Peregrinating
2012

May

1 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
My route covered 336 miles today, that is two less than what Google Maps thought it was going to be. It was not as simple as the previous days have been but my 3x5 card instructions did not lead me astray. OR140, US395, US26, OR7, US30, OR237, OR203, US30, OR82, Riddle Rd & Bearco Loop.no pic

Almost all of the route was designated as Scenic and it did not disappoint. Lots of pine covered mountains, flowing streams, snow covered peaks and some buckaroo country. It was also all 'driving roads', non of this set the cruise control for the day. You have almost constant ups, downs, twist and turns with few cruise control stretches.

Stopped at Eddie's Truck Stop in Hines, OR where I had breakfast and filled up with gas at only 1¢ less than what I paid in Tonopah, NV. This is where I had breakfast a year ago when I would do my long walk once a week while staying in Burns, OR.

I then stopped again for a few minutes and took a stretch walk while Patches sniffed, sniffed and sniffed; never did find a place suitable for her to take a potty break. With those two stops I arrived in La Grande in just a little over 8 hours. It then took me almost an hour to get groceries at the Safeway in town which is somewhat more expensive than Smith's was in Pahrump.

The RV Park here has a rather 'grand' name but I have not found anything grand about it so far and to add Resort was simply marketing. There is nothing about the place that would merit it being called a Resort and I think there are quite a few people that are living here permanently.

I think President Obama has put his foot in his mouth once again with the “I killed bin Laden” political advertisement. He even has friends that have come out in opposition to the ad, his politicization of the killing and the hubris of him taking credit. Think back to the announcement of a year ago (I have removed some of the bold for emphasis). This is from Michael Mukasey: Obama and the bin Laden Bragging Rights for The Wall Street Journal.
While contemplating how the killing of bin Laden reflects on the president, consider the way he emphasized his own role in the hazardous mission accomplished by SEAL Team 6:
"I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority . . . even as I continued our broader effort. . . . Then, after years of painstaking work by my intelligence community I was briefed . . . I met repeatedly with my national security team . . . And finally last week I determined that I had enough intelligence to take action. . . . Today, at my direction . . ."
2 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
I put Patches off when she wanted to get up at 5:00 but we did get up at 5:30. It was much cooler last night and this morning than it had been in Pahrump when we left. I was back in my heavier jacket for our walk this morning. The forecast is for a high of 59° with a chance of rain, it has been mostly overcast all day.

First target for a walk was a Starbucks that I saw close by where I used my pre-paid card for the first time in well over a year. Not much credit left on it, maybe one more latte and some change (maybe a bigger latte). I'll get some regular routes worked out in the next few days.

Patches was ripping to go but she has also been very happy to get home. I think she is really wore out from the 4 days of travel. She has been curled up on the couch asleep for most of the day.

I have been catching up on my usual Daily blogs which I did not read every day during our travel time. I did finish the long novel (1,236 pages in paperback) that I started way back when. It was Gai-Jin by James Clavell who tends to write very long novels or at least Shogun and Whirlwind that I have also read were.

Onto The Field Of Honour with Boonie has been posted on his blog which I have copied for presentation here also. I did change the font style from what came over when I copied from the screen to provide a contrast between what he wrote and what I wrote. This simple change and getting all the links set up correctly was much more time consuming than I thought it was going to be. However, time is something that I do have!

Onto the Field of Honour with Mr. Frey

At long last it is time for The Duel. In order to appreciate the drama of this you might consider watching the end of Barry Lyndon, where you will find more than courage and honour involved. You'll also see intricate rules and rituals being followed to the letter, whilst Schubert's excellent piano trio plays in the background.

Young Lord Bullington, the step-son of Barry Lyndon, spoke to him: "Mr. Redmond Barry (aka Barry Lyndon): the last occasion on which we met you wantonly caused me injury and dishonour, in such a manner and to such an extent to which no gentleman can willingly suffer without demanding satisfaction, however much time intervenes. I have now come to claim that satisfaction."

I couldn't have said it better myself. In the original challenge I neglected to explain how the winner would be determined. Rest assured that it will be decided by a distinguished group of "seconds", as well as the head "factors" in charge of our respective estates and manors. Although their decision is final they welcome comments from readers, and promise to take these into account.

Now then, per the Wikipedia article on duelling, the challenged party (Mr. Frey) is entitled to shoot first:


I have selected essay #487 - "Disengagement" from Fred On Everything as his best. I think it is his best because he validates what I have come to believe. I have been disengaging slowly but surely ever since I quit my 'career' job in 1990 and am now a full time RVer. This is not the end of my disengagement, but simply another step along that path, but it is encouraging to read something that supports the direction that my life has taken. I also think it is his best because he touches on almost all of the subjects included in his other essays. By reading this one you will get a good introduction to what he writes about.

It is probably worthwhile to read the essay by clicking Disengagement before reading more of my comments.

This essay includes topics that Fred writes about many, many times in the over 500 essays that he has in his archives. If you find that you disagree with his positions expressed in this one then you probably will not enjoy reading very many of the others.

Governmental Oppression, loss of freedom and political correctness are frequent topics in his essays.

Patriotism is also discussed many times. You may be turned off by what he says in this essay but by reading many of his others you will come to understand how and why he has come to have this position.

Education and Affirmative Action are also discussed repeatedly. This essay provides only a summary of what he thinks regarding our schools, many other essays go into greater detail.

Consumerism and Debt are discussed in much more depth in some of his other essays.

He only briefly touches on the subject of being an expatriot in this essay but many of his others discuss the subject in much more detail not only about Mexico but other places in the world.


My opponent's choice of #487 was a surprise since it was on my own list of semi-finalists. In fact I considered firing my pistol into the ground, thereby announcing my satisfaction and the end of the duel.

I've chosen #153, Military Reflections. Recall your Orwell: 'nothing worth reading is produced unless the writer practices a certain amount of self-abnegation.' That is a two-way street; and I was in the mood to practice a certain amount of self-abnegation as the reader. There were other essays that seemed more original, more pertinent to my own life, funnier, etc.

Rightly or wrongly, I chose an essay that offered what was unique to Fred Reed: there are few pundits and writers that have any direct experience with the soldiering business. This is a big problem considering how fundamental military culture and Permanent War are to the American Empire.

Fred Reed volunteered for the Marines during the Vietnam War and was in combat there, where he was wounded. His essays on war are pro-soldier and anti-Establishment. His bitterest assessments are of neo-con chicken hawks, the college boys who work in think tanks and can't wait to get America into the next Permanent War, as long as they, their offspring, friends, and acquaintances don't have to fight.

I admit that my opponent's choice offers a better one-essay sample of the range of Fred Reed's opinions.


3 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
I was looking for a cooler place to camp, well I truly have found it. When I woke up this morning I could hear light rain on the roof and it was still dark although it should not have been.

