Author: mchazen

The day was absolutely beautiful with clear skies, bright sunshine and a slight cooling breeze.  We somewhat lingered before getting to the workout, so by the time we were finished and cleaned up it was almost 11:00 AM.

Jeanne spent the day with Heather preparing pumpkin pies and replacing the cookies the dog had eaten.  It seems the dog was left in the house unattended while the chocolate cookies were cooling on the kitchen counter.  Some of the chocolate cookies were saved, but the adults wouldn’t go near them.  The kids had no trouble eating the ‘dog breath’ cookies.

I stayed at the coach to wrap gifts and discover you can get Christmas wrapping to surround any object if you use enough tape.

Jeanne returned around 4:00 and we spent a quiet Christmas eve at the coach.

With only hours left before Christmas, the pressure is on.  Jeanne spent most of the morning wrapping Christmas presents and I was dispatched to deliver them to various family locations around Santa Paula.  Being Santa is not bad duty; you are always well received.

In the early afternoon the plan was to meet a good friend, I’ll call him Z, at the Oak Tree trap range in Valencia.  I left the coach in plenty of time intending to fuel the car, update the computer and do a little last-minute shopping.  I got about 20 miles before discovering my wallet was still quietly resting at the coach.  Damn!  Driving like a bat-out-of-hell with a shotgun in the vehicle and no driver license.  Most problems in life are self-inflicted.  There was only one thing to do: return to the coach before running out of gas.  Driving like a model-citizen, I made it back to the coach, fetched the wallet and mercifully made it to a gas station before running out of fuel.

Already fifteen minutes late, traffic slowed to a crawl when I got to I-5.  It was the curse of Los Angeles traffic and absolutely nothing could be done about it.  Arriving thirty minutes late, I found Z napping in the warm California sun.  After apologies, we shot four rounds of trap in a howling wind before retreating inside to visit.  It was good seeing Z again and we promised to keep in touch during the next year.

On the ride home, the traffic had noticeably worsened.  My only stops were to update the computers and do some last-minute stocking-stuffer shopping.  Arriving at the coach, I spent thirty minutes recovering from freeway-shock. 

We spent the rest of the evening quietly reading.

The weather is beginning to change and the morning was cool and overcast.  Since the plan was to spend the day with Danny and Tyler at the club property, the workout had to get done early.  Jeanne stayed in the warmth of the coach getting things ready for the day.

One of the goals of our visit to Southern California was to take the grandsons shooting.  Tyler is ten years old, which is a perfect age for an outing with the .22 rifle.  Danny, Tyler’s stepdad, had never been shooting, so it was an opportunity to introduce two new shooters to the sport.  By 9:30 we were on our way.

The club property is in a very remote area.  There is nothing around for miles and the power lines to the property are literally the end of the line.  The sandy hills and sparse vegetation make it a perfect place to shoot.  The long drive gave us time to talk and review the NRA firearm safety video I require all new shooters to watch before heading to the range.  Apparently, Tyler had watched the video three times and did well on the pop quiz.

Danny and Tyler prepare to shoot by loading magazines.

The loading continues at the club property.

Tyler zeros in on a target.

Danny shooting offhand.

Tyler standing confident at the end of the day.

Arriving at the property, some Edison employees were inspecting the power poles for infestation.  They had already dug a small hole next to the base of the pole and were about to treat it with insecticide and fungicide.  Lesson learned:  don’t use phone poles for firewood, burning one releases all kinds of nasty stuff.

After talking to the Edison guys, we had to drive the Jeep a short distance to load the clay target thrower.  For the first time in his young life, Tyler got the opportunity to drive a real vehicle.  His total driving distance for the day was about half a mile at an average speed of three miles per hour.  At the end of his driving experience, he announced driving the Jeep was a lot different than the video games he plays.  I would hope so.

