Tag Archives: Birds

I can see once more!

Posted on Thursday March 6th, 2014 by | 1 comment

That is always a good thing!

I still have issue with going from a dark, like in a garage, to outside when it’s sunny, but not as much as I had been having.

It has been raining more then usual, I was told we already have already passed the monthly average for the month of March and today is the 6th.

The rain doesn’t really bother me, the wind is my main issue. I grew up in the midwest and have had to deal with tornados too many times, that its something that is “deep inside” that stresses me when the winds are above 25 mph.

The biggest issue I have with the rain, is the trails have huge muddy pools I have to jump around when running, I try to keep a certain pace when I run and even a few hop, skips and a jump, can wear me out faster then I would like, and of course there is always that fear that one day I will slip and get a cold mud bath.

Temps have been GREAT! Mid 40s to low 50s as highs and lows in mid 30s. I can live with that.

We have had to order some parts for our “All in One” washer/dryer. It is a side loader, and has 3 agitators inside and 2 of them suddenly broke off, nothing but plastic tabs that slide in. We ordered 3 new ones ($15 each + s&h) since its only a matter of time for the 3rd one to break. The person Pauline spoke to told her he was not sure how we got this unit. We bought it new just over 1 year ago. It is a 2008 model.

*sigh

That was the biggest debate for us the 2-3 years we discussed this idea of full timing in a RV. Should we get a washer/dryer. It cost $1,200 for the unit we got. And after living in the RV for over a full year now. We made the RIGHT decision. Yes, its noisy, shakes the RV and whatever else, but over all, it is a time saver. Since we have been here, we see how many people use the washer/dryer here at the park. Its free for volunteers. But there is ALWAYS people coming and going from that room. The idea of having to wait in line to wash clothes would be too much.

And this is the dead season. In 2 more months there will be 15-20 more volunteers here.

Right now, the fog is once again covering Whidbey Island, I can just make out the coast line. The other day as I was finishing my run I saw another Submarine going out to sea, with the usual Coast Guard escort. Pauline was out on the trails with the camera, but she got back in time for us to grab a few good shots of it. Which where the first pictures I have taken in a week.

Pauline has been taking the camera out with her each time she walks and she is getting better with her pictures, the ones of the Great Blue Heron are probably the best pictures she has ever taken. The majority of the pictures here she took.

Tomorrow we will do a hour or so of work here in the park before we head to town for supplies and the library. This weekend we have no real plans, other then to do some birding. The current idea is to get up early, like 7am early…. UGH, and eat and go down to the spit and hopefully get some birds.

But then we found that the stupid, outdated, why the hell are we still doing this, time change crap happens.

That means Monday morning will arrive 1 hour faster…

DAMMIT!

Anyway, enjoy the pictures…

1 Comment

Posted in State Parks, what hell kind of animals are we seeing?, what the hell are we learning?, what the hell kind of pictures are these?, what the hell needs to be fixed now?, where the hell are we volunteering?

Tagged , , , , , ,

If you ever wanted to walk to Asgard, I know the way…

Posted on Tuesday February 18th, 2014 by | 1 comment

Let’s see how many of you get that.

Today was a wild one. It started off very windy and rainy, then it got very, very windy and rainy and then it just turned epic in a blink of the eye.

We was picking up branches around 11am while there was a strong gale force wind hitting from the South, it was the strongest winds we have felt from the South, and we was only about 50 yards from the Southern cliffs so we had very few tree’s between us and the sheer force of the wind.

We had a 1 ton flatbed truck full of yard debris such as tree branches, vines, brush etc. We we filled the truck bed. (Which is measured by how high Pauline has to jump to get more debris into the truck.)  And while on the way to the dumping area, we decided to drive down to the boat launch area to turn around and to see the water.

That turned out not to be such a good idea, as in the wide open the wind was hammering the truck and blowing some branches off.  The winds had to be 50+ mph. We had to return after we dumped the load to pick up what we had lost site seeing. I love picking up the same branches twice.

When we returned about 20 minutes later the winds had dropped to about 25mph. While it was still windy, it was not as windy. That is a win!

