182. Thanksgiving!

     November 14, 2016

Perhaps we have
over prepared.

     The rest of the week went by quickly, Ruthie went to a Bunco party with Lynda and her friends on Monday.  Not sure?  I wasn't invited, its supposed to be some sort of a dice social game.  I remember the calendar said wear fuzzy slippers and bring a candle.  She wasn't out very late, seemed to have a good time, you'll have to ask her.
     We helped Lynda and Sterling prepare for Thanksgiving with friends.  It must be a pretty big deal.  We started lining up tables and chairs.   Ruthie was given the assignment of recreating Aunt Peggy's every so popular Sweet potatoe pie recipe.   I believe the goal was to triple the original size.  I sure hope somebody shows up for this event.  Our hosts seem to be working very hard they must be confident someone is coming over. 
     Meanwhile we were getting pretty nervous about our motorcycle sitting in a shop an hour away.  Evidently there were some problems.  The story we heard was it was the dirtiest carburetors they had ever seen.  Soaked them over night and then put them back in for another overnighter.  Another call, Carbs back on, now they are leaking.  Meanwhile we are paying for a rental car.   Lynda has volunteered to follow us up to return the car and bring us back.   She is to kind, we declined and decided to wait a few more days.  The night before the get together the shop said they should be calling by nine o'clock.  That should give us enough time to pick it up and get back in time.  We have heard starting times for the dinner from 2-3pm.  Saturday morning, activities on the ranch were picking up.   More tables and chairs were showing up.  Aromas floated over the three acre ranch.  Some were obviously from sweet  potato pie others were the ham and smoked turkey Sterling had started working on the night before.  12:30 Finally the call came, the trike was ready to go.   A little calculation, we figured a speed trip up, no visiting, return the rental and speed trip back.  Seems doable.   

The picture was taken at 1:53 PM

     As we arrived at the shop we were concerned when it wasn't waiting outside.  Not to worry they had it polished and on the showroom floor.  A quick picture, a few miles to return the rental and soon we were on the interstate above Highland CA heading Southeast toward Diamond Valley.   I liked the sound I was hearing and twisted the throttle more than normal to hear the six carburetors and the smooth roar from the engine.  Does everyone like the sound of a powerful engine revving to the red line?   Silly question, I'm sure every one does.  Probably wasn't very fuel efficient, with that in mind I noticed the fuel gauge was flashing at me.  Disappointed and wondering what the shop had done with my almost full tank of gas we searched for service stations near us.   An exit into Redlands proved futile as the fuel tank was practically full.  Evidently they had forgotten to reconnect the fuel gauge.  Back on interstate 10 we pushed the Valkyrie pretty hard in an effort to reach the dinner in time.  Even when we thought we were pushing, exceeding the legal speed limit thru the hills we passed very few vehicles and many went sailing past us.  

An hour and forty minutes later we
had taken our place at the table.

     We arrived with time to spare, like the California speed limits evidently the projected dinner start time was only a suggestion.   I believe by the time we ate there were over 50 guests, all the tables and chairs were occupied and a few had taken up residence in the gazebo.   Before we ate Sterling welcomed us and encouraged everyone to go around the table, introduce themselves and say something we were thankful for.   I thought back, on a recent winter trip I believe our winter hosts and employers looked upon everyone they came in contact for only their potential value to them.  Everything from ethnicity, race and social standing were cause for ridicule, distain and distrust.   Since we observed it on so many occasions I expect the same ridicule was directed at Ruthie and I when we were out of earshot.  Among many other things including our tiny home here I was thankful for this welcome change, our Diamond Valley hosts were genuinely interested and cared about all people.  As a result the afternoon was filled with delightful food, wine and interesting new acquaintances.   Some stayed late and gathered around a roaring campfire in the yard.   This was a great day!       
     The clean up scheduled for the next morning was pretty much finished by the time we were up.  Evidently Sterling is an early riser.   

     After our first massage on Monday Lynda acted as tour guide and chauffer visiting wineries, casinos, in the area.  She seemed to know the area very well. 

     The 23rd we all got in the car and Sterling drove us up the mountain to Idyllwild.   We went to a Ferro's a nice Italian restaurant they had been to before.  On a drive across the top of the mountain Ruthie expressed an interest in some of the large pinecones on the hillside.   Soon Sterling was climbing the hill gathering pinecones.

Yup, that's the kind of guy he is. 

