We now have real grass instead of a sea of sand to look at

Here is what our front yard looked like in March of last year a couple of months after we moved in.  When I composed that photo, I tried to minimize the fact that there was very little grass.

Below is what it looks like today after we completed spreading the mulch around the trees and flowerbeds.  Actually, Sandy spread  90 percent of the mulch.

Below is the back yard last year.  There was almost no grass to speak off.  Anything that was green was left alone because its roots would hold in place what little topsoil we have.

And here it is today.

By the numbers:

*100 pounds of grass seed

*40 pounds of fertilizer

*13 yards of topsoil

*13 yards of mulch

*countless gallons of water

*countless hours of work

And, I am not done.  I need to buy another 50 pounds of seed to fill in a number of sparse areas, as well as plant some areas in the back yard that are still all sand.  It will take all summer and fall to fully establish this lawn.

But, we are closer to those bocce ball games. 

Jennifer, Luke and Emma Katherine in Florida

We picked up Jennifer and the children from Tampa International Tuesday late in the afternoon and drove 90 minutes to our home.  We have been enjoying having everyone here, but I have to be honest and say that raising children is definitely for younger adults.  Jennifer is a wonderful mom with patience and understanding and possesses a great deal of tact in caring for a typical 2-year-old boy.

Tuesday we just hung out at our house. Today we went to the beach in the morning.  Here are six photos taken yesterday and today. We might go back to the beach tomorrow.

Luke has really enjoyed playing with Zoey.  He calls here Yoey.  Very cute.  Tonight he hand fed  individual pieces of kibble to Zoey, and she was incredibly gentle in taking them from his fingers.  It is nice not to have to worry about that.

Emma catches some Zzzzs with Mom in the Lanai.

Sometimes Zoey would seek "shelter" on Grandma's lap.

Three buckets from Ace Hardware and plenty of water keeps Luke engrossed for hours on end. He has really good fine motor control and can pour water from a small cup into the opening of other plastic bottles.

 Luke has become quite fascinated with the small Gecko lizards that run up and down the screens of the lania. Occasionally a small one finds its way inside as is the case here. Luke actually got to touch this one.

We have been enjoying great weather that has enabled us to have quite a few meals out doors.

I'll send more photos in a day or two.

Punta Gorda and a New Family Member

Good friends from our days in Illinois are Dale and Debbie Wiegand, who have a winter home in the Burnt Store Marina near Punta Gorda, FL and a summer home in Antioch, IL. Yesterday we drove into Punta Gorda to admire the many murals painted on the sides of buildings.

There are many more than I included here, but these were our favorites.

We also visited the old train station.  Look closely at the signs above the doors.  Keep in mind that  this area is in the "deep south.

The sun was warm and we were parched from all of the viewing so we stopped in an Irish pub.

On the front lawn of the Chamber of Commerce office is this unique statue.  Below is a description

A photo of the four us us looking like snowbirds -- even though Sandy and I are now official Florida residents.

And finally, here are two photos of Zoey, who we adopted today from the local animal shelter where Sandy and I volunteer as dog walkers.

Zoey is estimated to be about 9 months old and we think she is mostly a terrier mix.  She is smart, gentle, very sweet and does not bark like so many smaller dogs.  She is about 16-17 inches tall and weighs 22 pounds. We feel lucky to have her in the family.

Headed Home

For the last few days we have been in the Napa Valley at Calistoga, CA and then in Reno, NV.

We have enjoyed some wonderful scenery, a realistic replica of a 13th century Tuscan castle winery, getting to visit with a long-time friend of Sandy's in Reno and some wonderful food and wines.

While we were in Napa we decided to do a "touristy thing" and go visit Castello de Amorosa.  The castle cotains121,000 square feet spread among 107 unique rooms on 8 levels -- four of which are underground.  It really is a beautiful place.  What contributes to the beauty of this place is that it was built following old world techniques with a lot of hand methods of construction.  For example, instead of commercially available mortar they mixed lime and sand  to cement bricks and stones in place. 

So, here is the castle

With a real drawbridge over a moat.

And a tower with parapets and slotted windows for archers.

A courtyard, and the most important ---

A dragon.  The blacksmith who made all metal hinges, railings and other iron adornments, made this and several other dragons by hand.

And chickens and roosters to help keep the food pantry stocked. 

And since the castle is a fully functioning winery, here are some of the 30 acres of vines.

Here are some grape clusters almost ready for picking. The winery produces only 15,000 cases of wine each year which -- according to the young man who poured samples for us -- is a mere drop in the bucket. 

