Goodbye 2013

Looking back on our year, some folks might say we did a great deal, but for us we feel we did not do enough because even though we found different roads to take we still stayed on the same path. 

We drove the Pacific Highway once again…

We tasted different wines and even visited a few vineyards…

We ate at so many restaurants and tasted different types of food…

 

We worked the fairs, pumpkins and trees…

We embraced the west all awhile in fear of the east…

2013 for us was a year of rebuilding…rebuilding our courage that is!  A few years back, those storms took a toll on us and we got scared, scared to venture out of the west where storms are not that devastating, but it’s time to move forward and get unstuck.  We have made reservations at NASCAR events and other venues where we can’t…we won’t back down now!

Fear always has a place in your life, but it should never rule your decisions or dreams.  We have so many more places to see and so many more things to do that we can’t…we won’t allow this fear of the weather to take over our lives any longer.  We will be cautious, but we will not be stifled.

We are writing our stories, taking more photos, creating cards and newsletters, we are writing our songs and creating a life we have always dreamed we could live.  All awhile we are learning more about ourselves and the things we love to do and making it our lifestyle.

Yes, there will be storms, but what is life without them?  We will take cover and learn from them and then move forward towards the best life we can live.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Onto Our Next Adventures

This year was a much shorter season but still was long. Working 12+ hours for 30+ days are just rough and we are getting much too old for that sort of demand on our bodies but we made it through and are now onto our next adventures.

We left a little later than planned from the tree lot on Christmas Eve due to an issue on the rig. As I got into the driver’s seat to roll off the pads that had us semi leveled during our stay at the lot the brake pedal went to the floor. Jerry did all he could, he bled the air, he checked for leaks, he checked if the fluid was full and still no brakes. When we shut off the motor, the brakes were back but when we started the motor once again no brakes. A friend of one of the workers who worked on RV’s told us that Fords were notorious for doing this and we needed to get off the blocks and drive around in the lot and the brakes should be fine. I was skeptical and was scared to even drop off the blocks since we were right by the fence, so we removed the fence that gave us a wide area to go through instead of the tight gate area. Well it worked. Once we got Maggie out there the brakes were fine. 

Since we left the lot a few hours later than planned and maneuvering through Cajon Pass with lots of wind we decided to stop in Yermo, California instead of making it all the way to Pahrump, Nevada.

We overnighted at the Barstow Calico KOA and rode our bikes to the local Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner, check out our separate reviews on both.

The next day we drove the few hours left to Pahrump, Nevada on a new highway we had never been on before and it was a wonderful drive.

We plan to stay in Pahrump until the New Year where we have reservations at Circus Circus KOA in Las Vegas so we can see Mystere by Cirque du Soleil at Treasure Island. 

From there we plan to slowly head to Quartzsite where we will work at Big Lou’s BBQ during the RV Show before heading east for some really exciting adventures!

Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner

36654 W Yermo Road

Yermo, CA  92398

760-254-3370

 

 

What a fun place!

 

We have passed by this place so many times and decided this time we were going to go and have some lunch.  We were not disappointed!

 

The memorabilia throughout the diner was fascinating and fun...

The Chicken Fried Steak was fresh and definitely not frozen.  The Mashed Potatoes were made with real potatoes and the right amount of spices.

We would highly recommend dining here and we will certainly revisit whenever we are in the area again.

 

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

It’s All Good until Somebody Gets Hurt

Isn’t that how life is?   

Rules and laws are made because somebody got hurt doing exactly that one thing you shouldn’t be doing.

Relationships are all good until one person does something to hurt the other and then all gloves are off.

Common sense goes right out the window and people are just stupid at times and that is why many people get hurt and then come back and want to blame and /or sue the person that was there but in all actuality had nothing to do with their stupidity. 

It feels at times that people are so far from using any common sense and for many it seems they feel that the rules are not meant for them.

Dogs off leashes because of course their masters are stupid and always claim their dog does not bite.  Okay, even if they don’t bite, what about them urinating all over our stuff.  You may like the smell of urination but we do not and we should not have to smell it because YOU will not obey the rules.

By the way…it does rain in Southern California…no matter what that song says!  It started spitting around midnight and throughout the night and into the morning it has been drizzling and pouring periodically for the past few days.  The ground is wet and even has puddles, so for you non-believers, you can believe it does rain here!

Our vacation is almost over as we head back to work the trees, but in the meantime we have just been enjoying our down time.  We haven’t done anything particularly exciting but we have been taking bike rides, eating out, shopping online and at the nearby mall and just relaxing.  We know that the lot will be busy and that 2014 is going to be an extensive traveling year so we are soaking in all the relaxation that we can for now before the whirlwind begins.

We have several job offers and we are not sure which direction we are going to take since they all offer some sort of different aspect that is exciting.  This is the time we need to just take a deep breath and allow the Universe to guide us…so hard for control freaks like us to do but we are learning.

