This is August???

Odessa, WA

This is August 19. I keep looking at the calendar to make sure. Why???? Because is was a whopping 60 degrees today and rain! We woke up to a nice, gentle rain, which lasted all day. I am not complaining about the rain for once. What I am complaining about is the 60 degree high! WAIT! We are in Eastern Washington...the average temperature for today is 90 degrees! We missed the average by 30 degrees! Yes, I am freezing, however, I refused to dress for the occasion...I AM STILL WEARING my shorts! Regardless of what the thermometer says...I am going by my calendar! Okay, so I am freezing and cold....but it is AUGUST for heavens sakes!!!

In other news from around our house....Gary and Jeannette visited today with pictures of their beautiful, handsome new baby grandson, Joshua. Kali and Scott welcomed their new baby on Aug. 1 and he certainly is handsome for a new baby. And just for the record, Grandma and Grandpa are so happy with his arrival.

I accomplished something today as well...I finished my first quilt! I had finished the quilt top in June before we left for Alaska, and left it to be quilted while I was gone. I got it back a couple of weeks ago and still had to finish the edges, which I did today. So, I really have a feeling of accomplishment today...and I think my quilt is pretty, even with all the mistakes of a first quilt. IT was fun to do and I will begin another one in Tucson as soon as things settle down a bit.

We are planning on leaving next Sunday for our trip south. I can't believe we are leaving already...it seems to early, which it really is. We usually don't leave until the first part of November, but, since we have so much to do on our other house in Tucson, we are leaving earlier this year. We will go to Seattle for a couple of days to see friends and children and to do our usual doctor routines; then to Portland to get in a quick visit with Melanie and family; then to Medford to visit Jo's sister for a day or so before we head to Palmdale/Acton to stop at Billie and Dan's for a day or so to see them and pickup an air conditioner/heater unit for the Tucson house...then an overnight stop in Yuma and on in to Tucson. We should be fairly well worn out by then. We plan a week stay in Tucson before we head into Colorado to visit Jo's brother and cousins, and then on to St. Louis to see Mike and family. From St. Louis, Al will stay with Mike while Jo and Beverly head on to Washington DC for a week of sight seeing and "girl time". By the time we get back to Tucson it will be time for Al to come back to Odessa for hunting....whew...I am tired just writing about all of it!

We hope this finds everyone doing well and happy with their lives....so until next time...we are getting ready to become
THE WROAMIN' WRASPIR'S again, including all animals!

This story was passed on to me and I want to share it. It really puts things in perspective.

Tip: Keep inconveniences in perspective.

Beautiful Story

This past week I was on a four and a half hour, non-stop flight from Seattle, Washington, to Atlanta, Georgia. In all my years of traveling, I have learned that each time a plane has the opportunity to stop, there is potential for unexpected challenges. Flight delays, weather and airline crews can create unanticipated challenges on any trip. Therefore, I always try to fly non-stop between my destinations. About an hour into this particular flight, the Captain's voice rang over the intercom. He asked if there was a physician or nurse on the plane. If so, he asked them to identify themselves by ringing the flight attendant call button beside their seat. I listened carefully but heard no one ring their bell. Iimmediately began to wonder what was happening. In a few minutes the Captain informed us that there was a medical emergency on board and asked again if there was a physician or anurse who could help. When there was no response, we were told that we were going to make an emergency stop in Denver, Colorado. He apologized but told us that there would be a medical emergency team waiting to meet us at the gate and that we would probably only be delayed by about thirty minutes. Though it was necessary, we knew we would all be inconvenienced by the extra stop.

About half an hour later, we landed at Denver International Airport and the medical crew immediately came on board. However,everything took longer than had previously been expected. An elderly gentleman, about 85 years old, had suddenly taken ill. It was not clear whether he had experienced a stroke or heart attack. Even after the gentleman was carried off of the plane, we still sat there for quite a while. The original "short" stop turned into about an hour and a half. When we finally pushed back from the gate and were in the air, the pilot apologized profusely for the unavoidable delay. He said that since the stop had taken longer than expected, those passengers who needed to make connections in Atlanta would miss their flights but would automatically be booked on the next flight out. You could almost hear the moans and groans throughout the airplane of everyone who was being inconvenienced by the unexpected stop.

Then the pilot did one of the classiest things I have personally ever seen or heard anyone do. He spoke into the intercom and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I thought you might be interested in one bit of information. The elderly gentleman who was taken off the plane was a Marine in WWII. I am holding in my hand a copy of the Congressional Medal of Honor that was awarded to him and signed by President Harry Truman in 1945." The pilot went on to say, "I realize that we have all been inconvenienced today. However, in light of the fact that this gentleman was a war hero and was inconvenienced for four years of his life in order that we might experience the freedoms that we enjoy today, I thought you all should know that."

Immediately the airplane was filled with applause. Everyone was cheering and so pleased to know that the gentleman had been cared for in a way that was fitting and appropriate. As we continued to fly, I thought to myself, "Isn't that interesting? We were concerned that we were inconvenienced for a couple of hours and yet, this gentleman's entire life was interrupted and inconvenienced for over four years while he went and fought in a war to protect the freedoms and values that we love and hold dear in this country today." I breathed a prayer for the gentleman and asked God to bless him for all he had done to help us understand what freedom is all about.

History does not entrust the care of freedom to the weak or timid." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

*******************************************
Minorities

We need to show more sympathy for these people.

* They travel miles in the heat.

* They risk their lives crossing a border.

* They don't get paid enough wages.

* They do jobs that others won't do or are afraid to do.

* They live in crowded conditions among a people who speak a different language.

* They rarely see their families, and they face adversity all day every day.

I'm not talking about illegal Mexicans; I'm talking about our troops!

Doesn't it seem strange that many Democrats and some Republicans are willing to lavish all kinds of social benefits on illegals, but don't support our troops and are now threatening to defund them?

What a trip!

Odessa, WA Aug 3, 2007



We are finally home....we got home at 11:30 last night. Tired and a little cranky, but home.



We got out of Anchorage about 35 minutes late, and arrived in Seattle about 40 minutes late....still have no idea where we lost the additional 5 minutes as the pilot claimed we were "making up the lost time". Oh well, I have, nor never will, understand the airlines and their time tables.



Alaska Airlines had 10 planes arrive within minutes of each other, so baggage claim was a nightmare! We stood at our "appointed" baggage carousel for well over 45 minutes waiting for our luggage. Hmmm...three other flights arrived after us and their luggage was there, where in the heck is ours? I kept looking at the information board and it said our luggage was on carousel 14....where we were! FINALLY, I happened to look up and realize there was only 4 others from our flight was hanging around! Huh??? So I track down a very harried looking airline employee, who tells me, "Oh, your flight's luggage was unloaded on carousel 12 --- 30 minutes ago...we made an announcement." Er, uh, well, I didn't hear it and neither did the 4 or so of the rest of the people. So we trudged over to carousel 12 and retrieved our luggage....fish and all. I had visions of losing our fish for days and then getting some very stinky fish...whew!



WE finally got to Jennifer's at midnight...exhausted. And then my body and mind had a debate about my not sleeping...I would doze off only to be awake again due to some cramp somewhere on my body!! ARG! Finally, up and at 'em on 2 hours of sleep.



