July 7, 2015---Keizer Elks Lodge Campground, Keizer, OR

While Bill did the laundry early this morning, I got some extra sleep.  I can’t seem to get enough shut eye.  I keep hoping I will win the energy war, but It’s not happening.

At noon, we went to Costco, ate lunch, and shopped for a dash cam.  Lunch was good, but there wasn’t a dash cam like Bill has been looking for.  He is very particular.  He know what he wants, but has yet to find it.

By the time we got back home, I was in desperate need of a nap.  I had meant to spend some time rearranging my clothes and cleaning out my closet, but it didn’t get done.  Tomorrow, we plan to stay home and work on that project while I am not so tired.

We went into the lodge for supper.  Tonight it was hamburgers, etc.  Bill and I shared a chili burger and fries/onion rings.  Even sharing everything, we had too much food.

This lodge serves food every day.  There were lots of people eating tonight.  I asked the greeter if the Lodge made money on that kind of meal, because the price is was so reasonable.  She said they do very well indeed!  

It is the 11th largest lodge in the country...2100 members.  We know the campground, with 42 RV sites, adds to their coffers.  They must be in good financial shape.  But as with other lodges, most of the people eating tonight had white hair.  We see the aging of the membership wherever we go.  A bunch of geezer, just like us!

July 6, 2015---Oregon City, OR. to Keizer Elks Lodge Campground, Keizer, OR

Keizer is just a few miles north of Salem, the state capitol of Oregon.  When I tried to get on line tonight, there was a listing for the Elks Lodge, plus two for FBI-surveillance vans and one for an FBI interrogation van.  I’ve been behaving myself, I wonder what the governor is up to.  Hm-m-m-m-m!

This morning before leaving the Oregon City Elks Campground we had a special treat.  A mother deer and her baby strolled through the campground.  I have no idea how old the baby might be, but it still had the spots on its back.  Very cute!

Bill made French Toast for breakfast.  It was really good.  After eating, I sat in my chair and went to sleep.  Oh, my!  It was time to go back to bed and finish my night’s sleep.  Two hours later I woke up.  This time I stayed up.  

We were leaving today, so while Bill was hooking the Honda on, I went to say goodbye to Todd, Bonnie, and the two dogs.  It has been great spending time with them, and with Dwight and Sheila.  At lunch yesterday, we were talking about the length of our friendships.  We’ve known each other since way before becoming fulltimers.  We have a lot of stories between us.

Bill and I parked at the Keizer Elks CG.  We have stayed here several times before and have enjoyed it.  We have found most of the geocaches around here so we will have to branch out.  We might have to go down to Salem and look around...maybe even check out vans.

I need Joanne, my room mate at Rehab in Mississippi, to help.  I helped her look for Isis in the yard outside our window.  She was very knowledgeable about most things.  The last thing she told me was that that night, she would tell me where the body was buried.  I checked out of the place before she could tell me.  Drats!  I’ll never know!  Maybe the FBI can give me a hint! 

We traveled 40 miles today! 

July 5, 2015---Elks Lodge Campground in Oregon City, OR.

I was up at 6:00, looking out the front window.  I told Bill I was watching two black bears by one of the swing sets.  He couldn’t see what I was talking about and I decided I was seeing things.  That wouldn’t be too unusual nowadays.  I think it might have been some trash bags left behind by the Fourth of July celebration yesterday.

I know it wasn’t bears, but I did see a llama.  It lives in a pasture about a half mile from the campground.  Bonnie said there is sometimes a peacock around, but we haven’t seen it either!

Dwight and Sheila came at 10:00 and the six of us went to Camby to cache.  We found two easy  ones.  Todd and I were both able to use our canes to get around.  We decided to eat lunch at A & W.  They were having a $2.00 special on rooter floats.  Some of us ordered sandwiches, too.  

We went to Wilsonville to a park where a geo-picnic was being held.  We didn’t eat lunch again, but we stayed long enough to be able to count it as an event.  To get back to the Honda, we had to climb a hill to the car.  It was a bit difficult to climb, but I made it.  It was a challenge!

Dwight and Sheila went back toward Portland, and Todd and Bonnie rode home with us.  We took the ferry across the Willamette River to Camby and made our way back to the motorhomes from there.

The order of business for the remainder of the day was naps, watching the World Soccer match...USA against Japan.  The USA won.  It was a good game.  The NASCAR race from Daytona was rain delayed.  We ended our day watching part of it and recorded the final laps.  We were too tired to stay up late enough to see the finish.

