Gavin's turn at Grammys, and the final Santee Lakes bird pics

Warning - lots of photos in this post, more than usual, I hope you don't have a problem pulling them up.

So, to continue my weekend with my Grandkids - on Saturday afternoon I dropped Kennedy off at home and picked up Gavin for an overnight in The Palms.  We arrived around dinnertime, and Gavin loves breakfast, so we had breakfast for dinner:

Hot chocolate, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon and Cheerios.

He at every bit!  We had little battery operated candles - gotta add some ambiance when you're having breakfast for dinner!  After dinner we watched one of the DVD movies he brought.  Gavin wasn't interested in having Katie sleep with him, so I got her back that night. :)

The next day Gavin was determined to swim, since Kennedy had been in the pool the previous day.  When we went over, though, there was a man with his daughters looking at the pools.  There are three, the large pool, a smaller one, and the hot tub (not for kids). He said the smaller pool was solar heated.  (Wow, sorry Kennedy!)  Gavin really lucked out, and he tried the smaller pool; it was still pretty cold, but not as cold as the larger pool.

Gavin swam back and forth a few times, played a little in the water, did a cannon ball, then got out.  He was pretty cold.  I had the heater in the car fired up to get him warmed up!

We also went to the playground so he could try out the various climbing and sliding structures.

 This one was really cool to climb on - both kids liked it.

 I'm going in, okay?

He fit inside - and discovered spider webs and ants!

But I love this picture of Gavin.  So typical little boy. 

Of course, Gavin also fed the ducks - I bought enough the day before with Kennedy to have some today for Gavin, so off we went to feed the ducks.  And do a little birding.  Gavin was a good birder.  As I was driving around the park, he spotted some birds that I didn't see, and we'd stop and get some photos. 

 This is how it begins.

 The birds went wild - swimming and running and flying as fast as they could get there.

 Gavin ended up with quite a crowd-they kept coming until the seed was gone.

And finally, more birds we saw during walks and driving around the park.  I fell in love with the Blue Herons and Egrets.

 Beautiful Blue Heron

 Funny little Egrets

  

 This Great Egret was perched on top of a tree

Double-Crested Cormorants - this is the first time I've noticed these birds:

 These two Cormorants were very snugly, they must have been paired up.

Dusk - lots of Cormorants roosting

And finally, a few more shots to end the Santee Lakes photos:

I don't know what this next bird is, he was perched behind the fence near the last lake. At first I thought it was an owl, but he doesn't match the photos of the three kinds of owls listed at Santee Lakes.  He has a very small beak.  Anyone have a name for this guy?

NOTE:  I had a couple of suggestions of White-Tailed Kite, and looked again at the "Birds of Santee Lake" sheet.  The only Kites listed are White-Shouldered Kite and Black-Shouldered Kite.  I checked both photos on-line, and he looks just like a Black-Shouldered Kite.  Thanks for steering me in the right direction. I've never seen a Kite before, and never would have looked that name up.  Unless I hear otherwise, I'm going with the Black-Shouldered Kite.

Black-Shouldered Kite

 Wooden float in the first lake in the RV area. Always birds sitting there.

On Sunday evening Tom, Trish, Kennedy and 2-year old Graydin came down and took us all out to dinner at a local steakhouse.   I wanted to post a photo of the family at dinner, but the restaurant photos were fuzzy.  It must have been the lighting.  When they went home, it was pretty quiet around here!

Monday I just took it easy, surprisingly I wasn't tired after having a few really busy days!  Tuesday was super busy - drove to town to shop, get gas, then the laundry at the park.  Dumped the tanks, filled the water tank, generally got ready to leave the park, heading east to the desert.

Next time I'll post about the Hot Spring LTVA and have some photos of this area for you.

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

We're BACK in the desert again... :)

Welcome to our newest Follower, Sharon Gulezian!  Sharon is a jewelry designer, (one of a kind, precious gems, pearls and crystals from all over the world).  Sharon, have you been to Quartzsite to check out their gem shows?  You don't show a blog or any other information, but let me know if you're an RVer and have a blog.  Welcome aboard!  Katie and I are very happy to have you following us on our adventures!  :)

 

I had over 800 photos to go through, deleting some, putting some in my "blog" file, and filing the rest.  I've been working on them for the last few days, but mostly I've been pretty lazy.  I get good TV and Internet here, so I've been catching up on the TV shows I've missed.  Thank goodness for Hulu!

