2006

Well....another year is about gone!! The time sure does fly by!!

We had a rather different Christmas this year with no family.....Our usual Christmas Eve buffet was kinda' small compared to when we have a crowd! We had yummy fresh shrimp, veggies, chips and mango dip. We had plenty to eat!! We did have a very nice dinner in the rec center here in the park at 1pm and then went back in the evening for leftovers and then dime bingo. So, it was a very nice day.

The next day, we went to Paradise Pond in the afternoon to do some birdwatching - somehow we had not been there before! It was a great spot with many night herons in the trees. We also saw oodles of turtles! There were lots of ruby crowned kinglets - they are so cute but sure don't stay still for pictures!! And many yellow rump warblers! It is a fun place to visit and we will surely go back a time or two or three while we are here.

Wednesday, we went back to Paradise Pond in the morning and then to lunch and on to the Birding Center for awhile and then went down to the beach to watch the waves and birds down there.

Thursday, we walked down to the beach to see the waves - a lot higher than the day before with a cold front coming thru! We found some new shells - Sea Gophers - a type of sand dollar. They are quite small and very light and there were lots of them. We also found many strands of some kind of seaweed that had collected tiny shells....strange!! On the way back to our coach we saw a Yellow Legs in one of the ponds here in the park....he wasn't a bit afraid of us!

Yesterday, it was time for a trip to Wal-Mart and lunch at the Big Fisherman. Don had cajun shrimp and I had shrimp scampi - both were delicious and you can't beat the price of $5.99!!! Their rice they serve with the lunch menu is very good - it has broccoli and small shrimp in it! Supper last night was hamburgers in the rec center and a chance to meet some new people....

Today it is cloudy and cool with occasional sprinkles so think we will stay home and get some work done. But - we will take this anytime to what is going on in the Denver area!!!!

Well...........how quickly plans can change!! Due to a blizzard in Denver, Pam & Tracy were snowbound when they planned on leaving to come down to Port A for Christmas! Therefore, they will be having a white Christmas in Parker and we will have a Christmas down here with no family - our first one alone! O well....there are lots of other Winter Texans down here with us! We did get signed up for the Christmas day dinner here in the park, so I won't have to cook much - just veggies....

Yesterday, we took advantage of a nice day and went up to Rockport. We had a delicious lunch at the Big Fisherman - their luncheon menu is great - and most of it is only $5.95- went to Wal-Mart and to the produce stand to get some of the good East Texas sweet potatoes! Last evening, we went Christmas Caroling in the park for about 1 3/4 hrs and got our walking in for the day! We had a fun time and there was a pretty large group participating. The weather stayed nice for us with little wind and fairly warm temp!

Tuesday we actually went to the clubhouse for dance lessons! A couple are giving free lessons in the texas two-step and the waltz, so we decided to take advantage of it. We had a fun time and look forward to more lessons in January!

The other day when we took the ferry the pelicans were up on the pilings....they are such neat critters!! Another day, we were watching the dolphin out in the channel - there were several of them playing and jumping clear out of the water. Wish we could get a picture of that, but we haven't been quite quick enough!! Yesterday there were a few skimmers on the beach along with the seagulls. Those skimmers are quite the birds!

Today and tomorrow are to be cool and windy and rainy....we could do without the wind!! Our coach has been really rocking with some of the gusts! We will hope that the worst will by-pass us! They are calling for high waves clear up to the dunes at high tide this evening!! Should bring in some seashells!!!!

Don has been going over to the clubhouse mornings for aerobics - they are using the same video that is being used back home; you end up walking 3 miles if you do the whole program each time. My back didn't like walking in place so much, so I will just do my walking around the park and on the beach!!

Wow.....we have been here over 2 weeks already! I did get all but one of my Christmas projects done and we got packages mailed. Now to finish this last one......

We did have a few cool days and then it warmed up and has been in the 70's for the past week....sunny and wonderful!!! We went down to the beach yesterday afternoon for a couple of hours and again today after we got home from church and dinner (at Trout Street Restaurant and ate out on the deck overlooking the water). Took our chairs and books and drinks and soaked up sunshine - what a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon!!

