Universal Studios Hollywood

On Saturday we decided to take the girls to Universal Studios.  The weather in the morning was cool, clear and sunny.  We thought we should go early to beat the crowds and the weather...glad we did.

We almost paid extra for the "Fast Pass"..which was like 80% more than a normal ticket.  Glad we didn't !  This week was a slow week.  If you buy a "One Day Ticket" this week it is good for all of 2013.  What a deal ! The lines were short anyway.  Good job Andy !!
 

Three Pretty Blondes !

I do what I am told !  I am along for the ride !  LOL

Yea baby

Hanging out in the snow in Grinch's Winter Playground

WaterWorld Set..show was very cool !

Universal Back Lot

Back Lot Scene

The gang !

For Kloee and Harley !

We spent about 7 hours in the Park. We generally saw and done everything there. I am sure if the weather were warmer we would have stayed longer in the evening, it was getting pretty cool and cloudy.

Yesterday, around 8:30 am ,we left Jeff and Christine's place in Covina California.  We are now staying at the Seabreeze Resort.

The Resort is in the middle of Navel Weapons Seal Beach, Seal Beach, California.  The Resort is just minutes away from Disneyland and favorite destinations.  It is also pretty close to Andy's brothers house , Larry and Ernie's, in downtown LA. The Resort isn't really a "Resort"  it is a RV Park on a military base.

The Naval Base is very nice place to stay.  It is close to family and friends so we decided to stay here for a month  . They even have a eighteen-hole Championship Golf Course/Clubhouse, WIFI and free washers and dyers to use. Andy is very happy about the free laundry facilities..lols

After we set up in our spot it was time to meet Larry at the "Sports Bar" to watch the Seattle Seahawk Game !  It was very good to see Larry again ! Andy and Larry must have talked about food for 2 hours.  How can anyone do that ?

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Winchester House

It's been 4 days since my last confession..oh I mean blog !

We left Travis AFB Monday morning.  We were going to leave on Sunday, but decided to watch Football Games instead. Seattle Seahawks sure kicked some butt.  SF 49's here we come !  lol

We decide to check out Winchester House in San Jose on our way south to LA.  The Winchester House is a well-known 160 room Victorian Mansion. It was once the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun maker William W Winchester.  She bought an unfinished, eight-room farmhouse near San Jose and soon started the construction 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and she never stopped until her death 38 years later.

Opinions very about why Mrs. Winchester kept building the Winchester House.  While some say she thought it would prevent her death, others thought that, she was just crazy, rich woman with too much money and a poor sense of building design.  Here are some of the eccentric characteristics of the house:

*  40 staircases, several of which lead to nowhere, ending at a ceiling.
*  One room features a window in the floor.
*  Two closets doors open to blank walls.
* One door opens to an eight-foot drop to a kitchen sink.
* Another door opens to an 14-foot drop to an outdoor garden.
*  47 fireplaces, four of which have flukes that go nowhere.

If you are in the San Francisco/San Jose area it's worth the visit.  Inside photos weren't allowed...reason none posted.

Tuesday night we stayed at Lorenzo County Park in King City, California.  It was a very nice place with many pull-thru's and big enough for our 37 footer and toad. Thank you Barbara Bombach, Andy's mom, for the tip...Great place to stay along Hwy 101.

We arrived at Jeff and Christine's driveway, in Covina, California yesterday afternoon. Covina is in the LA area and the traffic is challenging to say the least.  Don't think we will ever get used to it. We were greeted by Bernie and soon afterwards by Jeff and Megan.  Christine will be home tonight from a business trip...we are excited to see her. 

Rain, Rain go away, we landed in jail !

We WERE going to stop in Redding, California on Tuesday but it was raining hard so I kept on driving...I know, I know!  I just HAD to get out of the rain..two months was enough.  So, I continued to drive through the mountains, the slosh, and 40 mph winds. We are currently staying at Travis Air Force Base which is 40 miles east of San Francisco, California.  The plan is to use this place as our home base to visit the surrounding area.

Our home

Our yard

Who would have known....Bud and Sue Hansen, Andy's first cousin, also came to Travis AFB the following day...they are also staying in the RV park for a few days. All we had to do was sponsor them.  Since I hardly know them, I hope they don't do anything to land me jail.

Sue and Bud

On the day Sue and bud arrived they all went wine tasting through Napa Valley...yes of course Andy got more wine.  I couldn't tell you how many bottles of wine we are carrying on this coach...I would guess maybe 30 to 40.  I keep teasing her...every new bottle that comes aboard she has to empty, drink, a bottle before we leave.  They had a great time!

Yesterday we landed in Jail.  All four of us !  It wasn't that bad, we ended up having a great time!

Hear and see no evil...I land in "Jail"

We took a day trip into San Francisco to visit Alcatraz.  It was very interesting.  Of course I have seen the movies..."Escape from Alcatraz" and the "Birdman of Alcatraz". It was just like the movies.

St Vincent Medical Center

I really like the "Several Years"

View from Alcatraz

View from the boat ride

The "Rock"

For thousand of years, Alcatraz was a lonely island, occasionally visited, perhaps by Ohlone and Miwok Indians.  In 1850, a military board proposed a three point defensive strategy for San Francisco Bay.  By the time the Civil War broke out in 1861, Alcatraz had 111 smoothbore cannons and more than 400 soldiers on the island.

