Day of Rest in Redmond

We had a leisurely morning, waking up about 7:30 am. It was cool out, nice. No rain though. Darn. Leslie and I decided to hit two of the local quilt shops, one in Terrebone and the other in Redmond. Both owners were transplants from CA - one from Escondido and the other from Santa Cruz. They really love the peace and beauty of Oregon. Can't blame them. You won't see the beautiful and careful urban planning of Santa Barbara, but you will see those majestic mountain tops and rushing riverlets. I asked how they account for no sales tax and the gal from Santa Cruz said they get you in their income and property taxes. She felt it was a wash economically. She also told us the local economy is highly dependent on tourism and that logging has suffered with the downfall of the housing market. The mill has closed and people have moved out of the area. Sad for them all. They handle the tourist market pretty well though, as they are all super friendly and nice.

After we left the quilt shops we went to the Fred Meyer store, a Target on steroids maybe. I thought the prices there were higher than what we see in CA, but the discounts they have if you have their Rewards Card are pretty good. I signed up for one as I can get diesel fuel with 3 cents off per gallon. When you fill the tank to 80 or more gallons, that is a good thing!

When we got back to the coach, we had a quick bite and ran off to the First Timers seminar. They went over the program and explained how it all works. I am finally making sense of the programs they are offering, and looking forward to sitting in on them.

We declined to go to the volunteer dinner and Debbie Reynolds show. Sorry, Heather, but I needed some time to review the program and I just wanted to do nothing. We did run out to Applebees for dinner. Gotta use that rental car, make it worthwhile.

Tomorrow is a busy day, lots of seminars. We'll be tired. I'll report on all tomorrow. For today, I'll be signing off. But first, a composite of my baby girl and the Sisters...