Doin' Nothin'

Sometimes it's just nice to do nothing. We went into Medford Thursday and came back the same day...it's an all-day affair. We tried out Abby's Legendary Pizza - there are a lot of these restaurants around - and it was good but not our favorite.

Mike went out this morning and got his dredge into his spot. It's been raining for a couple hours so he's not sure if he'll be able to start dredging tomorrow.

A little bit about this dredging stuff. The 4-incher that he bought has a 4" hose and nozzle. The diver is weighted down so that he can get to the bedrock under the water and vacuum up the bottom into the dredge. The intake is washed over the classifiers that are above ground and any gold settles into the grooves and moss cloth that lines the classifiers. The big rocks and dirt are washed away.


Now, for some cute stuff. The neighbor's cat, Matrix, likes to get away from their kids by sitting on the nearby deer statute. And this adorable picture of prairie dogs is from RV Dreams Journal, a 40ish couple that is RVing full-time and workcamping.

That's it from Happy Camp on this Friday evening.

Books from Childhood

It rained all last night and is still raining today. I love to sit and read in the rain and have been remembering some of my favorite childhood books.

The Boxcar Children was a great favorite. Four children run away and live by their wits in a boxcar. I think the story inspired my recent wanderlust and a fascination with using what is at hand. The books are now a series of over 100 titles; the first one was what I remember.

A Rocket in My Pocket was a book of poems I read sometime after 6th grade. I found a paperback copy a few years ago and its on my poetry shelf at home. I also have a set of the World Books of Childhood, I think they were called, that my father sold door-to-door when we first moved to Arizona. I love the smooth, glossy pages and the poems and stories that I memorized from reading them over and over.

I asked Mike what books he recalled. He described The Waverly Novels by Sir Walter Scott. He had an old set as a child that he kept with him for years. It gives me some insight into his chivalrous nature and sense of honor.

Now, dear Reader, I would like to know what books you remember from childhood. Click on the underlined "comments" link below the post to add your memories.

To my sister, Melanie

Today is my younger sister Melanie's 50th birthday. Melanie is a beautiful name and she is a beautiful person. Mel was the baby of the family for almost 7 years and put up with being picked on by us two older ones. She was also Mom's darling, with her beautiful blonde hair.

Melanie is a great Mom herself and raised two super kids and this fall will have her 3rd grandchild. She loved her husband, Ron, and she always worked hard right beside him.
So today, I'm honoring her and wishing her a wonderful half century. Love you Mel.

Way to spend a holiday

Today Mike found his spot and made plans to put the dredge in this week. The river's still running too high so he'll be on the near bank for now. Here's some pics of Elk Creek just down the hill from our campsite. The one on the left is upstream, the other downstream.



I loaded Skype voice over IP (VOIP) on my PC and was able to chat with and hear my friend in Phoenix. I need to get a headset/microphone to be able to talk myself. It's a better connection than the phone, and no minutes burned or cost with other Skype users. It's easy to download, check it out and we can chat! My user name is Aliceinwld.

I worked on a book today, using some of the marbled paper I made in 2006 at the paper marbling and bookbinding class at John C. Campbell Folk School. In the evening, I practiced my recorder (to the chagrin of my neighbors - I should have brought the alto or tenor).

On his trip to Medford earlier in the weekend, Mike had picked up some herbs and tomato plants. So, I dug a little area next to the gazebo and planted them. The earth is rich and there's good sun, so we'll see if I have a green thumb.

Mike picked up some brauts on the way home that he grilled outside and I fixed his favorite, macaroni and cheese and we had a light dinner. We're watching the new Andromeda Strain tonight. A good holiday!

