Sunday, 18 Dec. RCRVR & Temecula

I had to turn myself into a Llama today on Facebook because I failed to answer a riddle correctly.

Rob wanted to do a work out and I needed to do some shopping. We both want to watch the Raiders game.  Unfortunately CBS is not going to air the game in this area.  It seems very odd since they are playing the San Diego Chargers and the Raiders were the LA Raiders at one time.  But, they are not so we must go to a sports bar to watch.  
We decided to leave Bella at home.  She has her house and her whole yard and I have shopping to do and the game will be loud.
I took Rob to the gym and dropped him off.  Then I went to Kohl's, then Stein Mart. I was able to get some of my shopping done.  I went and picked Rob up and then we came back to Uncle Bob's Bar and grill.  It is the same place where I watched the game last Thursday night.
We found a table all to ourselves and got there just before the game started.  
The bar was half Raider fans and half Charger fans which made it fun.  We had good burgers, good fries and good beers and totally enjoyed the Raider's win.  It was a lot of fun
We came home and watched the Sunday night programs, 60 Minutes and Madame Secretary.

Friday & Saturday 16, 17 Dec. RCRVR

It is really nice being back on our own lot. 
Rob and I did some putzing around and chores we needed to take care of, to include gift wrapping. 
He went out and played golf, but I didn't go out.  
We just did our own things.

Thursday, 15 Dec., Fresno to San Diego to Aguanga.

Mom and I played our final couple games of Rummy and then I packed all my things to head home.  I can't pack to soon or Bella will get very upset and fearful of being left behind.
We went to the Airport and turned the car back in, went thru customer service and security super easily and quickly.  Then we settled in for the flight back to San Diego.  We were lucky enough to get first class again.
We got to the airport and picked up my bag.  Then quickly found the shuttle to the parking garage so I could pick up my car.  5 pm.  The absolute worse time to head north on Why 15.
Rob got into LA a little while after I got to San Diego
I wanted to go find a sports bar and watch the Seahawks' football game.
I ended up driving up to Temecula and found a Sports Bar there where we settled down with a beer and a bite to eat and watched the game.  
It was a fun bar.  It was large enough and had probably 20 TVs.  There was sort of a side area where I found a place to sit right in front of a TV.  I watched the game.  they Won..  Yippee.  I texted Rob and told him the game was over and that we were headed to the Ranch.
We got home just a little while before Rob did.  

Wednesday, 14 Dec. Fresno

Lovely day in the neighborhood.
Mom and I watched the morning shows, then played some cards and then I met Art for lunch.
We met at Mings and had their famous (our favorite) Efu Won Ton.  It is sooo good.  We also had a really nice chat which I needed and think he may have felt better afterward as well.  It was nice.
I ran some errands for Mom and a couple for me, and then came home.  Bella was mad at me.  I didn't take her with me when I met Art.  She spent the entire time while I was gone on the chair in my room laying on top of my clothes.  She was very happy to see me when I got home, but then she went back to the chair and wouldn't have anything to do with me.
Mom and I played cards and watched TV for the rest of the day and eve.

Tuesday, 13 December, Fresno, CA

Mom and I had some shopping to do.  She wanted to go to Costco and I thought maybe I wanted to go to Kohl's.  
We went to our favorite restaurant for breakfast and then to Costco. While at Costco we bought a great big wreath for the wall above Mom's fire place and some gifts After Costco we were quite exhausted, especially Mom and decided we had had enough shopping.  So, we went back home.  Mom got all the shopping done that she needed to do so that was good.  
We hung the wreath.  It is huge and is lighted either just white or multi-color.  It looks really pretty.  We also found her other decorations, a tree that Barbara made last year that his lights on it and I finally found the Christmas Gift Kleenex box i made for her last year.
We played cards, for the rest of  the day.

Monday 12 Dec. Fresno.

It was pretty chilly when we got up this morning.  Fresno in winter is often foggy so it is a damp cold.
I was disappointed that the package that I had ordered for CJ and Veronica had not arrived yet.  I went online to track the package and it said it had been delivered this morning.  I went out and looked, but didn't find it.  I went onto the USPS site and it said it had been delivered this morning and left on the front porch.  I looked again and there it was.  Good.
I opened it up to look at it.  It is a jigsaw puzzle of a picture of CJ and Veronica that I took of them at their anniversary party.  I have an app on my phone that turned the picture into a mosaic looking picture.  I sent the pic to my brother Eric and he cleaned it up enough that the jigsaw picture company could use it.
Veronica does jigsaw puzzles and frames them.  She has about 10 or more in their home and they are lovely.  I thought this one would be a really neat gift and I love the picture.

It's going to be a difficult puzzle for her.

The app is kind of fun and I can convert all kinds of pictures to all kinds of different things.  Like this picture of Rob and I. Which I took when were were in Oregon.

This is the same picture only a little different.

