Fall - Winter
2 0 1 6 - 2 0 1 7
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Monday, June 12, 2017: It's June and the rain should have stopped a month ago. I keep looking at the forecast because we are leaving on Thursday to begin our Vancouver Island summer. We are sailing on June 27 but leaving this Thursday to attend the FMCA rally in Longview, Washington. It will be our first FMCA rally but I have volunteered to help with the rally. That means an extra 3 nights at the rally for no extra charge.
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 Saturday, June 10, 2017: This is Timber Valley's big Yard Sale day. It's raining so the sale isn't in the "yard", it's in the clubhouse. We've had our own booth previously but hope to never do it again. Selling previously, we learned at the end of the day we seemed to have nearly as much left as what we started with. However, as a buyer, it's a great time to find the things we need at 10¢ on the dollar. It started this morning at 7 am with the parking lot full of buyers. We decided to look for wheel covers to fit Miss Daisy. I found them right away for only $5. I donated a set of wheel covers to the park booth and they sold them for $10, that gives you an idea of the deal I got. I continued shopping and found a clothesline/PVC unit to hang off the back of Miss Dory. Gwen found books and square Melamine dishes, a treasure for her. Click the photos for more views. |
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Friday, June 9, 2017: I did a photo hike today with my good friend and backpacking buddy, Richard. Richard and I always learn from each other. Today we focused on photography. Before meeting Richard, I stopped at the dam on the North Umpqua River in Winston. I used my "10 stop ND filter" to give the feather effect of the river. The exposure time on that photo was 14 seconds. The exposure time on Fern Falls was 20 seconds. I met Richard on the "Swiftwater" section of the North Umpqua Trail. The trail follows the North Umpqua River to the east. I used my ND filter and extension tubes. I introduced the extension tubes to Richard and I believe he is sold. Click all the photos for more views. Here is a short video on the trail. |  |
Monday, June 5, 2017: Do you know what a "neutral density" (ND) photography filter is? I've never used one until today. An ND filter is used to reduce the amount of light coming through the lens forcing longer exposure times. They can be very expensive, hundred(s) of dollars but I have found one not as good but something I can afford while I learn to use one. This is done for special effects, especially with water, traffic, anything which moves. Moving things blur with a long exposure speed. The photo to the left was taken with a "7 stop" ND filter. I use an APP on my phone to calculate the exposure speed. In this case it was .8 seconds but nothing was moving except maybe the tree branches have some subtle movement. Click the photo to see one of my windmills spinning so blurred. I hope to do a photo hike on Friday with my friend Richard, I needed to practice first. 
Saturday, June 3, 2017: Nice drive to Bandon today to have lunch with Brook and Dave (Gwen's son). Our favorite fish and chips place had a long line so we ate down the street. All of us ordered some sort of fish thing. I set up my camera just behind Gwen to take a time lapse video of our surroundings and meal. You will see a one hour lunch stop in 1.5 minutes.
Click this photo to see a State Park volunteer explain about the Snowy Plover restrictions on the beach. The Snowy Plover is a small, cute, bird which mates and lays eggs on much of the Oregon beach. That causes certain stretches of the Oregon beach to be off limits for much of the year. There is a 13 mile stretch of beach near Bandon where humans and their pets are not allowed to preserve the habitat for the Snowy Plover. I don't believe I've ever seen one. If you recall, my backpacking friends and I hiked this beach from Bandon to Port Orford two years ago. We avoided the Snowy Plover area by hiking at the high tide line which is allowed.
More photos tomorrow.
Thursday, June 1, 2017: Besides working on the new headboard I finally got around to adding pinstripes to the Forester. I've had the pinstripe material for more than six months but, again, the temperature of the car surface had to be more than 55 degrees. We didn't reach that temperature here until about three weeks ago. I paid an installer $65 to do this to our Prius so decided to do this install myself. I believe it looks at-least as good as the professional.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017: I spent most of the day on the next project, the headboard for Miss Dory. We took out the old headboard with the old valences ... I'll save that story for another day.
I was up early this morning, in time to catch the low clouds over the park. I set up my camera for a time lapse as the clouds cleared. Click here for 54 minutes shrunk down to 35 seconds.
