We are parting company.....sadly

Mr & Mrs Nutz, Mr D and Ms G are motoring off back to Canada by way of South Dakota. After hearing of our fun time in the Rapid City area they are going to travel that way home. Trust me they will love it and have some great memories. And the best part is Ms G will be able to see a bit of wildlife. Especially the pronghorn antelope along the roadway. They are the sweetest little animals. Hard to get pics of them so maybe Ms G will have some luck. Rest assured before they left we packed in a lot of fun and day trips. One day they traveled up to Pikes Peak, not a place Mr Doodles would travel, while we went to the Air Force Academy. All of these locations are in Colorado Springs which is a couple of hours south of the Denver area. Then if the afternoon we all met at Garden of the Gods Hard place to explain so I'll supply the site and you can see for yourself. The photos that we all took are stunning as you will see at the end of the post. On the way back to the RV we stopped at a favorite steak house of Mr Nutz and a good meal was consumed by the group. Then I believe is was the day before, we traveled an hour or so away to a very cute little area called Central City, an old mining town turned gambling casinos. Cute, cute place with nice small casinos that paid well and supplied us with a lot of laughs. The unfortunate part is we did not bring a camera, however Mrs Nutz did and got some great shots of the area. I'll have to be at her mercy for her to forward any snaps to me. But trust me we were there and had a great time. Oh yeah with the exception of trying to park that Big A** truck we call Louie. He is just a bit tight to get into a parking garage and Mr Doodles is not taking a chance to take off the roof lights. Anyway, they did have RV and bus parking BUT it was 5 miles up the top of the mountain. Now we were at approximately 8500 ft and the danged parking lot was at 10,000 ft. What a view and what a laugh we all had.

So the Happy Canadians have left and we will leave in the a.m for Canada by way of Nebraska and northward.......as always stay tuna'd



Here is the Chapel at the Air Force Academy quite an impressive structure. Not a great shot of the interior but the pipe organ was massive and Mr Doodles wanted to get a shot. You know me I have to take at least one flower pic per trip. This is a shot of the campus of the Air Force Academy. They have a lovely place for their higher learning.

That's Mr D being a gentleman and holding up this big rock for us...sweet! It was a bit hazy but the views were still incredible.


Can you see Nemo in the red rock to the far right...well we did and that's our story and we're sticking to it OK!!

Now is that a lady?!!! Ms G holding the rock for Mr D..such a happy couple.

Purpose of our Denver trip

Mainly was to go the the NHRA Drag Races. Well that we did. And because of the traffic situation we all shoved our fat butts into the big A** truck. Thank the lord it was only 5 miles give or take.

However the "boys" had to do some technical measuring for a steel box that is being made for the back of the RV, gotta love them boys!

So back to stuffing us in the BIG A** truck...that we do and off we go for late day and evening qualifying. What a super day. Weather here is iffy at best, never know when you are gonna get a rain cloud pop over a mountain. As the day went on it got cooler and the track temps went down and the cars went FASTER. No records set but a good day none the less. Of course we had to do shopping for t-shirts and the like. The other gals had to buy grand kids things to take back. No deals but they did get some cute things for the kiddies.

Gonna post a few snaps of the race cars, not that many of you will be all that interested but some of them turned out really good. I will post the whole lot of them over of Mr Doodles flickr.

Stay tuna'd for some more goings on. Oh and by the way Ms G you CAN trust me!

a water consumption realization

OK I am not gonna preach BUT I am gonna mention that we humans are WASTING water.

Since living full time in the RV we have come to realize how much. Trust me I'm not here to tell you go get an RV but I am here to give you a couple of hints on saving water.

First off go get your kitchen timer, put it in the bathroom while showering your normal shower. OK how long were you in there with the water running. God I sound like Al Gore, but this is serious.

Now go get one of those shower heads you can turn off and on while you are in the shower. They have them at all the big home improvement stores. This gizmo is not gonna shorten the length of your shower, just cut down on water waste.

Ladies don't let the water run while you are shaving your legs!!! Guys turn the water off at the sink while shaving. What good does that do?

