Almost Next Year

Friday: (12/27) Much of the morning was spent supervising the city crew installing a gas line for the new house down the street. I also made and installed the flag bracket on Lou’s wheelchair that we carry in the Jeep. I also finished the laundry. Pumpkin pie for breakfast. For lunch, we went to IKEA for a walk and lunch. A ham sandwich for dinner. I restarted working on the backlog of photos for the blog.

Saturday: (12/28) I worked in the yard for most of the day. I sawed up and burnt a pile of junk wood and some papers in our fire pit. I also chopped down the non producing avocado tree then chopped it up and put it in the compost bin. Granola and banana for breakfast. Snacked for lunch. We all went to Chili’s for dinner.

 

 

Sunday: (12/29) Granola and diced apple for breakfast. Lou and I went grocery shopping this morning. Walmart, trader Joe’s, Sprout’s and finally Whole Foods. At home, I relaxed in my man cave (RV). Snacked for lunch. For dinner, I made navy bean soup and prepared the scalloped potatoes and sweet potatoes. Lots of leftovers. It started to rain in the afternoon.

Monday: (12/30) It was a rainy day. I researched equipment and planned some mods to my solar and battery wiring. I ordered a new DC-DC charger that also has a solar MPPT controller. It will allow the RV alternator to charge the house batteries as well as the starter battery as well as charge the house batteries and trickle charge the start battery with solar. It won’t let the house drain the starting battery as well. Granola and banana for breakfast. A nice ham sandwich for lunch. Leftover bean soup for dinner.

 

Tuesday: (12/31) Lou had a couple of appointments in the morning. We dropped Dawn off at the bookstore. After lunch we stopped at the Walmart Neighborhood Market for some things. They have a better supply of canned goods and Lou needs some small cans of vegetables. At home I prepared a hike for the San Jose Midweek hikers group and announced it. It’s the first hike I’ve led other than my Pinnacles Hikes a couple of months ago. I scheduled one of my old hikes at Los Trancos OSP. I only expected a couple of people to join me but so far have 15. Waffles and sausage for breakfast. Lunch at the Country Inn on Saratoga Ave in San Jose. Leftover navy bean soup for dinner. We toasted in the new year at New York time because we are short hitters and will be asleep at midnight. We toasted with some homemade apple pear cider that my friend Alex gave us.

Henry Coe SP, China Hole Hike

Thursday: (12/26) Granola and banana for breakfast. Signed up for a hike this morning and got on the waitlist. I decided to plan on being accepted. Because getting to Henry Coe State Park takes near 1.5 hours, I departed at 0800 for the 0930 hike. I got the message from the hike leader, Tara, as I got in the Jeep. There were only six of us on the hike to China Hole. The weather was clear but cold. The streams were flowing but manageable. A nice 10 mile hike. I stopped at Super Taqueria for a late burrito lunch on the way home. At home I did some laundry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Time

Tuesday: (12/24) I drove Lou to Kaiser for PT. While she was busy, i wen grocery shopping. I visited the Walmart Neighborhood Market nearby. They are better stocked than our local Walmart. Mostly canned goods. After I picked up Lou she needed us to return the Walmart for a few more things. Then we were off to Lunch. I returned her home then went to Safeway to pickup our Christmas dinner. When i checked in they informed me they didn’t have the order nor any more of their ham dinners. In fact, they said the online orders are alway goofed up. Good to know, but? The deli manager fixed me up with lots of stuff from the deli and market that more than equilled what we had ordered. In fact, it’s now too much. I ended up with two big hams, all the fixings for a turkey dinner (Mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce) and the items from the market for what we would have gotten for a ham dinner (Scalloped potatoes, Mashed sweet potatoes and a huge fruit, nut and cheese plate). We’ll get by. After fitting all that into the RV refrigerator I was worn out and need a nap. Leftover Pepper and rice casserole and chicken for breakfast. For lunch we went to Applebee’s Grill. Chili Beans for dinner. I prepared a plan for preparing Christmas dinner since it’s on me this year. Not difficult to just warm things but it does require a schedule.


Wednesday: (12/25) I made grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast. At noon I started preparing dinner. Meanwhile, we enjoyed a fruit, nut and cheese platter and Ernie's deviled eggs and beef log. Cecelia and Courtney joined Ernie, Dawn, Lou and I for dinner. Ernie prepared the pies for dessert. This was my first holiday meal prep.

Calero County Park Hike

Monday: (12/23) Up early and off to a hike at Calero County Park. At 1000 I met my fellow hikers there and Neal led us on an 8.7 mile loop hike. We finished the hike about 1345. It was a nice day but cool and overcast. We didn’t see the sun until the end of our hike. Breakfast was leftover pepper rice casserole. I had a snack on the trail and after the hike I stopped at the Lucky Chinese Bistro for some chow fun noodles and black bean fish, my favorite.

