February 11, 2014

02/01/2014

Yesterday we drove over to the Barnes & Noble store in Yuma.  I have a Nook Color e-reader and it has finally died.  I've dropped the darned thing a few times, cracking the case in a couple of places and now the battery won't hold a charge for more than a few hours.  So, I got me a new Nook Glowlight to replace it.

After that, we drove over the hills to Wellton, AZ to check out the RV parks there.  We're looking at places to spend part of next winter and at first glance on the map, this place looked like it might work for us.  Not!  The town is about 30 miles from Yuma, very small with not much to do in the area.  The park's there are cheap enough but we didn't see much in the area that attracts us.  We'll look closer to Yuma, possibly in the foothills just east of Yuma.

I had a followup with Dr. Goodman, the doctor that referred me to Dr. Ansari today.  He did a doppler test on my legs and everything is good to go.  He wants to do another sonogram just to establish a baseline.  Believe me, I was happy to hear that news.

02/02/2014

The following is for all of our RV'ing friends who have their vehicles registered in Texas (from the Escapee's Forums):

For those of us who are fulltimers registered in Texas, plan on being in Texas at some point in a 90 day window before your registration needs to be renewed. There is a new law that goes into effect on 3/1/15. This law eliminates the two stickers on your windshield and replaces them with a single sticker. Within 90 days of your registration expiration, you'll need to get your vehicles inspected, but will only receive a report if you pass it. The inspection station will collect their cut of the inspection fee and update a database that your vehicle has pass. When you submit a registration renewal, the DMV/county will check the database. If there is a record of the vehicle passing an inspection in the previous 3 months, your registration will be renewed. If there is no record, you don't get registered.



This development seemed pretty alarming to me. It could potentially remove Texas from my list of fulltime RV-friendly states. I was also rather surprised there wasn’t more discussion about this on the forum.



Because of my concern, I contacted the elected members of the state legislature that represent Livingston, TX, the home of the Escapees. I received a call from a member of Senator Nichols staff. I explained the issue to her. I then called her back the following day to more fully explain the issue. She got in touch the Texas DPS, who called me back yesterday.



He was familiar with the law and confirmed my description above. He said that the DPS only deals with inspections, not registrations so I would really need to speak with the DMV. He said that, based on his reading of the law, there wasn’t a lot of ‘wiggle room’ for the DMV to grant any sort of exemption.



This is a problem for full timers and military who may not be able to return to the state before their registrations expire. If you have two vehicles, you would have to do it twice a year. If you have 3, you get another trip.

The staffer said that this is an unintended consequence of the new law. The legislature in Texas only meets every two years. They will be in session in January 2015 so they’ll only have 3 months to fix this. I am not going to hold my breath.



When I learn more, I’ll report back.

For any of you full timers reading this, contacting your elected representatives would be a good idea. The more people they hear from, the bigger sense of urgency they’ll get. Here are links to Rep. James White and Senator Robert Nichols.

http://www.senate.st...dist3/dist3.htm

http://www.house.sta...ge/?district=19

This could potentially cause some serious problems for folks who are registered in Texas.

Joyce scored us tickets to see Dwight Yoakum at the Quechan Casino & Resort in Winterhaven, AZ on 28 March.  That should be a great show!

We're planning on leaving El Centro and head north on March 30th.  We need to be at Tumalo State Park in Bend, OR on 1 May so we have the whole month of April for traveling.  We'll be making stops at Edwards AFB, Fresno, Travis AFB, Calistoga, Redding, Oakridge, OR. and LaPine, OR.  Joyce and I both are looking forward to getting back on the road.

02/06/2014

Had my last doctor appointment yesterday and another sonogram done to use as a baseline, just in case the problem with my legs returns.  I am sure glad all of this is behind us!

I have had new phone fever (worse than new truck fever) for a while now so I got me a new iPhone 5S at Best Buy.  They didn't have a 16 gig model in stock so they let me have a 32 gig'er for the same price as the 16g and $50 off.  I also got a Mophie Juice Pack which extends the battery life.

So far I really like the phone.  It's much faster than my old Samsung and the interface is a lot like my iPad, making the learning curve not quite as steep.

