March 2010 Newsletter
DECEMBER 2009 NEWSLETTER:
Our first “Winter Luncheon” of this season was held on November 17th at the Country Cottage Restaurant in Woodburn. It was attended by twelve members as follows: Robert D, Judy H, Cecil K, Dorothy L, Laverne M, Diane P, Pat R, Richard S, June S, Celeste V and Editor. Three visitors: Dick Dailey, Blance Kober and Judy Timberlake brought the number of attendees up to fifteen.
Welcome visitors! We hope you’ll continue to attend the luncheons and join us at our camp-outs in the 2010 season.
Once again we owe a vote of thanks to Pat R for her diligence in continuing to contact our members and any prospects who have shown an interest in our organization. Her efforts have definitely increased the attendance at our winter luncheons. The luncheons are truly important in that they keep contact flowing between our members during the “non-camping” months. And they give prospective members a chance to get acquainted with some of us before they commit to one of our four-day camp-outs. In the past year or two, we’ve gained some members after they visited at the luncheons the previous winter.
The final dvd of the 2009 season was delivered to those at the luncheon who had previously ordered them. Three others were sent with Celeste to members who had headed south weeks earlier. This dvd covered the September and October C-O’s at Feyrer Park near Molalla and Champoeg State Park, plus a short recap of all of the 2009 C-O’s. If any of you did not get this dvd and would like to purchase one, it is still available at $4 and one can be mailed to you. Contact your NL editor.
Celeste headed south directly from the luncheon to eventually join those already settled at the Slabs. Those included the “other” Carol W, Evan K and Leo P. Nancy F is also at the Slabs and has her area “looking like home.”
Editor left the Portland area a few days later than Celeste, on the following Sunday (11/22). Although she had not planned to visit the Slabs at this time, circumstances dictated otherwise. Once again, the old saying, “Life’s what happens while we’re making plans,” came into play and she joined the group at the Thanksgiving dinner table in the desert.
According to those who would know, the group at the Slabs was not near as large as in previous years. This year the dinner crowd was in the mid-30s. Six of those were OR-LoW’s!
WagonMaster has 2010 C-O Schedule set and information is printed on the last page. Please save the dates for future reference. Some details may follow in subsequent NL’s.
NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER:
According to the weather service, it looked as though we might be in for a really nasty week. But if we had to have rain, the best place to be camping was in the group site at Champoeg, where we have a heated, enclosed meeting hall. The hall is not only heated, it has a wood-burning stove to keep us extra cozy.
As it turned out, most of the heavy rain came during the nights or very early mornings. Then after the sessions of cleansing rain, the Sun-Breaks (an Oregonian term) were spectacular — made even more so by the multi-colored foliage in the park. (Check out the Photos page on our website.
October tied July for the most attending rigs with 21, and we had no out-of-state visitors here. Members attending were: Bob D, Judy H, Rick J, Jay L, Dorothy L, Jan M, Becky N, Geri O, Diane P, Pat R, Vern R, Frances R, Richard S, June S, Mary T, Celeste V, Carol W, Editor, and new member, Cecil K. (Welcome Cecil!) Two prospective members, Mij Bradley & Blanche Kober also attended. Additionally, June’s sister and Frances’ daughter joined us for an evening. Thank you for coming, one and all!!!
Special thanks to Pat & Dorothy for all their hard work with the planning, food, etc. Thanks to the men who cooked the pancake breakfast. Additional thanks to all who pitched in wherever needed. OR-LoW members like you make our C-O’s the successes they always are.
Monday began with the usual “parking of the rigs” in the group site. Though each of the five electrical pedestals has a 30-amp and two 20-amp connections, we have to park some rigs in front of others and run extension cords to give current to all of the rigs.
This year we had such a great turn-out that several rigs had to go into sites in the adjacent “B-Loop.” We did manage to get everyone parked in time to meet for social hour in the meeting hall. WagonMaster appreciated all the help she got with the various parking situations.
