Beautiful…

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 4,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

---

The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails RV Resort in Morgan Hill, California. I’ll depart here tomorrow.

 

Yesterday I drive the Bronco the 46 miles to the VA Hospital in Palo Alto, California for a post-operation eye exam from my cataract surgery conducted in October/November, 2014.

 

The VA Hospital in Palo Alto is a big and modern facility. It always saddens me to go to the VA Hospital because I get to see the real heros who are still struggling with the effects of their injuries. I’m truly thankful I made it through my naval service without sustaining any injuries…

 

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…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the hundreds/thousands of vets they handle every day…I remain amazed at their efficiency and professionalism. I’m so thankful of modern science for without it I would have been facing total blindness within the next few years…

 

 

 

Dr. Suzann Pershing is my eye doctor and also the surgeon who performed my two operations. She has a neat way of stating that all elements of my eye surgeries are in great conditions. There are several elements to the total eye exam and with each completed…she says…“BEAUTIFUL”…meaning everything is A-OK!…

I thank her and the VA every day that I can see so well once again!

 

 

 

 

 

Recently I’ve been running blogs about my 2004 Central America trip. While here I’m intending to continue those postings while also alternating with other past blogs.

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

 Yesterday was  sunny and 59 degrees. Forecast for today is sunny and 64 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 600 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2016

Central America Trip #89

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 4,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

---

The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails RV Resort in Morgan Hill, California..

 

My eye surgeon at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto, California wants me back for a post-operation examination. I had cataract surgery done there on both eyes in October and November, 2014.  Palo Alto is only about 40 miles from my current location. I’ll drive the Bronco to Palo Alto later this morning.

 

Recently I’ve been running blogs about my 2004 Central America trip. While here, I’m intending to continue those postings while also alternating with this area blogs.

Today, I’m taking you back to my…

2004 Central America trip…

This trip ended up being 343 days and 16,000+ miles through the back-country of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. 11 rigs started the trip, within a week we broke into three smaller groups for ease of traveling. Only myself and one other rig went the full, pre-planned route. All the others dropped out for various reasons. All returned safely to the United States. I’m planning to show these photos, more or less, 10 a day, whenever I’m not doing something else deserving a blog entry. FINALLY, it must be remembered these photos are prior to my switching to digital in 2006. The films were developed during our trip and the lack of quality control sometimes is plainly evident.

 

Today…Mexico (north-bound) 14…

 

The motorhome is in Oaxaca, awaiting a new engine. I had no idea that it would take two months. In the meantime we explore Oaxaca, one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico. In our two months there…we got to know it well…

 

Another day trip in the Bronco, this time to the village of Santa Ana del Valle which had a nice museum…

 

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…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They weave beautiful rugs here…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A fresh tortilla made while you wait…

 

 

 

Bud  inspects a local jail cell…

 

 

 

A government building…

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s my trip website link…http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

 Yesterday was sunny and 68 degrees. Forecast for today is sunny and 61 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 600 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2016

Fresno To Morgan Hill, California

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 4,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

---

Yesterday I drove the motorhome 136 miles from Fresno to Morgan Hill, California. I’m parked at Thousand Trails RV Resort.

 

My eye surgeon at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto, California wants me back for a post-operation examination. I had cataract surgery done there on both eyes in October and November, 2014. My appointment is scheduled for March 28th. Palo Alto is only about 40 miles from my current location. I’ll sit here until then when I’ll drive the Bronco to Palo Alto.

 

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…

 

 

 

Part of yesterday’s trip was on U.S. Highway 101 North…

 

 

 

 

Approaching the entrance of Thousand Trails RV Resort…

 

 

 

My parking spot…

 

 

 

 

And finally, the usual dinette window photo…

 

 

Recently I’ve been running blogs about my 2004 Central America trip. While here I’m intending to continue those postings while also alternating with other past blogs.

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

 Yesterday was  mostly cloudy with night showers and 70 degrees. Forecast for today is cloudy with a shower and 62 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 600 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2016

Defenders Lodge – Palo Alto, California

The motorhome is currently parked at Mary’s home in Murphys, California. My current departure date is scheduled December 1st.

Two days ago Mary and I made the 141 mile trip to the VA Hospital at Palo Alto, California. Hopefully the last time to make this trip. The purpose of the trip was a post-op exam for my left eye which had the surgery on November 6th. Dr. Pershing assured me that all is well and the eye is now at 20/20. The right eye was done on October 9th and is also at 20/20. It is so nice to be able to see well once again. THANK YOU DR. PERSHING AND STAFF for this wonderful gift you have given to me!

The VA Hospital at Palo Alto is state of the art. In addition to the great medical services provided to veterans, it also offers another unusual facility.

The Lee & Penny Anderson Defenders Lodge… a 34,000 square foot, 52 rooms offering 104 beds. A free Haven for Heros.

