MONDAY

. . .  .I am happy to report that I did get in a forty minute walk today. I knew I needed that so I would not feel so guilty about sitting in the recliner most of the day watching C-span. I believe I am a political junkie and today was a great day for those of us who are so inclined. I thought I might hear from Tom the Computer Guy but didn't. Most of the day was pretty wet and cloudy, I am sure the river is still a mess. My plan is to go bowling tomorrow and I will check out the river on the drive in. The warm rain we have been having has created a lawn out of the gravel driveway, just in time for winter to slip in and ruin it all. It really looks like spring out there.

SUNDAY

. . . . . . .While driving to the bowling alley today I noticed how very dirty the river was. There may not be a lot of fishing done in the next few days. My bowling did not please me but it seldom does. My first five lines produced 146 average and the second ended with 137. Even if I complain my average for the ten lines was about ten pens better than my league average. I am showing improvement. I will just stay with it. Heavy rains arrived again this afternoon. Tom, the Computer Guy stopped by during the worse of it to take the puter in for an exam. I have no idea how long that will take or what the bill will be. Too much in both cases, I'm sure.. . . I am sorry I missed the last quarter of the Seattle football game today. They ended up winning the game. I was in Safeway at the time, going broke as usual. Life is so much fun!

SATURDAY

. . . . . . . . .The rains were just too heavy to venture out today. I stayed inside and tried my best to not eat too much. I watched NASCAR on TV and this evening when I attempted to post my blog I discovered my desk top puter is not working. It acts like the power supply went out. Caren phoned her favorite Computer Guy and he is to come by tomorrow afternoon to check it out. I talked to him on the phone and he said he would take it home with him and attempt to locate the problem. In the meantime I have the lap top sitting on the kitchen table for my enjoyment. Always something. That is the way the mop flops sometimes!

FRIDAY

. . . . . . Great day if you love wet weather; it was not so cold that I stayed away from the fishing hole but it did rain all the time the dog and I were there. No fish of course but that's OK, we can handle it. Reading was not possible because it was just not comfortable enough under that umbrella.  I was not happy sitting under an umbrella with a smelly, wet dog in my lap and the first time I pulled in my lure to check the bait I got hung up on something [again] in the river and lost my hook, sinker spreader and a good piece of line. I was in no mood to tie up a new set of gear because of the rain and I had no more spreaders anyway so I told the dog to pick up anything he wanted to take with him and we left. I did deliver Mel's weed eater to his shed; it was sitting down there getting soaked for no good reason. I then drove by 4-Corners and bought a new fishing lure and some spreaders. After getting home I sat in the kitchen and tied up a new set of rigging and prepared some fish eggs for the next attempt. Doing that sort of work in the kitchen is much easier than doing it with cold wet fingers at the rivers edge. I may go back tomorrow if the rain does not get any worse. I can take the rain pretty well as long as the temperature stays above 50 degrees. I don't expect that kind of weather to last much longer around here. 

THURSDAY

. . . . . . . I arrived at Bernetta's place a bit early for my haircut today. I was feeling pretty good about my bowling prospects and wanted to get down there early. I checked out the condition of the river too, on the way. The river appears to be clearing and if the rain stops it might be nice enough to go fishing tomorrow. My bowling results were very good today but it turned out that way because my first game was 185.  The 138 and 134 that followed sort of broke my heart but the final average looked good. 152. I feel I am capable  of bowling with that average on a regular basis; time will tell if that happens. At least I feel I am going in the right direction. My results today really helped the team and that is a good feeling too.

WEDNESDAY

. . . . . . We enjoyed [not] off and on stinky weather today. I went into town to buy a jacket/shirt to wear during the cooler days in Mazatlan this winter and encountered rain on the way in and bright sun on the way back. I stopped in to see Darlene, Mother of my God daughter for a short visit. I have not seen her since her Mom died. She took a nasty fall a few weeks ago and is still healing, I wish the best for her. I snatched a look at the river as I drove by and decided it was too dirty to even miss not going fishing today. Tomorrow I will embarrass myself at the bowling alley and perhaps return to the fishing hole on Friday. Unless we get more rain and the river stays muddy. Caren and Colton stopped by at 5PM to deliver some dinner, she only stayed a minute, perhaps it was ninety seconds, but it was not long. Dinner is always good, thanks, Caren. Doggy and I are doing fine, life is good!

