We had our first Visitors!

I was sitting at my computer, trying to figure out if there was a TV program I could watch on line.  Then I saw a car drive into my driveway.  At first I thought they were just turning around, but when I saw their faces, I recognized them from their blog, Travels in Therapy.  It was Donna and Russ.  What a nice surprise, and what a delightful couple.  We had a nice visit, and Katie was in heaven with all the attention. 

Donna and Russ

They were on their way home from dinner, and live about ten minutes from this RV park, so they stopped by.  They have an annual pass for the day-use side of the park, and take their dogs there for walks.  It's a beautiful wooded area.  Donna's suggestion to me in a comment that I try out this campground came in handy when I left the last park, I had made a note of her comment, looked it up, and here I am. 

Donna and Russ, thanks for stopping, it was so nice to meet you both, and I'm looking forward to seeing you next week.

Other than our surprise visitors, it was a quiet day.  Katie and I took a couple of walks, we walked over to the dog park when it was empty.  I brought her tennis ball and was planning for Katie to have a good run, and pay some ball with her.  She loves chasing the ball in The Palms, but obviously from the couch to the kitchen isn't much of a game, and I was looking forward to her being able to really run after it, which she loves.

Unfortunately we didn't get much past the entrance gate.  She just wouldn't run, wouldn't chase the ball, all she wanted to do was sniff the posts and grass tufts, etc., smelling all the great dog smells.  Finally I put her leash back on and we took a walk around the park again.  I guess our regular walks are going to be the thing, rather than dog parks.  

Here's Katie right outside the dog park - the green grass had small daisy shaped flowers all over it, and it was really pretty:

Then we came home and sat outside for a while, I read my Kindle - I'm reading the most boring book and just can't read for long.  I'm reading some of the free books I downloaded from Amazon. Most aren't bad, a few were awful and I deleted them right away, but some, like this one, are just good enough to keep reading, but not good enough to keep reading for long.  I think I'm ready to delete it and actually buy a book to download.  

Then I came inside and paid some bills, read some blogs, and that was about it until Donna and Russ arrived. 

A nice quiet day at The Palms.  I love it.

From Me and My Dog, have a great Friday evening, everyone!  : )

This is my 200th post : ), new back-up camera

When I clicked the New Post button, I noticed I had 199 posts, so this is my 200th.  Who knew?  I'm really enjoying posting my adventures, and I was thinking about "followers" this morning.  When I travel alone, I meet people and have nice conversations, but there are lots of days that I don't talk to anyone but Katie.

I feel like I'm talking to you all, while I'm typing my posts. Somehow it gives me a voice, and when things are good, I can share my happiness; when things aren't going so well, I can whine or rant, and once I've hit "publish," I feel better.  So, I thank you all for reading my blog posts, and making me feel like part of a large family of people who care.  : )

Okay, here it is:

 Back-up Camera, mounted on dash

I was at Quality Coach Services in Eugene, OR at 8:30 sharp, and Jason got started right away on the laundry list of things that needed to be done, small things, as well as the installation of a new wired back-up camera and three roof vent covers, and replacement of my toilet bowl seal (which wouldn't hold water in the bowl), and repairing my bathroom fan (that Camping World said they "don't repair, they just replace" them. They would have charged me to take out the old fan, the price of the new fan, and installation of the new fan.)  Jason just switched out the fan switch.

I love the camera, I had never seen one in action before, and it's exactly what I needed.  I was originally going to get a wireless camera, but changed my mind and had a wired one installed.  Jason said it's pre-wired in case I want to get the side cameras that show the blind spot on each side behind the passenger and driver's doors.  I didn't want to pay extra for those, but if I decide in the future that I want them, it will be easier and cheaper to install them.

