An Indecent Proposal?

We've been burning the candle at both ends this week. Our workweek started early on Sunday as we were shifting days to allow us to take more time off with Jim and Debbie. The work week flew by filled with the various tasks it takes to maintain the campgrounds.

We hiked the 1.5 miles up to Bagby Hot Springs on Monday taking the 'mule' with us. The mule is a DR Hauler, motorized wheelbarrow used to move materials and supplies along the narrow trails in the forest. Our Operations Manager, Maintenance Supervisor and the Forest Service Administrator were scheduled to inspect Bagby and we needed to make sure it was in good shape before they visited.

Jim and Debbie were scheduled to land in Portland at 8:30 Wednesday night. We finished work early Wednesday afternoon and headed to Portland to pick up our car following the A/C repairs  and meet our friend Terri from Seattle for dinner. While we were at dinner we got a text from Jim updating us that their flight had been late leaving Florida; had arrived late in Denver; they quickly boarded their next flight only to have that plane end up with a mechanical problem; deplaned and boarded another plane that would be an hour late leaving Denver.

Care to Guess What Kind of Donut This Is?

So we stopped at Voodoo Donuts and picked up a few snacks for when they landed.






They eventually arrived in Portland at 10:02pm, then waited until 11:05 for their luggage. They had not had a chance to eat since leaving Florida 11 hours earlier so we stopped at Denny's on the way home. When we finally arrived home at 1am PST/4amEST they had been awake for almost 24 hours.

Jim, Debbie & Joan

We hit the ground running Thursday morning with a trip to the Columbia River Gorge, Vista House, Multanomah Falls and Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery. We followed that up Friday with a trip to Mt St Helen and Mt Rainier.









Saturday we slowed down a little and took a drive to Larch Mountain with its 360 degree view of the gorge and surrounding mountains. Then we drove home along some scenic back-roads that we've been exploring over the last few months. Saturday night was hot dogs over a campfire, before packing for a 4-day trip through southern Oregon and northern California. I'll write a little more about that next week.




Do you remember the 1993 movie Indecent Proposal starring Robert Redford? For those of you who may not, the plot was that a billionaire (Redford) offered a married couple $1million to spend one night with the wife. I ran into a situation that made me think of this movie earlier in the week. If you read the blog last week you remember the title was "What Next?" with the blog describing some of the financially impacting events that occurred during the week. That Friday the car's A/C compressor went out and had to be replaced. That Saturday the microwave/convection oven went out and we had to purchase a new unit for the RV. Well that trend continued into this week. After spending a little over $2000 the week before I had another potential $2000 decision to make. So the question to you readers is............

What would you do for $2000? Take off all your clothes and streak through a public place?  Join the Polar Bear Club and jump into a freezing/frozen pond? Stand in front of a packed stadium and sing the national anthem? How about what I had to do....

On Monday while eating lunch I got a severe pain from one of my teeth as I was drinking. It didn't take long to figure out I had lost a crown from one of my molars. I hadn't felt it as I chewed. I hadn't spit it out. And I had it when I started eating. That means I must have swallowed it. And what is the cost of a new crown. With the multiple visits to the dentist; costs of a temporary crown and permanent crown...close to $2000. Or I could choose Door #2...RECOVER the swallowed crown. EEEEEEWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!! Once we were home I started researching on the internet; specifically 'How long does it take to digest food' and 'How to recover a swallowed crown'. The answer to the first question is anywhere from 24 to 72 hours average; maybe as long as 5 days. The answer to the second question....well I think you know the answer to that one. I quickly assembled the necessary materials for the.......RECOVERY and began the vigil. I had to be ready anytime and anyplace to make the RECOVERY. Ever ready just like the Minute Men of the Revolutionary War; always prepared just like the Boy Scouts; Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night shall stay this carrier from his appointed rounds; that was me! Attempt #1 came the next day. Strike One. Yuck. Attempt #2 the next morning. Strike Two. Double Yuck. Attempt #3 a few hours later and Ding Ding Ding, We have a Winner; Houston the Eagle has landed. The third time was the charm. Yes ladies and gentlemen, only a mere 48 hours after losing the crown it was safe and sound in my sanitary-gloved hands. Then on Friday, my birthday, I visited the dentist and the wayward crown was sanitized to within an inch of its life before being restored to its rightful place. So far everything has been great. I can eat and drink without pain or discomfort.

So the question is......"Would you recover a lost crown for the right price?" 

Oh P.S. There has been one little cliche with the crown. Joan says now she can't tell whether I've burped or passed gas!

Stay Tuned. More to Come.