Oregon Living 2025 – Blog #20 – A Long Trip, Getting the Bike Serviced and a Party to Meet the Babies!

 

Sunday, May 25^th., 2025…… Our original plan was to stay in Bakersfield Saturday and Sunday and drive home on Monday. But, on the way down, we rethought that! We will now only stay on Saturday and drive back towards home today. Last night when we checked in, I asked about cancelling the second night. They said that since I booked (and paid) it through a third party (Expedia), I would need to get back with them to request a refund. It was easier than I thought and later they called the Hampton and had them change the reservation to only one night. I then made a new reservation at The Red Lion in Redding. So that said, we were up and going early. Stan came to the hotel and ate with us. Then we followed him back to his house, where we loaded up the bike. It took a few extra minutes just to make sure the load was secure.

 

We thanked and said our goodbyes to Stan and headed out. I was a little nervous to get going and carefully watched the bike on the trailer. But it was definitely secure and we had no issues. We made our way up 99 and I5 to Redding, which was 444 miles. It took us around 8 hours because we stopped a few times for gas and a roadside stand. We checked into the Red Lion and they also had a giant parking lot where I could back the trailer in for the night. Plus it was up against a curb so it protected the trailer and bike a little better! And, again, we could see it from our room!  We walked next door to the Mazatlán Grill for dinner. One of the best Mexican restaurants we have ever been to! On the way back, we stopped by the pool and spa area. This Red Lion is huge so it was expected that the pool would be crowded. Too crowded for us so we went to the room for the night. We will be up and going super early tomorrow!

Monday, May 26^th., 2025…… Like I said, super early!  We were up and at the hotel’s breakfast buffet at 6:00am! We were on the road by 6:30. The drive home was uneventful. The traffic was moderate but luckily there were no accidents along our route. It was really hard to watch all of the vehicles scream on past us while we were booking along at 60-63 mph! But it was fine and we made the 360 mile 6½ hour drive and back got back home around 1:00pm. When we got home, we found Corey and Vikki had come by to get the landscape trailer so they could go pick up a bed for them. The plan was to come back here and drop off Corey so he could work around the yard for some extra cash. But they forgot to tie down the mattress and they lost it on the highway!  Cathye had to go help them and brought some ratchet straps so they could continue/ It was getting late, so they decided to hold off on the work here today. We got all of our clothes and things unloaded and rested for a while. Penny came over to see the bike. As I said before, it will stay on the trailer until we take it in for service on Thursday. We had to call Stan because we couldn’t figure out how to get the ‘frunk’ open!  Turns out you needed to pull on the door as you turned the ignition key hard to the right!  We wanted to get to the owner’s manual so we could look through it before we drive it after service. Later, Cathye brought back a Papa Murphy’s pizza for dinner and we cooked that. Later, we rested and caught up on some of our taped shows and we went to bed early!  

Tuesday, May 27^th., 2025…… It was nice sleeping in our own bed last night!  We stayed in there until 8 something then got up and going. We walked and fed the girls and I went to get us breakfast since we didn’t have much in the house. After that, Cathye worked on her garden and I set out to fix the ramps for Thursday. The one I used for the single rear wheel bent so I needed to straighten that up. I decided to bolt two together for when we unload it off the trailer. That went well and then I added some more support and stops for all of the ramps so they couldn’t slide any when we use them in the future. I was done for the morning. The plan for later was to go to the demo at the Senior Center. But Corey and Vikki came over to bring back the trailer and Corey would work in the yard. They brought everyone and Brandyn helped his dad and Bailey took Rylee out to play in her pool while the rest of them stayed in the ac in the house. But we got to visit with the newbies. Both Creedence and Caroline are doing great!  They are gaining weight quickly. Of course we held them and fed them. I told Cathye she should just skip the demo and stay with the kids while I went.  Good thing I went because we just had enough for one demo square! When I got back, Corey was about half done. So, we had some more time with the kids. Bailey is a big help and seems to like taking care of her little sis and bro! After a nice visit and after Corey ran out of batteries for the weed wacker, they left. We ate leftover pizza and relaxed for the evening.        

