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. 

Tuesday, 22 Nov, Houston, Texas.

Rob, Gene, Bella and I got up fairly early.  Maddie was up but doing her stretching exercises.  I took Bella out for her pee and took a couple pictures on their small housing complex.

Their house is really cool and pretty.  It is on the inside corner, away from the traffic.  

This is looking back toward the entrance.  Then it comes down in to a "T"

Their house has actual gas burning lanterns on the outside that I think are really awesome. They are on each side of the front door.

We went back in and visited, the Maddie came down and Rob and Gene went off to play golf.

Maddie and I had a wonderful day cooking and chatting.  I made (under her guidance of course) whole cranberry sauce, jellied cranberry sauce and orange cranberry relish.  Then I helped her with the ingredients for an orange cranberry nut bread and she made a cranberry sour cream pound cake.  

The guys came home so we visited with them for a little while and rested some and then we went back into the kitchen and I helped her make a curry chicken with asian pears and shiitake mushrooms. It was delicious.  I was really afraid I wouldn't like it because I do not care for curry, but it was quite delicious.  We also made brussels sprouts.  They were really good as well. It was a lovely dinner and we chatted and drank wine. 

Charlie is really trying to make friends with Bella, but she is being a Bella donna and not having much to do with Charlie.  Charlie is really cute.

We went to bed

Monday, 21 Nov., LAX to Houston.

Rob was in a tiss.  He's tired and afraid we won't be able to get on the flight.  
We checked in at the counter and checked our bags.  We got our security documents with no problem.  Oops, Rob didn't tell them about Bella.
He went through crew security and I went through the regular security with no problem at all. We met at Starbucks.
We were plenty early for our flight.  We sat at the gate hoping we would be able to get on the flight.  Rob was still a little bit poopy, because he was still worried we would not be able to get on the flight and they were not being encouraging at all.
But as it went, we did get on and he was able to sit in the seat right behind me. I sat next to a very nice lady who really liked Bella.
Rob, unfortunately, sat next to a grumpy sort.  They had one negative encounter where the man was very rude to Rob, but luckily it was only the one time.
We got to Houston, grabbed our luggage and then loaded the bus to the Rental Car place.  That also went very smoothly and soon we were on our way to Gene and Maddie's.  I kept telling Bella she was going to a new friend named Charlie.  He is their shitzu.  
We stopped in at Costco.  I wanted to get some flowers for Maddie and Rob wanted to get some wine to take her.  We found a really pretty fall arrangement in a wooden, rectangular box.  It was lovely.
We got to Maddie & Gene's. I called when we were about 5 min. out so she was at the gate waiting for us. She had Charlie on a leash.  So I got out with Bella so they could meet.  They weren't so excited about making friends.
Rob drove on through to their house where Gene was waiting for him.  I walked back with Maddie and the two dogs.
It was sooooo nice seeing them again.
Their home is lovely and they are warm and welcoming. We sat around visiting and then we helped Maddie fix dinner.
She has horrible issues with her back and to stand for long periods of time is very painful.  
I sliced tomatoes, onions, avocado, basil and fresh Mozzarella. Then I stacked them all together.  Maddie made pasta with clam sauce and steamed clams on top.  It was a delicious dinner.  
We went up stairs to watch the Raider vs Houston Texan's game.  The have a wonderful third floor with a giant TV and comfy couches and chairs.  Rob and I had a really tough time staying awake and finally went to bed early in the 3rd quarter without event knowing who won the game.

Sunday, 20 Nov., Seal Beach, CA

Awe, sleeping in my own bed is always nice and sleeping in is a delight.  I don't know why I was so tired last night.
So today I have a bit to accomplish. But first....coffee.  
While sitting around enjoying my coffee it started to rain.  Hmmm I guess we need it.
I gathered up all the laundry and headed over to the room.  Did I tell you we picked a spot that was close to the laundry room so we did't have to walk a mile carrying our load.  That was a wise decision.
So I did all the laundry, mainly because I wanted to get Bella's two blankets washed.  One of them lives in my car, and the other one I take with us when we travel on airplanes. They were in serious need of a bath.
Meanwhile, I unpacked all my stuff from Mexico and started figuring out what I need for Houston.  I repacked my bag, which made Bella start feeling somewhat uneasy, and got things ready to go.
I finished the laundry and sat down and watched the football game.
Bella and I went for a walk and then just watched TV until about 8pm and then we drove over to LAX to the Teton.  
We brought all our stuff in and then went to bed
Rob got back from his trip around midnight.