For dinner that evening we were treated to Dorothy’s tasty beef stew and biscuits. Pat made a delicious green salad to complete the meal. After dinner we played beanbag baseball inside the meeting hall.
Tuesday morning the men prepared a pancake breakfast with ham, two kinds of bacon and sausage. The assortment of syrups and jams gave a multitude of choices. Richard even brought home-made orange syrup.
After breakfast Richard gave his RV-ing 101 for those who hadn’t heard it previously. Then, after lunch Ranger Carol (yes, it was another Carol W) gave an interesting talk about the archeological dig that took place in the Champoeg Heritage Area last July. She also passed around a few of the artifacts that were found at the site: a rusty Derringer, a tiny metal pitcher, a small broken bowl, clay pipes, etc. Social hour followed her talk.
After social hour, a few went out for dinner in Newberg. Once they returned, those who wished to dressed in Halloween costumes for the amusement of the others. For the balance of the evening we played games. Carol W and Frances R taught six of us how to play the card game, Hand & Foot. Some played Dominoes; others played Yatzee. Truly a “Name Your Game” evening!
Wednesday turned out to be “food overload day.” We started with a Continental Breakfast of muffins, banana bread, ham, melons, pineapple, orange juice, apple juice and more. For lunch, thirteen of us went to the historic Butteville Store, where we had sandwiches with soup or salad. Then since it was Wednesday, our potluck started at 5:30. Alka-Seltzer anyone?
A brief business meeting was held after dinner. Visitors were introduced. Celeste gave a treasurer’s report. (We’re pretty flush right now, but will soon have to start paying out to secure our reservations for 2010.) Some discussion was held on possible campsites for 2010. (Sixteen of the twenty present voted in favor of returning here again in 2010.) Editor announced that the final 2009 DVD would be sent out to those who wanted to purchase it for $4.00 — with no charge for additional postage and/or mailer. New roster will be enclosed with it. If you were not there and want the DVD, contact Editor or Celeste.
Pat reminded everyone about the winter luncheons. The first one will be at 1:00 p.m. Tuesday (11/17/09). There will be none in December, but will again resume on the third Tuesday of January 2010, and continue through February, March and April. (Directions & details on the “Events” page of this website.)
Becky Norris announced she would order one of the OR-LoW T-shirts for anyone who wanted to contact her. They come in most pastel colors and are $12.50 each — 13.50 for XXL and larger.
After the meeting, we should have spent the remainder of the evening jogging around the room, but instead we again played cards or other table games and snacked.
Thursday the same Continental Breakfast was served, so we again dragged our bloated bodies to the tables. Of course, that evening was potluck leftovers. Editor didn’t even mention that various snacks and goodies were available on the tables at all times. One could “graze” from morning till night if one so desired.
After breakfast, Wagon-Master, June, Rick J & Celeste drove down to check out Willamette Mission State Park for a possible future C-O. There are no h-u’s, but it looks like a definite possibility. It has a level group area, picnic tables and a fire pit. Lots of walking trails and plenty of room for beanbag baseball or ladder golf!
Thursday evening, card and table games were again played — By that time we were barely able to move! No one can say we don’t provide enough very tasty food at our C-O’s.
Friday was check-out morning. We did meet for breakfast again, coffee with whatever leftovers were still available from the Continental Breakfasts. Several people participated in collapsing the tables, stacking the chairs, sweeping the floors, emptying the trash, etc., to leave it as clean as we found it.
Champoeg group site is so popular because independent of the weather, we’re able to meet every morning for breakfast and have various presentations or programs throughout the day. We gather for dinners, and later spend the evenings together playing games, or just visiting. It’s a perfect way to say goodbye to each other after another camping season in beautiful Oregon.
OCTOBER NEWSLETTER:
Our first C-O at Clackamas County Feyrer Park was attended by fifteen campers: Nancy F, Judy H, Cecil K, Evan K, Jan M, Becky N, Diane P, Leo P, Pat R, Richard S, June S, Celeste V, Carol W, Dillard W and Editor.
