April 11 to 17, 2010

April 11 to 17, 2010 ;  Coarsegold, California to Coos Bay, Oregon


Sunday ; Today was cold and raining, lightly in the morning and early afternoon, then heavier in the late afternoon. This morning we trimmed Bo’s and Sully’s claws. I posted my weekly journal to my blog. After lunch we were planning to attend the weekly ice cream social, but the weather made us ambivalent. We didn’t go, napping instead. We took the barbecue’s small propane tank for refilling to the park’s propane refill station. We took Bo for a walk in the rain to Coarsegold Creek which is near our campsite. I did some investments reconciliation work.

After supper I started work on our income tax returns ( sigh ). We watched a lot of TV ; Amazing Race, Undercover Boss, and Celebrity Apprentice, cuddled up on the couch under a blankie, trying to ward off the cold chill of the damp evening.

Monday ; Another cold, wet day. This morning I phoned Alliance Woodcraft, got my questions answered, and … WOO-HOO … bought a gazebo. Ten foot by ten foot, screened, made of Western Red Cedar. We’re looking forward to having it on our lot back home at Riverside RV Park Resort in Keremeos. I’m not really looking forward to having to build it. It’s a kit, comprised of pre-cut pieces of wood and, of course, a lot of hardware and instructions.

This afternoon we picked up the barbecue’s small propane tank from the park’s propane refill station then headed to the village of Coarsegold. While I went to the small grocery store in town to buy milk, Joanne went to look at the town’s small thrift shop ( rolling eyes ). Back at home we spent the rest of the damp, chilly afternoon reading and napping.

In the evening we watched TV. I started work on preparing a site plan of our lot back home, showing placement of our new gazebo. I will have to submit that to our park’s lot approval committee. And I did a bit of work on our income tax returns.

Tuesday ; Today was partially sunny and cool. This morning I disassembled and cleaned the Fantastic Fan in the kitchen, then thoroughly cleaned the barbecue. UGH … what a dirty job ! But the barbecue seems to still be in fairly good shape, and I hope it will last for the summer. I’ve already bought a replacement. Joanne prepared a picnic lunch and we set off for a day trip.

We headed north on Hwy. 41 through Coarsegold and Oakhurst then turned onto back roads leading to Bass Lake in Sierra National Forest. We drove slowly around Bass Lake stopping a few times to walk around a bit. Bo seemed a bit ill, with diarrhea. Poor Bo. We checked out a few National Forest day use / picnic areas and a campground. We had our picnic lunch at a boat launch area at Wishon Cove on Bass Lake. We drove completely around Bass Lake then just drove around on back roads, exploring until we found Manzanita Lake, and then the village of North Fork. From there we found our way back to Hwy. 41 and returned to SKP Park of the Sierras. Saw lots of beautiful wildflowers in bloom today !

Joanne quickly prepared a couple of loads of laundry to take to the laundromat, and we headed off with Bo to do laundry and go to the daily dog party, Bo’s last dog party here. Bo romped and we visited while waiting for the laundry to be done. Bo was a bit subdued, definitely not feeling great. We returned to the trailer, I downloaded and processed the photos I took today, and we hitched the truck to the trailer in preparation for departure tomorrow morning.

After supper I completed our gazebo site plan to be submitted to Riverside RV Park Resort’s lot approval committee. I worked for about an hour on our personal income tax returns. I’m trying to work for about an hour each evening on our income tax returns, hoping that I can complete them before the end of the month. If I do, it will be the first time in 22 years that I finish our income tax returns on time. HA HA HA !

Wednesday ; SKP Park of the Sierras to Sacramento, California

This morning we departed SKP Park of the Sierras and headed north on Hwy. 41 through Coarsegold to Oakhurst where we refilled with diesel. From Oakhurst we headed northwest on Hwy. 49 to Mariposa, then southwest on Hwy. 140 to Merced. What a lovely section of Central California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains this morning’s drive was. At the edge of Merced we stopped at a produce stand to buy some cheap, fresh avocadoes … and corn. The avocadoes are fine, but we had some of the corn for supper, and it was terrible ! At Merced we got onto Hwy. 99 heading north. We stopped at a rest area near Turlock to have lunch.

After lunch Joanne drove from the rest area to Lodi while I napped. She did extremely well considering that she hadn’t driven the rig for at least 5 months, and the traffic on Hwy. 99 was very heavy. I drove from Lodi to Sacramento, stopping to take some photos of the stupendous wildflowers blooming alongside the highway. We entered Sacramento from the south on Hwy. 99, the South Sacramento Freeway. We turned northeast onto Business Route Interstate 80, the Capital City Freeway, then continued through and out of Sacramento on Interstate 80 to the suburb of Rocklin, where we found our way to Camping World.

At Camping World I bought a new propane regulator with tank changeover, and a snap in screen for the Fantastic Fan to replace the screw in screen. That will make disassembly for cleaning easier. Joanne thought it would be a good idea to install the new propane regulator / tank changeover in the parking lot of Camping World, then boondock there overnight. Good idea ! It’s a good idea to install RV parts right in the parking lot of where they were bought. If any problems arise, it makes solving them so much easier. And it was already pretty late in the afternoon and we had driven a reasonable amount for the day. I removed the old propane regulator / tank changeover, and installed the new one. There was even enough daylight left that I removed the Fantastic Fan screw in screen and installed the new snap in one.

We had supper, and while Joanne washed dishes I did today’s credit card and traveller’s cheque accounting and worked on my daily journal. I worked for about half an hour on my income tax return.

Thursday ; Sacramento to Francis B. Mathews Memorial Rest Area between Burnt Ranch & Selyer in Shasta - Trinity National Forest, California

Oh, for crying out loud ! ! ! I’ve just sat down on the sofa to begin working on this journal entry, and I knocked over my mug of iced tea ! ! ! I’m tired, and beyond peak efficiency, I guess.

Today was a very pleasant, sunny and warm day. We departed Camping World fairly early this morning and decided to head north on back roads instead of the Interstate. We left the Sacramento suburb of Rocklin heading north on Hwy. 65. It was a very pleasant drive. Between Thermalito and Chico we used Hwy. 149 to cut over to Hwy. 99 and up to Chico. At Chico we headed west on Hwy. 32 over to Interstate 5 at Orland. Then north on I-5 to the Flying J at Corning. We refilled with diesel, dumped the grey water waste holding tanks and refilled the freshwater holding tank. I love Flying J’s ! We continued north on I-5 to Red Bluff where we stopped to have lunch in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

After lunch Joanne went into the Wal-Mart to replenish supplies while I napped with the animals. She was in the store about 45 minutes and was almost finished shopping when the power went out. Customers were told to leave their shopping carts where they were and leave the store. What a waste of almost an hour. We continued north on I-5 to the next city, Anderson, where we again stopped at Wal-Mart. This store was also without power. We later found out that the power outage was fairly widespread in Northern California, and lasted over 2 hours ! We decided to defer our Wal-Martin’ for a couple of days until we are in Oregon where there is no sales tax.

We continued north on I-5 to Redding which had been our objective for the day. But it was way too early in the day to stop so we headed west on Hwy. 299 heading for the Pacific Coast and the California Redwoods forests. It was up, over, and through the Shasta Mountains, following the Trinity River through, of course, Shasta - Trinity National Forest. It was a difficult drive, but very scenic. The Shasta Mountains are part of the Cascade Range, and the drive reminded me of back home, driving along Hwy. 3 following the Similkameen River.

We stopped for the night at a rest area about an hour or so from the Pacific Coast. We had driven a lot and I was tired. ( sigh ) When we turned the fridge on, the propane refused to light, I had to partially disassemble the burner / igniter assembly and light it manually with a barbecue lighter. There seems to be two parts to the problem. Firstly, the new propane regulator seems to pump propane at a lower pressure than the old regulator did. And secondly, driving on bumpy roads seems to have dislodged desert dust, dirt, and old cobwebs that have fallen down around the burner and igniter assembly. Getting in there to clean it all out and adjust the igniter will take quite a bit of disassembly, and I didn’t have enough energy or daylight left to tackle the job today. I’ll just have to watch the fridge function light and whenever it malfunctions I’ll just have to go outside and relight it manually. Of course that will only be a problem when the fridge is on propane function, like when we’re boondocking. When we’re connected to power in a campground, the fridge will function on electricity.

