December 2010

It's not our jeep.......

We started December with an off-roading trip that ended in near disaster.  Our friends Tom & Joyce slipped off the side of a road, rolled over and ended upside down on a large rock.  No one was hurt but we were all we scared for a short while.  

 We took a bus trip into Palm Springs to see the Inns – it was 15 small older inns that were built in the time the Hollywood folks used to spend their time in Palm Springs.  The inns were all decorated for Christmas and were so great to tour through.  Later we drove through Candyland Lane to see the Christmas lights!

We’ve had some beautiful sunsets this month. 
This is the view from the front of our motorhome.

We drove the car to Portland to celebrate Christmas.  We had so much fun.  We started out our trip with a visit to Mike’s sister’s (Sheri and John) house.  Next a celebration of Karen’s stepmothers 60^th birthday.  The next day we had our family Christmas…..Marc, Maria, Brandon, Karen, Camryn, Colby, Ben, Anna, Mike and I.  We exchanged gifts and the kids had such a wonderful time playing together.  The next day, Brandon, Karen, Ben, Anna, Mike and I went out to dinner and then to a Portland Trailblazer game  (Portland won!)  Next day, Karen, Anna and I went out to dinner then to a fabulous play  (Annie!!)  Mike, Brandon and Ben went to dinner at a local brew pub.  The following day, Mike and I went over to Marc and Maria’s where we out to dinner then we drove into Portland and walked up and down Peacock Lane to see the Christmas lights.  The next day we went to the mall to get in the Christmas Spirit (it worked!)  The following day (Christmas Eve) we went to church and Maria’s brother and his family along with Maria’s mom came over for dinner.  Christmas Day was spent with Marc and Maria as we watched the kids open their presents.  Our visit ended with a great dinner and we headed out the next day!  On our way home, we stopped in Sacramento and had a visit and dinner at Mike's brother's.  (Chuck, Eva, Pat, Rob and Serena)                           Whew!!

As this year draws to a close, we wish everyone of our family and friends a wonderful 2011.  May you have health and happiness in the coming year.

 I still miss my Stoli so much.

November 2010

 

We’ve lost our little buddy.  Stoli died November 7^th and he is missed so much.  He was the best little friend and he brought us 15 years of happiness.  Pat and Sheri (Mike’s sisters) gave me a blanket with a picture of Stoli on it.  I keep it on our bed.  Our home is empty without Stoli.

We had a wonderful weeklong visit from Karen, Ben and Anna.  Brandon was able to join us for 3 days and we had so much fun.

This picture was taken at the Living Desert……….Palm Desert’s own zoo.  What a great day we had at the zoo.  The weather was cool and so all the animals were out.

We went off-roading one day. Ben loved helping Papa put air in the tires at the end of the day. We went up into Joshua Tree National Park.

(Anna sang to us all afternoon!)

We had a very nice Thanksgiving Day dinner at the clubhouse.  We even got to take leftovers home……..Yumm, great turkey sandwiches!

 Yes the weather looks great but it was pretty cold.  We all went swimming a couple times……but they all ended with a quick dip in the hot tub just to keep warm.

We had so much fun and the week just flew by so fast.

I finished the quilt I made for Sheri (Mike’s sister in Oregon)  I was really happy how it turned out.

My next quilt will be in memory of my Stoli.

I end this month with Stoli on my mind. 

I really loved the little guy.

October 2010

October is here and we are on the move………We actually left Sunriver September 28^th and headed to Utah for a 2 week off-roading Jeep rally.  Pat is traveling with us on this journey….her motorhome will be delivered to Indio in 3 weeks.  After 4 days on the road, we arrived in Blanding Utah and met up with the FMCA group.

On one of our Jeep trails, we visited Hotel Rock.  This was a home to the Indians hundreds of years ago.

Utah is so beautiful.  I know I have said this many times before…….
but it is so true.

After the beautiful and interesting trails near Blanding, we headed to Page Arizona for just one day.  We took a guided tour of Antelope Canyon on the Navajo Reservation.

Next stop – Kanab Utah for a second week of off-roading.  This picture is of “White Pockets,” an interesting rock formation in the middle of the desert.

Another slot canyon in the Kanab area……….so beautiful!

Next stop – INDIO!  We are getting settled and are so happy to be here.  Our friends are arriving every day.

Pat had a great party for my Birthday!  We had so much fun!

We ended the month with an Outdoor Resort Halloween party – I was an old lady just getting out of bed in the morning.  I got 2^nd place in the costume contest!

What a fun month….and so much fun ahead of us!

September 2010

Fall is definitely here…….Warm days and very cold nights!  We've had some fun times this month.

The most exciting news for September!! – My sister-in-law is getting married!  My brother died almost 24 years ago and Cathie has been alone ever since.  I am so happy that she has found someone to spend the rest of her life with.  CONGRATULATIONS Cathie and Wayne!

We started out the month with a Labor Day Jazz Festival at the American Legion Hall in La Pine.

On a beautiful sunny day, we made greeting cards at Pat’s place.  We had so much fun! 

Yes – the road is white.  We had an unbelieveable hail storm on July 13^th.  This storm came out of nowhere.  It hasn’t been the best summer in Central Oregon….. but July 13^th!!!!!

