Holiday hangover....

8:50 am - Mountain Time - Thursday - 51° F, humidity 64%, wind 1 mph out of southwest......very cloudy......☁  Did not sleep well last night.....serious post nasal drip going on, and a 'scratchy' throat.....maybe the beginning of a cold.....uggggh!

I spent a few hours Wednesday helping Tom work on his 1940 Ford Sedan......

.....he has removed all the windows and hardware to clean them before reinstalling them.  I worked on the vented windows located at the rear corners of the car indicated by the red arrow in the picture above.  Each of these windows had to be cleaned, and then masked so the metal frames of the windows can be painted black.  The project was 'tedious' as Tom says, but that is the kind of project I enjoy.....the time just melted away.

In the afternoon I began to feel like I was coming down with a cold.....my first cold in 2 years.  Whenever we spend a lot of time where there are a lot of small children it is always a risk, and that is exactly what we did this past Christmas weekend.  I began taking ZICAM® before our trip back to SoCal and have been taking it since I returned, so we'll see how long the cold symptoms last.  The last few times I have felt like I was getting sick I began taking ZICAM® as soon as the symptoms presented themselves and I never really got sick.....I just felt 'punk' for a few days.

Once again there were several college football bowl games and I had one of them on most of the afternoon and evening.  TLE went shopping a couple of days ago and returned with a couple of filet mignons, so I got out the Sea-B-Que around 4:30 to grill one of them.  TLE added mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables as sides......the filet came out a perfect medium rare.

Thanks for stopping by!

Home Sweet Home!

6:52 am - Mountain Time - Wednesday - Wait what?  Wednesday already?  43° F, 68% humidity, wind 3 mph out of northwest....partly cloudy......forecast high 69° F.  In the midst of a minor 'heat wave'.....will be high 60's to low 70's for next three days then back into the 50's.

It is good to be back in my home.....don't get me wrong, it is always nice to spend a few days in a larger home, but I love the compact nature of my Newell home.....I am most comfortable in this 220 square foot space.  I know where everything is, and I am just feet away from the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom, my beloved recliner, the outdoors, the heater thermostat.....I think you get the idea.

When we left on our whirlwind trip to SoCal for Mark's memorial service and Christmas we stowed our patio awning to protect it from possible winds over that span of time.  Now that we have returned it was time to deploy it once again, along with the decorative lights which we also had to takeN down.  When we are dry camping I almost always park the coach in a way to get the most sun on my solar panels for as many hours per day as possible, and that is usually with the nose of the coach facing the west.  This keeps the passenger side, or awning side in the shade meaning we usually do not deploy the awning.  When we have hookups we often do not have a choice in what direction we face, and often find the passenger side exposed to the sun for all, or part of the day, so we deploy the awning. 

Once the awning and patio furniture were redeployed I moved on to the next task......clean out the engine bay on both sides of the coach, and then pressure wash our rear facing radiator.....it has been about 10 months since it was last cleaned, and even though we have not traveled that many miles in the interim it was time.  I usually clean the radiator, at a minimum, every six months.  By the time I finished putting everything away it was closing in on 4 pm, and I was oh so dirty and tired.

After a longish shower I retired to my recliner to read for a while, which almost always leads to a nap, which it did.  Being that it is also the end of the year, the fourth week of December specifically, there are a number of  college 'Bowl' games being played leading up to this weekend when it will be non-stop college football culminating with the New Year's day 'Bowl' blowout on Sunday.

There was a lot of work Tuesday, but what Tuesday mostly was for me was social decompression time......a time to be alone with my own thoughts.  And now we are just days away from rolling our wheels once again.  We will be moving our home back to the Quechan Casino in Winterhaven, CA on January 2nd in anticipation of our next dental appointments on the 3rd and the 9th.  This will position us to be able to be on I-8 heading eastward by January 9th.....if we leave the coach here in Wittmann we have to make two round trips to Los Algodones totaling some 800 miles, and would still have to drive back to Wittmann on the 9th after our last appointment, which would mean we would not be able to hit the road until the 10th.  Why is this important to us?  Well we need to be in Cedar Key, FL by January 20th to keep our reservation at Sunset Isle RV Park and leaving on the 9th will give us a total of 12 days to cover the 2,200 miles, or an average of 183 miles per day.  No doubt there will be some longer days, and some shorter days, but driving under 200 miles per day is our comfort zone.

