A few days getaway

The ocean was great and the weather better but the Beverly Hillbillies pulled in next to us with their double wide and blocked our view. Ah, we were planning to leave the next day anyway. When they fired off the generator the next morning and it backfired it sealed the deal. Their motor home, all of 35 feet, was in a spot better laid out for a tent but somehow they squeezed in. It just proves my law, "Just because you can squeeze in a size 12 that doesn't mean you should." Seems like that rule applies to more than clothes.



Faria campground is nice but when it's full it's crowded. We are lucky we don't have to camp during the weekends so we packed up. We'll head back there for more during the week when it's peaceful and filled with seniors. My first choice is Rincon but we can't camp there with the teardrop and the truck doesn't like the trailer we usually use. Why can't we all get along?

The hundred-year-old-dog did pretty well but not being able to see makes his life more confusing especially someplace without all his familiar smells. His nose works fine and was never more evident than our lunch at the BBQ joint in Ventura. He could smell the meat smoking and when we got our sandwiches he let us know we weren't quick enough with his share. Nothing wrong with the sniffer.

The 3G worked on the iPad so we had some communication not that I'm gonna watch a movie but good to check up on e-mail and the like. AT$T was so spotty on our driving vacation to Pueblo, CO last year but Ventura seems to be part of their area with no problems. What did we do before computers?

So what's on the horizon? A trip north.

Update to Teardrop camping: life is an adventure

We worried about the wrong gods, the weather gods were appeased it was the mechanical gods we should have thought about. All loaded up, pulled out beyond the gates--truck won't start. Seems as the column, where the key goes, has a very important gear and it broke. Bummer. No one is going anywhere in that truck.

We got the trailer unhooked and pushed back in the back yard and Dan "hot wired*" the truck to get it behind the gate. He realized it was not something that could be fixed in an hour, more like days, so while he worked I unpacked all the camping stuff. Everyone, including the hundred-year-old-dog, was disappointed. Good thing it happened in the driveway and not our first gas stop along the way which would have meant towing. We hate towing.

After living with old cars for more than 40 years these kinds of problems always pop up and I'm sure will continue as long as we keep driving old cars. No quitters here.

* For any law enforcement folks reading this post please note Dan would never use his "hot wiring" knowledge for anything nefarious. But it has come in handy more than once.

Weather of not

Our once-a-year Teardrop Gathering (we've gone since '07) is this week and with rain in the forecast my honey is none to pleased. His Safety Event was rained out last Sunday so the weather gods have not been too kind to him lately. Quoting Noah, I say go for it, what the hell is a little rain going to do?

We've not had the Teardrop out since our unfortunate accident in New Mexico and it's been repaired. The water leak has been fixed with the wood stripped out of the galley and replaced and everything is looking quite spiffy. I've got all my cast iron loaded for a few days of Dutch Oven cooking. Oh how I look forward to this. Will be making a carrot cake, potato side dish, and two pots of chile verde--not all on the same day, whew.

Before we get on the road I will attend the last Life Drawing class of this quarter and partake in a potluck. This class has been a lot more familial than the other with everyone eager to bring something. Jay is marketing this as "The Last Supper" but that sounding a little too ecclesiastical I think it should be called "The Luncheon of the Boating Party." After all, Renoir's masterpiece is much more festive.

I'd like to say I sacrificed a chicken last night to the rain gods but actually I just burnt dinner a bit. So, snorkel and fins in hand we'll head for the lake.

Yuma, YPG and life in the desert: part one

Editors note: I would, and maybe still will in the future, have some photos to share but my PhotoShop went away when I installed Snow Leopard the wonderful new operating system for my Mac. I'm not all that upset because I did need to upgrade but I oh so hate to loose my PhotoShop. This version is only about ten years old and it took me a few minutes to convince the tech support fellow that, at one time, Adobe did have a version 7.0. You can view some photos my sister has already posted on her blog, Tombstone Tumbleweed.

Update: I did find a program to handle my pix but not completely thrilled. Time will tell.

It takes a special type of person to live in the desert and for seven days we tried. I would have loved it more if it were not for the wind but, sadly, that is a fact of life there. If we had our larger trailer, rather than the tiny teardrop, the wind would not have been such a factor. We did make the best of it and had a good time.

