Serenity Sunday

9/1/13

It's September!  Time flies.

This morning we've been invited to another camp function - a pancake and sausage breakfast.  Lacy and I amble all the way over - about 40 feet! - and enjoy meeting even more folks and having nice conversations about RV-ing, camping, good roads, bad roads, etc.  Braced with freshly squeezed orange juice, Crater Lake coffee, delicious pancakes fresh off the griddle and sausage links, after an hour or so of kibitzing we came back and found that we can access the Internet.  Yippee!  So, Lacy, Lincoln and Eleanor are sleeping away a warm, lazy Sunday while I catch up on this blog.

I spoke with 'Pam,' one of the park owners, and she encouraged me to take a scenic route off of US 97 at Crescent, OR and meeting State 372 almost right at Bend tomorrow.  Now, with Internet access, I can scope out a plan for the drive; Bend is only about 125 miles from here but some parts are curvy and uphill so I plan to take my time.  So far, no reservation for tomorrow night; we'll see what happens.

When I was traveling in the Toyota Dolphin I felt I really had to 'gear up' for each portion of the trip; now, it seems so simple with Floribunda.  Hitching Petunia has not brought up any issues - yet - and battening down the hatches, not having to go to a dump station, takes about 10 minutes.

Crater Lake - Friday

8/30/13

I wake up this morning to the sound of birds with sunshine peeking in my bedroom window.  I don’t have to be anywhere, do anything, act anyhow – I’m free.  The ‘kids’ and I love our little house on wheels; Lacy and Lincoln are up for a little sightseeing walk around the park, which at this moment is occupied by only a few campers.  But, this is the beginning of Labor Day weekend, so I expect there will be several arrivals today.

So far I’ve had no luck with either WiFi or cellular reception; hence blog posts for the time being will be written in Word; then copied into the blog when possible.  One of my suggestions to myself before starting this adventure was to check out the landscape / sights, whatever it may be, at the beginning of a stay in a new place.  Then, if there’s something I just must see again I have time to do it without changing whatever plans I may have for later.  So, after walks and tidying up, Lacy and I hop into Petunia for a drive to Crater Lake (about 34 miles) and scope out the possibility of driving the entire rim road around the crater to get the best views from all angles.

As we drive out onto Hwy 62 to head East I notice the sign for the town of Prospect and decide now is a great time to get the lay of the land here too.

There's also a general store and a school - may be a grammar and high school combination - home of the Cougars!

After a couple of photo ops we head out onto 62 for the spectacular views on the way to Crater Lake National Park.  As I would expect, the drive takes a little time: curvy, uphill and only one lane going each way.  But, the beauty and majesty of Oregon is splendiferous – the blue of the sky, the white of the clouds, the green of hundreds, maybe thousands, of square miles of conifer forests.  

What a magnificent landscape ...

The mighty Rogue River begins in this part of Oregon - on the north side of Crater Lake; and flows 215 circuitous miles through lava tubes, etc. to meet with the Pacific Ocean at Gold Beach, Oregon.  The Rogue River is particularly popular with campers, fishermen and white water rafters.
About 11 miles north of Prospect on Hay 62 is a wonderful lookout to the Rogue River Gorge ...  Scientists believe that the gorge was formed by the river flowing over, under and through lava tubes all along the High Cascade mountain range.  From its beginning the river drops over a mile in altitude to flow into the Pacific.

The are quiet pools of fresh cold water

And, there are many opportunities to view fast-moving water areas

 Even white water areas

I "heart" lichen!

I show my lifetime “Golden Age Pass” to the young park ranger and she directs us pass all the cars waiting to pay the park entrance fee.   Hooray for aging!   We make a leisurely day of driving, stopping to gaze wondrously on this incredible work of nature. 

Over eons of time Mount Mazama had pushed its way up towards the sky forming a volcano that erupted 8,000 years ago, then collapsed into itself causing a great crater that filled with water creating Crater Lake.  At least that’s the story in really short form!  This spectacle has taken millions of years to make!

I never cease to be amazed at the diversity and magnificence of Nature. 

This is the first view of Crater Lake ......  This photo has not been enhanced!  Some people describe the color a purple but this is exactly what I saw ....

Trying out the panoramic setting on my camera .....

