July 30, 2015. Fishing in the Pacific Ocean

CAMPGROUND: Another night at Sunset Bay State Park

LOCATION: SW Oregon near Coos Bay

WEATHER: Perfect! Highs about 70

What a fun day!  We took a charter fishing boat tour out of Charleston.  There were 6 fishermen and 2 "riders', like me.  I decided to not fish to save some money, and also because we don't have refrigerator storage in case I caught a lot.  I enjoyed the ride, and watching others catch fish.  The other rider, however, a 20-something, told me that this was her first time outside of Arkansas, and first time in a boat.  She was miserable.  She threw up 4 times, and pitifully moaned and groaned the entire trip.  It was pretty choppy, with big Pacific rollers.  We followed the coastline where we had hiked.  This is one of the historic Oregon shore lighthouses.

We went out quite a ways.  The captain moved around, in a constant search for fish. We were out for about 6 hours.

We had lots of clothes on to keep warm.  We ate a picnic lunch in the cabin on our way out. 

Everyone caught 4-5 fish, rock fish of various colors, and lingcod. George caught 4 black rock fish, also called black bass.  Each weighed about 2 pounds.

Our campground has a nice fish-cleaning station.  George cleaned ours.  He left the skin on the ones we grilled directly on the campfire to sear in the juices.  He filleted and skinned one fish for a recipe I want to try.

Next to us at the fish-cleaning station were a family cleaning huge clams they had dug today.

DINNER:  Grilled rockfish with a little butter, lemon and soy sauce for seasoning.  Lettuce salad.  Fire-baked potato.  

We cooked the other fish for future meals.  Good thing I cleaned out the refrigerator!  We have lots iof fish to eat!  All free!  (Haha!!)

July 29, 2015. Cute Charleston, Oregon

CAMPGROUND: Another night at Sunset Bay State Park

LOCATION:  SW Oregon, near Coos Bay

WEATHER:  Perfect!  Highs around 70

We biked around the campground and to Sunset Bay Beach.  The water must be very cold, but that doesn't stop the swimmers.

After a Japanese lunch I made of zarusoba (cold buckwheat noodles with scallions and tofu bites in a soy dressing), we went into town.  Unfortunately the maritime museum was closed.  The University of Oregon has a branch campus here for those studying marine biology.  Wouldn't it be fun to live and study here?  This is their campus.....

We stopped to talk to a fun lady at the Wild Women of Charleston shop.  I think this might be another town we could settle in.  

Then we went to a locals bar for a drink and to use their internet.  The bar used to be a church!

We have been selected for two house-sits in Australia, one on the island of Tasmania and one near Melbourne.  So exciting!  Now, I'm looking at the Trusted House-sitters website to try to find one more assignment.  We will probably be there from March to July.  We are corresponding with the homeowners online. 

DINNER:  We are going on a charter boat fishing tour tomorrow, so I need to clean out the refrigerator to be able to store all the fish we are going to catch!  :-). With that in mind, I made beans and rice with bits of last night's shish kabob meat and veg.  

July 28, 2015. Exploring SW Oregon coast

CAMPGROUND: Another night at Sunset Bay State Park

LOCATION:  SW Oregon, near Coos Bay

WEATHER:  Beautiful. Highs around 70

I made my morning stroll through the campground, gathering leftover firewood left at vacant campsites.  We don't have sewage hook-up here, so I am really trying to conserve water drainage.  I wash dishes in a bin and dump the dishwasher in a designated area.  We will try to go 8 days without draining.  Since we have electricity hook- up, we don't have to be concerned about the battery.

One bad thing about this campground is that there are a lot of crows.  They seem to like to poop on our truck.  It drives George crazy.  He is constantly washing  the windshield.  

We took a road trip, first stopping in a nature preserve.  Then we arrived in the cute fishing village of Bandon.  We drove through Bandon Dunes Golf Resort which is in my book "1000 Places to Go Before You Die".  It is a Scottish links-type course with dramatic views of the ocean.

We stopped along the road for a picnic.  I had made a pasta salad with leftover grilled tuna, pasta and fresh dill.

Then we stopped at the 7 Devils Brewpub  in Coos Bay for an IPA and stout. On our way home, we snapped this photo next to the oyster farm in nearby Charleston.  Lots of oysters!

George made a campfire for dinner.  We had vegetable and beef shish-ka-bobs and lettuce salad. I toasted some French bread to make salad croutons. 