It was one of those days which are not good for man nor beast. That did not stop this intrepid pair however, we went for our walk in the face of the adverse weather. Patches does not seem to mind the rain, will just shake it off from time to time, but she sure loves the Wave heater when we get home.

Yesterday morning we had a 35° low and a high of 55. The forecast had been for it to reach 59 which is to be today also, I don't think it will make it. A lesser chance of rain tomorrow but the high is be only 50 with the low pegged to be 34. The following days then to warm up into the 60s. Patches likes this a lot better than the hot days we had at Pahrump, I could stand it to be warmer but it is better than the HOT.

A very good day to do a lot of reading on my new novel by Dan Brown, the author of The Da Vinci Code, although this was his first published novel. I have also become current with my Daily blogs and started reading the Monthly ones.

I have also started reading the Blog Archives of Joe Bageant, a self professed liberal/socialist, that was born in the same part of the country as Fred Reed, who is much more of a libertarian although does not profess to be so.

Fred Reed visits with Hant from time to time and Joe stops by at Burt's, this is what he wrote about a couple of those visits.
Here are some things I have learned at Burt's Westside Tavern: 1) Never shack up with a divorced woman who is two house payments behind and swears you are the best sex she ever had. 2) Never eat cocktail weenies out of the urinal, no matter how big the bet gets.
In the end booth sits a fat guy wearing a tee shirt that reads: "One million battered women in this country and I've been eating mine plain!" That this is not considered especially offensive at Burt's says all one needs to know about the cultural and gender sensitivity of the clientèle.
4 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: May 4, 1924

I was wrong about the high temperature yesterday, it reached 62° but sure did not feel like it. When Patches and I went out for our evening walk we got out the door just in time for some hard rain and small hail. Patches was having none of that and wanted back in the house, NOW. She was then happy to dry off in front of the Wave heater.

It was a little colder this morning at 37° but we had no rain although it looked like it could at any time. The forecast high for today has been revised upward to 52 with a low of 30 and a chance of snow. So much for my wanting cooler days! I'll maybe get back into the 70s starting on Monday which is much more to my liking.

I probably need not say it but the day has been devoted to staying close to the heater and keeping warm. A very good day for being on the couch with my Dan Brown book and on the computer reading my Monthly blogs.

The Bureau of Labor has released their non-farm job numbers for April, an increase of 115,000, which the media has very quietly reported. They did get a little bit more excited about the decrease in the Unemployment Rate to 8.1% but it was a big disappointment when the 'experts' were predicting 160,000 new jobs.

The monthly report is even worse when you look at the Bureau's historical data, by month, for Total Employed (which includes farm workers and has not been manipulated quite as much). The favorable trend that broke last month has now established an unfavorable trend: January ADDED 847,000, February ADDED 428,000, March LOST by 31,000 and April LOST 169,000.

There was some good news that Unemployed went down by 173,000. But that decrease was not because they found jobs but rather that they dropped out of the labor force. The Not in the Labor Force increased by 522,000 to a new all time high. This is what led to that slight reduction in the Unemployment Rate.

For the past five months the Not in the Labor Force numbers have been very favorable for President Obama's re-election. However, he is running out of time the Not in the Labor Force must increase even more each month before Election Day to get the Unemployment Rate below 7%. That rate may not even be necessary if he can just continue the trend downward every month I think he can win the election.

Peggy Noonan wrote the excerpt shown below in her essay A Bush League President where she thinks President Obama's campaign strategy to control the topic may not be working. I previously posted that I thought Obama could keep Romney off his preferred topic, the economy. If you want an example of plonking platitude after plonking platitude, I have included Obama's quote today about the jobs report.
Republicans are worried about the power of incumbency, and it is a real power. Presidents command the airwaves, as they used to say. If they want to make something the focus of national discussion, they usually can, at least for a while. And this president is always out there, talking. But -- and forgive me, because what I'm about to say is rude -- has anyone noticed how boring he is? Plonking platitude after plonking platitude. To see Mr. Obama on the stump is to see a man at the podium who's constantly dribbling away the punch line. He looks pleasant but lacks joy; he's cool but lacks vigor. A lot of what he says could have been said by a president 12 or 20 years ago, little is anchored to the moment. As he makes his points he often seems distracted, as if he's holding a private conversation in his head, noticing crowd size, for instance, and wishing the front row would start fainting again, like they used to.

"After the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, our businesses have now created more than 4.2 million jobs over the last 26 months (and) more than one million jobs in the last six months alone. "That's the good news, but there are still a lot of folks out of work which means we have got to do more.” Obama said at a school in the crucial election swing state of Virginia.
5 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
I was right about the high temperature yesterday, it only got up to 48°. I had the Wave heater on all morning and then off and on until I went to bed. It was 35° this morning and while we were out for our walk I thought I saw a few snow flakes. The highest peak on the range of mountains to the south and west of La Grande looks like kit is getting snow. The forecast high for today has been revised to 55 with a low tomorrow morning of 32. Then warming back up into the 70s next week. I'm ready!

I stopped at Starbucks again this morning on my way home to pick up a latte. Went to the Drive Up Window, as I did the first time, since I had Patches with me and the guy serving the window opened it and said “I can not serve you at the Drive Up”. So Patches and I went on our way, never to frequent the Starbucks in La Grande, OR again.

The remainder of my day was a repeat of yesterday. The Dan Brown novel is a much quicker read than Gai-Jin was and I'll probably finish it by Monday, maybe even tomorrow. Have also made good progress on the Monthly blogs.

I find the Department of Justice under Attorney General Eric Holder to be one of the biggest jokes of the Obama Administration. They can prosecute Roger Clemens twice but could not find any cause to prosecute the New Black Panthers for their voter intimidation in Philadelphia. Nor have they found any wrongdoing within the Big Banks that can be prosecuted.

This is what he had to say about this second case against Clemens. It seems that making a false statement to Congress is the worse crime that you can commit; much worse than voter intimidation or fraud.
Court watchers say another loss will only intensify criticism of the Justice Department for going after Clemens in the first place. Former federal prosecutor David Debold says the government has likely already spent "multiple millions" of taxpayer dollars on the Clemens trials.
"When you have these big, high-profile cases and a jury doesn't convict or a jury throws it out for some reason, it really raises questions about whether the government is putting its resources in the right location," Debold said.
Attorney General Eric Holder is standing behind the decision to prosecute Clemens twice. "The charges are serious ones," Holder said Wednesday, adding, "It's about testifying falsely before Congress." On that basis alone, Holder said, the prosecution is a "justified" use of resources.
6 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
The forecasters had it almost right for the low this morning but I'm sure they did not want to predict below freezing temperatures for May. However, that is what we got, below freezing at 28°. We do have a clear sky today for the first time since I have been here and it might get up into the 60s then 70s starting tomorrow with higher lows also. Much better!

