Day 302, Time to fly home

With a 4:15am wake up call it was time to head to the airport. We were all flying out of Shannon airport to Manchester England. We were delayed in getting parked and our 90 minute connection was reduced to 50 minutes. We had to collect our bags at the baggage claim and recheck-in at the Delta counter. The Aer Lingus people sent us to terminal 3 which was wrong and Allie and I had to walk to terminal 2 and quickly. There were no wheelchairs a available so we walked the mile long trek to the terminal. It was a bit too much for Allie but she kept up. When we got to Delta there were very apologetic and got us a wheelchair. We were extremely late and they rushed us through customs and onto the plane.

Flying home and still smiling

They had already called the final boarding call by the time got there. The flight was full and would take 8 hours to get us to Atlanta. The flight was smooth and the showed 4 movies! And served 2 meals.

We departed for Portland at 4:30pm and arrived 5 hours later at 7:30pm. Delta had a wheelchair waiting for Allie and walked with her up the check point and handed her off to her son-in-law mark. It has need a long day and I'm sure Allie was glad to be home after a trip of a life time.

With Allie and Mark safely on their way home I headed to my last gate and my final leg home. I should be home by 10pm 24 hours after leaving Shannon, Ireland.

It has been one amazing trip and I would turn around immediately and do it all over again.

Day 301, Dromoland Castle

Dromoland Castle, our last night in Ireland

Our driver arrived at 9am and we were off to Dromoland Castle and our last day in Ireland. We took a leisurely drive south stopping at Galloway and Gort.

Arriving at Dromoland was again another impressive arrival with a spectacular setting, champion golf course and of course a magical castle. The grounds of all the castle have been amazing and I can't help but want to go home and redesign my landscaping.

Day 300, Kylemore Abby and Ashford Castle

Kylemore Abby

Today we are going to see Kylemore Abby, which was one of the things that I absolutely wanted to see when we started planing this trip over a year ago. The Abby is breathtaking and the sad history makes you appreciate life just a little bit more. Built in 1867 by Mitchel Henery to show his love for his wife Margaret, she would never see the house finished as she died while on holiday in Ciro. Mr. Henry brought her back to the castle and built her a gothic church and laid her to rest near by. The property was sold to nuns who operated an all girls school until just last year. The Abby was worth the trip alone.

Our drive through the countryside was beyond words with scenery that is so beautiful and a landscape dotted with some of the most amazing history and countless ruins. We stopped of at the remains of several churches and I was clicking snapshots as fast as my camera would let me.

Ashford Castle

On our drive to Ashford Castle we stopped at a small picturesque village and there was a wedding taking place at the 16th century church. We pulled over to walk around and there waiting to take the newlyweds away was a 1937 Packard Standard 8. I was so shocked to see a Packard in Ireland. We stopped and our driver said is that a Packard? The owner of the car was happy to meet me, another Packard owner. He said he has the only Packard in Ireland, the car was fully restored and in stunning condition.

After talking Packard's and exploring the small village we were off to Ashford.

Ashford Castle is one of the Grand-dads of all Castles. The size and grandeur is what fairytales are made of. The first stones were laid in 1228 and several expansions took place over the next 800 years. The grounds around the property and along the lake shore, wind through the 150 year old gardens and forest.

Ireland is a very special place and has grabbed a hold of me. I cant believe that there is only one more day left of my holiday, but I definitely know I will be back. This trip has exceeded all my expectations and I could stay forever.

Day 299, 65 more days until I've owned my trailer a year.

Here it is day 300 since I bought my 1950 Traveleze trailer and I'm about as far from it as possible. I have really been enjoying my "holiday" but have been thinking about the trailer. Surprisingly I have seen numerous tailers and today one that was very vintage and looked like a 1950's canned ham. I wanted to tell the driver to pull over, but I was afraid he and my traveling companions would think I was nuts.

The lost city

Anyway, today we drove out to a village that was abandoned during the famine. There were 30 or 40 homes closely nestled together, high on a hillside, now abandoned with just the stone walls remaining. It was fascinating to walk among the ruins and wonder what life must have been like.

We stopped at several small towns both going and coming from the unnamed abandoned town and the scenery was breathtaking. We were driving high above the ocean on one lane cliff roads across the country side past peaty bogs, around castles and Abby's and into lush forests.

Great Irish music

Back at Ballynahinch Castle, we went for a walk around the estate and along the river. We stumbled onto the old Ballynahinch rail road depot that is now a private home(awesome). The railway is now gone, but the route is trail that winds through the countryside.

At 8:30pm our driver(Tige), came to take us into Clifden for dinner and some true Irish pub music. The pub was packed, but he managed to get us a table front and center. With a plate of fresh Atlantic fish and chips, a pint of Guinness and some live local talent, I couldn't help but feel Irish.