Friday ; Shasta - Trinity National Forest , California to Harris Beach State Park, Oregon

Today was sunny and warm. This morning we left the rest area and continued heading west on Hwy. 299 until it ended at Interstate 5 at the city of Arcata on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. We found our way to Safeway and replenished groceries. Not very big rig friendly streets in Arcata. Not a very big rig friendly parking lot at Safeway. About fifteen miles or so north of Arcata we stopped at a roadside rest area in a redwood forest to have lunch, walk around a bit, and take some photos.

For the rest of the day we were driving either through redwood forests or along the Pacific coast. What fantastic scenery ! We stopped at the first stretch of ocean beach where it was obvious I could park the rig. Bo was sooooo excited to be back on an ocean beach. We trudged along through the soft, deep sand taking photos, and playing fetch with a piece of redwood driftwood. As we drove through the Yurok Indian Reservation we stopped at Paul’s Famous Smoked Salmon and bought a few pieces of smoked salon and candied salmon. Very expensive but very worth it. Fresh Chinook Salmon caught by Natives near the mouth of the Klamath River where it empties into the ocean, then smoked and/or candied. MMMMM ! ! ! We stopped at a California Redwoods museum and gift shop called Trees Of Mystery. They didn’t have what I was specifically looking for. As we drove we saw a fox and some Roosevelt Elk. We stopped to refill with diesel at Crescent City. Geeeeez …. We’re spending more than $100 a day on diesel when we travel !

Late in the afternoon we crossed from California into Oregon and stopped for the night at Harris Beach State Park. While I got the trailer utilities ( electricity, water, sewer ) hooked up in our site, Joanne quickly put together a stew and got it cooking. We walked through the campground and down a very steep, difficult trail to the ocean. WOW ! ! ! We were on a rugged rock beach filled with tidal pools, facing a huge offshore rock with an arch through which the incoming tide surf was crashing. Bo and I scrambled over the rocks and found anemones and star fish in little tidal pools.

We couldn’t stay and explore for very long because it was almost dark, the stew was on the stove, and we had to climb back up the difficult, steep trail. Whew ! As we walked back through the campground to the trailer to have supper, it began to rain very lightly.

For the second night in a row, I ran out of day long before I ran out of work. For the second night in a row I did not work on our income taxes. After supper I did today’s credit card accounting, downloaded the last few days’ photos out of the camera, and worked on this journal entry. Along with the income taxes the processing of the photos will have to wait for another day. Bo was very tired and went to sleep by himself quite early. Hey, Bo … you’re getting old !

Saturday ; Harris Beach State Park to Sunset Bay State Park, Oregon

Today was cloudy and warm. We slept in a bit and I needed to do some maintenance work this morning so we didn’t leave Harris Beach State Park until 11:30 AM. We continued north on Hwy. 101 enjoying the lovely scenery along the Pacific coast of Oregon. Near the town of Ophir we turned inland for a couple of miles looking for Honey Bear RV Resort. It’s owned by an elderly German couple and the restaurant they operate at their RV park was highly recommended to us by a woman at SKP Park of the Sierras. We wanted to have lunch there. When we arrived we found that the restaurant is open only for supper. HMPH … too bad. Further north on Hwy. 101 we stopped for lunch at a picnic area at Humbug Mountain. Had smoked salmon with cream cheese on a bun for lunch. MMMMM … MMMMM … MMMMM ! ! !

At the town of Bandon On The Sea we pulled off the highway into historic Old Town, parked, and wandered around the two square block shopping / tourist attraction area. I wanted to buy some fresh fish, but the two fish stores’ prices were not to my liking. I wanted to buy some fresh baking at a bakery but again the prices were not to my liking. I bought some day old pastries at half price, which made the prices almost reasonable.

Heading north, approaching Coos Bay from the south, we wanted to take a back road “rear” entrance to the state park we were headed for. The highway along the coast is hilly and winding. It takes all my concentration to drive. Joanne’s job is to navigate. She missed signage in advance of the turn off we were looking for. By the time I saw the road sign, it was too late. Nevertheless, and with traffic following close behind me, I slammed on the brakes and yanked the wheel, making a hard left turn way too fast. What a bonehead manoeuver ! ! ! I’ve been driving for four days now, three of them on somewhat difficult to drive winding mountain roads. I’m fatigued and made a wrong, split second decision. That’s how pilots and highway drivers kill themselves … and their passengers ! I know better ! I reacted with rage for the next few minutes. I was very angry at Joanne for missing the sign. I was very angry at myself for the bad decision making. The experience left me feeling sour and negative for the rest of the day.

And after all that, we didn’t travel down that road. After a few miles it became gravel. We turned around and returned to the highway. We drove north to and through the city of Coos Bay, then turned toward Sunset Bay State Park. We found the state park, got set up in a site ( even this tired I still have the skill to squeeze a 47½ foot long rig … backwards … into a 43 foot long campsite ), then walked through the campground and down the road a little way to the day use area and beach on Sunset Bay. We wandered the length of the beach in the sheltered bay then scrambled around on the rocks looking for tidal pools and the interesting things that inhabit them. Found a Dungeness Crab and some small sea anemones. Bo loves beachcombing !

DSK

April 4 to 10, 2010

April 4 to 10, 2010 ; Palm Springs to Coarsegold, California


Easter ; Today was sunny and hot, becoming very windy late in the afternoon, as it has every day that we’ve been here.

We spent the afternoon at the City of Palm Springs dog park, behind city hall, beside the airport. It’s a great dog park, with one section for small dogs, and a larger one for large dogs. Bo likes to visit and play in both sections. It’s a joy to spend time in a dog park with Bo. He’s such a sociable little fellow, visiting everybody and playing happily with all dogs, small and large.

Joanne had a brief Skype video chat with her sister. For Easter dinner we roasted a chicken, pollo asado style, marinated in achiotte. I started out barbecuing it, but couldn’t keep the barbecue lit because of the extremely strong winds. After supper we watched Amazing Race, Undercover Boss, and Celebrity Apprentice.

There was a very strong earthquake ( magnitude 7.2 ) today south of here centred in Mexicali, Mexico, that caused some local damage. We were in the dog park at the time and didn’t feel anything.

Monday ; Today was extremely windy, uncomfortably so. We considered leaving today, but the wind would have made travel difficult, perhaps even dangerous.

Late this morning we headed to downtown Palm Springs to have lunch at Sherman’s Deli. MMMMM … sweet & sour cabbage soup, hot pastrami, chopped liver … MMMMM ! ! ! After lunch we headed to a downtown charity thrift shop called Revivals. It’s operated by, patronized by, and is in support of Palm Springs considerably sized gay community. Revivals has free HIV testing every Saturday. The concept of thrift stores in Palm Springs is different than anywhere else. Racks of men’s tuxedos and women’s “designer original” gowns. All priced between $25 and $50. I was admiring a double breasted tuxedo in my size, and a gorgeous evening gown in Joanne’s size, and had to remind myself that our tuxedo and evening gown wearing days are behind us.

From downtown we headed out to the suburbs of Cathedral City. We refilled Lanoire with diesel in anticipation of travelling tomorrow. While Joanne went into Wal-Mart for a few groceries I went to PetsMart to buy some more Glucosamine treats for Sully. They only had one package, so we still don’t have enough to last the summer.

We picked up a couple of real estate guides while we were downtown, and then browsed through them later in the afternoon at home. Joanne would like to buy the actor William Holden’s home estate in Palm Springs which is for sale … for five and a half million dollars !

Late in the evening the wind finally stopped, so we went to the mineral hot springs pool for one last soak. A few feet away from stepping into the pool we were stopped and told that the pool area was closing for the night and we had to leave. HMPH !

Tuesday ; Palm Springs to Lebec, California

Today was sunny and warm in Palm Springs when we were leaving, sunny and mild when we stopped for the night at an elevation about 4100 feet. We travelled scenic back roads today, mostly to avoid Riverside, San Bernardino, and the eastern suburbs of Los Angeles. Also we wanted to travel a route that we haven’t taken before.

We left Caliente Springs RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs this morning and drove west on Dillon Road until we came to Hwy. 62. We headed north and a bit east on Hwy. 62 to the town of Yucca Valley, then turned northwest on Hwy. 247. Ever since recently reading a true crime book called Twentynine Palms, I can’t help but think of Yucca Palms and the nearby towns of Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms as the armpit of California. Hwy. 247 and Hwy. 18 followed along the north side of the San Bernardino Mountains through the Lucerne Valley and Apple Valley. At Victorville we stopped for lunch then continued west on Hwy. 18 and Hwy. 138 to Palmdale. North for a little while on Hwy. 14 then west on the continuation of Hwy. 138 through the Antelope Valley.

