I Think Our Weather Has a Personality Disorder

 Got up early today because the City was having a cleanup day - drop your items in a bin for free. It was overcast but not foggy for once this week! Husband was convinced there would be lines of people, especially after they announced that once the bin was full, it was over and done; and only open to .town residents;  and a  seperate area for electronics. So  ee thought that meant there would be personnel at each site.  There were 4 or 5 sites around town. Went to the first site and there was no bin. Went to 2d site and there was one bin but no one there to verify residency. Also no line! So we dumped our stuff and went home. 

Husband didnt want to go to the #1 (on my list!!) garage sale today.....so we started out (just like most stores do not open as early as we are use to living elsewhere, neither dot he garage sales) and had to put our sunglasses on because the skies were blue and cloudless!

By the time we were on our way to our 3d or 4th stop, it was overcast again. Now it is late afternoon and the sun is out!

I am hoping this will help contain my piles of craft supplies next to my recliner!

These will be used to adorn XS or something - I just thought the tiny locks were so cute! Too bad there were no keys with them....nah, I dont need no stinking keys!

$1 for an almost new loaf pan - cephalon loaf pan. Now I can weed out one of my old ones....

I could not resist the saying on this!

Husband found this for me - and they let me bundle some things together so I was happy with the price. Now have to decide where it will go

Christmas in March!

I weeded through this - dumped A LOT of loose needles! Kept quite a bit of thread - silk thread, buttonhole, thread, regular thread, many on interesting wooden spools. Bits and pieces of  yarn which will be good for gnomes....I grabbed it primarily for the Longaberger basket and the scissors - overall I think I got my money's worth!

There were actually 3 of these little measuring tools (I am sure I have quite a few more around the house)  but this was interesting with the square top. And the rose decoration was so pretty. I dont think I have ever seen a darning egg with a silver (maybe silver plate?) handle before! And I am not sure what the other one is far - to darn the sole of a sock? Anyone know?

Did a lot of dusty cleaning in the bedroom (yes, Bella is apparently still with us!) Only got about 1/2 done but there is always tomorrow......then we took some things out to the trailer. 

And now I have more laundry to do tomorrow (one load done this morning but now it is the high use/high cost electric hours....so the clothing that hubby got on dirty with grease will have to wait until tomorrow. And this is why we really really need to CLEAN out the trailer basement, reorganize, regroup!

So Proud And So Excited

 Last weekend we were back in the area that we moved away from 2+ years ago.

Youngest grandson has been playing waterpolo for a couple of years now. And he loves it.

He does very well at it - but he needs to grow more!

Anyway, he was selected to try out for the USA Waterpolo Olympic Development Program for the 14 & Unders.

Training, evaluating, and cuts....he was pretty well convinced he was not going to be chosen.

And he left the last day, after shaking the coache's hand and telling him how much he appreciated the opportunity and the training, and thanking him for the opportunity. This is the kind of kid he is!

But he was!

And then, he and his mother both expected he would be put on the B Team since this was his first try at this. And they got the email that he was on the B Team. But then - it turns out - the wrong email was sent and he was actually chosen for the A Team!

So, as a team, they had one meeting and one practice. And then a 2 day nation wide tournament. With only 1 day of meeting. Now, this team has a total of 4 players from his water polo team; and other boys that he has swam with, or competed against. But still, not a cohesive team, and a new coach.

They played 3 games on Saturday and won them all! One was against a team from CT, and another game was against their own B Team! One they won in OT! That was a nailbiter of a game!

Sunday they played a game, and won. And now they are in the gold medal round.....against the top team in their section. Yeah, they lost. They lost bad. You could even see when they gave up. 

BUT....this brand new team came in 2d overall for their age group - silver medal winners! So proud of these boys!!!

We had a great time being up there. Got to eat at places we miss (hello Amici's Pizza! Hello Chik-Fil-A!). Drove around and saw SO MANY changes around town......Got to go to not 1 but TWO bookstores! And I got some new walking shoes which I just discovered I really needed!

That first game Saturday morning was at 0700 and so cold - it was like 36 degrees! But it was a clear and sunny day and so it did eventually get warmer. And on Sunday the first game wasnt until 10 AM so it was warmer! Felt so sorry for those kids!

After receiving their medals we left to drive our 2 hours home. And after we got home we recieved a phone call from our grandson who told us he had been selected for a very special award: 

Nick Johnson Inspiration Award - USA Water Polo

It is a very touching award - and yes I know I am biased - but it describes our Luke perfectly! And so it is extra special that others see this in him!