Al had 3 doctor appointments yesterday in Seattle, which went well. Of course, this is Seafair weekend and the Blue Angels were practicing over Lake Washington, which made the bridge on I-90 be closed, so getting across the lake on the 520 floating bridge was s-l-o-w. And since the terrible tragedy in Minnesota, crossing any bridge for me is a frightening experience, let alone one that his old and "floats" on the lake...I have called it an accident waiting to happen for years! Traffic in Seattle isn't good on any given day, but let one of the main bridges be closed and it turns into your worse traffic nightmare! We finally got out of Seattle heading to Odessa around 5:00 p.m. Now, being that we were back up in the Everett area, we decided to take Hwy 2 home...which is a beautiful drive, not the fastest drive, but very pretty. We got into Wenatchee around 8:00, stopped for a bite to eat and headed home. It was still 82 degree's at 9:00 by the way! A far cry from our last month of 60 degree weather. HEAT...yeah!



We drove through a "bug storm" last night.....my goodness, the car is literally covered with bugs who committed suicide last night! Our granddaughter, Cammie, had just washed our car and it was so pretty and clean until we got into this "bug storm" and now I am not sure we will ever get all the bugs pried off the car! There are even dead bugs on the TOP of the car....and I haven't figured out how that happened!



We were driving east out of Ephrata last night when we looked up in the sky to see the strangest site...what is that??? A UFO? The moon??? No, the moon is not a bright red oval shape...what is that???? We kept looking at it, knowing it was the moon, hoping it was the moon; but the oddest, weirdest moon we had ever seen. It was bright red and oval! And HUGE! I have never seen anything like it. Amazing. Also, on our drive, from Ephrata to Odessa, we were on the lookout for deer....the highway is known as "deer alley"....and yep, we came upon a deer in the middle of the road. Had I been not aware of the deer problem, we would have probably had a dead deer joining the dead bugs on the car!!! All in all, we were very glad to get home!



Our cats had some words for us last night as well. Oh boy, did they ever! I think it is very good that I can't understand "cat meows" because I am sure they were really cussing us out for them being left alone for a month. They were real pests last night....and wouldn't leave us alone all night long. I thought about kicking them out side, but the coyotes were howling last night, so I didn't want the cats to become coyote food. I picked up the dogs this morning and they too had some words for us. Right now, all four animals won't let us out of their site...if one of us is in a different room we have at least two animals with us at all times! I think we were missed...and we missed them as well.

So we are settling down for a few days here in Odessa. Our plans are to leave here heading south to Tucson around August 27-28 time frame. Al had a doctor appointment on the 28th in Seattle, and then I think we will head down I-5, stopping in Portland, Medford, Chowchilla, Palmdale and Glendora on our way to Tucson. We won't be staying long in any one place however, as we want to be in Tucson no later than Sept 8. WHEW!!!



So until next time......we are home and happy. Hope all is well with everyone else...let us hear from you.

Goin' home again......

Anchorage, Ak July 31,2007

Tomorrow we will depart this beautiful place and head back towards Odessa...eventually.

I have been thinking of how to describe the beauty that is Alaska...and I have came to the conclusion that there aren't enough adjectives to describe it. Every time I see it, and not for the first or second time, the beauty of the scenery still takes my breath away. Everything is still pristine; well for the most part and especially on the drive from Anchorage to the Kenai River. Even tho there are so many people at the river at this time of the year; it is still beautiful.

We came back to Anchorage on Sunday after closing up the trailer for the season. It is a chore to close it up as you can not leave ANYTHING that will possibly freeze during the winter; so all canned goods, anything with liquid you have to take out and either 1. Give away; 2. toss; 3. give to your nephew or brother.

We have had a good visit with my brother, who will be moving to Tucson in late October and live in our other house along with my nephew. We are glad to have them with us and since my brother is not in very good health and can't take the cold winters any longer, we are happy to have him.

While here in Anchorage I helped my niece find a mobile home to live in. She had been looking, but today we finely found one and she made an offer on it. She has been living in her fifth wheel and about froze last winter, so we are glad to see she will be in a warmer house this winter.

Tonight we went to Glacier Brewhaus for dinner. It is one of the many micro brewery's here in Anchorage area and the food was excellent. And Cortney, eat your heart out, I had the best king crab legs I have ever had!!!! I thought of you the whole time.

This is what is left of the king crab legs after I got done with them...............

So until next time, we are on the wroad again, heading home.

Rain, rain go away

Sterling, Ak July 25, 2007



Rain, rain, go away!

We are having another typical Alaska summer…rain!!! Actually, rain, cold (to me) and clouds seem to be the norm here. I am one frozen person! I know this is July… I know I should be in shorts, tee shirts. Instead I am in long pants, socks, and long sleeve shirts and shivering! What is wrong with this??? Me, the warm weather lover!! Cold! Again, I am missing summer!

The sockeye fish (reds) salmon are running. Apparently, everyone else can catch them but me! I just don’t understand!! Cortney, where are you??? Jerry, where are you??? I can go down and beat the river to a froth…everyone around me catch salmon, but I can’t seem to catch any! Spaid luck? Probably! Last night the “Germans” were catching them beside be on each side, but I couldn’t seem to catch one! I even traded poles and they caught one on my pole!!!!! How disgusting is that? ?? Doesn’t seem fair.

Al has been fighting a bad cold -- and so have I. He has been so bad he hasn't been down fishing for 5 days. I think he is finally getting better today. Maybe he will feel like fishing tomorrow.

On another note............We are still saddened by Sun Country RV closing…however, we are excited that we will have Gordon and Denise with us this winter in Tucson! I talked to Denise today and they are in the last throws of business….We will really miss them, however, we think this could be the best thing to happen to them. They will be able to travel now and spend more time with us…yes, we are selfish! I feel for them however, it must be hard! After being in business for so long, and being so popular in the Moses Lake area, it will be hard to not have them there! They are such good friends, and we will be glad to see them in Tucson!



Well, our days here are numbered. We will probably head up to Anchorage on Sunday and spend some time with my brother; then Wednesday we fly back to Seattle. We will leave the trailer available for my brother's use or any of the family that want's to use it. Then in September my nephew Bruce will close up the trailer for winter. I am anxious in one way to go home...I miss my dogs and cats; however, I feel like we should stay up here another couple of weeks!!! But I am tired of being cold, wet, etc...so time for me to stop whining and go home I guess!

One more bear story to tell before we leave here. Last Saturday night about 9:30 p.m. I was out playing with Buddy, the owners labradoodle. We were playing "bone"--not ball, but throw the bone! And of course I was really having a good time and Buddy is like Beau with a ball, once you start throwing it he is obsessed with it and only it...only this is a bone. After about 20 minutes of this I was getting tired, he was still ready to play, but I decided it was time to stop. I had just put the bone away when I heard "BEAR"! Huh? WHere? Ulp! Buddy, of course, was only interested in where I had put the bone....hey, dog, B-E-A-R! Buddy finally must have gotten the point, because all of a sudden he hightailed it for the house! Uh, where is the bear??? Apparently the bear was right behind the lodge! Now, to set the scene...the lodge is right next to the house, and I am right in front of the house. Too close for me! I very hurriedly walked back to our trailer...and watching out for everything. The bear was the same one Al had seen the day or so before down on the river. And everyone thinks it is the same bear we had last year. Anyway, the bear very calmly walked through camp, and wandered back down to the river and paced on the dock for a while before saundering off to the woods again. So now, we are all on bear alert! Again. Except Buddy, who is still just interested in playing "bone" or today, "stick"...gotta' get that dog a ball!

