Two Penny Travels

Times are a'changin'

The time has come for Alice and me to hang up our keys and settle in our nest. We are giving up our 18.5 yr membership at Jojoba Hills RV Resort and traveling around the country. We are moving our rig to Sacramento to be near our daughters. I may be able to complete Dad's Story and AI Masters, but no guarantee.

So I have torn down my previous blogs. I will keep the TwoPennyTravels.com webpage, but I will not have much to add. 

It has been a good run. Others should try it.

Be safe on the road, be prudent in your life.

Hugs, Sam and Alice

 

Busy on Dad's Story

I have returned to the effort to publish Dad's Story. This is the autobiography he distributed to family and friends in 1992. It is a story worth telling to the rest of the world.

I am making editorial comments so the authorship will be both Dad and me. I will put it out on Kindle and let everyone know when it is ready, hopefully by the end of the month.

sam

Reporting in more frequently

At least that is my intention, to be more communicative on what the two Pennys are doing.

We are now into October. Our planned trip north was cut short when I found the altitude in Cedar City was a problem for me. We came back to Jojoba and have spent the summer here. We have kept busy by visiting and seeing doctors. I am going through another round of tests with my cardiologist and I will let everyone know how that goes after the holter monitor results come in in a few weeks.

One big decision I made was to give up alchohol. It makes me more clear-headed, but I also have more energy to get bored. So I need to find things to do. Writing in my blogs and finishing Dad's Story will be part of that plan.

We are now Californians again. After being Texans for sixteen years, we decided that to keep our estate simpler and such, it would be easiest to bring everything into a single place, and since we plan to live here for as long as we can, we chose Jojoba Hills as our domicile. Speedy Services (Alice's Montana LLC) gave our Teton trailer to us, and we have retitled and relicensed it in CA. She tried to get a CA driver's license, but failed the vision test. That is still a problem to handle. We both registered to vote in CA, so we don't have to make a choice of the poor options in Texas politics any more.

We plan to visit the Sacto area for Alice's birthday and Thanksgiving, and plans are starting for that trip north. More on that as it happens.

Some good news came along. Continental is drilling another oil/gas well in Section 33 where the Lucky Penny is. This new Jantz well will test the Springer formation. I expect it to produce about as well the the first well, and we may see some royalties come from it next spring.

That's the news from Jojoba Land at this time. Take care. sam

Catching Up On Our Plans

Wow!! It has only been a bit over a month since my last posting here. What has happened???

I bought a replacement radio for the little rig. Now it can receive blue-tooth. The older radio lost its front panel when something from the upper shelf fell on it, and then it swallowed one of my music CDs. The new roof seems to work -- of course, we have had no rain so maybe the test is not all that thorough.

I have been fighting with my HD antenna for my DirecTV receiver, and getting less and less of a signal, so I went to BestBuy Online MarketPlace and bought a new single LNB antenna dish to test what was wrong. It was supposed to be delivered to Jojoba about the time we returned. But it got there a couple of days early, and the site number was missing on the address label. UPS (bless their hearts) saw the problem and created a new lable, but they pulled the site number out of the sky, and it was wrong. I had ordered another antenna in the meantime, so when George finally noticed my lost shipment sitting on someone else's site, I have two. The RMA and shipping back of the extra antenna would have cost more than just keeping the antenna. 

But in the end I determined that the 3-LNB head of my HD antenna had suffered more than showed when it fell in the wind. So I am back to non-HD reception in the little rig. At least it does not weigh so much.

I went through the tooth implant procedure. The cost was the big problem. But I did not feel comfortable going to Mexico for an implant with my heart condition. I now have a two-tooth gap in my lower jaw, but it is not too noticeable. I don't think I will bother filling the gap -- at 77 the cost/benefit ratio does not work out well.

We "adopted" a new dog, named Rusty and rumored to be a Pomeranian. I cut his mat of hair off and found a dog of 17 pounds underneath. He has a single eye. One of the other members here at Jojoba took him in from a dying aunt, but her cats freaked out, so they had to find a home for him. Teddy is adjusting, but not all that happy. And oh, did I mention the $1,500 in vet bills for shots and teeth and tests and whatever by the time we have him up to snuff. He is a good dog, and does get along well with the rest of the family.

