Time Flies When You're Having Fun!!

Guess where I am!!!  I'll give you three tries.  The little Ryobi air compressor worked well, but it only lasted one day.  I was the early bird yesterday at the Tire Hut on Pacific Street.  This time there was a much more competent Supervisor who oversaw the tire problem.  You and I both knew there was a nail in the tire.  $10 later I was on my way.  I could have driven to Schwab across the Columbia River and probably got it fixed for free, but that's a long ways to go on 20 lbs of air.

There is one thing I have learned about tire checks, no matter WHO does it ... no one bothers to read the tag on the door that says how much each tire should hold for that specific vehicle.  Years ago I almost got in an accident because the dummy at Costco put 80 pounds in the front tires of my truck ... they should have had 55.  Now I check it myself.   This time the kid put in 48 pounds instead of the 33 psi it should have had.

The RV park is a ghost town and I'm loving it.  It will only last 24 hours however, as this weekend is the Rod Run to the End Of The World .... the far end of the peninsula.  This place will again be hopping!!

I was SO excited to get one more day of kite flying in before I left!!  I mean look at it ..... there's not a soul in sight!!!  I was a little disappointed with the wind however.  Undaunted, I set up the kite at the exact time the wind quit altogether.  

I plopped my butt down on the beach to wait ... surely it will come up around noon.  HA!!!!  I was wrong.  There was not a breath of air for miles around.  I finally packed it up and walked back to the rig.  Guess I'll just hang with the puppies.

When I got here almost three weeks ago, it seemed I would be here forever.  How time flies when you're having fun at the beach.  It was getting close to sunset so I made the last walk for some pictures.

It's interesting how the water and sand change every single day along this beautiful stretch of land. 

There were no dead fish at this approach to the water, but I did catch one seagull flying past.  I'm sad I won't be seeing this image for almost a year.

Time to pack up and hit the road!  I should be in Tillamook by noon .... just in time for a grilled cheese sandwich and ICE CREAM!!!!!

Sand In My Britches

I've got sand everywhere!  I guess that's the price you pay for being at the beach so long, but well worth it when you get to fly with the best in the world.

My tire held up long enough to get me to the beach for a second day of flying.  I figured I was hedging my bets, since letting air out of your tires is a way to get UNSTUCK in the sand, should you drive where you shouldn't or not drive fast enough.  Don't turn too sharp either ... we saw two pickups get trapped yesterday.

It is no accident that John has his kite in the water.  With short lines, he dunks it in, spins it around while touching the water, then dances off on to the sand.  There was one little error when he walked through the middle of a big puddle, not realizing just how deep it was.  Good thing he brought a change of clothes!!

The weather was crazy the night before.  This storm lasted from 4:30 pm until 9:30 the next morning.     I was hoping it would quit in time to fly .... and miraculously it did.  It was a perfect day with great wind.

When I arrived, John was live on Facebook.  He attached his phone to a tiny tripod and was flying for his Facebook friends ... that is until a big surge of water took the sand out from under the tripod.  Glug glug glug .........  Sadly, I thought I had the video button on here.

This is only the second time I've ever driven on the beach.  That $200 bill to get pulled out if you get stuck isn't fun at all.  $500 if it's a motorhome ... which has happened several times.  It's nice to have your vehicle close, but that also means every single nook and cranny gets full of sand, not to mention your clothes and hair.  

I flew much better yesterday.  Rather than beating myself up for not doing the moves perfectly, I figured at least I now know HOW to do them ... it will just be a matter of practicing over and over.  It's like sticking someone on a horse and saying go.  Even though you tell them which moves to make, it takes practice to get the horse going in the right direction every time.

It wasn't any help at all that the seagulls kept banging into my lines while flying.  Someone dumped a ton of tuna carcasses right on the beach.  Stinky poo!!  I suppose they figured the seagulls would eat it up, which they did to some extent, but all the bones and fish heads are a little too tough.  I didn't get a closeup, for obvious reasons.  No use making you lose your breakfast!

The tide is out in the picture of my Jeep, but it came in rather quickly.  I turned around and pointed the other direction for a fast getaway.  The sand was very deep at the end of the approach, so I was REALLY thrilled when I made the corner and got back on solid gravel.  It's kind of like driving in mashed potatoes!!

It was a great day to fly kites ... the beach was pretty much deserted.  When I returned to the RV park, it was a ghost town ... just my style!!  Today I'm hitting the Tire Shop again to get that leak fixed before getting in a couple more hours on the lines.  Sadly my time here in Long Beach has come to an end and I'm headed South.

