The R & R Post

Olympic Peninsula....Washington

2008-07-19T20:26:00.000-04:00

Well we made it to one of our old haunts, Marrowstone Island where a half acre is worth $250,000 to $300,000 depending on the view. The island it's self is a hidden paradise and unless you go to Fort Flaggler State Park you'll probably never visit this place. It is a well preserved, pristine, area that a reflects a natural environment with out any major improvements or any in the foreseeable future.

Photo courtesy of ToastFloats photo stream photostream on flickr @

http://www.flickr.com/photos/toastfloats/2505387083/

Regards,

Kentucky.....

2008-05-31T15:17:00.000-04:00

Well we stopped by to visit my brother in Kentucky. Here are some pictures of an old grist mill at Levi Jackson State Park in Kentucky. The whole state is just beautiful. I look forward to going back for a few more days.

Regards,

Time to get moving....Washington bound

2008-03-14T17:25:00.001-04:00

Well we have sat out most of the winter in Florida doing absolutely nothing. 2006 and most 2007 really took a toll on us mentally and physically. The 3 trips back and fourth across the U.S. was rough on our truck and trailer. Making repairs and taking care of maintenance issues has been enough. We are trying to decide what to leave behind as we have to go to Washington State for my son’s graduation and clean out our storage unit while we are there. So we’ll be bringing back a few items with us. I still have the awning to fix after that everything else will be minor or just improvements. While in Washington we’ll be doing the Olympic loop which is what they call making the drive around the Olympic Mountains. The picture at the top of our blog is what a lot of it looks like. I cannot find out where I got the picture but I cannot take credit for it.
Regards,

So on to Flagstaff, Arizona...what the hey

2007-11-02T16:05:00.000-04:00

Well I'm not sure what to do next. I've heard that when that happens then don't do anything. So we are just going to hang out here at my son-in-laws for awhile and hit some ghost towns and do some desert hiking and just take a mental vacation.

Regards,

Cornelius, Oregon.....

2007-10-06T16:59:00.000-04:00

It's Saturday afternoon and we are parked in my brother-in-law's bussiness. He retired from Itel Corp in the spring and now sells trailers, truck caps, hitches and the such. The rain is due any time. So far I got up, ate breakfast, went back to bed after I ate all my anti-depressants. I must have slept for a couple of hours. I got back up and had a couple of shots of Canadian Mist then looked around the trailer and decided everything looked like work so I put on some Led Zepplin and decided to roll with my depression for a while and catch up on some email and research that I have been doing. Tomorrow I am going to try to get down to the Japaneese Gardens in Portland. Fall is the best time to go.

Regards,

Ah yes....back to the west

2007-10-02T15:56:00.000-04:00

Well, I can't say it's the greatest place on earth but I guess the west has a hold on me. It is so big and diverse I just can't wait to see what is around the next corner. Don't get me wrong, the East Coast is beautiful and there is nothing like a fall in New England or a summer on the Long Island Sound. The Appalachian Mountains are home to the Smokies and the South Carolina low country are just a few of my favorite places. Savannah, Georgia used to be quite the place to spend St Patrick's Day. St Augustine, Cocoa Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando. Levi Jackson State Park in Kentucky is awesome. There is just so much to see back east. But my heart is really stuck exploring the west. There are just miles and miles of nothingness out here and if you want to get lost go for it. I do it all the time. I like taking pictures of old abandoned houses, barns, sheds, root cellars, spring houses, and any thing else I can find that was built a long time ago and is still standing or semi-standing. I rarely go inside these structures. If I can find an owner then I ask. I don't climb fences. When folks see I have a camera they really don't mind. I show them some of my other shots and they relax and let me have my shots and I make sure they know I appreciate their kindness. Here is a house we shot out on the prairie. I think it would have been a nice place to live at one time.

Regards,

Oh no....Toto, we're in Kansas

2007-09-06T20:53:00.000-04:00

Well, we are finally in Kansas and about time....nuf said.

Regards,

Well, today was one more step closer

2007-09-02T21:02:00.000-04:00

Well, according to my GPS at 14:45 and 15 seconds on September the 2nd of 2007 I crossed in to Oklahoma. That makes it 49 of 50 of the United States I have stepped foot on. I have one more to go. North Dakota. And I am planning on hitting it also this trip. Man. I have waited a long time for this. I can't believe I am this close. All 50 and then I can cross that of my list of things to do.

