PHOTO GALLERY 2020

At the left is a composite photo of some of our adventures from 2019. See the complete 2019 photo gallery featuring these and many many more great photos. Left to right and top to bottom those thumbnail photos are Crescent City, Avenue of the Giants, Bandon Beach // Sailing Fern Ridge, Mt Shasta, Sailing Fern Ridge // MG Cruising, Fern Ridge Shores 5th Wheel, Rain (Beatles Tribute Band ) concert

We are back in Veneta for our first visit in 2020, arriving on Tuesday Fed 18. Everything looks great and has come through our mild winter well. We are getting a real treat with a burst of warm early spring weather and we're excited about the sailing season arriving soon! Too soon to de-winterize the 5th wheel and then leave for home again, so we came down in the Forester which we still have in storage near our home and which we can quickly winterize again if we get a freak cold spell before spring. Next month we can remove the cover from the sailboat, take it to the boat ramp, and rig and launch it for the 2020 season.

With nice weather all week, we decided to do a little side trip out to Oakridge, OR and booked a couple nights at Casey's Riverside RV Park. Situated immediately along the Middle Fork Willamette River. The sounds of the rushing rapids are very soothing. Taffy enjoys it here as well. Hardly anyone here this time of year so it was nice and quiet. The deciduous trees are all still in winter hibernation, but spring is in the air, with temps reading above 60 degrees and the crocuses are starting to pop.

On Friday, we took a drive out Hwy 58, turning off onto the Aufderheide Scenic Hwy a short way along the North Fork Middle Fork Willamette River, through Oregon's Cascade Mountains. We made a photo stop at the Office Covered Bridge (also called Westfir Covered Bridge).

We drove across and through the Office Covered Bridge to a rest area on the other side where we got out and walked around a bit. We are going to try to visit a good number of Oregon's 50 historic covered bridges this summer... many of them are in this central part of the Willamette Valley. Most covered bridges in Oregon were built between 1905 and 1925. Here's a list of all 50 covered bridges.

From the Office Covered Bridge we drove further out Hwy 58, a.k.a. the Willamette Highway hoping to hike out to Salt Creek Falls. Salt Creek Falls is Oregon's second highest single drop waterfall, cascading 286 feet. (Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge is the highest.) But oops... I neglected to check the elevation - it turns out it's around 4000' and so as we drew near we realized the trails were going to be deep in snow this time of year. Ah well, it was a pretty drive and we'll come back another time.

We got back to Veneta for a couple more nights, and then left Eugene and drove to McMinnville, OR, home of the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum where Howard Hughes' infamous Spruce Goose was brought in 1993. Atop the large Museum building sits one of two 747 jumbo jets.

The museum houses a number of military and civilian aircraft, but the enormous Hughes H-4 Hercules airplane, popularly known as the Spruce Goose, Hughes' extraordinary flying boat, is definitely the highlight. With a wingspan more of more than 100 yards, and built almost entirely of wood during WWII, it has been meticulously restored and attracts visitors from all over the world.

We actually got to enter the Spruce Goose and got a whole presentation on its fascinating history. Here's Libby standing on the platform by the entry door.

We took a 45 minute guided tour viewing everything from displays of the elegant aeronautic designs of two bike mechanics – Orville and Wilbur Wright – to an actual Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird that can fly at speeds of over 2,000 miles per hour. Our guide shared many interesting stories and descriptions of the many aircraft on display. They also have many comfy chairs around the museum displays, actual airplane seats from one of the jumbo jet 747's. From here we head back home until spring.

As discussed on our travelogue page for March 9, we are now in the midst of what is being called a global pandemic of the Coronavirus, COVID-19. As it spreads around the globe, we cannot help but wonder just what the ultimate impact will be as schools are closing, governments are halting, sports events are canceling, conferences and festivals are dropping out, and business is way off everywhere. We are mostly staying at home these days awaiting spring and the sailing season. If we can stay healthy, this whole thing should not impact our sailing very much. The stock market is plummeting and a lot of people are hurting, but we gave up on the markets years ago, and while we wish them well, we just need to stay healthy, keep our "social distances" and wait this thing out.

So grandson Oliver Drew Mahedy was born today March 10... just under 6lbs. We are of course thrilled. This is the first grandchild... born to eldest son Tim and his wife Kristin who we visited at their home in San Francisco last fall.

