It's frustrating how we change as we age. It's not the physical part that I'm talking about though. Everyone's bodies change as they age. I'm talking about upstairs. The brain cells that used to collaborate to help me appear intelligent no longer seem to give a shit about each other.
There was a period of time in my life when I really enjoyed writing. The words flowed easily, and thoughts came across quickly and effortlessly. I had a dry wit that would occasionally shine when I told a story. Those were apparently my blogging years. When I try to describe something now the words just don't behave. Even when I have all the information still fresh in my mind, but I can't seem to wrench it out without mucking it up somehow. Even now I'm struggling with what I'm trying to say. I guess it's fair to say my blog posts--however sporadic they may appear--have turned south on me. I used to like what I wrote but not any longer. I look at what I post a day or so later and shrug my shoulders, thinking, "Damn, that's not worth a shit. At least I got the point across. I think..."
Lately, it's more like I assemble a bunch of loose descriptions, sentences, and other portions of my tale that I want included--sort of like an outline. Then I will spend a bunch of time rearranging them to make some sort of cohesive-looking story out of them. What I end up with never seems to satisfy me, but I post it anyway. Sigh.
Am I just being too critical?
When I started thinking about this post I had several references to aging that I was going to mention. Do I remember all of them? No. I do remember thinking that perhaps I've gotten to that age I remember associating my grandpa with when I was younger. That age when he was perfectly happy to putter in his shop or watch western movies on TV. I don't know anything about current music or musicians, nor do I care to. I have a cell phone out of necessity--not because I like paying 600+ dollars for a fucking shrunken computer that fits in a pocket and just happens to make phone calls too. (Don't even get me started on that one.) I drive predictably and cautiously--something I didn't do all that often when I was younger. I go to bed almost the same time every night, whether I need to get up at a specific time the next morning or not. My eyes seem to fail at that time every evening. I don't spend time reading anything anymore. Even if I try, I find my mind wandering. I struggle even making it through a monthly Costco ad when it shows up in the mailbox. I dunno. I'm still holding onto many of my loves, but I find myself not really caring about them as passionately as I once did. I think nowadays I'm more interested in immediate sensory input than being on the move, but even that's failing me. Tastes and smells are still waning. I make slower, more deliberate moves every time I do things. My patience level has gotten worlds better, though. That's something.
My world is now much smaller than it once was. I used to love being "out there" and sharing stuff with the world. Now I love being home, and being with my wife and our two critters. If being old means being simple, that's okay by me.
I like things simple now.
Friday, August 9, 2019
Monday, August 5, 2019
Visiting Lake Bronson Family Nudist Park
Since I last posted, I had a new set of Goodyears put on the motorhome, and as anyone with six wheels will tell you, that's not a cheap undertaking. I left the wheel covers off when the tires were replaced so I wouldn't have to deal with some inexperienced tire guy handing me an apology for garfing them up while trying to figure them out. When I brought it back home I gave it a complete bath and put the wheel covers back on. I ordered new heavy-duty Bilstein shocks to help smooth out the back and forth wandering. The rears came in before the fronts, and they were installed easily. The fronts came a few days later, and what a chore they were! The right side was a piece o' cake, but the driver's side... a little over 3 hours later I finally had it replaced. I think it took about 20 minutes for the other side. All that's left is a front end alignment and I'll feel good about driving it.
Also, during the downtime between shocks I did manage to get all the adhesive off the right side where the idiot that sold it to me had taped the giant 'For Sale' signs on with packing tape. The trouble is, now those areas are nice and shiny and clean. Now I need to give the whole thing a good polish job I guess.
Our Friday departure to Lake Bronson was destined to take place right in the thick of rush hour. I chose a relatively-relaxing route, but still ran into plenty of traffic--especially as we neared Highway 2 in Monroe, and again in Sultan. At least the motorhome was riding tons better than it did before.
Lake Bronson Family Nudist Park is super-easy to find. All you have to do is head East on Highway 2 and turn left at the 3rd traffic light in Sultan. A few miles down the road was the gate--a very nice gate too. Instead of a ring of multiple padlocks, it was an electronic gate with a numeric keypad. Unlike our previous visit to Kaniksu Ranch, we remembered to call ahead for the gate combination well before we got near our destination this time. Good thing too, as there was no cell signal when we got there, just like at Kaniksu. The RV lot was a flat, boring gravel parking lot with angled spaces separated by framed-in swatches of lawn at each space. While it wasn't much to look at, it afforded plenty of space for easy maneuvering--especially useful for folks with giant American land yachts. When we arrived it was fairly warm, so it was nice to strip down as we got ourselves set up and organized. There were at least half a dozen RV's there when we arrived, but a few of them appeared to be currently empty. We took a walk around the place right after setting up (with Ruby of course), then after dinner took a longer walk--doing the entire road loop around the inside of the park (about 2 miles). It was apparent that this was going to be a place where biting insects could easily prevail. Especially with all that exposed skin!