Danny and I shot some clay targets.  The shotgun is too much for a ten year-old to handle, but Tyler got to launch the targets and keep score.  Afterwards, we picked off any targets that ‘got away’ with the .22 rifle.  At a range of 50 to 70 yards, this was a challenge for a youngster.  By the end of the day, Tyler could safely handle a rifle and confidently hit what he was shooting at.  It was a perfect first-time-shooting experience.

It gets dark early this time of year, so we headed back around 3:30.  Three minutes after turning onto the paved highway, Danny and Tyler were sound asleep.  I’m sure Tyler will remember this day for a long, long time.

The past few days slipped by on us, but there were some notable events.

CeeCee was admitted to the hospital to treat a stomach ulcer.  It took the docs a day or so to figure out what the issue was, but quickly got it under control when diagnosed.  There were several visits to the hospital and one day was dedicated to getting her set up at Barbara’s house (Jeanne’s mother) when she was discharged.  CeeCee is now recovering nicely under Barbara’s watchful eye.

A major highlight of the past few days was the Holiday Program at Summit School.  This is a very small elementary school located in the hills above Santa Paula.  With only 63 students, Andy and Dannette’s five kids account for about 8% of the total student body.  This is the very same elementary school Jeanne attended in the days when pterodactyls flew over the nearby condor refuge.  When I commented the students from this small community were all strikingly similar in appearance, Jeanne gave me a rib-jab with her elbow.

The program was about what you would expect for a Christmas Play, which was renamed the Holiday Program by the Politically Correct police.  What the students lacked in talent, they made up with enthusiasm.  Our grandkids had prominent roles and carried their lines well.  The event was well organized and attended.  When it was over, the teacher/producers were noticeably relieved.

Flash photography was not permitted, so the associated pictures of the Holiday Program may be a little bleary.

Hailee and Ali participating in Holiday Program at Summit School.

Adam prepares to step forward into the spotlight during Holiday Program at Summit School.

Carolyn (middle) shares the stage with fellow students.

Ryan recites his lines during play at Summit School.

Picture of coach at Far West Resorts campsite near Santa Paula, California.

View looking across the canyon at newly planted orange groves.

View looking south.

Looking north from campground with Topa Topa peak in baclground.

Peacock (peahen) inspects side of the coach.

Peacock walking along the side of the coach.

Trying to attract the females.

Feeding time in front of the office, which is about ten feet from the coach. This is a daily ritual.

Earlier today we had lunch with Owen, a friend and former co-worker of Jeanne’s.  Readers of this log may remember Owen from our stay in Mesa, Arizona, where he lives in retirement.  Owen looked good and we caught up on things over lunch specials at the Olive Garden in Oxnard.  After lunch, he demonstrated the features of his new car, a minivan.  It was good seeing him again and we will probably cross paths in a month or so.

We continue with the workouts on our every-other day schedule.  After a long layoff caused by a bout with the flu, Jeanne is running again and is almost back to her prior level.  We continue to enjoy running here where the morning air is clear and cool.

The rest of our time was mostly spent Christmas shopping and running errands.  The Christmas shopping experience is a little easier in Ventura County; the stores are not as crowded and the drivers are not quite as crazy as in Los Angeles.  We were able to get all our shopping done and presents are hidden in all the nooks and crannies of the coach.

One of the interesting features of our current campsite is the presence of peacocks.  I talked with the owners about the birds and it turns out the current flock are escapees from Steckel Park.  By the way, I really don’t know what a group of peacocks is called.  Is it a flock?  A gaggle?  A covey?  If someone out there has the answer, please let me know.

Anyway, over the years the peacocks prospered and multiplied and there are at least thirty roaming through the campground.  They eat almost anything, which they process and return to the local environment.  This makes quite a mess and we try to keep them away from the coach.  They are also curious creatures and will patiently watch any activity that seems out of the ordinary — like someone doing Pilates in the morning.  At times they can be aggressive.  We have seen them gang up to chase off threats like the feral cats in the area — fifteen pointy beaks are just too many for a small cat to handle at once.  At night, they all roost in one tall pine tree; their collective mass blocking our satellite TV signal.