Our critter count is very low this year. One bear (seen twice) and too many squirrels to count. No moose! Oh, and mosquito's -- at least a gazillion of those.

Until next posting..................

The Reds are Here!

Sterling, Ak July 21, 2007

The Reds are here! In great numbers! 48,000 came through the fish counter on Thursday, so they are now in our water! And a lot are in our freezer! So far I have packaged 48 pieces of fish and they are in the freezer being frozen; and one in the refrig waiting to hit the bbq tonight. My vacuum sealer has been humming for two days. And with the fish come all the people in the camp! EVERYONE IS HERE! It's a busy place right now and getting a spot on the dock to fish is tough....I just wait for someone to pull out a fish, then while they are taking the fish off I go fish in their spot, and everyone seems to do that. Of course, the SPAID luck is holding, I catch one fish to every 20 everyone else catches. Bruce and I have decided it must be in the blood!

Today was the memorial celebration of life for Ray Geerin, the owner of Fish on Inn until he died last October. He was a wonderful person, and we count ourselves fortunate to have known him. There was a huge pot luck today at noon and boy was there some yummy salmon dishes. Salmon wraps with sweet/hot sauce were my favorites. YUM

Our neighbors in camp, Chuck and Kate Sullivan from Sequim, have sold their trailer and they aren't coming back up on a regular basis anymore. This really saddens us as they are great neighbors and people. Chuck reminds us so much of a taller Gary Wraspir.....he has the same disposition and looks like Gary and treats people like our Gary does. Chuck is a family practice doctor in Sequim, so it was nice having him near when we were up here. There are plenty of other doctors in the camp, so we won't be short on help if we should need it. We hope to keep in touch with Chuck and Kate.

The weather is nice and warm...80 today...wah hoo. I am loving it! So are the flies and mosquitos tho! OH WELL, such is life here!

Gotta' go....I hear a sockeye calling me..................

THE REDS ARE COMING! THE REDS ARE COMING!

Sterling, AK July 19, 2007

THE REDS ARE COMING! THE REDS ARE COMING!

At least we hope they are! The sockeye salmon count is still low, however, word has it that the fish were schooling up in Cook Inlet, just outside the mouth of the river, getting ready to run upstream, where, hopefully, some of them will be found on the end of our fishing line. The run is late again this year. Usually you can count on 4 days on either side of July 13 for the run. However, in the past few years Mother Nature has changed her mind and the run has been late, later, or latest. Most of the regulars are here in our fishing camp now, and all of us are just waiting. Every year “The Germans” come over to fish. There are 4-8 men from Germany that come every year to fish here and boy are they ever fishermen! From early morning to late at night they are beating the water to a froth and usually catching fish. I enjoy listening to them talk…only two or three speak any English, and then not the best English, so it is fun trying to communicate with them.

Al went down to fish yesterday while I went to town to do the laundry. Yes, more laundry! I swear we dirty more clothes here than anywhere else, or maybe my laundry basket is just smaller here! At any rate, while he was down at the river fishing with some of the guys from camp, they saw a huge grizzly bear not far from them on the bank. ULP---they’re back! Of course, the bears have probably never left, but I haven’t seen one, yet. Al said it was the biggest bear he has ever seen! After the bear looked them over, he/her retreated back up the hill, towards our camp. However, no one has seen him/her since. So I am on bear alert now! Boy, if it isn’t snakes in Odessa it’s bears in Alaska! I still think I would rather encounter a bear than a snake, but right now, it’s a pretty close toss up which one I would encounter. I think I want to go back to Tucson where I only encounter an occasional Javalina or Coyote!!! I feel like I am living in the Wild Kingdom!

Dan and his dad, Rod, left Tuesday morning to fly back to LA. We really enjoyed our time with them here and hope they will return next year. And yes, there will be a next year here, at least we hope so. We had talked about selling this trailer, but have decided to try one more year here. The owners of the camp have the camp up for sale, so who knows, we may not have an option for next year if the camp sells and the new owners decide to do something different with the land. Anyone want to buy a fish camp on the Kenai? Only $1.7 million! Come on, I know some of you have some loose pocket change you can gather up and buy this place!

Not much else happening here. I am enjoying watching the eagles fly up and down the river, and watched one catch a fish yesterday. They really are exciting to watch and especially when they do catch a fish. They circle around and then, whoosh, they dive and grab a fish! We also have a little red squirrel in residence at our trailer. He/she is sitting on our picnic table right now looking for food. Billie, our squirrel girl would like watching this one, and taking a million pictures of it!

It’s been cold, rainy and windy; then hot and sunny; then cold , rainy and windy again. Both of us have a cold….courtesy of the weather I am sure. Dan left with a cold and I was hoping he took it with him, but he left just enough here to share with us! Al has really been feeling down with the cold and I am just starting with the sore throat, stuffed up nose, etc. Woo hoo..what fun!

So, until next time, when I hope I can say, The Reds are HERE, we hope you are all happy and healthy and enjoying life to the fullest!

Halibut and a Sinking Boat

This is a view from our trailer of the Kenai River. Great view to get up to every morning!

Sterling, AK July 13

We had a great day yesterday! However, according to my body it was a rough day. Guess I need to start at the beginning.

Son-in-law Dan and his dad, Rod, arrived as scheduled on Tuesday.

We sat around and yakked and visited. On Wednesday they tried their hand at fishing for some sockeye, but the run isn’t really strong yet and they didn’t catch any. Late afternoon we headed to Homer to spend the night before going out on our halibut charter on Thursday. We enjoyed the drive down, scenery beautiful as expected. This is Dan’s first time in Alaska and we hope he is enjoying it. We had dinner at the Elks Lodge in Homer, which sits right on the water and has wonderful food. We were all stuffed to the gills as we waddled back to the hotel.

Thursday we were up at 5:30 a.m. (there isn’t much I will get up for at that time, however, Halibut fishing is one thing I will get up early for!) and off to the Silver Fox Charters.

