the cottage – The MoHo and Other Traveling Tales

Snowy December Days

Current Location: The Cottage in Grants Pass Raining and 45 degrees

At the moment, Mo is outside washing the MoHo. Yes, washing it in the rain. I am pretty sure she is thinking that she needed to get the salty residues removed that are left over from our last trip to the coast. It was raining back then as well, and we put her away without our usual cleanup. After 9 years on the road, the MoHo still looks shiny as new. Good paint and good care make a difference.

The MoHo is ready to head for California

More than a week ago, the snows hit hard all over Southern Oregon, even here in the Rogue Valley. When we arrived at the cottage yesterday, our neighbor told us that there was more than six inches of heavy wet snow dumped on Grants Pass, and he was without power for 48 hours after a big old oak fell on his power lines. We were lucky. Mo had the trees trimmed last month and we didn’t have a lot of debris down to contend with. According to the neighbor, he watched our Christmas lights go on and off with the timer with considerable envy. Everything here was just fine and the house was nice and cozy since we left the gas heat on 55 degrees. Just enough.

Since the first snow fell at the apartments, we enjoyed home time, cozied up with the fire and actually relaxing a bit. I worked on homemade Christmas cards with daughter Melody up in Apartment B (my crafting and quilting apartment) and managed to get a decent number of Christmas lights up to make everything cheery.

Mo taught Jacob (one of the tenants rooming with grandchild Axel) how to run the plow, so that when we are away, the driveway and parking lot will stay clear.

The kids were excited about making a snowman. (Kids are loosely defined ages from 16 to 46)

It was a very cold week, and quite delightful. We decided to return to Rocky Point to spend a few days working on painting touchups and other little chores before our planned quickie trip to California. While we were there, the big snows hit, including the one that dumped on the Rogue Valley, and Mo and I shoveled the driveway by hand. With the plow at the apartments, we relied on the 4 wheel drive in the pickup to get us up and down the road leading to our house. It worked. We didn’t get snowed in, and even managed to get the trailer hooked up for the trip to Grants Pass to pick up the motorhome. Mo wanted her big compressor in the RV shed with the MoHo. Gotta keep those tires up!

My favorite view between Klamath Falls and Rocky Point

Driving from the brilliant sunny skies of the east side of the Cascades to the gray, rainy skies of the Rogue Valley was a treat. For the first time in a few years, crossing the High Lakes Pass was a bit of a challenge. Not too much, just a bit. Seems as though the wet, heavy snows were too much for the big trees on the pass and one had fallen across the road. Traffic backed up for awhile before some logger with a chain saw managed to clear the road.

High Lakes Pass lies between Rocky Point and Grants Pass/Medford

Tomorrow we are heading to California. Friend Maryruth’s mother is celebrating her 90th birthday and Maryruth is putting on a very big party. The MoHo is ready and waiting, and we are hoping that the weather continues to be only rain as we will be traveling south on I-5 over the Siskiyous in the morning. We do NOT want to chain up the MoHo, in fact the main reason we bought property in Grants Pass was to be able to travel north or south in the wintertime without having to get out of the snowy Klamath Basin. Of course it snows in this part of Oregon, but thank goodness, not nearly as often or as long, and hopefully not tomorrow.

Raking in the rain vs shoveling in the snow

Again, mid January, we will again travel south. Desert Hot Springs is calling, as it does each winter. I called to find out what kind of rules Catalina Spa and RV Resort might have this year. It changes every year it seems, ranging from a maximum of 2 nights with our Passport America card, to no discount nights unless you sit through the long and boring sales pitch. Imagine my surprise when they said, “No problem. You can stay for 30 days and half price (22.50 per night) with your PA card, leave for two weeks and come back again if you like.”

Catalina spa_181 — My favorite hot pool at Catalina Spa and RV Resort

What a treat?! If I hadn’t already made reservations for Catalina State Park near Tucson I would have reserved more than the 4 nights we had time for on this round. I love that pool. Love it. I am excited about three weeks in the south this winter and hoping that El Nino doesn’t send us any big southwest surprises, but we will be ready for whatever comes.

Today I raked leaves on green grass in the rain. A far cry from shoveling snow in Rocky Point and Klamath Falls.

