Getting a Grandma "Fix"

Since we were in Sacramento it seemed like a perfect time to fly east and get a “Grandma Fix”! I was only gone for a few days, but I hadn’t seen Ashleigh since the beginning of November and it would be another few months if I didn’t take advantage of our location! Left Don in the care of our friends, Larry and Carol and they took very good care of him while I was gone!

I had the chance to see Ashleigh’s new pre-school but didn’t get to see her new dance class. She really wanted me to leave another day so I could see her at dance. When I told her I HAD seen her dance class before, she informed me that it was her MONDAY class and not her TUESDAY class! Jeesh, Grandma’s should know the difference!

Of course, she loves to put "make-up" on with Grandma. Can you believe I actually let her use my expensive make-up brush AND make-up? Grandma's sometimes do the silliest things!

Ashleigh loves looking at the pictures as I upload them to her mom’s computer! I also showed her some “older” videos that I had taken on previous visits…she loved watching those and I must have shown them to her a hundred times! She and I laughed and laughed at some of them! They were so funny that everyone had to see them at least once and twice was even better! It’s amazing to see how much she has changed in such a short time! I swear that her legs have doubled in length in the last year…and the baby fat has just turned into the sweetest little girl ever! Hard to believe that in just a few short months she will turn 5 years old! Of course, her personality is ever changing and she is getting so very independent! Her favorite saying “I can do it all by myself”! Got lots of hugs, kisses and playing time in but every visit is way too short and has to end. Ashleigh and I both cry, it’s so much easier when I know when my next visit is to be!

My flight changed planes in Las Vegas. I had a short one hour layover and spent just a few minutes at the slot machines! Won big…$30.75 (it only took me $5.00) so I cashed out and headed over to my gate to wait! Got home (to Sacramento) and the next morning found out that my mom had spent the night in the emergency room. She was later admitted to the hospital for possible diverticulitis. It’s not a good feeling when you’re hundreds of miles away and a family member (mom, dad, sibling, child, etc.) is in the hospital! Thank goodness for cell phones as I was able to keep in touch with my mom and sister and keep updated on her “condition”. Good news to report…she was able to come home today and she’s feeling so much better than a few days ago! I drove 2-1/2 hours to see her and take her home from the hospital and 2 hours back (don’t ask why the ½ hour difference!) but I would do it again in a heartbeat to get her home!

The weather report here in Lancaster? Why should it be any different than some of my blogs lately? Weird weather is forecasted here in Lancaster as well! It’s been very windy yesterday and today, but the worst is yet to come! Rain (so what’s so unusual about that), cold temperatures (really?) and possible snow in the next few days (and my point is?)! We are headed for the Monaco pre-rally (pre to the FMCA rally in Pomona, CA) and thankfully we are all supposed to be parked on blacktop…that really helps when you have these big, heavy motorhomes in rainy weather!

Rain, rain, go away...how cliche!

We’ve had some weird weather lately! Arrived in Harrisburg, OR to have some service work done on the motorhome. A few days later we had some snow flurries! Of course, record lows had to hit the area while we were there as well! Yikes! It was bitter cold! There were quite a few nights when we had to leave the hose disconnected and even one or two when we pulled the slides in so the awnings wouldn’t freeze! We left Harrisburg when we heard there was a winter storm approaching so we wouldn’t get snowed in as we went over the Siskiyou Mountains heading towards California. While we didn’t encounter any snow, we did hit rain…and more rain…and even more rain!

We stopped in Redding, CA which is where we had planned on stopping, but what we didn’t plan was for our alternator to go out! We were driving when Don noticed the amps were discharging or something of that nature. This was Sunday of course, and anything that could repair us in Redding was closed! Drove into the Freightliner Service Center where they diagnosed the alternator. Of course, they didn’t have one to fit. There WAS one in Harrisburg and Las Vegas! How convenient! Monaco over-nighted one for us and we were on our way. A day later, but on the road once again!

Now, I forgot to mention the battle we had the same day as the alternator! We have a satellite dish on the top of the motorhome and I’m sure we’ve been the subject of a few conversations…especially after Monday! On Sunday, we pulled into the camp site, put the satellite dish up and no problems! On Tuesday, pulled into the same exact spot. Only this time the car was unhooked and we were straight! Oh yeah, wait a minute, I forgot on Sunday we had to move into this site from the one right next to it…there was this beautiful tree that was just starting to bloom…right in the way! So I asked if we could more over…no tree…no problem…that is, until Tuesday! Now we didn’t pull up as far so we could reach all of our connections and the car isn’t on back, so we didn’t have to worry about it beign in the street. Well, we can’t “see” the tree that seems to be in the way! Way…way across the street! So we move backwards a few feet. Guess we aren’t looking exactly where the dish is, ‘cuase it still can’t seem to get the signal. Move back a little farther, nope, no luck. Move forward…nope, no luck. I say to Don “we were up a lot farther yesterday, let’s try that”. Now why don’t men like to be corrected? Guess what, it worked! (Gloating here…I tried to tell him there was a tree in the way!) Of course, satellite is SO VERY important! It holds the key for the t.v. AND the computer! 

Today we finally made it to Lodi (close to Sacramento). We are parked in front of some old friend’s house, Carol and Larry Bonadurer (Don used to work with Larry…and I’m not implying that they are old, just an old friendship!) but tomorrow we will move to an RV park so I can do laundry! Plan on staying in this area for about a week and then we are headed south to Lancaster!