Becky and I are getting really tired traveling the main highways so we have started to travel the back roads. It is a slower pace of traffic and seems a lot less of it. More scenic and more relaxing. It also gives us the added benefit of seeing things that no longer exist such as what is left of this old style gas station we took pictures of below. To us this is what it is all about. So unless we need to get on a main highway in the near future we have decided to take to the back roads of the country.

The shots below were taken along a country road in Oklahoma. The 2 story building is an old gas station and if you look close enough you can see where the pumps were once mounted.

We love and miss everyone. Oh, by the way, I got a phone call at 0500 from a very happy son who had too many beers who wanted me to be the first to know that I am going to be a grandpa again....it made my day.

Regards,

Just another Florida afternoon rain storm

2007-08-28T09:59:00.000-04:00

Well, since I left Ohio for good in 1975 I haven't really seen nothing even close to a good ol' electrical storm like the kind we have there. Maybe once in awhile I'd get lucky but for the most part nothing even close. But this year I got watch them in both Ohio and Florida. Florida is renowned for their lightning shows and they are good ones.

We are in the Florida Panhandle heading west on Hwy 10. I am looking to hit Arkansas and Oklahoma on this route which will be states 48 and 49. Then maybe I can hit North Dakota. That would be all 50. Y-i-i-i-i-h-h-h-a-a-a-a... We'll see. I'd like to cross that off my list of things to do though..... Later

Getting no where real fast

2007-08-24T19:49:00.000-04:00

Well we are kinda sorta stuck in Bushnell, Florida which is in the west central section of the state. Not much out here which makes it kinda nice. Very pretty, lush, green, flat terrain. Farm country. A lot of pick up trucks, Jesus stickers, and American flags. Hot, humid, and muggy. And bugs, bugs every where. The kind that like to bite. They bite just to bite. I have more bug bites around my ankles now than I did as a kid tearing through the bushes. I watched a fire ant crawl up on my foot the other day and sure enough, chomp and then that fiery sting that they are named for.

We are here waiting on an authorized service center to repair our awning on the side of our trailer. We have been waiting about 3 almost 4 days now for them to decide who is going to repair what as not only did the awning break but it also broke off the side of our trailer which is 2 different companies and 2 different warranties.

We did find out one interesting thing about this place. During WWII The Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah sent a unit out here to Bushnell, Florida to do some chemical warfare testing. Yup, they had 2 air strips. One for fighters and the other for bombers. They were made of the kind of material that the troops just lay in place and connect together. There is little to no evidence left that they were ever here but I found enough on the Internet.

http://www.geocities.com/bwidner1/cwtest.html

http://www.geocities.com/bwidner1/BushnellAAF.html

Well, here's to getting on the road again....

Does time fly or what?

2007-08-13T07:27:00.000-04:00

Well, I've been lucky enough to have seen 2 rocket launches in the past 10 years without even planning. The night launch was spectacular and oh by the way, I was fishing and had know idea it was scheduled. But Becky and I found out about the shuttle launch and hustled on over to the coast from Winter Garden in Orlando and got to catch it. Wow, it was great.

As far as the rest of the summer it's been, hot, humid, rainy, bug bites, and other wise I would have rather been somewhere else besides Central Florida. I had already been to Disney World and Epcot years ago and I wasn't impressed. I'd rather give my money to the Salvation Army than to any theme park. If you have seen one, you have seen them all. As the world over populates going to anyplace that others gather is turning into a nightmare. So the further away I can get from the crowds then the happier I am. Don't get me wrong, I like people just not millions of them packed into small spaces. I guess maybe submarine duty had something to do with it. Anyway, this week is final preparations for hitting the road.....so until next entry I am signing off.

Ohio or Bust!

2007-07-06T00:50:00.000-04:00

Mom's house...

Well we have left Ohio and moved on. We originally went there to help out with my mother's affairs but after being there for awhile we realized that our help was neither required or desired so we kindly said our ado's and hit the road. My sister was left in control of everything and she seems to be doing just fine so time for us to go and enjoy the summer or at least what is left of it.

This was home for a couple of months...

So now we are in Florida during Hurricane season of all times. Well, we like adventure so maybe we'll get a couple of drills on how fast we can pack up and head out of here. We are located about 45 minutes due west of Orlando, Florida near Interstate 75.

