Travels with The Rayman

Happy birthday, Beau.  7 years old today!!  and to his sis, Jaycee!!

What’s been happening?  How are you, dear reader, doing these days?  Hopefully you are having fun.  Playing games.  Loving your family.  Reading a good book.

Portland is a city with great food.  We’ve been eating a lot of it.  Portland has lots of roads.  We are driving most of them.  Portland never sleeps.  We do.  Similarities have to end.  That’s what makes things interesting.   Let me recap all and ask you some questions.

In our new neighborhood, known as the Beaumont, is a busy street named Fremont.  Our new skinny house is 1/2 block off Fremont.  Fremont has a grocery store, an Ace Hardware store, the Grand Central Bakery, Pip’s Donuts, a bank, two breakfast joints, a manicure salon, a gym and that’s all within about 3 blocks from our front door.  So, this new house represents a lifestyle change.  We can walk a few feet and avail ourselves of many goods and services.  This is a good thing.  We are just a few blocks from the biggest cemetery I have ever seen.  Closeness takes on a new meaning with that bit of information, doesn’t it? 

Portland Café Menu

Our family is also close at hand.  My cousin is a 10 minute walk.  Her daughters are a 10 minute drive.  Ryan is across the Columbia in Vancouver, WA.   Their proximity is what drove us to locating where we are.  It is very cool.

So, what else has been happening?  And is this making me younger or older?  Suppose it is making me younger because everything is new.  Everything is a challenge.  The stairs to the bedroom are going to help me keep in shape.  Therefore, new stimulations are forcing us not to sit around and darn socks.  We aren’t left a lot of time to read, watch TV, cook…

Let’s examine the last 48 hours.  Rayman received a call from Ryan.  His dog had not been doing well.  Ryan was getting ready to drive to Burning Man out in the middle of some god-forsaken desert with his lady friend.  Only her Mom had a heart attack and she sold her ticket to Burning Man so that she could jet to Tucson to see her Mom.  So, Ryan was going alone.  But the dog was sick.  So, Rayman left for Vancouver, WA at 10 p.m. to be with him.  He did not return until about 1 a.m.  The dog was gone.  Congestive heart failure, a mass spotted.  Ryan decided to put her down because she was sick and her quality of life was dismal.  Rayman was very glad we were here to be of help at this difficult time. 

The next day we met our friends Al and Char at our house…our first visitors.  After a tour, we went down the street to the Grand Central Bakery for lunch.  While I was standing in line to order, the phone rang.  It was Susie.  I invited her to join us and ordered extra food.  When I went outside to join the party, Rayman was on his phone with my cousin, Chris, who lives down in Camarillo.  He had received a call from a long lost cousin.  What were the chances.  Sue is on my dad’s side.  Chris is on my mom’s side.  What a hoot.

While we were eating, a yellow jacket came along and made a pest of itself.  Al decided to execute a killing on their plate.  This spooked Charlie who then dropped her cup of soup all over herself and the cement patio.  Beau was under the table.  He enjoyed some of the soup before I could pull him away.  In the meantime, Rayman had ordered a BLT and everyone had their food but him…slow grill.  Sue arrived.  A great time was had by all except Charlie who was in the bathroom washing all the soup off her clothes. 

Next up was a 1 p.m. appointment with a window covering person, our third estimate.  About 1:10 she called to confess she was lost.  Then at 1:15 she called to say she left the samples at home.  She was making me feel good…however, her bid was too high. 

We unpacked boxes and I discovered that the Villory and Boch (spelling is all wrong) silverware I bought on-line and got a fabulous price on was not my fav but it did have the advantage of matching the skinny house…the handles are the skinniest I think I have ever seen.  But, hey, for the price, I loaded them in the dishwasher along with 16 plates (I thought I had ordered 8 but somehow the order got doubled), 24 glasses in two different sizes and started the machine which I am happy to report is very quiet.  Bought extra for parties!!

