IN N OUT BY THE BRIDGE

The classic crossed palm trees was an inspiration from the movie It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World.

Is there anything more American than a burger? When McDonald's became one of the first to start the franchise boom in the fast food business, there were many others to follow.

In 1948, Harry & Esther Snyder opened the original IN N OUT on Francisquito Ave. in Baldwin Park, CA. There are many dissimilarities that separate IN N OUT from the other fast food restaurants. At the top of the list is the quality of the burgers. For this fast food junkie, it's not even close to which brand comes in second. The logo at IN N OUT is "Quality that you can taste", and it's so very true. Even the fries are cut fresh, and nothing is ever frozen.

I've mentioned it before, but my introduction to IN N OUT was in 1969, when, upon graduation from the CHP Academy, I was assigned to the Baldwin Park CHP Office. When the new CHP office was built in 1970, it was just 2 blocks down the street from the original IN N OUT. Back in those days, there was no indoor eating area, just a covered patio with picnic tables.

In 1972, when I transferred from Southern California to the Santa Cruz Office, it took awhile to get used to not having my favorite fast food available. Now, IN N OUT is in 5 states, CA, AZ, NV, UT, & TX. When the first IN N OUT opened in Tucson, AZ in 2007, it broke company records for the most burgers sold in one day, and during the first week. Now, the company has 258 locations, and my wife insists that the only reason we moved to Lake Havasu City, is because there is an IN N OUT located here.

There is indeed an almost cult following of the brand, and I'm certainly right in there with that group of folks. Thanks Dave for the gift card, and the IN N OUT mug. It was the perfect birthday present!

Taken yesterday, inside the Lake Havasu City IN N OUT.

IMMEDIATE FAMILY

March 1, 1980, the start.

Since we returned to Lake Havasu from our summer jobs at the Grand Canyon, we've only left once in the motor home. That was a 10 day trip to Carson City, where we helped plan an RV rally for our friends in the Golden Spike Chapter, and a quick visit with friends and family in CA.

The blog is mostly about new experiences, particularly when we're on the road, encountering new adventures. When we're home, the challenge to post on a regular basis becomes a bit more difficult. Writing about trips to the grocery store, or what we watched on TV, isn't exactly worthy of the effort, in both writing and reading.

Patty's brother, Michael.

So, I thought I would flash back a few years, and post some photos of our immediate family. With both of our parents gone, Patty has one brother - Michael, who lives in San Francisco, CA. She has one son - David, who lives in Modesto, CA. I have two boys, Micheal & his wife Amy live in Augusta, GA. Marc, his wife Chandra, & our Granddaughter Laila live in Tucson, AZ. When we got married in 1980, the age of our boys were....Mike - 12, Dave - 11, and Marc was 10.

This is the last time our 3 boys were together, approx. 15 years ago (maybe longer), at the drag races in Sonoma, CA.

The newest family member, Laila, born in 2005.

This picture of Mike, Marc & Toga was taken in 1972, when we lived in El Monte, CA

Patty and I have a lot to be thankful for, and we're looking forward to having part of our family with us on Thanksgiving. Marc, Chandra, & Laila will be here for the holiday, then, just a few days later, we'll all fly to Fort Lauderdale, FL, where Mike & Amy will meet us. After a week long cruise into the Caribbean, it won't be long before we'll be heading to Tucson for the Christmas Holidays. Lots of activities on the horizon, and most of those times will be spent with family.

NEW ISLAND HOUSES

When the economy tanked a few years ago, housing development on the island was just getting off the ground. We watched a few large homes being built, then everything came to a screeching halt. The homes that were completed sat empty for a very long time. Then, last year, we started to see a few smaller homes being built. This sign, advertising a new home, lot & landscaping for $249,900 also appeared last winter. When this exclusive island development started, the sales prices on the few homes built, started at about a half million. Those prices are a dream in today's reality.

Part of the old airport property, near where the terminal building used to be located.

