Home again, home again ,,,,,

Friday June 1, 2012 came early to Box II in Missoula. Ashleigh, Ruby, Jessica and I were to leave that morning for home (Juneau, Alaska)

A couple months ago the girls had purchased tickets to come to Missoula and visit sister Amanda and her family.

I had purchased a ticket to return home with them on the same flight, having arrived in the RV for the same visit.

We were sad to be leaving, but anxious to get home, as well as worried about little Ruby. Two nights previous she had made an emergency room visit and was diagnosed with PSV. She seemed to be feeling better but it was two flights and ,,,,,,,

I showed up at Amandas door at 5 a.m. having already packed and hauled the suitcases through a barbed wire fence and across the field only to find the house dark and the sleepy heads still, well, you know. Not wanting to awaken anyone, afterall I am the one who likes to get there early, I waited on the Porch for awhile until ,,,,,

We "finally" got to the airport, security, and onto the plane. Ruby followed along in the book as the steward went through the safety information.

Talk about back of the plane, I was across the aisle and both the girls and I had our backs against the rear bulkhead. If there had been a rear restroom in that small plane we would have had a short walk.

Seattle and a couple hours waiting time. Ruby is getting tired (or so we think)

We arrive in Juneau, Dan had left Ashleighs car over at her work and she walked over there and got it while Jessica and I got the bags. Dan showed up as well so I rode with him and the girls went home. Then Jessica and I returned to pick up her little package. Seems she had purchased an Italian Greyhound puppy and arranged to have it arrive shortly after we returned. His name is Apollo and he is 9 weeks old.

For his arrival Jessica bought him the bed and I bought him the shirt.

That evening we were saddened to hear that while we were picking up Apollo Ruby had been taken to the Emergency Room with a temperature of 103. She still had PSV but also Pneumonia as well. She was in Pediatric Intensive Care that night so we could do nothing but wait, and pray.

Apollo was a little cutie, and FAST. Not one to take out without the leash at least not until he learned to come when called. At 3.7 pounds he was small, and next to Ashleighs dog Jack (a chihuahua) Jack looked huge. LOL

Ruby wasn't eating nor drinking so her fluid levels were not good. Her oxygen levels were looking better on Saturday when they went to thier own room and we could come visit.

So, in order to help her want to drink and a need for energy we gave her Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. It helped and she sure did like it. Oh man, she likey the chocolate. LOL

On Sunday she was feeling quite a bit better. We were told she may have to stay one more night but late that afternoon was happy to hear she could go home. Dan, Ashleigh, and Jessica got all the stuff packed in record time and everyone slept in their own beds that night.

Monday Jessica and I were invited to a BBQ to celebrate Ruby feeling better, and her return home also to introduce Apollo to Ruby and Jack, oh, and to everyone else.

Ruby Winter, Dan and Ashleigh's own Garden Gnome. At home and feeling good.

Seems that Dan and Ashleigh like to make major announcements via T-shirts. A new addition premiering Dec. 12, 2012. I guess I'll be coming back again in Dec. in fact if it weren't for the fact I need to pick up the RV in Missoula and take it to Arizona for the winter I could stay. LOL

So sometime in July or August I shall head back down to Missoula and pick up Box II and Mini Box. Then head East for some more adventures.

I am quite busy doing Daddy-do lists but also getting a Mobile Home I just re-aquired ready to sell.

I may be a little slow doing updates on the adventures here in Juneau but hang in there I will get them done. Watch facebook for notifications of updates.

and this little piggy went home.

Wow, talk about being late to update this bloggy thing.!!!!!!
I left Corvallis Oregon May 11th and went to Marysville Washington where I spent a great week visiting Carri, Nathan, Kirsten, and Ryan.

Just after arriving I was invited to a family BBQ with Nathans family to celebrate his grandma's 90th birthday.
As you can see there were a lot of friendly people and some amazing food.

