From Pasco to Lewiston

We had an uneventful trip from Pasco to Lewiston. We keep telling ourselves that we can sleep in ~ but alas we only sleep till 8:30 or so. Guess we don't need to sleep in much later than that. Our day began with a walk to the RV store just down from the KOA. Had to pick up a new shower hose. Upon our return to the motor home Ron replaced the shower hose and we readied the motor home for travel. We were on the road at 11:07 a.m.

We left Pasco and connected with Highway 124 to Highway 12 to Clarkston, WA. First stop was to get gas. So not used to filling the suburban and the motor home. We will have to re~evaluate our budget to include that I guess. The drive was through countryside and small towns.

This is through the town of Pomeroy.

We slowed down to about 5 miles per hour because we were following this tractor thingy. Ron told me what it was called but I don't remember what he said. Guess I had better pay attention next time.

The open road ~ the skies were clear. Made for a great day of traveling. Ron says if we stay in the Lewiston area we could have lots of these types of days. But I keep feeling the pull back to Blaine.

I was trying to get a picture of the farm we were passing. Danalyn thinks I am crazy to be taking pictures while driving.

I was trying to get a close up of the welcome to the town sign. I don't aim to well while driving.

Just another view going through a small town.

Another small town and their welcome sign. Guess I had better start to pay attention to the names of these towns. Kinda hard to make notes though while driving. I did call Ron on the walkie-talkie and tell him we definitely need to get a smaller vehicle to tow behind us so I don't have to drive separately from him.

Another small town welcome sign.

This is where we stopped for lunch along Highway 12. We were parked in the shade of this old grainery. After we pulled away I realized I should have walked around because the view to the left of this was gorgeous. I was paying attention to where I was driving so didn't get a picture of the lush green hillside.

We think this is the county courthouse in ???. It was a beautiful building and so I wanted a picture. I did pull off and park to get this shot. Aren't you glad Danalyn?

We arrived in Clarkston about 2:45 p.m. Checked in at the office and then pulled into our site. We quickly plugged in the power and leveled up the motor home so we could get to the important stuff ~ going to Lewiston ~ we had people to see~ We are staying at Hells Canyon RV & Marina Resort right on the Snake River. We are about 5 miles from Brandon & Danalyn's place in Lewiston.

Hope you enjoyed this little jaunt with us. Will write more later.

Our Day in Pasco

Our day in Pasco was wonderful. We planned on sleeping in but woke up about 8:00 a.m. It must have been enough sleep because we both felt rested and ready for a new day. We busied ourselves around the motor home till about 9:00 when we decided to go for a walk around the campground. There are five roads running throughout the park and we walked all of them. The skies were clear and blue and the sun was shining. It was fun to walk because we wanted to, not because we had to get somewhere and get there quick. One of the commitments we have made to each other is to continue walking each day. We hope to do at least 30 minutes a day. After our walk we went back to the motor home and did a little more straightening up and made our phone calls to Employment Security. This is our waiting week plus they have to get our information from Oregon to see how much we will get. For Ron, because he was self employed prior to March 24th they have to go forward a quarter to make him qualify. Sure hope it doesn't take long to do that. They may have to do the same for me...it will depend on if I have enough hours from Blaine School District, The C Shop and Northwood along with my hours with Funtastic. We will hear in the next week or so if we qualify and what are benefits will be. Please keep this situation in your prayers as being able to draw unemployment will help us till we know where we go from here.

After breakfast it was time to go to Gayle's for the afternoon. It was so good to see her along with her daughter's Brandy and Lindsey. We also got to meet Lily who is three weeks old and see her big brother Jaxon again. We had not seen him since summer of 2009. It was fun to see everybody, playing with Jaxon and getting lots of baby holding in. Thanks Gayle for sharing your Grands with us!

Grandma Gayle with Lily and Jaxon

Gayle, Brandy and Lily. Gayle has done a great job raising her girls. Brandy is a delightful young woman who smiles from the inside out. She is following in her Momma's footsteps raising two beautiful little ones!

Jaxon and me....he is such a cuddler and happy little boy. He is four months older than Christopher and just made me miss Christopher even more. But alas, we will see Christopher tomorrow.

Lyndsey and Maxwell. Lydnsey is a bubbly gal and we enjoy visiting with her.

Here is Jackson outside...Ron was sweet and went outside for a little while keeping Jaxon entertained so us girls could visit. Thanks Ron for being a great cousin to little Jaxon.

