Great lunch at Putah Creek Cafe, and contaminated water

I had to show you this window sign - right next to the Putah Creek Cafe was a business named "The Palms."  I thought it was a great logo!

My lunch yesterday at the Putah Creek Cafe was as good as the first time.  I wanted to get a photo of the sandwich, but I was so looking forward to it that I forgot until I was halfway through.  Pete, who came up from Merced to visit and take me to lunch, ordered the same sandwich.  I knew he'd love it, and he did.

 Tri-tip French dip with caramelized onions and delish Cole slaw

 The Putah Creek Cafe

Featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

 This oven was right in front.

Last Thursday there was a big fire in the oven.

 The back of the "oven" where the wood is stored.

It was a beautiful day, warm, but not hot, and nice breezes.  Just like today.  We took Katie for a walk around the RV Park, visited a little, and then Pete left to return to Merced.  We keep in touch often by phone, but hadn't seen each other for at least three years, and it was really nice to get together.  Thanks again, Pete, for driving up to Vacaville and taking me to lunch!  : )

Pete and The Palms 

When we were at lunch, I put Katie's bed on the kitchen floor and put the gate up so she couldn't leave the kitchen.  I closed all the window covers and turned on music for background noise.  I put the Endless Breeze fan on the floor and turned it on low so it would stay cool.  When we got back she was fine and I asked a neighbor if she heard Katie barking, and she said no, it was quiet while we were gone.  So, I think Katie will be fine if I need to leave her alone in The Palms.

All in all, a nice day, and I brought half my lunch home to eat for dinner tonight.  Yum!

But... there was a glitch in the day yesterday.   When we got back there was a note on my door, and I thought it going to be about Katie barking.  Instead it was a notice from the park that our water is and has been contaminated with fecal coliform and E. coli with a notice from the CA Department of Public Health explaining the situation.  

They said we needed to boil all water used for consumption and they had bottled water in the office if needed.  I walked over with Katie and got four bottles for my coffee and Katie's water bowl.  The lady across the way went out and bought a bunch of gallons and brought one over to me - so nice of her!

I boiled a pot of tap water and washed the few things that have come in contact with tap water, including Katie's water bowl and a few coffee cups and glasses and spoons, and my toothbrush.  I've been using paper plates and bowls, so I was lucky.  Some people had to re-wash all their things.  And I've only been here since Monday.  I'm fine; Katie had a little diarrhea yesterday morning, but is fine now, so I don't think we'll have a problem. The man across from me had flu-like symptoms Tuesday, but was fine yesterday.

The problem should be resolved within 24 to 72 hours.  They are chlorinating and flushing their water system and repairing the water storage tank.  What a pain for the RV park owner.  

I've added a water filter to my list of things to buy.  And as soon as the water is okay, I'll add a bit of bleach to my water tank, which unfortunately I filled up when I arrived here so I'd have it for boondocking when I leave, and then flush it out.  My Forest River paperwork explains how to clean a contaminated water tank, so I'll just follow their directions.  I think I'll flush it twice, then leave it empty and fill it up with my clean water hose at Kristy and Matt's house on my way out of town, so I'll know the water is clean.  I guess I'll have to clean out my water hose, too.  Maybe pour some bleach/water through it?

Today is a quiet day, nothing planned but hanging out with Katie.  I do love these "nothing" days.  

Katie loves her chew toys!

Tomorrow Kristy is picking me up to go the Lauren's gymnastics practice which will be fun, and she's taking me to do a little shopping.  Then she is driving me and Andrew and Lauren back to The Palms and the kids and I are going to finally have our sleep over.  We'll have dinner and popcorn and play computer games and walk Katie and either tomorrow or Saturday or both, we will go swimming.  The kids have been very patient about their sleep over.  We might also walk over to the office and buy some ice cream.

