2019 - In Review~

The end of another year!  Our third - in Iowa!  More changes made, many of my ever lengthening list of to-do's completed!  I made three trips to Washington - the first in January & again in February, to support our Grandson Mason & the Peters family.  The third, late in September, to move Farah.

1-24-19 Insulation~

Butch worked on the insulation in the cabin while I was in WA.  By the end of February, the paneling was going up & inside window trim done.  People stopped by, when they saw us out, to ask about what they thought was a Tiny House!

2-19-19 Mason Beats Cancer!

Grandson Mason is our Super Hero!  Mason exhibited such strength, resolve & determination!  With the support of his family, friends, school & community, he persevered!  His Doctors & the nursing staff were so impressed with his bravery & get-it-done positive attitude!

3-13-19 Tinkle Branch Creek 

The terrible Missouri River Valley flooding started in March.  Tinkle Branch was running bank to bank & kept right on flowing to Keg Creek!  Other homeowners weren't so lucky.

4-10-19 Marking the corners of the two lots~

My priority, was to continue clearing the timbered lots & marsh.  (With Farah in WA) I needed something to keep me busy.  May, Butch bought me a reciprocating saw, making the job both faster & easier!

5-6-19 The Marsh~

It was an incredibly wet, lush, green spring.  The marsh was full of water & I met my first big snapping turtle!

7-7-19 The Explorer & the Bronco

After twenty-years of driving a Bronco, I caved & came home with a Ford Explorer!  So easy to drive, smooth & comfortable.  The Bronco will stay - it will be a classic in 2020!

8-30-19  The Camper Leaves~

Slightly sad & bittersweet, we sold our Arctic Fox.  It had served us well.  Camping with our kids & going to endurance rides.  Finally, our home-on-the-road when we made our move to IA.  We ended up staying in the camper while we remodeled the house.

9-5-19 Cabin 

September, the cabin had a gravel walkway & light post.  April - Butch built a split rail fence along the north property line.

9-10-19 Marsh clearing~

Clearing in the marsh, was well underway.  The piles of  Autumn Olives were stacking up.  Just the worst bush imaginable - with stickers!  I was covered with war wounds!

9-24-19 The Webster's~

Friends from WA drove out, for a visit that was too short!  Lynn & I had ridden many miles together over several years.  Jack had made it possible for us to ride point-to-point long distance rides.  He would drive the truck & trailer, drop us off at one end of our proposed route, then be there to pick us & the horses up at the other end!  We've missed them!

9-28-19 Connie & Farah~

The last of September, I was again in WA.  This time to move Farah from where she'd been down south, to an acquaintance's farm, north.  She's close enough to our daughter's now, I'll be able to visit & ride her when I'm in the state!

10-3-19 The F-350, totaled~

While I was still in WA, Butch's truck was totaled, where it was parked in front of the cabin.  A drunk driver living just up our street, missed the corner & went airborne...   He wasn't seriously injured.  It was a sad end - to a truck we'd enjoyed so much.  The truck pulled the horse trailer with Farah, out from WA & taken us on many adventures.

11-8-19 Butch's new Truck~

Insurance covered a rental truck, until Butch found new wheels.  Another Ford of course!

11-20-19 Agriland

November, Butch started work at Agriland in Malvern.  He kept his morning school bus route!

11-18-19 Clear Views!

As weather cooperated well into fall, I had all the Honeysuckle cut & stacked in the timber.  The Autumn Olive & remaining Honeysuckle in the marsh were down & stacked too!

Christmas morning~

December really impressed us with some spectacular days!  Christmas felt more like an early spring day - rather than early winter.

The end of our third-year & on to the fourth. The Home Place has taken shape.

Past year - 2018~

The Arctic Fox finds a new home!

A chronicle of our history with the camper, has given me time to reflect on just a few of the highlights.  Back in 2012, we bought the new-to-us rig.  It was a 2009 model, garaged & only used twice. It had exactly the features we wanted.  Our shake down cruise was to Whidbey Island.  The island had always been our go-to place for a close, quiet weekend.

