Family fun and heading to the desert....Happy Holidays

We've had a whirlwind of family fun; birthdays, Thanksgiving, and our family holiday celebration since we won't be there Christmas, complete with prime rib and all the trimmings.  And the entire family showed up, every single grandchild and their parents!

After a final trip to Half Moon Bay we took off last Wednesday trying to stay ahead of the storm that was threatening Northern CA.  Our first night was at the popular Orange Grove RV park in Bakersfield.

We continued on Thursday up and over the mountain to Tehacapi.  The transmission performed perfectly. None of the jerky shifting we had experienced before. Though headed to Anza Borrego, we decided to stop in La Quinta at Lake Cahuilla County Park for a week to take care of some business.  We made 3 trips to Best Buy, first to get a computer glitch repaired - it took the Geeks less than 5 minutes to fix and no charge thank you! Next visit was to replace my old Kindle which died a few days before. Got home and discovered it only spoke Portuguese. So back we go to get that straightened out.  For now everything seems to be working properly.

Had a great visit from friends Tom and Carolyn who are staying in Desert Hot Springs for the winter season.  They promised to come down to Anza Borrego for a jeep ride.

We'll have a final trip to Costco to stock up on some staples before we head down to the desert where we plan to spend Christmas.

Reflections at Lake Cahuilla

The temps have been in the high 60s to mid 70s with one very bad day of sand blasting wind.

We send our best wishes to everyone for a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

We have been anchored for awhile~~~

Family time

The time between blog posts seems to be directly related to the amount of travel we do.  So when we're in home territory, as we have been here in Petaluma at the Elk's Lodge for the last few weeks, my blogging takes a hiatus. While here we enjoy lots of time just lazing around, visiting family and local friends, soccer and softball games, birthdays and endless barbecues. We checked a few items off of our MH list of "to dos".

A very dry lake bed

There are hikes around nearby Shollenberger Lake amounting to just 3 miles round trip from our site here at the Elk's.  The temps have been in the  high 80s, with an intermittent shower or cool spell. 

We got caught up on medical stuff, doctors' visits and the like.  I have been living  with a reasonably uncomfortable case of  shingles for the last month, despite having had the vaccine a couple of years ago; a nasty blotchy rash that turned into blisters, that turned into scabs and hurt like the dickens.  Obviously, the vaccine is not 100%!

I also have a date coming up sometime in November to have cataract eye surgery.  I am actually looking forward to this as it will correct my far vision and astigmatism with corrective lenses.  Howard says this has been quite a year for me, health-wise.  Well, the year is almost over and I'm feeling blessed that we're still able to travel and that I'm doing really well in spite of past conditions!

A very tall and steep sand dune

Siltcoos Lake near Florence, OR

We had a great albeit slow trip down the Oregon Coast.  There was a lot of traffic on the twisty two-lane highway.  We stopped for two nights at Darling's Marina & RV Park near Florence, OR, one of our half priced Passport America parks, beautifully situated on the banks of the lovely Siltcoos Lake with easy access to those monumental sand dunes Oregon is famous for!

 

Exploring Moonstone Beach

 Next stop was Trinidad CA on the Humboldt  County coast, a small seaside village and one of  the oldest and smallest incorporated cities in  CA. with just 360 population.  All of Humboldt  County and especially Trinidad offers plenty of  opportunities to explore the majestic beauty of  the area from a number of easily accessible  hiking trails to nearby giant redwoods, 3 state  parks and a couple of county parks. We stayed  at Clam Beach County Park, for their 3 day max  at $13 per night, giving us time to explore  Moonstone Beach and enjoy lunch at the  Trinidad Marina - calamari for moi!  

 

And since we have nothing on our calendar until an ophthalmology appointment on October 28th, we have decided to take an impromptu road trip~~the best kind.  Our destination is St. George, UT where we are hoping to get into one of the first-come, first-serve sites in Snow Canyon State Park.  Snow Canyon is a red rock and hiking haven.  If this doesn't work out we'll try some places around Zion NP.  We plan to leave tomorrow, Tuesday September 29th.

Misery loves virtual company...

