It’s About Time for Something New Here!

Since moving to Rice Lake, Wisconsin in April 2012, we haven’t done a whole lot of traveling that we’ve written about. I’m going to try to make sure and write about our travels this month though in May 2013.

This month’s trip will take us out of the snow we just had on May 2 to a nice hot 100 in Arizona.

Goodbye snow!

Snow Rice Lake May 2, 2013
Snow Rice Lake May 2, 2013

We’re taking the month to eventually get the rest of our stuff out of storage in California. That will be near the end of the month. Here’s our basic itinerary:

  • May 6 – Leave Rice Lake, WI and drive to Kansas City, MO; stay overnight at a hotel we’ve already booked.
  • May 7 – Drive from Kansas City to probably Delhart, TX where we’ll stay at a hotel we stayed in last time we were through that part of Texas.
  • May 8 – From Delhart drive to Phoenix, Arizona and be warmly welcomed by our very good friend Terry Wilson and his lovely wife Virgie. Go swimming in their pool in 100 degree weather! :)
  • May 9 – Visit with Terry & Virgie and that night Joel will get to play music with Terry and his band.
  • May 10-12 – Stay with our friend Dan and his family in another section of Phoenix.
  • May 13-18 – Back to Terry & Virgie’s to visit more, play music, swim, swim, swim.
  • May 19 – Visit with Sue’s Uncle Phil & family in Glendale, Arizona. Sue hasn’t seen her Uncle in about 30 years.
  • May 20 – Drive from Phoenix to San Diego, California. Stay at a hotel in Chula Vista that has a pool.
  • May 21 – Visit with Joel’s brother and family
  • May 22 – Visit with Sue’s mom; possibly go to Balboa Park.
  • May 23 – Visit with Joel’s sister and family (read about their recent road trip); stay overnight with friends Ken & Kelly in San Diego
  • May 24 – Drive up to Northern California and visit with Tom Bentley.
  • May 25 – Drive to San Francisco and visit with David Reffkin.
  • May 26-28 Stay with good friends Pam & Phil in Roseville, California. Pick up stuff still in storage. Fiona spends two days with her sister Rachelle.
  • May 29 – Leave California for Idaho
  • May 30 – Drive through Montana
  • May 31 – Drive through Wyoming, North Dakota
  • June 1 – Arrive back in Rice Lake, Wisconsin

Of course it’s all subject to change. I plan to take pictures and keep a written journal and hopefully post often here. Fiona may post at her website as well.

We plan on having a blast!

Visit to San Diego Extended Due to Van Repair

We arrived safe, though tired, in San Diego last Friday night at Joel’s brother’s house. We had a very nice meal together and then got to bed. Our niece is kindly letting us use her new futon to sleep on. Sunday we had a great visit with my mom, Grandma Susan. We enjoyed our lunch at the park.

Grandma Susan and Fiona at our Sunday Bible meeting
Grandma Susan and Fiona at our Sunday Bible meeting

We also got to visit over the weekend briefly with Aunt Lynn and her kids. Fiona also got to meet some of her second cousins and play with them. Baby girl Bonnie is her favorite of course.

Second cousin Bonnie
Second cousin Bonnie

Then there’s Uncle Brett (Bonnie’s grandpa) and second cousin Timothy.

Uncle Brett with granddaughter
Uncle Brett with granddaughter
Second cousin Timothy
Second cousin Timothy

When we arrived last Friday we thought we’d be leaving on Monday or Tuesday. But over the weekend the van started making this noise in the front right wheel area much like it had a few years ago when we had trouble with the wheel bearing – that had been covered under warranty. So we took it to the Kia dealership Monday and they confirmed that was the problem. Fortunately the van is still under warranty and all repairs will be fully covered.

We just found out today they can do the repairs on Wednesday and we can make plans to leave San Diego now to head for Wisconsin later this week.

So though we’d rather not have vehicle problems, the timing couldn’t have been better. And this way we get to stay and visit more with family. Fiona’s really enjoying getting to know more of her family – especially baby Bonnie!

