PHOTO GALLERY 2024

Looking back over 2023... from our monumental trip to Utah and the magnificent national parks like Monument Valley, Canyonlands and Arches, as well as the mind-bending Colorado National Monument, to our time at our beloved Fern Ridge Lake sailing and enjoying the RV life at the Oregon coast, to the changes in our family from visiting the grandchildren to our upgrade to dogs 2.0 with the addition of our new Mini Schnauzer pup, Riley. Click on this link to review the entire Utah trip and summer of 2023.

Happy New Year to all our friends. 2023 has ended and we've all made it through another year. As we watch that chaos that is happening around the world in so many places, we feel blessed to be leading a quiet, abundant life, retired from life's stresses and just enjoying our time together with the company of our wonderful dogs. We hope 2024 may bring us all peace and prosperity and a cessation of hostilities all around the world:
    Cheers!   Prost!   Salute!   Santé!   Salud!   Na Zdorowie!

For those readers who have been following us over the past 15 years, you may recall our venture into Texas real estate investment, owning three different residential homes there and one commercial property. At one time we planned to move to Las Brisas (Seguin), TX but plans changed and over the years we have sold off our holdings. The commercial property on 1.2 acres in Austin, is the last to go. It has been a marvelous investment since we bought it for cash from a 1031 exchange in 2008. It remained rented the entire time to American Medical Response (AMR) on a NNN lease, which has involved little more than collecting the monthly rent payments for 15 years. It has been the cornerstone of our retirement income. Finally the tenant decided to move on to larger headquarters and we listed it for sale with an Austin realtor. The deal closed escrow Jan 25 of this year!

As I said, growth in Austin, Texas, and particularly in our area over near the airport, has just exploded in our tenure there. At the left is a recent aerial view from Google maps showing our location and other businesses in the area. Our property is circled in yellow, and the area on the other side of Bluestein Drive surrounded by the yellow dotted lines was all vacant land back in 2008 when we bought there. You can see that development in the drone aerial photo below.

The area has exploded and we sold it instantly for almost 2x what we paid. We're holding contract with a monthly installment income for the next ten years, netting us more than we have been collecting for rent plus a very large balloon payment in ten years. Nice! The aerial photo at the left was taken by a drone hired by the realtor to photograph the property and surrounding area from the air. It clearly shows all the businesses along Bluestein Drive opposite our property there,

Google has not updated their street view in the last couple decades providing an excellent view of just what Bluestein Drive looked like in the early 2000's before we arrived! Nice pasture land but not much going on there.

At the left is a photo I took from the driveway of our property looking across the road over the wrought iron fence along the sidewalk in front of our place. I'm glad I had the foresight to photograph all that empty space back in 2008 when we bought it. That is actually my first Texas red Ford Mustang parked in the middle of the road. You can see that as of 2008 the city was starting to spiff up street planting some really nice trees along the roadside. Compare that photo to the developed photos above and below. We had a great run with this place and now it's somebody else's turn!

Here is the identical photo 15 years later... the trees along the road are a little larger and out behind, instead of open fields, are the new building complexes that have been built in the last 15 years. Immediately across the street is IDEA Health Professions Academy Charter School, the local campus for a national network of tuition-free, K-12 public charter schools.

Here we are celebrating the escrow close of the Texas property at our favorite local Mexican Restaurant Catedral Tapatia celebrating with fishbowl size margaritas. We ordered our usual delicous chicken and pork fajitas which are always the perfect dish to split.

As a sort of anniversary commemoration (married Alpril 19, 2022), we joined close friends Kevin and Nora Semonsen for dinner at a local eaterie, Arawon Thai restaurant, for some tasty curry and stir fry. At the right is a selfie of the four of us.

We returned to Veneta today, April 15, after being home to wrap things up in preparation for our summer at the lake. The weather has cooperated magnificently as you can see from the extended forecast at the left which shows sun, warming temps and nice sailable breezes. Our focus will be on opening up everything for the season and uncovering the boat, washing and waxing it, and getting her launched which is planned for this Thursday.

