Tag Archives: Friends & Friendship

Road Trip Chronicles: RV Life and Challenges

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My writing has been scattered lately and my posts show it. So…An Update.

I have been in San Diego for two weeks. The first week I was cat sitting for two pretty Tuxedo Kitties, Avril and Pete. They were very different personalities. Pete slept with me while Avril remained aloof. The best part of this sit besides the kitties…A Swimming Pool! On these warm summer days that pool was so refreshing.

I do not usually return to San Diego until November. By that time, the weather has cooled and being in San Diego is good. This year,….It Is HOT!!! Through the Labor Day weekend it is suppose to stay rather warm, even at the beach. Currently I am in Santee which is inland San Diego. It is close to 100 degrees. And, it has been humid. I am not used to this and I long to be back in the Pacific Northwest. Ah, alas, here I am.

I am in San Diego because I have a year long relationship with my dentist. I am having an implant put in and it takes almost a year to finish the process. Bone implant – Heal. Three months later in goes the screw which is really the implant – Heal. Three months later the crown goes on and I am done. This time I had the screw put in. That means in December I get crown on and I am done. Yay!!

Maintenance of my Rig, EmmyLou is important. Without her I have nowhere to live or sleep. On my drive south I met up with my friend Zee, who lives in southern Oregon. We planned a mini-trip to Mt Lassen National Park. On the third day of our camping trip, I tried to start my engine. It made a weird screeching noise, and then it stopped working. My roadside assistance, Coachnet, helped me get her where she needed to go. . She was safely taken to Weed, California. There, she got a new starter.

I was very thankful to have a friend with me. I stress out about Roadtrek issues when I am alone. I am always sure that I am to blame and my life comes to a screeching halt. Zee kept me from chastising myself too much. And I had somewhere to stay while the rig was fixed.

While she got a new starter Zee and I went back to her home. It is so good to have friends who open their homes to me. I am grateful each time this happens. Two days later I picked my rig up and returned to Medford, Oregon so Mercedes could check her out. A day later she was ready to go and I headed south.

Baby Needs New Shoes

Yesterday I spent the afternoon in the Tire Center at Costco because Baby needs new shoes. Michelins are on sale and EmmyLou has been traveling hard. She has 186,000 miles on her and her tires were looking worn. I knew it would take at least two hours. I brought my camp chair in from the rig. Now I am sitting in the air-conditioned tire shop, entertaining myself. It is great people watching.

My Campsite View

It is so common for me to be busy when I arrive in San Diego. I thought it would be a bit slower this time. I don’t even dive into my medical or dental appointments until I arrive in November. I have been busy. Now with Labor Day weekend arriving I am hoping to slow down for the weekend. Maybe I can get the kayak on the water. Maybe I can take a bike ride. Maybe, Maybe, Maybe.

Practicing Yoga free,in Donnelly, Idaho at the top of the Ski lift

There you have it an update. Since May I have been to the Pacific Northwest, Vancouver Island, British Columbia and back to the Pacific NW again. On the way south, I traveled east to Donnelly, Idaho. Where better to attend a free yoga class at the top of the ski lift? After spending a long weekend with good friends I returned to the west coast.

In mid-September, I travel north to Salinas, California (near Monterey). I will house sit for Woody the cat and Rocky the dog for a month. I will also kayak the Elkhorn Slough and bike around Monterey and enjoy my friend, Mandy’s lovely home.

Today I am thankful for my rig. It is good to keep her tuned up and in good working condition. I am truly thankful for air conditioning. I am thankful for good friends who open their homes and hearts to me.

Today I am Thankful.

On the Move North for the Summer

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I have been traveling. Woody the cat and I departed company at the end of May. Mandy, his owner, and friend, and Rocky the dog returned home. And, just like that my time in Salinas came to an end. 

It was a good month with a lot of kitty time, kayaking “The Slough” and riding my bike. Salinas and Monterey County is such an interesting area. It is the home of Monterey and Carmel, where the views are amazing and wealth abounds. It is also the home of many hard workers. They work planting tending and harvesting the crops of many things that we eat every day. Artichokes-check, cabbage-check, Strawberries-check, Garlic-check, check and check. The soil in this Salinas valley is so rich and something is always growing here. 

