Cedar Park Basketball - 12-27-11

12-27-11 - All the Scholten's. Gienger's, Crabtree's and friends were in the stands as the "Eagle's" took on the Nooksack Valley Pioneers. The first halve was close all the way and at halve-time Nooksack lead by a score of 26-24. Nooksack was the hotter of the two teams, our only positive was that Nooksack wasn't getting as many shots.

The second halve started with Nooksack really starting out hot and think they only missed two shots in the third quarter. We were behind by about 13 points when we started the 4th quarters and all us fans were saying they have to start a fast run. Well, the boys must of listened as we tightened up and defense, move court press and started hitting the 3's, Evan hit a couple and Scottie our point guard hit some and before we know it the score is like 54-53 and Cedar Park is ahead. Then to finish out the game we made some free throws and final score is 58-53. "GO EAGLES" . They needed this win really bad and now are waiting for the EAGLES FROM FERNDALE TO SHOW UP.

Tonight at 7:30 we play Ferndale.

Cedar Park Christian School !

This is our grandson Evan #32. He is a very nice
young man and stands 6'6" tall and is turning into
a great basketball player.

We have been going in Circles!!

12-23-11 - Well christmas is just around the corner. We have been busy since arriving home on the 10th. There has been yard work to do and still not done completely. Then had to put up lights on the outside of house and yard. Then Ione had to but up inside decorations, including the christmas tree. All those things are done and we have all the presents under the tree, Ione is busy today baking, cooking food for our first get togehter which is tomorrow morning.

Our two daughters and family will be arriving for a brunch. After our tummies are full it will be time to open gifts. Wow! We are so blessed to be able to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus on Christmas Day.

Arrived Home 12-10-11

12-10-11 - We flew from Phoenix, AZ to Bellingham, WA. The first leg was good until we got a hundred miles south of Seattle and the fog settled in or should I say it was below us as we flew north. It was a strange situation aas we could see the mt. tops sticking out of the fog.

Then as we cirlcced Seattle and came in for a landing, thought the fog would lift as we got closer to the grund, wrong as we came to the runway the fog was only a few ft off the ground. We had never seen flog so thick. Had a two hour laayover and couldn't even see planes leaving just the noise. Then in about an hour it starting leaving and when we boarded our plane for Bellingham, had a great trip with sun and a beautiful view as we follewed the shore line north. Made it to Bellingham without a hitch.

Flying off tomorrow!!

12-08-11 - Well it was a good day here at Happy Trails with sunshine and a high of about 55 degrees. We finished doing our packing and also our Neighbor Janet showed up with her friend, Arlene. She hasn't bee here for two and a halve years due to some health issues.

We leave at 5 AM with the Sun City Express and head to Sky Harbor to catch our flight with Alaska Air. Hopefully will be a good flight and will be arriving in Bellingham about 12:30 tomorrow.

Wow! It sure is cold!

12-06-11 - We are counting down and will be flying out of Phoenix on Friday the 9th of Dec. at 7:10 AM. We will have Sun City Express pick us up from the motor home and deliver us to the airport. Not used to getting up this early, but I guess we will manage

Have been getting some Christmas shopping done and will pack things in to take home. There will only be about 16 days left before Christmas when we arrive home. So there will be lots of things to do, decorating the house, outside lights, shrub pruning, etc. Then there will also be lots of basketball to watch.

Have been getting lots of snow in Flagstaff which is about 100 miles north of here. Our temps have really dropped and high today was only about 55 degrees. Well I guess we have to remember today is Dec. 6th and it is winter.

Cedar Park Christian School Basketball has started!!

12-02-11 - Well our Grandson Evan's Cedar Park School team is going and did OK their 1st two games. They played Life Christian Academy from Tacoma, WA on Thursday night 11-01-11. They played well enough to win but ended up losing in two OT's by a score of 65-63. Evan scored a total of 18 points in this game and also got lots of rebounds, blocked shots, etc.

Then last night the 2nd they play Granite Falls High School at Cedar Park and we come away with a win 47-37. Evan scored 6 points in this game, but got 4 blocks, 9 rebounds to go with his points.

So since football is finally over and the Lynden Lions are State Champs in 2A will move on to basketball. So now we will be flying home to watch Evan's basketball games for the month of Dec. and a few in January. Wow! When you are retired never a dull moment.

Championship Football Game 2A - Lynden & Archbishop Murphy!

