November 15 to 21, 2009 ; SKP Park of the Sierras, California
Sunday ; Today was another lovely, sunny, mild day. We had a lazy morning. This afternoon we went to the park’s regular Sunday afternoon weekly ice cream social. We sat at a table with a woman from Washington and her interesting travel companion. She travels with her 42 year old developmentally disabled son. He is a former Para-Olympic and Para-World Games athlete, competing in swimming events. He has two Para-Olympic gold medals. He broke / held a disabled athletics world record in 1990. Very interesting fellow !
After the ice cream social we went to the daily “dog party” at the dog park. Some dogs we hadn't met before came, to try out the small dog agility course we set up in the dog park. New guests in the park are introduced and welcomed publicly at the weekly ice cream social. At that time I extended an invitation to all to come to the dog park and try out K9 Agility. Not surprisingly, Patches the Border Collie did well.
After the dog party, as it got dark, I went to the clubhouse to use Wi-Fi and update my blog. I took an empty propane tank to the park’s propane refill station to be refilled tomorrow morning. After supper we watched Amazing Race, after having missed the last couple of episodes.
Monday ; Today was a beautiful day, sunny and warm. This morning we went to Oakhurst. I dropped Joanne off at Vons to do grocery shopping, then I went to Kragen Auto Parts to buy oil and a filter. When I checked the Kragen flyer at the front of the store … WOO-HOO … diesel oil in gallons was on sale, buy one get one free. I needed three gallons for the oil change, so I bought four for the price of two. Next I went to Radio Shack where I bought an adaptor to allow me to use an old cell phone hands free headset that I have, when I use Skype on my new netbook computer. From there I drove to a hardware store and bought a couple of sections of stair nosing. I am going to change the stair nosing in the trailer. The current stair nosing has a smooth surface and Joanne has fallen down the stairs twice in the last few months when her foot has slipped over the edge of the stair as she descends from the bathroom hallway to the living room. I bought stair nosing with a texture that will hopefully prevent any more falls. Finally I went to Oakhurst Veterinary Hospital. They had an ad in the local newspaper advertising a special on dental work. Both Bo and Sully need a dental cleaning. We were going to have it done later this winter in Yuma, Arizona, but perhaps we’ll have it done here. I got an estimate sheet from the local veterinarian, and I will contact the veterinarian we use in Yuma by phone or e-mail to get an estimate for comparison.
I picked Joanne up at the grocery store and headed back to SKP Park of the Sierras. Just before reaching the park Joanne noticed some very large Jeffrey Pine cones on the side of the road. We stopped and collected a few to replace the old dried out ones I have back home as decoration in a cedar planter. On the way back into the park I stopped at the propane refill station to pick up my refilled tank. The fellow that was doing the propane refilling pointed out to me that the certification on my propane tank had expired on November 1. He had refilled the tank to ensure that we weren’t without propane for the furnace on these cold nights ( he was unaware that I have two tanks ), but advised me that I would have to have my tanks recertified before they could be refilled again. I got information from him on where to have my propane tanks recertified in Oakhurst.
After lunch I headed to the Pole Barn to do an oil change on the truck. My friend Mischa came to help me. I had never changed the oil and filter on a one ton diesel dually before. And it’s probably been more than 25 years since I last changed the oil on any vehicle. The job went as well as could be expected. The Pole Barn had all the necessary tools and equipment ; oil drain pans, oil filter wrenches, grease guns, even a used oil disposal drum. Have I mentioned that I love staying at Escapee parks ? But … you would think that with a diesel engine that large, and an engine compartment that large, Cummins could have designed the placement of the oil filter somewhere other than a spot where only somebody with the hands and arms of an eight year old girl could reach it ! I also lubricated the front ball joints. Despite the owner’s manual clearly stating that the front ball joints are “sealed for life” and have no grease nipples, I found grease nipples on each front ball joint. I could not find a grease nipple on the front driveshaft where the owner’s manual AND a decal in the engine compartment both say ( and show with a diagram ) there is a grease nipple that must be lubricated at each oil change. The money that I saved by doing the oil change myself will be far more than enough to pay for a buffet lunch at the Chukchansi Casino before we leave here.
