Windseeker RV Blog with Joe and Libby

We left Veneta for home exactly seven weeks ago. The intention was to be home for the visit of Pat and Tim and their families, however, many things intervened. We started out to return late June but after having Mimi washed and waxed, she lost power half an hour from home. We limped home using the emergency crossover switch but as it turned out, I had omitted hooking up one cable when replacing the battery. Then while back home, the washing machine died and, with kids arriving, we quickly got a replacement. Also, my newer Samsung 4K TV died and I had to replace it as well. Then I started having trouble with the Dish Network receiver and had to replace that (major ordeal transferring all recordings and settings). Then I had a severe gall bladder attack and was admitted to the hospital for a couple days. Finally this weekend, bad luck behind us, it seemed things were returning to normal and so we headed back to the lake. Fingers Crossed!

If it seems like we have been away from the lake for an abnormally long time, it's, well... because life has not been normal. On Monday June 14, just after the kids and grandkids left to go home, I had a severe gallbladder attack. That was a first in my long 80 year history, Never diagnosed with gall stones, never... just a certain amount of rather typical liver trouble for an octogenarian who has never been terribly careful about what he eats. I do like my sausages for lunch, grilled ham and cheese, pizza, juicy burgers and ribs, gooey mexican food, etc. All which have contributed to 'slightly elevated' liver values. But the liver has been pumping all this fatty mess into the gallbladder and it seems I have developed a certain amount of sludge in my gallbadder and some stones. On June 13 one tried to work its way out, got stuck and caused a major incident. More on my photo gallery if you are interested,

We are home in Vancouver this week welcoming both sons, Pat and Tim, and their children. Pat and Linjia are staying with us with baby Lulu, now four months old. This photo is little Lulu in her recliner highchair sitting alongside me in my recliner. Sweet little girl... I always wanted a daughter, now I have a grand daughter to enjoy. Libby is, of course, really enjoying playing grammy and of course hosting our own little boy, now grown with a family of his own,

After her beauty treatment, it was time to take Mimi back down to our second covered RV space at the lake. On Friday morning we took off, Durango in tow, and headed down the interstate. Sadly, we did not get very far. About 20 miles from home the electrical system went haywire and we coasted to a stop on the shoulder of an off ramp. I had no electrical power at all. A quick check with my multimeter indicated voltage was very low coming off the new chassis battery I had just installed a few days earlier. As it turns out the alternator was not charging the battery so the engine was running solely on battery power and a builtin safety mechanism just shuts ir all down when this happens. A call to my favorite mobile tech yielded the bandaid I could use to engage the emergency start button to pull power from the new house batteries, duct tape it in the on position, and start the generator to keep the house batteries charged. This allowed us to start the engine and limp home. Once home I can diagnose why the alternator is not charging and fix the problem.

Today, I had arranged for my favorite RV detailer, a fellow named Angel, to wash, buff and wax our motorhome, Mimi, as we called her. 8 hours later, she gleams like a jewel. The day was a bit cloudy so I did not get the glow of late afternoon sunshine, but you get the idea. We bought her slightly used in May 2021, and now a full four years later she looks as good or better than when we bought her.

We're having several days of 90+ degree here at the lake, and basically windless, so I'm hanging out indoors with the A/C and looking in occasionally on the eagle cam. Two days ago Sunny's little sister, Gizmo, fledged. It was kind of accidental as she was practicing her wing flapping, or branching... she slipped and stumbled off her perch. At first we were a little concerned but apparently her wing strength was more than adequate and she soared to a nearby tree, where she spent the night, and next morning daddy Shadow brought her some fresh trout for breakfast. A lot of this is captured here on this cute edited video. ENJOY! This morning I checked in early and both sisters were in the nest at dawn and at 1:00 pm the eagle cam wide shot had them side by side in a nearby tree together, right. Very heartwarming!

We have been watching the two young eagles Sunny and Gizmo on the eagle cam provided by Friends of Big Bear Valley in California. They were hatched back in the first week of March and it has been great fun to watch their growth over the past 3 months. Eagles usually fly the nest (called fledging) sometime 10-14 weeks after birth. Today Sunny, now 90 days old and 4 days older than Gizmo, fledged at 10:46am. She is just catching flight top center as Gizmo watches. We were unable to see Sunny after she flew off. I think the two parents who were spotted together in a nearby treetop were keeping an eye on her. Little sister Gizmo has been branching a lot (spreading her wings at the edge of the nest) - so we figure she may fledge tomorrow.

This is a photo of our Sun Tracker Pontoon Boat with the new Seat Covers on. We had these made up end of last season. We put the boat in the water this past week, and took a couple late afternoon cruises. Probably won't use it now for a few days so we put on the new seat covers for the first time. They look and fit just great.

Here's a nice family photo of our son Patrick, wife Linjia and baby Lulu as well as a closeup of Lulu, age 2 months. We were not there in Brooklyn NY when the photo was taken, but the photo was sent to us by the proud parents.

We had to leave Veneta for a while so Libby could fly to San Diego to visit the grandkids and then attend her 50th high school reunion in L.A. We got back middle of last week and this was first day we could get back out sailing on the lake. This just marks Day 2 for the season but this is exactly on par with the same date last season. But last year we sailed 8 days in May so we'll have see how it goes this year. We are here for the month and don't go home again until mid June. The winds were a bit light today and we had to motor back to the marina, but still got in some nice light wind sailing for about an hour and a half.

Today we got in an excellent day of sailing on Fern ridge Lake... winds in the 10-12 range, sunny skies and temps in the upper 60's. A great start to the 2025 sailing season. The lake levels are up at the maximum (full pool) so we're looking forward to a full 6 month season... hopefully lots of time on the water. Still a little chilly so I have my flannel shirt on... but bright sun, nonetheless, so I have my nose shield in place. Too many years of unprotected exposure on the old schnozola so I have to protect it every time we go out on the boat.

Turning 80 is a milestone in anyone's life lucky enough to reach it. It seems to me as I enter my 80's, one cannot kid oneself any longer. You are not "Getting old" - you *are* old. Ah well, better than pushing up daisies! For my birthday we find ourselves back at the lake and getting the Anne Marie, my Catalina 22 sailboat, ready to put back in the water for the summer sailing season. Sailing into the 80's, that's me!

We are pleased to report that we have arrived back down at Fern Ridge Shores on west side of Fern Ridge Lake, Oregon just west of Eugene. The lake is almost full for the season and should get there by end of the month, as the Army Corps allows it to fill gradually. The marinas are open and we'll be launching the boats very soon. Looking forward to another great sailing season at Fern Ridge Lake. We plan to be here all summer until the lake closes again October 1.

The fuzzy little eagle chicks we have been watching online since my March 13 post are definitely beginning to look like young birds, as they sit in the nest patiently waiting for some dinner from mom. The two kids were the subjects of a national naming contest conducted by Friends of Big Bear Valley. Their official names are now Gizmo and Sunny. The little eaglets are now more than 6 weeks old and are instinctively stretching their little wings as they look forward to becoming full-fledged fledglings when they will leave the nest for the first time. We are excited to watch Gizmo and Sunny develop into fledglings in the coming weeks.