Saturday, 6 January; last stretch; Buckeye, Az to Aguanga, CA

As seems to be the routine now, I woke up before the sun came up. I am wide awake at 3 am and toss and turn and cannot go back to sleep.  This time it was closer to 4:30 so not quite as bad.
I had coffee and then Bella and I went out, in the dark and walked around trying to find a dumpster to throw our trash away in.  We didn't find one in the immediate area and I was afraid of getting lost walking around in the dark, so I set it down on a corner.  I am assuming, since this is a nice resort with permanent tenants, that they have trash pickup and was pretty confident that it would be picked up.  But, just incase they don't I didn't want it to be associated with me.  The next issue was where is the park exit?  It was dark when I arrived and I was led by a staff member from the entrance to my spot.  
I decided just to go for it.  I moved a table out of the way so I wouldn't hit it turning the corner and pulled out of my spot.  But at first I went the wrong way to get out of the park.  That was ok, it is a big place with nice wide roads.  I was just loudly rumbling through with the diesel engine is all.  I finally found my way out and onto the road and then into a gas station.  
I filled up with diesel, bought some breakfast for the Boo and I and hit the highway.  7:45, I should be home around 12:30.  
That drive from Buckeye, AZ to Riverside, CA is soooooooo boring and tiring.  It seemed like it went on forever.
There were some pretty areas though.

Nothing as special as the next picture though.

But as special as bright as this sight was......It fades in comparison to.......

Definitely a sight for sore eyes!

I drove to our lot and parked in the middle of the street so I could move our fencing.  Phil came out and naturally told me I couldn't park in the middle of the road with the big monster.  Susie came out and said she needed to get out of her drive way so I needed to go forward a little to let her out and then Phil helped guide me into our lot. I did a pretty good job.  I'm over about an inch or so to far so we cannot walk past the kitchen and recliners slide and the wheels aren't up on pads to get them off the concrete, but all of that is ok.

Phil helped me put the driver's side up on blocks and then I put down the jacks and disconnected the truck.  I moved the truck across the street and as I walked back the rig looked really un even.  Sure enough, the driver's side is too high and should only be on 1 block rater than 2.  Sooooo, I had to go get the truck, hook it back up, lift the jacks and go get Phil again so I could drive off the two and then back back onto the single jack.

I finally got that done, put the jacks down and disconnected the truck again. I came back, put the fence back up so Bella was contained and then worked on the inside.  And the results....!

Home Sweet Home

Except that it is the Seville and not the Teton but it is really good to be back. The lot looks really good.  It is neat and clean and everything is still in good shape.

It was about 2:30 by the time I got parked and settled on the lot.  

I was trying to get stuff out of the truck and get the cover on it closed up when Bev and Ron Jordon drove up.  They were excited to see me.  They are the ones that we bought the Teton from.  They told me they just bought Kandi and John's lot and were going to move over to it.  I asked what they were going to do with the lot they are currently on and they said sell it.  I asked if they would be interested in renting it to us for Mom and they said absolutely.  So we agreed we would go look at it.

After getting things settled I made a margarita and Bella and I went for a cruise in the golf cart to go check things out.  

We came upon Carolyn and her golden Buddy.  Buddy and Bella love each other.  It was nice seeing them.  We exchanged hugs and licks and then continued on.

There are several new build-outs one is said to be 1500 sq ft.  It is on a large corner lot and when it is finished it will have a bathroom with flushing toilet and a hot tub in it.  Hmmmmm I guess either the rules have seriously changed or money is talking again.  I heard it was either a $300,000. or $400,000. to build. Wow

We went by Roe and Steve's and their vehicles were there so we stopped in.  Wow!  They have done lots of improvements.  They now have a fence all the way around and they are all screened in.  It looks great.  Maeby was soooo happy to see me.  She kept getting on my lap and jumping up on me and everything.  It was really nice seeing them.

We came back to our lot, had a little dinner, tried to watch a little TV and went to bed.

