I arrived in Yuma this afternoon none the worse for wear. The drive on I-5 and through LA traffic was scary but uneventful. There are new freeways shown on the map as "future" and not listed on the GPS which would have made a slightly smoother drive hid I know they were finished. I hit Pasadena smack in the mist of 4:00 commuter traffic but much to my surprise the traffic didn't come to a complete stop but crawled along at about 20 mph. It could have been much worse. The down side was that once I got through all the traffic I wasn't sure where to stay. I drove on until I hit Calimesa and a very nice rest stop, only to find that if I had gone just a little further I would have arrived at some nice casinos. Oh well, I was pretty tired and the rest stop was very nice.

I did have one exciting moment on the trip. This afternoon I stopped in Brawley around lunch time to pick up a few groceries and let Sadie walk. I returned to my rig to let Sadie out and at that exact moment the rig started to bounce up and down. Then my grocery cart took off. By the time I realized what was happening my rig started to bounce up and down again and I was sure it was going to take off or explode. I had to hang on to Sadie. I looked up and the lamp post was swaying. EARTHQUAKE!! The radio said there was a 5.9 earthquake originating around the US and Mexico border. Good thing I'm a California gal and used to such things. . although they do seem to follow me. Its been awhile since I experienced such a large earthquake and it caught me off guard.

The WINS are camped on BLM land behind the VFW building. I ambled in and found a great spot in the shade, which I'm having second thoughts about. Its probably not the most efficient place for my solar panels. I'll wait and see how tomorrow goes. Its a nice balmy 70 degrees but feels warmer. The shade will be nice for Sadie, but sun is needed for the solar panels.

Happy Holidays

Since I posted last I've spent a few days at Gold Ranch Good Sam RV Park near Reno. I really don't like staying in parks but it had been sooo cold that I needed some "real" hooks ups. Jeremy's house only has a 15 amp which limits me to the amount of heat I can use. When I arrived I had to wait for some folks to leave because only a few of the sites has been plowed. Reno received several feet of snow and the cold temperatures keep the snow on the ground.

My son Conlan Craig had vacation time to use or lose so he and his 100 lb lab decided to keep me company at the family cabin in Arnold. We arrived on the 20th and had a few days to ourselves before my brother, mother, nieces, and grand nieces and nephews, and son Justin and daughter-in-law arrived. There is minimal cell coverage and internet connection requires a trip into town a few miles away. We do have TV..but just the basics. The cabin has been in our family for over 40 years and the first time I ever visited I was pregnant with Conlan, so spending Christmas there was very special, especially since Conlan was there with me.

Conlan and cousin Matthew are sharing a moment

Grand niece baby Zoe

Justin is enjoying his little cousin Zoe

My brother Dale. Next year we'll give him a Santa suit!

My brother and I, along with help from everyone served Christmas dinner for 23. There were 13 adults and 10 kids. We cooked two small turkeys on the Bar-B-Q (only in the mountains in California..the weather co-operated and the out door heaters helped) and warmed up the prepared trimmings that everyone had brought in the oven. Everything was quite festive although little crazy. My poor 89 year old mother was ready have some quiet time after everyone left.

Grandma Bea

I drove mom home to Pacific Grove yesterday. I was really tempted to spend a few days in PG but the desert and my WIN friends are beckoning so I started off early this morning to brave the Southern California traffic and should join up with everyone in Yuma sometime tomorrow.

It's a snow day!

This is what I woke up to this morning

The weather report said it was going to snow, but they are usually wrong this time of year. Well, they were wrong in that the prediction was for snow in Calpine was maybe 12" but not 2-3 feet.. Jeremy was up at 5:30 this morning to clear out the lower driveway so he could go to work. By the time he did part of the driveway it filled up again. Well, he only got as far as part of the driveway on the second pass before a shear pin broke on the snow thrower and then left for work. This brought back memories of the years I lived in Truckee and even though I had a plow service I still had to clear out berm and driveway as the plow came through. Anyway, I don't have to go anywhere am so glad I don't have to deal with clearing out the driveway.

I had my follow up appointment last Tuesday and all is going is planned. The doc said I could be mobile without crutches as tolerated and drive if necessary. The staple removal was not fun. I didn't know there could be so many staples in one incision. So, all is going well and I'm able to walk 30-45 minutes before I start to get sore. I'm really itching to strap out my cross country skis or snow shoes and go play, but they are in storage 60 miles away and probably should wait just a little longer. Darn, its hard to let a good powder day go.

Pending weather, my plan is to stick around Calpine just a little longer and then head over to the family cabin in Arnold, CA for Christmas. Brother Dale and all of my nieces and grandnieces and grandnephews along with some of my sons and mother will be there, so can't pass up the opportunity to see everyone. From there I'll transport my mother back to the coast and spend a few days then meander south.