Junkyard Airplane Art

The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious. And why shouldn't it be? - it is the same the angels breathe. ~Mark Twain, "Roughing It"

Hi Friends,

We were on our way to Medford a few weeks back and found this coolio junk yard airplane near Susanville, CA.  It appears that the crew at the land fill was bored and shopped some of the piles of scrap to get the parts that make this neat bird fly. In addition to the big engine and the huge prop, it looks like a pretty fast bird as evidenced by the swept wings.

Do you have the story on this bird?

Hoping all your dreams come true and you always sing on key.

Don

Anniversary Celebration and Adventures

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

Hi Friends and Family,

What a wonderful few weeks we have had. On the weekend of the 15th of May we celebrated our 29th Anniversary. To use a tired old phrase, "boy does time fly." It really is hard to believe that 29 years has already passed in our marriage.

We marked the occasion this year with a trip to Carmel, CA. It was our first experience with this wonderful little town and we totally loved it. Can't believe we have missed this oasis for so many years. Well actually I can because we have a habit of visiting a place over and over if we find one we like. Lately we have been thinking this through a bit more and have decided we would like to try new places to expand our adventures and experiences.

So it was off to Carmel and the adventure of someplace new. We drove from Reno to Sacramento and then down I5 a few miles then across CA152 into Carmel. The drive was great, no real problems with the navigation and it sure was beautiful. Miles and miles of farm land, green as far as you could see and good conversation. We did get a little lost in Carmel but that was corrected in short order and we soon found the Carmel Country Inn, our resting place for the weekend. The Carmel Country Inn was such a wonderful experience that I will have a whole article just about them so I can do them justice.

Carmel has small town charm and something we had not experienced in any other town ... total acceptance of people and their pets. Really they were welcome everywhere we went. The grocery store, the shops downtown, even the restaurants. It is so refreshing to visit a place that Loves animals as much as we Love ours.

We wandered on down to Carmel Beach and sat in the white sand soaking up the good vibes and sea air. The beach was another place we found animals of every kind wandering, running and playing with their owners. It was really a blast!

Along with the embracing pets, Carmel also does not have any parking meters, no loud music, no huge neon signs or billboards and no street numbers on the buildings. They don't blow up buildings when they get old and build ugly new ones and everyone seems really genuinely nice.

We came back totally relaxed and refreshed and excited about returning again someday to see more of the sights and experience more of the vibe of Carmel.

Here is to you finding a place to relax and refresh.

Peace, Love and Bliss,

Don & Brenda

Rusty & Peppy Too!

Great Holiday Greetings to You!

Hi Friends,

It sure has been a great couple of weeks and we are having a great holiday season this year. Hope you are too.

We were home in Washoe Valley for Christmas and spent some time with family and friends. Tried to get some thoughtful gifts for all of those that are in our lives, but totally failed by forgetting to pick up any Christmas cards this year. Sorry about that, it was not because we didn't care, it just slipped past us until it was too late. maybe we will think of something for early next year and mail cards for no apparent reason to make it up.

After a nice evening with our neighbors and Christmas at Tucker Dome with Don's folks we are now in Medford visiting with Bonnie and Danny. The ride up was nice, lot's of snow on the road and along the sides most of the trip. In one snowy stretch we were passed by a bunch of cars and one rude truck driver. We caught up with them down the road and watched as a little Toyota pick up spun out and crashed into the snow along the road. All of the drivers from the pack that passed us kept driving. We did and helped this nice man from Washington out of the snow bank. It was really sad to see about 100 cars and trucks pass us by and not offer any assistance. I thought your conscience and basic decency would cause you to stop for another person to help. I kept thinking, what if that man had had some sort of heart problem that caused him to loose control? What might have happened if no one had stopped? Well we are still thinking about him, hoping he has mad it back to Tacoma safe and sound and that maybe he will pay it forward sometime when the opportunity presents itself.

So that catches you up with us. We are parked in Medford. Hoping to get to Ashland to soak up the coolness of that town and finishing off this holiday season. Watch your mailbox if you are on our usual mailing list and we might just drum up some reason to send you all cards to celebrate some strange season or occasion.

We are lucky to have all of you in our lives and hope this coming year is full of fun and many blessings.

Oh yeah, I turned 50 ... but still feel 20. And Brenda says I act 14, so I got that going for me.

Peace Love and Bliss,

Don & Brenda
And All the Critters!

One of My "Best Places in the World"

Hi Friends,

I see that CNN and Money Magazine have published their best places to live again. And like most other times I have not visited any of them yet. I am sure that these places are amazing and that all the good things written about them are true and the people that live there are amazing.

Again, I noticed some of my favorite places are left off of the list. One of my favorite places to spend time in is Ashland, Oregon. Just off of Interstate 5 about 15 miles North of the California border, this little town has so much personality and charm that it keeps me wanting to spend more and more time there.

Ashland is home to Oregon Shakespeare Festival where you can watch some wonderful plays live in the most beautiful theaters anywhere. We have seen a few with our Niece and had a great time.