Wednesday, May 28^th., 2025…… Today we go pick up our car!  They had texted us that it was in and ready and I had made the appointment for a test drive and purchase for noon today. We didn’t walk the dogs today. Rylee was limping really badly this morning! We know she had fun yesterday but we think while jumping in and out of the pool, she must have pulled a muscle. It was better as she got up and going but we made her take a rest day! We ate breakfast and then hung around the house for a bit. CarMax texted and had me do some over the phone paperwork so we could use their ‘express check out’ when we arrive. We made the drive up to Salem and got there right at noon. They brought the car around and we walked around it. There were some rock chip touchups on the paint, but overall, it was really well taken care of. We test drove it and then went in and finished the sale. After a ribbon pic…

Cat drove it home. 

Penny came by a bit later while we were putting our stuff back in from the other car. Of course I had to call my insurance company and get the old one removed and this one added. They said I would be getting a refund for the time from the accident until now for the old car. Nice! We spent the rest of the day resting and watching tv. We went in the spa and then called it a night.       

Thursday, May 29^th,, 2025…… Today we take the bike in. All we need to do today was to drive it up to Sublimity (about 24 miles) to Power Motorsports. I had already told them what kind of service I needed. But I also had called them when Stan told me the rear brakes were at 10% left, so they could order them and add for today’s appointment.  We left early enough to be able to stop for breakfast but when we got there close to 10:00am, they said they were waiting!  Turns out my appointment for drop off was 9:00am! No worries. I had one of the guys there drive it of the trailer while I checked the ramps for clearance. Turns out we needed a little block to help the bike so it didn’t bottom out. While we were there, we checked out bike helmets. They didn’t have too many choices for radio equipped models and I had already seen what we wanted online so we were more or less looking to check sizing. We found what we needed and noted it for later and headed home. I would hear later with an estimate for parts and labor. They also found the tires are aged out, so they will be replaced as well. Not sure when they will be done. I also needed to call in to our insurance company and add the new car. I got that done and will add the bike next week.  

Friday, May 30^th., 2025…… Nothing on the agenda for today. Except for housecleaning. We are prepping for the party tomorrow. I vacuumed and Cathye cleaned the bathrooms and dusted. She also made a couple of cakes for the party. She had bought a flat of strawberries and we had cleaned and froze most of them. But she kept some out and also defrosted some blueberries for each of the two cakes she made.  We decided to mow today as well. Penny came by and we all got that done pretty quickly.  Justin was also here working on weed eating and such around the yard. Cathye gave him some specific tasks close by the house so it would look better for the party. We’re not sure if the weather will be ok for the babies outside but we cleaned and blew off the deck just in case. Later, I went online and read reviews about the helmets we want. Not bad except they pretty much said the sizing was off. No worries, we had already found that out when we were at the dealers!  I only ordered mine for now just to make sure the sizing would work. If it doesn’t fit me, maybe it will Cathye. It is supposed to arrive on Monday

Saturday, May 31^st., 2025…… The kids got here right at 2:00pm. Penny came early and helped us put out the drinks and such. Everyone showed up and we all got a chance to hold the littles.

After eating and visiting, everyone left. Cathye had asked if I wanted to go to the dance tonight but I begged off because I was tired and I knew she was too. We hung out and watched tv until bedtime.    

Oregon Living 2025 – Blog #19 – A Return Flight and Then Gone Again!

 

 

 

Sunday, May 18^th., 2025…… Cat called me around 8:00am our time. She said they went to the Urgent Care for her tick bite. She was treated and given some doxycycline as a preventative measure for Lyme disease. We talked for a bit before I headed off to take a shower and get dressed. I walked and fed the girls and then made myself some breakfast. Then I settled in and finished watching The Preakness and then Nascar. While I watched the race, I worked on the blog and got that posted. Then it was more tv and lounging. Penny came by to drop off something for the yard sale and we talked for a bit. That was pretty much my day. 

