Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #9 – Randy’s B-Day and Adjusting to the News

Wednesday, Jan 29^th, 2020……  HAPPY BIRTHDAY RANDY!!!  Today, Lydia spent most of the day resting quietly and getting appointments scheduled. She got a few calls today from friends and family but for the most part she just rested and watched tv. We have an oncology appointment on Monday. This office is the same as where she went for her colon issues and she will have the same doctor that helped her before. That made her feel comfortable because she likes the staff there already and they were quick to help make sure she can get in to the pet scan and the wound center asap.

I needed to go get some rock salt for the water softener so I took off to go do that. I also took half of the plastic bottles and cans we have had stacked up, to recycle while I was out.

I think we are doing ok, given the circumstances. We both know that this is a long process and we are steadying ourselves for that. We also know there will be bumps in the road to get over but with both of us (and my sister) working together, we will get through it.

I went to the store after breakfast and got a few things for the week, most of it for lunch. Later, my sister called and asked if we were going to play bingo. Lydia didn’t want to go but wanted me to, so I did. I couldn’t bring myself to tell the ladies there about her. Maybe next week. I did win two games. Penny won the blackout and was the big winner.

Later, I made us burritos for dinner and we watched tv until bedtime. I know she was awake for a while and then finally slept. Around three, I woke up and let Rylee out and then had trouble going back to sleep. I think I slept on and off for a bit so I eventually left the room and settled in my office recliner with a blanket and turned the tv on. I have nothing planned for tomorrow so I can rest then.       

Thursday, Jan 30^th, 2020…… I had Rylee up and out early and got her fed. Lydia got up and I started breakfast. I made us bacon and eggs but she ate only a portion of it. She said she had taken a hydrocodone and her stomach was a bit upset and nothing tasted good. After a while, she slept in her chair so I went out to the motorhome to try to catch up on my taped shows out there. Later, I came in to check on her and saw my sister had come by and I left them there to visit. She got calls from the pet scan facility and radiation/chemo and got those scheduled. All for next week. She also heard from her nephrologist, who has made some changes to her meds now that she knows her diagnosis. They set up two more lab draws in the next few weeks to monitor the new numbers. Sis had made some soup and brought that over and she said it hit the spot. Later, I went to Jack in the box and got us dinner there, which she ate and said it was good but she doesn’t want to eat too much because it makes her bloated. 

The folks at Quality Carports said they would have a crew here on either Saturday or Sunday to deliver and put up the carport. I was in no hurry so that would work. BUT – at 6:20pm this evening there was a knock on the door!  Three installers were here and asked if they could work tonight to put it up!  I was shocked that they were here two days early but said ok, but I thought that it would be tough to do in the dark out there. Turns out I was wrong!  They worked like a team on fire and got everything unloaded, laid out, and prepped really quickly. They stood up the supports and then leveled and plumbed them and then attached the roof. From the door knock to their truck pulling away, the whole thing took right at 1 hour!  I was blown away!  Lydia called my sister and she came over to watch and take pictures. I liked the quality of the product so I am very happy. It was worth the $695.00!  

This will be the covered area for the boat when I get it out of the shop garage (but not until spring).            

 

Friday, Jan 31^st, 2020…… I think we both slept better last night. I got up and out early again this morning. Sis was already out in the field with Quincy so I let Rylee out to run with Q. Then we got them in and fed. I headed off to Kevin’s to meet my sister and have breakfast. I brought back Lydia’s order and then left again with the rest of my bottles and cans for recycle. I stopped by and got my sister and she loaded her cans and bottles and we went to Albany and stopped at the recycling place first. I had received a call that my new glasses were ready so we next headed off to go get them. Once that was done, we headed over to Kohls because she had a coupon to use today. We also stopped at Summit Hardware because she had a $5.00 coupon for there too. I dropped her off and came back home. Lydia was resting but needed to get showered because she had labs to do today. We got that done and came home and I fixed tilapia and angel hair pasta and green beans for dinner. Lydia is doing pretty good with everything going on. She feels better now that all of her appointments are set for next week. She’s still working on some of her mail order prescriptions and some that they couldn’t fill because they are over-the-counter meds that we need to get ourselves.

We both settled in and watched our shows until bedtime.    

