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July 2007
July 2007
Monday, July 2. It was grocery shopping and wash the motorhome day. Mike did the motorhome while I went grocery shopping. The weather was gorgeous and we took a nice, long walk to the Pacifica Pier. There were a lot of fishermen and women along the pier but we didn't see anyone catch anything exciting. There was talk of people seeing dolphins and also a shark being caught.

Mike tried to get some pictures of the Pelicans, as they are incredibly active these days. Whenever we get a chance, we watch them feed. They are quite entertaining.

This evening we went to Ben & Jill's for dinner and talked about their upcoming wedding plans. They will go to Mexico in September to look at places for their wedding to be held the end of March next year. They have narrowed it down to a few places in Tulum. What a gorgeous setting and a great place to visit for the occasion.

Tuesday, July 3. Back to work. I've now started working 8-hour days and I can really feel it when I get home. This morning, we got a call from a resort in Rockport, Texas that is looking for help. I had a nice conversation with the owner and sent our resumes this afternoon. It looks like a really nice place to spend the winter, right on the bay in Rockport. I'm hoping we hear back from her.

Tonight, we are having a combined going away party for Adrienne and a birthday party for Dorothy.

Wednesday, July 4. HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!! I woke up at 5:30 this morning, couldn't get back to sleep, so here I sit at the computer. Its nice watching the sun come up, but I haven't been an early riser for a long time - will be feeling tired this evening.

Its a work day for us, so we won't be doing a lot of celebrating. I hear the fireworks get pretty crazy around Pacifica (it is one of the few cities in California where they are legal).

After dinner, we walked around the park. There were many people out and about. We stopped by Gail and Elaine's and visited for a while, then went to the roof of the office building to watch fireworks. Even though it was not an organized fireworks display, the hills all around us were alive with sparks and colors. The ridge surrounding the park must be 7-10 miles long and no matter which direction you looked, there sparks dotting the hillsides at various levels. We could also see some along the ocean to the north and south of us. It was a very different way to celebrate, but very enjoyable. We went in the house at about 10:00 and the fireworks continued to go off for a long time after that.

Friday, July 6. Day 4 once again. YEAH! I sure do like this work schedule, but are looking forward to that time when I don't have to do it any more. The days have been busy and it looks like the intensity will continue through the summer months. Its nice to keep busy and we have been meeting interesting people. The unfortunate thing is that when we're working, we only get to have brief conversations. Many times we would like to talk more to folks but by the time we have more time, they have already left the park.

Sunday, July 8. Yesterday was R & R day, so we could recover from the work week. It was a lousy, cold and windy day and it never did clear up all day long. I don't think the temperature got above 55.

In the evening, we went to Ben and Jill's for dinner. Ben cooked steaks, asparagus and zucchini on the grill. It was excellent and we had a great time hanging out with them once again.

Today was laundry and washing windows day (the wind blows the salt water around and coats everything. This afternoon, we walked to the downtown Pacifica area where they had a street fair going on. It was fun to browse the different antique and craft vendors. We stopped at the Seahorse Saloon for a hot dog and never will go back there. The food was awful and the drinks weren't much better.


July 9 - 15
Monday, July 9. Today's big news at the park is that the maintenance truck was stolen during the night. Its kind of amazing that anyone would want it - it was filled with junk, the driver side window was broken, it had the company emblem on the door, and it probably smelled like garbage, as that was its primary use. This was the 1st crime that we have heard about since being here, although destructive things are done to the park at times. What a world!

Tuesday, July 10. Today is day 4 - got some chores done around the house, then we decided to go to the zoo this afternoon. It was kind of strange - this morning Mike said he was thinking it might be nice to go to the zoo since we hadn't been there yet. During the night, I was thinking the same thing. Funny how that is sometimes.

Anyway, we went to the zoo and had a wonderful time. Although old, it is well maintained and they are working on updating some of the exhibits. The fog cleared off before we got there, so it was a pleasant, sunny afternoon. We got some good close-up views of some of the animals and we just happened to catch the grizzly bears when they were in the water and wrestling with each other.