Here is a view out Gayle's backyard. Last time we were there it was a giant field. Now it is being readied for a new housing development.

Gayle's raised bed garden.

Jaxon in the swing. We just love his curly hair.

Brandy greeting Jaxon as he comes in the back door.

Another view out Gayle's back yard.

Another picture of Jaxon. He is a bundle of energy and joy. He welcomed us with lots of hugs and kisses.

Here is a picture Ron took of Jaxon that he turned into a drawing with our camera. We are still learning how to use the darn thing. Maybe now we will have time to read the manual (which we have to read online ~ they don't even give you books any more).

We left Gayle's about 3:00 and then made a stop at the grocery store. We only needed a few things and then returned to the motor home. We both took a nap in the afternoon ~ what a nice way to spend part of our day ~ just relaxing! In the evening Ron took one of the walkie-talkie's and went on another walk. I took advantage of the time and wrote a few blogs (this is the third and last one for the day).

After dinner I finished writing on my blog and Ron watched television ~ another thing he has not had a chance to do since the fair in Eugene.

Tomorrow we are off to Lewiston. Spoke to Max tonight. He is excited to know we are finally going to make it to his place. Found out he has Thursday and Friday off so we will take him to the motor home Wednesday night and then pick up Christopher on Friday night and have them both through the weekend. Saturday Danalyn and I have a girls date ~ we are going to get a pedicure and have some mother/daughter time! So looking forward to being there with all them and just enjoying their little family.

Prayer Requests ~

~ for a safe journey tomorrow to Lewiston
~ for our unemployment benefits to go through quickly and without any problems
~ for great rest and relaxation while we are in Lewiston while at the same time being with Brandon, Dananlyn, Max and Christopher ~ help us keep a balance and not get too exhausted
~ for decisions about future work

That's all for now! Will write more later tomorrow night ~ as I want to share about our time with the carnival and the friends we made along the way.

From Puyallup to Pasco

We are in Pasco, WA. We actually arrived last night about 5:45 p.m. Pulled into the KOA and was set up by 6:00 p.m. $35 a night seems a little pricey but since we have not had to pay for camping the last seven months it will be okay and it is only for two nights.

Let me back up a little....Saturday morning found us straightening up the motor home and getting it ready to travel. We were not quite sure if we were leaving Saturday or Sunday. We were waiting to hear from Cory & Karen ~ Cory was Jamie's 3rd grade teacher at Dick Scobee Elementary in Auburn, WA. We have kept in contact with them through the years. Ron saw both of them at the Puyallup Spring Fair and then again at the Big Puyallup. Cory did surprise me one day at the Big Puyallup by coming by the Customer Service Window. Cory called and we made plans to meet for dinner at Applebee's on the South Hill. Here is a peak at what Cory & Karen are busy doing:Aren't they just the cutest little babies. Hmm...wonder if we could take one with us in the motor home?

So we finished cleaning up the motor home and then went to play for the afternoon. We went into Sumner and walked up and down Main Street. We saw lots of Halloween decorations, scarecrows and people. We enjoyed looking in antique stores, found a little book for Christopher about Halloween, and just enjoying being together with no demands.

In the evening we joined Cory & Karen for dinner. We had the 2 for $20. The guys each had a steak and Karen and I had the chicken w/spinach ravioloi. We also had spinach/artichoke dip with chips and mozarella (know it's spelled wrong but can't get my spell check to give me any suggestions) sticks. Here we are at the end of our meal. We had a good time getting caught up with each other and sharing memories of Jamie in 3rd grade. Cory mentioned how much of a reader Jamie was - he still is and I think he is passing that love for books onto Opal.


On our way home from Applebee's we got a text from Ron's brother, John, asking us where we were. Told him we were still in Puyallup. After texting back & forth found out John & Fawn were in Puyallup to see her mom. John asked if we were up to some company ~ any time to see family we are! So after a few minutes John was at the motor home. It had been since March since we had seen him. It was good to catch up with him and his family. We had a good visit and before we knew it, it was 11:00 p.m. and John had to get back to his m-i-l's. Thanks for visiting John we can't wait to connect with you and Fawn once we are back in Blaine.