I returned to the trailer just as Joanne was leaving with Bo to head for the daily dog party in the dog park. I was greasy from my fingertips to my armpits, so I had to shower before heading to the dog park. As I stepped out of the shower there was a knock at the door. I answered the door soaking wet with a towel wrapped around my waist. It was another elderly couple from the park’s Hello Committee. They were so … mortified … at me answering the door like that that I didn’t have the heart to tell them that somebody from the Hello Committee had already stopped by. They said they would return tomorrow “at a more convenient time”. HA HA HA … yeah, okay.
The dozen or so dogs that are at the dog park on a regular basis were all in fine form today, perhaps because of the lovely weather. Even the old and / or timid ones were romping. After the dog party we went to the clubhouse where I used Wi-Fi while Joanne browsed the park’s “bargain table”. As she seems to do on a regular basis at SKP parks’ bargain tables, and / or Salvation Army thrift shops, she found me a brand new, unworn pair of Dockers brand pants in my waist size and leg length.
Tuesday ; Today was another sunny, warm day. The hydro service provider for this area of California charges for hydro on a graduated scale. The more hydro used per day, the higher the rate per kilowatt hour. And we have to pay for hydro usage in this RV park. So this morning I took a hydro meter reading and calculated our hydro usage and rate for the six days we’ve been here. YIKES ! Oh, Sully … I think we’re going to have to drastically reduce the usage of your heater blankie and the bedroom space heater.
DARN ! My new netbook computer has developed a rattle. It sounds like a small screw on the inside has become loose. I have tried shaking it out, to no avail. I’m afraid to try to open the computer case myself. And I really don’t want to ship it back for warranty service. The computer’s manual says that is the method for warranty service. I’m going to try to contact Hewlett-Packard by e-mail and see if there might be some other method for obtaining warranty service. I’m hoping that they may allow me to take it in for “walk-in” warranty service somewhere in Yuma, Arizona or Palm Springs, California. I’m afraid to ignore the loose, rattling screw for fear that it short circuits something inside the computer.
I spent much of today working … again … on maintenance and repair projects. I made multiple trips to the Pole Barn to use the tools and equipment there. I removed the old stair nosing and installed the new stair nosing in the trailer. At the Pole Barn I cut, deburred, drilled, and countersunk the new stair nosing. It’s so much easier to do a job like that on a workbench with a vise, and a nearby grinder, than to do it on the tailgate of the truck. I did part 1 of 2 of repairing the driver’s seat lumbar adjustment that broke our first day on the road. I glued some broken parts and we’ll see tomorrow if that worked. I’m not all that hopeful. Of course, I have a “Plan B”. The broken leg on our boot tray that I glued a few days ago fell apart today. At the Pole Barn I found a piece of pipe that I am going to try to fabricate into a new leg for the boot tray. That will be one of tomorrow’s jobs.
At 4 PM we headed to the dog park for our daily dog party. Bo spends an hour each day playing with his friends, and it’s great. It tires him out so much that each evening he goes to sleep at 8:30 PM and sleeps for twelve hours. There is a lot of interest in his agility components, more by the dog owners than by their dogs. HA HA HA ! After the dog party I went to the clubhouse for an hour of working online. I signed onto Skype to make a test call using my old cell phone hands free headset with the new adaptor plug I bought the other day when … WHOA … an incoming text message from Joanne’s brother-in-law in Winnipeg, Doug. I had invited the Carlson’s to download Skype software so that we can have free video chats with Joanne’s nieces. Doug had downloaded Skype although their computer doesn’t have a webcam or microphone. After a few minutes of bumbling and stumbling by both Doug and me, we were able to figure out how to communicate with one another. They can see and hear me on their computer, and communicate with me in return by sending text messages. It was neat to “talk” with Doug, Madeleine, Amelia, and Lorraine. Hopefully they will get a microphone and perhaps even a webcam, and we can have “real” Skype calls with audio and video. I never did succeed in making the old cell phone hands free headset work. I hope I can get a refund from Radio Shack for the adaptor.