1-18-2013 Deception Pass~

Everything worked perfectly, we felt like we were glamping -  after years of older - less efficient campers & motor homes.  For a couple years, I'd even used the back of the horse trailer as a place to stay dry at endurance rides!

2-16-2013 At Bolender Horse Park~

 That first year, we were on the road almost every month.  February, we traveled south, where Farah & I attended a weekend clinic on Extreme Mountain Trail!  The Bolender's hosted a Valentine's weekend for couples that included a great dinner & good time.

4-29-2014 - Ancient Lakes

 What became a yearly trip, was one of our favorites.  Multi-day trips were just the best, you had time to travel & more time to unwind & relax.  Our friends Scott, Barb & Linda were just the best to camp with.  The laughter never stopped!  The riding was out of this world.  Butch made friends with the landowner & had his own private tours of the surrounding country.

5-18-2014 Mt. Adams~

  May, Butch took us to the Mt. Adams ride camp, near Trout Lake, WA.  Farah & I competed in her first 55-mile endurance ride.  We had so much fun, Farah proved to me that she was way more horse than I'd imagined.

6-4-2014 Lined up at the Astoria Safeway to load up on supplies!

  Early June, was our second year of a week long trip to Nehalem Bay State Park in OR.  Our friend Janelle put together the Sno-King Saddle-up group, on a Meet-up web page.  The calendar of events included this trip & we made it a point to join!  We'd make our reservations almost a year in advance & there were enough of us to take up the entire horse camp!  It was a week of sheer delight!  Riding the beach, campfires, group dinners & making new friends. 

8-2-2014 Bare Bones

By August, we traveled to the Evergreen Sportsman Club for the Bare Bones Endurance Ride.  This time, only 30-miles & Farah let me know that she is competitive by nature :-)  It was incredibly hot, so we appreciated having AC!

6-16-2015 Loading on to the Walla Walla~

We also took yearly family camping trips with either both, or each of the girls families.  Ft. Flagler was a favorite with the Peters.  Beach combing, rock hounding, hiking & bike riding.

5-19-2016 Crossing the Columbia~

Mt. Adams became a yearly thing too...  Once management had moved the ride back to the original camp in a meadow at the base of the mountain.  It had always been one of my favorite rides, I finished it eight times, over the years, on three different horses.

5-21-2016 Mt. Adams Ride Camp~

Butch climbed onto the top of Diane's trailer to get the wide-angle view of the ride camp.  Always impressive to see so many rigs & horses in the high meadow.

6-8-2016  We off-load Grandson Ben & his bike in Astoria :-)

Once our youngest daughter's family moved to Astoria, we usually made plans to meet them in town, on our way to the beach.  When the girls visited our camp, they rode, fed & generally spoiled Farah :-)

6-11-2016 - Skyla riding Farah~

 One of our last trips in WA, was to Rainbow Falls.  We met up with the Wrights & had a perfect weekend of swimming in the river & enjoying the time with three of our favorite grand-kids!

7-31-2016 - Rainbow Falls~

Finally, the truck & camper took us on our Great Adventure - the move from WA  to Iowa.  With an unexpected remodel happening from the minute we arrived, the camper became our living quarters.  We were happy to have it!

10-21-2016 - New Home~

Once in Iowa, neither of us were as fond of camping.  Sitting around listening to generators, was never our thing...  We did make one trip to Brushy Creek, in the northern part of Iowa.  If we'd moved to that area, I'd still be riding.  It was the one place I'd found with close to fifty-miles of trail.

9-30-2017 Brushy Creek

Now, the camper is starting a new phase of life, with a brand new young family!  It will be making trips to Colorado.  I'm sure this family will enjoy it as much as we have!  I was a little sad to see it pull away - our last real tie to our old life in WA.  It was sweet to know it's gone to a good home! 

7-20-2019 - The camper leaves home on a Dodge!  :-)

We both thought that the camper looks as good as the day Butch drove it home!  Wes & Lanette were thrilled to get it.  We don't plan to quit traveling, but with the kids & grand-kids in WA, we'll be spending more time in the air :-)