Sunset, Kailua-Kona, The Big Island, Hawaii, March 11, 2024

Sunset, Kailua-Kona, The Big Island, Hawaii, March 11, 2024
Sunset, Kailua-Kona, The Big Island, Hawaii, March 11, 2024

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Bob's walk about and "Iron Lady" - Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012

Reno, NV
Bob returned to southeast Reno this morning and completed about 16 miles on the pathways we found yesterday evening. He enjoyed all the bird life along the way.

In the afternoon, we met some friends in downtown Reno and went to see "Iron Lady" starring Meryl Streep. It was a pretty good movie. Unfortunately, I fell asleep in the middle part and woke up to Bob saying to me, "That gives me goose bumps." I missed whatever it was, but I did stay awake for the rest of the movie. 

After the movie, Scott, Carole, Bob and I walked along the Truckee River in downtown Reno. It was a gorgeous late afternoon sun which made the buildings glow in a pinkish light. Once again, I wished I had my camera. The outdoor ice skating rink had a few skaters whom we watched for about ten minutes.

We walked over to the "Reno: Biggest Little City in the World" sign at twilight. All the neon lights were coming on and it felt a little magical. 

At the now-closed Fitzgerald's Casino, a rock climbing wall had been built on the outside of the 16-story building.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CommRow). A number of people were up on the second floor balcony trying their luck on the rock-climbing wall. It was cool to watch for a while.

It was getting cold so we headed back to our respective cars and went home.

Nice way to spend a Sunday!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Wild, wild horses - Sat., Jan. 28, 2012

Lockwood, Mustang, Patrick, USA Parkway, NV:

Today, I felt great! Bob wanted to show me some new territory. Oh boy, we're going exploring. Never know what you'll find.

Our first stop was Lockwood, NV, just east on I-80 from Sparks. We pulled off the freeway and stopped at Lockwood Trailhead. What we found was like a rest area with restrooms, picnic tables and a trail next to the Truckee River. We walked to one of the interpretive signs about the Truckee River. This is good to know about because there is not an official Rest Area on this stretch of freeway from Sparks to Fernley.

Our next stop was the Mustang exit...not much there, so we got back on the freeway.

The next freeway exit was for Patrick. If you went to the stop sign and turned right and right again, you came to the world-famous Mustang Ranch brothel. I don't know if it's still a brothel because it closed down and reopened in January. Next door to the Mustang Ranch is Wild Horse Restaurant which advertises food, drink and dancing. 

We went back out to the first stop sign and turned right. Bob wanted to show me all the huge businesses and warehouses out in the middle of the high desert. I was duly impressed. Here we were, pretty much out in the boonies (about 1/2 hour from Reno), and there were humongous warehouses, many of them for lease.

After driving about eight miles out one road, we headed back toward the freeway. What to our wondering eye should appear but wild horses. Bob told me he had seen some when he had been out in the area on roofing business. He didn't know if we'd see any that day, but he hoped we would. All in all, we saw about eight herds of wild horses ranging from six to 12 in each herd, plus a few lone stallions.


These were next to the road. How cool is that?

















We continued on to USA Parkway where there were MORE huge distribution centers--including WalMart and Toys R Us, businesses and warehouses. 


After we finished all the sightseeing Bob had, I took him to west Reno to look at some beautiful estates, each on about five acres of land, some with ponds in their front yards. We drove up over a hill with a great view of Reno and then down the other side where we found a big park with an interpretive center and an amphitheater for watching performances in the summer. 


From there, we headed to southeast Reno where Bob wanted to find some walking trails he had heard about from the group he walks with. He wanted to do a 16-17 mile walk there the next morning. I continue to be amazed at how much water is in the desert. We found all kinds of marshes with cattails and tule reeds. There were paved pathways wending their way along the edges of the marshes which were interspersed with new neighborhoods. Mission accomplished.


It was getting dark so we headed back to the 5er. 



Tap, tap, tap...tap, tap, tap -- Jan. 25-27, 2012

Sparks, NV:
A couple of updates since my last blog two weeks ago:
  1. The Washoe Drive Fire destroyed 26 homes, but hundreds more were saved. The wind died down that night as did the flames. We also had very cold temperatures and some precipitation: all helped to quell the fire.
  2. My interview at the bookstore was the shortest I ever had in my life (about ten minutes). She was looking for someone who had more experience writing Press Releases. Within an hour of my interview, she called to let me know she had hired someone else. No guessing about that job!
I am a night person. I love to stay up late and sleep in late. About 8:30 on a Wednesday morning, I was awakened from sleep by a tap, tap, tap. Thinking it was someone from the RV park delivering our mail, I laid in bed and tried to ignore it. Tap, tap, tap...tap, tap, tap. Whoever it was was very persistent. Wondering if we again had water spraying out the side of our RV, I got up and peered out the side window shade to see who was at the door. No one there.  Hmm...

Tap, tap, tap...tap, tap, tap. What on earth? I looked around to see where the noise was coming from. Bowie cat was in the bathroom intently staring at the shower door. His tail was frizzed about 3" around. What was in the shower? Tap, tap, tap. I opened the shower door and there, above the skylight, was a black-billed magpie. Apparently water had collected around the edge of the skylight and the bird was getting a drink. 

Bowie was growling and his tail was still fluffed. I banged on the skylight, but the mocking bird (magpie) continued to get its drink. I pounded on the skylight some more and the bird jumped up to the top of it--not scared in the least. My next action was going to be to open the hatch and turn on the bathroom fan, but he left. 

Nature's alarm clock. Time to get up. LOL.

Wednesday, January 25: Worked out today, shopped at Costco. I have been going to the health club three times per week for cardio and weight training. My cardio consists of riding the stationary, recumbent bike. This keeps the pressure off my knees but still gives a good workout. I ride for about 64 minutes and do weights for 15-30 minutes, so overall I have about 1-1/2 hours in the gym. 

I have found that riding the stationary bike is the best place to read my magazines. While riding, I am traveling--virtually--to Greece, South America, Italy, basically the world, with National Geographic Traveler, keeping up to date on all things entertainment with my Entertainment Weekly, learning about nutrition and fitness through Prevention and Consumer Reports On Health, and reading interesting stories about everything in Reader's Digest.

After working out and shopping at Costco, I headed out to a friend's house to pick up a book. My car's battery light kept coming on. Not a good thing. As I drove on the freeway, I noticed if I sped up over 65 the battery light went out. Could it be the alternator? Driving back to the 5er, the battery light stayed on most of the way. Must get this checked soon.

Thursday, January 26: I wake up to big, fluffy flakes of falling snow. It's too warm for the snow to stick but it sure is beautiful.


After the weather got the snow out of its system, it cleared up and we had sun. My appointment for part-time PR person at the bookstore was at 10:00 am. See update #2 above. 

After the interview, I stopped by Walmart to pick up a few things. The battery light was on continually in my car. When I got to Walmart, I had no power steering and now the ABS (anti-lock braking system) and airbag lights were on too. I finished my shopping and high-tailed it back to the 5er. Just as I pulled into our space, my car died completely. Uh-oh. I had an appointment for 1:00 p.m. at Tires Plus to get my car diagnosed. 

I put a call in to Bob to see if he could jump start my battery and then follow me over to the mechanic. His work is five minutes away, so he was able to make some time before 1:00 p.m. to help me out. What a hero! 

We got the car to Tires Plus (about 1/2 mile away). Bob continued on his way and I walked back to the RV Park. The call came in about 2:30 p.m. -- both the alternator and battery cable were bad. Estimate for repair: $750. Gulp! Big expense. They didn't have the parts, so the work had to be done on Friday for the alternator and the next Wednesday for the cable package.