We have electricity here, but no TV reception.  While in MN, my brother gave me some Rudy Maxa travel show DVDs, so we watched one about Argentina.  It whet our appetite to return there and to Uruguay.  

July 27, 2015. Seafood heaven

CAMPGROUND: Another night at Sunset Bay State Park

LOCATION:  Near Coos Bay in SW Oregon

WEATHER: Perfect. Highs about 70

George worked on the dinette in the camper.  He moved the table closer to the wall, giving us more internal space.  He got this idea from Air Forum, a website for Air Stream owners.î

Then we drove into the nearby town of Charleston.  It was once the largest logging seaport in the west.

 Now it has the largest oyster farm in the area.  We bought a dozen oysters for $8.00.  We also found a great seafood market and bought some Oregon tuna for dinner at $6.95/pound.

We took a 3-mile hike along the coast.  There were beautiful views.  The high point was watching a group of about 20 seals sunbathing and frolicking in a secluded cove.  We stopped at another state park  where the formal gardens of a former mansion have been restored.

Back at the campground, George shucked the oysters for an appetizer.  They were huge, even though they were labelled "mediums". 

They were about 3 times the size of a saltine cracker, so quite a mouthful!

DINNER:  Blackened tuna with a mustard/dill sauce.  Side was spinach with a few chunks of blue cheese.  Yum!

July 26, 2015. Tired muscles!

CAMPGROUND: 2nd night at Sunset Bay State Park

LOCATION: Near Coos Bay in SW Oregon

WEATHER: Very pleasant. Highs in low 70s

We really got a workout today.  We started out by strolling around the campground, about 200 sites.  Most are tent sites, with lots of families and groups.  Camping in the summer really has a different "vibe" as compared to off-season experiences.

Then, we did a 2.5 mile hike through the forest, ultimately arriving at a beautiful ocean viewpoint. There was an extremely steep path down to the water which we decided to forego.   It involved ropes to pull yourself up. 

The hike was a constant up and down.  My feet felt like lead, still recovering from the gardening in Michigan.  

Back at the campground, we had a nice lunch of Asian salad with the shrimp I had boiled last night on the campfire.

Then, we biked to another nearby state park for a ranger-led nature hike.  It seemed uphill all the way.  We were the only people who showed up, so we had a nice private 2-hour tour.  It was very interesting.

We relaxed a bit, then made a campfire.  The weather is just perfect for camping.  In an unsupervised moment at the supermarket yesterday, George bought some wieners.  We haven't had hotdogs for a long time, so he wasn't in the doghouse.  He bought Nathan's which is supposed to be the best brand.  He grilled them on the campfire with a weiner prong.

DINNER:  Chilled asparagus with a mayonnaise/lemon dipping sauce.  Then, hot dogs on a toasted baguette with a grilled green pepper/onion/mushroom medley.  Nice camping meal!

July 25, 2015. On the Road Again!

CAMPGROUND:  Sunset State Park.  4 stars.  Nice secluded spot, although the campground is full.  Decent bathrooms and showers.  Electricity and water hook-ups.  Firepit and picnic table.  $28/ night

LOCATION:  Near Coos Bay in southwest Oregon on Pacific Coast

WEATHER:  Cool, some drizzle.  Highs around  70

We spent last night with the homeowners in Portland where we will house-sit in the fall.  This morning they gave us an orientation for the maintenance of their nice cat, koi pond, house and yard.  Then we were off on the open road again!

We stopped in Eugene, Oregon for lunch.  We stumbled upon this cute brewpub and had tasty beers, a kimchi/tofu bowl of soup, and a veggie sandwich.  

It is much cooler here.  We sat indoors as outside was a bit too cool.  Hard to believe!

Then we headed west to Mapleton where the Airstream had been parked, in a friend's driveway.  We loaded up and drove southwest along the coast.  We passed miles and miles of huge sand dunes.

Our destination was Sunset Bay State Park.  The Oregon state parks fill up quickly in the summer, and we had been advised to make reservations.  We were glad we did, and the "no vacancy " sign welcomed us to the registration area.  We will stay here 8 nights.  We wanted to make sure we we covered for both sets of weekends.  We will use this location as base, and explore the area.

DINNER:  George made a nice campfire.  I made a new recipe I had found.....Sautéed bay scallops with asparagus and pasta.  It was delicious, easy and tasty.  We cooked everything on the grill.  I also boiled up some shrimp, since we had the fire going, for tomorrow's lunch.

