It's Beginning to Feel Like Home (Sutherlin, OR)

We are back in Timber Valley Skp (Escapees Co-Op) Park in Sutherlin, OR and I am surprised to admit that it is beginning to feel like home.  We are #14 on the waiting list for a Timber Valley site.  We were #80 in August of last year, so we have moved up faster than planned.  We should have a site by this time next year at the latest, giving us a place to stay - a home base.   We will still travel in the future, but have our own site here as a home base.  After 11 years of wandering around the country, I am looking forward to having a place to call home.   

We have already established our doctors and dentists with annual checkups.  Next, we will get our cats a veterinarian.  They all need a checkup.  Shhh!  Mum's the word!

What did you say?

This comes at a good time. We were starting to notice a couple of years ago that it was getting harder to make reservations for more than two weeks during high-seasons.  Even the military FamCamps stay busy during their high-seasons.  Some are first come first serve while others have a reservation system.  

The first site before owners returned

We have spent some of our time in offseason areas by going south during the summer or to the northwest coast for the winter.  Staying in half-filled to almost empty RV parks was great, but that can get challenging while traveling through bad weather or dealing with heatwaves for long periods of time. 

Deer watching Dan work on our coach

This year, RV sales skyrocketed due to the lockdown.  Families are finding it easier to pack up kids along with pets into their own rigs traveling to their favorite getaway spots.  No hassles with waiting for flights or hotel reservations.  And that's great, but there are so many more RV sales and not enough campgrounds to accommodate the sudden interest in the RV lifestyle.

Our second site with a creek behind us.

At this time, there are very few new campgrounds being built and existing ones are not expanding, causing many to be booked up to a year in advance.  Not to mention that many RV parks are now doing short and long term leases to people that are only present during the weekends - if that - leaving travelers with slim pickings for available sites, especially with our 40ft coach. 

Cats enjoying their outdoor time

Dan spent weeks looking for RV parks with more than a week opening when we started traveling north this year. As soon as the lockdown ended, most opened RV parks were booked solid every weekend or worse for the whole summer with only a few scattered days left for travelers.

Our neighbor's site with Gert the Goat

Definitely great news for RV business profits!  I am hoping this will encourage small business owners to build more campgrounds across the nation.

Street views of the park

Please understand that I'm not complaining.  I'm just explaining why we will not be traveling as much in the future which I'm already starting to miss because there are so many places I would like to see again.

Summertime blooms in the Timber Valley

We do plan to keep traveling, but it will be more structured and planned in advance.  No more spontaneous travel plans of "which way shall we go this week" and "hey! this sounds interesting, let's go this way and stay a week or two".

Love the color and the fence

 So, you are probably wondering why we picked this area for a home base. This part of Oregon is green with lot's of animals wandering around.  Sutherlin is working hard to maintain their small town, and Roseburg is nearby for shopping trips as well.   There are also many Thousand Trails and Oregon state parks to travel to for getaways in Oregon.  This Skp co-op is on I-5 south of Eugene  and just north of Roseburg.

 You probably noticed that our site looks a little bare from the above photos.  Each site comes with full-hook-ups, a shed, and a concrete patio. Park leaseholders manage and run the park, with only a few employees. Leaseholder committees and volunteer groups do much of the maintenance and daily work in the park.

 A bare site will more than likely be our first site.  They tend to be a transit site and are often on the list for travelers to rent for short periods of time since their owners are still on the road or in this case they are still working and have a house.  We can trade to a more developed or better-located site as soon as one becomes available that others do not want.  We will be at the bottom of the trading list that is based on how long the leaseholder has been in this park.    

A family of turkey come for a visit

I'm already scoping out other people's developed sites, taking mental notes of what I like about their landscaping.  

Tired Dusty

The sites on either side of us have gardens and patios.  I really like the site with Gert the Goat.  The owner has kept her area simple and yet cool and inviting with bark instead of rocks, plenty of plants/flowers, and a wood deck.  We know her site is kitty-approved because ours keep going over for visits. 

On The Cutting Board

I'm still focusing on getting my SW quilt done.  No side distractions!  I'm so proud of myself.  Usually, by this time, I have started two new projects.  It is a slow process and of course, my mistakes are slowing me down especially when I discovered one major mistake that included a lot of ripping out seams. 