           

      Thursday was a get together for brunch at their family friend and Bunco player Debbie's.  As we've grown accustom to on this trip the counter was covered with treats and beverages of every type.   A special treat was provided by one of the guests,  Christina had placed a wrapped popper in front of each plate.  You pulled on both ends and a surprise popped out.  

Surprise!

 That evening was a delicious dinner at neighbor Mary and Craig's.  Imagine, English Shepherds pie made and served by a proper English lady (I apologize, they have us watching "Downton Abbey")   It looks as if this will be the trip of new adventures and interesting acquaintances.  

     With Sterling and Lynda off to work we decided to mount the trike and do a little exploring on our own.   Ruthie and I went exploring on our own.   Almost suffering a rookie mistake as we headed for Ruthie's favorite pretzels at the large mall in Temecula.  Fortunately my co-rider realized it was not just any Friday, but the famous "Black Friday" of crowed malls and angry shoppers.  A quick U-turn and we were off for other adventures.   

     A stop at Masia de la Vinla proved to be a fun experience.  After that I'm going to take the blame or credit for our trip home.

     The day Sterling and I went to the shooting competition he had pointed out a shortcut at the intersection of De Portola Road and Mesa road.  He had warned me that it was treacherous and more efficient to drive several miles to go around.   We left the winery and I had plugged our winter home into the GPS, we turned left out of the entrance onto De Portola road.   Fortunately I was relieved when I seen it directed us right onto another road.  Evidently it new a safer route and I was anxious to see more of the countryside.   The road it chose was paved and seemed like a good choice.   The hills and curvy road were just what we came here for.   At the top of the hill we turned left to follow the ridge.


The road will probably improve ahead.

Evidently our GPS's good judgment was short lived, a couple of more turns and the road turned to sand.  Soon there were ruts that made us hug the edge of the road to miss them.  Back and forth from one side of the road to the other to avoid the ruts, I suppose we could have turned back however the scenery was so wonderful as we passed million dollar homes with small vineyards replacing lawns in their front yards.  White rail fences declared the owners boundaries sometimes seeming to stretch an unbelievable distance. 

     Hard to imagine the wealthy owners had to travel these rugged roads.   I believe we seen three vehicles, a pickup and two four wheel all terrain vehicles.

     This is the hill overlooking Mesa road.  A couple more treacherous blocks and we could turn right and travel home.   However the wine stop must have also affected my co-riders judgment.  As we reached the bottom of the hill I asked if we

should turn, her answer "the rest of it can't be any worse"  and it wasn't.  It was turning dark and cold by the time we dropped down off  De Portola road and caught sight of Diamond Valley Lake. (larger than I imagined) A fun adventure with pictures to show it happened. 
     Oh yes the surprise?  Mine a bottle opener shaped like a snowman, now a Christmas tree ornament.  Ruthie's a heavy duty compass, could have came in handy this week.   



182 Bring out the guns!

    November 13,  Sunday
      Up early and in the truck with Sterling I'm off for a new experience.  Sterling's passion is competitive shooting and the back of the truck is loaded with guns, ammunition and shooting gear.  I'm guessing the range was 45 miles away.  The road winds thru hills and valleys.  When we arrived my goal was to stay out of the way and observe.

   The first thing that caught my attention was a few of the participants with baby carriages.  Hmmm, must be a family sport.

       Looks a little unusual, can't wait to get a look at the children.   Must be twins, rather warm to have their little heads covered in this heat. 


     
 Now it all makes sense.  An equipment transport.  Rifle, shotgun, handgun, ammunition, magazines, loaders, ear protection.  Everything needed for a day at competition.   Quite a sport, very competitive.  What I gathered from todays event.  The hosting team sets up the stages, today there were six.  Today the competitors were divided into six teams at random.  Each team competes on a stage until everyone has shot and scored and then moves on to the next stage.  Each stage is designed to test your skills in different ways.  Most stages test your skill with at least two of your weapons.  Close up with handgun or shotgun and long range with rifle.  It always involves movement and different positions.  They take turns with keeping the stopwatch and range safety.  After the competitors run everyone helps retype the targets, sitting up the knockdown or tip over targets and resetting the trip or moving targets for the next run.        
     It is hard to imagine the distance of the rifle targets.  Practicing for a future event Sterling shot with a self imposed handicap electing not to use a scope on his rifle and only used his iron sights.    He did very well.   There was one target that seemed to be a tough one and I failed to get a picture of it.  It had a paddle on both ends and revolved moved when you hit the paddle.  Placed hundreds of yards away you had to time your shots to get it swinging.  The object was to have it do one full revolution.  Very tough. 