The rest of Thursday, I hung out online and, in the evening, watched my TV shows. Around 9:30 pm I got back online and the computer screen and its contents started swirling like a Salvador Dali painting come to life. Vertigo! Ugh. I immediately shut down the computer and got ready for bed before it got way worse. I was in bed by 10:00 p.m., a record for this night owl. Luckily, I got in a quiet and dark place before this became full-fledged vertigo.

Friday, January 27: I had all kinds of plans for today. Got up, ate breakfast, and the vertigo hit full force with the world swirling, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea--the whole shebang. At 9:00 a.m. I returned to bed and laid on my back, vertiginious, until 4:00 p.m. Nasty stuff. I am not happy about the return of vertigo after nine months without it. I got up at 4:00 p.m. and was vertigo free for the rest of the night.

During the day, the mechanic called to tell me the battery cable on my car was not just the negative cable. The whole battery package had to be replaced on my car as it was sold as one piece--add $50.00 to the estimate. They are also going to put some kind of protection on the battery posts, another $10.00. 

Bob went to pick up the car Friday evening and paid for all the work, including next Wednesday's battery cable work. Total bill was around $875.00. 


Not a great day health wise or budget wise.


Tomorrow's another day. Over and out.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

WIND-ter has arrived - Jan. 19, 2012

Sparks, NV: 
Whooooie...it is WINDY today. Dust has blown in from the desert. Tumbling tumbleweeds are zipping past our trailer, the wind is screeching around the windows. The whole trailer is shaking. 
Gorgeous, interesting clouds again today. I got pics!

As I was eating a late breakfast, I saw the cleaning lady for the restroom facilities with her cleaning cart go around the building. A few minutes later, some large, black, empty, plastic trash bags whipped down the road followed by the cleaning cart. The wind had grabbed the cart and was rolling it down the drive unattended. She found it and got it back, but it made it a good 100' or so.
I was out this morning doing laundry and running errands. Now I'm tucked back into the trailer.
Early afternoon, I saw lots of blowing dust, but also what looked like a cloud of black smoke. I wondered if something was burning. It's very dry here and there's a high chance of fires.
The cats were freaked earlier, running to every window to look out, coming to me for petting and reassurance. They have finally settled down into an afternoon slumber. 

Sunnie in his cozy spot.
Sunnie really getting comfy!

