CLOSING DOWN IN OREGON
April 13, 2013
It has been a bittersweet time for me this trip home. Not only still recuperating from the accident in May of last year, but the flood damage to my mobile home in Oregon. I had to prove to the county that the structure no longer exists or they would continue to tax me on it as a dwelling for the rest of my life. I had no idea I would have to supply pictures, but that was the requirement. And, the pictures had to prove they were taken from my site.
Lucky for me the salvage guy hadn’t yet removed the steel frame, and that I had my camera along. Many good memories went up with the bonfire to burn the trash.
A neighbor stacked and burned the mess for me on a burn day. My neighbors have been invaluable, helpful and I’m very grateful for their help.
I got a little emotional. The building department was very efficient and helpful, but the future rebuilding is still in question as it depends on the cost of re-establishing a residence in the 100 year flood plain. Thankfully, my son Doug, built bridges for a living for several years and he is up to the task. And, I always appreciate the beauty of Mt. Shasta that dominates Highway 5 for miles and miles along the way up over the pass. It was covered with snow during a recent storm. I’m looking for the sliver lining under this cloud.
WAITING FOR A TOW
November 29, 2012
I’m driving for the second time since my surgery and decided to have lunch with a friend 9 miles away in Angels Camp. The Prius battery pack, way over warranty, protested by not shifting gears when I went up a steep hill. Stuck! I waited in a rain drenched spot on the side of the road for one hour. Luckily I had a magazine to read. When the tow truck appeared, they didn’t have the proper equipment to tow a Prius. I had to abandon my vehicle and return home. The tow company has it in their yard and will deliver it this morning to Modesto Toyota. I guess it wasn’t a wasted day. I played with pictures all afternoon. I was able to load one picture only this morning because the post editor has changed something fundamental about uploading pictures. And, nothing else will load. I guess it is like waiting for the tow. It will eventually get fixed.
Anyway, this is a clever sculpture as part of a building in downtown Portland, OR.
America The Beautiful
October 27, 2012
The terrible accident we survived happened five months ago today, May 27th.
About 10 days ago I got to feeling well enough to finally stop wearing my elastic chest bandage, taking ibuprofen and icing my chest twice daily. My right rib cage remains slightly swollen and somewhat tender to the touch. I need to maintain a constant awareness not to physically over exert myself. I remain with a constant mild burning sensation in my right rib cage area. I’m wondering when, if ever, it will finally leave me.
Mary remains at home in California tending to medical issues. Some believed to be related to after effects of the accident.
If you missed the Blog entry about the accident, here’s the link. If you want to understand the full scope of the accident you’ll need to read the Blog entries for the following several days…
http://wp.me/pDCku-4Eh
In the meantime, I’m in my second day here at Sumner Lake State Park in New Mexico.
We have a brief cold front moving though the area. Yesterday’s high temperature was only 48 degrees so I stayed inside most of the day playing with the computer and came up with this 1:58 minute video. It was 30 degrees at 5:00 AM this morning.
The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!
Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8
Enjoying our beautiful country is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!
If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Good Friends Come To Visit…
February 9, 2012
We’re still at the Golden Sun RV Resort in Apache Junction, Arizona where we will remain hanging out and visiting with friends. See my Blog entry for more information about this place…
http://wp.me/pDCku-3wM
Yesterday my good friends Aaron and Cheryl came to visit us. We had an enjoyable three-hour visit during which time we shared a nice breakfast at a local restaurant. They are avid dancers and come to Mesa, Arizona because there’s lot’s of dancing here during the Winter season. They qualify as my “most unusual” friends which means an abundance of laughter.
We last saw them at their home in Oregon last October. Because the RVing lifestyle is a mobile society, based on our current plans, we will not cross paths with them again until 2014. RVers never say “Good-Bye”, instead when we part company we say “See you down the road!”
If you are not familiar with our current travel plans for 2012-2013…you can click this link to find out…
http://wp.me/pDCku-3pp
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Driver Kills Bicyclist…Gets $42 Fine!
