New Years day found us in the vicinity of Missoula, MT. We were driving back from Iowa where we celebrated Christmas with family. Our destination was Pend Oreille Shores resort in Hope, ID. While passing through Missoula we stopped at the Montana Wheat store and bought 50 lbs of 7-grain oatmeal. We love it and now several of our friends in Anacortes are enjoying it as well.
Watching the Clark Fork elk herd come out of the woods and cross the road to feed on hay was a highlight of one non-skiing day.
January 9th we arrived back in Anacortes. Now it was time to get going on our master bath remodel. David pulled out the fiberglass tub/shower and the floor tiles. The room was ready for the contractor to come in and do his magic. Take a look at the before and after photos:
The tub is gone, and the new shower has a heated floor which is great!
During the three weeks that we were home in January, Joanne fit in a three week Norwegian class at the Anacortes Senior College. Three weeks does not a fluent speaker make, but here are a few useful words: Takk = thank you; Bra= good; Heldig gris = lucky pig. Lucky for us most Norwegians speak English. We are in the planning stages for a trip to Norway in the spring of 2016.
The end of January saw us driving over near Lake Chelan to Wapato Point. Our intent was to cross country ski. Again the snow was a bit lacking, and temperatures slightly warm. At the Wapato super bowl party we watched the Seattle Seahawks lose in the final minutes of the game. It was a sad defeat, but we all stand by our Seahawks. At the super bowl party we were surprise to see Jeff and Joyce from Yakima. We had first met them in Mexico. Jeff and Joyce were sharing their condo with Roseanne and John, another couple we meet in Mexico. What fun to get together in our home state.
Six days after returning from Eastern Washington, Joanne flew to Philadelphia to visit her friend Lisa and daughter Brittney. While the weather was cold and there was some snow, the trip avoided any major winter events. She got to see Brittney all dressed up for her school’s Valentine’s dance.
The need to use a timeshare exchange prompted us to fly from Bellingham, WA to Las Vegas. Our accommodations at the Tahiti Village were a nice contrast to the hustle and bustle of the Strip. Side trips to Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire state park were interspersed between shows and visiting my cousin. Diane and I grew up on adjacent farms in Iowa and we hadn’t seen each other since 1987.
The first week in March we made an appearance at home. We had the glass for the new shower installed and finished up all the details of the bathroom. We could feel our vitamin D levels getting low, so headed to Puerto Vallarta for 3 weeks of warm temps and relaxation. The Flamingos in Nuevo Vallarta was our home for the first week. A nice walk down the beach led to the village of Bucerias where we found a couple of nice restaurants. Below we are enjoying drinks before dinner at Rosa Mexicano.
Villa del Palmar just outside the town of Puerto Vallarta was our home for the next two weeks. We met a very nice couple, Don and Betty, from Calgary, Alberta. Once we taught them to play the card game, Wizard, we had several nights of great entertainment. Don and Betty recommended the “Rhythms of the Night” excursion. A catamaran took us all to a secluded beach where there was a wonderful buffet set up, candles everywhere, and seating overlooking the beach. After dinner there was a Circque du Soleil style show. It was all very nicely done. We too would recommend it.
Many of our afternoons were spent reading by the “quiet pool”.
Once home it was time to focus on getting the boat ready for another trip to Alaska. First, make sure everything works. Then, load all the provisions, spare parts, etc., etc. on the boat. Lastly, do a “shake-down” cruise to convince yourself that all is well and nothing has been forgotten.
The next post will start with us leaving on April 22nd.
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