Traveling During The Pandemic to Washington State

Happy May!! The weather has been nice and the water calm in the morning. When I am drinking my morning coffee and looking at the calm water, I say to myself---self---you need to get a kayak out and get it in the water.

After getting a life vest, applying sun screen, a hat and a shirt, Dave helped me pull one of the kayaks out from their storage area underneath our neighbors quest house and carry it to the waters edge. It is a sit upon, which isn't my favorite, but if that is all I have to work with---then I am going to try it. I pushed it into the water and took off. It is so much easier to launch from shore than a dock!!! I had my back brace on too so my back wouldn't get too sore. Fishermen came by earlier in the morning and put a net out so I went exploring. I was checking for fish but there wasn't anything in that net. It was still early though. I just paddled around out there not far from shore and enjoyed being on the water. I got some exercise and I also worked through my apprehension about getting on a sit upon kayak. Well I did well and enjoyed it but when my butt started hurting I knew it was time to come in. There was just a molded plastic seat which after awhile gets hard. So when I got to shore, Dave helped me bring it back up the beach, but I had plans on going out again tomorrow so we just let it set outside at our neighbors. Finally, after all this time, I was able to get into the Bay of L.A. and paddle around on a kayak. My next adventure is to don my new snorkeling mask, and flippers and get into the bay. As long as the water is warm it will happen. Maybe when we return in the fall. The water stays warm until around December. I do have a Lycra suit I had made many years ago. Don't know if it would fit now. Heheheheh!!

Today, May 5^th is our grandson Eian's 21^st birthday!! He has been in Missouri for training, but is back at Fort Drum in N.Y. now.

Our son Mykel (his nickname), turned 48 today, the 9^th. What is with these kids getting so old!!! Ha!

We have been packing and getting ready to leave for Washington. Dave and I talked about when we should head north and we didn't know if the State parks were going to open for June or not, so we thought we should just go ahead and head north and get the trailer d-winterized and ready to go camping. We have an appointment with Apache Camping to have them do that on May 28. They aren't totally open for business yet, but they figure they will be up and running for maintenance stuff then.

Just before we left Bahia we got a notification that our trailer appointment was changed to the 27^th, which is good.

Monday, the 11^th, we headed out around 8:00am. We had some leftover food so we gave it to our gate guard. We said goodbye to them and headed to the Mexicali border. We had no idea how it was going to go crossing the border but we would deal with it. It is a 7 hour trip from our house to El Centro, just across the Mexico/U.S. Border. That is where we are spending the night. All went well and we were making good time until we got to the border. We had to take the West border exit from Mexico, into the U.S. instead of the East one. We arrived in Mexicali around 1:30pm, so we didn't have time to push on to the east border as they close at 2:00pm. So we were stuck at the west one. Four hours later we finally crossed into the United States. It was a long day and very frustrating because the line we were in went really slow. When it was our turn to cross, we had no hassles and were done in just a few minutes. Whew! We were exhausted by the time we got to our hotel which was south of El Centro. We stayed at the Comfort Suites and it was nice. California is in a stay at home order just like everyone else, but the hotels are open. Dave and I wore our masks and all restaurants are closed except for take out and delivery. We don't mind and it was nice to order, pick-up and go back to our room to eat. Here is to a good night sleep.

The breakfast area was open but only with fresh fruit, yogurt, make your own waffle and coffee. No hot food served. We were surprised. But most everyone that we saw took their food to their room.

After breakfast we were on the road headed for Vacaville, California to see E.J.. Looks like we won't be there until Wednesday, the 13^th. We were so happy there wasn't any traffic on the highways and we only saw mostly truckers. It seemed as though the truckers forgot some of their driving skills as we were cut off a couple of times. We weren't surprised at the California drivers doing that as it is what they do. We spent the night at the Liberty Best Western in Lebec, California. We have stayed there before to take advantage of the all you can eat salad bar in the iron skillet restaurant, but it was closed with no take out. There were plenty of places to walk to to get take out. This hotel was not serving any coffee or food for breakfast. We had coffee in the room and I had brought some breakfast cookies with us just in case.