October 16, 2011
On October 4th of this year I wrote a Blog entry about witnessing an accident where two bicyclists were struck by an auto in Oregon. In case you missed it…here’s the link…
otrwjam.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/a-sad-blog-today/
In the above accident I’m pleased to report that we very recently heard from one of the two gals who indicated they are on the road to recovery. Still no word whether charges will be filed against the driver in that accident.
Yesterday I read about another accident where a driver who killed a bicyclist got off with a $42 fine. Here’s the link on that story…
That just doesn’t set well with me…how do you feel about it? In my view some kind of charge should be filed against the driver. He killed an innocent person. Just having to live with it for the rest of his life does not seem enough punishment to me.
In other news…
Yesterday Mary went off to be in the Occupy Wall Street protest in Sonora. Here she is with her messages…
I took the day off and had a do nothing day. Played on the computer and did some reading.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
The First Step…
October 12, 2011
in the cleaning of the motorhome process happened yesterday…since it was raining when we arrived on Monday. That first step was to move the motorhome up close to Mary’s house to facilitate the unloading.
I started with the first load of laundry. During this stop…essentially everything that can be…will get washed. As I mentioned yesterday…the road of life is a dusty and dirty one. Then the perishable foods, toiletries, computers, books, clothing, etc. Finally I emptied the refrigerator of all its contents. That’s my job for today…a thorough cleaning of the refrigerator. Mary is staying busy with her house stuff…catching up on mail, etc…
In other news…
If you have been following our blogs…you’ll remember that only nine days ago we documented a terrible tragedy of two women bicyclists being stuck by an automobile on a Oregon coast highway. This morning we received another nice Email from one of the them telling us she returned to Canada yesterday and the other one is expected to return to Canada today. Considering the circumstances…they are on the mend and appear to be in good spirits.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Camping In A Redwood Grove…
October 6, 2011
Due to continuing rain and cooler temperatures we decided to stay one more night at the Moose lodge in Eureka, California. The campground is in a small Redwood grove near the clubhouse. It’s quiet and pretty here which made for a nice opportunity to do a little photography. You may click on the photos to see them in an enlarged view…
Note the tree directly to the right of our motorhome…
I took the following photos of the tree earlier in the morning sitting in the stairwell of our motorhome…
Photo opportunities can usually be discovered with a little looking around combined with some imagination.
In other news…
Two days ago I wrote about coming upon an accident on the Oregon coast where two women bicyclists were struck by an automobile. Yesterday…one of the women responded to my Blog. This is what she had to say…
———————————————————————–
Hi Mary and Jim,
Thank you for taking these pics and for blogging about your recollection of the event that took place on October 3, 2011. It has been hard to read through it all; and worse, look at the pictures. But neither Martha or I have any memories of what exactly happened that day, so we are very much indebted to you. And I know our families, particularly our parents, feel similarly… THANK YOU!!!!
Highway 101, as I am sure you`ve noticed, in considered ‘Oregon Coast Bike Route’ and is world renown for its scenic views and safe travel, with many sign announcing the presence of cyclists throughout, especially on bridges and in tunnels. Martha and I have only the best of experiences to return home to Canada with. We both wholeheartedly enjoyed our journey from Vancouver to Port Orford, having met the kindest of souls who often provide us more room on the road than note, offer us places to stay at night, and give us business cards just in case anything should happen.
We were on day 17, with only 17 more left to go, when we were struck on Monday. I haven`t heard a peep from the police about the investigation and the charges that may or may not be laid on the man who hit us. Frustratingly enough! But I can report that Martha has gone from critical condition in the ICU to stable. She is breathing on her own, talking here and there, and even tempting her first steps earlier today. This is a significant improvement from yesterday`s prognosis. I have a few broken bones but have been alert and well ever since they moved us from Curry County General Hospital to Sacred Heart Medical Centre near Eugene. I expect to be back in Canada by next week.
Again, many thanks for everything, including your warm thoughts and best wishes!
Sincerely,
Essya (Bike 1; lady thrown in the embankment)
——————————————————–
Essya…
Thank you for letting us hear from you. We wish both you and Martha a speedy and complete recovery. Best wishes.
