Hi, my name is Kruzer. This is my first full, official day as a Dudley. Mr. and Mrs. picked me up in Portland yesterday and brought me in the car to Newport. I am about two years old (I was abandoned and rescued so my exact birthday is unknown - August 6th is my "Aunt Bonnie's" birthday so I think August 6th will be my birthday, too). My previous owner loved me very much but developed allergies and had to find a new home for me.

Yesterday, on the ride from Portland to Newport, Mr. said I should be allowed out of my carrier and run loose on the trip home. Mrs. wasn't sure this was a good idea but Mr. won. I think Mr. is going to be a pushover and I am going to have to work very hard to wind Mrs. around my little paw like I do Mr. Anyway, it was a GREAT ride! I got to see lots of cars, people, trees and farms. I even got to see the ocean!!! One time I tried to steer the car and Mrs. had to get me and hold me on her lap for a short time but other than that it was great. My favorite place was riding on Mr's shoulder.

My new house is about three times bigger than my old apartment so I get to explore everything . . . They have lots and lots of windows so I get to play with the cool things with slats that really make a neat noise and they have a string hanging down with a ball. I mean it is a cat's Heaven! Nothing better than sitting in a window sill. I haven't knocked too many things over getting to the windows. I tried to climb the big shelf in the living room and knocked over a couple of pictures so Mrs. made me get down. (I REALLY do have to work with her more).

I got to sleep with them and they didn't seem to mind too much when I walked on their faces at 3:00 in the morning (even Mrs. didn't get mad).

Mr. took me out to the garage with him today and there were sooooo many places to hide and to jump on. He said I did really good. I came when he called me and I got to lay down close to him. Maybe he'll let me go with him again.

Well, enough of my adventures for now. I miss my old person but I think I am going to do just fine as a Dudley. Talk to you soon!!!

Wayde has always wanted to go on a commercial fishing boat. A friend of ours, Hank Bryson, has a small boat and was kind enough to invite Wayde on a fishing trip. Here is Wayde's story:

FISHING WITH CAPTAIN HANK

I had the opportunity to go commercial fishing with Hank Bryson on his boat, Christy Belle. I had asked Hank last spring if I might accompany him on a fishing trip and he agreed to call me when the weather and fishing were better. On Sunday 7/15 Hank called and asked if I would be ready to go the next day. I said yes and made a few arrangements for the time I would be gone.

I met Hank at the boat slip on Port Dock 7 in Newport, Oregon near noon on Monday. We got underway before long and went to the South Beach Marina for fuel then to Trident Seafoods to get a ton and a half of chipped ice. Hank filled four boxes on deck and 5 bins in the hold. We had enough ice for 5 days or so depending on how many fish we caught. Hank lowered the outrigger poles and we headed under the Yaquina Bridge on our way west. We cleared the bar and set a westerly course on the Murano auto-pilot which is a very nice piece of navigation gear. Hank asked if I would watch the helm while he stowed gear and prepared the equipment to troll for salmon. I did not have much to do except watch for crab pot buoys and other boats of which we hit neither. I watched our progress on the Murano screen and ate half a sandwich. 3 hours later we stopped to fish near the north end of Stonewall Banks which is known locally as "the rock pile". The salmon trolling gear consisted of 2 steel wires on hydraulically driven reels. One had a 60# lead ball and the other a 50# ball. The lines were let down and a lured line was attached every 2 fathoms (12 feet). 4 lines were set on each wire which was also attached to the outrigger pole. The identical setup was on each side of the boat. I had the port side to tend and Hank had the starboard side. Hank showed me how to operate the hydraulic reels and told me the things to do and not to do. I remembered most of it. We used rubber hoochies and barbless hooks for lures and began trolling at 2 knots or so. We had 16 lures out to attract any salmon in the area. The lines are tended by standing in a small well at the back of the boat. We caught our first King Salmon before long. A nice fish. We also caught a few coho, ling cod, 1 small halibut and some yellow tail rock fish which all went back in the water. We fished till 9:00 pm and then brought up the gear and stowed it for the night. I believe we caught 16 kings that afternoon. I was pretty tired from trying to maintain my balance while managing the fishing gear. I got through the day without any major problems. Hank asked what I wanted for supper but I just opted for the other half of my lunch sandwich then went to bed. I slept in the bow on the starboard bunk and Hank made the table into a bunk in the cabin. Seas were pretty mild that night and I slept good except for hearing the vhf radio a few times.

