Part of our group gathering at the Boardman RV Park

 Our Tour of the Redmond Police Department

 Mike @ Crater Lake

 Retro Winnebago ~1974  ~ remodeled!!!

 

Kootenia Falls near Libby, MT

Aug. Our Trip to Oregon & FMCA Rally

August 1-19... We started the month off with more work. We decided to drive to Harlem and pick out our 26 boards for the back deck. Of course that led to staining them all. All sides got one coat. We laid them on the frame and will screw them down another day. Danny, Lexi and Dad came over and we went to Kimber's for a burger.

2^nd – we drove to Hogeland to say goodby to Danny & Lexi. Then we headed to a huge rock pile and picked out a bunch of rocks for our border. That afternoon was the staining project. Can you say exhausted???
3rd- we went to church and then put down all the rocks we picked in Hogeland. We also laid out a border for some landscaping that will happen next spring!
4^th – Today was the day for screwing down the deck boards. Mike & I tackled this project on our own. We did good – we just had to go get Doug's drill mid way thru the project. Each board needs 14 screws – we put in 7 for now just to get the job done. We will add the additional ones at a later date. We also mowed, trimmed and watered the yards so it was ready for our next trip. We had a big rainstorm late in the afternoon.
5^th – Today was spent getting ready for our trip. Dixie colored & cut Denita's hair and late in the afternoon we had visitors to tour the house....Nancy S., Ron & Sandy Thompson (it was her parents house), Marge Hickel and the Gayle Doyle. It was open house day!!! Later Doug & Fran came over for Pizza and a haircut for Doug.
6^th – We headed out just after 8am for Great Falls. Dixie had an appointment for 'nerve conduction studies' on her elbow at 1p. We made a few stops to stock up for our trip and then overnighted at Dad's condo.
7^th – Left again around 8am and headed to our destination of Haugen, Mt to meet up with our FMCA group. We stopped in Missoula to meet Levi for lunch at the Cracker Barrel. Good to see him again and check out his longboard accident injuries. We arrived at the $50,000 Silver Dollar just after 3p. The rest of our group was there already. We were surprised to get a complimentary electric hookup. We all had happy hour and then went to dinner at the restaurant.
8^th – We left around 830am and headed for our next stop of Boardman, Or. We stopped for fuel at Ritzville and lunched in our motorhomes. We arrived at the Boardman Marina RV park about 230p. It was a nice park but hard to get to our site as roads were very narrow. We happy houred at Tom & Diane's site as they had a water site. Gene & Susie arrived around 9pm. 
9^th – We all headed out around 8am for Redmond. We made a fuel stop in Madras which wasn't easy for 5 motorhomes! We pulled into the Redmond Fairgrounds just after noon. We got parked with just a small amount of confusion. We will dry camp for 8 days! We then attended a Early Security volunteer meeting at 3pm. We got our duty assignments for the next 2 days. Of course when then had our Happy Hour at Klaus & Johanna's coach. 
10^th – Our shift was from 7a-10a. We worked an area where they were to be parking motorhomes for sale. However, our area was dead. Nothing happened! The area the others were working had a bit of action but not much. That afternoon Gene & Susie went with us to Bend. We drove around the downtown area and then made a stop at Trader Joes. We went back to the coach and then drove into downtown Redmond and met up with Brenda Cooper-Cole. We worked with her at Continental from 1985-1990. She works at the Police Department so she took us on a tour. Then we had a drink at the Dawg House Grill. It was fun reminiscing. We made a stop at Fred Meyer and Lowes looking for a patio table.
11^th – Today our shift was from 1p-230p...it still was not busy in our area so it was a pretty boring volunteer shift. 
12^th – We left just after 7am to make the 119mile drive to Crater Lake. We stopped at Lowes in Bend & also fueled up there. We arrived at Crater Lake about 945a. It was a beautiful site. The pull overs are all very high up and we could view the whole lake. It is a very different lake as it was formed by a volcano – it is pretty much round. The deepest point is over 1900 ft. The weather at that time was perfectly clear. Once we arrived at the visitor's center we had a sandwich and then attended a ranger talk where we learned a lot about how the lake came to be and the volcano that created it. It was very informative. Just as we were getting ready to leave the rain started! We didn't make any other stops on the way down due to the weather. We drove back to Bend and made a Walmart and Fred Meyer stop. We found the table we liked and they had it in a box at this store so we purchased it. It was on sale and then 40% off so we got a good deal. We got back to camp just before 4p and it began raining very hard. It let up a bit so we were able to get to our volunteer dinner at 6pm. 
13^th – Wed. we attended some seminars in the morning. We went with Gene & Suzie to Sisters, Or. and walked around the shops. We also stopped at Fred Meyer in Redmond where we purchase 3 patio chairs for our table. They only had that many left – we were only going to get 2 but they made a deal so we got all three for just over $16 each – another good deal. We had a short happy hour and we all went to look at the motorhome display and look at all the new models for sale....there were over 400 of them so we made a small dent.
14^th – the full rally began. We attended seminars throughout the day. We had a happy hour with a little potluck before going to the entertainment. There were 3 choices but our group went to a band called the Young Bucks. They played 50's and 60's music. It was a bit cold but we had a good time.
15^th – Friday was more seminars and shopping at the vendor booths. We curtailed ourselves, only making 2 purchases the whole rally.....Grill Mats and vents for our black/gray water tanks....exciting! In the afternoon we attended the Northwest Area gathering where we enjoyed some Pizza and visiting. The entertainment tonight was in the grand stand. We had seats down front as the volunteers were recognized for their service. The show was William Florian who was a lead singer for the 'New Christy Mintrels in the late 70's. He was excellent. He played folk music from several 60's/70's groups as well as some of his own. He had a wonderful voice and is a great entertainer and comedian! 
16^th – Dixie attended one seminar in the morning. We walked through more motorhomes and vendors. We also went into Redmond for a quick lunch and a grocery stop. The group got together for one last happy hour and then went to the evening entertainment. Tonight is was Johnny Counterfit, a comedian and impressionist. He did 25 plus different voices/characters in concert. He had a great voice and sounded so much like the original singer. He was also a super comedian! The members of his band were also great singers/musicians.
17^th – It was time to depart...we headed out just before 8am. We drove 360 miles to an Ponderosa Falls RV park in Cheney, WA. We arrived around 4p. The park is in the trees and the sites are small and lots of tree so we didn't get satellite. 
18^th – Today was a 283 mile drive. At Coeur d'Alene we went north and connected with Hwy 2 at Sandpoint. We continued on to Bonner's Ferry and into Montana. We made a stop at Kootenai Falls. We hike to the falls and then the swinging bridge. The falls were very impressive as they are much wider and numerous than most we have seen. From there it was a great lunch stop in Libby at the 'Burger Express'. We continued on the pretty into Kalispel where we made a fuel stop at Smiths. We arrived at Sundance RV Park in Coram around 530p. This is same park we stayed at a few years back. The sites haven't gotten any bigger or easier to get in and out of but it is a nice location and it is in our membership park system which means the price is discounted!!! We didn't unhook the car so we stayed in for the night.
19^th – Left Coram at 8am and continued our journey home. We stopped at East Glacier and got a cup of coffee and a sweet treat! Next was a surprise visit at our long time friend, Merelene's Beauty shop in Inverness. We missed Roger as he was back at school in Browning. We made a stop at Walmart in Havre to restock our groceries. We completed our 308 mile day at home sweet home! We had a fun trip but were ready to be home.....more work to do!!!

