PHOTO GALLERY 2017 / 2018

Home for the Holidays in Vancouver, WA

The Windseeker Grand Tour has concluded at least for 2017. We left the Thousand Islands in upstate New York concluding the 2016 sailing season in late September and slowly made our way across country making a few extended stops along the way. We have finally arrived home (left) to our recently purchased home in Vancouver WA, just across the bridge from Portland. We will celebrate the holidays and catch up with things at home, and then early next year, I need knee surgery which will put a crimp on future travel plans, at least for a while. We'll put the coach in storage and decide what happens next by spring. For now, though, 'tis good to be home!

Well it's good to be home - We got back midweek (Nov 16) and got busy unpacking the coach and organizing the house. We're back home where we can protest the election day after day and drink or smoke away our sorrows - Cheers! Portland is tops in the nation for both beer- and wine-related businesses. Oregon collects $25.5 million in marijuana taxes since start of the year. I think the SNL 'Bubble' skit about liberals in denial over Trump was perfect!

It is very comfortable to be back home after life on the road for the past couple years. As shown above, we bought a beautiful home a couple years ago and shortly thereafter, we headed out on our cross country adventures. We didn't have a chance to spend much time at home once we got all settled in. Corey is enjoying home life as well... he has a little doggie door which he can use to go out into the fully fenced back yard with lots of beautiful grass and plenty of squirrel activity to keep him entertained. Here he is sitting on our antique Hereke rug in the family room, dubbed our "western theater" where we watch a lot of old TV westerns & films to escape the endless election drivel. The display atop the entertainment center features a beautiful vintage bronze of a magnificent racehorse, a miniature saddle, and Franklin Mint Stagecoach.

It is very comforting to be home for the holidays in these disconcerting times - terror attacks around the world, threats of escalating nuclear arms race, and deep divisions between folks on the left and on the right. But back at home things seem happily normal. That is our formal dining room behind the tree and a step down into our formal living room to the right. A full range of home photos from 2013 are shown on this separate page. We decorated the little Christmas tree which stands in our home's entry last night, listening to the heartwarming Christmas tunes by one of my favorite chanteuses, the incomparable Keely Smith.

Happy New Year! Here's a thought for the new year...

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. [Mark Twain]

Remember... We cannot direct the winds...
            but we can adjust the sails.

Snowmageddon Vancouver, WA

I am not going to add many photos to this blog while we are home, but this "Snowmageddon" event just has to be documented. This is our home here in Vancouver, WA during the amazing snowstorm of January 10-11, 2017. Weather stations were predicting less than one inch of snow and instead we got 9 inches! I don't recall seeing anything like this with maybe one exception in the 25 years I have lived in the Pacific Northwest.

Like I said, all the TV and internet weather stations were predicting less than one inch of snow and instead we got 9 inches!

Here I am clearing a path in the back yard of our house so that our little Westie with his short legs can get out through his doggie door to go potty. This snow is going to be with us for several days at least, so I figured I had to do something.

Here's our little guy Corey... with his short legs... sticking close to the path I shoveled in the back yard. I haven't had to shovel snow in a good 20 years. Fortunately my back is still up to the challenge. I couldn't manage to shovel the entire driveway... the snow is a bit on the heavy side and just too much to tackle... but I cleared paths in the back yard and also a path down the driveway so we can at least walk out into the neighborhood as we wish.

We are enjoying some beautiful clear weather and after the second highest snow fall in 65 years, the snowy views are everywhere. This particular view of the nearby and majestic Mt. Hood is taken just from the exit off Highway 14, a couple miles from our house. It is what we see every time we are coming home via the freeway on a clear day. Here is the January 15 view of our beloved snow capped Mt. Hood from Skibowl Ski Resort - you can see also see the current view on the KPTV webcam.

For everyone who may be having a bad day... it could always be worse!

Total Knee Replacement Surgery

On February 14, I went under the knife to have total knee replacement surgery on my left knee. As mentioned previously this was perhaps the primary reason we returned home after wrapping up our travels in the motorhome last fall. I returned to Dr Jon Greenleaf, a pre-eminent orthopedist in the pacific northwest, the doctor who did my ACL replacement surgery 20 years ago. I have been postponing this surgery until we were ready to return home, but I could no longer put it off... the time had come. I am pleased to report I am doing well. You can watch this ten second youtube video clip of me walking without a cane one week after surgery.

There has never been a better time to be home recovering from surgery. Plenty of time to rekindle my activism. I might not be able to get out and march and protest these days, but I can definitely put in time on the keyboard and on the phone. Thanks to technology it is now so easy with 5CALLS.ORG, provides a phone number for your specific senators and congressmen. This is useful whether you are conservative or progressive with a list of popular agenda items like climate change and Russian interference and specific scripts for each. Something for just about everyone. But you may use their contact resource on any topic! Use the simple 5 CALLS web interface or get the app!

So I am making steady progress in my recovery after knee surgery. My dear wife has been a saint spending her day helping me to get back and forth to the bathroom, take a shower, take my medicines, use my leg motion machine, and bringing me my meals. But besides Libby my c.P.A. has been instrumental in my recovery. That's Corey, my faithful c.P.A. or "Canine Physician's Assistant."

Here's the little c.P.A. making sure I don't overeat. He has been spending about 22 hours a day with me in the bedroom and is always right on duty when meals are served. He is fine with the name c.P.A. - his motto has always been, "Call me anything, but don't call me late for dinner!"

The staples came out two weeks after surgery and my physical therapy began in earnest. At the left is a photo of my knee after one month... the 7" scar clearly visible but healing nicely.

