Wednesday – September 26, 2007 – Home Alone

This afternoon I feel like the summer “vacation” / “adventure” is over. I took Carol to the airport this morning for her 12:45 flight back to L.A. and there is no one to talk to for the first time in four months! Don’t rush to call with condolences, I’m not complaining, it’s just different.

Weather in Fernandina Beach is hot, humid, with scattered showers. Between showers, the sky is a beautiful blue with gentle breezes out of the east.

Suki-cat seems glad to be home – at least the outdoor part. He hasn’t been inside for 10 minutes during the past 3 days; content I guess, to wander the veldt, hunting for lizards!

I appreciate the kind comments about the blog during the last four months. I too, will miss them, but when you’re living the “routine” at home, it’s difficult to come up with new stories and/or photos. Last year, I tried to post something at least once a month to let everyone know we were alive. Looking back, I don’t think I was very successful.

In case you were wondering, Carol and I had a wonderful trip across the US of A. It’s something everyone should try to do with a significant other or in this case a father / daughter (or equivalent). We learned a lot about each other, enjoyed the scenery, laughed at each other’s jokes, and winced whenever we hit one of the many potholes / cracks / bumps in the road, and “yelled” at the other drivers when they did something really stupid (some days we got a lot of yelling done!).

I wanted to close with a photo that captured the feeling / mood that Margaret and I shared this summer. There were so many beautiful places that it’s hard to pick one that was the “best” or even symbolic. Instead, I chose the above photo taken outside the Signorello winery in Napa. It wasn’t the best wine of the summer (although it was good), it wasn’t the best winery (although it was nice), the people there were very nice to us, and it isn’t the best technical photo of the summer. But it captures a happy couple enjoying their “golden” years – and happens to be outside a winery! What a combo!

A salute to all readers and thanks again for allowing us to share our adventure with you.

Wayne

Saturday, September 22, 2007 – Pecan Park RV – Jacksonville, FL

A note to let everyone know we arrived safely. I guess we were anxious to be here because we were both up and ready to go at 7:30 CDT this morning. Even after stopping for a hamburger, we still arrived at 3:00 pm EDT.

After setting up, we took a load of laundry and several boxes of pre-packed stuff to the house – along with Suki-cat and cat food. We figured he’d had enough after 4 months locked up in this rolling cage and wanted to begin his attacks on the lizard population at the house. At first he was a little confused, but soon regained his poise.

We picked up Ruby Bug – thanks to David and Carol – and headed over to a local Japanese restaurants for a quick meal.

In case you’re wondering, we drove the motor-home 7,705 miles this summer. We left the house on May 22nd and arrived back here on September 22nd – exactly four months to the day. I’m not sure, but I think we drove the Saturn an additional 6,000 miles. It was a busy four months of driving.

Other than a gazillion bugs on the windshield this morning – driving through the panhandle of Florida – it was a pretty uneventful day. Florida roads, at least this section of I-10, was quite smooth – a welcome relief after the last two days of Louisiana highway experience.

We’re glad to arrive safely. The week (7 days exactly) passed quickly. I enjoyed having Carol along to share driving and relate past life experiences. Thanks to her.

Carol’s Addition : Yes, friends and neighbors and faithful readers, we have arrived in Jax. Was a good day of good roads and good conversation. Though we were on the losing end of the battle with those damn little black bugs out on the road, it was a smooth day. I am not sure whether the bugs had a death wish or were flirting with their reflection in the wind-shield right before the ….SPLAT!

My Dad and I are thoroughly exhausted. My body is screaming “Okay, Chickie, I got your funky-butt here in one piece… Now I QUIT!” Sleep will feel ever so good tonight.

So, I guess this will be my last addition to my parents’ blog. Have thoroughly enjoyed the journey, except for that stretch near East Texas and Louisiana….ugh, it was horrible! Anyhow, I am left with a feeling of accomplishment, a renewed closeness with my dear father, and memories that I will forever cherish.