Patches and I braved the freezing cold for our walk toward 'downtown' this morning. This took us past one of those small Espresso huts that seem to have sprung up almost everywhere. I saw someone inside but they did not seem to be open yet and it was only about a block to Dutch Bros. Coffee which I could see was open.

The girl on the Drive Up window was not only happy to serve me but she also gave Patches a dog biscuit treat. The coffee was good and Patches will certainly see that I pay them another visit. I don't give her many treats anymore so when she gets one it is a 'real' treat and not a bribe to do something.

I got a lot accomplished today. HA Finished the Dan Brown novel, Digital Fortress, which was only 523 pages and big font. This was his first novel and he used codes and code breaking in the plot so I now expect his other early novel to do so also. The code usage is well done but the overall plot and action of all three of his books is not very believable.

I also finished reading my Monthly blogs and got a little done on the Will Rogers weekly article links for June. I was able to enjoy some sun shine for the first time in the last five days. So, I did get a lot accomplished. HA

These are part of the comments by Alexander Marlow from an essay written for brietbart.com yesterday about President Obama's Campaign 2012 launch in Ohio.
To hold a campaign event in a room that you can't fill is a mistake; to promise the media a more-than-capacity crowd then fall this far short of that promise is an act of utter incompetence. In 2008, Obama ran a near-flawless campaign, buoyed by enthusiasm and effective organizing. But it's not 2008 any more, and on day one of the 2012 campaign, Team Obama has already made an embarrassing blunder.
This is from an article, Who's who? Obama, Romney projecting mirror image, by Connie Cass for Associated Press. She makes the point that I have raised before, there isn't a dimes worth of difference between Obama and Romney and that is why the lame stream media is so happy with the match up.
He's a smug, Harvard-trained elitist who doesn't get how regular Americans are struggling these days. More extreme than he lets on, he's keeping his true agenda hidden until after Election Day. He's clueless about fixing the economy, over his head on foreign policy. Who is he?
Is it Barack Obama, as seen by Mitt Romney? Or Romney, the way Obama depicts him? For all their liberal versus conservative differences, when the two presidential contenders describe each other, they sound like they're ragging on the same flawed guy. Or mirror images of that guy.
Blame it on two cautious candidates with more traits in common than their disparate early biographies would suggest. No Drama Obama is panned as professorial and aloof. Romney is deemed boring when he's not being awkward.
Distrusted as too moderate within his own party, each is demonized as a radical by the other side. They don't get specific about the tough stuff, like budget cuts or taxes, that would invite more precisely calibrated negative ads.
7 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
Much better weather today. It was back above freezing this morning and may reach almost 70 as a high. There is even a forecast that we will top 80 next week.

Patches and I went toward town again and this time stopped at A Cup of Joe Espresso, the little shack. There we were again served at the Drive Up window and Patches was given another doggies treat. I'm going to have a hard time getting her to walk in any other direction after these past two days.

Did nothing out of the ordinary but it is nice to do nothing without the Wave heater on almost all day. Started another new novel and inquired about exchanging those that I have read here at this Park. They have virtually nothing to exchange.

Managed to get some more done on the Will Rogers weekly article links for June. I should have them all done before I leave here and June arrives.

8 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
Alright! This morning it was 37° when we got up and was over 70 by noon. The forecast is for it to be almost 80 for a high. That is all the good weather news, the bad news is it will be going back into the 50s by Thursday and we might get freezing temperatures at night again. Spring is coming hard here also this year.

I took advantage of the better weather yesterday by having a window open late in the afternoon. Today I have had both my big windows open since noon with a very nice breeze blowing through Desperado.

My right knee has been paining me again for the past couple of days so Patches' morning walk was a short one. No dogie treats for her today but I did go out for breakfast which is a treat for me.

I tried to find Joe & Sugars restaurant in the 'downtown' area to the west of OR82 but drove past it without seeing it. Went the other way and just east of Safeway found the Smokehouse Restaurant open. There I got a decent scramble but it was certainly more expensive than in Pahrump, NV.

After breakfast I went to Safeway and stocked up for the coming week. A lot of those purchases went on the stove right away to give me my 'linner' meals for the next 3-4 days. I made up a Ratatouille, that is a stewed vegetable dish, that included red chard, diced tomatoes, garbanzos, okra, cut corn, onion and garlic with a little basil and oregano.

That will go along with some chicken breasts that I baked in my roaster oven that I haven't used in quite some time. With the cooler temperatures I may be cooking a few more things in it than I did while in Ajo and Pahrump. But it depends more on my mood than it does the temperatures.

9 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
Cooler today with the forecast high tomorrow to only be in the mid-50s. Then back into the 70s with maybe a low 80 on Sunday. We have some wind today which makes it feel a little colder but not too bad a day.

Patches and I did a little longer walk this morning but not the 2 miles that we have done that made my knee sore. It feels better today so maybe taking it a little easier will be the thing to do.

The taking it easy was done on the couch with my novel, that is when I could crowd in on Patches. I also did some more work on Will Rogers weekly article links. Then there was the usual Daily blogs and web News. A usual day for me.

In this non-inflationary economy that we are living in I paid my annual motor home insurance today. It was up almost 10% from last year. Also renewed my vehicle registration with Nevada DMV. Did it on-line in what probably took me two minutes because I type slow. Love NV DMV on-line.

I'm certainly pleased to see that the President has come around on the same sex marriage issue, now maybe he can work on economic ones. Economic ones that are good for the country not just for his Campaign 2012 that is. The excerpt below is from The Washington Free Beacon an American web site that publishes associated content from a U.S. conservative perspective so is biased in how they have written the story. The lame stream media will spin this as a courageous policy decision for Obama.
President Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage less than 48 hours after the Washington Post reported that prominent political donors were threatening to withhold donations over the president’s position on gay rights.
“[A]t a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married,” Obama told ABC News in an interview.
Left-wing blogger Greg Sargent reported on Monday that “leading gay and progressive donors” were angry with Obama over his increasingly convoluted position on gay rights and same-sex marriage, and were refusing to donate any more money to Priorities USA, the pro-Obama Super PAC. The Washington Post noted on Tuesday that roughly 20 percent of Obama top campaign bundlers—who are responsible for arranging $500,000 and up—“publicly identified themselves as gay.”
Obama’s announcement fits a pattern of changing positions on major issues for what appear to be financially motivated reasons.
10 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
The cooler temperatures for today brought a morning low of 35° with an expected high of 57. The forecast for tomorrow morning is to be freezing again but warmer for a high.

Patches and I went to Dutch Bros Coffee again on our walk. She got another treat which I think she was anticipating when we got there. Found a short-cut on the way home that shortened up the walk a little which is good because the right knee was still sore.

