Windseeker Travel Log with Joe and Libby

A very good old friend of mine, Vince Gambino and his wife Kathy, now living in New Zealand, put together an extraordinary christmas video and sent me a link to watch it. This is a humbling tribiute to me and my dear wife Libby, looking back at our travels and even further to my Hollywood acting career back in the 70's and 80's. Click on this link to watch this video on Youtube.

We received a notice via email and attended the event today. "Join Vancouver Police officers for Coffee With a Cop, a casual get-together with residents at a local coffee shop for conversation and community-building. Bring your questions or concerns and get to know some of your local police officers over a nice cup of coffee. Coffee (and other beverages and food) is available for purchase (not for free), but is not required to participate." For the schedule click here. It was interesting to speak with our local police officers and I think we will try to attend biweekly meetings with some regularity.

Merry Christmas to one and all... and a very happy new year!                                    
           
          

After a month on the road, we made it back home to Vancouver in early December. We visited friends and family up and down the west coast and visited some beautiful spots. It's always great to travel and great to get home again. We parked on the street in front of the driveway for a couple days, emptied the coach, I winterized it again, and washed it before placing it in covered storage for the winter near our home. I purchased a 2 deionizer setup (tan and blue bottles in the photo) a few years ago, which makes washing the rig a breeze. We wet it down, I use a long handled washing stick, then a regular rinse followed by a spot-free rinse with the deionizer... no drying needed and it dries spot free. Voila... a professional wash job!

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends. On this occasion we give thanks for all our blessings and for our wonderful life together. After a rewarding one month trip to California, visiting friends and family, we are headed home for the Christmas holidays. We're planning to spend some time relaxing at home before spring rolls around and we are back to sailing at Fern Ridge Lake.

From Mendocino we drove down to San Francisco to visit son Tim and wife Kristin who are living there as Tim works at the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, as chief of staff to the Chairman, Mary Daly. We visited them for a few days and also spent a quiet afternoon in Golden Gate Park.

From Crescent City, enroute to Mendocino, we made a brief layover in Eureka to visit an old actor friend Gary Rooney. We then continued south on Highway 101, taking an alternate route for about 40 miles along Avenue of the Giants which meanders through a HUGE grove of giant redwood trees in Humboldt County, CA in what is known as the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The Avenue of the Giants follows the South Fork of the Eel River and contains more than 23,000 acres of old growth forest and countless giant redwood trees.

We took the coastal route to San Francisco with a first stop at Bandon Beach where had lunch at Coquille Point. From Bandon Beach we cruised south thru Brookings and across the California border into Crescent City. Next day we drove around and got some spectacular photos like the one at the right I took near Battery Point Lighthouse. You can see lots more great coastal photos from Bandon and Crescent City on our gallery page.

This morning we hit the road south on our way to San Francisco. We'll be visiting with our oldest son Tim and his wife Kristin who live and work in the Windy City. We'll head south to Grants Pass then cut over to the Oregon Coast to Brookings and Crescent City just below the California border, then on to visit friends in Eureka and Mendocino before we head on to San Francisco on November 15. We have been a little concerned about the major wildfires in California, but it seems things have quieted down and we should be safe. Certainly the coastal route will be safe enough and we'll re-evaluate before we leave Eureka to make sure roads are clear.

Literally... we are wrapping things up at Fernridge Shores. We have some gorgeous weather for late October, ideal for closing up our summer place. Today we put the cover on the boat. This is a beautiful custom fit sunbrella cover which fits the Anne Marie like a glove. It came wih the boat when we bought it back in 2010 and we have never used it all these years, storing her in covered storage instead. This year we will get some good use out of it. She will stay covered and out of the weather all winter here in our spot at Fernridge Shores, next to the Avalanche. That's the car/storage trailer behind the boat, all neatly tucked in for the winter. We'll be heading home mid week around Nov 1, and preparing for a trip to San Francisco in the Forester. Neighbors will keep an eye on everything until we return in the spring.

Fall is a gorgeous time of year in the Pacific Northwest. As temperatures drop at night, trees start to turn beautiful shades of yellow, orange and red. This year is particularly beautiful as there has been a lot of rain keeping the trees from drying out quickly, providing lots of time for the colors to deepen before the leaves drop to the ground. After a considerable rainy stretch, the weather has morphed into absolutely gorgeous fall weather. We had gone home for a week or more, but have now returned to enjoy autumn at the lake.

