WINE TASTING AND CHERRIES, CHERRIES, CHERRIES!

TRI-CITIES IS KNOWN AS "THE HEART OF WASHINGTON WINE COUNTRY,"  THERE ARE MORE THAN 200 WINERIES WITHIN A 50 MILE RADIUS.
MY FRIEND, SHERRY, THAT I MET IN MESA AT SUN LIFE,  LIVES IN TACOMA, WASHINGTON,  NOT TOO FAR FROM HERE. WHEN SHE LEFT MESA IN APRIL, SHE PROMISED TO COME VISIT ME IN  KENNEWICK. AND SHE DID!!
SHE AND BAXTER ARRIVED IN EARLY  MAY, BAXTER IS HER 14 YEAR OLD  BLACK/TAN MINIATURE DACHSHUND. WE BOTH WANTED TO GO WINE TASTING! AFTER A LITTLE RESEARCH, WE DECIDED TO TRY BOOKWALTER WINERY, THEY HAVE LUNCH AVAILABLE AT THEIR LITTLE RESTAURANT, FICTION.

WE ENJOYED THE WINE TASTING, SHERRY FOUND ONE SHE LIKED AND BOUGHT A BOTTLE. 

 AND THEN WENT OUTSIDE TO ENJOY A DELICIOUS LUNCH OF FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH AND BACON WRAPPED DATES THAT WE SHARED, IT WAS DELICIOUS!

THE GROUNDS ARE BEAUTIFUL, IT WAS SO RELAXING AND PEACEFUL!

WE ARE ALSO IN "CHERRY"  GROWING COUNTRY....I  FOUND A PLACE ONLINE WHERE  YOU CAN GO PICK YOUR OWN. THEY WERE FINALLY RIPE MAY 28. SO, WE HEADED FOR HATCH PATCH. THIS FARM IS IN PASCO, WA. JUST A SHORT DRIVE FROM THE RV PARK.

FARMER PAUL GAVE US A CONTAINER TO PUT THE CHERRIES IN AND WE HEADED OUT!

 THE CHERRIES WERE RIPE AND PLENTIFUL! 

FARMER PAUL SAID THERE WAS ONLY ONE RULE......IF YOU EAT ONE.....YOU HAVE TO PUT TWO IN THE BUCKET! THEY WERE DELICIOUS!

IT WAS EASY PICKIN' THE TREES WERE LOADED!

IT WASN'T LONG AND OUR BUCKET WAS PRETTY  FULL!

TOOK OUR BUCKET UP TO HAVE IT WEIGHED......WE HAD PICKED TWELVE  POUNDS OF CHERRIES! ONLY A DOLLAR A POUND!!

HATCH PATCH WILL ALSO HAVE PICK YOUR OWN VEGETABLES AND MELONS...THIS IS ONE PLACE THAT WE WILL BE RETURNING.

THE GROUNDS ARE BEAUTIFUL!!

WE GOT OUR CHERRIES HOME AND REALIZED THERE WAS NO WAY WE WERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO EAT ALL OF THOSE BEFORE THEY SPOILED. SO, I MADE LITTLE BAGS OF CHERRIES UP AND GAVE THEM TO ALL THE WORKAMPERS THAT WERE HOME THAT AFTERNOON. I ATE CHERRIES TO MY HEART'S DESIRE!!

ANOTHER CHECK OFF THE BUCKET LIST!!!

THIS WAS ALSO MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND......THE PARK WAS FULL!

WORK, GETTING SETTLED IN

WE STARTED WORK ON MONDAY MORNING, WE ARE SCHEDULED TO WORK MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY.  DAVE, OUR BOSS TOOK US DOWN TO THE SHOP AND FIXED US UP WITH A GOLF CART. WE MET CAMPER, THE STRAY KITTY THAT COLUMBIA SUN RV PARK ADOPTED.

DAVE DIDN'T ASSIGN US A JOB TO DO, WE DECIDED TO DEADHEAD THE HANGING BASKETS........33 IN ALL.

WE WILL BE WEEDING THE FLOWER BEDS AND DEADHEADING THE PLANTS. IT LOOKED LIKE THERE WOULD BE PLENTY OF WORK FOR US. THERE ARE 338 TREES!
 WE WERE ENJOYING THE HOT TUB. MAGGIE AND MARLEE WERRE ENJOYING THE GREEN GRASS. THERE IS A LARGE GRASSY AREA WHERE WE CAN TAKE THEM OFF LEASH.