On another note, I am letting this particular post be a test. I am writing it with LiveWriter…planning to pop it over into the html tab of blogger after in insert the photos from SmugMug links and see how it does. Erin sent me the instructions, so we will see how it goes. Then, just for fun, I am going to try to build the same post from Blogger. Just to see the difference, if any. Then, at last, I will write the same post over on WordPress, using their fancy smancy editor, and see how the whole thing looks.l

This was a great plan when I started this day, and now it is after 5pm and I am nowhere near finished. I am working on my laptop, the one I use for traveling. I upgraded it to Windows 10 Pro, and decided to just wipe the thing clean and start fresh. So far so good, but as I am beginning the blog, I realize that I have yet to install Lightroom and Picasa. That done I start again, but ohoh…some of the photos are on my iphone and ipad…and what do you know, I haven’t downloaded and installed iTunes yet. Ok…that done and now I can finally get around to finishing this post!

Here we go.

October and November

Current Location: Old Fort Road, Klamath Falls, Oregon, at 9 degrees F and cloudy.

Our new digs: closeup on the upper right is a view of the apartments from the tower trail.

I am sitting at the same desk as usual, but the view outside my window has changed. Instead of the dark forest I am looking at open sky and the back side of Plum Hill in Klamath Falls. Life has finally shifted a bit, and Mo and I are now spending most of our time at our cozy apartment only 3 miles from town. Yes, we still have the house at Rocky Point, decorated for Christmas, on the outside at least, and still comfortable for Rocky Point stays now and then.

We also have our little cottage in Grants Pass, where we also spend time, working on the property, enjoying the little cottage and the green grass that pops up when the first fall rains come to the Rogue Valley.

It is all part of the transition from living in the woods, plowing snow, driving 45 minutes each way to the grocery store, and our plans for the future, living in mostly snow free Grants Pass. We chose Grants Pass because of the lack of snow plowing and shoveling days, the proximity to the ocean, and the ability to travel north or south on I-5 when we want to soothe the hitch-itch that strikes often. We are gypsies. That travel bug is ingrained, and not likely to dissipate any time soon.

View of Klamath Falls from the tower trail near the apartment

The apartment in Klamath Falls is an interim stop, at least that was the original plan. At the moment, I feel so comfortable and cozy here, enjoying it so much that I don’t think I will ever want to leave it. I love the Klamath Basin. Here on Old Fort Road, we are at the edge of the high desert, with tall ponderosas and a few Doug firs around, but the hills are also covered with sage. Love that smell, love that air, you all know I love the desert.

Each of our places has its own special feeling. Rocky Point for the huge cool forest in the summer, the beautiful refuge just a short walk from the house, the birds, the deer. It is a wonderful place to live in many ways. Grants Pass is wonderful in spring and fall, ten to twenty degrees warmer than either Rocky Point or Klamath Falls, with good shopping just minutes away, and yet a lovely rural feeling on our little piece of land that was once part of a walnut grove more than 100 years old.

Old Fort Road is part of the magical basin, with views of Mt Shasta, the Klamath River, the dry winter air, and as stated before 10 to 20 degrees cooler than Grants Pass in the summer. I am glad that at the moment I don’t have to choose any one of these places over the other. Of course, the MoHo always waits as well, with the road to the desert, to the ocean, to other mountains always waiting for us. It may be a bit complex at the moment, but it is so good and I feel incredibly lucky. And thankful.

I keep waiting for life to settle in a bit, for things to slow down. I have waited since mid October when we returned from Ireland, all through the month of November, and here, finally, on the last day of November, I have some time that isn’t allocated to anything else. I can write.

I began this post as usual, with a visual cruise through my photos. I have to admit I was a bit shocked to realize that I haven’t written a thing since we got back from Ireland, six weeks ago! Geez. I do have some good reasons. Just a couple of days after our return from Ireland, best friends Maryruth and Gerald drove up from California to spend a long weekend with us at Rocky Point. Daughter Melody was starring in the musical Chicago, playing Velma Kelly, and they wanted to see the show.

The final performance of the show was amazing, and the reviews reflected what a wonderful job the Linkville Theater did with the staging, the casting, the dancing, and of course the music. It was wonderful. I was amazed at how a small community theater could put on a production as lavish and complex as Chicago. Fabulous. And not just because my daughter had a major role. We had a fabulous weekend, visiting the Lower Klamath Refuge where Judy volunteered this summer, enjoying the gorgeous skies and the birds. We shared good meals and lots of talking and laughing and fun. It is so wonderful when friends can visit. Next month we will go south to visit them and share in Maryruth’s mother’s 90th birthday celebration. Elsie has been in my life since I was 18, and is like family to me. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the big gathering.

A few days later, Mo and I managed to get out on Pelican Bay for another gorgeous paddle. With the fall migration in full force, there were so many birds out there. Gorgeous skies and perfect weather are part of the Klamath Basin wonder in October. Late September and October are the very best months to be here, in my opinion. Nearly perfect, and no mosquitoes.

