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Spring/Summer 2 0 2
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Return to "Fall -
Winter 2022 - 2023"
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Thursday,
June 8, 2023: My day began with a visit to the chiropractor
looking for help with back and leg pain. Don't ask, I have
mixed feelings about chiropractors. The rest of the day I
searched through all our storage locations looking for stuff
to include in a yard sale to happen on Saturday. Over 30 lots
in our park are participating in the city wide yard
sale. I made sure it got advertised on the local
Facebook pages. We now have at least 6 storage bins which are
empty. Yes, yard sales are awful because the seller usually
has many unsold items which must be stored again. However, in
this case, most of the our items will be donated rather than
stored again. Tomorrow I get set up then sneak around to
find treasures on the other yards.
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Friday, June 2, 2023:
Gwen and I could not resist the "Barn Sale" which happens only
occasionally in Roseburg. This is the type of sale with a huge
inventory of unique items. Unfortunately the shopper, IMHO,
must have something in mind before shopping at this particular
sale. A creative craft artist could turn much of this
junk into useful art. Here is the "treasure"
I found. I don't have an original idea of what I will do with
the knobs, some sort of hat rack is what I'm thinking of.
Click the photos for more views.
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Tuesday, May 30, 2023: This
has been a busy day finding materials for projects. I started
with a used building materials store on the south side of
Roseburg, I was looking for 1/4" plywood and 1/2" plywood,
they had neither. I drove to the UPS store to return a monitor
adapter to Amazon. My next store was the Home Depot
where I found bolts, pine boards and 1/4" plywood but not the
1/2" plywood. So I drove to Lowes, across the street from Home
Deport. They had no 1/2" plywood either. I gave up on
materials and went to Costco with a short list of items. When
I returned home I received the right adapter for my laptop.
The story of the external monitor, I have no room in the
motorhome for an external monitor but I will have when we are
in Tucson in the winter months. First, I purchased a
monitor at an estate sale for $5 knowing it might not work. It
didn't have a power cord and it accepted only a VGA cord
(analog while my new laptop puts out a digital signal). I
purchased a power cord and VGA adapter to fit my laptop from
Amazon. It actually worked, the external monitor came on and
displayed my laptop monitor. However, it was so fuzzy, nothing
could be read. I returned the two cords to Amazon. I
advertised the monitor on Facebook and sold it for $5, the
same I had paid for it. I then bought a digital monitor from
Costco for $94. However, I still needed an adapter since my
laptop had no HDMI port (a huge mistake on my part, I should
have never purchased a laptop without an HDMI port). Amazon
had a USB to HDMI adapter advertised to operate an external
monitor. That adapter arrived today. After downloading the
driver twice, it worked. Now I will have an external monitor
in Tucson. I already use an external keyboard and mouse so the
laptop will be used only as the processor. I have packed
the new monitor back in it's box for transportation to Tucson.
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Saturday, May 27, 2023: If you
remember, my friend Wendell sold his Pleasure
Way to my other friends Glen and Kenny Lee a couple
weeks ago. Wendell wanted something with a larger
bed. Today I got a tour of has new Concourse, also a
Class B RV but a bit larger and more comfortable. It is
a 2001 model and exceptionally clean inside and out. It
also has a great deal of cabin storage although Wendell says
the outside storage is limited. Click on both photos for
another view.
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Tuesday, May 23,
2023: The states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho have
a chain store company called "BiMart". BiMart is a
membership store where the fee is only $5 for a
lifetime membership. Every Tuesday BiMart has a
drawing of membership numbers for prizes ranging from
candy bars to TVs. When we think of it we always check
our membership numbers on Tuesday for some sort of
prize. I happened to remember today. I checked my
number, no luck. I happen to have Gwen's number
written on the back of my membership card so I checked
for her number. Surprise, her number was listed for
one of the four larger prizes and she could have the
choice of any of the four. That's when I learned that
Gwen wanted a cooler. One of the prizes was an
Igloo 62 quart cooler with wheels and a retractable
handle, a really nice cooler. This was a really nice
prize, thank you, BiMart.