Wednesday ; Nope … my driver’s seat back lumbar adjustment glue repair did not work ! I’ll have to try “Plan B”, a much more complex approach.
Today was mild and lightly overcast. While my lumbar adjustment glue repair didn’t work, this morning I did manage to fabricate and install a new leg on the boot tray using a piece of pipe. Oh, well … one out of two ! Late this morning we went to the clubhouse. Joanne wanted to use the Wi-Fi phone to make some phone calls to research some local attractions, and I had quite a bit of online work I wanted to get done. I didn’t get all my work done. One of the first things I did was send a Skype invitation to our friend Julie. She was online at the time, received the invitation immediately, and before too long she had downloaded Skype software and showed up on my Skype contact list. So we Skype phoned Julie and had a long chat. Her computer doesn’t have a webcam, so we didn’t have video of her, but her computer does have a microphone, so we sat outside on a bench in front of the clubhouse with the netbook on Joanne’s lap and chatted with Julie.
Late in the afternoon we headed to the dog park for the daily dog party. After an hour of Bo romping in the dog park with his friends I went to the clubhouse and finished the online work I hadn’t completed this morning. I sent an e-mail to Hewlett-Packard about the loose screw in the computer and I researched the feasibility of switching our VOIP home phone service from Vonage to Skype.
After supper I spent the evening updating my investment files. Well, the stock market recovery slowly continues. We’re a lot better off than a year ago, although a lot worse off than 2½ years ago.
Thursday ; Today was sunny and warm again. This morning after I trimmed my beard we headed into Oakhurst to run errands. I dropped Joanne off at Raley’s to do the grocery shopping and I went to Pro Flame to drop off the trailer’s two propane tanks for recertification. Until I pick them up tomorrow we will be without propane in the trailer, so no furnace and no stove. I went to Radio Shack and returned the adaptor I bought a few days ago. I went to H & L Lumber and shopped for hardware. I compiled a myriad of hardware that I hoped I could assemble into a concoction that would enable me to repair the driver’s seat back lumbar adjustment using a somewhat complex “Mexican mechanic” approach. I returned to Raley’s, picked up Joanne, and we headed home to SKP Park of the Sierras.
After lunch, and a short nap with Sully, I headed for the Pole Barn to work on the lumbar adjustment repair. The parts of the job that I thought would be most difficult went well. The parts of the job that I thought would be relatively easy turned out to be difficult. However, eventually I completed the repair and I am pleased and proud of the result. While I was at the Pole Barn Joanne walked with Bo to the dog park for the daily dog party. When I was finished at the Pole Barn I picked them up at the dog park.
We left Bo waiting in the truck and we went to the clubhouse. Joanne went to the library and I got online to retrieve e-mail. My first e-mail was from Joanne’s brother-in-law Doug. He had purchased a webcam with microphone and was ready and waiting for our first Skype video call. I connected and … WOO-HOO … there was the entire Carlson family on my computer screen, including Macie their new dog. I rushed over to the library room and got Joanne. We had a GREAT video chat with Joanne’s family. We are VERY impressed with Skype. We arranged to make another call on Sunday to allow the nieces to see Sully.
Hewlett-Packard responded to my e-mail and it seems as if the only way I can get the loose screw in the new computer repaired is to ship it back to HP Canada ( sigh ). It’s not practical to do that until we are somewhere we plan to stay for awhile. I suppose that I’ll have to arrange to ship the computer back to HP Canada for repair once we arrive in Yuma, Arizona in about a month. I dread the idea of being without a computer while mine is being shipped back and forth and being repaired, especially since the Christmas season will undoubtedly slow down the process. Perhaps while we’re in Palm Springs in a few weeks I’ll try to find a Hewlett Packard authorized service centre and attempt to convince them to allow me to bring the computer in for a “walk in” warranty repair, although that’s not the procedure set up by HP for warranty repairs on netbooks.
