Day 331, Wednesday and a concert

Today is our first concert of our summer season, which will start at 6pm and run every-other Wednesday throughout the summer, to September 7th.   The day was crazy with walk-ins and calls about the concert and the upcoming 4th of July Parade.

I really didn't have time for lunch but at 3pm I did manage to run to pick up some medication for my cats and to get my hair cut.

At 5pm I headed to the park for the concert and the crowd started to arrive by 6pm there was an estimated 1,500 people in attendance.  There were food and craft vendors and great kid zone that had rock climbing wall.  The new thing about this year's concerts is our new tent.  We got a tent sponsor and were able to buy a "star" tent that works perfectly for out needs and is easy to put up and take down.

After the concert, it took the band some time to break down and we could not take the tent down until they were done.  Once they were out from under the tent it took us about 20 minutes to be all loaded up and ready to head back at the office.  By 8:45pm I was finally on my way home. It had been a long day and the first of 6 concerts was now under our belt.

The poor chickens spent the entire day in the pen and only laid 2 eggs, what a disappointment.

Day 330, Tuesday and a beautiful sunset

Tuesday's weather was a bit stormy, with the occasional downpour and a threat of a thunderstorm.  Despite the unsettled forecast it was still a great day.

Work flew by and today was my workout day with my Mom and our trainer.  We also needed to drop off Visitor Guides in Bend, so we left early to make the drop.  The workouts seem to be getting more difficult or I'm getting weaker.  I did 12 pullups so I figure I must be getting somewhat stronger, since I couldn't do 2 when I started.

The walls of 64 Shasta laid on the shop floor.

Following the workout we stopped off to see Justin at Flyte Camp Vintage Trailer Restoration, where he is busy working on several projects.  Sadly my trailer has not worked its way indoors and it sounds like it might be a month before it does.  Looking at his projects it is amazing just knowledgeable Justin and he crew are.  They are completely rebuilding a 64 Shasta and the walls were laying out on the floor. waiting for new paneling. I am so surprised at just how thin these trailers are and how they can withstand being pulled over bumpy roads and last for years.  Justin said they will be doing the same thing with my trailer, so this will be interesting to watch.

Sunset on the 40, June,28,2011

As evening started to approach the she sun poked out and the sky was beautiful with dark clouds and golden sun light.  I walked down my driveway and looked across at my parents 40 acres.  The shadows were long and the evening light was beautiful.  The temperature was around 70 and the Western Meadowlark was singing, it was perfect.  I am so lucky to live where I do and to be able to experience country life.  With my cat standing on my feet and nudging my leg for attention, I just couldn't think how life could get any better.

Day 329, Monday and off to Keizer, OR

Today I have a meeting in Keizer, from 2 to 4pm, so I will need to leave my office at 11:15am to get there.  The sun is shining but the forecast is for afternoon thundershowers, still I think it's a great day to take the BMW convertible.  It gets great gas mileage, it's fun to drive and the fact that it's topless is a plus.

The trip over and back was uneventful.  The weather held out and it was an enjoyable day.  I arrived back home at 6:15pm and had time to enjoy the evening.

The chickens had been in all day so I let them out to enjoy a few hours of freedom and sunshine.  I got three eggs and the one hen still will not leave nest.

Still shinny after 20 years.

I really needed to wash and clean the BMW after making two trips over the mountain in the last three days it had several bugs and was covered in road dust.  The car is now 20 years old with just over 73k miles on it.  I noticed that the floor mats needed to be shampooed and so did the carpets, so I took most of the evening to give the car a through cleaning and it still looks pretty amazing for its age.

The sunset was beautiful and I sat on the porch enjoying the moment and listening to the birds singing in the fields.

Day 328, Sunday

It was a beautiful morning, not much going on and the cats were dead to the world on the foot of the bed. The only thing on the agenda was going to church and picking up some chicken feed at the store on the way home.

After months of sitting in the garage I decided it was time to take the old Cadillac out for a spin and take it to church.  Nothing says "old man church car", than a big Cadillac.  The Cadi fired right up and today I was supposed to provide 4 dozen cookies for the after church fellowship hall gathering.  I ran to the store and bought my cookies and made it to church as the choir started singing.

After church I picked up the feed and went home to spend the day in the garden pulling weeds and just enjoying the day.

1931 Peerless

I let the chickens out and I'm starting to wonder what is up with them.  I've only been getting between 2 and 3 eggs a day. They all seem healthy except for the one that won't leave the nest unless I pick her up and take her out in the yard.


I started playing with my phone camera and miniature cars trying to see if I could make them look full size.  I was surprised how well the pictures turned out.  If I didn't know better I would swear the cars were sitting in my driveway.