Friday, 5 Jan; Van Horn, Tx to Buckeye, AZ

Having gone to bed at a reasonable hour I woke up really early before the sun came up.  Actually, it was even before the roosters would be up.  For some reason I was really hungry. I didn't have any actual dinner before going to bed. So I got up and started the coffee.
Bella and I went out for a little walk, but only to pee and then came back in.  Not sure if there are coyotes or what out there.
I fixed myself some toast which stifled my hunger and had a cup of coffee.
Even though I am in a pull through lot, the doggie park is in front of me and there is not enough room to pull forward and make the turn to get out of there.  So, I am going to have to back the rig back out of the spot.  It should be real easy, because there is plenty of room and I just pulled in and stopped so I can just back right back out.  The only problem is that it is so early and dark and the park hosts are parked right next to me.  The truck is loud and I think it would be rude to fire it up while they are sleeping, especially if I have to do multiple tries to get out.
Since I couldn't go anywhere, Bella and I went back to bed and actually went back to sleep.
This time I got up at 7 am and it was getting light.  So, I heated up some coffee and put it in a thermos, pulled in the slides, unhooked the water and electric and backed out of that spot just like a pro.  
I was back on the road by 7:30.  119 to go to be out of Texas!
Meanwhile;  Rob went to Incline and met with Dr Koch for his flight physical.  He also went down to the lake and took some pictures.  He said Dr. Koch is planning on selling her practice.  I wonder what we will do for a Dr.and what he will do for a Flight Surgeon after that.

He fell in love with the mountains and the smell of the pine trees all over again.  I love the mountains as well and would love to have a small cozy cabin.  But not in Montana, because it is too bloody cold there.  
Anyway, I am driving, driving, driving and Yippee!

I have Texas in my rear view mirror!  I am finally out of Texas.!!!

I continued to drive, drive, drive. Bella and I stopped a couple times at rest stops to pee and run around.

And pretty soon, we were out of New Mexico and welcomed by Arizona.

Originally I was going to stop for the night in Tucson.  It would have been nice to do that and go and visit with our friends the Barbees, but I would get there at 2:30 ish and there would still be a lot of daylight left so I decided to drive on to Phoenix.  So I kept going.

It was a lot longer than I thought.  I finally pulled over in a rest stop about 25 miles to Phoenix to look for an RV park.  Unfortunately I had already passed a coupled there weren't any more until the other side of Phoenix.  I called and made a reservation. The park was still 48 miles away and I was getting very tired.

Unfortunately, I hit Phoenix during rush hour and it was super slow and go as you can see above. And, the sun was going down.  I finally got through Phoenix and into the Rv park and got led to my spot.  Again, I only hooked up power and water, didn't unhook the truck and only put the slides part way out, but I had to do it all in the dark.
I was beat.  It was an Eleven hour driving day.  I am sick of driving.
But the good thing??!! As I was coming into Phoenix I saw a sign that said "Los Angeles 320 miles"  When I got all settled in I looked on the map and saw that it is 4 hours and 33 min to Temecula and another 30 out to the Resort.  I can smell it!!!
I chatted with Rob, who is back in LA and then went to bed.

Thursday, 4 Jan leaving Kerrville, Finally; Kerrville to Van Horn, Tx

HAPPY 89th BIRTHDAY BARBARA!!!

Barbara had some things planned for the day and I had a really nice long chat with her yesterday so I didn't call her this morning.  I did send her well wishes on Facebook though.

Mean while, I took Bella out for a walk and did all that I could to get ready for the possible move today without actually packing things up and jinxing it.

They called me around 9 and said everything was great.  They  checked all the fluid levels, checked the tires and put air in where needed and drove it around.  Now they are going to go drive it with an RV hooked up so he said I could start getting ready to move and he would call me when they were done.

Yippee!!! So I did start packing things up and getting ready to move.

They came with the truck at about noon.  I was almost ready to hook up and go, but not quite.  We hooked the electrical on the RV up to the truck to check it out and unfortunately it was not showing that it was connected.  The lights on the rig were working, but not the brakes.  Sooooooo disappointing.  It is an issue with the RV and not with the truck.  Rob had changed the connection cord on the RV before he left and we were hoping that would fix it, but there is a short somewhere.

The nice man who brought the truck tried to track  it down, but was unable to.  We decided to hook it up and take it over to their shop to see if they could track it down there.  

He finished hooking up the Rig while I went to pay for last night and turn in their cable equip.  Unfortunately, they were closed for lunch so I will have to come back.

We took the rig over to the shop and he felt that he found the short and fixed it.  It was showing connected and the brakes were clicking when applied so I was good to go.

