OUR GYPSY LIFE IS SHAPING UP ;-)

Last night, we got a message that we had boxes - 5 - waiting for us; so, this morning we got up early to fetch them :-)

I am not an early morning person.

Neither is Holland.

But we are a Team: and together (though at one point I did threaten to throw every male in the house into a kennel - including my husband; who laughed and told me I look cute when I'm angry ;-)), "got it together - and got it done" :-)

The boxes were picked up and stashed in the 4x bed, and the groceries, baby gates, and food storage vacuum sealer/bags; were placed in the back seat area with the fur-babies, who did very well in behaving and staying out of things that were not meant for them ;-)

On the way through Longview to Wal*Mart on 38th, a beauty was showing off, in front of our Beast. I love this color & the matching interior. I miss these old car colors.

As we passed over Delameter to Castle Rock, Holland suggested we take the fur-babies to Camelot Beach for a quick, refreshing dip in the Cowlitz River.

Camelot Shore; Castle Rock-WA

Feeling the freedom.

Holland and the boys cooling their heels …

Cool water on hot feet …

Sonny is getting tired of Bleu's bully tactics.

Twisted Sister - 'We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore' song: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xmckWVPRaI)

I pulled on end of the extra-large tarp up and over, to protect the groceries & yarn from 2 very wet puppies. Except for the river water today, this tarp has remained dry despite the free-roaming pups.

Time to get home and get these things taken care of …

Beach Driving Lesson, today. Holland was very patient; Camelot, Castle Rock-WA

When we got home and opened the boxes, we discovered that one was full of food packets - and one has to be returned because it is not ours (we will return it, tomorrow afternoon). I don't know who has what we ordered, but I am praying they will do the right thing and send it forward to us.

I'm going to break every food packet down into 2-person servings; vacuum them closed, and store them in larger bins set aside for that very purpose, in the RV 'Basement'.

We were surprised to get a 2nd food bin from Patriot Foods - then realized they ship each order in 2 steps.

K-Cup Coffee's; 5 varieties. It looks like a lot - but it really isn't; and it will be hit and miss grocery shopping once we hit the open road, so I am stocking up on the Joy Juice: these will all go into a specific bin in the RV basement. The Dark Roast is Holland's … the rest are mine; but, I'll lay a bet he'll be dipping into my batch ;-)

After dinking around with the food packets and coffee K-Cups, I got busy in the bathrooms.

If anyone tells you that toilet odors in an RV is a simple fix, they are liars: RV toilet odors are not an easy fix "with water - lots of water!", and with odor eliminating pods (which really does nothing). Frequent dumping's and thorough flushing's help, but more is needed, when the weather heats up. So, today I bought a few toilet bowl deodorizers … and tweaked them to suit my purpose. As close to one end of the deodorizer as possible, I cut the wire with a wire snipper - straightened the wire out and threaded it through the back edge of the seat; keeping the scented edge as close to the water jet as I could without causing water to spray over the rim edge. Then, I bent and secured the wire to the rim of the toilet bowl, and tucked the loose wire end under the toilet's back side; being careful not to snag the water hose.

We'll see how this works.

Over-the-rim 'Bowl Fresh' Bowl Deodorizer. It was broken in the package, so I just bent the wire to fit around the backside. Be wise about this - be careful not to puncture your water hose when you affix the wire.

This little, powerful smelling, toilet freshener is a quick and easy way to keep the tank odors at bay … and it won't harm the bowl, the plumbing, or the black water tank.

Tomorrow is going to be another busy day.

But, we are getting closer to the Goal, and our objective :-)

FUN IN THE HOT SUN

We had to run over to Oregon this morning to collect the RV Title … and we had to stop by the RV Office here, and secure another week's stay.

Interesting rock & Poplar trees, outside the Office Building.

Bleu's bandana did not last long … I don't know when Holland tied it on Bleu, but Sonny ripped it off in no time ;-)

After we had the Title in hand (and it's about time too, Oregon - WTH??); we thought we'd take the pups to Jones Beach and let them run free for a while :-)

Just before we left the beach, I called in a pick-up-order at Bundy's Burger Bar … and promptly got the 4x stuck in soft sand :-(

Holland grimaced, and said, "You'll have to put the truck in neutral, slip the gear into 4x, and back out." I said, "You told me 2 weeks ago, that this truck would 'drive on sand, no problem' - so, now, there's a problem?" He said, "This truck will drive on sand easily - but you need to be smart about it: you just can't jump right into deep, soft, sand!" I rolled my eyes … he'd been grousing about how I treat the truck, all morning long: I 'need to close the door easier' (something about {bushings} - whatever: I've slammed lots of truck doors and no one ever worried about bushings); I 'need to take it easy on accelerating' (we compromised - he can drive his way; I will drive mine) … and now, I 'need to understand sand driving' (and I admit, I do - I've never done it before. I listened, but I also set my mind to having fun in the hot sun :-))

IT'S A TRUCK, FOR GOD'S SAKE!

And, it's meant to be used like a truck.

But, to Holland, the 4x is his baby - I don't think he puts it above me; but it's a close toss up ;-)

I'll try to be gentler - but I'm not going to lose any sleep over how I drive a truck.

I found a fishing weight at Jones Beach; I'll give it to Frank & Sean on the 4th.

Who will be 'top dog'; LOL

Shaded bowl of water - they went through 3 bowls. It was 80-degrees today.

Sonny wastes more water than he drinks …

I got the truck stuck in deep, soft, sand; admittedly, the grooves were very deep.