Our probable route east

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'Back to the future......'

7:39 am - Mountain Time - Tuesday - 41° F, humidity 67%, wind 3 mph out of NNE.....clear blue skies....forecast high is 70° F.  Back 'home'.....

We were up by 7 am (PST) Monday, which was to be a travel day for TLE and I......time to travel 'back to the future'.....or at least one hour into the future which is where 'Mountain Time' is.  After taking a shower, writing the blog, and packing we were ready for our 'until next times' with Chris and TAR*.....it was just after 9 am and we needed to drop by Tim and TBL's** and Nick and Kate's for the second and third round of final 'until next times'.  We found everyone feeling a little under the weather so quickly bid our adieus and hit the road....it was about 9:50 am.

The day was clear, but still in the low 50's as we merged on to California SR-60 eastbound, and it would not get much warmer than 57° F all day.....a perfect driving day.  I drove the first leg to the I-10 Rest Area near Chiriaco Summit (east of Indio) which is just shy of 100 miles from our starting point where we took a much needed bathroom break.......just barely beating the arrival of a couple of tour buses which promptly resulted in a very long bathroom line for those who were most unfortunate to arrive after them.  From there TLE drove to Blythe where we stopped for lunch at Carl's Jr.......once again just barely beating the tour bus crowd....we sat eating our Santa Fe Chicken sandwiches as the tour bus gang stretched the order line out the door.

When we got back in the VW we knew we would be crossing into Arizona, and Mountain Time in just minutes so we went ahead and changed the clock.....it was 1:20 pm PST, however, it now became 2:20 pm Mountain Time.....we were officially back to the future!  We merged back on to eastbound I-10 and within minutes were passing through Quartzite, which is just beginning to fill up for the winter........a few minutes later we exited I-10 to Arizona SR-60.....120 miles to go!  

After making a quick stop in Wickenburg to fill up our tiny VW gas tank (capacity is around 13-14 gallons) we arrived home about 4:45 pm.....just before sundown, which was our modest goal for the day......nothing like an uneventful trip whether in the VW, or the Newell.  We had a wonderful 4 days with our kids over Christmas, but it is always good to get back to your familiar home, bed and routine once again.

On a side note, it appears......so far.....with the loosening and re-torquing of the 'knock sensor' bolt on the VW engine the 'CHECK ENGINE' light issue has been resolved for the present.  We've put approximately 800 miles on the VW since then and the light has not returned, nonetheless, just in case I do have the replacement Bosch 'knock sensor' in reserve.

Thanks for stopping by!

*TAR = The Amazing Rochelle
**TBL = The Beautiful Laila

Christmas Day, 2016

7:15 am - PST - Monday - 37° F, humidity 66%, wind 2 mph out of the north....clear.....forecast high 59°......travel day coming up!

Christmas day dawned clear and cold and by 9:30 we were driving southward to Creekside (a subdivision in Ontario, CA) and the home (previously our home for 30 years) of Kate (daughter) and Nick (husband) for our annual Christmas Brunch and gift exchange.....

Left to right: Brayden James (grandson), Jolene Rose (grand daughter) and Daniel Christopher (great grandson)......checking out Xmas presents

Almost time for brunch!

The kitchen remodeling is done!

.......it is so wonderful that we can come to SoCal and see all 5 of our kids and their families at the same time.....they are a close group and spend lots of time together even when we aren't in town......that makes me happy!

 Annual Christmas group photo......19 strong.....Front row - left to right: Jolene Rose, Katie, Charlise, Nick; Middle row - left to right: TAR*, Elaine, TBL**, Cynthia, Daniel Christopher, Sharon (Brayden James out of sight), Elijah; Back row - left to right: Christopher, Lena, Chris, Tim, moi, Meredith, Rod

Our son Tim and his fiance, TBL**, were hosting Christmas dinner at their home (also in Creekside), so we had barely digested brunch when it was time to head over there around 2 pm for dinner at 3:30.....I don't think I've been hungry since Thursday.......

The tables are set......

The in-laws have arrived!

