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.

May 2010

We started out May in Moab Utah at a 4-Wheelin’ Rally.  The weather was sunny and the rally was a great bunch of folks. (over 200 people)

Yes there is beauty in the desert.  I’m not sure how these cactus get enough water to produce these gorgeous blooms………..but the blooms are everywhere.

In Arches National Park just a few miles from downtown Moab, there are amazing rock formations.

Just a couple of old retired folks!

Off roading takes us to parts unknown……..beautiful parts unknown!

This is my favorite trail……..Long Canyon.  The views are breath takingly beautiful.

Next Stop……..our lot in Sunriver, Oregon.  It feels good to be back – but BOY o’ BOY is it COLD!!

It even snowed one day!

We ended the month with a short trip up to the La Grande, Oregon area.  Before our brother-in-law, Ron, passed away last summer, he requested that his ashes be spread at his favorite hunting spot just outside of La Grande.  About 30 of us met and spent a day hiking through the mountainous countryside until we found the spot. 
Ron was right……it was beautiful.

April 2010

April is one of my favorite months in Indio.  The crowds are leaving, things quiet down and the weather is wonderful!

The flowers are still beautiful and the grass is still green.  I love it!  But……..we all must leave.  Toward the end of the month, we (like everyone else) began to pack up and ready the lot for the summer.

We headed to Moab Utah for a 4-Wheelin’ Jeep rally.  It is so incredibly beautiful here.  This picture looks like it was painted…….but it’s just one of a host of beautiful views.

Stoli is getting old and is really slowing down (he’s 14 ½ now) but he still loves to go
off-roading.  He gets so excited when I put on his scarf.

This was a view from “Poison Spider” (a jeep run)  If you look way down in the middle of the arch……..yes, that’s a road way down there. 
We were way, way, way up on a ridge.

Utah is an absolutely gorgeous state.  There are so many incredible National and State parks.  I am overwhelmed at the beauty here.  We plan to stay two weeks.

March 2010

March is over!  This glorious month is already over.  I don’t like seeing these days speeding by so fast.

Our resort had a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society with the money going to research.  We raised $18,000 dollars in just one day.  We had luminaries and mine for my brother, David, was among them.

In March, we had a great Italian dinner and yours truly was one of
the servers……..a lot of fun!

Kathy Ross hosted a lovely luncheon for our dear friend Sharon Leonard.  We all had a great time together….a wonderful afternoon.

Mike continues to love his off-roading.  On this trip, they found a lost mine.  The sign says “Keep Out”…..makes it all the more interesting.

The flowers were beautiful when the desert came into bloom.  The blooms don’t last too long but they are gorgeous for a few days.  The desert was alive with purple, white and bright yellow.

Another quilt this month, not exactly my favorite but I was able to practice my machine quilting and I was very proud of the way my machine handled.  It was lots of fun!