As soon as we got home I gathered up my dirty clothes and set out for the laundry room. Got that chore out of the way for another week or so. Then whipped up another of my breakfast hash concoctions. This morning it was diced potatoes, green onion, a little sweet pepper, napalitos, some canned tuna and EggBeaters.

I got it slightly wrong yesterday, it was not the lame stream media that first declared President Obama's same sex marriage support as courageous, it was a gay government Minister in Germany. “Germany's openly gay foreign minister on Thursday hailed US President Barack Obama's decision to back same-sex marriage as a "courageous step".

The Hollywood/TV celebrities have jumped in as expected. On Wednesday, Ellen DeGeneres was one of many celebs who took to Twitter to laud the commander-in-chief for his historical words, saying she was "overwhelmed" with joy as a result."It takes a brave man to take a stand like this -- especially in a election year -- so I say, Mr. president thank you very very very much!"

Only time will tell which of his historical, courageous, brave decisions will be his legacy; the order to assassinate Bin Laden or supporting same sex marriages. Perhaps he will merit a place in the history books for both of those decisions, displacing President Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan in importance?

Al Sharpton said this yesterday in Jefferson, MO: “We have got to turn this around and start targeting in Missouri those legislators that want to roll back our right to vote!”

Why have I not heard outrage from the lame stream media about this being an incitement to violence? That is what we heard when Sarah Palin wanted to 'target' Democrat legislators for defeat. What is the difference? Is it because Al is an African-American/Black/Negro and Sarah is White? Or, is because Al is a man and Sarah is a woman? Or, is it because the lame stream media has an agenda to canonize Al and demonize Sarah?

11 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: May 11, 1924

The forecast was correct, it froze again last night with a low of 30°. That should be the last one if the 10 day forecast is accurate. The lows are to be in the high 30s or low 40s and the maximum temperature back up into the upper 60s and 70s.

I had a difficult night with the tooth that gave me trouble back in November. It was doing it again! Put some more Sensodyne on it this morning and took two acetaminophen. That seems to have improved the pain level a lot.

Maybe it was simply a migrating pain since my knee felt a lot better last night and on our walk this morning. I have been on the couch for much of the day, a couple of naps, and think I'm also running a slight fever.

Sent an email to a possible RV Park camp in MT for a month but have not heard anything in reply. That may be some clue about how they run the Park, that is why I always make first contact by email. Sometimes that is my only contact if they do not respond.

On my way to MT I think I'll stop at a Corps of Engineers camp, Hook Park, near Pasco, WA for two weeks. I have stayed there before with my Teardrop and it was a nice camp as are most of the COE Parks.

12 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
I had a much better night. Took a couple more pain pills before going to bed but I think it is the Sensodyne that has made the difference. I was using it once each day, regular toothpaste the second, and that seemed to work. But, I had my teeth cleaned and I think that sensitivity protection may have been cleaned off.

I think I may still have the mild fever but it seems to come and go. Very tired, like I was yesterday, and getting in more couch time as is Patches (we push and shove for our individual space). Most of my other aches and pains are not bad so I'm not complaining, not much anyway.

Patches and I went to Cup a Joe Espresso for a latte this morning but settled for a FREE regular coffee. The circuit breaker to the espresso machine had flipped off during the night and the machine was still getting hot. Patches got her dogie treat and meet a fellow that was also looking for espresso so she was Happy Dog.

I did get a reply from the RV Park today after sending a second inquiry late yesterday. I'll spend a month in Hamilton, MT after the two weeks at Hood Park near Pasco, WA. I have no reservation for Hood Park so that might change when I get there but did reserve a space in Hamilton.

Did some more work on the Will Rogers weekly article links for June. Will finish the novel that I'm reading now by the end of the day, it was NOT literature but did provide some entertainment. Also read some more of Joe Bageant, the socialist, that writes some very good articles even when there are some things that I disagree with.

13 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
Another very nice day. It started with a low of 37° and was over 70 by noon. Expecting a high of 84 and tomorrow being even warmer. There is a slight breeze today so it has been comfortable if not in the direct sun.

Nothing special about the walk that Patches and I did. It is about a 1.5 mile loop to the northeast and past Starbucks on OR82. It is a regular route for us now which we do either clockwise or counter. Lots of tall grass for Patches to stick her nose in and smell, which she does repeatedly.

Finished all the June links for the Will Rogers weekly articles. Then my other major web work involved finding a bakery here in La Grande. I can occasionally find some decent bread in the supermarkets that I tend to go to but never any 'good' bread. I think it was Wandering Loyd that was searching for the 'holy grail' of cinnamon rolls for a long time, I am now on a similar search for GOOD bread.

I also spent some time with Google Maps to chart my route to Hood Park near Pasco, WA. The first choice offered by Google Maps is ALWAYS to take some Interstate to get where ever it is that you want to go. The first thing that I do is ignore that route and start searching for nearby secondary roads that will get me to the same place.

The Amateur, author Edward Klein’s unauthorized biography of Obama, has been making waves. From the few review excerpts that I have read it seems that former Speaker of the House Pelosi was correct in what she said about ObamaCare. She could have said the same thing about Obama himself; we needed to elect him as President to find out who he is.

The hateful right-wingers were shouting to the rooftops about much of this prior to the election but now the lame stream media smell 'blood in the water' and are jumping in to report it. This is not good news for Campaign 2012 and something that Axelrod needs to fix - fix soon.

14 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
My first foray to find some GOOD bread was a bust all around. The bakery that I had located 'downtown' almost next door to a restaurant was not open (only open Wed-Fri plus sell at Farmers Market on Sat).

The restaurant was Joe & Sugar's where I had a breakfast burrito, not wrapped, that was decent but nothing special. I'll probably come back again on a Wednesday when the bakery is also open and try a different menu item.

It was also grocery shopping day again which I did at Safeway. There I picked up a couple of sourdough long loafs. When I got home and cut into and sampled the first one I was doubly disappointed, it had virtually no sourdough taste and a slice of it could be compressed into a small dough ball that included the crust.

My only hope for GOOD bread while here in La Grande is the bakery. I may even make an extra trip into town just to see if they may have some.

I watch very little video on my computer and keep the video capability turned off most of the time to protect my 5 Megabyte Broadband limit. However, I did watch the final competition where Ashleigh Butler and her dog Pudsey became the winners of this year's Britain's Got Talent. If you are a dog lover and/or have any concept of what it takes to train a dog then this video is a must see. Search for Got Talent 2012.

It was not proclaimed on the cover of Newsweek but when writing about the impeachment in 1998, Toni Morrison wrote that, since Whitewater, Bill Clinton had been mistreated because of his "Blackness". Years ago, in the middle of the Whitewater investigation, one heard the first murmurs: white skin notwithstanding, this is our first black President. Blacker than any actual black person who could ever be elected in our children’s lifetime. After all, Clinton displays almost every trope of blackness: single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald’s-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas. So, Bill Clinton became our First Black President.

