HOMEWARD BOUND! or...HOW TO STORE AN RV!

1.       Find a campground that will help you forget the asphalt jungle of LA.  Prado in San Bernadino County did just fine.  It was just like the one we stayed at on the other end of the county coming from Las Vegas:  lots of trees and ponds.  Great sites.  Only downer was the showers were metered.    

2.       Settle into the campground and discuss ad infinitum all of the things that must be done.  This may sound boring, but when done over a campfire isn’t too bad actually.  Reminisce about the many good times we’ve had the last 7 weeks.  Clean out the shower (take out the extra shoes and dirty clothes) so that you can shower in the RV.

3.       Have one last campfire and grill truly western-size steaks.  Use up all of the potatoes and veggies.  Make one last salad…. Throw the rest of the lettuce away.

4.       Day 2:  begin to clean, clean out, sort and pack and re-pack.  Lay out everything on the bed and begin sizing up the suitcases while Dave cooks breakfast over the rekindled campfire. 

5.       Make one last Home Depot run to replace the bucket that got squashed.  On the way, stop by the Post Office and pick up 2 “if it fits, it ships boxes”, just in case.  While at HD, pick up spider and scorpion fogger and mouse traps…just in case!  Take pix of peacock near the pond.

6.       When packing is about 75% complete, take a break to hit 2 last breweries:  Bootleggers and the Bruery.  Make sure Deb has possession of the car keys!  Fail at avoiding the temptation to buy more beer and glasses… come home with “just a few”…  Text Clay and Keith to make them jealous!

7.       After the breweries, stop for one last seafood dinner at the Tap Room Fish and Brew House.  Make sure to have the yummy calamari and fish and chips.  David, to prove he hasn’t had too much at the breweries, cheers the waiter on as he lights a stubborn but much needed heater on the open air lounge.  He also fails as he cheers the heater on... "Go baby, go baby!"

8.       Successfully maneuver the 10 lane freeway one last time on the way home.  Unclench white knuckles before turning loose of the steering wheel.  Fall into bed.

9.       Day 3:  Wake up to children playing in all the meadows at the campground.  Remember that it is now the weekend of your return and you will see your grandchildren soon.  Email a picture to them of the peacock in the campground.  Consume the last of the coffee  and negotiate for  "just 20 minutes" with the Observer on line… finalize the packing.

10.   Finish packing.  This involves weighing the suitcases NUMEROUS times.  Double checking them by weighing yourself with and without them.  Calculating how much the beer and glasses that you bought last night weigh and then redistributing items until each checked bag weighs exactly 50 lbs.  This takes several trials, especially after we discover a few more clothes that need to go to Charlotte from the last load.  When we decide to leave a sweatshirt and jeans in the RV, Dave exclaims, “Room for another beer!”

11.   Once the suitcases are in the car, have your marvelous husband cook one last breakfast outside by the campfire.  Polish off the eggs, cheese, OJ and as much of the stuff in the fridge as you can.  Offer the apples, and left over bread to the neighbors, throw the rest of the stuff in the fridge out.  We’ll miss this “stash” when we return, but that is what WalMart is for.

12.   Clean the RV:  This is the “not so fun part”.  But truly how hard can it be to clean 300 square feet?  Not very hard at all, but time consuming enough that we aren’t ready to pull out until just minutes before our 1 pm check out.  Defrosting the refrigerator took the most time, and Deb finally resorted to spraying the coils with a bottle of hot water.

13.   Now comes the “hurry up and wait” part.  Drive the RV and car to the storage shed.  Find out we are about 3 feet too long for the parking place.  Dave takes off the front/side mirror and threads the needle into the parking place.  The lady promises to put yellow tape on our bumper and ladder the next day so folks won’t hit it coming around the corner.  This is only mildly re-assuring.   Sign enough papers to equal closing on a house.  Set off the insect bombs in the RV.

14.   Now it is 3 pm, we are exhausted and have until about 8 before we have to be at the airport.  Get directions to a movie from the lady at the storage unit.

15.   Arrive at the movies, realize there’s nothing there you’d like to see.  Go see a lame Shasha Cohen movie just because the times work.

16.   Scout out the restaurants nearby and try “Wingnuts”… its not very good so we have a beer and appetizer and check the airport app to confirm there are restaurants there. 