 02/09/2014

On Friday we did the Farm Smart tour at the University of California's Desert Research & Extension Center.  According to one of the handouts we received the DREC is a large and complex research center that provides professional management, land, labor and facilities for agricultural and environmental studies and educational outreach activities.

After being welcomed by our host we were presented a talk about the DREC and the agriculture here in the Imperial Valley. We learned about the vegetables grown here in the "Nation's Salad Bowl", the cattle industry and the grasses that are grown.  Here are come of the interesting facts:

    -Ninety-five percent of the cattle raised here is Holstein and not used just in dairies.  We didn't know that a lot of the meat you see in the local grocery stores is Holstein.
    -Due to the high cost of water a agriculture in mid Arizona will cease to exist by 2050.
    -Every acre-foot of water arriving here in the Imperial Valley from the Colorado River brings one ton of salt.  All of that salt must be leached through the root zones into subsurface tile drainage systems.
    -Farmers and ranchers receive only 19 cents of every retail dollar spent on food that is eaten at home and away from home.  In 1980, the received 31 cents.

After that we were taken out into the fields to see the work being done there and we given the opportunity to pick some veggies.  We brought home a huge bag of cabbage, beets, radishes and other stuff.

Goin' A Pickin'!

 Learning to start a siphon.  Nuff said!

 Young olive trees.

On Friday we drove up to Palm Springs to visit Del & Lee Ann Dolph who we met a few years ago when we were volunteering at Vail Lake Resort in Temecula, CA.  They own a time-share and invited us to spend some time with them.

After meeting them at their condo, we went out looking for somewhere to eat and discovered El Gallito Mexican Restaurant in Cathedral City.  Although the place lacks in atmosphere, the food was outstanding.

On Saturday morning we drove over to the College of the Desert Street Fair in Palm Desert.  This "flea market" is huge but as we found out, not your daddy's market.  There are none of the vendors selling stuff that get your hands dirty when routing around for "treasures".  Most of the vendors were selling high dollar stuff and there wasn't a lot of haggling going on.  Lee Ann did score a great pair of shoes for a decent price.

Thanks Del & Lee Ann for showing us a great time!

Have a good one!

Barry & Joyce

January 30, 2014

01/17/2014

As most of y'all know, I've been having pain problems with my legs since September.  In December I had a sonogram done and then got an appointment with a vascular surgeon .  He had to cancel the appointment but called and made me an appointment with Dr. Athar Ansari at the California Heart & Vascular Clinic here in El Centro.

After visiting with Dr. Ansari yesterday, Joyce and I are very pleased.  Dr. Ansari first explained what is going on in my arteries and what caused it in the first place.  He then gave us an in-depth explanation of what he does to fix the problem and then took us on a personal tour of his facility.

Dr. Ansari is basically going to "roter-router" both of my legs, starting with the left one next Tuesday.  He will go in through my groin with a tool that he co-developed and clean the arteries out, removing all of the "stuff".  After the procedure, I will stay in the clinic for up to four hours and then go home, returning the next day to make sure I am not having any problems.  A week later, he will do my right leg.

After another week, I will need to have another sonogram on my legs to make sure I am still getting good blood flow and then in six months another one will be done.  Dr. Ansari is going to call my doctor at Bend Memorial Clinic and get that set up for me.  He will also be sending Dr. Russell all my charts with the test results and his intervention information.

During our interview, Dr. Ansari reviewed his background with us as well.  One of my questions was why he chose to have his practice in El Centro.  he told us that when he completed his training here in the United States, he wanted to stay an practice medicine here.  In order to get a work permit, he had to choose a place where his services were needed so, "here I am".

01/22/2014

Finally, some good things happening in the Crocker household.

Yesterday, I had my left leg "rotter-routed" and all went very well.  I now have good blood flow when before, as you can see in the pictures, very little blood movement in the main artery.  Dr. Ansari did an outstanding job and Joyce and I are very grateful.  I won't go into the details of how he did the procedure but suffice it to say, I felt like I was in good hands during the whole thing.

