Go West! Go East!

Well, the trailer rugs are done and on the floor. I finished the rugs with hemstitching on the first night and the next morning and trimmed the fringe to roughly the same length. I've decided that I like having all three of them in the trailer.

They're handy to have, because they collect any dirt or sand that gets tracked in, but they can be shaken out and even washed, if needed. It reduces the need for sweeping.

Our trip to Florence didn't take as long as the last time. It makes a difference when you know where you're going. We got hooked up at the Port of Siuslaw Campgrounds and Marina when we got there. During our stay, we spent the better part of two days at the beach with the dogs. First we went to the one north of town, Hecata Beach, where we went last time, then to one of the parks south of town, South Jetty, which is a fee area, but we were able to use one of our Golden Age Passports (we each have one). Parts of the route to get to the beach were difficult with the stroller because of the deep sand, but we pulled it rather than pushing when the going got difficult, and that worked better. I started the Walk for a Dog app at the first parking lot where we stopped for the rest room, then put it on pause and forgot to start it again until we were partway to the beach. Oops! We still recorded a pretty good walk, though. I think it would have been about a mile. 

Dusty loves the beach, because, with the Chuckit, a person can make the ball go a long way. There is nothing Dusty loves more than to chase a ball. It's fun to watch the ball disappear into nothing with Dusty running after it until he disappears, too, only to return with the ball in his mouth.

Rocky rode in the stroller for most of the "walk," but he got out to wander around on the beach after we got to it. He seemed to be enjoying himself. Interesting smells never lose their appeal, I guess.

He was ready for a snooze on the way back.

Dusty, on the other hand, didn't want to leave. He was having too much fun. He ended up swallowing a lot of sand from carrying the ball, but he got rid of it the next day.

We did manage to wear him out enough for him to appreciate nap time, though.

On Wednesday we took Jim out for lunch to celebrate his birthday, which was in July. He was supposed to be in Bend over that time, but changed his plans because of the excessive heat. We ate at a place called International C-food Market Restaurant (say it out loud, and it makes sense). It was outdoors, of course, or we wouldn't have gone to it, but the weather was very pleasant, so it was especially nice to be outside. They allow dogs in the eating area. Every table has a water bowl, and the waitpersons keep them refilled. In the photo, you can see Dusty under the table and Rocky in his stroller behind Charlie.

I had New England Clam Chowder, which you can get with a salad and toast. Charlie had fish and chips, and Jim had fish tacos.

Our final night for this trip was spent at Three Rivers Casino Resort (still in Florence), where they let you park your RV in their big RV lot overnight for free, just for coming in and registering. To stay longer, you need "points" showing you had participated in the gambling. We stayed in and watched Missing Link, which I had stored on my iPad. I had brought the DVD player that attaches to my laptop, but it was Charlie's job to pick out the DVDs to take, and he forgot, but I had forgotten the pickles, so I think we're even. We hadn't seen "Missing Link" for a while, so it was nice to watch again, and we enjoyed it. (Earlier in the week we watched The Secret Life of Pets, which I also have stored in my iPad.)

We saw a lot of interesting wildlife on this trip, including seagulls, seals and this egret, who was always in this patch of grass. He/she seemed to imply ownership.

The meals were mostly very basic. We had homemade TV dinners for supper two nights, this pizza (a basic Costco frozen cheese pizza embellished with fresh vegetables by me) and some salmon burgers with potato salad I had made ahead of time. 

Breakfast was bagels, bran muffins or cereal. I had brought eggs to cook, but the timing didn't work out for that. Lunch was sandwiches and fruit.

Two of the dolls got to go along, so I could take photos and work it into a story for next week. I handed out a few cards to people with children and dropped off a couple of my books at the Books 'n' Bears in Florence, walking distance from where we were staying for most of the week.

On the way home on Saturday, I discovered this stowaway walking on my leg. I got him onto this piece of used paper towel and gently slipped him into a sandwich bag I had in my pocket for dog poopies. When we got to Sisters to visit the dump station, I released him onto a rock.

I have no idea what kind of bug this is. I hope it isn't a pest.

If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for "Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart" in Children's. Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of our first book, Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, it would help if you left an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.

Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still the Hinterland Pullover and the emPower People Kerchief. I took the pullover with me and now have a few inches on the first sleeve. The Kerchief is still in hibernation.

What's on my loom: Waiting for...placemats?

What's on my sewing machine: Its cover.

What's in my hoop: Same as always.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Pippa and Pauly find a snake in the garden and ask Emil to come and talk to it for them in A Snake in the Garden.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Come a Little Closer by Rachel Abbott. Barely started and didn't get to listen during the trip.

What's in my wine glass: Monte Planus Breedekloof Pinotage 2020 from South Africa. Yum! At least fresh out of the bottle.

What's my tip of the week: I have a lot of trouble getting the tops off of cooking spray, so once I get them off I leave them off. However, whenever I take it with me when we go camping, I put the top back on, so I don't end up with cooking spray all over the inside of the cabinet in the trailer.

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with few changes. Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook is now available for preorder from booksellers world wide. The link for Book Baby is here. The three stories are Best Buds, Getting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook is also available. The three stories in the first book are Being Little, Besties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less. 

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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