Currently 10/27/2020: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

 

It was inevitable. After coasting through fire season in 2019, and most of 2020, strong Santa Ana winds finally descended on us here in Orange County yesterday, and we had two fires break out as a result. Neither fire is near enough to us to present a danger, but the impact is still being felt. We have dear friends that had to evacuate from their home as a result of the Blue Ridge fire, which is burning directly behind their backyard, and we woke up to very smokey (you can actually taste the smoke) skies as a result of the Silverado fire, meaning we'll likely be forced to remain indoors today until the smoke clears.

What the smoke from the Silverado fire looked like from the back of our home yesterday evening, as it headed out toward the ocean. 

The Santa Anas were strong yesterday, crazy strong. Gusts up to almost 100 mph were registered in various areas around S. California, and we had trees pushed over here in our immediate neighborhood as a result. With regard to the wildfires, it's my understanding that downed electrical power lines as a result of the winds may have started both fires, which makes sense, unfortunate as that is.

The Santa Ana winds, as a side note, were such a product of my childhood that I have dreams about them from time-to-time to this day. Memories, and how they pop up unexpectedly, are so interesting, aren't they?

Otherwise, Currently I Am . . . 

Happy  My Dad surprised me with the news that he was traveling to California, and he arrived over the weekend. Although he is staying with my aunt, his sister, he drove over for a visit on Sunday, and we had an outdoor mini-reunion as a result. We went for a long walk along the beach, then were joined by my daughter and her significant other for bagels at the harbor. In a fun(ny?) twist, rain moved in just as we got set up with our breakfast picnic at the harbor, so we ate under blankets and umbrellas. Still, it was great to see him! He's truly amazing at 85 years of age. He drove from his home in Texas, some 1600 miles away, towing a small pop up camper so he didn't have to stay in any hotels or motels during COVID. And along the way he decided to stop and climb a mountain in Guadalupe National Park.

I should be so lucky to have half his energy when I reach his age!

My amazing dad (right) with my husband (left) during our walk.

Thankful  We had occasion to go hiking up to Bedford Peak in Silverado Canyon over the weekend with a small group of friends, on a windless, cool day, The entire area we were in is now closed due to the Silverado fire, and may not reopen for some time to come as a result.

Side note: As a native Californian, I would never, ever go hiking in any of our wilderness areas during a high wind event. My earliest childhood memories are of Santa Ana sparked wildfires, and I have had a healthy respect of the correlation between wind events and wildfires ever since.

Cooking  Not much, in that we are preparing to leave for a week long visit with our daughter and family on the east coast, so we're eating down the refrigerator, resulting in some fairly simple meals - grilled cheese, Trader Joe's meatloaf, egg salad, etc. So happy to have an easy-to-please husband!

Nervous  The above trip will necessitate getting on an airplane for the first time since the pandemic hit, and neither of us is looking forward to it for the obvious reasons. We are flying Delta both ways, and they are continuing to be among the group of airlines most firm about enforcing mask wearing, plus they are continuing to leave middle seats open, so there's at least that.

Buying  A series of guitar music books from the truly amazing Justin Sandercoe of Justin Guitar. I am continuing to progress nicely, given that I'm self-learning, and I attribute it all to his excellent online guitar app, and his also-excellent guitar music books which are filled with hints and tips on how to continue to improve.

Smiling  Our realtor calls us from time-to-time just to see how we are, and encourage us to let her know should we ever be interested in listing our home. Yesterday she sent us a text letting us know she had a buyer interested in our neighborhood, just in case we were thinking of selling. She knows, because I've told her, that it's very likely we will move one more time at some point, to a townhome or condo within a mile of the beach (we're currently two miles away), but that time is not quite yet. Still, I give her points for trying!

That's it for me this week. What's going on Currently where you are?

What I'm Doing To Fight COVID Fatigue

Juhli over at A Boomer Girl's Guide blog recently posted about pandemic fatigue. This is beginning to pop up in the news as well, and speaking only for myself, it is definitely real, and something I need to really work to fight off. One of the things that will set it off is dwelling on what 'used to be' so I try very hard not to. Instead, I do work to keep my focus on what is currently feasible, and to try and craft my weekdays and weekends so that there are things to look forward to, things that make me feel productive, or things that help me feel as if I'm contributing to the greater good in some way.

So I thought it would be helpful to list what I am currently doing, as much as a reminder to myself(!) as to anyone else, and also to list ideas that I need to continue to bring into my orbit as well, so life doesn't become stale. Since tomorrow isn't guaranteed, there is no point waiting for a return to normalcy, as it may or may not arrive.

