Baby It's Cold Outside

Summer officially arrived on June 22 and today is June 27 and I'm going to report that winter has arrived. It's cold outside. The weather is doing "funny things" right now as there's a heat dome over the Midwest...so they are having unusually hot weather -- The Rocky Mountains are in the "shadow" of that heat dome and we are getting unusually cold weather. Today it reached 51 degrees.

The storm we had was bad. The trees were swaying; the thunder was clapping; and the lightening was flashing...and then it started hail--thankfully, the hail became rain which pounded down with great fury. No snow at 6300 feet...but the mountain tops might be snowy. I've not been outside to take a look at them...it's too cold.

Relaxing on the porch does not happen in the cold. Listening to a book on the porch does not happen in the cold...nor does rock painting. Lunch and dinner on the porch don't happen either. In fact, when it cold, no one really wants to go outside. I did not see the fawns playing around either...it was too cold for them too. I'm guessing their mama was happy as she could keep a closer look on her two lively bambis. I did see one deer laying on the ground which I thought was strange as the ground was wet, but it might have been better than the forest floor. I don't know.

I don't know how much longer the "heat dome" is going to stay over the Midwest, but the weather guessers are thinking a few days. That means we have a few more days of cold, wet weather too. As I've been told many times, you never know what the weather will be like in the Rockies...and that's the truth. Remember, we're in this together.

Twin Fawns

Summer officially arrived on the 22nd of June about 2 AM. The next day, 2 very lively fawns showed up in my backyard. They are tiny and cute and spirited as all get out. As typical for blogger, right now, it will not let post pictures...so you are going to have to imagine what they are like. Lucky for me, you've all seen fawns before and these 2 are typical but with more energy than most. Right now I have the pleasure of watching them grow up this summer. I'm sure other fawns will show up. I know they are hiding in the forest and it's just a matter of time.

Yesterday, I was sitting on my screened porch enjoying the scene. Picture, if you will, a mama doe with 2 youngsters. Mama's job this summer is to teach these 2 little guys to be deer. Mama is doing everything in her power to teach them and they are NOT paying any attention to her. Instead they are racing around in circles. One going in one direction the other going in the other. She stamps her foot, which is a pretty "loud" command for mama to do, and they pay her no heed. She stands between them trying to stop their antics and they continue to jump and bounce and run. I can see the exasperation on her face as she has her mouth open. I've been watching deer in the backyard for a long time, and I've never seen a mama deer open her mouth as if to say "stop it!" The little ones just bounce and jump. This pair of fawns love to race in circles and they race around her. 

They put on a show for 2 hours yesterday and I'm wondering where they are getting all the energy. I'm getting tired looking at them running around. They did stop a couple of times to feed and mama let them, so they are still nursing, but then right back to their antics of running at top speed around my imaginary race course. They are just too much fun to watch.

One of my joys every summer is to watch the deer. We have a small herd (maybe 10 or so) and each deer is different from the others. I know most of them on site though none of them have names. I don't feed them either as I don't want them to become dependent on me as I'm not a full time resident. They have "nests" where they sleep at night, favorite places to hang out during the day, as well as favorite times to appear and disappear from the forest. You can see the path they have made from the forest to the backyard but I never go on their path...I want that to remain their path. 

For now, summer has really started. I get to see "my" deer and enjoy the antics of the fawns. It does not get any better than that. Remember, we're all in this together.

An Ode to 399--Queen of the Rockies

Thirty-one years ago a grizzly bear was born in Grand Teton National Park. No one knew then that 399, as she was called, would be celebrity. At a grand old age of 26 she became famous by doing something natural yet extraordinary. She gave birth to quadruplets. Since quads are kind of rare in the grizzly bear population, she was studied by everyone.  Her 4 tiny cubs were a phenom. None of this phased her--she had a job to do: raise those cubs to be wise grizzly bears. She was undaunted by that monumental task. 399 was a natural mama bear, as she had raised several sets of twins before. She knew what to do. She taught her cubs until they were old enough and wise enough to be on their own. The quads thrived in the Park. And then another miracle happened, when she awoke from her winter den in her 28th year, she was followed by yet another cub. She was a very old grizzly mama bear by this time.

