Today was our 46th wedding anniversary. We didn't do anything special, other than sharing a bottle of champagne that we bought for New Years and never opened.
It was a good day, however. I've been on edge for the last couple of weeks because I found a small lump in my breast. (I had breast cancer a few years ago and went thru surgery and radiation treatments.)
I had to change doctors and medical groups when I turned 65 last November. Today I went to see a new Oncologist. From the time I discovered it and now, the lump went thru several changes that led me to believe it was a cyst. The doc agreed with this and we are going to just "keep an eye on it" for a month or so. I have a return appointment, but also the reassurance that I can be seen at any time if I feel I need it.
All of this has really "lightened" my mood. I kept telling myself not to be upset about it, but until I discussed it with the doctor I couldn't help worrying.
Also on a positive note, we picked out a cultured marble shower enclosure with a glass door, and the tile for the middle bathroom. The installer is coming tomorrow to look at the job. A big step forward! This bathroom has been torn up and non- functional for over ten years. Craig has been working on it now and then for the last two, but so many other things got in the way.
We aslo talked a little about a summer trip. In the next few days I am going to look into reserving an RV spot at Crater Lake in Oregon for a couple of weeks. Since there don't seem to be many "in the park" sites, and it is best in the high summer, it might be a good idea to try getting a reservation sooner rather than later.
Tomorrow will be another good day! I don't have cancer again!
At the Camel Farm, Julian CA
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Why I don't want to leave "stuff" in the RV.
Although the Alfa is parked at home, the trek up to her pad and the job of packing and unpacking her for a trip is not trivial, but I don't want to start buying duplicate items for house and RV. If we never planned on selling the house and living in the Alfa full time for a couple of years, I would. However I feel that to double up on stuff would be moving in a defeatist direction.
If I need it in the Alfa, I probably need it in the house. I have left one of our vacuum cleaners up there, but that is because I have three! And I have bought several things specifically for her that stay there as well. I've also left towels, some cooking equipment, and wine glasses. We have so many in the house we don't need them.
I finished the three animals that were on order, and I have to pack them tomorrow. After that, if the day is dry I want to go up to the Alfa and do some dusting. The weather has been cold and rainy since we returned and I haven't done a good post trip clean.
Craig continues working on repairs.
I'm starting to look into a short trip for the end of February. Have to give the Alfa her exercise so she stays in good diesel health.
Thats all for tonight.
Sleep well.
If I need it in the Alfa, I probably need it in the house. I have left one of our vacuum cleaners up there, but that is because I have three! And I have bought several things specifically for her that stay there as well. I've also left towels, some cooking equipment, and wine glasses. We have so many in the house we don't need them.
I finished the three animals that were on order, and I have to pack them tomorrow. After that, if the day is dry I want to go up to the Alfa and do some dusting. The weather has been cold and rainy since we returned and I haven't done a good post trip clean.
Craig continues working on repairs.
I'm starting to look into a short trip for the end of February. Have to give the Alfa her exercise so she stays in good diesel health.
Thats all for tonight.
Sleep well.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Welcome
Seems like a couple of new followers have signed on to read my posts. I hope what I write is interesting, if not amusing.
Welcome to Joe and Betty, Bob and Jo, Peter and Peggy. I look forward to reading about your RV adventures, and other thoughts!
I've been having a bit of "blog block" lately. I've written and deleted several posts because they just didn't seem interesting, nor complete.
Craig has started working on the house this week.
The number and size of jobs needing to be done is overwhelming to me.
As I look at all the painting I did last year, I see places that need to be touched up again. I know there are things I could be doing, but I don't want to have to do things twice.
Our "new" roof is almost two years old, and the "new" dishwasher and double oven we put in are going on three.
I also feel overwhelmed by all of the "things" we have. When we got back from our trip and I brought all of the stuff we had taken along back into the house, it seemed I was returning it to overstuffed cupboards and closets. I don't want any of it!
Someday ...
Welcome to Joe and Betty, Bob and Jo, Peter and Peggy. I look forward to reading about your RV adventures, and other thoughts!
I've been having a bit of "blog block" lately. I've written and deleted several posts because they just didn't seem interesting, nor complete.
Craig has started working on the house this week.
The number and size of jobs needing to be done is overwhelming to me.
As I look at all the painting I did last year, I see places that need to be touched up again. I know there are things I could be doing, but I don't want to have to do things twice.
Our "new" roof is almost two years old, and the "new" dishwasher and double oven we put in are going on three.
I haven't done much since the day I "gave up" last May. Hopefully, now that he is home, I can be of help to Craig.
I also feel overwhelmed by all of the "things" we have. When we got back from our trip and I brought all of the stuff we had taken along back into the house, it seemed I was returning it to overstuffed cupboards and closets. I don't want any of it!
Someday ...
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Art Work and Parking
First off welcome Jackie, my latest follower. Seems like a gal after my own heart, wants to travel but has a art/craft that involves lots of materials! WE will figure it out!