Another era has passed... sigh. Over the years of RV travel we made two enduring sets of friends which date back a decade or more. Bill and Ginny E., and Dennis and Myra B. We stayed in touch with them as the years passed and visited each of them at their homes as well. Both couples were between Libby and me in age. A few years ago Bill passed away from cancer. I had my bout with cancer in 2018 but fortunately have completely recovered. Dennis was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year - he put up a valiant fight but ultimately it was too much for him and he has now passed away. Libby points out, I am the last man standing and I am also the oldest of the group. It is a bit unsettling, but we are both grateful, I am still ok and still RVing!

We are waiting out a rainy stretch at home before returning to the lake. It looks like it is ending next week and then it moves into beautiful spring weather with temps in the low 80's and steady afternoon breezes. Really looking forward to that. It has been a wet spring but the good news is that once again, the lake is full, ensuring a long season of boating ahead. We prefer to wait out inclement weather at home where we are most comfortable, and where the dogs have the freedom of their doggy door. But that freedom comes with a price, especially when you have a little hooligan for a puppy. This is a photo taken at 11:00 pm on Saturday May 3, just as we wrapped up watching a movie. Riley's been having too much fun!

We've been back several weeks now and have once again relaxed into life at the lake. "Things are better at the lake" as the sign reads on our deck. The dogs like it here but they miss their squirrel chasing. We cannot put out squirrel food to attract the little critters because it brings the crows which are destructive. But the ever resourceful Riley, our little Mini Schnauzer puppy, has taken to stalking flies and bees in the fenced back yard. He stands silently like this for an hour or more at a time... only the head flicking back and forth. And if one lands on the cedar chips he pounces. It is very entertaining to watch him. That's his little fire hydrant we anchored in the yard for him to lift his leg on.

We've been back at the lake for almost a week now and sailing has been exceptional. I sailed 3 out of the last four days and could've sailed all four. Today Wednesday, May 15, was sailing day 5 for the season, 3 days with Libby and twice with sailing buddies, already and the weather is shaping up to offer us plenty more days before end of the month. Here I am in my wide brim hat, sun glasses and nose shield trying to avoid the deleterious effects of excessive sun. After two Mohs surgeries on my nose so far, I have to be very careful.

We made a brief visit home to Vancouver WA to squeeze in a few doctor visits before summer. We were treated to a brilliant display of some of the Rhododendrum bushes dotted around our yard. This red one by the back fence is particularly brilliant this year.

Here we are back in Veneta having dinner at our local Mexican restaurant Ixtapa with our RV friends Carl and Mary. Cheers!

I bought this 1977 1000 Kawasaki LTD new in 1978 when I lived in L.A. I rode it for 20 years, put over 43000 miles on it and then it went into storage after we moved up to Oregon. And today after advertising on Craigslist and FB Marketplace, an Iranian fellow named Kayvan drove down from McMinnville and gave me $1750 cash for it. Sad to let it go, but clearly I will never ride it again.. It will take some serious work to get everything back in running condition after 25+ years of storage. It's way beyond my capablity today, and so I have passed the torch to Kayvan. Many fond memories on this bike.

Many happy memories on this bike. This photo was taken in front of the place I was living in Brentwood California back in 1982, about 5 years after I bought it new. In 1980 a friend with a custom racebike shop help me build out the engine to full racebike specifications. Many other custom touches like molded frame, custom paint, 4" over stock hard chromed forks, many chrome painted parts, genuine leather saddle. Bad Ass Motorcycle!

This is the Oregon license plate showing last time it was registered - 1997! It has been in storage since 1998.

Here she is... loaded on the guy's uhaul trailer to haul it back home in McMinnville, Oregon where he will spend the next 6 months going thru it and rejuvenating it to ride the Oregon backroads once more! Farewell old friend! Sigh!

We have been discussing the option of buying a used golf cart to putt around the RV Park... take the dogs for rides, and give me the option to visit with other residents without need to stand still for extended periods, something which really aggravates my back. While a motorcycle is clearly a thing of the past, a golf cart to cruise around the RV Park and visit with neighbors... might seem like a logical choice. We looked at this really nice electric powered cart in nearby Creswell, OR but in the end we decided against the idea, at least this older cart. Just too many things to go wrong, and adding to our list of things to maintain. Nice idea, but we will keep watching for a newer cart with new batteries.

