Day 96 Friday April 19

We started to get a little rain last night & there were some light showers in the morning.  We pulled out of Kelso Elks @ 53609 @ 10:00 and proceeded up hwy 5 in sporadic showers; I needed windshield wipers but not on full & not all the time.  I saw a lighted highway information sign that said “Secure Loose Loads   Emphasis Patrols on Now”, why the word emphasis, what does that mean?  We did a rest area lunch stop @  53776 miles, & had our leftover Red Lobster meal, from 1:35 to 2:55.  Sheila took over driving until 3:55 @ 53836 miles.  We got to the border at 4:10 and cleared by 4:15.  We arrived at storage 4:50 @ 53867 miles, unloaded a little bit and left at 6:00 for home.

Trip synopsis

Miles covered in RV               2737

Gas used by RV                      331 US Gallons ave 8.27 MPG

Trip length – days                   96

Cost of all trip expenses        US$ 6477.26

Ave per day cost                     US$ 67.47

Day 95 Thursday April 18

We pulled out of 7 Feathers at 9:50 @ 83360 miles.  Lunch stop at a rest area 12:20 – 1:15.  The dashboard temp readout says 68F outside but it feels nice & warm. Sheila took over driving after lunch & drove up into the gas station about 70 miles short of Portland, stopped 2:00 – 2:15 @ 53539 miles.  I took over to navigate through Portland, it was just after 2:30 and traffic was thick.  I try to be in a lane with only traffic on one side but that doesn’t always work well what with entrance lanes and exit lanes going on & off the highway. We made it to the Kelso Elks at 3:55 @ 83609 miles.  Got parked & hooked up and went into the lodge to do the computer stuff.  There is a Red Lobster here a cpl hundred feet or so away.  Sheila saw a special she wants to try when we were at the Red Lobster in Temecula and hopes they have it here. It turned out that everything was either not on the menu or the sale ends at 3 PM weekdays or it ends at 6 PM every day. Lots of neat dishes but not the specific ones Sheila was looking for on sale, they did have some but not at sale prices.  None the less we had a marvellous dinner and brought a lot home. We are both full so it’s veg out night tonight.  

Distance 249 miles – Time on road 4 hours 55 mins

Explanatory note

The next 2 post Aprils 16 & 17 were published today - April 18 because we had no internet service at Nancy's Airport Cafe stop in Williams CA and at Seven Feathers casino in Oregon. Today's blog entry may be tonight or tomorrow from home.  We are currently, (April 18 Thursday, late afternoon), at Kelso Elks WA.

Day 94 Wednesday April 17

It got a bit cooler at night getting down into the mid to high 50’s F.  But it warmed nicely during the day. In the morning, we discover a couple of trucks & another RV had parked sometime during the night--we never heard anything. We got up, had breakfast etc & were away by 9:30 at 53068 miles. We got to the summit of the Siskiyou’s at 12:55 just after we crossed the CA/OR state line at 12:50 PM.  We were going to stop at a rest area at the base of the mountain but it was closed for construction so we motored on. We stopped at a pilot gas stop 1:35 to 2:00, I put in 44.028 USG at $3.049 a gallon.  I have discovered that on my dashboard, instead of having a trip mile counter I can have it say mileage to empty, a much more useful number. We pulled out of the gas station at 2 PM after gassing up & buying some Subway & Taco Bell lunch goodies.  We immediately pulled into a parking lot across the hwy from the gas station for our lunch stop, 2:00 to 2:35.  Then off down the hwy to Seven Feathers where we are dry camped beside the casino at 3:50 @ 53360 miles.   We checked & they have their $9.99 buffet special on Mon. to Thurs. and tonight they have pork ribs, & beef ribs in addition to the normal buffet stuff and that it is all inclusive--nothing extra for drinks or desserts. There was a line up so one of the staff gave us a beeper disk so we could  sit in the lounge next door & listen to the entertainer while we waited for a table.  After stuffing ourselves with the buffet we returned to the lounge about 10 to 15 minutes before the next show.  It was a country singer so we didn’t know many of the tunes but she was good and had a good back up group – guitar, drums, & bass.  We stayed to the end at 10, then Sheila went to contribute money to the casino, (i.e. play video poker) while I came home.  She arrived about a half hour later having lost most of the money she won on the trip south in January.   

