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  • Debra Giltz

2020

A 365-day adventure by Debra Read more
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  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler
    Hiking south KingmanHiking south Kingman

    April 8-13

    April 13, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 43 °F

    Except for hiking and walking around Kingman we continue to self isolate. We decided to head back to Oregon on Easter Sunday. Traffic was light and wildflowers were in bloom as we made our way to Tonopah, NV for our first night's stay. Today we continued north through central Nevada's gold mining country for a night's stay in Winnemucca before traveling to Burns, Oregon then on to our home base in Boring, Oregon.Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler
    So long Nevada
    Hello OregonThe final leg of our journey.

    April 14-15

    April 15, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    We departed Winnemucca, NV yesterday finally making our way into our home state. A long lonely, beautiful drive. Definitely not a stretch of highway you'd want to break down on. A high point of our trip home was seeing a herd of Kiger Mustangs on our way to Burns, Oregon where we spent last night. https://ihearthorses.com/10-things-you-didnt-kn…
    Today we continued northwest on hwy 20 then on to hwy 26 up and over Mt Hood to our home base in Boring, Oregon. My MIL, Sharon, welcomed us home with a delicious dinner. Now that we're close to family and friends it will be even harder to maintain social distancing.😥
    After four and a half months and 8000 miles it feels good to be back in Oregon though very disappointing to have to cut our trip short. On a positive note, at least we don't have to worry about tornados and hail storms!    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler
    Neighborhood Blooms
    Neighborhood BloomsColumbia River

    April 16-23

    April 23, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

    As with everyone else who is nonessential, we've been sheltering in place, taking neighborhood walks, exercising at home, reading, watching the tube, cooking, baking, cleaning, conversing via phone etc, etc.
    We've shopped for and delivered care packages to family, visiting outdoors while maintaining a six foot distance.    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler

    April 24-May 12

    May 12, 2020 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 55 °F

    The past 2 1/2 weeks have been good. We joined our neighbors during their weekly cocktail hour. We purchased a new iPad Pro 12.9 with keyboard. It replaces our 12 year old Macbook and 10 year old iPad. Needless to say we're very happy with the new technology...fast and sleek! We took advantage of the iPad with a Zoom Happy Hour visit with our friends Gary and Carrie.🍷
    We put up our pickleball net, chalked out a 3/4 size court, bought two new Selkirk paddles and have been getting in 1-2 hours of play per day. I'm looking forward to the day when I can get more variety in my choice of opponents. 😉
    May 4th we joined in a drive-by celebration of our Auntie Lil's 95th birthday. It was led by fire trucks and covered by two local television stations. It was priceless seeing the happiness and surprise on her face and was fun seeing friends and family at the staging area.
    Last Friday Randy set up Uncle Kay's new iPad and tried, as best he could, to teach him how to use it from a 6 foot distance.
    Saturday Randy smoked two tri tip roasts and a family pack of chicken thighs for me and his mom. Delicious! We had a nice Mother's Day visit with the kids and loaded them up with a "take out" meal.
    I've become a quarantine cliché since my sister shared some of her sourdough starter. I made a tasty focaccia which turned out pretty good for my first attempt.
    As always we hope our friends and family are staying safe and healthy.    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler
    Visiting the dear departedSpring Blooms

    May 13-June 3

    June 3, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    Like everyone else we spent the last half of May staying close to home. We managed to visit our dear departed at Rose City, Willamette National and Lincoln cemeteries. We missed having Kelsie join us in this annual tradition as well as dining out after the distribution of flowers.
    Kyle and Kelly came over for a visit. Kuma finally got to meet Gator, their chiweenie.
    As the state of Oregon entered phase 1 of reopening Randy and I are venturing out more. We biked the Marine Drive Path, played pickleball at Hillendale Park in Oregon City (and joined their club), biked the Springwater Trail and visited the Heroes Memorial Park in Gresham where my dad has a brick.
    We delivered won ton soup to Auntie Mary and had a brief visit through her storm door.
    Continue to deliver groceries and meals to Uncle Kay & Auntie Aki.
    Had a virtual Girls Night Out with my friends Jan and Terri.
    As always, stay safe and healthy.    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler
    Playing diceUncle Kay & Auntie Aki