Today October 1, was a clear cool and calm wind day. It is also the day the USACE begins drawing down lake levels 4" a day. There was no chance of sailing today and so we decided we would leave our final day on the lake as Friday, Sept 27. That was our 25th day of sailing for the season. Given some of the problems this summer and some of the changes, that was a pretty decent average. Next summer, living right on the lake, we should be able to get twice as many days in. With the weather forecast changing to rain later this week, we decided to take advantage of the nice day and pull The Anne Marie out of the water. Richardson Marina has really nice boat ramps, ideal for the purpose.

Our youngest son Patrick who lives in Portland came back down for another visit and brought his better half, girlfriend Linjia. It was the first day of fall 2019, and the wind cooperated coming up modestly for a couple hours late afternoon as usual. I took Pat and Linjia out for some sailing, and Linjia who had only been on a sailboat a couple times, but was game to take the tiller and learn some of the finer points of sailing. Prettiest skipper ever on the Anne Marie.

Our lovable Westie, Corey, went into full renal failure. There was just nothing more to be done for our sweet little boy. We came home so he could see his own doctor for all these years, rather than an unfamiliar one in Eugene. She said the most humane thing to do was put him down and so, Libby and I took Taffy, went to the vet at 5:00 and held him as he slipped away. With his diabetes, poor little Corey just couldn't keep going any longer. Farewell, our fine furry friend. Sleep well! We'll love you always. It's an Irish saying, not Scottish like Corey, but close enough: May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Well we had hoped to move our sailboat down to the marina at Fern Ridge Shores for the remainder of the season, but the water levels are dropping with the dry summer we have had, and the Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the reservoir, always drains the lake every fall as part of pre-emptive flood control measures. The marina at Richardson Park is up by the dam and so the water is deeper than down at Fern Ridge Shores so we'll get a bit more longevity before before we have to pull the boat out for the season. Richardson was kind enough to assign us to a different slip for September, one that is more toward the front of the marina on dock B where the water is deeper, which will give us some extra time in the water compared to our slip at D-5.

This is the first day of September, Labor Day Weekend 2019. Kids will be going back to school, days are growing shorter and we will be enjoying another month of fall sailing here at Fern Ridge Lake. We have never sailed here in September, so it should be interesting to see how it goes. If this weekend was any indicator, it should be excellent. Saturday we had friends Todd and Lydia drove down from Portland and join us for some excellent afternoon sailing. And today Libby and I went out late afternoon and got a couple hours of steady 10mph winds with two dozen other sailboats enjoying the perfect sailing weather. We're headed home Monday for a few days to take care of some doctors appointments and other personal business.

Well after a 3 week hiatus, we were back out on the lake today, celebrating our first full day of occupancy in the new 5th wheel at Fern Ridge Shores. We were rewarded with excellent winds in the 10-15mph range and being Sunday, we enjoyed the company of 24 other sailboats out on the lake. We have been so busy this month with trips home, buying the new 5th wheel and gearing up to move over to Fern Ridge Shores from Premier. It was good to get back to the main reason we are here in the first place. Sailing this marvelous lake. Just no place like it in the west.

Well after spending the past week prepping the new 5th Wheel in our new space at Fern Ridge Shores RV Resort, we moved over from Premier RV Park in Eugene where we have been spending the summer up until now. Premier is a nice park, but kinda noisy along the I-5 interstate and almost a half hour drive to the Richardson Park Marina. We're looking forward to staying right on the lake now and having our sailboat at their marina close at hand. And to make it even better we will be spending only about half as much per month between the RV space and the boat slip! As you can tell from the entrance sign, this is a sailing community!

Finally today, with the help of our seller and his pickup truck, we moved the new Keystone Avalanche 5th Wheel into its spot at Fern Ridge Shores RV Resort. This is space #58, the largest space in the entire park. The very reasonable monthly space rent includes free water, sewer and trash pickup. Tenants just pay their own electricity. It also includes the 12x16 deck, a large shed behind the deck, as well as room for a fenced yard behind the deck for the dogs. The space also has ample parking for this magnificent 41' 5th wheel, our Forester motorhome, my 20' car trailer, my sailboat on its trailer when it is not at the marina, and parking for our car, the MG and guests! And then my slip at the marina, included with space rent, is a short walk from my coach! What a treat!!!