17.   Go back to storage unit, drop the truck and call a taxi to Ontario, CA Airport.

18.   Check in at Delta.  The bags weigh 50 and 51 lbs.  Dave offers to swap his shorts for long pants and they wave him on.

19.   Marvel at how quiet it is compared to LAX.  Make this comment to the TSA agents as you go through security at which point they say that they hear this a lot, AND we should know that all of the shops and restaurants closed after lunch!  So much for eating at the airport!  They will let you have a pizza delivered.  In fact when Alaskan Airlines cancelled a flight they bring in pizza for everyone scheduled on it!

20.   Outlet surf to find a good place to plug in and charge up the phones, Kindle, and laptop… write the final blog and contemplate whether the cheese and crackers in the big pocketbook will hold you over til breakfast in Atlanta or if pizza will be needed before the 10:30 flight.  Buy an overpriced sweatshirt when they open the sundry shop because it’s freezing in here.  Wish we had that sweatshirt we left in the RV... Realize that now everytime we can't find something or need something... it will be in the RV. It is now 8 pm        

21.   Say a thank you prayer for our children…. one is picking us up and they are delivering supper Sunday night to our food-less house!  But best of all they are bringing Abbie and Ella!!!!

L A, HOLLYWOOD, and VENICE

You can tell we are on the “homeward bound” phase of this adventure, neither one of us wanted to do much exploring or “touring” in LA.  I think we are “done in” with being tourists for a while.  LOL Part of that is a mindset.  It’s not that we’ve “done it all”, but with the flight home now in sight we are getting ready for re-entry into Charlotte.  For us, LA was about visiting friends.

The RV Park proved to be the worst one yet.  We were really glad we had parked at the beach on Monday, for Walnut RV Park was an asphalt and gravel parking lot, and while there were a few trees, none were near us.  I think when we canceled the one night, we got on the lady’s bad list and she sent us to Siberia.  LOL Dave was re-parking the RV while I registered and she started quizzing me about why we called and canceled the night before.  Was it mechanical problems? Traffic?  I didn’t know what Dave had said, so I was trying to give as many “non-answers” as I could think of…. “You know, it’s always something….”  LOL… I should have gotten very indignant and said, “You mean he shuffled a night, and we could have been on this beautiful gravel and asphalt a day sooner?  I’m going to give him a piece of my mind!” LOL

Tuesday night we visited the newlyweds, Kate and Matt and were their first “out of town” visitors.  They were eager to show off their new condo and get their presents from the wedding.  Their condo is truly wonderful and has about 1600 square feet on the “penthouse” floor.  The condo project has 3 roof top courtyards one with a view of the Hollywood sign, and another with a view of downtown LA.  They are very proud of their purchase as they should be and we swapped tales of first apartments and houses (probably boring them… we tried real hard not to say “when we were your age” but...) We walked to a British Pub down on Ventura Blvd. and enjoyed a nice supper learning more about Kate’s tenure and Matt’s new internet business.

Kate in her new kitchen

On the roof - Hollywood sign in background

Wednesday we had called and scheduled lunch with the Bartch’s in Venice.  They were so glad to see part of the Charlotte “contingent” and truly made us feel welcome.  We rode down to the harbor and had lunch and marveled at the boats and condos.  Donna seems to be doing well and has recovered from her numerous back surgeries, but still has issues with some activities and positions, but generally seems to be feeling much better.  After lunch we discussed several “touristy” activities, and I suggested a rubber of bridge on their back patio instead.  Thus ensued one of the longest rubbers in history with each side making and “blowing” some interesting hands.  It was a very pleasant afternoon and we truly enjoyed their company and catching up with old friends.  They may try to come to Charlotte for Advent’s November bridge night.  Though we had a great afternoon with the Bartch’s the timing was less than great for the traffic.  We got a dose of rush hour traffic gridlock on “The 405”.  First we had been late arriving because of construction and now on the way home it was compounded with rush hour, which I think lasts from 6 am til 8 pm in LA!  The 20 mile drive took us about 2 ½ hours with probably ¾ of it done at about 2 miles/hr, rarely getting out of 1^st gear.  At least we were in the truck and not the RV!!!  As gas nears $5/gallon out here, it is amazing that they have so little public transportation.

As I write this we are moving the RV to our final park, another county park in San Bernadino near the storage unit in Ontario.  From Googling it, we are looking forward to a more park like setting and Dave is itching to grill one last steak over a campfire.   