Bowie conked out in recliner.
Trading places


Bob came home around noon to get our propane tank filled. He told me had been on a large roof this morning and it was dangerous! The wind was really strong and metal panels from roof air conditioning units were flying around...they had been blown off by the wind. The store maintenance people were going to call the HVAC contractor to get it fixed so no one gets hurt.
I have changed my mind about not working. If the right job comes along that is something I would love doing and is flexible about my schedule, I will go back to work. A posting for a part-time PR person for a bookstore came up. I applied, got an email back from the owner. She asked me to give her more information. She must have liked my answer as she asked me to call on Monday to set up an interview. I'm excited! I love reading and have been an avid user of libraries and bookstores my whole life. We'll see what comes of it.
Bob is enjoying his job. He spoke to the company owner and Bob proposed instead of us taking off six months to work in Yellowstone this summer, he will take off three months over the course of the year...not all at once. The owner was very happy to hear that. We are so lucky Bob found this job. I think they're lucky they found Bob too!
If we both have jobs that are flexible we'll be set to work and still be able to travel! It's amazing what comes along when you picture it in your mind. Of course there are other ways to do it and we will probably explore those avenues in a year or so when we've got all our debt paid off and have saved some money.
One of the challenges of having kitties is the kitty litter box. The kitties' box is in the bathroom in a closet designed for a stacking washer/dryer. This closet is one of the reasons we bought this model. We didn't care if we had a washer/dryer because we can use laundromats, but we did want a place for the kitty box. This location works well, but requires vacuuming the bathroom and trailer about three to four times a day...basically after each time the kitties use the box. If you've had cats you know litter tracks out of the box with them. I told Bob we have one of the most vacuumed trailers around.
The other challenge with the kitties, which we haven't overcome, is how to get them to stop sharpening their claws on the furniture and the decorative carpet strips that go up the wall. The kitties think these decorative strips are perfect for climbing and sharpening claws. We may have to redecorate the carpet strips up the walls with tin foil over the top of the carpet. People will think we're trying to keep aliens away as in the movie "Signs," although we won't be wearing tin foil hats. LOL.
This afternoon I went to the RV Park office to pay for our refilled propane tank. While there, I asked the lady if they ever had any RVs or trailers blow over in the wind. She said, "No, although one year an empty contractor's trailer blew over. It was parked sideways to the wind." She told me this wind is nothing , they get winds up to 100 mph here! Yikes! (Just heard on the news sustained winds are 37 mph, gusts are 57-82 mph! News said a semi blew over somewhere around here...didn't hear exact location.)
Bob called me a minute ago to tell me the news. There's a large brush fire between Reno and Carson City which started at 12:45 p.m. today. Highway 395 is closed. The guy who works in the shop at Kodiak Roofing has a home in the area. He left 1-1/2 hours ago to try to get to his house, but he can't get through. With the high winds the fire is spreading north fast. It's about 25 miles south of us. I can smell the smoke. I've got to turn on the news. 
News says the "Washoe Drive Fire" is currently in a sparsely populated area. "Several" homes have burned. The fire is moving rapidly north. Many people are evacuating. The flames being shown on the news are basically horizontal because of the wind.
Smoke from Washoe Drive Fire (normally hills are crystal clear)


Monday, January 16, 2012

"Wake up! Look Outside!" - Jan. 16, 2012

Sparks, NV (6:30 am): I woke up to Bob excitedly saying, "Wake up! Look outside!" In my half-awake-half-dream state, I said, "Which window?" (thinking there might be an animal outside he wanted me to see). He said, "Any window." Nope, not an animal. 

I raised the blinds and looked out. Snow! Nice. About an inch covered the ground. The snow had been in the forecast earlier in the week: 20% chance of snow on Sunday afternoon. However, snow was taken out of the forecast and moved to Thursday of this week. So it was a surprise to wake up to it.




When we checked into the RV park we were told if it snowed we should sweep our Astroturf because if it got wet then froze it would turn into a sheet of ice. Outside temperature: 15 degrees. 

At 7:00 a.m. I dutifully got out of bed, bundled up and went out with our little house broom. I swept the snow off our cars, then proceeded to sweep our little patch of fake grass. LOL. I felt like someone was playing "snipe hunt" with me. Sweep Astroturf with a house broom? Are you kidding me? I was fricking freezing and I felt like this was some big practical joke. No one, and I mean NO ONE, else was out sweeping snow off their little plot of land. 


I gave up and went back inside. My fingers were getting numb through my gloves and I didn't want frostbite. I'm thinking to myself, "Why would I want to walk around on the Astroturf in this weather anyway? It's not like we're going to have a picnic out there and fall on the ice taking food to the table. If it gets icy we'll just avoid it!"

Friday night Bob took me to University of Nevada Reno to see the Reno vs. Hawaii basketball game. Exciting game...lead changed many times. Unfortunately Hawaii ended up losing.

Yesterday was super windy. The barometer dropped below 31 for the first time in weeks and the change in pressure makes it VERY windy. At night, the wind was howling around our windows.

Bob went out on a 16-mile walk yesterday (four hours) on the Truckee River Trail. Temperature was around 48, but with the wind chill it was more like 42. When he came back he was pretty chilled, took a nice warm shower and we went to see "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol." In my opinion, this MI is the best of all of them. I have seen it twice. Bob enjoyed the movie but said he didn't need to see it again.