I'm sure it's the solitude that draws most to camp for months on end in the southwestern Arizona desert that and the challenge of getting by. We test ourselves in a variety of ways and making your place in a desolate area is a big test of your fortitude and ingenuity. I see it as a way to mark your progress and make sure you still can compete. When you live in a big city with big city problems such as traffic on Fridays, if you make it home, you can say with a sigh, I can survive.

The flowers blooming in the desert would be worth the trip. Every day more and more cactus sprouted new colors. The trip home showed even more wondrous colors than the trip seven days earlier. Stars are also wonderful but with light pollution from Yuma and a waxing half moon the only Milky Way we saw was at the convenience store. Sure we could see some of the brighter stars but I was looking forward to the big show. I'm still looking for a dark area to watch the next meteor shower.

Nights are particularly silent save the yip of the way-to-close coyotes. A few different nights they all got together for a sing-fest-potluck and shared their excitement with the whole area. As for other life, we never saw but heard others tell of a 4 foot rattlesnake. I was very careful to poke anything before I picked it up. A more harmless creatures are found running wild around the area; donkeys. These shaggy guys have quite the comical look with elongated ears and fairly large teeth and a kick that can send you sprawling or into a coma. We did finally get to see a group of seven gnawing on a scrubby little bush.

Part Two; coming soon.

Million-dollar view for $25 a night

After a few days at Rincon it's back to reality and a mountain of laundry. So nice to wake up to this view each morning.


High tide did bring the breakers a bit closer than we were hoping but we avoided getting wet. Other, not so lucky.

With little side-trips to Ventura and Santa Barbara we kept quite busy but there was always time for a card game or three.

An attention whore

Cooking has been the thread through both sides of our family and I seem to have passed that love on to my daughter which make me quite happy. I do it for the praise; I'm an attention whore and love the adulation. The challenge is important, too but praise is what I live on so I cook, and feed, and cook some more. This sometimes, for me, can be a problem.

The Teardrop Gathering at Lake Perris was great this year and since I'd won a outdoor dutch oven in the raffle last year I participated in Friday's DO potluck. Got lots of great ideas for managing my outdoor cooking and we ate some pretty good food, too. Some pretty ordinary food as well which is the reason for the post.

Outdoor Dutch Oven cooking is not for the faint of heart nor feeble of muscle. Visit our food blog, Peanut Butter Etouffee and see. You are cooking with hot coals, no way other than guess work to regulate, and sometimes, an unfriendly environment. I've seen the enemy, and it is WIND. Did I mention the weight? My 12 inch weighs all of 25 pounds. So why would you just use it to heat up something canned when you've got a camp stove?

The DO is a cast iron beautiful bit of engineering. Heavy pot on three, perfectly balanced legs leaving room underneath for the coals. The lid, heavy with a lip that allows coals on top without getting them into your food. This lid fits tightly on the pot but can be turned easy so there are no "hot" spots while cooking. My darling made me a lid lifter and pretty much anything I ask for. Nice to know someone who welds. Ok, so why not use it to its limit? I love cooking tools but only use the correct tool for the job. Jeeze, I'm a snob.

Once I made a large pot of chili verde while camping and with it was serving beans. Since you can stack one pot upon the other and take advantage of the heat from the bottom, I had beans in the smaller pot on top of the chili verde. I was only really heating the beans so the camp stove would have worked better. The DO is no easy critter to handle and clean up. Empty, it requires hot coals to boil water while you scrub out the pot, rinse and repeat until clean. Never, ever put soap in a DO it ruins the seasoning. The last thing I want to do is heat something in it.

Oh, but if you want a real treat, like biscuits, lovely fluffy biscuits when you are camping by all means get yourself started. I warn you, it's addicting.