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #8 – Labs and Doctors Appointments

 

Sunday, Jan 26^th, 2020……  Another light day. I had some more stuff to bring in from the motorhome and I got that done this morning. Sis was coming back today but her flight is so late she will just go home and sleep and then and come back in the morning to get Quincy. The weather here is rain, rain, rain. Nothing heavy – just drizzles and sprinkles – but it is off and on so we are still pretty soggy here. I brought in the electrical cord from the motorhome plus the extra that I needed to put a plug on. I spent some time researching the wiring pattern that these plugs are supposed to follow. Turns out there are two different ways to wire the different color wires. I had to take apart the old one to see which one was used and wired the new one to that. The old one then went into the trash. No worries – I found a deal on one from Amazon and placed that order. It will be here next week. I forgot to get something out for dinner so I went to Taco Bell and got us dinner. Lydia has been trying to get all of her shows watched on each of her tvs and moved from one room to the other to get started. I watched the pro bowl plus some races I had taped. We went to bed early but I had a hard time sleeping so I went back to the tv for a couple more hours. Once I came to bed, I slept well. Quincy has found out that it is quiet and warm in our closet so I put her blanket in there. And that is good because she is out of our path to the bathroom in the dark!    

Monday, Jan 27^th, 2020……  I was up early and had the dogs walked and fed and had time to go get breakfast. This morning Lydia needed to go do labs. We timed it so she could also catch her dermatologist appointment right after that. The appointment went quickly but the doctor was backed up so we sat in the waiting room for a bit. After that, I got us home and Lydia got her foot up. She couldn’t eat before labs, so I fixed her an early lunch. Sis came by after that and we visited for a bit. She took Quincy and went home and I went out for a few more hours of Mecum Auctions in the motorhome. I think Lydia needs to remind me in the morning to get something out for dinner because I didn’t today – so I went off to Sum Yan for Chinese take-out. It was pretty good. We settled in and watched tv until bedtime.    

 

Tuesday, Jan 28^th, 2020…… Today was not a good day. It started off way early (we left the house at 6:00am) because we had a change in the ortho appointment due to the doctor’s surgery schedule. Once we got into the room and the doctor came in, he gave us the news. She has diffused large B-cell lymphoma. Cancer. Not what we wanted to hear. It is treatable with 70-80% success ratio. Even thou this is coming from a non-oncologist, we choose to take it as better news. He will be handing her off to oncology. Next steps are wound care for the edema on her heel. They need to make sure it doesn’t become infected, which will not be good for her system. Following that, she will be referred to an oncologist for treatment, most likely chemo. Needless to say, she (actually both of us) is having a hard time with this right now. I know she will start to take things in stride – which is what she always does, God bless her - in time. Please give her some time to process all of this before you reach out to her. Thanks.   

 

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #7 – Getting Chores Done & More Dog Duty

Thursday, Jan 23^rd, 2020……  I slept well last night and was surprised to find I slept in this morning! It was after 8:00am when I finally got out of bed. Rylee got me to take her out when I was up around 3:00am to pee and then she stayed down off the bed. But soon after that, Quincy had made her way to the bed. When it got time to get up, she scooted down and Rylee jumped up there to play! I got dressed and took them out to the field for their run/walk/poop time. I fed them and then went off to get our breakfast/coffee/tea. Just like old times! The rest of the day I was dedicated to laundry. I lost count on how many loads I did. I’m glad that I could dump the clothes basket from the dryer out in front of Lydia and she was folding everything. I washed all of the towels and blankets in the motorhome. I still need to bring in the sheets and blankets on the bed out there but I can do that tomorrow. But I got 90% of everything done today so I feel pretty good! I fixed us grilled ham and/or roast beef and cheese sandwiches for dinner. Quick and easy! I took the girls out for a bit outside but it’s been misting/drizzling most of the day so we came in early. We watched our programs until bedtime.

 

Friday, Jan 24^th, 2020……  Got round two of the dog walking done early this morning. I put the doggies through their training for treats each day out there after they have run and played. Of course, I have to hose off monster puppy because if she is out there with Quincy, she insists on taking off on her own and going up and down her ‘dragstrip’ of water out in the field!  I made us breakfast and cleaned up and rested for a bit before going out to work on the Honda. Yesterday I went online and ordered a fuse cutoff switch for when we tow the car. This wires into the acc fuse box and mounts in the dash and enables me to switch off the 12v that is running when we tow. This will help keep the battery from going dead. We’ve only had this happen recently but, on those days when the battery was dead it was because we towed longer distances, which will kill the battery - unless I stop every 200 miles and run the car for a few minutes – which I didn’t do!  Duuhh!  Normally, we only try to drive only about 250 miles in a day.  Some days of this trip we did over 350!   So, today I pulled everything under the dash just to check it out and see where I can mount it. There are YouTube videos for everything and I was able to check one out specifically for my make/model/year. So, I’m ready when the switch gets here. I also want to replace my electrical cord between the motorhome and car. It’s been used on three motorhomes now and is patched and fraying and cracking. Time to replace it. I needed to double check my cord before I go online to order to make sure I get the right one.

