Our Redding Visit
Sally and Richard were the first to greet us when we got settled at our site. Sally has kept us informed with changes at the park since we left, and after their grandson, Roman, was born, she has kept us up to date on him too.
What a cute little boy. Doesn't say a lot... but has some great expressions!
One evening we enjoyed a fire and some "catching up" with some of the people at the park.
We were surprised at the greeting we received from people at the park.
They made us feel loved!
They made us feel loved!
Look at this... Melanie even left us this bottle of Wine on our table.
It was time to say good-bye to Norma and Rick again... They certainly have the park handled.
We enjoyed a good time with both of them.
This is Norma... Rick was out and about I guess.
Oregon
Tuesday we made our way back to Oregon.
We still own a home here in Grants Pass. We've rented it out since moving out 4 years ago, and we are very fortunate to have a young family in there now that takes care of the property and pays their rent on time. We were thrilled that they want to renew their lease for another year.
Stuff
Like most of you... we still have some STUFF we left behind. So when we're in town, we make a trip to our storage unit to remind ourselves of what we have... and offload stuff and onload stuff.
Family
Our first stop after crossing into Oregon was to my parents home in Medford.
Hi Mom and Dad... We're back!
The plan was to park our fifth-wheel on the street out front of their house for the night.
But it was one issue after the other and it was clear it wasn't going to work.
So after a wonderful Mom's home cooked dinner, we moved on down the freeway to
Valley of the Rogue State Park.
Jeff's Son, Jon, also lives here in Medford.
Jon and Brooke came over the evening after we arrived.
It always feels good to know the gifts we bought were "right on"
Father and Son
We hadn't planned to do any hosting in Southern Oregon, but we had inquired, so when they had a cancellation they contacted us. So here we are hosting at Valley of the Rogue SP in Rogue River.
Its good to be doing something again.
But so far we're a bit torn with the expectations surrounding us. Some of the expectations we have put on ourselves, I'm sure... but family is what we're here for.
Jeff really enjoys having a campfire. There have been many times over the past several months that we couldn't have a fire, for whatever reason. So we bought ourselves a propane fire pit.
Its not quite the same, but it cures the craving.
They don't give us free firewood at this park, which is unlike the other State Parks we've hosted at and doesn't seem right... but its the way it is here. So we took advantage of all the fallen branches from the wind storm the other night and made ourselves a free fire.
We don't need their stinkin' firewood!
We were dreading coming back to Oregon so early in the year, but for 2 days so far, we had incredibly sunny warm weather. It wont be so bad.
Hopefully tomorrow we will get our motorcycle over here!
Take Care All... Thanks for reading.
Welcome home!! Glad the weather cooperated with your homecoming. Valley of the Rogue is a beautiful park. We made the mistake of visiting in April one time. We let the dogs run in an unmowed area. I hadn't read the warnings on the signs about TICKS!! We picked ticks off the dogs and later we were in Walmart in Grants Pass and I felt something biting me. I had a tick on the back of my neck!! OH YUCK!!! I still love that park though, and we usually stop there when we travel I-5...I just do not wander in tall grass lol!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're glad to be "home" especially to visit family, but Oregon in January????? I think Old Man Winter will surely have you re-consider that decision....LOL
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a safe tip back. I bet Jeff is looking forward to getting back on the bike, I know I would be. When do you start your California job? We hope to get out that way sometime this summer.
ReplyDeleteHey guys, it's great to have you back in Oregon. Don't pay any attention to Marsha, just look at all the great sunshine that's here in January! It's been a really dry month, so far, and things usually start getting a little better in February. We're hoping to see some more sunshine, for sure. Good to see that fire going!
ReplyDeleteI'm constantly surprised by how mild the weather is in Oregon. Green grass in January? Amazing that everyone hasn't flocked there.
ReplyDeleteIngredients
ReplyDelete½ cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 teaspoon ghee or butter
4 dried dates, pits removed and chopped
4 teaspoons golden raisins
1 teaspoon pistachios, unshelled and chopped (I used unsalted raw pistachios)
1 teaspoon slivered almonds
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom seeds
3 cups skim milk
a pinch of saffron (I used Spanish saffron)
3 tablespoons sugar (add more sugar if you prefer it sweeter)
2 teaspoons rose water
a little extra toasted and chopped pistachios for garnishing
Preparation
Rinse the quinoa
Bring the quinoa and water to a boil on a medium flame, cook until the seeds become translucent. Drain and discard the liquid from the cooked quinoa and keep aside.
In a thick-bottomed stock pot, melt the ghee or butter on a medium high flame. Add the dates, raisins, pistachios, almonds, and cardamom to the melted ghee and sauté them for a minute.
Add the cooked quinoa to the nut and fruit mixture in the pot. Fold in the milk, saffron, and sugar. Bring the entire contents of the pot to a boil on a medium flame, then reduce to a simmer and cook till the liquid volume reduces by one-third. Stir frequently to make sure the milk does not burn.
Cool the kheer to room temperature. Then fold in the rose water and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve chilled and garnish with the extra pistachios.
for more please visit : http://queensquinoa.com/