New Observations:

• Oregon NEVER take for granted the most wonderful thing the legislators ever gave us...Assisted Gas Pumping. OMG do we miss having someone pump your gas? OH Yes! In fact, HELL YES!
• Oregon must be alien to gas pumps. Why? Because every time you want to pump gas, you insert your card & it asks for your zip code and every time we have to go “See Attendant.”
• CA has the most cock-eyed gas nozzles we have ever seen. It keeps popping out every few seconds making it an eternity to actually get the gas in to the tank.
• Oh, and have I mentioned that you can not ask for a fill up?! There is no such thing I guess. You have to give them a dollar amount. So what you have to do is guess, predict, see in to the future, have an out of body experience or whatever to get a full tank of gas.

Actually, I have not had the pleasure to experience all this...YET. Rod, ever even-tempered, low-key, Rod has had to contend with this new found phenomenon.

The last time we filled in Roseville, CA he was heard mumbling, “Let’s see if I have to stand on one foot to get the gas.”

• I will make sure there is WiFi before we make reservations to stay anywhere...and TV
• I miss our DVR.  Choosing to watch one show over another is a           B - itch
• Walk away from the slot machines when you make a big hit.  Tonight I made money for us to gamble, dinner tonight & dinner tomorrow!

 

Catching up...

Our Labor Day weekends host's house

 Marsha & Bob Chalk waving goodbye in front of their "Rock Star" motorhome.

 I took this for Debbie Hamm.  She said she has never seen me drink, but we did drink a lot of wine over the Labor Day weekend!

Rod talking to some of his old buds. 






Finally we have great WiFi so I am a little behind in my posts.  Labor Day weekend was a lot of fun. We both got to see friends we haven't seen for over 12 years. 

After Lake County we were at Lake Minden for 2 weeks in Nicolaus, CA.  It is a small town with lots of walnut orchards.  I really liked this small town & if it wasn't in California could see us settling there. 

We are now in Nevada & will be for the next 6 weeks.  I will be taking more photos & there is so much more to do.  BTW...Yesterday we went to a couple of small casinos & between the two of us won $120. 

Continuing On…

This is a long post so you may want to go get a cup of coffee.

Thanks to all of you for the thoughts & prayers for Poodums. Still no word, but we keep hoping someone will find her or she will allow someone to find her.

We are just south of Marysville, CA now & will be for another week. Not much to see or do around this Thousand Trails, but we are getting our feet wet getting used to our new lifestyle.

We pull in to the Thousand Trails campground on the worst Tuesday of my life. Poods gone, we have been lost because the GPS is taking us the long back roads way, we have to wait a half hour for the Ranger to get back from dinner, no one at the campground has answered our calls for better directions, & we are told the campsites are self chosen. Did I mention NO CABLE or WIFI at each campsite?

OK, 8 pm at night the darkness is coming fast & we circle looking for the perfect spot. In section A the sites have the rigs practically sitting in each others laps & the sewer hook-ups are only allowed to be used certain days of the week depending on your campsite’s number.

B & C section is dry camp, D has electric & water but no sewer hook ups but bigger sites.

9 pm we have a site in the D section because we tried to squeeze in A section to no avail since it IS getting dark. We back in & go to make camp...BUT WAIT...if a day couldn’t get any worse we discover we can not electrically put out the tip out, which by the way is blocking the way to the bathroom & I have to pee!

Rod discovers we have blown the fuse and...wait for it...we are in the middle of no where and WE HAVE NO EXTRA FUSES. We unhitch the trailer & start back up to Marysville at 9:30 pm to find a place selling fuses. About 6 miles towards Marysville we do find a Chevron open that has fuses.

We finally get the tip out out, & get settled in about 10 pm. That was just the first day of our new life. Every day before was our “vacation” remember.

I really felt cursed that day or maybe I was being punished for always saying I was a recovering Cathoholic or saying how things were going so great & telling everyone about our new life we were venturing out & maybe being a bit too boastful? I don’t know, but Tuesday last I was ready to go home. Oh wait, we have no home to go back to.

I am a lot better now. We went to the Adult Lodge the next day while I did laundry & used their WiFi, even though it was very slow, watched some TV & I traded some books for new books.

I wanted to leave where we were before the week was up because to me roughing it is no TV or WiFi, but when you add in no sewer hookups then I say we are way, way roughing it.

When we finished laundry & went back to the trailer, Rod looked at the TV & saw we had an antennae boost & did a channel search & OMG we get TV. So I said let’s stay here another week since we have TV.

So here we are...I even took a bead class on Friday & made a bracelet. We went to dinner with some friends at the Indian Casino near Roseville & had a BBQ.

So as you can see, it will be OK. There will always be ups & downs, but please whoever is still listening to me, just not all in one day? 

Ups and Huge Downs

The weekend was amazing & when we left Lake County, CA something happened...

Poodums literally jumped ship.  Somewhere between Deiner Road & Lower Lake, CA she managed to pull the screen off a window and we had the window cracked & she jumped out of the trailer.  We would have never known, but a car stopped us at the stoplight in Lower Lake & told us the cat jumped out.

We didn't believe it, but when we stopped we found out it was true.  My heart is so broken now & the only hope we have is our friends are keeping tabs with Animal Control & SPCA in Lake County & we made sure she had a chip when we left.

I immediately called the shelter that chipped her & updated the info on her.  PLEASE pray that she is found & returned to us.

I promise to write more about our travels, but right now I am just trying to cope with losing my Poodie.

More Fun...

Did I mention Kilo is having the time of his life?  Rod & I went to Lakeport to pick up some groceries & since Kilo seemed to be a little pooped we left him in the trailer.  The screen door was closed so he or Poodums wouldn't get out.

As we pulled in from the grocery store, who comes to greet us with the rest of the dogs?  Kilo!  Are you seeing where this story is going?  I asked who let him out & someone said he has been here since I got here which was when we left.

I go over to the trailer & by golly...wait for it...Kilo had jumped through the screen door.  Luckily Bob & Rod started working on a project & Johnny (another police officer who worked with Rod) came over & fixed it.

I told you that dog was having way too much fun.  Pooped or not he wanted to be out with everyone!

Now, Poodums, she has found a nest in my clothes closet so she is happy as a clam.  Actually whenever we open a drawer or door she jumps right in.

Loving this life!

Lake County, CA

I am so glad we decided to go to Lake County, CA earlier than we planned.  We rolled in to Bob & Marsha Chalk's 14 acres Thursday & we were met with an absolutely gorgeous place.  I am taking pictures later at the BBQ tonight.

Kilo is in dog heaven.  He is playing ball non-stop with everyone who comes & sits & stays.

Sunday we are also meeting up with Bob & Laisne who I worked with at Clearlake High School & Terrace Middle School.  They retired last year.  The first day of school this year they took coffee & lawn chairs & sat at the entrance to the school parking lot & held up a sign that said "Have a Great School Year".  Is that priceless?!

We are off to the Farmer's Market.  More later.  TTFN