Christmas In November

Our Italian friends that live in Rincon across the bay from us, are leaving soon to go back to Rome so we invited them for dinner. I fixed my Mexican Lasagna and Angela brought a salad to go with it. They are great people and we miss them when they are gone. They stay here in Bahia all summer when everyone else leaves. Go figure!!! The heat and humidity doesn't bother them so that is a good thing. We are off to the dentist in Guerrero Negro, 2-1/2 hours from the house. I need to see what can be done for my broken molar and the sensitivity of another tooth. When we got there I didn't have to wait long to get in and he looked at the tooth and told me he could fill it with a substance that wasn't metal but would last as long as metal as long as I didn't chew hard things on that side. Otherwise I would have to have a root canal and then a cap put on it. Well that didn't sound like much fun so I told him to go ahead and fill the hole. He gave me some Novocain and we waited for a little bit and he asked if I could still feel anything and I told him yes I could. So he gave me another shot and this one was a doozie as it seemed like he had the needle all the way in and he was moving it around (slowly, mind you) to make sure he got the nerve. He asked me to let him know when I could feel something and I kept saying, with my mouth open really wide-------ahhhh! After a while he said I was really sensitive. Well after that was done I relaxed just a little while he smoothed the rough edges down on the molar and then filled the hole. I never am relaxed sitting in a dentist chair!!! I really don't know of anyone who is. Ha!!! Anyway-----he gets done with that tooth and takes a look at the other one that I am saying is sensitive and he said the nerve is exposed but my choices were for him to fill in where the gum has worn away from tooth or try to stay away from drinking acetic drinks. We agreed I could wait and work on not having a lot of juices and carbonated drinks (which I don't have much of anyway) and keep using my sensodyne toothpaste and call it good. He said if it starts to bother me a lot then he can fill it like he did for my molar. When all was said and done it cost me 1000 pesos which at the current exchange rate of 19 it was $53.00. Can't even walk in the door of a dentist office in the states for that!!! He did a good job but because he was trying to hit the nerve my jaw was wide open and afterwards I couldn't open my mouth wide without it hurting. I had a hard time eating my sandwich on the way home. And yawning?????? Don't even go there. Ouch!!!! We had Larry, Annie and her husband Elwyn over for dinner. I made a Chicken enchilada dish as Larry loves chicken. He and his wife were our house landlords for a while. He lost Lois to cancer in October. So he is here with Buddy, his dog, and making things work again in the house and garage after being away for 2 years. Well it is back to my regular routine in going into town but instead of going in on Saturdays, I switched to Mondays as that is when they get the bread we like delivered and sometimes fresh produce. You can't count on that happening all the time as there are days fresh produce is delivered on Fridays. But I can usually find what I need with no problem. We had dinner guests tonight. Another couple we have gotten to know. They housed us for a couple days at their house in June Lake, in September, when we were on our way back to Mexico. We had such a wonderful visit. They are great people and have done a lot of traveling plus they use to fly down here in their plane. Oh course they don't have it anymore but they are very active and interesting people. They are avid skiers and hikers. We got a surprise this morning. Here it is a Thursday and the propane truck is in town. They usually come on Sundays. Well this is a new company from Guerror Negro instead of San Quintin, which is even further, so it is all good. We just changed propane tanks 2 days before so that is great timing. The truck goes over to Rincon first as most of the people there have stationery tanks which takes a long time to fill. There are quite a few people over there this time of year so it is usually about 3 hours before the truck heads our way. We watch the progress of the propane truck with our binoculars so we know when he leaves over there and starts to cross the flats. Their next stop is our little community, but we have to go out to meet the truck otherwise you won't get propane. Since these are new guys they didn't know where to go anyway so I took the truck to the main road from our house and waited then flagged them down and they followed me in to our house. When they are finished filling our tanks and getting paid, we tell them where next to go in our community. Then after that we announce on the VHF radio when they are leaving and if anyone needs propane they need to meet the truck on the main road. The Arts and Craft Show is happening on Saturday the 19th. All of the artists came in on the 18th to set up and decorate. Then Saturday everyone is there to sell their crafts and art. Since I have been announcing now for a couple years on the VHF radio about the show, I figured I would take it up a notch for excitement. Last year all my announcements were about the elves coming from the North Pole bringing their special handmade gifts to sell here in Bahia. They wanted the Artists to help sell their gifts while they vacationed on the beach. So this year I asked if anyone else, besides me would dress up as an elf. The elves would only be at Opening Day festivities and then on vacation after that. Well I got a couple of the artists to say they would get something together. That was planned last year after the show. Well opening day came and we serve finger foods and lemonade and have a drawing for raffle prizes. Everyone that wants to puts their name on a piece of paper and drops it in a jar and then after about an hour from the opening we draw names and let them choose what they want from the items on a table. Each artist puts in a couple of their items for this. Well needless to say the two women who said they would wear their hats with ears on them-----didn't an d I was the only elf. Well that was o.k. I got to draw the names and I think everyone enjoyed the elf visit. It was a successful opening but we didn't have the crowd we normally do. Several of our American friends that normally buy were on a chartered boat trip in La Paz. But none-the-less we sold some things. Here is the elf!!!! I got lucky this year with the show as I didn't have to work but opening day