DOWN with THE BREHMS, AUG. 14, 12 EDITION

We are still here on the Oregon Coast, enjoying the beach life and cool temps.

This is the local casino/hotel, which is very nice for such a small town. Besides contributing to the local economy here, we also enjoyed a nice car show here.

A DAY IN NEWPORT WITH FRIENDS

Besides hooking up with good friends Gene and Darlene McDonough in Florence, we also met up with Johnny and Georgia Johnson from Ozark, AR. From left to right they are Gene, Darlene, Diane, Johnny and Georgia. Had a good lunch and a good visit.

CAMP SOUTH JETTY-FLORENCE, OR.

Here we are at the Thousand Trails Preserve at South Jetty, Florence, Oregon. Very dense forest right on the sand dunes off the ocean. Weather has been very nice to cool in the evening. A fire is always in order after 4:00 pm, even sweats and jackets sometimes.

KARA

This our first time traveling without Ross, so we never pass up a chance to pet other folks dogs. This one is an 11 year old corgi with a summer hair cut, she and her sister, Sadie, a big loving rottweiler belong to some folks we met at camp. They had to make a trip to Portland, so asked if we would walk the "girls" while they were gone. Of course, we jumped at the chance.

SADIE

And Sadie, as gentle and loving as can be.

KOOL ON THE BEACH

We keep hearing complaints from friends about the unbearable hot weather. Thought you might find this interesting. At 8:43 on August 14, 2012, the outside temperature is 53 F.

BEAUTIFUL MODEL "A" RESTORATION

As I mentioned earlier, we attended a car show at the local casino. This is a true to original 1930 model A Ford.

STUDEBAKER AVANTI

Our good friend Bob Tomal has one of these rare cars. It is a Studebaker Avanti. Maybe Studebaker's entry for the muscle cars of the time. This one is showroom fresh, and wanted to share it with Bob.

VIPER POWERED CORD

Now here's a strange bird. This old Cord is faithfully restored to original condition, but is propelled by a V10 Dodge Viper engine.

A PAIR OF CLASSY CHASSIS

We will stay here in Florence for a few more days, then up the coast to Neskowin, and Pacific City. In September we have an appointment for a new floor in the coach in Junction City so we'll come back south for that, then on to Rapid City, SD to renew our driver's licenses. Hope you are all having a nice summer. We look forward to seeing you again soon. God Bless, and vote in November...please.

DOWN with the BREHMS as of 29 JULY, 2012

Aloha from Florence Oregon. Hope you are all doing superb. Things are good with us. We arrived here last Tuesday from Junction City, after getting an estimate for new flooring in the coach. Weather has been about 40 degrees cooler than it was inland. This pic is of the South Jetty of the Siuslaw river at the Pacific.

SAND DUNES AT WINCHESTER BAY, OR.

Sand dunes right off the Pacific are enormous here. These are at Winchester Bay. We met up with good friends Gene and Darlene here and took a nice drive South to see a car show that didn't show< so we made the most of it and did some exploring. Had a great time.

JUST A LITTLE CHILLY ON JULY 29....

During our wonderings, we visited the small village of Lakeside. Here Diane is by the boat dock at Eel Lake

SAILBOATS ON EEL LAKE, LAKESIDE OR.

We have been camped at the Elks Lodge here in Florence. Tomorrow, we pack up and move to Thousand Trails Preserve at South Jetty. We will probably stay there 3 weeks. We can't get our new floor installed until 9/24, so we will be hanging out close by til then.

WINCHESTER BAY SAND DUNES

We took a fun trip with Gene and Darlene down the coast today. Here is the "Macho Jeep" we toured in at Winchester Bay sand dunes.

WOODY? OR WOULDN'T HE?

There was a small car show here at the Elks. I cannot resist a car show. My favorite car since I was 15 is the "40" Ford. Here is one of the finest I have ever seen.

BUICK BEAUTY

1933 Buick. A real beauty. Hope to do some crabbing in the next day or two. Love them dungeness devils. Mmmm!!

MELLOW YELLOW "40" FORD

As I said before, I love "40" Fords. Here is a gorgeous pickup. The bed is like furniture in your living room.

FEELIN BLUE

Another spiffy "40" Ford Pickup.

SMART AND SASSY

Check this one out! A Smart Car with a wild paint job. We saw this little puppy at Winchester Bay. We sure look forward to seeing you any chance we get. So stay in touch. Hope you are having a wonderful summer. God Bless.....

DOWN with the BREHMS as of 22 JULY, 2012

Greetings to all our friends. We are camped at the Beaver Creek RV Resort in Merlin, OR., just a few miles from Grants Pass. This pic is reflections from the Beaver Creek. The creek is part of our daily morning hike.

CAMPGROUND MASCOT AT BEAVER CREEK

The trip up here from Mt. Shasta was a piece of cake. Even the Siskiyou pass was a breeze. The weather has been delightful, berries are just starting to ripen, and wild flowers everywhere. The campground is our usual when in this part of the woods. Clean, 50 amp, sewer and good water.

OUR CAMP AT BEAVER CREEK RV RESORT

Home for a week or so, then on to Junction City for an estimate on replacing our carpet with something like tile or stone. From there to the Elks Club in Florence. We hope to hook up with Gene & Darlene McDonough, and Johnny & Georgia Johnson from Arkansas while were there.

BOAT PARTY ON THE BANKS OF THE ROGUE

The Rogue River is the Disneyland of southern Oregon. Everybody uses the river for something, and usually something exciting. Here, a group of revelers are having a party close to Hellgate.

