Pisti's favorite photos

(+4 insets!) We woke up to a beautiful, sunny day in Brookings, Oregon. Oh happy day! :D We read the forecast last night and it said "sunny" and we thought we must be on another planet! :D On top of that, there would be a classic car show to visit and a short but wonderful harbor walk to go on too. Then we found out there is a festival here just for this weekend! There is a garden show, an arts and crafts area with many vendors and artwork to see too. We discussed what we should do and decided to see the car show and go on the walk today and tomorrow we will go to the arts and crafts vendors. Instead of going to the garden show, we'll then go on a beautiful hike that we found just north of town. Wait a second…weren't we supposed to be going home tomorrow? Actually, yes! But we suddenly realized that if we drove home tomorrow, we'd be sharing the road with the countless vacationers all headed back to Medford and beyond…what a bad idea. We pictured traffic jams the whole way home…ugh. So instead we're staying another night! Hooray!! Once we had our late breakfast we headed out to the classic car show. It was a mere 10-minute's walk from our RV and we were actually alerted to the show because we saw it on the way to the RV park yesterday. The car show was really large with lots and lots of amazing oldies. We recognized a bunch of them which show at the Medford Cruise every June and never tire of drooling at these lovely autos, whether or not we've seen them before. They weren't all oldies either…Steve got to sit in a new Tesla, and holy cow is that a cool car! I only had time to process one picture of the cars for today so I chose a gorgeous old Rolls Royce. The details are incredible and I'll try to post some at a later date. After visiting the car show we tucked into a seafood restaurant on the way back to the RV. Steve has been pining for crab since before our trip so he finally got his wish! I chose cod fish tacos and they were amazing. We traded bites of our dishes and had a thoroughly wonderful meal. After stopping in at the RV, we went on the Harbor walk, which was a stroll around the harbor area and out to a jetty but it was lovely and we enjoyed seeing the boats as we walked along. Walking out onto the jetty was where the magic was. The view was super and I noticed some suspicious shapes in the water that I stared at as we got closer. Were they what I thought they were? YES!!! SEALS!!!! YAY!!!! My Sony was able to zoom in close enough so that I could actually get pictures to share!!! YES!!!! Looking at the images on my computer I could see that two of these Harbor Seals were a momma and her fast-growing pup. Can you say DARLING?! :D I was over the moon with joy that I got pictures! While we were there we met a couple of fellows who were out there fishing (without any luck unfortunately) and it turns out that Matthew and Larry were from MEDFORD! Such a small world, and even though it's just a couple of hours away, we were all amused by this fact! We enjoyed chatting with them for quite a while before we finally departed. As we were about to leave I noticed that the seals were gone…and then I laughed…the tide had come in and removed their sunning spot! And then I saw movement in the water and could see one of the seals swimming towards us! To my amazement I got pictures which turned out, what good luck!! So, this evening's main picture is my best seal picture, which shows mama and baby and a friend. I've also included a picture of sleepy mama and baby, and the two pictures of the swimming seal. Finally, one picture from the car show, huzzah!! Pam, I hope that you are doing well…yikes the weather sounds dreadful where you are! I do not want to call you Dorothy so please stay safe! :) *BIG HUGS*!!!! Explored on 5/27/19; highest placement, #1.