I finished up my laundry task and that was it for the day. The weather here is gloomy and/or drizzling. I guess last week we had some significant rain because the ditch out by the street is filled up and the lawn is really squishy! My carport guys should be able to work through the day once they get here. The carport is on level gravel so it should go easily. Still no final date set but I’m in no hurry. 

Saturday, Jan 25^th, 2020……  Not much going on today. I still have two dogs (plus one lady) to take care of. But they are not a problem. The girls go out to the ‘west forty’ and run and pee and poop. Then they get their treats – after earning them with a few tricks each. After I cleaned them up and fed them, I took off to Walmart to get some bacon and a few other things. After making bacon and eggs for breakfast, I headed out to the motorhome for a few hours. I still have some Mecum Auctions - that I had taped out there while on our trip - to watch. Lydia spent the day kicking back and watching her programs in her office. I got out some salmon and we had that with some sliced potatoes for dinner. We each watched tv in our rooms before calling it a night.

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #6 – More Labs and a New Doctor!

 

Monday, Jan 20^th, 2020……  This morning I got going early and got Rylee out and walked and fed. Lydia had labs this morning and we got in and got those done and stopped for breakfast on the way home. Later in the day, it was time to head off to Corvallis and get her biopsy done. She was worried that it would be as painful as the last time they did it. But this was done in the surgery department of the hospital and they took care to numb the area prior to doing the work. She was done in a just a few minutes and said she worried too much and it was a lot better this time!  We stopped on the way home and I got some bread for our spaghetti dinner later and we got back home and rested. I still have laundry to do but that is not a priority.

Later, I fixed dinner and then we watched our programs until it was time to call it a night.  

 

Tuesday, Jan 21^st, 2020……  Lydia had a day of rest so I took of advantage of that and after breakfast, I took off to Albany to go get my eye exam completed. After that, I stopped by Fred Meyer and ordered a new watchband since they called and said the old one couldn’t be repaired. I picked up some soup and lunchmeat and returned home. We had lunch and Lydia settled in for the day and I went out to the motorhome to watch some shows I had taped out there. Since we ate a late lunch, Lydia only wanted a grilled cheese and roast beef sandwich and I ate a few pieces of cheese and that was it. Earlier, I had called and checked on the pending carport installation. They couldn’t nail it down yet, but it looks like next week on that. We were supposed to go to the dentist for Lydia’s cleaning tomorrow but she got a call from her nephrologist late today. They told her that Dr. Leonard has left the practice and she needs to go in tomorrow to see them about her labs and to meet her new doctor and they were hoping she could come in sooner than later – so we had to change the dental appointment until the first of the month.    

Wednesday, Jan 22^nd, 2020……  I got up early again and got everything done (coffee/tea/breakfast/Rylee etc.) and then later, we left for Corvallis again. We met Dr. Rajapakse, her new Nephrologist. Seems that Dr Leonard left the practice. She had been sick but no one in the office was free to tell us anything. I sure hope it wasn’t because I gave her a bit of a hard time when we last were there!  No, I’m going with her being ill. Anyway, Dr. Raja gave Lydia a lot of time today - over an hour of just talking and getting to know her and understanding her health issues. She made some adjustments to Lydia’s meds and wants to see labs again in a week. Some of her numbers are up, but, all in all, she is doing ok. While she was reading the files, she saw that Lydia was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her ankle. So now we find out what it is! No results in there from the biopsy but we expected to not know anything (unless it was serious and required immediate action) until the ortho visit on the 28^th.  We both felt a lot better after today and went over to Elmer’s for breakfast before returning home. Meanwhile, sis was working on getting everything together for her trip down to Calif. She leaves on a late-night shuttle to Portland and an early morning flight into Long Beach tomorrow morning. She brought Quincy and her food over so we could watch her for the 4 days she will be gone. Her neighbors will be taking care of the mail so we only have to take care of Q. We finished out the day going to the senior center to play bingo. I won two games! It was nice to see everyone again and they were especially glad to see Lydia doing a little better. She seems to think that she is finally healing. Her pain levels are more manageable and she is trying so hard to stay off her foot to give it time to heal. The bump on her heel is still pretty good sized and gives her issues but she is more sure on her feet when she walks. All good signs! But we are still anxious to see the dr. and get the report back on the biopsy.        

I got chicken breasts out and coated them with parmesan cheese and mayo and baked it. I also peeled and sliced and fried some potatoes and heated up green beans. I think it turned out pretty good. After that meal, we kicked back and watched some of our shared shows before calling it a night.