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Monday, May 22, 2023: Gwen and
I spent this special day with my sister Dorana plus her
partner, Robin and Labrador, Gracie. We started the morning in
her new Honda Touring Hybrid riding in the backseat with Abby
and Gracie. We stopped at our favorite coffee and breakfast
location in Glide, Oregon, The Atom. Once we all had
coffee and something to eat we hiked a mile to the Susan Creek
Falls. After that hike we stopped in "Dry Creek Store" for
something to drink. Then we drove another 12 miles to
Toketee Falls, a very popular falls on the North Umpqua
River. We finished our day together at McMinnemens
Restaurant in Roseburg. We were outside, at the tables
on the sidewalk so the dogs could be with us. By the time we
finished it was pretty cold. Dorana, Robin and Gracie
are moving on north tomorrow to eventually end up on Whidbey
Island in Washington for an extended vacation. Click the
photos for three more views.
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Saturday, May 20, 2023: My day
began by helping Bob set up a registration area for an Umpqua
Velo event at Cooper Creek reservoir. It involved mountain
biking a new trail around the lake. Once I finished I picked
up Gwen for a trip to Oakland. Once each year Oakland has a
city wide yard sale. We haven't been able to visit for years.
It is usually a very big event. We walked the streets with
Abby in tow. Gwen found two treasures. Click the last
photo to see the $10 picture which will hang on our bedroom
wall in Tucson. The second treasure is a hand painted bowl she
got for $1. Click all the photos for more views.
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Friday, May 19,
2023:My day began with a visit from Tom who lives in
Glide, about 25 miles distant. Tom was following up on
my advertising of the Yamaha eBike. It did not take
him long to recognize the value and Tom paid full
price and hauled the bike back to Glide.
Gwen and I chose to visit a nearby estate sale next
where she found $18 worth of treasures. I found a free
standing coat rack which I took apart and stuffed into
a plastic bag. My intention is to take it to Arizona
because the entrance to our park model is all glass,
so no place for coat hooks.
A second item I found is a computer monitor. I'm
unsure it will work since it is an analog monitor and
did not have a power cord. I only paid $5 for it plus
ordered the power cord and computer adapter from
Amazon for $22. If it works, great. If not, I'll
return the cords to Amazon and toss the monitor.
Costco has one for $94 which might work but it too
will require an adapter cable. I don't have room for a
monitor in the motorhome but will have room in Tucson.
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Thursday, May 18, 2023: I
spent much of the day digging through all our storage areas
looking for stuff we no longer use. I would like to sell on
Facebook or Craigslist the bigger items. I would sell the more
specialized stuff on eBay. The city of Sutherlin is having a
city wide garage sale on June 10 and at least 20 spaces in our
park including us, are joining that sale day to get rid of all
the little stuff. The photo shows Gwen's kayak which has
been used very little. Since I sold my kayak last year, Gwen
hasn't searched for another kayak partner and is ready to give
up her boat. Click the kayak to see a backpack I'm selling.
This is just two of the many items I've located to get rid of.
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Wednesday, May 17, 2023:
Eleven years ago when Gwen and I became members of Timber
Valley SKP RV park I found a new doctor at the Evergreen
Family Medicine in Roseburg. Last year, Evergreen began
building a new medical building in Sutherlin which will make
it much closer for me. Today, Dr. Tim, the founder of
Evergreen 45 years ago, visited our clubhouse to explain what
services will be available in the new Sutherlin building
beginning June 2. I had already anticipated the switch from
Roseburg to Sutherlin and had made my annual physical
appointment to happen in Sutherlin on June 9. It was nice to
hear from Dr. Tim what would be happening in the new 13
million dollar building. Dr. Tim is expecting this new
building will service not only Sutherlin but all of north
Douglas County including Yoncalla, Drain, Elton and Rice Hill.
Click the photo to enlarge.
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Tuesday, May 16,
2023: Gwen was on her way to "Sit and Sew" this
morning when the Golf Cart stopped in the middle of
the street. I couldn't save her right away so we
pushed the cart under a tree and left it until this
afternoon. We towed the cart back to our lot. I tested
each battery (there are six) first. I found one
battery only registered 4 volts and should be 6
volts. I removed that battery and took it with
me to Costco to avoid the "core charge". All old
batteries must be returned or you are charged
$15. I also bought battery cleaning spray plus
battery corrosion prevention spray. All the batteries
have been cleaned. I'll finish the installation of the
new battery tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed
that this fixes the problem. Yes, all batteries should
be replaced but that would cost another $550 so I'll
try this instead.
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Monday, May 15, 2023: My
friend, Wendell, from across the street purchased a class B
RV, fixed it all up and took it for his first trip last week.