Sunday morning we were up early and readied the motor home for our trip to Pasco. We made many stops along the way...first stop being Costco for gas for the motor home and the suburban. I had picked it up while in Blaine so that we would have a car for visiting and taking side trips while in Pasco, Lewiston and wherever else we stop on our way back to Blaine. It is great to have the car but also adds to our expenses of buying gas for two vehicles and we don't get to ride together. While in Salem we bought walkie-talkie's so we could communicate with each other while in separate vehicles. Well we found out Sunday morning that one had not been set into the charger correctly so it was a quiet drive for both of us.

After stopping at Costco we drove to Enumclaw to attend church. We went to

We got there in time for Ron to have a cup of coffee before the service started at 9:30 a.m. It was wonderful to be back in the house of the Lord and sharing in fellowship with other believers. To our delight they were only singing hymn's. We had mentioned earlier how much we both love hymns and wish that we sang more at Northwood (hint, hint) and here we were blessed to sing hymn after hymn. We were made to feel welcome by everyone we met. The sermon was from 1st John 2: 18 - end. I was reminded how important it is to remember what I have been taught and to keep the Lord's word hidden in my heart. There were many times while working/traveling with the carnival that God's word would come to mind. I am so thankful for the verses I had committed to memory as a child. Reminds me now that I should be memorizing more scriptures even today. We were also able to participate in the taking of the Lord's Supper. Communion and being with other believers is something I truly have missed the last seven months. As I have mentioned to a few - you really don't know what you have till you don't have it any more. Believe me, I will not be taking it for granted any more that I can go to church when and where I want to.

After the service we made our way back to the motor home. We had parked on the road across from the church. It was too sharp of a right hand turn into their parking lot with the motor home. So we parked the motor home and drove the suburban ~ thank goodness we have it with us. We then got back on Highway 410 and headed to Mt. Rainier. This is the view I had as I drove the suburban:

Ron is leading. The skies were overcast and it was drizzling a little bit. The following pictures were taken in the park...this is a picture of the river along one of the campgrounds. Once we were in the park we parked the motor home and took the suburban up to Sunrise Point. We were looking to see if we could find a place to camp for the night.

This is a picture of the lodge up at Sunrise Point. As you can see it was very foggy.

Another picture of another old building up there. It was so foggy that you could not even see the trees behind the buildings.

This is a small waterfall in the campground. We drove through it to see if we could camp there for the night BUT no vehicles over 27' and we are 37' so we continued back down the mountain.

This is a bridge we crossed leading out of the park. It was good to be out of the fog. The bridge was over Frying Pan Creek.
This is me following Ron after we left the park. At some points the fog was so thick it was like driving through a snow storm. We both commented how scary it was going up and then down the mountain pass.

Clear skies once we were over the mountain and safely in Eastern Washington.

We drove down the east side and passed many campgrounds along the river. I need to teach Ron how to check his mirrors once in awhile. For approximately 15 miles I flashed my lights, turned them on/off trying to get his attention to pull over. We did not have cell phone service so I could not call him. I was trying to get his attention to see if he wanted to stop for the night at a campground along the river. Once we had cell phone service I sent him a text saying "Stop when you can." He finally pulled over, said he never saw me flash my lights at him ~ we both said in unison "we need to make sure the walkie-talkie's work when we leave Pasco."

So Ron was on the lookout for a place to stay for the night. Deciding that Wine Country RV Park was too expensive we just drove on to Pasco. We pulled in at Shady Point RV (aka KOA Pasco), paid our $70 for two nights of camping and settled in. Realized I didn't have Gayle's phone number so left a message for Brandy on her cell phone and then sent Facebook messages to Gayle, Brandy & Lindsey to call us when they got the message so we could catch up with them. Brandy called in the evening and we made plans to get together for lunch on Monday.

All in all we had a great day: celebrating with other believers, enjoying God's creation even though it was scary at times and had an uneventful trip to Pasco. Talk to you all again soon.

Being in Blaine for a Couple of Days

Hi Everybody! I have decided to do blog posts every couple of days of where we are and what we are doing along with adding in blogs of our life, thoughts, pictures from our time with the carnival along with a blog with Ron. Thanks everyone for the questions...will be getting to that one in a couple of days once we are settled in at Lewiston, ID.

Tuesday Gerald & Sandra drove to Puyallup to pick me up. They arrived just as lunch was winding down for the tear down crew so they were able to see Ron for a few minutes. And then we were off for Blaine. As we got close to Bellingham, Charles called Sandra. She mentioned they were on their way home from Puyallup and that I was in the car. Charles asked her if I had to be taken by handcuffs ~ I think he thought I was being held by captives. First stop in Blaine was at Nichole & Marquez' to pick up the Suburban. As I was pulling out of the driveway, 3 yr old Julian started crying "No, don't let it go! No, you can't take it!" It was sad to watch him cry. I am sure he thought the Suburban was theirs as they had used it for the seven months we were with the carnival. Sure hope he didn't cry too long.