Folks from all over the world flocked to the Tetons to see 399 and her cubs. The roads in the Park were cordoned off so everyone had a chance to see the 5  bears from a safe distance (they were grizzly bears afterall). I would make special trips into the Park, just to see 399 and her cubs. Once in awhile she would put on a show by crossing the road with her little ones trailing behind her...or all 5 would swim across a stream...or she would play with her cubs...and everyone would take pictures and ooh and aah over 399 and her cubs. She was nicknamed the Queen of the Rockies.

Then something horrible happened. Late one night, when her last cub was 1 year old, 399 was killed in an automobile accident. All of us felt our hearts skip a beat. We would never see 399 playing with her cubs anymore. We miss our Queen. She was our very special bear. And, while we know she is not with us any more, her spirit lives on in the Tetons. 

To that end, my friend Sunni wrote a poem about 399--the Queen of the Rockies. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

In the deep, dark places 

Of the forest night,

Where the moonbeams 

cannot illuminate,

Her footsteps tread softly still. 

A leaf rustles, a branch 

Moves as she passes.

The pika watches intently

From its crevasse in the rock. 

Her breathing awakens 

the slumbering ravens,

And their cries into the stillness

Echoes across the valley. 

“She is still here!” they cry. “She is still here.”

The broad river flows 

swiftly over the rocks

that tumble where she walks. 

The wolf pauses and then retreats silently 

back into the darkness.

This is her territory, then, now and forever. 

These mountains where she drew her first breath.

These mountains where she grew and thrived. 

These mountains where she became the land, the rivers, and the sky.

These mountains are her home, then, now, and forever. 

The bison lie quietly as she passes

The elk stay hidden in the sage. 

Once enemies, now respect.

She pays them no mind.

Daylight is coming 

And it is time for her to rest

Until nightfall

when the Queen’s footsteps

Will once again tread softly.

In the darkness of the Tetons. 

Desert Lows and Mountain Highs

As you know, we live in the desert and the mountains. During the winter we are desert dwellers and in the summer we live in the mountains. It's been fun or interesting (I'm not sure which) to look at the temperatures of the two places.

For the past week or so, the high temperature in the mountains has been just about the same as the low temperature in the desert. SO we are getting all the way up to 75 here and the desert is getting down to 77. The highs in the desert are screaming hot--about 112--while our lows are about 45. 

In other words, the only time you can enjoy being outside in the desert is early morning or twilight. In the mountains it's just the opposite. During the day is just about perfect but once that sun goes down it gets a little cool.

BTW this is exactly the reason we live in two places. It's our small attempt to stay in spring/summer weather conditions throughout the year. In the winter, the desert is cooler but not anywhere as cold as it gets in the mountains. Remember, we're all in this together.

Learning to Play Samba

I spent yesterday afternoon at my first Samba lesson. Samba is not a dance--it is a card game that is played with 8 decks of cards and about a million rules...at least it seemed that way as I was playing the game.

Lucky for me, I have a pretty good card-sense as I've been playing cards since I was a youngster. My mother taught me to play 21 way back when and I'm still really good at adding to 21. As a family we played double or quadruple Solitaire, Rummy, Hearts, Whist and so many other card games I can't remember all of them. My mother and I played a Rummy game that lasted for several years. I would come home from school and we'd play Rummy until it was time to cook dinner. We had a canasta set but I don't remember playing with it very much. That was too bad, as Samba is a version of Canasta.

Yesterday I went in with a tiny bit of knowledge about the game having seen a Youtube video that explained the game. However, playing the game and watching the video were not exactly the same. There are "house rules" that might vary from the "rules" which the video explained. 

I learned how to meld and  book. I learned about a dirty book (it has wild cards in it). I learned that jokers and twos are wild. I learned about a "Samba" and a "Super-Samba" (which we did not play). I learned some of the basics but there's much more to learn.  Given that, my team won two of the three games and I'm not exactly sure how that happened. I know why we lost the third game--we had NO good cards. 

