Time to stop procrastinating......

7:14 am - Wednesday - August 31st - Likely, CA - 61° F, 15% humidity, wind 13 mph out of the southwest.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 95° F.  On this date in 1972 our oldest son, Christopher Allen, was born in Pasadena, CA.  Today we celebrate his 50th birthday......

Chris at about 1 year old.....oh my goodness....how young we were!

....and on this date in 2000 his son, my grandson, Christopher, was also born, and is now 22 years old.....how can that be?  Happy birthday to Chris and Christopher....you both make your Mom and I proud every day!

You may recall back in January of this year we had an electrical issue (I wrote about that here) where we lost the circuit which provided power to the TV cabinet over the driver seat.  We visited good friend Steve Ward who was on the Parker Strip at the time, and he helped us find the short circuit, and restore power to the TV cabinet.  We restored power by tapping into the line for breaker #3, which is fine, but the wire which connects to the volt meter over the center console.....

The voltmeter

.....shows voltage from the 50 amp leg which powers the left (driver) side of the coach, but breaker #3 is on the 50 amp leg which powers the right (passenger) side of the coach.  While the volt meter worked again after we tied into the #3 breaker, it was showing voltage for the right side of the coach, and we needed it to show voltage for the driver side.  I've had the project of rewiring that voltmeter on the back burner for over 7 months now.  Well, no time like the present to get that done.  I've been putting it off because I knew it was going to be a difficult job to run a wire from that voltmeter to a circuit which is powered by the driver side of the coach....in this case breaker #6.  The nearest outlet for breaker #6 is where I plug my laptop in, just behind the driver seat, which means I needed to run a wire from the volt meter over the center console, down the passenger side window post, under the dashboard to the driver side, and then into the area where the electrical outlet is.  That would take about 20 feet of wire, which I bought months ago in anticipation of this job.  All in all it took me about 3.5 hours to do the deed, which involved removing the TV, pulling everything we store in the TV cabinet out, turning TLE's seat around, and generally making a mess of the salon area for half a day.

By the time TLE and I finished putting everything away it was after 12 pm, and I was one tired puppy.  TLE and I took a break, and watched a recorded Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Fulham from last week.  It is nice to be able to watch a match from beginning to end, without interruption.

Later in the day we finally installed another panel for our sun screen to block the late afternoon sun, especially when we want to use the Sea-B-Que....it gets a little hot there, and it is not comfortable grilling with the sun right in your eyes.....

.....putting up that panel at the rear of the patio awning drops the temp by 10°, at least.  Within an hour I turned on the Sea-B-Que, and grilled a London Broil.  We bought this particular London Broil at Holiday Market a couple of weeks ago.  It was on sale for 1/2 price as it was getting older....we love older meat as it gets a little darker.  As it ages it gets more tender, and this was one of the most tender London Broils we have ever grilled.....look at those grill marks......

.....by 6:15 pm we were sitting down to a wonderful London Broil (a perfect medium rare) dinner to which TLE added some stir fry.....

......to chase the food TLE poured a couple of glasses of a wonderful Pino Noir we had purchased at Trader Joe's on our recent Tahoe City trip.  What a nice way to end the day!

Thanks for stopping by!

August twenty-ninth.......our 51st wedding anniversary.....

9:18 am - Tuesday - August 30th - Likely, CA - 79° F, 17% humidity, wind 12 mph out of the south by southwest.....still partly cloudy, and the forecast high is still 95° F.  On this date in 2021 TLE and I were taking a walk on Seal Rock Beach.......↴ 

Monday was the 4th day of our 4 day work stint.  It was slated to get up to 93° F, so I was on the job by 6:30 am staging (10) and washing golf carts (6).   As it turned out we would only rent 7 golf carts Monday.  After that I spent time using the 'Shag Bag' to clear golf balls from the perimeter of the driving range in advance of actually shutting the driving range at 11 am to collect the rest.  I managed to collect one 5 gallon can of balls to clean.  Later at 11 am I shut the range, and collected another two 5 gallon cans of balls using the ball retrieving machine, which, thanks to Bob, works wonderfully now.  I was off at 3 pm.

