Time with Our Families, A Movie, and Shopping - July 15-19, 2024

Monday, July 15: This morning at 7 am, I was in the laundromat at Hee Hee Illahee RV Resort to do four loads of laundry. We needed to check out at 11 am and I was done way before that deadline. The laundromat at the RV park was spotless. I went in after they cleaned it for the day! I left it the way I found it.

While I was doing laundry, Bob made a Walmart run to fill the truck with fuel and bought D-E-F, diesel fluid, and oil. He got the pick-up truck road-ready.

At 11 am, we checked out and headed south to Veneta, Oregon for our stay at Lane County's Richardson Park at Fern Ridge Reservoir. We have stayed there before because it is close to Lonnie and Drew's (Bob's sister and brother-in-law's) house. Plus, the park is beautifully wooded.

When we arrived at the park at 1 pm, we were told that our site hadn't been cleaned. We had driven past our site and saw that it was empty. The hostess in the park office said as long as the site was empty and clean we could move in. I thanked her and said that was good because we could get the air conditioning turned on. With temperatures in the 90s, the 5th wheel was quite warm! The kitties love the air conditioning!

Lonnie and Drew invited us to dinner at Ixtapa Mexican Restaurant in Veneta. They picked us up with their Tesla at our campsite. Oooh, snazzy! We had a great meal and talked about cruising. They love to cruise and know how to find the discounts. Their travels have taken them all over the world!

Tuesday, July 16: Bob needed to work this morning. When he tried to get internet at our campsite, it didn't work. Lonnie and Drew wanted to take me to the Eugene Farmer's Market and I was up for that! I took Bob to Lonnie and Drew's house so he could use their internet while we shopped.

The Tuesday Eugene Farmer's Market is much smaller than the weekend edition, but we all found what we wanted. Lonnie and Drew purchased a number of veggies. I bought two yummy bakery items and fresh Willamette Valley berries (raspberries, blueberries). 

We weren't gone long, so Bob didn't have time to finish his work. We chatted in Lonnie and Drew's dining room while munching on raspberries, blueberries, and cherries. 

In the afternoon, Bob took his computer to a school parking lot in Veneta. He was able to get an internet signal there and finished his work.

Tonight, we took Lonnie and Drew to dinner at Chao Pra Ya Thai Cuisine. We have been there with them many times and love their flavorful cuisine. We spent a couple of hours chatting and realized we needed to cede our table. 

What does the name Chao Pra Ya mean?

Bob, Lonnie, and Drew at Chao Pra Ya Thai Cuisine.

Me, Bob, Lonnie, and Drew.

Drew getting into the red Tesla at Chao
Pra Ya Thai Cuisine.

This evening had a pretty sunset.

Later in the evening, we had a
thunderstorm.

It has been fun catching up with Lonnie and Drew. It's been a year since we last saw them.

Wednesday, July 17: I slept in for a change while Bob ran along the reservoir and worked. At 2:30 pm, we saw "Horizon: an American Saga" with Kevin Costner at the Eugene Cinemark Theater. The movie is three hours long, but I didn't fall asleep once. I found the characters interesting, and the story about U.S. Westward Expansion kept my interest. This will be a four-part series. Part 2 will be out on August 16. 

Hollywood mural in Cinemark snack bar area, 
Eugene, Oregon.

Mural above the entrance of the north
Salem Walmart on Lancaster. 

We returned to our campsite via Costco and Walmart. Lonnie and Drew had left a book on our doorstep. Thank you!

Thursday, July 18: Our drive north on I-5 to Wilsonville is 98 miles. Check-in time at Sun Outdoors Portland South isn't until 2 pm. Therefore, we stayed at our Richardson Park site until the 11 am check-out time. Then we dumped our tanks at the park's dump station and I took some photos.

The Richardson Park dump station.

You can see how treed the campground is.

As we drove toward the freeway on Clear Lake Road, we passed the northern edge of Fern Ridge Reservoir. It's a huge body of water. 

The northwestern corner of Fern Ridge Reservoir.

On the way to Wilsonville, we stopped at a rest area on I-5 and made lunch. Our arrival time at the next campground was 1:30 pm. They let us check in a little early.

Site #118 at Sun Outdoors Portland South,
formerly Pheasant Ridge RV Park. Shade!!

We relaxed for the rest of the day. Bob picked up his son Randall in Beaverton. They went to dinner together. I stayed in the 5th wheel, edited photos, and worked on my blogs. I also did a 300-piece jigsaw puzzle on www.jigsawplanet.com.

When Bob returned to the RV, he walked around the RV park. Tomorrow, we will have lunch with our Vietnamese "adopted" sister, Kimmie, and then play pinochle and have pizza at my sister Janyce's place.

Friday, July 19: At 11:30 am, my sister Janyce, Bob, and I met Kimmie at Bushwhacker's Restaurant in Tualatin, Oregon. Our lunch was good and we caught up on Kimmie's life since last year. She will travel with her son and grandson to Japan and Vietnam for a few weeks. She is excited to introduce her son and grandson to their relatives in Vietnam whom they have never met. Thank you, Kimmie, for buying our lunch today! Have a wonderful vacation.

Kimmie, Janyce, me, and Bob at
Bushwhacker's Restaurant in Tualatin, Oregon.

The huge dance floor inside Bushwhacker's
restaurant. They have country western dances here.

The interior of Bushwhacker's Restaurant
in Tualatin, Oregon.

Tonight, we went to my sister's house for pizza and pinochle. My son Michael and Bob's son Randall joined us. Randall's ankles are healing up nicely four months after his fall. He's walking with a cane now.

Bob and I supplied Papa John's pizza for dinner. Janyce had mini Magnum dark chocolate and caramel ice cream bars for dessert. Randall had to leave after dinner. 

Janyce, Bob, Michael, and I played many rounds of pinochle. Bob and Michael ran roughshod over us. Janyce and I had very few good hands. Meanwhile, Bob and Michael gave us a schooling. Some nights are like that. Good job Michael and Bob. 

After pinochle, Michael, Janyce, and I worked on a 300-piece jigsaw puzzle that Aunt Genie gave us in Stockton, California. We got quite a bit of it done. The next day, Janyce sent me a photo of the completed puzzle.

A Ravensburger Puzzle.

We love the time spent with family and friends. It's nice we've been able to visit two years in a row. Janyce will be visiting us in San Antonio in early December. Laura and Louise will be visiting San Antonio in mid-December.

Good night, all.