We came back home and ate lunch around noon and worked to about 2:30 while it rained, and rained more, oh it rained so much more, we could not see Whidbey Island. It was just nasty out. But also incredibly beautiful. I love being here in the Northwest! I am not sure I will leave anytime soon, but back on what I was saying…

Suddenly, it just stopped raining and boom. Bright Sun! That is when we noticed one of the must vibrant rainbows we have ever seen. It looked like it was in 3D. I took some pictures of it, but honestly, without seeing it for yourself, nothing could do it justice.

Still, the pics are pretty cool! I so love being in the Northwest!

Yesterday I got on a tractor to move some timber that was blocking a boat ramp. I was planning to wrap a chain around it and drag it out of the way, like I have in the past, and ever grabbed some chains to do this. When I got to the boat ramp I reassessed the situation and thought maybe if the gravel beach was solid, I could just push the timber out of the way and be done faster and maybe in a more time saving way?

So I walked on the gravel, jumped up and down, kicked it around some and was convinced it would hold the tractor and then I started to push the timber off the ramp and onto the rocks on the side of the ramp. I had it almost completely off the ramp when the left front tire sunk, which caused the left rear tire to sink, which brought the right rear tire in the air…

*sigh…

Once again I over thought what I was going to do. I played around trying to get myself out of the gravel, both using the bucket as a push off and turning the tractor in different directions, using larger rocks to put under the wheels and anything I could think of…

Nope. I can’t fix this on my own. I had to get help. I had to have a Ranger come pull me out.

If I did what I planned to do originally, I would have been done in 10 minutes tops. This took 45 minutes. Fun.

I have been running once more. For the most part it has been November 2012 when we stopped going to the gym Monday to Friday of running at least 3 miles a day.

Last Monday was just my second run while here, I had run around the roads of the parade ground on Super Bowl Sunday, but I really struggled on the long incline and about died just trying to get a 1.5 mile before the game.

So on last Monday I ran on some trails taking my chances on those hills and got just under 2 miles only walking for 300 yards or so. It was a struggle, but not as harsh of a one.

I took my GPS so I could get the distance and figure what I am trying to do route wise and effort wise. The next day I adjusted to a different route on another trial and walked about 50 yards and ran 1.82 miles.

The next day I hit gold! I once again changed my route and find a route exactly 2 miles and ran that 2 days in a row and both were non stop and I finished only my second 5 day running week in the last 14 months.

I have been breathing really well and I’ve learned how to control my own pace which is not easy to do when you are use to a tread mill setting the pace. A tread mill that has no hills. I have been paying more attention to my running style and realized I was blowing myself up running up hills since I changed my stride into a faster pace.

Once I realized that, I started running up hills in what I consider “stutter stepping” and I am no where near as winded as I had been. Once I figured out the ups and downs of the hills I also learned where I could “rest” and where I had to really work it.

Yesterday, I got to the second left where I had been turning and realized I was feeling really good, so I ran to the third left which got me exactly 2.5 miles.

Today, I once again changed my route and I got exactly 3 miles and had a controlled breathing rate and recovered as fast as I use to recover on my cool down walk on the treadmill. It felt good.

Of course right now I have sore feet, sore ankles and and a sore lower back and for some odd reason, I also have sore neck and shoulders. Maybe Im holding my arms too tense as I run? I’ll figure this out over the next few runs.

It was so nice during my run, I had so much Sun on me, I almost had to take off my hoodie. It was still sprinkling, I saw another rainbow, and I heard tree frogs croaking behind me and I heard another tree frog respond in front of me.

Tree frogs. Once they start talking, there is no shutting them up.

Here is another iPhone photo dump. I still can not seem to remember I take pictures with this thing.

Night.

1 Comment

Posted in State Parks, what hell kind of animals are we seeing?, what hell kind of changes are we making now?, what the hell are we seeing?, what the hell are we thinking?, what the hell kind of pictures are these?

Tagged , , , , , ,

Better days? What better days???

Posted on Sunday February 16th, 2014 by | 2 comments

I think I spoke way too soon. This is February in the Pacific Northwest. There might be a better day or two, but this is still February in the Pacific Northwest which mean high winds and rain. We have had gust up to 46 mph with sustained wind of 30 mph. It is suppose to calm down in the next few hours to the typical 10-15 mph but until then….