Now a Black President, Obama, has been named the First Gay President by Newsweek with a cover photo and story that I have not yet read. However, what this progressive movement brought to my mind was the distinct probability that the first woman president of this country will be transgender. As Yakov "Soviet Russia" Smirnoff was fond of saying: “Is this a great country or what”?

15 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
I received an email from one of my few blog readers yesterday that provided the name and web address for a bakery here in La Grande. It was the bakery that I had found to be closed. The reader also told me that from the bakery web page it did not appear that they had any sourdough. That is not a requirement in my search, any GOOD bread will fulfill my goal.

By GOOD bread I mean a bread that has some body, some texture to it. When you try to spread some cold real butter on a slice of it the slice does not tear apart. A bread that you can NOT squeeze into a small dough ball. Real bread that has a crust on it not a thin skin of browned dough on the outer edge of a slice. I welcome any and all help in my search!

This morning was the first that I was warm enough that I was able to take Patches for her walk and wear only my light windbreaker. The windbreaker was appropriate also because we had a wind blowing, not gale force by any means but more wind than usual.

We went to Dutch Bros Coffee where Patches got a treat. She now knows, or expects, that she is going to get one. When I tell her to sit by the Drive Up window she does so and then is looking up at the window in anticipation. She can be such a Good Dog.

Yesterday the high temperature was 84° with a forecast for the same today. Had a breeze yesterday afternoon so it was very nice but the wind of this morning has died away at times leaving us a little warm. We need a little wind in the afternoon!

The Obama campaign is not happy with a new poll that suggests Mitt Romney has closed the gender gap. The poll published last night by CBS/New York Times shows Obama trailing former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney 46%-43%, within the margin of sampling of error of +/-4 points. The pollsters surveyed 615 adults nationwide over the weekend, including 562 registered voters, who were first interviewed for a CBS News/New York Times poll conducted April 13-17 (no complaints then, Obama was leading).

They are whining about methodology again like they did back in April when David Axelrod, President Obama's top campaign strategist, complained that "Gallup is saddled with some methodological problems". This comes after Gallup has been reporting Obama leading Romney in all the polls taken during March but their most recent one shows him trailing. No methodological problems before but suddenly with a polling that show Obama trailing they appear.

They have no problem with Gallup's poll methodology this month where fifty-six percent of of Americans say President Barack Obama will win re-election. However, Gallup did call that prediction "perhaps a slightly more optimistic assessment than is currently warranted." The poll was conducted at a time when U.S. registered voters are evenly divided in their vote preferences. Gallup's latest Daily tracking update, based on May 8-14 interviewing, shows 46% of voters preferring Obama and 45% Romney.

16 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
Almost perfect weather today. A forecast high of 77°, partly cloudy and a nice gentle breeze. The next few days are to drop down into the mid-to-upper 60s which will not be too bad either.

Yesterday Patches and I walked for over 3 miles. This was the first time that we have done that since sometime way back in Ajo. We didn't do it all at one time but that was the total for our morning and afternoon walks. I have been increasing the distance a little bit in the afternoon since being here.

My right knee hurts some almost all the time but after 2 miles it is time to stop. Maybe I'll be able to work through it but for now doing the two walks per day with neither of them much over 2 miles appears to be doable.

This morning we did a loop around Wal*Mart that was just over 2 miles. This will probably become a regular route for us in the morning, either clockwise or in reverse. The two coffee locations are about a block apart and just a little under 2 miles or with a shortcut just over 1.5 miles. Those are now regular morning routes two times a week.

In one of the blogs I read someone posted that they made a desert using Greek yogurt. I thought that sounded like a good idea so have modified their recipe slightly and find it to be very satisfying. I love ice cream but must avoid it because I become so addicted and it does nothing for my weight loss nor cholesterol control. The recipe: yogurt, some almond flavoring and honey to taste!

17 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
The 'weather people' are calling today clear but it sure looks high overcast to me. High to be in the mid-60s and a slight breeze make it a little to cool for open windows until late in the afternoon.

It was warm enough for just the windbreaker as we walked to A Cup of Joe Espresso to pick up a latte for me and a treat for Patches. We did another 3 mile total yesterday and my knee did not feel any worse this morning for doing so. It still hurts but not any more than it did in the past so I just take it day by day.

The shoulders have stayed the same for about a month now. I have not been taking any pain meds during that month although they sometimes suggest that it might be time to start. The middle finger of my left hand is almost normal but the index finger continues to not bend all the way and is painful when I try to do so. All in all not doing too bad!

I finished another of the books from my exchange library yesterday and have started on another. I'm now down to only two remaining so need to find an exchange soon or ALL my reading will be from the Internet. I may try the local library here, that has worked for me in the past.

Good news for those of us that have slightly elevated total cholesterol, slightly negative 'good' and slightly positive 'bad'. Makes me want to rush out and get some ice cream. HA

Researchers on Thursday challenged a tenet of modern medicine that higher levels of "good" cholesterol automatically boost cardiovascular health. In a study published in The Lancet, investigators said they found no evidence to back the belief that higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol routinely reduce the risk of a heart attack. In contrast, the study said "bad" cholesterol remained an accurate marker of cardiac risk.

18 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: May 18, 1924

My search for some GOOD bread continues. I went to Kneads Bakery this morning hoping that their Honey Wheat might be a find. It didn't happen when I explained what I was looking for in a bread the woman in the Bakery said “You need to keep looking”.

She said that their breads have a thin crust and do not have the texture that I'm looking for. So I saved $5, the price of their small (probably less than one pound) loaf. I would have been very disappointed if I had not had the conversation and simply bought a loaf to try.

I think the Bakery does most of their business in confectionery baking. They had a large assortment of cookies, cakes and breakfast danishes with only a few loaves of bread. That is probably the reason for the kind of bread that they have, they are using an all purpose flour rather than a bread flour.

Patches and I did a short morning walk today although she wanted, and needed, a longer one. She was full of 'piss and vinegar' this morning and I was hobbling a bit with a sore knee. I have pushed it a little the past three days and think that it caught up with me this morning.

The Bakery stop did not work out but my extra trip was not a total bust. I went to the Smokehouse Restaurant again for breakfast which was good but relatively expensive. I have only seen the two places open in the morning for breakfast and they are both more expensive than most small town breakfast places that I usually find.

There is a Denny's near my Park but I do not consider it to be a small town restaurant. I will probably stop there next week when I go for groceries again. They have a couple of items on their menu that I do like.

A little cooler than yesterday but the forecast is for it to warm up again through the weekend and then even colder with the possibility of rain next week. We do have some sun today now that the high overcast has moved on. I hope the forecast for next week is revised; not looking forward to cold and rain.

