Heading North

This morning we got up early and headed over to American RV for our awning repair. The part arrived and was installed quickly. Dave also offered to have our counter extension reattached for free, which took two workers nearly 45 minutes. They did a bang-up job, and that counter is attached for good this time.

We headed north, planning to visit the California Poppy Reserve on our way to Bakersfield. Clouds started to gather and we realized that it would be late in the afternoon when we arrived. Then Ken got online and found that the bloom was past its peak and the flowers were fading fast. We decided that this wasn't our time to see the poppies, and we headed to Bakersfield, where we planned to stay at the Elks Lodge.

The RV sites were on the edges of the Elks' parking lot--wherever they could find space.

Our spot in the parking lot had a 30 amp electrical connection, so we were in business--but also we were near a busy highway and railroad tracks. It was okay for an overnight, but we wouldn't have wanted to stay any longer.
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Romney's Stars

We danced tonight with our friends at Romney's Stars for the last time for this visit to Southern California. We are glad that we will meet some of them in three months for the Calgary Stampede, including Wes and Jenske and John and Margie. Wes and Jenske brought a large bag of our mail and packages (thanks!). We will miss Romney's calling, and of course we will miss our friends. Some of them didn't come tonight because it was the final game of the college basketball tournament.

This morning we took Venture in for the awning repair. As expected a part had to be ordered, so now we are hoping that it will arrive and be installed tomorrow morning so we can be on our way north.

We completed our dental work. Now all we have to do is write to Delta Dental and ask for a review, since they rejected the claim for my crown. It's never easy.

We also installed the replacement bathroom fan, which is working quietly--yay--and packaged up the broken one to return for warranty credit.
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Elks Lodge Camping

Finally! After Ken's being an Elk for over a year,and having to fly from Phoenix to Orange County to be initiated, we are camped at the Garden Grove Elks Lodge. Well, actually the RV sites were full, so we're parked in the east parking lot, but we do have a 20 amp electrical connection. We'll pull out early tomorrow morning to take Venture to American RV to get a warranty repair of the awning. We're hoping to leave the rig at the shop while we go to the dentist to get Lee's crown and Ken's bridge installed. The folks at American RV indicated that they would probably have to order a part, so most likely we'll be back at the Elks Lodge tomorrow night.

The Elks Lodge in Garden Grove.

The Elk statue kept us company.

We slept in this morning, since we were only traveling an hour. For breakfast we had baked French Toast with strawberry banana topping. Dumping was a real challenge, since the sewer opening was at least 18 inches off the ground, but we finally managed. Before leaving, we went for a brief soak in the spa and had a shower.
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Hike

Today the weather cooperated a bit, so we took a short hike in the afternoon. The vista from the hillside included the San Bernardino Mountains, as well as some well traveled railroad tracks and the I-15 freeway. As we walked along, Ken pointed out a Scrub Jay sitting on a low branch very near to us. The bird, looking quite colorful in its blue and gray plumage, didn't seem to be in any hurry to leave, and we even thought it might be a bit tame.

The Scrub Jay was very fluffy when we first saw it.

As soon as we saw it, it started hopping around on rocks and fallen logs.

We went for a brief dip in the heated pool too. The water was quite warm and pleasant, and the sunshine was warm, but the breeze made it cool when we got out of the water.

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Home Again

The weather in San Bernardino is cold and windy--pretty much like Rhode Island. But it's good to be home and give Ken a hug and take Sweetie for a walk. She isn't up to much walking though. She seems to be having problems with her right front paw and with her right back leg. She won't let me look at her paws very closely, but it doesn't appear that she has anything stuck in them, so we'll wait and see how she's doing over the next week or so.

We tried out the bicycle bag that Ken picked up yesterday from Coastline Covers. Unfortunately it was too small, so we had to return it. We've tried several bike covers now, but none has worked for us, so maybe we should just cover the seats as we see many travelers doing.

