About Me

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I am retired and like to travel by motor home across the United States and Canada. In the winter I hope to spend more time with my WIN (Wandering Individual Network) friends in the California and Arizona desert. I know my trip reports are having too many details, but I am writing them for myself, if anybody else enjoys them, that is fine too.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

July 2010

7-31-10
This was the coolest July here at the San Diego coast. In Carlsbad we saw very little of the sun this month. The marine layer stayed almost all day.
I am not complaining, it was different but better then too hot.
Doreen had some excitement. Our dentist has his office on the second floor, in a small shopping center, not very far from our house. The stairs are outside, and there is an elevator.
Doreen took the stairs and missed the last step. She called me and I picked her up.
Later, I walked to her car and drove it home. Now she can not drive the car because she has a heavy contraption on her right foot.
I am her chauffeur and drive also Jean, my 87 year old friend, to doctor and other appointments.
Today we took a little walk above the flower fields. The flowers are gone, but pretty bushes are in bloom.
We wanted to go camping the last two weekends at Red Beach, at Camp Pendleton, unfortunately they had military exercises and the beach was not open.
I am working on my coming trip to Chicago. If everything works out and we have no more falls or other problems, we will be leaving on September 9.
The first day we will drive only 60 miles to Corona. On the 10th we will take Sona, our friend from the Czech Republic, to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Sona is in Corona for a visit.
On the 11th we will be heading East.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Friends 2010

7-17-10
This was a perfect day, at least until 5:00 PM.
In the morning I went to North Park, one of the communities of San Diego, to have breakfast at the Rudford’s restaurant, with Jim, one of my bosses at Convair.
He is still working. We had a good conversation and the food is not bad at Rudford’s.











My next stop was in Clairmont. I visited Dixie and Gene my old neighbors. It is always fun to see them.
When I came to Leucadia I decided to see Doris and Jim. I stopped at their house and they took a little rest from their garden work.
They gave me some homegrown plums. We caught up on what happened in our lives in the last year.











When I came home I took Jean, our 87 year old neighbor, to the grocery store.
When this was done I worked in the garden.
At 5:00 PM I got a phone call from Doreen. She was at the dentist for a new crown. She told me to pick her up. She had fallen from the last step of the stairs and her right ankle was swollen and she could not drive her car.
That brought a glorious day to an end. She was lucky and did not break any bones. We used ice to bring the swelling down. If there is no improvement by tomorrow we head for the emergency room at the hospital. When it got cooler I walked to the dentist office and picked up Doreen’s car. Our dentist office is open seven days a week.
This is not the first time Doreen has fallen. We are getting very good at taking care of it.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Beta Sigma Phi Picnic 2010

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We had another wonderful day at Mission Bay. This time with Doreen’s Beta Sigma Phi group.
We had told everybody that we would park the motorhome on the street, but since the gazebo was available we parked in the parking lot. This saved me assembling my table and getting the stand for the BBQ. Doreen was the host for this lunch date, and she suggested instead of going to a restaurant to have the luncheon on the bay.
We brought the motorhome so the ladies did not have to use the public restroom.
I made a cardboard sign and attached it to a post on the street to warn the group about the change. Everybody found us.
I cooked bratwurst and hamburgers. The ladies brought the rest of the meal.
Every year the membership gets smaller and to make it worthwhile Doreen had invited the men too.
The weather was perfect.
Usually the weather is boring but not this July. Today, at 6:00 PM we heard thunder and it started to rain, not much in Carlsbad, though in the mountains east from here they had more rain.


Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Convair Camping Club Picnic 2010

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The Convair Camping Club had their annual July picnic today, at Mission Bay, in San Diego.
We have blue skies again, at the coast, in Southern California.
The picnic was wonderful, well attended, and the food was very good. Howard and Arlene provided the bratwurst, and the rest of the group brought the salads and desserts.















