Windseeker RV Blog with Joe and Libby

Today is April Fools Day, but no foolin', the marina on the lake opens today and we can now launch our sailboat any time. We're targeting launch day to coincide with my birthday, April 16. The lake is on track for full pool of 374' elevation sometime this month or in early May just as it has the last couple years. The Army Corps of Engineers is in charge of managing the lake level for purposes of flood control. Since it has been pretty rainy, they actually reversing the filling for a week or so, spilling more water over the dam before allowing the lake to reach full pool. Today's level is 371.5 which is slightly above last year's level on this same date.

My favorite athlete of all time, Secretariat, the greatest racehorse in the history of sport, was born March 30, 1970 (March 29 West Coast time). He 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. In 2015, we visited Claiborne Farm in Lexington, KY, where Secretariat stood at stud, and we placed flowers at his grave. Called by some "The greatest athlete the world has ever seen", I watch this special tribute every year on his birthday... R.I.P. Big Red".

Here's the little dickens napping! I say that because she was an obstinate little twinkie and did not want to emerge in the correct fashion. She was inverted in the womb - what is called breached - and after weeks of trying to turn her over, they finally opted for a C-section which was done safely and successfully on March 14. Eloise Mahedy-Chang, Lulu for her nickname (repeated names are common in China). Here she is napping... or is she??? See that sly little look in her eyes? I think the little dickens is just playing possum.

Patrick and Linjia welcomed their new baby girl into the world Friday March 14. Both are doing very well. Linjia remained in the hospital for a few days and is now back home. Libby is staying with them in NYC right now and will be there for the next couple weeks to help out. I'm holding down the fort with the two dogs at home.

We've been watching the Eagle Nest Cam live stream on the Friends of Big Bear Valley website. The adventures of Jackie and her mate Shadow. In the past week or two, beginning on March 2, their 3 eggs have hatched, yielding three adorable little eaglets. It is heartwarming, calming and also very instructive to watch these magnificent birds tend to their young hatchlings and hopefully raise them to fledgling and juvenile status. Today is a pretty severe snow storm and dutiful mom Jackie is doing her level best to keep the 3 chicks safe and warm. She manages to sit absolutely still for hours half buried in the snow. We are with her 100%

Libby has always loved birds... she's done some organized bird watching and always likes to visit aviaries and bird santuaries as we travel about. We were watching Grant's Getaways on the local NBC station. The weekly segments and programs feature themes such as fishing, urban hiking, surfing, geocaching, whale watching, kayaking, and rafting. Television personality Grant McOmie takes you. He had a segment which featured a fellow named Dennis Frame a woodworker from Forest Grove, OR who builds exquisite little bird resorts in his home workshop. So on Sunday afternoon we drove the hour out to Forest Grove to see him and purchase this cool little anniversary gift for Libby. See more photos of the day's adventure including the amazing giant Sequoia trees of Hillsboro, OR on our gallery page.

We celebrated our 23rd wedding Anniversary dinner at Gustav's German Restaurant near our home in Vancouver, German bier, sausage and schnitzel and they gifted us a chocolate mousse for dessert. Libby and I were married in 2002, now 23 years ago. It was 33 years ago she moved to Oregon, and we moved in together in Lake Oswego where we lived until 2013 when we moved to our current residence Vancouver.

Today we drove over to the Lazyboy gallery to look at a new recliner. I have lazyboy recliners in our motorhome, our 5th wheel RV and here at home. In the RV's I have Astor wall hugger recliners. At home I have an old Randell Lazyboy which I bought some 20 years ago. It has held up remarkably well, but they have made some enhancements in the new ones including power controls for recline, leg lift, head rest and lumbar support, plus optional memory foam seat cushion. Being at home all winter and in relatively inclement weather much of the time, I spend a lot of time in my recliner. So today we bought a brand new Randell Power Recliner. With as much time as I spend in my recliner each day, this will provide a lot of health and comfort.

After a very rainy fall the weather has turned around we are well below normal rainfall for January... and the 10 day forecast, right, shows none in store for the next ten days. While it is kind of a welcome break for people who want to get outside, this is a La Nina year and should be much wetter than it is. I hope rains will return in February. March so we have a normal rainfall year which will lead to full lakes and streams. Also that we do not reenter a drought condition which would lead to an active wildfire season. Right now, in the midst of a crippling record drought, the massive wildfires in Southern California, as I write this, between Pacific Palisades and Altadena, are the worst in California history, and some of the very worst in modern times.

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

If you have not visited this blog recently, you might want to have a look back at some of our previous logs which depict our lifestyle as we continued our RV and boating activities over the past decade. Each Travelogue features photos like the ones at the right from 2022 as well as many more in the drop down menu from our big trips in years past. Left to right and top to bottom those thumbnail photos are our Vilano 5th Wheel, MG Adventures, our new Miramar Motorcoach, Joe sailing, the Anne Marie sailing, Libby & Taffy sailing, MGB travels, Taffy and Poe, and the Blokart I tried..

Windseeker 2024 Northwest Travelogue

Previous Windseeker Travelogues 2012-2023:
Select another Windseeker page from the dropdown menu  :   2023:  Windseeker VI  Miramar - Western Travels 2023; 2022:  Windseeker VI  Miramar - Western Travels 2022 2021:  Windseeker VI  Miramar - Western Travels 2021 2020:  Windseeker V  Forester - Western Travels 2020 2019:  Windseeker V  Forester - Western Travels 2019 2018:  Windseeker V  Forester - Western Travels 2017-18 2016:  Windseeker III  Allegro Bus - Eastern Tour - PART II 2016:  Windseeker III  Allegro Bus - Eastern Tour - PART I 2015:  Windseeker III  Allegro Bus - National Tour - PART II 2015:  Windseeker III  Allegro Bus - National Tour - PART I 2014:  Windseeker III  Allegro Bus - Western Tour 2013:  Windseeker II  Country Coach - Western Tour 2012:  Windseeker I  Gulf Stream - Northwest Tour 2011:  Windseeker I  Gulf Stream - Shakedown Cruise 2010:  our first RV - Ford F250 with Lance Camper ---------------------------------