We spent a few days in Grants Pass, for an exciting project on the property. With a low GPM well, Mo decided that our solution would be to add a cistern, rather than taking the chance on a new well. The cistern holds 1750 gallons, is filled automatically by the well pump, then the water is pumped from the cistern through the pressure tank to the cottage. Now we can water the trees and small lawn during the summer without fear of drawing down the well too much.

There are 27 trees on the .89 acre, several of them are gorgeous old oaks and a couple of pines and firs that are more than 100 years old. Tree work was in order, and it turns out that the guy who ran the backhoe for the cistern installation was also an excellent arborist. He did a great job on our trees, removing dead branches and making it much safer. He also removed 5 huge stumps that were still in place from tree removals prior to our purchase of the property.

Then it was time for the “big move”. Late in the month, Mo’s brothers drove down to Rocky Point to help us with the heavy lifting. Dan and Chere came from Beavercreek near Portland, and Don came all the way from Spokane. I have no idea how we would have managed without them, short of hiring some expensive movers, which we promised both brothers that we would do when it comes time for the next move.

We had fun in the midst of the moving stuff, and I did my best to cook good meals and make sure that both homes had food and beds for everyone, even though said beds were in transit. Dan and Chere’s two dogs were especially helpful, making sure that everything done just right. They also provided a bit of entertainment and company for Mattie, who has developed a great love for big dogs. Most of the time, they know how to play with her and like Judy’s Emma, will lower themselves down to her level for playtime. It is fun to watch.

By November 1, our target date, almost everything we needed to be comfortable in the apartment was moved and we settled in. We spent five beautiful days doing the “nesting” thing, enjoying the sunshine, the smaller space, all the little things that can make moving to a new place fun and exciting.

As the main cook, I was a bit concerned about my new kitchen. Compared to Rocky Point, my current apartment kitchen is about the size of my big counter in RP! I discovered that a small kitchen has some advantages: I can reach all the drawers from one standing position, the floor is a quick wipe up rather than a major mopping event, and without a dishwasher, running a sink of soapy water as I cook keeps things in line. I am actually enjoying it, although I still sometimes open four cupboards before I remember exactly where I have stored a particular item.

Another fun thing about the apartment is that we actually have two. One for living, and the one next door for an extra guest bedroom, storage of “stuff” and best of all, an entire dining room and living room for my sewing, craft, and quilt room! I can make a mess and don’t have to keep cleaning it all up mid project. I do love that part. In RP I did my sewing on the dining table which required lots of bringing out and putting away of stuff when meal times approached.

With the early November sunny weather, I took some time to explore places to walk nearby. Daughter Melody and grandson Xavier live in another apartment in the complex and it is fun to walk down the path to her door and go for a spontaneous walk together.

Granddaughter Axel and her room mates also have an apartment here, and just last night Mo and I were invited to dinner at her place. This family compound thing can be pretty nice at times.

Mo has had these apartments for years, and decided last year that property management companies and weird renters were no fun at all. Now it is an inside deal, everyone pays their rent on time and pitches in to keep the place looking nice. It is a good place for us to be while we transition, and I get the benefit of being closer to my daughter and grandkids. Mattie LOVES the beach!

At last, with the major chores of moving behind us, it was time for a quick trip to Brookings. The MoHo was waiting patiently in Grants Pass and we needed a break. Seems as though the only way to get a break from chores is to leave home where there are no chores!

We had a great three days, enjoying the clearest skies I have seen in a long time at the ocean. Judy had mentioned that Harris Beach SP would be closed to camping this season, so we didn’t even bother checking. We decided to stay at Beachfront RV Park, on the Harbor. sunset and sunrise at Beachcomber campground (11 of 12)

It was so much fun to listen to the surf all night, and to watch the waves right outside our front window. One morning we drove up to check out Harris Beach, and were surprised to discover that the campground is still partially open, albeit without reservations. As usual, the front view row was full. We were glad that we did something different this time.

I loved taking Mattie for walks right out the door to the beach. It did rain on one day, but that was the day that we had scheduled some maintenance for the MoHo generator. Seems as though the fuel pump gave out. Brookings Harbor RV Repair had good reviews, and Mo decided that a trip to Brookings was worth it to get someone we could trust for the repair. They did a great job and I would highly recommend them for this kind of work.

With a few days of gorgeous beach time and quiet afternoons in the MoHo reading and napping, we were rejuvenated and ready to return to Grants Pass. We hauled the tractor from Rocky Point to the cottage on our way to the beach, and Mo was ready to make an attempt to level the huge pile of dirt left behind from the cistern installation.

