Borrego Springs 2012

3-10-12
It is 6:00 AM and we are getting ready to go to Borrego Springs for the Convair Camping Club March outing.
We were supposed to leave at 11:00 AM. First I have to go to the Clubhouse and cook pancakes and French toast for the Men's breakfast. Then I have to go to the dentist to have a temporary crown clued back. I pulled it off last night. This was bad timing.

We left earlier than I had planned. Most people came early for breakfast.
By 9:30 AM we had served them all. So I took off to see the dentist. It took only fifteen minutes to put the temporary crown back.
By 10:30 AM we were on the road. We stopped at a gas station in Ramona to fill up the tank in the car.
At Dudly’s bakery we bought two bear claws. It is a must to buy them there. They are the best.
We arrived at Peg Leg Smith’s Monument, in Borrego Springs, at 1:00 PM. There are only 20 rigs here. Most of the snow birds are gone.
When I visited my neighbor, he told me that I am early for Thanksgiving. He is also a WIN and recognized me. He lives in Poway and is spending some time out here.
Doreen and I took a nap and then spent some time outside. We enjoyed the nice weather and Doreen did some knitting.
There are no flowers in bloom. The rain was not enough and came at the wrong time. Even the desert verbenas did not show up.
Chappy and Dottie arrived at 5:00 PM. At 6:00 PM I went to the camp fire. I stayed for an hour.

3-11-12
Early morning I walked up the hill to take some pictures of the motorhomes and trailers.












After lunch we went target shooting. My first five shots missed the target. The second five were near the red center. Instead of adjusting the scope I moved my aim and with the third five shots I had three in the red and the other two were not very far from it.
Ron had a cluster near the red. Chappy was a little bit all over the target. Dottie missed the target completely.
We had a lot of fun though

















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We had dinner at Chappy and Dottie’s motorhome. Dottie had prepared rips, beans and French fries.
This was a fantastic day. The weather could not be any better.

3-12-12
I walked up my favorite hill where I can see Borrego Springs, the valley and the mountains.











At 12:30 PM we went to Palm Canyon Resort, our home for the next three days.
Happy Hour was at 4:30 PM and 30 minutes later we started eating.
















At 6:00 PM we were invited to a silent movie from 1920. It was actual an Infomercial for Maxwell cars, and filmed around Borrego Springs.
The film survived but the Maxwell Company is part of history.

3-13-12
In the morning most members of the group went to see the steel statues.
There are two brand new ones, a scorpion and a grass hopper.
















For dinner we had corned beef, cabbage and potatoes. Nobody walked away hungry. Everybody is happy with the weather. We ran the air conditioner in the motorhome for a few hours. There is very little wind.














3-14-12
In the morning we went to the little mall in Borrego Springs. I had an ice cream and Chappy two coffees. The women went shopping while we were sitting in front of the coffee shop.
In the afternoon I took Denise and Dick to Ron’s ranch. They know each other from their sailing days.
We had Reuben Sandwiches for dinner, with potato salad and green salads.
I had corned beef with the salads.
This was another fantastic outing with good friends. Good weather helped of course.

3-15-12
We left the Palm Canyon RV Resort at about 11:00AM. Back at Peg Leg Smith are only 14 rigs now.
Mike McCutcheon has left and Randy Strickland is still here.











I talked to Dwight and probably will copy his refrigerator cover awning. Because of the way the solar panels are located on my motorhome the refrigerator always faces the sun in the winter.












It is very quiet now at Peg Leg Smith. The few Canadians here and one couple from Alaska are getting ready to head north.
I went to the camp fire for a while. We had to extinguish the fire when the wind came up. The motorhome was shaking for about an hour.
At the coast they have a rain storm and I believe this is part of it.

3-16-12
We had a good night sleep. The wind had slowed down.
The bushes were still moving in the wind when I got up.
Before we left Borrego Springs we stopped at the Palm Canyon RV Resort and picked up the wooden blocks which go between the two wheels on Darwin’s trailer. He had left without them. Linda called me and asked whether I could pick them up.

Ed Gurling - Celebration of Life

3-3-2012
Another Convair friend is gone. Today we had a celebration of life, with a Hawaiian theme, for Ed Gurling. Ed and his wife loved Hawaii. They had bought a lot there, but for some reason never moved to their paradise.
Ed was one of the nicest people. He worked 45 years for Convair and was 92 years old.













The church was packed, an indication how much Ed was loved.
There were Aaron Roberts, Glen Smith, Chuck Martinez and Fred Shepherd from our group.

Sweetwater Regional Park 2012

2-13-12
Our February outing, with the Convair Camping Club, at the Sweetwater Regional Park had a bad beginning.
When we arrived at the park the sky turned black and soon it started to rain. Happy Hour was at 4:30 PM. Everybody brought their food contribution to the hosts motorhome. We filled our plates and most of us took the food to our motorhome and ate it there. Later, George, the host, brought us dessert.
We do not have a meeting room here. The plan was to have all the meals outside.
We need rain very badly, but it should rain when we are at home.











2-14-12
For Valentine’s Day the weather improved a lot. It had rained most of the night but in the morning the sun came out. The group went for a walk.












We met the host for the Shanty Shaker outing. They start their three day camping trip today.
This does not happen very often that both of our local camping clubs have their outing at the same time.
After lunch we visited Doreen’s friends. From there we drove to Phil Balesteri’s house. He worked with me at Convair and Doreen knows his wife from an English club.

At 3:00 PM we had our club meeting and Happy Hour. At 4:30 PM we had dinner. The hosts had prepared bratwurst and everybody brought some other food items.
We had a wonderful meal. Four couples had come for a visit.
As long as the sun was out it was pleasant. When the sun disappeared it cooled off.















2-15-12
This was a day for resting. Because of the bad weather we could not do much.
Early morning I walked over to the area where the Shanty Shakers are staying. A small group was standing around a camp fire. I joined them for a while.
They are in the old area of the park. We are in the new area. They trees are still small in the new area but the camp sites are spaced a good distance apart, which is wonderful.












It rained on and off. The wind also picked up.
At 3:30 PM we had Happy Hour in George and Elaine’s motorhome. We were crowded but had fun anyway.
Two couples had gone home, and nobody came today for a visit. So we were only eleven people.
At 4:00 PM we had dinner. Everybody brought their dishes to the host’s motorhome. We loaded our plates and ate at our motorhome. Rhonda and Frank joined us. Some people ate at Jon and Linda’s motorhome.
Elaine and George did a good job under those bad weather conditions. They have to clean the motorhome carpet when they get home.













2-16-12
Today we had to leave for home. When I got up this morning the sun greeted me. The rain storm had moved on. The Shanty Shakers will have a wonderful day today.
I went for another walk this morning. This is a beautiful area, with the green hills and the valley.
The lake adds to the beauty.

Camino Hills Valentine 2012

2-11-12
Today we had our annual Valentine breakfast at the clubhouse.
The men cooked the breakfast. I was in charge of the pancakes, French toast, and potatoes.
John Martin provided the orchids for the ladies, and Jim handed out the champagne.
One family brought 15 members, including children.
We were busy.
Kathi had decorated the room beautifully.

San Diego Zoo 2012

2-5-12
Today was the biggest day for football. We thought everybody would be watching television and we could have the San Diego Zoo for our self.
We were wrong. Many people had the same idea and visited the zoo.
Since we have a yearly pass we explore a small area at a time, and visit often.
We had summer weather today.
On the way home we stopped at El Indio Mexican Restaurant for taquitos.