I never get sick...famous last words!  Over a week ago I was broadsided by a nasty virus that has had me practically bedridden for over a week.  Low-grade fever, deep chest cough, unrelenting nausea. Not nearly as serious as some, no need to sit in an urgent care facility with dozens of others, no antibiotics (not bacterial), no appetite.  No gatherings with local friends, though Kathie and Bob did stop by and she brought me soup and crackers, bless her heart!  Not exactly the tri-tip dinner we had planned to grill on our new propane Weber, along with local fresh asparagus and strawberries from a nearby farm stand. Though the major symptoms have dissipated, the weakness and malaise persists.

So virtual company through blogs and Facebook has provided much mind-diverting entertainment and taken me to happy places. Seeing photos of sprouting desert flowers, more gorgeous sunsets, hikes, beaches, travels to places added to my ever-growing list, and knowing this too will pass, prompted me to dig back a few years and contribute a few of my own wonderful memories.  These were taken in 2010, before the drought hit Anza Borrego and recent rains had produced a bounty of beauty.

Henderson Canyon

A hike up Coyote Mountain

Aside the road

Palm Canyon

Glorietta Canyon

Off S-22

Desert lilies in our backyard

Glorietta Canyon

Glorietta Canyon

Glorietta Canyon

Glorietta Canyon

After extending our stay at Lake Cahuilla several days longer than planned, we've finally hit the road heading for the Tucson Mountain area, and looking forward to putting this whole episode behind and having some fun. Thank you again for the hours of pleasure and entertainment in an otherwise sickly week.  Lesson learned...Never say never!

Reflections~~Lake Cahuilla County Park, La Quinta, CA

It was time for a change of scenery.  It was time for some major provisioning calling for the likes of Costco, Walmart, Trader Joe's.  It was time to attend to tank issues.  So we headed to La Quinta and Lake Cahuilla County Park, about 60 miles from our Anza Borrego home of almost 2 months. Yes, it was hard to leave, say goodbye to new friends, leave those gorgeous sunsets, park for free, but the temps were heating up and the wind beginning to blow.

Looking back at the campground from across the lake.  

This has always been one of our favorites and makes for a nice interlude with water and electric. The park backs up to the Santa Rosa Mountains, those same mountains we gazed at while in Anza Borrego, which would be about 25 miles as the crow flies just over the above photo.  No dry lake here, but a large reservoir full to the brim, making for a nice 2.5 mile walk-around.

Fishing is allowed but no swimming or watercraft..

Free WiFi is offered with its own little shady enclosure, including electric plug-ins for your devices, chairs and a nice workstation.  Most of the park hosts are super friendly Canadians who love to landscape, as we know. There are 60 sites in the developed section and probably the only drawback is parking on dirt, but Eucalyptus trees provide shade in the campground.

The large day-use area has grassy picnic sites by the lake with playground and Palm trees, and a swimming pool that opens in May. There is also an equestrian area with RV sites as well as horse facilities, and birds galore.

So this is home for now.  We're getting a few things done like replacing our old charcoal Weber for a new propane Q1000, doing a little polishing and window washing on the MH.  The inside will be professionally done by Kyle of Benson Carpet Cleaners when we get to either Tucson or Benson sometime in the near future.  The leaks we sustained late last year during the major rainstorm in Petaluma left a stain on our ceiling.

It was super meeting up with the Talleys for lunch one afternoon.  They were staying at the nearby Fantasy Springs Casino, planning to return to Anza Borrego...as is Gaelyn we hear. (Keep us posted on the wildflowers!)

We are looking forward to visits with friends; Earl and Gail who winter in Indio, and Bob and Kathie heading this way from Chula Vista.  Then it'll be time to head toward Yuma, maybe with a stop in Quartzsite, Kofa, or Imperial Dam, depending on which route we decide to take.  We know there will be duck a la rotisserie with the Panys, and hopefully Beth will be seeing clearly after cataract surgeries.  Until next time...

Happy Valentine's Day

On becoming 'cultured' & celebrations galore~~

Weeks have passed in a flash!  Where has the time gone?  It seems we just got back from Nicaragua and already planning our winter migration.  We have celebrated non-stop; get-togethers with friends, birthdays, Thanksgiving, with more to come.  I fear we will roll out of here exceeding our weight limit!  The good news is we are learning about the benefits of fermented foods and getting 'cultured' in the process...