(+3 insets!) (oops...I accidentally wrote an entire book! Heh...sorry...I needed to tell you about yesterday too! Hmmm...might I suggest an entire pot of coffee?! :D) Here in the United States, the observance of Memorial Day happens on the last Monday of May. The weekend preceding Monday is also the official beginning of summer vacation season and in some places, the end of the school year. This translates to being one of the busiest travel periods of the year. When Steve and I organized this trip we're on, it didn't even occur to us that we'd be sharing some days with the crazy Memorial weekend throngs. We only realized when we couldn't find anywhere to stay on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. It finally dawned on us that there had to be something going on and then it hit us. "OH NO!!! What are we going to do?" We spent hours looking for an affordable place to stay without any luck. Steve kept looking and then, to our total amazement, we found one night available at Bullard's Beach, which just happens to be one of the most popular campgrounds in the area. We were so happy. We were going to just drive home from there because we weren't finding anywhere to stay but with some more persistence, Steve found us two more nights on Saturday and Sunday night at a place that wasn't too expensive and was also just a short walk to the beach. SCORE! Even though it was too bad that we couldn't stay longer at Bullard's Beach, it turned out to be just fine because we got a fabulous adventure while we were there. What a great surprise that was! We are most definitely going to come back and spend at least four days there next time around, what a nice place it was. :) Another bonus to our Bullard's Beach site was that we were able to leave our truck hitched to the trailer and since there was no sewer hookup, we didn't have that time-sink either. That meant that leaving would be really fast the next morning, woot! :) To top things off, check-out time to leave our campsite today was 1pm which was great. Some places are 11am and it can be a bit stressful to get out the door and driving at that time unless we have done some of the work the night before. We loved being able to sleep in along with the luxury of a nice and relaxed morning. It also gave me the chance to fix a situation that happened yesterday. When we pulled into our campsite, I couldn't help seeing the beautiful yellow flowers all over the bushes everywhere. Naturally I wanted to take pictures and once we got set up, I popped out the door with my Canon and macro lens and spent about 15 minutes taking pictures of the flowers which were literally 10 feet from our rig! :) There was also rattlesnake grass which I adore. Last night when I went to copy my pictures over I was horrified to see that I managed to NOT have an SD card in the camera. Apparently we didn't change the settings to alert us when there's no card in the camera. ARGH!!! I was so annoyed. Steve quickly diffused the situation by saying that we'd have tons of time in the morning and I could spend all the time I wanted to retake my pictures. He also reminded me of how wonderful it was that my subjects were literally right outside the rig. I relaxed and looked forward to the morning with a happy smile on my face! So, this morning I popped outside as soon as I was able…mind you, it began pouring when we got up but then…it stopped! There was a constant drizzle when I went out but it was manageable, as were the breezy conditions. Sometimes I wonder if someone/something is making sure that all goes well for us because workable conditions keeps happening for us just when it's really important to us. I went out and there were droplets and dew all over everything…it was so much prettier than when I took pictures last night! :D I retook pictures of the pretty yellow flowers and the red-tinged ones I'd never seen before…and the pea pods…and the rattlesnake grass too. JOY!!! It only took about 15 minutes and while I was outside, Steve was making breakfast for us! I climbed back into the RV just as breakfast was ready, how's that for timing?! :D He was so happy I had a successful shoot and loved the few pictures I showed him on the camera. :) Yay for fabulous husbands! :) I haven't looked at my pictures on the computer yet but I saw a few on the camera and there are certainly some winners so I'm totally overjoyed!! (NOTE: I've peeked at a few...lots of keepers!!) Once breakfast was done, we merely did about 20 minutes of final prep and we left our site! What a wonderful experience. :) We had a very nice time heading back south as the rain came down periodically. I pointed out the Facerock Creamery in Bandon which we'd hoped to visit on the way back--Steve was delighted that I spotted it! This company makes fabulous cheese and curds which we adore and we hoped that we might find some specialty items only sold there. YES! They DID! Steve and I were the happiest of chubby-cheeked mouses (intentionally misspelled!) as we sampled all of their many offerings and left with way too much cheese and curds for the normal and sane person, but heh…we are all about keto and cheese is one of our yummiest staples! YAY CHEESE! How much cheese do we want? ALL OF IT! :D MORE CHEESE IS MORE! :D Along the two-hour drive we enjoyed the lovely views of the rugged coastline. There was a grocery store stop to get some more dog food for Molly and later we pulled off to take pictures at a place called Meyer's Beach because the views were just too lovely to resist! Stepping out of the truck was almost shocking--the raging wind and freezing temperatures were truly something else! I grabbed my Sony and got a bunch of pictures while the wind literally knocked me off-balance many times. I had to be careful, it was THAT windy! We were happy to get back into the truck, yikes! Worth it to stop though! :) Finally we pulled into our last two-nights stay of our trip, what they call an "RV Park" but what we call an "RV Parking Lot"…lol…we knew it would be like this and honestly it's better than most that we put in this classification but truly it's just a bunch of parking spots that you jam your rig into. Not special or pretty at all. In the case here, the property edges are nice with pretty flower-covered bushes but that's about it. Not what we'd accept normally but it's Memorial Day weekend so we were happy that these were available. :) Plus, the beach is very close! The weather is, let's just say, NOT macro weather. Heh. The wind is enough to rock the trailer and the rain is peppering the trailer sideways, lol. It's not raining constantly but enough. It's very cold out there too. However, Steve and I are very happy to be in our comfy little home and the internet connection here is super. Folks next to us are so nice and actually moved into their spot a month ago as a full-time living arrangement. We had a lovely dinner and I'm all snuggled into my nest, content as can be. :) How nice it's been to have some time to just write and work on my pictures! :) Today's pictures are all from Meyer's Beach, the incredible place we stopped at on the way down here. You just have to see this place, it's amazing! The main image is pointed south. The first inset is directly out to sea. The third is pointed north. And then a fun picture of our rig with the view south. Wow. The whole Oregon coastline is covered with views like this. How fortunate we are to be able to visit this place. And to think, it's actually just a three-hour drive from our house. We will be back and if we can, we'll be able to camp nearby so we can go on a long and wonderful day's walk and photo adventure here. For now, just to see it is a fabulous gift. I hope you guys enjoy the pictures! :D I braved ridiculous wind for all of you and I survived without turning into a Janet Kite! :D Thinking of you, PAM!!! *BIG HUGS*!!! :) Explored on 5/26/19; highest placement, #4.

(+2 insets!) Today was another travel day! After we had a delicious breakfast, we each did our parts to pack up the trailer. Both of us have lots of little things to do but it adds up to a lot of stuff if only one person was doing them. As a team, we are getting faster and more efficient at the break-down of the RV and the hookup of the trailer to the truck. It's fun to see how we're improving as time passes. The weather was perfectly dreadful with rain coming down in a constant torrent and wind gusting against our rig. Big deal! We didn't care...no amount of bad weather could ruin the gorgeous scenery that we enjoyed as we drove along. The rugged coast was accented by incredible waves crashing against the rocks. The rain made the green of the pastures and forest positively glow with vibrance and lushness. The droplets pattered on the road, making beautiful reflections and interesting textures to appreciate. Water peppered the truck, the windshield wipers were such fun to watch as they wiped away the constant splatters of water... We had no worries as we drove along. Pumpkin was in her travel cage on my lap and she was as happy as could be, munching on her fruits and veggies and twittering at us. What a doll! Molly was content to sack out in the back seat. Our family loved this travelling thing...bring on the rain, it didn't bother us at all! :) We headed up the coast from Coos Bay with an eventual destination of Devil's Lake State Park. On the way we stopped at the charming town of Florence where we shared a jalapeno and bacon burger (without the bun!) and a little salad at a popular local restaurant. We had time to stroll down their main shopping street and enjoyed our visits to a fantastic gallery and a specialty bead shop. What a delight. We pulled into our campsite at about 5:30 and got everything set up in about an hour. Soon we had our yummy espressos-with-cream and then steaks with veggies along with an unbelievably delicious "fauxtato salad" made with cauliflower instead of potatoes. Better than any "real" potato salad we'd ever had. NOM!! After dinner, Steve had to do some other stuff but afterwards we had just enough time to walk to the lake...what an incredible campsite and what a stunning lake! My goodness, it's going to be an amazing place here!! Today's main picture is from our hike a couple of days ago, along with insets that show the forest and the view out to the water from the beginning of our hike, which was over the top of our campsite at Coos Bay...totally amazing views!! The ocean view in my main picture was just one of the dozens upon dozens of jaw-dropping sights we had the good fortune to see on our hike. Best Hike of the Trip! Pam, I hope that you enjoy the pictures...you're certainly in our thoughts on our adventures! Hope it was an ok day for you...maybe a bit of improvement? Wouldn't that be grand? *BIG HUGS from DEVIL'S LAKE*! Explored on 5/22/19; highest placement #2.