We were assigned to the Silver Fox II boat; just a luck of the draw. “Silver Fox I” was the other boat and then the charter company had leased a boat for the month, the Fat Kat, to handled the seasonal crowd. This charter company runs their boats together, in other words, they never go out with just one boat, a minimum of two always go out for safety reasons. The ride out was uneventful…a little rough, but we have been in worse. There were 7 of us on board, besides us four, Matt the captain, and Mike and Mark, long time buddies from Minnesota. OH, and by the way, it was raining a good, steady, cold rain the whole time we were out fishing. We got out to the “fishing grounds” after a two hour ride, so we were probably about 45 miles out. We immediately began catching halibut. OW, OW, OW. Hey, I forgot how much work this is! My arms are complaining loudly over how much I am working them! First reel in and dang, I have a halibut. Woohoo….I only have to catch one more and I am done for the day! However, getting this first halibut into the boat was harder than I remembered…but finally, with help from Dan, I pull in a measly 25 pounder. The captain asked if I wanted to keep it, HECK YA! By now Dan has caught his first, at 52 pounder (show off!!) and Rod has caught a nice size one as well. Al is still fishing, Mike and Mark have both caught fish as well. To make a long story long, we all caught our limit, which is two each, however, we threw back smaller ones we caught and in all we also caught (and brought up from a depth of 250 feet) 6 sharks (dog fish) and 3 skates (relative to the sting ray). Just checking your bait got to be a challenge as we are fishing in 250-300 feet of water and dragging the bait and a 10 pound weight up time and time again is hard on the body. At least on Al’s and mine….Dan, didn’t seem to have any trouble with it….young whippersnapper! Rod did well, even though the day he flew up here he had a kidney stone blasted out! OW OW OW.

Halibut!! Our catch is 8 of these! The two largest are Dan's.

We had just finished fishing, eating our lunch when over the radio came a “MAY DAY, MAY DAY, FAT KAT TAKING ON WATER”! WHAT????? Fat Kat is the other boat in our fleet! Our captain literally threw our boat in gear and off we go! In the mean time we are getting out our life vests and throwing them out on the deck incase they are needed. We are looking for the Fat Kat, which by now is sinking at a very fast rate. We are literally flying over the water…. Still can’t see her! Over the radio, Silver Fox I says they have all the passengers and crew (total of 7) rescued and on board. We arrive, mind you only 7 minutes after the first may day, and the boat is already two thirds under! And remember, the water is a whopping 50 degrees! I have never seen anything like this. No one is injured and they even managed to rescue the halibut they had caught. The crew of the Fat Kat said she belched a lot of black smoke and started taking on water immediately at a rapid rate. Since this is a leased boat, and only the first time the charter company had her out, one has to wonder. At least everyone is safe, scared, but safe. Both Silver Fox boats circle Fat Kat, waiting for her to completely go under, but she never did while we were there….must have a big air pocket somewhere! Our boat picks up what we can of the stuff floating around that has came off the Fat Kat, but we were unable to retrieve much. We finally take off back to Homer. After getting back to shore and learning that it was an exhaust problem on the Fat Kat they think that sank her. WOW! What a day!

The Boat "Fat Kat" sinking in Cook Inlet, Alaska.

We finally get our fish to the processing plant where they will be packaged in to one pound packages and flash frozen and shipped home. We have a total of 141 pounds of filleted and trimmed halibut…not bad. Dan, Rod, Al and I split up the total, 70 pounds each. Yummmm….halibut for next year. But our halibut fishing trip was just a little more exciting than we anticipated. We are just glad the passengers and crew of the Fat Kat were okay. I talked to one of the men on board and he said it was very frightening from the time they started taking on water to when the Silver Fox 1 arrived…just over 4 minutes and they were already capsizing. Thank goodness Silver Fox 1 was just a little closer than we were or those passengers and crew would have been in that 50 degree water. Makes me wonder why these boats don’t have life rafts on board. I know the next time we book a charter that will be question I ask. And, I will also ask if they boats go out in pairs just for this reason! If they had been out alone, they wouldn’t have survived as most other boats were at least 10-15 minutes away.

We finally got home around 9:30 last night, after a stop at Suzi’s, our favorite restaurant here. We were all exhausted and it didn’t take us long to get to bed.

We all woke up this morning a little sore, but moving. At least Dan and Rod are, Al and I are still wondering if all our body parts are working!!! Dan and Rod and my nephew Bruce are out in his boat on the river today fishing…Al is resting and I am on my way to do my favorite thing…yep , laundry!

So until next time, we are here, fighting mosquitos, hoping for more sockeye to run and having a great time.

Cold, wet Alaska

Sterling, Alaska Kenai River July 9, 2007

BRRRRRRRRRRRR -- it’s cold. Even Al says he is cold! Yes, we are in Alaska…land of the midnight sun. We arrived last Thursday after an uneventful flight. Rescued all of our luggage, got our rental car and went to my brothers house in Anchorage. We spent Friday and Saturday with him, just visiting and getting supplies (aka groceries) to take to the river. My brother seems to be doing well, he has various heath problems, heart, diabetes, breathing, etc., but for his age we think he is doing well.

The weather in Anchorage was cool…in the 60’s, and we did have 2 sunny days. Of course, it had to rain part of the day, which I am beginning to believe is normal for this area.

We came to the river yesterday. It is such a beautiful drive down here. I can’t even begin to describe the beauty of the mountains, rivers, glaciers, trees, etc. It is really breathtaking. There was a lot of traffic going to Anchorage, but traffic was fairly light coming this way. One thing we have noticed is the reduced amount of RV’s on the road from the lower 48 states. The last few years it has been amazing to see the number of RV’s from the lower 48…however, this year it is really evident the reduced numbers. Still plenty of RV’s bearing Alaska license plates. Along the upper Kenai, near Cooper’s Landing, it looks like the fishing war has begun! We saw wall to wall anglers, or combat fishing as they call it here, on the river yesterday.

In our fish camp, only a few of us are already here, only 4 trailers opened up so far, including ours, thanks to Bruce, our nephew. He is really good to us, closing up our trailer for winter and opening it up for the season. The salmon are beginning to trickle in; however, it looks like a few days before the run starts in earnest….but up here one never knows.

We have pretty much settled in…most everything is unpacked; now the problem is where to put the empty suitcases….never thought of that! They will probably be stored in the shower, so when we take showers, we will have to rearrange, but that is the only place I can see to store them.

We both remembered why we love it here after we got here…it is so beautiful and tranquil (at least until everyone arrives in camp) and the scenery is something we never tire of. We haven’t seen any critters yet, unless you want to count the moose size mosquitos! I am back to wearing my favorite perfume, “Off, with deet” and walking around with my bug zapper in hand. I am looking for my bald eagles that had a nest in the tree above us, but haven’t spotted them yet.

Today is cold, (59), cloudy and breezy and some rain. I bet some of you roasting in the heat wave would trade with me right now, and as cold as I am, I could use some of your heat. The fire near Deep Creek (Ninilichik) is contained, so there is no smoke in the air and so far there are no other fires burning. I still don’t see how a fire can burn up here…everything is so green.

Dan (son in law) and his dad Rod are due to arrive here tomorrow. Sure hope the fish start to run while they are here. We do have a halibut charter scheduled for Thursday out of Homer (and these fishing boats have the very needed bathrooms on board, unlike the ones we took last year out of Ninilchik) and we hear the halibut fishing has been great. I can’t wait to hook on to one…then I will need someone to help me get it in the boat probably…it’s like pulling up a barn door!

July 10
It is busy raining here today...a nice, gentle, steady rain, which we are enjoying right now. However, if it continues this way, I am sure in a day or so I will be cussing the rain. And it is a toasty 55 degrees! brrrr

At least we aren't burning up as most of you are....more later

Ready, Set...fish?

Seattle
July 3

Happy 4th of July early....

