Weekend in Independence, OR

We have been in and around Independence many times. There's a dog park there...so that's our primary reason for going there. Recently, we discovered its historic district and have fallen in love.

Last night we ate at Mangiare's on Main Street. Derron had Chicken Parmesan and I had Gnocci in a Gorgonzola Sauce with Shrimp, Spinach, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Artichokes (I didn't see any artichokes though). We also had Caesar Salads and Dark Chocolate/Bourbon Pecan Gelato for dessert. It was a lovely dinner.

The wine menu was interesting. Lots of Oregon and Italian wines. No Barolos, but they do have a Barbera. Too pricey for me right now so I chose a Chianti instead.

Derron enjoyed the Chicken Parm and Ravioli. I would have expected cheese ravioli, but they were stuffed with meat. Not house-made (I asked the waiter).

The gnocci were light and so tasty...and house-made. Kinda weird...if you can take the time to make gnocci, ravioli is not much of a stretch. Oh well. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and the Gorgonzola sauce was soooooooooo rich. Not a meal you can have often, but once in a while.

This morning we took the dogs to Riverside Park bordering Main St. There is an amphitheater at the park where, in the summer, they show movies on Thursday nights and host concerts on Fridays. 

We walked the quarter mile trail to the dog park and back. The dogs were pretty happy. As we walked by, we noticed people setting up for a Farmers Market (the first opening of the year!). So we took the dogs home and headed back. We tasted some great cheeses from Full Circle Creamery -- all raw cheeses. We tried their 20-month aged sharp cheddar, a herb cheddar flavored with sage, rosemary and thyme, and a Diablo cheddar flavored with a locally made hot sauce. The cheesemaker, Brian, has a Bachelor's degree in Food Science from Oregon State University, and a Masters in Camembert...in Camembert! 

We then wandered over to the Lion's Share Coffeehouse & Bakery booth. I had the most magnificent chocolate croissant ever...and I can say that because I have eaten many a croissant on the streets of Paris...so I know my croissants. Derron had a blackberry scone and said it was delish.

The Kindness Of Strangers

Monday --

I thought I'd killed my two plants. Gracie has been horrified because, actually, they are hers. At least she's the one who has been caring for them. We left them outside in the rain too often, for too long, and possibly in too cool temps too. Anyway, I looked up some remedies online and set about to make things right. Just today, when Derron and I were taking a walk, I told him I thought I'd killed my plants. He swore he saw some new growth since I'd repotted them and put them in indirect sunlight.

As we were rounding the far end of the park, we stopped at a beautiful garden. We saw the lady that gardens there earlier when we were walking the dogs. She thanked us then for keeping the dogs out of it. She has beautiful tulips in bloom now. Anyway...as we were stopped at the garden, she came over to talk to us. I told her about my plants...she asked to see them. Derron got them out and put them on the picnic table. I did see some new growth! She recommended using some of her dirt and sand to replace the top part of the soil I'd used when I repotted them. How sweet was that...she even loaned us her gardening tools to use. I repaid the kindness by giving her the old pots. She has a ton of pots and said she always needs more...she finds plants in the garbage and brings them back to life.

That's the "up" news of the week. Over the weekend I noticed my Microsoft apps were gone from my laptop start up screen. Seems when I upgraded to 8.1, they took a hike. So I spent several hours trying to figure out what went wrong. When I upgraded, seems the apps migrated to my Outlook toolbar. That's very helpful if I am online, but I wanted the apps back for offline work. Several more hours were killed trying to fix things. I wound up uninstalling Office 365 (biggest rip-off on the planet BTW), then reinstalling it. Fortunately it did not "take away" another one of the 5 installs I paid for...and in the process, Derron took the time to install it on his laptop as well...so now I don't have to lend him my laptop. Everything is good again, or at least like it was...

There's a progressive film series here in Salem. Tonight they are showing The Healthcare Movie. The writers/director will be there to answer questions afterward. We're going to get some Lebanese take-out and catch the flick.

Update on film news above: April Fools! Apparently I wrote the date down wrong. The movie is on May 1st. Oh well, we'll try again.

Wednesday --

We drove out to Silverton to look around. Nice little town...lots of restaurants, coffee shops, and bars. We also stopped off at Silverton Falls. Too chilly for a hike, but we'll come back and hike through the Falls when it warms up. Derron captured a couple way off pics...we hope to get closer later.

There's a little frog pond up by the RV Park office. Derron swears he's seen a frog there several times. We walk the dogs by there every now and then but until yesterday, never saw one -- when we were all together that is. But then...we were standing next to it while Derron pointed it out. I didn't see it...then the damn thing jumped into the water, scaring the bejesus out of me! Neither dog saw it...so Derron took a pic to prove it exists.

