Errand Boy........

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7:52 am - Saturday - November 4th - SoCal - 50º F, humidity 76%, wind 1 mph out of the northwest.....clear blue skies! Forecast high for our corner of SoCal is 68º F.....great day for an outdoor wedding!

We didn't wake up until after 8 am Friday.....I always remark that the first night in a 'new' bed, or place I don't sleep well, but each time we return to our son's home I sleep better the first night, and this was the best I have slept....I think this is the 3rd, or 4th time we have stayed with Chris and Rochelle, so I guess I'm getting used to the bed.....it is a good bed, don't get me wrong.....I'm just used to MY bed.

We had a busy day scheduled so we were out of the house by 10:30 and on our way to our first appointment.......a haircut at Supercuts for moi......it's been almost 6 weeks since my last haircut and if I am going to a wedding I needed to get my ears lowered significantly.  I was able to walk right in and sit down in a chair manned by Cassandra.  She gave me a wonderful cut and shampoo in 20 minutes flat.  Then it was just a few doors down to visit the local Trader Joe's to stock up on some of our favorite wines and single malts.....it will be a while until we are close to at TJ's once again.

From there we moved south on Haven Ave. to the local Goodwill where neither of us found anything without which we could not live, then it was over my son's (Chris) office to pick up our mail, of which there was little.  We then spent about 30 minutes back in his warehouse going through my backpack stuff to pickup two Kelty down sleeping bags, my Kelty tent, a couple of inflatable sleeping pads, two Kelty internal frame backpacks, my Jetboil backpack stove, fuel, eating utensils, cookware, etc. in preparation for our planned trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in the near future.  I'm so glad I didn't get rid of this stuff!

Then it was on to a local tire store where I planned to get the two new tires I wrote about yesterday, but they didn't have my brand in stock, so they ordered them from one of their other stores, and we made an appointment for Saturday morning to have them installed.  Next it was across the parking lot to Home Depot where I stocked up on a few things I needed (a couple of drill bits, some electrician's tape, some more shrink wrap tubing, etc.).

Next we moved another mile down Foothill Blvd. to the local BevMo to pick up a few more adult beverages, then across the street to the local 'The Hat' for some of their world famous Pastrami Dip sandwiches, and onion rings......it has been a long, long time.......

.......TLE an I split on Hot Pastrami Dip, and the onion rings, and we still ended up being 'stuffed'!  Everyone who tells you about 'The Hat'  Pastrami Dips will tell you enough pastrami falls out of the sandwich while you are eating it to make another 'Hot Pastrami'....you could almost feed four people with one of them!

We had two more stops to make before we headed back to Chris and Rochelle's home.....COSTCO and TJ Maxx (TLE wanted to buy an extra set of sheets for our bed)....we were back home by 3:30 where I took a much needed nap.....shopping wears me out!

Around 5:20 we got back in the VW to drive down to Nick and Kate's home (used to be our home) to visit them and their children (Elijah, Charlise and Jolene), and while we were there Meredith (our oldest daughter) and Rod (Sharon's husband) dropped by with their son (Rod and Sharon's) Brayden.  None of the kids will be coming to the wedding so we wanted to get in some grand children time.

We were back at Chris and Rochelle's by 8:30 pm and settling in for the night......that may be an average day for someone on the workaday world, but for us that was a jam packed day, and we were tired.....but not tired enough to not watch a few more episodes of  'Mad Men'.....

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Roady........

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8:26 am - Friday - November 3rd - SoCal - 54º F, humidity 72%, wind 3 mph out of the west by southwest.  Heavily overcast with a forecast high for today of 66º F.....quite a difference from one month ago when it was 100º F!

Thursday was road trip day so we were up by 6:15 am putting the finishing touches on our packing (TLE) and writing the blog (moi)......our goal was to be in the car and on the road by 8 am at the latest, and we beat that goal by 20 minutes!  Within 10 minutes we were stopping off at the Union 76 gas station near Lone Rock (has the best prices within 30 miles....$2.89/gallon for premium) to fill up our tank, and then we were on our way north on US-89 to Kanab, UT where we then took US-89A to Fredonia, Arizona where we picked up SR-389 westbound, which became Utah SR-59 just past Colorado City, AZ.....SR-59 took us to Hurricane, UT where we picked up SR-9 and within 10 miles were merging on to I-15 which we would ride back into Arizona, then into Nevada and through Las Vegas and into SoCal once again........

