Prepping.....

7:19 am - Wednesday - 26 F degrees, 63% humidity, wind 3 mph out of SSW......FREEZING!  Sunny, clear blue skies.....another Lake Tahoe autumn day on tap.  Slept 8 hours last night.....7 before I had to go to the bathroom.

Tuesday we were still experiencing the after effects of the storm which passed through Sunday and Monday with the high only getting into the mid 50's.  TLE and I reported to work at 10 am......there were only 38 RV sites occupied, and there was really nothing to do.  I spent time working on the campground rules for TVC at Victor's request (it's time to order a new batch of our maps, which include ads for local businesses, a map of our campground, and our rules), then headed out to do site checks which took me all of 20 minutes, if that.  By this time it was noon time, and I had nothing else to do, so I clocked out and headed for home.  TLE stayed on two more hours, but was home by 2.  On a side note I did get approval to order the 350 feet of welded fencing (pig wire), and that will come in Thursday, so I will be busy once again.

TLE and I decided to take Wednesday and Thursday off since there is not enough to keep us busy, and with two free days we will get ready to move the Newell and trailer over to Section G where we will set up for our last 3+ weeks before heading back to SoCal.

I spent the rest of the day putting 'stuff' away.....I took down the sun screen shading the door to the trailer, put away our camp and anti gravity chairs, put away the portable fire pit, reconnected the block heater plug, put away our various tables, and the Sea-B-Que, etc.  Fortunately I picked the warmest part of the day to do these things, but still had to wear a long sleeve shirt, and sweat pants.....I think the days of flip flops, shorts and t-shirts may be gone.

Phil and Sandy are leaving Wednesday, so they came by our site late Tuesday afternoon to say their 'until next times'......we both arrived the same day, April 30th, at TVC.....where have the last 5 months gone?  In just a few weeks I'll be hugging grand kids and grand babies once again, and spending quality time with my kids and their significant others......life is good.

Thanks for stopping by!

Eskimo Winter?

7:27 am - Tuesday - 29 F degrees, 79% humidity, wind - calm, sunny, cloudless....projected high for Tuesday is 56 F degrees.....down to 3 RV's in Section E and we will all be moving in just a few days to Section G.

In SoCal when we get a late heat wave in the Fall we call that an 'Indian Summer'......so, I'm wondering, if you get an early winter storm in the Fall in the Tahoe Basin would that be called an 'Eskimo Winter'?  I'm just sayin'........as you know from yesterday's blog my birthday began with a dusting of snow on everything, and very, very cold temps.  It took until almost noon before the snow disappeared.  I had to go out about mid morning and take down the sail shade as it was sagging terrifically under the weight of the unmelted snow.  I was outside probably less than 10 minutes, but felt like a popsicle by the time I closed the door behind me again.

Around the time the snow finally disappeared from the roof of the VW I began thinking about what I should do for my birthday.  After a few minutes of discussion with TLE we settled on a movie followed by an early dinner......the movie we opted for was 'Deep Water Horizon' which is a Mark Wahlberg film about the infamous British Petroleum oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico in April of 2010.  IMDB gives the movie 7.6 out of 10 stars.  We left the coach around 1:45 pm to arrive at Heavenly Village Cinemas in time for the 2:15 showing, and we made it by 2:05.....perfect!  As we waited outside at the ticket window it began to lightly rain, and, of course, there was a lady in front of us who, even though she was being told the movie she wanted to see was sold out, was insisting there must be at least one more seat.  I'm thinking "Come on!  It's cold out here!"....finally she stepped aside and let the rest of us buy tickets to a move that wasn't sold out.  Frankly, for a Monday afternoon, I was surprised how full our theater was.  We both enjoyed the 1 hour 47 minute movie and would agree with IMDB's rating of 7.6.

