Camp Country Coach

After the rally, we headed 30 miles south to the Country Coach facility. It was time for our 1 year service. We had sent in our list of about 32 items, some of which were a carryover from our May visit.

After we left CC for Washington State last May, we experienced an overheating engine. When the temperature reaches 227, an audible alarm sounds in the coach (think of a turn indicator beeping on steroids). Immediately thereafter, the engine starts de-rating itself - what that means is it starts shutting down. The result is that the engine loses power. That is the nice thing about a big diesel engine - it protects itself! Since we were only going 500 miles, we decided that this item would be added to our list. At this time, they are thinking that a solenoid connected to the fan motor has failed. We've also had a problem with warning and instrument lights not working. That, we're told, is part of an odometer recall - our odometer cluster controls all of the lights and gauges, and will need a programming update.

Our service is supposed to take 2 weeks - we came in on the 8th, and will probably be here until the 22nd. A couple of days over, but not bad. While we are here, a cabinet company will be installing a new desk/credenza. We need more file storage, as well as a permanent place for the computer and printer. We had seen some of this company's work last year when we got our coach, and again this summer up in Blanchard. This will be a great addition to our coach!

One of the challenges of having service at the factory, is that they take your rig around 8:00am each morning and bring it back around 4:00pm. So you have no home all day. Last Monday, we headed up to a BLM campground called Alsea Falls. It's a great hiking place, at a little higher elevation. It was in the 80's in Junction City, but, only 20 miles NW, it was 53.

Alsea Falls

Donna exploring

Donna at the falls

Meet The Puppy

We are so excited! A new puppy will be joining us in October. Once we decided to move forward with this decision, we had a daunting task - a name! Our first two dogs, Taffy and Sasha, got their names quickly. Had them in 15 minutes or so. Abbey's name was fate - the breeder had renamed the rescue dog "Abbey", which was the first name on Donna's list.



This time it was not easy. No lightning bolt. We started compiling names. We looked on the Internet, wrote down names we liked. We had a list of about 30, which seemed to grow and change constantly. Maybe when we met her something would hit us instantly. Of course, it didn't, but we narrowed the list down to 6 favorites. This was even difficult - we ended up writing our favorite four names on a paper, then compared them. There were 4 matches, and we added 2 that weren't on the original list. Finally, after living with the six, we both agreed that her name will be EMMA.

Yorkie pups are typically black with brown on their face and legs. As she matures, the black will lighten to silver, and the brown will also lighten up. Right now, her ears are taped to ensure that they heal upright.


Bonding with me


Bonding with Donna


Yeah, I'm cute!


So are you going to be my new Mom?


I'm big and mean...I think

Onward!

Another August Sunset in Idaho

August was a mixed month as far as things go. The 1st would have been Abbey's 5th birthday, so the beginning of the month was sad for us. We spent some extra time remembering her and the joy she brought us. As the month progressed, we had some additional concrete work done on our lot at Stoneridge. Next season we won't have any major stuff to do...just some landscaping (at least that's the plan - stay tuned and we'll see how it unfolds).

I worked diligently with my new golf clubs. I had a goal to break 100 before we left. My last game was 100...doh! As close as you can get to breaking it without getting there. On the positive side, I think that 20 strokes lower than the start of the season was a pretty good accomplishment. I'll get-er done next year for sure. Donna pretty well wrapped up the two photo albums she put together for Todd & Jenna. This was a HUGE undertaking, organizing 30+ years of pictures. Her advice to those thinking about doing this is simply: do it as a high school graduation gift - you'll have a lot to do, but not as much as if you put it off until the kids are in their mid-30's! I have to commend her on completing this, it took a lot of time, a lot of effort, and a lot of dusting off cobwebs to remember what happened, where, and when. Remember, virtually all of these pictures were taken before the age of digital cameras, where you get a time and date stamp on every picture!

There were several activities that took place during August. An "Omelette in a Bag" breakfast was held. Simply put, you place your omelette ingredients in a plastic bag, add a couple of scoops of beaten eggs, seal it up, and drop it in boiling water for 10 minutes...you get a perfectly cooked omelette! Add some cheese, salsa, and other goodies, and WOW! Mimosas and/or Bloody Mary's accompanied the food. This was a great social event, and got all the owners together. Thanks to Gordon, Sandi, Jim, and Ginger for putting this together.

Omelette in a bag

Fixins

There was also a "Divot Party" organized by one of the owners. Imagine 30 or so golf carts, each with 2 people, charging over the course, filling divots like crazy. It was hot, but fun, and the golf shop sprung for pizza afterwards. Good job Pat for this one!