and 2 days during the week. The show ran 8-1/2 days. I worked on Wednesday and Friday. Then back on Sunday to tear down and help put everything away. We are blessed with the Museum Salon which is attached to the museum for our show. It is a nice facility and it is big enough to house 7 tables. Here are pictures of my table. Sunday the show is only open from 10-12, then we break down and cleanup and put things back the way they were before we started. We have two tables that the Mexican local ladies have full of their arts and crafts and when the show is over we all go to lunch to celebrate. It is prearranged by one of our American artist and we usually have 3 dishes to choose from. We all put $10.00 in to pay for lunch and if we want anything other than water to drink we pay for that extra. A short thank you is said to all who were involved with the show. Then we plan for next year. We have been trying to chase down a water leak. We have a hot water heater in a shed outside and the only time we turn it on is when we take a shower. But every time we use the hot water the water pump cycles. It is only supposed to cycle while the water is being pumped through the pipes. We are not plumbed with hot and cold water like a normal house. We have water in a large pila and a water pump helps to pump the water from the pila to the house. We don't have the water heater on all the time as it uses up a lot of propane. So we shut it off when not in use. I boil water on the stove to wash dishes and when a shower is needed we turn on the water heater. It is very simple and a little rustic but it works. No different than the way it was on the boat. So with that said, we both took showers one evening and even with the hot water heater off the water pump kept cycling. That means there is air in the line and/or a leak. We have been this route before. So now the question is-----what is causing the water pump to cycle. It wasn't just cycling once in a while, it was cycling every few minutes. It was driving us crazy. We ran the cold and hot water faucets in the house to help bleed out the air but it didn't help. The only time the water pump didn't cycle was when Dave tapped off the hot water side and just had the cold hooked up. It is a puzzle and the thought is that maybe there is a leak in the copper pipe that the hot water side flows through. It is going to be a process of elimination because we have tried all kinds of things. We have even asked our friends for help but they don't have any new suggestions. We will keep on looking for an answer. We have good friends named Bianca and Vittorio who are selling all their belonging in their house down here in Rincon. They tried to get someone to take over the house and property rent but didn't have any luck. They were renting from a matriarch Mexican family, and they weren't helping to fix the house when things went wrong. This couple is in their 70's and they have a house in La Mesa, California, but came here to Bahia to relax and enjoy. But when they didn't get any help from the landlords and the rent kept going up, they decided to give it all up. So they advertized all of the things they were selling in the house in a mass email. Basically they were gutting the house with all the furniture, appliances, etc.. One of the gals that has a house in Rincon, but lives in Reno, puts together manages an email once a month for those who want to sell, buy or anything else. So Mary advertised the list of things Vittorio and Bianca were selling. We went over to their house and took a look at things and ended up with a generator, a battery charger, 2 propane tanks, one small, one large, and a small propane freezer. They also had a 16 foot power boat for sale. It has a bimini (sun cover) and it would be a fun fishing boat for Dave and a run about for the two of us. They are asking 6,000.00. Well Dave would really like to have it but we will have to think about it as that is a lot of money for us right now. We are still trying to recuperate from having to use credit cards to help fix and maintain our boat. Vittorio and Bianca are holding the boat for us until they come back in December. They had to leave to go back to La Mesa, California, but will return at the end of the month. Then the decision will be made as to whether we can afford the boat or not. While Vittorio and Bianca were gone, Dave and I looked at finances and we just don't think we can afford to get the boat. At least not now. By February it would be possible but they want to sell the boat now or face taking the boat with them to sell in the states. Well we will just have to talk to them and see what they say about maybe making payments. Vittorio and Bianca are back and are extremely busy with people coming to their house to buy things. All the dishes-----everything is going. They aren't taking anything back to the states with them. We went over to see about getting the things they were holding for us. We talked about the boat and they thought we were going to buy it. They really didn't want to take it back to the states to sell. Well we talked to them and they agreed to allow us to make payments. It wouldn't be for very long as our bills are getting smaller, but it would be early next year we could pay it off. So with that all done, we got the things loaded in the back of the truck and the boat hooked up. We wrote them a check and we can keep the boat at our house. Dave is pretty excited. I am too but he will be using it more than I will be in it. He will be fishing as much as possible and I will go along for the ride and maybe get some beach combing in on different beaches. It has a 50 horse power engine so it will go fast. Now we can return the aluminum boat a friend let us use for helping her. The boat wasn't in the greatest of shape as it leaked and the engine didn't run well. Dave did take the boat out a couple times and even tried to fix the leaks but it didn't work when the waters got a little rough. He had to bail water out so that wasn't fun. And he couldn't go very far because he didn't trust the engine. So with that boat returned to the rightful owner, we have room for the new one. Today being the last day of November, we were suppose to leave to go to Ensenada but changed it to leave on the 1st of December. Our good friends, Rainy and Dennis invited us and most of our friends for pizza night at their house. They built a pizza oven outside in their front yard and they make the best pizza. It is always fun to go to their parties. So that is how November ends for us------PARTY and a fishing boat!!!! Life is good. See you next month.