She made quick work of that pile and got most of it leveled and moved in just one day! We raked and moved a LOT of rocks, and then seeded the sticky red soil with a good fall mix, hoping that it will take before spring.

Back to the apartments with a load of firewood from our stash in Rocky Point, and we settled in for the rest of the month. I enjoyed cooking and sewing a bit, going for walks with Mattie, visiting with kids, and doing a little bit of shopping in town (takes 8 minutes to get to the main intersection of Klamath Falls!).

The day before Thanksgiving, we got hit with the first snow and some really cold temperatures. It is still white out here, and Mo was really smart to haul the tractor back from Grants Pass so that she could plow the apartment parking lot. With just a tiny walk to shovel, we got the snow removal job done in record time. One BIG benefit of not living in Rocky Point.

By Thanksgiving day, the skies were clear, and the temperatures were in the single digits. It was a great day to travel over High Lakes Pass on Highway 140 to Shady Cove, where daughter Deborah and her sweetie Bob hosted a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner for us, and for Melody’s family, and Bob’s parents, who live in Rocky Point.

All I had to do was bring the candied yams! Such fun having daughters who take on the big family celebrations sometimes and being only a guest. We had a lovely day, with sunny skies and a warm cozy home to enjoy.

Instead of driving all the way back to Klamath Falls, Mo and I opted to take the short drive to the cottage and spent the night there before returning home to the apartment the next afternoon. With a shortage of groceries in the Grants Pass fridge, we decided to go out for breakfast. Sitting at the warm and cozy dining room at Elmer’s, with the sun pouring in through the windows, the fire crackling in the fireplace, and a fabulous breakfast, I felt that crazy happy feeling that comes without warning. I do love that feeling so much, can’t make it happen, can’t really explain it, and it comes quite often ever since I first noticed it while hiking in Joshua Tree last winter. Later we actually managed a little bit of shopping on Black Friday, something I usually avoid like the plague. However, most of the stores we visited mid morning in Grants Pass were not busy at all.

Home now, settled in and cozy with a nice fire going, office space all set up and comfortable, quilting and card making projects waiting in the apartment next door. Life really IS good.

September Transitions, and some Fabulous Visits from Fabulous Folks

Current Location: Rocky Point, Oregon with blue bird skies and 41 Degrees F at 10AM

Deer in the back yard here in Rocky Point. Good thing I have a deer repellent that works.

It has been an interesting year for me. A time of decisions, transitions, changes, and progress. When my birthday rolls around, I like to take a few moments to re-evaluate. Turning 70 is a milestone, one that seemed an anti-climax after thinking I was “almost” 70 for so long that when it happened, it didn’t seem all that different.

I had a great birthday, made more so my social media, Facebook of all things. I love getting birthday cards, but the plethora of greetings that come my way from all over the country and even far parts of the world really add a celebratory air to the day, even one spent doing errands. Of course, the errands in town were topped by a celebratory cocktail at the luxe Basin Martini Bar right in Klamath Falls, and tasty tapas for supper. Lots of cards, fabulous presents, phone calls, a wonderful day. Lucky me.

More is on the agenda in the coming two weeks, but that story will come later. For now, my big job is to try to track what has happened and where we have been during the last few weeks since I last had time to write. Thank goodness for calendars and photos, or I wouldn’t have a clue where to start.

After our visit with Judy early in August, we spent much of the month working in earnest at the apartments and in Grants Pass. It seemed as though every day we were driving one place or the other with tight schedules, deadlines, meeting contractors and realtors.

The realtor part was a bit tiresome, because in spite of the fact that I sold my house on Painter in 11 days, the closing hasn’t been so timely. Once again we were delayed by the big California lender, with more requests showing up even after I had signed my part of the closing. After the last snafu, where we all decided to start over with a new lender and a closing date in December, some details shifted, and once again closing is imminent. We will see. Getting close to being done (16 of 35)

The rest of the projects were incredibly successful. The apartment painting project is at last completed, and looks great. Did the final walk around this week with our contractor, who does great work if always a bit behind schedule. The flooring project was completed through Home Depot, a process that entailed repeated trips to the store in town, myriad phone calls between shippers, installers, coordinator, schedulers and such. What a process! Still, the contractor also did a great job and we love the results.

The apartment is at last completed and ready for us to begin moving in some of our furniture. We have tentatively planned to have it habitable by November.

The Grants Pass cottage was also part of our projects. With the high heat and low water well numbers, we make it a point to return at least every week or ten days to spend 2 or 3 nights there. My biggest job is moving the single water hose, attempting to keep the few plants alive and healthy. The grass is doing fine with the daily watering at 2GPM that I have set up on a timer.