 Vision Stat 5.6" Wired Digital LCD Color Monitor

I wasn't sure what Katie and I would do all day, and maybe part of tomorrow, but they have a comfortable couch in the office reception area, a plug for my computer, and Internet that I could connect to.  I brought in some snacks and water, my computer and Katie's bed.  It was a little chilly first thing in the morning, so I got our quilt and put that over her in the bed, and she burrowed down, completely covered, and slept most of the morning.

I was expecting to have to come back tomorrow, which would have been okay, but fortunately Jason finished the entire job by 3:30, and I was back on the road to the RV park.

Everything was fixed and installed, and my total bill was more than $200 less than the original estimate, which made me doubly happy.  Jason and Robert, the co-owners of Quality Coach Services, were both great to work with, and I would highly recommend this company if you need any repairs or installs and are in the area.  (541-343-1120)   They are also rated A+ with BBB.

That was about it for our day.  We got home around 4:00, and amazingly I was really tired, and Katie was, too.  After sitting all day.  I was even too tired to take Katie for a walk.   It sure is nice to have everything working, and the installs done!  And tomorrow is another day.

Here's my new map - Thanks Rick! -  Since I've only been in two states with The Palms, I gussied it up a bit.  It was pretty sad looking just plain.  I'll have three when I cross into Washington. 

From Me and My Dog, have a great Thursday night, everyone!  : )

We are re-located and happy!

Thank you all so much for your supportive comments!  I'm not confrontational, and would rather walk away or "take it" than confront someone, but I think it's different when it's our kids or pets.  We'll stand up for them and protect them, for sure.

I wrote a note to the manager of the park, explaining that I was checking out, and why.  I knew she wasn't in the office early, and I wanted to be out of there.  A little before 8 I pulled up to the office, envelope in hand to put in the box, and she was there with her husband.   She thought the envelope contained my rent for the next month, but I explained to her that I was leaving, and told her why.  They were both completely surprised by what I said,  they had no idea there were dogs running around off leash, and wanted to know which sites and which dogs.

I told her who and where, and they said they would definitely take care of the problem, that unleashed dogs were NOT allowed, and they seemed really mad.  They also said they understood completely why I felt I had to leave, and that they were really sorry, this had never happened before.  I was glad I was able to talk to them, and hopefully the problem will be taken care of for future campers.

We drove about a half hour away and checked in at Armitage, and we have a 2-week reservation here. It's a really nice park, full hook-ups, good TV reception, free wi-fi that's really strong and fast (five bars), and lots of room between camp sites.

Our new campsite

The greenery in the park is beautiful, the roads and the RV pads are paved, and the camp sites are surrounded by grass.  It's going to be easy to keep things clean here.

The bus below came in today, and it was interesting watching them unload.  They have a German Shephard that has puppies, two or three kids that ran out of the bus and started playing ball and drawing pictures on the drive with chalk, the dad climbed up on top and opened that big wooden storage thing and brought stuff down.  The mom came out and started organizing.

Neighbors, one campsite away from us

They must be living in the bus, and seem to be a nice, quiet family.  There is a camper on a truck next to us, and it blocks my view of this bus, I took this photo on our walk this afternoon.  Most of the rigs here are very nice, large Class As or trailers, so this one stands out. I'd love to see what the inside looks like. They have all the hook-ups connected.  This park is $30/night, so it's not cheap, and I'm surprised to see such an old RV here.

Twenty Canada Geese just flew overhead in their V-shape formation, honking along.  I wish I had my camera out and ready.

Anyway, Katie and I did a lot of walking today.  Next to the campground is a day-use park, and it fronts the McKenzie River. We walked over there and checked it out.

 I loved this moss covered picnic table.

No one at all was there, I forget that most people are working and it's the middle of the week.  It is a beautiful location,and I'm sure we'll do lots of walking over there.  We were above the river, but I could see a pathway right next to it, below us, and I want to find that path so we can walk along the water's edge.

 The McKenzie River

 Weird tree - huge trunk and lots of smaller trunks

 This is an unusual campsite table - isn't the extension a great idea? 