Dec. 3, 2011 - We have had a really hard game so far and we are in the second quarter. We did get a field goal in the 1st quarter and were ahead 3-0. Then in the 2nd quarter they scored and now lead the game 7-3 and have about 4 minutes to halve time. Halve time score 7-3 MTM.

Things do not look good at halve time as we just haven't done anything in the offensive department. We have only had the ball for a very short time. ATM has over 160 yards and we are like a -6 yards total offense. So we have to do something in the second halve to stop them from getting plays. They had over 30 plays and we only had 11. So have to change this if possible in the second halve. Back later.

We came out in the 3rd quarter and they kick to us and we drop the kick and they recover. So we think OK we have to change this and finally our defense does awesome and our offense is moving the ball.

You won't believe how this game came to an end. We were down 14-10 when only a couple of minutes to go. We had to do a safety and give the other team 2 points, so now we are down 16-10. Then we do an onside kick and recover the ball. Then we drive down with only 1:40 to go in the game and score. So now it is tried 16-16 and then our kicker makes the PAT and we win 17-16. "LYNDEN LIONS ARE THE 2A STATE CHAMPIONS" The announcers said this was one of the best High School games ever and in any classification. We listed to the whole game via http://www.winnnw.com/ and they did an awesome job since we were in our motor home here at Happy Trails in Surprise, AZ listening to the game on our laptop computer.. GO LIONS!

Quarter-Final Football - Lynden/W.F.West

11-26-11 - The Lynden Lions Football Team had a great league season and ended up with a record of 10-0. They have been in playoffs for the last two weeks. They have rolled over two opponents and are now 12-0.

Their game today is at the Tacoma Dome, so no rain or wind to content with so should be good. They are scheduled to start at 10 AM so hope all the team are morning people and can do well. They will be playing WF West High School, Chelalis, WA team that has only lost two games and are 10-2.

Well, one quarter in the book and Lynden is not playing well with 4 penalties and can't do anything right. WF West has the ball to start the second quarter on the Lynden 19 yd line. So they have to really suck it up and hold them from scoring.

We prevailed and won the game. It wasn't pretty but our defense held and we won the game with a final score of 17-7. We just made so many mistakes and our defense won the game for the Green & Gold. But then halving to play 10 o'clock in the morning isn't the best for either team.
"GO LIONS AND WE ARE ON TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME NEXT SATURDAY"

Thanksgiving Day!

11-24-11 - Wow! What a great Thanksgiving here in the Valley of the Sun. Didn't have any sun but was about in the middle 60's. We had a room full of people that were all hungry for turkey. Did the park provide or what, as the turkey, potatoes, dressing & gravy was excellent. We had a total of 56 tables with 8 people on each table. No one came away hungry and had a great time for talk, etc.

Then this afternoon we got in four pickleball matches. Ione played with her partner she is going to play with in the Classic, starting Jan 23rd and I played with his wife. The games were all close and ended up each winning two games.

So now it is time to make some phone calls to family back at home. They had a great day to meet at Pam & Brett's for Thanksgiving. So hopefully everyone had a lot of great food and played games, etc.

Two More Days until Thanksgiving!

11-22-11 - Well, we are still enjoying some pretty good weather here in the Valley of the Sun. The temps have been in the mid 70's.

We are looking forward to eating a great Turkey dinner with about 400 other Happy Trails residents. There will be about 50 tables in our ballroom, with 8 people seated at each table. The park where we live furnishes, turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy & cranberry sauce. Then the 4 couples at each table add in, sweet potatoes, salad, dessert & rolls. So we are getting excited and ready for our Thanksgiving dinner with friends.

Still playing pickleball and did do a tournament last Saturday but didn't do that well with my partners. Oh Well, don't want to win all the Gold Medals.

Birthday for Ron!!

11-11-11 - Well, we have been at Happy trails for just about two weeks. Just had my birthday yesterday. It was low key and just went to out dinner with a couple of friends of ours. It was a fun evening and a fun time. The weather has been on the cool side for the last week or so. We aren't complaining too much but would like some warmer weather. I think we are about a week away of warmer weather so will just have to wait.

Have been playing lots of pickleball and doing pretty well. So will just keep pickleball on our list. It's been fun playing with friends. We have been keeping busy getting our lot in shape.

We have been listening to a 2A State playoff in Lacy, WA with Lynden against North Thurston and it has been a good game. We are now down 26-23 and just starting the 4th Quarter. We have to just keep moving the ball to take the lead. Looks like it will go down to the wire. final report coming later.

We made it!!