Note:  I also had some time to get some photos the girls took at their luncheon last week. It was an extra luncheon that week that they called ‘Lunch with Lydia’, and all but one person was able to make it. Lydia said she had a good time and misses all of these sweet ladies.

 l to r:  Lynette, Sandra, Pat F, Faye, Madonna, Pat S, Arlene, & Marilyn

 

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #5 – Working Our Way Home

 

Friday, Jan 17^th, 2020……  We got out of the campground at 8:45am and hit the 710 and the 405 and then the 5. Traffic was exactly what we remembered – really slow and stop and go. But we got through it with no issues and headed up to Santa Nella RV. We had a hiccup when our gps had us turn into the mobile home park next door!  But we eventually got straightened out and checked in around 2:30pm and got set up for the night. Wait for this - there is an In & Out right across the street!  We couldn’t pass that up! I had to unhook the car anyway because we didn’t fit in the pull-thrus so I went over and got us dinner. It was yummy and a nice treat since we hadn’t been in over 2 ½ years. After that, I took Rylee out to smell around the park and then came in and she settled down and Lydia and I watched tv until it was time to take butthead out for one last run before bedtime. I took her out and we settled in for the night. Weather is getting colder so we have our electric blanket going and the cube heater running most of the night to take the chill off. 

 

Saturday, Jan 18^th, 2020……  This morning we had our shortest leg on the trip home, so we were in no hurry to get up and going. I went over to McDonalds across the street and got us breakfast before we got ready. We left about 10:00am and drove 222 miles and are now in Red Bluff (30 miles south of Redding) at Durango RV Resort. Now this place is first class! When we drove by it on the way down, it looked impressive from the highway and we wanted to check it out. Price was only $47.00 with my discount. The park in Redding we stayed at on the way down was $59.00!  We will have a 30-mile longer drive tomorrow but I think it’s worth it to be here. It should work out.  Once I got set up and got Rylee out for a while, I took some cube steak out to defrost for dinner tonight. I made mashed potatoes with gravy. Not fancy but a favorite that we eat at home all of the time!  After dinner, I walked down and checked out the park amenities. The pool is closed for maintenance (and the winter weather!) but the spa was working. There was no one in it and I didn’t want to go in this time. So, I just spent the evening with Lydia watching tv and then taking butthead out one last time before bed.   

Sunday, Jan 19^th, 2020……  We wanted to get going early. We have been monitoring the Siskiyou pass and I spoke with a guy who just came down from Oregon today and he said it was clean and pristine and sunny! No weather is expected so today is supposed to be the same. I had stopped for fuel yesterday so we didn’t need to worry about that until after we get into Oregon and I choose to top off the tanks before putting it in the garage. So, we left around 8:15am and just trucked up and over Shasta summit 

and then crossed Siskiyou with no issues at all. After that, it was just do the miles and get home! Rylee did ok.

And Lydia was comfy under her blanket with her feet up, drinking her tea and munching on her Cheerios!

I did decide to stop at Pilot and fuel up before we got home. Even with that stop, we pulled into the driveway at 3:08pm and I got the car unhooked (w/another dead battery) and the motorhome unloaded and back into her garage. My sister met us at the house and she was very helpful in helping me get everything (clean and dirty clothes, frozen food, fridge stuff, and cupboard stuff, etc.) unloaded and back in the house. She even went out and picked us up KFC for dinner! Thanks Sis!  Tomorrow Lydia has labs to do early and then her biopsy appointment in Corvallis.  

Summary: we were gone for  17 days and although I didn't track the starting mileage, I guesstimate we drove the motorhome just around 2,000 miles round trip. We stopped 5 times for fuel (including filling up before we got home). It was sure nice to get out on the road again plus we got to see family and friends again in California after 2 1/2 years away.  We want to go to the National Square Dance Convention in Tacoma and then the FMCA Northwest Rally in Roseburg, both in June, but we will need to wait and concentrate on Lydia's health to determine if we can make those trips.                                             

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #4 –  The Next Legs – Desert Hot Springs and Long Beach

 

Sunday, Jan 12^th, 2020……  This morning was check out day. We watched most all of the rigs (some are staying another night here) take off and head out. Except for us and Roots and Moores, the rest of our group made their way out before 10:30am or so. We were only going about 25 miles – over to Desert Hot Springs and Catalina Spa. Before we left camp, Lydia’s sister, Frances and her grandson, Raymond, came by to spend the day. The Roots and Moores and us caravanned over. Raymond got his first ride in a motorhome!

We all got checked in and parked and set our rigs up. Then Raymond and I headed over to the spa and pool. It was terrific! Nice and refreshing. We spent an hour and a half there and came back so they could head off home. We decided to go over to The Capri Restaurant for dinner. We all chose Italian and enjoyed our meals. Once we got back in camp, we settled in and visited until bedtime.    