It's all one piece, made that way.
(NOTE: Judy commented that the extension is so that people in
wheelchairs can access the table - makes sense.  
Thanks Judy.  It is in the handicap site.)

We also checked out the dog park, it's really big and looks nice, but I don't want to take Katie there unless there are no other dogs in the dog park.  I want Katie to be able to run and chase her ball without worrying about another dog scaring her.  I'll take it slow and see how it goes.  It's right across the road from us on the other side of a large lawn area.

 Dog park

I had a conversation with a man who was there with his dog - a transplanted Los Angeles resident - and he told me about a really nice campground/spa.  Gave me the name and phone number from his phone contacts, and I wrote them down and will check them out for future reference.  He said $18/night, sounds good to me!

Katie is loving all the walks she got today, and so am I.  At home in San Diego I had to make myself walk, it was such a pain and I never really enjoyed it.  I told myself I did, but it was really a pain.  In a place like this, walking is effortless, interesting, and fun.  I was so tired at 5:30, though, I gave in and konked out on the couch, and took an hour long nap.  Really deep sleep, I think the stress of yesterday and the relief of being here also did me in.


I also got an e-mail from my buddy, Fred, who sends me tips from time to time.  He had some good boondocking places for me to try out in the area, and I've made a note of those, too.

It's so nice to get referrals from people who have "been here/done that."

Jason at Quality Coach Services called today and I have an appointment at 8:30 tomorrow morning. Everything is in, even the back-up camera, and he is going to try to get everything done tomorrow.  If not, he will finish up on Friday.

I was thinking today - I wasn't sure how this was going to work without a toad, but so far I'm finding it very easy to camp with hook-ups and unhook when I want to drive to town.  I don't hook up the sewer until I need to dump the black tank, so all I have to do is unplug the electric and stow the cord and take off the fresh water hose and leave it there.  Only takes a few minutes to do, and I'm mobile again.  I think I might be okay without a toad.

You would have been so proud of me backing up - so far.  It was really easy here, but in the last campsite, there was a water post on one side and the decks on the other, with about a 6 to 8 inches clearance on each side.  I nailed it both times I backed in.  I know this is different than a truck and trailer or fiver, but I didn't know how I would do until I did it, and I was happy it is so easy with this little rig.  The only thing that could have been better would have been a back-up camera to see when to stop.  Without it I had to get out and see for myself.

This is such a learning experience - every day I learn something new, or notice something different.  I got an e-mail asking if full-timing so far is everything I expected it to be, or if I was disappointed.  I have to say, so far it's better than I expected.  I love sitting in a beautiful campground, the peace and quiet and beauty, and great places to walk with Katie.  We're getting a lot of exercise.  I also love driving - I feel a certain excitement going down the road to our next destination, even if I don't know where we'll end up.  Once I have my Sirius receiver installed and set up the service, it will be even better because I won't lose radio stations as I travel from place to place.

Even if we are in a rest stop or a parking lot for the day (or night), my intention for full-timing wasn't to "see the country" or do a lot of sightseeing, although we have actually done some so far and will probably do a lot more, especially since I'm finding it so easy to drive off and return to our camp site.  I guess it just goes with the territory.  What I wanted was to be able to live in different places and move when I'm ready.  Do what I did at home in the condo all day, and that's what I'm doing so far. 

From Me and My Dog, have a great Wednesday night, everyone!  : )

We're leaving tomorrow : (

We've had a busy couple of days.  Monday I took The Palms to Quality Coach Services in Eugene, OR (thanks for the referral, Sharon!) for an estimate on doing the work I want done.  I decided to have them do the work, so the parts are ordered, and I'm waiting for a call.  I'm working with Jason, and he said the parts would probably be in by Wednesday, and if so, then the work can be done on Thursday.  Everything but the back-up camera install can be done in one day.