 

 

 

A Little Rain and Cold For The Holidays

Thursday: (12/12) Dawn and I dropped her new computer off at Best Buy for them to transfer the apps and data from the old to the new laptop. Lou had a PT visit. I tried to catch up on my sleep much of the rest of the day. Granola and banana for breakfast. I made home fried potatoes with smoked pork chop and fried eggs. Dawn made veggie soup for dinner.

Friday: (12/13) We had an 1100 appointment at Best Buy to pick up Dawn’s computers. They finished really quickly moving all Dawn’s apps and files from her old laptop. We also dropped a couple of boxes off at the Post Office. Back home, I prepared breakfast (lunch) of leftover potatoes and smoked pork chops with eggs. I did some cleanup in the backyard organizing my wood pile. It was disheveled due to working on the cottage roof. I also did some laundry.

Saturday: (12/14) Granola and banana for breakfast. Chili size for lunch Chopped salads from the Corner Bakery Cafe for dinner. Not much else accomplished.

Sunday: (12/15) Leftover home fried potatoes for breakfast. Lou and Dan had waffles. Since it was sunny much of the day, I took thee electric bike out for a spin. I stopped by Trader Joe's, Safeway, and Sprouts market and filled my saddlebags with some needed groceries. I picked up a chicken strip for my lunch. Dawn made beef stew over rice for dinner. I spent some time cleaning up my study today.

Monday: (12/16) Another relaxing day at home even though it was a sunny day and we have five or more stormy days to follow. I took Dawn to the Post Office to mail a registered letter and for some reason, the line was out the door, What is it Christmas? In the evening I researched and ordered some parts for the RV. Granola for breakfast. Hummus toast for lunch. Chilli size for dinner.

Tuesday: (12/17) Lou had an appointment for PT today, her first trip out. We stopped at Applebee’s for lunch on the way home. I got a text from Walmart that my new Roku TV was in at the Mountain View store. I took the grocery shopping list with me and picked up the TV and groceries from Walmart, Sprouts, and Trader Joe’s. The new TV is a UHD 4K Element Roku TV. All our TV’s except the living room are Roku TV’s. That means the same remote works for all and each remote is laid out the same. This is the first one that is UHD (Ultra High Definition). I intend to use it as a 40 inch computer monitor. My eyes aren’t as good as they once were. The TV is about half the cost of a 24” monitor. It works great. Granola and banana for breakfast. Applebee’s restaurant for lunch. Baked potato and sausage for dinner.

Wednesday: (12/18) We watched most of the impeachment debate and vote today. I moved out to my man cave (the RV) and I attended my regular Wednesday webinar at 1000 My new TV/monitor worked well for the webinar. I made home fried potatoes with sausage and eggs for breakfast. Hummus toast for lunch. Waldorf salad and refried beans for dinner. Our yard man came by in the afternoon and I helped him load our chicken and rabbit coops onto his little pickup. Quite a load for the little truck.

Thursday: (12/19) A second day with no rain and mostly sunny all day. We all went to breakfast this morning to A Good Morning restaurant. Lou’s first time out with no other purpose than to eat out. We stopped at Walmart to get some things then at a couple of Trader Joe’s as well. To get our preferred Red Rose decaffeinated tea, we have to order it online. Most of the markets don’t carry decaf or are usually out of stock. The Trader Joe’s were to try to get Lou some chocolate liqueur candies. Unfortunately they are already out for the season. I enjoyed a second day in my cafe.

Friday: (12/20) I took Lou out to get her hair cut before lunch. We stopped for lunch at Baji’s on the way home. In the afternoon I took a little neighborhood walk. Leftover home fried potatoes with sausage and eggs for breakfast. Lunch at Baji’s Cafe in Mountain View. Leftover bell pepper casserole for dinner.

Saturday: (12/21) Leftover Bell pepper rice and a banana for breakfast. I took a bike ride down to San Antonio Mall and enjoyed a chai latte drink. Since it wasn’t raining and only overcast, i did a little yard work. I weeded the walkway with the Weedeater.

Sunday: (12/22) A rainy day. Leftover pepper and rice casserole. I signed up for my first hike in a month for tomorrow. Lou is doing really well. I am enjoying another day in my man cave. More leftovers for dinner.

Another Pair Of battleborn Batteries

Wednesday: (12/11) I was off shopping in the morning. I stopped for a breakfast burrito at A Good Morning restaurant. I visited Walmart, Safeway and Sprouts to get all my shopping needs. At home I had to inspect the crew doing the asphalt repair on the driveway apron. A little chopped veggie salad for lunch. My new RV BattleBorn Lithium batteries arrived. It's my second pair to replace the two remaining AGM batteries. I installed the new batteries with no sparks. I also corrected a wiring error I made that displayed negative current when charging via the solar system. That was because I placed the negative of the solar charger on the battery negative not below the shunt. It worked correctly for one set of batteries but not the other pair. However, I still have to add a second battery monitor if I want seperate systems. So more to do.

