Walmart Squatters

The nerve of some people…check out this photo…

Oh wait…that is us doing what we have complained about others doing for years, being sprawled out in a Walmart parking lot and we will be here until November 1^st...What have we got ourselves into now?

Our vacation is over, at least for the next 30+ days it is.  We arrived at our Pumpkin Station location in El Cajon, California and even though we don’t open until September 28^th we are here.  We are not helping with the setup which is strange to us, but fantastic at the same time, but what we are doing is interviewing employees that will begin working when we open.  We are actually going to be managing this Pumpkin Station and not manual laborers, wow life is good!

It has been warm so far, highs in the 90’s but the lows are into the upper 60’s at night thank goodness since we are on blacktop and we will not have any power for a few days due to some restriction changes the City made on them.  We are exercising our generator and also taking advantage of the Mall’s air conditioning. 

Yesterday we did some shopping at Walmart that is located in the Westfield Parkway Mall.  This Walmart has a second floor that have elevators or escalators, the escalators have a middle space that your cart goes into and travels up or down along with you!

We then ate lunch at Bob’s Big Boy, also located in the Mall which we have a separate entry on our blog for that review, be sure to check it out.

Hopefully, with the shortened hours here at this lot and managing instead of all that physical work we just might be able to do what we love, write about our adventures.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

Bob's Big Boy

Bob’s Big Boy

Westfield Parkway Plaza Mall

937 Parkway Plaza

El Cajon, CA  92020

619-440-9000

9/22/2012

For most of my childhood we ate at Big Boy’s in Michigan and while visiting we made a special stop at one of them just so Jerry could see how similar they really were to Bob’s Big Boy’s in California.

The atmosphere is pretty much the same and many of the food items are the same as well, but the one major item Bob’s is missing is the Slim Jim, my all-time favorite sandwich.  They have a similar item that I ordered here at Bob’s but it just was not the same.  I forgot what they called it but it had sliced ham, pepperoni, cheese, lettuce, tomato on this absolutely wonderful dried tomato rye sort of bread.  And, even though it satisfied my taste pallet it’s just not the same. 

I did enjoy the strawberry malt…

Jerry had the Super Big Boy which is still the 2 patties of 100% pure ground beef with American cheese, lettuce and their special sauce on a sesame seed bun, only bigger!  After only one bite he had to put it down on his plate and begin eating it with a knife and fork, but he enjoyed every bite and the fries were so delicious, crispy on the outside but soft and flavorful on the inside.

We are going to be here for over 30 days so most likely we will be dining there again and will let you know if we try other items on their menu.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

Oak Creek RV Resort

Oak Creek RV Resort

15379 Oak Creek Road

El Cajon, CA  92021

619-390-2884

9/19-9/21/2012

Sunland RV Resort properties are located in several areas in Southern California and this is our second one we have stayed in.  This one totally out shines the San Diego RV Resort by far. 

Conveniently located just a few miles from I-8 with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains, we were able to use our Passport America membership and paid $47 for two nights for a water, 30amp electric, with sewer on a part concrete and part gravel fairly level site.  The nights we slept with our windows open and there was no noise to be found, it was peaceful and restful.

While we were there we used the laundry facilities that had large washers and dryers that did their job but were a bit pricey, $2.50 to wash and $2 to dry.  The Recreation Room was located next to the laundry room so it was nice to sit in the air conditioning, watch TV, read, work on a puzzle or even shoot some billiards.

The showers and restrooms were kept very clean and the landscaping was impeccable.  Even though it was obvious that there were many long termers they all kept their area immaculate. 

They had no cable but offered TengoInternet for a charge.  They also provided discounted attraction tickets for purchasing them there.  Our MiFi and Verizon phones worked perfectly and we would highly recommend this place for an overnight or even a longer visit.

They had a cute verse to remind everyone to pick up after their pets, “If your puppy does his business in a place where people stroll, then for the sake of all of us, picking it up should be your goal.  If it’s beneath your dignity to stop and scoop it up, then maybe in reality you shouldn’t own a pup!”  Seemed to have worked, but we did have a run in with an ignorant dog owner while doing our laundry.  They believed that allowing their Pit Bull to come in “just for a moment” while they took their clothes out of the dryer was not going to harm anyone…wrong!  I immediately asked them to remove their animal and when she replied that their dog has never bit anyone, I told her that was exactly what the last person who said that to me said a moment before their dog bit my ass!  She looked startled but complied with the rule immediately.  I am getting less tolerant of stupid people as the years pass.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

Another Great Adventure – Indy Racing

A few weeks ago we were just bidding time until work begins at the end of September when I received an email from Auto Club Speedway about an upcoming event, the MAVTV 500 INDYCAR Race.  Being almost a week before it began we didn’t think we could get any camping or tickets, but we soon realized that this event was not NASCAR!

