Had to say Farewell to Molly last week . . . feeling very sad



Say not in grief, "They are no more", but live in thankfulness that they were.  Hebrew Proverb

Mammas Memory (Molly) 4/28/2001 - 10/25/2013

AJ's Butch (Jack) 3/21/2002 - 2/11/2010

The Escape was purchased primarily for the dogs

They loved the trailer - and I got teased for giving them the 'big' bed

In my memory, they will always be full of life and running free.

My house smells like mushroom risotto!

8 mushrooms; almost 4 pounds!

After Paula's success in finding mushrooms, I was eager to try my luck.  Despite the woods being pretty picked over after a long weekend of more experienced hunters combing through them (and coming away with grocery bags full of mushrooms), I found a few more of the King Boletes.  Total haul for the weekend - almost 4 pounds (8 mushrooms - these things are huge).  I'm cooking half of them and drying the rest.  The 'shrooms have an amazingly rich smell.  Paula and I are sharing recipe ideas and Nehalem Bay is definitely on my fall destination list forever!

Second day's haul - the one on the right was over 1/2 pound!

Molly's new jacket

Here's a picture of the new jacket I mentioned in yesterday's post.  Gatherings are a lot like what I imagine the old pioneer trapper Rendezvous were like.  Isolated travelers who come together periodically to share info, socialize and enjoy the lifestyle we've chosen together. 

Greyhounds love clothes!

You can't see it in that picture, but the last day of the gathering was a beautiful cloudless sunny day! Packing up to go home and saying goodbye to everyone is always a bit sad - but, today, this feeling was offset by the sheer beauty of a perfect autumn day.

Edible mushrooms!!

King Bolete mushrooms!

The mushroom pickers are out in force - while we were walking Molly, my friend Paula and I met some young women who were hunting mushrooms - add to this my conversation with the park host on Thursday as he showed me several monster 'shrooms (I mean those suckers were a couple of pounds each) and well, I was intrigued!

But Paula beat me to the punch, and as I was finishing my dish for the potluck (more on that in a minute), Paula arrived at my campsite with a bag full of freshly picked mushrooms.  I can't wait to try them!  Hey, tinycamper, I'm going to eat a wild mushroom!

King Bolete mushrooms!

Fall fiberglass RV Northern Oregon Gathering

The main reason I'm camping on the coast this rainy weekend is to attend the fall NOG - usually 30-40 folks who currently own, have previously owned, or are interested in molded-fiberglass trailers (scamps, casitas, escapes, etc) - always a fun weekend to share trips, tips, give and receive trailer tours - and the very yummy diet-busting potluck.  Usually, no matter how much it rains, well get a break just long enough for the potluck.  Since it's October, some folks decorate for Halloween.

OK, so I decorated a little bit too :-) 

This has been a really fun gathering - Sharen brought Molly a beautiful red buffalo plaid jacket (complete with a snood that covers her long neck and half of her face - very snuggly!

And I met Cheryl and Lindsey and gave them a tour of the trailer - and Cheryl tells me that she follows this blog!!  Imagine that!! (Hi Cheryl - I know you'll find the perfect trailer for you and continue to have amazing camping experiences)

One more picture of the kitty, Faye Wray

Hiding behind the pillows

I WILL poo in your shoe!

The cat is not happy

And so begins the great experiment . . . for the first hour of driving, Faye Wray sat in her box and howled.  She must have thought I couldn't hear her, because she climbed onto the central console so that she could meow directly into my right ear.  Thankfully, after about an hour she settled down in her box muttering expletives occasionally.  

She handled the first night quite well - even eating a little bit.  She wandered around the trailer in the dark, exploring, and then snuggled up to sleep.  At about 2am, something startled her and she used my face as a launchpad as she hurdled herself back to a hiding spot under the front bed.  Several small, and surprisingly painful puncture wounds were dealt with (where is that first aid kit?) But slowly we all got back to sleep.

Overall, it's working out better than I expected . . .

Faye Wray did NOT:

• Barf in the car
• Pee in the car
• Hysterically fling herself at the windows trying to escape
• Dash for the open door as I got in and out
• She didn't howl in the trailer all night
• She hasn't attacked the dog (always a possibility when she's ticked off)

So, I'm encouraged!!  I think I may actually be able to pull off a long trip this winter to sunnier climes!!

I will poo in this shoe, see if I don't.

Double-decker pets!

Molly is not sure about sharing the trailer with demon kitty