Beach and Basketball

Today the weather at Depoe Bay was better than yesterday...at least in the afternoon.  We enjoyed a lazy day.  Mid morning we took the doggies for a walk around the park, but the forecast showers showed up, so we went back to Sadie, and took the opportunity to watch Fred and Ginger in "The Gay Divorcee," one of our favorite movies.

After the movie, the weather was still not conducive to outdoor activities, so I challenged Jill to gin rummy.  She beat me handily, as usual.  Eventually, I succumbed to the snooziness of a vacation day and took a wee nap.  When I awoke, the sun was out, so we took the girls for a long walk on the beach.  Pogo surprised us by running pall mall at a bunch of seagulls, who were enjoying an afternoon repast of some kind of fish that had washed up on the shore. It was about 4 feet long and very slender. It reminded me of a gar.  Anyway, Pogo was unusually aggressive and chased the gulls away. Then, of course, we had to chase her away, so she wouldn't roll in the fish.

Lulu had a good time chasing anything from sand flees to lint blowing along the sand.  It is wonderful to see the energy a puppy can expend doing nothing. We returned to the coach and found that several new neighbors had materialized. Kind of spoiled our view, but we still are enjoying our stay at Sea and Sand.

I didn't get any pictures today, but Jill did. Here they are:



 This one was taken last evening, obviously at sunset. I love the raindrops on the window.

The one to the left is from the coach this afternoon. and the one below was taken a few seconds later from outside. We never get tired of the view.

This evening, we were able to watch the NCAA Basketball final game.  Congratulations to Louisville, even though I rooted for Michigan.

Tomorrow, unfortunately, we have to go back to reality. This has been a really wonderful break from the day to day business of life. I'll blog tomorrow, if there is anything interesting to report.

Where are YOU parked?

Here's a little sample of the view out our  windows as we are parked at Sea & Sand RV park in Depoe Bay, OR.  This park is quite lovely.  It stretches about 1/4 mile from US Hwy 101 to the Pacific Ocean.  Not all of the spaces have the view we have, of course, but then we had to pay a premium price.  We are about 1 coach length (31') from the bank that goes down to the beach, and I would guess about the same distance above the beach.  There are not many places like this that I know of.

 We took the dogs for a walk on the beach. It is a bit stormy today, so we didn't stay long.  I forgot my camera, so these pictures were taken on my iPhone. I emailed them to myself and then downloaded them so I could  share.

At the right is an artsy shot (by luck). I didn't see the neat light ray until I downloaded the picture. Below, of course, are my three girls enjoying a stroll on the sand.  The wind was about 10 mph and just before we got back to Sadie, it began to rain with a vengeance.  Fortunately, we didn't get too wet.                                                                   

                                                                         

At right is a shot from the beach looking back up at Sadie (center).  The weather man has promised better weather over the next couple of days, so we hope to have more walks on the beach and more photos to share. 

Panorama

Here is a panoramic view of Casey's Riverside RV Park from our site.
Click on the picture to enlarge.

Yesterday, upon the stair...

When I was a kid, my dad used to share goofy poems with us.  He had a great sense of humor, if you like corny.  One poem that I remember went:

Yesterday, upon the stair,
I saw a man who wasn't there.

He wasn't there again today,
Gee, I wish he'd go away.

Today upon the map I saw a bridge that was supposed to be there; a covered bridge, that is. I did quite a long study, in an effort to discover whether it was within walking distance. At last, I announced, "Let's take a walk up to that covered bridge I told you about."  I was sure I had it nailed.

We got the dogs into their harnesses and packed a backpack with useful hiking accessories.  I had mentioned to Jill that we could stop by the park office and inquire about the bridge, but she replied that since I had done all this research, there would certainly be a covered bridge to admire.









 This was actually taken last evening, but it shows the dogs are always ready to go.
      

 
Well, you guessed it: "It wasn't there again today. Gee, I wish it would go away!"  Nevertheless, we had a lovely hike from the park to the westernmost neighborhood of Westfir.  We crossed the Middle Fork of the Willamette River, then walked along the highway, which becomes North Fork Road. Eventually, after about a mile and a half, we came to the bridge I had located, only it wasn't a covered bridge; it was just a bridge.