Peacocks are about the size of a wild turkey, but we have never heard of anyone trying to eat one.  I would imagine the meat would be gamy and tough.  Jeanne thinks peacocks are evil birds and their feathers bring bad luck, so we leave them alone.  Enough about the peacocks.

The next few days should be the usual hectic run-up to Christmas and, like everyone else, we’ll be glad when it’s over.

Contemporary note:  A group of peacocks is called a muster.

The following event actually happened a few days ago.  After discussing the issue, we decided to include it in this triplog since it is uniquely part of the travel experience.  What you are about to read is true and confirms the the old adage that most problems in life are self-inflicted. 

We woke a little earlier than usual.  the morning air was warm and the sky was clear and bright.  Jeanne decided to skip the workout, but after two cups of coffee, I got on with the weights, Pilates and run.

Returning to the coach I expected to take a quick shower before heading for town.  But disaster struck while I was running, Jeanne had dropped a plastic bottle into the Black Tank.

Here’s the situation:  The waste from the toilet empties into the Black Tank before it is dumped to the sewer about once a week.  A non-biodegradable plastic bottle would probably block the drain and repair would be messy and expensive.  Very messy and very expensive.  The plastic bottle had to be fished out.  I’ll leave it to the reader’s imagination what sort of biology goes on inside the Black Tank; this is not the place you would want to go fishing for anything.

The toilet is a modern marvel.  At the press of a button, a door slides back and any material in the bowl drops about four feet into the Black Tank below.  A pump swishes water into the bowl, the trap closes and the fixture is ready for the next use.  This is similar to toilets on airplanes, but without the giant sucking sound.

We are usually very careful about what goes into the Black Tank, but on this occasion, Jeanne was opening the cabinet above the toilet at the moment the trap door was open for flushing.  At that instant, a plastic bottle rolled out of the cabinet and down the drain, so to speak.  When I returned from running, Jeanne had the trap door open and was carefully inspecting the inside of the Black Tank with a flashlight securely attached to her wrist.  There the bottle was, standing upright and held in place by the contents of the Black Tank.  All we needed to do was fish it out.

But how?  We didn’t have a four-foot grabber handy and the pipe was probably too narrow anyway.  It was way too far to reach and you wouldn’t want to get your arm stuck in the narrow passage trying.  The bottle was slowly sinking into the biological abyss and something needed to be done, now. 

The situation reminded me of the movie Apollo XIII, where the astronauts had to construct an carbon dioxide scrubber from the materials at hand.  We weren’t about to asphyxiate, but we needed to come up with something fast.  There were only minutes to spare and it was important for us to keep our cool.

I remember we had some double-sided sticky tape; the kind that is spongy in the middle and sticks like crazy.  While Jeanne looked for the tape, I got the telescoping rod we use for cleaning the coach windows and unscrewed the sponge/squeegee from the end.  I carefully wrapped the end of the rod with the double-sided sticky tape and secured it with a wrap of duct tape just to make sure it wouldn’t come loose.  We were ready for the big moment.

With the skill of a surgeon performing a colonoscopy,  I lowered the rod into the Black Tank and made contact with the top of the bottle.  It worked, the bottle stuck and slowly it slipped free from the muck.  Slowly, slowly it came up through the pipe, inching its way to salvation.  Finally, it was out far enough and I grabbed it with my bare hands.  Yuck!  We’re saved!  Yuck!  Quick, close the toilet and let me get this s— off my hands!

In a few minutes, all was back to normal.  The bottle was cleaned and quietly resting in the cabinet, the rod was cleaned and stored, my hands were scrubbed with antibacterial soap and the Black Tank was sealed.  Problem solved.

The rest of the day was uneventful in comparison.  Somehow updating the computers, visiting with family and preparing dinner just didn’t provide the same sort of excitement.