Tuesday started about 6:00 am. Hank cooked us some bacon, eggs and toast. A good breakfast but I think when he is alone he mostly has cereal. With breakfast out of the way Hank checked our position and found we had not drifted much over a mile during the night. We each put out the salmon gear on our respective sides and began trolling for salmon. It was a long slow morning with only 1 king caught. Hank decided to pick up the salmon gear and head north to try for albacore tuna. We knew the area where some fish were from all the radio chatter. It was 5 hour trip. The tuna set-up was different from the salmon rigs. For tuna we set out 5 lines off each side of the boat and 1 line in the center. The lines were attached to the outrigger poles and had a hand line back to the tending station to pull the fishing line in to where you could grab it and pull in the tuna. The troll is fast at 6 knots and the lures are near surface. You can see the tuna when they get hooked. We were fishing with the stabilizers in the water which greatly reduced the roll of the boat. I still had a hard time keeping balanced and upright though. I often resembled a giant yellow ping pong ball as I caromed off various objects, Hank included, as the day wore on. We were catching tuna slow but steady and fished till near 7:00 pm. We pulled all the lines in, coiled the lines and strings and hung the lures in a fashion that should make it easy to put it all out the next day. We had 27 tuna on ice for the afternoon. I was a little concerned because my side of the boat did not look as neat and tidy as Hank's side. I did not want a huge tangled up mess in the morning when we went back in the water. We were back in the house near 9:00 pm. Hank asked if I wanted a hamburger but I was so tired I just ate a quick sandwich and went to bed. The water was a little rougher that night but I slept better and woke up less. A result of the days activities I am sure.

Wednesday started out again around 6:00 am. Hank fixed us bacon, eggs and toast. It seemed particularly good that morning. I was kind of dreading the trip to the back of the boat and putting the tuna array back in the water. I was pleasantly surprised when everything went back in without any serious tangles or problems. I was fishing before long at all. Hank pulled the stabilizers out of the water because many fishermen think they scare the fish. The boat rolled further and more sharply which increased my difficulty in trying to stay erect. We in tuna most of the time and pulled a few fish steadily. By noon we had boated 20 tuna but the sea was kicking up pretty good. The forecast 2 to 3 foot swells were more like 4 to 6 foot with wind waves to boot. I was having a very hard time staying on my feet and finally resorted to kneeling to pull the tuna lines in. I think near 1 or 2 in the afternoon Hank said ok, lets quit. I was exhausted and did not quibble with his decision. We had boated another 20 tuna that day. I took awhile to take down the tuna gear and get ready for travel. The plan was to go back to the "rock pile", spend the night and fish for salmon on Thursday morning. The weather was supposed to get better but we did not see much improvement. Hank said he did not care if we stayed out or went home and it was up to me. After some thought I said lets head in. I did not think the weather was going to improve all that much. We crossed the bar just before 10:00 pm and were tied up at the dock shortly. Barb came down and picked me up. My first commercial fishing trip was over. I greatly enjoyed the experience and learned a lot. I also gained more respect for the people who go to sea every day to make a living. Pretty hard work.

My final observation is that marine heads must be some form of punishment for past misdeeds. I won't elaborate on that one.

Wayde Dudley

July 23, 2007

January 11, 2007. We have it all in Newport!

NOTE: I STARTED TO DELETE THIS AS IS WAS A YEAR OLD AND THEN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GOOD TO LEAVE IT ON DURING THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON OF 2007 - KEEPING IN THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAY AND ALL.
MERRY CHRISTMAS,
BARB (2007)


December, 2006:
I asked my three daughters to each write their portion of our Christmas letter for 2006. Following is their description of their lives with a few pictures of each. Needless to say I am very proud of them, and especially of my five grandchildren: Scott, Wayde, Cassidy, Addison and Sunny.

I am Bonnie, the wonderful older sister of Mariah and Beth. I have been married for 19 years to West and we have 2 boys, Scott, a freshman in High School and Wayde who is a 4th grader. Scott is adjusting to the teenage life (sleeping and eating), and Wayde keeps us busy with his active mind (many questions and not enough answers). I spend my day working with children ages 4-6 and West is a CNC Machinist.