Then we moseyed over the cousin Susie’s to say hi to all the kids…she had them for dinner.  As we were leaving, Rayman backed into a car on the other side of the street (the street is 3 cars wide…skinny in other words).  That involved tracking down the owner, exchanging info before heading back to the Dog House.  Rayman kept kicking himself.  However, what are you going to do? 

That was yesterday. 

Today Ryan called and he received a call from his gal, Tamara.  Her mom had to have 6 stints which they did yesterday.  Today she had another heart attack.  And dialysis was ordered.  Tam called and ask Ryan to fly down and be with her.  So, he bought a ticket for the flight to Tucson, sold his ticket for Burning Man and needed a ride to the airport.  We obliged after we met the window covering woman we selected as our choice. 

While this was going on, we were trying to get our TVs in the Dog House to work.  New splitters were needed.  They sent us new splitters without the requisite power supplies.  We asked them to overnight the power supplies.  Paid $100 for that.  They did not arrive.  FedEx “lost them”.  Then they found them.  Then I called Tiffin to ask them to ask FedEx to refund our money.  Never heard back.   In the meantime, Rayman installed new equipment and the TVs don’t work.  Ugh.

Our chairs and bed were delivered today.  Forgot to mention that. 

So…here we are and after all this…I think I have decided I might be getting older. 

OMG.  It is perhaps time when we should NOT take it upon ourselves to own two houses and an RV.  It’s akin to the difference between having one baby and then have another.  It’s not twice the work, it’s like 1o times the work.  What were we thinking?

Today we have been busy, both of us, arranging insurance, arranging escrow money, arranging bed delivery, arranging a repair on our RV (under warranty, safety recall), arranging the transfer of funds electronically, arranging a TV splitter for the RV reimbursement, arranging for another quote for window coverings (a better name for a product I do not know),  arranging, arranging, arranging. 

Then there is the shopping.  OMG.  New bed, new chairs, new couch,.  Those were done in person at stores in the area.  Getting a mixer, a toaster oven, a food processor, one knife, flatware, glasses, dishes, splitters (for the TV in The Dog House, TDH), spray goop for TDH…all via Amazon in the comfort of TDH, and heaven knows what else.  So many things that I don’t even remember and I don’t want to print it all out to check.

Then there was arranging for a certification of trust for our trust (think attorney).  See… that was very important and I forgot.

Tonight we go to Tom and Collete, bicycle friends for dinner, last night my cousin’s daughter and son-in-law had us over for a lovely dinner in their backyard which is also lovely.  It seems that is  how our days are going…working during the day and parties at night.  So I can only snivel so much.

Tomorrow is escrow, golf in the late afternoon with Ryan (if the air is better), and dinner out, I’m thinking with Ryan.

Friday is the concert to see Portugal the Man at Edgefield, a fabulous venue near our RV park with Ryan and his gal, Tamara.  Take a listen.  They are a group in Portland and hail from Wasilla, Alaska.  Can’t make this stuff up.

Then I must wedge in  my Sunday crossword puzzle, my blog, the book I’m reading and I need a pedicure. 

So, back to my original question:  What were we thinking? 

It has been so smokey here we defrosted a rack of lamb and don’t want to barbecue because of the smoke.  Plus our evening activities have over-ridden the lamb so guess I will be tossing it. 

One thing is for sure, no grass is growing under our feet.  Speaking of grass, mosts Portlanders don’t water their lawns in the summer so they are all brown and unsightly.  During the rainy system, no problem.  While is is smart, it isn’t very attractive.  And we have yet to see artificial grass.  Good for the environment though, as saving water is a good thing. 

More to come.