Becky is getting to see her 2 kids and her grand kids so she is ecstatic about that. Me? Hey, I need the down time and I have some more projects to finish up on the travel trailer. They have a fire ban down here now so there goes my campfire. I am getting bit up pretty good so I'm not missing all aspects of camping. 'nough said for now, it is nice and quiet and very pretty where we are at. It's out in the boonies but it's worth a picture.

Regards,

Haven't kept up with this blog in quite some time...

2007-05-19T12:57:00.000-04:00

Well, we ended up in Lima, Ohio just in time to see my mom go from the hospital to a nursing home. That was a drag. I missed any real communication with her. She is not very coherent any more.

Now we are left with what to do with her house and all of her material possessions, her house, stocks, etc. Since my wife and I are full time RVers then we have no room any heirlooms or things like that. In fact we are still trying to lighten our load ourselves.

The house itself is falling apart faster than we can repair it. It's the size of a small mansion and it is packed to the brim with crap. It's hard to know where to begin. A lot of memories here. Mom saved everything.

We had to have their old motor home (RV) towed away. They spent a lot off days in this. It was sad but there was no choice. It had just sat for so long it had wasn't worth anything any more. So many folks just won't let go of things and the item then just depreciates to such a point that it is worth very little or nothing at all. They could have gotten rid of this a long time ago and at least made something off of it. As it was she lost on the deal. Good lesson for me though....

Regards,

The country of Texas

2007-03-21T00:39:00.000-04:00

Texas...land of mystery. Texas is by rights it's own country as many a Texan has claimed. It has a certain sometimes boring enchantment to it. But it is clear to me that Texas played a major roll in making this country what it is. And like it or not it somehow eked a way into my heart when I wasn't paying attention....

Regards,

El Paso nights....

2007-03-18T02:55:00.000-04:00

We really enjoyed the warm evenings in El Paso. Liked the folks we lived around too. Good bunch. This is also where we picked up our little dog. We got very lucky to find her...So now we are on to San Antonio, TX.

Regards,

Gila Bend pronounced Hila Bend

2007-03-05T22:32:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a place in the middle of nowhere. Half the buildings in the town are vacant and pretty dilapidated. One grocery store. And hundreds of snow birds. Want to make a lot of money? Figure out what the RVers need in this town. On any given day you can count 50+ RVers moving through the town at any given time 24/7. Drop a Campers World in there and you'd get wiped out. I know a money maker when I see one and I am calling this one a sure thing. Someone needs to sit up and take notice.

We stayed out at Luke AFB auxiliary field just south of Interstate 8. Pretty desolate, quiet for the most part except for an occasional jet, and dry and dusty. There is nothing on this base. I saw buildings but no people.

Now I lived out on the Mojave Desert for months on end and I got real use to it. When we started to head towards the desert again the first thing I did was to start looking for a "Desert Water Bad" or Lister Bag. These bags use to be sold everywhere, gas stations always had them. They are made of a certain kind of flax that as far as I know is imported from England. When filled with water they allow a slow seepage of water through the sides of the bag. This water evaporates and the process of evaporation causes a secondary action which is to cool the bag thus cooling the water inside. Great little gimmick to hang on the front of your grill to help cool the radiator. Me, I used them to drink out of. The water was made just cool enough that it was much better than drinking anything warm. I always had mine filled and hanging in the breeze somewhere. I loved that thing

Well when I went to find one, guess what. They had vanished. Not one company makes them any more. I tore the western United States apart looking everywhere for them but to no avail. Gone....all gone. I finally got lucky and got hold of one that was brand new still in a box manufactured in the early to mid 60s I'd say. Mint condition. So, get a good look at it because I doubt if anyone will ever produce these again. Sad....our boys in Iraq sure could use these.

Regards,

California Sea Lions

2007-01-29T12:38:00.000-05:00

Becky took these shots along the beach north of Santa Barbara. This is where I usually see them whenever I have traveled Hwy 1.

Cal Coast

2007-01-24T00:39:00.000-05:00

We are taking some time off and just hanging out at this private little place beside the ocean. We needed to dry out after all the rain, snow, sleet, and hail we encountered for the last month while trying to make our way out of Washington and Oregon. Temperature is suppose to be about 72 degrees tomorrow. We don't really know how to handle it but we'll figure it out...

Regards,

Ventura Highway

2007-01-20T23:01:00.000-05:00

Highway 101- Hwy 1, the Ventura Highway.... A beautiful drive. This is what California is all about.