Early Morning Start at Begins at 4:45 am – Heading to San Diego

Today we leave Roseville to head to San Diego. I woke up at 4:45 am knowing the alarm would go off at 6 am. After laying in bed just a bit, I got up, showered, and started packing. It’s now 6:20 am and everything is set to put in the van, Joel and I have had our morning tea and time together, and we’ll be on the road by 7 am.

It’s an all day drive today. We’ll arrive at Joel’s brother in South San Diego about dinner time. We’re looking forward to a few days to visit with family, including my mom on Sunday. Fiona hasn’t seen grandma Susan since March when Rachelle got married.

We really enjoy our long drives. We’ll catch up on some reading. I read aloud to Joel and take notes on things he wants to write about in his next book. Fiona picked up her stuffed panda bear to cuddle with in the van while we drive.

Look out San Diego – the Nomad Canfields are coming!

Canfield family
The Nomad Canfields

Driving Through Coronado

Coronado is my favorite part of San Diego. The historic Hotel del Coronado was the largest wooden building in the US when it was built more than a century ago . . . and it still is, today. Then we cross the enormous Coronado Bridge, completed and opened in July of 1969, the month before my family moved to San Diego.

The ‘zippers’ I keep talking about in the video are two machines that move large concrete blocks from one side of the middle lane to the other side on the bridge. It’s a 5-lane bridge, so in the morning, it’s 3 lanes inbound to San Diego, 2 lanes into Coronado. Late in the morning, the two zipper-mobiles drive across the bridge. As the front of the vehicle comes to the concrete block, the block is lifted on a conveyor under the machine, then dropped off at the opposite corner of the zipper. Each one is only long enough and wide enough to move the blocks half a lane, so the two travel in mated pairs, moving the blocks across the entire center lane twice each day. It’s fun to watch; the weirdest mix of high tech and low tech I’ve seen.

The incidental music is “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” from ELO’s “Eldorado”

San Diego’s Perfect Weather

When people across the US and Canada discover that Sue and I used to live in San Diego, they inevitably ask “Why would you leave the world’s finest city where the weather is always perfect?” or something much like it. Well, we’ve lived there most of our lives, and we’ve decided that it’s a nice place to visit, but it ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Warning: Sarcasm Ahead

Family and Friends in San Diego Update

Mom’s knee surgery yesterday went very well. It was a long day. After waking up at 4 am to make sure she got to the hospital at 5 am for a 7:30 am surgery, it was 3 pm before she finally got to a room. The doctor says she should be able to come home Friday. I did get to visit for a few hours at the hospital with my youngest sister who I haven’t seen in years.

Today after stopping in to check on mom at the hospital, we’ll head down to visit with Joel’s sister and older brother. Fiona hasn’t seen her Aunt in years and I’m not sure she’s ever met her Uncle. There may be cousins too! She has had fun the last two days visiting with her cousin Daniel.

Thankfully we’ve been inside a Starbuck’s today to catch up with Internet access. We started outside another Starbuck’s – until it started raining!

San Diego: Family and Friends

We made it to my mom’s in San Diego (La Mesa) at 3 am this morning. We’ll actually be staying with a friend of hers and sleeping there. During the day we’ll be at my mom’s to use the Internet access provided by my sister Linda.

Tomorrow I have to wake up at 4 am to take mom to the hospital for her knee surgery. I’ll wait around until she’s out of recovery and I know all is well.
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We have lots of family and friends in the San Diego area. We hope to visit, even briefly, with Joel’s sister and brother while we’re here for 10 days. There are other business associates as well we need to connect with.

If there are any virtual assistants in the San Diego area that would like to meet ‘Chief Virtual Officer’, we’d love to connect. DM Sue at her Twitter account.

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Categorized as San Diego

House Sitting Job Needed

We’d love to spend the month of April house sitting somewhere in the south. For us, that means the Virginias or Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky. We’re flexible, so other states aren’t out of the question, and the end of March is possible, and the April thing is pretty open-ended too.

We also have this dream of spending May in Slovenia so if you just happen to know someone there who needs a house sitter for the month of May (or at least a few weeks) we’d love to talk.

And wherever you are, if you’d like to schedule a house concert in your living room for yourself and all your music-loving friends, I’d love to put you on my schedule. I’m proud of the music I write and enjoy sharing it with others.