Heading for Home----Mexico

Summer vacation is almost over for us. We haven’t decided yet when we are leaving but it looks like toward mid September. It hasn’t been a busy summer for us this year, but a great one as we have gotten to spend time with our family. It will be interesting to see where we will be staying next year. Life is an adventure and it just keeps getting better. Ron and Noreen have gone beyond friends. They are family and they have always been there for us when we have needed them. We are very thankful and words can’t convey how we feel about having them in our lives. We have been blessed in so many ways with friends and family.

Since our time here in the NW is getting shorter we have to face the fact of how to get the stuff we bought home in the jeep. Our back seat comes out and we usually leave it here in storage as we really don’t need it where we live, but there still isn’t a whole lot of space when you have 2 computers, 2 large suitcases, two overnight bags, and a medium ice chest. I will go through all the stuff I have in storage left over from last year, like fabric and yarn, and see what I want to take with me and then I have to take the craft things I bought with me. That is a must. We are having our annual Arts and Craft show in November so when I get home I need to get busy making things.

The doctor wanted me to get an MRI to make sure nothing else was going on with my back before I scheduled an appointment for a cortisone shot. I had that done and the doctor called and said that everything was looking alright. I do have signs of stenosis which is the closing of the area inside the vertebrae around the nerve in L4 in my lower back and degeneration going on but as far as he saw I should be able to get some relief from the sciatica pain. Yay!!!! When I received that shot 9 years ago I felt immediate relief so I am looking forward to that again. I know one of these years the cortisone won’t work and back surgery will be the only thing that will make me better, but I am praying it will be a few years before I have to go through that. I am not as adamant about not having back surgery as I was years ago, as things have improved tremendously and healing time is quicker. So when it is time to have that done I will look forward to getting back on my feet and enjoying life.

My eldest sister had back surgery a few months back and she may not be totally as good as new but she can move and I am thinking she isn’t in as much pain as she was. So it is all good!!! It is all about quality of life.

Just when you think things aren’t going to change-------they do. Dave and I had discussed wanting a truck but with our finances until the boat sells just didn’t look too promising. But one day we were out and decided to go to the Toyota car dealer ship just to look to see what kind of truck we wanted to get. We were not looking to buy, just window shopping. We drove up and parked and there was a gentleman standing outside that approached us very friendly, and asked how we were and all that kind of stuff and asked what we were looking for so we said a truck. He took us to a used Toyota truck that didn’t have a lot of miles on it with a 6 foot bed. We took it for a drive just for grins and giggles and it was nice. It had a few bells and whistles on it like back up camera and blue tooth. Well we really don’t need all that stuff in Mexico but now a day that is what is included in the package. After the test drive we got out and JT (the salesman) was there and we were talking and he mentioned about maybe writing some figures down just to see if it was doable to trade the jeep for a truck. We figured it wouldn’t hurt. We told JT that we didn’t think we could afford it and explained about the boat, but we would never know unless we tried. As we were walking toward the front door to go to JT’s desk we stopped and looked at a brand new Toyota, Tacoma truck. It had a shorter bed and we liked it so JT told us to take it for a spin, so we did. It was quieter than the other truck and it had more bells and whistles on it like XM radio, navigation, Bluetooth, GPS and weather. Well we weren’t getting excited we just figured that is what we will look at when we can afford to get one. We came back and parked and then followed JT into the show room to his desk. He asked us questions and filled out some paperwork and started to run some numbers. Well I will wrap this up. Everyone was really nice and they came up with a number we thought we could manage. But we had to go home and look at the finances to make sure we could start a deal. Chuck, the guy who crunches the numbers ask Dave what price would we be comfortable with walking out the door today. They had given us a price already and Dave said it was doable but he wanted to make sure. Chuck didn’t want us to leave because he didn’t think we would be back. We had to convince him we would call to let him know. So we came back to the Condo and Dave did some number crunching. It was doable!!! However, there was a lower number they had mentioned earlier which was less than when we left so Dave called them back and said the price they came up with was doable but it would be better if we could get it for the lower price. So we went back and they had crunched more numbers and came up with the number we felt comfortable with!!!! We couldn’t believe they were that willing to work with us on that. So we made a deal and now the new truck, Toyota, Tacoma 4x4 with 6 miles on it is ours. No one can tell me God didn’t have a hand in this transaction!!!! It went all too smoothly!!! So we traded in the jeep and now have a wonderful truck to haul stuff in and it is quieter than the jeep and smoother riding. Yahoo!!!! So now I don’t have to pick and choose what to bring home!!!! That is a wonderful thing!!!! We have been praying for a truck for a long time and now the Lord has blessed us with one. We are pleased and excited to see what the next few months will bring with the boat. Miracles do happen!!!

Happy birthday to my lovely niece Sheila and our grandson Dominick.

The weather has turned cold. We have had a few cloudy rainy days and the temperatures got down to the 40’s at night and only mid 50’s to low 60’s during the day. For us that is cold. It looks as though warmer weather is coming back so summer isn’t over yet.

Labor Day came and we got to watch our two grandsons, Cameron and Jonathan Jr. for the day while mom and dad did what they wanted. Jonathan Jr. is a kick and so fun and of course Cameron is still a baby but it is fun to hold him and rock him. Just think-----next year when we see him he will be walking and talking. Time really flies. The boys were good and both of them took naps so it was pretty quiet in the afternoon. It is nice to have them around but so nice to give them back too!!!! Ha!!!

Dave left and did some errand running and when he got home he walked past me and I looked at him and he had a smile on his face and then I realized he had gotten his hair cut!!!! He said he wasn’t going to do that until the boat sold, but he figured he would get a jump on it and by cutting it might spark a sale!!!! I like the way he thinks. It is strange to see him without the pony tail but I like it.




I warned you pictures of our 10th grandson were coming so here they are!!! Enjoy!!




Friday the 11th Dave drove me to Tacoma to the Pain center to get my cortisone shot. He also wanted to stop and get one of his stamp books that he had as a kid, appraised. I didn’t have to wait long before they called me to see the doctor. The nurse asked me questions and took my blood pressure but it was really high so she had to leave so I could relax and get it down more. If it stayed high I would have to leave and my doctor would be contacted to prevent any problems. But that wasn’t the case as it did lower and the doctor came in and was very thorough explaining what was going to happen and had me look at my MRI, which was pretty cool as my back didn’t look as bad as I thought it would. Just the low back in the L4, L5 area was affected. I was happy to know that. Then he asked me questions and we talked for quite a while then he asked if I was ready and I said yes. All in all the time I spent with the doctor and nurse was about an hour and a half. Dave was beginning to worry what was going on. This time getting the cortisone shot was way different and safer than in 2006. I still was hurting pretty bad when I left the pain center but knew it would take some time for the cortisone to work. Plus they gave me an anesthesia before the cortisone. I had a hard time getting into the truck as it was high for my leg to stretch, but I made it. We then drove a few blocks away to the stamp place and found out that his stamp collection was only worth $10.00. Oh well. It was nice to know though. Then we drove back to the condo in Bremerton. By the time we were home my pain was subsiding but the tingling and numbness was still there. It was good to feel relief. I didn’t realize how much I hurt until it went away. I figured my back would be sore where they injected the anesthesia and cortisone but it wasn’t. Not like last time. I didn’t do any exercises or major walking for awhile, just to let things settle down a bit. I have started a counted cross stitch birth announcement for Jon’s little one, Cameron so I have been working on that to hopefully finish it before we go home. It will be close.

I took Judy to the new Tommy Cash’s restaurant and bar for lunch to celebrate our birthdays. He is located in old town Silverdale now instead of Port Orchard and we have heard he is packed almost every night. He has made a name for himself in this town and that makes me happy. He and his wife Ester run the restaurant and are doing a great job. They will be brewing their own beer by next year so when we come back we will have to try some. Tommy was in my Cub Scout den when he was in grade school. I also had his brother Chris a couple years later. They come from a neat family and I am really good friends with their mom!!!! I didn’t get a chance to see her before we left as she had been taking care of her husband, Charlie, after hip surgery and then were going on a road trip. So we will have to wait until next year. Timing just wasn’t right this time.

We are starting the process of going through things in storage and figuring out how we were going to pack everything and load it in the truck.

