SEIZE THE DAY.

We drove to Corpus Christi early enough in the day to find our parking spot and take a cruise downtown and visit an Art Gallery I wanted to see. Jim turned right instead of left and we saw an Eagles Club that wasn’t on Google Earth. We pulled in to say hello and found one of the friendliest guys you’d ever want to meet. And, funny, too.


His name is Larry Mills and we let him entertain us for the rest of the day. He is from Michigan, my home state, but he’s become a Texan since moving here in 1982.


He manages the Eagles Hall, here, and showed us around, though it was closed and we were the only ones in the place. It has a wooden dance floor. As a former square dancer, I nearly drooled.


A great hall, a great guy. We decided to alter our plans a stay a couple more days.
But, since we stayed in, I was remembering two  signs I saw the day we were in the Brownsville museum. Both kind of surprised me.


This one is an old-time Mexican saying since the revolutionary days. With our intrusive policies, it still holds true.


And this one was an excerpt from a priest’s prayer just  before a voyage. Cheerful, bugger wasn’t he? They should have fired him as their priest or burned him at stake, or whatever they did to people in 1596  when he wasn’t doing his job well.


Being on the road as much as we are, we see signs of all types and they kind of amuse or boggle the brain or leave you wondering what they meant. Like this one. From the road you cannot read the small print on the bottom as you can (barely) in this cropped photo I took while driving by.


This is the newspaper delivery guy’s sense of humor. Whoever takes the last paper is greeted with this message. The rack is located in Palm Desert, CA, a well-known vacation spot.


The door is metal and the temperature in Palm Desert gets into triple digits, and yes, the door was hot. You’d think, they’d install a wooden door, now wouldn’t you? We were wintering there and the temperature was in the high seventies.


This drive by photo needs no explanation. I knew immediately the sign maker was talking about Congress. Pathetic, isn’t it?


Another little choice bit of wisdom. Hey, we roadies aren’t waiting in line either. It’s a great lifestyle. Life is short. Come join us. Retire early, hit the road. Enjoy life, not stuff.

ON THE MOVE AGAIN.

Yesterday, we left  Mt. Vernon Thousand Trails for the second time.  It was raining slightly, but, even so,  the weather was just beginning to warm up in what we would have to consider a cool summer. After  many years without swimming I had worked my self up to five laps in their Olympic sized pool, and without so much as a warning, they closed it for the season.

Its beautiful enough to have your wedding here.  Last weekend,  I happened to catch an unknown bride and groom having their pictures taken on the lawn above the pool. A flowered arch and chairs were set up in the meadow for the ceremony. The lodge was reserved for the reception.

Besides the pool, the deep woods to walk through, has made this a very pleasant stay and one of my favorite parks.

On the way to Monroe, we stopped to buy a special LED light bulb and got waylaid by road work in progress.  The  road crew of 15 people had six men, the rest were women.  What a hoot watching women drive steam rollers, water trucks, and other heavy equipment.

Normally, a road crew has one or two token women, and they are relegated to traffic controllers.
We settled into Monroe Thunderbird snuggled next to the Skykomish River. Jim is an Eagle and suggested we go to Sultan for Taco Tuesday.

We met Jerry who introduces his wife as his bride, Karen. He quit smoking and hasn’t lit his cigar in over 30 years.  He just chews on it a bit, obviously with great pleasure.

And Chief Mike, a career cop. He worked P.D.’s and the Sheriffs Department in the area and ended his career as  Chief of Police of Gold Bar,WA.;  a long time Eagle, race car builder and driver. The colorful racing jacket belonged to a  friend of his,  Jimmy Johnson.
Most of the fraternal clubs have standard beer, but this one had a craft brew, Manny’s Amber Ale, good and bitter.  Mike bought us a beer and we went home happier than we should have.  Back at Thunderbird,  I discovered their pool is still open.

