FMCA at Redmond

We are at the fairgrounds in Redmond, OR, for the Family Motor Coach Association Family Reunion, and a big family it is, almost 1900 motorhomes.  This is a much bigger version of what we did in Coos Bay, seminars, coach displays, vendor exhibits and socializing.   Golf carts, trams and feet transport all of us to the hundreds of events day and night.

Jerry has learned about  maintenance of the refrigerator and the engine.  Anna Lee went to a writing seminar (not as good as the one at home) and a Harvest Host seminar on staying at wineries and farms (hopefully we will be blogging about doing just that).

We also volunteered to work in a couple of seminars which meant introducing the presenter and making sure everything was okay.  Easy job and a pleasant way to meet new people.

FMCA has a lot of sub-chapters.  The Gourmands enjoy fine dining and Mitch & Barb invited us to join them in dining with this group at Anthony's in the Old Mill District.   These smokestacks atop REI tower over what is now a high end shopping district.

We all agreed that dinner was delicious and that the group has excellent taste in dining destinations.  Jerry’s clam chowder and crab cakes were outstanding, even people from the East Coast would approve.

Anna Lee enjoyed rainbow trout, reminiscent of her childhood home in Colorado.  Thanks to Mitch and Barb for the wonderful pinot noir. 

The peach slump finished off a great meal.

Mitch, Barb, Don, Carrie, Sandy and Ron show their after-dinner smiles.

The Young Bucs had performed in Coos Bay but the acoustics were so loud we left the venue.  Here, in a large outdoor pavilion, we enjoyed their doo wop.  The next night William Florian, one of a long list of New Christy Minstrels, did a great job of entertaining the motor home crowd with songs of the 50s, 60s and 70s, including our favorite “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

Speaking of The City, native San Franciscan Jerry celebrated his birthday at Five Fusion in Bend.  This is where food photos are a must.  The escobar, eel, came under a glass lid.  When the lid was lifted, steam rose.   Presentation five star, taste three, price too much. 

However, the tastes in the Tuna Tartar Tower matched its vibrant colors.

The name of the restaurant is demonstrated in a sticky toffee pudding, an Irish dessert presented at a sushi restaurant.  It was delicious but not as good as the ones we enjoyed in Ireland.

Walking

We chose to enjoy Eugene with a 10K volkswalk along the Willamette River.  These words at the hotel where we started express well the philosophy of the walks we take when we visit a new area.

Our walk took us through the rose garden, a smaller version of the one in Portland but with a 200-year-old black tartarian cherry tree.

This gaggle of geese was recovering from a gab fest.

The park we walked through is enjoyed by the whole range of residents, either on foot or bike.  There are several community gardens, playgrounds, views, nature trails and an excellent senior center.  And this skate board park is quite popular.

Eugene

We have stopped in Coburn, near Eugene, on our way to another rally.

Sometimes chance, and an internet search, comes up with a pleasant surprise.  We spent a lovely hour in Washburne Park which has held concerts since the early 1900s.  This evening Calamity Jazz, a quartet, presented Dixieland jazz with a theme of women’s names.

The musicians, all of a senior age, were excellent.  They informed us that they also perform in Sacramento as Calamity Kin.

 

It is scientifically proven that the longer the line at the ice cream parlor, the better the ice cream.  We were probably numbers 50 and 51 in a fast moving line at Prince Puckler’s, Eugene’s own gourmet ice cream.  Those few of you who remember the Magic Dasher would find this comparable.

As we drove from the park the sky lit up in the west with a orange and red sunset.  To the east were the red and violet hues of a rainbow.  And all around us were the flash of lightning and crack of thunder.  We wish we could send the rain back home. 

Monaco International Pre-rally

We are at the Monaco International Pre-rally, a gathering of almost two hundred Monaco brand Motor Coaches, at the Mill Casino in North Adams, OR.  For five days we have enjoyed re-uniting with friends from the caravans we have taken and meeting new friends.  We have learned about engines, transmissions, fuel, travel, and such.  Seminars at motorhome rallies provide a chance for vendors to hawk their goods and manufacturers to entice potential buyers.  They can fill most of the day if one wants to participate.  Breakfast and dinners are provided.  Wine and liquor are freely available (and no one is driving so they can indulge).  There have been two luncheons, one for Monacos in Motion, with whom we have caravaned, and the other for the ladies.  This rally is the time for the annual elections with brief speeches and mostly unanimous voting.

During our free time we visited vendors or toured new and used motor coaches.  Jerry found this $650,000 Dynasty a good fit but Anna Lee said he did not need it.

Each night after dinner we have had musical entertainment.  As the days have progressed, the entertainment has improved and the volume toned down to bearable.  The Coats, an a cappela quartet from Seattle were so good almost everyone stayed ‘til the end.

The casino is on Coquille Indian land.  For a taste of their culture, we enjoyed a sample of king salmon roasted on a huge open fire pit.  The rest will be tonight’s dinner. 

Mitch, the incoming club president, demonstrated his gastronomic flair by eating a salmon eye-ball (and saying he enjoyed it).

The fish here is “right off the boat,” so we went to the dock for some to put in the refrig for later enjoyment.

