Diamond Lake, OR

Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Diamond Lake, Oregon
Umpqua National Forest
Weather: Sunny, hot and smoky

It wasn't hot when we woke up and I even had to turn the furnace on to take the chill off of the RV. We lost a piece of bacon, which Rod was cooking on the outdoor grill/griddle, to a sneaky gray jay. He swooped right down and stole the entire piece! Good thing it wasn't a rib-eye!

Rod took an editing job, so we decided to head down to the day use park, which was supposed to have a decent cell signal (unlike the campground). We had the lot pretty much to ourselves for a few hours and got a great spot overlooking Diamond Lake. Not much to complain about! It was a great spot to get some work done, enjoy a picnic lunch, and go for a couple of walks. We decided to leave our bikes at home this time around, since they add a lot of weight (bike rack and two bikes) and we're carrying a lot more for the two-month trip. Next time, I'd love to bring our bikes, as there's a great trail (11 miles) that goes all the way around the lake. 

Mt. Bailey (8,363')

Another view of Mt. Bailey

Mt. Thielsen (9,200')

A closer view of Mt. Thielsen

Can't beat the view!

Wonderful trail!

Diamond Lake Resort Beach

(not our campground)

Yum!

A glimpse of the sunset over the lake.

Sunset over Mt. Bailey

Smoky sky makes for a gorgeous sunset.

Click on photos for a larger view.

Depoe Bay to Diamond Lake, OR

Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Depoe Bay to Diamond Lake, Oregon
Distance: 234 miles
Campground: Diamond Lake RV Park
Cost per Night: $34
Site #A8
Duration: 2 nights
Weather: Sunny and upper 70s with some smoke

After months of research and planning, we are finally on our way to Texas! We left Depoe Bay shortly after 10:00 and after topping off the gas tank in Newport, we headed out I20 to Corvalis. We had a beautiful drive with no problems and once we reached I5, we headed south to Eugene. The sun was shining, which always makes for a nice day of driving. We drove on OR58, stopping for a picnic lunch at the Dexter Reservoir, where I spotted either an eagle or an osprey and hopefully got a couple of good shots with the Olympus. (I'll have to add those later, since I left my cable at home!)

Looking west

Lowell Covered Bridge

Lowell Covered Bridge is the widest covered bridge in Oregon and is now used as an interpretive center, rather than one which can be driven through. I've only seen 2 covered bridges in Oregon and I believe there are 56.

Looking east

We pretty much had the place to ourselves.

There's just a little bit of snow remaining on Diamond Peak (8,744').

The sky became very smoky (from the Miles forest fire) as we drove along the Willamette Highway, causing our eyes to burn and our lungs to feel wheezy. Once we got over the pass, the sky cleared and we no longer smelled any smoke.

We arrived at the Diamond Lake RV Park around 4:00 and got checked in and all set up without any problems. The sites in our loop were fairly close together with very little privacy in the way of trees or shrubbery, but we met our neighbors (a very nice couple from Alaska who are just starting out as full-timers) and enjoyed getting to know them over drinks after dinner.

We knew we wouldn't have a view of the lake from our campground, but it was an easy walk down the road, which we did after dinner. We caught the last glimpse of a sunset over Mt. Bailey (8,363').

The cell service for Verizon, AT&T and Sprint was pretty much nil at the campsite, but we were able to get a couple of bars down by the lake, so we could send out a couple of short emails. All in all, it was a great day!

Click on photos for a larger view.

Looking Back - Their Eyes Were Watching God

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Fiction
1990 Harper Collins (first published in 1937)
Finished in January 1998
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

One of the most important works of twentieth-century American literature, Zora Neale Hurston's beloved 1937 classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is an enduring Southern love story sparkling with wit, beauty, and heartfelt wisdom. Told in the captivating voice of a woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, it is the story of fair-skinned, fiercely independent Janie Crawford, and her evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose.

A true literary wonder, Hurston's masterwork remains as relevant and affecting today as when it was first published - perhaps the most widely read and highly regarded novel in the entire canon of African American literature.

My Original Notes (1998):

What a beautifully written book. It reminded me a little bit of Alice Walker's The Color Purple. 