11-02-11 - We arrived at Happy Trails about 5:30 Oct 30th. We did a good final leg down after spending the night at St. George, UT with the Dueck's - Rod & Barb. They fixed us a nice dinner and a soft bed to sleep in the 29th. Then the morning of the 30th played about 5 games of pickleball before heading down the road to Happy Trails.

The weather was excellent for our trip down from WA. with not a drop of rain the whole way. So can't ask for anything better then that. We had washed the motor home before leaving home and the only thing we had to clean when we arrived was bugs of the frontend and windshield. So all and all an excellent trip down.

The weather has been really nice the last three days since getting here. But change is on the way as we had a strong wind today which is going to bring us cooler weather starting on Friday. Will have to keep things buttoned down in the yard so wind doesn't blow things away.

Day Three on the road!

10-27-11 - Well, we left Darby, MT on Hwy 93 this morning and south the road was very curvy and had a 7,100 ft. pass to go over and all the way down the south we only averaged about 40 miles per hour on the curvy part and that was just about 4 hours of slow going. The weather has been really good except the nights are cold. All the way through ID & MT on Hwy 93 was very interesting and looks of nice things to do. A lot of this area is ranching and seen lots of animals, Cows & Horses. With me being an old farm boy was a fun area to go through.


Then after getting off Hwy 93 we came down on Hwy 20 and then Hwy 26 and hooked into I-15 which is freeway and our speed picked up and did well the rest of the day. We are spending the night at Wal Mart in Bringham City, UT which is about 20 miles north of Salt Lake. We picked up groceries and should keep us going for a few days. The motor home has been doing really good.

So now tomorrow we will be heading to St. George, UT to see our friends, Rod & Barb Dueck. So maybe we will get there early enough to play some pickleball.

We are on the Road!

10-25-11 - Well we have the motor home packed and ready to hit the road. We pulled out of our place at about 9:10 AM on the 25th. We had a very good day of driving from Lynden/Seattle and then over hwy I-90 and ended up at Medical Lake near Spokane. A total of 365 miles for our first day on the road, not bad. Spent the night at Silver Lake Bible Camp and took a couple of dear friends out to Mexican Food and had a fun evening.

We had a very cool evening as we weren't plugged in and it was cool this morning when we got up. Our friends said it got down to 23 degrees last night. So we had frost on the grass and everything was white and also the fog coming off Silver Lake was beautiful. This morning I had a chance to take some pictures of the camp as they are always improving things. Terry Andrews the manager does an excellent job of keeping things up to date.

Jessie Beisheuvel!

This was our granddaughter getting ready to
serve against Whatcom Community
College. Their team is doing a great job and
are in Second Place in their league

Bellevue/Whatcom Volleyball!

10-23-11 - This was our last chance to see our Granddaughter Jessica play volleyball with her Bellevue Team. They played a good Whatcom team and won in three games on their own floor. Jessie played a very solid game and the rest of the team also did very well.

They have only lost one game in league and are in solid second place. I think this coming week they play Shoreline the only team that has beaten them in league. Bellevue did beat them in 5 games in the tournament a few weeks ago. So I think now they can beat them again, also because Jessie is healthy and playing well.

Then next step is to hit the road for AZ on Tuesday morning the 25th.

So what do Grandpa's know!!

Oct. 22, 2011 - The rain and cold have not been nice around here and we are ready to head south.

Jessie our volleyball player has completely healed her jammed left shoulder. Then the mono thing is still around. But praise the Lord she has been cleared to play and has been starting the last three matches. Her team has been doing just great and we have had a chance to see all three matches and they have won them all. Then her little sister Jada had a soccer game this morning, when we left the house in was raining, cats & dogs. But after the first few minuets of the game the rain stopped and the sun came out partly. They played a tough team and ended up trying the game at 2-2. So they are doing great with only one tie and one loss for the season. They have won all the other games.

We will be heading to Seattle in an hour or so since our WSU Cougs are playing Oregon State at CenturyLink Field. So we are praying for no rain for the game which starts at 7:30. But our Huskies from Seattle get the game at 4 PM and you figure since it is in CA. We just don't get any respect with the Westside folks.

So we will be on the road Tuesday Oct. 25th and will be getting to Happy Trails about the 29th of this month. So are so ready for having some sunshine and warmth in our lives. It must be the age or something but just don't like wet and cold anymore.

Busy September!!