TUESDAY

. . . .  .It was a good day for rain and the rain gods did not disappoint!  My session at the bowling alley ended up with a 126 average after the first five lines. I then buckled down and really paid attention for the next five. That brought me a 145 and when all was added together I came home with a 136 for the day. That is better than my league average so I am happy. I will be happier if I do that well on Thursday. Practice, practice.. . .  .I stopped by Teigens place on the way home. Colton is going to school full days now so I arrived too early to see him. He was upset yesterday because the bus driver got after him for talking too loud on the bus. He gets excited once in a while and his enthusiasm bubbles over his vocal cords.

MONDAY

. . . . . Caught no fish today, what's new with you? The fishing guides are still trolling the river but most of the fishermen are very quiet, no sign that any of the customers are catching anything. I watched a very large Eagle land in a tree whose limb was almost to small to hold him. He was there for only a short time before sailing away about one hundred yards to a larger tree with a less flexible limb. He was a big fella, it looked like he was capable of pulling a 10-12 pound salmon out of the river with little trouble. I'm glad he didn't , I would have been jealous. . . .  There was a light rain most of the day but the temperature was fair enough to be comfortable. The longer that lasts the better I will like it. 

SUNDAY

. . . . . . It began raining as I left for the bowling alley this morning. I am happy I didn't try fishing because the rain continued most of the day. My newly fit ball took a while to get used to and after 5 lines my average was 118. I then began to get the feel of the change and turned in a 148 for the second set of five lines. None of my games were really high scores and I look at that as a positive sign. I am consistent and that is a good thing. I will make another attempt later in the week before bowling in the league on Thursday.. . . I was home by 3PM and the weather was just right outside to be inside with a large bowl of popcorn and a NASCAR race. It was a good day. I'll see what the weather looks like tomorrow. Perhaps I may get lucky at fishing.

SATURDAY

 . . . . .  .Today was a repeat of yesterday. The only difference is that while fishing with eggs today I happened to not be paying attention and let my bait sink to the river bottom. I don't know how long it was before I retrieved it to see how it was doing and found a mud fish had swallowed the hook. The creature was only about four inches long and all he accomplished was keeping a sport fish from seeing my bait. Doggy and I fished until we became bored with it all and came home. Clouds were forming just like yesterday and I did get a few raindrops on the windshield before entering the garage but nothing serious. Jeff Miller stopped by while I was fishing and told me his ten year old son had just landed a 15 pound Chinook today. He gave me some fresh eggs for bait so that will hold me for a day or two. I plan on getting back down there on Monday. Unless something more exciting comes up in the meantime. The way things have been going around here that is not about to happen.

FRIDAY

...............ChiChi and I spent more than three hours fishing today. Didn't even get a bite. I think I might have stayed longer but there was a large dark cloud forming across the river and it did not look happy. We left about 2:30 and drove home. I never did notice any rainfall from the threatening cloud, so be it. We will see how things go tomorrow. 

THURSDAY

. . . . . .My bowling results were really stinky today. I had the bowling ball re sized and that did not help at all. I feel it threw me off stride, I will have to take it to a practice session and get used to it now that it fits correctly.. . . .After bowling I took Charlotte to lunch, I haven't seen her since last winter bowling season ended. She was not bowling during the summer. I fed the doggy when I got home but he refused to eat, the dog food is the same brand but this flavor has more chicken in it than the other one. It appears he does not like change. I am sure that when he gets hungry enough he will decide that change can be good.