My favorite paragraph:

Every morning the world flung itself over and exposed the town to the sun. So Janie had another day. And every day had a store in it, except Sunday. The store itself was a pleasant place if only she didn't have to sell things. When the people sat around on the porch and passed around the pictures of their thoughts for the others to look at and see, it was nice. The fact that the thought pictures were always crayon enlargements of life made it even nicer to listen to.

Heartbreaking; passionate; humorous.

My Current Thoughts:

The above paragraph has stayed with me for the past 20 years! Not word for word, but the phrase about "thought pictures" is one I always think of when I think of Zora Neale Hurston.

On the Road Again...

Planning, planning, planning! A two-month road trip requires a lot of preparation. Maps, driving routes, boondocking locations (BLM, Harvest Host, Campendium, etc.), camp sites (national and state parks, as well as RV parks), places to see (Crater Lake, Grand Canyon, Sedona, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, etc.) and friends and family to visit!

RV Trip Wizard has been a life-saver. I can't imagine planning such a long trip without this amazing tool! 5,430 miles, estimated. 

Here we go!

A Month in Summary - August 2018

Little Whale Cove

Depoe Bay, Oregon

August 2018

It's probably time to quit talking about how quickly the months pass. Life is busy and the days really do fly by, but do I really need to mention it every month?? We had a full month of visitors and a short road trip, as well as preparing for our upcoming adventure. I'm surprised I managed to finish two books. Yes, only two but they were both very good, so no complaints from me!

Books Read in August:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Crime on the Fens (DI Nikki Galena, #1) by Joy Ellis

First Lines:

Dear Sidney,

Susan Scott is a wonder. We sold over forty copies of the book, which was very pleasant, but much more thrilling from my standpoint was the food. Susan managed to procure ration coupons for icing sugar and real eggs for the meringue. If all her literary luncheons are going to achieve these heights, I won't mind touring about the country. Do you suppose that a lavish bonus could spur her on to butter? Let's try it -- you may deduct the money from my royalties. (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society)

A night wind blew along the narrow alleyway, bringing with it the smell of ozone and red diesel. Nikki Galena leaned back against the rough brickwork of the derelict warehouse and wondered how many other women of thirty-six would feel quite so comfortable in such unpleasant surroundings. The backstreets that skirted the docks were no place for a lone female at any time of day, but after midnight they were a definite no-go area. Nikki smiled in the darkness. Right now there was nowhere else she'd rather be. (Crime on the Fens)

Movies & TV Series:

The Bridge (Season Three) - There are so many characters in this new season and each new episode involves at least one murder. Somehow, all of the murders are related, but I could never figure the connection. Detectives Saga and Henrik didn't have much luck either. It took five or six episodes to get fully engrossed in Season Three, but we finished and are now anxious for Season Four.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - I finished reading the book (for the second time) just a few hours before watching the Netflix production of the same. As expected, the book was much better and I wish I waited a few months before watching the movie. So much of the story had been changed, not to mention the omission of two major characters. I'm not sorry I watched the film, but I am sorry I watched it so soon after finishing the novel.

Ready Player One - I loved this book on audio and thought the movie was also very good. It's been long enough since I listened to the book that I didn't notice a lot of the changes and omissions. There were a few, but not too many. Two thumbs up!

Outings & Trips:

We took our granddaughter up to one of our favorite campgrounds on the Oregon coast. My mom came along with us and stayed in a cute little motel in Manzanita, which was close enough for us to drive over and get her during the day so she could enjoy the campsite, too. It was a fun three-day trip!

 Relaxing before dinner.

 A smoky sunset.

 Hypnotized by the campfire.

 Rail Riders!

She's a natural!

Visitors:

Our good friends, Sarah & Bert, came for a few days, so we took them to a couple of our favorite wineries in the Willamette Valley.

Mark & Ana (my brother and sister-in-law) came up for a few days while our granddaughter was visiting. We had fun cooking together and just hanging out. 

Shaylyn! Our sweet granddaughter is now 16 years old and she spent a little over a week with us this year. She is such a joy to be around and the time went by far too quickly. I have so many pictures that I want to share from her visit, but I think I'll wait and use them in a separate post.