Day 327, Vintage Trailer Rally and a Car Show

The Rolling Oldies Vintage Trailer group was having their summer rally at River Bend camp ground just East of Sweet Home, Oregon and Tracy and I thought we would drive over and see the 80 some trailers that signed up to attend.  Tracy came over aroun 8:30am and we took my BMW convertible with the top down.  The camp ground was just about an hour and half from Redmond and the drive beautiful.  Tracy was a little cold and had herself wrapped up in a blanket and I had the heat blasting.  My feet were roasting and the rest of me was perfect. 

We found the camp ground with no problems and we met up with Justin and his family and their awesome 48 Westwood Sequoia.  There were lots of tarilers to look at and Justin wanted me to look around and see if there was anything that I wanted to encorporat in my trailer.  I think I want to hide an A/C unit and put a toilet in the closet.  The "open house" didn't start until 1pm so we had an hour and half to kill, so we thought we would run into Sweet Home and check out a car show that was going on. 

1956 Sunliner Bumble

Sweet Home is about 6 miles from the camp ground and we drove past it the first time, but finally saw the sign and got a front row parking spot.  They had a great turn out with over 100 cars and the weather couldn't be better.  I of course was looking to see if I saw a car that would look good pulling the 1950 Traveleze, but I didn't see anything was for sale, but a lot of cars caught my eye.  I was perticularly intregued by a 1956 Sunliner convertible in yellow and black, affectionately known as a "buble bee".

A great Spartenette at the River Bend Rally

After an hour or so we went back to the trailer rally and walked around and looked at all the great trailers.  There were some pretty spectacular trailers, but no Traveleze's.  There was one Boles Aarow 14' canned ham that looked pretty close to what my trailer should look like when done.  We spent about 2 hours looking around and talking to the great people.  Tracy had friends camping at Water Lou just west of Sweet Home, so it was back down the road and a quick visit with her friends.

We stopped back at the Rally on our way home and said good bye to Justing and his wife.  Justin said to stop in next week so I will try to stop off after one of my workouts.

The drive home was beautiful and we arrive back home at 8:15pm.  Just in time for a beautiful sunset, which was the perfect ending to a great day.

Day 326, Its FRIDAY!

Friday and the sun is shining what more could you ask for!?  It was beautiful out and even though I was inside working the sun put a smile on my face.

I skipped lunch and planned to head home at 4:30pm, so I could mow my lawn.  The lawn was getting out of control and I wanted it mowed before Tracy and I went to see the movie Cars II.  It was opening night and the movie is offered in 3D and it's playing at 7:05pm.  I had just enough time to run home, mow the lawn and take a shower.  

Cars II

I finished mowing at 6pm and Tracy arrived at 6:15pm and we were on time for the movie.  We were surprised that there was lots of parking and no line.  We arrived exactly on time and walked right in.  The theater was about three quarters full and full of kids.  It was a fun movie and the 3D was entertaining but I'm not sure it was worth the $13.50 ticket price.  After buying my $5.25 Large Sprite I couldn't help but feel cheated.  I loved the first Cars movie and Cars II is fun but not as good as the original.

Day 325, What a difference a day makes

After yesterdays high in the 90's, today is 25 degrees cooler with the high only topping out at 65.  It was still sunny but it was noticeably cooler, and somewhat disappointing, bring on the heat.  I's sure at some point in the summer we might be thinking the cooler weather was nice but after 9 months of colder than normal I really want the hotter temps

Proof that I ran to the Bend Parks and Rec building.

Working out at 4:30pm meant no lunch break but I did manage to get a bite to eat at noon, as my mother brought in leftover sandwiches from a dinner party they had the night before.  The sandwiches were roll-ups from Tate and Tate catering and were awesome!  Everyone in the office was greatly appreciative and so was since I forgot to bring something to eat in my office.

The workout was great and my trainer had me go for a run to get me warmed up. I was told to run to the Bend Area Parks and Rec, building and then back which I did and enjoyed.  I have been so sluggish and haven't ran much at home, so it was nice to be out and running.  Back in the gym, it was pull ups and push ups, ugh.

Despite the cooler temperatures it was still a beautiful day and I spent the evening puttering in the yard, pulling up more Aspen tree roots.

Day 324, Mid week and 90.

After 9 months of cold temperatures it's finally 90!  I love the heat, its the one way you know for sure you finally made it to summer.

The work day was pretty average.  I had a lunch meeting in Bend to hear a great speaker talk trends in the tourism industry.  It may sound dull but it actually very revealing what's going on in the world and the shift in peoples travel habits.  Ok, so it still sounds dull, but it wasn't to this travel nerd.