Here I am exactly 4 weeks after undergoing Total Knee Replacement surgery, riding my Tunturi exercycle getting full revolutions. This is a major accomplishment as it requires about 110 degrees range of motion which I have been working at with the physical therapist. Now that I can ride my exercycle without pain I can start building up my strength again. Click on this youtube video link to see a short video of me riding my exercycle. [NOTE: I underwent surgery again for my right knee on November 1, 2017. The surgery was once again totally successful with an even quick recovery than my first surgery.]

My knee surgery was very expensive - fortunately it was covered mostly by Medicare and my secondary Blue Cross / Blue Shield insurance. For those out there who can't afford decent health insurance, we've just learned of a new program being called Medicare Plan G. This is a great new program for seniors which will not only provide health care but also a public service. Read more by pointing at the image at the left to bring up the larger image.

With this blog entry we say farewell to the Windseeker III, our gorgeous Tiffin Allegro Bus. In May 2017 we sold it to a wonderful couple from Seattle, WA who will carry on the tradition. Thanks to our our blog readers for traveling with us. It has been a grand 5 years, and we have our blogs and photo galleries as permanent memories of this grand adventure. I leave you with one final glorious photo of the magnificent machine.. the rolling Taj Mahal... which was our home for the last few years of this grand tour.

Total Knee Replacement - right knee

Out of sequence a little bit, but in November 1, 2017 I had my second TKR or total knee replacement. Here are my knees after the staples were removed... 16 days after surgery. Pretty painless. Looks much worse than it feels at this point. That's the first knee, 9 months later... next to the current one. I am done with the major drugs... just back on my naproxen which also helps with my ideopathic neuropathy in the feet and the occasional tylenol. I am now back to the gym to rebuild my leg strength. I hope to be able to drive my MG (below) again about the time the weather is conducive to do so.

The New MGB - Let the Good Times Roll

Around my birthday back in April 2017, we purchased a classic 1980 MGB Roadster. I owned a 1977 MGB for more than 20 years and sold it when we left on our long trip. Now it was time to buy another. And this one is a true gem. With just 42,000 miles on it, no detail has been overlooked... the body, the paint, the interior, the engine... all absolutely flawless.

Here's a photo from one of our MG summer trips, this one to Smith Rock State Park near Bend in central Oregon. I have created a special website for our MG Adventure logs which chronicles all our travels.

The New Forest River Sunseeker 2500ts

In 2018 we have started a new blog for our all new 2018 Forest River Sunseeker 2500ts. After a 15 month hiatus, we decided to resume our RV travels on a more limited basis. Smaller and less luxurious than our Tiffin Bus, the Sunseeker nevertheless has a number of big advantages. Although loaded with many deluxe features, it represents a much lower investment. It is also much easier and less expensive to service on its Ford E450 Chassis, and it has 2 full years left on the Ford chassis warranty and 4 years on the engine and drivetrain. So we sold the Tiffin Bus and downsized. We've dubbed our new coach the Windseeker IV.

Here's a second photo of the 2018 Forest River Sunseeker 2500ts as I found it at the seller's home in Sedalia, MO. I spotted it on RVT.com and after corresponding and speaking with the owner, I flew to St Louis, MO to see it and was not disappointed. The coach is essentially brand new... just 3500 miles on it and in absolutely showroom condition. This is a 27' Class C motorhome on a Ford E-450 Chassis. The coach was very well priced, so I bought it on the spot. The owner agreed to keep it in his large heated shop building until we can arrange to bring it back to the west coast in the spring, once winter in the Rockies subsides.

Here's another photo of the Sunseeker, this time from the passenger side with the entry door. The photo was photoshopped to remove some distracting background and focus on the coach itself. The direct side-on photo shows the exact proportions of the motorhome... length vs height.

Here's another photo of the new Sunseeker, view from the rear, showing the 3' slide out the back which extends the bedroom a full 3 feet so that it comfortably fits a full size Queen bed. This slide out the back effectively extends this 27' motor coach to 30' overall. You can also watch this dealer's video tour of a similar Sunseeker 2500ts. The one in the video is the less expensive white gelcoat model with graphic decals... ours has the optional "Amber" Full Body Paint, an $8000 extra. I've also created a large format Sunseeker photo gallery, with lots of photos inside and out.

The new Sunseeker is built on the bulletproof Ford E450 Super Duty Chassis with its Triton V-10 6.8L gasoline engine. This solid truck is designed to travel hundreds of thousands of trouble-free miles. Forest River also builds coaches on the Chevy 3500 and the Mercedes Benz chassis, but neither of those are as heavy duty as the Ford E450. The towing capacity of the E450 is unparalleled. With the powerful 6.8L V-10 engine and 6 speed TorqShift transmission, the E450 can tow 7500 pounds with ease... more than enough for towing our SUV, MG Car trailer or our 22' Catalina sailboat.

If you click on the image at the left you can watch a brief video tour of a similar 2017 Sunseeker 2500ts as posted on youtube by a Forest River dealer. The one in the video is almost identical to ours (the dealer mistakenly calls it a 25' coach, but it is a 27') but just has the basic white gelcoat exterior and doesn't have the same beautiful full body paint job as ours, an $8000 option. But the interior is very similar with the exception of the upholstery - ours has the full ultra-leather option in pewter color, rather than the combination fabric/ultra-leather.

Here's a shot of the interior of the new Sunseeker looking forward from the back of the main cabin showing the U-shaped dinette in pewter ultra-leather on the left, kitchen on the right and the full size Queen bed loft over the driver's cockpit. See the large format Sunseeker photo gallery for many more interior photos.   We'll pick up this blog with regular updates when we begin our travels, hopefully this summer. So please check back and join us then.