WRITTEN 2/23 - THURSDAY:

We arrived at the Hot Spring LTVA  on Wednesday.  It was kind of a bear to get to, the bridge over the canal at the entrance of the area is out, and the only way in is to drive along a dirt road along the canal, I think it was around three miles, cross another bridge, and drive back along the canal another three miles.  The road wasn't too bad, but not too good, either. 

 

Pretty much washboard the whole road - I had to drive between 10 and 15 mph to keep things together. I could just see all the screws slowly turning as I bumped along.

As I was getting nearer to the camping sites, there was a very sharp turn, and as I approached it, another car, a van, came around the bend. I waved out the window and told him I'd back up, and he said, No, we're fine, as he drove into my mirror, re-adjusting it for me.  His wife seemed very embarrassed, and I wasn't too happy.  He said he was sorry, he thought he had enough room, and said, Everything looks fine, and drove off.  I couldn't open my door to see if there was any damage until he drove past me, and he kept going down the road.

After I got photos (and a closer pic of his license number, just in case - it's very handy to have the camera always nearby) I got out and checked the mirror.  It was fine, not even any scratches, so I re-adjusted it and continued to drive on.  Thank goodness the whole mirror, including the large arm attaching it to the body of the truck, is adjustable, otherwise it probably would have broken off.  That would have been a real pain! :(

Had I known it would be hard to get to, I would have kept going to another area.  By the time we were here, though, I decided to stay until we needed to dump the tanks and fill the water tank.  When we leave, we'll continue on to another camping spot. 

 

That's the bad part.  The good part is everything else.  When we found a spot to camp in and I got The Palms ready to live in again, I felt like I had come home.  The first thing I did was open all the windows and open the door and let all the fresh breezes in.  It's hot here - as I write this at 4 pm, it's 79 degrees, slight breeze, the fantastic fans are going, and I finally have a tank top on again.  It's pretty dry here - Poor Katie has white spots on her little nostrils - that always happens in hot, dry weather.  Does that happen with you dogs' noses?  Do you do anything about it?

 

It's a pleasure to walk Katie again, walking has gotten easier and easier and my strength feels like it's about back to normal.   There is one large dumpster for the whole area, and we walk down to it each day with a garbage bag to toss in.  The hot spring is a little further down past the dumpster.  We might walk to it, but at this point I don't have any desire to experience the hot spring. 

 

People go back and forth, usually with wet towels and hair on the way back, and sometimes with a full gallon plastic bottle.  I was told they use the water from the springs to wash their dishes and other uses.  It helps to extend the amount of water in their RV tanks.

 

Okay, enough about where I am now - I just wanted to update you on our location, and I'll post more about that in the next few days.

WRITTEN TODAY, SATURDAY:

I need to catch up and post some photos of GRANDKIDS!  Today - Kennedy.

 

I picked Kennedy up last Friday at lunchtime, and we went to Coco's for lunch, then drove to Santee Lakes for an overnight in The Palms.  The last time I was at their house, last July, Kennedy and Gavin were scheduled to spend the night in my new motor home before I took off on the Great Adventure. Well...  as we were watching a movie that evening, Kennedy got sick, and went back into the house where she was sick all night.  So this was the first time she slept in The Palms.

 

We had LOTS of FUN! 

 

Snuggling with Katie

 

Kennedy wanted Katie to sleep with her soooo bad - I didn't think it would work, and that I'd be climbing down to get Katie in the middle of the night, but Katie got under those covers and didn't move until morning.  

 

Good night, Katie!

 

It was a one-dog and three-blanket night, pretty cold temps overnight. When Kennedy went to sleep, she asked for one more cover, and I added my last quilt to keep them warm:

 

Good night, girls!  (The bump in the middle is Katie.)

 

We bought some bird seed at the office, and Kennedy fed the ducks.  They came running!

 

Kennedy REALLY wanted to swim, I had her bring a bathing suit just in case.  The pool was not heated; it was ICY.  She has been in Lake Tahoe when the water was really cold (I think it's always really cold at Lake Tahoe) and she was determined to at least get in this pool.  It wasn't easy, though.  It took three tries of 1-2-3-go!