Saturday, 19 Nov., Fresno to Seal Beach

Today is Mom's "Progressive Home Club" 's annual bizarre.  Mom has to be there at 9:45 to sell raffle tickets.  It opens at 10:30, there is a luncheon at 12:00, a fashion show, raffling off the goodies and entertainment.
So, we got up and had our coffee and then got ready to go.  We got there "Torino's" right on time.  Mom found her spot and we found the table we would be sitting at for lunch.  I parked Bella under a chair and told her to stay. She was very good about it.  I kept moving to where she could see me.  She was really good until Mom started moving around, then she was very concerned about where she was going an would want to follow.  
I checked out all the goodies and then went to the sales table to help Mom sell tickets.  I finally brought Bella over with us and she was much happier.
We sold raffle tickets until noon and then they announced it was closed so we went to our table and sat down for lunch.
Mom's best friend Maddie was sitting at our table as well as Maddie's daughter and daughter-in-law. They are both teachers so we had that in common.  Another older lady and another younger lady also sat with us.  It was fun.  The lunch was nice and the Fashion show was nice as well.
Then they had the raffle and night one of us won anything.  They had a quartet, mens singing group who told jokes and sang several songs.
Then it was over.  I took Mom back home and helped her in the house.  We said good bye to her and then Bella and I hit the road.  It was about 3:00 when we left.
The drive was pretty easy, but traffic was horrendous once down in the LA area. I finally got to the RV in Seal Beach at about 7:30.  I went in, fed Bella, and brought in my stuff.  I took Bella out for a quick walk then texted Mom and Rob and told them we were safe and then we went to bed.

Friday, 18 Nov., Fresno

Today is girls day out.  That was for Mom, Bella and I.  We sat and enjoyed our coffee and then got dressed to go out.  
First we went to the Red Apple Cafe.  We had a delicious bloody Mary while we waited for our table.  Then we had a delicious breakfast.  
From there we went to a salon and got pedicures.  Bella was on my lap and we were hoping she could get a nail trim and polish, but nobody wanted to do it. 
After we were finished we went to the vet, but the Dr. was out to lunch so they wouldn't trim her nails until they had a Doc on the premises.  
So, we went to the hair salon that Mom normally goes to.  She thought the gal was off, but she was there.  She ended up giving us both haircuts.  We were both pleased with our cuts and how they came out.  
From there we went back to the Vet and Bella got her nails trimmed.  She also got a prescription, some shampoo and an anti-itching spray.  I believe she has allergies, because she is always scratching.  But, she doesn't have fleas. She is on anti-flea stuff. anyway.
From there we went to Sierra Brewing Company.   We had a couple Margaritas and we split a Fish & Chips.  It was very good.
We went back to Mom's house watched TV and then went to bed.

