Aus der Schnee bis Sonne!! 4/2/2012

We left Oakzanita TT on March 20th, leaving behind our winter wonderland.

About 8 inches of snow made it interesting hitching up the truck to the trailer

 The snow sliding off the bathhouse roof reminded Wayne of pictures from his parents' stay in Big Bear Lake, CA in the 1940's.

  Interesting how just a few hours drive can make such a big difference!  Here we are the same day in our space in Thousand Palms Thousand Trails, space 71, near Palm Springs, CA

Know why they call this "Thousand Palms"?  We really like it here.  We spent 2 weeks here 2 Christmases ago and completely enjoyed the weather, people and animal life.  Everyone and everything is friendly!  When we pulled in to park, we had 3 men show up and began helping Wayne park the rig. Each one of them had a different foriegn accent and a different set of instruction on the proper way to back in a rig.  After awhile, Wayne got out and asked Ann to tell them to leave.

Know why they call this "Thousand Palms"?

 The roadrunners keep the snake and lizard population down around here.

Across the road from us, one day, Wayne saw a man (He's the one in the foreground here in the light blue shirt) working on his water heater.  Wayne went over to see if he needed help or tools.  Within 5 minutes there were two more guys there giving advice and jumping right in to help.

 Within 5 more minutes......

 ....two women had stopped by and were giving their 2 cents worth too.  It was hilarious.  See the guy in the front?  It's his motor home!  After a minute, he just smiled at me and relaxed while everybody and their dog rewired his water heater!  It was a photo minute, so I ran and got my camera.  This photo is actually staged, but it mimicked exactly what had happened.  Gotta love those RV'ers!

 We struck up a friendship with our neighbors outside our living room window.  Wayne helped them restring one of their day/night shades.  Wayne has learned how to do this, restrung 2 or 3 of ours and it was fun teaching someone else how to do it.  Take the shade to a pro shop and it's $75!  Good money saved!  We spent a fair amount of time with Tony and Bobi and ended up one day going into old town Palm Springs for lunch.  It is a quaint little place with lots of sidewalk restaurants.  It was a fun afternoon together.  Recognize the shirt, Luke?

 After lunch, Ann and I visited with Sonny Bono, past mayor.  He was not much of a conversationalist.  Much quieter than I remember him when he was a performer!

While we have been here these last two weeks, we have done our taxes, gone on lots of walks, played water volleyball, sat in the hot tub, visited with many people, worked on Family History research, went to church, washed both rigs and many other activities.  Here we are in our bedroom, watching General Conference on our computer.

 We had to put up the towel for sun glare through our day/night shade.

 We leave here tomorrow, April 3 to head to Needles, CA for a couple days and then up to Las Vegas, NV for a couple weeks. 

OAKZANITA TT PRESERVE, CC 3/8-20/2012

 After one last lunch date with Chip and an afternoon of conversation (I don't know how we figured out what to talk about without Vicki!), we headed a little north to another Thousand Trails for a couple weeks.

About 3 miles north of Descanso, CA, up Hwy 79 is the Thousand Trails Preserve we are for 12 days.  It is cooler here than at Pio Pico, less border patrol vehicles, more oak trees, better tasting water and much better internet and cell phone reception.  It is a smaller preserve that feels more like camping than trailer parking.  It is about 3,800+ elevation, freezes at night, but with the sun out in the day it gets up to 58-75 degrees during the day, though sometimes it is a little breezy.

 Here we  hunkered down for doing taxes, more Family History Research on line, more reading and more writing in our autobiographies.  Church is 30 minutes away in the community of Alpine.  Church starts at 10:00.  Meet us there and we'll do church together!
It is so beautiful here that we go for walks often.  This was one of the cooler days. Notice Ann's jacket and Wayne's long pants?  But, look at the trees budding out!

