From Gilroy, the Garlic Capital

We rolled into our space at the Gilroy Garlic USA RV Park at 5:35 pm after 10 hours of driving. Nail biting, downright frightening driving. For the first 4.5 hours. You see, we made a rookie RVers mistake. We took a 40' RV on what is called a 'black' road about 10 miles out of Benbow. My friend Peggy said they never drive a black road, only red and gold. Black roads are not to be trusted as worthy roads for hunkin' big RVs. Okay, she was right. In my desire to see Fort Bragg and Mendocino, which are perched right on the rugged CA coast, we took Hwy. 1 from Leggitt. Check any map and it appears to be the shortest route to those towns. But, it is a 'black' road, the thinnest of black roads. Needless to say, if I am writing this, then you are assured that we survived it.

So here's what it was like for over 22 miles: avg speed 15 mph; width of road - bare minimum, absolutely NO shoulder, white lines on the side adjoined steep cliffs or giant redwood tree trunks; linearity of road - nary a straight line the whole way; curves? mostly hairpin. Ascent and descent? treacherously steep; Traffic? Logging trucks tearing up and down the road. Bicyclists here and there. NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would want to EVER drive this road again, not for money and certainly not to save time. It took almost 3 hours to drive 40 miles.

Once we hit sea level, we saw awesome camping spots and lots of campers and I knew we were out of the woods, even though the road was still narrow. I thought. Many miles later, I wondered about the mental stability of those campers with their big rigs. You see, we encountered more curves and shoulderless roads as we made our way through Mendocino and back to the 101 by Cloverdale. In my opinion, the road less traveled should stay that way! And Fort Bragg and Mendocino didn't even measure up to my expectations! Poor Big Mac accquired a few new scratches from this adventure, meeting a guardrail on a curve that was too close for comfort. Just a scratch, but darn!

Upon rejoining the 101, we had to find a place to stop for lunch so Jerry could rest after that grueling drive. No rest areas so we found space in a Costco parking lot where we could R and R. Then, on to San Fran and the Golden Gate! As grand as that remarkable structure is, one needs to be able to SEE it to enjoy it. What you see in the photo is the best we got. It was still quite foggy even though it was 4 pm and the sun was shining somewhere in the world!

It took us another hour and a half to wade through the SF traffic and pull in to the Garlic Capital. Yes, we could smell a whole lot of garlic goin' on. That's what we expect when we drive through Gilroy.

So, friends, this ends this blog probably. Tomorrow, we go home. I want to drive on and on, but duty calls and we must return to reality and leave our dreamy two weeks behind, to exist mostly as a memory. It was a great vacation. Thanks to the excellent good nature and driving skills of my husband, Jerry, and the equally good natured and generous little sister of mine, Leslie. The trip was a rousing success. I can't wait to get on the road again. I have gained more than a good time. I have learned that if Jerry can drive Hwy 1 from Leggitt to Fort Bragg and then back to the 101 in Cloverdale, then he can also walk on water!

Happy trails to you all, and may we meet again........ (Dale Evans and Roy Rogers!)
Bonnie Jerry Leslie Lucy

Garberville CA - Benbow RV and Golf Resort

Internet is impossibly awful the past two days, so this report will be uploaded when I can get a decent signal. Okay, it is now Thursday 1:14 pm and I have just gotten a connection. Geez, such a time we have had today. Will explain later. Now for the last two days...

Tuesday evening:

We stayed at the Honey Bear Campground near Gold Beach, owned and operated by a German couple who have developed a loyal clientele, mostly due to their evening Bavarian dinners and entertainment. Cabbage rolls, chicken, potato pancakes, etc. enjoyed over a class of wine, followed by the harmonica stylings of Mr. Honey Bear (don't know his name). He obviously enjoys entertaining, but could have tossed out a few of his ‘blue’ jokes. The food was good. We haven't eaten out all that often on this trip. The coach refrigerator is still loaded with frozen meat and other goodies. Just haven't eaten it all up. I can easily say I 'overplanned' the amount of food we would consume. Had to throw out some perishables because we never got around to eating them and they went bad.

The refrigerator is not functioning all that well. We will be replacing the ice maker and checking into the internal fan - it doesn't seem to be working all that well. Otherwise, and except for the wacky satellite dish that only connects once in a while, everything else seems to be working fine.

Wednesday evening:
We're back in CA at a nice campground along the East Branch of the South Fork of the Eel River (which we have crossed NUMEROUS times in the past several days) and I'm missing the beauty and rusticity of the Oregon coast already. We crossed the border about noon today, bid adieu to our last Fred Meyer in Brookings, OR. Once in CA, driving through the magnificent redwood forests was an opportunity to experience the 'forest primeval'... tallest trees I have ever seen, their uppermost regions obscured by deep, swirling fog. Amazing! Beautiful! Stunning!

This has been quite an adventure, driving the 101 along the Oregon and upper CA coast. Narrow curvy roads with no shoulder, just feet away from road edge, cliffs plunging hundreds of yards straight down into the raging waters of the Pacific, so many rivers emptying their precious cargo into the ocean, low tides and high tides surrounding promontories reminiscent of Morro Rock, trees like long sticks covered with boughs of green needles. Priceless. I am sad it is all behind us now, but I am looking forward to visiting Fort Bragg and Mendocino tomorroq. Probably our last experience with rugged coastlines.