  Time to eat....again....

 Jack and Nancy (Nick's parents) bought matching pajamas for the kids and themselves......love this picture!

Hanging in Tim and TBL's** backyard

 Time for the ubiquitous 'shots'!

My sons chose good women....TLE with TBL** and TAR*

It has been a whirlwind trip with non-stop socializing, and lots of hugs and kisses from our kids.......we are so happy we came for Mark's memorial service and were able to see the grief of our extended family transformed into joy over just a few days.....we wouldn't have missed it for the world.

We've had a wonderful time with Chris and TAR* at their home these past 4 days, as well as Nick and Kate, Rod and Sharon, Meredith, and Tim and Laila and all the grand kiddies.....my cup runneth over!

TLE and I were home just before 7......kind of worn out from the past four days.....TLE went to bed almost immediately, and I followed within a couple of hours......we'll be traveling back to Wittmann Monday morning.

Thanks for stopping by!

*TAR - The Amazing Rochelle

**TBL - The Beautiful Laila

Christmas Eve, 2016

8:00 am - PST - Sunday - Merry Christmas!  38° F, humidity 82%, wind 6 mph out of east.....clear blue skies. Headed off for Christmas brunch with the kids and grandkids in an hour.

Saturday was Christmas Eve and it was cold and stormy looking, but we got no more rain......the view towards the local mountains out our bedroom window.....a little dusting of snow can be seen.......

.......view towards the Pomona Valley.....you can see forever....well, almost.....

.....we had a leisurely breakfast and morning......my son doesn't have NFL Sunday Ticket, so I'm missing that a little.....the only game on at 10 am was the Packers vs. the Vikings won by the Packer.  The afternoon game featuring the Raiders vs. Colts was won by the Raiders, but at a great cost.....Derek Carr, their quarterback, suffered a broken fibula near the end of the game, which means he is out for the season, and suddenly the Raiders' chances of going beyond the first round are not looking too good.

The original name of this brewery was Dale Brothers Brewing, however, it was discovered there was already another micro brewery on the east coast with this name, so this one had to change their name to 'Last Name Brewing'

TLE and I met my good friend Paul Hood at Last Name Brewing in Upland, CA around 1 pm.....Yelp gives them 4.5 stars on 227 reviews.  They only serve beer, but you can bring in your own food, which we did.  Paul made a quick stop at The Hat for a couple of their famous pastrami sandwiches, and some onion rings and met us at 1 pm at Last Name........this is a very popular place, and their brews are not to be missed.  I had a tulip glass of their Nitro Oat Meal Stout (11% abv), and so did TLE.  We chatted about an hour before bidding Paul adieu and Merry Christmas....we needed to get home to relax before our next Christmas party at the home of Chris' in-laws, Ed and Linda, at 5:30......I'm pretty sure I have not been hungry in about 4 days!

We haven't seen Ed and Linda since we headed out on our never ending journey almost 5 years ago, so we were looking forward to seeing them.  We have been very blessed with good in-laws, and Ed and Linda are no exception.  We had a wonderful time with them, but by 8:30 pm it was time to head for the barn.  

One more day of time with family, friends and relatives, and way, way too much food and we are off for Arizona once again.

Thanks for stopping by!

Remembering......

7:51 am - PST - Saturday - 49° F, humidity 95% (yup.....raining, raining, raining), wind 8 mph out of ESE.....heavy clouds.....100% chance of rain.....forecast high 53° F.

We were up before 8 am (PST)......I went to type my blog on my Lenovo laptop and realized almost immediately that I had forgotten the power supply when I packed everything up Thursday.....doh!  Fortunately my son keeps a Dell laptop in the kitchen area on the counter so I just used that to type my blog.  The battery on my Lenovo only last about 90 minutes, and when I am plugged in I usually change the battery charging mode to 50%.....supposedly, according to Lenovo, it extends the battery life.  Anyway, with it set at 50% charge I knew I would only have 40-45 minutes before the battery would die, and after that I would have no chance of using it again until I got a power supply.

