Thursday, July 31, 2014

Lakeside Living

A few days ago I showed you how my sweetheart puts his little boat on top of the truck when we take it and our travel trailer on an outing.  Follow me to our destination – a beautiful, big lake high in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon.  This was the view of the lake from the shore at our campsite.Campsite View 1 Good friends of ours met us at the lake.  There was a sweet, little trail from our campsite to theirs next to us.  Here’s the view from their campsite.Campsite View 2We were fortunate to find a lakeside spot so my sweetheart could ‘dock’ his little boat right there when he wasn't fishing.Campsite View - Boat and LakeThe weather was beautiful – warm and sunny.  Perfect for camping.Sunshine on the WavesI loved the afternoon shadows.  The contrast between light and dark made it seem like an artist had worked his magic.Shadows

Afternoon Shadows
Joey and I went for a lot of long walks - we saw something different each time.  There was so much that captured my attention.  The work of a woodpecker. . .Woodpecker Tree Tiny shoots that grew on the side of trees that towered far above our heads. . .Little Greens And lakeside picnic tables in the distance.Lakeside Picnic Table Early one morning we woke to the sound of rain on the roof of the trailer.  My sweetheart was happy – he said that’s the kind of weather fishermen like!  They say fish bite better when the sun isn’t shining on the water.  I heard quite a few of the fishermen say that but I still have to wonder if it’s an old wives fisherman’s tale.  The day was cloudy and gray.  And cold.Gray Day on the LakeThe wind started blowing in the middle of the day.  It was strong enough to keep the boats off the lake.  What does a fisherman do when he can’t be out on the lake?  He sits in his boat and plots and plans and fixes and mends and changes his lines and lures.  And rearranges his stuff - waiting for the next trip out.Working On The Boat2Joey and I were happy to see the sun again the next day.  That’s what we like!  We were happy to walk and breathe deeply and enjoy the smell of the woods again after being cooped up the day before.  Late in the afternoon, as we walked, we saw – and smelled- the smoke from a campfire in the distance.Campfire SmokeYou may wonder what I did through the days when my sweetheart was fishing on the lake or talking to other fishermen or sitting in his boat scheming schemes to catch the ever-elusive big fish.  I relaxed and read and edited photos and caught up on reading  magazines I’ve collected.  I often sat and looked out the window of the trailer when I wasn’t inside – and I thought about things big and small and enjoyed life in the woods for a few summer days.

I hope you’ll come by again and come with us for a tour of the lake.  There’s room for you in the boat – I saved you a seat!

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Busy – Busy - Busy

We’ve been busy at our house.  Busy with the mundane - busy with the out-of-the-ordinary and busy with the necessary.  What have we been up to?  I’d like to tell you, if I may.
Bandaids
Yesterday morning I made another trip to see the orthopedic specialist.  This trip was a bit different than the last two visits and, to be honest, I was quite nervous about it.  This time I had a ‘lubricating injection’ into my knee joint – in hopes that the lubricant would help alleviate my knee issues.  There were those who shared their ‘horror’ stories of such procedures and some who told me their pain was much worse afterwards.  And, then, there were those dear, kind people who shared how wonderful their experience had been and what great results they had.  The doctor used an ultrasound machine to assure that the injection went exactly where it should go.  I hardly felt the numbing shot and I didn’t feel the lubricating injection at all.  Afterwards, I got a band-aid!  A trophy!  A reward for being brave.  My dear, little mother later told me that she prayed that I would be brave!  I’ve had very little discomfort since the numbing medication wore off.  In fact, I decided to take advantage of the ‘numb time’ to visit a nearby fabric and craft store and to stop by a local vintage shop not far from my home.  No purchase at the fabric and craft store – just lots of ideas.  Oh, but a small purchase for my vintage trailer at the vintage shop.  I’ll show it to you soon.  I won’t know if this injection will produce the desired results for about two weeks.  Then, if all goes as hoped, I will begin to feel a bit of relief that will continue to increase until it reaches full effectiveness about a month from today.  If this works well I will return again for another injection every six months.  If that’s the case, I won’t have to be brave because I’ll know what to expect!Measuring Work is moving full-steam ahead on my little vintage trailer.  Daffodil is scheduled to go to two campouts this fall!  She won’t be completely finished, but she will be ready to hit the road and provide me a place to lay my head at night when I meet up with some camping girlfriends.  My sweetheart is working hard to get her ready.  I’ve posted an update on her blog to catch up a bit so I can begin to show you what we are doing as it happens.  There’s a lot of hard work ahead, but we have reached the ‘exciting’ stage now.  I can’t wait to tell you all about it.  If you click on the ‘Daffodil – My Vintage Trailer - tab at the top of this page you can read all about it.  I’d love to have you stop by to see where she’s been all winter.  It's been a good thing!

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Wait Quietly

Sunset Sky
Let all that I am
wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in Him.
Psalm 62:5
 
Scripture from New Living Translation

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Way Up High

Last month my sweetheart and I spent nine days at a beautiful lake high in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon.  Of course you know a trip like that takes planning and packing and preparing and all kinds of activity.  I thought I would show you what happens behind the scenes when we take my sweetheart’s little fishing boat and our travel trailer, too.  In Oregon we can’t tow two vehicles, as in some states, so we have to be creative.  Someone came up with this idea and they started the company where my sweetheart bought his ‘car-top boat rack’.  Only, it doesn’t go on the car – it goes on the truck!

