Vancouver Public Library 7.21.11

Today after water aerobics, R and I went looking for the new brand new Vancouver Public Library.  It open Sunday July 17^th at ‘C’ and Evergreen just west of I-5 in downtown Vancouver.  And what a beautiful place it is!  Five floors, lots of windows, a nice contrast of concrete and steel meeting bright colors.  The third floor is entirely devoted to kids with at least 1/3 of the floor filled with hands-on activities for young ones.   Lots of things that slid, twirled, rotated, stacked, lit up, and generally stimulated young minds.  Made me wish I was young enough to play with them.  (I did turn some wheels and move some balls.)   If you find yourself in Vancouver and have some time check out the library.  It is well worth your time.

     R and I stopped in to see if we get some reading and video items checked out.  We walked up to the counter, told the clerk what we wanted to do and her response was,  “Do you have a library card from somewhere else?  If so you are welcome to get one here.  It is a provisional card meaning you can reserve and check out books from our any of our regional libraries, you just can’t get items from outside.”  She went on to explain that regular members can request books from any library anywhere in the country!  How about that?  We filled out a form and were issued a provisional card which is good for two years.  There was no cost for this transaction.

     It is such a contrast to Eugene’s library system.  Instead of encouraging use of the library, the Eugene library system has an isolationist policy concerning personal use by folks from outside the city boundaries.  If you are not a resident of Eugene, the annual cost of a library card is $80.!!!   I think that it is outrageous!! 

Faucet

    Before we headed to our gig at Cape Blanco, I replaced the RV bath faucet in the trailer with one designed for a home bath.  It looked better and felt much better.  However, within 3 weeks, it failed and the cold water refused to shut off.  There is no Home Depot within 150 miles so I visited a hardware store in Port Orford which had a total of two bathroom faucets to choose from.  The installation went well and did not leak.  I put the defective device in the storage area for later returns.
    When we got settled here in the Portland area, I found the nearest Home Depot, which is about two miles away.  I did get the orignal purchase price credited to my account.  After listening to our story, the female clerk wrote "enternal failure" on the return slip.  Our new faucet has not failed yet.

Fort Vancouver

 

Last night I actually enjoyed a baseball game.  It was a vintage baseball game played here at the parade grounds here at the park.   The rules were those of game in the 1860’s which meant there were no gloves, no cleats, the baseball was soft, no base on balls, fly balls caught on the first bounce were outs.  The two teams were volunteers dressed in period costumes.  A good time was had by the players as well as the hundred plus spectators. 

Fourth of July at Fort Vancouver

Lots of sun, lots of activities, lots of people.

Mini Cooper Update

I drove the Mini, or should I say 'we' did.  It drove well for me, but not for R.  The steering wheel was too close to her chest when she drove.  The passenger seat was uncomfortable for R.  It caused her to hunch her back.  So reluctantly, it is no longer on the list of eligible vehicles.

  The Scion XB and the Honda Element are the next two vehicles on the list.  I prefer the way the older XBs look over the newer ones.  They have been called toasters on wheels.  A lot of inside room in a small vehicle.  I need to check out the newer ones also.

Marshall Center

   R and I found a place to resume our water aerobics while we are here in Vancouver.  It is part of the city park system so it is reasonably priced.  They have breaks for couples and seniors so we benefited two ways when we purchased our 90 day passes.  Another great thing about the pool is that it is about a mile from our trailer.  Our first session was this morning.  I am going by myself tomorrow because R has a hair appointment.  I think I will stop at the barbershop myself on the way home from the pool.  http://www.cityofvancouver.us/parks-recreation/centers/marshall/aquatics.asp
   After lunch we are going to test drive a used Mini.  I have been checking them out since I sold the Porsche so it time that Randa drives one to see how she likes it.
  It is also first Thursday which means that the Vancouver Historic Museum is free and open from 5pm  to 9 pm.  We plan to check that out also.  I will keep you informed on both items.

New Location Vancouver, Washington

   We are now at Fort Vancouver National Historic Park (FOVA) for short.  Arrived here on Friday the first of July.  Got parked and set up without much trouble.  The drive north from Eugene was uneventful, but very slow going through Portland.  Several factors caused that.   It was the start of the holiday week-end.  The traffic in Portland can be bad at certain times especially if there has been an accident.  ( We did see one just south of Albany on I-5 that had southbound traffic backed up for 15 miles.)  The other problem was caused by the Columbia and Willamette Rivers being high.  This meant that any time a ship passed under any of the seven bridges on the Willamette or the I-5 bridge over the Columbia, they had to stop traffic and raise them.  Can you believe that an Interstate Highway as busy as I-5 has a drawbridge on it?
   Saturday was our first day "on the job".   Having experience in other visitor centers meant that we know the routine.  Every place has different facilities and different people who want things done their way, but the job is pretty much the same.  You are there to greet the visitor and answer any questions they may have concerning the history, things to do, where the bathrooms are, etc.
   With Monday being the holiday, the park was the host site for a huge 4th of July celebration.  The event was organized by the City of Vancouver and seemed to be a great success based on the attendance.  There were several stages, cannon firings, food vendors, tours of several of the homes on officer row, bi-plane rides, kids games, and of course, a fireworks display to culimnate the evening.  The hours at the visitor center were Noon to 8pm for the holiday.  Saturday and Sunday visitor numbers were about 250.  The number doubled for the holiday and people were still hanging around the gift shop and visitor center right up until quitting time.  In fact, I had to annouce that " The visitor center will be closing in xxx minutes" several times to let people know that they needed to leave so that we could close up.
     Vancouver is known for its spectacular fireworks and this year was no exception.  Because we were volunteers, R and I were invited to view them from inside the fort, which we, of course, did.  The pyrotechtics were launched from the adjacent Pearson Air Park so the sights and sounds were right in front of us.  It was pretty spectacular.  I don't know how many times I said "Wow!"
  Then, while everyone else fought the traffic to get home, R and I just walked the half mile back to our trailer and went to bed.  A long but fun day in deed.