Today is absolutely gorgeous, not a cloud in the sky. Weather is amazing. It's around 11:00 am, the sky is crystal clear and the temperature has warmed up to 30 degrees F., although I admit that's still pretty cold.

This morning, two people packed up and left. Was it the snow? Some people can't handle a little snow.

We've experienced a shift in our thinking regarding working in Yellowstone National Park all summer. Bob talked with HR person from Delaware North Companies (DNC) one of the employers at Yellowstone...seems there are only minimum-wage jobs (i.e. $7.40/hour) left. Even though we want to spend time in Yellowstone, we don't really want to do the menial jobs. Sooooo...because Bob really likes his roofing job in Sparks and it pays well, instead of taking off six months to work in Yellowstone, he's going to propose to his boss that we take off three months over the course of the year and he will work here the rest of the time.

That frees us up to go to Yellowstone National Park and surrounding areas for a month WITHOUT WORKING. We can hike and sightsee as much as we want. It looks like late August to late September is when we'll go. That way we'll avoid "Hot August Nights" in Reno when the RV park space rent gets very expensive and the city is crowded.

With two more months off, we can make two more trips of a month each to destinations unknown at this time. We're talking about going to an RV camp/seminar to learn more about our RV and how to take care of it. There's one in Texas in April that we may attend.


Our discussion also included me not working. I will, instead, take care of our place, do the shopping, chores, write my blog, work out, read, etc. We will be reviewing the budget and our future financial situation to see if this is doable. For us to take off and do the things we want to, I could not work a conventional 8-5 job Monday through Friday. If needed, I will look for temporary jobs. We'll see what happens.

Bob signed up for the Red Rock Marathon in Las Vegas the first weekend in March. We will make a quick (three-day) trip to Las Vegas. Our plan is to drive to Vegas on Friday. Rich and Kris, our good friends (like family) offered us their guest room in northwestern Las Vegas which is close to Red Rocks park. We are blessed with good friends! Bob will walk/run the marathon on Saturday morning. We'll spend time with friends and family Saturday night and Sunday morning, then drive back to Sparks Sunday afternoon. Whew! Quick trip is right.

Since my last blog a week ago, Bob has been working during the day. In the evenings, he walks with a group two nights, works out, watches TV and spends time online. I have been working out, spending time with the kitties, grocery shopping, doing chores, reading. In the evenings, I am online and watch TV.
Bowie (starting to yawn), Susan and Sunnie.

I love looking out our windows at the hills surrounding our RV park, watching the clouds, the birds and, from time to time, we see cottontails in our RV park. Life is good.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Traveling cats -- Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012

Sparks/Carson City, NV:  
Today was another clear, sunny day...about 40 degrees for the high. Bob and I walked to and around Sparks Marina Lake, in total about 2-1/2 miles. After our walk we ate lunch, then Bob went to the club to work out. I searched for kitties.

After searching craigslist, I found six possible cats to adopt. The two that stole our hearts were Bowie and Sunnie. The ad was posted today. We drove to Carson City this evening, met with the family and the kitties, spent about 1/2 hour seeing if the cats were friendly or skittish, healthy, playful and compatible with each other and us. They passed on all counts and came home with us.

The family had to give them up because their six-year-old was allergic. So sad for them. Good for us.

These two cats are the quietest traveling cats I've had. There were a few small meows, but no caterwauling like Captain or Rama. Our cats' family gave us kitty litter, wet and dry food, cat beds, cat toys, brushes, food and water dishes, cat scratching post, cat leashes, a cage so we can take them outside from time to time and a laser pointer.

When we first got them home they used the litter box, ate, hid for a short while, then explored. Right now both of them are sleeping in the recliner we sit in the most. They are adorable. See if you agree...
Bowie settling onto cat bed, licking chops.

I'm Sunnie and I'm curious.


I own this place...you got a problem with that?
Best buds.


Our traveling family is complete. I think these kitties might even like to go for walks on a leash. We'll give them a month or so to settle in before we try taking them outside.

