Exciting new RV upgrade/mod - Part 1 of 3

I've been looking forward to this for at least six months, and it's finally happened!  Actually I had one in my condo in San Diego, and have missed it for over four years.  But I started thinking about one seriously about six months ago.  I sent an e-mail to my son, Tom, who agreed to "help," and here we are.  YES!

First some photos to show the prep running up to the final modification.  I'm going to show you the rest of the mod build in Part 2, and then the install in Part 3.  I took so many photos, it's ridiculous!  WAY too many photos for one post.

You'll probably guess what it is, but maybe not.  ; )   So, here we go...

First Tom checked out The Palms to make sure what I wanted to do would fit.  He took some measurements.  We spent some time at a lumber yard, looking at different kids of wood, and chose two pieces of plywood.  We had his large work truck and the wood was placed inside. Tom's a general contractor and had all the tools and almost everything else we needed to complete the job.

We drove back to Tom's house and started unloading.  Tom took out the wood and the saws and grinder and tools from the truck, got set up and started measuring and cutting, trimming and sanding, drilling, staining and sealing.  I did a little sanding and staining, but Tom knew what he was doing and it was better if I mostly enjoyed watching him do his thing.

Just to prove I helped:

This little guy is a knot or flaw in the wood - what do you see? 

Yup, a Roadrunner running, hiding inside my new mod.  It's a sign...  Right?  My on-board good luck charm.  :)

So...  any ideas?  Do you know what it is?  Check back in the next post to find out for sure!

From me and Katie, totaling enjoying our new RV mod, have a great Saturday, everyone!

More family visit photos, back in Hot Springs - Part 2. And scarey visitors and a move

I took hundreds of photos during my trip - it was hard to whittle them down.  Here are a few more.

Actually, Trish took this first one of a very tired Graydin.  Those iPhones really take nice photos. He didn't have the energy to walk up the stairs for a nap:

 Is this cute, or what???

 Trish's selfie of all of us around the table after Easter Dinner - Grammy is looking a little tired, LOL

Granddaughter Kennedy at soccer practice.  She was just accepted on a competitive traveling team.  I love these photos of her.  She's competitive, smart, sweet, and beautiful - an all around a great kid.  She just turned 12 in January, and is doing so well for a girl her age.  Kennedy is the one with the Origami Owl jewelry business.  It's still going strong.  Middle School next year!  :)

Tom bar-b-qued a wonderful beef loin for us one night.  Here is everyone around the table:

You can see how well the boys get along in these two pictures. 

Trish was trying to get a good selfie of herself and Tom.  He made some faces and the photos were pretty funny.  Here's Trish showing Tom:

 I won't post the funny photos here, Tom.  You're welcome. ;)

When we left San Diego, we spent the first night at Viejas Casino in Alpine, then drove on to Hot Springs LTVA near Holtville, CA the next day. We are allowed three nights per calendar month at Viejas Casino.  I took one night coming back to Hot Springs, will stay again on my way back to San Diego for my doctor appointment, and then the third night heading east on my way to New Mexico.  Worked out well!

The Scary Part

I had a great spot, of course, when I first got here to Hot Springs.  I was right up front on a paved pad near the vacant camp host's spot.  This is at sunset:

Look how empty it is:

Most of these areas were full of RV's; some had already left when I arrived on 3/9, and more left around the time I started toward San Diego on March 24th.  I thought some non-Canadians would still be here, but only two remain.  These shots don't show all the bushes.  There aren't many trees, but there are a lot of bushes, some short, some tall, some very full, and lots of greenery. 

Here we are to the right of the entrance: 

The entrance to the camping area - this is the camp host's site on the left:

To the left of the entrance and down the road:

I had my pick of the sites.  Nice!  It was quiet, the weather is great, I was a happy camper. I could see one Class A parked down the main road a bit, but that's all I could see.  Another car drove in and out a few times, so I guessed there was another person here, too.

Then after a day or so, in this empty campground, a red car, driven by a single man, parked two sites behind me.  I took these photos out the kitchen window.  He opened his driver's door and trunk and just stood there, looking around, playing with his long dark hair. 

He sat in his car with the door open for a while, then stood outside again for a long time. I was pretty nervous, and closed everything up, just open enough to peek outside through the bottom of my lace hemmed curtains.  As it got dark and with him still there, I brought everything outside into The Palms for a quick get-away, if needed.  I knew there was was at least one RV down the road from me.  I could see it, but it wasn't that close.