Where should I start?    Should I begin with the latest since it is freshest in my mind and has the advantage of details not slipping away…yet…like the boat floating away from the dock before a person gets onboard.  My dear cousin, Susie, and hubby, Larry, are wonderful people.  They planned a trip with their youngest daughter, Kristen, Kristen’s hubby, Cenk, and the three children…Leyla who is 6, Emre and Ezgi who are 2 3/4 for Disneyland.  And she also invited her niece, and her two children ages about 9 and 11 to participate.  And that trip started today.    The Plan:  Kristen, Cenk and the kids would fly separately to LAX at about 8:00 a.m. (see I’m already losing the details.).  She and Larry would fly at 10:30 to Orange County.  So, Susie was to pick the kids up this a.m. at 5:15 and drive them to the Portland airport.  When she arrived at their house, she found them all asleep…the clock was set incorrectly.  I’m guessing here that the clock is digital.  Digital clocks are a bane to man’s existence because they are unreliable because of their difficulty of use.  A few days before we left home (Morro Bay) I went to Radio Shack (itself a hard place to find as they shrink in number) and asked them for an analog clock.  They had exactly one.  I bought it and haven’t had an issue since (well, one, but let’s not dwell on details).

But I digress.

So, the Family Circus ensued.  Miraculously, they made it to the airport.  Sue dropped them off and was on the way home when the phone rang.  They left the kid’s carseats in the car.  Sue had to retrace her drive to the airport where they met up to get the carseats.  That is when Sue learned that their flight had been delayed for mechanical issues.  Sue drove home.  A bit later, we arrived as we were giving Sue and Larry a ride to the airport for their flight.  We arrived early so she wouldn’t worry about getting to the airport late.  The phone rang.  The kid’s flight would be about noontime now.  Imagine.  Three children for hours at the airport.  Ugh.  Poor everyone.

Sue gave Larry sometime to do and he didn’t hear her.  “Larry, do you have your hearing aids on?”  Larry replied that his hearing aids were in the suitcase.  Oh, my.  We jumped in the car and took Sue and Larry to the airport.  Three blocks into our mission, Sue asked, “Larry, do you have your wallet?”  There was a pregnant pause.  “What?”, Larry replied.  Sue said again, “Larry, do you have your wallet?  If your hearing aids weren’t in your suitcase, you might have heard the question.”  Larry said, “No.”  Sue said, “You don’t have your wallet?”  Larry said he didn’t.  Rayman made a u-turn and we went back to the house for the wallet.   No I.D., no plane trip.   We arrived at the airport.  They jumped out and we drove away.  They were on their way.    But wait.  There’s more.  Awhile later Sue texted me to report that Larry lost his boarding pass right after Sue gave it to him.  Rayman and I howled.  This all made us feel good because we are not the only ones that have these type of adventures.  In fact, Sue while sitting in the backseat on the way to PDX praised the idea of staying home.  “It’s so much easier.”  Truer words were never spoken.

So, all you people that think you are the only ones…you are not.  Traveling results in many misadventures as well as adventures.  It’s like a golf swing.  You have a good round and you think to yourself, “My, I have it.  I finally have it.”  Only to go out after shooting 93 and you shoot 105.  That’s how travel is too.  Sometimes it goes slick as whistle.  The next time it could be a total debacle.  So here is to my cousin, dear Susie.  May she and her family have a fabulous time at Disneyland.  And, yes, Susie, we will see on Thursday when we pick you up (perhaps literally) at the airport.  Hope you have a swell trip.

4

Smoke.  Up in smoke.  That’s what we have been up to ever since we departed Morro Bay.  Why did we leave?  Don’t ask.  Just kidding.  We had planned this trip in April.  Who knew the biggest wildfire in CA history was going to happen?  Having said this, we perhaps should have considered the fire season.  It’s the new normal, according to Gov Brown and me.  Last summer we choked for the most of the days we vacationed in Canada.  Horrendous fires up there too and yet, the fires didn’t even enter our minds while we planned.  Planning by the way involved countless hours staring at maps, apps and other tools of the RVers.  During the summer it is vital to have reservations as everyone else with an RV is on the road too.  And I personally refuse to camp at a Wal-Mart.  Just sayin. 

So, we consulted this and that and that and this and a plan was the output of all the research.  Then calls are made.  Sometimes you can make a reser on the internets but many times a call must be made.  Once you talk with the RV park, credit card info is given to assure your spot.  That is all my job…the reservations, that is. 

