Spring Training 2016 Part 3

Monday March 14th- March 23rd (Days 470-479)


These nine days were filled with lots of baseball and activities that supported that endeavor: cooking, eating, and buying supplies to accomplish the task at hand. The weather cooperated by ranging from a low of 61 to a high of 94. The wind did kick up a couple of times that caused Rick and Harris to reach for the long sleeved shirts and hoodies, but overall it has been near perfect. What follows is an assortment of pictures of that give a glimpse of what transpired.

Rick and Harris found yet another place to play Boccie ball. 

This one is right on the way to the ball game between Winco

Grocery and Peoria Sports Complex. Harris did give Rick a scare

in one of the 10+ games played by scoring more than 

a few points (most of the time it was 15 to less than 5) 

They had to admire the way this guy got Mark Mcguire's

autograph. He sent the little girl along with the wife to get the 

autograph by the field and he waited in the shady stand for their return. 

Voilà! Signed autographed bat.

Harris admired the fan with the most comfortable

 seat in the house although the young fan missed much of the action.

Our RV neighbors, Gayle and Lionel, for the past couple of years
 went to see Hillary at a Phoenix rally. They waited 3+ hours to get 

front row seats and this photo op (and photo bomb).

One of many great sunsets at the RV 

One of the many salads on the menu, this one large enough for an

 entire meal; avocados added much to them. 

Harris kept the chicken warm for a later dinner by

placing it under Howie's hood for an hour.

A "leftover" meal made with caned gravy; one of their favorites.

On a day with a night game, Harris and Rick took on

the 5 hour task of washing and waxing Howie.

One of our dinners ...chicken salad.

Harris took on the job of looking for desserts like this one

that was on sale during the daily food stops on the way

to the game.

Rick took on the job of beer sampler. He found this one

that called Boddingtons that was the first to include a

widget that gives a very creamy draught style head

when opened. He declared it a success.

One of their great dinner finds was a breaded Italian chicken

Parmesan precooked dinner that only needed to be microwaved

for a couple of minutes.

All in all, it's been a great time! They are awaiting their wives with great anticipation.

Spring Training 2016 Part 2

Friday March 4th - Sunday March 13th (Days 460-469)

Harris divides Spring Training into two parts, Pre-Rick and Post-Rick. The Pre Rick portion routine consists of Harris waking up, French pressing some coffee, checking email, and then reading the Seattle Times on his Ipad. Breakfast is sometime around 9 and then it’s off for his walk or bike ride. Sometime after 11 he’s back and preparing to leave for the game. The trip to the game includes 2 stops at grocery stores where lunch and dinner is determined by whatever is on sale. After the game, it’s 15 minutes home and time to relax before dinner.

Post-Rick, the walk or bike ride is accomplished before the 8:30 coffee time/breakfast. After breakfast it’s prep time for the game while Rick takes his shower. Then there’s an activity (usually some game that uses Harris to build up Rick’s athletic prowess that alternates with reading) before they head off to the game.

In short, Rick inspires Harris to be much more productive/efficient with his time. Harris makes it possible for Rick to handle more down time with grace instead of wanting to do laundry when he’s bored.

The weather has been mostly in the 80’s except for a couple of days when a cold front has moved in. This has showcased how much of a wus Harris has become in the last few years; long pants and long sleeved shirts during 60 degree days while throwing on a dawn comforter in the wee hours to ward off the chills of upper 40 degree nights. Judy has shown no sympathy or concern for any of this during the daily phone calls.

Other than the three colder days, it’s been wonderful in Phoenix. Life spent hanging out with Rick, baseball games, and geocaching until the wives join them at the end of the month is a great use of time on Planet Earth.

Rick arrives!  

Can you find where the geocache was hidden?

Another interesting cache holder

Rick's welcome dinner

And lasagna another night

Our first night game this year!

Spring Training 2016 Part 1

Sunday Feb 28th - Thursday March 3rd (Days 455-459)

This winter was the opposite of last year...nothing but rain and gray. Harris was more than ready to head south for Spring Training. He left Sunday morning at 5 AM with rain following him all the way to Southern Oregon where the rain stopped but the gray remained. The plan was to follow I5 to Central California since the night time temps were about 20 degrees warmer than going via the 100 mile shorter route through Idaho and Nevada.

Harris pulled over for the night just outside Bakersfield around 1AM Monday morning logging over 1000 miles, 2/3 of the way there. He found an exit east of Bakersfield to avoid rush hour traffic, followed it a ways and found a level spot next to some orange trees, and absolutely no traffic until 7 AM. This was definitely a spot worth remembering for future trips. With diesel prices of 1.55 outside of Portland, 1.80 in S. Oregon, and 1.90 in Bakersfield, Harris put Howie on a 65 mph cruise control course rather than the usual 60 mph ignoring the hit on fuel mileage (He thought of the $5 per gallon price of diesel when Judy and he picked Howie up in 2008).