The New Dinghy - Dodge Durango R/T AWD

We decided that to go along with our new RV we needed a new R/T... a Dodge Durango R/T SUV, that is. For 6 years we have been towing the Chevy Suburban LTZ behind our various motorhomes. The LTZ was a good choice because it can be flat towed by putting the two speed transfer case in neutral, but with its big V-8 it also made a good tow vehicle for our boat and more recently our car hauler trailer. After some research it turns out the Dodge Durango R/T AWD is equally good if not better for the job. It is smaller and a little lighter than the Suburban yet amazingly, it is more roomy up front in the driver and passenger seats where it counts. It has the same 2 speed transfer case, allowing it to be flat towed, and it also has more horsepower and more torque than the Suburban for towing with its Class IV hitch.

The Dodge Durango R/T AWD is a luxury Sport Utility Vehicle or SUV, with an aggressive performance orientation. With its 5.7L (350 ci) Hemi engine producing 360 HP and 390 ft lbs of torque, an 8-speed transmission, and optional Sport mode, it couples a luxury ride with high performance acceleration and handling, along with the brawny towing capacity of a full size truck. A curb weight of 5,100 lbs and GCWR of 13,100 lbs provides 7200 lb towing capacity with its Class IV Receiver hitch, oversize 4 wheel disc brakes and super HD cooling system. The original 2016 window sticker (left) had an MSRP of $48,975, and with just 18,000 miles on it, we saved more than 25% off MSRP (35% off the current $56,100 2018 MSRP) plus a generous trade-in allowance on our Chevy Suburban. Click image (left) to see window sticker as PDF.

The interior of the Durango is comfortable and quiet. There is a leather covered smart steering wheel and full instrumentation including the large 8.4" touchscreen for the computerized control center with GPS and exclusive U-Connect technology with integrated voice command. The Beats™ 9-Speaker Premium Audio System includes Sirius XM and wireless connectivity with any mobile device to play Pandora, Spotify and other internet music channels. There is the pushbutton 'Keyless Go' start technology as well. The 8 speed automatic transmission has a convenient rotary knob selector with 2 speed on demand transfer case on the center console and manual paddle shifters on the steering wheel.

The premium Nappa leather seats are plush and comfortable, fitted with power 6-way controls on both driver and passenger seats and full lumbar adjustment. They are also heated and air-conditioned as well, and there are 2 memory settings for driver's position. And both have significantly more legroom and headroom than our larger Suburban had... an amazing discovery! The rear bucket seats and third row seats all fold flat providing ample cargo space if needed. There is a power moonroof as well. We should be very comfortable in our travels in this baby!

One more excellent factory photo of the Dodge Durango R/T AWD luxury Sport Utility Vehicle. The only difference between this one and ours are the R/T factory option wheels... ours has the 20" x 8.0" High Gloss Granite Crystal wheels which give it a very sporty look.

The Dodge Durango R/T is a beautiful car from any angle. The sleek profile masks a true hot rod beneath the skin, capable of roaring down the track to 60 miles per hour in 6.2 seconds and the standing quarter mile in just 14.7 seconds (Car and Driver Road Test)... and handling the curves like a true sports sedan. By the way, this is faster than the original track times posted by one of the legendary musclecars, a 1965 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 as reviewed by Motortrend Magazine. Point to the image at the left to see an animated rotation of this silver beauty from every angle.

The Durango has the towing capacity of a full size truck. With a curb weight of 5,100 lbs and GCWR of 13,100 lbs, the big Hemi 5.7L V-8 with its massive 360 HP and 390 ft lbs of torque provides 7200 lb towing capacity with a Class IV Receiver hitch, oversize brakes and HD cooling system. This is plenty to tow our 20' Interstate Carhauler trailer with the MG loaded. From there we added a state of the art Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch to balance the load, so it's a breeze to do the towing. Finally we installed a Tekonsha Primus IQ Electronic Brake Controller ro ensure adequate stopping power.

Spring in the Pacific Northwest

This weekend we attended the Portland Metro RV Show, an annual event held at the Portland Convention Center. Hundreds and hundreds of RV's of all types... Motorhomes, Campers, Trailers, Fifth Wheels and more... all in a comfortable indoor venue. Even if you are not looking for a new RV (obviously we are not) it's fun to walk thru all kinds of RV floor plans and collect ideas. All this as we anticipate our future travels in the new Sunseeker.

At the end of March we made a trip down to Eugene with our MG and its trailer. We towed it with the Durango and had Hitch Pro and Tow set up the Durango with auxiliary braking when being towed by the motorhome, and also with a trailer brake controller that will actuate the trailer's electric brakes when it tows the trailer. And while having the work done we did a little touring in the MG on some very nice Oregon back roads including a run up to Triangle Lake County Park. We also took some time on both Wednesday and Thursday to check out Premier RV Resort, Armitage State Park and Orchard Point Marina on Fernridge Lake where we hope to spend a lot of time this summer with the new coach, the MG and the sailboat.

Of course Corey went to Eugene with us and had a good time touring around in the MG as well. But I think his favorite part of the trip was the kingsize bed at La Quinta Inn with all the pillows. Wouldn't you agree?

We had originally planned to drive across country to Missouri at the end of April to pick up the new Sunseeker and make a sightseeing trip out of the ride home passing thru New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah. But health concerns caused us to cancel that trip. As luck would have it, the owner's son was just in the midst of buying a semi truck which is out here in Portland, so he and his friend were happy to drive the Sunseeker out with us just paying for the gas. It worked out great. They arrived today 5/8 and handed over the keys and are on their way to pick up their new truck and head back east. We got her cleaned up and over to storage where it will have to remain for a little while, until we get some other matters taken care of.