 

Fall With Lou

Saturday: (11/23) Leftovers sauerkraut and potatoes fried with eggs and sausage for breakfast. I went to Lowe’s to get some new corrugated steel roofing for the cottage. The roof is rusted through in several places. I was also considering replacing it with plywood and asphalt rolled roofing. Unfortunately, owes had neither. I avoid buying from Home Depot any more because of it’s Trump support but I stopped by reluctantly. They did have the steel panels and rolled roofing. But I discovered the rolled roofing rolls were 95sf and I need about 105sq. I really don’t like that much waste. I also reconsidered the time I have to do this project before Lou’s surgery. Just one day and if I remove the existing roof there is no telling what else I need to repair under it. So I decided to just secure a tarp over it for now. I stopped for lunch at the Lucky China Bistro on the way home. At home I cleaned off the rooftop. It was actually a storage place. I removed the two chicken coops planters and other materials. I also had to move a wood pile leaning against the building. I managed to get the tarp installed before dark. More work to do tomorrow to get rid of the coops and other junk. We also have to move our cars from the roadway all next week due to repaving. We went to the Corner Bakery for dinner. After dinner we went to the Tellabration where Dawn was one of the story tellers.


Sunday: (11/24) Granola and banana for breakfast. Dawn and I went to BestBuy in Mountain View and bought a new laptop for Dawn. We went to lunch at Applebee’s Grill in Redwood City and then looked at some neighborhood open houses. The prices are really encouraging if we were selling. A Chili baked potato for dinner.

Monday: (11/25) Granola and banana for breakfast. I relaxed all morning. Leftovers for lunch. Lou and I went to a laundromat to wash all our bedding. When one of the giant washers was finishing its final spin it was out of balance. It made the building shake worse than our 1989 earthquake did. The concrete floor was even heaving. I think they might have evacuated the 7Eleven next door. Lou and I went to LUU Noodle House for dinner. Dawn was out to a movie with Courtney.

Tuesday: (11/26) A rainy day. Lou and I were off to Kaiser. Lou gets her new knee today. I went off to breakfast at Holder’s Country Inn then shopping. I also took a nap then returned to the hospital by 1345. Lou was in recovery. We left the hospital by 1645. It had started to rain. We are expecting a big storm for the next few days. Dawn had made mushroom soup and toast for dinner.

Wednesday: (11/27) A rainy day. A relaxing day. Lou was busy recovering, I was busy watching here do it. In the afternoon the nurse came by for a checkup. Dawn made rice with fried eggs for breakfast. For dinner Dawn made lima beans with rice and chicken sausage.

Thursday: (11/28) Granola and banana for breakfast. I went grocery shopping for our holiday dinner. No fancy prep needed just market prepared items. I actually prefer the easier holiday and few leftovers. Ernie brought a lot of things as well for our feast for four. Ernie's horderves of deviled eggs, olives, cheese and crackers were enough by themselves.

Friday: (11/29) Leftovers for breakfast. I had Dawn’s rice lima bean with sausage. A turkey sandwich for lunch. More leftovers for dinner. I had chicken, asparagus, carrots, and a twice baked potato section. Lou’s PT person dropped by for a check at 1100. It was another rainy day and we spent the day inside relaxing.

Saturday: (11/30) Granola and banana for breakfast. Leftovers the rest of the day. Another rainy day. We relaxed inside all day. I did make a dash to the market for a few things. Lou continues recovery.

Sunday: (12/01) Granola and banana for breakfast. Dawn made dinner something baked with spinach and leeks. Leftovers for lunch. More rain on a relaxing Sunday. I did make a run to the Kaiser Hospital in Santa Clara to their pharmacy for Lou.

Monday: (12/02) Occasional rain all day. Granola and a banana for breakfast. Cecelia came over to Lou sit and Dan and I headed off to the dentist. She had her teeth cleaned and a mouth guard fitted. We were then off to her eye doctors to get some paperwork. Then we picked up some salads at the Corner Bakery Cafe for lunch. Hummus toast for dinner.

Tuesday: (12/03) I made a run to the store and to the pharmacy. Granola for breakfast. Refried beans with sausage for lunch. Dawn made vegetable soup for dinner.

Wednesday: (12/04) Watched the Impeachment Hearing in the morning. Granola and banana for breakfast. I made a batch of my enchilada casserole and had some for lunch and dinner. I also made a big Waldorf salad. Otherwise a relaxing rainy day at home with Lou.

Thursday: (12/05) Enchiladas for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lou had a PT visit. The exciting thing for the day was that a work crew started removing the sidewalk for our next door neighbors.

Friday: (12/06) Enchiladas for breakfast. PBJ toast for lunch. Cottage cheese and peaches for dinner. I did a touch of work today before the rains. I cleaned the leaf debris out of the two chicken coops and Ernie and I moved them to the front yard. I only had to remove the gate from the fence for them to fit out. Next week the gardener will take them away. I later made a grocery run to Walmart. Otherwise relaxed inside.