Ten of the above arrived on Sunday in order to carpool to the nearby Shady Dell Steam Train Park. The steam trains turned out to be quite a bit smaller than most of us expected, but several of us still rode the miniaturized cars around the intricate maze of tracks. The 10-minute ride took a circuitous route through wooded areas, across bridges and around curves. All in all, the park was evidence of many hours of time spent by several train hobbyists.
By the time we returned to Feyrer Park, it was Social Hour, which gave us time to “catch up” with one anothers’ news of the past month. Then, it was dinner on our own. After dinner, a campfire (and more visiting) was enjoyed during the balmy evening. Thank you Dillard, Cecil and Leo for all the wood.
During the Monday morning coffee, Dillard brought out a huge bag of home-grown tomatoes. That spurred an interest in salsa. Soon afterwards, a carload left for the closest Wal-Mart for cilantro and more chips. Upon their return several joined in the chopping and mixing of ingredients. The salsa looked and smelled so good that it was enjoyed at social hour as well as dinner.
For dinner that evening the hosts (Celeste & Editor) provided “Brats ‘n Buns” for a suggested donation. Campers each cooked their own on the Road Grill. Celeste also prepared a crock-pot of beans plus homemade cookies for dessert. Additionally, Becky brought a kraut salad, and we polished off most of the remainder of the salsa. That evening was pleasant enough for another campfire.
Tuesday again dawned clear and warm. Some explored the local area by car. Others walked around the park and across the highway to the boat ramp area. The old and strangely shaped cedar trees in the park, along with the stream that ran behind our campsites made for interesting strolls. This park will probably not be on next year’s schedule, but will be kept in our files for future reference.
Tuesday evening nine members carpooled to have dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Molalla. The nightly visit around the campfire lasted until bedtime.
Rain began about 5:00 a.m. Wednesday. Although it remained cool and cloudy and our campsite was wet, most of the precipitation ended before mid-morning. The sun broke up most of the clouds by early afternoon. That’s when we elected to play a game of “Stack the Slide” over at the children’s playground. The game consisted of stacking three campers (one behind the other) up from the bottom of the slide. Then, others slid down behind them until the slide was full. Leftover members stood on the platform above, while photos were taken. This all involved much laughter and good humor. (It’s amazing how little it takes to amuse single seniors!)
While the slide stacking was taking place, Richard set up the Ladder Golf game back at the campsite. Eight members formed four teams to compete in Ladder Golf. No prizes were given out, and we won’t announce the winners and losers here, but the game was enjoyed by players and spectators alike.
Mary Telles arrived in time for social hour and stayed for the potluck. We’re all glad you were able to make it, Mary. We missed you last month.
Rain held off until after our potluck. Although it began just as we finished eating, the trees were so dense in one part of our gathering place, that we were able to hold our meeting under them without setting up our shelter.
Due to the rain, we cancelled the 50-50 this month. Jan called the meeting to order. Celeste gave a treasurer’s report. Presently our treasury is quite healthy, but that will no doubt change once we have to start paying for our 2010 reservations. We sold eight more dvd’s and have orders for an additional four. That will bring in another $36.00.
Plans for October’s C-O at Champoeg were discussed, and details are as follows:
• Pumpkin carving. (Jan plans to bring five medium pumpkins.)
• Halloween costume contest.
• Games — Indoor and outdoor
• Native Oregonian, Dorothy L will share her knowledge of the Champoeg Heritage Area.
• Butteville Store will be open for lunch
• Champoeg Visitor Center
• Activities: Hiking, biking, geo-caching, discover McMinnville, pancake breakfast, continental breakfasts, surprises!
Thursday left us with only ten campers, but June and Diane had surveyed the area on the day before and managed to wrangle a tour of the Dibble House and Museum for us at1:00 p.m. Some left the park early for lunch at McDonald’s; the rest met up with them at the location. We were met there by Blanche Kober, the president of the Molalla Historical Society.
