Blowin’ in the wind

See that nice picture from yesterday? Forget it. Big wind started at 6am and blew for 11 hours. Gusts to 60mph, occasional heavy rain thru constant showers. Good thing we fixed our leaky windows prior to this storm. 97 mph gust in Bellingham, not so far from our summer home in Concrete. We were cozy and warm throughout…typing, cooking, catching up on business.

Jenna’s computer hard drive has been buzzing for months now. I convinced Dell today to replace the hard drive. DHL will deliver a new one to our RV in a few days. Now this I hafta see, and maybe take a picture. Do they deliver pizza too? Maybe we can drive our diesel trucks together around the parking lot

I continue to correspond with our Mexican bound friend Gene (and Joyce) Shea (Hi Gene!) as we plan our trip South of the Border. I continue to contain my excitement…barely.

What will tomorrow bring?

Bruce

Settled

We have returned to the Pacific coast, at Winchester Bay, south of Reedsport, OR. At a beautiful county park between the ocean and the marina. We passed it by at first, mistaking it for a private resort! Some Rvers in Astoria told us about this place.

We paid for a full week. And later extended it a few more days, so we could leave on a Monday for a new park, rather than arrive on a Friday again.

Aaah, to park for a while, just hang out. Well, we still have plenty more stuff to go thru, paring down. Plus install the several items we bought at Camping World yesterday. Honestly, we only went there for one thing.

Still, we're here for a while. Till we decide to leave, actually.

Bruce

Free at Last!

Finally we have gone thru all our obligations for repairs and other business that keeps us here in Eugene and elsewhere. Finally we can begin the life of retired full-time Rvers, with no obligations and schedules. Finally!!

Tomorrow we return to the OR coast, starting with a county park in Reedsport that someone told us about. Tho it remains a mystery right now as I can't find mention of it on the Lane County web site..oh well. Then on to Harris Beach State Park and further south to the Redwoods.

We have since heard from another person traveling to Mexico after Quartzite. Looks likely that we will cross the border one way or another. Ole!

Bruce

Hurry up and ….

Still in Eugene, after returning from a week in Oly, partly waiting for the leaking windows to arrive. The RV dealer fixed most of our trailer. But not the most significant problem of the BR slide binding when we open it. He will try tomorrow afternoon, which means another full day here waiting.

Humbug to anyone who thinks that we sit around the campfire at night after a day relaxing in the lounge chair or by the pool. Except for last week's respite in Olympia, we’ve been packing up and moving almost every day for the past two weeks. Hopefully we’ll soon finish our fixups and spend time on something other than the trailer.

Today is the first day we’re using our automated satellite dish on the roof for internet service. Push a button…YES!

Bruce

Commerce redux

OK, so maybe not so bad. One day after I whine about trying to order my whiz bang ladder, I find it by chance in Fred Meyers. After numerous calls to hardware stores in two states along our route, I might point out…but I won’t. Life is good again. Doesn’t take much, does it?

I spent much time in the past few days making arrangements for my mother’s funeral. And additional processes wrapping up her financial and other affairs. Do you know that Social security takes back the entire month’s check when you die?!? Do they think that the family gets a refund on that month’s rent and food and medical care?

Son: My mother died this month, so I don’t expect to pay for the electricity she used for her iron lung and the DVD player.

Utility rep: Well certainly, Mr. Brod. And we’ll call the nursing home for you and make sure they don’t charge you either. Have a nice day...under the circumstances.

Who makes up these rules anyway? Remember that one earns a retirement pension. It’s not a welfare program.

I blame W. First the Iraq War, now this.

Bruce

Commerce OTR

Ahh, the full-timers life. Trying to get goods by mail when you don't know where you're going, let alone how long you'll stay there.

I want to buy a particular ladder to reach the top of the slides for cleaning. As well as particular Coleman camping chairs. If you want to judge a fulltimer, look at his chairs. Can't find either in stores. Can find them on Amazon.com .

But how do we take delivery? We don't know where we're going, other than we've never gone this way before. So how long will we stay whereever we're going when we don't know if we'll like it, whereever it is? Nor where to send whatever we want.

Last time I sent out an item, I spent hours on the phone with numerous people at Dell computers, trying to get them to send a package to a shipping store in Tillamook, OR. Only to have the store send it back because I didn't arrive earlier than I said I would. So that Dell could send it back to Tillamook where we had already left. So Tillamook could send it to Newport. Sighhh.

Maybe I could mount a stool on the roof in front of each slideout, so I could sit down when I climb up onto the roof.

Bruce

Hitch itch

Two days ago, the RV dealer called. New windows for our trailer did not arrive as planned. Hopefully in a few days. Thus they expect to finish the work on Tues, 11/6, a four day delay.

Plus we've not heard from the satellite dish on the roof installer, who did not finished the installation prior to our departure. So we don't know if we must plan to stay in Eugene for another day upon our return.

Gettin' hitch itch already. Wanna hit the road again. We had waited a month for this RV repair, waiting to get going and live the life without an itinerary.

Equanimity….

Bruce