StoneRidge Gal

Thank Goodness for a 30 day warranty

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 20:15:00 +0000

I had every intention of updating this blog on a regular basis depending on where we stopped, traveled through, etc. Due to the lack of WiFi that has not been possible. So let me catch you up.

We left Blanchard on Saturday, November 12th packed to the gills; stuffing shoes, blankets and other small items into any tiny hole available and with just enough room for Maggie we headed out of town.

We made a couple of stops along the way to visit with friends, but finally got a chance to see the motorhome for the first time on Nov. 15th. At first glance it doesn't look too bad considering it's 17 years old. We dealer that sold us the coach let us stay in it for a couple of nights and that's when we started to notice the laundry list of items that needed fixing the worst of which was a leak in the fuel lines. We were very happy that we thought to ask for a 30 day warrantee.

We left Mesa on Friday the 18th at 2pm with the hope that we could make Flagstaff before dark. Our next round of issues reared their ugly heads almost immediately. In the heat of the afternoon we found out that the air conditioner didn't work, we thought we didn't have a radio, and that night as the temperatures dipped below freezing, we found out that the heater didn't work in the cab and neither did the furnace. Can you say Brrrrr!

Our second day on the road started off with a pit stop at Horseshoe Bend, a great recommendation, we got a spectacular view and a nice walk all in one.

We arrive at the Trailer Ranch RV park on Saturday the 19th and get set up, where we now find that the hydraulics have a leak, Yikes! Even with all of our issues, Newmar pros Jim & Patty said they thought the rig looked pretty good. So we just continue to write down the things that need to be repaired. (Because they couldn't fix everything before we had to leave Mesa they agreed to extend the warranty beyond the 30 days. We'll be dropping the coach back with them after our tour of duty in Santa Fe). In the meantime, we have gotten settled in our new home on wheels. The park where we are staying is pretty nice 2 locations for laundry, a dog park, and centrally located. With Thanksgiving looming the resort was pretty full which must have been why the wifi was so weak I couldn't use my computer and we're lucky if we get 2 bars of cell service, hence the lack of communication on social media sites.

We started work on the 21st at the See's Candy holiday store.

We've been here now for a 10 days and we are starting to get he swing of things. We found a local community center where we can play pickleball 3 days a week and Maggie has her new routine for play time and walks. She is now completely spoiled as she sleeps in our bed every night.

We got our first snowfall yesterday and it has since melted off, but the low temps will continue for a few more days. Steve's uncle Tom was a resident here in Santa Fe for many years so we will be making an attempt to hit the restaurants he has recommended. We have already experienced the chilli here, which is extremely hot so we order our meals with it on the side.

Now that we don't have as many neighbors the wifi has improved which is why you are reading this now. Not to be selfish but I hope it stays this way until after Christmas when we be returning to Mesa to drop off the RV for what we hope will be final repairs.

Counting Down the Days!

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 15:45:00 +0000

I'm not counting down to Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas or the opening of Trolls. In less than 2 weeks we will begin our trip to pick up our motor home in Mesa Arizona.

Thinks are piling up in preparation. We purchased a rooftop cargo box in which our golf clubs and vacuum cleaner will fit.

Unfortunately, we won't know how much we can fit until we can actually start loading up the car. Right now we are contemplating leaving as early as the 12th or 13th. You'll know when we do!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 17:24:00 +0000

It's been a long time since I've posted and since then a lot has happened.

First, in March the passing of my Dad. Fortunately, I was able to be there to say my good-byes.

Second, Steve and I did some real estate juggling. We sold a duplex, purchased in 2007, in Coeur d'Alene and bought a 1.2 acre lot adjacent to StoneRidge. One of four lots as part of Blanchard Creek Acres where we plan to eventually build and live.

Blazing a trail on the lot

We decided to have a cocktail on the new lot to celebrate.

Third, we purchased a 1999 Newmar Dutch Star 38' motorhome and for the first time EVER will be taking a 4 month trip away from home. We plan to leave StoneRidge on November 15th for Mesa, AZ where we will pick up the coach.

Fourth, we will be adding a new job to our resumes. We will be working in Santa Fe, New Mexico for See's Candy from Thanksgiving to Christmas with our friends Patty & Jim Mosier. See's has a program where they hire retired RV'rs to manage their holiday stores. Patty & Jim have been doing it for quite a while now and we hope to be managing our own store next year. That is assuming we like it... time will tell.

StoneRidge Gets Blown Away

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 17:37:00 +0000

As many of you have heard, the Pacfic Northwest was hit with a record setting windstorm on November 17, 2015. The following slideshow will let you see how we fared here at StoneRidge.

A Hole That Can't Be Filled

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 19:12:00 +0000

It's been ages since I've posted anything on my blog and it's a shame that it had to take something like this to compel me to do so again. For some reason today I just had to write about my Mom.

My Mom & Dad in the early 50's.

I had never seen this photograph until it was posted

on my cousin's Facebook page after my Mother's death.

I always thought that I was so independent growing up. I moved away from home when I was 19, but moved back home a couple of times. But when my son was born in 1990 my mother once again became a critical cog in my daily routine. She was my mother, but more importantly she was my son's babysitter.
I saw her every Monday - Friday and sometimes on weekends. Then when I met Steve and moved down to San Pedro, in 2000, I thought "How great not to be under my parent's scrutiny every day!" Funny, I guess I still wanted to be "independent". Selfishly, I hadn't considered the impact on my parent's lives. Not that it would have made any difference in my moving. Then we made a bigger move up to Idaho. I no longer had the ability to just jump in the car to visit my parents & siblings. But life goes on. Our new busy lives make days fly by as thoughts of "I need to give Mom a call" buzz in and out of my head. Looking back now after 10 years, maybe I should have called more often, or made an effort to drive down to visit, when I had the opportunity. Again the thoughts of calling Mom were there but never acted upon.

This is the last picture taken of my Mom, 5 days before she passed.

Pictured here with my sister Karen who she was visiting in Las Vegas.