My daily constitutional around the 3.6 mile island path included a half mile run yesterday for the first time this year. The impact of not running for lots of months was quickly brought to my attention, as I finished that half mile. Gasping for oxygen would be an understatement! Even though we'll be in and out of Lake Havasu for most of the winter, I hope to log more miles on the path this year, and hopefully, increase my stamina for longer runs. Again, the aging knees will probably be the deciding factor.

One new house being built at the upper left of the picture.

FLYING HIGH

Motorized Parachutes, and Hang Gliders are common sights over the island.

It's not unusual to see these personal aircraft being flown over the island here in Lake Havasu. Yesterday, I watched this fellow make several passes, before landing on a portion of the old airport, near the tip of the island. There was also an engine powered hang glider in the area, but that photo turned out too blurry.

Before Robert McCulloch moved the London Bridge here 40 years ago, the island was a peninsula. He dug a channel near the base of the peninsula, re-erected the bridge, and just like that, Lake Havasu City had an island, served by an iconic, stone bridge. During the early 1970's, McCulloch offered people free flights here, (mostly from southern California), as a marketing tool to sell residential property. The old airport was on the island, and when we moved here in 2002, the old terminal building, and most of the original airstrip was still visible. Now, the building is gone, as is most of the airstrip, both having succumbed to residential housing developments.

The island pathway makes a circle around the island, and the old airport. This is the time of year with lower temperatures, that more and more people start using the path. We're never here in the hot summer months, but I can't imagine anyone out walking or running when the temps are well above 100 degrees.

It's been a week since I re-started my morning routine of circling the island on the 3.6 mile path. Now that my walking muscles aren't sore anymore, it's time to start running (jogging) a little bit, and begin to increase that running distance as the weeks go by.

These cement markers delineate distances every one half mile.

PERFECT WEATHER

When this time of year rolls around, it's easy to understand why we made Lake Havasu our choice to spend the winter months. The daytime temperatures have cooled down into the 80's, and we are in that window where no more air conditioning is necessary. The night temps are also lower, into the 50's. So, good ole mother nature is keeping the inside of the house at a constant mid 70's temperature.

As I mentioned yesterday, this is also the time of the year when the snowbirds begin to roost here in the desert, and the winter activities are starting to commence. Some of the upcoming events include the Sunday Flea Market, Vintage Car shows, Winter Fest Arts & Crafts Festival, Quartzsite RV Show, Havasu Balloon Festival, Winter Blast Pyrotechnics Convention, the boat parade of lights under the London Bridge, the R.C. seaplane convention, and the Rockabilly Reunion to name a few. It seems like just about every weekend, there's something of interest going on.

When our summer travels, or summer of workamping is over, we always look forward to returning to our home by the lake, and all of the winter activities.

GARAGE SALE JUNKIES

This is the time of year when the snowbirds are starting to return to the southwest, and along with the increase in winter visitors, we have an abundance of garage/yard sales. Friday and Saturday are the two days that most folks pick for displaying their stuff, in hopes that it will all disappear, with a little cash in return. Yesterday being Friday, there were 43 garage sales here in Lake Havasu City.

After Patty's morning appointment with the Optometrist, we set out on a quest to find that perfect treasure. No, we didn't stop at all 43 sales, but after a couple of hours, we made it to quite a few. We enjoy searching through other people's throw away stuff, and often find things that we just can't live without. Such was the case yesterday morning.

When the dust settled, we had spent $19.70, picking up books, a plate, a small table, a CHP coffee mug, a glass pitcher, a Disney art set for Laila, seashells, a wind chime, and this green t-shirt that literally had our name on it. One of the residences had about 15 guns, ranging from an S&W 44 magnum, to a 50 caliber rifle. That was the one place where I had to muster up some restraint, as there were a couple of firearms that I almost added to my collection.

For us, I think the intriguing thing about garage sales is that they are kind of like an old fashioned treasure hunt. Every once in awhile, you run across something that you think you need, or something that is such a bargain, you convince yourself that you need it. Whatever the case, it's fun for us to spend a few hours searching for that perfect bargain. How does that saying go........."One man's junk is another man's treasure". More often than not, the phrase should go..... "One man's junk is another man's trip to the dump".

