Ooooh, That Smell! The Smell of Food Is Around You!

The Fair!! Do the Puyallup!! The Washington State Fair!! The sights and sounds of fun and joy. And those smells, fried food, elephant ears, smoked turkey legs, pulled pork flowing through the fair grounds.

We enjoyed an evening at the fair as a family. Enjoyed some great food and the free shows. Toured the ShowPlex, vendors hocking their stuff. Enjoyed the hobby building. The talents of both young and old on display. Pretty cool stuff.

The fair before it opens. I love working early shifts. It is so peaceful.

The Plymouth Fury and the 90 model Mustang behind it are cars from the local Sheriffs Department. Both cars have been maintained and are fully functional, lights siren, radio. A deputy could show up, of course they can’t) and use either of these vehicles for a shift and not have to worry. The Deputy working the recruitment booth said the Plymouth Fury sails on the interstate.

So many of you may remember the recuse hound Flash we fostered. His Hoomans moved to Ft. Bragg a few months ago. They bought a beautiful beach home on Topsail Beach, NC. Topsail Beach was in the direct path of Hurricane Florence. We are still praying on a positive outcome of their new home.

Bored hounds as their hoomans prep the house for the Hurricane. Flash just sleeping away in the back while the girls watch the work.

This past Sunday we hosted a going away party for one of the residents here in the RV Park. Izabel is moving to Eastern Washington in a few weeks. She has been a great a friend and we wish here all the best.

Nothing else really new with the family. I am flying home to Ohio on the 20th for my nephews wedding and my dads hip replacement surgery. Looking forward to catching up with family and friends. Brad is looking for a full time job here and Chris is enjoying his position with his company. Malia and her little family are doing well as is Steven and his family.

Until next time, keep it between the navigational beacons…..

LDS, Travel Nursing

Ceramics and Dog Parks Make for a Fun Time

Not a super eventful week. Fair started last Friday here in Puyallup. This is the ‘unofficial’ State Fair. The fair is 20 some days long with live acts almost every night including Florida Georgia Line, Toby Keith, Fluffy, an 80’s night and others. Of course with the fair means overtime for me. My company has the contract for the fairgrounds year round.

A staple of the fair for decades are the Fisher Scones. These little delicacies leave the fair by the bagful. They are so popular that in the fair off season, they will park their truck in various locations throughout the Puget Sound. People will line up 40 to 50 deep, in the cold and rain, just to get these babies. During the fair they have several locations throughout the grounds. They stay lined up throughout the day. We have developed a liking for them as well. So when I work I have to bring a bakers dozen for the house!! It is not like the scones we are used to. It is more of a biscuit with their raspberry jelly in the middle. Mmm Mmm!!!!

One of the posts I worked this past weekend at the fair had a beautiful flower arrangement. I could not resist taking a picture.

As I said in a few previous posts, dianne and the boys have enjoyed doing ceramics, and this past week was no exception. Here are some pics of some of their creations to date.

Labor Day we went with our neighbor Izabel and her three fur babies to a new dog park in Puyallup. Unfortunately, they did not have a small dog area so her 3 babies did not get to play the whole time. Several larger and hyper dogs showed up to play in the park as well. Are three hounds had a great time though.

The weather has been absolutely perfect. They are calling for several days of rain starting late this week. It is getting to be about that time, Rainy Season. Not my favorite time of the year here.

We are suppose to be going to the fair with Dianne’s employer this Saturday. So look for pictures of our fun and food filled day!! We had a great time last year and are hoping for the same this year.

Until next time, may the odds be ever in your favor….

LDS, Travel Nursing

Vampires and Hounds

Greetings from Washington!! Still enjoying our time here! This past week we saw the smoke clear and even had some rain. Brad, Chris and Dianne made another trip to the ceramics place. Once they get this next batch of stuff picked up I will do a quick blog showcasing their work.