This week I will be hitting the temporary agencies looking for temp work.


Bob will not be running the marathon in Sacramento in March as the organizers were both killed in a pedestrian accident at Incline Village on Dec. 30. Quite the tragedy. 

Bob is now looking at maybe doing the Red Rocks Marathon in Las Vegas in March. We'll keep you posted.





Friday, January 6, 2012

Three relaxing days

Sparks, NV: With Bob working this week and me applying for jobs, I have had a fairly relaxing week. Most of my time has been spent online looking for jobs and cats [none yet].

Instead of applying for jobs online, next week I will visit employment agencies to find temp work. We will, hopefully, be leaving for Yellowstone at the end of April. The jobs I've been finding online are for full-time, permanent work. (No wonder I haven't received any calls back!)

Yesterday I worked out around noon, went to Costco to return some clothes for Bob and bought him a shirt in his size. Then I was off to K-Mart to buy jeans: one pair for him and one pair for me. 

I am amazed by the beautiful weather we're having and the cool cloud formations in the sky. I have got to get a picture! 

The sky has been filled with lenticular clouds, you know, the ones that look like flying saucers. In Oregon and Washington we would see them a few times, but mostly in the form of "cloud caps" over Mt. Hood or Mt. Rainier. Here, they are a dime a dozen. Take yesterday, as an example. In the afternoon there was a huge lenticular cloud which looked like the "mother ship." All around it were smaller clouds that looked like an army of spaceships coming out of the mother ship. Very cool.

Last night, we watched the Portland Trailblazers smash the L.A. Lakers. The Blazers are an exciting team this year with lots of run and gun plays. I love watching them zoom up and down the court and, most important of all, make lots of baskets..."nothing but net" as Bill Schonely used to say.

Today, I slept in, spent some time online, then had my hair cut and highlighted. After my hair appointment, I had a late lunch at In-n-Out Burger. I had not eaten there for over 30 years! Guess what? I don't need to go back. 

Bob, as usual, has been reading history about the local area and told me something pretty interesting. The Sparks Marina lake we walk around is 100' deep. (It used to be a gravel quarry.) When we walked around the lake we saw signs about scuba diving and couldn't understand what would be so interesting at the bottom of an old quarry--inquiring minds want to know. Apparently the Nevada Air National Guard donated a jet plane to the city of Sparks to put at the bottom of the lake. Another question answered.

Time for me to sign off. The Blazers are playing the Phoenix Suns and so far are not doing very well. Hey, it's only the first quarter. I better go root for them. We're closer to Phoenix now than we were in Hawaii or Portland. Maybe they can hear us yelling better. LOL. 

What a disgusting Blazer game. Bob watched the game on the other TV and I watched Nikita.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Bob is Back to Work -- Tues., Jan. 3, 2012

Sparks, NV:
Hey, no frozen or leaky fresh water hose! Good job, Bob!

It's official. Today Bob starts work for Kodiak Roofing as their Reno/Sparks/ Carson City Service Division Manager. Kodiak is a large commercial roofing company headquartered in Sacramento, CA. He interviewed with them in November just before Thanksgiving and let them know he's available until mid-to-late April. At that time we plan to work in Yellowstone National Park for the summer season (May - October). At first they weren't interested in him, but a couple of days later called back and offered him the position, saying when we're finished at Yellowstone, they would like him to come back and resume work. What a great employer!

Now that we are settled in Sparks Marina RV Park, we are very happy and comfortable here. This is a very well run park. The restrooms/showers and laundry facilities are super clean and well maintained. If we have a package delivered to the front desk, they send a note to our door. If we want to go in the hot tub in winter, we let them know about two hours ahead of time and they will turn on the spa for us. (It's too expensive to keep it heated all the time.)

