12/13/15 - On 12/11, I did a little overnight packing and left for Aunt Ada's house since I was going with her to a Nazarene Women's Club Christmas luncheon.  It was decorated with wonderful table arrangements.  The lunch was delicious as well.  After lunch, there was a musical Christmas program and the choir did a wonderful job.  We got back to the house and then blocked three of the baby afghans that I had made over the year.  We then left around 5:45pm for a huge Christmas program at a church.  It included lots of music and drama.  Was very good.  Got back to the house, had a snack and off to bed.

On 12/12, we went to a matinee at the Arizona Broadway Theatre and there was a great lunch and the musical was the "Christmas Carol".  It was very well done.  I then got my stuff together and came back to the RV for the night.  It was a great two days.

12/09/15 - On 12/6, I went to church with my Aunt Ada and cousin Robyn.  I had all the ingredients to make Pancit so we decided to have that for lunch instead of going out for lunch.  Aunt Ada also invited a dear friend Dorothy so there was four of us for lunch.  Dorothy had to leave but the three of us then planned a dice game.  It was a good afternoon.

On 12/8 - I went to visit Margaret who is the mother of a good friend of mine.  She is in a group home of 5 and really likes it.  We had a great visit.  Around 4pm another friend arrived and we all decided to go for a little walk.  During the walk, Neal's sister drove by and so I got to see her for a few minutes.  Of course when I left, I got into alot of traffic and had a road closure but finally got home.

Today is going to be uneventful.

12/2/2015 - On 11/30, I had my last doctor's appt to check blood pressure.  It has been down in the low 140's to high 130's so I felt good about it.  Finally, the combination of meds was working but at the office it was 158 and I forgot the lower number so they are still trying to come up with a plan to get it down.  I am waiting to hear from them.    In the evening, we had dinner plans but the schedule was not good for various people so was just Stu and I and we had a great evening.

12/1 - Plans were to leave San Diego at 11:00am but had a water heater problem.  There wasn't any water coming out of the faucet.  There was a RV repair guy just down about 6 RVs from me so he came took a look, drained the water heater and told me that I had it set up on the wrong valve and it should have always been on water heater bypass so all of a sudden I had water and since I wanted to leave, he did not wait for it to get hot!!  $85 later, I still don't have any water coming out of the faucet.  I then needed to do a few goodbyes and when adding the car, I had guys who were watching me and soon wanted to help so it did not take long.  After the bill was taken care of it was actually 11:45 before I pulled out.  Of course over the mountain pass it was quite windy so traveling was slow but I got through it.  I forgot about losing an hour when I crossed into Arizona but still got to the Walmart in Yuma, Arizona before dark.  I made some dinner, played games on the computer, then it got chilly so ran the generator for a while and got a little heat.  Off to bed early but I was up three times because I heard all kinds of noise.  Not sure what one of them was but the other was a 5th wheeler that was having a problem and they were yelling back and forth.  Finally, things got quiet and I got some sleep.

12/2 - Got up and did some shopping at Walmart, walked across the parking lot and did some banking.  My phone had died so I don't know what time I left the parking lot but had a little bit of wind but a good trip.  Not sure what time I got to the RV resort since I don't know if the GPS changes arrival times when crossing state lines but the GPS stated my arrival time was 1:23pm.  I checked into the office, learned a few details of living here and then was told that George was not available to help me park the RV so I decided to try parking it myself.  It took longer of course and quite a few times in and out of the RV but I got it parked.  I only did the bare necessities to hook up since I was very tired and it was getting cooler by the minutes.  Since I did not have hot water, I had to go to the showers house near the pool but finally relaxed a little and as it got colder in the RV, I decided to turn up the electric blanket and watch TV in bed!!

11/29/15 - On 11/28, we went to a barbecue and then watched the Notre Dame game with my friend Anne's parents house.  We had a great time and said my final good byes to Anne and Laura.

Today, we washed the windows of the car since I can not reach the middle of the windshield or the back window.  We put things away and Onita packed and we left for LAX at 1:00pm since we had no idea about traffic.  It was some stop and go and took us 3 1/2 hours to get her dropped off.  She had quite a wait since I dropped her off three hours early of departure but we did not know about security lines so she was happy to be there early and not rushed.  She texted me at 4:50 and was already through security.  I could not believe it.  Driving back was good since the flow of traffic was much better and I drove it in 2 1/2 hours.  I had a great week end with Onita and sure am glad to came to visit.

11/27/15 - On 11/25, I drove to Los Angeles and met up with Lina for a quick lunch before I drove over to LAX to pick up Onita (my 1st cousin) from Montana.  She will be here for 5 days. We got into some traffic coming home but got here about 4:30pm.  Had some left over dinner and before long we both were ready to turn in.

11/26 - We slept in and then stopped off at the grocery store for some flowers on our way to my friend's Anna and Laura for turkey dinner.  There was 12 of us around the table.  It was really nice and of course we had so much food.  We watched the movie "Miracle on 34th Street" and then came home.

Today, we visited all morning and then finally decided to go visit parts of San Diego.  We had lunch as well.  We did go to visit the ocean but of course did not stay long because of cold and wind.  I showed her two different types of coastal areas and downtown for her.  We had a good day.

11/21/15 - On 11/20, I stopped off and got two small salads for Freda and Johnny since they were flying early this morning.  I then picked them up at the hotel in Old Town and we went for dinner at a hometown cafe.  We had a great time but we made it an early evening since they were leaving the hotel at 5:00am.

I meant to call this afternoon to check and see if they had a great trip but hoping it was uneventful.
Today, I went to lunch with a dear friend of mine, Janie who we decided today have known each other for 23 years.  It was so good to see her.  Also in attendance was her niece, Amy and her two boys.  It was a wonderful lunch and afternoon visit.

11/18/15 - On 11/13, I went and had the emissions test done on the car to get ready to license.

11/16 - went to AAA and got the sticker for the license on the car so now that is all done!

Today, I got up early and drove to a trolley station, parked the car and rode the trolley to the border.  I walked across and my faithful friend Carlos, picked me up and took me to the Oasis of Hope hospital where a first cousin(Freda Esh) was getting treatments for breast cancer. She and her husband had been there for 2 1/2 weeks and will be leaving to go back home on Saturday.  We had a great visit and went to a Mexican restaurant  with some of the acquaintances that they have been introduced to.  There was ten of us and it was really nice to get to meet some of them.  I had a wonderful visit and 4:00pm came really fast when Carlos was picking me to go back to the border.  The crowd to cross the border by foot was unbelievable.  It took an hour and 45 minutes to get across.  I finally got home at 7:15pm but still was a wonderful day.

11/10/15 - Not much has been happening in San Diego except trying to get some things accomplished like:
 1 - getting my blood pressure under control,
 2 - getting the fracture repaired on my upper denture and learning that if I request a new upper denture because of the implants that I am looking close to $2000 for the replacement so for now am hoping the repair will last for a while,
3 - getting the car ready for emissions inspection and needed oil change, transmission fluid flush and new fluid, tires checked, sparks plugs checked and not sure what all else was done but of course I walked out with a $300 bill but I knew that some of those things had not been done for a long time,
4 - I have been spending time with friends including spending 3 hours with an ex-employee who is getting chemo every Tuesday, we had a nice visit, have had a friend over for dinner and of course going out for dinner as well.

