A Full-time Life

RE-'OREGON'IZING

    

We are home again in Eugene and whipping our summer home back into shape (stocking empty cupboards and refrigerator, working through the big bag of laundry from the last of the roadtrip ... and, not least, trying to remember where everything belongs here in the apartment.)    There's a bunch of unsorted  road trip photos, but until there is time for that task, here are a few from our stay in Colorado  (approximately the middle of the trip).   

 

 

This picture and those in  the mosaic below were taken during evening walks on the greenway behind Geoff's and Lisa's home.  It was easy to put this post together because every picture I took of this lovely area was usable 'as is'  .... you can't go too far wrong with scenery like this. 

 

 

I don't know what's wrong with me that I managed to snap a picture of Cody (their dog) and none of the handsome and charming person on the other end of the leash.  I am so bad at taking pictures of people  -- too busy enjoying the good company!  

 

 

On our way to enjoy the delights of downtown Boulder one day,  Geoff and Lisa detoured through Loveland so that we could check out Benson Sculpture Park.   I fell in love with this collection of outdoor art years ago when we used to stay at an RV Park near here.   That was when we pulled our home behind us (the 40-foot Fifth-Wheel RV).... back then, since we lived in the RV full-time, it was easier to stay in it when we visited than it would have been to pack stuff up and stay in the kids' guest room.      

Above are some old favorites  -- most were here the first time we visited the park.    Geoff had the camera and his pictures show what a good job the Park does of placing the statues.  They're not just plunked down in a row, but rather situated so that you can almost believe ... those lions are moving stealthily through the savannah ... the kids are riding double down the sidewalk ... the sweet gardener is thinking about what she'll plant next ...  

 

 

Benson Park holds a juried selection process annually.    These are some of the newer installations.   We loved the ones on the left and in the middle, disliked the one on the top right and were unsure of the one on the bottom.   But it is a good thing that the judges choose art that appeals to different tastes.     

 

SHARING our Colorado family's "backyard" with SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; ALL SEASONS; NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY ; THROUGH MY LENS; and OUR WORLD on TUESDAY.

 

 Thank you to all of the hosts.
 

 

 

HALFWAY DOWN THE ROAD

   

 

We've been in Colorado for a week... about halfway to our summertime destination in Oregon.    We enjoyed the journey (most of it anyway) and it's good to be here at what feels like our home away from home (or our halfway house, maybe).    Beautiful scenery here in this gorgeous state, lovely weather, and best of all our very own Colorado family.  

 

 

 

 

 There's more sky than mountains in this 'through the car window' shot, but it's a tradition to snap a picture of the first mountain range we see after living in flatland Florida for half the year.   This shot is getting close to our Colorado destination and I will probably be blogging about Colorado until well after we're home in Oregon.   

 

 

 

The rest of today's post however  is about the journey to get this far.   Our first two stops along the Florida Coast were in small cities that Google Map apparently doesn't think deserve more than a dot on the map (and Google is probably right).  

The third night we stayed in beautiful Gulf Shores State Park in Alabama.   After that, we stayed in Vidalia Louisiana (directly across the Mississippi River from Natches.)    Those were both wonderful stops and Google really should have given them credit.  After that,  over-night stops in Mt. Pleasant and Vernon both in East Texas, Raton in New Mexico, and Canon City on the Colorado border.  And then we were 'home' (at the kids).  

It was not  the most efficient route nor the fastest, but we like to avoid freeways when we can ...it is a better way to see what the country really looks like.  It is slower, but more interesting -- and we're fortunate to have lots of time.   And because we do, as is obvious, we also drive short days.

 

 

However we  didn't see much beautiful scenery for the first three days of the trip.  It  was pouring when we left our Florida home and that hard rain continued as we made our way along the coast.  

It would have been churlish to complain, because Florida has been in a drought for some time and the rain was much needed.  (But I must confess to wishing it would stop for a few minutes every so often.) 

 

 

We were in Alabama before we saw the sun....and here it is setting at Gulf Shores State Park after we stopped for the night.  This beautiful park is near Foley Alabama.  We spent a winter near here back when we were full-time RVers and it was fun to see familiar places (and have an early dinner in a favorite restaurant, which was just as good as we remembered from way back then). 