Well, never ones to let moss grow under our feet, we have added a new toy to our arsenal, this gorgeous new 2019 Keystone Avalanche 382FL. I figured the blog had become a little stale lately, so this should liven it up a little. We are having this spectacular new 5th Wheel coach positioned in a great space at the only lakefront RV Park here in Eugene... Fern Ridge Shores RV Resort. We have been sailing Fern Ridge Lake for the past two months and decided that for sailing seasons in the coming years, we would really like to be ON the lake instead of all the way across town, and having to drive a half hour every time we want to check and see if the wind is up for sailing. No more. By September 1 we will be right here at the lake and I can look out my kitchen window, or from our wood deck alongside the coach while sipping my morning coffee or an afternoon brewski and see exactly what the wind is doing! A huge improvement! More photos on our gallery page.

Well after a twelve day forced hiatus we finally got back out on the lake today. Wind had been pretty weak in the second week of July, and then we went home for a full week. We had some doctors' appointments but then the car had some warranty issues and was in the shop for several days while they gave us a loaner. Fortunately we got it back Thursday, drove back to Eugene in the evening, and were welcomed by the windiest day we have had on the lake as yet this summer! We pulled out of the marina about 2:30 in the afternoon and enjoyed sailing all around the lake in winds which built to 12-16 after 3pm. More of the same is in store next week according to the forecast! Finally looks like summer sailing season is kicking in!

After a pretty good weekend on which we sailed both days, the winds this week have become light and variable without much opportunity for sailing. We had some rain yesterday. Today was mostly cloudy but dry and we took advantage of our newly tuned up bicycles to go for a bike ride. We drove the car over to Skinner Butte Park in Eugene, unloaded the bikes off the bike rack and took a ride down by the Willamette River along the lovely Ruth Bascom Trail. View a large format PDF file of this great 20 mile bike trail, one of the reasons we love spending time in Eugene.

Some very significant earthquakes have been felt in southern California near L.A. The first was 6.4 followed by many aftershocks including a 5.7 and then this evening a very violent 7.1. We're hoping that will have been the worst of it. We have a lot of friends and family down there and we spent several weeks down there this spring. The news coverage is non-stop, of course, and everyone is holding their breath that the worst is over. Libby and I lived through some major earthquakes when we lived in L.A. and there is often a sense of complacency about these things, but this 7.1 really got people's attention according to the news coverage, especially up in Ridgecrest CA where the epicenter was, and where significant damage occurred.

Today after 5 days of doldrums and light breezes, the wind returned. We had decent 8-12 mph sailing breezes late afternoon today with perfect temps. We were joined out on the lake by about 20 other sailboats at the peak around 6pm. At the right is a small regatta of about 8 small laser sailboats in the late afternoon.

I had to have a crown replaced a couple weeks ago and got a temporary while waiting for the permanent porcelain crown to be made. I have an appointment for Thursday, 6/27, to get the new crown, but the last couple days I have been having a nasty toothache in the same spot which is extending from the glands in my neck to my right ear. Dr. Lib suspects I may need a root canal, so we are headed home today to have it looked at and get started on some antibiotics. Good timing with the weather as it is expected to rain most of Wednesday and Thursday this week.

Winds were just superb late afternoon today... 8-12 mph became a rock steady 11-12 mph after 6pm. We were able to hold a 15 degree heel under full sail without holding a tense hand on the mainsheet. Steady winds are like that! A picture perfect start to the summer of 2019.

We got back to Eugene today, after several days at home with doctors appointments and the RAIN concert. In the mid afternoon we headed over to the lake for a sail. Perfect weather once again. There are quite a few Catalina 22 sailboats on this lake. By the time we headed home about 6:30 there were more than 25 sailboats out. There are several others on our D Dock alone at the marina. It's nice to see Catalina 22's sailing by us on the lake as it is almost like looking in a mirror. Our immaculate C-22 MkII, however, is unquestionably one of the very nicest ones on the lake.