Day 298, Friday and a drive through the country.

The Irish country side

Today we driving out into the country across an area they call the Burn, where there topsoil is gone and just rock remains. It is said that glaciers once covered the area with ice a mile thick, scraping off the soil and depositing large boulders on top of the flat rocky surface.

The days travel took us once again past numerous castles and ruins and we stopped at several in order to explore them a little closer. There is something about a ruin that makes me want to restore it. I can't help but wonder what it looked liked when it was being used and who was using it.

Ballynahinch Castle

Our destination for the night is Ballynahinch Castle. This amazing castle has an interesting history including having been owned by a Maharaja. Built in the late 1700's, extensively remodeled in 1813 and several more times throughout it's history. The castle sits on a river in a lush forest and has long been known as a hunting and fishing destination.

Day 297, Thursday the Cliffs of Moher

This was an exciting day, the sun was shining and we adventures to the Cliffs of Moher.

Ferry across the river Shannon

Our travels took us past dozens of ruined castles, homes and Abby's. We took the ferry across the river Shannon, which was a bit exciting as the winds had began to blow with gale force. The river was covered with white caps and the waves buffeted the boat sending sprays of see water over the cars and ferry. When got to the other side they were preparing to add more life boats to the ferry!

Cliffs of Moher

We arrives at the Cliffs of Moher and this would have been exciting on a normal day, but today the winds were approaching 60 to 70 mph. Trying to climb up the hill was a challenge even for my 215 lbs. Once at the top I had to hold onto my hat, but it blew off anyway and over the wall. There was no way I was going over the wall to get it - it was far too windy and I could be blown over the 1,000 foot cliff. The view was incredible and a true highlight of the trip. It was breathtaking and O'Brians tower just your mind a wondering of what life must have been like hundreds of years ago.

Moy House

Tonight we are staying at the Moy House, a spectacular renovated palatial 200 year old home that sits right on the Atlantic. It's an amazing property and once again began to explore climbing up in the tower and walking the beach.

For dinner our driver picked us up at 8:30pm to take us into a small town to a locals Pub where his friends were going to be playing. We got there about 9pm and found a table and within minutes the place was packed, we had got there just in time. We shared our our table with two German couples who had wondered in and the place was packed. I had to have a pint of Guinness to make the experience perfect. Our driver even tried to hook me up with a beautiful girl named Francesca from North of Rome who was on holiday with her friend.

It was a great day and it was now 11pm and time to head back to the Moy House. There was still light in the night sky but it would be dark soon and it was time for bed.

Day 296, The Ring of Kerry

With another great day a head of us we set out to cover the ring of Kerry. This peninsula is much like the ring of Dingle, but perhaps a bit more populated. The tour buses were out in force, but with small van we were able to get in and out a lot faster and avoid most of them.

Muchross Manor

The high lights of the day were St Mary's Cathedral here in Killarney, the drive throughout the county, whatching sheep get rounded up, standing in the Atlantic and the Muchross Manor. We drove by many ruins of castles, abby's and famin houses, of which I could spends months exploring each one. Learning the history of Ireland and the upheaval that they have endured is amazing. I could easily spend years studying their history and never get enough.

We covered a lot of ground and returned to the hotel around 6pm. It's amazing how tired you get riding around a car. I had just enough time to lay down for a few minutes before going to dinner at 7pm. This is our last night in Killarney before heading off to our next destination of Lehinch and the Cliffs of Moher.

One interesting observation was that there are vintage trailers in Ireland too. Several times I saw trailers tucked behind old stone buildings and I wondered what they were like. The other observation of course is the lack of pickups and I wondered what most people would pull a trailer with? The cars here are tiny as gas is around $8 to $11 a gallon.

Our driver told us there is a 100% tax on cars, so if a new car sells for $25,000 the tax is $25,000. Also, you can pay up to $3,500 a year to license a car! If you buy a used car that is worth $10,000 but you get a "good deal" and pay $6,000, they will tax you $4,000, so you pay the full value. There is no way the average person can afford to own a car of any means and to be able to drive it.

Day 295, The ring of Dingle

Tuesday morning and I was up at 5am, sleeping in a manor was pretty neat and I still wanted to explore some more of the spectacular property. We had arranged for us all to meet at 7:30am for breafast in the dinning room and then go into town for a walk around Adare.

Very expensive eggs and bacon

The breakfast was awesome, but bacon and eggs were $35. I'm just considering it an experience and one that is worth it. Adare was charming and we met our driver at 11am for our days adventure. I was was not wanting to leave the Manor and I took one last look as I walked out the door.