UGH!

Since we are the only RV in the retreat center camp host spot, which has 2 full hook up sites, we did not want to park the typical East/West direction with a view of a building but facing North/South so we could have a perfect view of the water and Whidbey Island and the Cascade Mountains, Mt Baker and at times Mt Rainier.

Worth it!

 

The only issue we have had with this setup, is when the wind comes from the Southeast, it hits our main slide out and shakes the whole rig and when the wind is over 35 mph + the canvas cover over the main slide out flaps in the wind since it is getting hit on the edge so the wind is traveling between the canvas and the top of the slide out like a sail.

There is really nothing we can do to stop this short of pulling the slide out in and living in a even more confined space, and from experience that is just plain miserable to live in.

Now, I kind of wish we pulled in the slide out when the winds are over 35 mph. But reality is, it just isn’t practical.

I went out today to take a better look at the canvas cover and it’s destroyed. There is a 14″+ rip where the canvas meets the RV  on the left side and one of the three straps was so chewed from flapping against the edge of the slide out, I just pulled it off to save time from having to do it later.

We think anything over 50 mph we will bring in our slide out. But until then, we will weather the storm.

I tried to figure out what the best thing to do is, and at this time, I can’t think of anything.  The damage has been done to the existing cover. It will need to be replaced. I don’t want to start putting straps on or weight or whatever on top, since I don’t want the extra weight on the slide out roof, and if the winds did get over 50 mph, I would rather be able to pull it in without having to get a ladder to “free it”.

We estimate this will cost $350-$400 to replace. I have been thinking on this all day and short of pulling the slide out in every time, I can think of no other option we had. The canvas is 12 years old and weak. The wind is strong and constant with the wind coming from the Southeast the angle it’s hitting it is “the perfect storm”.

Since we have been here the wind has hit us from every direction, so short of pulling the slide out in every time or parking in different directions every time the wind shifts, I have not yet figured out what we could have done to prevent this.

We had the canvas replaced with a “vinyl” cover over the bedroom a few months ago due to the same reason, the canvas just gave away. That cost $175. And so far it appears to be holding up, but we have a pretty good wind break protecting us from the West winds. We have been hit by winds from the West, and they rock the RV more then the winds from the East, but they don’t hit the cover on the edge like is happening with the main slide out.

Ok, enough about this subject.

We also have been dealing with internet issues. We had 3 MiFi hotspot’s. 2 used the Verizon network, and the 3rd on the AT&T network. Recently our unlimited MiFi has been cut off with zero chance of coming back so we are now down to 2 and both of those are iffy in the best of times. We do plan to get a 3rd one again, also on the Verizon network, but until then, we have been fighting to get and stay online enough to get our work done.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the last few weeks. It is not all “doom and gloom” here, I just can not think of too many happy thoughts at the moment due to the constant winds getting on my nerves and the internet of tubes is too unreliable so I want to get this posted before the tube burst.

Enjoy the night.

 

 

 

2 Comments

Posted in State Parks, what hell kind of animals are we seeing?, what the hell are we learning?, what the hell are we thinking?, what the hell kind of pictures are these?, what the hell needs to be fixed now?

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Better days…

Posted on Wednesday February 12th, 2014 by | 1 comment

We had another spell of cold crap weather. Not as bad as the first one, but when its not the typical mid 40’s it is just too cold to go outside and enjoy yourself. Well at least for me, I am not a fan of cold.

We leave here at the end of March and it really seems like we just got here. We are still looking for June to August, we think we have July and August, but still nothing set, which is something we need to work on and get finalized. We want to stay in the Puget Sound area for the entire year plus if we can.

We are always open to a new adventure in a different area of course, if the situation is good enough to go do it, but until then we want to stay in the area. Too many friends we have not had the chance to spend any of the incredible Northwest Summer days with in too long of a time.

It is a lot easier to have a night involving a spontaneous cookout when you are 1-2 hours away vs 4 hours while we was in Oregon.

I’ve started running again. I still have a long way to go to get back to the physical condition I was in 2012. I pretty much took the entire year of 2013 off from running due to living in Patagonia for 6 months. And being lazy. But if you never ran at 4100′ + elevation you have no idea how hard it is vs to running at 150′.  Add in the humidity and heat of Arizona, and it just made it too grueling to halfway enjoy a run.

