To California and Back (12-26-14)

When last we spoke, which was, come to think of it, quite a while ago, Paul and I were headed from AZ to CA. And now we are back in AZ.  I will blame my lack of posts on the holidays and the fact that I haven’t felt well for the last couple of weeks. I am getting better, but my ambition to accomplish things has taken a hit.




On the way to Desert Hot Springs, we stopped in Yuma to visit our friends Steve and Carol.  Carol is a professional photographer-one who helped me choose my new camera.  On this night, she gave me tips on portrait pictures.

They also talked us into staying an extra day, so we could make a trip into Algodones Mexico for lunch. We walked across the border, shopped for a bit, then sat and had lunch in an outdoor restaurant while listening to live music.  Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.  Before we headed back across the border, we bought 3 bottles of the Mexican version of Cointreau (for Margaritas) for less than 1/3 of what we would pay in the U.S.!

Once we made it to our destination in CA, of course I got antsy to see our daughter Jess.  Since we had a free day, and so did she, we decided to make the trek into North Hollywood to see her.  2 hours later we arrived, had some lunch, did a few errands, and then started the trek back home.  Unfortunately we didn't think about the typical L.A. traffic, and it took us 4 hours to get home.  Ugh.

Soon we were off to Paul’s brother’s house for a 3 day stay for Christmas.  On Christmas Eve Paul and I went for a hike with his sister-in-law Sue.  There are actually quite a few hiking trails near their home.

Of course, Christmas is much more fun when there are young children in the house.  Paul’s nephew’s son William was the center of attention, and wide-eyed at all the new toys he got.

New toys sometimes require assembly, and that’s where Uncle Paul comes in handy. Actually, all the guys worked together to build the new trampoline.

Once it was assembled, William wanted someone to jump around with him, and Jess is the only one even light enough to stand on it, so she volunteered.

Once the projects were done, we settled in to play a game of Mexican Train.

There was a little bit of playing and a lot of laughing involved.














I sat close to the hummingbird feeder so I could try to get some decent shots, but I didn’t have too much success.

It’s pretty difficult for us to carry a hummingbird feeder, but I am thinking it might be worth the bother……..I love taking pictures of these little dudes.

Well, that was our holiday- I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Los Angeles (03-09-14)

It’s very nice having at least one of our kids living someplace that we can visit during the winter. Although Los Angeles is not our favorite place to visit- (lots of people, millions of cars, narrow roads) it’s worth it to be able to stop by on a fairly regular basis to see our daughter.

The last time we were here, we went hiking with Jess, and I figured we’d try to do that again, but the weather forecast called for temps in the mid 80s so we decided to take to the water instead.

Jess and Geoff and Paul and I headed out on a beautiful sunny day to get some kayaks. Since it was off season the kayak rental place wouldn't make a reservation, so we had to wait over an hour for the boats.

Once we had them, we paddled around the Marina Del Rey area for a while before stopping at a beach to eat the lunch we had packed.  This is the first time Jess has ever kayaked, but she did great.

We also managed to meet up with Paul’s brother Tom and his wife Sue for an evening, and we went to P.F. Chang’s for dinner.  It was my first time eating at this restaurant chain. Great food!

One more dinner out during our short visit- Jess and Geoff took us to one of their favorite restaurants-Gyu Kaku- a Japanese Barbecue. It was a bit noisy, but I really enjoyed the interesting dishes, the pace, and the cooking of parts of the meal right at the table.  Luckily they knew what they were doing, because Paul and I wouldn't have had a clue how to order from the menu.

We crammed a lot of activity into a short, 4 day visit.  Much too soon it was time to leave, and we headed north to Pismo Beach, where we’ll meet up with some friends.  Next week we land in Fresno for 6 weeks, partly to prep the truck camper for our trip to Alaska.  I’ll take advantage and fly home to Boston for a week while Paul works on some projects.

Two weeks of recovery done....

I had my 2nd post-op doctor's visit this morning.  Every time we see him he seems to change the gameplan a little.  Originally he said I had to stay put for a month, and then I could leave for a couple of weeks. Last week he said I could leave for a couple of weeks after today.  Today he said I need to come in again in 2 days and again next week- then I can leave for 3-4 weeks.  No big deal but we have to keep adjusting our plans. So now we are going to stay here for another 3 days and then leave for the other Rv park that's not too far away.
      Overall though, the surgery went awesome and my recovery is going very well. The muscles in my foot seem tense, as if they aren't working quite right.  He said that's because I haven't had much range of motion in that joint for so many years, the muscles haven't really done much work in a long time, and now they are.
        So, Paul is finishing some projects and possibly starting another one.  He may build in an electric heater into the wall so we won't have to use the portable one we have.  We have a furnace with a full heating system but many times we just need a small electric one to take the chill out of the air.
The weather has been great, although its getting a little cold at night.  Last night it was in the mid 30s. Today its in the high 50s and the sun is out.