(+1 inset) (please view large for the pretty details/!) (By the way, I'm away on my trip, posting a picture every day but I don't have much time to comment...thank you so much for your visits, comments and stars, and also for understanding that I don't have the time I usually do to give you the attention you deserve in return!) Boy, it's been a busy couple of days! We've really been enjoying ourselves but it's kept me off the computer and away from working on my writing and photo processing. I will need to figure out how to balance that too, but for now I'm doing my best! Yesterday after lunch, Steve and I grabbed our rain gear along with our cameras and headed over to Stout Grove in our truck, leaving the RV at the campsite This remarkable and famous redwood forest sits inside the protective borders of Jedediah Smith State Park. We couldn't wait to see it! The rain was coming down but we hoped for the best. The short drive was accented by unbelievable masses of glowing ferns which were seemingly growing everywhere. As stunning as they were, have you ever seen wild azaleas and rhododendrons in full bloom? I haven't. It was incredible! We couldn't miss the flashes of magenta and purple of these leggy bushes and small trees which peeked out from behind the towering and majestic redwood trees which ruled this place. What a show. Stout Grove sits at the end of a pothole-filled dirt road and we made our way carefully to the trail head and found plenty of parking. We were happy to learn that there weren't many other people brave enough to deal with the inclement weather. Those we met were warm and wonderful people with joyful smiles and glowing spirits. It was nice to share this place with other nature lovers like us. As we took off down the trail we protected our cameras as best we could from the droplets coming down, but as we walked, the rain slacked off and within 15 minutes, it stopped altogether, almost as if it were planned that way! HUZZAH! I went crazy with fern photography. Steve was using the Sony and having fun with that, and after a while we traded cameras and I got some nice pictures of the trees. Heh, a 100mm macro lens really can't take a picture of a towering redwood...unless it's just a tiny bit of it! :D I know I could have brought some other lenses but that's why I had the Sony. At a few points I was carrying BOTH cameras, *shakes head*...I think I may be certifiable! :D Our visit was just fantastic and after we felt we'd seen enough, we headed back to the car. Once we were tucked in, it began to pour again! What are the odds?! :) (I apologize for not including pictures of the redwoods and the ferns but I just don't have time right now, *cry*...I'll be posting plenty of pictures once I'm home and have time to go through them!) After we got back and had dinner, we pulled out a game that Steve's sister sent to us, "Qwirkle". What a fun game! Easy and yet full of strategy, we had a really good time and look forward to playing more games in the future. --------------------- This morning we got everything tucked away and headed out by 10:30, heading out to the coast and then north for a couple of hours to our next campsite on Coos Bay! It rained the entire time we were driving but it was such a lovely drive! Views of the ocean and enormous boulders with waves crashing against them...it was very amazing to see. The lush green of the forests and farmland was a beautiful contrast as we rode along. Once we pulled into our campsite both of us assumed our various roles. It wasn't long before we got everything in proper order, we're really getting used to how to most efficiently get our RV set up. Steve took Molly out to use the bathroom and soon came back to tell me that I just had to come out to see the beach! It was a mere TWO MINUTES WALK from our RV!! The rain, once again, STOPPED when we left to go to the beach! Our luck is incredible...it keeps happening!! The beach. Holy cow. It's just lovely here. Either direction is marvelous. Tide pools one way, miles of beach the other. Tomorrow we'll ride our bikes along the water's edge. I hope to creep around the tide pools and get some cool shots of anemones, crabs, barnacles and other wonderful subjects. Won't it be nice to just relax and enjoy this place that we don't have to drive out to?! We are so happy...this is our favorite campsite this trip, and exactly what we hoped for! Ok, I really have to stop my blabbing! :D It's SATURDAY SELF CHALLENGE! Today's theme is Selective Color, so I picked one of the gorgeous little flowers I found at Stout Grove, kept the flower in color and removed the color in the background. I've also included one view of the jaw-dropping beach that's just a short walk from our RV! Pam, I loved your note about Cannon Beach. Unfortunately it's too far north for this trip but it's on our Bucket List so we'll definitely be visiting at some point down the road. No worries though, there is beauty-galore here that we will show you! :) Steve and I are sending hugs your way! Explored on 5/18/19; highest placement #1.