We are enjoying our time here and the activities at the park. Monday nights is card bingo, which is always fun - and Don has won twice!! We had a potluck the Monday after we arrived and a Christmas party Friday night. Last night was a dance with a country & western band - we haven't danced for so many years, we can hardly remember how, but enjoyed watching and listening. Sunday evenings is time for ice cream social - and it is almost time to go!! We have wanted to get in on bridge a couple of afternoons a week, but have been too busy getting Christmas things done - maybe after the holidays! We have been able to get out to the birding center a couple of times and had fun watching all the birds out there. Last time we were there the white pelicans were swimming and fishing in unison!!

They are forecasting another cold front coming in with highs only in the 40's the first of next week!! That will be horrible after all these 70's! AND - Pam, Tracy & Jon will be here for Christmas and are looking forward to better weather than that!!

We arrived in Port Aransas yesterday afternoon. We delayed a day in leaving San Antonio because of high wind warnings with the cold front coming through and we didn't see any need to fight the winds all the way down here! It was beautiful here when we arrived with blue skies and warm temps (in the 60's). We got settled and then drove down to check out the beach, then to the ship channel to watch the birds (not very many there this time) and then to the Pelican's Landing for a delicious fish & shrimp dinner.

Tuesday, we went to the Mexican Market in San Antonio and did a little shopping and had a delicious lunch. Wednesday, we went back down to the riverwalk and had lunch, wandered through the shops, saw the IMAX Ocean Wonderland and then took the riverboat at dusk to see the lights. It was a beautiful sight! We went just in time - when we returned the lines were long!!!

We went over to the clubhouse this morning to a craft show and will probably stay in the rest of the day as it is quite windy, although not cold - it is 63. But it is cloudy and it is hard to do much birdwatching without sunshine - they just all look like they are the same color! And, it is pretty cool walking on the beach with the wind blowing so hard!! We will wait for a better day to do that...

It is a long ways from San Antonio NM to San Antonio TX!!! After a night in Van Horn TX and one in Ozona TX, we finally arrived in San Antonio TX on Wednesday! Once we got near the Hill Country, we saw some really pretty fall colors.

The next day, Thanksgiving, we drove up to Round Rock (north of Austin) for dinner with the Knesel family. We hadn't seen them for several years so it was great to catch up and see the little ones! We had a delicious dinner and good fellowship with all of the family there!

Since we had been on the move, or sightseeing, for over a week, we spent the next two days staying home! We got some computer work, reading, quilting and relaxing done.

Sunday, we drove up town to First Baptist church and then, since parking was $3 and up, we came back to the park and took the bus back downtown - for only 40¢ apiece each way! We had a delicious dinner at the Zuni Restaurant on the riverwalk and then wandered on over to the mall. We had considered going down Friday evening for the official Christmas lighting but decided not to fight the crowds!! It was several blocks from the bus stop to the mall and back and we were ready to collapse awhile when we got home!

Today was laundry and washing windows day and some website work, reading and quilting. There was a potluck supper at the clubhouse this evening with lots of yummy food.

We are having wonderful clear travel weather!! We arrived in San Antonio NM yesterday afternoon and this place is really awesome!! The snow geese have arrived for the winter and there are fields and lakes of white!!! Just after we left one lake of geese, they all took off - what a noise!! It was quite a sight - one that simply cannot be captured in a picture!

Of course, for supper Saturday night, we had to go to the Owl Bar and get one of their famous green chile hamburgers!!! Don has been looking forward to that ever since we were here 2 years ago, so we couldn't miss it. We really needed more time here as we discovered we were at the end of the annual Crane Festival and they had lots going on but we didn't have time to check out much but the birds!

The sandhill cranes were arriving but there were not nearly as many of them as we saw when we were here in March. They are such neat critters!!

After a couple of months at home getting some visiting, computer work, quilting and woodworking done, we are on the road again! We are heading for TX and will be there until spring. We left home about 3:15 and are spending tonight in Moab UT. Tomorrow it is on to Gallup NM and then to San Antonio NM where we plan to do some birdwatching.

