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.

San Diego RV Resort

San Diego RV Resort

7407 Alvarado Road

La Mesa, CA  91941

619-469-4697

8/21-8/26/2012

This is definitely more of a place where long termers stay, not an overnight park, but the reason for our stay was to visit San Diego and use the public transportation which is located right outside the resort. 

The spaces had a very strange setup, they were going every which way and to get to our first site we (as little as we are) would not be able to finagle ourselves into the spot due to the extra vehicles all over the roads.  We found another site which we preferred and they were very obliging to move us there. 

Using our Good Sam discount and a free night stay by staying more than three nights we paid $42 per night for a flat gravel site with 50/30 amp service with a sewer hookup.  The spaces were adequate, we were not touching our neighbor but that was because we chose this site, otherwise in certain sites you could be within an arm’s length of your neighbor.

The facilities were magnificent, clean and well maintained.  The pool and spa area was plush with great landscaping.  The other entertainment areas, such as the TV and Billiards rooms were under construction, but look as if they will just enhance the facilities, once completed.

The restrooms/showers and laundry areas were updated, well maintained and very clean as well.  The washers cost $2.50 and $2.00 to dry, a bit pricey but they worked very well.

We got great Verizon and MiFi coverage with our service, they did offer four hours of free Tengo Internet but no cable.

Not sure if this would be a place where we would return again, possibly for a long term stay but not for short term even though it was conveniently located right next to the Interstate and just a block from the MTS Trolley to San Diego.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

Sycuan Casino

Sycuan Casino

5469 Casio Way

El Cajon, CA  92019

619-445-6002

Boondocked – 8/20/2012

On our first visit here they gave us a free buffet at Paipa’s Buffet, normally costing $21 each.  The buffet was delicious; they served a huge variety of foods, including Crab Legs…yummy!

They have a huge non-smoking area as well as an upstairs with some slots and a Bingo area, they also have tables which we did not play.  We played slots until the wee hours of the morning and won a lot of money!

Boondocking is welcomed, all you need to do is park up in the top parking area and call for shuttle service.  We were noticed upon our arrival so they met us up at the parking area, we were the only ones there all night.  Check in with Security and give them your information, driver’s license, make and color of your RV and then they give you a ticket to put on your windshield and they monitor how long you can stay.  No limit to the amount of days you can stay, they just do not want any squatters.  Security came through the area often throughout our stay so we felt very safe.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

Hotel Stay and Dinner at Claim Jumper

During our grueling time at the Orange County Fair, we were presented with several wonderful gifts but this one was heaven sent.  The weekend before the last we were treated to a night stay at the Westin Hotel in Costa Mesa.  It was a great room with a great view and it helped us to survive the last week at the Bacon A-Fair. 

We were able to take long hot showers, sleep and nap in a King Size Bed, and just be tourists without being around the Fair.

We walked over the Unity Bridge to the Claim Jumper for lunch.  

We enjoyed a Sangria Drink... 

Tomato on Flat Bread Appetizer...

Chicken Alfredo on Bow Tie Pasta... 

Ribs and Shrimp that the Ribs were perfectly rubbed and fell off the bones.

We learned that we need to give into more of these specialties in our lives and allow ourselves to truly be in the moment and enjoy it all.  We have a tendency to beat up our bodies and not allow them to truly heal before we beat them up more.  It is about loving ourselves more than anything and taking care of ourselves more than we take care of everything else.

Working at Bacon A-Fair was challenging in so many ways but we both pulled together and got the job done.  At least at Orange County we had a great team for the most part, there are always a few that want to disturb the flow, but we learned enough that those moments passed quickly when we say what needs to be said.  We learned to say it without malice, but we said it firm and when and if that did not work, we went to the boss and he immediately took care of it by backing us up. 

Everything in our lives is a teaching tool, everything has a purpose.  It either shows us something new or confirms something already learned.  The lessons we learned these past few months are priceless and we look forward to sharing them all with our readers.  Thank you again to all of you for staying with us during these times when we don’t write very often and we look forward to more of your comments, we have truly missed them.