After returning he told me he was selling it because he didn't
like the bed. My friends Glen and Kenny Lee have been looking
for just the right RV for several years so I sent them the
photos of what Wendell wanted to sell. They liked what
they saw, took it for a drive and tonight returned to buy
it. Since Glen and I do a lot of traveling for bike
rides, I expect to enjoy the new RV too. I hope Kenny
Lee enjoys her new RV as much as I will enjoy it.
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Friday, May 12, 2023: Every
Friday there is often a guest speaker in our clubhouse. I do
my best to go to the meetings when the speaker is of interest
to me. The city of Sutherlin seems to be unique among
the cities in Oregon and maybe in the USA. The city is dealing
with the homeless problem straight on by removing the barriers
which keep the "houseless" (Sutherlin's name for homeless) in
a desperate situation. The city has provided a designated
camping area. Seven churches and half a dozen non-profits plus
Oregon state services have formed a coalition to meet the
needs of those without housing. The president of the local ADAPT
nonprofit spoke of Hastings Village, the name of the
houseless area. The purpose of the village is to meet the
needs of the residents of the village to get them back into
permanent housing and self supporting. The village is
organized with duties for the residents as well as rules which
must be followed. Also present at today's meeting is the lady
who created the Hasting's
Village Facebook page where announcements and
information is posted. I have been following that page along
with 200 other residents in Sutherlin. Often the page posts
the immediate needs of the village. All help provided is
volunteer help. This village began 1.5 years ago and has
become a model for other cities.
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Saturday, May 6,
2023: After one of my road rides Gwen and I decided to
take a drive into Roseburg to explore some secondhand
furniture stores. Gwen happened to notice a neon pink
sign advertising an estate sale with an address. The
address turned out to be across town making us think
it was a mistake but we continued. It wasn't a
mistake. The estate had some very fine furniture and
other items. We had been looking for a cabinet I could
remodel into a cabinet to hide a TV using an
electronic lift. Gwen was the first to spot this
cabinet in an upstairs bedroom while I was downstairs
talking to the estate owner. I learned, since the sale
was ending in 15 minutes, all furniture was half
price. At this time Gwen signaled for me to come
upstairs where she showed me the cabinet marketed
$85. When I told her it was half price, she sat
on the cabinet saying "this is ours, go tell the
ladies". I did as she told me and the ladies
gave me a "SOLD" sticker.
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Now we
had to figure out how we would get it home. I knew we
could use the trailer but it would be 45 minutes round trip to
go get it. The ladies told me they would be at the sale at
least another hour. We hoped into the car and ran home for the
trailer. We got back in plenty of time because others were
also loading furniture. A second problem was the intermittent
rain but I had a nice tarp to wrap the cabinet. Click the
photo to see the cabinet loaded onto the trailer. My plan is
to modify this cabinet to have a hidden chamber in the back
for the TV which is already in Tucson. The TV will be mounted
to a remote controlled lift. When we want to watch the TV, we
lift it out of the cabinet. When not watching, the TV will be
hidden inside the cabinet. I'm thinking we might modify the
cabinet in other ways too such as a white wash.
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Thursday, May 4, 2023: Knowing
I would need to do some metal cutting when renovating the
trailer I purchased this corded cutoff saw at Harbor Freight
for less than $20. I can't believe how much I have used it
since the purchase. The chain in the photo is a 3,000 lb
test trailer safety chain which I needed to cut because it was
too long. It took only 30 seconds and could have been less
time had I been more aggressive. This chain is a lot heavier
than most chains used to secure our bicycles. Having said
that, obviously, it doesn't matter how heavy the chain, this
saw can cut it. Of course cutoff saws are also made
cordless, no power cord needed. On the right is a wheel lock
on the trailer. I purchased a wheel lock rather than a ball
lock because I know thieves are not deterred by ball locks,
they simply haul the trailer off using the safety chain.
After the purchase of the wheel lock I realized the thief
needs only to bring his own wheel, take off the locked wheel
and away he goes. So I used the cable lock to connect the
wheel lock to the trailer chassis. It would take the
cutoff saw only seconds to cut through the cable or for that
matter through the wheel lock. I know of no method to
secure property against a determined thief. As the saying
goes, "my security methods only keep the honest person
honest".
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Monday, May 1, 2023:
The final step was to add hinges to the tailgate. I
painted over the bolts with flat black paint. I may
come back over with gloss paint, I haven't decided.
This project is complete except for DMV registration
which will happen on Thursday.
