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2008: Howard Prairie Lake Resort |
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| May 28, 2008: Today was raining during both the ride to and from work today. I just don't want to be accused of being a "fair-weather" cyclist. I'm wearing my rain gear but the rain pants are old and seem to let water pass through. I've ridden whole century rides in the rain, especially since the move to Oregon. It's always an adventure. One of the problems that you don't think about when riding in the rain is you and the bicycle get covered with sand picked up by the tires and thrown again the rider and bike. The sand is hard on gears and should be removed at first chance. Click the photo to enlarge. |
| May 29, 2008: A couple weeks ago I showed you Theresa from Roseburg exhibiting her steel art at a downtown Medford street fair. We purchased a garden art Christmas gift, then spotted this steel angel. Gwen has a thing for angels so I knew she would like this. The angel is about 2 feet tall from umbrella to toes. Her arms are copper wire as are the stems on the flowers. Pass your pointer through the photo to she her hanging in the corner of our kitchen. |
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June 2, 2008: Gwen and I visited Ashland Airport Day where they had a small exhibit of experimental and vintage planes. This Fokker Tri-Plane looks authentic to me. It was built in 1917 and when I looked closely, I would not want to fly in it. |
| June 6, 2008: We arrive at the Applegate Lodge, only 1 mile from where we park during the winter. This is a large bed and breakfast style lodge which makes an excellent location for a wedding with about 50 guests. Click the photo to enlarge. |
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June 7, 2008: Although John and Lesa got married in Reno several months ago, they wanted a family style wedding and chose this day for everyone to meet in Applegate. The bride is Gwen's daughter Lesa and her new husband is John. David, Gwen's son is behind Gwen and Char, David's wife is next to David. Melony and Jake are next to Gwen while Courtney and Dustin are standing next to me. Click the photo to enlarge. |
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| June 8, 2008: We thought it would be funny for all of us to pile on top of the honeymoon suit bed then surprise John and Lesa with the photo of how we "defiled" their room before the honeymoon began. Click to enlarge the photo. |
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June 9, 2008: Yikes! The kids have arrived for a two week visit. Dustin and Courtney are here. Melanie and Jake arrive next. As our next door neighbor said, this use to be a peaceful place. The kids hear nothing unless someone is yelling at them and they can't say anything without yelling. This may be a noisy two weeks. |
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| June 11, 2008: These are the four grandkids. On the left, Courtney, Melanie, Dustin, Jake and then Grandma Gwen. Yes, Moms and Dads, we bought the kids what THEY said they would eat. Everything is made with 95% white processed sugar plus 5% salt. The bag on the ground behind Melanie is full of oranges but we'll see if anyone eats those when oranges must compete with chips, crackers, chocolate milk and Marshmallow Mateys breakfast cereal. By the time you get your kids back they will be able to jump tall trees and run faster than a speeding bullet. I hope you learn your lesson about leaving the kids with us for two weeks. Click the photo to read the food labels. |
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June 13, 2008: Take a look at Jake the fisherman. Our neighbor, Jim, took Jake fishing and look what Jake reeled in. This is a nice group of trout, now Jake is ready to have them for breakfast and go out for more. Click the photo to enlarge. |
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| June 14, 2008: Grandma is trying to get cooperation from the grandkids to take a photo. Note Jake in the shadow of the tree. |
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June 15, 2008: The grandkids go on a long hike with grandma to look for good photographs. Melanie is at the edge of Howard Prairie Lake taking a photo of the lake with Mt. McCloughlin across the lake. A gust of wind has turned the water dark blue near our shore. |
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| June 19, 2008: Today is the last full day of the grandkids visit with grandma. We've done our best to wear them down with hikes, many boat rides, island exploring and junk food. The one thing we are sure of ... they are smarter now than when they came to us. Click the photo to enlarge. |
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June 21, 2008: The few days before the grandkids left they were whimping-out about sleeping in the tent outside. They brought their sleeping bags and pillows inside the trailer and slept on the floor. Of course, Morgan thought this would be a great new bed. Click to enlarge. |
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| June 22, 2008: Morgan and Annie are enjoying the warm sun while they watch the weekend campers leave. |
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June 23, 2008: I arrived home today with Annie sitting on the awning. I knew she got onto the roof from the deck but it appears she has learned that the awning is a comfortable and safe place to watch the other campers and their dogs. Click to enlarge. |