NOTE:  All photos were taken with my IPhone since I forgot…can’t remember the last time I forgot to take one of our many cameras with us, goes to show you just how tired we were during this adventure.  The quality of photos with our IPhone is not as good as our cameras, but they do help tell our stories.

Wow…What a Ride!

This adventure began in June and ended on August 13^th when we pulled out of the Orange County Fairgrounds looking for some rest and relaxation.  We drove a short distance to arrive at the Pechanga RV Resort in Temecula, California.  Time to rest, play a little, Jacuzzi, barbeque, swim, clean, relax, and get our bodies and minds back into what they were before this entire adventure began.

This was by far the hardest we had worked in a very long time.  The hours were long, most were 13 hour days, others 15 and more.  The heat was extreme, some days hitting almost a hundred degrees, but adding the heat from the smokers, grills and more grills it was excruciating.  We made a boat load of money and we were blessed with working with fantastic owners.  They treat all their staff as if they were irreplaceable.  They were always concerned about our welfare and showed it in so many different ways.

One of our worst and one of the best adventures we have ever been on…

After almost a week we are now feeling almost back to normal.  We will be leaving here tomorrow and the plan is to head for San Diego to be tourists.  Something we had planned to do back on our honeymoon over 15 years ago. 

Another part of feeling normal is to get back into the writing and photography mode again.  I have missed it so much and do not feel complete unless I make it a part of my daily lifestyle but it has been a challenge to get there once again.  Something I plan to rectify in the near future.  We have so many stories to share and so many life lessons we learned during the past few months but just could not find the time to write about them all.  Life always has something in mind for each of us and it is not always obvious, but looking back it becomes apparent why we made the choices we did…

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

Has It Really Been That Long?

We had absolutely no time to write during our time at the San Diego Fair.  We worked so many frigging hours and those hours were the busiest and hardest we have ever worked.  The media caught onto this new idea that Mike Peterson came up with for the Bacon A-Fair and we were off and running and I do mean running our entire shift.  

Nobody expected it to be such a fantastic busy ride.  Our best sellers were the Bacon Wrapped Turkey Legs and our Porkabellos (play on words)...Portabella mushrooms stuffed with Gouda Cheese, wrapped with bacon and grilled to perfection!

Most of our days were 13 to 15 hour days without much time to catch our breaths, we were exhausted and tried to find ways to make this adventure fun...it wasn't easy but we were determined to keep smiling.

We continued to play catch up with trying to get some good people to work, it was not easy.  People say they want a job, but work does not seem to be a part of what they want to do.  We had long lines of people from opening to close almost constant, we started so far behind that no matter what we did it was never enough. 

Most of our staff ended up being whining, crying babies who needed a break every hour and then began to tell me that I was picking on them, oh boohoo!  I asked them to do certain things and when they did not do it, I asked them again and again and again…then they cried and said I was picking on them.  Then a few brought their drama lives to work with them… 

We had never worked with such incompetent people before in our lives...they fought us every step of the way for one reason or another.  We did have a few that were exceptional workers and got it, but unfortunately we needed more of them to step up and do their jobs without all the chaos they brought with them.  Several said I showed favoritism to a few of them, I wanted to ask them if they thought we were back in grade school but instead I tried to explain that it was because they knew how to do their jobs well and did not need micro-managing, but they just did not get it!

We had Mondays off, and it was spent doing laundry and shopping and then just trying to get our bodies to not hurt, one day was not enough.  Then the last Monday the fair was open so we worked for 9 days straight at 13 to 15 hour days…we were spent!  We had nothing left to give to our writing or anything but to try to sleep a few hours before having to do it all over again.

We barely got through with that fair and we have now moved to the Orange County Fair.  The big difference is that we are ahead of this one.  We have over hired the counter and grilling staff, so it gives us leeway to let people go who are not up to par.  It only runs 5 days per week so we will have Monday and Tuesdays off with no long stretches of work days in a row.  The long hours will be the same but we will be able to handle it until August 12th.  After what we endured at the San Diego Fair, this will feel like a vacation.