After supper we watched Survivor.
Friday ; Today started out sunny and warm, but became cloudy and cooler in the afternoon. In the evening it began to rain lightly.
This morning we headed to Oakhurst. We had only a couple of quick errands to do, so Bo came along for a “drivey”. We picked up the newly recertified propane tanks at Pro Flame, then refilled one of our five gallon water jugs. On our way back to SKP Park of the Sierras, we stopped at a thrift shop in Coarsegold. Joanne wanted to browse. ( sigh ) Bo and I waited in the truck … for almost an hour !
After lunch and a nap with Sully, I joined Joanne in a project she has undertaken to review and purge all of our paperwork files. She had already completed our travel information files and needed my participation to review and purge all of our medical files, corporate files, personal income tax and investment files. We reviewed and purged heavily when we started full time travelling, but that was 5½ years ago, and it was definitely time for another purge.
As usual we went to the dog park for the daily dog party, then the clubhouse for some online work before supper.
Saturday ; Today was mostly sunny and mild. We spent the day in Fresno, about a 45 minute drive south of SKP Park of the Sierras.
After some morning chores we headed south on Hwy. 41 to Fresno to a tourist attraction Joanne was interested in seeing. Forestiere Underground Gardens was built by Baldasare Forestiere, an immigrant from Sicily, between 1906 and 1946. He spent 40 years, with hand tools only, excavating and sculpting an underground complex of rooms, niches, patios, courtyards, and passageways, over 10 acres … and planted and grew citrus trees and grapevines in the catacombs. Very strange project ! Must have been a very strange man ! The site is currently owned and operated by his nieces and nephews.
When we came out of Forestiere Underground Gardens, well … how fortuitous ! Across the street was an IN-N-OUT Burger. Oh boy, our first IN-N-OUT Burger lunch of this year. After lunch we headed towards the historic Tower District. But on the way, we stopped at a PetSmart and stocked up on Greenies for Bo. Good thing … we were almost out of Greenies. Bo is addicted to having a Greenie every evening. We also stopped at a pool supply store to buy some new pool noodle mesh chairs, but the brand that they had wasn’t quite what we were looking for. We’ll look again in Palm Springs where we originally bought our pool noodle chairs.
The historic Tower District of Fresno was … well … a little mundane, actually. But … I noticed that the old Tower Theatre was advertising a New Year’s Eve live performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show. WOW … what a neat way to spend New Year’s Eve that would be ! We stopped at a small open air produce market, and … how fortuitous … again … beside the open air produce market was a … WOO-HOO … panaderia. HA HA HA ! While Joanne went to buy fruits and vegetables, I bought pan dulce. Six of ‘em ! Big ones !
After the Tower District, and before leaving Fresno, it was time for … ( big sigh ) … Wal-Martin’. Violating my long standing rule of “no Wal-Martin’ on weekends”. By the time we had finished shopping in this old, small ( by Wal-Mart standards ), congested Wal-Mart I was pretty cranky and ready to head for home.
We arrived home just in time to see the sun set behind the mountains. Very pretty ! We usually miss the sunset because we are in the dog park at that time.
A few days ago something in my right knee “popped” and I have had to wear a knee brace ever since. On today’s outing I even used my walking stick / cane but even so, I have been favouring my right knee so much that now even my right hip is hurting as well. I need new knees ! On the other hand, the Glucosamine & Chondroitin supplement ( for dogs ! ) that we have been feeding to Sully for the past month because his hips were so stiff and sore has worked so well that he now runs back and forth from the bedroom to the living room, up and down the stairs.
