Rainy Golf and Flowery Toes

Madison's Pedicure

Jack played golf today in the rain with Mark,Derek and Casey while Maddy and I went for pedicures. Not the usual weather we're used to for golfing but they had fun.

After our pedicures Maddy and I had lunch at Red Robin then came back to the 5th wheel and played Hangman. She wouldnt give me any clues so I pretty much got hanged every game.

Greenlake

Best Friend Denise: We took pictures of each other taking pictures of each other

Love you XXOOO

The house I grew up in across the street from Greenlake (Seattle WA)

I met my best friend of 35 plus years at Greenlake today for a walk around the lake and lunch. We don't see each other too often these days but it only takes us a couple of minutes before we have each other laughing hysterically. Neither one of us wanted our picture taken so we took pictures of each other taking pictures of each other. LOL

 My grandparents owned a house across the street from Greenlake and when they passed away my family moved into it. The house did not look anything like the picture above. In fact when we moved into it there was still a wringer washer in the dirt floor basement and pull cords for the lights...no switches! I always like to check out the house when I walk around Greenlake. Denise and I had a nice visit,they are always too short, but time with her no matter how short is always fun for me.We know things about each other that we will carry to the grave...right Denise??  Sprinkles of rain on the drive back to Lake Sawyer and I don't think the temperature ever reached the 78 degrees predicted but it is pleasant enough.

Tomorrow we are taking a new TV up to my Mom's in Seattle. We have put at least 500 miles on the rental car since Thursday.

A Beautiful Day at Lake Sawyer

Army of Smooth Criminals

Madison's dance recital. The title of the dance was "Army of Smooth Criminals" a Documentary of an alternative to incarceration..boot camp" Excuse me? These are  6 year olds..but it was cute.  I drove the hell out of the rental car today...Auburn,Seattle, Tacoma and back again. It was worth it to see Madisons face when she saw Grandma Connie,Grandma Kathy,Great Grandma Marilyn and Grandpa Joe in the audience cheering for her (along with her Mommy and Daddy of course)

Back to the RV park around 5PM and then Jack and I headed to Colton's graduation party a few blocks from here.

Oh and I bought a mountain bike this morning. Busy day.

Drama Queen Madison and her cousin Kiersten at the dance recital

Four Generations

Great Grandma Marilyn and Maddy playing tic tac toe

 4 generations

We made it to Lake Sawyer on Wednesday and picked up a rental car on Thursday. I don't think I've slowed down since then. 

Jack went to a retired Firefighters lunch yesterday with his Uncle Dick and Cousin Rick and had a great time visiting with the guys.   At the same time my daughter Katie, granddaughter Madison and I picked up Great Grandma Marilyn for a girls lunch. Today Mom and I will attend Madison's dance recital in Tacoma. Lots of miles on that rental car.

Last night it rained so hard out here that the TV couldnt pick up a satelite signal! I'm just happy the downpour didn't occur while I was navigating I-5.

We're looking forward to the big 4th of July party out here on Lake Sawyer.

Long Beach WA

Discovery Trail

The Beach

We left Canyonville OR around 7AM and put in close to 300 miles reaching Long Beach this afternoon. The RV park is actually in Seaview just south of Long Beach and has  a pool,full hookups and apparently a black bear. I kept this in mind when I took a short trip down to the beach.  I coughed and clapped a few times in case he was watching me from the beach grass. One weird thing about this RV Park is that every other spot has the water,sewer and power hookups on the "wrong side".There is a trail from the RV park to the beach as well as the paved Discovery Trail, which runs 8 miles from Illwaco to Long Beach. 

Currently overcast and around 60 degrees. It was a bit drizzly when we first got here but it is actually a pleasant change from what we are used to in the desert.

Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley and Truck Troubles in Shasta

Jack in front of Dale Jr's Stock Car

An actual piece of the Berlin Wall..Jack making his escape

Well Ron.....now that you ask

Air Force One

On Wednesday the 15th we visited the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley. It is over 100,000 square feet with 24 different galleries that include a  replica of the Oval Office, Air Force One (the real one that Reagan used) and dozens of interactive displays. We were able to walk through Air Force One (A Boeing 707). The Library also had a special NASCAR exhibit. The grounds are beautiful sitting high above Simi Valley.

We camped at a spot called Oak Tree RV Park about 6 miles from the Library. Totally convenient for visitng the library,however trains roared by all night long about 25 feet above the dirt embankment behind us.

We put in a long day yesterday, the nasty drivers on the freeways near L.A...the boring drive up I-5  once you're over the Grapevine....and made it as far as Corning and the Rolling Hills Casino RV Park,which is right off the freeway,full hookups and next door to the casino. We usually stop here for one night every year as it is convenient,clean and has pull through spots.We never bother to unhook the truck.

