Posts Tagged ‘Edgar Winter’

16 May

Ecola State Park

Posted by offthegridwithcathyherman in Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , .

I am getting really excited, it is almost June – I will be moving to Ecola. My heart absolutely sings every single day at Ecola. I wake up to find this big fellow in my backyard, the Pacific in the background crashing on the rocks.
I set up a bird scope on the main deck and show visitors the thousands of Common Murres on the big rocks, watching their faces as the birds come into focus, and for the first time they see colonies of seabirds nesting.

We walk the road from Ecola Point to Indian Beach, a 3 mile aerobic exercise through old growth forest ending at one of the most beautiful beaches in Oregon. Tide pools filled with starfish and mussels and a beach with razor clams waiting to be dug for dinner. Edgar just loves the beach and is free to run and sniff, Oregon allows dogs on their beaches, unleashed, under voice control. Sometimes we find the beach unoccupied, ours alone to explore…. nirvana.
This year I am planning on taking photos of the big bull Roosevelt Elk that comes into my yard and document his growing antlers in pictures. It is my hope to catch some photos of the calfs as they grow through the summer, the mom elk cows keep them well hidden most of the time.

I am also within walking distance, 3 mile round trip, to Cannon Beach and Pizza a fetta. They sell some of the best pizza on earth, by the slice, a favorite destination. The ice cream shop across the street is a temptation but 3 miles = 1 slice of pizza or 1 ice cream – not both :(

I just love living on wheels. I can’t imagine being cemented again to a foundation. I also love being an Oregon Park Host, living a life of giving as a volunteer, making the experience of Oregon State Parks the best ever for each and every visitor.

You do indeed reap what you sow… sow happiness and joy and it comes back in multitudes. It is a gorgeous day here, me and Edgar are heading for the bike path for a walk through the shore pines to Nehalem Bay.

CathyImageImage

 

2 May

The Complaint Book

Posted by offthegridwithcathyherman in Entrepreneur, Hikes, Places, State Parks, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

As I sat here this morning in my RV watching the hummingbirds six inches out my window, the sun shining, Edgar sleeping, I thought about my “old life”.

I kept a journal called the “Complaint Book”. The two things I did every morning were check my sales numbers from the day before and deal with Customer Complaints. I kept it separate from all my other paperwork and never carried it into a customer’s office, any meeting, it was a handwritten, stand alone, one of a kind living journal for my eyes only.

I believe complaints are the most important factor to happiness for yourself and a happy customer. You know a complaint… any sentence that starts with “This sucks” or your version thereof. Complaints are sacred in sales and life, writing them down gives you a good indicator of how your life, or sales, are going.

Along with customer complaints, I would write down my own daily complaints. When I found myself complaining enough about one certain thing – it was time for a change. If there were enough complaints to fill a book, you really got to look at your life…..

Customer complaints were usually easy to rectify. Some took a good explanation of the realities of supply and demand especially when a customer wanted a small supply of a paper that needed to be ordered by the big expensive case :)   I used to order in sample sheets for customers if they needed to do an order of business cards on a specialty sheet – I still hate business cards from a printers and paper suppliers point of view.

So this morning I thought about cleaning out my locker and finding the “Complaint Book” among my stored belongings. I left it at home when I started my journey, it was shredded, along with my other paperwork from xpedx and Clean Copy when the locker was emptied and I moved my entire life into the RV.

I no longer need a “Complaint Book”, I transformed my life into one where each day alive is certainly a good day on earth. Time to wake up Edgar, we are walking to Manzanita – about a 4 mile round trip, to drop off some mail at the post office and grab a nice coffee.

CathyImage

11 Mar

Anticipation

Posted by offthegridwithcathyherman in American Woman Promotions, Edgar Winter, Entrepreneur, Small business. Tagged: , , , .

Driving up the Oregon Coast to visit my friend at Ft.Stevens, I pass Ecola State Park. I am really excited about my 3 month assignment as Park Host this summer.

Thinking about it and realizing that anticipation is one of the best times of life, living in the day, enjoying the thoughts of the future. Good planning is a big part of anticipation, you know it’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen and mostly how it’s going to happen, this gives you the freedom to think about what just might happen.

Mom and I went to Egypt several years ago, it took 6 months of planning and each day before the flight I had something to do to make sure the trip was unforgettable, the anticipation builds with planning and the excited feeling we get is sometimes lost in waiting for the event. Living in the moment and enjoying that excitement is what life is all about.

We live in a world of instant gratification, we need it right now. The thing about getting what you want, when you want it, is that you lose the anticipation.

How much sweeter does that award ice cream taste when you wait till Sunday and watch your calories the rest of the week? That A you get in school at the end of the year, you had to work and wait for it, well worth the time and energy spent. The applause at the end of a really good performance, planning, practice and the anticipated pay off, appreciation.

Edgar even enjoys anticipation, I set down a treat, make him wait patiently for it, he can hardly wait to eat that treat and knows waiting pays off.

So next time you have some big life event planned, or even a nice dinner out at the end of a hectic week, enjoy the anticipation, just don’t forget to plan.

Cathy

27 Aug

Comments

Posted by offthegridwithcathyherman in Edgar Winter, On the Move. Tagged: , , , , , .

The first thing I check in my e-mail is comments to the blog.  Always excited to see that my posts are read and that people have something to add.  Peggy, you do a great job, love it.  Michele, always insightful, Sisters – take a second to give your big sister some encouragement, advice or admonishment :)   I never delete or change comments, believing in taking life as it comes at me, such as this adventure.