I didn't have a chance to get home and let the chickens out, so it was the first thing I did when I got home for the day.  They were very happy to be free, and my sickly chicken was still sitting in her box.  I think she seemed a bit more perky and lifted her out and placed her on the ground.  At first she just sat down, but then she jumped up and started running around the yard.  After about 10 minutes of digging up bugs she went back in the hen house.

Tracy came over around 6pm and we went for a walk around the loop (2.2 miles).  It was trying to be a little stormy and the temperature dropped form 90 to the high 70's so it was perfect for a brisk walk.  The slight head winds gave a little resistance which just added to the workout value of a walk, at least that's what I told Tracy.

It was another nice day.

Day 323, The longest day of the year.

I always have mixed emotions when we reach the summer solstice, as it means we have reached the longest day of the year, but it also means the days will start getting shorter.  I really try not to think about it and just focus on the fact the sun is shining and the temperature is supposed to be in the 80's,

I had a productive day at work and was able to run home at noon and let the chickens out.  I need to figure out why the one hen is spending all her time in the nesting box and not getting out.  I figured tonight after work I'll clean out the hen house (its been 10 days) and check her out. 

After work I came home and put on my baggy shorts and went out in the yard to start my chicken cleaning.  I opened up the hen house and there sitting on one egg was my sickly hen.  I put the egg in my pocket and pulled the hen out to give her a look over.  It looked like she was loosing feather around her neck and rump.  I checked under her wings and couldn't see anything.  Her skin looked fine and I couldn't see any mites or bugs.  I then pulled out the boxes and dumped out the nesting material and the lower box was swarming with what looked like red spider, but they weren't spiders.  Trying not freak out, I went into the garage to see what I had to spray the boxes with, but I had nothing.  I figured I needed to run to the ranching store and by some spray to take care of the chickens and what I figured must be some sort of mite.

I jumped in the Packard headed to town and then realized I needed gas.  I went to the gas station and then drove to the Big R, where I bought several products deal with the mites.  As I got to the checkout counter I pulled out my wallet and paid for the items and then as I was getting ready to reached in my pocket to get my keys, my fingers crushed something that immediately got slimy.  Never put an egg in your pocket, you might forget it's there!  I immediately grabbed my products and quickly ran for the car.  By the time I got to the car, egg was oozing down my leg.  I got in the car and grabbed a towel and drove home.

When I got home I went to the back porch, took off my shorts, kicked off my flip flops and hosed off my leg and shorts.  I cleaned myself up took the egg shell out of the pocket and tossed the shorts into the washer.

Back on task, I sprayed the hen down and put her out in the yard.  She seemed to enjoy the spray-down and ran about the yard.  I went back to the boxes and sprayed them down, as they were still swarming with movement.  I completely cleaned out the hen house, put down powder, new paper and then put the boxes back in and dusted them with powder.

Sunset on the Summer Solstice, 6-21-2011

Next I cleaned out the pen, raked up the pen area and lightly dusting the ground.  I then took down one side of the plastic tarp, that I had put up for winter, to let more air in as we head into the hot summer months.  As the sun went down, I was able to check each chicken as they came back to roost for the night.  They all looked great, so I think I caught the problem soon enough.  I will from now on dust and spray the hen house each week.

It was a beautiful evening and I sat out on the deck watching the sunlight turn the evening sky pink. As I was thinking how amazing the moment was, my phone rang and it was my mother saying "are you looking at the sky?"  I told her I was.  It was beautiful and my Mom wanted to make sure I wasn't missing it.  I love those moments, just a phone call from my folks to share a special moment, it's a small thing but I love it.  It will be a memory I will hold my entire life. 

It was the longest day of the year and it was beautiful.

Day 322, Another week.

The weather forecast is for temps in the 80's.  For the first time since October of 2010 we are actually going to break the 80 degree mark.  I was so excited, and I didn't even care if it was Monday, I was just happy it was sunny and might actually be HOT.

Happy Chickens, free to run around.

I had a noon meeting and didn't have time to run home and let the chickens out, but I had a 4:30pm workout, so I planed to leave a little before to run home and get my gym cloths, which I forgot to bring.  I could let the chickens out then and they can enjoy their freedom all evening.  My Mom met my at my home and we took her car from there.

The workout was not particular difficult but we did a lot of stretching which I really needed.  I was so surprised how inflexible my shoulders are and have very little range of motion. A lot of the stretches we worked on were designed to open the chest and to stretch the shoulders.  It felt great, but I knew I was going to feel this much later.

On the drive home we stopped off at Costco so I could pick up some grapefruit and my Mom wanted Tylenol, which we couldn't find.  It turns out there had been a recall and they pulled it off their shelf.  I had to wonder why we hadn't heard about the recall on the news...?

It was a great night and back home I spent more time out in the yard working on the flower beds and adjusting the sprinkler system for the warmer temperatures to come.