Distance 292 miles – Time on road 5 hrs 20 mins

Day 93 Tuesday April 16

Out Sun & Fun RV Park @ 52764 miles @ 10:05 and north bound on Hwy 99 to our gas fill-up.  Stopped at a rest area for lunch at 12:20 & out again at 1:20.  The “via Point” system on the GPS worked just as it was supposed to, it found the shortest, quickest route over to hwy 5 and we pulled off the I-5 at 2:40 @ 52950 at a Flying J station.  I filled the RV, 65.776 USG, and put gas in our car as they have the special RV filling stations there with pumps on both sides, so you can just drive in, doesn’t matter where your tank filler is, (the RV & the car have them on different sides, very inconvenient if you are towing & want to put gas in the car as well as the RV). Sheila went into the gas station and was seduced by the Cinnabon, stand so she got one.  We ate it in the RV & left the station at 3:00 heading for our night & supper stop at Nancy’s Airport café.  We pulled into Willows & parked in the large gravel lot beside Nancy’s Café at 5 pm @ 53069 miles.  They have graded the large lot and it is quite reasonable to drive on now – no potholes except at the entrance. We are here for the night so we went in for supper. After supper it is computer catch-up time & relaxing--no TV as we don’t have power & I will not run the generator just to watch TV

Distance 305 miles – Time on road 5 hours 15 mins - averaged 58 MPH

Day 92 Monday April 15

Day 1 on the road.  I got up had my coffee & frosted mini wheat’s cereal breakfast. Then I went about doing closing, storing, unhooking etc.  Sheila got up & we were ready to go by 9:50, we ran into a small snag getting the car hooked up due to the low mounted parts scraping on cement parking spacers and needing to be interchanged left to right side so the non burred side was up and I needed to spray the entrance stair joints with WD40 after not moving for 3 months & getting rained on.  All fixed & away by 10:20 AM at 52504 MILES, note that all mileages etc are going to be in miles not kilometres. The next delay was one of my making.  I had set our destination in the GPS and put in a “Via Point” so as to get us going on the correct hwy system.  Up hwy 76 to Hwy 10 and onto Hwy 10 westbound and then we came to a crawling stop in traffic--every lane was solid cars & trucks.  I got a GPS message to take a turn to Hwy 60 which didn’t seem familiar but in the middle of traffic I didn’t have much choice.  The hwy by now is 7 lanes wide in each direction and solid traffic, going only 10 to 15 MPH!  I got another change of hwy notice from the GPS & by now I’m sure I have never been on these hwys.  However, there nowhere to pull off & if I did, I would have a problem getting back on the hwy. The GPS was still counting down mileage to our destination & giving time of arrival notes so I trusted in technology and kept going.  We ended up on Hwy 5 at the north end of LA and we wanted to stop for lunch but, there were no rest areas until 2:45 PM.  4 hours after heading out of GVP, we found one & stopped.  We had only covered 161 miles in 4 ¼ hours!  We had a nice lunch and headed out again at 3:40 PM.  Now that we were clear of the LA traffic nonsense, and we made better time.  We pulled into our campground, (Fun in the Sun), at 5:20 at 52764 miles, - 100 miles in 1hr 40 mins. We got a pull-through which saves unhooking.  Sheila went to their pool, supposedly heated to 78 but did not go in because it felt too cold, but she did shower and wash her hair.  I stayed to do the journal and relax.  It was a tiring day being at the wheel for about 6 hours.  Fortunately the slow driving paid off, in that I wasn’t feeling stressed driving even when surrounded on all sides by big semi’s.  They were going as slow as me and we were both big rigs —so, no problem. Now, the reason I got into that mess of traffic is that when I turned the GPS off Sun night & on again Mon morning. It showed the route, destination, times & mileages but what I didn’t know was that the “Via Point” had disappeared, so the GSP quite properly took me on what should have been the fastest roads to I-5 & up to 99 & to our campground on Hwy 99 instead of going the route I normally drive--a light-traffic 2 to 4 lane hwy. I know for future to do my planning just before I go, set up the GPS, & leave, and check the route, which I will do for tomorrow’s run.  Besides WiFi they have TV here, so we can get our Monday night shows.  If we can watch some of our series shows here it saves time when we are home & there is a lot to do beside watch TV.