We went to wine and food parties over the Memorial Day weekend. It was fun, but we both gained too much weight.

Next week we should see Mike and Gail, then the week after we head off to Zion to see the other parts of the family. I will try to keep you better posted.

sam

Nine Months, Almost Too Much Fast Lane

It has been just over nine months since I posted last on July 8, 2013. Sorry for taking so long, but life just caught up with us. Let me recap.

<Recap> After Deb and Paula's wedding we finished our other business around Sacramento and then moved over to Russian River TTN near Cloverdale. We got word that the Lucky Penny well in Grady County had gone into fracking mode, and the initial report on production was pretty good. It looks like the clear title in Oklahoma will finish up about the time we should start getting some royalty returns, near the end of the year.

We moved up the coast, staying a few days in Eureka at the Elks. I had trouble getting a truck lub and oil because the drain plug would not come out right. Dodge dealership did it right. We visited friends in Smith River then returned to Russian River TTN. I was not feeling all that well with my Afib, and Alice was still having problem with the AMD.

The left side mirror on the truck fell off, and I spent several days chasing down a replacement. It can be tough to be an RVer.

So by early September we headed back to the Sacto area for Alice's eye checkup. We did buy a Galaxy Tab 8 for Alice so she can read things more easily. It has turned out to be an excellent choice. By mid-September we had returned to Jojoba Hills, just in time for some hot weather.

Autumn was taken up with a flurry of doctor appointments and procedures. I had an angiogram then a cardioversion, but it did not help. I saw Drs Wood, Lo, and Lu, and finally in the spring I told Dr. Wood I didn't want he or his staff to practice on me any more, I would just live with it (Afib). Alice had a pain in her abdomen and got an ultrasound that was vague, so she went to an OBGYN and that led to a CAT scan and another ultrasound. She also had a colonoscopy, and finally decided they were searching for something to do and told the doctors to stop. Dr. Ebersole agreed.

During December the status of the Lucky Penny well finalized and I actually got some oil royalties. They pay each month now, but production is dropping pretty fast as expected. Hope they drill some more holes in our section.

We went on the JH Anza-Berrego outing the end of March and had a good time. When we got back I had lazer surgery on my eye (glaucoma) and made arrangements to get the roofs of both trailers redone, so at least we should not get wet for the next 10 years, so long as we stay inside.

April 10 we headed off to the WARE rally in Lodi and then came up to Lake Minden TTN to rest. Tomorrow we start back to Jojoba Hills, and next week I have oral surgery. But that should be the last of it for a while. </Recap>

I shall try to be a little more current in the future, at least until life gets to going to fast for me again.

Take care, sam

 

Life in the Fast Lane

Since leaving Yosemite Lakes TTN, our lives have quickened. We moved to Ponderosa TTN Resort on the American River and got back to civilized Internet, SCOTUS announced their decisions on LBGT rights, and our daughters decided to not wait. They were married Friday, July 5. It has been a while since I was near a wedding. It was a blast, and we officially added one more to the family. I am a father-in-law plus. My biological daughter's new name is Deborah Penny Gallagos. My daughter-in-law is named Paula Roseann Gallagos.

Deb sent me an email about what to call their status. It describes the situation best of any I have heard. "Asking who's the man (or the woman) in a same-sex relationship is like asking which chopstick is the fork."

In the meantime, I had to have the trailer brakes repaired, I received a HD DVR upgrade and ordered a new antenna, and we have eaten far more rich food than is good for us. It has been life in the Fast Lane for the past couple of weeks.

Things are beginning to slow down, but we still have friends and family around Sacramento we need to see and catch up on. We also have a retinalogist visit for Alice next Saturday. AMD is a slow disease if you fight it, but the results are inevitable. Ces la pool.

Next week we head over toward the Pacific Coast and will begin our trek to the north. We plan to visit the Smith River folks and spend some time at Edson Creek. Then we go further north in the TTN system. Maybe we will see some of you travelers along the road.

At this point we are happy and mostly well. Hope everyone else is doing well. Take care, and someday we will return to Jojoba Hills.

Sam and Alice and Teddy

Visalia, Hanford, and the Road to Yosemite

We spent a pleasant Thursday evening at the Visalia Elks, and Friday morning we moved to Hanford to see my sisters. We talked about how to get our “ducks in a row” regarding the mineral rights we own in Oklahoma. We now have an attorney helping us.

