The summer of '11

I can't believe it is so long since I last posted! Either we have been too busy or having too much fun! Now let me see, what has been happening simce I last posted??? I am going to try and post more often. I met someone today, where we are camped at the moment (Galvin Bay, Buckhorn) who has given me fresh enthusiasm! Thanks, George!

We got back to Ontario at the beginning of April. We had flown from California to Dulles and my sister met us at the airport and drove us back to her house in Keedysville, Maryland. We stayed a couple of days there and then drove "home" to Ajax. The motorhome was in storage in Moodie's Motor Inn. It was so good to be back in our home on wheels! Surprisingly, she started up first try and we moved to a spot at the back of the storage area where there is a power outlet, water and a sewer. Being so early in the season, the water was not turned on yet, but Michael managed to get some water and filled the tanks. Cedar Beach was not open yet, so we had to stay in Moodies for almost 2 weeks. I object to paying for camping when we have a seasonal site up in Stouffville! We took a couple of trips up to Cedar Beach and realized that we would not get the Seneca into the site we had booked last October, so we had to find another site. There were not many available, but we did find one which had no tree in front and had an open view to the South West sky for the satellite.

We moved happily onto our site on April 13th and started getting settled in. Luckily we were able to sell the shed that we built on our site across the road, to the family who took over that site. We found a better shed at Rona and spent a weekend putting that up. The next thing we built was a deck. The deck is just 7 4X8 modules, pushed together. We put a gazebo onto the deck, put in some plants and flower boxes and we are set. We have met some really nice people who live on our "street". I will post photos as soon as I have access to the Internet on my MacBook. I am making this blog entry on my iPad. I should look into getting the photo connector for the iPad.

The July long weekend we camped with friends at Saugeen Springs RV Resort near Hanover, where we camped for 3 days (at an exorbitant $50 a night), but we did have fun tubing down the Saugeen River. After the weekend we proceeded on to a Coast to Coast resort called Lake Huron RV Resort, just north of Goderich. We really enjoyed those 5 days. The resort is on the West coast of Ontario. Views of Lake Huron are expansive and the sunsets are staggeringly beautiful. We took the time to do some exploring in the Saturn. The other campers in the park were very friendly. We are booked to return toward the end of August.

I have half heartedly being looking for a casual job in an Obstetrics unit somewhere, but as there are so many cutbacks in the health care industry I doubt that I will find anything. No-one is hiring. Just thought that I could supplement our pensions for some extra stuff for the Motorhome, like solar panels etc.

Camped at Lake Huron Resort

Site 210

We camped at Lake Huron resort from July 3rd to 8th. It is a Coast to Coast resort and so cost us only $10 a night. The resort is very nice and very clean. The views over Lake Huron are second to none and the sunsets are spectacular. The only problem is that you have to walk down a very steep pathway to get to the "natural" beach. Of course that means that you have to slog up the hill coming back. Nevertheless, we liked it and will be going back toward the end of August. We met some lovely people there and spent some very pleasant evenings sitting around a campfire getting to know them.

Looking down the road from our site

Treed road to the view site

View site

Lake Huron from the top of the cliffs

Nice site #210

The beach

Halfway down the path to the beach

The rest of the path down the hill.

Incredible sunsets

Bird on a branch

Two days to go!

Well, we leave Oceanside on Thursday morning. We have to get to LAX by 11:00 am, so what we are doing is going tomorrow morning to pick up a car at the airport and driving it back here. We will then take Virginia's car to the Chateau and on Thursday morning we drive back to LAX, return the car and then get the shuttle from Budget Car Rental and take the shuttle to the airport. Hopefully the traffic won't be too bad. We will be able to use the high occupancy lanes and that will help a lot!

Thoughts on Southern California:
Wonderfully warm and sunny most of the time. We did have a few rainy, cool days but there was no snow except for when we up Mt Jacinto!

EXPENSIVE! I don't have an awful lot of areas to compare with, but it does seem quite an expensive place to live. Gas has been creeping up slowly and now sits at $4.05 a gallon. I suppose this is still cheaper than Ontario, but it seemed expensive. Food is about the same as Ontario, but there some things which are cheaper, e.g. Milk.

Luckily we did not need the services of the medical community as we stayed healthy, but I can imagine it can be quite pricey, going on what Virginia pays for medicines and doctor's visits, even though she has insurance.