We also have to learn to let go of the fear.  Because of the several tornadoes we were involved in, and the floods and hurricane a few years back we still fear the weather heading eastbound.  We have not had to deal with any sort of bad weather in these past few years and just the thought of heading back east again scares the heebie jeebies right out of us.  We have come to understand that that fear has made us stagnant in living our dream lifestyle and we need to buck up and begin living again.  It won’t be easy and there will be many sleepless nights but if we are to continue on this journey of ours then we need to move forward and not stay so stuck in the past and start enjoying ourselves and become adventurous once again.

Galley at the Marina

550 Marina Pkwy

Chula Vista, CA  91910

619-422-5714

11/15/2013

Even though it was a chilly and windy morning, we chose to sit in the outdoor patio area so we could enjoy the view.  They did have heaters running which took off the chill a bit and we were quite comfortable.

Since it was morning and we came for breakfast we decided to start off with one of their famous Bloody Marys.  They were spicy, fresh and served with lime, olive and a pepperoncini which was a new touch that gave it an additional spiciness and tasted excellent.

Usually when we eat out, we find two favorite dishes and we both order one of them.  This way we are able to taste two different ones.  This was different for us since we both ordered the Lobster & Crab Omelet, the only difference were our potato choice, hash browns and home fries and they both were excellent.  The eggs wrapped around huge, succulent pieces of lobster and crab and then it was topped with a delicious jalapeño cheese sauce which added to the wonderful bursts of flavor going on with each bite.

Our server gave us excellent service.  She had a great smile, a great laugh and was always there when we needed anything.  We would highly recommend this place!

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Thoughts When Our Bodies Are Exhausted & Our Minds Are Not…

Life has always been a bit challenging for us but we are so grateful that it has not been as bad as it could have been.  We do have so much to be grateful for but still there are times that we wonder if we will ever have the life we have always dreamed we would have.  We always follow our dreams but they never seem to manifest entirely for us as we have seen happen for others.  We stay focused, we believe, we go after it and still just a fraction of our dreams happen.

We have been living this lifestyle now for so many years and we still have the same dreams…to be able to travel, write our stories, take our photos and make a living out of it.  So far that has not happened and we have to take other jobs to pay our expenses and these jobs are hard and take away the time we could have to work on our dream lifestyle. 

It’s that vicious cycle again…when will it ever end!

We have learned many lessons in our lives but we now feel it should be the time where we can reap some of the rewards.  We are tired and are bodies really can’t take much more, we have beat them up so much in our years of physical labor that they are exhausted and our hearts are heavy.

We are currently on vacation in between the Pumpkin Station and Christmas Tree lot and trying to find the strength to do the things we want to do and every day it gets a little easier, our bodies are healing from overworking them. 

What started off as a morning “little” ride on our bikes ended up being a 40 mile ride that almost had us stranded.  We left the Chula Vista RV Resort

and followed the Bayshore Bikeway.  All the research we did told us it was 24 mile round trip but ended up being a little over 40 which took a strain on our Go-Bikes and we limped back the last mile.

Jerry got a new pair of sunglasses that have peace signs on them so he is now into "Peace Out"!

We made it to our site without pushing the bikes or having to peddle all the way.  Peddling on these bikes are much more strenuous then on a regular bike so pushing would have been easier and they are much heavier than a regular bike so either of those options would have been hard.

We then plugged them in for a short time so we could go and have some lunch at the nearby South Bay Fish & Grill.  Check out our separate review for our experience.

We are once again living our lives to the fullest and stop reflecting on all the things we don’t have and focusing more on all the great things we do have in our lives.  Perfect time of the year for that since Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  We have sort of reflected back on this past year and realize it was almost the same as the last so we decided to throw caution to the wind and begin once again checking off items on our Life List beginning the first of January where we just made reservations to see the Mystere, a Cirque du Soleil production at Treasure Island in Las Vegas.  

Then we plan to head East this summer and finally check off the New England states from our list as well.  We are looking for physically easier work so we do not beat our bodies up as much and will be able to enjoy this new adventure and know that we will find it just as long as we stay focused on where we want to be and not where we do not want to be.  Life is funny that way, it will give you exactly what you stay focused on even if that is exactly what you do not want.  Our focus is now on all the great things we have in our lives and just accepting more of it.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Wine Tastings

2011 Blue Moon Riesling produced by BridgeviewVineyards in Cave Junction, Oregon has 12% alcohol with apple and honey flavoring is not the sweetest Riesling we've tasted but not the driest either. An inviting aroma and a taste that lingers but does not overwhelm. We would purchase again for $6 per bottle.

We rated the Lucky Duck Moscato with an 8.1 because of its sweetness and strong taste of honeydew melon and peaches that would be perfect with any spicy food.  We paid $4 for this 11% alcohol from Chile that we would purchase again.

2011 Family Vineyards Riesling produced by Sutter Home located in Napa Valley has a 12.5% alcohol that we gave an 8.6 rating.  Fresh, Spring like taste with just a touch of sweetness that stays on your palate that would be great with any food, especially spicy.  We paid $5 per bottle and would be likely to purchase again. 

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.