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Fall 2007: Applegate, Oregon
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| October 21, 2007: This is the morning to move to Applegate, Oregon. Everything is ready to go but I've got one half inch of ice on the two living room slides because they are in the shade. I carefully tow the Cameo to the Howard Prairie parking lot with the two living room slides extended. I'm looking for sun to help melt the ice on the slides. |
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| The trip out of the Howard Prairie valley was icy after last night's snow storm. Additionally, this was the first trip with the kayaks loaded while towing the Cameo. Everything worked perfectly after dealing with the ice on the roof. The trip down the mountain was slow and careful in the shady/icy areas. |
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| October 22, 2007: This year we are in space 54 rather than 50. That's the furthest space toward the dog walk area and the creek area. Unlike last year when we had the RV area to ourselves, this year we have four neighbors. So far, they plan to spend the winter here but they haven't seen seven degrees yet like we did last year. We will be prepared and know how to survive, I'm not sure they do. Our Cameo is parked an an angle to the space to create more privacy and put more windows into the sun. Note the bicycles on the rack between the front of the fifth wheel and the truck cab. They easily clear the kayaks while turning. Last year we had only 30 amp service which was all our King of the Road could handle but this year we have learned that space 54 has 50 amp service. Our Cameo will plug into 50 amp service so we are able to take advantage of this higher rated service for the first time since owning the Cameo. So far, it's great. We have turned everything to electricity, hot water, refrigerator and we have turned on our heat pump as well as our electric space heaters. Wow! We no longer have to manage our electric usage because electricity is included in the rental rate and two space heaters don't pop the circuit breaker. |
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October 23, 2007: After slowly advancing in a long line of traffic heading toward Applegate Valley, I rounded this corner to see a double trailer gravel truck and |
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| Oregon State Police talking with the truck driver. Further around the corner I see a Suzuki Samurai with most of the drivers side missing. Next to the Samurai is a fireman's yellow jacket laying on the ground with a bloody arm protruding from under the jacket. It turns out to be a 51 year old man who swerved in front of the truck. Just another reminder that one second you can be driving home from work and the next ... dead. |
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| October 24, 2007: It's fall in Applegate Valley. We left winter behind at Howard Prairie and have returned to fall and the colors of fall. My new commute takes me through the fall colors every day. |
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| October 25, 2007: Applegate Valley is the home to many wild turkeys. Here are just a few to greet me during my morning commute. |
| October 26, 2007: Tonight was the Applegate Elementary School Harvest Festival. This is an annual fund raising event for the small Applegate school. Last year the festival was three weeks later. We found the cake walk last year |
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but won nothing. Gwen used that
experience to her advantage this year because she won a cake on her second walk. Just look at all the cakes she could choose from. We also bought the chili dog and corn bread dinner which came with a salad for only $3. We ate the dinner before we started on the cake. |
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| Of course there were many games to play at the festival. Traditional games such as fishing with a clothes pin and knock the cans over with a bean bag. Whack a Rat was one I hadn't seen before. A stuffed rat slides down a ramp and if you can whack it with a stick you get a coupon worth a prize at the prize booth. We didn't try Whack a Rat. |
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| October 27, 2007: Gwen's hobby is digital scrapbooking. This month she has won layout of the month for the topic of generations. Her layout is to the right, click on the layout to enlarge. |
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October 28, 2007: Glenn has a workshop nearby. He does custom woodwork and wood carving. His most recent project was the stools for all the Rainforest Cafe restaurants, nearly 4,000 stools. He has a small workshop but has fit many powertools into a small space. Glenn and I talked about a new Webpage for his animals. He has retired and works mostly on hobby projects now but would like to sell an occasional animal. His current project is a turtle for his nephew. |
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| October 29, 2007: Gwen bought a new camera today. It's a Canon SX100 IS. I had to give it a try on the tree just across the parking lot from our trailer. Note the "Brooder House" behind the tree where we play Nickel Bingo and do laundry. The tree is back lit so many of the leaves seem very bright as the sun shines through them. This effect also makes the tree trunk black. You can click the photo to enlarge. |
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October 31, 2007: There is an urban park only one block from my downtown Medford office. This bronze sculptor sits in the park 24/7 waiting for someone to be his opponent. However, apparently (at least on Halloween) this opponent died while waiting for the bronze man to make his move. |
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| November 1, 2007: Across the street from my office is a used car lot. They often have some strange vehicles and/or strange prices. Today they had a 1963, two door Oldsmobile for $14,500 which is probably 5 times the price it sold for new. Now I can see paying a good price for say a '57 or '55 Chevy but is just don't see anything special about this Olds. What do you think? |
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November 12, 2007: Today is Veterans Day so Medford is having a parade. Rogue Community College took their training semi-truck and several veterans who are now students for a ride in the parade. |
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| November 19, 2007: About 25 Applegate Park residents enjoy a Thanksgiving potluck. Lots of food and some great desserts. |
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November 20, 2007: This is where Granddaughter Courtney takes herself when Grandma Gwen tells her she is making too much noise in a restaurant. What do you think? I think you can still see the noise maker. |
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| November 30, 2007: I got an early Christmas present from son Ben and his wife Kim. It's the "Dale Jr" sweatshirt. The baseball cap with the two LED lights is a previous gift which I decided to wear to illustrate both. The hat was a serious gift but I think the sweatshirt was a not-so-serious gift since I AM a "Dale Jr" and care nothing about Nascar sports. Now I've got to come up with something equally as good for Ben and Kim ... perhaps I'll find the perfect gift on our New Mexico trip which will begin in less than a week. |
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| December 1, 2007: Jacksonville, Oregon is a historical town near Medford. I must drive through Jacksonville each day. This time of year they are the center of "Victorian Christmas" in southern Oregon. This is a rainy day so not many shoppers on the street. They must all be in the shops because all the parking spaces are full. Pass the pointer through the photo to see the night view. |
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| January 5, 2008: We have returned from our Arizona vacation. It is typical winter weather in southern Oregon. The above photo is a 180° photo, click to enlarge. This view is the country side between Grants Pass and Applegate. |
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