Kids weekend.....

 7:55 am - Saturday - January 20th - GNHS - 54° F, humidity 76%, wind 3 mph out of the south by southeast....cloudy today with a chance of rain this evening, and a forecast high of 64° F.  On this date in 2013 I found a couple of old tools at a yard sale in Cedar Key, FL.....I still have the hand sledge, and use it often, such as yesterday driving a wedge to split wood....I still have the spanner, but rarely use it, but I like it because it is old.....↴

Friday began quietly enough.  We had no rental bookings, and the park was pretty empty.  TLE and I took a single 1 mile out and back walk averaging around 3.3 mph.  I spent time splitting some firewood for our kids who would be arriving around 4:30 pm for the weekend.  Yup, we finally got our kids, at least two of them, to come out for the weekend....our daughter Kate, her husband Nick, and two of their kids....Jolene and Levy, as well as Sharon, her husband Rod, and their son Brayden.  I worked a deal with Russ who owns a number of rental cabins here at GNHS for just the $50 cleaning fee for the Bombay Beach Bungalow, which is right behind us....

....right there behind the propane station....the Newell is just to the right, but out of the picture.  Sharon her family will stay there....it is actually quite nice inside....

....it is a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath cabin with a western view so you can see the sun set, as it is in this picture.

Kate and Nick have a travel trailer, so I got them a deal on site #1 on Snob Hill, directly across form our RZR parking area at 1/2 price.....

....and there they are this morning.

Friday was also dump the black tank day....it probably should have been done Thursday, but I was lazy.  After dumping the black tank TLE and I took the aforementioned walk, then I spent time checking the water levels in both of our 8d house batteries.  Each battery has 6 cells, so 12 in all.  As has most often been the case over the years, the water levels in each and every cell were fine, but I added a little to each anyway.  I don't know why, but our batteries just don't loose water.  I'll check the two 8d chassis batteries after the weekend is over.

Kate and Nick arrived around 4:20 pm, and were set up in site #1 before it got dark.  Sharon and Rod arrived around 4:55 pm, and were checked into the Bombay Beach Bungalow within 15 minutes....

....the Chocolates lit up just before every arrived.

TLE and I grilled jalapeno, cream filled, bacon wrapped 'poppers' for appetizers, and then hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner.  Our 'lido deck' was full of people for the first time in a long time, and we had a great dinner, after which we retired to Kate and Nicks site for a fire....the moon is back to about 2/3's of full, so I took a few pictures....

Bombay Beach Bungalow just after sunset Friday

.....we talked and laughed until after 8 pm at which time we bid our adieus and headed for our respective abodes for the night

Thanks for stopping by!

He ran the tires off the rims......

7:46 am - Friday - January 19th - GNHS - 48° F, humidity 84%, wind 4 mph out of the east.....cloudy today with a forecast high of 67° F.  On this date in 2016 Steven Dempsey, good friend, and amazing photographer took the picture I have been using on the masthead of our blog since then.....↴ 

We haven't been super busy since New Years weekend, but we've had rentals going out more days since then, than not, and Thursday was another 3 rental day with all three going out for 1/2 day, or 4 hours.  They were all on their way by 10 am.

Once that was done TLE and I were off on our first 1 mile out and back walk of the day.  There was a very light breeze out of the southeast as we walked west on Hot Mineral Spa Road to a point just south of Bashford's.  We managed to average 3.4 mph for this walk, and were back before 11 am.....

.....the two 4 seat RZRs, and the 2 seat General returned within minutes of each other around 2 pm, and one of the 4 seaters returned with a destroyed tire and rim.....

.....customer claims it suddenly went flat, and he stopped to change the tire. But for that tread to come off like it did would require driving on the flat tire for quite a distance, don't you think?  At any rate, he will be paying for a new tire, and rim....about $600...ouch!  This gives new meaning to the phrase "he ran the tires off the rims"....lol.

TLE, Hunter and I each drove a RZR down to the fuel station, and after that I washed the 2 seat General while TLE and Hunter put the other two away.  Those two RZRs, while dirty, are going to be used by Kyle to take his friends out on Friday, so he can wash them if he wishes....lol.

After fueling, washing, and parking the General TLE and I took our final 1 mile out and back walk of the day......

....this was our 25th such 1 mile walk since just before Christmas, and we are beginning to get back into shape once again, plus we are losing weight and inches.  The only way to lose weight is to eat less, and move more, and that is what we are doing.....nice, slow, but steady weight loss.