Friday, July 13. As far as work goes, this was a day from he--. Since Dorothy (my boss) was going to be out of town, she asked me to work a split shift starting at 8:30, taking a break in the middle of the day, and working until 7:30 pm. We had nearly 40 people checking in and the day was off to a fast pace start when there were at least 10 late arrivals from last night waiting to check in and only me to handle it.

I normally check every 2 hours to see if the transactions balance but I wasn't able to do my 1st check of the day until nearly 4:00. There were complaints about a pit bull that was barking and hanging out the broken window of an rv, a woman who was letting her 5 uncontrolled, noisy kids ride bikes like crazy through the park, and another kid who was throwing stones in the hot tup and at people. Several people showed up without reservations or a day early and we didn't have space for them.

Gary (the manager) went to retrieve the stolen work truck that was found and was impounded to the San Francisco police. The ignition was all messed up, so the had to have it towed to the park. The bed and passenger seat were completely filled with trash that now has to be disposed of. And to top it off, they charged him $400 for storage - what a joke.

We survived it, were in balance at the end of the day, and were able to close an hour early. One more day to go.

Saturday, July 14. We survived the workweek! Tonight, we were invited to Gail and Elaine's for a delicious spaghetti dinner. Another couple that works here, Roland and Mary were also there and we all had some great conversation. It was such a great break from the work week and its nice having friends nearby to socialize with. A perfect Friday night and a great way to start the weekend.

Sunday, July 15. It's 8:00 and the motorhome was soaked from the heavy fog last night and all day yesterday. I fell rested and recovered from the workweek, having a wonderful night of sleep. Fred, the red fish, greets me at the table while I read the news and drink my morning coffee. He gets real active when he senses one of us at the table and will now follow our finger along the glass or come to the surface if we pretend to have snacks. He sometimes puffs all up, making himself look big and threatening. He's not much of a companion but is a nice pet.

When I look out toward the cliff this morning, I can't tell the difference between the ocean and the sky. Already this morning, I've heard 3 motorhomes start up and leave the park. The Sunday morning exodus begins, and it usually means that we have a nice, open view once again.


July 16-22
Monday, July 16. Boy, did I sleep good last night. I had a glass of wine and took a Benadryl and it knocked me right out. I needed it since I haven't been sleeping very well.

I had a dentist appointment this afternoon so I took off a bit early and did some shopping - looking for dresses for Ben and Jill's wedding. Now is probably a good time to buy - don't know how much summer stuff will be in the stores in January or February.

Tuesday, July 17. Woke up to another gray, cloudy day - the forecast calls for some light rain today, rather an unusual occurrence at this time of year. We spent some time this morning looking at resorts, condos, bungalows, and all-inclusive lodging for the wedding.

What a nice day! We decided to go to Filoli, a historic house and gardens in Woodside, about 30 miles south of San Francisco. The house was a gorgeous estate built in 1915 as a private residence. It was donated to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1975 and is open to the public. The name is derived from the 1st 2 letters of the owner's credo: "Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; and Live a good life". I like that! We really enjoyed strolling around the gardens and through the house. It was beautiful day on the other side of the hills.

When we left there, we decided to take the scenic route west to the coast and north along CA1. On a previous joyride through the area, we saw a place called "Alice's Restaurant" at the intersection of CA35 and CA84 and thought it might be a good place to stop for some lunch. As we approached the restaurant, a couple greeted us and we remembered them as Tom and Candice, a couple who had stopped by the RV park to check it out last week and Mike spent quite a bit of time talking with them. We joined them for lunch and had a great discussion. They are from that area and are looking forward to a time in their lives that they can travel around similar to what we are doing. They told us about some of their favorite places in the area and we shared some of our experiences with them. Since they recently bought a 5th wheel, they will be coming to Pacifica to spend a couple of weeks in the near future. Its a small world, huh!

The drive back to Pacifica was very nice. The sun was out when we returned, but not for long. I've got a Coconut Rhubarb cake baking in the oven - sure hope it turns our well. I haven't baked a lot of cakes in this oven.