I loved all the towns along the Oregon coast, not a big box store in sight from Astoria except for the wonderful Fred Meyer; all small businesses, dependent on logging, fishing, farming, driftwood designs and tourism. We saw herds of grazing dairy cows here and there too, unusual for these eyes as we see mostly angus and hereford and brahma in our part of the country.

One interesting sight we came upon was cranberry fields! They were empty, the harvest gone by, but it was interesting to see the structure of the fields. We've all seen those commercials on TV about cranberries from New Hampshire or wherever; I had always wondered how they were grown.

We stopped at a Myrtlewood factory store in Port Orford Tuesday, where we learned more about this unique wood, found only on the Oregon and CA coast. They showed us how they make the wooden bowls and other artifacts. Interesting, and here I was looking for 'Made in China' to be imprinted in all the items sold in the store! Not so, they were made in the back room!

Once we leave Mendocino, we will be on the homestretch and the territory we cover will be familiar. We should be home in Santa Ynez by Friday, our wonderful trek concluded.

Happy trails to all,
Bonnie Jerry Leslie Lucy

Astoria/Warrenton on the Oregon Coast

Off to the Oregon Coast via Hwy 97 from Crooked River...
After traversing the short bendy road from the CR RV Park back to the 97, we settled in for a long drive to Astoria, expectations for a beautiful drive were high. And I can tell you, our expectations were actualized!! The 97 wound its way north in a gentle and well maintained road north, Mt Hood always beckoning to us from the NW quadrant. We drove through fields and fields of bright golden wheat. Saw lots of grazing horses... it would seem that paints and pintos are popular in this area, as there were many. Several very small bedraggled 'towns' along the way gave way to signs of the mighty Columbia River ahead... the surprise in store for us was the fields of wind machines cresting the hills above the river. This state has more water than it knows what to do with and now they are harnessing the wind in a major way. Good for them!

Once the 97 merged with I-84, we ran almost the entire way to Portland skimming the banks of the mighty river. Bidding adieu to Mt. Hood and its majesticly high terminus, we became enthralled with the rivers and lakes and numerous piney state parks along the road to Astoria. We bypassed Portland and made our way west from the I-5, once again back on local style two lane roads. We crossed bridges, passed through tiny little hamlets, regretting we had missed this fruit stand and that antique store. We had a goal to make it to Astoria before Jerry dropped of exhaustion, so no stops along the way. Besides, where do you park a 40' monster on a narrow two lane road??

Backing up, there are photos of our lunch stop and doggy potty stop at Ft. Myers State Park, some miles west of The Dalles. That was just a bit scary as we turned off the interstate, thinking we were going to a rest stop. Nope, we were going to a campground with one land road and no turning around. Whew, there was a boat launch area with a parking lot and turn around area. Whew, our first tight spot turned out okay. We turned around, ate lunch, took Lucy for a walk and then squeezed our way through the narrow road and back on to the interstate. A happy moment, free again! We had another scary moment this morning upon leaving the KOA in Warrenton/Astoria. More about that later. It did produce an undesirable result, but all is pretty much okay.

I can easily say that the drive down the Oregon coast from Astoria to Newport was stunning, beautiful, slow going (averaged 35 mph probably, due to construction, very narrow road, and numerous numerous bends in the road), and as picturesque as one could hope for.

Going back to the Astoria area and the KOA. We just couldn't wander around Astoria. It was late, cold, foggy and the roads would not have been kind to Big Mac. No Goonies house for us to visit. Sorry, H.

The KOA was a big plus. It had everything you could want in a campground and more. I have posted more photos on my gallery. Please be aware that most photos were taken through the front window of the RV, and some through the side window, which had a screen. I have uploaded all the photos taken since we left Crooked River and if I remember tomorrow, I will explain several of them. Otherwise, just enjoy... the camera's eye could not see what my eye saw, but it came close.

http://gallery.mac.com/bnjbarber#100997
http://gallery.mac.com/bnjbarber#101012
http://gallery.mac.com/bnjbarber#101016

It's taking to long to load the rest of the photos. I'll do so tomorrow.

It is late and I'm so tired. I think I will close here and discuss today's drive more tomorrow. G'Nite.

Bonnie Jerry Leslie Lucy

Crooked River, OR

With apologies to our Cornhusker friend, Sr. Villa, several days have passed since my last blog and they were busy ones! I have no photos from our days at the FMCA convention because I was way too busy attending seminars, visiting the vendors, talking to the vendors and buying stuff from them. Up to the moment we drove away from the Deschutes County Fair/Expo grounds, we were buying stuff for the RV. Six humongous tires were installed in the last hours, in our space, while we sat in the coach. How's that for convenience? They came right to the door. I think Les Schwab Tire Centers and all the other service vendors did very very well this week as there were over 1800 coaches there seeking information and repairs.

Just as the tires were done, the mobile screen guy drove by. Cute, loquacious and eager to please, he measured two of our western facing windows for screens and then helped us install the drop down awning screen we bought an hour earlier. The sun bore down on us unmercifully from the west every afternoon and we realized we needed more protection from the sun on that side.

On a last pass through the Beef Building (there was also the Swine bldg, Dairy bldg and more such named bldgs), I succumbed to one of the few remaining desires I had - I bought two folding 6-speed bikes on sale from Camping World. How fun! We now have transportation inside the campgrounds and about town. All I have to do is remember how to ride a bike! I actually think Jerry will get a kick out of riding one. But I told him he will have to change shoes and hats, cuz cowboys don't ride bikes!