We did take a trip up over the Grand Mesa shortly after getting home from Oregon. They had a snowstorm and with the aspen in full color, it was quite a sight!

Our trip to Burney Falls on the 12th was great! 129-foot Burney Falls, which is not the highest or largest waterfall in the state, but possibly is the most beautiful. Additional water comes from springs, joining to create a mist-filled basin. Burney Creek originates from the park's underground springs and flows to Lake Britton, getting larger along the way to the majestic falls. We hiked down to the bottom of the falls, across the creek and up the other side.....1.3 miles. It was quite a hike - but beautiful!!

Then we drove down to Lake Britton and had wonderful reflections on the lake! We had a gorgeous day and not too hot for hiking! A really beautiful area!

On the 13th, we drove up to Lassen Peak.....Visible from miles around, 10,457-foot Lassen Peak is the largest volcano of the"plug dome" type, which gains a distinct rounded shape when thick lava cools and plugs its own vent. All four types of the world's volcanoes can be found within the boundaries of Lassen Volcanic National Park; its significance as an active volcanic landscape occasioned its national park designation in 1916. We drove almost to the top where a trail goes on up - we didn't try that! But - there were lots of people coming down the trail.

Hat Lake			Hat Creek - flowing out of the lake
Lassen Peak		Lassen Peak		Wildflowers

On the 14th we moved on to Standish CA where we planned on doing some birdwatching, but the weather didn't cooperate so we stayed home and relaxed and got some work done.

Saturday, Sept. 16, we moved on to Winnemucca NV where we spent a couple of nights then it was on to Wendover NV for one night before Provo UT and heading on home.

It was raining when we left Provo and going up Soldiers Summit the trees were really pretty and colorful but no sunshine. It got nastier and nastier until we had a real blizzard on the top of the pass! And it is still summer!!!! Fortunately, as we came on down the east side, it went back from snow to rain and then almost sunshine by the time we got to Price. We stopped in Green River and found that they still had cantaloup and watermelons - so we stocked up!!

So, now we are at home until mid-November or so when we will head for southern TX for the winter! Although to look outside today, you wouldn't believe it is still summer here .... it is only 45° at 2:30 in the afternoon and there is snow quite low on the mountains around us!! At least when the clouds lift enough to see them!

Wow! How time files when you're having fun!! I can't believe it is almost mid-September!!!

We drove south to Grant's Pass on Tuesday stopping in Cottage Grove to get two new front tires since ours were showing some cracking and we didn't want to chance a blow-out!!

The campground there was so nice - we faced onto the woods that we just stayed home for the next couple of days. We had turkey come through our front yard one morning!

Friday we moved on down to Mt Shasta and stayed at the KOA Campground there. Friday night we went out for our anniversary dinner (a day late!) and had a wonderful shrimp & rice dish!

Saturday, we drove up to Castle Lake - we had been there when we were here 6 years ago but that was early in the season and there was still ice on the lake! This time it was nice and warm and very pretty! Then we drove around Lake Siskiyou and at the park there we could see both the lake and Mt Shasta. A gorgeous site! It would be a really neat scene if the lake were still and you could see the reflection of Mt Shasta in it!!

Sunday, we visited the Mt Shasta Evangelical Free Church where we had gone when we were here before. They had great music and a good sermon.

Today we came on to Hat Creek and are parked by a lake (more like a pond) at the Rancherio RV Park. It was nice eating supper tonight beside the water and watching the coots and ducks. Tomorrow we are going to Burney Falls.

Friday we went over to Heather & Jared's so we could see their house. It is very nice and should be great for them for many years (Heather says she never wants to move again!!). They have a nice back yard with big trees for shade and room for kiddies to play. We had a great visit with them - but it sure seems strange that our grandkids are old enough to own a house!!!!

Saturday (9/1) I decided to make it Christmas in August and gave Ron his Christmas present. I didn't want to pay postage on it, besides, it was more fun to give it im person! The quilt pattern is Northern Shores. I had seen it in the quilt store and knew I had to make it for him since it had a fishing motif!