The trip was made easier/quicker by listening to the entire Crimson Shore audiobook with breaks taken to listen to his XM radio. He pulled into North Phoenix RV park around 5 PM on Monday and was able to reclaim the same spot he was in last year.

Tuesday was spent adjusting to the weather conditions (tough job) and stocking up on supplies for the next few days. The Mariners have started the season with 2 wins against San Diego, but all Harris was grateful about was that the grass was green, the sky blue, and not a drop of rain in sight.

Mt Shasta is a favorite and looked forward to 

each and every year.

Crowning the pass east of Bakersfield

Harris encountered early morning fog.

A rest stop in Nevada provided the annual ritual of 

"The Changeover" that marks the beginning of 

Spring Training.

The spot with the shade tree at N. Phoenix RV

Home away from home! Peoria Sports Complex

(where the M's are 2-0 right now)

((Don't hex it))

Off to Judy's mountain for a couple of days

Thursday September 10th - Saturday September 13th (Days 452-454)
We were busy with company from Keith's wedding through Tuesday, so on Wednesday we cleaned up a bit and packed Howie for a quick getaway. The weather was going to be great, and we hadn't made it to Mt. Rainier this year yet, so that's where we headed.

A view of the mountain from Clear Lake. It looks like a great place to live! Harris only wants to know if people there have high speed internet.

Our camping spot at Cougar Rock campground, on the Paradise side. We spent a lot of time reading and relaxing.

There was a group of Delorean drivers who congregated at Paradise on Friday.

Instead of wildflowers, in September we get reds and oranges on the hillside from the bushes that change color.

And of course, marmots are always entertaining to watch along the trail.

We hiked up the east side of the Skyline trail. We started out too late in the day to do the whole trail, but still got a work out doing just a few miles. Harris is trying out his new gadgets....portable tripod and setting up the shot from his iphone. It worked!

Friday was a hot day to hike...nearly 80 degrees, and no wind to cool us down...very unusual! We certainly needed our "blessed shade" stops.

A view looking back over the trail.

We stopped on the way back to cool our feet in the mountain stream. Pretty cold!

Another shot of the stream.

First night's dinner....barbecued chicken, salad and baked potatoes!

Breakfast both mornings was scrambled eggs with ham, bacon and toast which always taste so much better when camping.

On Saturday we drove down to Longmire lodge and enjoyed the scenery from the front porch. This porch is a traditional stop whenever we head up to the mountain.

Then we took a short hike to Kautz Creek. This hike was blessedly shaded and pretty level all the way. Our sore legs appreciated that!

A goodbye shot from the other side as we drove home. It was relaxing trip with great weather. Seems we did the same weekend last year. Maybe the August trip will become a September trip instead!

Howie goes to a wedding in the woods

Thursday September 3rd - Tuesday September 8th (Days 446-451)

Our youngest, Keith, got married this week at Anderson Lodge outside of Ariel, WA. It is a retreat center with many buildings and beautiful scenery. We had company arriving all week, and on Thursday, we slept in Howie in our driveway to make room for them.
On Friday, 3 carloads of people and "stuff" set off for about a 4 hour drive to the lodge. Kyle and Serenity took trays of wine glasses in the van, Dwight and Sana took boxes of wine in the Avalon, and Harris and Judy took food for the masses in Howie.

Friday night we gathered with about 40 of the guests for the rehearsal dinner. Many hands make light work, and many people helped us cook and serve.

Joe delights in starting the fire for the burgers and brats which were accompanied with beans, slaw, chips, cookies, and 6 varieties of home made beer.

The rehearsal goes like most rehearsals go...totally discombobulated and off the tracks!

"And then we..."

Three of the many people who helped put it all together.
Dwight and Sana went above and beyond the call of friendship and cooked and cleaned all weekend with us. 

Howie finds a great place to witness the entire event.

Setting up the sound system in the great outdoors. Everything was beautifully set up in advance, and then the rain rolled in. The ceremony was delayed for a few minutes, and when the sun broke through, guests were given towels and asked to dry off their chairs. :) 

Two of the many campers that helped put on the show.

The proud parents ready for the big event.

 

Serenity and Kyle giving River some last minute flower girl instructions. 

The rain clouds parted for the actual exchange of the vows.

A big bonus for Harris and Judy was seeing their friends at such special events. Everything got done, The kids were married, the dinner served, and we danced the night away. Keith and Theresa wanted a "camping" wedding, where their guests could stay and visit for more than a few hours. Some guests stayed the entire 4 days, others came and went. On Sunday morning, Keith challenged his mom to join him in "beer pong"....a first for Judy. He kindly designated someone to drink the beer in the cups, since Judy hates beer. Judy and Keith only lost the game by one cup!

 

Judy scores in her first beer bong event ever with expert coaching from Keith.

Howie took us home on Sunday afternoon, very tired but happy for the newly weds. Keith, Theresa and some of their friends stayed another day before heading off to their homes around the country.