Ireland is breathtaking, and today our journey is going to take us to the ring of Dingle (the loop around the peninsula). We drove a one lane road over O'Connal Pass, one of the scariest cliffhang roads ever, up the most spectacular green rocky valley. At the top you could see the tiny fishing village of Dingle were we would have lunch and have a look around.

The O'Connell Suite

The day flew by and our destination for the night is Killarney. This tourist Mecca is the heart of Ireland's tourism industry and has more hotel rooms than Dublin. Our hotel is the Killarney Park Hotel and wow, what a property. I didn't think we would find anything that came close to the accommodations of the Adare Manor, but this place was equally as impressive in it's own way. My room had been upgraded to the O'Connell Suite, a massive suite tucked high up in the rafters with huge beams, crown moldings, boxed ceilings, curved dormer windows and rich antiques. It is spectacular!!! This will be my room for the next two nights as we explore this area of Ireland.

We had dinner in Killarney and enjoyed a nice chat by he hotel fireplace in the study.

This was another great day.

Day 294, Travel to Limrick and Adare

Monday morning we met our driver and were leaving town. Today of all days, President O'Bama as they have been calling was arriving, and the security measures were intense. If we did not get out of the city we would be stuck for hours. As it was, it took us nearly an hour get out.

Dunratty Castle

On out drive it just so happen the the road we were on took us through the town which is related to O'Bama's heritage, so naturally that road was closed and we bad to detour several times to get to our first stop. The drive was spectacular and the landscape was covered with ruins of mid-evil castles. I could spend years exploring them all.


Our first stop was Dunratty Castle a restored castle and village that was incredible. It was a major tourist destination, but you couldn't help bur like it. Allie was determined to climb to the top of the castle and she did! The winding spiral stair cases were a challenge for all of us, but well worth the effort. Each stair well led to amazing rooms and hidden spaces.

Adare Manor

Following Dunratty we were off to Limerick for a quick tour of the city and then off to the small village of Adare and our destination for the night Adare Manor. Adare is one of the top three castle/manors in the country. To say it is impressive is an understatement. It was actually hard to believe we were going to stay here.

After checking in we wanted to freshen up a bit and then go view this amazing property. I have snapped nearly a hundred photos and as soon as I can down load them and attach them I will

Awesome day!

Day 293, Sunday May 22

Getting my days and nights to adjust to the 8 hour time change is being a bit more difficult than I had hopped for. I woke up at 2:30 am after going to bed at 9:30pm. It was nice to just lay in bed rest but by 6am I was ready to go.



St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland

 We all met for breakfast and our first stop of the day was going to be Church. St Pratricks Cathedral was just blocks away and we all wanted to attend a service there. The serive was being held in the Lady Chaple and there were just a handful of us there for this very unique service. The Cathedral was amazing and afterwords we were allowed to walk around and explore the building, which was started around 10th and 11th century. Amazing!

Following the service we got on one of the double decker tourist busses and road around the city. We took in several of the sites including the Guinness Brewery! After that it was off to the Jameson Distillery. It was a little different culture as compared to yesterday's visit to Trinity College and viewing the book of Kells.

It is only our second day in Ireland and the history and culture is fantastic. I have been surprised at how expensive everything is, however. Souvenir t-shirts are around $20 to $30 Euro's which is about $30 to $40 dollars. Dinner has been running us about $150 to $200 for the 4 of us and lunch is around $100. Our dollar is so weak the exchange rate is horrible.

After a great day of exploring the city and exploring the many side streets we were ready to call it a day. We ended up watching Secretariet on the movie channel and going to bed around 11pm.

Tomorrow we will all meet for breakfast and then join up with our driver and head to our next city Limerick were we will stay at the Adare Manor.

We will be leaving just before Obama arrives in Dublin, and they close most of the streets.

Day 292, Landed in Ireland day 1.

We landed in Dublin Ireland at 8:50am Saturday morning after traveling all day and night. I was really tired but excited to be here. We had excellent seats and great service thanks to some kind words to the gate agent and large bag of M&M's that I gave to the Flight Attendants at the start of the flight.

As Allie and I walked to the customs line a few rows ahead of us was Robin and Brad. Their flight was late and was a few minutes early. The timing was perfect and we could all fit into one car, saving us about $90.



Lobby of the Fitz William, Dublin, Ireland



By the time we got to the hotel the trip was starting to hit us, we checked and took a 30 mi ute powers nap. I had to take a shower and before long we were all ready to go sight seeking.

