THAT FIRST DAY OUT!

Okay ... alrighty ... we are on the road.  It was probably all of ten minutes before I realized if I didn't fuel up before I left, I would be trying to get into a strange gas station.  DETOUR!  Seems my luck is running true to form.  I put in my credit card and waited.  It said lift handle and push fuel type.  Nothing.  I got nothing.  I finally went inside, to be told to move to another pump.  SURE ... but my credit card number is in THAT one.  I'm checking my account every hour.

In case you were wondering, fuel is STILL expensive in California, thanks to our wonderful Governor.  

I'm off ... traveling the roads I've traveled many MANY times before on my way to scuba diving.  I'm sure I've mentioned that previously.  Of course before I got 20 miles, it began to rain.  Here's another AUTO thing on the Mercedes van.  The windshield wipers, which you can usually set to intermediate swiping ... have a mind of their own.  If they think it's raining, they go FAST, no matter how you set it.  I'm going down the road with wipers whipping back and forth because of fog on the windshield. 

It did rain quite a bit more, but that just meant I turned them on and off 127 times until the rain stopped.  No kidding ... what a pain!

But we MADE IT ... to Castroville, my first stop.  Phils Fish House moved here awhile back.  It's been an all time favorite of anyone who spent much time in Monterey.  

Lucky for me, my parking spot right across the street was empty.  True, it was in a construction zone, but I stopped anyway.  I'd do anything for that clam chowder, including getting a ticket!!

And here it is ... whole clams, big pieces of red potatoes, lots of onion and celery ... it's the BEST.  It's also pricey, though somehow it was only $18.00 this time and $22.00 on my last visit.  Weird ... but NO ticket.

From there I headed North to Moss Landing.  One of our RV Park guys said he has stayed there before and loved it.  I already have a reservation ... I just wanted to see where it was and how to get in.  Along the way was this huge cemetery.  Next time I'll take a walk inside.

That's when I met the most amazing woman.  It's weird how you run into people in the most unexpected places.  I was driving slowly down the street and slowed a bit ... which caused her to wave.  So I had to stop of course.  

This is the Wood Carver's Daughter ... a store full of treasures and an amazing gal you should meet.  Her name is Nicole.  She had a massive stroke (apparently due to something she was born with) at the age of 35.  She basically lost her entire family, including her parents and her son, because they just could not deal with it.  

It's been ten years.  She has had to learn how to stand up, to walk, to move, to talk .... to THINK.  Her speech isn't perfect, but very understandable.  She didn't want to live when she found out what had happened to her after being in a coma for several months.  

But live she did, when she decided she "Can't Stop .. Won't Stop" living this life she ended up with.  She has started a foundation and does speaking tours around the State, showing people that there is hope for them too.  What an amazing gal!!  

Her father is a wood carver ... and so she is the Wood Carver's Daughter, the name of her little store.  She is all about arts and crafts, ceramics, painting ... and sells things in her shop from local artists.  I guarantee she will make you cry, but if you come this way, please stop in to see her in Moss Landing.  You will make her day ... and she will make YOURS.

After going the wrong direction for five miles, I finally got turned around and headed south.  I was looking for the ocean so I could get some GREAT photos.  Heck, I couldn't even find the beach.  All the roads have changed SO MUCH that I got frustrated and typed in WHOLE FOODS STORE.  I was done with driving.  I took Mr. Cooper for a quick walk before heading inside.  Surely they had something ooey gooey that would make me feel better. 

Oh LOOK ... tika masala!!  I grabbed a box and got a couple of scoops.  I forgot they charge by weight.  This turned out to be $12.00!!  Not that I needed it because I had the clam chowder, but I was saving that for later.  The masala was quite tasty!

We rested for awhile and took another quick walk before heading to the Elks Lodge.  Truly, I was not in the mood to be tested on this day, but Nicole gave me the motivation.  I called to get an activation signal to my Dish Network television satellite.  I got nothing.

I called again and again ... before finally getting a very nice lady who actually spoke English.  We tried and tried, with me making lots of mistakes because the remote just didn't want to work.  You push the button and five seconds later, it clicks.  What's up with that?

So here I am, parked in beautiful overcast Monterey, where it's raining.  See those nice trees?  After an hour on the phone, we determined they were blocking one satellite ... the one that has all my channels on it.  If my van were a motorhome, it would be tall enough to see over them.  Okay, so I watched three channels on the OTHER satellite ... all shows from ten years ago.  I had to laugh.

SO .... let's try Starlink!!  If nothing else, I can still order non-essential things from Amazon.  Yes, it's sitting on my dashboard and it's working as I type.  I was a little confused when I had to hook up the dish to my phone account first, but even with obstructions, it is working.  

And so ended a rather frustrating, crazy day, all made better by the amazing mind and attitude of a perfect stranger I met along the way.  You just never know who will inspire you and how good we have it in life.

This morning, frustration strikes again.  I moved the Starlink.  BAD NANCY.  It didn't like me much for fifteen minutes and I struggled with it on the dash.  It would probably work better if I just stuck it outside ... but it's raining yet again!  

This is good ... get all the bad juju out on day one.  It's going to get better, I just know it!!