Looks like a frog to me...

Loads More Catching Up

So much to remember to say...

Derron has another interview scheduled! This one is with the Salem-Keizer school board. He's not heard anything back on the first two interviews and I've not heard about the one I had last week either.

Beautiful couple of days in Salem lately. We've taken the dogs on lots of hikes. We went back to West Salem park in the very early morning on Saturday. It was COLD. Also, the trail that runs around the upper side of the park finally dried out so we've taken them there several times. We did see another BUNNY by the way, but Nutella, the bunny hunter, did not. Derron's questioning whether or not she is really a bunny hunter after all -- reason we say she is, is because Basset Hounds were bred to catch rabbits...and Nutella is part Basset, maybe a different part. The dog run at the back of the park is dry again too so we've put them in there a few times and let them work out some angst!

Today was clean up the RV day...love these days. The dogs are at daycare so we opened all the windows and door and aired the place out really good. I Cloroxed all the surfaces, Febrezed all the fabric surfaces and Derron vacuumed. It's so nice to have it clean for at least a little while.

I also have Chicken Cacciatore in the slow cooker...yummo.

More and more RVs and trailers have piled into the park in the last few days. We were eating lunch a few minutes ago when Derron spied someone new driving in...there's so much fascination with each new arrival. What kind of motorhome/trailer do they have? Is it new? Do we want one of those one day? Derron just got back from dumping trash and said the "Corgi Family" (we refer to everyone by their dog's breeds...and everyone has dogs!) has what looks like an outdoor kitchen in their pull trailer. WHAT????

Grandma and Grandpa -- the owners of the ginormous bus beside us, seem to have gone for a while. The bus of course is still here, but their bikes and jeep are nowhere to be seen. Not sad about that...just wish they'd taken the bus too. Still wishing to have our view back.

Well like I said in an earlier blog entry, the bird feeders my sister gave us are a hit. The blue jays here are incredible...some of them have black mohawks. Gracie's had her eye on a couple.

Speaking of Gracie, Derron had her outside on her harness this morning - he ties her to the back of the RV so she can explore the reedy area behind us - when he came in he said..."I don't want to give Gracie any undue credit, since I'm not really sure what happened, but she may have killed a shrew." A shrew...a little teeny, tiny mouse. Don't worry...I will not punish her for doing what cats naturally do - maim and kill, in fact I am a little proud of her despite the fact that I can't stand to see any animal killed. I guess I should just be happy she didn't bring it in with her. Derron, BTW, disposed of the little fellow. No doubt Gracie will be looking for it next time she goes outside.

Other than hiking, applying for jobs, tracking job applications, reading, watching Netflix, we've not been up to much. We do stroll around the RV park a lot, checking mail, doing laundry, etc. The pool should be opening soon; they are sandblasting the inside of it today. The gym is closing again for a few weeks for some reason or another. We still have a few trails here we've not yet investigated but will do so soon with or without the pups.

We've also been checking out lots of Salem neighborhoods. Still not exactly sure where we want to concentrate...there's a cool house near Minto-Brown Island Park. We took the dogs to that park yesterday. It's huge. The dog area is not fenced so we walked the dogs on trails instead. It would be nice to live near a park like that but the house is up a steep hill and that doesn't bode well come Winter.

Catching Up

Haven't blogged in a few days...so this may read a bit like a stream of consciousness.

Derron and I had interviews today. Spent the week preparing and worrying over them. Well, Derron worried more than I did. Poor guy hates this kind of stuff. But we got through them and are hoping to make the second rounds, if there are any.

Wanted to blog about this the other day but held back. TOILET TROUBLE. This is no laughing matter. While we do have a great bathhouse in the park, it's not terribly convenient in the middle of the night...especially when it's raining or is freezing. Derron fixed it, Thank God! Then today, it overflowed. I was really terrified it was broken. Derron never gets up in the night to pee, but I do...fortunately he fixed it again. Whew...seems it was something I had done to the little plunger thingee.

Then as I was fixing dinner, and Derron was BBQing kebabs in the rain, the microwave crapped out. If you remember from an earlier post, we JUST bought this microwave because the one that came with the RV broke down right after we got here. We decided to eat and worry about it later. In the middle of our meal (and after Derron checked the circuit breaker, which was fine BTW), it came back on. Never seen that with a microwave ever.

We've had lots of good weather lately and I have to say it's really improved our moods. We also got new and improved harnesses for the dogs and BOY do our backs appreciate that. If anyone is looking for a good harness, go to Petco and get yourself an "Easy Walk" harness. The dogs do not pull anymore...not ever. It's a miracle.

