Doing well, settled in...enjoying life.

Settling In

Howdy Y'all
It has been a busy time..We did get moved into the new place and after being here for about 9 weeks I can say I do like it a lot. I still have boxes that are not unpacked and for the life of me I cant find my camera. We are slowly locating what we need and throwing away what we don't. We are getting ready to have a Bar-B-Que/Open House/Wedding Anniversary Party. This summer will be 25 years for Rick and I and that is something to celebrate. All the kids are doing well.

MOVING.........

We accepted and offer on our place in Canby....The sellers of the house we wanted in Milwaukie agreed to our offer as well as agreeing to do some repairs....WE ARE MOVING..

March 13th the movers will be here about 9 AM and we are on the move again....
We will be without internet and phone for about a week...If I have not contacted you and you need our contact numbers please send an email to roseanne.knowles@gmail.com

later all

And the search continues

It looks like we have our manufactured home in Canby sold. We have made an offer on a home in Milwaukie and are hoping to move within about 5 weeks.

New Adventure...Phase II

We have our house for sale and are looking for another home, closer to Ricks work. We have spent quite a bit of time looking and hopefully the one we made an offer on will eventually go. If you know anyone who is looking for a manufactured home in a beautiful park in Canby, Oregon please let us know

It been over a year since we embarked on our journey...we want to do it again for sure.

Figuring out where to go next....

We have received so many "come back again" fliers from different states as well as many attractions.
I know that it will be a while before we go anywhere else due to the time and Rick job. We are just staying busy here.

Finishing Up The Year

The year is coming to an end. We have had an adventure for sure this year...Death in the family (Ricks adopted Mom), travel, changes in family dynamics, family short sightings, fussing and a feuding, missing my oldest son and his wife, again disappointments from others, changes in health status for hubby and me and last but not least...Changes in Ricks job and no medical insurance for me. Time for some changes for sure.

Happy New Year!!!

Oil wells right next to the freeway in LA


San Fran color and design...............

Additional LA Photos

Yes this is LA Ink tattoo shop....


Yes this is LA Ink.....

Got Home Tonight

We are so very tired..I will add information and pictures later....

November 1 & 2

We left Vegas on the morning of the 1st of November..headed for LA to see our first foster daughters....we leave the foster off as they stole our hearts...her and her baby sister. They have both grown into beautiful, intelligent, charming young women. We are so proud of both of them...in college and in love....doing well. Follow your hearts girls we know you will both make the right choices.....Love Mom & Dad

Vegas is Over

Yes we left Vegas WINNERS....we won playing slots to the degree we are going to have to pay taxes on my winnings. We also had our entire 5 day stay at the Treasure Island Resort and Casino comped out...total bill for staying there....................$00000000000000000000000000.

We are looking forward to returning........

We Are In Vegas

More about Vegas when Vegas is over...we Leave here on Monday the 1st of November...

Love to all.....Pray we win :)

We LOVED IT !!!!!

The Grand Canyon

Today was a very relaxing day touring the grand canyon.


When we woke up this morning this is what the mountain just above Flagstaff had on it....SNOW... It was a big chilly today although it is suppose to warm tomorrow. We will be in Las Vegas...

Standin on the corner in Winslow Arizona

JUST HAD TO ADD THIS...HAVE A GREAT NIGHT


Off to the Grand Canyon tomorrow

Tonight in Flagstaff Arizona

Today we started out in Gallup NM on old Highway 66. We were trying to find the place where Ricks parents were killed in 1956, but the freeway has taken most of the old highway 66 near Holbrook/Chambers/Navajo Arizona. We did spend some time in Holbrook doing some investigating, but those results are still pending.
Eeyore got to sit on the ledge of the painted desert and look at all the pretty rocks. We then went on to the Petrified Forest.

Gallup, New Mexico

The desert in western New Mexico is so pretty....perfect red mountains. We are staying in Gallup New Mexico...tomorrow its on to Navajo AZ on old Route 66. The location is important to Rick as that is where his Mother was killed when he was just under 10 years old. We are going to the local court to see if we can locate where she was buried. Say a pray for him as her needs to work on this chapter.

Amarillo Texas

We woke up to thunder, and lightning this morning in Oklahoma so we thought we would get out of town early. We had planned on staying until the afternoon but there were severe storm warning and Rick didnt want hail golf ball size hitting the truck...I cant blame him I didnt either,

Amarillo is where we landed tonight. Tomorrow its on to New Mexico, then to Arizona on Monday. We have made a couple stops on old Route 66 and we be using as much of the old road as possible the next couple of days.

Marlow Oklahoma

Roger this is for you...traffic at noon in Dallas Texas



We spent the night in Marlow Oklahoma visiting with some of my cousins. Kevin and I are just 2 years difference in age and were always good friends as we visited as kids. I reconnected 2 years ago when I was back here and we had a ball with him and his wife. We also got to meet some more of the McKinley clan (my maiden name) and all in all had a really relaxing time.

