Thursday: (02/02) Another chilly morning. I warmed my paint in front of the heater then sanded and reprimed the shower frame. After lunch I got out the wall panels and varnished the outside. I also painted the color coat where needed on the frame. Later, I disassembled the rank wall that has the water heater and will have the pump, air cushion and filter. When I installed the tee nuts to mount the pump I found one was not a Tee nut. So, I made a run to ACE to swap it. I goofed again. The one I got was a 10/24 not a 10/32. No fun. I also went by Lowe’s and bought another sheet of plywood for the back shower wall. Still an arm and a leg to purchase wood. I also returned a bunch of stuff to Lowe’s. Granola for breakfast. Lunch was a Quarter pounder from McDonald’s. I needed to get some french fries for Lou. I haven’t eaten anything from there in 10-15 years. It hasn’t improved. Fries are still OK though. Diner from Tacos El Grullense. I had a chili relleno and shared a super nachos with Lou.
Friday: (02/03) I made one of my hiker breakfast sandwiches, even though I’m not hiking today. We had a good rain early in the morning that faded later in the morning. I made a shopping run. I went to Walmart for a few things including a couple of pairs of jeans. They had my size so I bought two pairs. Back home I tried them on. One fit, the other was at least one size too small. I returned the bad pair later. I also bought a replacement tee nut for the troublesome one for the van. When I tried to assemble the pump and air bladder my bolts were too short. Salad for lunch. When I returned to Walmart they had some longer size bolts. Amazing how much stuff they have. Back home I installed the pump and badder and reassembled the panel back in place. I still need to wire and plumb the pump. Lou made tacos for dinner.
Saturday: (02/04) A rainy morning. I prepared corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast. After breakfast I decided to finish pruning the berry vines that Dawn had started. I also plucked the dead vines from the bean / squash trellis. I finished just after it had restarted to rain again. Lou fixed popcorn for lunch. She mentioned that our neighbor's car cover was loose. She’s away so I went to tie it down again. Dawn made vegetable soup which I had with toast for dinner.
Sunday: (02/05) A rainy day. I enjoyed a corned beef hash sandwich for breakfast. I haven’t had one of those for years. I made a quick run to Grocery Outlet for some sauerkraut and pork chops. I started the slow cooker with potatoes, sausage, pork chops and sauerkraut for dinner. Rain was intermittent and came in some heavy bursts so I tinkered inside much of the day. In the late afternoon I did some plumbing in the van installing the water lines to the pump.
Monday: (02/06) Another corned beef hash sandwich for breakfast. I was off early on the 0750 Caltrain to San Francisco. From there I caught the “T” Muni train to Chinatown. Then I was off on a random route through the city. I walked West on Washington Street to Divisadero Street. Along the way I stopped to watch three homes that are being lifted to put new foundation underneath. I talked with one of the owners about the project. Finally, her dow convinced her to continue his walk. I continued South on Divisadero until it curved, then I walked various winding streets up the hill toward the top of Mount Sutro. I continued over to Twin Peaks then came down through Glen Canyon and caught a Bart train to South San Francisco for lunch at Chevys Fresh Mex restaurant. Then I took the “ECR” Samtrans bus back home. I walked about 10 miles through the city. I was back home just after 1700. My back didn’t complain on this hike. I had some ramen noodles for dinner.
Tuesday: (02/07) PBJ toast for breakfast. My plans to work on the van today were minimized due to the need to act a chauffeur. I took Dawn down to San Jose State for her to tour the new anthropology lab. She didn’t feel well but was worried because it took some time to arrange the tour. She texted the professor and found it was OK to reschedule the tour when she feels better. We learned this as she had been dropped off and I was looking for parking. We’ll return later so we headed back home. Lou fried up the leftover pork with sauerkraut and potatoes with eggs for lunch. I got a few more water lines installed before another trip to Dawn’s doctor's appointment in San Jose. I picked up dinner from Super Taqueria on the way home from San Jose.
Wednesday: (02/08) Granola and banana for breakfast. I tinkered inside in the morning and attended my Wednesday webinar as well. Then I got to work on the van, I made some more piping connections. While I thought I had bought too many crimp rings, I ran out before just the connectors needed to bring the piping past the shower. I’m really bad at planning. I also did some searching and planning for Dawn’s seat and bed installation. Chili ramen noodles for lunch. Salad for dinner.