I've been getting more involved in local politics. I will be writing a monthly newsletter for the Marion County Democrats. Looking forward to that. I am also in the process of signing on for a year long commitment with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon. PPAO is the political arm of Planned Parenthood here in Oregon. The position, a volunteer one, is as a member of a county-based Leadership and Advocacy Team. The LATs monitor legislation, attend events, register voters, etc. PP is a cause I care deeply about so I'm thrilled to get more involved.

Not much to report on life here in the park. Couple of new people here and there and a couple folks have gone. I've come across a few that have been here before and come back regularly. Primary reason is they have kids in one of the universities here. Still waiting for the big dog area to dry out...most of the water is gone, although some remains on the trails. Not sure how much longer it will take.

We take the dogs to nearby parks almost every other day. Good for them and us. We went to the West Salem park Saturday morning. Very nice park! They don't have a dog park but they have some really nice trails that run along the river.

We had Indian food for our anniversary on St Patrick's day. Probably the best Indian food I've
had in a very long time. We had planned to eat at the Star of India but it was closed so we had to go to the Taj Mahal. I'd read some "iffy" reviews about Taj Mahal so was skeptical. But we were more than pleasantly surprised. The samosa dough was incredibly tender and overall they were fantastic. I had Chicken Korma...the best way I can describe it is as "bright". The flavors were so fresh...the onions so delicately sauteed, and the chicken was incredibly moist. Just fabulous. And the naan...I had some stuffed with potatoes and spices. Never had it before, I typically go for roti (or whole wheat naan). I will never go back to plain naan or roti again. I can't remember what Derron had but he cleaned his plate -- I brought leftovers home and got to relive the meal for lunch the next day.

Oh and we got two free days of doggie daycare!!!! Seems our first day was suppose to be free but no one told us...and they missed a day and said they'd let it go...who am I to argue about that??? Nice little gift!

So, now that job interviews are over for the minute, we plan on relaxing tomorrow...take the dogs to the park, and eat leftovers!

Day Started Out Grey...

It started raining just as we were falling asleep night before last. UGH! It was a bit drizzly in the morning but then it burned off and we had another beautiful day...4 in a row!!!

We moved our picnic table to be even with our RV cab. The new location gives us a chance to be more social with folks walking by when we're outside BBQing. The dogs decided to be a part of the group as well. May I introduce Sister Hazelnut and Sister Nutella!

We have a curtain between the inside of the RV and the cab but both are always "breaching" that line. We were sitting outside and just glanced in and caught Hazelnut. I thought I'd die laughing. Then Nutella did the same thing. I swear these two dogs are more entertaining than just about anything.

We'd been taking the dogs to a dog park in Independence, just a short drive from the RV park. We hadn't bother to explore any further into the town but did so today. Lots of cute little restaurants and bars, a used bookstore, a cinema, and a couple of bakeries...the downtown is not large but there is certainly something to do there. 

On a side street we spotted this adorable restaurant, the Pink House Cafe.

Although we hadn't planned on eating out...who could resist. I had a wonderful curry chicken salad. I don't think I've eaten this much fruit in the last year!

So...we decided to try out the walking trail here at the park, at least the part that hasn't been (and still has in parts, been) underwater for the last few weeks. The dogs seemed pretty happy to check out something new. Of course, Hazelnut jumped at every sound...we got about a third of the way into the foliage when we hit a mud hole...so we decided to turn around. I'd switched dogs with Derron -- Hazelnut does better with him when she's scared, so I had Nutella -- AKA the Bunny Hunter. Good thing Derron has good eyesight and took a look down the return path...what lay in wait??? A BUNNY! I immediately set about distracting the dogs...I feared for my shoulders (as in them being dislocated by a charging dog). Derron scooted on down the trail, trying to block any view of the bunny...and scared it back into the bushes. We made it out without incident. 

What A Difference A Day Makes

Tuesday:

We decided to stay put in our current spot. Even though the other one has a "green" privacy fence of sorts, it's also right next to the dog run so dogs will be running around our spot all the time, meaning...our dogs will go nuts. So we'll stay where we are...not so bad here. The folks in the ginormous bus should be leaving soon and maybe they'll be replaced with a smaller rig. It would be nice to have our view back.

We had a sunny, albeit chilly, day today. Figured it was a good time to break out the grill. Hopefully we don't burn the place down!

Derron may have gotten a little carried away with the amount of charcoal he put in the little tiny BBQ. But the brats were really good...had a nice char on the outside. Just perfect.

