'19/#30 The Jello Has Shaken

Just a picture of our rig somwhere in our travels.

I always say our plans are written in jello and tell other RVers that the best tools they can carry with them is preparedness and the ability to adapt. Things happen and you have to deal with them. Let me get to the point. Our jello has been shaken and drop kicked on the wall.

We left Petaluma early Tuesday morning with plans to stop in Bakersfield. That would be about the 300 miles we usually do in one day. Because we got such a good head start and we made good time the decision was made to motor on through to Las Vegas. That would put us a day ahead of our schedule and give us a little more breathing room on our journey to south Texas. Enter the shaken jello.

As we approached Barstow CA the tire monitor went crazy and a trailer tire blew. We safely got to the side of the road, change the tire, and were back on the road in 25 minutes. A personal best for us on a tire change. Does NASCAR need another pit crew? In Barstow we got a new tire and set out for Las Vegas only losing an hour and a half. Still making good time.

A ways down the road we heard something that sounded like a tire blow out but the tire monitor and our mirrors show no tire problems. Opting to play it safe we pulled over to see what made the noise. Tires good, trailer fine, truck had nothing in the grill or underneath so we decided to keep on going. Started off fine but started to lose power. Mary called a Ford dealer in Las Vegas who could see us the next morning so we chose to limp on in to Vegas. The truck had other ideas.

Power was dropping rapidly and there were hills ahead of us. The jello is now on the wall. It was time to call road service. A trooper showed up and stayed with his lights on until the tow truck showed. Another two hours and we were on our way to "Sin City" on the hook of a tow truck. We got to our RV park destination at 11:30 pm instead of the 7pm we had hoped. Considering the jello in the fan day we had not too bad. We were still a day ahead of schedule.

There was some good news. The problem with the truck was minor and will be good to go at minimal cost. And it will all be done in the time frame that we had set aside for our stay in Las Vegas. Still on schedule and time to make a new batch of jello.

That is enough for now. I will sign off from our home in Las Vegas because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'19/#29 Going Out With A Bang, Oh And A Woosh!

No more count down clock. It has reached zero and we are getting ready to roll. After our last day of work we had a fun day planned in San Francisco. This is something we have been looking forward to since June and one of the reasons we stayed until now. This is Fleet Week in San Francisco and we had the opportunity to watch the Navy's Blue Angels perform over San Francisco Bay from out on the water! I saw them a million years ago over Jones Beach in NY and saw the Air force Thunderbirds at MacDill AFB. It never gets old!

Mary took a lot more pictures than I did because I just wanted to enjoy the show. Also the pictures don't do the experience justice. It is the sights and sounds and speed of the amazing choreography in the sky that has to be seen in person to be appreciated. If you ever have the chance DON'T miss it. Our boat was one of hundreds on the water watching and enjoying the beautiful weather. It did get a bit chilly out on the water but other than that it was a perfect day anchored off Alcatraz Island with San Francisco's skyline as the backdrop for the most awesome show in the sky.

Today we have to work around the trailer. Laundry needs to be done, holding tanks need to be emptied, and everything that we have out to make our trailer a home must be stowed and secured for travel. Tomorrow is "D" day and the "D" stands for driving. We hope to be on the road early in the morning so we can get past San Francisco before rush hour traffic gets started.

Well I have to go fold some laundry so this will be my last good bye from our home here in Petaluma because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

'19/#28 Another Thing To Leave Behind

We are into our last week here in Petaluma California and if you have been following us you know we are excited about leaving. There are number of reasons that I have mentioned in the past and I am sure Mary has posted a few of her own on Facebook. Well let me add a couple more.

Petaluma, even with it's proximity to San Francisco, is an agricultural community. Yes it has it's Hippie roots that extended from San Fran in the '70s but it is in the middle of farm country. Being in Sonoma County there are hundreds of vineyards. Sonoma is even a bit snobby about their cousin vineyards in neighboring Napa County. Of course they think their wine is better. They think everything they have, do, and think is better. What they don't tell you is how many cattle farms are in the area and the smell that comes with them. Depending on the wind it could be barely noticeable or it can be unbearable. Either way it is a constant and the smell has permeated everything we own. When we get to Texas we will have to fumigate the trailer and everything in it!