Day 321, Happy Father's Day

The sun decided to return for Father's Day and boy did it lift my spirits.  My Mom was having breakfast for my father at 9am so I headed over to have breakfast with my folks and to wish my Dad a happy Father's Day.  I had bought him teak tray that had a wood inlay of a viking ship on it.  Being the proud Norwegian that he is I figure it would be a big hit.

Family picnic on the property

After breakfast it was time for church and then home to get out in the yard to do some yard work.  At 1:30pm we were going to have a family picnic on the 40 acres of my folks across the street from me.  My brother had created a small camp in back wooded corner where he parks his trailer and has built an humungous picnic table. It was perfect weather and it was a fun way to spend time with my folks.

I spent the rest of the afternoon, pulling weeds, planting in the garden and cutting chicken wire to cover the pumpkins to keep the chickens from eating them.  I can get totally lost in the yard and forget about the rest of the world, it's awesome.  I was able to fence off the small garden so the chickens can't get in there, so they won't destroy the garden and eat all the veggies as they come up.

It was a very nice Sunday and I hated to see it draw to a close.

Day 320, Saturday and rain.

I heard it start to rain about 5am Saturday morning and it kept raining all day.  I was so bummed to see the skies all gray and the high temperature of only 59 degrees really broke my spirit.

I spent the morning cleaning up around house, water plants, winding clocks and doing laundry.  I really wanted to go out in the yard and I made several attempts to pull some weeds in between rain storms. 

The chickens were let free around 10am and the rain didn't seem to cause them any grief and they went about their business digging in the flower beds and eating bugs.

By 5pm the sun started to clear and my spirits started to lift.  My folks were having Lasagna at 6pm so I was on my way over for dinner. 

At 7pm Tracy and I talked about going to a movie but after checking out the movie listing we decided to skip the movies until next week when all the new movies come out.  Instead we played Donkey Kong on the Wii for 2 hours.  It was hilarious to watch adults try to figure out how to play a kids video game.  We sucked at it, but had fun trying.

Day 319, Friday!

It has been a long and fast paced week, so I was very happy to wake up and have it be Friday.  The sun was shining and it was a great day for driving the Packard.

Work was relatively stress free and the day plugged away pretty quickly.  I actually didn't take a lunch and by the time 5 o'clock rolled around I was hungry.

The sun was shining the temperature was perfect in the 70's.  I desperately needed to mow the lawn so I fired up the John Deere and with in an hour had the lawn looking great.  My parents had been over during the day to cut some rhubarb and they had let the chickens out for me.

I was now starving and I thought it would be fun to drive to Sonic's and get a burger in the Packard.  Tracy texted me and said she was eating a soy bar for dinner and said I was getting a burger.  She said she would ride along if wanted company and said I was on my way.

Friday nights at Sonic are car club nights, so there several classic and muscle cars there.  It has a retro 50's feel to see all the old cars parked at a drive-in restaurant.  After my burger, we went to WalMart, woohoo.  Tracy needed longer screws to hold her front door hinges and I said I would replace them.  I actually ended up buying several things from fertilizer to 4 matchbox cars that were old cars.  Actually one of the matchbox cars was a Prius!  It cracked me up; it was an exciting Friday night at WalMart.

Day 318, Leadership graduation



A sleepy deer in the back yard.

 Today I woke up at 6:15am and was out the door by 7am.  I walked out the back door and there in the yard was sleep deer.  I have seen her walking around a lot and yesterday I saw her with a new fawn in spots. 

The Leadership program went off without a hitch and I think everyone enjoyed the day.  We had lunch out in the park and were able to soak up some of the sun.  We finished the program with an amazing individual who is the definition of "been there and done that".  He is a great guy and is a master at marketing and promotion and he knows how to take a company from mondane to extraordinary.  Following our last speaker we reviewed our the Class Projects and then held a graduation ceremony.



Driving the Packard

 After work I went home to let the chickens out and then off to dinner with my brother's family and my folks.  I changed into shorts and t-shirt and jumped in the Packard.  It was a bit cool, but the sun was shining and the sky was blue.  We all met at Baldy's Barbecue and had a great dinner.  It was a perfect way to finish the day.

Day 317, A really busy Wednesday.

Today was all about dealing with the media and raising money for the Fireworks show.  We had received a commitment to cover whatever we could not raise, so I was safe to order the fireworks.  The community rallied hard and the money started coming it.  I was happy to see the contributions start coming in from the community so the burden would not fall on one company.

I also needed to focus on Leadership Redmond.  Tomorrow is the last day of Leadership and after meeting one day a month for 9 months we are down to the last day and graduation.  There were a ton of little details that I needed to take care of and all of the fireworks commotion was keeping me from getting to them.  I was surprised that actually was able to keep my head above water and I got it all done.