I found this old picture to show you.  For those who have been here and seen the world's largest (or at least it used to be) frying pan .... here it is in action.  The world's largest clam fritt.  Look at the crowd ... the men all dressed up in suits, ties and hats!!

It's raining again this morning .... seems winter decided to come in early.  It's going to be a lazy day with the puppies if it doesn't stop, which suits Cooper and Jesse just fine.  Now if I can just get all the sand out of the rig (and my kites) for the trip back down the Oregon Coastline.

The Rest Of The Tour ....

Back at the Flavel house (pronounced Fla-VEL), I did sit in and watch the video for maybe two minutes.  I'm surprised no one else has seen the video either!!  I won't tell on you.  Mum's the word.

You would expect to see the iron work for the cupola ON the cupola, but apparently during a big storm, they were afraid it would come loose and hurt someone.  About eight feet tall, it stands at the end of the upstairs hallway.  The sunflowers stand for a good life, good health and a sunny disposition.  The docent needs to mediate on the sunflowers and become one with the spire.

The cupola is surrounded with windows, allowing the Captain a full view of all the ships coming in to the harbor, as well as spying on the neighbors.  The girls would climb up the stairs with him to wave goodbye to the ships.  There is an attic, but access is denied.  The Flavels had two staff members who lived there in very sparse quarters I'm told.  

The kitchen was huge, but I'm sure had much more furniture in it's heyday.  The ice box on the left is rather small for big family gatherings, as is the current stove.  The big sink is to the right out of sight, as is a long table used for preparation.  

Way back when, Miss Patty and I scoured many an antique store looking for kitchen paraphernalia to display in our individual homes.  I'm pretty sure we had one of everything, with Miss Patty having two of three of everything.  

This however, is something I've not seen in all my years of looking.  When attached to the table, the beaters stay about an inch above, leaving just room enough for a bowl.  Turn the handle and you can whip cream with the best of them.  Don't try to test it ... the docent has the hearing of a fruit bat ten miles away.  Don't open the ice box door either ..... she can hear the squeak!!  It wasn't me.

Upstairs in the main bathroom is the only bathtub in the house.  Every bedroom had their own wash basin, but there was only one tub.  They only took a bath once a week anyway.

This is the only commode in the house also, but had modern flush plumbing.  See the box above on the left?  That's the water container.  Of course I tried to lift the lid ..... very quietly ...... but it's nailed down.  I'm like that ... risking the wrath of the gestapo!  It is true however, that if everyone lifted or opened something, it would quickly fall apart.  

There were several hair wreaths, in fact one in every room in the house.  Unfortunately, I couldn't see them with my glasses, let alone the camera, due to low light.  There are lights in every room, but they use the smallest bulbs and keep most all the shutters closed, making it VERY dark.  

Here's an unusual piece.  There are maybe ten stuffed birds under this glass dome.  This is one I've not seen that before.

Nor have I seen the unusual stuffed parrot in the bedroom closet .... ANYWHERE!!  It's a good thing Jonathan doesn't accompany me.  Makes me wonder if this was one of the original furnishings.

While wandering around through the kids playroom ... this place is really huge ... I spotted the painter through the window.  I waved ... he waved ... I took his picture ... he waved.  We had a nice conversation through the glass about getting paid double for working the holiday, until I discovered he was the boss.  I had to cross my heart and pledge not to talk to any of his crew.

After promising three times to watch the video, I returned to the carriage house, gave it another cursory look while I tried to talk the Manager out of a particularly cute display rack they had.  Since she was having none of it, I gave the video another 10 minute shot.  It told me everything I already knew from reading the notes in the home.  

It was fascinating to note that the fence around the property is made completely of wood.  Wood that needs to be painted also.  I don't know if it is original ... I was afraid to ask any more questions, so if you visit .... please ask for me!!  But say YES to the video question first!!

My kite lesson went good and bad.  Bad ... no wind, then bad because I just couldn't get my mind wrapped around what we were trying to do ..... good when I changed to a different kite and did a little better, then bad again at the end ... frustrated and tired.  That may have had a lot to do with the fact that my tire was low on air AGAIN!!  I didn't drive on to the beach for fear of a flat.

On my return to the RV park, the manager pumped it up for me with the coolest little Ryobi pump.  This morning I will run to the Tire Shop again and hopefully get it fixed before my 10:00 kite lesson. Maybe I should be meditating and become one with the sunflowers too!!