Your goal should you choose to accept my idea is to shorten the length of your shower. You can do it I know you can and you'll feel better to.

And do me a favor email me how your doing or leave a comment or any tips you can think of to pass along..................stay tuna'd

We are off to the Air Force Academy and the Olympic Training facility here in Colorado.

We have come a long way...

from Comanche Land RV Park in Fort Stockton Texas in more ways than one. We are stay at a lovely facility in Golden, Colorado. Hooked up with friends when we arrived and it has been non stop ever since.

Here's Mrs Nutz and Ms G playing dueling computers

that's Mr Doodles and Mr D trying to wake up..heaven only knows where Mr Nutz wandered off to.



Off to the drag races today to meet up with more friends that we haven't seen in quite awhile, that will be fun. I'll be sure to post pics of the racing.

Had a terrific storm come thru here late afternoon yesterday, tornadoes and such but we were spared any damage. Can't say that about other folks in the RV park. Not a good idea to leave your awning out when you go off for the day....ya never know.

Made a stop at the Coors Brewery right here in Golden. Fun tour cause ya get to sample.

look at all that cerveza


this was one of their big copper vats as you enter


OK stay tuna'd..................

Cheyenne...low key

This photo is just a few miles from the RV park

First day here it rained ALL day. And actually that wasn't a bad thing because we had some things to do inside the RV. After living in this thing for a couple a months I figured out where things really should go and what I need and don't need. Mr Doodles had some wiring he had to attend to. Now we have satellite thru out, not a big deal but a convenience.

And speaking of that rain, boy did they need it here in Cheyenne. With any luck they won't have wildfires when we leave. Cause it seems that almost every where we have been there has been wildfires, some minor others not so minor. The West is so very dry one lightning bolt will set off a fire. And that is what has happened in most areas. And with these recent storms there has been loss of life as well as many structures. Say a prayer and keep good thoughts for the folks in those area - they need it.



The above photo is of an area in Yellowstone that just burned recently. It's hard to tell in the photo I know but there are many areas in the Park like this, blackened sticks just waiting to be struck by lightning, God forbid.

Now today is laundry day, I know more mundane chores. Mr Doodles wants to detail the truck and RV. Since that rain the other day weather has but lovely and balmy. With the chores completed we are going off to Cheyenne's Museum of the West
Read rave reviews so anxious to see for ourselves.

Wednesday a.m. we are off to the Denver area to meet up with friends Woo Hoo! We shall be there for a week, so don't expect a lot of posting on this blog. I'm sure we'll be doing a lot of sightseeing, however one of the main reasons we all are getting together is the NHRA will be in Denver this weekend. We have a good friend that races and it will be good to see him.

Sister and her honey husband are also doing some RV'ing. They took off for the beach in Southern California. Talked to her yesterday and sister was viewing dolphins swimming along the shore, sort of like a Welcoming Committee for Sister Moon and Mr Moon. Hope they are having a great time. I'm sure sister will be posting some pics on her return.

One more thing...........go read this blog my niece did on green cooking. What a great idea..... sorta like having a hybrid for your oven.

Don't forget to keep up with our photos over on Flickr and don't forget you can comment on the photos............so stay tuna'd

Doodles fotos

Mr Doodles fotos

What a great day in South Dakota

In spite of the triple digit temps. We began our day with a visit to Mt Rushmore....and I am sorry to say we were very disappointed. Now don't get me wrong the sculptures of the four Presidents on the mountain were stunning, even though they aren't finished and probably never will be. That's because the dern government didn't do the proper testing on the mountain, so that means this will never be completed. The parking is very poorly laid out and run by a private company, not the Park Services. AND they charge $8 which is not a lot of $$$ but the government does not normally charge to park on Park grounds. I will be honest, if coming to visit Mt Rushmore pull over to one of the turnouts and take photos. The area was never meant to handle the amount of people in one day that they currently get.


OK suffice to say we saw Mt Rushmore, took a few pics and went on our way to Crazy Horse Mountain. You must go visit this web site because it would take waaaaay too long to explain here. But it is privately funded and the most amazing to see. This is a work in progress that I doubt if your children will ever see finished. Designed by award-winning sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski, in 1947, the monument was suggested to Ziolkowski by Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear in 1939. Mr Ziolkowski worked on his project for many years by himself.If you are ever in this area please put this on your list of places to visit.