I am Mariah, the favorite middle child. My husband (Eddie) and I moved to the Pacific Northwest to be closer to my family. We have two wonderful daughters, both quite unique and beyond what we could have expected. I never expected to be this lucky but I thank God that I am. I work for in the provider contracting department of a health care organization . Most don't understand what that is or what I do, so I will spare you all the boring details. Eddie is also in the health care field but he chose to work on the dental side. Our daughters are aged 5 and a typical 2. They keep us happily busy. I don't recommend raising highly energetic children in your late 30's, that is what young and naive is for. Our 5 year old is our little sweetheart. She is bright and caring and very artistic. Our sweet 2 year old is a sweetie if it suits her mood. She is full of hugs and loves to run. She is a perfectionist and I see great things in her future. Just try not to catch her on a bad day. Right now she is perfecting the terrible twos.

My name is Beth Ann. I live in Jackson, Wyoming with my boyfriend Wade Boudreau and our 2 month old daughter, Sunny Day. I am in the accounting department at the Four Seasons Resort in Teton Village. Wade is a snowboard instructor but due to an injury he is sitting this season out and staying home with his new daughter. He is also the owner of a small taxi business. Our days used to be spent enjoying wine tastings, movies and football. Now, they are filled with cooing, diapers and all the joys that come with a newborn.

Wayde left Portland on October 21st to meet his brother, Parus, in Cabo San Lucas to fish in the Dark of the Moon fishing tournament. This is the second year Wayde has been lucky enough to go. They had a storm and the fishing wasn't very good (Wayde caught the only fish) but still they had a good time.

"I caught 1 sailfish that looked about 6 or 7 feet long. The crew guessed it to weigh 90#. We released the fish to get more points in the tournament. The deckhand cut the leader when I had the fish up to the boat. Once the crew touches the leader it counts as a caught fish. Too bad we only got 1 but it was still a fun trip."
Wayde

click here

Wayde and I decided about July of 2005 that we would go to the Glock World Match in September, 2006. We knew we would be retired then and it would probably be the only time we would get a chance to do it. After much planning we set the date to leave as September 7th. We started our 5 week journey a week ahead of schedule by having Bonnie and Mariah (and, of course, their families) over for one last visit before we left.

We left Newport on September 7, 2006 and met our friend, Judy, at the Glenwood in Eugene for breakfast. We also said farewell for a couple of months to our friend, Linda, our favorite waitress at the Glenwood. We made it to Carson City by early evening and were thrilled to see our wonderful, dear friend, Jeannette Miller. We hugged and talked and had a great time. She had the family over the next night for supper so we got to see Caroline and Eric, Brian and his family and Ehren's new wife Jen who is staying with Jeannette until Ehren gets home from Iraq. It was amazing to look at Brian's kids, Parker, Nathan and Casey, and remember when we were watching our kids playing and growing with John and Jeannette. It seems like a hundred years ago. We can never keep the thought from entering our minds that we wished John and Mark were able to be there with us. It's a good thing we all believe in Heaven because we could imagine them there. We had a great time but had to leave for Elko to visit Wayde's mom so we were only able to spend two days. We were able, however, to eat at a Basque restaurant in Carson City and have a chorizo sandwish. Yummo!!!

We left Elko, after having breakfast with Wayde's mom, and headed south. We found the cheapest gas in Elko at $3.33. We hoped that wasn't a sign of things to come. We took the turnoff through Secret Pass, outside of Elko. As we looked back at the Ruby Mountains I felt a little homesick. This was our Nevada and I still love it. We were going to visit friends in Elko and Ely but decided we wanted to make Las Vegas by that night so we didn't have time to stop. It was great getting to Vegas and pulling up to Cozette's house. She came running out to greet us. There's nothing like a hug from an old friend. We were able to take some time and visit another old friend, Sam McMurray. We hadn't seen him in about 17 years so that, too, was a moving moment. We have been very blessed to have had really good friends over the years. We were also lucky to meet some new ones in Cozette's young room mates, Sean and Michael. Wayde, Cozette and I went to lunch at Bellagio's on the Las Vegas Strip. It was a beautiful setting and a perfect place to have a nice, long lunch and chat with a friend. It felt like time slipped away and it was as it had always been. We certainly hope both Cozette and Sam will be able to visit us in Oregon soon.