We were able to get front row infield camping on turn 3 with two wristbands for $345 including all taxes and fees.  We jumped at the chance for us to enjoy our first live Indy race together.  Jerry had never gone to one and the last one I attended was through the streets of downtown Detroit which they have not been racing there in many years.

We arrived at noon on Thursday to stage for entry to the infield at 3pm…they were late getting us in but we were finally situated by 5pm.  Of course we chose the weekend there was to be record breaking temperatures in the area and they were not wrong.  The 3 days we were there, the highs were over 105 degrees and the lows at night barely dipped out of the 80’s.  Needless to say it was warm.  We kept cool as possible with plenty of ice, water spray and plenty of drinking water. 

The race was a night race and it was so exciting under the lights, and to be right next to the track was awesome.  

We were lucky enough to be camped next to a wonderful man who was an Indy fan that caught us up on who is who and how they were scoring for the final championship race.  He was 71 years old, lived in our old neighborhood in Phoenix and was just a joy to hang out with.  He lost his wife about 5 years ago and even though he is dating another lovely lady, you could still see that he still missed his lovely wife of over 40 years every time he spoke about her.

Our other neighbor, unfortunately, we did not get to know him until the day after the night he ran his generator ALL NIGHT!  He came over the next day before we had a chance to go over and talk to them about it and he asked if he had been a bad neighbor and we agreed he had been.  He assumed since it was so warm that most people would run theirs all night which we did not.  Of course we could have gone over there at 3am but I did not want to bother him…yes, you heard me right, I can be so annoying at times.  Instead, I stayed up and worried about all those stories we have read about couples dying from the fumes.  Because of the heat all of our windows were open and we are not sure whether that is good or not.  Oh yea, forgot to mention that by this time I woke up Jerry who was sound asleep which scared me because I thought he had rendered to the fumes.  No alarms of ours went off but how certain was I that they were all working correctly.  Or that even though our neighbor had just bought an exhaust pipe that Jerry assisted installing, how certain we were that the pipe was taking the fumes away and not winding right back into our open windows?  Finally after 4am I was too tired to sleep outside anymore and the body was aching so we just threw caution to the wind and decided if we were going to die, we would go together in our RV…what a way to go!

Even with the heat and the one night of the fume fear, we had a great time and are now thinking that we will be checking out more opportunities to be at the tracks besides just NASCAR.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

A Day That Changed It All

9/11 is a day that stands out to many people and most of us can recall exactly where we were that day that changed the world and so many lives.  Even if you were not personally affected by this tragic day, you were still personally affected.

For a moment right after this tragedy when Americans all stood together, when there were no planes in the skies, where people were too busy helping one another to even think about crime was a statement so powerful, I thought for sure we were all on the right track.  But those moments did not last and then the violence, crime and blame began all over again. 

I remember feeling powerless for a short time, then the feeling of empowerment took over from deep within my soul and there was no stopping me.  There were other instances throughout my life that rose up those same thoughts but this time was different.  This time the urgency sent chills up my spine for many years to follow and still does.  It reminds me of how precious every moment of each day truly is and how we each have to take hold of them and turn them into the best possible life we could ever imagine.

We each have to reach deep within our own souls and bring out the best we have to offer.  Stop putting off things until tomorrow…Stop waiting for the perfect moment…Stop making excuses.  That perfect time may never come and then all you will have left is a life not fully lived.  I may not be able to change the world, but I can most certainly change my world and make it the best possible life ever.

Still Learning

Be content with what you have and enjoy the way things are because it can all change in an instant.  ~ Kimberly ~

I just came off a week vacation from the land of “poor me” or a “wah wah wah” attitude.  It is not a fun place to visit, but am certainly happy that we no longer live there permanently.  I finally paid attention a few days ago when my body ached worse than it ever has before and my mind was angry and afraid of every little bump in the dark.  I decided it was time to get over feeling sorry for myself and get back into living our lives the best we can with what we have and stop looking at what we do not have.

On my vacation, I gawked at others newer and nicer rigs and wished we had them.  Everything about their things, I wanted. Their vehicles, their jewelry, their hair, their clothes, their smiles…you get the picture.