SOME MUSINGS FROM THE ROAD…..

When you go off in an RV for almost 2 months, you quit being a neophyte.  Setting up and breaking down become a rhythm almost like brushing your teeth.  As with any specialized activity, RV’ing has its own vocabulary.  Somewhere about Lake Powell, I realized I was throwing out RV terms with the “best of ‘em”… LOL   Here ar some of my new terms…

Diesel pusher Airstream Mercedes trekker Toy hauler Pull through  Full timers  Stop and drop

5th Wheel  Class A, B, C Towdolly vs. tow bar Hook ups (not sexual!) Hi/low Pop up Pop out Slide out

On the Southwest…

The Southwest is a beautiful place.  Around every curve is a natural wonder.  However the desert is a harsh and unforgiving environment.  The Native Americans seemed to adapt to the land better than the White Folk.  We were fortunate to see Spring in the desert, and our pictures do not capture the delicacy and colors of the blooms.  When we found shade and trees for camping under, we felt truly lucky and missed our Carolina Pine and hardwood forests.  There sure is a lot of land out here, and if they could find a use for sagebrush, folks could be rich.  There also seems to be endless opportunities for solar and wind power, but there are not many folks out here to use it!

California, on the other hand has its own culture, in fact many cultures.  I can understand why folks would love the climate, though I would miss having seasons.  The trees out here are actually comical, and often between the palms and succulents, I felt like I was living in a Dr. Seuss story!

Why can’t we “pretty up” our sound walls and interstate bridges like they do out here… I guess you use your art where you spend your time!!  One time we counted 20 lanes across an interstate in San Diego!! 

Fun Signs We Have Seen: 

·         Toad Suck Park

·         Come in for beer and fireworks!  ( a lethal combination if there ever was one!)

·         Booneslick Lodge

·         Bowling Ball Yard Art 1 mi.   got my camera ready and everything…. Never saw it

·         Hogshooter Creek (near Bartlesville OK)

·         Welcome to Texas where farting is a competitive sport

·         35 minutes from Heaven (Utah)

·         Friday is Bike to work day (seen as a DMV sign on a 14 lane interstate!  What are they going to do, put one lane for bikes?  Hope not!! LOL)

The Best Stuff We Brought…

·         The segways… They are great for seeing a lot of territory in a short time.  They also are great “people meet-ers”… we will miss them this summer.

·         Dave’s new camera.  He’s had so much fun with it and has some really great shots and panoramas.  We’ve got to come up with some way to use some of them.  Another panorama over the front window?  Tiles downstairs? 

·         “Myrtle” – the GPS… sometimes she gets “confused” but she is very patient with us and will recalculate without ever getting upset with us.  How on earth did Mother and Daddy do it with paper maps and “dead reckoning”?  How did they stay married?!!

·         Both the heavy and light-weight bedspreads.  We’ve used them both and have even used both “throws” (which I originally thought was overkill.)  In fact in the desert, there were several days when we used both the heater and air conditioner in the same day!

·         This laptop. It has been my newpaper (thank you Charlotte Observer for the new Observer on line that feels almost like a real paper), our research tool,  it has entertained us, and most importantly, we used it to video-chat with Abbie , Ella and Granddad Clay!

Things I wish we had brought…There’s really very little… and what we really needed we got in the first week or so at various Wal-Marts!!

·         A sweater.  I brought several jackets, but often wanted a warm “comfort” sweater.

·         A fireplace poker… Dave keeps burning his best sticks.. lol

·         More socks… I didn’t know I would be wearing tennis shoes almost exclusively. 

CORONADO, BALBOA = SAN DIEGO

Tall Sailing Ships in San Diego Harbor

As we dropped down out of the desert and into California, the terrain immediately became greener.  We had been fortunate to see Spring in the desert and had marveled at some of the wildflowers and blooming succulents and cacti, but now suddenly the flowers became carpets of flowers and I do believe that Californians can make a hedge out of any hardy plant!  Close to the state line we saw a solar collector that used mirrors to focus the sun toward towers that then used the heat to generate electricity.  Dave, the engineer, was very curious, but after driving down to it, they would not allow us to stop, tour, or even take pictures except from afar.

Solar mirrors

We did a “stop and drop” in San Bernadino.  It was not memorable except that we really liked the county park.  It had full hook ups, lots of shade and we had fun segwaying around the park and ponds.  The sites were configured so that some of them could accommodate 2 big rigs for families traveling together.  This was the first time we had seen that. 

