Burn ban.....

 7:40 am - Monday - August 9th - Seal Rock, OR - 50° F, 94% humidity, wind - CALM.....clear, blue skies today with a forecast high of 63° F.  On this date in 2015 I met and conquered my first one pound BLT at Sonney's BBQ in South Lake Tahoe, CA....↴

A few weeks ago Fred, TLE and I washed the big house on the hill so it could be painted....not one of my favorite jobs.   Well, the other shoe fell Sunday when I received a text from Terry that Fred and I would be washing the rental house (Fairwinds).  Unlike the big house, Fairwinds was much easier to wash (smaller), and we managed to knock it out in about 2 hours.  After dropping Fred off at his RV I proceeded to do site checks.  There were 10 new arrivals Sunday, and an equal number of departures.  Of course, there would have to be since we are at 100% occupancy right now.  I was finished with site checks by 1 pm, and on my way home to TLE, who had the late shift Sunday (2-4 pm).

It's been a couple of weeks since we've had the awning out, but now that the north winds seem to have abated, and the sun was out in full force I deployed it, and took about an hour to make what I thought would be a minor repair to one of the support arms by replacing a sheet metal screw that would not stay tightened with a slightly larger in diameter screw.  As is often the case the "Hockwald Way" caused it to take 5 times longer than it should have, but in the end I was successful, and now, hopefully, the screw will not get loose anymore.

Of course, with a very sunny day, and little or no wind it was time to have another sunset fire.....it has been a very long time since the last one, but that is all in the past, and Sunday we got a good one......

About 7 pm....

Listening to 'Free Bird' (Lynard Skynard) as the sun slides westward

.....the sun sets around 8:30 pm now, and when there is a cloud bank on the horizon as there was Sunday evening, a few minutes earlier.  Hoping to get a couple more sunset fires in before Friday the 13th as effective that date the state wide burn ban I wrote about yesterday will take effect until further notice due to our very 'dry' conditions....'dry' meaning there has been no measurable rain for 5, or 6 weeks.

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How dry am I?

 7:40 am - Sunday - August 8th - Seal Rock, OR - 46° F, 100% humidity, wind - CALM....sunny today with a forecast high of 62° F. On this date in 2017 TLE and I were hiking the Mt. Washburn trail in Yellowstone NP.....10,219' elevation....we hiked almost 15 miles that day↴

The wind continued out of the west Saturday, and we actually awoke to clear blue skies, however, the forecast indicated possible rain in the afternoon.  By 11 am the clouds had begun to roll in, and by 2 pm it was drizzling, but it never really rained....at least not according to Coastal Oregon standards.  We received notice via email that Oregon has issued a statewide burn ban.....no burn piles, and no campfires....even on the coast.  There hasn't been any measurable precipitation the past month, or so, and the grass has stopped growing for all practical purposes, so yeah, it is very dry.  All that being said, I think I will have to mow our site one last time as it is getting a little ragged around the edges after 3 weeks. 

Now that we are inside 7 weeks until departure I try to spend time in the trailer each day sorting through the things we (I primarily) have acquired over the past 10+ months, and am slowly thinning out the herd.  When Glenn and Laureen were here I passed on to them the shelving, drawers, control board, etc. I had salvaged from our defunct Dometic fridge.  They have the same model as we did, so some of these things may come in handy down the line for them.  There is still a long ways to go, but I know I will get to the point eventually (before the end of September) when we can insert the VW into the trailer once again.

The park remains close to 100% occupancy as it has been for most of the past month....we have a site come available due to cancellation periodically, but on the best day we may have one, or two sites available for overnighters only.  Most of our current customers are here for 1-2 week durations meaning it is difficult to find a site in which we can trim hedges, or mow.  On occasion a customer will request that we do just that while they are still here, but we only agree to do it if we believe we can do it without harming their RV....in some cases that is not possible.  I say that to say this.....as things dry out, and stop growing we have less to do in the park.  I had been averaging 14-17 hours per week, but this past week I worked just 12 hours. We do have picnic tables we can paint, and I believe that is what will occupy some of our time over the next few weeks. 

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Change is good......

8:49 am - Saturday - August 7th - Seal Rock, OR - 59° F, 100% humidity, wind - zero mph out of the north.....clear, blue skies today with no wind, and there is sun on Seal Rock for the first time in a long time....change is good.....the forecast high for today is 64° F.  On this date in 2012 TLE and I were in Astoria, OR visiting the 'Goonies House', and having a late lunch the Rogue's Astoria Public House......↴

The weather guessers predicted rain on and off most of Friday, but what we got instead was a light mist that fell for a couple of hours.  In fact the only precipitation we encountered all day long was in the Seal Rock area.  When we drove into Waldport around 2 pm we were greeted by partly cloudy skies, and no mist, or rain.  When we had lunch at Azul Mexican Restaurant a few weeks ago we noticed a café called Lazy Dayz across the street which Yelp indicated had a 4 star rating on 93 reviews.  We made a mental note to return some day to check them out....well, 'some day' became Friday, August 6th......

