A couple weeks ago I said I'd relate the saga of DirecTV when we finally got it. Well, it is on now (as I write this we're watching "Bucket List"). It was installed Wednesday. But the drama began May 5. Now let me see... that was 22 days before we actually got it. A company named Direct Sat TV advertised in "Trailer Life" and "Highways" magazines about getting a free RV kit (portable dish, tripod, cable) when you sign up for DirecTV with them. After a couple of phone calls asking information, I signed up. The dish for the house and the RV kit would arrive the next Monday or Tuesday and the install would be Wednesday the 13th. Friday evening I get an email saying the order had been canceled. Monday morning I started calling and finally in the afternoon I reached a live body. The order was canceled because they called my cell phone to confirm the order and got a busy signal. Why a busy signal? I have no idea. Any call should have gone to voice mail if I didn't answer. They didn't try again later -- just canceled the order, intercepted the UPS delivery and had the stuff returned. Okay, we got that straightened out and they set a new delivery date and installation would be Friday the 15th. But no equipment came. Friday I began calling the company again. Finally a warm body. It seems the equipment had been intercepted again because we don't have "line of sight" (for the dish to receive the satellite signal.) How did they know that since no one had been here to check it out? Nobody could answer that. Apparently they entered somebody else's information into my record. So.... we start the order over again. (Aren't I being patient? I had some strong words for the telephone personnel but I didn't get mad and I was kind). Well, the new order didn't ship until Monday and wouldn't arrive until Tuesday the 26th -- because of the Memorial Day weekend. Installation would be on Wednesday the 27th. Guess what? It arrived!!! And the install guy showed up -- three weeks after the original install date. Moral of the story: Don't call Direct Sat TV for satellite service.

Kind of interesting how much we missed TV. In Tucson we only received one station, but at least it was TV. I like to watch the news while I eat dinner and maybe a program or two in the evening -- usually while I'm on the computer or reading the paper. Kind of duel tasking.

Another interesting thing happened. When we got back from Arizona we knew we would need to buy a new TV. So we set off television shopping. We wanted to have it before the satellite installation so the guy could connect everything the proper way. After checking all the stores we finally ended up at Fred Meyer in Medford. They had one we wanted but it was a little bigger than we had planned. I'm embarrassed to say how big -- it is a 40 inch. It's almost too big for our living room. We got it because it had the features we wanted and the smaller size didn't. The price was okay so we packed it home and set it up. We also got a new DVD player because they were quite inexpensive. Then Joyce found the remote for the old DVD player so I tried it and it worked okay. This meant we could take the new one back and get a refund. While I was doing that I mentioned to the lady that the TV we bought was on sale for $100 less and she said, "Okay, we'll give you a refund on that, too." So it was like someone handing me $100. Kind of nice.

Last week was also taken up with appointments for heating and air conditioning companies to check out our house and give us bids for a complete installation. There were seven companies at the Home Show a couple weeks ago so I made appointments with all of them. Six showed up and right now I have bids from two of them. I imagine I'll get the others this week. I can tell now it is going to be more than I was counting on, but it needs to be done.

Coming up this week is jury duty -- or at least being on the list. Hope I don't have to serve. More about this later. Our weather has been hot and nice. We've worked in the yard and garden and finally have things under control -- I think. We can turn our attention to doing other things now. Today we drove to Roseburg and worshiped at the FM church there. We took the pastor his wife out to dinner. They are a great couple.

This coming week will be interesting. Hope yours is as well. Boredom is a drag.

Our Garden Is In

I'd love to but I just can't. I'd love to complain about the weather but it's just too great to complain about. We have had sunshine, in the 70s and 80s. Beautiful! And it's Memorial Day weekend. It's never nice on Memorial Day. I don't understand it but I'm not going to complain -- even though that is what a person is supposed to do regarding the weather.