At any rate, I managed to get the blog written and then TLE and I decided to go out shopping before Mark's memorial service.  Every time I wear my suit, which is not often, I can't find my black dress socks, and I end up having to go out and buy another pair....this is the third time in the past 12 months I have had to buy new black dress socks......I can't imagine where they disappear to in the Newell.....one of my life's great mysteries.  We drove down Day Creek to its intersection with Foothill where there is a shopping center with a Men's Warehouse, a BevMo (Beverages and More), an REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.), and a Best Buy.....all the stores we wanted to visit in one place.....park once and done.

I ended up finding a nice tie, some black dress socks and got out of Men's Warehouse for under $12.  Then it was over to Best Buy to buy a spare power supply for my laptop, and they actually had one for my Lenovo ($41......ouch).  Next up was BevMo where TLE bought some wine while I walked next door to a market to buy some half & half.  

Mark's memorial service was at 2 pm so we left Chris' home by 1 pm to be sure we arrived on time.....this is SoCal and just before Xmas so there is a lot of traffic.  We arrived at Richardson's Funeral Home by 1:40 pm to find most of the families already there.  Tears and hugs were in abundance.  The death of a loved one, and Mark was deeply loved, is always a difficult time for everyone involved and this was no exception.  Nevertheless, by the time the service was concluded folks were beginning to smile again, and that was a good sign.  One could see the closure part of the grieving process beginning to evidence itself.

Kate and Nick (daughter and son-in-law) hosted the reception at their home so we headed there next and spent a couple of hours talking about our memories of Mark before it was time to head back to Chris' home (where we are staying) for their Christmas party.  By the time we headed upstairs we were exhausted from all the socializing, but it was a good kind of exhaustion.  Friday saw us run the full range of emotions from deeply felt sadness to joyful highs, and that is what life is like sometimes.

Christmas Eve there will be more family get-togethers with Sunday, Christmas day, being the climax, and then we will begin the drive back to Wittmann and our Newell life....it won't be long until we are on the road to new adventures!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Jello strikes again.....

8:02 am - PST - Friday - 52° F, humidity 56%, wind 2 mph out of SSE.....overcast skies....in Rancho Cucamonga, CA....forecast high 55° F.

Our Jello plan for Thursday was to depart Wittmann around 11 am so we could arrive in SoCal (Rancho Cucamonga) before sundown......I don't like driving in the dark.....but this is what greeted us at 227th Avenue around 9 am......this dirt road is about .75 miles from the pavement at this point.....there was no way we were going to drive that in the low slung VW.  So we opted to wait for 2-3 hours until the road was passable then make a run for the pavement.......

......it stopped raining around 11 am, and at 1 pm I walked out to the road to access our chances of 'escape' and found the road passable, so around 1:30 pm, 2.5 hours after our planned departure we were on our way knowing we would not arrive at our destination until well after dark......initially our drive west on I-10 was heavily overcast, but no rain until we got past Palm Springs where it began to rain again in earnest...........

......and by the time we reached the top of Banning Pass it was nearing torrential proportions.....at this point TLE was driving and she had driven the last 117 miles, so we pulled off the Interstate changed seats and continued our trek westward.  I have to admit that since my eye surgery driving at night in the  rain is not nearly as daunting as it once was.....my night vision has improved immensely!  As we merged on to SR-210 the rain stopped, and the last 20 miles into Rancho Cucamonga was without rain.  We arrived at my son's (Chris) home just at 6 pm......naturally we gained an hour crossing back into the Pacific Standard Time Zone at the California border.  In all our drive took 5.5 hours including a 30 minute stop at Tom Wells Road, just before the California border, for fuel, and a Subway sandwich.  More rain is forecast for Friday.....of course.....what would a funeral/memorial service be without rain, right?

So, we have arrived safely in SoCal for Mark's memorial service, and for a family Christmas celebration......looking forward to time with our kids, grandkids and great grandkid.....it is, nonetheless, a time of mixed emotions for all of us.

Chris and Rochelle had a dinner of Lasagna and bread sticks ready for our arrival, and Chris and I spent time watching the N.Y. Giants vs. the Philadelphia Eagles TNF game.....the Giants (Ely Manning) committed three turnovers  via interception resulting in 10 points and the difference in the game....the Giants lost 24-19 in a disappointing game.  Their defense played good enough to win, but were betrayed by their offense.

Thanks for stopping by!