On top of the bovine aroma we are living in a campground. What do we have in campgrounds? Campfires of course. But these people don't just burn "fire wood", they burn everything. Treated wood, undetermined types of wood, trash, plastic, rubber and who knows what else. Eyes may water and breathing could be unpleasant but if I survive the noxious clouds I am pretty sure I will leave California with cancer or some other lung disease. California's strict pollution controls are a joke. They are created because if the irresponsible residents of the state. Yes we do get a lot of visitors from other states but it is worse now that most of the guests here are locals.

Well it is time for me to go to work. Maybe a gas mask should be part of the uniform? I will say  goodbye (cough,cough) for now from our home in Petaluma because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

'19/#27 It's Why We Have Wheels

This is going to be a short blog but I just had to put it out there. It's no secret that we are ready to leave California especially if you read the last blog. Well I have another reason for leaving. The weather here has gone crazy! They say it never rains in California and the rain we got this summer can be measured with a napkin so that is true. But the temperatures are going nuts. Two days ago the temperature was over 100 degrees here and last night it dropped down to 39 degrees. With earth quakes, land slides, extreme temperatures, and the crazy people California is a geological, meteorological, and sociological apocalypse waiting to happen.

As far as our jobs go... well lets say that has been insane too. With the short staffing and the entitled locals combined with over 150 check-ins, Friday night was insane. With no management on property that left Mary in charge at the front desk and me out in the field. Everything that could go wrong seemed to do just that. And who is in charge? The two workcampers, the temps, who are gone in fourteen days!

We will stick it out because we don't want to mess up our plans for the weeks between Petaluma and south Texas but if push comes to shove...once again our plans are written in jello. Fridays are always super busy and we only have two more to go so it shouldn't be too bad. All I can say is "c'mon October 13th!".

Taking a deep breath as short timers here in our home in Petaluma because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'19/#26 And The Clock Keeps On Ticking

Well it is less than three weeks before we leave California and the time can't go too quickly. It's not just because we have seen what we wanted or are not overly impressed by the state of California, (though that does have some thing to do with it) but we are just ready to move on. I have talked before about "Hitch-Itch", that wanderlust urge RVers get after staying in one place for a long period of time, and that is the main reason we are ready to hit the road. After all our house is on wheels and wheels are made to roll.

Things need to be prepped for our travels. Staying in one place we have a tendency to gather things and keep some of our stuff in places that are not conducive to travel. The garage area is the primary area of concern. Anyone who has a garage knows that if a vehicle is not in there on a regular basis then it turns into a catch-all and fills up. We all know that nature abhors a vacuum and the garage in a toy hauler is no different.

We have few more things planned in and around San Francisco and have couple of places we would like to see again before we leave. We have said our goodbyes to most of the exchange students and they are mostly gone. The locals that have become friends with will fill our days before we leave and farewells will be exchanged later.

For now we are working and getting things ready. Reservations are being made and plans during our travel are eagerly anticipated. Before long we will be in our new home in south Texas where we will stay for the winter. It will be our winter home for a third season and after that....well who knows? After all our house is on wheels and our plans are written in jello.

I must get read for work soon because there is still time on the clock here in our home in Petaluma because .....


Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

19/#26 High Prices in The Land of Enttlement

We have been in California for a full four months now and have made a few observations. Don't misunderstand what I am saying. We have had a good time and don't regret the time we have spent here but some things just rubbed us the wrong way.

Over the years we have always heard about how much food stuffs comes from California. There is talk about abundant produce and Pacific Ocean seafood. I once heard that California produces most of the almonds sold in the U.S. We have even heard California called "America's breadbasket". Well I have to say rubbish! The produce available here is far from top quality and the prices are ridiculous! If you want to see top notch produce at ridiculously LOW prices go to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. I know a lot of it comes from Mexico but at least it is there, edible, and affordable.

Seafood is nonexistent in this part of California.  It is sad when the best seafood restaurant in the area is Red Lobster. Shrimp that we buy in the store is mostly of the Gulf Coast variety which can be bought in Florida or Texas for half the price when it is on sale. Not to mention there are plenty of good seafood restaurants in Texas and you can't swing a "dead cat" without hitting one in Florida.