DSK
Sunday ; Today was another lovely, sunny, mild day. We had a lazy morning. This afternoon we went to the park’s regular Sunday afternoon weekly ice cream social. We sat at a table with a woman from Washington and her interesting travel companion. She travels with her 42 year old developmentally disabled son. He is a former Para-Olympic and Para-World Games athlete, competing in swimming events. He has two Para-Olympic gold medals. He broke / held a disabled athletics world record in 1990. Very interesting fellow !
After the ice cream social we went to the daily “dog party” at the dog park. Some dogs we hadn't met before came, to try out the small dog agility course we set up in the dog park. New guests in the park are introduced and welcomed publicly at the weekly ice cream social. At that time I extended an invitation to all to come to the dog park and try out K9 Agility. Not surprisingly, Patches the Border Collie did well.
After the dog party, as it got dark, I went to the clubhouse to use Wi-Fi and update my blog. I took an empty propane tank to the park’s propane refill station to be refilled tomorrow morning. After supper we watched Amazing Race, after having missed the last couple of episodes.
Monday ; Today was a beautiful day, sunny and warm. This morning we went to Oakhurst. I dropped Joanne off at Vons to do grocery shopping, then I went to Kragen Auto Parts to buy oil and a filter. When I checked the Kragen flyer at the front of the store … WOO-HOO … diesel oil in gallons was on sale, buy one get one free. I needed three gallons for the oil change, so I bought four for the price of two. Next I went to Radio Shack where I bought an adaptor to allow me to use an old cell phone hands free headset that I have, when I use Skype on my new netbook computer. From there I drove to a hardware store and bought a couple of sections of stair nosing. I am going to change the stair nosing in the trailer. The current stair nosing has a smooth surface and Joanne has fallen down the stairs twice in the last few months when her foot has slipped over the edge of the stair as she descends from the bathroom hallway to the living room. I bought stair nosing with a texture that will hopefully prevent any more falls. Finally I went to Oakhurst Veterinary Hospital. They had an ad in the local newspaper advertising a special on dental work. Both Bo and Sully need a dental cleaning. We were going to have it done later this winter in Yuma, Arizona, but perhaps we’ll have it done here. I got an estimate sheet from the local veterinarian, and I will contact the veterinarian we use in Yuma by phone or e-mail to get an estimate for comparison.
I picked Joanne up at the grocery store and headed back to SKP Park of the Sierras. Just before reaching the park Joanne noticed some very large Jeffrey Pine cones on the side of the road. We stopped and collected a few to replace the old dried out ones I have back home as decoration in a cedar planter. On the way back into the park I stopped at the propane refill station to pick up my refilled tank. The fellow that was doing the propane refilling pointed out to me that the certification on my propane tank had expired on November 1. He had refilled the tank to ensure that we weren’t without propane for the furnace on these cold nights ( he was unaware that I have two tanks ), but advised me that I would have to have my tanks recertified before they could be refilled again. I got information from him on where to have my propane tanks recertified in Oakhurst.
After lunch I headed to the Pole Barn to do an oil change on the truck. My friend Mischa came to help me. I had never changed the oil and filter on a one ton diesel dually before. And it’s probably been more than 25 years since I last changed the oil on any vehicle. The job went as well as could be expected. The Pole Barn had all the necessary tools and equipment ; oil drain pans, oil filter wrenches, grease guns, even a used oil disposal drum. Have I mentioned that I love staying at Escapee parks ? But … you would think that with a diesel engine that large, and an engine compartment that large, Cummins could have designed the placement of the oil filter somewhere other than a spot where only somebody with the hands and arms of an eight year old girl could reach it ! I also lubricated the front ball joints. Despite the owner’s manual clearly stating that the front ball joints are “sealed for life” and have no grease nipples, I found grease nipples on each front ball joint. I could not find a grease nipple on the front driveshaft where the owner’s manual AND a decal in the engine compartment both say ( and show with a diagram ) there is a grease nipple that must be lubricated at each oil change. The money that I saved by doing the oil change myself will be far more than enough to pay for a buffet lunch at the Chukchansi Casino before we leave here.