Thank you for letting me come along… Blessings to all and Happy Motoring…..xoxoxo

Friday, September 21, 2007 – Milton, FL

What difference 24 hours makes! Yesterday a.m., we were in San Antonio, in warm, sunny climes. Last night it was still warm and sunny in Iowa, LA. Tonight – Friday – we are at ground zero in Milton, FL, for Tropical Depression Ten (we didn’t even rate a name!). At the moment (6:33 pm – CDT) it is misting with a light breeze. The Weather Channel is saying we could have gusts 15 – 25 mph and up to an inch of rain. But the “storm” is moving NW from here, so tomorrow we should drive out of it as we approach Jacksonville, FL.

After yesterday evening’s rough roads, we elected to take an alternate route this a.m. – specifically, US 90 through southern Louisiana – paralleling I-10. That actually worked pretty well. For about 1 ½ hours we followed a two-lane road through farms and small “villages” with pretty homes. Just west of Lafayette, LA, we rejoined I-10. Fortunately the road surface improved and we motored east-ward.

We had our first real glitch of the trip. I was mentally locked into following I-10 east and forgot that I needed to take I-12 to skirt New Orleans and go north of Lake Ponchatrain. As a result, we ended up crossing parts of the lake and going almost through New Orleans. We were able to avoid the actual down-town by taking the I-610 by-pass.

Unfortunately, we found some more really rough roads in New Orleans, probably due to being under water two years ago. Lots of potholes and dips that had us airborne a few times. It’s a wonder we didn’t lose any parts or break anything. At least we haven’t found any pieces or have anything fall off.

The “benefit” of getting lost – and I use that word loosely – is we got to see first-hand the effects of Hurricane Katrina two years after the event. As Carol observed, it looked like something out of a science fiction novel where the houses and shops look ok, but everything was deserted with weeds growing in the streets and driveways. With a few exceptions of obvious damage and destruction, many of the homes and apartments looked livable – but were deserted. And this went on mile after mile. Shopping centers were vacant, car sales lots were empty, even churches and hospitals were closed.

I-10 crossed the lower end of Lake Ponchatrain where we saw the sections of I-10 bridge that had been washed away. Traffic was flowing on both spans, but the damaged portion was being held together with steel trusses. There were tall pilings paralleling the bridge we were on, but no road surface. We never could tell whether it was a new bridge under construction or the remains of the previous bridge destroyed by the hurricane.

All in all, it was an eye-opener and spooky. We’ve all seen the newsreel footage of the damage, but to actually see the after effects – two years later – is scary.

We did see some homes being repaired and lived in. After stopping for lunch in Slidell we took another wrong turn out of the parking lot (how can that happen?) and ended up touring a relatively new subdivision. Nice homes, but only 1 of every 5 looked occupied and several had a big letter ‘C’ on the front indicating condemnation.

Saturday morning. I wasn’t able to finish this last night, so I got up early this morning to work on it. The “storm” was a non-event in this area. We had periods of heavy rain, but no wind – at least no wind that was noticeable in the motor-home. It has sprinkled most of the night, but no gully-washers.

We are roughly 300 miles from Jacksonville, so we should be able to make today if we don’t encounter any serious weather delays. At the moment it is raining “big” drops (making a lot of noise on the roof) so I will probably have to get wet in order to break camp. Maybe I’ll shrink?

Thursday, September 20, 2007 – Iowa, LA

After successfully negotiating San Antonio during late rush hour (9:30 a.m.) we headed east on I-10. Unlike our earlier adventures on I-20 in east Texas (last year), I-10 was a relatively easy drive. I decided not to burden Carol with driving through Houston (after she had done Phoenix and El Paso). We were going to take the I-610 bypass, but when we reached the exit, I couldn’t merge, so we continued through down-town Houston on I-10. It turned out for the best. Other than a few tight moments through the construction zone(s), we came out the other side in east Houston no worse for wear. The by-pass (I-610) we had planned to take was backed up due to an accident.

The remainder of the trip through east Texas was easy. After the first 12 miles in Louisiana, the road surface on I-10 turned really bad. Carol was driving and had to slow down to 45 mph to avoid bouncing us and the motor-home to death. As it was, she was really tuckered after an hour of the rough road.