Wednesday, July 18. I was able to get an appointment this morning at 9:00 for my teeth cleaning, so that is how my day started. It was real foggy and there were places along the coast where I had to slow down to 35 mph in order to see a short distance in front of me. By the time my cleaning was done, it was clearing up and almost felt warm and humid. As the day went on, it cleared and became a beautiful day.

We took a stroll around the park and stopped to talk with Gail and Elaine for a while, then Mary and Roland joined up. In the evening we grilled some turkey tenderloins for dinner and sat outside enjoying the evening.

Friday, July 20. Yesterday was back to work day, not too eventful. Today's big news is that a 4.2 earthquake hit the bay area, near Oakland but was felt throughout the bay. We didn't feel it but several people in the park did.

Mike met a man from Switzerland yesterday who lives near Rudy and Sonja in Sion. He and his wife stopped by today to chat. That is one part of the job and the lifestyle that I really enjoy, meeting and talking with folks from around the world.

Sunday, July 22. Day 4! Work isn't expected to be too busy today, but we do have to get our laundry done this evening so we can take off tomorrow morning and head for Oxnard to visit Mary and Lance. I'm so looking forward to a short road trip in the Honda.

The weather has been beautiful the last couple of days - not sure what today will bring as it is real wet but not real foggy this morning.
July 23-29
Monday, July 23. By 10:45 this morning, we were ready to head south to Oxnard to visit Mary and Lance. The drive was close to 6 hours, may have been a bit shorter if we hadn't gotten stuck in traffic near Santa Barbara for at least a half hour. All in all, it was a nice drive.

It was great seeing Mary and Lance once again and didn't take long to catch up this time, since it has only been a couple of months since seeing them last. We had good old Wisconsin bratwurst for dinner.

Tuesday, July 24. Today's activity was a drive to Burbank to visit the Warner Bros. Studios. The guided tour was 2 hours long and included visits to the back lots, sound stages, costume museum, and many of the buildings used for street scenes. It was very educational and entertaining. We didn't see any stars although we did see a HOLD tag on a piece of furniture for Ellen Totleben, a family friend originally from Stoughton. I knew that she worked there since she won an Emmy award for the set of West Wing. Another sister, Laura and her brother Steve also work there. I will have to get in touch with them and try to visit before we head out of the area.

After our tour, we went to downtown Burbank where we checked out some shops and had some lunch.

Wednesday, July 25. Today was kind of an R and R day. Mary had an appointment in the afternoon so the rest of us kind of lazed around the house, reading and relaxing. I spent a bit of time laying in the hammock and taking advantage of the warm sunshine.

When Mary got home, we went to the outlet mall where I tried on dresses and skirts for the wedding - nothing purchased though. After that, we picked up steaks and went back to the house to have a wonderful dinner.

Thursday, July 26. Already its time to go back home. The drive took 7 hours with a couple of stops along the way. It was a long day. The closer we got to Pacifica, the cloudier it was and the temp was only 53 degrees when we got home. As Mike was unpacking his bag, he noticed how warm everything in it was from being in the hot trunk of the car - that didn't last long.

Friday, July 27. Our first day back at work and it didn't start out too well. My second customer of the day was a very rude midwesterner who was angry because she was told that the train stops just outside the RV park. When I told her that was incorrect, she proceeded to tell me that I needed to do something about that. My attempts to explain just made her more rude. I then went into the assistant manager's office for advice - she gave me $50 in cash to give to the b----h for cab service. I don't agree with that solution, but she grabbed the money and headed out the door. I think anyone that is that rude shouldn't get anything - she should have beed asked to to leave the park.

My heart was pounding and I was so glad that my next customer was cheerful and kind which helped me to get over it quickly.

Saturday, July 28. Today was a much better day. One of us is working a split shift for a total of 8 hours and the other is working 6 hours. So we are changing off every other day and that seems to be working well.

Rita called when I got home tonight, so had a nice chat with her. We ordered a pizza, so will just relax and maybe watch a movie tonight. Got an e-mail from Mary and they are going to come back for another visit in September. YEAH!!


Created on 07/03/2007 09:13 AM by bridge
Updated on 08/05/2007 10:09 PM by bridge
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