Monday, May 19^th., 2025…… I was up and going early this morning. I had the dogs walked and fed and then ate my breakfast. I spent the morning out working on the shop garage to prep for painting. The woodpile is right up next to the garage wall. I won’t need to move the wood but there is a lot of stuff piled on top right now that needs to be moved. So, I tackled that this morning. I got all of the lumber moved away and restacked under the boat carport. I spoke with Cathye later in the day and we discussed our trip to Bakersfield next week. More on that later. I asked if she had a chance to go watch her daughter at Roller Derby. She said they weren't doing any practice or games right now. Bummer!  She wanted to see her in action!...

Later, I settled in and watched tv for the rest of the evening and went to bed early. Rylee gets Cathye’s spot on the bed but Jama still snuggles right up next to me for the night.

Tuesday, May 20^th., 2025……  Cat comes home tonight!  The weather is off and on. We have gray skies then blue for a while. It rained last night but everything was clear when I walked the girls. I worked some more on the cleanup. We now have a start date for the prep and painting. They will be doing it starting on June 23^rd. He says it will take all week. We are thrilled that we now have a date! Plus I can now work on getting everything ready with no pressure. We also have to consider that we are having a Club function here before that. We have committed to another Lebanon Square Circlers Garden Party!  Last year we had about 30 people here for the Sunday event. We put out the large ‘revival tent’ but this time I think we’ll just use the smaller popups and the covered deck. We also have invited our fellow Club members with rvs to come stay on Friday. So far we have five coming. We will offer up our motorhome and the Shasta if someone without an rv wants to stay.  But all that means is that we have a lot to do before then.

I heard from Cat when she got into Chicago to lay over. She has another layover in San Jose so she won’t get in to Portland until 10:15 tonight. I went off to the workshop and that went well. Next week we were supposed to be dark because the Senior Center is hosting a wellness seminar. But today we learned that they want us to do a short demo for them at the end. So, we came up with enough folks to get a square for that next week. I came home and made an early dinner and talked with Cat again then watched tv and then left to head up north. I wanted to drive by the Salem CarMax facility just to see if I could maybe spot the car. Nope. CarMax has kept us updated as the car progresses from Gilbert AZ to Salem. Right now they say it’s at the CarMax in Milwaukie OR. That’s on the way to the airport and I know where it is so I did a drive by there on the way up. I saw a bunch of trailers with cars on them but didn’t see ours. I drove back to the storage area as far as I could before I got to the gate. I think I saw it sitting back there but they were closing so I had to give up. They still have to prep it and then get it to Salem. I don’t think they will get it done before we leave on Friday. I got to the cell phone lot to wait for Cat. She had texted me from San Jose that they were delayed. When I got parked, I checked her flight status and saw it would be 11:05pm before she lands! No worries. Later, I got her text she had landed.  I waited a few minutes and picked her up after she got her bag. We didn’t get home until 1:45am but the drive was nice and clear. She played with the pups and then we went to bed.       

Wednesday, May 21^st., 2025…… Needless to say, we slept in this morning. But we walked the dogs and I went out and got us breakfast. Later, Cathye came out to help with moving the workbench away from the shop garage. Of course we needed to move all of her gardening equipment before we got to the bench. We got the bench moved and I needed to unscrew the backing plate I put on the wall behind the bench for the painters. Before we left that task, we had everything away from the garage. I went on to work on the rv garage. Our large carport is maybe 6 inches away for the back of the rv garage, so I had a lot of stuff stored there too. But that only took a few minutes and we were good to go with all of the outbuildings around the property. They are also going to be painting our storage shed but that building was clear except for a birdhouse on the grapevine pole that is close to the shed. I moved that and we’re good. I have a few things on the house that will need to come off and I started on that. The rest of it can be done as we get closer to our date.   

Thursday, May 22^nd,, 2025……  One day to go before our next trip!  Tomorrow we are heading down to Bakersfield to see my brother in law, Stan, and pick up his 2014 CanAm Spyder that he is gifting to us.

Cathye had mentioned how much she liked that bike when he came to our campground in Bakersfield last time we were down that way. Well, he said he is just not riding it any more these days. I think he said he will be 81 or 82 next month. He is thrilled to see someone who can still use it. We will ride it on nice days, maybe to the beach or even the Club may want us to ride it in the Strawberry Festival Parade ahead of the float! But for now, I had to plan out our trip and get the flatbed trailer prepped and ready to head down. As you can see from the pic above, the bike is a three-wheeler, so I needed to come up with a third ramp. I just went online last week and ordered another pair which came yesterday. Hope that works!