 Arriving the next day in San Diego, we were able to park and do an initial exploration of the city.  We really like San Diego.  It has it all – great history and shopping for Deb, breweries for Dave, and the magnificent Balboa Park for both of us. I thought we would have a relaxing 4 days, exploring a little and cooking out in the RV Park and generally “chilling”… but there was so much to do, that every day we would leave out  (ok we did manage to have some leisurely starts!)  and not come home until it was time to fall into bed!!

Thursday afternoon we explored Coronado Island.  The segways earned their keep once again.  We were able to transverse the whole island several times and admire the historical houses and grand hotel. 

Friday we spent the day in Balboa Park.  Adjacent to the San Diego Zoo (we did that last time), it is 1400 acres of urban park originally built to commemorate the opening of the Panama Canal in 1915.  The Spanish architecture is interesting and the park rivals Central Park in NYC.  The buildings have been repurposed as urban museums and they have a top notch art museum (actually several of them), an air and space museum, science museum, natural history museum and several specialty history museums.  We bought a day pass and actually split up so that we could cover more of what each of us wanted to see.  In the Natural History museum we both went through a special exhibition about the Titantic with several hundred artifacts brought up from the sunken site.  When you entered they gave you a “boarding pass” and at the end you could see if the name on your pass died or was rescued.  (David and I were both among the lucky third).  I especially liked the Anthropology museum with a replica of “Lucy” and the cave in France with the early cave drawings.

Dave on Segway under plane
 at Air and Space Museum in Balboa Park

 Even with the segways, we were able to work up a thirst, and San Diego provided us with more breweries than we could visit!! LOL The most fun and the best beer was at White Labs.  This is the yeast grower David and Clay use for all of their yeast in brewing.  It reminded me of Del Dotto for brewers.  Instead of tasting wine aged in different barrels, we were able to taste the same wort (brew) done with different yeasts.  It was a lot of fun and the chemist in David really enjoyed the tour. After 2 more stops, we realized we had only scratched the surface and Deb was driving the 14 lane interstates!!  At each of the breweries we visited that day and the next, they all had food trucks parked outside.  This is to get around an ordinance about serving food in a tasting room.  Some of the “roach coaches” were very gourmet, others earned their nickname.

Taps at White Labs

"Chandelier" at White Labs

 Saturday we explored Old Town, the Seaport Village and the Gaslight District.  Old Town was the original site of San Diego and it is an interesting mix of shops and history.  Many of the old buildings have been preserved and are used as tourist/”art” shops.  Often the shop keepers will be in period dress and will share some of the history with you as you shop.  We especially enjoyed Heritage Hill where they had moved several Victorian houses to protect them from demolition.  One was owned by Sherman’s cousin. Only one of them were occupied and the city was recruiting shops instead of residents.  It was an interesting concept, and had potential. Dave had a few errands to run, so Deb “shopped til she dropped” and when Dave came back she had found a street fair with real artists (as opposed to the chotsky shops) and we found a tile piece for the back courtyard.

Sherman's House in Heritage Village

Artist with Tile Piece:  3 Moons

Down by the harbor, we marveled at the tall sailing ships and Deb rode a  carousel.  The Gaslight district provided us with a several pubs to choose from.  The Knotty Barrel suited us just fine.

Sunday was our busiest day yet.  We went to First Lutheran Church downtown.  They obviously have a large ministry to the homeless and hungry and feed folks on their patio several days per week.  After early church we did a brunch at Family Restaurant.  One of our tourist magazines had mentioned a home tour out on Coronado Island so we thought it would be fun to see how another Historic District organizes a tour.  We saw 7 houses for $40 (each!  They charge more!!) And all of the houses were built prior to WWII.  The outdoor gardens and kitchens were very special as was the Spanish architecture.  As we were finishing the tour, we realized that we had just enough time to return to Balboa Park for the Sunday afternoon free organ concert on the Spreckle Outdoor Organ (its in a open air pavilion).  We had heard it once before and quite frankly this organist wasn’t as good as the one we heard before, though she thought she was.  She was a professor at San Diego State but both David and I thought her tempo was erratic.  We hung out in the park, enjoying an art glass show in the Artists’ Village and eating supper at the Prado Lounge  (yummy calamari!) until a play began at the “Globe” theater.  It was a new musical about reality TV entitled Nobody Loves You.  The theatre was small and in the round  and the musical was hilarious.  The musicians were top notch and the score was a lot of fun.  Again we drug our bodies home just in time for bed!!

