Fort Yamhill State Pak

Erratic Rock

It was great to volunteer after six months off. Fort Yamill is a day use park. Rich and I spent most of our volunteer time outdoors. Rich focused on the macro activities: mowing, pruning, trail maintenance, weeding, blowing leaves etc. Cheryl focused on  the micro activities: display maintenance, scat removal, decapitating gopher hills, repairing replica army fort uniforms.

With COVID, museums are closed. Sigh. A lovely day trip to visit to nearby Erratic Rock in Sheridan was a much appreciated outing.

November and December when we aren't at one of our many medical appointments, you will find us camping south of Newport.

We had a visitor in the Officer Quarters. Rich had never seen a praying mantis before.

 

 

C-Rations

                               C-Rations. Chicken, carrots, chips, cornbread, chocolate chaser.

We have received a few inquiries if we have trouble finding food on the shelves at the grocery store. During the six months we were at the coast we competed with tourists. Relish was an item that disappeared off the shelf. Organic tomato paste was often a no show. Disposable gloves and rubbing alcohol were hard to find. Olive oil was a mysterious item that appeared briefly and then disappeared for weeks. We shopped in the morning before all the organic meats and produce had been purchased. September 1st we landed at Fort Yamhill and now shop in Salem. Totally different shopping scene. Boxes of disposable gloves, lots of rubbing alcohol, plenty of organic meats and produce and relish. When complaining to my daughter about organic products not being readily available she reminded me that being able to afford to buy organic is a privilege, that all my food and shopping concerns are 1^st world privileges.

Pantry items are now purchased when it is on the shelf. No waiting for sales. And we are frugal and much prefer saving so the not waiting for items to go on sale is a new mindset. Buying when it is available and not just when you need it feels like hoarding. There is a fine line between hoarding and taking care of yourself and loved ones and I am not sure where the boundary is.

Fort Yamhill this morning was a mix of smoke and fog, Mostly smoke. Rich and I are safe and at least 30 miles from any fires.

We Have Moved to the City

Like Sardines

At least it feels like we have moved to the city. Finding an available campground for three weeks that included the Fourth of July was a challenge. We landed in Mossyrock, near Chehalis, Washington at Paradise RV Park. Beggars can't be choosers. On the plus side, we do have one of the few sewer sites. The campground is situated on the side of a terraced hill. Each RV site forms the terrace. And when it rains hard?! Well, I would not choose a site at the bottom. With no privacy and lots of little dogs, Mimi, our cat spends most of her time behind the sofa. I would join her if the space were larger.

Traditionally, Rich and I take July and August off from volunteering. Best case COVID-19 scenario, we will resume volunteering in September at Fort Yamhill.

The Doldrums

Nautical terms cross my mind as Cheryl and I deal with the current CORVID-19 pandemic. Becalmed, adrift, lost moorings are some terms that come to mind. At times the doldrums set in as the wind has been taken out of our sails. Thinking of lifeboats adrift which may open us to other realities as in the book, The Life of Pi. Or we just sit and weather it out coming finally to land on a whole unknown world with eyes and expectations changed. We live our lives in a trance and big events interfere with our plans. 9/11, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, assassinations, The Depression. All come to mind that have changed us and our institutions. 

 Where will we go from here?

(A little slice of sunshine. A few of the beach access points opened up today, May 15)

Reviving a Soggy Camera

You may recall that last summer while kayaking Rich and I over turned the kayak dousing everything including my camera. For months the camera has been submerged in a bowl of rice and occasionally I would check to see if it was functional. Turning the camera on each time, the display screen was blank. Boo. 

Playing around with the camera recently I noticed that when the shutter button is pressed it makes the satisfying click noise. The view screen is blank though. Ever up for an experiment, during a walk on the beach this week I took some photos. Of the 150 or so, 19 were of birds, the intended subject of the photos. 

Most were of sky,

Sea,

and Sand.

Sky, gull and sea. All three unintentional.

Some of the birdless photos are interesting.

The birds pictured: Whimbrel, plover, and crow.

I will keep practicing.

FYI. 

We will continue to shelter at Whalers Rest Campground south of Newport through May 31. Not sure yet if the park we hope to volunteer at in June will be open. Sigh...

Hanky Panky Face Masks

A New Look

We are now CDC compliant. In keeping with current government orders to avoid unnecessary travel, our face masks were made from materials on hand. One men's handkerchief, and one women's handkerchief. Fortunately, I made Rich's first. It was huge, Paul Bunyan sized.
I think we look a little bit like cute mummy monsters.