Day 91 Sunday April 14

Our last full day at GVP.  Sheila couldn’t resist the call of the WVB pool; she went up for one last session.  I stayed at the RV putting stuff away & preparing for a quick getaway Monday morning, please note, a quick getaway our style is coffee, breakfast, & out by 9:30 or so – usually the “or so” part.  We will go to Winco this afternoon for last minute supplies and then hopefully just relax this evening. Sheila got back from WVB & had a great time.  They had about 8 a side, so lots of action, lots of fun--she really enjoyed it!  Sheila said she had to pick up a couple of things at the dollar store so she went out about 2:15.  Well, she got back about 4:45 and then had to unload and put her compression stockings on, so we didn’t get out to Winco till well after 5. We did pick up one of their BBQ chickens and deli salads for tonight’s supper & probably tomorrow’s lunch and/or supper.  By the time we got back, supper was a 6:30 operation & I was starved!  After supper Sheila went out again for something that Winco didn’t carry.  I’m just going to relax & watch TV. Everything is done except the morning jobs just before we get rolling, (disconnect power, TV, put sewer pipe away & putting tension bars in the Fridge & cupboards so stuff doesn’t shift or fall out etc etc).

Day 90 Saturday April 13

My last WVB day.  We got up to sun & clear skies & no wind, so far.  This year, besides the cold & rain from earlier, we have been getting a lot of wind--not strong, but gusty enough that we have rolled up the awning a few times.  It seems to start in the early afternoon until about supper, and then it’s over until the next day at noon.  In previous years we didn’t have to roll up the awning nearly as much as this year.  I’m really glad we have an electric awning, just push a button & in it comes, a one person job. After WVB we had lunch at the pool cabana where Chuey’s Mex café was preparing food.  I had the burrito, which costs $9.00 and was big enough to share with Sheila, it was a good deal.  Larry & Judy joined us for lunch and after lunch we went over to their place for a farewell game of Bridge. We played all afternoon from about 2:00 to 5:00--more or less.  We played 6 hands & then changed partners so everyone played with everyone.  I ended up with the top score.  We came back to the RV to drop me off to start organizing while Sheila went out to the Panda Express Chinese Food for an order of dinner for us using our coupon from the “Taste of the City” event earlier this year.  Then we will start organizing the inside of the RV to be ready to roll on Monday morning.  Supper was great, with our coupon it cost just $9.00 for dinner for both of us with a little left over.  I think I will not do too much tonight & get an early to bedtime so I’m rested for tomorrow.  Sheila phoned Donna’s friend Pauline for an update on how’s she’s doing.  She’s had several more tests at RCH and VGH hospitals & each time she had to stay overnight there so they could check there were no repercussions from the tests.  She still has two more to go, and then the specialists will analyze the data from the tests to determine what caused her severe headaches & the numbness in her left arm and plan treatment.  Fortunately, her son Patrick has come from Seattle and is supporting her.

Day 89 Friday April 12

We got up to another nice day, so off to WVB.  I had a better game today, lots of fun.  We went to the "Dog O Dog" hot dog stand for lunch.  I had one of their specialty hot dogs, Sheila had 2 small  tacos that were really good.  We hope that GVP has them back next year as they are really good.  After lunch, we puttered around in the RV till it was time to go up to our last Mocktails event.  We got there about 5:50 & there were lots of seats so we didn’t need our RV chairs.  We had a good time, I danced with Sheila a cpl times.  Tonight’s entertainer didn’t play any line dances so Sheila didn’t do anything on her own.  It ended at 8 & we chatted away at our table with our table friends until almost 8:30.  One was Laurie, a regular WVB player, & the other a GVP park resident we met at Mocktails several Fridays ago. Back at the RV we watched a cpl shows on TV & then turned in.