My worst nightmare became reality on July 2nd when I got the call from my niece that Mom had a massive heart attack and was on life support. The next day I few to Las Vegas to be with my Dad, brothers and sisters to say good bye to the person who made the biggest impact on my life.

She's been gone 12 days now and most days are okay, then out of the blue it hits. To see me crying for no apparent reason would be quite common lately except I hide out when it overcomes me. Right now I have to be sure that my tears don't short out my keyboard as I type this and hope that Steve doesn't notice. He would just try would console me and there isn't anything anyone can do to help. It just needs to be done, and in a few minutes I'll be okay again.

Even though I hadn't spoken with her for a couple of weeks, I know that my Mom knew that I loved her. And it makes me feel glad knowing she "went out" doing what she loved best. She had a great week with Karen and her grand & great grand kids. They went shopping, got a hair cut & pedicure. She won on the slots and on her last waking day on this earth she went to the movies and had a hot dog and ice cream.

And when she takes a break from playing that big slot machine in the sky, she'll hear me as I tell her that I love her and miss her every day.

Happy Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:47:00 +0000

A Halloween Treat from the Suarez-Bradford Clan.

Be sure to pause MyTunes before viewing the video.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:50:00 +0000

The Stoneridge Ladies, all 16 of us, traveled down to Lewiston this past weekend to participate in the 2010 Northern Region Golf Association Tournament South. It's a 2-day event, which we willingly turn into 3. Stoneridge Pal and team captain Debbie organized the group, making sure everyone had a ride and a room.
Last year my Stoneridge Bunch was 4 to a room, this year we all decided we needed more space so decided to just double up.
I joined Stoneridge Pals Patty, Terry & Carol for the 3 hour drive down. Patty drove, I navigated and Terry & Carol made sure both of us did our jobs properly. It was a quick trip made eventful with a stop at A&W for happy hour. Who can pass up 1/2 price root beer floats?
Within our group we had two Mother-Daughter Teams with us. Diane and Rachea with Linda and her 80 year old Mom Lucy.
After we checked in we needed to make a stop at a local grocery store for appetizers needed for the get together with the rest of our team after volunteering Betty & Sherry's room to be party central.
By 6pm drinks have been poured and plates are piled with a variety of tasty treats. Having only a dresser and desk in the room along with 2 queen beds and being the ingenious gals we are the ironing board was set up to hold the platters. We all learned one very important fact... Howard Johnson's has very sturdy beds.

Wait! Where's Betty?

Following our little party, the few gals that arrived early to play a practice round gave the rest of us an update on the course. It seemed there was one central theme to everyone's advice: "Stay on the fairways!". The roughs were thick and very hard to get out of. There isn't a flat lie ANYWHERE! The greens all slope and are incredibly hard to read. After this update some of the gals were ready to pack up and head home, but were all good and didn't party to hard. Some left to grab a bite to eat, and we were all in our own rooms and settling in by 9pm.

Monday was our first tournament day at Lewiston Golf Club. Tee time was 8:30am and luckily the weather couldn't have been better. It's been so rainy here at Stoneridge lately it was such a pleasure to be in the sun. All but 2 of us played in threesomes or foursomes with ladies from the 7 other clubs. The game is individual best ball with a team best ball to create comradeship within each foursome.

Mother/Daughter Team Lucy & Linda

Our Captain, Debbie collecting the score cards

After my 3rd hole I understood what the gals were trying to explain to us the night before. Unfortunately my attempt to "Stay in the fairways" didn't hold up. As I hacked my way through the rough, out of bunkers, from under trees and attempting to navigate my ball into the cup I came to the realization that I would probably NOT be helping my team out in the scoring. To my surprise, it seems that the field was sharing my fate.After golf we all headed to town for an early dinner at Anthony's where we celebrated our best finish ever.

These were the winners from our group after the round in Lewiston:

Individual Winners

Rachea - Tied 2nd Place Net, 2nd Flight (75) $20.25

Kathy - 2nd Place Net, 3rd Flight (78) $23.00

Stoneridge Gal - Tied 2nd Place Gross, 4th Flight (107) $17.50

Patty - Tied 2nd Place Net, 4th Flight (79) $20.25

Carol - 2nd Place Net, 5th Flight (80) $23.00

Terry - Tied 4th Place Net, 5th Flight (84) $6.00

Team Best Ball - $15.00 Each

Kathy, Rachea, Stoneridge Gal

After the 1st day...Stoneridge's Overall

Team Standing - 4th Place!

Clarkston Country Club was the site for our 2nd day of the tournament. We died and went to heaven! It was flat. Now don't get me wrong, the course's slope/rating was higher than Lewiston. It is flat, but it was longer, tree lined and had water. Overall, the entire field improved.

Even though we wore our red, we weren't able to move up in the overall standings. We did have winners!

Individual Winners
Sherry - 1st Place Gross, 1st Flight (92) $35.00

Rachea - 1st Place Net, 2nd Flight (69) $35.00

Kathy - 2nd Place Net, 2nd Flight (70) $23.00

Patty - Tied 2nd Place Gross, 4th Flight (104) $20.25

Carol - 1st Place Net, 4th Flight (71) $35.00

Betty - 2nd Place Net, 4th Flight (74) $23.00

Julie - 3rd Place Net, 4th Flight (75) $17.50

Kathy - Tied 4th Place Net, 4th Flight (76) $2.50

Team Best Ball - $15 each

Kathy, Rachea

We all had a great time, the Stoneridge team did great and I can't wait to see what happens when the NRGA moves up to our neck of the woods.

Ice Queens!

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 02:13:00 +0000

Saturday, April 10th was the date of the 1st tournament of the season here at StoneRidge. StoneRidge Guy and I decided to play. Our partners were friends and neighbors Dennis & Carol. After a week of crazy weather, we had everything rain, hail and snow, Saturday was supposed to be the turning point. The temperature was supposed to be in the lower 50's, much improved from the 40's, and the wind and rain was supposed to have moved on.