Back In Bahia de los Angeles, BC, MX

We crossed the border at Mexicali and drove right through. We should be home tonight. We drove south through San Felipe and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the water and towns along the way. A lot of Americans live around there. I had made peanut butter sandwiches for us the day before so we had lunch and water along the way. I am sure glad we had air conditioning as it was hot. We came to where they are making a new road which will join highway Mex 1. They have made a lot of progress and we didn't have much of the rocky bumpy road to travel like we did about 2 years ago. It is going to be really nice when it is completed. Some people say it is a quicker way from San Diego to Bahia, others say it takes about the same amount of time as it does from Ensenada to Bahia. At least on the road they are building, you don't have to slow down through towns as there are none to go through and there are fewer trucks on that road. We got home about 4:30-5:00pm. We unloaded just what we would need for the night and will do the rest tomorrow. We opened the house and found it as we left it, clean. There had been a mouse in the house at one point but it didn't take the bait so either it died or it ran away. We had some findings of a cockroach that left his calling card, but didn't find it. So far everything is good. It is good to be home. It is hot here but no surprise there. The first day back from vacation so now we need to get to work and unloaded the truck and start bringing things upstairs. It took us at least 3 or 4 days before we had things put away. It has been so hot and humid that it just zaps all your energy. We didn't have a lot of drinking water in the house as the 5 gallon water jugs we have for drinking water were emptied before we went north for the summer. If we don't empty them and they sit all summer algae grows in them. I did have the smarts to buy about 4 large drinking water bottles from the store before vacation so at least we had those to drink. It got us through until I went into town on Saturday to do the grocery shopping. We turned on the stove and refrigerator and it usually takes overnight before the refrigerator cools down enough to put food in. So we had sandwiches mostly until I went shopping. It was too hot to cook anyway. Dave opened up the trailer the day after we arrived and found standing water on the floor. A pipe had broke so he had to fix that right away. Luckily he had the spare parts to fix it. We had our gate guard call the Mexican lady who delivers water to us, so she could bring water on Thursday. She arrived in the morning on Thursday. I was upstairs putting things away and Dave was busy in the garage so I hollered down to him that she was here. We didn't get out there to help guide her in and when Dave got to the pila where the water goes, there was a geyser of water shooting up in the air like 'Old Faithful' in Yosemite. Ava, the water lady, didn't hit the pipe as we thought at first. What happened was it had a crack and it gave way. Ava had 2 compression ties so Dave and her wrapped them around the pipe and that stopped most of the water from gushing out. Then I had to get a pan to put under the leaking pipe to catch the water. We had to waste some water but when we got things under control, we still couldn't fill our tank full of the water Ava brought so we asked her to return on Friday. We would hopefully have it fixed by then. We paid her gas money for coming out and she left. Dave inspected the pipe and found that the pipe wasn't straight anymore. Later we found out there had been an earthquake in September and I guess it was enough to get all kinds of things askew. Our friends across the bay from us said they had some issues and it was apparent there had been a quake. So anyway, Dave checked his spare parts but he didn't have the right ones so he went into town to our little 'Home Depot' to see if he had what we needed. When Dave returned he had the right parts and said we would have to drain the pila, which at this time held 900 gallons. He has to so take the existing pipe (PVC) off and put the new on. We have a smaller pila that holds 300 gallons, which we used when we first got moved here here, but we didn't have a pump to transfer the water from one pila to the other. We called a friend that lives close by and he had one so we borrowed it and started pumping water. We put the word out around that we needed to get rid of our water like A.S.A.P. But they had to have their own pump. Well that didn't work out so well. We called and talked to a another friend across the bay from us and he said he had a tank and he would bring it over and we said we would fill it for him. We were giving our water away. Those friends were so kind, they brought their tank and left it with us to fill and when we got the pipe fixed on the pila we could pump it back into our pila. So it took a couple days to pump all the water from the large pila to the smaller one and then to the tank our friends brought. Since we had to use up water I washed the truck and solar panels and watered the plants (which there are few) and that was it. Dave started working on changing out the broken pipe with the new and noticed how much the ground had moved to cause the pipe to get crooked. Thank goodness it didn't break while we were gone. Dave got it fixed and the filling of the big tank began. It took about a day to get the water transferred and then there was still a leak. Not as bad but Dave couldn't figure it out. We thought we would have to drain it again but one day when he was trying to figure it out and tighten the connections, he found he was turning the connection the wrong way. It was just backwards from what you usually do. Righty, tightly, lefty, loosy. So he solved the leak problem!!!! We were so relieved!!! But that wasn't all that broke!!! Since we had to use up water I had laundry to do and quite a bit so I told Dave we could put the washing machine on full load and use up quite a bit of water that way. So we started filling the washing machine and the water was coming up to the very top and I told Dave it was not going to stop!!! So we turned it off and ended up having to bail the soapy water out of the tub and dump it in the yard. However, I did save some of the water and put it in a bucket to finish washing the clothes the old fashion way with a plunger. When the washing machine was empty of clothes and water, I finished washing the clothes in the bucket, rinsed them and hung them to dry. So now Dave has to tear apart the washer to find out why the switch wasn't working to shut off the water fill. Oh boy!!!!! Always something!!! Dave took the washer apart and found that the hose which connects to the water level pressure switch was disconnected. So he hooked it up and put the washer together and I got a small load of wash going. When it came to the spin cycle the motor was struggling and the switch which the lid pushes down wasn't working properly. We had to lift the lid and slam it down to try and get it to spin and we ended up with the lid open pushing down on the switch so it would work. The laundry got done but Dave has to tear the washer apart again to find the problem. Poor guy!!!! Sometime when we can afford it we will get a better machine but for a six pack of beer we are making it work. A couple of days went by and Dave was back at working on the washing machine. When we took the top off and laid it down on it's side, he found that the cover on front of the electrical box was broken. He put it together with super glue and reattached it back in its spot. When the lid was down it wasn't connecting enough on the tab to make it engage. The next time I wash we will see if it fixed the problem. We received some distressing news today. The lady that was our house landlord died in her sleep last night, the 13th. She had been battling cancer for a long time. She was such a wonderful lady. So kind, loving and willing to help everyone. She loved organizing potlucks and getting people together. She will be missed tremendously around here. Her husband is devastated of course but when all the paperwork and preparations are completed for her cremation, he is coming back to Bahia. Her wishes were to have her ashes spread on the Bay of los Angeles. Lois and Larry just loved it down here. This is where he feels at home. He will keep his house in San Diego and only go back there when the weather is unbearable here, which is summer. Well on to brighter things. I am busy making angels for a nursing home in Washington. I got the idea last year and finally decided to get started on it. There is a nursing home in Poulsbo, the Agate Pass Sail and Power Squadron use to hold classes and meetings in their facility, so I thought that might be nice to make the angels for the residents in their assisted living area. I have 200 to make but if I do some each day it won't take long. We are getting organized for the November Arts and Craft Show starting November 19. We had a meeting and all assignments have been filled. We have some great artists and extra people to help with the opening day and setting up. We went to dinner at our friends house across the bay from us tonight. Paolo and Angela like to throw dinner parties and invite a lot of people so it is always fun going there. We are the last to leave but it gives us a chance to just visit with Paolo and Angela. They are fun people. They will be going back home to Rome, Italy, for the winter and be back in March. The ladies got together for Train. It is always fun to get together with the girls, especially when you know they don't stay long as most of them go back to the states for the holidays. The passenger side tail pipe lost it's support so Dave and I went into town to see if Sammy could fix it again. The road from our house to town is mostly filled with wash board ruts and the poor truck takes a beating. It is an old truck so we try to take good care of it. We have to baby it until we can afford to get another used one to replace it. So with the road the way it is it bounces and jars the whole truck. Sammy was able to fix it so we are good again until the next time. The rumor has been for about 3 years now that the road will be paved!!!! HA!!!! Someday, but it may not be in our lifetime! But we take the good with the bad and that is we love the town and it's Mexican people and the Americans that are here. It is a beautiful place to live and we have people in town that know how to fix most things. So life is good!!!! I washed a load of clothes today and the washer only had a little bit of trouble getting into the spin cycle. But it works and that is all that counts!!!! Today, the 27th is my youngest sons' 4th wedding anniversary. May they have many more happy ones. November here we come!

