Wednesday, December 18, through Tuesday, December 31, 2013: Ending the Year--- in the Desert:

We headed for Palm Desert at about 9:30AM on Wednesday.  We had no difficulty with the hydraulics, using the work-arounds we learned when we left Arizona.  It was an easy 9 1/2 miles to the Thousand Trails park.  Our first two selected sites had already been taken, but we found a nice site in the same area, and Becky backed the trailer in like a pro.  After settling in, we went shopping for a Christmas tree and lights.  We already had ornaments, bought in anticipation.  It's the first time in the 11 years since we hit the road that we have had an actual tree for Christmas.  We set it up on the picnic table at our site. 

It's fun to have one, again.  We spent the rest of the day getting back into our normal routine at this park, including taking the dogs for a walk in the desert.  Kelsey had a ball running in the sand for what we assume was her first time.

Thursday morning, while Becky played pickleball I finished The Innocent Man, John Grisham's only non-fiction book.  Its portrait of parts of the criminal justice system is creepy.

Friday, Saturday, and much of Sunday were very normal---Becky played pickleball and walked the dogs and I read and did crossword puzzles.  We also did some last-minute shopping.

Sunday night, we watched 2 Guns from the Redbox.  It starred Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg.  Very good.

Late Monday morning, we took the dogs to The Grand Paw to spend four days while we headed to Los Angeles for Christmas.  At 3:15PM, the pet resort called to say the food we left for the dogs had worms, and it would not be served to the dogs.  I jumped into the truck to buy some replacement food and get it to the resort before 4:00, the deadline they gave me.  I made it on time and had them show me the gross things (I later learned they were maggots) that were in the food.  Ugh.  I came home and threw out the rest of the almost new 35-pound bag of food. 

Monday night, we actually missed the dogs a little, but Becky did enjoy the relief.

In the late morning on Tuesday (Christmas Eve) we packed up and headed for the Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles.  After checking in, we relaxed and watched some TV, preparing to go to two friends’ homes for pre-Christmas cocktails.  One of the friends contacted Becky to cancel the invitation due to an injury while setting up.  So, we ended up going only to the home of Sara Edwards’s mother, Jeane, in San Marino.  (Sara was a high school buddy of Becky’s.) 

We had previously opted out of having dinner there, not wanting to impose on their family gathering.  We were having a nice time (Sara’s two brothers, Ace and Rick, and their families were there) and started to leave when Sara pressed me into service to carve the turkey---a specialty of mine, which no one else seemed to want to do.  It turned out to be quite a hoot.  Somehow, the turkey had exploded in the oven, had lost much of its stuffing, most of its drumsticks and wings, all of its skin, and had turned a ghastly brownish-grey color.  It was a challenge to carve, to say the least.  But most of the people didn’t notice.  We ended up staying for dinner, which was just fine, after all.

We had a very nice breakfast in the Tap Room at the club on Christmas morning.  There were only two tables of diners.  Apparently, not a lot of people stay at the club over Christmas.  The gentleman at the other table was wearing jeans, breaking a serious rule of the club’s dress code, but under the circumstances the maitre‘d decided to waive the rule after mentioning it to the gentleman.

We arrived at Becky's sister Wendy’s for the family gathering just before 2:00PM, and were the first ones there for quite a while.  Eventually, everyone showed up and we had the usual terrific time.

 

Thursday, we finally slept in, finally checking out of the club at 11:00, and heading back to the desert.  All went swimmingly until we hit Colton.  From there until Cabazon (about 30 miles) the traffic was bumper-to-bumper.  It was very frustrating. 

We decided to take advantage of not having to pick up the dogs until Friday and see a movie.  We saw American Hustle at the Regal Cinema in Palm Desert.  What a terrific movie!  Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, and Bradley Cooper were magnificent.

 

Friday morning, we picked up Ramsey and Kelsey and returned to our normal routine.  Saturday was pickleball for Becky and football on TV for me.

Saturday we were scheduled to have dinner with Honoria Vivell and Richard Petrie, who had come to the desert for the weekend, but I wasn't feeling well and Becky went with them alone. 

The word is that they had a great time at Mitchell's Seafood.  I snapped back on Sunday, just in time to watch great regular-season-ending NFL games. 

On Sunday morning, Becky headed for Pasadena to see her father, who wasn't feeling well.  She wasn't sure how long she would be gone. It turned out that all five of her brothers and sisters showed up as well. 

I had full responsibility for Ramsey and Kelsey for the first time.  It was challenging, but I managed very well.  To increase the odds of not screwing up the dogs' complicated routine, I stayed off wine and coffee for the duration.  Becky returned late Monday afternoon, with dinner from Panda Express, which was delicious, as usual.  On Tuesday, Becky took the dogs to the local dog park and returned with two DVDs from the Redbox---Red 2 and Man of Steel, neither of which I watched.  We then celebrated New Years Eve in our usual fashion---we watched part of a couple of college bowl games and were asleep by 9:01PM.  That's 12:01AM in New York---The ball had dropped!  Thus ended 2013.            