.....the scenery in this part of the Canyon Lands reminds one of why you come here in the first place......just breathtaking.......

.......we made our first stop at Hurricane, UT for a bathroom break, and to switch drivers.  TLE then took the helm all the way to Jean, NV where we fueled up again ($3.85/gallon for premium....almost $1.00 more per gallon than Lone Rock), then I took the helm to Primm, NV.....the last Nevada city before you cross into California.  We again stopped to get a bite to eat at the local Starbucks.  Once again I was at the wheel and took us all the way into SoCal.  There was one more bathroom break near Barstow, CA........then it was just another hour to our destination.......we arrived at my son's home by 4 pm, which was what I had estimated the day before......perfect!

We spent a lovely evening with my son, Chris, Rochelle (wife) and their son Christopher.....Chris made up some fried shrimp with red potatoes for dinner and we sat eating and talking until a little after 8 pm.  They go to bed pretty early, so we went to our room and watched some more 'Mad Men' on their Netflix.....sweet.  I always tell TLE that staying at Chris and Rochelle's home is like staying at a nice hotel!

Friday will be a busy day for us.....we have to cram 3 days of shopping into one, which will include a couple of new front tires for the Beetle....time for some new shoes!

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Timely zones......

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6:30 am - Thursday - November 2nd, Page, AZ - 50º F, humidity 57%, wind 4 mph out of the southeast.....forecast high for Page, AZ today is 71º F, and for our road trip destination, Riverside, CA it will be 68º F under cloudy skies.

After 7 deliciously restful days at our beloved Lone Rock it was time to move the Newell 10 miles south to Page, AZ where we will park her for 5 nights whilst we make our way to SoCal for yet one more wedding.  She'll be connected to 30 amp electrical for the time we are gone for a pretty inexpensive price all things considered.

Since the distance to our destination was so minor, and we would be gaining an hour on the clock by moving to a new time zone, we took our time putting things away.  Once our stuff was stowed we moved 200 yards over to the local dump station to release 7 days of effluent into the local sewer system, then it was another 2 miles to the local fuel station to 'pay the rent' by topping off our diesel tank with 59 gallons of diesel at $2.79/gallon.  It is only another 110 miles to our winter destination at the Grand Canyon so we'll arrive there with almost a full tank.....we won't be paying the rent again for over 4 months.

We arrived at our rented site by 12:30 pm, and were set up within minutes after which we headed out to do a little shopping in advance of our 1,000 mile round trip to SoCal, plus locate a propane station to top off our 60 gallon propane tank prior to heading to the Grand Canyon.  Around 5 pm we headed over to a local gastro pub called 'State 48 Tavern' for dinner......4 Yelp stars on 282 reviews.  TLE had been doing some research a few days ago and wanted to give this relatively new place a try for dinner.....WOW......we were not disappointed.......

........they offer a number of fine beers on tap....I chose an 'Oak Creek Amber' (Sedona, AZ) and TLE a Scotch Ale.  For apps we ordered their beer battered avocados.....OMG!  We've only had deep fried avocados once before and that was at Prison Hill Brewing in Yuma, AZ, and these were every bit as delicious.  For our main course I had their Rock Fish Taco plate.....once again there was audible 'oohing and awing'.  In the background was a large screen TV with game 7 of the World Series playing.  Unfortunately for my Dodgers it was not a good night......the game was lost in the first inning when the Astros scored two runs....ultimately they won 5-1.  It was a great year, but no cigar this time.

We were home by 6:30 and settling into our evening....we watched a few more episodes of 'Mad Men' and were in bed before 11 pm dreaming about our ROAD TRIP!

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The day after.....