Each year, more than 85,000 veterans come to the Palo Alto VA hospital for treatment. The hospital is the largest and most medically advanced facility in the Western United States and Pacific Rim. The Defenders Lodge provides a much-needed “home away from home” for these veterans– who often require complex care for the rest of their lives –while they receive treatment. The lodge is free to VA patients and caregivers and provides state-of-the-art accommodations for more than 20,000 nights of stay each year.

The facility is available to those veterans who have to travel 50 miles or more, or at least two hours from their home to the VA Hospital at Palo Alto. The doctor in charge of your case makes the arrangements to stay at the Defenders Lodge.

Here’s a photo of the building taken at the time of completion in October 2013…

Here’s a video tour about the Defenders Lodge…

If the video does not work, click this link…http://youtu.be/RKdkklM_WDQ

I love to photograph forms, shapes, shadows and patterns. I could not resist this shot on the way to our room…

Mary and I had the opportunity to stay at the Defenders Lodge five nights during my two cataract surgeries. The 141 mile drive is excruciating due to heavy traffic…especially at rush hour times. The Defenders Lodge is a beautiful oasis in all the madness of the Palo Alto area. THANK YOU for the opportunity to stay at this wonderful facility during my cataract surgery. It hugely relieved the pain of the process.

NOTE: I just made my donation to the Defenders Lodge this morning. If you would like to help this worthy cause, click this link…http://www.defenderslodge.org/about/

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PHOTO  AND VIDEO.

Yesterday was a cloudy day and 55 degrees. Forecast for today is partly sunny and 61 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 500 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2014

The Miracle Worker…

The motorhome is currently parked at Mary’s home in Murphys, California. My current departure date is scheduled December 1st.

The cataract surgery was done on my right eye on October 9th. The left eye was done on November 6th. The results are SIMPLY AMAZING! Sharpness and color brilliance far exceeds anything I was expecting. A true miracle!

Being and ex-engineer…I like to understand how things work. So, I did a little research online.

This is an image of the lens…

The reason the image (not mine) is kind of fuzzy is because the lens is so small. The height is 13 millimeters or just over 1/2 inch at 33/64. The width is 6 millimeters or just under 1/4 inch at 15/64.

To read all about the lens implanted in my eyes, click this link…https://www.myalcon.com/products/surgical/acrysof-iq-aspheric-iol/index.shtml

This YouTube video shows the lens being taken from storage container and loaded into the implanter…

If the video does not work, click this link…http://youtu.be/dctMTeICzzw

This video on YouTube which shows how the lens is implanted into the eye. The video was NOT of my eye surgery. Here’s the brief video…

If the video does not function, click this link…http://youtu.be/CL44Ro6Fzvg

According to the lens website, more the 50 million of this particular lens have been used to restore vision. Absolutely intriguing!

What’s next? Today I’ll go back to see Dr. Pershing for a follow-up post-op exam. On November 25th I’ll travel to the Livermore VA Hospital for an appointment with the optometrist to get my reading glasses. I’m still planning to hit the road on December 1st. No blog entry tomorrow.

Online I read that the VA does about 50,000 cataract surgeries a year…about 1,000 a week. I met a number of other vets like me walking around with a patch over one eye. Also online I read that about 3,000,000 cataract surgeries are performed in the United States annually. Being an ex-engineer, I broke that down to 60,000 a week and 12,000 a day. Simply amazing!

You can read all about cataract surgery by clicking this Wikipedia link…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataract_surgery

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE VIDEOS.

Yesterday was a sunny/cloudy day and 68 degrees. Forecast for today is sunny/cloudy and 66 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 500 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2014

We Return To The Scene Of The Crime…

The motorhome is currently parked at Mary’s home in Murphys, California. My current departure date is scheduled December 1st.

Six years ago today, Mary and I met for the first time in person in Tracy, California. We had met online six days earlier…but this was our first face-to-face meeting. Mary was at home in Murphys, California and my motorhome was parked in Thousand Trails RV Resort at Morgan Hill…about 160 miles away. We decided to meet at a half-way point which turned out to be Tracy. Our meeting place was at the Golden Corral Buffet Restaurant.

Two days ago while returning from my cataract surgery exam at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto, we had to travel right though Tracy and decided to have lunch at the Golden Corral. The waitress took our photo after we completed eating. Here we are…the still happy couple…

It’s been a very fun and interesting six years…with hopefully many more to come.

Speaking of the VA Hospital in Pal Alto, in previous blogs I’ve mentioned how big and modern it is, taking care of 85,000 enrolled veterans. To help find your way around the complex they give out a 12 page, 8.5×11, guide brochure…

Opening the cover page provides this view…

You can read all about this place by clicking this link…http://www.paloalto.va.gov/about/index.asp

A 102.5 million addition was commenced this month.

I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with the VA Medical care system. Other then my cataract surgery, fortunately my only other use of the facilities has been for my routine annual physicals. Thank you VA, for all of your kind and professional care you provide to us veterans!

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PHOTOS.

Yesterday was a cloudy day with showers and 68 degrees. Forecast for today is partly sunny and 66 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 500 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2014