We arrived at the course at around 9:30am with the sun shining a blue sky and the best part... no wind! That didn't last long. By quarter to 10 the wind started up again and brought with it C*O*L*D!!!

There were 24 teams for the men and a whopping 2 teams for the ladies. I think the weather scared everyone off because the field was definitely less that last year. After a 30 minute frost delay the teams set off to their respective holes to begin.

Yes, it was cold. Yes, it was windy. But playing with the 3 ladies in my foursome made it all bearable and we all had a great time.

Enjoy the following short slide show. (don't forget to pause the "MyTunes" on the sidebar).

A list of the winners is at the end of this post.

Ladies Winners:

1st Mary Bradford & Carol Sadeckas 9.2 87/77.9

2nd Dorothy Tompkins & Terry Richter 8.1 87/78.9

As you can see we were closely matched.

Men's Low Gross:

1st Mac Ray & Bam Cousins 3.6 63/59.4

2nd Don Kari & Jared Blair 1.3 67/65.7

3rd tom Shanholtzer & Jim Martin 2.3 69/66.7

4th Ron Cluster & Don Martindale 2.7 70/67.3

Men's Low Net:

1st Dick Penland & Steve Johnson 4.1 67/62.9

2nd Aaron Sexton & Shawn Stanford 4.0 70/66

3rd Steve Bradford & Dennis Saylor 4.4 71/66.6

4th Dan Blomgren & Boyd Bentley 3.2 71/67.8

KP's:

#2 Dorothy Tompkins

#8 Shawn Stanford

#13 Gabe Richter

#15 Jared Blair

#17 Jim Sattleen

Longest Drive Men: J. Blair

Longest Drive Ladies: Carol Sadeckas

In Memoriam

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:25:00 +0000

The video you are about to see has been 18 months in the making. Not so much because of any difficulty, but it just kept getting put on the back burner. I figured I'd get to it later. Then as I worked on the project it kept morphing into what it is today.

I first heard about our topic at one of our Mammas on a Mission meetings. I happened to look out the back door at Stoneridge neighbor Gail's home, where the meeting was being held. What I thought were statues turned out to be live geese. She hooked me by telling me that her husband taught the female to fly. I decided right then that I would come back to get the whole story.

Gail kindly told me about Goosey Goose and Mr. Fella and supplied me with most of the photos. I wanted Gail and her husband Bob to see the final product and give it their blessing. Unfortunately over the course of these 18 months Bob had been diagnosed with cancer and has since succumbed to it's treatment. Learning of his passing motivated me to finally finish it.

(please excuse my raspy voice and a few stumbles,
and make sure to pause the "My tunes" on the sidebar.)

As told to me by Gail, I give you "Goosey Goose and Man who Taught Her To Fly"

'Til Next Time...

Spring Has Sprung!

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:48:00 +0000

Today was a picture perfect here at StoneRidge. It was warm enough for short sleeve shirts and shorts. The sun was bright and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. There couldn't have been a better way to usher in the Spring.
Can you name 10 things that comes to mind?

Spring Cleaning

Spring Board

Spring Training

Spring flowers

Spring Fling!

Spring Break

A warm sunny day on the course

Hikes with the dog

Friends Returning Home

Dinners at the Grill

There is only one thing that could have made this day any better...
If you all could be here to enjoy it with me.

What You Don't Know About G.O.L.F.

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:01:00 +0000

Now Let's Get This Straight!

In my quest to come up with a clever name for our Ladies Golf Tournament I came upon a few websites dedicated to the etymology of golf terms. The one fact most surprising was where golf got it's name. It's not what you think...read and learn. (an excerpt from The Etymology of Golf Terms)

"Golf: First off, let's get one misconception out of the way from the very start. Golf does not, and has never been an acronym for 'Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden' even though some golf committees would like it that way!One theory is that the term golf is derived from the medieval Dutch word "kolve" meaning "club". From there, we have Scottish dialect to thank for its transformation into "golve". Another theory is that the origins of the word golf are derived from the Scottish "goulf" - a verb which meant "to strike or cuff", given the game involves a lot of striking the ball.
Either way, by the 1500s, the term "golf" had developed from these routes.

Par: Contrary to popular belief, the term "par" did not originate on the golf course. It entered golf terminology in the 19th Century, and meant exactly the same thing that it did (and does) outside of golf: average, standard, ordinary.
Bogey: Perhaps one of the most bizarre terms in the golfing lexicon, this is a word that actually evolved right here in England. It relates to the Bogey Man who in the 19th Century song said "I'm the Bogey Man, catch me if you can". According to the USGA, golfers at the time pursued the Bogey Man on the golf course - as in they were trying to 'catch' the perfect score. This led to the term 'bogey score' meaning the perfect game.
But now the term bogey denotes one over par, rather than the perfect score, so how did that happen? It came about with the split between professional and amateur golf - from both words being initially interchangeable, par went on to become the term for an average professional score, while bogey became the term for a total that amateur golfers could be pleased with.
Birdies and Eagles: The term 'birdie' is quite easy to explain - if you have knowledge of 19th Century American slang words! In that era, the word "bird" was a way of describing something particularly good - much in the way 'cool' was (and is) used more recently. Simply, a shot under par was 'bird', and this eventually transformed into 'birdie', which was in worldwide use by 1910.
From there, "Eagle" was to follow, simply sticking to the ornithological theme. "Albatross" was a later addition to the golfing vernacular.
Mulligan: Unfortunately, there's no straight answer to how the term Mulligan became a golfing term for retaking a shot. A number of theories have emerged:
The first is simply that it was named after someone called Mulligan who took a 'correction shot', and had the do-over named after him.
A more interesting theory is that the term is actually an ethnic slur against Irish-Americans (Mulligan being a common Irish name) trying to join top class golf clubs, as they were often regarded as poor golfers.
A final suggestion is that the term is derived from old saloons who would keep a free bottle of drink at the bar for customers to take shots from. Allegedly this bottle was called a 'mulligan', and it's possible that this term took on a similar meaning as a 'freebie' in golf.
Fore: The only thing that can be said with any certainty about the origin of this golf word is that it does derive from the fact that 'fore' means 'ahead' (like a ship's fore and aft) - and it remains to this day a warning to those ahead of you on the course.
There are two popular theories as to the specifics of the term's usage on the golf course: The first is that the term has military routes. At the time golf was properly taking off in Britain, infantry troops would advance in formation while artillery was fired from behind. When the artillery fired, there would be a shout of "beware before", which would tell infantrymen to drop to the floor to avoid the shells above. It's entirely possible that this advice applied to the golf course - with shells being replaced by the less dangerous golf ball!
The second is that it came from the term "forecaddie" - a person who accompanied groups around golf courses. The idea behind this is that an errant ball would be accompanied by shouting out "forecaddie" which would later be abbreviated to 'fore', just like the other half has been shortened to 'caddie'."