Friday, May 23^rd., 2025…… We were up and going this morning. No hurry because today’s drive will only be to Grants Pass OR. That is 181 miles and 3 hours. We are going to Boatnik Square Dance Festival tonight. We had purchased a weekend package but will only be using one night. We decided to give it up because otherwise we would be driving down there twice! We will stay the night and then drive the rest of the way on Saturday. We had loaded the ramps and tiedowns yesterday and when we added our luggage and left it was noon. The trailer pulled with no problems and we made it to Knight’s Inn in Grants Pass and got checked in. The owner, Roger, was very nice and told me where we could park the truck and trailer when we got back from the dance later in the evening. This is only rated as a 2-star motel, but we really liked it!  It was clean and everything was updated.  We rested a bit, then walked down to Taqueria Mexico and had dinner. Later, we dressed and drove over to the fairgrounds for the dance. We stayed about halfway before Cat got too tired. So, we came back home and called it a night. I was able to park the trailer in a nice spot and we could even see it from our room.      

Saturday, May 24^th., 2025…… We were up and going around 8:00am. We stopped at McDonalds and got coffee and breakfast sandwiches and headed down the road. The weather is nice and the roads weren’t too crowded on this holiday weekend. We encountered a crazy truckdriver yesterday on the Stevens Point Pass. He was in a hurry and was passing other trucks on the right side gravel parkway! But today was calm and we made good time – except that with the Toyota towing the trailer we can’t seem to drive by a gas station! We stopped several times to fill the tank but we made it ok. We went straight to the Hampton Inn in Bakersfield and checked in. Their parking lot is gated and they had plenty of room! Stan met us there and we went across the street to Marie Callender’s for dinner. We both had drinks since we weren’t driving. Stan had brought all of the paperwork and we made arrangements for tomorrow. Once he dropped us off, we came in and checked out the pool and spa. It was pretty much empty so we went in the spa for a while before calling it a night.

 

Oregon Living 2025 – Blog #18 – A Trip Back East for Family Time!

 

Sunday, May 11^th., 2025…… HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!! 

Cathye heard from everyone before 8:00am this morning! Nothing planned today so she headed off to church while I worked on the blog. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and planning this week. We have haircuts, cardiologist (me), and then Cathye’s flight back to New Hampshire. Later, we watched more of our taped programs and then hit the spa before bed.  

Monday, May 12^th., 2025…… Today was house cleaning day!  We were up and walked and fed the dogs and then went to the gym. We stopped at Kevin’s and then came home and started in. Cathye had done the bathrooms last week so it was my turn today! I had to vacuum the carpets and then hot mop the floors. Not too bad and I was done pretty quickly. We also have a new shampooer and we wanted to try that out for the bad stain in the bedroom floor. But the weather isn’t going to help in drying so we’ll wait until tomorrow.  Cathye has been getting her packing together. She leaves on Thursday for a trip back to see family in New Hampshire. Later, we had dinner and watched some of our taped shows to get caught up before she leaves. Tonight it was The Masked Singer. We have only the final to watch now. We have our favorites in the final four!   

Tuesday, May 13^th., 2025……  I was up and out early this morning because I had an 8:00am appointment in Corvallis with my cardiologist. I headed off and got that done. No issues except for another cat scan they want done.  I was back in time for us to go together to get our haircuts. Cathye went a little shorter this time. Next up for me was the workshop. Cathye didn’t want to go so we started in on the carpet cleaning and, after I had that stain cleaned up in the bedroom, she continued on with some of the other spots in the guest room and my office.  I took cuttings from the peony flowers that Jo gave us that Cathye had picked as a gift for her. Class was ok. We had enough for a square with folks able to sit out now and then. Afterwards, I was drafted by Grace, along with Mo, to go to her house to help with some of the vintage clothes in the Club trailer. She also had some racks to be rebuilt so we took care of that. Tv and spa and then bedtime.   