Saturday: (12/07) A rainy day. Relaxed at home all day. I made another Waldorf salad. Granola and banana for breakfast. Enchilada casserole for lunch. Ramen noodles for dinner.

Sunday: (12/08) Another rainy relaxing day at home. I made a pear Waldorf salad with some pears our neighbor brought over. Chorizo chicken patty with fried eggs and toast for breakfast. Chicken with PBJ toast.Waldorf salad for lunch. Baked potato with chilli for dinner.

Monday: (12/09) The big event on this overcast day was that the crew removed the driveway ramp and prepared the forms and base to pour sidewalk and ramp tomorrow. Waldorf salad for breakfast. Enchilada casserole for lunch. LUU Noodle House take home for dinner.


Tuesday: (12/10) Busy day supervising the concrete finishers replacing our neighbors sidewalk and driveway ramp. They manage to do it a lot quicker than I do. However, Ernie and I did about the same area in about 4 days of mixing, pouring , and finishing, just the two of us, not a crew of eight and not delivered readymix. Granola and banana for breakfast. A late lunch of leftovers from LUU Noodle House.

 

Mt Umunhum Preserve Hike

Friday: (11/22) I met my fellow SJMW hikers at Mt Umunhum Preserve for a hike up to the peak where the old Air Force radar station remains are. Nice weather and nice views for the hike. Granola and banana for breakfast. Lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. Lou’s tacos for dinner.

Lou was watching the channel 11 evening news tonight and noticed our San Jose house was featured in the B roll of a report on Generation Z Housing.

Fall Roof Cleanup

Thursday: (11/21) I watched more impeachment testimony to start the day. After lunch I worked outside. Cleaning leaves from the neighbors garage roof before they fall in our yard. And cleaned leaves from our cottage. I also made a stair platform to make the set into our sunroom easier for Lou. I also replaced the smoke alarm in Ernie’s trailer. Soft boiled eggs for breakfast. A nice veggie burrito for lunch. Chicken soy chorizo stuffed peppers with Brussels Sprouts and baked potatoes for dinner.

Fall Creek Hike

Wednesday: (11/20) Granola and banana for breakfast. I was off for a hike in Felton at Henry Cowell SP. Colin led a 9 mile hike at Fall Creek to Big Ben Tree and Lime Kiln. Wonderful day for the hike with nice creeks and a nice forest. This was Colin’s 600the hike. His first hike was on one of my hikes back in 2013. On the way home I stopped at the house in San Jose to put some things inside out of the weather. Then I stopped at Sweet Tomatoes for lunch. Chili on potato for dinner.

It's Fall

Tuesday: (11/12) I took the RV to fill up the gas tank. When I returned, I lowered the jacks and opened the slides. I then unloaded some things. While exiting the RV with the laundry basket, I managed to fall skinning both knees and one hand and arm. I’ve got to quit exiting the RV carrying loads. Now I can join lou with sore knees. I hope they are better before my next hike Wednesday after next. Granola and banana for breakfast. Lunch at Hobee’s Restaurant. Baked bean size for dinner.

Wednesday: (11/13) I watched the impeachment hearing all morning. I put on one of Lou’s old knee braces and went outside about 1100 and cleaned up around the shop then cut down a dead tree that used to grow in the neighbors yard and hung over the shop. I cut it down to roof height. And cut the debris up to fit in our compost dumpsters. The tree and leaves from the roof filled to two dumpsters. I then enjoyed a nice shower and a late lunch. Cottage cheese for breakfast. A chili size for a very late lunch at 1500.

Thursday: (11/14) A city crew was busy patching depressions on our street pavement. They will be topping it later with a topcoat sealer later. Granola and diced apple for breakfast. A little grocery shopping. Chili for lunch. Salad for dinner.

Friday: (11/15) A relaxing morning watching the impeachment hearings, day 2. Ernie’s smoke/CO detector alarm went off and wouldn’t clear. It was a year old supposedly 10 year device. I threw it away and ordered a new one. A little before noon we headed out to do some shopping in San Jose and then we dropped Dawn off at a bookstore and Lou and I went to an appointment. Granola and banana for breakfast. Lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. Lou made chicken with sauerkraut and potatoes for dinner.

Saturday: (11/16) A little cleanup to start the day. I made a run to Lowe’s in sunnyvale to get some materials for some downspout repairs and other projects. Back at home I had to relax the rest of the day. In the evening we went to Harry’s for our Thankmas Dinner with neighbor Meili, and friends Courtney and Cecelia and Ernie.. Granola and banana for breakfast. Some dim sum from Dim Sum King for lunch. Dinner at Harry’ Hofbrau in Redwood City.

Sunday: (11/17) Watch the morning shows to start. Granola and banana for breakfast. I finished the downspouts. One needed a longer pipe and the other needed a new drop flange and piping. I worked on re-potting and planting several planters on the walkway. Two of the planters we bought in Morro Bay and two we got a couple of years ago at a garage sale. I also setup some sprinklers for them. I ended up having to return to Lowe’s for more materials. Leftovers for lunch. Lou made tuna noodles for dinner.