We all lasted a few hours had lunch and then we all desperately needed more sleep. We went back to the hotel at 2pm and slept for three hours. We had dinner reservations for 6pm. We ate at a place called Poeple' and it was fantastic. The waiter was from Poland and has been living in Dublin for 10 years. He gave us all kinds of suggestions for where to go tomorrow, so we took notes and will check some out tomorrow.

After dinner it was back to the hotel and we were all still very tired. It was bed time at 9pm.

I am having cell phone issues, so this might be the only time I can log on. We shall see how it goes. I also have not figured out how to attach photos. I do have my cameras so I will take lots and attach them later.

Day 291, Leaving for Ireland

After months of planning the day is finally here. The alarm was set for 4:20am and Allie and I were on the slhotel shuttle to the airport at 5am.



Flying to Dublin, Ireland

 The flight from Portland to New York's JFK was sold out. For some reason our seats were not together but luckily I was able to get us seated next to eachother and at a bulkhead.

We arrived in New York at 3:30pm and have a 6 hour layover. After the 5 and half hour flight we were both hungry so we went to dinner.

We now have two hours before we depart for Dublin. This will be a 6 and half hour flight and we will arrive Saturday morning at 8am.

This what you call a long day.

Day 290, Thursday, Leadership Redmond and leave for Ireland

After a horrible night sleep I got up at 6am to get ready for Leadership Redmond. We were starting early in order to join a business grop for their monthly breakfast. My head was spinning and my throat was soar from coughing but I made it there despite the fact that my voice was not.

Leadership went smooth and I left the group at noon so I could go home and finish packing and get ready to leave for the airport. Tonight I will fly to Portland and meet up with my friend's mother Allie who is 86, we will then fly out tomorrow at 7am to fly to New York and then on over to Dublin, where we will meet up with Robin and Brad.

I made it to Portland and I am exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before. I plan on turning in early since Allie and I will have to catch the airport shuttle at 5:30am.

The hotel is extremely scary on the outside, but the rooms are nice and will be fine for the short stay that we will be here.

Day 289, Wednesday

It was an extremely busy day trying to get ready to leave for vacation and prepare for Leadership Redmond. To top off my day needed to take my cat Harris to the Vet for a puncture wound to the ear. The vet thought it would heal fine on it's own or I could him a shot of antibiotics for $70. I decided tongans a chance and let my folks keep an eye on his ear while I'm gone. The appointment took over an hour. I ran some errands for Leadership and then went home to mow the lawn. I have a 5:30pm Airport commission meeting and I figured I had time ringer it done.

I was pretty much packed and ready to go, I just needed to do a little cleaning. I went to bed early a little stuffed up and by 3am I was coughing my head off. It was not a good night sleep and to top it off Scrappy brought in dead bunny. At least I think it was a bunny it was missing it's head.

Day 288, Happy Syttende Mai

The 17th of May is Norwegian Independence Day and is the equivalent of our 4th of July.  Norway's quest for independence began on May 17, 1814, with the signing of a new Constitution. Yet, Norway's forced union with Sweden, which began Jan. 14, 1814 (after 400 years of domination by Denmark), was to last until 1905 when Norway proclaimed, and secured, full independence. May 17, Norway's Constitution Day, is often celebrated as an "independence day." 

At the party with my Mom.

My Grandfather came from Norway when he was 7 years old and my father is very proud to be a viking.  My parents have hosted a Norwegian Independence Day party every year's.  Tonight they were hosting once again a big party to celebrate the occasion and share good times with friends.  I had a Business After Hours to go to at 4:30, which ended at 5:45, so I was little late getting to the party.  By the time I arrived, the party was in full swing and helmets with horns, Norwegian Flags and small viking figures were everywhere.  The food was fantastic, especially the Lefse' and rosettes. 

It was a fun day and completely overate! 

Day 287, Monday and feel like crud

I am definitely stuffed up and have lots of sinus pressure.  It's hard to tell if this is just allergies from the Juniper smoke, or if I actually caught a bug, either way it's not good.  I have a ton of work to get done in preparation for my Ireland trip this week.  It's kind of hard to think 12 days out and to make sure I've done all the little things that need to be dealt with while I'm gone.

My home will be in the good hands of my parents who will be staying there and taking care of the animals and yard. I just need to make sure I have the supplies that they will need while I'm gone.

At 5:30pm I was supposed to go workout with my Mom, but that got cancelled due to a scheduling conflict and a large class in the gym.  I can't say I was all that bummed as I really need the time to prepare for the trip, but I need to workout and will miss my trainer kicking my butt while I'm gone.

Pear tree finally in bloom.

When I got home I was able to start packing, but mostly I was exhausted and rested on the couch.  Tomorrow I need to go see my doctor and get some antibiotics for the trip just in case this sinus issue turns into something worse.