Blanche gave us a leisurely tour of all of the buildings in this complex. It turned out she is a single RV-er! We were thrilled that she accepted our invitation to join us for our potluck leftovers and stayed to watch a modified version of Beanbag Baseball Thursday evening. If possible she’ll come to part of our C-O next month at Champoeg. She also stopped by Feyrer Park Friday morning before the last of us left, to drop off pamphlets listing all the Oregon museums
SEPTEMBER NL
High-Fives to all of those who donated refunds you were entitled to (from any and all sources) to our treasury. It helps our cause tremendously! Thanks also to all of you who bought the first DVD of the May & June C-O’s. Our club treasury is $36 healthier because of your support. Hopefully future DVDs will just keep getting better and better.
Additional thanks to Paul T, our representative at the LoW 40th Rally, for his good humor, his efforts toward giving his best performance and most of all, his patience with the rest of us!
Appreciation is also sent to Becky N for her initiative and efforts in providing us with the option of OR-LoW T-Shirts proudly showing our logo. These are available to us for just the cost that Becky pays for them — $12.50.
Our August C-O at Big Eddy County Park near Vernonia, was a great success in many ways. OR-LoW members in attendance were: Judy H, Jay L, Jan M, Diane P, Leo P, Pat R, Richard S, June S, Paul T, Celeste V, Carol W and Editor. New member Nancy Fausone also attended. (Welcome, Nancy!) Evan rode over on his “skooter” from St Helens for social hour on Wednesday.
Visitors were: June’s sister Rose, FT LoW, George Stauffer and 9 members of the NorWest LoW’s from WA, who caravanned down behind Tony Martin. We also enjoyed the company of two prospective LoW members: Cecil King from Aumsville and Rich Larson, all the way from Bend. We look forward to seeing you both at future C-O’s. Since we are no longer able to avail ourselves of the Mill City Dog Daze for a fund-raiser, we set up our own “Revenue Enhancement” Swap-Fest. Thanks to the generosity of members and visitors, we raised just over $160.00 for our shrinking treasury.
The Washingtonians proved to be worthy adversaries in games of Beanbag Baseball. The Oregon “Eddy Bombers” beat them soundly on Monday evening, but the NorWest Mariners came back strong to even it up on Tuesday. Both games were spirited and enjoyed by all. Think some of the young people staying in the park got a kick out of seeing people the ages of their grandparents’ having such a great time. The kids came to watch our games both evenings!
Tuesday evening, C-O hosts Jan and Judy (with some assistance from Jay) put on an excellent “Potato Bake” dinner (with many assorted toppings) for all members and visitors. Many thanks for dealing with the warmer than usual weather and “potatoes with problems.”
The WA caravan pulled out Wednesday morning. They invited the OR-LoW’s to join them at one of their C-O’s and said they’d like to visit at another one of ours sometime in the future. Here’s hoping it works out. Having the extra group greatly enhanced our outing. Thanks for coming. Come back soon!
Wednesday evening was our usual potluck. However, this time the selection was anything but usual. There was an exceptionally wide variety of tasty and tastefully-done dishes that all complimented one another and made for a well-rounded and palatable dinner. Since ours is truly a “potluck,” as we don’t ask attendees to “sign up” for a specific category of food, it’s possible to end up with what Celeste describes as our “Bean Salad” dinner, which actually occurred at a previous C-O. Editor is going to rate this one 5 *****s.
This was our first time at “Big Eddy.” Although the park is eight miles from the nearest town of Vernonia, we found plenty to occupy ourselves. During our “Swap-Fest,” June set up a table and worked one of the jigsaw puzzles offered for sale. Judy sat in for some extra help on that. Of course we had our beanbag baseball games the first two days. Another game amongst the OR-LoW’s was also played on Wednesday evening.
Earlier Wednesday, Richard set up a game of “Ladder Golf” that was way too challenging for some of us. (Others however, scored very well.) Various card and domino games were enjoyed during most of the afternoons. Morning and evening campfires afforded opportunities for camaraderie with other singles and getting better acquainted with some of our visitors and newer members.