Getting cultured with kefir:

Kim & Else, truly a lovely couple

We got together with Kim and Else for a kefir making class. Kim went through the step-by-step process, starting with a tablespoon of kefir grains (which actually look like curds). These grains are the starter culture, much like the concept of sourdough, and are placed in a quart glass jar filled about 3/4 full of milk.  The jar is covered and left to sit out on the counter-top for approximately 24 hours for the fermentation process to do its thing.  The time frame is faster (or slower) depending on the surrounding temperature.  The kefir is ready when the grains raft on top and clear bubbles form along the bottom.  Now it's time to strain, return those super-powerful grains to a cup of milk for storage, or start another jar. Kim strains his kefir into a blender to smooth it up a bit and pours into the glass jar and refrigerates.

Our own brew

The essentials

We returned home with our very own jar brewing, and have continued to make kefir on a daily basis. We also purchased Donna Schwenk's book, Cultured Food for Life, which is loaded with how tos and many excellent recipes.  I have felt noticeable improvement in the two weeks we have been consuming, and that's saying a lot with all that's going on around here!

Liliana's 5th birthday celebration:

 Kids are a kick to photograph, even in bad indoor lighting, and here are a few from our day:

Blowing out candles with help from a friend...

Lil brother Damien wants some of that cake action!

How cute is this face?!

Daughter Terri planned a great party at Cameron's Inn & Pub in Half Moon Bay. Lots of good food, like pizza and nachos, even healthy stuff like veggies and fruit, was served.  Well... and cake and cupcakes, of course. They have a great facility with plenty of grassy play area that nicely accommodated the "jumpy thing", and the pinata bash, as well as an in-door shelter in case it rained. But the sun came out for a beautiful day and the party was well-attended by kids, parents, and family alike.

Kicking off the pinata bash!

Liliana greets her guests...shoes off please!

This mud puddle gets a lot of action!

Curly, blondy just hanging out!

Watermelon for this one!

Christina gives the tether-ball a whirl

Next up~Thanksgiving:

Our group photo!

Probably my favorite holiday of the year, not only because of all the good food with family and friends, but more importantly, focusing on how much we have to be thankful for.  Truly thankful!  Norm and Wendy hosted the grand gathering and for once in I forget how long, all 5 of my grandkids were in attendance; Daniel home from San Diego State, and Noelle from UC Santa Cruz.  The Half Moon Bay family drove up for the day (that's a lot of driving), Wendy's mom Chris, and Dave & Krissi were there.  We so missed our Loomis family whose work schedules are so restrictive.  Gary works for the Post Office, enough said!

These are Sonoma Willy birds, properly brined and smoking!

Willys resting!

We had so much food but I refrained from photo shots.  All the favorites were present; mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, dressing, rolls, green beans...some traditional, some with a new twist.  There were pies of every flavor and the very best, Chris' bread pudding with caramel sauce.  And some very good wines!

A bad lighting shot of all the grands & Annie with her new bone!

And the lovely granddaughters...

The "day after" hike:

Black Friday was not about to find us shopping at the mall or online for that matter.  Instead we hauled our over-stuffed bodies out for a proper two hour hike at Helen Putnam Park.  This Sonoma County Regional park is a great combination of several connecting trails, all providing beautiful scenery and a little something for all levels and ability.  The coastal hills floated in and out of the fog, the sun occasionally peaked out from behind puffy clouds, and folks and families and friends enjoyed a glorious day.

The 1st hill is a bit steep!

We're huffing & puffing about now...

Surrounding farmland & coastal hills...

Families out for a stroll on a beautiful day!

Into a tunnel of Oaks...

Where we meet up with the dog lady!

And get to the neighborhood at the trailhead on the other side, before heading back...

Along a different trail with a new perspective...

Lovely layers with a touch of blue...

And some miscellany:

We had some much-needed rain and discovered a nasty leak in our slide.  Why don't we do proper sealing and caulking during the dry summer months?  So when we pass through Yuma next year, we'll be getting that repaired as it entails removing an awning.  In the meantime, on sunny days you will find Howard on the roof with his tube of silicone!

And of course there were more celebrations and get-togethers!  Norm's birthday, 2 days after Thanksgiving, called for local Dungeness crab, salad, and sourdough!  Janis, our good friend and park host had a bunch of us over for the absolute best, homemade egg nog last night.  

I declared this day as one of modest eating, relaxing, and catching up on photos and journal. But we have more to look forward to before departing on the 15th.  Cheers (burp)!