August 29th has been an important day in my life since the day I was born.  You see, my father was born on August 29th, 1923 and TLE and I were married on August 29th, 1971.  Without my father's birth I would not exist, TLE would not be my wife, and you would not be reading my blog. I first met TLE in January of 1968 while home  from college during the winter semester break, so as of this year (2022) I have known her just shy of 55 years of my almost 73 years of life.  It's hard for me to remember a time she was not part of my life......

In June of 1968....our first date

At Manhattan Beach the summer of 1971 a few weeks prior to our wedding

Our wedding day, August 29, 1971

In October of 1971 at Harrah's in South Lake Tahoe....I think we were seeing Bill Cosby that night....I look like I'm 15....lol!

Somewhere around Lake Tahoe in 1975....our son, Christopher, was about 4 years old at the time

At a church dance around 1988

2012 - 41st anniversary in Twin Falls, ID at Canyon Crest Restaurant

2013 - Anniversary dinner at Picabu Bistro in Spokane, WA

2015 - Anniversary dinner at Nephele's in South Lake Tahoe, CA

2017 - 46th anniversary at Chico Hot Springs, MT shared with good friends Roscoe, Geni and Dodge (Kristin Dodge).....the best,  most amazing anniversary dinner in our 10 years of nomadic life

2018 - Anniversary dinner at Red Sky in Southwest Harbor, ME

2020 - Near Coupeville, WA on our 49th anniversary

2020 - 49th anniversary shared with long, long time friends Bob and Karen at Fraser's Gourmet Hideway in Coupeville, WA

And the golden one....numero 50 at Georgie's Beachside Grill in Newport, OR last year

.....life is good, and the year's continue to pile one upon the other.

Thanks for stopping by!

Summarizing......

 8:09 am - Tuesday - August 30th - Likely, CA - 70° F, 20% humidity, wind 11  mph out of the south.....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 95° F.  On this date in 2015 TLE arrived at Cape Blanco for our second time volunteering at the Cape Blanco Lighthouse......our favorite volunteer job ever......about to take a walk on 'South Beach' for the first time in 10 months.......↴

Thursday - August 25th - Tahoe City, CA:

My last post was on the 25th (Thursday), so I owe you a few days for sure.  We were up early Thursday getting packed for the 3 hour drive back to LPG&RVR, and were on the road by 7:30 am.  We made a brief stop in Truckee at a Valero gas station to clean our windshield, and were back on the road in 10 minutes.  Unlike our trip south we chose to take secondary roads all the way back to US-395, thereby bypassing the ever busy, congested Reno interchange.  When we entered Truckee we were on US-89, and just continued on to Sierraville where we picked up SR-49 for the final 34 miles back to US-395.  Unfortunately we hit a construction zone within minutes of merging onto SR-49 where we sat stopped, without our engine running, for 10-15 minutes.  Just after passing through Loyalton, and then Vinton we hit another construction zone where we again sat for 10 minutes just 4 miles from US-395......doh!

After stopping at the rest area just before the Standish cutoff we continued north on US-395 only to hit another construction zone about 50 miles from LPG&RVR where we once again sat for about 10 minutes.  So 30-35 minutes of our drive home was sitting in construction zones.  In spite of all that we did arrive home around 11:40 am.  We made quick work of unloading the VW, and were inside cooling down in the cool, climate controlled confines of the Newell.  

Topping out at Sage Hen Pass - 5,555' elevation....just a few miles until we're home!

Our parts of 4 days stay in Tahoe City was a real tonic, a wonderful trip down 'memory lane', and a time to create new memories, which we did.  We never got more than 1/2 mile from our hotel, and pretty much walked everywhere.  The 'shoulder season' has already begun at Lake Tahoe as the kids go back to school so early now.  As a result of that Tahoe City was very uncrowded, and we had no trouble getting into any restaurant anywhere in town without reservations, except for Christy Hill, for which we made reservations a month in advance.

Friday - August 26th - Likely, CA:

We were back to work on Friday for another four day stint.  The temperature only got to 87° F, and, frankly, it felt much cooler than that.  After staging 15 golf carts I headed out to mow the tee boxes at 18, 17, 16 , 15 and 3, and was back at the Clubhouse by 11:30 am.  At 12 pm I headed into the office to give TLE her 1 hour lunch break.  I remember when we first interviewed for our jobs I was concerned about having to work in the office for an hour each day, but really, it is a nice break.  I mostly answer the phone 2, or 3 times, rent a golf cart, or two, collect a couple green fees and basically get paid to rest inside where it is cool for an hour.  You won't hear any complaints from me!