 We have each taken time, also, to do some fun cooking trials.  Here are some whole wheat home made noodles.  We used some to make home made chicken noodle soup, some of the thinner ones to go with a new recipe we tried of bolognese sauce, and some used with a new buttery herb sauce.  We also made home made chocolate chip cookies and experimented with a new mush combination for breakfast that would have made John Ashcraft envious.

 We took a day to got north on a very narrow, windy Hwy 78 to a old western mining town, kind reminiscent of Jacksonville, Oregon.  It was a fun town with lots of shops and tourist trap stuff.  The day we were there was a day all the Ron Paul (Didn't see you there, Roy!) supporters and hundreds of bikers (The kind with beer bellies, tatoos, leather jackets, greasy Levis and beards.... and that's just the women!) came to town.  Wayne's people watching cup ran over big time.

We escaped the streets for what Julian is supposed to be known for, Mom's home made apple pies!  We had a slice of apple cherry pie.  Wayne still thinks Ann's are better, but we both enjoyed it and the little hole in the wall bakery atmosphere.  Notice the pie is already gone?!

More walking through town, going in shops, book stores and people watching. Notice the row of bikes?  I know, you've seen the same movies I have.  Was Wayne tempted?????   Went back to Mom's and had to wait in a long line for chicken pot pie, split pea soup and a turkey sandwich.  Delish!!!

We also have acquired a new friend.  Seems, a lot of places we go, a bird finds his reflection in the window and then spends the reminder of our stay there trying to chase that other bird out of his territory.  Here's our friend this time.  Each time the aggressive, territorial bird will peck at the window, call it dirty names, flap wildly at the window and sometimes fly into it.  Funny....sad....yet entertaining.

 Wayne loves nothing but warm weather.  Ann loves the four seasons.  Here at Oakzatita TT at elevation 4,000 feet, you can have both!  After walking around in shorts and tee shirts, one morning we woke up to this.  Through the day it piled up to about 8 inches!  (Remember Lassen Park 40+ years ago in August, Cliff?)  Ann went walking and frolicking taking the pictures.  Wayne hunkered down in the trailer and complained about being cold.  This is all your fault, LINDA!!!

 Ice Cycles???  Sunny, Warm, Southern California???

 It is pretty though isn't it?

 From this......

 ....to this, overnight!!!!!

 My poor little truck!!!

 We tossed out some cooked wheat and other yummies for the animals.

 Many came to surround our trailer and search for more.

 That's a rabbit back there in the bush.

Anyway, it has been a nice stay here.  Got a lot done with Fam. Hist., autobiographies, reading church history, cooking experiments and such.  Got to enjoy the variety of Southern California weather and will be heading north and out to the desert in Palm Springs come Mar. 20.  I hope it is warmer there.  Hope to wash and wax the trailer, swim and more research.  Maybe we'll run into some Gingrich supporters there, Andrew!

PIO PICO TT NEAR JAMUL, CA 2/26/2012

We are at Pio Pico Thousand Trails Preserve from February 23 to March 8. 
The  internet and cell phone service here is terrible to non existent, but the days are warm.

 Out back we see a green oasis due to the creek running though the canyon behind us.

 We look forward and to the right and we see desert mountains. 

 On both sides of us are motorhomes.

Our friends, Chip and Vicki came by for an evening of food, catching up, visiting, pictures of their recent trip to India....

....and star gazing with Chip’s big toy.

It was cold but it was amazing to watch night time heavenly bodies move across the night sky.

Good visit, good times!

Hope to touch bases with other friends in the area before we leave!

DESERT HOT SPRINGS 2/16-23

We have left the foothills north of Pasadena and headed east to Desert Hot Springs.  We are staying a week at Catalina Spa and RV Resort, a Coast to Coast resort, out in the desert that we have stayed at before.  We really like it here.  They have many retired people activities, sunshine, natural hot springs fed pools and hot tubs.  If we were going to sit in one place for several months in the winter, this would be a high one on the list of places.  We are reveling in the warmth, Wayne washed the truck and we have been just relaxing.  It was rather hectic the last two weeks with all the exploring of family sites and visiting cousins.  It was a wonderful time, but it is time to sit a little now, recoup energy and catch up on writing, photo organization and family history notes.