What was the world's first golf book?

It took about 200 years from the first recorded playing of golf in the late 1440s until the first book on golf was published.

Originally written as diary entries by medical student, Thomas Kincaid, on the subject of how golf clubs were made the world's first golf book was published in 1687 title 'Thoughts on Golve'.

More sites to check out:

Origin and Meaning of Golf Words and Terms
About.com
Wikipedia
A History of Golf since 1497 part I
Chapter II: The Origin of Golf

See you on the links!

Wish You Were Here!

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:27:00 +0000

This is my new alarm clock. It was a pleasure waking to this view compared to the morning fog we've had the past few days.

We had a small group last week at coffee without a lot of new business but with some updates of neighbors. Bob Weaver is back home. Unfortunately, he'll need to start rehab again as he is unable to walk. The good news is that his feeding tube has been removed. Gail is busy taking him to doctor appointments and caring for him at home. So if you're on your way to the market, remember to give her a call to see if you can pick something up and save her a trip to the store.

A recent Facebook status from Ginger: "We are home!!!! Jim finished his chemo yesterday and is doing good, tired but hanging in there."

For those of you still here, the Facebook class has been rescheduled for March 3, 2pm and the Grill. Don't worry, I'll make sure to have another one for those of you who can't be here for this one.

The monthly forum meeting, usually on the 3rd Thursday of the month, will be held next week for March only. So make sure to mark your calendars March 11th, 10am at the Grill during our coffee social.

All of you should have received the StoneRidge Newsletter, so I'll let you read the rest of it there since I don't have any pictures. If you are seeing this and did NOT receive the email make sure to let me know so I can get you on the list.

As you can see we are in for a great week of weather.

The carts are out and there were quite a few golfers out there yesterday.

I drove around the compound to see if there was anything new cropping up.

There's still ice on most of Sans Souci

Until you get to the walking bridge. From there it's at least 200 yards til you hit ice.

So I took advantage of it. Maggie loves to swim and fetch sticks. An I love it because it tires her out!

No new construction going on right now. However, there are more people around. Mostly golfers here taking advantage of the discounted rates. I too will take advantage of this great weather and hit the links today. What are your plans?

'Til next time...

Wishful Thinking

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:27:00 +0000

There are trees in my laundry room.

The weather has been so warm lately, we can't help but think that spring has sprung. Yet, I hesitate to say it out loud in fear that I may jinx it. We came home from a Costco run with 2 dwarf fruit trees and Stoneridge Guy was anxious to get them planted. After letting them acclimate for a couple of days outside he started digging. Unfortunately, the ground is still too frozen to dig deep enough for planting. Even though our highs are in the upper 40's, this morning it was only 16*.

StoneRidge Guy has finished getting our condo in the Fairway Meadows ready to rent. With that chore completed, he has started the trim upstairs. When that's done it will be time to carpet.

Now that I have taken over the temporary duties of the StoneRidge Newsletter, I thought that I would post a corresponding story on same day. That way those of you that have high speed internet can see pictures. So here goes...

The course is open!

Troy is back as assistant pro and will be joined by Josh Gold who starts on March 15th. Josh is from Montana and also worked at the Villa de Paz Golf Course in Phoenix. The pro shop is hoping they can play a larger role in the Men and Ladies leagues, helping any way they can. Troy sent out the preliminary tournament schedule and if you didn't get the email you can see it on the StoneRidge website. Click on the blue "StoneRidge" and it will direct you there. Make sure to check out the "Member" area and specifically the directory to be sure that all of the information is up to date.

The course is open to the public even though it's walking only, but only until March 1st. The carts will come out and so will more golfers. StoneRidge Guy, Mac and Bam play almost daily. I join them about twice a week. That will increase as the weather warms up. As it is, by 3pm you have to start stripping off jackets because it feels so warm in the sun.

The Grill

We have a new Grill manager. Ray Dilcox was introduced to everyone last Thursday. He was the owner of the Priest River Inn. Many of you will remember the Italian restaurant on Main St. in Priest River. He explained his decision to close the Inn and how fortunate he feels that this opportunity was available. He is scheduled to be working full time as of March 1st with the Grill scheduled to open with a limited menu and hours on April 1st. His first act was to tear up the old menu. He plans to add more variety and quality along with some of his "best sellers" from past restaurants and weekly specials.

He gave me a sneak peak at the new menu lunch and dinner menu. All I have to say is that I'm ready to try all of them. From my short conversation with him I feel he understands our needs and is working hard to make The Grill a place where we want to frequent.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

The view from our deck

Lake San Souci has been serenading all of us that live on her shores. Her moans, groans and burps are so loud they can be heard inside the house. I tried to take a movie so you could hear it for yourself. Of course, she was quiet when as I went down to take it. I'll keep trying

The ice is still thick enough to walk on once you get past the 12-60" of thin ice along the edge of the lake. I threw a branch out and Maggie went out and brought it back. What can I say, she's obsessed.

The 16th Fairway

The Motor Coach's dog park got some trees.

