SIBLING CHRISTMAS

My sister Dawn spent Christmas with her immediate family in Chico and drove the three hours to my house on Dec. 28th. Brother Norman is my homeless brother and we all get together once a year at Christmas.  Norman is very political and shared all of the letters he has written to various newspapers and congress-people. We played Rummikub endlessly, it seemed with much fun and hilarity.

Yesterday, the rest of the family arrived, Clark, Bill, and Theresa, Clarks Finance. Bill lost his bid for congress. Without my glasses on, I didn’t realize I caught everyone with their mouths full.

We don’t exchange gifts, but Dawn bought me a shirt she couldn’t resist.

She knows I’m an avid fan of Downton Abbey. Mary from Downton Abbey is the figure on the right. If you don’t know the program, well, it may be hard to understand. We had a lot of fun, remembering the program which is set to begin a third series January 16th. I will miss it because I’ll be on the road with Jim.

 

 

We talked politics and solved the problems of the world in four hours. We reminisced about being raised with politics at dinner every night when we were growing up. We all have different solutions, it seems. We talked about our thinning ranks.

Dawn reminded me she will be 80 years old on her next birthday.

Norman is 66. Bill is 75. Clark is the youngest at 57. We’ve lost two brothers, Mark and Dan. So, we remember them and tell family stories. There is always a new one not everyone has heard before.  It is time well spent. Today, I un-decorate and say good-bye to another eventful year as I close the house, (mostly the refrigerator) and pack my bags and prepare to meet Jim. (Maybe I can hide the five pounds I put on over Thanksgiving and Christmas.)

 

Thousand Trails Medina Lake RV Resort, Lakehills, Texas – Day 3

Mary remains at home in California tending to medical issues. She had successful carotid artery surgery on Wednesday, November 14th,  returned home the following day and is in the process of recuperation.

The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails. the largest RV resort company with 80 locations nationwide, of which Mary and I are members. I’ll begin my “Winter hibernation” by hiding out from colder weather with a three-week stay, departing not later than December 10th. After my stay here, I’ll head even further south until I reach the Rio Grande River and the border of Mexico to hide out from the colder Winter weather.

Yesterday I took a walk to the activity center that is all decked out for Thanksgiving…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

The adult lounge…

Had this eye test chart for seniors…

In other news…

I haven’t been in San Antonio (about 40 miles away) since 1979, so I may take a day-trip or two there while I’m here. Other than that I’ll just be hanging around reading and doing area photography. I’ll be supplementing my daily Blog with RV related topics that I’ve accumulated over the past year.

Yesterday I had a loyal reader send me an Email that said in part…

My suggestion:   Instead of having all of us readers scurrying around to find the atlas and locate you in your wanderings in Texas and elsewhere,  how about posting a map, not a Google map, but a real one that shows where you are geographically?  That would keep me and maybe others from having to listen to our own mutterings “He’s in so-and-so place.   Now where the hell is so-and-do?  Never heard of it!”

So, I agreed to try if it wasn’t to big of a hassle. The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Now you do not have to try to find me on your atlas!

Enjoying easy-to-see Ramblin’ Man current locations without having to use an atlas is another joy of the RV lifestyle!

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…

http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Setting Up The New Bike Rack…

It’s the day after Thanksgiving. Mary and I spent the night at her youngest daughter’s home. I had planned to show some photos of our Thanksgiving in today’s Blog entry, but I forgot to bring my photo download cord. So instead I’ll present the Blog entry I had planned for tomorrow.

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Last Wednesday I temporarily attached the new bike rack to our Ford Bronco II. I attached one bike for this activity…

In the above photo the old bike rack is still attached as we had to bring back Mary’s bike from her youngest daughter’s home after Thanksgiving.

The whole purpose of this activity was to adjust the fold-down set bolt which locks in the angle that the fold-down arm is allowed to travel. This bolt is adjusted to allow the rear-mounted spare tire and rear door which lifts upward to just clear touching the closest bicycle in the fold-down position…

In this position we have access to the rear storage area of the Bronco without the bicycles laying on the ground. In preparation for my Monday morning departure, tomorrow I’ll mount both bicycles and cover them with our new bike-on-the-rack cover to keep them clean. Almost time to go!

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here’s wishing you and everyone you love and care about a happy turkey day.

Mary and I will spend the day with her youngest daughter and her family and her youngest son.

See you tomorrow!

Rest Stop…Hmmm…Maybe Not

As you can most likely tell…I had a little problem coming up with a title for today’s Blog entry.

Yesterday I drove the motorhome the about 65 miles from Stockton to Mary’s home in Murphys, California. Mary met up with her youngest son who lives in Stockton and retrieved her Prius from him to drive home.  He uses the vehicle rather than let it sit while Mary is on the road with me.