I take over 40 photos of this wonder as we drive clockwise around the 33 mile rim of the caldera.  At times little Petunia hugs the road, not wanting to spill over the side and down several hundred feet to the water.  Each time we exit the car I make sure the emergency brake is engaged and Lacy is right next to me.  It's a bit intimidating!  By the way, there are two islands in Crater Lake:  the larger is Wizard Island and the smaller is Lost Ship Island; both were created by further volcanic activity after the eruption that formed the lake.

At this time, just a year ago, I was living in Guatemala when El Fuego, Antigua’s local volcano, erupted and spewed hot lava for days and days.  It was the second gigantic eruption in a year and I witnessed both.  El Fuego has always been an ‘active’ volcano; most mornings I could watch her/him belch smoke into the clear blue sky from my bedroom window.   I hadn’t previously had the experience of living and carrying on daily activities right next to a spewing giant.  The two massive eruptions of 2012 brought volcanologists from around the World to research this wonder.  Guatemala has a long history of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and floods; the indigenous peoples, the Maya, have lived with the devastation caused by these natural disasters, believing that it is the will of the gods that they endure when the gods become angry, sad, happy – whatever.

Approximately 40,000 people were evacuated when the lava spewed down the western slopes for miles; fortunately there were no fatalities.  I had the opportunity to go to a restaurant outside of Antigua that faced the western side of El Fuego; when darkness came upon us it was quite a spectacle of red and gold lava and flames that appeared to be coming right in our direction as we sat, safely, in the resort dining room enjoying a gourmet meal.

My daily morning view from my bedroom ..... El Fuego, Guatemala 2011 - 2012

I digress, back to today and Crater Lake.  During this last real week of summer there are lots of tourists visiting; children and adults alike being introduced to one of Nature’s real handicrafts.  Had I visited as a child, this experience would have been the topic of an essay at the beginning of the new school year.

Well, Lacy and I have enjoyed this day to the max and Lacy has so many new friends from around the World!  Dogs. like Lacy, make conversations with strangers so much fun!

Crater Lake, Oregon .... Catch Up Posts 8/29/13

8/29/13

So far it looks as though the WiFi connection isn’t going to be much used!  Verizon Jetpack is really iffy too.  I miss reading my blogs, but I loved just curling up with my book until I felt sleepy, then drifting off, surrounded by my kids, in Floribunda while parked in a fir / pine grove.  I would imagine that the park will fill up today with Labor Day visitors.  There are several activities planned for the weekend here in the park; of course I’ll participate in the gatherings, but now that I’m on my own I can retreat to my cocoon whenever I want.

That said, I’ve always been a gregarious extrovert who loves (should I say 'loved'?) people and interaction all day long.  I remember reading a book by William Buckley, Cruising Speed, many years ago, in which he described his idea of how to utilize /  enjoy time away from the rigors of everyday life.  It wasn’t sitting and contemplating his navel as the saying goes.  It was traveling, sailing, doing, doing, and doing.  I think I drove my husband to distraction sometimes with my need to be around people, the more the merrier.  He built his career in sales and marketing in the data processing industry, his professional life was literally ‘encapsulated’ by interactions and people all week long.  He often wanted nothing more than to pass an entire weekend ‘puttering’ around the house and yard; I just couldn’t understand it!  I was particularly baffled by his requests for family-style solitude when I did roust him out to a social function.  Most often, what actually happened was that he became the life of the party; I know now that he was most likely just reverting to his career persona – not really feeling the relaxed sensation of a day off.

My guess is that, at a time when my contemporaries were in the college and their early career years, I was a wife and mother of three kids.  For me education and outside career came later.  In those years I felt, during the week, that I was kind of cloistered with the kids in the house; partially because there weren’t so many activities for moms, preschoolers and babies outside the house back in the 60s.  I recall participating in the coffee-klatches in the neighborhood, often with a guilt feeling for not having washed the kitchen floor or finished the ironing before heading out for chitchat.  Later I replaced those chitchats with college and studying; by the time I really settled into my educational endeavors I was somewhat older than my peers with a different set of obligations outside of studying.

This current desire to have much and frequent “downtime” began about 5 or so years ago.  I continued to work and even go to school, but began relishing my ‘alone’ time.  I still can’t do ‘nothing’ very well, but, wow, can I ever find lots to keep me interested and occupied.  The peacefulness of life in Floribunda just adds to my pleasure.  And, for all intents and purposes, I have more of a social life now than I’d had the last several years of my career.  However, now I have so much more control over my social calendar and can program activities and alone time to my own liking. 

