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Welcome to Our Photo Gallery & Travelblog
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30 September 2005: The distant fogbank came inland bringing a chilly rain and much fog. There are too many days like this in this area for me, but Tom loves cool, foggy, rainy days. The cats find these to be good napping days. 29 September 2005: Our drive from Yachats to Brookings, OR, was once again awesome with breath-taking views of the Pacific Ocean. A fogbank kept its distance and the sun sparkled on the waves. Occasionally some fog crept in toward the mountains adding a mysterious quality to our views. We were treated to a very nice sunset here in the harbor. The cats seem to remember Driftwood RV Park and both took leisurely ventures up the hill behind us. Perhaps they just remember the smell of the salty sea. Tom feels at home here, too. 28 September 2005: Health challenges in my family are calling me back East. We headed south along the Oregon Coast today stopping between Yachats and Florence OR for an overnight stay at Sea Perch RV Park which is right on the ocean. We were treated to a beautiful orange sunset. We will arrive in Brookings tomorrow where we will park the RV seasonally through January while I visit family and we go to Germany during the winter holidays. 24 September 2005: After a week of worrying about Hurricane Rita and some illness in my family, we took a break with our friends Michael and Sandra and drove into Portland. We visited Riverview Cemetery where Virgil Earp is buried and ate at Jake's Seafood Restaurant. We could see Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St. Helens along the way. Many more leaves are beginning to show their fall colors of yellow and red. You may view photos from our cemetery walk at our new gallery, Riverview Cemetery. 15 September 2005: We took a very long drive up to see Mt. St. Helens on 13 September 2005. She was steaming and we got some great photos to add to our gallery of Mountains, Forests, and Volcanoes. Yesterday, our friend Michael made our RV look like new with his power washer and we enjoyed dinner from "Freddy's" with him and Sandra. The weather has turned very cool with afternoon temperatures in the low 60's, and a fall chill is in the air. 10 September 2005: Finally, a cool, rainy day for reading. Time to get back to Harry Potter! Tomorrow, if the sun shines, we'll take a day trip to Mt. St. Helens. I'm ready to get back to photography with my good camera equipment. That volcano beckons to be photographed! 09 September 2005: It's been one whole week and we're still talking about moving back to VA. Tom is researching the possibility of building an earth sheltered home or house partially underground. He's found two interesting websites: Earth Sheltered Technology, Inc. and Davis Caves Construction. His parents live in an earth sheltered home that they built in WV. While these homes are more expensive to build in the beginning, they are cost effective in the long haul because they conserve energy, and they are safer from storms and earthquakes than other kinds of homes. I think if we didn't already have plans for the holidays, we'd be heading back East tomorrow, before we change our minds, again! But, we have way overdue medical appointments scheduled in Brookings in October and our trip to Germany is scheduled in December. We don't want to be living in the RV again in the dead of winter in VA like last year. Our pipes froze and so did we! So, we'll keep our appointments and flights and begin our trek back across the country in February heading southwest then east to travel in warm weather. Two rainy days are predicted for this area; we will welcome them as it's dry here and the fall crops are being harvested so the air is dusty. This is also a very industrial area along the Columbia River, so there's some pollution in the air, too. Perhaps the rain will clean-up the air for us and help me get rid of this constant sinus headache. A few leaves are falling, so there's leaf mold floating around, too. Tree sperm in the spring and leaf mold in the fall aggravate my sinuses. There's a huge factory across the river. I didn't know what it was until the winds shifted and I recognized the smell which made me think of where my folks live in VA, not too far from a papermill. Continuously, huge ships and barges parade up and down the Columbia River carrying cargo. They make the fishing and sail boats look like toys. 07 September 2005: We're still hanging out on the Columbia River in Woodland, WA... We're visiting with our friends Sandra and Michael whom we met in Brookings, OR. Tom is studying German every morning in preparation for our trip to Germany this Christmas. It seems difficult to have any fun right now, given the disaster in the Gulf States. The weather is warm in the afternoons, but cool in the mornings and evenings, like fall should be. There is a chill in the air, both from the autumn weather and the depressed mood of our country. 02 September 2005: This morning, Tom greets me with, "You're right. We should live closer to our families." He is, once again, researching real estate options in Elkton, VA, near my sister's farm-orchard, Harrisonburg, and James Madison Univeristy. We've settled into a much quieter RV Park on the Columbia River in Woodland, WA. I continue to watch on TV the disaster in the South caused by Hurricane Katrina. Why is help taking so long? We knew this could happen, but we were not prepared. Are we prepared for another terrorist attack? I don't think so. Politicians create illusions of safety and comfort short term to get our votes in the next election. Live for today because safety is an illusion. 01 September 2005: Today is really 01 September! Tom is tired of parking lots and trailer parks, Harry Cat, too. Today, Tom filled-up our truck, Ruby, at the cost of $157.90!! We think it's time to look for a house, park the RV, and buy a sensible vehicle for running errands. Tom can breathe here on the West Coast. Breathing is important. As long as I can be warm, feel tsunami safe, and visit folks back East often, I'm agreeable to this. We are also missing our "stuff" packed in storage. We might change our minds later this evening, but that's how we're feeling this morning. We plan to house-hunt between Florence and Eugene, OR. Change is inevitable. What a mess Katrina has caused in the Gulf region! Don't rebuild below sea level and don't build at sea level: Mother Nature is beautiful, but she can be dangerous and deadly. We have been reminded of this often with recent natural disasters: the tsunami in Asia, hurricanes in US, typhoons in China, volcanic eruptions in Mexico, and flooding in Europe. The terrorists can take a break because Mother Nature is creating enough terror of her own. 01 September 2005: It's not September yet, but we'll still be watching CNN for days into September as the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina takes its toll on those areas devastated by her wrath, "our tsunami." As Tom and I travel around the USA, we search for a safe place to live. The Gulf Coast area is not that place. The West Coast is not that place either with its earthquakes and volcanoes. We're camping within a short driving distance of Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens. We'll continue our search ... We'll take a few day trips to Mt. St. Helens in WA and Mt. Hood in OR. No eruptions, please. I also want to visit the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in WA to do some photography with my telephoto lens. We'll also be spending some playtime with Michael and Sandra, friends we made in Brookings, OR, who have moved to WA. Some of the leaves are turning here, some brown, some yellow; fall is on its way. I can feel in my bones that it's time to go back to school... |
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