We exited in Iowa, LA – east of Lake Charles / west of Lafayette, Louisiana – and found a campsite.

Today’s photo is of some of the units in the RV park: mostly FEMA trailers and refugees from Katrina last year; probably not the best RV park we’ve found. We plan an early start tomorrow and attempt to reach better road conditions.

We are currently 727 miles (approx) from Jacksonville; reachable if pushed in a day. But I anticipate being in a RV park tomorrow night in west Florida, probably just east of Mobile, AL. Unless we have an unexpected event, we should be in Jacksonville some time Saturday. We plan to stay in the motor-home until we have moved some of our stuff to the house in Fernandina – probably moving out (in?) on Sunday.

It has been a continuing adventure and I’m so glad Carol decided to accompany me – it has been great talking and laughing with her.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007 – San Antonio, TX

Carol and I were up at the crack of dawn this morning, so we folded our tent (proverbially speaking) and headed for San Antonio. We pulled out of Ft. Stockton, TX, at 6:45 am. Being on the west side of the Central Time Zone, it was still pitch black; so we got to see the sunrise!

We arrived in San Antonio during lunch rush hour. Like many big cities, several of the freeways are being repaired / upgraded, so driving was difficult. And like many big cities, everyone else was in an all-fired hurry to get where they were going. I let Carol drive and I navigated. She was a little frazzled when we finally pulled into the RV park. The rest of the trip should be a little easier.

The RV park we picked out of the book advertised itself as the closest to downtown. I can’t certify that claim, but a city bus route stops right in front and was only a 10-minute ride to the RiverWalk / downtown. At $1 each, it was cheaper than parking. Plus we didn’t have to unhitch the Saturn; one less thing to do tomorrow morning.

Today’s first photo is of Carol and the RiverWalk in San Antonio. After walking for a little bit, we stopped at Casa Rio restaurant and had a bite to eat. We then boarded one of the river tour boats and had a tour of downtown.

The weather cooperated. Other than being a little warmish in the sun, it was clear and pleasant with a nice breeze. Also, being a Wednesday afternoon, there were no crowds.

After the boat ride we walked to the Alamo. Unfortunately it was after 5:30 pm closing time so we could only look at the outside and stick our heads in the adjoining garden before they threw us out. But at least Carol got to see it in person. I was trying to remember the last time I was in town. Margaret probably remembers better than I do, but I think it was in 1966 during a trip to Denver. Margaret was pregnant with Carol on that trip, so Carol has actually been here before. But she didn’t remember any of it! Wonder why?

The second photo was taken by Carol during a walk around the RV park. It is a swing for kids made from tires and tire scraps. Very inventive. The last photo was also taken by Carol during the boat tour. The faces were on the side of a building and were put there by the builder to ensure prosperity and good fortune. The building costs $3 million dollars and was completed in August 1929. Two months later the stock market crashed. The building eventually sold for $27,000. The building also had gargoyles around the top to protect it against evil spirits. Guess they didn’t help either.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007 – Ft. Stockton, TX

Wayne: Yes folks, we made it into Texas. Actually, we elected to stop earlier than anticipated. After reviewing the various RV park maps at our disposal, we decided that there wasn’t anything convenient between Ft. Stockton, TX and San Antonio, so we stopped.

I believe it was a good decision. There is a Wal-Mart in Ft. Stockton which enabled us to re-provision supplies that were running low. From here, it’s 310 miles to San Antonio. If we get away tomorrow at 7:00 (or 8:00) a.m., we’ll be at the San Antonio RV park by noon (1:00 pm at the latest). That will give us almost all afternoon to explore the River Walk.

The couple next to us (in Ft. Stockton – KOA) is from Naples, FL. They have been in San Diego and are on their way home. He is on his third wife and first RV. After talking with him briefly, I’m not sure which will last the longest!

We had a brief rain shower this p.m. which was welcome. Fortunately it isn’t very hot – high 80’s / low 90’s. Clouds are pretty.

No excitement driving today. Carol and I swap off driving about every 2 hours. We stop at a rest stop (or fuel up) and change.

We are having a great time.

Carol’s Addition: Yes, my father can still fog a mirror! Hee Hee…Just kidding, we are having a great time and we yet to become irritated with one another. We pulled out of Deming, NM early this morning, determined to put some miles behind us.
Now, I’m sure some of my parent’s faithful blog-readers are fully aware of the frightening possibilities a public-RV-park Shower can offer. I had to laugh this morning, (fortunately I was alone in the shower room when I did so)…. There was some impossibly loud twangy-country music being piped-in to bathe-by. Now, I’m not sure what was louder, the chorus of “The Cow Died and You left Me,’ or the sound of the family of crickets that lived in the ladies shower who were attempting to sing harmony. Well, at least I got a good laugh…
We are off to San Antonio tomorrow, hoping to arrive earlier in the day. Am looking forward to some good Mexican food and a few hours away from the RV and Suki’s pleading cries to go outside. The cat is getting plenty of love, but I think is more than ready to be home and chasing lizards.
Until our next blog….happy motoring….

Monday September 17, 2007 – Deming, NM

A quick note to let everyone know how we are progressing. We arrived in Deming, NM, at 6:15 pm MDT and stayed in Little Vineyard RV Park. Saw several signs for various wineries coming into town. Too bad we won’t have time to visit them, but it’s probably just as well.

Some excitement coming through Tucson. All road signs clearly said to move to the two left lanes on I-10 for east-bound traffic; right lane was exit only. Sure enough, just as we passed the exit, some guy in a mini-van realized he was in the wrong lane and tried to merge left. Unfortunately, we were already there; not just behind him or even with him, but several feet in front. Luckily he didn’t try to argue with me or force me (no where for me to go). We’re not sure if he actually hit the barricade / pylons, but he did make a full stop. A little scary.

Later, just before reaching Deming, they had one lane closed and had pylons up marking the edge of the lane. But the got sloppy towards the end of the detour, and the pylons kept getting more and more into the traffic lane. I didn’t hit any, but I did have to drive on the left shoulder to avoid them. Another “fun” driving experience.

But it wasn’t all bad. The road surfaces in Arizona and New Mexico are quite nice – compared to some we’ve been on this summer.

Tomorrow – Tuesday - we’ll be in Texas. From Deming, it’s only 100 miles to El Paso. I’m trying to plan the drive for the next two days so we can be in San Antonio for a little R&R on the River Walk. Carol has never seen it. And try to find some good Tex-Mex food.

Sunday – September 16, 2007 – Brenda, AZ

Wayne:
As you can tell from today’s photos, we aren’t in Kansas (or California) any more. And when I say we, I mean our daughter Carol, and yours truly. Margaret elected to stay in Southern California for another two weeks and work on her Red Cross project.

To give perspective and size, Carol is 5 ft, 4 inches tall. Standing next to the saguaro, you realize how tall these things are. And this isn't even a particularly big one!

Carol didn’t want me to drive back to Florida alone, so she volunteered to accompany me and share the driving. Plus it will give her a chance to check with the real estate folks in Jacksonville regarding the sale of her (and Ron’s) house there.

After a full week of shopping and eating in L.A., we gathered ourselves and headed out this morning. We left at 11:00 a.m. Enroute we stopped for propane (only 9 gallons!) and diesel. Looking at the map of Arizona, we concluded that once we got past Quartzsite on I-10, there weren’t many places to stop for the night. Brenda, AZ, is about 11 miles east of Quartzsite, and in the middle of nowhere. And when I say nowhere, this is not an exaggeration. Other than a bunch of permanently-located trailers (for the snow-birds), there isn’t much here. But it is only 31 miles from the Colorado River and is probably reasonably comfortable in the winter.

Even though we left at 11:00 a.m. today and stopped at 3:45, we covered over 231 miles. Tomorrow, we’re hopeful that we can make 400 miles – or close to it. The bad news is that that distance puts us in to beautiful, down-town Lordsburg, NM. And that is another story for another day. But ask me about installing florescent lights in Quonset huts!

I’ve asked Carol to contribute her views / experiences on this cross-country odyssey.

