We Are Being Framed

 More progress is being made on the house. The garage was framed and braced. We can now get a good idea what the front of the house looks like.

In addition, headers for windows were put in place, making it easy to visualize the view from each. The view from the living room looks at Flat Top Mesa.

We watched the framing team work for about an hour before they started cleaning up. When they were done I talked to one of the fellows. He said they had one more day of framing, then the trusses would be installed. I was surprised the trusses had arrived. I want to be there when they fly the trusses on the house. That's always exciting. Needless to say, I'll keep you up to date. 

Progress

 Today we drove past our new home site and discovered that there were STICKS! Progress is happening. Hooray!

I talked to the contractor the other day and his report was grim. He said there was a shortage of trusses, wood, plywood, sheetrock, coils, and appliances. I was told that trusses might arrive on March 24, so the progress we saw today was a great surprise.

A crew of 3 were framing the house...2 were busy nailing and one was cleaning up. Keep watching this spot as I'll have more pictures tomorrow.

Driving Through Town

On Thursday we went to a Meet and Greet at the local library. We were asking a lot of questions about doctors and dentists and the like, when the conversation moved to driving around the town. Today we took one of the roads recommended and discovered a mighty vista. These are the jagged Virgin Mountains to the south and east of town. The highest points on this range are Mt. Bangs at 8012 feet and Virgin Peak at 8075 feet.

Facing the Virgin Mountains are flat top mesas. In fact, this one is called Flat Top Mesa at 2589 feet. This is the mountain I expected to see in the desert, not the sawtooth mountain range at all.

The soft sedimentary rock of the mesa seems to be a carver's wonderland and one man has decided to etch, carve and sculpt the soft rock. If you look carefully, you will see a row of 7 emojis.

This is our "Little Mount Rushmore." As we were looking at it, a driver in another car said the sculptures can erode in the rain, and we've had 2 days of rain...then he said, "I wonder how long these will last?"

We think this is a sphinx. It's fitting. The last time I saw a sphinx was in a desert in Egypt. 

Then we saw Cowboy Joe, the symbol of Wyoming. The carver is a native of Jackson Hole.

 There are several carvings in the red rock and they all have a story behind them. Mr. Karns, the man behind the examples of sandstone art, decided he wanted people to smile when they looked at his work. That's exactly what we did.

It's hard to think that all these pictures were taken from the same location near Flat Top Mesa. The snowy Virgin Mountains and the arid mesas living in harmony in the Mojave Desert.

Two New Critters

 Two more critters have been added to the menagerie...a tiny bunny and a round piggy

The bunny is a new pattern for me...

..as I've only made 3. I'm going to send one to my 100 year old auntie for Easter. If you would like one, let me know. Crocheting keeps me out of trouble.

Snow and Palms

Welcome to the desert in the wintertime where we are experiencing a strange (for us) phenomena...snow on the nearby mountaintops and palm trees lining the streets. It's not often you see snow and palm trees in the same place.

Lucky for us, there is no snow on the valley floor. It's cooler than it has been recently, but if the weather report is accurate, it will warm up soon. 

This and That

 We've been in our new wintertime home for one week. We are getting settled in. We know the main streets in town, we can find our favorite stores, post office and bank without getting lost. The weather has been wonderful. No snow or rain, some wind and nice warm days. I'm trying to get in the habit of walking again. I fell out of practice the past few months due to a series of accidents. I'm healed up and ready to walk. Amidst the change there is stability too. I'm still crocheting teddy bears.

Tonight I finished Lily. Somethings don't change. On another note, our new home has not made any progress in the week we've been here. The foundation is curing...that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Meandering to Mesquite

 We are making progress toward our next destination. We have bid farewell to friends and family (which is difficult to say the least) and in 2 days we will be in Mesquite. We received our second Covid vaccine. Our RV has proven it is ready for full time living. The new adventure is officially afoot!

Home Progress: Foundation

Every other Sunday our agent at our new house, sends pictures showing building progress. Today I received 2 more pictures, showing that the slab foundation has been poured. 

I believe this is the front of the house.

I think this is the west side of the house showing the electric panel.

We'll be onsite in a few days and then we'll show regular progress. 

This is very exciting.

This is the second time we've had a home with a slab foundation. When we built our first home, our builder said it did not matter what form the foundation took--raised or slab--as they worked the same. Our home in Texas was on a slab. Our home in Wyoming has a raised foundation. We will be able to compare the feel of them as time goes by.

Winter Booties

 We might have blossoms on trees, yet it gets cold at night. To that end, I've been making booties for big people. Here are two of my latest creations.

The yarn is soft and cozy and super cuddly...and I know who is going to get them. Surprise!

Mid-February

There's a huge blast of arctic air freezing much of the USA. Texans are suffering from the catastrophic cold weather. New York City is bracing for yet another snowy blast too. Given that, I have to post these pictures of took of downtown Chico, in northern CA.