Yesterday, Labor Day, we went to Sisters for lunch with Ron & Kathy. We had a good lunch and fun browsing through the shops before heading back to Creswell. It was a fun day!

Well, our freezer is stocked with steelhead and blackberries and it is time to head southeast and wander on home!

On Thurs (17th) we went down to Old Town Florence, wandered through the stores and had lunch at Mo's. It was a beautiful, sunny but cool, day.

Friday we drove up the coast a ways - we wanted to get a picture of Haceta Head Lighthouse but even from the beach below it, it was too foggy to see!!!! Oh well....at least it wasn't our first time trying to see it and we do have other pictures. Further up the coast the fog was kinda spotty and we did get some neat pictures here and there.

Saturday, we came inland to Creswell to Ron & Kathy's where we are parked beside their garage facing some of blackberry bushes which grow wild all over here! And - we have been enjoying them on our cereal nearly every morning - YUM! Kathy made blackberry ice cream the first weekend we were here and it was delicious! It is so beautiful up here with all the evergreens! We have been able to watch the deer and quail right outside our windows. They have several acres with lots of woods and room for the horses as well. Kathy has been very busy working on her flower gardens and they are so beautiful!!

Ron & Marilyn, Kathy's folks, live just down the hill so we have been able to visit with them also. Last Thursday we went with them towards Portland to an air museum where we saw Hughes Flying Boat, "The Spruce Goose"....that's one huge plane!!! It was completed in 1947 and is the largest wood-constructed and longest wingspan airplane ever built (319 ft) with 8 engines. It only flew once and Howard Hughes flew it one mile at 70 ft above the water's surface. They had many different planes there and the guys had a great time looking them over! From there we went to the Portland Zoo and had fun especially in the Lory bird exhibit. They are so pretty! It was a full day with lots of walking and we were all beat by the time we got home....but had a great time!

The Spruce Goose	Bev feeding the Lory	Don with a pretty one on his shoulder

Saturday, Stephanie left for college. It is hard to believe she is starting her junior year! She goes to Northwest Nazerene in Nampa ID so had quite a drive ahead of her. But - at that age distance doesn't bother them. She has made the trip many times now and doesn't seeem to mind it. She will be back home this weekend for a wedding.

Yesterday, Ron & Don went fishing and had a fun trip.....they brought back 3 nice steelheads! We had a delicious dinner last night and froze several packages for later. (The picture is kinda' blurry but it is the only one of both of them with their fish!)

It was pretty on the beach last Thursday after our delicious chowder at Mo's, but windy and cold! So, we didn't stay out there long. But we did see piles of harbor seals laying in the sunshine across the bay. We went back to the beach at Road's End later in the evening to try to get a pretty sunset. We walked the beach awhile there and saw lots of kids playing in the water....don't see how they can stand it!!! The water is icy cold and the wind isn't much warmer! But - didn't get a good sunset picture....

Friday, we went back down to the beach for awhile but it was quite cold again so found a bench up where it was kinda' protected from the wind....a much better place to watch the waves!

Saturday, we stayed home away from the crowds! That evening was ice cream ($1 for 2 scoops) around the campfire at the campground with some music by the campground staff.

Sunday, we went to a Baptist Church just a little ways from the campground and shortly after we got back, Ron & Kathy came over to see us and we went to Mo's for lunch. There was quite a line waiting, but it went pretty quickly. Then we came back to the RV to visit awhile before they headed back home. It was great to see them even if we will be going to their place in a few days!

Monday, we had to go to the grocery store and just had to go into JoAnns, which happened to be in the same shopping center!!! We first drove up to Road's End beach access - it was too cold to walk down but I got one more picture. Even with the fog and clouds, it was a pretty sight. Then, back to JoAnns where I found a really neat cutting guide with 1/4" slits!! I love my 1/2" one and use it a lot but often wish for the smaller one (which I didn't even know existed!!). I had my 40% off coupon in my purse....so used it to get the 1/4" one. The rest of the day was spent at the RV getting some computer work done and relaxing.