WEDNESDAY

. . . . . I started the laundry shortly after 7:00 this morning and while that was in the machine I ate a bowl of cereal. All of the stuff was dry and put away by 8:30 so I decided to vacuum the carpet. That is always a big job because I move all of the movable furniture into the kitchen area before starting. The actual vacuuming is not too difficult but by the time I have finished I must return the furniture. By the time the vacuuming is finished I am in no mood to put the furniture back in place. I did it anyway then rested a while before doing the same thing in the bedroom.. . . I didn't spend any time on my YouTube Project, my bad. I did get an early lunch before running off to the fishing hole again. I had another nice sized trout go after my bait but there was no hooking him. The Trout seem to respond well to that Power Bait, my hope is that the steelhead will too. Doggy and I were home by 3PM. We also suffered through a nice downpour while at the river, it did not last as long as the session yesterday but it was a bit cooler today. That is a sure sign of things to come.

TUESDAY

..................I left the house at 9:30 to have my drivers side window worked on at R&R Motors. It has been hanging up when attempting to open so Chris took a look at it. He did what he could, evidently none of the parts that were having trouble were or are easily located for replacement so he did the best he could correcting the channels that were there. He also checked the left front wheel assembly; there had been a rattle coming from that part of the car. He did find a week point and I will have that repaired shortly. My brothers mechanic in Shreveport had forced some grease into the joint and it has been quiet since then but that won't last few many rain storms. After leaving R&R I stopped by the house for  lunch then hit the bowling alley again. I should have stayed home. My average over ten lines was 127. I did leave the bowling ball there to be better sized to my hand so perhaps Thursday when I return to League Bowling I will notice an improvement. Want to bet on that?

MONDAY

..............I used Power Bait while at the fishing hole today. At least I got a nibble from a Harvest Trout who took the bait but left the hook behind. I am sure he spit the bait out as soon as he discovered it was artificial. For that reason he lost all interest in coming back for more. It was not really cool at the rivers edge and when the rain started coming down by the buckets full I sat it out under the umbrella. Doggy had sense enough to lay down under the table next to my fishing box and stay dry too. I was hoping for a trout to take home and put in the fry-pan but no such luck. I will try again, perhaps Wednesday.

SUNDAY

....................No fishing today, might as well not have gone bowling either. I think I averaged 135.7 over ten lines. After bowling I stopped by the Sport Store and bought some fish bait. Another jar of power bait and a jar of eggs. Before getting home I bought some veggies for a beef soup and put that on to cook when I arrived. It turned out to taste very good, too. I did break down and add a touch of sea salt and I am sure that helped a bunch. The light rain that was expected all day began shortly after I got home and I settled in to watch NASCAR but found that to be rained out. I picked a movie that turned out to be an easy watch then turned on the Seahawks game at 5PM. The light rain is also happening in Seattle tonight. I will decide about fishing when I get up in the morning, have to wait to see how much the river comes up.

SATURDAY

...............ChiChi and I visited the fishing hole again today but accomplished nothing more than completing a couple more chapters in the book I am reading. There was not a sign of  fish in the water. One did jump shortly after our arrival but that was all. We were there almost four hours and as the day advanced the weather improved; it turned out to be a nice afternoon. When we got home I found a note from the Port Authority of New York in the mail box. It appears I went through a Toll Plaza without paying. As I recall I went through one of those "fast' lines that does not have an attendant so I was unable to pay. My bad. I will pay them via the Internet and have that little incident behind me. The total is $60.00. It will double if it is not paid by the 21st.

FRIDAY

........................ChiChi and I were at the fishing hole by 11am and found it to be a bit cool. I was happy to find a spare jacket crumpled up in the trunk of the car. There were no fish caught but there was a lot of sign that they are in there. A sea otter came by at one point with a mouthful of fish and that is very rare except when there are a lot of fish available for them to follow so far from salt water. For some reason the fish are not striking at anything. It is almost scary, have they become genetically educated to stay away from fishing lures? It makes some sense because the fish who get caught do not reproduce. Fish who do not chase artificial lures are the ones who create fish who do not chase artificial lures? !! Who'd of thunk it? I will try again tomorrow but it is disconcerting to see them rolling in the water and not going after perfectly good fishing lures that have worked very well in the past. I even cast small spinners right over the same spot one of them was rolling in. No takers. Sounds like science fiction to me. We left after five hours of this. I suppose we will return tomorrow, with a heavier jacket too.

