Thursday, September 5
The crew and I wake to a typical Pacific Northwest day. These photos were taken during the brightest part of the morning between rain showers.
The ferns and big leaves of the bushes are dripping and drooping.
Mossy tree trunks are bright green.
Mist rises off the Hamma Hamma River.
It’s not the sort of morning for a soak. Sniffing river rocks will have to suffice.
Let me give you a little tour of Hamma Hamma Campground. It’s beginning to look a lot like Fall here!
This next site is very picturesque.
Whoever designed this campground knew how important privacy is.
The trees are too tall for me to fit in this next photo.
As Bridget, Spike and I wander around the campground, my mind also wanders to the upcoming weekend.
Although this is a pretty place with the features I covet — seclusion, quiet, natural beauty, affordable — I’m going to move to another camp for the weekend. This part of Hood Canal is mostly private residences clinging to the shoreline, a few restaurants and a place to taste and buy wine. I want to move closer to Port Townsend.
We make our way back to the Best Little Trailer.
“Let’s go see what we can see! C’mon, Bridge. Get out from under there. We’re going!”
First I drive to Lena Campground, a few miles further up the forest road. No one is camped there. Just two cars are parked at the trail head.
I take us the eight miles or so to Highway 101.
We backtrack, heading south along Hood Canal. It’s not a good day for taking photos. My plan is to drive to Potlach State Park Day-Use Area, walk around by the water with the crew, and then go to one of the restaurants for a late lunch.
At Hoodsport, I stop at the IGA store. In the deli section rotisserie chickens are “$5.99 for one day only.” Gosh, the crew has been so good . . . yesterday on that long drive . . . and this morning, walking around the campground, not running off (Spike) . . . .
I pick up the heftiest chicken.
I can go to a restaurant another day. We’ll have a picnic at the park! It’ll be fun!
Right before I ease out of the parking lot onto the main road, a guy pulls up alongside the PTV.
“What’s that? 110 watts?” he calls out.
“No, two hundred, I answer. Got two AGM batteries inside.” Gee, I sound like a guy.
“How’s it work for ya,'” he asks.
“Fantastic! I love it,” I respond, while glancing in the side mirror to see if I’m holding up traffic.
He looks up at the panel wistfully.
“I want to get solar for my motorhome.”
“Do it,” I respond. “It’s great!”
I have this conversation all the time with people. If they’re not asking about the solar panel, they’re complimenting the Best Little Trailer. Hey, it’s nice to be the subject of envy. I won’t deny that. Better that than the other way around . . .
I drive us into Potlach State Park.
Uh-oh, Discover Pass required. I don’t have one. I have a Forest Pass. Thinking we’ll have to leave, I drive toward the exit. What’s this? “15-minute parking – no pass required.”
Looks like we’ll have our picnic after all!
Bridget and Spike LOVE rotisserie chicken. I like it, too.
I don’t have any utensils (shoulda’ picked some up at the deli), but it doesn’t matter. I pull off pieces for me and for the crew with my bare hands. Boy, it tastes good, sitting out here in this misty air. A brief walk-around and we’re good to go!
The rain pelts the roof of the BLT most of the night.
During a brief hiatus, an owl hoots several times. No one is here. Not even on the road or at the campground further up the road. I smile at the peace this gives me. I fall back to sleep waiting for the next hoot.
rvsue
TODAY IS A SPECIAL DAY!
Two people dear to me – my sister, Pauline, and my friend, Mick in Tennessee — share a birthday today.
(And guess what? Mick has sent a surprise package for me to a nearby post office. That’s typical of Mick. It’s HIS birthday, so he sends ME a gift . . . Hey, that works.)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAULINE AND MICK!
While Port Townsend is picturesque, it is also very popular. Hope you’re not trying to avoid crowd up there!
The Hamma Hamma campground looks lovely. I’ll have to try it some year. [Before October, when it is closed for the season]. Most of the USFS campgrounds in the area close at the end of September, which is a shame, as early October can be very pleasant.
We’re settled in a new spot that suits us very well. But I’ll save that for tomorrow’s post. 🙂
I prefer forest service campgrounds to state parks or private parks. I rely on them to keep me well within my budget, as well as to give me privacy. I wish they’d stay open into Oct., too, although I think Oregon will be a good place to spend Oct.