Tuesday was moving day....down to Florence. We stopped in at the aquarium for a couple of hours (can't miss seeing that!) and enjoyed all the critters there. The puffins were having a great time spashing everyone - they are so cute!! Sure would love to see some of them in the wild sometime - they are supposed to be along the coast, but we have never seen them. The Black Ostyercatcher was grooming most of the time we saw him - hard to do with that long bill!! The display of jellyfish they have there is always a treat and it is fun to watch the otters floating around! The aquarium is always a stop for us when in the area.

We did see a pretty sunset last night! First time we have been able to see one since we have been out here - it has always been too foggy!!

This is a nice park where we can hear the surf rather than the highway noise which is great and the spaces all have nice hedges around them! However, our cell phone won't work here - too far from town! And... we do miss our wireless high speed internet access - have to go to the office with the laptop to get email and then transfer it to our computers....oh well....can't have everything!!! It is cloudy today so think we will stay home and relax a bit and then tomorrow if the sun is shining, we will drive up the coast a ways to get the pictures we couldn't get from the coach because there wasn't room to park it. Then Friday, we will go down to Old Town where they have lots of fun shops. If it is cloudy tomorrow, we will go to Old Town then and hope for sun on Friday!!

Sunday we went to a Nazarene Church in Tillamook and then went to the restaurant in Netarts again for some of their wonderful clam chowder. Then we drove up to the Cape Meares lighthouse but it was too foggy to see anything! So, we didn't walk clear down to the lighthouse.

Monday, we went into Tillamook to the Air Museum and then to the Tillmoook Cheese Factory for an ice cream cone and bought some cheese - YUM!

Tuesday was moving day.....a whole 46 miles south! We are now at the Lincoln City KOA. It is a pretty park with lots of trees.

Tuesday evening we went to one of our favorite restaurants here, Dory Cove, for a delicious seafood dinner and then to the beach for awhile. The fog had rolled in so it wasn't as pretty as earlier in the day, but was still nice. There were actually some kids in the water!! Brrrrrrrrrrr........

Yesterday we got some work done here and then went to the outlet mall for awhile but didn't find much to buy - just some books from the Christian book store there. But - got a good walk in!! Then we stopped for groceries and home to fix supper.

Today - its off to Mo's for more clam chowder for lunch and then to the BEACH!! The sun is shining (at least here at the RV park) so hope it will still be there when we get to the beach.

The ocean --- at last!!! We arrived Friday afternoon to a beautiful, clear, blue sky and wonderful views of the coast! You can see Don (above) checking out the blackberries! There weren't many left at this spot. We came through Nehalem Bay and the flower baskets were gorgeous!

Last night we went to a little restaurant here in Netarts and had a wonderful seafood dinner! We split their sampler plate: fish, scallops, tiny shrimp and large shrimp cooked in a wine-butter sauce and served over rice. Their clam chowder was delicious - and no potatoes, just lots of nice tender clams!!!

This morning we had to move the coach - we came in a day early and the spot they had assigned us was occupied so they put us in another one for the night - it was really a nice one as our patio faced the woods but it was reserved for the next few days, so we couldn't stay there. Then we took a ride down to Oceanside where the fog was beginning to roll in .... it never did come to Netarts where our RV park is but looked neat along the way! Then we went into Tillamook and found a Quilt & Textile Museum which was quite interesting; lots of beautiful quilts .... and then on to the cheese factory for an ice cream cone! We also located a church to attend tomorrow.

We are now in Fairview OR - a suburb of Portland. Jane came with us this far and her sister and brother-in-law picked her up this morning - she will fly home in a couple of weeks. We left home last Friday, July 28th, stopped in Green River for some yummy cantaloupes and watermelons (which we are still enjoying!) and spent the first night in Price, UT. The RV park there had very narrow, dirt spaces - don't plan to go back! We were planning on staying in Wellington but the park there was worse - didn't even have a space long enough for us without disconnecting the car and we didn't want to do that for one night, so moved on!

