Long time no write

Wow..So it’s been a while..well okay, it’s been over 1 year and 1 month since I last posted anything on my blog! But I have lots of reason why..but who cares really…it’s just life.

So before I post anything else I need to make sure no one is still subscribed to it that way I can feel free to update and put all my whining and complaints and no one will even notice…perfect.

Okay..that’s done. Only had a few followers so that was quick.

Now…what should I write about?

More like..where should I begin?!

I guess I could do a quick overview of what happen in 2019 as 2018 is too far back to recall anything too exciting.  Of course in 2017 the big event was my Dad passing.  My last parent. Mom had passed back in 2008 and Dad had been doing great for so long…amazing actually.  Even jumped out of an airplane back in February of 2017…..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvUr1aHezk4&feature=youtu.be

I think the 1^st thing I should do is change a few things on the page….not really a triathlete anymore. Don’t do any running and very little bike and swim…although I just ran the Spokane Turkey Trot with my daughter on this past Thanksgiving Day.  Almost made me want to keep at it…almost.

Random thoughts here:

So today is December 4^th, normally my Mom’s birthday and I would always call, send flowers maybe candy. Sure do miss her. Posted pics on FB…..mainly for my brother and sister to see. Most people don’t think of you after  you pass..maybe here and there, and like me today, although I do think of my Dad a lot. Used to call him a LOT! Used to call 3 or 4 times a week just to hear his voice and check in on him.  Not sure if wanted me to call that much or not…but I sure enjoyed chatting. Many times I’d just listen to him go through his day, and as he got older I learned not to interrupt him as he’d loose his train of thought…heck..I’m like that already!

So yeah…2019..busy year. My #2 daughter told us at Christmas of 2018 that we were going to be grandparents…my wife let out a scream that lasted a very long time..so funny.  Then in March when we were celebrating my son’s birthday, we had everyone over and #2 daughter gave him a baby jumper that said, “My favorite Uncle”….and it was pink.  But somehow we missed that obvious hint until I had daughter #1 on FaceTime and she saw it and yelled out, “IT’S A GIRL!”…I guess we’re a bit slow.

2019 was also the time we got serious about selling the house as the market here is crazy out of control and even crud houses are going for a lot more money than they should.  So we got busy working on the house, painting, repairing, and sprucing up and sometime in July we put it on the market and then went on vacation to the Oregon coast. Great trip in the RV. First time we ever pulled a car along behind. A bit stressful at first but didn’t take long to trust that it would just follow close behind us.

Here’s the mileage chart:

Mileage:
Spokane to Whispering Pines RV Park: (Cle Elum) – 196 Miles, 3 hours *Have to be there before 9:30 PM
Cle Elum to Chimacum (Rachael’s farm): 164 Miles, 3 Hours (Probably 4)
Chimacum to Fort Stevens SP: 187 Miles – 4 hours (Probably 5)
Fort Stevens to Shorewood RV Park (Nehalem Bay): 50 Miles, 1 ½ hours (Probably 2) *Be there before 5
Shorewood to Sea & Sand RV Park (Depoe Bay): 66 Miles, 1 ¾ hours (Probably 2.5)
*Note: If we left from Newport, which is a few miles south of our last CG it’s 483 miles back to Spokane, 10 hours, so we’ll want to work out way back and wing it as far as campgrounds go.

I think this seemed to work out nicely as it was never stressful and all the drives were nice and short which left us lots of time to enjoy the campground and surrounding area.

Best camp shot was Sea & Sand RV Park..it was also the most expensive. Right above the beach and beautiful sound and smells.

View out the front Window in the morning when having coffee:

While on vacation we got an offer for the house, we took it.

Don’t really miss the house.  It was a wonderful house, we put a lot of work into it, and I’m so glad my wife talked me into buying it as all I saw was this broken down house that needed a LOT..no..TONS of work!

We were living in the RV (You can see it in the picture off to the right) on the 2^nd lot while we cleaned and staged the house, and then went on vacation, and when we came back we continued to live in it for another week. After we closed on the 30^th of August we lived in the RV out near Valleyford in the Spokane Valley. We then moved into a rental house that belonged to snowbirds who traveled to CA from October to December then return home in December and leave again in January. So today, Dec 4^th, we’re back in the RV and will be there until January 7^th.

Spent some time and money getting it ready to live in during the cold. From September 1^st to October 14^th we lived in it without putting skirting around it. Since I knew we’d be back in December I went ahead and added skirting, put ½” closed cell rubber mats on top of all the vinyl flooring in the kitchen, under the table and in the bathroom…made a big difference.  Probably will do a bit more, maybe add some reflective aluminum sheeting on the windows to keep the cold out.  We spent our 1^st night back in the RV last night (Dec 3^rd) and it was great…very warm and comfortable. No complaints.

Before we added the skirting: (Taken in October):

Then I added the skirting, the 125 gallon propane tank, and other things:

This is what it looked like last night:

Trying to decide if I’m going to get surgery on my neck. Turns out I have C6 & C7 disk rupture and was causing a great deal of pain back in April and until a few weeks ago. Finally got a shot to the neck which helped, but not completely. Doctor prescribed Gabapentin and BOOM! four pills later… no pain..at all. However, the tingling in the left thumb and 1^st two fingers persist. But if I get the surgery I can’t lift anything for 10 weeks and unfortunately in the RV each morning I have to lift up the scissor bed and it’s a challenge now. So most likely will hold off.  Just don’t know when a good time would be do it.

Well, that’s about all for now.  Hopefully I’ll start posting more often. 

Next topic…”Am I ready for retirement?”