For the fourth consecutive year we have “camped” in Arnie and Sandy’s backyard for a month or more. And every morning there is a ritual…Arnie and Sandy open up their drapes, when we see that (or in most cases, when we get up out of bed), we let he dogs out.
They QUICKLY do their business (well, Skruffy is busy, every morning Bubba acts like he has not released his bladder for a good day or more), they go to the door and jump and bark until someone opens up and lets them in.
A few seconds after entering the house, they come back outside, typically with Arnie, and get their morning treat.
And during all of this Arnie is saying, “Good morning, good morning, good morning!” (Along with our words of greeting, of happiness, of love….)
Then Bubba goes inside the house, and Skruffy comes back into the motorhome. Today, she jumped right up on my recliner, got between my legs, and just stares at me. Now, what do you think she wants? She wants her morning treat from dad! What a double dipper!!!
Note: see the heating pad on my left leg? That is now my morning ritual to keep the leg limber. I thought I would be real sore after yesterday’s move into the backyard and stuff, but it was only slightly sore, so things are getting better, that’s for sure.
In past years Arnie had an old Suburban and an old frame sitting between the motorhome and the shed. Earlier this year he sold them…decided he would never get around to restoring it. Sis has a big smile on her face….
Of course, if we are at Sandy and Arnie’s house, that means that the great squirrel hunter is back.
Got up at 5:15 this morning, and we were on the road by 6:30 am. The first half of the trip was very uneventful….got through Bakersfield, got gas just north of there, got through Fresno and all the little and not-so-little towns between and after there. By the time we hit Merced, the traffic was just coming out a bit. Then we went through Atwater and I thought we might have blown a few tires the road was so very, very bad. Then some guy and his family, probably headed to church, pulled on the freeway in a nice foreign luxury car and instead of stepping on it, he just slowly matched my speed and tried coming right onto the freeway….so I slow, he slows. Well, we gave him a good “wave” and sent him off to church in front of us. (Now Nancy Kissack, I know you live in this area, if you are reading this, I hope it wasn’t anyone you knew…but it was a friendly wave…all fingers, not just one.) From there the traffic just got heavier and heavier all the way to Loomis, where we decided on night at a RV park was in order before we pull into my sister’s backyard tomorrow for a month.
My sister Sandy was first to see us. and I let go of the dogs leashes and they bolted up to see here.
Arnie was barbequing and Sandy called him out front and Bubba had his reunion right there in the “Shop Dog’s Garage”. Arnie is down to only two old vehicles to work on now…never saw his garage so empty…nor his backyard.
Purpose of the BBQ was for that young lady in the white sitting down with one of Arnie’s sons standing next to her. She is in her early 90’s, and just got back from Utah where she was with Arnie’s brother for nearly a year. Today’s BBQ was for all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren living in the area to come by. That’s my mom and dad to the right.
They had a house full of people, which is why we decided to wait a day to pull the motorhome into the backyard. My sister Patti was also there, and it was just so nice to see family, and to see Arnie’s children and grandchildren see their grandmother and great-grandmother.
Skruffy just couldn’t understand why we didn’t have the motorhome out back! But she was so happy to see EVERYONE.
And Bubba…well, he liked seeing everyone too…checking out everything, but most of all, seeing his Uncle Arnie and Aunt Sandy. He is looking forward to his special nightly treat he gets while we are here. (Skruffy misses out because she would rather be in the motorhome with mom and dad while Bubba likes to spend his early night with Sandy and Arnie until it is bedtime.)
This is the third time we have stayed in the Loomis RV Park, we do it for the convenience of its location, although it is not a bad park, and soon to be a Good Sam's park. You can search our blog for past postings about it.