We had been thinking of buying an electric golf cart to cruise around the RV Park here at the lake. We're hoping it will encourage me to get out and about more often. So I found one on Craigslist and we bought this beautiful like-new 2016 EZ-GO TXT in British Racing Green from a private owner in Eugene. And he delivered it for us as part of the deal. The dogs love it. Libby and I can cruise over to the far side of the marina to let the dogs wander about. And it will allow me to socialize with other park residents without being stuck standing for long periods. I can just sit in the cart and out of the sun.

We picked up an inexpensive easy-folding canopy at Bimart for $79. It is 8x8 and tall enough to drive the cart under it. This will keep the sun off, bird droppings, light rain, etc. When we leave for any multi day trips, we can park it over under the motorhome carport and we can cable lock it to one of the upright poles. I have been doing a few tweaks. For theft prevention, I changed out the ignition switch. Turns out all EZ-GO golf carts use the exact same key!!! Fuggeddaboutit! Inexpensive and easy switch out from Amazon. I installed a matched set of side view mirrors and I ordered a set of MG badges. I always wanted a British Racing Green MG. This is my proxy.

This weekend my old recumbent exercise bike froze up. I have been riding it every morning here as a way to get some exercise. I scoured Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace and settled on a like-new Life Fitness 95RI Recumbent exercise bike which I picked up from the seller over in Eugene near the U of O Campus. This is a high end machine which I acquired at a very modest price. I am hoping it will work well for my backyard fitness program.

Time for a little maintenance. There was a slight odor of propane around the stationary propane tank on our Miramar motothome. If I turned off the yellow valve the odor disappears but when turned on the distinct odor returns. A little soapy water in a spray bottle helped me quickly isolate a small leak around the regulator indicated with the yellow arrow in the photo at the left. This is one of the big advantages of storing the motorhome right here in the RV park where we keep our big 5th wheel... easy access for maintenance. I did a quick search on google images and turned up many, many types of propane regulators. I identified an identical replacement on Amazon for under $30. It arrived in a couple days and I installed it easily... problem solved.

We have taken the plunge and decided to make a serious addition to the fun quotient here at the lake. We bought a new 2024 Sun Tracker Party Barge 18 DLX pontoon boat from Mel's Marine in Eugene. It was delivered today and they even launched it for us at the Fern Ridge Shores Marina where we will keep the boat when using it here at this lake. We also plan to travel to other lakes in the area with the motorhome and take the Sun Tracker for lake expeditions. This photo is me driving it from the launch ramp to our slip in the marina. You can see a whole page of photos of the new boat on our special large format Sun Tracker Gallery Page.

Here I am pulled into the slip at our Fern Ridge Shores marina just a few undred yards from our RV space. The dogs decided to join me for the photo opp. We can all ride in the golf cart down to the boat whenever we wanna go out. You can see our green golf cart in the background. We also look forward to trailering the new boat to some other intriguing lakes in the area like Ten Mile Lakes. Dorena Lake, Siltcoos Lake, Detroit Lake, & Prineville Reservoir. We can take the motorhome and camp near each lake for several days while we explore the lake in the Sun Tracker, something that is not possible with the Catalina sailboat.

Tonite we had a remarkable full moon, known as a "strawberry moon", which coincides this year with the Summer Solstice. The term "strawberry moon" is named for the full moons in the 1930s, states that some Native American tribes named the full moon in June as the "strawberry moon" to match the short harvest season for strawberries. Photo taken down at the Fern Ridge Shores marina with our new Sun Tracker pontoon boat parked in its slip in the foreground.

Since it was originally Libby's idea to add a pontoon boat to our toychest, she wanted her turn to pose for a shot with the dogs in the marina as well. Libby grew up spending summers at the family summer cottage at Moon's Lake in Rheinlander, Wisconsin At first I was opposed to the idea of buying a second boat... in fact we bought a used one last year and resold it before ever even putting it in the water. Fortunately I sold it for $3000 more than I paid for it! But this year I have come around to the idea of doubling our fun on the lake and also being able to travel to any one of half a dozen other nice lakes in the area in our motorhome and explore thm with the pontoon. Besides the dogs love it

We went sailing today, Monday June 18, with excellent winds and clear skies. We took visiting friends Chris and Carol out for the second time and had some excellent sailing. We were one of about 3 boats on the water most of the time, vut on the way in lots of boats were coming out for a little regatta, I guess. It made for quite a sight looking out at the lake from the marina after we got back in.