That's the thing about cards. It's hard to win if you don't get the right cards and that's probably the fun behind most card games. You can plan all you want, but if you don't get the card you need, there's not much you can do except wait for that special card. Of course, changing your need for that card will also  work...but again, you might have wasted too much time to make the change work.

Anyway, I had a good afternoon. I learned some basic rules and I understand the "fun" of the game. There are a lot of things involved and as the summer rolls along, I hope to learn more about them. In the meantime, it's good to know I can still learn. That's a good thing. Remember, we're all in this together.

A Tow Truck Adventure

We are in summer quarters in the Rocky Mountains. It's beautiful up here. The house made it through another winter and we're ready to rock and roll. But wait...the car we leave here was not. It had a very very flat battery. 

We tried everything we could do to get it started when we finally decided to call AAA to give us a jump start. That's where a new adventure began. AAA was prompt. I called them saying I need a jump start. About a minute later, a local tow truck company calls and says "I'l be there in 12 minutes." A text arrived with a real time map telling me exactly where the tow truck was and he arrives on time. I was impressed.

He has the biggest jump start kit I've ever seen, attaches it to the Jeep and voila the Jeep starts. Then the horn started blaring. He figured out to do, and the horn stops. We thank him and plan to drive around for a while to keep the charge. BUT the Jeep had other plans. About 1.5 miles from the house every light on the dashboard starts lighting up and flashing. I saw warning lights I've never seen before. The windshield wipers are wiping away and the horn starts blaring again--then the engine dies! What to do. I'm on a narrow two lane road that up till 2 years ago was a dirt road so it's hard to find. I call the AAA guy and he says he'll be there in a few minutes.

Sure enough, he arrives. In the meantime 3 neighbors stop to see if they can help and I tell them that help is on the way. I thank them for their help...and then the tow truck arrives. Nat, the AAA tow truck guy, starts the Jeep again and puts it on the tow truck. At this time I find out that the dealer who has been servicing the Jeep has moved his business to Jackson...and we decide to go to a local service shop. That's when Part 2 of the adventure begins.

We are all in the cab of the tow truck with our Jeep tucked away in back, when the tow truck has problems. He has just blown a turbo or a transmission as he cannot go faster than 12 miles an hour. He inches back to our house and makes arrangements for a new tow truck. We pick up our truck, follow him at 12 miles an hour to the location of the other tow truck--and that's where we leave scene. 

He's going to put the Jeep on the new truck and we go to the service shop and tell them the Jeep is coming. We do that and he does what he says. We think we need a new alternator along with a battery.

I've not been in a tow truck since 1984--that time we were on a cross country trip with our first truck and fifth wheel trailer. We stopped for diesel in Kennebunkport, Maine when our truck died at the gasoline station. It had lost a transmission. We were towed to Portland, Maine...but that's another story. Tow trucks are huge complicated pieces of machinery that do a fantastic job and somehow we "know" they are not supposed to break down but I guess they do. Nat, our tow truck guy was embarrassed and apologized for the problem...and we just went with the flow. Things happen we told him. All was going to be well. 

Someday soon we'll get the Jeep back. We had an adventure we did not expect. Met some neighbors who were really helpful and had a good laugh. Things happen that you can't predict. We just had a lemon thrown at us and me made some sweet lemonade. Remember, we're all in this together.

In the Aspens

We are back in our tiny portion of the  aspen forest. Last year when we arrived in late April, the aspens did not have any leaves on them; this year, a month later, the trees are covered in green leaves that rustle and quake when there is a breeze. The trees and the forest are beautiful. Hiding in the forest are deer. 

So far I've seen 3 sets of male deer--4 yearlings with 2 tiny prongs, hanging out in the backyard; 2 four-prongers that seem to like the front yard and 2 six-prongers that have nests by the porch and the shed. They are setting up their summer territories. I have some pictures but blogger has blocked that feature right now.  I've only seen one doe...a yearling--but no mama does. I'm guessing they are hiding in the forest protecting their fawns.