Patty's chance to wear her name on a t-shirt

2 DOWN, NONE TO GO

Yesterday morning, Patty had her second Cataract surgery in as many weeks. With the patch over her right eye still in place, it's difficult to judge anything regarding improved vision. This morning, it's back to the Optometrist for a quick check, and then the patch will probably come off. I still find it hard to comprehend the amazing advances in medicine, particularly when it comes to the most delicate of all our senses, the eye.

Thanks to all for the Happy Birthday wishes. I sincerely appreciate the kind words. Yesterday, I officially became part of the huge baby boomer wave, that will sweep the country for the next couple of decades. Born right after WWII, along with millions of other folks, I am among the first of the baby boomers.

Now that I have officially joined the Medicare crowd, does that mean that I'm destined to a sedentary life of TV watching, reading, and occasionally, drooling while taking an afternoon nap?
I don't think so! As they say, "you're only as old as you feel", and except for a lot of soreness right now from walking a whole bunch of miles in the last two days, I still feel pretty darn good. Now, if I can just figure out a way to have my buddies, Ben & Jerry visit me everyday, without gaining a bunch of extra pounds, I'll really be good to go!

THE ISLAND PATH

The day I picked to start walking & running was quite windy.

It was November 11th last year, when I started walking & running on the 3.6 mile, multi- use path that circles the island here in Lake Havasu City. When I stopped on March 3rd, I had logged 118.2 miles, and bicycled an additional 46.8 miles. The end result was a few less pounds, lower blood pressure, and a much lower resting heart rate. During that period of time, and over most of the summer, I said goodbye to my good friends - Ben & Jerry. During the last couple of months however, good ole Ben & Jerry have creeped back into my life, and yesterday was the day that I bid farewell once again.

During the winter months that we are here, the island path will once again be my morning home. It takes me about 55 minutes to walk the loop, and if I run (jog) at least half of the distance, the time comes down to approx. 45 minutes. This year, my goal is to increase the running distance from a best last year of 2 miles, to the entire 3.6 miles. We'll see how that goes. The old knees don't always want to cooperate.

This morning, Patty has Cataract Surgery on her right eye, and her eyesight will then be 100% bionic. The recovery from surgery to her left eye last week, has gone very well, and she's looking forward to getting past this 2nd procedure, with the end result being much better vision.

Not a good day to be on the lake with the boat. Lots of whitecaps.

UNBELIEVEABLE

What the heck is going on in this country? Here's another example of the pendulum swinging too far to one side, with a constitutional interpretation by a Federal Judge, that's simply hard for me to understand.

On July 1 of this year, the State of Florida enacted a statute that requires anyone applying for welfare to submit to a drug test. The basic premise behind this law is that the taxpayers shouldn't be subsidizing the habits of substance abusers. Naturally, there are those folks who argue that it's an invasion of privacy, and violates the 4th amendment guarantee against unreasonable government search and seizure.

Until day before yesterday, the only such law in the nation was being enforced, and the arguments from both sides were coming in hot and heavy. The residents of Florida are overwhelmingly in favor of the law, but naturally, the American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU) is on the other side of the debate.

With the aid of the ACLU, Luis Lebron, a Navy veteran who is a student, supporting a 4 year old son, and a disabled mom, filed a lawsuit, contending that the government has no right to drug test him. He insists that he is not a drug user, but refuses to be tested in conjunction with his application for welfare.

On Monday evening, U.S. District Court Judge Mary Scriven sided with Lebron and the ACLU, granting an injunction against enforcement of the laws "suspicionless testing" of adults seeking welfare. Her opinion went on to say "Perhaps no greater public interest exists than protecting a citizen's rights under the constitution".

OK, so let me get this straight. Here's a case where an individual is asking the government (aka the taxpayers) for monetary assistance, but doesn't feel obligated to do anything, other than fill out the paperwork. This is a guy who was in the Navy, where he was subject to random drug testing, but now thinks that a test is unreasonable search and seizure, in exchange for free money.