    June 4-27

    June 27, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    We continue to physically distance ourselves, especially since Oregon has had a surge in coronavirus cases. Playing more pickleball at home and less at the public court. 😕
    We picked Hood strawberries with Sharon and Larry at Bushue's Family Farm...delicious.
    https://bushuefarming.com/
    We've (mostly Randy) kept busy with motorhome repairs, maintenance and cleaning: "rebuilt" the toilet, replaced the air system's air dryer, drained and cleaned the hot water heater, replaced basement heater thermostat, rodent control, washed and waxed our home and shampooed the carpets.
    I've been baking a lot of cookies, muffins and beer bread (so much easier than the sourdough I managed to kill). I also spent a couple of afternoons sewing more face masks for us and family.
    Yesterday we took the kayak to the Columbia Slough. It was an adventure in suburban paddling as we passed through industrial areas, under freeways and past the floating homeless. Much of it was beautiful with ducks, herons and turtles but it was disheartening to see the amount of trash along parts of our route.
    We continue to have brief visits and "care package" drop offs with family.
    As always stay safe and healthy. 😷❤️    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler

    June 28-July 26

    July 26, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 91 °F

    We've had a good month. We started off by celebrating Randy's eligibility into Medicare. It was great having us, the kids, Sharon and Larry all together for the first time in six months.
    Our friends Alison & Tom were gracious enough to open their blueberry fields to us not only once but twice. We've frozen at least 25 pounds of berries and have not been lacking in fresh blueberry muffins, crumbles, pies and pancakes. We also u-picked marionberris which were made into a crumble and also frozen for later use.
    We've been enjoying the bounty from Auntie Aki & Uncle Kay's garden. Cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini and basil! I also pick fresh kale, spinich, chard, broccoli greens and beet greens from my in laws garden for our morning smoothies.
    Yesterday we celebrated daughter Kelsie and future dil Kelly's birthdays. 🎂 My sister, Marcia, made two delicious desserts and sourdough focaccia, mil Sharon, contributed a loaded fruit salad to accompany grilled gyros, falafel and crispy smashed potatoes. The day when we can gather together without face masks and six feet of space between us can't come soon enough.
    Randy and I continue to play pickleball three times a week. We've committed to only partnering with each other in order to effectively physically distance from the other players.
    Miss playing with other partners but we sure have improved as a team!
    We're looking forward to pulling up stakes and heading to the north Oregon coast for a couple of weeks later next month.    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler

    July 27-August 22

    August 22, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Not much going on the past four weeks. We continue get our exercise and socially connect with people while playing pickleball three times a week.
    We discovered a blackberry patch within walking distance so have been harvesting and baking our bounty into tasty desserts.
    Randy smoked three racks of ribs using my sister's berry ketchup as his basting sauce. YUM!
    We spent a beautiful afternoon at the Wildwood Recreation Site where we walked the Wetland and Stream Watch trails and hiked a portion of the Boulder Ridge trail. https://www.blm.gov/visit/wildwood-recreation-site
    We've done a lot of al fresco dining with my in laws followed by heated games of 10,000.
    Tomorrow we hit the road for the Oregon Coast. It will feel great to get our home rolling again after being stationary for more than four months.    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler

    August 23-30

    August 30, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    It felt great to be on the road again after sitting in one place for for 129 days. We arrived at Fort Stevens State Park on Sunday, for a four night stay, where we made good use of the nine miles of paved bike trails to see the sites within the park. https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park… Monday we hauled the bikes to Astoria to cycle the Riverwalk. https://www.traillink.com/trail/astoria-riverwalk/
    Thursday we pulled up stakes and headed south to Seaside RV Resort for a three night stay.
    We enjoyed two days of pickleball, cycling around Seaside and dining on Grizzly Tuna fish and chips. As always we met new friends on the PB courts as well as reconnecting with friends that we met in SoCal three years ago.    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler

    August 31-Sept 28

    September 28, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    It's been a wild month! We started off with temperatures in the 90's. Combine that with wind which stoked several horrific wildfires. September 10th was declared an evacuation level 2 at our home base so we decided to evacuate. Randy and I scoped out possible sites in Gresham, since the the official evac sites were much less convenient for us. We ended up at Mt Hood Community College where we boondocked for three nights. Good security, porta potties and donated supplies for those who needed it. While we experienced some inconvenience it doesn't compare to the many people who have lost their homes and businesses.
    We got some much needed rain then the weather cleared just in time for a socially distanced birthday celebration for MIL Sharon, Kyle, Kuma and me. We also celebrated FIL Larry and sister Marcia's birthdays which are in November, since we don't anticipate indoor gatherings at that time.
    There haven't been any covid-19 cases within our pickleball group so Randy and I have broken up our Pandemic Partnership and are now partnering with other players. 😊
    Today we head to the North Oregon Coast for a week at Fort Stevens State Park followed by two more weeks at Seaside.    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler
    1