In the meantime, the DrCs are trying to get the house working the way it should. The problem is not the house, but the owners. I have a bad back and we are both aware of the lack of oxygen at 6300 feet. There's oxygen here, but not the same amount we are used to at a lower elevation. It will take us a few days to acclimate, until then it's "work-a-little-rest-little-work-a-little-rest-a-little." I'm not expecting any company for a while, so we can take our time. 

It's late spring in the Rocky Mountains...that means there are sunny days and rainy days and even some snowy days. Yesterday we had a rain; today we have mixed clouds/sun/rain. Summer officially begins about the 22 of June, so we're expecting this type of weather for a couple of more weeks.

All in all, aching back and no oxygen, it's good to be here. The mountains are gorgeous. The deer are great fun to watch, we are in our little home in the forest--and we've even made a short trip to the Tetons (another picture I cannot show you). 

In the Mountains--and it's GREEN

We migrated back to the mountains. The most interesting part of being in the mountains is all the green. Green is not a desert color and here we have lots of green. The mountains have snowy tops and green hillsides. The fields are green. The aspens are green. The green is lovely and my eyes are happy.

We are slowly moving back in our little house in the forest and finding once again, it's hard work that has to be done. Since we've done this for decades we know what to and that means taking it slowly. One day at a time, one thing at a time. Don't rush--do it once and do it right. So far so good. 

Yesterday we all stopped working about 3 as it was a lovely day with perfect mountain weather. I sat on my easy chair  on the porch and watched 2 young stags wander the property. They were born here and they stay here all year. These fellows each had 4 prongs on their 5 inch antlers. They looked healthy and happy. I did not see any does or bambis but give them time and they will emerge from the forest.

There is a lot of stuff to do, but the porch squared away so the rest will happen in good time. I love my porch. I found my rock painting tools so you know that I'll soon be painting rocks and listening to books on the porch and enjoying time in the Rocky Mountains. It's good to be here. 

Memorial Day

Let's honor all of our Veterans.

Migration

It's that time of year when we think about our annual migration from the desert to the mountains. We'll be leaving soon. But it reminds me of all the years we've made this migration. It started in 1973.

Back then, the migration happened in a 20 foot mini-motorhome and we were going to take our first big trip around the United States. We planned to be gone for 67 days. It was exciting. We had a new motorhome, all the gear that we needed, and off we went. The other DrC developed an ambitious itinerary that was filled with adventure. We truly thought we could drive in the morning, camp at our destination, play at the destination, and the next morning, pull up camp and do it all over again. Little did we know  we were wrong. There was no way we could do all that and relax and enjoy our "vacation." It was turning out to be hard work and NO fun. We did it for 2 weeks. We were exhausted. We had to change the plan.

That night, we were camped in the Grand Canyon and we had a big decision to make--Keep the RV and change our plans or sell it and try something else. We truly did not want to sell our beautiful motorhome.  We got out our maps and looked at the over-planned journey and pared it down to about a 1/3 of the original. We made some huge decisions: we would not drive more than 200-250 miles a day; we needed time to decompress from the drive before we started to play; and we needed to stay at our destination for more than one night. I mean, there we were in Grand Canyon and we had only planned to be there for 3 or 4 hours. We also decided that this trip would be the first of many and each time we were out for 60-70 days we could see what we missed the time before. 

We followed those guidelines for over 50 years of RV-ing. We are not long distance drivers...we still travel about 200 miles a day. We like to sit back and watch the scenery. We like to enjoy the towns and parks along the way. The US has over 60 National Parks and we've been to most of them. There are also hundreds of places to enjoy and learn about our beautiful country. It truly is the best place on earth (and we know, as we've also visited over 140 countries on our "migrations").

Over the years we had many RVs. We camped all over the US and Canada, eventually visiting all 50 states and every province in Canada. We also visited the Yukon Territory but never made to the Northwest Territory (or Nunavut, which was not around when we started camping over 50 years ago. BTW we did not camp in Hawaii--but one time we bought a grill and ate our dinner watching the waves roll in--it was wonderful. 