I returned to the trailer just as Joanne was leaving with Bo to head for the daily dog party in the dog park. I was greasy from my fingertips to my armpits, so I had to shower before heading to the dog park. As I stepped out of the shower there was a knock at the door. I answered the door soaking wet with a towel wrapped around my waist. It was another elderly couple from the park’s Hello Committee. They were so … mortified … at me answering the door like that that I didn’t have the heart to tell them that somebody from the Hello Committee had already stopped by. They said they would return tomorrow “at a more convenient time”. HA HA HA … yeah, okay.
The dozen or so dogs that are at the dog park on a regular basis were all in fine form today, perhaps because of the lovely weather. Even the old and / or timid ones were romping. After the dog party we went to the clubhouse where I used Wi-Fi while Joanne browsed the park’s “bargain table”. As she seems to do on a regular basis at SKP parks’ bargain tables, and / or Salvation Army thrift shops, she found me a brand new, unworn pair of Dockers brand pants in my waist size and leg length.
Tuesday ; Today was another sunny, warm day. The hydro service provider for this area of California charges for hydro on a graduated scale. The more hydro used per day, the higher the rate per kilowatt hour. And we have to pay for hydro usage in this RV park. So this morning I took a hydro meter reading and calculated our hydro usage and rate for the six days we’ve been here. YIKES ! Oh, Sully … I think we’re going to have to drastically reduce the usage of your heater blankie and the bedroom space heater.
DARN ! My new netbook computer has developed a rattle. It sounds like a small screw on the inside has become loose. I have tried shaking it out, to no avail. I’m afraid to try to open the computer case myself. And I really don’t want to ship it back for warranty service. The computer’s manual says that is the method for warranty service. I’m going to try to contact Hewlett-Packard by e-mail and see if there might be some other method for obtaining warranty service. I’m hoping that they may allow me to take it in for “walk-in” warranty service somewhere in Yuma, Arizona or Palm Springs, California. I’m afraid to ignore the loose, rattling screw for fear that it short circuits something inside the computer.
I spent much of today working … again … on maintenance and repair projects. I made multiple trips to the Pole Barn to use the tools and equipment there. I removed the old stair nosing and installed the new stair nosing in the trailer. At the Pole Barn I cut, deburred, drilled, and countersunk the new stair nosing. It’s so much easier to do a job like that on a workbench with a vise, and a nearby grinder, than to do it on the tailgate of the truck. I did part 1 of 2 of repairing the driver’s seat lumbar adjustment that broke our first day on the road. I glued some broken parts and we’ll see tomorrow if that worked. I’m not all that hopeful. Of course, I have a “Plan B”. The broken leg on our boot tray that I glued a few days ago fell apart today. At the Pole Barn I found a piece of pipe that I am going to try to fabricate into a new leg for the boot tray. That will be one of tomorrow’s jobs.
At 4 PM we headed to the dog park for our daily dog party. Bo spends an hour each day playing with his friends, and it’s great. It tires him out so much that each evening he goes to sleep at 8:30 PM and sleeps for twelve hours. There is a lot of interest in his agility components, more by the dog owners than by their dogs. HA HA HA ! After the dog party I went to the clubhouse for an hour of working online. I signed onto Skype to make a test call using my old cell phone hands free headset with the new adaptor plug I bought the other day when … WHOA … an incoming text message from Joanne’s brother-in-law in Winnipeg, Doug. I had invited the Carlson’s to download Skype software so that we can have free video chats with Joanne’s nieces. Doug had downloaded Skype although their computer doesn’t have a webcam or microphone. After a few minutes of bumbling and stumbling by both Doug and me, we were able to figure out how to communicate with one another. They can see and hear me on their computer, and communicate with me in return by sending text messages. It was neat to “talk” with Doug, Madeleine, Amelia, and Lorraine. Hopefully they will get a microphone and perhaps even a webcam, and we can have “real” Skype calls with audio and video. I never did succeed in making the old cell phone hands free headset work. I hope I can get a refund from Radio Shack for the adaptor.