Money Money Money .....

How did you make money in the days when Astoria was just being settled?  You were a ship's Captain named George who sailed around the horn to San Francisco, continuing on to Astoria where he dabbled in coastal trading.  

From there, he went into the Bar Harbor Piloting business, even though the first ship he tried to save disappeared beneath the waves.  He was regaled as a hero anyway.  Between that, real estate and building businesses for trading goods on the side, he became Astoria's wealthiest man.  Over the years, he amassed a fortune estimated to be around $750,000 upon his death in 1893.  In 1854 at 30 years of age, he married 14 ... yes, 14 year old Mary Boelling.  Together they had three children.  

He built this retirement home for an estimated cost of $36,000 in 1886 when a normal upper crust house ran around $10,000.  With 11,600 square feet, he had plenty of room to wander.  Their daughters, Nellie and Katie never married.  Both lived in the house until Nellie passed away while on a trip to New York and Katie died in her bed at home, at which time she left everything to her brother's daughter Patricia.  

I can't imagine why she wouldn't want to keep the home, but Patricia cleaned it out and donated it to the City, who eventually had to give it back due to monetary concerns.  Eventually it was given to the Clatsop County Historical Society who maintains it today.  

The green lift on the left at the back of the house was being used by the painting crew to scape, sand and repaint the exterior.  Twenty years ago that was done at a cost of $127,000.  You can imagine what that might be costing today!

This is the Captain who only lived in the house for seven years before his death.  Truth be told, his family probably spent more time in San Francisco than they did in Astoria.  On one trip, the girls were not happy to have experienced the 1906 Earthquake while staying at the Occidental Hotel, one of the few that remained standing.  Katie wrote a long letter about the earthquake, which can be read in the Carriage House.

Quite the travelers, they went around the world collecting things for the home.  When Granddaughter Patricia finally donated the home to the historical society, she returned many of the items that belonged to the family.

Very modern for it's time, this home had running water, wall to wall carpet, gas lighting, indoor plumbing and a central heating system (a huge fireplace in the basement that burned four foot long logs) not to mention six fireplaces throughout the building.  Most of the carpet has been removed and replaced with rugs.

The girls were accomplished in piano and vocals, giving concerts to not only the local church members, but groups overseas in London.  The son George Conrad never lived in this house, as he was already married and had his own when this was built.

The fireplaces are fabulous, surrounded by beautiful tiles from around the world, this one actually costing a grand total of $115.   Each one has a highly decorated surround INSIDE the fireplace too, where the coal burner is placed.  Being a Bar Pilot Captain, George had access to all the coal used by the ships as ballast, which he bought for pennies on the dollar to heat his home.

This is Katie's room where she passed away.  Not a big bedchamber, she was happy to have her own room and closet with all three coat hooks to herself.  She had to share a washstand in between this and her sister's room.

This is a picture of her fireplace in 1900 ... the same one you see above, but with no mirror.  It was about here that I got in trouble.  I wasn't TRYING to be a problem, I just asked a couple of questions. The docent asked if I watched the video.  If not,  I SHOULD have watched the video in the Carriage House where you purchase tickets to enter for a self tour.  $6.00 adults ... $5.00 for seniors.

I wanted to get as many images as I could before people arrived, so I skipped the video.  I tried to explain my reasoning, but was highly chastised for my lack of knowledge, making the docent answer questions.  I thought that's what they were there for.  "Well then, you must NOT have read the cards in every room, explaining things".  Well yes, I did, but there were so MANY!!  Be quiet Nancy, just be quiet!!  Everyone that came in the door heard the same question ... did you watch the video?  She gushed loudly over everyone that did, I think for my benefit.

So whatever you do, when you visit this amazing, beautiful, spectacular home ... stay in the Carriage House for 20 minutes and WATCH THE VIDEO!!  Do take time to walk around the garden and check out the original Ginkgo tree, the original pear tree that now feeds the deer (watch where you step) and the Giant Sequoia at over 127 years of age.  If you look close in the first picture above, on the right hand side next to the house you will see Louis Schultz, the gardener who planted the entire yard.  They could use another Louis.

There were too many pictures to post them all at once.  Tomorrow I'll finish up the tour.  Today I'm off for a few more kite flying lessons.  So far the wind and weather has been spectacular!!

