Thursday (first day of AUG) finish getting RV ready and hit the road for Wilsonville, OR. Reason for trip is Mason’s select soccer team has a tournament in and around Portland. Heavy and often slow traffic all the way; one lane disappears at Kalama, WA - WSP monitoring to make sure everyone stays on I-5. At Portland I-205 pretty congested all the way to RV park. By time we get RV plugged in and AC running full blast and AC only drops RV temp to 74 degrees after five hours. Dinner subway run and boys finally get some pool time.
MT Hood Challange – Portland (mthoodchallenge.com)
Friday up and slow to get act together. Then Dan takes boys shopping to pet store, Dollar Tree and Starbucks. Corrie and boys have pool time after lunch. Then late afternoon off to first soccer game Mason scores, and is goalie part of the time, 2 to 0 win. Then back to RV; late dinner and shower and late bed.
Saturday up early and off to second game for Mason. After game Mason heads to “team” hotel for team bonding. We take Jaxson back to RV. Dan runs errands for groceries; find out where Fred Meyer fuel station is; new LPG hose for BBQ.
Then back to soccer tournament for second game of day, third game for the teams bracket. Back to RV Corrie and boys head to RV camp pool, and Dan fixes BBQ; burgers for dinner.
Sunday (CG Day) earliest start of the tournament for Mason's fourth game. Mason’s team total record is two wins and loses two (each lost by one point). Finish third in their division; but division too small for semis so no playoff for his team???
Head back to RV& de-camp, hit road to Sultan. Some stop and go but we make trip in 4 – half
hours. Start emptying RV and get boys
packed for tomorrow. Two problems though before
we get truly on the road:
1) every RV park we have been in has had one sewage dump on facility for those that do not use the one at their site.
We didn’t use ours and went to us theirs. They didn’t have one?! Went to camping world to use theirs, and
find out that RV sewage dumps in this County are illegal. Corrie not pleased☹,so we use one at first WA state freeway rest stop
outside Portland.
2) We need diesel and Dan
had checked out brand new Meyer’s gas station.
Seems that Freddie’s has realized that large fueling area takes away
from store parking, and has bought vacant property for just fueling vehicles. Dan checked out two days ago and knew plenty
of room for any RV. We go to pull in and
traffic jam in lot. So Dan drives around
block and comes-in against traffic arrows.
No problem because pumps are empty and no blocking anyone, right? WRONG!!, Oregon still has full service pumps,
and pump attendee said go around and come in the right way!!!
Monday Dan gets up early and takes Jaxson and Mason to ferry
over to Kingston where daughter/mom Rebecca picks them up. She plans to take them searching for sea
glass during low tide around Port Angeles.
Dan heads home completes emptying RV and backs RV into RV garage. Then mowing parts of lawn with push mower,
ride-em still broke☹
Tuesday AM, 06AUG, running errands. Right before lunch Dan’s sister Sharon and husband Tim from Texas show up for visit. They have been visiting their kids who live in WA, and visiting Tim’s newly discovered extended family from eastern WA who were having annual family reunion in Canada. Even with their hectic schedule found time to be with us for half a day. Since little cloudy we started with snackies inside; then moved to outside deck while reminiscing.
Then Corrie BBQ ribs and prepared fresh fruit/garden salad for
dinner and Lopez Island wild blackberry ice cream for dessert. More reminiscing before they unfortunately
had to hit the road to make more visits, and to start packing for return flight in less than two days. Visit too short but a great time!
Wednesday (another trip around the sun for Dan); b-day meal was seafood
lunch at Andy’s Fish House in Snohomish.
Thursday AM Dan catches ferry and drives to daughter Rebecca’s house. He’ll help with the boys, spend the night and
drive back tomorrow with the grandboys.
Angel food cake w/strawberries (Dan’s favorite) as belated b-day cake.
Friday AM. 09AUG, off to ferry with boys. No wait and no traffic so get to CG Day Picnic early at Lords Hill Farm last attended AUG2023 (see link below). Boys still at age that they enjoy this event. We are there at 1030 and boys are first ones on waterslide until later arrivals starting to line up.
Then home for some relaxation before Dan and boys head to another tournament for Jaxson in Redmond. After Jaxson’s game, late dinner, showers and bed.
Zipfizz Cup -
Crossfire Premier Soccer (crossfiresoccer.org)
Saturday, 10AUG, before lunch we head to second game of Jaxson’s soccer tournament. Our daughter, Rebecca drives over with another player’s mom. After game, grandson’s Jaxson and Mason, head home with their mom; and we go home.