Saturday, December 7, through Tuesday, December 17, 2013: The Indio Experience:

Saturday morning, in preparing to leave the RV park for the move West, we discovered that part of our hydraulic system wasn't working.  We could move the slideouts but couldn't raise the stabilizers or the landing legs.  That meant we could not move the trailer.  A panic phone call to the company that made the system revealed that they have an emergency person on call 24/7. 

After a little more than an hour with him on the phone, deploying some clever-but-complicated overrides, we were on our way.  But, we clearly have a problem that requires fixing---sooner rather than later.  We decided to blow off Ehrenberg and go directly to Indio, where we had a reservation starting on Sunday.  We called to cancel Ehrenberg and move Indio up a day, and both requests were honored.  We completed the 240-mile run to the Indian Waters RV Resort in Indio without further incident (although the winds were a bit scary).   

We arrived at Indian Waters just after 3:00PM, and settled into a nice pull-thru site.  I think it's the same one we had the last time we were here.  The rest of Saturday involved football (and a little wine).

Plus, we learned that our son-in-law, David, had slipped on the ice in his driveway and had torn up his ankle---ending up with a plate and several pins to hold it all together.  He will be immobilized for two months.  

Sunday was a more normal day, with a little football (some of the games in the East were played in some very snowy weather) and we watched the dogs romp in the enclosed dog area at the RV park.  Sunday evening, we watched Heat (with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy) from the Redbox.  It was very funny.

We had made a tentative appointment for Monday morning with Benlo RV, a repair shop in Indio with which we were familiar and very comfortable.  Early on Monday, I checked our service contract and discovered that, since we were within 100 miles of McMahon's RV, where we had bought the rig, we had to first take the rig there, to give them a shot at making the repairs.  I called the contract people and begged for relief from that provision, since we believe from past experience that the McMahon's people are incompetent.  My request was refused.   So now we will have to see if McMahon's can fit us into their service department. 

My call to McMahon's had its high points and its low points.  The first words out of the service manager's mouth were to the effect that they could not take us until after the first of the year.  After I begged for a while, he allowed that they could squeeze us in for an analysis of our situation on December 19, but still no work could take place until January.  After some more begging, he allowed that they would break their rules and send a tech to our RV park within the next 45 minutes---to assess our situation.  Wow!  Louis showed up on time and spent the next hour poking this and measuring that.  I have no idea what he decided, but he said I would hear from his manager in due course.

Later on Monday, we went to the Mens Wearhouse in Palm Desert to help my wardrobe a bit.  Somehow my clothes don't fit quite as well as they used to.  I think they've shrunk a bit. They're also a bit aged.  It happens to be two-for-one days at the store and we ended up with, therefore, two pairs of slacks, two belts, and two dress shirts.  I'll be dazzling, I'm sure.

Monday night, the Bears beat the Cowboys in verrrry cold weather in Chicago.  Hooray.

Tuesday was a pretty mundane day (dinner was from Panda Express) until, in the middle of the night, Becky got an email from Marshall Rutter announcing that his daughter, Deborah, had been appointed as the new President of the Kennedy Center in Washington---to start next September. 

She will be responsible for managing the center, with an annual budget of nearly $200,000,000.  She has been the President of the Chicago Symphony for the past ten years and this is a very big step up.  I have known Debbie since she was nine years old, 48 years ago (we last saw her two years ago at Marshall's 80th birthday party) and it seems strange to realize that she has hit it very big in the arts management business.  Congratulations, Debbie.

Wednesday, we picked up my new slacks and otherwise just treaded water.  Thursday was not at all memorable, except we did enjoy complimentary breakfast waffles and orange juice at the clubhouse.

We were invited to attend Bill Ukropina's annual Holiday Lunch---scheduled for Friday at the Rose Bowl.  We loaded the dogs into the truck and headed West about 8:30AM.   We arrived in Pasadena early enough to take the dogs for a long walk around Brookside Park, the site of the Rose Bowl, before changing into our party clothes.  The lunch was delightful, taking place in the visitors' locker room. 

There were about 200 people there. 

The guest speaker was Wayne Cook, a former UCLA quarterback from the '90s, who gave a terrific talk about overcoming adversity.

After lunch, we stopped at the Langham Huntington Hotel for a drink.  It's a lovely Pasadena landmark and usually a nice respite from the hurly-burly of modern life. 

It's Christmas Party season, though, and the bar was filled with young revelers who were very loud.  Becky guessed (correctly, it turned out) that they were employed in the financial services industry.  Good guess, Becky.  Then we checked into Le Reve, a former Quality Inn in East Pasadena we have stayed at previously.  The place is a little odd, but it's comfortable and the people are very nice.  In our room, we had a typical dinner of cheese, salami, and crackers, washed down with some nice wine. 

Saturday morning, we stopped at the nearby Target to buy a Christmas gift for a young boy in Indio who has a parent serving time in jail.  It's part of a program supported by the RV park.  We purchased a remote control car.