Sterling in the grey putting his weapons on

the range for a run.   

 

      Click on the play button and watch Sterling in action.  The time keeper warns everyone that a shooter is at the ready, asks if you are  ready, there's a beep, time starts.  The time keeper follows closely, on the long rifle shots he might give you a direction if you are left, right, long or short and indicates a hit.  He stops the time after the last shot and makes sure the guns are empty, secure and proclaims the range safe.  Impressive, it was a new experience for me.  I enjoyed watching the competition.  I think it would be a fun sport, certainly never a dull moment.  Thanks for including me Sterling!

      Monday evening Lynda and Ruthie were off to a Bunco party wear fuzzy slippers and bring a candle the calendar said.  Don't know what that's about.   Sounded like she had a good time playing dice and meeting a nice group of ladies.
     I had done some searching on the Valkyrie forum for a motorcycle shop for a new front tire and perhaps take a look at our carburetors.   Bigmac from a Moreno valley had suggested one up in Highland CA.  Today was the day.  After Bigmac and the mechanic listened to our poor beast it was obvious that just adjustments wouldn't make our beast whole again.  Perhaps I made a rash decision, my side was bothering me more today and I didn't take the time to think it through.  Ruthie isn't crazy with the Valkyrie and I should have just had the new tire installed and then perhaps sold the Trike and built a new one using a Gold wing.  However I didn't, I agreed to overhauling all six carburetors, rented a car and headed back to the ranch. 
     The rest of the week nervously waited for our trike to be finished, and helped with preparations for the big event at the ranch.
      If we hadn't have been worried about our trike it would have been a restful week.  The only thing we accomplished was the rewiring of the craftsman tractor.  At least one project accomplished.    I did have one saxophone lesson, this is going to be a little tough. 

     Bobbie taking credit for the tractor repair while her friend looks on.  I should point out she really didn't help that much.  Just handed me a few tools and offered advice. 
 

181 Californa, a melting pot!

     Trying to recall the last few days my head is spinning, no, not like Linda Blair's just thinking about a lot of things.   The schedule we received two months back was not a joke, it had over 20 events scheduled thru December.  It is a living breathing entity, additions, deletions amendments, Lynda is serious about this, Sterling not so much.  She is a master at planning I don't know how she can look into the future and decide what she wants to do and see.   Her and Sterling have included us in activities with their friends and tries to schedule events to expose us to all the area has to offer.   We have already had a couple of campfires in the yard with friends. 

 

November 11,   Checking the calendar today is garage sale Friday.  A drive over to Canyon lake and Lynda's friends. The home of million dollar homes inside a gated city with equestrian centers, a lake with canals, one end for ski competition and the other for relaxing.  And the best part thrifty garage saleing with new Hungarian friends Gabe and Eva.  I don't know if I know another Hungarian couple, maybe they are the source of the cursing in Hungarian canasta?   Don't know, it was a great day.   We were able to upgrade our towel and wash cloth inventory for two dollars, added four drinking glasses to our stock two for a dime each and over paid fifty cents each for two other guest glasses.  Oh yes and one more memorable item I fell in love with a 1929 silver plated alto saxophone manufactured in Elkhorn Wisconsin.  There went our garage sale budget. 

    Saturday morning piano lessons on YouTube, still trying to decide if I have any musical ability.   I had already fired one instructior and was now on the website of another one.  But what about my saxophone? 
     Noticing that Ruthie and I had worked on projects on our other winter trips our hosts visited with us about some work around the ranch.  Mornings we had been putting in some time on a board fence and with the help of friend Jerry back in Minnesota we had been analyzing the wiring schematic for a Craftsman lawn tractor.  Evidently someone had removed,  cut, and jumped some of the wiring and switches.   "Just make it so it works, I'm tired of dealing with it"  were my instructions.   My belief is they were including us in some projects to help our budget due to the higher than expected airline tickets for Christmas as Sterling seemed not only capable but enjoyed working around the acreage.   Ruthie and I had been making good progress on the fence just putting in a couple of hours each morning.  I had noticed a slight discomfort in my left side but decided to keep it to myself.   A couple of days later it again bothered me so I mentioned it to Ruthie.  I'm hoping this wasn't the hernia repair I just had repaired two months prior.  We will keep it quiet and deal with it. 

     Saturday morning it seemed like there was a push on for the upcoming holiday get together.   Sterling Ruthie and I worked on the fence until she abandoned me to run errands with Lynda, it seems Ruthie was in charge of strawberries for the scheduled event of the evening I think it was listed on the calendar as dessert with friends and a campfire. 