Poor Kristy is having a tough time with her fractured foot.  She went to the doctor yesterday and got a permanent cast put on her foot/leg.  The doctor doesn't have any idea how long she will need to have a cast at this point.  She can't put any pressure at all on the leg and has to use her crutches all the time.  She said she doesn't care about not swimming or the other things she's had to cancel, like a wine tasting in a limo that was scheduled for today, or Marine World visits during the summer that she bought passes for.  

She said just normal things are really hard; anything she has to do is so much harder.  She has a backpack she is using to carry things from room to room, but even bringing food from the kitchen to the living room, or a glass of water, she can't do because she has no hands free while she walks.  They have a two story house, and that doesn't make it any easier.  I told her this is a good experience - when someone else is complaining about using crutches, she will be able to empathize with them.   She said, oh, yeah, she would certainly emphasize!

The one good thing is that she was able to get a handicap placard to put on her car, and there are three handicap parking spaces right outside her office, so that will limit the amount of distance she'll have to walk to get to work.  

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

Day of rest, answering comments

WELCOME to new follower Michael Kane.  If you have a blog, let me know so I can check it out - thanks for following along with us, Michael.  The fun has just begun!

To answer some comment questions:

The price here at Vineyard Park RV is $265.20 a week including pet fee and full hook-ups plus free wi-fi and cable.  Regular rate is $48/night and they are a Good Sam park.  VERY expensive.  There were three options here in Vacaville, where I wanted to be close to family.  I had planned to be here for only a week, but will probably extend that by another week so I can see my grand kids a little more before I leave.

The first option, which I originally thought I'd take, was Solano County Campground.  It was $18/night for seniors, and I liked that it was in the forest, but it didn't seem to be well maintained, and was pretty empty, which concerned me since the other two private parks were pretty full.  I didn't feel comfortable about staying there, just had a weird vibe.  Plus it's further from Kristy's, so would have been a longer drive for them to come out to visit or pick me up. I sure did like the price, though!

The other option was Midway RV Park, which is right next door to this one.  We drove through that park, too, talked to the Manager, who was very nice and helpful, but I just liked the feel of this one better.  Midway was comparably priced, but had fewer free amenities.

I hope to be waaaaay more frugal when I leave Vacaville, which is between San Francisco and Sacramento, so is still in a pretty expensive area.  As I go north, the RV parks should be cheaper and boondocking opportunities will be more available.

THANK YOU, Judy, for your suggestion to change the TV setting to get cable.  You were right, and I just changed the option (using the TV remote) from antenna to CATV, and it worked.  I'm glad I read your comment before I got going for the day, or I would have looked everywhere else.

When we leave here, I plan to drive to Placerville, and am hoping to see some old friends there.  Maybe stay a few days to a week.  I've been researching the campgrounds around Placerville, and it's not looking good for being frugal. I've e-mailed a friend who works with the Forest Service in that area, and asked him if there is a public campground he'd recommend.

I filled up at Costco on Monday morning.  They have a $100 limit, and I put my cards in again to get more gas until the tank was full.  I paid$3.60/gal.

When Kristy took me around looking at campgrounds, we stopped for lunch at Patuh Creek Cafe in Winters. Matt drove over from work and joined us during his lunch time.

It was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, and it was delicious.  This is what we all had, except the kids:

Davis Farmer's Market Sandwich

Thinly sliced medium rare Buckhorn Char-Roasted Sirloin Tri-Tip with caramelized onions on a rustic French roll.  Served with our famous Granny Smith Cole Slaw.

It was sooooo good.  I wish I had a photo of the plate.  It was actually a French dip, and the meat was so good and tender. When I get a French dip, I always take out the meat and remove anything fatty.  This sandwich had no fat, just tender beef.  The caramelized onions were delicious and added a sweet flavor.  The Cole Slaw had apples and raisins in it and was a perfect side.  The sandwich was salty and soggy and the salad was sweet and crunchy.

I have a friend visiting tomorrow and he is going to take me to lunch.  I'm going to suggest Patuh Creek Cafe, he is going to love that sandwich!