Day 88 Thursday April 11

Nice & calm in the morning & sunny with a little cloud cover so off to WVB.  I seemed to be uncoordinated today & missed a lot of balls I should have been able to get.  Sheila eventually joined the game, (just one pool today again as more people leave for home, although we did have 9 or 10 to a side still). After the game, hot tub & shower, its lunch time.  The large RV club group that’s here all week has had music & a fancy hot dog/taco stand, Dog O Dog, up all week, so we have had music the last half hour while we play.  I keep forgetting to take my wallet up as some of the hot dogs they have sound good.  After lunch we relaxed till time to go to Emilio’s for Happy Hour at 3 PM.  Sheila tried a blended Mango Margarita, but did not like it as well as their Strawberry one.  Today is the last GVP Happy Hour of the season.  We are down to 8 & some will be gone by next Thursday--us for example.  En-route back home, we stopped at the 99 cent store for some groceries.  Then its home to relax, watch TV, & I need to make a list of stuff needing to be done before we move the RV & pull out, either Mon or Tues.

Day 87 Wednesday April 10

Still windy when we got up but it calmed down enough that I went up for WVB and Sheila followed.  It gusted a lot periodically changing the path of the ball in mid flight.  It has stayed fairly windy all day.  After WVB we came home for lunch and then Sheila went out to look at the display rigs in the Tiffen RV club that came in over the last 2 days and maybe sit in the sun or go on the computers in the clubhouse.  I went outside & unhooked the SPECTRUM internet system I had installed, (rented), & bagged it for return.  Then I did a Winco shopping. I returned & Sheila was still out inspecting giant “A” Class motor homes, some with a MSRP over $400,000!   She did like one or two--too bad, she’s not getting one!  I went down to Spectrum & returned my internet equipment, no problem, then came home to have supper. After supper, we stayed around the RV, watching TV & taking life easy.  The winds died down just after supper time so hopefully the wind will be mostly gone by tomorrow morning.

Day 86 Tuesday April 9

Today is our final Breakfast Club event.  With people leaving we were down to 7 people and we usually get around a dozen or more.  We went to the Little Pantry on State St. near Menlo St. Today is propane delivery day, so I got back from breakfast about 09:45 & I’m waiting for him.  Propane truck arrived & was finished up by 11:35 so no WVB today.  We took 11.9 USG of propane, so there was about 2 USG in the tank because it holds a fraction over 14 USG when totally empty.  While waiting for him I checked our battery water levels, (2 that do the coach lights etc at 6 volts each & one engine starting battery at 12 volts), they were fine, didn’t need topping up at all.  Sheila came back from WVB & said they had one pool with 9 to 10 a side but with the wind blowing it really affects the light beach balls and they are hard to judge where they are coming down so you can hit them. Sheila went back up to the pool area after lunch to do a wash while I rested, relaxed, & read my book.  We had leftovers from our restaurant meals for supper and stayed in to watch TV, read etc. A lot of wind in the evening & into the night, the 11PM news said a lot of damage in LA from falling trees & branches, plus power outages & blown transformers.  We are in a valley so don’t get the full force but still we get 15 MPH more or less winds.

