Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

 I've been having a heck of a time with internet connection here so hopefully I can get this to post.  I have been reading as many blogs as I can but not always commenting as it take so long to upload anything.  So if you don't see my note, that doesn't mean I haven't stopped by.  Sometimes it's a dropped connection that makes my comments not post but at any rate, hope you all know how much I appreciate reading about your adventures even if I can't always get a comment to post.  Take care.

Hope you are all having a wonderful Thanksgiving with all the wonderful foods and friends and family that you can handle!

This is a weird holiday for us this year.  First one in many, many years that we have not been with family.  We just thought we would try something different and see how it works.  I am so thankful that most of my family is in Oregon and we can see them all often. 

I made enchiladas, beans, and rice for our Thanksgiving feast and we had it Wednesday evening.  If we feel like it, on Thanksgiving Day we are going to take off and go see some of the sights around the area.  Might even go as far as Borrego Springs.  We figure most folks will be hunkered down over a turkey so we will have the roads all to ourselves (yeah, right!).  So we’ll see what happens.

Today we went to visit some old friends of ours…old in the sense that we have known them for a long time, not that they are as old as we are!  Gary and Charlotte are Senior Pastors at Christian Center here in Desert  Hot Springs.  We got to see them last summer when they came through Oregon so we wanted to touch bases while we are here.  Had a wonderful visit in their beautiful home and then they were on their was to spend Thanksgiving with their kids in Fresno.




Russ got a nice picture of the sky this morning with the jet trails adding their streaks to the wispy clouds overhead.


Well, it’s Thanksgiving and while I enjoy the holiday and the sentiment, I wish that we could remember everyday what we have to be thankful for.  It’s easy to become discourage and even bitter about the economy, politics, family issues, poverty, occupiers…you name it, we can find a negative to worry about.  But what is more important is to search for that little nugget of positivity that can be found in almost every situation. 

I consider myself blessed, not only because I live and travel in a place that I love, but because of the blessings that we may forget to acknowledge on a day to day basis.  I am thankful for my kids and their spouses and my grandkids.  I am thankful for my wonderful siblings and their extended families.  I am thankful that I have a wonderful husband, and that he has family that I love as my own.  I am thankful for friends.

I am thankful for love and acceptance, both to give and to receive, without judgment.  I am thankful that I still have the faith of a child and can believe in what I cannot see with my eyes.  Yes, I believe in God and my faith sustains me when all else fails.  For that I am thankful.  May I never outgrow the simplicity of belief. 

Happy Thanksgiving All and may we be truly thankful, not just today, but every day.  God Bless.

A Picture Perfect Day

Today’s perfection actually started last night with the BBQ at Rick and Paulette’s.  I gotta tell ya, Rick has not been exaggerating about Paulette’s talent in the kitchen.  We has roasted potatoes, grilled mushrooms and onions, bean salad, green salad with all kinds of goodies in it, garlic bread, and it was all just wonderful.  And then Rick grilled up some picture perfect steaks.  Oh my…so good.

  I didn’t get a picture of the steaks as we were in the fiver already getting ready to chow down.  We did hear Rick coming with the platter though.  As he came up the steps with his plate full of steaks we heard him give a yell.  I thought he had dropped the plate at first.  But it seems his little muttzo, Rylie, was waiting for Rick at the top of the stairs.  As he held out the plate to climb aboard, Rylie assumed he was offering her a perfectly done steak and so she graciously accepted.  She selected the one she wanted and quick as scat she had it off the plate.  Thanks, Dad!  She didn’t get far with it though as Paulette was right there to snatch it back – and feed it to Rick.  Oh well, we all know the 10 second rule!  I did manage to save a few bites for Molly and Rylie so they weren’t completely denied.  We also met fellow bloggers Kim and Don and another BC couple Ken and Karen (they don’t blog, but they did provide some wonderful pie for dessert).  What a wonderful time we had.  By the time we left there was absolutely NO “W” and it stayed that way all day today.