I can also take pictures and put them into Greetings:

 Rob, Barb and I on the way to Mazatlan

Rob Bella and I in Oregon

And this one.

I also turned Barbara into a Wall graffiti

Fun!

Mom and I did a little shopping and then met Barbara, CJ, Veronica, and Art at Applebees for dinner.  It was really nice.  I gave Veronica the Jigsaw and she was thrilled.  I was so glad.  I really hope the quality of the picture makes it worth it.

We had a nice evening being all together. Mom and I went over to Barbara's after ward and visited with them a little longer.  CJ and Veronica were really tired, so we finally left so that they could go to bed.

Sunday, 11 Dec. RCRVR to San Diego to Fresno

Bella and I got up early, packed and hit the road (after giving Rob a good hug and kiss goodbye of  course).
We drove to San Diego airport which took longer than we had planned for.  We got to the parking garage and got on the shuttle, but then sat and waited for what seemed to take forever for the driver.  We finally got to the airport, then had to wait in the very long full service line.  I have to wait in that line because Bella is traveling with me.  I finally started asking people in front of me if I could go ahead or I would miss my flight.  I finally got to the window 35 min before my flight was to depart.  I asked if it was to late to check my bag and was told it was to late for me to check in.  I said what?! Are you saying I cannot get on the flight.  He said that's right I have to check in at least 40 min ahead.  I said look, I am a non rev, I cannot check in ahead of time with the dog and I have been standing in that line for 20 min.  He told me to wait while he checked with a supervisor.  He came back and said it's loading, you still have to go through security, you probably won't make it, but here is you security document.  Bella and I ran.  We came upon a woman walking with an agent who was transferred from a United flight onto the same flight as mine.  The agent told her she may not make it but she would call the gate agent and tell her that we were on our way.  We made it through.  Phew.  Bella and I also got to sit in first class.  That was a nice reward for the stress we had been going through all morning.
We got to Fresno with no problem.  We went through Budget and finally found our car.  
We went to Mom's and she was happy to see us.  
We went over to Barbara's for a quick visit. She was all upset because she was expecting CJ and Veronica last night and had not heard from them.  I actually got a text from him saying they were on their way to the airport.  I assured her that they were not due in until this evening.  She felt better.

Saturday, 10 Dec. RCRVR

Lovely morning.  We enjoyed our little walk and then our coffee.
At 10 am we played in the Saturday golf tournament.  We were partnered up with Jesse and Sharon.  They are always fun to play with.  We only had one bad hole and it was only a bogey.  The rest were mostly pars with a couple birdies thrown in.  It was fun and.......we took first place.  We each won $15.00 that was great.
We went back home and put up the few decorations we pulled out of storage and I made cookies, actually fools toffee, for the cookie exchange taking place this evening in the Main clubhouse.
We had invited Jesse and Sharon over for dinner.  It was a really nice dinner.  We got to use the Green Egg.  We really enjoyed our visit with them.
Then we went to the cookie exchange.  It was a fun evening.  The theme was the 12 days of Christmas and all the activities were based on that.  They even hid 12 gifts around the room and I found one of them.
We were very good.  We sampled some of the cookies, but we didn't bring any of them home with us.  We both want to shed some pounds and do not want to be part of the peeps who put on an average of 10 lbs over the holiday.  At this age it is just too hard to get rid of it.
It was a great day.

Friday, 9 Dec, RCRVR

We are very blessed out here at the ranch because we get both beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
Bella and I went out early for our little walk and were rewarded with this beautiful sunrise. These were taken from the back of our lot.

We had a bunch of stuff to do today. Cleaners, Costco, Storage. We to put some things in that we no longer need or want on the road, such as my cruiser bicycle that I haven't used since I got my ebike and to pick up some Christmas decorations. 

We also wanted to go by a sign shop to see if we could get a new front emblem for our rig, but we ran out of time.

We headed down to Fallbrook to go and have dinner with our friends Colleen and Jack.

It was really nice.  Their house is all decorated for Christmas and Laura was there with her little guy Julian.  He is sooooo cute.  

It was good to see Laura again as well.  She is sweet.

We had a lovely evening and a delicious dinner.  It was a fun night and good to see them again.

 

Thursday, 8 Dec ., RCRVR, Aguanga, CA

Boy, Rob woke up chomping at the bit to get back on our lot. He loaded up the bikes in the truck and a couple other items and drove over to our lot.  I followed in the golf cart.  
Of course, they were still there.  So, we unloaded the bikes and stuff onto Jack and colleen's lot and then went back to our place to wait.  
We started getting the rig ready to move.  Bella was a little concerned again.  
I drove by our lot in the golf cart and saw that they were gone, so we got to move back onto our lot.  
It was sooooo nice being back on our spot.  We got everything set up, to include our real fence.  Bella once again has the entire lot to roam around safely.

We got reacquainted with our belongings, wandered around looking at all the landscaping.  Rhonda has done a wonderful job keeping our landscaping healthy and trimmed and our lot looks great. It's nice to be back.