COVID-Conscious Things I'm Doing Right Now

• Creative menu planning. I am focusing on making at least one new recipe a week so that being in the kitchen continues to be enjoyable. 
• Weekly grocery shopping. In my case, this means I am continuing to circle among a group of markets in order to leverage each store's particular price advantages. So, Sprouts for produce, Aldi's for regular rotation items (deli meats, crackers, cookies, yogurt, eggs, bread, condiments, dairy items), Trader Joe's for they-do-it-best items (cheeses, coffee, coconut and almond milk, salad dressings) and 'regular' markets for fish, pork, and poultry as/when on sale.
• Walks And Hikes.  This serves the dual purpose of getting us outside and into nature, critically important in this household for maintaining our mental health, and keeping us fit and energetic. Plus, really, we very much enjoy the lovely places we are able to walk here. Yesterday we traversed our local harbor, today we are traversing one of favorite beaches.
• Kayaking. We've been sticking to Newport Harbor primarily, where we can kayak for miles and miles (it's enormous!) while remaining in the harbor's protected waters.
• Long Distance Bicycle Rides. We're already up to 40 miles, which means guilt free lunches somewhere yummy midway through each ride, yeah!
• Yoga In The Park. The location for this is so pretty - it's on a bluff looking out over the ocean.
• Paddleboarding. It's about one mile around our small local harbor, but as I've gotten stronger, I'm planning to start making double loops for a total of two miles.
• Golfing. At nine holes currently, hoping to get to 18 holes before too much longer. 
• Weekend Outdoor And Distanced Get Together With Friends. Love these, and we managed to squeeze in two this past weekend - a picnic at a nearby beach to watch skim boarders and the sunset with one set of friends, and a picnic in our backyard with a second set of friends.
• Weekly Get Together With My Oldest Daughter And Her Boyfriend. This doesn't always happen, but not for lack of trying!
• Making Christmas Ornaments For My Family.
• Finishing The Updating Of Our Home. The upcoming whole-house bathroom remodeling project is the very last upgrade remaining to be done to our 1980's home, and it should keep me happily occupied for the remainder of the year. Every little update the remodeling team completes will provide me with subsequent days of basking in delight. 
• Yardwork.
• Reading.
• Guitar.
• Food Pantry Volunteering. Although this places me somewhat at risk in that my job is indoors, everyone is masked, and the cause is simply to important not to do.
• Marine Institute Volunteering. My primary jobs are manning the outdoor info booth, helping in the tide pools, or working in the breezy gift shop. I worked several shifts this past weekend and it felt so, so good to be back with my fellow volunteers.
• Monthly Walk And/Or Outdoor Lunch With A Girlfriend. Working to get this to weekly, but not all my gal-pals are comfortable dining outdoors at a restaurant, so for now it's been monthly.
• Weekly Wine Club 'Date' With My Husband.
• Friday Night Beach Picnics.
• Summer RV Trip Planning.
• Weekly Phone Calls To My Parents.
• Weekly FaceTime Calls With My Youngest Daughter And Granddaughters.
• Slow Decluttering Of The House. I am in no way a pack rat, but things do have a way of accumulating without realizing, and I'm surprising myself at what I'm continuing to bag up for removal. 
• Weekend Movie Night. We almost never watch movies during the week, so if we don't have plans to get out of the house on a weekend night, we'll try to make it different from weekday nights by watching a documentary or movie, usually with takeout Chinese food.

COVID-Conscious Things To Consider Doing In The Future

• Monthly RV Trips Once New Trailer Arrives. We have a large array of possibilities within a 90 minute driving perimeter - Palm Springs, San Diego, Big Bear, Malibu, to name just a few.
• Monthly Outdoor Dates With Hubby At One Of The Remaining Restaurants On My Best Of OC List.
• Monthly Kayak Date With Friends. We own two extra kayaks specifically for this purpose.
• Purchase A Stand Alone Microphone For My Guitar 'Sessions'. I am continuing to improve, and would love to begin singing along while playing. Just for me, though, not in front of anyone else at this point, if ever!

Plus, here's a fun list of COVID-Conscious Fall Season activities I found while prepping this blog post. There are some great ideas on the list!

How about you? Would love to hear about some of the things on your list of COVID-life activities!

Currently 10/12/2020: All Good Things Must Come To An End

It's been a different kind of week around here, with the transition from our RV trip to returning back home being less smooth than it normally is. In giving it thought, I think it's because our trip was magnified in the impact it had on us as a result of being stuck at home for so much of 2020. It really was a magical trip, likely due to the combination of the colder, foggier weather making our coastal walks feel very ethereal, the discovery of some truly fantastic local eateries, the abundance of marine animal and bird sightings, and our joint decision to keep on with our RV'ing in light of the pandemic.