I’ll be here at Mary’s home until just after Thanksgiving. By then it starts to turn cold and the snow cannot be far behind…so it’s time for me to get out of Dodge. Mary will remain home for the holidays and fly to meet me once again in early January…most likely somewhere in Arizona.

So while stopping here for the next several weeks seems like a rest stop from being continuously on the road…it will not be. I always manage to stay plenty busy while here. My primary role will be to do a thorough cleaning job…both inside and out of both the motorhome and Bronco. The motorhome has not been washed since last April…and it’s ready! The Bronco is just as ready.

The road of life is a dusty and dirty one!

In other news…

Back on September 15th I wrote a Blog Entry about Palmyra Island aka Palmyra Atoll…a tiny speck of land in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean. An unlikely Blog entry for a full-time RVer. In case you missed it…here’s the link…otrwjam.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/the-curse-of-palmyra-island/

Waiting for me was the 895, 6×9, page book written by Wesley Walker…the man convicted of the murders.

I got 62 pages into it yesterday and it makes for interesting reading…that is his side of the story. I’ll write another Blog entry about this subject once I complete the reading of the book. Meanwhile…I’ve got to get busy…cleaning. Later!

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Things For Which I Am Thankful…

* Having been born in the United States of America.

* My beautiful children and grandchildren.

* Having inherited wonderfully good health from my mother. I have never had a major illness nor broken a bone in my entire life. In ten days I’ll be 69 years old and I even have all my own teeth!

* Being born a Sagittarius. I’m right in the middle of the sign and we are travelers! I left home at age 17 to join the U.S. Navy and have traveled widely. I’ve seen my places, met many people and have enjoyed many neat experiences in my life. I started RV’ing in 1962. I have been a full-timer RVer since retiring at the age of 55 in 1995.

* I live a very simple, uncomplicated yet very full-filling life. I’ve never been materialistic. Everything I own in the world is in our motorhome or my towed Ford Bronco II. I like it that way.

* Finally I’m thankful for my life partner, Mary Matzek. She’s attractive, intelligent, honest, generous, loving and fun! See our Comparability Horoscope below. It does a great job describing our relationship.

My life partner Mary and myself.

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Libra & Sagittarius

The merging of Libra and Sagittarius can be paradise found for both Signs; this combination is a harmonious one, to say the least. Signs that are two positions apart in the Zodiac tend to have a very deep, special connection and understanding of one another. Sagittarius, the journeyer, is constantly in search of wisdom. Libra has a mind keen for art, beauty and aesthetics; Libra makes a stimulating companion for Sagittarius on their travels and adds much to Sagittarius’s experience. The relationship always feels new because these two keep it exciting — and yet their natural understanding of one another makes them feel like intimates from the beginning. Together they will reach new horizons in love and in life.

Libra and Sagittarius make great friends as well as lovers. They share a certain fresh-faced optimism in the world; they’re both enthusiastic about finding truth and beauty in their experiences. Problems rarely occur. Occasionally Sagittarius may hurt sensitive Libra’s feelings by speaking without thinking; conversely, Libra can sometimes be a bit too emotionally controlling for Sagittarius. Since Libra is a born diplomat who abhors conflict, they’ll be able to smooth over any ruffled feathers. These two have the gift of forgiving and forgetting quickly.

Libra is ruled by Venus (Love) and Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter (Luck and Philosophy). Venus’s femininity and Jupiter’s masculinity make these Signs compatible and balanced. Sagittarius is constantly on a quest for knowledge of the big things — the truth, the meaning of life and death — and whenever Libra comes up with a new idea (as they are wont to do) Sagittarius is eager to go along with their partner and become familiar with this new concept.

Libra is an Air Sign and Sagittarius is a Fire Sign. This partnership is full of kinetic energy. As air spreads fire and makes it grow exponentially, this relationship is heated and ardorous. Sagittarius thinks they’re steering the rudder, but Libra controls the flow of events with a quieter hand. These two are energetic in the extreme and can run together far and wide. The relationship runs most smoothly when Sagittarius can feel they have plenty of freedom and independence within the relationship.

Libra is a Cardinal Sign and Sagittarius is a Mutable Sign. Libra is an initiator; they think up new ideas and new places to go — but can change their minds at a moment’s notice. Sagittarius is flexible and adaptable, amenable to any changes Libra wants to make in plans.

What’s the best aspect of an Libra-Sagittarius relationship? Their mutual interest in cultivating knowledge and utilizing intellect. They are well-matched and will go far together, both emotionally and geographically!
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Am I a lucky guy or what!

Here’s wishing you a great and Happy Thanksgiving!