Joanne wanted to drive along Hwy. 138 through the Antelope Valley to see an area marked on the map as Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. WOW … miles and miles of fields coloured bright orange by California Poppies. And this seems to be peak blooming time for the poppies. Off in the distance from the highway the fields just looked brighter and brighter, so I found a dirt road leading off into the distance and decided to drive down it to explore. It seemed dry and hard enough to drive on even with the trailer in tow. And the gently sloping fields of poppies were flat enough that if necessary I could turn around, although that would result in the destruction of a lot of poppies ! We drove a few miles up into the densest parts of the poppy fields, stopping frequently to take photos. I made a couple of turns on crisscrossing dirt roads and looped around back to the highway following a dirt trail underneath some hydro lines. What a great experience that was, to see all those poppies in bloom.

When Hwy. 138 ended at Interstate 5 we turned north on I-5. Our objective for today was going to be Bakersfield. We wanted to buy a few items at Camping World, replenish at Wal-Mart, refill with diesel at Flying J, and then boondock for the night at one of those. But … it seemed unlikely that we would get to Bakersfield before Camping World closed, and we didn’t know if we could enter their lot after closing. And we found out last November that Wal-Mart in Bakersfield has prohibited overnight parking, although that prohibition is only loosely enforced. And Flying J is ten or twelve miles north of the city, so if we stayed there we would have to backtrack in the morning to shop at Camping World.

As we crested the summit of Tejon Pass on I-5 near the town of Lebec there was a rest area on one side of the highway and a Flying J on the other. Joanne thought it was sensible to stop for the night already, even though we were still 45 miles or so south of Bakersfield. We went into the rest area to check out its suitability for an overnight stay. Then we crossed the Interstate to refill with diesel at Flying J and check out their RV overnight parking area for comparison. Joanne liked the rest area better so after refilling with diesel we returned to the rest area. The days are getting longer, so there seemed to be enough daylight left for me to tackle a maintenance job that arose today. The uneven surface of the site we were in at Caliente Springs resulted in some bending damage to one of the trailer’s front jack foot pads. I removed it, straightened it, removed the adjusting leg assembly on that foot ( I never did like that adjusting leg mechanism ) and reinstalled it.

Joanne made us each a cup of tea, then we took Bo for a long walk along the arroyo alongside the rest area. Like many of California’s rest areas, this one is developed very attractively in an attractive area. When we returned to the trailer Sully felt it was his turn to go outside, so I took Sully for a brief walk, although he’s always a bit afraid of new areas, and particularly areas where there is nearby traffic. Especially big, noisy transport trucks !

Wednesday ; Lebec to SKP Park of the Sierras, Coarsegold, California

What a beautiful “June 18” day. This morning before pulling out of the rest area we took advantage of the rest area’s trailer sanitary station to dump the shower waste holding tank and top up the fresh water holding tank. In the ( almost ) four years that we’ve owned Lanoire we’ve never had a breakdown, but two years on the road with Dee-Dee taught us that we should always travel with empty waste tanks and a full freshwater tank if possible. One never knows when one will unexpectedly be boondocking in a repair facility’s parking lot !

We continued northbound on Interstate 5 until Hwy. 99 branched off I-5, then northbound on Hwy. 99 to Bakersfield. We shopped at Camping World, buying trailer wheel bearing seals so that I can repack the trailer wheel bearings this summer. I’ve never done that job myself, but I’m ready to give it a try. We shopped at Wal-Mart then continued north on Hwy. 99, stopping for lunch at a rest area near Kingsburg. At Fresno we got onto Hwy. 41 leading into the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and SKP Park of the Sierras near Coarsegold.

Bo recognized Park of the Sierras as we arrived at the gate. “HEY … THIS IS THE DOG PARTY PARK ! ! !” We checked in, and got assigned a site. How ironic … it’s the site belonging to our friends Lynn and Micha ! We rushed to get set up in our site, then took Bo to the dog park for the daily 4 PM dog party. Alas, it’s now the daily 3 PM dog party. Nevertheless, Bo enjoyed some time in the dog park. When we returned to our site, I unhitched Lanoire from Harvey, and removed an empty propane tank from Harvey and put it in Lanoire to be taken for refilling.

I downloaded and processed the photos I took yesterday in the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. WOW … spectacular ! Late in the evening Joanne went outside for something and thought she smelled propane. I discovered that the propane regulator switch that switches from one propane tank ( the empty one ) to the other ( the full one ) had failed. Since switching to the full tank and removing the empty tank 5 hours earlier, propane had been leaking, filling the propane tank compartment and finding its way into the adjacent “pass through” storage compartment. YIKES ! Close call ! That’s the sort of thing that can result in RV’s exploding, and people inside being killed ! ! !

Thursday ; Another perfect “June 18” day.

This morning I removed and disassembled the trailer’s propane regulator and tank switch assembly. It will have to be replaced. I phoned a propane service company in nearby Oakhurst, and left a message for their parts and service technician to call me back. He didn’t ! I guess I’ll just have to drive over there tomorrow. I phoned Telus in BC to enquire about their Internet service availability in the Keremeos area and pricing. Our current Internet service provider at home, China Creek, will no longer “rent” their Wi-Fi transceiver equipment, and want $300 for it ! It’s about 50 bucks worth of technology ! But the only alternative is Telus … and their only service available in our area is dial-up. Oh, I don’t think so ! Guess I’ll be forking over 300 bucks to China Creek !

I spent much of the day working on rebuilding the broken back of a dinette chair. I thought this would be a good place to do that because of the very well equipped “Pole Barn” maintenance facility here. First thing I did at the Pole Barn was find a section of pipe that was the right diameter to serve as a tool to install the trailer wheel bearing seals into the hubs when I repack the trailer wheel bearings this summer. Then I used the shop’s “chop saw” to cut off a short section of the pipe. Perfect bearing seal installation tool ! Then I found a section of scrap plywood that was perfect for cutting some pieces I needed to rebuild the chair back. I used the old broken pieces to trace on the plywood, then cut them very precisely with a band saw. What a nice piece of equipment. Back at our site, I rebuilt the chair back frame, installed the cardboard backing and foam padding, and reupholstered with the cloth material. Drilled a couple of holes, and reinstalled the chair back. Nice job … well done, Daniel !

I finished that job just in time for the daily dog party at the dog park. Bo enjoyed meeting some old friends and some new ones. He romped with dogs, and we visited their owners, for an hour and a half. We put him in the truck, then went into the clubhouse to browse the bargain table and replenish books at the book exchange library.

A 2010 U.S. census taker visited us in our site today. Gee, that’s twice ! A census taker visited us at The Palms in Yuma about ten days ago. Chatting with people at the dog park revealed that some people have been visited more than once, in different locations, and some have not been visited. Except for us, they were all American citizens, and understandably their confidence in the census process for full time RV’ers is very low !

I barbecued a thick chunk of Ahi Tuna for supper. Apparently Sully loooooves tuna ! We watched Survivor. I did some investment work on the computer.

Friday ; Another perfect “June 18” day !

This morning we headed north on Hwy. 41 a few miles to the village of Coarsegold, to the Post Office where we picked up our batch of forwarded March mail. For the last three months our mail forwarding “system” has worked perfectly. Thank you, Betty ! From there we continued north a few more miles to the town of Oakhurst. At Pro-Flame Propane I refilled an empty propane tank and tried to buy a new propane regulator / tank changeover assembly. They didn’t have one. I’ll have to try Camping World in Sacramento after we leave here next week. The service technician that refilled my tank seemed a bit inept. While disconnecting his refill nozzle from my tank, he jammed the refill nozzle’s shutoff valve, spewing a great cloud of propane into the air around us, enveloping us in propane, until he finally managed to get the valve closed. Sure am glad there weren’t any “sources of ignition” nearby ! And then he broke my propane tank’s valve dust cap ! And didn’t have a replacement ! ! ! Yes, it’s still hard to get good help ! ! !

