A Very Welcome Surprise

Danielle and Kirk - engaged at Almanor

August 13, 2011

Ending months of speculation and anticipation, Kirk popped the "big one" to Danielle in a grassy meadow under the shadow of Mt. Lassen. This smart young lad correctly surmised that Almanor was a special place for Danielle, and decided to create an Almanor memory for her and her family to top all others by asking her to marry him during this trip.

She hasn't made up her mind yet.

Just kidding! If you felt the earth tremble that Saturday night, it was from her jumping up and down with joy. Or maybe that was her family. Who knows. The handsome young couple is targeting a June 2012 wedding and if all goes well, a move to South America later that year as Kirk pursues an international teaching experience. Mr. and Mrs. Winger, that is.

With that as the top news, we had the typical experience of 7 days of sun, 7 nights of campfires and Smores. The peak attendance was 36 (for one night) with an average of about 25.

Below is a GREAT shot of Warren attempting to do a full flip over the wake on a wakeboard. To execute this, you must complete a full turn (100%) and land the board in a horizontal position.

Warren completed 95%. Again and again. He was one tired boy.

Warren on Lake Almanor with Mt. Lassen

in the distance.

Little Miss Hayden was present for the trip, of course and she made sure that the Smores were properly prepared; the beach was supplied with a sufficient number of holes dug along the lake's sandy shore, and that Grandma's lap was kept warm.

Style. All Style.

We were joined by Jay's sister Maribeth and husband Steve this year, who seem to have decided that they like this part of the world! They bought land just north of Reno last year and hope to build here as part of their retirement strategy. We took a drive out to their "little slice of heaven" and enjoyed the beautiful views.

This is Maribeth and Steve on their front porch.

Er, um... future front porch.

And this is the view from that same same

(future) front porch.

With views like that, we envision some mighty fine porch-settin' in their future.

We fly back to Tennessee for week of errands and porch settin', then drive to Montreal (without dogs!) and head to the cottage for the glorious month of September. It looks like we will head back to Tennessee in October and make an attempt to assimilate back into normal life then. Of course this is predicated on the belief that Big Blue is fixed. We certainly hope so!

Michelle has a big quartet weekend at the Nashville house next weekend. We'll try to get some photos of that to share.

Thanks for checking in. Hope your summer is going well!

Almanor Bound!

Let's start off with a picture of the nicest Mother a guy could ever ask for. Jeannie T. turns 85 next month, and is still full of chuckles and smiles. We enjoyed a quick - but nice - visit with her in her apartment and will swing by again in a few months!

We speak to you from the safe haven of Reno, Nevada - as we hastily prepare for a week of camping at the campground that holds nearly 40 years of memories for Michelle and her sisters. Jay has participated in this ritual for approximately 20 of the 26 years that he has been captive in the Montagne Clan.

With our truck and camper stuck in Montreal, we had to fly our here and rent an RV. We found a clean, OLD one, and we pick it up today. All in all, we think it is just fine, and we feel fortunate to have found it and have it available for our dates. The aspects of this that sting a bit though, is that the vast amount of "gear" that travels with us is stuck in Montreal... all the outdoor camping stuff for cooking, chairs, E-Z UP sun shades tents, bicycles, and summer clothes that fit. Oh sure, we could grab all the "old stuff" from Nashville that is in the back of the closet.... Oh well.

The latest word on Big Blue is that the problem (that has evaded remediation) is something called the "Collector Plate", an insidious little devil that is related to the clutch rods that enter the transmission and are prone to cracking and thus leaking oil. I guess we will see. We have been promised that the truck will be ready by the end of the week. Who cares?, we say. We won't be there to pick up up for about three weeks.

When we were last in Montreal we found some really nice grocery stores that seemed to reflect the local palates. One of the photos below show the beautiful produce isles while the other shows a long glass case filled with various flavored sausages. We bought one of the hotter sausages, (filled with some sort of pepper influence) and enjoyed it as our protein at dinner. The last photo shows a display case full of Pate's (you know, the spreads....). We've never seen an offering of so many varieties! Of course we had to buy a duck pate, and a pork pate and we enjoyed them as appetizers that evening.

Our meals at Lake Almanor may not be as extravagant, but they will undoubtedly taste as good! We are headed for 7 days and nights of warm days, cool nights and the starriest skies you could possibly imagine. And Jay's sister Maribeth and husband Steve will be joining for their first Almanor experience!

We'll update with some camping fun next week. Hope all is well with you!

Not So Good Of An Update

Well, the transmission was put back in.

It still leaks.

The new theory is that the transmission housing is cracked.

Jay's theory is that most mechanics' brain matter housing is cracked.

The transmission shop is taking responsibility for the repair. What they can't give us, is time. We have to leave now.

We will leave the camper at the campground (in dry storage), pack the two dogs into the Jeep and begin a 10 hour drive to Michigan, to be followed by a 10 hour drive to Tennessee. And then flights to California. Ultimately followed by a drive back to Montreal later this month (sans dogs!).

Yes, life was much simpler when Jay worked.

For grins, we'll update you again next Wednesday or so. We still have lot's of fun to look forward to in California and we will be with all our family. Now, what's not to like about that?

Down and Dirty Update

It's Wednesday night, and we are still in Montreal. Our transmission is "repaired", and has been returned to the Cummins shop to reinstall it. They claim they have a crew working on it and hope to have it ready by noon on Thursday (tomorrow).

If all that works out - we will be driving out of Montreal tomorrow afternoon, with the goal of hitting Michigan by mid-day on Friday. Regretfully, we must pass on the visit with Jay's Uncle Tony and Aunt Shirley. We hope to visit with Jay's Mom and then dine with his sister Maribeth and husband Steve. And then skidaddle.

It will likely be a quick turn and out again on Saturday as we head to California. EVERYTHING has been truncated with this repair. We really hope for no more drama, so that we can arrive in California on Thursday as planned.

We have some fun pictures to share about Montreal - but the internet at this KOA SUCKS!!! So just words for now. We will update you on Sunday!

Be good!