Saturday evening interruption before posting:
As my friend, and RV veteran, Angie said when we were planning our RV adventure and life, "Something will go wrong".
The day started out great. We were organized, were working well together...on the job search that is...then calamity struck. We lost power on one side of the RV. After SEVERAL hours of internet searches, chats with the park maintenance guy, and TWO trips to Ace Hardware...it's finally back on. I won't bore anyone with the details. The process was incredibly tedious. Suffices to say we needed a nap afterward.
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I posted pictures yesterday of the Willamette's rising waters. It's at the bottom of the shortest levees now. I don't expect it to breach the levee, but what do I know? I just wonder how long it will take to recede.
It's been raining, on and off, ever since we arrived. Most parts of the day it's clear. The heaviest rains come at night. I always loved the sound of rain on the roof, even a metal roof like we have in Bush...but it's a completely different story when it's hitting hard on the roof of this tin can. Some nights it's hard to fall asleep with all the racket.
We've been running around a lot lately but are going to stay put today. We have loads of laundry to do, some cleaning and upkeep tasks here in the tin can...and the dogs are still dog-tired from their long day at The Dog Bark yesterday.
We went out for Indian food for Valentine's Day. First up on the list of Indian restaurants to try was India Palace. We gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars. Good but we weren't bowled over. There are several others to try. We're hoping at least one will be a 5!
Derron thought the hot sauce that came with the Pappadams packed the right amount of heat. Unfortunately, the Chicken Vindaloo did not.
I loved the mint sauce that accompanied the Pappadams. My Butter Chicken was good, but the Roti I ordered never materialized.
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I thought I'd provide some insights to "Life in the RV Park".
There is an odd mix of subcultures here. Makes me think dry-camping's the way to go. When Derron and I decide, in the future, to take a weekend off and RV, we think maybe a day or two dry-camping (with no hook-ups) will be fun. We're self-contained. We have a generator, propane, water tanks...a toilet and a shower, so there's nothing we can't do unplugged. I would think dry-camping is the real way to see America. But we also think, and I'm sure ALL the pets would agree, we'd be better off without them. Now that we found The Dog Bark, which also provides boarding services, the dogs would vote to stay there. And if we're gone only a couple of days, Gracie would indeed say..."LEAVE ME HOME!". Or we could get a cat-sitter for longer trips.
All that said, there is some benefit, and sense of comfort, to staying in an RV park. We have a great bath house, a movie theater (of sorts), a DVD lending library, an exercise and game room, a 24-hour laundry room, and dog parks. And there are social opportunities. More for me than Derron...because I'm the social butterfly in this relationship.
There are a good number of return campers here...most probably over 60-65. There are a lot of dog owners too...no kids yet that I've seen...but this isn't really kid vacation time either.
The place is full of gardeners. Some rigs are surrounded by potted plants. A couple of these rigs are close to the water and yesterday, I watched a couple pack up all their plants. Note to self -- keep belongings down to the bare necessities. I have two plants with us as well but for now, they are living in the shower stall - light comes in from the top. They seem happy. But if the weather improves, I will move them outside. But I will not add plants...two is enough to have to grab in a hurry.
Then there's the couple down the lane that have fenced off their little plot of grass...they have a 9 month old Golden Retriever. Somehow I don't believe that fence will hold in that rambunctious pup. Yesterday the wife was surveying the river waters, just across the street from her rig, and I guess, making decisions about when to move...all the while blasting Fleetwood Mac from the inside of the rig. No complaints about the music.
Then there's the entitled crowd. These are people who've come here year after year and know everyone in the office by name. One guy is leaving today for a weekend back home in California...but he's leaving his rig here. So he's been making plans with the maintenance guy to move his rig for him. Not sure why he's not moving it himself, in anticipation...but yesterday while I was waiting for the maintenance guy, Robert, to get off his phone, entitled guy walked around me and caught Robert first...didn't matter I guess that I'd been standing there for 5 minutes or so. Then he engaged Robert in a detailed conversation for over 15 minutes, occasionally nodding in my direction, as if I were a prop or something. I should have said something but I truly thought he'd be quick with his rude interruption. I noticed too that the jacket he was wearing identified him as a member (or principal) in some Christian organization. I couldn't help but think his behavior was hardly Christian-like. There are others like him that walk right past you in the office to make themselves heard. Unbelievable.
And there's the invisible crowd. Their rigs are here, occasionally paired with a car or two, but no people. Maybe they're off visiting friends or family? Or working? But it's kind of odd to walk past their rigs day after day, at all hours and never see a light on or hear a sound.
There's also a "greeter/waver" element here...those people who stand in their driveways and greet anyone that passes by. Or they wave. But they never walk over to the people passing by, or approach anyone else. They seem happy to sit in their spot and watch the world go by.
Well we got the call a little while ago...we have to move - apparently the river will be cresting at 27' this weekend. We were in a good 360 view spot, now we're in a back-in space, effectively closing off any rear view. We do have a privacy fence...and two plots of grass. Derron has said he will not move again should the "all-clear" call come. So I guess I will have to get used to things here. We do have a better pathway from the rig to some good areas for the dogs. And these are areas we've never explored so that's something.
We're going to go up to Portland on Monday to visit family and to pick up some cold cuts from Edelweiss...a little German deli. I went there for lunch with family last time I was here. They stock a lot of the kinds of items we used to buy when we lived in Germany. Derron saw it on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. The episode featured bacon-wrapped bologna. We're also going to pick up the boxes Direct TV sent my sister. When you cancel Direct TV, apparently no one can pick up your cable boxes, you can't drop them anywhere...you have to mail them to some central facility. WTH? Undoubtedly something will go very wrong with this...I can just feel it.
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