From there we walked a 100 feet across the Village to 'Base Camp Pizza'.....we had noted several days ago that this pizzeria garnered 4.5 stars out of 5 on Yelp based on over 2,300 reviews!  Wow!  That's impressive, right?  Based on that we decided to head there for my early birthday dinner.  We both ordered draft Porter's which were quite good, and also a spinach/artichoke dip with pita chips, which were also quite amazing.  On the other hand, we ordered their signature Base Camp pizza, and were underwhelmed.  The service was prompt, courteous, and efficient, but the pizza just didn't live up to the 4.5 stars.....we would be somewhere around 3.5 stars......

......all that being said, our high opinion of Lake Tahoe Pizza being the best pizza place in the Tahoe Basin is intact.

We were home, after a quick stop at Raley's, before 5:30 pm, and back in our pajamas for the rest of the evening.  I was a great day for celebrating the 18th anniversary of my 49th birthday......see TLE....I can play that game too.....:-)

Thanks for stopping by!

'Skyfall'....

8:01 am - Monday - 26 F degrees, 72% humidity, wind 8 mph out of SSW....snow on the ground.  Very cold this morning, obviously.......glad we don't work today....and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!  Slept another 9 hours.  There are 3 RV's left in section E including ours.  The pictures below show what we woke up to this morning......

Sunday we woke up knowing it was going to snow at some point, and probably rain.  We said goodbye to our Newell friends Guy and Sue....I caught this video of them disappearing around the bend in the inside loop.....

......love the sound of the 2 stroke Detroit Diesel 8V92 as it fades in the distance!  As you can see, it was sunny with no hint of what was to come, and it came just before 3 pm......

......I shot this video while watching NFL Sunday Ticket.......

.....it was definitely a day to be inside, and what better way to enjoy the day than watching the NFL Sunday Ticket.  My Broncos throttled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-7, and it wasn't even that close.  In fact, every team I was rooting for in the morning and afternoon games won.....Oakland Raiders, L.A. Rams, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, and the Dallas Cowboys....it was a clean sweep for me, and that is rare!

During the course of the afternoon we ran the gamut of weather.....snow, rain, snow and rain (is that sleet?), and sunshine at the end.  It's always nice when you get to enjoy a small snow storm with no significant accumulation, and that was Sunday in a nutshell.

TLE made a wonderful potato and corn chowder which we each chased with a glass of Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout.....I cherished every bite of that chowder....I am so blessed to be married to one of the most gorgeous home chefs in America!

I was in bed a little after 10 and slept like a baby......thanks for stopping by!

The One Pounder

10:23 am - Sunday - 43 F degrees, 34% humidity, wind 21 mph out of SSW......yep, I'm late this morning, but it's not my fault!  I turned on my laptop this morning and was advised by Microsoft that a Windows 10 update was about to start, and I had no choice......it took 2 hours to update.  Now that that is over, what happened Saturday?

Here it comes.....

The first thing I noticed was that snow (above) is due here around 5 pm, and the second thing I noticed (below) is Monday is my birthday.......

.....I'm getting old....er.....the third thing I noticed (above) is that I will need to order a new calendar soon.

Saturday was another coolish day, and I didn't do much outside until we left for work at 11:48 am.  Whilst TLE spent time in the warm office I was outside cleaning the rest of the tent sites in Sections E and A for most of the afternoon, but it was nice and peaceful.  I wore long pants once again, and had my jacket on most of the afternoon.    We clocked out at exactly 6 pm, and were home getting changed to go to dinner with Guy and Sue, our fellow Newell owners.  We opted to eat dinner at Sonney's BBQ Shack and Grill.  We were last there back in July.....  

 The Newell owners gang....Sue and Guy in the background

......last year I ordered their BLT "one pounder", and decided it was time once again.....can you blame me?

The BLT "one pounder"

I was only able to eat half of it at one sitting, so the other half of pure bacon joy awaits me Sunday.  

We had a lovely time talking.....Guy and Sue are easy to know, and be with......there is never a slack in the conversation.  We were back home before 9 pm, and had the heaters cranking as it was going to be a cold, windy night.

Thanks for stopping by!

The pits....

