Brainard's Banter

Check This Out (whoa! Please don't! I want her all for myself)

2010-10-15T13:06:00.000-07:00

My friend Ginger has posted another contest over at her blog, BearBits Now, a warning! Please don't go there! You'll fall in love for sure. It will end badly for you when I win.

Polaris RZR

2008-08-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

The Saga of the RZR!!!
Jim acquired a Polaris RZR a while back. We won't go onto the details, it's a bit of a sore spot for me. Anyways, with just a few short trips and driving the dogs around on our property (under 12 hours), IT stopped cold. Of course, it was the first day of our trip to the Oregon Sand Dunes. The local shop decided it would take too long to get warrenty authorization, order parts and do repairs. We decided to complete our vacation borrowing quads & return the RZR to the point of purchase.

He finally got IT back from the shop with a new engine. Jim has installed a snorkle kit hoping to let IT breathe cleaner air. (my opinion: design flaw) He heard thru his brother, who knows someone, who knows someone that works for the warrenty company. Whew! Apparently the engine problem we had has happened to about a dozen others. (another design flaw?)

Anyhoo, the plan is to try another stab at The Dunes Labor Day week. This time there will be several couples. Last time (4th of July week) there were about 35 people in the group.

Oh,oh,oh.... let's see if I can do this... gonna try to copy my post about the dunes and RZR from my other blog

Friday, July 18, 2008
Vacation & the 4th of July

The coast is beautiful, I've never seen the dunes before and they're amazing. Miles & miles of sand. Our weather was mostly sunny. At one time we had over 30 people for dinner. All of our dinners were potluck style fortunately. As the holiday grew closer the crowds did too. Patrick & the boys (DS & 2 DGS) arrived on the 4th and parked their little trailer in front of our coach. Looked like we had sprung a shed! LOL

The first ride out on our new quad and the engine seized up. We had to be towed back to our coach. The guys took it to the nearest dealer but it would've taken too long to fix it and we would've had to make a trip back to pick it up. We had to bum rides the rest of the trip. The danged machine is now in our local shop until a new engine arrives. Fortunately it will be covered by the warranty, but that doesn't change the way out vacation turned out.

Like I said, there were lots of people at this gathering. Jim's brother, Terry, and his wife, Cheryl, have been friends with many in this group for years. Jim has hunted with several of the guys. They get together several times each year at this same campground to ride the quads. This was the second time we have joined them but this was the largest group yet. We met quite a few new "friends" and had a wonderful time. One couple we met is also from LaPine, so now we'll have someone to ride with in our area.

Catching up

2008-08-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

I've made the big decision... it was either delete this blog or start using it. So use it I will. We'll see how it goes. I ended abruptly in the middle of our motorhome trip last year. The trip kinda fell apart and the internet connections were difficult to get. I just gave up!

Skipping over a whole lot of months... did you really think I was going to go back over our lives and reconstruct it for a blog?

One thing... I got a cat finally! Moses or Mose is a beauty! Long hair & so soft an a real lover. This cat is not afraid of dogs & if one of the girls growls at him he doesn't back down. He loves to lay on them! When we first got him, while he was at the vet being neutered, I had to have him pretty much shaved to remove all the mats. Poor little fella! And he ate like a pig! Was feeding him twice a day just to put some meat on him. Now he still likes that schedule & lets us know.

2007-10-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

Hi again everyone! We've been having an unusual amout of trouble with our internet connections so I'm writing to you from the public library in Webster, Florida. It's so hot & sticky humid here it's a blessing to be indoors with some air conditioning.

It was a beautiful drive out of Kentucky and back into Tennessee. But this time we went to East TN. We stayed in a campground just North of Knoxville where Jim and I had stayed several years ago. On Sundays here there is a gathering of some local musicians. Quite a bit of fun and singing along. Mostly Bluegrass and Gospel music.