Kites ... Over 2,000 Years Old

It's Labor Day Weekend ... the last big hurrah before school starts, even though I think school HAS started for most people.  That means everyone came in at once last Friday and early yesterday morning.  It's crowded to say the least, and for the first time, I think every rig has at least two dogs.  That doesn't bode well for Miss Jessie who hates dogs.  She really wishes even Cooper would drop dead, as evidenced by four fights on the couch last night.  At twelve, I doubt she will change her tune.

Just for some alone time, I stopped in at the World Kite Museum in Long Beach Washington.  It doesn't look like much, but what an interesting place to spend a couple of hours.

Kites were apparently the invention of 5th century BC philosophers in China and by 549 AD were used to send messages.  Originally made of silk and painted with mythological figures, they usually carried bells or whistles to make noise when flown.

This was the 36th year of the Washington State International Kite festival.  Every year an artist is chosen to make something that is photographed for the banner.  Those of you who have been to the Astoria Market will recognize this lady's artwork.  She quilts a board, paints the background, then sews pieces on with thread to make a textured surface.

Kites in the early years were rectangles and flat with no tails.  They eventually ended up in Europe, brought by Marco Polo more as curiosities.  Things took off between 1860 and 1910, which became the golden age of kiting.  The Wright brothers even used kites in the development of their first airplane.

At the museum, you will find many varieties of kites, most hand painted with beautiful designs.  You can even make your own small kite for free.  The grandkids would love this!!  

This is one of the larger kites here.  There is a festival in Japan called Shironi which is over 250 years old. It is said the Chibata Castle's head villager flew a kite into the neighboring villages canal.  The neighbors were pretty upset about the damage done, so the Lord talked them into fighting it out with kites over an even larger canal.  There is a must-see video at the museum of this crazy kite flying.  

This kite is at least 12 feet tall and 9 feet wide.  Imagine the number of people it takes to get this baby in the air.  All of the beautiful artwork is destroyed as soon as the kites hit the water in the middle.  In the end, the team with the longest portion of rope left over, wins the competition, just proving it's not the kite, but the string that's important!!

They have the tiniest kite in the world here, as well as one of the longest, over 100 feet.  Here's an interesting piece of information for those of you who have grandkids and can't get your kite in the air.  You need a tail!  The tail hanging off the back of the kite is what keeps the kite at the right angle to the wind so it will achieve loft.  Who knew??

As a kid, I was never good at kite flying.  We would make them from newspaper, but I could never run fast enough to get it up in the air.  No one told me I needed a tail ... and of course wind!!!

There are some beauties here with every shape and design you can imagine, from hummingbirds and dragons to turtles and flying monkeys.

There are also examples of Military kites, like this Barrage kite.  These were flown to protect unarmed merchant vessels sailing across the Atlantic.  They were suspended 2000 feet in the air with strong piano wire, which could cut off the wings of any airplane trying to strafe the vessel.  In later years, the British attached bombs to the kites, increasing their effectiveness.

Known as the Gibson Girl, this kite was flown in case of emergencies, to get the antenna for the radio at sufficient height to send and receive messages.  It worked by turning the handle on the mini generator sitting on the floor.  Many people were rescued using this device.

The military even used kites for target practice and enemy airplane recognition.  I had no idea they were so versatile.  

Then comes the fun part.  Peter Lynn engineered and built the world's first kite buggy.  This is it!!  He then attached a kite foil and he was in the sport kite business.  There are several other kite vehicles here, along with the kites that made up the new land sport!  

Since the weather has cleared up, I got to fly MY kites yesterday.  With all the bad weather, the beach is full of sticks and stickers, but that didn't keep me away.  Being this far north, there is even plenty of room between the trucks camped out with fires blazing!!

I'm happy to announce my tire kept all it's air inside yesterday.  Now I'm not sure if it's the device that needs to be replaced, or some munchkin loosened it.  Which of course makes me run around and check them all constantly!!  

I'm headed in to Astoria today, probably NOT for Sunday Market.  With this many people on the coast, it's going to be packed.  I do want to see the Flavel House ... home of a millionaire Bar Harbor Pilot that was eventually donated to the Historical Society.  Maybe I can get some decorating ideas.

Labor Day Rush

In spite of the bad weather, the Labor Day crowd arrived in one big swoop yesterday, with rigs waiting in line clear out to the main highway.  Thank goodness the smallest trailers with the most people and dogs have ended up at the farthest end ..... away from me.  It's much easier to deal with Miss Jessie that way.

Their compounds have been set up using every available inch of real estate, with bicycles, trikes and scooters left in the roadway due to lack of parking space.  Be calm Nancy .... be calm!!