So, it is no small matter to change plans midstream but that is exactly what we had to do because of the poor air quality in the Sierras.  We met our friends up at Graeagle as planned and we played in Truckee the day after our arrival in smoke that was so thick, it was hazardous to our health.  After that we wondered what we were thinking…and then we played Plumas Pines in the smoke.  No more enjoyable but slightly less smokey.  Then our friends flew the coop.  She was not feeling well and we totally supported that decision. 

So we decided to fly the coop too.  And you know what that entailed…cancelling all those reservations.  We reasoned that things were not going to improve, our friends were gone, and anyway, we had a house to buy and it was exceedingly difficult to do it from afar. 

This is.a sad story.  We haven’t gotten lost much on this trip.  Except in Los Banos which I have already written about.   We are a bit disappointed because when we get lost, it is usually an adventure.  However, other things have popped up to fill the void.

The TV:

Yes.  Our TV stopped working.   We ignored it for a few days but then decided we wanted to watch TV so we tried to figure out what was wrong.  This involved going to Jupiter Satellite store in Redmond, OR with our Wally device (think DishTV).  A nice man there tested the receiver and pronounced it fit as a fiddle.  After calling some RV place that works on Tiffin RVs, we were told they could not help us for a few weeks.  So, Rayman called our friend, Jake, that has a Tiffin too.  He counseled Rayman on ways to trouble shoot a few things.  And so he did and he discovered a plug had come loose.  Voila.  TV again.  That took the most part of a day. 

The Car:

Yes,  our car air conditioning stopped working.  This was serious as it was over 100 degrees and we had to drive back to the RV which was about 20 miles away with the windows down while breathing air so ladened with smoke, you could cut it with a knife.  That was not fun.  So, Rayman went to work with his volt meter and duct tape.  After three times of the air conditioner starting to work and then stopping again, he finally got it to work so that it now stays on…and the funny thing is, as soon as he was successful, the weather changed and got cooler.  We knew the world revolved around everything we did.  Just proof…again.

This picture was taken inside the carwash in Sisters, OR.  Needed to get the dust off.

The Water Heater:

This happened in the Sierras.  Our water heater in the RV went on the fritz.  That repair necessitated a man coming from Reno to Clio, CA to replace the hot water heater controller.  Subsequent to that experience, I authored a letter to Tiffin with a copy of the receipt asking if they would help defray the $525 bill.  More on that later when the reply is received.

So life on the road is never without trauma and drama but also unexpected events too.  Why just tonight at the Sisters RV park just east of Sisters, OR they had a catered barbecue for the park.  $15 a plate.  We decided to do it.  They even had a band and Rayman and I got up and cut the rug with one other couple…La Bamba.  Arriba, arriba. 

But I digress.

Anyway, while we were dining in a grassy field we looked up and saw a plane that looked like it was landing at the fairgrounds next door.  The plane was helping with a fire that had broken out just east of this park about 2 hours earlier.  It was a sight.  So was the helicopter with a bucket on a long “rope” flying here and there.  We think the fire is out.  No sign of smoke.  When the fire broke out, the sirens were constant.  They jumped all over it.  Hooray to the fire fighters.  We love them and thank them for all they do. 

So, we cancelled our trip on the loneliness road in America and here we are until Wednesday.  On Wednesday we head to Portland and will be there closing escrow then leaving for Anacordes, WA for a few days and a visit to the San Juan Islands.  Then back down to Silver Cover RV Resort near Mt. St. Helens and then back to Portland on the 8th of Sept.  Then we will stay there outfiitting our new skinny house.  It needs everything.  Window coverings, dishes, pots, pans, beds, towels, garbage cans…etc, etc, etc.   The Anacordes, Silver Cove part of this was previously planned…just the part the included Nevada, Idaho and Grand Coolie dam were cancelled to allow us to get to Portland earlier.  We also thought we would escape the smoke.  Not.  It has been very smokey in Bend/Redmond/Terrebonne area.  Until today.  It got cooler and windy…what a relief. 