19 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
The first thing I did today when I turned my laptop on was to add the Will Rogers weekly article link to the posting of yesterday. I woke up at 4:00 am this morning and remembered to do that. Not sure why I can not remember to do it on Friday of every week.

It was a little cool, at 33°, when Patches and I went to Dutch Bros Coffee. I thought it was a little less than 2 miles but is almost exactly that with the Espresso shack a little less. The knee felt pretty good this morning after giving it some rest.

Then after reading my Daily blogs, eating breakfast and waiting a little bit for it to warm up I dumped holding tanks and added fresh water. There was a dump right between the electric pedestal and the water pipe which I assumed was for my site.

I hooked up my dump hose to it and pulled the black tank dump handle and all was well for a couple of seconds then there was an overflow which required a quick shut off (not quick enough). I then tried it again with a big heavy rock holding the dump hose in place and had the same thing happen but I was watching closely this time and the overflow was not because the hose came loose. The Park dump was backing up!

I looked around and saw a second dump towards the rear of my site so I backed up and hooked up to that one and had no more problems. I then washed down the area where there had been some spillage and also tried to unplug the blocked dump but it would just fill up and then slowly drain. I'll be talking to the Park Office about this!

That was the end of my attempts to do anything different or constructive today. The remainder of it was devoted to my usual routine. Patches and I will try for a one mile or more walk the afternoon which will give us a 3 mile total for the day. That is the walking goal for now and I'll do reduced days as the knee requires them.

20 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
We had a very nice morning for a walk around the Wal*Mart loop. This is just a little over 2 miles and my knee felt good, only some soreness after we had finished and I had sat for some time.

Patches was also very well mannered this morning which is a little unusual. She tends to be 'energetic' in the morning and more mild tempered in the afternoon. In either case she spends far more time sniffing what she thinks are special weeds than I think they merit.

Either morning or afternoon she has learned to walk on a loose leash with the 'training collar'. I put her backpack on in the morning because it calms her and gives her a little bit more of a workout. But she has been doing very well in the afternoon also without it. Now, if I could only get her to not be so reactive to other dogs.

The only thing different in my routine is the addition of a couple more blogs that I am reading. One of them is a new to me blog that I have started at the beginning although the author(s) had a previous blog that I have not gone back to. The second blog is one that I had on my Monthly read list but lost and did not realize that I had done so. That one I'm getting current once more.

This is not good for President Obama, not good at all. An opinion written for The New York Times titled Obama: Stop Condescending to Women by Campbell Brown. Brown was a reporter with CNN during the 2008 campaign and certainly followed the corporate line in supporting Obama. However, what she is saying now is not going to play well with his attempt to brand Romney and the Republican Party as encouraging War on Women.

I think she may not have gone far enough by selecting just women. I think President Obama is patting the entire electorate on the head and treating it as a ward of the state.
I have always admired President Obama and I agree with him on some issues, like abortion rights. But the promise of his campaign four years ago has given way to something else — a failure to connect with tens of millions of Americans, many of them women, who feel economic opportunity is gone and are losing hope. In an effort to win them back, Mr. Obama is trying too hard. He’s employing a tone that can come across as grating and even condescending. He really ought to drop it. Most women don’t want to be patted on the head or treated as wards of the state. They simply want to be given a chance to succeed based on their talent and skills.
21 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
We were lucky to finish our morning walk when we did. It was overcast but a very nice 53° when we went to A Cup of Joe Espresso. However, not long after we got home the wind picked up to 10-15 mph with some 25 mph gusts. There is a storm blowing in that has a 70% chance of giving us some rain today, got a few sprinkles starting at 8:00 and then a shower or two through the afternoon.

Then a declining chance of more rain through Friday with the high temperatures dropping down into the upper 50s and lower 60s. This is not my kind of weather. I'll probably be whining for the next few days and not looking forward to going for groceries in the rain.

Patches thinks it it is night again so since we got home she has been curled up asleep on the couch with her head on my pillow. She is an opportunist that is for sure and doesn't let much bother her; only other dogs. If there is such a thing as reincarnation I want to come back as a RV Fulltimer's dog!

Finished another book from my library which it has turned out was my last one. I thought I had two books remaining unread but one of them was a second copy of a Dan Brown novel that I had read earlier. I'm now out of printed reading material, a sad condition. IF I ever break down and buy an e-book reader it will be because I like to lay on the couch and read; can not do that with my laptop.

A book exchange needs to be found soon. I may check out the local library when I go to the Farmer's Market. But there is also a book store here in La Grande, Looking Glass Books, that buys and sells used books which I may visit tomorrow while out shopping.

22 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
Patches and I have been dodging rain showers since yesterday afternoon. When it came time for her to go out yesterday it was raining lightly which she loves. She gets all frisky and wants to stay out in it and play; that is not for me.

When we got back home I was trying to dry her off with a towel and she thought that was also part of the game and great fun. Again, not so much for me.

We got our morning walk in before another shower came through and it was starting to look like it may have been clearing. That held until I had finished breakfast at Denny's and got groceries at Safeway.

I then went to The Looking Glass book store and picked up five used paperbacks for about half to 2/3 price each and got 50¢ each for my trade-ins. While I was there a hard shower passed through but I had sunshine as I walked back to Desperado. How lucky can I get? The way it has looked this afternoon I need more of that luck for Patches' evening walk.

I had some good luck while at Safeway also. They had two bunches of kale left with one bunch looking very, very poor. I asked the produce guy if they had any more and he went in the back and brought out two big fine looking fresh bunches for me. One bunch will go into a pot tomorrow and I'll tell you about what I put with it at that time.

23 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
It is cold and damp. The low this morning was 39° with an expected high to reach only 55. Tomorrow probably the same. Not good weather, not good at all.

Patches and I made it out yesterday afternoon between two hard showers and stayed dry. We were not that lucky this morning when we did only a short potty walk in a light drizzle. Patches was loving it again, she actually likes this kind of weather. She will walk around a puddle but doesn't mind a light rain and will pull on the leash to get into the spray from a water sprinkler. Crazy Dog!

I made up a Thermal Cooker pot for my 'linners' these next 3-4 days. This is where I threw in a bunch of kale that had the woody stem removed and the leaves tore to pieces. I did that after I had brought to boil some cut up smoked chicken sausage (any sausage will do), chicken stock and cannelloni beans. I let that sit in the cooker until the kale was all wilted down and it was then 'linner' time.

When I was in town yesterday I looked for the site of the Farmer Market and did on see it. When I got home I looked for information on the Internet and found a web site that gave me a list of the vendors that will be there on Saturday. The only participant listed that will be there and selling bread is the bakery in town that I visited. Therefore, I think I'm going to pass on making an extra trip into town looking for the Farmers Market and/or bread.