We shopped at Vons for some advertised grocery specials, then CVS Pharmacy for more advertised specials, then crossed the street for even more advertised specials at Raley’s. In the last couple of weeks we’ve been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to get great specials on local strawberries and local artichokes. Today we bought huge, fresh artichokes for 77 cents each ! They’re about 4 bucks in Penticton during the summer ! At Raley’s I bought a new propane barbecue ( that I don’t really need yet ) and a new picnic table umbrella.

We drove home from Oakhurst, quickly put away the groceries, then headed to nearby Chuckchansi Gold Resort & Casino for their senior’s buffet lunch special. Chuckchansi is our favourite casino buffet restaurant. We ate and ate and ate … until Joanne had to **** … HA HA HA … her buffet “cue” that she’s finally had enough … HA HA HA ( SNORT ) HA HA … and I felt so stuffed it seemed difficult to breathe ! We played penny slot machines until we each lost a dollar. That didn’t take long ! We returned to SKP Park of the Sierras just in time for the daily dog party. Bo was eagerly waiting for us to get home, worried that he would miss the dog party. After Bo played with his buddies for an hour or so we put him in the truck and we went to the clubhouse for the weekly Friday afternoon Happy Hour. We didn’t stay very long because Bo was waiting in the truck … a black truck … with a black interior … on a warm day ! We chatted with a couple who had just arrived today, and had a scary incident upon arrival. As they were driving through this very hilly park to get to their assigned site their fifth wheel trailer became detached from their truck ! ! ! The trailer fell onto the truck bed rails, slid backward, smashed through the truck’s tailgate, and fell onto the road. And fortunately stayed there … instead of rolling backwards downhill ! No damage to the trailer, a bit of damage to the truck’s bed rails, and a destroyed tailgate ! That’s what happens when one misses the step of locking the fifth wheel hitch ! And neglects to perform a “pull check”. Could have been worse ! Could have come detached while travelling on the highway ! ! ! Aren’t you glad that I’m a bit obsessive / compulsive … and as a result of pilot training always use a checklist for hitching and unhitching ? ! ?

When we returned to our site I reinstalled the broken propane regulator / changeover switch assembly. As long as both propane tanks are installed, it will be safe to use until I can buy a replacement. It can only leak when one of the tanks is removed.

I checked the website of Alliance Woodcraft and… WOO-HOO ! ! ! Alliance Woodcraft is a manufacturer of very expensive cedar gazebos in Vancouver. We want one of their gazebos for our lot at Riverside RV Park Resort. Every month … or every few months to be more precise … they have an advertised special. I have been checking on a monthly basis for over two years, waiting and hoping that the model and size we want might go on sale. And now it has ! ! ! And for an exceptionally good price ! We were planning to leave here on Monday, but now I think we might stay an extra day or two so that I can phone them, get some questions answered, and buy the gazebo. And maybe go for a picnic to the Bass Lake area a bit north of here.

In the evening I reviewed the batch of March mail that we picked up in Coarsegold. It was almost all income tax information slips. I guess it’s time ( sigh ) to start working on our income tax returns.

Saturday ; Today was another lovely day, perhaps the last one for awhile. The weather is forecast to deteriorate. I had a slow, lazy start to the day, doing nothing until after lunch.

This afternoon we gave Bo a bath. We spent a longer time than usual at the dog park today, with a larger than usual number of dogs. Back at our site I polished my shoes and sandals. I did some trip planning. I sent some e-mails.

There was an ad posted on the bulletin board in the clubhouse by a park resident selling a folding clothesline contraption that fits onto the roof access ladder found on the rear of most RV’s. Joanne wanted to see it. I thought it was a commercially made used product being sold by someone who no longer needed it. I was wrong. An elderly gentleman in the park makes these contraptions, designed by him, out of plumbing pipe, in his spare time ( which I guess is all his time, given his age and lifestyle ). Very well designed and made. Very well priced. We bought one.

After supper I reconciled the batch of income tax information slips that was in the March mail.

DSK

March 28 to April 3, 2010

March 28 to April 3, 2010 ; Yuma, Arizona to Palm Springs, California


Sunday ; Today was sunny and hot … again … as expected. We spent much of the day squabbling and being miserable … again. It’s been about three weeks of that, off and on. I certainly hope we fix it soon ! ! ! ! !

This morning I lubricated the trailer slides’ weatherstripping with silicone spray lubricant, just one of many chores in anticipation of beginning the long trek home in a few days. This afternoon while Joanne was at Wal-Mart I inventoried all our medications, to see if we need to buy any medications in Mexico before we leave here. We spent the hottest part of the afternoon cooling off in the swimming pool. After the temperature cooled a bit we took Bo to the dog park for his daily play session with Lucy and Sophie, his Bichon Frisé friends.

Sunday evening is our TV night ; Amazing Race, Undercover Boss, and Celebrity Apprentice.

Monday ; WHEW … it was brutally hot today. Just about time to start heading north.

This morning while Joanne was doing laundry I phoned the Kelowna Gastroenterology Clinic to see if they had scheduled a colonoscopy for me next summer. HMPH … not yet. I returned some books to the library then met Joanne at the laundromat and while the laundry was being done we played a game of shuffleboard … real shuffleboard, not tabletop … on the very spiffy shuffleboard courts between the pool and the laundromat.

We went to Pizza Hut in The Foothills for their buffet lunch … using a discount coupon, of course. From there we went to a nearby Asian specialty store to buy some makeup that Joanne likes that is available there. As we were driving away we saw Dave and Joy, neighbours of ours from Riverside RV Park Resort back home. We followed them to see their new home in Yuma that they recently purchased, a new park model home in a 55+ mobile home park.

After I had a nap with the animals we spent the hottest part of the afternoon cooling off in the pool, then went to the dog park with Bo where he played with Lucy and Sophie. We spent the evening watching TV, cuddled on the sofa with Sully.

Tuesday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico

Whew … temperature in the 90’s today. Gotta start heading north soon !

We had a very successful day of shopping in Los Algodones today, filling our “must buy before leaving Mexico” shopping list. Creminos, Nugs, Coconugs … WOO-HOO … Joanne’s beloved Nugs Crujientes ( Crunchy Nugs ), which we’ve never found on the Baja before, only in mainland Mexico, and a new version of Nugs called Nugs Recreo. HA HA HA … “Recreational Nugs”. Nougat, cajeta, y cacahuate cubierto de chocolate / nougat, goat’s milk caramel, and peanuts covered in chocolate ! MMMMM ! ! ! Bought some Canasta, little chocolate cups filled with Rompope liquor. Should have enough chocolate bars to last her … oh, at least a couple of months ! HA HA HA ! Also bought some antibiotic ear drops ( for me ), an arthritis ointment ( for me ), a bottle of fresh vanilla, and 2 small boxes of achiotte powder. We had lunch … and a free Margarita ( coupon ! ) at El Paraiso, a lovely outdoor restaurant that we have eaten at many times before. And I got a haircut and beard trim. Three bucks ! ! ! The line up to cross back over the border today was 35 minutes.

On our way home we stopped at Wienerschnitzel for a couple of milk shakes ( coupon ! ), then drove to Kofa Ko-op SKP RV Park to see where we are on the waiting list for a lot. After a bit more than four years on the list we are now no. 29 ! Should be another two, maybe three years before we get a lot there. Back home at The Palms RV Resort we headed to the swimming pool ! After cooling off for about an hour we took Bo to the dog park for his daily play session with Lucy and Sophie. Today was the last time he will see his Bichon Frisé friends.

We hit a bit of a milestone today in the “financial recovery”. It’s been a long time coming ! We don’t feel as much “in dire straits” as we did a year ago !

Wednesday ; Today was cooler due to wind. This morning while Joanne went to Fry’s in The Foothills to do some grocery shopping I began to put things away into their storage / travel locations. This afternoon Joanne did laundry. I went to the office and paid our hydro bill. It’s convenient that this resort’s practice is to settle the bill the day before departure. They “ignore” the hydro consumption for the final day. It allows for an easier and quicker departure. We have had some very irritating delays when departing some RV parks because of their complicated or inept check out procedures. I sent our final mail forwarding instructions to our neighbour. I did some online investment and financial work, and paid our MasterCard bill. I retrieved month end bank statements and investment account statements.