I've got news for you dude! The taking of government welfare, without any obligation on your part, is in my opinion, unreasonable seizure of my taxpayer dollars! Hey Judge, what about my constitutional right to protect public funds from substance abusers? The basic point that Lebron, the ACLU, and this pinhead judge are missing, is the fact that no one is being forced to do anything. If you don't want to be drug tested, fine. Then don't apply for free money from the taxpayers. End of story.

Over the years, a multitude of laws allowing pre-employment, & random drug testing has been enacted, and stood up to all constitutional challenges. So what's the big difference between being subject to drug testing by an employer, and being subject to a drug test as a welfare applicant? In both cases, monetary compensation is the end result. The huge difference is that the welfare recipient doesn't have to do anything, except perhaps stay unemployed. The wage earner puts in his/her 40 hours a week, and in exchange for adherence to company policies, is compensated accordingly. If anybody should be complaining, or filing lawsuits about drug tests, it should be the wage earner, not the welfare applicant. There's something terribly wrong in this country when the entitlement mentality rises to the level where the Federal Judiciary has ruled that it's OK to drug test the work force as a condition of employment, but it's not OK to drug test a person requesting free money from the taxpayers. In a word...........unbelievable!

CRUISING THE LAKE

The last couple of days have been all about giving some exercise to a few of our toys that have just been sitting at the house. Yesterday, I hooked up the boat, and after a quick stop at KFC, we were on the water a little before noon.

Before parking in the channel, I cruised past the Nautical Resort, where I took this picture of a seaplane parked next to a few mega boats. When it comes to toys, I guess the only limitation is dollars and space. Later, when we made a loop around the island, the plane was gone.

"Yep, life is tough, but if somebody has to be on the lake, it might as well be me"

By mid day, the temps were into the 90's, and only a slight breeze. Almost perfect weather for a day in the boat. The peak boating season is over, but there were still quite a few folks out on the lake. We first went south to Havasu Palms, a small community on the CA side of the lake, after cruising through Copper Canyon, also on the CA side. On Friendly Island, the boat only campsites were all taken, with several tents pitched at one of the spots.

Parked in the channel before the area filled in with boats.

We learned last year, that the best place to park the boat is in the channel. It's a great place to have a picnic lunch, and people watch. I told Patty that I would look good with my hair spiked, and in a mohawk like the fellow who parked next to us. Only one problem, not enough hair left to even comb, much less turn into a mohawk!

We watched the Bud Party Boat cruise by a couple of times, with lots of young folks having what looked like a pretty good party. Glad they weren't parked next to us, cause the music was really loud. On the other side of the channel, A guy was throwing a ball for his cattle dog, and this little critter was putting on quite a show. He/she would leap into the water after the ball with such enthusiasm, there would be a huge splash. I tried to capture the action, but couldn't get the shot.

The slight sunburn notwithstanding, it was a good afternoon on the water, and even though the boat doesn't get used a whole lot, it's kind of like having the Harley in the garage. It's there when we get the urge to go out and play.

STREET ROD PARADISE

It's all about hot rods this weekend in Lake Havasu. The 34th annual "Run to the Sun" is in full swing with somewhere near 1,000 pre 1972 cars in attendance. Yesterday and today, all of the cars are on display at the Nautical Resort on the island, and that's where Patty and I checked out these beautiful machines.

Patty stands in front of a replica Cobra, one of the ultimate muscle cars.

After Cataract surgery day before yesterday, and with the eye patch gone, Patty says her vision through her left eye is now like looking through a clean window. Before the surgery, that window was pretty dirty!

As you can see, I'm a bit partial to street rods that have supercharged engines. The sound and look of a blown engine, with the carbs or the injector sticking out of the hood, is the epitome of a street rod power plant.

Hey Bob. This is what you need to match your other toy, and it's for sale!

While we were strolling around, admiring all of these works of art, I couldn't help but wonder what the total value of all the cars might be? If there were a thousand cars, at an average value of 30k (which I'm sure would be a really low estimate), that would be a total of about 30 million! That's a lot of cubic dollars to go with those big cubic inch motors.