Exciting forthcoming project for the cottage is the installation of a new water holding cistern, scheduled in mid October. Once that is completed, we will be able to set up timers and sprinklers for more areas on the property without worrying about running the well dry. Grants Pass water is notorious for salts and iron, but we won’t bother setting up filtration systems until we have a new house to protect once we move there for good.

In the mean time, Mo is working on all sorts of projects, including clearing out the main part of the old building she plans to use as a workshop. She tore out the old windows to make more storage space, re-worked and removed a bunch of old cabinets to build a workbench, and managed to install a nice window air conditioner that Melody gave to us when she moved out of the Painter Street house. Yay!

On an earlier visit we cleared out all the old stacked carpets in the mud room, cleaned up and painted it, and Mo fashioned new frames for the door and window from some old wood she had on hand. Looks great. Every project we do at the cottage must be tested against our willingness to see it come crashing down when it is time to raze the cottage and build the new house.

Lots of wood working stuff over there to keep Mo happy for years to come!

I haven’t quilted a thing. The sewing machine managed to come out for a few days while I worked on my first quilted clothing project, a jacket I plan to use for traveling. It was so much fun, but oh my, don’t let anyone look at it too closely. So many mistakes, and I learned so very much about what NOT to do when making a quilted jacket. Photos of this little project will probably show up in the next posts which will be sometime after early October.

MoHo traveling has been on hold as well, with our last trip to Waldo Lake the last time we tucked away in our cozy rolling home. Both of us are getting serious hitch-itch, day dreaming about the time when we will get that baby rolling again for something longer than the trip back and forth to Grants Pass now and then.

With all the work we were doing, Mo and I still managed some fun times during August. Melody and her clan, along with the new guy in her life came out for a great family day/BBQ with us and we laughed ourselves silly playing Bocci ball on the very sloping lawn. Mo and I took a break to chase down the SuperMoon rising over the boat launch in Rocky Point, a quiet and lovely moment in the midst of all the busy days.

I spent a lot of time walking Mattie, who seems to think that our long walks are the perfect time to find the biggest thing possible to carry home. She carried this bone for more than 3 miles, and it was worth it, because I think two weeks later there are still remnants of it lying around the house.

Daughter Melody is one of the lead stars in the play Chicago, put on by our Klamath Falls Linkville Theater. I have tickets for the closing show in October, but decided that I had to see it before then, so I’ll be in the audience tonight, in the front row. I have heard my daughter sing “All That Jazz” for years, but never starring as Velma on the stage. I am thrilled!

As the month of September continued, however, all work stopped. For some reason, all our friends who had promised visits seemed to converge at once on Rocky Point in the first week of September. We knew Phil and Joanne were coming, and I had scheduled Jeanne’s visit for months. But suddenly Jimmy and Nickie were heading our way and I was not about to miss time with them. To add to the fun, an old friend from my working days in the 80’s in Idaho retired, and called to say she would like to stop in and say Hi. I hadn’t seen Marti in 40 years maybe? so of course I wasn’t going to say no.

Scheduling all worked out perfectly, in the long run, with one set of folks replaced by another set within hours, and sometimes overlapping.

First to join us were Phil and Joanne from Eugene. Our history goes way way back, to 1977, with some gaps in between, but you know how that can be with old friends. They came down on Labor Day weekend, and settled into the cabin before we had a make it yourself lunch of vegetarian wraps and fruit.

Our destination that first afternoon was a six mile round trip hike on the southeast side of Fourmile Lake, just west of Rocky Point near the Cascade crest and into the Sky Lakes Wilderness. We had a wonderful time on a lovely hike that meandered around Fourmile Lake with views of Mt McLoughlin, and a final destination of Badger Lake.

We earned our supper, and enjoyed the planked salmon, zuchinni rice ( a new recipe I love with shredded uncooked zukes added to hot rice, corn, black beans, and peppers), cole slaw from an ancient recipe Joanne remembers from the 80s, and my favorite dessert to make, a French Apple Gallette.

The next day was supposed to be hot, so we planned to get out on the water early. Phillip is a great cook, and I remember the days when we shared working weeks at the Forest Service work center and Phil would make huge breakfasts, eating three times what I ate and staying skinny forever. He is still pretty darn slim, but maybe the marathons have something to do with it. Hartwig making eggs before we left (1 of 1)

I made the potatoes but Phil scrambled the eggs with leftover salmon, cilantro and who knows what else. They were so good and I don’t even like eggs.