Wednesday ; Nope … my driver’s seat back lumbar adjustment glue repair did not work ! I’ll have to try “Plan B”, a much more complex approach.
Today was mild and lightly overcast. While my lumbar adjustment glue repair didn’t work, this morning I did manage to fabricate and install a new leg on the boot tray using a piece of pipe. Oh, well … one out of two ! Late this morning we went to the clubhouse. Joanne wanted to use the Wi-Fi phone to make some phone calls to research some local attractions, and I had quite a bit of online work I wanted to get done. I didn’t get all my work done. One of the first things I did was send a Skype invitation to our friend Julie. She was online at the time, received the invitation immediately, and before too long she had downloaded Skype software and showed up on my Skype contact list. So we Skype phoned Julie and had a long chat. Her computer doesn’t have a webcam, so we didn’t have video of her, but her computer does have a microphone, so we sat outside on a bench in front of the clubhouse with the netbook on Joanne’s lap and chatted with Julie.
Late in the afternoon we headed to the dog park for the daily dog party. After an hour of Bo romping in the dog park with his friends I went to the clubhouse and finished the online work I hadn’t completed this morning. I sent an e-mail to Hewlett-Packard about the loose screw in the computer and I researched the feasibility of switching our VOIP home phone service from Vonage to Skype.
After supper I spent the evening updating my investment files. Well, the stock market recovery slowly continues. We’re a lot better off than a year ago, although a lot worse off than 2½ years ago.
Thursday ; Today was sunny and warm again. This morning after I trimmed my beard we headed into Oakhurst to run errands. I dropped Joanne off at Raley’s to do the grocery shopping and I went to Pro Flame to drop off the trailer’s two propane tanks for recertification. Until I pick them up tomorrow we will be without propane in the trailer, so no furnace and no stove. I went to Radio Shack and returned the adaptor I bought a few days ago. I went to H & L Lumber and shopped for hardware. I compiled a myriad of hardware that I hoped I could assemble into a concoction that would enable me to repair the driver’s seat back lumbar adjustment using a somewhat complex “Mexican mechanic” approach. I returned to Raley’s, picked up Joanne, and we headed home to SKP Park of the Sierras.
After lunch, and a short nap with Sully, I headed for the Pole Barn to work on the lumbar adjustment repair. The parts of the job that I thought would be most difficult went well. The parts of the job that I thought would be relatively easy turned out to be difficult. However, eventually I completed the repair and I am pleased and proud of the result. While I was at the Pole Barn Joanne walked with Bo to the dog park for the daily dog party. When I was finished at the Pole Barn I picked them up at the dog park.
We left Bo waiting in the truck and we went to the clubhouse. Joanne went to the library and I got online to retrieve e-mail. My first e-mail was from Joanne’s brother-in-law Doug. He had purchased a webcam with microphone and was ready and waiting for our first Skype video call. I connected and … WOO-HOO … there was the entire Carlson family on my computer screen, including Macie their new dog. I rushed over to the library room and got Joanne. We had a GREAT video chat with Joanne’s family. We are VERY impressed with Skype. We arranged to make another call on Sunday to allow the nieces to see Sully.
Hewlett-Packard responded to my e-mail and it seems as if the only way I can get the loose screw in the new computer repaired is to ship it back to HP Canada ( sigh ). It’s not practical to do that until we are somewhere we plan to stay for awhile. I suppose that I’ll have to arrange to ship the computer back to HP Canada for repair once we arrive in Yuma, Arizona in about a month. I dread the idea of being without a computer while mine is being shipped back and forth and being repaired, especially since the Christmas season will undoubtedly slow down the process. Perhaps while we’re in Palm Springs in a few weeks I’ll try to find a Hewlett Packard authorized service centre and attempt to convince them to allow me to bring the computer in for a “walk in” warranty repair, although that’s not the procedure set up by HP for warranty repairs on netbooks.