    September 29-October 5

    October 5, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    80+°F Monday and Tuesday at Fort Stevens State Park then cool, misty, foggy and overcast until yesterday afternoon when the sun broke through. Sunny and beautiful today. 😎
    We've spent the week biking around Fort Stevens; cycling the Discovery Trail from Long Beach to Cape Disappointment State Park and back https://www.visitlongbeachpeninsula.com/things-…
    ; walking and hiking around the park and playing pickleball at Seaside RV Campground.
    I also managed to celebrate my 65th birthday on October 3rd!
    Today we arrived at Seaside RV Campground for a two week stay.    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler

    October 6-19

    October 19, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    We spent a relaxing two weeks at Seaside RV Campground.
    The weather definitely transitioned from summer to autumn during our stay, we experienced cooler temperatures, fog, sun, mist and storms.🍁We spent our days playing pickleball with old friends and new; biked the prom and neighborhoods in Seaside, strolled around Cannon Beach, biked Astoria's Riverwalk, dined on fish & chips (cod & tuna) at the Fish Mongers in Hammond, took a driving tour of Astoria when we went back to look at the cruise ship that's docked there through April, walked the hilly neighborhoods above the RV park and binge watched Ratched.
    We're back at our home base for the next two weeks before heading to the Eugene area for motorhome service then to the Central Oregon Coast for two weeks before beginning our southerly migration.
    It will be a weird holiday season this year due to COVID-19. We won't be hosting our usual gatherings for Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve. 😔    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler

    October 20-November 2

    November 2, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    We've had a busy two weeks at our home base catching up with doctor and dental appointments, having the CR-V serviced and cleaning and reorganizing our home on wheels and car for our trip south. I also spent two solid days purging our inventory of frozen meat and preparing meals to distribute to family.
    Randy and I exercised our right to VOTE BY MAIL as we've done in Oregon for more than 20 years without incident. 🇺🇸 https://www.opb.org/news/article/history-vote-b…
    We got in three days of pickleball and are looking forward to next season when the new bleachers and concrete path should be complete. We'll miss our pickleball family at Hillendale. They are a wonderful group of people.
    https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/Sports/Hi…
    We had one last Costco run and meal delivery to Auntie Aki & Uncle Kay. The kids came over to visit, pick up food and say farewell. Yesterday we had an impromptu lunch outside on the deck with Sharon and Larry.
    Today we stopped at Speedco for a oil change and lube. Kind of like Jiffy Lube for diesel rigs and priced much better than the dealers or big service centers.https://www.loves.com/en/truck-services
    The rest of this week will be spent in the Eugene area getting our home ready for her southerly migration. We're fortunate to live near the former epicenter of RV manufacturing on the west coast as there is still a plethora of companies catering to RVers.    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler

    November 3-18

    November 18, 2020 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 52 °F

    What we hoped would be a one week stay for RV service in the Eugene area turned into two and a half weeks plus! Luckily our hot water heater and washer/dryer both started having problems the day before we left our home base so we were headed in the right direction for repairs. Unfortunately COVID-19 delayed procurement of parts.
    After having our windshield replaced at Coach Glass we headed to REV, aka "Camp Monaco" for the water heater and washer/dryer then to Source Engineering for radiator maintenance then back to REV for more diagnostics/repairs and a lot of waiting.
    We spent our days taking long walks around Coberg and Eugene. We also played pickleball at Meadow Park in Springfield and met our friends Angie & Jim at G3 Sports & Fitness in Corvallis for a couple hours of play. I passed some time crafting crocheted tulle scrubbies. After sewing about 15 face masks using four different patterns as well as trying the knit masks from Costco and the disposables I finally found and tweeked the perfect pattern to fit my face!😷
    https://youtu.be/txsP5x-EbuQ
    Tomorrow we finally head to Sea and Sand RV Park at Depoe Bay for our annual beach rendezvous
    with Dean and Lesa before returning to Coburg on Sunday.    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler
    Heading to the beach
    Back to Coburg

