It is the 1st
of May and we arrived in Bremerton a short while ago. We are staying
at the Oxford Suites hotel in Silverdale. We will be here until the
3rd and then head to my eldest son's house.
We went to the Apache
Dealer to see if our trailer was going to be delivered on the 9th
and they said there would be a slight delay. We were a little bummed
about that because we can't get insurance or a loan until it comes
in. We did go to the bank and talk to them about a loan and told
them what we were wanting to finance and we were able to get a figure
and so we can go from there. We drove to the Toyota dealership and
talked to one of our buddies up there about seeing if they had a
Tundra with a larger towing package. Nope. We just know that the
tundra will struggle pulling the trailer and we don't want to ruin
the transmission. So we are looking, but probably won't be able to
do anything about it right now. No harm in looking. That is what
happened with our last Toyota truck and how we got the Tundra. So if
it is meant to be it will happen.
We are headed to Ernie's
later and found out they were going to be gone to Yakima for the
weekend for Brody's basketball tournament. They wanted us to watch
the dogs while they were gone.
We decided to check out
the Chevy dealership which is actually run by the same person that
runs Toyota. We found out that the Boss man that worked at Toyota is
now working at the Chevy place. It was awesome to see him and he
couldn't believe we were here. We started talking trucks and AK (the
Boss man) fixed us up with a man named Alec. We went out and looked
at a Denali, GMC and took a test drive and loved it. Alec said it
had the tow package on it we needed so we started the paperwork. AK
crunched the numbers and we found out we could finance it. So we
almost signed on the dotted line, but Dave had a bug in his gut and
asked about the towing package again. He couldn't find where it told
what it was. Later we found out it only had 9,000 towing package
instead of 12. That was a huge bummer as we really liked the Denali.
It had everything we were looking for except the towing Sooo now it
was back to the drawing room. They had us look at a Chevy Silverado
in the lot and said if we like it they can get one like it with the
towing package we need, but it would come from another dealership.
AK called a place and they said they had one in white and we could
have it the next day. It reminded us of our Tacoma truck because it
had storage under and behind the back seats. The Silverado was less
than the Denali so we were in good shape. We called Ernie and told
him we wouldn't be able to make it until Saturday and if they had
someone else to feed and let the dogs out until we get there. They
tried to get Brooke's dad but he was working so they decided it was
worth kenneling them. So now we don't have to worry about the dogs
and just need to pick the dogs up on Sunday before 1:00pm. They were
coming home Sunday afternoon.
We cleaned out the Tundra
and washed it and since we already had an appointment on the 3rd
to have the Tundra serviced, we decided to go ahead with that and
then we could hand it over for the Chevy. All went well until we
found out it didn't have a navigational package on it. We used that
a lot in the Tundra. The dealer said it did but with more research
we found out that because of the towing package being so big they
couldn't fit in the nav system. No worries as we can get it with the
other programs like Chevrolet and Onstar. We were spoiled with the
last truck and this one has a bunch of bells and whistles on it just
not the ones we were used to. Since we were delayed in going to
Ernie's until Saturday, Ron and Noreen offered their spare bedroom
for the night. That was really sweet. We took them up on the offer.
When we come back from Ern's we can stay at Ron and Noreen's again
for a night. Then we will have our trailer. Here is our new truck.
We are at Ern's house just
waiting for them to come home so we can see Brody and Conor. They
came through the door late in the afternoon and I had dinner ready.
It was nice to see the boys again. Conor took more to Grandpa this
time than me. He is growing up!!!
Brody had school and
Brooke had to work so it was just us and Ernie. Conor went to his
day care one day and then the second day he stayed home with Dad. We
had fun and it was warm enough to get the pool out so Conor could go
in it. Ernie filled the pool with warm water and Conor had a ball.
Conor has water wings and loves to jump in the water. He loves it
and will be a good swimmer soon.
We left Ernie's on the 8th
and headed back to Bremerton, to Ron and Noreen's house. The trailer
came in and we did our walk through. One of the guys showed us where
everything was in and outside the trailer and made everything work.