Monday evening daughter called us and told us they had received notification that he had been chosen for the National Team Selection Camp. I am linking the money raising he (via my daughter) is doing for this experience - it explains a little bit about it (and any donations are tax deductible!).

USA WATER POLO INC - Jessyca Bozzy's fundraiser (networkforgood.com)

This will be quite the experience for them. Parents are discouraged from going. So he will be flying down with his team, staying with his team, flying back with his team.....and helicopter mom is going to be unbearable until he is home! (I will be quite relieved when he is home too I have to admit. I know lots of kids fly by themselves younger than he is but.....and this is only into LAX - only one of the biggest airports - but not that far from home).

This whole experience helps teach them to act professional - dress professional - discouraged parental over involvement (these experiences are for the kids not the parents) and are really grooming them to be Olympic bound. So it is quite an honor - quite an experience. And hopefully, not overly stressful for this guy. He LOVES the sport, and I hope this experience does not change this for him.

At the end of April we will be flying down to San Diego to watch him at a tournament for his other water polo team. 

So Much Catching Up to Do

 And I will take just some baby steps here...

• Last week was incredibly beautiful. Sunny, temperatures in the 70's and even up to the low 80's. But it was all tinged with - we NEED rain! And there is none in sight
• Tom still working 3 days/week throughout this month. So we could not really take advantage of the weather. One day he played golf. The other we had errands that needed to be done.
• BUT last week for the very first time Ralph decided he wanted to walk on the beach. San Carlos Beach is a short, small beach. But he wanted to walk on it! And so we did - all 3 days of our walks down there. Now mind you, he hugged the rocks but still...it is a grand step he took!
• This week is much cooler. In fact yesterday on Ralph's walk the wind was downright cold. So it was a short walk. And the tides were in so no beach walking because there was no beach to walk on! And of course, yesterday was the day I left my phone at home so I could not get a photo of the otter who was very very close to shore! But it was so sunny, and so clear (the best side effects of a windy day!) it was beautiful!
• Today was sunny and beautiful too - but no wind, not quite as clear. No beach to walk on, but also no otter floating near the shore (yes, I remembered my phone today). But because of no wind we went for a longer, as in 2.25 miles, walk.
• Valentine's Day was nice. Lovely dinner at home. A lovely pair of earrings from hubby. And the sweetest card from 3 of our grands, with a Fandango card inside - which is great because there are 2 movies coming out we want to see!
• Today when I pick hubby up at work we are going out for our Valentine's Day dinner. He works down by the Wharf so we are going to Domenico's (just so happens, hmmmm, that I have a GC from there that he gave me last year) for happy hour!
• We dont go out on holidays - they raise the price of food, the service is usually not as good (mainly because they are so busy) and the food generally isnt as good either. And places are just too busy and too noisy. And yes, I am making generalizations but this is our findings after many many years of marriage! So we typically go out before or after the holidays.

Hoping the next time I get on here I will catch up with the missing parts of the end of 2021!

Am I Wrong to Feel Slighted?

 I think I am. But it still bothers me.

I belong to a group on FB about Congenital Degenerative Myelopathy.

And all these people post about having to euthanize their animals. And yes, I cry at each and every one I read but I still cant leave the group. 

But then I see how lovely their vets treated them afterwards - flowers, foot prints, candles, etc.

Our old vet in Livermore send a footprint ..... and we got a card from the crematorium where the ashes were buried.

So yes, we got a card from the vet.

And we got a card from the pet insurance company.

But that is all. 

And it makes me feel sad that Bella wasnt better memorialized. 

Last Camping Trip of 2021

 It was a lovely trip. Even with all the (minor) issues we ran into! So relaxing!

Drove to Paso Robles RV Living in California - Wine Country RV Resort (sunrvresorts.com) on Wednesday - and yes, our brand new Passport America worked on 2 of the 3 nights stay - saved much more than what our 2 year subscription cost us!

It is not Cava Robles | Sun RV Resorts but it is also definitely NOT 49er Village RV Resort | Sun RV Resorts nor is it Paso Robles RV Ranch - 7 Photos, 7 Reviews - Paso Robles, CA - (roverpass.com).....our pull through site was up near the wall that is also close to highway 46 so there was the sound of cars and trucks but in the night it became background noise....the site was small, we became VERY FRIENDLY with out next door neighbors! LOL. But the swimming pool and hot tub was nice, and very close to us was the adult only hot tub. The store was nice too, even though we did not buy anything there (the hours were kind of inconvenient). And on Friday nights they have free wine tasting from local wineries. The 2 that we tasted were very good! They also had a food truck there that night.