I had to smile when I saw where you are now. See, without meaning to, I was sort of “following you around” earlier this summer. What I mean is, wherever I was, I’d read your blog and you’d be someplace I had been thinking of heading to in a few days (by the way, thanks for the recommendation on Navajo National Monument; I would probably not have found that, but as it turned out was practically driving right by, and I loved it!). Well now I’ve been up near Port Townsend for a while, and you’re “catching up” to me for a change. Who knows, maybe some day we’ll be at the same place at the same time. NOT that I would assume a meet up or (horrors) stop by unannounced. (As an aside, I love the way you look for campgrounds, and say the same things I think re: wanting privacy, shuddering at the crowds, etc.)
Anyway, you may have found this out by the time you read this, but the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Show is this weekend, and I think that may make accommodations tight around the town. OTOH, as crowds go, it’s a nice one (and you seem to have good luck finding neat spots anyway 🙂 Port Townsend is a neat place, nice for walking around, good food coop, nice library and post office, and enough aging hippies to give it a mellow vibe. But probably a bit overrun this weekend.
As always, thanks for the blog!
Pen
That’s so interesting, Pen, that you were “walking in my footsteps.” I’m thrilled that I “gave” you the campground at Navajo Monument and you liked it. I hope you walked the two trails. Great place!
Thanks for the info on Port Townsend Wooden Boat Show. I’ll stay clear of those crowds. There are other things to do here. I’m having so much fun! I’m loving this trip!
Thanks for writing. It’s neat that we share several of the same characteristics.
I reserve this post for Pauline and Mick to wish them the happiest of Birthdays. Each one is a milestone and represents both life lived and life to live. Best wishes both.
Sue, another wonderful scene. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Jim.
Ahh, lovely solitude! Mid week there are no locals, the tourists from out of the area are focused on the national park… and you are in heaven. Thanks for your beautiful photos, they capture the huge ferns and moss and the many shades of green. You can almost feel that oxygenated air.
Hi Alison… Yeah, this is they way I like to live! Hope you are loving your days, too.
Happy Birthday Pauline and Mick! I hope you both enjoyed your day!
Your stroll was peaceful and serene. Love the isolation…nice camp sites.
So….Do you prefer the hot dry Arizona desert or the PNW? How about the crew? I know SaraAnn misses running figure eights and lounging on grass.
Like you have to have a reason to buy rotisserie chicken! Silly girl! The crew is always good….and they will never turn down a chance at rotisserie chicken.
Enjoy your evening!
SaraAnn misses running figure eights and lounging on grass. What? The grass in NYS is gone already?
Enjoy your evening, too!
We don’t have grass up here in the ADK’s……just pine needles! When we drive to Syracuse…she plants herself on the lawn and doesn’t want to move!
…” a place to taste wine”…. Please send me the following asap: bussiness name, address, telephone number, GPS coordinates, hours of operation, explicit turn by turn directions, and any other information I may need, but didn’t ask for. I still don’t understand why one of my nicknames in the Air Force was Wino Watson.
thanks
Well, Mark… It’s on the lefthand side as you go north on Hwy 101. That’s all I’m gonna’ give you. You’ll have to use your innate wine honing device. Anyone with a nickname of Wino will have no trouble finding the place. 🙂
enjoying your trip like I’m there with you
Glad you’re riding with us, Bonnie. Nice to hear from you.
Since you are going as far as Port Townsend, you need to make the trip to Whidbey Island. Take the ferry to Coupeville from Port Townsend, van, trailer and dogs can go on the ferry…..then take Hwy 20 north to Oak Harbor through town to Deception Pass Bridge. Email me for more ideas. A ferry trip from Anacortes up through the San Juan Islands to Fridays Harbor is great. As you may have guessed, you are near where I lived for 10 yrs…Whidbey Island.
Hi Steve . . .
I already planned to take the ferry and to drive up to Deception Pass Bridge… You’re getting ahead of me here! A fellow camper at North Fork Campground made the suggestion when I told him I was going to take the ferry.
I’ll leave the BLT behind. It would cost me over a hundred dollars if I took it with me.
MESSAGE TO ALAN… I’m sorry if what I wrote was offensive. I didn’t mean it to be. I hope you don’t let that keep you away from here. Sue
I too was thinking about Alan today. When you were showing pictures of your walk…oh oh hope she doesn’t get lost. I remember him saying..take pictures at every turn…and then use the pictures to find your way back.
