Author: mchazen

It has been about two weeks since the last update.  Somehow it doesn’t seem that long, but the calendar confirms the days did in fact slip by.  During this time, all events were overshadowed by the wait for Heather’s baby to arrive.

Jeanne’s aunt CeeCee always lived an active life and her home in Oxnard was the venue of many happy family events.  It seemed that any time we stopped by, someone was staying with CeeCee and her house was full of kids.  Its hard to explain, but CeeCee’s home is just one of those comfortable and inviting places for the family to gather.

As happens to all of us, the years accumulate and CeeCee got to the place in life where she needs some help.  To this end, Heather, Danny and the two kids (Tyler and Marley) moved in and everyone is happy with the arrangement.  Danny works and Heather tends to the house while keeping an eye on the kids and CeeCee.  All was rocking along just fine until the doctor restricted Heather’s activity during the last phase of her pregnancy.  Since Jeanne and I were heading to California anyway, we arrived earlier than planned so Jeanne could get involved with running the household and preparing for the the baby.  These past few weeks, with few exceptions, Jeanne has been spending most of her time at CeeCee’s taking care of things until Heather is back on her feet.

This has given me time to run errands, mostly doing things we have been putting off.

One of the first things on the list was getting the Jeep windshield replaced, which turned out to be harder than anticipated.  As with most thing in life, you need to know almost as much about something as the person hired to perform the service.  The windshield was no exception.  After a few phone calls, we cut a deal and arranged for installation.  The next morning, the installer arrived and had a striking resemblance to some of the folks we met in rural Arkansas.  My little voice said “watch out”, but how could this guy muff up a windshield installation?  Isn’t this what he does for a living?  I let the man get on with his work and about an hour later, he announced the job was finished.  Upon inspection, the gasket along the top of the window looked strange.  In fact, it looked upside down but the installer insisted it was correct.  I paid the guy and sent him on his way.

Later that afternoon, Jeanne and I inspected several similar Jeeps and discovered something was definitely wrong.  We even took digital pictures just in case.  We called the glass company to discuss the issue and when the installer arrived the next morning, we confronted him with the photographic evidence.  About 45 minutes later, the installer-with-missing-teeth sheepishly announced the job was finished.  This is no moral to this aggravating story, but the inside of the Jeep is now smeared with windshield sealant as a remembrance.

The hunting and fishing club I belong to hosts a monthly trap shoot.  It had been over ten months since we saw our club friends so one Sunday morning we made the drive to the trap range in El Monte.  For readers not familiar with the sport, trap is a game where shotgunners try to break clay targets thrown into the air.  Since the field only holds five shooters, there is plenty of time to visit while waiting for your turn.  We visited with our friends for hours, catching up on their personal lives and club affairs.  It felt strange that by the end of the day, it was like we had never left.  Our association with the club has been rewarding in many ways and the friendships formed will last a lifetime.  This is truly a unique group of guys and each one has brought something to our lives.  We very much enjoyed the morning and look forward to seeing them again before moving on.

One day, I went to a local trap range with a friend I’ll refer to as Z.  We met Z on a camping trip and after finding out he lived close by, we occasionally get together to shoot some trap.  With very much improved scores, it was apparent Z had been practicing.  I very much enjoyed the afternoon and plan to meet with Z again before we leave.

Our current location is perfect for our workouts.  The weather in Southern California this time of year is usually sunny, mild and clear.  At an elevation of 535 feet, the campground is just high enough to be above the coastal haze and the mornings are clear and crisp.  The road in and around the campground is paved, lightly used and just hilly enough to be challenging.  We have fallen into a regular workout routine and very much enjoy running here.

Before leaving on the trip, we put most of our household stuff in storage at a facility in Oxnard.  Realizing we’re hauling things around at $2.30 per gallon, we are slowly culling through the coach and sending stuff to storage.  This process results in a lot of “what were we thinking” moments, but it is materially lightening the load.  I’m re-learning one the lessons of my college days — you can live very comfortably on very little.  In fact, it seems that less is more; getting “stuff” out of our life has been a liberating experience.  We still have a way to go, but the process is well under way.  In the end, I wouldn’t be surprised if we eliminate 500 pounds of “stuff”.