This was one of my favorites, a pro street Chevelle, with a big blown motor.

After a couple of hours checking out the cars, and vendors, we headed home, where I uncovered the boat, and got it ready for a spin around the lake today. We haven't had the boat on the water since last March, so, with today's predicted temps in the low 90's, it should be a good time to get the fiberglass wet.

We ended the day yesterday, having dinner with our neighbors Tony & Michelle. The restaurant of choice was Cha Bones, and everyone agreed, the food was pretty good. My steak was excellent! It was a nice end to a day of custom paint, lots of chrome, and good friends.

DUSTING THE COBWEBS

2008 Kawasaki KLR 650

I had the best of intentions yesterday, and that was to get out to the Wally World shopping center, and check out all of the classic cars that are in town for the annual "Run to the Sun" car event. Well, I didn't make it. Instead, I chose to blow some of the dust off my smaller bike, and burn up some of the old gas that's been in the tank for several months.

When I bought this bike in 2008, while working as a supervisor for the transit system in Glacier National Park, I used it mostly to commute the 9 miles to work. During that summer in western Montana, I rolled up about 2,500 miles, and did some exploring in the surrounding National Forests. Since then, I haven't ridden the KLR very much, but there are a few times a year when I get the urge to get off the pavement, and get away from civilization. I've already decided that if we return to the Grand Canyon next summer, the KLR is going. While there this past summer, I discovered countless national forest roads that begged for further discovery, and this do everything motorcycle is the perfect vehicle. Every time I entertain the thought of getting rid of the Harley, or the KLR, all I have to do is go for a ride on either one, and those thoughts quickly disappear.

Today, the patch comes off Patty's left eye, and she will see the first images without a cataract impairing that vision. Speaking of medical procedures, our Golden Spike buddy - "D" Hall is recovering from hip replacement surgery, and we wish her a speedy recovery. By the time our fellow Golden Spikers get together again in Indio, at the FMCA Rally in January, our hope is that "D" will be well down the road to recovery.

ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO

In this day and age, Cataract surgery on the eye, is a normal, everyday procedure, that occurs by the thousands on a daily basis. My simple mind hasn't quite wrapped around the idea that surgery on the human eye is an ordinary, regular medical procedure.

This morning, Patty joined the millions who have had their vision corrected with Cataract surgery. A week from today, she will have her right eye done, and her visual acuity will be much better, without the constant aid of glasses. The recovery period is pretty straight forward, with an eye patch for about 24 hours, eye drops several times a day, and a follow up visit in 5 days. Then, next week, she'll repeat the routine.

Today starts the "Run to the Sun" annual classic car event. With around 1,000 pre 1972 cars in town for the activities, they are literally everywhere. While Patty takes it easy this afternoon, I think I'll head out to the Shops at Lake Havasu, where all of the cars will be on display

CHP MEMORIES

The California Highway Patrol is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in CA, with officers stationed throughout the state. As a result, the department was/is often called to assist smaller agencies, whenever circumstances dictate a larger uniformed presence.

Such was the case back in 1981, when the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant was about to be licensed by the nuclear regulatory commission. This large electrical generating plant in San Luis Obispo County, with 2 nuclear reactors, was the focus of large demonstrations against it's operation. In addition to the protesters who were against any nuclear power generation, the more specific objection to this plant was it's location near 2 earthquake faults, one of which is the famous San Andreas Fault.

With national media attention, the crowd of protesters grew into the thousands, and the local Sheriff's Department quickly called for assistance from the CHP. Each office in the central part of the state sent a contingent of Officers, and I was part of the group dispatched from the Los Banos Office. We drove to the National Guard Base just outside of San Luis Obispo, where we were billeted in the National Guard barracks. At the time, all we knew was that we were going to be there for several days. From there, the National Guard Helicopter detachment flew us over the mountains in Chinnok Helicopters to the power plant, which was located right on the ocean. That was the fun part of this assignment. The rest of the time, it was mostly pretty boring.