My body is really unclear about what time it is. I stayed up late last night after arriving at LAX at 8:15 (which was 11:15 by Boston time), but I still woke up early. It always takes a couple of days to reset my internal clock.
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Boston to LAX

My visit with Terri and Blake and Molly is over too soon. Terri drove me to the airport in Boston. On the way home she stopped at Trader Joe's in Boston to stock up on two-buck Chuck, which costs $3 east of California (Rhode Island stores don't carry wine). The flight was long and tedious, but uneventful, and I arrived safely. As I tossed my luggage in the back, a traffic cop threatened me with a $75 fine for being double parked--definitely back in LA.

The seatbelt sign was on the entire flight, so I didn't have much chance to get up and move around, but the air wasn't really very bumpy. My seatmate was chaperoning a group of middle school students on their way home from a history trip to DC and Boston. Their flight had been canceled and the group broken in two, so after they arrived in LA they had to wait three hours for the rest of their group, and then they would take a bus to San Diego.
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Melville Ponds Campground

This morning Terri and I drove across the Claiborn Pell Bridge and the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge to go to the nearest mall in Warwick, half an hour away. We browsed through Macy's and a new Sports Authority store, but didn't find anything. The Claiborn Pell is also known just as the Newport Bridge and is a spectacular new suspension bridge. While we were out we stopped at Trader Joe's and Dave's Marketplace. I was bemused to find that Trader Joe's in Rhode Island does not carry any alcohol, so no two-buck Chuck!

After lunch we went back to Melville Ponds Campground, and Molly came along for the ride. This time the campground was open, so we got to drive around. The campground is wooded with well spaced sites, and the location at the north end of the island will work well, so I called Ken and we agreed to make a reservation for our stay September 25 to October 14. I forgot to take any photos.


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Driving Around Newport

Terri and I drove around today to check out some possibilities for us to stay in the area when we come in September. The first place we stopped at did not accept pets, so we went on to the next, a mobile home park with several RV sites called Meadowlark. It's very close to Terri and Blake's house. The lady was very nice, and it would work, but the sites are very narrow.

We went on to check out Melville Pond Campground. It looked promising, but does not open until tomorrow noon, so we'll have to go back to look at the sites. Finally we drove across the Verrazano Bridge to Jamestown to check out Fort Getty Municipal Park. The RV sites have wonderful views of Narragansett Bay, and they are wide enough, but they're in an open grass field and not very level.

We also stopped by a thrift store and a used book store, where I picked up a copy of the Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood to read on the plane. I was on the verge of finishing the book Julie had given me, Eddie's Bastard by William Kowalski, a wonderful coming of age novel, which I passed on to Terri.
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Meadowlark MH and RV Park

Fort Getty Campground

Ken drove into Long Beach today to get his third epidural injection in his back. We are hoping that this series will help him feel better for a long time. He also stopped by the Garden Grove Elks Lodge to check out the RV site there. We are hoping to camp there next Sunday and Monday nights.

For supper tonight we had Terri's famous Mt. Ranier White Chili with salsa, sour cream, and Monterrey Jack cheese toppings. Molly had Miso soup, since she is now a vegetarian. We had mango and strawberry green salad.

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Newport

Boston was cold and very rainy this morning, so we drove around Boston Commons and checked out the Cheers Bar and Trinity Church, then headed to Terri and Blake's home in Newport.

Cheers Bar.

Trinity Church.

Along the way we stopped at the Fall River Outlet District, which turned out to be a disappointment. The outlets are located in various old mills, which are interesting, but many of the stores were closed or offered things like building materials that we didn't care about.

We stopped at a local brewpub for lunch and then went to the Navy commisary before heading home. Home is half of a duplex in a nice section of Newport. The house was built in 1865 and subdivided in 1920, so it has the grace and charm of an older home with high ceilings and parquet floors(along with some of the inconveniences, like few electrical outlets).

Only one of the original fireplaces remains a working fireplace, and Blake and Molly built a cheery fire to take some of the chill off the house.
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Terri and Blake roasting marshmallows.

Molly stays warm on the couch.

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Boston

This was the final morning of my visit to Flower Mound. Ed cooked a delicious breakfast of sausage and cheese and mushroom omelets, and I had one last chance to hug everyone and say goodbye at the airport.