The last major social event for us was the "1st Annual Bogie Lane Potluck". All of the owners on our street, plus a few invitees and crashers, got together at Bruce and Adair's for hamburgers, snacks (including my famous salsa), and dessert. This was the start of a great tradition we all agreed.

Bogie Laners

Nice company!

Sampling Rod's gringo and macho salsas

Donna's buddy Yogi (who just turned 14!)

All summer we watched as the swimming pool was being built at our clubhouse. Finally, a few days before we were scheduled to leave, the water was in, and so were we!! What started out as a few brave souls in the pool turned into a pool party by day's end.

Donna was the 2nd person in the new pool!

Goodbyes are tough, but we made the rounds saying farewell for the season to all of our new friends. Seeya next season!!

We had some very exciting events planned for August. We obtained permission from Country Coach to park our rig at their facility in Junction City for a week or so. First off, we had business in California!! Donna and I needed a "grandkids fix", so we headed south to San Jose in the Jeep. It was great to see Bea and Livey again (Jenna and Josh too!). We stayed at their home, so we got a good dose of grandkids. It's amazing how much energy 2-1/2 and 3-1/2 year olds have! On Saturday we went to the Ringling Brothers Circus in San Jose. Things have really changed since the last time we went to the circus! There were still clowns, elephants, lions, and tigers, but the presentation is getting more like Cirque du Soleil. It was lots of fun seeing the wonder in the grandkids eyes. We are amazed at the grandkids' communication skills. They now talk in sentences, not just single words. Time moves on!! (Check out http://www.jjbofamily.blogspot.com/ to follow their adventures).

Grandkid Fix!

Elephants!

A secondary, but very important part of our visit to California, was to visit a Yorkie breeder in Livermore. We were so lucky to meet Georgina several years ago. It was she who had a young Yorkie turned in to her as a rescue. It was she who named her Abbey - the same name that we had planned to name her. We called her after Abbey passed, and she consoled us and told us that time would help heal our pain. We decided that if we were to have another dog, we would adopt from her. She told us she had a female that we could adopt if we felt we were a match. This pup would be old enough for her to release in early October. Our visit was to meet this pup and see how we interacted with each other. There are two pups in the litter, a male and a female. The male was very outgoing, the female a bit reserved. After sitting with the mother and the 2 pups for a while, the female warmed up to us...and we connected - instant love! We spent a long time with the pup. We told Georgina we would like to adopt her. My next post will reveal MUCH more about our upcoming addition!

Baby Yorkie

It was time to head north again, back to our motorhome, and another new adventure. We were to attend our first Country Coach Rally, in Albany, Oregon. This was a 5-day event, dry-camping on the fairgrounds. Dry-camping means no electricity, no water, and no sewer. We actually had to use all of the motorhome functions, including the generator. They really are self-contained. There were seminars to attend, new motorhomes to look at, vendor booths, and people to meet! The breakfasts and dinners were catered affairs, along with a social hour. We met lots of new friends. It was so much fun, we decided to sign up for the spring event at Jekyll Island in Georgia in March of 2009. If you've been reading the blog for a while, you might remember we were there last March. We were originally only going to go as far east as Texas this winter...plans change! One of the most interesting things for Donna at this rally was her driving lesson. Yes, she drove a 45' Magna coach (and the instructor said she did great!)! Now I've got a backup driver - yeah!!

After the rally we headed south to Myrtle Creek, OR for a few days. While down there, we took a drive down to Grants Pass and saw Leroy and Carol. It was great seeing them again - we'll be meeting up with them later this winter in Arizona.

Now we are up at "Camp Country Coach" for our 1 year service. It's hard to believe, but we picked up the new coach last September! They anticipate we'll be here until September 15.

Things You Don't Get in Denver

One of the nice things about being in a specific area for a long time, is that you get to indulge in local delicacies. One of our neighbors coordinated a fundraising effort for a local church, with proceeds going to a person confined to a wheel chair. So, we got fresh, Alaskan salmon at about $4.00/lb. We bought 2 fish which averaged 5.5 pounds. Yum!!

Today, a pickup truck came by, selling freshly picked huckleberries. If you've been to the Pacific Northwest, you probably have seen huckleberries. They resemble a blueberry, but are deep red in color. They taste very sweet! We split a 5 pound bag with our neighbor. I see huckleberry pancakes in the near future!