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6:48 AM (PCT) - Monday - October 9th - 66º F, 34% humidity, wind 11 mph out of the north.....forecast high for Ontario, CA today is 86º F, and in Livingston, MT where we will end our day it will be 55º F (30º F right now).

We awoke the morning after the wedding to light streaming in our bedroom window......all the wedding plans had gone off without a hitch, and at the end of the night the bride and groom were quite happy and amazingly relaxed....... 

Our kids left to right:  Kate, Chris, Laila (newest addition to our family), Tim, Sharon and Meredith......our family keeps getting bigger!

......I ordered another large pot of coffee from 'room service'.....it was there within 3 minutes of me hanging up the phone......I guess that would be the least one might expect for $14.95, no?

Our daughter, Kate, had arranged to host a Sunday brunch at her home in Ontario (used to be our home) at 11 am, and we had one errand to run prior to that so we were in our car heading south to the local Trader Joe's by 10 am.   We arrived at Kate and Nick's home just before 11 am, and within 20 minutes the house was full of the sound of many friends and relatives.  It remained that way until close to 2 pm when one by one we began to say our 'until next times'........by mid afternoon it was just us, Kate, Nick and the kids.....time for a nap!

One of the downsides to our nomadic lifestyle is that we miss a lot of face time with our grand kids.  Sure, we see them on Instagram almost every day, but they don't see us, and whenever we are in town we go through that 'who are these strangers wanting to hug and kiss us?' thing for about a day each time.  Well, Sunday was the payoff when I was able to spend a lot of time holding Brayden (Sharon's son) and Jolene (Kate's daughter)......we have resolved to talk with each of them at least once a week via 'Facetime' on TLE's iPhone, so they won't forget who we are and what we look like this time.

As I sit here (Monday) at the dining room table  composing my latest missive I look around and see that our former home is now our daughter and son-in-law's home.....it looks nothing like our home did.....they have made it their own.  Our home now has wheels, and it awaits our return later today.  It is always a little bittersweet when we must once again bid adieu to our children and their families.  My heart is warmed with the knowledge that my kids are doing well.....they are raising amazing children, and are leaving their mark upon this world.  They all get along so well, and that is all we might ask, right?  They are each other's best friends, and that, in the end has always been our 'end game' with our children.

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The day of.....

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7:16 am (PCT) - Sunday - October 8th - 57º F, humidity 42%, wind  - CALM......clear blue skies.....forecast high for Riverside this day is DOWN to 87º F......an 11 degree decline over yesterday's actual high.....thank goodness!  We received news just a few hours ago that TLE's oldest brother, Read, had just passed after 15 months battling cancer.....he was a good man, and a friend to all.....he will be sorely missed.....RIP Read.....you are in a better place!

Saturday morning began with Room Service delivering a large pot of actually very good coffee to our room accompanied by a bagel and cream cheese.......isn't Room Service wonderful?  You must pick up the phone and wonderful things appear at your door!

TLE left for a mani/pedi around 9:15 am leaving me to watch some college football and take at least one nap.  When she returned around noon we walked downstairs to the Las Campanas Mexican restaurant on the ground floor.  They offer alfresco dining, so that is what we chose......of course......

.....we ordered one bowl of Ceviche de Camarones to share, and one large margarita to share.....

......all too soon our lunch was over and it was time for the first round of wedding day festivities......endless pictures of the wedding party in every imaginable pose......

.....the Mission Inn is an amazing place with so many unique venues......below is the exterior of the 'chapel' where Tim and Laila exchanged vows.....

Front row with TLE and my sister, Jill

Philip, my youngest brother, and his wife Jeannie.....my sister, Hilary, took this picture

And here comes the bride!

The KISS

Man and wife

After the wedding with TLE, Tim,  and Jill

The first dance.....Mr. and Mrs. Hockwald

 In the ballroom with Hilary, her daughter, Stephanie and TLE

.........we had a wonderful evening of good food, good company, and a lot of dancing......by 10 pm TLE and I called it an evening....I'm sure the festivities went on until the wee hours.  