Next stop---Vacaville to see E.J. We got to his apartment complex early afternoon. We were going to stay in a hotel but he said he had an extra bedroom so we could stay with him. So that is what we did. He has a nice apartment on the second floor and it is well furnished. He is a gamer so he sleeps in, since he doesn't have to report for duty but one day a week. He games from after dinner until the wee hours of the morning. He is hoping to get back to work soon as he is going stir crazy. He just transferred from the east coast to Travis Air Force Base in March and then the pandemic happened and his life, like the rest of us, was put on hold. So he knows no one and he was thrilled to have someone to talk and visit him when we came. We had a great visit and got caught up on family stuff and he fixed enchilada's for us for dinner. We watched a little TV and then Dave and I went to bed while E.J. stayed up to play his games.

Next morning Dave and I got up around 7:00am and had coffee. E.J. got up at 7:30am and we talked for a little bit and then at 8:00am we had to say goodbye. It was so nice to see him. We hope to see him on our way back down in September.

We were going to try and get as far north as possible today so we would be in Bremerton by Friday. We made it to Roseburg, Oregon and stayed at the Best Western in town. They had a laundry facility so I took advantage of that and washed clothes so I wouldn't have to do it right away in Bremerton. This hotel did serve a hot breakfast but they had 6 foot tables set as a barrier so no one could help themselves. There was only one person behind the tables taking orders of what people wanted and getting coffee and then we would take the food to our room. That was interesting.

Heading out and we will be in Bremerton at Ron and Noreen's house this afternoon.

Arrived at Ron and Noreen's place and they met us on their front porch. They said that no one has been in their house throughout the pandemic so we could come and go from their downstairs entrance. They bought an old house and are in the process of renovating but their downstairs has 2 finished bedrooms, one they turned into a guest room and the other is Noreen's sewing/craft room. They have a portion of the area unfinished which they cordoned off with a partial fabric wall. They have a small open area, outside the bedrooms and bathroom, which they set up as a living room with a single coffee maker, coffee cups, filtered water pitcher, plastic glasses, eating utensils, napkins, and a big screen TV. So we are set. They have the upstairs and we have the downstairs. Works out just fine. I thought they would do this to keep the safe distancing rule.

We got our stuff out of the truck and took it downstairs and settled in. Ron and Noreen will cook dinner for us tonight but then we are on our own. We had happy hour on their backyard patio and enjoyed all their hard work in getting a garden growing and plants taken out and others planted. Their yard looks really nice.

When we got up this morning, Noreen gave us a bowl filled with bananas, and oranges for breakfast. It is like a B&B. But we told them they didn't have to feed us as we will be happy to get our own meals. Since Noreen retired and they have put a lot of money into fixing up the old house, money is very tight right now. We fully understand as we have been there and we still need to watch our spending.

We went to the Illahee State Park to see the Ranger but she wasn't there. We won't be camp hosting this June as the State Parks are not open. But the Ranger has put us on the list for August or maybe July if the camp host on the list doesn't come. We are staying with Ron and Noreen for a couple days and then on Monday the 18^th we head for Ernie's place. In the meantime we are cleaning up the trailer and we took the cover off and will give that to Ernie for his trailer. Everything in the trailer looks great. We had a small heater going all winter along with dehumidifiers, one in the main area and one on the bed.

This morning we left for Ern's and got to their house in the afternoon. Brooke was getting her second cortisone shot in her back this morning. So we took our time getting to the house. They also had to stop at Costco. So we stopped at Walmart to look for yarn. I started an blanket for Conor and needed one more skein to finish it. Well they had only 2 of the color I needed on the shelf and I bought just one. So now I can finish Conor's blanket. Ernie was home now but we wanted to stop at Cabela's to look for an oven stone for the trailer oven. Most trailer ovens have the burner in the middle so most things get over done in the middle. But we found that an oven/pizza stone will distribute the heat evenly so there won't be any burning. But of course they didn't have it and neither did Walmart. Looks like we will be ordering from Amazon. We left Cabela's and went to Ernie's. It was so good to see everyone. Brooke's dad was there as he couldn't wait to give Brooke her birthday present. Her birthday is on the 21^st, just 3 days away. He bought her a Yeti pressure cooker. Brody wasn't there as he was at his Aunt's house keeping his cousins occupied while his Aunt worked from home. Conor was in rare form as a 4 year old. Typical behavior for that age is talking back, sassing, saying no, and being belligerent. He got a lot of time outs. Ernie and Brooke are putting him into preschool in June, which will give him some structure which he needs. This pandemic has been hard on kids as well as adults. So he will be in preschool 3 days a week which will be good for everyone.