We fixed some lunch and then settled in, outside, to watch the Oakland Raiders game.

It was nice watching it on our own lot, with our heaters, sipping champagne.  

Unfortunately, the Raiders lost.  Painful!

Wednesday, 7 December, Rancho Calif. RV Resort

It's nice to be back.  I played golf with the ladies group this morning.  Bella and I rode with our friend Sue VanHoosen.  We had a fun game.  It was the first time I had played our course in 7 months and must admit, I was not doing all that great.  I was having trouble reaching the greens.  Oh well, it was still fun. We all gathered again at the small clubhouse for drinks, snacks and pay offs.  The first and second place teams.  We did not win at all, but we did have fun.
When we got back Rob was gone.  He was out golfing.  
We had a quiet eve. 
Kim texted me and told me the people on our lot were back and were leaving at first light and that we could go back on our lot tomorrow.  
Wow!  That is awesome.

Tuesday, 6 Dec., Seal Beach to Aguanga

Yippee!  It's moving day.  I'm excited about going back to the Ranch and seeing all my friends.  I'm not so happy about the fact that we don't get to go to our lot, but it will be nice to go back.
We chilled for awhile, drinking our coffee and enjoying the morning.  Then finally, I started getting things put away and ready to move.  
Rob took off and I had some places to stop along the way.  
When I finally got there he was already all set up.  That's the way Bella likes it best.  She usually stays in the car until everything is all set up.  
All I had to do was help him move a table and chairs and finish setting up the fence.  Then Bella was a happy camper.
We are set up basically on the 13th tee box.  We are right next door to Karen Hollenbeck and her hubby.  It's nice.
Rob had talked to Jack about borrowing their golf cart and he said sure.  So, we went over to get it.  While there Phil came out and told us that our golf cart was available as the people didn't want to rent it anymore as of Dec 1st.  He also told us that the people on our lot were going to leave.  Hmm!
We checked with Kim and she told us they weren't going to leave until the 18th and that they were in Arizona until the 12th.
We Grabbed our cart and went back to our abode. We fixed dinner, watched TV and went to bed

Monday, 5 Dec. Seal Beach

Rob got home in the wee hours.  So he slept in this morning.  Bella and I went for our walk.
We played golf at the Navy course.  We had a tee time at 11:30 and started pretty much on time.  We played with another couple who were brother /sister in law.  They were nice.  They had some sort of bet going on and giggled a lot at each other's missed shots.
We had to wait on every single hole.  It was horrible.  The round took us 5 and a half hours to complete.  It was turning really cold as the sun was getting ready to go down.
We had two cars with us.  We are moving tomorrow out to the Ranch and have three cars and only two drivers so we decided to take Rob's car to the airport today.  We dropped it off and then went by Alaska's pilot room so Rob could pick up his iPad which he had left in his bag.  From there we went to Rock and Brew for dinner.  It is a pretty cool place.  We took Barbara there when she was down before we went to Mazatlan.  
For some reason I was super tired.  I had been all afternoon. Rob drove back to Seal Beach and I slept.  When we got home we went straight to bed.

Sunday, 4 December , Seal Beach

NFL Sunday and laundry.  It doesn't get much better than that.
I played on the computer for a bit and then decided I had better get busy cleaning.  It really doesn't take very long to clean this place, the microwave, inside and out, the outside of the refrigerator, the counters, the bathroom, dusting and vacuuming.  What takes awhile is getting the motivation up to do it.  Do I start in the bedroom with changing the sheets, moving to the bathroom, to the kitchen and then the living room? Or do I start in the living room and work my way back.  Neither!  I started with what was bugging me the most, the microwave and the front of the refrigerator.  Ah, so start in the middle and work out from there.  This caused me to jump around quite a bit which wasn't very efficient.
But, I got it all done and the laundry in the washer in what I thought was just about time for the Raiders vs The Bills game to start.  However, when I turned it on we were halfway into the first quarter and they had each scored 3 points.  
So, I settled down and watched the game.
It was painful.  The Raiders were getting whooped the first half.  Carr just couldn't get it to stay in the hands of his receivers.
Into the second half, with the Raiders seriously behind, Jayna called me.  The cell reception was really bad inside the rig so I had to go outside.  We had a nice chat about Pivot happenings, our travel plans and theirs.  We may hook up in Cabo sometime in Feb.  They are heading to St Martin on Thursday.  
I basically missed the entire 3rd quarter of the game and was pleasantly surprised when I went back inside to find that the Raiders had come back and taken the lead.  Yippee!
I watched excitedly as the Raiders scored again and managed to hold off the Bills and win the game.  What a season they are having 10 wins and only 2 loses.  Wow!
Mom called me right after the game ended.  She watched the last quarter as well.  Funny!  We chatted for a bit.
Then I finished the laundry.  I had completely forgotten about it during the game.
Bella and I went for a nice walk down to the beach.  There were no ships in so the area was open to us.  First time since we have arrived.
After our walk we settled in for the evening, watched TV and went to bed.