Pat’s first boss at Intel and his wife brought their new motorhome out to Sunriver for a shakedown trip.  Mike showed Bob some tips and tricks about motorhoming and 

we had a great dinner all together!

My latest quilt….I made it for myself.  I have always wanted a quilt for a tablecloth.  Now when we stop along the way for lunch, I can use my new tablecloth.

We had a lunchtime visit from Mike’s nephew and his family.  They drove over from Salem.  It was wonderful to see them and we really enjoyed our time with all of them.

We end the month by packing up and getting ready to head south.  We will be spending a few weeks in Utah, then on to Indio.  Pat will be traveling with us.  We’re hoping for sunshine on our journey!

August 2010

What a fun month!  Several years ago, we told our grandkids that when they turned 10 years old, we would take them on a trip in the motorhome where ever they wanted to go.  Well, our oldest grandchild, Camryn is 10 and she wanted to go to the 

Southern California amusement parks…….so away we went!

We had so much fun with Camryn…..we got to know her better and
she got to know us better!

Camryn has been to Disneyland several times……so we decided to skip Disneyland.

Our first stop was 6 Flags Magic Mountain just north of Los Angeles.  Our first ride was X2…….rated the second most thrilling ride in America.
Yikes……pretty exciting for a Grandma!

We started at the parks first thing in the morning and stayed into the evening…….we went on so many rides!  Magic Mountain had 16 world class roller coasters….
my head hurts just thinking about them.

Next stop, Universal Studios in Hollywood.  It was really crowded but we were able
to get on every ride…….and went to many shows.
Camryn’s favorite show was the “Pet Show”

Camryn’s favorite ride at Universal Studios was the Jurassic Park water ride…….we went on it 4 times.  I got drenched every time!

Next stop, Knotts Berry Farm…..south of Los Angeles.  My favorite ride was the Log Flume ride……..Camryn’s was the Supreme Scream!   We stayed at Orangeland, a great RV park.  We even got to pick oranges!

One day, we met Mike’s friend Neil, rented bicycles and rode the boardwalk on Newport Beach……..then took the ferry over to Balboa Island….Lots of fun!

Knotts Berry Farm has 9 world class roller coasters!

Next stop - Seaworld.  The shows were fantastic!  My favorite was the killer whale show……..Camryn’s favorite was the Pet show and the Porpoise show  (Blue Horizons)

Next we headed to the world famous San Diego Zoo.
I love this picture of Camryn with a seal statue!

Camryn’s favorite were the polar bears……..(mine was the Panda’s)

Our final park was the San Diego Wild Animal Park.  This was our favorite. (for all of us)  We went on a “Photo Caravan” that was awesome.  We got to feed a giraffe.  The guide on the caravan was just fantastic.

We all got to feed a rhinoceros……This is Camryn hand feeding a 5000 lb. rhino
who seemed as gentle as can be.   Our trip was fantastic.
I hope we made memories that Camryn will remember forever.

When we returned from our trip, we spent a few days with Ben and Anna.  Anna is playing soccer this year……She is 5 and starting kindergarden this year. 

What a fun month!

July 2010

What a beautiful summer……..the weather has been gorgeous. 
July has been fantastic! 
Note to self…….May is cold, June is nice and July is fabulous!

I finished my hand made quilt..…..hand appliquéd and hand quilted. 
I’m very happy with how it turned out!

July is the annual “Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show”  It was unbelievable.  The entire town was blocked off from traffic.  The little town of Sisters (pop. 1700) hosted 20,000 people to view 1500 quilts displayed….everywhere.  I loved it!

This month, we took the motorhome down to Roseburg for our annual Fox Family Campout.   Everyone had a great time.  This picture of the kids and their bags of candy is the aftermath of a piñata.  Fun…fun…fun

Camryn made carmeled apples and they were a real hit!

Our family………Marc, Maria, Camryn and Colby…….Brandon, Karen, Ben and Anna…
along with Grandma and Papa.

This month ended with a campout for the fellas.  Mike and our two sons…along with their two sons went up to the Mount Hood area, pitched their tents, tried their hands at fishing and did whatever fellas do.  They had so much fun….they are already talking about camping out next year.

June 2010

The weather has finally turned to summer!  I had my doubts but yes “It’s Beautiful Here!!”

Mike and Brandon with their friend Brad completed the Blue Lakes Triathlon in early June.  All of them did fantastic.  Mike wasn’t completely comfortable with the swim portion and so he is taking swim lessons to improve his swim mechanics.

While in the Portland area, we were able to see a baseball game for our grandson, Ben. 
It was so much fun watching the little guys. 

The next day, Anna had her 5^th birthday party.  Our little princess is really growing up so fast.  It was pouring down rain and the people bringing the outdoor activities for the party, called 90 minutes before the party cancelling !!  Karen was as cool as a cucumber and she organized games and prizes in no time.  All of the kids had a blast.

Next stop we got to watch Colby’s baseball game.  Watching him really brought back memories…of all the games we watched when the boys were young.

Back in Sunriver, we went up to the Lava Cast Forest.  It was really interesting.  Thousands of years ago, a nearby volcano erupted and covered the area. 

After the trees that survived the lava flow died off, they left casts in the hardened lava.

Our summer home !!

The sun that has now appeared has brought out our flowers.

And now that summer is here, babies are showing up. 
Momma and her baby show up most every day.