10/30/15 - Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with 4 ladies from New York.  One of the ladies is a friend of my sister Rachel's.  I met them at Balboa park and then we drove to a cafe for lunch.  After lunch they wanted to go to Cabrillo National Monument so we parked the car at a Staples parking lot and I went with them since I have a card that will get us into national parks for free.  We also drove down to the tide pools and the waves where pretty high because of a storm brewing in the pacific.

After that, we went back to the car and headed for the beach since they wanted to put their feet in the pacific and also we saw a beautiful sunset.  I had some extra chairs so we could sit on the beach.  I found it a little chilly but of course they were quite comfortable.  They are busy today and leave really early tomorrow morning so it was a great time.

10/27/15 - Well, this morning I moved from one location to the permanent location in the campground.  I have almost everything set up but needed to get some lunch and get the TV up and running since I had been on cable instead of satellite.  I need to put some things away yet and cover the tires.  Tonight have plans to go out for dinner with Louise.

10/26/15 - I need to make some correction regarding the trip.  We cruised all day on 10/13 and we went thru the canal on 10/14.  Therefore, the 10/15 date at Cartagena is correct

10/16 and 10/17 were both sailing dates headed for Miami, Florida where we disembarked.

10/18 - we got up and out of the cabin in time to have some breakfast before heading to the airport.  Aunt Esther was scheduled out at around 5:00pm and I was scheduled out at 2:00pm.  We got to the airport about 10:15am so Esther went to Delta to see if she could get out earlier we were successful.  She left at 11:30am on standby.  I then walked over to American to see if I could do the same thing but everything was completely booked and they would not even let me go standby.  I traveled from Miami to Orlando and then had a long lay over there.  I finally left the east coast at 5:40pm.  I got to San Diego around 8:00pm.  Louise picked me up and I stayed at her house for the night since the RV was in for repair.

10/19 - I called in the morning to see when I could pick up the RV to learn that there was a problem with the new awning but they thought they would have everything done by late afternoon.  In the afternoon, I learned the more piece was sent and they were not able to use it and therefore I still did not have an awning. It was promised to be delivered overnight and I should have the RV by Wednesday afternoon.  Thank goodness for a good friend.  She let me stay with her during all of this misfortune.

10/22 - I finally got the RV back and came to the campground to learn that the space I had been paying for was not available until Tuesday morning (10/27) because there was a dead tree that was scheduled to come down on 10/26.  So I am in a pull through for the last 5 days and plan to walk over to make sure that things are on schedule for tomorrow's move!!

10/26/15 - On 10/15 we docked at Cartagena, Colombia.  Aunt Esther had been fighting a cold and decided not to go on the tour we had scheduled so I did the tour by myself.  Part of it was a walking tour and several of us were slower walkers so that was good for me.  We toured an old monastery that was remodeled and housed six priests.  It sat way up on a hill and we had an excellent view of the city.  At one time it was a walled city and the wall is still there but the city is just built are it.  It is a very modern city with lots of high rise buildings.  Our next stop was an old fort but we only had ten minutes so none of us could really walk up the hill to the fort.  We stopped to rest in a beautiful city square and then the tour ended with some shopping at an expensive jewelry store.

                                             The courtyard at the monastery

                                                                     The Fort

10/25/15 - On 10/13 we started to get ready to go thru the Panama Canal.  The day before Aunt Esther and I checked many different areas to see where we wanted to spend out day.  I learned that the front of the ship which was opened for the day would not work for me.  It was recommended that I set up shop at the Spinnaker Lounge which was on the very top and front of the ship.  We were scheduled to sit at the beginning of the channel waiting for our turn at around 6:00am.  I got up a little after 5:00am and Aunt Esther had ordered some coffee to be delivered at 6:30am so I headed up to the lounge at around 5:40am to learn that all of the very front was already taken and that some passengers had been there since 4:00am!!  I was a little disappointed but we did get a good table and chairs on the side up front.  The complete process took 14 hours since we had some delays but it is a long process to complete the over 50 mile trek across the canal. It was extremely interesting and I have attached a few pictures:

                                         All of us waiting for our turn to start thru the canal

                                          The locomotives waiting to tie up with us.  They
                                           will guide us thru the locks ahead

                                           Finally the gates are opening up!

10/23/15 - 10/11 - we are at sea and headed for Costa Rica.  It was great to have a relaxing day.

10/12 - We docked in Puntarenas, Costa Rica and we had a toured that involved a bus ride, boat ride and train ride.  It was really interesting.  On the boat ride we saw a lot of various types of birds and we actually saw two crocodiles.  The train was a restored old train but it took us into neighborhood and we were able to see how some the natives lives. We got a surprise and saw a black monkey in the tree.  I was quite excited.

                                           The crocodile in the river

                                                              The monkey in the tree

10/23/15 - On 10/10, we docked at Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala.  We booked a tour that took us to the old town of Antigua.  It was a long tour since we had a distance to drive to get to the town.  When we arrived we took a tour of a jade museum and could watch them refine the stone.  We then walked a little and toured a cathedral, central plaza, government complex that had two beautiful painted windows of the circle of life in the region.  We also stopped off at a restaurant and had a typical Guatemalan meal.  I have attached pictures:

                                            The Cathedral - there was a wedding in process

                                                            Statue in Central Plaza

10/21/15 - On 10/7 we were at sea all day.

10/8 - We docked at Huatulco, Mexico and Aunt Esther and I had a tour including a mexican cooking class and then of course ate the the food that was cooked.  It was really interesting.

10/9 - We docked at Puerto Chiapas, Mexico.  We had a tour involving Maya ruins at Izapa.  We traveled to Tapachula by bus and enjoyed a tour of a planetarium and learned about the astronomy of the Maya Indians.  We then were entertained by a group of Maya Indian dances and that was really interesting.  Pictures attached:

                                           The Maya ruins at Izapa

                                                          The Maya Indian Dancers

10/20/2015 - On 10/5 we docked at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It was our first port to explore. Aunt Esther took a tour of the rock formations and I got off the ship to see if the program that Verizon told me about was going to work in Mexico and if I can make or receive phone calls and of course like anything else it did not work.  I then got a Pepsi for me and water for Aunt Esther.  I then sat on the edge of a store to watch people.  Soon I heard my name and it was Aunt Esther so we headed back to the ship.

10/6 - We are now docked at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  There we took a tour of the city and a tequila factory.  We then had a typical Mexican Fiesta and a traditional Mexican folkloric ballet.  We did see the Cathedral from a distance.  Picture attached:

                                                            Cathedral in background

10/19/15 - I am not sure where to start so I think I will write a little each day and date it so I know where I left off.  I got back to San Diego last night at 8:00pm.