Well with the motorhome put away, the next step on our agenda was to find what the heck is wrong with me... the health issues I referred to which forced us to cancel our trip cross country in the new RV. I have had xrays, MRI, CT Scan, endless blood tests, biopsies etc. Turns out I have Lymphoma, a fairly common form of cancer in people over 70. Modern medicine is pretty successful treating it... they just have to determine the type of Lymphoma, the extent of it in the system, etc and then recommend a treatment plan which will likely include chemotherapy and perhaps radiation over the course of the summer. Hopefully I will be in remission this fall and we can start focusing on our lives again. Here I am at PeaceHealth Hospital here in Vancouver posed with my nurse who is getting me ready for surgery on 5/8. Surgery went very well and next day I am back home to await results... and actually posting this to the blog. So far so good!

Well the pathology results from the surgical biopsy are back, and as suspected, I have been diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma. The full Pathology report is online. Not exactly happy news, but not a death sentence either. I had my consult with Compass Oncology here in Vancouver. My chances of cure are excellent. They will be starting me on R-Chop chemotherapy before end of the month. Intravenous treatments will be every 3 weeks, monitoring with PET Scans, Echo cardiograms & blood tests. I will have my good days and my bad days this summer, I guess. but I can get thru it. I am strong, my life is easily geared to handle it, and Libby will be beside me every step of the way. For now we're headed out on 4 days shakedown cruise in the new Sunseeker to familiarize ourselves with the new rig. Bring it on!

Initial Shakedown Cruise with the Sunseeker

We retrieved the Sunseeker from our storage lot, brought it to the house, hooked up the tow bar to the new Durango and tested the new braking system. Here we are parked right in front of our driveway, ready to roll. Great looking setup! Then as planned, we took the new Sunseeker out for a brief 4 day shakedown cruise to a local RV Park, Fairview RV Park in Gresham just across the Columbia from Vancouver, where we have stayed many times before. Nice park and so convenient. We can familiarize ourselves with all systems... there's a Camping World and Walmart right there for supplies as we figure what we need, and we're just 20 minutes from home to go back and forth as needed.

Here we are in our space at Fairview RV Park in Gresham about 20 minutes from home. We got all hooked up and all systems connected and tested A-OK. Now comes the tweaking as we personalize the rig and tailor it to our own exact needs. A new high end residential quality ceramic toilet is on order, along with a thermostatically controlled Fantastic Fan to replace the bedroom roof vent, a bedroom ceiling fan, a bedroom TV, along with some other necessary accoutrement for comfy travel and camping. We'll also be installing a Dish Network receiver and hard drive DVR to use with our portable Tailgater satellite dish. And for high speed internet we have a new unlimited plan Verizon Jetpack for 4G wifi on the go. Life will be good!

After returning home, Tuesday morning we awoke to another gorgeous sunny spring day, so we hopped in the MG and took a ride, and to go for brunch at a new spot we decided to try over in SE Portland on Belmont called Slappy Cakes. This unique little breakfast spot, with clones in Asia and Hawaii, is a friendly little spot with a griddle in the middle of each table and will serve you a squeeze bottle of batter and a spatula, along with butter, syrup, and the fixins to grill your own pancakes... cute idea great taste.

After brunch we took a drive over to Reed College in SE Portland and Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens. These beautiful botanical gardens cover 9.49 acres and are named for Crystal Springs Creek, which flows along its western side. Crystal Springs Gardens feature more than 2,500 rhododendrons, azaleas, and other plants in a setting of small lakes, paved and unpaved paths, fountains, and small waterfalls. These gardens are a must see for anyone visiting Portland in May when our spectacular rhodies are in full bloom. And on Mondays visitors are permitted free entry. Hard to beat!

Relaxing at Home with our Rhodies

We were inspired to visit Portland's Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden because our own backyard Rhodies are in glorious full bloom right now. But actually the gardens were a little past their peak.

I was feeling a little weak anyhow, so we drove back home and I sat outside with the dog in the backyard for a while taking in our own spectacular garden display. From my seat at the end I can see the entire yard. And just behind me to make me feel right at home looms our neighbor's beautiful motorhome. I've documented the abundant spring flora in the photos below... really magnificent this year.

As I survey the yard, first there is the gorgeous Blue Spruce we planted in the corner of the yard in a raised bed to set off the yard. When I sit in the family room in my recliner this is what I look out on. The new growth is tremendous this year and this tree has almost doubled in size in 5 years!

Immediately as we enter the backyard from the kitchen (to my right as I sit there) we are greeted by this pink beauty by the door.

Right beside me is one of our younger members, another pink beauty which should be gorgeous in another few years.

Right next to that we put in a small latticework trellis against the fence and planted night blooming jasmine. It is really taking off this year and will soon encompass the entire trellis, perfuming the entire yard with its intoxicating fragrances all summer.

Right across from me is this special ruby red beauty in a spectacular burst of blossoms this spring.

And just down the way is this brilliant purple beauty... transplanted last year and just starting to take hold this spring. Gonna be another real eyecatcher in few years.

The floral splendor of our Rhodies bring us a lot of joy each spring and Corey likes to root around under them as well, but his own interest in the great outdoors really peaks in May each year with the appearance of the opossums. Each spring in May they emerge from their dens to forage and care for their young. Corey has been waiting patiently and today the first one arrived. Here's a photo of one sitting on the fence in the corner of the yard staring down at the boy. As the sun begins to set he is out there for hours watching and waiting. Of course we like to be comfy in a lawn chair while we wait! Fun for dogs!

