NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOO!!

 The only thing worse than Bingo on a full moon, is Bingo on a full moon on the 13th of the month.  Thank the Good Lord above that was not the case THIS time, because I would not have survived.  You know I'm not the luckiest person in the world ... and if it's going to happen to SOMEONE, it's going to be ME.

THIS is the culprit.  Causing all kinds of mayhem before I even LEAVE for Bingo!!  So there I was, just relaxing on the couch with the "KID", when I thought ... gee, I haven't heard Sir Charles roaming around the house vacuuming lately.  I should get him moving!

Big mistake Nancy .... BIG!!  What's the worst thing you can imagine if you have a Roomba ........... and a dog.  Yup ... you probably hit the nail on the head.  I let Mr. Cooper out, but didn't watch carefully enough.  He immediately wanted back in because that means he gets a treat.

There I was, changing the sheets in the bedroom when I heard Sir Charles make a funny noise.  I figured he was caught on the rug.  No such luck.

OMG OMG OMG!!!!  NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOO!!  Yessiree ... I could smell it before I even got through the door.  Lucky for me, it only went straight up and straight back 20 feet before I grabbed it.  The entire bottom and every wheel and roller was completely covered in ... well you know!!  

Big ... BIG ...  apologies to Cindy and Ray who gave it to me.  Except for having to empty it manually every time, and getting stuck under all the furniture, it worked well.  YUP ... I threw it in the trash can.  There is NO WAY I was going to be able to dismantle and clean up THAT mess, most of which was INSIDE the machine.  That's the Full Moon effect at MY house.  

This picture is NOT my machine, but just to show you every nook and cranny that was covered and/or stuffed full.  In my defense of that, it also kept telling me I needed all new rollers and brushes.  What better excuse to buy a new one??

It took an hour of cleaning, scrubbing and steam scrubbing, along with every exhaust fan turned on high, before it was finally livable in the house.  Yup ... that's the FULL MOON EFFECT!

The good news is Amazon is having their huge sale on lots of stuff ... including the Roomba GUARANTEED not to EVER do that.  If it does, they will send you a new one.  It was still expensive at 50% off, but half price was worth every penny!

I was afraid to go to Bingo after that fiasco.  Lucky for me, the head of the kitchen crew was convinced to stay home sick, so her husband took on the job of getting the groceries.  I just had to make sure it was all set up.  That meant chopping onions, slicing tomatoes and heating up chili.  The good news ... I didn't cut off any appendages.  

Then it was on to setup, which thankfully went along just fine.  I thanked the moon for giving me a break.  On to setting up the back room ... deciding on which pull tabs to play ... and corralling the Knights upstairs who completely forgot what time it was.  That made everything run late for the rest of the night.

There is something to be said about PLAYING bingo on a full moon however.  If you're the lucky sort, you seem to win BIG.  One of my friends who plays, won not one, not even two, but THREE jackpots on this night, to the tune of $750.00.  The moon was certainly shining down on HER!

Me, not so much.  Here's the latest and greatest printout of our games ... SEVEN pages instead of two.  This is how I keep track of where we are and what's coming up, though now I have to flip through every page to see what's next.  

I complained to the King, but he said tough luck.  They are free and we get what we get.  

Thanks to the full moon, my latest Infernal Machine cashier didn't let me know she wasn't coming this week, so I scrambled to get everything else set up so I could get the line moving.  It tried to GET me in the end, by making me $250.00 off, but I prevailed.  TAKE THAT FULL MOON!!

Other than the usual characters who take ten minutes to pick out their cards, bringing about slings and arrows from the back of the line, it went pretty well.  The King made up his list of stuff to order, asking me to add mine to the bottom.  I couldn't read a single thing he wrote, so lots of questions followed.  

At long last I was done ... balanced and almost out the door.  It's now my job to do a walk-through of the kitchen to be sure they turned everything OFF.  Why?  Because two weeks ago they left the grill on all night long!!  I needn't have bothered ... those two volunteer cook guys are the best!!

Cooper met me at the door barking up a storm.  He's always so happy to see me ... and vice versa!  He makes it all okay, even if the Roomba gets ruined.  Kitters met me at the back door the second I let Cooper outside.  She is probably the biggest trick that's been played on me in quite some time.  

And so ends another day while I patiently wait for the Amazon truck to arrive.

And So It Begins!!

 Oh no ... OH NO!!!  It's the FULL HARVEST MOON on a Tuesday!!  You know what THAT means.  And it's already begun.  The Kitchen Manager called last night to say she's SICK and won't be there.  I thought ... no big deal, I'll just have to slice up a few tomatoes and chop some onions.  