He thought it would take longer for the back-up camera to come in. I've decided to have a built in camera rather than a wireless one, so it will take longer to install.  I'll have to come back next week to have that done.  I'm looking forward to having it all completed.

I stopped by Best Buy to check out Sirius Radio receivers, and will probably have one installed and start that service this week, too.  I had a good referral for a company in Springfield, but I called yesterday and haven't received a call back, so will probably go with Best Buy.

I also called the solar company, AM Solar, in Springfield, OR, that was recommended by Donna K.  They are super busy and could give me an estimate soon, but the work couldn't be scheduled until the end of the month.  We had quite a long conversation on the phone, though, and he asked me a lot of questions about how I travel, what I use as far as electricity, if I have a converter, how many batteries I have, if I mind using my generator, etc.

At the end of the conversation, it was obvious I don't need solar panels.  At least not yet.  I've been doing fine without hookups so far when I'm not in an RV Park, and he said I should probably wait a while and see how I do. I really appreciated his honesty, and not installing the solar panels will save me a lot of money.  So,  for now, no solar panels.  Thanks for the referral, Donna.  I was impressed with AM Solar.

Today I cleaned house, vacuumed, did laundry, changed sheets, etc.  It's always so nice to do everything in one day and have it done.  Katie really sheds, so I have to vacuum often, but the rest of the cleaning - once a week seems to do it.  I have a little hand vacuum for the dog hair, and mainly have to do the couch and floor.  Very small area.

I also had the cooking bug today, and made hamburger stroganoff and spaghetti.  I had some stroganoff for lunch, and have enough left for two meals, and enough spaghetti for three meals.  I packed it in small freezer bags, one per meal, and froze them for later. 

I went over this morning to talk to the woman running the office, and I can't stay here in this site after my week is up, it is reserved by one of the permanent residents, and they are now ready to move here.  There is only one other site available, and I went to look at it, and told her I'd take it for a month.  The monthly rate is only $425, plus electricity, and that's the best rate I've found yet. 

But I've changed my mind.

Katie and I had an incident with a dog a couple of days ago, and another today.  The first dog lives three sites down right near the swimming area, is often off his leash, and he came after Katie.  Now...this dog may have been very friendly, but when it's running at full speed toward us, I don't know what his intentions are, and I freaked, scooped Katie as fast as I could, and kept walking.  His owners were sitting outside, and came to get him, but I kept walking and didn't talk to them, and they didn't call to me.

Here is a photo I snapped out my screen door tonight, as you can see, he is not on a leash.  I don't know what kind of dog he is, just BIG and off leash:

Then... this evening when Katie and I were walking along the water's edge on the lawn three sites on the other side of our site, coming back from the laundry room, a big black dog came charging at us - it had slipped it's collar, and luckily the owners were there, but this dog is one that is often outside by itself with a rope tied to its collar, and always pulls at the rope trying to get loose when we walk by.  I freaked again, tried to scoop Katie up, dropped her, got her again.  It was awful.  Katie was screaming in fright, trying to climb up on my shoulder.

The people came running and said their dog is really friendly, and has never bitten anyone or any dogs.  That might be true, but there are rules here, leashed dogs only, and no dogs outside without their owners even if on a leash.

The husband and wife were upset about what happened and apologized, and I told them I had really been scared because of  some recent stories of dogs killing small dogs that had  been in the news, that pit bulls were in one story, other dogs in another - you never know, even with "friendly" breeds, what they will do.  He said his dog was kind of "pitty."  Black lab and pit bull.  The dog jumped in the lake to swim, and seemed like a nice dog.  But I didn't know that when it was charging us barking like crazy.

When we got back, I noticed blood on my leg from where Katie's claws punctured my thigh in two places when she was trying desperately to climb up my leg to get away from the dog.  I felt so bad for her.