We found other 'treasures' to purchase, all mostly necessary items for the RV. Yeah, sure. What a shopping trip! Haven't been that nuts since the time I went on a cruise with my sister and on the way home stopped at a Lexus dealer and bought a car! That was not an impulse really, I had been studying them. And the opportunity just seemed to present itself. Nuff said. Now, and especially now after this week, I'm back to being really really broke!!

I can't end this discussion of our stay at the FMCA convention without mentioning a few other important points. One, we met some really nice people! Thanks, Peggy, for the intros! Two, we learned a whole lot about this traveling apartment! Three, FMCA signed the Texas Tenors for a show on Thursday nite and it was wonderful! Their harmony and voices are amazing. I watched them progress through America's Got Talent and was sad they lost, but the ventriloquist they lost to was an outstanding talent. Piers the Negative said the TT's music was too cheesy, and maybe it is a bit, but we love to hear it. They sang opera, country, patriotic and Sinatra songs. Beautiful!

Sooo glad we went. So sad we blew so much $$. But you got to remember, there is NO SALES TAX in Oregon! Where else you gonna spend your kids' inheritance?

We departed the showgrounds about noon thirty for our 'resting spot', Crooked River RV Resort, nestled in a deep little valley surrounded by cliffs reminiscent of a small Grand Canyon. I took some photos finally, of us, Big Mac and the Big Crooked River cliffs and THE RIVER. Beautiful. To view, go to my gallery: http://gallery.mac.com/bnjbarber#100981

Tomorrow we head north to the Columbia River and west to Astoria. More on our adventure manana. Should be another beautiful trek through nature's wonderland.

Bonnie Jerry Leslie Lucy

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...

Redmond and the FMCA Rally

Plans were to meet Peggy and Vernon down the street at 11:30 at the Fred Meyer and refuel. Surprisingly enough, we timed it so well we were behind them in the fuel lane. Oregon does not allow you to fill your own tanks, so we had a most polite young man fuel us up. Don't be too shocked, but we have put over $300 of diesel fuel in the coach since we left. We had a half full tank today, but we wanted to take advantage of the lower price. Also, when we leave Redmond to go to Astoria, there aren't any big truck stops along the way. By the way, maneuvering Big Mac through a shopping center parking lot full of cars can be a challenge. We made it out with flying colors - Good job, Mr. Barber!

While we refueled, Leslie drove the rental car over to the fresh fruit stand and picked up some just picked marionberries (a relative of ollalieberries) and a bag of cherries. Those cherries are sweet and meaty. Absolutely delicious!!

We then proceeded to Redmond, caravaning with the Bullocks. Once inside the showgrounds, we were guided to our spots. Not bad - they are at the end of the line of coaches with no one on one side. Nice, because we have some separation from other coaches and a view to boot, even though part of the view is a low slung warehouse.

We settled in and then were invited to share dinner with several of Peggy and Vernon's friends, who have primo spaces right next to the seminar buildings. Peggy made an apple crisp which we baked in our oven since her coach doesn't have one. Leslie and I made what turned out to be a hit - chicken salad on a triscuit with a slim slice of cheddar and topped with a chunk of tomato. Everyone loved it. I thought it tasted great too.







As we ate and chatted, a chill wind began to blow and the sky clouded over. Some thought we might get some rain and maybe a thundershower. Several hours later, the wind has subsided and no showers yet. I really want to experience the raindrops falling on my head... do you know that song from so long ago? Here's hoping.

Tomorrow we will attend a 'First Timers' Seminar in the early afternoon. Debbie Reynolds will be here in the evening showcasing a movie on her life. Not sure if we will go, but sounds good. There is a volunteers dinner at 5:30 which we will go to. We are volunteering to serve ice cream on Friday with the Full Timers club. Thinking I might sample it a lot, especially if it warms up!

So that's about it for today. Oops, lest I forget entirely, here is a photo of the two Maltese pups who were next to us in Bend. Already I can't remember their names! They were soooo cute, friendly and huggable. I hugged them both with lots of love. They liked it too. I was so tempted to steal them! Didn't.

Cheers from Redmond, OR....
Bonnie Jerry Leslie Lucy

Sisters went to Sisters...

Leslie drove, dragged Jerry along with us, and off we went in the rental car to Sisters, OR., home of the biggest outdoor quilt show in the states. I couldn't be this close and not go there. I also wanted to see where the RV parks are in case we went to the show, which is always the second Saturday in July. I can tell you this, the town is a Western themed boutique, kind of like Solvang but smaller and cuter. On Sunday, the traffic is dense. U.S. 20 routes people right through town. Don't go on a Sunday!

I loved the fabrics and quilts in the Stitchin' Post in Sisters, but my favorite shop was a brand new one in Bend called Quiltworks on Greenwood St. No website for them yet, but the shop has great fabrics and design ideas and the gals in there are really really nice. If you're in Bend, check it out. Within maybe three miles of each other, there are three quilt shops in Bend, and a new super JoAnn's opening up. This town does fabric!!