 

She did it!

 

Cooooold - thank goodness THAT’S over!

I was really proud of her, I wouldn't have even thought of trying to get into that water.  

Kennedy loves to do crafts, and is very artistic.  We got some of my craft things out, and she played around with them for a while.  In this photo she's making a "bug catcher," that's not what we called them, but I remember making these when I was about her age.    

We had a nice visit, did lots of things together, and had a great time.   Around 3:00 we packed up her things and drove back to the house.  It was Gavin’s turn to visit Grammy and Katie in The Palms.

Thanks, Kennedy, for visiting me and Katie – we miss you!

I had problems with this post, so finally copy/pasted it into Live Writer - it's still a little off, but... it's done!

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

Taxes, appointments, grandkids

WELCOME to our newest followers, Jim and Rosie!  I checked out their blog, and they have been camping/RVing since the 1980s, and are planning to go full-time this year in June, bringing along their two dogs, Annie and Sammy.  They plan to stay in the Western United States, following the good weather.  This is one of those fun blogs where they are getting close to the day they take off, and are blogging about the process.  Welcome aboard, Jim and Rosie! :)

WELCOME also to  billybob200138, who doesn't show a blog or any information.  Billybob, if you have a blog, let me know so I can check it out - Katie and I welcome you along on our travels, and we're happy to have you aboard!  :)


And WELCOME to Pebbles Paper and Pressed Flowers.  This follower has no blog or information showing, either.  Well, there is actually a blog, but no posts yet, so I couldn't check it out.  Welcome aboard, Pebbles Paper and Pressed Flowers! ( It sounds like you might have a fun blog when you get started.  I, too, collected rocks, made my own paper, and pressed flowers in my previous life.  Fun things to do!  I still have a few of my little gift tags in my craft things, with pieces of home-made paper glued onto them.)

I spent one day early this week doing taxes.  I always do my own, using Turbo Tax on-line.  I didn't plan to finish, just get some of the documents organized and go through a packet of mail I've received to get started.  I do this every year.  I love doing my taxes, and I always "just get started" and end up finishing them and e-filing, and they're done!

I had no idea whether I would get a refund or be sending them money, but I hoped I'd have a refund, of course.  Then I started entering the numbers and, before I entered the deductions the program showed that I OWED quite a bit.  I was getting kind of nervous, but finally, after putting all the deductions in, I ended up owing Federal and getting a refund from the State.  I owed the Feds more than I'm getting back from the state, but not much more - it could have been much worse!  So, that was a good job done.

I had two more medical appointments on Thursday, and Saturday I picked up my new glasses at Costco, so I'm DONE with medical, dental and vision appointments for the year.

I had my grandkids this weekend.  I picked up Kennedy Friday afternoon, and late Saturday afternoon dropped her off and picked up Gavin until Sunday late afternoon.  Tom  and Trish and Graydin, my two-year-old grandson, were here around 5 this afternoon to take us all out for dinner at  a local steak house, which was great.  Then they drove me back to The Palms.  Trish drove their car back home, and Tom took the Escape I've been borrowing and drove it back to their house. 

I have lots of photos from this weekend's visits, but my camera battery finally died during dinner, so it's charging now and I'll download the photos in a day or two or three, and post the best ones in my next post.

So, I'm back to only The Palms for transportation.  It was so nice to have a car to take for most of my appointments and the shopping I needed to do. 

I have only another two days here, the time has gone by so fast.  I can't believe it's been almost 30 days already!  I'm starting to get organized to roll! 

Katie and I are going to rest tomorrow after the busy week and weekend, we're also scheduled to have the propane truck come to our site and top off the propane tank, and then Tuesday I'll empty the black and grey tanks, fill the water tank and do another load of laundry here at the park.

Then we take off on Wednesday morning.  My plan right now is to return to one of the Long Term Visitor Areas to stay until my permit expires April 15th.  After that I might start driving north again, slowly.  I want to visit my daughter and her family in Vacaville.  I have allergies that seem to kick up when I visit them later in the year, and I'm hoping April might be a good time to be there.  I'm definitely taking allergy pills while I'm there, though.