Looks like the power pole across the street 

is coming out of our umbrella stand

....when we left Seal Rock in a misting rain to drive into Waldport at 2 pm we had no expectation of alfresco dining, but by the time we arrived at Lazy Dayz it was impossible to ignore the numerous tables outside calling to us.  TLE had their 'Kraut Dog' with dill pickled peppers, and I their Lazy Dayz Burger with bacon and a fried egg on top.  Both choices were superb, and we would definitely be in the 4 star camp.  From their alfresco tables you have an unobstructed view of Alsea Bay, and the hills beyond.

From there we made a quick stop at Ray's Food Place to score two rump roasts for the price of one which was the special of the day.  We were home just before 4 pm....wait, what.....where did the day go?  It was still misting in Seal Rock as we arrived home, and the rocks offshore were but gray shadows in the fog....it's like we have a totally different weather system here at SRRVC.

Other than our trip into Waldport Friday was a completely uneventful day off work on the Oregon Coast....thanks for stopping by!

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Groundhog Day.....

 8:32 am - Friday - August 6th - Seal Rock, OR - 61° F, 100% humidity, wind 5 mph out of th4 west.....out of the west....the first time in two weeks!  Heavy marine layer today with a forecast high of 63° F.  On this date in 2011 I was at the Mammoth Mountain Bike Park with good friends having lunch before our afternoon ride.....

Getting ready for the afternoon ride

Usually by the time I go to work at 10 am most of the dampness is gone from the air, and things are beginning to dry out a tad, but on Thursday it was so damp at 10 am it appeared to be raining, but it wasn't....

The restrooms on the right, and tent sites straight ahead.....

....and the Landscape Shed on the right...

.....there would be no mowing, edging, or hedge trimming this day.  Instead I returned to the trench I dug on Wednesday at Terry's request to make it a couple of inches deeper.  Once again I spent most of my time on the section through the gravel ingress with a pickaxe, which was just slightly less hard than concrete, but I did prevail in about 60 minutes.  From there I spent 30 minutes in the Landscape Shed putting tools away, and generally organizing the workbench.  At 11:30 am I headed out to do site checks for the last time this week, and within 30 minutes I was home with The Lovely Elaine beginning my weekend.  TLE still had the 1-4 pm part of her split shift left so I was left to my own devices for the balance of the afternoon.

TLE and I continue to be asymptomatic to the Wuhan Flu, and Lincoln county continues to be a safe place to live, even in the middle of the summer season.  In the 18 months since the Wuhan Flu arrived in America there have been just 85 hospitalizations for same in Lincoln County, and just 22 deaths total....only one of which has occurred in the last 6 months.  I know that in the more populous counties of Oregon there are a lot of new cases.  We read of people who have been vaccinated still coming down with the Wuhan flu, and in a few cases have tested positive two, or three times since they were completely vaccinated.  We see the CDC advises that vaccinated folks can still transmit the virus, so what is the point of the vaccine?  Please do not feel compelled to answer my querie....it is simply a rhetorical question.  We were told if we would just vaccinate life would get back to normal, but now the CDC recommends everyone wear masks again, even outdoors.  Again, what is the point?  Why is it that the public service announcements advocating getting vaccinated never once mention what the side effects are?  There must be side effects.....every single medication advertised on TV lists a dozen possible side effects.....why are the numerous Wuhan Flu vaccines exempt from this requirement?  Tell me the side effects and I will then be able to make an informed decision....the problem is the government does not want us to make informed decisions.....they know best, so just shut up and get in line for your jab.

All that being said, life is great on the Oregon Coast....we are enjoying a summer free from air conditioning.....free from heat.....it feels like we are stuck in some kind of 'Groundhog Day' loop weather wise, but in a good way....lol!

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Ditched......

 7:22 am - Thursday - August 5th - Seal Rock, OR - 54° F, 100% humidity, wind 7 mph out of the north by northwest......foggy, thick marine layer....everything is wet outside now, and rain is forecast for this evening.....forecast high for today is 60° F.  On this date in 2013 TLE and I were at Flathead Brewing Company on the shores of Flathead Lake near Kalispell, MT having some brews......↴

About the only job I have not performed here at SRRVC is to dig a ditch.....not one ditch in 10 months, but Wednesday that is exactly what I was tasked for by Terry.  I needed to dig a ditch from the electrical box at site #25 to the cable TV junction box next to the gravel road which leads to the cul-de-sac......