Katie yesterday - I've never seen her sit like this. She was really tired.

She is a Deer Chihuahua, and this pose reminds me of a deer.  

Don't they lie down like this?

Look close and you'll see a lizard - the only critter we saw yesterday on our walk.

We are taking it easy today, so nothing exciting to report.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone, from Me and My Dog!  : )

Settled in at Vineyard RV Park

I started out early this morning - I got up around 7 and at 7:30 went into the house and helped Kristy get the kids ready for daycare.  Matt works for Home Depot and opened the store today, so he left really early.  I drove the kids to daycare, Kristy to her office and helped carry things for her to her office.  She's on the second floor, but luckily there's an elevator, so she didn't have to go up any stairs. 

She had a busy day, appointments all day long, so I'm sure the day went fast.  After work Matt picked her up and they got the kids and went to Drew's T-Ball game.  When I called her at 8:00, she was home and doing fine.  She said she's not worried about driving tomorrow, so she should be fine.

I stopped at Bed, Bath and Beyond to get some full-sized sheets for the bunk, then a little grocery shopping, then to Costco for cherries.  After returning to Kristy's to leave her car there, I washed and dried the sheets so they would be ready to put on the bed at the RV park.  When the sheets were dry, it was check-in time at the park, so we drove over.  It's about 10 15 minutes from their house.  Nice and close!

We checked in around noon and spent the rest of the day getting hooked up, dumping tanks, filling up the water tank, etc. 

Note to newbies:  in a site where you can pull in head first or back in, figure out whether or not your sewage hose will reach to the sewer before getting everything else set up.  I went in head first, got all my cords and water hose attached, leveled the rig, and was all set up when I attached the sewer hose and, wow, I had about half the hose I needed to reach the sewer outlet.  I have two hoses, but they wouldn't reach.  So I had to unhook everything, go out and back in, and start all over again.  Backed in I only needed one of my sewer hoses.  I won't make that mistake again. I'm not sure what the temps were this afternoon, but I'd guess low 80s.  I was too hot and too tired to be doing all this twice.   

I vacuumed The Palms, washed the floors, got everything out and organized, put the new sheets on the mattress and made up the bunk.  Finally showered, I was still hot, but with the A/C it didn't get out of control, and when I sat down to relax, I was really comfortable.  I was too tired to make dinner, so I had a big bowl of sweet cherries, I love Costco cherries.  It's the beginning of the cherry season, so I'll be having them for lunch or dinner a lot for a while. 

It's after 10 now, and I'm about ready for bed, the day flew by!  Katie is already asleep in the bunk.

Here are some photos of the park I took today when we were out for our walk:

 The Palms in her new campsite.

 This is the view out the kitchen window.

 Each site has lawn on three sides, a picnic table and a b-b-q.

Fenced dog area where dogs can be off leash.

Swimming pool.

Kids play area.

Vineyard RV Park has free cable, free wi-fi (works really well), two laundry areas, 2 off-leash dog walks, horse shoe pits, rest rooms, showers, propane filling station, and clubhouse.  There are large shade trees in the older area, but the new sites where I am have smaller, new trees, but this new area has free cable.   I can't figure out how to get the cable working, but my antenna works well here.  I'm going to tackle the cable tomorrow.  I have the cable hooked up, and have to find the switch to turn the antenna/cable off and on.

For those commenters who suggested plugging my electric cord into an outlet in the compartment so the generator can run the A/C, I checked and I don't have a plug.  Only phone/cable hookups in the electrical compartment where the cord is stored.  But it does say on the outside of the cargo door that the plug works with 120, so I was fine plugging into the house and running the A/C.  My rig might be different than yours with a different electrical set-up.  But thanks - it was worth a try.

 Katie  needs her beauty sleep.

Good night, everyone - from Me and My Dog!  : )

MPG calculator, and dinner with friends

WELCOME to Wendy, who doesn't have a blog, but does have a Squidoo page with an explanation about who she is and what she does.  Thanks for following along with us, Wendy, I'm happy to have you with us on our journey.

