Sunday, May 09, 2010

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

I apologize for this long-winded post on my blog today but we have been on the run since arriving in Pleasanton where my sister, Robin lives. In an attempt to remember what we’ve been up to I decided to keep a log to assist my memory! I hope you enjoy the account of our past week but feel free to skim and skip as you see fit.

Sunday: Blog day :) and we went to my stepdaughter’s home in Yuma for dinner. Roxy and her husband Marv prepared a wonderful early dinner for us and we stayed to visit until 7 PM. Hugs and kisses when we left with promises to see them again this fall.

Monday: We took Penny to “AutoDoc”, a garage in Yuma. I stayed at my Aunt Elaine’s and visited with her son Casey while Phil hung out with Penny. They tested the alternator and all the batteries and they checked out in prefect condition. However, they noticed a loose battery cable and replaced it. Was Penny fixed? Time would tell once we hit the road. Again, we ate Linner at Chretin's, and tried our first Mexican Restaurant buffet and it was only fair but at $5.95 the price was right. After eating, we went to Wal*Mart for prescriptions and groceries in preparation for the next leg of our trip.

Tuesday: Got up at 4:30 AM and had Penny hooked up and on the road by 6:15 AM. She purred like a kitten all day and we arrived at Mojave, CA by 1:00 PM. It appeared the stalling problem had been solved. Keeping our fingers crossed for the next day we stayed over night at Sierra Trails RV Park. It is a Passport America Park and we paid $13.25 + $2.50 for cable TV. Great one night stop.

Wednesday: Got up at 4:30 AM again and pulled out at 5:50 AM. Our wonderful Penny the Pace’s mighty engine continued to carry us over hill and dale all day long without missing a beat. Fairly sure and very relieved that her stalling problem was solved, we arrived in Pleasanton, CA about 1:30 PM. With our reservation confirmation in hand, we checked in with the Host at the gatehouse at Alameda County Fairgrounds RV Park and drove to our assigned site; All sites have FHU’s for $28.00 per day and we paid for 14 days. Since they are the only game in town there are no breaks for weekly or monthly stays. There are no amenities but the location is perfect for us to visit my sister and her family. Tried to set up but discovered (thanks to some really rough roads), a bolt had vibrated out of one jack. After dropping me off at Robin and Walt’s house, Phil and Walt drove to a local Ace Hardware where he bought the bolt that was needed. They went back to Penny, made the repair and finished setting up. Back at the house we spent the rest of the day visiting and enjoying our reunion after almost two years.

Thursday: Robin and I went off to the beauty parlor (Does that choice of words date me? Oh well!), where I received a very good haircut. Then on our return the four of us went to Linner at a downtown Pleasanton restaurant named “Skizzies” (not sure of the spelling). We had a wonderful meal then again, enjoyed the evening getting caught up on all the details of our lives in the months since we last saw each other.

Friday: From across the RV Park we received a comment on our blog from a long time reader of my blog. We know how she felt when she looked out the window of their beautiful 40 ft. Winnebago Tour and spotted Penny the Pace. It has happened to us and we love these serendipitous encounters. Mary writes her own blog since they went full time last year and she and Paul http://bullwinklestravels.blogspot.com/ came over to meet us. For a couple hours, we had a great time comparing experiences and sharing stories of our travels. When they left we made tentative plans to have lunch one day next week and we are really looking forward to seeing them again. Our restaurant choice for this day’s Linner was Applebee’s and they did not disappoint. This time, we took “Doggie Bags” home with us. After we ate, we drove to Livermore and attended a local production of the hilarious play “The Producers” at the Bankhead Theater. Considering all the production/artistic staff, cast, ushers and orchestra are volunteers the professionalism was a wonderful surprise. We really enjoyed the show!

Saturday: Robin and I had a busy day. While we were gone, Phil helped Walt set up an account and list a few things they no longer need from around the house on Craig’s List. Robin invited me to come along to her Writer’s Group meeting, which was being held at Border’s this month. It was a small group but I had a wonderful time joining in on the critique of the stories and prose written by the members. They invited me back next time I’m in town and told me to bring something I’ve written. What fun that will be! We went home for an hour then drove to Las Positas College and attended the Las Positas College Anthology Staff 2010 publication and awards ceremony. One of Robin’s friends, and Writer’s Group member, Barbara Hempill’s short story named “A Forgotten Train Ride” was one of the 195 selections for the anthology and we wanted to attend to help her celebrate. We capped off the day with an early Linner at a really good restaurant named “Eddie Papa’s” where after our meal, Phil and I introduced Robin and Walt to a New Orleans’s tradition found at CafĂ© Du Monde—Beignets from the restaurant’s dessert menu. They were very good but you can’t beat the real thing in Louisiana!

Sunday: We have a short train ride scheduled to fulfill another listing on my Bucket List—riding a train! I’ll tell you all about it next week!

Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time …


2 comments:

  1. YOU HAD A GREAT WEEK!

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  2. It sounds like you are having a good trip. Don't overdo now. I am leaving Tuesday for a week with Suzy in Mississippi and then a week with Sharonh in Tennessee. Am anxious to go.

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