THURSDAY

.................I only averaged 124 bowling today. The Lotto ticket I cashed in paid nothing. It was just one of those days. On the way home from the bowling alley I stopped by Four Corners Store and purchased a new Trout pole with reel. I am unable to interest the salmon so I have decided to try for Harvest Trout and any Steelhead that become interested in Trout Power Bait. The lighter fishing gear will make the catching much more fun; the six pound line will make hooking a Steelhead even more interesting. The weather is great so as long as it lasts I will be visiting the fishing hole. If I get lucky and start catching fish I may even brave the cooler weather and take my umbrella with me.

WEDNESDAY

...................ChiChi and I had a nice day at the river even if we didn't catch any fish. There were several Guide Boats coming and going and they didn't show any action either. I did a lot of reading and experimented with different ways to attract  dumb fish while  doggy was getting a lot of exercise chasing a lot of imaginary whatevers. We were home after four hours of quiet bliss, in time to feed him and myself before we both starved. The temperature was around 80 but that was not noticed at the rivers edge, we were really comfortable. I am sure you would have enjoyed the quiet time.

TUESDAY

.............I forgot all about meeting the gang for lunch today. I was reminded when I saw on of them in Safeway after my bowling session. The bowling experience was not the greatest but I did average 139.3 for the ten lines. It was 142 for the first five. The weather was just fine, let's hope it continues for a long, long time.

MONDAY

..................I was late getting out of bed today, for no apparent reason, so breakfast was late. I then continued working on my YouTube Project and lost track of time so lunch was late. I thought since the river was not too clear I would take the doggy for a walk instead of fishing but by the time lunch ended I just could not get my self in gear. I worked a while more on the pictures then had a 30 minute nap. Warm and muggy today, I hope that continues for another 6 months.

SUNDAY

...........The car is now nice and clean again. I accomplished that little chore just before having lunch and leaving for the bowling alley. My average for ten lines was 133, not the best I have done but perhaps it bodes well for the next time I get down there. This afternoon I wasted time watching NASCAR and old movies, sans commercials. Tomorrow I may get back to my YouTube slide show, we shall see.

SATURDAY

.................I started the day off by driving over to the practice fields and watching Colton and his Soccer team perform. Five year olds do have their problems but some of them are pretty game. In this age group they play boys and girls on the same team and some of the girls really get the job done. Colton ended up with a scratch on his knee but I suppose he forgot all about that by the time he got home. I spent more time working on my pictures and tried to get in a nap but was unable to sleep. The evening is being used up watching NASCAR run around in circles.

FRIDAY

. . . . . .I was faced with a conundrum this evening when I discovered O'Reilly and NASCAR were on TV at the same time. I bounced between the two and made it out alive. The earlier part of the day was used up working on my YouTube presentation of the pictures I took on my trip. That is [again] going to be a slow process because I still have trouble remembering exactly how things are done with that program. It is slowly coming back to me and I am also learning some new twists I didn't know existed. I did not wash the car because it looked like rain all afternoon. Mot much came down but it was threatening enough to keep me inside.

THURSDAY

. . . . .This morning I spent a couple of hours on my lap top working on my pictures from the trip just ended. I will post them as a slide show on YouTube when I get them ready. This afternoon I joined the Winter Bowling League again and started off with a 104 game. That made me sick as the dickens but the next 147 and 148 gave me hope for the future. That means I now have a 77 handicap and hope to shave a few points off that. Good luck to me!. . . .A huge rain storm hit about 40 minutes after I got home from the bowling alley. Right now, four hours later, it is still coming down and more is predicted for the rest of the night.