The above photo is of the Crazy Horse sculpture, work in progress. I will post the larger photos over on Mr Doodles flickr page. The object in shadow is a marble sculpture of how the artist wants the mountain to eventually to look like. Quite a feat to carry out but I have no doubt in my mind that the family will succeed.

I was fortunate to meet a real Chief of the Lakota Tribe. He is an author as well as a retired Superintendent of Schools for his area. He autographed his book for me which was the "true story" of Crazy Horse and the Battle of Little Big Horn or Greasy Grass as the Indians refer to the battle. He also gave me a t-shirt. What a sweetheart.

After visiting Crazy Horse Mountain, we went off to visit the museum for the Story of Wounded Knee. To see the history of Wounded Knee was so very interesting. Especially after just seeing the movie. I had read the book several years ago. I would recommend the movie over the book cause the book is just so technical and really difficult to get thru. I found it funny that so many western type movies were made in the general area. With the exception of the HBO movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Just down the road from where we were staying was the main location for the movie Dances with Wolves with Kevin Costner. The locals tell me Costner has a home in the area and visits quite often. I also think they told me he has an art gallery too. So Costner is a big deal here in Rapid City.

If you like to see a bit of history in the form of old towns go to Deadwood, South Dakota. This is where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried. All the buildings are refurbished and main street glistens with art galleries, t-shirt shops AND casinos. Yep there is gambling in Deadwood. Tombstone Arizona should take notice of this town rebuilt as they are thriving and not just from the casinos. May I add I walked away with more $$$ than I drove into Deadwood with.........woo hoo!!!

After a very long day of tourista doings we drove back to the RV and started to pack up for the 300 mile drive to Cheyenne the next morning...stay tuna'd.

ever get the feeling

that you have been there before? Well we are in Rapid City, South Dakota and I get the very distinct feeling I have been here before. Even some of the people look familiar. What an odd feeling. I have done this before so it is nothing out of the ordinary. In fact when we were checking in to the RV park yesterday, the lady said to me "you've been here before haven't you? No, you look so familiar". However I do get that a lot. Oh well maybe in my other life?!? So we went to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota.. It was a 3 hour drive that looped thru a small part of the Park. Badlands are aptly named. Residents of that area consisted of the Pine Ridge Indian, Bison, Pronghorn (they look like miniature antelope) a few prairie dogs and rattlesnakes. This photo does not do the area justice as to how desolate it appears. There were several large areas that would serve at villages for the Indians and their livestock. Mr Doodles took some shots as well so I must post over on his flickr page.

After the Badlands drive thru we drove over to Ellsworth Air Force Base, Mr Doodles was in the Air Force so it seems there is a magnet that draws us to AF bases. We got to tour a musty old missile silo and the base itself.



However, on a side note when you sign up to go on the tour you must present a drivers license or a passport. They load you on a small bus and then drive to the gate, where they do a security check. Well it was just our luck when the base Police boarded the bus and asked for a gentleman to step off. We sat in that hot sticnky bus for at least a half hour while they did more checking. Finally the driver went in to ask if they could be released if the guys wife got off as well and we all went on our merry way. Yep, that could happen. Cudos to the driver. Come to find out after the tour ended, it was all just a case of mistaken identity. Seems the man on the bus had the same name as a fugitive that they were looking for.

OK we are off to Mt. Rushmore where I know it is going to be crowded due to the holiday week. So must get an early start.

On a side note.....when we left yesterday I accidentally closed Buddy in the closet for eight and a half hours. Let's just say Buddy was not a happy camper cat upon our return........stay tuna'd ;)

Happy Birthday!!!

to our Buddy

Buddy is celebrating his 13th birthday today!!! I must also say that Buddy has turned into a terrific RV cat and a great traveler. Mr Doodles and I are very relieved with Buddy's adjustment to RV life.

If interested I wrote a blog about how Buddy had come to us.

We are off to Rapid City, South Dakota with a visit to Mt Rushmore.