It also may be the result or realizing that unlike in times past, we weren't returning home to a whirlwind of social activities. 

Plus, I've been shopping non stop since we got home, trying to locate the new mirrors for our four bathroom remodels (more below). Although I know the end result will be worth the effort, it's a bit draining in current practice. I'll see something and think, 'Yes! That will work!' and then bring it home only to discover that, oops, it's an inch to large, or not quite wide enough, or doesn't look quite right, etc.  I'm thiiiis close to being finished, however, so just a little bit longer and I'll be done. At which point I'll be very pleased, I'm sure.

Otherwise, Currently I Am . . .  

Baking  Raspberry Crumble Bars from the Barefoot Contessa. I used to make these less frequently than I do now because the specialty raspberry jam called for is a bit pricey. However, since discovering that Aldi's carries a better quality raspberry jam for a song, I've been making them more frequently to my husband's delight. I left a few out for him to enjoy fresh, and then set aside the rest to share with friends at an upcoming beach sunset picnic. 

Never more so than this year do we appreciate S. California's mild climate allowing us to continue to gather outdoors!

Cooking  Pollo asado, BBQ Chicken Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes, vegetarian chili, and this delicious sounding Spicy Noodles with Pork, Scallions, and Bok Choy from Eating Well magazine that I'm making for dinner tonight.

Source: Eating Well

Excited  We finally have the installation dates confirmed for our bathrooms/laundry room/hall linen cabinet remodeling project. The job will begin on November 9, and conclude on or before December 23. This will be the seventh time we've done business with this company, and they are 100% efficient in making their timelines, so I know without a doubt the job will be completed in time for Christmas.

The renderings for our new master bath cabinetry.  We have added 50% more storage space, even after removing drawers from the middle section of the lower cabinetry to make room for a new pull out laundry hamper.

Plus, yeah, we decided to move ahead with ordering a new travel trailer to replace our current travel trailer. We decided on this 2518 version from TrailManor, the same company that manufactured our current folding travel trailer. Additional amenities in the new trailer are more open floor space, a larger fridge with freezer, an automatic turn on for hot water heater, a dedicated shower, and additional cupboard and drawer space. It should arrive in about two months.

Fully opened and ready for usage. Our version will have a slideout in the rear, adding an additional 28 sq. feet to the walk around floor area,
which will feel massive compared to our current setup.

Folded down and ready for towing and/or storage in our garage. It really is pretty amazing technology.

Playing  I really missed my guitar while we were gone, and I am so happy to be able to play it again now that we are back home. I also worried, needlessly as it turns out, that my hard-earned finger playing callouses would heal during our trip. Truly though, as I'd been warned many, many times, guitar playing is painful until those important finger tip callouses arrive!

Watching  A new documentary addressing climate change, called Kiss The Ground, which was recommended to us recently by friends. They said they really needed another couple to watch it so that they would have someone to discuss the documentary with, and we were happy to oblige even as I hoped it wouldn't leave me feeling powerless. It didn't! It actually left me feel hopeful, and I highly, highly recommend. 

We also rewatched Helen Mirren in The Queen via Netflix, and both my husband and I were struck by how similarly the queen is depicted by both Helen Mirren in The Queen, and Claire Foy in The Crown. So either Ms. Foy copied Ms. Mirren, or, more likely, the queen really is 'that' way. Either way, it's made me pause and consider how odd the institution of a monarchy seems to be in the midst of a parliamentary democracy such as Britain has. However, not my dog, not my fight, as the saying goes.

Buying   These Bucilla felt kit mermaid Christmas tree ornaments, which just became re-available for ordering after being out of stock for months. My granddaughters are going to loooove them, and I can't wait to start working on them once they arrive, which should be this week.

And as I mentioned above, lots of back and forth trips to several home decor stores as I look for mirrors for each of our four bathroom remodeling projects. The good news is that mirrors can be found for a song compared to having them custom cut by a glass company. And they are all so pretty in that they are framed, as compared to traditional cut glass mirrors. So though it's a bit of a hassle dragging the mirrors back and forth as I buy and return, buy and return, I'm pretty close to being done. 

Current top contender for our downstairs powder room.