I haven't blogged in a week because I've been so busy, but I have a ton of photos I need to go through and will put the best ones in my next couple of blog posts.

I'm so happy to have all the medical stuff behind me and to have had such a great visit with my family. Poor little Katie has been by herself far more this week than usual, so - as much as she LOVES it when the grandkids are here - I'm sure she'll be happy to have things back to normal again.  Me too, since I'm still needing to rest more than usual, and we'll be able to do that easier in the desert.

More to come, with photos in the next few days!!!

From Me and Katie (who is sound asleep in bed!), have a great Sunday evening, everyone!  :)

Another great day in San Diego County

WELCOME to our newest Followers:

Sharon Wallace, who doesn't show a blog or any information. Thank you for following along with Katie and me, we're happy to have you along sharing our adventures.  Do you have a blog?  If so, let me know, and I'll check it out.  NOTE:  Donna commented with Sharon's blog address, which is The Odd Essay.  Check it out, they have been full-timers since January 2001!  Thanks, Donna. :)

Also, Alaska Mary, who  does have a blog.  It's not an RV blog, but maybe Mary is thinking about Rving?  Whether or not you have RVing in your future, I'm happy to have you along with me and Katie on our travels in The Palms.

Welcome aboard to you both!  :)

We've had a mix of weather the last few days, some sun and some clouds and a little rain.  I love the sound of the rain on the roof.

 The bridge over the wash - on the way to the nearest lake. 

The sun is going down right behind those clouds.

Katie and I took some walks along the lake again.  It's so nice to be in a place that has good, interesting walking trails.  In Santee Lakes, dogs are only allowed in the RV camping area, but I think the best places to walk are at the other end of the park, the entrance area and the day use area.  One of these days I might drive down there and just sit for a while and watch the birds congregating in those areas.  Most of the interesting birds seem to be there. We have mostly ducks and coots in this lake by the RVs.

Mallards fishing.  Aren't his feathers pretty?

Kids fishing.

Mallards still fishing.

It's been a nice quiet weekend around The Palms.

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

We have the neatest birds here!

I'm feeling better again, every day is easier.  Yeaaaaa!

All my appointments are getting done.  I finished up at the dentist on Tuesday - I go back in six months for another cleaning.  Next week I have my annual physical, then I'm done for the year with scheduled medical appointments.  I like to get them all done in one month.  My new glasses should be in next week. I ordered bifocal glasses for computer/TV, I hope I like them. 

On the way back from town the last two trips, I snapped more bird photos.  I was parked on the side of the road with my camera in front of me snapping some ducks when a giant "thing" flew into my vision and landed right in front of me:

 Blue Heron

I refocused and got a couple of shots, when another one flew in and forced this one out, and away he went:

 Blue Heron in flight.

 Another Blue Heron on the railing.

I FINALLY got my laundry done on Wednesday.  I had literally  not done laundry since December when I was in Quartzsite!  Everything needed washing.  All my clothes, bedding, towels, rugs, everything. I just haven't had the energy, and wasn't sure I'd be able to re-make  my up-bed with the pain at the incision site I had been having.  Then I felt better on Tuesday, and when I woke up on Wednesday, I felt really good, and knew I'd better to the laundry while I was feeling so good.  I put everything away, hung up the clothes, and piled the bedding up until later in the afternoon, then I made the bed and all was good.

But doing all that laundry really wore me out, and I didn't wake up until 11:00 am on Thursday!  I was really out cold.  I've taken it pretty easy since then.

This morning I made Valentine cards for my grandkids, got them ready to mail, and drove to the local post office to get them off in time for delivery on Valentines Day -  I think they'll make it on time.  Other than that, total resting for me the last couple of days.  

 There are islands in the lake that the birds hang out on or near.

I think this is a Great Egret.

More Snowy Egrets.  These birds crack me up.  Doesn't he look like an old man - a curmudgeon?

 I love watching these Snowy Egrets.

 Is this not the strangest bird you've ever seen?

I feel sorry for him.  Looks like an avian ET.