The last couple weeks have been staggering all over the world, as the Novel Coronavirus has spread to 120 countries prompting the WHO to declare the disease as a global pandemic. Confirmed novel coronavirus cases have passed the 140,000 (230K on 3/19) mark, with more than 5,000 deaths (9300 on 3/19) reported. In the US cases now number more than 2700 (10,300 on 3/19) up from just a handful a few weeks ago and the impact on society has been stunning. As of 3/19, all stock market gains have been erased since trump took office. And it ain't over yet, that's for sure. Look at Italy! I mean, the dominoes are falling every hour. NBA, NHL, NCAA, MLB, PGA Tournaments, NASCAR, Boston Marathon, all Broadway shows, festivals, cruise ships, Disney World, Disneyland, Smithsonian, concerts, airlines, churches, statewide schools now in 34 states as of 3/19 all shut down... good grief! Spain, France, Italy, Israel and Poland have all suspended all retail commercial activity. It's like a dystopian novel.

On a brighter note.... we want to take a moment to wish a very Happy Birthday to my hero Secretariat. On March 29, a few years back in the spring of 2015 we visited Claiborne Farm in Lexington, KY. Owned by the Hancock Family, Claiborne Farm has been a leading Thoroughbred farm for generations. Claiborne is where the greatest racehorse of all time, Secretariat who is my favorite athlete of all time, stood at stud and is buried, and tens of thousands visit the gravesite every year. I brought my own treasured bronze statue to the gravesite to physically imbue it with Secretariat's spirit.

Secretariat was born March 29, 1970, and was named Thoroughbred Racing's Horse of the year as a two year old, the first time a two year old ever won that honor. He became the first Triple Crown Winner in 50 years in 1973, breaking track records for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and the Belmont, where he won the race by a record 31 lengths, a record which still stands today. He retired after the season as a three year old and stood at Stud until age nineteen at Claiborne Farms in Lexington, KY. You can watch this video of the gorgeous stallion running free in his paddock.... and this special tribute to the racing legend. R.I.P. Big Red... called by some "The greatest athlete the world has ever seen".

On June. 11, 1973, the incomparable Secretariat was featured on all three covers of Time, Newsweek and Sports illustrated Magazines, another first for this record-breaking super-horse! Watch this touching tribute to the greatest racehorse of all time, "Big Red", the magnificent chestnut stallion, Secretariat! Happy Birthday, Secretariat. We sure could use your inspiration today!

Here's a chart showing the geometric growth of the Novel Coronavirus in the U.S. over the month of March... going from just 89 cases to more than 186,000 by end of the month. The astronomical growth of this terrible pandemic in the U.S. is now the fastest growth rate in the world and a testament to the gross mismanagement of this crisis by our federal government. Hapless availablity of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and Test kits and dishonest assessment of the situation at the highest levels of government, have led to the worst health crisis and economic crisis in US history.

We arrived back at Fern Ridge Shores, our lakeside getaway, on Monday April 6. The weather is forecast to be nice all week with the high on Thursday reaching 70 for the first time this year. We got the 5th wheel opened up and ready for the season. The boat came thru the winter perfectly, all covered tightly with our custom heavy duty boat cover. Ready to launch in a couple weeks when they open the lake. We're looking forward to a great sailing season. We'll just hide out down here all summer, avoid COVID-19 in the city and wait for it to hopefully play itself out by fall. Tonite we had an awesome 'Pink Supermoon' in the clear spring sky as evening fell. This is the perigee moon, the moon's closest point to the earth.

Enjoying our stay at the lake... we did most of the little chores around here last year... like the fenced back yard with cedar chips, finishing off the deck with railings and a gate, etc etc. Yesterday we hung a Magnetic Screen Door / Mesh Curtain. This way we can leave the door open to the deck in the nice weather, and Taffy can let herself in and out, kinda like a doggie door. She likes laying out in sun and can see some of the dogs across the green space. She has a crush on Elmo, an adorable little white male westie in the unit just behind us. They whine a bit back and forth :-) We also hung above the door one of our favorite decor items for summer... see image at left.

COVID-19 continues to spread in late April, with the number of cases worldwide closing in on 3 million and almost one million in the U.S. alone where we have recorded more than 54,000 deaths. Yet the chasm of lack of understanding between left and right is spreading right along with it, exacerbated by the deluge of misinformation coming from the top. Part of the image at the left is borrowed from a recent New Yorker Magazine cover. We are on the Titanic, we have hit the iceberg, and our leadership is offering four lifeboats to save the thousands of people on board before it sinks.

Quarantine Entertainment - humans aren't the only ones feeling the cabin fever these days. When we stop back home, Taffy spends hours at the window looking out on the fenced backyard, watching for squirrels. Libby puts peanuts out for the squirrels, and when they come, Taffy races out the doggie door and tears up and down the fence line. The other day a rabbit came by for a visit and Taffy went beserk! Entertaining for dogs and their owners!

After she's done hunting for a while, she comes back in, hops up on her sofa, and grabs a rawhide stick to chew for a while. She'll sit there with it hanging out of her mouth like a cigarette as she listens sometimes... we call it her "cig"

This year to rig and launch our sailboat, we opted to hire the services of a local boat guy Scott Coleman who has a team of guys who will rig your boat and launch it for $125. We've been doing it entirely on our own for 12 years. Maybe it is time to let someone else take care of it. The marina has a hoist system which makes it pretty easy to get the mast up and the stays all fastened. And a team of 3 experienced guys made fast work of it. We motored over to our slip p C-34 at Richardson Marina. And set the mooring lines. Enough for today, we'll return perhaps tomorrow, and rig the sails and perhaps get her out for a first sail fo the season.

Richardson Marina is a pretty solitary place this year. For one thing it only opened a few days ago, a month late. It is also early in the season which really kicks into gear in late May. But this year we are also dealing with less than average rainfall, so the lake level is a bit low. We're fortunate we were able to reserve one of the deeper slips, C-36. The Army Corps of Engineers maintains a website which shows the current depth at every slip in the marina. There's plenty of water out in the main part of the lake, but it's a bit low in the marina. Everyone is hoping May rains will fill it up. Of course it also remains to be seen what effect COVID-19 will have on lake use this summer. Fingers crossed!

Here I am smiling ear to ear at the helm with winds blowing 8-12 on our first day on the water... We sailed under ideal conditions with winds 10-12 out of the north on a nice warm afternoon, finally coming in about 7:30pm.

Saturday was a bit cooler and a little overcast. No wind, so the lake was flat and we figured it was a good opportunity to take Taffy out for her maiden voyage on our boat and let her get used to it on a nice quiet boatride, motoring around at slow speed on smooth water. See photo at the left. She seemed to enjoy it and sat quietly with her mom the whole time. We kept a harness and a leash on her the whole time, but she didn't really need it.

On Sunday the wind came up late and was pretty stiff, blowing 12-16. We went out for an hour and a half, sailed mainsail only and watched Taffy... she did great and just cuddled with Libby the whole time.

We're headed home for the week. A significant amount of rain is predicted for this week and Lord knows, we need it. Lake levels are marginal right now, so some real accumulation would be a blessing to avoid the potential for a shortened summer season. As Oregon gets into summer, the rain will vanish for a few months and as temperatures heat up, evaporation will decrease lake levels. So we need to start summer with as full a pool as possible. We'll enjoy some time at home and return when the rainy weather lifts.

Taffy, Libby and I as well as all the other boaters in the area are all doing a rain dance in hopes of getting a couple weeks of serious rain to raise the lake levels a bit closer to normal, as we all watch the USACE website for updates.

This is a screenshot of Navionics online chart for Fern Ridge Lake. This marvelous free online charting service offers detailed accurate charts easily scalable to show extreme detail of the smallest bays and coves. We carry a laminated chart of the entire lake onboard, but rely mostly on our Garmin740s Chartplotter and depthfinder, mounted in the cockpit, for accurate real time readout on our exact location, a valuable tool in times when lake levels are a bit low. The chart at the left shows the main basin of the lake which measures about 4 miles wide at the widest point by about 4 miles in length, a nice body of water for excellent sailing in the reliable prevailing NW winds of this area of the Willamette Valley. Because the lake levels are a little low this year, we have a slip at Richardson Park Marina in the NW corner of the lake. From there it is about 4.5 miles down the lake to Fern Ridge Shores, and that is basically the basin where we sail.

Here's grandson Oliver, now 2 months old... looking more and more like a little boy rather than an infant. Proud parents Tim and Kristin are bringing Ollie up for his first visit to Washington and Oregon in a couple weeks. We are all looking forward to the visit!

With 1.4 million confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in the U.S. and more than 86,000 deaths, still rising at a rapid rate, the US is in large part prematurely "reopening the buffet." Davy Jones, here we come!

Did you ever have one of those days? Remember the cartoon character "Joe Btfsplk" by Al Capp? He was a character in the satirical comic strip Li'l Abner (published 1934–1977). The rain cloud just seemed to follow him everywhere he went! For a REALLY good laugh watch this brief non-political video, one that you will certainly be able to identify with, or click on the image at the left.

The New York Times published the findings of a major new study out of Columbia University on COVID-19 which shows that 80% of the deaths in the U.S could have been avoided if we had imposed nationwide lockdowns at the beginning of March rather than doing little or nothing, pretending it would all go away. The supplement at the left from the study shows part of the mathematical computations of the study's authors to predict daytime and nighttime transmission models. Obviously this is NOT some vague general opinion, but a deep and complex study used to arrive at these tragic conclusions.

We bought the ShelterLogic 10' x 6' Solano Gazebo Canopy at the left online to create some shade on our deck for outdoor seating and dining. We considered building a structure to cover it, but the cost was exhorbitant as opposed to the relatively paltry $180 to buy this canopy. We constructed it ourselves in a couple hours and permanently attached it to the deck. To preserve it, the cover which is held on with bungees. can easily be removed seasonally,

We brought the Forester Motorhome down to Veneta for the summer. I think we'll keep the covered storage space for it in Vancouver. We could save the $150 a month, but it will definitely keep it up better over the long wet winters. But for the summer, it's ideal to park it here in our oversized park space. It plugs into the 30A outlet on the pedestal, where the Avalanche plugs into the 50A. I put it in a "Y" connector to the sewer and another to the park water. So both units have full services. It will be great for guests... Tim and Kristin are bringing grandson Ollie up from SF this weekend... so they will have their own private quarters.

Well anyone reading this blog who has become a grandparent knows the special feeling that develops. This is Grandma Libby holding her long awaited first grandson, Oliver, now 2 1/2 months old. It's morning here and he is comfortably napping in "grammy's" arms. Taffy is being remarkably good with the baby, very interested, a little jealous, yet very protective of the little guy.

Although I am not little Ollie's biological grandfather, this is about as close as I will ever come. Since I helped raise Tim as my own son, along with his two brothers, and he is the first to marry and bear a child. It is a special time for me as well, holding this tiny little person who will someday help carry on his father's name. Tim and Kristin are up for a week's visit from San Francisco, and since we have all been practicing extreme social distancing and preautions, we are all comfortable with close interaction. They are getting to see our summer place at the lake today and later we will head home to Vancouver.

In a desperate attempt to try and maintain some semblance of physical condition during these unconventional times, I purchased a Sreetstrider... an innovative 2-in-1 Indoor + Outdoor Elliptical Bike. It provides a full-body, low-impact, high-intensity workout. either out on the street or in stationary mode using the Indoor Trainer Stand. I happened to spot a guy using it in our neighborhood in Veneta and he directed me to the Steetstrider website. Although the manufacturer was having a big sale over Memorial day weekend, I found one on Craigslist near home for about half the discounted price, and in brand new condition. So I bought it and brought it down to Veneta for the summer.

Since it folds flat I was able to bring it down in the back of our SUV. I set it up initially in our little fenced yard on the cedar chips along with my back bench. I'll need to practice riding it to get a smooth motion going before taking it out on the street outside the RV park. It takes a little getting used to. Actually I need to get a little bit better conditioned first as well... it is unbelievable how strenuous this thing is to use. Admittedly I am not in very good shape, but I was riding my Vision Recumbent exercycle regularly at home this year, about half an hour a day, but I'll tell you that is NO preparaton for the Steetstrider. I am only able to ride it continuously for a minute at a time... I'm doing three one minute sessions with a break in between to catch my breath. Whew! This thing is amazing!

We decided on a Sunday drive in the MG along some beautiful back roads in the Wine Region south of Eugene. Perfect weather... high close to 80 and with some cloud cover off and on to give us a break from the sun. The route planned on google maps was about 75 miles round trip. The route took us down Territorial Highway to Curtin, Oregon.

On our backroads tour today, we passed many signs for wineries on side roads off Territorial Highway. Enroute we spotted the King Estate Winery, a beautiful complex sitting up on a hill. Surrounded by fields of lavender and endless manicured rows of grape vines, the Winery occupies a really beautiful spot with some excellent valley views. This is one of the prettiest spots we have ever seen for a winery.

Here we are parked in front of the beautiful restaurant and wine tasting room at King Estate Winery. Unfortunately with the COVID-19 pandemic, they are presently not open except to bujy wine by the bottle, but they hope to open the wine tasting room in a few weeks. We were invited to check back by phone. It would be a nice excursion with the kids when they come back for a visit. And maybe next year, we'll definitely have to try them for dinner.

This is the view from the reverse direction as above in front of the restaurant and wine tasting room. A beauitful view down the hill of the vineyards and the green foothills across the valley.

King Estate Winery processes their own grapes and ferments their own wine. Pictured here are the large stainless tanks where the grapes are processed, skins removed and stored for bottling.

Here's one more excellent view from the road in front of the restaurant and wine tasting room, looking down across the valley.

The Windfinder weather forecast for this week shows bright sunny days with highs around 80 every day and winds every afternoon in the ideal range from 9-15. This is why we LOVE Fern Ridge Lake. This vindicates our decision to purchase our RV at Fern Ridge Shores RV Park and to spend the summer here each year going forward. Today we had 10-14... I normally like to sail about 3 days a week, but we may have to overindulge this week. These kinds of conditions are hard to pass up.

The Pacific Northwest got hit with a heatwave the last week of July, with temps reaching 100 degrees and above, both in Vancouver where we live, and in Veneta at the lake. This kind of heat typically squelches the wind so we decided to load up the Forester motorhome and head over to the Oregon Coast. We hooked up the MG on our brand new car dolly and started out. It towed perfectly and effortlessly. We're just an hour from Florence at the Oregon coast so we headed over there and up the coast to Lincoln City as our first overnight stop, about a 3 hour trip.

