We Split Up

But only for the day.  Linda and her sister Donna picked up Chase and took him to the San Diego Zoo.  I had a luncheon appointment with my second cousin, Judy, to deliver the hands.

You’re probably thinking “what hands”.  The Bauman family has a tradition that dates back to 1883 of wax hands on the wedding cake for members of the family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judy’s daughter is getting married in May in Rhode Island and she wanted the hands for the celebration.  So the tradition continues! Is that neat or what.  We had a nice lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, and we had a pleasant hour catching up with family news.  When I was growing up I was lucky to be close to a lot of my cousins, and the families would get together for any holiday.

Meanwhile, the sisters were having a great time with Chase at the Zoo.

There’s a lot more pictures at this link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/winequest/ChaseAtTheSanDiegoZoo#

So we’re having a good time here in SoCal while we wait for a surgery date.

Life at Laguna Woods Village

We’re starting to settle in here at Gezerville.  Linda has done a great job of cleaning everything from the dust and finding places for the stuff we took out of the MoHo.  She’s cleaned the patio and worked on the potted plants.  She’s also rejoined the beading club and completed her first project on Monday.  She sure makes pretty jewelry.

I’ve been pretty limited in what I can do because of my hip, which makes me frustrated and grumpy.  I have attended a couple of seminars in the Photo Lab on mounting & matting photos.  They have a dedicated  room with all of the tools you need to do a professional job.  They also have high end computers with all of the photo software and wide format professional printers.  I’m looking forward to using some of the printers in the near future.

It is a little strange living in a gated community with older adults.  We were driving into the village earlier this week when we saw a woman walking her bird.  We had to stop and get a picture!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s amazing what you can find here.  Anyway, we hope you’re having a fun week, and enjoying everyday.

The Hip Doctor

On Wednesday we made the trip to Santa Monica to see my Orthopedic Doctor.  My hip has gotten worst the last couple of months when it should be continuing to get better.  We were both very concerned.

After the X-Rays were taken (I wear sweats with no metal so I don’t have to put on a hospital gown) the Doctor came in to see us.  He took one look at the film and said you’ve got a problem. 

To review where the hip was injured, the break is between the femur and the knob that fits into the pelvis.  It’s a small thin connection area, and to heal the break the Doctor in Port Angeles put in a plate and some screws.  It was very slow healing, but on the last visit the Doctor determined that it was fully healed.

This time he said that the break was fine, but the knob that fits into the socket of the hip bone had died, and now the knob had collapsed.  That’s what caused the increase in pain and the limping.  The only solution is a total hip replacement.

So it’s back to the hospital for me.  We don’t know when as the insurance (workman’s comp) has to approve the surgery.  Hopefully it will be in the next 2 to 4 weeks.  It’s not that painful so there’s no big rush.  When I get a date and more information I’ll post it here in the blog.

So that’s our latest adventure.  It just goes to show that everything in our lives is not fun and games.  The Doctor said that the recovery is very fast, and I’ll be able to do anything I want after a short time.  Including golf, hiking, and geocaching.  So I really have something to look forward to.

Easter 2010

We are in our condo in Laguna Woods Village for awhile.  This gives us a opportunity to spend more time with our families, which we love to do.

On Easter Sunday we met at Linda’s Moms house for an Easter Egg hunt-for the Grandkids, not us.  Donna & Tiffany kind of hid the eggs in the back yard.  Then Iris, Violet, and Chase went at it.

  Iris had the most success with Chase not far behind.  But everyone got their fair share and more!

After the hunt and some gift opening, Valerie & Rick left to visit Rick’s family, and Katie left to visit her family.  Mom, Donna, Tiffany and us left to go to Lucille’s BBQ Restaurant to meet Matt & Suzanne to celebrate the rest of the day.  We had a great meal and a lot of conversation, especially about Matt & Suzanne’s new addition to their family coming on 9-27!

We had a great family day.  If you want to see more of the pictures check our Picasa Album at the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/winequest/Easter2010#

Our Winter Adventures End

Tuesday morning we loaded up the MoHo for the last time on this trip, and headed into the dreaded Los Angeles freeways.  We left about 9:00am, with one last toot of the air horn as a goodbye to our friends Bob & Maggie.  They’re staying at Indian Waters until Easter, and then start heading North to their home in Bellingham, WA.  We wish them a very safe journey.