Since the weather was unseasonably warm for the northwest, the abundance of trees was a blessing. Even during the afternoon temperatures it was quite pleasant in the shade of the all of the old growth cedars. Another plus was the W/E hook-ups that were available at each campsite.
Of the few negatives to this park, one was the lack of cleared trails. There was supposed to be a trail along the Nehalem River toward the “Big Eddy.” The trail was so overgrown that it was impassable. For those who like to hike, this was a disappointment. Another small disappointment was the complete lack of any cell signal. For those of us with family we needed to contact, it was a minor inconvenience.
Most campers felt the plusses outweighed the minuses. Getting large rigs to some sites presented a bit of a challenge. However, the fact that the park has managed to fit RV sites (with E/W H-U’s) among the wooded acres gave campers the best of both worlds in a beautiful setting — And, at a very moderate price.
The camp host informed WagonMaster that various improvements are still in the works. They plan to pave the main roads and trim more tree limbs. Perhaps in future years, the trail(s) will also be redeveloped. WagonMaster intends to make this suggestion to the Colombia County Offices. Input from members (who attended this C-O) regarding the Big Eddy CG will be appreciated and noted. This information will also be passed on to future W-M’s
Re the September C-O at Feyrer Park near Molalla: Many are checking in on Sunday as we are planning a trip to the Molalla Steam Train Park (Shady Dell Pacific Steamers) that is only open on Sndays. Because some of our sites will be occupied the day before, we will try to check in and be ready to leave for the steam train park about 2:00 pm. There is a large parking lot across Feyrer Pk Rd where we can probably wait if needed. W-M will try to be there early and check with camp host for alternative temporary parking.
Hosts Celeste & Wilson are planning a “Brats ‘n Buns” evening on Monday. Dinner will also include beans, potato salad, etc. A moderate donation will be asked.
After dinner Editor showed the dvd of the May & June C-O’s. Due to lack of electric, it could only be viewed on a laptop computer. Six were sold the first night. Two more were sold later and three have been ordered for a total of eleven, making a net profit of $33 for our treasury.
Wednesday two different groups carpooled to the Latimer Textile & Quilt Center and the Pioneer Museum in Tillamook. Both stops were definitely worth the trip and the small entry fees. The textile center had many interesting displays of quilt and textile fine art and gifts. The museum consisted of three floors of artifacts relating to Oregon’s 150 years as a state. Another small group took the Three Capes highway to view the Cape Meares Lighthouse and Octopus Tree.
After dinner, president Jan called a business meeting to order. Visitors were introduced; Celeste gave a treasurer’s report. There was a brief discussion of the new state park reservation regulations and paying for books we exchange. After the meeting, the fog and the wind made it impossible to review the dvd.
Returning from the falls, Rick spotted a large herd of elk on the east side of the highway. They were too far away to get photos, but once we were back at the c-g, Rick and others hiked across a field where Rick set up his high-powered photographic equipment to get the shots that are included in this NL and on our website.
We had 18 attendees: Members, Dorothy L, Evan K, Becky N, Geri O, Vern R, Richard S, Mary T, Paul T, Celeste V, all three Carol W’s; plus new members, Bob Daulton, Diane Palmieri and Dillard Weathers. Welcome!! Vistors were CA LoW, Olga Levay and GA LoW Bob Mobley with his son, Bob, Jr. (Guess if we had given a prize for the one who came from the greatest distance Bob Mobley would have won it hands down!)
Officially, the first day of the C-O was Monday, but eleven of the eghteen showed up on Sunday. All of our sites were just reserved as “Wilson” with dates of occupation. So, WagonMaster arrived on Saturday in order to assign space according to rig size, etc. We were asked not to check in before 1:00 on Sunday as the park was close to full due to the Sisters Rodeo just ending that day.
About 11:00 a.m. Vern R arrived from Bend to assist W-M with the placement of our orange directional signs. He then drove on to “Camp Polk” to finalize the details of the tour he was to conduct later that week. Our first campers began showing up shortly after W-M’s return to the park.