Air travel is always tiring, and today was especially so. I left Dallas at 10:35 a.m. for Ronald Reagan Airport in DC, where I was scheduled for a 4-hour layover. That turned into more like a 5-hour layover, since there was dense fog in Boston, but it was a real delight to see Terri and Blake and Molly after nearly two years. We are staying at a hotel near the airport and plan to go into Boston for a bit of sightseeing in the morning before heading to their home in Newport, RI.

Ken got together with Rebecca and Cathy, but their time together was shorter than planned because Cathy had a sore throat and wasn't feeling well. After 10 minutes of Karate class the Sensei suggested that Cathy might want to come back when she was feeling better.

We stopped at Wendy's for supper. I had a grilled chicken sandwich and a side salad and a bite of Molly's chocolate shake. It all hit the spot.

Kelley had her two bottom wisdom teeth removed today. Ed and Julie took her some soup to help in her recovery.
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Play Day

Today was a bit of a lazy day. In the morning Julie and Sam and I went for a four-mile walk through the park with the dogs. (Well, actually, Sam rode, and toward the end, fell asleep). We read books and played games and sang silly songs. Kelley came over to hang out for a while, but then she had to go work on her project for school.

Ken went to Coastline Cover Company in Rancho Cucamonga today and ordered a bicycle bag to protect our Electras from the elements. We hope it will fit, since the Electras have a longer than normal wheelbase, but the company seems confident it will. We'll find out when it's ready next week.

For dinner Edward fixed red beans and rice with spicy andouille sausage and shrimp. It was delicious, but the sausage was a bit too spicy for some.

Tomorrow I'll be heading for Boston, but along the way I have a four-hour layover at Reagan International Airport. Terri and Blake and Molly are coming to Boston to pick me up, and we'll be staying in a hotel overnight and sightseeing on Sunday. Terri's bringing along a winter coat for me to wear.
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The Main Event

Kelley came down from Denton to have supper with us tonight. Ed grilled apple chicken sausages and made Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and broccoli. I made a salad to round out the meal. Afterwards we all went to the Main Event, an entertainment venue somewhat similar to Dave and Busters. We all bowled, including Cate (when it was her turn, side rails popped up to block the gutters). Kelley was the high scorer, not surprising since she has taken college bowling classes and bowls regularly. Then we played some of the arcade games with the kids.

Cate bowls

Julie and Sam

Ed with Cate and Sam

Julie and Kelley

Earlier we played outside and Cate rode her bike. She needs a larger one, which she assures me she'll get when she is 5 (her birthday is coming up April 15). She and a friend, Anika, played hopscotch and drew pictures with sidewalk chalk, while Kelley and Sam blew bubbles.

Ken did the laundry today and located the heated swimming pool. He said that Sweetie is still having problems with her back legs.
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Circus Mouse and Space Faces

Today Cate taught me how to play Circus Mouse. The goal is to collect treat cards like peanuts and candy apples by navigating around a board with a square grid using a "mousehole" (a rectangular cardboard mask several squares wide with a hole in the center). As long as you can see cheese or treats through the mouse hole, you're safe and can continue, but if a cat appears, your turn ends. Fortunately I guess you run away from the cat and survive to move again your next turn.

We also played Space Faces, an ingenious game that requires finding an alien in a crowd that has the specified color of face, eyes, nose, and mouth. The colors are determined by shaking up a plastic container and letting colored balls fall into the marked holes. It's surprisingly difficult to find the alien with the purple face, green eyes, red nose, and purple mouth among the crowd of aliens! The idea is to find and "rescue" the specified alien and then place a plastic alien in your spaceship.

It was rodeo day at school, so Cate dressed up like a cowgirl.


I also got to watch Sam, who is in perpetual motion, as he played with his toys and with the puppies.

Meanwhile, in California, Ken called RV repair shops to arrange for the repair of our awning. A part will need to be ordered, so we'll be delayed at least a day in leaving for our trip north along the coast. He also went by Coastline Covers in Rancho Cucamonga to buy a bicycle bag. He had to order one, since they didn't have one in stock. He reported that the sun had come out and the wind had calmed, so he was enjoying sunny 80 degree weather (his favorite kind).

Chris called during the day to report that their purchase of the duplex had fallen through because of problems with the financing and another offer being made the same time theirs was. So they are back to looking.

