Chores, and Movie #1

Wednesday, Jan 4…

Almost as big as the picture windows at home.

Some vacation days are just like days at home, especially when one of us is still trying to piece together parts of the electrical system supporting the engine. (Our bed hasn’t been properly made for days b/c every morning we have to remove and fold the bedding, stack it on the couch, then pull the mattress off and set it aside so Greg can access the engine.) At the moment, he’s using a magnifying lens to decipher a rat’s-maze wiring diagram – all part of the last step in getting us safely back on the road. I’ve actually spent a good part of today writing for the soon-to-be-blog. Next I have to figure out how to get pics from my phone to this computer (tech is not my thing!)

A good friend from Greg’s early racing days joined us for supper last night and left several suggestions of “must see/do" spots in the LA area. Hoping to get to some of those before the weekend. (The good thing, of course, is that we don’t have any time constraints. This particular campground, however, is quite pricey, and we’ve already doubled the number of days we expected to be here.)

BlogThoughts… Washing even a window this big is just a tiny fraction of the general upkeep necessary to keep your rig looking good.  Today as I walked up to the laundry I saw a fellow waxing/polishing the front of his rig. I'm always impressed when I see folks taking care of things (not my strong point), but I didn't give it any thought beyond that. Later, I passed again - this time there were 2 fellows working. Both were young, and I paused long enough to comment on what a good job they were doing. The next day I saw two detailing vans parked in another part of the campground.💡!  Campgrounds like this are a gold mine for detailers. Greg told me just a wash goes for a minimum of $2/foot ($68 for our rig). Add wax & polish and it goes much higher. Not likely we'll ever be using that service. (Greg has washed and chamoised ours once. The M3 also needs lots of sudsing - even with vinyl sheeting between it and the MH it still gets filthy pretty fast.) POSTSCRIPT: Greg just reminded me that these detailers are providing a service that many owners appreciate, and the campgrounds receive a small fee (maybe $10) for each vehicle.

I miss Lady, our dog.  We decided to leave her home for a couple really good reasons (she hates traveling, for one), but there’s this big empty spot in our lives.  I greet all the dogs here as I walk thru the sites (trying to keep my Fitbit happy), but I miss her.

Tuesday, Jan 3…

Chore day. Greg ran all sorts of errands and I worked on organizing the rest (I hope) of our stuff.   We saw Fences in the afternoon. I don’t know nearly as much as August Wilson as I should, but I think “intense” whenever I hear his name. And that word certainly applies to Fences.  I’m not sure there was a light moment anywhere in the script, and Denzel Washington was outstanding. But so were all the actors – there are no “bit parts” in this. Apparently some critics fault the acting for being too much like live theater, but I thought that actually heightened the effect. [We hardly ever go to movies at home, but there are 4 current ones I really want to see. One down, 3 to go.]

BlogThoughts... I walked every section of this campground several times, often at night. (Greg made me carry a flashlight, but I rarely used it.) No particular danger, but one night when I was up on this cliff section, I slipped between a couple rigs to approach the edge and scared half a dozen bunnies into a frantic scurry. Later, on the other side of the loop, I saw a skunk wandering across the road, apparently unaware of my presence. I waited, very still, until he was safely out of sight -  grateful that I wouldn't have to do any apologizing when I got back to the MH. 

Families w/ little ones should avoid sites near the cliff.

another gorgeous sunset