Still in Eugene, still waiting for the repairs to start.  Slow is the turn of insurance company’s wheels.  Aggravatingly slow.

We spoke with Bob Tiffin (owner of Tiffin RV Company) this morning and he agreed to do the forward slide leak repair due to a manufacturer’s mistake, two sections of sealant were missing when it was put together back in 2008.  This is why we bought a Tiffin and why we will forever sing their praises.  It even has John thinking about trading in the 2008 for a 2013 when we get back from Alaska.

Love the local Alton Barton Park that surrounds our Inn and includes the dog park just up the street.  The park, just out our window with a beautiful pond and paths, goes on for many miles, running through the middle of town and spreading out in all directions.   I wasn’t that much of a fan at first.  When the weather was cold, many of the homeless lived under piles of clothes and blankets at the base of trees and under the bridge and even under picnic tables.  I didn’t mind the people, but many of them had Pit-bulls and they aren’t attentive to their dogs.  I also was not fond of all the geese and duck poop on the sidewalks.  Now that the weather has improved, the geese and ducks have moved to the pond and we only see the homeless on the street corners.

Happy Easter to all our family and friends…you are loved and missed!  Today was a day of peace and tranquility, walks in the park and reflections of where we started and how far we have come.

Today is the Eugene Humane Society Greenhill Shelter Dog-Gone Easter Egg Hunt at Peterson Park.  We pass by this park every time we visit our RV and it looks like it just might be big enough to host dozens of dog noses sniffing around the grass for Easter treats.  We are early and they are still setting up so we wait along with a few of the other early arrivals.  After registering, we sit close by on the park benches and watch dozens of owners dragging their dogs of various sizes and breeds, some looking panicked, fearful and tortured, up to the table to register.  A few decide their canine companion needs to have its picture taken with the Easter Bunny and off they go, dragging their four legged family member behind while the rest of us look on with pity for the poor uncooperative pup.

Watching this human animal circus I see owners that are overpowered by their pups strength standing next to growling unsocial dogs, standing next to tiny yappy frightened dogs, standing next to snarling stop-bothering-me dogs, standing next to huge bouncing hyper dogs, standing next to old grey I-don’t-give-a-damn-about-eggs dogs, standing next to sweet calm rolling over on their belly dogs, all just wanting to escape to the open field to sniff, pee and play.   We met a few of the dogs we socialize with at the dog parks but thankfully no Pit-bulls attended.  One family brought their Mastiff and pugs, another combo similar to Millie and KatieBug, and all five sniffed each other in socially acceptable dog greetings.

While waiting on the bench for the hunt to start, a reporter from The Register, a local newspaper, came over and interviewed us.   I’ll post any article that results.

The event soon to begin, crowds of two and four legged hunters all lined up at the pink starting ribbon and thoughts of total chaos and probably dog disagreements began to seep into my head.  I offered to take pictures instead of walking headlong into the main event.   A few of the more verbal pups were still fussing but had moved away from the majority.

Once the signal was given, the mix of short, tall, skinny and fat legs walked into the area and began picking up eggs.   John got four which turned out to be the perfect amount.  Two had two treats inside and two had one each.  Both pups enjoyed the morning and the treats.

Found a new really huge dog park and spent the morning casually walking around in it with the pups.  KatieBug found a playmate to chase and stopped just short of catching the larger dog so they both could rest up for another go.  I’m relieved that her negative experience with the Pit-bull didn’t intimidate her in the least. Even Millie ran joyously back and forth a few times, jowls pooched out and drool flying out of her mouth in streams.  Deciding that the pups needed some quiet time, we dropped them off at our room and left to do some exploring.

The Cascades Raptor Center captured our attention and was only a few miles up into the hills.  It was a bit difficult to walk around for me as no guard rails were available to clutch while stepping over and around the uneven rocky paths but very interesting to view these huge birds up close and read each raptors story.

We came late in the afternoon and, lucky us, we got to watch them rip into their dinner of fresh killed mice and baby chicks.  Eww!  That bone crunching noise and seeing those little bodies being ripped apart caught me off-guard, but then I do realize they have to eat however unpleasant I find the deed.

Several aviaries were for nesting mates and the gift shop had a live cam set up to watch one that was sitting on her egg.   Signs throughout the aviaries warned visitors to be quiet, not something little boys do easily anyway but I found myself giving their mom a disapproving look when they continued to beat on one another and yell at the top of their lungs while she continued to ignore them.  Words were on the tip of my tongue before I decided against speaking my mind and turned away thinking here was another neglectful pit-bull owner mentality, again not worth the effort.