So that’s about it for now.  Hope all our friends and family and healthy and happy.  We are missing everyone.  And Beau is missing his sister, Jaycee. 

But I digress.

We have just spent a week in the Sierras with our friends, the Donnellys.  We were all disappointed at the air quality of the region.  The Carr fire’s smoke blows in over the mountains as I imagine it rides some type of jet stream and the smoke has enveloped the area for the entire week.  So, today, we decided to leave early pleading our case that Rayman was having issues of breathing, sore throat etc.  We were actually booked for another week. 

The other reason we blazed, if you will pardon the pun, is that we are buying a house in Portland and the lack of good wifi signals makes the process very difficult.  Wiring funds, making appointments for walk thrus, are exceedingly difficult under the circumstances.

The final reason we packed up and left is that my golf game sucks. 

But I digress.

The most interesting thing that happened today on the road was our encounters with cows.  So, as you can see, my title was not a typo as much as a play on words.  We were heading north on highway 139 when Daisy the cow escaped her pasture…and she was very confused, bewildered, scared.  She kept crossing the road not sure which way to go so I stopped the Dog House in the middle of the road and we stared at each other.  She was a delight except for her ear tag…that made me sad.  But she seemed to be imploring us for some help.  Luckily there were no cars in sight.  So, we sat there.  Finally, she ran across the road down the sloping shoulder of the road and trotted in the grassy area aside the barbed wire fence.  So I started forward.  Then she ran up the shoulder and hit the road again.  When she reached the other side of the road, she turned and regarded us.  We regarded her.  This happened several times.  My concern was that she would run right in front of us as I tried to pass to end the impasse.  Finally I honked the horn.  This startled her and she ran across the road again.  She was probably saying to herself, “What do they want me to do?  Why did I break through the fence?  What was I thinking?  Now I’m in a real mess of my own creation.  Moo.”

She scooted down the shoulder again and we managed to pass.  But this is not the end of the story.  I was very concerned about her getting in an altercation with a car.  So, we spotted a ranch house and turned down the long driveway with the idea we should alert Daisy’s owner.  No one was there except two dogs that constituted the welcoming committee.  Beau was oblivious to all that was happening.  So, Rayman got back in the Dog House and away we went.  Sure hope Daisy got home okay. 

Our other encowter happened after we arrived at Hawk’s Nest RV Park.  We took Beau for a walk and while ambling down the road, I caught movement on the left of the road under a tree…Holy moly, I thought it was a black bear.  It was big and it was in the shade of a tree so it was hard to discern.  Before I took off like a jack rabbit, Rayman informed me that it was a bull.  A great big bull.  It stood up, stood it’s ground and stared at us the entire time we walked down the road and back with doggie.   Again, Beau was oblivious.  The only thing Beau noticed was a squished snake in the middle of the road.  I’m thinking baby rattler.  Who knows.  It had been there a while, all dried out and dead. 

So, that was the day with the bovines in our lives.   The encowters were much more interesting than trying to buy gas by squeezing into a Shell station that sorely lacked much space for maneuvering a 33 ft. RV, and the car that was being hauled behind it.  Took about 5 minutes to squeeze between the pump and a pole on the sidewalk.  Rayman was outside directing me and he was a sight…flailing his arms, pointing furtively, gesturing wildly.  I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. 

The bovines were definitely more interesting than that.  Just sayin.

Do you ever get that tired feeling?  Worn out?  Bang, bang, bang go the cylinders.  Then, then poof.  The wall get hits.  Sapped is another great descriptor.  Just sapped of all energy and get-up-and-go.