Saturday, 3 December, Seal Beach & Rancho Calif

I slept in snuggling with my little Bella.  We got up and went for our little walk.  Then we came back in and had coffee.  I played on the computer for a little while and then took a shower and got ready to go.  I am excited about going.  I will get to see several of my friends that I have not seen for 7 months or more.  Im a little nervous as well.  Only Trianna, Louise and Rhonda had seen me with my graying hair.  I still get shocked when I see myself in the mirror.  
I drove out there and stopped first by the small clubhouse to let Bella run around a little bit.  I didn't tell anyone I was bringing her or ask anyone if it was ok.  I was afraid to leave her behind.
It is supposed to be really windy again.  It is a 2 hour drive out to the Ranch so I would be gone a long time.  I figured she would be better off with me in the car than back in the RV.
Anyway, I went in and it was really fun.  I got to see all my friends that I hadn't seen.  They were shocked to see my hair, but they all really liked it.  We played some games which were cute.  One was we took some yarn and cut it to the length we thought Trianna's belly was.  I won that one.  I was only one inch off.  
Trianna opened her gifts and got some really cute stuff. Mostly clothes and of course a bunch of books.

 It was good seeing Rho.  Bella was crazy for her and sat in her lap for much of the time.

It was a really fun time.

We left at about 3:30.  I stopped in at Walmart and ended up buying some fleece leggings and a fleece shirts.  They are sooooo warm and snuggly.  I want to go back and get a couple more.  We finally got home at about 7 pm.  Traffic on 91 was slow and go.  It was horrible.

Bella and I snuggled on the couch and watched TV until we finally went to bed.

Friday, 2 Dec., Seal Beach

Oh my goodness, I am sore this morning and walking like a dork.  I took Bella out for her little walk.  It was painful.
I was sitting outside and the nice man from the office came by and said my card had not gone through.  I owe him for the 29th through the 6th when we are going to leave.
I gave him my card again so he could run it.  Then I went in and grabbed my wallet.  Didn't figure he should have to walk back.  Also, incase it didn't work for some reason I had back up cards.
I went in and he was helping someone else so I waited.  After the other man left he told me my card didn't go through.  So, I gave him my ATM card.  Still no go.  I said that is pretty weird.  He said the man who just left used his car and there was no problem.  I gave him a third card and that didn't go either.  I said OK, that is ridiculous.  I told him I'd give him a check, but they don't take checks.  So, I'll have to get cash.
I went back to the rig and tried to pay on line, but it kept saying the credit card number was invalid.  Very weird. I called the bank and they said my card was fine and that no request for payment had been submitted so no they did not decline any payments.
I have a dentist appointment at 2:00.  I'm not sure how long it will take.  I'm also not sure what time the office here closes.  It is closed on the weekends, so it would be Monday before I would be able to give them their money.  We are leaving on Tuesday.  
So, I figured I better go to the bank and get the cash.  I went to the bank and my ATM card worked just fine.  I decided since I was out and had Bella with me that I would do my Baby Shower shopping.  I found a really cute little pair of pants and two little shirts to go with them.  They all have a little dinosaur on them.  Cute.  I also found a little kit that has a little pair of sun glasses, sweat band and head band.  Really cute. If we bring diapers we get a raffle ticket for a prize.  I then found a bag and tissue paper.  Finally, she didn't want cards, instead she wanted little children's books.  Great idea.  So I had to find one of those.  
I paid for my purchases and then Bella and I went to a nearby restaurant and got some lunch.
We went back to the RV Park and paid the money for our rent and then dropped Bella off. 
Next I went to my Dentist appointment. My teeth are all out of alignment.  It seems to be what is causing the issues with my jaw.  So, he ground down my teeth that were hitting.  seemed very weird to me.  He made a new imprint of my bottom teeth so I can get a new lower retainer.  The one I had before didn't fit right and seemed to be pulling my teeth out of alignment.  He worked on my for so long that I could feel my jaw shifting.  Probably when the new retainer comes in it won't fit right either.  That is what happens when I get crowns.  By the time they do the impression my jaw has shifted, they take the impression, my jaw shifts back and the tooth doesn't fit right.  What a night mare.
I did a little more shopping after my appointment.  I was looking for some cute Christmas stuff, but I didn't find anything.  
I felt really bad, because it was already dark and I had not left any lights on for poor Bella.  It had been really windy and some what cold.  The rug outside was flipped up and one of the tables was knocked over and a box had been blown about.  
Poor Bella had been scared.  She had peed in the house, probably because she was afraid to go outside.  I felt really, really bad for her.
I fed her and gave her some good treats.  We watched some TV and then went to bed.

Thursday, 1 December, Seal Beach.

Ro left at 4:30 this morning. YUK!  Bella and I slept in.
We went out for a quickie walk then came in and enjoyed coffee.
After awhile she and I went for a run  We were hoping we could go down to the Beach, but a ship was in so it is closed off at the PCH (Pacific coast Highway).  So, we ran around the warehouse area down there and then back.  3.5 miles.  It felt good.  I know I am going to be sore tomorrow.
I sat in the sun for a little while cooling down until the sun started make me feel really hot.  Then I went in and took a shower.
I decided I would try to make a zebra for Trianna's baby shower.  There is no way I will be able to finish the dinosaur in time.  The zebra looks easier.  I'm going to make it dark blue with bright green stripes.  Those are the colors she said she is going to do his nursery in.
I worked on the zebra all day.  I made the body, and stuffed it, the neck and the head and stuffed it.  But when I put the three pieces together it was not looking right.  Then I did it's stripe for its head which was also to be its nose, but it really was not working.  So, I threw it away and gave up.  I will go shopping tomorrow.
I just watched TV and went to bed

Wednesday, 30 Nov., Seal Beach.

It was hard to wake up this morning, but I knew we were playing golf this morning so Bella and I forced ourselves to get up and go outside.
I immediately had to get in the shower and get ready to go.  First time for contacts and make up for awhile.  But I did both.  I want to wear contacts, but my vision is not as good with them, but, the more I wear them the more my brain will adjust to them.  I have also found that when I wear my contacts while golfing my putting is better.  Wearing bifocals messes up my putting if there is any distance involved.
Today we are playing at the Navy Course.  It is right next to Los Alamitos Airfield which is really distracting to me.  I used to fly the helicopters in and out of Los Al, especially for our annual simulator training.  So, when the helicopters are flying around I get really distracted watching them and wishing I were flying again.  Rob gets affected by it as well.
Anyway.  It was a playing lesson for Rob and I got to play along.  We played with his Coach, Tim.  He is really nice, fun, and gave Rob a hard time as well as tips, reminders and instruction along the way.  He gave me some really good pointers as well.  The tips he gave me were few and very direct which are super helpful for me.
We also played with another man, Rich.  He reminded us of Kramer on Seinfeld. He's super hyper and talked continuously.  Funny guy.
It was a beautiful day and the course is in pretty good condition. 
There were a lot of birds of various species on the course.  A big flock of Pelicans flew in and were sunning themselves.

They were pretty cool to check out.

There were also big flocks of Geese which was a little nerve racking walking through to get to the ball.

We lived with Chinese White Geese growing up and they would attack us, so I wasn't sure if these guys would or not.

There were a lot of other kinds of birds as well.

And, there were squirrels.  Not just squirrels, but bold, bratty squirrels.  They are used to getting into the carts and stealing food.  They were not used to having a dog in the cart though.  They would come right up to the cart and taunt poor Bella.  She would stand there trembling watching the critter.  They would literally be face to face.  Unfortunately, my phone was always in the cart so I was never able to get a picture of it.

After golf we hit the grocery store and gas station and then came home and fixed a nice meal of grilled Salmon and Brussels sprouts cooked with mushrooms and onions.  

We played a little Wii golf until Rob had to go to bed (at 8:30).  I watched a little TV and then went to bed myself.

Tuesday, 29 Nov, Seal Beach

We slept in a bit and it was soooo nice.  I love being snuggly warm in bed.  Especially with the wiggly one.  She moans and groans when she isn't quite ready to wake up and then gets all playful and burrowy when she does first get up.  
I took her outside and there was a nice couple with one of those white fluffy little dogs.  Bella went to check them out but stayed on her side of the street.  They walked their dog over to meet Bella and when they say they were getting along they let their off the leash so that the two could play chase-me-chase-me.  There is no dog park here in this Sea Breeze Navy Park.  They are not super up tight about being off leash, but there isn't as much opportunity to romp and play.
It was nice chatting with them and letting the dogs play.  They are from Maryland, here until the 16th to visit kids and their Mother's 90th birthday.  Then they will go back to Maryland for Christmas and then down to Florida for the winter.
We decided we were going to go Mountain biking today.  Rob found a park called Crystal Cove State Park in the Laguna Hills area.  We took Bella for a nice long walk so she wouldn't be upset about being left behind. She loved it.
When we got to the Crystal Cove area we discovered that the mountain bike trails in their park were closed due to the rain.  That's unfortunate.  We went a bit farther and found some more mountain bike trails.  They were also in the Laguna Hills.
It was a beautiful day.  The temperature was perfect.  At first I thought the ride was too hard to soon after both of us being sick. I was struggling, even with my ebike.  We decided to go up a little further and if continued to be too difficult we would turn back.  At that point we had only gone 2.5 miles.  As it turned out I caught my rhythm 

and we had a lot of fun.  The trail was great 

and the views were awesome.  

We ended up riding about 20 miles. 

We both had a really good time.