The trees lining the streets of downtown Chico

...are blooming. It's a minor miracle amidst all the cold weather the nation is experiencing.

It's a joy to see, but one we are relatively used to around here. This part of northern CA gets a "long spring" as trees will start to bloom as early as the first week in February. This cold winter is no exception.

A Little Late

 50 years ago on February 14, we became engaged to be married. Happy Valentine's Day!

Red Fred and the Kitty

I made "Red Fred" for my friend Bernice, but her Kitty adopted him. 

That's the way it goes! He looks happy with his Kitty.

 

Groundbreaking

It's official...our new home is underway. The ground was "broken" on February 4

It might not look like a lot, but it's the beginning.

Every house has to begin somewhere...and this is how our new house is beginning. It's exciting to see  progress. Our agent will be taking pictures of the property as the structure grows. 

Milestone

As of today, we no longer own property in California. Escrow closed on our home at 10:30 this morning. Our real estate agent said it was time to cancel the fire insurance on the house, so that was done. 

We are now full timing in our fifth wheel trailer,,,

...while our new winter home in eastern Nevada is being built. We plan to get to the summer home in WY as soon as it begins to thaw out. The DrCs like adventures, and we are embarking upon a big one. Watch this space to see what unfolds.

Chinese Temple in Oroville

Oroville, CA has a "rich" history, no pun intended. The name of the town explains a lot...ORO is the Spanish word for gold and VILLE is the French word for town. Oroville is literally "gold town, USA." Gold was found along the banks of the Feather River--millions of dollars of gold was found. The news spread rapidly and people from all over the world came to get rich. A few of them did get rich, such as John Bidwell, the founder of Chico, CA. Among the miners, were about 10,000 Chinese men. They were not allowed to bring their wives, so they came alone. By the 1850s they requested artifacts from the Emperor and Empress of China to build a Temple. After the first two wooden Temples burned, a third was built of local brick (from Palermo, CA) in 1863.

That Temple is still standing, and during normal times, it's open to the public as a museum. (Due to Covid restrictions, it's not open right now.) Don't let that stop you from walking around the Temple to see the 3 main buildings and enjoy the beauty. 

A bright red Moon Gate leads into one of the 3 parts of the Temple which houses tapestries and carvings from ancient China. As a treat, the redbud tree beside the gate is starting to bloom.

Sadly, the Temple has had hard times. It is located near the Feather River and in 1907 the river flooded not only the Temple, but Oroville too. Lots of work was done to restore the Temple, but the Chinese community was getting smaller and smaller. Remember, only single men came from China and by 1907 they were not young any more. The remaining Chinese restored the Temple and by 1935 they knew they could not keep it so they donated it to the City of Oroville with 3 provisions: 1) the Temple would be a museum to house their artifacts 2) The Temple would be available for worship and 3) that volunteers would teach about the importance of the Chinese culture in the area.  

The Temple is a California Historical Landmark and as Huell Howser (of PBS Fame) would say, "Part of California's Gold." If you have some time, follow the green line in Oroville to discover more of the history of the town.

The Mother Orange

Last week we traveled to Bidwell Bar Bridge and I was reminded that the Mother Orange used to live there. Today we decided to find the Mother Orange. (BTW, her address is in Wikipedia)

This little tree was originally planted in 1856 in Oroville. She was the first orange tree in Northern California. We know she started out in a planter box in Mazatlan, Mexico. She was shipped to Sacramento when she was about 2 or 3 years old and purchased by Judge Joseph Lewis who eventually planted her at Bidwell Bar Suspension Bridge in present day Oroville, CA in 1856. 

For decades, miners (and others too) ate her juicy fruit and planted her fertile seeds. It was thought that an orange tree could not grow in this less than tropical environment...but the tree flourished and grew to over 60 feet tall, regularly producing 500 to 700 pounds of oranges annually. Her seeds were the start of the orange industry in the North State.

The tree was thriving at Bidwell Bar Bridge until construction of the Oroville Dam began. In 1964, when the tree was about 108 years old, she was moved to her current location. The average lifespan of an orange tree is about 50 years, so in 1964 the Mother Orange was an old lady and folks wondered if she would survive the move. Not to be bothered by a mere move, she continued to grow and produce fruit until 1998 when a freak cold spell damaged her. We all thought she was doomed, but not the scientists at UC Riverside. They were able to make three clones from the original tree. In 2003 those clones were replanted back in Oroville.

This tree is a survivor. The clone, also called "The Mother Orange," produces about 500 pounds of fruit yearly. The clone is less than 20 years old.

Plaques commemorating The Mother Orange

If a tree can be loved (and I think they can), the Mother Orange is beloved by all who know about her. For folks who might be offended by my use of SHE and HER when writing about this tree, I say "too bad!" The Mother Orange has always been referred to as SHE. Who am I to argue with a tree that has brought forth fruit for over 150 years and started the orange industry in Northern CA. 