We feasted on everything from Venison, fish, to chicken, and fajitas, even salads and pasta for the omnivores.

Bt whether a carnivore like me or an omnivore like the few everyone left stuffed, happy, and tired oh yeah and after all that we had Birthday Cake and Ice Cream. I had a great time meeting the other side of Carri's family.

We went to a mall and walked around. Being from Juneau where a "mall" was a small collection of stores under the same roof this one was impressive. The were a lot of interesting stores and even more interesting people.

Kirsten was happy to see Jimmy again. He spent most of the visit in her room. He wouldn't even come out to the RV until we left LOL

She was not happy that she had to go to school while I was there.

We also went to Costco to get some water for me and I ran into Chumley. I invited him to come travel with Jimmy and I and be navigator so after we got him some Cheetos he said ok.



I spent a week hanging out with them and doing a lot of, well, hanging out. I had only rented my space for a week and couldn't extend it even though I wanted to so on May  17th Jimmy, I, and our new navigator Chumley headed East.

Arriving in Spokane I spent a week hanging out with Dale. Now Dale is a really good guy I had met in Arizona. In fact he was camped right behind me and is as big a "goof" as I am. He was the reason I was indoctrinated into the B.S.'ers club and the reason I enjoyed my visit there as much as I did.

He had invited me to visit but cautioned me that he didnt do anything but sit. So, I arrived planning on having a relaxing do nothing week and thats what I got. He would routinely have the coffee on early, then I would buy breakfast and we would sit around and B.S. then he would grill dinner.

His grandaughter who is 17 drives a dragster and i was hoping to watch he race but arrived on a weekend between races.

One day I watched him mow his grass. A really relaxing week and a great visit. I left there May 24 with my internal batteries completely recharged and anxious to get to Missoula to spend a week with Amanda, Jason, Samantha, and Taylor.

The drive across Idaho was uneventfull, which is a good thing when your driving an RV and towing a Jeep and listening to Jimmy and Chumley argue over directions. Its funny Jimmy never showed any interest in navigating before I let Chumley do it now ,,,,,,, go figure huh. The scenery was as gorgeous as last fall when I last traveled through there. The new RV pulled the hills as easily as the old one and the mileage was about the same even though this one is 6 feet longer and thus heavier.

Abutting Amanda's rear fence are some stables where I had made arrangements to park the RV. We got to meet the new (2 day old) Palamino Colt and watch her nurse a bit. It was a great situation as I was less than 100 feet from Amanda's front door, the cost was $10 a month (to include the time I was going home and leaving the RV and Jeep) and though I was not in a "campsite" the RV is completely self-contained. Samantha even spent one night in it and was the first and only person to bunk on the fold out couch. She claimed that it was a comfy sleep 8)

The following day Jessica, Ashleigh, and Ruby arrived from Alaska for a week. As much as I love my daughters I do not understand the need to "shop" at stores all the time. But it was a great visit. Jason cooked some great meals and everyone got along. The weather even cooperated in that it wasnt to hot nor cold. As Goldilocks said it was just right.

I enjoyed pushing the kids on the swings.

Samantha and Jessica tossed a football around. She actually throws a "proper" spiral and has a good arm. Gonna be another Jessica it seems, another sports nut. LOL

All-n-all a great visit playing and enjoying the weather.

We did go to an indoor Aquatic Center which was a great time in itself. The weather was cool making the indoor part that much better. On this trip I had finally purchased a camera so I could take better pictures than with the iphone. It is pretty cool and was advertised as shockproof, dustproof, and waterproof. In fact the instructions say to clean it soak it in a bowl of water for 10 min.

So, I decided to test it. I threw it into the pool for Jessica to take some pics of everyone swimming. I intentionally threw it "short" causing it to land in the water and sink to the bottom. I dont know which was better the look of shock on the girls faces or the look on the lifeguards face who watched me do it. LOL

So, here's an underwater picture taken by Jessica. The flash worked and we even did video and the camera did great.