What a great week we have had. Last Monday we drove to Salem for a MEG Board meeting and then do a little work on Ginger's house. So on Saturday (a week ago) I went to a gas station to fill the car with gas so we would be ready to leave early Monday. The attendant could only get about a gallon in the tank -- in one cup increments. (The gage read 1/4 full and the tank did not appear to be full). After discussing it and wondering if someone had stuffed a rag or something down the filler hole, I took it to the Ford dealer. The repair shop is not open on Saturday so I made an appointment for 6:45 a.m. Monday. Early Monday they started working on it and by a process of elimination the mechanic determined it was a carbon canister that was plugged (or otherwise not working). I didn't even know such things existed in my gas tank. He also talked about valves and all sorts of fancy stuff down there. I always thought it was just a tube connected to a tank. Shows what I know -- er, don't know. But anyway, he didn't have a carbon canister and couldn't get one until Tuesday. So I got a ride home and we took the pickup to Salem.

Good Board meeting Tuesday. Wednesday we did some yard work and I replaced a couple cheap metal posts holding up the deck cover. One buckled under the snow last winter. The 4x4 posts I put in won't buckle! And we reinstalled her window air conditioner in her bedroom, plus a few other things. Thursday we had breakfast with JoAnn, a friend from way back in Newberg days. Then she and Joyce planned "Grandma's Camp" for her 4 grandchildren and our two. That will be in July. Stay tuned. We made it back to Grants Pass in time to pick up the car before the shop closed.

Friday I rototilled our two raised garden beds plus Joyce's flower bed. We planted some tomatoes, beans, cabbage, cucumbers, zucchini (only one plant!), lettuce, beets, and carrots. Yesterday I put the automatic watering system in the garden and we are ready to eat veggies. Well, I guess we'll have to wait a few weeks.

Let me tell you about Boatnik. Memorial Day weekend is always Boatnik in Grants Pass. It goes back to 1959 when "nik" was a commonly used suffix. There are boat races on the river, a carnival in the park, and lots of vendors selling food and trinkets. And the BIG attraction: The Boatnik Parade. I hadn't seen it in quite a few years so I decided to go. Lots of traffic; found a place to park; walked to a viewing spot near the end of the parade; bought some coffee; waited. By the way, Joyce didn't go with me because she didn't want to walk that far. After awhile the parade came; two hours later it was over. In between were lots and lots of old cars, old tractors, groups of all sizes representing all sorts of things, lots of children, high school and middle school bands, politicians, boats (on trailers), and a few floats. It's a great small town parade. All the glitz and homeyness one would expect from a city of 30,000. Oh, but you must know... our high school marching band is really good and they have an invitation to march in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2010. I see lots of fundraisers coming.

Last Sunday we attended church at Allen Creek House of Worship. Yes, I admit it; I'm having trouble with that name change. Remember it used to be Allen Creek Neighborhood Church. It was a good service and there are a few people there we know (about 11 or 12!). But it just isn't home anymore. Today we went to Jerome Prairie Bible Church where we have gone many times. It is good and I like Pastor James and some of our old congregation are there, but.... I don't know, it's hard to look at it as "my home church." One of these days we'll have to settle down somewhere.

Well, have a good week. And be good to yourself.

The Weather

I'm not a great sage or philosopher but think I know why we have weather. It's so we have something to talk about and complain about. If it weren't for the weather we would talk and complain about our neighbors, or the way the guy in front of us drives, or maybe even the government. But we don't do that, do we? No! Of course not, because we have the weather on which to focus our lamentations.

Thus it is that one short month ago we were in Albuquerque, cold and freezing, standing in the rain amid drifting snow flakes muttering our wish to be anywhere but there. Too cold. A week before that we were sweeping snow off the pickup enabling our escape from the lofty altitudes of the Sandia Mountains. Too snowy. And a week before that we hunkered down in Alamogordo amidst a howling wind knowing better than to venture out onto the highway leading to peace and tranquility. Too windy.

Why, come to think of it, it was only two weeks ago that we thought we would drown in the heaviest rainfall of the winter which welcomed us back to southern Oregon. Too wet. Yesterday it was 90*; today it was 94*. Too hot. Just as well complain about that too. (Though I have to admit, it feels kinda nice.)