I'm feeling pretty good today. I was able to put in a solid morning of work on several animal head sculptures. I had an order for a Polar Bear before Christmas that I promised for February shipment, and got orders for a Moose and a Deer while we were gone. January is often a slow month, so these were an unexpected bonus.
Thoughts about our trip continued:
I'm learning that each couple, or individual, has to find their own way of doing things. Some say there are "pink" jobs and "blue" jobs, or if solo "all" jobs. But as I read about other couples, I have learned that some men do most of the cooking, and some women do most of the driving. There is no "only" way.
It seems for most couples, the man is the driver and the woman is the ground crew giving directions. If you have followed my blog for a while, you know we have an unusually difficult home parking situation, and although we did manage to get the Alfa parked four times before Christmas it was not without mishap, nor great strain on our relationship.
So this time we tried reversing our roles. Craig drove down the short but curvy part of our road, and got the Alfa backed into the first 37 feet or so of the driveway. It took a couple of tries, but he did it. However, but the time we got it that far I was getting frazzled. So we stopped, and changed places. It turns out Craig is much better at giving directions, and I am much better at taking them. The result was we got her parked and were not upset with each other.
Still not an easy job, but a neighbor who had watched us before happened to be walking his dogs on the road and declared we were getting to be "experts!"
Last fall one of our friends, who is a retired Navy pilot, told us that in parking a large plane a pilot must do only what the ground crew signals him to do. He must not try to drive the plane himself. That's what I did and it worked.
I don't mind this role reversal, but Craig can keep doing the dumping and power connections!
Who does what in your rig?
I'm feeling pretty good today. I was able to put in a solid morning of work on several animal head sculptures. I had an order for a Polar Bear before Christmas that I promised for February shipment, and got orders for a Moose and a Deer while we were gone. January is often a slow month, so these were an unexpected bonus.
Thoughts about our trip continued:
I'm learning that each couple, or individual, has to find their own way of doing things. Some say there are "pink" jobs and "blue" jobs, or if solo "all" jobs. But as I read about other couples, I have learned that some men do most of the cooking, and some women do most of the driving. There is no "only" way.
It seems for most couples, the man is the driver and the woman is the ground crew giving directions. If you have followed my blog for a while, you know we have an unusually difficult home parking situation, and although we did manage to get the Alfa parked four times before Christmas it was not without mishap, nor great strain on our relationship.
So this time we tried reversing our roles. Craig drove down the short but curvy part of our road, and got the Alfa backed into the first 37 feet or so of the driveway. It took a couple of tries, but he did it. However, but the time we got it that far I was getting frazzled. So we stopped, and changed places. It turns out Craig is much better at giving directions, and I am much better at taking them. The result was we got her parked and were not upset with each other.
Still not an easy job, but a neighbor who had watched us before happened to be walking his dogs on the road and declared we were getting to be "experts!"
Last fall one of our friends, who is a retired Navy pilot, told us that in parking a large plane a pilot must do only what the ground crew signals him to do. He must not try to drive the plane himself. That's what I did and it worked.
I don't mind this role reversal, but Craig can keep doing the dumping and power connections!
Who does what in your rig?
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Sick in an RV
I think I will be reflecting on our first "longer" trip by writing a series of posts rather than try to digest it all in one piece. Much of what I have been thinking about writing is what I want to remember. Some is written for others who are sharing this adventure vicariously, and some is just blather.
By Monday morning I was again able to eat and except for being weak and sore I was O.K. The secretary at Alfateers said that at least 100 people had fallen ill at the rally. I bet that was just the number reported into the first aid station, and that there were at least 100 more like me that did not. She also told me that a few weeks ago she was at a family gathering in the area and 10 of the 60 people got sick. One went to the hospital and was told there is a new strain of flu going around, and her doctor called it the Riverside County Flu. So maybe it wasn’t “food born.” The good thing was that it ran its worst course in about 12 hours. Plus a couple of days of mild discomfort.
What I learned:
1. Getting sick in an RV is no worse than getting sick at home. Sick is sick.
2. The bathroom is closer in an RV than in any house!
3. In a class A, the couch is also a bed.
4. An air freshener would have been good to have, but running all fans full force for awhile can make the sick room smell better. In general Craig and I both dislike artificial sprays or deodorants. But it might be a good idea to try a few to find one that is tolerable for this type of emergency.
5. Carry a small bottle of bleach for clean up.
6. Use the sanitizing hand wipes! Just having them is not enough.
7. Pepto-bismol does nothing other than make things more colorful.
And last:
All members of the team should be comfortable driving.
When we left Alfateers Service center on Monday morning Craig was just starting to feel a bit queasy. Since we had dry camped for six nights we were out of water and needed to dump. We had to get to our next full hook up location, two hours away, as quickly as possible.
Craig started to drive because although I was better, I still felt weak and tired. After about an hour he had to pull off at an exit, set the brake, put it in park, and leave the driver's seat for a dash to the back. Because I had been taking turns as the driver, I was able to take over and maneuver through an unknown, semi-busy city area and get us safely back onto the freeway, and on to Santa Barbara.