I must remember to take my weather station (mounted on the ladder). There is NO weather station in Telegraph Cove so mine will be the first. I'll get it online as soon as I arrive.
Monday, May 29, 2017: Timber Valley has a tradition on Memorial Day to have a pot luck picnic. Today the weather is good so the picnic happens on the park's outdoor picnic area called "Snoopy's Meadow". It's a grassy area near our creek. This is an area in the park which does not allow pet access, hence the ideal area for a picnic. This one was well attended with lots of salads on this warm day and five watermelons to share. Enough there were leftovers. Click the photo for a panorama view. 
Saturday, May 27, 2017: Worked most of the day replacing the valences in Miss Dory but I'll report on that tomorrow. Gwen and I had an early dinner with our friends Alice and Rich from Grants Pass, Oregon. We met halfway in Canyonville with the intention of having Mexican but the Mexican Restaurant was closed. So off to the buffet at Seven Feathers Casino. I met Alice at Rogue Community College where she and I worked together.  |
Friday, May 26, 2017: My friend Ray traveled with us last summer in Alaska. Ray had his own network and Internet access he got from nearby WiFi using a Ubiquity antenna and radio. Rather than login to RV park WiFi with your laptop or cell phone, Ray would login to his own network, and use his own wireless printer. Gwen and I have our own home network when we are in Sutherlin by subscribing to Charter, the local cable TV service. When on the road, we use our phones as a WiFi hotspot which is expensive and limiting. Since we expect to have WiFi in the park we are hosting all summer, the Ubiquity will be our WiFi source for our own network. We already have a router which we will plug into the LAN port on the power supply. Since our router is the source of our home network, we will have all the same network features and login. The Ubiquity is inexpensive, less than $50. If you want your own network while traveling, it's easy to install ... only if you follow these video instructions. If you don't already have a router, get this one from Ubiquity. The video gives instruction for installing the router too. I'm mounting the Ubiquity on the roof with PVC but won't leave the PVC on the roof when traveling so I use a PVC plug to keep the threads clean when traveling. Everything is ready for our traveling network if I remember to transfer the router. |
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Wednesday, May 24, 2017: This is Wednesday so time for the Timber Valley Webpage. The page is beginning to take shape. My part will be called "Activity Groups" so I have begun taking photos of activities. Click this photo for players at PoKeNo.
I also worked much of the day learning "Lightroom", the photo editor used by all professional photographers. My practice photo was one of my many hummingbird photos. "Lightroom" is a play on the word "Darkroom". I owned and spent hundreds of hours in my own darkroom for thirty years which ended with electronic photography about 2000. I'm already finding that time in Lightroom could amount to hundreds of hours too. Clearly, the best photos are made carefully in Lightroom just as I manipulated the best photos in the darkroom.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017: Today was Morgan's turn to see her veterinarian. Morgan must have a "health certificate" to go into Canada in a month. Morgan is 16-1/2 years old. The chart in the veterinarian's office shows that is equal to 102 (click the photo to see the chart). I thought Morgan had lost a lot of weight since her last visit but she has lost only two pounds. This is Melissa, the veterinary assistant. She delivered Morgan after her blood draw. After meeting with Dr. Bailey, we decided to do a blood test today then return the second week of June for a complete exam, inoculations and the "health certificate". This certificate is only valid for 30 days, hence the visit in June. About three months ago, we began giving Morgan a little taste of human food (mostly left-over) to encourage her to eat more regularly. So for 16-1/4 years, she ate only dog food, never human food. We decided there was no reason not to give her more incentive to eat. Today we learned bacon grease is NOT something you should give dogs, we we will stop that. Fatty food is not good for dogs.
Monday, May 22, 2017: Gwen has begun her next project. The Timber Valley sewing group has decided to make "barn quilts" for their sheds. We purchased the 2 x 2 foot plywood pieces a week ago and now the ladies are working to complete their designs. The boards will be painted with the design then hung onto our sheds. Each design will be unique. The sewing group actually had to take their idea to the "lot improvement committee" for permission to hang the quilt boards onto the sheds. I believe it will add a nice touch to our park.
