Just to chronicle the timeline, in July we went to Tehachapi camping for a couple of nights right before my total knee replacement surgery scheduled on the 18th.  Then right before I returned to work in September we went back.  The surgery was a complete success but the first 3 weeks of recovery were hell.  Three months of PT is behind me now but I will continue to exercise the joint for up to a year before it’s completely healed. I am so happy I finally did it.  I can’ NOT wait to hike on our next adventure coming up soon!!

So proud of Nikki graduating with her MBA in teaching.  Ceremony was at Chapman University in Orange, CA.  We traveled in the RV and stayed at an Elks Lodge down there in Orange.  Something we have observed after staying at 2 Elks Lodges now, our local Lodge isn’t near as fun as others…what the heck?

~Fun and Proud Moments from Nikki’s Graduation~

This was one of our longest trips.  Monday to Friday…I actually took a whole week off of work!  Garrison, Emily, Marlowe, Hugh and Welles went camping with us.  They are pro tent campers.  We took the RV of course, and we operated out of it for cooking meals, changing babies, and doing crafts.  I took Marlowe shopping the weekend before to pick out supplies for crafts which was a blast.  We made flowers out of hand prints, owls out of pinecones, butterflies out of tulle and painted bird houses.  So much fun!

Remember RV’ers Rock from an earlier post? Well, Marlowe found 2 rocks at the campsite that someone else had planted there.  They didn’t have anything on the back but we posted them anyway.  We also left a couple before we left.

Not travel, just a few pictures that make me smile.  

Grammy’s cup runneth over.

My 5 Blessings

Poppies!  Best season ever this year…the hills were painted orange for weeks!

Silly Animals – they love each other a little too much.

Everyone raves about this place for beach camping.  We finally went with our good friends the Machin’s and we have to agree.  You park nose to rump all the way down the coast for maybe a couple of miles, so you have traffic on the driver’s side (not much though) and nothing but ocean on the passenger side.  You open the door and walk right out to either rocks or sand depending on where you are on the coast and what time of year it is.  It was rocky in March where we were but the Machin’s said as it gets into Summer the sand comes way up.  This was a great trip and our new go-to for beach camping.  It’s close too.  We took a day trip up the coast to Solvang to add to the fun.  Hoping for a repeat of this trip soon.  Scroll to the bottom for a recommendation of a fun game…Deer in the Headlights.  A camp favorite!

Painting and leaving rocks around town in hopes of brightening someone’s day is a big thing here in the Antelope Valley.  Well, RV’ers do it too.  I try to leave a rock everywhere I go.  Here are a couple of mine and Nikki’s and yep, that’s Marlowe learning to do it too!

There’s a message on the back of each rock that says you can keep it or re-hide it but to be sure to post a picture on the RV’ers Rock page on FB.  Unfortunately almost nobody ever posts a picture.  It would be fun if they did so we can see where our rocks travel.  But knowing or hoping the rock brightened someone’s day is good enough ❤

Something we have been wanting to do for a while…stay at an Elks club.  So for Garrison’s birthday we went down and stayed at the Downey Elks.  We immediately locked the keys in the RV but Gary found a pallet he leaned up against the RV and used as steps to crawl in the window.  LOL good times!

He did it after working over 47 years of his life and 40 of it as a contractor!  No more driving an hour and a half to work.  He will tell you he really enjoyed his career, but it was time to move on.  Here he is burning his work shirt at his retirement party.  We also celebrated Nikki earning her Master’s Degree in teaching.  Two huge milestones crushed!

Our favorite place to go.  Only 2 hours from home, easy and beautiful drive up the 395 to the Eastern Sierras.  My happy place for sure.  Just a nice get-away with my honey.