It was a day for reading one of my new books while on the couch or my blogs while sitting in a chair. In either case the Wave heater was on and off throughout the day to keep it comfortable. Patches, the heater hog, was all for that of course.

24 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
It was 39° again and damp this morning with the forecast of more to come through Monday. The chances of rain are declining and the highs are to get back up into the 70s. That is all good because I have had all the rain that I want.

We went out for just a short evening potty walk yesterday and got sprinkled on. This morning on our walk to Dutch Bros Coffee it started out dry but soon became a sprinkle then light rain and by the time we got home even patches was happy to get out of it.

When I was at Safeway on Tuesday I found a loaf of whole wheat French bread that had some weight to it so I thought I would try it. It does not have a thick crust but at least it does have a crust rather than just a browning of the dough. The texture inside the loaf is not as course as I would prefer but it is not as doughy as most and will hold together when applying butter. Not GOOD bread but better than most that I have found in supermarkets.

I also changed my desert slightly. I picked up some maple flavoring to go with the Greek yogurt and honey. This combination may be better than the almond but I'll switch back and forth for variety.

I also picked up one good sized sweet potato during my shopping trip. This was for Patches. I sliced it very thin and put it in my Roaster at 200° for about 3 hours and voilà I have sweet potato treats. She loves them!
Obama is going on the aggressive, blaming the policies of the Bush administration for four straight years of deficits of over $1 trillion since 2009. George W. Bush and Republicans, Obama says, destroyed the economy and spent unsustainably, problems that he has only begun to be able to deal with. The unsustainable spending of the current era, Obama says, is necessary to reverse the problems of the former era.
Let me see if I understand this argument. The Blame Bush part I do understand. Then he says that Bush destroyed the economy and spent unsustainably and therefor to fix the economy it was necessary for him to spend unsustainably. That is where I get lost in his argument - but what do I know. I would much rather hear what were the Bush policies that destroyed the economy and what has he done to change those policies, after all he was elected on Hope and Change.

I don't think what Romney has said about the economy carries much weight either. It has all been sound good platitudes with very little detail regarding what he will do to fix the current situation.

25 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: May 25, 1924

Patches and I got in a good 2 mile dry walk this morning although it was windy and threatening to rain. The low was 43° the wind chill down to 38 with a 15-20 mph wind and gusts up to 30 mph. It did warm up to the low-60s but the wind stayed with us. Not a very nice day with the forecast through the Holiday weekend for continued chances of rain and cool.

The dreary weather kept me on the couch reading my new novel more than usual. Then there were those periods that I read blogs and the Internet news. Nothing out of the ordinary just doing so on a cool, dank kind of a day.

Will finish up the last of my previous kale 'linners' today. Tomorrow I'll make up another Thermal Cooker of soup to go with these kind of days. I'll tell you what goes in that one then but will tell you now that it also has kale in it, some good suff that I have come to really like.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 is a federal statute in the United States that was signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 29, 2009. The bill...became the first act of Congress signed by President Obama after his inauguration on January 20.

However, with an election coming in November and with Republicans supposedly waging a war on women, the pay equity Lilly Ledbetter bill does not appear to have been enough. A new Paycheck Fairness Act has been proposed as political stagecraft, the Democrats want it to be opposed by the Republicans so that it can be pointed to as part of their War on Women. I say pass it, then let us see if companies will come into compliance by cutting the paychecks of men.
“We passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act -- the first bill I signed -- so that equal pay for equal work is a reality all across this country," Obama said, praising himself and his colleagues. "We are very proud of legislation we have passed … to guarantee gender pay equity with the Lilly Ledbetter law," Democratic senator Ben Cardin said, offering himself and Democrats more praise. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, also a Democrat, likewise offered congratulations to herself: "I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish so far… the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which ensures that all Americans are paid the same regardless of age, gender, race, or ethnicity."
Yet, Senate majority leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, said yesterday on Capitol Hill, "Madam President, it is almost universally acknowledged that Republican obstructionism has reached new heights in the Senate… We could be considering the Paycheck Fairness Act, ensuring American women receive equal pay for equal work."
26 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
This morning was almost a repeat of yesterday with just a little less wind. It was dry again which was the most important thing. Yesterday was the first day in the last 5 that we did not receive any measurable rain. Continues to be cloudy today with a chance of rain which I think could come at any time.

The rainy days kept Patches and my walk distances below the 3 mile mark but we were back on goal for the last two days. My knee has not bothered me as much these last two days so maybe I'm making some progress with it. Other aches and pains have also been minimal, all a good thing!

The soup that I made up today in my Thermal Cooker was some hot Italian sausage, a couple of cans of Progresso lentil soup, a diced onion and one bunch of kale with stems removed. Brought everything except the kale to a boil then threw in the kale and let it sit in the Cooker for a few hours until the kale had wilted down. It was then soup!

The remainder of the day was a repeat of yesterday also. It is dark, cold and windy. A day to read and nap which is what I have been doing. I don't think it will happen today but maybe by tomorrow I will have caught up to current with the blog that I lost. The new one that I am reading from the beginning is coming along but I have a few more years to read yet.

27 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
It was a little warmer this morning and during the day than it has been the past few days. The clouds are still with us and so is the wind but no rain and it looks like it may be clearing.

Patches and I did the longer morning loop route around Wal*Mart this morning. Maybe go to Dutch Bros Coffee this afternoon which would give us a new distance record for this year. I'm feeling pretty good and Patches is always ready for whatever I am.

I did catch up to current with the blog that I had lost. Since it is posted almost everyday I'm going to add it to my Daily reads and move one that posts 'whenever' to the Monthly list.

The other blog that I started from the beginning has become frustrating to read because of broken links to some of the postings. Adding to the frustration is the last paragraph of text is almost always covered over by the first picture posted at the end of the text. For the most part the pictures do not have captions which is also frustrating to me; a picture may be worth a thousand words but they are a meaningless jumble without a caption, IMO.

This blog has moved at lest three times and there is an Archive back before I started that I looked at maybe a year ago and decided that it was such a mess that I didn't want to try reading it. The most current blog site looks pretty good so I'll hang in with these Archived problems for a while yet before I completely throw in the towel and move to version three.

I have only read a few articles about the Financial Cliff that we are facing in 2013. However, it seems that every one of them that I have read use the number of $500 Billion as the negative impact on the economy. That number is then followed by the assertion that a reduction of 3-4% in GDP would occur and we would be back in a recession.

I simply can not wrap my mind around these predictions when I consider what the $800 Billion stimulus did for the economy. It certainly did not increase the GDP by 3-4% so why would a $500 Billion negative-stimulus do so? I don't think anyone knows what the Fiscal Cliff would mean to the economy but I do believe it would probably be a good thing because so many politicians are against it.