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| June 26, 2008: Some folks, even when camping, MUST have their favorite TV show and will go to any measure to get it. This photo is by Kathy, our next door neighbor and friend. A couple of pelicans are paddling over to investigate the device. |
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June 27, 2008: It was my pleasure today to see a semi-truck with a 53 foot trailer make a U-turn on a four lane bridge. I've seen this done before about three years ago and after seeing the technique I went home and practiced on the two lane road in front of my house. This driver misjudged |
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| slightly because the end of his trailer actually hits and does minor damage to the bridge. Pass your pointer through the photo to see the turn progress and the trailer touch the bridge. I'm not sure what the hurry was because the driver could have driven ahead into a mall parking lot for the U-turn. I don't believe he was too tall for the overpass ahead but perhaps that was the problem. While driving, I noticed the truck in the right lane with his left turn signal on, then suddenly he begins the U-turn so traffic had to stop and backup slightly (note the backup lights on the pickup in front of me) so he could complete the turn. I stopped with plenty of space between me and the truck in front knowing he was going to need plenty of space as he pivoted the trailer on the rear wheels to make the turn. I've had to use the technique at least three times myself and was glad I had practiced it after learning how to do it. It's actually possible to make a U-turn pulling a 36 ft. fifth wheel on a street which is less than 36 feet wide. That's what this driver thought too but you must be sure there is no bridge to hit or pedestrians on the sidewalk. |
| June 30, 2008: Today I got the chance to ride my bike next to the bridge which was damaged during the semi-truck U-turn above. The trailer hit the metal cross piece and broke the concrete support. Pass your pointer through the photo for another view. The driver forgot the part of the trailer behind the wheels will pivot beyond the edge of the road. It is possible, the rear of the trailer will be beyond the edge of the road the same distance as the distance of the trailer behind the wheels. For example, my trailer has 15 feet behind the rear wheels, so if I used this U-turn technique I could hit a post, tree, fence or bridge even if the object was 14-1/2 feet from the edge of the road. That's what happened in this case. Keep that in mind when choosing a spot to make a tight U-turn. |
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| June 29, 2008: Morgan loves to play "tug" and so does River, the Jack Russell belonging to Jim and Alona next door. They own two Jack Russell's and both are high energy dogs running circles around Morgan but Morgan loves the play. Pass your pointer through the photo to see a flash photo. River would hang onto the ring forever. |
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July 2, 2008: Southern Oregon has no wildfires but California has more than 1,000 burning now. The smoke from those California wildfires is seeping into southern Oregon. Swing your pointer over the photo to the left to see what this view normally looks like. You can also click the photo for another view. |
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| July 3, 2008: A few weeks ago I won a "fitness award" at the college and the prize was a $10 gift certificate at the Medford Farmer's Market. The market meets in Medford only one day each week, Thursday. There were two rows of vendors selling leafy vegitables and house plants plus craft vendors. The two most popular booths was the vendor selling tomatos and the vendor selling dog treats. Of course I bought a great treat for Morgan but the tomatos were sold out. I used the $10 certificate for a hanging plant. Pass your pointer through the photo to see another view. |
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| July 4, 2008: Independence Day holiday always fills the park. This year is no exception. The campground is packed. Some sites have 3-4 families. |
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July 6, 2008: Today was the Gentleman's Final at Wimbledon. Roger Federer was going for his sixth win but unfortunately was out played by the Spaniard, Nadal in five sets. It was great tennis. I was in favor of Roger while Gwen was in favor of Nadal. Here is a good description of the importance of the sport and this match, especially for people who may care less about tennis. |
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| July 15, 2008: Today was the start of the four day Jackson County Fair in Medford, Oregon. Each year the Rogue Community College sets up an information booth at the fair and asks for volunteers to be in the booth. I've always volunteered just to meet and talk with people as they pass through the fair. This year the college booth is in the largest display building. That means about 100x more traffic than we had previous years. The booth is directly across from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory booth which makes it difficult to keep your mind on college education. |
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July 31, 2008: How far would you go to get a good cell signal? Click the photo to see how to get the best cell signal.
Apparently this cell tower was having a problem and need some adjustment, or this guy just found his way to the top of the tower for the view. |
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