She sent the TWO PAGE list of what needs to be done.  I'm going into delegation mode ... those bingo players are going to be put to work!!

This is the brightest moon of the year ... for hunters and harvesting.  Also good for making my front yard a TON of work from all the leaves falling off that huge sycamore tree.  The gardener will be happy, yes?

It was mostly a recovery day.  I spent all morning doing accounting work.  It seems every time they wrote a check, it recorded it twice, with different check numbers.  You've got to love computers!!

Then it was off to the dentist.  OH BOY!  Actually, that's usually a treat because I like the gal a lot.  She's a cat adopter ... says the Universe blessed me with Kitters.  I'm not so sure about that, but maybe it blessed Kitters with me.  

She snuck in the door again, happy to wander around until she caught the smell of Jonathan.  Out the door she went.

It's easy to get her moving ... just tap the kitty food container and drop in a few pieces.  She's definitely well fed.  So far the feeder has lasted 18 days and is still half full.  Remind me to put the backup batteries in.

Company came in late and left early after depositing these zinnias from her friend's garden.  They are just gorgeous!!  No enhancement of the colors here ... that's exactly how they look.

Lunch was easy once again.  I think there are nine tomatoes on the counter now.  This should be just about the last harvest.  Even with the harvest moon, I'm not into harvesting any more.  

What I AM into is Halloween.  I have absolutely no idea what motivated me this year.  It's been so bad the last two years that I gave away most all the decorations.  At this point, Amazon loves me and knows exactly where I live.  

The witch that ran into my pillar came first.  Her broom landed on the porch, so I set it up.  The wreath got a big black bow with a skull whose eyes light up.

That was followed by headstones, just before the ghosts appeared.  They fly across the front of the house.  The only thing missing is the scary music.  I can't wait to hear it blasting across the neighborhood.  And yeah, well, I ordered another ghost dispenser and an entire yard of tombstones.

Yup I even found my old witches outfit in the back closet, green face paint and all.  I'm not sure how all this will shake out since I still have candy left over from last year.  A new box of snickers now resides in the fridge, so I hope at least a FEW stop by so I don't have to eat it all.

Here's to a night of dagger eyes, flame throwing, pitchfork prodding and mayhem at Bingo during a FULL MOON!!!  Please let me return home unscathed and sane.

P. S.  I ordered that kitty warmer for the patio.  I told you Amazon loves me!!

MORE BEAUTIFUL OCEAN

 Oh how I have missed the ocean.  I didn't realize just how much until I was here.  Thoughts of diving with the sea lions, getting abandoned by our dive boat three miles from shore and finally getting rescued by two other dive boats who took on more people than they were allowed ... you know, all those good memories!!  But boy have I got stories to tell.

After capturing the hummingbird on camera, we headed on over to Asilomar Beach.  It's not as spectacular there when it comes to waves, but beautiful nonetheless.  I was extremely lucky to find a parking spot on this morning.  That after driving the obstacle course of humans running down the middle of the road.  There are trails for that!!

Mr. Cooper was excited to get out of the van and on the trail.  Okay, not so much.  He was more interested in smelling the smells in the bushes.  It took us 15 minutes to go 50 feet!!

I'm sure he doesn't remember the last time he was on the beach, when he ran straight into the water.  He was not the least bit interested in walking over all these rocks.  I think his lack of distance eyesight didn't help.  

And so we headed out for home, him fast asleep in the chair next to me as I tried to navigate the narrow roads.  There was construction everywhere through town, causing me to go down very narrow one way roads with cars parked on both sides.  YIKES!!  I didn't sign up for this!  

Wasn't I surprised that I made it without running into anyone, or getting honked at.  My van driving confidence soared.  Why have I waited so long to do this?  I've missed it much more than I ever thought.

The best part of all ... I was going HOME on Saturday.  I can't tell you how many times I have driven this road coming back from diving trips on SUNDAYS.  It's bumper to bumper, 25 mph ... but NOW ... it's Saturday and I just cruised right along while the OTHER side of the two lane road was a parking lot.  I admit ... it felt GOOD!!  And I laughed at that!

The quilt store didn't result in much since I didn't bring any of my projects to color match.  I'll be returning at the end of the week.  Finally back home, late lunch was the last of the clam chowder.  It's a good thing since I put on two pounds on this three day trip!!

Though I expected to see Kitters immediately, she was nowhere to be found.  I called and called, but there was no answer.  I guess she's found another home.  I was sad about that.  I picked MORE tomatoes, so I'll be buying more bacon very soon.

