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.

Friday, October 24, 2014

My move. 2014

10-23-14
Winter has arrived in Eureka. It is raining.
The motorhome is still parked at the Moose Lodge. All my tools are now in Doris’s garage. The light tool boxes are on a shelf unit. The heavy ones will go on the workbench as soon as I rearrange the peg board in the back of the bench.
Now I am bringing excess clothing from the motorhome to the house. I am making room for Doris.
The motorhome goes in storage at the end of next week. As soon as Doris sells her fifth wheel trailer and her truck the motorhome will be parked on the RV slab next to the garage.
I am getting spoiled by Doris and I am enjoying it. While Doris was baking cookies I carved the pumpkin. Since I am not an artist and it was my first pumpkin the result is not that great. We put a candle in it and put it on the front porch.
10-25-14
Doris’s daughter and grandson did arrive the day before yesterday for a short visit. Yesterday her son and wife and his son came to the house for dinner. They live in Eureka.
Doris enjoyed the company of two of her children and their families. The wife of her older grandson and her young  grandson did not stay for dinner. They were acting in a haunted house. The older grandson was supposed to go with his wife but he had a giant tooth ache. So his cousin took his place.


Today we went to the house of Doris’s son where he and his wife’s served snacks and drinks. The house was decorated for Halloween. They really did a very good job.   


10-27-14
Doris and I went dancing at the Moose Lodge this evening. The Friendship Circle Dance Club had their Monday dance.


The theme was Halloween. Some people came in costume; we did. People who know both of us are still guessing what is going on between Doris and I. They asked questions, but not straight out. One lady told me that we had matched outfits. I only smiled. I dance with everybody just like before I met Doris.


Carol came as a man.


Ellen was a mysterious lady.

   
It was a fun evening. 



Sunday, October 12, 2014

Oceanside 2 - October 2014

10-12-14
Today I walked real early at Tamarack State Beach in Carlsbad. I used to park my motorhome there and enjoy the beach all day. This is not allowed anymore. 


It was still foggy. But many people walked, or were running or bicycling. 


Surfers were not bothered by the fog.


One family had dragged a sled on the beach and they were taking pictures.


10-13-14
 I left Oceanside at 5:30 AM and headed for Borrego Springs. The first hour driving was slow because of fog and the narrow winding road. At 8:00 AM Ron Carlson and I were at our favorite restaurant and enjoyed breakfast. 

  
I picked up some of my belongings he had stored in his garage and then we went to his ranch and there was more. Now I have all my tool and die maker tools back.
On the way home I changed my mind and went up Banner Grade. Even with all the weight I had no problems. There were a lot of tourists in Julian. I believe Apple Days are still on.
Back at the Elks Lodge my neighbors had bible study.


10-14-14
The Convair Camping Club has their monthly outing this month at the Guajome County Park, which is located near Oceanside.
I joined them for dinner and spent some time at the camp fire.


The hosts had a lot of slow cookers going.


10-15-14
In the morning I went to the post office and checked whether my absentee ballot had arrived, not yet. From there I went to Kaiser and asked about the results of the ultra sound. That turned out fine. I have no problem there.
Then I drove to San Diego, to the San Diego Natural History Museum.  The museum was not open yet and I had time to go to the Rose Garden.


This cactus was almost in bloom. It is a very strange looking plant.

At 10:00 AM I walked over to the museum to see the Discovery of King Tut.


It took over 3,000 years to find the tomb of this Egyptian Pharaoh. He died at age eighteen and his successor had wiped out the history of Tutankhamun’s family. A statue had been found with a different name in the front, but later, when the statue was moved there was his name on the back.


It took many years to decipher the Rosetta Stone. The text is in three different languages, on is in Greek.


The entrance of Tutankhamun’s tomb was under rubble of previous excavation. Howard Carter, with financing from George Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, was determinant to find the tomb at this location, and he did.


The sarcophagus is three in one. The large one contains a smaller one and this one also contains a smaller one.


In the burial chamber were a lot of items for the afterlife of Tutankhamun.


The mask contains a lot of jewelry.

The body is black now.


Household items are also on display.


So are the kings chair and chariot.


The king had a lot of jewelry.


Shabits, servants for the afterlife were very important.


Jose Bello used to be a planer at Convair. Now he is a docent at the museum.


When I came out of the museum military people were running in Balboa Park and singing.


I went for a short time to Spanish Village, a place where artists have their studios.


At the Botanical Garden were some beautiful flowers in bloom.


On the way home I stopped at Old Town State Park.


They are getting ready for Dia Del Muerto. 

In the evening I met my friends from the Convair Camping Club at a Mexican Restaurant. It was wonderful to spend some time with the group.



10-17-14
Yesterday I saw my primary physician and it went better than I expected. From the doctor’s office I went to the Encinita’s Elks Lodge and had dinner with friends.
Today I drove to Murrieta and picked up some of my belongings from Frank and Rhonda’s house. Two years ago I had asked him to help me get rid of them. He came with his pick up truck and we loaded most of my stuff on his truck. Instead of giving it away he saved it for me. Frank and Rhonda are good friends.
Now the poor Saturn feels like a trailer. The trunk is full, there is stuff on the back seat, the passenger seat and on the floor. Most of it is metal and it weighs a ton.
We had a wonderful lunch at a nearby restaurant. I had no problem driving home with the overloaded car.
During my evening walk I stopped at El Super, The Mexican store, to buy some pan dulce, I did not buy something like this. It looks delicious though and it is great for people who do not have to watch their weight.


10-18-14
This is my last day in Oceanside. Tomorrow morning I am heading north to Eureka.
Dottie, Chappy and I had lunch at a golf course restaurant in El Cajon. I will miss my friends, but I look forward to my new life.

10-19-14

This was a long travel day.
I woke up at 2:30 AM and got up. Then I laid down again and tried to sleep. Getting through Los Angeles was on my mind. I got up again and had a bowl of cereal and took off at 3:00 AM.
Since it was a Sunday and I was early, I zipped through the city without any problems. There was traffic and construction going on. At one spot I-5 had only one lane open. People were working at night to resurface the highway.
At the Flying J gas station near Cajon Pass I got gas and at the Rest Area nearby I stopped and went to bed for an hour. At 8:00 AM, at the next Rest Area, I had a second breakfast. At noon I had lunch.
Since it was not hot I drove all the way to the Colusa Casino Resort in Colusa. I arrived there at 3:00 PM.
Staying there was free and I did not have to unhook the car.

10-20-14
I left Colusa at 5:00 AM and arrived at Eureka at 10:45 AM. It rained most of the way. When I arrived at Eureka the sun was shining.