9-29-11 - We have been busy watching, soccer games on Saturday's, since Jada our youngest granddaughter is just about 10 yrs. old. So that has been fun and also watched some girls volleyball. Earlier in Sept. watched Jessie our granddaughter who is at Bellevue College play until she jammed her left shoulder. She had been off for about two weeks and was just about to start playing when she came down with Mono. So that means no playing for a month. So that meant that we probably won't get a chance to see her play anymore this year.

Soo, if that is the case, we will be heading to AZ as soon as we can get packed and have all our ducks in a row. Which also meant having to rent one of our apartment units. Just got a call last Saturday a lady was moving. So have been busy with that hopefully have it rented before our departure date of Oct. 17th.

Always some to keep these grand parents busy. Finishing up yard work, repairing some stuff, etc. There is light in the tunnel and our weather has been pretty good, with some sun and temps into the 70's for some of the days. But the way the leafs have been coming off the trees I think that fall is right around the corner. Time is getting short before we hit the trail.

Catching Up!

8-29-9-4 - Had our annual Pickleball Tournament at TT, La Conner. the group was smaller this year but had a good time. Played Women's Doubles on Thursday and Ione won gold in her group. Then on Friday we had men's doubles and I played with Mike Phipps, since this was the first time playing together we did good. Made it to the finals and had to play a 55 yr. old and a 62 yr. old. We played our first two out of three and just about won first game, like 11-9. Then ended up in the loser bracket and came back, had to play them again. We ended up the same way, one close game and lost second for second place.

Then on Sat was mixed doubles, I played with Vi Stockman and Ione played with grandson Colby. We both won our first games, then of all things had to play each other in the second match. Colby & Ione won first game and we came back and won the next two. Then played on until we ended playing for first. Ended up getting second.

This wasn't the same tournament, since our friends from Canada weren't there to organize it. So a person working for TT did it and it wasn't as nice, but OK. Again got to see lots of friends and met some new folks. HAPPY PICKLEBALLING!!

Abbotsford, BC - Rec Center

8-24-11 - We went north today with the Stockman's - Ron & Vi to play pickleball at the Abbotsford Rec Center. There were more friends we knew, Carol Haworth, Earl Hill and Kathy Parks. Also met some good players from the local area. This was all indoor play with the softer pickleball and was interesting to get used to indoor play. We played some good games and had a lot of fun.

Then after playing were invited to Barry & Carol's house near Chilliwick for a nice dinner. They have such a great view of the Frazer Valley from their home and had a very nice time with Friends. Also had Barry & Carol's was their grandson Curtis who is now 22 years and before a very nice gentlemen. Then Kathy's husband Brian also came over for dinner. He has had some health issues and can't play pickleball for about six more months.

Pickleball at Bob Unruh's Court!!

8-19-11 - We had a chance to go play pickleball at the Unruh's on Friday the 19Th. We had a Group of six players, there was Deon, Al, Bob, Ione, Bob Lanius, & Ron (me). We played for about two hours and had some great games.

It was fun to see old friends, and a bonus of having the Landius's here in our area for a couple of weeks. They will soon be heading back down South to Happy Trails, Surprise, AZ. So just another great day on the planet.

Rain & More Rain!!

8-22-11 - The weather man was right this time. They said rain was coming today and when we got up the clouds to the west were, like black. By about 8:15 AM we had rain and it has been coming down most of the day. They is a real blessing, for lawns, corn fields, potato fields, etc. as we can always use in a farming community is rain. So it has been a great day and have been doing inside stuff.

So looks like by tomorrow it will again be on the warm side. So there better be some more summer before fall sets in.

Northwest Washington Fair!

8-23-11 - It was a wonderful day in Lynden for the fair. We went in about 12:30 PM with my
sister Cheryl. Made it to the grandstand for the 1 PM show. They have a one hour show, with draft horses., the small ponies. Then the Nooksack riders do their thing, Ione's brother Doug rode in one event. It was called the rescue, where they ride down the track and pickup a person and race back. Well his person to rescue didn't make it on the horse so they didn't win.

Then after the show had to get our PTA Burgers which is always good. Then did a lot of looking around, saw horse, pigs, sheep, etc. It was a nice afternoon and evening and a fun day. We were bushed when we got home from all the walking. That's it for another year.

Alaska Cruise!!

We are in kayaks in Sitka Harbor. It was a wonderful two hr paddle in the harbor and had our friends, Ron & Donna Daly along in their kayak.

Here we are at Mendelhall Glacier after doing about a 1 mile hike in the area. Which was only about 5 miles from Juneau.