So our first stop after hooking (partially) up was Walmart! Our black sewer dump hose brock! So we had to go buy a new one! But I found my Halloween popcorn balls while we were there so I was especially happy.

We have also had a recent issue with the big window over the couch not staying closed. It came open again on our bumpy way (gotta love California roads!) down there and somehow the string for the blinds broke - or frayed - or was cut....

Thursday IT WAS COLD when we got up! Down into the 40's! And of course, I thought I packed sweatpants but they were apparently at home nice and clean....Took our time with breakfast and showers. And then we went to Award Winning Paso Robles Wines | Eberle Winery. We had been there once before. This time the weather was perfect for sitting out on their deck! And the view over their vineyards was lovely. We really enjoyed all the wines we tasted - and found out that the owner offers discounts to military and law enforcement - as he says "anyone who has to duck bullets" - which we thought was awesome. So, surprise to me, husband decides we need to join their wine club (after complaining we never drink all the wine we already buy!) so we joined a twice a year shipment club...

Back to the campground, and hit the pool. Then got dressed and drove to Cambria for dinner. Once again Ball & Skein & More (cambriayarn.com) was not open - and there was a group of about 5 or 6 women outside the store that made me think of the old Mervyn's ad....open open open! So we visited an antique store, bought 2 slices of pie at Lim's, and had a margarita at Hours & location – Las Cambritas while we watched some Halloween bake off show - never got to see who won!

Last time we were here we ate at www.seachestrestaurant.com, so this time we ate at Home (thesowsear.com). These 2 are our favorite restaurants in Cambria. As always, the food and service were wonderful - but this time the ambience sucked. Very near to us was a table with 3 couples. And one of the women was VERY LOUD.....and the talked incessantly....even taking a phone call while eating at the table! You can tell that all the customers in the restaurant, not just us, were very irritated by her (the people at the table next to us chose not to have dessert because they just wanted out of there). The host was young, and I am sure since this was mid week and in the off season, he didnt want to take a chance of ticking anyone off....so no one said anything to them....AND THEY WOULD NOT LEAVE. They were there before us....they were there after us. It ruined the experience for us.

Friday we again took our time with breakfast. Went into Paso Robles and went to several stores: my favorites Spare Time Book Store and Reminisce Antiques in Paso Robles (reminiscepasorobles.blogspot.com). Got some Christmas shopping done! And also visited a Goodwill store and another thrift store - got myself some socks and some items for the garden.

Here are photos of things I did NOT buy!:

Oh I wanted this pumpkin basket so badly! And the price wasnt bad either (neither were the prices on 2 picnic baskets I walked away from...) but I talked myself out of it....darn it!

And, except for the books, the wine, and Christmas presents here is what I did buy:

Isnt this sweet? I restricted myself to ONE even though there were quite a few, different sizes. different materials, that were darling!

I thought this sign was sweet even though the grammar stinks!

Then on to our favorite restaurant in Paso, www.cowgirlcafe.net and had lunch. Do you see this cookie? These are cowgirl sized cookies! I bought one, and hubby bought one, to snack on on our trip home on Saturday. THEY ARE HUGE! I think they were 2/$3 or 2/$5....it took me days to eat mine (snickerdoodle; hubby had an oatmeal raisin and never even offered me a bite...)

After lunch headed over to what was a gamble, and ended up that we loved it, https://www.tincitydistillery.com/. We thought we were not going to get there in time. First of all, it is difficult to find some of the places that are tucked into the back, or inside of other places.....and there was a large truck unloading in the middle of the street. Told hubby to go around again, and we would park in one of the nearby parking lots - he refused to do that - we will get towed! - and when we came by again we could not squeeze by because now next to the big truck was a Global delivery truck totally blocking what little space there was left....

But the truck driver - delivering cans of hard cider to TIN CITY CIDER CO. - and he told us to pull into their parking lot - that there was a parking place just for us there! And there was! So this place is on our list to check out the next time we are down there.

So we made to it the tasting. And it was wonderful! First of all, they make a canned lemonade/vodka that is SO GOOD that I had to buy one of their last 4 packs.....I am not a gin person but it was pretty good. We were there primarily to try their brandies and we came home with a bottle of their hibiscus brandy AND a bottle of their apricot amaretto! Then husband tried their bourbon (I am not a hard liquor drinker) and I took a taste - oh my that was smooth! Got home and was looking at their site and I saw that a lot of their stock was sold out so I splurged on a bottle of the bourbon (and paid the shipping) to give to hubby for Christmas!

