On The Road Again

Things are back to somewhat "normal" with 

my eyes, so we took off for an quick 

camping trip.

We jumped into our Van and headed out to one of 

my favorite camp sites.

We weren't sure what was open or 

what we could or couldn't do.

The web site said, 

no fires, no showers and no garbage pick ups.

But we prepared for just about anything. 

Good morning!

Hot coffee served with a smile.

Banjo had a great spot, as a look out.

And he was thrilled to meet anything or anyone.

These two played for the longest time.

While we talked to his owner.

And so did these two!

Dogs and kids are Banjo's favorite things!

As it turned out, we could have a fire.

(plus showers and garbage pickups)

Bring on the Polish Dogs!

Because I didn't think we could have a fire,

I bought a treat for Tom.

What's camping without S'mores?

Did you know you could buy 

S'mores already made?

Not as good as the real deal.

But I think I should of told Tom ahead of time

to take the wrapper off.

OH, well, he enjoyed his way.

The smoke and sunshine created 

a interesting picture.

You can actually SEE the sun rays.

God is good!

Time went quickly and we headed home with a promise

to be back soon.

** Word of Warning to all **

Dog Lovers!

While Banjo was out for his supervised (on a leash),

  walks in the woods,

he came in contact with a harmful and potentially, deadly weed.

(But we didn't know this)

After every walk, we'd inspect him and pick off all the pine needles

and anything else that stuck to his fur.

He started limping and whining.

We couldn't see what was bothering him.

One week later, he was still limping and licking the bottom of his foot.

We'd looked and looked, but nothing!

Finally, we saw that his foot pad was pink'ish.

I ran for a flashlight, a magnifying glass and tweezers. 

Tom saw it and pulled it out!

 The remnants of an awns from

 Hare Barley.  

Research told me that it is very harmful, even deadly, to dogs.

Praising God for helping us track it down and 

removing it from Banjo's paw.

This is the remnant of an awns,

  next to a fountain pen.

It's was very small.

No wonder we couldn't see it.

And look how sharp it is!

OUCH!