    November 19-22

    November 22, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F

    After an eleven day delay we finally made it to the central Oregon coast for our annual beach meet at Sea and Sand RV Park with Dean & Lesa. https://seaandsandrvpark.com/ Though we didn't get to enjoy our traditional activities of lunch and cocktails in Depoe Bay and pizza, beer and football at the Tide Pool Pub, we had take-out pizza at our campsite. All in all we had a fantastic weekend visiting with good friends, listening to the surf crash on the sand and walking miles on the beach. Perfect autumn weather, sunny and calm.
    We returned to Coburg to finish up with the water heater and washer/dryer and hope to begin our journey south later this week.
    Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving. 🦃    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler
    Fall to Winter
    Zoom visit with Gary & CarrieWaitingVisiting LisaA Zoom ThanksgivingThanksgiving Dinner for two

    November 23-26

    November 26, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

    It seems that we've been in Coburg so long that it's transitioned from autumn to winter. Our motorhome servicing is finally finished! Oil change and lube✅, windshield replaced✅,
    radiator flushed, fan controller replaced✅, new water heater✅, new washer/dryer✅,clearance lights replaced✅.
    We also caught up with Gary and Carrie via Zoom and reconnected with Lisa, a former coworker and good friend, that we hadn't seen in 25+ years.
    Today I prepared a turkey dinner while Randy washed our motorhome and car, then we had a Zoom Thanksgiving chat with family. We look forward to the day when we can safely resume hugs and big family get togethers.
    Tomorrow we begin our journey south where we'll spend December at Catalina Spa and RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs, CA.
    Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving.    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler
    San Joaquin ValleyThe Orange Grove RV ParkOur home for the next monthThe reason we head south for the winter

    November 27-29

    November 29, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    After thoroughly testing the new washer/dryer and water heater we started our southerly migration on Friday. We stayed at Rolling Hills Casino RV Park in Corning, CA our first night, night two at the Orange Grove RV Park in Bakersfield, CA where we harvested about 30 lbs of oranges. Today we took a slightly different route to our destination. We went through Barstow then Yucca Valley thus avoiding the congestion around Los Angeles to arrive at Catalina Spa and RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs, CA. 😎Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler
    Cat Spa Sunset
    Beaver MoonBill's Pizza take out

    Nov 30-Dec 13

    December 13, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    It's been a quiet two weeks here at Catalina Spa and RV Resort. None of our Canadian friends and many of our good friends from the states won't be joining us this season. Our pickleball friends from outside the resort aren't allowed to play on our courts and there is no organized play. Also, most of the resort activities have been curtailed. Still... it's good to be where it's warm and sunny in a place we can be active and enjoy outdoor activities, so I can't complain too much.Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler

    Dec 14-23

    December 23, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    We've been getting our exercise by taking afternoon hikes in the surrounding desert and walks and bike rides around the area as well.
    My cousin Steve and Karlene came over for a socially distanced happy hour. We had a wonderful time visiting, snacking and sipping wine. 🍷
    Randy and I drove up to Joshua Tree National Park where we took a short easy hike into the boulders on the Arch Rock Trail before hiking the Forty-nine Palms Oasis Trail, a good workout with a beautiful oasis at the end.    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler

    December 24-31

    December 31, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    We ended our last week in Desert Hot Springs and of 2021 watching some beautiful sunrises and sunsets, catching up with family and friends via Zoom and by phone, enjoying take-out from some of our favorite restaurants, replacing the window awning & slide topper canvas and playing lots of pickleball.
    Saturday we depart for Fiesta Grande RV Resort in Casa Grande, Arizona.
    ❤️ Love to all of our family and friends and best wishes for a happy, healthy and Covid free New Year! 🥂    Read more

  • Debra Giltz2020Traveler

    Oct 8-Nov 13

    November 13, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

    Autumn has definitely arrived here in the PNW with temperatures dropping and rain falling. I've been out to lunch at some new restaurants with my friends Jan and Terri where we enjoyed good food and conversation.
    We continue to play pickleball a couple times a week, transitioning from outdoor to indoor play. We also checked out two new indoor private courts.
    My sister, Marcia, treated me to a Live Wire performance for my birthday and I treated us to dinner. The performance was at the Patricia Center for the Performing Arts in Beaverton, a beautiful venue. Thank you sister!
    After much research, by Randy, we purchased Lectric e-bikes. It's been a bit of a learning curve and I found you can definitely get a good workout pedaling them with no or minimal assist from the motor. Last week we took a nice long ride on the Cazadero and Springwater trails. https://lectricebikes.com/
    We've been slowly preparing for our southerly migration to our home in Arizona later this month.
    Wishing all of our friends and family a Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃    Read more

    Trip end
    December 31, 2020
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