(+3 insets) I began my Pictures for Pam project allllllll the way back on November 8, 2018. It seems like a million years ago. At the time I was in a very low place. Unhappy, confused about my life and my direction. I'd stopped taking pictures a long time before and had absolutely no creative energy whatsoever. One day I was stumbling around on the web and thought I'd glance at ipernity. Even that place depressed me deeply because it was failing badly and plans seemed eminent that it would be shut down, leaving me with no place at all for my photos online. Not that it mattered. I really didn't care about much of anything at that point. Noticing I had mail, I found a message from Peggy C, letting me know that my dear friend, Pam Johnson, had an stroke in September and was on a very slow mend. I just about fell over...WHAT?!!! NOOO!!! PAM???!!! It couldn't be! But alas, as I read and visited different pages, these terrible fears were confirmed. I was in total shock. Last time I was on ipernity, all was well with Pam's world. How instantly things can change. That day was a mess of emotions and sadness as I tried to make sense of it all. What could I do to share my compassion and express my sorrow for what had happened to my friend? The next morning I was doing my usual hourly trek up and down my driveway and all I could do was think about Pam and how to express my feelings adequately. I thought, "What if I send her a picture and a note?" That sounded good but the problem was that I didn't WANT to take pictures. I didn't want to do ANYTHING. My creative pool wasn't even ZERO. It was NEGATIVE. I walked up and down, grumbling. The fact of the matter was that it would do me good to pick up my camera. The best thing to do in a deep depression is ANYTHING POSITIVE to get the gears grinding forward, if even just a bit. What better reason could there be than to take a picture for a friend who was ailing? It would be good for both of us. If only I could kick my *** into gear. Just thinking about photography got my hibernating creative eye slowly opening. I couldn't help but notice the light shining through the grass and empty seed pods here and there. By the end of my walk, I'd managed to convince myself to try. I went into the house, dusted off my camera, put in a fresh battery, checked for a memory card and stepped outside. I went over to the dead plants I'd seen earlier and stared at the way the light shone through the remains of the seed cases...gee that was pretty, wasn't it? I took pictures. It was so weird to be doing this again. For the first time in a while, something felt right. Maybe this WAS a good idea after all. Posting my picture that day, I added a message to say that I would be working on a new project, "Pictures for Pam", where I would post a picture every day to give Pam some love and support. It was so nice to learn that Pam was touched by my gesture and at the same time, the ipernity community welcomed me back with open arms. I had forgotten how much I loved ipernity and all of the wonderful people who I knew there. It was wonderful to feel so cared-about, even though my intent was to express my affection and support for my friend Pam. Soon it was suggested that I create a public group so that everyone could contribute their support for Pam through pictures. Within a week of beginning my project, the ipernity group, "Pictures for Pam" was born. As I type today, there are 77 members and just under 3700 pictures there now, all aimed at making our dear friend know that she is loved, cared about, and in our thoughts. It's amazing. I really didn't think about this project seriously at the time, but the fact is that I'd begun another 365 Project, and it's been a really cool experience. Sometimes I post pictures taken that day, sometimes they are from my archives. It's all good. And every one has something just for Pam to read and enjoy. Additionally, it's so wonderful to visit contacts and find that they've dedicated that day's picture to Pam. How awesome to be part of a group of people who are so warm and caring. Over the days, weeks and months of working on this project, I have totally changed, thanks to Pam. From an extremely depressed person, I quickly turned around and woke up again. Everything in my life got better and better. Today I am an improved version of myself when I was at my best. Full of excitement and creativity bubbling over from every pore. Life is good...no...GREAT! As I sit typing, Steve and I are realizing a dream we've had for many years...travelling in a RV trailer! It's been amazing and we've only just begun our adventures. The bummer is that Pam is still ailing. However, our support means the world to her. Our daily contributions to the group that's dedicated to her means so much to her. And of course she and I exchange notes every day, mostly in our photo comments, but sometimes in letters too. After returning from our last trip, Pam asked where we would be headed next and when I told her we'd be at the Oregon coast, she asked me to do something for her. She asked me to write in the sand with a stick, "PAM WILL BE BACK". I told her we would make that happen for her the moment we found ourselves on a beach. Yesterday we walked out onto the beach in Crescent City and the first thing I thought of was the promise I made to Pam. Steve grabbed a stick and carefully scrawled out her message in the sand and we took pictures with the Battery Point Lighthouse in the background. Perfect. Pam, I hope that you get to visit the ocean again sometime soon...we sure do hope this message gets to the right entities out there and it helps speed things along because we know how much you love the sea. For now, we're sending our virtual hugs too and you are in our thoughts of course! (I am also including two flowers picture I captured in the meadow next to our RV yesterday morning and also a picture of our truck and trailer at our campsite!) :) Explored on 5/18/19; highest placement #4.