In addition to devoting the day to quilting, we ventured a bit north and east over to Redmond to seek out our Aug. 15 accommodation at Crooked River RV Resort and to see where the Deschutes Co. Fair grounds is, where we will camp for the next 6 days. And yes, I used the word 'camp'. We will be boondocking, drycamping, hoofing it! - no water or sewer service or cable or wi fi. We will be parked with over 2000 motorhomes in a parking lot!! Okay, confession. We will have 'some' electricity - 30 amps, which will maybe run a few house electric items at a time. Fingers crossed the weather holds in the 80s.

We've been battling with our worthless on-board self-seeking DirecTV satellite dish. It worked in French Camp and hasn't found a satellite connection since. We've had cable but won't in Redmond. We'll be too busy anyway. We do have some great DVDs if we want to watch a movie at night.

This is beautiful country, Bend and Sisters. I can see why people love this state. I can even see me living in it, if my family would all come. Good roads, no sales tax, unparalleled scenery from your front doorstep, inexpensive properties on huge plots of land. Nice.

Redmond is a bit more like the high desert in CA, think Palmdale with pine trees. Crooked River, 12 miles north of Redmond, wants to look a bit like the Grand Canyon. Huge vertical bluffs colored in reds and browns dipping down into a river... probably a crooked river, dontcha think?

If I had time, I'd inform you all of the history of these very interesting places. Maybe you would like to Google them and see what its all about yourself. But I have to go. The washer is finishing up and I have to check it out. This roughing it is so burdensome. Where are the maids when I so desperately need them??????????

Over and out,
Bonnie Jerry Leslie Lucy

Bend, OR

We left Klamath Falls about 9:30 am, after a more leisurely rising this morning. Within 10 minutes or so, we were riding alongside Upper Klamath Lake. It is so huge it looked like we were on the Rincon on 101. For those not familiar, I will interpret: it looked like the Pacific Ocean with the three islands peering out of the mist. The drive was not as white-knuckle as I had been warned. It is quite spectacular to see so much water when you come from southern CA. Most of the drive to Bend was through pine forests, obvious logging areas. We could see groves of newish trees along the road, reseeded by logging companies some years ago. Log cabin shanties appeared here and there, scarce in this stretch of the road. I wondered who would live in the middle of nowhere, surrounded only by blue sky and tall pines. Ha, nirvana for many. A bit too isolated for me. But unquestionably beautiful!

Signs along the road indicated 'chain zones' where cars could pull over to put on chains in winter. Most side roads were dirt and gravel. No signals on cell phones. Just us and a whole lot of 18-wheelers chugging up and down the long sloping road. The roads are in outstanding shape, interesting considering snow falls here and often roads are degraded because of rough winter storms. Our passage was quiet, Big Mac's rear diesel engine purring softly along the way. I could wish all our travel to be that wonderful, calm and peaceful. I am loving this.

Bend was just 130 miles from Klamath Falls, so we got there around noon, and then embarked on a search for the Budget Rent A Car office, where we had reserved a small car to toodle around in. After much frustration, we found it and were rewarded with an upgrade to a huge Mercury Grand Marquis. Then off to our new home for two days at the Scandia RV Park, just a mile away. Lo and behold, we find that our space is a bit unusual. We're parked alongside the office, the last spot available it seems, even though I made the reservation in June. It turned out okay really. We have a nice private little lawn area and two very very cute Maltese puppies as neighbors. When they come out for their walk tomorrow, I will grab a photo of them. They look just like Lucy. She growled at them, but was otherwise non-aggressive.

After getting settled in our 'space', friends Peggy and Vernon Bullock joined us here at the park and we went for Chinese food. They are staying about 20 miles out of town and we will park with them on Monday at the FMCA rally in Redmond, some 18 mi north of Bend. It was good to see them, it's been over two years since I have seen them at a CAWEE conference. We were both high school teachers prior to retirement. Peggy and Vernon are 'full timers' in their RV, having abandoned home ownership to travel the states. They are the inspiration for my sudden urge to buy an RV and travel. It's all their fault!!

I must defer a moment to reflect on my sister Susan and her family's yearlong European sabbatical in a VW camper van almost 40 years ago. I can say this: how did they do it with 2 adults and 2 children in such a cramped space??? and in Spain and Morocco and Turkey and Austria and France and more. Now, that is a grand adventure. I am sitting here in a luxury motorhome with a washer and dryer and wi fi and cable/satellite tv, queen size bed, two sofas, a 4-door refrigerator, oven and microwave. What a long way we have come!! Kudos to the Lordis for their adventuresome spirit. I wish I could have done that with my children. Sorry 'bout that, M H and P. It's never too late though. Missing you, by the way.

Here is Jerry and Lucy, enjoying a beautiful evening, nice and cool. Actually getting quite cool. Time to go in soon.



Another view of our 'space' next to the office. We have our own private little garden, complete with pretty flowers. We are parked parallel to the interior road of the RV park, but it isn't at all bad, all things considered.

Well, blogger is NOT letting me post the other photo. So frustrating. I'll get it in there one way or another, but for now, aloha.

Bonnie Jerry Leslie and Lucy

Klamath Falls, OR or bust...

Nope, not busted, just cringing from massive mosquito attacks. I haven't been surrounded by so many mosquitos since I left Indiana in 1970! We're cowering inside Big Mac, windows closed, A/C on. Nuff of that though. I have to tell you about our trip here from French Camp. We left at precisely 8:45 am and decided to try US 99, since we were so close. Road was full of 18-wheelers and pretty rough so we decided we should go back to I-5 and continue north on it. Good idea. Better road, actually less crowded.