Thursday: (02/09) Since I had two bell peppers left that were getting old, I made some more corned beef hash this morning. I served it with fried eggs for breakfast. I never got busy on the van today. I did work on renewing my driver's license and getting a real ID. I took a drivers test that is required for my renewal because I’m over 70. Age discrimination for sure. I now need to locate the documents for the real ID and upload them. Unfortunately our passports expired in 2016 and I haven’t been able to locate my birth certificate yet. Ramen noodles and chili again for dinner.
Friday: (02/10) Granola and banana for breakfast. I made a run to ACE for some screws. I also stopped by Costco to have them straighten out my access to their website. Hamburger a la Lou for lunch. I worked after lunch on cutting out the plywood panels I varnished a while back with appropriate notches that are needed for them to fit. The first panel actually grew a ½” each time just before I brought it back from having cut off a 1/2 “. I had to remove it at least six times. It must have been growing because otherwise I would have had to cut it three inches too wide. I got one wall level and screwed in and one panel with final fit in just before the rain started.
Saturday: (02/11) Lou made zucchini with onions and sausage for breakfast. I took a walk from the house through the College Terrace neighborhood then up past the Stanford Dish and finishe up looking around the Arizona Garden before catching a bus back home. Lou callee to saw she made German potato salad and bread pudding for lunch so I shouldn’t stop for lunch on my hike. We had some heavy rain at 0200 last night and today threatened more but it did seem to do much, just a few sprinkles like just as I was walking from the bus home. I never got to work on the van today, just relaxed and napped. Corned beef hash sandwich for dinner.
Sunday: (02/12) Leftover corned beef hash for breakfast. The usual lazy Sunday morning. TV shows and newly released Youtube subscriptions to view. Chinese food for lunch. I did a little work on the van cutting and fitting some framing for the shower. I finished the day prime painting the framing pieces. Dawn made scalloped potatoes for dinner.
Monday: (02/13) In the morning I went to Walmart for some things. Back home I took a walk around the neighborhood watching the sewer replacement contractor finish up his punch list patching the last of the curb cuts and paving needs. Then I did a little work on the van. I made a run to the hardware store in the afternoon for some plumbing parts. Leftover Chinese food for breakfast. Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Leftover sausage, onions with zucchini and some hot and sour soup for dinner
Tuesday: (02/14) Avocado toast for breakfast. It was a cloudy cold day today with home sprinkles after noon. I took a walk to Walmart and Trader Joe’s. It was about a 4 mile walk on this cold morning. I bought a serving spoon for Lou at Walmart and some ciabatta rolls at trader Joe’s for me. Lunch at Bajis Cafe in Mountain View. The afternoon was just a food coma nap. Lou made stuffed bell peppers with baked potatoes and roast cauliflower for dinner.
Wednesday: (02/15) Soft boiled eggs for breakfast. As a treat later in the morning, I enjoyed the first artichoke from our plants in a while. There are 5 more on the way. These are really creamy meaty artichokes. I attended my Wednesday webinar in the morning. I tried to get started on the van after that but I had problems finding things I needed. I had a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. After lunch I headed to ACE to look for some things I needed, in addition to those I tried to find this morning. Moussaka with orange carrots for dinner..
Thursday: (02/16) Granola and banana for breakfast. I headed up the hill to take a walk in Pescadero County Park. I hiked the Tarwater Trail then the Pomponio Trail and finally back to the car on the Coyote Ridge Trail. The hike was about 7 miles and took a little over 3 hours. While it was cold, there was no rain today. Chili relleno from Tacos El Grullense for lunch. I relaxed the rest of the day.Dawn’s vegetable pork rice stew for dinner.
Friday: (02/17) Lou made pear pancakes for breakfast. I worked on the van starting the construction of the over bed cabinet. First, I had to remove another ceiling panel at the rear of the van to expose the ceiling beams. I then installed a 2x2 across the beams along where the top front of the cabinet will be. I then installed some of the ¾”x ¾” boards to the edges of that 2x2 and around to top of the shower to attach the ceiling panels to. Still a lot more to do but at least it’s a start. Tomorrow I may even start to reinstall the ceiling panels. I had a ham and cheese sandwich with some leftover hot and sour soup for lunch. Lou made St louis BBQ ribs with baked potatoes and corn on the cob for dinner.
Saturday: (02/18) Avocado toast for breakfast. I worked on constructing the microwave cabinet. I hung the rafter support and framed the cabinet and cut out the end pieces but only fitted one end, Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Shepherd’s pie for dinner.