In the morning, the red car was gone.  As my neighbor, Sonny said, sometimes men feel better parking near another camper, too, not just women, and maybe that's all that was going on.  He might have been more comfortable being near someone. But I didn't want to take any chances.

Then yesterday I decided to walk down the road a bit to see who else is here.  I found the man in the Class A outside  his rig and stopped to talk to him.  He said it was only him, Sonny, another man, Roy over in another area, and me.

I told him about the red car making me nervous, and he kept looking past me, then said, are you expecting company?  I said no, and he said there's someone walking around your rig.  I turned around and saw a black car parked next to The Palms. 

I didn't recognize the car.  I started running down the road, pushing the stroller.  I stopped at one point and took photos of a nice looking black man and his car - a nice looking black BMW.  He walked up to my door and looked like he was knocking or trying the handle.  I stopped again, and screamed at him - over and over - "Get AWAY from my rig!" until he walked away from the door and toward me.  Then I started running again toward The Palms.

He started walking toward me, smiling.  When I had almost reached him, I said, in a serious loud voice, "What's going on?"  He smiled and kept walking toward me and said Hi.  Very friendly.  I said, "What do you want?"  very low voice, fast and serious.  Then he tells me he just came from Blythe and left his wallet there and needs money for gas.  I said, "I have nothing to give you.  Get your car away from my rig, and out of my campsite.  Right now."  He said, "Okay - no problem."  Something like that.  I said, "Don't EVER park that close to someone's motor home.  That's a really bad idea, and really rude.  Get it out of my site, now!"  He turned around, walked back.

He got into his car and left.  Whew. What a nerve!  I got a good photo of the license plate on the back, just in case, as he was driving away. 

You know, this is a fee-only campsite.  Anyone coming in here should have a season pass or have paid for a site.  It's not like a Home Depot or Wal-Mart parking lot where people are walking around begging for money.  (Never food, always money.)  We're also eight miles from Holtville, the nearest small town, so there is NO reason for anyone to be here asking for money. 

So then we walked back to Sonny's rig and told him what happened.  He said while we had been talking he saw the guy drive in, park next to my rig, knock on the door, then walk around the rig.  When I was running toward him, he had his hand up to the door again.  Knocking?  Checking to see if it was unlocked?

Sonny said while I was running toward The Palms he got on his golf cart and started down the road, so the man would see him.  He stopped and waited a little ways away until the car was out of the campground.  He said he didn't mind at all if I moved closer to him, so I decided to bring The Palms up to his area, and parked across the road from him, behind a bush, but still visible.  No more lone men in cars near my rig.

Maybe these two episodes were nothing more than what happened, no ulterior motives on their part. But when something happens like this, and it doesn't feel right, better to listen to our instincts and take precautions.  If Sonny hadn't been here, and been so helpful, I would have left the campground.

(That's one reason I like having a small motor home and no toad.  I don't put much outside.  If I had to leave anything I have outside, it wouldn't be much of a loss, usually just chairs.  But I don't want to lose Katie's stroller, so I always bring it inside at the first sign of anything I don't feel comfortable with.) 

We'll leave on Tuesday (tomorrow) and head back to San Diego, I have three nights planned along the way to overnight at free stops.

Next post will begin the RV Mod information.  YAAAAY!  I can't wait for you to see it.

It's been a while since I've welcomed new Followers, and today's the day!  We have four new followers, all women - and none of them has any personal information shown.  Ladies, if any of you have blogs, please let me know in a comment and I'll post it so we can all check out your blog, okay?

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST FOLLOWERS:  
Linda Chapman
Karen S
Terrie Pressman  NOTE:  I just found her blog - Ponder in the Blue Yonder - that was started on April 5.  :)
Deb Dean   (One of my best friends in high school in San Mateo, CA, was Debbie Dean. Deb, let me know if that's you.  Wouldn't it be cool to re-connect?) 

Thanks to you all for following along with me and Katie - we are very happy to have you on board!

From me and Katie, have a great Monday, everyone!   :)

San Diego visit, now back in Hot Springs for brief stay - Part 1

Katie and I drove to San Diego for my annual medical, vision and dental appointments.  All the appointments were done in two days, except for my annual physical.