We saw thousands of acres of rice fields, walnuts (or some kind of nut) and a whole lot of olive trees. Add in grazing cattle and enormous alfalfa and oat and wheat fields and you will be aware of the landscape. As we passed through Redding, we could see the promise of what was to come - foothills California style, golden brown speckled with green sagebrush. But... throw in what looked like pine trees and we're getting closer. Closer to the Mount! Shasta that is. Before we knew it, we were surrounded by green pine, and a brush with some white knuckle co-piloting. The co-pilot would be me. And the white knuckles would be mine. I didn't even take photos of Shasta Lake, a beautiful, enormous body of water... why? cuz the curvy downhill uphill road left me kinda nervous. My poor husband had to listen to me all the way. SLOW DOWN!!! DONT PASS SO CLOSE!!! YOU'RE TOO FAR TO THE RIGHT!!!

Finally, I calmed down and looked up and saw this HUGE TRIANGULAR SNOW COVERED SHAPE looming before me, tucked between other less significant ranges. Of course, it was Mt. Shasta herself. Wow. Beautiful. I did take photos. I'll share some here, but you really have to see it to appreciate it. The photos, taken through the front window of the RV, have a tint to them and of course, aren't too sharp. You'll have to remember that DH had the petal to the metal. We were moving on.

We proceeded down several 6% grades, white knuckle all the way, going through Shasta City, Dunsmuir, Weed, etc. until we hit the Butte Valley floor - a stunning high desert landscape filled with fields of wheat and some lucky bovines who got to live alongside.

As we neared the Oregon border, we passed the CA Inspection Station in Dorris, where all cars must stop and relinquish all plant materials. We'll have to eat up all the produce we brought with us from CA when we reenter on our return trip. How would we prove it was 'Made in Santa Ynez'? We thought of labeling all the tomatoes and nectarines, but forgot the label maker, so no go on that. LOL. Just kiddin'.

Anyway, Dorris looked like an old gold mining town nearing extinction. Not quite like Bodie, as 1000 people still live there, but you get the picture. Very interesting. It was nice to go through towns instead of roaring by them on the interstate. Local color and all.

As we approached Klamath Falls, we could see canals full of water on both sides of the road. Water for all the farmers to access. We expect to drive around (read ON THE EDGE) of Klamath Lake tomorrow morning when we head for our destination in Bend. Talk about white knuckle. My good friend Peggy suggested I close my eyes through that portion! Oh no!!!!! Deep breath.

Here's a few photos from the past two days... they don't do justice to the places we drove through, but they suffice as a memory or two.

See ya tomorrow.
Bonnie Jerry Leslie Lucy

French Camp near Manteca

Here we are, one year since my last post. A long time. A lot has transpired since then. One biggie - we have ventured forth on our first RV trip. We're going to Disn.. oops, REDMOND. Oregon. For a FMCA Convention and then after that, heading north to the Columbia River, due west to Astoria on the Oregon coast, and south on the 101 - homebound.

So, today we started out at 8:39 am - precisely. Getting out of the driveway is the most difficult part of our journey. This 40 footer just gets by our fenceposts on the way in and out. Once we managed that, we headed out the 246 to the 154 and the 101. Turned east at Paso Robles to meet up with I-5 and head north. We made such great time that we changed our reservation from Santa Nella to French Camp, an interesting name, the history of which I must delve into.

What we have seen of our trip thus far are lots of tomato trucks, walnut trees, a feed lot with thousands of cattle and expected odiforous sensations, two closed rest areas, and finally an open one. We pulled up next to the 18-wheelers, and while those hard working fellas lumbered off to the rest rooms, we pulled out our delicious deli sandwiches, potato chips and dip, nice cold sodas and sat at the dining table with air conditioning blowing us into a comfort zone no one outside could have felt. 4 Diamond meal and ambiance. Oh, yeah!!!!!

As we approached Manteca, I noticed a wonderful building on the right. A Ghirardelli Chocolate factory, complete with demonstrations, cold ice cream and other delights I will never know of. You see, this behemoth we are driving, does not stop until it reaches its destination for the evening. Not many parking lots accommodate its length. When we get more experienced, we will fit it in to any place we want to go, but for now... we just don't.

It's late now, and I need to sleep. I will tell you one thing about our accommodations for the evening... French Camp RV Park. It is sandwiched between a dying golf course, and appropriately, a very large cemetery! It's not a bad place, couple shade trees. Not too crowded. It's okay. Give it 6/10 stars.

Photos later. Bed calling me. House Hunters is just ending... our DirecTV satellite dish worked after taking forever to lock in to the satellite. See... this is called 'roughing it' in the 21st century!

Later,
Bonnie and Jerry and Leslie and Lucy

Stalled a bit...

I'm just checking in to my blog as I haven't posted in quite a while. I have had to redirect my efforts from quilting to webmastering for the time being. I am on the executive board of a statewide educator organization and we just had a BUSY and productive strategic planning meeting last week here in Solvang. We all enjoy each other's company so much, so the social side of it was really fun for me. We had a great dinner at Mattei's Tavern eating good food and catching up with each other's news. Then the next morning it was nose to the grindstone as we made plans for training our membership in the coming year. I found the group WUNderful accomodations at The Inn at Petersen Village including great food (again I refer to food), beautiful rooms, a really nice meeting room, and an amazing host in Adam Petersen. Thanks again Adam, I hope we can return every year!