(+4 insets!) Holy cow, Steve and I were so busy today! We were out doing errands until dinner and then we had a bunch of stuff to do and ack! It's after 8 and I haven't written my post! Eeek! Eeek! I have been trying to get my scenery images finished from our trip to Upper Klamath Lake because I'm afraid that if I don't get them done now, they will be swept away by the never-ending river of pictures that keep on coming. We'll be leaving on our next trip tomorrow and so I'm just about out of time. Yes, I can go back and process more down the road, but it also might not happen. I actually finished more pictures than I'm posting today but these are all different enough that I can put them together into one presentation. Also, the type of picture is the same and I don't want to water down the beauty of the scenery. Our canoe trip on the Upper Klamath River Canoe Trail was about 5 miles in distance and we spent about 3.5 hours on the water. The views were just breathtaking and it was so relaxing out there that it felt like a state of meditation every time we were quietly paddling along. The peaceful, calming sounds of the water splashing as we stroked, the whooosh-splash as the front of the canoe cut a path through the water…it was wonderful. In the distance, hidden by the marsh, sometimes overhead, we heard the sounds of endless birdlife, many of which we'd never heard before and couldn't imagine what they might even look like. The warm sun on our faces, the breeze dancing through our hair, the smell of the lake and grasses, it all swirled together into an experience that can really only be understood if you are there. It was magical and so special…what a totally fulfilling day in every way. As the afternoon passed by, Steve realized that we needed to pick up the pace or we would arrive later than we were supposed to be out--4 hours--so we began to paddle in earnest. We only stopped a couple of times to take pictures, and one sight that I insisted on photographing was the main picture that you see today! The clouds were moving in front of the sun more and more as time went on and at one point I looked up and saw them edge-lit so perfectly, and to top it off, there was a magnificent reflection. I was over the moon when I looked at my pictures and found that this set had turned out as I had hoped. :) I am also including four insets to give you a better idea of what the views were like as we traveled along. I hope you enjoy the show--I only wish that each of you could have been out there with us taking in these vistas! :) (Sorry about the difference in exposures, I'm still working out the bugs!) Pam, I did another search for "lake" on your stream and this time I picked your Broken Bow Lake image! What a lovely image. Lakes make such wonderful photography subjects and your shot is truly lovely. Here's hoping that you had a good day today!! *BIG HUGS* :D Explored on 5/6/19, highest placement, #4.

(+2 insets!) Please view large! :) (I'm late again so making this short!) Every day that passes has both Steve and I feeling more excited about our next adventure. We had such a good time on our first RV trip that we're already booked for our next one! We will be going to a nearby destination again just to make sure we're not too far from home if we run into problems. We can't wait! For today, I'm finally posting the sunrise over Upper Lake Klamath. There were clouds in front so it's not a normal kind of sunrise but I really like the way it made the sunrise look. What an incredible moment to experience. I'm so happy I was there. Just look at this reward…even ducks flying by! I just couldn't have asked for more than this. :) I am also sharing two insets: one is a picture of birds on the water with golden light making the cattails glow, and the other is an abstract of the reflection of a jet trail on the water! Pam, I was thinking about my jet trail abstract so I looked up "abstract" on your stream. What a cool image your "Northern Lights" creation is! It gets a 10 on the Groovy scale! :D I hope you had a nice day my dear! *BIG HUGS* Explored on 5/1/19, highest placement, #1.