A little solitude

Mike left early this morning to go into Medford and do some shopping. The trip to Shasta Lake was cancelled due to bad weather so we'll have to catch up with Cory in June. While he was away, I had the place to myself. The campground was quiet because it was a windy, drizzly day. I lollygagged around the house in the morning, organizing our "shower closet" - the shower is too small to use easily, so we have a shelving unit in it and use it for all our clothing. I roasted some peppers and garlic on the outdoor grill while raking up the leaves and pinecones from our parking area. After a hot shower, I put a roast in the crockpot and then sat in the gazebo practicing my flutes. I'm working out the intro to the Eagles tune.

Mike returned about 5pm with a carload of stuff - I should know better than send him off alone! We now have a weed wacker, for the grass around our spot, 2 small inflatable boats (one for backup), lots of rope, pulleys, locks and chains and assorted hardware. There were even a few groceries in there, the biscotti cookies from Costco being most appreciated ;-)

Tomorrow Mike might try out the boat in a calm area of the river to get his sea legs. He plans to paddle across the river with a rope and then haul his dredge to the far side. Most dredgers don't bother going across to the other side and it will be relatively safe there as well. He just needs to paddle across to "work" each day.

It's good to spend a few hours apart because we enjoy seeing each other again and sharing our day. Life is good.

Prospector Country

Today after I left the 49er's office, Mike and I went looking at claims along the Klamath River. These are some of the views from our route. It's cool here and rain is predicted for the weekend. The prospectors are starting to show up for the holiday and there's a antique car rally coming through town on Saturday.

These are beautiful mountains and streams up here.
We saw several of the trailheads along the highway so I hope to convince him to take a couple of hikes next week. Wish me luck!

Kicking back

Yesterday I worked most of the day on standards and Odyssey stuff and had a conference call in the parking lot of the Forest Service office. I love modern technology!

Last evening Mike took me for a ride to show me where he's been looking for spots to dredge. The scenery was breathtaking and he's taking me again when I have my camera :-)

I added a weather widget to the web site so you can see the current info for Happy Camp, CA. It's been cool with gentle breezes. Heavenly

I had a question about fly fishing in this area. I haven't seen anyone out yet, given the high water level and speed of the water. But the Klamath River Fly Shop has all the details.

My musical neighbors gave me the recent Eagles release as we plan to work out the song "Long Road Out of Eden" with my flute and their guitar and percussion.

I'm going to open the blog for comments to see how it works - so if you have a minute, drop me a line!

Music to my ears

Today it drizzled in the early morning and was just under 80 degrees all day. A very welcomed change. I got the email accounts setup at the 49ers and then went looking around town.

The Antique store next door had a 1952 Presentation edition of "Give the Lady What She Wants! - The Story of Marshall Field & Company". It had lots of great black and white drawings that I plan to use in the book art projects I'm working on. I checked in out on Amazon and it might have been a collector's item in good condition. It will live on in a different way now.

This evening, and every Tuesday night, the campground has an Open Mic night in the Rec room. Our neighbor is a good guitar player with an extensive repertoire and his wife has an electric percussion machine. There were a couple of other guitar players, a bass player and I demonstrated the Native American flute. It will be something to look forward to each week and a way to get to know some people around town. I enjoy listening to live music , I even did a little dancing :-)

Lazy days

Yesterday we kicked back because it was still warm and not much happening. I worked on some bookmarks and Mike researched the 49'er claims. Sunday night there's a potluck at the campground. The hosts provide the main dish (tacos, this Sunday) and everyone brings a side dish or dessert. We got to see all our fellow campers. About half seem to be year-round folks. There are still several sites open that the hosts said will fill up by June.

Above is the water flow on Indian Creek for the past 30 days. The creek runs downhill about 10 yards in front of our RV. You can see the spike the last few days because of the really warm weather. There's real time data on all the water flows in the U.S. at the USGS site.

Today I went into the 49er's office and fiddled with computers for them. Next week the vacationing staff will be back and I'll be staying in camp. Mike's still checking out sites. He can't get in the water until he gets a wet suit, as it's about 50 degrees right now.

