http://perpetualmotionrv.blogspot.com/

http://perpetualmotionrv.blogspot.com/

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Baby refuses to show his face, 4+ days post due date. Listen up baby, here's what your cutie momma did on (hopefully) the day you were  born!


Your uncle Joe has arrived from San Diego -


Competing for best belly.


Friday, April 25, 2014

Carrot Cookie Recipe - healthy and wow! Paul suggested the cream cheese frosting and we all agreed! The cookies were a bit less healthy, but whatever.

http://www.healthyfoodforliving.com/paleo-carrot-cake-cookies/

The pregnant woman and I are going to have manicures/pedicures today. I rarely do so at home but this will be the second time this trip. Girl stuff is good.
I realize that I post a lot of food photos, but food is a big deal in my family. We all like to cook!

Dinner at Paul and Tessa's last night. Blue cheese/green onion and cheddar/jalapano burgers, grilled parsnips and baby artichokes, salad with beets, avocado, and pistachios. The vegetables were from Hello Harvest of course!

Tessa made carrot cookies with almond flour and coconut, then topped them with cream cheese frosting. Amazing.




Thursday, April 24, 2014

Breakfast in Carpinteria. GF blueberry muffin from Pierre la Fond, grapefruit from Hello Harvest - the best grapefruit I have ever tasted.


Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Fixed!
OK someone needs to tell me why the video doesn't work!
Last night Ben, Marsha and I were at a restaurant when across the street a celebration of the 1782 founding of the Santa Barbara Presidio was taking place. I thought I was taking a video with my iphone but I failed to record the action. Ben was able to capture a short segment, but it was the best part. We watched as the costumed soldiers loaded gun powder (and Marsha was drinking gun powder tea) into their muskets and here's what came next. Turn up your volume.



Carpinteria State Beach Campground

The beach here is beautiful and safe for swimmers. Today there are a few surfer as well. It's not easy to get a camp site here because many of the sites are first come first served. Only California checks and cash are accepted - no credit or ATM cards. There is no ATM machine on site. After you manage to get a campsite, it is for only one night. You must show up at the booth the next morning before 8 am to put your name in the lottery for another night. You can reserve a site 72 hours in advance online at reserveamerica.com. Although the beach is beautiful, the campground is disappointing. There is absolutely no privacy, and unless you are lucky enough to snag a beach-front site, your view is of other rigs.




Today was a bit frustrating. After a search I found a gas station with propane. Alas, the attendant that filled my tank, or attempted to fill it, did something weird and the fumes were overwhelming. The alarm went off inside the RV and frightened Koka badly, and she tried to jump out of the window. I had to put the slide out in order to reach the button on the alarm to shut it off, and it took about 10 minutes before it was possible to get back in the rig. Wow - and all that for 1/10th of a gallon of propane because I wouldn't let the attendant try again. Then when I got to Carpinteria I had to exit the State Park to find an ATM to get cash for the camp. I got all hooked up and while feeding Koka I looked out and saw my picnic table being drug away to make room for a guy who was planning to park his big truck in MY CAMP SITE about two feet from my door, because it wouldn't fit in his site next to his trailer. I don't think so. AND dogs are not allowed on the beach, even on a leash. Tomorrow I will head down to WLV since Paul and Tess are convinced that tomorrow is the big day. By the way, the semester is over for UCSB, and I think the students are all celebrating here. And by "here" I mean right next to me. But they ran off the truck parker guy and dragged my picnic table back for me.

C'mon Baby Louis, show your face!




Monday, April 21, 2014

Hanging out in Montecito for a few days, at the beautiful home of the generous parents of a daughter-in-law. It's a tough assignment, but somebody has to do it...


Friday, April 18, 2014

I am currently on a five week long "test" trip before setting out on a year long journey on June 22. I'm learning about my new Free Spirit SS and determining what I will need and how to pack for the much longer journey that will first take me north to Alaska. I left my home in Portland, Oregon and headed to the San Francisco area to visit family. Of course Koka the dog is my traveling companion. Before leaving Portland I bought a nice big dog bed with comfy padding and sides, and secured it to the front passenger seat. I cut a piece of memory foam to fit the bottom and covered it with a pillow case so it would be easy to wash. The first day Koka seemed to like it, but after that, not so much. She prefers to be on the floor in front of the passenger seat. So the (expensive) dog bed has been donated to a camp host dog, and Koka likes hunkering down in the memory foam on the floor.

This is my campsite at South Beach State Park near Bandon on the Oregon coast. The beach is a short walk away. A very friendly couple in the adjacent campsite invited me for a glass of wine and shared their campfire. I donated a bottle of 14 Hands Hot To Trot Red Blend, purchased at Trader Joe's. 

 

Lunch spot along the coast. Koka ran around on the beach for an hour - she loved it so much. Then we were on our way south to Lafayette, Ca. 


The weather in Lafayette was beautiful, and it was great to see family. I have the most beautiful grandchildren ever. Then it was on to Las Vegas and 90 degree weather! More fun with another fantastic grandkid and family.

After visiting family in Las Vegas I headed south to Westlake Village to await the arrival of a new grandchild. On the way I camped for three days at Big Bear Lake. Campsite at Serrano Campground in Big Bear Lake, Ca. It was a peaceful time, and the scenery was lovely.



Breakfast - grilled egg sandwich. I plugged a griddle/sandwich maker into the RV and put it on the campsite picnic table. Alas, it was not level and when I cracked the eggs onto the grill they oozed off the end and made a big mess. Leveled the grill with pieces of wood, and breakfast tasted great.