(+1 inset) (please view large!) Now that Steve and I have been home from Upper Klamath Lake for a day, we've been reflecting on the differences. Most notably, it was only just entering spring there, though the temperature was quite nice and cold only late at night. Did you experience a long winter where you live? We did and I know that many places in Oregon had a very late winter too. Talking to the folks at Rocky Point Resort, we learned that they've only been open for business for a couple of weeks because their winter was about a month longer than normal--just like us. In fact, daffodils were just beginning to bloom there, whereas our daffodils peaked a month ago. Checking the elevation, I was surprised to find that Upper Klamath Lake sits at 4100 feet, whereas we are at 1500 feet. This all made sense to us when we thought about it and all of this explains why it didn't feel like spring hadn't arrived yet. I've only stayed at a campground once, many years ago, and that was traditional tent camping so it this place was very interesting to me. Modern campgrounds in the United States have specific sites meant for RVs and other spots are just for tents or small camper vans. Some spots have no "hookups" and are just a place to pitch a tent or to "dry camp", which means that you have to provide water and electricity. Fancy spots, like the one we had, included "full hook-ups", which meant we had electricity, water AND a sewer. Sewer hookups are uncommon but most campgrounds offer water and electricity hookups. It was all new and fascinating to me. Another interesting point is that sites are sorted by size of trailer. Many campsites, especially remote ones without the luxury of a lot of space cannot accept camper vehicles at all, only tents. Some can only accommodate camper vans or trailers up to 25 feet long or so. More often than not, campsites are only long enough for a trailer; the truck must be unhooked and parked beside the trailer. However, there are some campsites that have spots which will allow a very long RV AND a truck which doesn't even need to be unhooked! We're talking 80 feet or longer!! That's just astonishing to me! I really shouldn't be surprised because I've seen some unbelievably long combinations of truck + RV or huge motorhome + car towed behind. Still, I never really thought about it before! Did you know that in most cases, you reserve your campsite online? In fact, there are many places that are so popular that you must reserve a spot an entire YEAR (or longer) before you want to go!! And then, there are lots of places that don't allow reservation at all!. How would you like to drive all day to get to a campsite without even knowing if there is a place to pull into?! What do you do if you can't get in? It's a whole new thing for us to learn about and it's lots of fun to figure it all out. I'll be writing about what we learn as we go whenever it's interesting enough to pass along. I expect it's probably fascinating to some of you who live in Europe and don't see anything larger than camper vans. The difference between European camping and US camping totally blows me away and I figure it's fun to read about! I'll do my best to be entertaining! :) Today's picture was taken yesterday morning before sunrise when I stepped out of our RV and headed towards the dock. The colors in the sky behind the bare trees was just incredible. Part of me wanted to rush out to the dock because I didn't want to miss the sunrise but I simply couldn't miss this picture. I'm so glad I got it. :) My inset was the picture I thought about posting yesterday for Happy Fence Friday. It shows the Rocky Point Lodge and the actual "rocky point" which is the namesake of this beautiful place. I am very happy with the way the picture turned out but I don't think it's got the "wow-factor" I am hoping for in a main shot. I hope you like it! This lodge is a restaurant but it's currently being remodeled and because of the long winter they are far behind on the renovations. Maybe we'll get the chance to eat there some day on a return trip! Pam, I did a search for "lake" and came up with a picture that looks a bit like Upper Klamath, namely one of your pictures of Lake Arbuckle ! :D Such a lovely view. Looks like a wonderful place for a picnic! By the way, thank you for your sweet comments about our trip…and I hope that your day has been a nice one! *BIG HUGS* Explored on 4/27/19, highest placement, #2.

