AN HISTORIC DAY

I'm busily multi-taking today. As I write, we are watching the pre-inauguration pomp on TV. The cabinet nominees are making their way into the stands, freezing. I can't believe those folks aren't wearing hats...

Even retired people with a lifestyle that seems like a prolonged vacation want a vacation every so often. I had a great one, from beginning to end, in Sacramento. Even the air travel was fun, with planes only half full. Now, back home, I'm facing three "to-do" lists that I wrote prior to vacation so I'll be ready to leave here later this week.

...oh, man, here comes Joe Biden's mother, 92 years old! And the Carters... 45 minutes to go until the oath of office...

Odel continues to feel great in spite of (or because of?) his cancer treatments. Just 3 more to go!

He has asked for an early morning appointment on Thursday (the last treatment) so we can hit the road by noon, for Quartzsite, AZ, and the annual gathering of Boomers in the middle of the desert - along with around 100,000 other rigs. I took this photo of the campfire circle last year, and that is where we plan to be on Friday afternoon at 4 pm.

...wow, there is the wide shot of the Mall, people as far as the eye can see...

Today will be spent catching up on chores around home. Tomorrow Odel plays golf while I do the grocery and Costco shopping, then we have a last appointment with Dr. Grover. Keeping our fingers crossed, Thursday will be the last treatment and we'll head out either Thursday afternoon or Friday. We are so excited!

... here comes Michelle in her glittery yellow dress. What a woman! And there is Malia, taking a photo with her little digital camera... hey, Bush Senior put on a hat. Smart man...

So, time to sign off and get ready for the main event. What an exciting day!

I SHOULD BE "WORKING" - PLENTY TO DO...

Yes, I have a long, long list of things to accomplish before I fly up to Sacramento tomorrow, but catching up on email is always a part of my morning routine - and recent email brought some great photos!

In my prior post, I mentioned that we had helped Richard Dopp build an earth oven at a boondocking site near Borrego Springs last winter. Last weekend, when we met JoAnn and Doug in Palm Desert, they were boondocking very near to the same spot, but had not found the oven.

Yesterday, JoAnn emailed these photos to me. Their friends, Al and Kelly, had been moving to a new boondocking site when they noticed this cozy camp - and thought they spotted an earth oven.

A closer look revealed that Richard's oven, almost a year old, is still in great shape. It looks like a thoughtful camper has added a bit on top, but Lynn Howe's graceful stone design is still noticeable on the sides of the oven.

Helping to build the oven was fun, and provided the inspiration for Odel, Rosanna and me to construct a larger one several weeks later. I am very happy to see that the oven has been enjoyed by other campers... it could just as easily have been vandalized or demolished by a passerby, or the firebrick floor taken.

Al and Kelly, if you read this, thanks for taking and forwarding the photos. If you lucky Canadian campers (that is a Maple Leaf on the front of your rig, right?) happen to read this, did you use the oven? Your camp looks so comfortable!

Odel has a busy day today. Wednesday is his golf day, and he left early this morning to join 3 other proton patients for a round of golf at Oak Quarry Golf Course, about 15 miles from here. I snagged this photo off of their website, along with their description: "...winds through the historic Jensen Quarry, which in its operating heyday supplied limestone, marble and 88 various minerals for the construction of roads, large buildings and private residences in the greater Los Angeles area."

The website displays a long list of awards from various golf magazines, newspapers, etc. With nothing but sunshine today, Odel is in for a great time. After golf, he meets his doctor at LLUMC for his second-to-last weekly meeting, and has treatment number 39 at 4:20 pm. After that, just half a dozen treatments to go. YAY!

I'm off to Sacramento tomorrow, visiting with my friends Becky and Jewel on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday morning, after Becky heads to work (yes, on Saturday) and before Nancy arrives to pick me up, I scheduled a private hooping lesson with Allison, a 20-year old hooping teacher (and college student). I was encouraged to contact her when I saw a photo on Allison's website (BloomHoops) of her MOM hooping. Maybe Allison will have special insights into the hooping challenges facing us older hoopers. :)

Nancy and I will head up to Shingle Springs for an overnight with our Mom and Dad, including a visit to the new Red Hawk Casino a couple miles from their home. Four fun days coming up and by the time I come home, we're only 4 treatments away from heading out. Later!

SATURDAY ROAD TRIP

Our RV'ing friends are streaming into the southwest from all directions, and yesterday we enjoyed visits with some of them.

Except for very strong winds through the mountain passes and canyons, it was a great day for a road trip. We took off from home at 9:30 am to meet JoAnn and Doug at a favorite restaurant in La Quinta at 11 am. At 11:15, they still had not arrived - or called. That didn't seem like them, so I finally gave 'em a call.

After an extremely confused conversation - where I expected JoAnn to tell me they were almost to the restaurant, and she expected me to say the same - we determined that we both were in the parking lot of a Fisherman's Market, next door to Trader Joes... but they were in Palm Desert and we were in Indio, 10 miles east!

Shortly after 11:30, we had that problem solved - Odel and I went tearing over to Palm Desert - and enjoyed a delicious lunch of fried fish and fried shrimp, with french fires and cole slaw. We all cleaned every last scrap off our plates.

JoAnn and Doug are currently boondocking in Anza Borrego, near where Odel and I stayed for a few days last winter with Richard and Marlene Dopp - where Richard got us hooked on building an earth oven. Coincidentally, Richard and Marlene were camped for an overnight at Lake Cahuilla County Park, not far from our lunch spot.

After lunch, when JoAnn and Doug took off to run errands, we headed over to visit the Dopps. As we arrived, they were strolling around the campground with another Boomer friend, Chris Christiansen. We spent the rest of a very fine afternoon catching up with each other's news and making plans to meet at Q when Odel's treatments end and we head out.

Odel has just 9 treatments left. Number 9 will be tomorrow, and we are counting down! Nine, eight, seven... by a week from Monday, he will be on treatment 4, and we hope to leave here on 1/23. Meanwhile, I have a trip to Sacramento planned. You might notice a lag in the blog - but soon the REAL fun will begin again. :)