Even the side yard out beyond the fence next to the driveway is amazing this year. We completely relandscaped that area when we bought in 2013. In particular, the beautful Golden Deodora Cedars we planted have also doubled in size and are now magnificently visible above the fence as I glance south toward the Columbia River. What a great place to relax in the comfort of your own surroundings. Gotta love the Pacific Northwest!

This is the front of our home... glistening in the brilliant late afternoon sun in late May 2018. The gorgeous flowering dogwood tree at the left is truly wondrous to behold. We are so fortunate to live in such a lovely home in a beautiful neighborhood as I enter this challenging phase with my health. Close to all the doctors and medical treatment, this supportive environment will be a major boon to helping us get past this.

So we made it down to the RV park we chose for our second shakedown cruise in nearby McMinnville - Olde Stone Village RV Park. We wanted to have another chance to check out systems, original and those newly installed by RV Pro in Vancouver, including a new high end residential quality ceramic toilet, a thermostatically controlled Fantastic Fan to replace the bedroom roof vent, a bedroom ceiling fan, and a bedroom TV. Everything is working fine, EXCEPT in connecting to the 12v system the tech somehow knocked out power to the two other exhaust fans and the 12v thermostat for the A/C, so it's back to the shop this next week. (Turned out to be a simple matter of not reconnecting the 12v wiring leaving the bedroom.) But the bedroom TV worked great!

Here I am watching the new bedroom TV. It was a challenge to hook it up to the satellite... so I am resting in bed after the ordeal. This is actually an ideal place to watch TV now that it is all hooked up. Corey likes it too! The new Wally receiver comes with an IR remote, so it works from anywhere in the coach even thru doors... just great... no line-of-sight required like the old remotes. I ran a long HDMI cable thru the wall, thru the kitchen cabinets and over to the Wally receiver in the main cabin above the door. And I bought another Sennheiser wireless headset which plugs right into the TV and lets me listen in silence, especially useful middle of the night if I cannot sleep.

The new Wally receiver for our Dish Network satellite TV service also connects to my 2 TB hard drive which I used for a DVR with my old Dish receiver. Unfortunately the formats were not compatible so I had to reformat the drive and lose all the movies I had on there. But now it works perfectly, and I am recording lots of westerns, which is my favorite genre of film and old TV shows. Since the Tailgater is portable, I am bringing the Wally and the Tailgater home and attaching them to another HDMI port on my regular TV so I can program all kinds of recordings for the next couple weeks while we are not traveling. Here I am watching an episode of 'Cheyenne' of Starz Western, starring the quintessential western hero, Clint Walker.

Today on June 5 I had the first of 6 chemotherapy treatments at Compass Oncology right near our home... intravenous infusions of the 'R-CHOP cocktail' of the 5 standard cancer killing drugs. I was there from 10am to 5 pm, but honestly it was all quite painless. The 'chemo lounge' is very comfortable. Pretty nice tall recliners, for the industrial variety. They have wifi but it is pathetically slow, so I used our verizon jetpack, and with our new unlimited plan I can stream netflix or my Comcast on-the-go. I can log on to Comcast and watch stuff on my DVR. The drugs caused absolutely no adverse reactions, despite all kinds of cautions. They say chemo is cumulative so the 3rd or 4th treatment in August may be rougher, but this one was a walk in the park. I am grateful!

Camping in Eugene, Oregon by Fernridge Lake

We took a brief three day camping trip in the new Sunseeker and went down to Richardson Park, a very pleasant Lane County family campground just outside of Eugene, Oregon. We have stayed there many times before, particularly when we have taken our sailboat down to Fernridge Lake for great summer sailing. Click on the image at the left to watch a short video panning across the lake front park and marina at Richardson.

Here I am sitting with Corey under a big shade tree watching sailboats coming in and out of the marina as we have done in our sailboat in years past. We'll have to pass on launching the sailboat this year as I am focused on getting well. Hopefully we can return to Fernridge Lake next year.

Here we are tucked into a quiet little wooded campsite (space 21) at Richardson Park campground by Fernridge Lake near Eugene. Quiet and private we enjoyed three nights here before heading back home to prepare for my second chemotherapy treatment on Tuesday.

One of our favorite traditions when staying in the Eugene area is a stop at our favorite little breakfast spot, Our Daily Bread, a wonderful family owned restaurant built in an old church. Their 'heavenly' MacKenzie omelette with roasted red potatoes is superb as are their marvelous baked goods... breads, muffins, biscuits, etc.

We returned from Eugene Friday, got the coach cleaned and into storage and began prepping for my second chemotherapy treatment on Tuesday. Tuesday morning as I sat in my recliner sipping morning tea and munching on a muffin, Corey was all cuddly and chose to remain close by and beg for muffin crumbs from his perch. My official emotional support dog.

My second chemo treatment came and went without incident. 2 down and 4 to go. We'll have to see how this treatment affects me over the course of the next 3 weeks. First one was pretty painless but deeply enervating. This time I am getting a little lift from the prednisone steroid. We'll see what happens when that stops after 5 days. I don't know if I have much energy left to sap... so we'll see. Next treatment will be 7/17 and that will be the midway point!

Long Beach on the southwest Washington coast

We spent a few days at the ocean in the Sunseeker, escaping the heat at home where have have been having a recording setting heat wave. Cool and cloudy at the coast. We went up to Long Beach just a couple hours from home. Corey enjoyed a walk on the beach, sniffing all the driftwood, in the cool ocean breeze as well... he hates the heat. He is a cold weather westie.