“Our conversation” ended with a smile.
A smile? Good. Maybe he will come back.
That’s the thing about blogs. It’s so easy to “say” the wrong thing. I’ve got a boatload of former commenters I wonder about. I probably stuck my foot in my mouth somewhere along the line . . . . several times.
The crew and I are staying on clearly-marked trails and paths these day. No more trail-blazing for us!
MICK – Happy Birthday – PAULINE – Happy Birthday
The package is no surprise it’s helium balloons, right Mick….
You make me wanna go to Washington.
Phyllis in Oklahoma
Hi, Phyllis . . . I don’t need helium balloons. I’m already floating on air!
Absolutely beautiful…some places defy words!! 🙂 Sounds like you and the crew had a fantastic picnic!!
Hi Gerri. . .
I had to keep Spike away from Hood Canal. There were signs up . .. no swimming due to contaminated waters. That answered my question why I didn’t see any fishing boats. Fishermen don’t let a little mist stop them.
We did enjoy our picnic, although brief!
Happy Birthday To Mick and Pauline. May you both have many more,,,,,,Rusty n’ Timber
Hi Sue and Crew, I usually don’t comment that much. But the way you described your day and the photos. I just had to say I felt like it was me there experiencing it all. I’m usually more the desert type with hot weather blue skies and sunshine. But this place you are at would feel like the closet thing to being in heaven . On a cloudy misty day with the crew eating the chicken. How peaceful and serine the way you describe.. Someday if I’m able to hit the road like you do. That place will be on my bucket list to visit. Stay safe and have a wonderful journey..Cheers Dominick
Hi, Dominick . . . I probably am “more the desert type with hot weather, blue skies and sunshine,” too. However, I’m loving the rain and mist. When I heard rain on the roof after months of hardly any rain at all, it was a delight (and still is because it’s raining as I type this!).
One of the most coveted compliments for a writer is to hear a reader “felt it was me there experiencing it all.” That’s my goal! I love sharing our days and helping people see what’s good everywhere we go.
Thanks for writing, Dominick. Please write again. Your comments lift me up. 🙂
I agree with Dominick’s comment… looks heavenly to me, too. I’ve been in this hot, dry climate (Tucson) for so long that a naturally growing green fern or moss on trees sounds like another world. I sure hope Steve and I can make it that far north when we start traveling in a couple years.
Oh, I wanted to ask you about the pass that you have that gets you in for half price quite often. I’m sure you’ve told us all before but could you remind me what that pass is again? Thanks, Sue… I may not always comment but I ALWAYS read and enjoy your posts. Grace
Hi Grace . . . The “senior pass” I refer to often is for people 62 yrs. or older. It costs $10 for a lifetime pass ($20 if purchased by mail), and gives you free entrance to any of our National Parks and 50% off camp fees in our National Forests.
Here’s a link to order by mail. I picked mine up at a National Forest office in Georgia the week before the crew and I hit the road.
Thank you for always reading my posts and for commenting. I do hope you and Steve see this part of our wonderful country. It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for many years which makes this trip all the more marvelous.
Thank you so much, Sue! We’ll look into it right away as hubby is now 62!
I corrected my error in my reply. It’s $20 if you order by mail.
Hey RV Sue and Crew!!!! You’re right up the road from us by the sounds of it. We’re down here in the Lincoln City area.
I went into the Grocery Outlet today, walked out of that place with $98 worth of groceries, had to run to Safeway across the street and pick up some special things and pulled out my receipt to do a little comparisons. I saved about $100 bucks or more (I quit comparing near the end) if you end up in this nice, quiet little Town… check out that store! Picked up a new Rowdy bed for $9 and it’s a nice plush one big enough for him to have a bed partner.
In the morning, we’ll leave the RV behind and head to the Cheese Factory as the little granddaughter and I have a date for ice cream tasting… they have the BEST there.
Beautiful Ocean Views here too…. but also misty and raining off and on… If you decide to splurge on yourself for a fantastic dinner complete with Bread ( I treat myself once or twice a year to that stuff) we found the Chinook Resort Dining upstairs overlooking the ocean was perfect. GREAT food, service and one entrée is enough for 3 meals.