The first summer out we discovered Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and fell in love with them. Since then, we've visited those 2 parks as often as we could. Every year we are in the US we visit those two parks. We are really good tour guides too.

This year, we're getting ready to make our summer migration. Alas, the last RV was sold 3 years ago. We drive our hybrid pickup truck and stay in hotels. It's still good. We'll end up in the mountains soon. We will not miss the heat of the desert. We will miss our desert friends in the 'hood. Remember, we're all in this together.

Who Turned the Heat On?

We've been enjoying a pretty mellow spring...not too hot, not too cold, lots of daylight and all is good. BUT "someone" turned on the heat a couple of days ago. Today the outdoor temperature is 107 degrees! That's HOT! Of course we are in the Mojave Desert--one of the hottest deserts in North America...but gees--it's not even mid-May and it's cracking 100 degrees. 

If your vehicle has a black steering, it's too hot to touch after sitting in the sun for a few minutes. Black upholstery is a nightmare at this temperature. I feel sorry for folks with black cars--there's no hope for them. Some cars have trendy black-matte door handles which are impossible to touch in this heat.

It's definitely time to think about snow-birding to the cooler north. Today it is a balmy 73 degrees at our home in the woods. That's why we snowbird.

Critters

I'm back making critters. Three little soft fluffy kitties ...

...Elizabeth the Elephant

...and there are more in the works!

 

May Day--A Trip Down Memory Lane

Many years ago--when I was in elementary school, my class danced the MayPole at the big park in our home town. I  remember the dance as I did not know how to skip. I learned how to skip so I'm guessing it was the first or second grade. 

Our class started practicing how to dance around a MayPole early in the spring. We had to have a partner and it had to be a boy. We had to skip. And on a special day we would dance the MayPole at our school and "if we were good enough" we might be invited to dance the MayPole at the big park in downtown on May 1. 

I learned how to skip, which apparently it was quite difficult for me. I remember my dad trying to teach me as we skipped up and down the street for weeks. I finally got the idea and for months I would not stop skipping. He created a little skipping monster. It was so much fun.

We practiced dancing around the MayPole at school. Our teacher gave us huge ribbons that were long and wide and we needed to practice making a neat design on the pole. The day came for the school competition and we were chosen to dance at the park. It was a great honor. 

Then came the real work. All the girls had to have matching dresses and the boys had to have matching vests (with dark pants)..and our mothers were supposed to make the costumes. My mother made the dress, which I remember was green, as were given the fabric at school. I have no idea what would have happened if my mother did not know how to sew. On the appointed day we dressed up our costumes and went to the park. It was exciting!

There were lots and lots of MayPoles standing in the park. There was a huge school band ready to play the music. We found our special MayPole with the green and white ribbons and got ready for the dance. We were all so proud to be dancing in the Park. The band started playing and I remember thinking it sounded different from what we danced to at school because at school we listened to the music on a record player and this was live. The music was the same but it was different. They played the first round of music and we all waited for our cue and then we started twisting our ribbons around the pole. Our class made our finest design on our pole and so did the other classes. Each class had a different set of colors so the poles were decorated in green and white and pink and red and yellow and on and on. It seemed like the whole town was there watching us dance around the MayPoles. It was a special day.

So, as this is May 1, I'm wondering if there are any classes "out there" that are dancing around a MayPole in their special matching dresses and vests? It's a fun little memory. School has changed. I remember teaching 4th grade many years later, and we never danced around a MayPole. I would tell my classes about my memory of the MayPole Dance and one time we made a make-shift MayPole from the tetherball pole. My "kids" thought it was fun. And it was!

Birthday Bash

I had a Birthday Bash...and it was great fun. I received cards and calls and texts from lots of friends--I talked way too much (I lost my voice) and I laughed and took trips down memory lane. It was a good day. Thank you everyone for making it such a good birthday.