Shreveport Louisiana

We managed to get out of New Orleans and drove over a 25 mile bridge (causeway) covering coast to coast of Lake Pontchartrain. This is the same lake that had the dike break after Katrina flooding the 9th ward in up to 15+ feet of water. We travelled some very pretty roads and ended in Shreveport for the night.

We had dinner at a nice restaurant here in town and I ate ALLIGATOR..Kinda taste like overcooked chicken...LOL

Roger...This is for you...

Last day in New Orleans

Today started out poorly. We went down for breakfast and the only thing left was waffle mix...no butter, no bananas...nothing but waffles...we finally decided to go to the local IHOP and had a good breakfast. We finally decided to use the mass transit system and rode around the city on the trolley cars.

We ventured out on the only actual steam driven paddlewheel left on the Mississippi...the Natchez, We enjoyed two hours of sitting and watching the river traffic, it was a nice day. We then returned to the trolley system for a short tour of the canal Street.

Swamp Tour and holding a gator

Today was a swamp day. We actually saw multiple gators. These are in the wild and not fed by humans. The top one is over 12 feet long the small one I am holding was about a year old and just under 2 feet long.

New Orleans- Day One

This is a memorial set right in the middle of the ninth ward..The red frame represents the blood shed from the loss of lives. The blue poles represent water levels with the deepest covering some two story building,
I will search for more information later tomorrow after the swamp tour.

Today we are doing the VIP Tour of the city. The VIP ultimate tour of the city is a unique and informative sightseeing tour of New Orleans that combines the history, beauty, and splendor if New Orleans with a close view of the devastation from the aftermath of Katrina.

We will post after the tour and give you our honest opinion and let you know if it was worth the price of $45. per person.

Tour Review....we were able to see some of the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. There are still a lot of areas that are severely damaged. No matter what the damage or condition of the property, if the taxes are current the city cannot come in and destroy what is left. It is so sad the damage that this city suffered. Did we think it was worth $45 EACH...No...more in line would have been $30 or less. Our driver was very pleasant and has been a New Orleans resident for 30 years, since he was 3.

Tonight we took the truck out of the valet and entered into the traffic nightmare know as New Orleans French Quarter...had to do some laundry. We are staying at the Queen & Crescent Hotel, just off of Bourbon Street (no on site laundry)

New Orleans at last!!!

Some of the building in Biloxi Mississippi are so pretty. There are some that are still in ruins from Rita and Katrina, but the new building are really pretty.

After the fiasco of finding lighthouse we were surprised to say the least when it was smack dab in the middle of the road. We also had some very interesting lessons like the one below.


Biloxi Lighthouse

Oh My Gaud!!!!...Lost in Panama City Beach

Today was a strange day to say the least...We refered to the map and went out to a place called lighthouse point. When we got there all the signs said allegator Point. We drove to the very end of the island and found a dead end....no more road...no lighthouse. We finally asked a young man where the lighthouse was...he said there never has been one on the island. All the houses are build really high due to severe storm surges. It was a pretty drive.

We then found an old Iron lighthouse, again after getting lost on lighthouse road....not a great experience.
We also found this beautifully restored Lighthouse St. George Lighthouse
Finally this is how we ended the day!!!!

After over an hour of driving through in town construction trying to find the motel..we finally settled for the night. The motel had changed addresses due to the construction and the lady at the front desk didn't know how to give instructions....but enough about that.


Today-(Sunday)...We are off to New Orleans, Bourbon Street, Swap Tours and Gators

Savannah Georgia

We are spending the night in Savannah. We took a carriage ride pulled by two beautiful horses named Sonny & Cher...then we ate at Paula Deen's restaurant...Pictures later

Review of the restaurant...I thought the food was very good. My husband who is a meat and taters type person was not impressed at all. My recommendation is wear earplugs!!!
I have never been to a louder restaurant in my life. The other people were rude and overbearing. I will never go back again.

Dinner with a great friend

We drove on to Myrtle Beach South Carolina today and went out to see the lighthouse at Cape Lookout..we discovered that you cant get there by car,....so sad....
With that being said I still want to share a picture of this lovely lighthouse...this is a stock photo from the website of the lighthouse.



Tonight we had the pleasure of having dinner with a dear friend...Carmen. It was so great to see you and hug you again..you have been so important in our life. Thanks for all of your support in our lives. You are as awesome now as always....Love you girl....

Homecoming for Rick

Today Rick got to go back home. Camp LeJeune was his home for over 5 years while he was in the Marine Corp. When we approached the gate, the guard just waved us in. We drove around on the base looking for a place to check in. Rick asked a young man (Marine) where we were to check-in...with a sorta stern look the young man said "you need to return to the front gate and get a pass to be on base".
We both kind of snickered ans said oops....we did turn around and head to the front gate.