On to the important stuff. With the declining budget in California, education has been hard-hit. Our teachers are losing their jobs. Our membership is in decline. So, we as an organization have to really tighten our belt. Result is I have taken on many more responsibilities that were previously done by a paid event planner. The school year is about to begin and I have to get our newsletter out, membership forms designed, conference flyers created and then get these printed and out to the schools. And I retired to smell the roses!! Ha. Actually, I am happy to help out and keep my finger in the pie, sort of. I have withdrawal pains just thinking of leaving my colleagues behind and doing just retirement stuff.

So, my quilting. I'll get back to it soon. I am obsessing, compulsively perhaps, on finishing my new Registrar chores. My sewing machine better not develop any rust while I get revved up to turn it on and finish my Carolina Lily and Stars and Cards block. Even my sister Leslie, who was behind, has flown past me and she will now have to guide me through the intricacies of that complex Stars block!! Truth be told, I have kind of enjoyed the vacation from having to decide which fabrics belong to which piece and review again, "how big?".

Talk soon. Bonnie

The quilt show

Highlights of the Long Beach Quilt Show:


~Seeing Karen (TQS KakeM) and Sandy (TQS SandyPorter) - both fun and delightful and friendly and full of energy, even after two days of classes and vendor hopping and quilt viewing. Here we are at the end of the day outside the convention center. From L-R: Karen, Sandy, my sister Leslie and me.

~Budget Report: I never wavered, not one iota. No credit cards used. Cash only. I bought some Olfa frosted rulers, some Amy Butler patterns, and two cute cute music boxes in a pillow.

~Seeing my LQS Creation Station attract such a huge following! Take a look at these zany creative people and their booth.


If there was a prize for best booth, they would have to be awarded the blue ribbon. Another busy booth was Superior Threads. I wish they had scored an end booth like Creation Station because there just wasn't any room to look at their products, the people crush was huge and the line to the cash register too long. I wanted to buy thread but there's no way I wanted to stand in a line that was so long. We went back twice, but to no avail. Still crowded and long lines. I hope Bob Purcell is reading this.

The quilts on display were beautiful. Of course, the ones I most wanted to take photos of were off limits for photography. I don't know why. Can anyone tell me? Here are afew that I liked. I am kind of partial to contemporary and art quilts.








You may recall that I was concerned about traversing the convention floor with a broken toe. Well, it didn't start out too well. We had to park far away and walk upstairs to the doors of the hall. That wasn't fun. Once I got on the floor and sniffed out the wondrous products and quilts, I stiffened my upper lip and pushed on.

After about an hour and a half, we decided we were hungry and my toe was famished - for the opportunity to be non-weight bearing. Upstairs we trekked to the food court. That is where TQS KakeM first spotted me. We all went downstairs to the Superior booth for a TQS meetup. No one but us and John Anderson, but we had a nice chat and moved on to check out more vendors.

About an hour later, our friend Maureen got really tired. She has been quite ill and we had ordered a scooter for her to use. She went back to her hotel and guess who inherited the scooter? Moi. I felt a bit odd using it, but my toe was finally at peace with me. Instant relief. I also shared the scooter with my sister Leslie. After all, what are sisters for? Here we are in our happy pose.



We had a good time, but I will say that I thought last year's vendors were more interesting. I bought a whole lot last year, and this year it all seemed to be about the same stuff. Maybe I am getting jaded. I had made reservations to go to PIQF, but I'm thinking I need to give it a rest and go to Road to California instead. We shall see.

Getting ready to leave for LB

Just a quick note. We are getting ready to leave for Long Beach - my sister Leslie, friend Maureen, and me. We're toting water, as heavy as it can be, because I remember being sooooo thirsty last year! Hoping the rush hour traffic through L.A. has subsided somewhat. My broken toe does not like wearing a shoe. I'm not looking forward to dealing with that. But, I am looking forward to testing my ability to say, "No". (to myself) I'm not as flush this year as last, so I will have to just make a wishlist for the future and steel my resolve to behave. More on that later. We'll see how I did.

What a Klutz!

First, I must thank everyone for their very positive comments on my messed up Roman Holiday block. I have taken your advice and moved on. I will not be ripping it out and repairing it. I will leave it as it is and rename it Holiday or Bust! or something like that. Thanks again to all. It was very gratifying to hear from you!

I had fun participating in Annie's Euro Chat on Monday. I met Ruth and Norma and Anna from the North Country. I think I mean from Sweden and Denmark, although I am not quite sure that is correct. I am always impressed by those who have mastered more than one language and do it well. Most impressive! The rest of the day on Monday I played around with fabric choices for the Carolina Lily and Stars and Cards. I'm glad I made a 'chart' to view all my blocks so I could get some idea of which fabrics I should use in these two final blocks. The blocks with the yellow outline are the Lily and Stars and Cards. They are just prototypes and not done yet. I still have to finish the sunburst quarter rounds and sashing. We only have one week left in the class.