We were assigned a large, grassy area containing four picnic tables, surrounded by the sites occupied by our “dry” campers. Those with full h-u’s were in sites just across a park road, surrounding this area. Sunday evening campers prepared their own dinners in their rigs and brought them out to the tables to eat together. Dillard W had once again supplied us with ample wood, but no campfire was lit that night.
Monday some went on an electronics shopping spree to Bend. Our treasurer (& others) walked to the local US Bank to make our deposit, then went off to shop the local bakeries. Later the rest of our group arrived, including the two Georgians who had seen our c-o dates in the national NL. That evening all enjoyed a delicious meal of bar-b-que pork sandwiches, salads and dessert brought by our hosts, Geri O & Vern R. Thank you both for all your endeavors. A campfire was enjoyed after dinner.
Our main “mission” on Tuesday was to shop the thrift store(s) for a suitable outfit for Paul T to represent us at the national 40th Rally in the “Miss Piggy” contest. To this end several walked to town — some in groups, others on their own. A good start was made, but several items are still being sought to complete Paul’s ensemble.
Once back at the park, menus for two nearby restaurants were passed around. Most of the group went out to eat that evening, choosing Mexican or Italian. The great thing about this RV park is that the restaurants (as well as other shops) are all within walking distance. W-M later had a brief slide show of our May C-O. The evening ended with a campfire.
When we returned from our earlier trip into town we noticed that some workmen were beginning to cut through areas of the blacktop roads within the park. There were also other pieces of large equipment and trucks poised to begin what appeared to be a big project. W-M had been informed that there was to be this type of work starting on Friday, the day we left.
The riddle was answered when Nicole (Public Works Administrative Assistant) arrived at W-M”s RV with serious apologies. (Nicole has been our contact person since W-M made the initial reservations in the fall of 2008.) There was a mix-up with the paving company and the work had to begin several days early. In return for our inconvenience, we were offered a two-day refund for our sites. All of our campers agreed this was a generous offer from the city. The noise was only a minor inconvenience as the crews quit work at 5:00 each day and were mostly in the other end of the park until our last day.
Wednesday, three vehicles caravanned out of the city to Camp Polk where Vern R gave an interesting tour of the area. Camp Polk was established as an army fort in 1865 to protect the settlers from hostile Indians. The Indians of that area were not hostile, so the fort became one of the stations on the Santiam wagon road. The Hindman family later homesteaded the area and the frame of their 1871 barn has been preserved. It is now the oldest structure in the county. Thank you for your informative and interesting tour, Vern.
Upon our return, we each had lunch on our own then several got together for a game of Mexican Train in the central area. It had been long enough since some of us had played that we had to keep going over the rules. We planned to have an afternoon of “Hand & Foot” instruction the following afternoon, but the wind kicked up just enough to disallow any card playing.
Wednesday evening was our potluck. Former OR-LoW member, Jay Cushman joined us for the occasion. (Good to see you, Jay.) We also invited the camp host, Patty Werner and Nicole from the Sisters Public Works Dept. to join us. As usual we had more food than we could eat.
Celeste conducted a brief business meeting after the potluck. After all-around introductions, she welcomed our three (count ‘em, three!) new members. A treasurer’s report finished the business. Another slide show was played of both Fishermen’s Bend plus any additional photos of Sisters.
Thursday saw more than half of our group exiting. We had only eight remaining for the balance of the C-O. At noon Dillard drove four members to the Sno-Cap for burgers and/or ice cream. The remaining three walked and got ice cream. W-M also got a few more photos along the way. We left early Friday to escape the continuing construction.
June S was unable to attend due to her surgery on that Tuesday. Her son called Celeste to inform us that the operation had gone well and June was recuperating. Editor will keep you informed by email (or phone) as we get updates. She hopes to be able to attend the July C-o in Tillamook. Richard graciously volunteered to host in her place if she is not up to it. Leo P was also unable to attend due to a last minute mechanical problem with his RV.