Carol’s View of Father-Daughter Road-Trip Launch-Day:
Well, I gotta tell ya’ I was a bit nervous about today. Excited, but nervous. My father and I have never had an opportunity to spend this much time together all by ourselves. I am looking forward to it. Either that, or one of us will lose patience with the other and someone will end up buried in a remote location where none but the prarie-dogs can find him..or her… hee hee!
We set off this a.m. in my parent’s RV that, at least in size, resembles a medium sized hotel lobby. But, I must say that the Howard-Holiday-Inn handles like a dream as long as there are no bumps, wind, rain, or other annoying factors like the rude Southern California drivers.
After a day of keeping the unit in between the perilously close white lines of the slow lane, we have landed and deployed in Brenda, AZ. Now, don’t ask me where we are or who the hell Brenda is….Brenda seems to be a small town, not unlike many others across the USA. Brenda is a quiet, slow, deliberate sort of dead-end town. It is nestled in a valley surrounded by rocky, sharp hills, cacti and fierce sunshine. Sporting 3 RV parks, Brenda’s beauty is only in the water sports and attractions in the towns surrounding her.
We will leave Dear Brenda tomorrow and head to the next place. Maybe Phyllis or Lolita? LOL! Enjoying a cold beer with my dad and will then rest for tomorrow’s adventure.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Today’s photo is from The Clubhouse Restaurant. I mentioned this in our blog from last Sunday, when we had lunch with Carol and Ryan. We enjoyed it so much, we went back on Tuesday (without Ryan of course, who was in school). It was so busy we opted to sit in the bar area for lunch and avoid the 20 minute wait (yes, Harold, this technique works pretty much everywhere!). The electric palm tree / lamp on the bar was “interesting”.

Yesterday, Wednesday, we went to the South Bay – Torrance, Redondo Beach, El Segundo, et.al. – to visit with Carolyn and Harry. You’ll remember we met with them in Vacaville earlier this month and spent a great day in Napa Valley.

After catching up on our respective adventures, Harry and I went to the Alondra Golf Course and hit a bucket of balls. Harry is just starting to learn / play, so I gave him some of my golf wisdom. Those of you that have seen me play must wonder what I could possibly “teach”. Well, it was the easy stuff, stuff like which end of the club to hold and which direction to face. We had fun. We did not play however as the course was awash in people. Where did they all come from?

We then reunited with Margaret and Carolyn and went – where else – shopping. If you have ever been in El Segundo, you may remember the large United Carbide plant on PCH, just north of El Segundo Blvd. Well, it’s not there anymore. In its place, sandwiched in between the small golf course on the north and Raytheon on the east, is a large shopping center with the largest Whole Foods Market I have ever been in. Harry had never been in one so it was an eye-opening experience. We were going to try the wine bar (before going to dinner), but at 5:00 they had a free beer tasting, so we tried that. More fun.

After touring the Whole Foods Market – which took the better part of an hour – we moved to investigate Sur la Table, a cooking / kitchen equipment / supplies / accessories emporium. Margaret was able to buy some marionberries from Oregon. She had tried to get some in Washington, but never seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

Dinner was in down-town El Segundo at 2nd Street Bistro. We had eaten there before with Harry and Carolyn. A great spot for dining and watching the world go by. Carolyn took a bottle of the Judd’s Hill Petite Syrah wine she had bought in Napa earlier. It was as delicious as we remembered it from the tasting.

El Segundo has blossomed since we left California. Several of the old industries and businesses have relocated and/or upgraded their facilities. Plus there are lots of restaurants, many of which I’m told are quite good. Unfortunately we weren’t there long enough to try any more.

The old US Air Force base – I think it was referred to as the USAF Missile Command – has been relocated. Apparently many of their old buildings were too badly damaged over the years by earthquakes and could not be easily repaired / retrofitted, so the government gave the land (in El Segundo) to a contractor. In return, the contractor built an entirely new facility for the USAF. Not sure where, but somewhere in California. The contractor then tore down the old buildings and is now erecting new homes, apartments, condos, and commercial buildings. Quite an undertaking.