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Travel to Dallas

Today was finally the day for my flight to DFW to see Edward and Julie and Cate and Sam, and my older granddaughter, Kelley. I flew out in the afternoon, and the flight was uneventful. As Ed says, that's a good thing... We were delayed by half an hour, but that's pretty much par for the course. I got to hug Cate and Sam and watch Cate jump through her hula hoop before they went off to bed.

The wind was still blowing this morning, so we were glad to have the stabilizer jacks down. The weather is supposed to improve in Victorville. The Dallas area is cooler, but still okay (except for some forecast rain). But when I fly to Boston, on Saturday, it looks like I'll be shivering and holding my umbrella!.

This morning we worked on clearing our black tank valve. The Excel service manager, Jack Yenne, suggested that we try flushing it with lots of clean water, in the hope that if the valve was obstructed, that would wash the problem away. We are hopeful that the plan worked, but meanwhile, as usual, we had some complications. First, the joint between the two sewer hoses came apart (yuck!). It took us a while to get the clamp on properly and tight enough to hold. Then when we went inside we heard a funny humming noise in the bedroom, which we tracked to the pipes under the sink. It turned out that the Y to which we had attached our flushing hose had not completely closed it off, so water was continuing to flow into the black tank. We drained that again and made sure the shutoff was complete, so now we are hoping not to have any more problems on that score.

We still have to contact A&E (Dometic) about getting a warranty repair on the awning. Always something.....
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Tehachapi Travel

This morning we all packed up to leave the Kern County Fairgrounds and return home (or in our case, to move our home to the Victorville area). We traveled across California Highway 58 through the Tehachapi Mountains and into the Mojave Desert. The scenery was varied and beautiful, from snow covered peaks and green slopes to Joshua Trees and sand.

When we set up camp, we experienced the dreaded sewer leakage--evidently the shutoff valve on our black tank is stuck open, so that's another warranty issue to take up with Excel. Hopefully it will be relatively easy to fix, but it was certainly a mess to clean up. High winds have been buffeting Venture, but we hope the weather will turn calmer and warmer.

Tomorrow I will fly from Ontario Airport to DFW to visit my son Edward and his family and my granddaughter Kelley who is a junior at North Texas in Denton. I haven't seen Cate and Sam since last October, so I'm sure they've grown a lot.

Ken set up the VuQube, and so far is happy with the ease of setup and the performance. We're concerned about security--it would be so easy for someone to walk off with it (even though it would do them no good without the unique remote control).
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Die-Hard Dancers

The last dancing of the Fiesta found a smaller crowd of die-hard dancers in the Advanced hall enjoying the calling of Bob Baier. We danced with Dennis and Cheryl, John and Margie, Ed and Marlyn, Wes and Jenske, John and Peggy, and Jim and Pat, among others. For half the tips, Ken sat out and rested his back and I found other partners, including Pat (since Wally wasn't up to dancing).

Wally had a VuQube that he wanted to sell, and Ken had been looking at them at Camping World. We struck a deal, so now Ken has an alternative to our DirecTV tripod and dish. We hope it will be easier to deploy.

We had the rest of the day to regroup and visit with the remaining campers in our group. Dennis and Cheryl decided to stay over until Monday, since the Tejon Pass was experiencing high winds, which are dangerous for high-profile vehicles. They invited us over to play games, and we played their new Diamond Edition Scrabble game, which has some very nifty features.

After the Scrabble game, we played Rummikub, and then went home to cook dinner.

We all got together for dinner, with everyone bringing their own dishes to Evans' fifth wheel so we could share some camaraderie, and later a game of Farkel.

Chris called during the game to tell me about a new house in Portland he is thinking of buying.

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Bakersfield Fiesta

We are attending the 43rd annual Bakersfield Fiesta, a regional square dance festival, which we have attended for several years, since 1998 (although not in 2008). Dancing began at 9:00 this morning, with A-2 called by Darryl Lipscomb. We've been dancing to Darryl's calling in the Rio Grande Valley, so we were glad to see him here. In the afternoon we danced to Bob Baier and Mike Seastrom. The "Valley people" were there (Laurie and Barry and Myra and Marshall), from the San Fernando Valley. They are Romney's Stars dancers--Romney calls all over Southern California, it seems.