Our first stop and as far North as we went was to Glacier Bay National Park. We spent about 3 hrs. in the bay taking pictures, etc. The weather was OK with no rain and a few rays of sun.The ship you see in the picture was a small ship that was in front of us.

Summer still Struggles along!

8-17-11 - Well as usual we are behind with our blog postings. Not sure where the summer is going and the weather has been hit and miss. We seem to only get a day or two of nice weather and then clouds, wind, etc. I think we have had only a couple of dates in the 80's and the rest of the summer has been in the60, 70's. We are the only place in the country with a cool summer and I guess it could be worse.

We did manage to make it over to Keller Ferry Camping with our family. This is something we have been doing for about 35 years. This year the lake was really high from all the snow last winter. So that meant there were no beaches to go to without lots of looking. Still had a great time with a smaller group this year. We arrived on July 22 and then had to leave on July 28th to rush home. As we had a very important date to catch a Cruise Ship in Seattle on the 29th. The cruise will be in the next posting.

Summer has finially arrived!!

7-06-11 - Well summer has finally arrived and I think we hit a high of 85 degrees today. Did a bike ride to Edaleen Dairy for one of those good ice-cream cones. Then on the way home we stopped by and seen good friends who live in Lynden and winter in Yuma, AZ.

Had a nice talk and then they were off to a picnic, since her brother was leaving tomorrow. But we have had a great day and have enjoyed our nice weather.

Where did June go!!

July 3, 2011 - Well I'm not sure where the Month of June went. We arrived home on the 1st of June. Have been busy doing yard catch up. Then in the mix my sister Cheryl sold her house, so that meant a lot of packing things into boxes and Ione did most of her packing. Then there was a large garage sale which went well.

Then on 30th of June the U-Haul truck showed up at her doorstep with yours truly at the wheel at about 8:30 AM. The moving went well with about 4 men and 4 ladies present to keep things moving. I took back the truck at about 3 PM. So everything found it's way to her new home, a Condo hear the Lynden Fairgrounds. Now all she has to do is get everything on packed, wow! What a job.

Being the 4th of July weekend we have already had a rain front come through, then some sun and also don't forget the wind. It has been a typical 4th weekend in the Pacific Northwest. We don't have anything big planned for tomorrow the 4th. So will just enjoy and appreciate all our freedoms we having and are celebrating the same with the help of all our brave servicemen and women. It's great to live in a free country and we all know it doesn't come free, without our Service people.

We're Home!!

June 1, 2011 - After traveling a total of 1,574 miles we pulled into our driveway here in Lynden, WA at about 5 PM, Wednesday the 1st of June.

We were greeted to cold and rainy weather as we got home, so what else is new. This spring has been the pits in Northwest Washington. The moss and weeds love this wet weather as it shows it on the lawns in our town.

We didn't have too many problems with the new coach we now have. Have a list to have addressed on the 17th of June at Camping World. But the Cat 350 just kept going at we headed home from Sunny AZ. We do have a sunny day today and yesterday was also nice. So maybe we will have some summer here after all.

We have lots of work ahead of us to get the yard in shape, etc. So why do we do this every year, well I guess we really enjoy the AZ weather and all the good friends we have there. So we are in the summer mode now with our family and home town friends. We are really blessed and won't do it any other way.

Family Arrived!

5-28-11 - We woke up this morning to some clouds and some sun. There is a storm coming and we aren't looking forward to it.

Lisa, Dwayne and Evan flew in from Bothell on Friday evening and arrived here in Reno about 10:30 PM. We heard from Lisa Sat morning about 10:30 and they were at breakfast. Then she called back and were coming to our RV Park. They stopped and we had a good talk and planned our day.

Did some looking around the city. Then Evan's team played there first game at Wooster High School which is located right near Hwy 395. They won the first game by about 30 points. Then we had a break until the next game scheduled at 5:10. So got something to eat at the Boston Market, which was a first time there and food was good.

Team then played their second game and same result as we won by about 30 points. Evan hasn't been playing because of back and neck problems. I think he has been growing too fast and could have brought on these problems. He has grown about 6 inches in the last year and a halve.

Then after the game we went to a show at the Eldorado Hotel & Casino called the "Alluminair". The theater was full and the show was great. It had a none stop show that ran for 1 hr. and 20 minutes. The color and lights we awesome. Some of the acts were just out of this world and well worth our money. That's it for now.

We're in Reno, NV!