Day 85 Monday April 8

Today is forecast to be well over 80 F for, I think, the first time since we got here.  Up to WVB and Sheila followed after a bit.  We played in different pools again.  The coloured chip system they have for deciding which pool you go into is a good system & very fair to everyone but is does mean I don’t get to play with Sheila that much – luck of the draw!  They had music & a hot dog stand set up because there is a huge RV group coming into the park, around 200 units.  Sheila came back to the RV after the game & when I got back to the RV she had the main cabin A/C running – first time since we got here. We have used the bedroom A/C a cpl times to cool the bedroom when going to bed. She said it was over 88 F inside when she arrived back at the RV.  That’s over 32 degrees Centigrade for you young’uns. Sheila went up to see if there is a 1 pm game & if not, is going to look up stuff on the clubhouse computer, (air-conditioned and room to write on the left side of the computer).  There wasn’t a game so she used the computer but had to come home when she realized that she couldn’t go out to buy some supplies as she didn’t have her wallet & money with her.  Running the A/C is keeping the RV at about 84 F.  Sheila said that when she went out to the car, which had been sitting in the sun most of the morning it’s outside temperature was registering 102 F!  As she was driving, it went down to 92 F where it stayed the rest of the afternoon.  We had leftover Applebee’s food for supper & some is still left for the next day.  I relaxed around the RV inside & out and made good progress on the book “Nighthawk Crossing”.  Most of the evening games have stopped now due to the volunteer snowbirds running them leaving for home, (they come down in Oct or Nov so have been here 6 months).   

Day 84 Sunday April 7

Sunny & hot & off to WVB. Both Sheila & I ended up in the same pool side by side as we had arrived close together.  After the game ended we stayed floating around in the pool talking with Judy Shaffer & another CDN couple Don & Gerri.  They are from Vancouver Island and have a trailer here 6 & 6, (that means they never move the trailer, it sits on their site all year and they can use it for 6 months and then vacate for 6 months, obviously they get a much lower rental rate when they’re not here.  It works for Canadians as we are only allowed to be in the USA for a total of 180 days in any 12 month period).  We came back to the RV for a lunch – the left-over Tilapia fish from yesterday and some Rice-a-roni.  We had arranged with Judy to go out with her & Larry for supper and a promised dessert treat on us for them.  We went to Applebee’s for supper then over to the Coldstream Creamery, (like the one we used to have at home).  We had great ice cream creations.  Larry & Judy insisted we use the $15.00 coupon they had won at GVP which just about paid for their ice creams anyway.  A good deal for us! After dessert we went back to their place for some Bridge.  We put our leftover dinners & ice-cream in their fridge. Tonight I actually came out on top after partnering with Sheila, then Judy. We all finished off our ice cream treats after the game and as it was a nice night we walked home, (equivalent distance of about 2 blocks).  Home by about 10 PM

Day 83 Saturday April 6

Up to sunny weather so off to WVB.  The park is emptying out fast as today we only had one pool playing with 10 a side.  They had a Mex restaurant, (Chuy’s) selling goodies & live music on the pool patio from 11:30 to 1:00.  We enjoyed listening to the musician in the pool while playing WVB.  At this point there was nobody at the patio tables, (it wasn’t quite even noon yet), and someone, (Gigi, Rays wife), said, lets give him a round of applause and when he finished the song he was doing at the moment and we did, lots of applause. After noon some people arrived to buy food.  After our game & hot tub we ordered two very small tacos for $3.00.  They were good but too small.  About 1:30 or so, we wandered home for R & R before the concert tonight.  We made a nice supper as Sheila had bought some Tilapia fish & asparagus.  We are going to the “Four Seasons & Frankie Vallie tribute concert, by December 63”, (the name of the group doing the show), at the Hemet Theatre starting at 7:00.  I remember them from the 60’s but wasn’t a big fan, Sheila was and really wanted to go, so of course we did, we bought tickets a month or more ago, good thing too. We got there just after 6:00 & there was a long line waiting for the 6:15 door opening, and a sign that said “Sold Out”.  We managed to get two aisle seats about 2/3’s back from the front.  Not bad, but closer would have been nicer.  It was a good show, all four guys had very good singing voices, were funny & boy could they move!  Sheila liked the second half better when they did their big hits and was up at the front dancing to most of them.  We got home about 9:30, so will watch TV, do dishes &/or relax & veg out for the rest of the evening.   