I drove out of there elated and really nervous.  This is the first time I have pulled the rig since Squim, WA last year.  Please Lord don't let me mess up.

I went back over to the gas station across the street from the RV park and ran over and paid them, returned their equip, etc. while the truck was filling with diesel. 

Then I was on my way!!!! With a big smile on my face.

I drove for about 5 hours and got into an RV park in Van Horn, Texas just as the sun was starting to set. I pulled into the RV park and they told me where to go.  I pulled in easy peasy and just hooked up water and electric.  I didn't even put the slides out all the way.  I was only there for the night.

Meanwhile, Rob went up to Truckee to see Jennifer. Jen has a new dog that she got while she was in Mexico.  It is cute.  I can't remember its name, but Leila and it apparently get along quite well.  I don't know why she got a second dog.  They called me just after I set up and had sat down with a margarita. We had a nice chat and they had a nice visit.  

I was beat, so I pretty much went to bed right after that.

Wednesday, 3 January 2018; still in Kerrville

Shit!!! When I went to bed last night the water in the bathroom sink was slightly running.  I kept checking it because it would reduce itself to drips so I would turn it up.  Even in the middle of the night I turned it up.  But God Bless America, this morning my hose is frozen solid.  So I have no water again.  At 8 am the temp was 20 degrees.  It is supposed to warm up to 35 by 10 am and the Hard Freeze Warning is supposed to end at that time as well.
Rob said the drive yesterday between here and El Paso was easy.  No construction or any problems, just long and boring.  
I'm sort of at a loss as to what to do this morning.  I'm afraid that if I start getting the RV ready for travel I will jinx the truck and it won't be ready.  I thought I'd do laundry, but I only have enough quarters to wash one load.  I'll go get quarters later this morning when the office opens.
When I was able I unhooked the hose and laid it out in the sun so it could defrost.
I did go and get quarters and so I did do the laundry and cleaned the rig.
I hooked the hose back up and turned the water on and water went everywhere.  We have an in-line water filter and it was split down its whole length.  Shit!  The nice man parked next to me pointed out that there is an RV parts store across the street.  So, I went over there.  I wasn't really sure they had what I needed, but we agreed that I should go back and take the one off my rig and bring it in.  So I did.
Luckily it came off easily and the attachment unscrewed so when I went back they did have a replacement and I was in business.
Yippee.  The truck guys called and said they had the part and things were looking good.  They wanted to check all the levels and everything and drive it around empty first thing in the morning.  Then they want to hook up one of their RVs  and drive it around with a load on it. They said they  would call me around 10 am tomorrow with an up date. 
Wow; I may actually get out of here. I' m cleaning things up, but not packing up yet!
Meanwhile; Rob had a very pretty sunrise in Marana, Tx. 

And, he made it all the way back to LAX.  He is cozy in the Teton tonight!
Watched TV and went to bed.

Tuesday, 2 January; Kerrville,Tx

It's supposed to be 10 degrees warmer today in Kerrville.  That will make it 31 instead of 21.  We are still under Hard Freeze warning until tomorrow at 2pm.
We made it through the night without running out of propane so we heated up the rig and then Rob took both tanks in to get them filled.
While he was gone a nice man from the park came by with a heater torch and defrosted our faucet.  He also was able to take the broken filter off.  He said if froze up because we didn't leave the water dripping inside the rig while it is freezing out here.  There are several people here in the park who are frozen.  
When Rob got back, after hooking up the propane tanks he hooked up our water again.  We were not sure if our whole system was frozen or not, but when he turned on the water it sputtered and stuttered and then flowed smoothly.  Yippee.  Heat and water again.
Next, we called about the truck.  Guess what.......They don't have the part and won't have it until tomorrow.  Rob is fit to be tied.  He explained that he had to leave to go to work which meant he was stranding me without a vehicle.  They were very apologetic.  They will let me know the status in the morning and when the truck is done they will bring it to me and help me hook it up if need be.  They are supposed to fix it and drive it around, and then they are supposed to hook up a load to it and tow with it to make sure it is fixed.
So, Rob and I went to the grocery store so I could get some cash and he could get some snacks.  Then he dropped me off at a nail place a block away and he headed off in my car for LA.  He is going to try to make it to El Paso tonight.  Knowing him though, he'll go further.  At any rate, he is going to drive back to LA so he can get to Reno on Thursday eve.
I will stay here until the truck is back and then drive 4 or 5 hours a day until I make it back to the ranch.
My nails turned out nice and then I went over to the Bar B Q place and got a rib plate to go.  I came back and shared it with Bella.
Rob called at 6:10 and he was in El Paso.  It is only 5:10 there and he is feeling fine so he is going to drive for an hour or so more and spend the night in Lordsburg, NM. He says he has a hotel reservation. I hope it is true and that he arrives there safely and gets a good nights sleep.  If I know him he'll get up and leave first thing in the morning and drive straight on through.
Meanwhile, Bella and I are here watching TV and hanging out.
So Rob called me at 8:30 and said he was all tucked in at the hotel.  He also confirmed that his plan is to hit the road first thing in the morning and drive straight through. The brat.
He had a pretty sunset in Las Cruses, NM