We went to a restaurant in one of the casinos for dinner. I wanted two things with dinner--a Margarita and a real baked potato (not a microwaved one) and I had that! I loved the Margarita--I had not had a Margarita for a long time and it was yummy. I think I'm over my drink quota for the year though as the Margarita was drink number 3 and I usually have 5 drinks a year. I better be careful?  As for the potato, there's nothing that can take the place of a real baked potato with all  the fixins. The rest of the dinner was great too. To top it off, they prepared a special creme brûlée for me with Happy Birthday written on the plate.

It was a good day. I felt like a real human. The pains were gone and I was smiling and laughing...does it get better than that! Tonight there's gonna be a little birthday party at Karen's home. The beat goes on. I'm a very happy camper. Thanks everyone!

Life in Geezerville: Social LIfe

There is social life in Geezerville but it's not the social life we had when we were a bit younger. Now life revolves around seeing the doctor. We seem to have a lot of doctors. As I approach my 4th score of years (I'm not quite there yet) I seem to have a doctor for just about every body part. Coincidently or sadly (I'm not sure which), my friends have the same issues if not the same conditions.

I visit my fellow geezers and they are doing the same thing. We have to arrange our fun times when no one is seeing a doctor. Birthday celebrations get postponed for cardiologists, neurologists, and other  "-ologists" out there. We've decided celebrating a birthday can happen anytime within 2 or 3 months of the actual event. As the clock spins, we see more and more specialists for conditions big and small. All is good, and we always have something to talk about.

Taking a nightly walk is a coordination effort...we have settled on a time when the sun is setting and it's not too warm, but each night before the appointed hour, we text our little group. If it's not windy (we don't like to walk in the wind) we ask the same set questions: Who is going to make it? How's your back, your foot; do you have the energy; are the allergies better? Then we decide to where to meet. The chair yoga group is easier to coordinate--my house, 9:30, come if you can, bring your coffee. It all works out and it's surprising how many come just to talk to each other and offer support. That's good too.

On our recent river cruise I discovered my geezer friends are not alone...so many of the cruisers had trouble carving out ten-doctor-free days, to have a bit of fun. It was kinda funny to talk about and yet somehow encouraging to know that we were all in the same "boat" as it were. Apparently we all did it as there we were on the boat, with our walkers and canes and braces, having a grand time.

Back to reality--the pain doc and the foot doc are next to each other, the pharmacy is a few doors away. Next to him is one of many skin docs (we do live in a desert, and skin was never made to see this much sun). Across the street is the one of many PT places. Nearby is the hospital. Across from the supermarket is a set of you guessed it, doctor's offices. The heart doc is in the same building as one of the beauty shops (walk-in men's haircuts for 20 bucks so fellows can take care of two things at the same time). Sometimes we can coordinate our maladies, use one car and, commute together. We're good at that. We see so many doctors we make friends with other patients and the staff. The staff knows us all on sight so check in is easy. I guess this is one of the things that makes for a "tight" community.

Long gone are the cute sedans or sporty cars we used to drive...we all have Wusswagons (you know, minivans or big SUVs or Pickup trucks) of various brands that are big enough to fit walkers and even wheelchairs. If someone needs a temporary walker, there is always a spare we lend to each other. My walker wanders around the 'hood to anyone who needs it for a week a two. It's a good thing. One of our geezer friends even has an extra electric wheelchair that is available...another good thing.

Once in a while the appointments are fun. You know like getting a mani/pedi or having our hair done. The biggest decision is deciding what color to paint on the geezer. Blue haired geezers now have a cadre of friends with glitzy silver or gold or green or red hair. We were quiet and business-like for decades and now we are thinking out of a different box. It's our time to be a bit eccentric and creative. A sparkling polish to enhance our fingers and toes is a good thing. Spending time in the hot tub or getting a facial is good too. Getting a little bit of pampering between seeing the docs is important--and going with a friend is twice as much fun.

The golden years are indeed different from the other years we have experienced. We know what we are getting into, and at least in our 'hood, we are doing it together. I hope you and your geezer family are the same. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Happy Easter

A bit late, yet the wish is still good. I hope y'all had a Happy and Blessed Easter!