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Saturday and Sunday, May 20-21, 2017: We spend the weekend with Dave, Brook, Lesa and Mark in Grants Pass. The highlight of the weekend was the hamburgers Mark barbequed for us and the Hellgate Jetboat dinner cruise. Gwen and I haven't done the ride in 12 years and Mark, Dave and Brook have never done the ride. This is the best activity in Grants Pass and very popular. There are usually multiple boats running at the same time. In our case, there were five boats. The Hellgate Jetboat company owns the rural river restaurant where the meals happen. The river trip and food is great. Click these photos for another view. I also made a video of the trip. The video will give you an idea of what the trip is all about.
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Friday, May 19, 2017: The job today is to finish the weed-whacking on not only my lot but my neighbor's lots too. Timber Valley is a co-op park which means we should be doing some of the maintenance work. So I clean the clubhouse bathrooms each morning and I figure weed-whacking for several lots is part of my job too. Besides weed-whacking, I will be cleaning up our lot and using homemade weed/grass killer on the gravel portion of our lot. The homemade weed killer is a gallon of vinegar, cup of salt and teaspoon of dish soap. I used some yesterday and it seems to be working. I'll do more today. This hillside is steep enough, you can't stay on the slope, especially with a string trimmer, in regular shoes. Several years ago I found these cleated shoes at a charity store and they work great to keep me on the hillside. I've also decided to move my three wind machines to be at the same height on the hillside once I've finished with weed-whacking. Click on the string trimmer to see another view of the hillside. |
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Sunday, May 14, 2017: We woke up to Mother's Day. The Lion's Club of Sutherlin is honoring all the women of the Timber Valley RV Park for all the volunteer work they do in the community. The Lion breakfast is at the Sutherlin Community Center. Breakfast is free for the ladies and $6 for everyone else. Click the community center photo for a panorama view. Later I walked to the motorhome storage with something to deliver and something to pick up. On the way back I spent some time looking for a bumble bee on a flower but they were too fast. I caught the wild turkeys and a water drop. Click the photos to see what I mean.
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Thursday, May 11, 2017: Ok, this day began with my annual physical exam which turned out OK. I returned home to clean up the shop and put together a bag of items and clothes to donate to the local charity store.
That left the rest of this rainy day to study the camera instruction manual until UPS arrived with my new camera harness. I figured I needed a method to carry a camera while hiking but keep both hands free for my trekking poles. I also needed to be able to quickly take a photo. A camera harness seems to be the answer. Here is what I got. It also has a safety strap so if I accidentally drop the camera it only falls 14 inches. There are lots of adjustment straps and clasps so I'm still working with getting it adjusted just right. I figure I can carry a pack with a tripod, lens filters and even a snack or two when out for a hike. 
I had a chance to watch a YouTube video of how to test the camera focus. The camera actually has a setting to change the focus forward or backward of the focus point but you must test the camera and lens first. This method did not require a special focus sheet. Simply line up five batteries at a 45° angle to the tripod mounted camera. Point the focus square on the center battery. If the photo shows any batteries in focus other than the center battery, the camera must be adjusted. Click the photo to see the result. The center battery is slightly more in focus than all the other batteries so no adjustment is needed. Note that I used my 45° triangle as a guide for the batteries.
Wednesday, May 10, 2017: Today began with a Chapter 9 breakfast because it is the second Wednesday of the month. Then I had a technology meeting in the clubhouse to solve the problems of the Timber Valley Webpage. After that we drove to Canyonville for Gwen's chiropractor adjustment.
Tonight is a full moon and I was anxious to try my new camera to make a time lapse video of the moon rise over Timber Valley RV Park. I made a note last night where the moon appeared so I was ready to set up the camera for time lapse. I was able to re-purpose the satellite dish tripod into a very stable tripod for the camera. Click this photo to see where the moon will appear across the RV park. I had to sit with the camera while it took a frame every 3 seconds. I created a 34 second video but it took almost two hours. Click here to see the video.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017: Last December I added metal roofing over the slides to quiet the rain hitting the slide and preserve the rubber roofing over the slides. However, when the time came to seal the metal roofing to the side of the fifth wheel I learned the caulking tube called for warmer temperatures. Those temperatures happened today so I finished the metal roof installation by sealing the metal to the fifth wheel .