Corey met a friend at the Seaside RV Park... his name is Hank and he is about the same size as Corey... another AKC registered purebred westie. They had a ball together romping, bopping noses and playing "you pee - I pee".

On our last day at the coast we drove the short distance down from Long Beach to Cape Disappointment. There's a very photogenic lighthouse there as well as a parks department interpretive center. which is very informative about this historic area of the pacific northwest. We walked around for a bit and here I am standing next to an old boston whaler style sailing craft.

This sign from the interpretive center explains how the Long Beach Peninsula was formed by sands carried by the mighty Columbia River which drifted north from the 'bar' at the mouth. The Army Corps of Engineers then built the jetties at the mouth of the Columbia which further modified and solidified the changes in the southwest Washington coastline.

Here we are on the beach exactly where the kite festival is held each year in late August and which we attended last year. Long Beach allows vehicles to drive down onto the beach, a welcome opportunity for those of us who are at less than full strength these days. We were able to bring our chairs, drinks and the dog right down near the shoreline. With our 4-wheel drive Durango, we had no problems in the loose sand.

Here is the reverse shot on this typically cloudy cool day at the coast in the Northwest. We sat and watched the waves roll in for several hours and watched a number of people without 4-wheel drive get stuck in the sand. Very entertaining.

Corey also really enjoys the beach up here. For him it is a culinary delight dining on all the crabs washed up on the beach. Well, attempting to dine anyhow... we don't really let him chew on the shells. But there is nothing like the smell of a rotting crab in the sand.

On August 20, we took the Sunseeker and drove over to Lincoln City, Oregon, just 2.5 hours from home. We were looking to escape the extreme heat at home in what we hope will be the last heat wave in this unseasonably hot summer. We hoped we could escape the smoke that is plaguing the whole west coast with all the forest fires raging right now. Sadly the smoke was even unpleasant at the coast, though not nearly as heavy as back in the Portland area. Corey and I sat by Devil's Lake in a little park right near the Lincoln City KOA Campground where we stayed for 3 nights and 4 days over at the Oregon Coast.

While at the Oregon coast we enjoyed an exceptional brunch at the Wildflower Grill in downtown Lincoln City.

Feeling pretty good after my 5th chemo treatment last thursday, we took a little MG ride over to the Saturday Market in downtown Vancouver today and we very pleasantly surprised by the large array of fresh fruit and vegetables.

The Farmers Market was extensive with a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, food stands with many excellent choices for lunch, as well as the usual array of arts and crafts. We picked up some some fresh fruit and vegies, some baked goods and fresh cut flowers. This is one of largest farmer's markets we have been to. We only covered half of it and will go back soon to check out the other half.

Our youngest son, Patrick stopped by with his beautiful girlfriend Linjia. Libby and I both adore her. Not only beautiful but brilliant. She got her masters degree in electrical engineering at age 22 from Champaign-Urbana Michigan state university. Corey loves them too and always allows them to sit on his sofa seat with him. They make a good match with Pat working now for ODOT as a transportation engineer. He graduated from OSU a few years back with a degree in Civil Engineering, specializing in transportation engineering.

Seven Feathers, OR - Tacotopia Tequila & Music Festival and Fall Rodeo

We have managed to take several short RV trips this summer in spite of the pitfalls of chemo therapy. Seems like the second ten days of the 3 week period is my best time. So with about ten days until my last scheduled treatment on September 20, we have decided to take advantage of some great weather and make a run down to Seven Feathers in southern Oregon just north of Grants Pass. We won't go to the casino, but there's a lot going on this weekend.... Saturday is the Tacotopia Tequila & Music Festival, and both Saturday & Sunday is the big Fall Rodeo. As luck would have it, I forgot some crucial medications, so we took a voucher for 3 days in our campsite, and drive home early.

We drove over the to Tacotopia Tequila & Music Festival today. It was a bit disappointing. The band was excellent... a Portland band named The Hereafters. The volume was a bit too intense for us so we didn't stay long, however. Also there were half hour wait lines for margaritas the whole time we were there, and long lines for food as well. We went to a vegan food stand which did not have a line and ordered some vegan mexican food... pretty good actually. Poor organization for the festival if you have to stand in line a half hour for a drink.

2019 Forest River Forester 3041DSF

On Friday, September 28, we'll take delivery of a brand new 2019 Forest River Forester 3041DSF. This is a completely new model for 2019, built on the same Ford E-450 Chassis as our previous Sunseeker, but it is about 5' longer, for a total of 32' in length. Thus it has room for a loveseat behind the passenger seat, which we immediately replaced with my kingsized Lazy Boy recliner thus creating a modified floorplan. It includes everything we loved about the Sunseeker, but has more room, including more legroom in the driver's seat, a larger bedroom with walkin closet, and a larger four door refrigerator. Plus as a factory fresh unit, the Forester comes with full factory warranty for worryfree travels. We have some major trips planned for 2019. Stay tuned to this space!

Here's another photo taken from the driver's side of the new coach. There are two slides which encompass almost the entire length of the driver's side but are retracted in this photo. I will soon have new photos showing the slides out as well as many new interior photos. Note the beautiful full body paint which Forest River calls 'Mocha'. It is slightly different than our previous Sunseeker 2500ts in that it also includes deep red, which gives a really striking appearance. The Forester line from Forest River is traditionally a little more deluxe than the Sunseeker line... a bit like Mercury or Lincoln is to the more basic corresponding Ford model. This Forester is just a little more luxurious with woodgrain dash, larger four door refrigerator, better sound proofing, whisper-quiet A/C, 6-way power driver's seat, etc

On the way up to the RV dealer in Sandy, OR, we made an essential pitstop. How can *I* pass up Joe's Donuts? Gotta enjoy it while I can... once I am recovered a bit from chemo, I really need to lsoe some weight. But for now, eat, drink and be merry!