What better way to escape the clamor than to go shopping at the antique store I missed because they seem to be closed more than they are open.  My Jeep had other ideas.  As soon as I stepped inside ... to the beautiful smell of seahorse cedar wafting on the breeze ... and turned the key, I knew I was in trouble.

The low tire light was on, glowing a beautiful yellow orange like a sunset.  I instantly knew I was in trouble because I saw the same light the day before.  After stopping at all three gas stations, none of which had air, I found an Auto Repair Shop.

Steven kindly checked the pressure ... 20 pounds ... and filled it for me.  We found nothing in the tire ... like a nail ... and he replaced the Tire Tracker monitor.  Just because I'm who I am, I went around and double checked every little gizzy to make sure they were tight (remember this part ... it comes into play soon).

Now with the light shining in my eyes again, I apparently DO have something in the tire after all, so my first stop was the Auto Repair Shop.  Thankfully, they were still there, but too bad for me, they don't do tires.

HOWEVER, two blocks down the street, they do.  Immediately, the nice older gentleman started to talk my ear off.  I'm going right along with the program because I REALLY need my tire fixed.  You've probably met him before.  I'm sure his wife never talks to him, so he makes up for it at work.  In the conversation however, I discovered he's not only from California, but was raised twenty minutes down the road from me.

We had a nice long talk while the kid worked on my tire with me keeping a close eye so I would know what the problem was.  AHA!!  In the big tub of water, he found the now waterlogged monitor was leaking ... A LOT!!  It was loose (see "remember this part" above).  How could it be loose?  I double checked it yesterday!!

They put the tire back on and filled it with air.  I kept the monitor in my pocket.  NO CHARGE he said, you're a neighbor!  How sweet was THAT!!  I slipped the kid $10 and drove away.  Maybe today I'll get to that antique store ... after I check the air in the tire.

There have been a couple of nice sunsets this week.  I almost missed this one when I became too involved in my knitting.  Breathless when I finally hit the beach, I just caught it falling below the horizon.

I've been trying to photograph the green flash forever ... you know the one.  When Orlando Bloom comes back after ten years (Pirates of the Caribbean).  No luck so far!!

Wait for it .........

Nope ...  no green flash!!

Happily, no one has been parked next to my front door.  There are only two spots left in the entire park.  Hope springs eternal they will remain empty, my tire full and Orlando Bloom will magically appear on the beach!!  I won't hold my breath!

The Battle Of The Bee

When they say it rains a lot in Washington, THEY are right.  It poured night before last, with a short break, then dumped even more water for about five hours in the afternoon before letting up just at sundown.  Three times during the night I awoke to the sound of downpours and it continues as I type this morning.  

It's supposed to keep this up for the Labor Day Weekend, which means it will be even quieter as everyone stays in their rig trying to keep warm.  That includes me ... and that's what I did all day yesterday.

That doesn't mean it wasn't an exciting time ... I seem to attract weirdness.  Yesterday was no exception to the rule.  There I was, just sitting on the couch minding my own business, concentrating on my knitting since I had arrived at the hardest part of the pattern.  I hear bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!  Wafting around in the airspace three inches from my face is a bee ... not just any bee ... but a bruiser!!

Jessie caught sight of it about the same time.  She HATES flying things.  I guess that's just a terrier thing.  Whether a fly, mosquito or bee ... if it's within her territory, she tries to eat it.  YIKES!!  This is a BEE and could sting her in the mouth ... that's NOT a good thing. 

I yelled NO as I jumped up and headed to the flyswatter drawer.  Everyone has this marvelous invention, right?  The handle extends making it ten times as hard to hit something flying through the air?  I swatted about twelve times ... felt it hit the intended target ... then realized the plastic broke at the handle end.  No problem for this handywoman ... I taped it up.

Try as I might to locate the bee carcass, I couldn't find it anywhere.  I think it went behind the couch.  A feeling of satisfaction ran through my bones as I KNEW I had saved Miss Jessie from a bad sting.  I went back to knitting.

Suddenly, I heard bzzzzzzzzz.  Well for heavens sake .... where are you???  Bruiser again flew right in front of my face.  I'm sure I heard him say "nah nah na nah nah" as he flew even closer.  I grabbed the flyswatter again and the hunt was on!!  I chased him around the rig for fifteen minutes, swatting the air, which gave him even more forward thrust for escape.  