Katie is doing fine now, but about 15 minute later, we were sitting on the couch, and she started barking, and I looked out the window and the pit/lab was walking down the lawn between us and the water, the dog and the owner were heading to the children's area, where they both went swimming.  (No dogs are allowed in the swimming area.)  The dog was not on a leash.

After seeing that, and then a few minute later seeing the dog pictured above unleashed, I decided I don't want to stay here.  We are right in the middle of them, so I can't walk Katie along the lake without passing in front on one site or the other.   I just don't feel it's safe to walk Katie here anymore, and we love talking long walks.

I'm soooo glad I didn't pay for the next month yet.

I am all packed and ready to go in the morning.  After getting dressed and getting coffee ready to travel, I'm stopping by the office and checking out.  Tomorrow I'm going to check the campgrounds on the other side of the lake.  There are many places to camp here in the area while I have The Palms worked on.  The Walmart here lets RVs stay overnight, and there are Rest Stops on the freeways and nearby casinos, so I have a lot of options. 

It's pretty bad when I feel Katie and I are safer in a Walmart or Casino parking lot or a Rest Stop than I do in a beautiful area like this, but if the managers aren't enforcing the rules, then I'm not comfortable. I've only been here five days, and have had two incidents and seen both these dogs off leash or alone many times, so they must be aware, too.

Katie's actually been doing really well socializing with other dogs since we've been on the road, as long as it's controlled and she feels safe.  Most people are great about making sure the dogs are okay with each other. I don't want her to be afraid of other dogs.  I hope I'm not over-reacting. 

Last photo of Katie by the lake taken yesterday:

Tomorrow we're on the road again, and that's okay.  A month here would have probably been too long, anyway.   I'll keep you posted.

From Me and My Dog, Katie, have a good Wednesday tomorrow, everyone!  : )

Deer sighting - quiet days in The Palms

Saturday evening

When Katie and I took our afternoon walk, we met up with a neighbor walking his dog.  His dog is a 5 pound Deer Chihuahua, sooooo cute - like a miniature Katie.

While we were talking he said to walk over by the fence at dusk and we'd see deer, and sure enough, we did.  There was only one, she looked like a female, no antlers, and kind of smallish.

She saw us coming when she was behind the fencing in front of the bushes, so I snapped her through the fence, then we walked around behind her to get a clear shot. 

 She's really watching us.

She just stood there for a long time, and then finally walked slowly through a hole in the bushes.  I don't know what's on the other side, but it sounds like water, like a creek.

Slowly walking through the bushes.

These aren't the clearest photos, but they are the best of what I got.

Another view of the campground, on our walk back.  The Palms is in the middle.  Two coaches away the people had guests all day, and they had lawn games and ran remote control cars on the lawn.  They were quiet, but looked like they were having a good time. 

We're in the middle - there is another Sunseeker across the road from us. 

I noticed this plant growing in the rocks on the edge of the water - I think it's a lily of some kind?  I wonder if someone planted it here, or if it just landed in the rocks and started growing.  The waves constantly hit it.

Other than taking a couple of long walks around the "neighborhood," it was a quiet day in The Palms.  I listened to a book on tape downloaded from the library while I played computer games, then sat outside with Katie and read my Kindle while the sun went down.

Since nothing was defrosted, I made an avocado and cheese omelet for dinner.  I put a little ketchup and sour cream on top, and it hit the spot.  Cookies and coffee for desert, and a little TV and ... that was our Saturday.

Sunday morning

This morning I was up early, and Katie seemed to be having a problem deciding whether to get up or go back to sleep.

She went back to sleep.

About an hour later she was ready to get up, and when we went outside, we saw a flock of Canadian Geese on the grass at the pool area.

It looked like some were sleeping, and three in the back had their necks up, watching out for the rest?

A bit later, they went into the water and seemed to be drifting by our campsite in a single line.

And they drifted away.

We're going out on the deck now, a little Kindle reading and sun, and then lunch. 


From Me and My Dog, have a great Sunday, everyone!  : )