Last Week in Acton

Sophie is trying out Grandma's hat

I'm beginning to feel at home in Acton. It's a quiet little town nestled in the San Gabriel Mountains, a mile or two off Hwy 14 between the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita, CA. I discovered a very nice, well-stocked market only a mile from the RV park. And I can finally drive Soledad Canyon Road without slowing down the traffic six cars deep. In all fairness to me, the speed limit is 55, which means that 50 isn't excessively slow...but if you don't drive at least 60 and take the corners on two wheels, you are ticking off the locals and are expected to get out of the way or get used to vehicles passing you with regularity in the "no passing" zones. After three weeks, I'm finally starting to keep up.

The Soledad Canyon RV Park is not one of the finest Thousand Trails parks in their system, but it's not horrible. Like all their parks, it could use some sprucing up. The family swimming pool is awesome, but it's not heated, which makes it almost impossible to use..."unless you're a polar bear," one of the staff remarked. The adult pool is not kept nearly as clean as it should be, and the Jacuzzi was out of order the entire three weeks we were here. But as they say...location, location, location. And the location is perfect for our needs. If they do some basic maintenance, it could easily be one of their best parks. We'll be coming here every year and I hope to see improvement efforts from stay to stay. Time will tell.

Steve & Mark on Main Street, Disneyland

Anyway, our last week was fun-filled. We went to Disneyland with Steve on Wednesday. It was our first Disney visit since Steve and Alicia got married. We went with them the day after, which happened to be on my birthday. It's been eight years. Unfortunately, this time their sweet puppy dog, Nestle, was feeling sick and Al decided to stayed home so as to keep an eye on her. Nestle has some pretty serious doggy health problems and sometimes needs close monitoring. Fortunately, Steve and Al are annual pass-holders, so the biggest disappointment was not that Al missed Disneyland, but that we missed each other's company. We'll try again next time we come.

Nestle Knab

Disneyland was surprisingly packed for an off-season Wednesday. There were long lines for nearly every attraction we wanted to visit. Even still, I was able to see an attraction I haven't seen since my very first trip there, when I was the tender age of eighteen, "Storybook Land." Oh, what a magical ride that was--taking a slow boat through the giant mouth of a whale into a world of teeny tiny buildings and landscapes. (Yes, I made the guys ride this with me.)

Entrance to Storybook Land

What a difference forty-seven years makes. I think they sped up the boat! I was snapping pictures left and right trying to capture the "magic," and in the process, missed almost everything. If I could suggest an improvement to this attraction, it would be to slow down the boat by a factor of three...or maybe ten. Magic takes time to absorb.

"It's a Small World," on the other hand, should be sped up by the same factor. That ride drives me crazy. We didn't go on it, and I will never  go on it unless compelled by a force too strong to resist. Like a grandchild, for instance.

The only attraction that we wanted to ride (the guys, that is), and missed, was Space Mountain. The wait time was over an hour. I've been on that ride many times, and loved it, during the days when I didn't have to hold my neck stiff with both hands to keep my head from flying off. These days, the arthritis just won't tolerate all the whipping around of a fast roller coaster.

The Haunted Mansion

The park was all decorated up for Halloween, which I expect was the reason it was so packed.

While we were there, Steve introduced me to the latest craze in Disney merchandise:  Pins. Pin trading is a big thing apparently, and as one who is predisposed to collecting things-- buttons,  postage stamps, refrigerator magnets, ink pens...well, you get the idea... anyway, I was curiously drawn in by the concept of collecting Disney pins. Can you be too old to start something like that? Considering the regularity at which I visit a Disney establishment, I figure by the time I leave this world, I might have built up my collection into three, or maybe even four, pins. Just kidding, of course. I will no doubt buy more than one at a time.

Alicia's newest Disney pin

Steve and Al showed me their collections, which quite impressed me. Now I've managed to talk Mark into a trip to Disney World in February when we're in Florida.

So I can buy my first pin.

For my collection-to-be.

And maybe, eventually, I'll trade one.

On Saturday, Katie, Brent and Sophie came over for a last goodbye. We had dinner and sat outside visiting until the sun went down. We said our goodbye's to Alicia on Thursday. Steve came by on Saturday after work and joined us all for a short while before he had to go home and tend to Nestle.

Katie & Brent

In all, it was a very good week. I'm so blessed that Mark and I are able to live this unique lifestyle.  We would never be able to visit our friends and loved ones nearly as often if we lived in a house stuck in the ground. God has given us the desire of our hearts. What a good Father He is!

This week we've been  at the Alfateer's repair shop in Fontana, California. We came in initially to have our back cap re-attached. After they repaired the damage from our accident last year, something happened that caused the cap to shift, which we discovered when the bedroom ceiling leaked after a rainstorm. When they inspected it yesterday, they determined that whatever caused it to shift was not the result of their workmanship (they had before & after pictures). Bottom line: If we wanted it re-attached, we'd have to pay for it. We opted not to. The emergency repair that was done after the leak was well-sealed and holding, and there was no good reason to mess with it.

The other problem we've been having over the past month or so is deploying the leveling jacks. So we asked them to inspect those while we were here. The good news is the jacks are fine. The bad news is the hydraulic pump for the jacks is weak and not doing its job. We gave them the go-ahead to replace it, but when they tried to order a new pump from the manufacturer, it would be weeks to get one in. Weeks we don't have. The new plan is to have this work done in Shreveport on our way to Florida. There is a worthy repairman in that town that services the Alfas and will be able to take care of us in December. We're trusting God to keep our leveling jacks working until then.

Tomorrow we head east again on our way to Texas, where we will be doing our civic duty and voting. Get out and VOTE! And may God have mercy on this great land we call home.