I did let the chickens out at noon and the pear tree by the coop is in full bloom.  The chicken's spent the day digging up bugs and laid 5 eggs.  Egg production is up, which makes me happy and have 3 dozen eggs in the refrigerator.

Day 286, Sunday and I don't feel good.

I woke up feeling like I was getting extremely sick.  My nose and sinuses were completely stuffed up and the back of throat was scratchy.  I felt horrible and I am sure it was from the Juniper.  I took another allergy pill and sprayed saline up my nose but nothing seemed to work.  Then I remember reading about spraying a diluted mixture of hydrogen peroxide up your nose and I figured what the heck I would try it after church. I probably would have skipped church, but I was signed up to be an usher.

I ran to the store on my way home and picked up a few items, including a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.  I sprayed a few sniffs up my nose and wow did that work.  I could feel that something was going on and after a few minutes I blew my nose.  Within minutes my scratchy throat was better, but I still felt kind of low energy, so took most of the day pretty easy and laid on the couch.  I can't afford to be sick, I have a big week ahead of me and a big vacation.

It was as about as low a key Sunday as you can possibly have.

Day 285, A little yard work

It was a beautiful morning and the forecast was for rain.  We were even under a flash flood alert, which seems strange for the high desert. 

The first thing on my agenda was to get out and mow the lawn.  It takes about an hours to mow the lawn and it's not growing too fast yet, so I just barely fill the bag.  Once the summer heat heats and I fertilize I will be mowing almost twice a week and will need to empty the double bags 3 or 4 times each mowing. 

I have also noticed a number of dandelions popping in the lawn, so need to spray.  I also need to spray the fruit trees with organic spray to fend off disease and bugs.

Burning a huge pile of juniper branches

Across the street on the 40 acres my brother and nephews were gathering up the trimmed limbs from around the property and putting them in a huge pile to burn.  I went over to help keep an eye on the fire as they drove around property 7 times, with each trip returning with a huge trailer full of Juniper branches.

I spent the entire afternoon keeping an eye on the fire and raking the limbs and coals together so they all burned up. I thought about the fact that I am allergic to Juniper, but figured I was standing up wind and I would be fine.

By 6:30pm the wind had really started to pick up as well as a few rain drops started to fall.  The one enormous pile of branches, 50' long by 5' high had burned away to nothing and I was ready to go in for the night.

I could tell once in side that I smelled like smoke I took a nice long hot shower and took an allergy pill. It had really started to rain now, so any leftover hot spots would now be extinguished.  It was a great job done, and my brother and nephews had worked hard.  The property looks amazing and the red wheat is looking great.

Day 284, Friday

This week seemed to go by fairly quickly, but I was still glad to see Friday roll around.



The lawn is green so summer should be near.

  I was able to go home at noon let the chickens out and they laid 5 eggs already. The weather was cloudy but it was warm, so I really didn't mind the clouds and the looming threat of rain. The lawn was turning real green from the warmer temps, so summer can't be too far behind.

The rest of the day went fast and before long it was quitting time. Tonight however I had a Leadership Alumni party to go to at 5:30pm. The event was very successful and was finished around 8:30pm. The only surprise of the evening was that I had to speak, which I wasn't aware of.  I think everyone had a good time and the food was excellent, so that helped make for a nice evening.

 It had been a long day,  so I was ready to go home, I was tired.

Day 283, Another beautiful day and a killer workout

Despite the forecast for more bad weather, it actually turned out fairly nice.  Work was busy, which made the day fly by and I worked through lunch, so I could leave early for my workout.  I also needed to drop off Visitor Guides in Bend, so the trip was going to be productive as well.

My workout was going to be with the intern, as my regular trainer was gone for the day.  I was a little bit concerned that this super fit young guy was going to kill me with the workout.  He had created a great workout that we were going to run through 3 times and then finish with some stretches.  He paid close attention to my form and corrected me where I needed it.  He had created a very good workout as I was dieing.  I was correct in thinking he was going to kill me and when my time was up, I was a puddle on the floor.  I was exhausted and dripping with sweat; it really was a "killer workout".

Immediately following my workout, I had a Building Committee meeting with the Sons of Norway at the Lodge, which is just down the street from the gym.  The meeting was quick and productive, which is the way I like them.

Following the meeting I went to take a look at Justin's 1954 Chevy Bel Air and 1948 Westwood trailer.  The car was awesome, a dark green 2 door sedan with a luggage rack on top.  The car was weathered and had a few dents here and there, but it was still a great car.  I think it is probably a bit more of a project than I want to take on at the time, but it's a great looking car.