Have fun, enjoy… I noticed Bridget hasn’t forgot how to ditch the camera after all.
Kay
Hi Kay . . . 100 bucks in savings… You know how to get my attention, girl!
I’ll be sure to put on the brakes if I see a Grocery Outlet store. I looked up Lincoln (I assume that’s the same place as Lincoln City) in my atlas. It’s on the Columbia River in the Lake Roosevelt Ntl. Rec Area. I probably won’t go that way this year, but maybe some year soon. Your suggestions are very appealing. It’s wonderful to find a restaurant that serves great meals at good value.
Enjoy your granddaughter . . . Well, you are, I’m sure. You don’t need me to tell you! Thanks for writing, Kay.
Sue, Lincoln City is on the Oregon coast, north of Newport, on Highway 101.
Thanks, Nickie. It’s hard for me to keep people’s locations in my head… I need help!
Maybe when logging in people could put the two-letter state abbreviation next to their name? Thank you! 🙂
Sure wish they had Grocery Outlet stores back east! Hey Sue, you might want to check out the one in Sequim since you are headed in that direction. The address is 1045 W Washington Street, Sequim WA. To find other locations, check out the website at http://www.groceryoutlet.com
Thanks so much, Cherie!
Lincoln City is in Oregon right on the ocean.
You must have looked up Lincoln WA.
Yes, sorry – we’re in Lincoln City, Oregon. VERY Clean RV park here at Devil’s Lake RV. Heading back to South Portland area Sunday. I love this little Oceanside community.
Kay
Somehow, I’ve never been on the WA 101. Easy to have private campsites in a lush rain forest. Hope you have good rain gear. The mists and low clouds are just part of the beauty of the area. I have an old college friend in Seattle and she says up there you just don’t let the rain stop you from doing things or you will do nothing at all.
Hi Tesaje . . . I was thinking the same thing when the crew and I took off from the campground and ended up having a picnic in the mist. If we were in a drier environment, I probably would’ve have stayed in camp and waited for a “better” day.
Here we will go and live like a Pacific Northwesterner! The only drawback to doing things on rainy days is the difficulty in taking pictures for this blog.
Nice to hear from you again . . .
Exactly! Goretex is a way of life up here. 😉
And so the stereotype continues…
Seattle ranks 44th among major US cities in annual rain fall with just 38 inches. Pt. Townsend about 20″ a year, Sequim where I live – 17″ a year, about the same as San Jose, CA. True, there are some wet “convergence zones” where rainfall totals are larger plus some VERY wet pockets, like the Hoh Rain Forest. Here at the North end of the Olympic Peninsula we have a Mediterranean climate. Sequim has an annual lavender festival in July. You happened to get here when we enjoyed our first big rain day in many weeks. Stick around, summer is not yet over and we have several beautiful days ahead of us.
Hi Ilse . . . I appreciate you putting this bit of rain in perspective. I’m looking forward to visiting the north end of the Olympic Peninsula. A lavender festival? How wonderful!
I am enjoying the GREEN of our campsite, after many months of BROWN in the desert. And the green is so vivid . . . absolutely gorgeous! My photos only begin to show the magical light that makes the foliage glow. I love it!
I can tell you love this part of the world, too. Good to see you here, Ilse.
We just got back from our motorcycle trip to Yellowstone and I want to go back now! We saw several Casitas along the way and I wanted to turn around and chase them down so I could see inside one. We might be making the trip to the factory next Spring. If we buy, I will certainly mention your name for the referral!
The NW is really nice. Do you think you will try to make it out to the coast? You used to be able to camp right on the beach, but that was 50 years ago.
Hi John . . . Oh, we definitely will make it out to the coast… on the north side and the west. The plan is to loop around the peninsula (as roads permit).
I remember wanting to chase down every Casita I encountered (before I had my beloved BLT) and a Casita sighting was rare in the part of Georgia where I lived. As it was I bought the Liberty Deluxe model based on a brochure!
I see people on motorcycles on scary roads — winding, no shoulder, cliffs, no guard rails — and I wonder how they can be so daring.
Oh, yes, do mention me when you get your Casita. I really like getting $200 checks in the mail. It’s a nice change from bills in the mail!