 

Monday, Jan 13^th, 2020……  No plans today. I did have to go back to Indio and return Lydia’s wheelchair, but that was later today. We hung around the rig and I walked Rylee a few times. Rick went with me later and we got to In and Out Mobility. I left the chair in the car and went in. I asked if they sold the rentals, should we choose to buy and they said they would and also would apply the $50 rental towards the $200 purchase. I said, “Write it up!”   So, we now own a wheelchair. I was going to go purchase one anyway and this one is a better quality than I have looked at. Later, we met our friends, Mike and Laura (who live in 29 Palms) at El Matador, for dinner. They came by and visited with us and Mike and Cheri. We watched the college championship game and also visited with everyone. It was a short drive but we were both ready for bed a little later!

Tuesday, Jan 14^th, 2020……  This morning we hung around the campground again after we said our goodbyes to Rick and Janie and Mike and Cheri. They were going home and we had to time it to be in Long Beach after 2:00pm which was check-in at Golden Shore Rv Resort. This park is really close to the aquarium and the Queen Mary. It’s really nice and they gave us a beautiful level manicured parking spot. It just needed a little more room for the car! We had arranged to meet up with Bud and Linda Carpenter at Famous Dave’s for dinner. It’s now called Q’s Steakhouse but everything is still the same. We had a nice meal (I overate!) and then they followed us back to the coach so we could visit a bit. Lydia was doing ok but was ready for bed a little later after they left.

Wednesday, Jan 15^th, 2020…… This morning was special for me. I got up around 6:30am and got dressed and got the car ready for Rylee. She and I took off and headed over to our old neighborhood. My goal was to walk her in our little park, down the street from our old house. I found Dori and her pit bull Wally and we had a great time catching up. Merilyn came out with her yellow lab Sunny and I ended up letting butthead off leash and they all had a great time playing. I walked down our street and saw our old house (didn’t stop to see anyone) and then went back to the car and drove around a bit before coming back to the motorhome. It was neat to see everything again. Some still the same but some things have really changed – like the shopping center at Douglas Park. That is the old McDonnell Douglas/Boeing Long Beach location. It was just starting to develop but now is full of shops and industrial buildings. Amazing!  Later, Ken and Sandie came by the park and we all went out to The Park Pantry for lunch. We had talked about Bubba Gumps but this was much better (and cheaper!).  It was nice to see them again. Later, we met the kids at Gladstone’s for dinner. Since we had a nice lunch, we each got a bowl of chowder and shared the scallops dinner. I liked everything but Lydia could not eat the quinoa.  Afterward, they came back to the rig and we visited for a while. Once they left, I walked Rylee again and later we headed off to bed.    

Thursday, Jan 16^th, 2020…… Today was Lydia’s day!  She got up and got ready for her luncheon with her ‘lunch ladies’ from work. These ladies have been doing lunches once a week for many years now, but those are always on Mondays and we couldn’t be here in time to make that one. Sooo..., they decided to do another one for Lydia’s Luncheon. I drove her to the Olive Garden in Cypress and ‘handed’ her off to the girls and then went back home. On the way, I stopped by Dillion RV and got a door latch to replace one that broke earlier on the trip. I came back to the rig and got that installed and then called and made reservations for the next two days when we leave to head home. We aren’t taking the 99 this time. We will travel up I5 the whole way. So, I had searched for rv parks that matched the distance/miles we need to make each day. I chose Santa Nella RV Park (280 mi.) and Durango RV Resort (230 mi.) in Red Bluff. We had seen this last park after leaving Redding and we wanted to try it. That will make the last leg home 380 mi. so we’ll see if that will be a wise choice. Checking the weather app, I see there is currently rain and fog on Siskiyou Summit. But the forecast looks pretty good for Sunday when we hit that area.  After getting that all done, I rested for a while and watched tv until I got the text to go back to pick her up. I spent some time with the ladies before we left. They were sure glad to see Lydia and said she was looking good but they were all also worried about her foot. Lydia promised to post her results when we get back and all of that is done. On the way home, the tried to hook up with either Brian or Jeff to see if either was home since it was on our way and we could stop by for a few minutes.  But both of them were out working today. We are still hoping to make their wedding in Palm Springs in March but that will now be pending her labs and diagnosis.

Later, the kids came by with tacos from Pancho’s. We always have liked going there and it’s on the way here so, duuhh! That gave Lydia a chance to stay in and keep her foot up so that worked out.  Once we said our goodbyes and hugs all around, they left, and we relaxed and watched tv until bedtime.     

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #3 – The FMCA Rally Week

 

Note:  This is a week load of posts and may be a long read because the fairgrounds does not have WiFi and I just stacked up the days into one blog.