Since arriving back in Southern California, we made several trips to the San Fernando Valley to run errands.  On one of these trips, Jeanne and I meet with our friend Michael who I had met while working at FOX.  Mike transferred into the department about a month before I arrived and was handed several difficult assignments.  He was a talented accountant and I found his patience and perseverance astonishing at times.  While extinguishing the fires erupting around me, Mike mostly worked on his own and quietly got things done.  I am forever grateful for his help because without him, the situation would have been unmanageable.  In the end, Mike was the only remaining accountant from the original staff.

Shortly before I left FOX, Mike decided to pursue a career as a veterinary technician.  For all the right reasons, Mike decided to make this mid-life career change; it was a gutsy move.  Over a sumptuous lunch at Mission Burrito, Mike brought us up to date on his family and studies.  After a long visit, there is little doubt he made the right decision.  Although he is working hard to achieve his goal, in the end he will be doing something he enjoys.  On reflection, Mike will be one of the very few people we know that found the elusive balance between work and fulfillment.

Within her circle of family and friends, Heather and her peers have been rapidly increasing the population of Ventura County.  Consequently, most of the baby stuff was given away before Heather realized she had a baby of her own on the way.  So, with Heather restricted to bed rest Jeanne took charge of getting ready for the baby, which included preparing for a just-in-time baby shower.  With the generosity of family and friends, the shower worked out great and provided most of the necessities.  Only a very few things were needed to fill in the gaps, which we provided.  All Heather and Danny needed now is the baby, which is threatening to arrive at any moment.

In the morning we hung around the coach to watch the election results.  Eventually there was a concession speech, an acceptance speech and the country knew who would be president for the next four years.  Like most everyone else, we were relieved it was all over — all those nasty elections ads were annoying.

The rest of the day was spent running errands.  For lunch, we went to a small restaurant near the Ventura harbor for fish tacos.  The idea of fish tacos may seem gross to some of our east coast friends and although they may be an acquired taste, they go nicely with Bud Light.  Trust us on this one, fish tacos are good eats.

After lunch we met with David, our friend and family accountant.  Many years ago, Jeanne connected with Ellen while working at State Fund.  In those early years, State Fund employees were a close knit group that frequently socialized outside the workplace.  Through these events we met Ellen’s husband David and eventually formed a friendship.  When it turned out that David was a talented CPA with a tax practice, he mercifully took over our income tax preparation and has provided excellent service and advise ever since.

We talked about our families, the election, tax issues and accounting trends.  Yes, accounting issues can be interesting to accountants.  It was a good visit and we are glad to see David and his family are doing well.  We hope to see them again during our stay here in Southern California.

We returned to the coach and spent a quiet evening watching the talking heads on TV discuss the election results before going to bed.

It’s Election Day, and also Workout Day.  Damn.

Despite our miserable workout two days ago, the workout today was relatively easy.  For the first time in a weeks, I ran a continuous 30 minutes in hilly terrain.  After cleaning up we headed to the polling place to cast our ballots.

Due to our mail forwarding service, the mail is usually delayed a week or so depending on travel, mailing instructions, etc.  This delay and a late mailing by the County of Ventura caused Jeanne to receive her absentee ballot only a few days before the election.  Since returning the ballot via mail was not an option, we decided to bring the ballots to the polling place in person.

At the polling place, it was quite a challenge explaining why we were voting in California with a Texas mailing address.  Fortunately, Jeanne recognized one of the poll workers who knew her mother for years.  This connection, along with our California driver licenses, was enough to get us into the voting booth.  The experience was annoying, but I don’t blame the workers for being careful.

After voting, Jeanne spent some time with CeeCee while I updated the computers.  Eventually we returned to the coach to watch the voting results.  We stayed up long into the night and like the rest of the country, finally went to bed without being sure who the next president would be.

It was a classic Santa Ana wind morning in Southern California and you could see for miles, provided you weren’t looking towards Los Angeles.