Linda, Bob, Patty, Jim, and Donna

Last Wednesday night, we went down to Coeur d'Alene with our neighbors for an evening "Jimmy Buffett" cruise on Lake Coeur d'Alene. It has been hot here during the day, but cool (high 40's) at night. We decided to dress light, and the weather cooperated! It was 80 at 10:00 pm when the cruise ended. The company and the cruise were great!!

The Conga Line...

House on a rock!

Idaho

After Abbey's passing, we re-evaluated our situation at Usk, WA. Our lot was at least 2 years out from being completed. Restrictions on rigs coming in were not being enforced. We felt very unsettled. While reading FMCA Magazine, Donna came across an ad for a motor home-only RV park in Blanchard ID. This park is located in a golf course community. After consulting our map book, we discovered that it was a mere 30 miles south of Usk. A road trip was in order!

We made the trip on a Monday, and stopped at the sales office to arrange a tour. WOW! The village has it's own lodge, pool and spa, and has concrete pads with utilities already installed. And, the purchase includes membership to the golf resort. We told them we'd think about it, and would come back down in a week or so. Bright and early Tuesday, we drove back down. Then again on Wednesday. On Thursday we came back with the rig. Made an offer. Done deal. We had relocated. We bought a golf cart, had a shed built, and settled in. Check out the resort's website at www.stoneridgeidaho.com.

Entrance to the Motor Coach Village

Front view looking thru greenbelt

View from the side showing the rig, golf cart & shed

Lake Sans Souci

We are approximately 40 minutes from either Spokane, WA or Coeur d'Alene, ID. Just far enough away to be away from traffic and big cities, but close enough to get there for errands. Also, each city has a Costco and a WalMart.

So far, the only drawback has been a lack of a good, consistent cell phone signal. This is Verizon territory, but coverage ends on the north and south sides of Blanchard. The owner of the resort, the community, as well as the emergency services people are lobbying hard for a new tower that will give us good coverage. We did take a Jeep trip up one of the local mountains that has a tower on it, so we saw 4 bars for a little while.

View of the resort from a nearby mountain

Since we now summer on a golf resort, I've been playing again. Poorly, but I'm working on it. I also decided to upgrade my clubs, which I got in the early 1980's. The new club technology should help me (at least that's what I've been told!). It's been fun hitting all the local golf shops and trying out clubs - their computers and lasers track your swing, and show you the results of each ball you hit. I finally settled on a complete "seniors" set from Adams Golf, so I now have no excuses! My first round with them did drop my score by 10 strokes - not bad for starters!

We've made lots of new friends, and Donna even has a quilter friend - I golfed with her husband, and he mentioned she was a quilter. They've started up a group that meets once a week.

I'll try and update the blog a little more diligently as we make little side trips in the area. We will be here until about the 3rd week in August, then will head to Albany, OR for a Country Coach rally.

Abbey - The Best Dog Ever

Abbey in Florida for the winter of 2007-08

On Tuesday morning, May 27th, the unthinkable happened. Abbey, our Yorkie and constant companion since 2004, passed away suddenly. She had been in excellent health, had seen her vet in April when we were in Colorado, and had no known health issues.

The previous Friday night, she had trouble sleeping. Every 15 seconds or so, she would jump up, turn a half circle, then lie down again. No yelping or whining - she was just fidgety. As she had never displayed this type of behavior before, we took her to a local vet in Newport, WA, on Saturday. After a thorough examination, he could find nothing wrong. He gave us some medication for her in case she displayed further symptoms, and we went home. We had a dinner social at the clubhouse that evening. Donna went back to the rig early, as she didn't want to leave Abbey alone. Abbey lied on her, and her breathing seemed labored. About 11:00pm, we headed off to bed, and she seemed to be feeling better.

On Sunday and Monday, Abbey was back to her old self. No breathing problems, and her activity level was normal. The three of us went for a few walks, and she even went for a bike ride with me. Monday, during the night, she became restless again. She was not fidgety like the previous Friday night, but she just couldn't seem to get comfortable.

At about 7:45am, I took her out to the living room, and closed the bedroom door, so that Donna could sleep in a bit. She seemed OK, and lied in my lap resting. Suddenly, at 8:30am, she sat up, and wanted to be put down. I set her on the floor, she walked around for a few seconds, then yelped and collapsed. Donna rushed in as I picked her up - and then she was gone.

Over the next two days, we called our vet in Colorado, and Donna carefully went over all of the symptoms and behavior that Abbey had been displaying. Doctor Kathy then consulted references, and spoke to her husband, who used to be an EMT. The breathing problems, coupled with the discomfort, and the sudden seizure are consistent with a blood clot - first in the lungs, then moving to the brain. Rare in dogs, there is no way for a vet to diagnose this with any certainty, and no treatment could be prescribed even if a clot had been diagnosed.