10/3/15 - Louise took me to the trolley station in El Cajon at 6:35am for a departure at 6:48am.  I got to the Amtrak station and took a bus to Oceanside at 8:00am.  Amtrak closed the track from Oceanside to San Diego for repairs. We got to Oceanside on schedule.  The train was scheduled at 9:25am.  We soon learned that the earlier train had broken down on the track and our train was going to push the broken down train and so now we had 12 passenger cars going to Union Station in Los Angeles.  By the time they got all that done, we were an hour and half late!!  Then at every stop on the way up, we had to stop twice since the train was longer than the platform!!  We fnally got to Union Station at 1:05pm.  Now almost two hours late.  I then had to take a 45 minute bus ride to LAX airport to meet up with Aunt Esther who had been there since around 11:00am.  We finally met up at 2:10pm.  We then had a shuttle to take us to the ship and that was another 1/2 hour drive.  Well, we fnally got to the cruise terminal at 3:15pm and the ship was suppose to depart at 4:00pm.  We were the last ones on the ship!!  They were having a safety drill so we could not even go to the cabin. What a mess!!  We finally did depart the terminal at 5:00pm because they had some problems getting the international papers correct.

10/4/15 - Today is a sailing day and it was good to just relax and not do much at all.

10/02/15 -  On 9/29, I went back to check blood pressure and soon learned that the low dose of HCTZ was not working and so then she added Metroprol.  Now I have to good back tonight yet and see if that has worked for the last 2/1/2 days.  I don't feel any different so I am not sure.

10/1/15 - went to campground office to get things taken care while I am gone.  I learned that they did have a standard space available for $70 less than what I was paying per month.  It is even 40 feet long and will have room for my car so that will take care of the monthly $25 fee!!  I am able to park the car in the spot already.  I then got some things put away to get ready to move the RV to the repair shop while I am gone.

10/2/15 - first thing today, I went to a truck place so that I could get a DOT sticker for next year since New York requires it.  I learned I had a small leak around a gasket so that will be repaired while at the repair shop.  I have put all my request in for repairs and they will keep the RV the two weeks that I am gone which is great.  At the present time, I am waiting for Louise who will be picking me up.  We then will head to the doctor's office and then stop off for some dinner.  I will stay at her house tonight and she will take me to the trolley station in the morning which I will head for the Amtrak stations to meet Aunt Esther at the LA airport and head out to the ship.  Therefore, there will be no blogs until I return in the evening on 10/18.

09/28/15 -  On 9/25, I caught up with a dear friend of my named Judy.  We had not seen each other for quite some time. We had mexican food for lunch and caught up with what has been happening with each of us.  It was a wonderful time

9/26 - went to a restaurant called the Melting Pot which is a fondue restaurant.  It was really nice.  There was 4 of us and we were celebrating Laura's birthday.  In attendance was Laura, Anne, Rosemary and myself.  I have attached a picture:

9/27/15 - I had lunch at an indian restaurant with a good friend/ex-employee who I also had not seen for quite some time.  We also had a wonderful visit as well.  I have attached a picture:

                                                                   Natasha and I

09/23/15 - On 9/17, I left for Denver in the afternoon.  When I arrived my friends Annie and Bob picked me up at the transit station and we went for a rib dinner.  It was delicious.  When we got back to Annie's house she noticed that one of her cats appeared not to be in normal behavior mode so we watched Wolfie a little and then she decided to check the internet and soon we decided we needed to get him some medical care.  We found a 24 hour urgent care.  After examination, it was determined that the little fellow needed to stay for the night.  There was lab work, x-ray, catheter.

9/18 - Annie was told he probably had crystals in his urine and it would take a couple of days to make sure that will clear.  We ran some errands, saw the movie "Grandma" with Lily Tomlin.  Later in the evening Annie and Boj went to the animal hospital to see how Wolfie was doing.

9/19 - We left for Pueblo at 9:00am. The trip was good and we actually had time to grab a little lunch before the 1:00pm wedding.  The wedding was very nice and I saw a lot of people.  The reception was very nice as well.  The family needed to clean up the reception room so I was able to help with some of the clean up.

09/20 - The family gather together at a sister's house for the day and some of the out of towners were there are well.  It was a nice time to relax and visit.

9/21 - Louie took me all over Pueblo to some of my old stomping grounds and it was unbelievable how things had changed.  I did recognize Aunt Ada's old house, two of my apartment complexes, and the hospital had changed so much I could not really find anything familiar.  Got to see where Louie's mother was raised and where some of the extended family members lived.  We then did some lunch with sister Deb and niece Katie.  In the evening we all got together at a Chinese restaurant for dinner.  I really had a great time.

9/22 - Paula, Deb, Mom, Louie and I left for Denver at 10:00am to catch planes to return home.  We stopped off at Castlerock to exchange some goods and Paula, Deb and Louie did some shopping, we had lunch and arrived at the airport at 3:30pm.  Louie and I were leaving 12 minutes apart and in the same terminal.  Louie has a membership to the American Airline club so we went in and relaxed a bit before leaving.    A wonderful week end has ended!!

                                               The Morrone Family - Bride's Family

09/16/15 - On 9/15, I met my financial advisor for lunch and things are good at that end for this year.
In the evening, I met Louise for Italian food.  I only had soup since I had such a big lunch.

Tonight, met my friends, Laura and Anne for dinner before I leave for Denver tomorrow.  I will not be taking the computer so I will not be blogging until I return to San Diego on 9/22.

09/14/15 - On 9/12, I went out to dinner with the managers from a former employer (Inland East).  We have known each other for about 25 years and still keep in touch.  There were 10 of us and it was a wonderful evening.  Afterwards, Stu, Betty and I stopped off at a dessert/coffee shop for some coffee (I had an ice white tea) and a piece of cake and cupcake.  Stu's birthday is on 9/13 and Betty's is on 9/19 so we were kinda celebrated their birthdays.

9/13 - I did very little.

9/14 - started my day with a doctor's appointment at 10:30am.  It was a thorough exam.  I got some lab work done, have a mammogram scheduled plus she is going to do an x-ray on the right knee since I have been having some pain in that knee.  I am sure it is arthritis but she wants to be sure.  I lost the battle today with my blood pressure.  It has slowly been going up and today I ended up having to start meds.  I made they take the pressure twice but it was still the same (180/98!!).  So I have to go back in two weeks to have it checked again to see if the low dose is sufficient.  I sure hope so.  As I was running some errands, I remembered that I was suppose to get a stool collection kit and my prolia shot so I ended driving back to the office for the rest of my stuff!!  Prolia is for my osteoarthritis/osteopenia.  Oh well, the trials of getting OLD!!

09/12/15 - On 9/9,  I invited Louise over for dinner and it was a rather hot day so with my baking some chicken, the RV got quite warm but we survived.

9/10 - I went to the office to see the dermatologist because I had some spots on my face.  They have completely changed the office around but I did see some familiar faces.  I had packed a lunch and after my visit, I decided to go to the beach thinking that it might be a little cooler but it really wasn't.  I did put my umbrella up and sat and enjoyed my book and the waves for about two hours.