We were able to see our friends Bob and Diane and visit with them and she even bought some of my jewelry for Christmas gifts!!! That was really great. They are really great people. They are laid back like we are and enjoy similar things we do. I hope they can come and visit us one day in Mexico. They would like it. Bob
Is retiring in December so they plan on doing a lot of traveling with their travel trailer next year. Diane has been retired for awhile now. We keep telling her that since she is retired all she should do is one project a day!!!! Bob wasn’t too happy with us about that since she would remind him of what we said. Ha!!!! He laughed! His time is coming!!!!

We had one last visit with Brooke, Ernie, E.J., Eian, Brody and Conor on the 14th as Eian was playing on his school football team that evening. We took separate cars as we have to leave right after the game. Eian played well and he is now the kicker for the team. He really likes doing that. Here are some pictures.




After the game we said our farewells and gave everyone hugs and kisses. Next year when we go up E.J. will be in the Air Force and Eian will be getting ready for his Senior year of High School, Brody would have grown by leaps and bounds and Conor will be talking and maybe even walking. Time doesn’t wait for anyone that is for sure. We got to see Michael and David one more time and then it was off to Susannah and Jon’s for an afternoon with them. Jon had a salmon so Dave doctored it and cooked it on the grill and we had that and some vegetables. It was very good and we enjoyed the time we had with them. Jonathan was really tired and wanted to take a nap and his parents tried to make him wait but we told him it was alright. We gave Jonathan hugs and kisses and told him we would see him next year. We left around 2:00pm as Jon and Susannah wanted to take the kids to the Pullaup fair when Jonathan woke up. We hugged and kissed everyone and I gave Cameron an extra kiss. Until next summer!!

We have the truck packed to its fullest capacity. We got a tan lope cover for the bed which is nice and will keep rain and dirt out. We wanted to get a hard cover for it but couldn’t wait 4 weeks. So hopefully next year we can get it. It will give us more stacking room. I did have to leave a few things behind, but for the most part I got to take what I needed from storage for home.

We invited Ron and Noreen over for dinner to thank them for letting us stay in the condo. Then we saw them again on Sunday to say goodbye. We had a nice visit and they were off to watch the Seahawks play at a friend’s house. We went back to the condo to watch it. We are leaving on Tuesday the 22nd so tomorrow, Monday I will do final cleaning and laundry and last minute packing.

We are on the road again and the weather is good. First stop is to my nieces’ house in McMinville, Oregon. We will spend the night then leave the next morning to travel to my sisters’ house in Ukiah, California. We thought about staying a second night but decided it would be better to keep heading south. Sandi and us had a nice visit and caught up on what was going on in our lives. She made an adorable super hero shirt for one of the young grandsons and is in the process of making another. She does good work. We had a great dinner after Andy got home from work and after dinner we sat and watched T.V. for a little while before retiring for the night. Sandi is having problems with her computer so Dave said he would take a look at it tomorrow.

The next morning Sandi and I made breakfast while Dave was looking at her computer and then explaining to her what he had done and what she needs to do the next time. Her computer was really slow as she had over 700 pictures on her hard drive. We told her to get a thumb drive and that way she will have her pictures and not slow her computer down and also won’t lose them if something happens to her computer. After breakfast Dave finished up on the computer and Sandi and I looked at the books she has and she was telling me how good this series was and let me borrow them until next year. She also let us borrow a Clive Cussler book we hadn’t read yet. Awesome. We really didn’t have room for them but we made room. Ha!!! We said so long to Sandi as Andy had already left for work. Maybe next time we can stay an extra day.

There were some fires burning in northern California so we had to drive I-5 which we don’t like but a few of the back roads were blocked due to the smoke and fire. We ended up working our way to Eureka on the coast of California and stopping for the night. We called my sister to let her know we would be at her house tomorrow afternoon. We had a quiet and restful evening with me watching TV and working on the birth announcement for Cameron.

The next morning we started out about 7:30am and were at my sisters’ early afternoon. We actually made good time and got there earlier than we thought we would. We had a nice 2 day visit and I got to see my niece, Sheila the night before we were to leave. Even though it was a Friday night and Sheila had put in some long hours at work, she stayed and visited until about 11:00pm then went home. Larry, her husband, was volunteering to help the people who had lost their homes in the northern part of California.

The next morning when bags were stowed in the truck and we said goodbye to my sis and Hig, we headed south. We had tried calling our friends in Santa Cruz to see if they were going to be home but they had already left for Ensenada to get their visas and then on to Bahia. We stayed in Kettleman City, California, overnight and called Creela, as her husband had had a stroke and was in the hospital. We usually stop and visit with them but we wanted to know how things were going and if she was up to company. She wasn’t much up to company but she told us to come ahead anyway. They live in El Cajon, California. When we arrived she wasn’t home as she was visiting Phil, but she told us the door would be open. So we were greeted by Chiquita and Taco and we waited for her to come home. Roger, a friend of ours came to see Creela and was staying the night. When Creela got home she said we could have the spare bedroom, as her grandson was gone for the weekend. Roger slept in the trailer. Creela was drained and very depressed as she couldn’t understand anything Phil was trying to tell her. He lost his speech and the use of his right hand and leg. He could however, raise his right leg off the bed a few inches and wiggle his toes which was a great sign. We ended up staying about 3 days with her as we didn’t want to cross the border until the 1st of October as that was when we got paid and we could take money out of the bank. We helped sweep out the garage and larger garage they had just built and I pulled weeks and we both helped where we could. We had a nice visit and while we were there we went and saw Phil about 3 times. He is trying to talk and he has made it known he doesn’t like the speech therapist. He doesn’t want to do the juvenile stuff like feelings and saying what, when, where, he wants to talk. We let him know he may not have a choice in the matter and in order to get out of the care facility he will have to meet their requirements. He is a very stubborn Italian and if anyone can get back to normal------he will. He is a fighter and won’t take no for an answer. We caught him one day trying to get out of bed to close the drawer in the table that was near his bed. Ha!!! It was so good to see and talk to him and try to understand what he was trying to say. Dave figured it out and it was about the speech therapist. Ha! He looks really good and he still has his sense of humor. We tried to give Creela as much support as possible while we were there. She is really depressed and I hope and pray she seeks out a support group and see her doctor to let him/her know what is going on in her life right now. She is a strong Italian lady so I know she will get through this. We are headed for the border in the morning.

Summer Is Winding Down

June was the month for doctor appointments. I made it through with flying colors and had a plug of skin taken from my left shoulder near the bra strap area. It had been bothering me and had scabbed over but wouldn’t heal. So the doc took the whole area (small) around the mole and stitched me up. They would let me know the results later.

This month is also for appointments like a mammogram, eye exam and hearing test. Dave had a doctor appointment on the 1st so he started the month with a healthy report!!!! Yahoo!!!! Actually we are both in good health.

The weekend of the 3rd we were on Ron and Noreen’s boat. They invited us to go with them to see the fireworks in Poulsbo. We dropped anchor and another couple rafted off us and before we knew it we had about 4 boats all rafted off one another. We had to put down extra anchors due to the weight but it was a beautiful spot. The weather was hot so guess what we did? Yep!!!! We got in the water. Noreen bought a couple floaties just for the weekend. It took me a while to actually get in the water as it was really cold!!!! I’m a scarety cat when it comes to getting in water period, so with it so cold I really had to debate whether it was worth the shock to my body!!!! I finally just told myself to ‘just do it’ as the other gals were already in and coaxing me to get in. Once I got in it felt wonderful!!! It was fun to float around and enjoy the coolness of the water on a hot NW afternoon. After that refreshing plunge I rinsed off with fresh water and changed into dry clothes. Everyone had a fun time and the fireworks were really good. The next morning Noreen fixed a wonderful crab omelet and after that we just took our time getting things organized as we were going to a party at a friend’s house in Keyport that afternoon. About noon we pulled anchors and headed for Keyport which was just a hop, skip, and jump from where we anchored. Our friends have a house above an inlet so we anchored not far from them and then guess what we did?????? You got it--------in the water we went. It was a blast but everyone said the water was colder. I stayed in longer than I thought I would but it did feel good. It felt even better out of the water in the warmth drip drying!! Around 4:00pm we took our dishes that we made to share to shore and enjoyed the party. They always have a tremendous set up and since they have a small dock on their property, their daughter loves to blow up fireworks. After eating and drinking all we could, we started watching the fireworks show. Meaning that Ashly (the pyroteck) wheeled about 4 or 5 wheel borrow full of fireworks down the dock. In addition to that she had quite a few people carrying more down the dock. It took about 4 people to set up the fireworks display on the end of the dock and when they were done, after about an hour or so, it was around 10-10:30pm. Everyone had picked the spot they were going to watch the fireworks from and then the fun began. It was a fantastic show for a private party and it lasted at least an hour. When it was over Ron, Noreen and we went back to the boat. What a fun day!!!