Here’s the link to my photos if you are interested. We were on some truly scary roads with no guard rails, lots of curves, etc. If you went off the road you wouldn’t stop for several minutes!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-mMBx89SBSMM/UitJ7QOJkwI/AAAAAAAAK7c/FXIzibG-5wY/s800/P1090372.JPG
John
Oh and whenever I saw a campground that was “worthy” I would think of you and how you would like that spot. There were so many! The ones that come to mind are in the Roosevelt NF on Hwy 14 west of Ft. Collins, CO. Nice river setting.
My jaw dropped! Gorgeous!
I found a camera like yours, they take amazing photos!
I have a question for those of you with Casita Liberty Deluxe trailers. Do you use the side dinette for a bed or the larger dinette in the rear? It would seem that the rear dinette would make a more comfortable bed and be more out of the way but, then, the larger table would also be out of commission if it was employed full time as a bed.
Hi mockturtle . . . Your comment confuses me. The Liberty Deluxe does not have a dinette at all. That’s one reason why I chose it. Maybe you’re using the word dinette instead of table?
If you used the larger table to make up a bed in the back, there wouldn’t be any room to use it for a table anyway. I use the small table, as you probably know.
Actually, it is the Spirit Deluxe that has the two ‘dinette/beds’ and the Liberty is identified [on the company’s floor plan diagrams] as having a rear ‘dinette/double bed’. My bad.
Oh Sue …How lovely these pictures are. Would love to be sitting right in the middle of that campground. Thanks so much for sharing!
You’re welcome, Deb. I posted those photos so folks could feel like they are “sitting in the middle” of Hamma Hamma Campground. Yes, it is a lovely place . . .
“The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.” -Ashley Montagu
Great quote, DeAnne . . . What we need to “seize” are the opportunities that put us where we are meant to be.
Hey Sue!
Oh… so many campgrounds! There are just not enough days in the year! Well, at this point! Can’t wait!!!
There is a Grocery Outlet in Aberdeen, in case you want to know… (hint hint) and it is GREAT. 101 goes right thru us.
Sure am enjoying yours and the crews adventures… Keep ’em coming!
Hugs from Hoquiam (WA)
Barb
Hi Barb!
I’m getting used to these daily hugs from Hoquiam! 🙂
Thanks for the heads-up on Aberdeen’s Grocery Outlet.
LOL!!! 🙂
Hamma Hamma Campground looks both beautiful & intriguing. Sure wish our fifth wheel could fit in there.
Hi Gayle!
I’m not sure that a fifth wheel could park at Hamma Hamma. There are sites long enough,but I hate to say when I don’t know anything about pulling a fifth wheel. Maybe one could camp at a nearby state park and take a ride up to Hamma Hamma in the truck to check.
Would you mind if I picked your brain……
If you stocked up with with your current set up…how long could you “boondock”?
Do you have a “schedule” in mind…meaning heading back down South by a certain date due to the weather? ie snow
I have yet to see a Casita in person/on the road….what sold you on it?
Do you ever crave “full hook ups” minus the crowd and expense..once in awhile?
Your shower…is there enough room / water pressure and is it a PITA to wipe it dry? Our RV had separate shower/toilet…just wondering if one can actually shower with the toilet right there. Don’t tell her but I had to hold the shower curtin away from Jules when she showered….for some reason it was attracted to her like static! Bwahhhh hah hah. (I never had that problem)
Oh boy, questions! I love questions. It makes me feel like I know something.
I could probably go three weeks boondocking. The only limiting factor would be the toilet’s tank. 🙁 If I wanted to fool with one of those portable waste tanks (which I don’t!), I could boondock longer.
I find 2 weeks to be long enough by myself. Then I can enjoy going into town.
I never “crave hookups,” even without people and expense. I’m so accustomed to living the way I do, having my little routines and methods, that full hook-ups don’t enter my mind.
The shower is big enough for me. Having the commode in the shower is quite handy actually. Once can sit to scrub feet and shave legs. The water pressure is okay, not great. It’s the need to conserve water that makes showering unpleasant for me. If I’m going to shower, I want to SHOWER. . . with lots of water!
It isn’t a big job to wipe down the shower room afterwards. It’s the fact that I’d have to remove my rug and the little storage drawers. It’s just easier for me to fill a basin and use a washcloth and back brush… out in the main part of the BLT where I have plenty of room and can lay out my bathing supplies.