Sunday: (02/19) Avocado toast for breakfast. Chili rellenos with rice and chicken mole for lunch. I was busy all day completing the construction of the microwave cabinet above the refrigerator. Its a hanging cabinet that will house the microwave and have about 3 cubic feet of storage as well. I had to make a run to ACE to get some brackets to hang the cabinet. I’ll have to remove it and prime paint it then rehang it, but first, I’ll build the clothes closet as well. Pizza from A State Of Mind Pizza for dinner.
Monday: (02/20) We got a slow start leaving in the RV. We headed off about 1100. We stopped for brunch at the Longhouse Cafe in Gilroy. We love their garlic pork chops. We couldn’t check in to our campsite until 1500 so a couple of thrift stores benefited from our visits. Dawn also looked at Best Buy and an antic store downtown. We arrived at Coyote Lake County Campground about 1515. It was a nice afternoon though bit cool. BBQ ribs with baked potatoes and Brussels sprouts for dinner.
Tuesday: (02/21) Leftover pancakes and pork chop for my breakfast. Other leftovers for Lou and Dawn. When it warmed up enough I headed off for a hike. I did an 8.5 mile loop on the Valley Oak, Calaveras, Harvey Bear, and Coyote Ridge Trails. Along the way I saw 11 deer, two coyote, and a bobcat in addition to lots of turkeys and other birds. I also came across a downed Chinese spy balloon. It was in disguise as a Valentines balloon set of three mylar balloons. It was brought down economically by an oak tree limb. All the animals were unusually calm and all remained within less than 50 feet for viewing for extended periods. Very unusual for me. I fried some pork chops with baked potatoes and added leftover orange carrots for dinner. The wind came up to 30 mph gusts just after I returned from my hike about 1330.
Wednesday: (02/22) Extreme gusty winds all night and some cold gusty wind today. Leftover in a sandwich for breakfast. I took a hike out the Mummy Mountain Trail out to the Mendosa trailhead and back on the Coyote Ridge Trail about a 5.5 mile loop. No wildlife seen today, by me. While I was gone, Lou and Dawn took a drive out to the dam and saw turkeys, wild pigs, and deer. Lucky them. We rolled out of camp about noon. We drove down to the Longhouse restaurant for a replay of the garlic pork chops breakfast we enjoyed on Monday. We were rolling separately. Dawn and Lou were off shopping. I headed home on the back roads and got gas on the way. The RV shocks are bad so when it is not towing the jeep, it gets into a wobble above 45 mph. I prefer the non freeway travel anyway. Leftover zucchini and sausage for dinner.
Thursday: (02/23) A cold day with ocassional showers and heavy rain in the evening. Granola for breakfast. I worked in the yard picking up items dislodged by the heavy winds of the past couple of days. I also cleaned up the back and side yard of limbs and leaves and other debris brought down by the winds. Lou’s broccoli soup for lunch. Ramen noodles and leftover pork chops for dinner.In the afternoon and evening I worked on a spreadsheet that Dawn was needing a little help with. Unusual weather. It snowed at the beach in Santa Cruz and on Pagemill Road just up the hill from the house. Also snow on all area mountains. We even had some thunder and lightning late at night.
Friday: (02/24) Heavy rain last night and this morning. I had leftover pancakes for breakfast. I lounged inside all morning out of the cold and rain. I also did a little office work. I went outside a few times and each time it started to rain again so I gave that dumb idea up. Banana bread for lunch. Pot roast for dinner.
Saturday: (02/25) I made an egg, ham and cheese breakfast sandwich to start. I attended the Silicon Valley Code Camp webinar all morning which was all about ChatGPT. We had salad for lunch. Since the weather was cloudy and threatened rain occasionally, I just stayed inside most of the day. It never rained all afternoon. We did make a grocery shopping run to Smart and Final. I made some Spanish rice with hamburger, peppers, onions, salsa, black beans and rice for dinner.
Sunday: (02/26) Granola and banana for breakfast. A rainy day. I relaxed inside all day. Salad for lunch. Leftover Spanish rice for dinner.
Monday: (02/27) Avocado toast for breakfast. I relaxed inside all day. A rainy day with a long heavy shower in the afternoon. Ramen noodles and salad for lunch. Chili beans over baked potatoes for dinner.
Tuesday: (02/28) A really rainy day. Granola and banana for breakfast. I made a shopping run to Safeway, Walmart and REI. I got some socks at REI. I wanted to try out some ¼ length socks for hikes. Chinese food for lunch and dinner. About 1600 we went over to Stanford to an assisted device exhibit.