I was sorry I couldn’t get pictures of all this activity. Photographs from a moving car, especially if you’re driving, are difficult. We did drive past many of the old Raytheon buildings including my old office. Some things never change – they looked just like they did 12 years ago. Sort of like yours truly. Yeah, right!

Monday – Sept 10, 2007 Clean-up detail

After spending Friday evening with us, Ryan and I undertook a requested task from Margaret – cleaning the exhaust vent / screen in the “kitchen”. Ryan was a big help – holding flashlight, screws, and scrubbing dirty spots. This was after helping dump the holding tanks. Unlike the movie “RV”, we did not have a geyser of brownish stuff! I explained a few of the mechanics of maintaining an RV to Ryan including showing him how to put chemicals in the holding tank, hooking up the electricity, and in general some of the tasks that always need doing in an RV.

Yesterday, Sunday, we visited another shopper’s Nirvana – South Coast Plaza in Orange County. It took only 30 minutes to get there from here, but it might as well have been in another dimension. Among the stores we strolled past: Cartier, Chanel, Gucci, Versace, Tiffany’s, plus the usual suspects; Nordstrom’s, Macy’s, and Bloomingdales to name just a few. South Coast Plaza is Orange County’s version of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Never have I seen so much rampant high-end consumerism in one place.

Actually, it was quite pleasant. Many folks out for a walk amidst “money” and window-shop. We found lunch in a very nice restaurant, The Clubhouse. The motif was an old theatre lobby – back in the days when theatre lobbies were more than just a place to get popcorn and coke. The walls were festooned with photographs of “old” movie stars and various celebrities. We were surprised at the relatively modest prices – including two-tier prices for certain dishes: Lunch and Dinner. We were more pleased at the excellent quality of the food. Carol and Ryan declared their hamburger the best they’d ever had. Margaret had a Carne Asada Cobb Salad which she couldn’t stop raving over. I had an Angel Hair pasta dish with a Vodka sauce and grilled shrimp. We may go back tomorrow!

In case you think that much of our time is spent eating and shopping, you’re pretty close to the truth. Although there are many things to do in Southern California, the crowds, the costs, and the relatively long distances involved, preclude many activities. We’re not beach people, hiking in the mountains in the heat isn’t attractive, you can only go to just so many movies, and because we lived here for so long, we’ve done most of the tourist things. So we shop, eat, visit, and sleep. Now what’s wrong with that, I ask? Nothing. Very pleasant.

Margaret is spending today (Monday) working with Carol on Margaret’s latest project. It involves a Red Cross activity. I’ll let her fill you in on more details when she’s ready.

It is supposed to get warm(er) later this week. Just hope it doesn’t start getting back into triple digits; I like the mid-80’s we’ve been having the last few days.

7 September, 2007 – Friday

It’s been several days since the last issue, but we’ve been busy. The good news is the heat wave has abated. It’s no longer 105+ degrees in the afternoon. The last really hot day was Tuesday – and we again lost power and needed to run our generator to operate the air conditioners. This time the outage was apparently due to some maintenance upgrade in the RV park. Since then we haven’t lost power – of course it is 20 – 25 degrees cooler.

Yesterday, Thursday, Margaret headed into the city to visit old friends. Unfortunately, the schedule forced her to drive both directions at pretty much rush hour. The trip from Westlake Village back to our daughter’s house took almost 3 hours – and it’s only 90 miles. But when you’re inching along at 10-15 mph, it’s going to take a while. She is in her LA driving mode, pedal to the metal.

While she was seeing her friends, Rich, a friend from the old Hughes / Raytheon days, drove out to Anaheim Hills to play golf. We had breakfast, drove a bucket, and finally got out at 10:40 a.m. We couldn’t have done that 5 days ago due to the heat, but yesterday was very pleasant – a nice breeze and about 85 degrees. I’d like to report how well I played (after a four month hiatus), but in fact I played pretty much like I always do – sporadically! Rich played well however, and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously.

Tonight (Friday), Ryan is spending the night with us in the motor-home while his mom and dad have a date. Ryan loves sushi, so it’s Japanese nite, go to a movie, and then here for a walk in the RV park – in the dark with only a flashlight - and maybe some card games. Your usual grandparents / grandchild get-together!