We are in Seattle, getting ready to fly to Anchorage on Thursday. The dogs are on their "vacation", aka...staying at Ardis and Jerry's and being spoiled rotten (and hopefully, watching out for snakes!)

We got here on Sunday after stopping in Moses Lake to have lunch with good friends Gordon and Denise, who are the owners of Sun Country RV. We got some real bad news from them...as of the end of this month Sun Country RV is no more! Oh woe is us....now we have to sell our 5th wheel...they are the only ones we trust to work on it. They lost their lease and with only 30 days to find another place (which is damn near impossible) they decided to bag it and retire. It just isn't going to be the same without them there. On a good note, they will still have their mobile RV repair business and they are planning on coming to Tucson for a few months this winter...so we know where they can park their trailer and operate out of...we seem to have the room since we have decided not to take the 5th wheel to Tucson this year. That is another story for a later blog.

Al had his sleep test on Sunday night....and yes, he passed! He has been studying for it for weeks. His results were fine, CPAP working fine so he is good to go for another couple of years.

I saw something on Monday morning I haven't seen in a long time! A SLUG! I had conveniently forgotten how much I detested those slimy things! I almost stepped on it...that would have been a big, gross mistake...ick, ick, ick!

Traffic here is not any better...not that I expected it to be. We drove to La Conner today (a favorite place of mine) to meet friends Ann and Gene for lunch. I-5 was moving fairly well for a Tuesday...about 45 mph! UGH. And coming over I-90 on Sunday we were roaring along at 7o mph when all of a sudden everything came to a dead stop! WTH? We then did the stop and crawl for over 40 miles and for over an hour....never did figure out what slowed traffic down! Again, too many cars and too little roads. And the roads in this state are in the worse repair we can ever remember....rough, worn and pot hole city!

La Conner was a blast today. For those who don't know what La Conner is, it is a small city north of Seattle that has charm charm and more charm. And the drive through the Skagit Valley was absolutely beautiful....I had forgotten how pretty it is. And we stopped and bought berries..strawberries, blueberries and raspberries that all were picked this morning and oh boy are they ever good. And we had oysters for lunch...and then stopped and bought more at this tiny, country store and we fixed them for dinner tonight and needless to say, my tummy is very happy...they were excellent. There is nothing better than pacific northwest oysters.

Tomorrow Ric and Janet and Sherrie are coming over to Jennifer's (that is where we are now...our home away from home...thanks J!) for a bbq for the 4th. From the sounds of it outside, a lot of people have started to celebrate tonight. Poor Pookie, our grandkitty, is scared of the loud noises going on outside. I feel sorry for the animals.

Thursday Al has a doctor appointment in the morning and then we head to the airport and will fly to Anchorage. Plan is to go to the river on Friday...we shall see.

Jennifer is going to the UK for a week, leaving the 7th. I am not sure I am too happy about that given all that is going on over there right now. She is going on business as the company she works for, Content Master, is headquartered outside of Bristol. She is excited, but I think a little apprehensive as well, again, due to the terrorist crap going on over there now. All we can do is hold our collective breathes and pray.

So, until next time, here fishy, fishy, fishy...................

Trains?

Odessa


For those of you who don't know this, our house in Odessa is located fairly close to the train tracks. We hear/see about 20-30 trains a day. Going BOTH directions. That got me to thinking last night...when I couldn't sleep, what or who, keeps trains from running into each other? Now I know, given my previous profession with Boeing, I should know the answer to this question. Apparently I was missing or asleep during trains 101. Do they have a FAA controller type for trains? They must since the trains know when they should be on the siding to let another train go by. And did you know that trains have different sounding horns/whistles? And Amtrak has a completely different sound of a horn/whistle than freights do. And speaking of that, who controls how long and loud the whistle is? If it is someone on the train, I would like to have a talk with a few of them who seem to keep their finger on the whistle button waaaaaaayyyyyyy to long! One thing we have noticed since being home this time is that there seems to be more trains on the tracks this year. Fuel costs???? Hmmmm And I still can't go to sleep until Amtrak goes through at night...it usually goes through at 10:45 p.m.....although, some nights is has been as late as 12:30 a.m.....I know, I will still be awake waiting for it!!!! And some of you Boeing people can answer this question for me....are we still shipping 737 fuselage's from Wichita to Renton?? I haven't seen any this year.





Other than listening to/for trains, we have been sticking pretty close to home. Last week Joyce, (Al's sister), Ardis and I went to Spokane for a girls day. Joyce needed to do some clothes shopping, so Ardis and I decided it would be a good time for us to just go and look around. Neither of us bought a whole lot, we let Joyce do that! Then yesterday Ardis and I took the dogs, Beau and Schuster and her Simon to Ephrata to be groomed. We decided to stay there and bum around for the day. We went to Moses Lake and got a pedicure...which was Ardis' first pedicure...I think she is hooked. I got even with her...she hooked me on quilting and I hooked her on pedicures!!!

The weather has been bizarre here. Cold one day, warm the next, then windy, cold and rainy, then sunny and cold. I can't figure it out! And apparently neither can the weather guesser....he is always wrong.

We are getting ready for our trip to Alaska. We leave on July 5 and I am "gathering" and sorting things to take. And worse of all, I can't remember what I left up there last year. I have been watching the weather and it has been fairly nice in Sterling, but I still can't figure out what to take as far as clothes. This year I am going to make a list.......... then be in the same position I am now next year, as I probably won't remember where I put the dumb list!!!!

Until next time..................

Lookee, lookee, what I can do!

Odessa



Look what I learned to do today! I did my very first quilt top!



I can hardly wait to get it finished now. I had NO IDEA how to quilt, but thanks to daughter-in-law Ardis and her mom, Maryann; who own the Quilt Crossing in Odessa, I AM HOOKED! Now all I want to do is sew another one! What fun! How exciting to see it all come together. Albeit, this is a very simple pattern, and very easy to put together, I had a blast doing it. And, you have to start some place, right? The next step I have to do on this quilt is put more border on it so it will be big enough to cover the bed in our cowboy room in Tucson. Then, I will have it quilted professionally. I don't have a quilting machine and I can't hold a needle long enough to quilt by hand. But this still was fun. I already have the fat quarters purchased for my next quilt...and I am trying to decide on a pattern. It will have to be easy tho....no hard ones for this person.

You should see the quilts that Ardis and Maryann have made! WOW! Maryann is working on one right now that is absolutely beautiful. Ardis finished a quilt top today that would knock your socks off! They are so talented.

Anyway, just had to share my first quilt.

Jo

Walk for the Cure

Our son, Ric, is walking the 60 mile walk for breast cancer and is looking for support. Please read the following:


Friends & Neighbors;

My name is Ric Wraspir, and in recent years many persons in my family and inner circle of friends have been affected by breast cancer. Most recently, my mother and my cousin have battled and are currently celebrating survivorship. With this inspiration I have decided to participate in the 2007 Breast Cancer 3-Day walk. I'll walk 60 miles over the course of three days with thousands of other women and men with a common goal to “end breast cancer forever.”

Without a cure, 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will continue to be diagnosed with breast cancer – a devastating disease with physical, emotional, psychological and financial pain that can last a lifetime. These numbers have created a scary awareness to me with a wife, two daughters, aunts, sister, nieces and contact with scores of young ladies in youth sports. The realization that one of these women may become one of these statistics is disheartening. Everyone deserves a lifetime.