Most of us will now travel to Redmond, OR for next week’s Family Motor Coach Family Reunion, a much bigger event with over 1800 motorhomes.  

Cool Coos Bay

Cool Coos Bay

We have come to the cool, clear air coast of Oregon for the 2014 Monaco International Rally.  An RV rally is where motor home owners gather to socialize, attend seminars, eat, drink, go to meetings, and did I say socialize.  This is our first Monaco International but we have friends from caravans that we have joined and we look forward to reuniting with them.

But first, we drove a few miles north to Winchester Bay for one of the most beautiful volksmarches we have taken.  This is an old fishing village, as are all the towns along the coast.  Today tourism is probably a better industry.

Our 10k walk took us along the Umpqua River.

 The sandy beaches and hills of the coast are a mecca for ATVs.  They roared past us as a few boats drifted silently in the bay. 

We had perfect timing for joining a tour of the Umpqua River Lighthouse.  The original lighthouse was built in 1857 on the beach where it sunk.  The new one, built in 1887 on higher and firmer ground, stands on a six-foot foundation and has nary a crack in it.

The French-built lens is 6' x 10' and composed of 616 pieces of glass. 

Our guide explained how the signals for the lighthouses vary in color and in the number and length of time for each repetition enabling the sailors to know where they were.  This lens consists of both clear and red glass.  We were able to climb partway into it.  It was warm and the glowing red tones were beautiful.  The red color is actually made from gold which turns red under the right conditions.

The lighthouse area is also a small Coast Guard base.  This retired Coast Guard rescue boat can right itself in 8 seconds.  They are waiting to raise funds to restore it.

This sign stands about six hundred feet above the shore line, an area deemed secure from a tsunami as you descend toward the ocean.

From the lighthouse we went on a loop walk around Lake Marie.  Lining the shore of the lake are the tall alder, pine, ash and other trees of the Oregon forest.

We hadn’t been to this area since Jeff and Cheryl were small but we look forward to returning to stay in one of the many campgrounds along this coast.
 

The Play’s the Thing

This trip is sans Bennett who is busy being a two-year-old at his home.  For those who enjoy (or tolerate) our obsession, here is another cute photo of the boy.

Now on with our late summer travels.  A few days before leaving in our motor home, we went to Berkeley Rep for “Monsieur Chopin” by Hershey Felder.  This is a one-man biography/concert.  Previously we had seen Felder’s “George Gershwin Alone” and “Maestro Bernstein.”  Felder becomes the composer and takes the audience on a fascinating journey into the music.  If he performs anywhere near where you are, go, go, go.

That play was a prelude to our return to Ashland, OR, for more theater.  Back in June, while we enjoyed an evening with Bennett, our kids saw “Into the Woods,” which we had seen years ago starring Bernadette Peters.  The play is the story of what happens after “happily ever after” in fairy tales (or real life).  We now know why Cheryl, Dave and Jeff enjoyed it.  The musical was a colorful, charming, amusing, and poignant production acted by wonderful singers/dancers/actors.  Our kudos also go to the costume designers whose creations were so delightful.

In 2012 we saw the world premier of “All the Way” at OSF (see blog entry August 18, 2012).  The play was the 2014 Tony winner for best drama.  This year we came for “The Great Society.”  Having experienced the turbulent Johnson Administration, we found this three-act play gripping.  Watching LBJ’s first term success evaporate during the second term of race riots in our cities and war in Viet Nam was painful.  Both of these plays are outstanding.  They will be performed this fall in Seattle, and, of course, the second play will also go to Broadway (and probably win a Tony).  We recommend your seeing them if you can.

Outside the theater, the air is brownish-gray with smoke from local fires.   During the day, the sun is a muted coral ball barely seen in this photo. 

In the evening the moon looks like a slice of an orange. 

 So sad.

Back Home

We returned home whereupon Jeff and Dave headed up to Tahoe to repeat the Death Ride.  For those who don’t remember, this is a 132 mile bicycle ride in the Sierras over five mountain passes for a total of 16,000 feet of climbing.  And you do it in one day.  The rest of us followed Bennett to such fun activities as playing in the water at the Fountains, having yogurt with friends from the neighborhood, meeting new dogs to love, and playing on the local playground.

 A trip to the fire station increased Bennett’s fire hat collection.  He let Uncle Jeff try one on.

Cheryl took time to reunite with Carmichael friends from her youth while Bennett flirted with a friend’s daughter.

Bennett and Jeff led us for a hot day at the California State Fair.

Bennett played “upside” (outside) chasing bubbles and trying out his new scooter, a gift from Karen, Anna Lee’s friend and writing mentor.

Inside he enjoyed Nelope, aka Penelope,  a large stuffed penguin Jerry had brought home for Anna Lee several years ago.

He also led a march to the music from Cookie Monster, a toy he borrowed from Kyle, a neighbor’s grandson.

On Saturday evening the guys returned from their ride.  Dave again completed the course and Jeff more than doubled his 2013 efforts.  Talk of doing it again in 2015 was overheard.  Here the men all pose for a photograph.

On Monday, the planes took our family back East.  Now the house is clean.  Everything is put back in its place.  And there is silence.  We count the days until we can return to the chaos that is delight of a family together.