At 5pm my mother and I went to workout with our trainer in Bend.  We worked out for an hour and I was beat.  It had been 5 hour since I had eaten and I was suffering from low energy.  The focus was on cardio and upper-body, but she managed to get all the parts in there.  I was worn out, but it felt great.

After the workout we stopped off at Costco so I could buy a few things for Leadership and then we were on our way home. 

It was hard to believe but the forecast was frost tonight so I went out and covered my tomatoes and vegetables.  When is summer ever going to get here?

Day 316, Flag Day



The moon rising.



It was a beautiful morning and it's Flag Day.   Redmond is known as one of two Cities in the US, designated as Flag City USA, by the United States Congress.  On several holidays and special occasions throughout the year, the community of Redmond puts up over 1,100 full sized American Flags.  The flags line the main streets of the community and are very moving to see on a bright sunny day.

The day was pretty typical at work with the highlight being the monthly Board meeting at noon.  The majority of my day however, was working on raising money for the 4th of July Fireworks display.  It cost $7,500 to put on a 20 minute show and the funds are raised by individual contributions.  The deadline to raise the money is tomorrow and we only have $3,000.  We sent out a Press Release and I did 4 radio and one TV interview asking for support.  By the end of the day we had a major pledge to cover the cost of whatever we couldn't raise.

It had been a very busy day and I was ready to go home.  The chickens spent the day inside their pen and I let them out as soon as I got home.  They laid 5 eggs and spent the evening doing what chickens do, making a mess.

It had been a beautiful day and at 9:30pm, an almost full moon was shining brightly.

Day 315, Monday and back to work.

My Monday started early with a 7am meeting. Mondays are hard enough without having to get out the door early.

The work day flew by and I was able to come home and let the chickens out at 2pm and then I ran back to work. I has to do a little shopping in an effort to find 14 certificate frames for our up coming Leadership class and the graduation certificates. I was able to find the frames at Walmart. Now all I needed to do was get the certificates made up.

I was home by 5:30 and went to have dinner with my parents. It was nice to spend time with them over a great dinner.

I was home by 9pm and I locked the chickens in the pen for the night.

Day 314, Sunday and a clean truck.

Another great nights sleep and a sunny morning, set the tone for day.  I puttered around the house doing my normal Sunday morning chores and then went off to Church at 10:45am.

I fired up the Packard and drove the 3 miles to church.  Today's service was about marriage and the Pastor actually renewed the vows of all those in attendance who wanted to stand up in front of the congregation and repeat after him.  I must admit that at age 45, and having never said "I do",  I wondered if I would ever say those words?  Is there a woman out there who can put me and be the true love of my life?  I guess I'll just have to wait and see what God has in store for me, and perhaps I need to seek some serious counseling.

After church, and some fresh air, the thoughts and wondering if I would ever find someone quickly left my head.  I got home and I needed to wash my truck inside and out.  I have an appointment on Thursday to have the truck professionally waxed and detailed and I wanted to get off the worst of the dirt and grime.  I spent nearly 3 hours cleaning every little nook and cranny on the truck, vacuuming out the interior, scrubbing the winter floor mats and conditioning the leather seats.  I cleaned the engine, wheels and tires, wheel wells, and any frame or suspension parts that were visible.  And when I was all done, I coated everything with No Touch Tire Care, spraying the engine, wheel wells, tires, running boards and anything that was made out of plastic.  The truck looked amazing and now all it needed was a fresh coat of wax.

Next on the list was pruning all the new growth, or candles, off the Mugo Pines along the driveway and in the courtyard.  I got out the electric trimmers and in no time I had the Mugo's looking great.  I must admit that I had a rare accident and I slipped with the electric trimmers and cut the extension cord.  In one big poof and a flash of a sparks I cut the cord clean in two and flipped the breaker.  This is the second time in eleven years that this has happened and the last time my father did it.  It made me think that perhaps I should not be wearing flip flops to trim the shrubbery.

After dinner, my friends Bruce and Mary Ann wanted me to swing by to chat and it was pouring rain.  My sunny weekend had turned to a complete downpour.   Now my big dilemma was, what am I going to drive to Bruce and Mary Ann's, the cars and the truck were were spotless?  Even though I had just spent 3 hours cleaning my truck I drove it over to their house, which is just a quarter mile away.  It's always great to see good friends and the truck can always be washed again.

It rained all night and I had the feeling of being back in the Willamette Valley like when I was I kid and I would listen to the rain all night.  It had been a great weekend.

Day 313, Saturday a drive to the Big Muddy near Antelope.





The splash park at the Young Life Camp.