Regards,

Time to bring 'er about....

2007-01-15T23:20:00.000-05:00

The Evergreen Aviation Museum, McMinnville, Oregon

Well I haven't kept up with the blog like I had hoped to. No excuse really. Just a big come down from the turmoil of the last year. It started out as a funky year and ended the same way. Half way through the year I had already accepted that it was just going to run it's course. It did...and now this year is starting off pretty mellow. The title of this blog "Time to bring 'er about" is a sailing term meaning it's time to bring the boat into the wind usually for a course change. And as it is with us...time for a course change. The picture above is of the "Spruce Goose" a Howard Hughes venture. The picture itself is made up of about 6 pictures I took and then "glued" together to form the panorama. We are getting ready to make our jump into Southern California so I hope the sun will help snap me out of my daze and maybe I'll keep up on the blog more.

Regards,

Becky Schramm

2006-11-30T05:57:00.000-05:00

I would like to introduce my wife Nina Rebecca Schramm. We were married on 2nd February 2006. I have been reluctant to tell any of you so far. It is my 5th marriage and that doesn't say a whole lot about my relationship abilities so I am some what embarrassed and hesitant at the same time. She is a good woman and she takes good care of me. A man couldn't ask for more I assure you. I sure don't deserve her and count my days with her as a blessing. I had a check up just the other day and the doctor said my health was nothing short of a miracle. I owe it all to her. She got me up off the couch and moving again. I used to weigh in at 179 lbs. My last weight was 148 lbs.

She likes to go by Becky. She is originally from Southern Utah and grew up there. No she is not a Mormon. She was once named Rebecca "Wildcat" Wilden. Someone had some good insight. I tend to be attracted to, well, let's say, spicy women and she is as spicy as they come.

She was raised in a very kind and loving family. They have a place in history. I have been to a fort named after her family and it was very impressive. Things were pretty tough for her growing up. She has lived in a 2 room house. Her family has had 2 houses burned out from underneath them. She has lived without electricity for at least 2 years and use to light Coleman Lanterns at dusk for light so her family could see. For years her mother cooked on a wood burning stove and heated the kids bathwater on it as well. Her mother canned everything that moved and I mean everything. She is tough as nails with a heart of gold.

She has 3 wonderful kids and 8 grandchildren. She was 1 of 4 siblings which 1 has passed away. Her father has also passed. Her mom is very much alive and well.

Becky likes to travel and has already seen a lot of this country. She has been to Japan also. She and I share a very deep love of Japanese culture.

Please meet my wife Becky.

Regards,

Rick

Illahee State Park, Bremerton, Washington

2006-11-28T22:25:00.000-05:00

So, here is our travel trailer and pickup truck. We drove up to Bremerton, Washington to take care of some business and got caught by the weather changes. I got up here in Bremerton in 1996 and the last time I saw it get this cold was November of 1998. The El’ Nino has played havoc with the Pacific Northwest for the last month or so and we have been caught right in the middle of it. No big deal. Our travel trailer is 4 season and there are enough RVer’s out on the internet to give us the advice we need to survive the below freezing temperatures. Actually, it was no big deal. Thanks to all of those who have gone before us and shared their advice. We are grateful. These pictures were taken at Illahee State Park in Bremerton, Washington.

My Kids And Grandkids

2006-11-12T00:51:00.000-05:00

Here are my Children and Grandkids, when we were in flagstaff for a family get together. They are all sooo precious to me. The only ones missing is My son Bill and his Children. Breaks my heart . I wish they could have been there. We had a great time there. Hopefully I will be able to get all my Kids and grandkids together at one time. We will be on the road soon, so we can see them all.

Princess Samara & Sweet Collin

2006-11-12T00:04:00.001-05:00

Here Is Collin . precious and sweet, And Princess Samara. These are my Grandkids in Florida. I am hoping to see them real soon. Love them dearly.

Trick or treat and the trick is on us....

2006-10-30T00:53:00.000-05:00

We are still in the Pacific Northwest and we figured we would have been long gone by now. But, by the Grace of God we are still here for awhile yet.

These pictures are taken of our first rig earlier in the year and our second rig. The truck and trailer on the top is our first rig. It was a '05 Ford Ranger 4.0 L V-6 with a KZ Sportsman 1702QS trailer. The one on the bottom is the one we just got. It is a Ford F-150 5.4 L V8 XLT with a Bigfoot 25B21FB travel trailer. We are putting the finishing touches on the trailer and the truck now and then back to Bremerton, WA to pick up the rest of our gear and get rid of some more of our worldly goods. Then back down here to say bye to Beckys family.