We drove up into the Appalachian Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. All the fall colours were spectacular! I've never seen anything like it before. Sure makes me want to do a leaf-peeping tour through New England sometime. We also visited Gatlinburg and rode to the mountaintop in the tram.

From here we skipped on down to Atlanta, Georgia so Terry could pick up a part for his coach. I was quite disappointed that we passed on through Chattanoga as it's such a pretty area to visit.

From here Jim & I split off from the group for a while. They wanted to head back up into the Carolinas. We chose to go to Talladega, Alabama. Jim wanted to visit the speedway and I wanted to meet up with my stitching friend, Donna. We toured the track and got Jim's photo in the winner's circle. It's very impressive! I was amazed! Then I went to meet Donna for her lunch break as she had to work that day. Can't wait to get back to our computer so I can share pics of that meeting.

Jim & I headed on through Georgia and into Northern Florida so we could meet up with our friends, Rose and Jerry from Ohio. They were stopping at a rally near Gainsville on they're way to their winter home in Florida. We had a great time at the rally. Everyone had to wear a hat to get their meals. Boy were there some doozies! Don't know if I want to share those pics!! We also won a door prize of free camping!!

So here we are about 60 miles from Disneyworld! Our mail and my meds should be here tomorrow. Don't know how long we'll stay here. We're supposed to meet the others for Disneyworld but don't have a clue when. As they're just leaving South Carolina today, I expect it may be another week. Maybe we'll head over to Daytona!

Hopefully we'll get our computer problems ironed out soon and we can communicate more frequently. Til then, I'm off to pay some bills. Later...

2007-10-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, we're getting a real good signal here now!

Here is just East of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Cave City to be exact. This is a lovely campground near Mammoth Caves National Park. Tomorrow we have to move to another area of the campground because of a family reunion with reservations for our sites. Not so sure if the Wi-Fi signal will be as good there. But we love it here and will stay until Saturday.

Yesterday we had a great day! We toured the Corvette assembly plant and the National Corvette Museum. What beautiful cars and they bring back so many memories of my youth. I could've never afforded one but my brother-in-law did and his was the first stick shift car I ever drove. I remember working with my sister while I was still in high school and riding to work with her in the corvette. I won't tell you how long ago that was!!

After that we headed to Camping World. What a fiasco!! But we finally found it. Here I switched cars to ride with Terry & Cheryl. The others headed home while we went for a ride on the back roads of Kentucky. Absolutely wonderful!!

When Jim went back to the coach he started spaghetti sauce and french bread. Donna fixed the noodles. By the time we arrived home from our ride dinner was ready.

Today I felt awful so decided it was time to do laundry where I could sit and read. I started a trend! All three of us pretty much took over the local laundromat! After that the other two couples went for a drive. Jim & I stayed home and relaxed. Then we went to dinner at Cracker Barrel. What a treat!

Since I have this great connection I'll give you a brief update on my baby, Kelly. We took her to have the drainage tubes removed last Friday. The vet wasn't happy with how she looked and wanted us to leave them in several more days. Tuesday we took her in and the tubes were removed but this vet still didn't like how things looked. Now we're having to inject and drain her wounds twice daily. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to see the same vet twice bcause we're moving a lot. However, all of the vets have given us great chart notes to carry on with us. She needs to have stitches removed the first of next week. Oh how I hope she'll get a clean bill of health.

Well, I'm off to bed now. Catch you all next time...

2007-10-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

Hi again y'all, sure appreciate you're patience with our sporatic connections. The campground we're in now has Wi-Fi but we keep losing the signal. I'll try to keep saving this and maybe I can get you updated over the next few days.

We left Memphis and headed East to Nashville. Man, oh man, is that town expensive! We stayed in a campground about 30 miles East of Nashville in Lebanon. The first evening we spent downtown at Music Row and the Wild Horse Saloon. I was NOT brave enough to do the line dance lessons though. That place was packed!!