After breakfast we pulled anchor and headed back to Ron and Noreen’s boat slip in Brownsville Marina. After getting into the slip; tied and hooked up, Dave and I gathered our things; said thank you and returned to the condo. There was another party to happen that afternoon, but we were partied out so we didn’t go.

Today is the day I get my stitches out. Oh yeah!!!! I hadn’t seen a report from the doctor on the lab results so I will just check online when I return home. The nurse took the stitches out and I can continue to heal. When I got home I went online to the Group Health site and saw the results. They must have just posted them that afternoon. That plug of skin they took out turned out to be skin cancer. They reassured me they got it all so now I really have to keep an eye on my skin. I wear sun screen and a big hat when in the sun and even on cloudy days, but I have to confess I don’t always cover up when I go on walks. Sometimes I do but now I will have to. Well other than that I am healthy so I thank the Lord for that!!!!

We were invited to a Brownsville Yacht Club Junior Officers picnic on the 11th. We use to belong and had to drop out due to us moving to Mexico, but they still like to have us at their outings which are nice. The weather has cooled down and is threatening to do some sprinkling. It is still in the 70’s so it isn’t cold and they really need the rain. It was good to see some of the people we haven’t seen in a while and get to visit with them.

This Saturday, the 18th, I get to babysit our new grandson, Cameron, and his brother Jonathan Jr. I am so excited!!!! It is hard to see them as both parents work during the week and the boys are in daycare. So we try to see them when we can. Beware------there will be pictures!!!!!

I am still stitching away on the cross stitch soccer player for Eian. I am progressing quite nicely and by next month it will be done. Yay!!!! I ordered and received the instructions for 2 cross stitch birth announcements to do when I get home. Yes! They are for our new grandsons!!!! Unfortunately they won’t get them until next summer but it will be a keepsake.

Monday the 20th we are going to Ernie and Brooke’s house to help with the boys. Brody usually spends this time with his Dad but for whatever reason he wasn’t and Brooke is at Cheer camp all week. They asked if we could come and watch and take care of the boys while Ernie was at work and she at camp. Of course we said yes. It is good to get to know Brody some more and help him with soccer skills as he is in a select group for his age. He is 7. I have been to a couple of his practices and am helping him with some of the skills he needs to work on. It brought back memories when my boys were learning soccer. I cooked dinner for them every night so Ernie wouldn’t have to worry about having to feed the kids. I enjoy doing that and the boys really liked what I fixed.

Now with all the kids having X-box games and tablets and all, it is hard to get them interested in outdoor activities. I have always been an advocate for outdoor time for kids. So when Brody wanted to watch cartoons and play games on the tablet there was some real limited times for both. He still didn’t play outside much but did engage his mind in using his imagination to play with his awesome toys. Eian was busy with football practice and activities and E.J. was working and spending time with his girlfriend and us when he was home. It was nice just to be part of their lives. Friday, when Brooke was to return home, I told Eian I was making spaghetti sauce in the crockpot and all they would have to do is cook the noodles when they were ready to eat. He helped with the prep work and then mixing it all together. He loves to help and does some cooking himself. That was fun and we had a good time. He is such a goof and he makes us laugh!!!! With everything the boys went through with their mother, they have turned out good. They will struggle with some things but they are so much better off with their dad now!!!! I am so relieved and pleased at how the boys have grown and have turned out. We are very proud of them!!!! Ernie and Brooke have done a great job. There are still issues that need working out in their lives but at least they are growing into fine young men. E.J. has decided to go into the Air Force and has signed up and he should be going off to boot camp sometime around late September or early October. He wanted to be around to see his half brother born in August. E.J. had been accepted to 3 colleges and he decided he wanted to go to Eastern, but he couldn’t get a full scholarship and Brooke and Ernie didn’t have the money the school wanted up front, so E.J. decided to join the Air Force. I think that was a very adult decision on his part and he made that on his own without his Dad having any input.

Brooke was suppose to be home from Cheer camp around 3:00pm and Ernie shortly after that, but Ernie called and said that Brooke was delayed for an hour so if we wanted to leave we could because both boys were there with Brody and he didn’t think much would happen. The boys were watching a movie so we said our goodbyes and gave hugs and kisses. We had to catch the Edmonds ferry and on a Friday afternoon especially during commute time we would run into traffic. We lucked out though when we got to the ferry as we only had to wait an hour before loading. That wasn’t bad. After crossing the Puget Sound and landed in Kingston, we decided to eat out. We ended up in Silverdale at the Red Robin for dinner. That had been on our list to do while we were here and there were people waiting to be seated but we just walked into the bar and found a table open and sat down. The waitress had to clear the plates but at least we didn’t have to wait to be seated. We had a great dinner and beer, watched the Mariners play baseball and after dinner left and went home to relax. It was nice to be able to come back to a place where it was just us and no one else. We are very grateful to Ron and Noreen for letting us stay in their Condo. We truly have some remarkable friends. It works out for them as well because we keep an eye on things here and keep it clean.

Today, the 22nd is my Nieces birthday. Happy Birthday Kathy!!!!!

I had a mammogram appointment this afternoon. It was quick and easy. After that I did a little shopping for craft items then went home.

Today I get my eyes checked. Thank goodness. I had to wait a month to get in to see the doctor as it was too early for insurance to pay for it. I have been having such trouble seeing. I have stigmatism in both eyes and I haven’t been able to read signs on the freeway or anywhere in the distance and when I am doing my cross stitch I have had a devil of a time seeing as I am always adjusting the position to see it clearer. So it was good to know that I did need a new prescription but also found out I have the start of cataracts. Well I knew I would get them sooner or later, but was surprised that I was getting them sooner than I thought I would. Oh well. So I will need to have my eyes checked every year for the progression of the cataracts then when they can’t correct them any longer with glasses, I will get the surgery. So I am looking at least at a couple more years. Dave had his eyes done so I know it is a simple, painless and worthwhile surgery. So the aging process continues. Well it does beat the alternative-----death, so I will take what comes along and hope and pray my quality of life continues for a long time.

The weather has been warm and beautiful. We are so enjoying it. The temperature is just right for us as everyone else is saying it is too hot. Back home in Mexico it is hot, very humid with lots of rain. So we are having a great summer.

We got a little excited that we might have sold the boat, but it didn’t last long. There was a couple looking at 3 different boats and one of them was ours. They both liked the boat but the wife was very nervous about being on the boat with it on braces since it is out of the water for the summer. Come to find out, she is, like most women, are very nervous and anxious about a boat heeling over. So needless to say they ended up buying a catamaran which is what happens most of the time when women are nervous about monohaul sailboats. So we were slightly disappointed but not surprised. Our turn is coming!!!!! We were really surprised that anyone was looking at boats this time of the year, being that it is hurricane season down there now. September things will start to pick up again and we will have a better chance at someone buying it. IT WILL HAPPEN!!!! I am keeping the faith!!! It would be nice if the boat sold before we had to go back home to Mexico because we could take care of the paperwork for the boat here and the loan. But we aren’t going to worry about it. It is what it is and when it happens we will be ecstatic!!!! Then we will be able to see what God has in store for our future. It is exciting and frustrating at the same time. But everything works out the way it is suppose to so NO WORRIES!!!!!

I received the 2 counted cross stitch birth announcement patterns in the mail and to my surprise that was all that was there, the pattern. I have to buy the aida cloth and embroidery thread. Had I been more attentive I would have realized it wasn’t a kit. But I couldn’t find anything like these in a kit so it is what it is. Now I need to go shopping!!! Ha!!! I am hoping to start on the smaller one which is for Conor as the finished size will be 5x7. It would be nice if I could get that finished and give it to Conor before we leave. Here are some pictures of our grandson Brody at soccer practice. He has a good stride and is learning to control the ball. We are very proud of him!!