The hosts and wagonmaster spent the first hours of Monday getting our OR-LoW directional signs out on the approach to the CG, then through the winding roads to our reserved group site. Once the signs were in place, incoming members were greeted and assisted with parking in our site. (Due to the great turnout, we also needed overflow sites for six members.)
A large, covered shelter with seven picnic tables and a wood-burning stove stood adjacent to the group camp. Even though it was a BLM location, everyone also had water and electric. In Oregon, a covered meeting area and H-Us are a definite plus any time of the year, but especially this early. Since nothing special had been planned for the first evening, at least half of the group went out for dinner in nearby Mill City.
Mother Nature decided to remind us we were still in Oregon on Tuesday — Yes, the rain began late Monday night and continued on and off all the next day. The showers were sporadic though, and so allowed enough dry time for a hike along the N Santiam river trail by several of our group. The river was full and running extremely fast after the heavy winter snows this past winter. That added much to the scenic beauty of our walk. The sun even made a few brief appearances to brighten our way.
Being Oregonians, the hosts had planned ahead and brought tarps to enclose one side and end of our shelter. Tuesday afternoon Mary T (assisted by the two Carols) started the soup pot. Other members made sure the stove within the shelter had a warming fire going all day and into the evening. Special thanks to all who brought the generous supply of cut-to-fit logs.
Our meals are usually held at 5:30, but the soup was ready at 5:00 and the air was damp and chilly. Therefore, we quickly approved moving our dinner time up to 5:00! Rolls and French bread, kept warm on the wood stove were enjoyed with the soup.
The rain had passed through by Wednesday morning, and the few remaining clouds soon gave way to sunshine. Word reached us that the Senior Center in Mill City was having a bake sale fundraiser. Never let it be said that our group doesn’t support local organizations. Yes! We went to the bake sale. We brought back cinnamon rolls and banana bread. The banana bread was shared with those who hadn’t attended the sale. (Cinnamon rolls were consumed in solitude by those who had bought them.)
It was brought to the attention of the hosts and wagonmaster that our large OR-LoW signs were missing from the highway on both approaches to Fishermen’s Bend. An investigation revealed that they had been removed by the highway maintenance crew(s). Luckily, the signs had not been destroyed, but it took a 48 mile roundtrip to a maintenance yard to retrieve them. Guess we’ll know better than to install signs on that highway again!
Our potluck was held on Wednesday evening and a varied selection of hot and cold dishes filled the table with more food than we could eat — although we did give it our best efforts. Leo’s dessert was once more the hit of the meal. Photographic evidence of one of our hosts polishing off the last helping is on the NL picture page.
President Jan presided over a brief meeting following the potluck. Celeste gave a treasurer’s report. Hosts, Carol W & Mary T were thanked by W-M for all their efforts. Under new business, Celeste brought up the need to change our dues from $8 to $9 — thus making it an even 75¢ per month when new members join during the year. Vern made a motion to raise the dues to $12, for an even $1 per month. The motion was seconded and passed by a unanimous vote.
The next item was Paul T’s trip to the LoW 40th Reunion Rally in Indiana this coming September. Our members were all quite pleased to have Paul represent our chapter in the “Miss Piggy Pageant” at that event. Measurements were taken and members will use the June, July & August C-Os to shop for (what we hope to be) an award-winning outfit.
Thursday morning saw a few of our group checking out one day early. Most of the rest of the campers spent the day visiting, hiking, etc. Nancy F needed help to pick up her just-purchased, pre-owned 22’ travel trailer. Fortunately, Dillard “volunteered.” He pulls a TT and had the tools and the knowledge needed for this “mission.” After a long and trying day, the two of them finally arrived back at camp a little before 5:00 towing the trailer, but still without turn signals.
The group dined on leftovers from our potluck and later enjoyed s’mores around the campfire that evening.
Early Friday Dillard donned his coveralls, grabbed his tools and began working on the wiring needed to complete the electrical h-u’s before Nancy had to leave camp. Dillard, Carol W & Nancy barely made it out before check-out time. Thank you, Dillard — from all of us! It’s certainly a good thing you were there.