Tomorrow is suppose to cool off and we might see our first rain here. We'll find out where the leaks are!

Creative juices

Today I started on my first altered book, or more accurately, altered page. I wanted to experiment with some of the materials I'd never used; gesso, modge podge, and acrylic paints.

It was great fun. I used some paper from a couple of lawn wind ornaments I had bought for our yard. I found a chapter title in a book that said "Summer Days" in an old-fashioned script. I added embellishments of dried leaves, moss, sand and a bit of stone. I did a cutout around the flower and then layered a "tennis net" over it and some tennis balls. I'm hooked! Here's the result:

We were hot again today and the campground is having electrical problems resulting in lower than required voltage. I worked outside most of the day and the problems are suppose to be corrected by Monday.

Mike picked up his dredge - it fills the back of his long-bed truck. The seller included a pair of gloves so he just needs a hood and wet suit (Father's Day hint!) to get into the water. I'll be surfing the internet see what we can find. He spent most of the day learning how it works and getting hints and advice on dredging. We both were able to indulge our creative sides!

Trip to Medford

We needed to get Mike's prescription filled so we went into Medford today. It takes 2 1/2 hours to get there and today it was over 100 degrees - what I left Phoenix for! Mike suggested that maybe the heat is following me..right.

Here's a picture of mile marker 55 on Klamath where Mike's going to put in his dredge. He tried on a wet suit today (sorry, I didn't move fast enough to get a picture) .

We picked up some more supplies at the Big R feed store and I had to snap some shots of the cute chicks we saw there.

We got back home by 6:30 pm where the temperature was down to 89 and our cozy little home was waiting. This weekend we may go for a hike along one of the many trails in the area.

Feeling useful

Today I dallied at home doing email before going into town. I took a side road I hadn't explored before and found River Park. It's a big public park that runs along the Klamath.with a pavilion and picnic tables. I've been told that beginning in June, there are potlucks on Saturday night. It's a good spot to take a book or my flute and hang out.

After that pleasant find, I stopped in at the 49er's office. I helped with some filing and then figured out how to print labels for them, with some pretty old software (they are using Q&A, like Dad had at his office). It felt good to help out and be appreciated for it. I still love playing office. I guess I'm just not ready for full retirement yet.

Mike found a 4" dredge that he'll pick up on Saturday. With it, he'll be able to go out in the river, in a wet suit, and suck up the dirt on the bedrock under the water. I promise to have pictures in the near future. I've got a wet suit too (thanks, KC!) so both of us will be splashing around.

The weather turned warm (we were in the upper 90's today!) and it's brought the water level up at least a foot with the snow melt. One prospector said it looked like being on the edge of the Pacific. He'd gotten some nice flakes of gold doing some vacuuming the crevices where some other prospectors had been digging last year.

Here's a little lesson for you. A "miner" is someone that's found gold - a "prospector" is someone who's looking for it. As the saying goes, life's a journey and not a destination.

Poppies and pamphlets

The California state flower is the golden poppy and they are "popping" up all over here. I snapped this picture on my walk home from the 49er's office this afternoon. Mike drove me in this morning on his way out to get some parts for his equipment.

Everyone is very nice here. The staff at the office are mostly locals and a couple of other visitors, like me. Today I had the task of putting those little clear sticky circles on 3 edges of the member bulletin - 500 bulletins times 3 is 1500 stickies! I got to chat with the other ladies (talking being my second favorite thing after reading) with a break for lunch just a short walk away. I could really get addicted to the Pizza Stop's black bread..it's yummy!

Mike rigged up a long PVC arm for the hose and plans to be able to get out into the water further with it. He ran into a snag when his waders leaked - seems the hot sun on our porch dried out the rubber. A lot of folks seem to store their gear and even their RVs here. It something we might look into.

In April I took another class at the John C Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina. I went for the Southern Cooking class and more than once I wandered over to the Altered Books class.