Tonight plans are to go out with some old friends for dinner.

9/7/15 - On 9/2,  I rested and then went out for Mexican food with a friend, Louise.

9/3 - I just ran a few errands that included the post office and grocery store.

9/4 - I met with Mark to discuss some minor repairs for the RV and to put on an electric awning.  It was determined that he would accept the RV on 10/2 and keep it until I return from the cruise on 10/18 which is perfect so I only have to stay with friends for two nights.  Around the corner from his RV repair shop is also a large truck repair shop and they can do my DOT sticker the same day.  Louise invited me over for dinner.

9/5 -   I was invited over to Anne and Laura's place for a celebration since Anne's father has retired.
All of Anne's siblings and some of the family members were in attendance.  It was so good to see her brother from Tucson and her Mom and Dad again.  It was a lovely evening.

9/6- Did not do anything but tried to remove tar from my car but have been unsuccessful so far so will stop off at a auto store to ask some more questions.  I did wash my windows.

Today, I went with Sharon and Dave (Sharon was a former co-worker) and we went down to the bay and took in the Festival of Tall Sail Ships.  It was really interesting and we did a lot of walking.

I have attached a picture:

                                           The brown spot in back is a new ship replica
                                                    of the San Salvador

09/01/15 - Today I left San Bernadino at 10:45am.  The traffic was fairly heavy on both the 215 and 15 freeways and also there was an accident for I did not get to the campground until 1:05pm.  By the time, I got checked in and backed into the spot myself it was close to 2:00pm.  There was a nice breeze so it was not near as hot, so decided to just hook everything up.  I then had a late lunch, made a few phone calls, took a shower and now plan to do NOTHING since it has been a busy day.  It feels good to be parked now for a while.

08/31/15 - On 8/29, I made dinner and had Lina and Eric over.  We did a lot of visiting and then played Phase 10.  It was a nice evening.  The days have been so hot that my air conditioner could not even keep up so have been running a fan as well.

8/30 - Lina came over around noon and then around 3:00pm, Ramiro and his family came over since they wanted to see the RV.  We then went to IN-OUT hamburger place for dinner.  It was really a nice afternoon and early evening.

Today, I have started to secure things again since plans are to leave for San Diego tomorrow around 11:00am.  I only have about a 2 1/2 hour drive.  Otherwise a quiet day.

8/28/15 - On 8/27, I went to dinner with some of my little people friends.  I had such a good time with all of them.  It was a wonderful evening of renewing our friendships.

Once again today it is rather hot so have not done much.  There is a little bit of a breeze so has made it tolerable.  I have attached several pictures of the friends:

                                             Ramiro and David

Lina, myself and Brittney (Lina's daughter)

Emily (Ramiro's wife), son Emilio and sister Mia

Also, added information, David in the first picture is Brittney's father.

8/27/15 - I ran some errands today and now am sitting by the office under a shaded picnic area because there is a little bit of a breeze but still warm at 102 degrees.  I also can use their WIFI when I am this close to the office so it will save some of mine.  I am attaching a picture where I am parked but it really doesn't show how close I am to the trees. Oh, well:

San Bernadino RV Resort

8/26/15 - On 8/25, I left the Walmart parking lot in Bakersfield, CA but forgot to check the time.   I stopped to get some gas so I would not have to worry about that and then it was 10:00am when I left there.  I had less than 200 miles to San Bernadino but had another mountain pass to go through called the grapevine.  Coming in from the north I did have to drive in some of the LA traffic but all in all it was good.  I finally got to the RV park but could not find the entrance since everything was gated and I would not have been able to get the RV and car off the middle of the street.  I parked in the middle (a turning lane) and asked how to get turned around and if they could keep the gate open.  I did turn around and the gate was open but closed before I could even get close so we had to re-open it and I finally got in, registered, got the car off, checked out my spot which is very tight against two trees and had to move it a little to get the bedroom slide out.   The office was not very helpful in helping me park in the space so it took a while but I did it all on my own.

Today, Lina (Rich's daughter) is coming over for lunch since she wants to see where I am parked.  She was very apprehensive about San Bernadino and now I know why but it will work for the week. I will post a picture later since I am sitting behind the office in a picnic area to use their WIFI so I can save some of my WIFI.

8/24/15 - The previous week end was uneventful.  I did make a chicken baked lunch for David and I and we played some cards afterwards.  On Sunday, I went to his house for lunch and we had lasagna which was very good.

Today, I left the campground at 11:00am and the first 65 miles were fairly intense since I was on a two lane road and coming down the mountain region I had many hills to climb, down hill and then curvy but I got to the 99 south and soon stopped at a truck stop for some lunch.  I then arrived at the Walmart in Bakersfield, CA around 4:45pm.  I drove most of the parking lot before I found a fairly even spot so I would not have to level her for the night.  It has been very warm but tonight is suppose to hit 72 degrees but not until midnight so not sure how much sleep I will be getting.

08/21/15 - On 8/19, David had a coupon for Subway (that just opened in town) so we both got foot longs and save one for a picnic at Rainbow Pools on 8/20.  I had planned to do laundry but got too lazy.

8/20, we went to Rainbow Pools which is a creek that still has running water and flows over a big rock which causes a water falls and pool.  People swim in the pool and jump off the top of the rock.  It was interesting to watch.  We sat on a rock and had lunch.

Today, I am getting ready to do laundry and then plan to have dinner at David's house around 5:00 pm.  I have the ingredients to make a banana cream pie so will take that over.  Thanks goodness it has cooled down a little and in the morning it is really cool so only need to run the air conditioner in the late afternoon because when the sun goes down, it is quite comfortable.  I am attaching a picture of the site I am sitting on:

                                           Yosemite Pine RV Resort

08/18/15 - Around 10:00am David came over to the RV with my rocking chair and picture. We chatted for a while and then decided we needed to cool off so went out for lunch, he needed something at "The Barn" (kinda like a thrift shop) and I needed to mail some letters and cards. We then stopped off at the Library because they have free WiFi and did some computer work since it was cool there as well.  It is 99 degrees right now but does not seem as hot as yesterday but I am not having to work in the sun.  Plan to have dinner with him at his house tonight. It was good to see him.