Deb on Home Tour

Organ at Balboa Park

 Monday morning Dave had a conference call at 8 am and we prepared to leave after the bulk of rush hour was over.  As we were taking I-5 up the coast, it began to veer inland so we got off on the coast road.  Within 10 miles we passed Carlsbad State Beach and noticed that there were rigs as large or larger than ours in the campground.  (When we researched it, the literature had said nothing over 25 feet).  David’s arm didn’t even need a twist, to turn around and see if they had a space for the night.  I write this from our picnic table right on the ocean.  LA can wait another day.  This is too beautiful and I’m having fun watching the surfers.   

Deb "chillin'" at the Pacific Ocean, Carlsbad, CA

Sunset at Carlsbad State Beach, CA

Surfers at Carlsbad State Beach, CA

RE-CREATING MAGIC IN LAS VEGAS IS DICEY – BUT WE WERE ABLE TO RING THE BELL!

Note:  I know I've already written about this... but we thought it deserved a 2nd entry!

Several years ago we had a magical night of great jazz, good cards (well at least for half of us!) and great friends at the Sorrento Hotel in Seattle.  Sue Bell, the songstress of the evening immediately became our group’s favorite jazz singer and joined our i-pods and car cd players.  So, when the group found that we would be together out West again in Las Vegas for a wedding and anniversary, Dave decided to try to re-create the evening for our friend Keith.  That is always dicey.  How can you re-create the intimate setting and warm wood tones of the Sorrento Lounge?  Would Las Vegas’ glitz over-power Sue’s smooth jazz notes? And let’s face it, you just can’t go back in time!  (Dave and Deb had just finished Stephen King’s 11-22-63 and now know that time travel is scary!!) But Sue Bell overcame all of these factors and brought our group, along with family from both sides of the wedding yet another night to remember. 

The best part was pulling off a surprise on Keith!  Especially considering both of his daughters, all our friends, and his family were in on it!  He literally had to “hold his head together” to comprehend what we had done when he heard and saw Sue Bell!  He danced and gushed all night!

 But the biggest thanks goes to Sue Bell, her pianist Chris and “the other Chris” bassist from Las Vegas.  They provided the catalyst once again for the magic to happen.  Her music and smile were the highlight of the evening and provided us with just the perfect venue to celebrate Keith and

Diane’s 35^th and Dick and Mary Lou’s 28^th Wedding Anniversaries.  There’s nothing better than having an evening of great music and great friends (and good wine!).

Along the way we discovered some new talents….  Dave learned that he is both a producer and promoter as he worked tirelessly to find a venue and put Sue and  TheHotel at Mandalay Bay together.  And Deb learned that she has to be careful about what she writes in her journals…. It just might show up as a press release for the entertainer!

 Hey!  I wonder what David will pull off for our 40^th Anniversary in March?

GLITZ AND GLAMOUR – DAMS AND CANYONS: Las Vegas

Too Late Now Keith!!!

Wow what a week!  Las Vegas brought us a BIG contrast from Lake Powell.  Glitz and glamour in a very urban setting as opposed to all of the beautiful countryside we had been reveling in.  The best part though was a week our friends.  Deb had been “missing peoples” (as Abbie would say) and this was just what she needed.

The main event was THE WEDDING.  I wasn’t sure what a Las Vegas wedding would be like, but Kate and Matt had planned a beautiful ceremony, blending both Christian and Jewish traditions and Kate was about the prettiest bride ever.  The first time the two families and friends were together was Friday night at the Rehearsal Reception.  It was an interesting “dance” to watch as everyone was greeting old friends and family and “sizing up” the “other side”.  By the end of the evening, I believe everyone had found someone from the “other side” with which they could carry on a pleasant conversation.  The ceremony on Saturday was beautiful.  Kate looked exquisite and the Simmons definitely knew how to party!  Matt’s 2 nieces, ages 7 and 8, charmed everyone and danced to their dad’s DJ music until after midnight.  Even Aunt Donna was coaxed out onto the dance floor twice!!  We were a little disappointed that Diane and Keith never got to show us their  foxtrot, but everyone had a terrific time and Kate and Matt seemed to be having the best of times!!