The strategy of the protesters was to trespass through the main gate, and with large numbers, occupy the property. Initially, they were successful, overwhelming the small security force, and the presence of the local law enforcement agencies. When the CHP had several hundred Officers present, we formed a picket line at the main gate, and physically prevented anyone from entering the property. We also patrolled the perimeter fence, arresting those that climbed over the fence.

Each shift on the picket line was a couple of hours, as we watched the large crowd parade in front of us with signs, and lots of media coverage. As some of the Hollywood crowd got involved, the multitude of television cameras only increased. I'll never forget one day when I was standing shoulder to shoulder on the "Blue Line" that delineated the Pacific Gas & Electric Company property line. If anyone crossed the blue line, they were subject to arrest for trespassing. One of the Hollywood protesters was Robert Blake, and at the time, he was most famous for his starring role in the TV series Baretta. Each time he walked past my position, he always had something very uncomplimentary to say, and several of us commented that wouldn't it be nice if Mr. Baretta decided to try and cross the blue line. He never did, but many years later when he was on trial for murder, my image of him always reverted back to those days when we were on opposite sides of a public demonstration.

We spent a week at Camp San Luis Obispo, and at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. Except for the hours that we stood at the main gate, most of the other hours were spent standing around, or playing cards back in the National Guard barracks. During the two weeks of protests, local law enforcement and the CHP arrested approx. 1,900 people, mostly for trespassing.

Compared to a few other civil disturbances that I was involved with, this protest at Diablo Canyon was peaceful, except for the passive resistance from the hundreds that we arrested. When the crowds of demonstrators began to dwindle, and it was time to head home, we were all ready to get back to a normal life.

IT'S A PARADE

Before I forget..........Happy Birthday Laila! Today is our Granddaughter's 6th birthday, and she's with Mom & Dad at Disneyland. What better place for a 6 year old to have a birthday party than the Magic Kingdom!

Yesterday morning, we wandered down to Main Street (McCulloch Blvd.), to catch the London Bridge Days Parade. It's the 40th anniversary of the bridge's big move from London, England, to Lake Havasu City, AZ. This parade is part of a week long celebration which included an appearance by Governor Jan Brewer.

The U.S. Marine Corps Marching Band

When we set up our chairs on the curb, I expected maybe a 30 minute or so parade. Not! The parade started promptly at 10 am, and when it was over, with the ambulance passing by, it was 11:55 am. A 2 hour parade to celebrate a bridge's anniversary. Wow!

Mohave County K-9 Thor was a big hit when his handler stopped, letting the dog out among the crowd.

This parade had the usual politicians, marching bands, classic cars, and assorted business entries. The shriners from Phoenix had a big presence, with everything from motorcycles, to clowns with bare behinds!

The large contingent of classic cars was an early advertisement for the annual " Run to the Sun", a huge community car show that's coming up in a few weeks. This street rod was actually doing some small burn outs, but the driver wasn't showing off when he passed our location.

Everyone loves a parade, and we're no different. The London Bridge Days Parade exceeded my expectations, and was a fun way to start off the day. Watching this long parade was exhausting, causing me to work up a huge appetite. So, it was the perfect excuse to head down to IN N OUT for a Double, Double.

RV MAINTENANCE DAY

In with the new, and out with the old. That was my focus yesterday morning, as I swapped the motor home house batteries, redid the air ducting to the Cummins motor air filter, and changed the oil & filter on the Onan diesel generator.

As with any mechanical monster, regular maintenance is one of the keys to avoiding, or at least minimizing breakage. With all of the complicated systems on today's modern RV, it's somewhat amazing to me that most everything works as well as it does. Considering that an RV is subjected to a constant earthquake as it's being driven down the road, it's a wonder that more things don't fail. If you happen to drive a lot of miles on California's wonderfully maintained roads, it's a total miracle that RV's aren't scattered in little pieces along the sides of the Golden State's byways. When we're in CA, I often remark that if you could close your eyes and drive at the same time, there would be no doubt which state you were in.