After my dental appointment on Tuesday morning, we headed for my son, Tom and DIL, Trish's house in Carlsbad to visit with them and their kids, Kennedy, Gavin and Graydin.  Then on Friday, my daughter, Kristy and SIL, Matt arrived with their kids, Drew and Lauren.  We had a full house, with lots of good food, five grand kids going a mile a minute, and Katie and the resident dog, Jagger, getting along great.  It was a really nice visit.  Katie loved it so much, she didn't want to go back to The Palms when I put her on a leash to walk over and get something.  No way was she leaving all the fun.  She sure has changed since our first year on the road.  :)

I parked across the street from Tom and Trish's house, like I did last year.  They are on a curve, so I can't park in front of their house, but the neighbor across the street is on a corner, so parking along the fenced side of his house is my best place.  Level and not in anyone's way.  Below Kristy, Matt and Lauren were walking toward The Palms so I could show them something new inside.  :)  That's "mean neighbor's" house on the corner.

Unfortunately this guy is a real pain, and reported me to the HOA the first day I was there.  By law I can park for 72 hours, so he was jumping the gun a little.  :(  >(@%#!   Tom received a letter from the HOA and he called them and explained I was there for a week for an Easter visit, and the HOA was fine with that, but this neighbor complained about a friend who was visiting, too, twice!  Geez, Mister Meanie, get a life!  Tom just rented a business property that has a fenced yard with lights and cameras and from now on I'll stay there, and he'll lend me a truck to drive. That will make it a lot easier.

Tuesday night Trish and the kids went to their religious Meeting and I got a good picture of them all dressed up and ready to go.

Kennedy, Gavin, Graydin and Trish

While they were at their Meeting, Tom and I went out to dinner.  There are so many great restaurants in San Diego.  He's eating gluten free and organic foods, no dairy, as much as possible, and it's amazing the restaurants that serve great, tasty meals that fit his eating plan. 

Saturday night we all went to a sushi restaurant, where I had real sushi for the first time.  I love fish and Tom wasn't surprised that I liked sushi.  He ordered many plates of different kinds, but when the last two kinds came out, I was so full I didn't try them.  I was warned ahead of time not to eat all the rice - it really fills you up, so I didn't - but I was still full early on.  I especially liked the Ahi Tuna.  The Salmon was my second favorite.  The whole meal was quite an experience and what a treat!

I wanted to take some photos of what I ate, and my granddaughter, Kennedy, took over and arranged my plate for me for the "photo shoot."  Good job, Kennedy!

I think this is a salmon piece.  Please don't notice the "kids helper" at the end of my chopsticks.  ; )

This is one of the plates that came out:

Everything is arranged so beautifully.

Saturday before Easter we drove to Old Town San Diego and took the Trolley Tour.  It was the third time for me.  We only got off the trolley once, at Seaport Village, for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory - which was great.  If you take the Old Town Trolley and get off at the different stops, it takes a whole day.  A great deal and wonderful way to see the whole city without having to drive yourself.

Trish took this selfie of us on the trolley:

I love this photo of me - no wrinkles!  I think Trish has a special app that does this.  Thanks, Trish. :)

We also toured the old San Diego Police Headquarters and Jail which is behind the restaurant.  The whole Police Station area has been redone into a shopping center, but they left part of the jail area.

 The BAD GUYS:  Dopey, Meanie, Shifty, Grammy and Smiley

Easter was such a nice day - The Easter Bunny came, then Tom cooked us all Eggs Benedict.  It's our family breakfast for any holiday, and they were perfect!

 Tom and Matt

 Trish, Tom and Matt

 Kristy eating Easter Eggs Benedict

 My breakfast - Eggs Benedict and a few raspberries.  I didn't take much fruit, but I ate every bite!

The kids had an Easter egg hunt, and then we had a honey-baked ham with all the trimmings.  Matt's sister and husband and two kids joined us - Erin, Steve, Molly and Owen - so there were seven cousins.  They all get along great and had a good time together.

 Get ready...

 Get set....

Go!

 Tom and Trish have a great yard for hiding and finding Easter Eggs

Everyone got a good share of the eggs, filled with candy and some with money.  Kristy and Drew looking for lost eggs.