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Sunday, April 30, 2023: I'm
getting down to all the small things to finish. The plan is
the load the trailer then cover the load. Everything must be
tied down securely so I have installed cargo loops to connect
the tie-down straps. There are enough for five straps, three
across and two front to back. The center photo shows the 2"
ball coupler. It is a very old style. This style has a locking
mechanism to keep the coupler from unthreading which would
release the ball. The locking mechanism on this coupler is
missing. I have improvised by threading a lock nut onto the
tightening knob. It will never accidentally unthread this way.
I still need to install the tailgate hinges but can't do that
until tomorrow. I decided to connect the trailer for a
test run. The lights work perfectly and the coupler works
perfectly. What didn't work was the new safety chain. It is a
total of four feet long with a hook on each end. I figured 2
feet for each side would be enough but I was wrong, it was
short. I disconnected one side to make the other side longer.
I will learn on Thursday if a single safety chain is
acceptable. The trailer towed perfectly at freeway speeds. I
would like to test with a full load and may get that chance
since several of my friends are already finding things they
need to move using my trailer. Click each photo for more
views.
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Saturday, April 29, 2023:
After my bike ride this morning I spent the day doing
something special for the trailer. I saw this yesterday on
another trailer which gave me the idea. I need a place to keep
trailer accessories handy. Someplace for the hydraulic jack,
tie down straps, a few tools and a can of "Tire Fix" since I
don't have a spare. Click the photos to see the progression of
this project.
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Thursday, April 27, 2023:
Another full day to renovate the utility trailer. All
sidewalls and floor has been painted. All metal parts have
been painted a second time. The old lights have been removed
and new lights installed. Once the paint was dry I began to
assemble. Everything went back together easily. The only step
left is to install tailgate hinges and the tie-down loops. I
need lots of bolts so that project will wait until my next
trip to Roseburg. Click the photos for more views.
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Wednesday, April 26,
2023: My trailer renovation continued today. My
first thought was the upper shackle bolt support must
be cut off and replaced. I drove to the Great Northern
Trailer Manufacturing company where I got the new
axle. We discussed all the options and finally
convinced me to try to drill the rusted shackle bolt
out of the support. I began with a small 1/16" bit for
the first hole. I then switched up 1/32" to the next
size bit. I did this over and over until the last six
bits. I jumped only 1/64" larger each bit for the last
six bits. It took 3.5 hours to finally get to the last
1/2" bit. Click the left photo to see the old
bolt gone from the upper support. The right photo
shows the shackle and bolts assembled and painted.
Behind that photo (click the photo) is me starting to
paint the side boards.
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Monday & Tuesday, April
24-25, 2023: These last two days I have been working on the
trailer hoping to make it safe for a trip in the fall to
Tucson. I had a local trailer manufacturer replace the
axle because the original axle was so old the bearing could
not be packed. I still want to replace the shackle bolts. They
easily came off the right side so I replaced and greased these
nice new bolts. The left side, however, has not be so
easy. The top shackle bolt is so badly rusted it is frozen
inside the tube. I have been soaking with a penetrating oil
which claims to "free rusted parts". I will keep at it
tomorrow hoping to finally get it free. Click all three photos
for more views.
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Sunday, April 23,
2023: The rain has returned today. While we were in
Arizona for the winter a new fast food restaurant
moved into Roseburg. IN-N-OUT Burger seems to be a
very popular restaurant. There is always a line and
the parking lot is always full. We had tried
IN-N-OUT Burger years ago and couldn't see the
attraction. We were there at an odd time, 2 pm
which should have been a slow time but there were a
dozen cars waiting and the parking lot was nearly
full. I took about 15 minutes for our food to arrive.
I ordered #2 of 3 combination choices. It was a cheese
burger, fries plus a drink for $7.85. If I had ordered
my favorite at Carl's Jr it would have been an Angus
burger with fries and a drink for $11. So maybe the
low price is the crowd draw. The Carl's Jr. meal would
have been far better. The IN-N-Out Burger was
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It was
presented well, included a tomato, lettuce, and special sauce.
The fries, however, were surprisingly bad since they say the
potatoes are cut and fried on premises. These tasted more like
potato powder than freshly fried real potatoes. Perhaps I'm
use to seasoned fries. So we are still baffled at the
popularity of this restaurant. There must have been 30
employees working and they all seem well organized. The inside
was exceptionally clean. So maybe a combination of the low
price, organization and cleanliness keep customers returning.