It's not a very deep ditch as ditches go

.....as ditches go this was not a very deep one....maybe 6"....maybe the word 'trench' would be more appropriate, but it is about 70' long.  Thankfully, two thirds of the trench was compacted sand....quite easy to dig.  The 1/3 that was not sand was through the compacted gravel ingress to the overflow parking area.  In all I spent about 2 hours on the ditch.....45 minutes digging 50', and the balance digging the 20' through the compacted grave roadbed into the overflow parking area.  I spent the final hour of my three hour shift first doing site checks, then moving the final five spots in the tent area.  I still need to trim the hedges in those sites, but it shouldn't take too long.  TLE was just coming back to work for the second half of her split shift at 1 pm when I headed for home.

Right after I got home the north wind freshened, and the fog rolled in taking a stranglehold over the environment.  The cold, blustery north wind has been ever present for the past two weeks, and there appears no end in site.  We get occasional mornings where we see the sun, but most mornings we awake to fog, or a marine layer, or the north wind, or a combination thereof.  There have been brief sun showers, but for the most part it has been cold, wet and windy.  This is our first complete summer on the Oregon Coast, and frankly we have loved it.  Never heard this summer is the whirring of air conditioner electric motors driving compressors to spew cold air into an otherwise hot environment.  Instead we hear the occasional quiet whir of our electric heaters in the early mornings, and evenings....a nice change from that to which we have been accustomed in the past.  I close today's missive with a picture of my brother-in-law Glenn Parker, and TLE's sister Laureen on Seal Rock Beach the other day....this is how we dress when we go to the beach....lol.....

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Adieu, adieu, adieu......

 7:33 am - Wednesday - August 4th - Seal Rock, OR - 48° F, 94% humidity, wind - zero mph out of the north......a little overcast right with clearing later today and a forecast high of 62° F.  On this date in 2013 we were parked in the Kalispell Walmart RV ghetto for a couple of days.....↴

All good things must end, and Tuesday another one came to and end.  As I got dressed for work I saw that Glenn and Laureen were dumping their black tank, and would be ready to roll within a few minutes.  By the time I had exited our Newell Glenn had turned over their big Detroit Diesel 6v92, and by 9:50 am he was rolling out of site A-3 headed for new horizons with Laureen.  I managed to remember to memorialize their exit from SRRVC with a short video......

.....of course, hugs and 'until next times' were exchanged, and then it was time to begin another two hour shift.  If you look closely at the beginning of the video you can just see the rear of Glenn and Laureen's Honda Element as they are waiting to enter the north bound lanes of US-101.

I returned to the task I left unfinished Monday.....painting the two large electrical service boxes affixed to the restrooms......

This is a can of the 'black' Hammerite, we use brown, which is what I used on the two boxes

....here at SRRVC we used a product called Hammerite Rust Cap to protect metal surfaces from the heavy salt content of the marine air, and it seems to do a terrific job if applied correctly.  Whoever applied it to these boxes the last time did not do a good job of surface prep as most of it flaked off the boxes during prep, however, the metal surface is rust free, so I guess it worked in spite of the less than adequate surface preparation.....

.....working with this stuff is like painting with heavy, thick, cold molasses, and it seems it will take two coats to completely cover everything in one, even, brown coat.....

.....it took me about 90 minutes to finish applying the first coat, and I cannot apply another one for 24 hours, so I headed over to the office to prep the 3rd electrical service box.  It had never been painted, and appeared to be relatively new, so all I had to due was thoroughly sand the gray paint, and then apply masking tape to the areas where no Hammerite is desired.  I was done by 12 noon, and headed over to the office to pick TLE (she worked 9 am to 12 pm) up and head for home.

After four days of seeing both A-2 and A-3 occupied with Newell Classics we arrived home to see just our '82 Newell sitting there looking a little lost.....lol.  I spent part  of the afternoon dumping our black tank, and doing some other odd jobs around the site before heading inside for the balance of the day as the fog rolled in and out, and the winds continued to blow out of the north.

Usually when we bid adieu to family and/or friends who have come to visit us we kind of sigh at the bittersweet feelings flooding over us, and then remark it is time to recharge our social batteries, but that has never been the case with Glenn and Laureen.  Their visits always seem to energize us....I have to say I was a little bit envious that they were heading to the next horizon, and we were staying put for another 8 weeks....usually it is the other way around for us.  Safe travels Glenn and Laureen!

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The final curtain.......