08/18/15 - On 8/17 I left the parking lot in Sacramento around 9:00am since I was not sure how long the drive was and I wanted lots of time to get hooked up and settled in.  I had a great drive until the last 10 miles into Groveland because I had to climb a mountain with the road narrow and very curvy. At times I would only go 15 to 20 miles an hour because I did want to make all the curves and then of course there were other RV's and campers going the opposite way.  It was intense but I finally made it.  I arrived at 11:45am.  It took quite a while for the office to find a spot because I wanted to be in the shade.  I was informed they had cable but was not the best so I also wanted to be sure and have enough of an opening for my satellite dish to find a satellite.  Maintenance decided that the one we finally agreed on was not big enough but we decided to go check and then decided it was big enough so they helped me back the RV in and then I started to set up.  It was 107 degrees and my hook ups were all in the sun so I soon decided that I would just hook up electric for now.  I then sat in the shade for awhile and then hooked up the water.  I got the fan out and sat right in front of it for a while.  I thought I would eat lunch before I did any else but I was so hot that all I wanted to do is drink and drink.  I soon decided to hook up the sewer pipe, drain the black water and rinse out the tank.  Then I rested again.   I decided everything else can wait and I took a cool shower, got comfortable and at 3:30pm decided to make some dinner (mac and cheese). I had several phone calls to make to soon learn that I had very LITTLE phone reception and needed to face the west and hold the phone in one spot.  Then even with that, the calls would drop and I would have to call back.  Texting is working so I guess for the week, I will be doing more texting.  Internet is a little weak but it is working.

08/16/15 - Today I left Walmart at Winnemucca, Nevada about 9:15am.  I knew the drive would be a little bit more difficult after I hit the California border since there was a large pass I had to go over although it was a freeway.  One of the things I did forget was that I was traveling on a Sunday and there was of course a bit more traffic.  I did stop on the Nevada side for gas at a truck stop and had planned to eat lunch there when I soon discover it was extremely busy and there was really no place to park and I knew about 40 more miles there was a rest area but on top of the mountain.  The climb was significant but I did OK.  So I had lunch and took a little walk around since there was a small pond in the area and sat in the shade since it was getting quite warm.  I took off and started down the mountain and most of it was a 5%  to 6% grade so I put it in low gear to save the brakes but then we had a huge traffic jam twice on our way down.  Not sure what happened but then everyone was braking. When I got into Sacramento, there really was alot of traffic and sometimes I had to exit off the left and then the next time to the right and it seemed I was always having to change lanes but I survived.  I got to the Walmart to learn that it was part of a large shopping center so I found an empty lot next door and parked and walked the Walmart parking lot to see if I could find something but no way so decided to stay in the empty parking lot across the street.  That parking lot was slanted down and I would have had to try and level the RV with the car attached so I decided to go across to parking lots that also was totally empty and I found a place under a tree that is much more on the level side.  I just noticed that two semi trucks have parked where I was earlier but no one is near me so hopefully I won't get a knock on the door!!  Security has been driving around all night so I really don't think there will be a problem.  It is still 98 degrees in here although by the window I do have a little breeze.  It is suppose to go down to 65 degrees but not until 4:00am!!

08/15/15 - I left Twin Falls about 9:30am.  Got gas at a shell station to learned that Route 93 toward Wells, Nevada intersected at the shell station.  It was almost too easy.  As soon as I got on the road of course the rear tire pressure gauge had to go off and buzz and buzz and buzz.  I tried to tap it while driving but to no avail.  I hit a slight bump in the road and then the gauge worked.  It will drive me crazy until I can get it repaired in San Diego since I am planning to put the RV in the shop for other minor repairs.  Today was a good trip since the road was mostly straight.  I did have to go over a pass but was not bad.  I spent more time at a rest stop for lunch since I did not realize that I was going to be in another time zone and I did not want to get to Walmart in Winnemucca, Nevada too early. I did get to Walmart by 4:00pm.  I read maps to see where rest stops were for lunch tomorrow and where to stop in Sacramento for the evening.  I will only have about 115 miles to the campground in Groveland but it does not look like an easy route! Off to bed.

08/14/15 - I left Corvallis, Montana this morning at 9:45am.  Onita helped to attach the car to the RV and sent me off with a hug.  It was going to be a long day since I would be traveling on a two lane highway all the way.  I had to go over a mountain pass, and then follow a very curvy river but it went fairly well.  I decided to get gas at a Texaco station and when I pulled in, the pump I was on was very very slow and so we tried the pump right next to it since the hose would reach and it was no better.  I only got 14 gallons in but I was over half full anyway but thought I would fill up since there were only little towns all the way to Twin Falls, Idaho.  Anyway, the owner then informed me that the two diesel pumps up and on the side were very fast and I should be able to make it between the post but I was not convinced.  He did help me and I and I got to the pump only to learn that it did not work either.  To get me out of this mess and miss the post that were only inches from the RV, he had to direct me straight out and into a tree and then I made a sharp left and the guy had to move the garage cans to get me out of the mess!!  Needless to say, I was a little upset.  I then decided I had enough gas to get to Twin Falls. On the way, I encountered two thunderstorms and they both rained really hard and so I was looking for a place to pull off but of course there wasn't any until I drove out of the rain!! There was also a rather large brush fire by the side of the road but I think the thunderstorm might have helped that one because when I passed by everything was out but the fire department was still there in full force.  I arrived at the Walmart at 5:45pm.  Found a great parking space, went to do a little shopping, called my brother for his birthday and now plan to call it a day after this blog.  Oh, yes and we just finished with a nice thunderstorm but very little wind and just a little rain so it was all good.

08/13/15 - I had meant to blog every day since I returned to Montana and I see the last time was on 8/5.

8/6 & 8/7 - Just spent time with Aunt Ada, ran errands if necessary and then we tried to find a pattern for her to make a pillow out of some of Uncle Lee's ties.  We stopped off at a quilt shop but did not have any luck.  We made several phone calls but then I did research on the Internet and finally I did find one for her.

8/8 - we did some laundry since I wanted to have mostly clean clothes when I returned back to Montana.

8/9 - we went to church and then we had a delicious lasagna dish, vegetables and pumpkin pie.

8/10 - we went over to Glencroft to pick up some quilting pieces for Aunt Ada to quilt.  It was nice since I had never been there. Aunt Ada drove around and showed me the place.

8/11 - Robyn and I left at 9:00am for the airport since I was heading back to Montana.  There was a thunderstorm that went through near the airport so we were delayed about an hour out of Phoenix to Salt Lake City, Utah.  I had a two hour lay over so I knew I was OK but there were a lot that were going to miss their connecting flight.  When I got to Salt Lake City, I decided not to mess around and go to the gate since it was in another terminal.  When I got to the gate, I learned that it was overbooked and they were they still needed two volunteers to give up their seats.  I then called Onita in Montana since she was my ride and she was very kind and told me it did not matter what time I came in.  So I volunteered.  I had been schedule to depart at 3:35pm and arrive in Missoula at 5:07pm.  Sure enough, they used my seat, so I was on standby for the 4:50pm flight getting in a little after 9:00pm and then I had a reserved seat for the 9:50pm flight getting in at 11:15pm.  Of course the first flight was full so I ended up on the 9:50pm flight.  I got a meal voucher for $15.00 and a Delta voucher for $600 that I have the whole year to use.  I was quite the happy camper!!

8/12  and today,  worked on getting the RV ready for travel since I will be leaving tomorrow around 9:00am and hopefully make it to Pocatello, Idaho or Twin Falls, Idaho.  It kinda depends on which route I take because one is a little easier driving but more miles and the other route has more curves and a more narrow road.  So will wait and see.

