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!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Driving Around Reno, Carson City and Minden in the Snow
Hi Friends,
On Friday December 17th it was snowing and the roads were a little slick, but it was fun to drive around delivering my carpet and such. I thought it might be fun to allow the dash cam to capture a few minutes of my adventures. I didn't get any video of the cars and trucks that forgot the dirty side/shiny side rule, they were all over the place. You would have thought we lived in some place that never saw snow.
It was a long day but it was sort of refreshing. Don't get me wrong, I am already tired of the snow and can't wait until Spring.
Peace, Love and Bliss
Don
On Friday December 17th it was snowing and the roads were a little slick, but it was fun to drive around delivering my carpet and such. I thought it might be fun to allow the dash cam to capture a few minutes of my adventures. I didn't get any video of the cars and trucks that forgot the dirty side/shiny side rule, they were all over the place. You would have thought we lived in some place that never saw snow.
It was a long day but it was sort of refreshing. Don't get me wrong, I am already tired of the snow and can't wait until Spring.
Peace, Love and Bliss
Don
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Protect Yourself When Making Room Reservations
Hi Friends,
We do a bit of traveling and most of our experiences have been really exciting and fun. We have had some rooms that were not really the greatest, but for the most part we have been happy in the end. Recently we had an experience with the Creekside Inn in Cambria that we thought we would share and maybe save you some heartache and money.
We had made reservations to stay for a couple nights at the Creekside Inn in Cambria to attend a family reunion. The little inn seemed like a nice place and they let us bring our Chihuahua's. The reservation process was easy enough, had to call them and go through the steps ... address, phone and all that. Credit card to hold the room.
The problem we had with the Creekside Inn in Cambria came when we needed to cancell our reservation because we were not going to be able to make the trip. Reservation had to be cancelled by phone, okay no problem. Then we looked at our account for the card used for the reservation. Bingo a charge for one room night by the Creekside Inn in Cambria. Called the inn and was told that we cancelled within the required (48 hour) limit. Not true so I asked them to remove the charge. Nope they said ... they would not return the money and we were free to dispute the charge, but we wouldn't win.
I called our Bank and they agreed to look into it. They received just a summary of what the Creekside Inn in Cambria had told me on the phone and said they could not reverse the charge. The explanation they gave was that the Creekside Inn in Cambria had provided enough evidence that the charge was justified. They also told us that when you make a reservation and give your card number to hold the room, that constitutes authorization to charge the card. After that you can not stop payment on the charge even if you are charged like we were.
The Creekside Inn in Cambria falsely charged our card based on false information given to our bank and us. We just wanted you to know this before you book any rooms for this Inn. The lady that cancelled our reservations was very rude and they wrongly took money from us. If you are travelling to Cambria, CA, stay someplace else. And when you give your credit card info out for a room reservation, understand that this might happen to you.
Our lesson learned...
We will probably avoid the small Mom and Pop Inns and stay at major brand Hotels and such to avoid the problems we had here. Mom and Pop can be sweet and nice, but can really be greedy in order to make a buck. Avoid the Creekside Inn in Cambria.
Happy Trails,
Don & Brenda
We do a bit of traveling and most of our experiences have been really exciting and fun. We have had some rooms that were not really the greatest, but for the most part we have been happy in the end. Recently we had an experience with the Creekside Inn in Cambria that we thought we would share and maybe save you some heartache and money.
We had made reservations to stay for a couple nights at the Creekside Inn in Cambria to attend a family reunion. The little inn seemed like a nice place and they let us bring our Chihuahua's. The reservation process was easy enough, had to call them and go through the steps ... address, phone and all that. Credit card to hold the room.
The problem we had with the Creekside Inn in Cambria came when we needed to cancell our reservation because we were not going to be able to make the trip. Reservation had to be cancelled by phone, okay no problem. Then we looked at our account for the card used for the reservation. Bingo a charge for one room night by the Creekside Inn in Cambria. Called the inn and was told that we cancelled within the required (48 hour) limit. Not true so I asked them to remove the charge. Nope they said ... they would not return the money and we were free to dispute the charge, but we wouldn't win.
I called our Bank and they agreed to look into it. They received just a summary of what the Creekside Inn in Cambria had told me on the phone and said they could not reverse the charge. The explanation they gave was that the Creekside Inn in Cambria had provided enough evidence that the charge was justified. They also told us that when you make a reservation and give your card number to hold the room, that constitutes authorization to charge the card. After that you can not stop payment on the charge even if you are charged like we were.
The Creekside Inn in Cambria falsely charged our card based on false information given to our bank and us. We just wanted you to know this before you book any rooms for this Inn. The lady that cancelled our reservations was very rude and they wrongly took money from us. If you are travelling to Cambria, CA, stay someplace else. And when you give your credit card info out for a room reservation, understand that this might happen to you.
Our lesson learned...
We will probably avoid the small Mom and Pop Inns and stay at major brand Hotels and such to avoid the problems we had here. Mom and Pop can be sweet and nice, but can really be greedy in order to make a buck. Avoid the Creekside Inn in Cambria.
Happy Trails,
Don & Brenda
Wild Horses in Washoe Valley
Hi Friends,
We were headed out to get some last minute Christmas gifts yesterday. Right there along East Lake Blvd in Washoe Valley was a small group of Wild Horses. We just had to stop and get this short video while they grazed and watched us watch them. They were beautiful and we both wished we could have got just a bit closer. But had we opened the truck door or made any move towards them they probably would have vanished. It made our day, so we thought we would share it with you. Maybe it will brighten your day as well.