I was running 3-4 miles with ease in Oregon and I was struggling to run 2 miles in Arizona and with the hard road and trails, I kept getting shin splints which is something I hardly ever had to deal with in Oregon and never with the severity I was having in AZ.

I do enjoy running on the trails here. I struggle with the hills, well at least going up, but its nice to be outside with the natural air and sounds and smells and seeing the birds, deer and even some seals every so often.

Enjoy the night.

1 Comment

Posted in State Parks, what the hell are we thinking?

Tagged , , , ,

Happy Birthday!

Posted on Thursday January 2nd, 2014 by | Comments Off on Happy Birthday!

On December 26, 2013 Pauline turned 40 and since it was the holiday the Park staff took time off while Pauline worked the office. So on Friday 12/27/2013 Pauline and I took the ferry to Whidbey Island and drove around Fort Casey to get an idea of the park since we have a offer to host there this Spring.

As soon as we arrived we was lucky to witness two large immature Bald Eagles sitting on the ground working over a carcass. And of course, we left the camera at home since we didn’t think we would get any chance for wild life pictures.

After 30 minutes or so we headed to Oak Harbor and stopped at Starbucks before continuing our journey to Everett. We always take WA 529 South when we come from the North and never once have we ever had to stop due to the draw bridge. That is until this day.

Nothing like traveling 3+ hours and having a 15+ minute stop 3.2 miles from your final destination. Sigh.

Anyway, it was a great day. We had enough time to do a quick visit with Daphna and Allen before I took Pauline to Seattle for a hair appointment while Daphna and Allen had their own errands. Daphna was planning to join Pauline at the salon, but her errands ran late, but she was able to pick Pauline up while Allen and I visited back at their place.

Pauline and Daphna arrived back home around 7pm and we got ready for a Italian dinner while sharing some great wine and great smoke. Somehow, we all ended up in the bathroom toasting Pauline with some wine, I am still not sure how that happen, maybe too much wine or smoke?

We went to dinner, and the food could not have been better. The waiter was funny and apparently he had been having a bad night with bad customers, so he thanked us multiple times letting us know we made his night and he even gave Pauline a birthday Chocolate Mousse that was to die for. Daphna and Allen had some “eggnog gelatin” that was also really good and when you mixed the two… WOW. So So good!

We went back to the house and had more wine and more smoke and many more laughs as we caught up with the last 7 months we had not seen each other. It was well after 2am when we all went to bed.

Saturday we got out of bed around 9am. Pauline wanted to do some errands, Allen had a meeting, so after Pauline, Daphna and I had lunch at a local NY Pizza joint, Daphna and I went to Starbucks while Pauline went to do her errands. After Starbucks we drove around talking before going to the marina and walking around watching the ducks, seeing the USS Nimitz at port and just enjoying the day.

We went back to the house around 3:30pm and the four of us had yet another great dinner as Allen is a master cook. More drink and smoke and laughs. Pauline and Allen went to bed around 9pm while Daphna and I thought we would be doing the same within the hour.

That would turn out to be 5 am.

One conversation went into another went into another… Ugh… We was both falling asleep while talking. So tired, but so enjoyable.

We was both so exhausted from the past few days, weeks, months as we all have so much going on, but no regrets at all staying up that late talking with a loved one.

Pauline and I got up at 9am expecting to slip out quietly so they could sleep in when Allen got up and offered to make breakfast, Daphna soon joined and we left the house at 11am. We arrived at the ferry with about 1:10 wait for the next ferry, but thankfully we have the NFL Package and was able to watch the Saints play. WHO DAT!

Things like that can make waiting a pleasure.

Pauline and I got home around 4pm. My “second wind” died and I think we hit the bed by 9pm.

We had yet another great time in Everett.

Too bad they turned our RV parking pad into a Japanese garden with a chicken coop. I would love to live in a box in that back alley any day.

Comments Off on Happy Birthday!

Posted in State Parks, what hell kind of animals are we seeing?, what the hell kind of pictures are these?, where the hell are we in the USA?

Tagged , , ,