We had seen Rain, the best Beatles Tribute Band in the country, perform in Las Vegas quite a few years ago and have been waiting for an opportunity to see them again. They finally came to Portland and we arranged our schedule to be back in town for the concert. We sailed three excellent afternoons on Fern Ridge, and when the weather turned hot and still for a few days, we headed home. Doctor appointments and this concert timed out well for us. Each performer in Rain has mastered his character's posture, accent and inflection. And their musicianship and vocals make you feel like you have gone back in time to see the Beatles live once again. Lots more photos and links on our gallery page.

We returned home for several different appointments, but key was my followup with the oncologist to get the results of my 6 month CT Scan which was performed May 28. We were greatly relieved to receive the news that nothing was detected and that my bout with Lymphoma remains in remission. Chemotherapy and radiation appear to have done their job and I remain cancer free! Hooray!

Since it rained yesterday, we didn't go to the lake, but today was a cool breezy day so we took our windbreakers and headed down to the marina... got out on the lake about 3pm and had a wonderful sailing afternoon, getting in about 6:30. At the peak there were about 15 other sailboats out sailing, plus about a dozen smaller craft, lasers perhaps, sailing a little regatta in the SW corner of the main lake. Winds peaked around 15 or so this afternoon... we had excellent wind and sailing all afternoon. More wind is forecast for tomorrow and ten degrees warmer temps so it should be an awesome day out there again with all the other sailboats :-)

Well after 20 months of storage, we finally got our Catalina sailboat back in the water and at her slip at Fern Ridge Lake. Rigging and launch went smoothly. The marina has a free public hoist with winch for lifting the mast up which makes it super easy. After launching the boat, I motored around and put her in her slip D5, where she will be berthed for the summer. That's me in the blue shirt standing by The Anne Marie. Tomorrow there's rain forecast but we should be out sailing on the lake Saturday! We should have plenty of company as you can see in the photo...almost all sailboats at the marina.

We invite all our friends to come visit us while we are here this summer. Premier RV Park of Eugene is right along the I-5 Interstate on the north side of the city in Coburg, Oregon. We're just 20 minutes from the marina where we're keeping our sailboat and would love to take you sailing on Oregon's best sailing lake. And you do not need an RV... there are plenty of hotels and motels nearby, or if you want a totally unique experience you can can stay in a Teepee right here at the RV Park. These are fully furnished and very comfortable. See the website for interior photos.

We checked in yesterday at Premier RV Park in Eugene, located off I-5 about 2.5 hours south of our home in Vancouver. We chose this place as the most suitable spot for our summer 'glamping' trip to Fern Ridge Lake. It's not right on the lake, unfortunately. The only options there are a county campground which doesn't allow longer term stays and a seedy mobile home park which has a waiting list. But it's only 20 minutes from Richardson Park marina where we have a slip reserved for our sailboat. Premier is closer to the freeway than we prefer, but it's nicely appointed, and so it is far and away the best option for spending the summer sailing the lake. And its monthly rates are quite reasonable as well, so we cannot complain. And as you can see, the two dogs love it here!

Here we are at an I-5 Rest area on our way down to Eugene for the summer. Libby is driving the Dodge Durango towing the sailboat and I am driving the motorhome. It's just a little more than a 2 hour drive. First stop was Premier Rv Park where we'll stay in the motorhome this summer and then I had to take the boat over to a boat mechanic as the boat motor needs a new water pump. Guess the rubber impeller dried out after being in storage the past two years. Hope to get it back end of the week and get her launched into Fern Ridge Lake.

After 6 weeks of hopscotching all over California, it is a welcome respite to settle in back at home for a few weeks... the two dogs are thrilled to have their yard and their doggy door back! We're making preparations to take our motorhome and Catalina 22 sailboat down to Fern Ridge Lake for the summer. We'll take up residence at Premier RV Park in the Eugene area and have rented a slip at Richardson Marina for the boat, a spot we've enjoyed sailing many times before. Fern Ridge is the best sailing lake in Oregon & Washington and should be soothing for my soul for the next three months. It is just a couple hours from home so we can drive back home in the car any time we feel so inclined. It is the ideal summer option for us! Very high fun : dollar ratio!