LETTING A GOOD ONE PASS

Yesterday, I found a beautiful condo complex, buildings surrounding a lovely lake with an island in the center. The day was beautiful, the lake with trout and koi swimming about, gorgeous pond lilies in bloom, the requisite ducks, and frogs; the price was right, but the town was not. Everett is an industrial kind of town with a strong rental market and downtown re-gentrification for anyone interested in this area. In the end, the crush of traffic between Everett and Seattle, and a few wrinkles with the unit as a rental,  changed my mind, temporarily, anyway.  If you are job hunting, this is the place to come.

We moved about 30 miles south to Monroe and spent the night at an Eagles Park. Jim and I sometimes look out our dining room window and comment how nice it is to enjoy a different view from place to place. Of course, not always this pretty. Looking out on a beautiful green meadow, a river rushes by, a flower garden, horse shoe pits, swings for the kids and a huge bonfire sized fire-pit.  It’s only open to Eagles member.

This “bouquet” surrounds the flag pole.

The river is clean and clear, with a gravel and sand bed;  a wading river. If the day had been hot, I’d have had my toes in it immediately. I’m thoroughly enjoying Washington State, despite the cold weather and rain.

LOOKING OVER EVERETT, WASHINGTON.

Yesterday, I got escorted all over Everett, Washington by Home Realty’s Steve Cantor. We stopped and took in views, he showed me the new, youthful neighborhoods near the older moneyed neighborhoods in the woodsy hills, parks, commerce, highways, colleges, and the downtown area with re-gentrification going on. If you ever want to get the pulse of a town, or neighborhood, call on Steve. He showed me this delightful little cookie of  a studio condo, so cute you just want to put it in your pocket.  Then, (don’t tell) we got lost. Well, not really. Steve was supposed to drop me at the Eagle’s Club to meet Jim, and we looked all over for the Elks. The Elks club was not at the address on his Ipad. The telephone was a fax.  Then the dawn…Eagles, not Elks. I was having so much fun I forgot Jim is an Eagle member.
Be you lucky enough to belong to the Eagles, this is a friendly, fun place to be. The bar is in a U shape which encourages interaction with people facing you and beside you. A friendly, fun, bunch. We helped a red-headed woman celebrate her birthday. We had a terrific plate of fish and chips.  I’ve eaten them everywhere in harbor towns. Nothing like good, fresh cod or, even halibut. I normally peel most of the batter off. Not at this place. The best I’ve ever tasted, without a pre-made batter from restaurant supply. If you are so lucky to live here, hie thee down to the Eagles.
I’ll be looking at more condos today before we leave for Monroe.

MOVING ON AND A RECIPE

Leaving the cousin "spoilers" yesterday, we headed for Marthas Vineyard. Everyone describes it as beautiful and appealing with no fast food places or billboards. Its expensive to bring cars on the island so traffic is light. At one time the best mode of transportation on the island for day visitors was hitchhiking. The locals biked. They now have a good bus system.

 We're hauling our motor home over on the freight ferry with the trucks that deliver goods. We spent the night at Buzzards Bay; walked around town under a huge black cloud that rained in the distance. A railroad bridge over the Cape Cod Canal, connects the island with the rest of Massachusetts. This bridge lifts up 135 feet to allow boats under it. It was put in service by the WPA in 1935 and for many years was the longest lift span in the world. Now, at 544 feet, its the second longest. Its a beauty.

Five trains a day still run over this amazing bridge. We parked at the Eagles Club in Buzzards Bay and had an impromptu concert by a bagpiper. Later the drummers came to practice as well. How cool is that?
 

Yesterday, I promised a recipe for French meat pie, and here it is:
You make a double pie crust, a bit short. The filling:
Brown a half lb. ground pork and half lb ground beef, 90% lean, if you can get it. Mix in one chopped onion and a stalk of celery and continue cooking until soft. Salt to taste.Then add to the pan two large previously cooked russet potatoes, mashed but unseasoned. Stir this around until everything is well mixed. Add a bit of water if it seems dry. It should be the consistency of hash.  Season liberally with poultry seasoning, about a 1/2 package of Bells. Then a tsp each of nutmeg and cinnamon. Fill the pie, top with crust, and bake for an hour at 350*. Hope yours turns out as good as mine. Better second day if you can leave it alone that long.