It seems we might actually be getting close to summer and I slept with the windows open and I awoke to deer in the back yard and birds chirping, it was awesome.  It's an amazing way to wake up and I was ready to start my day.

 

Today I am driving to Antelope, Oregon about 2 hours from here, with my friend Tracy.  Her company built a massive $34 million youth camp on the former Big Muddy Ranch.  This ranch has had an interesting history including once been owned by a wealthy religious cult leader the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.   The ranch is now however the site of two camps for Young Life. 

Located in the remote back country of Oregon, you are really in the middle of nowhere.  Once you get to the rual road turn off you drive down 12 miles of gravel roads, with pot holes large enough to swallow small cars to get there.  You are completely out of cell phone service, so it's not a good place to have car issues.  Upon your arrival however, what has been built there staggers the mind.  There are massive buildings with state of the art, sporting facilities, dorm buildings, rock climbing walls, a theater, dinning hall, ropes courses and a multi million dollar water park.  If I was a kid being sent away to camp, this is were I would want to go!  The camp is based on Christian values and will service 700 kids a week throughout summer.



Antelope Church built in 1897.



After, spending a few hours at the ranch it was time to head home.  The drive is beautiful with spectacular rolling green hills.  I was kind of surprised and had flash backs to my trip, as much of the scenery looked a lot like what I saw in Ireland.  Tracy let me drive home and we stopped off in Antelope and took a few pictures of buildings that dated back to 1897.  At Antelope we took a different route home and went to Shaniko, a "ghost town" which actually still has people and is a nice road side stop on Hwy 97.  We strolled around town and then headed home.



Just outside of Antelope, Oregon.



We had a great day and decided to go to a movie at 7:15pm.  It was now 5pm, so I let Tracy's and went home to clean up and get ready for the movie.  Tracy picked out the movie Bridesmaid, which was shockingly funny, but painful at times.  It was a nice way to end a great day.

Day 312, A beautiful Friday

I was so ready for Friday, not sure why more so than any other Friday, but I was really ready for the weekend.  Maybe if was because it was the first full week back in the office after Ireland, but I was exhausted.



Chickens checking out the newly mowed lawn.



The day was pretty average, with Coffee Clatter in the morning, which was held at the new dog park, and fairly non-busy afternoon.  I had brought the convertible and it seemed liked the perfect day for it.  Around noon however, the business next door came over and said it was raining and I might want to put my top up.  Sure enough, there was a freak little cloud and it poured rain.  I put the top up and wiped the leather seats dry with a towel.  I went to lunch at 1pm and took the car home, rinsed and dried it off quick and put it back in the garage.

The Chickens were happy to be let out and they laid 3 eggs.  It seems like their egg production and food consumption ratio is off again and perhaps I need to have another talk with them.  "An egg a day or heads will stray" is my friend's Amy's motto.

I was back home again by 5:30pm and I needed a nap.  I closed my eyes for 10 minutes and then was ready to go again.  I wanted to get the lawn mowed and have it out of the way for the weekend.  I had fertilized last weekend, so there was significant growth and the color was much greener.  For some reason when I mow the chickens like to stay close by and check out the newly mowed lawn and look for newly exposed bugs.


Grabbing a burger at Sonic's in the Packard.


After the lawn was mowed, I took a quick shower and I thought it was the perfect evening to take the Packard out.  I wanted to get a few things at Lowes and I was hungry, so I thought I could swing by Sonic's and get a burger. 

It was a beautiful Friday.

Day 311, Thursday and more sun.

I don't know what my problem was this morning, but I slept through my alarm and a text from Tracy.  I woke up at 7:38am and I jumped in the shower, got dressed and quickly drove to work.  I actually made it on time, but I forgot to get one of my protein shakes or any fruit for breakfast.  I then realized that today was the last day for one of my employees, so we were going to order breakfast.



My tiny little 14' 1950 Traveleze waiting to be restored.



The day seemed to zip by and before I knew I was on my way to Bend to pick up brochures from the Visitors and Convention Bureau and then head to my workout.  I think my system must have been fighting something because I really didn't feel like I had much energy and for me to have slept through my alarm was very unusual.

My workout was very exhausting but I managed to make it through the hour without dieing.  After the workout I went to see my trailer and to check out the finished Westwood Sequoia.  The Sequoia was listed on Ebay and the bid had reached $37,800, but did not reach the reserved bid.  This trailer is spectacular and is far more appealing than any new trailer on the market at twice the price.  My trailer was lined up outside waiting it's turn for restoration and which should be in about 2 weeks.  It was nice to see the trailers all lined up, and I headed home, but first a stop at Costco.

It was another beautiful day today and I even got the BMW convertible out.  I got home from Bend, and I was feeling pretty energized from working out, so I went for a run.  I ran my two mile loop and then sat on the deck with cats and watched the sun set.