The first step is to empty the boat of anything that is not ‘nailed down’.  My sweetheart removes the anchor, the comfy seats, the fish-and-depth-finder, the battery and all fishing equipment.  The motor comes off and it all goes into the back of the truck until it's all put back in place when the boat is afloat in the water again.  Then he takes the boat out of the backyard – on it’s trailer.  He ‘tows’ the boat to the street with a tow dolly (done by hand, lots of pushing or pulling).  You may wonder why he doesn’t just back the truck up to the boat.  He’s tried that in the past.  The boat is parked in the backyard and he’s found it’s much easier to leave the truck parked on the street in front of our house. The process begins once the boat and trailer are backed up behind the truck.  The car-top rack is permanently mounted to the truck.  It goes with us wherever we go when we’re out and about – with or without the boat.  Guidelines that are part of the rack are attached to special hardware installed on the boat.  Then my sweetheart inserts his hand-held drill into the gears on the rack, turns it on and away she goes.  She is slowly lifted off the trailer and up in the air.Boat Up 1The process doesn’t take very long but, for some reason, I always seem to hold my breath until she's horizontal again!  But, every time those strong guide lines do their job and she just keeps moving into place.Boat Up 2Up and over.  I often think she’s just going to crash onto the rails of the car-top rack when she gets to this point.  But she doesn’t!Boat Up 3My sweetheart’s hands guide her a bit at this point as the guide lines tighten and she smoothly begins to move down into place.Boat Up 4 Then, she’s down.  Safe and sound.  Horizontal again.  Upside down.  Boat Up 5A few more turns of the gears and she moves forward into place - until a mechanism in the gears has wound the guide lines tight and she comes to a stop.Boat Up 6 I let out a big sigh of relief!  There she sits – on top.  Safe and sound.  Ready to go.  No matter how bumpy or how steep the road, she stays right there.  And soon, it’s time to go.  Time to head out for the chosen fishing spot.  Plans have been made, things packed, lists checked one final time – and we are off.  Off on our way to somewhere in the beautiful world around us.  Off on our way to rest and relax – and, hopefully, off to get the grill ready for a fish dinner.  Or two.Boat Up 7

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Did You Wonder. . .

. . . if I came back from the beautiful lake where my sweetheart and I went to camp and fish last month?  Yes, we did come home.  A lot has happened since then but I want to catch up a bit and then I’ll share our trip with you.  And I have other things to share, too, so I’d better get busy and do it!image
You may notice that my blog has a new look.  For the past year I’ve debated and thought and debated again whether or not I should change to another blog service.  I actually set up a new blog with another service to see if I wanted to move this blog over, and – after playing with it and giving it much thought – I decided to stay here and give this blog a more simple, clean look.  There are some new features and I’ve removed others.  At the top of my blog, just under the header, you will see five ‘tabs’.  Each of them will take you to information or to a site that is no longer posted on the sidebar.  ‘Home’ is just what it says – it will take you back to my main blog page from anywhere you have gone to read and take a look on this blog.  ‘About Me' is newly updated information about me!  ‘Contact Me’ has information about contacting me personally or finding me on Facebook and Pinterest.  ‘Daffodil – My Vintage Trailer' will take you directly to Daffodil’s blog so you can easily keep up with updates and information as we make progress on her restoration.  ‘Blogs I Enjoy' is a list (with links) to the blogs I read and enjoy on a regular basis.Lady With A CaneI have added a new accessory to my own personal ‘look’ these days.  I’m using a cane!  Several years ago I fell and injured my right knee.  It healed with the help of physical therapy and life went on.  Over the past couple of months I have fallen several times and my knee seems to be the issue.  Two weeks ago I began to have severe pain and swelling in and around my knee so I saw my doctor.  She did some x-rays and then referred me to an orthopedic specialist.  My doctor gave me two ‘assignments’ to prevent future falls – use a cane to maintain balance until this knee issue is resolved, and install ‘grab’ bars in the tub/shower.  The specialist did about a million more x-rays of both knees (for comparison) and then he gave us some good news.  The joints in both knees look good!  The next step was an MRI to see if anything is torn.  I see him tomorrow for results of the MRI and, hopefully, a plan to ‘fix’ the problem.  That plan may simply be another round of physical therapy – or, it may be surgery.  My Cane So, I had to buy a cane.  I didn’t want just any cane!  I looked at vintage canes in a local vintage shop, but they weren’t sturdy enough.  I looked at canes in a store here in town and I didn’t like much of what they had – until I spied a folding cane!  Perfect!  Basic. Black. Goes with everything.  And I have plans to bling it up a bit.  This cane folds up, goes in a little case and fits in my purse if I suddenly need a cane in the future.Puzzled Smiley Face - Small It works great so I’m using my cane and trying to do what my doctor told me to do.  I’m supposed to ‘rest and elevate the knee’, but she wants me using it!  I sit and rest in my recliner – then I get up and move around!  I’ve been trying to make the most of my sitting times.  I’ve sorted things in my office/creative room.  I can sit on the office chair and roll to wherever I want to go, sort, toss, recycle paper or anything else I find.  I want my ‘sitting’ time to serve a purpose, even if it means taking a nap.  I’m not driving these days because the leg that’s the culprit is my ‘gas and brake’ leg.  So, my sweetheart drives me where I need to go and he is sweetly doing shopping and errands for my dear, little mother and taking care of some her needs that I usually do.Cutting A PieceThere’s progress on my little vintage trailer!  The structural work has been finished and we started moving forward again.  We’re putting her back together.  I’ll share the progress on her blog in a few days.  It’s not a lot yet, but I’m getting excited! 

That’s what I’ve been up to.  I have some blog posts about ready to share.  Tomorrow I will show you how my sweetheart got the boat ready for our trip to the lake.  There’s a process – one that catches the eye of people passing by when he’s loading the boat for a fishing trip.
 
I’ll update you on the diagnosis – and prognosis – on my knee.  I’m getting pretty good at hobbling around, but I sure do get tired of saying ‘ouch’!  Until there’s more news, I am grateful for each moment – and for your friendship.