Memories of Salinas

As a Tour Manager, I remember taking tour groups through this area. We would stop at “The Farm” to learn more about this culturally rich area and the hard-working men and women and children that still harvest the food we eat. One group was even offered to get off the bus and help the workers harvest celery. The driver and I refused as it had been raining and these were seniors. The driver didn’t want to get his bus super muddy and I needed to protect my tour group. 

Salinas is Steinbeck Country. It is the home of John Steinbeck and his family. Have you read The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men or Cannery Row, and many of his other books? Steinbeck wrote often of these hard-working people and the perils of the working man. Salinas has a museum, library, and more dedicated to John Steinbeck. You can even have a meal in his childhood home. 

My trip north was a good trip. I found State Recreation sites and State Parks to camp in. All of them are on my list for a return visit. One was on the Salinas River in northern California and the other was on the Willamette River in Oregon. I may be kayaking on the Willamette on a return visit.

The most memorable part of the trip north was visiting with friends. Mary and I were able to catch up, in-person in southern Oregon where she lives. She is getting ready to raft a few rivers. That is her June activity. I had the opportunity to swamp for her on the North Fork of the Flathead River several years ago. It was work and it was fun. We are planning a trip in the fall into the southwest, not involving rivers and rafting.

On June first I met up with Pat another Roadtreking friend. We had made plans to meet at Scenic Beach State Park near Seabeck, Washington about nine months ago. Why? Great Blue Herons and Eagles feeding on Midshipmen Fish that come in the spring to breed among the oyster beds, and an opportunity to see nature happening close up. I also had the opportunity to photograph all the action.

Now I am on Whidbey Island, arriving just less than a week ago, to house sit for another summer in the same lovely home I was in last year. Ooooh, more amazing sunsets. It has to become summer first. People who live here tell me they are still waiting for spring and summer to arrive. It has been raining, a bit. 

And…guess who was here to greet me? Birdy Boy? If you have followed my blog from last year you will remember the posts about my relationship with a sweet little Song Sparrow. He is still here and is back to sitting on my arms and legs and singing up a storm. It is so fun that he remembers me. I have been enjoying the low tides this week while waiting for spring and summer to arrive.

Summer is off to a good start.

Coming Full Circle

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Idaho Summer

Last June I left San Diego and traveled north. I spent most of the spring living with two good friends, Cynthia and Ward. I initailly moved in to help Cynthia after elective surgery. I ended staying with them through the emergence of Covid and our country in some form of lockdown. I sheltered in place with Ward and Cynthia from early March until I headed north, in June,  for a summer in Idaho.

Every year I return to San Diego to get my medical and dental work done. I get busy with appointments, doctor visits, a mammogram, and lab work.

This year I headed south driving ahead of cold weather. Eastern Idaho, nope, too cold. Northern Utah, nope, too cold.  When I reached Nevada it became much more tolerable, despite the high winds. Eventually, I made my way into San Diego and after almost two weeks at my friend, Pat’s house I have moved back in with Cynthia and Ward. I will remain here through the end of the year.

La Mesa Sunset

It is really good to have such kind and wonderful friends. I feel so honored to be part of such a good network of people throughout this country, Canada, and further. Like attracts like.

When I stayed in La Mesa I had amazing sunsets and I was close enough to walk to the “Secret Steps of La Mesa” (489 steps). It is a workout. There are actually more than one set of stairs. I would climb one and return on the other set, completing a loop back to the house.

La Jolla Shore

Bay Park (I am here now)  is close to Mission Bay and not too far from the Pacific Ocean. I can walk to the Bay. It is only a few miles away. I can hop on my bike and complete a 15-20 mile ride from my current home without a problem. Today I drove the short distance to La Jolla Shores and walked the beach at low tide. It is nice to be near the water.

I am back sheltering in place with two other people. After spending five months mostly alone, it is nice to be with others again. I enjoy the company and hope they do also. We got along well when I was here in the spring and I am sure that will be the case this time. It is nice to move into a place where I am wanted. The nice thing is if we get tired of each other, I can go camping for a few days, come back and everything will be fresh again.

Here I am for the holidays. Enjoying my semi-nomadic lifestyle, visiting friends and completing things that need to get done before I head east at the New Year and take up residence, once again in the desert.

Today I am thankful for good friends, beatiful places where nature abounds and my willingness to explore all of it.