How come I always put off
writing on my blog for so long!? Don’t
know, but I really do have good intentions, just no follow through!
August was very busy for
me. We had 3 family get togethers at the
outdoor kitchen area. They were enjoyed by all who attended.
I started creating
the squares for Connie’s beach theme quilt. This will be a fun project for me. I also quilted the center of the 3rd Lone Star Quilt & sewed
it together to finish later in
Baja. Joined the ‘Quilts from the Heart’
club who make quilts for the different emergency groups, EMT’s, Fire, &
Police; who give them to victims of various disasters in our area.
I was finally able to track down a local Red Hat Society group in Long Beach (they had
their picture in the paper!) and
made contact with a couple other clubs out of the area. It’s fun to have lunch and get to know the
other ladies and of course dress up in lots of Bling!
I canned razor clams from
Mike’s sister, Marva, as well as Salmon & Tuna that Mike caught.
Mid month of Aug, I went
to a memorial picnic in Salem for one of the cousins. Nice gathering and saw some cousins I hadn’t
seen in a while. As long as I was on the
road, I continued around Oregon and Washington visiting friends &
family. Stops at Sandy, Maupin (to visit
my girlfriend the mayor!), Yakima, Snohomish & Olympia.
Had a couple of adventures
along the way. At the picnic in Salem,
my flip top cell phone broke at the hinge.
Stopped at a big mall along I-5 and bought a new one. Oh Yes!
The nice young lady says, your cords from the old phone will fit the new
one! Well, no they didn’t. Phone battery went dead in Yakima while getting
directions to my girlfriend’s house. Tried to charge it but the cord couldn’t make
contact. Fortunately I knew where
WalMart was and bought a new one that did fit.
I was also hungry for fresh peaches and Yakima is a big fruit producing
area. Bought a half dozen or so. They looked and smelled wonderful. This was on Monday. By Saturday when I was in Snohomish they were
STILL not ripe! My daughter & me
sliced them up and she made a peach crisp that was delicious.
On my way back to the
beach I stopped in Olympia for a short visit with son & daughter (in-law)
Wayne & Shelly.
When I finally got home I
thought it was time to start packing tubs for Mike to load into the cargo trailer & back of
pickup to make the trip to Baja. Takes
me forever and usually I don’t have the last couple ready til the day before we
leave! Mike is very patient saying there
is no hurry and we have lots of time.
About a week after Labor
day, I had a frantic call from my niece in Seattle. There was a dining set she had been eyeing
for a couple years and it was on sale!
Problem was the only one in the area was across the river in
Astoria. Could I possibly go pick it up
for her. Well certainly I could do that! Got it home & stored it in Claude’s big shop and they would come
get it when they could. A few days later,
I decided I could deliver it to her the next weekend as I had more time than they did. Then I learned a brother (who lives in
Montana) of my daughter-in-law, Connie, had bought a piece of furniture from
Seattle that needed to be brought to the beach.
Perfect. Load going up and a load
coming back! Then, a friend (who lives
in Long Beach) of my son in Olympia, had a gun that needed to go to Cabela’s in Olympia. Sure, lots of room! So I drop the gun off to Wayne to take to
Cabela’s, and continue to my niece where we unload the dining set. She was thrilled to get the table &
chairs and have them delivered.
I made
arrangements with the store to pick up the armoire the next day. I was able to convince my niece to copilot
for me. What a gal!! With her along who needs a GPS?! She had me in the right lane at the right
time. Did I mention this is downtown
Seattle? AND I am pulling my small 5’x8’
cargo trailer? However we arrived with little
trouble at the Antique store, pulled around the block to the alley where the
‘loading’ dock is. Surprise! This is a very narrow alley (just the width
of a vehicle) with construction fencing on one side. So much for pulling in and turning
around. Two very nice men loaded the
piece into my cargo trailer. Then my
niece goes out to the street where she has to stop me twice for cars to go
by. The original plan was to back
straight across the street into the alley opposite & then pull forward into
my lane & proceed. I was having such
good luck backing out that when I was midway into the street I made a 90* turn,
Michelle jumped in, and we were on our way.
HOWEVER, we were not quite sure how to get back to the freeway. We spotted a big bus and followed it for a
short distance til we could get the GPS programed to head for home. Once on the freeway & stress free, we all
(we had my 2 very young grand nieces with us) decided we needed ice cream and
chocolate!!! (I actually wanted a Rum
& Fresca but with 2 impressionable girls along, thought it better not to mention that!)
After dropping niece &
children at their home I headed for Olympia.
I picked up the gun along with some Harley Davidson chrome parts son
Claude had asked his brother to pick up for him! I am considering going into deliveries and
pickups!!
By the end of September we
were finally all packed up, loose ends tied, family obligations taken care of
and we left for the trip south the last week of September. Stayed a couple nights in Riverbank with
friends who are always so gracious to us.
Had no problems during the trip, that is until we
reached Temeculah, CA which is an hour or two before crossing the border at
Tecate. It is late, dark, and the motel
we usually stay at is FULL. So are the
next 2-3 motels or else they don’t allow dogs.
Rats!!! Finally locate one that
does have a room for us & Opal. So
with directions we head towards it. To
complicate matters, I mistakenly have Mike turn a few blocks before we should. Finally,
after going around the block a couple more times, we arrive. VERY expensive but at this point I don’t
care. I just wanted a room for the night!
We arrive a few days later to our destination of
Puerto Escondido and greet friends already there and others as they arrive.
There have been several
rains and all the vegetation is lush and SO ARE THE BUGS!!!! When we first arrived these plants were in
bloom all over but I didn’t get around to taking their picture. Coming back from town the other day I spotted
these. They are called Coral Vine. They climb any vegetation they are near. Picture doesn’t quite do them justice as they
are quite showy and a beautiful magenta color.
Life is one adventure
after another!! But enough for now.
Many Hugs
to All, Patty.
