Christmas Wishes for December 2022

 

                              Merry Christmas from our decorated Clubhouse at North Ranch to

                                                                    each of you!

We continue to enjoy all the activities here at North Ranch.  Terry had just returned from getting fire wood for our upcoming campfire during the Christmas Parade and he stopped to wait for me until I finished Line Dancing.  He looked so comfortable in the middle of this Christmas scene that I grabbed this photo.

We will be sharing  Christmas celebrations with our neighbors here and host friends, Dave and Barbara at Wickenburg Ranch.  The New Years Eve Dance will be repeated again this year (at last) .  It is always so much fun with lots of line dancing and polka.

Our most fun this year was building an RV from a 6X10 ft. Cargo Trailer.  We found the trailer for sale just down the street and Terry was excited about creating a custom build tiny road house.  We were just starting it in February when we both got Covid and were wiped out for 2 months. 

 As in most builds there were many little component problems and delays, but we got it on the road partially finished the last of June.  We had a wonderful time exploring and camping in little places (mostly National Forests) in 11 states.  Our little inside space kept us cozy and comfortable except in the 107 degrees in South Dakota.  We had to escape to the Bighorn Mts. of Wyoming, an area we adored.  See the picture of Ten Sleep Canyon, WY above.

On our return to Oregon we spent over a week on the Lochsa River in Idaho.  There is an amazing Cedar Grove along the river there on the Lewis and Clark Scenic Highway.  It was one of those pull outs we drove by about 4 times before we finally stopped. We both found ourselves whispering as we walked through the grove.  Total awe will do that!

Though we had declared ourselves through with camp hosting last year, we did return to Silver Falls State Park.  We actually worked together doing visitor area clean up for the month of September and loved it!  Terry's brother, Phil and his wife, Connie were there to greet us and it was great to be with them and our other host friends from previous years.  We plan to return next year.

We hope you and your family have a healthy and happy Christmas and New Year.  Our family experiences this year reminded us that we are so fortunate to have access to good doctors, healthy food and the love and care of our family and friends.  Share the love and savor the beauty all around you through this season and 2023!

P.O. Box 327 News

 We left our home spot at Silver Falls SP for the last time on Oct. 20.   After 5 wonderful years of working there and 10 total years of volunteering,  we have decided to spend our summers just traveling.   We stumbled on our first volunteer job in 2011 just after Terry retired and never got back to that 'see the national parks' retirement trip we had started.   So next summer we will begin our second retirement trip.  Where's that  'Bucket List' ?

The summer was a very busy one.  Phil, Terry's brother, was working there when we arrived and stayed on even after we left.  The rangers in the park didn't know what to think of the work machine the 2 of them made together.  They made some very significant changes and loved the opportunity to share jobs.  I got to spend time with my sister, Jane and her husband, Kevin.  We finally got a trip to the Japanese Garden in Portland.  What a beautiful place!!!

In early October we traveled together with my sister, Ann to visit cousins in Pennsylvania.  Their little town and lovely home were delightful as always and we hated to leave.  The countryside was just beginning to shine with autumn leaves and bright orange pumpkins.

When we leave Silver Falls we have to cross Santiam Pass before Sisters, OR.  We were greeted with the first snowfall of our trip home.  The 'Bomb Cyclone' rain and snow was just behind us. The snow covered mountains made the whole trip such an adventure and we never got into more than snow and rain showers as we drove.  

We don't spend the night in many rest areas, but our favorite is Oravada, NV.  Here's the show we got at sunrise.

When we got home we had to sort out a post office mix-up about our permanent address.  Please note we now have a new  address  -----P. O, Box 327.

  It is so nice to be at home.  Things are in full swing in the community and I am line dancing 3 days a week.  Terry is back on the radio and enjoying daily bike rides and exercises.  Our flowers loved the monsoon rains and our faithful neighbor who watered.  All is good.  Come see us.

Mid-Season at Silver Falls

 Traveling through Eastern Oregon on the way to Silver Falls is always a fascinating part of our trip.  This year we decided to stop long enough to explore the hillsides in search of rock specimens.  McDermitt, NV/OR sits right on the state line and is a favorite spot for many rock hounds.  We now include ourselves in that group.

The ground around our truck is literally covered with orange and cream agates, a stone that polishes to a smooth glassy finish. The dirt road ahead led to a similar spot with purple agates and a remote camping spot with fantastic views.  We will return to these hills on Disaster Peak Road.

This year at Silver Falls is very different for us.  For the 4 previous years we have had a core group of the same 10 volunteers.  We all had become very close friends, but this year only 2 have returned.  We only have campfires a few nights a week now, but we are enjoying working with new folks.  When we arrived the flower fields nearby were in full bloom.  Look at these poppies!

We celebrated our 35th Anniversary on August 2 at a fantastic Lodge in our favorite coast town, Yachats. It is set in a beautiful garden by the sea. We slept each night with the ocean breeze and the sound of waves crashing on the rocks below.  Absolutely wonderful!  Breakfast was delivered to our room.