5-27-11 - After spending three days on the road and a total of 711 miles. We arrived at the silver Sage RV Park in Reno, NV. on Friday the 27th about 3:45 PM.

We had a good trip from Happy Trails with our first stop was at the Beatty RV Park just about a hundred miles north of Vegas on hwy 95. The park was really nice, $25 per night full hook-ups, great restrooms, the shower was all tiled and large. Our night there was great.

Next day we made it to Walker Lake on hwy 95 north of Beatty 200 plus miles. We placed in our usual spot looking over the lake. The weather was sunny but did get wind later in the evening. Had a wiener roast and nice fire. We just love these outside outings.

Have had a few problems with our new coach and are keeping a list. Then when we get home will will have Camping World in Burlington take care of things.

On The Road Again!!

5-24-11 - well tomorrow is the big day to head down the road in our 2005 Gulf Stream motor home. We have been here at Happy Trails with it since the 18th of March. Drove it 65 miles from Apache Junction to our lot and that is it. So this diesel pusher rookie driver will hit the road in the morning. It really seems to be very easy to drive and holds the road very good Just so we don't forget what it looks like here it is as we had left the lot at Totom RV in Apache Junction.

Our schedule will be to go to Beatty, NV tomorrow night and stay at a RV right on hwy 95 for the night. Then on 26th will go as far North as Walker Lake. We have done some kayaking there in years past. So will kick back for awhile and do some walking along the lake shore, maybe a bonfire. Then on Friday the 27th will be arriving in Reno, NV for four days. Evan our grandson has a basketball tournament there from Sat. thru Monday. That's it for now.

Hiking South Mountian - Fatman Pass!!

5-18-11 - We had a great day of hiking at South Mountain which is about 50 miles from Happy Trails. Our friends the Krafft's, Don & Sharon took us out for this hike today.

So now we know why this trail is called fatman pass. This small trail through solid rock is really not for a fatman but someone with a slight build. The rock is rubbed smooth from people going through this small opening in the rocks.

This hike was a total of 5.7 miles and the weather was just great. We had some clouds, some blue sky, some sun and also a few drops of rain. Didn't have enough rain to hurt anything but made the day interesting. We couldn't have asked for a matter day for this hike.

We knew where we were but still had some nice signs to follow while doing this hike. The City of Phoenix have five Regional parks in the valley and this is probably one of the nicest parks in the system.

Then after the hike we went for a ride and found a very nice restaurant called "The Farm at South Mountain". The only problem was that we arrived 20 minutes after the restaurant had closed. The hours during the week are 10-3. It is a really neat place to go for lunch and in a farm/park setting. We had been to this place one other time and the food is really great and such a nice area to eat and just like a park.

Kayaking Trip to Lake Pleasant

5-20-11 Wow!! This is the first time it uploaded all my pictures from the trip at one time so we will run with it.

Had a great trip to Lake Pleasant with Bob & Jeyyte Lanius, Debbie Gunning & the Giengers. The weather was great and got some good pictures for the memories end of the trip.

The weather temperatures were just great and just a little bit too much wind but we all did very well. Then after kayaking, we all went to Dillons Restaurant at Scorpion Bay Marina for a great meal

Schnepf Farms - Peach Farm Tour!!

5-14-11 - We had a great time at the Schnepf Farms Peach farm way across the valley East of Queen Creek. They have a 300 acre farm that raises lots of veg's but their big crop is peaches. This past weekend was their annual Peach Festival. When we got there people were everywhere. There is lots to do. Lots off vendors were there selling their wares, fresh Peach Pie but the line was too long so we didn't get any.

We did go out on a hay wagon ride to get close to the peach orchards. The first field we were at there wasn't much fruit. Then we found another field and the peaches were just great. So after picking about 10 lbs. at $1.90 per pound we called it good. The peaches are very good tasting and we have lots to eat.

I forgot about our trip across the valley to the farm was in our Dune Buggy. It was a total of 75 miles one way to the farm. The Buggy ran just great with one problems but then on the way back can't say the same thing. We had stopped at MacDonald's just after leaving the farm for a cold drink and some Ice=Cream. Then we are on the road heading back and noticed that the gas pedal wasn't working right. The next thing we know the gas pedal is done and we aren't moving. So I get down under the steering wheel and get the gas pedal working. So we have gas again and the motor is running fine.

Then as we are ready to shift down into 2nd gear and turn into Happy Trails I push in the clutch pedal to shift and oops! the pedal stays down. We have problems, like a broken shift cable or something else. But we were in walking distance to our lot and towed the Buggy home with a Golf Cart.