The sun rising over the Warner Mountains around 6:45 am

Since it was only going to be in the 80's Friday I went to work at 7 am instead of 6:30 am, and was off work by 3:30 pm.  I really appreciate the flexibility of the owners (Dennis and Kellie) in letting me come to work earlier than 8 am, and being able to miss the heat of the day.  It certainly makes my life much easier, and more pleasant.

I love the work I do, and its daily variety.  Being able to work four days, and be off work 4 days is a bonus, and we both love that about this job.  

Saturday, August 27th - Likely, CA:

Saturday was a busy day for the golf course....I think we rented 19, or 20 carts.  I was in the middle of staging the first 15 when I caught another LRG&RVR sunrise.....

.....the forecast temp for Saturday was around 90° F, and when it gets that high I go to work no later than 6:30 am, plus I've become slightly addicted to getting off work at 3 pm.  I did some mowing around the Clubhouse and putting green to be sure everything looked good for the putting contest, plus I mowed the tee boxes for the 10th hole.  There was a little weed whipping done for good measure, and then it was time to give TLE her lunch break.  

By the time 3 pm rolled around there were still 7 golf carts outstanding, but I knew I would be in at 6:30 am again Sunday to take care of them, so no big deal.  

Sunday - August 28th - Likely, CA:

Sunday was a little slower than Saturday, but we did have a number of golfers go out after 2 pm so I knew, once again, I would have 5, or 6 carts to wash first thing Monday.  After washing the 7 carts left over from Saturday I staged the first 10 carts.  I managed to mow four of our large lawns......the small pavilion, the lawn by site 30, the lawn at the group fire pit, and the lawn in the Clubhouse parking lot.  In all I hauled 3 loads of grass clippings to the dump site, and also worked on clearing weeds around a few of the young trees on the hill across from the employee sites so I could create a bowl in which the irrigation water can be held, and allowed to sink into the ground.  I also spent time on the driving range picking up balls in the woods in preparation for the main Monday clearing.  By the time I was home I was one whipped, dirty boy.

With that I will defer the post for Monday, August 29th, our wedding anniversary for a later time today.

Thanks for stopping by!

The celebration......

7:19 pm - Thursday - August 25th - Likely, CA - 85° F, 15% humidity, wind 11 mph out of the west......mostly sunny skies today with a forecast high of 92° F.  On this date in 2020 we were having dinner with our good friends Bob and Karen Fenstermacher at their home on Whidbey Island.......↴ 

We began our final full day in Tahoe City with a walk around town, and these are some of the things we saw......

....The Jaguar XKE was in remarkable condition....whether restored, or original condition I do not know, but it was immaculate!

We ended our walk at Rosie's Café, about a block from The Peppertree Inn.  We don't usually have breakfast, but we wanted to eat earlier than noon time as we were going to have a big dinner at 6 pm to celebrate our 51st anniversary, and did not want to still be digesting food....lol.  We managed to snag the last alfresco table, and had a little bit of a view of the lake.....

....TLE ordered two eggs over easy, and a couple of sausage patties for her breakfast, and I there All American Breakfast (two eggs over easy, sour dough toast, 3 strips of bacon, and hash browns). The service and food were very good.....

.....after breakfast we headed back to our room to pickup our Backgammon board, and headed down to Commons Beach again to enjoy the late morning air.....

....we managed to find a picnic table in the shade....the sun is just too intense at 6,300' elevation.  We played probably 10 games of Backgammon before deciding to head back to room to relax for the balance of the day....me a couple of naps, and TLE to read.....

.....we had 6 pm reservations at Christy Hill just across the street, and right next to the lake.....

.....we met good friend Don Neff there about 6 years ago (can it possibly have been that long?) for dinner on a very stormy Lake Tahoe evening (I wrote about that here), and when we decided to come to Tahoe City for our anniversary it was an easy decision on where to have our anniversary dinner.  This place gets 4 solid stars on 512 reviews on Yelp....personally we would be at 4.5+ stars, it is that good!

