TALK ABOUT YOUR COLLOSAL HEADACHES..

This poor dude lives outside Manteca, his horns are so heavy he can barely lift his head. When he tries to stand, he rests one of his horns on the ground. Glenn and Grace took us out to see him, I think Glenn said he is an African bull of some sort.

GREETINGS FROM "GETTIN DOWN WITH THE BREHMS" FLORENCE OREGON

It's been a while, but we are back on the blog. Picture is a wall mural at "Bugsy's" in Junction City

JEFFERSON, THE LONE BARN STATE

Don't know how many of you know the story of the State of Jefferson. If you don't, you should look it up. I'm not sure when, but at some point, people became disenchanted with either California or the USA, and seceded as an independent State.

MAXINE DIMICK GETS A LEG UP

In spite of our speedy trip up to Oregon, we managed to stop in Manteca and visit with good friends Glenn and Grace Davis, then up to Sacramento to visit other buddies Roger and Sandy Schwarting, then on to Mt. Shasta to visit Jim and Maxine Dimick. All of these folks are our winter family at the Salton Sea every year. In February, Jim had one of his hips replaced in Palm Springs, and after they returned home, Maxine had her foot operated on. Should be a lot of dancing next year at the desert.

OUR NEW ICE CHEST REPLACEMENT

Our main reason for making a beeline to Oregon, was to have our old refrigerator replaced. It had it's demise about 3 months ago. The original ran on 120 AC or propane. It had a bad reputation for starting fires and burning up complete RV's in short order. The regular RV type is much more expensive than residential refrigerators, has less capacity, weighs more, and is less energy efficient. We had solar panels installed on the roof earlier in the year, and they keep the batteries charged all the time. The inverter changes 12 volt DC from the batteries to 120 volts AC so the fridge stays cold whether we are plugged in to AC or not.

OUR NEW FRIG.

Wow! this new refrigerator holds a lot, or so it seems after living 3 months out of an ice chest. It is very efficient. Stays at 38 in the frig and -2 in the large freezer on the bottom.

CARL THURMAN

We were fortunate to meet up with Carl and Rose Thurman in Oregon. I had the pleasure of working with Carl at Rohr for many years. It was good to see him looking so well, as he has had some medical concerns lately, but is doing much better now. We hope to see them again in the next few days.

THURMANVILLE

Carl and Rose were our gracious chaperones while we stayed in Harrisburg. Carl was born and raised in this part of the country, and even though he is 76 years old, his childhood stompin grounds have changed little. There are more Thurman's here than there are Yee's in Hong Kong. We saw his homes, schools, and swimming holes, and the area is still backwoods and unspoiled. This covered bridge was built in 1925, with a plank road through it and still in use.

CAMP ELKS LODGE, FLORENCE, OR.

From time to time, convenience is the deciding factor on where to stay for short periods. Walmart is popular with many road gypsies, but we prefer to stay at Elks Lodges when available. They typically have hook ups for the RV, dinners and a friendly bar. This one is smack in the middle of Florence, and a short hop from South Jetty.

OUR CAMP AT SOUTH JETTY, OREGON COAST

After all the rushing around since leaving downtown Jamul, this will be our home for a while. We plan to catch up on rest and relaxation for 2 or three weeks before we move on.
We are practically on the sand dunes here, old town Florence is fun to eat, drink, and play in, and there are good things to do up and down the Coast. We are just an hour and a half from the big city of Eugene. 

GETTIN DOWN WITH THE BREHMS, 6 FEBRUARY, 2014

       Sunsets are knockout gorgeous here at the Salton Sea.

MADISON AVENUE ADVERTISING

Y'all come now, heah? This is the community cultural center. Famous country singers can often be heard performing here, on the juke box.

THE BREHM CAMPING COMPOUND, SALTON SEA

Here we are smack dab in the center of ammenityville. Not! The West Shore RV Resort at Johnson's Landing is Spartan living, but the utilities, water, 50 amp electricity, and sewer access are good. There is no pool, no spa, no kiddies playground, no mini-golf, however, there is a desert golf course within walking distance, and a bar and grill available for breakfast, pub grub, and BBQ on Saturdays

PELICAN CONVENTION

Somehow, nature continues to thrive here in this forgotten resort area. Pelicans are always hanging around the beaches. Sea gulls and doves fill the air, and cotton tail and jack rabbits continue to taunt the coyote population.

DESERT FOREST

We come here every winter, and every winter we hear the same status on the rehabilitation of the Salton Sea Recreation Area. Millions of dollars have been granted to study the feasibility of flooding the "sea" with fresh water from the Colorado, refurbing the marinas, cleaning up the beaches and attracting more tourism. Every year, the grant is spent on coffee and studies and nothing happens. Politics!

HAPPY HOUR AT EL RANCHO BASURA

Late afternoons are made for socializing, telling lies, joking around and consuming adult beverages. We have occupied an empty campsite, absconded with an old washing machine tub for a fire pit, and ceremoniously erected a "It's always five o'clock here" flag.

AFGANI GENTLEMANS CLUB

No shortage of interesting folks here in the desert. This one that always catches my eye. This place belongs to a 91 year old widow who still drives and frequents the local watering hole, Capt'n Jim's.

VIEW LOOKING EAST FROM THE FRONT OF THE MOTORHOME

Even though the Salton Sea area has been neglected for some time, the views are often pleasant. Beyond the palapa is the take-off and landing are for ultra-light and powered parachute aircraft. Beyond the field is the Salton Sea, and on the other side, the Chocolate Mountains. At the base of the mountains, is the "Fountain of Youth".

MARILYN AND FRIENDS

As we are so close to Palm Springs, we decided to go see the FOLLIES at the old theater. Near the parking lot, this bigger than life statue of Marilyn Monroe stands. We could not resist a picture under her skirt.
The follies were very entertaining. Kind of a cross between a Las Vegas dinner show, and vaudeville. The performers ranged in age from 56 to 84. Many have played on Broadway, and as chorus dancers in Las Vegas and other venues. The women all looked like they were in their 20's even though all they had on was a couple of sequins and a feather.

SUNSET AT THE SALTON

We will be here at Johnson's Landing for about another month. We hope to visit friends in Yuma when we leave, then we will be heading back to Jamul for a couple of months, then will head out to wander aimlessly through this great USA.