storage unit for the many items we are saving from her house, but the rest of the work at the house will have to wait until we get back next summer. Still so very much needs to be done!
Anyhow, once we get on the move, I will post more about what is happening plus pictures of our adventures. Hope you all have a great Christmas. Stay healthy and travel safely.
Finally, we have a few pictures of the Christmas lights to post. We ended up leaving the good digital camera with the coach in Arizona, so have a smaller digital that Ken ended up taking some pictures with. The pictures really don’t do justice on the lights, but it gives you an idea of what we look like at night. The whole neighborhood is lit up, so it really is pretty. Ken says he didn’t put up as many lights as he usually does, but I honestly can’t tell any difference. The only thing I see missing is a huge five pointed star of lights that he puts in the middle of the front yard. Everything else looks like it has for years. This year he will only have the lights lit through Christmas; then they ALL have to come down so we can be on the road by the 28th or 29th.
This is a shot of the front yard....pretty bright!
Now here is a shot of the side yard. That huge tree is a pole of lights and garland. Ken has a lot of fun putting that up in the wind (lol). Thankfully, we have a strong son-in-law and grandson that helps. That tall dark thing in the extreme middle front is a telephone pole, not a flaw in the picture.
Today, we are in the midst of a new series of storms hitting Oregon, and are having very strong steady winds with up to 50 mph gusts. Snow is falling as low as 1,500 feet and will continue for a few more days. The mountains are supposed to get several feet of snow from these storms. As it stands right now, we are anticipating driving through a lot of snow on our way back to Arizona, but we have “Snow Claws” for the Jeep, so aren’t too worried. We found out last year our Grand Cherokee that has 17 inch wheels can’t use the normal chains or cable chains; There is no clearance between the tires and frame for them to work. After checking with many dealers, we ended up with “Snow Claws” which work in Snow, Sand, and Mud. Let’s hope we don’t have to use them in ice…..I don’t want to find out if they work there or not. At least driving the Jeep back to Arizona is going to be a lot better than trying to handle a 40 foot motorhome that weighs in excess of 38,000 pounds and towing a Jeep (65 feet total) in snowy or icy conditions.
We have had a very busy last few weeks trying to tie up many loose ends and getting things ready for our departure soon after Christmas. Our 92 year old lady friend is safe and secure in an assisted living facility. She isn’t in the best of health, but we are happy knowing she has the best of care if she gets worse. IF something should happen while we are gone, Ken will fly home, but hopefully, that won't happen. We have a storage unit for the many items we are saving from her house, but the rest of the work at the house will have to wait until we get back next summer. Still so very much needs to be done!
Anyhow, once we get on the move, I will post more about what is happening plus pictures of our adventures. Hope you all have a great Christmas. Stay healthy and travel safely.
December 6, 2007
Storm Damage Update
The rural roads leading to and from our coast are now open, and a lot of the power has been restored. Highway 101 along the Oregon coast also is now open. However, the coastal town of Astoria still doesn't have power or telephone service. They should have that restored by this weekend, but it will take awhile for the buildings along the coast to be repaired.
The worst area of damage was in the mountain towns of Vernonia, Jewell, and Mist. They are located along the Nehalem River (west of Portland), which flooded after getting over 11 inches of rain. The towns were totally devastated and will be without power or telephone service for a long time. They were completely flooded out and cut off from all civilization until the water subsided (took a few days). After the water went down, the governor was able to tour the towns and see how much was destroyed. He was awe struck and hardly able to express his sorrow upon seeing all of the destruction. We saw pictures on TV and it looked like everyone lost most of everything they owned. The water was at least 3 feet deep in all of the homes and buildings. What is left after the water went down is thick mud and total destruction... to me, it looked like another New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. As far as I know, none of the people had flood insurance and are now relying on FEMA and other sources in order to restart their lives. Our prayers go out to each and everyone affected.
The railroad service traveling through Washington has now been restored. The I-5 freeway traveling through Chehalis and Centralia (WA) is still closed with more damage than they were expecting. The road was flooded for several miles with 10 feet of water. Some of the pavement is now having to be replaced and even some areas under the highway is needing to be repaired. The WDOT is hoping to have most of it repaired in a few days. That freeway is a major link between Canada and California, so the closure has been causing havoc with many companies shipping products north and south. There are by passes, but it involves hundreds of miles of going out of the way. Local country roads that smaller cars can travel on are not passable by large trucks. Some truck drivers tried using the rural roads and ended up jack-knifing their trucks and causing those roads to be blocked for a while.
Ever since the rain & wind quit, we have had fairly nice weather with just a couple showers passing through. The next few days are supposed to be in the high 40s and low 50s with lots of sun breaks (minimum rain). Salem (our home) hardly had any problems with the wind or rain. Our only problems were some storm drains were clogged with leaves which caused some street corners to be a bit flooded. We never lost power or had any damage.
We now have our Christmas lights on! I will post pictures as soon as they are ready.