Sam, Allie, Marsha (Matt's Mom) and flower girl dancing

Deb with Matt's Aunt Susie and Mom at Rehersal Party

Aunt Donna with the Altell Guys

After the wedding, the next priority for me was to be with friends and to help celebrate Keith and Diane’s 35^th wedding anniversary.  Pulling a surprise off on Keith can be difficult, but we were up to the task!  Dave worked really hard to get the hotel to book Keith’s favorite jazz singer, Sue Bell, into THELounge and with help from everyone, we pulled off a BIG surprise for him.  You never know if something that was magical once (at the Sorrento in Seattle) will be as good the second time, but Sue Bell’s music was just right for all of us to celebrate and enjoy one more time in a pleasant setting.  Keith was so surprised and delighted he literally had to “hold his head together” and he danced and reveled in the whole evening.  We were delighted to meet Sue’s husband and family and to see Chris, her pianist.  The bass player she hired in Las Vegas was excellent, though he looked the “Las Vegas part” with long slicked back hair.

In between these two events, we were able to enjoy being with Keith’s brothers and sisters and Diane’s sisters, Allie and Sam, and especially the Browns, Kellys and Kuklentz.  As they were arriving Wednesday and Thursday we realized part of our role was to keep them up late, so that their bodies would adjust to Pacific Time.  LOL   The Las Vegas strip made that easy and we walked to the various casinos and marveled at the glitz and glamour.  We were never tempted to gamble, there was so much else to do (and spend money on! LOL) Thursday night, Keith had gotten tickets to the Beatles Cirque d’ Soleil show and it was amazing.  We all wanted to do a “behind the scenes tour” of the stage and set before it was over.  The music, costumes, sets, and acrobatics were unbelievable. 

Dan planned a tour of Hoover Dam for us on Friday and it helped keep us out of the wedding party’s hair.  The engineers in the group were in their element and everyone marveled at the size and scope of the dam.  The story of how it was built was pure Americana.  We all talked about how America needs more projects that that, where we come together to try and accomplish what at first seems to be impossible. 

Monday while the Wassums were doing the expensive helicopter/raft tour of the Grand Canyon West, Dave and I did it “on the cheap” and drove our little black truck out to the West Rim. (We had done the airplane tour of the South Rim a few years ago)  It is definitely awe inspiring! The West Rim has canyon walls closer together so you get a better sense of how deep the canyon is where on the South Rim you are bowled over by its vastness.  The Skywalk on the cantilever is not for the faint of heart, but delighted Deb .

Since our visit in ’96, Vegas has certainly “grown up”.  The casinos are bigger and more family oriented, though this time of year, we saw very few children except babies.  Bellagio with its Chihulys  and dancing fountain, has to be a favorite as was going up in the “Eiffel Tower” and strolling the streets of “Venice”.  Shopping the galleries on Gallery Row where Chilhulys were for sale was fun, though completely out of our budget!!  And after a while the “Disneyfication” of reality gets a little wearing.

We ended the week by sharing some of Dave’s “green egg” pulled pork and bridge with the Wassums.  Diane and I won!  Thankfully the taxi came to get them before the guys rebounded.

A few other commentaries on the week:

·         When one of you gets a cold, living in 300 square feet, makes it impossible not to share the germs!

·         We met an interesting woman from Alberta, Canada and she was delighted to see us cooking our breakfast outside one morning (a farewell breakfast for the Kuklentz).  She commented on how she didn’t see anyone outside their RV’s… We decided that there are folks who travel in their motor homes…. And folks who camp in their RV’s.  Sometimes the vehicles look the same, but it is the mind set.

·         Walking around Las Vegas we decided the businesses to go into there are florists and lighting design.  The business to avoid would be ladies underwear… very little of it is worn!!

·         How much talent does it take to buy a Darth Vader costume and go out on the strip and have your picture made for tips?  How much do you make?

·         I finally found a North Dakota license plate… do I start over?

·         Gone are the $2.99 buffets (now they are $30 and $45!!!) It’s hard to get out of a restaurant for under $100!!

·         I’ve watched Ella’s “first steps” video about 1000 times.  I really miss the girls!  AND I finished Abbie’s 3^rd book,  3 is a Magic Number.  I’m really proud of it.

Hey, How did I get in this panorama twice?