    After lunch I continued on the fence with Sterling with the main part done I told Sterling I was finished for the day.  Keeping quiet about the real reason for quitting.    The discomfort in my side had increased, a sick feeling entered my mind that it had someway came loose,  I remember the Doctors warning that they don't like to redo surgery and almost positive Mayo Clinic has no warranty policy.  

 

     It looks as if turkey Bobbie will be a featured guest on the blog this year, taking the place of beautiful Arabian horses.  She seems to have her own personality.  As her babies have grown and gotten more independent she seems to be spending more and more time with Ruthie and I.  In this picture she has flew over our fence and landed on our spool.  She seems to be staying very still, perhaps she thinks we can't see her.  Today lets call her "ninja Turkey".  
     Last evening was a penciled in evening with neighbors one lot over.  Lynda had said the neighbors that live close are within walking distance Sterling drove as he planned on returning early to work on ammunition loading, What?    Lynda started out confidently leading the way with a flash light.   Out the front yard across the main road, thru the vacant neighbors drive and back yard.  Opening the gate we entered the pasture, now she didn't seem so sure of herself.   Half way she admitted she had never actually walked over by herself.  Well shoot as long as you know someone who has walked over it shouldn't be a problem.  I wished I had rode with Sterling!    Finding the exit gate was a bit of a problem as Lynda disappeared for a few moments I believe to the west somewhere, Ruthie chose to abandon me even though I had found a gate.  Fine, I seen the light where we were heading and trudged on with out a flashlight.  Now a problem, the fence of our goal had dogs barking.   Thankfully our host came with a flashlight quieting the dogs and directing us to the gate.  We were rescued.  Entering a beautiful home our travel education was about to soar.  Ruthie spent most of the early evening visiting with Juliet and watching her prepare the meal and create the crêpes that along with strawberries would be our desert.  From France, her mother had taught her the art.   California truly is a melting pot seated at the dinner table (which was unique in itself , made with railroad ties from India it seated 10 people with comfort and according to our hosts would also be their shelter if an earthquake hit.).  If we invited all of our neighbors back in Wabasha most would be within 50 miles of their birthplace except for Wes from Illinois.   Here the conversation was as varied as the guests, England, France, Germany, New York, New Mexico.  From holly carburetors, Spicer u-joints, the kilowatt output of a solar panel, the cubic feet per minute of a submersible pump to the crepe vendors in France using nutella (shocking, evidently Microsoft hasn't heard of Nutella, guess I will have to pull out our jar for a spellcheck) created in Holland.  It was like listening to a web page and then every few minutes somebody clicking on another page and the lecture continued in another direction.    This evenings hosts are a busy, ambitions family taking advantage of education and opportunities.  Their young daughter just started riding lessons so of course I was immediately interested.   And then to find out that their eleven year old son at the other end of the table not only is taking pilot lessons but has a flight simulator in his bedroom.  Well at least he and I have one thing in common, we both fill our crêpes to full to eat with any dignity.  I should have observed Anthony our host to my right, a dainty strip of nutella across the crepe followed by a pulsating strip of whipped cream from an aresol can creating a pastry like wave on top of the Hazelnut spread, fold both ends in and roll up.  Not wanting to demean any of the other guests techniques I will just say they weren't observed.  
     One of the thoughts that stick in my head from the international couples conversations I have listened to is the input they have had from their friends and relatives from their home countries in shock over the way the American people have  reacted after the election.  Protesting, burning flags, looting like spoiled children as Anthony mentioned who teaches children who have lived through challenges.   "It was a contest the person you chose to represent your team lost, now deal with it."   And then the shocker of all, he doesn't carry a phone, wouldn't that be wonderful, I'm trying to remember what it was like.  Smart man, when people ask how he can do it.  "its quite simple, we have a plan, the family knows it, what more do we need?  