The Westwood trailer is amazing, they had obviously been working night and day to get it ready for the big trailer show in Pismo Beach, California next week.  The wood interior is spectacular and they are tossing in a few cleverly hidden up grades, like flat screen TV's behind vintage cabinetry.   This is an awesome trailer and at approximately 26' in length, it is the ideal trailer.   I have trailer envy in the worst way.

Justin said that after Pismo, things should calm down and they could come get my trailer.

It was another great day and I let the chickens out at 7pm to enjoy the remainder of the day.

Day 282, Wednesday

Nothing to eventful to report, I'm scheduled tomorrow to go look at Justin's 1954 Chevy Bel Air to see if it would work to pull my trailer and to take a look at his progress on the 48 Westwood.   I'm excited to see both and I am sure I will be very impressed with trailer.

The weather was turning cold and windy and by 5pm it was downright cold.  I got home at 5:15pm and my father and brother were out working on the irrigation pipe on the 40 acres and trying to get some old bent pipe to cooperate so they could water the trees.  I went  home and changed my clothes, let the chickens out and went back to help.  The wind was really whipping up and the dirt was blowing, making it pretty miserable.  By 7pm we were pretty much done and it was time to call it a day.

My mother was making dinner and invited me out for a bite which of course I agreed too.  I got back home by 9pm, closed the chicken coop door for the night and went inside to get ready for bed.

It had been a very nice day.

Day 281, Tuesday

Tuesday was said to be the only day this week that will be sunny and the morning was agreeing with the prediction.  It was sunny and beautiful and I woke feeling ready for the day.

Work was busy with my my noon monthly Board meeting and then I had my after noon workout.  I really hadn't worked out in over a week, so I was a little nervous about what my trainer would have me do.  I also was bringing my Mom and I know she was worried about working out for the first time in nearly 8 months.  I brought fresh eggs to give to my trainer and she bought me a loaf of Great Harvest bread.

My workout consisted of running about three miles, one on the tread mill and two out on the trails.  My Mom worked out with my trainer and my run was with a intern from the college, a 24-ish, ripped young guy, who puts me to shame.  I had to tell him I hate him, for being in such good shape. He could totally carry on a conversation while jogging, while I was gasping for air (OK so I'm not quite that bad).  I was only kidding  and he's good motivation for me to keep running and to eat right (oh to be young and in shape).  After the run we got in a few pull ups, a few lunges and of course lots of stretching.  He totally kick my butt, but it was a great workout.

A portion of my driveway after being seal coated.

Back home, I had scheduled to have my driveway seal coated and they took full advantage of the nice weather and got it done.  I was so pleased to see the driveway, looking like new again.  With the sun being out and the temperature in the 70's the driveway was dry, but I didn't want to take any chances.   I parked my truck across the street on the 40 acres over night and I stayed off the driveway for the recommended 24 hours. 

It was beautiful evening and I let the chickens out to enjoy a few hours of freedom in the yard.

It was an awesome day.

Day 280, Back to work

It's always a challenge to go back to work after being gone for a week.  I spent the first half of the day sorting through emails, the mail and returning phone calls.



Scrappy waiting for the Doctor.

 My lunch time was spent taking my aging cat, Srappy, to the Vet for a check up.  Scrappy was once a 19 lbs cat, that has now dropped down to 9.11 lbs; he is literally less than half his original weight.  At 15  years old, his years are probably reaching close to the end, but he acts fine. The poor little guy just can't seem to maintain his weight.  The Vet gave  him the once over and I was sent home with new food, and the instructions to collect a sample!  This will be a challenges, since he's an outside cat and takes care of business outside.   I'm going to have to lock Scrap in a room with a litter box until he does his business.

The day flew by and I was home by 5:15pm.

Day 279, Happy Mothers Day

It was nice having my folks home and to be able to have breakfast with my Mom.  We had fresh eggs from my chickens and hand picked grapefruit and oranges that we had brought home from La Quinta, CA.  Everything tasted so great and it was so nice to be together and to share a Mothers Day breakfast with my Mom.

I went to Church and my folks went to the Home and Garden Show.  After Church and the Home Show we got back together and went to tour 5 Open Houses at the very exclusive Pronghorn Resort, just outside of Bend.  The property is spectacular and features two world class golf courses, one by Tom Fozio and the other by award winning jack Nicklaus.  The open houses were very nice and ranged in size from 2,800 sq. ft. up to 4,700 sq. ft.  These homes were all built at the height of the housing bobble and builders and owners were all caught in the fall.  Homes that once sold near $4 million were now selling as low as $1.2 million.

What was even more sad, was to see other homes that were not finished before the bobble burst and the market crashed.  Homes that were built 5 years ago and have been sitting empty, abandoned and had never reaching their full glory.  One home was just the walls with no roof; it will probably never be completed and will have to torn down.  But on the positive side, the homes that have survived the financial crisis are spectacular examples of fine craftsmanship and timeless design.