My old friend from L.A. Chris Ryan and his wife Carol are full timing in their motorhome and are spending a couple weeks in NW Oregon. They are staying near us at Richardson County Park Campground fpr two weeks. We took them sailing on Weds and today we all jumped in the Durango and did a 3 hour driving tour of some of the many historic covered bridges in this part of the Willamette Valley. Here are Chris and I standing in front of one named the Coyote Creek Bridge built in 1922.

Here Libby and I are seated on a unique bench mounted between two railroad car wheels. That is a tall Railroad Bridge designed to allow tall Steam Engines to pass through it. This is in downtown Cottage Grove just south of Eugene. A particularly lovely park setting, we thought.

We also cruised up the hill to pay a quick visit to the King Estate Winery. Established in 1991, the 1,033 acre King Estate is located in South Eugene in the Willamette Valley. It is the largest certified 'Biodynamic' vineyard in North America. At the top of the hill the vineyard building complex affords magnificent views of the valley and vineyard fields below.

We took an afternoon and drove back out to the King Estate Winery one of the largest and most well known Wineries and Vineyards in this part of the Willamette Valley. Founded in 1991 by the King family with a deep commitment to sustainable farming, King Estate is the largest 'Biodynamic' certified vineyard in North America. They have an elegant bistro where we enjoyed some tasty wine and cheese.

We ordered one flight of four red wines and one flight of white wines. And along with it, a superb charcuterie board, a delicious combination of cured meats, cheeses, savory accompaniments, sweet accompaniments, and crackers.

After an elegant wine and cheese experience, here are Chris, Carol and I standing outside the winery at the edge of he overlook of the 1000+ acres of the extraordinary vineyard.

Here we are out on the lake cruising with visiting friends Chris and Carol on one of their last days here with us at the lake. (Carol is taking the photo.) The pontoon adds a lot of capability to get friends out on the lake when they visit, especially if the wind is not blowing. It will also be a LOT of fun when the grandkids come to visit. Asthey get a little older they will enjoying being towed around the lake in a big tube.

Listen to		"On the Pontoon"
Coolest party tune ever by Little Big Town

During their visit to the Portland area, we came home to Vancouver for part of the time, and on Thursday I toured Chris and Carol out thru the Columbia River Gorge. We made our first stop at the popular scenic viewpoint Crown Point (a.k.a. The Vista House) which affords some magnificent views of the Gorge such as this one looking east.

From Crown Point we proceeded east on I-84 to Rowena, to my original property as it now exists after I sold it to a wealthy windsurfer in 2009. I had purchased the 5 acre parcel in 1986 just at the dawn the windsurfing explosion in the Columbia River Gorge. While the town of Hood River became the epicenter of the windsurfing industry, the tiny community of Rowena just 12 miles east of Hood River offered the unique opportunity to own property directly on the river. This unique quality saw the property values rise astronomically in the 25 years I owned it. At the age of 65 I finally sold the place to a wealthy windsurfer in 2009 who proceeded to transform the place into what it is today.

The property looks pretty much as I had from just below the patio where I am seated above down to the river, and the view across to the Washington side is virtually unchanged. When you look up at the property from down by the river as in this photo, the difference is astounding. Millions were spent to build a spectacular home, guest quarters, a gear barn, and some pretty extravagant landscaping. Water levels vary depending on what the dam managers are doing... normally the water would all off to my left where the sandy bottom is now visible. Tomorrow you might iikely see no sand at all in this same photo.

This photo is from a little closer in. The phenomenal house lies dark in the shadows as it blends with the landscape, an intentional architectural choice to comply with restrictions by the Gorge Commission for development along the river. But trust me once inside the house it is quite spectacular. And the landscape is spectacular complete with waterfalls, an artificial stream bed with a recirculating system that flow form a rentnion pond above down thru the house in a reflecting pool below the deck. Also off to the right is the gear barn he built, replacing the seaplane hangar I had with a more surreptitious design which blends right back into the hillside.