Wrong order - dark alternate block in the center

In my last post, I showed my first finished row (above).  All blocks quilted with front and back seams sewed together.  I realized my mistake when I started my second row.  I had my alternate blocks in the wrong order!  After separating the blocks, I used our bed to layout the whole quilt in the correct order and number the rows.  This became quite a challenge with cats wanting to help by rearranging my work.

Correct layout - dark alternate first

My next problem was backing.  I had bought this fabric backing for a different quilt top for our bed.  The old quilt top wasn't going to be big enough for the bed in our new coach.  I'm happy to say that I had just enough to cover all the blocks with a 4x18 inch piece left!  Whew!  

Basting Hummingbird block

I decided to sandwich then baste all the blocks and stack them all in the correct order.  Now I have this huge pile of blocks sitting in the living room.  

All blocks sandwiched and basted

It does keep me motivated to get them all quilted! 

Kokopeli

I'm quilting each block in the correct order and I plan to wait until the blocks are done before I start sewing them together.

Hand design for center quilting

Most of the quilting is in the ditch.  For non-quilters - I am quilting close to the seams.  I'm keeping the sashing designs simple for fast and easy work.

Second alternate block

Alternate block

I'm feeling better about my work-in-progress!  I'm halfway through the pile.  With any luck and no more major setbacks, I hope to post photos of the blocks sewed together....at least a couple of rows.

Happy Quilting!

Better Weather (Sutherlin, OR)

It rained quite a bit last week.  I'm happy to say the smoke has cleared out.  I'm hoping the rain continues over the wildfires and helps in putting them out.   The Timber Valley SKP is starting to look a little empty with so many of the people already heading south for the winter. 

Blue sky!

Dan has been busy with a large checklist that includes working on the motorhome, VA appointments, and dentist appointments.  While he checks things off his list, I have  been staying busy with a few different things.  I'm spending more time outdoors.  Rain or shine, I'm getting in my walks.

Turkeys for neighbors

The cats seem to like our new site.  Which is good because we are here for two months.  They get plenty of entertainment from the wildlife running around our rig.  Dusty and Hitch were having a stare down with a doe yesterday.  I thought I was going to be the one to break up this little stare-down when the doe was startled by a loud noise.  I think the cats high-fived each other and smirked, "yea! we showed her!" 😃

Dusty wore himself out

Max in the meantime, just loves rolling around on the cement pad and soaking up the sun.

Well, no slacking off for me!  I'm on a roll with quilts this month.

On The Cutting Board

After I agreed to sell two of the baby quilts just from posting them in FaceBook, I received a request for another baby quilt.  I'm almost done with it. 

A is for Apples and Ants - yes, a green ant

The customer wanted one with ABCs as the theme because the baby's mom is a teacher.  I just happened to have some ABC fabric.  Do you see the quilt block in the fabric above the bear's head?  Q is for quilts!  My kind for fabric!

B is for Bears and Balloons

I had a lot of fun embellishing this one.  I used crayons, embroidery thread, and permanent fabric ink.

C is for Clouds and Cars

One more photo taken a couple of days ago while getting it setup for pinning.

Well, I better get back to my ABCs!
Happy Quilting!

A Change In Plans (Sutherlin, OR)

A lot happened since my last post.  Often when I post our travel plans I would also mention they could change.  They certainly are changing this time.  At the moment, we are settled in Sutherlin, OR at the Timber Valley Escapees SKP Park.  We got a great spot on this hill with views of more pine covered hills surrounding the park.  Nice!

Okay, now for the changes.  First of all, we have listed our 94 Bluebird BMC for sale.  It hasn't been listed for long, but it has generated a lot of interest already.  So, you are probably wondering if we are giving up on our traveling lifestyle.  Not even close!

Dan found online a very well kept ForeTravel motorhome with 2 slideouts for sale.  This motorhome will give us more elbow room, catnap space, and storage.  Dan has been spending a lot of time talking to the owners and we are in agreement to meet them in the late fall to make the transaction.  Hopefully by that time we will have sold our own motorhome.