Day 310, Wednesday and sunshine

Waking up to sunshine is absolutely the best way to wake up.  I woke up in a great mood and I drove to work with the windows down and the sunroof open. 


Sunset on a beautiful Wednesday evening.


It was a very nice day at work with nothing too exciting.  I did receive a phone call on my pickup, which I had actually forgotten I still had listed for sale.  I gave a good description of the truck and the guy seemed pretty interested and wants to see it next week.  I guess I'll have to wash it up this weekend and keep it in the shop until he comes and looks at it.

I had dinner with my folks and this was my night to celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary with them.  I had bought them a gift in Ireland for their anniversary, (a pewter and class jam dish with shamrocks) and I bought my Mom earrings and my Dad a wool cap.  It's amazing how fun my parents really are  and we laughed all through dinner.  I was home by 9pm and I sat on the front steps and watched the last of the sun's rays reach across the front pasture.

It was a beautiful day and I was tired and ready for bed.

Day 309, The Traveleze is off to be restored



The 1950 Traveleze pulled out from behind the shed ready to hauled off
for a complete restoration by Flyte Camp Vintage Trailer Restoration.

At around 3 o'clock today Justin and his team arrived at my house to pick up the Traveleze and take it to the shop to begin the restoration.  Justin and I sat down and talked about our vision for the trailer and what I could expect in the process.  I want the trailer to be showroom new, or better, so we are talking a total rebuild and the replacing of most, if not all, of the outer skin.  All of the interior is going to be replaced and any cabinetry that can be saved will be refinished.  He is going to replace all the insulation, wiring, paneling and flooring.  We will replace the appliances with original and put back in the heater that was removed. All of the windows will be removed cleaned, repaired or replaced and re-installed.  When all is said and done it will be like new or better. 

Justin has several other trailers to work on, so this project will probably take the majority of the summer and I'm wondering if it might be ready by August 2, the one anniversary of when I bought it trailed it home.

With the trailer hooked up and the guys having finished wiring up the temporary lights, they were ready to haul the trailer off to their shop.  I gave Justin and his brother Jeff each a dozen eggs from the chicken, and I showed Scott the 1969 Chevelle Malibu convertible. 

Next step for the Traveleze is to be dismantled and inventoried.  Once they know what they need to do they can order material and parts and start the restoration process.  Justin said I can come by anytime and take pictures, so I plan on it, but also don't want to be a pain in the butt - but I want lots of pictures.

Day 308, The Traveleze is getting closer

Today I got a call from Justin, saying that tomorrow he will come get the Traveleze and get the restoration started.  I will need to pay a third of the bid to start the process and I'm ready to write the check.  The time it will take to restore the trailer is estimated at about a month, so by July the trailer should be ready to go.

In the 10 months that I have owned the trailer, I was able to clean the trailer up, remove the old paint and gallons of roof tar.  It didn't take me long to determine the trailer needed more help then I was capable of doing but I also determined that it was worth fixing.  The shape of the trailer is appealing and it represents a unique period in the evolution of the trailer industry.  There has been a lot updating and modification done to the trailer over the last 61 years and my goal is to return it to as close to original as possible.

Justin has located another Traveleze in Washington that is severely deteriorated and has all the parts that my trailer will need to bring it back to life.  I would figure he will be making a trip to Washington to pick up the donor trailer and hauling it back to Bend.

At this point the trailer will be completely broken down piece by piece and then put back together, removing any rot, replacing windows and replacing interior cabinets and paneling.

I'm excited to see how this goes and to document the restoration process over the next month.

Day 307, Sunday



The four garden beds are ready for planting.



Today started off pretty nice but clouded over with a high layer of clouds.  The temperature was pretty warm and was in the mid 60's by early morning.  I had lots more yard work to do, so I decided to go to the early church service and be done by 9:30am, so I could get started on my yard work.



I needed to plant the garden, get the seeds started in the potting shed (a month late) and fertilize the lawn.    I also thought that since it is June it's time to get the patio furniture out.  I go the 9 chairs out and uncovered the tables but I needed some help to get them to the deck.  My father came over to help me around noon and it was nice to have them out and to have the space available in the shop again.  I guess this must be official, summer is coming...?



The "Before" shot of the 1950 Traveleze, August 2, 2010.



It turned out to be a nice Sunday, even if the sun didn't shine and I got a lot of work done including planting the squash, tomatoes, zucchini and the corn.  I have the pumpkins started in the shed and will plant them once when they have sprouted and the danger of frost is long past.  I plant four kinds of pumpkins which get planted in the orchard and pretty much takeover the entire area.  I also plant a wide selection of squashes and gourds, which come in all sizes and shapes. Next weekend I'll plant the lettuce, peas, beans, carrots and onions.  It was time to get cleaned up and go to dinner.

