Gone Campin’ for July 4th!

On July 7, 2014May 29, 2018 By stefrobrtsIn airstream, barclay, dave, navi, outdoors, pets1 Comment

Time to pull out the Airstream again and go camping. This time our friends Scott and Sherry (and their pups Sake and Sitka, who we frequently doggie-sit) invited us to join them at one of the RV Resorts they camp at – KM Resorts Ocean Breeze at Ocean City, WA.

Navi and Barclay are buckled up and ready to go!

We stopped along the way to get a pic of our handsome new rig. I’m still delighted with how the Flex tows, how maneuverable it is with the trailer (Dave has a much easier time getting the Airstream in and out of it’s home behind the house than he did with the van) and of course, how it looks. I think they make a sharp-looking pair!

We got there and they had saved us a cozy little spot in the trees. The campground is heavily wooded, and felt very private where we were. Other rows were much busier though, so this was a great spot. There were a lot of mosquitoes too, because you can’t have everything perfect!

In no time we had the dog yard set up and the dogs were barking at everyone going by – business as usual! Our friends were camped with their giant 5th wheel right next door, on the other side of the trees. Unfortunately I didn’t take many pictures because it rained so much I ended up leaving my camera safe and dry inside for most of the weekend.

They had us come join them for 4th of July, because the beach at Ocean City, and for quite a distance up and down the shore, turns into a giant party. I’ve really never seen anything like it, and I’ve lived in the NW my whole life. I’ve never even HEARD of such a thing. Of course I grew up in Oregon, where the beaches are treated like they are kind of sacred. They are preserved and kept natural for the enjoyment of all. It was kind of appalling to see people driving up and down the beach in WA, camped out, with big bonfires, car camping with windbreaks built up all around them, firing off fireworks. It was probably the closest I’ll ever get to Burning Man, I’ve just never seen anything like it.

Here in this video I took before dark to see the cars as far as you can see in both directions, several camps deep between the dunes and the driving area, and then more people parked between the driving area and the water.

//player.vimeo.com/video/100067592
beach party from Stephanie on Vimeo.

In this video after dark you can just make out fireworks off in the distance. These were BIG fireworks, being shot off probably a few miles down the beach, and then I panned over the same view as in the video before dark. Now you can see fireworks all the way up the beach to the North, as far as you can see. It was really an amazing sight!

//player.vimeo.com/video/100067593
fireworks after dark from Stephanie on Vimeo.

The next day we explored Aberdeen, WA, had some very good clam chowder, and then lazed around and rested. I love napping in the Caravel on rainy days. I just get warm fuzzy tingly all over, it makes me so happy. The Caravel is just a warm and cozy place to listen to the rain falling.

We spent a bit of time around the campfire (in and out of the rain), and had a nice dinner with our friends, and then Dave and I went to hit the nearby indian casino and dropped $40 in less than 40 minutes! Not as much fun as I’d been led to believe!

The next morning we woke up early and decided to head out early. There was something interesting we’d seen on our way to the beach that we wanted to check out on the way home.

It is an abandoned unfinished nuclear power plant near Elma, WA. Wow, seeing those cooling towers peeking over the tree-covered hills really got my attention – we had to take a detour to visit it.

This nuclear plant has been reclaimed by turning it in to a business park. It was unfinished and never had nuclear material in it, so the power plant parts of the structure just sit abandoned and taking up space. Look at the top of the unfinished containment building, the rebar is just sticking up out of the top!

Looks like they at least put a top on the other containment building before they abandoned the whole project.

There are two cooling towers. Far enough apart I couldn’t get both in one picture.

And now they sit surrounded by weeds and wildflowers.

They are really really really BIG! They sit there hollow and empty.

Well, that was pretty fun, and totally worth the side trip. We hung out there for a bit and ate breakfast before continuing the journey home.