Which means our travel plans have changed for this winter as well.  We had planned to stay here in the NW area traveling between Oregon and Washington.  Now, we will start heading south to Texas by way of California, Arizona, and New Mexico.  Yea!  I get to spend a week in Albuquerque!  I hope to see some of my old friends.  I guess I better warn them.  ;)  Just a few changes and a little stressful with trying to time things just right.

Before all this happened, I had been planning to tell you about our last stop in Silver Creek, WA and our visit to Mt. St. Helens.  Below, is a view from Paradise Thousand Trails gate.  Imagine going to work with that view every day.  

Below is a photo of the same valley off to the right of the above photo.  We are close to Mt. Rainier and to Mt. St. Helens.  You can barely see Mt. St. Helens peeking through the clouds.  I found myself wondering if someone stood in this spot on May 18, 1980.  Wondering just enough to make my hair stand up on the back of my neck.  

A very scary day when she erupted.  I was actually visiting my parents with our 3-year old daughter in Wenatchee, WA.   The ash followed the Columbia River through Washington State and Oregon.  I remember that Yakima got hit so hard with ash that daylight was blackened out and became night within minutes.  We were in Central Washington which was farther up the river, but the valley still ended up with a layer of ash covering it.  We watched from my old bedroom window on the second floor as the ash cloud followed the Columbia River into the valley.

We spent the rest of the month of May watching the news as it covered Mt. St. Helens destructive path, amazing rescues, and interviews with survivors.

Visiting Mt. St. Helens National Park brought back so many memories.  I will never forget watching Harry R. Truman saying to the reporter that he will not leave his home on Spirit Lake.  

There are a couple of photos inside Hoffstadt Bluffs of Harry Truman sitting with 4 of his 16 cats in his kitchen.  If you happen to visit Hoffstadt Bluffs, have lunch at the Fire Mountain Grill.  My veggie wrap and Dan's veggie burger were delicious and we had a great view to enjoy while eating.  They also have helicopter tours around the mountain, a gift shop, and a large collection of newspaper clippings setup outside the shop for visitors to read.  The clippings are full of stories about the 1980 eruption, and the aftermath 

On the farside of Hoffstadt Bluffs' parking lot, sits the original KOMO TV4 news car driven by Dave Crockett.

I remember watching Dave's news clip as he recorded the eruption and talked to the world as if this would be his last words.  He was one of the lucky witnesses to be rescued later.

At the last stop, there are more stories of rescues and eyewitness accounts of that day inside the Johnston Ridge Observatory.  This is the closest we could get without hiking down one of the paths.  I was quite happy to view the mountain from this point.

What looks like puffs of smoke is dirt and ash blowing around.  Although, she did erupt again in 2008, there were no worries on the day of our visit.  According to U.S. Geological Survey, she remains active, but there are no signs of impending eruption...for now.

A good thing to know since I can't even imagine the power behind the blast that took out these trees.

Just look at their stumps.  They are shredded!  It's amazing so many people actually lived through the blast.

Back at Paradise TT campgrounds, Shaun came for a long 3-day weekend visit.  We spent most of the time around the campground since Labor Day weekend was very busy.  The campground was packed.  I'm sure the national parks were even busier.  Plus, the weather was not cooperating for viewing mountains.  Lots of overcast days, but warm enough to sit outside with cats.

Although, Dusty may not look thrilled at the moment, he was quite happy with us sticking around to let him spend the time outdoors.

Come on Shaun.  Let's cross the road.
I know there are plenty of critters to hunt for in those bushes.

Okay, I will hunt here then.

On The Cutting Board
Recently, I became quite irritated with my press-n-cut board.  I liked the idea of using a smaller area without taking up all the counter space with separate cutting board and folding ironing board.  I have gone through three of these in the past six years.  I'm suppose to be able to iron on one side and cut on the other. Maybe the heat settings were too high, but if I am ironing cotton, I need to use the cotton setting.

As soon as I use it for ironing, the cutting board warps which makes it very hard to use for cutting.....and I'm back to using a separate cutting board.  If that is not bad enough, the more it warps, the harder it is to use for ironing fabric flat.  Even the smaller projects became a chore to iron on the warped surface.

Cut and Press Board

Time to do some research and I found the perfect ironing mat that rolls up for storage.  I read that some people had a problem with the edges melting.  So far, I have not had that problem.

