Grandma Has a Special Little Visitor

 

Thursday of last week Marcia and I went for a visit with mom.  If we get there earlier enough, I can put out the awning and we enjoy a cool outdoor visit.  Arrived shortly after 9 am, got everything setup, went in and got mom, and started to enjoy our visit.  A blue VW comes humming up (an EV) and mom says, "I don't have any idea who that is..."  Until it parks and my son Michael gets out.  Now he is parked a good 20-25 yards from where mom was and as soon as he emerges she says, "It's Michael!"  Her next words were, "I hope he brought Addy!!!"

Michael and Addy get setup, and Addy sits comfortably on her daddy's lap.

It does not take long before she is on the grass, and she is pulling out books, playing with her toys as we all converse and watch the show.

Soon she is off to the rocks where she starts to load up her dump truck.

Then she moves over to the other side and gets those rocks too.

Then she spots the small amount of water puddled on the sidewalk from the lawn irrigation system.  PUDDLES!!!!

So at first she jumps on the puddle, then squats over the puddle, puts her hands in it, then puts her hands in her mouth.  "ADDY, don't put that water into your mouth!", says Michael.

Well, like any two year old, that warning lasts for about 60 seconds...

... and back at it she goes.  Soon she is sitting in the water, then she is sitting on Dad's lap.  

We all had a wonderful hour-plus visit, and seeing her Great Granddaughter, her Grandson, Marcia and I all at the same time sure made Mom's day.  Michael took Addy's pants off and put them on his dash for the drive to Day Care down by the State Capitol where he works.  I hope they dried before he got her there...

Well, we find our time here in Sacramento is coming to an end.  We left our Condo on July 18th.  We knew when we left that we would be home before the end of October.  We plan to leave on Saturday the 14th, and take our time getting home...which probably will be before October 1st.

As for living in the Camper Van, the fix with the beds has worked out very well.  I find the cooking area to be much too small, but I work with the area the best I can.  Dropping a raw egg on the floor, a rare thing for me to do, is product of the small area.  We can go five days before emptying the waste tanks, which is not bad considering how small the black tank is.  There is a gas station a few miles away where I pay $10 to do the dirty deed.  We just make sure to include the dump station in any errands we needed to do on those days.  And the small fridge definitely has its limits, but we have been able to fit our most needed items in it, and we go to the store at least twice a week, and Sam's Club about every 10 days.  

Will try and post one more time before we leave, and every day or two while we travel back to Florida.

 

Prolong Stays in a Camper Van

 

Our fourth motorhome, this time a Camper Van, in my Sister's backyard.  Our two Class C's needed wooden ramps to get up over the curb as we drove up the driveway, but thank goodness, the Camper Van does not.  The first three needed a "Blue Boy", which is slang for Black and Gray Water Waste tank that is on wheels and can be taken to the nearest dumping outlet (which at Sister's House is on the other side of the house from where we park).  So far we are driving to a dump station every four days as we take care of other business (shopping, visiting mom, laundry, etc).  Which brings up my next point, without a car, the Camper Van becomes our main and only form of transportation for all three of us, but I have borrowed Brother-in-Law Arny's Toyota Truck a few times to get dinner or go to the store.  It would take us about ten minutes to get ready and pull out onto the street if we needed/wanted to hurry...about the same to set up again once we are back.

Here is something I thought of on our way to visit mom in the "Old People's Home".  Put her in her Wheelchair, brought her out next to the sliding door, put out the awning, swung Marcia's chair around so she and Mom could see each other, and I used Marcia's Walker to sit on.  Nice pleasant breeze, and we all have a nice visit without Marcia having to expend energy to get out, and back in, the Camper Van.  Speaking of which, Marcia can get in and out of the Camper Van all on her own, something she has not been able to do since we got rid of our Class A back in 2013.  It still is a bit tiring, but gives her the freedom of not relying on me or others to assist her with getting in and out.

Sister Sandy turned us onto a new Restaurant, it is called Huckleberry's Breakfast & Lunch.  There are a number of them in the general Sacramento Area, and many are located in former Denny's and Perko's Cafes.  At this location in Roseville we are able to park in the ADA slot closest to the door, and I could watch Indy when she was in the front looking out and barking at people who approached.  With our generator going, the AC was on, so she was fine...I made sure to let the cashier know just in case someone complains about a dog in a hot vehicle.

So we have been here for three weeks now, and the only major upgrade we have added is 3" of bed topper and a Fluffy Mattress Cover Quilted Fitted Mattress Pad to put on top.  The beds as they came were very uncomfortable...now we are both sleeping so much better, it is very comfortable, and worth the nearly $200 complete price tag.  We only have the electric connected, and I fill up the water tank as needed.  We have used the dump station at the Chevron Station in Roseville (corner of Eureka and Rocky Ridge), and find that Fridays and especially Sundays are very busy...midweek not so much.  Been stuck behind a newbie one time and that was like sticking pins in your eyes...  Overall, staying for a prolong time period in the Camper Van is doable...not as easy as the past three motorhomes we have owned, but not overly hard.

Of course, I would be amiss if I did not talk about my lovely Granddaughter, who turned 2 last month.  Last time we arrived her and my son Michael were in the front yard and she was so happy to see the Camper Van drive up.  On our previous visit, she was at the window saying goodbye to Grandpa, and Michael said she even cried just a little bit.  Tomorrow we visit with them all again, which will be the last visit until September due to their busy schedules.  There is something about hearing the words "Grandpa" from our Grandchild that just warms your heart...