 The Grandkids at Ryan Dam

 The Parents & Grandparent at Ryan Dam--- in the wind!

Skipping Rocks on the Missouri

Second Half of June & July

July 1-31... Dixie headed back home from Great Falls on Tues. the first but Doug & Fran had to stay an extra day to wait for the pickup to be repaired. 
Work continued on the house. We decided to have Bob complete the frame on the back deck and we will stain and put the top boards on ourselves! We also had Bob move the Washer/Dryer to another location in the basement....so much better as we now have room at the bottom of the stairs! The other big improvement was removing the wind monitor and extra satellite dish from the rooftop. That was a job for Danny & Jerry! Looks much better and eliminated a lot of noise when the wind blows.
3^rd – Treated ourselves to dinner at Kimbers...been working hard this week!
4^th – We all went to Denita & Steve's for dinner and fireworks!
6^th – Doug & Fran's 12^th Anniversary. We all brought food and had a wonderful bar-b-que at their place. 
9^th – Dixie & Fran went to Havre to shop for groceries and 'stuff'! They brought pizza home and we dined at our house! 
12^th – The siding and deck is complete. We painted the first coat on the deck railing and Dixie painted the house foundation. Lot's of painting for one day! Dad came over and we met Jack & Carla at Kimber's for dinner. Doug/Fran & Denita/Steve are all gone for the weekend. 
13^th – Put a second coat of paint on the deck. After church we went to Hogeland and prepared lunch at Denita's for Dad. On the way home we picked some 'rock' for our landscaping in front of the deck.
14^th – Moved the motorhome to the driveway and tried out the 30amp plug that Bob put in for us. Stocked the motorhome for our trip to Great Falls and Clinton
16^th – Drove the motorhome to Great Falls. Dad went with us. Dixie took Dad to two appointments – foot maintenance & a annual VA doctor visit. We went to Borries for dinner.
17^th – Dixie & Dad had blood work done first thing in the morning. Doug flew his plane to Great Falls to pick up Dad. We all had breakfast at Perkins then we headed for our RV Rally at Bearmouth RV park between Drummond & Clinton. We made a stop at Lowe's in Helena for house stuff. The drive over McDonald pass was a bit trying. It is quite steep and we started to heat up a bit. It was slow going but it beat the road construction near Roger's Pass. We arrived at the rally around 3p. We had a nice gathering that evening and Bill & Gloria came from Missoula.
18^th – we drove to the 39 miles to Missoula and did a little shopping and took Levi to lunch at Famous Daves. That evening was a potluck with the rally group.
19^th – we drove the 15miles to Garnet Ghost Town. The road was bit rough but it was interesting. From there we drove to Phillipsburg. We walked around and stopped at their local brewery and tested on of their brews. Once back at camp we went with the group for dinner at Eckstrom's Stage Stop. We had a great meal and conversation!
20^th – Made the 175 miles drive back to Great Falls. The trip over McDonald Pass was much better today – not as hot outside!
21^st – we prepared for our visitors. Dixie found out she had a colon infection called 'C Dif' and started 10 days of antibiotics. Not sure what caused it but it has been going on for over 3 weeks.
22nd - Micheala, Tim, Adriana & Dillon arrived from North Bend, WA around 6pm.  We put some burgers on the grill.
23rd - Dixie has her annual doctor visit.  The kids did some shopping.  Brandon, Kat, Bailey and Nic arrived around 530p.  We had Italian Beef sandwiches and visited. Bailey & Nic went with us to overnight at the motorhome.
24^th – Once the crew got ready we all went to Gibson Park and took our family picture. Kat had brought their camera and a tripod. From there we stopped at the visiting Vietnam Memorial. Then it was lunch at Montana Wheat Company. We were then off to the Malstrom Air Force Museum. That took awhile as all us non-military people had to have a background check. Next stop was the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center and a walk from there to Giant Springs. By the time we got back home around 6p we were pretty tired. Luckily dinner was in the crock pot. After dinner we played a game of “Hillbilly Rummy”. A good time was had by all.