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Wednesday, May 3, 2017: Last year I purchased Subaru black body side molding then read the instructions. The instructions insisted that the car body had to be at a temperature of 75° or above for proper adhesion of the 3M tape on the back of the molding. That happened for the first time today with temperatures getting into the 80s.
The car body is cleaned with alcohol first then a bonding agent applied. Masking tape is attached to have a guide line. The molding is attached below the tape by pulling the protective cover from the 3M tape. Click this photo for a closer view.
Other than the side molding, I had a dental appointment and a technology meeting today.
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Monday, April 24, 2017: I spent much of this rainy day making some earrings for my mother. These are made of lapis and red jasper on sterling silver ear wires. Mom: a package was mailed to you today.
I checked and double checked the items in my pack today. The last thing a backpacker wants to happen is missing a key part of the equipment like my spoon (which happened last year) or hiking pants (which happened to Richard a couple years ago). We've had to put all our food into bear tight containers which adds 2.5 lbs to the weight and take up lots of room in the pack. I dislike having to do that but Richard insists they are necessary. We will be hike the Wild and Scenic portion of the Rogue River in southern Oregon. It is about 40 miles accessible by trail of float boat only. This will be my last post for a week but I plan to take lots of photos to record the experience.
Sunday, April 23, 2017: I'm hiking each day to prepare for the backpack which begins on Tuesday. We expect to be backpacking in the rain on Tuesday so I thought it appropriate to hike in the rain today to test my equipment. It kept me dry but I can see I will probably wear only a T-shirt and shorts underneath. Even though the temperature was only in the 50s, it was too warm inside my rain suit. 
So I'm going to change the clothes I take along a bit. My hiking boots are advertised to be waterproof but I'm concerned about them so think I will bring my waterproof cycling socks too.
My hiking buddy Richard took a rainy day hike on the coast. He wore the same rain suit only in yellow. I did my best to purchase a different color, I surely didn't want to match rain suits with any of my backpacking buddies, that would just be weird! He even has the same hat but his is green and mine, blue. I expect Richard learned what I did, lighter clothing is needed. So why is Richard standing is such a strange pose? It is his signature stand. Check out his Website for reports of many Oregon hikes.
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Friday, April 21, 2017: Two strange photos, let me explain. Today began with fog but was forecast to be the warmest day in 2017 so far and no rain. The fog cleared in late morning and the sun began to warm. So I decided to be brave and walk around town to help prepare for my backpack trip happening next week. While walking around town I had to pass the railroad tracks twice. I'll admit to some artistic manipulation of the photo on the right. Meanwhile, Gwen was with lady friends at a quilt show in Roseburg. She didn't return until late and reported enjoying every moment of the day. |
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Sunday, April 16, 2017: After Easter celebration I had time to search through my storage areas for outdated items. I was specifically looking for items that I could list for sale. I found a "like new" wind breaker, a camp pot/pan kit and these two items. This is a Lowe Alpine backpack which I've owned for at least 30 years. It came from the days I would pack with a huge load and didn't mind the weight. Now, when I pack, it's with a much lighter pack and smaller load. The Sierra Designs tent at the right is another item I've owned for at least 20 years. I remember buying it in Medford. It's a 2+ person tent, very well built and has kept me dry is some very serious storms. However, it is far too heavy for my backpacking now and I have no need for a 2 person tent. Until they are sold, you can see the Craigslisting by clicking the photos. |
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Friday, April 14, 2017: This is my friend and hiking, backpacking partner, Richard. We have a backpack trip planned in ten days and Richard has taken my advice to sleep in a hammock and he wanted help to learn how to set it up. I showed him how I always set up the rain fly first so Richard is celebrating the hanging of the rain fly. We were fighting the wind the whole time but were successful in, first, setting up my hammock then setting up Richard's hammock. We learned what else we might need to make the hammock camping right.