It had been a beautiful day and I spent the final hours of sunlight working in the yard.

Day 278, Glad to be home

It was so nice to be back home and to sleep in my own bed.  I woke up at 6:30am feeling ready to tackle the day.  I started the laundry and finished unpacking.  I had left the house clean and it had pretty much stayed that way, other than the dried gopher blood on the carpet in the hall.  With a bottle of Oxy Clean, lots of water and my Green Machine carpet shampooer I got right up.  Now why do I have cats?


This is why I cut down the Aspen trees they send suckers everywhere.


It was a sunny day and I was looking forward to spending some time in the yard.  I really needed to fix the mess that the chickens had created while I was gone. I spent a few hours just filling in the holes, blowing the barkdust out of the gravel path, hosing off the patio and just tidying up the yard.  I also needed to mow the lawn and that was going to be first outside project.  I was busy all day and I was very happy to just be puttering in the yard.  I filled the fish pond using the irrigation hose, pruned trees a spent a good portion of the afternoon digging up Aspen Tree roots.  Even though I cut down the trees last August and treated the stumps, I'm still getting new shoots.  Pulling up roots is not a lot of fun and it's hard on the back.  When I finish I had a wheelbarrow clear full.

The chickens spent the day outside and continued with their little path of destruction, but they also laid 4 eggs and provided lots of amusement, so I let them get away with making a continuous mess.

Day 277, The drive home

As expected, my folks were up early, but so was I.  I woke up at 6:30am and was ready to hit the road.  After a small breakfast of fresh fruit, coffee and an oatmeal raisin cookie, we were all set to go.

We had filled up the car the night before, so with a full tank we would be more than able to make it home (445 miles).  I was very impressed with the car as it was averaging 25.3 mpg and for a very large sedan it seemed very reasonable.  It was exactly 7am and the cars navigation had calculated the best route and estimated our arrival time home at 2:45pm.



Rest stop outside of Susanville, CA

 By 10:30am we were just outside of Susanville, CA and my Mother suggested we stop at the rest stop, which she new was a very nice.  It was actually a extremely nice rest stop on the edge of lake and wildlife area.  I snapped a picture or two and after a few minutes we were ready to head up the road.  As my Mother went to get in the back seat she noticed the back tire was going flat.  It was about half way down and I figured I could find someone (an RV) with a pump.  The first guy I asked had one and was more than happy to help.  He had one of those little electric pumps you plug into a cigaret lighter, but after 5 minutes it wasn't doing anything.  We turned the pump off and I could hear air leaking from the tire.  There was no way were going to pump it and drive the 14 miles to Susanville and the Les Schwab Tire Center. 

I made several calls, one to AAA and one to Les Schwab, both of them could send someone to change the tire, but none could fix the tire.  I am more than capable of changing a tire, so we decided to change the tire and drive on in to Susanville.  The real problem was unloading a trunk that was packed to gills, but we manage to take everything out and remove the full size spare.  When I got the car jacked up and the tire removed, we were all in complete shock.  The entire inside of the tire was gone and the wire threads were showing all the way around the tire.  Why it didnt blow while I was driving (hmm maybe just a little over the 65mph speed limit), was amazing. 

The tire had held together and the pressure let go as the car was parked in the parking lot. There was no indication that I had driven on a flat tire as the sidewall looked fine and the car has a tire pressure monitoring system and it had not indicated any pressure issues and the car drove beautifully.  Of course when I started the car the system was saying "Flat tire".  The timing was amazing and obviously someone up above was watching out for us. 

With the spare firmly in place and the trunk re-packed we headed to Susanville and Les Schwab.  We had them check the lug nuts and the tire pressure all the way around.  We also asked if he could check the other back tire and he was shocked to see that it too was showing threads.  There was something seriously wrong with the back two tires and the camber of the tires.  My father had just had the car serviced and inspected at the Palm Springs BMW dealer but something was really wrong. 

The real problem is that the car is equiped with 19" staggered low profile Perrelli tires and no one in Susanville or even Reno, NV had them.  There wasn't even a tire that would fit the 10" wide rim that could get us home.  We were looking at a two day stay to get a new tire delivered and as nice as Susanville is, we were all looking forward to going home.

We decided to head to Klamath Falls, 130 miles North, and try our luck there.  The tire was holding air and we figured if I drove below the speed limit we could limp our way North and if the tire lets go, we could have the car transported back home.  Once in Klamath Falls, there were no stores that had the tire, so we kept on driving and made it to Bend, where we quickly ordered 4 new tires. The tire held up over 300 miles and got us safely home. 