When we got home we decontaminated the trailer – just kidding! It was time for it’s annual bath, and the weather was too lousy last time we took it out. This was a nice day, so we gave it a good scrub before putting it away under it’s carport. I can’t wait to see where we take it out to next.

Adorable-ness

On July 4, 2014 By stefrobrtsIn barclay1 Comment

Barclay is not a morning person. In fact, when I have to get up and go to work, he sneaks up and lays on my still warm pillow and goes back to sleep. I am also not a morning person, so it is hard not to just cuddle up to him and go back to sleep myself!

–

Trout Lake, 2014

On July 2, 2014May 29, 2018 By stefrobrtsIn airstream, barclay, dave, Me, navi, travel1 Comment

This is a late post because I have fallen horribly behind on my blogging.

As usual, we spent Memorial Weekend in Trout Lake. Actually, I guess it wasn’t usual, because the last couple years our attendance has been spotty, but this time we were there for the whole weekend, and it was great, as always.

This was our first trip with the new rig – our ’09 Ford Flex was finally all prepped, the new hitch was installed and setup, and it was all ready to pull our wee little trailer.

Pulled like a champ!

The dogs had to put up with the new travel rules in the Flex, namely that they have to be buckled in (since they are surrounded by airbags, and if there was an accident I want them to be safe). They both have new Sleepypod Click-It harnesses that fasten into the safety anchors in the back seat and keep them securely in place.

They did great, with only minor tantrums from Barclay. Navi handled it fine, considering she doesn’t care for car rides at all!

Before we knew it we were among our people again 🙂 Surrounded by Airstreams!

And there is NOTHING like the jaw-dropping view of the mountain. We come back year after year, and every year I want to just sit and soak it up, it’s so beautiful!

The dogs, and Dave, found the trailer the perfect place to unwind.That’s exactly where Dave spent most of the weekend!

Our old camera phone pictures came out looking pretty surreal.

We got to spend lots of time hanging out with friends, like Gary & Janet, and Jim & Cheryl with Ziggy the insane Boston

Ranger Jon and Stephanie and the kids, Loren and Carolyn and Cosmo the shepherd, and Theresa and Glenn and a small pack of yorkies and her sister Leah who we welcomed even though she drove a Mini-Winnie (it was actually really cool inside), Pat and Janice and their sweet yellow lab, and plenty more folks than that. It was a nice sized group this year!

My crazy dogs. Barclay was totally mellow, but Navi just wanted me to get her out of there!

Don & Claudia from Yreka, who we haven’t had a chance to visit with for way too long!

Beautiful scenery, as always

Fun times in our cozy little trailer.

This was the dogs’ favorite place to watch the activities from (when they weren’t in the dog-yard)! They didn’t want to miss anyone coming or going!

And after three days of potlucks and singing and talking around the campfire it was all over and we had to pack up and head back home and to our daily grind. Whenever we do this it reminds me why we have the Airstream, and we wonder why we don’t do it more often. Maybe this year we will!

Snow Day, 2014

On February 9, 2014 By stefrobrtsIn barclay, dave, navi, snow, TheRancho1 Comment

Barclay wants us to go outside and play!

Pretty Please?

Dave threw him some snowballs.

He didn’t always catch them…

Dave threw some to Navi, but she had her head in a hole!

Did someone throw something at me?

Barclay wants to play stickball

Too cold for this!

The snow just keeps coming down.

We took the Flex out to Fred Meyers to pick up some groceries. It did great! I think the van would have gotten stuck in the driveway!

Our first big snow at The Rancho!

Barclay is glad we went outside to play!

When Barclay stole the garden glove

On September 15, 2013November 25, 2020 By stefrobrtsIn barclay, dave, navi, videoLeave a comment

This video was hosted on Photobucket, but they stopped hosting videos for blog posts a few years ago, and I am having trouble finding it again 😦

Dogs and Dahlias

On July 26, 2013 By stefrobrtsIn barclay, flowers1 Comment

Just snapping some pictures around the backyard. Started with a few pictures of Barclay while he was feeling cooperative. Moved on to the Dahlias that have popped up in the flowerbed.