So Dianne and I took the hounds and headed off to the Olympic Peninsula and through the Olympic National Park. Highway 101 loops around the whole peninsula so we did the loop. First stop was Forks, WA. Forks was made famous by the books and movies titled “Twilight”. You know the Sparkly Vampire Movies. The written story was based in Forks, but virtually none of the filming was done there. Most of that was done in Oregon. We did take a photo of the high school, which was not the high school used in the movie. But the sign out front, yes an old wooden sign was superimposed onto the film. You can see it below.

Next stop was the rain forest. Of course most of the peninsula is very green. They gat massive amounts of rain over there. Moss, ferns, massive cedar trees, vegetation – a far cry from the dried up Seattle area. Absolutely stunning.

Next stop was Ruby Beach. Even though it was a dreary and misty day, there were lots of folks checking out the beach. Drift wood was everywhere, rock and sand made this a magical place. The hounds enjoyed the beach as well.

Leaving Ruby Beach and heading home we were caught up in some road construction. As Dianne was talking with the flagger, Monty took the opportunity to squeeze between the door post and the seat to come up front. He is the only hound skinny enough to fit there. The barricade between the seats keeps the other hounds in the back.

Of course this reminded me of a little over a year ago when we drove to Idaho and picked up a Monty Gene. He still loves to snuggle with mommy.

Finally got the ‘manufactures defect’ (they forgot to screw one side of the slide floor to the slide wall on the RV) fixed. Fixed better than new! Could not be happier. Will be working on getting the RV travel ready over the next couple of months. New tires, Bearings greases, brakes checked….. Getting ready to move when you have sat for 2 years requires a little maintenance and several checks. But I want to avoid any potential problems on the move East this December.

The Washington State Fair kicks off this Friday. This will mean overtime for me. My company has the security contract for the fair grounds year round. Lots of help hired for the State Fair: Security, bag checking, alcohol enforcement and event staff. The weather looks to be absolutely perfect this year. Last year the temps were a little on the warm side the first week of the fair. Of course I love to imbibe on the VERY unhealthy fair food.

Bought my plane ticket to make the trip home September 20th to the 25th. My nephews wedding is Saturday the 22nd. I was originally only going home for the weekend. But they moved my dads hip replacement surgery to the 24th, so I extended my stay to be there with my mom during the surgery. I am soooo looking forward to seeing my parents, my sisters and the rest of my family. Hoping to catch up with some friends as well. It has been 4 years since Dianne and I have seen our families. She will be definitely seeing her’s this December.

Dianne is still enjoying her time at Good Sam Hospital. They treat her really well there and the staff likes her. Probably been one of her better traveling assignments thus far.

Well, that about sums up this update. Hope y’all have a great week. And remember life is a journey, not a destination!

Travel Nursing

4th in the Salt Lake Valley

So the wife and I took off to the Salt Lake Valley to meet our newest grandchild July 4th. The boys could not get off work so they babysat Monty and Mahana and we took Morgana with us. The trip over was uneventful for the most part. But what a view coming into the Salt Lake Valley. We hit the valley about 9PM. And there was fireworks everywhere. Between multiple neighborhoods and various cities in the valley, there were hundreds of clusters going off. It was a site.

The fireworks still did not compare to meeting our second grandson Jack Dee Widener. He is perfect in every way. This picture was taken just minutes after our arrival. Grandma was smitten!

We got to meet up with some old friends from Georgia, The Mabry’s. Rick and Alannah were both soldiers at Ft. Gordon when we lived in Augusta. We were in the Jeep clubs together. Rick is now a police officer near Ogden and Alannah is going to school for nursing. We got to meet their newest edition, who incidentally was born on the same day as Jack. We also met up with Beverly Foulger, Dianne’s friend. When we did the 6 month travel assignment in Ogden, Utah Beverly worked at the same hospital as Dianne. Beverly loves Basset Hounds and misses hers. So she spoiled ours!!! Side note, we met at Farrs Ice Cream. If you are ever in Utah either go by their ice cream parlor in Ogden or pick some up in the grocery store, you will not be disappointed.

Macee enjoying some fries on the way to Farr’s Ice Cream

My son Steven with his son Jack.

Grand dog Buddy getting some R&R from kiddie protection duty.

The trip home was awesome. Sad to leave, but we were excited to get back to Monty and Mahana

Morgana wondering when she is going to get her cheeseburger!!!