Someone's going to get a big storage shed.

From the sounds of it, all of you that headed south for the winter got all of our weather. Rain in the desert and plenty of snow in the mid west and the east coast. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all of those ground hogs that didn't see their shadows on Feb. 2nd were right and we won't have 6 more weeks of winter.

'Til next time...

Want some Cheese with that Whine?

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:30:00 +0000

It appears that our dear Stoneridge Pal Billy has gotten his nose tweaked. He feels he wasn't given as much attention as our other friends. "They all got pictures on the blog..." He didn't. Boo Hoo, Wahh, wahh, wahh!

Consider this my apology.
Don't forget to pause the "Mytunes" on the sidebar.

A funny town called Quartzsite

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:45:00 +0000

The day after the golf tournament in Phoenix, StoneRidge Pals and our hosts Patty & Jim were moving back to Quartzsite, AZ . If you aren't into RV'ing you probably have never heard of it.

"Quartzsite is west of Phoenix at the junction of Interstate 10 and US 95, near the Colorado River. The community has a Sonoran Desert setting. The nearby Kofa, New Water and Plomosa Mountains provide topographic relief while the Colorado River lies only 17 miles to the west. Quartzsite was established in 1867 on the site of old Fort Tyson, a privately built structure constructed in 1856 by Charles Tyson for protection against Indian raids. Named Quartzsite because quartz was occasionally found in the area, the name evolved to Quartzsite through an error in spelling. The Town is currently is 130 sq. miles."

Most of the time this small town is just that...small. But come here in January and February and it's a sea of RV's, trailers and campers as far as you can see. All here to see the largest swap meet in the world. Several StoneRidge motor coach residents stay here in the winter, this is where we came to spend 2 more days.

They are renting the lot from Sandi and Gordon which is in a neighborhood called Rainbow Acres. Once we got set up here they gave us a tour of the town. There isn't much left to see since most of the vendors have moved on along with the RV's. A rainstorm was moving through town, so we decided to just head back and play cards.

The next day brought sunny skies so we headed out to the desert and Kofa's Palm Canyon Trail. Jim had always wanted to hike so off we went. 18 miles south of Quartzsite is the road that takes you to the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge and the Palm Canyon Trail.

Here you see us at the base of the trail. It's a short hike up to find the elusive palms. To be specific, the trees are California Fan Palms. They are not fruit bearing and are thought to be descendents of palms growing in this region during the last periods of North American glaciation.

The palms are able to survive in the narrow side canyons where direct sunshine is limited but some moisture is available.
We managed to time our arrival perfectly as the suns rays crossed into the canyon where we could see the palms.
Then it was back to Quartzite where we stopped to see some of the vendors and to wet our whistles at Beer Bellys.

Back at the coach we passed the rest of the day playing a twist on horse shoes.

The next morning we left our friends for home. After 2 days of driving, we arrived back at StoneRidge. We went from 80 degrees to 40, but not a lick of snow on the ground. While we were gone the warm temps at home melted what little snow remained on the ground. Even the snow belt between Spirit Lake and Rathdrum is clear of snow.

The course is now officially open and Stoneridge Guy and golf Pal Mac play every chance they get. We all wonder, will this mild weather hold through until spring has sprung or will winter surprise us with a fresh blanket of snow?

Winter Road Trip: 1st Annual StoneRidge Golf tournament at Villa de Paz!

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:30:00 +0000

Did I ever tell you how much I miss wearing shorts?

The next leg of our Winter Road Trip took us to Phoenix Arizona where we met up with Stoneridge Pals Jim & Patty. We stayed with them in their motor coach at the Dessert Shadows RV park about 20 minutes from Villa de Paz golf club. Maggie got to play with her sister Sadie and stretch her legs. There were about 6-8 other Stoneridge coaches also staying there for the tournament. We had a mini reunion there and then followed that up with a pre-tournament party hosted by Harriett and Art at their home in Anthem. Nearly everyone was there! It was great to see everyone after 4 months away.

February 7th, 2010 the 1st Annual StoneRidge Golf Tournament at Villa de Paz commenced... and I got to wear shorts! We couldn't have asked for better weather; the sun was shinning with a few puffy clouds in the sky and temps nearing 70. Sign ins started at 8am where Cal & Vickie manned the sign in table. They did such a great job; everything was so organized. There were 52 players teeing off at the 9am shot gun start.

By 1:30pm most of us were through with our round and heading over to Cal & Vickie's house off of the 15th fairway. Now the party really started! With wine and beers to wet everyone's whistle after a day in the sun, it was tough trying to talk to everyone. After lunch was served Cal & Vickie announced the winners and gave out prizes.

Please enjoy the slide show then you can read all of the stats below. (don't forget to pause the "Mytunes" in the sidebar if viewing this directly from the blog.)

Attendees:
Terry & Truman Bennett
Jackie Baldwin
Charles Bently & Brinley Thomas
Mary & Steve Bradford
Ed & Brenda Brown
Cal & Vickie Coates
Larry & Cindy Cunningham
Rusty & Marci Davidson (Marci just came to eat)
Jerry & Darlene Gage (Darlene came to eat too!)
Fred & Thayle Ghio
Harriet & Art Epstein (Art couldn't play due to a hand injury, so guess what he did?)
Judy & Art Evans
Joe & Judy Gregonis
Jacquie & Dick Hawkins
Pat Howell
Val Kasper
Adair & Bruce Kelly
Neal & Betty Knappenberger
Diane & Aaron Knight
Sandi & Gordon Mizell
Jim & Patty Mosier
Hirro Murakami & Yoko Pizzo
Ferrick Nelson
Jim Pearson (he will be returning to Stoneridge in the Spring to teach)
Terry & Gabe Richter
Stew & Diane Stewart
Rick & Linda Swindell
Mary Ellen & Ron Taylor
Diane & Terry Walton (Terry's still recovering from shoulder surgery. He hung out with Art and also came to eat)
Buck & Sharon Wyles

The tournament was so successful I wouldn't be surprised that a lot more come next year.