8:27 am - Saturday - 49 F degrees, 44% humidity, wind 12 mph out of SSE.....yep it was windy last night, but unusually warm this morning!  On the other hand the 5 day weather forecast shows 60% chance of snow showers this Sunday afternoon.....

.....the odds are there won't be much accumulation as the high for Sunday is going to be 48 F degrees, but we shall see.

It was quite chilly through late morning Friday, which kept me inside most of the morning until TLE and I went to work just before noon.  I clocked in and headed down to the maintenance yard to find Miguel and Adam taking apart an old washing machine.....it had one of those desired steel wash drums, which we use for portable firepits here at TVC.  They couldn't get the agitator out, so they left it to me......the guys with all the tools.....to remove, which I did after about 30 minutes of struggle.

 All the unneeded parts stacked in the foreground

 New portable firepit...

From there I headed out to Section E to begin to deep clean all the tent sites in preparation for closing down.  We had to do this in May this year as it had not been done the prior Fall.  Now we will arrive next May with this task already completed.  By 3 pm I had cleaned 20 tent sites when I was called to pump some propane.  When I returned I decided to start dragging some logs to create a barrier along the back of the tent sites on the outside of the outer loop.  We've had occasions where tenters are setting up their tents so far back they end up in the overflow area which is behind the tent sites making it difficult for us to monitor their activity....specifically fires.  We have found numerous old fires which have been built on the ground with no fire container. This is not only against our rules, but against the law.  With the large log barriers these sites are still quite spacious, but we can at least see what is going on from the road.

With the temps getting gradually colder we are pumping a lot more propane to power the RV gas heaters used by many of our customers, so I answered a few more calls for propane over the course of the afternoon.  It wasn't long until I had to don my jacket, watch cap and gloves as the temperature began to dip into the low 50's.  We were going to keep the store open until 8 pm, but there was so little activity that we closed at 7 pm.  By the time TLE had counted all the money as 'cashed out' it was close to 7:30 pm.....that's the first time in over a week I have worked 7 hours!

Thanks for stopping by!

An old friend.....

7:26 am - Friday - 40 F degrees, humidity 65%, wind - calm, clear blue skies, sunny....forecast high today is 68 F degrees.  Slept 9 hours last night for the second night in a row.

Thursday morning I spent time with Guy and Sue helping orient them to owning a Newell.  Since each Newell is unique there is a steep learning curve......things I helped them with included using the inverter.....there are several switches to activate in this '84 Newell for it to supply power to a select number out outlets in the coach.  Mine is a little different in that I only have to turn a dial from generator to inverter to get power at ALL my outlets.  Another issue was where were the thermostats which control the salon and water bay electric heaters.....it turned out they were hidden under a hinged panel over the door.  I showed them how to deploy their ZipDee patio awning....deploying a ZipDee patio awning is anything but intuitive.  We also went over the leveling system, the auxiliary compressor, and the air system......the air system seems to have a big leak as the compressor comes on every 15 minutes.  It reminded me of the process TLE and I went through the first time we went camping in our Newell.....everything was new.....our learning curve went on for close to two years.  At any rate the two hours went quickly, and I think Guy and Sue have a little better understanding of the basics.

As I walked around the outside of the 1984 Newell I began to remember all the things I had worked on for Todd, the former owner......I installed the LED tail lights, and front LED turn signal lights, the crank up Winegard satellite dish, the new front bumper, I helped polish those ALCOA wheels, I helped repair the hinge on the electrical bay door, and probably a few things I have forgotten.  It was like visiting with an old friend for a couple of hours.

Soon it was time for me to go to work.....TLE once again went in at Noon, and I followed at 2 pm.  My first task of the day was to install mini-blinds on two windows in the administrative office at the entrance to the campground.  I love projects like this, and within two hours they were installed and ready to use.  I then did site checks.....we are just under 70 RV sites occupied....we will probably have a few more over the weekend, but I think we've already seen the last weekend with over 100 sites occupied.  Within a few days Section E will be empty except for two sites.....ours and Miguel's (head ranger), and we will be moving shortly thereafter.  Within a few days of that we will begin to winterize E, A and F.