Labor Day is just around the corner, which means summer is almost over. We are heading out on our great adventure next week and will be gone for two months! We're excited and a little bit nervous. We've never traveled for as long or as far as we're planning. Next month's summary may not have much in the way of books or movies, but I'm sure I'll have a lot of photos to share from all the places we visit.

Have a safe & fun Labor Day Weekend!

Click on images for larger view.

Looking Back - Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast by Bill Richardson
Fiction
1993 A Wyatt Book for St. Martin's Press
Finished in January 1998
Rating: 5/5 (Excellent!)

Publisher's Blurb:

A pair of endearingly eccentric bachelors--in their fifties, and fraternal twins--own and operate a bed & breakfast establishment where people like them, the "gentle and bookish and ever so slightly confused," can feel at home. Hector and Virgil think of their B&B as a refuge, a retreat, a haven, where folks may bring their own books or peruse the brothers' own substantial library. An antic blend of homespun and intellectual humor, Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast is a place readers will want to return to again and again.

Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast, originally published by Douglas & McIntyre, won Canada's prestigious Stephen Lecock Award for Humour in 1994, and was published in hardcover by A Wyatt Book for St. Martin's Press in 1996. Its sequel, Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast Pillow Book, is a Canadian bestseller, and was published in hardcover by A Wyatt Book in October 1997.

My Original Notes (1998):

Excellent! Very, very funny. Laugh out loud and soft chuckles. I kept forgetting it was fiction. I'd love to stay with Hector, Virgil, Waffle and Mrs. Rochester (the parrot). I can't wait to begin the sequel. A great gift idea for any book lover, cat lover, etc.

I laughed hysterically when I read the part about Hector organizing the refrigerator, looking at all the "best before" dates. I do the same!

I roared when I read how Waffle (the cat) chose her own name.

I loved Alice's poem about reading with cats.


My Current Thoughts:

This slim book (152 pages) has been lurking on my shelf for twenty years, waiting to be re-read. I think it's time! 

Wordless Wednesday

Depoe Bay, Oregon

August 2018

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Looking Back - I Was Amelia Earhart

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

I Was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn
Fiction
1997 Vintage (first published in 1996)
Finished in January 1998
Rating: 2/5 (Fair)

Publisher's Blurb:

In this brilliantly imagined novel, Amelia Earhart tells us what happened after she and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared off the coast of New Guinea one glorious, windy day in 1937. And she tells us about herself.

There is her love affair with flying ("The sky is flesh") . . . .

There are her memories of the past: her childhood desire to become a heroine ("Heroines did what they wanted") . . . her marriage to G.P. Putnam, who promoted her to fame, but was willing to gamble her life so that the book she was writing about her round-the-world flight would sell out before Christmas.

There is the flight itself -- day after magnificent or perilous or exhilarating or terrifying day ("Noonan once said any fool could have seen I was risking my life but not living it").

And there is, miraculously, an island ("We named it Heaven, as a kind of joke").

And, most important, there is Noonan . . .

My Original Notes (1998):

So-so. The first half was very good, but I got bored with the rest of the book. Maybe what would interest me more is a real biography. Fascinating woman but Mendelsohn tried too hard to turn Earhart's story into a romance novel. Blah.

My Current Thoughts:

I have no recollection of this book whatsoever.

Wordless Wednesday

Purple Haze Lavender Farm

Sequim, Washington

July 2018

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Looking Back - The Princess Bride

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Fiction - Fantasy
1994 Del Rey (first published in 1973)
Finished in January 1998
Rating: 5/5 (Excellent!)

Publisher's Blurb:

What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams?

As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.

Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.

What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.

In short, it's about everything.

My Original Notes (1998):

Excellent! So much better than the movie. I loved all the asides that Goldman makes. I laughed so hard. Wonderful book. Wonderful entertainment.

My Current Thoughts:

I've read this book a couple of times now and it really is a classic and highly entertaining. If you've only seen the movie, you really need to read the book. It's delightful.

Favorite Quotes:

Inconceivable!

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

and

My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!

and

As you wish...

and

The Impressive Clergyman: Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam… And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva… So tweasure your wuv.
Prince Humperdinck: Skip to the end.
The Impressive Clergyman: Have you the wing?

Wordless Wednesday

Purple Haze Lavender Farm

Sequim, Washington

July 2018

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.