Better Late Than Ever Post

Yes! I am really late on this post, but at least I got it done. Ha!!!! Enjoy.

June was the month for doctor appointments. I made it through with flying colors and had a plug of skin taken from my left shoulder near the bra strap area. It had been bothering me and had scabbed over but wouldn’t heal. So the doc took the whole area (small) around the mole and stitched me up. They would let me know the results later.

This month is also for appointments like a mammogram, eye exam and hearing test. Dave had a doctor appointment on the 1st so he started the month with a healthy report!!!! Yahoo!!!! Actually we are both in good health.

The weekend of the 3rd we were on Ron and Noreen’s boat. They invited us to go with them to see the fireworks in Poulsbo. We dropped anchor and another couple rafted off us and before we knew it we had about 4 boats all rafted off one another. We had to put down extra anchors due to the weight but it was a beautiful spot. The weather was hot so guess what we did? Yep!!!! We got in the water. Noreen bought a couple floaties just for the weekend. It took me a while to actually get in the water as it was really cold!!!! I’m a scarety cat when it comes to getting in water period, so with it so cold I really had to debate whether it was worth the shock to my body!!!! I finally just told myself to just do it as the other gals were already in and coaxing me to get in. Once I got in it felt wonderful!!! It was fun to float around and enjoy the coolness of the water on a hot NW afternoon. After that refreshing plunge I rinsed off with fresh water and changed into dry clothes. Everyone had a fun time and the fireworks were really good. The next morning Noreen fixed a wonderful crab omelet and after that we just took our time getting things organized as we were going to a party at a friend’s house in Keyport. About noon we pulled anchors and headed for Keyport which was just a hop, skip, and jump from where we anchored. Our friends have a house above an inlet so we anchored not far from them and then guess what we did?????? You got it--------in the water we went. It was a blast but everyone said the water was colder. I stayed in longer than I thought I would but it did feel good. It felt even better out of the water in the warmth drip drying!! Around 4:00pm we took our dishes that we were sharing to shore and enjoyed the party. They always have a tremendous set up and since they have a small dock on their property, their daughter loves to blow up fireworks. After eating and drinking all we could, we started watching the fireworks show. Meaning that Ashly (the pyroteck) wheeled about 4 or 5 wheel borrow full of fireworks down the dock. In addition to that she had quite a few people carrying more down the dock. It took about 4 people to set up the firework display on the end of the dock and when they were done, after about an hour or so, it was around 10-10:30pm. Everyone had picked the spot they were going to watch the fireworks from and then the fun began. It was a fantastic show for a private party and it lasted at least an hour. When it was over Ron, Noreen and we went back to the boat. What a fun day!!!

After breakfast we pulled anchor and headed back to Ron and Noreen’s boat slip in Brownsville Marina. After getting into the slip and tied and hooked up, Dave and I gathered our things; said thank you and see ya later and returned to the condo. There was another party to happen that afternoon, but we were partied out so we didn’t go.

Today is the day I get my stitches out. Oh yeah!!!! I hadn’t seen a report from the doctor on the lab results so I will just check online when I return home. The nurse took the stitches out and I can continue to heal. When I got home I went online to the Group Health site and saw the results. They must have just posted them. That piece of skin they took out turned out to be skin cancer. They reassured me they got it all so now I really have to keep an eye on my skin. I wear sun screen and a big hat when in the sun and even on cloudy days, but I have to confess I don’t always cover up when I go on walks. Sometimes I do but now I will have to. Well other than that I am healthy so I thank the Lord for that!!!!

We were invited to a Brownsville Yacht Club Junior Officers picnic on the 11th. We use to belong and had to drop out due to us moving to Mexico, but they still like to have us at their outings which are nice. The weather has cooled down and is threatening to do some sprinkling. It is still in the 70’s so it isn’t cold and they really need the rain. It was good to see some of the people we haven’t seen in a while and get to visit with them.

This Saturday, the 18th, I get to babysit my new grandson, Cameron, and his brother Jonathan Jr. I am so excited!!!! It is hard to see them as both parents work during the week and the boys are in daycare. So we try to see them when we can. Beware------there will be pictures!!!!!

I am still stitching away on the cross stitch soccer player for Eian. I am progressing quite nicely and by next month i'st will be done. Yay!!!! I ordered and received the instructions for 2 cross stitch birth announcements to do when I get home. Yes! They are for our new grandsons!!!! Unfortunately they won’t get them until next summer but it will be a keepsake.

Today I spent some time with Jon and Susannah's 2 boys. Cameron and Jonathan Jr. I had a great time and got to watch Jonathan in the pool in the front yard and feed Cameron and get to hold and caress him and play with Jonathan while mom and dad went to a Seattle Sounders soccer game. Here are some pictures. Remember I warned you!!!!! Ha!!


They are cute huh?!!!! When dad and mom got home the boys were asleep and they couldn't believe it!!!! Grandma always has the touch!!!! I was able to visit with Jon and Susannah a little before leaving but am looking forward to the next time when I could stay a little longer and enjoy talking with them. It was 10:00pm and I didn't want to get home too late, plus my sight at night isn't the best right now.

Monday the 20th we are going to Ernie and Brooke’s house to help with the boys. Brody usually spends this time with his Dad but for whatever reason he wasn’t and Brooke is at Cheer camp all week. They asked if we could come and watch and take care of the boys while Ernie was at work and she at camp. Of course we said yes. It is good to get to know Brody some more and help him with soccer skills as he is in a select group for his age. He is 7. I have been to a couple of his practices and am helping him with some of the skills he needs to work on.



It brought back memories when my boys were learning soccer. I cooked dinner for them every night so Ernie wouldn’t have to worry about having to feed the kids. I enjoy doing that and the boys really liked what I fixed.

Now with all the kids having X-box games and tablets and all, it is hard to get them interested in outdoor activities. I have always been an advocate for outdoor time for kids. So when Brody wanted to watch cartoons and play games on the tablet there was some real limited times for both. He still didn’t play outside much but did engage his mind in using his imagination to play with his awesome toys. Eian was busy with football practice and activities and E.J. was working and spending time with his girlfriend and us when he was home. It was nice just to be part of their lives. Friday, when Brooke was to return home, I told Eian I was making spaghetti sauce in the crockpot and all they would have to do is cook the noodles when they were ready to eat. He helped with the prep work and then mixing it all together. He loves to help and does some cooking himself. That was fun and we had a good time. He is such a goof and he makes us laugh!!!! With everything the boys went through with their mother, they have turned out good. They will struggle with some things but they are so much better off with their dad now!!!! I am so relieved and pleased at how the boys have grown and have turned out. We are very proud of them!!!! Ernie and Brooke have done a great job. There are still issues that need working out in their lives but at least they are growing into fine young men. E.J. has decided to go into the Air Force and has signed up and he should be going off to boot camp sometime around late September or early October. He wanted to be around to see his half brother born in August. E.J. had been accepted to 3 colleges and he decided he wanted to go to Eastern, but he couldn’t get a full scholarship and Brooke and Ernie didn’t have the money the school wanted up front, so E.J. decided to join the Air Force. I think that was a very adult decision on his part and he made that on his own without his Dad having anything input.

Brooke was suppose to be home from Cheer camp around 3:00pm and Ernie shortly after that, but Ernie called and said that Brooke was delayed for an hour so if we wanted to leave we could because both boys were there with Brody and he didn’t think much would happen. They boys were watching a movie so we said our goodbyes and gave hugs and kisses. We had to catch the Edmonds ferry and on a Friday afternoon especially during commute time we would run into traffic. We lucked out though when we got to the ferry as we only had to wait an hour before boarding. That wasn’t bad. After crossing the Puget Sound to the other side of the sound, we stopped at Red Robin for dinner. That had been on our list to do while we were here and there were people waiting to be seated but we just walked into the bar and found a table open and sat down. The waitress had to clear the plates but at least we didn’t have to wait to be seated. We had a great dinner and some beer, watched the Mariners play baseball and after dinner left and went home to relax. It was nice to be able to come back to a place where it was just us and no one else. We are very grateful to Ron and Noreen for letting us stay in their Condo. We truly have some remarkable friends. It works out for them as well because we keep an eye on things here and keep it clean.