Tuesday, Jan 7^th, 2020…… I was up and going by 6:00am this morning. All of this to travel less than a ½ mile to the fairgrounds!  I got the tanks dumped and Lydia’s tea going. Maryanne was coming down to drive the Honda but called and said she needed to stay in the rig with her husband who gets nervous. So, I asked Jennifer. They aren’t towing and she is available and said she could help us out.  All of the rigs have an order to line up in. We tried to get everyone in order by number as we left camp but there were a few lagging behind. No worries – the staging area was big enough for us to adjust and let everyone get in line. The wagonmaster got us all going and we drove in and, although it took some doing, we all got parked and plugged in and hooked up. We have to be careful here because they do not have sewers hookups. We plan to eat out a lot and conserve the water used for dishes – which is actually more than when taking a shower if you can believe that!  We all sat around and then each of us ventured up to the registration area and picked up our packets. We are mostly first timers to an FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) rally so all of us will be going to the first-timer’s orientation tomorrow, when the rally actually begins. We have heard that they will have around 650-700 rvs here this week. FMCA just recently allowed non-motorized rvs in the assoc. so there are a few 5^th wheels and trailers here now. But all told, even with the new members, the numbers are down from last year. Still a ton of people milling around and enjoying the week! We decided to go to Farmer Boys for an easy dinner. We both chose their cobb salad and we split an order of onion rings. Pretty good! Once we were done there, we went to Costco with Rick & Janie. Mike and Cheri went to Walmart. Together, we were tasked with getting all the stuff for two in-camp BBQs - hamburgers on Wednesday and Hot Dogs on Friday. We will total everything and divide by 12 rigs. Easy and simple. After getting back and resting and watching tv, it was time to call it a night.      

 

Wednesday, Jan 8^th, 2020…… Happy Birthday Sis!   Slept great last night! We had two blips in our power – once late last night and once more this morning. It means we have to wait each time for the Directv boxes to reboot but we were the lucky ones. There was an issue with feed from the generator and some of the electrical wasn’t operational until mid-morning. The maintenance folks were quick to get on the problem and even though they disconnected everyone a few times, they managed to finally get it resolved. I walked down to the coffee and donuts area and also managed to make Lydia tea between outages. So, that meant an early lunch.  We ate leftover steak burritos. We also called to sing happy birthday to my sister. She and Jody and Janice were eating breakfast at Kevin’s! They had their day planned and she told us about it. We left them to eat and at 11:30am, Lydia and Rylee kicked back in the rig and I made my way to the orientation, which was followed by a tour of duty at our recruitment table, given to us to use as a new chapter. Turns out we had plenty of help so most of us stood out in front of our table and talked with those interested. There are only a couple of chapters in SoCal and those are huge, so we offer something more casual and less structured than the big clubs (2 of our 12 here this week are guests). Maybe we’ll get some interest… The Club could use some new blood!  I also found Lon Cross. Lon is the Western Director for FMCA and is running this whole rally!  He is also married to a former Camping Squares member Chris Neely (at the time) who we have known for years before they dropped out of the Club. I asked him to ask Chris if she still remembered us because that was probably 20 years ago. After everything closed down, we headed back to the group and started our bbq. Gary drafted me to help him with the burgers. He and I and Jack got the burgers on and off the grill and fed the group. Later, we hung around the area until it got dark and Lydia got cold. She went in and settled in with her feet up and I headed over with some of the Club to play bingo. They did this very well. You get two packets of game cards with six per game and 11 games total for $5.00. Then you can also buy a bonus game for $1.00. The eleven games averaged around $140.00 each game (split if there were multiple winners) and the bonus game was for $500.00. Out of our group of 11, only Rick won. He hit a four corners game and split with two others. I think he got $46.00. I came back with everyone and walked Rylee before coming in calling it a night.

      

         

Thursday, Jan 9^th, 2020……   Today the seminars start. I think there were around 30 going on today. I haven’t found anything yet that I MUST go to so I spent most of the time in the vendor buildings that have just about anything you need or don’t need for your rv. I also took some time to head off to Walmart market to pick up some more water and beer and cookies for when Raymond and Frances come visit us at Catalina Spas on Sunday. Lydia has been mostly hanging around the rig. It’s chilly until the sun comes up and is warm enough so that she can go out and get some sun and visit. We decided to go to Sloane’s for dinner tonight and then we want to go to the opening ceremonies and the evening entertainment. As a new chapter, we are getting a mention and a flag at the opening. Turns out it’s a banner and will be presented on Friday night. The Neon Circus, a Brooks and Dunn tribute band, performed tonight. They were just ok. We kept waiting for the energy level to pick up but it didn’t until the last couple of songs. Lydia was having a good time even though she was very uncomfortable.

Friday, Jan 10^th, 2020……  Happy Birthday Sandie!  Last night was tough for Lydia even though she was in her wheelchair and that made it convenient at the ceremonies. But I guess the rest of the evening wore her out. She has only taken the prescription hydrocodone only two times since we left home so she was hanging in there until last night. She had throbbing pain and was in tears. She took a oxycodone and it took an hour before everything calmed down and she was able to sleep. Today she has the lady’s luncheon and she wants to go but we’ll see….