We met up with Cheryl's niece and family at Cooter's (for those Dukes of Hazzard fans), went to lunch and then wandered the extrordinary grounds of the Opryland Hotel. Now, that's a destination! I've been there before but always want to go back. I don't have the words to tell you how beautiful it is there. You've just got to go see for yourselves. It's worth it!! One of my dreams is to go there for the annual cross stitch show which usually coinsides with the quilt show. Then I'd know I had died and gone to heaven!

Our last day was very busy. Cheryl, Donna and I drove out to The Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson's home. We thought a quick tour, but we were oh so wrong. They've recently installed a wonderful self guided tour and it's very informative. We found ourselves stopping at every station and listening to every word. I had taken the house tour quite a few years ago and this was sooo much better. We also took the wagon ride around the grounds.

That afternoon all of us drove to Lynchburg to take the Jack Daniels Distillery Tour. NO, they don't give samples! But it's a marvelous tour. This is my favorite area of Tennessee and it was so beautiful to see it in all the fall colors.

Today we arrived back in Kentucky. We're camped near Mammoth Caves National Park near Bowling Green. The group took a cave tour this afternoon but I couldn't because of the steps. Over 500 of them! With my knees it was out of the question. But I wandered around the hotel grounds and had some freshly made Black Cherry Ice Cream. Oh yummy!

2007-10-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

Hello again! Once again it's been over a week since we could get internet service. I'll attempt to catch y'all up again.

Last we met we were visiting Branson, Missouri. While there we took a lovely side trip to Little Rock, Arkansas. When Larry was a young man he served in the Navy on a submarine. That sub, the Razorback, now sits docked and being restored. It was a wonderful tour he gave us and very personal.

We headed Northeast out of Branson towards St Louis spending a night in Sullivan along the way because we took all the back roads. It was interesting to see but became tiring for Jim on those narrow roads. Frankly, it was making me a bit nauseous too!

We settled in near St Louis mid-day. We were staying in a casino parking lot across the Mississippi River in Illinois. Security gave us a lift to the SkyTram and since Cheryl had never ridden this type of tram before we rode to the end of the line then back to the ARCH. What a beautiful sight! But ARCH tickets for the day were soon sold out. After a bit of wandering and photographs we decided the best plan was to arrive at opening time the next day.

Sunday, bright & early Terry, Cheryl, Donna & I arrived at the ARCH and rode to the top. How amazing!! This has been something I've wanted to do for as long as I could remember.

Then we were off to the zoo! St. Louis is known for it's amazing zoo and we weren't disappointed. I skipped out early on them though to meet up with two of my on-line stitching friends, Mary & Kim. Oh how exciting!!! I've known these ladies on-line in a cross stitching group for over a year and finally we get to meet face to face. We had a good gab and dinner and of course, photos.

Meanwhile, Jim and Larry stayed behind with the dogs all day to watch the NASCAR race. While I was driving home from my dinner out, I received a mysterious phone call from a veterinary clinic about my baby, Kelly. Ouch!! I immediately called home and reached Cheryl who didn't want to tell me. I just said for Jim to get back to the clinic to get Kelly and I was on my way home. Apparently,while walking the dogs, Kelly was attacked by another dog. She had surgery to stitch her wounds and has two drainage tubes. She's going to be ok, and that's all that matters.

Monday and we're heading out through Illinois into Kentucky. Paducah! Yea, home to the American Quilter's Museum. Kinda like the holy grail! I wanted so badly to stay in town & hit all the quilting shops. I did get to spend time visiting the museum, that's all! And we walked along the waterfront where they have wonderful murals.

We stayed in a camp about 40 miles away. Lovely place beside a marina off the Tennessee River. While the others toured The Land Between The Lakes (I've been there before) Jim and I stayed back at camp to keep an eye on Kelly. Needless to say, with drainage tubes we have quite a mess on our floors.