We slept soundly that night, knowing all was well in the Black Tank.

The days have slipped by and it is now over three weeks since the last update.  The cause for this is not writer’s block, but it appears that when we land in one place for a while, life falls into a routine of sorts.  The daily events loose something and seem unworthy of recording in this log.  However, over a period of time enough accumulates for a good read.  So, here goes:

Baby Erika continues to be a healthy, active baby.  Since she was born early, her birth weight was a little light, just over five pounds, but she has rapidly gained weight and now seems normal in all respects.  Her life is off to a good start and we marvel at how she changes every day.

Little Erika in her burrito wrap.

Marley during one of her visits to the coach.

Steve and Cathy at the trap range after a perfect day of shooting and visiting.

Marty stands ready to blast away with Steve's Wingmaster.

Marker at the club property commemorating Ron Calvert, a great club member and friend.

Jeanne and Karen take a break from throwing targets.

Doug scanning the horizon for flying objects.

Doug and Marty stand ready at the trap range.

Marty instructing Karen on the finer points of plinking with a scoped .22 rifle.

Jeanne picking off any targets that 'got away'.

Chris at his going-away gathering. He will be missed at the club and we hope to see him again next year.

Bob and Carol relax at the club.

Steve and Dennis at the club.

Norm caught in front of the bar.

Shaun, Kelly and Mike at the beer tapper.

For the most part, the weather has been beautiful.  Except for a very few rainy days, the weather has been sunny and warm.  This year the rain/sun cycle has been perfect and the hills are covered with a green carpet.  The oak trees are in the middle of a winter growth spurt and the leaves of the sycamores turned a golden brown.  Patches of land that are rock hard in the summer are now knee deep with grass.  Even the paddle cactus seems happy.

Our life here has fallen into a routine and every other day starts with the workout.  The mornings have ranged from the high 30s to the high 60s, so we have to dress accordingly.  Running conditions are perfect.  The sun warms you while the cool, dry air keeps you cool.  This is certainly a welcome change from Florida, where the humidity conspires with the broiling sun.  Anyway, our running has improved and the workout helps keep us fit.

We continue to move ‘stuff’ from the coach to storage.  The latest additions to storage were some chairs, CDs, tapes, lantern, hand warmer, spotting scope, etc.  It is amazing how much space this frees up.  I have no idea how much all this stuff weighs, but we won’t be carrying it around any more.  We still have a lot more to put into storage and estimate it will take about two days to go through it all.

We finally got around to some deferred vehicle maintenance on the Jeep.  In addition to a long overdue oil change, the tires needed attention.  Since we tow the Jeep behind the coach, it dawned on us how important tire maintenance is.  A TV camera on the back of the coach lets us keep an eye on the Jeep while traveling.  I joke that if I look at the screen and the Jeep is either missing or on its side sparking, we’re in trouble.  There is a lot of truth in this; A blowout on the Jeep would be disaster and for fuel economy, it is important to keep the Jeep tires balanced and aligned.  When we replaced the Jeep tires in June, we bought the lifetime rotation, balance and alignment package.  I had been noticing the Jeep ‘wandering’ a little while under tow, so it was probably time to have it serviced.  The local Firestone dealer took care of the problem.

We also took the coach in for a few warranty issues, the most annoying of which was the noisy water pump.  When living in a house, the water pump is usually far away at some pumping station maintained by the local water company.  In the coach, the pump is located under the living space.  Depending on conditions, the pump can either be whisper-quiet or noisy enough to wake the dead.  Usually the latter.  The technician was able to quiet it down a little, but it is still annoying.

When moving the coach for maintenance, we took the opportunity to top off the diesel and propane.  Combined with fueling the Jeep, we spent about $120 on hydrocarbons that day.  Ouch!  At least we’re now ready to roll when we pull out in January.