July 4, 2015---Elks Lodge Campground in Oregon City, OR.

Happy 4th of July.  We are in such a dry area, most fireworks were banned.  We could of watched on TV, but we forgot that was an option.

I didn’t feel very good this morning.  I couldn’t exactly tell my systems...I just didn’t feel quite right.  

Bill was wandering around the campground so I went to Todd and Bonnie’s motorhome for a visit.  I was there for about 30 minutes before Bill discovered where I was.  He stayed a bit and then wanted to go home to get a drink of water.  Did I want to go home with him?  No!  Todd said he would walk me home later.  Now, let me tell you, that would be like the blind leading the blind.  Bill came back for me a few minutes later.  Then I was ready to go home.

Bill has become very protective of me.  And I understand.  He doesn’t want anything happening to me.  Before I got sick, I was an independent person.  It has been hard for me to be hovered over, but I do appreciate all he has done for me.  We both want me well.

Before eating lunch, I took a nap!  I felt some better when I got up.  After lunch, we watched a movie.  A Western, of course.  It was one of Randolph Scott’s early movies.  He’s one of our favorites.

I spent most of the day resting.  I didn’t accomplish much today, but I felt better by dinnertime. 

July 3, 2015---Elks Lodge Campground in Oregon City, OR.

Bill made oatmeal for breakfast this morning.  It was so good.  He has become a really good oatmeal cooker.  It is one of our favorites on the breakfast menu.

We went for a morning walk with Todd, Bonnie, and their two pups.  I had to sit down and rest twice.  Todd has a lot more stamina than I have.  I won’t challenge him to a race until I get stronger.  Maybe by the time we all get to Yuma, I’ll be stronger.

For dinner, we went to a Chinese place named Happy’s.  We had been there a year or two ago.  The food was very good, especially the barbecue beef.  The next time we go there, I will just order that and nothing else.

We were all tired when we got back home.  It was nap time.  After resting, I did some of my book work that I am falling behind in...once again.

The weather today was beautiful.  It was warm, but not sweltering.

July 2, 2015---Elks Lodge Campground in Oregon City, OR.

Bonnie baked Monkey Bread for breakfast and invited us to eat with them.  It was really good.  We sat at the picnic table and enjoyed the bread as well as the nice July morning.

Dwight and Sheila brought our mail to us.  Michelle sent us a batch of letters to their address, since we weren’t sure where we would be staying while in the Portland area.  We appreciated their help in solving one of our problems for us---our mail.

Dwight and Sheila had already eaten breakfast, but sat with us and told motorhome stories.  Dwight wasn’t wearing his sunglasses so we weren’t sure of the truthfulness of the tales he was telling.  Sheila can always be counted on telling it like it was!

At 1:45, Bonnie and I met Val, Bonnie’s daughter-in-law, who drove us into Portland to a bead shop.  The two of them are working on necklace projects.  While they were shopping, I read beading magazines.

We were glad Val was driving because traffic was terrible.  And we had a good visit as we drove along.

I took a nap when we got home.  We ate enchiladas with Todd and Bonnie at the picnic table.  We are surely enjoying that table.  And the weather was beautiful.  We went for a walk before we declared that it was the end of the day.

July 1, 2015---Elks Lodge Campground in Oregon City, OR.

At 11:00 this morning, Bill and I, along with Todd and Bonnie, drove to Woodburn to get my RXs.  They were all ready so it didn’t take long to get to the other side of the store for a few groceries.

While we were in Walmart, we met our friends, Dwight and Sheila.  The six of us decided to go to Subway for lunch.  We all had a lot of catching up to do.  The three couples have known each other for years---way before going fulltime.  The only ones missing were Don and Jo.  Don died several years and Jo now lives in Parhump and take her motorhome out much.  We all see her when we are on our way to Las Vegas.

Jo and Bill have birthdays very close to each other.  “Back in the good old days” we would meet in Quartzsite, get a pie at Sweet Darlene’s, and have birthday pie.  By the way, since the pies were big, we often had pie left over, so what could we do?  Buy another pie, what else?  Eventually, everything would even out, as far as the pies go.

After lunch, we went a few blocks north and found a cache.  We always know how to have a good time.

Those of us who came back to our MHs took long naps after all the exertion of the morning.