What sold me on a Casita? Well, first I was sold on fiberglass trailers because of their construction. No roof seams for leaks to develop, lightweight, easy to tow, cute! The Casita’s price was within my reach and the factory in TX was a 2-day trip from my home in GA with my sister’s home conveniently located half-way there in MS. Plus I liked the options for boondocking… high axle, big tires, etc.
My only schedule for heading south is to avoid snow. Since I don’t know how I’ll go south, I don’t have any idea on what mountain passes I may face or the time frame.
Interesting that cinandjules never see any on the road. When I am traveling around ND and MN, I see them all the time. Even sometimes in pairs.
I think we are closer to “Scamp” territory.
But Scamps are built in Minnesota. Still see many more Casitas though.
I rarely saw one in Georgia.
Happy Birthday to Pauline and Mick. Wow, what a great guy Mick is to send you a present on HIS birthday. Geez Mick, my birthday is…..oh, never mind. LOL
Loved the pics of the secluded campsite, that’s the one I’d want!
Patti in Ohio
Hi Patti… Mick is a gem! and Pauline is a great sister!
All the campsites at Hamma Hamma are secluded, not only by thick vegetation but also by distance.
So many lovely spots along the Hood Canal and it looks like you found (one of) the best.
Port Townsend and Sequim are nice and much to see on the whole Olympic Peninsula. Be sure to stop at Sol Duc and have a soak. We hope to get back out that way next year.
Hi Marcia . . . I’ll try to make it to Sol Duc although I’m not interested in a soak. Spike would probably jump at the chance though. 🙂
Thanks to your photos and vivid description I feel I’m sitting right now in the middle of Hamma Hamma Campground. Thank you and maybe next year I’ll be there. Meanwhile, I’m reading some of your older posts. Do you recall if in any of your posts you listed inventory of your kitchen, bathroom, bedroom? I have less than one year to prepare for being in my home on wheels.
Hi, R… I don’t think I’ve ever printed a list for each room. I think everyone would have a different list, other than the obvious basics. I pretty much have the basics and not much more than that. I don’t like clutter and it’s easy to clutter up this small space. I don’t have any “decor” items. If it doesn’t have a function, I don’t want it!
Relying totally on solar limits kitchen gadgets to hand-powered and simple. Life is also simplified by not using sheets. A folded quilt underneath and a quilt on top serves us just fine. During the day, the bottom quilt is a pretty cover for the cushion and the top quilt, rolled up, makes a bolster. The pillows are in matching shams. That way the BLT never looks like a bedroom with an unmade bed.
Before I hit the road I got into a mindset where I thought I had to be totally prepared and have everything I would need on board. Then it hit me… I have a home on wheels. I have the PTV. I can still go to the store if I need something. 🙂
Thank you Sue. This is very helpful. Do you mind if I ask how many spoons, forks or knives do you have, for instance? Someone suggested using plastic utensils and paper plates but I don’t want to do that and I’m not planning to host any parties. I Just me and maybe one day a cat. I didn’t even think there would be room for any extra decorative items in Casita or any other RV. Do people actually decorate motorhomes? But how and with what? I like flowers and plants but that is not very practical, is it?
Well, I bought a 16-piece set of Oneida flatware (4 each of salad forks, dinner forks, dinner knives, spoons and soup spoons.) I don’t need that many but I don’t always get the dishes washed right away. I also have four steak knives, a few paring knives, a big knife… That’s about it.
I have a slotted spoon, unslotted spoon, spaghetti picker-upper, potato masher, hand can-opener, etc. The basic stuff.
People decorate with wall plaques, photos, even stuffed animals. Some people carry plants around and set them outside their door.
Thank you again for your detailed answer. It really helps with my planning. Now I need to start selling some of my belongings on craigs list.
Looking forward to your reply from cinandjules “brain picking.” Equiring minds want to know…
Well, there it is, Gayle!
Sorry to dely in replying……… moving into the MotherShip is time consuming and I am a bit behind on the blogs! First… OMG on the photographs !!! What beauty !!! I sure wish we had made it up to that part of the country, and we may yet get there, but if we don’t… OMG, you and your camera have taken us there! Amazing images! Happy Birthday to Pauline and Mick!!! Take care hon and hug the pooches from us!