That's when the flyswatter broke again.  It's pretty hard to get that little target on the flyswatter to hit the bee's backside.  When I hit the edge of the counter, a big piece of plastic fell on the floor.  The bee of course, flew away with Jessie hot on his tail and again disappeared.

In the middle of all that (squirrel), I realized my little violet was blooming in the front window.  How cool is that???

An hour later, poor Cooper thinks the world has come to an end with his Mom going crazy slapping the air.  With no bee in sight, we all sat back down and listened to the rain.  Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.  

OMG!!!!!!!  I grabbed an old edition of the Gypsy Journal, rolled it up and went on the offensive as he flew out from behind the couch.  Finally .... SWAT!!!  But of course I couldn't find him.  When I moved everything off the kitchen counter, I spotted some movement at the same time Jessie did.  She was right on my heels the entire time.  SWAT again.  End of story.  

I held a little funeral and buried him in the trash can.  I continued knitting, the rain continued to fall and Cooper and Jessie dozed off into Never Neverland where they eat bees for breakfast!!

People Can Be Funny!!

Last week there was a group meeting here in the park.  Names of the innocent and guilty parties have been changed.  In fact, I won't even mention the group just in case it's someone you know.  When I heard the knock at my door, I was surprised, since I don't know anyone here.

The nice lady, we'll call her Susan, invited me to their potluck the next day.  How nice is that?  As I was eating dinner that night, there was another knock at the door.  "Why aren't you at our hot dog cookout?"  Ummm because I didn't know you were having one?

About that time, Cooper got sick.  Good timing my puppy pal!  Susan, I'll be right there.  While I cleaned up the mess, I changed shoes, then put my food away when there was ANOTHER knock at the door.  "Well aren't you going to drive me back?  It's too far to walk!!

I grabbed my keys, but wasn't fast enough.  I locked the rig and tuned to find in less than 30 seconds she had walked clear back to the barbecue area.  I joined the group, talked for about 30 minutes, all the while wondering if my rig had become a disaster area fraught with doggie mines.  Finally, I excused myself and returned home.  The rig was fine, but Cooper was green around the gills.  He has since recovered ... no clue what that was all about.

I hit the store the next day in order to make garlic bread for the potluck.  Easy, fast and tasty if I stand there the whole time and don't let it burn.  When I arrived at the appointed time, no one was there.  Gee ... maybe I got this wrong!  Finally a few showed up and placed an extra chair at their table for me.  I should have waited because when Susan came in and I wasn't at HER table, she became visible upset.

She came to where I was sitting, said it was nice of the RV group to take HER friend away and left in a huff.  Gosh ... I didn't know what to say!!  Soon as I could, I snuck back to my motorhome, never hearing from anyone again.  It's ok, I'm not much of a group person anyway.

So yesterday in the pouring rain and blowing wind, I went to an Antique store.  There are usually bear carvings around Oregon and Washington, but rarely do you find Seahorses.  It's four foot tall, carved from old growth cedar, smells divine and is stashed in the back of my Jeep.  He'll look great by my fireplace and maybe keep the moths away!

Upon my return home, I discovered a new resident of the park who had staked out their territory like a California gold miner.  There were 3-4 foot logs all around the perimeter (the entire site, not just one side) with container plants in between the spaces and two huge rugs to compliment the fifth wheel.  They have two big lounge chairs with a coffee table in between, on which sits a doily and a lamp.  Good heavens!!  People can be funny about THEIR territory!

Not long after, I smelled cigar smoke.  Ugh!!  I turned off my fan and closed the door.  Later, when I took the puppies for a walk, I discovered why.  There sat the lady of the house in her lounge chair, with not much on ... really, if you're that old PLEASE put some clothes on .... and SHE was smoking the cigar!!  I don't think I've ever seen anyone put on a show quite like that!!

At the farthest end there's a big rig who staked out THEIR territory with a big easy-up where they were hiding their rotweiler and lab during the day when they were gone.  I forced myself into Zen mode. 

They were easily discovered however because the rotweiler went crazy barking and tried to eat anyone that walked by going to the beach, including the Owner's daughter.  Yesterday I saw they moved the easy-up closer to their rig and lowered it so it doesn't show.  Really?  At least the dogs now accompany them when they leave because I haven't heard the I'm-going-to-rip-you-to-shreds barking.  

You just have to laugh .... people can be so funny!!  We are coming up to Labor Day Weekend and it's only going to become more crowded.  It's a good time to haul my chair out and try that new Apple Jack wine!!!  Happy September!!