8/05/18 - On 8/3 Robyn came over for lunch.  She made a huge salad and I ate alot since I had another huge fracture in my upper denture and then off to the dentist at 1:00pm.  We then stopped off at vital statistics to purchase some death certificates.  I had made some phone calls to help Robyn so got an appointment with social security administration and Uncle Lee was getting a benefit from an employment in Colorado so we had to notify them as well.  In the evening, Aunt Ada and I had split pea soup and a smoothie since I was on soft food.

8/4 - I had a dentist appointment at 10:00am to pick up the repaired denture.  Robyn and I then stopped off at Walmart and Robyn stayed for lunch.  I had a nice chat with my friend Kari early in the evening and then with my friend Neal later in the evening.

Today, a friend of Aunt Ada's stopped by and visited for about 45 minutes and then Aunt Ada and I ran some errands before Robyn came over for lunch.  We are still eating a lot of leftovers from the week end but the refrigerator is getting better.

8/2/15 - On 7/30 at 6:00pm we had a well attended memorial service for Uncle Lee.  It was a well planned service.  Robyn (his daughter) had a great speech that took us down memory lane and made us more aware of his life including all of his accomplishments.  The service was beautiful. We had a little reception afterwards and a granddaughter already that evening had to return to Dallas. I did know more people than I thought I would know.  It was wonderful.

7/31 - A son and granddaughter left early in the morning to return home, my brother Daniel and Aunt Esther left in the afternoon. We then still had  a son Ron and his wife Teresa and Uncle Allen and his wife Connie so we played some games.  It was a good evening.

8/1 - Ron and Teresa had a 5:00am flight and Uncle Allen and Connie had a early afternoon flight.  The house was quiet and we relaxed and watched some TV.  Daughter Robyn then went home and Aunt Ada and I went to bed.  I did read by book for a short time.

Today, we relaxed, went to a steak house for lunch and also relaxed at Robyn's house.  We are now home and I am getting some computer work done.

7/30/15 - On 7/26, I went to church with cousin Onita.  We came home and made dinner and then sat and talked and talked.   I had also learned that early morning, that my Uncle Lee Schlabach had passed away, so we started to look for tickets for me to go to Phoenix.  Since he had donated his body to science, I was told that the memorial service would be held later but I soon learned that because of many various family schedules, it was much better to arrange a memorial service right away.  So I spent many an hour trying to find the best deal.

7/27 - I learned that the memorial service was planned for 7/30 so knew I had better get a ticket soon.  We did some more research and I soon had a ticket leaving Wednesday afternoon.  

7/28 - Onita's son Shay had a doctor's appointment in Missoula (about 50 miles) north so I went with them for the ride.  Onita and also stopped off at the dairy queen.  It was great.  She had a school board meeting that evening so I got to packing some clothes to get ready to leave the next day.

7/29 - I finished my packing and decided to do some dishes but since it has been rather chilly in the morning,  I had a little heater going, the TV going and decided to run the mircowave for a little hot water and soon  I had no electricity!!  Stan (Onita's husband) came by, we did some elimination regarding what could be the problem to soon learned that I must have tripped the breaker.  Sure enough so now I know what that outlet can handle!!  Anyway, we sat on the front porch and did some visiting, had some lunch and then off to the airport.  Onita drove my car since Stan wanted to change the oil in her car.  I took off for Salt Lake at 5:50pm.  Got to Salt Lake and since I was on a small commuter flight, I had a LONG walk to the terminal to learned that I had to walk two more terminals before I would be at gate C-12!!  I did not have any time to be slow but did get to the gate before they started to board.  I was able to change my seat assignment so I could have a window seat which was great.  We got into Phoenix on time and I met up with my brother Daniel from Delaware and my Aunt Esther from Cleveland.  We all were picked up by cousins Rick and Robyn.

7/30 - today is the memorial service at 6:00pm and I am writing this at 3:00pm.  Since everyone is traveling from the east and with time changes, everyone is resting so decided to write a little.

07/25/15 - On 7/22, I did some chores around the RV to getting to pull out on Thursday before noon, otherwise a very quiet day.

On 7/23, I got up and put things away, closed up all of the water, sewage and electric to get ready to head for Bozeman, Montana.  I moved the car out of the way and pulled the RV to the other side of the campground so I could hook up the car.  Everything went well and I pulled out at 11:00am.  I had kinda mapped everything out in my head but decided to put the Walmart address in Bozeman in the GPS.  I drove through construction, lots of wind and some rain and then got to a "T" in the road, the GPS stated to go left and I did but learned later I should have gone right to get to I-90 faster.  I drove some windy roads and finally got to I-90 to learn that I had missed the rest stop where I had planned to have lunch so had to drive a ways to the next rest stop.  Finally, got some lunch at 2:00pm.  I got to Bozeman and knew the Walmart was right off of the freeway but the GPS kept telling me to go to the right so I totally missed the Walmart on the left.  Anyway, drove about a mile out of the way until I found a parking lot big enough to turn around.  Got to the the Walmart and there were at least 10 other RV's already there but I did find a spot and settled in.  I decided to do some reading, crocheting and have dinner while it was daylight.  All of a sudden it got dark and we had a nice thunderstorm and it rained hard enough on one side to clean the car up a little which was great. I then decided when it got a little darker, I would post and play computer games since I did not need much light. Well, I got this huge post ready to publish and I lost my mouse and so could not publish, save it or do anything but shut down.  Well, shutting down did not work either so I ended up going to bed instead.

On 7/24, I got up, called my friend Jesse to see what happened to my mouse, he asked for pictures of the keyboard and in the process, I started hitting my "F" buttons and I got the mouse back but then  I needed to leave for Missoula to meet cousin Onita since I would be at their house for the week.  She actually lives about 50 miles south but was in town for the day, so we met at the Walmart and I followed her to her house.  As I left Bozeman and got on the freeway, all of a sudden an alarming buzzing sound came on and the rear tire pressure gauge stated "0" pressure.  I knew that I did not have a flat tire but knew something was wrong.  In the 8 miles I drove to the truck stop where I planned to get diesel, the gauge moved about three times and then completely over to 130 pounds of pressure!!  I did get the diesel and right across the street was a truck tire shop so I had the pressure checked on all the tires and everything was fine so decided it was the gauge but knew it would be a horrible ride.  I hit the gauge with my knuckle several times and it has been working ever since!!

Onita and I got to her house, we unhooked the car and back the RV up against her house and I got plugged in so I am all set for the week.  Last night we sat around a pit fire in the back yard facing a beautiful mountain range.  It was wonderful.

Today, we went to a farmer's market, got some tomatoes which have a great flavor.  She was looking for spinach but learned there was none for the rest of this season.  The had some craft things there as well but we just looked.  She needed to do some grocery shopping and we returned home and had lunch on the back patio and all of a sudden deer came out of the corn field and wandered through the hay field.  It was wonderful.  