The only thing that kept us going was working for Mike and Brittney Peterson, owners of RSI Concessions.  They are so good to work for, Brittney is funny and says the things that I am thinking and Mike, well he is so laid back but gets his point across when needed.  We are such total opposites, they are so easy going and we are so intense, but together we make it all work.  When they hired us, they were looking for someone who can take charge and restructure the counter staff, bet they didn’t expect such a strong fix but they seem to be happy with us.  Micro-managing is not my style, but when the staff does not step up to the plate, then that is what ended up happening.  We plan to lighten up a bit now that we have the San Diego Fair over and we all know what to expect here at the Orange County Fair and will be prepared. 

June – Wine Tasting

May was a slow month for wine tasting, we were just so caught up in other things we hardly took the time to enjoy a good glass of wine and conversations...we intend to make up for it in June.


Covey Run 2010 Columbia Valley Gewurztraminer – We paid $6.02 per bottle, has an alcohol percentage of 12.5 and we gave it a 7.8 rating.  Produced in Columbia Valley, Washington region, we tasted a lime, lychee and spice with floral aromas.  This wine has a crispy taste with a slight sweetness to it and a very strong finish.  It is the better one of the two so far of the Gewurztraminer’s we have tasted and would purchase again.

Pacific Rim 2010 Columbia Valley Sweet Riesling – We paid $8.03 per bottle, has an alcohol percentage of 8.5 and we gave it an 8.7 rating.  Produced in Columbia Valley, Washington region, we tasted the peach, pear and pineapple flavors.  This wine was sweet, smooth, and crisp with a scrumptious green apple finish.  We bought it because of the bright design on the bottle, but loved it for the taste and we will purchase this one again.  

Maurice Carrie’ 2011 Muscat Canelli Moscato – We paid $6.49 per bottle, has an alcohol percentage of 11.2 and we gave it an 8.2 rating.  Produced in the Temecula, California region, we tasted the apricot, mango and peach aromas.  This wine has a light, sweet, clean & crisp flavoring with a smooth lingering finish.  It will be on our list of wines to taste again.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

Silver Strand State Beach on Coronado Island… WOW!

Silver Strand State Beach

5000 Highway 75  

Coronado, California

(619) 435-5184

 Reservations are highly recommended and are made through Reserve America

The bridge crossing over to the island was very intimidating, so much so that I almost forgot to breathe.  Jerry drove it fine, but me I would have preferred to be driving instead of hanging off the edge of the passenger side of the RV.  Once we overcame the excitement of the bridge, the rest of the drive was spectacular.

The idea was for a relaxing day/evening at the beach and that is exactly what we got.  We made the drive to the Silver Strand State Beach where we hoped to get a beachfront site for the night.  We checked the reservations for the past few days, not knowing for sure this is where we would end up and they had plenty of room, then when we tried to reserve it knowing we were heading this way it was within 24 hours and they no longer took online reservations so we chanced it.  We knew they had plenty of availability in the inland sites, but we had our hearts set on a beachfront.

We arrived around 10:30 am and were informed that they had 2 beachfront sites available but they could not be reserved at this time.  Our only choice was to check in at 2pm and hope for the best.  When they say 2pm, they are not kidding, no checking in or getting into line until 2pm, not a moment sooner.  We hung out in the $10 all-day pass area and enjoyed ourselves for a few hours, walking the beach and just relaxing.

We were first in line at exactly 2pm and we got one of the $50 beachfront sites.  For $35 we could have had an inland site, but we are glad we were able to get the beachfront one.  None of the sites had hookups and they were very strict on generator usage so yes it was pricey, but after all we were right on the beach, the ocean was our backyard for the entire evening.  Hearing the sounds of the waves all night long was exactly what we needed, it was meditating and so peaceful.

  

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.