Here's a peek back into the gear barn with sails, boards, hardware, wetsuits, wave runners, etc etc.

After we left my old property we stopped in to visit an old friend and Raging River Band partner, Ted Matzen at his place on the river just west of my old place. And form there we drove into the Town of Hood River where we looked around a bit and stopped for ice cream at the legendary Mike's Ice Cream.

Our final stop for the day on our way back to Portland was the ever popular Multnomah Falls where I captured these photos of Chris and Carol with the 620' falls in the background.

Each year on the 4th of July, Fern Ridge Shores hosts a picnic down by the lake. Everyone brings some contribution like a salad or dessert, the management supplies hot dogs, hamburgers, buns and soft drinks. It's a chance to mingle with the neighbors and celebrate the 4th. That's the RV Park owner Ed in the golf cart in the foreground and his darling little daughter Mary. "The only way to celebrate the 4th is to buy a 5th on the 3rd." wc fields

The wind has been excellent every day this month and we have sailed each and every day, including today on the 4th of July. We got out on the lake about 5pm and much to our surprise it was not crowded at all. We surmised perhaps because the 4th falls on a Thursday this year, maybe not everyone could take a four day weekend. Anyhow winds were in 12-18 range and we sailed with the jib furled to about half its full size, for yet another excellent day on the lake. This was our 17th day this season! We are headed home for a few days, so we were eager to get some substantial days in first, as son Patrick is coming in for a week. We'll bring him down here to the lake mid week for several days before he has to fly home.

Friends Gary and Kate from Eureka came to visit. They are staying overnight making use of our accommodations in the motorhome. There wasn't enough wind to take them out sailing, but I took them out on the new pontoon boat in the late afternoon after it started to cool down a little.

I also invited the RV Park owner's young daughter Mary and her friend Erin to come out with us. They were thrilled. They told me they had never been on a pontoon boat before and they had also never driven a boat. So this was a highlight in these girls' summer for sure. And it was a highlight for me too... adorable girls 11 and 12 years old. That's Erin at the wheel in this photo at the left, but both Mary and Erin switched places and the girls took turns driving.. It has always been a great joy for me to introduce young people to fun new activities. They will both remember "Uncle Joe" for many years to come :-)

We have been dying to explore some of the many interesting lakes in western Oregon and we could not resist making reservations to stay at Darling's Marina & RV Resort on the shores of Siltcoos Lake. The popular coastal lake offers 3,164 acres of lake surface with 28 miles of shoreline to explore. Our new pontoon boat will be perfect for this adventure. We'll spend four days here this month and if all goes well, I am sure we will be back.

On our third day of a 6 night stay at Darling's Marina & RV Resort, we invited some new friends Mel and Matt who were also staying at the resort, to join us out on the lake for a few hours on our new pontoon. Libby and I have gone out for a few hours each day since we arrived, but this was definitely the most fun, sharing it with some other nice folks from Bend, Oregon. They are leaving tomorrow, Sunday, but I have a hunch we shall see them again.

As noted also on the travelogue, after umpteen vaccines and boosters and four years after this thing started, Libby and I finally came down with COVID first week Aigust shortly upon our return from Siltcoos Lake. No idea how we got it, but we got it and got it good. She started showing symptoms on Monday and had a fever peaking over 102 on Weds. Mine hit 101 at its peak on Thursday. We're hoping we have seen the worst of it. Our doctors started us both on a five day course of Paxlovid anti viral medication, and it seems to be doing the job... we plan to return to the lake and to sailing this week.

With COVID behind us we were able to get out sailing three days this week, the third week of August. Weather has been really, really pleasant, with highs peaking around 80 degrees and comfortable sailing winds in the 10-13 range. Here we are late afternoon on 8/21 chasing a similar size Viking sailboat.