From El Rincon: Breakfast with the Godwit's

At sunrise the Pacific was flat with just a hint of morning mist hanging off the coast of Santa Cruz one of the five Channel Islands. I sat with my morning tea watching the shore birds dash around looking for breakfast. Marbled Godwits, Whimbrels, and Willets made up this early morning crowd. A wave comes in then retreats and they scurry down to the edge of the water to poke and prod the wet sand looking for sand crabs and small invertebrates. They usually get away before the next wave but sometimes the wave will wash over their slender heads as they come up with something particularly yummy and worth the cold splash. The Sanderlings, much small birds, run in a pack of ten or twenty and they rarely get wet. They perform a choreographed ballet dancing between the wet sand and water.

In front of a cresting wave a pelican glides effortlessly only inches from the water. Near sunset a dozen or so birds will glide single file for miles. I often wonder if they are looking in the clear water of the wave for fish swimming by. They also hunt fish from about twenty feet then plunge headfirst into the water resulting in a dramatic splash.

Beyond the breakers, small groups of Bottle-nosed Dolphins travel up and down the beach feeding on fish. There is a photo of dolphins riding a wave off Ventura but I've not seen it in the wild. I did see California Sea Lion in a wave snatching himself a large fish once. What a treat.

For other post about this lovely area click on the label "Rincon" at the bottom of this post.

AFK to celebrate 39 years

Last year we celebrated our anniversary at the beach so it seemed only natural we head back. To add a little spice we've planned a trip with our dear friends. This should be fun, we've traveled many times together and they are game for some short day trips--plus they love to "antique" and eat as much as we do--so we are expecting a pleasant getaway.

As we are watching the weather the forecast looks promising, though cold, it's 38 this morning. This is just a reminder it's winter because after the past two weeks of 80 degree temps here in SoCal it sort of makes one forget.

For dinner I've planned some outdoor cooking with my camp dutch oven if we find a nice level spot. Rain would be the only thing keeping me from trying this. I could post something interesting on our food blog, Peanut Butter Etouffee, but my camera died. Maybe someone else could take a snap it's not good to be a stranger at your own food blog. We'll also eat out as there are some great places just a short drive from El Rincon.

Just beachy

We did end up spending New Year's at our favorite camping place, Rincon Parkway. This little stretch of road is just outside the town of Ventura on the Pacific Ocean. Although this photo does illustrate the camping area is not representative of what the place actually looks like. I've never seen it so empty, ever. People who live local will come, park and pay on Wednesday and not show up until Friday evening to camp all weekend. Most of what we see these days are those huge diesel guys that we feel miniature next to.

If I stop and think about the camping area it's amazing why I love it so much. Let me try to describe it. Before the freeway opened a two-lane road ran parallel to the water. Between the west side of the road and the beach was space to park your car and on the east side of the road a high berm with rail tracks. A variety of passenger and freight trains travel on this line up and down the coast of California. This space is now designated for camping and most of the 127 spots are about 18 feet wide and close to 40 feet long.

When you pull in, depending on the width of your RV, you have a five feet no parking zone with a bike lane on the road side and about five feet of crumbling blacktop on the beach side. Cars and big trucks rumble by your spot at an alarming speed all hours of the day, and night. I shouldn't make it sound so attractive there are already too many campers. Past that large boulders help with beach erosion then, depending on the tide, a sandy beach and the million dollar view of the Pacific Ocean. Hook-ups? Nope, this $25 a day site is d-r-y.

The beach access can be difficult especially with a dog since you need to scramble over the boulders down to the sand. The height of the rocks varies and at many sites it's near impossible to navigate over the boulders so choose wisely. Once our site had great access and along with that came many visitors tramping through our five-foot front yard. I'm willing to share just knock the damn sand out of your shoes before you traipse across my rug.

So why is it always packed? The price has a lot to do with it and maybe because there are so few spots at the beach in Southern California but everyone I ask says, the view. You set up, get out a chair and sit down to watch. You're treated to Sea Lions and Bottle-nosed Dolphins playing and feeding in the surf and if you're lucky, the occasional blowhole spray from a migrating Gray Whale on it's way down to Baja to breed for the winter. Shore birds are too numerous to count most of the time and their antics will make anyone chuckle. Add to that the day-trip possibilities of Ojai, Cartpenteria, Ventura and Santa Barbara at for 25 bucks a night.

Wait, maybe I've said too much. Forget every thing I've said.