Since we've been home it has been days of pulling weeds, driving to Salem for a board meeting and spending Mother's Day with Ginger, and shopping for this and that. We are in the midst of getting DirecTV (I think). But the saga is ongoing so I'll save the whole intriguing episode for another time. And it's back to Salem this week. Maybe after that we can settle down. Naw, I don't think so. There are other things on the agenda to keep the wheels moving.

Isn't this fun? It is of you don't weaken.
Life is exciting.
Life is grand.
But it all falls down
If it's built on sand.
(think I read something about that somewhere)!

Some Pictures to Enjoy (from past weeks)

Friends Dennis, Sandy, Vern and Pam. We loved having time with them in Albuquerque and with Dennis & Sandy in Mesa.

One row of the many rows of RV's we were in at the RV rally.

Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. For all our "eastern" friends who have seldom ventured west of the Mississippi, "come on out, there is a great wide open western United States to explore."

White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. Hundred of acres of white gypsum sand washed down from the surrounding mountains. Looks a lot like the beach except there is no ocean.

The natural entrance to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. The walkway zig-zags into the entrance and then on down to the Big Room hundreds of feet below.

The Rio Grande gorge near Taos, New Mexico. That is the Rio Grange River waaaaaay down there.

That is Albuquerque down there as seen from the top the Sandia Mountains.

The cactus were in bloom! What a gorgeous sight! We took lots and lots of pictures but not room here for all of them. There are prickly pear cactus.

Trivial Tuesday

It's been awhile since I've put up any trivia on Tuesday. But then, it's been awhile since we've had a Wordless Wednesday or a Macro Monday (hint, hint). Well here is some stuff that has to qualify as trivia. But maybe you'll find it interesting.

4 months, 22 days -- the length of time we were gone.
7,350 -- the total miles we traveled.
1,924 -- the miles traveled while we were in Tucson.

15.1 -- the mpg we got traveling solo (no trailer, as in Tucson).
11.2 -- the mpg we got pulling the trailer.
12.5 -- the mpg we got overall on the trip.
$2.49.9 -- the most we paid for diesel (in Santa Barbara & Needles, CA) (When we went through Needles on the way home it was $2.99.9 -- didn't buy any).
$1.96.9 -- the least we paid for diesel (in Tucson. The next time I went there he had raised his price).

13 -- the number of different churches we attended.
39 -- the number of days we worked at the SIL Center in Catalina.
3 -- the number of days we got snowed on!!!

We're Home

We arrived home about 3:45 this afternoon (Friday). It's raining and I'm cold again! That is sort of an overstatement. It IS raining lightly and it IS NOT very warm -- in the low 60s. I guess the weather had to give us a "welcome home" by being so typically Oregon. According to the weather guy, it is supposed to rain all weekend and then get nice and warm next week. Pretty soon I'll probably complain about the heat. I called Dennis a few minutes ago to tell him we were safely home and he informed me it was in the 80s in Mesa and they had just gone swimming. I think he rubbed it in a little.

We left Mesa very reluctantly about 10:00 Wednesday morning. I didn't drive hard but we made it all the way to Barstow that evening. We stayed among the trucks in the Flying J parking lot. They sure make a lot noise! But it lulls a person to sleep. If any one is interested, our route was west on I-10, to the Vickburg Junction (a little east of Quartzsite), jog up to Highway 72 through Bouse and Parker and onto highway 62 in California. Then north on 95 to I-40 at Needles and west on I-40 to Barstow. At Barstow we abandoned the interstate for awhile and took 58 to Bakersfield; then 99 north to a little south of Stockton where we jogged over to I-5 and north to home. This sounds complicated but it is good road (well, 99 isn't so great!) and takes quite a few miles off simply following I-10 into LA and onto I-5.

