2007

The new year actually started quietly, but during the second week of January we had hail and snow! Hail is not that unusual here, but snow doesn't fall very often let alone set. The temperatures were sub freezing for several days and the local schools were closed for two days. This all happened on the weekend preceding Martin Luther King Day so with the Monday holiday, the kids (and teachers) had a five day weekend. Because it stayed cold for several days, and parts of our yard don't get any sun this time of year, the snow actually lasted for almost a week in spots. Brrrrr. This amount of snow and ice wouldn't stop anyone who is used to snow, but in this part of the world, where it is a rare occurrence, the smart thing is to stay home which we did.

This storm rolled into the mid part of the country with a vengeance and a huge ice storm disrupted power in many parts of Oklahoma and Missouri and other locales before heading to the northeast. I remember the ice storms we had in Watertown so I know what these folks are going through. It is not fun. We were lucky to only have a couple of days of icy roads.

In January the Computer Club that June belongs to received a grant to buy notebook computers for classes for members. June ordered the computers and when they arrived, set them up. For those of you who don't believe her favorite place to use the computer is bed - here she is feeling a little overwhelmed by so many at once.

In February we hosted our 3rd Annual White Elephant Super Bowl Party. This year we had "official sweatshirts" thanks to Janet's brother-in-law, Paul, who went to the Orange Bowl. That was in Miami, the site of the Super Bowl and he kindly bought us official shirts. Once again we had a nice group and good fun with the white elephant exchange. There was a little more stealing of gifts which made it more fun. We watched "at" the game but had more fun just visiting with one another.

Feb 11 - We went to the Crab Feed in Charleston yesterday. It was just as good as it always is, but doesn't look much different year to year so I didn't take the camera this year.

I just had to make a note though - the winter weather news this year is centering in Oswego County in NY. Parish, a town 25 or so miles south of where I used to live has recorded 115 inches of snow in the last seven days due to lake effect storms. They are hoping it will end tomorrow, but another few inches are still possible. And we complain about our less than one inch! It's all a matter of what we are used to...

I have no idea who this guy is, but I can relate to what he is doing from when I lived in Watertown - and Janet laughed at the idea that I raked my roof - too late for a rake on this one!

The spring sailed on by without much ado from us. June decided to get a new computer with Vista on it "for the business" - yeah - right. Janet realized that her warranty was just about up on her computer, so a week later she ordered a new one. We have both been occupied learning the ins and outs of our new machines. June didn't think she could edit this site from her new one - the software she had didn't seem to be compatible. But, she got brave at the beginning of June and went to the Homestead site, downloaded the software from the site and presto - here we are - in business once again!

We are both looking forward to the end of our teaching for the college. We'll have to see what being retired really feels like. Janet had her class to our house for their final presentations which was also their last class. They all survived, everyone seemed to have a good time and ended their experience with one final photo.

In July we took a quick trip to California. We wanted to go on a day sailing trip in Monterey Bay that was put on by the Monterey aquarium. We went to Jim's house the day before to stay with him, and bright and early on Friday, the 13th of July, we took off for Monterey. It's about a 2 hour drive from his house and the road has changed a bit since we lived in California. The last time we were there, we missed the fried artichoke place in Castorville, but this time we saw the error of our ways and we got off the the main road so we could once again partake of the wonderful French fried artichokes they make.

Eventually we got to Monterey and made our way to the aquarium. They have a new exhibit - Wild About Otters - that we wanted to see. We had no idea there were so many species of river otters. The exhibit is great, but it was very crowded. Summer is not the best time to visit if you want to be able to enjoy the exhibit to its fullest. We were there last December and that was much better.

They also have a new exhibit of jellies and some of them are from other parts of the world. But some of them are right out in the bay - particularly the sea nettles and moon jellies. I was amazed at how many we saw.

We took a free shuttle down to Fisherman's Wharf where we got our boat, the Derek M. Bayliss. This was the Science Under Sail trip where they did a number of things with the kids aboard, like haul in a crab pot that was full of sea stars and let them help hoist the sails and pilot the ship. Those of us less interested in that were just able to enjoy being aboard this beautiful boat. We saw otters in the kelp, sea lions and harbor seals sunning themselves on the jetty and boat moorings, cormorants galore and lots of other sea birds. We learned there is only one species of gull, but the ones you see that are mottled rather than gray and white are immature. They don't get gray and white until they are about five years old.

We saw lots and lots of jellies in the water, floating along just below the surface, and of course we saw the kelp beds. After the first hour, they hoisted the sail and the next two hours just flew by. We had a good breeze, but is wasn't rough. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to be on the water.