The Apache dealership was awesome in working with us and answering
all our questions and concerns. We left the dealership
with the trailer.
Dave was a little apprehensive since he hadn't
pulled a trailer before and I was nervous for him but he did great.
We had to rethink easier ways to get to Ron and Noreen's without
going through traffic. We made it and had a little effort backing it
up, but it was done and we are now settled in Ron's big backyard with
trees, blackberry bushes, deer and grey squirrels. It feels good to
finally have our own place to call home.
Today, the 9th
is Michael's birthday. He is 47. He went to Hawaii for his birthday
so we didn't get to see him on his day.
Mother's day was a good
one as Jon and his boys came over and brought me flowers and stayed
awhile. Jonathan Jr and Cameron helped Ron pull weeks in the
backyard.
They bought their house last year and have a lot of work
to do on the inside as well as outside of the house. So Dave helped
Ron demolish the old brick fireplace on the patio and I have been
helping pull weeds. Jon and I had a nice visit and it was great to
him and the boys. Brooke wanted to get together in Seattle for
lunch, but no reservations were made and it would have been hard to
find a place that had room so I called her and said it was alright if
we didn't do that. I told her just to enjoy her day. I was glad I
was home to see Jon and the boys.
Had my eyes examined by a
new doctor as the one I had last year now works in Port Orchard. So
I found out I have floaters and there is a film attached to them.
That is why sometimes my eyes aren't clear. There isn't anything
they can do about it. It is not like what Dave had after his
surgery. There was a film that developed over his eyes, but it could
be removed by laser. Mine can't. So I will just need to deal with
it. I use my glasses when needed in driving and reading in lower
light. Just as long as I don't get more floaters I should be
alright. It is what it is.
Everything worked good on
the trailer for a day. Then it was cold so we turned on the furnance
to get warm and it ran for not even a minute and shut off. We tried
it a couple more times and it did the same thing. So we checked the
instructions in the manual but it didn't tell us anything so we
contacted the dealer. We talked to one of the service men and he
said we would have to bring the trailer in as they don't make house
calls. Bummer. So this was a practice run for us in hooking up the
trailer. We did pretty good. Once at the dealers they checked out
the furnace and found there was a loose wire. When that was fixed
they let the furnace cycle off and on for about an hour and then some
to be sure it was going to work. In the meantime, at our request,
they took the tires off the trailer and we took them into Les Schwab
to get them balance and proper tire pressure in them. We went to
Burger King to have lunch and when we got back they were done with
the tires. We took them back to the dealership and they put them
back on the trailer. The furnace had been functioning just fine all
this time. Satisfied the furnace was working, we got the trailer
hooked up again and headed back to Ron's. Dave had an easier time
backing it in the yard. Before long we will be prows at it. We
haven't had any more problems with the furnace. I am glad it is
fixed because it has been pretty cold during the morning and evening
time. I will need to buy some humidifier containers to get the
moisture out of the closets. We are used to this because of living
on the boat. Pretty much the same type of living style except we
are on land now.
Today was a very, very sad
day for us and many people, as our beloved Jacqui Stevenson lost her
fight with lung cancer. She got pneumonia and ended up in the
hospital where she took her last breath with family present. She was
such a giving, happy, loving, thoughtful, beautiful person. I met
her when I went to work for Vitro as she was the Secuity Officer.
Then years later we were in the Sail and Power Squadron together.
She will be missed by a whole lot of people. She touched so many
lives and left an imprint. She was a blessing.
Dave and I wanted to go
somewhere to explore camping sites, so we decided to go to Dungeness
Spit in Sequim, WA. We invited Ron and Noreen to come with us, which
they did. We drove through the RV park and they had some nice sites,
but it looked as though it was too narrow for backing in a slip.