Last night we stayed at an inexpensive little mom and pop RV park in Williams. They only have about 7 pull throughts for overnighters but this isn't the season for RV travel so they had about 6 vacancies. On the way home we sort of bounced from one Flying J to the next -- Barstow to Bakersfield to Corning. Fuel and food at each one.

I was pleased to find that no pipes froze and burst while we were gone. The car battery was dead but a jump start fixed that. Boy, the house sure seems big. So now the tasks and adventure change. One adventure facing us is attacking the weeds that have sprung up in places they are not supposed to. Oh well, we'll get to it. Eventually. Come and help if you want to.

I'm Not Cold Anymore!

What gorgeous weather! As all you geography buffs know, Mesa is next to Phoenix. Early last week the temperature in Phoenix was 102*. But since then it has cooled down. I think today is the coolest at 82*. We are loving it. In fact we are loving it so much we are staying a couple extra days. We're at Good Life RV Resort in Mesa parked next to Dennis and Sandy. Yes, that is really the name: Good Life RV Resort. So we are enjoying the good life. The park has two swimming pools and two hot tubs. Most of the other activities are shut down for the season -- like the crafts, game nights, barbecues, etc. That's okay; we wouldn't have time for them anyway.

We left Albuquerque Tuesday morning along with all the the RVers. The mass exodus wasn't as confusing as I thought it might be. We headed west on I-40, taking a detour through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest in Arizona. The evening found us in Holbrook so we spent the night there and then traversed 3 or 4 different highways to get downs to Mesa.

Ed and Karen are Sandy's brother and his wife. They and Sandy's mom live in Mesa. Since we have been here, we have done a lot of things with the whole family... dinner at Logan's Roadhouse (throw the peanut shells on the floor) Wednesday; dinner with Dennis and Sandy Thursday; barbecue at Ed and Karen's Friday; trip to Costco and the Mesa Flea Market Saturday; worship at Life Community Church today. Also lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. Lots of fun. We just got back from a dip in the pool. Nice!

Ed is a retired minister in the Four Square Church; in fact he retired just a few months before I did. We've had fun comparing notes and getting better acquainted. I had met Ed before but we've never conversed more than just cordial greetings. Joyce and Karen are enjoying their time together. Life Community Church is Four Square denomination. The worship was good and the sermon was excellent (quite a contrast to last Sunday).

We are really enjoying our time here. Too bad it has to end this week. Our plan -- Lord willing -- is that next week's blog will be from Grants Pass. Probably in the rain (just a little pessimistic thinking there).

The Week; The Rally

One aspect of the fun of traveling like this is flexibility, though sometimes being flexible is a little frustrating. About 6 hours after I posted last week's blog Joyce was sick and urping it all up. Apparently she got what Josiah had a few days earlier. So instead of going sightseeing on Monday we holed up in the ol' hacienda to let her recover. Which she did, though she had sore sides for a few days. I spent the time catching up on some computer bookkeeping and doing a little reading. In the evening she felt good enough to join Vern & Pam and Dennis & Sandy for dinner at a nice little Italian place. Weather: not very warm!

Tuesday we drove a loop up to Taos, over the high bridge spanning the Rio Grande gorge (it looks like about 10 miles to the bottom!!), around through some pretty country and back to the RV Park. In Taos we walked old town, ate at a unique little restaurant, and looked at an old adobe church. Taos was the place where Kit Carson lived for many years. We toured his house. He died in Colorado but is buried in Taos. Weather: not very warm!

Wednesday was our day to move over to Balloon Fiesta Park along with about 2000 other RVs. We joined the long, long line and finally were parked in Lot 1, Row 11, Space 121. There is room next to our RV to park the pickup, then it is the next RV, his pickup, another RV, another pickup, etc, etc, etc, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. Do you get the picture? If not, maybe this photo will help a little. We are parked on the grass where the Albuquerque Balloon Festival takes place in October. Not too far away is the "Entertainment Tent." This is a permanent steel framed, fabric covered structure that holds about 2,500 people (on small folding plastic chairs!). Weather: not very warm, but windy!