After our ride we found a really good Mexican Restaurant called El Cholo.  It was Orange County prices, but the food was excellent as was the service and the atmosphere.  It was really yummy.

Then we headed toward home but needed to get Propane.  The propane was in a place in Huntington.  On the way we discovered a Tuesday night Farmer's Market and Crafts Faire.   So, Rob dropped me off there so I could peruse while he went off to get the propane.  I did do a little Christmas shopping.

Rob got the propane and then came back and joined me to check out some of the booths. It was fun.

We needed to go to the grocery store, but we didn't need anything critically so we just went home.  

Bella was sooooooo happy to see us.  We went for a little walk about and then came inside.

We watched a bit of TV and then went to bed.

Monday, 28 Nov, Seal Beach

Holiday weekend is over.  I have so much to do!
I had phone calls I needed to make, I needed to pay for our extension here at the park (we were paid through tomorrow but want to stay until 6 Dec) we had packages to pick up and I wanted to call Dr Kim and make an appointment. But, it is only 7:30 and I had to wait until 9:00.
So, I checked mail, read all through Facebook and there was nothing left to do but play.
Rob took off because he had a 9:00 dentist appointment.
Finally I was able to make my phone calls.  One was to our stupid Insurance agent.  They cover the two Fifth Wheels and a fire policy on our buildout, and recently we added a renter's policy to cover liability while someone is renting our lot.  The renter's was added on and paid for all at once.  All they did to the others were to combine the two RVs on the same policy.  But, in doing that our rate went from $146./month for all three to $180. for the two RVs and $32. for the Fire.  I have called three times to find out why and to tell them I want to go back to what we had, and each time they tell me they will look into it and get back to me and they never do.  Same story today!  Ugh!
Bella and I walked over to the office to pick up a package that was supposed to have been delivered last Monday (the day we left for Houston) and to pay the extension on our stay.  There was no package and my credit card was declined for the extension. Hmmm! He said some one else had come in and used two different cards and both were declined so he thinks it is a problem with their system.  He told me he would try again later and if there was any problem with it he would let me know.  He is a really nice guy.
Dr Kim....There is something wrong with my jaw on the right side.  I think it is the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ).  It has been bothering me for months.  It hurts to open and close my mouth, to chew and to shift my jaw side to side.  It is also on the side of that tooth (implant) that has been bothering my.  I went to our dentist and he recommended that I go see Dr. Kim who is our oral surgeon.  So, I finally called to make an appointment.  I was beginning to fear it might be bone cancer or something because it has been going on for so long and for no reason. As it turned out they had a cancellation for 11:00 today so I took it.
Before I left I texted Rob about the package (oops, USPS rather than UPS) and to let him know I was leaving and leaving Bella behind.  He said he was on his way.
I got to my appointment at 11:00, but it was 1:25 before I was finally seen.  Man......As it turned out, thank goodness, it is not the joint at all.  It is the tendons, ligaments and muscles around the joint that are inflamed and super tender.  It all goes back to that tooth, or rather my teeth.  When I did the Invisaline to straighten my bottom it not only shifted my regular teeth, but my implant as well.  Now things are not lined up properly.  He explained there is an order to things, first invisaline/braces, then implants.  Unfortunately, my implants were done about 7 years ago.  So, now I have to go back to my Dentist and get him to take the tooth off the implant and fix my bite, and then put a new tooth back on.  It is sooooo frustrating.  Not to mention expensive and at this point painful.  I thought dentists were supposed to know what they are doing.
Dr. Kim wrote out a recommendation to Dr Mehta.  I called Rob to see if he wanted to meet me at my favorite Sushi place which is right by Dr. Mehta's since I had to go over there to drop off the recommendation. He said yes.  I told the letter to Dr. Mehta and made an appointment for this Friday.
Rob and Bella met me at the restaurant and we had a nice lunch.  I realized I was really feeling depressed.  I hate having dental issues, they always make me feel like its my fault and like I'm a bad person.  It also makes me feel helpless, because I have been going every three months and taking good care of my teeth and to have it really be the Dentist's fault rather than mine is really frustrating. Anyway, hopefully by acknowledging and realizing the cause of the depression will help it go away.
So, the rest of the day, what there is of it left..
We decided to go to a movie.  We took Bella home and then went to see "Fantastic Beasts and where they come from" in 3D.  It is written by the same gal who wrote all the Harry Potter books.  It was really good.  There is a candy store next to the theater so we went in there first and loaded up on stuff.  I got yogurt covered pretzels and raisins and some chocolate covered raisins as well.  Rob got M&Ms and Peanut M&Ms and something else. So, the movie was great, but I ate 2/3 s of my junk food and had a big time belly ache.
We came home and Rob heated up left-overs for himself.  I didn't feel like eating anything.  
We played a new Wii golf game that Rob got.  It was really fun.  I got a hole in one on the second hole.  Amazing.  I ended up beating Rob by 5 strokes and came in 2 strokes under par.  Awesome.
With that, we went to bed.