Several hours later I heard MEOW.  KITTERS ... you're back!!  There was a quick UH OH however when I let Cooper out and she came running in the house.  I just watched as she went through almost every room, smelling along the way.  Oh Nancy, this is not good!  Surprisingly, Cooper didn't seem to mind at all.

I'm guessing she was looking for that bird smell.  She zoomed in on Jonathan instantly.  UH NO kitty kitty ... he is not for dinner. Out you go!!

I only spotted her once on my Blink cameras while gone, but she spent the entire day on her new bed OUTSIDE.  I know, it's crossed my mind too, but I don't think it will work with a parrot in the van, nor do I think she will stick around if I'm gone a month.  I guess time will tell.  Are there such things as kitty doors?

I forgot to mention the leveling blocks.  This is what I have used a few times now.  They are very bulky and it takes a lot of them to get the front of the van up high enough.  To make it worse, I cannot see them when driving up on them.  

That's when I remembered Dan Chance gave me two long leveling blocks that I stuck under the step going inside.  I got them out, thinking I would practice using them.  Just WOW!!  Not only did they work like a charm, they are a one stop gadget .. you can be any height up to three inches.  I may keep a couple of the yellow ones in the rig, but I'm throwing the rest out.  

The main reason?  With the front up a few inches, the sliding side door stays open by itself ... a big plus when you're carrying a dog on a leash, trying not to fall on your face while the door slams you in the butt.  Dan said I can leave the rig parked on them for at least a week, which works since I'll have to drive it once a week.  YAHOO ... no more sliding blocks on the gravel and not getting the front end up high enough!!

The next thing I know, I've got company again, and a dentist appointment today.  Oh boy that will be fun!!   Then there's a laundry list of stuff to do, including some Halloween decorating, following by planning the next trip.

I realized something in the last few days.  I miss traveling a lot ... I REALLY miss the ocean ... and photography ... and I've become too tied to my house.  It's time to get back out on the road and see the sights.  

WHAT IS THAT?

 I got to sleep rather late ... the neighbors were having a wine conversation under my bedroom window.  Of course that didn't keep me from getting up at 4:30 to let Mr. Cooper outside.  I heard rumblings from their rig, but paid them no mind.

I was on a mission.  Though I thought about just driving back home since I was tired, I decided I was being anti social.  What was I going to miss out on if I didn't get up and get going?  

Routine is the problem.  I haven't done this enough to have a routine for setting up and taking down.  

After our morning walk with gorgeous flowers blooming everywhere, Cooper voted for sleeping while I put everything away.  I ran into my neighbor outside who said "hope we didn't keep you up".  Well yes ... yes you did ... I laughed ... sort of ... but it sounded like you were having a good time.

With everything finally stowed, I pulled off the blocks (which were not high enough) and put them away.  We were off, thinking about which way to go.  How could I get so lost when I had an apartment here for two years?  I know these streets like the back of my hand.  At long last I remembered there are TWO Del Monte Streets ... and I kept taking the wrong one.  I ended up in the Presidio on top of the hill.

It didn't help that it was Saturday, and everyone and their brother was out running in the streets, not to mention no place to park.

Finally I found it ... my old running haunts.  Amazingly, it was early enough I even found a parking spot.  If you ever want to people watch, have a seat and watch the runners.  There's the guy who screams past you rocking out to his music, followed by the guy who can barely get his feet to move.  I laughed because I knew exactly what each one was feeling and where they hurt!  

That's when I realized how much I love traveling to new and old places and taking lots of pictures.  I also realized my lack of doing so has made my sense of balance disappear.  Climbing up on the rocks with the seagulls became a challenge ... but I did it!!

This time of year the ocean level is high with lots of crashing waves.  I could have sat there all day, except two people snuck up behind me and plopped down on the bench where my stuff was.  They proceeded to have breakfast, so I figured they weren't leaving any time soon.

Not using my camera much any more made my brain work overtime.  I think if you click on this picture you can see all the water drops.

There was a combination of fog and overcast, but it wasn't cold at all.  

Everywhere I turned was a set of eyes watching me.  These guys pose quite nicely while waiting for you to throw them some food.

That's when I spotted this!  Can you see him?  There were two flitting around this bush, their feathers blending perfectly with the green leaves.  It took me awhile to catch him with the camera lens.

Maybe an Anna's hummingbird?  I tried to look him up, but came up with nothing.  I watched them in the bushes for ten minutes before they flew off.

Playing with the camera here ... making the water look soft and foamy.  