Also there are a lot of big trees so we wouldn't have much solar
which isn't good. We went down further in the park to get some
information and was able to sign in, as we belong to Pass Port
America, which is free. We walked down to the beach and saw the spit
that we want to walk. It is 5.5 miles from the park to the spit and
lighthouse. So 11 miles round trip. The most I have been able to
walk on flat ground is 4. But I really want to try it so I will need
to walk more. The other thing is I need to get a better back
support. I have a copper fit right now and that works for doing
things in the yard and when I have to be on my feet a lot and
walking. When we finished our walk from the beach we left the park
in search of food. We had a late lunch, early dinner then headed
home. It was a nice day with sun and not too chilly. Can't wait to
go back. We did drive by an RV park that Ron and Noreen stayed in
just outside Sequim, and it had sunny spots so I think Dave and I are
going to go there and camp and have Ron and Noreen visit us so we
could walk the spit.
Brooke, our
daughter-in-law, turned 41 today, the 21st. We will be
camping with her, Ernie and Conor this upcoming Memorial Weekend.
Ernie is on a work trip and due back late Thursday so they won't be
leaving with their trailer until Friday. We are leaving Thursday so
we will get to set up and then just wait for them to come on Friday.
Thursday morning we put
things away in the trailer that might migrate around from turns and
road conditions, and hooked up the trailer. It took us a little
while to get the hitch on the truck matched up to the trailer hitch,
but after a few try’s Dave did it. Even with a backup camera it is
hard to figure the distance from the back of the truck to the trailer
hitch. In time he will be a pro at it. We did the safety light
check and the tire pressure check and all was good. So here we come
Smokiam RV park in Soap Lake, WA. We left close to 9:30am and got to
the RV park around 2:00pm. Because I had already made reservations
all we had to do is show my ID at the gate and he could look us up in
the computer and then we paid and found our spot. We were in the
same spot Ernie was last year when we went camping in Ernie's camper.
They will be in the one next to us on the corner. Because Ernie was
traveling for work he wasn't getting home until late Thursday night.
He had made reservations last year as we did for Thursday to Monday
on Memorial day weekend, but can't be there until Friday. No
worries. The traffic for us wasn't bad so that was nice. That was
why we wanted to leave on Thursday so we would beat all the holiday
travel. Once we arrived at our spot in Smokiam, Dave tried to
maneuver the trailer into it, but had a difficult time. One of the
camper gentlemen came down and asked if he could be of assistance and
I said yes. So he and Dave talked and that helped. The man
mentioned that a lot of his friends have sway bars on their trailers
and end up taking them off before parking the trailer as it makes it
easier. So we did that and it was much better. We finally got into
the camp spot and started leveling and setting up the trailer. We
had full hook-ups so we didn't have to worry about waste or anything.
Then we sat and relaxed outside when we were done. It was a sunny
comfortable day and beautiful.
Next morning Ernie sent a
text saying they just left their house and would arrive about 3:00pm.
They were a little later as they stopped to have lunch. They made
good time though and traffic wasn't bad for them either. After they
got set up we visited. They brought their dogs which we were
surprised about. One is a pit bull mix (such a gentle guy) and their
husky girl. Ernie thought they would try to bring them to see how
they would do. The husky, Denali, was great. Diego not so much. He
barks at home when people are walking on the other side of their
fence by their backyard, so he wasn't much different in the camp.
Every time someone came by he barked whether it was human or dog.
Ernie had to put him in the trailer a few times to shut him up. They
were on a tether to the picnic table, as they found out that was the
only strong thing to keep them from getting away. They bought those
stakes you put in the ground that are supposed to work------they
didn't. The dogs almost got loose. So Brooke said she was taking
them back to where they bought them and tell them it doesn't work for
big dogs. Friday we didn't do much. We played soccer with Conor, and cornhole. Here are our trailers side by side!!
Brody was with his dad for the weekend. That night Brooke, Ernie, Dave and I played Mexican
train and finally called it quits about 11:00pm as little man Conor
wouldn't go to sleep.
The weather wasn't
supposed to be nice for Saturday and Sunday, but it turned out it was
mostly cloudy with maybe a few sprinkles. Saturday, Ernie, Brooke,
Conor and the dogs went to a friend of Brooke that had a ranch with
retired race horses. Dave and I wanted to visit Coulee Dam as we
hadn't been before. So Ernie and family went to the ranch and we
went to the Dam. We had a good time and it was really interesting.