Long live the Mother Orange.

Covid Update, Day 2

We received our Covid shot about 4 PM on Friday, January 29. Neither of us felt bad right after the shot, so we drove home and proceeded to go about our business. As directed, we continued to move our left arms regularly while drinking lots of water. Yesterday morning, my arm felt like it had been hit with a large hammer, while the other DrC's arm felt like it had been slapped hard. All day long we felt well. As the day progressed I could move my left arm above my head without pain, By 11 PM we both had muscles aches in our hands, shoulders and back. We took our temperatures and they were normal. Based on the normal temperature, we thought we were getting a reaction to the shot. This morning, we both woke up with achy hands, the other aches had gone away. Both of us could raise our left arms above our head without pain. 

Individual reactions will vary. What I've written above can be used as a "yardstick" to measure your reactions to the vaccine when you receive it. We are now playing a waiting game for shot #2.

Moderna Shot

Yesterday I had a surprise! We were taking the other DrC for his Covid shot thinking I was not eligible. We were okay with that because at least one of us would have the shot. We joined the long line of cars filled with folks over 75 waiting for their shots. We had our paperwork filled out...we were ready. When we got to the front of the line, the nice person with the clipboard asked if we were both getting the shot, and I answered no, as I was too young. She asked my age, and said "Don't tell anyone but we are letting spouses take the shot together." With a little HOOT I gladly filled out the paperwork and got my shot.

This morning, my arm feels like it has been hit with a sledgehammer, but I feel great. We are onboard for shot number 2 later in February. It was a good day. Thank you President Donald J. Trump, the Covid vaccine would not have been possible without you spearheading Project Warp Speed!

Sunday Drive

Remember in the "old days" folks would go on a Sunday drive? Today is Sunday and we went for a drive to Oroville Dam. It was a gray, somewhat drippy day, but that did not curb our enthusiasm. We went to Loafer Creek and saw some deer by the roadway.

The males still had their antlers.

From there we drove to the marina and found hundreds of houseboats patiently waiting for better weather.

The big surprise was seeing the Bidwell Bar Bridge. 

I've seen pictures of the bridge, but never the real thing. You have to drive highway 162 for several miles outside of Oroville, past Loafer Creek before it comes into view. The original Bidwell Bar Bridge was built in 1855 with materials shipped from New York via Cape Horn. Bidwell, the founder of Chico, made his fortune mining gold near this location. When this bridge was constructed in 1966, it was the highest suspension bridge in the world. Alas, it did not stay that for long, as the lake behind Oroville Dam started to fill. 

 This picture, gives a good idea how high the bridge is over the water. 

Just a few facts about Oroville Dam and Lake.

For Friends

 A  piggy and teddy bear. I gave the piggy to my orthodontist. The teddy bear goes to Teresa. 

Mt. Moran Winter and Summer

 I stole this picture from Facebook. Kelly Minor took it. Mt. Moran at the Oxbows in the winter. 

Mt. Moran at the Oxbows in the summer. Both are beautiful. In case you have not figured it out, I'm not happy with the current political environment, so I'm resorting to things that make me happy--Teddy bears, mountains, slippers, ice cream, my wonderful husband...

Slippers

 

Some yarn is easy to work with...then there is this stuff. It's soft and cuddly, which I guess makes up for it's stubbornness. This slipper has been remade 3 times...I think I have it right. I gave it to Teresa for her birthday and she loved them. She said she had never had homemade slippers before. Who knew?

Teddy Bear Home

 

It's always fun to give a teddy bear away. The purple bear went to Abby and according to her grandparents she plays with it all the time. Teddy bears need good homes and I think this one has found one.

The Adventure of Moving

We are used to moving...we do it a couple of times every year. This year, we are truly moving. Moving out of our home state into Nevada. Remember a few entries back, I said "watch this space?" Our lovely home in northern CA sold in 6 hours. Before that happened, everything we had was stored or donated or tossed. 

The movers came and rolled away with most of our possessions. In the meantime, we are "full timing" in our RV. We are used to living in small spaces, so it's not hard, but I do not recommend full timing if you are not 100% compatible with your spouse. I was telling someone today that we are living in a 32 foot "tin box" and there's not a lot of room for extras. Continue to watch this space as the next adventure is in the early stages of discovery.

2021 and Hope

I did not create this image, it was sent to me by my sister. It works for me. I hope that 2021 will bring us out of the pandemic. I hope we do not go the way of socialism. I hope we will be a united country.

 So much to hope for; so little time...only 365 days. 

In the scheme of things, that's not very long for that huge agenda.

In the meantime, I'm still making teddy bears. They are hopeful and happy. 

This one is going to a six year old who loves purple. I've named her Fleur.