Once we arrived at our first stop, the KOA campground in Lincoln City, we unloaded the MG and parked it next to the coach, ready to head out next morning on a 90 mile tour we mapped out... taking the coastal route up to Sandlake > Cape Lookout > Netarts > Cape Mears > Tillamook and then back down Highway 101 to Lincoln City again.

The Lincoln City KOA turned out to be a total bust, so after lodging a complaint with KOA corporate we moved out after two nights and went down to Newport where we stayed at a lovely campground right near the iconic Yaquina Bay Bridge. Next day we headed down to our second reserved destination, the KOA at Waldport, Oregon. This KOA was a delight and totally redeemed our faith in KOA. The weather was a gorgeous 70 degrees, so I drove the MG the 35 miles while Libby drove the motorhome. We puttered around a few local backroads and coastal sights Wednesday afternoon, stopping occasionally to snap a classic photo like this one at the Ocean Beach picnic area, before settling in for the night.

Next morning we tried Taffy out for her first short little ride in the MG. She fits in the little back bench area and can sit up with her head between the seats. She seemed to really enjoy it! It's a great joy to now have the new car dolly to bring the MG along with us on RV jaunts around the northwest. Touring along the twisties at the Oregon Coast in a little classic sportscar makes all the difference, compared to just driving it in a regular car. It's kind of like the difference between cruising on a sailboat and a powerboat. Either way it's nice to be on the water, but a sailboat makes it into a sport instead of simply a conveyance.

The Waldport KOA was located just 2 miles from a marvelous little beach access called Driftwood Beach State Recreation Site, a state park administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. We took Taffy for walks on the beach there all three mornings, including our last morning when we pulled the motorhome in so we could load up the MG on the car dolly for the drive home.

Hardly anyone there at Driftwood Beach, so we took Taffy for walks on the beach off leash all three mornings and she romped exhuberantly, looking for all the world like a little beach bunny! She never ventured more than 20 yards from us at any time!

After returning from the coast, the wind was back up this weekend with a little bit cooler temps. We got out for an excellent 2.5 hour sail late afternoon with winds in the 12-15 range, our 24th day sailing this summer... and this whole next week looks great! Gotta love Fern Ridge Lake! Back at the coach about 7:30 we enjoyed margaritas and bratwurst on the deck, enjoying the cool evening breezes off the lake :-)

It isn't often that we choose not to go sailing because the wind is too strong. We awoke this morning with the wind rattling the walls and Windfinder.com calling for winds as high as 22-23 mph this afternoon. Now we can certainly sail our boat in this kind of wind... if we were caught out somewhere in that high wind, we could reef our main and still sail. But when we are getting out 3 and 4 days a week for really good sailing, it seems more sensible to just take the day off. We spent a little time this afternoon prepping the Forester to head over to the Oregon coast again tomorrow. The Central Oregon Coast British Car Club is planning a socially distanced picnic on Wednesday so we'll put the MG on its car dolly and take it over there for the event, avoid the inland heat and do some more coastal backroads cruising.

We arrived in Florence Monday afternoon... we took Taffy down to Heceta Beach but the coast had small craft warnings up so it was a bit much. We took her back on Tuesday morning when the winds calmed down and she enjoyed romping off leash just like the last trip. Tuesday afternoon we took a drive in the MG down to Reedsport and then inland on Highway 38 along the Umpqua River. This road is part of what is aptly named the Umpqua River Scenic Byway. It runs all the way from Reedsport over to I-5 at Sutherlin. We only took it as far as Scottsburg and then doubled back, but we managed to capture some very nice photos along the Umpqua River.

We also stopped to watch a large herd of Elk grazing in the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area right along Highway 38. This is a wildlife management area jointly managed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the United States Bureau of Land Management, as a year-round residence for a herd of Roosevelt elk. Our tour photograpaher snapped this excellent shot of the MG in the viewing area parking lot with the herd of Elk out behind me.

Temperatures in NW Oregon are rising to 103 degrees on Saturday and staying very hot for a few days. This is a perfect time for us to stop home and check on the Vancouver homefront for a few days (left). We try to get home once a month anyhow... and it's been at least this long, so the heatwave is the perfect excuse to go home for a few days. It's just a 2 1/2 hour drive and our Dodge Durango is a great road car which makes the trip up I-5 a joy. We can relax at home in the central A/C and catch up on a few items around the ole homestead before we come back to Veneta middle of the week.