Summer Coming To A Close

Our summer is rapidly coming to a close. We have had a wonderful summer and today we get to spend time with my youngest son and his two boys, Cameron and Jonathan Jr. We met them in Titlow Park which is to the right after crossing the Tacoma Narrows bridge. Susannah couldn't make it as she wasn't feeling well. We missed her as this would be the last time we all could get together. Jonathan Jr. was so excited to see Grandpa as he was the first one he saw. I had walked to the child play field where I thought they would be but found out they hadn't gotten there yet so I was on my way back to the parking lot when they arrived. Jonathan Jr. did give me a hug and Cameron, still having separation issues from mom and dad, had to warm up to us. We walked the trail that was there and came upon some ducks in a pond. The boys enjoyed watching them. Then we walked further and we were surprised that Cameron, with his little legs, was keeping up. We made it back to the grass area and they had some water and a snack and then Jon and I took the boys over to the swings and pushed them for a while. Then they were off climbing on all the play equipment. By this time Cameron was smiling and even coming up to me and Dave. Jonathan Jr. showed us how strong he is by moving some hefty rocks under a tree. Of course Cameron was right there trying to do what brother was doing and had a harder time at it but it was fun to watch. It had turned out to be a warm day. There were fountains in one area and Jonathan Jr. wanted to get wet but dad didn't bring a suit for him or a towel. After a little disappointment and disagreement with dad, Jonathan was ok with it but dad promised to fill water balloons when they got home and he could get wet then. So all was good again. After about 2 to 3 hours, the boys were showing signs of getting tired so we said goodbye and gave hugs and kisses all around. We left the park and went back to the boat to just chill. Today, the 8th is my nieces birthday along with our grandson, Dominick. We don't know where Dominick is as his mother has dropped off Facebook and we never hear from her anymore but he is still our grandson and he is growing up fast. He was born in 2005 so he is 11 today. Not even his dad knows where they are now. Sad. My best girlfriend Judy and I went to lunch to celebrate her birthday. Her birthday isn't until the 28th but I won't be here so we are celebrating early. She chose Red Lobster so that is where we had a great lunch. The 9th we drove to Marysville to watch Eian play in his second football game of the season for the Tomahawks at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. They won and Eian played a remarkable game. He came close to making a touchdown but got stopped about a yard or so from the goal line. It was a fun game and his girlfriend came up to us to say hi. She is such a sweetheart. She was wearing Eians' home game jersey. Ernie had Conor in the shoulder carry harness so Conor could watch the game and when he heard the band play he was moving around to the music. Then when we cheered he did too and clapped. He was fun to watch as well. This was the only game we could make it to before leaving so we are really glad we got a chance to watch him. We stayed overnight so we could see Brooke and Brody as they were at her Arlington High School game, coaching the cheer squad. We had a great evening when everyone got home. The next morning we said goodbye and gave everyone big hugs and kisses as this was the last time we would see them this year. Sunday, the 11th, there was a memorial gathering for a friend of ours son at the Brownsville Yacht Club at the Brownsville marina. Steve Neuhauser lost his oldest son, Stevie, about 2 weeks before. He died of complications from alcoholism. It was very sad as he was young. The family had put together all the pictures of him they could find over the years and displayed them. It was really nicely done and people brought food and drinks. Then at dusk the family members and close friends launched lighted Japanese candles on the water at the marina. It was very beautiful and touching. One of my other best girlfriends had invited us to the yearly celebration of Johnny Cash that her son Tom Cash puts on every year. We finally said we would go but that afternoon I wasn't feeling well and it felt like I was getting a bladder infection. Knowing I had a lot of car riding ahead of me I didn't want to wait and then have it be a problem. So I called Ginny and told her we couldn't make it and why and then Dave and I went to the urgent care of Group Health. It took a while to be seen but I had the specimen done and had to wait some more. Finally I get in to see the doctor and she tells me she couldn't see anything that indicated an infection. Well I was relieved and found out I needed to drink lots more water. It wasn't a wasted trip as I got my scheduled flu shot while I was there. Well by the time I got out of the clinic, it was too late to go to the celebration for Johnny Cash, so we will have to try and make it next year. Ginny had been trying to get me to go for about 3 years now. I am glad I went to the doctor and that I didn't put it off because I would not have had fun at the party. My girlfriend, Carolyn invited me to go window shopping with her to Poulsbo today. I haven't been there in a couple of years so it sounded like fun. She picked me up at 10:00am and once parked in Poulsbo, we walked up and down the street, stopping for lunch and then getting Dave a donut from the best bakery around!!!! We were home by 3:00pm. We spent the next couple of days unpacking the storage unit of all the things we had bought to take back to Mexico with us. We filled everything we could stuff things in and after the truck was packed we put little items here and there. It was so full we couldn't get any more in if we tried. The back seat will have our overnight stuff and computers and that kind of stuff. We are ready to go. I forgot to share a photo of the truck after the canopy so here it is. Dave had a meeting with the Maritime Historical Society and then we finished up our packing from on the boat to leave early in the morning. After the meeting was over, my girlfriend, Carolyn, had many of our marina friends meet at a picnic table near the marina boat ramp to say goodbye. Everyone brought something to share and we had a fun time. One of our other friend bought us a packaged breakfast for our morning trip. She had 2 energy drinks, a huge gingerbread man maple donut, a couple cookies and a couple plums and peaches. That was so thoughtful and nice. Our friends are so cool!!!! It was