Sunday, November 10, 2013: Gwen and I divided up the list of things to do before heading to the sun. I tackled cleaning my area of the Cameo, the Cameo bathroom and vacuum all carpets. Gwen took all the throw rugs to the laundromat then cleaned out the inside of the Prius. Meantime ... we are always moving items from the Cameo to the Alumascape. At the end of the day much on our list is complete but some items remain. They will be completed tomorrow and we'll be rolling on Tuesday. Of course, a new storm is arriving on Tuesday (sad face).

Thursday, November 7, 2013: This was a busy day with many errands in Roseburg. We decided to try one of the restaurants new to us, McMenamins. It's in the old Roseburg train depot and decorated with historic photos and equipment. The menu is mostly sandwiches or burgers, a surprise for such a popular restaurant. We enjoyed our food and visit and plan to return again. Click the photo for a panorama of the exterior.

Thursday, October 31, 2013: On Halloween day we drove with friends, Anita and Jay to Oakland, Oregon to try the Oakland Tavern for lunch. Several Timber Valley residents have reported a good lunch menu at the tavern. We didn't know what to expect since we don't usually frequent taverns. As we opened the door, the first thing that greeted us was the loud music, and not necessarily music we might enjoy. We sat in the far corner hoping to get far enough from the speakers to be able to visit with each other. The menu was uniquely simple. It was a check sheet for sandwich ingredients. Using a pen, we marked the type of sandwich then the items we want on the sandwich plus circle chips or coleslaw on the side. We all drank water which is probably unusual in a tavern. I think we all enjoyed our sandwiches but doubt that we will return because we'd like our hearing to last another 20 years. We are enjoying meeting new friends. Click the photo for a better view of this historic building.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013: We try to get Morgan groomed once each month. It helps the house stay cleaner, helps Morgan stay clean and helps to keep our house from smelling like a dog house. The groomers vary in doing a quality job but we finally found Tiffany and her sister Heather right here in Sutherlin. Tiffany did a great job on Morgan. She looks less like a Golden Retriever and more like a Labrador Retriever but keeping Morgan trimmed this way gives us less fur mess in our car and trailer. Morgan is always anxious to leave and reluctant to return but she also seems proud of her new haircut.

This was another errand day with a trip to Roseburg for Fred Meyer, Walmart, Sherms grocery, sewing machine repair, plus the Douglas County Main Library. We did all that before dropping Morgan off with Tiffany.

Click Tiffany and Morgan's photo to see a unique panorama of the Main branch of the Douglas County Library. I stood about 20 feet from the "D" in Douglas and created the panorama. The building front is NOT curved. The Internet has NOT eliminated the need for libraries. We checked out travel and photo books describing Death Valley because we plan to visit soon. Yes, we can get lots of Internet Death Valley details, but holding a book with the same information feels better somehow. We also use the local libraries when we travel for Internet access and for local information.

Monday, October 28, 2013: This last weekend my grandchildren and nephew made a special visit to my mother, their great-grandmother in California. Fortunately, my sister Sandy was present to take some photos of the occasion. My grandchildren, Chloe and Noah are sitting on Mom's right and left then Daniel, my nephew and the grand kids cousin is sitting next to Noah. Do you remember playing with YOUR cousins as a kid? I remember playing with mine. I'm glad my son and niece feel it's important for the kids to know each other. Click the photo for Grand daughter Chloe and nephew Daniel.