Today, August 15, 2020, our youngest son Patrick married girlfriend Linjia Chang in a private covid-sensitive ceremony held at Portland's Rose Garden. In deference to Linjia's parents who live in Shanghai, China and cannot travel right now due to Coronavirus, family was not invited. A public family ceremony will be held once travel restrictions ease. Linjia is a darling girl and we are very happy to have her join our happy family. We are sure they will live happily ever after as we have. They will continue to live together in their Portland condo and work in the city.

No more grandchildren on the immediate horizon, but we have gained a new "granddog". This is Poe, the new Pomeranian and American Eskimo mix which they just adopted from a local animal rescue. Poe is an adorable 2 year old neutered male who is very well behaved and makes an excellent playmate forTaffy.

Today, Saturday, August 22, after enjoying morning coffee and the most amazing bearclaw pastry from the local bakery, we broke out the Doggyride cart, hooked it up to Libby's bicycle, and Libby took her for a spin around Fern Ridge Shores. We weren't sure how Taffy would take to it, but were hoping she would enjoy it as bicycling is going to be one of our primary fall activities once the boat comes out of the water... which is due to happen Monday. She loved it. Taffy enjoys going for rides in anything that moves, pretty much, so the Doggyride was a slam dunk!

Here's Libby pulling the Doggyride cart with Taffy on board on the gravel road right in front of our compound. Pat and Linjia were visiting (that's their Mini Cooper) and Pat took their new pup Poe for a ride as well. Also a success. Pat is planning to buy one and wanted to try it out first and make sure Poe was ok with the idea.

Today was our last Sailing day of the season. The lake level has been dropping steadily over the past couple weeks. We watch the USACE website for lake levels and levels at the launch ramp. We're down to the wire, so we are pulling the boat Monday. Today Pat and Linjia were visiting and I took them out sailing for the last day of the season. Day 31. Libby and I were out yesterday, so Libby stayed back today and babysitted the two dogs while I went sailing with the kids. Linjia took the tiller for some of the time and Pat took it the rest of the time.

This morning there was a light breeze with lots of sunshine and Pat and Linjia wanted to try out the Wilderness Kayak we found for them on Craigslist over on the Oregon Coast on our last trip. Libby and I walked down to the swimming beach here in the park with the two dogs and watched as they paddled out and around the point. We snapped this photo of them upon their return.

And so the sailing season officially comes to an end on August 24 as we pulled our sailboat out using the deeper launch ramp over at Orchard Point. The water is just getting too shallow and some boaters are having to resort to drastic means now to pull their boats out. The warning signs "Extreme Low Water Conditions" just went up today! It was getting too close for comfort, so no more procrasticating... we pulled her out and used the hoist at Orchard Point to unstep the mast, so we could haul her back around to Fern Ridge Shores where we'll store her again this winter, with her boat cover on.

Wind, wind everywhere, and nary a sailboat to sail. Here's the forecast for the next 10 days. The blue line in the bottom graph (Wind Speed) is drawn thru the 10mph point. You can see every day in the next ten days has peak winds above 10 mph. And no sailing for us. Bummer! Well this portends well for next year late summer I guess.

Although we have generally been happy with the purchase of our new Keystone Avalanche last year, there are some aspects that could stand a little improvement. On Aug 28 we spotted this 2018 Vanleigh Vilano 375FL at a local dealership as advertised on Craigslist as well. We know Vanleigh as a company started by the son and grandson of Bob Tiffin, whose Allegro Bus we really came to respect during our ownership a few years ago. Vanleigh follows in the tradition of superior quality and attention to detail, so this Vilano 375FL was a natural choice. The dealer offered us a fair tradein, and we got a really fine coach in return, about the same size but with a marvelous feature list we REALLY can appreciate. See the Vilano photo gallery. We'll be excited to take possesion in a couple weeks.

This fall is shaping up to be the worst fire season in the western US in many decades... perhaps forever. California has the three largest wildfire events in state history happening simultaneously. And Oregon and Washington are also in very bad shape. Both the Portland area and the Eugene area are among the worst in the northwest... People are saying it looks like Mars with orange skies. We're home in Vancouver where it has been windy but not too smoky... yet. The smoke seems to be moving in this evening. Veneta where our RV's are is even worse with big fires just east of the area in Springfield and beyond. Here is a webcam image of the lake taken around 5pm yesterday. Normally you can see a couple miles across the lake easily and to the hills beyond. Buckle up, the worst is yet to come, it seems.

We are home in Vancouver in early September enjoying the silver lining of the current conflagration on the west coast on top of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is providing more family time at home. Tim and wife Kristin are visiting from San Francisco with our new grandson Oliver, and Pat and Linjia are visiting as well. All are able to work online from home. Only Pat has to occasionally venture into the field with his job at ODOT. Besides getting some advance experience with parenting, Pat and Linjia are joining in on the culinary duties as well, as we are all enjoying the delectable results of the regular nightly family cookfest in our kitchen. We also have the additional fun and chaos of the three dogs, Taffy, Poe and Wilbur, adding their input (and output) to the festivities.