Today, the 22nd is my Nieces birthday. Happy Birthday Kathy!!!!!

I had a mammogram appointment this afternoon. It was quick and easy. After that I did a little shopping for craft items then went home.

Today I get my eyes checked. Thank goodness. I had to wait a month to get in to see the doctor as it was too early for insurance to pay for it. I have been having such trouble seeing. I have stigmatism in both eyes and I haven’t been able to read signs on the freeway or anywhere in the distance and when I am doing my cross stitch I have had a devil of a time seeing as I am always adjusting the position to see it clearer. So it was good to know that I did need a new prescription but also found out I have the starting of cataracts. Well I knew I would get them sooner or later, but was surprised that I was getting them sooner than I thought I would. Oh well. So I will need to have my eyes checked every year for the progression of the cataracts then when they can’t correct them any longer with glasses, I will get the surgery. So I am looking at least at a couple more years. Dave had his eyes done so I know it is a simple, painless and worthwhile surgery. So the aging process continues. Well it does beat the alternative-----death, so I will take what comes along and hope and pray my quality of life continues for a long time.

The weather has been warm and beautiful. We are so enjoying it. The temperature is just right for us as everyone else is saying it is too hot. Back home in Mexico it is hot, very humid with lots of rain. So we are having a great summer.

We got a little excited that we might have sold the boat, but it didn’t last long. There was a couple looking at 3 different boat and one of them was ours. They both liked the boat but the wife was very nervous about being on the boat with it on braces since it is out of the water for the summer. Come to find out she is, like most women are about a boat heeling over, very nervous and anxious. They ended up buying a catamaran which is what happens most of the time when women are nervous about sailboats. So we were slightly disappointed but not surprised. Our turn is coming!!!!! We were really surprised that anyone was looking at boats this time of the year, being that it is hurricane season down there now. September things will start to pick up again and we will have a better chance at someone buying it. IT WILL HAPPEN!!!! I am keeping the faith!!! It would be nice if the boat sold before we had to go back home to Mexico because we could take care of the paperwork for the boat here and the loan. But we aren’t going to worry about it. It is what it is and when it happens we will be ecstatic!!!! Then we will be able to see what God had in store for our future. It is exciting and frustrating at the same time. But everything works out the way it is suppose to so NO WORRIES!!!!!

I got to spend the day with my best girlfriend here in Bremerton and her great granddaughter. We went to Port Orchard to an antique store and found a vase filled with sea glass for 50% off. What a find. I need to make more necklaces before a friend of mine has a girl's night out on her boat at the Brownsville Marina where I will be showing and hopefully selling my jewelry. After leaving the antique store we went to lunch at Debbie McCombers, the author of several books, tea house. After lunch we went to the Salvation Army thrift store and I found a pair of shoes I can wear on the beach at home. Zoey, Judy's great granddaughter was getting timed so we called it a day. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. Next time it will be just Judy and I. We are suppose to be going to Ocean Shores for 4 days soon but Judy needs to hear from her girlfriend to find out if there is room at her house as her daughter is moving out. The plan is to go from the 11th of August to the 14th. Something to look forward to and some time to ourselves.

The Summer Starts With Grandson's High School Graduation

On the road again------and the weather is really nice. Not too hot. We had a little trouble with the jeep driving on the grapevine highway---but nothing serious. It does not like that road for some reason. While on cruise control it starts to surge like it is trying to keep an even speed. On that stretch of the freeway it can get really windy, but there wasn’t too much wind that day. Anyway-----after awhile a bell dings to let us know we have to stop and turn the engine off. So we pulled over and let the engine sit for a few minutes and then turned it back on and off we went with no further problems. About three years ago when we took the grapevine north it did the exact same thing. We had it checked and nothing was wrong. Hmmmm!!! Oh well. I guess we don’t go that way anymore.

We made it to Redding and then cut over toward the coast and ended up staying at Arcata for the night as it was too far to drive to Brookings that day. We relaxed and will head out in the morning and be at Robert and Kristis’ house in Brookings, Oregon in the afternoon.

After breakfast we headed toward the Oregon state line but before crossing the border we stopped at the ‘save money’ liquor store. We called Ron and asked him what he wanted, as we always fill his order and get reimbursed later. We shopped for ourselves and Ron and Noreen then were over the border shortly thereafter. We arrived at Robert and Kristi’s house late morning and Kristi was at Yoga and Robert was busy doing something downstairs. We visited with Robert then he went back to work and Kristi came home and I talked with her for awhile. It was just a relaxing day. It had been raining and continued all afternoon then let up that evening. We were thinking we might stay with them for a couple days, but that plan got changed as they are heading out in the morning for Medford to get doctor appointments and other business taken care of. We enjoyed the time we had with them and we went to the restaurant and martini bar named ‘Super Fly’ for dinner. For desert I ordered a chocolate martini and shared it with all of us. Yummmm!!!! We headed back to the house and relaxed for the rest of the night. We all went to bed early as we needed to get up early (all of us) and head out.

The next morning we headed back to I-5 going north (which is the quickest way to get to Washington) and Kristi and Robert were not far behind us but would turn south to go to Medford. It is always fun and a good time when we stop and see them. They are great people.

It wasn’t raining when we headed out but as we traveled north the rain clouds were building and then it really rained. Neither one of us likes to drive in the rain, especially when it is hard to see what is in front of you, so we decided not to push it all the way to Bremerton and stopped mid afternoon just south of the border between Oregon and Washington. My back was hurting, not only from sitting all that time in the car but from walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes, at the hotel we stayed in last night. Since this hotel had a hot tub and no little kids jumping around in it, matter of fact I had the whole pool area to myself!!!!!! WHAT?????? I put my swimsuit on and went down and sat in the hot tub for at least 30 minutes letting the jets relieve the stress in my back. Dave stayed in the room as he wanted to get on the internet and do a couple other things. When I got out I was relaxed and even though my back was still sore, it felt so much better. When I got back to the room I changed into dry clothes, did my stretching then took a shower!!!! We went to dinner around 6:00pm and came back to the room and chilled for the night, watching T.V.

Our 9th grandson was born this morning at 7:30am. They named him Cameron Graham Adcock. He weighed 7lbs 6 oz and was 21 inches long. I can’t wait to see him.

We will be in Bremerton late this morning. The rain has stopped thank goodness and the weather seems to be clearing up. When we got to the Brownsville Marina, we walked down to Ron and Noreen’s boat. Noreen was at work but Ron was there with the pugs. When we arrived at the boat I called to Ron asking permission to come aboard and he didn’t hear me at first so I hollered again and he shows up at the steps and said come aboard with a pained look on his face. I asked him if he was alright and he said yes he had been working on the toilet all morning replacing parts and that isn’t a nice job. So we visited for a while then he went back to work and later the guys ended up going to the marine store to buy another part and when they returned the job was completed and it works great. We still don’t know where we are going to stay this summer. We will discuss it with Ron and Noreen in a day or two. They are ripping the carpet out of the boat then replacing it with cork flooring. Well that kind of job is not conducive to having guests on the boat. We had already told Ron and Noreen that we were looking at maybe house sitting somewhere in the area or looking at other options. The other options are staying in a motor home at the marina, or staying at our friend’s house from the 19th to the 29th of June, or we could stay on their 38 foot sailboat at the Brownsville Marina. Life is such an adventure!! I found out that if we house sat for our friends I would be living with 2 cats and that is not a good thing as I am highly allergic to their dander. A day or two I could handle but not for that long. Then we talked to the harbor master of Brownsville and asked about having a motor home there and he said there is no long term camping there yet. After a couple of days we would have to move somewhere else. So that kind of blew that plan out of the water. We thought that would be fun to do. Well we could park the motor home at Illahee State Park, but we would have to find out how much that would cost for the summer. The other option would be if Ron and Noreen allowed us to stay in their condo as they spend the summer at the marina on their boat. We don’t have to make any decisions right now as we are heading to Marysville for our grandsons high school graduation party on the 7th and then graduation on the 10th. We were invited to stay at my son’s house for that length of time or longer if we wanted to. That was awesome. On the 11th we were going up to visit friends in Anacortes so that worked out really well. We got to spend some quality time with the grandsons, Eian, E.J., and Brody which was fun. Got to see mama Brooke (daughter-in-law) carrying our grandson to be born in August so it was a fun time. The graduation party was fun and Brooke and Ernie had E.J.’s accomplishment and award certificates out on display, plus a couple write ups in the paper of his accomplishments in high school soccer and track.