As much as we love all of Oregon and especially our friends in the Parks, we have decided that this our 10th year of volunteering will be our last.  We were on our 'see the National Parks retirement trip" when we got our first volunteer job at our first national park visit, Great Basin.  We think the time has come to get back to that 'retirement trip' and the joy of seeing more of our beautiful country.  It will be a sad and happy change for us.  Stay tuned.

Desert Spring to Oregon Fir Tree Shade

Spring has been beautiful here this year as the Senna Tree at the edge of our community Cactus Garden shows.  The Campground is in the background.

This is the Garden entrance.  I visit several times a week to keep pace with the changing blooms.  Volunteers do a great job maintaining it.

This apricot Prickly Pear was absolutely beautiful.! I walked up daily while it was blooming.

We had a little potted plant garden with everything elevated to keep the rabbits away.  One morning I actually found a rabbit sitting in the pot eating the zinnias.  I had to raise that one a little higher.

This is our neighbor's Aloe Vera plant in bloom.  Our kitchen window looks out on it.  You can imagine my surprise when I saw a Hooded Oriole sipping nectar from the blossoms.

We now have 5 small Aloe Vera plants around the property sold by the Cactus Garden Volunteers.

We will leave all this behind when we leave for Oregon and Silver Falls in the morning to start work there again on July 1.  The cool shade of the huge fir trees will be such a delight after a record breaking week of over 100 degree weather.  A very kind neighbor will water for us while we are gone.  Hopefully some summer monsoons will help too.

We will join the local wildlife in the cool tree shadows until the end of October.  Come See us at Silver Falls State Park near Salem.

 

Merry Christmas from Arizona- Dec.11, 2020

 After returning home in early November, we are settled in for the winter here.  We miss the community activities we enjoyed last year, but we have more time for 'at home' projects; lots of radio for Terry and sewing and reading for me.

Our summer at Silver Falls in Oregon was a little more exciting than usual.  The wildfires entered the back country acres of the Park and we had 20 minutes to evacuate at 6 am leaving our trailer behind.  Thanks to the hard work of the fire crews the fire was stopped and only burned 120 acres.  We were able to remove our trailer to stay in another park for 14 days until the area was safe for our return.  We learned a valuable lesson and now have an 'evacuation bag' packed and stored away.

The fire cloud over the Park - seen from Silverton on the morning we evacuated.

 When we returned to get the trailer, the smoke was very dense.

Our work at the Park seems more enjoyable each year.  Terry gets to drive more equipment and I get to help the rangers with routine tasks that take their valuable time.  This year Terry's brother, Phil worked in the Park too.  They loved helping each other complete jobs and he was there for the evacuation and we were able to stay with him in Vancouver, WA the first few nights.

On our way to Oregon in June we spent 2 weeks at Great Basin NP.  Friends from our host days there, Nate and Anna and family were there too and stopped us as we drove by their site.  We were thrilled to see them again.  What a surprise that we both chose the same week to return for a visit!

View from the Baker Creek Trail on a wonderful hike with another friend at Great Basin, Clare.

  Clare took a great photo of me too on the trail.

Sharing these words and photos of a few of our experiences this year reminds me that in spite of the pandemic and it's restrictions, the value of old friends, family and new friends in our lives can give us so much pleasure.  It may take a little more effort to stay in touch, but it is so worth it!  No matter where we are there are so many little beauties,  simple pleasures and unexpected surprises to enjoy.

We wish you and your family lots of pleasure, beauty and peace for the Christmas season and the New Year!

"Sheltered In"

In January when we ordered and waited for the arrival of the first building on our property, we never guessed how great it would be for the 'stay at home' days we would face in April here.  Our new cottage style shed is now my sewing room, Terry's Ham Radio Station and a cozy, gathering spot with my rocker, a fireplace and a 'custom' bar.  We also have lots of shelves for storage.


Terry's brother, Phil, came in February to help wire the shed, insulate it and put up wall board and the ceiling.  Together they had all that work done in 2 days.  I had to beg them to take some rest breaks.  Without Phil's help, it would have taken Terry and I weeks of labor!

I am very fortunate to have 2  'master quilter's'  as neighbor's and they both introduced me to wall mounted design boards and suggested that I include one in my sewing corner.  So our first project was to cover an insulation board with quilt batting to make a sticky wall.  It took 2 days to get the glued on batting off my fingers, but the board is a treasure in the quilt design process.

Terry surprised me with a trip to the storage unit that resulted in a little sitting area with my rocker, some Laurinburg farm and cabin furniture and a small electric ' wood fire-look' heater.  It brought tears to my eyes to see our new little comfy, homestyle corner.




Last but not least, Terry set up his solar powered Ham Radio Station.  He designed and built a collapsible table, a battery and controls shelf unit, and re-purposed a portable electronics case with his radios and tuner.  It is now the small, efficient space he had always dreamed of for a station and it is totally solar powered.  His 2 antennas are set up at the back of the shed.