Travel Nursing

2018 Is Here!

Well today I am bummed. I watched the Georgia ‘Dawgs’ lose the National Championship to Alabama. A great game played by both teams hungry for the title. Hopefully my true love O H I O State Buckeyes will be the team winning the Championship next year. 😉

Not much has happened thus far this year. We had the usual fun filled New Years Eve of protecting Morgana from the evil firework demons! The two pups did not even notice, but poor Morgana did. We also had our Southern Traditional New Years Day Meal of ham, collard greens and black eyed peas. Dianne also made a ‘mountain’ of cornbread. No, really it was a mountain!!!!

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uppies are growing like weeds. Monty is 8 months now and Mahana is 3 months. She got her first vet visit with us. She did well. No whimpers or whines getting her shots. And, this is unusual for a Basset Hound, had no problem with the vet clipping her nails. She is one tough little girl!

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ley starts back to school this week. He is on track to finish in the Fall. He is excited about one of his classes this semester, Asian Cuisine. If you know Brad you know he has a HUGE love of the Asian culture and food. I was disappointed that they are only spending one week on Korean Cuisine, but I guess Japanese and Chinese Cuisine is mor popular.

Chris seems to like his new job at Ashley Furniture. He is hoping to transfer to an Atlanta area store in the coming months and pursue some acting opportunities in Atlanta. Georgia has become a second Hollywood, The Walking Dead and MacGyver are filmed there to name a few. We are hoping the best for him. His true love has been acting.

Dianne got another extension at Good Sam Hospital in Puyallup. So she will be there until mid March. It looks like this may be here last extension there. They are starting there own Float Pool to cut back on the number of traveling nurses they use. It has been nice for the last year though. The hospital is only about 8 to 10 minutes from the RV!!

Weather here has been pleasant this year. Last winter by this time we had several days that started below freezing. This year, thus far, we may have had 2 or 3. (Insert me knocking on wood here). We have also had a lot less rain this year as well.

Well that about sums up what is happening here in the Pacific Northwest. Until next time…..

Travel Nursing

2017 – The Year In Review

So, 2017 was a year of ups and downs for the Leiter Clan. But we survived and look forward to a great year in 2018. Some of the highlights of 2017 included the birth of my first Grandson Wyatt Smith!! Malia and Steven added Wyatt to their already beautiful family. Willow is a super great big sister to Wyatt and is a huge help to mommy.

We also lost an awesome Basset Hound, Flash. We rescued Flash last year. He was about 5 to 6 years old. He had some security issues. He was not fond of you putting your face in his. We all have scars from a Flash bite for just that. After 7 months of adjusting, feeling more secure, and just becoming a great dog, to mention he would bey on demand, I discovered a large mass on his chest. Further examination revealed all his lymph nodes were swollen. A trip to the vet and praying it wasn’t the worst case scenario left us all dreading the call with the lab results. The results were not what we wanted, aggressive Lymphoma. 30 Days, maybe up to 60. The diagnoses leveled us, especially me. Over the 7 months leading up to this diagnosis Flash and I had built a mutual respect and trust for each other. He got comfortable enough that if I approached from the rear of his head I could give him kisses. Wherever I went in the house or outside he was right there. He loved to ride in the truck. I spoiled him as much as I could over his final days. We got just shy of 60 more with him. He had burgers, fries, chocolate, steak, anything he wanted. I promised ol’ Flash that when he started showing signs of pain or discomfort I would not let him suffer or dope him up on pain meds. I have never put down a dog. All my previous dogs have just died. This process was so peaceful and loving. I miss this boy dearly.

Just before Flash passed away we were blessed to add a new puppy to the hound clan. We drove all the way to Idaho to obtain Monty. He is a spunky puppy. He is at 7 months now and is the most energetic Basset Hound we have ever had. Monty has been great for Morgana. She finally has a brother that plays with her. And play with her he does. She wears her out nightly!!!! He definitely keeps us on out toes!!!!

My parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in July. Unfortunately, I had to miss it. After one pay period on the job as a Fire Marshall with the Renton Regional Fire Authority, I was let go. It was a budget issue with a new agency. It was a blow to me as i have never been let go from a job. It financially hurt us as we had done some financial planning, including flying home for the celebration. It crushed me that I could not attend. But, my parents had a wonderful event filled with family and friends. My sisters did well planning an awesome celebration. I did take employment with a local security company. Because of my background and experience I was brought in at a supervisor level, got licensed for armed security, and became a part of their urgent response team. Good family owned company that has been around for over 50 years.

Dianne is still doing the travel nursing thing. Plenty of opportunities here to work as a travel and not have to move. This is a good thing as we will be here another year or so while Brad finishes school. She also enjoys working in the Nursery at church. I end up helping her on most days. I have as much fun as the kids do!!! Dianne has lost some weight. We started eating low carbs and we both are dropping pounds. Of course this time of year is REALLY hard to stay on a low carb diet. Overall she is doing great.

Brad took the semester off and will continue his quest toward his Culinary Art Degree in January. He stays pretty busy with his friends and girlfriend Payge. He worked at the State Fair this year for a vendor that sold Wombats (foam swords, axes, shields, etc) and light up wear (glasses, ties, masks). He made some good money and had a fun time doing it.

We will be ending the year with Dianne picking up her Christmas present December 15 and then traveling to Utah to spend Christmas with Chris, Steven, Kayla and Macee. Dianne’s Christmas present you ask?

Yup, another hound is joining the clan. We will be a three Basset Hound family, with two of them puppies. It should be a really exciting and fun filled holiday!!!

Until next time!!!!!

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Things, they are a changin’!

Greetings from Everett, Washington where the weather has been absolutely beautiful, the rain is needed and shortlived and the family time is abundent. We are truly enjoying the great Northwest. Salmon is plentiful right now. Driving around this past Saturday crossed several creeks and streams where the fisherman, all decked out in the waders, were lined up in the middle like school kids in the hallway. The one stream we crossed had about 25 fishermen side by side in just one grouping. and there were groupings as far as you could see in bothe directions. and then the fishermen along the banks. Salmon fishing is a BIG deal here and I have seen what they mean first hand.

Chris and Brad have been enjoying the Young Single Adult Ward here. They have activities almost every night. We are glad they have been going and participating in several things. I have been pretty active with the Amateur Radio. There are several LDS Nets here that I check in to as well as some local Amateur Radio Emergency Service Nets. Emergency Services is what I truly enjoy doing with amateur radio. Dianne stays busy with work and eating my cooking!

Unfortunately, last Friday Dianne’s contract at Seattle Childrens was cancelled. 2 weeks in and they ended it. Her agency worked quickly and within hours had her a new contract at a hospital in Federal Way, Washington. Federal Way is near Tocoma, about an hour an 30 minutes south of here. We will be about the same distance from downtown Seattle as we are now, just South instead of North. We have put this whole travel nursing gig in Gods hands. We now that he will provide. We are waiting for a start date and word if she will receive at least a weeks ‘severance’ since they terminated the contract early. when momma is not working momma does not get paid.

My granddaughter Willow is growing like a weed. I enjoy seeing all the pictures my daughter posts on Facebook. She looks so much like her daddy. No doubt who the father is!!! mommy and baby are doing well. Malia’s step grand mother Sue passed away about 6 weeks ago. It has been hard on Malia and her pappa. Her poppa, Ed, has moved in with Steven and Malia so I am sure Willow is keeping him happy and cheerful.

Anyway, not much else to say. Going to a nice public beach tomorrow. Will post some pictures from our adventure there next time.

Until next time be happy and thank an LEO (Law Enforcement Officer) for what they do. Believe me my brothers and sisters of the Thin Blue Line will appreciate it.

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As we prepare to go to the Northwest, we share another experience from here in the Southwest!! (Scarey Part 3)

We got back to Las Cruces in time to make our appointment at the Amador Motel. A ghost tour of a historic hotel with a very rich history. From the El Paso Ghost Tours Website:

Amador Hotel

Join El Paso Ghost Tours twice a month to investigate one of Las Cruces, New Mexico’s oldest standing buildings.