I walked and fed Rylee and then walked down and got coffee (for me) and donuts for us for breakfast and then I tracked down the guys out in the fairgrounds that were washing rvs and go on their schedule. The price was fair ($3 per ft.). They would be able to get to me this afternoon. So that meant I could get Lydia up to the building for the luncheon. I did that and got her in line with the girls and headed back home. The washers showed up and had lunch before they started on my coach. Of course I offered them a little liquid refreshment beforehand. I hope that helped because they did a wonderful job on the coach. Even the roof!  After picking Lydia back up, we all sat out around the party area and relaxed until dinnertime. Nobody had any plans in concrete so I thought we would check out the food concessions in the fairgrounds. The rally folks had brought in two – one with bbq and the other Mexican food. We chose Mexican. I went down and got a couple of tacos for Lydia and a carne asada burrito for me. I think I will go back there tomorrow and get a chorizo burrito for breakfast!  We settled back in and watched tv until it was time to head off to the evening entertainment. Lydia chose to pass and stay home and rest her foot. I took my camp chair and sat in the back with other Club members. The chairs in that hall are extremely uncomfortable for longer periods so it was worth taking it tonight! The entertainment was comedian Dick Hardwick who was very very funny. After the show, I came back in and checked on Lydia who was in bed but awake and watching tv. We sat up and talked a bit about tomorrow’s plans and then I watched tv for a while before calling it a night. It’s super quiet and not any lights shining down onto the rig so it makes for good sleeping.

Saturday, Jan 11^th, 2020…… Last day of the Rally.  This morning I got up and got showered and dressed and then took Rylee for our walk and went down by the Mexican Food concession and got my chorizo burrito. When I brought it back, Lydia was interested in their bacon and egg breakfast burrito so I went back and got hers. By then it was close to a seminar I wanted to attend, so I headed off to that. I checked in on the drawing winners for the week, but we didn’t win. I took in a seminar about estate planning. Being in Oregon is different when setting up a living trust so I was able to pick up some good info.  We have a goal - now that we are up in Oregon - to get going on that this year!

Lydia stayed in the rig most of the day and kept her foot up. It looks swollen but she says she is doing ok. Tonight, we will have another bbq here in camp. This time we are doing hot dogs. The last night’s entertainment is the Alley Cats (acapella doo wop). Lydia probably will not go. We have seen them before and they are very exciting. I will take my chair again since that was way more comfortable than sitting on those puny chairs.

I took a bunch of photos around and in the buildings and just wanted to post a few here at the end.      

          

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #2 – On the Road Again!

 

Saturday, Jan 4^th, 2020…… We got up and got rolling around 8:30am. The drive from Redding to Fresno was no biggie. Just the rough roads on the 99. Don’t miss that! We wanted to go to Riverland Rv Resort just south of town. But when we did some calculating, we decided to drive ahead to Bakersfield and stay there. It takes 109 miles off of tomorrow’s trip. Yes, it was a long day today but I was good to go. The water pump is working again. I’m not sure what I did so if it happens again, I going to still be stumped The Honda is still dead when we pull into camp. I changed the fuse for tomorrow but I’m thinking that the plug-in to the car has a bad connection to the hot wire that charges the car. No power – no charge! I will have two days in Indio to work on it. Once we checked into Bakersfield RV Resort, we got everything set up and working and fed Rylee and walked over to the campground’s restaurant and had a nice dinner. Once we got back and I had Rylee out for a nice long walk, it was time to come back in and relax until bedtime.

 

Sunday, Jan 5^th, 2020…… I showered last night so we could get an early start. The next campground (Indian Waters) does not allow check-ins before 1:00pm but that will not be an issue. Even though we are leaving early, I anticipate the usual Sunday traffic going through LA area.

After we got up and going, I went out and tried to start the Honda. It needs to run so you can go through the gears before towing. No luck. My jumper cables are in a storage area in the back of the car and the back hatch was locked!  I had to borrow jumper cables from a neighbor. But we got it started and we got out of camp at 8:30am and headed up and over the grapevine (no issues – just slow climbing).  It turned out to be a lot lighter traffic day. We got into Indio and into Indian Waters RV Resort. They gave us a back-in so I had to unhook at the office. But I asked the parking crew for a jump and they got me started. Our friend Mike was there and drove the car to our site while I parked the rig. We have 5 rigs in camp today. The remaining 7 will be in tomorrow. On Tuesday, we will all caravan over to the fairgrounds so we can all be parked together for the rally. It was nice to see everyone again. We spent time visiting and getting caught up. Later, Gary and Lorna, Rick and Janie, and us went out to Islands for dinner. We had a nice meal. Once we got back to camp, we settled in and had a good night’s sleep. It will be nice not to have to break camp and drive.   