We biked a short way to the beach to watch the sunset...After all, we are at Sunset Beach State Park. It was beautiful.  We went to bed early, still adjusting to time zone difference.

 

July 24, 2015. Heading back west

LOCATION:  Portland, Oregon

WEATHER:  Pleasant.  Evening temps in low 70s

In Ferndale, Meredith and I spread 4 bags of mulch, and called it quits for the day.  I made a long to-do list for her for garden projects and maintenance.

Gautham drove us to the Detroit airport.  Again, we old folks were exempted from the security screening.  So nice to breeze through.  It gave us time to eat a light lunch before boarding.

We had a connection in Salt Lake City.  It is very impressive by air....

 

We arrived in Portland about 6:00 PM, with 3 hours time zone difference.  We took the city's wonderful tram to the western part of town where our future homeowners (for our September house-sit) live.  They had kept our pick-up for us.  We went to a sushi restaurant for dinner and snagged some seating outdoors.  A very pleasant evening!

July 23, 2015. Finishing touches to the garden

LOCATION:  Ferndale, Michigan

WEATHER:  Cooler...about 90!

Same routine....gardening in the morning, while it was relatively cool.  We bagged up about 10 bags of yard waste.  Meredith organized the garage.  We did some finishing touches like mulching, sweeping, and transplanting.  

We were expectng guests for cocktails, so Meredith cleaned like crazy.  Gautham, George and I got out of her hair by going to a brewery for lunch.  We  ordered their "devil" pizza made with jalapeño and habanero chilies.  Excellent!

With beer and pizza in their tummies, the guys took a snooze.

Keeping our routine, we cooled off in the swimming pool.  So refreshing!

Gautham's uncle came for cocktails.  Meredith served chicken liver pate, caprese salad, and gazpacho sliders, all served so attractively.

DINNER:  We went to a popular bar/restaurant in Ferndale called One-Eyed Betty's.  It was fun.  We had pretzel sticks, grilled artichokes, "bacon with a side of bacon", and ham with fried okra.  Not the healthiest dinner!  After we ate, they had a trivia contest.  I was excited, hoping to win.  Then, they announced the category.....The Simpsons.  Needless to say, we scored zero.  

July 22, 2015. Making a dent in the garden

Park LOCATION:  Ferndale, Michigan

WEATHER:  More tolerable heat and humidity

We followed our normal routine....worked about 4 hours in the garden in the morning.  We made a trip to Home Depot for more supplies, then met Gautham at a Ferndale BBQ restaurant for lunch.

Ferndale is a lovely suburb of Detroit.  When I took the dog  Raja for a walk, I spoke with a guy out mowing.  He sung the praises of the town.  We joked that the garden supply stores here must make millions as all of the homes have well-kept gardens and yards.  There are beautiful homes and many people are out and about, walking dogs, jogging, biking.  The commute for Gautham to downtown Detroit is only 20 minutes.

We bought some herbs and found great places to plant them.  

These can go inside in the winter...

We spent the afternoon doing indoor projects.  George's to-do list is almost complete,  George and Gautham brewed some beer.  It is now happily bubbling away!

The earlier rains have stopped so the flowers were looking a little droopy.  I watered everything, and they perked up.

DINNER:  We used the salt block again, this time on the outdoor grill.  We grilled shrimp on it.  Side was beet salad.  I hate beets so Meredith served this to convert me to a beet lover.  It was definitely  the best beet dish I've eaten, but I'm still not a big fan.  She also made gazpacho to cool us off.

July 21, 2015. Gourmet dining

LOCATION:  Ferndale, Michigan

WEATHER:  More of the same heat and humidity

We are making progress with the garden.  George spread mulch around the flowers.

Our muscles are so sore!

We quit around lunch time.  Meredith made a gourmet meal.....seared scallops cooked on a salt block, with a scallion pesto sauce.

In the afternoon, I got a haircut.  My stylist had lime green hair and arms covered with tattoos.  Interesting experience!  Then we went shopping for lilly pads for the koi pond.

Gautham took us to a distillery in town.  It is in a restored historic building.  We had interesting cocktails.

DINNER:  Another gourmet meal by chef Meredith.  Braised rabbit with potatoes, onions and mushrooms in a wine sauce.  Side was polenta slices and vegetables grilled on the BBQ.  