The Amador Hotel has seen the days of the wild west and the expansion of the railroad networks leading west. It stood as a home and business location for the Amador family before being closed and shut down for years. During the 20th century, the Amador was one of THE places to be, and was considered a social hub within the area. Without a doubt, the hotel has its share of guests; join us as we attempt to communicate and make contact with the spirit of the guests that never left the building.

The Amador is currently undergoing renovation in an attempt to bring it back to its beautiful, former glory.

From http://www.las-cruces.org/code/history_exhibit/LearnMore/cityBegAmador.html

The Amador Hotel


The Amador Hotel, 1890s	Amador Hotel Interior, 1916	The Amador Hotel, 1930s

In 1850, Gregoria Rodela de Amador, a widow from Juarez, moved to the newly formed town of Las Cruces, where she may have opened a store.. Her son, Martin, expanded the business and began hauling freight between Santa Fe and Chihuahua. In 1866, Martin Amador built the original structure of the Amador Hotel as a one-story house for his family on the corner of Water and Amador streets. For the next twelve years, the Amador family lived in the building and furnished rooms to their freight team drivers. Then in 1878, a new home was built across the street for the ever expanding Amador family. At that time the original Amador home was turned into a rooming house and hotel. In 1885, a second floor, balcony, and lobby were added to enhance the hotel operation. Through the years, further additions and modifications were made to add space for a livery, open patio, and bar.

During most of the 20th Century this grand old building served the community as a social gathering place with fine dining, libations, and entertainment. All the while, it maintained a reputation as one of the best places to stay in the region. Numerous celebrities, politicians, military officers, and other notable and notorious figures frequented the Amador Hotel. The Amador family sold the hotel to Citizen’s Bank in 1970.

Currently, the City of Las Cruces owns the historic building. A group of Las Cruces citizens formed the Amador Museum Foundation, which is raising money to preserve the hotel and develop it as a Las Cruces history museum.

This history has it’s share of charm, but as we found out on the ghost tour this building has seen it’s share of outlaws, gangsters, ladies of the evening, and travelers. Even Pat Garrett graced the building and its bar.

With that said, death is inevitable. The Amador family lost children in the building. And then there is Ovida “Cricket” Coogler. She was young and knew how to play the game. She knew many politicos intimately. Many may have shared things with her intentionally or unintentionally. But she died a mysterious death at a young age. More information can be found here http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-opinion/ci_14661077 about her story and disappearance. She is said to be on e of the ghosts that has taken refuge at the Amador Motel. She used to frequent and work their, so why not go back there. There was also a waitress there from the early days Hortensia. She was also known to be a ladies man and liked her men young.

So I share this with you to tell you that I sort of believed in ghosts. After this tour I am more inclined to believe. The gadgets they used, to include mini mag lights, indicated communication. Hortensia took a liking to Brad. She actually followed him around the tour. We also had communication with a couple of children as well. Whether we actually were communicating with the dead or just getting a really cool light show to our questions, it was a great evening!!!!

After the tour one of the guides took us to the Masonic Cemetery and to Pat Garrett’s Family Grave Site.

Pictures from the Amador

Notice the timbers and tar covered wire.

Notice the original timbers and tar covered wire.

Lights indicating the presence of spirits.

Hortensia’s Room Entrance

Inside Hortensia’s Room

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As we prepare to go to the Northwest, we share another experience from here in the Southwest!! (Part 2)

So what does one do after being bombarded with all the Alien Stuff? One goes and eats!!! And what better than McDonald’s, but not just any McDonald’s…….

This is the only Space Themed McDonald’s in existence. How appropriate for Roswell!!!! But not just McDonald’s capitalizes on the UFO stigma of Roswell, we saw this at a car dealership.

We left Roswell and headed to Alamogordo, NM to the New Mexico State University Space Museum. Really neat place to visit if you are in the area. With NASA having a site just outside Las Cruces and White Sands Missile Range stretching between Las Cruces and Alamogordo it is no wonder NMSU “Aggies” has degrees dealing in “Space Stuff”.