Flashing knives

We are looking to squeeze a trip to the beach this week. It takes a fair amount of planning on our part, the 5th wheel is not stored on our property and with two RVs I'm always robbing one. Oh, I have two sets of the basics but I'm always forgetting some of the odd things, like the cribbage board and a deck of cards. We like to play cards when we're camping but I find it odd we never do at home. I guess there are too many distractions.

We only have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning then I'm off to the Getty Center. I don't dare be missing as it is the tail-end of tourist season and we've been packed the last few weeks. All the docents love doing what we do, geeze, we do volunteer, but by September we are longing for one of those days without 100 people in an hour in the sketching gallery.

Some quiet time at the beach will give me time to contemplate my need for surgery for my lateral epicondylitis, I love saying that, makes me feel smart but it's really just "tennis elbow." My orthopedic wants me to have it as well as my therapist but I'm looking for an alternative and acupuncture seems to be successful for some. I'll be seeing a doctor next week when we get back from camping. After the six weeks with my broken wrist I'm wary to have surgery but when the pain gets unbearable, I'll be forced to go under the knife.

Anyone had an experience with acupuncture? I'm usually a skeptic when it comes to stuff like this but very interested in a first-hand report.

Cool ocean breeze makes life worth living

We've been away camping, again so blogging takes a far back seat. Someday I might get a laptop and post from where ever but until them the blog takes a bit of a hiatus from time to time. We have a few campgrounds to choose from but we knew it might be difficult to find a spot. It's been hot here in town and that usually drives the peasants to the shore and this peasant was feeling the heat and wanted to get to the beach.

We decided Monday morning would be our best bet and though our first choice, Faria, was full we found more open spaces at a camp ground called Hobson. It's tucked into the end of the Rincon and the beginning of some private residences with a few dry camp spot and about a dozen ones with full hook-ups. We took a dry camp by the water, well rocks actually because there is a berm built of big rocks between most of the spots and the surf. The view is only visible if you climb up on a rock or two bit you can find a few flat ones to put a beach chair.

The photo is looking south about five in the afternoon with a bit of fog drifting in. Other than that we experienced wonderful weather. The nights were great. Clear skies that were dark enough to see the Milky Way if you were up late. I get such a kick out of that each time we are there and am lucky to have a bladder that wake me around two in the morning for my own private show.

We did have some interesting neighbors this time. A family with three teen aged boys and three younger girls and a truck full of surf boards arrived after we'd set up. While they unloaded, we are so close we could have helped, I couldn't help but notice the mother unloaded what I thought was a little puppy. No, it was a little piggy. Lilly, a 10 month-old pot-bellied pig, was quite a surprise at the beach. Buddy the dog wasn't aggressive but very interested in the noises she made. When I asked why a pig for a pet the father said, "Well, we had one before." I didn't go any further with that line of questioning.

The little porker was kept in a dog carrier and evidently didn't get out much because by the morning it was covered with flies. Nice neighbors to have. Lucky for us they found a better space the next morning and left. Pig, kids, and surfboards were thrown into the trailer and truck and off they went. They forget to take the flies.


Going home we were driving into the sun and that makes it tough on Buddy. He usually gets on the floor of the truck but it was pretty hot and couldn't find the right place. After he'd gone back and forth enough to make me scream I plopped my cap on his head to shade his eyes. Bingo! That is what he was looking for and wore my cap the rest of the way home. When you're pulling a teardrop trailer with a dog wearing a baseball hat you get looks.

It was back to the real-hot world on Wednesday morning. Sad that it has to end but knowing school will be back in session soon and we then can take the 5th wheel up to the Rincon, again.

All the comforts of home

Being retired doesn't mean you can't take a few days off. From what I'm trying to figure out but my darling and I headed to the beach on Sunday for a few days. We wanted to stay right on the beach at Rincon, dry camping, but problems with our trailer made us settle for the RV campground. No view of the ocean but just a short walk.

We also like the main street of Ventura for the antique shops and small eateries; Cajun Cafe being one of our favs. An extra plus this trip, I found a shop that sharpens knives and I just happened to have two of my favorites. This guy does them while you wait and he did a great job. I'll be taking more each time we visit.

