49 and Counting

I just thought I'd tell you, that if you're old, life can still be good! We're enjoying ourselves immensely with the planning of a series of celebrations to celebrate 50 years of marriage and 70 long years of life! We had a great time in Palm Desert and we're looking forward to our cruise and to the time we plan to spend together in the summer. Some friends of ours did something every month to celebrate their special year. We won't quite manage that, unless we call supper at Bur's a celebration!

I think it has energized us both. Dad got moving on getting rid of all the excess wood from tree cutting and old fences. He also installed a new electronic thermostat for our furnace. Wow! He's got moss killer on the yard, and hopes to thatch and fertilized before our next trip. We're thinking and planning for the new living room window. We WILL get that done this year.

As for me...I've been organizing and cleaning corners. When you're 70, you'd better have your "house in order." I updated my genealogy software and have plans to bring my records up to date. I will try to spend more time with friends and family, and get some plans made for that new garden area in the back. Gee...this sounds like a list of New Year's resolutions!

Thank you, Jackie, for this new way for us to keep in touch. It's fun to have a family "journal." Now we all just have to make a new habit! We're looking forward to seeing you all "in the flesh" soon.

XXOO Mom

Folks, we have a WINNER!!!

http://www.vrbo.com/160801

For a Virtual Tour copy/past this link into your browser: http://ts.rtvpix.com/tour/RS/tour.view.php?utl=RS-2335-SMQ1W1-01

I like this one.... no bunk beds in it!

http://www.vrbo.com/105738

Gettin' Close!

OK....We've narrowed it to 105738 and 127909. Take another thorough look at each please. The major difference I see is in the sleeping arrangements. The rambler would require making out the couch in the living room for Ashley and Lindsey, or roll-away beds in the other bedrooms. The two story has a loft/family area, separate from the giving/great room where the girls could have their "own" space. (Still making out a hide-a-bed each night. I guess Dave and Kenzie would have the bunk room. I may be missing something here....so check it out.

Dad likes the narrative in the two story...sounds like they're interested in making it a good experience for their renters. Another difference...neither here nor there for me, is one might be more "classy" in it's setting. The amenities seem to be almost identical. Either one of them would be just fine as far as we're concerned. There is no square footage listed on the two story, but it looks pretty large. Also...it doesn't show the dining area, so I would ask how many can be seated there.

So....vote one more time. (I don't know how to make a fancy ballot like Jackie did, so just give me a number!)

XXOO Mom

Who is the dude on the lion over there---->

Who is this guy riding the stone lion and why is he on our site?

Some Favorites

I have now been through the whole list. It is time consuming. I tried to look at those places that would sleep 10. I eliminated some from my earlier list because of sleeping spaces, and didn't find anything I thought was better than some of those on the original list.

Here are the four I like the best, in ranking order:

127909 Has a 5 night minimum
167328
157054
128856 This one is a little smaller, but has a nice sleeping space for the girls.

They might all have minimum stays....and a week is either Sat. to Sat. or Sun. to Sun.
How long do we want to stay? If I call some of this, what questions would you like me to ask?

XXOO Mom

A Better Idea?

Hey Family!

Having twisted your arms to consider Black Butte Ranch, and, after considerable research, I find that we will get a lot more "bang for our buck" at Sunriver. The amenities appear to be about the same, but in Sunriver $300 a night will buy us a 2500 square ft. house with hot tub and free use of the pools. Black Butte charges an additional "Access Charge" of $6 per night per guest. Quite a bit when you multiply $50 by 8 people.

The Black Butte house I was promoting was rented just before I called. Might have been a good thing. Take a look at some of these properties and see what you think.

vrbo.com/167328 very nice
127909...Yum
443314, 105738,147969,157054,128856

And....I'm sure there are more. I'm just getting a little bleary eyed!

Love you,
Mom

More Research

I have to apologize, Jackie. I looked at this site a number of times, but did not see the link to the particular home. I did look at it finally! I guess I do think it's a bit pricey, especially if the rest of you have to pay for pet care while we're away. Also, it seems to be larger than we really need. We don't have to rule it out at this point, in fact I thought I would make a couple of phone calls today and see what I can find out, and what is actually available for the July time, since I think that is our first choice. Also, I have not spent any time looking at the rentals available directly from the Black Butte site. I will do that also.

The other one may not be perfect either, but at some point we'll just have to make a decision to run with something. I got excited though, about the hot tub! I'll ask about the square footage and the sleeping arrangements.

I'll make this a priority today....along with a trip to the dentist, a meeting at church, making dinner for our ill friends, the Thompson's, and choir practice. Retirement does offer lots of options.

Mama

What about the pets?

Should we be looking for a place that will allow our pets? If we all go together I won't have a dog sitter and will need to kennel Brodie. What's the plan for Brice?
Anybody..........

Black Butte Ranch

Please take a look at vrbo.com/128103

It is available for both July and August dates, and has a hot tub. I tried to copy it onto the blog, but couldn't achieve that.

XXOO

Dave's Vacation Dates

7/21 - 7/25
8/18 - 8/22
12/15 - 12/19

Question for Mom

Wondering if you are suggesting that we reserve a home through the Ranch itself so we have access to use the facilities - pool, dining, etc.

Most of those homes look a little dated and run down, but here is one that might work perfectly! PS - Not sure what season we'd be in in the summer, but I'm willing to fork out a little more money to have lots of room and comfortable sleeping...

http://www.blackbutteranch.com/rentaldetail.asp?Home=RR077

Da Place, DaPlace!