The second night we stayed at the KOA in Brigham City UT and went birdwatching that afternoon. We went further out into the bird sanctuary than we have gone before and found lots & lots of birds! There were oodles of black necked stilts and avocets....they are so pretty! We spent two nights there and went to church Sunday morning and then in the evening was a pot-luck BBQ at the RV park.

Monday night we had a spot in a wonderful new park in Mountain Home ID. Nice wide, level, concrete spaces with patios and grass. The park is still under construction but will be great when it is done!! We took advantage of the nice cool weather to sit outside and Jane painted while Bev worked on her quilt and Don read a book.

The next night was spent in La Grande OR where the RV park again had narrow spaces and lots of highway noise - hope we don't need to stay there again either! Wednesday, we finally got into some pretty landscape crossing the Blue Mountains and then on to the Columbia River Gorge. It starts out rather barren on each side but as we near the western part of it the pine trees begin to appear! At several points, we could see Mt Hood right in front of us! Nice and clear!!

The park here is very large and quite nice, although the sites aren't as wide as we had in Mountain Home. We will stay here again tonight and then move on out to the coast where we will be at Netarts for the next few days before going on down to Lincoln City.

We are still at home! We have made several trips to Denver since we got home in March. I have been too busy working on other websites and quilting to update our page!! Sorry!!! But - we haven't been doing much else. We are trying to plan a trip to Oregon in a month or so.....Don doesn't teach again until October, we have some time to get some traveling in. We plan to go to TX this winter and would like to go through MO, but there isn't any place to park our RV in the St Peters area.....

Tuesday, March 14, we left DHS and headed home. We spent the first night in Barstow....it was a short trip but it was either there or all the way to Las Vegas and that was too far for us in one day! Then, we spent 2 nights in Leeds UT and took some time for birdwatching. The bradford pear trees in the park were in bloom - really looked like spring has arrived there! We considered stopping in Green River on the way home since it was 380 miles, but since they were forecasting rain in GJ on Saturday, we came on in on Friday and got the coach unloaded that evening.....but Saturday was clear so could have done some then. But were glad to have it all taken care of! So....now we are at home for awhile. Don starts teaching on the 29th for 5 weeks so we will stay put for awhile. Spring has barely arrived here - the willows are showing a little green but that's about it!

The St Patrick's Day dinner at Desert Oasis was yummy - corned beef & cabbage, of course! It was held on March 6 to include those snow birds who were heading home before the 17th.

Well....that 3 weeks went by fast!!! One thing we have really enjoyed here are the southern gospel concerts about every other week, held at nearby RV parks. We had another one Thursday night - the Knox Brothers from Oregon. Reminds of us of when concerts were popular several years ago in MO!! We go to church held in the activity center of a RV park and they have 2 services each week and run about 600 in the 2 services! At least, in February as it is their peak month.

We have had a couple of dinners this month here in the park....Valentine's Day and, last week, had a Birthday dinner for all those with February birthdays... next month will be the last one - a St Patrick's Day corned beef & cabbage dinner. People will be starting to head north next month and the park will begin to empty out except for the few who live here full-time. We have also been playing canasta (it's been many years since I played and Don says he never had) with our new friends from Canada. We will miss them when they leave - about a week before we do.

This week was a busy one....Tuesday, we took a bus trip to Aldogones Mexico to do some shopping. It was a 2 1/2 hr trip each way. When we were nearing the Arizona border, we found many campers out in the desert! We had heard that lots of people did that, but this was the first time to see it!

We had about 3 hours to shop before getting in the line to get back out of Mexico and to the bus (the line took us about 45 minutes). We had fun shopping and found several items to spend money on!! We enjoyed watching the painters in some of the shops who sprayed stripes of several colors on a paper and then used crunched up pieces of paper and strips of paper dipped in the paint to create wonderful scenes....they were amazing!!

We got back to Palm Springs about 6 pm and then went to meet our son, Ron, who was in town for a board meeting (pretty rough, huh?!?). He took us out to a fantastic steak dinner and then we went to his hotel and visited for awhile. It was great to be able to get together with him!