Enjoying . . . my natural hair color after decades of having it highlighted. I made this change primarily due to COVID and not wanting to be in a hair salon for hours on end getting it touched up, but it turns out my natural color at this point is a dark blonde woven through with silver, so it still looks highlighted, just in different tones.  And since I no longer have to hurry in for touch up appointments, we're having our hair stylist cut my husband's hair just a bit shorter each visit so that we can spread our joint appointments out to every eight weeks instead of every six. Overall savings for both changes comes to over $700 a year, which I'm now using to pay for house cleaning service instead, so a definite win-win.

The top third is 'all me' as they say, and I'm not hating it!

And finally . . . 

Thinking About . . . the state of our country. I've done my part - my ballot has been completed and returned - and I can only hope enough of my fellow citizens feel as I do. The phrase, 'Never have I ever!' comes to mind fairly frequently these days.

Plans, Plans, And More Plans!

Pretty predictably, when we are out traveling and having a wonderful time such as we are now along California's Central Coast, we get deeply inspired to keep going and do even more.

Before I get to that, however, here is a photo collage of the Morro Bay leg of our current RV trip. It was spectacularly beautiful, and we had every kind of weather during our week there - heat, smoke, fog, cold, and drizzle. 

We preferred anything but those first two! We can dress for cold, fog, and drizzle, no problem. Dealing with the first two, not so much in that we don't think of the beaches here as being for sunbathing and swimming. We think of them as being for kayaking in and walking along. This leg, while we didn't get around to kayaking, we did do miles and miles and miles of walking. In adding it all up in fact, we've done over 50 miles of walking so far, and seen amazing wildlife as a result - cute otters (aahh!), pelican, oyster catchers, seagulls, weasel (so cool!), and even a praying mantis. That coupled with some truly amazing food - clam chowder, fish n chips, authentic Mexican and French, wonderful local coffee - has made for a magical trip. 

So, we've been talking and talking about how we want to approach RV'ing going forward. At issue is that our current travel trailer, a 2012 TrailManor 2417 Sport, is beginning to show it's age after 25,000 towing miles and 500 nights aboard. In addition, it is uber-petite and as we approach our 60's (me) and mid-60's (hubby), we desire a few more creature comforts even as we really don't want anything much bigger. Our current travel trailer has a low profile which makes it super easy to tow, and it fits easily into one section of our three car garage, allowing space to park our two cars, plus eliminating any need for storage costs.

Our current travel trailer as it 'parks' in our garage.
Photo courtesy of Google Maps, hence the poor quality!

So we stopped in at a local dealer yesterday, and we think we're going to buy a new travel trailer. And then spend two months touring the Pacific Northwest in 2021. And we are very excited about both items!

The new TrailManor travel trailer we have our eye on is one foot larger than the one we have now, meaning we can still store it in our garage once collapsed. However, that one additional foot gives us quite a few additional amenities that we have decided we really, really want - 1) a larger fridge that includes a small freezer (ice cubes! popsicles!), 2) an auto-hot water heater feature, meaning we'll finally have hot water on demand (our current trailer hot water heater has to be manually lit, and it's enough of a hassle to do so that we generally don't 😞 ), one additional cupboard and one additional drawer, both of which are major storage expansions from our current set up, and a larger dining area and table, meaning we can easily host another couple at dinner, significant in that we regularly travel with our best friends, and generally eat in their trailer because ours is too small for four people.

Assuming we move forward with our purchase (about 90% assured at this point), we are planning to spend 60 days up in the Pacific Northwest, from June through July, hopefully ahead of wildfire season. Dealing with the possible disruption of wildfires is somewhat annoying, but dealing with the smoke is the real deal breaker in that if affects our ability to be outside and active, so we'd just as soon avoid. The tradeoff is we may experience more rain once we get out of California, but as long as it's not a deluge, we can pretty much carry on as normal.

So the plan is to take 10 days to get up to the Washington state border via the inland Hwy. 5, spend the next 30 days traveling around western Washington, then take 20 days to return home via the Oregon and California coastal routes, meaning Highways 1 and 101. 

Our best friends have indicated they want to come along, so it should be a fantastic adventure. And, nicely, it gives me something to look forward to and to plan for in the ensuing eight months in that I don't think life is going to be moving back to warp speed anytime soon. Fingers crossed for a vaccine, but until then we'll continue to focus on COVID-friendly RV travel.

How about you? Are you making any new life plans as a result of COVID?

Road Tripping!

We are in the midst of a much anticipated RV trip along California's stunning Central Coast, so all will be quiet here until our return in about a week. The weather has been a picture perfect mid-70's, the air has been clear of smoke, and the scenery as spectacular as always. We are hiking miles and miles each day, and enjoying excellent Central Coast wine and seafood each evening.

Here is a collage of some of the sights from our first leg in Pismo Beach. Enjoy!