Even though we are basically home for the winter, there will be many excursions in the motor home. We just don't stay gone for months, like we do during the summer season. We're hoping to spend a week or so in the Palms Springs area next month, when Everett & Lori bring their motor home south. We usually spend part of the Christmas Holidays in Tucson with Marc, Chandra, and Laila, and for about the last 15 years, we spend part of January parked in the desert near Quartzsite, AZ. Also in January, the Family Motor Coach Ass'n rally takes place in Indio, CA. February takes us back to Tucson, where we've worked the Tucson Rodeo for several years. In March, another RV rally will take us to Yuma, AZ for about a week, and somewhere in those months, we'll try and find some time to use our boat.

With yesterdays tasks completed, and a recent complete engine and chassis service, the motor home is ready for some winter adventures!

OFF TO DISNEYLAND

Yesterday was the big day! We drove south to Blythe, CA, where we met Marc, Chandra, and our Granddaughter Laila for lunch. They were on their way to Disneyland, but Laila was only told they were going to see Grandma, and Grandpa. Laila's 6th birthday is this Sunday, so we had balloons waiting at the restaurant when they arrived.

Laila has just been told that she was going to Disneyland.

After lunch, Marc asked Laila where Mickey Mouse lived? When she answered "Disneyland", that's when Chandra told her that's where they were going. Her reaction at first, was more disbelief, than excitement. She kept saying, "no we're not". I think it finally sunk in when we were all telling her that she was going to Disneyland.

Are you sure I'm going to Disneyland?

The last surprise was a new bicycle for her birthday. We first had Laila open a Disney water bottle that attaches to the bike. When we went outside, Grandpa had taken the bike out of the back of the pickup, and Laila got her birthday present a couple of days early. Even though she had just started to ride her first bike without training wheels, I left them on this larger bike, as she took a couple of spins around the parking lot.

In the background is Marc & Chandra's new truck that Patty would need a step ladder to climb into. With a 6" lift, custom 20" rims & tires, & a duramax diesel engine, it's a very cool truck.

The kids were anxious to get going, and get to Disneyland before it got too late, so after a bunch of hugs, they were off. Later yesterday evening, we got a phone call from Laila & her first question to Grandma was "guess where I am"? When Grandma played the 3 answer game, Laila told her she was at Disneyland, in the Disneyland Hotel! Marc told me that she was "bouncing off the walls", with total excitement about exploring the Magic Kingdom for the next 3 days.

Some one's almost too big to be picked up!

NEW RV BATTERIES

Sam's Club price for these GC2 deep cycle, 110 amp hour, 6V batteries was $78.83 each.

Living in the motor home, which we typically do about half of the year, is quite a bit different than living in our conventional house. The biggest difference is probably the lack of unlimited space in the RV. As a result, when living in the motor home, and purchasing stuff like groceries, consideration is always given to the amount of available storage capacity. When we're in Lake Havasu, that caution goes out the window, and we often stock up, and buy large quantities.

Yesterday, a trip to Sam's Club in Bullhead City (about an hour's drive), was the shopping trip that stocked us up on a lot of things that were gone, or almost gone. After paying the bill, I felt like most of our bank account was gone!

The other reason for the trip to Wally's other World was the purchase of 4 new 6 volt, RV batteries. The house batteries in the motor home are approaching 5 years of age, and their ability to hold a charge, has diminished considerably during the last year. We don't do as much dry camping as we used to, but we do park in the desert near Quartzsite every year, and I wanted to change the batteries before we make our annual January pilgrimage to this RV Mecca in south western Arizona. With good batteries, and 3 large solar panels on the roof of the motor home, our dry camping time is only limited by our water and holding tank capacities. When we work the Tucson Rodeo every February, we have no hook ups, and do just fine for 2 weeks.

This morning, we're waiting for the phone call from Marc & Chandra, to see when they're leaving Tucson. We'll be meeting them in Blythe for lunch, and that's where Laila will be told she's going to Disneyland for her birthday. Should be an awesome surprise!