The snow covered mountains behind Ann is where Idlewild TT is and where Cousin Ginger is this weekend.  If you look really close, you might see her waving to us!!

We have planned out our potential route through September.  The next month or so will be down in Southern California in several locations before we head north to Las Vegas and then Provo and New York.  Read the next 3 blog entries to see what we have been doing the last 2 weeks.  See you on the road!

TIME AT SOLEDAD TT 2/3-16/2012

Family History research is more than gathering names from our past.  Family History research is about linking the present with the past, getting to know our ancestors and trying to understand about their lives.  As we research about their lives, we come to understand who they were and why things happened in their lives.  Then as we do so, we get to know them and our family that we knew little about slowly become our friends.  It is an amazing process, linking the past to the future and and our gaining an understanding of the past.  As one of my cousins recently put it, "Warts and all, we are family."

So, while in the Southern California area the last couple weeks, we have visited a few of Ann's cousins and an aunt and a few of Wayne's cousins to enjoy family relations, discuss past memories and share information.  We also took two days to locate and photograph 32 houses and other locations that relate to both our families' pasts in Southern California.  

I will share just a few:

325 W. 66th St., Los Angeles, CA

where Ann's grandparents lived when Ann's Dad was born

  

 325 W. 66th St., Los Angeles, CA as it looks today.  But due to the area of the city and the people hanging around, we did not stop the car and get out to take a picture

Below: 796 E. Mountain Street, Pasadena, CA where Wayne's Uncle, Donald Lee Cowley was born in 1910.  Here he is with his mother and his nurse

Here is Wayne on the same porch over 100 years later.

 Lillian Cowley, Wayne's grandmother and her two sons, John Palmer Cowley (on the lower step) and Donald Lee Cowley next to his mom, on the front steps of the same porch

 and the house and the front porch today.

 1319 W. Chandler St, Wilmington, CA where Ann's grandparents lived when  her dad, Harlan Huff got married to Dana Rice in 1943.

 Here are Ann's dad and grandfather in front of that house in 1942.

 And here is Ann standing in the same spot 70 years later.

Ann's dad in front of the W. Chandler house

 and Ann in about the same spot, but on the sidewalk.

 877 Chapman St., Pasadena, CA where Wayne's grandparents lived when his father, Allyn Claude Cowley was born and where his father lived for 21 years as it looked then....

 ...and now almost 100 years later.

 This spot was where many Cowley family pictures were taken

 Here is one of those photos just to the right of where Wayne is standing above.  R to L front  are Allyn, Lillian, Joan and Vina Cowley.  Behind Lillian is Leo and behind Joan is Donald.  Do not know the black suit guy.

 The street in front of the house now....

 ...and about 1919 with Wayne's dad in about the same spot.

 Wayne's father, Allyn on an old Indian motorcycle in front of the Chapman house.

 Wayne's dad on the corner of the front porch....

 ...and Wayne on the corner of the same front porch.

 Many, many more pictures were taken of many other places in our histories to compare and link to the past.  We grew closer to our past as we visited these many places that were important to our families as they grew, so many years ago.
Also, visiting current cousins was part of our fare for the 2 weeks spent here.  Here is a meal we shared at Cousin Ginger's house in Santa Clarita. Starting far left and going counter clockwise are Elliott and Joan (Uncle Donald's daughter), Wayne, Ginger (Uncle John's daughter), Ann, Donna (Uncle Donald's daughter) and Frank.  Spending time with them has been a wonderful experience the last three lunches we have had with them!

We forgot the camera when we visited Ann's cousins, but we sure had fun and shared a lot of family information.  We love traveling and being able to spend time together.
We love our family and love getting to know them better, past and present!