7:28 am - Tuesday - August 3rd - Seal Rock, OR -  50° F, 94% humidity, wind - zero mph out of the north.....overcast this morning with clearing later in the day and a forecast high of 61° F.  On this date in 2020 we were at Priest Lake, ID with George and Brenda Cheney on their party boat.....↴

Monday, like so many days lately, was beset by a heavy marine layer that just would not give way to the sun until around 4 in the afternoon, and then only for an hour, or so.  The north wind blowing at 10-12 mph combined with high humidity made it feel bitter cold outside, and for the first time in days I wore my jacket to work.  I'm reminded of the famous Mark Twain saying....."The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco".  Substitute 'Seal Rock' for 'San Francisco' in that sentence and you will begin get my drift.....lol.

My assignment Monday was to prepare and paint three large electrical service boxes in the park.  Two are on the front wall of our restrooms, and one (pretty new appearing) is next to the office.  One has never been painted (next to the office), and the other two (restrooms) haven't been painted for a few years.  Paint, like most other materials here on the Oregon Coast, does not fair well in the salty air, and neither does the metal it is meant to protect.  The preparation required to paint a metallic surface which has been exposed to the salty air takes quite a while, and I was only able to finish preparing the two boxes at the restrooms before 12 pm rolled around.  No one had done the site checks yet so I grabbed the printout from the office, and took care of those before heading for home around 12:30 pm.  I was so cold at the end of my shift that it took me about 30 minutes within the confines of the Newell to warm up once again.  TLE's shift Monday ran from 11 am to 2 pm.

Glenn and Laureen took another walk on the beach at Seal Rock while we were at work, and Laureen, who was to prepare dinner for the four of us that night, went into Newport to buy some vittles.

We convened at their Newell around 5:20 pm for the dinner festivities, and I managed to remember to take the required 'usie' to memorialize the occasion.....

.....all through dinner, all through desert, and afterwards until 9 pm the conversation continued unabated covering, as always, a wide range of topics.  Ultimately we headed outside to take some last pictures of us and our Newells together before they depart for new adventures Tuesday morning......

....it has been four days of non-stop conversation and laughter, and it seems way less than that.  How does time go so quickly?  We know our paths will cross again, and we look ever so forward to that time.  Thank you for including us in your summer travels!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Fogust......

 7:33 am - Monday - August 2nd - Seal Rock, OR - 52° F, 100% humidity, wind 5 mph out of the north.....overcast with clearing later this morning, and a forecast high of 62° F.  On this date in 2016 we were having lunch at El Charro Avita in Carson City, NV......↴

Sunday was the first day of August, or as we will more to it hence forth.....'Fogust'....lol.  I cannot take credit for the term 'Fogust', and must tell you it came from our good friend Marnie Aaron, whom we first met at Ramona Oaks RV Resort back in 2019....the term is so appropriate.  She and Rich worked at an RV park on the north coast of California a few years ago where they experienced the same conditions.  They referred to July as 'No Sky July'....very funny!  Hard to believe we are in the last two months of our contract as we begin the 11 month of our tenure here at Seal Rocks RV Cove.....

Terry advised me Sunday morning of another change in our work schedule, which I actually like.  On Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays Fred and I will work opposite shifts.....if I work in the morning he will work in the afternoon, and visa versa, unless there is a project requiring both of us to be on duty at the same time.   I like it for two reasons....1) As you know, I like working by myself, and 2) there is a grounds person on duty morning and afternoon at least three days per week.

I began my Sunday cleaning the women's restroom in the tent sites area.  I noticed a blue spot on the floor under one of the sinks, and managed to remove it with a sponge.  When I looked to see where it came from I could see the same blue gunk on the bottom on the p-trap, so I wiped it off....suddenly water began pouring from the bottom of the rusted out p-trap....doh!  Well, we have replacement p-trap assemblies on hand, so I retrieved one then removed the old rotten metal one......

.....and replaced it with a plastic one, which will most assuredly not rust....

....I spent the rest of my two hour shift readying the 12 sites with incoming customers for occupancy.  I finished the last site just after 12 pm, and then after putting my tools away headed for home where TLE, who had worked a 9 am to 12 pm shift awaited my arrival.  Another workday in the books at SRRVC.

As I was finishing up cleaning site #14 I could not help but notice how beautiful the day had become.....no fog....at least not when I took this picture....

.....around 2 pm we took a walk with Glenn and Laureen down to the Seal Rock Beach to show them the tide pools, and of course the fog had rolled in big time......I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.....

Sisters

.....we didn't leave the beach to head back up the hill until well after 3 pm.  After bidding our adieus we agreed to reconvene at their Newell around 7 pm for desert and some single malt Scotch.  We were just about ready to head back home when I caught the remnants of the sunset.....

....thanks for stopping by!

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