The last few days have been stressful as we have only a vague idea of how much longer we will be displaced.  Some of the nice RV parks in the Canada are filling up fast which adds to my stress.  Checked progress of the LilyPad and took pictures of the inside torn apart for our files.

Added to that is Millie’s jaw tumor is growing bigger.  She still seems to be enjoying her life, her walks, the dog park and every bit of the special food, vitamins and holistic drops we give her but it is heartbreaking to know that no matter what we do, it won’t stop the cancer.  I just have to remember that a Bullmastiff only lives 8 to 10 years and she has already outlived that.

Again with the dog park days and walking around in parks followed by nights of mindless boob tube watching.  Still awaiting results of the mold extent.  Our bedroom looks like it was mauled and stripped by looters.  They did find the leak in the front slide out, thankfully.  It was forgotten molding.  Fault of the manufacturer so it should be fixed for free.  Again, a bit more silver lining from this mold remediation.  Thank heavens for silver linings.  Have no idea how much of the trip we will need to cut back on and still arrive in Seattle for John’s date with the government officials for his international travel card.  At least we still have time for Canada.  We will probably have to come back again because I already have too many on the “must visit” list.  If only they allowed American’s to work-camp we would come back and stay for the entire spring and summer.

Another uneventfully lazy day spent stocking up on food for all of us, something that can be eaten in our room.  Afternoon was spent wandering around the city checking out other things to do in Eugene.  We drove to the top of the highest point to look out over the city and stopped in at the Shelton, McMurphey, Johnson House to check winter hours.  Drove to the train station to view some of the downtown art then an early lunch at our favorite pizza café, walks in the park with the pups and dinner at our favorite fish market.

Next day early up, breakfast at our Inn, then off down Rt 126 to Florence to see some of the sites along Hwy 101 on the coast.  We followed the river most of the way to Hwy 101.  Lots of mossy trees along the river, mountains with clear cut areas and reforestation in several stages as required by Oregon state law.

Lunch at a cozy eatery suggested by TripAdvisor in the Old Town part of Florence.  Got a shot of a wonderful old bridge, Art Deco style, the Oregon Coastal Highway, connecting Florence with towns across the river.

You can tell that the logging industry took much from the area when it declined.  Old crumbled metal building, piers broken off and rotting in the water, signs that marked past business trade along the river, all no longer in use.

Several state and national parks link Hwy 101 providing areas to stop and stretch our legs.  The pups enjoyed the walks and exploring each stop.

One little gem, Darlingtonia State Nature Site, would have been a great spot to visit in the summer.  A whole area of bug eating plants with nothing to eat until the weather warms.  It was a beautiful walk through the forested area, up onto the wooden wharf to view the Darlingtonia Californica (bug eating plants) and then back to the picnic area.

Holeman Vista was another great stop with paths along the coastal sand dunes lined with scruffy brush.  One thing about visiting in the winter and early spring months, it is usually sparse of people.

On the way back to Eugene we stopped at a bird sanctuary and watched the ducks, various birds and geese fly around in the fields and in the skies.  KatieBug found an interesting slug and Millie found a dead rooster…I didn’t take a picture of the dead rooster.

Spring is in the air and ”bless you” is the new greeting.  For all the green in The Woodlands, I don’t remember sneezing as much as we have been doing while visiting Eugene.   Every part of the city is in bloom with buds bursting daily into color.   It is beautiful here but I miss the blankets of wildflowers spread out along the highways.

We finally received an email from the insurance company that approves the start of repairs and we hope they can start right away.   Dead time is so frustrating when we have so many places to go and people to see.  Until now, enjoying our time with Millie and watching way too much TV was our pastime.  Now that the work will start, we no longer need to stay close to the RV or call hourly to check status.  In the morning we will check out places to visit in nearby cities and as soon as the weather warms, take a drive back to the seaside so the dogs can run on the beach.

We visited the dog park today.  This was the second time clueless owners brought their un-socialized Pit-bull’s into the large play yard and made inappropriate remarks when their dogs mauled other dogs.  Millie faced the Pit and barked loud once, then when it came towards her again, John and I decided to take both pups to the other large dog area.  Before I could pick up KatieBug, the Pit-bull jumped her and she vanished under him, loud growling and twisted dogs wrestled within a foot of where I stood.   When the owner pulled up his dog holding him in the air, KatieBug was attached to its underside, snarling and shaking its tummy skin but hanging on firmly with no intention of letting loose.  John quickly pulled her off and we moved to the other large dog section, shaken, with me loudly commenting that clueless owners shouldn’t bring un-socialized animals they couldn’t handle.  He loudly blamed me for bringing KatieBug into the large dog area.