The family is having a good time together... and so are the dogs... well most of the time. Poor Taffy looks a bit bewildered here. That's her "flaps back" look, ears flat back against her head. But this is MY sofa, guys! She goes from her normal queen bee status to just one of the pack. That is Poe to her right, Pat and Linjia's dog... and Wilbur to her left, belonging to Tim and Kristin. When everyone finally leaves next weekend, she will probably sleep for 3 days!

But at other times Poe and Taffy are BFF's. Here they are at the kitchen window looking for squirrels in the yard together. And if an unfortunate critter happens by, both dogs race out the doggie door like a shot! Too cute!

Grammie has really been enjoying the last couple weeks with grandson Olliver at home. Now that the air has cleared she's enjoying taking him for a walk on the sidewalk in front of the house in his little portable stroller

Grammie is not the only one who enjoys playing with little Ollie. He's a happy little guy and he enjoys sitting in his Pop Pop's lap in the recliner and playing little games.

Skies have cleared, the smoke has abated and the weather looks great for the next ten days. Temps in the 80s is classic indian summer weather. So we came back down to Veneta, now that the kids have all gone home, and things are back to normal. We'll be setting up the new Vilano and enjoying the fall weather, covering the boat for winter and other seasonal chores. Hard to face a 6 month layoff from sailing. But such is life. Spring will be along before we know it, I guess.

Well with the smoke cleared and all preparations made, we completely emptied the Avalanche and at 2 pm on Thursday October 1, the new Vilano was delivered. They sent two guys to pull the Avalanche out and take it back to the dealer's 'preowned' sales lot.

Here they are backing the new Vilano into our spot at Fern Ridge Shores. The Vilano is the same exact size as the Avalanche and with the entry door in the same exact place. It was tricky but it fit right up against our deck. All the connections lined up and we were good to go. It was strange to see Libby standing in our empty spot #58 with the Avalanche gone. Now comes the massive job of loading everything aboard and finding a spot for all our things.

Here we are on a beautiful Monday afternoon, the new Vilano backed into our space, with the Forester in front and next to it our silver Dodge Durango, and our MGB under its cover on the other side. Most of the initial effort to load all our stuff into the Vilano and basic organizing inside has been done. It's very convenient to have room in our space to park our Forester next to the 5th wheel to be used as guest quarters for family to come visit. Because of COVID and then the extreme fire season this fall, we have hardly been able to use the Forester for west coast travel this year.

Here's the other angle of the Vilano on the same beautiful Monday afternoon backed into our space showing the Forester in front and next to that MGB with its car dolly (which we'll store between the MG and the boat), and behind the MG is the sailboat and finally at the back the car trailer (currently used for storage). Later this fall, we'll drive the Forester home and park it safely in covered storage. We will also put the MG on its car dolly and tow it home for the winter. We park the MG in the garage at home in the winter, and the dolly will fit in covered storage with the motorhome.

We are now at the onset of the fall surge of the Coronavirus. Sadly, this country has failed to meet the challenge as so many others have, and we have far and away the worst of the pandemic right here at home. And the way things are looking it may get a lot worse this winter and may be with us well into next year. Unfortunately our sailboat is put up for the winter as you can see in the above photo. The graphic at the left shows what an effective antidote sailing is to the spread of the virus. We look forward to getting back to it in the spring. For now I guess we just need to wear our masks, keep our social distance and hunker down and stay safe.

It is now official... Joe Biden is the 46th President of the U.S. with Kamala Harris at his side. Despite any number of spurious lawsuits to contest the results of the election, all without any factual basis at all, and the likelihood of a recount or two, if history is any precedent, it's over! Now maybe the country can settle down, and return to some semblance of sanity in the new year. Let's all get some sleep!

I watched a marvelous old western from 1940 called "Virginia City" recently, starring my favorite western hero Randolph Scott, along with Errol Flynn, Humphrey Bogart, Allen Hale, Miriam Hopkins and others. It was a civil war drama and a tale of how the sense of division ultimately gave way to unity. It ended with a marvelous soliloquy by President Abe Lincoln which is so appropriate for these times. I created this meme as my own effort to foster this unity as we lick our wounds after this fractious political season, and in these trying times of the Coronavirus, we can hopefully come together as One Nation under God, with liberty and justice for all.

Here is the text of Lincoln's speech: "We're not enemies, we're friends, and in my heart and in thousands like mine throughout America, there is no spirit of revenge in our victory, there must be no harbor of hatred in their defeat. Tell them we are now one people, united by blood and fire, and that from this day forward our destiny is indivisible. With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us now strive to bind up the nation's wounds, and for all we must establish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves and with all nations. President Lincoln in the film "Virginia City", 1940

God Bless America

As we look forward to the new year now under new and effective leadership, we look back on 2020 in disbelief!