I love the fact that I can roll it up and put it behind my chair.  It is out of sight, but within my reach when needed for the next project.  Great for traveling too.  It came folded so you can fold it to fit in a suitcase.

It is bigger than my old cut-n-press board, but I am a lot happier with the results.  I can now iron large cuts of fabrics and it makes a good working surface for applique projects.  It has a non-slip surface on the back.  It still moves around, but not as bad as my old one.

There are other mats online and I would not be surprised to hear that other quilters have been using an ironing mat all along.  The reviews for this one sounded good and was easy to find at Bed Bath and Beyond.  I have had this one for a couple of months and I am quite happy with it.

I haven't had a lot of time to work on projects recently so no new photos.  Between visits and cleaning our motorhome for potential buyers to view....well, you know that I will find time to get back to sewing soon.....because I must have my sewing time......

Happy Quilting!

Deer Gardener (Sutherlin, OR)

We have been busy exploring and doing some research on Sutherlin's surrounding area on I-5.  We are staying in an Escapee's SKP Co-op within walking distance of Sutherlin's downtown area.  This park is another place where we can retire from our travels and become part of a community of full-timing RVers.  

This is the spot we are renting right now.  Most of the lots are the same except for different tastes in landscaping.

The lots are big. 

The people here have been very friendly and helpful, but I still have strong mixed feelings about making this our permanent park.

View down the street

So far, we love the location: close to the Oregon's coast and the mountains with plenty to do.  It is nice to be surrounded by hills covered in green trees instead of desert sand and brush.  Just two hours away and we can be back in one of the Thousand Trail parks along the coast.  But, we will be farther away from our kids and grandkids.  

What?! Eh?! Who?! Gobble?!

We also like all the critters.  It is a regular wildlife preserve inside the park with deer, wild turkey, quail, and big jack rabbits on steroids.  We were told that cougar, bobcat, bear, raccoon, and fox have also been sighted inside the RV park as well.

On our walk yesterday morning, we spotted quite a few deer hanging around the apple trees except for one deer.

He was busy munching on the greens inside someone's fenced garden.

Deer doing his own gardening.  Taking too much off the top.

Uh, oh!  Humans!

Once we were spotted, the deer moved off towards the apple trees.  This seems to be their favorite hangout.  

No worries of apples rotting on the ground here!

One of the downsides is the town of Sutherlin.  The bad economy leaves this town struggling to keep what little business they have open.  

The only major downside to the park is the sheds.  The sheds are all the same except for 3 different colors in similar tones.  No bright or bold colors.  No individual artistic imagination allowed and no Casitas or extra living space allowed in this park.  The sheds cannot be expanded so basically they are used for storage and a few have workbenches in them.  On the upside, I will probably save money from not spending money on upgrading the shed to keep up with the others.

I can probably use the center for any large quilting project as long as I'm willing to pack it up there and clean up when I'm done for the day.  No leaving projects sitting out over night.

There are several quilt shops and quilt shows within a radius of an hour's drive.  Sutherlin actually has a small quilt shop.  Sonja's Sewing Basket is more of a sewing machine and long-arm center, but she does have fabric and some supplies.  She also schedules a lot of classes since there doesn't seem to be a quilt group here in the park.  I can always join the quilters downtown.  I have my priorities to think about, right?

Another view down the street and the back side of this lot.

We plan to visit two more parks in California and go back to Benson for one more comparison between the parks.  We can add our names to as many park's waiting lists as we want if we have the money to add our name.  I have a feeling we will make our final decision by November.

On the Cutting Board
I have been spending a lot of time in Pinterest lately.  There are so many beautiful quilts and color inspirations posted that I started a new board for just creative ideas.  With many fresh ideas in mind, I bought these fat quarters for a new wall hanging.

Inspector Hitch approves

I picked up two pink fat quarters with chocolate dots.  I'm thinking they will make a cute little cow mug rug.

The material will have to wait.  We leave Oregon on Thursday.  Time to head back south to Arizona.  Dan plans to drive until he is tired, so we are in for long days on the road.  We are due back to Patagonia on 1 November, so I don't know where I'll be when I blog again...

Happy Trails!