Week 607 - He is Risen! - 04-01-2018

He is Risen!

After a great week with the grandkids, we ended the week on Easter Sunday celebrating Jesus, our Risen Savior.

Last week we got this photo just before we dropped Emily and Chad at their cruise ship. We were blessed to keep grand kids Zebulun and Coralyn with us during the week.

Things were great for a few minutes. 1) Grandpa snuggles with Coralyn just before her nap. 2) Zeb, bored watching his sister, got an early start in snooze-land.

Coralyn slept well but woke up a little cranky. You would be too if your hair was wrapped up in a dog comb. After spending 30 minutes trying to unwind the comb, we had to clip the hair to give Coralyn a new do.

Sporting her new look, we headed out for a great walk along the harbor. Long Beach has a 4.1 mile pedestrian/biking path that goes right along the Golden Shore RV Resort. 1) Our first view point shows the cruise ships in the background. 2) Zeb rolled and we strolled another mile to get a closer look. Em and Chad's ship is on the left and the Queen Mary on the right.

We wanted to let the kids and parents say "bon voyage". 1) From our view, we could not see Em and Chad on the top deck stern by the water slide. 2) Emily spotted us on the walkway just below the lighthouse tower. These photos were from our phones. Had we brought our Sony HX-200V camera with 30 times zoom, we could have seen Emily and Chad.

Leaving Long Beach behind we sped to our favorite Southern California RV park, Golden Village Palms in Hemet. In Long Beach Coralyn would not jump in the pool without holding Grandma's hands. In just a day Cora was jumping in and swimming 15 feet. Older Zeb was of course, swimming like a fish.

Everyday we got in some pickleball practice with Zeb. From missing every swing, Zeb got to hitting 3 of 4 balls. Cora was content to hold the ball next to the paddle and slam it over the net.

We spent three days at GVP. We swam enough hours every day to make Zeb's eyes hurt from the chlorine, to give Cora a rash on her face and make Grandma itch like she had poison oak. Good times! On the fourth day we drove back to Long Beach to deliver the kids back to parents who deserve all the credit for raising such delightful little ones. The other grandma, Esther, had seven year old Micah to help with one year old Hannie. God bless you Esther, we think we got it easy.

Alone again, we stayed over at the Redlands, California Elks. No kids, no people, just a quiet respite to relax.

Back to the coupons! We had another Quartzsite offer to stay at Vista Del Sol RV Resort in Bullhead City, Arizona. One week for $99 plus electric. On the way we stayed over at BLM's Amboy Crater. Our lizard host welcomed us.

This extinct volcano is a 1.1 mile walk from the parking lot. The lot is smooth and level and a great place to spend a free night. This is our second time here. The first time we did not hike to the crater.

Determined to see the crater, we headed out in the cool morning. Mandy came along having no idea the round trip was 3.2 miles.

This final rise of about 60 feet is a slippery trail that gets you to the top rim of the crater.

A woman and her best friend show they can do it. Yes, Pete came along too!

Photos from the crater's rim.

Not exactly the Death Valley spring bloom of wildflowers, but this lonely guy did what he could.

This parking lot photo was taken from 1.1 miles away. We love our Sony camera.

We arrived in Bullhead City, Arizona to stay the week at Vista Del Sol RV Resort. More on that next week. Our first trip out was to Harrah's Casino in Laughlin, Nevada. This is the fountain by the hotel. But, we came for the SmashBurger! Note, while good, this SmashBurger location has a limited selection and we could not get the jalapeños we love. Nonetheless, it is a good burger.

Mandy wanted to say that while she had a good time with Zeb and Cora, she missed seeing Micah.

And she is looking forward to babysitting Hannie in May at our home in Atascadero.

This photo sequence lasted less the 30 seconds as Mandy was working hard to get Hannie asleep

Next week we'll report on Vista Del Sol and then we start our trip to Atascadero. See you soon home folks.

With love, Pete, Ellen and Mandy

Photos from Apr 2018