01/03/2016 Lake Havasu City

Last day in Lake Havasu.  We had a great time visiting Pete and Julie, We got a lot of much needed organization time and we are ready to discover what this snowbird thing is all about.  Our friends  in Oregon are freezing.   We can't complain about it only being in the 50's down here or even the few near freezing nights.  We want to complain, but we just can't.

Lake Havasu Skate Park 

Lake Havasu Skate Park 

Phoenix, we are on our way!

Phoenix, we are on our way!

01/01/2016 Lake Havasu - Happy New Year!

We were low key this New Years.  As we reflected  on all the changes incurred in our lives this year, we realized we are still in a state of shock.  The Solera, on the other hand is taking on an air of organization we have yet to experience since we left Oregon.  2016 is looking up.  Pete and Rebecca take a stab at making Peking duck for New Year's day dinner.  

12/29/2015 Lake Havasu

We can certainly see how sunsets in the Southwest have inspired many artists.  We took photos of them almost everyday.    

12/27/15 Lake Havasu

We spent the last few days relaxing and re-organizing the rig. Dumped a couple more boxes of "stuff".  It's really amazing to discover how much stuff you don't need. All said and done, Pete showed us a nice Kayak access to Lake Havasu. Now, If it were just a tad warmer out...(not complaining)

Pete and Dan ponder the Lake Havasu shorelines. 

Pete and Dan ponder the Lake Havasu shorelines. 

12/23/2015 Lake Havasu

The weather is cooler than expected and get chillier over the weekend.  Still, we take advantage of the late afternoon highs by stepping outside to read and relax.  Rebecca spent several days completing her "Pete & Pat in Taipei" project.  Took way more time than expected.  But it's finished and will be shared.  Full moon arriving and sun sets are pretty sweet.  Shortest day of of the year is past.  

Pete's backyard

Pete's backyard

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12/20/2015 Lake Havasu City

Julie's "Sweet Potato" group had their annual holiday gathering tonight at Shugrues on the waterfront.  We arrived early to take in the sunset.   It was a lovely show, particularly with all the holiday lights revealing themselves as the sun went down.  This London Bridge makes the setting pretty unique.  

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12/19/2015 Palm Springs to Lake Havasu City

Our RV park held a Christmas lighting contest last night.  The Bug won! 

 

We stopped at Costco on our way out and took the most direct route to Lake Havasu City.  Interstate 10 to Blythe and then North.  It wasn't until we were heading North that the terrain became interesting again.  Especially around Parker.  We arrived at my brother Pete's around 3:30.  The Costco haul should get us through the holidays.  A beef rib roast, a duck, a ham, and a big slab of smoked salmon.   

Winner of the RVPark lighting competition

Winner of the RVPark lighting competition

Near Parker, AZ

Near Parker, AZ

12/18/2015 Joshua Tree

Our final day in Palm Springs.  We spent the day with Andy, Barb and Andy's daughter, Maud.  First breakfast at the "Bit of Country" Restaraunt, followed by a drive up to Joshua Tree.  What an amazing, magical place.  We want to return in the spring to camp.   We stopped at one lookout over the San Andreas fault, hiked a loop and investigated a campground for future reference.  We topped the day off with barbecue at Pappy & Harriet's in the Yucca Valley.  

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12/15/2015 Escondido & San Diego

We traveled down to San Diego with Betty & John.  First stop was the Boy Scout Store (who knew?) so Betty could check off a Christmas gift for her grandson.  Next, we headed to the San Diego Pier for a stroll.  Then we drove over to Del Mar for another stroll and a cocktail at the Poseidon.  My cousin Amanda happened to be visiting nearby, found out our location through Facebook and ended up joining us, along with her boyfriend, Greg, at the Rancho Bernardo Inn for dinner.  What an spendid day. 

Bec & Bet.... 

Bec & Bet.... 

Beck and Ananda

Beck and Ananda

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12/14/2015 Side Trip to Escondido

We left the rig in Palm Springs, rented a car, and drove to Escondido to visit our friends Betty & John Pewther.  We took a scenic route over the Santa Rosa Mountain Range (CA-74) through Anza.  The highway out of Palm Desert winds high up over the Conchella Valley offering a splendid view from the top.  We stopped at a roadside diner for lunch and arrived in Escodido around 2:30.  The Pewther home is lovely.  We spent the afternoon and home cooked meal catching up.  After dinner, John and Betty took us to Vintana for a nightcap.  Cool place, sits over a Lexus dealership!

View of Conchella Valley

View of Conchella Valley

Lunch stop in Anza

Lunch stop in Anza

12/05/2015 Canyon Country to Palm Springs

Checked into the Happy Traveler RV Park in Palm Springs.  We will spend two whole weeks here.  Dan's friend Andy Rohrer and his wife, Barbara have lived here for 10 years.  Andy is a therapist at the Betty Ford Center.  We got a private tour.   

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12/04/2015 Ventura to Canyon Country to visit Steve & Lise Burgess

Lise's parents, Steve & Ann Skirpan were lifetime friends of the Howard's. Rebecca hadn't seen Lise since she was about 15 years old. Facebook, as for many, put us back in touch.  Lise is a lighting technician for the Ellen Show, her husband, Steve, is currently producing the Fox show "Last Man on Earth".  Their daughter, Missy, just graduated from University North Carolina and works as a camera operator.  Their son is pursuing work in sound.  They were lots of fun to visit and get to know.  We got a little taste of Hollywood (nice cars, valet parking, fun restaurants & good stories).

11/30/2015 Lompoc to Ventura

We planned to primitive camp on the beach north of Ventura, but we also liked the idea of being in town.  We opted for the latter.  The Park was nice and Ventura has a great bike path.  We spent four nights here and rented a car for two of them.  Even though Rebecca was still plagued  by the plague, we still rallied enough to get a good feel for the town. We liked it.


11/29/2015 Wine Country with Rick & Jeanne

Todd and Britton left for Santa Rosa early this morning.  We went to brunch with Rick and Jeanne then drove through Santa Barbara Valley wine country.  Stopped at a couple of wineries; made a few purchases.  Rick was the designated driver and the rest of us three shared tasting flights which made the event financially reasonable as well as maintained decorum.  Then we went out to dinner.  It was a fun day.

With our guide, Dawn, in the barrel room 

With our guide, Dawn, in the barrel room 

That's a cork tree behind us

That's a cork tree behind us