The Double-Nickel and Beyond

We are home. The cruise was great. I learned a lot about the area; the Lewis and Clark expedition; and what we can and cannot do. First and foremost we can take river cruises. We're a bit slower than we were, but we can still move and enjoy the journey. We have not spent much time in the Pacific Northwest as the DrC went to school in Eugene, OR and had his fill of gloomy gray, damp, days. Guess what--many years later the days are still gloomy gray and damp! But when you don't have to call the place your "home" it's easier to deal with, and that's what he did. As for Lewis and Clark...the lecturer knew L&C like the back of his hand and I thoroughly enjoyed his stories of the Voyage of Discovery, as it was called. 

Along the way we celebrated our 55th wedding anniversary...that's the double nickel. The folks on the ship surprised us with chocolate strawberries and champagne on the day--and lots of folks wished us a Happy Anniversary. 

The last day on the ship we were in Clarkston, WA on the Snake River...and across the river is Lewiston, ID. We took a tour of the 2 tiny towns. There was a small aircraft museum with several old airplanes all in flying condition. They were restoring a DC3 to near new condition...but the vehicle I liked the best of a 1920-ish bright yellow Ford pickup truck. A far cry from my "new" hybrid Ford F-150 pickup. The only thing that is the same is the bright blue logo with "Ford" written in it. I'm guessing it's Henry's signature (but I don't know that for certain).

The trip home was long. We flew out of a 1-gate regional airport in Lewiston, ID. The American Cruise Lines bus picked us up at 8:30 for our 12:10 fight. There was a waiting room at the tiny airport and we waited for the hours to tick by. About 11 ACL brought us our lunch (they did not want us to starve) which we all enjoyed...then we left the lounge for TSA check in. At tiny airports TSA is not a hassle right now. Soon our 'zone' was called and boarded the plant. The flight to SLC was about 70 minutes. We landed on time and had to wait all over again. About 4:45 boarding started and we left SLC about 5:30. The flight to home was 48 minutes long and we arrived early. The folks were waiting for us and we deplaned without incident--but we had been up since 6:30 AM and we were tired. We found our car and drove home. Once home we stopped working. I sat down and didn't move much until I went to bed. 

This morning reality hit. There was no Sky Lounge for me to get breakfast. Ava did not have my coffee ready for me. In fact we had no breakfast food in the house. We quickly dressed and went to the store and bought breakfast stuff (as well as few other supplies) and came home. 

The luggage is still in the back of the Jeep. There is "stuff" to do, but we are still tired. A few folks have called wishing us Happy Easter. The stuff will get done...just give us some time to rest up from yesterday.  We had a good little vacation!

River Day

 Yesterday we had a "river day" which means we cruised upriver without stopping. On an ocean ship it's called a "sea day" and we like sea days. The river day was equally enjoyable. It was a lazy day as we sailed up the placid river.

I got up early to have breakfast in the lounge. I like breakfast there as it's informal and the food is good. (But the food is good everywhere on the ship...and it's plentiful too.) I sat in one of the comfy chairs in the lounge and looked at the river. It was a gray day (we're in Oregon after all) but the views are stunning. Mountains line the river--every so often there's a field that's plowed waiting for the next crop or there's a vineyard. There's great long strings of trains on one side of the river as well as cars and trucks wending their way from point A to B. There's lots of vulcanism along the river too. Mt. St. Helens is not the only volcano in the area, and over the millennia, many basaltic flows have left evidence behind of the fiery past.

At 10 I went to a Lewis and Clark lecture--another excellent talk given by Clive our resident historian. Then I stayed for the cookies--gotta have fresh cookies. There was a scavenger hunt to work on and of course more talking and sharing with the pax. Lunch came and for some reason I was not very hungry so I had a 1/2 portion. This ship regularly offers half portions of food and it's a good thing. After lunch there was a cooking demonstration. I now know how to make an "Apple Galette." We were told the apples are so good in this neck of  the woods because of the soil. All that vulcanism has made the soil rich and perfect for apple trees.

Then we got into trouble. We bought another cruise. This one on the Tennessee River from Nashville to Charlotte--it will give us an opportunity to visit friends in TN too. I asked for the special chair and was told it would be NO PROBLEM. You gotta love American Cruise Lines. 