I would not have wanted this to have been my first time driving! If I hadn't been able to take the wheel, we would have been stranded on a busy exit of the L.A. freeway system! Not good.
So my message to all of you "partners" is share the driving. Make a point of driving part of every trip. You don't have to start with backing up or winding country roads, but you should be comfortable with all of those different controls, especially on the diesels. Because I drove into the park for the pre-rally, the subject of women driving came up. Several women told me that either they were afraid to drive, or that their husbands wouldn't let them drive.
Ladies, most of us have had babies!
We CAN drive large RVs.
Besides it's fun...
We left the rally grounds early Sunday, but not without catching the “bug” that was going around. I became very sick about 9:00 PM. I won’t go into the details, but it was much like what we called the “24 hour flu” when I was a kid! Maybe I don’t have the resilience that I had back then, but this sure took me down. I was over the worst of it by morning, but rode lying down on the couch to our appointment at Alfateers so they could service our generator and install the new fuel filter that we ordered last week.
By Monday morning I was again able to eat and except for being weak and sore I was O.K. The secretary at Alfateers said that at least 100 people had fallen ill at the rally. I bet that was just the number reported into the first aid station, and that there were at least 100 more like me that did not. She also told me that a few weeks ago she was at a family gathering in the area and 10 of the 60 people got sick. One went to the hospital and was told there is a new strain of flu going around, and her doctor called it the Riverside County Flu. So maybe it wasn’t “food born.” The good thing was that it ran its worst course in about 12 hours. Plus a couple of days of mild discomfort.
What I learned:
1. Getting sick in an RV is no worse than getting sick at home. Sick is sick.
2. The bathroom is closer in an RV than in any house!
3. In a class A, the couch is also a bed.
4. An air freshener would have been good to have, but running all fans full force for awhile can make the sick room smell better. In general Craig and I both dislike artificial sprays or deodorants. But it might be a good idea to try a few to find one that is tolerable for this type of emergency.
5. Carry a small bottle of bleach for clean up.
6. Use the sanitizing hand wipes! Just having them is not enough.
7. Pepto-bismol does nothing other than make things more colorful.
And last:
All members of the team should be comfortable driving.
When we left Alfateers Service center on Monday morning Craig was just starting to feel a bit queasy. Since we had dry camped for six nights we were out of water and needed to dump. We had to get to our next full hook up location, two hours away, as quickly as possible.
Craig started to drive because although I was better, I still felt weak and tired. After about an hour he had to pull off at an exit, set the brake, put it in park, and leave the driver's seat for a dash to the back. Because I had been taking turns as the driver, I was able to take over and maneuver through an unknown, semi-busy city area and get us safely back onto the freeway, and on to Santa Barbara.
I would not have wanted this to have been my first time driving! If I hadn't been able to take the wheel, we would have been stranded on a busy exit of the L.A. freeway system! Not good.
So my message to all of you "partners" is share the driving. Make a point of driving part of every trip. You don't have to start with backing up or winding country roads, but you should be comfortable with all of those different controls, especially on the diesels. Because I drove into the park for the pre-rally, the subject of women driving came up. Several women told me that either they were afraid to drive, or that their husbands wouldn't let them drive.
Ladies, most of us have had babies!
We CAN drive large RVs.
Besides it's fun...
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Home safe and somewhat sound
Just a quick note. We got back mid afternoon Tuesday. All is well (except for us) we both got sick. I will compose some updates in a day or two.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Caravan to FMCA Rally
We were up "bright eyed and bushy tailed" Tuesday morning so that we could be part of an Alfa caravan to the FMCA Rally in Indio.
26 Alfas all in a row were a neat sight! We managed to stay somewhat together on the drive to Indio, but a few stop lights and other vehicles did disrupt the line.
When we arrived we all parked together.
When we arrived we all parked together.
The Alfa owners are a friendly group. We've had a happy hour and camp fire every evening.
We went to several seminars today, and will attend more in the next two days. Some of the information is new to us, but much seems to be much like live infomercials. It is really amazing how many products there are for RVs.
We did like "Mac the fire guy", and bought several small fire extinguishers. We also took a look at our escape window when we got back to the coach this afternoon. It's not much larger than the regular window right next to it.
I'm glad we came at this phase of our RV adventure, but I don't think we will be returning on a yearly basis.
I'm really not sure why 1500 motor homes have gathered here on this dirt lot.
All of the people we have met have been very nice. I feel we have learned much from the other Alfa owners, and hope that we can pass the spirit of helpfulness along as we travel on our own.
We went to a large gathering tonight, and heard that several of the officers are quite sick. We wonder if it was something they all ate, and are glad that except for some snacks with the Alfa owners, and a breakfast burrito this morning from one of the vendors, we have been eating our own food.
Hope it isn't a flu outbreak. There are so many really old looking people here.
I must remember to wash my hands frequently, and not drink the water!
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