Jeanne went to help Heather and CeeCee and I headed for my friend Doug in Malibu.

Many years ago, Doug and I met as undergraduates in college.  It’s a long story but I’ll keep it short:  The case study class we were taking required students to form study groups of four.  By chance, Doug and I were placed in the same group and Doug quickly impressed me with his unique approach to problem solving.  Of course his analysis of the cases was right on, but how he got to the answer was elegant and confounding.  When it turned out we literally lived across the street from each other in North Hollywood, we formed a friendship that lasts to this day.  After college, our paths through life were very different but we always kept in touch and got together when time allowed.  A few years after college, Doug met Karen through some mutual friends and they eventually married.  Both Jeanne and I very much enjoy their company.

View from Doug's property looking towards Los Angeles.

View of Point Dume in Malibu from Doug's house.

Doug strikes a pose for posterity on sunny California afternoon.

View of Doug's house.

Today Doug and I had the opportunity to get together at his house in the hills overlooking Malibu.  We talked for a long time, walked around the property and had a great lunch that Karen had left for us.  Later in the afternoon, Karen returned from some errands and we all caught up on the past year.  It was good to see both of them again and we plan to see them often while we’re here in Southern California.

On the way back to the coach, I picked up Jeanne.  We grilled some ribs for dinner and proceeded to prepare our ballots for tomorrow’s voting.

For no reason at all, we rolled out of bed a lot later than usual.  We suspect it was a combination of travel, time change, staying up late or all of the above.  Anyway, by the time we downed our morning coffee and shifted into workout mode, it was already 9:30.  What lazy bums.

The weights and Pilates went o.k., but the run was hopeless.  The campground is located next to a creek and the only way out is to follow the road upstream, which is uphill.  So, without getting much of a warm-up the run goes uphill for about half a mile.  Combined with our layoff from altitude and travel, the run was disaster.  We completed the intervals and hoped our next workout will be a little better.

After cleaning up we updated the computers at Borders before heading to Andy and Dannette’s house for a Halloween get together and to watch the kids prepare for trick-or-treat.  We visited with the family for quite some time while the kids got ready.  Just before they left, we got some good pictures.  The costumes were great and showed a lot of imagination.

Jeanne holding her little cousin, Drake, son of Teresa. Notice scary Halloween jumpsuit.

Hailee, Carolyn, Adam and Ryan having dinner before leaving for Trick-or-Treat.

Andy preparing hambergers for the ghosts and goblins.

Adam, Tyler and the little princess Marley before terrorizing the neighborhood.

A serious Marley prepares mentally for the role of Fairy Godmother.

Ryan as the Little Devil and Tyler.

With the kids out the door, we took our leave and found the neighborhood packed with little ghosts and goblins.

Returning to the coach, we spent a quiet night watching Shrek 2 before going to bed.

The skies had the unique clarity of a high-desert sunrise in winter.  The rains came early to Southern California and the San Gabriel mountains were covered with snow.  It was a beautiful sight that would stay with us most of the morning.  We very much wanted to get on with the drive, so after a quick breakfast, we hit the road.

The drive from Victorville to Santa Paula is not that long, but Saturday traffic typically has folks rushing around trying to get all their errands done in one day.  Throw in some home-to-work and recreational traffic and driving becomes a nightmare.  There is no regular flow to the traffic, cars and darting around and speed limits are generally ignored.  At least we knew what to expect.

Our route took us along State Route 18 (the old Pearblossom Highway) that follows the northern edge of the San Gabriel Mountains.  This is a heavily used two-lane road that should have been widened 30 years ago.  The road is prone to washouts in bad weather and sure enough, we had to stop while road crews cleared away the last of the mud.

We picked up highway 14 near Lancaster, which is a typical freeway for Southern California — the normal traffic load is about 300% of designed carrying capacity.  Due to excessive use and poor maintenance, the roadway is in sad shape.  It felt like we were driving over logs.  We’re lucky the fillings didn’t rattle out of our teeth.  I have no idea how truckers put up with this pounding all day long.