After the egg hunt, we all just hung out, eating and drinking and visiting.  The kids were busy doing their own things.  At one point, Lauren and her cousin Molly decided they were going to play dress up.  I think they were playing "Models" or something like that.  :)  Kennedy decided she was going to help them out with some of her old clothes and then do their make-up.  Here they are in one of the outfits:

 Beautiful girls Molly and Lauren.  Notice Molly's blue lipstick?  At first they had each other's outfits on, then switched.  This was a better fit.  

 Molly, Kennedy and Lauren - I think the adults enjoyed the fashion show as much as the girls did.

We had Easter Dinner later than planned.   Originally it was going to be 3:00, but we had so much going on and so many Hors d' oeuvres, we ended up eating around 4:30 or 5.  We had a Honey Baked ham, mashed potatoes, peas, asparagus, and green salad, and for desert, two cakes and three kinds of Bundt cupcakes.  Wow, it was all delicious!  I love a traditional Easter Dinner!

On Monday, Matt was flying home to northern California.  He had to get back for work and everyone else but me and Tom went to San Diego to take Matt to the airport and then do some sightseeing.  Tom and I stayed home to finish up working on a project.  More about that later.

Tuesday everyone but Tom went out for breakfast.  Tom worked that morning and after breakfast Trish and Kristy surprised the kids with a trip to Disneyland, where they were meeting up with Erin, Molly and Owen. Kristy and the kids were spending the night with Erin and her family, then heading back home from there early Wednesday morning.  This is a photo from Trish's FB page:

 The seven cousins at Disneyland

I went back to the house after breakfast to meet up with Tom, finished up a few things, and then I left for Viejas Casino in Alpine for a night and then on to Hot Springs for a week.  Tom headed up to Disneyland to meet up with the rest of the family.

The medical stuff went "almost" well.  My teeth are great, cleaned and good for another year.  My eyes are good, I got my once-every-two-years pair of new glasses.  Had blood tests done, everything there was good, except my cholesterol is high.  I go through this every year and try to lower it with diet and exercise.  It's always worked before, but last year I wasn't careful with what I ate. 

I'm lucky that Tom and Kennedy have been on their new eating plan because it's probably exactly what I should have been doing.  Trish has been eating Gluten Free whenever possible, and since Tom and Kennedy are on a good eating plan now, I got a lot of good information from them to start me off, threw away all the "bad for me" foods, and am keeping a food diary.  I still have some shopping to do, but so far I'm doing fine and lost 1/2 pound the first few days.  I'm taking things slow, but so far so good.  I'll discuss this with my new doctor on Friday and see what he has to suggest.  I don't want to take cholesterol lowering meds unless I have to.  If he says I have to, I will, but I'll still do the good eating so next year I can be taken off, I hope.  We'll see....

I have a new doctor because my Primary Physician cancelled my annual physical twice, and when they called the second time to reschedule again, I told them I was changing doctors. I've been thinking about changing for a while and now was the time.  I was able to get an initial appointment with a new doctor for next Friday.  Since I had some time to kill and RV parking in San Diego is so difficult for dry camping or super expensive for RV parks, I drove back to Hot Springs.

Wow!  The weather is great and there's no one here.  Just me, a man in a Class A, and another man in his RV.  This campground looks SO DIFFERENT with all the people gone.  My season pass is up on the 15th, but I'll be leaving to head back to San Diego on the 13th. 

More family photos next time.  Are you excited about that?  I am!  Also, I was scared enough to actually move sites at Hot Springs - also next time.  Let me tell you, I wasn't excited about that!

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

PS - Major RV mod coming up!  Stay tuned...

Good-bye HOT Springs

Here's Katie the other morning trying to decide if she's ready to get up yet:

The other night I started her sleeping on the couch at night - it's too hot to have her sleeping up in the bunk with me and more than warm enough for her to sleep down on the couch.  The first morning I heard her making little noises, tiny, quiet noises, and I figured she wanted me to get up.  I looked down at the couch and she wasn't there, I scanned our little house, and she wasn't to be seen.  Finally I looked straight down, and there she was, wagging her tail, sitting on the top of the dinette seat back.  Looking at me and waiting.  She's so polite.  :)

Yes, it's been hot inside The Palms.  We seem to have acclimated to the heat quickly this year, though.  Between some cloudy days, some breezy days, and the little rain we had, it really wasn't too bad once I got the hang of it again - when to turn on fans, open windows, when to keep everything closed up, when to bring out the neck wraps from the fridge.  And now it's done, and we've moved on.