Altered books are a craft art form where old books are converted into art projects. Today I received a text book on the subject and I can't wait to try and create one. I already have several ideas in mind and there are lots of found objects around to incorporate into the project.

I see some bugs I need to chase out of my "room" so good nite for now!

Cooking challenges

I don't think I'll ever do my own cooking show but I sure could give some hints on cooking with limited tools! The RV has a 3 burner gas stove that fits 3 small pans in a pinch. The oven below has yet to be turned on and is used to store pots and pans. That leaves the toaster oven for baking. We've also got a small outdoor table grill and a microwave. Tonight's dinner was biscuits and sausage gravy (I married a Southerner, what can I say) and some scrambled eggs on the side. I'll blame it on the toaster oven, but the biscuits turned out a little like hockey pucks. I'm still trying to figure out the best settings for baking. I've only got one small frying pan that I used for the sausage gravy so the eggs were whipped up in a corning ware baking dish. Keep in mind this is all done in about 3 square feet of space!

Mike was out digging most of the day so his appetite was good and he cleaned his plate. The ground where he's digging is quite hard and rocky and he's aching from the effort. Good thing the showers here are hot!

Other people are gradually showing up in the campground. Mostly big Class C rigs (those are all-in-one RVs that you drive and can haul a small vehicle behind).

Yesterday our youngest granddaughter was 2 months old. The picture is from her first week. It's hard to not be near to see her more often. Her Mom tells us she's sleeping through the night already.
There's a couple in camp with two little ones, about 21 months and 9 months old. They have their own enclosed porch outside their mobile home where they can play during the day. They will be a handful as they both get to running about.

Yesterday we picked up our first mail package. It's from our hometown post office and is sent once a week with the past week's worth of mail. The nice part is that the junk mail is not sent so we get just the first-class that we need and magazine subscriptions. So we have all the comforts of home up here without the 100 degree heat!

Volunteering

Today I started volunteering with the 49er's. I spent the morning filing old member records with the help of another volunteer. It was great to have someone to chat with, meet new people, and move around lugging boxes. I've always found volunteering to be a way to learn something new, meet new people and have a purpose to the day. I'll probably continue a few days a week while I'm here. Of course, that meant the laundry didn't get done and I'm going to do a quick dinner.

One of the nicest things about being out here is there's so many less "things" to worry about. I've found there are lots of items I don't need and very little that I miss from home.

Speaking of missing things, I bought a bird feeder basket, about the size of a sandwich, and hung it up in a tree where I hoped to watch the birds. Well, it disappeared overnight, apparently the victim of a squirrel or other tree-climbing thief. The next feeder will be sturdier. I'm also on the lookout for a hummingbird feeder. I'm also collecting rocks to edge our campsite. The nesting instinct must be strong in us humans ;-)

Mike found a second site to do some high banking and will be setting up there tomorrow. He saw some flakes from the first spot, but not enough to make it a keeper. I plan on having some pictures of his setup later this week.

Happy Mother's Day

We went into Medford, Oregon yesterday to do some shopping and spent the night and I didn't take the laptop (I know, shocking, but true!). We returned home about 12:30, it's a 2 hour drive and the last 60 miles along Route 96, or the Klamath River Route, is twisty, turny road that makes it seem much longer. This trip I was a passenger, so I got to take in more of the scenery. At one point we could see Mount Shasta in the distance, covered in snow. I plan to hook up with Cory at Shasta Lake later this month.

The reconnaissance trip to town (my description) was, in retrospect, a little unsettling. After over a week of woods and quiet, Medford was a jolt. We took in some delicious Mexican food at Casa Ramos restaurant but too much of a good thing came back to bite both of us. We found a used bookstore and the ubiquitous Wally World and Costco. Next trip we'll probably come back the same day. Ashland is a little closer and we'll have to check it out on a future trip too.