We gently chastised each other … seriously, but in good humor.

Trisha Yearwood -'That's What I Like About You' song:(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhF-egmTUWo)

Gary Allen -'Learning How To Bend' song:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvfJb10oc0M)

I WILL MISS these Bundy Burgers … I've been eating them since I was a 17-yr-old newlywed; and I introduced Holland to them this year. They are made the old-fashioned way - messy, and yummy!

At home, we put flea collars on the boys … and settled in for a relaxing summer evening ;-)

Both fur-babies were outfitted with flea collars; the collars came with reflective lens.

Gary Allen - 'Nothin On But The Radio' song: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRnDl75acdw)

SPIRIT

Crown your man; minister love to his spirit.

I got up around 5:30 AM, spent some time talking with Elohim … and tending to the fur-babies' needs. Holland got up around 10 AM (he didn't fall into bed until around 1:30 AM), so he needed the sleep.

We are still getting used to each other, finding balance in new circumstances, and working out situations that best fit our life - and our marriage. Right now in the spirit of unity; split-shifting sleep patterns and fur-baby responsibilities is what works in the moment.

When Holland had drank his morning coffee, and woke up enough to converse coherently, he said, "I have a major headache." I said, "You were up into the wee hours of the dawning morning … plus, the babies are smelling strongly like dogs - that's enough to give anyone a headache; and that could be one of the reasons for my asthma flare-up the other night." And he said, "Let's see if there is a dog bath available." I called the RV Resort's Office, and they said the Dirty Dawg Bath on grounds, wasn't open yet (it's down for maintenance) … so, I went online and found a groomer up Spirit Lake Highway; she said she could get them in around 1'noon, so we all got ready :-)

(((Thank You, Elohim!))); the pups will get bathed & trimmed.

Spirit Lake Highway-WA

Asthmatics aren't supposed to have furry pets - but I am not giving up the pups: in the spirit of faithfulness … and by the power of His Holy Spirit, Elohim will just have to honor Yeshua's healing of me at Calvary 2,023 years ago ;-)

I drove, so Holland's sore arm wouldn't be hurting right off the bat. I missed the sign among the roadside weedy litter … and had to make a U-turn a bit further up the highway.

We dropped them off around 12:25'noon - and then decided to back-tracked to the mexican restaurant in Castle Rock for lunch while the fur-babies were being bathed and clipped ;-)

Mexican Restaurant in Castle Rock-WA

Castle Rock area - about 2 shakes of a lamb's tail from our front door as we sit, now.

Interior; neither of us have ever eaten here before, though we both had driven past it for decades … this is another memory we are making, together :-)

Floor design as soon as you step inside.

Pretty benches right inside the entrance door.

Floor tile-insert by the benches.

Hand painted wall mural; one of many.

Menu; we chose dishes from the Lunch Menu …

Something else new … flavored margaritas.

Our table tile insert.

Holland's choice; Cheese Enchilada & Beef Taco.

Chicken Carnita Dish; I used the flour tortilla that came with this dish, and made a Fajita out of my choice.

I tried that peach-flavored margarita Holland was telling me about last night (he knows I like peach-flavored teas & soda's): it was okay, but I like the regular flavored margarita better.

Holland said I should try a margarita at every  mexican restaurant we eat at. I am an 'obedient wife' ;-)

This spirited beverage is tasty!

Holland did the interior of this fancy restaurant, across the highway; Castle Rock-WA

Then we drove through the Seaquest Park to see if there were any RV spots large enough for our RV, for future considerations; there weren't - all the sites were for much smaller RV's.

I like making all these new memories: memories that are not tinged with the Past - memories that do not make me cry. I never thought I could ever enjoy life again without Bob … but Elohim is a good God, and He is continually blessing my life with joy.

Holland is my new joy.

Holland sees me as 'beautiful', and his love for me gave life to feelings I never expected to ever feel again. Holland's love breathed healing into my broken heart, and covers my life with a garment of praise. Holland is constantly telling me, "our love is a God-thing, Baby" … and it truly is.

I like this new Becoming :-)

Isaiah 61:3

Seaquest State Park; I had never been here before, but Holland had camped here. It's a nice, forested, Park.

Our spirited puppies were finally ready for pick-up around 2:45 … so, we picked them up, paid for the much-needed-service, and drove as far up Spirit Lake Highway as we could (I wanted to see/take pictures of the landslide area).

When we reached this point in the drive, I told Holland this would probably be the last view of Mt. St. Helen's anyone would see, after the recent landslide.

Mt. St. Helens; seen from the Castle Lake Viewpoint. Castle lake in the lower right corner.

Location of Castle Lake~Coldwater Lake, Hummocks Trail, & Johnston Ridge Observatory (this building has been closed to the public for decades - the recent landslide will probably never be cleaned up).

End of the road; if I was by myself, I would have hiked to the landslide area past the gate. But, I am no longer a solo lobo - I have a husband to consider, now.

Location of Gate: across from Hummocks Trail & Coldwater Lake access road~Coldwater Lake from Johnston Ridge Observatory - 8 mins.

I'm not going to be sad leaving WA - this communist state can eat my dust.

We never got to see the landslide, but Holland was a good sport about driving that far without a payoff at the end; he is a good husband for me.

On our way back home, we passed a house with a cute gabled front porch …

The gabled front porch on this house caught my eye …

It looks like a restoration project in the works; Spirit Lake Highway-WA

The weather was perfect, and our spirits vibed with the comfort of oneness we are enjoying in newlywed bliss; the drive was relaxingly enjoyable.

It was a good day :-)