dark when the party ended and Dave and I went back to the boat and got things ready for leaving in the morning. We want to get to my sister's house either the same day or day after. Next morning we left early for my sisters. We would go as far as Dave wants as he is driving. It was late morning when we stopped at a rest area in Oregon to have some coffee and stretch our legs. There was a man standing with a sign outside of where you get free coffee, at this rest stop. He had run out of gas and his sign reflected that. Well no one had extra gas but I had gotten back to the truck before Dave watching as people gave him money or food. He could get all the coffee he wanted as long as it was being served. I had an idea of giving that man the big maple bar gingerbread donut and some of the fruit we had left. When Dave returned to the truck I told him of my idea and he said to save the peaches and I could give the man the donut and 2 plums. So I did just that. He said thank you and took it to his car and stowed it for later. We gave him the box with the lid so the donut wouldn't get too dried out. I felt good about doing that as I felt this man was being honest about his predicament. We left there knowing we at least helped him in some way. I sure hope he got gas as all the money in the world wouldn't help him if he couldn't drive his car. We ended up staying in Medford, Oregon that night and will be at my sisters tomorrow about 12:00pm. We arrived in Ukiah, at my sisters house close to noon the next day, and met their new dog, Mo. He is a small dog with short hair and is cute. However, Mo doesn't like Hig, my brother-in-law, or anyone who gets too close to my sister. Mo was a rescue dog and my sister was the one who got him. Hig wasn't there so naturally, Mo took to his rescuer and protects her. It is unfortunate the way it turned out, but Hig keeps trying to make friends with him and he isn't too receptive. He nipped at me a couple of times when he thought I was too close to my sister and barked. Of course I told him NO! He just kind of looked at me to say------'oh yeah'!!!! Heheheheh. He does drive my sister crazy as Mo is always at her heels following her everywhere she goes. He gets stepped on accidentally, but she just tell him if he didn't stand so close she wouldn't step on him. Oh well. We had a nice visit with my sister and brother-in-law and we were able to go over family history stuff which was interesting!!! Here is a photo of 3 generations of kids. We got to visit a while with my Niece as she stopped at my sisters on the way home from work. After 3 days with my sister and brother-in-law, we headed to Reno where Dave and I were going to have some fun. It took us about 4 hours to get to Reno from Ukiah and when we arrived in Reno we had trouble finding the street that would let us get to the Valet parking to Silver Legacy Casino, as some streets were blocked off. We finally found it and parked the truck and unloaded what we needed for our 3 day stay and checked in. After checking in, we asked that our luggage be delivered to our room. We were on the 27th floor and had a view of the city and mountains. It was pretty at night and fun to look out and see the cars and people going every which way on the streets during the day. We found out that a bunch of Harley Davidson motorcycles were coming into town in a couple days and that was why the streets were blocked off. After getting settled in our room, we walked around finding where the pool and exercise room was and then scouted around outside of Silver Legacy to see where the best and cheapest places were to eat, and take in the sights of the three adjoining casinos. Later on we tried our hand at winning some money and it didn't go too badly. We made some, we lost some but we never went beyond what we could afford to lose. We had fun but noticed the machines had changed since we were there in 2005. Most are penny machines. Dave always gave me a bad time about playing them but that is what we ended up playing. He would play more money in some as you could play 5, 10 or 20 dollars in some. The main thing is we had fun. We did that a couple days in a row and then when the bikers came to town we noticed very few of the machines were putting out money like they were. So you think they have control of the slots?????? So it was time to quit and we just enjoyed the rest of our stay. We did go outside and walked around the area where the Harleys were and the booths that were set up. I visited the jacuzzi by the pool one day and that was wonderful. I was going to get a massage but the heat and whirlpool action of the jacuzzi was enough. On the 23rd we left Reno and traveled back into California to June Lake to visit with some friends. We were able to stay a couple days with one of our friends that have a house in Bahia. Another couple that lives near them has a cabin and we got to visit them and then they took us on a road trip through Mammoth and some site seeing areas. It was a wonderful day. The people that have the cabin also have a house in Bahia. We left June Lake on the 24th and headed to our friends place in El Cajon, California, with an overnight stay north of Los Angeles. The traffic was getting bad and we found out that there was a concert in Las Vegas and people were heading home from that. So we decided to stop and then leave in the morning and be at our friends around noon on the 25th. When we arrived at our friends house in El Cajon, we visited for a while and then got settled in their trailer as their extra bedroom was occupied by their granddaughter. We stayed with them for 3 days and then went to another Bahia friend's house and stayed a couple days there. We were trying to wait to cross the border on the 1st of October. Lynn and I took a walk one day and Dave ordered parts for our new solar system. We will have everything for our new solar system, after this order, except the solar panels and the frame they go in. It was a relief to finally be able to do that as the equipment that was there at the house is getting old and run down. It will really be nice when we have the new solar panels then we will have a lot of electricity. The friends we are staying with now are going to bring the equipment down in their truck to Bahia, when they arrive in another couple weeks. Another step closer to getting our house like we want it. Tomorrow we leave San Diego and head for the border. We are anxious to get home now. It has been hot here in San Diego and we hear it is hot in Bahia. But we know it doesn't start cooling down there until mid to the end of October. So we will just deal with it for the short duration.

