#18 Feb 2014 Family Bound!

This RV is our home but not our family. We miss them and it’s time to head in their direction. February 13th we headed the RV back towards California and setup again in Casa del Sol in Hemet. The Banks upgrade performed as well as Ralph could have hoped. Hills are much smoother and Ralph is more relaxed.

Arizona has some very attractive overpasses which make the drive much more interesting.

Valentine’s Day we participated in a great breakfast at the park. Eggs, sausages and pancakes topped with strawberries and whipped cream and Valentine decorations around the hall. There are many such events in the parks and we participate when we can.

It was time to catch up on this blog and remain current. I realize I have not said much about the weather lately. That’s because it has been beautiful – from the low 20’s to low 30’s C. We had 2 or 3 cloudy days in Mesa but otherwise sunny, sunny, sunny. It’s very easy to get used to expecting nice weather day after day.

In Mesa Regal every site has a fruit tree – grapefruit or oranges. Our tree was new and, therefore, no fruit. At night we walked around looking for unoccupied sites to pick their grapefruit for our breakfast.

Near Temecula we found a fruit stand with huge grapefruit, oranges, etc. We enjoyed wine tasting at Frangipani Winery from the beautiful patio overlooking the valley. As we chatted Ralph mentioned that his rings have been loose since he has lost weight over the last several months. He showed me how easily his wedding ring could slip off. You guessed it, his ring was missing later that evening. We searched and checked the car, etc. but we had been many places since the winery.

We visited Auntie Gwen and Uncle Bob in Riverside again and treasure our sharing and laughter. There was much teasing about Ralph being able to misbehave without a wedding ring. We came away with fresh picked fruit and many ideas about being “ring free”.

We watched the Olympics on NBC and were pleasantly surprised at the coverage. As expected there was lots of background on US athletes but also on Olympians from other countries. Hockey faded from the coverage after the US was eliminated from the men and women’s events but we knew the results. Go, Canada, Go!

We expected challenges with the RV. After all, it's our home on wheels and gets lots of shaking, particularly on concrete roads. We discovered the shower was leaking and the toilet was backing up on the same day. Ralph’s bus experience with lavatories came in handy. He also applied his silicone expertise in the shower. After the toilet experience we discarded the rubber gloves he used and purchased new ones. Days later, when I started to clean the bathroom I put on the new gloves which Ralph had previously tried on for fit. They didn’t fit me very well in the left ring finger. One wedding ring in the glove! I promptly phoned Auntie Gwen and told them Ralph would have to start behaving with his ring in place. More laughter and much relief!

Ralph has attended a bus conference for the last several years. The location alternates across the southern US and this year it was in Los Angeles. He attended as a visitor and re-connected with several vendors. He wanted to let people know he was retired and had not just disappeared. Ralph came home feeling very good about his career in the bus industry and the contributions and connections he has made.