 

 

Evening walks with beautiful sunsets and birds are amenities that freeway motels don't usually offer.    But they are common benefits when camping across the country.  The Purple Martin houses were at Vidalia and the other birds along one of the trails at Gulf Shores.

 

At Vidalia, this cute little guy (and a few more of his family members) visited our front yard.  The first black squirrels we've ever seen.

 

 

This picture is taken from in back of our camper van  at Riverview RV Park in Vidalia.   We were settled in to our spot just yards away from the mighty Mississippi River.   The tugboat is pushing a row of barges that must have been a quarter mile long.  It had to go under that bridge and around a curve in the river.  We admired the pilot's skill as we walked along the  lovely walking path between the river and the park.

 

 

LINKING these recent travel memories to:  OUR WORLD on Tuesday; NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING.    Thank you to all of the hosts.

 

 

 

A COUPLE OF KINDS OF ANNIVERSARIES

 

 We are making our way across the country -- In East Texas this morning.  No pictures downloaded yet --  but there will be current travel posts soon!  Today, however,  is still reminiscing about a decade ago, when we were loving our stay London -- and starting our first Blog.  

 

Ten years ago in June we were in London,  the second month of a three-month stay.   It was the year of our Golden Wedding Anniversary -- and the London adventure was our celebration gift for each other.  (Our actual anniversary is in the Fall, but summer was better for this trip.)

 

Memories from ten years ago

These are pictures (rearranged) from a couple of our first-ever blog posts at the beginning of June, 2007.   So, in addition to making it to another momentous wedding anniversary year, we're also celebrating our tenth year of blogging.   

It still makes me laugh when I think about the way this hobby started -- we'd barely heard the word 'blog' before that trip ... but we did take a laptop with us.    I mentioned in an e-mail  that we were trying hard to keep everybody updated (as well as making sure we kept our memories alive) -- and presto (I'm sure it wasn't that easy for him quite) our youngest son wrote and told me he had set up a Blog for us.      So on those evenings when we got back to our tiny London flat early enough (and with Geoff's e-mailed advice) we taught ourselves how to blog.   It would have been smarter to think about how to do it before we got there -- but it worked.    

Back then, I never once imagined we would still have a blog in ten years... and I am so glad to be here!    (Our first blog post is here .  Skills have improved slightly over the decade.)   

 

Greenwich observatory 2007

Well, of course we have our laptops with us on this current 'voyage'  as well -- but blogging  (and visiting) may be sporadic.  Much depends on Wi-Fi connections and personal level of energy.  (The latter does not seem to have improved over the past ten years.)   I will catch up as soon as I can! 

 

LINKING these memories to:  OUR WORLD on Tuesday; SCENIC WEEKENDS; MOSAIC MONDAY; ALL SEASONS; WEDNESDAY WATERS; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and THROUGH MY LENS.   Thank you to all of the hosts.  

 

LOOKING FORWARD and LOOKING BACK

  

 

Somewhere around 3500 miles from Florida to Oregon via Colorado 

We are on the road again this week...  Excited to be traveling back across the country...  can't wait to see family in Colorado and in the Pacific Northwest.   And we're  also looking forward to our adventure getting there.     Sometimes we fly back and forth,  but this trip we are driving our camper van back home to Oregon... not hurrying too fast along the way.    We have a long history of RV travel  (see here) and, though we don't spend as much time on the road as we once did, we still enjoy traveling that way.   So,  while looking forward to our destination, we plan to enjoy the voyage getting there!  

 

 

 

 

Ten years ago this week, we were even further from our Oregon home, in wonderful London, beginning the second month of three that we stayed there.

 

 

  

June 2007, London

 

I couldn't help but think of the dates on reading this morning's news.     Travel brings joy ...  but when bad things happen in places you know and love, it hits home quickly.

 

RIP to the victims of terrorism in London and in Manchester,

to the victims of the domestic terrorist closer to our Oregon home in Portland,

And to every other place on this globe. 

 

  

Blogging (and visiting) will no doubt be a bit sporadic as we travel, but I will catch up whenever I can.    

  

 

 LINKING TO:  OUR WORLD on Tuesday and ALL SEASONS.  Thank you to the hosts.