Saturday was gloomy. We awoke to light, drizzly rain and gray skies, thankful that we could still sit inside and be comfortably warm and dry. As the morning turned into afternoon, the clouds barely dissipated. There would be periods of brief warm sun, followed by clouds again obscuring it. The day never really got rolling. It was one of those days that make you stir crazy, leaving me yearning for bright sun to hang out in. Our next door neighbor in the RV lot was a super nice older fella that came with a small pop-up camper/trailer. He was apparently big on walking, and weather be damned--he made sure he always got his steps in. Our motorhome wasn't perfectly level this time. I dunno--maybe I was feeling lazy about setting it properly I guess. Apparently, the different leveling condition contributed to a different sort of water pooling on the roof during the light rain, because we found a new leak appearing above the bathroom. More work to do before winter! So, along with the occasional walk during the day, we spent Saturday alternating between being indoors, playing card games and such, and racing outdoors to the sun patches when they briefly appeared. The good thing about being in a nudist setting is, when you see a break in the clouds you can just dash outside and revel in the sunshine bathing your body. If it goes away or starts to rain, just run back inside. No clothing issues to get in the way. We planned on taking a hike on the trail leading to the local falls, but then I realized that I forgot to pack any hiking shoes. I forgot to pack any shoes really--all I had were my flip flops, and I wasn't about to go hiking in flip flops. Instead of hiking we took several leisurely walks around the area, such as the perimeter trail that circles the lake.
Sunday was a whole different day than Saturday was. It was nice and hot, with plenty of sun. There were lots of folks coming out of the woodwork on Sunday, eager to take part in the bright sun and cloudless sky. The lake was the star attraction Sunday, and before long there were lots of people hanging around the dock. Being a family nudist park is the best to me. The gleeful shrieks that the kids made as they played added an element of fun to the relaxing crowd of mostly gray-haired people. There were lots of watercraft people could grab & go with, from canoes and paddle boards, to paddleboats, inflatables and water noodles.
It was sad when we finally had to leave. It was, however, a very nice bonus to be able to dump our holding tanks before we exited the gate! Oh, one other note: Don't forget to stop being naked when you leave!
Also, during the downtime between shocks I did manage to get all the adhesive off the right side where the idiot that sold it to me had taped the giant 'For Sale' signs on with packing tape. The trouble is, now those areas are nice and shiny and clean. Now I need to give the whole thing a good polish job I guess.
Our Friday departure to Lake Bronson was destined to take place right in the thick of rush hour. I chose a relatively-relaxing route, but still ran into plenty of traffic--especially as we neared Highway 2 in Monroe, and again in Sultan. At least the motorhome was riding tons better than it did before.
Lake Bronson Family Nudist Park is super-easy to find. All you have to do is head East on Highway 2 and turn left at the 3rd traffic light in Sultan. A few miles down the road was the gate--a very nice gate too. Instead of a ring of multiple padlocks, it was an electronic gate with a numeric keypad. Unlike our previous visit to Kaniksu Ranch, we remembered to call ahead for the gate combination well before we got near our destination this time. Good thing too, as there was no cell signal when we got there, just like at Kaniksu. The RV lot was a flat, boring gravel parking lot with angled spaces separated by framed-in swatches of lawn at each space. While it wasn't much to look at, it afforded plenty of space for easy maneuvering--especially useful for folks with giant American land yachts. When we arrived it was fairly warm, so it was nice to strip down as we got ourselves set up and organized. There were at least half a dozen RV's there when we arrived, but a few of them appeared to be currently empty. We took a walk around the place right after setting up (with Ruby of course), then after dinner took a longer walk--doing the entire road loop around the inside of the park (about 2 miles). It was apparent that this was going to be a place where biting insects could easily prevail. Especially with all that exposed skin!
Saturday was gloomy. We awoke to light, drizzly rain and gray skies, thankful that we could still sit inside and be comfortably warm and dry. As the morning turned into afternoon, the clouds barely dissipated. There would be periods of brief warm sun, followed by clouds again obscuring it. The day never really got rolling. It was one of those days that make you stir crazy, leaving me yearning for bright sun to hang out in. Our next door neighbor in the RV lot was a super nice older fella that came with a small pop-up camper/trailer. He was apparently big on walking, and weather be damned--he made sure he always got his steps in. Our motorhome wasn't perfectly level this time. I dunno--maybe I was feeling lazy about setting it properly I guess. Apparently, the different leveling condition contributed to a different sort of water pooling on the roof during the light rain, because we found a new leak appearing above the bathroom. More work to do before winter! So, along with the occasional walk during the day, we spent Saturday alternating between being indoors, playing card games and such, and racing outdoors to the sun patches when they briefly appeared. The good thing about being in a nudist setting is, when you see a break in the clouds you can just dash outside and revel in the sunshine bathing your body. If it goes away or starts to rain, just run back inside. No clothing issues to get in the way. We planned on taking a hike on the trail leading to the local falls, but then I realized that I forgot to pack any hiking shoes. I forgot to pack any shoes really--all I had were my flip flops, and I wasn't about to go hiking in flip flops. Instead of hiking we took several leisurely walks around the area, such as the perimeter trail that circles the lake.
Sunday was a whole different day than Saturday was. It was nice and hot, with plenty of sun. There were lots of folks coming out of the woodwork on Sunday, eager to take part in the bright sun and cloudless sky. The lake was the star attraction Sunday, and before long there were lots of people hanging around the dock. Being a family nudist park is the best to me. The gleeful shrieks that the kids made as they played added an element of fun to the relaxing crowd of mostly gray-haired people. There were lots of watercraft people could grab & go with, from canoes and paddle boards, to paddleboats, inflatables and water noodles.
It was sad when we finally had to leave. It was, however, a very nice bonus to be able to dump our holding tanks before we exited the gate! Oh, one other note: Don't forget to stop being naked when you leave!
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