Saturday morning Alice and I headed north to Yosemite Lakes TTN, located on Hwy 120 east of Groveland. Our mapping program said the most direct route was to travel up Hwy 41 to the entrance to Yosemite, then go back down Hwy 120 to our destination. It was significantly shorter, and Alice said the views were spectacular. I don't know. I kept my white knuckles on the steering wheel as we climbed and curved through the foothills of the Sierras. We saved some miles, and maybe some minutes, but we were both exhausted when we arrived. I recommend going to Manteca and coming in from the west.

The TTN camp is very pleasant on the side of the South Fork of the Tuolumne River. They plant trout on Tuesday and Thursday, so I will buy a fishing license and try to pay for it with the fish I catch. We plan to visit Yosemite several times during the two weeks we will spend here.

The downside is that we are three miles away from phone and Internet service. We do have a good satellite TV signal.

On The Road To Visalia

Our two week sojourn at Soledad TTN is over, and this morning we packed the rig and truck to travel further north. We have a new 32” TV and mount, new registration for our truck replacing what was lost in the mail, and some new friends in the TTN system. The winds died down over-night, so preparing to leave was not as big a hassle as it could have been. I have learned to be more defensive in my driving.

We will spend the next two days in Visalia (Elks) and Hanford (sister). My sisters and I must figure out how to handle our mineral interests in Oklahoma to our best advantage. I think connecting with a good attorney will be most important. If we get the ducks in a row, it becomes a matter of letting the fates decide.

On Sunday we drive to Yosemite Lakes TTN park at Hardin Flat, 18 miles east of Groveland. I will be able to get satellite TV, and TTN supposedly has some kind of WiFi Internet connection, but we may be without phone and unlimited Internet access. If someone needs to contact us, they should use email. We will be there for about two weeks before heading toward the Sacramento area where there are somewhat more civilized facilities. But the chance to see Yosemite will be good.

Take care, and those of you in travel mode, watch out for the unintended consequences of whatever.

sam

Close Call

We are staying at the Soledad TTN park near Acton, CA. Yesterday we went to the Lancaster Elks for a fish fry (very good). On the way home we turned off I-14 onto Soledad Canyon Road. Two-thirds of the way down the hill to Acton, Santiago Dr comes in from the right. They have a stop sign.

As I approached the intersection, I saw a blue sedan coming down toward the stop sign. It slowed, but did not fully stop. It slowly came into the intersection just ahead of me. I laid down rubber and leaned on the horn, but the car kept coming into my lane. I almost missed it, but clipped its left front with my right bumper. I pulled to the side of the road and stopped. Running back, I saw how the front of the sedan had been torn off. The car was probably totaled.

The young lady driving immediately said it was her fault; she had been distracted by a car on the other side of the road and did not look to see me coming down the road. She pulled in out front of me.

Shuddering, I went to see how badly my truck had been damaged, and there was only a small scratch on the bumper. The truck had survived totally. How lucky.

After exchanging information, we went on home, and I collapsed. It had really been a close call. Next week we will continue north, but from here on I will be more cautious.

sam

Good news and bad news, from the retinalogist

We visited the Inland Eye Clinic in Hemet today. Dr. Carlson told Alice at the meeting he had good news and bad news. The good news is that the swelling in the retina of her right eye has gone down; the shot of four weeks ago stopped the bleeding. The bad news is that there has been little or no recovery in her eyesight. She has a level of macular degeneration in her right eye that will probably be there from now on; she will see a dark spot in the middle and only have some peripheral vision in that eye.

He suggested that she be rechecked in about two months, when we will be in the Sacramento area, and continually monitored after that. One of the key concerns is to be sure the problem does not develop in her left eye. She will need another shot only if the bleeding resumes.

A recommendation to our friends at Jojoba: Alice's eyesight went from okay to this in less than six months. She started to tell me about having more problems seeing back in January, but we did not react immediately. Maybe it would not have made a difference, but if you have a potential problem with your eyesight, check it out quickly, rather than lately. Loss of sight is a terrible loss.

So, we will be traveling north starting Friday, heading for Soledad TTN. It is now a matter of learning to live with what life presents to us.