I've Been Tagged

Spokane Alhas seen fit to tag me with the following task:

1. Find the nearest book.
2. Name the book & the author.
3. Turn to page 123.
4. Go to the fifth sentence on the page. Copy out the next three sentences and post to your blog.
5. Tag three more folks.

Well, you'll be disappointed if you expected something deep and intellectual. There happens to be a book sitting on the end table next to me, one which I often pick up, open randomly and read a page or two. This book is just one of my numerous literary examples of my love for adventure and travel. The book: 1,000 Places To See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz.

Page 123 puts us into a chapter describing an area of the world fairly far down on my list of places to see... France. Specifically, the fifth sentence on the page describes The Camargue and the Gypsy Pilgrimage in Languedoc-Roussillon, France.

"A microcosm of the area's wild, rugged scenery, the ranch is both a government-protected bird sanctuary (known for it's flock of pink flamingos) and the final frontier for the gardians, some of the last cowboys in Europe. You can ride out on one of the 300 snow white Camargue horses or help the herders gather the stocky black Camargue bulls, which are raised for races. At the heart of this wilderness stands Le Mas de Peint, an unassuming 17th-century stone farmhouse."

Who knew there were pink flamingos in France?

So there is my contribution. I tag Spence, JCand TriBoomer.

Carry on...

A Special Gift

Have you ever known a place that held a special place in your heart? It could be a house, a lake, a city... a park. Maybe it's a special place because warm memories were created there, or it's the site of some special event.

Urs and I have a couple places in this world that we consider special above all others. Discovered together, their magical properties enveloped us and taught us to appreciate each other and the awesome beauty around us.

One of these places is Mt. Rainier National Park. This magnificent mountain is so awe inspiring that it takes the breath away. The glacial clad beauty raises from the forest floor, so large and imposing that it looms over you even at a distance of 50 miles from the base!

Keeping all that in mind, and the fact that I must have been a Very good girl this year, here is a picture of my early Christmas present. It's a custom made gold band with the image of Mt. Rainier on it. BLING! The picture does not do it justice! It's incredibly beautiful and well made. It's the most heart felt, sentimental gift I could have gotten! I love it! (...I thought I was getting cycling socks!)

Soaring With Eagles

Urs and I took a short road trip over to Lake Coeur d' Alene to try and capture some pictures of Bald Eagles. The East end of the lake is a wintering ground and lay over for the majestic birds during their migration south. They start arriving from their summer nesting grounds in late November, linger at the lake while the Kokanee salmon are spawning, providing an ample source of food, and then continue their journey south in early January when the lake freezes over.

We were well rewarded. At one point, we could see 11 birds perched in trees around the shore of the lake. Here are some of the photo's we took today.

Whenever you soar with eagles, there's bound to be a few Turkeys! These guys must have known Thanksgiving was over. They were very entertaining... sliding around on the ice of the trail head parking lot.
Male Belted Kingfisher

Urs' picture of Bald Eagle eating a fish.

Looking for lunch.

Our Holiday Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

The year 2006 was full of ups and downs for both of us, but here we are at the end of it, and looking back, we would say that it was a good year. Here are the highlights.

My Mom and Dad both had major health problems this year. Dad had major surgery to correct an aortic aneurysm and was hospitalized for that, and he was also diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer. This was a very long, challenging ordeal for him, but with the help of both me and my brother, he got through it. Mom was hospitalized several times, and spent nearly four months back and forth between hospital and nursing home. She is back home now and doing well.

Things at the RV Park went along fine all year. We had plenty of customers and managed to keep the grounds looking pretty spiffy even with all the running to Spokane for doctor and hospital visits. We also bought a new motorhome and were able to take several trips. We are hoping that next year we will be able to do more.

Urs' health improved this year too, in spite of a small set back at mid-year. Her cancer grew at one point, which required her to change treatment drugs. The new drugs are a lot easier to tolerate, and the result is that she feels a whole lot better most of the time, and the cancer is once again stable.

I completed five triathlons and two half marathons this year, and hope to do as much or more next year. We are considering going to Wisconsin in the fall of 2007 to watch an Ironman Race and visit with our old friend Chris.

Hope you are all well, and that 2007 is a good year for you.

Love,
Barb, Urs & Pandy

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Just to give you a laugh, here's a picture Urs took of me as I headed out the door for a run. It's been a little chilly here! :)