Monday, San Antonio, and Kerrville, TX

HAPPY NEY YEAR EVERYONE!

So here we we are in San Antonio.  They have a nice breakfast for us all which is sausage, eggs, bagels, toast, potatoes, waffles, fruit, etc.  It was pretty good.

We talked while eating, trying to make a plan for going home.  

Supposedly we are supposed to get the truck back tomorrow, but we have no idea when.  

Rob has to be in Reno on the eve of the 4th for a flight physical on the 5th.  We have 17 hours of drive time to Aguanga or 19 to LAX.  I told him he just drive back today.  That would give him 4 days to get to LA.  The car would be back and I can take my time driving the rig back.  He wants to wait and get the truck and then make the trip in 2 days.  That means 8.5 hours a driving a day.  That is difficult in a sports-type car.

In the end we went back to our room, packed up and headed back to Kerrville to the rig.  

We got back around noon. The water had frozen solid in the hose. The filter we had on it had frozen and split and the faucet outside was frozen.  Rob took the hose off and put it in the swimming pool and then into the hot tub to melt all the ice out. Then he brought it back, coiled it up and put it in the shower.  So, we have no water.  To make matters worse, one of our propane canisters is empty and the other is not full.  There is no place to get propane today so we have to make it through the rest of the day and through the night with what we have.  Hmmmmmm.  We have electricity so we can have the fireplace full blast and use the micro to heat things.  

Rob went up to the store and got some bottled water so we could make coffee, tea, brush teeth, etc.

I was soooo cold, especially my feet.

I pulled out the fuzzy sleeping bags and crawled inside it and sat on the couch and started binge watching my current site first and then we watched one that we are both hooked on.  

I told Rob we only had 5 more hours and then we could go to bed and then it would be Tuesday and we could get the truck back.

We went to bed around 10 pm

Sunday, 31 December; San Antonio, TX

Happy 21st Anniversary Honey Bunny!
Today is our 21st anniversary.  If my father were still living it would be his and Barbara's 51st.  
We woke up at Jim and Marleen's.  She is sleeping in because she goes in at 3 am every morning except Sundays and Mondays and she is catching up.
We visited with Jim.
After Marleen went to work Jim, Rob, Bella and I went to the Bakery and had some yummy pastries and coffee.
After that we went by a couple houses that Jim is working on.  He is doing most of the work himself because he can't get anyone to show up and do the work.  Katy and Tim have the same problem in Michigan.
Anyway, we visited the houses and went back to the bakery.  Marleen had made a new batch of cinnamon rolls so we got to take a couple of them with us.
From there we went down to the River walk.  We checked into the Drury Inn which is a nice hotel on the river.  We have a room for the night and a block away is another hotel that is having a New Year's Eve party.  We were able to get tickets for it.
We put our stuff in the room which is a really nice corner suite and then we went down to the river to get a bite to eat.  Neither of us had had anything to eat since the pastries this morning.  

It was really cold down there, but warmer along the river than up at street level.  Needless to say, we didn't wander for to long.

We went back to the room and watched some football. We drank some champagne while watching. Bella liked snuggling us with a blanket on the couch.

Rob took a nap and then we got dressed up to go out to the party.  
It is really, really cold. San Antonio and the area, including Kerrville are on a "hard freeze warning" for the next 5 days.  It is supposed to drop down in the the mid 20s.  Burrrrrr.
We fed Boo and then we left for the party.
When we walked in there was a gal and guy doing the silk batics.

