Tuesday...September 2nd...2008

Shouldn't someone have warned us our RV park was under the fireworks from Disneyland..sounded like a war zone.....

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Monday...September 1st...2008

We'd moved from the track to Anaheim...near Disneyland..Friend Cheryl is treating us to 2 days at Disneyland (Disney is her employer). Then we move on to Ventura to see friends, including Mary, Linda's dear friend.

Following are pictures of Linda Wood in her "prime"...a "race fanatic"...

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Linda is calling everyone saying she just won the car?..nope..just happened to be behind her...

Below ...good times at the track and RVing in the infield...

Linda during the Nationwide race on Saturday night...not very happy that "bad boy" Kyle Busch led most all the laps and won (boring!).

A couple of Champ Car fans who got lost and ended up at a NASCAR race..."Dave99" and "Manic"

The "woman" out of control..and with a cold besides.....

Sunday's main race was better..with Jimmy Johnson winning to Linda's delite..but not very exciting for a race.....oh well....

Saturday...August 30th...2008

hot..hot..hot....Southern California is hot.

Folks trying to reach us should call us at 541 390 5550 or 541 390 4836...

Dave

Wednesday...August 27th...2008

While watching the Democratic Convention tonight, I was struck by recognizing the Denver Pepsi Center and remembering the Fan Forums Linda and I led in the same Center during the Champ Car days.

It was the same place where one year, Linda for the first time, took the microphone and led the Forum (as opposed to me who repeatedly urged her to step up and do it).....the bad news (for me anyway) was that she got so caught up in things that she FORGOT to introduce me. After that Linda couldn't be stopped...she understood for the first time that speaking from passion and the heart was quite easy as opposed to speaking from the head.

Dave

Wednesday....August 27th...2008

We are way...way down in California...hot...hot..hot!

Tomorrow we go "on track" for the NASCAR race weekend....

Linda has a bad cold...combination of being around people last week and changing weather (rain one day...sunshine the next)...so she's a bit worn out...hopefully she will get well soon.

Dave

Sunday...August 24th...2008

We just finished a five day seminar in Eugene, Oregon...a personal growth seminar called Crossover...it is a Wings Seminar...see www.wings-seminars.com

Linda did great....high energy.....very animated....very much a participant in all activities and processes. She's a bit tired tonight.....but so am I....it is to be expected with the week we put in.

Tomorrow we leave Eugene for California.....Fontana, California ...for the NASCAR race..we plan on spending 3 to 4 weeks down there before returning home.

Linda is feeling well.

A good friend of ours..Deb Bruce..who offered much support to Linda has just been diagnosed with cancer...see her Blog at www.debbruce.blogspot.com We wish her well and will support her in any way we can.

Dave

Monday...August 18th...2008

Yes..I was a smokejumper while in college (4 years) and 8 years while I was a high school biology teacher..this was after being a fire lookout after high school...see photos below....

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Sunday....August 17th...2008

We made it home..those "all nighters" in the airline stuff is a bit much....

We now embark on another series of travels.....in fact the RV is out front being packed for our next adventures...Tuesday we leave for Eugene to be part of the Wings Crossover team for a five day seminar. I'm excited as it's been years since Linda has been on a Crossover team. After the seminar we head directly to southern California for a labor day weekend NASCAR weekend....then two more weeks wandering in California before returning home to Oregon.

We actually then have 4 days at home before the first Remond Air Center Smokejumper three day reunion...I was a smokejumper for 12 years when I was younger (and braver). Then it's back to Eugene to be on a Wings Listening Heart team for couples..then Mexico for a week (to make up for the trip we missed last year when Linda was so sick....then off to Florida for two months...then home for Christmas.

Phheeewwww!

Saturday...August 16th...2008

In a few hours we fly home...BUT a layover in Seattle of 6 hours..ouch!

Linda "faking" a kayak trip..."photo op"!

The reason why we didn't take the boat to the glacier....it was like a "freakin'" ocean!

When we get home Sunday..we rest...Monday we pack the RV...Tuesday we go to Eugene with the RV to be on a Wings Crossover team for 5 days...then straight to California for 3 weeks for a NASCAR race and travel.
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Wednesday...August 13th...2008

We've been in Alaska for our 3rd day and have been a lot/seen a lot of places including the Bottanical Gardens and a trip to the Portage Glacier and Girdwood (where the Senator Stevens is having his problems for who paid for his house improvements)....Linda is doing well...her back is improving a bit....

Pictures below are from the Bottanical Garden (including pic of Linda and sister in law LaVelle with her grandaughter Emily)...and the trip to Girdwood, including my new "moose hat" and brother Darron after Cocktail hour.....

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Monday....August 11th...2008

On our way to Alaska...yesterday all fights into Anchorage were cancelled because a volcano eruption was blowing the wrong way..into the flight path...today it is supposed to be ok.

Look at the following picture Linda and I took (self portrait) during nephew John's wedding....Linda's brother Marlin was sitting behind us....we discovered...and had the "sourest" look we'd ever seen....looks like a guy right out of the mafia...."Guido" the mafia guy!

Marlin claims he knew we were taking a picture and deliberately made the face..we don't think so...
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Sunday..August 10th...2008

Phewwwww!

We are going here..going there...going everywhere!

We finished 4 days of camping (ok..ok...an RV isn't "camping" in the truest sense of the word)...then off to Salem for nephew John's wedding...then today a picnic for Linda's brother Norman who is heading off for a year in Uganda as a missionary. Now back home and flying off to a week in Alaska tomorrow.

Linda is doing fine...steroids give her energy.....and.....and. Her back is still a bit sore but we're hoping the steroids do the trick.

Pictures below of the wedding and picnic:

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The wedding ..first picture..nephew John marrying Ashlie.....second picture..Linda's grand nieces Ava and Zoe...Third picture..Linda and Ava...Fouth picture...Linda's nieces Jen (mother of Ava and Zoe) and Julie...Fifth picture..brother Norman..heading to Africa..sixth picture..Linda's sister Karen (Mother of John...the groom) and last picture..Linda's brother Marlin and sister in law Joni

Monday Evening...August 5th.....2008

This update will be in two parts..first an update on Linda's "aches and pains" and visit to the Oncologist today and then a summary of our wonderful three days at the Oregon Jamboree.

Linda's pain level was high today with the pain increasing if she breathed deeply. She hoped the doctor would provide answers (as we spent tons of time and money going to the Clinic and the Emergency Room with no relief). The doctor had access to the scan done in the hospital and the summary by the doctor who reads the scans. He seemed a bit baffled...saying it was not cancer related except it may be an aftermath of the radiation...I forgot the word he used to discribe what might be going on....he put her on steroids for a week to see if it reduced any inflammation that might be in the muscle tissue....he reassured her that there was no cancer signs....but if the steroids didn't work in a week of so, we'd go back in and they would do some further tests to see if the problem could be isolated.

So that's about what we know....

The Jamboree was fun...great singing....Sugarland...Glenn Campbell...Kellie Pickler....Phil Stacey (both of American Idol).....Trace Adkins...Randy Owen of Alabama....etc...etc..We were very entertained for three days..glad we went..will be back next year.
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Currently we are in the RV with granddaughter Jillian at a Thousand trails RV park south of Sun River....off to Alaska next week.....

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