The Importance of an Emergency Exit

We've pretty much always pooh-poohed the need of an emergency exit. We've updated our thinking on that issue. Doing laundry is a necessary weekly chore. Recently, while in the laundry room, a small room with one door and a small window that a very young child could possibly scoot out, the door handle broke trapping us inside. My first thoughts were, what are our assets. We have water. We have heat. Unplug heater, if there is a fire we are then trapped in a burning building. We have plenty of clean laundry to make a somewhat soft bed and to wrap up in if we end up spending the night. We have light. Limited tools; whatever is in my wallet. Rich is dismantling the handle to remove it and hopefully then be able to exit the open door. Not luck there.  And, why is heavens name did neither of us bring a cellphone? Second lesson of the day, always have a cellphone handy. Okay, what are our options now. Wait until folks come to do their laundry in the morning? It is probably about 4:30 p.m., not too long of a wait. Fortunately, neither of us is claustrophobic. It is a small room. We quietly beaver away in our own way to solve the issue of how to get on the other side of door. At this point a fledgling thought drifts through my brain. Crawl up on the counter, and open the window, hoping that it will open. Okay, window will open a bit and if we are very lucky, a dog walker may pass and I could yell at them from the open window. Rich is still trying to unravel the mystery of  the broken door knob.

So...what was our fate? Was Rich able to remove the offending stuck piece of metal?  Did we spend the night in the laundry room and miss dinner? Did the heavens smile on us and the prayed for dog walker pass by? It was the latter. Tools were passed through the open window so that the door hinges could be removed. Once removed the door was stuck in the frame, of course.  A rescuer on the outside gave one mighty kick to the door, and the door slowly toppled inwards into Rich's waiting hands. Gazing out the open door, we see three guys. Discussions begin about guy things, doors, door knobs, the mighty kick, etc. Me. I go outside.  

Where are Rich and Cheryl?

We are happily sheltered at Whalers Rest, a private campground, until April 23 or when the governor changes her stay at home order. At the camp we have cell service and a site with a sewer hookup. We feel fortunate. Our next camp stop would have been in Pacific City. No cell service there and only a few sites with a sewer hookup. Doable, but much easier where we are staying. We are well and enjoying some quiet time.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Volunteering in the Welcome Center On a Very Rainy Day

February is a wonderful month to volunteer at Beverly Beach. Rainy, one day three and one half inches, but the rains bring the frogs. The male frogs arrive first and serenade us in the evening. Then the females arrive. At some point a blue heron arrives feasting each morning until most of the frogs leave. Then we start looking for frog eggs. It is such a joyful ritual; listening to the male frogs, waiting for eggs to appear.  

The Holidays

We are not used to so much sunshine.

Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving landing during the last few days of November and two days before we were scheduled to arrive at our next volunteer site, we elected to stay at the coast and not travel to be with family. A sad but sane decision. Thanksgiving day dinner was a pleasant community event at Thousand Trails RV Camp in Newport. We, meaning Cheryl, cooks a thanksgiving meal, also. This year it was very disorganized. A few items, the bread machine, rolling pin and ceramic baking dishes, remained forgotten in storage. Fresh baked  rolls were served post thanksgiving. A large glass mug was a good but slippery substitute for a rolling pin. Hey, everything was edible and tasty.

Solstice/Christmas

Christmas landing mid week meant another holiday without visiting family. All hosts at Beverly Beach have Christmas off which means the park rangers do the tasks normally assigned to hosts. Nine yurts were assigned to one ranger for cleaning. Rich, knowing nine yurts is too many along with all the other ranger tasks stepped up and worked cleaning yurts christmas day. The hosts gathered together christmas day for a pot luck dinner. Great food and friendship.

New Years

Ah, 2020. As a child looking to the future, I (cheryl) thought that the year 2020 would be a magical year. Will keep you posted.
Host orientation each month is on the first. 1 January 2020 found Rich and Cheryl arriving for host orientation at Beverly Beach at 9:00 a.m. No late night revelry. We watched Bohemian Rhapsody. A high energy but rather sad movie. A comedy would have been a more appropriate choice but are  watching the 2019 oscar nominated films as they become available to us at each host site. Hopefully, we will have viewed them all by the time the 2020 nominations are released.

Have a magical rockin' 2020.