Also, in this land I constantly wondered how others see us…

Do they see us as worthless as I was seeing myself?

Do they think we have nothing, as I was thinking we had?

Do they look at us as we are unworthy of good things, as I was looking in the mirror and seeing?

The thoughts that had been creeping back into my thoughts were devastating and it began to get the best of me.  There was a time in my life when that was normal for me, but now I know it is an old pattern that needs to be worked through so that I can begin living my life to the fullest once again.

I was angry at myself for not finishing my books and publishing them.  I was angry for not publishing my photo ideas, my greeting cards ideas and my songs I have written.  At the same time it was easier for me to not fulfill these dreams because if I did and I became a successful creator of those things then my inner voice would not match up with who I was becoming.  Struggling with a big difference in my inner thoughts and who showed in the outer world has always been an issue that I attempt over and over to balance but never quite making it fit properly.

I have learned if I want what others have, I have to believe I deserve them and also understand that I will never have what others have because I have not lived their lives.  To have exactly what others have would mean I would have to have lived their lives the way they have done.  I choose not to go there, instead I chose to get back into meditating and living our lives truer to who we are and stop worrying about what others think or say about us.  We are who we are…take us the way we are or just leave us alone and we will continue to be happier than we have ever been before. 

Learning to stop trying to be somebody or something else than what and who we are from the inside is not always an easy task, but it is something that when lived I feel vibrantly alive and something I strive for as often as possible.

Life may not always give us exactly what we want, but it certainly gives us exactly what we need!

Lunch at Applebee’s

We are still hanging out in the Temecula area and really enjoying ourselves.  We had a gift card from Applebee’s for a long time now and since we did a Wal-Mart stop, we stopped and had lunch.

The food was good and the service was fabulous.

Our appetizer was scrumptious.  We have never had Chicken Won Ton Tacos, they were light and crispy and the sauce was sweet, spicy and delectable.

As usual we ordered different main courses so we could share with one another and neither of them was disappointing.

I had the Southwest Shrimp Fettuccini.  The shrimp was al dente which I love with enough spice to make you want more without causing flames to arise from your taste buds.

Jerry had the Quesadilla Burger.  It was a juicy burger with just the right flavoring served on a Quesadilla which added to the very unique flavor.

The Garlic Bread Basket was nothing to speak about; they were doughy and not very flavorful.  

We also drank Raspberry Ice Tea which was the sweet without being too sweet as many places serve it; it was the best tasting we have drank in a long time. 

We have always liked eating at Applebee’s and will continue to do so in the future.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

What Were We Thinking?

We had time to spare and were just going to hang out in the Southern California area until our new work begins the end of September.  We will be working a Pumpkin Station, a big difference from the Pumpkin Patch we had been doing the past few years.  This job will allow us to use our management skills, not our physically hard working skills.  What a relief that will be and the hours are not as intense either.  We are looking forward to opening another chapter in our lives.

In the meantime, we wonder if we are truly cheap or are we really just frugal as we always say we are?  This past decision challenged those thoughts. 

Many of the RV Parks in California are expensive and we have been using our memberships to lighten the blows, but because of the holiday weekend we could not find any that we could use our memberships and found out many were actually doubling their weekend rates, they were almost charging $100 per night for a minimum of 3 days.  We looked and looked and finally came across one of our memberships that would allow us to stay for only $10 per night through the weekend and into the week.  We jumped on it without thinking…first mistake!  We knew it was a nice place since we had stayed there before, but that was in February of 2010.  The place hadn’t changed much but the big difference we noticed was it was nearly empty.  We soon realized why, it was September in Desert Hot Springs where the temperatures were still in the 100’s every day, and only cooling down to the 80’s at night.  What did we get ourselves into?

After being there a few days we thought we might leave earlier and head towards a bit cooler temperatures and pay the price.  We were getting cabin fever since being outdoors was too hot so we were in the rig all day long with the air running.  We tried to go for a swim but the water was so warm it was not even refreshing and the mineral springs were just too HOT.  Once the sun went down we tried to sit outside on the patio but it was still very warm and not refreshing either.  We took showers without even heating up our water so we were saving on our propane bill.  How much more cheap…hmmm…I mean frugal can we get?

We left Monday and drove just a little over an hour and got back to some more tolerable temperatures where we can turn the air off and sleep with our windows open, soak in a spa and cool ourselves in the pool…we do need to heat our water for showers but it is a price we are willing to pay.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.