Walking in Weed

Joan remembers as a child when the family drove to LA on US 99 – a 2- lane highway then – stopping at Weed, CA and thinking it was a mountain city.  Well, it may not be on top of a mountain, but it is sure surrounded by mountains and Mt Shasta dominates entirely.  Imagine living with that mountain SOOO close!

These mountains are on another side of Weed!   Surrounded!

We can even see one of our favorite stores, 

Grocery Outlet, next to the mountain.

Black Butte is on another side of the town. (but note, it is NOT black now – it always has appeared completely black in the past, but now there is snow.  Imagine how much must have been there earlier.)

Then we went on to Anderson for lunch.  Joan read the Tripadvisor reviews and found this family –owned business (4 locations) and yes!  It met all the accolades the reviews gave it!  

To California in a new car

We got a new car ( another lease.) This time a Subaru.  The trunk is smaller than the Toyota Avalon but we got everything in, the back seats fold down to make a nice flat  extra surface!! Look at the pretty apple blossoms by our balcony! (while loading.)

We’ve had the car several weeks but there are so many new features. So we really got to know it better: Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Warning, then Ron also used the Pre-Collision Brake Assist.  ( or We should say, the car did ... but going very slowly then so a crash was not an issue. Interesting how it works!)  We really like the features. 

The owner's manual says not to rely totally on the car, to keep alert!  But you actually have to in order to see what it’s doing!!! 

Had a picnic lunch at a rest area south of Salem, OR  ( by Albany.) traffic very thick north... 3 crashes north of Portland. The one in Centralia, then the 2 by Kalama were already cleared away.  And it’s the first time we’ve driven through Portland on I 5 and not 205 ( 10 miles longer)for several years ... both had some backups. 

Have an Airbnb apt rented in Roseburg OR.

love the lights

view from the back yard

So Funny, at Andy’s Band Concert

We always enjoy going to the band concerts, even when our grandchildren are not playing, because it is nice to follow what Andy is doing with his bands.  And we like concerts too. 

       Tonight was the middle school’s spring concert.  Faith went because she’s teaching French horn to three 8th graders.   During the beginning band’s pieces, she “fixed“ her program!! 

She even made a necklace. 

 Joan was videotaping the bands, and asked, “Let me check your program, Faith .”  (of course she knew it was torn up.)

Faith  handed her this blob.

Haha!

Joan said, “I need a program to mail to Lorene and Dwight [family friends]” 

She said, laughing, “Toss this one!!”

It was a fun night. 
   And we loved the "Variations on a Korean Folk Song."

Bucket Lists? Did anyone get the DAE Magazine Discover?

Ron has said for years his Bucket List was to go to

1.      Europe where his dad landed in Italy and Normandy Beach

2.      Thailand

3.      Return to the Philippines again 

Thus, we went to Europe in 2014 and indeed saw where his father had landed during WWII on Anzio Beach and then flew to Paris to drive to the Normandy beaches for the 70th Anniversary of D-Day.  A BLOG about that has been started.

We spent three weeks, including Normandy for the 70^th anniversary of D-Day.  See our BLOG (but it’s not done yet!)

http://ddayplusanzio.blogspot.com

https://ronandjoanjourney.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2014-06-16T14:03:00-07:00&max-results=7

  

Joan does not have a bucket list of places to visit, but from reading the Book of Marvels, by Richard Halliburton, over and over as a child, the four places she wanted to go to were Pompeii, Mt St Michel, Iguazu Falls and Machu Picchu.  We made it to Pompeii and Mt St Michel in 2014 but the other two are significantly far enough away that it doesn’t look like we’ll get there.

   Then she saw the cover of the DAE Discover Magazine Winter 2018 (http://fliphtml5.com/tpwp/ipdh/basic) labeled “Bizarre, Beautiful and Breathtaking,” picturing  a Pania River Wave Canyon in Arizona (www.thewave.info) and thought, “Yes, I want to go there and surely we can get there – it’s just in Arizona!”

       Some research showed that it is a wilderness area in which only 20 people are allowed in per day by lottery.  It is a 6-mile hike without trails.  You rely on a compass or GPS and five people have died going  in the last five years.   Uh… we don’t think we are going.

    Then she discovered “slot canyons” and namely one of the most famous, Antelope Canyon in Page, AZ. You have to take a tour, which drives you near the canyon opening and then you walk a short distance to get inside. We generally do not take guided tours, but we immediately made a reservation for the day we could be there – the tours do fill up quickly.  

Our plan then after leaving Phoenix to return home, for two nights, we’ll stay in an Airbnb in Page, AZ from where the tour leaves.  The house is near Lake Powell.

Then we are driving up US 89 and crossing over to Cedar City on SR 14 on what they say is the most beautiful drive in UT... and we’ll stop at Cedar Breaks Park too, again well - known for beauty .. but also, as we like, more off the beaten path for super busy crowds. 

PS.  Another photo on the Discover pages is of a mythical monster (like Loch Ness) 

but right in Lake Okanagan, BC.  That’s close.

What To Eat? We "Made Her Day!" -- Not!

 “Making Her Day”

We were buying yoghurt yesterday at Fred Meyer (Kroger Carbmaster brand) and another customer at the checkstand noted that we were buying a lot of yoghurt.  Joan said it was for Ron, special for his diabetes, since it had low carbs, only 5 carbs instead of 20 or 30.  The lady looked at a tub and was amazed and said, “Oh, I have diabetes and I really struggle with keeping the carbs down.”   

       Joan said, “Oh, shall I tell you the secret?” 

      “Sure,” said the lady said.

        Joan said, “No starch.” 

        The lady groaned. 

         Joan mentioned how she LOVED bread.  “OH, so do I!’ said the lady.

       Joan said, “There are 20 carbs in one piece of bread.” 

        The lady groaned again. 

       “….but,” said Joan, pointing to the yoghurt, “you can eat all this yoghurt instead!”

We really made her day!  ….NOT!