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2007: Applegate, Oregon
Part 4
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| March 7, 2007: I'm suspecting that Golden Retrievers do not understand cause and effect. Morgan can watch Annie the cat open the closed RV pocket door with her paw then push her way through the door but doesn't get the idea that she |
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could do the same thing. Morgan has been sprayed by a skunk when we lived in Grants Pass but that didn't stop her from getting sprayed again last night. You'd think after being sprayed once, a dog would remember the experience and run the other way when sensing those little black and white critters. The advantage of RV camping with a dog in the country |
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| is less worry about traffic, lots of space to run and a creek to swim. The disadvantage is that skunks live in the country too. Gwen got the skunk fix off the Internet. I took Morgan swimming last night and gave the first treatment. Today, I did the treatment again then added a shampoo and blow dry. Gwen is throwing away everything Morgan has touched since the spray and wouldn't let me keep the new blue sponge either. I hope Morgan remembers this time. Yes, this park like all RV parks has a rule that all pets must be on a leash. Yes, we break the rules, that's how she got sprayed. |
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March 10, 2007: Gwen's Grandchildren have a sleep-over. We have no place for them to camp during the winter other than our living area floor. The kids are Morgan's favorite playing partners. She enjoys the company and joins the sleep-over activities too. |
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| March 11, 2007: Today has been the warmest day of the year so far. This is a perfect day to take the visiting Grand kids on a hike in the Jacksonville area. This is an area which has been recently preserved by an effort of those living in the Jacksonville town and hills. There are 8 miles of hiking trails built and preserved by the Jacksonville Woodlands Association. We probably hiked 5 miles of the trails today. You can see a map of the whole trail system if you click here (this is a 1.2 meg .pdf map so it may take a while to view if you have a slow connection). |
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Morgan stayed close to the Grand kids during the hike. We had a lunch stop and snack stop along the way. The temperature was 70 which felt hot to Dustin so he removed his shirt. We took turns reading the area history about the early mining and then "depression mining" in "Glory Holes". Courtney took a fall head first down the trail after tripping over a stump. Grandma Gwen is giving first aid and picking the dirt from her teeth. No damage done. Only a few minutes later she was riding a log balanced across the trail. The view from Panorama Point of the Rogue Valley and Mt. McLaughlin was especially nice today. |
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| March 17, 2007: Last evening we were invited to a birthday party for a special friend, Trudy. Parties are always fun, this one was attended by about twenty people to celebrate Trudy's 70th birthday. I used to think 70 was old but now, at my age, it doesn't seem that old to me. Trudy had several Grandchildren at the party and it was obvious they loved their Grandmother and were as excited about the party as she was. Click the photo for another party picture of Trudy with her Grandson. |
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March 18, 2007: Yesterday was our anniversary. About a year ago, Gwen and I bought a "vacation package" from a fund raising auction at Rogue Community College foundation. The package included one night at the Ashland Springs Inn, $30 towards dinner in Larks, the upscale restaurant inside the Inn and two movie tickets to a movie of our choice. We chose to use the vacation package last night. The Ashland Springs Inn is the tallest building in Ashland Oregon. It has been recently remodeled, has 70 rooms, was originally built in the 20's but now is |
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| a favorite place for weddings and visitors attending the Shakespeare Festival. Click any photo in this series to see a larger view. Our room was small, but nice. There is a private courtyard with an adjoining room for weddings with a banquet room next to that. The first photo was taken through the metal gazebo from the courtyard. The $30 certificate for Larks did not go very far. Each of our meals |
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was $30, then extra for soup and dessert. We both liked the restaurant and food and decided we would return someday. The Inn lobby was nice and comfortable.
Only a short walk to the movie theater. We chose to view Amazing Grace, a touching story of William Wilberforce and his long struggle to end the British slave trade in the 18th century.
This has been a nice anniversary. |
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| March 19, 2007: Here is Gwen at her computer playing checkers. Nothing special about that, people play computer checkers all the time, right? In this case, her opponent is not the computer but Melanie, her Granddaughter living in Boise, Idaho. They are playing over the Internet because, "Melanie is bored", according to Gwen. Just another example of how the Internet has changed our lives in the last ten years. |
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March 22, 2007: This week was Gwen's Uncle Norman's birthday. We had a small party to celebrate at his favorite restaurant, HomeTown Buffet. Uncle Norman is 83 years young. He is a veteran from World War II servicing as an army medic in Europe. Uncle Norman lives in White City, Oregon, close to the VA Domiciliary where he receives health benefits and hats, such as the one he is wearing. Most of Norman's friends got him lottery tickets but he only won $10 from the tickets. We all had fun scratching them to look for prizes. |
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| March 24, 2007: Connie is a friend. She spent most of the day with us today helping another friend with wedding invitations. Little did she know of the plans for a surprise birthday party which happened this evening. The girls had a great time visiting and talking but no one let out the secret to the party. I'm sure that was hard for these ladies since they seem to share everything. |
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March 25, 2007: Ashland, Oregon has a rowing club with many shells to choose from. While Gwen and I were visiting Emigrant Lake to take photos for the eBook I'm writing, we watched several of the rowing teams practicing. I sat in a rowing shell on Lake Tahoe many years ago and quickly learning, rowing in one of these takes much more than aerobic ability, it take coordination and balance too. Rowing is one of the best aerobic sports, one that I've always wanted to practice but have not had the time or patience. |
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March 30, 2007: Every morning, while commuting, I see wild turkeys in the surrounding fields and often very close or on the road. I have stopped several times to take photos but they always scatter. Today, they came to our trailer, at least, within 20 feet. They would not allow me to get very close for a photo. I don't know when turkey season is, but I'll bet the local folks eat lots of turkey and not just at Thanksgiving. |
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| March 31, 2007: These spring days are getting warmer so Morgan plays in Thompson Creek two or three times each day. Her favorite game is to search for light colored rocks about the size of a softball. She will roll them along and try to pick them up. She will do this for a hour, laying in the water to cool off while playing. Thompson Creek is only ten feet behind our parking spot. |
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April 1, 2007: The Rogue Valley has always been known for pears which you see blooming off in the distance. Now there are many farms converting to grapes as you see here. If you drive Highway 238 to Applegate where we live, you'll find many small vineyards with small wine tasting rooms. Many drive through the Applegate Valley during the summer looking for the small winetasting rooms and often discover a favorite bottle or two of wine. |
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