Looks like we'll be heading down the Pacific Coast Line for awhile or at least until we get too close to civilization then start taking back roads south through the desert until we get to Southern California and Interstate 8. Then who knows....we'll just have to watch the weather and see how things go.

I have to put new mirrors on the truck and we are waiting for our canopy to arrive and be installed on the back of the truck. I am wiring some electronics into the trailer now. So far so good. Haven't blown anything yet.....
So that's about it. We spent a week negotiating for the new trailer. Those guys really drive a hard bargain but I bet they were glad to see me go... Unfortunately they had to deal with all the cumulative years of my bad experiences learning to barter the hard way by getting ripped off on numerous occasions by used car salesmen and the like. So when I say I was there for a week, I was there for a week haggling over about $2000.00 price difference. In the end I finally got what I wanted and they got what they wanted which was rid of me (grin). They were walking around shaking their heads and saying "Man, I've never seen anyone like this guy. He just don't give up!" What the hey.....I must have had about 20 things go wrong with the first trailer they sold me. I had it less than 8 months and it sat in my driveway the whole time. Anyhow I had a good time with them. They wore me out but I stood my ground and it was worth it. The only trailer rated better than this one for 4 seasons use is an Airstream. Becky loves it and that's all that counts.....

Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore...

2006-10-15T12:16:00.000-04:00

That's right folks, and we're not in Washington any more. We are out side Portland, Oregon in the town of Hillsboro. Major employers such as Nike, Intel, and a few other big names are employers around here. Actually we are further out in the country side around Cornelius. Becky's sister and mother and all of her sister's kids live in Hillsboro. Another of her sisters kids all live here also.

Besides visiting we are waiting for a canopy for our pickup truck. We ordered it from Becky's brother-in-law Bill. He owns a shop that sells them. He takes good care of us and they don't have any state tax here in Oregon. Washington's is .086 to the dollar where we lived. It changed by the county.

We will be on our way to Eugene, OR on Wednesday to get some warranty work done and negotiate for a new camping trailer. This one just isn't cutting it for full timing. So we'll see.

Right now I am going through all the specs on cellular phone and PC boosters, antennas, and power points. We want to extend our range while driving down the road so we can still get the internet and cell service. Also we are planning on being in some out of the way places. Some of the most boringest stuff I have ever had to get through but for the kind of money they want for the kind of technology they claim they are going to have to play hard at getting my dollar.

Nothing else is new we are finally relaxing, feel healthy, and looking forward to the adventure. We hope to be able to stop and see many of you while on the road.

Regards,

Rick and Rebecca

Tiz done....

2006-10-06T00:22:00.000-04:00

The house has been closed and we have bailed out to a local campground to collect our wit's. The batteries on the trailer are failing to hold a charge and we have to keep running the truck to keep them up. Welcome to life on the road. Becky twisted her ankle pretty bad the first day out here so she has been out of commission. ER said no break. It's quiet to say the least and I really don't know how to handle it. The weather has been on our side and it has been one of the warmest Octobers I can remember here. We are staying at Illahee State Park which is a quiet peaceful little gem tucked away in the corner of the City of Bremerton. I am a vet so there is no charge which helps out a lot. No electrical, water, or sewer hook ups. Semi clean restrooms with shower. Quarter for a couple of minutes. Hey, it's camping what can I say.