This discussion wouldn’t be complete without a reference to how life, in general, has changed due to the prevalence of the Internet in our day-to-day lives.  I was one of those kids and adults who loved school and learning.  I’ve maybe developed, not into a wise old gal, but a trivia aficionado!  I love surfing from site to site depending on what strikes my fancy at the time.  I have lots of favorite sites and visit them with regularity – I’m even ‘taking’ a geography course and a grammar course online.  Oh, how I would have loved having the escapism of the Internet when those three kids were napping!

Today is Friday, I’m in Prospect, Oregon and will take Lacy in Petunia for a drive around Crater Lake, giving ourselves yet another opportunity to see a magnificent display of natural order in the Universe.

Ashland Life and Style ....

Oh, what a wonderful time I'm having here in Southern Oregon - Ashland to be precise.  I think I mentioned in an earlier blog that I'd connected with a couple I'd met a year ago in Guatemala.  Richard and Joyce are the founders of Legacy Foundation http://www.legacyfound.org/ and were in Guatemala to work with some Mayan pueblos.  Go to the website for more information concerning the wonderful work they're doing all over the World.

I'd spent a wonderful time with them day before yesterday and was invited, again, for a dinner party last evening.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect:  warm, but not hot, and the mosquitos were somewhat somnolent, that is, I didn't get attacked like I frequently do (others did).  The dinner party participants were:  Richard and Joyce (retired from careers with the UN and Directors of the  Legacy Foundation), their son, Jeff, a musician, Ann, an Anthropology professor at SOU in Ashland, her husband, Keith, a retired professor of International Studies at SOU, Brian, a retired Ashland businessman, his wife, Diane, a retired professor of Social Services Research at San Jose State University, CA, Lacy, current dog extraordinaire, and me.

What an interesting group.  The conversation touched on many current-event subjects, including politics and religion, travel stories and adventures, families, food (which was fabulous), music and lots more.  Joyce and Richard are the consummate hosts making us all comfortable and happy; we ate outside on one of their decks .... here are a few pix I took when I arrived while it was still light ...

 Lacy inspecting the property and making herself right at home - while we were having cocktails on this lower deck, a huge gaggle of Canadian geese, maybe about 50, circled above and landed in the pond you see here.  There, after a few quacking conversations, they settled for the night, heads tucked under wings - such a beauteous sight

A grape arbor over one deck

Another view from the same deck.  There's a hot tub located on this level with a slide into the swimming pool!

                             Dinner was delicious with perfect company - a sublime evening.

This morning I awoke to the sound of gentle raindrops on my roof.  I don't remember the last time I've been in the rain.  In my lifetime, I've complained about rain, but what a welcome wake up today!

After some coffee and Internet I took Lacy out for a walk - she slept in until ten-ish after her social evening.  On one of the grassy areas in the RV park we met Tucker, a Miniature American Shepherd, a recently recognized breed by the American Kennel Club.  He has the same confirmation as the Australian Shepherd, just smaller.  A lovely dog with whom Lacy 'bonded' immediately.  His 'mom' C.C. and I got into a great conversation, during which she invited me to go to the Introduction this evening of a work shop, The Art of Inseeing, she's giving this weekend in Ashland.  I accepted and will attend at 7 tonight in the Ashland Public Library; after the introduction I hope to be able to explain what the workshop is about and how it might fit into my life.  C.C. is a full-time RVer who's travelled around the US for about the last two years; I'm sure she has lots of words of wisdom.  She's parked in her Winnebago a couple of sites from mine; hopefully we'll visit more.

 Tucker is four, an older man for three-year old Lacy

I'm sure he knows how handsome he is!

Making New Friends in Ashland

Wednesday morning ....
I noticed last evening that the couple two sites over from us were very well attended by a black cat so I decided to head over there this morning to see if they might have some secrets for keeping their kitty nearby, but outside at times.  Well, the kitty isn't theirs, but a long-term resident of the park, so no help there.  However, I had a delightful conversation with Vicky and Jeff who live outside Portland and have been coming to this park for 34 years!

And, like most campers I've met, they're very friendly and open and obviously enjoy meeting new people.  We talked for 20 minutes or so and will hopefully visit more later.  When I told them I'm headed up into Washington's Bellingham/San Juan Islands area, Vicky said they have friends who live in the area who I might like to meet.  She referred to her friend as someone "who's never met a stranger."  Talk about 'networking,' campers probably invented the term,

Jeff gave me his card ... he's a State Representative for Oregon (6th term in office) and a "retired cop." Defining the pay scale of State Representatives in Oregon, he described his work as "community service!"  Vicky's preparing decorations for her 50th High School reunion, so we also talked about how well our brains 'remember' our high school classmates, even after 50 years!