Now our Buggy is in the shop to have the shifting problem taken care of. So should have it back by May 19th,

Mother's Day!

5-08-11 - Well today is the day that we celebrate all the mothers and the good job they are done raising their families.

We went to breakfast after church with the Daly's, Phipp's and ourselves at Coco's at Sun City Grand. Had great time sitting outside on the Patio and the food was good. Then had a chance to do alot of talking, since the Daly's just got back from Texas where they windsurf for about 6 weeks each winter.

Weather has been just great the last few days with highs of 100 and not alot of wind. So have been using the A/C in our new motor home to keep things on the cool side.

Osama bin Laden is dead!!

5-01-11 - Approximately 7:00 PM all the news stations are saying that American Troops have killed him and they are also saying our troops have his body. We are waiting for a report from our President.

This is so important in our fight against terrorism and just waiting to hear what our President will have to say. bin Laden has been such a figure in terrorism since 9-11.

It was confirmed that Osama bin Laden is dead per the President of the US. He is taking credit for the plan that he directed and directed special forces to get him. This plan has been going on for just about 10 years.

Delivered the 1998 Chieftain today!

5-01-11 - Just delivered the chieftain to the Smiths on Lot 2 here at Happy Trails. They will be loading it and heading to WA on Thursday the 4th.

Ione did All the final cleaning after the Scholtens used the coach for a week while they were here for a week of sun and fun in the valley. It was fun having them here for the first time.. They also did a trip to Grand Canyon and Sedona. They were gone for three days and had a great time. Lisa will be leaving Monday and the boys left last Friday.

Thats it for now and back on later.

Our 1998 Winnebago Chieftain has a new home!!

4-22-11 -Today is the day that we will sign papers for our Chieftain. This chieftain was our home away from home for a total of six years. When we bought the 2005 Gulf Stream we had too many coach's so we knew she had to go.

We had advertised on Craig's List and RV Trader for a new home for our Chieftain and got no bites. So just a couple of days ago a very nice couple who live here at Happy Trails noticed our coach and after some talking and then a trail run on the 21st they decided this was the coach for them.

Will be signing the papers today and the Smith's from Vancouver, WA are the new owners of our 1998 Winnebago Chieftain. We are really happy she has a new home to move to and to service the Smith's has well as she did us.

Our kids will be down for the next week and they will use the old coach for their bedroom, etc. until the end of April. The Smith's will take over ownership on the 1st of May, we are excited and they are too. What a great day it has been.

2005 Gulf Stream 4-08-11

4-08-11 - This is our new home while on the road and living in AZ. It is a Gulf Stream Atrium Special Edition for 2005, with only 6,582 miles. It is approximately 41.5 ft. long and has four slide-outs. Lots of basement storage. We have been living in this coach for 3 weeks and it is really feeling like home. We have so much more floor space and have a new Toshiba LCD 32" installed. I replaced the 24" flat screen from Samsung. The surround sound system is working great and we are really enjoying our new home. Have found room for most of our things and are re-arranging some things from the upper main floor to storage containers in the basement storage.

A Day of shopping!

4-09-11 - Well the rains are back and when we came out of Walmart it was down pouring with puddles everywhere. We noticed when we went into the store there were dark black clouds to the North. Then we were hungary and went to I-Hop and had something to eat. The food was good and also some good service. Then headed to Lowe's to see if I could find a tool box for my tools. I had been using a canvas tool bag and was tired of having to dump tools every time I wanted some thing. So now have a nice three drawer tool box by kobalt. Seems like a nice box and will store it in the slide out storage in our coach. So now one more stop at Sprouts and that finished our shopping for one day. Then just has we got home and had unloaded the car, it dumped another load of rain. So who says it never rains in the desert.

Rain Everywhere!

4-09-11 - Wow we Had a whole night of rain. It was really cold this morning, down in the 40's and have a Strong south wind so really feels colder. So a good day to goo shopping and we are off.

We are excited - Dune Buggy is coming home - 4-12-11

4-8-11 - Just talked to Karl's Kustoms in Phoenix - They will have the Dune Buggy ready to be picked on the 12th. They will have rewired the Buggy, new headlights, new taillights, new steering wheel, new slides for seats, completely new dash with all gauges working, new switches, etc. Should really be an upgrade from the old version. So when we have it back will be ready for a new paint job. Then will need new upholstery installed and should be looking good. Since the Bug is 45 yrs old it is ready ffor a facelift. Then will only have to do some engine work, transmission and clutch. Now all we need is some nice weather so we can enjoy Dune Buggy riding. Wow! This car has some really nice memories from all the years we have had it. I built it in 1968 and had it running in November of 1968. This car was built from a 1965 VW Bug that had been rolled on the Guide Meridian Road near Lynden where we live in the summer.