Winter Road Trip: Los Angeles

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:27:00 +0000

The evening of January 31st found us in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, CA where we stayed with my parents. Here we were also able to see my son Michael and sister Caroline and her husband Kurt. Catching up over dinners were the main events. Days were spent trying to get Michael's car fixed. The 2-1/2 days in the Valley flew by as we were now scheduled to stay with StoneRidge Guy's parents in Glendale, CA.

Dinner on February 2nd begins our stay with Val & Carlos. Wednesday it was lunch, a movie and dinner at their favorite steak house. Here we were also joined by the twins Casey & Ryan.

Our real adventure started the following day as Val booked reservations for lunch at the Getty Center. We had to take the 405 freeway hoping that we would miss the morning rush hour.

It was actually pretty smooth sailing most of the way there. These are sites were are very happy to not see again.

Maggie has been with us every stop along the way and has never been a problem. Forgetting we were in California, we were advised by the parking attendant of the Getty that dogs were not allowed to be kept in the car. (Even though we would be parked underground in 60 degree temps). They refunded our money to park and we were off trying to find a place to park the car. It was an impossible task as any street close enough to walk to the Getty had restricted parking. We were tempted to park and call a cab when I spotted a dog grooming place at the next corner. Problem solved! They were able to take Maggie and keep her for the 3-4 hours needed for us to take our tour and have lunch and she would be all cleaned up when we picked her up.

Back to the Getty we went to begin our day. For the 6 years that I worked at Lithographix, The Getty Center was one of the accounts that I worked. I could tell you everything that was going on there, but I never did go to see it... until now.

Unfortunately, it was cloudy so the views were not as pretty as I know they can be.

We took the garden tour.

It's amazing how detailed the architect and landscape architects were when they designed this museum. We did get to see some art too, but photos just don't do them justice.

Our few hours spent here just isn't enough to take in everything there is to see here. But if you have a day in Los Angeles with nothing to do, I would highly recommend the Getty Center.

Friday took us further south to our old stomping grounds, San Pedro. There we stayed with old neighbors and great friends Bill and Jeanette. Steve and Bill went to Temecula to play golf while Jeanette and I got rained on all day. Sunday was the SuperBowl and Bill set out quite a spread. Just hanging out and spending time with our friends was so great. Our trips down south just don't give us enough time to spend with everyone.

Monday came much too quickly and we were off to Arizona.

Winter Road Trip: Oregon & Sacramento

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:27:00 +0000

After 2 record breaking winters in the Inland Northwest, we thought we would be smart this year. We would plan our trip south in January and miss the really cold weather. So wouldn't you know it, we end up with a mild winter instead. We left StoneRidge on January 26th with no snow on the ground and temps in the low to mid 40's.

So our first stop was Portland to see Steve's long time friend Bill and his wife Cordelia. Arriving in time for band practice with the Moderator Band, Stoneridge guy and me were able to sit in on drums and guitar. I could have played all night!

Day 2 in Portland we were able to play 18 holes at Langdon Farms Golf Club. Even though half of the holes were on temporary greens it gave us a day to practice before our golf tournament in Arizona 2 weeks later.

Our last day we went to visit another one of Stoneridge Guys childhood friends Tom at his home in Banks. He has 20 acres with chickens, cows and of course a dog.

Tom's house in Banks, Oregon

The chickens

The cows. The middle one will be dinner this summer.

Tom's dog Riley

Riley tolerated Maggie enough so they could chase sticks and balls all afternoon. After a crab & egg breakfast, Tom and his friend Marcello took us to the coast for a bit of a tour of Girabaldi Bay and Tom's house on the Wilson River, in Tillamook.

Tom's house is a short distance from the famous

Tillamook Cheese factory

Tom's house sits only about 100 yards from the Wilson River where guide boats are seen frequently fishing for Steelhead, Sturgeon and Salmon depending on the season.

Maggie went exploring down at the river's edge.

After our breakfast we left for Girabaldi Bay. Tom & Marcello have a boat and not only fish, but catch crab and oysters.

We hope to be back soon to see our friends and maybe do some fishing too.

Our next stop would be Sacramento, CA to stay with my sister Angela and her husband Bob. Taking advantage of their proximity to vineyards we decided to do a bit of wine tasting.

The vines were so barren, a stark contrast to what they look like in the summer and fall.

Our last stop at Boeger winery

Looks like they have plenty of wine for tasting!

Bob planned ahead and packed a picnic lunch for us. It was a bit chilly, but we enjoyed some cheese, crackers and ... wine at their picnic area.

Our stay was much too short, only one day. We are hoping that they venture north and stay with us soon. Oh by the way... HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGELA!

Golfing in January... and we're in Idaho!

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:56:00 +0000

Last year at this time we were waist deep in the white stuff and it was C*O*L*D! Fast-forward 12 months and here we are with our days in the mid to upper 40's and sunny. The snow is hard to find here at StoneRidge. What we do have is water, lots and lots of water.

Monday the forecast was for 45 and sunny, so we made an unofficial tee-time for 1pm. We had a 5-some of StoneRidge Guy and me with 3 of our StoneRidge Pals Mac, Dennis and Carol. Truth be told, I wasn't going to go until Carol said she
wanted to play. We all agreed that there were plenty of days last spring that were much colder.

Dennis teeing off on hole #10

Carol warming up

Carol and me

All of the carts are locked up so we had to walk. We decided to play the back side. So we started off to hole #10. I haven't swung a club for almost 4 months so I was a bit nervous. Last to tee off, I was pleasantly surprised at my first drive. It wasn't much worse than any other day on the course last summer.

This was the location of my 3rd shot, about 90 yards from the middle of the green. The reason you don't see a flag is that there isn't one. All of the pins were set at temporary greens, in the fairways about 50 yards in front of the greens. We were playing to the holes on the greens, which were filed with ice. Fortunately, Mac had played a day before and knew where they were.