Then, this morning I made ready to go upstairs and make some headway on the Lily. That was what I hoped to do. Instead, I walked into the corner of a recliner and broke the little toe on my left bare foot! At first, I ignored it and went upstairs, cut my fabric for the Lily and began stitching it. It was really throbbing and I finally gave up and took a look at it. Swollen and bruised. I googled 'broken toe' on the net and had my diagnosis and treatment confirmed. Ice it, tape it, take an aspirin and elevate it. I did all that except ice it. Just didn't have anything I could use and how was I to keep it on my toe?

So, I spent the rest of the day in my recliner, foot up. And now, I'm wondering, will I be able to walk the floor of the Long Beach Quilt Festival? Under normal circumstances, the feet get pretty tired, along with the back. We shall see. Keeping my fingers crossed it will all work out.

Why oh why??

I have made some dumb mistakes lately in my quilting, but nothing to match what I did today. I am literally sick over it. I worked diligently to create the Roman Holiday block as perfectly as I could. I lost focus several times while paper piecing and put the fabric strip on backwards, or, used the wrong color to make up a unit. I caught those and ripped 'em out and fixed 'em. Kind of disgusted that I zoned out while doing those.

BUT, the biggest dumbest mistake I made was only discovered after I took a picture of it. Take a look and see if you see what I did wrong. You may not know what this block is supposed to look like, but I'm gonna bet you can see what I did wrong. Question is, should I rip it out or just leave it? What do you think? Leave a comment, okay?

Here is what a correct Roman Holiday block looks like. You will certainly be able to see the difference. Perhaps I will have a new block named after me? Shall we call it BB's No Holiday block?


On another note, I am quite pleased with my Best of All block. Here it is.


Two more blocks to go - a Carolina Lily and a Stars and Cards block. There are also the sunburst quarter circles to finish too.

Good Nite, Good Morning

We had a good time at the casino seeing Liza Minnelli still belt out a song as well as ever. That lady has the pipes to keep the crowd on their feet for a good long time. The only thing stopping her is oxygen, bad hips and advancing age. She has such amazing stage presence, you know you are seeing a legend up there. I didn't take a camera, and there were the usual threatening signs about video cameras, etc. I did have my iPhone though. So I waited to see what all the security people would do, thinking they would take the cameras and kick people out or something. None of that happened, people were using flash and everything. So I tried to grab a shot with my woefully inadequate concert cam. Here's what I got. Not so hot.

The next morning we went out to breakfast in Santa Ynez and then decided to go to Neverland as my DD#2 was asked by friends to take some photos. So, here is a photo of me with DGD Carrie standing in front of the well-known gates. I took a bunch of photos and uploaded them as a slide show.

I now have to seriously address the Quilters Palette blocks for the week. Here are the cut out units in place, waiting for me to bring them to the machine and being piecing. Later.

Busy busy... Liza Minnelli tonite

I haven't updated in a while as I was busy doing a big update to my quilt guild's website. We introduced a new Challenge and Block of the Month for the year and presented over 200 quilts to the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation. We sure do have a strong talented giving group in this guild. Check it out: www.coastalquilters.org.

I have been studying and pondering the pattern cutting and drafting directions on the next two Quilters Palette blocks - the Best of All block and the Roman Holiday block. The Best block pattern kind of interweaves the fabric you choose and let me tell you, I thought I was in an Art and Geometry class both at the same time. I will say right now that I was confused at every turn as I cut my fabrics. The confusion was about which block would be which color and what size and where did it go. There are a lot of pieces. I finally have it cut out, but left a swath of rejected 'cuts' behind. I just don't easily visualize fabric selections in a given complex block. I don't have any photos yet as I wearily left it behind last nite to go make dinner and calm my feeble mind and deal with the heat outside and inside. Here is Annie's block that she demonstrated in her video chat this week. Mine will look different. I really like her color choices, but then, she is the expert!

Next, I drafted the Roman Holiday block which will be paper pieced. That went fine, my pattern pieces are all cut and ready to go. Can't face my fabric choices yet as I have to deal with the Best block and get it completed. My DS Leslie took my Janome 6600 in for its first ever cleaning (after two years of use) and I get it back today, so I will be sewing that mischievous block with a newly tuned machine. Yea!

My other news: Leslie and I are going to the Chumash Casino to see Liza Minnelli tonite!! I'm really looking forward to this, as her name was on my top-ten-see-them-perform bucket list. Of course, it requires me to enter the casino and I'm not so delighted about that, because when I leave I will smell like a bucket of cigarette ashes! They try to clear the air in there, but it doesn't work all that well. Will I drop a coin in the slots? Heck no, I'm going to Long Beach next week for the Quilt Festival and need every penny I have to stay right there in my wallet.

El Nino and El NoNo?

Okay, at least we have confirmation of one thing. In the last blog I mentioned the MJ rumor that he would come to Neverland on Friday. I also mentioned that El Nino may be on its way. Which one do you think is for real? You guessed it. No one knows the real destination of MJ cuz they just can't act that fast in the face of all the issues. One thing that was confirmed: El Nino is here. Read this if you are curious to know what El Nino means to us here in CA and you all elsewhere.

To me, it means Lake Cachuma (Santa Barbara county's main water source) overflows, the Santa Ynez River becomes a real river, the creek at the bottom of our property flows, our huge Weeping Willow in the backyard tries to fall down (very shallow rooted), and the state of CA replenishes its water supply! Most of this is all good. What is not good is the burn areas in Santa Barbara and how they tolerate the onslaught of the pending storms.