The rest of my 4+ hour shift consisted of pumping propane, mopping out the laundry and lounge rooms, locking up the maintenance yard, running invoices out to customers, updating site tags, and twiddling my thumbs.....:-)  We closed the office/store at 6 pm, and were home before 6:30.....it was a little weird to be driving home between 6 and 6:30 and seeing how close to sunset it already was, and how quiet the campground was......TLE and I are getting used to the unusual quiet and, in fact, are really beginning to enjoy it.

Thanks for stopping by!

The second time around.....

8:22 am - Thursday - 44 F degrees, 56% humidity,  wind 5 mph out of SSW....partly cloudy, but sunny......forecast high is 72 F degrees.....beginning to cool down once again....9 hours of sleep last night.

I hadn't taken a bike ride for a while....maybe close to a month.....which is unusual for me, but, as you know, I did have an excuse......my heel injury.  At any rate I was determined to get out for a modest ride Wednesday.  TLE was going into work at noon, but I was not going until 2 pm......just not enough to do.  Whenever I get on my bike to take a ride I rarely ever know how far, or which route, and that is how I began my ride Wednesday around noon.  As I approached US-50 I opted to take 'D' Street over to Lake Tahoe Blvd. to pick up the bike path there.  As I crossed back over Lake Tahoe Blvd. to continue on the path along Sawmill I decided I would continue on to the end of the bike path in Meyers.  Normally I would make the turn around just past the 'Divided Sky Restaurant' and then cross over US-50 to ride back to TVC, but as I made the turn I decided to stay on the bike path and take it all the way back to 'D' Street and home.  I ended up doing just about 14.3 miles and did it in just slightly over 1 hour.

I took a quick shower, had a bite to eat and headed for work to find this 'Who's In The Park' report showing just 72 sites occupied.......yep, definitely feels like May again.....

..... here are only three RV's left in Section A, six in Section F, and maybe 11 in Section E (and two of those are staff members).  The A restroom has been winterized, and the restroom in F is probably next with E shortly behind.  By the middle of next week we will be down to G which is always open.  The pool has been mostly drained and winterized.  The shelves in the store are becoming bare as we let the inventory wind down for the season.

Most of the morning I had been exchanging messages with Newell friends Guy and Sue who are taking their first big trip in their 1984 Newell they purchased earlier this summer from other Newell friends Todd and Dawn Flickma.  I, along with other Newell owners spent time working on this Newell when Todd first purchased it....my finger prints are all over it.....I installed the Winegard crank up satellite dish, I helped repair a hinge on the electrical bay door, I helped polish up two of the ALCOA aluminum wheels, I installed the 'new' front bumper section to replace a damaged one.  This is their first trip together since Guy flew back to South Dakota to buy the Newell and drive it home by himself. They are still in the middle of the Newell learning curve.......

....this picture reminds of the first time we were parked next to this Newell a few years back in Sioux Falls, SD.....

Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls, SD

......we still had the T-Bird back then.  I guided Guy and Sue over to site 427, right next to us, then left them to finishing setting up while I went back to work.  Guy and Sue had planned to arrive around Noon time, but Jello disguised as road construction along US-395 slowed them down, and they did not arrive at TVC until after 3 pm.

TLE and I both clocked out at 6 pm, and headed for home.......Wednesday was also the end of the current pay period.....I worked just 69 hours the last two weeks which is more like it!  We quickly changed clothes and then began the walk over to Lake Tahoe Pizza with Guy and Sue.  We were there almost two hours, but the time seemed to just fly by as we talked about everything Newell.  We are looking forward to the next 5 days working with Guy and Sue on their Newell learning curve.  We first met Guy and Sue back in early April (click here for that story) when they were just beginning to think about fulltiming, and buying a Classic Newell.

Thanks for stopping by!