Abbey was destined to be with us. After our Shih-Tzu, Sasha, passed in 2004, we began looking for another dog. I was traveling a lot with work, and Donna wanted a companion to keep her company while I was away. We had decided on a Yorkie, and began looking at breeders. In Colorado, the waiting list from a breeder was at least a year out. We found a website, http://www.ytca.org/ (Yorkshire Terrier Club of America), and began looking a breeders in other states. We had acquired our first 5th wheel, and had planned a month-long vacation that would take us through many of the western states and Canada. Donna began talking to a breeder in Livermore, CA, who also took in rescues. Donna had already decided that our new dog's name would be Abbey. The breeder mentioned that she had a young female, who had been brought to her by a family with 4 kids under the age of seven. She had renamed her Abbey. Donna knew at that instant that this was to be our dog. A few weeks later we visited the breeder, and saw this 11 month old, 3-1/2 pound puppy, running happily around in the breeders back yard. It was instant love!

Is that Tillamook cheese you're cutting?

Cuddling with Mom in Atlanta

Cuddling with me in Colorado

Donna often referred to Abbey as a person in a dog-suit. Although she couldn't talk, she could communicate to us very clearly what she wanted. Abbey was a cuddler - and a lap dog (unless it was hot!). She was also very social, and got along well with all people, all dogs, and even some cats. If you met her you knew - she had a personality that was better than many people! Abbey just couldn't figure out squirrels - those were on her list of things to bark at. She loved walks and bike rides with me.

Getting ready for a bike ride

It has been very difficult for us to accept Abbey's passing. She would have been 5 years old on August 1, and Yorkies typically live until around 15 years. She was with us before we made the decision to full-time RV, and was a big part of the reason we committed to this lifestyle. We celebrate her life every day, and relive the joy she brought to us. Rest well, our Abbey.

Service with a Smile

We arrived at Country Coach in Junction City, quickly claiming spot #3 in their RV park (OK, it's a parking lot with hookups). Typically they are at a premium, but I had called ahead, and they reserved me a spot. We had forgotten how close they are to the local RR tracks. Because of the congested nature of the city, and the proximity of the tracks to the center of town, the engineers will blow their horns all the way through town. And it seems most of the trains travel through from late afternoon to about 7:00 am the next morning!

Country Coach worked through our list, leaving one big ticket item, the cracked windshield, until the second week. They sent us down to A-1 Glass in Eugene for the replacement. When the installers put the new glass in, they shook their heads and said there was a problem - the opening was not square. That, in turn, caused the glass to hit in 2 spots, which is why the glass got the stress cracks. We spent the night at A-1 (they had hookups), then A-1 drove the rig back to Country Coach with the new windshield temporarily glued in. After several meetings, CC discovered that there was a cross member in the front cap, which is fiberglass, that was about 1-1/2" too long. It protruded to the side of the end cap, pushing the whole assembly out of square. A hacksaw took care of it, and the cap squared up. Hopefully that is the end of that problem! Three windshields in 7 months is about 2 too many! All of our major items were resolved, including the windshield, the AquaHot electric heating element, awning problems, and the transfer switch buzzing. The transfer switch had been having problems for some time, causing the inverter to trip, or just buzzing so loudly that it was terribly annoying.

We spent 2 weeks at Country Coach, and most of our list was resolved. We have our 1 year appointment already set up for September, so whatever is left will be resolved at that time. During our stay, we met a lot of nice CC owners. Some we will see again at the Homecoming Rally in August, some hopefully on the road somewhere! Little Abbey met lots of dogs, including 2 Shih-Tzu's named Max and Jessie.

We needed to have Cummins check the settings on the engine, as it still didn't sound quite right, so on Monday, May 19, we headed over to Coburg. A tech had been lined up for us by CC, so we didn't have to wait long until work started. Of course, things happened, and the rig's computer ended up having to be completely reprogrammed. After that, we were off to Usk, WA, for the summer.

Of course, with all services now "complete", things immediately started happening again - a new list was born. The temperature gauge went wacky, reading hotter than normal. I called the tech at Cummins, who checked with Country Coach. Supposedly there is a recall on the gauges, and his updating the engine settings caused it to give erroneous data. Also, we heard audible beeping noises emanating from the dash area. Sounded like our turn indicator beeping like it was on steroids. Quite annoying, but we discovered that if we turned our heads just the right way, the sound would almost go away...

We arrived at Usk the following day, and settled in for what we thought would be a nice, quiet, relaxing summer.