07/21/15 - On 7/20, I went downtown Cody, walked around the main street and then did a trolley tour.  It was for an hour and they had a lot of history but I had visited some of the places that they hit so some of it was boring.  We did see some downtown history that was back in the residential areas which was interesting but most interesting was how the mule deer wandered around the residential area.  We saw a big buck under the slide at an elementary school, two little fawns up against the corner of a house in the shade.  Then we drove a little farther and there were two fawns right on the sidewalk just watching some kids walk by.  It was so cute.

7/17/15 -  On 7/16, I left at 8:11am and headed for the north end of Yellowstone.  It was kinda a cool day but nice traveling since no rain.  It got a little windy on the north end but was OK.  I went to Mammoth Hot Springs and walked around the fort area for a little while.  I found the herd of elk taking a break in a court yard so I am not sure if they were wild or not.  They made sure that everyone stayed on the sidewalk and a little distance from them.

                                            The herd of Elk

I then drove the west side of the park going home and got into major road construction and it was quite the mess.  Sure was glad when that ended.  I then stopped off at what they call the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone with upper and lower falls.  I stopped off on the upper falls.

                                                                The upper falls

After 8 hours and 50 minutes and 259 miles later, I arrived back to the campground.

Today, it is very cool and cloudy so I am staying in and taking it easy.  Since it is cool I have decided to make a peach cobbler for my dessert for the next week.

7/15/15 - On 7/14, I had to stay around the park all day since I was waiting for a repairman.  He did not call to give me any kind of time but told me, he would be here sometime on Tuesday.  I then decided to go through all of the baby yarn that I had acquired in Delaware.  My niece (Deborah- hospice nurse) was taking care of a patient who had lots and lots of yarn and quilting material so Deborah brought it back to her house and I got some various colors and lots of white.  Anyway, when I got the box out, I learned that I had another water leak.  I was so disappointed but immediately called the repair guy to add that to my list.  He did arrive, changed my plastic vent in the bathroom and then took a look at where it was leaking and tightened up the end of the pipe.  We waited for a while and NO leak.  I was grateful.  The plastic piece (vent) was a little over $21.00 but labor was $100 an hour but he was here maybe all of a half an hour!!  Oh, well I am once again all repaired.

Today, it was cool and cloudy and I had the car loaded down with all the stuff under the RV where the leak was so decided not to go anywhere. It finally dried enough for me to put everything back so now I will still plan to do the north part of Yellowstone tomorrow.

7/13/15 - This morning I got up at 7:30am and got ready to drive to Yellowstone for the day.  I decided to pack a lunch including two containers of ice tea.  I took a rain coat, umbrella, binoculars, GPS and headed out at 8:15am.  8 hours and 50 minutes and 250 miles later, I returned to the RV Park.  It was a long tiring day but I saw a lot of things.  It was not far before I saw 4 bisons on the edge of the road.  In fact, I thought one was going to cross but he didn't.  Later, I saw a deer at the edge of the road and also saw two very cute little fawns.  Most of the time we drove about 40 to 45 miles per hour but I got to Old Faithful at 11:34am to learn that she was scheduled to go off around 12:10pm.  So I ate half of my sandwich and some crackers while waiting.  She erupted at 12:06pm instead.

                                                             Old Faithful

                                                          Watching the aftermath

On the way back, I went a different way which was a little longer but wanted to see more territory.  I saw many bisons grazing in the meadows.  Because it was hard to stop to take a picture, I did get one but they are kinda far away.  I also stopped off at a beautiful water fall and  a hot spring that was making all kinds of noice from the opening but was only steam and no water.  It was a very good day and the weather was good.  Right now the wind has arrived and it has cooled down but I don't think we will get any rain.  I am off to bed early.

7/11/15 - Well since that worked I am going to try two more.  Today, I went to Buffalo Bill Dam.  That was quite interesting.  I then toured a old western town that they re-located the buildings and put them all together.  It included Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid had spent some time in some of the house the saloon.  I will attach a picture of the dam and a picture of the old town:

                                                             The Dam is at the bottom of
                                                                      picture

                                            A row of the houses and saloon in old town                                      

7/11/15 - I am not sure that I am going to be able to get this picture on but I am going to give it a try:

                                             Parked in Cody, Wyoming

07/09/15 - It was rather chilly in Casper, Wyoming so I got up early and left at 8:00am.  All of the driving today was on a two lane highway but traveling went well.  I got to Cody and the campground around 12:30pm but park a little out of the way since the car was not running.  I learned there is a maintenance man on duty.  He informed me that he was watering the space I was scheduled into but in the meantime,  I unhooked the car and he jumped it.  I then drove around town for almost an hour to get the battery to charge.  At 2:15pm,  I was able to pull into my spot.  I am at the end of the row but it is very busy with traffic.  The campground is rather large but well kept.  Since I am here during the peak season, everything is rather expensive so plan to make the best of it and enjoy since I am not planning to revisit Yellowstone.  I got a name of a mobile repair man so will find out if he can replace the vent in the bathroom.  Plans are to get some rest tonight and maybe not plan much tomorrow and then outline my Yellowstone experience the first of next week.  I was going to attach a picture but am doing something wrong.  So will try tomorrow.

7/8/15 - This morning Annie was working from home so she was able to help me get things ready to travel.  Since she has an excellent vacuum cleaner, she decided to quickly vacuum and also treated the leather seats.  It was great and the RV is cleaner than it has been for a while.  I am not sure what time I took off but just outside of Denver it already started to rain.  Sometimes, it rained fairly hard but not enough for me to stop.  I crossed into Wyoming and stopped off at a really nice information center and got some information so I can plan my two weeks.  I was not very hungry so had one of Annie's brownies and a glass of milk.  I then drove just a few miles and decided to stop for diesel since it was only $2.39 a gallon!! I had over a quarter of a tank but was not sure when the next service would be.  Since I had someone behind me waiting, I decided to pull out and then paid the bill.  When I started the engine, my heart almost stopped because the engine light came on but the stop engine light did not.  I turned everything off, went in to pay for the fuel and learned that there was a truck repair shop just down the frontage road.  When I got back in and started the engine, the light did not come on. I waited a minute and then decided to continue my journey.  The light has not come on since.

I got to the Walmart in Casper, Wyoming at 4:19pm.  Now, I was hungry so wanted something quick.  I ended up making mac and cheese and it was very good.  I then put more things away, emptied  a small bag and put it back in storage underneath the RV. Well, there was mouse food that I had inside the RV so how it got there I will never know.  When we were doing the vacuuming, Annie found a lot of mouse poop all over so who knows how many were living in the RV!!  I sure hope they are all dead by now.

I went to check the car and now I have a dead battery.  So will drive to campground tomorrow and see ifsomeone has a car I can use because I have jumper cables but if not I will call AAA.  It had not been driven very much the past 7 weeks but this morning it was fine.  I started work and heard a shrieking noise to learn that my battery needed to be changed in my smoke alarm.  Lucky I was able to reach it by standing on the dining table!!  Now, I have ran the generator for an hour so am getting ready to go to bed.  I believe I have about 230 miles but none of it is interstate so will take longer.