These Dahlias are really pretty, and have an amazing variety of shapes and colors. I feel like they have a dream-like quality when zoomed in on.

I liked this in particular because the stem is not visible, so it looks like it’s floating there like a puffer fish!

Parsnips

On June 24, 2013November 25, 2020 By stefrobrtsIn barclay, garden, navi, TheRanchoLeave a comment

When we first moved here, Barclay and Navi loved digging up all the carrots the previous owner had planted in the garden. After the carrots were gone, I thought the entertainment was over. We ignored the rest of the garden, including the row of parsnips, and let them grow. They got quite tall – taller than me!

Then Barclay discovered that parsnips are fun to chew on – like carrots!

All he has to do is dig them out and haul them away.

These are sure big!

Nom nom nom…

Good stuff!

Airstream camping in John Day, Oregon

On May 5, 2013 By stefrobrtsIn airstream, barclay, navi, outdoors, photography1 Comment

We spent last weekend with our Airstream friends in John Day Oregon at Clyde Holliday State Recreation Area. There was a super nice campground there, right on the John Day River. I picked it because I heard it was nice, and I’d never been out there before, but it turned out to be a 6 hour drive! Pretty long for just a weekend. But the scenery along the way was incredible, so that made it tolerable.

We started out heading down 84 to The Dalles, and cut over at Biggs, and for the first time got to see the wind power generators. There hadn’t been any of these the last time we headed up to Yakima, which was probably ten years ago. Some people hate them because they are a blight on the landscape, but I thought they were pretty amazing.

Dave found a mountain!

The farther we got into central Oregon, the crazier the scenery got. If you think of evergreens and rain when you think of Oregon, this would change your mind.

We got to the park and got setup. Some early arrivals had saved spots for us, which annoyed the ranger, but they wouldn’t have had to do that if they allowed reservations. Luckily all but one of our group arrived before the Ranger noticed! Then another camper went and paid for the late arrival’s spot and parked their truck in it so it would be saved.

The spots were HUGE – the biggest camping spots I’ve ever seen! Here you can see the distance between our trailer and our neighbor – tons of room!

We set up the ‘dog yard’ so the pooches could relax in the grass.

After a late night of music around the bonfire, the next morning we headed out to visit the Fossil Beds National Monument.

They had a fabulous museum showing many of the amazing fossils they had unearthed in the area. Not dinosaurs, but early mammals – camels and hippos, and tiny horses – it was really interesting! Also plants and seeds and bugs. After the museum we drove up the road to a ‘Blue’ canyon where many fossils were found. It’s hard to see the color in the photos, but it was indeed a light blue color. The rock was very soft and heavily eroded, and that is how the fossilized animals get revealed.

It was an interesting walk, but the dogs didn’t like walking over these bridges, which had bumpy metal grating, and there were a lot of them, so we eventually turned back.

Dogs refused to face the camera!

We drove around a bit more to enjoy the scenery.

Then headed back to the park for an afternoon nap, potluck, and music around the campfire late into the night.

I love these gatherings, but the next morning it was time to go home. We didn’t even wait for breakfast, knowing we had a long day of driving ahead of us. We took a different route to get some new scenery. It was amazing with gentle rolling hills that stretched to the horizon. We also saw many abandoned hoses and barns.

Back into Windmill country

Navi doesn’t enjoy the ride much, but Barclay is a real traveller. He just relaxes and enjoys the ride.

Before long we were back to familiar territory, seeing barges on the Columbia River, and headed home. It was a great weekend, and I loved seeing some scenery I had never seen before.

Wall shelves for the living room

On April 16, 2013 By stefrobrtsIn barclay, dave, TheRancho2 Comments

We have a big empty wall in the living room, and not much to put on it, except this cool vintage clock Dave’s Dad Gave us. I decided to build a shelf around it, so we could have a place to put a few knick-knacks. I sketched up a design.