We are so fortunate to have this additional space to use now that we will be at home here for an unknown time.  We are still scheduled to work at Silver Falls State Park near Salem, Oregon for July 1- October 31.  At this time all Oregon State Parks are closed.  We don't know if we will be leaving here in June or not.

Through this time of uncertainty, we are holding on --- with daily walks in our beautiful neighborhood below the mountains, cooking lots of healthy food and taking time to appreciate all the 'simple' pleasures of life.  Hold on and stay healthy!

I am sorry that I wasn't able to get any pictures to load with repeated tries and 2 different sources.  So for the 'readers' here is a catch up.

Arizona Christmas and the Sunset on 2019

Christmas celebrations-Arizona style- began here for me last week with the local Quilt Guild Party.  Our nearest town, Wickenburg, has a long history of vacation or 'dude' ranches.  Four or more are still hosting winter guests.  Rancho Los Caballeros has both lodging and dining.  Our Guild Party was held in  the historic Los Caballeros dining room.  It's low ceilings and adobe style made it warm and cozy.

The members who were hosting made all of the colorful placemats.  They could be taken home or given to the local Senior Center.

The room was decorated with an Arizona 'Christmas tree'. 

The festivities included a gift exchange, donations to local community services in 3 towns, door prizes, and a quilt raffle.  I didn't win the beautiful small quilt that would have been perfect on the couch, but I did win one of the blooming cyclamens that decorated our table.  It looks lovely in my neighbor's living room.

Our 'porch' lights are in place and lit for the Christmas season.  The Community Christmas Parade is next Sunday evening.  People decorate any and everything from skateboards to Jeeps.  It is fun to see such creativity rolling by!

But almost every evening is a parade here as the sun set moves across the sky in our front yard.   The color just gets deeper and deeper.

It was pretty impressive  to start with at the end of our walk.  Terry and I watched it just get more intense.

It is hard to believe that the end of 2019 is just around the corner.  Remember when it was 2000 and 2020 seemed so far away.  Well here it is and we wish you a holiday season that is full of peace, gratitude and contentment with where you are and the joys you have to share.

Merry Christmas and many beautiful sunsets in 2020!

Waterfalls, Quilts and Autumn Farms in Oregon

Our third Volunteer Season at Silver Falls is flying by.  Terry has been busy helping clear out 40 years of unused stuff in the park.  He has trucked many loads to the Surplus Depot in Salem.  He also transports and picks up equipment for repairs and re-location.  When I see him driving the big truck with that long trailer loaded down and secured I know he is where he needs to be!

  I'm hosting in the Lodge 2 days a week and helping people plan their hikes to the Falls.  It makes my day when someone returns to tell me what a great time they had.  I've started hiking the South Falls Loop after work.  The late afternoon light is beautiful!

This is one of 4 falls you can walk behind.  In the backyard of the Lodge I walk the wooded Rim Trail some days.  It's wonderful all the time!

I love visiting my sister, Jane, most weekends.  Last weekend we went to the Portland Quilt Show.  It was fantastic!  Look at this photo from my favorite quilt and also one of the first place quilts.

The farmers are busy around us putting in winter crops.  They burn off the wheat fields in early September and re-plant soon after.  The new green sprouting through the black is amazing.

Other fields are just being plowed for winter crops.  The fall rains have started so it is time to plant.

We will leave here on October 31 to return to sunny Arizona.  What a contrast from the moss covered forest we live in here!!!

A Wonderful Family Adventure in Arizona

The last 7 months have kept us close to our new home, but just up the road is a pretty big- Must See!  That's where we started when my cousin, Gwen, her husband, Darrell and her son, Kyle came to visit from Northern Ireland.  It had been 12 years since they were in the U.S. and this was their first visit to the Southwest.  So we headed north to Williams, AZ and the Grand Canyon.

We walked many miles each day to share the amazing Grand Canyon views before returning to our Straw Bale House AirB&B. The spacious dining table and the large patio were perfect for meals together and some ham radio contacts.  Darrell has been inspiring Terry in the hobby for many years.

We visited the Meteor Crater east of Flagstaff and Walnut Canyon, a site of ancient cliff dwellings.

Darrell and Kyle braved the 300 steps to get a close up look at the cliff structures.  From the bottom they could see dwellings in the canyon walls we stood on to watch them hiking.

Sedona's Red Rock Scenic Byway was part of the loop south we made to stay a few days in Prescott.  We all wished that more time and cooler weather would have allowed us to do some hiking.

We did a little shopping at the Mall in Prescott and stopped at the Food Court for lunch.  I was totally amazed when the table next to us began to set up a Mahjong game.  By the time we left the mall there were 4 busy Mahjong tables.  The players said this is normal for a Friday afternoon.  Wow!

Our fantastic trip together was a great way to end our time in Arizona.  We leave for 4 months in Oregon on Friday.  We will be at the same park as last year, Silver Falls, near Salem, OR.  Come see us!