We had a very subtle sunset, at least subtle for GNHS....

....I don't recall if I have written about the fact that we (COA) share a parking area with the campground propane station, and that customers, other than those needing propane, use that area for a short cut to the offroad exit, which is near our office.  At night it becomes particularly irritating when they come through the parking lot, which is right behind the Newell, so TLE and I put up traffic cones at night to discourage the shortcutters......

....it seems that 9 traffic cones is just enough to discourage them.....lol....although a few try to sneak through anyway.

For dinner we had the rest of the Ahi Tuna I had grilled the previous night, only cold this time with a Wasabi and soy sauce dip, accompanied by a side salad.  I have to say the Ahi was just as good cold, as it was hot.  That Ahi Tuna steak cost around $20, but we got 4 meals out of it (two Wednesday night, and two Thursday night).

For the first time in at least a month TLE and I retired to the 'game/dining deck' for game night.  On this night TLE chose 'Phase 10'.  The game went back and forth, and we were both on the 10th Phase at the end, but I had to shut her out to win as I had more accumulated points than she.  Unfortunately for me the cards favored TLE this night and she came away with a narrow victory......

.....that big smile on her face as she began to deal the first hand portended her ultimate victory....she must have had some inkling she would prevail this night.  Of course, win, or lose, I always enjoy the contest.

Thanks fore stopping by!

Team building.....

7:24 am - Thursday - January 18th - GNHS - 44° F, humidity 92%, wind 2 mph out of the east by southeast.....mostly clear skies today with clouds later, and a forecast high of 66° F.  On this date in 2019 TLE and I were slogging our way out of Dallas, TX traffic on our way to Amarillo.....↴ 

Dallas morning rush hour traffic

Almost out of town

At last.....out in the country again....and big views once again

Wednesday COA hosted their first corporate team building group ride.  We had 20 people from a company in L.A. going out for a two hour geo caching contest at 10 am.  The organizer had arrived Tuesday to check out the layout of the area between our office and the Bat Caves, and had set up the geo caches for Wednesday's group.  They all arrived around 9:30 am, and by 10 am we had the five 4 seat RZRs on their way.  

TLE and I did take a 1 mile walk while our customers were out in the field and managed to average 3.4 mph after a couple of days of no walking....

TLE ditched the post walk picture again....lol!

.....the group began to return around 12 pm, and by 12:20 pm they had all returned without incident.  None of the RZRs was that dirty, and most of the fuel gauges, except for one, showed 100% still, so I only fueled the one at 99%, then, using compressed air, blew the dust off all 5.  Within 20 minutes our customers were gone, and our work day was complete.

TLE had purchased a large Ahi Tuna steak at COSTCO on Tuesday, and wanted me to grill it Wednesday evening, so around 5 pm I lit the Sea-B-Que, and then headed out to our parking lot to catch the latest sunset....it began subtly, and then blossomed into a beautiful, captivating, memorable sunset....

....by the time I was done taking pictures the Sea-B-Que was up to temperature, and it was time to begin grilling the Ahi Tuna steak....it was a big one.....

.....I grilled the steak for 3 minutes at 500° F on each side, and the result could not have been more perfect....a nice sear on the outside, and a tad raw in the interior.....TLE added a side of spinach......

.....that Ahi was melt in your mouth delicious, and the spinach was a perfect pairing.  TLE also provided me with some heated Saki.  A nice way to end a another day at GNHS!

Thanks for stopping by!

'A day in the life'

 7:36 am - Wednesday - January 17th - GNHS - 47° F, humidity 72%, wind 3 mph out of the southeast.....cloudy today with a forecast high of 66° F.  On this date in 2015 TLE and I were attending the wedding of our youngest daughter, Sharon.....↴

Father daughter dance

Sharon and Rod

Our 5 kids - left to right: Meredith, Kate, Sharon, Chris and Tim

It had been about a week since our small shopping foray into Mecca, and it was time for a big shopping, so we headed into La Quinta around 10:30 am to do just that.  Additionally, we needed to stop at the local Post Office to send off a package to one of our recent RZR rental customers, who forgot their wallet (about 7 credits cards, drivers license, etc) and a hat.  It's been over a week since they flew back to Texas, but we're around 35 miles from the nearest Post Office, and this was the first opportunity to mail the package.