(+11 insets!) (Please view large, you won't regret it!) Today we're all stirred up! Steve's sister is coming to stay with us for the next few days so we've been cleaning up and getting ready. It's been a while since I've seen her so it will be nice to catch up. The weather isn't going to be super but we'll get to take her to the Pear Blossom Festival and Parade this weekend which should be fun! I don't know how busy I'll be so my commenting is likely going to be spotty at best...my apologies in advance! Today is also the day when I post my Happy Fence Friday picture! Lately it's actually turned into my own Happy FRENCH Fence Friday! Along with a fence picture, it's been a perfect opportunity to share another set of pictures from our trip to Provence, France last year! If you've been following along with my trip so far, you may be amused that I've only shared pictures from our very first stop--Nice! We arrived late one night, spent a full day and left the next morning. However, in that time I got so many useable pictures that so far I've posted 41 and today I'll be posting another 11! I'm not quite finished processing the last of them but I have about 25 more ready to go--which will be two more sets at this point…I expect there will be another set at least, if you can believe it! As I've mentioned before, it's been really fun exploring my France photography because it's such a different style than I'm used to. I'd like to say thanks for all of your enthusiasm--I know it's not my usual type of photography but the positive response I've gotten leaves me glowing and so appreciative! :) Ok, let's go to Nice, shall we?! My main picture today was captured along Nice' famous Promenade des Anglais, a busy avenue and wide walkway that hugs the coastline of Nice. This particular spot featured a sweeping turn and heavy-duty guard rail, along with a pair of fellows who sat conveniently on one end! The picture cried out to be a very wide panorama in strong silhouette--I hope you like how it turned out! :) The insets cover a lot of the time that we spent walking along the waterfront but includes a couple of others as well. Here are details about the insets! :) PiP #1: Near where I took the guard rail picture there is a pull-out and this enormous sign to promote Nice. Kids were attracted like bees to honey and crawled all over it incessantly! The fellow in the bicycle taxi tried very hard to solicit our business long before we arrived at this spot to find him here, watching the kitlings play on the sign. He was listening to very loud music but it was really fun and it added to the enjoyment we were having this late afternoon. :) PiP #2: There was a rocky beach which ran along below the road and Steve and I enjoyed looking down to see the various clusters seated here and there or walking at the water's edge. This group was having a wonderful conversation and I got several pictures of them laughing and having fun. PiP #3: At the bend there was also a nice view in both directions. This picture shows Old Town Nice as it reaches out to the edge of the sea. PiP #4: As luck would have it, we arrived as the sun was beginning to set and we got some very dramatic images of the sun sinking below the far hills. What a view! :) PiP #5: We also saw lots of fishermen along the way, and many of them set up their poles on this point. Great people-watching here with folks looking at things on the ground and chumming around with one another. Good times! PiP #6 : Walking along the popular Promenade, this picture is an artistic, blurry impression of the people enjoying an early evening stroll--or run--with colorful lights beginning to show themselves in the background. I think the runners on the left might have noticed me…do you think?! :D PiP #7: I found this old man, down on his luck, snoozing on his bike to keep it safe from thieves. You can't deny his great style with his bright red sarape and sombrero hat. Entering the frame from the right is a pigeon who I distinctly heard say, "OLE!" :D PiP #8: Everywhere you go in Nice you will find inviting restaurants with plenty of outdoor seating. This nicely-furnished business had just opened up for the evening…pizza anyone?! PiP #9: Nearby a very busy café vibrated with great energy as friends and family enjoyed delicious food and drink a-plenty. I took this picture without even noticing the star of the show. When I took a closer look on my computer I burst out laughing…would you just LOOK at that dog?! Its master is clueless and deep in a conversation with his friend (who thinks I'm taking a picture of him, lol) but his dog is at the leash limit and in seventh heaven from two-scoops of love from a pair of joyful ladies who love this darling pooch! PiP #10: A close-up of the belly-up pup, showing her delirious state of happiness…"DON'T STOP!!!" :D PiP #11: And finally, as the evening grew darker, a beautiful cobbled alley, bedecked in pretty light prompted my eager attention. What a cool sight! Pam, I expect you've seen plenty of places similar to this in your caravan days, no? I have been so surprised to discover the wonderful seaside scenery in England. Of course I shouldn't be surprised but for some reason I didn't think England would have pretty views, isn't that odd? Ipernity has certainly opened my eyes to the splendor of England. As well, seeing all of the amazing pictures you shared in the book version of your 2011 Snowdrops Anglo-Saxon Chronicles I especially loved the sunset at the Valley of the Rocks at Lynton , what a gorgeous picture! :) Here's hoping you're doing well today! MANY HUGS from southern Oregon! Explored on 4/12/19, highest placement, #1.