Mighty Rogue at Hellgate headed for the coast

Great for rafts, kayaks, canoes, boats and almost any kind of watercraft.

HIKING TRAIL TO BEAVER CREEK

Just one of those backwoods trails that seduces you to follow it just to see where it goes. This one goes to Beaver Creek.

HEllGATE ON THE ROGUE

Diane checks out the geography and history of Hellgate.

DOWNTOWN

This sign crosses 7th Ave. at G st.

It is the center of town in Grants Pass.

BEER AND PRETXELS

The downtown area is loaded with this life-size bears dressed in various outfits. Here, Diane shares some beer and pretzels with the bears.

DIANE GREETS PAPA BEAR

According to the locals. These bears hibernate every winter. The city workers take them down and warehouse them til the spring.

Hope you are all having a wonderful summer. We should be back in The San Diego in November or December. We need to be in South Dakota in Oct. then start our trek SW.

WHAT's DOWN with the BREHMs as of 15 June,12

This is the week or so that was. We wish you all the best from Merlin OR.

This picture was taken at one of 11 ponds on 720 acres owned by our friends Jim & Maxine Dimick. It is a beautiful place for fishing and picnicking, or just sitting and looking and listening to nature.

BEER DRINKER'S CHANDELIER

After we left San Benito, we drove to Nicklaus CA. just NE of Sacramento. We stayed at Lake Minden, and took side trips to Marysville, Yuba City, and Old Sacramento. While in Old Sac, we took lunch at our usual Mexican restaurant, El Terazo. I was intrigued by this chandelier made from beer bottles.

NEW AND OLD CONTRAST-SACRAMENTO

I thought this was an interesting view of contrasts. In the foreground, are buildings constructed in the 1800's, and in the backround, modern hi-tech skyscrapers.

OLD SACRAMENTO

As the historical districts of most cities, Old Sacramento is a little touristy, but we still enjoy visiting it.

Here, the OSMTA, (Old Sacramento Metropolitan Transit Authority) briskly transports wealthy tourists from souvenir shop to souvenir shop.

View from Jim & Maxine's yard, MT. SHASTA

After leaving Lake Minden, we visited friends we met at Johnson's Landing at Salton Sea. They have a lovely home on 10 acres in Mt. Shasta City, and 720 acres of timber out past Shasta. Jim and Maxine were wonderful to us. We were treated to a tour of the town, and a picnic at their timberland. This view is from the yard at their home.

JIM AND HIS OLD HIGH SCHOOL BUDDY

This 1933 Ford Model B pickup truck has been Jim's since he was in high school. He took me for a ride in it to town. It runs like a top. Great fun..

A WOODSY PICNIC

Jim and Maxine drove us out to their 720 acres of timberland for a picnic and some trout fishing in one of 11 ponds on their property.

DROWNING WORMS

Maxine insisted that I try my hand at fishing with her pole. Radar waits with great anticipation. He loves helping me get the fish off the hook..

RADAR FISH DETECTOR

This is Radar! He is Jim & Maxine's 2 year old Lab. What a good dog...

WOMENS CHAMPION FISHER in this pond

Maxine loves to fish. Here she is with her new rod and a spinner that the trout seem to like..

After we left Mt. Shasta, we had a nice drive up to Merlin OR.,just North on

I-5 out of Grant's Pass. We will be here about 10 days, then up to Junction City to see about upgrading our flooring. Look forward to seeing you all next time..

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, 2012

Greetings from San Benito Campground in Paicines, CA. Sorry for the BLOG delay, but some places we camp are very remote and it's impossible to pull those internet zoogies out of cyberspace. So, here is a catch up...

GOTHAM CITY, Metropolitan Area

This is the huge town of Paicines, CA. POP 204. This is the center of it all, and we are camped about 17 miles from here. Lots of agriculture here, great fresh roadside produce, lots of deer, bobcats, quail, wild pigs, hawks, eagles, condors, and Owls.

Good Friends Theresa and Patty

By lucky chance, we ran into Danny and Patty Wall, and Patty's mom Theresa at San Benito. We thought it would be fun to have a "Sounds of Nature" contest. Here, Patty is warming up for her "Sound" and Mom theresa is getting ready to duck......

KIRIGAN WINERY TASTING ROOM

There are many nice wineries in this area. Kirigan has been one of our favorites for many years. Here Diane met her new best friend, the wine tasting expert..

KIRIGAN VINEYARDS of the Central Valley

The vineyards, field of corn, broccoli, romaine, strawberries, cherries, artichokes and garlic are everywhere, and almost resemble beautifully landscaped gardens..

Fresh and Tasty Fungi

The "Royal Oaks" mushroom farm is on the edge of Morgan Hill. The variety of freshly grown, still dirty mushrooms is delightful. I grilled some huge, stuffed portobellos. Mmmmm..

1915 STUDEBAKER

To our delight, there was a car show in Hollister on the weekend of our arrival. There was hot rods, customs, restored and original antiques. There were trucks, cars, vans and motorcycles. This old Studebaker caught my eye.

Whoooo's this Wise Old Bird?

One of the local flyboys.....

San Benito fawna

Many deer at the San Benito preserve.

We took a walk with friends Glen & Grace Davis every morning, always with a sharp eye for the native residents..

Home of the American Biker

Johnny's bar and grill is in Old Town Hollister. It is ground zero for the old Brando Movie, "The Wild One". It is a favorite biker bar for those passing through, and we always try to stop at least once for a beer and a burger