We arrived at COSTCO around 11:30 am, and were out the door on our way to Walmart within 40 minutes.  Once we were done with Walmart we headed directly to Rubio's Coastal Grill for some fish tacos....it's been over a month since we had our last fix....lol....

....from Rubio's we headed to the Post Office where the line was out the door, but they have one of those self serve machines.  Frankly, it was only slightly faster than waiting in line.  The system they use is so ponderous, and lacking in intuition that it took forever to mail just one package, but we got it done.  

Our next stop was Ralph's where we did the really big shopping, and after paying, and getting more fuel points we headed to their fuel station to use that 40 cent per gallon credit we had earned.  When I went to pay for the gas I couldn't find my debit card...doh!  I left it in the stupid Post Office self serve machine!  Well, we used TLE's debit card to fuel the VW, and then made a beeline back to the Post Office hoping the lady behind us was honest, and turned it in.  Thankfully, she did, and I had my debit card, and was out the door in seconds....whew!  I've had to replace lost, or damaged debit cards a few times in the last 12 years, and it is never an easy proposition, especially when you are a nomad, and are rarely, if ever at your 'home address'.  Trying to get your bank to mail you a new debit card to an address other than your home address is difficult at best.

We didn't get back home until just before 4 pm, so while TLE put away the groceries I readied the 'fire pit deck' and 'view deck' for occupancy.  Once TLE was done, which didn't take her long, we spent time on the 'viewing deck' watching the Chocolates light up, and then the sun set, then moved to the 'fire pit deck'.  TLE made popcorn for the occasion....

....we enjoyed the fire, some Etta James channel music on Pandora, the waxing moon, and each other until around 6:30 pm when we headed inside for the night.  It was another '''day in the life'.....

A day in the life - Beatles

Thanks for stopping by!

Another upgrade.....

7:51 am - Tuesday - January 16th - GNHS - 47° F, humidity 74%, wind 5 mph out of the south......partially cloudy skies today with a forecast high of 67° F.  On this date in 2020 TLE and I were finishing our last project at Ramona Oaks RV Resort.....recovering the 9th hole with new artificial turf.....↴

....Ramona Oaks RV Resort still remains one of our all time favorite camp host jobs in almost 12 years of workamping.

Mondays are sleep in days, and both of us did just that, not getting out of bed until after 8 am....what a couple of slugs...lol!  It's not that we're sleeping all that time.  Sometimes we just lie there talking, and laughing about silly things we see out her window.  TLE always opens the curtains on her side of the bed to see what the day looks like.  Most of the time it is crystal clear, blue, sunny skies that greet us.  It is just a nice, sweet interlude before we officially 'wake up' and get out of bed.  It is one of the things I love about being retired, and that I love about our nomadic life.  That view out TLE's window changes periodically, especially when we are moving.

About a week ago I ordered some new reading lights for the Newell.  We have 7 of them scattered throughout the coach.  When we first bought the Newell back in 2008 I replaced all the existing automotive bulb reading lights with those of the LED variety, and they have served us well over the past 13 years of living full time in the Newell, but they are not as bright as we would like them to be, so we decided it was time to upgrade....

One of the old LED reading lights over TLE's recliner

.....I ordered just two (they come in pairs) of the new ones we decided upon to see if we liked them before ordering the final 5.  The new ones put out twice the light as the old ones, and are dimmable.  The base of the new ones is smaller than the old ones so I had to cut out a piece of 1/8" plywood (2.5" x 4") to cover the hole through which the 12 volt wiring passes, sand it, stain it, and then install the new light.  It came out rather well.....

.....I replaced the one over TLE's passenger seat (above), as the old one was broken, and the one that I use over my recliner (below).......

....these new reading lights allow for much more adjustment, and that fact that they can be dimmed is just an added bonus, along with the fact each light has a USB port for plugging in USB related things....perfect!

I installed the one over my recliner first as the hole for the wiring was much smaller, and the base of the new light perfectly covers that hole requiring no modification.  After that was done TLE and I decided to take a bike ride (our first of this winter season) over to FOY for a late lunch, and a quick stop at their market.  The round trip ride is about 7 miles, and considering we have not ridden in months it was rather enjoyable.  As it turned out, the restaurant is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so we made a quick stop at the market for some Cottage Cheese (Knudsen brand), and headed back to GNHS.  I think we averaged somewhere between 11 and 12 mph for the ride.