Today, Monday, we hit the 'Oregon Trail' - the road home to Oregon and Washington. We drove a full day of 390 miles but it was all easy miles right up I-5. We made our first rest stop for the day at an I-5 rest area with a magnificent view of Mt. Shasta and nice grass for the dogs. Nice photo opportunity! We continued on up and over the Siskiyou Summit, down past Ashland, Oregon, Medford, Grants Pass and finally Seven Feathers Resort for a quick overnight before we head home the last 200 miles on Tuesday. Seven Feathers Casino has a very nice RV park; there is also a great rest area right at this exit, a place we have stopped many times before. It's a quiet spot up on the hill above the resort and Oregon allows overnight stays up to 12 hours at state rest areas, so that's our easy choice for the night. Our long journey of 2500 miles draws to a highly successful conclusion. And we look forward now to the summer sailing season.

We spent the afternoon on Mother's Day with Tom and Becky Kidwell, long time Gorge friends and fellow windsurfers who live in the Sacramento area in a nice part of town called Fair Oaks. We had dinner with them at their beautiful home on Saturday evening and they showed us all around nearby Folsom Lake. We thought it might be a nice place to bring the sailboat for spring sailing until we learned that the only marina has a 6-10 year waiting list for a slip. Oh well, that eliminates that possibility.

Our main goal for this California trip was to be here in San Diego for the wedding of our eldest son Tim and fiance Kristin King. The wedding was held today with many family members and friends in attendance. The ceremony and the reception were held at the Fort Oak Restaurant. We all wish Tim and Kristin a long and happy life together!

Libby was born in L.A. and lived here her entire life until she moved to Oregon with me in 1992. I lived here 17 years (1975-92) while an actor in Hollywood. We both still have a lot of friends here. Libby's mom and other family live here as well. So we like to come down here periodically to visit friends and family. We probably would never come here again otherwise... we had enough of L.A. sprawl, traffic, congestion, smog, hot/dry weather, etc. to last us a lifetime. But visiting friends and family makes it worthwhile, periodically, and of course, we're enroute to San Diego for son Tim's wedding on May 4. I'll be posting photos of our activities on our photo gallery.

We left Santa Barbara on Monday April 15 and made the short drive up into the beautiful foothills of the Ojai Valley to visit one of my very oldest and dearest friends, Mike Schradle and his wife Marilyn. They have a beautiful home on several acres which they purchased there after retirement from the ratrace of the Bay area where they had lived for so many years. On Tuesday we took the dogs down to Libby Park in downtown Ojai and Libby posed with the pups by the entrance to her namesake.

This morning we ran a few errands and then drove up to Franceschi Park, tucked up in the foothills of Santa Barbara. Once the home of famed botanist Francesco Franceschi, this little known spot affords wonderful panoramic views of Santa Barbara and the entire coastline. In the afternoon we also took the opportunity to visit the picturesque and historic Mission Santa Barbara and took a brief self guided tour.. More photos of the Mission and our Santa Barbara visit on our gallery page.

Today we took the dogs down to the ocean just a short way from Sunrise RV Park where we are staying for the week. It's a lovely spot to walk the dogs and enjoy the warm sunny weather and watch the waves breaking on the beach and sailboats in the harbor.

Located between the steeply rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, just north of the Los Angeles Basin, Santa Barbara's climate is often described as Mediterranean, and the city has been promoted as the "American Riviera". This lovely coastal town is a popular tourist and resort destination, and one of my best and oldest friends lives here so we decided to spend a week relaxing, hanging out with friends and take in some of the local sights. While it is raining all week at home, weather here is forecast to be perfect, hovering around 70 degrees +/- for the next week.

We moved on to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit some friends and located ourselves at Maple Leaf RV Park in Morgan Hill just south of San Jose where we usually stay. It's convenient to everything and is a really nice community. Very close to the RV Park is lovely Morgan Hill Community Park with a great fenced dog park which covers about an acre, where we can take the westies for a walk a couple times a day.