After a great time swimming, and because 3 buses of  pre-teens showed up we decided to leave.

I spent an afternoon with Samantha at her school which is always fun. Her teacher and classmates remembered me from last trip which even made it better.

Here is Sammy in a play that she wrote and they performed for her class.

If you know my full name and where it came from you'll understand this picture. 8)

I must go find that sign. LOL

The morning of June 1 I arose early. I had packed the evening before but still needed to get the RV ready for a few months in storage. Even though it wasnt moving I needed to drain some tanks, close it up, eat all the perishable foods, and empty the fridge, etc.. 

About 5 I headed, suitcases in hand, through the barbedwire fence, across the field, up the drive, to Amanda's front door where I waited until the sleepy heads got up.

Seems the kids had also gotten up though they said goodby last night because they could not go to the airport without taking two vehicles. Jason stayed home with them and went to work late so Amanda could take everyone in one trip.

I for one was happy Samantha and Taylor was up as I got to hug them again. 

Then off to the airport we went.

And back home I headed.

A week !!! Already 8)

Wow, a week has gone by already. Let's see, where to begin? I guess at the beginning of the week huh.

While it was a good week for me, my younger brother who already has major health issues was flown 150 miles to TMC 3 times. Finally they removed or repaired his Thyroid and he called me today saying he felt much better. So, for that I am thankful

My week was a lot more positive. I am visiting an ol friend from Haines Alaska and her family. Last Sunday her husband Jerry, his son Rick, and I went up to Marys Peak to hunt/hike.
I got out of the truck thinking that doesnt look to bad, probably flattens out around the corner.

Maybe the next corner

We filled our water bottles here. It was 2 miles til they decided to turn back and it never flattened out. That hike killed me but I kept up and did not stop. In fact when we turned around I walked an extra 5 feet just to say ,,,,, LOL

The view, and yes it was worth it.

I was hurting the next morning but it felt so good. A little Aleve and a flat walk the mile and a half to the store helped loosen the legs up. Seems I should be built like a Ewing now after all this hiking and climbing but I GAINED a few pounds. Go figure LOL

Did some routine chores through the week, cleaning, etc.

Friday I was whining about being bored and my friend Tracey mentioned they wanted to remove two walls to make the living room bigger.

A project, I jumped on it. I was so eager I forgot to take a before picture

I left to get some tools from the RV and the kids cleaned the mess up. Made me a happy camper. I then cleaned the lens on the camera. LOL

I told Tracey I would return in the morning and help Jerry on the rest of it.

A bite of dinner. A good nights sleep.

Hmmm, just like I left it yesterday 8)

Jerry did the corner by the front door, we removed the post and the boards on the cieling and floor and I relocated/rewired the three-way switch to the kitchen and a couple outlets. All in all a good day.

They're going to finish the walls when they finish relocating one more wall.

I saw it today and they had moved the dining table and stuff into that area and spread out the living room It looked much more spacious and nice.

When I got back to the RV yesterday I was taking a walk and saw some old cars and stuff accumulating at the Fair Grounds next door to where I am camping.

I went up to check the Marquee and saw that today was an "Antique Car Show and Swap Meet".

What a great after church activity

The event was nice, large, and the weather participated. However the prices were sometimes a tad high. And example is what you see. I only paid attention to the old panel wagon which is rough to say the least. No rear fenders, running gear, interior grill etc. Just what youd expect if you were out in a field and found an old rusty car in a ditch. And for only $2,000 it could be yours. LOL

In retrospect I should have bought this. Anyone that knows me knows that my favorite soda is Root Beer and my favorite Root Beer is Henry Weinhards. How cool to have this in the RV, but as they say you snooze you lose though they may still have it, though I have no idea how to find that out. Dang hindsight. LOL

There's a reason I go to these things with minimum cash. They had old Hot Wheels, Diecast, and just plain old toys. Priced accordingly of course LOL. These Winnabagos were triple digit prices.