When we were traveling around the country in our Tffin Allegro Bus for several years our friends and people we met would always say we were "Living the Dream." And we agreed. Very few people have the opportunity in life to live the endless dream travel trip the way we did. When we sold the Tiffin, we woke up from the dream. We were happy to be back home and we made many adjustments to our life, but then the cancer struck and for the summer of 2018, it was all about survival and not about living any dream. Now we are putting that behind us and setting out once again to "Live the Dream" in our new Forest River Forester. We're planning a shakedown cruise this fall, and next year's itinerary includes some major Western U.S. trips.

Well today, October 8 was a real milestone. I had my followup visit with the Oncologist.... as we have been hoping, he gave me the all-clear after my PET Scan. I am officially in remission from my Lymphoma. The scan revealed no signs of the cancer anywhere in my system now! Hooray. Now it is time to sail off to new adventures. Next year's itinerary includes some major Western U.S. trips.

RV Trip to Southern Oregon

We drove down to Ashland, Oregon almost on the southern border and stayed at Emigrant Lake Point RV Park for several days. We went to see a modernized version of Othello at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Angus Bowman Theater. As always they did a marvelous job with the production.

While I was waiting at the RV Dealer recently, I picked up off the coffee table an April 2017 copy of "Roughing it Smoothly", Tiffin's magazine for Tiffin owners. They had an article about a company named Henderson's Line-Up in Grant's Pass, Oregon, and some of the products they sell to improve RV handling. We had trouble with the Sunseeker wandering at speed on the highway when towing our Durango, a condition caused by uncontrolled side shift of the rear axle called "Tail Wagging the Dog". It is not really noticeable in the Forester, but some of the suspension products in the article still made a lot of sense... so we stopped in on our way down to Ashland, talked to the service manager, and made an appointment for the 16th when we're headed back that way again on Tuesday, and arranged to have the TracBar/Safe-T-Plus combo installed.

We stopped at Wildlife Safari, in Winston, Oregon. Here you can drive at your own speed thru the 600 acre preserve and get up close and personal with hundreds of wild animals including Ostrich, Watusi Cattle, Lions and Zebra, Hippo, Rhino and Giraffe, Bear, Bison and Elk. The Africa section includes African Elephants, Emu, Yak and White-naped Cranes, plus Cheetahs and Sumatran Tigers. Here's a mature Giraffe headed for the feed barn in late afternoon.

Most of the hundreds of wild animals in the preserve kept their distance from our car as we drove through. But not the emu... these curious birds came right up to our car and stuck their heads right in our open window! Hello, Big Bird!

It was thrilling to see some of the very large and active wild animals like this giant rhino sauntering across the field not far from our car. We were praying he did not decide to charge our car.

Here we drove passed a small herd of pronghorns with a small monkey playhouse surrounded by a small moat in the background.

Here's a mellow big, ole brown bear sitting quietly in an enclosure. Unlike many of the other large animals, bears along with big cats are kept behind electric fences for the safety of visitors.

We had Columbia Gorge-level winds for three days at Emigrant Lake. Sunny and clear, but windy as hell which kind of curtailed most outdoor activities. One night we went over to Seven Feathers Resort and Casino and indulged in their impressive dinner buffet. Endless options for just $9.95 with their "Player's Card" which we signed up for. Along with the free membership we each got to spin the wheel for a free gift... I won $5 off on the buffet and Libby won $20 in free casino dollars. We used her prize to play an electronic slot machine and on the last spin, Libby won $40 which neatly paid for our dinner, and some other expenses.

We stopped at Life Northwest RV in Harrisburg, Oregon, just north of Eugene, and we spent our final 2 nights of this fall RV trip. While there, we had kind of a thrill when a beautiful raptor (either a hawk or an osprey) landed atop our motorhome as he surveyed the nearby field looking for lunch!

Our first morning back in the Eugene area, we cruised back over to our favorite breakfast spot for brunch, Our Daily Bread in nearby Veneta near Fernridge Lake. From there we drove around the lake which the Army Corps of Engineers always draws down this time of year. Here's a shot of the marina at Richardson Point with all the docks high and dry. This draw down is always done in the fall for flood control and the lake is usually back up to full pool and open for recreation in April. We can't wait! We've made our reservations and are planning to spend all summer here sailing our Catalina 22 in 2019.

Season's End - Back in Vancouver, WA

We have retired the motorhome for the season... our next travel plans will not likely begin until spring. At that time we will start out on our 2019 itinerary which includes some major Western U.S. trips. But for now my focus must be on getting my strength and stamina back after chemotherapy. To that end we decided to buy a Vision Fitness recumbent bike. I was using one at the gym until last spring when I was diagnosed with Lymphoma. I found a slightly used model R2250 Semi-Recumbent Bike on Craigslist. I set it up in our master bedroom where I can comfortably get my exercise, with my 55" Sony TV to help pass the time with a wide assortment of classic westerns recorded on my DVR... Lawman, Gunsmoke, Maverick, Cheyenne, etc.

Vision Fitness makes some of the best home use recumbent exercycles on the market. I was lucky to find this like-new unit for about 1/4 of new retail. The Vision R2250 semi-recumbent bike is touted as the quietest bike in the fitness industry. The company pioneered friction-free magnetic resistance using no wearing parts to provide superior durability and ultra-quiet performance. With a 24-lb Flywheel and a Poly-V Belt Drive Train, the ride is both quiet and smooth. It features 16 resistance levels, multiple fitness programs, Contact & Telemetric Heart Rate monitoring and more. Over the years it has been named the Best Recumbent in both Consumers Digest and Health Magazine.