Wednesday, May 14^th., 2025…… Nothing on the agenda for today. By the end of the day, Cathye had everything packed. We made a run to Walmart this morning to pick up stuff for me while she is gone. Later, we watched The Masked Singer finale. We were surprised by the order of finish, 

but all were really good so it was up to the voters. We didn’t pick any of the people but got close with Brian Kelley formerly from Florida Georgia Line. Problem was we were thrown off when his clue package said he went solo and we didn’t know they had recently split up the duo. Early to bed because we have to get up at 2:00am tomorrow morning to make it to the airport for Cat’s flight tomorrow!  

Thursday, May 15^th,, 2025……  The alarm woke us this morning and we were up and going and out of the house by 2:20am!  The drive to the airport is around 1 ½ hours and I got her there just after 4:00am. She said later that check in and security went quickly (she has a passport) and she had time to rest before her flight. I got back home and stopped in town for a chorizo burrito and headed back home to eat and relax. She texted later that she made it to Chicago and was waiting for her next leg to Manchester NH. Later, I heard that she was picked up and was on her way back to Daniel and Terisa’s home in Walpole.  Felix was happy to see his Grandma!

I rested and actually took a nap during the day to get caught up with my sleep. Later, I went out to work on the trailer. I used the truck and pulled it out and got all the lights hooked up and the ramps loaded and locked on the trailer. I broke a side marker on the trailer so I will need to go get a new one tomorrow. But at least it’s good to go next week.  Later, when I was watching tv, I got a text message that our car shipped yesterday and is on the way!  Estimated delivery to CarMax is still 5/16-5-25. I watched tv until bedtime. Rains came later and it was really raining hard for a while. Enough to wake me up!

Friday, May 16^th., 2025…… I slept late this morning.  No rain yet so I was able to walk the dogs.  Cat sent pics of her time with family. The school went on a field to a nature center and Felix caught salamanders and played with his friends. 

Cathye said Gertie finally warmed up to her and now wants petted all the time!  Wouldn’t be so bad but she’s shedding (the dog, not Cathye!) and gets hair all over the couch!

Later, I went off to the Alliance Plus dance in Albany. It is the last one of the season and they had three squares. That’s really good for this dance. It was fun. I got back and let the girls out for a bit. No rain yet but it’s coming.    

Saturday, May 17^th., 2025……  Not much rain last night but it wasn’t raining when I walked the dogs. I left and went to Walmart to get snacks for our Club dance tonight. We have a club visiting so I picked up two tubs of cream puffs to take later. I stopped and got breakfast and watched tv for a bit. I did go out and water Cat’s flowers on the deck (as instructed). FedEx delivered the chair cushions I ordered and I got those changed out. Then it was more relaxing for the afternoon. I watched qualifying for the Indy 500 and then The Preakness Stakes. By then it was time to head off to the dance. Cathye called me before I left and shared stories about her family time. While we were talking, she noticed she had a tick on her leg!  It had just started to burrow in. She had on long pants so she was astonished that it could get in and bite her, looks like above the knee! Terisa removed it and they treated it. She looked it up and found that it was one to worry about. Oh great!

Anyway, I headed off to the dance and had a good time. We had a club from Boring Or. (southeast of Portland) come down to visit. They are one of the largest clubs in Oregon and brought 34 guests to add to our dance! Before the dance, they wanted a group pic….

Shaun called a great dance and the visitors said he was really good. I got back about 11:00pm but stayed up for an hour and watched part of the Preakness before heading off to bed.

 

Oregon Living 2025 – Blog #17 – A Carriage Ride, Visiting the Babies, and a New Car Coming!

 

Sunday, May 4^th., 2025…… First up, Jo’s car!  I called her about 9:00am to check to see if her car was ok or not. I would run over to help if needed. But I just got her voicemail. Not sure yet.