Thursday 17 Nv.; Fresno, CA

Man, it got cold and all I have with me are clothes for hot Mexico. 
It was so nice snuggling with little Bella las night and this morning.  She is such a little sweetheart and she is really silly in the mornings.
We got up and chatted, drank coffee and then Mom got ready to go play bridge.  A friend was going to pick her up at 9:40.  She was substituting for someone else.
I took advantage of being alone and did laundry.  It is always nice to have everything clean when you get home and unpack.
After laundry I decided to go shopping.  I went to Dress Barn first and bought a pair of jeans, two tops to go with them, a top to go with black pants and a sweater for Thanksgiving.  Next I went to Kohl's.  There I bought 4 tops to go with the three pairs of convertible pants that I have.  I also bought two holiday, long-sleeve T shirts, one for Mom which is purple with a Christmas package on the front in bling, and a gray one for me that has a bling Christmas tree on the front.
Next I tried to go home.  The route I took put me at a difficult road and I thought it would be easiest to go through the Walmart center parking lot.  As I was going by I thought I should run in there and get some yoga pants.  I have no long pants wth me. So I was thinking this as I was driving past Walmart.  As it turned out, there is no exit on the far side of Walmart, soooo I had to drive back by it.  So, I decided to go ahead and go in.  I bought two pairs of yoga pants (both I ended up giving to Mom) and a pair of fuzzy pants.  I also got a long sleeve T-shirt to o with the fuzzy pants.  As it turned out the fuzzy pants are to big for both of us and I'll have to return them.  
I stopped at the grocery store on the way back to Mom's.  I picked up some eggnog, some chips, nuts, yogurt and chocolate covered raisins.
I got to Mom's and fixed us each an eggnog.  Yum, Yum.  We watched TV and chatted for a bit.  Then we fell asleep and eventually went to bed without even eating dinner.

Wednesday, 16 Nov. Fresno, CA

Barbara and I both got up fairly early, at about 6:30.  We had some coffee and then she went in and got on the computer to get caught up on her email.
I played on my iPad.
I looked on-line to see if there was a CVS Minute Clinics in town and was really disappointed to discover that there isn't. They are down in Southern Calif and Southwest coastal area. Hmmm.  So, I looked for an Urgent Care and found one with in 10 miles of Barbara's house.  It opens at 9:00.
I told her about it and she said ok, we will go.
He cleaning lady showed up, so I finally met her.  I have heard about her for several years.
Barbara got dressed and we left at about 10:00.  The clinic was really nice and the people were really nice.  The Doctor who saw Barbara was really nice and told it like it was.  He said she has an infection in her lungs and needs to take deep breaths to cough it out.  He prescribed an antibiotic and recommended some over-the-counter stuff to help break it all up.
We headed back toward her house and stopped in at Save-mart to pick up her prescription, the other medicine and some veggies.  I picked up some limes, a bottle of wine and some chicken cor-don-blu to take over to Mom's
We were starving so we stopped in at Huckleberry's there in the shopping center.  They have cajun style food which looked pretty good, but we both wanted breakfast.  The food was really good.
After ward we went back to Barbara's she settled in and I left to go to my Mom's.
I sent a text to CJ and let him know that we did see the Doctor and that she had medicine.
Bella went crazy when she saw me.  She whimpered and ran all around and jumped all over me.  She is so funny.  Mom was happy to see me as well.
We chatted and visited and I told her all about Mazatlan and the fun we had and about BJ getting sick and about us coming home and going to the Doctor today. 
After awhile we broke out some snacks and some wine.  We continued visiting and after awhile fixed a nice dinner.  
We watched TV and then went to bed.

Tuesday, 15 Nov. Mazatlan to USA

We had some roadies in the middle of the night again, but it wasn't to bad.
We got up and had a cup of coffee and read a bit.
Rob has to leave today.  There is only one flight a day.  He was going to leave tomorrow, but he has to go back to work on Thursday and he is worried hat if something should happen tomorrow and he can't get out that he would not be able to get to work.  So, he's leaving today with tomorrow as a back-up.  His flight is later this afternoon.
We walked over to CJ ad Veronica.Barbara was up but sitting in a chair in her bedroom. CJ and Veronica were up and in the kitchen. Barbara, apparently, had a rough night.  She is still very tired and coughing like crazy.  I asked Chris if he thought she should go home and go see a Doctor.  We all thought it might be a good idea, but thought we would leave it up o Barbara.
I asked her and she also thought that maybe it would be a good idea. So, we got on line and changed our flight listings.  We visited for awhile then Rob and I borrowed the boogie boards and went back to our apartment to change.  
We went to the beach and played in the waves for a little while.  Then we sat in the sun and dried off for awhile reading and practicing Spanish.
We went back to CJ's and visited more with them and had some lunch.
Rob and I went back to out apartment to pack, shower and get ready.  CJ came at 2:30 with Barbara and Veronica to pick us up.  Veronica gave us hugs goodbye.  She did not go to the Airport with us. She is such a sweetheart.  We will miss her.
We got to the airport and a woman met us right away with a wheel chair.  We said our good-byes and thank yous to CJ and then went through security with no problem.  We found out gate and hung out until time to board.  
The flight was fine.  Rob had to ride his scooter back to the Teton to go get the car.  We waited for him just inside the terminal.  He was pretty quick.  We loaded everything up and then drove Rob to his car which was in the employee parking lot.  We said good bye to him and Barbara and I hit the road for Fresno.
It was a pretty easy and quick drive to Fresno.  I was really surprised that I didn't get super sleepy or anything, but I didn't.  We got to Barbara's house at at about 10:30.  We brought our stuff inside, brushed teeth and went to bed.
I didn't sleep real well, I kept waking up and listening for Barbara to see if she was coughing or anything.  She was off and on, but not super bad.