July 20, 2015. Catering day

LOCATION:  Ferndale, Michigan

WEATHER:  Going-to-die heat and humidity

Same routine.....we gardened in the morning before it got unbearably hot.  Today is Meredith's food delivery day for 2 families in Ann Arbor.  She and they confirmed menu selections yesterday, then she prepped and cooked all day.  The hot oven made the kitchen uncomfortable.  (Seems like I'm whining a lot!)

We have almost finished the flower beds around the perimeter of the house.  We got some free mulch from the city where city workers were pruning trees.  Neighbors walk by and compliment us, so we are making progress!

Meredith and I drove to Ann Arbor, about 45 minutes away, to deliver the food.  Her clients are always excited about each week's goodies.

Back at home, we cooled off around the pool.  We ate dinner outside as it cooled off.

DINNER:  Hamburgers stuffed with goat cheese on the grill.  Grilled corn on the cob.  Yum!

July 19, 2015. Pig and Whiskey festival!

LOCATION:  Ferndale, Michigan

WEATHER:  Lethal heat and humidity

The people that lived in Meredith and Gautham's house before them were avid gardeners.  There are flower beds all around the house, in front of the house, in the pool area, in the patio area,  and in the koi pond area.  We finished one area....

Since the house was vacant for about 6 months, the weeds had a field day.  We gardened all morning, getting an early start.  Sweat was dripping off of us.  My legs and back were killing me.  So, we stopped and jumped in the swimming pool!

Their house is not air-conditioned, but there is a portable air conditioning unit in our bedroom.  The humidity is sucked out of the air by the unit, and the water drains through a pipe to a bucket.  Over night, the bucket filled completely up.......high humidity!

After it cooled down in the evening, we went to the Pig and Whiskey a Festival in downtown Ferndale.  Just as the name implies, there were lots and lots of whiskey vendors and BBQ restaurant stands.  

We had a few libations and walked around.  Lots of interesting people and dogs!

None of the BBQ sauces were spicy enough for us, so Gautham went to one stand where they made a special order for us.  Delicious!

July 18, 2015. Ann Arbor art festival

LOCATION:  Ferndale, Michigan

WEATHER:  Extremely hot and humid

We spent a few hours in the morning, weeding and working on projects.  Then we met our friend Heather in downtown Ann Arbor to attend the art festival together.  The festival brings artists from all over the USA.  We walked all over, seeing really interesting art and crafts.  We stopped at the Beer Grotto to cool off, and had lunch at a food truck.

Once we got too hot and tired, we went to Heather's new house to see how her remodeling went.  Absolutely beautiful!

Back in Ferndale, at our daughter and husband's house, we cooled off around the pool, then had dinner with some friends of theirs.

DINNER:  Chef Meredith marinated ribs, and the boys grilled them with corn on the cob.  A summer treat!

July 17, 2015. Getting lost in Detroit

LOCATION:  Detroit, Michigan

WEATHER:  Very, very hot and humid

With shopping lists in hand, we headed to Target and Home Depot.  We promptly got lost and ended up in some of the worst parts of Detroit.

For some reason, my google map on the iPad did not work correctly, and we kept going in circles.

We finally made it, and returned easily.  Once home, we did some of our jobs, mostly in the garden.

DINNER:  Steaks and veggies on the grill.

July 16, 2015. Detroit arrival

LOCATION:  Detroit, Michigan

WEATHER:  Very hot and humid

I guess there are advantages in getting old.......seniors get security pre-check at the airport, so we didn't have to take off our shoes, take out  our computers, or show the airport security our liquids.   Nce!

We arrived in Detroit, and Gautham and Meredith picked us up.  Only in Detroit.....a passenger came up to me and asked for $12 to take a train to downtown.  

We went to an old BBQ restaurant in one of the historic sections of Detroit, Corktown.  It was very good.  We drove around the area, then came home.

Meredith and Gautham just bought a house.  It is very nice.  They have a long list of little jobs for us to help them with.  We worked in the yard a bit, then cooled off in the pool.

DINNER:  Meredith made spicy shrimp and rice.  Very tasty!

 

 

July 15, 2015. Getting Surly in Minneapolis

LOCATION:  Minneapolis, Minnesota

WEATHER:  Cloudy. Highs in 80s

We walked around a residential area in Rochester where we stayed last night.  Many of the houses have beautiful landscaping.

On to Minneapolis, where our destination was the new Surly beer brewery. 