We decided to kayak from the main dock in Rocky Point, traveling southward toward Harriman Springs so that they could get used to paddling on flat water and not be out too terribly long.

We were treated to lots of pelicans and smooth silky water and Joanne, unused to all that shoulder work, did just fine. As often happens when we introduce folks to paddling, by the time we were done they were asking about kayaks. Of course, Joanne is hoping for a tandem kayak so she can ride in the back and Phil won’t know when she isn’t paddling.

Melody and Robert drove out from Klamath Falls just in time to see Phil and Joanne and take a little paddle of their own on the bay. Joanne and Melody figured out that they hadn’t seen each other since Melody was just 16!

That evening we decided to try out the Harriman Resort for dinner. The resort is still trying to get it’s sea legs and still doesn’t have a liquor license. Instead we shared a great bottle of wine before we left, and trundled down the few hundred yards to the restaurant.

It was an interesting experience. The restaurant is beautiful, and we all ordered halibut, which was quite tasty. However, Phil and Joanne are fish only people and the garlic mashed potatoes came smothered in a rich, dark beef gravy!! Now what chef puts beef gravy on a fish plate! The waitress was quick and accommodating and the offending gravy was gone when the fresh plates were quickly replaced.

We rounded out the evening with our favorite Racehorse dominoes before everyone crashed happy, tired and satiated from too much food and laughter.

I think I’ll continue the rest of the story in the next blog since this just keeps on going and I want to share all the photos.

Next: Jeanne arrives from Vermont and Nickie and Jimmy arrive from points north

December Days

Current Location: Rocky Point Oregon 45 degrees F at 5pm

We have no snow, not a bit to be found unless we drive to 7,000 feet elevation or more into the Cascades above us. Through the clouds, sometimes there is a break, and I can see a dusting on the trees on Pelican Butte and Mt Harriman in the Mountain Lakes Wilderness.

This year not a speck of snow

Makes it easy to put up Christmas lights, I must say. No slipping on the ice, crawling through big snow berms and such. Last year at this time Mo and I were shoveling and plowing in an unsuccessful attempt to stay ahead of the dumping white stuff. This year the lawns are still green.

Last year on the same date, and yes…there is Abby

In the past few years, however, it seems that winter comes later and later, with not much to speak of until after Christmas. Still, it is obvious that winter is upon us. The days are short and dark, and when the sun does appear it is very low in the sky.

Christmas quilts and decorations (25 of 25)

Christmas quilts and decorations (21 of 25)

Christmas quilts and decorations (23 of 25)

After a week at home, while I finished up the three kid Christmas quilts, we took off again for Grants Pass and the Cottage. Mo’s brother Dan came down to spend a couple of days with us to help Mo with some more of the electrical work. Mo also managed to get the newly moved bathtub to finally drain properly. Long story and boring, but enough to say that the tub now drains and the breakers no longer flip off at the slightest provocation. They even got a new box to the old tool shed ready for plenty of amps to eventually make it out to the RV shed.

It was a simple time for me, and I worked inside on Christmas projects while Mo and Dan rumbled around in the rain and mud. Got some nice visiting in with daughter Deborah in the evenings when she got home from work, and managed to keep everyone well fed.

On our way home back to Rocky Point, we decided to take the old road through Gold Hill toward Sams Valley instead of our usual interstate trek back to Highway 140. We ambled through Gold Hill and had a spontaneous hot dog lunch at a little stand along the main street. Then as we continued east, we saw signs for Ti’lomihk Falls on the Rogue River.

We parked just in time to watch a rafter and a paddleboarder go down the rapids. The interpretive signs at the park were wonderful, but I neglected to get a photo of them. This website explains what we learned about the “stone chair” that was central to the ceremony to honor the first salmon of the season for the Talkelma tribe. ON the website is the story of the planned whitewater park, and a video of Grandmother Agness Baker Pilgrim, one of the oldest surviving members of the tribe, speaking of the salmon ceremony and the stone chair.

Yesterday was the annual Rocky Point Ladies Luncheon. The luncheon is a tradition that has been going on for several years, and in the past was held at the local social club building, with some women decorating tables and the men cooking and serving. Stuff happens, things change, but a sweet lady here in Rocky Point, Gina, didn’t want to let it slip away so she set up our luncheon in a brand new venue.

I was a bit recalcitrant about it…at first, i didn’t even want to go if it was just going to be lunch in a restaurant. Glad I changed my mind.