Here is some rationale, in our view, of the choice we make. Our earnest desire in the whole suggestion is that we are able to spend some quality time together. That would suggest that we don't spend a whole lot of travel time to get where we're going.

Secondly, we'd like everyone to come and have some choices of fun things to do. This time will be a trial run to see if we might want to continue with a new "family tradition."

Third, it needs to be at least reasonable in cost.

We think that the Bend area meets the criteria. Dave suggested it, Steve agreed it is a good place to go, that was confirmed by some friends at church. The Black Butte Ranch area seems to provide the most diversity of things to do. Dad and I took a trail ride in Glacier Park, and have been wanting to do it again. There are pools, spas, bike trails, walking trails, shops, gyms...on and on. The one thing I don't find, Jackie, is private hot tubs. The location is 30 minutes from Bend and 8 miles from Sisters and lots of other sightseeing areas. It's also close enough to home, that people can arrive/leave when they need to, or add other things in...like Ashland if you like. Dad and I would take the motor home, and add some time touring that area.

Most of the homes prefer weekly rentals, Sunday to Sunday. If you go to vrbo.com and go to Black Butte Ranch you can look at what's available. Dave will give us the dates of his August time too so we have more choices.

Thoughts?

Mom and Dad

Ashland rental - vcbo.com #133342

This home in Ashland looks nice...
The Retreat Sanctuary is a beautiful five bedroom lodge just minutes from Ashland and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Located on a 26 acre nature preserve, the Center is nestled in the foothills of the Siskiyou mountains on Wagner Creek.

This is a quiet setting without the distractions of computers,or telephones. Enjoy time to reflect, read, or visit with friends. Ask for a medicinal plant tour or strike out on the many hiking trails by yourself. Massage is available by appointment. The home sleeps six to eight, (more with permission) and has a fully equipped kitchen, living room, sun room, deck, patio, gazebo near the creek, and hot tub.

Blogging 101

Just a note to make sure you check the "comments" underneath other posts. You can weigh in and keep a conversation going on a topic without adding a new post...

Go check out the link to the Parlee Family Blog. It's shaping up nicely. =)

Thanks!

I lost the first try. Here we go again. We have been to Tahoe, and it's pretty cool. We have not done a play at Ashland. Dad isn't big on plays, but I would go. However, we don't drive as fast as everyone else and might need to keep on traveling!

Here are some houses to check out:

vrbo.com/102647
161851
26024
140112

Mom

Sun Valley

This would be another suggestion that is driveable, has lots of activities, will be HOT in the summer, etc.

Personally I like Tahoe better but this could be a good spot too.

Ashland and Tahoe????

Has anyone been to Tahoe? I've never been there so I typed "vacation Tahoe" and the first site I found had these houses....

http://www.tluxp.com/vacation_rentals.asp

the top ones are really expensive but keep looking down the list. NICE houses in tahoe for $400-$600 per night. I'm sure with a bit more searching we could find a the perfect place but even at those rates it is pretty affordable.

If we did something like this we could save money by driving down - it is about 13 hours from Seattle to Tahoe - however we could split it up into a couple of days. Just before you go into California is Ashland - great place I went to school there for a year. Anyway they have a world class Shakespeare theater and this summer "Our Town" is playing in the outdoor Elizabethean Stage.

http://www.osfashland.org/browse/production.aspx?prod=97&date=8/1/2008

If we did something like this we could spend a day driving to Ashland, spend the night there that night, the next day check out Ashland and go to a play, then drive to Tahoe the next day.

Thoughts?

Frontier to fly to Jackson

Frontier to fly to Jackson

By Cory Hatch, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Date: February 14, 2008

Frontier Airlines will begin flying three planes a day into Jackson Hole starting in mid-May, according to a Jackson Hole Airport official.

The low-fare airline is expected to make a formal announcement today.

Airport director Ray Bishop said airline officials have not yet released the names of cities that will connect with Jackson Hole, but Denver International Airport is the Frontier Airlines hub. Frontier is expected to fly into Jackson Hole 365 days a year.

Bishop said Frontier could provide competition for United Airlines, which also flies out of Denver.

“You never know,” Bishop said. “Typically, Frontier has a reputation as a low-cost airline. We could expect to see fares to Denver go down.”

The airline will use 70-seat Q400 turboprop aircraft, which Bishop said should have few problems flying into and out of Jackson Hole.

“It’s much better at the higher altitudes and shorter runways,” he said. “It’s a very good airplane for mountain resorts.”

Jackson Hole Airport has previously had problems with SkyWest CRJ-700s, which the Federal Aviation Administration hasn’t cleared for temperatures and runway conditions that occur regularly at Jackson Hole Airport.

Frontier will add 210 departure seats per day; the airport’s peak is more than 2,800 departure seats per day during the summer.

Bishop said one problem with bringing in a new carrier is that it will increase traffic in the already crowded terminal. He said the expected increase at the airport highlights the need for a terminal expansion, which is in the planning stages.

Jackson Hole Town Square Webcam

check this out: http://cams.jacksonholewebcams.com/townsquare/townsquare.jpg

Welcome to the McNeel Family Blog

A place to share, rant and discuss plans. In other words, Jackie says STOP spamming her w/email!!

http://parleefamily.blogspot.com/