A friend of Mike's from Stanton is prospecting about halfway to town at the Scott River site so we stopped in and visited for a bit. The Scott River site is dry camping (no electricity, water or sewage hookup) so those staying there are roughing it. His buddy has a solar panel that supplies the electric and the river's close enough to bring up water to be filtered. I'm glad to be where we're at!

Today's Mother's Day and I have to take a moment to remember a good time with my Mom, Mary Jane. We camped our way from Arizona to family back east on more than one occasion and I have to hand it to Mom, she really put up with a lot! Three kids (at the time), a dachshund, and a camp setup made from the back end of a truck. Dad liked going off the beaten path and one time took us off the road in Colorado. I will always cherish the memory of waking up in the back of the station wagon, surround by Aspens, and having Dad bring us hot coffee with lots of milk that Mom had made for us. She always took great care of us kids.

I am truly blessed to now have a daughter and 2 more sons and they as well as number one son, Cory called to wish me Happy Mother's Day. I passed on my good wishes to Helen, Cory's grandmother, and Marilyn, Dad's wife.

The next couple of weeks I'm volunteering in the 49'ers office, so I hope to get to know some of the local folks and meet some of the other prospectors coming to the area.

I made a chocolate cake in the toaster oven to take to the Forest Rangers who let me use their office last Friday for a conference call and it's time to do the icing. More later.

Flowers everywhere

Yesterday I walked about and took pictures of some of the flowers and blooming plants that are around. It's so pretty here, after living in the desert for most of my life, that I'm enjoying the lush plants and trees. It's warming up to the low80's during the day though the nights remain cool. This weekend we plan on going into Medford, Oregon to do some shopping and maybe catch a movie. Our mail hasn't caught up with us yet, so there will be a pile of it next week to go through. If anyone wants to send us something address it to general delivery in Happy Camp.

Breaking old habits

It's amazing to me how persistent old habits can be. Getting in a new environment helps me to see how much I do every day without thinking. With the props missing here, I find substitutes to continue in the same old ways. Enough of that!

A new habit I'm hoping to form is regular walks and hikes. The walk to town is a little over a mile, one way and crosses Indian Creek. You can see the water is running strong. The 49er's club has a blackboard showing the current water flow of the Klamath River at 5,000+ cubic feet per second; way too powerful for dredging which will have to wait until the spring runoff finishes sometime in June.

Today's walk took me to Evan's Mercantile Store and the library. The store has a little bit of everything. It's been in existence since the 1930's and is still run by the original family owners. Today's special were baby chicks! I might break down and get a Big Foot t-shirt.

The library is about 20 x 30 ft. and is only open 4 days a week, from 2:30 pm until 5:00 pm. The pickings are slim, but there's enough to tide me over if I run out of reading. That's one habit I don't intend to break.

Being away we only will get mail once a week, another excuse to walk in to town. Of course, email is readily available and we've got a decent phone signal but I don't miss it. I think we're both enjoying the slower pace here.

Another new habit is posting to this blog. I've kept journals for years and its different when its shared with friends and family. Let me know what you think.

All Creatures great and small

Having been a city girl, the outdoor life is offering lots of new experiences, not the least of these (no pun intended) being the tiny creatures that inhabit the outdoors.

Today in the "office" I had to swat a hornet that came calling, probably drawn by the smell of my morning coffee. The screens keep out most bugs, if I remember to zip the door but I am easily distracted and shortly after getting settled in my chair again found a pretty red and black beetle, about the size of a peanut, crawling under my left hand beneath the keyboard. "Ack!," I squawked, and swatted it to the ground at the same time I precariously jerked the laptop to the table. It sort of reminded me of the beetle-morphing typewriter in the movie, Naked Lunch.