Today dawned bright and beautiful, clear blue skies, not a hint of a breeze.  It was cold and crisp but as the sun rose, the air warmed to the mid 60s.  We took a drive up Hwy. 74, the Palms to Pines Hwy.  We did not go too far as we got a late start and still had some errands to complete today.  This is a map that is at the visitors center at the bottom of the hill.


Click to enlarge.  We only went as far as the first major cutoff you see there, Hwy 371 to Anza and San Diego.  We saw this sign at the visitor’s center so we kept Poppy on a short leash and didn’t wander too far from the parking lot.

 

There are lots of trails here but many are restricted to NO DOGS.  The ranger told me it was to protect the mountain sheep.  Poppy got tired quickly anyway and so I sat in the car with her while Russ took a few photos.







The road starts out pretty narrow and windy until it gets to the first overlook.  It’s a little hard to see here as some of the road is gray and some is a newly paved black.  Click on picture to enlarge.



The views from the overlook are marvelous but pictures cannot really do it justice.
This is a picture from farther along on our drive as we began to enter the San Bernardino National Forest.  For my siblings…that snow capped peak in the distance is the backside of Big Bear.  Remember that place??

The day continued to exude perfection and the sunset was another humdinger.  As I was walking out to get a shot of the setting sun, I spied this little critter in the lot next door.



And finally, the end to a picture perfect day.  Good Night All.


P.S.  See why there was no “W” today?  No one turned on the big fans!

I Love Me Some Blue Sky

I know Montana is called Big Sky Country but I am thinking maybe that title could apply to some parts of California as well.  Although we had a rain shower last night, the sky has cleared today and the slight wind is keeping the temperatures down.  I cannot get over this blue sky.

The sky changes so rapidly as the clouds move in and out, blown by the ever changing wind.




Having grown up in smog filled southern California, I had forgotten that much progress has been made towards cleaner air in the last 40+ years that I have been gone.  And most of my growing up years were spent in the area around San Bernardino, at the base of the mountains where the smog would just settle in and not move.  This desert sky and air are wonderful.

Here’s a nice place; looks like they are settled in for the season.



Here’s some evidence of the windstorm we had a few days ago.  This is in town (Desert Hot Springs).



I read on the weather service page that we had gusts of 50+ mph!  I guess that helps keep the smog cleared out.  Maybe if they turned off those giant white fans the wind would not be so bad:)

 

Gonna go have us some BBQ in a few so I’ll close this off for now.  Have a great week and Good Night All.

Awning Fixed and Destination Reached

We were up early for our appointment at the factory.  Got the awning fixed and the wallet is a bit lighter now!!  No, no insurance – I don’t think they write a policy for operator error.  It’s still a tiny bit off kilter but at least the support was replaced and it is useable again.

We arrived at The Sands RV Park in Desert Hot Springs this afternoon.  As we were making our way to our spot, who should we spy walking along the road but Rick and Paulette and their two pups on their way to the dog park.  Perfect timing!!  We had a quick “Howdy” but then it was work time for us, getting set-up and settled.

I was too tired to fix much in the way of supper but I did manage some Rice-a-Roni with hamburger and some peas and a salad.  Not exactly gourmet but good enough to get us by for the night.  Remember that old commercial…”give it to Mikey, he’ll eat anything”… just change Mikey to Russell, and there you have it… (makes it easy on me!!)

 

The Sands had a special – pay for 7 days and get two more free, so we are here for a total of 9 days.  Feels good to be somewhere and not have to move for a while.  With the wonderful weather we can dry out everything that got wet in Santa Cruz.  We may even feel a bit drier ourselves!  I’m enjoying the dry air.

I know ya’ll must be getting tired of our sunrise/sunset pictures by now, but we are still enthralled with the gorgeous colors we see almost every night and every morning.  In Eugene, the only color we see in the sky this time of year is GRAY.  So just a couple more that we took at the Sands tonight and then I’ll give it a rest (unless, of course, we get another sunset too good to miss).





And then there is the new graphic we had painted on the motor home tonight, courtesy of the Greatest Artist!


Tomorrow there will be new sights to see and new adventures to embrace.  The sun will be shining and we will be happy campers.  Until then, rest well and travel safe.  Good night all.