Before heading home, we stopped in at Becky's father's home to visit, then on to her sister Wendy's for a while, then headed back to the desert.  The rest of Saturday, and all of Sunday, were relaxing.  Sunday night, we watched the NBC live version of The Sound Of Music, which we had previously recorded.  It's one of my very favorite musicals and, while the critics savaged it, I loved it.     

Monday, we decided to splurge on lunch at the Elephant Bar, one of our favorite places in the desert.  Just before we got there, Becky suggested that we instead try the restaurant at Tommy Bahama's.  

The place is pricey but very good.  I had a blackened fish reuben sandwich that was absolutely delicious.  I'm sure we will return. 

Monday night, I watched the Ravens pull out another last-minute win---this time over the Lions.

Since we are moving to the Thousand Trails RV park in Palm Desert on Wednesday, we headed over there on Tuesday to scope out the available spaces (after having waffles at the lodge and meeting a nice couple from Rochester Hills, Michigan, who are excited about watching the Rose Parade in person). 

We earmarked several acceptable ones.  We also met with Kate, the manager, to clear up some issues with our dogs, and we stopped at McMahon's to talk with Tom, the Service Manager to keep the ball rolling on the projected repairs.  From what Tom told me, they are as incompetent as ever.  It's a good thing we will be here for 2 1/2 months, giving McMahon's enough time to get their act together on our problems. The rest of Tuesday was relaxing and preparing to leave.      

Sunday, December 1, through Friday, December 6, 2013: Heading Back to California:

The first stop on our way to Southern California for the winter season is at Pueblo El Mirage RV Resort outside of Phoenix.  We plan to leave here on Friday, ending up at Ehrenberg, Arizona, for two days before moving on.  It was only a 106-mile, two-hour drive from Cottonwood, that went without incident.  Several of our friends are spending the winter here, and Bill Wheeler met us at the gate and led us to our site.  (He works two days a week as a greeter.) 

After setting up, the first order of business was to take the dogs to the fenced-in dog area a few yards from our site and watch them run loose for the first time together.  It was great fun.  Kelsey is inclined to chase balls, which Ramsey is not.  Maybe she'll teach him.

We are located just a stone’s throw from Luke Air Force Base.  Since the last time we were here four years ago, Luke has become a major training base for fighter pilots.  Jets take off right over our heads all day long, starting at 7:30AM and lasting until well after dark.  It takes some getting-used-to, but is not a real problem.

Things started to get interesting Monday night.  At 2:00AM, Ramsey limped into our bedroom and jumped up on our bed.  His right paw was swollen.  Early Tuesday morning, Becky made an appointment for Ramsey at a local vet. 

Knowing that Ramsey is not a fan of having his front paws touched, but forgetting that he also does not like muzzles, Becky tried to muzzle him before taking him out of the truck at the vet’s.  She ended up with a serious bite on her left arm.  We dropped off Ramsey at the vet, with appropriate instructions (including the approval to sedate him during any treatment), and proceeded to the nearest urgent care facility to deal with Becky’s situation. 

 

I had an appointment to see Gwen Pike, a former client who lives in Scottsdale, to have lunch and to deliver a document I retrieved for her from storage a while ago in Pasadena.  I left Becky at the urgent care facility and headed to Scottsdale.  Larry Pike, one of Gwen’s two sons, joined us for lunch at their favorite Mexican restaurant.  I hadn’t seen either of them in ten years and it was fun catching up.

I then returned to El Mirage.  In the meantime, Becky had been sewn up and Bill Wheeler had picked her up and returned her to our rig.  She had been given antibiotics and, thankfully, some nice pain pills.  But she was still a little shaky.

On Tuesday night the Wheelers, the Van Dusens, the MacQuestons, and the Ebberts went to the Food City market several miles away to have dinner and celebrate Claudette Van Dusen’s birthday. 

The odd choice of dining at the deli counter at a market was intended as a joke.  Claudette had been told to “dress up” for dinner at a secret restaurant.  I don’t think Claudette was very amused.  Adding to the fun was the fact that the market is located in a very Latino neighborhood so the menu was entirely in Spanish and the food was entirely Latino deli food, none of which was familiar to any of us.  It all worked out just fine, though.

Wednesday was a “down” day for Becky.  She’s seems to be healing well, but there is still pain coupled with exhaustion.  We basically treaded water all day.  I picked up a wonderful pizza from Grimaldi’s for dinner.  Wednesday night Becky slept like a log.

 

Thursday morning, we returned to the urgent care place for a follow-up visit.  Danielle, the P.A. who had taken care of Becky on Tuesday, was happy with the progress and said it would be OK to continue on our way to Southern California. 

We decided to stay one extra day in El Mirage and cut our next stay by one day.  That will give Becky one more relaxing day and still put us back on schedule.    

Kelsey continues to be a gem.  She and Ramsey are really fun together.

 







Friday night, we went to the Texas Roadhouse for dinner with the Wheelers.  It was a belated celebration of our joint wedding anniversaries, since we weren't near each other in November.  As usual, the meal (I had filet medallions) was wonderful.  That chain of restaurants is really well-run and serves uniformly delicious food.

Thus ended our Pueblo El mirage experience---or so we thought.