Well, we're in Memphis now. Our campground is walking distance to Graceland. Fortunately we went down to Beale Street to hear the jazz on Wednesday night. The roads are blocked off and on that night the only vehicles allowed were motorcycles! Looked like a cross between Sturgis and New Orleans!!! Lots of bikes, gorgeous bikes!!! We had a delicious barbecue dinner, listened to wonderful music and strolled the streets. Got a little tipsy myself on the Hurricane we bought for the glass from Pat O'Brian's. It's a "family" thing!

Today Terry, Cheryl and Donna did the Graceland tour. I decided not to as I love most of Elvis's music but am not a great fan. You probably all think I'm nuts and I'll probably regret it too! Instead, I found a post office to mail out a package and some other goodies, a laundromat to take care of that necessary business, and a vet to check out Kelly before the week-end. She's doing fine and there's no infection, but he thinks the drainage tubes need to stay in through the week-end. I feel better!! So this evening we all went back to Beale Street. It's still blocked off but not so busy or fun. Had a so-so dinner. Donna, Larry and I did walk up to The Peabody Hotel and went to the roof to visit the ducks. It's a long story about the ducks! We watched the sunset from the rooftop.

Well, I must get out of here as it's bedtime and we're heading out to Nashville early tomorrow. Hope you're all enjoying the ride. Sure wish I could update more often, then I would feel I could go into a bit more detail. Oh well, we do what we can. G'nite all, miss ya

2007-10-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

This is totally unbelievable in this day & age!!! Our opportunities for getting online have been pretty slim. So today I'm doing a bit of catch-up! We've covered a lot of ground so get ready for the ride!!!

I believe we left you in Wyoming. Since then we've visited South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. Will try to give you some highlights of each.

While camped near Sturgis, S.D., we visited Deadwood, Custer State Park and the Crazy Horse Monument. Wow, they wanted $20 per head to visit the monument! From outside we could see that not much progress had been made in the past ten years so we passed and just looked from a distance. That night after visiting Deadwood we happened upon a great PBS special on that city. Truly amazing, getting to tour the city from a historical point of view on the same day.

Moving East we stopped next in Mitchell and the Corn Palace. Very interesting watching the workers nailing corn cobs to the outside of the building. The murals they make are beautiful using different colors of corn. Watch out if you walk below! You'll get pelleted with a shower of corn.

Mitchell is also the home to Cabella's. Now, Jim, Terry and Larry worship the temple Cabella's. All things hunting, fishing,etc. for those who aren't familiar. We just had to go to "headquarters" and shop.

OK, so we headed South just before we hit Minnesota. Our next stop was at the Ameristar Riverboat Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa. A great parking lot to camp in & free! Of course we had to go aboard.

As we had lived in Omaha ten years ago we had some familiarity with the lay of the land. (Omaha and Nebraska are just across the river.) First order of the day was to find the local Cabella's!. Here we go again!! Then we went to Offutt Air Force Base to get me an ID card and do a bit of looking. Then back to Cabella's!! (I'm getting tired of this pattern). That evening we walked along the river to Harrah's riverboat for a bite to eat.

Now we're on to Kansas City, Kansas & Missouri. Yes, we went to both! Ended up staying in Leavenworth, Kansas (not at the prison). I stayed behind with the dogs but everyone else went out for a drive. They ended up at Kansas Speedway watching the time trials for Sunday's NASCAR race. Jim was so tickled that he got to see Tony Stewart qualify. Too bad the race was sold out or we'd have stayed for Sunday. As it was, all the campsites were taken and we ended up staying in a WalMart parking lot.

So here we are in Branson, Missouri. Taking a bit of down time, doing laundry, reading e-mails, checking General Delivery for our forwarded mail. We went to Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede for dinner and the show last night. Very impressive! I've been out hunting for quilt stores too. I've really needed this rest. Too much traveling too fast for my blood.

We're camped along side the river here and the dogs have taken a brief swim. Refreshing I'm sure as the temps have been around 90F with high humidity. Wish I could tell you something really exciting but so far it's been pretty ho hum but fun and interesting. We like it that way! Don't need any mishaps, breakdowns or that sort to color our lives at this moment. Sure hope to get to report in a bit more often but I can't make any promises. Wish you were here!!!