So, our baby boy is married and has begun the rest of his life with an amazing woman who we are both proud to call 'daughter'.  It has been a whirlwind of activity since we landed at John Wayne International just a few days ago, and we are now on the home stretch.  We are both tired, but so happy for the time with family and friends.....our cup runneth over!

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Octobrrrrrrrr!

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6:36 am - Thursday - Octobrrrrr 5th - 37º F, humidity 83%, wind 6 mph out of the west.....partly cloudy.....forecast high for Livingston, MT is 54º F, and in Billings, MT (where we are headed to catch our plane) 60º F.......and in Riverside, CA (where we will be for the next four days) 90º F!  The forecast high on Saturday, my son's wedding day, is 96º F......my body is in for some big adjusements!

After sitting in one place for the past 3.5 months it was time to change our view once again.  As is always the case when we have been this long in one place I am always wondering if my machinery will function properly after such a long layover.  Will the coach 'air up' as it should?  Will the big Detroit Diesel 6v92 turn over and fire the first try?  Will my speedometer still work (it has broken twice in the last six years, but I have been able to fix it each time)?  This is a big deal for me since my cruise control relies upon a signal from the speedometer signal generator to function......no speedo, no cruise control.  Anyway, those are just a few of the myriad of thoughts swirling through my mind as I wake up Wednesday morning.  Intellectually I believe everything will work as it should, but I tend to be a 'waiting for the other shoe to drop' kind of guy.   

There was not much left for me to do before we hauled anchor.....just basically take off the wheel covers, disconnect the utilities, then drop the trailer on our hitch.....if only it hadn't been soooo cold first thing in the morning.....23º F!  We decided to wait until around 9:30 am to begin to work outside in an effort to avoid possible frost bite....😏  Well, everything went smoothly, and we were ready to fire up the Detroit by 11 am, and within 30 minutes we had the trailer connected to the Newell once again and on our way north.  We left the VW out of the trailer (TLE drove it) as we were only traveling 52 miles to Livingston, and there is still a lot of organizing to be done in the trailer before it is ready for VW insertion.

After an uneventful 60 minute drive we arrived at the RV park in Livingston where we will leave the Newell until we return from SoCal.  We will have 50 amp electrical service for the first time in almost 4 months......it will be wonderful not to have to manage our electrical consumption to avoid tripping the breaker.  We did pretty good this summer only tripping the breaker 3 times.  Now we can run all our electric heaters at the same time, and TLE can even use the hair dryer, or toaster oven without consequence.

Once we were set up and I had a few minutes to relax we got dressed and drove into town to do some 'junkin' and to donate two bags of clothing we had gleaned out of our closets and drawers.........

......as you might recall, we spent part of a day exploring the thrift scene in Livingston about a month ago, so we knew where to go.....I saw this cool sign (above) at the first store we revisited, and had to take a picture for posterity's sake.  In all we visited four thrift stores, but found nothing without which we could not live.  Then it was on to Neptune's Brewery Company out on 'L' Street.......we had not yet visited Neptune (Yelp gives them 4 stars on 47 reviews), so we wanted to do so Wednesday......as the name might indicate, their food specialties are all seafood.....including a beautiful aquarium just below the beer list.....

....TLD ordered a pint of their Latte Stout (5.7% ABV), and I opted for the one just above....Bourbon Aged Scottish Ale (9% ABV)......both were amazing!  For our early dinner TLE ordered their crab rangoons, and I had their fish tacos......so, so yummy!  This place has a completely different vibe than Katabatic, and is quite funky......our kind of place!

We got home just before 5 pm and began the task of getting packed for our 5 days trip to SoCal.....that pretty much took the rest of the evening......usually when we visit SoCal we have our closets with us so no difficult clothing decisions must be made.

Mindy, in the RV park office, told us that this cold weather in October is not the norm....usually the shoulder season in this part of Montana is quite pleasant with daily temps in the 60's and 70's......well it looks like this Octobrrrrr is going to be much, much colder!

Stay tuned for the wedding festivities which begin Friday......three of my siblings will also be in attendance so this will be a wonderful weekend of many hugs, and non-stop conversations.....YAY for our team!

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