Then, I hung the clock, and laid out the design using painter’s tape

I went out and took advantage of my newly organized garage and built the shelves (and simplified them by leaving off a couple short shelves I felt weren’t necessary), then laid on a couple coats of stain, but it came out ugly and drippy. So I sanded it clean and got a gel stain, applied that, and it again came out looking terrible. Finally Dave suggested I paint it, and knowing that it would look terrible if just painted brown, I suggested green, to match the carpet.

Dave helped me put in some screws to hang it from the studs so it would be secure.

Tah dah – just as I envisioned it!

Art around The Rancho

On March 27, 2013 By stefrobrtsIn art, barclay, navi, photography, TheRancho3 Comments

We have been having so much fun picking up art for our new home, decorating it with little fun things that make us happy. Really, to me even the furniture seems like art, since it’s all old and unique – it’s unlikely to find similar pieces to the ones we’ve found.

Let’s start with the centerpiece of the bedroom – the geese painting. We found this at an antique store in Portland, but I went home and thought about it for a day before going back to buy it. It wasn’t expensive, I just wasn’t sure about it. I’m glad we got it though, the colors are great for the bedroom, and it started giving us a nature theme to decorate around.

I like the style of it – it feels 70s to me. The way the clouds are just shapes with no definition but the geese look more realistic. The trees and brown grass and reflections in the water, well, that all reminded me of our home in the country and our visits to the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge.

It appears to be an actual painting, not just a print. That’s kind of cool to know we have something which someone actually created with their own hands. Good job, ‘Jane’, whoever you are!

Now we have a goose/nature theme going on in the bedroom. We were buying our couches at another antique store when I spotted these wall plaques, and had to have them:

A closer look:

These were probably part of a triptych, with the center piece being a clock, but the clock is gone. I saw a very similar set with flowers instead of geese on them. But I’m happy to have these, they look great on the wall behind the TV.

There are more bedroom geese coming, but I have one more wall to paint before I show those off. Maybe this weekend.

In the front room we have the Japanese silk paintings, which I’ve shown off before, and the picture of Barclay, and I just added a matching picture of Navi, so these two make a cute set on the wall.

And then there’s the Matador…

Every 70s home needs a Matador! Dave grew up with a Matador painting over the fireplace in his parent’s house. We saw this one on CL for $40, but it was about an hour away. Eventually we saw it in an antique store for $100 and we thought, well, they must have bought it and marked it up and now it was way out of our price range, which was too bad because it was pretty impressive in person. It’s a print with painted highlights. Then we saw it on CL again the next week! There were two of them in town! So we ran out to the folks selling it for $40 and bought it. As the lady handed it to us she gave us a funny look and said ‘Are you sure this fits into your décor?’, in a way that indicated she didn’t think it could possibly fit into ANYONE’S décor! Oh yes, we assured her. And it fits very nicely into the living room, particularly with the yellow couches. We LOVE the Matador!

My latest acquisition was a Goodwill find. This afternoon after volunteering at the barn, I went back up to Battle Ground to order food at our favorite Thai place and bring it home. I had a little time to kill so I went to Goodwill to look for frames I could buy and put my own photography in, and spotted this:

Hmmm, I thought, that’s pretty groovy. It says John Eastman, 1973 on it. I couldn’t decide if I should buy it or not though – fully framed and behind glass, it was a whole $4. Maybe I am a little cheap!

So I called Dave after I picked up our food and asked him what he thought, and he was like ‘duh, for $4? GO GET IT!’ So I went back, and poking around found another one! (the lines down the middle are reflections)

And yeah, they are pretty groovy. I hung them in the kitchen, which is the only place we still have some bare walls!

So that’s it for now. We’re having so much fun decorating our vintage house. Just wait until you see what I have planned to finish off the bedroom!

Steff Does Stuff!

Category: barclay