Gracie tucked under a tree while Derron grilled.

The pups watched out the window while Derron grilled...well, until I took this pic of course.

Wenesday:

Another magnificent day in the northwest! Cold this morning but as soon as the fog burned off...gorgeous!!! We drove down to Albany to check it out. Nice downtown area but lots of closed stores/businesses. We had lunch at First Burger. Derron had an open faced chili burger. I had just a plain, boring burger. Both were good. They advertise that all the meat is Oregon-raised and ground in the restaurant daily and that the chili has never seen the inside of a can. Can't go wrong there!

For my contingent of friends who are (still) worried about Gracie and how she's faring in Dogville (the RV most days), she's doing fine. We set up chairs outside today and let her roam about. Here she's rolling in the sun...one of her favorite things to do. And then Derron walked her around a bit.

Thursday:

We went to a Hire Our Heroes job fair this morning. Got some good resume tips and made contact with two state agencies...one of which I'm already scheduled to interview with next week. Aside from having to get up early and out of sweats and fleeces, it was worthwhile. Derron made a couple contacts with Intel and Volt too.

Back to the RV to change clothes and then off to the dog park. We plan to take advantage of every ray of sunshine and exercise the hounds!  Then back to the RV again, but this time to marinate some chops for dinner and then a nap...but of course Gracie, who's now become accustomed to spending time in the sun, decided she wanted to go out. So here are a few more pictures of our little hunter.

Jockeying For Position

Now that the flood threat seems to have died down, several people are moving their RVs to better spots. We have our eyes on one at the end of our row. It's protected on one side by a forest...well a forest by RV park standards. We have to go to the office tomorrow to pay for the next month's lodging, and are hoping to make our case for that spot. Since the office personnel moved us twice for reasons of their own, we're hoping they'll feel sorry for us and give us what we want.

In the meantime, we cleaned the RV from top to bottom. It smells great in here -- mainly because the dogs are at the Dog Bark! Every counter has been Lysol-ed and the whole place has been aired out. Nice sunny day today with a couple of very light showers...so we've had the windows open all morning.

Gracie started her meowing tirade in the midst of the clean-up effort so Derron put her leash on and tied her to the picnic table just outside the door (don't worry...we did this all the time on the front porch in Bush). And of course right away she started meowing to come back in. Presumably she wanted Derron to stay out there with her. Later Gracie...

Had the usual errands to run while the dogs were at day care...picked up new harnesses for them and a coupling that will allow us to walk them at the same time on one leash...yeah, that is so on Derron. They've pulled me over, knocked me down, and dragged me too many times to put myself in that position. Knowing them, they'll think they're sled dogs and drag me face first all over the park.

Derron's going to attempt to barbecue later...he's probably looking up how to grill using charcoal right now on the internet. We got some brats for him to try this first time out...how wrong can that go?

We stopped at Adam's Rib BBQ on State Street for lunch. Yeah, pretty much blew our eating out budget for the week in one fell swoop. But it was so good.

Derron had the Tri-Tip (no brisket (his usual choice) on the menu) with mac n'cheese, garlic mashed potatoes, and cornbread. I tried his cornbread...a tad dry, but OK.

I had the pork ribs, pea salad, red potato salad, and cheesy toast. The rub on the ribs was great and didn't even need any sauce (more on that in a second). The pea salad was good and full of bacon. Derron hates peas and I love them...so any chance I get to eat peas out...I do. The potato salad was OK...needed seasoning. (NOTE: I am Irish and a bit of a potato aficionado. When it comes to potato salad, it can't be seasoned after the fact. The potatoes must be seasoned as they boil and again when mixed with other ingredients, while the potatoes are still warm. IMHO.). The cheese toast was entirely too greasy so I gave it to Derron.

The big hit was the sauce...several different varieties available. Derron tried them all, including one labeled, "brazenly hot". My favorite, and his, was this Hefeweizen variety. They also had a bourbon one, which was good...you could really taste the bourbon, but been there done that. Now, hefeweizen...that's something entirely new to us when it comes to BBQ sauce. 

As Jason Mraz would say, it was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

We had a nice lazy day after lunch. Derron took a nap and I finished the Michael Connelly book I'd been working on. Tomorrow I will start The Crowded Grave by Martin Walker, which I picked up at a nearby used bookstore.

Picked the dogs up...tried on the harnesses...too big. My dogs have the weirdest proportions. So back to Petco tomorrow. 

Derron decided he didn't feel up to BBQ-ing. Translation: he hadn't taken the time to read a how-to on the internet yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Now off to finish an Irish drama, Amber, I started on Netflix a couple nights ago!