Every time I see these guys, I think of my granddaughter, Lauren.  When I was visiting them last July and staying at the RV park in Vacaville, I took Lauren and her brother Drew to the swimming pool.  She walked back with her life vest on, and her towel over her head.  She was walking along, and Drew and I were hysterical - she looked and walked just like ET.  That's what these Snowy Egrets remind me of.

 Lauren the Snowy Egret

 These guys are in the middle of the lake, standing on something just under the water.  The middle one kept opening his wings.

 How cute is this white duck with the tufted feathers on his head?

I don't know what this bird is - he is smaller than the egrets and herons.
(Thanks to my commenters:  This is a White-faced Ibis. 
Almost indistinguishable from the Glossy Ibis.)

He was watching all the ducks being fed, and slowly walked and few over them.

Hoping for some bread crumbs.

He has quite a beak, and iridescent green coloring on his back 

and brown and white on his neck and head.

I'm really enjoying seeing all the birds here.  The best time is driving in and out of the park, because most of the birds are in the first two lakes, where they are not as accessible to the day use people and RVers.

Early this evening when I was stepping out of The Palms to take Katie for her walk, a car slowed down in front of the rig, and I knew right away it was a blog follower.  I had no idea who they were, but it was obvious they knew me.  So funny. :)

It was Jim Murphy and his sister, Jean.  Jean lives in Santee, just a few blocks from Santee Lakes, and her brother, Jim, is a blog follower who has been reading Me and My Dog since the very beginning.  He recently sent me a message, and when I saw them and he started telling me who he was, I immediately remembered his message.

Jim's an avid follower of a lot of your blogs, too.  We follow a lot of the same blogs, but he reads blogs I've never heard of, too.  He isn't a blogger yet, but hopes to someday be a full-timer, and if he actually does it, he'll be an expert.

 Jean, Katie and Jim

They had two dogs with them and we had all the dogs on their leashes, so we walked to the lake and alongside it for a while.  When it started getting dark, we came back to The Palms and had a nice chat.  I haven't met many followers yet, but one thing I'm finding happens with each meeting I've had.  The conversation does not stop, sometimes we don't even finish sentences before the other person interrupts with their comment, then the other person says, "Yeah, I know," and interrupts with their comment, and it goes back and forth, each finishing the others thoughts.  (Does that happen with you guys, too, or is it just me and my visitors?)  Jim and I went on and on about other blogs, and things he's read in mine.  I'm sure Jean thought we were crazy, but not too crazy because she  invited me to her house for a visit. Super nice people.

It was really nice meeting you both, Jim and Jean!  I hope we do get together again!

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

Just a quick update

Just wanted to post a quick update.  There's not much going on, but I didn't want anyone worrying about me.

 Snowy Egret

I've been improving a bit every day, then I hit the wall, as they say, and my recovery has stalled.   Everything is fine, but I'm still in some pain when I move around, and getting tired of it.  I know it's just a matter of time, but jeez, it's been a month and I'm getting tired of resting, you know?  Anyway, enough complaining, but that's why things are so quiet in The Palms. :)

 Snowy Egret

Katie and I have been walking to the lake every day. Not a long walk, but enough.   I've also been continuing on with my planned medical appointments for the month of February.  The new dentist last week was great, I liked him, his staff and the office location, but after all the x-rays were taken and they went over my intake info, they wanted me to pre-medicate before the periodontal check and teeth cleaning.  The dentist wrote an Rx which I filled at Walmart for $4, and I go back tomorrow (Tuesday) to complete the testing and cleaning.  They did say I don't have any cavities or cracks or anything that needs attention, and I floss a lot, so I'm assuming all will go well and I'll be done for another six months.

What are they all looking at?

 

This morning I went in for my vision test, and my eyesight is almost the same as it's been for a few years.  I got my prescription for reading/computer glasses at Kaiser optometry, but my insurance doesn't pay for glasses.  Kaiser had about five frames that were only $150 for the total package of frames and lenses.  These few frames were their cheapest, but I didn't like any of them, so I checked Walmart and Costco, and found Costco had the best prices.  I ordered my new glasses there, and they'll be here in about 10 working days.

Wood Duck on bench back, and Mallards

That's about all that's been happening around here.  The weather has been great, then today we had cloud cover and a little rain is expected tomorrow, which will be nice and cozy and will bring out more of our feathered friends.

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