A woman with her young daughter brought in a huge friendly white male dog.  Within the first minute the Pit-bull, one third the size of the white dog, came after the white dog, jumping on it as it rolled on its back in a clear sign of “I give up”.  The Pit-bull bit into the white dogs neck and ear, blood spots on its pure white coat with the woman kicking the Pit and the owner of the Pit hitting and pulling on his dog.  When it was over, the idiot still tried to blame the sweet white dog.  Stupid, stupid people.  By that time the rest of the owners and dogs moved over to our side.  Someone called the police and I gave a report although the idiot and his dog had already left.  Fortunately KatieBug was not hurt at all, only a little slobber on her neck but nothing else.  The white dog had a few bite holes in its neck and ear and the woman had blood all over her hands and legs but she seemed to be OK.  The little girl was very upset about her pup but the police and her mom were assuring her the pup would be OK.  We will never again enter a dog park where there is a pit-bull and we will leave if one comes in.   I’m sure there are sweet ones, but I don’t want to find out the hard way that the owners are clueless idiots.  This town seems to be full of stupid dog owners.

Dog park adventure days and boob tube nights with ventures into resale shops and hardware stores now occupy our time until approval arrives for the mold remediation.  Ribbit is once again in good health so we are free to explore.  We spent parts of the last few days removing things from the back bedroom to prep for the remediation and washing all the bedding.

Occasional rain showers are scheduled for the next few days but have, so far, not been disruptive to our plans.  St. Vincent De Paul is the major charity and assistance league in the area and their resale shops are everywhere.  Anything we have needed, dog blankets and bowls, they have had for pennies on the dollar.

Millie is thoroughly enjoying her time at the local dog parks, KatieBug is enjoying chasing after new friends and we are enjoying finding new places to explore on our way to the dog parks.

At the first Inn, the room smelled horrid so we are moving in the morning.  Found another place, no up charge for pets, clean rugs, nice size room, no smell and less cost. It’s in front of a park and has a small lake with loads of ducks and geese so the pups can watch their rocket landings from our window.

Had another tiny pity party wishing we were back in the Woodlands.  It would have been easier to stride through misfortunes when surrounded by friends and family.  Ah, well…this too shall pass.

Eugene is very proud of their Ducks, the sports teams of the University of Oregon.  Huge O’s, green and yellow cars/trucks/van’s, yellow statues of ducks and even green and yellow RV’s are everywhere.  Whenever wild ducks waddle across the roads, traffic stops in both directions.

Our adventure continues, even if our journey does not.

We are settled into our cat box/burning hair fragranced pet friendly room, thankful that the dogs are comfortable and able to stay with us.  I could not imagine leaving Millie in a kennel not knowing when the cancer will overtake her.  Our beds are pillow top and we have a sliding glass door for fresh air along with the best TV reception and number of channels since our journey began.  We don’t know when the mold remediation will start or when it will be complete but we are comfortably living In Eugene Oregon limbo for the next few weeks.

One huge variety store, Hirons, has stores all over Eugene and appears to be the biggest jumble of junk and impulse buying goods I’ve ever seen.  John and I wandered around for half an hour just looking.  You could stand in one place for 10 minutes and not see all that is jammed onto one shelf.    And to further complicate your sight sorting abilities, it has bargain bins with unrelated items all thrown in together.

We have finally discovered the great eateries.  Breakfast is a local pancake house or Studio One Cafe, an eclectic little house turned café with all types of omelets and interesting twists on salmon offerings, the salmon they smoke themselves and it is moist, flavorful and just plain yummy.  We have been skipping lunch for an early dinner.  Dinner has been purchased from the local Whole Foods type store, Market of Choice, and it is just across the street.

And then there are the silver linings….The professional installer, and I use that word loosely, who put in our solar system has insurance.   We only have to move bedroom things out to start the mold remediation.  We have a room that allows our pups.  We have LilyPad in a covered storage being paid for by solar guy’s insurance company and our food/lodging expenses being paid for by solar guy’s insurance company for the next few weeks.  If we had planned for this major inconvenience we couldn’t have planned better.

Eugene is getting ready to burst into bloom.  Redbud, Dogwood, Magnolia and others that I haven’t the least idea of the names line the streets and open spaces of the nearby Oregon State University campus, where we are temporarily planted.  Wild birds, geese, ducks of various types are everywhere, even in puddles in the parking lots.  Can’t wait to get out and take shots of the blossoms.