Up stairs was the party and you could stand along the railing and look down on them if you wanted.  They had a DJ and a dance floor.  They also had some snacks that they brought around.  They also had a bar.  We had a drink or two and did some dancing, and met a nice couple that we invited to sit with us.
At about 11:30 we went back to our own hotel. At our hotel they are opening up the 7th floor which has a pool, hot tub, and patio.  They are opening it at 11 pm so we can go up there and watch the fireworks at midnight.  It was really cold, but really pretty.  There were fireworks all over the city and we could see most of them from there.  Plus, the Tower of America had its own show and that was the main event for us.  The fireworks show went on for 30 minutes, but it was way to cold to stay up there for the entire time.  We watched for about 10 min and then returned to our room.  It was a nice night and a nice Anniversary celebration.  

Saturday, 30 2017 December; San Antonio, TX

So, we have accepted (reluctantly) the fact that we are not going to get the truck or get on the road until next week so we decided we had better make the best of it.
New Year's eve is tomorrow night and it is also our 21st Anniversary so we needed to make plans.  
We packed our over 2 nights bag and headed to San Antonio. We went to Costco to get some items, wine, 

champagne, nuts;  then we went over to see our friends Jim and Marleen.
They own a bakery in San Antonio.  She was still there so we stopped by to say Hi and then we went to their house to visit with Jim
When she got home we shared some wine while Rob and Jim went out and picked up some Chinese food..
They have a really cute, rescued schnauzer/yorkie mix..a schnorkie!! His name is Buddy and he is darling.  Looks like a Yorkie.  He and Bella got along ok.  
We had a nice evening chatting, visiting and eating.

Tuesday, 26 December; through Friday 29 Dec.; Kerrville, Tx

So, since Christmas we have talked to the truck people everyday hoping that they would get the part, install it, test it and let us pick up the truck so we can get on the road. But....
The part wasn't sent, then it was, then it was lost, supposedly delivered, but no one could find it and so...Guess what??!! They have to order it again and it won't be here until after the new year. Lovely,
So in the mean time, it got colder and colder.  I worked on the paint-by-number kit that I bought because I was bored.  Rob worked out and the local gym and we binge watched a couple programs on Netflix.
I sure hope that one of these days we get to go home.

Monday, 25 2017 December; Christmas in Kerrville.

MERRY  CHRISTMAS EVERY ONE!

Christmas in Kerrville.  It is cold and overcast and reminds me of Christmases as a child in Fresno and in Biola. I seem to always remember it being this was as we rode our new bikes or played outside after all the packages had been open.

After coffee I opened a bottle of Prosecco and made phone calls.

I called Ken and Barbara in Seattle first.  They are all well and happy and are planning to come to Palm Springs for a week or so in February.  Awesome!  We will get to see them.  Hopefully Mom will be down there as well so she will get to see them as well. We sent them Airline passes and the directions as to how to use them.

Next I called my brother Art to wish him a Merry Christmas.  He will be getting together with Mom and Barbara and his boys later today and then having dinner with Leah and her family later in the eve.  It was nice chatting with him.  He seems in good spirits

Rob and I opened our gifts from each other and from Mom.  She had sent him a nice long sleeve T-shirt.  She has another one for him but it is on back order.  She gave me a beautiful 14 K gold bracelet that looks like a snake.  It is really pretty and fits well.

After we opened them I called Mom to wish her a Merry Christmas and to thank her for the bracelet.  Art will be picking her up at 12:30 to take her over to Barbara's.  She is going to spend the night at Barbara's.  That will be nice for the two of them.  We had a nice chat.

I tried to call Barbara, but she is at a Brunch so I left a message and will call her later.

At 2:00 we went to YO Ranch Resort and to their restaurant called Branding Iron.  It is a pretty place.  Their lobby has branding iron chandeliers and they have all kinds of critter heads with their antlers/horns on the wall. 

They also had a very pretty Christmas Tree in the lobby.  So, naturally, we had our picture taken at it.

they were having a Christmas Buffet.  It was nice.  Food was pretty good. And they were serving Champagne, so that was nice as well.

After dinner we came back and grabbed the Boo dog and went for a little Christmas walk.