Back to the campground - it was hot today - and we turned the AC on in the trailer - and hit the pool again. Came back, changed clothes and went to the wine tasting. Tried wine from Sculpterra Winery and Sculpture Garden – The Top Paso Robles Winery and Museum - their viognier was very good. And then the other winery had good wine too (I have forgotten the name of that one!) and we found out about some wineries in San Miguel we will be checking out too....

And then to the main reason for our trip to Paso Robles. The members only BBQ at Castoro Cellars | Homepage - our first time going to the BBQ. The first year we joined we heard about the BBQ too late to go - and then of course there was the year-that-wasnt.....We had a nice time. It was a lovely evening to be outside and the music was good - the food was good - and the wine was very good!

See, I can and do drink red wine! This is Pasofusion and I love it!

I never remember the names of all the big bottles (and this guy told me he had to look up the name before serving it!) but this is called a Methusala -  full of Pasofusion!

I told you it was a beautiful evening! We left about 8 PM (after not winning any of the 4 raffles) and there still was no reason to put a sweater or jacket on!

Saturday dawned chilly again! But we got up and went back to Cowgirl Cafe for breakfast. Which was good. And then time to pack it up and leave.....and found that we had to handle for the valve to pull to drain the black tank! What makes it funny was that just that week I was reading something on a forum for our trailer about checking the screws because the poster had lost his.....so hubby was able to get it open to drain (and he tightened the screws on the grey water valve handles before we left.....).

Home again, home again, jiggety jig....to a dog on a hunger strike....not sure if it was because we were gone AGAIN so soon after the last time....whether it was the loss of his big sister.....or he is just on a food strike. When we went to the store I got a couple of cans of wet food and mixed a little into the dry food and he has been eating very well since we got home. He is such a brat! And enjoying his walks too!

September 13, 2021

 We said goodbye to our Bella today.

It was time.

But it hurts so badly.

Grand Design Rally Part II

 Saturday we took a trip to Amador City. The smallest (land mass) city in CA! It was darling - and did some great Christmas shopping there. They have an AWESOME small museum - all about women in the Old West - the typical wives and ranchers, teachers, but also prostitutes! Very interesting. They were just closing so we rushed through it - I definitely want to go back and go through it again

And I found out something new - the brothels (at least in this city) used TOKENS!

Then we went to a winery - I picked it only because I thought the name was ironic - Drytown Cellars in Drytown CA: "Drytown is the oldest community in Amador County, and the first in which gold was discovered. It took its name from Dry Creek, which runs dry during the summer. However, it was certainly not "dry", as stories tell of there being up to 26 saloons...". 

Drytown Cellars is lovely. Tasting are $5 - and you can get food - lovely charcuterie tray for one....and the bottle prices are SO REASONABLE! And we enjoyed several of their wines. And the people there are so nice and friendly

The best were the dogs. Many were old and just liked to sleep....but one was a true rock hound! We were so slow and it took awhile before we realized what he wanted to do when he kept coming to us and dropping rocks at our feet....yup. pick the rock up, throw it, and he would find that exact rock, bring it back, and drop it again and again and again....he was the youngest dog there!

It rained! From about 0200 - 0630 - nice and steady, not hard - but a sound we havent heard in awhile!

And Sunday got sunny but it was cooler ....mid 70's not mid 80's.....a perfect day to go drink more wine. At a winery that Drytown Cellars recommended because of its location - and what a beautiful location it was !

Iron Hub Winery and Vineyards (ironhubwines.com) - the winery is lovely - the people are so friendly - tastings are $10/person and you dont pay if you buy a bottle of wine. They too have food but we ate lunch before we went. We also did not know there was going to be music there - a gentleman who played guitar and sang - much better than the group at the campground the night before (the music was fine but the singer....well...). But we could just have sat there all day looking at the view:

We left Monday morning - surprisingly AHEAD OF SCHEDULE! So we went home a different way. Stopped at Bass and hubby found a vest to replace the one that has "disappeared" (AKA he left it somewhere and has no idea where). And then we stopped here to eat lunch:

Growing up I would HATE when we stopped there - because of course dad wanted all of us to order the soup because it was the quickest meal - but YUCK pea soup???? And as an adult I have grown to love it! But this was the first time in a long time and what was disappointing was they dont serve an assortment of bread and rolls now, just one type.

And that was our trip!