Happy 4th y'all

So all is well...

poor Grace, our RV, the plumbing problem has been solved, by none other than Mr Doodles and a snake that went down the plumbing. And all is fixed and finished and never to be discussed again.

Our afternoon was wonderfully spent touring the Battlefield of the Little Big Horn. What a wonderful area this is and the history on those grounds is just awesome.

I would have loved to have the opportunity to tour the Battlefield on horseback but our timing was not good. The self guided tour was very well arranged and laid out for any tourist.

We do live in an amazing country, so beautiful, how lucky we are. While driving I could just imagine Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and their group behind those hills waiting for Custer and his band of merry men riding right into what we now know as terror. The photo below is supposed to be the exact spot of the Custer, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse battle. They have done a tremendous amount of archaeological digs in the area and found many items of proof. Some reside in the Visitors Center located at the beginning of the Park.

Before I forget I posted some of Mr Doodles photos over on his very own flickr page, go take a look. He took a couple a hundred of the bull riding event alone and I have only posted six. I'll post some more pics over on my flickr site....stay tuna'd

No pictures with this post

Things were going along too smoothly you see. So the RV gods thought let's see if the Doodle folks are good RV'ers and if maybe they are strong enough to carry thru.

Arriving at the RV park in Garryowen, Montana and while Mr Doodles is taking care of the outside jobs, unhooking the trailer from the truck, hooking up the water, sewer and electric lines, I am putting the slides out, turn on the A/C and water heater once the electric is secured, unhooking any cabinets we have secured and just in general making sure things are in order. While all of this was going on I popped in to the potty and to my surprise and horror I might add, the damn toilet was stopped up.

Many folks from the campground come to our rescue and to no avail as of this a.m. toilet still plugged. Now don't make me describe the mess all these nice folks made while they are trying to be helpful, let's just say I have several loads of towels to launder.

So while going around lighting candles I remember we have roadside assistance with the company that made our unit, that info made Mr Doodles very happy. I call them and they were very nice but due to the day, Sunday, they were not able to assist us at that time. They will call this a.m. once they have secured a dealer in this area that can do the repair work. Needless to say we will be delayed at least on day.

Let me also say I know why they call Montana Big Sky Country, wow it is beautiful. Also we are located on the Crow Indian reservation and right next to the Little Bighorn Battlefield. So very much history in the area and the fine folks that live here try very hard to preserve their history.

I'll try to fill you in on this as soon as I can........stay tuna'd

It's amazing...

that we go from one state to the next and each one we say "what beautiful landscape". Friends we live in a stunning country and how I wish that each of you could enjoy the views that we have had the pleasure of seeing. We commented upon entering Idaho how the hills looked of pea green velvet. How Wyoming had such stunning mountain ranges.

So far Wyoming wins for the best roadway surface. We are now in Montana and on our way to 7th Flag Ranch on the Crow Indian Reservation, right next door to the Battle of Little Big Horn Battlefield Monument.

We will be here only two nites, so only one day of photo ops.....stay tuna'd ;}

So now we know…

as the heat works in the RV. Cause while in Yellowstone we woke every a.m. to a very cool 37 - 39 degrees. Had not tested the heater, didn't have a need to. We even got out the down comforter. But the heater quickly took the chill out of the air when we woke so it wasn't a bad experience.

The last day in Yellowstone we ventured over to the Grand Tetons, just south of Yellowstone Park. We did the loop drive around the majestic, I know an over used word, but none the less magnificent vistas. We hop on a ferry that takes you across Jenny Lake. The ferry dropped us off to take a 3 mile hike up to an area called Hidden Falls. They weren't that hidden but quite big and very loud and wet but gorgeous water fall and so cooling after a warm hike.


We were waiting for the ferry to take us back across Jenny Lake, I struck up a conversation with two charming ladies from England. Now get this these two females have been friends since fourth grade. They have each been married to their respective spouses for 40 years. Every year these two females take a trip somewhere away from England for at least a month. This year they flew to Denver rented an RV and took off for parts unknown of the American West. So next time you think awww I can't do that, you think of May and Julia and what they did.