25^th – Dixie had an appointment to see a upper extremity specialist for her elbow. Dad's car wouldn't start so Brandon, Tim & Mike tried to figure out the problem but didn't have any luck. Once all were ready to go we picked up some Subway sandwiches and packed our lunch and headed to Ryan Dam. We enjoyed the falls and lunch. We decided to stop at the hiking trail near the dam so a hike along the Missouri River. An the way back we made a wrong turn and ended up stopping at the river on lower river road. The kids and some parents decided to spend some time skipping rocks!!!! Our Steak Dinner was mostly prepared and cooked by Brandon...(thank you very much). It was delicious! Then it was time for another game of Hillbilly Rummy!
26^th – It was time for the family reunion to break up. Every left around 10am. It was sad to see everyone leave but we had a wonderful memorable time together. It was a first really! We packed up the motorhome and put it in storage at Dicks RV until the next trip on Aug 7^th. Danny & Lexi flew in late last night and stayed at a hotel. Dixie picked them up in the morning and they road to Turner with us. Denita & Steve came for a fair concert so we saw them for a short time before we headed back home. We picked up some sod and left a lot of our stuff for Denita & Steve to take back on Monday. Steve also couldn't figure our the problem with Dad's car. We got to Turner about 530p. We went to the dance for Tom Fairbanks's retirement however Lexi didn't want to stay so we went back and Danny stayed. They overnighted with us much to Lexi's disappointment. She planned on going to 'Shay's house'. It's the Wii machine not Shay!!!!
27^th – We put our down. We stopped at the park for Bonnie & Donnie's 50^th Anniversary party and then went to Hogeland and prepared dinner at Denita's.
28^th - 31^st – Monday & Wed we went to baseball. Tues we went to Denita's so a shrimp dinner. More work on the house. We painted the outside soffit and the inside door frames. Thurs Denita& I went to Havre for groceries & stuff. We also stopped in at the Timber Creek Assisted Living place for a tour. It is a very nice new facility and a perfect place for Dad – just not sure he is thinking he is ready for that yet! We brought some chicken back for dinner.

Jun 16-30 2104...Work was to begin on the house on the 16^th however, it rained and some of the crew were in a car accident. Bob Graff, the contractor and 3 guys came out on the 18^th and began pulling off the old siding. Wow, the house sure looks different when it is down to the bare wood – and all kinds of different wood it is! You can see the original house from 1933. Also found that looking into the attic that you can see the original roof line, complete with shingles. Work continued throughout June. The new windows were installed, the wrap was put on a house and then the new siding started going up. During this process Mike & I stained the wood for the front deck.

The 19^th was the first day completely 'crutches free' for Dixie. It's slow moving but nice walking on 2 legs again!
On the 26^th we drove to Fort Benton for our FMCA meeting. We were unable to stay for the rally. We drove on to Great Falls and overnighted. On Friday we picked up Aunt Marge and headed for Turner. Aunt Shirley and Levi also came for the festivities. That afternoon we went to Hogeland to attend the school reunion. On the 27^th and 28^th we all attended the 100^th Anniversary for the Hogeland American Lutheran Church. We enjoyed visiting with a lot of people, including previous Pastors. Dixie especially enjoyed talking to Pastor & LaMay Nybroten. LaMay was her 4^th grade teacher! The church services & meals were wonderful.
On Sunday the 29^th we all put together dinner and enjoyed it at Doug & Frans! It was a great weekend with family and friends.
The 30^th Dixie took Marge back to Great Falls. We enjoyed brunch there and then Dixie went to a follow up doctor appointment for her knee. From there Marge was dropped off at the airport. Doug & Fran were also in Great Falls. We did some Home Depot shopping, had dinner at Boston's Pizza and overnighted at Dads.