Housing is very pricey, with almost nothing available under $400,000 to $500,000. Most houses cost a lot more than that. Of course there are some places that are under that price, but you they are very few and far between.

The ocean....loved it, even though we only went down to the beach a few times. I am sure if we were closer, we would be there more frequently. We did not come down here to spend a lot of time on the beach, but to help Virginia and that we did do.

We did a few day trips and one long weekend trip. Loved seeing the different areas, from ocean and beach, to desert, to mountains and snow. You really do have it all! And it is not a huge long drive to get there. Our trips to LA showed us how much money there is in this part of the US. No wonder it is so expensive to live here.

All in all, I think the trip here was hugely successful. Virginia is now pretty much settled in her new home at the Chateau at San Marcos. Michael did a huge amount of work on her new place and on the house in Oceanside. We have made plans for when we return at the end of the year, either staying in the house and storing the RV at a local storage area, or we will be staying in the RV, hopefully at a nearby California State Park. We love it here and will be back.

Almost time to go.

Snow on the mountains on the way to Palm Desert.

The pool area at the hotel in Indian Wells

We have been here for over 2 1/2 months now and on Friday March 31st we start the journey home. We will be flying from LAX to Dulles, where my sister will be meeting us. We will spend 2 days in Keedysville, MD,  probably trying to do some shopping for stuff for the motorhome and for the kids and grandkids. Then by April 2nd we have to be back in Ontario. Our travel insurance expires on the 2nd. From there we have to be in Canada for 6 months plus 1 day to keep our health insurance. The plan will be to get the Seneca parked up at Cedar Beach Park. We have reserved a seasonal site for around $300 a month. Electricity is extra. From here we hope to do a few trips around Ontario, probably from Sunday to Friday as we do not have any reservations. We are also going to try and get some hosting positions (free site) but as yet have not pursued that avenue, so the chances are slim. We do have a Coast to Coast membership so we will try and get some bookings at their resorts.

Our stay in California has been wonderful. Most of the time we have spent helping Virginia, my "American" mom. We helped her settle into her condo at The Chateau in San Marcos and also cleaning and painting and fixing the house in Oceanside.

We also did a few very nice day trips in Southern California, such as a day in Sea World, a trip to San Diego to go on the USS Midway and a visit to the Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma.  We also took a 4 day trip up to Indian Wells and Desert Palms. All very enjoyable and successful.

Filling in the applications for a volunteer position as camp hosts in San Elijo, California

The view from the campground. San Elijo State Park

We have applied for a position as Camp Hosts in California State Parks for next winter. We hope that something will come up. This will all depend on how Virginia is doing and if we bring the Seneca with us. At the moment she is doing well but is getting very frail.

California News

I cannot believe that we have been here in Oceanside for over a month. The weather is fantastic and sure beats the cold and snow of Toronto. We have done so much. Virginia is very settled in her condo in San Marcos and has said that she is comfortable. She is starting to get into the lifestyle over there and will pretty soon start using the bus for groceries, doctor visits and shopping. She is still unable to drive due to the torn rotator cuff in her right shoulder.

We have spent most days driving Virginia to various appointments and to her favourite stores. Michael stripped the wallpaper off the walls in the spare room at the Oceanside house and it has been painted a nice neutral shade. Next is the bathroom which at the moment is a rather hectic pink. That will also be Navajo White. The en-suite bathroom will be painted when we return in November. Virginia is still looking for tenants in the summer.

We have done some stuff for ourselves as well. Going to the beach,  Sea World in February and a couple of days ago we went to The Getty Center in Los Angeles.

Sea World was a real treat as Virginia had some free tickets so it just cost us the gas to get there and lunch which was a shared pizza. We spent the day going to all the shows and saw Shamu the killer whale, the dolphin show, belugas, seals, flamingos, sting rays and tons of other marine animals. It was a lovely day.

The Getty is a beautiful museum/art gallery situated high on a hill above Los Angeles. It is constructed in imported travertine from Italy. The views are amazing and we saw fantastic art from all the Masters. Quite overwhelming. I will post some pictures in the next few days if I can get to the computer room here at the Clubhouse. 

I am using my cell phone tethered to my computer at the house and it is not very fast. All a learning experience.....