GOLD BEACH WHITE CHRISTMAS 12/21-27/2012

On December 21, 2012 we took official possession of our new home in Gold Beach, Oregon.  Here we are at the front door on that date.

Immediately, we realized there was a problem with the living room carpet, having found old dried mold and decided it needed replacing.

 We immediately began the long process of finding the right one and had the rest of thge carpets in the house shampooed on Christmas morning.

 While the carpets dried on Christmas morning we resorted to the only dry carpet in the house, the living room and had our little Christmas present opening time in our new home.  The vacuum was not a present.  It just happened to be in the corner where we opened presents.  By the way, we have no furniture in the house yet!

 Christmas day we hung our only Christmas lights.  Ann found them at a Thrift Store in town the day before.

 We went into town ans saw that we could see our house lights hung in our sun room widows from Hwy 101!

 We were still not sleeping in our new house until Dec. 27th because the carpets needed to dry.  So, back at the RV Park we were greeted one morning by a White Christmas, though not on Christmas day

 How about that massive snow build up!  Actually it was hail, but at least it was white!!

 OOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!!!  Break out the tire chains and the sleds!!

 On the way to the house we saw the build up on the side of the street.

Back at the RV Park, the work campers that were there for the season had a Christmas BBQ and invited us too because we were the only other ones in the park.

 There weren't many of us, but the atmosphere and company made for a nice time together full of RV stories from a life on the road.

 They had some oysters cooked in a special sauce that was just delightful!  Wayne had two!!!

It rains a lot here! 

 And regularly in the RV Park we see ducks and geese in little pools in the lawns.  it is kind of cute!

 Anyway, we are in the house and are now beginning the process of moving the stuff out of the trailer, cleaning the trailer for sale, going to Medford to get our stuff out of storage and settling in to life on the coast.

A BRIDGE TOO FAR 12/16/2012

During the previously told about storm before Thanksgiving, a log jam dammed up Hunter Creek that gently flows around our RV Park.  When that dam broke the creek course changed and flowed through our park.  This massive 4:00 AM wall of water met resistance at the clogged culverts at one section of our road. It then backed up again and flooded the park deeper, eventaully because of the continuing rain and the dammed culverts flowed over the road and washed it all away.  A temporary, narrow and scary road was put in a couple days later.  Then, last Saturday, a crew was able to come in and rebuild it.  It was fascinating to watch the men and equipment do their job.

 

I had to leave.  I was there for several hours.  By the next morning there was a road back in place.  Nope.  No picture of that yet.

THE RAIN FALLS SIDEWAYS HERE 12/12/2012

Sometimes when it rains here, the wind blows hard.  This causes the rain to fall sideways, strongly.  The roof may not leak, but we discovered through experience that the walls, widows and doors may.  After one recent rain and wind storm, we found that the water had penetrated a side door into our storage compartment under the trailer.  Very much wetness and mold.  Clean up time!

Unfortunately, we had stored a lot of family pictures down there that we have been scanning over the last several years.  Panic time.  But, due to Ann's attacking the problem head on, none were lost and very few damaged permanently.  Everything was re-dried and put in clean new boxes.

Wayne is blessed with a tender wife that knows how to fix his boo-boos!

FAMILY HOME EVENING 12/10/2012

We love the Gold Beach Branch (For you not acquainted with Mormon Jargon.... a Branch is a small congregation which is presided over by a Branch President, as compared to a normal sized congregation which is called a Ward which is presided over by a Bishop) .  What we lack in numbers, style and skill we make up for in personality, family atmosphere and love of each other and the gospel.  We have a social event about 2-4 times a month besides our normal church services.  Here is a snippet of a recent Family Home Evening (A time to gather the family together and teach each other about the gospel) held at the Branch

We had a live presentation about the birth of Christ.  Here Kenny counsels Joseph (Chris) on his upcoming part in the presentation.  Look behind Joseph and you'll see his wife, Mary (Tamera).

 Our narrator for the evening, One of The Three Wise Men (Brother Condie.)

We are very high tech here in Gold Beach.  Our performance was backed by a fine Power Point presentation.  Here, Mary sings of her upcoming child she hopes to hold in her arms soon. (Tamera is really pregnant too!!)

 Joseph joins in in the song singing his testimony of the events that led up to them expecting the Christ Child.

 The cast was supported by a cast of Angels We Heard On High......

 ...well, not really "On High", just over in the corner.  But they did sound angelic.  Recognize the red head?

 The Three Wise Men.  They are very wise!!!  One is Our County Asst. Dist. Attorney, one head of security at the local prison and one a music teacher.  Can you guess which is which?

As one of the few that sat in the audience for the whole performance (Most of the attendees were involved in the presentation in one form or another.)  I sat and tears welled up in my eyes.  Hollywood quality performance? No.  Cast of thousands?  Not even close...maybe 8.  Felt the Spirit of Christ's birth?  Yup!  Felt like we were home?  Yup!  Gathered with friends?  Yup!!
Here are two festively dressed audience members.  Home!

BECAUSE YOU ASKED 12/15/2012

Ann loves to walk on the beach, especially after or during a storm,

or when it's foggy,

  or sunny,

or when the wind blows,

or it is still,

 during high tide,

 or low tide,

  when there are driftwood arrangements to look at,

 in the morning,

 or the evening,

when there are waves crashing,

 or after they crashed.

Some of you have asked why we are settling down, have bought a house and are not raveling any more.  Wayne has a wife that loves the Oregon Coast.  She loves all time she can spend on the beach.  Wayne is stationary and on the coast because he loves his wife.