I am still in Pennsylvania taking the time to work on my Mother’s property and getting it ready to meet the harsh winter ahead.  The RV is in Hillsboro at Chaps RV Repair having some work done to the fuel system.  My plan is to head back to the West Coast at the end of September and camp along the beautiful coast.  I still have reservations in the Florida Keys for Christmas through New Years, but, thats a long way off and well, the futures uncertain.

Edgar is doing great, making friends, eating strange things, escaping.  He is laying under my feet right now because he ate something bad last night, so far I have given him 3 tums.  Edgar………………….

Cathy

 

22 May

San Diego is Dog Friendly

Posted by offthegridwithcathyherman in Edgar Winter, Places, State Parks. Tagged: , , .

Edgar and I traveled down to San Diego after watching my niece graduate from Scripps – way to go Victoria!

We made our way to Ocean Beach, one of several dog friendly beaches in San Diego.  We met Wilson.  Wilson is a giant, 190 lb., Dane/Mastiff who is a therapy dog and a Canine Good Citizen.  Edgar, only about the size of his head, loved him.

Edgar was also allowed to walk with me in Old Town San Diego and the Westfield Shopping Center in Downtown San Diego had a doggie drop off area.

Edgar gives San Diego two thumbs up!

Cathy

12 May

Karma

Posted by offthegridwithcathyherman in Edgar Winter, On the Move, Places. Tagged: , , .

If you name your boat Karma, you should be nice to others.

We are moving off Liberty today.  When you live aboard at a marina you have to tote all your stuff from the parking lot to the boat and back, the dock supplies little karts for toting heavier things.  There are only a few karts and as you can guess, they are in constant use.  I saw a nice looking couple taking a kart to the dock and asked them if they were going to be using it all day, they said they were moving off their boat and would.  As I hand lugged the stuff off my boat I noticed the kart in front of their boat, loaded, but not being used.  WTF!!!

I finally got Liberty empty and the kart still sat there, unused.

When the boat owner finally returned, hours later, I thanked him for his generosity in letting me use the public kart while he was otherwise occupied, he took offense :)

If you name your boat Karma you should remember it comes in two forms, bad and good.

Edgar is not doing so well, he has had 5 seizures per day for the last 3 days.  So far so good for today.  Please send all your good doggy karma his way.

Cathy

31 Mar

Hiking in Marin and Sonoma

Posted by offthegridwithcathyherman in Edgar Winter, Hikes. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

Marin County is scenic.  You can take many hikes around the bay with views of the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco, and all the lovely hills and valleys surrounding the bay.

We started at the Marin Headlands Visitor Center and intended to walk the Miwok Trail loop.  How we ended up on the Bobcat Trail…… couldn’t guess, between me and my sister we could get lost in a round room, with a map, and a guide.

The Federal Forest Ranger pulled us over for walking our dogs on no dogs allowed paths, he gave us a map, pointed us in the right direction and sent us back down the hill.  We saw turkey vultures, red tail hawks and some wild iris.  Edgar picked up a California tick.

Today we drove to Sonoma and had lunch with Janet’s friend Pat.  Pat came to Portland last year to meet with Arnica Publishing about “Animals Everywhere”.  I took her and Janet for a hike in Forest Park and got us lost coming back from the Pittock Mansion.  Luckily, I flagged down a nice lady in a BMW who gave all three of us and Edgar a ride back to our car – we were on the wrong side of the hill.

Pat did not get us lost in Sonoma and I had the pleasure of walking in the 80 degree sunshine around some beautiful old vineyards.

We stopped on the way home at the Field of  Greens for some free range, just laid eggs, and at the Jacuzzi Winery for a few nice bottles of wine.

Cathy

29 Mar

Trying to unwind in Sausalito, CA

Posted by offthegridwithcathyherman in Edgar Winter, On the Move, Places. Tagged: , , .

You would think of all places Sausalito would be perfect to unwind.  Especially living on a sailboat in a marina next to a beach and 10 minute walk from town.

There are Kingfishers, Forster’s Tern, American Coot, Great Blue Heron, and too many other birds to count, just outside my door.  3 parks along the waterfront in walking distance.  Still I have trouble stopping to watch the birds and smell the flowers.

The sailboat needs spring cleaning and I have been putting in a few hours everyday making it spic and span – what is the origin of that phrase?  Spic and Span.  Still not enough to do.

I walked the trail from Sausalito to Mill Valley this afternoon with my sister – about 3 miles through beautiful wetlands.  Then tonight I walked Edgar another 3 miles.  Still restless.

I have been off work for 24 days.  Stopping to appreciate life is more difficult than I had imagined.

Cathy

24 Mar

Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, Downtown San Francisco

Posted by offthegridwithcathyherman in Edgar Winter, Hikes, Places. Tagged: , , , , , .

If it ever stops raining I am looking forward to exploring San Francisco.  Don’t give me that look, I don’t mind a little rain, but it is pouring buckets and add to that thunder and lightening.  Edgar doesn’t even want to take a walk.

My sister has lived here for years and I have enjoyed visiting.  This is the first time I will have my own car and not be pushed for time.  I hope to see all the tourist attractions plus add in a few out of the way places and some hikes in the hills and along the coast.

Meanwhile in the rain…….

Living on a boat is an interesting experience.  There is no shower, but there are really nice accommodations on shore.  It takes planning and practice to move myself, all my stuff and Edgar on and off the boat.  Each time Edgar needs his life vest so I can lift him, kind of worried about dropping him in the bay!

There is a small galley and when it stops raining,  nice, white cushions for outside seating.  Spotted a rail BBQ that will get some use in the weeks to come.

When the comorants, harbor seals, Forster’s terns and other fowl join in the shad hunt you can hear and see all the different fishing techniques.  There were about 12 harbor seals and too many birds to count fishing right in front of the boat.  It is a display worth standing in the rain to watch.

Cathy

 

 

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