I took Sully for a walk. Just him and me walking down the road. Last week we had been taking him to the dog park when we took Bo. He enjoyed that at first, when it was only him and Bo in the dog park. But then one day there was Lucy and Sophie. He still thought that was okay. Then another day there was Lucy and Sophie … then two Cavachons ( “designer” dogs, created by breeding Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Bichon Frisés ) … then a West Highland White Terrier … then a Golden Retriever … ! Well … when Sully had to share the dog park with Bo and four to six other dogs, he began to dislike it. After a few days of that he came to really dislike it ! Each afternoon when we would start getting ready with Bo to go to the dog park, Sully would get stressed out. So we stopped taking him. After a few days of not taking him … he would make himself scarce when he would realize we were getting ready to go to the dog park … he has resumed showing an interest in going outside. But obviously he doesn’t want to go to the dog park anymore. He just wants him and me to wander around a bit.

I hitched Harvey the trailer to Lanoire the truck. I printed the investment and banking statements. We took Bo for his final play session in the dog park here.

Thursday ; Yuma, Arizona to Palm Springs, California

And so begins the long journey from Yuma, Arizona to Keremeos, British Columbia. The weather was supposed to be poor today ; cold, wind, and rain. It wasn’t cold. There was no rain. It was a bit windy this morning in Yuma. It wasn’t windy while we travelled. It was quite windy late in the afternoon in Palm Springs.

We prepared for departure this morning and left The Palms RV Resort. We filled up with diesel and put air in the trailer tires at Barney’s, then headed west on Interstate 8, crossing the Colorado River into California. We got off the Interstate at Holtville to go into town to buy dos burritos con machaca y frijoles y arroz ( two burritos filled with shredded beef, refried beans, and rice ) at Holtville Taco Shop and ocho pan dulce ( eight Mexican pastries ) at Donut Avenue. From Holtville we decided to stay on “back roads” instead of going back to the Interstate. We headed north on Hwy. 115 then west on Hwy. 78 to Brawley, then northwest on Hwy. 86 to Interstate 8 near Palm Springs. On Hwy. 86, just after enduring the mile long line up to pass through the Customs & Border Patrol Inspection Station [ looking for Mexican “illegals” … ( rolling eyes ) … sure glad that‘s not my tax dollars at work ] we pulled off the road and into the desert to have our burritos for lunch. MMMMM … Holtville Taco Shop makes the best burritos ! ! ! And great pico de gallo on the side … made my eyes water and my nose run ! Even after I pulled out all the jalapeño peppers. HA HA HA !

Where Palm Springs is on the south side of I-8 we turned onto the north side of the Interstate to Desert Hot Springs. We arrived, checked in, and got set up in a site at Caliente Springs RV Resort. We were here four months ago. Very nice, very upscale, very expensive resort. Bo recognized the resort’s dog park as we drove in. “HEY … I”VE BEEN HERE BEFORE !” Late in the afternoon we took him over to the dog park … so he could urinate in it about three thousand times ! ! ! ! !

After supper we watched Survivor then “took the waters”, which is what people have been coming to Palm Springs for, for decades. Like all the resorts in Desert Hot Springs, Caliente Springs has a pool filled fresh daily with hot water from the mineral hot springs beneath the surface here on the San Andreas Fault Line.

Good Friday ; After a slow morning and an early lunch we headed into Desert Hot Springs to see if any of the stores were open. They were. Apparently Good Friday is not a holiday in the U.S.. First stop was Glossy, a woman’s wear store in Desert Hot Springs that usually has an excellent selection of mastectomy swim suits, and very reasonable prices. Joanne bought one swim suit there in December, and two more today. Now that I think about it, I think Glossy is probably the only place where she has bought swim suits in the last few years. From there we went to Angel View, a local charity thrift shop. I must confess, the clothing and prices at Palm Springs / Desert Hot Springs charity thrift shops are … well, incredible. Palm Springs seems to be the charity fund raising capital of the world. And I guess businesses donate a lot to local charities. The thrift stores here seem to always have a considerable amount of brand new, never worn clothing. Must be donated by businesses. Today I found a brand new pair of expensive Tommy Hilfiger slacks in my size. Regular price in this thrift shop for men’s slacks is $5. But today was a half price “clearance” day. So my brand new, never worn Tommy Hilfiger slacks cost $2.50 ! I’m fairly certain that the retail price must be upwards of $60. From Angel View we went to Stater Bros. for some groceries. Then Vons for groceries.

On the way home, driving down Dillon Road, I stopped to check on a cat lying in the middle of the road. ( sigh ) It had just been killed. A very lovely, Maine Coon tabby wearing a collar. I moved it off the road. It’s bad enough to discover one’s cat dead, killed by traffic, but at least whomever’s cat is was won’t discover a mangled piece of road kill that’s been repeatedly run over.

Back home at Caliente Springs I started to do a small repair job on a broken dinette chair. HMPH … what I thought was going to be a small repair turned out to be a very large repair. I’m going to have to rebuild the entire back of the chair. I’ll do that at SKP Park of the Sierras where we’re headed next. They have an excellent maintenance building equipped with every power tool imaginable. Joanne has been of the opinion for a few years now that it’s time to discard and replace our dinette table and chairs, but I’m stubbornly refusing, and I keep repairing the chairs as required.

Late in the afternoon we took Bo to the dog park. It began to be quite windy. I suppose that’s fairly common late in the day in this area. And explains why there is so much wind farming in this area. After supper I worked on updating my investment files. Late in the evening we went to soak in the mineral hot springs pool. Doing some exercises in the mineral hot springs pool last night eliminated a lingering mild backache I had for a couple of weeks.

Saturday ; The problem with going to Palm Springs is … we spend too much money ! The shopping opportunities are just too good !

This morning we headed out to buy cheap cigarettes and exotic foods. First stop was 7 Leaf Trading Post, a smoke shop that sells cheap Native made cigarettes. I think they’re tax exempt ? While I shopped for cigarettes ( including trying out some free samples, smoked inside the store ) Joanne went to the Goodwill Store next door. When I joined her in Goodwill she wasn’t finished browsing yet so I went to browse men’s wear. Bought two new pairs of shorts for myself. One pair for $4.49 and one pair for $2.25. Every item in Goodwill has a random coloured tag. Each day one colour is half price. Today the half price colour was red. So the shorts that I bought that were red tagged were half price. Okay by me ! Joanne found and bought a mastectomy swim suit tankini top … and it fit … for two bucks ! ! !

From there we headed over to Trader Joe’s, a California based chain of specialty / exotic / gourmet foods. I looooove shopping at Trader Joe’s. I indulged myself by buying things like wild mushrooms and black truffles with parmesan cheese in phyllo pastry. MMMMM ! But I spent a lot of money there ! After Trader Joe’s it was our intention to go to downtown Palm Springs to have lunch at Sherman’s Deli, a Jewish deli that we like a lot. But … we had bought so much frozen and perishable foods at Trader Joe’s that we decided to head straight home to get the foods into the fridge and freezer.

After a very late lunch at home, Joanne went to Vons in Desert Hot Springs while I read and napped with the animals. Yesterday when we were at Von’s we bought two pounds of fresh strawberries. They were on sale for 79 cents a pound ( regular price $3.99 ) ! ! ! Joanne decided she wanted to buy two more pounds today and make fresh strawberry pie for Easter tomorrow. Okay by me !

Late in the afternoon we took Bo to the dog park for a play session. But the wind was so strong that we drove to the dog park from our campsite. MMMMM … I’m typing this as I drink some Arnold Palmer Tee, a mixture of iced tea and lemonade that I can find only in Palm Springs. I had difficulty barbecuing supper because of the strong winds, but determination and persistence prevailed ! After supper I did my monthly computer maintenance chores, then we went to “take the waters”, a nightly ritual while we’re here. You know, I don’t believe in “hocus pocus” medicine, but there certainly seems to be something therapeutic about these mineral hot springs. My backache is gone. My sore, stiff knees, which usually make grinding, crunching sounds, feel like they’ve been lubricated with WD-40 ! I smoked the menthol cigarillo that was given to me to try by 7 Leaf Trading Post. I didn’t like it !

DSK

March 27, 2010

Saturday, March 27, 2010 ; Yuma, Arizona


Today we attended the Yuma MCAS ( Marine Corps Air Station ) 2010 Air Show. And we both got a bit sunburned. The weather was sunny, hot, and windy. Windy enough that it affected the air show. Some of the performances were rescheduled, some were modified / shortened, and a few were cancelled.