Monday, 14 Nov., Mazatlan, Mexico

It was actually quite quiet last night on the street below us.  No one came out to party and blast their music. We actually got to sleep all nigh long.
We had a cup of coffee in our little apartment before getting ready for golf and wandering over to Chris and Veronica's
Barbara was sitting in a chair at the table and looked a little bit off.  She seemed a bit out of it.  I asked if she was ok and she said yes, she was fine.
Chris took us out to the golf course and dropped us off.  On the way he told us that Barbara had fallen during the night and was no able to get up.  The decision was made that she would get and wear a medic-alert while at her home alone.  Mom has been using one since 2009 and it sure makes us all feel a lot better. We have been trying to talk Barbara into one as well.  Now she has agreed.  Nothing more frightening than to fall, not being able to get up, and have no one to help or hear you.  I'm glad she is going to get the alert system.
We had a new experience playing golf today.  The  course requires the golfer to play with a Caddie.  We never have before.  Our Caddie's name is Antonio.  He is a very nice gentleman with a fun sense of humor.  He is also a very good golfer, having set the course record about 10 years ago and no one has broken it yet.  He now has bad knees and back and no longer plays, but still, no one has broken his record.

He would hand us our clubs, take our club back and clean it after use, clean the ball when it was on the green, tell us where to aim and how hard to hit.  Every time he would say "take your time".  He would look for our ball when we hit it out of bounds, and he would give me tips and tell me what I was doing incorrectly.  He would also laugh and say "your other left" when he'd tell me to aim to the left and my ball would go right.  He was a lot of fun. And, he helped me with my Spanish.  He spoke pretty good English.

The course was pretty as well.  There were a bunch of Iguanas.  He told us the green ones were females

And the orange ones were males

The green and orange ones live in the trees.  They also swim, using their tails to propel them.

There are also black ones that live in the rocks.  They are mean and bite.

The course was pretty and green and often lined with palm trees.

There were some really cool houses along the course, and 

Some of the homes had really fun decorations.

The course was nice and we both played ok.  Not great, but OK.

They also have turtles.  When you walk up to the edge of the pond they all start swimming over to us.  They are used to people feeding them tortillas so they come running when they see someone.

They also have a fenced area with about 20 or 30 deer.  Cute babies and full grown-ups as well

It was a fun afternoon.

After golf we walked across the street to El Cid's.  It is a really pretty resort.  We wandered through their awesome pool area with their waterfalls throughout. 

We went to their inside, on the ocean, restaurant and had lunch. The food was really good and their margarita was yummy as well. It was a pretty cool place.

We went caught a taxi and went back to CJ & Veronika's.

Veronika and Valerie were eating while CJ and Barbara were sitting at the table.  Barbara still looked somewhat out of it.  I asked her again if she felt OK and she said she was fine, but really tired. CJ said she's been nodding off all day.  When I looked back her at her she was asleep.

Veronika and the kids went back up stairs.  Gutie is going home this eve and I's sure she wants to get as much last minute time in with him as possible.  

BJ, CJ, Rob & I sat around chatting for quite sometime.  Then we ate and Rob and I went back to our little abode.