Of course just as I walked away, these guys showed up.  Pelicans scanning the surf line.  But wait ... what is that brownish thing towards the top left, between the two waves?

You might click on this one too.  I enlarged it to see something really weird.  This is a new one on me!  Possibly a sea lion since they have invaded the beach areas so massively that they have been shutting it down to tourists.  There has been the occasional whale in this area, but really, I have no clue.

Back in the rig, I headed on to Asilomar Beach.  I'll post the rest of the pictures tomorrow.

For now, I'm pretty tired because ... well you know ... quilt shops can be exhausting!!!

People Watching

 Good morning from the central coast!  It's cool and breezy today, along with a little rain.  The perfect day to hang out with Mr. Cooper and Jonathan.  We went for a walk this morning, meeting and greeting several folks.  

The first was a nice gentleman bending over the water faucet outside next to an old car, washing his hands.  I should never jump to conclusions.  We had a friendly conversation whereupon he turned out to be the bartender, though he looked rather homeless to me.  

Back at the rig an hour later, I was glad to see the RV's on both side of me had left.  I admit, I hate it when folks are parked too close.  And close describes it perfectly here, especially if they have their slides out.  My problem is not having a routine ... what to turn on when and how it works.  It took three times to figure out which plug turned the Dish receiver on.  They are marked with tags now!

I contemplated heading for Whole Foods again since I discovered I had no kleenex and no paper towels.  Good thing I had toilet paper.  It was just too windy and occasionally wet for that long walk.  Instead, I messed with the Starlink, trying to get my phone hooked up to WiFi since I only had one bar.  It didn't like my password.  Gee ... I wonder what it is, since the one I wrote down when I set it up, didn't work.  

At long last, it said to hold my phone up to my computer, which WAS connected.  VOILA!!  It snagged the phone.  So far this thing is worth its weight in gold, though I haven't figured out how much data I'm using, which is limited by my cheap plan.   BUT ... it's still inside on the dash, working beautifully in spite of obstructions.

The TV remote took up about an hour.  It just would not SELECT what I wanted it to.  Not that I had a lot of choices.  It could only pull in one satellite, which had CNN, QVC and Forensic Files from 2017.  Although I fought with the remote's 5 second delay upon selection, Forensic Files it was for the entire day.

Breakfast was ..... well .... clam chowder of course!!  Add in a little garlic bread and I was smiling from ear to ear.

Here's Mr. Cooper snoozing after that long morning walk.  He makes me smile more than the clam chowder.

Jonathan has survived thus far, being more active than I expected.  He's talking a bit and chewing up his house, as he should.

That's when the people watching began in earnest.  It always fascinates me when people hook up absolutely everything.  Electricity of course, water and three extra extension cords.  This guy is one stop over, and spent an hour putting up this entire kitchen barbecue setup.  He's got a barbecue on top of a barbecue and three tables, including two gadgets that whip around keeping the flies away, though there are none.

It looked like chicken wings and potatoes.  Breakfast was served two hours later to two ladies, after setting up four chairs, carpet and barbecue sauce.  He did finally take note of the sign behind his rig that he backed over when he came in.  Notice the white line on the ground.  In a few minutes, it will disappear.

I on the other hand, had yet another BLT sandwich.  Only two tomatoes to go!!!

Another trailer came in on my other side ... maybe as long as my rig ... 20'.  Out jumped two noisy kids on scooters, two adults and two BIG dogs, NOT on leashes, even though the rules say they should be.  Mr. Cooper and I just chilled with a piece of bacon.

Still hanging out inside staying warm, another newcomer showed up.  When the barbecue guy saw them coming, he moved his rugs and tables right over that white line, and put his awning out.  Staking out his territory I guess.

This guy backed in like a champ ... 6" from the white line!!  I laughed.  It works for me though, because they are farther from me.  The part I'm not sure about is they have a very long leash with a dog toy attached.  I hope that means the DOG, which is apparently HUGE, is also on a leash.  

Then they rolled out a 6 foot long barbecue.  No kidding ... they could cook for 50 people.  They are now sitting on the side of their rig, staring straight at me.  I'm an old time camper ... you park way over there and I will park way over here.  Never the two shall meet!!  Camping etiquette seems to be a thing of the past.

The good news is I'm leaving this morning, along a route I hope will get me to the ocean for those pictures I came here for.  

Unlike my neighbors, all I have to unhook is one electric cable.  Easy peasy and we are OFF!!

Did I mention there is a QUILT STORE on the way home?  That may or may NOT have been the REAL reason for this trip!!

 

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!!