Alcatraz was a prison almost from the beginning.  During the Civil War era, soldiers convicted of desertion, theft, assault, rape, and murder; citizens accused of treason; and the crew of a Confederate ship were imprisoned here.

In 1930's it became a Federal Penitentiary. of the 1545 men who did time on Alcatraz, only a handful were notorious-among them, Al Capone, George "Machine Gun " Kelly and Robert Stroud, the "Birdman of Alcatraz.

Increasing maintenance costs and operating costs led US Attorney General Robert F Kennedy to close Alcatraz in 1963.  In 1972 it became part of the National Park Service

View from Pier 39 as the sun sets

Afterwards we bummed around pier 39 and went to the San Francisco Maritime Historical Park.  It was nice to walk around on the ships.

A real person with Sue

From the wooden decks of the "Balcluha", a square-rigger that rounded Cape Horn 17 times !

Andy and Sue

ah..ships mates

Will miss you guys

As the sun sets on Pier 39

We had a great time just hanging out with Sue and bud !  It was a perfect day !

Just hanging out !

We are in a holding pattern over Vancouver, Washington. We should be leaving here around December 2, 2012 for our two year adventure.  I have been working on the motorhome and getting maintenance done. We had to replace the front slide module last week so hopefully all is good now. Andy hasn't been sleeping well lately, she believes it is the mattress, so yesterday we went and got a new one...hope this works for her. You know me ...once asleep... I can sleep on a bed of nails...just try and wake me !  LOL

Our plan is to go back down to California and then onto Arizona for the winter. Come early spring we will head towards Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and then onto Washington DC.  The summer you will find us up in the New England area and then down through Michigan and Ohio. We hope to winter next year, winter 2013, in Florida, most likely Key West.  Of course all plans can change on a whim...we deserve the right to change our minds for any reason !

Andy and I have been just relaxing and chilling out.  We went to the coast with our Elks RV Club and had a wonderful time.  Best weather I have experienced on the Oregon Coast.  Andy even gambled and won a few bucks...she was a happy girl !

Last week Brent, Grey and I went hunting.  We normally hunt around Sisters, Oregon but since there is a fire raging around there, all roads are closed to our hunting grounds. We had to go farther south past La Pine,Oregon.  We met up with the Gates family in Chemult, Oregon on Sunday so I could watch the Seahawks game.  They lost, but I had a good time and really enjoyed seeing everyone !

The boys playing cribbage !

We will keep you posted from time to time !  We are very excited to start our trip and look forward to seeing all our family and friends....yes you too Jeff !

It's Official ! Living in Epinephrine Motorhome !

These last few weeks have been very busy and stressful.  I want to say "Thank You" to Brent and Grey !  You guys are the greatest. You guys helped so many times and always had a smile on your face.  Couldn't have done it without you ! 

Andy's garage sale was a hit !  She made a few bucks and bought some new outfits.   She was happy girl. 

Not only had we moved and gotten rid of a stuff, we spent time with family and friends while the weather was nice.  Summers in the Northwest go quickly.  We never did get to do the "Rogue River Trip".

We went to the Oregon Coast to visit Andy and Chris. They just purchased a beautiful beach cottage in Seaside, Oregon. Wow, it is nice! A great place to get away and relax. They even gave me green tomatoes from their garden.  How lucky am I.   Thanks guys !

Fried Green Tomatoes..YUMMY !   Soon Fried !

After we visited Chris and Andy we took a drive down the coast to Tillamook, Oregon.  We joined Andy's parents, Otto and Barbara, and our RV club.   We did relax but I found a new way to destroy my phone.   I placed my phone on the hood of the car while I was doing something and forgot all about it.  Yep... found my phone, 5 miles away along Highway 101.  Must have been ran over 1000 times!

What about my warranty...it's not water damaged !

I want one of these

Andy flirting  

Now she has her groove on  

After our RV club trip Otto and I decided to take a one (1) day salmon fishing trip out of Astoria, Oregon.  It was a  warm summer day and the seas were calm.  I had a great time being on the water. I didn't catch a thing.  Otto caught a nice salmon. We ate him for dinner a few hours later. Now that's fresh !!

Watch out ESPN...we roll different here in the Northwest !

Otto waiting for the "bite"

He waited ..and waited..but he got his bite !

All the packing...the moving of stuff... the garage sales, all the to do lists are done.  The house is rented and in good hands.

Andy's trip to the cabin was good !  

I had to drop off Roxy, the dog, at Amy's.  Andy couldn't do it !  For some of you that might not know, Amy is renting Andy's house.  The dog stays with the house. The dog is in good hands.  She will be loved and taking care of.

I had to take our home to the shop the other day to get the leveling jacks fixed.  It was suppose to be just a couple of hours.  Well, I was there from 8 AM until 5 PM.  It sucks to have your home in the shop...hope to avoid such things in the future.  Yea right.... I can dream !

Now we are staying in Andy's parents driveway.  They have been so kind and nice to invite us.  We have full hook ups too...can you believe that ! I even have a place to hook up my Sat TV. I am glad I bought a portable unit since we are parked under the trees.   

We will be here on and off until we head south for California and Arizona ...and beyond !!  Remember this will be the start of our two (2) year full timing trip.  Andy will let me know when we can leave.  lol  I am guessing December 2012.

Next week we are going to take a six (6) day trip with Otto and Barbara around the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.  Going to spend some time in the "Rain Forest" and hopefully do some fishing.

I will be updating the blog more often now that we are full timing in Epinephrine.