That is exactly the state I find myself in this afternoon as I sit in the dappled shade of some kind of leafy green tree that provides a canopy over The Dog House.  And I’m inside sitting at the kitchen table, for lack of a better description for a table in an RV.  The shade is welcomed as it is about 100 degrees outside right now…in the shade.  This old girl struggles to maintain her up-rightedness in the heat.  It doesn’t as much sap me as zap me.  Stepping outside is akin to stepping into an oven.  Still, hot, heat.  It reminds me of my youth growing up in Paso Robles.  My grandmother was a woman that hated to pay for utilities.  So, rather than turn on the swamp cooler that was mounted in one of the windows in living room/dining room, she would close all the Venitian blinds (that is what they called them way back when) and hunker down for the heat.  It was not beneath my dignity as a teenager to beg her to let me plug in the cooler.  Her name was Birdie and she was aptly named as she was tough as an old bird.  About the only time I remember her complaining about the heat was when grandpa insisted she heat his dinner plates in a warm oven..  Oh, the stories I have regarding my grandmother.  And her plight in life. 

But I digress.

My question is this.  Do you ever yell at your mate/spouse?  I inquire because we yelled at each other last night and I wonder if we are the only ones that exhibit this kind of behavior.  And it happened because we were both tired/frazzled, and driving the RV north on I-5.  First let me set the scene.  It was hot.  The sun was setting.  Virtually every truck in America was on that freeway with us.  And I would be remiss if I failed to mention that the freeway’s right lane is ghastly with huge potholes to be dodged, crazy drivers to avoid, enormous dips before and after the bridges that dot that straight-as-an-arrow freeway.  It was choked with vehicles as it was a Friday night and people were rushing to get where they were going.  We, however, were not in a rush because the speed limit for the doghouse towing our Zoomobile is 55 mph.  At that speed we passed exactly one old car that was cruising down the road at a whopping 50 mph.  We even observed one fellow in an SUV, pass on the right shoulder a semi-truck so anxious was he to get where he was going…and he did this daring maneuver going about 75 mph.  We were the turtles.  He was the hare. 

Again, I digress.

As I was saying, the driving was hard.  The day was long.  I was driving.  Rayman was riding shotgun with his cell phone in hand using the app that was to lead us to the KOA RV park in Los Banos, CA.  Oh, how I longed to exit I-5.  When he finally signaled that I should take the next exit, I enthusiastically replied, “YES!”.  And as soon the ssssssss sound parted my lips, he said, “What the hell?  This is the wrong exit.”  That was the first time I lost my cool.  “What”  “What are you doing?”, I shouted.    He said, “Turn right, this is not the right exit, the phone was wrong!”.    “What?”, I spit out. 

“Turn right, we have to go 3 miles to turn around.”,  Rayman expounded, and about that same time I turned right and there was a turnaround place that I’m guessing is for cops.  It was not designed to handle a 33 foot long RV, a 10 ft, long car and the 4 yards between them.  My turn elicited horns honking is all I’m saying.  However, it did save us from a 6 mile mistake.  As I continued to complain, Rayman told me to take the next exit.  Would this be right?  Who knows?  I didn’t know.  Did Siri know?  Who knows?  Did the Waze app know?  Lord only knows.  After I exited the next exit, I had to go left.  And after I made the turn, Rayman copped to not knowing if were where we suppose to be to find one KOA RV Resort.  So I did what any enraged motorist would do.  I pulled over to the side of the road refusing to drive until I could satisfy myself that we were on the right path.  The heat, it kept rising.  Rayman, having his skills criticized was now yelling.  I was yelling having completely lost any semblance of decorum or good humor. 

So, back to my original question.  Do you ever yell at your spouse/mate?  God, I hope we’re not the only ones. 

Epilogue.  We were on the right road.  We pulled into the RV park about 9 p.m.  We could not see where were going to be parked based on a map they left for us in an envelop because the office personnel was long gone.  We roamed the park making a spectacle of ourselves as it is hard to disguise the fact you are lost in an RV park as you dirive up and down, clipping trees, almost taking out a fence as you do so.  We also parked in the wrong space and I had to drive the Dog House around again to get to the space next door. 

We were so spent, we didn’t even bother extending the main slide.  After putting a few things away, we kissed and made up and threw ourselves into bed.  God, it was a long, trying day.