   The evening came to a close and on the way home our brave leader Lynda led the way with her flashlight.   Its a little hard to recall the next few moments as she and Ruthie passed thru the final gate we had left ajar.  As I write this I'm reminded of a saying I have heard from time to time about brave men and women.  "They rush in to help while others are rushing out". I will let you decide if anyone here qualifies.  Suddenly Lynda started screaming  "I can't look, I can't go"  over and over again,  I think she was covering her eyes with a plastic bowl or something as she flew by me in the opposite direction.   Ruthie and I started using our phones as light to find the source of her fear.  We were searching the ground as on the hike someone had just mentioned rattlesnakes.   Our hearts were all racing and soon Anthony came across the lot to investigate and save us.   Lynda was so distraught she couldn't look or point at the "danger" It took some time before someone finally raised the flashlight beam off the ground and there it was.  Evidently it was very close to poor Ruthies head when Lynda had seen it.  One of the biggest possums I have seen, of course I'm no possum expert, but it seemed very big.   It seemed to be quite comfortable balancing on the gate.  
    Maybe this is one of the dangers Bobbie and The Don were trying to warn us about in Hemet!  Hmmmmmm

180 Today we ride!

Nov 5, 2016

     We were settling in pretty well to our "tiny home". Ruthie was a master at making do with whatever we have.  

      Today I ran some errands with Sterling, he was picking up some of Lynda's Craigslist purchases (evidently they haven't visited with neighbor Wes and the dangers).    Some of the stops were in preparation for an upcoming holiday get-together.   At first I thought it was going to be just a few people however the number of chairs we were picking up today made me think I had underestimated the event.  Some fencing supplies for a project and white plastic fencing.  Bless his heart he had a surprise up his sleeve.   A portion of the fencing was to build a little fence around our little homestead.   It should help deter the neighborhood crowd from our patio area.   What more can you ask for, a tiny house with a picket fence around it.  

     Today we ride!  After all we can't have that trike just sitting there gathering dust.  Our destination was a little mountain town not far to the south and then a jog on 79 to the east.   Julian mountain is the home of the Julian pie company, while wintering in Indio we had rode up the other side of the mountain so we were familiar with the area.   It was a warm pleasant ride, thru gentle hills and valleys on the way to Julian mountain and pie heaven. 



Pistols and petticoats, Bad Bettys or Eccentric
 Ape decisions, decisions?

At an intersection we stopped at a small art/souvenir shop so we hungry as we pulled into the small little tourist town.  We barely got into town before we seen a restaurant named Granny's, an appealing name suggesting home cooked meals and a friendly atmosphere.   It was not false advertising.   A delicious fried chicken home style meal with all the fixings.  Even though we shared our meal as usual the full feeling was telling us there wasn't any room for pie.   Okay maybe a little salt water taffy strategically placed by the cash register.  Evidently even Granny practices good marketing practices.  We wandered thru a small part of the town.  Ruthie spent some time hawking Michelle's bandanas to a local motorcycle store and since we knew we would return we came up with a plan.  We would do the town in segments, two blocks on this visit then return again to explore more.  We purchased a little lighted Christmas picture for ourselves and one for our new friends at the ranch.  Switch it on it stays on for 6 hours and then comes back on at the same time the next day, pretty nifty. 

  

      This gives you an idea of our riding view, rough rugged mountainous terrain and then a patch of agricultural beauty.

This is that small green spot

In the large photo.

 

Always looking for alternate routes we ignored the GPS suggestion temporarily and headed west out of town on a blacktop road, according to the sign Ruthie is pictured by we should see a winery and cemetery.    At some point we should give our GPS a name after all we talk to it and I'm sure we cause it some degree of frustration on days like this when we openly ignore her (to be honest we have not assigned a gender, just seemed convenient to me.)  After trying a few times to have us do a U-turn and a couple of "recalculating"  it conceded and found a path down to Santa Ysabel and the other Julian pie store.   The path was named Farmer road, a single lane black top with no dividing line.  Just the kind of alternate routes we like.  Sometimes we end up on unpaved dirt roads that go nowhere. 


More decisions.

    

While the Julian pie outlet at the top of the mountain is a quaint little coffee and pie shop the one at the bottom of the mountain is more of a factory and outlet.   

We arrived and Ruthie waited in line, yes waited in line to by a pie.  A couple of texts and we found Lynda liked a berry pie, so it shall be. 

  I was positioning the trikes so Ruthie could take a picture in front of the store.  Not so unusual a couple came up to inquire about our vehicle.  Asking if we rode it from Minnesota I said "yes but not today.".  She said she was from orange county visited with us for a short time and took our picture as I was nervous about being parked in everyone way.   There are nice people every where you go.  The  part of the conversation I carry with me is her reference to Orange county as where she was from.  I assumed it was in California

 

although I immediately thought of Orange County Choppers which is in New York state.  The first time I ever heard of someone referring to a County instead of a City as a reference point was several years ago.  We had called our daughter Tammy in Wisconsin she happened be in the car with our granddaughters.  Talking to grade school age Briana we asked where she was "Polk County" she replied.  We still joke about it today, she had seen it on a county line marker, she might just as well have said she was in Wisconsin.   We put on a little over 160 miles that day.  We are enjoying the roads and scenery.  The relaxed schedule should give us much more time to explore. 