Yesterday, the Reno area had unseasonably warm weather--67 degrees!--with a warm wind. We were out in our T-shirts in January. Today is another beautiful day but it only got up to about 60. Again T-shirt weather; sunny, clear as a bell. Our RV site is in town but we have a nice 180 degree view of hills. 

Last night, we watched "Storage Wars." I'm hooked. What an interesting show. They find some unique things when they bid on/purchase the contents of abandoned storage units.

Monday we joined "Fitness for $10" in Sparks. It's a big club and only $10 per month for each of us. That's such a bargain after my health club in Hawaii which was $80 per month plus a large initiation fee. As part of our joining package, we each get one consultation with a personal trainer. 

My consultation was today. I went in at 11:00 am and met with Steven who is very helpful and knowledgeable. We talked about diet, how much weight I want to lose, hydration, how weight training is preferable to cardio training, and he taught me some good exercises to strengthen my knees and rotator cuff muscles. $10 well spent for January so far. My goal is to use the club 3-4 times per week: build muscle and burn fat.

I am looking for employment. My online application was sent to Express Personnel in Reno and I e-mailed my resume to them. I am also checking out the local help-wanted ads online and will look at what the local Unemployment Office has listed. We will be here about four months and I'd like some spending money for personal trainer, hair, manicures, pedicures and movies. If that isn't motivation I don't know what is!

While we were in Fallon, I went to a hair salon. The hairdresser who cut my hair was, I believe, just a couple of years out of high school. She didn't cut enough hair off and I didn't like it, so I took my scissors to it and cut off some more. However, I'm not a hairdresser, so I asked a lady working in the RV Park office for a recommendation. (Her hair is cut short similar to mine.) She gave me two names. I now have an appointment with Vickie at Sapphire Salon for Friday. Vickie has been doing hair for 20 years and has a loyal following. Yeah! It is really hard to find a good hairdresser when you don't know an area...Now to find a good dentist!

As I sit here typing, the sun is going down in the southwest. I am facing northeast. The hills in the foreground are in shadow and the higher hills in the background are glowing gold in the background. It is very pretty here even if there aren't many trees.

This evening Bob is joining a local walking/running group and will go out with them for approximately six miles. He misses his running buddy Mike from Hawaii and hopes to find some good friends in this group. 


Life is good. Travel Bug out.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Walk around Sparks Marina lake - Sun., Jan. 1, 2012

Sparks, NV: We slept in late again today. So nice to get lots of sleep.

In the early afternoon, when the temperature hit around 47 degrees, we walked around Sparks Marina lake on the paved path in the park. Lots of people were out walking, families in the play areas, people playing with and walking dogs. Gorgeous, sunny day today. We walked 2-1/2 miles in 40 minutes, a nice, quick pace.

Bob re-winterized the fresh water hose. He wrapped the heat tape around the hose, wrapped that with fiberglass insulation, duct taped it, then encased it in foam insulation.
 
We have it outside tonight. The temperature is supposed to drop to the 20s and hopefully the insulation and heat tape protect the hose from freezing.

Thank you, Bob, for your hard work. That's quite a project.



Happy New Year! - - Dec. 31, 2011

Sparks/Reno, NV: Slept in late. Bob went running for 2-1/2 hours. I made blueberry pancakes and fried eggs for brunch. 

We spent the day relaxing. I loaded up the Crockpot with carrots, onions, chicken, chicken broth and spices and set it to high. Then I made a big green salad with red pepper, avocado and cheese.

Bob took me to see "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." When we got home from the movie, our dinner was done and we ate. "The Bourne Ultimatum" was on TV and we watched that. 

At 11:30 p.m. we headed into Reno to watch fireworks. We found a good place to park the car with a great view of downtown Reno from about four blocks away. Bob walked across the street to Walgreens and brought back chocolate for "dessert." The fireworks lasted 15 minutes; we were one block from the freeway on-ramp and beat the traffic out of Reno. 

Happy New Year! We'll see what 2012 brings our way.