When getting off the ferry I notice a lot of folks with cameras in hand. We see a young moose standing on the bank of the lake. I see a park ranger and she is telling the group that the young moose is about 3-4 years old and had never been on this side before. It had just swam across the lake. Holy crap I just went on a three mile hike and was exhausted, this sweet, goofy looking moose didn't look a bit winded.

I have posted a lot of photos over on my flickr page if you care to peek. Now I must sort thru the hundreds of pics Mr Doodles took at the Bull Riding event in Cody, WY.............stay tuna'd

Leaving Yellowstone

We arrived in Cody Wyoming late Thursday afternoon. Drug the RV thru the Yellowstone Park exiting the East entrance. Oh my, the last 10 miles they are rebuilding of roadway. Roadway that is quite steep and now NO guardrails.

We were second in line behind a very nice couple from South Dakota. While waiting in line we got the low down on the area we are going to be vising for a few days.

We were delayed a the beginning of the construction site for about 30 minutes for traffic coming in the get thru. There was a pilot car to lead you thru the construction and the fastest we went was 25 mph. Took quite awhile to get thru but sure was glad there was a pilot lead car. Pictures do not do the altitude justice as to how steep and scary at times the trip was. My friend Bee would be on the floor of the truck or rip the door handles off for sure. Mr Doodles is like that if you might remember and oddly enough he does much better as a driver and not as a passenger...so take notice Bee.


No guard rails

OK after leaving the Yellowstone Park entrance we head to Cody Wy. What a lovely drive and scenery driving the whole way along the ShoShone River.

We stopped several times for photo/pit stops. How many pics does one really need of a babbling brook or a lazy stream. But at this one stop, 30 miles from Cody, we see a few cars that looks like folks might be fishing. Because of our size wse can't just pull into any turnout. This one happened to be quite large. As I got out of the car I see a man with a girl about late teens, they are walking up the bank to their car with about a 2 pound rainbow trout in hand. Man lives in the area and daughter was visiting her Dad. They had only caught the one rainbow trout, caught by the father and the daughter only caught some moss and mud. But her Dad did promise her a trout before her departure.

Back on the road and on to Cody. Lots to do in this little town. Friday we are headed to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.

Then on Saturday nite we are going to the Bull Riding event in town. It kicks off their Fourth of July week long Rodeo Stampede event. That is an event we are really looking forward to. All the pros are in town for this even and many are stay here at the RV park.

Sowe'll be posting pics of the bull riding Woo Hoo!!! ............stay tuna'd

More ramblings

I’m calling this trip Hot Fun in the American Summertime…with the Province of Ontario Canada thrown in as a bonus.

We need/want to venture off the beaten path more than we have but with dragging a trailer behind us it’s a bit difficult.. But if I want some different photos I need to do that.

Sister is hoping to start a blog that will be just postcards of our trip, with a few words of description by me. She came up with a great title "postcards from the fringe".

We do have an itinerary but after the Denver meet up with friends our adventure can be easily altered.

I also must mention that I am NOT one of Walmarts biggest fans, but Walmart is a good friend to RV’ers acrossed this country. When you don’t want to go more than 300 miles in a day, and no RV park in the area there always seems to be a Walmart off the hiway. I think the reason they allow RV’ers to park on the perimeter of their lot is that RV’ers always need something, ice, food, etc. So thanks Walmart for being a friend to RV’ers….wish you were that good to your employees. Sorry had to throw that in there.

Now if you are reading this and have young children, do me a favor…teach them how to read a map. We have run into people in RV parks that cannot read a map. They are clueless as to north, south whatever. I know this sounds odd but it is an observation of the directionally challenged.. To be honest I was one of those people before I married my sweet husband. But he is a lover of maps and charts, so I am no longer directionally challenged. So teach your child to read a map……please.

Oh one other thing don’t drive and talk on your cell phone. Nothing, absolutely nothing is that important and you are endangering my life as well as yours. Use your head pull over to talk. And if you don’t you’re a MORON!

So crossing into Utah you come to the Bonneville Salt Flats. Side note to mention that those of you old enough might remember that Craig Breedlove set the land speed record here at 400, 500 and 600 MPH. Think that was in the late 60’s.

