The So Cal Family Visit

Soledad Canyon RV Park, Acton CA

Our time in Southern California is winding up. It seems like we just got here, and already we're half-way into our last week.

We were able to get three weeks this year at the Soledad Canyon Thousand Trails RV Park, thanks to our recent purchase of the "Elite" plan. Like every RV park, this one has its pros and cons. The biggest pro is the proximity to our kids, being about half way between Steve and Katie. It's quiet and spacious, but 50 amp sites are hard to come by. We ended up in a 30 amp site, but we're borrowing power from the empty spot next to us, which makes everything work as it should. Last year one of our issues was that we couldn't get a phone signal or internet. One section of the park is on a kind of ridge, and we were able to find a spot there this year, where we can get both phone and internet service through our hot spot.

Even though the kids all work, we've been able to share our time between them pretty evenly because they have different weekends. Katie and Brent have the traditional weekend, whereas Steve and Alicia are off on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Most of our time has been spent just hanging out and catching up on family news.

Petting zoo adventure

Last Saturday, we went with Katie and her family to the Tehachapi Apple Festival. Sophie was excited to get outside and experience the petting zoo. We had fabulous BBQ for lunch at the "Red House BBQ" and bought pastries at one of the local bakeries, something I always regret later.

Sophie is gradually warming up to us. It seems like she's finally getting used to Grandma and Grandpa just in time for us to leave again. But I know that will change as she gets older and remembers who we are from one visit to the next.

Vasquez Rocks

On one of our family "off" days, Mark and I took a drive over to Vasquez Rocks County Park. This place is famous for its use as a movie backdrop--mostly westerns and sci-fi flicks. You'll likely recognize this famous picture from some movie or another. The park is fairly small , but has some nice hiking trails and is worth visiting if you're in the area.

We're still hunting Jerry. Mark secured all our HVAC vents with copper mesh last week and we put out a couple more traps, but no sign of the wily critter so far. In the process we discovered another significantly large opening underneath the cabinetry below the sink where a mouse could easily hide. Mark and Sophie checked it out with his phone camera and didn't see anything, but it's certainly a good potential hideout for a clever mouse and we're going to have to figure out how to block it up.

I also got a new faucet last week on my bathroom sink. The old one was, in a word, shot. Mark had to buy some parts to adapt the new unit to our unique plumbing configuration, but the end result was beautiful...and the sink no longer sings to us in the night.

Out with the old...in with the new