Bitty bugs aren't our only companions here. Next door is a gentle golden retriever named Butter who comes sniffing around at dinner time, especially this evening when we grilled minute steaks. There are a couple of pet cats but so far no sign of skunks, raccoons or snakes. A few squirrels chattered at me on the walk into town this afternoon, where I dropped off the mail and Mike has spotted a rather nonchalant deer at the entrance to the camp. I've also seen some bright blue-wing tipped birds and a redheaded woodpecker that likes to drill on the satellite dish.

A quiet day today and we're settling in for the evening, after having enjoyed dinner in the gazebo. Tomorrow Mike starts digging.

Starting the work week

I work part-time for Odyssey HealthCare and do some consulting for the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service , so during the week I go to work. My desk is a folding table in our gazebo screen room and I've got an electric cord from the RV to the laptop. With an ice cooler for a footstool and a camp chair , I can kick back and take care of business.

Before starting work though, I walked into Happy Camp around 9 a.m. After stopping by the Ranger Station for the US Forest Service to pick up a map for Mike, I went to the post office and introduced myself. Next door is Parry's Market where I picked up some fresh veggies for dinner and then walked over to the library. It's only open 2:30 - 5:00 pm Monday through Thursday so I'll catch it later in the week.

Next door to the library I made a new acquaintance and we chatted for awhile. She has apple and pear trees, grapevines and lots of bright flowers. Next time I go in to town, she invited me to tea.

We put out solar lampposts around the gazebo and they glowed softly last night. It cools off to the 50's in the evening and we've got a couple blankets on the bed still. The days are warming up and several of the more permanent campers have started their gardens.

Mike explored the terrain some more today and found a place to do some high-banking. For you prospecting novices, high banking involves putting a motorized wet vac in the water to wash dirt shoveled from the bank of the stream through a sluice box that's set up many feet from the water's edge. The gold settles in the ridges of the box. That's probably not the most accurate description but you get the idea.

Happy Camp is sort of the epicenter of the Big Foot Legend and a statute in his honor is in the center of town. Thought a picture of his handsome visage was called for.

Happy Camp is also known for its jade so I'll be on the look out for green colored stones on tomorrow's walk.

This is the life

Sunday afternoon, sitting in our screen room outside the RV. I'm surrounded by pine and oak trees and the sound of Elk Creek rises up from 10 yards in front of me. Saturday night we drove the mile into Happy Camp to see the art show. A bungalow had been turned into an art gallery and was exhibiting drawings, sculptures and collages by local artists.

The town is tiny; one grocery store, a hardware store, prospecting supply store and the 49er's headquarters plus some odds and ends. The library was closed but Mike guessed we have more books with us than it can probably hold. The locals advised us to head into Medford, Oregon for big shopping and gas, as there's no sales tax. We'll probably do that next week.

Mike's been out scouting the claims, seeing which ones he can get to and where the high banker can be set up. The creeks and river are running high with spring runoff and several of the roads are pretty steep. We'll get some pictures and share them soon.

I took a walk to the entrance to camp, it's a short uphill walk through the 25 or so camp sites here. We've got a laundry, showers and rec room and a swimming hole down the hill from our spot.

I've got a pot roast in the crockpot for dinner and plan to take a nap until then.

The trip to Happy Camp

We've started our summer in California with a 3 day trip from Phoenix. Our first stop was Edwards AFB, a nice, clean, safe spot in the Mojave Desert. The Famcamp welcomes retirees. We'd been beaten up all day by the wind across the desert and it was great to stop for the night.

I picked up a bug of some sort and was feeling woozy (maybe it was the wind rocking the 5th wheel through the night?) but solidered on and we spent the 2nd night in Lathrop, meeting up with Nancie for dinner at the Texas Roadhouse.

Wednesday we set off for Happy Camp, up I-5 through Sacramento, Redding and Yreka. Happy Camp is about 80 miles west of Yreka on Route 96 which runs parallel to the Klamath River. We have fantastic views of Mount Shasta, covered in snow (didn't get any pictures, though). We arrived by 5:30 pm, did a hasty setup and settled in for the night.