Now, on to El NoNo.
Day by day more conflicting news comes to light. And people get more and more tired of hearing it. Except those of us who live in Santa Ynez. This area closely guards its ties to the rural ranching past. Old timers intensely dislike seeing any kind of change taking place. They don't want more people nor development of any kind. Oh, except for those who benefit from owning grapes. If land isn't occupied by horses, it is teeming with grapevines. And tasting rooms. Thanks to the movie Sideways, we have more drunken wine tasters than the roads can handle.

Oh, don't get me started. We have the Chumash Casino - just a half mile from my house. Reading the Sheriff's Blotter, all we see of crime in the Valley seems to emanate from the casino. Pickpockets, drunks, drugs, heart attacks, fights. Now if you want to stir up some real trouble around here, all you have to mention is the sovereignty of Indian nations in the same breath as 'casino'. But I digress. In case you wanted to know the latest, here is a local writer's latest conflicting article on the MJ situation. Be sure to read the Update at the end.

Now, about QUILTING. Haven't done much in the past two days.

Hating Quarter Inch Seams, or Any Seams, Actually!

I have finished nine blocks and five sunburst pieces in the 13-block 8-sunburst project. It is nearly impossible for me to finish a block at the required size, in this case, 12 1/2 inches. I measure and cut the pieces as carefully as I can. The culprit is undoubtedly the quarter inch seam. Maybe I'm just a bit off in cutting, but that shouldn't cause the problem as much as the quarter inch seam. Every block I complete ends up NOT square and a little too small. Not fun.

Here are my two latest blocks, the Nosegay and the Spring Flowers.



I sure hope when the sashing goes on that I am able to work with these deficiencies. I can't Photoshop the missing fabric like I did the Spring Flower block above!

So, here is the 'design wall' with all nine blocks. This is not the final placement, but it helps to see them coming together.


Most of the time I am enjoying this project, but it is disheartening to find the blocks have 'issues' when I finish them. Perhaps I belong in the art quilt arena where quarter inch seams are not a big factor.

I'm going to my quild picnic tonite. Should be fun. Since I am the webmaster, it will become my job to make sure I get lots of good candids for the website. I really like to jazz up the site and increase viewership via photos. Of course, I do like the food everyone brings... a lot. The weather will be perfecto - in Santa Barbara it will be about 70 degrees. Right now in Santa Ynez it is 81 degrees, will probably get hotter today, but there is a lovely breeze and it is perfect!

No humidity here on the left coast. The many summers I spent on Long Island visiting relatives taught me I do not tolerate humidity in any shape, way or form. I don't know how everyone in the midwest, south and east deal with it. I remember taking showers at 8 am and needing one again an hour later. How do you live in that environment? I guess you get used to it.

My first teaching position was in W. Lafayette, IN (at Purdue - I taught PE and coached volleyball) and I left for home base in CA at the end of every school year to escape Indiana summers. They were HUMID. But, I do love the rain and thunderstorms you all have. We have none of that. If we do, it makes for big headlines in the papers.

We're told we may be entering an El Nino year. The ocean warming brings more rain to us - we like that, but it will also bring unpredictable highs and lows (we have that now anyway with global warming) and flooding. With three MAJOR destructive fires in the last year, the Santa Barbara hillsides cannot take a big storm. The hills will try to slide into the ocean.

Well, I guess we all have our climate problems. One thing we rarely if ever have is tornadoes, hurricanes, and rivers flooding over their banks. Our rivers are big wide swaths of dirt with an occasional golf course built down to the edges. Typical California landscape.

Neverland's front gates are still flooded with visitors, flowers, balloons, messages of grief on MJ's passing. If you are curious about the area, one of our local pilots, John Wiley, has taken overhead photos of the ranch, and of many other well-known spots in the area. Take a look at his Flickr photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jw4pix/. If you look through his photo albums you will see Oprah's mansion and other areas of note.

By the way, local rumor has it that MJ will come to Neverland Friday. Stay tuned. There is so much speculation. Katharine Jackson says No!, Jermaine says Yes!

There were tears...

I can be very emotional, and I was. Watching the Michael Jackson Memorial Show.

Whatever your point of view, some very powerful emotions were called out by the performers... Brook Shields'perspective was sweet and sincere; Usher was unbelieveably vulnerable; Al Sharpton delivered a strong strong address, he surprised me, it was GOOD; Jermaine Jackson nearly broke down singing 'Smile'; emotional and stirring was Jennifer Hudson's interpretation of 'Will You Be There'; my favorite ever, performed better than ever - 'You Are the World' and 'Heal the World'. Marlon Jackson ended the memorial beautifully. But it was the final moments that left me full-out crying, that was when 11 year-old Paris told the world she had the best daddy ever. That child will be someone when she grows up. She wanted to stand up to the world and let everyone know he was wonderful.

I am still in a somber state, hours later. This man accomplished so much with his talent and gentle love for people. He was odd, tormented by his own demons, way off center some would say. He meant well. No, I do not believe he harmed children. Ever. He was a child in many ways. Some have pointed their fingers in ridicule at his oddities. We all have our oddities, just not his extremes. We probably didn't have his childhood, his father, his sensitivities, his highs and lows. A little compassion please. Some understanding is needed. It's over now. Best wishes to those little children who have their lives to live.

Sorry if some don't agree with me. That's okay. We are all entitled to our opinions.