We are so very proud of him and all the boys. They are doing well. Eian will be starting practice soon for football this fall and Brody will be starting practice for select soccer. He is 7 years old. Wow!!!!! Shades of when my boys were that age. The graduation was awesome and it was really cool to see after the graduates were seated that all those grads that were in white robes outlined a 1 and 5 for 2015. I tried to get a picture of it when it came up on the big screen at the Xfinity Area, but when I got focused the camera switched to another scene. Oh well. Ernie got a picture of it and posted it on Facebook. It was really cool but the kids didn’t even know why they were wearing 2 different colors; white and red. E.J. wore red and of course was in the front row. Here are some pictures.




My son Jon and Jonathan Jr. made it to the graduation which was held in Everette at the Xfinity area.


E.J.’s graduating class had 300 students so this was the best and biggest place to have it.


After the graduation ceremony and pictures, all but Jon and Jonathan Jr. went to the Olive Garden restaurant for dinner. It was Eian, E.J., E.J.’s girlfriend Roslyn, Brooke’s mom, Brooke, Ernie and us. Jon needed to get Jonathan Jr. home as he was really tired and getting fussy. Because his wife, Susannah, had to have an unscheduled cesarean, due to the fact that the doctor had tried to induce her but the baby was refusing to come out so they had no choice but to do C-section. She wasn’t happy she had to have one, but it is a good thing as the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. So all turned out well but Susannah can’t do much for about 2 to 3 weeks and Jon didn’t want to leave her home too long by herself. He is such a family man!!!!! Jon wasn’t sure what they were going to name him as there were 2 names Susannah liked. One was Cameron and the other Wyatt. Jon got to pick the name for the first boy so now it was her turn. She liked both but favored Wyatt. So after the baby was born and Susannah was holding him she asked him if he wanted to be called Cameron or Wyatt and he cried when she said Wyatt so Cameron it is. Cameron Graham Adcock!!!! Awesome!! They are done having kids now and are happy to have 2 healthy boys. Susannah didn’t get to bring Cameron home with her because he was jaundiced so he had to stay another day under the lights, but soon the whole family was reunited and all is well. I told Jon I almost didn’t get to bring him home from the hospital due to the same problem. I got lucky though. It would be hard to leave your newborn behind at the hospital while you got to go home. Well all that matters now is he is healthy. Susannah wants to wait a couple weeks before anyone sees Cameron, just to give him a little longer before entering him into the world of germs!!!! No worries as we are busy doing stuff so it works out just fine.

We had a nice visit with Ernie and family and now we are in Anacortes with our friends Brent and Bre. We got to see Bre after getting home from work and she made salmon cakes with salad and other good stuff. We stopped to see Brent at his work (Skagit shooting range), visited and went to lunch with him before going to the house. Jessie (their daughter) and her boyfriend Kyle came over for dinner and Bre and Jessie prepared dinner, and then waited until Brent got home before cooking the salmon patties. It was delicious!!! Bre and Brent have to work tomorrow, Friday, and then after work Bre is taking off for Eastern Washington with her sister-in-law to do some river kayaking and fly fishing. Bre has not done that so it is an adventure for her. She will return on Sunday late afternoon. So in the meantime, we get to watch the house, sit in the hot tub, go for walks and do whatever we want. I did some cross stitching----yes I am making a soccer player for Eian as he lost his when his mom and he had to move out of her boyfriends’ house. Everything got left behind and it was all thrown out with no thought of maybe Eian liking to keep his stuff. Anyway----I will make the soccer player and he asked that the colors of the uniform be of Marysville, Tomahawk colors of bright red and white. So that is what I am doing now. I hope I can finish it before we head back home, but we shall see. He also wants his football number 39 on the front of the jersey. I have to order 2 birth announcements cross stitch kits to do for the new grandboys. Those won’t get done until I get back home to Mexico.

While Brent was at work on Saturday, Dave and I drove into Anacortes to check out a couple thrift stores and get a couple items of groceries. The first thrift store we went to was closed on the weekend and the 2nd one didn’t open until 10:30am and it was 9:30am. So not wanting to wait around we ended up at a flea market on the way back to Brent’s house. It was pretty cool as it had upstairs and 2 large areas downstairs to look through. We went back to the house and a little after we were there we called Brent to see what his plans were for lunch. We met Brent at the Shrimp Shack and had some great food and beer. Then Brent was off work for the rest of the afternoon. We were so full from lunch we didn’t eat again until 10:00pm when Brent made some quesadillas. Since they have Net flicks we watched a movie Friday and Saturday night. Brent went to work after breakfast Sunday, and Dave and I got things packed up as we will be leaving in the morning. I enjoyed a soak in the hot tub that afternoon, then took a shower, washed clothes and finished packing. Dave and Brent are making Carbonara tonight for dinner and Jessie and Kyle are coming over. Bre got home and said she had a great time, took a shower then came out and visited with everyone. Jessie and Kyle were already there when Bre returned home. We had a wonderful dinner and I had made a key lime pie earlier that day so we had that for dessert. We watched some T.V. then we all went to bed.

The weather has been so beautiful and nice. There was a little wind the other day and it was cool, but still sunny. No June gloom!!! Here are a couple pictures of the view from Brent and Bres’ living room.

My back is getting better. I still can’t walk a long distance yet but do what I can. I did try to get to the beach which is down the road from Brent and Bre’s but there was no good or safe access so I had to give up that idea. Still trying to collect sea glass where I can. So far on this trip we haven’t been anywhere where I can look for it.

We were able to say goodbye to Bre before she left for work and then said goodbye to Brent as he was leaving for work. He left just a few minutes before we did so we ended up making sure the house was locked and secured then headed for the Edmond/Kingston ferry back to Bremerton.

Once back in Bremerton and on Ron and Noreen’s boat, we had to figure out where we were going to stay. We found out that while we were gone, Ron and Noreen cleaned up the spare bedroom at the condo and got it ready for us to move in. They told us after Noreen got home that night. She had worked out how much it would cost for utilities so we will be paying $125 a month to stay at the condo. We are relieved we finally have somewhere to lay our hat. Now we can have family come visit and maybe have the grandboys come and stay a weekend.

Trials And Tribulations

Here it is May already and our weather is still cool. We have had quite a bit of wind lately and the breeze from the north is cool for this time of year. I’m not complaining it is just unusual. By now we are in the 90’s and sweating a bunch. So I am thankful for the coolness. It is nice for sleeping at night.