Sunday, 27 Nov. Seal Beach, CA

NFL Sunday, Yippee!!! The Raiders are playing this afternoon and it's being televised on CBS which means we get to stay at home and watch it.  That's a good thing, because it is raining, with periods of pouring!
Obviously we did not sit outside this morning, instead we enjoyed our coffee, along with the heat, inside.
Rob went off for a golf practice session and a hair cut. 
Bella and I stayed and held down the fort.  We went for a little walk as well.
I turned on the morning football game.  I wasn't really paying attention to it as I was playing on the computer.  In fact, I can't even remember who was playing.  Actually, their were two games on.  One I believe was the Saints & LA Rams, but I still can't remember who the other one was. I believe it was the Chargers.  I kept switching back and forth between the two.
Rob returned and finally the Raider game came on.  They played the Carolina Panthers.  I watched it and continued playing on the computer.  The Raiders were doing really well and beating them.  Then, the Panthers caught up and then took the lead.  How did that happen.  Actually it happened with Carr dislocating is little finger on his throwing hand causing the Panthers to get the ball and Carr having to leave the game.  The Panthers scored three touch downs quick like a bunny.  Thank goodness Carr returned.  I decided I better get serious as well, so i moved away from the computer and onto the couch where I could give them my full attention.
That helped.  The Raider scored a touchdown which would have tied it up, but instead but instead they went for the two- point conversion rather than the one-point after and they made it.  Yippee, they had the lead with one minute to go.  Oh my goodness.  They held the Panthers off and prevented them from scoring a TD or a field goal and won the game.  It was very exciting.  Rob hates close games like that.  I love them.  Especially when we win.
After the game we fixed dinner.  Rob grilled Filet Mignon on the Bar-B, I fixed brussels sprouts with bacon and onions, and garlic mashed potatoes.  It was all quite yummy. 
We channel surfed until 60 Minutes came on then we watched that, NCIS LA and Madam Secretary and went to bed.
It was a good day.

Saturday, 26 November, Seal Beach

It's nice to be home.  I have enjoyed visiting with everyone, CJ and his family, Mom, Barbara, Maddie, Gene and the Capshaws, but it is really nice to be home and sleep in my own bed.  Even Bella seems to like being home.
I slept in a little and when I got up Rob was sitting outside.  I poured myself a cup of coffee and then took the pot and cream out to Rob to give him a refill.  I gathered my stuff and headed out.
Oh my, it is a wee bit cold outside.  I had to get Bella's sweater for her, and then grab a blanket for her.

And we are sitting outside why???

Rob headed out for a golf lesson.  I chilled at home with Bella.

He came back to get me and we went to Walmart so I could pick up a prescription refill. We walked over to a Seafood Restaurant for lunch.  While we were there it started raining. We knew it was coming.  We had a good lunch and while we were walking back to the car we passed Verizon, and AT&T and were about to pass by Sprint when we decided to go inside and listen to their spiel. After several hours we ended up switching from AT&T to Sprint for a better service plan at less monthly fees, and Rob and I each walked out with new iPhone 7's. Yippee.

It took for ever and the guy ended up giving us new covers for the new phones free in appreciation for our patience.

We went to Costco which was one of the two stops we have originally planning to make.  

By the time we got done with all that, and because it was still raining, we decide to get some dinner while still out.  We went to a really yummy Bar B Q place that also had good Beer. It was a nice simple sports bar type place.  We even watched a bit of Cal beating UCLA in their football game.

We came home, put all our groceries away and then read for a bit before going to bed.  

Friday, 25 Nov, Houston, TX to Seal Beach, CA

We got up very early, dressed and started to quietly head out. Just as we got outside we heard Maddie's sweet voice saying "wait!" So we turned back and gave wonderful hugs.  

Then we headed off to the Airport.

We got there lickety split.  We thought there was going to be traffic, but there wasn't.  Rental return was a snap.  Ticketing was another story.  We probably waited in the line for a good 30 min.  Finally, we checked our bags and headed to the gate.  Security was also a snap.  We went straight to coffee and scones.  We were at the gate at least an hour early.  

The flight was fine, we didn't sit together, of course, but the people we sat with were fine.

We got our luggage, got on the bus and got Rob's car then headed to the Teton.  We dropped some stuff off and picked other stuff up and then headed to Seal Beach.  

I stopped off at the grocery store and Rob stopped off at a hardware store and then.....Finally home after what seems like weeks of being away.

We put everything away and then sat outside until it got too dark to see, it was also getting cold, and then we came inside.

Rob had picked up mail so we had tons of reading materials.  

We fixed a quick dinner of Italian Sausage dogs and then went to bed.  It is nice to be in our own bed again.

Thursday, 24 November, Houston, TX

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We have so much to be Thankful for.  Our health, our family, our friends.  We wish you and yours a happy gathering and a healthy Feast.