Using the full hook-ups gave my darling time to fuss with his new satellite dish. I was surprised but pleased when he got it working. We were missing a few channels, the one carrying the Doyer's game, but we muddled through. With the weather a bit dodgy we didn't spend as much time outside as we normally do so the addition of PBS was ok by me.

So why do retirees need time away? Seems like I don't read as much as I like and I got into a book I'd wanted to start. I was thrilled to do the crossword puzzle every morning from the paper and let's not forget the nap. I could take one at home but don't so an afternoon nap after a long walk on the beach was perfect.

Can't wait for the next trip.

Desert Camping

You can't really call this desert camping, we're at a lovely campground equipped two swimming pools, hot tub, full hook ups, and because it's before the "season" starts, it's cheap. My beloved has been stellar with the towing and the parking of the fifth-wheel and at this place, whew, it's made for much small trailers. The other two have not had that easy of a time. This is a much older park when trailers and motor homes were not 38ft and have big ass trucks that pull them. We all got parked and set up without too much angst.

We are all having fun and I paid for the Pomona Camping at the casino last night. Woo Whoo! I'm gonna try to pay for this tonight. Wish me luck

The Clampett's are on the move, again

The time if finally here, I've been waiting for months. What with the truck's transmission falling apart and the big car show, it was iffy whether we'd get to go. But here we are taking the 5th wheel, with doggy, and heading out to meet my seester and husband in Pomona. They've been traveling with friends from Canada so I'm double excited to finely meeting Mr. and Mrs. Nutz. Do check out her Flickr. She has some wonderful pix of the Las Vegas area.

We have plans to see the Drags and do some other things I hope--like a bit of horse racing--but I'm afraid the Oak Tree Meet ends on Sunday the 4th. We need a "day stretcher" to fit in all the things we'd like to do.

After we leave Pomona we'll head to the desert and stay for another few days near Rancho Mirage. Mary is expecting us and we are planning an early Thanksgiving only without Big and Lil Bird. They are winging their way to London for a round of business. Maybe they'll have a pint of Guinness for us all. We'll miss them but I'd go if I had the chance.

Bring the champagne

No, we didn't sell the Tear Drop but we did find the need for something with facilities. There are places at the beach that require you to be self-contained and in the Tear Drop that means a zip-lock baggy. No.

We will be camping in November with sister Doodles and Company so we needed a shake down cruise. Thursday was the maiden voyage of (to be named) trailer and I hope to have pix from the beautiful blue Pacific later. It was a wonderful few days and no dead whales wash up on the beach.

Camping; a side trip to the brewery

Since we camped a few days before our club members joined us in Solvang we took advantage of some of the other local spots, one being the Firestone Brewery. After breakfast and a shopping trip into town that included a stop for a yummy danish, we headed back to the campground. It was close to lunch and we'd walked off that danish, well, maybe, so I suggested stopping by the brewery for a tour, if they had one, or at least a taste of their beer.

We were disappointed somewhat, the only tours were in their Paso Robles facility but they did have a bar and you could get a tasting of four four ounce beers for six bucks and it included a souvenir glass. We ordered the tasting for two and a plate of sliced meats, cheese and bread for us to share.

The first glass was their Honey Blond Ale which would be good for a new-to-beer taster. It is very smooth and didn't have the "hoppy" taste of most brews. It did have a honey flavor. Nice and light.

Next was their Pale Ale. Ok, tasted like just regular beer, might have been a bit too hoppy for me.

My favorite was next, Double Barrel Ale. Quite smooth but hearty. We even bought a six-pack for the rest of our camping trip.

Last was a heavier dark beer. I did like this as well but not as much as the Double Barrel Ale. Funny because I always prefer a darker beer. I can't remember the name but it was between a stout and a porter. Nothing can beat MacTarnahan's Black Watch Creme Porter. We found that gem on a vacation to the Oregon Coast a few years back. Trader Joe's did carry it for a while but I guess we were the only customer and they stopped stocking it.

Full to the brim we found our way back to the campground for a nap. We had to rest up for the BBQ that evening.