We crossed over to a lovely little neighborhood of modest but mostly well-tended homes perched between the mountain and the North Fork of the Willamette River.  One of the nicer homes is for sale. It is 1888 square feet with two car garage, across the street from the river. The asking price is $139,000. So, if you ever wanted to live in a community of under 300 inhabitants, here's your chance.

 This is the view from the "uncovered" bridge.

On the way back, Jill said, "Oh, look! There's Sadie."

 

Here's a shot of the Middle Fork of the river.

Another shot of the river. Can you tell I like water?








We calculated that the walk to and from the bridge was a total of about 3 miles. The walk around the neighborhood was probably an additional 1/4 mile.  We haven't heard much from the girls this afternoon.  There is a lot of snoozing going on.

Another crummy day in paradise

The day dawned with a high overcast.  Before long, we had sunshine.  Jill got online and looked up information on Westfir, OR. There was one claim that Westfir has a perfect climate.  I am inclined to believe it today.  We also checked the weather in Dallas and learned that, at least according to the weather report, Dallas had rain today. We, on the other hand, had a lovely day: 65 degrees and partly sunny!

The dogs had a wonderful time walking around the park and romping in the off leash dog park. Jill and I agreed that this may be the nicest RV park we have ever visited, when you take into account the facilities, the setting and the weather we have had. 

Here are a few more photos of the park:

During an early morning stroll, Jill and Lulu walk along the river (middle fork of the Willamette).

Our venerable Sadie. Even though we have a lovely view of the water, it is hard to get a picture of Sadie and the river together.

The incredible color and clarity of the water are amazing. 

The park has wonderful facilities for groups, including this fire pit and picnic tables.

There is a nice covered area that includes a couple of barbecues, as well as tables, a pair of refrigerators and two TV sets. This would be a great place to have a tailgate party!

Another shot of Sadie in her surroundings.





                                                                                

 The old blogger had a grueling day.

A pair of Canada geese swimming on the Willamette river.









To be honest, our life here has been so relaxed that there is not a lot to report. We are reveling in the sheer beauty and splendor of God's creation and shedding any stress that may have been perplexing us.  Perhaps, tomorrow we will do something earthshaking...but don't bet the farm on it.

What a beautiful spot

At last, I am able to write a post that is interesting to those who are not RV Appliance geeks.  We are parked by the Willamette River at Casey's Riverside RV Park in Westfir, OR.  With a fully functioning furnace, and dry weather on the horizon, we took off after church and drove 111 miles to a little slice of heaven in the Cascade mountains.

The video is the view out our dinette window. The drive up here, however, was as beautiful as the destination. That's what I love about RVing and sailing.  The journey is as important as the destination...and as rewarding.

My co-pilot and resident photographer, took a few shots on the way up here, and although a sunny day would have shown off the scenery better, I think these shots are rather pretty just as they are.

 Here's a nice little farm we saw along Hwy 58.

This covered bridge crosses Dexter Lake, a reservoir behind a dam on the Willamette River.

This dam is at the upper end of Dexter Lake and forms a second lake, Lookout Point Reservoir.  I assume the dams that form these lakes are hydro-electric plants, but that is merely an assumption.

Here's a shot of the upper lake, obviously taken through Sadie's windshield. .








We didn't arrive at Casey's until after 5:00 PM, so we haven't had time to do much exploring.  You may be sure that I will post again tomorrow.

Oh, dopey me!

If you have been following the saga of "As The Stomach Turns," (aka, Tom attempts a furnace repair) you will know that I have not had stellar success with my repair efforts. In fact, I was convinced that I had purchased a faulty circuit board.

This morning, I swallowed my pride and called the circuit board manufacturer for some advice.  Well, long story short, the ground wire to the circuit board was not making contact. I snugged it up, and Voila! Heat!

The furnace repair is finished. The furnace is reinstalled, and Jill is loading groceries aboard for a trip to Westfir, OR. 

I wish I had a dollar for every time I have read on the RV forum, "If you have an electrical problem, check the ground wire first." Had I heeded that advice, I might not have taken so long to effect the repair, nor pulled out so much of what little remaining hair I have! Tom, take note: "If you have an electrical problem, check the ground wire first."

Perhaps, it's my imagination running wild, but it seems to me that the furnace not only works well, but that it runs quieter, too. Whatever the case, I am elated to have the furnace working again. It is so much more fun to be able to come back from a romp on the beach or a hike in the woods and get adequately warmed up.

Happy travels. Look for another post soon.