Rob and Gene were going golfing early this morning.  He kissed me good bye while I was still in bed and I realized I was actually awake already so I decided to get up.  I was surprised to see that Gene and Rob were still here.  Rob was eating cereal and Gene was getting his coffee today.

I went to take Bella out to go potty and when I opened the door I set the alarm off.  Ugh! Gene had to quickly come and turn it off.

Bella did her business and then we came back in.  Rob and Gene left almost immediately.  

I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down to get caught up on the blog.  I was on my second cup when Maddie came down.  We pretty much got busy in the kitchen right away.  We partially cooked the stuffing.  We finished cooking the pie.  When Maddie cut the slots in the crust they closed back up and there wasn't anyplace for the juice to evaporate to.  The bottom looked kind of soggy.  so, we opened the slots and cooked it for about 20 more minutes.

I made pureed carrots and parsnips with butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Yum Yum.  Maddie made the creamed onions and got them all ready to cook.

We stuffed the bird (which had been brined throughout the night) with onions and apples, trussed it up and stuck it in the oven.

Maddie went up stairs to shower and rest. I continued to work on the blog and basted the turkey as needed.

Rob and Gene came home.  Rob took a nap and Gene went up to make a call to Spain.

We all got ready for company.  Gene and Maddie's friends Wolfgang and his lovely wife came over.  The four of them are all connecting in Germany and they needed to discuss plans.

At 5 we all went over to Laura and John's for the Feast.  All three kids were there; Madeline who is attending her first semester at Ole Miss, Chandler who is a High School Senior, and Finnley who is a High School Freshman and quite the golfer.

Additionally, John's parents were there.  It was lovely

John and Laura

Maddie, Gene, (cannot remember her name, but she was lovely) & Wolfgang

Finnley and Maddie

Gene, Betty (John's Mom), Cat & Madeline

Chandler and Laura

Boys the quality of these pictures are terrible.  I apologize.

We had a lovely evening.  We all said our good byes and headed back to Gene and Maddie's.

We put things away, then Rob made us Turkey sandwiches for our travels back to CA tomorrow.  Maddie is so cute.  She put them in paper bags with our names on them and added an apple to each.

We said our good nights and sad good byes and headed off to bed. We have to leave the house at 6:45 in the morning.

Wednesday 23 Nov., Houston, TX

We woke up to very loud thunder.  It was awesome.  I got up and thought oh, oh, Bella is not going to go outside in the rain.  But, it wasn't raining when we went out and she went under the trees anyway and she was just fine.
Rob and Gene and I visited for a bit, then Maddie came down.  We had some cereal.  It was supposed to clear up later.
Rob decided to go to a golf lesson and so he left and Gene decided to go to DMV to go and get his license plates for his new car. So he left. That left Rob and I and the two pups.  They seem to be getting along much better today.

Maddie and I headed back into the kitchen.
I started chopping veggies up for the dressing and sliced up all the apples for the Apple pie.  She made the pie dough.  I sautéed the onions celery, mushrooms, and seasoned the bread pieces.
I added all the spices to the apples and got them ready to dump in the pie.
I finished making the fixings for the dressing and put it together.
Rob and Gene came back.
Bella keeps stealing Gene's chair.  Every time he gets up she jumps in his chair and settles all in.

Rob and Maddie, Bella and I went to the grocery store and then we went to lunch.  It was a great soup, salad, and sandwich place.  We sat outside and enjoyed the meal as well as each other's company.

We came back and got back to work.  It was time to put the pie together.  Maddie really needed to rest her back for a bit so Rob started rolling out the dough.  I meanwhile was peeling pearl onions so we could soak them in water over night.

Rob was having a tough time with the pie dough.  He would get it all rolled out but then couldn't get it to come off the surface of the counter without it tearing all up.  He tried twice then the third time he rolled it out just a little then dropped it in the pie dish and then pressed it with his fingers until it was spread out evenly in the dish.  

Meanwhile I was still peeling those pearl onions.  

Maddie came down and she did the dough for the top crust.  She was having some difficulty as well.  They dumped all the apples in and it was a huge pile inside the dish. 

Meanwhile I was still peeling those damn onions and tearing up.

They finally got the top curst onto the pie and we all decided it looked more like a brain than a pie.  It is very unique looking.

Yippee!  I finished the stupid onions.

We didn't have time to bake the pie because we were going out to dinner.  So we saved it for later.

We went out to a nice Asian restaurant.  It was funny though. Maddie couldn't remember what the dishes were that she had had before.  The waiter wasn't a lot of help in helping her remember.  Apparently they had some dishes that weren't on the menu the last time.

It was a fun meal.  We came back home and put the pie in the oven.  Rob faded off to bed and Gene went up to watch TV leaving just Maddie, myself and the two pups. We were pretty pooped.  We hung in there until the pie was finished and then we went off to bed.  I really was tired, but totally enjoyed the day.  I like cooking with someone else.