I was most impressed by the demonstration of the AV-8 Harrier jet. It combines a fighter jet with the manoeuverability of a helicopter, with VTOL ( Vertical Take Off and Landing ) and hover capabilities. I was least impressed with the smoke and flame belching jet engine equipped school bus ( rolling eyes ). There were great demonstrations of aerobatics, mostly by Pitts S-2 aircrafts. There were a lot of static ground displays of military aircraft and equipment ; big guns and tanks and those sorts of things. Americans surely do love their warfare ! The show ended with a great performance by the Patriots Jet Team, a group of four L-39 jets, with a show that reminded me of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds precision aerobatics team.

DSK

March 14 to 20, 2010

March 14 to 20, 2010 ; Yuma, Arizona


Sunday ; Last weekend at Midnight At The Oasis we got two free food coupons at a Sonic Drive-In Restaurant booth “spin the wheel“ promotion. This morning we headed out to Sonic for Joanne’s free breakfast burrito ( mmmmm ! ) and my free cherry limeade drink ( yuck ! ). From there we headed over to Yuma Park ‘N Swap, a.k.a. the Dog Track Flea Market. Boy, that flea market is just like Mexico ! Unlike the Arizona Market Place which is considerably more “civilized”. At the flea market I bought the most amazingly fresh and beautiful artichoke. The freshly picked artichokes down here are so good ! It hasn’t been very long, maybe only a year or two, since we learned how to prepare and eat fresh artichokes. On the way back from the flea market we stopped at Pep Boys where I bought a new steering wheel cover for Lanoire, then Lowe’s where we found what we were looking for to create new bedside shelves in Harvey.

After a late lunch, I napped with the animals while Joanne went to Wal-Mart. I refuse to go Wal-Martin’ on weekends. After napping I posted my weekly blog entry and processed some photos. We took Bo for a long walk around the RV park. Whew … huge park ! And … in the corner of the park furthest from our site, we discovered … the RV park’s dog park. WOO-HOO ! Didn’t know there was a dog park here. It’s not marked on the park map. Bo benefits from off leash time. We all miss our daily walks around the perimeter of Kofa Ko-op’s 2 acre dog park. Joanne copied recipes from a quirky mystery novel that I have just finished reading. Every fifth chapter was a recipe … HA HA HA ! I worked on some preliminary trip planning for next winter. Our plan is to go to Teacapán in between Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific coast of Mexico, and Joanne’s family will join us for a week at Christmas.

After a wonderful barbecued dinner we spent the evening watching TV ; Amazing Race, Undercover Boss, and Celebrity Apprentice.

Monday ; Today was sunny and warm, but there was a bit of a wind. My plan for today was to paint the trailer’s spare tire cover, but I postponed that job because of the wind. Instead I installed some new bedside bins / shelves. After lunch I read and napped while Joanne did laundry. I temporarily repaired a broken lawn chair. I need to buy some hardware to fix it properly. Bo desperately wanted to go “drivey” so I drove around the park with him on my way to the park’s library to return a book. He’s easily satisfied. A few minutes of driving around the park, him hanging out the window, did it. Late in the afternoon, after the temperature cooled a bit, we went for a long walk with Bo around the RV park. Just as the sun set I started my spare tire cover spray painting project, but there was still a slight wind, so I stopped before I botched the job, which I regularly do on spray painting projects. I reviewed and reconciled the income tax information slips I received in the batch of mail last week. Darn … I don’t seem to have received all of our income tax information slips yet.

Tuesday ; Another sunny, hot day, again with a bit of a breeze preventing me from completing my spray painting project. Instead I removed and cleaned floor registers. This project was inspired by Sully puking in a floor register this morning. Thanks a lot, Sully ! We spent time in the swimming pool this afternoon enjoying the fine weather. We took Bo and Sully for a long walk to the dog park. Well, Bo walked, Sully rode over my shoulder in his sling carrier. This is the longest I’ve carried Sully in his sling carrier. He was calm, and enjoyed the ride. The grass in the dog park was freshly mowed, and Sully loved it. I think it’s the first time we’ve had him on grass. He wandered around, sniffing and exploring, and even lay down in the grass for a couple of brief cat naps.

Wednesday ; St. Patrick’s Day ; Another sunny, hot, windy day. No spray painting again today. I spent the morning reading the newspaper. I did some online investment research and phoned my investment broker to discuss taking advantage of the favourable U.S.$ / CDN.$ exchange rate. We need to be “poised to strike” soon. I cleaned and deodorized the bathroom grey waste holding tank by pouring RV waste tank cleaner / deodorizer down the bathroom sink drain then running water in the sink until the tank was full and began to back up through the shower drain. I’ll let that sit for 24 hours. Tomorrow I’ll do the same to the kitchen grey waste holding tank.

At noon we headed out to refill the little propane tank for the barbecue, then over to Famous Dave’s Barbecue Restaurant to meet our friends Lynn and Micha for lunch. We had a wonderful “Que Fer Two” lunch, then lingered in the restaurant chatting with our friends. On the way back home we stopped to shop at Walgreens, Albertsons, and RV Connection.

We spent the last couple of hours of the afternoon floating around the swimming pool, then took Bo and Sully to the dog ( and cat ) park. The wind had died by then, but by the time we got back from the dog park it was almost dark and too late to spray paint. Oh, well … it seemed more important to give Bo some off leash time and Sully some outdoor time than to spray paint.

Thursday ; Another hot, sunny day, temperature in the high 80’s. Summer has arrived in Yuma … and it’s soon going to be uncomfortably hot here. We’ll be leaving in two weeks.

I got up at dawn this morning to spray paint the trailer’s spare tire cover before there was any wind. The paint job turned out pretty well. After painting I went back to sleep for a few hours.

Joanne got angry at me this morning and spent most of the day in bed having a “mental health day”, I guess. Later in the morning I went to Arizona Market Place and bought some hardware I needed to repair a broken lawn chair. I went to Peanut Patch and bought two large tubs of fresh peanut butter, enough to last for the summer. It’s time for us to begin to buy the items on our “must buy before leaving U.S.” list. Peanut butter from Peanut Patch is one of the items on that list.

The afternoon was routine. After lunch I read, napped, repaired the broken lawn chair, spent the hottest part of the afternoon floating around the swimming pool, then took Bo and Sully to the dog park. My work projects are completed and I’m looking forward to lots of time reading and in the pool over the next couple of weeks.

In the evening I composed a letter to my investment broker outlining my short term investment strategies for taking advantage of the strengthening Canadian dollar. I ended my evening with a soak in the hot tub. Very nice !

Friday ; Day two of Joanne in an angry funk, refusing to interact with me.

This morning after draining the black waste tank I cleaned inside the tank with a special black waste tank cleaning wand tool, then I lubricated the tank valve. We have begun the maintenance and shopping errands to prepare for the long trip back home. I repaired a loose cupboard panel.

After lunch I read and napped with the animals. Joanne went shopping to Arizona Market Place. I went to the pool, then Joanne joined me in taking Sully and Bo to the dog park.

Tonight I decided to suspend writing my journal / blog for awhile.

Saturday ;

DSK

March 7 to 13, 2010

March 7 to 13, 2010 ; Yuma, Arizona


Sunday ; Today was cold and windy with intermittent rain and even some hail. I woke up sick with colitis this morning and spent much of the day sick in bed. Mostly I just slept, but I also read, and did some computer work. Sully likes “stay in bed” days. Late in the afternoon I got up and we did some trip planning. In the evening we watched Amazing Race and Undercover Boss.

Monday ; This morning I discovered the fence construction crew next door with their concrete power saw plugged into our site’s electrical pedestal. Since we’re paying for metered power consumption … I wasn’t very pleased !

We headed out to run some errands before going to Quechan Casino for lunch. We refilled a five gallon water jug, took some recyclables to a recycling drop box, then went to PetsMart to buy two new engraved pet tags with our new home phone number. At the Quechan Casino we endured a 45 minute wait to get in to the lunch buffet which is “2 for 1” on Mondays and Tuesdays. As much as I hate standing in line and waiting, the Quechan Casino’s buffet restaurant is worth the wait. After eating for an hour … HA HA HA … we went to play slot machines. We usually pay penny slots until we each lose a dollar. Today that didn’t take very long. HMPH … stingy slot machines today ! On our way home we stopped to buy some groceries and supplies at the 99 Cent Only Store.

This evening I downloaded and processed my photos from Midnight At The Oasis. And I continued to work on some software problems I’ve been having with my computer. Unable to come up with a better solution, I finally just deleted and reinstalled the software that I’ve been having problems with.