We have a new place to go in “town”. Our community does not have a post office or a school and only one tiny store a few miles east on 140, but we do have a fire station. That volunteer fire department generates a lot of community support. But as far as a real town goes, we don’t have one here. But now we do have a “resort”. Ladies Luncheon at Harriman Resort (56 of 60)

Like Rocky Point Resort, and Point Comfort, Harriman Springs has been a presence here for many years. When Mo first started coming to Rocky Point in the late 80’s she would have lunch at the little marina store and cafe that was on the edge of the spring. Things changed, the little marina closed. Recently, the owner of the land adjacent to the spring decided to upgrade the property and build what he hopes will be a world class resort. Ladies Luncheon at Harriman Resort (53 of 60)

If the quality of the restaurant is any indication, he is going to succeed. We have all been waiting impatiently for the restaurant to open, watching along on Facebook on their page, and checking in now and then to see how things are progressing.

Yesterday, we got to see the new restaurant in action, with a truly delightful luncheon put on for our community ladies. Lyman, the executive chef is duly proud of what he is doing with the menu, and we were the lucky recipients of his creations, with a special party before the place is actually open. It was as much fun as the previous years, and a lot less work. I missed decorating the tables, and the men cooking, but oh my…the food was delectable the conversations were great and the views were beautiful. I even wore those six inch high heels I bought for Jeanne’s wedding! Love having any excuse to dress up, especially when I don’t have to walk too far.

Oh my…the mess of it!

I am putting up the rest of the house decorations, and retreating to my computer for the next couple of weeks in an attempt to complete the gargantuan scanning project that I started last Spring. Sheesh! It is taking forever…and not a small amount of time is spent scratching my head trying to figure out which year that was. Photos for the kids, scanned and put on an external drive. I decided it was way better than trying to get them all printed and given to each of them. That would have been impossible. It has been fun, though, and I have enjoyed perusing the past and writing small summaries of the years so the kids know where they were when.

A scanned photo of my 4 kids and me at Christmas 1973

Deborah behind me, Deanna left, Melody middle, and John right.

I think when that job is done, I can simply sit and enjoy Christmas.

A Treat in Grants Pass, Cathedral Hills and a Skunk

Current Location: Rocky Point Oregon, 34 degrees F with a 50 percent chance of snow

The cottage in Grants Pass is a great stopover spot when we are returning from our coast travels. Daughter Deborah is living there now, so we camp in the MoHo when we are there. During the winter months we pull the MoHo inside the big RV shed for protection, and sometimes we decide to camp inside as well when we are there.

day at the cottage Reminds me of those RV storage shed campsites that were developed in North Dakota for the oil workers. Although the shed has all around windows at the top, the interior is rather dim. Wouldn’t want to live there indefinitely, but it is great protection from weather and falling tree limbs in a windstorm. Yes, we do have some very large, very old white oak trees on the cottage property.

There are always chores associated with staying at the cottage. Mo is still working on the bathroom drywall and taping project after we put in a new bathtub, and now there is finally a shower as well. Deb is quite happy with that project since she has had to settle for baths in the morning before work until now when she can jump in for a quick shower.

This time of year there is always leaf burning, and leaf raking, but Deb has kept on top of most of the raking, so Mo had a big pile to burn this time. Of course, inversions are common in the Rogue Valley of Grants Pass, and Josephine County is judicious about allowing burn days. The first day was a no burn day, but on the second misty rainy morning the 6am phone call yielded good results. OK to burn!

day at the cottage Funny thing, though, those big sloppy leaves didn’t want to burn, in spite of the big tarp that was protecting the pile. Mo burned most of the day and only managed about 1/3 of the pile. I raked a bit, and then retreated to the cozy house to finish the binding on some kids quilts I have been making for Christmas. kid quilts (2 of 7)

The house was cozy because we finally managed to get the new gas stove heater installed and running. When the Avista guy came last month to light the pilot, he refused to approve the old stove, which had seen better days. It heated great all last winter, but was no longer safe. Time for a new stove.

That whole process was a bit of a kerfuffle, because no one in several towns had any gas stoves in stock. After much research, we finally found a great little Williams stove with a bit of a fire view for several hundred dollars less than anything we could find in town. The town shops said they could special order something, but even so the big delay was finding someone to do the installation.

Total Home Supply on the internet provided excellent service, with free shipping, and we had the stove at our door within two days. It took another month to get the installation completed, but now the cottage is again warm and cozy, and safe! Deborah hung in there as the month got colder, staying in front of her little electric heater most of the time. Now she has heat AND a shower. All that is needed is some kind of way to figure out the crazy electrical problems.