After the hammock practice, Richard showed me his new high performance Bike Friday which was custom made for him. Click the photo to see Richard's bike. It has a new eleven speed, internal hub, transmission which is belt driven, not chain driven.
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Wednesday, April 12, 2017: This KVAL photo of a truck crash was on Facebook today. The crash happened earlier today on the narrow two lane bridge we always cross to get to the coast. The driver is in the hospital. The highway is currently block and the bridge inspected.
Today began with the Escapee Chapter 9 breakfast. When we arrived back home we cleaned and prepared Miss Dory to park in the storage lot. Beginning April 1, our second RV is not allowed on our lot and must be parked in storage, it's a park rule. I have some more repairs to make which will happen when the rain stops.
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Sunday, April 9, 2017: Even with the "Wave Incident" we can't stop walking the beach. Actually, we did laundry early this morning before the beach walk. Something special today, while walking McVay Beach, I collected tiny, colorful pebbles for my granddaughter, Chloe. While she visited a week ago I taught her how to make her own stud earrings and she can use the pebbles I collected to create more of her own. So this was another day on the ocean with Dave, Brook, Lesa, Mark and Gwen. Click the photo for another view. Another storm is arrived this afternoon but we have a weather window to leave tomorrow afternoon.
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Friday, April 7, 2017: Gwen's daughter Lesa and her partner Mark arrived this afternoon so we chose to have Sushi for dinner. Dave and Brook are on the right, then Lesa across from Mark. Dave took the photo on his iPhone.
After sushi, we headed to Dairy Queen where we all ate something we shouldn't have.
Later the "kids" went for a hike on the beach while I finished the edit of a beach movie.
Thursday, April 6, 2017: Gwen and I meet David and Brook on South Harris Beach. This has been our longest hike yet on the beach making it a loop from one end of South Beach to the North Beach at low tide, otherwise there are spots we could not walk. These bird seemed interested in what we were doing. Later in the hike, David and Brook join us with Belle (black and white dog) and Mazie. I took a video of the walk. Click the photo for another view.
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Wednesday, April 5, 2017: This morning we had breakfast with David and the other campground hosts, a Wednesday morning tradition. Then off to the farmer's market where we looked but didn't buy anything. David showed us the "At River's Edge RV Park" where he will move at the end of April. Finally, to Fred Meyer looking for groceries. We took Morgan for a walk on the beach where I captured these photos. Click each for a larger view. |
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Tuesday, April 4, 2017: We are driving from Sutherlin to Brookings, Oregon on the coast to visit Gwen's son, David. Eric, our French Canadian hitchhiking friend wants to be delivered to Bandon so he can photograph Face Rock, a famous coast rock formation in Bandon. He is ready to continue his adventure. This photo was taken at the moment we delivered him to within 200 yards of the Facerock view point.
I'm sure he will post his photos as soon as he has Internet access again.
We arrived in Brookings two hours later and found a nice camp location very near David.
In 2013 we were traveling in Death Valley with Gwen driving our Prius. She stopped to pick up a hitchhiker. It turned out to be Eric, a French Canadian from Montreal. At that time he had hitchhiked most of the United States. Since that time, he has hitchhiked Iceland, Greenland, Scandinavia and Germany. This last year, when we were in Alaska, Eric hitchhiked all of Central and South America and has just returned from that adventure. He is on his way north to Alaska and contacted us knowing we were in Oregon. He'll stay with us until Tuesday when we travel back to the coast to visit Gwen's son David. Eric wants to see Bandon so we'll drop him off as we pass through. You can follow Eric by "friending" his Facebook page, where he has hundreds of photos of his travels. Eric makes friends very easily so nearly all those who have given him a ride still follow him on Facebook.
During his travels, the bag he uses for his tripod has worn out so he picked up some old jeans from the trash and is remaking one of the legs into a tripod bag. Gwen taught him how to use her sewing machine to finish his project.
