McMinnville, Oregon: We were awakened by Mother Nature this morning with a downpour. Raining sheets. It was dark outside. Cold. 42 degrees. Rain on the roof of a motorhome sounds nice. Can't say the same when it is dumping buckets on the roof.
Lisa's Godmother, Nancy, had a luncheon for us this afternoon, inviting other mutual friends, Karen & Akin. It was so nice to see everyone again and interesting to see Nancy's house after she lost a massive tree - and several other trees - on her property during the terrible storm last winter in Portland. There is certainly more light in her gorgeous garden now. It will take a while to get used to her "new" house. She served champagne and lovely appetizers, and a chicken salad with corn bread. Dessert was a berry compote with meringue and whipped cream. Really a lovely luncheon.
On the way home from Nancy's (she lives in Portland), we stopped at my old neighborhood market, New Seasons, and stocked-up for our next location - 4 days on the cold Oregon coast. This is the nicest grocer ever. I really miss shopping here (take that, Ralphs). We did find nice Oregon cherries, but I only bought a few, knowing they will not really be great until a few weeks from now.
With all the food we consumed at lunch, we did not have dinner tonight. Only appetizers. I mixed a bit of cream cheese (thank you, Gina) with Everything Bagel seasoning, smeared it on a water biscuit, and topped the crackers with gravlax. So easy and filling enough.
There is news from Los Angeles: Lisa and the Tres Amigos are home from their three-night La Quinta Adventure. Lisa says she is broke and exhausted, but I was on speaker-phone in the car and the boys told us they had a GREAT time. Lisa said the kids went fishing again last night after dinner and caught three more fish (returned to the lake, of course). Also, Lucile and her cousin (son of Lenny's sister) flew to DC today (with Lenny's sister) to spend a week with their paternal grandparents. After a few days in DC, Grandma and Grandpa are taking the kids on the train to New York City to see all the touristy things and then to a Broadway show! Lenny's folks made the same trip with Leo when he was 9, so I guess this is a family tradition. What fun for Lucile and her cousin - lifelong memories.
Until my next update from the coast, I remain, your "we are packing up" correspondent.
Campground Information: Olde Stone RV Resort (I think it is no longer the Olde Stone Village RV Resort, but I don't know). With the new facility, this campground really has it all (except for a hot tub). Full-service paved pull-through and back-in sites. Picnic tables. Trash pick-up at your site. We are paying $55.42 per night with a weekly rate.