Upon my return I installed TLE's reading light, and my work was done for the day.  Around 4:30 pm we headed out to the 'fire pit deck' for our first fire in a while.  There were two NFL wild card games on Monday, but I only watched the 5:15 pm one....I forgot the 1:30 pm game between Buffalo and Pittsburgh (in Buffalo), but saw the last 10 minutes of the game as I got the fire going.  It was a close game until Buffalo upped their lead from 7 points to 14 points with 4, or 5 minutes to go, and that pretty much decided the game as Pittsburgh did not score again.  The second game between Tampa Bay and Philadelphia was not a close game, and was won rather easily by Tampa Bay 34-9, and it wasn't really that close.  So far, out of 6 wild card games, just two have been what I would call competitive. Here's hoping the next round will be more entertaining!

Thanks for stopping by!

No competition.....

7:51 am - Monday - January 15th - GNHS - 47° F, humidity 73%, wind 4 mph out of the east by southeast....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 65° F.  On this date in 2017 I was removing and replacing a bad piece of the diesel exhaust in our 1982 Newell....↴ 

The old galvanized section

The new stainless steel section

.....I had replaced this section once before back in 20010, and chose to use galvanized, instead of stainless steel at that time.  It, the galvanized, lasted 7 years.  It's been another 7 years now, and the stainless steel is doing just fine.

We had just two COA bookings for Sunday....the final day of a two day booking, and a short 2 hour rental, so TLE did not  report for duty, letting Hunter and I handle everything.  By the time our all day renter retrieved RZR #8 for the second day of their rental it was around 9:45 am, so I clocked out leaving Hunter to handle the rest of the day.  There were two more NFL wild card playoff games beginning at 1:30 pm and 5:15 pm, and I wanted to watch them hoping they would be more competitive than Saturday's offerings, plus I had a project, or two I wanted to get done before then.

The first was to install a new window washer nozzle on the VW Beetle.  Last week I noticed I was only getting a spray our of one of the two nozzles, and checked on it later to find the plastic hose barb had broken, so I ordered a new one on Amazon. Well, they (got a package of 3) arrived Saturday via USPS, and I had tried to install it, but the after market one was a tad too big for the slot into which it was supposed to plug.  Overnight I had decided to use my Dremel with a small cutting disk to trim the metal back about 1/64".  My default thought process is almost always that it will be more difficult, and take longer than it should, but in this case it took just a couple minutes to trim the slot opening and successfully install the new plastic nozzle....

New nozzle successfully installed

.....once that was done I did my toning workout (TLE and I took a day off from walking Sunday), and then headed over to the hot pools/tubs to take my first soak in a while....

.....both large hot pools were full, so I chose the empty one in which to take my soak....it was the prefect temperature, and I was back at the Newell in under an hour!

For the first time in a few years I took down my pirate flag and replaced it with my Gadson Flag....I've been feeling a little "Don't tread on me!" lately....lol....

.....Hunter called about 1:30 pm, while he was at lunch, to say he wasn't feeling well, and would we take care of the all day rental return, and watch the office the rest of the day, so TLE went out to do just that, and I joined her around 3 pm.....I never got to my second project.  In the interim I spent time in my anti gravity chair watching the Cowboys and Packers game being played in Dallas, TX.  I was expecting a good game with the Cowboys coming out the ultimate victors.  It turned out to be a rout in favor of the Packers.  At half time it was 27-7, and with 7+ minutes to play in the 4th quarter it was 48-17 in favor of the Packers, and the game was pretty much over.  Pretty hard to score 4 touchdowns with four 2 point conversions in 7 minutes.  The Cowboys were just not ready for this game on any level.  The final score ended up 48-32, only because the Packers began playing prevent defense, allowing the Cowboys to score 16 useless points as the game wound down.  Wow....who saw that coming?  Anyway, my quest to watch a meaningful, competitive playoff game was once again thwarted.

Our last rental returned around 4:30 pm without incident, and our weekend of COA rentals was done.  I hurriedly set up a chair to watch the sunset.....

....then turned the chair around to watch the beginning of the Rams and Lions game being played in Detroit.  Finally, a competitive game!  The game was close right down to the end with Detroit winning 24-23.....

....there are two more NFL wild card games Monday, so here's hoping they are competitive!

Thanks for stopping by!