Sherrie Buchan has made arrangements with Ocean Charters of Westport for a salmon fishing trip during our Westport event in August. If you are interested in going on this charter, please contact Ocean Charters ASAP to book your spot on the boat. The details are:

When: Friday, August 20th
What Time: Leaves the dock between 6 - 6:30 a.m. Returns approx 4:00 p.m.
Price: $119 per person. Deposit: $50
And: $10 salt water license required unless you already have your own fishing license and salt water tag
What to Bring: Your own lunch and beverage
Who to Call: Ocean Charters, 1-800-562-0105

As some of you are aware, Di and I were busy preparing for our trip this summer when I became ill. As this occurred just over one week in advance of our flight date, it was not the best of timing. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and I have had an operation to remove it.  The surgeon has now confirmed that he has managed to remove all the cancer. There is no evidence of it spreading (great news!), I am just having to take some tablets for the next 5 years — no chemo or radio-therapy necessary. Thank you God!!

It has been a very difficult time and stressful during the waiting period.  We had already started packing when this happened but we thank our lucky stars that at least we were still at home.  Waiting for things to be done is often the worst time. Di was very good about keeping my spirits up and keeping the mind occupied. We took days out and went to see Windsor Castle amongst other things. Unfortunately the

Queen wasn’t  at home so we weren’t invited to stay for tea … I spent many an hour in the garden getting it ready for summer, as I know Di is not a keen gardener like me.

We were both so looking forward to seeing everyone and spending some time with you this summer.  We still hope to get to Seattle but it will all depend on my recovery rate.  The main thing is that life is good and I consider myself very fortunate.

I must reiterate that I am really grateful to all of you that have sent e-mail messages of support and good wishes and for the card that came through this week with yet more good wishes. It really helps to know that we are in your thoughts. We are intending to get back on track with our planned trip as soon as we can, however, we may not get  to see as many of you as we hoped but be sure that we will be thinking of you and will keep in touch.

Thank you again.

With love and hugs,

Mags

When we got our new rig last summer, we soon realized that it's nearly impossible to check the tire pressure yourself on the rear dual tires. I pulled into Les Schwab to inquire about valve extenders, and they indicated they did not recommend them for a variety of reasons. I asked the guy, "Well, how am I suppose to check my tire presuure myself then?" He said, "You come see me anytime you want."

So now I just pull into my neighborhood Les Schwab dealer before each trip, pull around back, and a nice young man pulls off the tire covers and checks tire pressure for me on all my tires, free of charge. And it only takes a few minutes. Pretty cool, I'd say! — Diane Milnor

Cascadia received the following note from Monica and Grace at the RVW national office:

Hello Cascadia Ladies,
We in the office just wanted to let you know that we just got a call from a new RVW member who is also a new Cascadia member. She just went to her first rally and called us to tell us how AWESOME it was. She said, and I quote, "the RVW magazine came to life for me". She said everyone was so welcoming and she had the best time.
Just thought you would like to hear it.

Monica and Grace

One benefit of RVW membership is that some RV parks and businesses offer Cascadia a discount. When doing business with these Washington state discount providers,tell them you are with Cascadia RVW, thank them for their support of RVW and take advantage of the discount that has been offered. Steve Parry of TorkLift will be presenting an educational program to Cascadia at the June event at Lake Sawyer.

1. Tork Lift. Hitches, towing equipment, RV parts and service. 10% discount. Located in Kent, WA
2. America Heritage Campground. 10% discount. Located in Olympia, WA
3. Olympic Campground. 10% discount. Located in Olympia, WA
4. Bayshore RV Park. Group discounts. Located in Tokeland, WA
5. Elma RV Park. 10% discount. Located in Elma, WA

The pictures and write-up from the Mossyrock event are now available. Click here to read all about it.

The National RVW board has passed a policy called the Guest Rider Policy that enables a member to bring along a guest more than the usual two times, under certain conditions. The proposed policy was the subject of a special forum at the national convention in San Antonio, TX, and subsequently passed at a board meeting. In short, the new policy allows a member in good standing to purchase a "rider" to their membership which enables them to bring a qualifying guest to RVW events an unlimited number of times.

The rider is intended to allow members to bring along a guest who has no intention of ever owning an RV and joining RVW. It does not apply to guests you might bring along who have their own rig and are contemplating RVW membership. The qualifying conditions include 1) the guest must be a female over 18 years of age, 2) must not reside in the member's household, and 3) must stay in the rig of the member who has purchased the rider. Click here to read the complete text of the new policy.

Meeting minutes of the Fall business meeting have now been posted for your reading pleasure.

Thanks again to Joan, who got us set up with a Cascadia Facebook page! Search for Cascadia RVW. Hop on and join in or start a conversation. Tell us what you're up to over the winter. Keep in touch. It's fun!

Thanks to Lana and Joan, Cascadia now has a blog! No, it's not a disease or some other malady that needs treating; it's another way for us to communicate with one another, online.

It's not quite a chat room, because it's not happening in real time (just a very short delay). It's more like a message forum, in that one person posts a question or topic of conversation, and anyone can post a response or comment, creating an online conversation.

Follow a couple of easy, one-time instructions to get you up and runnig the first time, and after that it's a breeze. In no time at all you'll have the hang of it. So go to the site, check it out, and sign in with Joan to become an author. Don't forget to bookmark the site, for quicker access, too. Coming soon, a Cascadia Facebook Fan Site, because we know how many of you are now getting on board with Facebook. Stay tuned!

Thanks, Lana and Joan!

Current and back issues (to 2008) of the RVing Women magazine are now available online on the RVW national website. How cool is that!

You'll note that it requires the use of the generic RVW password. You should have received this password when you joined RVW, but if you've misplaced it or forgotten it, you can get it again by following the instructions on page 2 of the user guide to the RVW national website (see July 10th below).

Spring Rig Preparation Checklist

It's time to blow the dust off the old RV and hit the road! But before you do, there's some spring cleaning that will get your season off to a good start. Pat Stezer of Recreation Services mobile RV repair has contributed this spring checklist to remind you of some steps you might want to take to get your rig road ready.

Got Something RV Related to Sell?

If you're an RVW or Cascadia member and you've got an RV-related item for sale, we can help you by posting your ad on the Classified Ad page on our website. To submit an ad contact the web editor.

Like to Swap Recipes ?

If you like to find or share recipes, feel free to take advantage of our new Recipe page. To get this kick started, the editor posted the recipe for the dish she enjoyed most at Mt. St. Helens, Sandie Robillard's vegetable crunch salad. If you've got a favorite recipe you'd like to share, send it the web editor.