And, keeping with the Tuscan theme, there are plenty of olive trees.

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As we were leaving Calistoga we came across this whimsical piece of artwork sponsored by the Calistoga Mineral Water Company.

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Then we spent a couple of days in Reno and had the chance to visit with Linda McNiff, a good friend of Sandy's from years ago in Chicago.  I am married to the luckiest woman. She can walk into a casino and turn a few dollars into many.  Especially sweet was the fact that Sandy converted the free $10 of money the hotel gave to us for gambling into $54.  The night before she walked away with $80.  I, on the other hand, gave the Pepper Mill Casino $10.  All in all they lost money on the Stoltzes. 

Today we visited the Nevada State Museum and the old Capitol building, both of which are in nearby Carson City.

The museum is housed in the old Carson City Mint (above). Today it houses a treasure trove of Nevada history. Included is a below-ground replica of part of the interior of  The Comstock Lode where I nearly got lost because it had so many passages and tunnels.   Sandy and Linda wisely decided to let me go visit the mine on my own. There were so many neat exhibits that I could not possible do the museum justice, so here are just three photos. 

 This neat Indian motor cycle caught my eye.

This is one of the original coin stamping machines.  Museum employees operate it the first Friday of each month and stamp non-legal tender "coins" for visitors to purchase.  The machine could make 100 silver dollars per hour. 

A collection of pure gold and silver coins minted at the Carson City Mint is on loan from Wells Fargo Bank.  A few of these coins are so rare that they could easily finance your retirement.  

After lunch we walked through the old Nevada capitol building.  It is a beautiful Victorian structure that has been totally renovated into a classic yet fully functioning building for many state government offices. 

Looking ahead....

On our way home we are going to go a little bit out of our way to visit an RV dealer in Lexington, SC.  This dealer has in his inventory a similar model of a travel trailer we might buy next spring so that when we are on the road, we can be actual RVers.  To say nothing of not having to sleep in a different bed every few nights. 

For those of you who are interested you can see this trailer at:
http://www.goevergreenrv.com/products/115/Ascend

The specifications are very impressive.

We expect to be home August 21.  My next blog entry will be in early 2013.  Bye for now.  It's been a great 3 months on the road. 

From the coast of Northern California

We've been on the Pacific Coast of Northern California for close to two days.  In some ways the scenery is a continuation of what we saw in Oregon, and in other ways it is remarkably different.  We are in Crescent City. 

For one, it is cooler here .... and foggy at times.  By Noon the "marine layer" usually burns off.  Such was the case this morning when we drove through the Stout Grove within the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.  All my life I have wanted to see the Redwood Forest and we were not disappointed.  These  coast redwoods are the tallest trees in the world and they are magnificent and grand.  Some have lived for up to 2,000 years.  I felt awestruck standing in front of these giants.  They are so tall that it is virtually impossible to take a photograph that include all of one tree. 

So I decided to take three photos of a typical redwood.
Obviously, this is the top.

And this is the middle section.

And this is the base.




















Last Christmases at Scott and Sandy's home in Cary, IL,  I read a book of theirs called The Wild Trees written by Richard Preston.   Preston tells a spellbinding story about a small group of brave tree climbers who find the tallest trees in the world in the wilds of Northern California and climb to the very tops using only ropes.  In the tree tops they find areas filled with unknown plant life and sufficient space to spend the night camped below the stars. I highly recommend this excellent true story about a lost world above California that is dangerous, hauntingly beautiful and unexplored. 

As we rounded a bend in the narrow road in Stout Grove we saw this guy climbing the face of a section of Redwood.  It gives you an idea of the immensity of these trees.

Sandy jokes about having long arms.  Not nearly long enough to span this tree.


Sandy got this shot of morning fog in the forest. This near constant source of moisture is vital to the life of the Coast Redwoods. 

Additional views of the Coast Redwoods in Stout Grove.

We also were able to spend some time walking the beaches.  The lighthouse at the harbor at Crescent City.

And a close up of the lighthouse. 

Incoming tide

 Seals in the harbor

This seal found a warm spot for a nap.  All over the harbor are signs warning against feeding seals.  They tend to congregate where humans feed them and have been known to ruin piers, according to the signs.

This guy was willing to pose for free.  They ignore the signs.  In fact they poop all over them. 

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And finally a photo taken a few days ago of a small waterfall along the Rogue River.

Tomorrow we head southwest and inland. 

Stay tuned.