We timed it well to make it through the Santa Ana Canyon on Hwy. 91, down the 55 to I-5 and then South to Laguna Woods.  We called ahead for permission to park on the street by our condo to unload and take everything out of MoHo.  We discovered stuff we haven’t seen for years!

A big disappointment was our entrance into the condo.  We contracted for a new floor and finishing off the kitchen ceiling and lights while we gone.  The work was done, and it was just as we had requested.  But the problem was that it was a mess.  There was dust everywhere from the drywall and flooring installation.  That really put a damper on our homecoming.

Wednesday was a big day for us, as we finally moved MoHo into it’s permanent storage spot here in Laguna Woods, space 446.  We’ve been waiting for a year for a spot to open up that will hold our 40’ motorhome.  The nice part is that the rental is only $160 a year, versus $170 a month we were paying at El Toro.   Big savings.  It was a good fit and we currently have no one parked next to us so that we can work on the MoHo with plenty of space.

We spent the rest of the week cleaning up the mess left by our contractors, catching up on laundry, shopping and settling in.  We went down and visited Linda’s Mom on Thursday to install her new computer and printer.  Both are working just fine, but it’ll take a while to get use to the new screens.  It’s a big jump from Windows XP to Windows 7.  Linda’s a great trainer, and she’ll have her Mom up to speed in no time.

So we’re back at the beach.  We don’t know how long we’ll stay here or when we’ll start traveling again because of unknown factors.  As we get things settled, we’ll plan our travels for the Summer.  Stay tuned for updates.

Signature Motorhome Resort

On Monday we met with our friends at Ron & Dona Davis’s lot in the Signature Motorhome Resort.  This is the finest RV Resort that Linda & I have ever visited.There is a 9 hole executive golf course with lakes and canals.  All of the lots have views of the mountains or canals, and have grass surrounding them.  One of the Davis’s friends has an electric boat and took all of us on a tour of the resort. The view of the lots from the canal gives you a different perspective.  Many of the lots have extensive improvements.  The only limitation is that you can’t add a room, only a small shed.  Here’s some of the fancier remodels.   There’s also some beautiful waterfalls and bridges. Back at the Davis lot, Ron was putting the finishing touches on some smoked ribs done on his Traeger Grill.  It’s a special grill that uses hardwood pellets for fuel.  Ron had smoked the ribs about 6 hours so they were very tender and delicious. It was a wonderful finale to a great Winter with our friends from the Northwest.  Tomorrow we’re heading back to Laguna Woods Village, and the rest of the group are starting to pack up to head up the beautiful Oregon & Washington.

For more pictures of the resort and our friends, check out our Picasa Album at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/winequest/RonDonaSIndioHome#

Back to CA, & Ardyn’s Baptism

Our time is AZ this Winter has come to an end.  It’s been a great time spent with friends and enjoying nice resorts.  But all good things must come to an end.

We left on Saturday to head to Indio, CA, to stay at the nicest Western Horizons park, Indian Waters.  We wanted to attend our Michael & Katie’s new daughter’s baptism on Sunday.  But we couldn’t bring our MoHo back to Laguna Woods Village until Tuesday.  Indio is a good stopping point which allows us to attend the baptism and visit our friends staying in Indio.  A perfect solution.

We made good time going from Camp Verde, AZ, down I-17 to Loop 101, then a straight shot down I-10 to Indio, about 370 miles.  We arrived at the resort about 3:00pm, and we got lucky with a 50 amp site with grass around it.  Sometimes arriving on Saturday limits the good sites.  The weather was a balmy 80 degrees, warmer than we’ve been all Winter in AZ.  It’s been a cool year there.

Sunday morning we got going early to drive to Murrieta for the 10:30 service.  It was about a 1 1/2 hour drive, and with light traffic we made good time.  Everybody was there and the service was a real celebration for Palm Sunday.  Oh, and also for the Baptism! Ardyn really took to the ceremony, not crying once.

After church we all headed over to Michael & Katie’s new house for lunch.  Everyone had to take turns holding Ardyn.

After a delicious lunch we all gathered in the front yard for group pictures.  Here’s one of all the young kids and parents. And here’s one of both sides of Michael & Katie’s family.  If you want to see more pictures, check our Picasa web album at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/winequest/ArdynSBaptism#

Oak Creek Canyon & Sedona, AZ

We wanted to visit Sedona before we left, and in my infinite wisdom decided to go North on I-17 to 89-A and go down Oak Creek Canyon.  It was a nice sunny day, but as we drove North we started to see snow on the side of the road.  And the temperature outside was a warm 42 degrees.  I guess we’re a little early this year.