One of our favorite places to wander in Ashland is Lithia Park a 93 acre park right in the heart of town. It's natural beauty and unique little zen spots are what make it so special to us.

On our last vacation we got a chance to wander around Lithia Park and Ashland again, making more memories and discovering new corners we had not seen in the past. This time we were lucky enough to listen to an amazing Cello player as he played for anyone that cared to listen. He had great talent, and I found myself wondering about his history. Was he a performer for a famous symphony in his past? Or was he still performing, just taking some time to practice his art before returning to work? We watched as he played 2 songs perfectly, the sound of the Cello filling the park and the minds with music.

Maybe next time there is a listing for best places to live or visit, the writers they will have visited Ashland. But then again, perhaps it is better that they don't, as it might spoil the Spiritual feeling you get when you visit.

Here are a couple of videos we made on our last visit. Hope you enjoy them.

Peace, Love and Bliss...

Don & Brenda (and Ashley too)






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Summer is Here, Refreshing the Spirit

Hi Friends,

Summer has arrived and with it comes a fresh outlook on life and the World. Gone now are those grumblings I get towards the end of Winter, the result of way too many chain ups to get over Donner Pass and the never ending cold. It is not that I can't see the beauty in a snow storm or find the Spirit lifting things along my path that make me say ahhhh, it is just that it seems like it goes on and on and on.

It is in Spring and the early part of Summer that my Spirit finds a lift around every corner and behind those things you see every day. Have you noticed that the longer you look at something the more you you can see? Or that the longer you listen quietly, bending your ear to listen past the jumble the more small sounds you can hear?

In my travels behind the wheel of a truck going 55 mph or more, it would be easy to get tired of the same route, roads or sights and become bitter about being stuck in the driving rut. Instead I make notes to myself that when I get a chance, and am running ahead of schedule, I will stop and take my break investigating something that I have seen. It doesn't take long and rewards can be a feeling or sight that you may never forget. You might have one of those aha moments that people speak about that change your life.

So Summer is here and I am exploring and listening and taking the time to grab hold of those moments that might change my life ... are you?

I hope so, and wish you a Spirit filling Summer too.

Here are a couple videos that I made this Summer, from spots that are just off the side of the road or around a corner that I passed every day. Listen to the water and the birds and think about someplace you might explore, and then share it.

Peace, Love and Bliss,

Don & Brenda

Weird Places Johannesburg, California

Hi Friends & Family,

When we are on one of our adventures, we sometimes drive by strange things or strange places. Most of the time we just laugh a little and keep driving.

One of those un-usual places we have driven through is Johannesburg and it's neighbor Randsburg on 395 in California, We might have just driven right past without a second thought had it not had moving pavement the first time we drove through. We were on our way to Disneyland a few years ago heading South on 395 when we drove up on this little town in the middle of no where. It seems to just pop right out of the desert, a little shanty looking town, and then vanish just as quickly. We rarely see anyone moving around the town except the occasional stranded driver changing a flat tire.

Once while driving through Johannesburg we were both thinking we had been on the road way too long as it looked to us like the road was moving. Not like a earthquake, but more like the blacktop was moving from our right to our left, like liquid. As we got closer we saw that the movement was thousands of taratula's migrating across Hwy 395. It was spooky beyond beleif, like something out of a horror movie.

Now when we drive through, we make up stories about this little town. We pretend to tell stranded drivers that the taratula's are coming and we seem to think now that Zombies might just live there. Of course these things just happen in our imagination and the folks in Johannesburg and Randsburg are probably great people. But we won't be stopping to find out.

We made this short video last time through....

And just to be fair. Here is a link to find out more about Johannesburg. http://www.gonomad.com/destinations/0103/johannesburg_deathvalley.html

Peace, Love and Bliss

Don & Brenda

No Agenda 2009 Checking Out the Beaches

Hi Friends,

Wow, Friday and we are really enjoying every minute of this vacation. Today we checked out of our Hotel ready to travel back to Medford. But the way I look at it, going from one place to another in a straight line is boring. So this morning we turned left instead of right and checked out the Port of Gold Beach to explore the driftwood piles and look for coolio rocks and such.

Then we traveled in the other direction and checked out the amazing beaches by Pistol River. Beautiful huge rocks are standing in the Ocean and make picture taking a breeze. It is one of the most beautiful places we have ever been and could spend days there just wandering along looking at the nature and all this wonderful place has to offer.

Then it was away from the coast and the mild 60 to 70 degree days and back through the redwoods to Medford and a 102 degree afternoon. Quite a contrast.

Tomorrow we will check out the 4th of July festivities in Medford before heading home.

Took a bunch of pictures again. Posted them to our Picasa page (I am really starting to think Picasa is the greatest) huge storage space for our pictures for free. Thanks Google! Here is the link to the pictures if you want to check them out.

Have a Coolio 4th of July!!

Don, Brenda & Ashley Too!!