We left Las Vegas on September 13th. I think both Wayde and I wanted to package Cozette up and throw in the car and take her with us. Of course, we couldn't so we had to say good-bye. We were amazed to see the construction of a new bridge across Hoover Dam. It was quite a sight. I was glad Wayde wasn't the surveyor on that job. We had some intense rain showers between Kingman and Flagstaff, but it was otherwise an uneventful day. We stayed in Flagstaff, Arizona that night. I had always heard it was a beautiful spot and everyone was right. It is so different from what I had seen before of Arizona. Our friend Sam McMurray recommended we eat at a Cracker Barrel when we found one. We saw our first one in Flagstaff and ate breakfast there the next morning. We loved it and knew we would eat breakfast there whenever we could. We left Flagstaff and, of course, had to stop in Winslow, Arizona. Wayde kept singing ". . . standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona . . ." We couldn't figure out why anyone would stay in Winslow long enough to stand on a corner, or even go through Winslow. It was certainly not our idea of Heaven. We saw lots of petrified wood between Winslow and Gallup. There were also lots of fantastic rock formations around Gallup. They looked like something out of a movie and we kept expecting to see a war party of Indians looking down on John Wayne in the valley below. We had lunch in Grants Pass, New Mexico. We remembered when Wayde worked for Anaconda Copper and could have moved there when they closed the Victoria Mine in Elko County down. Sure glad we never made it! We went through Lincoln, New Mexico, specifically Lincoln County. It was clear why ranchers would fight a war over this country. As Wayde said, "There is grass up to a cow's belly." The buildings around there were really old and we saw a sign that said "Site of Billy the Kid's Last Escape." We then went to Roswell, New Mexico. Wayde really had high hopes for Rosewell but have to say we didn't see any aliens, unless you count the one they had in the McDonald's play area. We did find a postcard from the museum there which we had to send to our son-in-law, West. We spent the night but were ready to leave early in the morning.

We left Roswell on September 15th, went through Carlsbad but didn't take time to stop at the Caverns. The country was surprisingly green with the Pecos River running through it. We were happy when we finally crossed into Texas. We saw a lot of live oil wells but many more that were silent. They looked like big black and yellow chickens pecking at the ground. They were much nicer than the ugly black ones I remembered from my childhood. We stopped in Pecos and went through their museum. It was on the site of an old hotel and tavern, which was the site of a shootout. The world's first rodeo was held in Pecos in 1883. Had to buy Bonnie a book about "Pecos Bill", one of her favorite heros. We stopped in Junction, Texas (about 40 minutes out of San Antonio) for gas, looked up and there was a Cooper's BBQ. We have eaten several times at the one in Austin and loved it so we had to pick some up for dinner. It was really nice pulling up to Wayde's brother's house in Garden Ridge, Texas. Parus and Sue looked great, as always. We had a really nice visit and especially enjoyed watching the deer playing and eating in the yard. They have a beautiful home and we hated to leave them.

We hated to leave Parus and Sue (and San Antonio) but it was time. We headed out early as we were meeting an old friend from Eugene, Mike Dunaway, in Austin where we played golf with him and his Dad. It was 67 degrees when we started playing golf and 85 degrees when we finished. We saw several Texas-sized squirrels and then some turtles lazing around one of the ponds. It was really an enjoyable morning. We then had the long drive to Dallas and didn't get there until early evening. We stayed in Grapevine, had an early supper and went to bed. We woke up the next morning, found a Mimi's Restaurant fairly close (we love those restaurants) and headed out the Bass Pro Shop. It seemed bigger and better than the last time we visited in 2004. We got to the Dallas Cowboy Golf Club about 2:00 p.m., ate a leisurely lunch, bought a few items in the pro shop (mostly for our daughter, Mariah, who is a big Dallas Cowboy fan) and got ready to play golf. I was glad to see the life-size poster of Troy Aikman still in the lady's restroom and would have liked to take it home to Mariah. We were one of the last ones to tee off for the day so we basically had the whole, beautiful course to ourselves. It was a dream and, for some reason, we both golfed really well. It started getting a little dark to play so we were only able to golf through the 15th hole, but it was really a nice experience. Wish we could always golf like that!