One day, Jeanne noticed the water pump cycling on and off every few minutes.  After investigation, it turned out I had not completely closed the shower faucet.  Normally, this would not be a problem since the water would run down the drain into the sewer.  However, the coach is a different situation since the shower water collects in the gray tank before it is dumped.  If left unattended, the tank would have overflowed and flooded the inside of the coach.  Yikes!  This time we averted disaster.  Lesson learned: shut off the pump and the outside water when leaving the coach.

One of our friends from the hunting and fishing club, Chris, announced a job transfer to San Antonio.  This will be a promotion for Chris and a great opportunity for him and his family.  We are really happy for them, but they will be missed by the club members.  One evening, there was a small going-away get together at the club to say goodbye.  In addition to seeing Chris and his wife Natasha, we got to see several of our club friends.  Except for the 3 1/2 hour drive through traffic, we had a great time.  We wish them well on their new life and expect to visit them sometime next year.

Our trips into Los Angeles remind us of why we decided to leave the area.  Trying to move around the city is almost impossible.  No wonder motorists here kill each other.  Visualize this:  take most of the young males aged 18 to 34, confine them to a restricted area most of the day, subject them to time, family and financial pressures, then turn them loose in gridlocked traffic with a 300 horsepower vehicle.  Voila!  Instant aggression!

On two occasions, we were invited to Andy and Dannette’s house.  The first time was for a wonderful steak and lobster dinner.  There is a backstory to the lobster:  it seems the neighbor girl who just got her driving license, backed her daddy’s car into Andy’s 1980-something El Camino.  The El Camino has seen better days and it was hard to determine if the crash caused any additional damage.  At the end of the day, Andy and the girl’s father did their best to scare her into a lifetime of safe driving practices.  The two guys winked at each other and went their separate ways.  The following day as a good neighbor gesture, the neighbor, who owns two fishing boats, presented Andy with a bag of frozen lobster tails.  Combined with some juicy steaks and a few cans of beer, we had a great dinner.  I told Andy to leave the El Camino parked where the girl can hit it again.

Our second visit was to celebrate Dannette’s 32nd birthday.  I had forgotten what a birthday party attended by 30-somethings can be like and this was a good reminder.  The details shall forever remain sealed in history; let’s just say a good time was had by all.

During the past three weeks, we made a few trips to the shooting range.  One was with with Steve and Cathy.  The trap range they took me to was located very near the ocean in a restricted-use area.  I am fortunate to have the opportunity to shoot there and it was a perfect day at the range with good friends.  Steve let me use his Remington 870 Wingmaster — every time I pick one of these up I’m reminded what a great gun it is.  We shot trap, skeet and even some international.  What a great day!

For the second shooting event, we took our friends Doug and Karen to the club property.  Doug and Karen are relatively new to shooting and had never shot clay targets before.  It was a perfect day at the property and after blasting 200 rounds at clays, we picked off the pieces with a scoped .22 rifle.  Upon our return to civilization we dined at La Cabana, a local favorite Mexican restaurant.  Needless to say, a good time was had by all.

We made three trips to West Los Angeles for medical appointments — mostly checkups and all were good reports.  On two of these trips, we stopped at FOX to visit with former co-workers and talk with my ex-boss Phil.  It was good to see the group again and generally everyone is doing well.  We spent as much time as we could to visit, but these folks were suppose to be working, so we had to keep it short.  We did get to lunch with Phil on the FOX lot.  I have worked for Phil for years, at two different companies, and always respected him for his skill and professionalism.  To be sure, there were times when I sensed he very much wanted to strangle me, but somehow we got through it.  I always appreciated his honesty and he was one of the very few people I’ve met who really did have the company’s best interests at heart.  I’m sure we’ll cross paths again in the future.