Wednesday, we took our friends and went to the Date Festival and County Fair. We had a beautiful day and it was a great fair. A neat quilt display as well as many other craft and kids' fair project displays, entertainment, many food booths, lots of rides and games. We saw pig races, ostrich races, and camel races as well as a trained zebra and several baby animals in the petting zoo. We had delicious gyros for lunch...too bad the only place we can find good ones are at fairs!! And...Helene bought us all a funnel cake to share for desert - yum! They had never had one before...they said it was good, but rather greasy for their tastes...

Today, after church, we went down to Palm Desert to a Greek Festival. We missed our pals that we used to go to Greek Festivals with!! It was really crowded, but the booths were fun to browse through and the food was delicious - we got a combination plate to split so we would have room for a baklava sundae!! Then, we got a couple of pieces of baklava to bring home and enjoy later.

Now, I think we are ready to stay home and enjoy the pool for a few days! Except - that they are forecasting rain Tuesday! And -- we will have to go to the grocery store tomorrow - again!! Oh well.............

There is a Farmers' Market in Desert Hot Springs on Thursday mornings so we have been getting some wonderful tomatoes!! One week there was a fellow there with a pickup load of avacados....4 for $1!! And they were good ones!!

We have been getting some work done in between all the fun. We have had some learning to do in getting a website set up for the client to enter the data on the homes for sale and then we will display the homes on the site. It has been challenging!

Oh....I almost forgot! The other day when we were at the post office, I looked up in a tree and found this little owl! Isn't he cute?? I think it is a Burrowing Owl. Of course, I didn't have my camera the first time we saw him....but, amazingly, we went back a couple of days later and there he was!! He really watched us! I believe this is the first owl we have ever seen!

We haven't been doing any more sightseeing .... have been working on the websites - got a new one to revise ... and enjoying some relaxing in the pool. We did have to make a couple of Dr trips as Don had a sore thumb that somehow got infected. After some antibiotics, it is much better now.

We have met a couple from Canada here in the park (probably 1/2 of the people in this park are from Canada!!) and have gone to church together and to a couple of concerts. It is nice to have someone to do things with!

We have found several good restaurants here .... several Mexican, a Thai, and a Korean. We went back to the Thai Sunday for their chicken and vegetables with a peanut sauce - YUM!!

Yesterday we went to the Joshua Tree National Park again starting from the southern end this time. Our first stop was at the Cottonwood Springs. It did look strange to see a cottonwood tree growing in the middle of the palms! It was a pretty spot and there was a little water coming out of the spring. We did some birdwatching there: saw a Black Phoebe, Mockingbird, Cactus Wren, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Phainopepla and some little guys that wouldn't hold still long enough to identify.... We also spotted an Antelope Ground Squirrel who holds his flat tail up against his back instead of up in the air like the chipmonks we are used to.

From there, we drove up to the Ocotillo Patch - there were quite a few of them there, but, unfortunately they weren't blooming yet. We did discover that they are not a cactus, as we had always supposed, but a leafy shrub that drops its leaves during dry spells. When they get moisture, they leaf out and bloom, which could happen several times a year. They sure do grow tall!

A little further up the road, all of a sudden there were thousands of Chollas!! It was so strange, because we had seen a few here and there all throughout the park, but now they were really concentrated!! This was what they call the Cholla Cactus Garden where they have fenced part of the area and put in walking paths thrrough the Cholla. They are one stickery cactus!!!

We stopped at the North Entrance for a little more critter-waching before heading back home. There were some House Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Phainopepla, Mockingbirds, Cactus Wrens and even a cute little bunny!!

Today is a day to stay home and clean house, catch up with some website work, and maybe I will get to do a little sewing!! Oh - and watch the hummingbirds at our feeder.....can't imagine how they survived before we put it up!!

We about blew away again last night....the wind sure does blow here at times!! I guess that's why there are so many wind turbines in the area! It has slowed down to a stiff breeze today and it is a bit cooler - only 64°......We went to the Farmers' Market this morning and got some wonderful-looking produce: radishes, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and scallions. We had fresh tomato on our sandwich at noon and it was so good!!