Quick Look At Summer

JULY Since we have been here in Washington we have been busy seeing family and spending time with grandkids. I didn't get the July blog out like I wanted, so you will get the combination of July and August with this one. And then hopefully come September I will be back on track again. We met E.J. at the airport as he is flying in from Mississippi. He just finished his time in tech school and now is graduated. He is looking forward to his new duty station which is in New Jersey, at McGuire AFB. But before he goes there he gets to stay a month in Washington with his family. Dave and I were waiting at the baggage carousel to try and spot his luggage, when E.J. snuck up behind me and put his arms around me and gave me a big hug. I was so thrilled to see him and yes I did cry a little. We got his luggage and headed to the car. We went to lunch and E.J. told us about his school and he and Grandpa could carry on a conversation as it was about electronics. After we had lunch we took him to his house. We were staying at the house until Brooke, Ernie, Conor, Eian, and Brody got home from their vacation in Arizona. So we had a couple days with just E.J. which was really nice. Ernie and the gang got home on the 4th and it was good to see everyone and especially the baby. Conor is such a cutie and he was having anxiety when away from mom or dad. It didn't take him long to warm up to us and it was fun to play and feed him. That night we had ribs, chicken, potato salad and corn and Brooke's mom came over to see E.J. and have dinner with us. Ernie, E.J. and Eian went to buy fireworks. When it got dark we went behind their house in a grassy area to shoot them off. It had rained during the day so the grass and bushes and all were wet. The guys got a metal sheet to lay on the grass to shoot the fireworks from. I got some great shots and everyone had a great time. E.J. and Eian had a couple of their friends over. When all the fireworks had been lit, the guys made a fire in the fire pit in the backyard and we all sat around and talked and roasted marshmallows. It brought back memories of when my boys were that age and they had their friends over and we had a good time. It is good that Brooke and Ernie get along and can have fun with the kids. All the adults went to bed and the kids stayed up longer, of course. The next morning Dave complained that he was bloated and full of gas and hurting. I ended up going to the store to get some gas-x and he took two and waited. It didn't help. He was lying down and couldn't get comfortable and then he came downstairs and he had said he felt lightheaded and he had already threw up so I called the nursing station at our Group Health in Poulsbo. I told her what he had for breakfast and how he was feeling and she talked with Dave and the nurse suggested we call 911. I had Brooke call as I didn't have the address readily available. The nurse said we should have him taken to the nearest hospital which was Providence in Everett, since we were in Marysville visiting. So Dave went outside to wait for the ambulance. Pretty soon the aid and fire truck show up and they are taking Dave's vitals. Then the ambulance showed and they loaded him in the back and I rode in the front with the driver. Brooke called Ernie, since he was at work and told him what had happened and Eian was at work, E.J. was playing golf with his friends. I didn't want everyone notified as we didn't know what was wrong with him. So we get to the hospital and they hook him up to an IV and all that kind of stuff. And then waited. They did blood work and that came back good. His blood pressure was high which is normal when you are in pain. They gave him pain medication and soon he was feeling better. Later in the afternoon they came and took him to x-ray. In the meantime Brooke and I were texting back and forth and she said that Ernie told E.J. so he was pretty upset. I text E.J. and told him what was going on and not too worry as things were under control and I would let him know what was going on when I found out. So about 4:00pm Brooke, Conor and Ernie show up at the hospital emergency room and by that time Dave had come back from x-ray. Then we had to wait to get the results. I told Jonathan, my youngest son, what was going on but told him not to do anything as there was nothing anyone could do right now. I would let him know what was happening when I found out. The results came back and he had a blockage of gas which was pressing on his organs causing severe pain and that was why he threw up and felt lightheaded and such. The doctor told Dave to take a couple things that we could get over the counter for gas and said it should clear it away. It was pretty scarey as they thought he was having a heart attack in the beginning. Thank goodness he wasn't. Brooke and I got to see the handsome fire fighters and ambulance drivers though!!!!! That was a plus in our book. Heheheheh. By that night Dave was feeling better and he hasn't had any reoccurring episodes. Everyone was relieved he was good. The doctor and the firemen that took his vitals said he was healthy as a horse. So that relieved me a bunch. Soooooo that was an exciting day! NOT!!!! We stayed a couple more days with Ernie and Brooke then went home. When we returned from Marysville we had to wait for Laurie to get a few things off the boat as she was cooking for a group of men of an organization her son belongs to and needed extra coffee pots and stuff. She left and now we needed to get settled in. It is a small boat but it is a place to stay where it is warm, and with a roof over our head. Here is a picture of their boat. We got side rails put on the truck and it looks good. Now it won't be so difficult to get into the truck for me. Heheheheheh!!!! Dave ordered the canopy for our truck so it should be in in about 2 to 3 weeks. We got to spend a little time with our grandson David. His mom and dad are divorced so our son Michael, has him on Wednesdays and every other weekend, however this was a Friday and not Michael's weekend but mom let him come visit us. So Michael and David showed up at the marina deli and because it was after work time, we had dinner there. Then David and I walked on the beach and threw rocks in the water and had a good time. Then they had to go and he didn't want to leave. Short visit but maybe next time it will be longer. I gave David the jelly fish mobile I made which he liked a lot and a stuffed turtle I made and then some pretty awesome tattoos to have fun with. He will be starting Kindergarten this year. He is getting to be a big boy now. The doctor wanted me to get a bone density test so I did that on the 12th. I