After Labor Day we made a trip over to Tenmile Lake near the Oregon Coast. Tenmile actually consist of two lake, north and south Tenmile, with a total of 42 miles of forested secluded shoreline to explore. It was forecast to be 30 degrees cooler over there, a welcome relief welcome for people and dogs from the 100 degrees forecast for Veneta in another brief heatwave for the summer. This is a really fun lake to explore with our pontoon boat. We're staying at Osprey Point RV Resort up at the northwest corner of the south lake near the town of Lakeside. Many people own summer cottages here at Tenmile but it is certainly NOT overdeveloped. Many of the cottages like this one include docks and a floating boathouse down at the water's edge.

As mentioned the weather at Tenmile Lake is a good 20-30 degrees cooler than what is predicted for Veneta and Fern Ridge Lake which is about 50 miles inland from the Oregon Coast. The coastal influence keeps the weather much cooler at Tenmile. While on the water, we spent all our time just putting along at about 5mph sightseeing with the pontoon. Libby and dogs snuggled up with a blanket enjoying the very pleasant coastal weather. 100 degrees in Veneta translates to about 70 degrees here at Tenmile.

Here's a photo of a fairly typical lakeside summer home as we cruised by on our pontoon boat. This marvelous property nestled in the forest along the shores of Tenmile Lake (south) includes private docks and a boathouse to take advantage of this recreational paradise.

Here's another delightful summer place at Tenmile Lake (south) with boathouse and docks. Lots of windows to enjoy the splendid view! That's my Garmin chartplotter in the photo... an invaluable tool when navigating unfamiliar waters like this. A quick glance at realtor listings would suggest a summer place like this would probably be somewhere around a million dollars, maybe more depending on lot size, square footage, road access etc. Not cheap certainly but compared to what a million bucks buys you in California today, this seems might inviting.

This is a really nice but more modest lakeside A-frame cottage, very picturesque and secluded in amongst the tall trees.

On Saturday and Sunday, our third and fourth day at Osprey Point Resort, we headed up thru the connecting canal up to North Tenmile Lake. At 1100 acres, this lake is a little bit smaller in total surface area than its southern sister, South Tenmile Lake, which is around 1600 acres, but has almost as many miles of shoreline to explore

Back out on the lake today, Friday Sept 20, the last official day of summer. (The wind was also excellent on Saturday and Libby and went out.) Today I took a neighbor Kim out sailing on the lake. Kim has been out with me before and is an avid student. He'd like to buy his own boat someday so we wants to learn as much as he can about sailing and sailboats. He's been away most of the summer dealing with aging parents and so he was anxious to get back out on the water. It was a beautiful day, winds mostly in the 8-10 range, and just a handful of other sailboats out.

At times the wind was quite vigorous out in the middle of the lake and we got a pretty good heel on. Sometimes I let Kim take the tiller, other times like this it was Capt Joe at the helm

Today Monday 9/23 marked thirty days of sailing this season, our most ever since we have been coming to Fern Ridge Lake. And FR did not disappoint... as you can see from the wind forecast (left) we had winds gusting above 20 mph. We sailed with jib furled in to storm sail size. The gusts were stong and thesailing challenging, but we were happy to get a solid wind day for our final day. We are going to haul out tomorrow because we have plans to head over to the coast for the rest of week on Wednesday and meet up with our good friends Chris and Carol again.

Well, sailing may be over for the season, but there's still a lot to love about life at the lake here. This beautiful sunset is a fine example!

This exceptional rainbow was visible across the lake today, Wednesday, in the aftermath of a rainy Tuesday. The photo at the left is taken across the Fern Ridge Shores marina - this remarkable rainbow was also visible from our deck by the RV. Time to make a wish! I hope my wish will be granted to enjoy another 10 summers of sailing here before I have to say adios. We were planning to head to the coast for a few days today to meet up with Chris and Carol, but we postponed it a day as the weather is supposed to clear tonite.

Our sailing season may be over but as we move into fall, the squirrels are busy gathering nuts and food for their winter sequestration. And our two dogs sit transfixed in rapt attention watching a massive neighboring fir tree where the squirrels scramble up and down in their continual pursuit of winter rations.