We didn't want to go on a tour as that needed to be planned but we
did go to the visitor center and see all kinds of neat things and how
the dam works.
We left the dam, we
stopped in Coulee City to buy firewood from boy scouts selling on the
roadside. Much cheaper than you could buy at the park. Then we
stopped at a Windmill garden. The windmills were made out of all
sorts of things like a pressure cooker and funnels. Just odds and
ends. They still had a purpose even if they were old and worn out.
Then we stopped at Dry
Falls lookout. What a view and it is just south of the Coulee Dam.
I had Dave take my picture to prove I was there. Ha!!!
We headed back to Smokiam
and Ernie and Brooke weren't back yet. We took a walk around the
park and had fun watching trailers, motor homes, and people with
tents come in and set up. The park was packed by Saturday night. We
did get some rain Friday night and only a few sprinkles early
Saturday morning. It wasn't a warm day but if you wore a light
jacket or sweatshirt it was OK. By 3:00pm or so, Ernie and family
returned and they shared their adventure of the ranch. Conor got to
sit in the saddle with the owner and take a small ride. Such
beautiful horses. The owner couldn't stand to see any of them put
down because their racing days were over so he keeps them on his
ranch for the rest of their lives. That is pretty cool. Saturday
after dinner, Brooke, Ernie, Dave and I played Mexican Train in their
trailer while Conor was supposed to be watching a movie and fall
asleep. Well you know when you plan things like that it never
happens the way you want. So Conor was up really late. We didn't
finish all the games, but it didn't matter. It was time for all of
us to go to bed.
Next Morning, Sunday, it
was cloudy and a few sprinkles but still able to be outside. Ernie
and Brooke asked us to watch Conor for us while they went to the
store. They wanted to get a couple items for dinner. They were
planning chicken Kabobs. Conor, being 3, didn't want to be left
behind with the grandparents but he didn't have a choice. So to get
his mind off Mom and Dad leaving, Conor rode his bike while I walked
and we ended up at the kids playground.
After a while we came back
to the trailer as I didn't have my phone with me and didn't tell
anyone where we were going. So we walked back to the trailer and Mom
and Dad were just leaving. I told Dave where we were and we were
going back. Conor was excited to be going back to the playground, he
didn't care his parents were leaving. Conor wanted Grandpa to come
too so we all walked back to the playground. When Ernie and Brooke
got back, Conor and I played a little corn hole and then Brooke,
Ernie and us played. I did so much better than last year. It helps
when we play it in Bahia as well. Then it was time for dinner. We
had some tri tip steak so we cut that up and added it for the meal
and Ernie and Dave cooked the kabobs. I brought out the macaroni
salad I have been sharing to finish it up. It was a great meal.
When the dishes were washed and Conor was put in his pj's, Brooke,
Ernie and Conor came to our trailer so the adults could finish the
Mexican Train games and Conor could watch a movie. Brooke brought
'Jurassic Park' for Conor. We folded out the couch that makes into a
queen bed and added pillow and a blanket and he was good. After a
while he wanted to play too but he was told no. We finished where we
left off the night before and it was just the right amount of playing
as Conor was getting sleepy. We said goodnight and they left.
Tomorrow, being Monday, Memorial Day, they have to leave. We payed
for another night. We don't have to go back for work or school so we
could enjoy another day. The weather is supposed to be warm!
We enjoyed the extra day
at Smokiam watching tents come down and disappear, motor homes and
trailers leave. There were a couple of motor homes that came in
today but most of the park is empty. We were able to enjoy the
outdoors with a camp fire and comfortable temperatures.
Today, the 28th
is our other daughter-in-law's birthday. She is 42.
We left the park about
9:30am so we wouldn't get caught in the Tacoma traffic. We got back
to Ron and Noreen's backyard early afternoon.
It was a fun trip and
the trailer towed beautifully. Now we know we can go just about
anywhere. Before we go too far though we have to get the license
plate for the trailer. So we will stay around the Kitsap area for
now.
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