We arrived yesterday afternoon here at Camanche Lake east of the S.F. Bay area out in the foothills of Northern California Gold Rush Country. Back in the late 1970's I had an old 50's mobile home vacation spot here and came up here as I was learning to windsurf. Libby and I are taking a walk down memory lane, staying in a campground here at the lake near where I had my mobile. The area is totally green now with all the recent rainfall in Northern California. With the green foothills all around and the big California Live Oak Trees dotting the landscape it is really a beautiful time to visit. Watch this brief promotional video about Camanche Lake. More photos in our photo gallery

We pass by the iconic Mt Shasta as we have so many times before on our way to our first California stop, Camanche Lake. Mt Shasta looms large over the arid landscape of Northern California with its snow capped peaks. Mount Shasta is a stratovolcano home to the largest glaciers in California (seven in total) and snow melt from Shasta helps fill the beautiful Lake Shasta. Normally an important source of water to the central valley, snow melt is running 160% of normal this year and contributing to some major flooding. It is often feast or famine for the oft drought stricken state. Whatever the status, Mt Shasta is always breathtaking to see in the distance.

Well, we have hit the road on our first RV adventure of 2019. We decided to postpone our trip about a week because Spring has been a little behind schedule. We had to skip taking the coastal route and head straight down I-5 for California. With my health issues all behind us, we're looking forward to some nice sunshine and relaxing visits with friends in California. Here's the Forester with our Durango in tow, gleaming in the sunshine at an I-5 rest stop south of Salem, OR. Today we'll only go as far as Premier RV Resort in Coburg, OR, just north of Eugene. We're going to spend a couple nights in the Eugene area to get set up, test all systems and be sure we are 100% ready for the open road. Then on the 30th we'll head south on I-5 and up and over Siskiyou Summit and drop down into Northern California. The weather forecast is looking very promising.

So this is the new morning routine... after breakfast, as Libby runs around doing chores, both dogs have to join my in the recliner. Corey as usual on the footrest and Taffy now takes her place in my lap. But this time it was extra cute... she's resting her head on his backside. This immediately brought to mind that adorable photo on the sailboat from years ago where Corey, then the new kid on the block, was sleeping with his head on Gracie's butt. The tradition carries on to the new generation!

A little over a month after bringing her home, our new Westie puppy, Taffy, seems to be adapting well to life here in Vancouver. When she is not sharing the sofa with Corey, or in someone's lap, she is either at the window in the family room (right) watching for squirrels in the backyard, or she is hunting the backyard sniffing where the squirrels have been while she was napping. Corey has taken to her quite well and often goes outside too when he hears her go through the doggie door. Good to see the old boy getting a little more exercise these days. Here they are again, hard at play in the backyard.

For both dogs being purebred westies, these two could not be more different. Of course a big part of it is the age... Taffy is 14 months and Corey is 12 years. She is full of energy, he is just past it. Of course he can be enticed to play with her a bit, but can't come close to keeping up with her... She just runs circles around him as the video linked above indicates. But he's pretty good natured about it and mostly just sleeps through her antics or keeps one eye open to see what she is up to, occasionally letting out a growl if she pushes too hard. Here's Corey asleep in one of his favorite spots, the foot rest of my recliner, between my legs, while I am watching the news and Taffy is at the window watching for activity in the yard (above).

We are firming up all our plans for our big spring trip in the Windseeker. We'll head down to California as spring arrives in March. Our oldest son Tim and fiance Kristin are getting married in San Diego in early May, so we are making a big trip down I-5 to the San Francisco Bay Area, then on to Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and on to San Diego, returning home in mid May, to complete the first loop of our 2019 RV travel itinerary. For trip #2 we'll spend the entire summer at Fern Ridge Reservoir in Eugene, Oregon for a relaxing summer of sailing our Catalina 22 sailboat. Then our big fall loop Leg I and Leg II will include Crater Lake, Lake Tahoe, Vegas, Lake Mead, Grand Canyon, and all the big Utah National Parks, returning home in mid October.

So, as we had hoped with our new pup, Taffy's presence in our home is rejuvenating 12 year old Corey. They get along great... very little conflict... and this video shows them playing in our family room at home and having a great time. Afterwards... well, it was time for a nap. Here's another video of Taffy getting some serious exercise in the backyard, running circles around Corey. Must be nice to be young, sez Cor.

If you've never heard of Christmas taffy, well we have it to show you. We took the plunge in December and bought a new Westie pup (Taffy) to keep Corey company. We figured she might help keep him young a while longer just as he did with Gracie our first westie years ago when she was getting on in years. Taffy is high energy and a lot of fun to have around.