Day 82 April 5 Friday

Today started out a little cloudy but inside the RV it was in the low 60’s F when we got up so it wasn’t cold.  I went up for WVB arriving about 10:30 just as they got enough to split into 2 pools.  We had 5 a side for a bit then more people arrived & we went to 6 a side, which works really well.  Sheila arrived but got the “white” chip out of the chip holder so she was in the other pool; I was in the “blue” chip pool. It clouded over during the game but the slightly cool wind didn’t blow very hard at all, so no problem.  After the game & hot tub we came home for lunch and then relaxed for a few hours till it was time to head out to the Elks Friday Dinner Dance at 5 PM. We arrived about 5:20, got our table & ordered.  I had the ‘All You Can Eat’ soup & salad bar ($9).  It’s not a giant choice but good enough if I am not too hungry. They have a lettuce and another green mix, plus add-ins of sliced onions, beets, olives, chopped eggs, sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, sliced carrots with 3 dressings, and one was 1000 Island which I had – I managed 3 salad plates full.  Sheila ordered the New York steak with baked potato, ($14), but she wanted the mashed potato with gravy that came with the Ground Sirloin, ($12).  The Elks had just changed caterers a few days ago, so this was the first big event for them.  She was away from the table when her order came out, - you can guess, she got the ground sirloin with her mashed potatoes.  She was eating away when they brought someone else at the table’s dinner, (there were 9 people at the table).   He got the NY steak with baked potato but he had ordered the ground sirloin with mashed potato.  Too late to switch the meat as Sheila was ½ way through the ground sirloin. She went around the table to talk with him and all was OK as is.  We made sure the waitress changed our bill to $12 from $14; don’t know about the other dinner because he would have ordered the $12 dish.  There was also a complimentary dessert but with full meals only – I ended up with one, it was nice. The music was good, (Rhonda & Showdown.)  Sheila did 3 line dances & we danced to only 4 or 5 songs--I was feeling tired!  We left after the 50/50 draw around 9 & and stopped at Stater Brothers enroute home for milk & a cpl of other items.  Finally home after another busy day.  Sheila watched an hour of TV while I did the blog.

Day 81 April 4 Thursday

It was a bit cooler outside and cloudy this morning with a slight breeze blowing so I decided to skip WVB today and run some errands.  I went out to Winco then down to check the hours of Spectum which is where I have to return the internet stuff I rented back in January. I found they are open till 7 PM during the week and someone had said that they aren’t too busy around 4:30 PM.   Then, a quick shop in Wal-Mart for RV toilet paper and home.  I got back just before noon so stopped to see if Sheila needed a ride home.  She said the weather cleared to sunny and that she had a nice game. We then made a lunch of leftovers and waited for 2 PM to phone Sabrina to see how she was doing.  She has ups & downs but is persevering.  We told her we should be back by or on April 22, Erica’s Birthday, and that we would phone a day before we hit the border and once we are back in Canada. We then went out to the Happy Hour at Emilio’s.  Small group there, only 8, and it looks like next week will be the final Happy Hour get together what with everyone heading out for home or further travel in some cases.  Sheila & I shared a ½ price appetizer of nachos & cheese topped with a huge pile of shredded chicken on one half & shredded beef on the other half.  We both decided we preferred the beef to the chicken and will definitely order it the next time we go there.  It was a huge plate & filled us both up.  Back to GVP where I ordered a propane fill for next Tuesday, then we settled in for a quiet evening at home,  maybe a video & TV.  We didn’t need any supper as the appetizer we ordered at Emilio’s was big enough to feed us both.  We didn’t watch a video as TV is pretty good on Wed.—reruns of Mash + Whiskey Cavalier, a new show we both like.

Day 80 April 3 Wednesday

When I got up this morning about 8:30 or so the temperature in the rig was showing 71 F, I think that the furnace got left on last night although I didn’t hear it at night.  We didn’t use any of the propane heaters Tuesday evening so maybe it just stayed warm from yesterday’s heat.  I had an enjoyable WVB game, Sheila played as well but in the other pool.  Home for lunch & then Sheila is off to run errands etc while I read, relax & work on the computer.  We used some of our leftovers for supper then tried to watch a DVD movie.  It was a struggle getting it started, (mostly me not knowing which button to push) and then it would stop and just freeze up.  I got it going again and then it stopped again, probably quite close to the end I think, and nothing I did could start it so we just took it out & garbaged it.  It was a comedy so missing the ending was annoying but not a disaster. We’ll probably try another comedy for Thursday evening.  We watched the news & went to bed.  We don’t set the furnace to come on at all now as it stays reasonable all night and only requires a little heat in the morning as it is usually over 60 F in the RV by mid morning. 