Steve putting on the 10th green. The round thing next to Steve's foot is the cover plate for the hole.

Most of the bunkers were filled with water, ice or both like this one to the left.

Looking back down hole #11 from the green. Beautiful blue skys and not a spec of snow.

From the tee box on hole #14 you can see some snow on the mountains.

Floating ice in the bunker by #11 green

Looking down the fairway from #14 teebox

Putting on the 18th green

It really was fun. Steve liked it so much that he played again today.

Santa Never Fails!

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:45:00 +0000

We had resigned ourselves that we wouldn't be seeing our families this Christmas holiday. We would just have to be patient and wait until our trip in February. Late November, to our surprise, we find out that StoneRidge Guy's brother and sister were planning a trip to Boseman, Montana the week after Christmas. What was even better was that sons Casey & Ryan were going to join them. This option afforded us an opportunity to not only see our sons, but to see other family as well. A no brainer, we would make a quick trip to Montana. The plan was to leave on Dec 27th and stay until the 31st. The boys would drive back with us and spend New Year's Eve at our new home. Casey had to leave on the 1st and Ryan would stay til the 6th.

Because I knew we would be seeing the boys only 2 days after Christmas, I opted to not ship their gifts, but deliver them in person. Much more fun for everyone all around, especially since they both had included another unusual request from "Santa". So, if you don't already know, a few years ago they started to include some type of wacky gift request on their Christmas wish list. It has become quite the challenge for "Santa" to come up with them. It seems each year they become a bit more imaginative on both sides.

Casey asked for a pinata of himself as an elf filled with eggnog candy canes and Ryan asked for a remote control Laker car. Santa had been working diligently for a month on both of them, so I was very excited to see their reactions.

As planed we left for Montana on the 27th arriving in Boseman late that afternoon. We would be staying in my sister-in-law's sister's condo right downtown and only 15 minutes from her Mother's 15 acre ranch house where the rest of the clan would be staying.

They all decided to have dinner at the condo that night to give us time to settle in. It didn't take long before the Christmas presents came out and the games began. Santa makes our boys work for their gifts. Usually there's a scavenger hunt involved to find clues to the location of their presents. This year they had to find the numbers 1 - 7 in order. Each member of the family was assigned a number and they had to guess who was who. A wrong answer meant they had to perform a task.

Act like a chicken

Steve thought it was quite entertaining.

Rub your tummy and pat your head.

Casey & Evan

The clues

The elf pinata filled with candy canes and eggnog candy

There is a remote that controls this movable basketball court. The Coby doll actually throws the ball.

The next day we headed to the ranch house after renting cross country skiing equipment. Brother's-in-law Paul and John cooked the two dinners we would enjoy. The days were filled with games, skiing, reading and just relaxing. Hard to believe you can do that with 12 people in one house, but it was all done gladly.

The ranch houseThe siblings: Paul, Teri & Steve

The cousins (top to bottom/left to right): Grant, Tyler, Ellie, Evan, Casey & Ryan

Paul's wife Sue. Mother to Grant, Tyler and Evan.

Casey & Steve

John, Teri's husband, in foreground left, giving Ryan & Steve a lesson. Dad to Ellie.

Taking a walk: Teri, Grant, Ellie, Evan, Tyler & John

Maggie looking for a stick. She loved going along.

Casey

John made 15 bean soup for dinner our 2nd night there.

This was dinner each night. Loud but fun!

We left Montana on New Year's Eve morning in a very crowded car. 4 people and a dog along with every one's luggage and presents made for tight quarters. We made it home in time to get ready for the New Year's Eve party which I talked about in the previous post. And enjoyed the few days we had with the boys before they headed home. We were lucky to have wonderful weather the whole time so we could truly enjoy Montana. Boseman is a very cool town and I wouldn't mind going back to visit again.

Party Like It's .... 2010!

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:17:00 +0000

Last year we missed the New Year here at StoneRidge. After hearing how much fun they had, we were really looking forward to 2009. The plan to revisit the Ranch Club for dinner and partying was scrubbed. Instead, our resident Master Chef Steve and Gabe offered to prepare dinner at StoneRidge Pals Tammy & Russ' home. Now we wouldn't have to drive in possibly bad weather after partying all night. All we had to do was show up with an appetizer and cocktail of choice. They did the shopping and the cooking and we just paid the tab. How could we pass this up?!

Our menu for the evening? Steak, Lobster and shrimp with potatoes and salad. YYYUUUMMMMYYYY!!!!!

Guests started to arrive around 7:30pm. There were so many good appetizers it was hard not to be full before dinner even started. A late dinner time was planned so we would all make it to midnight. By 9pm we were all chowing down. Followed by cards and Wii to keep us awake. We waited until 11:45 for dessert.

Tammy busted out the hats and noise makers while we watched the count down on T.V. As we watched the ball drop in Time Square we brought in the New Year here at StoneRidge.

Enjoy the following video as you pause the "MyTunes" in the sidebar.

2nd Annual Holiday Wine Tour 2009

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:17:00 +0000

You'd never think that the Pacific Northwest would be a place where you'd find wineries. But they're here. As a mater of fact there are 145 in the state of Washington. Since StoneRidge is only 2.5 miles from the Washington border we are able to take part in a Spokane annual tradition... Holiday Wine Tour

Twice a year, Mother's Day weekend and the weekend before Thanksgiving, the 14 Spokane area wineries have an open house. They are open regularly for wine tasting, but on these two weekends they also include appetizers and offer wine specials.

Last year there were about 8 of us that went. We worked our way into town and ended the evening with dinner at a downtown restaurant. We had so much fun, that our small group grew to 16!
We chose 6 wineries and this time decided to start downtown and work our way back so we could have sushi for dinner. Our caravan left StoneRidge at 11am. First on the itinerary were the 3 wineries downtown only a few blocks apart.

#1: Whitestone - Here we got our first surprise. The wineries decided to charge $5 per person this year, which could be put toward any purchases. I don't think this will be on our itinerary next year.

