Monday, July 24, 2017

The days just slip by.


We were gone for a week with the RV to camp with Budd and Brenda at Pismo Beach.
They had invited us to join them at their private RV park which we have done several times in the past and always enjoy it.

I think we played every board game in our basket of games we keep in the RV. From Marbles and Jokers (a variation of Pegs and Jokers) to Sequence and Dice Sequence, to Checkit, to Mexican Train, to and including shuffle board played on the new shuffle board in the Club House.

We also ate out a couple of times as well as stopped for ice cream a couple of times. Must have our ice cream you know.

We did our usual stop at Miners Hardware where they have everything, and at RV World for a few parts for our RV.

We visited with our friends Becky and Ron and Becky’s daughter Annette who was visiting from Minnesota. Very nice to see Annette.

We had very nice weather for Pismo as it usually is chilly with the ocean breeze however, we had some really nice days. We BBQ’ed several times as none of us like to eat out that often.

When we left last Monday we dropped our RV off at the repair shop to have some major maintenance done. It will cost a lot but we have decided to keep it a few more years and I want to make sure it will be ready to go when we want to.

My garden is still producing but some of the plants have suffered from the hot weather a week or so ago. I have picked most of the pole beans and Clyda froze them today. Tomorrow I will vacuum pack them with the Seal-a-Meal so they keep better in the freezer.

I have an appointment with my urologist tomorrow after experiencing a kidney stone episode last week. The pain lasted 2 days then quit. So I don’t know what is going on. Should find out tomorrow.

I have been working on family history much of the week. I have so much information on so many families, all related to me, that I need to get organized. I have made a start but it is only a small step on what I need to do. But I will just plug away.

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Back home after a HOT road trip.


We had talked about doing a road trip to Oregon with the car earlier in the year but couldn’t make all parts of it come together until the middle of June. Our plan was to visit several of our friends both going and coming. We spent the first few days with our friends Cindy and Gary in Walnut Creek. They have a great backyard with a very nice pool which we spent our afternoons lounging beside and floating in. The pool temps were nice and warm which invited long stays in the water. Great hospitality also.


We also attended a Fathers day car show in Danville and then a nice lunch courtesy of Doug and Michelle, Cindy and Gary’s son and daughter-in-law. They were showing of ftheir newly remodeled kitchen.

After a great lunch and later in the day we drove to Redding, CA in the heat of the day with outside temps at 113 degrees. I had picked the motel using Expedia.com and Clyda about had a heart attach when she saw it. It is located in the old part of town near the Sundial Bridge and looked like the old motels of the 1960’s. However, it had been completely refurbished inside and out and was very nice and comfortable. They also served breakfast the next morning.

When we left the motel we stopped at the Sundial Bridge which spans the Sacramento River and walked across it, took a few photos, and then hit the road to Roseburg, OR as the temperature was rising.


Mt Shasta

We arrived at my old Navy buddy Gary’s house about 2:30 PM. Gary’s wife Judy was Clyda’s friend all through their school years. We spent the next few days playing board games, laughing a lot and eating. Gary and I had played pinochle while in the Navy but do you think we could remember the rules? Not a chance. We eventually made up what we thought were reasonable rules and played several games. I never could find rules on-line that worked like I remember. Maybe some day.

Playing a board game on the patio after dark.

Installing lights on the patio.

Salmon for dinner, yummy.

 Visiting a fish hatchery.

We left Oregon and drove to Williams, CA and another motel for the next two nights. In between we visited our friends Jack and Judy who live in Kelseyville near Clear Lake. We didn’t get to see them this winter in Arizona so we had a nice visit catching up on all the happenings with everyone.

Sign in hotel room in Williams.

The next day we drove to Bakersfield via Hwy 99 instead of I-5 because 99 has more 3 lane road than I-5 and has had a lot of repaving in the last few years. Also, it is more scenic than I-5.

We stayed with our ex-neighbors, Budd and Brenda, and their daughter Kori and Granddaughter Jessica. Because of the hot weather we had to visit two ice cream shops just to cool off. The first shop used nitrogen to freeze the product while being mixed in big special mixers. Pretty cool, and good ice cream also. The second shop was the old traditional ice cream parlor from years ago with great sundaes. What better way to cool off.

We did spend a fair amount of time setting several puzzles while keeping out of the heat. It made for a nice relaxing stay.


We arrived back home this past Tuesday and have been catching up on yard work, etc ever since. On Thursday I took the trailer in and had new tires put on. The old ones were 4 years old and I had one blow out and a screw in another which had been plugged and patched and which I no longer trusted as a road tire. I did save two of the tires as spares of which I carry one with me at all times plus the normal spare. Better safe than sorry.

The garden is producing lots of things, like yellow squash, zucchini, and loads of cucumbers. I think the neighbors are going to receive the excess soon.

I did make cucumber salad a few days ago and plan to make relish maybe on Monday. Clyda wants to make zucchini bread and I want some zucchini pancakes soon.

The boysenberries are all done so I need to remove all the old canes and shred them. Of course the new canes have grown up through the old ones which makes it a real job to remove them. All in good time.