http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Illahee

World War II Interment Camps

2006-09-15T15:15:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure what got me interested in this subject. I like poking around in old buildings, factories, graveyards (genealogy), and any place else that is abandoned. So that is part of it.
Also, my wife and I both lived in Japan for extended periods on separate occasions. So that was another part of it. We like the culture but won't be moving there any time soon.
Having heard the history over the years was also a part of it. Also we live pretty close to the area where "Snow Falling on the Cedars" http://tinyurl.com/zffnw the novel was based on. I believe the author still lives here. He was very celebrated and bits and pieces of his book were in the newspapers all the time for awhile so I kinda got bombarded. Although I never read the book I heard enough of what it was about to get the picture. A lot of Japanese-Americans had their land taken away around here. Not that others didn't. But hearing some of them talk who lived through it really got me curious.
Also, my grandmother really liked things Japanese. Little things she had. Not much. I think one of her most prized was a Japanese Maple in her front yard. She told me that during WW II that anybody with anything Japanese in origin was considered a traitor. She said she had a very beautiful set of Japanese figurines that she just couldn't bare to part with so very carefully she wrapped them up and hid them in her basement until long after the war was over.
Anyway, if you are and RVer and you are bouncing around out west you might be interested in these old interment camps. This one is outside Delta, Utah. It was called Topaz. Maybe in reference to the Topaz Mountain which is due north and is a popular place with the Rock Hounders. Delta has a museum that features the Topaz Camp. They even have one of the buildings that housed the Japanese out back. I don't remember if it is original or not but I think it is. As you can see the biggest thing at Topaz besides the sign is me and my gut. August 2005 at 179 lbs. August 2006 now at 147 lb. Click on the title of this post and it will take you to the historical site maintained by the National Park Service. Some good reading I thought.

The Travel Trailer Blues....

2006-09-12T22:42:00.000-04:00

OK, enough of this crap. Time to get the show on the road. First off we have to go back to the dealer to get warranty work done. By the way here are a couple of pictures for the folks over at Escapees RV Club www.escapees.com/index2.asp. Want to see something neat? Look at the trash the production workers left inside (picture 1). Insulation, a piece of wood, metal pieces that were cut out and just dropped and left where they fell. Not really a big deal but this is right behind my power panel and there were metal shavings in with the sawdust. Still maybe no big deal but sloppy. Now it looks like they just took a hammer and smacked the wall to produce the hole for the wiring (pictures 2, 3, 4, 5). Maybe that jagged edge will eventually cut and wear the insulation of the wires and maybe it won't. The potential for a problem exists now. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Then after the warranty work we are back up to Hillsborro, OR to my bro-in-laws shop, Top This (http://www.topthistruck.com/) for a canopy for the pickup along with a Bedrug (http://www.bedrug.com/index.htm) and possibly a Bedslider (http://www.bedslide.com/). Actually his shop is located in Cornelius, OR but he lives in Hillsborro. Gonna retire from Itel Corp in the early spring to run his shop full time. They are laying off folks left and right down there. He has been there a long time so he isn't concerned about the layoff thing. He took a beating on his stocks and so he invested what he had left in the shop and the shop took off. Here's to Bill... He did 8 years in the Army with artillery. 105 howitzers. I did time with the USMC artillery. 105 howitzers. Plus we are homeboys. Bill was born and raised up around Cleveland, Ohio and I was born and raised in Lima, Ohio. Misery loves company Ha.
I had a brass 105 cannon shell that I fired in 29 Palms (stumps) CA. It was stamped 1945 on the bottom. I had an empty belt of 50 cal and and empty belt of 60 cal. I was going to shine them all up and wrap them around the base of the 105 shell and make a lamp out of it. I'd been dragging it around for 20 years. When we decided to hit the road I had to find a home for it and Bill was the logical choice. Turned out I was right. He had'em polished up in no time and assembled into a lamp. What can I say. After 24 years of brassoing everything that moved in the USN I just got tired of doing it. I have about 2 or 3 items I keep up with now just to keep my edge up and that's enough. And so life goes....

Very Rare Picture of Niagra Falls

2006-09-12T12:35:00.000-04:00

I had this one sent to me awhile back also. It is a picture of Niagra Falls in 1911. I don't even want to guess how cold it was. Thanks to Carl Timmerick.

Niagra Falls 1911

Pictures of Submarine and Polar Bears

2006-09-12T02:29:00.000-04:00

A buddy of mine sent these to me awhile back. Pretty cool huh? Look close at the black and white one and you can see the cross hairs of the periscope. Yup, they took a picture right through the scope. I am not sure where he got them or even what submarine it is. It's an older class because it still has the fairwater planes on the sail. Those are the 2 wings sticking off the side of the conning tower. Anyway, just thought I'd share them...

Becky's New Photos

2006-09-04T19:47:00.000-04:00

Here I am sitting here crocheting barbie clothes for my grand kids. Here is a recent photo of my beautiful daughter. She is doing great . She has her own business now in Florida. Here is a recent photo of my grandson Angel bringing in the mail for his mother, wearing AB's ( Staceys Boyfriend) Shoes. He is quite a character. We will be going to see them soon. Can't wait.

Yeah we sold the house!!!!!