Remember, this little cottage wasn’t really something that we needed. Our only wish was for a place to store the MoHo. When Mo was trying to trouble shoot the electrical situation in a house built in 1926, she shook her head and wondered whether it was worth it or not. Someday we will get it all figured out, and it is still great to have a warmer climate for storing the MoHo in the winter. No winterizing, and we can head north or south without worrying about deep snows in the Klamath Basin. That was the plan.

The cottage is in a rural neighborhood, with rather narrow roads and deep ditches on either side of the pavement. The amount of passing traffic is a bit surprising, but I thought I would have enough room and warning to manage it for walking. What I didn’t expect was the number of big dogs, although why I wouldn’t expect that in a rural Oregon neighborhood, I have no idea. Big barking dogs, even behind fences, scare me. Adding to that fear is the sight of a big barking dog that has managed to get outside his fence. I have to remember to get some pepper spray.

After one day of walking Summit Loop for a few miles, I decided I needed another alternative for my walking project when we are at the cottage. Enter Cathedral Hills County Park.

Just a mile west of the cottage lies the hidden treasure of 400 acres of BLM protected wild land with more than 12 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine dominate the forested portions of the park, with madrone, manzanita, and yes, poison oak on the warmer southern slopes.

I drove to the Walker trail head, with a small parking lot for just a few cars and found it completely empty. I also found a nice notification of a black bear seen in the area just a few days prior to my visit. I wasn’t concerned, however, black bears usually stay well hidden and run when approached. I was worried that there might be loose dogs or crazy people wandering about, but turned out I had the entire trail to myself.

It was a great hike, accompanied by a large flock of turkeys, I walked up the steep eastern flank of the hills toward the ridge, enjoying the switchbacks. Unlike Humbug Mountain, these switchbacks actually have level areas in addition to the steeper parts. Good knee resting sections for the trip back down!

I was appreciative of the trail signs, and once on the ridge hiked south to get some amazing views of the Applegate Valley and the coast range mountains to the southwest. It is easy to forget just how mountainous this part of Oregon is when driving around in lower parts of the Rogue Valley and Grants Pass.

The cottage in on the terrace mid photo toward the east

I had the iPhone tracking my route, and as I continued on the ridge trail, was having a big of difficulty figuring out how that route fit with what I was seeing on the trail. Turns out I was completely turned around in my head, and thought I was looking west toward the valley, and instead, with closer inspection realized that I was looking directly at the terrace below where the cottage was barely visible toward the east. Sheesh. I don’t think you could actually get lost in the hills, but you can definitely get turned around and end up somewhere you might not want to be.

I am so happy that there is this amazing resource for me to explore so close to home. I only walked a few miles, and later, looking at the park map, realized just how much there is left to discover through the seasons at this hidden gem.

Our last adventure at the cottage was a bit less fun, but no less exciting. Deb had been hearing activity under the house, and there was a large excavated hole indicating that some creature really liked living there. She bought a trap and set it, with no results. However, a bigger trap did the trick, and when Mo and I got up on our last morning, we saw the cute little black and white visitor curled up in the back of the trap, watching us with her twinkling eyes.

Skunks are really cute critters. Really. Deb had to go to work, and couldn’t wait around to deal with it. Oh dear. Too Bad. Mo and I said not to worry, we would handle it. We not only had the pickup, but had the trailer with us for hauling the lawn mower, so figured the skunk could be relocated without much damage.

Mo threw a blue tarp over her, but she didn’t spray until Mo actually picked up the trap and put it in the far back part of the trailer, covering the tarp with the wheel chocks so the tarp wouldn’t blow away as we drove down the highway. Critter control had told Deborah that at least 20 miles away was required for release to keep the animals from returning.

We settled for about 15 miles, where we found a nice area near the Merlin dump, with no houses around, lots of brush and a ravine with a small stream. Ms Skunk should have been delighted to jump out of her cage. Instead she hung back, and when Mo upended the trap, she managed to stick to the back of the cage and refused to come out! Finally with a bit of pushing and shaking and some more spraying (did you know a skunk can spray straight up?!), she fell out of the trap and ambled off into the brush.

Mission accomplished. I do hope she doesn’t try to find her way home. So far there has been no activity under the house, but we saved the stinky blue tarp just in case, and will know what to do next time. Even though Mo didn’t get sprayed directly, we had skunk smell everywhere, especially on her shoes and clothes and in the truck and in the baby car. That smell is just amazing. I found out that hydrogen peroxide and baking soda works better than tomato juice, but in the absence of a quart of peroxide around the house, I learned that ammonia works almost as well.

Mo’s shoes are still on the porch here at home airing out, and the truck still smells faintly skunky. Ah well…at least we didn’t get hit directly and Deb’s cats didn’t get sprayed either. Life can be fun if you let it.