We were up and going this morning. Mary and Cat walked the girls while I went out to get us breakfast and coffee. We watched the end of the Kentucky Derby which I had taped from yesterday. We all enjoyed the pomp and circumstance of the festivities there and I shared my experience when I got a tour of the facility years ago. Cat and I are planning on going in person for the race one day!  Mary headed back to Justin’s and we left to go to one of our Club member’s house in Brownsville. They had invited several of us to come there for coffee and pastries before going into town for ‘Carriage Me Back’ day in town. We had never been so we were excited to go with our group. We had a nice visit at their home and then headed into town.  I think Mark and Maria had 22 or 23 respond and that was exactly what the carriage could hold!  

The ride took us through the little town and they had folks dressed in period costumes along the stops on the way. It was 1902.  They came to the carriage and each had info to share about their little town and it’s activities. We saw vignettes with the town sheriff, ladies promoting women’s voting rights (and men opposed!), Sigmund Fruend, the town photograph studio with the latest tintype photos offered, etc.  We stopped and got out at the old Moyer House.

This is a town landmark and I had never been inside so it was cool to do that today!  They had the same scenes going inside, with a dancer, a séance, a cook prepping for a chicken dinner, and a coast to coast car racer asking to borrow the phone.

Afterwards, we all headed over to the Brownsville Saloon for lunch and drinks.  It was all entertaining and the entire group enjoyed the ride and the day.  Once we got back, we were done for the day and hung around the house.      

Monday, May 5^th., 2025…… Today we skipped the gym and headed straight to Kevin’s with Mary for breakfast. We took two cars because Cat and Mary were headed to the coast and to Chinook Winds Casino for the day. Meanwhile, I went on to the hardware store to pick up a new sprinkler head to replace one I tried to fix earlier. I put in a used one but should have thrown it away because it wouldn’t rotate properly. I got a new one and also got some more heads for Cathye for her raised bed. The next item on my list was to contact Jose to ask for a start date for the painting. He texted back that he was in Bend this week with family for Mother’s Day and would get back with a date next week. Then I headed outside and worked on my next project. I want to run an irrigation line underground over to the blueberry cage so we can have a spigot permanently there. I found my pick axe and did about a four foot run (about 1/4) before stopping to rest. I also will be starting in on getting everything moved away from the house prior to painting. I know I have plenty of time but will work on it a bit each day.  

Tuesday, May 6^th., 2025…… Weather is nice today!  Temps in the high 70s! I guess we will have to think about mowing again soon!  I was up and out early because I had a follow-up appointment with my doctor early this morning. She went over my last labs and wants more labs done later today. My PSA and TSH numbers are up and after my labs today, she sent in new prescriptions. Meanwhile, Cat and Mary walked and fed the dogs. When I got back home, I checked my email and saw a note from our claims adjuster for the car. Looks like the final result is a total loss. We were dumbfounded! In the letter, we were asked to go to the shop and retrieve all of our possessions and then release the car. The three of us went later and did that. Next up for me was to sign and FedEx the title to the insurance company. Once they clear the title, they will send us a check. I guess it could be worse. The settlement is more than what I thought. But now we have to go out and look for another car!  We won’t do anything until after Mary leaves, but I did do some searching online. Besides the Buick, which we like, I found some other third-row-seat cars we want to look into. Later, the girls worked on curtains for the Shasta. This is the trailer Cathye has given to her daughter-in-law, Crystal. The plan is for her to come from Missouri sometime in September to get the trailer to take back to Missouri. But Cat has had these curtains in work for a while now and Mary wanted to help, so we took the cover off of the trailer

and they finished the job.  While they did that, I got the tractor out and mowed down the grass under Rylee’s pool and then hauled it out there.

We washed it out but didn’t fill it today since the weather is supposed to change later in the week. The girls went out to visit with Amy while I went off to the workshop. First up was to check in with Jo about her car.  Her car’s dome light has been giving her troubles for several weeks now. She said it eventually does go off, so she had no battery issues. That made me feel better. They were short of girls today so I had to fill in. I can do the position but the guys up here are not used to dancing with a man so I don’t do it often! We got enough folks later so I was off the hook – until the Plus tip!   