2006-08-20T23:04:00.000-04:00

We close around the end of September 2006. We are out of here. Only problem is we need a bigger truck. The Ranger really doesn't have the power to to haul the travel trailer. It even looks too small.

Anyway so it looks like we found one. Probably pick it up on 22 August. It looks just like our Ranger but bigger. Even the interior is the same. Also this one has 4 doors with a rear seat.

Just waiting the sale out....

2006-07-30T02:13:00.000-04:00

OK, the carport is finally cleared out. Yard sale is done. The house looks good but no buyers. The market is heading south.

The temperature finally dropped. We are sitten in the 60's now and man is it nice.

We are unsure what to do if the house doesn't sell. Stay in it for awhile or drop the price to a point where it does sell. Who knows...

I am going back to school for multimedia design which I am excited about. Might as well do something with all the time I spend in front of the computer. Well, until next time.

Marking time...

2006-07-17T11:32:00.000-04:00

The number of yardsale customers dropped off but the prospective house buyers picked up. That's a good thing.

Becky talked with her sister down in Hillsboro, Oregon today. About a mile down the road from where they live is the Hillsboro Airport. Nike and Itel have a lot of their private planes there. Anyway they were having an air show which is an annual event. A jet plane took off and only seconds into the flight it crashed into a house or houses. I'm sure there were fatalities. We have stayed at the Red Lion Motel right across the street from the airport when Becky and I go there to visit with her family.

Decided to shoot some pictures today using what's called a RAW format. It is suppose to be more colorful, greater depth of field, just a better all around picture. But you can decide for yourself. (click on the picture to enlarge it)

Seems like all the flowers blooming in the yard right now are purple. The camera seems to have no problem reproducing the color. I was having a pretty rough time trying to stay steady. Never ever had that problem before. It's either my age catching up to me or my medication or both. It's God's will and I don't question it.

Getting nowhere fast...

2006-07-14T02:36:00.000-04:00

Well, fridge on the TT is still not working, house is still not sold, and the carport looks worse than it did in the previous picture. But now it is all organized into a yardsale. We still have things to finish in the house. I haven't felt much like writing. So far I am just watching the summer slip away. Frustrating...

On the other side of the coin...we found a almost new 3 cup rice cooker. We were going to buy one for $35.00 at the navy base because we couldn't find a 3 cup size anywhere else. This was the same one we were going to buy for $35.00. And this one was almost new. We sold our 6 cup rice cooker for $4.00 at our yardsale and guess what this one cost? Ready? $4.99. I also found some tomato plants growing by the stonewall in the carport so I transplanted them. The weather even co-operated. I got a couple of cool misty days so they could recover the transplant.

I guess all in all everything is working out as it should because we still have medical appointments going on. We have yet to get copies of our medical records. I am still making modifications to the travel trailer (TT). I have yet to mount the HP copier/printer. I am also trying to lighten our load which is becoming more difficult. There is maintenance that needs to be done to the TT and I need to touch up some rust spots on the frame. We also got the TT washed. It was almost black. Next the truck. So I guess all is as it should be. We made about $500.00 + on our yard sale this past week. We have been blessed no doubt.

Everything you see in the above picture sold.

Moving right along...

2006-07-01T21:50:00.000-04:00

Well, the house is looking good now we have to deal with the carport. A lot of this stuff we don't need any more so it is going out to the yard sale.

Some with us, and the rest to chartiy. There isn't anything out here that we can't recycle. We pretty much just want it to be done with. Both of us are exhausted most of the time and it is difficult just trying to figure out what to do next. We haven't been able to just sit down and relax in I don't remember how long. But, we're thankful. that we have got this far. So, we'll keep you posted...

On a lighter side...I took a cutting from a varigated Geranium last year and it made it all the way to now. Even lost almost all it's leaves a couple of times because I forgot to water it.

Hey...there is always a bright side.

The house is on the market & we are ready to hit the road

2006-06-25T18:14:00.000-04:00

Well, it is getting closer to kick off time. Becky and I are looking forward to a long rest. We have just finished renovating an entire house for the last 4 months. And now we are getting ready to take to the road in our travel trailer. We'll have to stick around the Washington, Oregon Region but that is OK with us. There is a lot here we would like to see. Then if the house sells we will be close enough to get back to sigh the papers. We have had 2 people look at it in the past few days. The car port is still a mess but we are still trying to get rid of everything. Oh well, if they like it I am sure they'll make an offer. Later