2007-09-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

OMG!! It's taken me hours to get this internet connection! And I have soooo much to tell you. Let's all pray I can keep this connection long enough to write this.

We spent two nights just outside of Yellowstone N.P.. Terry chauffeured us ladies around the park while Jim & Larry returned to the coaches for some repairs after lunch. We were soooo very lucky to get to observe a BLACK BEAR & HER CUB picking berries. This was very rare and the rangers were so nice and helpful. We were about a stone's throw away & got many great photos. We also saw elk, bison, coyote and the guys saw a moose. The weather was beautiful!

The steep grades coming out of the park were a killer. Our next night was spent in Cody, Wyoming. We visited the Bill Cody Museum and highly recommend it to anyone in the area. This is one of the best museums I've ever visited!!! Of course, we now have a new traveller with us! Yes, Cody, the Prairie Dog, is my new pet. You'll be noticing him showing up in many of our photos.

Oh my, the roads were extreme again! Very steep grades! Hard on the engins and the nerves! The weather was very hot, in the 90's. We stayed in Gillette, Wyoming at a WalMart parking lot and it was quite an experience. It must be the local hangout! Noisy all night and I swear someone was knocking at our door. Racing cars, booming speakers and kids in the lot half the night!

This morning the weather was the opposite extreme! Cold and rainy! Our first stop was The Devil's Tower. This is a magnificent site! Jim & I had been here many years ago but the others hadn't. Donna discovered that this side trip was in her book of "best drives in the US". It sure is pretty but the weather was foul.

Tonight we are staying at a campground near Sturgis, South Dakota. This will be our base for several days as we explore The Bad Lands N.P., the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument. But now I'm telling the future!! Hopefully I'll be able to get an internet connection again to keep you updated and share some photos.

So, we treated ourselves to dinner out in Sturgis (or Harley Heaven) at The Knuckle Saloon. Great place, great service and great food! Now I'm off to bed so we can get an early start. Lots to see around here.

It's so blessedly quiet here I'm sure we'll all get a good rest. Nightie nite...

2007-09-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

This is the crew! From left to right: Terry & Cheryl, Larry, Tosha & Donna, Barb & Jim

Well, we're finally on the road. This is day two and we're just outside of Yellowstone NP. I won't go into details but we've had our share of difficulties. A few with our coach and a few with ME!!! I'm not the steadiest on my feet and have been pulled over twice now by the dogs. It's been decided that what we're doing is all wrong!! New plan on handling the dogs. Yeah! But I have two sore butt cheeks and some bruised ribs. Thank heavens for WalMart! My first purchase was ice packs.

Today we visited Craters Of The Moon National Monument in Idaho. Impressive, but I think Oregon's Old McKenzie Pass Highway and Lookout is better. Am I prejudiced?

Our plan is tomorrow we'll visit Yellowstone. The weather report in the morning will determine whether or not we'll spend another night here or head on up to South Dakota and The Bad Lands. Last night was very windy but didn't keep us from sleep. We'd all had a very long day. Today we've run into rain, wind and lots of sun, but it's been quite cold.

Sooo... until next time. On with the adventure!

2007-09-18T06:09:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is! Departure Day! And I'm up at o'dark thirty! Would have liked to sleep longer but Kelly needed to go out and we don't ignore our puppy's needs. Couldn't get back to sleep so I thought I would get a few words in here. Don't know when I'll get to write again. WiFi is everywhere so hopefully soon.

I think we've got everything ready. I'm not so worried about the coach, we can always buy along the way. But the house has to be ready for winter. Teresa, our neighbor, is keeping watch and has an alarm remote. She's also going to be our mail person. Priceless! So I'm sure all will be fine. Patrick also has a remote and may come over to see things are ok. I'm a worrier!