         

Monday, Jan 6^th, 2020……   We slept in a later than normal and I got up and got showered and got going for the day. Nothing much to do today. I made us bacon and eggs and Lydia relaxed in her chair and then got up and got her shower. It went ok but she needed to get her foot back up pretty quickly. The rest of our coaches showed up later in the day and got parked and later we all had a short meeting to discuss plans for caravanning to the rally tomorrow morning. The arrival time is now 8:00am (from 10:00am) so we have to now get up and going earlier than expected. No worries for us. I needed to clean up my battery terminals and I got that completed today. Maybe we will be good now. I won’t know until we break camp at the fairgrounds next Sunday. Janie and I went out and did a little shopping. I bought myself a new pillow for my bed. Thanks for the Bed Bath and Beyond coupons Janie! While we were out, we also stopped and rented Lydia a wheelchair for the week. It was only $50.00 and we can use it all the way up til we leave Catalina Spas next Monday. It will make going to seminars and luncheons and dinners (and to the spa later) easier for her. I made us steak burritos and after I cleaned up, I showered and picked up most everything in the rig so I won’t have too much to do tomorrow morning. We watched tv until bedtime.    

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #1 – New Year’s Day and Then We’re Heading Out!

 

Wednesday, Jan 1^st, 2020…… Happy New Year! We slept in a bit and when we finally got up and going, and the dogs walked, I made egg sandwiches for breakfast and we had coffee/tea and relaxed and watched the Rose Parade. Sis went home to shower and check on her house and run some errands before coming back here for the day. Lydia is still relaxing and keeping her foot elevated. She can only go so far before it swells up and gets even more painful.  But she only has to rest today. I think everything is in order. She will have to get her makeup and personal stuff together to go out there tomorrow or Friday morning. The plan today was to have an easy dinner. Nothing is easier than going to pick up pizza! We called it in and then sis and I went to go pick it up. We each made salads from their salad bar. I think I got enough for us!  This time we thought the pizza was a little too spicy. Not sure whether there is a spicy sausage choice or not but we definitely felt it later that night! We spent the rest of the evening catching up on some of our taped shows before calling it a night.

Thursday, Jan 2^nd, 2020…… Last day here! I was asked by my neighbor, Lou, to feed his cats. He has taken his dogs over to his daughter in Albany but has been feeding the neighborhood cats out of his garage for some time now. He will be home on Sunday but I told him I could go feed them on Thursday and Friday before we leave. I took Rylee out and we diverted to Lou’s house and I got the first day taken care of. Then it was home to have breakfast and give Rylee a bath. I just took her into the shower with me and we made pretty quick work of the task. I took my shower after getting her out and toweled off. Hopefully, she will stay clean on the trip! I loaded up the last of the food from both the fridge and the freezer. Sis came over and they got Lydia’s hair care stuff and last-minute clothes thrown in the basket and we took them out and got them put in the mh. I still need to load my laptop and Rylee’s beds in the mh.  All that I need to do tomorrow is pull the coach out and hook up the Honda and we can get going.

Since we didn’t want the pizza for dinner, I took off and got us burgers and fries for a quick meal. We went to bed early but I couldn’t fall asleep – typical for me the night before we take the mh out.   

         

Friday, Jan 3^rd, 2020……  On the road today!  I slept ok, once I fell asleep. Lydia said she was ok last night. Still has a lot of pain right when she stretches her ankle and gets up to go to the bathroom. But she’s ready to travel. I got showered and ready and took Rylee out and stopped and did the last cat-feeding. Then I went out and got us breakfast since everything is in the rig! The plan was to leave about 9:00am or so. We had a 350-mile-trip down to Redding CA for our first stop. I did have to stop and get some more fuel in the rig and did that in Oakland OR. We made it over Siskiyou Summit with no issues and pretty good weather and got into our first rv park (JGW just south of Redding) about 4:00pm.  My biggest issue was that the Honda battery was dead again. I had to jump it. I have an inline fuse around the battery that has to be working in order for the mh to charge the car. It looks good so I’m stumped! Another issue was the water pump in the mh.  We have water when we are hooked up in an rv park but for some reason the water pump in the coach isn’t getting any power. I’m thinking that the guy who did the fridge way back in 2018 turned off the pump in order to reinstall the unit. I just have to find out where that is. Could be a fuse too. We fixed fish sandwiches for dinner then turned up the heater and relaxed and watched tv before calling it a night. Rylee is doing ok. She’s anxious to get out of the coach whenever we stop but that is normal for her to want to go explore! Tomorrow we head 330 miles to just south of Fresno.