Left Leg Before & After

Some advice for everyone.  If you feel any unexplained tiredness or pain in your legs, see your doctor right away.  I should have gone and had my legs checked a long time ago but waited until I was actually getting bad pain in my calves.  That could have proved to be disastrous.  Don't wait!

I had a wound check today and they scheduled me for my right leg to be done on 3 Feb.  Dr. Ansari said he gives his chances about 85% for a complete cleaning of that artery.  It is full occluded so it is going to be harder to do the necessary work.  Joyce and I are optimistic and hopeful that everything will go well and we can get on with our lives.

01/30/2012

Dr. Ansari was able to fit me in earlier than scheduled and I had the right leg rodded-out this past Monday.  I am very happy to report that the procedure went very well, even better than the left leg.  I'm not ready to run a marathon or anything close to it but I can say I feel much better.

Right Leg Before & After

I have an appointment on Saturday to have another ultrasound done and a followup on that in a couple of weeks.  If everything looks good the doctors should cut me loose!

More later.

Barry & Joyce

January 11, 2014

01/05/2014

Happy New Year everyone!  Joyce and I hope 2014 brings you happiness, prosperity and good health.

Joyce and I spent New Years Eve at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Palmdale, CA on our way back from northern California.  If I remember correctly, we were both in bed well before 12 AM.

01/06/2014

Yesterday, we went up into the mountains west of El Centro to Jacumba, CA to do some geocaching.

Back in the day, Jacumba Hot Springs was a major destination along U.S. Highway 80 where folks enjoyed the natural hot springs.  Since Interstate 8 was built, not so much.  The Jacumba Hot Springs Spa and Resort is still there and a couple of restaurants but that's about it.

We visited one cache called Talula's Place (you must be a member to view the cache's page), named for Tallulah Bankhead who owned the property, Bankhead Springs, little wide spot in the road.  The whole "town" is for sale for $1.3M.

 Jacumba's Mascot

As most of you know, my main hobby is doing genealogy research, or a Joyce says, "looking up old dead folks".  I have been a member of Ancestry.com for many moons and grandfathered in at $99 a year.  Well, surprise, surprise.  I got an email the other day saying they were going to charge me $189 when I renew.  I can understand a modest increase but $99 more a year?  I don't think so!

So, I called them.  Got it for $149 a year, a more reasonable rate but still expensive.  But, they are expanding Ancestry.com more everyday now.  Not only do I get all the census records, there are the World War I & II draft records, birth & death records for many states and now they are linked to Find A Grave.com.  So, I guess a $50 raise in my rate isn't too much.

01/09/2014

Yesterday was a sight-seeing day here in the desert of southern California.

We left the RV park around 10 AM and headed up to visit Anza-Borrego State Park near  Borrego Springs.  The drive up there has very little scenery that we would call pretty but once in Borrego Springs, that all changed.

This little "bump at the end of the road" is completely surrounded by the state park and is a haven for snow-birds, retired folks and "free-thinker's".  Here in this desert oasis, you will find golf courses, RV parks and several resorts that offer very high-end amenities.

The town has been designated International Dark Sky Community by the International Dark Sky Association and as such, you don't see very may street lights around town.  We had no idea there was such an organization.

Another really cool feature in Borrego Springs is the sculptures of Ricardo Breceda.  Most of the pieces are on the Galleta Meadows Estates, property once owned by Dennis Avery of the Avery Labels family.  The sculptures are gifts from Avery to Borrego Springs.

 I didn't take this one.  Couldn't get it all in the frame as this one did.

There are several more that we didn't get to see so we may have to go back up there sometime.  Might even apply to be a camp host at the state park.

More later.

Barry & Joyce

December 31, 2013

12/21/2013

I have been having some pains in my legs for a while now which has progressively gotten worse the past month or so.  Just before we left on our cruise, I saw a doctor in Brawley to get his opinion.

After a pretty through examination, he thought that I might have some blockage in my legs so he scheduled me for an ultrasound on the 16th.  He did clear me to travel on the cruise.

I had that test done and visited the doctor again on the 9th.  The results are not good.  i do have some blockage in both legs, including two areas of total occlusion.  I now have an appointment on January 11 with a vascular doctor to find out what the course of treatment will be.  There are several options but Joyce and I are hopping for the best and that it will be a quick fix.