thought I had one before but I found out I hadn't. So it was interesting. I have been asking for one for a couple years now. I have a new doctor so I guess that is what it took to get one. Ha!!!! Anyway----nothing unusual. I'm getting old and have arthritis and degenerate bones. Typical for my age. But my bones are strong which is a good thing. Dave and I attended the Beer Fest in Bremerton on the 15th. It was a hot day and we were sweating and trying to find shade and this was late afternoon!!!!! The cold beer tasted wonderful. We tried all kinds of varieties and I still favor ambers and dark brews over pilsners and fruited stuff. We saw many of our friends there and listened to music and had fun. Dave and I had parked at Ron and Noreen's condo which was across the bridge from downtown Bremerton so we couldn't get too inebriated. We got home safely and enjoyed the rest of the evening on the boat. The next day we drove to Tacoma where my youngest son lives with his family and we picked up the grandboys, Cameron and Jonathan, Jr. We took them down to the boat but stopped at the port office first to get life jackets for them. They didn't mind them at all which was surprising. We got on the boat and they played around a little and I gave them something to eat. Then we took them for a ride in the dock cart. We went to the beach where Jonathan Jr. got to throw rocks in the water. Both boys got to dig in the sand. Then it was time for lunch so we went back to the boat. Cameron took a nap but we couldn't get Jonathan to. He is 3 so sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. We don't have TV on the boat so he didn't have anything to watch. At home they let him watch kid programs and he falls asleep watching them. Mom and Dad came to the marina to get the kids later in the afternoon and we had dinner at the pavilion here overlooking the marina. We cooked hot dogs and brauts and had salad. Well Jonathan was beyond tired so he started acting up and then both of them were crying and carrying on so Jon and Susannah packed them in the car and we said goodbye. Ahhhhhhh! Quiet again!!!! We went to the boat and had a glass of wine and relaxed. The boys were good it was just an unfamiliar place for them and they both were tired. We will try it again at a later date. We are off to Marysville for the week. Brooke has cheer camp from Monday the 18th to Friday the 22nd. She will take Conor with her since he is so needy of her right now. So we have E.J., Eian, and Brody to hang out with. Brody will go to his Dad's on Thursday and won't be back until the first of August. Ernie was away at work all day every day so I made dinners and cooked breakfast for the guys and ran errands. E.J. spent most of his time with his friends and Eian was at weight training for football in the fall for school, or working. Brody and I had a good time. I took him to see Finding Dory which was a cute movie but I think a lot of the content went over his head. He is 8. But we had fun. Then Thursday he was grumpy and sad. He was leaving that night to go to his Dad's for vacation and that was going to be the last time he saw E.J. For a while. So we had some issues but nothing we couldn't handle. E.J. took him to the field to practice soccer moves and have Brody fly his air hog plane. So that was really good. I took a picture of the two of them with E.J. in his uniform. Friday Ernie took off work and had packed up for the weekend as he and E.J. were taking off in the morning to pick Brooke and Conor up at cheer camp, then drive to Spokane for a weekend with close friends. So Dave and I were asked to stay the weekend since Eian couldn't go because he had to work. You know how 17 year old kids can be without supervision!!!! We had fun with just Eian. It was nice to be able to talk to him and have him share what he wants to do after he graduates from High School. E.J. had been working on him to join the Air Force. Eian wants to but we have encouraged him to wait and take the test again in January or February to get a better score so he will have more positions to choose from. His score was a 42. I can't believe he is going to be a Senior next year and then out on his own. I am glad he has chosen to join the Air Force. We get to stay on our friends boat for the full length of time we are here which is so nice. It has worked out great. It is nice not to worry about where we will stay. My eldest son and his wife did offer for us to stay with them as long as we wanted, but as you know, staying with family for long periods of time isn't a good idea. Heheheheh. It was very nice for them to offer though and we really appreciated it. My girlfriend and I left on the 29th of July heading south for quilt shops and Good Will stores. It took us a while to actually get out of town as she had to get money from her granddaughter at work, that was owed, and then Judy had to turn in her rental car as she is allergic to strong smells and the car was strongly perfumed. She had gotten into an accident about a week before and her van is in the shop getting repaired. We went back to Enterprise and she got an different car and then we were off to Tacoma. We stopped for lunch and then the first quilt shop was next. As we found the shops and the Good Will stores we went in and Judy was able to find a lot of treasures and me-----not so much. Sometimes it just works out that way. I had certain things I was looking for. We stayed in Tacoma for the first night and then the next morning, after breakfast we were off and running. We went to Bonney Lake and met her sister for dinner and we tried to get a room at a motel in Bonney Lake but they were booked. There was a huge car show at the Puyallup fairgrounds and all the local lodgings were booked. So we ended up going back to Tacoma near the mall. I thought I had made reservations with my phone but we never got a confirmation number which I thought was odd. We got to the motel and we were tired and it was already 7:00pm. The gal at the desk said she didn't show any reservations, but we told her we made them. Well during the time I had made the reservations their cable went out so we weren't the only ones who had this problem. What the gal at the desk did was had us wait a little bit and those who showed reservations in the system got checked in. We did end up with a room but unfortunately it had been a smoking room so the guy was spraying all over with fabreze. Everything was clean and the only thing that we didn't like was that the carpet was really filthy and we lost cable and sound on the TV for a little bit. But come to find out much later that if we had turned the tv off and back on again it would have been fine. Well