WEDNESDAY

......................I worked a bit on the mess that has existed around her since I got home. Most of it is now cleaned up well enough to allow me to get out for a while and bowl a few lines. My average took a dive from the higher scores I had been making before I left. Today I averaged 137 over ten lines and hope to continue doing as well when Winter League begins at noon tomorrow. Perhaps I will wash the car before leaving for bowling but the weather report is not too promising so I may put that chore off. I still don't have the gumption to get started on the Travel pictures. No rush, it's a hobby thing.

TUESDAY

..............I was certainly not out of bed early this morning. Except for three potty stops during the night I slept 12 hours. I began after breakfast to get my disorganized self in order. I took the bed out of the car and reinstalled the seat after getting everything well vacuumed and wiped down. The car looks great again but tomorrow I will have to work up the energy to wash the darn thing. I would also like to get into town for some bowling practice because the new Winter Season is to start Thursday. Or next Thursday, regardless, I need the practice. I did get my laundry caught up too, before breakfast. The pictures I took are still in the lap top and if time permits I will get them transferred to my desk top so I can begin making the slide show for YouTube. It has been a busy day and I am happy to call it a day now and settle in with the TV before more bedtime.

SUNDAY and Monday

........After leaving the Reagan Library I drove to Palmdale to see an old friend but when I phoned him to tell him I was in town he advised me that he was in no shape to visit so I continued north on Old 99. After the sun went down I found a Rest Area in which to spend the night.  Sunday morning found me near Sacramento so I stopped in to visit Randy and Mickey, old friends from my Southern California days. They were not home so I left a note on the door and continued to Paradise, California to say hello to Cliff and Barbara Quick. I did not stay long but it was nice to have a short conversation with them and Suzie, their sweet doggy. I left them about 3:30 if not later and drove to 30 miles short of Grants Pass, Oregon where another quiet Rest Area beckoned. I slept very well in the cooler, elevated location and was ready to hit the road again by 6:30 this morning. I arrived at the house shortly after noon and immediately grabbed my grocery list that was waiting on the counter and went to Safeway. I had already cleaned out the trunk of the car so the $120.00 worth of food stuff found plenty of room. After putting away the groceries I sat in front of the TV with a sandwich and fell asleep. I awoke about 4PM and drove over to the Teigens to gather up my doggy. He was most pleased to see me. He is a good dog and is slowly learning to love the Teigens. They enjoy his company too. It was a long trip, 10,200 miles in about three weeks. I put all of the expenses on the credit card. I have yet to look at the balance due. Wish me luck. I may, perhaps get back to posting pics but not this evening, I'm pooped.

SATURDAY

…………..SATURDAY 31 ST………I drove to Yorba Linda early Saturday and arrived at the Nixon Library an hour before opening. I used the time to wander around the grounds and snap a few pictures before gaining entry. I was impressed with the Lobby area, they did a good job. The museum was standard fare for the newer facilities, a lot of TV presentations, an opening movie telling of Nixon’s early life [which, like all of the others I passed by]. The tour of the house was interesting and informative. A lot of the furniture is original to the family but there are a few pieces that were added because they were modern for the times, 1912. The kitchen stove is not the one the family had but was close enough to it to fill in.

Parking lot and entrance. Click on it.

The family home built in 1912, on the same property as the Library.

Reagan Entry

After enjoying the Nixon Library I drove to Simi Valley to tour the Reagan extravaganza. I was really impressed with the location. I’m a great lover of the Southern California geography and the view from this Library allows me full enjoyment of Mother Natures wonders…..The Library is huge, it was built around the actual Air Force One and Marine One which are most prominently displayed. How could one not prominently display a full sized Airplane and Helicopter?

I left The Reagan Library around 3:30 and drove to Palmdale to visit friends. I then filled the gas tank and turned North.

 

FRIDAY

Texas Sky, click on it.

FRIDAY 30^th…….I pulled into a picnic area 100 miles east of El Paso to download my camera and bring these blog entries up to date. Since there was no Internet service I was not able to place them and the pictures on my blog. I drove on, perhaps to find a spot later for that.. . . . . That never happened so I ended up spending the night at Desert Center, California. Must have been close to 900 miles today.

New Mexico Rocks.