Thursday we went to a couple seminars at the Rally, then toured the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. There are 19 Indian tribes (Pueblos) in this area. Many of the Pueblo's are open to tours but we didn't make it to any. In fact we didn't make to some other places we had intended to visit. However we did eat dinner at the restaurant there. It was extremely good -- sort of a blend of Indian and Mexican. Weather: not very warm!

Friday was... well, Friday a day unto itself. It started off with us waiting in line about 45 minutes to catch the shuttle bus to the Rally. (The Rally is at the fairgrounds, we are at Balloon Fiesta Park -- about 15 miles apart). When it started to snow, we should have gotten a clue but we're slow learners. The snow was not heavy and did not stick but it was cold. We did stuff at the Rally like a couple seminars, touring the exhibits, picking up freebies, and spending some of our own money. They close the exhibits at 5:00 so about 4:15 Joyce suggested we get in the line to catch a shuttle back to our RV. By that time the line was two blocks long. While we waited in line it snowed, sleeted, hailed, rained! To make matters worse, they did not have enough buses and there was an accident on the freeway which delayed the few buses they did have. It took us 2 1/2 hours to get back to the RV! To protect my head from the freezing elements I put Joyce's sweatshirt on like a hat and tied the sleeves under my chin. Joyce put a plastic grocery bag over her hat and let the handles flap! We were quite the sight but others were doing similar things to keep warm. Weather: just plain downright cold!

A Neil Sedaka concert was scheduled for that evening in the Entertainment Tent. When we got back to the RV we changed into some warm, dry clothes, grabbed a bite to eat, and went to the concert. It started late because they knew a bunch of us were at the mercy of a few fickle shuttle buses. Anyway, it was a good concert but we walked back to the rig in a cold drizzle. Weather: cold!

Saturday dawned a new day with new promise. The only problem was that the places we planed to visit that day had gotten at least a foot of snow during the night. We wanted to go to Bandalier National Monument and Los Alamos but decided that wasn't a good idea. So instead, we went back to the Rally for a little while. Yes, we rode the shuttle because they added a bunch more buses. It was okay. In the evening we went to the last part of Rita Coleman's concert. She is part Indian and sang "Amazing Grace" in Cherokee. Very moving. On the way back to the RV we watched the Balloon Glow. There were 7 hot air balloons tethered to the ground and the operators would make them glow with the burners. Awesome sight. Weather: much warmer!

We began Sunday by going to church in the Entertainment Tent. It was a nondenominational service which had two parts: the music was Mary and Max who sang country gospel and invited the congregation to join them for a couple sing-a-longs. Then came the preacher who was from Texas and spoke about God's greatness. It was all good but notice what is missing. No prayer. No real congregational singing. No scripture except a little with the sermon. Okay, I guess I'm being a little critical but it seemed like we should have talked to God at least once since it was his day and we were supposed to be worshiping him. Then we drove (notice the word, "drove") to the Rally for a some more seminars and freebies. Late in the afternoon we drove over to Vern and Pam's house for pizza. We talked a lot and watched the video of her dad's memorial service. Her dad, Ray Barnes, was my mentor and spiritual father when I was growing up -- and even in later years. Weather: warm!

Today I took a tour (Joyce didn't go) to Trinity Site. A little history here: As World War II was winding down, scientists were putting together a new devise that eventually became known as the atomic bomb. One version they knew would work so it wasn't tested (that one was eventually dropped on Hiroshima). However, another version -- using plutonium -- was a little iffy. It was tested at 5:29 a.m. on July 16, 1945. The test area was called Trinity Site. This picture is me standing by the obelisk that marks the exact spot (except 100 feet up) where history ushered in the atomic age. This location -- as you might expect -- is literally out in the middle of nowhere. It is kind of awesome to stand where such a momentous event took place. Weather: nice and warm!

Ahhh. This is more like it. Tomorrow we leave for Mesa, Arizona. Yes, that is a change of plans. Details later. Stay tuned.