We read for a bit and I worked on the blog and then we went to bed.

Sunday, 13 November, Mazatlan, MX

Happy 3rd Anniversary CJ and Veronica!!!!!

The 3rd anniversary is a very important one in Mexico and poor Veronica has been stressing about everything being perfect for their celebration as well as for our visit.  She need not have worried about anything, everything has been perfect.

Rob and I got up and walked down to a place call the Looney Bean.  It is about a mile down the road and is owned by a couple who live here in the Resort.

It is a really cute place.  Outdoor seating and cute decor. We met the man, Tom and their dog Panda, a couple nights ago and then yesterday morning we met the woman, Heidi.  She remembered us when we walked in.  We each had a bagel sandwich and a cup of coffee.  It was crowded with Americans and especially Canadians.  The resort where CJ and Veronica live are predominately Canadians. It was a fun place and the food was ok.

We both wanted more coffee, but agreed we liked the coffee at the OXXO (the little store across from the Resort) better so we walked back there to get one.  By the time we arrived I was to hot for coffee so I got one of my favorite Mexican popsicles.  CoCo con Leche.....Coconut cream.

We went back to their house.  Veronica and Valerie were getting ready to go out to have their makeup done for the evening Fiesta.  We stayed and visited with CJ and BJ for awhile.

I wanted to go for a run, so Rob and I went back to our apartment to change.  We ran down at the beach along the water in the firmer, wetter sand.  It was hot.  I ran for a little more than a mile then had to walk, so we walked to the half-mile mark then we started running again.  at 2 miles I had to walk again so Rob went on ahead and kept running.  I walk a quarter, ran a quarter.  I was totally dieing.  It 4 miles Rob and I met up and then walked together back to the pool at the resort.  I had running clothes on and no towel, so I didn't want to get in the pool, but Oh my God, I thought I was having a heat stroke.  I laid in the shade while he took a dip.  I laid there for a little while trying to cool off, until we had to go back to our apartment to get ready for the party.

When we got back I sat under the air conditioner for about 15 min.  Rob finished his Salmon and most of my lasagna.  We showered and then returned to CJ & Veronica's

The party is at the Marina and they have a photographer lined up to take pictures at 4:30.

We went in and Barbara was finishing up getting ready.  Everyone else was still upstairs getting ready.  

Gutie was the first to come down and he looked very handsome in his shirt, slacks and bow tie with his hair all nice and all.  Then Valerie came down with her make up and hair all done, in her pretty evening gown and she looked lovely.  Chris came out in slacks and a nice Hawaiian style shirt.  Then Marlin came out all done up with a matching dress to Valerie's and finally Veronica came out in a beautiful white gown and was simply gorgeous and beaming.

We went off to the Marina and a beautiful table was all set up right by the water.

CJ and Veronica went off somewhere with the photographer so Barbara, Marlin, Valerie, Gutie, Rob & I took our own pictures.

Valerie is the youngest (16) and is on the left, next to Rob, Marlin is the next oldest (22) and is next to me, Gutie (Gustavo) is the oldest at 24.  All three are lovely and very fun people

CJ and Veronica returned and they took more pictures of all of us together, All of them together, just the kids, just CJ and Veronica, and then the kids individually.  Marlin is quite the little model.  When it came time for her alone she grabbed a chair and posed throwing back her head, her face over her shoulder, her chin resting on her hand.  It was fun to watch.

Their friends arrived, Greg and Jodi and their two kids (college age) Noah and Faith!  They were all quite lovely.  They have lived in Mazatlan from Canada for 8 years.  Greg is a Realtor, Jodi teaches English via Skype to Russian adults and both the kids on in on-line programs learning Medical Transcription.

We all sat down to a wonderful 4 course meal at that beautiful table right by the water.  Everything was beautiful and perfect and Veronica was happily beaming.

We took a couple fun pictures at the table as well.

Veronica gave us a beautiful memory card.  

And to add to the perfection of the evening, there is a new moon which is (tomorrow night) to be the largest in 70 years.

We all went back to the house, and Rob went off to our little apartment and went to bed!