Brooke turned 42 today, the 21^st. Not much celebrating can happen with the pandemic, but we tried to make it a good day for her. I bought birthday decorations and let the boys decorate the house. Then Ernie took the boys to get a gift for mom. When they got back with a card and flowers, they were so anxious to show her the decorations and give her flowers but mom was getting dressed so they had to wait. In the meantime, Brody cut a portion of the stems off the flowers and put them in a vase and set them on the table. Conor went up to get mom and brought her downstairs but she had to close her eyes when she got to the bottom of the stairs until Conor said she could open her eyes. Then she was happy about the flowers and decorations. Dave and I had gone to Costco and bought a cheese cake and strawberries as that is what she wanted. For dinner she wanted tacos so I made them and at 5 we sat down and had dinner. Ernie had arranged a couple of days ago to have a drive by birthday parade. People were to meet at the church parking lot near their house, and then come into the neighborhood, driving by and honking to celebrate her day. Ernie and family are going camping on Friday for the Memorial Day weekend in Eastern Washington, so they were working all day in getting the trailer ready and loaded up. A little before 6 Ernie asked Brooke to check something out in the trailer as he knew the people were coming. It took a little time for them all to get there but soon there were cars lined up, honking their horns with signs hanging out their windows and balloons attached to their cars. Brooke had no idea this was going to happen. Earlier in the afternoon, Brooke hadn't heard from friends, cheer leaders, family and she felt that they were all ghosting her. She was kind of upset. She had talked to her mom earlier in the afternoon and invited her over for tacos at 5. Her mom said she would come and Ernie text Brooke's mom and told her no!!! She wouldn't have enough time to eat and then get in the parade. So when Brooke's mom told her she couldn't make it for dinner, that she had to pick up her girlfriend when she got off work, but would be there for desert. Brooke was unhappy. Then Brooke talked to her sister and asked if they were coming over and her sister said yes, but didn't give a time. Well a little after 6 the drive by happened and Brooke got balloons, posters, some gifts as the cars drove by. She cried happy tears. Her grandfather, dad, mother, sister and family, cheer leaders and some family members and friends drove by wishing her a happy birthday. After the parade, 3 of her friends, a couple cheer leaders, mom and her friend, her dad, and a neighbor and us were there to help her celebrate. We served up cheese cake and strawberries and then sad around and visited. The boys and their cousins went off and played and everyone had a great time. Around 10 everyone went home and we all went to bed.

Dave and I are going back to Bremerton, while Ernie and family are going to the RV park, Smokiam, at Soap Lake in Eastern Washington to enjoy warmer weather. It is supposed to rain in Bremerton and the Puget Sound most of the weekend. We said our goodbyes and wished them a fun and safe time.

Before leaving to go to Ernie and Brooke's place, Dave and I bought a memory foam 8 inch mattress for our trailer bed. The mattress on there now is 10 inches and is took tall for the wardrobe bump out to go over. So with Ron and Dave working to get the 10 inch mattress out of the trailer, it was a lot of work. The mattress, because it had springs in it, wouldn't bend so they folded it as much as they could and worked it through the door. Then I took the new mattress out of the box and Dave and I unrolled it and placed it on the bed. We need to give it 24 to 48 hours to expand to the full 8 inches. In the meantime we went to Walmart and I got sheets for it. I forgot to buy a mattress pad to protect the mattress so I had to go back to the store and get one.

Saturday, the 23^rd Dave took the truck in for it's annual checkup and had some other things checked out so all things are in working and good condition.

Today, the 24^th, is Dave and my 29^th wedding anniversary. Doesn't seem like that long, but with all of our ups and downs through the years, we have managed to still love and respect each other. We bought a couple rib eye steaks and rice pilaf for dinner. We have been eating in the trailer for all meals except breakfast. We have been having pastry in the morning with our coffee. We have peanut butter and jam and any left overs we may have for lunch and we either go to the store and pick up something for dinner or we go to a restaurant for take out.

Saturday and Sunday the weather was 70 degrees and very sunny and nice. However, Memorial Day is another story. Usually rains on this day so nothing new there. We are just chilling doing what we can to stay busy. I am making a blanket for Brody. I ordered the yarn from Joann's and picked it up. I also read. On Wednesday we take the trailer in to the dealer and get it d-winterized. June 1 we will be leaving and going to Sequim, Washington to an RV park for about 3 weeks.