Banjo is doing fine now.

~~~~****~~~~

'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.'

Jeremiah 29:11

 

We Are Done!

Good-by inflammation!

 This is a picture of us right before we drank our 

last juice drink, on our fast.

We were delighted to be done but we aren't finished.

Let me explain and go, day by day.

Monday. day one  

Bought a lot of produce and

made the days worth of drinks.

Excited for this adventure.

Tuesday two

Cooked dinner for our daughter and family

Was hard not to nibble

Feeling good, not hungry.

Wednesday, day three

Got up 5 times during the night!

 Lost 7 pounds, though.

Daydreaming of eating, but not hungry

Thursday, day four

Lost 10 pounds (I'm sure it was all water!)

Stood up from a chair...NO PAIN in my knees!

Can't stop thinking about eating but 

was so happy about NO PAIN!

Not hungry.

Friday, day five

last day

Thrilled about spots, gone on my legs,

 no pain in my knees.

stomach is feeling good 

and still daydreaming  obsessing about eating,

Saturday

Decided to keep on juicing,

We will do it for one meal a day,

Eat small amounts.

Fast for only 3 days, only once a month.

Reasons we did this fast:

To feel good - check

To detoxify - check

For our health - check 

This link talks about her 

adventure with a juice fast, 

Her thoughts are similar to mine.

Conclusion

I'd do it again, knowing what I know now.

We are now ready for 

Seattle and Salt Lake City!

Thank you for ALL your prayers!!

We are leaving with love in our hearts.

Prayers, that cover us.

And our God who is guiding us.

All Glory to God!

(Gone for awhile but will report back 

as soon as possible.)

💓

Mistake...

 OOOPS!

This is Mark's birthday cake that I baked for him.

I almost cried when I took the cake out it's pan.

But then I remembered this

 Pintrest picture and thought.

"That's it!"

All I needed were some Kit Kats and some M &M's.

So off to the Dollar Store to get my supplies.

Several candy bars later and you'd never know!

 Results were better then I ever expected.

Happy   Birthday   Mark!

Burnt Pot

New stove...excuse

Never make rice...excuse

Memory loss...excuse

Can't smell...excuse

All these excuses lead up to this...

⬇

 My favorite pot destroyed

 Or so I thought!

 Helpful Hint:

*Cover burnt on food with vinegar 

*Bring to a boil

 (be sure to watch it)

* Remove to cool down 

(remember to turn off the stove)

*Scrub with a stain-steel scrubbing pad.

I went a step further and cleaned the 

whole pot with, 

Bar Keepers Friend 

It's like it never happened.

I'm very happy!

Camping - Second Stop

Hell'S Canyon...

is a ten-mile wide canyon located along the eastern Oregon, eastern Washington and 

western Idaho.

North America's deepest river gorge.

The Snake River

We were traveling in the same area as
The Nez Perce, Shoshone-Bannock, Palute, Cayuse Indians...

Lewis and Clark Exposition came in 1806...

Later came explorers and the miners searching for gold.

After a hydro power Dam was built on the Columbia River,
the Idaho Power Company got a license
to build three more dams,
 on the Snake River.


Part of the agreement was that Idaho Power had to give back to the community.
So they developed camp grounds near each dam.

This is one of camp sites built and maintained by Idaho Power,
 Copperfield Campgrounds.


Trees, grass, bathrooms, showers, bike trails!
We were so surprised at the clean and tidy
camping area!


As you can see, others had the same thought.
But we didn't feel crowded.


We set up camp and ate lunch.
Camping makes even a DIET FOOD
taste so yummy!


We got on our bikes to go and explore.
Tom and I felt like Lewis and Clark (!)
We stopped to read up on the history of this area.

Lilac trees, lined the path at the campgrounds.

I turned around several times just to take in

more whiffs of their fragrance.

Tom taking the lead.

We enjoyed our second camp fire.

A perfect evening!

Well, maybe a marshmallow or two with chocolate

 would have made it a little better.

~~~**~~~

You know what I like about camping?

No make-up or styling my hair!

Fun and Funnies...

Extra toilet paper and holder in the campgrounds bathroom.

These butterflies were congregating in the mud puddle.

Our "neighbor" had a tiny mailbox out in front

of their camp site.

When we left, I stuffed it with a note.

(haha - hehe)

We left around 11:00 am for the next campgrounds.

Then Tom started to feel crummy.

We decided to head home,

Once down from the mountains we arrived on the prairie.

I couldn't stop thinking about,

ALL those who crossed these open prairies in covered wagons!

I learned a lot about our American history and how interesting it was to be in their footsteps,

 as we traveled.

This was a great experience.

Camping With Tom and Chris

💗  HOME SWEET HOME!  💗

Our home away from home.

 We didn't start out as campers, until we bought 

this van, which we call, Max.

Let's peak inside...

You are looking towards the front.

Both seats swivel around, to face the back.

Kitchen is on the right.
The bathroom, and

 the closet are on the left.

 Kitchen has a sink. 

gas stove, refrigerator and

plenty of storage! 

On the left side is the bathroom, 

with a potty, and sink. 

It even has a shower!

There is also a coffee maker,

and a TV.

You are looking at the couch and snack table,
(we also have a dining table, top)

The table come out and the couch folds down

into a King size bed.

There is lots of overhead storage and

foot level storage.

This is our bedroom.

***

When we go to visit Todd, Steph, 

Trey and Scarlett in Seattle, 

we just hook up in their driveway.

No unpacking!

***

Now it's time to go camping.

We have taken only one "camping trip" in Max.

But we (Tom), have learned all the functions and 

 every feature in our van.

So, we decided to head out to the 

wide open ranges of Idaho!

to be continued ...