This evening we joined over 65 Rogues club and class members for dinner at the Cactus Valley Mexican Restaurant, beloved of Rogues because they reserve the banquet room for us . . . and make excellent margaritas. We had Scampi ala Mexico City. The shrimp were good, but the sauce was not quite what we expected.

The staff kept us well supplied with chips and salsa while the group assembled.

The Ramblin' Rogues filled the room.

The evening's festivities began with a grand march in the main hall, and the first tip was mainstream so that everyone could join in. We danced in the mainstream hall with the class members for a tip, and then we went to the plus hall, where we danced an all-boy, all-girl square before dancing with some of last year's Rogues class. We finished the evening in the A-2 hall with Darryl Lipscomb. One of the couples we danced with was Les and Carol Heims from San Diego. We meet them only at festivals and weekends, and they are one of our favorites, but they spend most of their time in the challenge hall.

For breakfast we had French toast with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, with turkey smoked sausage. Someone anonymously donated some home grown grapefruits, dropped in a bag on our picnic table, so we had some for breakfast, along with cantaloupe and orange. We had lunch on the "patio" with our friends and shared some of Wes and Jenske's delicious Slightly Seasoned 8 Grain Crisps, which they get at Costco.

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Dancing Begins

We joined several of the Rogues for a visit to Rosemary's Creamery this afternoon. Ken and I shared a large hot fudge banana split (yummy ice cream and whipped cream, but the fudge was not very fudgy or warm). On the way home we stopped at Camping World, as did Wes and Jenske and their passengers Dennis and Marlyn. We got a propane gauge, so now Ken can keep track of how full (or empty) the propane tanks are.

Rosemary's has delicious ice cream and serving sizes that are more than large enough

At Rosemary's the RVing Rogues ran into the rest of the Rogues in town for the Fiesta

Larry and Livia Caruana arrived in their Coachman van conversion, rounding off the Rogues camping group at six rigs.

Some of the Rogues went to the Hungry Hunter, but we decided to eat at home. We had smoked tuna quesadillas with homemade tomato broccoli soup. Then we got ready for the evening square dance. Bob Baier was calling in the A-2 hall. We spent some time in the Mainstream hall with Ken Bower calling. The Rogues have 20 students here, and the club members turned out in force to support them on their first square dance weekend.

Afterwards we went to the Hampton Inn for the traditional Rogues afterparty. Someone down the hall complained about the noise, so we had to try to keep it to a dull roar.

By the time we got to bed it was after 1 a.m.--definitely after our bedtime!
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The Rogues Arrive

Four other Rogues couples arrived and set up camp across from us this afternoon. We were able to get a temporary utility panel set up so they could all plug in. We put some picnic tables together to form a patio for the group and proceeded to socialize. Tom and Judy Kalen are in their Winnebago Sightseer motorhome, Dennis and Cheryl Johnson are in their Winnebago Brave motorhome, and Wes and Jenske Johnson are in their Sea Breeze Limited motorhome. We were glad to see Ed and Marlyn Evans arrive in their Alpenlite fifth wheel so that Venture has some company. The group also has three dogs: Sweetie, Peaches, and Bear. Bear is a big high-spirited golden retriever who at 11 months old still has puppy energy and playfulness.

The other Rogues RVs lined up across the walk/road from our Excel.

The Johnson, Johnson, and Evans RVs.

This morning we did our laundry at a nice little laundromat south of the fairgrounds.
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On to Bakersfield

We moved to the Kern County Fairgrounds in Bakersfield today, to be ready for the 2009 Bakersfield Fiesta square dance weekend that starts Friday. When we arrived we found our friend Ron George who helped us locate Venture near him and several other friends, including Bill and Ruth, Dale and Norma, Tom and Barbara, Jim and Pat, and Wally and Pat. Bill climbed on the roof to trim away some branches, using his custom made tree saw.

Friends helped us park Venture safely under the trees

The RVs are positioned a lot like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle

Then we located some hookups in the area across the walkway, which we taped off to save for our Ramblin' Rogues friends who will arrive tomorrow.

For supper we had cabbage slaw and leftovers from Marino's (yum).
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