Peace, Love and Bliss,
Don and Brenda
We were headed out to get some last minute Christmas gifts yesterday. Right there along East Lake Blvd in Washoe Valley was a small group of Wild Horses. We just had to stop and get this short video while they grazed and watched us watch them. They were beautiful and we both wished we could have got just a bit closer. But had we opened the truck door or made any move towards them they probably would have vanished. It made our day, so we thought we would share it with you. Maybe it will brighten your day as well.
Peace, Love and Bliss,
Don and Brenda
Thursday, December 02, 2010
No Photo Christmas Card This Year
The Thanksgiving Letter
Looking through the Awkward Family Photo's website has pretty much convinced us not to send photo Christmas cards this year. Wow, some of these are really bad. Makes you wonder what folks have thought of our in years past. It is a real art or maybe it is just luck when you get the perfect car photo. In the past we have had Ashley to help us out when we were on an adventure, but now we are on our own... and that can be dangerous.
Peace, Love and Bliss
Don & Brenda
Looking through the Awkward Family Photo's website has pretty much convinced us not to send photo Christmas cards this year. Wow, some of these are really bad. Makes you wonder what folks have thought of our in years past. It is a real art or maybe it is just luck when you get the perfect car photo. In the past we have had Ashley to help us out when we were on an adventure, but now we are on our own... and that can be dangerous.
Peace, Love and Bliss
Don & Brenda
Monday, July 12, 2010
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)
Tweet
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)
Tweet
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Another Medford Style 4th of July
Hi Friends,
We are on vacation and have journeyed to Medford, Oregon to celebrate the 4th of July in style.
At home the powers that be will lock you up for even talking about fireworks including sparklers. In Medford we discovered last year that they have this agreement with the residents called, "Safe and Sane Fireworks." There are these amazing fireworks superstores set up around town that sell approved fireworks, and let me tell you the approved fireworks are great. During the 2009 4th we bought $35.00 worth of the bombs and had a great time. This year we spent ... well let's just say more the $35.00 we spent last year as the credit card bill has not yet made it's way to Brenda. We got Brenda's brother Danny involved this year so the fun meter was even higher.
We bought all our fireworks on Saturday and we all found it hard to actually wait until Sunday night to launch into the fun. By Sunday morning we were all wanting to just test a few to see what we had. But we managed to last until dusk, but just until dusk before we started with the small stuff.
The neighborhood Bonnie, Danny and Ashley live in is very active on the 4th of July. I took a walk around the little community about 3 pm and found the neighbors already putting chairs and coolers outside their garages in preparation for the evening fun. What a neat place to live! Some of the families had blocked off entire blocks and were playing in the streets with their kids and anyone else that came by. So cool.
We had a blast with our fireworks. We managed to get about an hour and half of excitement out of them and then took a stroll around the neighborhood again because the neighbors found a source for those fireworks you weren't supposed to have. The fireworks they had would have Disney proud. They launched about 100 to even 200 feet into the sky and were amazing to watch. Many were single tubes launched from the street, but many were in boxes (cakes) that launched multiple shells in short shows. It was really great and we had so much fun.
By 11:30pm the last of the neighborhood fireworks were launched and we were back trying to calm the dogs down. They must have thought the World was ending they were so upset. We took a couple of videos to capture the evening and share with you. Hope we will be back here next year again on the 4th. Already trying to find a source for one of those boxes (cakes) of fireworks to light off for the evening. So far no luck, but I have a whole year to locate them.
Until next time ....
Peace, Love and Bliss,
Brenda & Don (and Ashley too)
We are on vacation and have journeyed to Medford, Oregon to celebrate the 4th of July in style.
At home the powers that be will lock you up for even talking about fireworks including sparklers. In Medford we discovered last year that they have this agreement with the residents called, "Safe and Sane Fireworks." There are these amazing fireworks superstores set up around town that sell approved fireworks, and let me tell you the approved fireworks are great. During the 2009 4th we bought $35.00 worth of the bombs and had a great time. This year we spent ... well let's just say more the $35.00 we spent last year as the credit card bill has not yet made it's way to Brenda. We got Brenda's brother Danny involved this year so the fun meter was even higher.
We bought all our fireworks on Saturday and we all found it hard to actually wait until Sunday night to launch into the fun. By Sunday morning we were all wanting to just test a few to see what we had. But we managed to last until dusk, but just until dusk before we started with the small stuff.
The neighborhood Bonnie, Danny and Ashley live in is very active on the 4th of July. I took a walk around the little community about 3 pm and found the neighbors already putting chairs and coolers outside their garages in preparation for the evening fun. What a neat place to live! Some of the families had blocked off entire blocks and were playing in the streets with their kids and anyone else that came by. So cool.
We had a blast with our fireworks. We managed to get about an hour and half of excitement out of them and then took a stroll around the neighborhood again because the neighbors found a source for those fireworks you weren't supposed to have. The fireworks they had would have Disney proud. They launched about 100 to even 200 feet into the sky and were amazing to watch. Many were single tubes launched from the street, but many were in boxes (cakes) that launched multiple shells in short shows. It was really great and we had so much fun.
By 11:30pm the last of the neighborhood fireworks were launched and we were back trying to calm the dogs down. They must have thought the World was ending they were so upset. We took a couple of videos to capture the evening and share with you. Hope we will be back here next year again on the 4th. Already trying to find a source for one of those boxes (cakes) of fireworks to light off for the evening. So far no luck, but I have a whole year to locate them.
Until next time ....
Peace, Love and Bliss,
Brenda & Don (and Ashley too)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)