Next stop was another L&C lecture, then cocktail hour, then guess what? Dinner. We had prime rib last night and my favorite dessert--ice cream. 

The day ended with us in the Lounge looking at the river. There was night time entertainment but we were tired so we went to our cozy room and I instantly fell asleep. A lazy river day will do that to me. Today we stop somewhere, I think Pendleton, and we'll get off the ship. In the meantime, we're enjoying our Columbia river cruise.

In The Dalles, OR

I've been to The Dalles one time a long long long time ago. Needless to say I don't remember it as I was probably under 10. I remember the name as not too many towns start with "the." My mother used to talk about The Dalles because she thought it was pretty.

That was then, and this is now. I find the scenery along the river to be pretty. It's teeming with wildlife and traffic and it's fun to watch it go past the boat. However, The Dalles is not all that scenic. It's an old town that has seen better days--then, to add to that--it survived a fire a couple of years ago and I don't think it has recovered completely. Having "survived" the Camp Fire in Paradise, CA I understand that it takes time for the scars of a fire to heal. 

We took the loop tour of the town, which took about 35 minutes. It's not very big. We could have stopped at a couple of museums on the loop tour but then we'd have to walk and neither of us are great a long distance walking right now so we passed the museums. Nevertheless it was a good little loop that gave us a flavor the town.

We spent the morning listening to the resident lecturer talk about the Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery. I'm a huge Lewis and Clark fan, so I found the lecture most interesting. In the afternoon, the lecturer brought some "artifacts" from the era of the expedition. He had a replica of a 2-inch Thomas Jefferson medal that was given by L and C to the Indian Chiefs as they sailed up the Missouri river. About 230 Thomas Jefferson medals were forged in 1804 and only 6 have been recovered--no one knows what happened to the rest so I was excited to see a copy. L&C wrote in their journals when they gave out a medal, but they never stated who received the medal. One of many mysteries of the expedition. 

Another good day on the American Harmony. We listened to a future cruises presentation and think there are few more river cruises we'd like to take--and we were told that I could get my recliner chair too. That is good news.

We're skipping entrainment tonight--we tired from doing nothing so we'll go to bed and get up early. The ship starts to wake up at 630 and if you want a nice breakfast in the Sky Lounge you gotta be there early. We are on the boat all day tomorrow so we'll see some pretty scenery as we cruise up river toward Pendleton, OR.

In Kalama

We stopped in Kalama today. A tiny town with a pretty port. It was supposed to rain...but it did not. We were going to go on the shorex to Mt. St. Helens but we skipped it as my back was hurting too much. On a positive note I told housekeeping that the bed was really bothering my back and guess what? They delivered a reclining chair to our room. I'm a very happy camper. This is one more example why I really like American Cruise Lines. They listen to their customers and try to make things right. It's hard to argue with RIGHT.

So instead of seeing Mt. St. Helens, which we had seen not too long after she blew her top, we stayed on board and I went to a bookmark class. There's usually lots of stuff to do but today they were expecting four bus loads of folks going to MSH and not much was planned. There were not many people on board, so we had the yacht to ourselves. I always like that feeling. The cookies arrived on time, and we enjoyed the sunny but cool day. We are still upriver from where we embarked the boat which seems kind of strange. We took 1 step forward and 3 steps back. The Dalles is our stop tomorrow and we will finally sail past Stevenson where we got on the river. 

The food is great. I had some sea bass with a yummy risotto for dinner. A long time ago I learned to stick to easy desserts, so I had the best dessert possible...a dish of ice cream. 

From dinner we went to the lounge and saw a fun one-man show who did a reprise of many Broadway songs. He was a quick change artist too, so each song had him in a new costume. I thoroughly enjoyed the show. 

The day is winding down now, I have the alarm set of 6:30 so I can catch breakfast in the Sky Lounge (my favorite place) then there's a 9:30 event; and at one-ish we'll take a drive thru the Dalles. It's a very nice cruise.