In retrospect, the FOX experience was interesting.  The nature of the business, cable television, attracts very bright and aggressive people.  The pace is fast and furious and the transactions can be complex.  Accounting for all this is challenging, frustrating, rewarding and futile.  It damn near killed me, but I did enjoy it in a strange sort of way.  I can say I made some very good friends and met some interesting people at FOX.  Sometimes, at the end of the day when I’m washing the splattered bugs form the front of the coach, I think about my work at FOX and marvel at how much my life has changed this past year.

One evening we were invited to David and Ellen’s home for a Christmas Party.  This is an annual event for a small group of Jeanne’s co-workers from the State Fund office in Ventura.  We have been attending these for years and it is always great to see everyone again and catch up on things.  This year, we were fortunate enough to be in the area for the gathering.  As usual, a good time was had by all and we very much enjoyed the evening.

The rest of our time was spent visiting with the family, Christmas shopping and hanging around the coach.

We are beginning to lay plans for our travels next year.  For now, we are paid up at our current location until January 12.  After that, we attend an FMCA rally in Indio, California before going to Quartzsite with the CHFC group.  From there our plans are vague at best, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out.  Bottom line: we’re eager to get back on the road.

Well dear readers, my apologies for the length of this update and the time between updates.  With Christmas and New Year quickly approaching things should start happening quickly and the updates should be more frequent.  Be patient, for before long you’ll be getting regular reports from the road.

When living in a 38 foot motorhome, one night with a four year old is interesting but two nights is cruel and unusual.  Shortly after breakfast, we headed for CeeCee’s to drop off Marley and get an update on the baby.

Excellent news!  The baby passed the soiled-diaper test with flying colors, so to speak.  All systems were go, or going as the case may be, and now the hospital couldn’t get them out of there fast enough.  Heather, Danny and the baby arrived home to a collective sigh of relief.  Finally life could return to normal.

Jeanne and I did some Thanksgiving shopping before returning to the coach, where we spent a quiet afternoon.  Our life could also return to normal and we began making plans for the rest of our stay in Southern California.  We look forward to visiting with our friends and getting back on a regular workout schedule.

We grilled some fish for dinner and watched a movie before falling asleep.

The plan for the day was to drop Jeanne and Marley of at CeeCee’s, where they would wait for Heather to come home with the baby.  It was all pre-arranged and the logistics were in place.  I would go shooting with Frank, a former co-worker.

We woke early, had breakfast and dropped everyone at CeeCee’s.  I headed for the range.

Frank is a very talented and personable young guy I met while working at FOX.  In fact, most of the folks on my staff were young, which meant they were under 40.  How strange it felt to be working with people young enough to be my kids.  Where did the all those years go?  I felt like the old, scarred veteran who had seen it all and done it all, and didn’t like any of it.  It really was time to step aside.  Anyway, back to Frank:

In addition to being a good accountant, Frank understands the fundamentals of accounting systems.  Basically, he has a feel for the flow and storage of data.  This a quite a talent, since the key to working with modern accounting systems is knowing how to get to the data maintained within.  He understands this and is a valuable part of the organization.  When an opportunity opened up in my department, I was glad when Frank accepted the challenge and came into the group.  We enjoyed a close working relationship.

Like me, most city kids learn about firearms from the news and movies where they are associated with crime and tragedy.  Fortunately I broke through the liberal-media propaganda and made the effort to learn about the safe recreational use of firearms.  I seldom miss an opportunity to pass the experience on to others and usually when I offer to take someone shooting, they jump at the chance.  Frank was no exception and he now enjoys the shooting sports on occasion.

Frank taking aim at 400 yard targets at the range.

A pause to reload.

No silhouette is safe from El Pistolero.

A perfect end to a day at the range.

We met at the range and shot his .45 and my .223 for hours.  At the end of the day, we left our mark on most of the silhouettes within 400 yards.  It was all very satisfying.  Afterwards over lunch at Pollo Loco, we talked about work, retirement and future plans.  I’m happy to see he is doing well, as are most of the folks at FOX, and that he is optimistic about his future.  We parted in the early afternoon and I headed back to CeeCee’s to see Heather and the baby.