Day 79 April 2 Tuesday

Up & off to Polly’s Pies for our weekly Breakfast Club meeting. Besides breakfast Polly’s pies is famous for cinnamon buns & pies.  Sheila ordered a breakfast that came with a cinnamon bun and brought over half of it home, (they are about 8 inches across & thick).  We came back home, changed & went up for WVB.  After the game I hot tubbed for a short time then Sheila & I came home & she changed to go up for the 1 PM game while I went to play in Judy’s Tuesday afternoon Bridge game/lessons.  I stayed till about 3:30.  The last hand is worth mentioning Judy & Sue bid 7 No-trump and playing against Larry & me, they made it.  They had 36 points between them, all Larry & I had were 2 Jacks & 1 Queen.  Back at the RV, I found out that Sheila had not played in the afternoon WVB game cuz only 2 other people showed up--there was a variable breeze blowing that would have been troublesome.  It had been building and did affect the morning game a bit, but it was stronger in the afternoon.  As it was now about 4:30 we decided that seeing as today was Taco Tuesday we would go to the Elks where we could also check on Friday’s Dinner Dance.  We made reservations for Fri evening, had our Tacos & delicious dessert cake, and then came home.  The Karaoke seems to be going downhill.  There are some really bad singers and they keep coming, but most of the good singers of previous events seem to have disappeared except for one woman who sang “The Power of Love”.  Sheila said she was very good because it’s a difficult song to sing and she did it very well.  Back at the RV I spent the evening working on blogs, computer files, reading & watching TV while Sheila soaked her feet, applied ointment to her itchy legs, and did her totalling of calories eaten and daily activity during the TV commercials

Day 78 April 1 Monday

Up & away to WVB again on another nice sunny day. Sheila is sleeping in and wants to go to the afternoon game that she likes because there are usually way less people playing, (one pool, 5 or 6 to a side), and she gets more plays on the ball.  I came back for lunch & she left to play WVB.  I did a small grocery shop and then relaxed at the RV reading a book, (“Nighthawk Crossing” about a US Border Patrol incident in central BC near Osoyoos that expanded into international intrigue involving Canadian & American agencies),  that one of the water volleyballers, Jim, gave me.  We made supper & relaxed at home, (there are a cpl of TV shows we watch at home available here so we will probably watch them).  Sheila phoned Donna’s friend Pauline to get an update on Donna’s health and was told Donna was back in hospital, Eagle Ridge this time, and the reason for the severe headaches was very, very bad—terminal brain cancer!  Needless to say, Sheila was quite distracted the rest of the evening.  She also phoned Ken to ask him to look in on her from time to time and update her if Donna is moved to an hospice care place or sent home.

Day 77 March 31 Sunday

Sunny & warm to hot, it is already at 58 F by 10 to 9 AM.  Clear skies, no cloud at all.  I’m off to WVB, I don’t know Sheila’s plans.  She showed up at the end almost of the morning game, she wanted to find out if there was a 1 PM game which she would then play.  After Hot tub time I came back to RV for lunch with Sheila, & about 1:15, Sheila left for the 1 pm WVB game. They were full & playing with even numbers so Sheila went out for some 99 cent store items, and when she got back to the pool at 2:30, someone was just leaving so she replaced them.  Today is Bridge club night but no one had signed up, so we talked to Judy & decided to just go their house & play.  We made supper at our place for us, then Sheila washed, cored & cut up some fresh strawberries to take for dessert after the Bridge game--Judy has ice cream.  We had a pleasant evening. We played 5 hands & then switched partners.  Judy keeps the score & adds up at the end to see what order we are in.  Sheila & Judy quite often come out on top, 1^st & 2^nd, but tonight I had the top score. 