We made it to the 89-A junction and started down from about 7000 ft. attitude down to 3500 ft. at Sedona following Oak Creek.  It wasn’t as pretty as it could have been because all of the oak trees haven’t leafed out yet.  But the Ponderosa Pines were a stark contrast.  And with all of the snow the creek was flowing very fast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s hard to believe that that creek created this beautiful canyon and all of the red rock serrations.  It was a twisty road but it had beautiful views, and the closer we got to Sedona the more red rocks we saw.The town of Sedona is mostly art galleries, tourist shops, restaurants, and new age shops.  But they’re still interesting to browse.  We had a forgettable lunch at Orchards Inn.  You would think a restaurant with that name would serve fresh foods and salads, not burgers and mexican food.

All of the rock outcroppings have names, and the one I liked was Snoopy. You can see Snoopy lying on top of his doghouse in the center of the picture.  Can’t you??

We enjoyed our time in the canyon and plan to come back here later in the year to enjoy the oak trees in full bloom.  There’s some great hiking trails along the creek when my hip gets better.

We did get one great picture of the four of us. We’ve really enjoyed out time with Bob & Maggie and we’re going to miss them when they head back home to Washington.

Out of Africa-In Arizona

Since we enjoy zoos and animal parks (except for Sea World-ask Linda about details) we decided to visit the local attraction, Out of Africa Wildlife Park.

Bob & Maggie drove, and as we entered we know it was going to be a different experience.  It was built on two different levels, the African Plains, and the upper level where all of the predators were displayed.  We took a bus ride around the lower level to view the different animals.  There were a lot of different antelopes.

And we got to feed the Giraffes.Linda even got a sloppy kiss, but I wasn’t able to get a picture, darn.

After the bus ride we took a tram to the upper level, where we got to see the big cats.

It was hard to get good pictures because of all of the chain link fences.  But then again, we didn’t want to face any of the cats without the fence.

There was a show in the afternoon call Tiger Splash.  They had a large swimming pool, and the trainers interacted with the tigers in the pool and on the grass around the pool.  It was amazing that the tigers would try the same actions on the trainers and not harm them, but on balls and inflatable toys they were very  aggressive with all of the teeth bared. If you look closely you can see the trainers legs under the tiger.

At the end of the day, they had a special event, the Predator Feed.  They had a truck with a trailer behind it that contained food.  They only feed the cats 3 times a week, and they hadn’t been fed since Sunday, so they were hungry.  They threw large turkeys, chickens, and some beef ribs to the different animals.  And they were very hungry. It was a little gross.  It was amazing that many of the animals in the same enclosures didn’t try to fight over the food.  I guess they knew that everyone would get their share.

It was a very enjoyable day observing the animals in the warm AZ sunshine.  We were glad we went.  If you want to see more pictures, click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/winequest/OutOfAfrica#

Jerome, AZ

We practiced what we preach by going to Jerome on Monday, rather than a crowded weekend day.  It was my turn to drive so we picked up Bob & Maggie and went up the hill.  The campground is at 3300’, and Jerome is at 5500’. 

Jerome is part ghost town, part art colony, and part tourist trap.  It was founded in 1876 based on the copper that was discovered.  By the 1920’s, the population was about 15,000, making it the fourth largest town in Arizona.  The mines continued until 1953, when the price of copper plunged and the mines were closed.  The population dropped to 50 hardy souls trying to keep the town intact.  By the mid 60’s some artists moved in and the new era of Jerome was born.  Today the town has about 450 citizens, and many shops, galleries, and restaurants.  It a great place to visit and explore the past and the present.

Jerome is perched on the side of Cleopatra Hill.  In fact over the years, some of the buildings including the jail have slipped down a street. There’s a couple of iconic buildings.  One building was the hotel used by the miners that’s now a private residence.  Lot of room for friends. The other house is the Douglas Mansion, now an Arizona State Park.  We’re were sorry that it was closed for renovations.  Another good reason to visit the area. We got hungry walking around and got real lucky when we found Grapes restaurant.  The sign motivated me.  Wine Burgers.  Linda had the special, a homemade meatball sandwich, and I had a flight of wine tasting and a roast beef sandwich with a wedge blue cheese salad.  Needless to say there was no dinner tonight.