At the end of our day we headed for a Mexican restaurant on the pier that was advertising Baja Fish Tacos. Those are really good and these were the genuine item. We also shared an excellent plate of prawns in a red sauce. Of course there were also the requisite rice and refried beans.

On the corner of the building, we spotted about five brown pelicans, sunning themselves and preening. We'd never been so close to pelicans before - we were probably no more than 15 feet from them. In the backgound is our boat tied up to the dock. There is no boom as I am used to. The sails are in the slings, but it is the loops around each mast that hold the sails in place and keeps them from swinging too wide. When we came about, if you forgot to duck, you only got hit by the canvas sling, not a metal boom. It was really neat.

They are sailng this boat to Hawaii this winter - now that would be an adventure!

The next day we started for home. It's over 500 miles so we drove about half way, to Eureka, the first day. Sunday we headed for the Trees of Mystery in Klamath. It is part of the redwood forest in northern California. We stopped there and toured the exhibits while we were still living in Cambria and visiting Coos Bay. Several years ago they installed a gondola ride and we have been meaning to do it. Of course when we were headed south, it was clear and sunny. On the way back it was overcast/foggy and misting. We stopped anyway because it was cool and a good day to park and leave Buddy in the car with the windows cracked. We took a shuttle to the gondola and went gliding up the mountain for the 7 minutes the ride took. There were stops as others got on or off the ride. Seeing the trees from above them is definitely a different experience. The different shades of green and the feathery look of the top branches are beautiful. At the top visibility was limited, but we're still glad we did the ride.

When we got off the gondola back at our starting point we walked down to the gift shop and museum, stopping once again to marvel at the size of these beautiful trees. There are many other species as well, but the redwoods just take your breath away. I love driving along the coast through the redwoods, there is nothing like them in the east - not even close.

It's hard to read the signs on this tree. They are indicating the various rings on this cross cut. The first one, near the center is the Crusades, then the Magna Carter, Columbus, the Pilgrims and the last one is Independence in 1776, You can't see it in this photo, but this tree lived for many years after 1776.

The rest of the summer flew by before we even knew it. June was teaching two days a week in Bandon for the Business Development Center which is a different division of the college. She finished on August 23rd and that ends her teaching career for the moment. She also resigned from the computer club in order to take a break from such intense involvment with computers. The little business "Have Computer Will Travel" continues to get an occasional call.

Jancy has also resigned from her college position for at least one year. We both will see how we feel about it next year and if there is a need for our services. So on to chores around the house. June repainted the hot tub and porch glider and a grayish shade that fits in very well with our new siding. We also put in a locking mailbox on a metal post after we had outgoing mail stolen from the box at the beginning of August. Now Jancy is sorting through some of her things, trying to weed out stuff and June is painting inside.

We just completed what turned out to be a fun project - taking photos of all the painted hydrants that a group in the area did last year. There is a separate five page site devoted to that. Here is a sample and clicking on the photo of the hydrant with the piano keys will take you to the other site. Personally, we think they are pretty creative and alot of fun to drive by every day.

Thanksgiving came and went without much ado. We met some friends for a buffet at Bandon Dunes. On our way home we took the scenic route and found Seven Devils's State Park. It's a great beach, but the road from it towards Coos Bay turned into a switch back dirt road for about 4 miles - wilderness stuff you wouldn't want to break down on. We didn't know that when we took it, so now we know why we hadn't been there before and why the beach was so deserted - too hard to get to from Coos Bay.

In early December we took the plunge and recarpeted. It delayed our decorating for the holidays, but was a great thing to get done and behind us. The house is now updated with siding, an interior paint job and new carpeting. The only other big thing we think we'll have to do in a couple of years is a new roof, but hopefully it will wait a while.

We had a small party a few days before Christmas. The invitation said let's go to Shore Acres and see the lights and then come back for Christmas carols and maybe some Wii (our newest toy). Unfortunately, December decided to be a rainy month and the day of the party was no exception so we didn't go to Shore Acres after all. And no one was interested in singing carols (much to Janet's disappointment) but everyone was interested in seeing what Wii was all about so we had a lot of fun that evening bowling and playing golf.

The end of 2007 was much like the beginning with cold temperatures, frost and some hail. We went out to dinner with a bunch of friends at a place called the Coach House. It isn't that much to look at as you drive by, but the food was very good and quite reasonable. We were home again by 6:30 in order to avoid being on the road with the real party people. A little Wii golf helped us burn off some of our dinner and we retired early. Jancy didn't make it to midnight but I did - turned the channel just in time to see the ball drop at Times Square (at midnight our time) and called it good. Happy New Year! So to continue our adventures, you'll now have to jump over to 2008. See you there!