01-31DEC2024 - Sultan, WA (🎄merry xmas & happy new year🎆)

Sunday first day of December nice weather.  Most of December turns out to be one weather front after another passing thru.   With rain and winds (but not as bad as bomb-cyclone 18NOV).

Thursday, 05DEC, Dan has Class 74 lunch gathering with Coast Guard Academy classmates at Buffalo Wild Wings, great time.  Last gathering Dan was at, was 22JUN.  Another great time🙃  Friday not much done; Corrie runs errands and Dan takes Fiesta for new tires and alignment.  One tire had puncture and couldn’t be repaired.  Tires had 40K miles, so all four replaced.

Saturday AM, 07DEC, in torrential rain Dan drives thru Tacoma to Pitre’s house in Silverdale, WA.  Two reasons for this is to retrieve some things left at the house after Thanksgiving and to watch Mason’s soccer game at noon.  Thankfully rain lets up during drive and fair weather for game.  Then back to their house and start drive to ferry in Kingston.  Luckily Dan among last few cars loaded and no waiting in line.  Finally home, and more rain throughout rest of day.

Monday great mountain view of the Cascades to the east of us!

Saturday, 14DEC, Corrie continues Xmas decorating.  Sunday, Corrie finishes interior Xmas decorating for house (no outside lights this year).

Wednesday, 18DEC, apparently late last night high winds and deluge of rain passed thru.  Causing local people on the road to pull over into nearest parking lot.  Corrie gets new Costco hearing aids and Dan runs errands getting dog meds from vet.

Thursday AM (43 Anniversary) very early Dan off to neuro surgeon about “possible” stroke discovered during Dan’s ER visit when Dan discovered “numb” upper left arm.  Neuro looked at MRI from the ER visit and opined that it was pretty weak to make a stroke call on.  Plus there are no symptoms on the right side of body?  To be safe he will get two more MRI’s (one w/o contrast and one with) at another facility and make his determination(s) based on those. That afternoon Dan has annual required medicare checkup at primary care.  Meanwhile Corrie has girls’ day out with Jan Formisano; they head into Seattle to visit National Nordic Museum.  That evening our anniversary dinner at Sushi Spott, new restaurant in Monroe.

National Nordic Museum | Go on a Nordic Journey Across 12,000 Years

Saturday, 21DEC, off and on rain; Corrie starts cooking Xmas dinner items for taking to Pitre’s.  Sunday more preps for Xmas at Pitre’s.  Monday AM load up truck with Xmas gifts, food, dogs, etc, and head to Pitre’s for Xmas.  No ferry lines and normal time for drive🙃

Tuesday (xmas eve) last minute shopping and preparations for Xmas; great lunch/dinner of home cooked burria.  Then decorating cookies for santa and building gingerbread house.  Followed by few games of cribbage before bed.

Xmas day and first thing done after everyone up, is to open all the presents.  Then Rebecca makes her traditional Xmas French toast for breakfast.

Rest of day spent by Rebbecca and Corrie preparing delicious dinner of turkey breast, ham, many sides. After dinner a few games cribbage.

Thursday - Great sunny day so off to Hiking Trails by Klahowya school.  Boys take off on their bikes and adults slowly walk behind.  After some time, it is obvious that boys are “late” returning.  Of course no cell phone reception here.  Turns out Mason had a flat and the boys were walking their bikes back.  Then to Seabeck community center to play pickle ball with new rackets.  For dinner we met Rebecca/Raymond’s friends Johnny and Sebastian for dinner at Olive Garden.

Friday AM, 27DEC, breakfast, load up truck, catch ferry and head home to our house in typical Seattle winter rain.  Monday, 30DEC take our rescued jack russell terrier Bella to the vet for wellness check.  Sadly it is very obvious she is in the end stage of life.  Physically and mentally ok, but signs of decline evident.

Tuesday (New Years Eve day) last day of December.  As is our new usual our New Years eve celebration - consists of munchie on various snackies and watching TV to bring in the new year.  Followed by an early evening bedtime and hoping we can sleep thru neighborhood fireworks☹

01-30NOV24 - Sultan, WA (🍗 turkey day)

Saturday, 02NOV mid-morning Dan heads to Rebecca’s to watch Jaxson and their dog Roux.  Because Rebbecca and Mason leave that afternoon for soccer game in Bellingham tomorrow, this way they can spend night in Bellingham for AM game.  Dan learns Jaxson has popped rear tire on his bmx bike and broke left side pedal, so off to REI to buy parts and then make repairs.

Sunday friend and Coast Guard Academy Classmate, Rusty Burke, drops by to visit and tell sea story’s.  Before lunch Jaxson is picked up friend and soccer mom of Rebecca’s and taken to scheduled soccer game.  Dan then follows little later to catch game and bring Jaxson home.  Rest of day spent doing not much of anything until Rebecca and Mason return from Bellingham about 7PM.  Dan jumps in truck and gets home to Corrie about 9PM.

Tuesday, 05NOV, Dan has busy day - first up is appointment with primary care about recent medical issues; followed later by cardio rehab.  Then two hours early evening while Costco installs four new tires on Chevy Colorado truck.