Wednesday, May 7^th., 2025…… Mary was heading back home today. Her flight wasn’t until this afternoon, so we headed out to breakfast. Justin joined us at Kristi’s

and we had a nice visit. We came back home and let the girls out, then headed off to Eugene to the airport. We got her there early because today is the first day the airports require real id to fly, so they expected everything to be backed up. Mary has her new license but still had to check in. I guess it went ok because we didn’t hear from her until the next day because her flight had layovers and she wasn’t due back in to Tucson until late at night.  

Thursday, May 8^th,, 2025……  We had massage appointments today but Cathye didn’t book hers because she thought she would be in New Hampshire this week. That changed so she had made arrangements to meet up with Omalee for lunch. They left for that and I went on to get my massage.  Emily did tell me that she has some cancellations so if Cathye wanted, she could fit her in on Saturday. That will work since Cat has some soreness in her shoulder. I guess the cortisone shot she got a month or so has worn off!  When I got back, I started back on the irrigation project. I have the gravel dug out now and started in on the grass section just before the cage. That went pretty easily and I just had to make a slit deep enough to slide the pvc in. That way, I won’t have to have any bare spots on the grass. I will need Cathye’s help with that part of the project which we will do later in the week.   

Friday, May 9^th., 2025…… Today we head out to look at cars. This past week, we have talked and searched online for possibilities. It always came back to the Buick Enclave, which we dearly loved. There are plenty of them out there, but we won’t settle for a lessor model. They have the Essence, Premium and the Avenir, in that order. We had the Premium, so that narrowed the search. Not too much to offer in our area but a lot of dealers, (CarMax, Carvana, etc.) can ship from anywhere to a local facility or even to your house.  Most everything we found had too many miles, or was on the East coast (with possible rust issues) so by the process of elimination we found a Premium in Gilbert AZ and an Avenir in Las Vegas NV that we liked. We talked and we both liked the one in Gilbert as our first choice, but either would work. The folks at CarMax in Salem would be the ones getting it shipped. Neither of us has dealt with a place like this – low sales pressure, sticker price, etc., so we learned. We had stopped at Sybil’s in Salem beforehand, but we still got there before they actually were open. They let us in the lot to look around early and the cars were all unlocked, so we did that for a while. We saw some very nice rides, but they weren’t going to work for us. Later, we met with the sales rep and discussed our options and next steps. She quickly found our first choice in AZ and it was available! We decided to pay the shipping cost and get it sent to their facility. That works for us because we are still waiting for the settlement check to be deposited. Here are pics.

Just kidding, not this one!

This is the same year and model. The only things different are the color and the mileage. This one has lower mileage than ours so it’s priced a bit higher than our check. But that is actually good for us, going forward. They said it should arrive between 5/17 and 5/25. Cathye might still be in NH so we will have to work around that, but no worries. We are excited!  

After leaving there, we went on to Corey and Vikki’s to see the littles!  They had just returned from seeing their doctor and they are doing really well!  Both are gaining weight and they were more awake and we got to play with them and feed them today! 

Cathye has arranged a ‘Meet the Twins’ day at our house (May 31^st.).  It is an open house to come by and see the babies. The link Vikki placed on Facebook shares a wish list.  After we got home, we rested from the day. Tv and spa and then bed.     

Saturday, May 10^th., 2025……  Penny and Cherrelyn are taking Cathye (and me) to lunch for Mother’s Day. Cherrelyn is heading up north tomorrow to see her son so today works for all. We had a great time

and the food was good too! After we got back home, I finished up the irrigation project. Cathye helped me and we tried really hard to get the pipe in the slot I had made in the grass. Turns out it wasn’t possible so I had to dig a little trench. But it wasn’t too bad and the grass will grow back quickly. But now we have a spigot inside the cage and I don’t have to move the garden hose every time we mow!  

Cathye went off to get her massage and I came in to clean up for the day. When she got back, she said she felt great. Except her shoulder was still a little sore. We had given some thought to going out dancing tonight but decided that we wouldn’t want to chance someone pulling or yanking her shoulder. So, we just relaxed and watched tv. Among the shows, we watched the last episode of The America’s. We loved this new show and with Tom Hanks’ narration, it is one of the best we have ever seen! This final episode showed the making of the series. They had behind-the-scenes video of the things that the crew went through to get the best shots we have ever seen!  I sure hope they do it again!