28 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
It was windbreaker only weather again this morning with a few scattered clouds remaining and very calm. A beautiful day and my kind of weather. However, the clouds did build up as the day progressed but the chances of rain are low. I checked the forecast a few days ago for Hamilton, MT and they were predicting snow. I hope three weeks will be enough time for spring to arrive there before I do.

When we returned from our walk to Dutch Bros Coffee, too much wind yesterday afternoon, Patches found a nice patch of sunshine on the couch for the first time in a week. She basked in that until it went away and then moved to a favored sleeping position, head resting on the back of the driver's seat where she snores up a storm.

Then stretched out full length, taking up all of the couch, to complete her rest. I do have a Happy Dog today.

It has been very interesting to see how her 'character' develops as we have lived together. Since we have been here I have been having her sit while I put on my socks and shoes before we go out for our walks. This keeps her from running back and forth over my feet while I'm trying to get ready.

The first few times that I told her to sit she responded no differently than to any other sit command. Then she decided that she wanted to respond so I now get a bark every time. This is a different tone of bark than that used when she sees another dog or someone knocks on the door. She seems to be acknowledging my request to sit still because we are going for a walk. Smart Dog!

During the past couple of weeks I have read at least 3-4 News articles by the lame stream media that was reporting veteran support for President Obama. This was all supported by anecdotal evidence or the reporters analysis of what he had heard. However, yesterday Gallup Daily tracking interviews conducted April 11-May 24, reported that U.S. veterans support Mitt Romney over Barack Obama for president by 58% to 34%, while nonveterans give Obama a four-percentage-point edge.

That is a big difference, is the lame stream media trying to Make News again rather than report it? Is it a 'better' story to have veterans supporting the President? I don't think any Democrat presidential candidate has received the majority of veterans support in many years why would President Obama reverse that pattern?

29 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
Patches and I set another new distance record yesterday, post arthritis attack, of 4.11 miles. I will not be doing that again today, not because I feel bad but we did only a short morning walk. I went out with only my windbreaker on thinking that nearly 50° would be warm. It would have been if the wind had not been blowing which made me feel cold so I shortened our walk.

Today was also 'go to town day'. Stopped again at the Smokehouse Restaurant for breakfast which is my choice for best in town. Then to Safeway to restock the refrigerator and shelves for another week. The last stop was for gas at the Safeway station where I got a 40¢/gallon discount by using my Rewards Card.

When I got back to my Park space I stopped next to the dump and got my holding tanks emptied. Then pulled up to my normal parking spot and filled the fresh water tank. Did not make the mistake that I did with my first attempt to dump tanks here at this site.

That took care of all my preparations for departure on Friday, having my laundry done on Sunday. The only thing I'll need to do is turn in my restroom key and unplug from electric before getting back on the road again.

There was an article posted today to Seeking Alpha, a web site for market opinion and analysis, titled Time To Go Long The U.S. Dollar. I found it interesting because I went long the dollar last June and am now looking to exit. It is just this kind of article that makes me believe that it is fast approaching the time to sell.
The US dollar (UUP) is, for lack of a better phrase, the best house in a bad neighborhood. Out of control spending combined with spiraling debt is creating a recipe for disaster. Even more frightening are the articles proclaiming gloom and doom should the budget cuts and tax increases next year take effect. However, when compared with the problems around the world the reasons the US dollar is considered a safe haven are apparent once again.
30 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
no pic
Less wind this morning so my windbreaker was the appropriate jacket for our walk to A Cup of Joe Espresso. However, it was overcast almost all day and I don't think it will reach the high forecast of 72°.

I used some of those groceries that I pick up yesterday to make a Thermal Cooker of chili. This will not pass muster as being authentic chili but it did turn out to be rather tasty. I used some hamburger, hot sausage, six jalapeños, a big onion, diced tomato and cannellini beans all brought to a boil for a few minutes and then left to cook in the Thermal Cooker.

The chili was accompanied by some more French bread that I got at Safeway. Not GOOD bread and not a good as the whole wheat French bread that I found there last week. I also picked up a round loaf of sourdough that I have not yet tried but do not anticipate great things from it.

This excerpt is from an Opinion in The Wall Street Journal titled The Bain Ads Are About Spending by Holman W. Jenkins.
Mr. Obama's great political talent has been his knack for granting his admirers permission to think highly of themselves for thinking highly of him. The self-approval of his supporters is the engine of his political rise...
But now there's a problem. In a presidential re-election race, the formula is inconvenienced by the existence of a very public record of things done and said, of persistent joblessness and sluggish growth, and one big issue that threatens to dwarf the Obama allure altogether—the entire industrial world's rendezvous with insolvency.
Here's the real message of the Bain ads. The ads may invoke classic private-equity slurs like looter and stripper, but the real message is that private equity is exactly what it says it is: a bringer of efficiency and rationalization. Mr. Romney, the ads say, wants to take things away from you that he claims no longer are affordable; Mr. Obama, the ads say, will fight whoever tries to take things away. To the less sophisticated voter, the Obama message is a soothing "nothing has to change." To the more sophisticated, President Obama proposes himself as the defender of every spending interest, never favoring a cut, always pushing for higher taxes.
But, that all means nothing if you believe the story from Reuters yesterday, the election appears to be a slam dunk. I think the astrologers are probably correct. The majority of American voters are satisfied with the Status Quo, they got the Change they wanted by electing Obama the first time and will accept his “nothing has to change” this time. They are certainly not ready to give up 'things' just because someone now says they are no longer affordable.
The votes are in and it is unanimous: Barack Obama will win re-election to the U.S. presidency in November, according to five astrologers who offered predictions at their New Orleans convention on Tuesday.
31 May
La Grande Rendezvous RV Resort
La Grande, OR
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Another nice morning for our walk. There was a high layer of thin overcast that has stayed throughout the day and the wind has picked up but still a pretty nice day.

We did the around Wal*Mart route and if I can stay motivated we will do it in reverse this afternoon. That will give us another new distance record for this year. I have a short day to travel tomorrow so we will do a walk here in the morning before we leave. The routes have been somewhat repetitive but not boring and I have progressively felt better while here so it has been good.

Finished the first novel that I picked up at the bookstore here in La Grande and have started on the second. My next camp will probably not have a book exchange but I'm hoping that the one in Hamilton, MT does. I'll probably have most if not all read by the time I leave there and will want to trade.

I sent my broker a limit sell order yesterday to close out my dollar position. As it usual for all my trades, as soon as I pick a price the market changes direction and moves against me. I'm still confident that I can sell at my price within the next week but it is un-nerving to have that always happen.

I don't have a reservation for the Corps of Engineers Campground that I want to stay at near Pasco, WA but their website says they have two available. I should arrive there by mid-morning and hope that I can get one of them. If I don't, I'll then develop a Plan B.