Our friend Kenny, from the Fonatur Marina in La Paz, where we moor our boat, came up to look at the little 21 foot boat that was left here with the house. The one we were going to fix up and us for fishing until we found out that there is no paperwork on it so we won’t be able to import it to keep it legally. So when we were in La Paz the last time we were talking to Kenny about the boat and showed him pictures as he is looking for a fishing boat. He said he would come up to look at it. So he and his friend showed up the day before we were to leave for La Paz. The guys looked at the boat and inspected it, took it down to the boat ramp to off load it from the trailer it is on and put it onto Kenny’s trailer. When they were finished, Kenny and his friend spent the rest of the time getting the boat hooked up for travel and cleaning it up. Late in the afternoon Dave said we should return the compressor and table back to our neighbors, Creela and Phil’s, as we heard they were coming down and would be here before we got back from La Paz. At this time Tito, our gate guard was over talking to Kenny and when he heard we were going to Creela and Phil’s and we were returning some things he offered to go with us. I told him he could sit up front with Dave and I would climb in the back of the truck as I hadn’t ridden in the back for a long time and since we weren’t going far I thought it would be fun. I had a pronged small garden rake to dig up their key with so off we went. Dave backed up to their patio as we had to put the table back in the trailer and the compressor in the garage. When Dave stopped I started climbing over the tailgate with the garden rake in hand and as I was swinging my left foot over the tailgate to climb down from the truck the tailgate opened and I flew backwards and hit the cement path near steps to the patio. The rake went flying and I landed on my butt smack in the middle of it and as I hit the grown I felt my spine compress and pain!!!!! Tito came over to try and lift me up but I told him no, no, no as I didn’t know what shape my body was in yet. I rolled onto my left side in pain and Tito called Dave to come over. I felt very lightheaded like I was going to pass out but I didn’t. I was on the ground not too long and when Dave came over I was ready to try to get up. Dave helped me up and poor Tito was watching with such concern on his face. I leaned over the wall to the patio and stood there for a few minutes bent over then I walked up the two steps to the patio and sat down on the wall and pressed my back against the wall. I was in a lot of pain. Then I thought I needed to see if I could walk so I moved real slowly and took some steps. All was good with mobility but I was hurting bad. In the meantime Dave got the keys and unlocked the trailer and Tito and him put the table away and locked it back up. Then they took the compressor to the garage and locked that and they were done. Tito told me to sit in the front seat and he would ride in the back. What happened was that Kenny helped Dave put the table and compressor in the back of the truck and Kenny closed the tailgate but didn’t know he had to slam it hard to close it tight and Dave wasn’t there so he didn’t think anything about it. So that I why I had my accident. It wasn’t anyone’s fault as stuff happens. It is a good thing I had made the beds for the guys before we went to Creela’s because I wouldn’t have been able to do anything. After getting back to the house I put ice on my back and took a pain pill and sat for awhile. It hurt all the way around my lower body. All the muscles were contracting. I scrapped up my middle and ring fingers on my right hand when I fell but that was the least of my worries. I was really concerned of how I would feel tomorrow when we going to be in the car for 8 hours. But no time to worry about that now. I just had to try and do what I could to help get my back better. I wasn’t sure I could stand to make dinner but I did. I was really sore. The pain pill kicked in so I could move around with caution. We all had dinner and afterwards Dave turned the TV on to see if we could get the big fight, don’t ask me who was fighting as I don’t pay attention to that stuff. Don’t like it. So anyway while the guys retired to the living room I washed the dished. Pretty soon Kenny and his friend went to bed. It was about 8:00pm and the fight wasn’t on. Well we couldn’t get it anyway. I put some more ice on my back while watching TV and then went to bed thinking I was going to be hurting tomorrow.

To my surprise I wasn’t hurting as much as I thought I would. Don’t get me wrong, I was very sore and it was painful still but at least I could walk and maneuver. Kenny and his friend had already left at 4:00am so we said we would catch up to them somewhere down the road. We locked up the house and away we went. The ride wasn’t too bad. I had my magnet belt on so I was getting some heat to the back which helped. We did meet up with Kenny just before Loreto and they were continuing on and we were stopping. We told him we would see him tomorrow in La Paz.

We went to our favorite hotel and we were the only ones there so far. Then later another couple showed up. We tried to see our friends, (Robert and Kristi) that live part time in Loreto, but they weren’t home. We had a nice quiet evening and around 8:00am the next morning we headed out for La Paz. At least the ride is shorter today which makes it nice. We arrived at the marina and opened up the boat. The weather was nice with a little breeze and in the 80’s. Not humid like the last time we were here. My back is really sore and actually not just the back but all the muscles around the lower part of my body. Today is the 5th and it is our grandson Eian’s 16th birthday!!!! That is so cool. Happy, Happy Birthday guy!!!!!

Once on the boat we found the batteries were charged and all systems seemed to be working just fine. We noticed Diego hadn’t washed the boat. Come to find out later on when we went to see the boat broker and she told us he came to collect the money and so she thought he had done the job. That isn’t good. I guess they will have to start checking out the jobs they say they are doing before paying them. Dave went up to the marina office to talk to them about getting the boat hauled out around the 10th and they said there was no room. Hmmmm!!!! Last month we got a quote from them of how much it was going to be to get hauled out so we thought it was all settled and then to find out there isn’t any more room. That didn’t sit well at all. Dave didn’t get mad but he made it known that it was all worked out the last time we were here and he even showed them the paperwork. So with some discussion, they decided to make room for us. Now we need to get a survey done before the boat is hauled and then continue with the hull survey after the boat is out of the water. We asked around about who a good survey person was and found a guy named Mark. He said he could come and start the survey on Wednesday the 6th. So the process has begun. We are still looking for another insurance company. Dave has made a couple of inquiries and asked for quotes and no matter what the insurance is going to be high. There are a couple of companies we are looking at but can’t decide anything until after the survey is finished.

I couldn’t stand looking at the dirty cockpit screens so I decided to wash them. Once the boat is out of the water I can’t do it so no time like the present. It looks so much better and we can enjoy sitting out in the cockpit again.

Mark came on Wednesday and did his survey inside the boat. It took about an hour or so. Everything was looking good he said. The only thing we need to do is get our fire extinguishers serviced and a battery for our Epirb. He will be back on Friday to do the rest of the survey when the boat is out of the water.

It is boat hauling day today. We are waiting for them to notify us when they will be ready to do that. We got all the lines out and readied the boat for moving. Around 1:00pm or so we were notified they were ready for us so we fired up the engine and then headed over to the lift. After the straps were positioned safely under the boat we were lifted out of the water. They positioned a ladder for us to get off the boat so they could take it to the boat yard. They found a spot they could squeeze us into and that is where we will sit until about September and then they will move it in front of Kenny’s shop and he will take care of painting the bottom and cleaning her for our return. He did pay us some money for the little boat and then he is trading work for the rest. So it works out for both of us.

We made reservations to stay at Casa Buena for a couple days while we get the boat ready for the summer on the hard. So all day Thursday we were going up and down the ladder taking things off the boat and storing them in Kenny’s shop and then we took the head sail down and folded it up and put it in the sail bag to store that and then we secured the end of the main sail which was sticking out of the mast so it wouldn’t flop around in the wind. We took the BBQ off, the engine for the dinghy, the dinghy, put cushions away and all Kenny will have to do if there is a hurricane is take the windshield of the dodger off and the bimini. I didn’t do a lot of lifting but I was busy all day and on my feel so when we got to the hotel I was beat and needed to put the heating pad on my back. Actually I was surprised my back did as well as it did for all the activity. We relaxed that night at the hotel and there weren’t many people there this time.

Friday Dave needed to go back to the boat yard to meet with Mark, the survey guy, and I knew Dave would be at the boat yard all day so I told him I wasn’t going to go with him but I was going to go to the pharmacy and the fabric store instead. My back was sore but I thought a walk would be good. Dave dropped me off at the pharmacy so I could get some of my pain pills and then I walked to the fabric store, which was just down the street. I always planned on going to that fabric store but it never worked out before so now I was going to take advantage of the opportunity. It was fun looking at all the fabric but I needed to get home as my back was really hurting. So I walked back to the hotel and put the heating pad on and lay down on the bed. I had over done it yesterday but I had to as Dave couldn’t do it all by himself and there wasn’t anyone else. Kenny did help with getting the dinghy engine off the boat and headsail folded up but he was working so that is all he could help with. So I figured I would lay low for the day and didn’t do much of anything. I really didn’t feel good either so that was a bummer. When Dave came back it was later in the afternoon and he said Mark told him the haul of the boat was in great shape and we needed to get it painted (which we planned on doing) and change a zinc. So now we wait for Mark to send us a copy of the survey and then send that into the insurance companies and see which one will give us the better deal and cover us out of the water. We had some food left over from dinner on the boat the night before and then spent the rest of the evening in our room where I put the heating pad back on my back and read my book and Dave was on the internet. Then it was bed time.

The next morning my back was feeling a little better, but still sore. I was encouraged it would get better. We ran some errands and around dinner time we walked to the Bandito restaurant and had dinner then came back and chilled. We are leaving for home in the morning.