Compounding the problem, the road from Lancaster to I-5 is downhill most of the way, dropping about 3,000 feet in 25 miles.  A cautious truck driver will keep his rig at the 55 mile per hour speed limit; any faster and the rig can easily get out of control.  Drivers of light vehicles don’t realize this and zip around trucks with reckless abandon.  It was a nerve-racking drive and we were glad to get on flatter ground.

The campground was just outside of Santa Paula and we got there a little after noon.  It is a really nice facility in a quiet an pretty spot.  We quickly set up, grabbed some lunch in town and headed to see the kids.

The twins, Hailee and Ali were having a birthday party and the place was crawling with kids.  Fortunately, the jumper that was set up in the yard kept them occupied.  The kids had really grown in the past nine months and we were pleased to see everyone looked like they were doing well.  The new house Andy and Dannette recently purchased is very nice and the family seems to have settled in just fine.

After the party we visited CeeCee, Jeanne’s aunt, and we were happy to see she was doing well.

It had been a long day.  We returned to the coach and immediately went to bed.

When we got up an almost-full moon and stars filled the sky.  A cup of coffee got us moving.

We headed to gym just as it started to get light and found several die-hards were already there.  The workout was an effort, but we got through it.  I even got in 30 continuous minutes of running on the treadmill.

We grabbing some breakfast before returning to the coach.  Preparing for travel, we heard a crunching noise when the slides were pulled in.  It turned out ice that had formed on the slide covers.  It must have been cold last night!

It was a smooth ride through Arizona, but the moment we crossed into California the road was as bad as I-10 through Louisiana.  I’ll never understand why California roads are so bad when the state collects billions in fuel tax.  Instead of fixing the roads, the California brain trust reduced the speed limit to 55 for trucks to collect even more money in fines.  Welcome to the Golden State!  This is only one of thousands of schemes to separate money from California citizens.  This was the first reminder why we decided to leave the state.  

On second thought, the environmentalists are smart economists and eventually they will depopulate the state by strangling the infrastructure.  But this is a discussion for another day.

We were going to stop outside of Barstow but decided to continue on to the KOA in Victorville, which isn’t a bad place for one night.  We pulled in around 2:00 and set up in the same spot we occupied almost one year ago.  Even the water spigot handle I broke was still there.

Later in the afternoon we headed for dinner.  Victorville is not a big community and is literally out in the middle of the desert.  It is the last place you would expect to find traffic, but the traffic was absolutely awful.  Every intersection was jammed, cars were zipping around every which-way and traffic was moving fast.  I had forgotten what the California traffic was like and this was the second reminder why we decided to leave.  By the time we got back to the coach, I was suffering from ‘traffic shock’.  How did we put up with it all those years?

Since we couldn’t get satellite TV, the rest of the evening was spent quietly reading and working with the computers.  We look forward to heading for Santa Paula tomorrow.

Contemporary note:  Years later I became aware of Agenda 21 and the plan for environmentalists and their useful idiots, urban planners, to strangle infrastructure and force the population into ‘Human Settlements’.  I’m not making this stuff up.  I always wondered why California refused to maintain infrastructure and the political agenda behind it.  Now I know.  But that’s a discussion for another day. . .

The day started out cold and blustery and never changed.  It was a good thing we planned to sit out the storm in Kingman since travel would be iffy at best.

Several days passed since we downloaded e-mail and posted updates to this web site.  Usually we can find a high-speed internet connection, but not in Kingman, Arizona.  Finally, someone suggested we try the Flying J.  In desperation, I decided to give it a try, but paying a $4.95 connection fee is an annoyance.

The Flying J in Kingman is beehive of activity.  The steady flow of trucks, cars, RVs and bums never lets up for a moment.  If you want to lead a quiet life, you don’t want to hang out at a Flying J.  I steeled myself for the experience and headed out.

Arriving, I saw a huge chunk of ice quietly melting at the RV island; the thing must have weighed 100 pounds.  Obviously, it was stuck to some unsuspecting RV and it confirmed our decision to get out of the high country ahead of the storm.  Connecting to the network was easy and after a few tries, I finally linked to the give-us-your-credit-card-info page.  I logged in and started downloading over 500 e-mails, 492 of which were the usual e-junk.  After answering a few e-mails, I updated this site and checked to see if everything was working as designed.  Was the $4.95 worth two hours of connect time?  Are markets efficient in a capitalistic economy?