I'm Behind as usual !!

April 8, 2011 - Well lots of water has gone under the bridge since I have posted new things to our blog in February.We spent two weeks in Yuma staying at Yuma Lakes. We had lots of fun visiting old friends and doing our usual Yuma things, like having our teeth cleaned in Mexico. Well staying at Yuma Lakes we usually have RV Dealers bring in motor homes for the park people to see and they also give out free donuts and coffee. Seniors never every pass up something like that. We saw some nice coaches and one thing lead to another and we are now the proud owners of a 2005 Gulf Stream coach.

On the road!!

1-29-11 - We left Happy Trails to go to Palm Springs to play a Pickleball Tournament at Palm Desert. We spent two weeks there and got in the tournament with beautiful weather. Then Ione and I came home with some medals. Ione had a silver with her partner Carol. Then I had a silver in singles and a silver in men's doubles with my partner Jim Newville. It was a fun tournament and had lots of fun and met some great people.

Then the second week at Palm Springs relaxed and did a hike, biked and just enjoyed the nice weather. Looked up old friends we met in Mexico and visited their condo in Palm Springs. Then did misc. things.

Then yesterday, Feb. 12th left TT Park in Palm Springs and are now camped in the desert here in the little town of Quartzsite, AZ. It is fun to just relax, had a fire and wiener roast last two nights. The moon is just about halve full and what a beautiful time it has been in the desert.

Tomorrow we will be head down to Yuma, AZ for two weeks and then are heading back to Happy trails, Surprise, AZ on March 1st.

Reverse layup!!

This is our grandson Evan in a game with Cedar Park Christian High school doing a reverse layup. They have been having fun playing the game and haven't been winning all their games but that is OK.

We are very proud of Evan as a young man and also the way he conducts himself on the basketball court. "GO EAGLES"

Basketball, basketball!

1-10-11 - We have been in basketball mode ever since we had our last Christmas get together. We have watched two of Evan's games. One game was played at Granite Falls and we won the game, like 63 - 40. Evan had a good game and scored about 9 points. They started a little slow but came on and had a good game.

Then Evan's next game was with Bellevue Christian and it was played at Cedar Park. The gym was full and our team again started slow and at halve time were down by about 15 points. So there was work to do and we came out in the second halve, did a much better job with the basketball, with fewer turnovers & started scoring more points. Evan hit three (3') in the 4th quarter and closed the gap to about a 4 point game. In the end we did lose 50-44 but the guys played a great second halve and Evan ended up with 12 points. So they could hang their heads high and will be ready for their next game.

Have also watched Jessie's team play a game against Meridian High school. The girls won the game by about 30 points and Jessie could about 5 points. The team is so well balance with a really good bench. So the coach can bring in fresh girls and keep the other teams on the run.

We are now counting down for our trip south again. Will be going south with Sherry & Doug Smith in their motor home. Will be leaving on the 12th of January. Then when we get to Williams, CA will pick up our car and will be on our way to Surprise, AZ

Snow is being forecast before we hit the road so not sure how our schedule will work out but will be watching the weatherman & see if the road will be clear. That's it for now.

Oakland Tournament is History!!

1-01-11 - We left at 7 AM from the Woodfin Hotel in Emeryville, CA at 7 AM and headed north towards 1-5 north. After traveling about 104 miles arrived at the town of Williams, CA. We had arranged to store our Geo Tracker in the Police Station at Williams. We have stored our car in the police station parking lot. I had arranged with the lady in the police station to leave our car there.

We then came the rest of the way home with Lisa & Dwayne. We arrived in Bothell at about 9 PM. We spent the night with the Scholtens and then the next morning traveled to Lynden for our Gienger Christmas. We had a very good time with family and got some nice Christmas gifts.

Then on 1-02-11 we had another Christmas get together with the Crabtrees and was a good day with lots of good food, great gifts and a good time. The families involved in this gathering was the Biesheuvel family, Gienger family, Smith Family and the Scholten Family. So Pam and Brett had a full house with lots of food and good gifts. We have to remember why we were all here to celebrate the birth of our lord "Jesus".