So, that problem has caused us to change our travel plans for the rest of the winter.  We did cancel going to Aransas Pass, TX in January but we are hopefully optimistic that we'll make it to San Antonio in February.

12/31/2013

For several months we have been planning on spending time with Harold, Michelle, Abigail and Skyer who are flying out to California for Christmas.  My ex-wife Susanna's parents live in Fairfield so we're all going to meet there.  So, on the 23rd, we rented a car here in El Centro and drove up to Clovis, CA to pick up my mother.  We spent the night there and then drove up to Travis AFB where we had rented a suite on the base.

It was great to spend so time with the grand kids again, even though it was only for a couple of days.

Joyce made this Strata for Christmas morning.  Ummmm...good!

One the 26th, we dropped my mother off to catch a train back to Fresno and then we drove up to Lake Tahoe to spend a couple of days with Harold, Michelle and her step sister, Kelly and her boyfriend Brian.

The 27th turned out to be a very bad day in our lives and one we won't forget anytime soon.  I can't go into all the details right now but suffice it to say, we are devastated.  Joyce and I are coping but it is very hard.  More on this later.

Because of the news we got, we decided to cut our Tahoe stay by one day and head to St. Helena to visit Joyce's family.  We always have a great time visiting with Judy, Frank and Joanne and this visit was especially needed.  We also spent some time with our friends Bob and Chris who so graciously provided a place for us to stay for one night.

The 31st found us back on the rode back to El Centro.  We spent New Years Eve at the Embassy Suites in Palmdale and then drove the rest of the way down New Years Day.

Joyce and I wish all our family and friends a very happy 2014.

Barry & Joyce

12/13/2013

A lot has been going on since I last wrote so let me catch you up on our adventures.

On November 21, we drove back to NAS North Island and spent night in their base quarters.  Our room wasn't bad but the Navy needs to take some lessons from the Air Force.

On the 22nd we drove up to Dana Point to take the boat ride out to the beautiful Santa Catalina Island.  Also known simply as Catalina, it is located approximately 22 miles south west of Los Angeles and is one of the Channel Islands of California archipelago.

An interesting fact about Catalina is that in 1919 the chewing-gum magnate, William Wrigley Jr. bought out nearly every share-holder until he owned controlling interest in the Santa Catalina Island Company.

In 1921, the Chicago Cubs baseball team, also owned by Wrigley, used the island for the team's spring training.  The Cubbies used the island for training until 1951.

The Casino is in the background.  This casino is not a casino as we know the term.  It was a gathering place and is still used today.

 Home sweet home, Catalina style.

The Wrigley Memorial

On the 26th we left San Diego on Royal Caribbean International's, Legend of the Seas, bound for Fort Lauderdale, FL through the Panama Canal.  This was a two-week cruise and even though I love cruising, I was somewhat apprehensive about spending that much time on a ship.  Remember y'all; I was in the Air Force, not the Navy.

Day 1:
Cruising.  One of the best things about cruising is making new friends and and when we met our table mates at dinner, we made some life-long friends.  One gentleman, who lost his wife a few years back and traveling alone was Brooks Wood.  Turns out Joyce and Brooks have a connection.

Her grandfather, Henry Coulter went into the Kentucky Fried Chicken business a long time ago and actually owed the first one in Sandusky, OH.  Bob Bagshaw, a friend of his also went into the business and eventually became the executor of Henry's estate.  In fact, Grandpa's ashes were buried on Bob's estate.

Bob did very well in the KFC business and bought a vacation home in Marco Island, FL.  Come to find out, Brooks knows Bob very well and they are members of the same yachting club.

"It's a small, small world."

Day 2:
Cruising.  Kick back day and getting to know the ship.  Legend is one of the smallest ships in RC's fleet, making the walk from stem to stern in less than 10 minutes even with a stop for a beer at the Schooner Bar.

Dinner in the main dinning room was roast turkey with all the trimmings and was delicious.  They even had pumpkin pie for desert which turned out to be horrible and became the joke of the ship for the rest of the cruise.

Day 3:
Our first port of call was Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on the tip of Baja California.  Since we had been to this city twice before, Joyce and I decided to hang out on the ship.  For most of the day when had the Solarium pool to ourselves.