Tuesday ; Today was a write-off ! ! !

After being ill all day Monday I was much better yesterday but not so today. I spent much of the afternoon in bed feeling ill. Our plans for this morning were to wash one side of the trailer, install the new trailer tire, and install the two remaining gutter spouts. The extremely strong winds made working outside impossible. We spent the late afternoon squabbling and bickering and making one another miserable. The evening was sullen !

Wednesday ; The weather was a bit better today, warmer and less wind, but still far from a typically near perfect Yuma day. This morning while Joanne went shopping at Wal-Mart I finished installing the two remaining gutter spouts on the trailer. This afternoon we went over to visit Paul and Kolly, neighbours of ours back home at Riverside RV Park Resort. They had invited us and other Riverside neighbours who are here in Yuma over to Country Roads, the RV park they … Paul and Kolly … are in, for an afternoon “Happy Hour”. What we didn’t realize was that they had also planned for “Happy Hour” to lead into a barbecued roast beef dinner. How wonderful. We had a great afternoon and evening of visiting … and eating. Thank you, Paul and Kolly, for a wonderful dinner.

Thursday ; Another day of too much wind to work outside. Another day of making one another miserable !

This afternoon I drove out to Bard, California and picked up our batch of mail waiting at the Post Office. Then I went to Imperial Gardens to have a date shake for lunch. HMPH … the date shakes are better at Sun Gardens, where we usually go for date shakes. On the way back home I stopped at Home Depot to browse for materials for a “home improvement” idea we have. Didn’t find anything inspiring ! In the evening, we watched Survivor, then I reviewed the large batch of February mail that I picked up today. With the exception of one piece of mail, it was all income tax related statements and information slips. Late in the evening I had a brief video chat with Joanne’s brother-in-law Doug in Winnipeg. The Carlson family had Skype called earlier in the evening, but we missed the call because of an incorrect setting in my Skype configuration. Ooooops … when I downloaded a Skype update recently I must have neglected to confirm / reset my configuration settings after the update.

Friday ; The weather has returned to “June 18” perfection. Joanne and I have made peace. This morning we resumed working on some outdoor projects that got postponed waiting for better weather. First we changed a tire on the trailer, installing the new tire purchased last week, and moving the last of the old tires to the spare position. Have I mentioned how much I dislike changing tires ? ! ? While changing the tire I noticed a couple of large screws missing from underneath the trailer belly. I replaced them. Then I worked on caulking around the new gutter spouts. Finally, we washed the street side of the trailer. We rushed doing that because we were in violation of the park’s “vehicle washing allowed only on Tuesdays” rule.

After a late lunch Joanne cleaned trailer windows while I napped with Bo and Sully. Yuma’s salty water leaves spots on windows after vehicle washing. She prepared a grapefruit pie for tomorrow while I sharpened knives, then prepared a fresh batch of Sully’s medication, grinding tablets and dissolving them in precisely measured liquid. I applied a coat of primer paint to the trailer’s spare tire cover which we decided needs to be repainted. We took Bo for a long walk around the park, which included going to the library to exchange some books. While the sun set we sat outside enjoying the fine weather, me working on the computer, Joanne working on her project to update our address book which is sorely out of date. I had a more up to date “address book” in our old computer, but lost that when I “killed” the old computer.

After supper I had a brief Skype video call with our friend Julie. We’re very glad to hear that her sick dog Triscuit has improved. Julie and her mother have left Julie’s California State Park winter “job” and are slowly heading to her upcoming summer “job” on the Oregon coast.

Saturday ; HA HA HA HA HA ! This morning while Joanne and I were inside the trailer, and Bo was outside on his tie-out … WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF ! Joanne stepped outside to see why Bo was making such a commotion. He was at the end of his tie-out, straining and pulling, barking ferociously … and in the middle of the road, about 20 feet away, staring at him was … HA HA HA HA HA … a roadrunner ! A roadrunner who obviously wanted to cross the road, but was stopped by Bo’s antics. HA HA HA HA HA … after a “Mexican standoff” for a few moments, the roadrunner decided he would have to move along and cross the road somewhere else ! Way to go, Bo … assert your dominance over that funny looking bird. HA HA HA HA HA !

At noon our friends Lynn and Micha showed up to visit us and join us at today’s Burger Bash. Today’s Burger Bash theme was “Canadian Day”. WOW … huge crowd ! Aren’t there any Americans in this park ? Are there any Canadians left back in B.C. ? We got our burgers, free beer, and soft drinks, and found room at one of the poolside tables, sharing the table with a group from Quebec. I couldn’t help but notice that the Quebecois “Separatistes” quickly become “Canadian” again when free beer is involved. HA HA HA HA HA ! We didn’t like the country and western band very much, so after eating our lunch we returned to our site for some of Joanne’s wonderful, freshly made grapefruit pie, made with grapefruits given to us a week and a half ago by Lynn and Micha. We spent the afternoon sitting outside enjoying the great weather and visiting.

DSK

February 28 to March 6, 2010

February 28 to March 6 ; Yuma, Arizona


Sunday ; WOO-HOO … CANADA WON THE HOCKEY GAME ! ! !

We have just returned home at 6 PM after a day in Mexico attending a rodeo, and have found out that Canada won the gold medal in men’s hockey ! As a Canadian, I’m very pleased with and proud of Canada’s medal tally, particularly the 14 gold medals, more than any other country.

The nearby border town of Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico was given its modern “rebirth” 30 or so years ago when four young dentists established dental practices there to cater to “snowbirds” wintering in Yuma. One of the four dentists was Dr. Juan Camacho, our dentist. One of the others was Dr. Magaña. Like the others, Dr. Magaña is now older, successful, and wealthy. He’s a rodeo fan. He owns a lovely ranch south of town. He has developed a rodeo “fairground” on his ranch, and annually hosts a rodeo. Today we attended the Gran Mexican Rodeo Charreada at Rancho Magaña. This morning we drove down to the border, parked, walked across, and lined up with the crowd in front of Dr. Magaña’s dental office waiting to catch a chartered bus to take us to the rodeo at Rancho Magaña about a 20 minute bus ride south of town.

The rodeo was very different from the rodeos we’ve attended in Keremeos. We were disappointed. The skills of the vaqueros ( cowboys ) were … surprisingly low. My guess is that most ten to twelve year old Alberta ranch raised kids would probably have equal rodeo skills to the vaqueros we saw today. And … the animals were in poor condition. In Canada, the rodeo animals are healthy and robust. Today we saw animals that were certainly in less than peak condition. And they were treated in a fashion that would be considered cruel and inhumane in Canada, and would not be permitted. But … it was an interesting difference that none of the activities / events was “competitive”. Everything was … just an exhibition … just for fun.

While at the rodeo we bumped into Patsy and Gary, a couple that were part of the Baja Winters caravan group that we travelled with down the Baja California peninsula of Mexico two years ago.

When the rodeo was over we caught the bus back to Los Algodones and bought a couple of cartons of cigarettes before crossing back into the United States. No line up at the border crossing today ! When we got home, we rushed to get a few chores done while we still had daylight. First we trimmed Bo’s and Sully’s nails. Gee, Sully can be crabby when he’s been left home alone all day. We cleaned up a mess I made around the barbecue yesterday when I spilled quite a bit of the fruit juices and achiotte powder marinade when I was putting the pollo asado on the grill. Then I turned on the TV and … WOO-HOO ! ! !

In the evening we watched Amazing Race and Undercover Boss, then the Olympics closing ceremonies. I was not very impressed that NBC ceased coverage of the closing ceremonies before they were finished in order to broadcast the preview of Gerry Seinfeld’s really crappy new show ! Then again … I really didn’t want to see Nickelback … or Avril Lavigne!

Monday ; This morning we changed a trailer tire. I wanted to put the brand new spare tire on the trailer, and take the worst of the two old trailer tires in for replacement. The contractors working on the construction of the house next door to our site began to build a brick fence around the next door property today. They dug a trench right along the property line, half on our site, right up against the side of our trailer. And when we got home from shopping this afternoon, there were concrete blocks and bricks all along the side of our site, including underneath our slides and all around our utility hookups, water hose, sewer line, etc.! That’s going to prevent us from being able to wash that side of the trailer tomorrow, and Tuesdays are the only days that vehicle washing is permitted. Guess we’re only washing three sides of the trailer tomorrow !