Now you understand why this is so important to me and understand why I'm asking for your financial support. I've committed to raise at least $2,200 in donations. My personal goal is set at $4,000. So, I need your help. It's hard asking my friends and neighbors for money, but this cause and this event are very important to me. I hope that you can make a tax deductible donation of $50, $100, or more. I trust you will designate the amount that's right for you. The net proceeds benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.

There are several easy ways to donate.

By Mail: Mail your contribution to me and I will submit proper paperwork to get your donation acknowledged and a receipt sent to you. Check payable to “Breast Cancer 3-Day”

Ric Wraspir
3810 NE 113th St
Seattle Wa, 98125

By Phone: Call 800-996-3DAY. Mention that I am participating in Seattle and my Supporter Number (160764370) and your donation will make it to my total and a receipt will get sent to you.

By Web: Donate through my personal webpage (www.the3day.org/seattle07/ric_wraspir)
Receipt will be sent to you.

So, yes, this is a plea for your emotional and financial support. I thank you in advance for your support and taking this journey with me. I look forward to seeing your name on my honor roll of donators.



Ric Wraspir
savingsecondbase@cs.com
2007 – Breast Cancer 3-Day

This 'n That -- Here 'n There

Odessa

Since our last blog we have been busy, busy, busy. At least I have no more snakes to report about!!!

Bruce, Holly and Cortney arrived here on schedule in late May, but unfortunately for us, only stayed a day or so. They were off to discover the beautiful states of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. We were glad to have them for a the time they were here and enjoyed our short visit.

Holly and Cortney

After they left, we packed up the old Explorer (commonly known as the "Exploder" any more -- it's so old!) and headed for Seattle. We had our usual round of dentist and doctor visits and Al's doctors were all pleased with his current health state...thank goodness! We have decided Seattle and the surrounding area is one big traffic nightmare! Too many cars, not enough roads!

We were able to have lunch with friends Frank and Lynn Conger while we were there and also visited with Jan, another long time friend. We also got in a dinner with Ric, Janet and Cammie one night at the Keg and another night with friends Rowland and Kathy Brasch....so we did some visiting in-between doctor appointments.

On Saturday, June 9 we loaded up dogs and our belongings again and headed south to Portland (in a driving rain I might add...) with Jennifer following in her car for a visit with oldest daughter Melanie and her family. Grandson Victor was graduating from high school and Melanie and Ron hosted a graduation party on Saturday. It rained all day of course...as it usually does in the Pacfic NW when you plan a party outside! Oh well, we managed. Also grand daughter Lori was graduating from Jr. High; so we celebrated for her as well. Don Miller, Jo's ex-husband was there as well and we had a great visit with him. And yes, we are still all friends.

Jennifer, Mom, Melanie

Al, Jo, Victor, Lori

Jennifer headed home on Sunday (something about having to work?) and we decided we would all go to the movies to see Shrek 3. You have to know that Shrek movies are my absolute favorite, so I thoroughly enjoyed it. We met up with Don for dinner that night at a great Chinese Restaurant (I have no idea what the name is).

Monday and Melanie and Ron had to go to work (I just don't understand this concept any more!!) so we took advantage of the day and went tire shopping. The Exploder needed new shoes! Sears we found had the best deal....so $700 later for tires and shocks, we reeled out of Sears. OUCH!

Tuesday was graduation day for Victor. The ceremony was held at University of Portland, Chiles Center....way the heck across town from where we were staying. Vic graduated from Oregon City High School, class size of 400+. The ceremony was great, however, a bit moving for me realizing that yet another grandchild has graduated from high school. The score now stands at 6 graduated and 2 still in High School...ugh! Darn, we are really getting old! Graduation wasn't over until 10:00 p.m. and we were starved. We had to be there at 5:00 to get seats (even though we had tickets, getting seats was still tough), so we had had a late lunch, but didn't expect to be there that late. And of course, getting out of the parking lot was a challenge, along with the other 600 or so cars! Don had gone with us, so the three of us only had one thing on our mind...food. We were in an unfamilar part of Portland so we made a beeline back to where we were staying and wound up at a hamburger joint for dinner and it was very good.

Wednesday was Lori's graduation day. We spent the day just taking it easy, taking the dogs to the park, etc. She graduated from Ogden Middle School, but the ceremony was at Oregon City High School, where she will attend next year!

Thursday we drove back to Odessa. We got home around 5:30 after needed stops at the grocery store in Kenniwick.

Friday I spent the day unpacking and doing laundry and straightening up the house. Friday night Ric, Cammie and Jennifer came rolling in to spend Father's Day weekend with Al. We barbequed ribs Friday night and Ardis and Jerry joined us. It is fun to have family around.

Yesterday Jennifer, Cammie, Myrna (Al's cousin) and I headed to Spokane to attend a baby shower for Kali, Gary and Jeannette's daughter. Kali and Scott are having a baby boy, Joshua Dylan, which is due on Aug. 8. She really looks healthy and happy and has that special glow that pregnant women have. We had a great time and I can't remember the last time I was at a baby shower...oh, wait, it was for friend Nancy in Seattle and I think that was 6 years ago! OUCH! Of course, not many of my friends are having babies these days --- can't imagine why!

Kali Wraspir-Mason & Joshua Dylan

That brings us to today...Ric, Cammie and Jennifer left around 10:30 this morning and we are just being lazy today. AL is reading the paper and I have been reading my book. All of the kids have checked in to wish Al a happy father's day, so all is well with us.

The weather here has been cool....only 68 right now and the wind is blowing....brrr! Hope it warms us soon. We will be leaving for Alaska in two weeks for a month stay, so I hope I get some warm weather here before I leave!

We have closed on the new Tucson house, and work is starting to begin on it. We have actually had 2 people call us wanting to know if we were going to rent it....how they got our phone number is beyond us! For the time being, we have decided to not rent it and see if my brother and nephew from Alaska want to stay in it this winter. If they don't they we will rent it. Time will tell....

So, until next blog, we hope this finds you happy, healthy and living life the way you want.

Oh Boy...Company and a SNAKE

Odessa



WHY? WHY????? Why do I have to be the one to find the damn snake???? Why can't some one who ISN'T AFRAID of snakes find it? But, I am starting in the middle....

Memorial Day in Odessa is a really big day and many of Al's extended family gets together after visiting the Bohemian Cemetery for a pot luck lunch on Monday. So we know we will have some company to drop by over the weekend. AND, Jennifer and Cammie were coming over to spend the weekend with us.

Friday evening, about 9:00 p.m my cell phone rings and it is Dwight Uhrich, Al's cousin from Texas and one of our favorite people calling. I answer the phone by saying "Okay, where are you?" to which he replies, "Ephrata", which is about 40 miles from here! He asked if we had room for him to stay, which we always do.