We were on the road around 8:00am or so. We were staying at the Angra hotel overnight and were hoping Kristi and Robert were at the house so we could see them. After getting to the hotel we called and we got a hold of Kristi. They had her sister-in-law with her husband visiting but invited us to come over anyway. So we went over to their house. As we were visiting with them another couple showed up which are good friends of Krisit and Robert and use to be their neighbors in Oregon. We visited for a while and then we figured we would leave. It was Kristi and Roberts wedding anniversary and they were making plans for dinner. Robert asked if we wanted to join them and with some coaxing we said yes. So we were to meet them at 6:30pm at Super Burro restaurant. Well we arrived on time but they weren’t there yet. We sat down at a table for 6 and ordered a beer. Soon after they showed up and we had good conversation going. Then dinner came and we got stuffed. It was the anniversary of the restaurant as well so they served us free cake. After that we said our goodbyes and went back to the hotel. We watched some TV then went to bed. We have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow.

Well my back is still sore but each day it is getting better. I really have to baby it so it will be ready for our trip to Washington at the end of the month.

Dave has been so good in lifting heavy things for me and making sure I don’t do anything foolish to hurt my back more.

Today is our son Michael’s birthday, May 9th!!!! He’s getting old! Ha!!!! He is 43. Happy birthday son!!!

We got home mid afternoon on Sunday the 10th. It was good to be home again. Now we can relax for a while before we are back on the road again but this time going north. Our grandson, E.J. is graduation on June 10th and they have tickets for us to attend and also he is having a family and friends party on the 7th which would be nice if we could be there for that.

Our daughter-in-law, Brooke is celebrating her birthday today the 24th. It is also our gate guards’ birthday. Happy birthday!!!!

We are just taking it easy right now and enjoying the cool weather. There has been a lot of wind lately. The yellowtail are running out in front of the house so Dave is itching to go fishing but when we tried to take the boat (a friends boat) out the engine worked for a second and then wouldn’t start again. So he was bummed but tore it apart to see what the problem was. Well he checked everything out and found gas wasn’t getting to the spark plugs which mean the carburetor isn’t doing its job. He took that out and cleaned it a couple times, put it back together and yesterday took it to the boat ramp to launch it and waaalaaa!!!! It works like a charm. Our gate guard has been itching to go out with Dave so now he can. However, Tito (gate guard) went out in a kayak yesterday and caught a large yellowtail and a Cabrillo. Dave showed him and his wife how to fillet a fish for future reference and at the end of it all, Tito gave us two nice yellowtail fillets for dinner. It was very good.

Dave and Tito went out this morning to try and catch another yellowtail but they all had moved on unfortunately. Bummer!!! Well at least they were able to get out in the boat and try. Later on Tito took the kayak out to see if he would have the same luck as he did yesterday but he didn’t.

We have decided to leave on Thursday the 28th. So now it is coming up fast. I have already started packing but will get serious about it today the 26th. I put out some danger tape which when tied on the rafters flaps and it keeps the birds away. So last night I did the railing of the deck and this morning I did the rafters and washed the solar panels. All that is left is packing which I need to get to now.

O.k. I am all packed except for last minute stuff. Dave moved MaryAnn’s boat in the garage to keep it out of the weather. The truck is outside under the carport and the jeep is parked under the stairs ready for our getaway tomorrow morning. I defrosted the refrigerator and freezer so all I have to do tomorrow is shut the propane off and put towels in on the shelves and leave the doors open. I packed a lunch for us and have lots of breakfast bars to munch on the way.

Lynn and Tom, our Bahia neighbors invited us to dinner tonight and they served Carnitas. They were very good. We had a nice visit and dinner then we said goodbye and went home. Dave packed this afternoon so all we have to do is load up in the morning. We have already put our 2 large suitcases in the car to make the morning car packing go smoother.

Well it is the 28th and the car is packed, the propane off, and the solar panel has been flattened and turned to where it will get the most sun in the afternoon. We turned off the inverter this time as we didn’t need to keep that on and the water is still on as our gate guard is going to water the few plants we have while we are gone. Everything is locked, the toilet bowls are covered with saran wrap and the drains are covered over to prevent cockroaches. I loaded up the garbage to drop it off in town and burned all the burnable things. We gave our guard food we had left over, which wasn’t a lot, and gave some other things like butter, sour cream, beer, etc to neighbors and friends. I did a pretty good job this year in not having a lot of food items left to give away.

Well we said goodbye to the gate guard and his fiancé and told them we will see them in September.

We took the road from Chapala to cross the border at Mexicali. We normally don’t go that way as about 13 miles of rough road but it was a lot better this time then when we came down coming back last September after hurricane, Odile. Once we were on smooth pavement again we sailed up to Mexicali. It is faster than going to the Tecate border so since we need to be up in Washington close to the 7th, we decided we would try it again and see how it went. We don’t like the rough road, but if you go slowly it isn’t bad. It took an hour to cross the border then another hour and a half to get to our friends house in El Cajon, CA. Creela and Phil had been waiting for us and had dinner ready and drinks right after we arrived. They haven’t been able to go to Bahia due to a bad renter and issues and legal things with him. So it was good to see them and spend a couple days with them. Shortly after we arrived, Phil said his best friend who was his best man at their wedding had a stroke and is bad. So Phil was torn about leaving while we were there, but we told him he should go and see his friend. So the next morning he left for Reno. We were glad he decided to go because none of us know how long we are going to be here on this earth. Creela and us had breakfast, then she asked if we wanted to see the rental they had to go to court for to evict the renter. She said there was a lot of damage done to it. We had no idea until we got there of how much!!!! Went went inside and Creela noticed lights on and said they were off yesterday when she was there. Also food was on the floor and counters and it looked like someone was making waffles for breakfast. Dave and Creela walked down the hall to the bedrooms and looked in each one and the last one they found a young kid standing in the middle of the room fiddling with his fingers. Creela hollered, “Who are you and what are you doing here?” Then she asked again----“who are you” and he mumbled, Ricardo. Creela said she was calling the police and we all walked outside to the side of the house by the window of that room. She was still on the phone when the kid jumped out of the window onto a hedge and then down on the grass in the yard and took off on a skateboard. He has a bag with some stuff in it but we didn’t know if that is something he had already or had taken stuff from the house. Creela couldn’t find anything missing of hers so the police couldn’t file a report. Anyway----4 police cars showed up and looked in the house and gave Creela some advice about taking care of the broken windows and cleaning up the yard. There was all kinds of office desks, chairs, cubicle material, as the renter was selling this stuff from the house. Doors inside the house had been taken bashed in, the stove was broken, all kinds of junk lying all over the floor and broken furniture and all laying around. I had never seen such a mess in all my life. This kid was probably a friend of the evicted son, and was just staying there overnight. We saw evidence of cooked meth and a pipe, plus there was a 5 gallon bottle of water in the bedroom where the kid was found and I think he thought he was going to stay awhile. Well the police went looking for the kid and after they left we helped clean up the yard and put all the junk that was there in the backyard hidden from view. We tried to make the house look like there was someone in it. As it turned out Creela was able to get a nephew by marriage and his friend to help with the clean-up and one of them came back that afternoon to stay in the house to keep anyone else from coming in and taking copper pipes, electrical stuff – anything that can be sold on the street for drugs. So that worked out real well for Creela as she got a phone call around 8 or so from the guy staying in the house that someone knocked on the door wanting to get some of his stuff and Pat told him he would have to come back with the property manager. Creela and Phil have to store all the evicted renters stuff for 13 days until he can get it all out. This guys (renter) has been doing this for a long time and the police are very aware of his actions. So this guy will probably work it until the very last second before clearing out all his stuff. Unbelievable!!!!!! I just don’t understand what is wrong with these people. Well yes I do-------drugs!!! It makes people strange and mean and just plain awful. Creela and Phil are in there upper seventies and they shouldn’t have to deal with this kind of stuff. Plus this is part of their income. Well they have turned over that rental to a property manager and they will be able to take care of the renting and background checks and all. In the meantime, Creela and Phil have to get the house cleaned up, replace what is broken, replace the carpet and make it look nice again. It is a nice 4 bedroom one level house. It is just a shame. Well hopefully this is the end of bad renters!!! I am not naive enough to know that this can’t happen even with a property manager looking after the property, but hopefully less of a chance.

Well we left Creela on Saturday 30th and headed north and seeing how far we can get today. Well we got as far as Santa Nella, north of the grapevine in California to stay the night. We headed out around 7-7:30am the next morning. We made good time and instead of stopping at Redding, we kept going toward the coast. Our hope was to stop in Crescent City, but that remains to be seen.