#2: Barrister - Now we're talkin' good wine and appetizers. We went here last year and decided that they had the best spread, so we figured we'd better go back. They had the best chocolate truffles!

We actually bought a couple bottles of Rough Justice, uuummmm good! They also let me take a bunch of corks.

#3: Grande Ronde - Here with your $5 entry you got a wine glass that you could take home with you.

#4: Knipprath Cellars: I don't think we bought any wine from here.

#5 Latah Creek - You can see this winery from the freeway. The only other winery that we decided we would check out again. We got to taste all of their wines and they paired each one with a tasty treat.
#6: Liberty Lake Wine Cellars - We thought we made the wrong turn as we headed into a residential neighborhood. They converted a house into their store and wine tasting room.

From here it was a 15 minute drive to the small sushi restaurant. It was already crowded when our party of 14 showed up, (2 of us had to go to a birthday party). Steve and I didn't even order sushi. It's just too expensive up here. We'll get our fill when we visit family in February.

postscript: A few days after our wine tour one of our group gave me a bag full of Grande Ronde wine glasses. Some of our group found out that I only had 3 wine glasses so gave me the ones they got there. Now I have more than enough wine glasses for our friends.

Feel free to stop on by. If you bring a bottle, I'll have the glasses and the time.

Oh, What fun it is to ride...

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 02:18:00 +0000

In our case it turned out to be a 2 horse open wagon.

During one of our coffee/socials StoneRidge Pal Susan mentioned going on a sleigh ride. There are a couple of outfits that offer them in the winter months. We all agreed that it would be a blast so we picked December 17th, which is also StoneRidge Guy's birthday.

24 of us signed up and we carpooled the 90 minute drive north, past Sandpoint to Western Pleasure Guest Ranch. For a mere $19 per person, we got a chili dinner and 45 minute sleigh ride.

This winter has been very mild and we were worried that we wouldn't have any snow for the sleigh. The week before our scheduled ride we got the snow we needed. Everyone was talking about how beautiful it was up there. Unfortunately, our ride was scheduled for 5pm and by that time it was pitch black. We got 12 to a wagon pulled by 2 draft horses.

As you'll see in the following video and slide show, we had this beautiful cabin to ourselves. To kill time before the ride we took advantage of the coffee, tea, hot chocolate and pop corn they made for us. After about 15 minutes we were then all loaded up into our wagons for the 45 minute ride.

After the sleight ride, it was back to the cabin. StoneRidge Pal Russ read a re-write of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" by myself, Susan, Tammy and Terry. Followed by dinner and birthday cake which I had Susan take with her so we could all surprise StoneRidge Guy.

So as one of my favorite L.A. Dejays would say... "So sit back, relax and enjoy..." 'Twas the Night Before Christmas at StoneRidge'

Don't forget to pause the "MyTunes" in the sidebar.

Christmas in Blanchard

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:40:00 +0000

StoneRidge resides in a small unincorporated town called Blanchard. They call themselves "The little town that thought it could... and is proving it can!". In area the town is quite large, but our "downtown" is about 1 block long. We have 1 gas station and "Easy Stop". There's a libarary, a post office, Wash n' Dry, Tavern & Pizza place and the Blanchard Inn restaurant. What else could we possibly need. Well, the residence of this small town are very busy. The unofficial mayor of our town managed to get a grant from the state and we now have a very up-to-date Senior Center. It's got a full kitchen, offices and lots of room for all types of activities and there's always something going on there, especially around the holidays.

Each year the B.A.S.I.C. (Blanchard Area Seniors InCorporated) has a Christmas Party for the residents. They collect toys all year to be given out at the party. Volunteers make chili, corn bread, desserts and bring drinks. Everyone in the area is invited.

This year our Mammas on a Mission group decided we could like to help. We solicited help from our StoneRidge pals for toys, food and help during the party. Needless to say, there was a wonderful response. The party was on December 6th from 1-4pm. Volunteers started setting up the Friday before. Most of us arrived at noon to get the food and drinks set up.

It appeared that there were mostly adults until about 3pm which is when Santa was to arrive.

Each child was able to sit on Santa's lap, then pick 3 toys. 1 hand held, 1 stuffed animal and then a boy's or girl's gift.

I was helping out getting names and phone numbers of the kids so we could get a picture of them with Santa to their families. I still get teary-eyed thinking about the reactions from those kids. Some of these families are very poor, so this could very possibly have been the only Christmas gifts these kids would get.

One little girl was sitting on Santa's lap when her father asked her why she wasn't talking to Santa? She said, "I'm so excited to see him, I forgot what I wanted. This is the most exciting thing in my life!" and with that she just turned and hugged Santa one more time.

Because I was working with one of the B.A.S.I.C. ladies, I was made privy to some background of our "Santas". As it turned out the 2009 Santa was a novice. He was replacing a gentleman who took the role every year the past 30 years. Unfortunately, he was suffering from Alzheimer's and wasn't able to continue. I was told that last year he cried the whole time, somewhere in his consciousness he knew that he wouldn't be coming back again. The ladies had to tell the kids that Santa was just very happy to see them as a reason for his tears.

Our new Santa was incredibly nervous in his new role causing him a couple of sleepless nights prior to the party. But he did very well and is looking forward to continuing each year. By the end of the afternoon about 40 children and 20 adults had their pictures taken with Santa.

To be sure I will be a part of next years party.

Long Over Due

noreply@blogger.com (StoneRidge Gal) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:19:00 +0000

I have not been a good blogger as of late. Compared to last year, it's been almost non-existent. Now that I have some time off from work, there are no more excuses. I guess it's time for me to update everyone.

It will seem like an avalanche of info, but it won't take too long to get caught up. So get a cup o joe or tea and cozy up to your computer and we can pretend that I'm right there, telling you about my last 2 months.

I try to be as diligent in my blogging as my niece, who is the one that got me started in the first place, and whose blog I look forward to reading.

See you in a little while.