Saturday and Jennifer and Cammie arrive and that night we have a family BBQ, along with Al's cousin Lillian and husband Lynn from South Dakota (Dwight's sister) who are here for Memorial Day and staying at the local motel. Along with them Myrna, another cousin who I absolutely love and lives near by, are here for dinner. After dinner, Mandi (good friend) and her two kids stopped by and brought us some rhubarb (yum). Everyone was getting ready to leave and I decided to take the rhubarb to the refrigerator in the garage. For those of you who haven't been here, we back the 5th wheel up behind the house (this is important to the story, trust me). It is almost dark (9:30 ish) and I am walking between the house and the 5th wheel heading to the garage when I hear a "rattle"...WTH??? I look and under the trailer is a rattlesnake, coiled and rattling! I took one HUGE leap to the corner of the house and RAN between the garage and the house to the front yard screaming AL, Al, Al, Al. Well, everyone else thought I was screaming OW OW OW! Not funny. I was so scared I could barely get out the words SNAKE, let alone tell them where it was! I finally told them where it was; by that time Dwight and Jennifer had came out the back door and were standing at the corner of the house, asking me what was wrong! I screamed at them RUN...SNAKE, and of course they had no damn idea which way to run! Finally they saw the snake (they were standing next to it) and in a few steps Jennifer was next to me. At any rate, Al and Dwight killed the snake...Al said it was about 26-30 inches long....I say it was 26-30 FEET long and 15 feet around! Damn Snakes...God's big mistake! My heart slowed down to a normal beat about 24 hours later. I tell you this, I don't go off the deck after dark and I am constantly looking for those long, slithering creatures that God shouldn't have made. I think I will move to Hawaii so I won't have to worry about those things!

The rest of the weekend was great. Had a big BBQ here again Sunday night; with everyone mentioned before, plus Jerry and Ardis. Then yesterday we went to the memorial for one of Al's cousins who had died last year and then to the Pot Luck in Irby. Fun day, but exhausting.

Lillian and Lynn left today...we really enjoyed our visit with them and we are only sorry we don't see them more often. Dwight left this afternoon to take his rental car back to Seattle (long story) and then take a bus back here. This morning he found a motorcycle to buy and left it here until he can get back later this week to pick it up and ride it home to Texas. He is also a great guy and we really enjoy having him here. Both Al and I agree we are very fortunate to have some really great cousins that we enjoy so much. Unfortunately, we don't get to see them all as often as we would like. There is nothing like having a good family.

Bruce, Holly and Cortney are due in tomorrow...and we are looking forward to seeing them. It has been less than 2 weeks since we have seen them and it seems like FOREVER. They will only be here a couple of days, but we take what we can get.

We really had a good time with Jennifer and Cammie this weekend. Jennifer is a worker bee and so is Cammie. The both jumped in and helped me get things ready. Heck, I barely had the trailer unpacked...oh wait, I didn't have it totally unpacked until they got here! That's right! :-)

Now things should settle down to a dull roar for a while. We head to Seattle June 5 for a round of doctor/dentist appointments and seeing friends/family. Then on the 9th to Portland for 5 days. Our grandson Victor graduates from high school and granddaughter Lori from Jr. High. I am really looking forward to spending time with them as last year I didn't see them very much.

Until next time....watch where you step...there may be a snake near by!

Odessa

Odessa, WA
Home again, home again...at least our summer home. We arrived home on Tuesday night, about 11:00 p.m. We were going to stay in Richland, tri-city area that night, but like the old horse, going to the barn, once we got to Richland, we stopped and loaded up on supplies at Costco, and came on home! While we were unloading needed supplies for the night, it started to rain on us and the wind was blowing....Washington, welcoming us home!

Our trip was good. We stopped in Salt Lake at Cabela's...a HUGE store and Al got his fishing reel and a few other goodies. We spent the night in Salt Lake, and it got cold again that night! A cold front moved through and we were scrambling for blankets once again.

From Salt Lake to Boise was pretty uneventful. I might add that Al drove the entire trip, with the exception of a few hours and he did a great job and his ankle wasn't bothering him that much. As long as he could get the ankle elevated at night, he was okay. We noticed along the way that diesel fuel was less costly than unleaded. The highest we paid until we got into Washington State was $2.91 a gallon! Once we reached Washington however, the price jumped and it is well over $3.00 a gallon....and here in Odessa it is $3.49 a gallon. OUCH!

Yesterday we spent most of the day getting things done in the house and reading 3 weeks worth of mail. Today I am starting the laborous job of unloading the trailer. The weather has been great, in the mid 70's and sunny. We had Directv installed today, so we finally have some television to keep us up on what is happening in the world. HOwever, the last two days being kept in the dark have been nice! :-)

Jennifer and Cammie are coming over for the Memorial weekend and we are looking forward to seeing them. Jerry and Ardis were over last night for dinner and we had a good visit. Jerry is helping Al get the garden in and someone has left us one tomato plant that is thriving. We don't know who did this, but we are thankful for it.

I guess I have to admit, Odessa feels like home to me now, along with Tucson. Everyone here has gone out of their way to stop and say hello to us. Neil and Bobbi Wraspir stopped yesterday...they are currently in Pasco, but will be back here in a couple of weeks.

Speaking of Tucson...hmmm...uh, the day before we left Tucson we bought another house! HUH? Yup. We bought the house right below ours for investment purposes. It was in foreclosure and we got an excellent price on it; however, it needs some work, which we will have done this summer. So now we own 2/3'rds of our "hill"...a little over 5 acres. WE plan on renting the new house out as soon as we get it cleaned (and it really needs cleaning...ick!) and repairs done on it. The previous owners took everything out of the house, including the a/c and heater!! However, they left one, very, very, dirty, greasy, grimy stove! I have already decided to just haul it out and put a new one in. I don't think you could get that stove clean! Bleechk! We close on June 5...just one more place for me to keep track of!

The cats and dogs are glad to be out of the trailer and home. The dogs are loving the grass....much easier on their feet. And yes, the cats have explored and re-marked their territory and have laid claim to all!

So, until next time, if you are in the area, stop by! Call first, as you never know where we will be wroamin' next!

Panguitch

We are finally on the wroad! We left Tucson Friday, later than planned,but that is just the way it is. We stayed at one of our favorite RV parks Friday night, Distant Drums, in Camp Verde, AZ. Traffic through Phoenix was HORRIBLE....it took us almost 2 hours! And people have no clue when they cut in front of you that you can't stop this big rig on a dime! I had my brake on the whole time....and I wasn't driving! Al decided he felt like driving, and has done a great job. His ankle is bothering him some, but it hasn't stopped him from driving. The temperature was 119 in Black Canyon City and the truck was telling us all about it. Going up the hill from there our thermometer in the truck (which reads outside temp) said it was 140 degrees! I think it was telling us it was too hot to be correct!



Saturday----We are currently in Panguitch, Utah, not far from Bryce Canyon. We drove 342 miles yesterday. I know that doesn't sound like a lot to most of you, but to us it is...we usually average 300 miles a day and we are definitely taking our time. We have driven this so many times we can ALMOST do it in our sleep. We stopped for lunch yesterday in Cameron, AZ and at the Cameron Trading Post and had the best Navajo Taco! We have stopped here before and we decided we would stop again.