Today is looking a lot brighter. It is supposed to be sunny this afternoon so my job will be to get up on the roof of the trailer and sweep off the pine needles since we are under a huge pine tree, and anything else that has accumulated on top of the trailer and the slide outs. Then we will bring the slide outs in and hook the trailer up to the truck and we will be all ready to leave in the morning for our d-weatherization appointment. Yesterday was so gray and I tried to keep busy reading and crocheting, but got bored. This morning I called my best girlfriend, Judy and we talked for a while. It was nice to catch up.

We are taking the trailer in tomorrow morning to get d-winterized so I went on the roof to sweep off the debris and then we pulled the slide outs in. Dave put air in the trailer tires and the truck. We hooked the truck up to the trailer so we wouldn't have to do it in the morning.

This morning, we took the trailer to the dealers, in Poulsbo, and they said it would take them about 4 to 5 hours so come back then. So what to do now?? So while we were there in Poulsbo, we went to Walmart looking for a small fold up ladder for the trailer. Didn't find the one we saw online. So off to Home Depot. Nope, not there either. We went to McDonalds and ordered breakfast and ate it in the car. Then we took a drive to some shops up on a hill in Silverdale, just to check it out. We stopped at the Home Depot in Silverdale, and of course they didn't have the ladder we wanted so looks like we will be ordering it online. We went back to the trailer dealer and found that our trailer was ready to go. So Dave went in and paid the bill, and then we hooked up the trailer and came back to our friends backyard. The covers over the slide outs look great and it will be nice not to have to go on the roof and sweep off the debris. Also it will be nice that rain water won't sit on the slide outs anymore. Good investment.

This morning I went to a laundry mat and washed clothes. I am not washing them at our friends as that means we would have to go inside their house and we don't want to do that. I had the whole laundry mat to myself for a while so while washing my clothes I read. Then people started to arrive and I donned my mask. People came in and put their dirty clothes in the washer and then left and came back when clothes were ready for the dryer. There was only one other person beside me that stayed in the laundry mat. Once my clothes were dry I put them in a garbage bag and took them back to the trailer to fold and put away. Tomorrow is grocery shopping day. Oh boy!

Noreen and Ron had a small dinner party in their carport. They had a large salmon to share and we had a salad from the greens in Noreen's garden, and beans. It was a fun a fair and everything was good. Then Noreen brought out a pear dessert she made to top it off. Delicious. Everyone had fun watching the birds come to feed on the bird seed that was put out and then the beautiful male wood pecker came to get some suet.

Went grocery shopping and got most of what we needed. I will finish shopping once we get to Sequim. When I returned to the trailer I put item away and vacuum packed meat.

We are definitely in the Northwest. We woke to thunder and lightning and heavy rain. That lasted all day. Dave was able to contact Mykel so we drove to Tacoma to see him and his apartment. We had a nice short visit but he is doing well. On the drive home, it poured in places and when we got to Bremerton we put gas in the truck and shopped for dinner and came back. It was nice to be warm and dry.

Light rain today for the last day of May. Then it is supposed to clear up and tomorrow be sunny, maybe. But at least it won't be raining. Tomorrow is when we leave to go to Sequim.

Because of the death of a black man in Minneapolis, by a white police man, started an outrage from not only that community but all around the country. Seattle started with calm protesting against the murder of the black man, but other people from outside Seattle came in and caused a riot situation, breaking windows in businesses in the downtown Seattle area, looting, setting cars on fire and just causing destruction and damage for several blocks. Because of all this happening, especially the rioting in Minneapolis, Eian may have to deploy to that area to help enforce and clear the areas effected. I wrote to him yesterday and he mentioned he was on call. Just a shame that things like this have to happen. The black man was sited for giving a cashier a phony 20, but the force that that one white officer used was absolutely uncalled for and malicious. Police are supposed to uphold the law and keep people safe. When a police officer like that does something as evil as this, it makes all police bad in many of our eyes. It is the same in all other cases dealing with people. It only takes one to do something stupid and it puts a label on everyone else. Not fair.

Spent this last day of May cleaning up the downstairs room we stayed in at Ron and Noreen's, and took all of our stuff we had there and brought it out to the trailer. We will stay in the trailer tonight. We didn't stay in the trailer after it was d-winterized because we thought there was no fresh water in the tanks. We found out that when the trailer was getting d-winterized, they added some water. So for one night we will be just fine. When we get to the RV campground, we will fill the tank. In the meantime we are just hanging out in the trailer waiting for the sun to come out and my vacuum to recharge so I can vacuum in the trailer.