Hot Springs is a nice campground, an LTVA which is free if you purchase the $180 season pass.  I always do, because it gives me different places to spend some time during the winter, and then when I'm heading to San Diego in the spring, I have LTVAs along the way.  

I met some really nice people this time around.  The only people I've met before at Hot Springs were Peter and Bea, and they have always been friendly and nice neighbors.  This year I met two more couples, both with little Deer Chihuahuas - half the size of Katie.  Katie loved their dogs and actually chased and played with them a little.  

This area has some really pretty sights, such as the palm trees and the hot springs and pool inside the palms.  There are areas with lots of trees and bushes, too, and if you get there early enough (or late enough) in the season, you can nab a nice site.  

There are also things that aren't so pretty, and that's why I usually don't get a lot of photos here.  Every sunset photo is jammed with wires - there are LOTS of above-ground electrical wires everywhere you look.   And not far away is a power plant of some kind.  It emits a humming noise - it doesn't bother me, but might be a problem for people who are more noise sensitive.  We are also right next to the I-8 freeway, so the traffic and big rig noises all day and most of the night are very evident if you're camped near the front of the park, especially on hot nights when you want the windows open.  For the campers further back, the traffic is probably not an issue. I've always parked about halfway back and I don't remember hearing traffic before.  I do like the campsites in the front, though.  I have to walk to the dumpsters every day, so I'd rather be a little closer.

I like Hot Springs and visit every year on the way to San Diego, and usually on the way back to New Mexico.  This year I'm going to be so late it will probably be too hot to stay more than an overnight on the way back. We'll see.  My season pass isn't up until April 15.  There are RVers, mostly Canadians, who spend the whole winter here, and have for years and years.  

But just to let you know if you haven't been here, it's not perfect.  Most places aren't.  I don't know about other bloggers, but I usually don't post photos showing the unattractive things, unless I'm making a point.  Usually I pick the most favorable shots in an area, or of our campsite.  Of course!
 

From Wikapedia:  "CalEnergy currently runs a geothermal plant that generates enough power for 300,000 homes and could tap into more for up to 2.5 million homes."

We left Hot Springs on Wednesday and drove to El Centro to get gas and do a little shopping at Costco, then over to Wal-Mart where I finished our shopping and we spent the night in their parking lot.  They are very RV friendly at the El Centro Wal-Mart.  

Thursday morning we left El Centro - good bye to another winter season - and drove to Alpine to spend three nights at the Viejas Casino.  As you've probably read in other blogs, they allow a maximum stay of three nights.  There is a large parking lot, but the fenced in area on the north side of the lot is for RVs.  We'll stay here until Sunday morning, then drive into San Diego which is an hour drive to where I need to be.  I'm staying at Home Depots the first two nights in San Diego to be near early morning medical/dental appointments, then I'll head over to my son and d-i-l's house.  

Here are photos from Viegas' RV area - I'm in the RV lot and the other RVs are in the employee parking lot.  The signage isn't clear, and I started in that lot, then moved over when the guard told me were the RV lot was.  He told us all we could stay where we were, it wouldn't be a problem, but I wanted to move.  The only thing is this is where the buses and big rigs stay, too, and some of them keep their diesel engines running for a while during the day.  It was quiet all night, though.  Anyway, it's free, it's green and piney, and I'm happy to be here.  

The Palms and the buses in the RV lot:

The other four RVs (in the employee parking lot):
 

You can see we are right across the road from the other RVs.  It's actually the same lot, just fenced in for the RV area:
 

Katie is doing fine - thanks for your questions about her ankle.  She enjoys a short walk in the morning and pesters me around 5:30 for a walk with the stroller, so she's still getting out and loves our stroller walks.  I'm so glad I got that stroller last year!  

I've heard back from Discount Tire/America's Tire.  I received an e-mail thanking me for my feedback, said he said they were forwarding my concerns to the store manager and also to the Regional Executive Staff for their review.  He wrote that they will be in contact with me.  I'll let you know what happens. 

From me and Katie, have a great day, everybody!  :)