In my quest to eat a little healthier I have for a number of years always kept almonds handy as a healthy snack to keep me from eating too much junk. Yes we shop the sales which pop up on a regular basis when we are in either Florida or Texas. No such sale has even shown up as a blip on our sale shopping radar since we have been in Petaluma. Trust me we have been looking and it just hasn't happened. I guess not all the nuts are living here in California. The almonds seem to have gotten out.

Speaking of "nuts", the people here may have the highest concentration of entitled mind set as we have ever seen. Old, young, kids...it doesn't matter. Economic status has no bearing on it either. RVers in $500,000 motor homes or people sleeping in the back of their car all come in expecting an ass-kissing from everyone who works in the park. Since this is a service oriented business the customer is always right. The catering to, the verbal abuse, and the ridiculous expectations are like none we have experienced before.

Let me close by saying that our stay here in California has been interesting, we have made friends, and we have had fun but I will say that we have seen enough and probably will not return. We would most definitely not choose this as a place to settle down and stay. We have about a month left here and will be making the most of our time before we hit the road. So I will sign of now from our home here in Petaluma because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

19/#25 Getting Down To The Last Qaurter

We have workcamped for a long time now and have made a number of observations. First is that workcamping is not always easy and is not for everyone. Second is that the compensation for the time and effort put into the jobs is relative to what is desired and/or expected. Third is the job itself is not always what is initially promised. These are all based on indivdual expectations.

The fourth and last thing seems to be universal to all the workcampers we have known. Every workcamping job time frame can be broken down into four segments. As seasonal workers we are automatically "short-timers". We know when we start exactly when our time on the job will end. That being said the season, whether it be 4 or 5 or 6 months can be defined by the same attitudes that you will find in every career.

The first quarter is when you start a new adventure, the new job. There is excitement and enthusiasm. New people to meet, new skills to learn, and finding your place in a new work environment. Everyone is happy and enjoying the "new car smell" of a new job. After all new is good,right?

Somewhere around the beginning of the second quarter of your commitment you are getting comfortable. You are getting good at the new job and your skills now allow you to do the job effortlessly and you can enjoy the camaraderie of the new people you call your coworkers. You may even start to socialize with some of them whether they are fellow workcampers or seasonal locals or even year round employees. It all sounds great, doesn't it? But you are only half way through the workcamper experience.

In the second half the job starts to get routine. It feels like you are in a rut doing the same thing over and over again. I mean the job isn't that difficult. They hire people every year to do this and train new people each and every season so how hard could it be. Workcampers after all are just temps, people hired to do a job for a specific period of time and then they are done. You also have gotten to know your coworkers better. That can be a good thing, but who likes everybody? There will be that person who gets on your nerves for whatever reason and makes you wish you could work with someone else. Sometimes that can happen and sometimes it can't. But you made a commitment and a commitment is a commitment so just suck it up!

The last quarter is the toughest. This is the end of your time, some might call it their sentence depending on the job and everything that makes up the work place environment. This why many employers give a completion bonus. If you stay until the end of your commitment you may get extra money for each hour worked or part of your living expense may be reimbursed. I'm not talking about employers who hold back money just to give it to you later, I am talking about a real incentive to stay!

There is the knowing that at the end of your commitment you will once again be back out on the road looking for the next adventure. A new season, new people, even a new workcamping job. This is why we do what we do, for the adventure. Some of our friends don't understand why we do this but as I said before it is not for everyone. Needless to say it is the way we live our lives and we are happy doing it like this. If the job is good or bad or just down right intolerable we have ways of dealing with it. I look at some of the jobs I had before I retired and think "if I can do that for"X"  number of years I can do anything for a few months", and if it is really that bad remember our house is on wheels and our plans are written in jello. We can leave at any time and seek out a new adventure.

Well I have to get ready for work. The season is coming to an end and things are slowing down. It is getting a little boring but after the hectic summer at KOA  a little boredom is welcome. Our last quarter will go by and we will be out on the road looking for our next adventure. The game clock is ticking and counting down here in our home in Petaluma because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary