Sunset photos from Sunday, and my new folding chair

Tom and his guys fixed The Palms today, and she's as good as new, actually better than new.  He needed a strip that goes along the bottom of the coach, a trim piece, so I went down to La Mesa RV, they didn't have the exact piece so I got one that's a bit bigger, Tom thought it might work.  Unfortunately it didn't, the size was wrong, but he used something from bathtub wall installations that he had out in the shop, and it looks perfect. You'd never know it was a different material than the ones in front and in back of it.  The decals are on perfectly, too, so I'm set to go.

Tomorrow we'll go down to the RV park and get me registered for the month of June, and then back to the office.  After work I'll drive back to The Palms, and that will be my home (away from home) for the month.

I've been approved for the short sale, and an appraisal has been ordered.  The condo is actually my legal address, and I will stay there from time to time to keep an eye on things, air it out and get my mail, etc.  I'll keep my sleeping bag there and I've left some clothes, food and toiletries.  I'll be able to take nice, long showers there.  I guess since I'll have hookups I can do that in The Palms, too, but the condo has a bigger shower and a nice bathtub, which The Palms doesn't have.  I'm not ready to walk away yet and don't want to change my address until it sells.  It still feels like home, but I do hope it sells quickly.  I guess that will depend on the price the mortgage company agrees to.

I'm starting to really enjoy taking photos of the sunset.  I guess it's hard to take a bad shot of the sun setting at the beach, even more so if there are clouds in the sky. I especially liked the one with the child flying a kite. I kept trying to shoot around him, then I realized it was a pretty shot with the boy and his kite. 

Sunset at Tamarack State Beach

And then one other thing I wanted to show you is the new chair I bought when I was at Costco the other night.

It has an umbrella that you can move around 180 degrees, so you can get sun or shade any time of the day.  Lumbar support on the back with an extra wide seat.  There is a small insulated compartment on the right below the armrest that you can put ice cubes in and up to four drinks.Under the right armrest is a place to put your bottle/can/drink and a storage pocket with a headphone pass-through and a bottle opener.

But the best thing, for me, is the footrest.  It's adjustable and removable.  The chair was set up in the aisle - I don't usually try things out like this, but I sat in it and put my feet up, and it was so comfortable.  I could see myself setting it up in front of my closet in the entry hall area and relaxing while reading.  It'll be perfect for sitting outside and relaxing.

It was only $33.99 - the most comfortable folding chair I've seen.  Just in case you're looking for new chairs for summer.

From Me and My Dog, Katie, have a great Tuesday, everyone!  : )

A picture is worth a thousand words...photos of The Palms

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service, and continue to die for our freedom. Let's take a moment to remember those who have fallen, and their families, too - who have also given so much for us.

As promised yesterday, here are photos so far:

Kitchen, surprisingly like my faked picture.  : )

 I love this line-up of little bud vases, I put shells in the bottom of each one.

It fits perfectly right here, and I'll change out the flowers, sometimes fresh. 

Toaster oven and my little vase (it has a small water well with a frog to stick the stem on) and whimsical ornament my daughter gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago - I think she said it reminded her of me (?) and I love it.  I've always put her somewhere I could see her.

 THE COFFEE MAKER!  I've made lots of super good cups of coffee so far in The Palms. The best reason for getting up in the morning!  : )

I had this over-the-door hanger outside my bathroom door in the condo. I brought it to The Palms and hung it outside the bathroom door, to hang a coat or sweater or hat on.  Then I got out my hanging bud vase and picked one of the purple flowers on the side of the road.  I love the way it looks.

 The bunk.  Here's the single inflatable mattress - really comfortable. 

There's enough room at the foot for storage baskets and extra pillows.

Katie on the couch - it pulls out into the most comfortable day bed!  There's my Guide, watching over The Palms.  See the rounded storage thing behind her? That holds all my kitchen things like spatulas, can opener, beater, potato peeler, all those things that won't fit into one of the three small drawers. It's sitting on a basket that contains one of the lap quilts I made and a couple of small pillows.

And that's our new home.  It's so comfortable so far, much more than I hoped it would be.  I NEVER turn on lights during the day - it's really light and bright in here, and I only need lights when it's dark outside.

The only problem I'm having is I'm moving too fast and too wide.  I need to slow down and be more careful.  I'm constantly hitting my head, scraping my hands, bumping my shins.  My legs are a mass of large and small bruises.  Yesterday I scraped my shin in the same place I already had a large bruise.  I had to get some ice out to put on it, and today it still hurts.  I look like an old woman who is taking too much aspirin. But I'll learn.  I hope before shorts weather is here. : )

It was cool and windy all day yesterday, but it did clear up finally, and I got some nice sunset shots, which I'll show you tomorrow.  I'm really liking taking sunset shots.  You can't do much to mess them up.

It's a beautiful day here at the beach this morning.  Not a cloud in the sky right now, and only slight breezes.  I got here a little after 5 am, good thing, too, because it's 8 am, and all the parking in this area is already taken.  The forecast is around 71 degrees along the coast today.  It's going to be a super day.

For those who asked about the pots, see this post, where I explained where I got them, and for how much. I went to amazon.com and searched Magma nesting pots - 10-piece.  This is the best deal I found, more pots for the same money as elsewhere.  Maybe I'll make spaghetti tonight, and I can try out two pots and post a review tomorrow. I also have some frozen, sliced, butter/garlic bread that I want to bake in the oven. I haven't used the oven yet, and want to see how I do with that. I used the toaster/oven yesterday, and toasted some bagels.  I haven't had a toaster in years.  The bagels were perfect, I really liked the way it worked.

Katie and I are sleeping like logs on the airbed.  Super comfortable, but we usually sleep really well when using the down comforter.  I like it so much better than blankets.  It seems to  be warm in cool weather, and cool in warm weather.  The only time we don't use it is when its hot in the evening.  Then it really is too warm, but I always hate to store it away during the hot part of the summer.

From Me and My Dog, have a great Memorial Day, everyone!  : )

My new nesting pots

Welcome to new follower, Judie Seeders! Thanks for following along with Me and My Dog, we're happy to have you along for the ride.  If you have or start a blog, let me know so I can following along with you, too.  :  )

We slept last night  in our usual night camp, and I woke this morning at 5:20 to the sounds of a car door closing, immediately followed by a spray of hard rain on the window by my head.  I peeked out and one of the restaurant workers was heading to work at the restaurant nearby that opens early for breakfast every day.  Katie didn't want to move, so I climbed down, left her up there in the bunk, threw on clothes and drove to the beach. I got here around 5:50.  I wasn't worried about getting one of the parking spots I like, because it was rainy, very windy, and really grey out.  Kind of a neat day to be at the beach, though, nice and snug in The Palms.  We parked and I took Katie out for a walk, came back and made coffee, and settled down on the day bed with pillows and a blanket and my Kindle.  It was really  nice, I could see the crashing waves through one window and rain clouds moving overhead out both of the large windows. 

I read for a while, really enjoying my Jack Reacher novel, and it started seeming kind of familiar to me.  I kept reading and the deeper I got into the book, the  more familiar it felt.  I finally realized that I've read it before.  I looked up the novels, and Persuader is the 7th of 16 Jack Reacher novels, and was written in 2003.  I had downloaded it a while ago when it was offered free.  I couldn't remember if I had read that one, and obviously I had, a long time ago.  So I deleted it, and will start on a new book tonight.  I was really disappointed, because that series is really good.

My son and two grandsons stopped by to visit me here at the beach after church this morning.  Tom also had with him one of his lifelong friends from our old neighborhood in San Jose. He and Todd went to grammar school and junior high together, and some high school.  They have been friends forever, and Todd was here visiting friends, one of whom was Tom.  It was so nice to see him.  His mom and I were best friends when I lived in San Jose, and it was nice hearing about what she's doing, too.

They had plans to go to lunch after church and invited me along.  I left Katie in The Palms. It's the first time she's been in The Palms by herself, and she did fine.

Tom took my car keys and the key card for the storage lot and said he'll drive it to work on Tuesday.  I'll drive down in The Palms.  Then Tom will leave me my car and take The Palms to his auto body shop and get the cargo door put on, make the necessary repairs, and apply the new decals.  It will be all set, as good as new.  I'll get the key card back from him and mail it to the owner of the storage lot, and I'll be done there. 

When I stopped by the condo on Friday, I had two packages by the front door, and one of them contained my new pots.  They are really heavy!  Very nice looking and well made.  I washed them, dried them and put them back in the largest pot and put the bungee cord around them all, and it was just as easy as the ad promised.  I haven't used them yet, but I'm sure I'll get years of good use from them.  I got the 10 piece set, 2 handles and the bungee cord are three, then there are two lids, leaving five pots, a really large one, then a big, medium and small pot, and also a large frying pan.

I already have a medium sized non-stick frying pan with a folding handle that I got for Christmas from my daughter and son-in-law, and I got a small non-stick frying pan free at Albertson's grocery store when they had a promotion.

Kristy and Matt also got me a colander/steamer that has a lid and folds flat for storage.  I have them all in the drawer under my stove along with another folding colander, and I still have room to spare.

This is 2 colanders, 3 frying pans, 3 lids, four pots and 2 handles. 

Amazing! Oh, and the baking sheet from my toaster oven.

My one big splurge.  I think they will be worth it.

The other package was a Wagan Tech Smart AC 200 USB Inverter I ordered to go into the cigarette lighter so I can charge things while I'm driving. It has two regular plugs and one for USB cords.  I haven't tried it out yet.  It will save hours on my generator, which I'm turning on when I want coffee or anything that uses an electrical wall plug like my computer and 4G unit.  I hope it works well.

Wagan Tech Smart AC 200 USB Inverter

Katie and I left the beach early today, around 5:00.  We went to Costco before they closed to get some flea meds for her.  I thought I had some, but I couldn't find the package at the condo last night, and I looked everywhere I could think of here in The Palms, but couldn't find it.  I'll treat her this evening and get rid of those fleas.

After going to Costco we came back to the beach.  We'll stay here again until 8:30 or so, then go back to our night camp.

I just took some photos of the inside of The Palms to show you what it looks like so far.  I'll upload them and post them tomorrow.

From Me and Katie, have a great Sunday evening, everyone!  : )

Photos from yesterday...

I got my camera battery charged this morning, and wanted to show you the photos I took  yesterday.  The first three are photos of trees in front of my condo that I've always liked.  They are all in bloom now.  I don't know what they are, except the last one, a Bottle Brush tree:

Beach shots:

Tamarack State Beach in Carlsbad, CA

Katie taking a walk, looking beautiful in her Princess dress.  : )

I watched this guy for a while.  He kept getting wiped out, but kept trying.

These beach shots were taken at the same time, but I used my camera's "sunset" setting, and it gave them a different coloring. 

 

The waves were really pretty in the sunset.

The sun setting.

This was so pretty with the waves crashing by the rocks.

And then the camera battery died...  : (

Little Katie this morning, she's so tired.

Katie had a hot spot on her back yesterday, she kept scratching, and she's not usually a scratcher. When I checked, there was a really red area, so I put some salve on it, and put her Princess dress on her so she couldn't reach the spot.  She didn't try to scratch the area again.  Princess dresses aren't only very attractive, they have medicinal purposes, too.  : )

It's changing between sunny and overcast so far today, and I just started hearing the wind blow outside. Kind of cozy in The Palms, though.  I think I'll sign off and read my Kindle for a while.  I haven't read it in a long time, but have been charging it so it would be ready.  I've started on "Persuader," a Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child.  I've love the Jack Reacher series, and have read them all.  I downloaded this one to my Kindle quite a while ago.

That's all for now - have a great Saturday, from Me and Katie! : )

I'm back at the beach and pretty organized

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY!

I woke up at 6 this morning, jumped out of bed, put Katie in the car and drove to the RV storage lot. We traded the car for The Palms, stopped and filled the tank and drove back to the condo.  I put most of what was left into bags and boxes, got a bunch of my food from the cupboard and fridge, loaded them on the floor of The Palms, and we drove to the beach.  We got here around 8:30 and there weren't a lot of parking places left on the street by the ocean, but we snagged one.

It's just beautiful here today.  I'm so sorry  for all of you who are braving terrible weather, I wish you could have a week of days like today at the beach in Carlsbad, North San Diego County.

I've worked all day!!!  I put things away, rearranged them, changed them again, and then put them in a new place.  Lots of you have gone through that, I'm sure.  I put the food I brought in the little refrigerator and freezer, and was really surprised that it all fit, and I still have room left over.  I didn't bring a lot, but pretty much what I'll need for a few days.

I think I'm here to stay.  I brought the twin size inflatable mattress, too, and the bedding for it.  That's the last thing I did, was make up the bed. I have a nice mattress cover that was from my queen mattress, and I put it around the twin, pulled on the fitted twin sheet, and threw my  down comforter/duvet on top.  It's going to be very snugly tonight! 

I'm pretty organized.  All my clothes fit, but I have a few coats at the condo still.  I guess they will fit, but they'll squish the other clothes, so I'll probably be thinning out the clothes in the next few months.   Or not.

The Palms is beginning to feel like home.  : )

I have everything packed away now for traveling back to our night time parking lot in Lake San Marcos.  I feel safe there, it's where we parked last time during the Estate Sale.

I have my fridge and washer/dryer on Craigs List, and have had some calls.  Two people who wanted to see the washer, one last night and one other who called today, flaked out on me. Luckily I called the woman from today, so I didn't leave my good parking spot here to go meet her.  I have two people interested in the fridge tomorrow, I told them both to call me an hour before our meeting time (7:00) so I know they will be there, otherwise I won't be there.  I can't believe people make an appointment for a specific time and don't show. Don't call, and don't answer their phone.

Katie and I took two long walks along the sea wall - once early afternoon when I finally stopped for a break.  It felt so good to walk with her by the ocean.  Then later when the sun was setting we took off in the other direction for another long walk.  This is the first time Katie has walked in sand, but it didn't seem to phase her.  She is a good little girl and goes potty in the sand around the palm trees that are in the sidewalk.  That's all there is for her, except for the concrete, because she isn't allowed on the beach.  But she seemed to know that was the spot she should use.

It's 8:30 now, and I'm wearing down, so I'm going to close things down and drive to our night camp.  My camera battery died, so I'll charge it tomorrow and upload a few pictures from today.

Three more days of work!

From Me and Katie, have a great rest of the evening, everyone!  : )