Monday: (11/18) Dawn and I were off to San Jose. We had breakfast at La Victoria Taqueria. We cleaned up her apartment. I took off for a chai latte and walk. Dawn had an appointment. When she was through we returned home. Leftovers for lunch. I finished the drip sprinklers for the new planters. I had laid pipes under the walkway but needed to connect it to the drip system. Lou made corn flake chicken with roasted broccoli and baked beans for dinner.

Tuesday: (11/19) I spent the day tinkering in the yard, repotting plants, replacing a sprinkler valve, raking leaves, and more. The sprinkler valve I bought yesterday didn’t fit. It was the same Orbit brand and was replacing an Orbit valve in an Orbit manifold. For some reason it was ¼” too long to fit. I returned to the store and found one that was correct. Size does matter but the same brand of inline valve should have fit. Granola and banana for breakfast. Lunch from Super Taqueria. I had a nice no meat burrito. Leftover chicken for dinner.

Morro Bay State Park

Saturday: (11/09) We went to breakfast downtown at Karla’s Cafe. Wonderful breakfasts and muffins. After breakfast we looked around downtown at several shops. We also visited the Miner’s Hardware store and the Antique Mall next door on Highway 41. After that we had lunch at the Taco Temple. Absolutely great. We did some grocery shopping next to the Taco Temple at Spencer’s market then stopped at the Farmers Market downtown. Lou found some planters at one of the shops that we Needed. Back home in the dark, again at 1730.

Sunday: (11/10) Happy birthday Dawn! We decided to go to breakfast at Francisco’s Country Kitchen in Arroyo Grande. They make great corned beef hash and also great oatmeal. Dawn wanted oatmeal so we drove down to it, about 20+ miles. We arrived to find the building was vacant. We checked Google and found they had moved about two miles away in Grover beach. We enjoyed our breakfast there then checked the required thrift shops there. We then headed back up to San Luis Obispo and checked a couple of more thrift stores. Most of them were closed because today was Sunday. We headed back to the RV and relaxed all afternoon. Dawn wasn’t feeling well so she and Lou will return to SLO to check out the remaining thrift stores while I move the RV out of the campground and wait in day use parking by the marina. After lunch we’ll hit the road for home. Lou made soup for dinner in the instapot.

Monday: (11/11) Granola and banana for breakfast. Dawn is still sick so we just headed home at 0920. We headed up Highway 1 to 41 then 101. We stopped at the Camp Roberts Rest Area and then in Greenfield for lunch at the Rancho San Miguel Market. In Gilroy we had to exit the Freeway at Masten due to the traffic Northbound backing up due to a tanker truck accident on the opposite side of the road. We say all that Southbound Highway 101 traffic detoured onto Monterey but Northbound Monterey wass moving nicely. Eventually we returned to Highway 101 and home. At home I drained the holding tanks and filled the water. I’ll need to go get gas tomorrow. We try to remain ready for use in case of an emergency. Leftovers for dinner.

Pinnacles NP Hikes

Sunday: (11/03) Granola and banana for breakfast. Some final packing, window washing, etc and we were finally on the road around 1100. We stopped in Gilroy at the Longhorn Restaurant for lunch. We arrived at the park sometime after 1430 and were all setup by 1510. Only eight campers in the RV section. Looks like there was a crowd here to hike over the weekend. Lots of people driving out of the park on our way in and quite a few hikers cars still here. Lou made chicken with baked potatoes, carrots and green beans.
(GPS: 36.492429, -121.147332)

Monday: (11/04) Up at 0700 with the deer. A nice 30 degrees inside and out. After warming up the inside and a nice breakfast I gathered my hike pack and was ready quite early to meet my hiker friends for today’s adventure. I wandered over to the Visitor Center at 0900. Only seven hikers for today's hike we were off to the trailhead at 0930. It had actually warmed up nicely by then. In fact the forecast for today is 81 degrees. We hiked up toward the High Peaks going through the Bear Gulch Caves and enjoying the lake views on the upper side of the caves. The sun on the peaks made for nice photos. An advantage of going this opposite CW direction rather than we have in the past is that I was able to point out the Hippo face and Snoopy head on the way. Usually hikers are ahead of me at those sites. Lunch at the top. We sighted two condors flying above during lunch. Going down the carved rock steps was interesting. We bere back to the cars by 1430. When I was dropped off at the Visitor Center I was surprised to see Dave and his wife relaxing there. He is a fellow SJMW hiker and hosts a visit for the group at his ranch every year. He didn’t know of today's hike . They had reservations to camp here but didn’t feel good enough for a hike but decided the views and animals were still worth a visit. They had stopped by our RV and surprised Lou and Dawn. The said they recognized our orange jeep. Granola for breakfast. Nice Chicken burritos for dinner.