M. input: many of the cell towers here are disguised. Imagine a palm tree, only metal, with the relays studded on the round fat crown with green “fronds” sprouting from the top. Actually, the pretend palms don’t look at all that ridiculous. At least it’s green. Also, we saw a Mexican restaurant advertising all-you-can-eat for $22.00. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I can eat $22 worth of Mexican food (and live to tell about it!).

Today’s photo is from our hike to the top of Mt. Revelstoke in British Columbia. I’d like to tell you what kind of flowers these are, but my botany is very rusty. Also the memory is going down-hill because I think I knew what they were at the time. But they’re still pretty.

I haven’t taken many photos since arriving here. Not there aren’t photo-ops, but we have been keeping busy with family and friends. That and the heat pretty much preclude walking around taking pix. Maybe, in the coming week.

For the curious, I will be heading east, probably leaving here on September 15, Saturday. Carol and Margaret want me to stick around for my birthday (bash?) on the 14th. Unless something changes, I will be driving solo back to Amelia Island. Margaret has a “project” in works here and needs several more days in the LA area. Plus more time with daughter / grandson. She will probably fly back at the end of the month. I’ll let you know more as time passes.

3 September 2007 – Labor Day in the heat

Although the weather gurus forecast a cooler day today, they either lied to make everyone hopeful, or they similar don’t get it. While it may not have been as hot as yesterday “somewhere”, it was still 105 degrees on the freeway coming back from an abortive shopping trip in south LA.

Collectively, we all wanted to visit IKEA to look at desks and tables. The store was a madhouse. Everyone with small children decided today would be a good day to get out of the heat and into a cool (both temperature and merchandise) environment. Kids were screaming and running about – flopping down on beds and chairs. You couldn’t move without bumping into someone – or if you stopped to look at something, they bumped into you. Finally we left in exasperation.

On to Margaret’s favorite store (other than IKEA), Whole Foods Market. She’s had great experience in other WFM’s. Joe and Jane told of wonderful experiences at the WFM in Manhattan Beach. Carol had never been to one, so off we went. I think it was a different group of people than at IKEA (I didn’t see anyone I recognized!), but the result was similar. You couldn’t walk the aisles comfortably or stop to look at a food display without someone running into you or pushing you aside to look. We finally threw in the towel and left.

The net result was we agreed to try again on a SCHOOL Day – maybe when it gets cooler.

Lunch wasn’t as bad because we were sitting down out of the mainstream. But the restaurant was crowded with screaming kids. Carol observed it was hot, kids are “buckled down” in their seat and for many, it was nap time. Consequently, a child has few options but to scream and wiggle. At least the food was good. It was a BBQ place and we had the sampler platter with quesadillas, wings, Jalapeno stuffers, chicken strips, fried green tomatoes, and onion rings. For a side, we had fried okra! You’d have thought we were in the southeast US of A.

Upon returning to the motor-home, both Margaret and I took well-deserved naps!

The weather folks are again promising cooler days ahead. Maybe Henriette will bring in some moisture and cooler breezes.

Sunday – September 2, 2007 – Shake and Bake

Today will be remembered as shake and bake. First, we started with a modest 4.7 earthquake. Then, it reached 107 degrees at the campsite. At the same time – about 3:00 p.m., the power went out. Although many folks in Yorba Linda were without power since 3:00 Saturday, today was a first for us. While Margaret was taking her afternoon nap, I noticed the a/c was running “slow”. When I measured the voltage, it was 96 VAC – far below the 120 VAC the a/c need to operate efficiently. As a matter of fact, if the a/c is allowed to run (attempt to run) at less than 100 VAC, the motors soon burn out.

So I turned everything off; disconnected the circuit breakers, and fired up the generator. We allowed the generator to run for about 1 hour while we cooled the unit – mostly to keep Suki cool. Then, at 4:00 p.m., we went over to Carol’s house – which didn’t lose power, i.e., the a/c was working fine. After another fine meal – and a few minutes of TV – we returned to the motor-home. Even at 7:45, we didn’t have power.