After lunch we headed out for an afternoon of running errands. First we went to Purcell Tire. I asked them to evaluate the old trailer tire which had worn unevenly. They determined that it had a manufacturing defect and allowed me a 75% warranty credit. I thought that was pretty good for a three year old tire. I bought a new tire for 25% of the price. I find it very unusual that two of the four trailer tires I bought three years ago at Camping World in Albuquerque, New Mexico had manufacturing defects. I left the old tire and wheel at Purcell Tire planning to pick up the mounted new tire in a few hours. Next stop was Napa Auto Parts to buy two tickets for Midnight At The Oasis this weekend. Then over to Lowe’s to buy a hasp lock for the trailer’s cutlery drawer. From Lowe’s I walked over to Pep Boys for some automotive supplies. They didn’t have what I need. We went to Albertsons for some grocery shopping. We filled the small gas can with fuel for the generator at Barney‘s, then picked up the mounted new trailer tire at Purcell Tire. On the way home to The Palms we passed by RV World and saw that they had truck campers for sale. We stopped to browse the truck campers. In a few years we hope to buy a truck camper and travel through Central America.

Back at home I did some monthly accounting and online banking and investment work. After supper I printed February’s monthly banking and investment statements, then reconciled the banking statements.

Tuesday ; What great weather we’re having ! This morning I trimmed my beard, then did some routine maintenance on the fridge. We got a phone call from Kolly and Paul, neighbours of ours back home at Riverside RV Park Resort. They are here in Yuma and invited us over for a visit next week.

This afternoon we washed three sides of the trailer, then washed the truck. WHEW … the sun is so intense here. It’s exhausting to work outdoors in the sun for that long. We couldn’t wash the street side of the trailer because of the trench and concrete blocks all along that side. The contractors next door poured concrete and laid a foundation layer of concrete blocks for the fence along the back of the next door property, but they didn’t work on the side yard today. I hope that trench and concrete blocks don’t stay alongside our trailer for too much longer. While trying to get a hose connected to the water spigot on that side of the trailer so that we could wash the trailer and truck I stepped alongside the trench, the trench side wall collapsed, and my foot fell into the trench, twisting my ankle slightly.

We decided to spend the rest of the afternoon in the pool. As we were leaving for the pool, a new neighbour pulled into the site beside us. They are now from Calgary, Alberta, but used to live in Penticton, BC, just a bit north of our summer home in Keremeos. In the pool we met a couple who had just arrived here yesterday. They are from Sorel, near Montreal, Quebec. We chatted with them while we floated around the pool for a couple of hours. We also met a man from near Vancouver who is a friend of some neighbours of ours back home at Riverside RV Park Resort.

After barbecuing a thick, juicy steak for supper I cuddled on the sofa with Sully and worked on updating my investment files.

Wednesday ; I slept very late so didn’t accomplish much this morning. This afternoon we went to visit our friends Lynn and Micha ( and their dog Gypsy ) who have just purchased a home and lot in The Foothills. The Foothills is an unusual suburban development on the east side of Yuma. Developed twenty or so years ago, each lot is surrounded by a low Mexican brick wall, and was originally set up with RV services for two RV’s, one on each side of each large lot. Over the years many changes have taken place, park models have been added, etc., but the basics have remained the same. Micha’s and Lynn’s lot has an old mobile home in the middle of the lot with a narrow RV spot with full hookups on each side of the mobile home.

We spent the afternoon visiting with Micha and Lynn, and Gypsy. We walked around their lovely neighbourhood with the dogs. We sat outside on their sun porch, known down here as Arizona rooms. On the way back to The Palms we ( sigh ) went Wal-Martin’. We had a late, light supper, then I spent some time working on the computer while sitting on the sofa, so that Sully could have some cuddle time. He’s been a bit crabby lately about not getting enough afternoon naps and / or evening sofa cuddle time. I went to the park’s library to get online. The Wi-Fi signal that I was receiving at the trailer for the last few days seems to have hitched up and left. HA HA HA !

Thursday ; This morning we went to Arizona Market Place to buy produce, then The Peanut Patch for freshly made peanut butter, and finally ( sigh ) to Wal-Mart on Pacific Avenue for some items that the Wal-Mart in The Foothills didn’t have yesterday.

After lunch and a nap with Sully I worked on downloading and processing the photos I took on Sunday at the rodeo in Mexico. While doing that my photo software froze. I spent much of the rest of the day trying to resolve that problem. I was unsuccessful. I removed and reinstalled the software repeatedly, to no avail. I’m frustrated and will leave the problem for another day. I purchased a subscription to Skype, intending to use it as our home phone service. A Skype subscription allows us to use the computer to make outgoing calls to any phone number.

We watched Survivor while eating supper. After being frustrated by the photo software problem, my frustration increased when I had problems trying to purchase a Skype phone number to enable us to receive incoming phone calls on the computer. Maybe tomorrow I will succeed in getting my photo software working again, and / or succeed in getting an online phone number for incoming calls ( sigh ).

Friday ; I was up half the night trying to restore my photo software. I removed it and reinstalled it about half a dozen times. I scanned for viruses and malware. I did a system restore to an earlier date. I could not get it to work. The manufacturer stopped selling that software a couple of years ago. They stopped supporting it a year ago. The only conclusion I could reach was that the software contained date stamped coding that rendered the software dysfunctional on yesterday’s date. Finally I downloaded other photo software that I have used before, but do not like as much, and finished processing my rodeo photos.

I spent much of the morning trying to resolve a payment problem with Skype. Yesterday I subscribed to Skype, enabling us to make outgoing phone calls to any phone using our computer. I paid for that Skype subscription using PayPal, because Skype’s computers rejected my Canadian credit card number. The second part of the service I’m trying to purchase from Skype is a phone number, allowing incoming calls through the computer. I am turning Skype on the computer into our home phone service. I was unable to pay for that second part of the subscription using PayPal. I spent much of the morning communicating with Skype by e-mail and PayPal by phone. The payment problem is not yet resolved, but at least I was able to test the outgoing phone call functionality of the new Skype subscription. Using a headset with a boom microphone that I purchased a couple of months ago, the computer works very well as a phone.

This afternoon I worked on installing gutter spouts on the trailer’s top drip rail moulding. I installed two of four gutter spouts, front and rear on one side. I’ll install the other two on the other side in a few days. I also installed a locking hasp on the cutlery drawer to prevent it from opening when we’re travelling, a problem mostly confined to travel in Newfoundland and Mexico. HA HA HA ! After I finished working and getting cleaned up I noticed that our friend Julie was online on Skype. I Skype video called her and we chatted for awhile. Her dog Triscuit has been very ill for the last couple of weeks. And her mother, who is recovering well from recent surgery, arrived yesterday from Pennsylvania to visit Julie at her California State Park WorkCamping job and travel with her soon to her next WorkCamping job at a National Wildlife Refuge on the Northern Oregon coast.

This evening we went to Desert Sun Stadium to see Beatlemania, a Beatle tribute band whose regular gig is a large casino show in Las Vegas. They were the first evening’s entertainment at Midnight At The Oasis, the annual huge classic car show in Yuma. It was a nice evening out, just like an old fashioned date. Even went for burgers afterwards.

Saturday ; I spent the morning trying to resolve the difficulty I was having paying Skype for a phone number. After much effort I finally got Skype paid … no thanks whatsoever to PayPal and their useless Call Centre in India. So … now we are set up with the ability to use the computer to make outgoing phone calls and receive incoming phone calls. The computer is now our home phone service.

After lunch we headed out to see Midnight At The Oasis, the classic car show at Desert Sun Stadium. On the way we stopped at the Salvation Army Thrift Shop to browse for a few items we hope to find at a thrift shop. Today was half price on everything at the Salvation Army Thrift Shop. They didn’t have what we were looking for today. We didn’t buy anything. Midnight At The Oasis featured hundreds of classic cars, most from the fifties, some from the forties and sixties, a few from the thirties and earlier. We wandered around for a couple of hours. On the way home we shopped for Mexican specialty groceries at Food City which is the local Mexican supermarket.

We had supper at home then headed back to Desert Sun Stadium for the Midnight At The Oasis headline concert event. AMERICA … one of my favourite rock bands from the seventies. Ventura Highway … Sister Golden Hair … A Horse With No Name … now that’s classic rock ! But … ( sniffle ) … they didn’t perform Muskrat Love.

DSK