we were able to sleep so it wasn't bad but I am thankful now for Dave and I paying the prices we do for hotel/motel rooms to get good service. Judy and I weren't in the best of neighborhood as the gal at the desk had said the out of order sign was put on the bathroom to keep the street walkers from using it. Ooooooh!!!! We felt so sorry for one of the ladies who had to wait to get a room like us and she was very pregnant and saw the sign and had to wait. I wish we had known it was working. Well we let her go ahead of us so she could get to her room and be relieved. It all worked out, but we will never stay in a place like that again. It was a lot cheaper than we thought it was going to be which was nice but oh boy!!!! Everyone at the motel was nice and worked through the hairy situation. The next morning Judy and I had a nice breakfast and headed to another Good Will and quilt shop then drove home. It was nice to be home again and back with Dave. Believe it or not, I do miss him when I am away. Well that finishes it for July. Now on to August!!!! AUGUST To start off the month I had an eye exam and found that the cataracts are growing but my vision hasn't changed enough to warrant a new prescription. So it will be touch and go from time to time when I am doing crafts. The 8th I had a doctors appointment to discuss having trouble with memory. I was getting kind of concerned but after taking a little test and talking to him about it I found I was normal. HA!!!!! I know what you all are thinking!!!!!! Me normal????? Since when????? So I am not going to worry about it any more. At least I have a record of talking to him in case something happens on down the line. Saturday the 13th Dave and I, along with Ron and Noreen, went to the Kitsap Wine Festival by the Ferry dock in Bremerton. They invited us to join them on their boat to stay the weekend with them. They took the boat to the Bremerton Marina which is by the ferry landing and then it is just a short walk to the park where the wine festival was being held. It was a really hot day and there wasn't much shade until later. There was plenty of free water being handed out which was a very good thing and the medical truck was there just in case. We found shade and sat for a while but all in all, even with the heat there was good wine and food. We had fun despite the weather. Of course I had to throw in a selfie with the Ferry in the background. Heheheheh. After it was over we bought some wine and then went back to the boat to chill. On Sunday we left to get back to Brownsville Marina as Ron and Noreen and us had things scheduled for the day. After saying goodbye and thank yous to Ron and Noreen we went back to the boat we are staying on and finished packing up as we were headed to Ernie and Brookes house in Marysville. They are leaving on Monday for Las Vegas to celebrate their anniversary. This time they are leaving Conor behind so that is going to be fun. Looking forward to having special time with him. The weather was in the upper 80's so we got the blowup pool out so Brody could play in it. We tried the sprinkler Ernie and Brooke bought that was supposedly a fun wiggle attachment for the hose but that didn't work too well so hence the pool. Brody had the next door neighbor come over and join him in the pool. It was a fun but hot afternoon. Conor had a little blowup monkey pool that he had more fun in, after it was blown up, in the living room. The next day I put him in it on the deck and he liked it but kept crawling in and out. He got wet and cooled down so that was good. The last 2 days we were watching Conor he started teething real bad so he was kind of fussy but despite that, he was a lot of fun and we had special time with Brody, Conor and Eian, when he wasn't working or at school football training. Ernie and Brooke got home around 7:30pm on Thursday the 18th and were really tired but glad to be home. They had a good time. We left the next morning. We got back to the boat and for the week I looked for rugs to buy for the house. The ones that are in the house now were there when we moved in and they are really worn plus they don't have any non-skid on the back so they slide easily. So I looked at Ross and found a set of kitchen rugs, then went to other stores to find the best deals as I didn't want to spend a lot of money. So the rugs are bought and all I have to get now are my craft items. I am hoping to show the crafts I brought with me to a group of gals later in the month. Hopefully I will make enough money to buy what I need. Today, the 26th is Conor's first birthday!!!!! Yahoo!!! Saturday Brooke and Ernie threw a birthday party for Conor. We went over early to help and it was nice to have just that time with them before everyone arrived. It was pretty festive. People started arriving and pretty soon the house was full of friends and relatives. We had a great time watching Conor open his gifts........well mom and dad opening them, and then the cake. He wasn't to sure about the cake but pretty soon he figured out he could get real messy and play with it. Here is a picture of him sitting on one of his gifts and then crawling through the hungry caterpillar then cake time. This summer was full of firsts. Eian got braces but they don't show up as they are white. He also got a girlfriend and she is really sweet and Conor discovered his tongue! We had been invited to stay the night, but we decided to go home as the Edmond ferry has been backed up due to construction on the Kingston side. One time we had to wait 2 hours for the Edmonds ferry so we really didn't want to do that again. On my birthday I went to lunch with a long time friend of mine. Our boys went to Catholic elementary school together and now one of her sons owns and manages a successful restaurant and brewery. He was also in my Cub Scout Den when I was a den mother. It is nice to see them grow up and be successful. Anyway, she bought me lunch and we talked for a long time, catching up on family and such. She brought me these flowers from her garden. They are beautiful. Dave and I had a fun dinner at a German restaurant on the 31st with friends from the Sail and Power Squadron we used to belong to. I showed my crafts and everyone enjoyed them and I made $103.00. I was very happy as I think I can get everything I need now for my projects at home. We laughed a lot and shared stories and then it was time to go home. We vowed to get together again next year when we come back up for the summer. So that was a good ending to August!!! We got the canopy on the truck and now we can fill the back with all our treasures we got here to take home to Bahia. Hope everyone had a great summer!!!!