01-30SEP22 - Sultan, WA (🎂 grandson mason is 9)

Thursday (01SEP) wake-up to marine-layer clouds.  After lunch Dan takes grandkids, Jaxson & Mason, to Snohomish Aquatic center last visited 22JUN.  Then Dan heads to library to get DVDs for movie night at home.  Friday AM Dan goes to Sultan Food Bank; Corrie brings grandkids by Food Bank to help out; not much else done rest of the day.  Corrie continues working on a harvest bounty of tomatoes.

Saturday after lunch Rebecca & Raymond show-up to spend time with us & retrieve their boys (Jaxson & Mason).  Thanks to clouds nice cool day, but sometime spent in the pool.  Corrie prepares excellent dinner, while Dan barbeques Tri-tip.  Early evening the Pitre’s head back to their house in east Bremerton; excellent time!

Thursday AM, 08SEP, Corrie has medical prep for next out patient eye cataract surgery at end of month.  First surgery was in APR. Dan does few hours at Sultan Food Bank then heads home to finish packing for tonight’s red eye to JFK in New York.  If all goes well Dan will get rental car soon after landing at JFK & drive to his hotel in New London for special event at the CG Academy. Flight out is Alaska Air & return is American.  But finds out that American sold ticket to Jet Blue☹  So an hour spent at Jet Blue counter insuring he is on the flight, & he can get a seat now for return; fingers crossed that no problems Sunday for return🙃

Special event at Coast Guard is 50yr anniversary that CG Sailing Braque EAGLE participated in Operation Sail (aka OpSail) as part of the German Summer Olympics in 1972.  That also was the first time the EAGLE (ex HORST WESSEL) had returned to Germany after being seized by the USA at end of WWII.

Friday AM lands at JFK, gets rental car & heads on I-95N to get to New London, CT.  After checking into hotel Dan heads to Captain Scotts Lobster Pier last visited in 26SEP2019 for lobster rolls.  That evening several Classmates meet at Mr G’s Restaurant for dinner, drinks & reminiscing!  G’s was established in 1966 and is within walking distance of CG Academy.  One side of building is great New England family owned Italian pizzeria/restaurant; the other side is local bar that many beers have been served to cadets (back in 72 Connecticut drinking age was 18).  A great start to the gathering of old friends/Classmates.  Turns out Classmate Rick Taylor has 8mm film of our time on the EAGLE converted to digital!!!!

The Ryan RV Express: 26-30SEP19 - Old Mystic, CT

Mr. G's (mrgsrestaurant.com)

Saturday AM, 10SEP) Classmates gathered at the balcony of Leamy Hall called the “steel beach” for tailgating sponsored by the Coast Guard Academy Alumni Association.  Then on to the football game against Curry (CGA won😊)

During game Corrie called about forest fire (named – BOLT CREEK FIRE) thirty miles away from house & she may evacuate☹   Then a quick two hour break to get ready for dinner & drinks onboard the EAGLE.  Dan provided a slide show of all our Classmates EAGLE pics from 1972, that present crew loved.  Then Dan called Corrie to see if all is ok – for added safety she has moved RV to Monroe Fairgrounds RV park to stay for next couple of days.

Dan up early Sunday to drive to JFK & catch flight home.  Upon arrival Dan joins Corrie at RV park.  Monday, 12SEP, we drive RV back to house & spend most of day washing soot/ashes from fire off RV & put it back in garage.  Dan heads to Sultan Food Bank for food distribution; due to poor air quality we only give food out but require customers to stay in their cars.  Tuesday keep cleaning fallout from Bolt Creek Fire; Dan drains pool & mows; Dan has Zoom call with Habitat for Humanity buddies about another volunteer week of work in Okanogan, WA, like last June.

The Ryan RV Express: 01JUN-01JUL22 Sultan, WA (volunteer work in okanogan)

Saturday 17SEP, we head to Shoreline, WA, to meet Rebecca for Jaxson’s soccer game.  Then home to get ready for Dan heading to Rebecca & Raymond’s tomorrow.  Sunday Dan drives truck “around” Tacoma to Rebecca & Raymond’s to help move house hold stuff to storage unit.  They have sold present house & purchased another!  Now they need to empty their house in preparation to move into new abode after closing at end of month.  Three loads of boxes taken to storage unit; Monday couple of loads to storage.

Tuesday AM Dan “straightens” stuff already in storage locker & then heads back to Corrie & home to Sultan via ferry.  Once unpacked Dan fires up old Ferguson tractor & bush-hogs back two acres by barn.  Wednesday not much done just prep’ing RV for Dan’s weekend departure.  Corrie gardens & relaxes in prep for second cataract operation tomorrow.

Thursday, 22SEP, off to hospital for Corrie’s second cataract procedure at noon; the back home where Corrie takes it easy.  Friday before lunch Corrie off to eye doctor for post op check, all is well!  Saturday (grandson Mason’s b-day) we watch Mason’s soccer game (somewhere close by?)  After Mason’s soccer game in  Dan spends most of the day prep’ing RV for tomorrow’s departure for Okanogan, WA.  His RV trip is repeat of volunteer work Dan did with his Habitat for Humanity buddies back in June (but this time of for United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCoR)).

The Ryan RV Express: 01JUN-01JUL22 Sultan, WA (volunteer work in okanogan)

Sunday AM, 25SEP, Dan hooks up Toad and heads to Okanogan, because of the Bolt Creek Forest Fire US2 is closed to traffic and he takes long way around on I-90 and US97.  Meets the other volunteers at Rancho Chico restaurant, Omak, WA, for dinner.  The county fairground RV park is closed, so Dan stays at 12 Tribes Casino RV Park.

Monday AM meet at the first “project house” (aka Danny’s house); we will also work one day at another project house (Ron’s the birdman).  After each day of work we (the volunteers) get back together at the local Methodist Church basement for dinner prepared by one of the group (Wednesday was Dan’s turn). The first four days of the work were extremely sunny and hot, with one day in the 90’s breaking a record!

Every day was nine hours plus of work with Dan working on:

>>>painting baseboard trim & then installing throughout house;

>>>completing base boards; installing one door jamb & door & trimming it out; installing all window sills with trim; and prep’ing kitchen cabinets for counters;

>>>more molding & door trim; installs cabinets & sinks in bathrooms; installs kitchen cabinet hardware;

>>>applying exterior trim pieces around all windows & other areas in prep for application of siding.

On Friday Dan gets back to RV later than planned, shorting his prep time for tomorrow’s departure.  Meanwhile daughter Rebecca & husband Raymond have sold their house & then buying there new house (leaving the weekend for moving all their belongings)!  Oh yeah! They also got new dog/puppy (aka Roux) to go with the new house?

Saturday AM, 01OCT, Dan hooks the Toad up to RV and starts drive back home to Sultan, WA.  No issues with Cabin Creek fire on US2.  But Dan just misses October Fest parade in Leavenworth.  Half an hour later and he would have sat on East side of Leavenworth for hours until parade and clean-up finished.  Gets home, says hi to Corrie & 0ur dogs, starts mowing.