El Paso, TX

A quick update, since I don't want to go too long without posting anything.  I am struggling to see, so there may be typos in my post. I went to an eye Dr. in December and ordered new glasses from Costco (we even had to re-join, just to be able to get the glasses.).  When I got them, they weren't right.  I wear progressive lenses, and my right eye was still blurry.  Anyway, back and forth several times, long story short, I just dropped off my new glasses again to get re-done, so I am making do with OLD glasses from about 5 years ago.  Can't see much.
The trailer is still at Camping World, apparently waiting for parts.  We'll go check on it before the weekend, just to make sure its still plugged into the electric outlet. When last we left it, it was in a site with full hook-up, but who knows if they moved it.  I want to sneak in to check on it, since I am happy for them to keep it as long as necessary.  We are just going to store it for a month anyway, and the longer they have it, the cheaper the storage will be for us.
Tom (Paul's brother) and Sue have come and gone.  It's been pretty sad around here, but it was good to have them here for a couple of days.  We didn't end up meeting with the doctor (long story) although the "original" Porters did have a conference call  with him on Saturday.  We also had a meeting with a Neurosurgeon today, and got some new  insight and feedback from him regarding Tom's condition. I think its going to be a very difficult  time here in El Paso.
Technically, Paul and I, and Jess are all still "Michiganders" and because of that, I have made dentist and doctor appointments for all of us in Michigan this spring.  Our daughter Jess also has jury duty in May, so we will pick her up from Ball State in Indiana, and head straight for Michigan, so she can fulfill her civic duty (at 20, she is pretty excited about it).
As for the near, and midterm future, Paul and I will book a last minute trip to Albuquerque in early Feb. for our anniversary.  I think we will shift the days since the superbowl is on the 7th, and we'd like to be back in El Paso for that.  I was very sad that Brett Favre didn't make it to the superbowl...he is "old" like us, so we were rooting for him.  I guess we'll root for the Colts, since the Patriots are out, and I kind of think its cool that 2 Manning brothers are quarterbacks (plus, Jess DOES attend a college in Indiana).
This afternoon I finished booking flights for both of our kids to meet us in Las Vegas for Jess's spring break.  Our son Stephen lives in Boston, and we booked a flight for him to meet us there for a couple of days, so all 4 of us will be together again for a couple of days.   I am soo looking forward to that.  Paul and I will take the trailer and the cat and head there, maybe leaving a little early, so we can do a little hiking along the way.

Happy New Year!

My first post of 2010, and I am posting from sunny San Diego! 
The weather forecast in El Paso did not improve, so we left there on Monday afternoon, in order to outrun the snow.  We drove for about 5 hours, and then had to find a hotel that accepts cats.  We settled on a Motel 6, right off the highway in Tucson, AZ, and the experience has convinced me that that's the last time I will stay in that caliber hotel.....just not worth it.  We grabbed a late dinner, then hit the road early the next morning and made it to the campground in San Diego by early afternoon.
There are a lot more people/kids at the campground now, since its after Christmas, and still vacation week.
Jess kept an eye on the weather forecast so we could make decisions on what day to go to the beach, the amusement park (California Adventure) etc.  Our first day here was supposed to be nice (scattered showers) but cool, so we headed to California Adventure for the day.  Once we were on the way, we heard "oops" from the back seat.  Apparently the forecast she looked at was for San Diego, and the actual forecast for Anaheim was rain all day.  We decided to keep going anyway, figuring the park would be less crowded, which it probably was, but it drizzled almost all day, and it never got out of the 50s.  we froze for most of the day, but hey, whatever.  We still had a good time, since, as many people know, we are not exactly known for bringing GOOD weather wherever we travel, so rain and cold in California doesn't surprise anyone, including us.  We liked California Screamin, the roller coaster, and Jess and I rode it 3 times.  The rest of the rides were good, but without little kids, this park wasn't really worth the price of admission for us. 
We were done by 6 pm and were so cold and wet we decided not to stay to see the electrical parade at 9 pm.  It would have been nice, but we've seen one before, and by then, we were seriously cold (Jess was wearing flip flops!).
The last few days have been spent hanging out at the beach, and lounging around. Paul's brother Tom and his wife Sue(1){Sue is Sue1 because she is the first Sue Porter to join the Porter family.  I was the second Sue Porter, so I am known as Sue2} came down for New Years eve and went with us to the party that the campground had.  Live music and dancing until midnight, then fireworks on the bay. Tom actually did dance one dance even though he had a knee replaced a month ago. They stayed in a hotel, then joined us for breakfast in the morning.
Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be in the 70s, so we are thinking of taking the inflatable out into the bay.