WELCOME also to 1 More Mile, who blogs about anything with wheels and a motor, travel of any variety, metal fabrication, photography,etc.  Check it out, there are some great photos of off-road trips.  Thanks for becoming a follower, I hope you enjoy sharing our adventures!

I found a good website that helps figure out miles per gallon.  At the bottom of the page is a calculator grid where you input your starting mileage, ending mileage, and gallons used and it figures the MPG.

I wasn't able to fill up in Santa Nella, they didn't want to accept my AMEX in the gas tank thingy and I had to go into the office, where I just put in $100.  But I had the trip calculator set so I knew how many miles I had driven.  Here's what I figured, going 55 mpg all the way from San Diego to Santa Nella:  13.65 MPG!

I'm not sure that is correct (but I sure hope it is!), my last trip to Vacaville round trip from San Diego was 8.3 mpg.  I was disappointed with that number, I had hoped for around 10.  But I was going 60 to 65 mph on that trip, so this trip should be better.  I'm not sure it's 5+ miles per gallon better, though. When I leave here, I'll fill up again and next time I get gas, after driving on a tank at 55 mph, I'll figure it again and see if the 13.65 is correct.  Between gas prices coming down and going 55 mph and having my mpg going up, my monthly budget will be happy.

We took it easy today, I took a nap when the kids went down, Kristy and Matt rested, too. Then tonight we went to Deanna and Eric's house for the monthly dinner.

They did ribs, mashed potatoes, corn and baby carrots, and garlic bread.  It was really good, the first time I've had ribs.  Yes, it was the first time I've had ribs.  They were good, but really messy.

Here's the kid's table - so cute:

Everyone liked their dinner.

The kids had fun running round on the lawn after dinner:

 Lauren with hula hoop

 Drew with hula hoop

until we had root beer floats:

 Eric and Deanna making Root Beer Floats - Yumm!

The floats were soooo good!  When they were gone, everyone was tired, the kids were worn out, and everyone left to go home.

As soon as we got home, a little after eight, I retired to The Palms, the kids went to bed and Kristy and Matt  went upstairs.  

Kristy is feeling fine, but her foot hurts and she is still on the pain meds.  Walking with crutches uses muscles you don't usually use, and she has some sore muscles, too, from that.  I think when she fell, she also sustained some bruising from the fall.  I told her I could stay longer, go to the RV park in a week or so, but she said she'd be fine.  The kids will be in daycare and she has clients scheduled all week, so there wouldn't be much for me to do.  I  might as well check in at the park and get settled.

Here's Katie playing with Cody's ball:

Tomorrow I'm driving the kids to daycare, Kristy to her office, and then back to their house to get The Palms ready for traveling to the Vineyard RV Park at around 11, the check-in time.  I've really enjoyed spending so much time with Drew and Lauren and Kristy and Matt. I'll still see them over the next two weeks, and will keep the kids for a few days and a couple of overnights while at the park.  This next week they are really busy and I don't know if I'll see them, but the following week is going to be easier to find time to get together.

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

A/C is okay, fractured foot - (not mine)

WELCOME to our new follower, Linda! Her blog is called Blue Skies Cloudy Days. Linda recently moved from San Francisco to a small town in Oklahoma, quite a change in lifestyles, I'd guess.  Her latest blog is about suffering from social anxiety, which I think a lot of people experience to some extent.  I know I do sometimes.  Linda, I'm glad you are following me and Katie on our new adventures!  : )

Thank you all for your good wishes, I am feeling much better.  Not 100 percent yet, but I'm getting there.

I am enjoying spending time with my Vacaville family, Kristy and Matt, and grandkids, Drew, 6 and Lauren, 3.  Kristy and Matt are working and their daycare provider is on vacation this week, so I'm filling in when needed.  They both have varied schedules and are home off and on depending on their schedules and appointments.  One or the other parent is home most of the time, and when they aren't, the kids have been great. 