Here are our pool and hot tub areas.....nice! But not terribly busy. We had an ice cream social yesterday afternoon and there were quite a few people there for that....YUM!! We do have a nice laundry area with 3 washers and 3 dryers and clotheslines so we can hang some things out (when there is room).

We got our hummingbird feeder that fastens on the window and put it on the windshield and they are very busy at it from early morning until after the sun goes down! We have also seen a goldfinch and Cassin's finch there - but I would think their bills would be too thick to get much. It is fun to watch them and Don has been able to get several great photos of them. We also have several mockingbirds in the area and love to hear them sing. One of them likes to sit on top of the tangelo tree next door.

Bev took advantage of a couple of days at home to turn the coach into a sewing room and start on a new quilt and got the blocks all cut out ready to start sewing. We brought her little sewing table along and it is very handy! We have been spending quite a bit of time on the computers but have found some time for sightseeing, and enjoying the pool & hot tubs.

Saturday we drove over to an oasis not too far from here . It does look strange to see, all of a sudden, a group of palms sticking up in the desert! We hiked about a mile (each way) over to a second oasis where there was a small pond. It was really a beautiful area and a good place to rest before heading back .... 2 miles in the desert is a long ways!!

Tuesday, we drove down to the Salton Sea where there was supposed to be some good birdwatching areas. On the way down, we passed through a rich farming area where we saw many date groves, vineyards as well as lettuce and several fields we could not identify. We stopped at one of the date farms and got some dates, stuffed olives (for Don) and a delicious trail mix. (Which we about finished before we got home!) When we got to the sea, we did find one inlet where there were avocets, black-necked stilts, gulls, blue winged teals, northern shovelers and some others that were too far away to identify. The area there seems to be pretty depressed, like a town was laid out and partly built but never finished. We took a walk part way down a bird walk area but it looked like it had been created and then not kept up at all and we didn't see any birds there except a few sparrows.

We did see a roadrunner by one of the RV parks. They are such a cute creature!! He wouldn't let Don get too close, but didn't seem too afraid.

Wednesday, we drove up north of here to the Joshua Tree National Park. From the highest point in the park we could see south to the Salton Sea and, they said, to Mexico. But it was rather hazy.....we could see the Salton Sea - barely! We did, however, see lots of Joshua trees....they are a rather strange plant. We did see a couple of shrikes and a kestrel in the park. As we were leaving the Park, at the Oasis of Mara we saw several more birds; chirping sparrow, mockingbird, costa's hummingbird (who was gorgeous when the sun hit him!) and phainopeplas (that's one to try to pronounce!!). On the way home, we made a stop at Wal-Mart in Yucca Valley and then stopped at a mexican restaurant in Desert Hot Springs for a delicious supper.

This morning, there was a pancake breakfast here in the park....delicious!! We have another sunny, beautiful day......it is supposed to be a high of 75° this afternoon, but they are forecasting cooler and possible rain this weekend.

We have not been out to do much exploring yet. We did find an E Free Church to go to yesterday and then went to a Korean restaurant for dinner. The food was very different and quite tasty.

We are enjoying the warm pool and hot tubs here at the park!!! Have been getting some work caught up and done some relaxing, visiting and listening to the mockingbirds sing! One of these days, we will get ambitious and go to the Outlet Mall, Salton Sea and Joshua Tree National Park............

We are settled for a month or two here in Desert Hot Springs CA. There are lots of people in this area!!! I think we will go back to TX next time! We can see the mountains all around us.....there is a tall one west of us and the sun goes down about 4 pm! I do have a great view from my desk/table here in the coach....

The lady next door came over yesterday with some tangelos from her tree and a lemon from one of the trees in the park. The tangelos are good and Don will enjoy them, but they are too acid for me.

Driving around yesterday, we saw many large bougainvillea bushes - they are so pretty!! Most are dark like this one, but have seen a few light pink and orangish ones.