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the coach hiding out from the intermittent rain showers.  During the brief periods of sun, I went outside to prepare the coach for travel.  Due to election-news burnout, we didn’t watch much TV.  Most of the day was spent reading and working on the computer.

After a dinner of leftovers, we packed our gym clothes for tomorrow morning and got to bed early.

We woke early, had coffee and headed for the gym before the rain started.

We did a full workout at the gym, which wasn’t too bad considering it had been a while.  The full-pressure showers with unlimited hot water were very much appreciated.  As we headed for the coach, it began to rain.

It rained steadily all day.  Jeanne used the opportunity to clean the inside of the coach and I tried to stay out of her way.  During our travels, we noticed gravel and small stones are regularly tracked into the coach.  This stuff is an annoyance and the vacuum is the only way to get rid of it.  The longer we’re on the road, the more we appreciate the industrial-strength vacuum we purchased in Florida.

Around 4:00 PM, George, a former co-worker of Jeanne’s, stopped by the coach.  George and his wife Danna invited us to their house for dinner to celebrate their anniversary.  So, following George through the flooded streets of Kingman, Arizona, we soon found ourselves at their cozy abode.  We talked for quite a while before Danna served an sumptuous dinner of ribs, potato salad and all stuff that goes with it.  It was an excellent meal and I won first place in the clean-bone derby.

We knew quilting was Danna’s lifelong hobby.  However, during the discussion we found out that Danna is waiting for delivery of a quilting machine.  Not knowing much about quilting, I always assumed it was a handicraft kind of thing where the most sophisticated machinery was a sewing machine.  How wrong I was.  Much to my amazement, the machine she purchased is over 12 feet long and will take up most of their garage space.  Try to imagine a sewing machine on steroids and you begin to get the picture.  This is truly an industrial strength piece of equipment.  I have no doubt Danna will put it to good use and we certainly want to see some of the output on a future trip to Kingman.

Anyway, after a great meal and visit, we headed for the coach.  On reflection, we’re glad to see George and Danna are doing well.

The rest of the evening was spent listening to the rain while reading and updating this triplog.

We woke early, had a quick breakfast and immediately got the coach ready to roll.  This KOA is like camping in a mudhole and it was not a satisfactory consumer experience.  Also, with another storm on the way, we wanted to get to a lower elevation asap.  By 8:30, we were on the road.

During the break check, we discovered another tail light on the Jeep was burned out.  This time it was on the right side and it must have something to do with the way the coach-to-Jeep connection is wired.  We have the bulb and will fix it when we get to Kingman, Arizona.

The drive to Kingman was about 120 miles, most of it downhill.  Aside from a little wind, the trip was uneventful.  Before pulling into the RV park, we stopped at the Flying J to tank the coach.   Ouch!  $2.30 per gallon for diesel.

The campground is a little older but is well maintained and has full hookups, including 50 amp service.  The ample space and firm site surface will be perfect to ride out any weather.  A quick check of GPS showed we had dropped to about 3,600 feet, which is well out of the snow-zone.

After stocking up on groceries at the local Smith’s, we cruised the town, such as it is.  Knowing the weather will turn ugly, we looked for a gym for our workout.  Being at altitude, we slacked off on the workouts and desperately wanted to get back to the routine.  Lo and behold, we found a small gym just off the main drag.  After explaining our situation and a quick tour, we cut a deal with the owner, Abe, to use the facility for two visits.  Abe turned out to be one of the local doctors and we suppose the gym was one of the local businesses he was involved with.  Finding out I was an accountant, he asked if I would be interested in doing his books.  I graciously declined the offer, but did listen to his assessment of the community.  Like many communities outside of California, retired folks are moving into the area in large numbers.  Abe is a smart guy and will do well in Kingman, Arizona.  I wish him well.

The rest of the evening was spent hunkered down in the coach waiting for the rain.