Saturday. 09NOV after lunch we head to Jaxson soccer game in Bothell where we meet Rebecca and Mason.  Mason had early game near their house in Silverdale.  The plan is that we take both boys home after Jaxson’s game and Rebecca has the house to herself tonight.  Then tomorrow Dan will take the boys to Snohomish Aquatic Center for one hour on the Flowrider.  First stop on way to the house is new IHOP in town to have breakfast for dinner.  Well everyone had breakfast except Mason who went with t-bone steak, fries and onion rings.

Sunday around noon Dan took the boys to Snohomish Aquatic Center last visited August of 2023.  Dan had reserved one hour of Flowrider time for them;.  After flowrider time they did some swimming in the lazy river area.  Then back into the car to catch the Edmonds ferry and home to Rebecca (who made chicken and sausage gumbo for dinner).

The Ryan RV Express: 01-31AUG23 - Sultan, WA (celebrating coast guard day twice)

Monday (veterans day) Day got up early and caught the ferry home to Corrie and dogs; not much done after that.  Thursday AM, 14NOV, another cardio rehab session for Dan; Corrie has girls’ day out for Corrie with Jan Formisano.  Friday AM Dan sees Cardio Dr to check progress of “new” aorta valve; then home to install new fog lamps in Fiesta.

Saturday AM (16NOV) off to SeaTac airport because son-in-law Raymond Pitre is returning from lengthy National Guard deployment (almost one year away from family).  Needless to say it was emotional.  We intentionally made our presence short so Rebecca and the boys (Jaxson and Mason) could take daddy home.  And welcome Raymond home without us and our dogs being underfoot.  On our way home we stopped at Ikea for their meatballs for lunch.  Lunch was good, but lesson learned (don’t expect fast meal at noon on a Saturday!).

Tuesday AM, 19NOV, Dan is off to another cardio rehab session and then home to prepare for forecasted “bomb cyclone”.  Expected to hit our area starting early evening and lasting into morning.  We lost power around 8PM, so Dan gets generator going and we go to bed at 10PM with generator running all night.

Wednesday AM power is back, so Dan secures generator, and we head to next cardio appointment.  For another opinion on what is next for Dan.  Two issues to address 1) left side ventricle not in step with right side ventricle, 2) AFIB still present.  End result; Dan is to wear heart monitor for several days to monitor heart/Afib constantly.  Initial decision is pacemaker for “timing” issue, and maybe combined with defibrillator if Afib is significant.  Determination will be made based on heart monitor data.  The heart monitor is applied.  Battery powered computer you wear for several days, peel it off and mail it to some facility in NJ.

Thursday, Dan mows while sun shines.  Then we take Fiesta to Ford dealer for routine maintenance.  Learn that most manufacturers don’t update maps in their GPS during maintenance🤔  And you can’t even pay to get it done by Ford. You need to buy new unit (not gonna happen)!  On way home for dinner we try out new sushi place in Monroe (and maybe only one in Monroe) Sushi Spott.  Pretty good even with kitchen still being put together; then home.  And son in law Raymond is promoted to a brown belt jiu jitsu😊

Saturday early AM, 23NOV, Dan drives thru Tacoma to Jaxson’s soccer game in Bremerton.  Then before the end of that game he heads to Mason’s game in Silverdale.  

Dad Raymond was at first game and Recca at second.   At end of Mason’s game, refueled car, stopped by their house, had quick bite to eat, and then caught ferry to Edmonds and drive home.

Sunday Corrie starts prep’ing for turkey day meal at Rebecca and Raymond’s.  New burner part shows up for our Coleman Roadtrip BBQ.  We got our first Roadtrip in 2007 when we lived in our Tiffin RV and  full time traveled and were very happy with it! Unfortunately, the burner tubing rusted outed and we went to replace it.  No part available and decided full price new BBQ was not worth it. Found entire new model on Craig’s list for $100 bucks and now we had two tables/stands.  Once again burner assembly rusted out, but this time Dan found after market repair part; less than one hour repair by Dan🙃

Monday, 25NOV, Corrie keeps prep’ing for turkey day at Rebecca and Raymond’s.  Dan in afternoon runs little errands; deposit at bank; buying left rear turn signal for Fiesta (only bulb on car that is LED, so now replacement bulb costs $21 not $5); change batteries on property main gate; new DMV tag for RV; etc.  Some of the deer that visit our property are getting braver.

Wednesday very early, finish packing truck and off to Rebecca, Raymond and the grandson’s house for turkey day.  Rest of day not doing much just some more preps for Thanksgiving.

Thursday (turkey day) most of AM and early noon ladies cooking. Watch Macy Day parade, play some cribbage.  Rebecca and Raymond’s friend johnny arrives.  As always great Thanksgiving Day dinner.

Then Yahtzee and talking, while recovering from too much great food.

Friday fairly lazy day, not much done.  Pitre’s go out to get xmas tree from local big box store (no more heading to tree farm, cutting you own, dragging to minivan and tying to the roof).  Dan replaces truck air filter and cabin filter.  Game of Yahtzee for all family.  Saturday (last day of November) get our stuff and dogs together.  Catch a Kingston ferry and head home; very nice sunny day.