7-18-2020

7-18-2020 Cape Disappointment State Park

Camping this year is going to be... unusual.  This is the year of Covid19.  As such this is our first opportunity this year to get out.  In stead of Priest Lake we thought something on the coast would be good.  Mom and dad are officially done with camping.  The camper is in poor shape.  The truck is unreliable.  Dad is done.  Mom desperately still wants to camp, but understands that dad is done fighting all the problems.

We made reservations here because its fairly central to everyone.  Mom and dad seemed to think a yurt would be acceptable, so they will try that.  I’m not convinced dad will be completely happy, but mom will do whatever it takes to get out and camp. Matt and Misha probably wont make it.  Keltik and her dad are here the first half.  Shelly and Jerry the second half.  Jazzmine and Jeff Friday.

Having problems with the truck.  The water pump is failing.  It’s got a pretty good rattle to it.  I’ve heard the rattle for a couple years now but have never been able to figure out what exactly was making it.  My hearing isn’t so good these days.  I put a dowel of wood to my ear and put it against all the stuff attached to the front of the engine.  Definitely the water pump.  I took the fan belts and pulley off and the front bearing has quite the wobble.  I didn’t have enough time to change it before we took off, but i did buy one and its in the the cab.  I really don’t want to change it on the side of the road.  Actually, I don’t want to change it at all.  If this was a GM product it would be no problem.  Easy.  It’s a straight forward enough job, but the complications because its a Ford are more than I want to deal with.  I’ll drop it off at a shop and have them do it for me.

7-21-2020

I swear the main propane tank was full this winter.  Today i was poking around and discovered that not only was it empty, but the secondary was at 1/8th.  We are plugged in so the fridge is on electric.  The water heater is taking a bit of gas, and breakfast in the morning. If we didn’t use hot water we could get by.  I borrowed dad’s car and took a cylinder in to get filled.  It was warm and sunny yesterday.  Today was overcast and misting on and off.  I cooked a roast in onion soup mix in the oven.  There’s too much happening at the fire to cook it there.  Turned out really nice.  The hit of the night was Lorena’s upside down pineapple cake in the Dutch oven.  Amazing, definitely gets added to the rotation.  

7-25-2020

Shelly had chicken breast and vegetables for stir fry.  I suggested that we cube and marinade them with whatever spice i had in the camper instead.  Garlic salt, chili powder, cumin.  Put them on skewers and roast in the fire.  Another dish to add to the rotation.  Simple and another big hit.  

It was clear enough last night that we all went down to the beach to see that new comet.  I can’t remember the name but supposedly it won’t be back for 6000 years.  To the naked eye it’s just a fuzzy star.  Dad brought binoculars and it was much clearer through those. It looked a lot like Haley’s comet when i was a boy.