Wednesday 8/21 - temperature about 90 and a little heavy feeling with a few rain clouds in the sky along with the smokey haze reminding us that this is extreme fire season all over this beautiful State.

I'm off to downtown Ashland, camera and Lacy in tow, to check out Lithia Park and other interesting sights.  Upon first inspection a couple of days ago, Ashland is not only the home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, but also a 'college town,' home of Southern Oregon University, formerly called Southern Oregon College and  Southern Oregon State College, a public liberal arts institution, founded in 1926 with an enrollment of about 7,000.

Took about a two hour drive around the area in Petunia Smart Car with Lacy ... even drove north to Medford to check out Harry and David - what an operation - I hope to go back for a tour and pictures.

 Here's what Eleanor and Lincoln do while Lacy and I explore:

Eleanor perches

Lincoln hangs out

Driving into the town of Ashland I'd seen this old cemetery and decided to go back and take a look:

 Here's a close up of one headstone

I've always liked to visit cemeteries - no woo-hoo stuff, just an interest in history.  While living in Lourmarin, France several years ago I visited the cemetery there and, lo and behold, came upon the burial place of the great French philosopher, Albert Camus.

Also, when I was in middle school, back in the dark ages, my friends and I liked to visit the cemetery in Santa Clara, CA on our way to and from school.  Later I'll share some  funny stories about cemeteries and my military dad.

Medford is only about 10 miles north of Ashland, so we drove there just to look around a little and came upon an art studio (in Tenant a couple of miles south of Medford) with this "beginning of a sculpture" in the parking lot.  The sign on the building, "Tenant Art Studio."

The figures circling on this stabile are constructed of metal and some kind of treated paper-like 

material - a 'pattern.'  Unfortunately there's also some graffiti noticeable too.

 A close up of the center top fulcrum thing - being somewhat familiar with anatomy, I'd say those skeletons are pretty accurate!

We drove back into the downtown tourist area of Ashland; our intent for this foray was to take a walk in the famous Lithia Park.  Below is one entrance to the park - a beautiful walking bridge over another babbling brook ...

Although we rarely use it, I carries a leash for Lacy in case there's a leash law but, as we neared the bridge, I saw this sign .... no visit today; I'll return another day, without my side-kick ...

And, here is an entrance to Southern Oregon University, the school I spoke of earlier.  It's really a lovely campus sprawling over several blocks of Ashland.  And, Ashland truly has a college-town atmosphere:  bike lanes on almost every street, organic grocery stores, coffee shops, tattoo parlors (what town is without them these days?) and lots of student-moms and dads pushing perambulators (strollers) attired in the interesting costumes  of young intellectuals!  It reminds me of the UC Berkeley atmosphere - and I love it!

FOUND! AGAIN!

6:3PM:  Yes, once more, Lincoln has returned to the fold.  I was really a little concerned this time because, at the time he escaped, we hadn't actually parked the rig where it's to stay for the next week; so I didn't know if Lincoln would be able to find us, what with all the dogs and people he'd have to avoid to get here.  And, to him, Floribunda isn't yet a completely known home.

Lacy and I have returned to the blackberry bushes on the other side of the park three or four times this afternoon; I called and Lacy sniffed.  This time he just walked right out from the same bushes in which I'd seen him last.  The little rascal has done quite well walking on a leash but is very fearful of people and dogs and of course I'd just taken the leash off when he darted out.  In the past I've taken him out on walks when we first settle in a new yard, but today I hadn't had a chance yet.  I'm also going to have to expose him to more people so he won't be so afraid.  One of the 'problems' in finding him is that, although he 'meows' when I call him, he doesn't seem to have a 'voice;' I only know he's meowing when I can see him.

Now, we're ready to relax and get used to the sights and smells in this new yard.   This RV park appears to have several long-term renters, several tent camps and even a couple of Euro-vans, as well as  every flavor of motorhomes.  We'r parked in a shady spot right next to a little stream that bubbles along peacefully - hope I can hear it tonight when I go to bed.

That's all for now.     Here's a floribunda rose - called Ebb Tide ..... Mmmm, pungent and spicy scent!