Sunday before lunch we head to third game of Jaxson’s soccer tournament. Then home and Dan does some mowing. Monday nice cool day; Corrie has girl’s day out with Jan Fromisano. Dan mows another piece of the yard, still using walk behind mower:(
Wednesday, 14AUG, start the day with home visit from dog groomer,
for Rocket. Then off to Providence
Hospital to see Cardiovascular Surgeon.
Then home for the arrival of Jim who runs a mobile business called
Mobile Mower Menders. The only business
we know of that makes house calls to repair ride’m mowers.
Turns out the owner Jim is retired Navy CAPT, F-18 pilot! First you can’t find anyone to even work on a
mower at a shop, and then you have F-18 pilot working in your driveway. Jim rates are very reasonable, mower works
great and Dan uses it immediately🙃
Thursday AM we are off
for consultation with Dan’s cardio MD; after that Dan packs up truck and heads
to Rebecca’s to help with grandkids while Jaxson has soccer tournament this
weekend. Dan misses one ferry because of
long line of vehicles; early afternoon at Rebecca’s and not much done.
Early, early Friday AM, 16AUG, Rebecca, Jaxson, Mason & Dan off to soccer field in Puyallup for 7AM arrival time After game head to their house where Dan was busy helping Rebecca haul yard debris to recycling. While trying to install new light fixture in downstairs half bath Dan discovers life fixture attached to old style “bakelite” mounting box and presents one headache after another. Early evening Rebecca runs Jaxson to sleep over and Mason to Defy. That evening Rebecca’s friend Andrew & Ariel & kids over. Like they do most Friday evenings. And Andrew helps Dan finish light project.
Saturday soccer game has much later start time (1PM) so Rebecca and Dan use the truck to get one more load of yard debris to recycle center.
Then off to Puyallup for second game of tournament; then back to Pitre house to load Dan’s stuff into truck and drive home to Corrie and dogs. Only one ferry running so Dan waits for one hour just to board. Making it home just in time for dinner; heavy rain and thunder storms roll in after dinner; lose power at bedtime.
Sunday storm gone; do some chores and Dan mows with fixed mower. Than heads to third soccer game in Puyallup for Jaxson's soccer tournament. Ends in tie and MIGHT qualify Jaxson’s team for semi-final at 8AM tomorrow. Means Dan would have to fight all the AM rush hour traffic from Bellevue to Tacoma. Not gonna happen! Of course when Dan drives home, he hears from Rebecca that Jaxson’s team made the semi-finals at 0830 AM tomorrow.
Monday AM, 19AUG, we stay home from soccer semi-final and then learn that Jaxson’s team won semi on tiebreaking shoot-out and now in the final at 1230. Won’t be at that game either☹ And the team came in 2nd. Meanwhile Dan mows more. Corrie continues packing for trip to San Diego Friday.
Friday morning, 23AUG, wake up to heavy rain; toward the end of morning Rebecca shows up with Jaxson, Mason and dog Roux. We throw Corrie’s luggage in their car, put Roux in bonus room and head to SeaTac airport. They will catch plane to San Diego, Dan will drive car back to our house and dog sit three dogs. Since Dan had to drive his route for five days while boys were at Real Madrid soccer camp last month; he remembered way to use I5-N and neighborhood streets to bypass traffic jam on I405-N at infamous Renton “S” curves.
Tuesday Dan calls to Corrie and hears she’s sick in San Diego; Wednesday AM find out Corrie has covid☹ Rest of day finding out what this means for next Tues cardio procedure? Plus dog sitting.
Thursday, 29AUG, mid AM Dan heads to SeaTac to pick-up Corrie, Rebecca, Jaxson & Mason as they return from San Diego, CA. SeaTac was hit by cyber-attack five days ago and are still dealing with the fallout. Flights are on schedule but all status boards are down; computers for paying for parking don’t work; and other small side effects. So airlines use their employees helping people looking for their gate by using their company cellphones. Drive everyone back to our house to be reunited with Roux and then the Pitre’s head home with Roux. Corrie still wiped-out by covid, take out thai for dinner.
Friday not much done; Corrie continues recovery. Saturday (last day of August); not much improvement for Corrie; Dan goes to first game of Jaxson's next soccer tournament; then back home & Corrie.
XF Labor
Day Cup - Crossfire Premier Soccer (crossfiresoccer.org)