When I arrived, there was no Heather and no baby.  Without going into a lot of detail, the docs didn’t want to discharge the baby until they knew the digestive system, from mouth-to-diaper, was working as designed.  I’ll leave it to you, the reader, to figure out what all this means.  So far, the baby had income, but no outgo.  So, in a fit of defensive medicine, the docs ordered some x-rays and then cut off communication for six hours.  Everyone was worried sick and the disappearing doctor was not to be found.  Meanwhile, the baby was eating, sleeping and exhibiting none of the symptoms of an intestinal blockage.  I went to the hospital to see what the problem was.

When I arrived, Heather was understandably upset.  Ironically, the baby was sleeping and quietly digesting her most recent feeding.  I politely, but very persistently, asked the nurses what the situation was.  Of course they claimed they couldn’t reach the doctor, but it was eventually clear to them I wasn’t going to leave without an answer.  A short time later, The Oracle Speaks!  The decision: everything looked o.k. but they wanted to keep the baby under observation until morning.  Now what was so f-ing hard about that??  We had an answer but why it took six hours is still a mystery.  The anxiety ebbed and everybody was able to make plans for the evening.

It turned out that Marley spent another night with us in the coach.  It was late when we arrived and we all went directly to bed.  Before falling asleep I though about the events of the day.  The baby seemed just fine and undoubtedly would be released sometime tomorrow.  Hopefully, everyone could get back on a normal schedule and little Erika could get on with living her life, whatever that would turn out to be.

Aside from the wind waking us up twice last night, we slept soundly.  In fact, Jeanne slept eleven hours.

I was very tired from yesterday’s ordeal and taking the wind into consideration, we skipped the workout.

Our first stop was the hospital, where we found Heather and the baby in excellent condition.  To our relief, the baby now had a name, Erika.  Satisfied everyone was well and in good spirits, we headed out.

The rest of the day was spent shopping and visiting with the family.  Eventually we returned to the coach to wait for Andy and Dannette to drop off Marley, one of the grandkids who will be spending the night with us.  This is the first of a rotating sleepover schedule with the grandkids.  Asking Marley what she wanted for dinner, she immediately said McDonalds.  Well, all kids like grease and salt and being good grandparents, we give the kids what they want.  Marley dined on Chicken McNuggets, fries and ketchup and explained in graphic detail what happens “inside” when you eat something.  She learned all this while watching TV.  She also had half the McDonalds menu memorized, which she undoubtedly also learned from TV.  I’m glad to see the McDonalds advertising campaign is getting through to four year olds.

Marley, in detail, describes her latest work of art.

Marley taking a break from her creative endeavors.

After dinner we returned to the coach to watch Marley color, play make-believe and tell stories.  She got more done in those two hours than some of my former co-workers accomplished in a week.  Fatigued, she fell sound asleep.

Yesterday, the doc decided it was finally time to “get things moving” with Heather.  Late in the afternoon, she checked into the hospital and the medicos started working her over.  This went on for hours, but the baby wasn’t about to budge.  Jeanne stayed, but I returned to the coach to catch a few hours sleep.

Heather and the just born Erika.

The proud parents, Heather and Danny and their daughter Erika.

The father holds his daughter.

Erika shortly after birth, after the nurses cleaned her up and put her in a display box.

Brother Tyler and sister Marley look on. Marley is held by her Tia Alexandra.

When I returned this morning, nothing had changed so I ran some errands and returned to the coach.

Around noon, Jeanne called to announce the baby had finally arrived and that everyone was doing well.  What an ordeal.  Everyone was happy, tired and relieved that it was over.  I picked up Jeanne at the hospital and on the way home, we talked about the new life that entered the world.  Our eighth grandchild.

Jeanne was exhausted and went to bed immediately after dinner.  I went to bed shortly thereafter but before falling asleep, I thought about the baby wondered what her life would be like.