We unloaded the car and I had to give it a bath and remove the millions of bugs that we had smashed on the 943 mile journey.   And with the car clean and shinny as new, my Father parked it in the garage until the new tires arrive on Wednesday.  He will have the alignment checked and he will have a few strong words with BMW of Palm Springs.

I got home around 6pm and it was nice to see the place.  The chickens were out and man had they made a mess of my yard over the week. 

It was good to be home.

Day 276, Thursday and on the road



A rest stop in the Eastern Sierra's



With car packed and loaded, we were on the road by 8am.  My parents are great travelers, Mom had packed enough food to get us all the way home, with snacks for every two hours.  My Father, had programed the navigation system on the cars computer and all I had to do was drive.

We of course had to plan several rest stops and enjoyed the opportunity to stretch my legs and straighten out my back.  Our trip took us up hwy 111, a slight detour through Riverside, California and then up Hwy 395 into the Eastern Sierra's.  The Sierra's are beautiful and the traffic was light and mostly free of large trucks.  My eyes are now trained to look for old trailers and I did see few, but most of all I kept thinking how fun it would be to drive this route pulling the trailer.



A 612 Scaglietti Ferrari in the parking lot of the restaurant.

 After eight hours of driving we reached our over night destination of Carson City, Nevada.  We took our time getting settled in the room and then went to dinner.  Of course I was immediately taken by the 612 Scaglietti Ferrari in the parking lot of the restaurant.  Carson City, has some amazing history, lots of casinos and some pretty spectacular cars.

We were back in the hotel room by 8:30 and I was in bed by 10pm.  If I knew my folks they would be up at the crack of dawn.

Day 275, Wednesday and packing to go home

Today was packing day and preparing the house to be closed up for the summer. In an earthquake prone area this means removing anything from the walls or shelves that might fall during an earthquake. We also bring in all patio furniture and flower pots. It is quite an undertaking when you think of all the pictures on the wall and lamps that need to removed and laid down.


View from the balcony at the Hogs Breath in La Quinta, CA.


We did manage to go out to dinner and when we pulled into the parking lot we parked next to a vintage 1965 VW bug convertible. The owners were standing next to it as it had a flat tire. We had gone to dinner with our friends from Enterprise, Oregon and we were in their car. This couple standing next to the bug saw the license plate and as it turns out there were from Oregon too. We all got to talking and we knew a lot of the same people. Even more interesting is they have a 1965 vintage trailer needing to be restored. I just happened to have a card for Flyte Camp Vintage Trailer Restoration in my wallet so I gave it to her. They seemed like great people who loved cars and trailers, can you get any better than that? Oh, she was even Norwegian and belonged to the Sons of Norway in Eugene!

Dinner was at a restaurant call The Hogs Breath and the food was excellent. It was nice to be sitting outside on the balcony with the misters going and enjoying the atmosphere. Did I mention that the temperature got to 101 today!?

After a great meal it back to home and to finish packing the car.

Day 274, Tuesday and a little sun

With the temperature climbing up into the 90's I couldn't help but soak up some rays and enjoy the warmth of the sun. It has been such a long cold winter in Central Oregon that it felt great to actually get hot.

I spent the day helping my father with a few projects and playing with my iPhone. There really wasn't a lot on the agenda and the day seemed to fly by.

I did get a report that the chickens were doing well and I even received a photo of them eating crackers on the back porch. They are obviously being treated very well.

Day 273, Monday and car day



Aston Martin

 Every time I come to the desert, my Dad and I take one day to go car shopping. This is one of the few places where you can shop for all the great automobiles of the world in one place. The desert (Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage) has names like BMW, Mercedes, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Maserati and Lotus. For the car lover it's heaven, and I'm a car lover.



A 2008 Mercedes that was "Sold" for $500,000.

 When I spend a day looking at cars with price tags that reach half a million dollars I can't help but think perhaps I made a serious poor career choice. It only takes me a moment or two snap out of it and realize I really do love what I do and that I have a really good life.



Rolls Royce

 I couldn't help but wonder what a Bentley Continental GT would look like pulling my trailer?

It was a great day.

Day 272, La Quinta sun

I have to admit that waking up to intense sun and the view of bougainvillea, barrel cactus, agave and hibiscus was a welcomed change. On the agenda for today was nothing!

Around 9am we did manage to go to the street fair and pick up some fresh fruit from the farmers market and later in the day my dad and I ran to Lowes to buy a water filter for the refrigerator - How exciting was that!

It was so nice to just sit in the sun a soak up some rays while watching the golfers go by.

Dinner was steaks on the barbecue at sunset, it was a great day.