Tuesday: (11/05) We drove in to Hollister to the Cozy Cup Cafe for breakfast. I had a nice chili verde and eggs for breakfast. We explored downtown shops and did some grocery shopping. After returning to camp about 1500 we relaxed in the wonderful weather. Dawn made some soup for dinner.

Wednesday: (11/06) Granola and banana for breakfast. I met my 10 fellow hikers at the Vistor Center for a hike. We hiked out the Old Pinnacles Trail, through the Balconies Caves and up Juniper Canyon Trail. We took the Tunnel trail up to the High peaks Trail and returned down the mountain to the Bench Trail and back to our cars. We had lunch by the trail on High Peaks Trail. It was a wonderful day with a wonderful group. The light was good for different photos by going CCW unlike the usual CW. Climbing up through the Balconies caves seemed easier. Many of us got to see one condor as we climbed up Juniper and Tunnel trails. Going up Juniper wasn't as difficult as I was thinking and coming down the High Peaks Trail was a breeze. A very pleasant hike. I enjoyed my usual reward of an ice cream bar after the hike at the store. After a nice shower I relaxed the rest of the afternoon. Lou made spaghetti for dinner.

Thursday: (11/07) I prepared a nice chicken patty with eggs and home fried potatoes for breakfast. Otherwise I relaxed outside at camp listening to Johnny Dollar stories from the Old Time Radio App on my phone. I fixed some PBJ toast for lunch. We didn’t have our usual morning visit from the deer and turkeys. The deer did show up at about 5pm. I observed a couple or more condors in the trees above our camp in the ridge. One even took flight momentarily to change trees. For dinner we headed into the “town” of Tres Pinos for dinner at the 19th Hole road house.

Friday: (11/08) Granola and diced Apple for breakfast. I moved the RV to the day use area. It wasn't easy because the right front jack wouldn't come up. I raised it manually. I met my fellow hikers at 0900 for our 0930 hike. We hiked the North Wilderness loop in The CW direction. Wonderful hike for the five of us. We got back before 1600. I prepared the RV to roll then took a shower we left the park at 1720 and it was dark already. We headed South on Hwy 25 then over to King City the down Hwy 101 to 41 to Morro Bay SP. We stopped for leftover dinner on the way at a rest stop. We settled into our site be 2130.
(GPS: 35.347757, -120.838689)

Trip Prep

Saturday: (11/02) I made sausage, eggs and home fried potatoes for breakfast. I then spent some time on the computer and office stuff. Then Lou gave me her shopping list and sent me off to Walmart. Actually I had a list of two items and she added a couple of dozen items. Walmart didn’t have any of my list but had most of her items. I also stopped at Trader Joe’s, Sprout’s market, CVS Drugs, and Walgreen Drugs and managed to get all but two items. For Lunch I had a couple of egg rolls. Afternoon spent packing and preparing to leave. Dinner was soup from Whole Foods market.

Wunderlich Park Eighth Anniversary Hike

Friday: (11/01) Alex picked me up and we met our fellow hikers at Wunderlich Park. We hiked up to Alice’s restaurant for lunch celebrating the eighth anniversary for the hiking group. Granola and banana for breakfast. Lunch at Alice’s Restaurant, a nice Veggie Sandwich. Dinner at Tacos El Grullense down the street. Lou and I shared a Veggie Burrito. Dawn had plantains.

Busy Doing Little

Tuesday: (10/22) I installed the new tarp around the temporary tent that Lou and Dawn are using. It’ a full one piece wrap of the sides so it should be better protection for wind and rain. I then loaded the things I removed from the RV when it went in for service. I then went shopping. I picked up some water bottles at World Market. I like that the are strong plastic water bottles with a nice looking exterior. They are stronger than the usual one time use bottles and cheaper that my usual Smart Water bottles. At REI if found a new sun shirt with a pattern I like. I also picked up some sample GUU energy chews to see what I like. I’ll need some for my Pinnacles hikes. Granola for breakfast. Chicken and hummus sandwich for lunch. Hobo chicken, potatoes, onion, and apple dinner.

Wednesday: (10/23) Lou and I dropped Dawn off in Los Altos Village and went to a doctors appointment. On the way back we stopped for lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. After picking up Dawn we went grocery shopping. After dinner I filled the compost bins with leaves. We had a real backup on the garbage and recycle bins so I needed to be sure to get them out tonight. Granola and diced apple for breakfast. Lunch at Sweet Tomatoes Salad Buffet. Lou made chicken with corn salsa, rice and asparagus for dinner.

Thursday: (10/24) After the garbage pickup, I filled the recycle bin with a pile of boxes that remained from last week. I then spent the day cleaning the leaves from the sun room roof and also the house roof. That involved moving all the plants from next to the sun room and then cleaning up all the debris removed from the roof. I filled both compost dumpsters with leaves and could fill then again with just the remaining roof debris which I piled up until I have room. I made home fried potatoes with sausage and eggs for breakfast. A nice tuna green salad for lunch. Pot roast for dinner.