Left Dallas September 21st and headed east. This will all be new territory for us. We crossed the border into Shreveport, Louisiana. We were surprised at the size of it and the number of big casinos. You'd think we were back in Nevada. We then crossed the Mississippi River into Vicksburg, Mississippi. Wayde was disappointed that the River wasn't as big as he thought it would be but I was thrilled at all the boats and barges. Vicksburg was the first Civil War battlefield we saw and I was sorry we couldn't spend more time there. We passed the turnoff to Natchez Trace. I have read about it so many times it was exciting just to see the turnoff. Wayde rolled his eyes and and I knew he thought "It's going to be a long trip." We spent the night in Jackson, Mississippi and it was "hotter than a pepper sprout."

Septemer 22nd, we left Jackson and headed up the road to eat breakfast at a Cracker Barrel. We are going to miss these restaurants when we get home. We crossed into Alabama and noticed the country was a little more open than Mississippi, but still not a hill in sight. We do miss our mountains. One thing we noticed, instead of potato chips they had Salt and Vinegar Cracklins - only in the south. We ate really good bbq at a little restaurant in Selma. Went through Montgomery and, hate to say it, couldn't wait to get out. The downtown area is a ghetto and really run down. Shortly after that we crossed into Georgia at the Chatahoochie River. It actually seemed bigger than the Mississippi. We got as far as Albany, Georgia and decided to spend the night at a cute motel called "Merry Acres". It was originally built in the 1930's and some of it was quite quaint. The clerk in the motel had a brother who lived in Albany, Oregon and she had been to Newport several times. Once again, it is a small world.

September 23rd we left Albany, Georgia and headed east. Wayde wanted to go through Waycross, Georgia to see Miller's Cave (from the song). We found out there was no such place, much to Wayde's disappointment, but we did go to Obediah's Okefenok. It was about 88 degrees and humidity was about 85 so it was not a pleasant place. We saw snakes, bears, birds, foxes and ostriches in the "critter center" and an alligator was nudged into the water for our benefit. It was a little tacky but I decided if I never saw a swamp again it would be too soon. We were, however, glad we got off the main freeway. Traffic and drivers were crazy on the freeways and we enjoyed taking our time and enjoying the scenery and the small towns we passed through. We got our first sight of the Atlantic Ocean that afternoon. We then drove a few miles south to Jekyll Island. It was really beautiful and we hoped to stay there but the rooms were all booked. We drove north to Brunswick, Georgia and spent the night there. They have some gas stations there called "El Cheapo Fuel Stop". How can you not love it!

We arrived in Savannah on September 26th. That afternoon we walked on the boardwalk on the Savannah River. It was originally built in the 1700's and part of the cobblestones in the roads and several buildings are original from that time. It was like walking by the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, but it was the real deal. I was charmed! We booked passage, which sounds cool in and of itself, on a dinner cruise on a stern wheeler. We boarded and were pleasantly surprised to find only about 24 people on the cruise so we were free to explore. We had a nice meal and Wayde and I spent quite a while out on the deck watching the big freighters pass right by us. The Port of Savannah is the second largest container ship port on the east coast (next to New York), so the River was busy. We then went inside and listened to the music and even danced a little. It was really nice. The next day we went on the Paula Deen tour. That will mean something to those of you who watch the Food Network and mean nothing to you if you don't (Wayde doesn't). She is one of my favorite personalities so I was very excited, plus it was a good way to see Savannah. We ended up with lunch at Uncle Bubba's Oyster House (Paula's brother). We ate at a table with a couple from Florida who had lived in Genoa, Nevada for several years. We were able to talk about Elko and Cowboy Poetry! What a small world. Since I didn't feel like standing in line for an hour, we went by Paula Deen's restaurant, Lady and Sons, and I went inside, looked around, bought a coffee cup, took my picture out front and called it good. It was hot and humid and I was melting. We then took a horse carriage ride around one of the squares in town. So many of the houses and buildings have been maintained, it is one of the nicest historic districts I have ever seen. We even passed by the house they used as the model for The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. Wayde was such a good sport for giving me this day. I will forever be grateful to him for it. Savannah is one of those cities you could spend weeks in and not see everything. I could go back several times and never tire of it.