07-26-09

Trinity ate all of the cereal In the middle of the night, but remembered nothing. Apparently this is a side effect of Ambien. Oh well, you’re supposed to eat as much whole grains as you can.
I went outside with Sebastian to see the world. He chased a cute little chipmunk up a tree. I tried to get my camera, but the chipmunk escaped from tree to tree and got away from both of us.
I was organizing the overhead compartments in the bus when Sebastian barked at something outside. I figured it was a chipmunk, or a squirrel, so I flung open the door and shouted, “Go get it Sebastian!” He ran out barking and I followed. Suddenly, I saw a huge brown head moving through the trees. For a split second l thought it was a horse, then realized it was a moose. “Oh my God, it’s a moose!” I shouted, “Get your dog, get your dog”. Trinity got Sebastian inside and I grabbed my camera. It was a mamma moose and her baby only about 50’ from our camp site. I kept my distance for safety, especially with the baby. They grazed for about 5 minutes, and then slowly walked away and disappeared into the woods.
It was later when I realized that I had let the dog out to attack what he was barking at without knowing what it was. New rule; know what the dog is barking at before you send him to attack.
I now have a kitchen sink sprayer. It had always been tucked away up under the sink in a mason jar. I guess the old couple who owned the bus before me didn’t use it. I unraveled the hose and it works great. It feels like a mini kitchen upgrade.
Trinity made whole wheat silver dollar strawberry crème pancakes. They were hearty and delectable, with fresh strawberries in and on them.
A ranger truck pulled up with two rangers in it. They talked to the kids camping nearby, and then headed in our direction. I was worried they were going to kick us out, or school us with some rules. I went out to great them with a smile. As they meandered up, they too both had smiles. “Do you want a free map”, one said, “It’s not very good, but it’s free”. “Sure, I love maps”, I said. We had a nice talk about the area and all it had to offer. They were both grinning ear to ear, like they were high. I think they just loved their jobs. It would be a dream job for the right person, drive around in the beautiful scenery chatting with travelers and nature lovers. He apologized again, “sorry the map isn’t very good, but it’s free”. I said, “Hey, I’ll take what I can get. Thanks for the map”. “Free map”, he said. They moseyed back to their truck and slowly drove away. “What a friendly place”, I thought. The rangers come around to check up on you, give you a map…free map and apologies for its lack of quality.
I finally had time to look at my leveling jacks. I found a small hydraulic fluid reservoir near each front jack. They seem low on fluid. My theory now is that they were a bit low. When I would open and bleed the lines I made the problem worse by losing more hydraulic fluid. Hopefully adding fluid will be a quick and easy fix. There’s a hardware store in town that probably has what I need.
It rained heavy in the afternoon. The camping kids packed up and left. We were now alone again in our neck of the woods.
We went into town to the coffee shop for another 2 hour internet/phone session…and to get cereal.
That evening I made spaghetti with the Italian sausage and onion from the farmers market. I also cooked the beets. It was one of those cooking sessions where it felt like my brain was off and some Godly force was using me as a tool and cooking through me. I did a bunch of little tricks and it turned out amazing. It was one of the rare times I called a meal, “Perfecto”!