For a while during the traveling it was only 53 degrees but in Casper it was not raining and was 65 degrees.  The RV had 75 degrees and right now it is still 72 degrees so hopefully won't be totally frozen by the morning.

7/7/15 - On 7/5, Annie, Boj and I drove out to the storage place to bring the RV back and park in front of a neighbors house for several days.  Annie drove back with me and when I got there Boj and Mike (the neighbor) decided that I should park next to their house.  They have been talking about buying an RV but never knew if it would fit next to the house.  I am happy to say my fit.

7/6 - I started to move things from their house back into the RV.  They had kept all my freezer and refrigerator food.  I tried and tried to start the hot water heater since I had some dishes to wash but it just would not catch on.  I gave up and decided I need to repair that as soon as I got to Cody, Wyoming when something hit me and I realized that I had turned off the propane while the RV was in storage.  So turned the propane on and I have HOT water.

Today, I emptied my suitcase, did some dishes, put more things away and I should be ready to pull out tomorrow morning.

7/4/15 - On 7/3, My sister Rachel and I left her house at 2:55am to meet up with friends of hers that were traveling to the Rochester, New York airport and since it is quite a distance, I decided to travel with them instead of having my sister make the trip 4 hours later.  The driver did over sleep and we did not leave their house until 3:40am.  There flight was out at 5:15am but the airport is small and they did OK.   I found a couch to settle into and slept for about an hour and half and then went to the counter to see if I could get a better schedule but soon learned it would cost me another 25,000 miles to make any changes so just waited it out.  We left Rochester at 9:38am and arrived in Philadelphia at 10:55am.  I then found the gate, found some food and got the computer out to past time since I was not leaving until 3:30pm.  We left at 3:30pm and arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina at 5:00pm.  After arriving, I soon learned that my flight to Denver was delayed by one hour due to mechanical problems in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  So we finally left Charlotte at 9:15pm and arrived in Denver at 10:45 but until I had luggage, Annie and I finally got back to her house a little before midnight.

Today, we are taking it easy.  Annie is making baked beans and brownies to take to a cook out across the street.  I have been invited so plan to attend.  Not sure when we are going to check out the RV but not until Sunday afternoon or I will go by myself on Monday and then will know my schedule for Yellowstone.

7/2/15 - On 7/1, my sister and I babysat grandchildren in the morning, made some lunch for the family and then we ran errands all afternoon.  We caught up with a son (Peter) and his wife and went for dinner at the Crow's Nest.  It was really good.  While, there it poured rain and so between the heavy rain, we ran for the car.  I have attached a picture:

                                            At the Crow's Nest (Ivan, Rachel, Peter)
                                            could not get Lawanda on picture

7/2/15 - Wow, it has been a while since I last wrote so of course I am not going to remember everything but will write what I remember.

6/23 - I was invited to a birthday party for Aileen Warfel at her daughter's house.  My nephew Weston came and picked me up.  We had a delicious meal and ended up eating inside since a big rain storm was brewing.  It was great to see another nephew (Jay) and his family that were vacationing at a Delaware beach.  It was a fun evening.

6/26 - Daniel, Mary Ann and I left for Waterloo, New York for a family reunion.  We had a great trip up but found New York cold and rainy.  We had pizza on Friday night and quite a few of the family came in.  We build a fire in a fire ring and had a pleasant evening.

6/27 - We think we had about 63 people for Saturday lunch and did a barbecued chicken menu with all the fixings.  Some gathered around to visit, some played a corn hole game and the younger kids played a lot of volleyball.  One family had to leave so there was a little less for the Saturday evening sub sandwiches meal.

6/28 - Since I have been fighting a cold, I decided not to go to church and take it a little easy.  We then had a large lunch meal and some of the families where starting to depart for home or other destinations.

6/29 - Some of my sister's (Rachel) family came over since we had a lot of hamburgers and hot dogs left and we had another cook out by the fire ring.  I have attached a picture:

                                              The fire ring cook out

06/23/15 - Since my last post, my brother's (Daniel) household has been quite busy.  We had calling hours scheduled on Friday 6/19 and then the funeral on 6/20.  The two nephews (Raphael & Lemuel) and their spouses and children all traveled back to Delaware for the funeral but the stay was extremely short but so good to see them again.

06/22 - since my brother is still and Christina (niece) and her husband were off of work, we decided to take a ferry ride from Lewes, Delaware to Cape May, New Jersey as a family outing.  It was really alot of fun.  The ride was 85 minutes each way.  It was beautiful and we saw quite a few dolphins.  We then went out for dinner before we returned home.  It was very interesting.  I have attached a few pictures:

                                               Cape May, New Jersey

                                        Brother Daniel, Mary Ann, Charis (granddaughter)

6/17/15 - on 6/16, I picked the last batch of peas and did a little weeding in the garden.  Went with Mary Ann to take care of electric account and then did some grocery shopping.  In the afternoon, she left for the nursing home to spend time with her mother.  We soon learned that her mother was deteriorating and by 10:10pm she was able to leave this old world and join her family and friends in heaven.

Today, Mary Ann is very busy helping to make funeral arrangements and I plan to pull out the pea plants and do a lttle weeding in the garden.  It has been rather warm but today there is a little wind so I will be OK for a short time.

6/13/15 - On 6/12, I picked some more peas and since the spinach was going to seed,  I pulled those plants out as well.  Did a little weeding in the lima bean patch and then decided it was too hot.  We have decided to let the asparagus patch go to seed for next year. We then decided to go out for a steak dinner at the Texas Roadhouse and it was delicious.

Today, I helped my brother (Daniel) store some bales of hay that had been baled off of his field on Thursday.  He gave me explicit instructions and we got the job done.  I am attaching two pictures:

Getting my instructions.

 My new career!

6/9/15 - It is time to update.  My brother's family had planned a family vacation from 6/3 to 6/7 in a cabin in Pennsylvania but due to my sister-in-law's (Mary Ann) whose mother is gravely ill the plans were changed to have the vacation in Delaware so Mary Ann could spend lots of time with the family but also precious time with her mother.  It was a great 5 days and lots of activities that included 4 grandchildren ages 3,4,5,6. The house was very full but a wonderful time and I got the privilege of being a part of this vacation.  Sunday afternoon we put the house back in order and then just rested.  Ended the day with watching some exciting basketball.  Last night I did help Daniel (brother) get the chicken house ready for little chicks that will be arriving on Thursday (6/11).  My niece was watching women's world soccer so I watched the post game information.

6/1/15 - I honestly can't believe that it is June already.  On 5/28 in the evening, I decided to tag alone with my brother's work schedule on the farm with his two chicken houses.

5/29/15 - the two chicken houses were emptied and so now we are preparing for new ones on June 11th.

5/30/15, my niece took her social work license test in Dover and I am happy to report that she passed and is not a licensed social worker and looking for a good job.

5/31/15 was uneventful and today is the same.  Just helping a little around the house.  My niece has mowed the lawn, Daniel has done some trimming and mowing as well and of course it is laundry day as well so the farm is rather busy.