Leaving the Salt Flats area we realize we are hungry, no breakfast was had because we needed an early start and Mr Doodles does not consume food much before 9 a.m.

Mr Doodles sees a road sign that says an off ramp for Knolls that is just a few miles up the road. “must be a truck stop there”. Ha I say, Rand Mc Nally doesn’t know about it cause it ain’t on da map honey.

I look at the map again to verify that there is not a stinking off ramp with services for 70 some miles……….well there’s always gummy bears!

So I got a little ahead of myself but I just had to post those two snaps of the bison.

We are headed to Yellowstone.......so stay tuna'd!

still here ........

Norm's friend we shall call him Elmer. This big dude was meandering down the hiway, with not a care in the world. We should all be this content huh!!!


Mr Doodles took this out the truck window just four feet away.

This was in Yellowstone. We were there for three nites and have some wonderful pics to post. Will try to get them on flickr the next couple of days BUT I've got laundry to do also and some site seeing to do so give me some time K???!!!

as always..............stay tuna'd!

Utah

Buddy checking out all that salt




Louie and Grace visting the Bonneville Salt Flats

Random thoughts

Leaving Elko Nevada you see a lot of agricultural land with cows, goats and a few horses.

Some lovely mountains in the distance and some with a bit of snow dotted here and there on the tops frame this.

We decided at the beginning of this trip we would not be mileage crazy but due to the 4th of July holiday and going to Yellowstone as well as meeting friends in Denver we must keep to a pretty tight schedule. What is good is that we do not normally drive more than 300 miles in a day. I know that doesn’t sound like much but it is tiring and we are pulling a fifth wheel trailer I commonly refer to as Grace.

We do stop at rest areas to stretch the legs and maybe walk a bit depending on the area. And I must say how surprised I am at how clean all the rest areas are, including the restrooms. The amount of people that use theses rest ares is a lot so keeping them clean is an admirable chore. However don’t ask me about adults picking up after their dogs, grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

On a side note when approaching the area of Mt Whitney in California, we hear Buddy, the cat, howling. Not a lot but enough to wonder what’s up. We pulled over at the next rest area so Buddy could use his box, makes sense maybe that was his way of informing us of his needs. I might also add that he had not done this before now. So a couple a days later Buddy is howling again. I think I might have figured out what was wrong with him. His poor little ears were popping with the altitude. I tried to get him to chew some gum, nope no interest.

We have been cruising in approximately five – six thousand feet and Buddy hasn’t been howling, so maybe his ears cleared and he has adjusted to the altitude. I know weird huh!!

I must also say that I have surprised myself. I have adjusted to this kind of living quite well. I can be a bit of a brat when it comes to my space and the space around me. I’m used to having room. When we pull into an RV park and after the chores of un-hooking and putting the slides out I will usually go for a walk. When we are at a spot longer than one nite I go off for me time. After all Mr Doodles needs me time also and it works for both of us.

Have you ever had a car have a vapor lock? Well we did and we learned something very valuable. We have an extra large fuel tank on the truck as well as the main fuel tank. We were on our way to Mt Witney and Mr Doodles switched over the fuel tank from the large installed to the main tank in the truck. He had let the large tank run almost dry when switching. Bad move we discovered and learned a valuable lesson. Stranded in the middle of NOWHERE I called Auto Club cause we weren’t that far from a small town. Come to find out our truck is considered commercial because of the danged size and they won’t tow. The man that was going to come out called and said to call Ford Road Service since it’s a new truck. Long story short I did and the conversation with the fema\le went something like this…..”Mam I think we have a vapor lock. Mam says oh OK easy to fix, do this….remove the gas cap. HUH??? OH OK I removed the gas cap. Now she says put it back on when I tell you. OK put it back on and start the truck. Mr Doodles did as he was told and low and holy crap it started. So lesson learned if you ever have a vapor lock, follow those instructions before calling AAA. Life is good


a lovely little trout stream beside our RV.

As promised.........

Yosemite Falls.....as you can see it's not very big and the reason for that is they had very little snow in the area. However I think it is beautiful.