I went spent 2 1/2 days in Blaine at Gerald & Sandra's. Enjoyed their hospitality which included delicious dinners, lots of laughter and great talks...what was missing was Ron. The three of us promised Ron that we would include him next time.

Here is Sandra & Gerald putting the final touches on dinner. We had grilled/roasted chicken with a seasoned rub along with baked potatoes and salad. It was delicious.Sandra putting the final touches on our salad.

A picture of the chicken fresh off the grill. The chicken cooker (for lack of a better name) is a pottery dish kinda shaped like an angel food cake pan but the center is not hollow. Gerald put seasonings and lemon juice in the center for cooking on the grill. Sorry for cutting Gerald off in the picture.

Here is a closer picture of the chicken. Makes me drool just thinking about how tasty it was.

Another view of the chicken.

And this is what is left...maybe a good thing Ron wasn't there :)

Wednesday I had lunch with my friend Dee (forgot the camera on my jaunts on Wednesday) at Bob's Burgers and then we walked over to Wood's Coffee to continue our visiting. Late in the afternoon I met Kristen, Jade & Coral at Peace Arch Park. In the evening I joined Gerald & Sandra over at Bud & Kay Dee's for another delicious dinner and great conversation. It was a fun day to be visiting with friends and seeing familiar faces.

I could not wait for Thursday morning. Getting to spend time with Opal, Jamie & Suzanne. We met at Big Al's for breakfast. Well I had breakfast and they had lunch. Here is Opal taking a nap on the bench. She actually only stayed down for about 30 seconds. I was so amazed at how tall she has gotten. Was told when she was measured at age 2 they said she should be 5'9" or so. Jamie thinks she got some of Brandon's tall genes.

Another cute picture of Opal.

Jamie & Opal inside Big Al's.
Here is Grammy, Opal and Jamie. Can you see how much Opal looks like her daddy.

Here we are again. Can you believe the sunshine in October? So thankful for whom ever ordered up the beautiful weather.

And here she is checking out Grammy's little pink pig.

After a delightful time it was time for Jamie to head to school and Suzanne & Opal had an appointment in Bellingham. Too short a visit but glad I was able to spend that time with them. I think Ron was a little jealous ~ he will see Opal the end of October once we are back in Blaine.

I then went and spent a couple of hours sharing with Charles about our time with the carnival. Of course, his question was when are we coming home? I told him we will be back in Blaine between the 25th & 31st of October. We will be looking for work and praying for God's leading. Ron would like to travel somewhere, I am ready to settle in one place. We need to figure out what we are going to do in the future ~ are we going back to the carnival next year? Will Ron reopen Alion Plumbing & Home Repair. I am looking forward to being back at the church doing my secretary thing. Feel free to pray for us in the coming days/weeks as we reflect on the past seven months and contemplate our future. Then it was off to see Marla and then back to G & S's for a little down time. As we were getting ready for dinner Ron called to say they were done with tear down. Everyone was surprised that it was Thursday and they were done. Fini! Usually they don't finish up till late Friday evening or Saturday morning. Ron sounded tired, so I was glad to hear he could rest on Friday. In the evening we all went to Bible study. Watched a movie on the Book of Ruth. It was so good to share in corporate prayer with other believers.

Friday morning found me sharing a great breakfast of poached eggs & toast with Gerald & Sandra before heading to Bellingham and then Puyallup to rejoin up with Ron. First stop was an appointment with Dr. Moore. He needed to see me before he would renew my prescriptions. Funny how doctor's can be about those things. I was eager to get on the scale. I thought I had lost about 15 lbs since joining the carnival. I was pleasantly surprised to find out I had lost 22 lbs! Dr. Moore was also pleased to hear that Ron had lost over 30 lbs in 7 months. Now to keep up the walking and adding in some Wii bowling & tennis to keep up the losing. Then off to Puyallup. By the time I arrived Ron had moved the motor home over to the fair campground. It was definitely time to dump the tanks! We had gone 24 days without dumping!

We just relaxed Friday evening and called it an early night. It was good to be together again and think about our next adventure.