Friday: (10/25) Lou and Dawn were off to Pleasanton to a Holiday Fair. The also visited some thrift stores on the way home. I spent the morning cleaning the house walls in the backyard. We had another attack of the caterpillar cocoons, which, In addition to dirt, were cleaned off the walls. After that I relaxed in the afternoon. Leftover hash, sausage and eggs for breakfast. Leftover enchilada casserole for dinner.

Saturday: (10/26) Lou and Dawn were off to the Abilities Expo in San Mateo today. They explored some thrift stores on the way home. After I went to the Hazardous Waste Event to get rid of our toxic waste, I tinkered with the computer all day/ Granola for breakfast. Chili for lunch. LUU Noodle House for dinner.

Sunday: (10/27) Granola and diced apple for breakfast. Chili size for lunch.I intended to work on Ernie’s shed today. I did do some concrete grinding to adjust for proper drainage from the siding. That was it thought. The wind was too strong to be moving panels so I relaxed much of the rest of the day. About 1500 we drove back up to an Estate sale Lou and Dawn went to yesterday. Lou wanted to see if they were ready to sell a chair she liked at a price she liked. They weren’t so we didn’t get it. We did stop at Neil’s Cafe In Millbrae for dinner before heading home. It became quite smoky as we headed North to San Mateo. When we got home it was even worse. The air quality was at 135 (Hazardous) Our neighboring cities were only half as bad. Our fair city smelled like we had a neighboring camper who didn’t know how to make a campfire. Our smoke was likely coming across the bay from a new fire in Vallejo.

Monday: (10/28) I had a hike scheduled for this morning at Big Basin SP but our smoky air caused the leader to cancel the hike. So, I worked on Ernie’s shed. I installed the skirt siding and extended the bottom of the door that had been cut off to swing properly at it’s temporary location. It is now complete. A lot of dust was created cutting the cement board and grinding the concrete so I blew it all to the neighbors yards then hosed the walkway and buildings down. Granola and banana for breakfast. Chicken and hummus sandwich with a V8 and grapes for lunch. Dawn made buckwheat noodles then prepared a nice olive, tomato and onion sauce with them for dinner.

Tuesday: (10/29) I took a little shopping run to Redwood City in the morning. I dropped Dawn off at the library. At home I got the Honda generator out and exercised it. While we are gone Ernie may need it with these electricity shutdowns due to the winds. I also moved all the plants back to behind the house. I had moved them away to clean the roof and Lou needed them away as well to work on the window seals. Granola and diced apple for breakfast. A nice vegetarian burrito from El Grullense Taqueria for lunch. Dinner at Sweet Tomatoes Buffet.

Wednesday: (10/30) Granola and banana for breakfast. Lou and I went to A Good Morning for a late second breakfast. Dawn was off to a class. I took the bike for a ride and stopped at the hardware store for a door sweep for Ernie’s shed. Back home I installed it. Otherwise I relaxed today. Lou’s chicken chili for dinner.




Thursday: (10/31) I tinkered in the shop and RV much of the day. Granola and banana for breakfast. Chopped salads at The Corner bakery for lunch. Leftover corn salsa rice with chicken for dinner.

Henry Coe SP China Hole Hike

Monday: (10/21) Granola for breakfast. I was off to carpool with Alex to Henry Coe State park for a hike to China Hole. We med the other SJMW hikers there at 1030. It was a 10 mile hike with about 1700 elevation change. Nice oak forested hills. The stream was not flowing above ground most places but there was water in the pond at China Hole. We got to see some tarantula spiders in their mating season. One almost climbed onto my shoe. I got back home about 1600. Dinner was my leftover lasagna for last night at Harry’s. 

Annual Nerd Days, Silicon Valley Code Camp

Saturday: (10/19) I attended the Silicon Valley Code Cape at PayPal Campus today. This is my annual nerd event to see what is happening with software development. The Code Camp Sessions I attended today included: The History of JSON, You Can Count on Numbers, How to Defy Ageism in Software Engineering, Intro to SmartWatches Development and Design, The Algorand Blockchain - Decentralized and for Developers, How to Switch Your Technical Domain.
Granola for breakfast. A vegetarian sandwich at the Code Cape for lunch. Leftover enchiladas for dinner.

Sunday: (10/20) Another day at the Silicon Valley Code Cape. The Code Camp Sessions I attended today included: Artificial Intelligence: Potentials and Challenges, Scalability challenges for distributed video infrastructure, Hands On Cybersecurity, The Blockchain You Never Knew, Introduction to NR-5G and its challenges.
Granola for breakfast. A vegetarian sandwich at the Code Cape for lunch. For dinner we went to Harry’s Hofbrau in Redwood City.