The famous wall climbers love to climb - El Capitan. You must be joking to climb that. Many do and when they do they sleep while hanging from their ropes cause it's a 2-3 day climb. GET OUTTA HERE!!!





If you look real close you can see a few black dots on the photo. Those my friends are elk. There were five in that grouping and one was a baby. Made Mr Doodles trip because the only wild animals we had seen to this point were squirrels. Hope his snaps are better than mine of the elk.

When I get some free time I will put all my pics over on my flickr page for all to see. But if y'all wanna see some gorgeous pastels my sister has done, pop on over to her site when you have the time. She's making some lovely pieces. I was blessed and received an ORIGINAL from her.

Oh for those that are interested we are having Chamber of Commerce picture perfect weather so far.

Off to Salt Lake City.......stay tuna'd

Mr Doodles get five gold stars....

Mr Doodles drove up Yosemite all the way thru the park and back yesterday. And for those of y'all that don't know this is a BIG DEAL. Cause this man is very uncomfortable going up the third rung on the ladder. Ask my sweet brother-in-law cause when we were there he was kind enough to get up and install new vents on the roof of Grace (the RV).

So a warm round of applause Mr Doodles, I'm proud of ya bunky!

I'll post some snaps tonite when we get to better coverage area, soooo......stay tuna'd

My trip is complete.........

No our trip is not over just got the exclamation mark on it however.

As y'all know food is an important part of our lives and growing up we have such fond memories of favorite foods.

Mine is fried chicken. Well sister made fried chicken and potato salad tonite for dinner. Damn she fries chicken good. It isn't what you use it's how you use it, the technique is the key. Some folks got it and some don't. I don't sister does. However we make the exact same family potato salad. Nothing fancy, but potatoes, celery, hard boiled eggs. a bit of finely diced onions and mayo. That's it...oh salt and pepper.

We have had just the best time at sister and brother-in-laws. The boys did projects, lord only knows what those were. While sister and I just do what we always do when we are together have just the best time. We did play a lot of scrabble, our favorite game to play.

So off Mr Doodles and I go to Yosemite/Sequoia for a few days. And then from there we aren't sure BUT y'all will be the first to know when we get there

I'll get back on track posting I promise but time with family is very precious. Stay tuna'd.......

The celebration party.....

Just so ya don't miss out on all the food goodies that we had for the celebration........scoot on over to PBE and read up on the goings on.

Sorry to say few snaps were taken cause we were all too busy cooking and eating and drinking OK!!! stay tuna'd...

there's just something about...

waking up at the beach. And the smell of the Pacific Ocean is all to itself in some odd way. Has a different smell than the Atlantic or the Gulf, which are the two bodies of water I have been used to for the past many years.


Sister and I walked the beach a lot the two days we were there. This body of water was an inlet that was caused by the mouth of the river up the road a piece.


Anyway the gypsy caravan moved northwest for a few days and went to RV at the beach. Good lord it was a state park and had no hook up, water, electric etc., but oh so very nice and peaceful. Sister and brother-in-law and their dog Buddy in their small trailer and the Doodles entourage with Buddy the cat all went off mid week to the beach for a few days. We lucked out in the weather department. Some morning haze/fog moved in but burnt off quickly. Then some afternoon haze/fog moved in, however by the time we were ready to roast marshmallows it was a lovely clear evening.

How lucky we were to have such wonderful weather to toast our marshmallows.




stay tuna'd there's more..........

If we moved any slower posting

By the number of post you can tell we are busy, busy, busy. What you say, we need to relax. Well we've been doing a bit of that, as well. Check out PBE for an update.

Stay tuna'd.

Not forgotten.......

but been having waaaay too much fun and being busy doing things. So I thought I would post a couples of photos for my friends and loyal readers ;\o)


gorgeous California Poppy ...absolutely one of my very favorites.


this lovely Echeveria Cacti was at the Getty Center


Now Sunday is the BIG Get Together Birthday celebration, Tuesday we are going camping on the beach for a couple a days...........that you must come back to see pictures and of course there will be a story of three.

Hope the beginning of your summer is as great as ours.........but stay tuna'd

a nostalgia trip today...