Ever since I installed a tire pressure monitoring system, or TPMS as it is often referred to, on my first coach I was sold. A good system is not cheap but the safety factor alone is worth the investment. TPMS will warn you when a tire starts to get low on air pressure. A low tire will lead to a blowout if not corrected. Running tires with pressures too low will ruin the tires quickly. TPMS warns you. I carry an onboard air compressor to add air anywhere, if my TPMS tells me I need air. I went with a Dill Air Internal sensor system, much like what comes as standard equipment on most new cars, and also includes a separate monitor display which reads each tire's pressure and warns you when it falls below a preset minimum or exceeds the safe maximum. I also had Les Schwab install solid one piece brass valves custom designed for the Ford E-450 from Duallyvalve.com to minimize leak problems.

Another significant enhancement I added was a ScanGauge, a useful instrument from Linear Logic. I had installed one of these before on my first Diesel Motorhome, the Bounty Hunter, to get a readout on certain parameters, so I knew they worked well. I wanted something to give me a constant readout on transmission temperature and rather than install a regular analog gauge, I chose the ScanGauge II which shows many different functions including transmission fluid temperature or TFT (shown upper right in the bottom image at the left). This is vital when towing, especially when going thru mountains. The Forester has the capacity to tow up to 7500 lbs, so our Dodge Durango is not a problem, but I still want to keep an eye on the TFT.

I had my final PET Scan on Oct 8 showing no further signs of Lymphoma in my system. Then a month later on Nov 8, I had an MRI which was reviewed by my neurosurgeon who told me that it showed a marked improvement since my first one back in mid April. The tumors are all gone and the spinal cord is now clear of any impingement. I have some residual nerve damage but there's a good chance this will diminish over time. The lower spine does show some degenerative signs in the discs but this is simply due to age. He said that overall it looks pretty good for age 73. I will go back in for followup scans every 6 months for the next couple years, but for now I am officially in remission! I will undergo 20 radiation treatments over the next 4 weeks to cap off my treatments and ensure the cancer does not return.

Each weekday morning I go over to Compass Oncology, just a few minutes from home and report to the radiation department where they put me on a table and this star wars External Beam (Radiation) Therapy machine revolves around me. Advanced radiation technology targets any affected area with exceptional accuracy and speed. Treatment is only about 5-6 minutes and I am on my way back home. This is simply an added insurance policy that no trace of lymphoma remains in my spine. It is painless with minimal side effects so it is worth the effort they tell me. Once again Medicare and my superb Anthem Blue Cross coverage, courtesy of Screen Actors Guild, covers everything at 100%.

I was watching an episode of Grant's Getaways on our local KGW TV channel and he had a segment on the Columbia River Gorge, our neighbor here in the northwest and the place I fell in love with which brought me up here back in the 80's. You can watch the segment here on Youtube. Grant was exploring the Gorge and stopped in Mosier, Oregon, right near my old place in Rowena, and paid a visit to my old friend Stephen Demosthenes in Mosier. Stephen was one of my earliest windsurfing pals in Hood River back in 1986. I decided to drop him an email and tell him I saw the clip. But my email bounced back undeliverable, and when I went to search for another email address for him I came across his obituary in the Hood River News. I was sad to learn he passed away earlier this year "after a 6 month bout with cancer". We were the same age. This hit me kinda hard... it coulda been me. Like me, Stephen loved windsurfing and sports cars. The Gorge will be a little less joyful without him.

As I was walking Corey thru the park on a sunny fall weekend after Thanksgiving, I opened a foil wrapped chocolate and inside was this quote: "We're all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?" I looked it up and it is attributed to Matt Smith from Dr Who, a British science fiction television program produced by the BBC since 1963. As this challenging year draws to a close, I'd like to paraphrase that for myself and keep it in mind daily.... "We're all just stories in the end... so make it a good one."

When not walking in the park with Corey, he and I spend a fair amount of time in the recliner as I recover from the exigencies of cancer therapy. Corey is the perfect therapy dog... cuddly, quiet and relaxed... and above all, a constant source of humor. I sometimes wonder what is going thru this head... perhaps this cartoon gives some clue. It fits him to a tee!

Merry Christmas to all our friends all around the country and we hope the new year brings you good health and happiness!

Our two sons were home for Christmas and we had a nice Christmas dinner with the boys. Patrick's girlfriend Linjia, was also with us and took the dinner photo

And here's our two bookends... Corey and Taffy relaxing on the loveseat in the family room. We just decided to go ahead and acquire a second Westie as company for Corey and a christmas present to ourselves. Taffy (name as yet undecided) is a one year old female, about the same height as Corey but much slighter of build with longer legs... she weighs around 13 pounds. Very reminiscent of our first Westie, Gracie. She and Corey get along famously. She's a pretty little lass, seems very quiet, sweet and affectionate and a little timid but she'll likely adapt quickly.

Today, Jan 13, we attended the fruition of our mutual Christmas presents in a matinee performance at Portland's Keller Auditorium of The King and I, one of Rodgers & Hammerstein's finest musicals. The King and I boasts an award-winning score with many memorable tunes that have become standards, and sterling performances by Angela Baumgardner as Anna, Pedro Ka'Awaloa as the King, Deanna Choi as Lady Tiang, and the brilliant Paulina Yeung as Toptim. We thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and were reminded of just what a top New York touring company has to offer in terms of top tier talent.