The worst area of damage was in the mountain towns of Vernonia, Jewell, and Mist. They are located along the Nehalem River (west of Portland), which flooded after getting over 11 inches of rain. The towns were totally devastated and will be without power or telephone service for a long time. They were completely flooded out and cut off from all civilization until the water subsided (took a few days). After the water went down, the governor was able to tour the towns and see how much was destroyed. He was awe struck and hardly able to express his sorrow upon seeing all of the destruction. We saw pictures on TV and it looked like everyone lost most of everything they owned. The water was at least 3 feet deep in all of the homes and buildings. What is left after the water went down is thick mud and total destruction... to me, it looked like another New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. As far as I know, none of the people had flood insurance and are now relying on FEMA and other sources in order to restart their lives. Our prayers go out to each and everyone affected.
The railroad service traveling through Washington has now been restored. The I-5 freeway traveling through Chehalis and Centralia (WA) is still closed with more damage than they were expecting. The road was flooded for several miles with 10 feet of water. Some of the pavement is now having to be replaced and even some areas under the highway is needing to be repaired. The WDOT is hoping to have most of it repaired in a few days. That freeway is a major link between Canada and California, so the closure has been causing havoc with many companies shipping products north and south. There are by passes, but it involves hundreds of miles of going out of the way. Local country roads that smaller cars can travel on are not passable by large trucks. Some truck drivers tried using the rural roads and ended up jack-knifing their trucks and causing those roads to be blocked for a while.
Ever since the rain & wind quit, we have had fairly nice weather with just a couple showers passing through. The next few days are supposed to be in the high 40s and low 50s with lots of sun breaks (minimum rain). Salem (our home) hardly had any problems with the wind or rain. Our only problems were some storm drains were clogged with leaves which caused some street corners to be a bit flooded. We never lost power or had any damage.
We now have our Christmas lights on! I will post pictures as soon as they are ready.
December 4, 2007
High Winds
We arrived home on November 12th and Ken proceeded to work on getting his Christmas decorations put up. He had several days of good, bad, and ugly weather, but he has finally got the majority of his lights/characters positioned and all the lights are turned on. Because of some really nasty severe weather these last few days, he doesn’t have his huge tree up, but hopes to get it up after the high winds subside.
As all of you may have heard, the last couple days our Pacific Northwest had two huge weather systems pass through which brought very high winds and torrential rain. Today, many areas in Oregon and Washington are flooded and thousands of people are without power. Because of the high winds (up to 129 mph) on the coast (Oregon & Washington) power is out and phones (cell and land line) are not working. All the roads to and from the coast are closed due to many downed trees and flooded roads. Even an area south of Seattle had mud slides closing their roads. AmTrack rail service is closed from Eugene, Oregon all the way north to Vancouver, BC. We heard I-5 (the major Interstate north/south highway) is closed at Chehalis, Washington due to flooding. Our governor has issued a State of Emergency for most of our state because of the damage. Salem (our home) had recorded high winds of 50 mph, but we were spared lots of the damage. Ken did have a couple decorations lean a bit, but they are tied down and won't blow away.
The winds (cyclones) were part of a “Pineapple Express” which came from the southwest and brought warmer (50 degree plus) temps. Prior to the winds, we were in chilly (30 degree) temps. Mount Hood even had lots of snow and opened for some fabulous skiing on Thanksgiving. However, in the next few days, the temps are going to rise causing the freezing level to go up, so the snows will melt and cause the rivers to rise and bring more flooding……not a good situation.
On Saturday, November 30, we braved the very wet weather and drove out to find a 6 foot Christmas tree. We even had a dusting of snow as we were cutting it down (that was nice). We now have the tree up and decorated, things are starting to look a little more like Christmas around here.
I will post pictures of Ken's decorations as soon as the weather gets better to take some.
SPECIAL NOTE: Today is our grandson's 20th birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUSTIN!! The picture below is Justin after he caught a large Salmon while fishing in Alaska. He was 18 then and very proud!!
As all of you may have heard, the last couple days our Pacific Northwest had two huge weather systems pass through which brought very high winds and torrential rain. Today, many areas in Oregon and Washington are flooded and thousands of people are without power. Because of the high winds (up to 129 mph) on the coast (Oregon & Washington) power is out and phones (cell and land line) are not working. All the roads to and from the coast are closed due to many downed trees and flooded roads. Even an area south of Seattle had mud slides closing their roads. AmTrack rail service is closed from Eugene, Oregon all the way north to Vancouver, BC. We heard I-5 (the major Interstate north/south highway) is closed at Chehalis, Washington due to flooding. Our governor has issued a State of Emergency for most of our state because of the damage. Salem (our home) had recorded high winds of 50 mph, but we were spared lots of the damage. Ken did have a couple decorations lean a bit, but they are tied down and won't blow away.
The winds (cyclones) were part of a “Pineapple Express” which came from the southwest and brought warmer (50 degree plus) temps. Prior to the winds, we were in chilly (30 degree) temps. Mount Hood even had lots of snow and opened for some fabulous skiing on Thanksgiving. However, in the next few days, the temps are going to rise causing the freezing level to go up, so the snows will melt and cause the rivers to rise and bring more flooding……not a good situation.
On Saturday, November 30, we braved the very wet weather and drove out to find a 6 foot Christmas tree. We even had a dusting of snow as we were cutting it down (that was nice). We now have the tree up and decorated, things are starting to look a little more like Christmas around here.
I will post pictures of Ken's decorations as soon as the weather gets better to take some.
SPECIAL NOTE: Today is our grandson's 20th birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUSTIN!! The picture below is Justin after he caught a large Salmon while fishing in Alaska. He was 18 then and very proud!!
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