What a great day! Started off by wanting to eat, it's always about food, what is it with this family. Anyway it started off by Mr Doodles wanting to go to one of our fav Mexican haunts called Tito's Taco's.

Tito's is located in the town we all grew up in and a place that we frequented a lot with
good, simple food. A tad bit of history when we first started going to Tito's the tacos were 24 centavos and if you wanted cheese it was five cents more. Now they are $1.45 and w/cheese $1.85. And ya know something you can go home again, this place has not changed one bit in all these many years they are are as good today as they were many years ago. So if y'all ever in Culver City, California look up Tito's, you'll be glad you did.

Next stop on the nostalgia tour was to go by all the houses each of us had lived in. BIL's parents home looked almost the same as it did 40 years ago.

Mr Doodles and I lived in this house the first two years of our marriage. It was called the party house and we just had the best time in this house. Obviously it looks a lot different, but still has the same bones.

Next as we are driving over to the house sister and I grew up in we passed by the apartment where my Mr Doodles lived prior to our marriage, danged apartment is still there next door to the Catholic Church Convent.

Then we toddled on over to the house sister and I grew up in....and BIL and Mr Doodles knew quite well. Gosh it hasn't changed much.

Then we drove around Culver City, saw all the places we all worked and played.
It was a great day....but then any day with sister and BIL is a great day.
stay tuna'd...........there's more

for your viewing pleasure

little yellow to brighten the day...




still life in sister's kitchen

As you can see...

the three of us wasted no time in putting a meal on the table. Once we arrived at sisters we of course need lunch, a snack, a smidgen of food. So Mr Doodles captured sister Moon, niece lil bird and meself on film doing our task. I love this snap.



For more pics take a look at my flickr page

In the Golden State woo hoo!!!

So here we WERE in the lovely area of Lake Havasu City, AZ. Now this area is known for it’s recreational activities and high heat!!! I mean hot, 109* yesterday! The temps here during July and August gets up to 120-130 degrees no I’m not kidding. But ya know when it reaches over a 100* it’s just damn hot….oh yeah and it’s a dry heat

My Dad and his wife lived in Rancho Mirage, which is in the Palm Springs area of the California desert. They lived there for 30+ years, in fact M still lives there. Sister and I were down visiting once during the summer, I believe it was August and took of peek at the thermometer and it showed 120*, no wonder we dried off so quickly. However having said all of that, I love the desert weather and yes even in the summer. Just have to know how to handle it.

Now about Lake Havasu and the reason we drove out of the way to come here. Mr. Doodles had ordered a 100 gallon extra fuel tank for Big Louie, the truck. That was done on Friday and a pretty much all day event. So I hung out at the RV park, picked up and re-organized the RV that I now call Grace. Then I toddled off to the pool, which was a wonderful spot to be lazy. I’ll post some pics…. Mr. Doodles came back to get me for lunch, boy does love to eat. We then decided to go on a boat trip out on the lake that takes you over to a small Indian Casino on the California side. Well as all plans go the above didn’t quite pan out. Mr. Doodles decided that since the fuel tank was done, “let’s go put some fuel in it and make sure it works before we leave”. Ooooooohhhhh such a good idea Mr. Doodles, cause the sensor that tells you how much fuel is in the tank didn’t work. Not good huh?!? Mr. Doodles dropped me off and back he went to the install dudes. I in turn hopped on the boat and went to the Indian Casino and promptly came back with $50.10 more than I came with, thank you very much. I had to buy dinner.

All was well with the sensors, fuel tank and Mr. Doodles and even better when I told the sweet thing I was buying dinner.

Sunday a.m. we will land on the doorsteps of sister and brother-in-law....so stay tuna'd.

OK we are off to Rancho Mirage, which is the home of dear M, Daddy’s wife…we will spend the nite there and head off to sister’s house on Sunday a.m. That will be our base camp for about two weeks and happily so I might add.

On our way to Rancho Mirage, I am sure dear husband will want to stop at the General George S Patton museum. Let’s see if he remembers where it is. I know he wants another t-shirt cause he has literally worn out the two I bought him years ago.