For dinner I went to my parents for the first barbecue of the season and hamburgers.  They really hit the spot and it was a nice way to end the weekend.



The way it looks today, before going in for restoration, 6-5-2011.



While at my folks, I got a text from Justin, of Flyte Camp Vintage Trailer Restoration; he is going to call me this week to set up a time to come get the Traveleze and start its restoration.  I can't wait, to see what he does it with and to see just what it looks like once he takes it all apart.   It will be fun to report on it's progress and to see the transformation.  It's hard to believe that I'm two months short of a year, from when I bought the Traveleze and towed her  home.  The trailer has come a long way, but the real work is just beginning.



 It was a great weekend.

Day 306, A beautiful Saturday

I woke up at 7:15am and laid in bed for 30 minutes, it was awesome!  My headache was gone and I felt like I was back in the correct timezone.

Bringing home 5 Bradford Pear trees



The sun was shining brightly and the forecast was for sun and temps in the 70's.  I felt refreshed and was ready to go.  I ate a little breakfast and by 8am I started working in the yard, pulling weeds and getting the garden ready for planting.  I also mowed the lawn, cleaned up the gravel paths and pruned trees.  Around 3pm, I ran  into Costco to buy some trees that they had on sale and to pick up some lawn fertilizer.  I also ended up getting some flowers for the entry and few tomato and squash plants for the garden. 

When I got to Costco, I was surprised to see the price had been reduced and the trees almost gone.  I was lucky I got there when I did, as there were only 8 trees left and I took 5 of them.  The trees are close to 9' tall and should do well in this area.  When I got home it took me about 2 hours to plant the trees and they looked great; now if I can just keep the deer away from them.



Rocks placed where the chickens liked to dig and make a
mess on the front walk.



I spent the entire day working in the yard and I was very pleased with the results.  Being gone for nearly 2 weeks I had felt like the yard had almost gotten ahead of me, but now I felt like it was back under control.

I had let the chickens out all day and they keep making a mess in the bark-dust along the front steps, scratching in the dirt and tossing it onto the patio and steps.  To fix this ongoing problem, I laid some flat lava rocks where they dig.  This should take care of the problem and hopefully I won't have to clean up after them, at least in this area.

It was a beautiful day!

Day 305, It's Friday!

Even though I only worked 3 days, I had never been so glad to see Friday roll around.  I have  had a dull headache since my return, which I know is bit of jet lag and lack of good sleep.  I am looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday and just letting my system get back to normal.

The work day was fine, with the usual work load and nothing too dramatic.  I came home at noon and let the chickens out and was back to work after grabbing a quick bite to eat.

At 5 o'clock I had an evening get together, which was  a lot of fun.  It was a pot luck, so I brought desert and a meat, cheese and cracker tray.   The event was lots of fun, but that dull headache was calling "time out" at 7pm, so I headed home to call it a week.

I was in bed by 10, and it felt wonderful!  I know how dull, a Friday night and in bed by 10, but I didn't care, I needed the sleep.

Day 304, Tursday and back at work

I'm at work and back in the routine, but I have a bad case of wanderlust.  I often wonder if vacations are a good thing or bad, because I always spend months daydreaming about other locations.

The day went pretty quick and I ran home at lunch to let the chickens out.  They had already laid 6 eggs and they were thrilled to be out in the yard.

After work I had the monthly Sons of Norway Board meeting meeting and my head was starting to hurt from jet lag and lack of sleep.  I just wanted to home and take a nap after work, but I went to the meeting and left immediately after the Board meeting and skipped the social.

I got home, closed up the chickens and went inside.  I had hoped to just lay down a bit, but started to do chores instead.  I did manage to get to bed by 10pm.

Day 303, Wednesday and back to work

I got up as scheduled and made it to work at 8am.  My head had the dull ache in the center, part jet lag, part lack of sleep and part ringing in my ears from the noise of jet.  I managed to keep up all day and I sorted through 303 emails, 10 days of newspapers and several phone message.  Yes, I was back to work and dreaming of exploring castle ruins.

At 4pm I left work to go workout and start that routine again as well.  I had manage to workout 3 times in Ireland once in Dublin and twice in Killarney.  I needed to get back at it, after eating all those fish and chips and sitting in a car driving around the Irish country side.

The workout was hard and could tell I was seriously out of shape.  It was also partly that all I had to eat was pear, an apple and 4 crackers with cheese, seriously not enough to keep me going.

I had dinner with my folks and was home by 9pm and in bed by 10pm.  I miss Ireland and want to go back.

As for my chickens, they had been laying anywhere from 4 to 6 a day.  Today's take was 6, so my egg supply is starting to build up.