Day 76 March 30 Saturday

I got up to sunny weather, Sheila is sleeping in today, (as usual, what’s new about that!!!).  I’m off to WVB. We had a good game, Sheila showed up after the game when I was in the hot tub.  She was planning on playing in the 1 PM game and wanted to have some lunch at the patio, (Chuey’s Mexican Restaurant was there) and listen to the music.  They had the musician from last night playing--he has a really good voice, has researched the songs he sings & often gives lots if interesting info on the song and the singer who made it popular.   Sheila had a fish taco and when I arrived I had the Chilli Relleno dish.  It was good.  After Sheila went to play WVB I sat & listened to the music till it finished at 1:30.  Then I changed to a seat in the pool area so I could watch Sheila play. I just relaxed in the sun till the game finished about 3 PM and waited for Sheila to have her shower & dress, and then we went home.  We didn’t feel like making a supper so went out to the nearby KFC to see if they were still offering a buffet.  Yes, they are.  Seniors are only $7.79 including drinks and they have even more extras over & above chicken than they had a year ago..  I concentrated on chicken.  But I am sad to say my body is betraying me I had ONLY 4 pieces of chicken and very little else, (4 pieces of jello, a spoon of nibblets corn & a spoonful of the chicken Lasagne, with a cup of Root Beer),  and I was full.  Sheila had only one large piece of chicken, so she had salad, coleslaw, chicken stew, mashed potatoes, a spoonful of chicken pot pie, cherry cobbler & some canned peaches for dessert!  We came back to the RV, Sheila went to look stuff up on the clubhouse computers & I worked on the blog.   Sheila came back and we checked movies on TV.  On the PBS channel she saw “Of Mice & Men”, a Steinbeck classic 1939 movie listed, so we turned it on, not my kind of movie though, so I stopped watching it about ¾ thru.  Sheila watched it to the end, but was not impressed with the ending, as it just stopped without showing what happened to the main character, much like many modern movies are doing!

Day 75 March 29 Friday

We are back to “normal” weather here, sunny & warm days.  It’s usually in the low 60’s or maybe 59 F in the RV when I wake up so a short shot of the furnace & we are up to 70 degrees F quite quickly.  Then that’s it for heat for the rest of the day until well into the evening and then our propane heater & a little of the electric heater is all we need till bedtime.  Sheila definitely feels the cold & heat faster than I do, she’s either gets a bit too cool or a bit too warm while I am fine.  I went up for WVB and Sheila arrived about ½ hour or so before the end.  I sat in the hot tub but she went back to the RV for lunch & to get changed & back for the 1 PM game if enough people show up.  She likes the 1 PM game because there are usually only 4, 5, or 6 to a side & she gets lots of play action.  While she played I had my lunch, (the leftover from the Hawaiian BBQ), and then I went out for a small grocery trip.  I got back at about 3 PM & no Sheila yet, so she must have gotten into a game.   She did, & got home around 3:30 or so. We lazed around & then I loaded the chairs in the car & drove up to the Mocktails Friday evening event, (6 to 8), at the pool plaza patio.  I got a front seat table, held one seat for Sheila and as people asked I said sure join us.  I think we ended up with a table of us plus 6. The music was great as usual & we danced a few numbers.  Sheila also went up for a few line dance numbers.  She picks up the dance steps quickly so looks like an expert very fast.  I came back home about 8:30, Sheila stayed to look some stuff up on the computer at the clubhouse where she has room to write stuff down on her left side. She arrived home just for the start of “Blacklist” at 9:00.  Then we watched the news.  With L.A. being such a car orientated city a lot of news is often about traffic problems.  Last night a multi car crash on the I-5 freeway blocked both north & south lanes for hours resulting in huge line ups of cars, the crash was only on one side but the emergency vehicles, (police etc), were on the other side of the median so that side was blocked as well.  I would not want to live here where I had to commute in & out of the city daily. In the past I have driven the I-5 through L.A. on route to San Diego and it is not fun!