Our friends Chris and Carol were on their way back south to California and we arranged to meet up with them for a few days over at the Oregon Coast. We reserved several nights at one of our favorite spots, Winchester Bay RV Resort. We didn't want to bring our pontoon boat over as Tenmile Lake lake is so low now and the launch ramps are too precarious to use, so we rented a pontoon boat for a couple hours from the Tenmile Lake Marina so we could show Chris and Carol the beautiful lake. Weather was gorgeous on Sunday and we all enjoyed an afternoon cruising the lovely shoreline of Tenmile Lake.

Here's Capt Joe at the helm with Libby and Carol sitting behind me as we toured the 23 miles of shoreline on Tenmile Lake.

Winchester Bay RV Resort is one of our favorite places to stay at the stretch of Oregon Coast closest to Veneta. It's just south of Florence located right on the ocean bay. Libby captured this lovely sunset while taking the dogs for an evening stroll.

Another reason for why Winchester Bay RV Resort is a favorite is that it is just south of the coastal town of Reedsport, OR, where the delightful Harbor Lights Restaurant which serves some of the best hamburgers anywhere, grilled with prime Weygu Beef. Wegyu beef, originating from Japan, is renowned for its extraordinary marbling, which results in unmatched tenderness and a rich buttery flavour. Mmmmmm

I've been running TPMS on my motorhomes for years (Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems). Tires are your first line of defense against the dangers of the open road. A blowout in a large motorhome can be catastrophic. My 12 year old Hawkshead Talon TPMS has served me well over the years but has been malfunctioning lately, so I decided it was time to graduate to the latest technology employed by Minder Research in their Tireminder TPMS... the Tireminder A1AS, widely considered the best TPMS available today. This is a well designed system, easy to set up and warranteed for 3 years which will hopefully keep us safe on the road in our future travels.

Well, summer is over and we have mostly buttoned up our summer digs as we move into fall and winter in the Pacific Northwest. We've returned home to Vancouver, WA for the month of October where we'll enjoy the colors of autumn as summer recedes and segues into fall. Then in early November, we'll return to Veneta, retrieve our Motorhome, "Mimi", and head for southern California to visit some friends, and to spend Thanksgiving with son Tim and family in San Diego, to spend some quality time with the grandkids.

In the late 1980's after I had purchased the Rowena property in the Columbia River Gorge, and transformed the place from a junkyard into a parklike environment, I was still living in California and needed a caretaker to look after the place in my absence. I took on a young man named Joe McAllister and his wife Tammi and two small kids, Kyle and Breanna. I gave them free rent and access to the property in return for groundskeeping chores and minor maintenance. This worked out well and they stayed several years until Joe took a job in the Portland area and they moved to the city. Needless to say this was a monumental period in the kid's early childhood. Kyle reached out to me recently, and I met him and his family for lunch. That's wife Jennifer and daughter Chevelle - and Kyle and Me. Very nice people. Lots of memories to share!

This is prime squirrel season... they are busily squirreling away seeds and nuts for the winter, so they come to our backyard squirrel feeder every day and our dogs, Riley and Taffy, are always on watch. If they are not at the window, they are on the sofa with mom (or with me), but ever watchful should the squirrels reappear.

Sometimes we are able to catch them in a photo relaxing together in adorable togetherness

Today, November 30, Thanksgiving holiday weekend, was a perfect fall day...cool, clear and crisp. Perfect day to fire up my Mustang GT and head out for a little drive. As I crossed the I-205 bridge into Oregon, I marvelled at the snow covered Mt. Hood in all its majestic glory.

My drive over into Oregon had a very specific destination in mind... the Wood Village Burrito Shop. I ordered my favorite the Carnitas burrito. This is really the best burrito ever. And at around 8" diameter, a real feast. Happy Thanksgiving!

The dogs were glad to see me return - they were hungry too. I fed them their favorite chicken Fresh Pet dog food and settled bag into my recliner. As I slipped into a post-feast food coma, the pups made themselves comfortable in my lap.

Here's wishing a Merry Christmas to all our friends and fellow travelers across the US and across the globe. Please join us and our furry friends as we once again repeat our fervent hope: "May Peace Prevail On Earth" as part of the The World Wide Network of Peace Makers with the goal to awaken the inherent consciousness of love, peace and harmony in all people.