We arrived about 10 minutes early, and were seated immediately at our window table...we wanted to eat alfresco, but the alfresco tables have been reserved for a month.  It would have been a perfect evening to sit outside.  Nevertheless, we had a great table, and an exceptional server, David, to make our evening perfect.....

....to start things off we ordered two shaken, but not stirred Martinis, and then a bottle of Chatauneuf du pape, Telegramme, 2019....OMG...one of the best Chateauneuf du papes we have ever had.....

.....for our entrees I ordered their WAGU beef Rib Eye steak, and TLE their Duck Duet......

....both entrees paired perfectly with the Chateaneuf du pape.  We both agreed that this was one of our best anniversary dinners in the 10 years we've been nomads.  We were there almost 2 hours when we paid our bill and decided to walk over to the Safeway to get a couple of things, including a pint of Sea Salt Caramel ice cream. When we returned to our room TLE poured a little of the Sea Salt Caramel whiskey into the ice cream.....OMG again!

I took a couple of pictures of Christy Hill from our balcony to give you perspective on how close to our hotel it was.......

....we sat outside on the balcony until after 8:30 pm enjoying the balmy zephyrs, and talking about our 3 days in Tahoe City.....there was still an after glow from the sunset visible.....

....and with that our 3 day anniversary celebration came slowly to a close.  

Thanks for stopping by!

The constants in my life......

8:18 am - Wednesday - August 24th - Tahoe City, CA -  60° F 40% humidity, wind - CALM.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today at  our beloved Lake Tahoe with a forecast high of 83° F. On this date in 2012 we arrived in Arlington, OR on the Columbia River and snagged the last pull site at the marina.....no reservations....we love serendipity.....↴

We were awake a little before 7 am Tuesday ready to begin our first full day in Tahoe City.  To begin our day we sat out on our balcony sipping Aero Press coffee while taking in the view of Lake Tahoe.  From the first time I saw Lake Tahoe while camping in a travel trailer at Incline Trailer Park back in 1953 until the present one of my favorite things to do is just sit staring at the lake.  Lake Tahoe has been my happy place since I was 4 years old, and the one constant threaded throughout the storyline of my life.  As I related yesterday, TLE and I began our marriage 51 years ago doing just that....sitting on the beach in South Lake Tahoe taking in the view of Lake Tahoe, and to that end, TLE became the second constant in my life.

Around 9 am we took a walk around town checking out the local public beach, 'The Commons', where we planned to spend a couple hours looking at the lake while reading, and talking.  We made it all the way to the beginning of the Truckee River, which is also the only outlet for Lake Tahoe.   Via a dam with 7, or 8 gates which can be opened, and closed to keep the  lake at a certain elevation (usually just under 6,300') the level of the lake is regulated, while keeping a steady flow of water into the Truckee River.....

The beginning of the Truckee River

The dam

Looking north from 'Fanny Bridge' along the Truckee

The obligatory 'Fanny Bridge' photo

.....once we returned to our room, we changed clothes and headed down to 'Commons Beach' for  a couple of hours......

That oh so familiar view that we love so much

....from 'Commons Beach' around 11:45 am we drove over to The Bridgetender Tavern for two of the 'Patti's Famous Bloody Marys', some onion rings, and fried zuccini.  We spent the better part of 90 minutes taking in the view of the Truckee River, sipping our very spicey Bloody Marys, and munching upon our appetizers.  Revisiting familiar places is such a tonic, and we never tire of it.  We were home by 1:30 pm, and within a few minutes I was taking a much deserved nap, after which TLE and played several games of Backgammon, then sat out  of the balcony looking at the lake. We decided to walk over to Jake's On The Lake for dinner around 5 pm....we chose Jake's for obvious reasons.....

....the lake, of course!  We were still kind of full from our 'lunch' at The Bridgetender, so we both just ordered Caesar salads, and I a glass of Savignon Blanc.  It was the perfect way to end our first full day in Tahoe City.....of course, we dined alfresco....

.....as we were beginning our walk back to the Pepper Tree Inn I suggested to TLE that our day would not complete without a scoop of Sea Salt Caramel from the local creamery, to which she readily agreed....TLE is  so sympatico!

We spent another hour, or so back on the balcony where we began our day watching the day slip away into night once again...

....I will leave you with this YouTube recording of the Beatles' "In My Life".....

....thank you so much for stopping by!