Jim and Mary
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Eureka!…California…
October 5, 2011
Yesterday we continued our southerly journey. Departing from Brookings, Oregon we shortly thereafter crossed into California. Traveling along U.S. Highway 101…also known as the Redwood Highway…we passed through many miles of the Majestic Redwoods. I pulled over to take this photo through the windshield which unfortunately does not do them justice. You may click on the photos to see larger views…
Since I do all the driving…Mary gets to take a lot more photos than I do…
We also saw many miles of beautiful coastal scenery. I stopped and took these two photos. The first I altered slightly to make it look like an old-fashioned postcard…
A real-life photo…
We continued on to Arcata…just north of Eureka…where we ate a late Lumber-Camp-Style lunch at the 111 year-old Samoa Cookhouse…
There is no menu selection…you get the daily special…all you can eat…
You do not get individual servings. The various items in the meal are brought to you in bowls and on platters which are passed around to your table companions. Much like Thanksgiving at home. As long as you continue to ask…they we continue to bring you food. You do not leave this place hungry…
After the meal you can wander into their logging museum…
This is just one of many paintings…
This is just one of many of the old photographs…
Finally an old photo of what it looked liked when the lumberjacks ate here…
Here are three links that will help you get a better feel for what the Samoa Cookhouse is all about…
http://www.samoacookhouse.net/
http://www.samoacookhouse.net/samoa-cookhouse-museum.html
http://redwoods.info/showrecord.asp?id=400
We continued on into Eureka just a few miles away. After driving the about 110 miles for the day we parked at the Moose Lodge for the night. Another real nice day.
Finally…as a follow-up to yesterday’s Blog entry about the two woman bicyclists that were struck by an automobile…here’s the first news story about that event…
http://www.kmtr.com/news/local/story/2-bicyclists-struck-on-Hwy-101-airlifted-to/u6h3ruNzCkGVqqIl6pGwcA.cspx
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
A Sad Blog Today…
October 4, 2011
Yesterday we traveled the about 65 miles from Sixes to Brookings, Oregon. Along the way we came upon a sad happening. There was only one motorhome in front of us as we came to a stop. The event must have happened just a few seconds before our arrival. We discovered that two young women riding bicycles were apparently struck from behind by an auto. You may click on the photos to enlarge them…
In this photo this bike ended up on the right side of the road. The woman was thrown down the embankment to the right…
The other bike ended up on the left side of the road…
and the woman ended up in the middle of the road. The car that struck the women is parked along the right side of the road…and directly to the right of the car…the driver is approaching the scene…
We assisted as much as we could. Both women were still alive after we were allowed to move on once medical assistance arrived about twenty minutes later. I’ve been on the road for many years and have many miles accumulated. Fortunately this type of event has been a rare occurrence for me to witness.
The road today was perhaps the most scenic that we have seen on the Oregon coast. Since I do the driving…Mary gets to take most of the photos. These two were taken during our stop for lunch about 1:30 PM…
We are hoping that both women will survive with major complications.
We were supposed to spend the night at the VFW in Brookings…however their parking lot was quite small. The Masonic Lodge…a short distance away was kind enough to let us spend the night there.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
A Visit With Aaron And CeeCee…
October 3, 2011
Yesterday we drove the about 100 mile from Florence to Sixes, Oregon to visit my friends Aaron and CeeCee. We are parked in their yard. They are a fun couple. Mary had previously met Aaron but not CeeCee. We sent an enjoyable day together filled with lots of laughter and a great meal.
You may click on the photos to see enlarged views…
Aaron and CeeCee have three cats. Their newest and youngest…Charlie…provided me with some photo ops…
Shortly after our arrival it started to RAIN and the WIND BLEW VIGOROUSLY! It rained all night and is still raining hard this morning. Looking at the weather forecast it appears we are caught in the first major storm of the oncoming Winter season. Aaron and CeeCee live not far from Cape Blanco State Park where Winter winds have reached 100 miles per hour in the past. The forecast for the next three days along the southern Oregon and northern California coasts is for lots of rain and winds gusting to 60 miles per hour. So our plan is to continue working our way in a southerly direction exercising lots of careful driving and slower than usual speeds. Temperatures are forecast to be 10-15 degrees below normal.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
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