This is the way to cruise!

Day 4:
In Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  This is another city we had visited on prior cruises but we did walk to Wall-Mart and then Starbucks so we could use the internet to check our emails.  I would really like to get a condo or an apartment there someday and spend a few weeks.

Day 5 & 6:
Cruising.  Spent most of our time relaxing by the Solarium pool reading and just plain relaxing.

Day 7:
Our next port was Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala.  There isn't much to do here so we only got off the ship to check emails and have a local brew.

Day 8:
Another sea day.

We found out that there were some folks getting sick with the Norovirus so our Captain ordered "enhanced cleaning measures" in an effort to stop the spreading.

Day 9:
Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

We took our one and only excursion, a bus, boat and train tour.  We had a really interesting forty-five minute bus ride though the countryside.  During that time our tour-guide gave us a running commentary about what we were seeing and about the country.

Our next stop was to get on a boat to see the and cruise around looking for wildlife.  After checking out all the birds and learning about every tree in the country we stopped so our boat driver could feed the crocodiles.  I have to say that is one of the worlds ugliest animals.  And, they have very big teeth and like to use them.

Lastly, we got back on the bus and headed for a ride on a train.  The railcars are over 100 years old and they rode like it.

 Hmmmm...not me brother!

Day 10:
Another sea day.

Day 11:
Cruising the Panama Canal.

The Norovirus outbreak escalated with several more folks getting sick so the crew ramped up in their effort to contain it.  They started serving anything that we got to eat or drink, even in the Windjammer buffet, at all drink machines and even at water water dispensers.

Also, we had to change cabins.  One of the steam lines over our stateroom was not wrapped properly so condensation was leaking through our ceiling and raining on us.  The crew upgraded us to a balcony cabin so even though it was a pain making the move, we were happy.

Halfway through the Canal we want to our new friends suite for a private party.  Millard & Robin from Maryland had booked the Owner's Suite for this cruise and believe me, if I could afford one of those, I'd get it!

Waiting our turn. 

 Panama City in the background.  In the foreground is what used to be the Panama Canal Zone.

 Going under the Bridge of the Americas.

 Part of the new lock construction.  This project should be completed in 2015.

 First of three sets.

 The "mules" are lined up waiting for us.

 The gates have no seals, just metal to metal.  And they don't leak.  Amazing that they are over 100 years old!

 The Centennial Bridge.

 The white makers on the lower side of this hill are grave stones for workers who died during the construction of the Canal.

In Gatun Lake.

 More of the new construction.

Millard and Robin.

 The Owner's Suite.

 Party Time!

Day 12:
Colón, Panama.  Why this stop in on the itinerary we have no clue.  Got off just to check our emails at an internet café.

 I would love to cruise on one of these.  I met a guy that had done one on this very ship and he said it is fantastic but, very expensive.

Day 13:
Cartagena, Columbia.

We decided to hire a cab for a couple of hours and go see the Fort of Castillo San Felipe in old town Cartagena.

After a drive is really heavy traffic, we arrived at the fort where our driver took Joyce on a tour of the fort.  The climb up a steep incline was too much for me with my leg problems I am having, so I sat down on the wall and people watched.  More on my legs later.

Day 14 & 15:
Cruising and then Fort Lauderdale.

All-in-all we had a good cruise.  The food was better on the Legend than on the last ship we were on and the service was impeccable.  The highlight of the trip was going through the Canal, the only reason for this cruise in the first place.

I don't think we will take a cruise over seven days again.  We had a lot of days at sea, which on a large ship like the Oasis or Allure of the Seas would be good.  But on the smaller ships, not so much.

When we got on the ship one of our first stops was the Schooner Bar.  I had two beers and Joyce had a couple of drinks for a total of over $16.  So, after some consideration, we decided to get the premium drink package which costs $55 a day each and includes booze, sodas and bottled water.  Big mistake, for obvious reasons!  Primarily, to break even you have to drink a lot every day.  That ain't good!  I broke even but Joyce didn't make her quota by a few bucks so we won't do that again.

It is good to be home!

Later!

Barry & Joyce