The Big Backup

Monday: (10/14) Lou and I did the grocery shopping early. Back home it was time for breakfast. I had leftover pancakes and some chicken maple sausages from Trader Joe’s. I thought i might relax a little and watch the View but then was informed that the toilet was backed up and the tub full. I also had to drive Dawn to a book sale. I spent the rest of the day trying to get the drain cleaned. When we replumbed the bathrooms I installed cleanouts. They were covered up when we had the siding installed. I located one of them and exposed it . I’ll have to repair the siding later. My efforts to clear the drain were not fruitful. The clog appeared to be beyond the bathrooms and before the kitchen since the kitchen was not backed up. Even the drain bladder didn’t clear it. I gave up and called the professionals, Rotorooter. They were there within the hour and had it cleared in about 30 minutes. Thir big router did the trick. I’ll have to get one. I spent a lot more time putting tools and such away after cleaning them. That was it for me for the day. Tomato soup for lunch. Chopped salads from The Corner Bakery cafe for dinner.

Tuesday: (10/15) A banana for breakfast and I was off for the train to San Francisco. I arrived at about 0900 and caught a bus to ChinaTown. I got brunch at the AA bakery a chicken mushroom bun and a chicken pie. Too much. I walked out Columbus and to Fisherman's Wharf. I visited the Musée Mécanique, a penny arcade museum. I like to play the player pianos and other music makers. I walked out through Fort Mason to the marina district then over to Chestnut Street. I caught bus 22 on Fillmore Street that took me to the Mission District then on bus 27 to 24th Street. I stopped by the La Torta Gorda for a pepper torta. I then caught bus 48 over to the 22nd Street Caltrain Station. Unfortunately, not all trains stop there during rush hour. Three trains passed by before my train came. And even more unfortunately, that train doesn't stop at my destination the California Avenue ttion. I got off at Hillsdale Mall and looked around. They are remodeling and there new food court is open. I returned about an hour later to catch the first train ta=hat stops at my destination. I was home by 1900. A fresh peach with cottage cheese for dinner.

Wednesday: (10/16) I raised the garden sprinkler controller. It was down one foot off the ground I raised it to four feet high to make it easier to read the screen when programming and operating. I also loaded the compost bin with some limbs and leaves. Lou made turkey bacon with eggs and home fried potatoes for breakfast. Granola and banana for breakfast. Granola and a banana for dinner.

Thursday: (10/17) Lou and Dawn were off to the dentist. I rode my new electric bike over to Stanford University for a test of the all electric mode. No peddling today. It worked great. I stopped at the Coupa Cafe for a crepe for breakfast. When I left it was near 1130. I have never been in a bicycle traffic jam before. For this amateur rider it was a challenge. Back home I did a few tasks. I reworked the drip system for the garden. Now Dawns winter garden should water itself. I also filled the recycle bin and rubbish bin. They were just picked up today and are already full. And we still have more. Lots of cardboard to get rid of after Ernie’s house cleaning, my new bike and the RV’s new microwave. Lou made chicken burgers for lunch. I made enchilada casserole for dinner.

Friday: (10/18) I repaired the siding I destroyed working to expose the drain cleanout. I also did some other tool cleanup from that project. I measured the alternate battery space where the AGM batteries are in the RV. I want to replace them with a couple of more Battleborn lithium batteries. Unfortunately, I can’t fit two more GC2 sized batteries so I sent a message to Battleborn to confirm I can use the type 27 in parallel. They called back and confirmed I could. I then went shopping to resupply my granola, bread, banana chips and dates. I also stopped by Walmart to get some new genes. Enchiladas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

New Transportation, An eBike

Saturday: (10/12) Granola and banana for breakfast. I put on my new helmet and took a ride on my new electric bike. Wow was it cold out this morning. Obviously should have worn long pants. The new bike really goes. I need to get a lock for it then I’ll take a longer trip possibly out to lunch somewhere about 5 miles away. Back home, I relaxed and warmed up then got outside. I had to clean up my shop so I can fit the new bike there. I managed to throw away quite a bit of the junk that collected. Then I took another spin on the bike before retiring into the house to relax. A nice sausage hummus sandwich for lunch. Chili baked potato with a sausage for dinner.

Sunday: (10/13) I groomed and pruned the rear flowerbed and arbor in the backyard. I also checked all the drip irrigation emitters. I trimmed back some succulents and threw away my last thorned cacti. It has been around a long time having sat on my desk for 20 years but in a large pot and getting water, it was now two feet tall with lots of branches. I also took another stab at setting up the new sprinkler controller for the front yard. It failed to complete the first setup and was unresponsive after that. I reset it today and stumbled through the setup. The front yard planters will be happier now. I also installed some clip on lights in the tent for Lou. Lou made pancakes and sausage for breakfast. We had tomato soup and toast for lunch. About 2000 we went to the Mexican market and did some shopping. Back home, we had a seafood and green salad for dinner with some flan for dessert.

A Map Of Our Travels This Year

Here is a map of our travels around the country 1/19/19-10/1/19