What a Lovely Week! Mostly.....

 So we were supposed to go camping at Jackson Rancheria this past week, with our friends, and one of their sons, his wife, and daughter. About 2 weeks prior we received a phone call from the RV place to tell us they had been notified by PG&E that they would be shutting off their power from Sunday through Friday (we were going Monday and coming home Friday) and offered us 2 choices: we could use our generator (sure, if we had one!), we could cancel, or we could reschedule. So we rescheduled for the end of July.

So now we had a dog sitter confirmed and nowhere to go.....so I started searching. Of course the best looking places are the most expensive....and of course many places were already booked up. But we did find space, for 4 nights, at the expensive RV resort in Paso Robles that we had been wanting to try out anyway - so we booked a stay at Cava Robles | Sun RV Resorts.

And then we found out, first, that our friends son and family were going to be down there the same week (for the same reason!) and later that day we found out the wife of our friend went with them.

We already had our excursions planned, so we really only saw them that first night. And then our friend decided she wanted/needed to come home Friday instead of Saturday so she drove home with us.

We loved it there. The only drawback - the beautiful drive through site we booked - was at the top of the hill and was WINDY the whole time we were there! Well, the wind would stop later in the night and not really start up until afternoon. But the wind itself was SO COLD! We never did put our awning up - but the way our site was situated we really did not need it. We did use the firepit 2 of the nights we were there (we didnt the first night because when we went visiting they already had theirs going....) and that did not even help! The only things I found surprising/not good was that, for the price we aid, there was no trash pickup (you had to walk/drive it to the dumpsters yourself) and there was such an inconsistency in enforcing their own rules....We would love to go back when all the amenities are open and maybe when we arent shivering to death every afternoon, and evening!

We had a beautiful sky every evening!

The first day we drove to Pismo Beach. It was sunny, warm and lovely, Texted a friend who goes there every year to get advice for a lunch place - she recommended Award Winning Clam Chowder | Splash Cafe  and let me tell you - it lived up to its reputation! So glad I got the bowl and not the cup - even so I was almost licking the bowl! And the hamburger that Tom had was HUGE!

We had our wine tasting at Award Winning Clam Chowder | Splash Cafe in San Luis Obispo. Bought 2 bottles of rose (only one came home with us) and a bottle to share with a friend. Also some of their very very good horseradish spread!

So glad I packed sweats and snuggly sleep socks!

He looks demented - because we are laughing about being so cold even with being bundled up and a fire going - but we are still drinking cold wine with ice cubes!

Wednesday we went to Cayucas - got some Christmas shopping done this day! And then we drove up to San Simeon State Beach and ate the lunch we packed. Then back into Cambria. And found the yarn store was closed that day and the next - only open for reservations due to "insufficient staffing". And I went planning to buy a kit for a sweater - well, I save $115!!! We stopped at Linn's Restaurant (linnsfruitbin.com) and picked up mini pies for dessert (very good pecan pie! Apple for hubby!). Then we did a wine tasting at Moonstone Cellars - some more wine was bought and another Christmas present! And then we drove to The Sea Chest in Cambria - got in line at about 4:15 PM for their 5:30 PM opening (we didnt want to drive back in the dark!!). And as always ate way too much.....I have steamed clams. Usually they are little necks and a pot of them is fine. But these were the prettiest blue shelled Washington clams which are larger - thank goodness Tom had some of them (and I had a couple of bites of his oh-so-wonderful calamari steak!)

San Simeon State Beach

Gotta start collecting driftwood - I already bought 3 star fish for the top (gotta love thrift stores!)

We werent too far back in line - but we only had our beach chairs with us and it would have been too embarrassing to try to get out of them in front of everyone - by the time they opened the line was all the way around the parking lot and heading down the driveway

Full moon!

Thursday was Paso Robles shopping day! We found a darling store on Pine Street in PR - reclaimed items! More Christmas shopping.....and a nice thrift store on Park Street - got a great denim jacket there! There was a darling store called The General Store on 12 street but boy were they over priced!

Found a bakery and picked up bearclaws for breakfast.....and had the best raspberry pillow cookie I have ever had! Then we tasted wine at Monochrome Wines – California White Wines which was a totally different experience. It is out in an industrial area that has a lot of tasting rooms - wine and food - located. They do not have a vineyard; the owner/winemaker buys his grapes? or the juice? not sure which - and only makes whites. It was a warm after noon so the AC indoors felt good. He was a very interesting man to talk with. We were the only ones there. His wines are a bit pricey but we still felt we should buy so we bought 2 bottles. This was a perfect temperature of a day to taste whites!

The drive home was uneventful. Got home and found the dogs had been pretty well behaved. But apparently we had a mouse visitor in the kitchen one night.....and the next night he came back with his whole clan. So our superlative dog sitter sit traps - got 4 of them I think - and then spent the evening cleaning the kitchen up from the mice - doing dishes, and laundry (dishcloths!) and wiping down the counters.....said the dogs were a bit freaked out so he spent the night (and then apologized for using our shower - what???? after all you did???? He is the son of a friend of ours and they are redoing their bathroom which is taking forever - we had told them they could come and use our shower whenever!)

We were so lucky to have him taking care of the dogs - and the mice!!!