The weather has been alittle bit cooler, in fact we had a nice cooling rain in Flagstaff. We usually take highway 89 all the way into Page, then into Kanab, Ut. BUT, we decided to take 89A, which goes through the valley on the Arizona side. Well, part of the way through the valley. We did manage to find a nice, high, pass that tops out at 8900 feet! The climb wasn't too bad, lots of "snake" curves and the gps map showed them well! It was a beautiful drive and we enjoyed the cooler weather up on the top (it wa 84) and we wound up in Kanab anyway, just a prettier drive for us. We were tired of going by Lake Powell and seeing how low the lake is.

Sunday
We are getting ready to pull out. It was COLD last night! Night before we had the a/c going full blast! Even when we got here yesterday it was still in the 80's, and we had all of the windows open. Around 2:30 a.m. I woke up and I was cold, cold, cold. Evidently, so were the animals, as both cats and Beau were cuddled up next to us on the bed! And of course, I had taken the blanket off the bed the night before and put it away making the statement "We won't need this!"...right! I dug out the blanket again and settled back in bed, but the animals didn't move!

We are off to Lehi, Utah today to stop at the Cabela's there so Al can spend his gift certificates he got for his birthday and it will be a nice brake for us.

Oh yeah, where is Panguitch, UT??? We are about 250 miles south east of Salt Lake City on highway 89. Nice little town! And Panguitch means "big fish" in Piaute! That is my learning lesson for the day! And don't ask me how to pronounce Panguitch!

Until the next time, we are
The Wroamin' Wraspir's,
Al, Jo, Beau, Jose, Juanito and Schuster!

The day the Ice Melted!

Tucson

Today the ice melted in the Santa Cruz River! Yup, today was the day! BREAKUP! You ask yourself what in the world is she talking about???? Well, here in this fine city, the first day of the year the temperature officially reaches 100 degrees is the day the ice melts in the Santa Cruz River. HUH??? EXPLAIN! Well, first of all, the Santa Cruz river is usually a dry river bed (mostly used by illegals to cross into our fair country from the country to the south of us), unless it is monsoon season; when the dry river bed turns into a vicious, treacherous, swift moving river! But only for a while! Then it goes back to its former self...dry. The local media (ahem) has dubbed the first day of 100 degrees as the day the ice melts in the river! Don't ask me why! All I know is today was the first official day it reached 100 degrees here. However, yesterday my thermometer read 103, the day before it read 100....and today it read 109, which I know it was not....at least I don't think it was. But in retrospect, maybe it was. The outdoor temperature gage on my car decided this afternoon to drop from it's current reading of 104 to 75! And it stayed there most of the afternoon, but by 4:30 it had crept back up to 102! Go figure that one out! And yes, I was foolish enough to have to go outside of our frigid house to run some errands. Speaking of our frigid house, (Al has the thermostat set at 70, but it feels more like 50!) I can't wait to get our electric bill for this month! UGH!

On another note, I have to laugh at myself! I am playing a twisted mind game with myself! For some unknown reason, I won't let the gas in my car get lower than a half a tank. At least this way it doesn't hurt so much to go fill it up at $2.90 a gallon and spend $30! I know, I know, it is a sick game, but it makes it hurt less. I still look for the person with the gun who is holding us at gun point and robbing us at the gas pumps! Surely, that person must be there! And I am THANKFUL that gas it ONLY $2.90 a gallon (at Costco)....I have heard in California it is up to $4.00 and in Seattle at $3.58...that's a gallon right? Not a fill up? In Odessa it was $3.60 the last time I checked...think I will buy a horse!

AL is on the mend...finally. Not only does he have a sprained ankle, but cellulitus also attacked him on the same ankle. The two have nothing to do with each other either, except both of them are holding us hostage here until he gets better. The swelling on his ankle has gone down considerably, and IF we get the doctors okay, we will be heading north on the 17th...of this month I hope. However, I am learning to count on nothing! That way I won't be surprised if it doesn't happen!

Computers and I are having a hard time of getting along lately. In a previous blog I was expounding on my laptop being down. Well, I got it back, all fixed....uh huh. It worked for two (count 'em --2) days, and crashed again. So back I go to Best Buy to the Geek Squad...yup, my hard drive is toast! I am so glad I had backed up the laptop before I took it in last time. So they replace the hard drive and ask me to bring in all of my recovery disks from Dell. Okay...no problem. Ya' right! I can't find the recovery disks! I have looked high and low for them...torn apart my office (well, it needed cleaning anyway) and still haven't found them. I found things that had been missing for months, but no recovery disks. AH HA...friend Bob has the same computer, I will just borrow his! But guess what? He can't find his either! I think the two sets are out having a party---without us! I have looked in all the logical places, the illogical places and everywhere in between....I CAN NOT FIND THEM! It is making me nuts. And the worse part of it is, I remember seeing them right before we went to St. Louis and I remember putting them in a safe place...if only I could remember the SAFE PLACE! GRRRRRRRRR!

Until next time, we remain UNWROAMIN'!

Old

Our son sent us this link to youtube...it pretty well describes us!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yN-6PbqAPM

Best Laid Plans............

Tucson

Yup...Still Tucson! We have been trying unsuccessfully to head to the great (?) town of Odessa (usually known as Odessolet by two of my grandchildren) for the last week. Planned departure date? TODAY! So, what are you still doing in Tucson you ask? Well, it all started last Tuesday. I had been busy cleaning the 5th wheel and getting it ready to load. Tuesday evening AL is going to haul the trash cans to the road (no easy feat I might add, since the road is a quarter mile away). He has them loaded in the truck and he started to get into the truck and his left food slipped and he twisted his ankle. I think it is all a ploy to get me to help him...but being the good person I am (No comments from the peanut gallery) I help him with the trash. Later that evening he says "my ankle hurts"...I look and at it and it is swollen up like a balloon. Oh-oh. I asked him if he wanted to go to ER, and of course the reply was "NO". Well, at 9:30 p.m. he decided he had better go to the ER (of course I was ready for bed). So off we go to ER HELL! They xrayed, did blood work up (?) etc. and determined he had a bad sprain. At least it isn't broken I say, so we can continue on with traveling plans. We get home at 3:00 a.m. ... pain killers in had and instructions for him to keep it elevated and iced.

Next morning I suddenly realize that ALL of the packing, loading, closing this house down is on my back! AAARRRGGG! Well, if that is the case...things will be slowed down drastically! I have discovered I am not as young as I once was and what used to take me 10 minutes to do usually takes 30 now! So now we are at a crawl.

AL's ankle is still very swollen and he can't travel very far in a car/truck, etc. See??? If we had a motor home he could just go lay on the bed and I could drive (since I have to anyway). We still have no idea how long he will be layed up (pardon the pun) so I am taking my sweet time loading. The ankle is still very swollen and sore. I know what that feels like since I broke my LEFT ankle this winter...however, it didn't really seem to slow me down much. So I have to think that a sprain must be more painful.

At any rate...we are still here in Tucson. I am enjoying the weather tremendously, we have even had a couple of short rain/thunder storms which I LOVE!

Last Friday we had our annual "Al's birthday and our Farewell" party here. Al barbequed about a million ribs (at least it looked like it!) and we had good friends over to help him celebrate his birthday.

So until we can wroll....we are the un-wroamin' wraspirs!