Butter and sugar

It's odd when retirees say they are on vacation but we took a few days away in Solvang, a semi-local touristy type town with a Danish theme. As a matter of fact, Solvang is Danish for butter and sugar. Yikes I don't know what they had more of, bakeries or wine tasting bars. The area got way into wine tasting after the popularity of the movie, Sideways, which was located/filmed in the Santa Inez Valley.

The area is quite beautiful and my beloved and I have been going there since before we were married and make it back there often if nothing else but to eat breakfast at Ellen's. This little restaurant, only a dozen or so tables, was the first place we'd ever eaten in Solvang and in the 80s they moved from the town up the road to Buellton, home of Pea Soup Andersons, another famous eatery. Ellen's has wonderful Danish pancakes with a mild veal sausage with a name I can't pronounce. If you say Danish sausage they know what your are talking about.

There are a number of bakeries in town and they are all good. My favorite is Mortensens. You can't imagine how fresh these pastries are. If you are there and on a diet, this would be a good time to go off.

Our real reason for the trip was to camp a bit and go to the Saturday Car Show in town. They closed off the streets to park nearly 300 cars of all varieties. We took our 51 Chevy pick-up. Nothing special, just a driver but it always gets a comment or two. A number of other car club members met us there and we had a great time, eating, (again) shopping and enjoying the lovely day.

We were only gone a few days but it was nice to get away from the routine. We hope to do more camping in the upcoming months when the kids are back in school and us seniors can have the sites all to ourselves. Next teardrop trip is in September, can't wait.

So many sights; so little paper

Back from a week at the beach. This is the dry hills around Santa Ynez. The sky was a beautiful blue, no fog. More on the trip but I needed to get this out of my head and on paper.

Dolphins off the beach in Ventura. They came about an hour before sunset. I missed the shot of two of them surfing in a wave, you'll have to take my word.



Our camp in Pismo. Wow, what a nice place. Pismo Coast Village RV Resort.


Creek between us and the town of Pismo. Simply wonderful. Only draw back: there is a six month wait for reservations. We were lucky because we only wanted two days and we were willing to move for the second day.

Slight remodel

We are off to the beach for some camping this week. It won't be as hot as last week but still it's good to get away. While I'm gone I've left a few new things to ponder so ponder at will.

Blogger has added a few new features to the side of their blogs. I'm trying the Poll with a question about visiting this blog. Not that I care that much but what I am doing is testing its functionality before I put it on our food blog, PBE.

The other is "A bit of News" also located on the right-hand side; scroll down. I've added stories about things that interest me, Apple, the LA Dodgers, and Simi Valley, California. These topics could change. I do need to find a way to filter these topics. Apple is coming up with stories about "apple pie".

Before the next tear drop falls

Some might know my dearly beloved and I have a Tear Drop Trailer. I'm sure some wonder why, with all the time he spends with the cars, and safety team when do they have time but hey, let's add one more thing to our already full plate. The plate right now is dripping with gravy running off one side and mashed potatoes slipping of the other.

If I had to describe the Tear Drop it would be half the trailer with twice the fun. It is compact so packing and stocking the galley, notice I didn't call it a kitchen, is a challenge. We love challenges.

Cooking is very rustic. Two burner propane stove. For those of you never having the pleasure of cooking outside on propane it has two temperatures. Burning the hell our of anything in the pan and making that odd, poof, which means the fire's gone out and you'll need to re-light. Please turn off the gas, wait a few minutes then re-light. And speaking of fires, I set off the smoke alarm (yes, that little tiny thing has one) making toast one morning. Nice at 7:00 am to let others in the campground know I'd burnt something.

Ok, so we were off to a Tear Drop "Gathering" last weekend and we didn't have a clue what to expect. I'd seen a link to the event online and we thought we'd give it a try. Boy did we have fun. We found that Tear Drop Enthusiasts are just a nutty as Streetrodders so we fit right in. There were 120 trailers of different sizes and styles and my darling was in his height of glory talking to other people who've built theirs. We made many new friends, too. Some energetic sole has already posted photos of the event. SCCT Gathering

Because everytime I tell people we have a Tear Drop I hear this song from the late, great Freddie Fender--here are the lyrics.