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Thursday, April 20, 2023: It's
another rainy day in Oregon. Fortunately Catherine (Cat), the
current owner of the property we purchased in Tucson, has sent
us some photos of the desert just behind our park model. The
left photo was taken at dusk. Cat told us of all the solar
lights she had installed but we have never seen them working.
The path on the right in that photo leads deeper into the
desert and the nearby Pantano Wash. The photo on the
right is of the Mesquite Tree which was nothing but branches
when we visited in March. Cat had told us how it would
leaf out and create wonderful shade to sit under to enjoy the
desert and do some reading. She sent the photo to show exactly
what she meant. Thank you, Cat, for the photos. I've
been following the Tucson weather. No rain with daytime
temperatures between mid-70s to mid-90s. Night time
temperatures between mid-40s to mid-50s. So even with warm
daytime temperatures, the nights are cool.
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Friday, April 14,
2023: Today was the first clear day we have had
since arriving in Oregon. I took advantage of the
clear weather to begin getting the trailer ready for
some changes. I first thought it only needed paint but
after looking at the under carriage, I plan to replace
shackle bolts and add additional "U" bolts to the axle
where it connects to the leaf springs. In a
previous life I had experience with shackles breaking
and with a wheel separating from the trailer due to
dry bearings. I will have the bearings packed after I
complete my work. Today, I removed the side and back
panels to make it easier to paint. I'm away all day
tomorrow and the rain is returning on Sunday then
everyday next week so this project will be on hold
until the rain stops again.
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Wednesday, April 12,
2023: When we became members of Timber Valley ten
years ago there were several organized events which we
both could enjoy organized by 2 or 3
individuals. As time went by those events faded away.
That's one of the reasons we enjoyed Rincon Country
West in Tucson. There were lots of organized events
which we could participate. Now we have returned to
Timber Valley and found ONE individual who likes
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to cook, Chef Dennis. He has
organized several meals before and after our arrival. One of
those was the Easter
day brunch. Today it was soup and sandwich. The meal
included fresh tomato soup (not from a can) with fresh baked
bread for a toasted cheese sandwich. This was followed by a
fresh baked chocolate chip muffin with cream cheese frosting.
The fee for the meal was $3. Chef Dennis gets help from the
garden club which also benefits in a small way toward their
gardening activities. Chef Dennis is leaving Timber
Valley for a month to visit friends. I'm guessing the whole
park will miss him.
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Monday, April 10,
2023: In the fall when we travel to Tucson for the
winter we will not be taking the motorhome. We need a
method to transport much more than what we can carry
in our Subaru. I checked U-Haul and learned a rental
trailer would cost more than $700. I began a search
for suitable trailers to buy. I learned the
ideal trailers sold for $2000-$4000. I found this one
for $600. The seller says he "rebuilt" it, packed the
wheel bearings, added new tires. On my inspection it
is going to need more than paint to be sure it will
make the trip to Tucson without trouble.
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Sunday,
April 9, 2023: When we were in Tucson at Rincon
Country West every two week the woodshop gang would
fix breakfast as a fundraiser and charge $6 per
plate. Today, the Garden Club at Timber Valley SKP
Park fixed a wonderful breakfast charging only $5
per plate. Chef Dennis is in charge of the
kitchen but he had plenty of help from the Garden
Club. This was a very popular meal with most
everyone in the park participating one way or the
other.
The club also did a 50/50 raffle. Gwen did not buy
tickets but I did. While I was on Zwift in the shed,
Joan delivered the winning pot to Gwen. Yes, we won
$90 from the 50/50 raffle. Click both photos for
more views.
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Wednesday, April 5,
2023: The first Wednesday of the month is the Umpqua
Velo meeting night. We are discussing future ride
routes, how to support the youth mountain bike team,
special ride events and even mentioned the 2023
Vineyard Tour which will happen in September. When in
Tucson I joined the Cactus Cycle Club and went on two
of their rides. I feel much more comfortable with the
UVC. The Oregon folks will talk to me while no one
spoke to me from the CCC. I made sure I talked with
the new folks at this meeting.
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Saturday, April 1, 2023: A
traveling day from Sparks, Nevada to Sutherlin, Oregon.
This was our longest travel day but we were doing our best to
dodge the storms. We were lucky to get to see Mount Lassen as
highway 44 meets highway 89. As we drove further on highway 89
toward McCloud, California we enter a small storm cell which
lasted about 30 miles. Once we reached Interstate 5 the weather
began to clear giving us dry roads all the way to Sutherlin.
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