Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Remember Whensday No. 38 - Our Truck Camper

It was almost 5 years ago today that Karl and I got our truck camper. We had gone to the Seattle RV Show looking at new campers but really didn't want to plunk down the money for one. Just as we were getting ready to leave the show, we looked at the Pastime camper display. They were reasonably priced (compared to some of the others) and looked suitable for our needs. But we weren't ready to sign any papers.

A day later, I was scanning the on-line RV classifieds and found a Pastime that was the same model that we were interested in but 3 years old for almost half the cost of a new one. Plus it was set up for a short-bed truck which was what we had. The camper was being sold by a private owner about 2 hours away from where we lived. Road trip!

Karl and I went down to the Lacey, WA area to look at the camper. It was just what we wanted! We pretty much bought it on the spot. Unfortunately, our truck was not equipped to carry the camper so we weren't able to bring it home that day.

We used the next week to get the truck ready and drove back to Lacey to pick up our new camper.

First Time on the Truck

Our camper has given us many good memories - several trips to California, one across the country, many weekends at local campgrounds, plus it also serves as our "home base" while we build the house in North Central Washington. We've made a few modifications during the past several years to put our personal touch on it.

Sometimes I'd like a newer camper with a slide-out to have the extra space, but our little camper does the job and still fits our needs.

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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Remember Whensday No. 37 - Joshua Tree National Park



One of my favorite spots in the United States is Joshua Tree National Park in California. Two deserts come together in Joshua Tree. One is the Colorado Desert, the other is the Mojave.

It's been a few years since I've been able to visit so I'm pulling out some of the memorable photos from a trip to JT that Karl took.

A particular enjoyable locations in the park for me has always been Jumbo Rocks. There is a nice hiking trail that Karl and I have taken a couple of times. One day, we got up at o'dark thirty and headed into the park and the Jumbo Rocks area. We watched the sun come up while sitting in this area. The rising light on the rocks made for an enjoyable morning as well as some great photo opportunities.

Sunrise in Jumbo Rocks

There are definitely some fascinating rocks formations - some well known, some not.

Skull Rock

Do you see the face?

My favorite - Cat Rock
Do you see the cat washing itself?

I hope I get to visit Joshua Tree again soon. It soothes my soul.

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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Remember Whensday No. 35 - We're Number 4!

This week for the Remember Whensday meme, it's Karl at the Everett Silvertips hockey game. A couple of years ago, Karl and I went to a game along with two other couples. During the breaks in between periods, there is some form of entertainment. On this particular night, Karl was part of the entertainment.

Karl was on his way to the restroom to use the facility when he was asked if he wanted to participate in a game. He thought it was going to be the one where somebody tries to hit the puck through the hole in board and win a prize. So he said sure but he REALLY needed to use the restrooom first. No problem, he was told. Off he goes to participate.

Unfortunately, while he was using the facilities, the instructions for the game were being given to the other 3 participants. He came in at the very end to learn he was going to put a puzzle together. Then he was handed a hula skirt and straw hat to wear. The Washington State Lottery was giving away lottery tickets with a chance to go to Maui, Hawaii.


Karl @ the Everett Silvertips Game (far right in plaid shirt)

The four players go out to center ice where each one will race to one of the corners and put a 9 piece puzzle together. Little did Karl know the other participants were shown the completed puzzle which was a picture of a lottery ticket. He also missed the instructions that as soon as the first person had their puzzle together and was racing back to center ice, everyone else was supposed to race back, too. All four players run to their corners and begin to assemble their puzzle. Karl's working on his and doesn't see the other 3 players running back to center ice. He's still working on the puzzle. From the crowd he hears, "Run, dumba$$, run!" He looks up and figures he'd better get back to center ice, too.

When he got back to the stands after the game, our little section was chanting "We're number 4! We're number 4!" It was hilarious and Karl was a really good sport about it all.

He ended up winning two very nice sets of luggage and some lottery tickets that added another $30 in winnings. Not bad.

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