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It has been an active few days with son Ben plus Chloe and Noah. We have done projects making earrings, dinosaur puzzles, finishing Noah's train cars, rock pendants and felt coloring cards. Then we played lots of card games like Skipbo. The highlight of the week, however, is the trip to the coast for a dune buggy ride then a hike on the beach looking for shells and driftwood. I took a video of the coast trip. Click the photo of Ben, myself and Noah above to see the dune buggy we rode. |
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Tuesday, March 28, 2017: My son Ben with Chloe and Noah have arrived. We spent the late afternoon playing and showing them their living quarters while they visit. After a hamburger barbeque we took a short drive to Dairy Queen. Then I started my gas campfire for them. Finally it became dark enough to get out the box of finger lights I ordered just for them. The kids had experience with them and had to show me how to put them onto my fingers properly. I took a short video with the kids and their finger lights. |  |
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 Monday, March 27, 2017: We have two grandkids visiting beginning tomorrow so I have been working all day getting projects ready for them. I decided I wanted to teach Chloe how to make earings for herself (and others) so she needs a place to keep her tools and treasures. Noah needs a tool box for some hand tools I'm giving him. I picked up (2) dollar store tool boxes then made name plates for each of the kids. Then I filled them with stuff for our first projects. I used the woodburning tool I purchased a couple weeks ago. I also made a name plate for a very special box we bought for Chloe. Click both photos to see more views. |
Friday, March 24, 2017: Today was a rainy travel day from Tillicum Beach Campground back to Sutherlin, Oregon. I promised a photo of the "special find" at the "Flea Market" store in Waldport. It is a ceramic lighthouse very much like the Heceta Head Lighthouse and the price was only $15. It is designed to use Tea Lights (the little candles found in dollar stores). One tea light goes in the lighthouse tower and the other goes in the house. I could only find one Tea Light so used it in the house. I bought the lighthouse for my shelf. Click the photo to see a wider view of the shelf. All the items inside and on top of the shelf came from this trip to the coast. They were all found in thrift shops or were on-sale. I also picked up some sea shells for the copper bucket but just hadn't found them among all our "treasures" before taking this photo.
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Thursday, March 23, 2017: This is our last full day on the Oregon Coast and there is one thing we have not done yet, visit Gwen's favorite restaurant for clam chowder. It is the Salty Dawg located next to the Alsea Marina off the "beaten path" in Waldport. As it turns out, the Oregon Ducks basketball team is playing in the NCAA March Madness Sweet Sixteen just as we finished lunch. We hung out at the Salty Dawg and extra two hours to watch them beat Michigan by a point and move on to the Elite Eight. Click the right photo for the Salty Dawg. Click the left photo for another view of the Waldport bridge over the Alsea River. |  |
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Wednesday, March 22, 2017: Another mostly rain day. Our favorite restaurant is the Drift Inn in Yachats so we had to have ONE breakfast there before leaving the area. Gwen got the best view of the Yachats River as it enters the Pacific Ocean. After breakfast, we drove eight miles to Waldport. Our first stop was the "Flea Market" store where Gwen found another jigsaw puzzle and I found something special for my shelf back home. Next, off to the Waldport Library for Internet access. Back at the campground, I made a video of the Tillicum Beach Campground. I also got a nice photo of the Pacific as the sun was about to disappear. |  |
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Tuesday, March 21, 2017: What do you do when you have no Internet and no TV? First, we go for a long walk on the beach with Morgan. Gwen likes to look for "treasures" on the beach so we end up putting those treasures into the bags we carry to pickup Morgan poop. After dinner, Gwen likes to do jigsaw puzzles and purchased this one at Goodwill in Florence for $1. I don't usually like jigsaw puzzles but this one was fun and relatively easy so we finished it in about 3 hours. Click both photos for more views. |
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Monday, March 20, 2017: This is the first day of spring. We have moved from Florence Elks RV to Tillicum Beach National Forest Campground between Yachats and Waldport, Oregon. We are 100 yards from the water and 10 yards above the water. We can see the Pacific waves from our windshield. Since the next few days is forecast a series of storms, we'll be able to watch as the storms approach. There is no Internet or cell phone access at the park so nothing to distract us from the ocean view. We are also boondocked to make sure we remember how. We haven't boondocked since Mt. Robson Park, BC last August. |  |