RICKY AND ART, OUR CANADIAN FRIENDS, PASSED  THROUGH HERE THE FIRST WEEK WE WERE HERE. . WE HAD BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO MEET UP WITH THEM IN MESA AND WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THEM AGAIN.
WE WERE ENJOYING THE SHOPPING/RESTAURANTS HERE. KENNEWICK IS PART OF WHAT THEY CALL THE TRI-CITIES. PASCO AND RICHLAND ARE THE OTHER TWO.

I GOT SOME FLOWERS PLANTED.

IT WAS BEGINNING TO FEEL MORE LIKE "HOME".

I WAS WALKING AGAIN AND FOUND A CHURCH I REALLY LIKED.

THE RV PARK IS A GREAT PLACE TO WALK, LARGE, WIDE OPEN STREETS!

WE ARE CONVENIENTLY LOCATED TO BOTH WALMART STORES.

LIFE IS GOOD!

OUR HOME FOR THE SUMMER

WE WERE WELCOMED WITH GIFTS AND MET SOME VERY NICE FOLKS IN THE OFFICE,

THE LITTLE SIGNS SAY: "WE ARE SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE" AND" YOU'LL FIT IN JUST PERFECT"

WE FOUND OUT LATER THAT MISSY MAKES THESE!

JOE LED US TO OUR SITE.

IT WAS LARGE AND A PULL THRU!!

WE WERE HAPPY CAMPERS!!

MISSY, OUR BOSS, EMAILED THAT SHE WAS BUSY WITH GOOD SAM FOLKS AND AN

ORIENTATION  MEETING AND DINNER  WAS PLANNED FOR SUNDAY NIGHT. WE WASHED CLOTHES FRIDAY AND WENT OVER TO THE HOT TUB...NICE.

 ON SATURDAY,  APRIL, 23, WE CELEBRATED MY 69TH BIRTHDAY!

 DARRELL TOOK ME TO RED LOBSTER....... YUM!! 

ON SUNDAY WE WENT TO THE MEETING AND HAD DINNER AND MET OUR BOSSES. VERY NICE FOLKS AND A VERY GOOD DINNER!

OREGON AND REACHING COLUMBIA SUN RV PARK

ONLY 250 MILES TO BAKER CITY, OREGON, WE GOT AN EARLY START, AT LEAST AN EARLY START FOR US.

WE WERE GETTING CLOSER!

STOPPED AT A REST AREA TO STRETCH AND LET MAGGIE AND MARLEE OUT TO GO POTTY.

WE WERE HEADED TOWARD MORE SNOW ON THE MOUNTAINS!

THIS WOULD BE OUR LAST NIGHT ON THE ROAD FOR A WHILE.

THE HOT TUB WAS NOT WORKING.....WE WERE DISAPPOINTED!
BAKER CITY IS A NICE LITTLE TOWN SURROUNDED BY "THE BLUES " AND THE ELKHORN MOUNTAINS.

THE LADY IN THE OFFICE TOLD US ABOUT THIS, SO WE DECIDED TO STAY AN EXTRA DAY AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OREGON TRAIL.

THIS IS THE LAND THAT THE EARLY PIONEERS TRAVELED.

IT WAS VERY INTERESTING.....WE WERE GLAD WE HAD STAYED AN EXTRA DAY.
SO, ON THURSDAY, APRIL 21, WE STARTED THE LAST LEG OF THE JOURNEY.
WE ARRIVED AT COLUMBIA SUN RV PARK AT 12:30.

MORE OF TRAVELING TO EASTERN WASHINGTON

THERE WAS SNOW ON THE MOUNTAINS AROUND ELY, NEVADA....IT WAS A CHILLY NIGHT, IN THE 30'S, WE DISCONNECTED THE WATER.

WE HAD A NICE RV SPOT, AND  FINALLY THERE WERE GRASSY SPOTS, ...BUT SIGNS UP EVERYWHERE, DO NOT WALK YOUR DOG ON THE GRASS!

WE WALKED OVER TO THE CAMP STORE, WE NEEDED ICE FOR OUR COOLER. I SAW THIS CUTE DOG  STICKER.

I JUST HAD TO  TAKE A PIC AND SEND IT TO  SHERRY AND BAXTER.

AND THIS  SHIRT .......THE REASON I COULD NOT LIVE IN ELY, NEVADA!

WE WERE HEADED FOR TWIN FALLS, IDAHO TO ANOTHER KOA. WE ARRIVED AT 3:00. THIS WAS ANOTHER NICE KOA.

THE NEXT MORNING WE WERE HEADED TO OREGON.  MT. VIEW HOLIDAY TRAV-L-PARK IN BAKER CITY, OREGON. THEY HAD A HOT TUB AND WE WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO USING IT.