This is soooo exciting! Wish we could leave right now! We have a meet-up place but the others have a few hours trek before they get there. We'll probably pull out around 8:30 a.m.. But what to do until then? I guess it's POGO. So glad you're along for the ride...see ya soon!

2007-09-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hi again all, another week has gone by and we're still loading & preping for the "Grand Adventure". Just 3 more get-ups 'til we hit the road. I think we're ready!

I've just returend from a 3 day women's retreat in the Cascade Mountains. It was hosted by the Coos Tribe for the Elder Women and the spouses of the Elder Men. I've never done anything with Jim's tribe before but I had a ball! I roomed with Jim's cousin and a cousin-in-law. We were like teen-agers. I had sooo much fun and it was so relaxing. Learned a little beading, had time for some stitching, walked in the beautiful gardens and woods. The pool was fed by natural hot springs. As well as getting aquainted with so many wonderful women and the fun and crafts this was a very spiritual time for me. I feel rejuvenated and happy! I would recommend women's retreats for all of you (ladies, of course)!

Well, I better scoot. Got laundry,etc. to do yet. Glad you joined us, the real action will begin shortly! Check back soon...

2007-09-09T07:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, how time flies!! It's been almost a week since my last post. What can I say, loading a motorhome is not exciting stuff.

Jim has been off to Eugene to see his boys & grandsons. While there he did a bit of shopping, etc. All our special orders have arrived so this week Jim will spend"fixin" the coach and winterizing the house.

I had the two neighbor girls spend the week-end with me. Their older sister was "home alone" so she ate some meals with us. We all had a great time.

I'll be off to a Women's Retreat hosted by the Coos Tribe for the elder ladies and spouses of the elder men. A first for me.! My roomie is Jim's cousin, Madeline, from Alaska. This should be great fun!

Soooo... until next time... only NINE days to departure

2007-09-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it's Labor Day. Hope all you workers are having a great day off. Not much going on here. We've just been cleaning and loading the coach. Jim's tweeking a few things and installed his new radio. It's amazing how much "stuff" goes into a motorhome. One bit of news... we've got a departure date now, September 18th. Now to get the house ready for winter as we won't be here. More later...

2007-08-30T20:48:00.000-07:00

Hi all, well, today we brought the coach home form the shop. Still a few kinks to work out. Jim is installing a new radio/stereo system and needs to find "a CB guy". I loaded quite a bit of "stuff". Talking with T&C today and they're both getting excited to leave. Now there's talk of Daytona, Disney World and Key West in the air! Yikes! The time is going so quickly & I don't know if I'll get everything done. Yet here I sit at the computer! Typical! See ya!

2007-08-29T22:40:00.000-07:00

For any of you that are interested... this is our "ride". The toad (towed vehicle) has changed so we'll have to get updated pics.

2007-08-29T22:31:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,This blog is being created as a part of the process of preparing for our "Grand Motorhome Tour". This way we can share our adventure with you. Today is DAY ONE. Please be patient as I've never tried anything like this before.

Our preparations so far include a grueling trip to Portland, OR to pick up our coach. We've had it on a lot as a rental since March. What a mistake!! We tought this would help the coach pay for itself . Not in the long run! Lots of little things to fix and a few major ones. So with the coach home for just a few days we had to take it off to the repair shop to make it "nice" again. Tomorrow we bring 'er home again. Lots to pack. I've got lists everywhere! I used to be a pretty organized person, or so I thought. Retirement has changed me!

Now, this is just from my perspective, but... Jim appears to be taking everything in stride (except the finances). I'm a jibbering mess. I wake up in the night thinking of things to add to a list. Some of these lists are yet nonexistant. I need to make them soon.

On this adventure we are being joined by Jim's brother, Terry and his wife Cheryl. They've recently retired so this will be their first BIG trip. And of course, our dogs, Kelly and Jessie. This is going to be soooo much fun. T & C are great fun to be with and it's always more enjoyable to have someone to share the experience.