Today has been interesting ....Left Corning after breakfast at Denny's and since we were a day ahead of schedule decided we'd probably spend two nights at 7 Feathers Casino RV Park in Canyonville OR. The drive is scenic over Mt Shasta and the lake is full this time of year. Great weather, rolling along and just over the top of the pass we heard a loud "pop" in the engine area of the truck. Jack pulled over to check it out. Couldn't see anything, not a tire, but he suspected we might have blown the turbocharger on the truck.  Anticipating a major expense and towing the truck to ???? Weed is 30 miles,Redding is about 100 the opposite direction....We managed to limp into an RV park which is really close to the freeway,Abrams Lake RV Park.Jack was checking in at the office not really sure how long we'd be here or what our next move would be and one of the guys mentioned that he has a buddy down the street who is a certified Ford mechanic. Unhooked the 5th wheel,followed the guy to the mechanic and the diagnosis is not a blown turbocharger but just a blown hose...the truck will be fixed by 3:30 this afternoon. What a relief,and how fortunate that we found this park (full hook ups,laundry etc) and a Ford mechanic to boot.

We'll be able to enjoy Happy Hour with Mt Shasta out our front door and relief that we won't be stranded.

Leaving Tuesday

Our month here at Imperial Beach is almost up. We'll leave Tuesday morning to go up the coast to Simi Valley for two nights. I don't think they have any wi-fi so probably no blog updates for a few days.  We'll check out the Reagan Museum, then on to Coalinga for one night, next night probably Red Bluff, 7 Feathers on Saturday, and Long Beach WA on the 19th.

Harbor Cruise

The Beginning of the Cruise Picture that no one ever buys but we did

Coronado Bay Bridge

Jack onboard the Adventurer with San Diego in the background

30 story,2000 room Hilton Bayfront

We took the two hour Harbor Cruise today instead of yesterday...better weather. Yesterday was drizzly and cool.

The cruise tours the North and South Bay areas. The North Bay takes you around Point Loma and around the underwater pens where the Navy keeps their trained dolphins...U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program. It is rather controversial as several dolphins died in March as the result of underwater explosives.  http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sandiego/technology/mammals/  San Diego is a major home port to the Navy, and specifically the Navy Seals. Seal Teams 1-3-5 and 7 train here. The Navy resides on prime waterfront property all along the Bay.

The South Bay takes the boat around the working,commercial waterfront,under the Coronado Bridge and near the Coronado shoreline. It was a fun trip, with the main sites pointed out by the Captain.

We'll be leaving here on Tuesday and heading to Simi Valley to visit the Reagan Museum..then slowly working our way north to Washington. We've enjoyed our month long stay in San Diego although I'm not sure being in one spot for an entire month agrees with me. I get antsy to move on down the road.

Coaster

The Coaster

This morning we took the trolley to the Santa Fe station downtown and then hopped aboard the Coaster going North. The Coastliner is a commuter passenger train similar to the Seattle Sounder, that runs between San Diego and Oceanside, which is 50 miles up the coast. Some of the view out the window is like the Dinner Train out of Renton,WA....industrial areas and alleys. But half way up the view opens to the ocean for several miles and runs right next to it. Some nice homes to look at as well near Del Mar and Oceanside.  It's a clean,comfortable ride...not crowded..and a pleasant relief for Jack to relax and enjoy the views instead of driving.  The train makes about 8 stops with the final stop at Oceanside. We debated on getting off there and wandering around but the next return trail would not have departed for 4 hours. So we turned around and went back to San Diego on the same train. Altogether it took around 2 hours round trip.

We have reservations on Thursday for a 2 hour Harbor Cruise Tour.

Surfing Dogs/Imperial Beach CA

Surfin' Dog competition this morning at Imperial Beach. Some of these dogs were great surfers, and they loved it. One of them started out facing the beach on his surfboard and turned around on the board to face the ocean.  There were three dogs on one board,little dogs,big dogs.....lots of people and great weather!  It would be a hard call to pick a winner. I'd have to say the Bulldogs were pretty good (maybe better balance?) but a couple of Labs did well too.

It's Always Somethin' (Roseanne Rosanna-Danna quote)

Noticed a few tiny ants along the edge of the sink and along the ceiling. Jack took a trip to Home Depot,emptied the cupboards,and sprayed bug death on them. We are hoping this does the trick. I was afraid to check for them in the bedroom...if I saw them, it would be the end of me sleeping there.

Laundry day,probably groceries,and  then we may head over to the Imperial Beach Farmers Market for more Samosa's...(see previous post May 20) Tomorrow is the Dog Surfing Championship at Imperial Beach.

Little Italy/Gaslamp District

Sign over the main street in the Little Italy District

Waiting for the trolley across from the San Diego Convention Center

High rise across from the Convention Center with views out to the Bay..awesome

Jack and I boarded the bus again,then the trolley(we're getting good at this now) and visited the Little Italy District. Little Italy is a somewhat hilly area in downtown San Diego, that was originally an Italian fishing neighborhood. It has since been gentrified and now Little Italy is a scenic neighborhood composed mostly of Italian restaurants, Italian retail shops, home design stores, art galleries, and residential units. We had the best pizza here.

Boarded the trolley again for a short ride to the Gaslamp District.Its main period of development began in 1867, when Alonzo Horton bought the land in hopes of creating a new city center closer to the bay, and chose 5th Avenue as its main street. After a period of urban decay, the neighborhood underwent a renewal in the 1980s and 1990s, and is today an energetic business and entertainment district. There is a huge Westfield Mall...Horton Plaza.

Downtown San Diego has a cool assortment of highrise condos and office buildings...some unusual in design. I thought the Convention Center was particularly attractive.

Fire engines...old and new

Old Steam Fire engine

After we toured the fire museum we came upon this modern day fire scene at a construction site in Little Italy