Old oil cans, a tire repair kit from the days of vulcanizing the patches.

Even older 1 quart oil containers.  I think I actually like these even better than whats out there now. Recyclable with a nice metal funnel.

Even furniture. Wouldn't this look good in your living room? OK, how about the den or even the garage. Even comes with a flat tire LOL

Another shoulda thing. These would look good on my couch. AT least I wouldn't be traveling alone and my girls wouldn't worry as much. But then again, it is Homer. LOL

Imagine pulling up behind me on the highway and these guys sitting on a platform on the back of the RV waving at you.

$ 400 but what you see is what you get. There is nothing under the hood nor in the interior area.

Awww Go carts, I like go carts. A brief story about my youngest and her go cart. We lived at the Border Station in Haines Alaska and she was 13'ish. We got her a go cart and she drove it everywhere like a wild girl. The driveway came off of the highway with a verysteep slope about 30 feet high. She'd get the cart going full speed along the highway then launch it off that slope. I re-welded the front end back onto that thing at least 5 times. But she had a ball with it and when i sold it the word used was two words short. It was missing very, very, ,,,,,,

My first car was when I was 11 for my birthday. We lived 65 miles and across the state line from my school and so I had a special license to drive to school. It was a 1949 Ford but I couldn't find a representative car to take a picture of. Here is my 2nd car. Only mine was white, painted by me with a brush, roller, and latex paint.

Another brief story, my younger brother (the one mentioned above who is sick) played football and was not a small kid however he knew nothing about cars. I was a teen car nut and thus knew everything LOL. I had rebuilt the flathead V-8 in my pickup and he wanted to help so I let him install the head bolts. We couldn't afford a torqe wrench so I told him to tighten them snug the 1/2 turn so they would all be equal. After a while I overheard him say Dang, not again, so I walked over and asked him what was up. He said I dont know, I do as you said but when I go that extra 1/2 turn they keep breaking. he had snapped 6 head bolts off inside the block, and as a result keeping me busy for a long time fixing it. Of course I didnt let him re-install them afterwards. His idea of snug was a lot tighter than mine it seemed. LOL

When I went to Vietnam at the end of 1967 I had asked my parents if I sent money home would they buy me a car when I came back. When the time came I wanted a new 1969 Mercury Cougar. (I made 4153 a month including hazardous duty pay, but the car was only around $2,000 new then LOL)

Well, we were poor and they needed the money, so, make this car grey and you'd have the car waiting for me at home. At first I was disappointed, I mean c'mon, it had 4 doors. But it had a 4 on the tree which means a 4-speed on the column not the floor. It was fast and eventually I really liked it. I sold it when I left for Hawaii to a fellow Marine.

While in Hawaii I bought a T-bird that I fondly referred to as a Thunderchicken. I found it in a junk yard under a stack of three cars. I took it on base and found out a lot of Mustang parts fit so I repaired it. I painted it USMC Green as thats the only paint I could afford. After returning home I had it painted in Mexixo to a red simular to this one. Then I took it to Camp Pendleton after re-enlisting. The top comes off making it a roadster which was really nice along the Southern California Coast. I really liked that car.

When I retired and was selling things to get money for an RV and to get started I sold my Vette. This isn't it but it is a twin. Lots of fun drives in this little car, especially out the road.

Every old car show has to have an old military vehicle Its almost a requirement.

The Buick Fireball was a straight 8 which replaced the Straight 6 in 1931 and was a staple in the Buick Stable until the early 50's. This car was a racer but I couldn't find out anything else about it. Notice the hood ornament, and the straps holding the hood down.

A 1948 Jeep with a tad bit of modifications. and a nice bke on the front of the trailer.

There were a lot of used swap meet displays as well as Old Cars that I didnt put on here. The show and swap meet was fun and I enjoyed walking around wanting and yet coming home with all my moola.

11 days and I head North, lets see what I can do in those last days in Oregon.