After supper we watched Survivor.
Friday ; Today started out sunny and warm, but became cloudy and cooler in the afternoon. In the evening it began to rain lightly.
This morning we headed to Oakhurst. We had only a couple of quick errands to do, so Bo came along for a “drivey”. We picked up the newly recertified propane tanks at Pro Flame, then refilled one of our five gallon water jugs. On our way back to SKP Park of the Sierras, we stopped at a thrift shop in Coarsegold. Joanne wanted to browse. ( sigh ) Bo and I waited in the truck … for almost an hour !
After lunch and a nap with Sully, I joined Joanne in a project she has undertaken to review and purge all of our paperwork files. She had already completed our travel information files and needed my participation to review and purge all of our medical files, corporate files, personal income tax and investment files. We reviewed and purged heavily when we started full time travelling, but that was 5½ years ago, and it was definitely time for another purge.
As usual we went to the dog park for the daily dog party, then the clubhouse for some online work before supper.
Saturday ; Today was mostly sunny and mild. We spent the day in Fresno, about a 45 minute drive south of SKP Park of the Sierras.
After some morning chores we headed south on Hwy. 41 to Fresno to a tourist attraction Joanne was interested in seeing. Forestiere Underground Gardens was built by Baldasare Forestiere, an immigrant from Sicily, between 1906 and 1946. He spent 40 years, with hand tools only, excavating and sculpting an underground complex of rooms, niches, patios, courtyards, and passageways, over 10 acres … and planted and grew citrus trees and grapevines in the catacombs. Very strange project ! Must have been a very strange man ! The site is currently owned and operated by his nieces and nephews.
When we came out of Forestiere Underground Gardens, well … how fortuitous ! Across the street was an IN-N-OUT Burger. Oh boy, our first IN-N-OUT Burger lunch of this year. After lunch we headed towards the historic Tower District. But on the way, we stopped at a PetSmart and stocked up on Greenies for Bo. Good thing … we were almost out of Greenies. Bo is addicted to having a Greenie every evening. We also stopped at a pool supply store to buy some new pool noodle mesh chairs, but the brand that they had wasn’t quite what we were looking for. We’ll look again in Palm Springs where we originally bought our pool noodle chairs.
The historic Tower District of Fresno was … well … a little mundane, actually. But … I noticed that the old Tower Theatre was advertising a New Year’s Eve live performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show. WOW … what a neat way to spend New Year’s Eve that would be ! We stopped at a small open air produce market, and … how fortuitous … again … beside the open air produce market was a … WOO-HOO … panaderia. HA HA HA ! While Joanne went to buy fruits and vegetables, I bought pan dulce. Six of ‘em ! Big ones !
After the Tower District, and before leaving Fresno, it was time for … ( big sigh ) … Wal-Martin’. Violating my long standing rule of “no Wal-Martin’ on weekends”. By the time we had finished shopping in this old, small ( by Wal-Mart standards ), congested Wal-Mart I was pretty cranky and ready to head for home.
We arrived home just in time to see the sun set behind the mountains. Very pretty ! We usually miss the sunset because we are in the dog park at that time.
A few days ago something in my right knee “popped” and I have had to wear a knee brace ever since. On today’s outing I even used my walking stick / cane but even so, I have been favouring my right knee so much that now even my right hip is hurting as well. I need new knees ! On the other hand, the Glucosamine & Chondroitin supplement ( for dogs ! ) that we have been feeding to Sully for the past month because his hips were so stiff and sore has worked so well that he now runs back and forth from the bedroom to the living room, up and down the stairs.
DSK
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