Picnics are nice but I would like to be on the road. I follow Diana’s, Barbara’s, Bob and Donna’s, Randy’s , and some other people blog and would like to be with them. Some are following the Lewis and Clark Trail and are in South Dakota now.
Right know I am working on our trip to the Midwest. Some of my friends in the Chicago area are getting old and I would like to see them one more time. Yes, I am getting old too, but Hanna and I were the youngest among our friends.
Sona, our friend from the Czech Republic, is coming to Corona on the 8th of September. We will see her on the 10th and head East on the 11th.
At the picnic we had a washer game.











But most of the activities were talking and eating. Ann had come too. This was her first outing with the group since Darwin passed away.








Monday, July 12, 2010

Queen Califia and Balboa Park 2010

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Some people complain about the boring weather we have in Southern California. They complain about the permanent blue sky. This year there is no reason to complain.
This is an unusually July. We still have June gloom or the marine layer which stays most of the day.
At the coast, where we live, the sun hides a lot.
Today we went looking for sun. We went to Escondido, to the city’s Kit Carson Park. There is the Queen Califia’s Magical Circle. It is the work of Niki de Saint Phalle, famous for her large statues adorned with intricate mosaics.
Two large snakes form the wall and in the court yard are nine brilliantly colored totem poles and statues of mythical birds and animals.



















The largest statue depicts the legendary Amazonian Queen Califia atop a five legged eagle.











Our next stop was Balboa Park where we first stopped at Spanish Village. There they had open House and the artist displayed their work outside.
















We got some free hugs. Two young men carried signs. I got a hug from a young lady. I do not know whether she was part of the group or whether she just gave me a hug because I am cute.












We finished our little excursion by having an afternoon breakfast at the Broken Yoke restaurant.












On the way home we visited Doreen’s son and daughter in law in La Jolla. Even with only a little sun it was a beautiful day.

Here is a picture of the best behaved, cutest grandchildren. Jacob does not like to have his picture taken and it shows.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Fourth of July 2010

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We are at Red Beach, at the Camp Pendleton Marine Base near Oceanside, California.











Two of our Convair Camping Club families are here too. Arlene and Howard, and Linda and Jon have their motorhomes about 500 feet from us.
The sun burned off the marine layer early, and it was a nice day.
Doreen and I went for a walk. Armored vehicles have torn up some of the beach. Two of them came by.
They were pretty fast and I was not able to take a picture.













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Early in the morning I went along the beach. A very weak seal was laying on the sand, completely out of the water. The Game Warden called Sea World, and they later picked it up.












Up on the hill a motorhome was raised up in front. The same person comes every year and takes this spot.












I noticed Shanty Shakers decals on three of the rigs. I belong to this camping club too. The Shanty Shakers are the Southern California branch of the Escapee Camping Club.
Later, Doreen and I went back and talked to Garth and his wife.











When I came back from my walk I turned on the television and happened to turn on the channel where they had the soccer game between Germany and Argentina. Germany was scoring their second goal. I got interested and watched the game to the end. Germany won 4to 0.
Part of the afternoon we spent in front of Darlene’s and Howard’s motorhome.












7-4-10
We left the beach, by car, at 9:00AM. At home we took a shower, read the mail and did some things around the house
At 4:00PM we had Happy Hour at the Club House. Dinner was served at 5:00 PM. Before that I heard some rumblings about not being able to bring glass bottles in the swimming pool area, and one person got reprimanded for not standing up during the pledge of allegiance.
Since I was cooking hamburgers I did not know what was going on.




















We served over 70 people, which is pretty good since we have only 112 homes in our little park, and in most homes lives only one person.
The weather was not typical Fourth of July weather. The sun did not come out and it was a bit chilly. We sat outside but many people opted to stay inside the clubhouse.
All the bratwurst were gone, a few hamburgers and many hot dogs were left over.
Cookies and ice cream was left over too.
After dinner we took off for our little house on the beach. There it was sunny all afternoon.
We joined Arlene and Howard at their campfire, and watched the fireworks of several beach communities.

7-5-10
The weather did not improve, and we decided to go home.
At home I took the water hose and removed all the salt from the motorhome. This morning a fine mist came from the ocean and the motorhome was wet.
Even with the not so perfect weather it was a wonderful 4th of July.