 Drew and Lauren

So, on Friday Kristy only schedules appointments in the morning, and we were up and ready around 8:30.  Kristy had to be at her office at 9 and was checking her backyard before leaving when she caught her heel on the edge of the patio and fell on the lawn.  She said she heard cracking and popping and was in a lot of pain.  Matt helped her into the living room to see what we should do.  Kristy decided she needed to go to the Emergency Room, so they took off and I stayed with the kids.  Three hours later they were back and here she is:

Kristy's fractured foot

It's splinted on three sides and open in the front, then wrapped from toes to knee.  She's on pain pills for now.  Poor thing.  When she climbed out of the car with her splint, Lauren burst into tears and ran from her.  She was scared, but she's okay now.  Still doesn't want to go near Kristy's leg, though.  Monday a podiatrist is going to call to set an appointment for Kristy to go in and have it checked further, and have a cast put on.  No swimming for the rest of the summer.  Luckily it is her left foot, so she will still be able to drive.

I'm going to drive her to her office Monday and Matt will pick her up on his way home from work.  She will drive herself after that.  It's not the driving that's a problem, it's that she will have to walk a distance from the car to her office and she wants another day.  After dropping Kristy off, I'll bring the kids to daycare and they will be back on their regular schedule.

Wednesday Kristy took me to the campground for Solano County, and two private RV campgrounds.  I chose one and made reservations for Monday.  I'm checking into the Vineyard RV Park here in Vacaville for two weeks. I've chosen an area that is a bit more expensive, it's a newer area in the park and it has cable TV.  I thought I might as well enjoy some good TV stations before I take off again.  I bought a cable TV cable, since I didn't have one.

We also stopped by Camping World, and  I have an appointment with them to have another Fantastic Fan installed in the vented area in my kitchen ceiling, and vent covers installed on the roof over my three vents, and the back-up camera installed, too.

And, TA-DA!, my A/C is okay - thank goodness!  I was pretty worried about that.  $$$  The other evening I turned it on and it worked.  I am connected to Kristy and Matt's house with my electric cord and that seemed to be okay.  Is it okay to use regular house electricity to run the A/C?  I was told it's not enough.  Also, I had not heard of the outlet that I should be plugging my electric cord into for the generator, but when I put the cord away on Monday morning, I'll check out the compartment and see if there's an outlet in there.  

Thank you to everyone who left that comment.

 Bedtime story for Lauren

 Bedtime story for Drew - sometimes he reads the book to us

 Cody - and Drew watching TV

Cody is such a good dog, the vet said he is only about 8 months old, not a few years old like they were told at the animal shelter, so he's still a puppy.  He really likes to play, but Katie is being a grouchy old lady around him, and bears her teeth in this maniacal smile while she growls at him.  I've never seen her do that before.  Kristy said I should get a picture of it.  The dogs get along pretty well, usually, because Cody sticks like glue to Kristy and Katie sticks like glue to me, and if we're sitting in different places, the dogs are separated. 

He's got great ears - see them folded forward?  That's his interested, alert look.  Drew is very protective of him when Katie is around.

 Drew with his Ninja figures at Lauren's Gymnastic class

 Drew's brand new desk

 Lauren playing dress-up

 Drew hits - he's a left hander.

 Drew's T-ball game - he earned the Game Ball  : )

Lauren wearing big brother's hat

I wanted to post photos of Lauren at her gymnastic class - she is doing very well, somersaults, balance beam, rope, etc., but the light in the gym doesn't come out well in photos with my camera. 

Tomorrow should be a quiet day here, then they have a dinner at friends' tomorrow night, and I'm invited, too. It's a monthly dinner with a group, one couple hosting each month. The last weekend I was here, Kristy and Matt hosted - and here I am again on "dinner" night.  Good planning!  : )

That's it for today - from me and Katie, have a great Saturday night, everyone!  : )