If 2020 was a math word-problem: If you’re going down a river at 2 MPH and your canoe loses a wheel, how much pancake mix would you need to re-shingle your roof?

At what point can we just start using 2020 as profanity? As in: "That’s a load of 2020." or "What in the 2020?" or "abso-2020-lutely.

Libby took an Alaska Airlines flight down to San Francisco for what will be the only opportunity to see her grandson between now and spring. We may drive down there in the spring in the motorhome, but the weather is much too treacherous now. Airlines travel is relatively safe right now... her flight was less than 1/3 full and son Tim picked her up at the airport and will take her back when she leaves. She'll just be gone 3 days, returning home on Tuesday. Here she is with the little guy who is now 8 months old. Playing on the swings. Fun for grammie!

Thanksgiving is coming up... Looks like a lot of us may be celebrating it virtually. I wonder if that will ease pressure on the waistline?

Lib and I celebrated Thanksgiving at home, just the two of us. No parties this year. Since it was just the two of us, we ordered two Thanksgiving turkey dinners with all the trimmings, from our favorite little local restaurant, Ducktales Kitchen. We want to help support our favorite local restauarants which are all having a difficult time with all the closures mandated by COVID safety restrictions. Everything was delicious. The bread in the pan is a Libby original... pumpkin-banana. We'll save that for breakfast tomorrow. Enough food for leftovers tomorrow also.

As an early Christmas present to ourselves, we bought a new 50" 4K Samsung QLED TV for our little 'western theater'. And to complement it we also bought an SEI Furniture Calvert Electric Fireplace, with "some assembly required". We removed the Resolute Acclaim wood stove that came with the house. It was cute but utterly impractical. I disconnected it and using my dolly I moved it to the garage. I put it on Craigslist and sold it within a day for $900. Meanwhile the electric fireplace in our 5th wheel got a LOT of use this fall. Nice if I get up in the middle of the night as I often do, that I can sit down in my recliner, flick it on with the remote control, and warm up the space in minutes while I watch a Gunsmoke or something. It fits the decor of our "western theater" perfectly, and can be enjoyed either for ambiance with flames only, or with 1500 watts of heat, perfect for taking off the night time chill.

With Thanksgiving behind us, the countdown is on to Christmas and New Years. We want to wish all our friends, family and blog readers a wonderful Christmas and that the New Years brings in better times. We're hoping the dire warnings about post-Thanksgiving & Christmas surges with the Pandemic are somehow averted. We will be spending the holidays at home - and our household now includes son Patrick, wife Linjia and their dog Poe. As posted earlier this year, the silver lining to the COVID isolation means the kids are spending much more time here with us, working from home and feeling safer than in their condo in downtown Portland. The Covid-tree at the left is surrounded with toys... our toys. But alas they are all in hibernation for the winter. At least I should find a couple occasional day to take the MG out for a spin between now and spring.

Today, 12/16, we had an end of the year meeting with our financial advisors. Given the fact that they are in California and the COVID travel restrictions, we held the meeting on Zoom to discuss our financial goals for 2021. Cam and Trevor were generous with their time to help us make some important decisions about the path forward. Patrick sat in on the meeting as he has an excellent grasp on investment and tax avoidance strategies. It looks like I am dozing but quite to contrary, I was very interested in what they had to say and was only glancing down at my keyboard to take this screenshot.

Libby and I wish all our friends and family a very safe and Merry Christmas and a total reboot for 2021. Our son Patrick and his lovely wife Linjia (and their white dog Poe) have been staying with us all month since they are working from home with the pandemic. Life with the 4 of us and the two dogs is more entertaining than living alone. It is the silver lining in this whole pandemic horror, as we are enjoying their company immensely. Our Westie Taffy and Pat & Linjia's dog Poe, a Pomeranian/American Eskimo mix, are happy spending a lot of time cuddled up together on the big recliner. We feel so sad for all the folks not as lucky as we are who are suffering out there this holiday season. We do hope things lighten up in the new year and are praying the vaccines take hold and pull us back from the edge.

Taffy and Poe are really enjoying the extended family holiday experience. Lots of time spent in the kitchen means lots of opportunities for begging! Poe is the ultimate chowhound, and never misses a handout. Taffy, who is usually more reserved about it, has had to step up her game to keep up with him.

CHEERS !!!    Let's all bid 2020 a not-so-fond farewell and look forward to the future, one in which the world recovers from this awful disease, one in which democracy has recovered in this country and around the world, and where new leadership will lead us into an economic and spiritual recovery. Let us all remain optimistic. As a wise man once said, an Optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in, a Pessimist stays up until midnight to make sure the old year leaves. Perhaps this year we should do BOTH!