 

We learned that the original brewery first started when the owner became "surly" because he could not find craft beers in Minnesota, as he had tasted on the West Coast.  He built the first small brewery and Surly beers quickly became popular.  The owner is quite famous for changing the laws in Minnesota to allow beer and food sales in a brewery.  Once he successfully got the law changed, He built this huge complex, with a German-style beer hall on the first floor and gourmet restaurant on the second floor.  We had a platter of lamb sausage for lunch in the beer hall, then signed up for the brewery tour.

At the end of the tour, we sampled some beers and learned about their production and distribution.

George befriended the tour guide...

While we sampled the beers, the guide tested us with some trivia questions.  I won a free beer in the beer hall!  :-)

We met this fun group of women, coincidentally from Rochester, and invited them to share beers.  As usual, George was a hit with the ladies....

I checked out the gift shop.  This onesie is so cute!

We returned the rental car at the airport, then went to a motel.  

DINNER:  Leftover pizza from last night's Redwood Room pizza.  

July 14, 2015. Last day in Rochester

LOCATION:  Rochester, Minnesota

WEATHER:  Hot and humid. Highs in 80s

I had final appointments at Mayo Clinic.  As with the others, all were very efficient.  I was seen before my appointment times!

I had lunch with a former work colleague who is interested in buying an RV and traveling a lot.  It was fun sharing life-on-the-road tidbits.

We drove around town, admiring changes. This is the house where we lived in Rochester.

We have been trying to hit all of our old favorite restaurants.  Tonight we went to the Redwood Room.  It was not too crowded, and we enjoyed the acoustic guitar musician.  We shared a tandoori chicken pizza, really different and yummy.  

July 13, 2015. Mayo Clinic day

LOCATION:  Rochester, Minnesota

WEATHER:  Nice, but hot and humid. Highs in 80s

I was busy with 4 Mayo Climic appointments in the morning.  Again, all went very efficiently.  I took one of the shuttles between the motel and clinic.  It is interesting to be a patient, not an employee.

The Mayo Clinic campus is huge.  They say it is bigger than the Mall of America. This is St. Mary's Hospital, one of Mayo's 2 hospitals in Rochester, where Alexis works.

This is Ozmun East, where I used to work

This is the Gonda Building where most of my appointments are...

Later in the day I met a work colleague downtown in one of Rochester's new, swanky restaurants.  

Then, I joined George and friends at Whistle Binkies, a British pub located near the neighborhood where we used to live.  Some of our former neighbors and friends were there for a fun evening.

DINNER:  We shared some jambalaya, which was good.  It was "mystery beer night" at the pub, where you draw for beers for $2.50.  Sometimes you luck out; other times you get something you don't like.  Tonight, I won one, and lost  one.   

July 12, 2015. Back to the Mississippi

LOCATION:  Rochester, Minnesota

WEATHER:  Very nice. Highs in 80s

We took Alexis and Graham to Winona, Minnesota, about an hour away, to pick up Amtrak. They are going to Massachusetts to see Alexis's college roommate.  The train was about 3 hours late, due to wild fires in the West.  I hope they make their connection in Chicago.

Winona is on the Mississippi.  After dropping them off, we crossed the river and drove south through scenic Wisconsin.  We had planned to stop in one river town, but the roads were closed due to their annual "catfish days" celebration.

Back in Rochester, we went to Down by the Riverside, a free outdoor concert.  The band was the Fanulous Thunderbirds from Austin, Texas.   The city does these every Sunday evening during the summer.

DINNER:  Zip.  I have to fast for blood tests tomorrow at Mayo.  George had some hotdogs and beer at the concert.  It was painful to see people eating nice picnics. 

July 11, 2015. Rochester farmers' market and fun with friends

LOCATION:  Rochester, Minnesota

WEATHER:  Nice with a few showers. Highs in 70s

Today is our last day house-sitting in Rochester, so we tidied up and mowed the grass.  George watered the vegetables, and so of course, it rained shortly thereafter.

The house where we are sitting is near an area of town called "Pill Hill".  It is so named because of the large number of Mayp doctors who live here.  The clinic and hospital are conveniently within walking distance.  The homes are lovely.

Mayo Clinic's founders, the Mayo Brothers, donated their house to the clinic.  It is used for meetings and dinners.  

We walked to the farmers' market, for old-times' sake.  We bought a bouquet of flowers for the homeowners.

In the afternoon, we went wine-tasting at our favorite wine shop, as a reminder of Saturday activities when we used to live here.

After dropping Alexis off, we checked into our motel, then went to a friend's house for dinner.  They are gourmet cooks and wine afficionados, so we had a great  time.