     Arriving back at our winter residence we found we were invited over for dinner.  Lynda shared the treasured pie with us and we shared our days experiences. 

We walked the few paces back to our tiny residence with a thankful heart. 

Getting cozier all the time.



179 So now where are you two at?

      

The illusive John Wayne, not an
easy picture to get!

    One of the first animals Sterling introduced me to was a bantam size rooster named John Wayne.  Sterling cradled him in his arms and explained that he had a "little hitch in his get-a-long like his name sake.  We might have to do a little research as I think "John" favored his other leg.   Well it is now four in the morning and John Wayne is practicing his dawn call a little ahead of time and he seems to have stirred up some competition from a neighbors pen.  It took some doing to get his picture due to the bullying that goes on in the chicken yard, he tends to spend most of his day in the goat
yard. Since he woke me I will take a hint and tell you about our winter home.
      We were told that the residence was in the country however this isn't like most people would refer to as "country". Ruthie and I both were raised in the "country" we had to walk over a mile to our "country" schools. Neighboring farms were most often out of sight and most days you didn't visit with anyone except family.  This residence is in a community made up of 3-6 acre parcels.   Diamond lake valley is a few miles from Hemet we can turn in every direction and view mountain ranges.  The mountain to the west has been filled in on both ends and the valley filled with water to form Diamond lake.  Quite a feat, I need to find out more information about California's water procurement efforts.  It is located on a cul-de-sac and I'm sure I could hit at least three neighbors homes with a nine iron.  On a good day I could hit at least a couple more with a five iron.  However I'm on my best behavior so will not attempt it.  At one time this was horse property, approximately 3 acres with the main residence, a nice barn now the home of a nesting turkey (we aren't telling her the eggs she hatched are chicken eggs)

Surrogate turkey and babies!

another turkey with two young turkeys.  Several chickens of varying colors and size responsible for a nice supply of fresh eggs.  In the pen outside are three goats.   Next to the residence is a very large pen where five Boston terriers reside.  When daughter Michelle was a toddler we owned one.  Everyone would quiz Michelle on what kind of dog she had.  Her response was "a Boston Terrible". 

     Our residence is smaller than we had planned.  The misconception arose from a mistake in the Craigslist ad, it was listed as 30 feet long.  The one waiting for us measures 24 by 7' 9" inside dimensions. Doing a little math I came up with 26,784 living space. Wow! I didn't think it was that big. Oops forgot to divide by 144 here it is 186 square feet. At least I haven't went into the next room and forgot why I went in there. The biggest factor other than losing a few feet which is a big deal when you are talking tiny house is the bedroom.
     The floor plan of the 30 foot has a bed that is placed with the length of the trailer, it would give you room to walk down both sides.  This one is set across the trailer which makes it inconvenient for making the bed and it is quite a step to get into it and over your partner.  Luckily we have a little stool we carry along and I'm working on flexibility anyway.  Lets make a positive out of this.  The main bedroom is to the right in this floor plan.  Take a look at the rest of the trailer it is laid out pretty conveniently.  . 


You might remember Ruthie wanted a place for guests.  At the rear of the trailer where you would haul your toys, motorcycles, four wheelers , what have you.  Is an area that we have put some lawn chairs and a little table in.   Now when we have guests we can push a button and two queen size beds drop down from the ceiling.

Pretty neat, we are anxious to have our first guests to test their stability.
     The disappointment of the bedroom layout didn't last very long as it was overshadowed by our landlords generosity.    We suspected before we arrived that they were special.  Within a few days it was obvious we had been very fortunate in our random Craigslist rental. 
      Our warm reception, caring for our well being, including us in activities with their friends and neighbors,  Dinner at Lemon grass with friends, bonfire in their yard.   Saturday Ruthie helped Lynda with Christmas decorating while Sterling and I ran some errands.   Back to the ranch that evening desert with neighbors and another bonfire.  On arrival I mentioned I came on the winter trip with three goals, lose weight, get in shape and learn 12 bar blues on the piano.  Within a few days they supplied me with a keyboard.   Yup, no excuse now.  I figure I will either learn it in 6 months or come to the conclusion that I have no musical ability at all.  Wonderful people, I think I will drop the landlord label and just go with friends.    However Sterling at times has mentioned instead of rent month to month we might change to "day to day".    

I can't remember ever taking
pictures of chickens before.