I spoke to the management. They said our campsite would be the last to get power back on. So after about 30 minutes of generator power, the power came back on. So we’re now fully operational – i.e., with a/c.

Margaret has jotted down a few notes from the last few days – included here in no particular order.

M. Today, Friday, felt normal. The roads we drove yesterday (?) not only violently shook the rig but rattled our nerves and sense of humor as well, as did the roads couple of day before that. The couple weeks ahead will be a needed respite.

Oddities:

1. If Desi Arnez and Lucille Ball had driven west in a motor home instead of a trailer, they would have used the "Flxible" that is parked down the way. It's a vintage fifties model, in tip-top shape, and painted aqua. Their campsite is complete with an electric palm tree at the bumper.

2. The tow cars that go with the units next to us are a BMW and a Caddy. Puts a new twist on "camping."

3. Have you ever seen the California hills? They are a wonderful study of light and shadow. This time of year -- make that most of the year -- the hills, though parched and dry, look like soft, wheat-colored velvet. They appear anatomical, even sensual, though much prettier in the spring with robed with gold poppies.

4. We have pretty good tv reception, dozen or so stations, over half of which are Latin stations. The programs are mostly the same, just dubbed.

5. The traffic is horrendous. Everyone is in a hurry. The stores today have been packed and negotiating the isles a challenge. "Running" errands is walk and wait.

W. Today we visited Kohl’s and Best Buy, followed by lunch at TGIF. Although we were mentally prepared for the heat, the walk across the parking lot at 1:00 p.m. was unbelievable – over 108 degrees; although it felt hotter. Why would anyone live here? (A rhetorical question – given the population.)

Sunday – September 2, 2007 – Canyon RV Park

The heat continues in the “deserts” of Southern California. It was 101 degrees yesterday at 4:00 pm. Fortunately, it cooled off some during the evening so we were able to sleep without air conditioning and the windows open.

We had lunch with Joe and Jane, friends from Torrance, and Carol and Ryan at a local Vietnamese noodle house. Great food and great fun. Joe and Jane came back to the RV park for a tour of the motor-home. It was good seeing them again and reliving old memories and comparing notes for the future. We will try to see them again next weekend, possibly visiting the Getty art museum in Malibu.

The RV park is crowded with families and folks enjoying the outside – even with the heat. The park has a number of sprinkler heads set up for kids (and adults) to run through and cool off. When you’re in a low humidity environment, a spray of water is quite refreshing.

Today’s photo is one of our neighbors. The rig is a 1954 Flxible motor coach – looking like an ancient Greyhound bus! We particularly like the electric palm tree at the rear.

Some info on Flxible:
In 1913, Hugo H. Young and Carl F. Dudte founded the Flexible Sidecar Co. in Loudonville, Ohio to manufacture motorcycle sidecars with a flexible mounting to the motorcycle. The flexible mounting allowed the sidecar to lean on corners along with the motorcycle, and was based on a design patented by Young.

In 1919, the company's name was changed to The Flxible Co. so the name could be copyrighted and used as a trademark. (The name continued to be pronounced "flexible", however).

After low-priced automobiles became available in the 1920s, the motorcycle sidecar demand dropped and in 1924, Flxible turned to production of funeral cars (hearses), ambulances, and intercity buses, which were primarily manufactured on Buick chassis, but also occasionally on Studebaker, Cadillac, and Reo chassis.

As I am writing this (at 10:30 a.m.) we had a small earthquake. I say small because it was a mild shaking here in the motor-home. Our daughter called soon after and said her lamps were swaying and a floor lamp almost fell over. Don’t know the epicenter or magnitude yet. I’ll keep watching the Internet news.

A light earthquake occurred at 10:29:14 AM (PDT) on Sunday, September 2, 2007.
The magnitude 4.7 event occurred 13 km (8 miles) WNW of Lake Elsinore, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 2 km ( 2 miles).

I don’t about this report; 4.7 is not a “light” earthquake in my book. And we are north and west of Lake Elsinore so we aren’t far from the epicenter. Even at 10:37 a.m., we’re still getting some shaking. Maybe it’s a precursor to the “BIG” one?