Where did November go??

Wow, where did a month go? The last entry in this missive was October 30 as we were leaving Lodi to head to Fresno and here we are staring down the barrel of December.  I guess that’s indicative of how busy we’ve been!

We arrived in Fresno on Halloween under sunny skies and shorts temperatures. Even though we were a day early we were able to move into the spot that was reserved for us which is right next door to the spot we occupied last year. We’re at the quiet end of the park, lots of trees and very pleasant.

Of course we had to check out our favorite restaurant and do a bit of exploring…not much new!

The next  couple of  days were busy with settling in, getting Santa’s gear into the cave  and meeting the new crew.

As of November 4 Santa was ‘in the chair’ and we were both back on the treadmill! A major flurry of tax problems (for clients not us!!) and lots of mystery shops coupled with keeping the home fires burning has left us pretty dead by nine o’clock each night!

November 12 was ‘Wake up Santa’ which requires Santa on the set by 7AM then the invited children (several hundred of them!)  join everyone at the front of the Santa set.  Santa has fallen asleep waiting for everyone to show up so Mrs. Claus reads the story “Wake Up Santa Wake Up”.  


At the end of the story the children are asked to yell to " wake up Santa."  It takes three tries but finally Santa rouses, stretches, and suddenly realizes there are children waiting for him!!  Nothing to do but apologize and sing a couple of songs, then wade through the throng of children and parents in line for breakfast all the while smiling for the thousands of photos.  Of course Santa gets a 30 minute rest and is back on the chair for the rest of the day.  It’s a long day (14 hours) but fun.  


Set crew and manager are all  new this year and are great to work with.  Santa is very pleased with the change in crew and they have been making goal most days.  Lots of little ones, some bigger ones, a few adults, and  a smattering of seniors.  All in all it’s a much better time this year. 


The last couple of years this older Sikh gentleman with a gorgeous beard has come by the set and always made eye contact and we waggled beards at each other but I finally got him to come in and have a 'chat' with Santa.

Turns out (as explained by his friend as he speaks little English!) he is a very revered Guru at the local Sikh temple! And I'm sure he's wondering what's up the the guy in red and white at the Mall!




Also on November 12^th and 13^th is the Madera Wine Trails event.  Madera is just a few miles north of Fresno and a major grape growing area….hundreds and hundreds of acres of them! There are also a few dozen wineries including Quady  and Ficklin. So while Santa was inundated with kidlets I went wining!

Quady of course makes the yummy Elysium a dessert wine made from the Black Muscat grape and Essencia made from the orange Muscat. They also make lovely Ports that of course they can’t call Ports so they have copyrighted the name ‘Starboard.’  


On Wine Trail Event days they devote  one large barrel  room to the Port tastings and have cigars available so you can enjoy a glass of Port and a cigar on a comfy couch with a football game (well , it can’t all be good!)  Interesting that no one was actually watching the game!

They also had a mobile pizza oven selling absolutely yummy artisan pizzas….it was a sunny warm day and a great day to sit outside! 

After that I figured I should visit at least one other winery on the ‘trail’ so I stopped in at Ficklin Vineyards whom I’d heard also had some first rate ports.  My information was correct…their ports were lovely as were their infused ports! Flavors of Black Cherry, Chocolate, Raspberry and Hazelnut infused into the port to make yummy treats!  If you blend a bit of the Black Cherry and the Chocolate it’s like a Black Forest cake!!

But Ficklin had other surprises! They too had cigars and an onsite barbecue featuring tri-tip but  a local cat sanctuary was using the occasion to raise some much-needed funds and brought one of their denizens ‘Tango’ for a visit. Here’s  a photo of Tango:

We are trying to get all the details organized for our trip to Baja. Mexican Insurance, a CB Radio…mandatory!  Oh yes, and we had the motorhome washed and waxed for about 10% of what they wanted to do it back home!!

The pups are fine...enjoying lots of walkies and probably more attention here than at home where they just come and go as they please. Though sometimes Mojo gets kinda stressed when other puppies walk on his street. He has decided that the motorhome's huge dashboard is his special perch where he can survey his world.  Here's a photo of him when he's not feeling so stressed:

Unfortunately the rest of the time has been work, shopping, more work and it’s become a real routine! But we’re at the halfway mark right now and the time is going by very fast!


Tuesdays are pet nights at least in November and here's our annual visit with Santa.....

On the road again!

October 22 – We have closed our show “Mesa” at the Janet Ritchie Centre Stage in Summerland. We had great houses for all shows, standing ovations from every audience, and hopefully some profit at the end of it all.  It was a great show and what an amazing cast and crew.  Thank you to all who participated.

October 23 – Back again to Summerland but this time it’s for the cast party.  Summerland Singers and Players always amazes…..no matter what the occasion, where the event takes place, or even why we  having the event, there is always lots of people, huge amounts of food, and lots and lots of laughter.  Truly great to be a part of this gang.  Off  to Marg’s  for dinner and last minute stuff then home to continue packing and to bed.

October 24 – We think we have everything (and probably too much of some things!) and we are off like a herd of turtles.  Good trip to Richmond/Surrey and settle into the RV park that is about 2 miles from the border.  Met up with Carolyn, Emily, Alex, and Angie.  We had a great dinner of sushi and sake, and got caught up on all the comings and goings.  Emily is now speaking in two or three word sentences and apparently is learning both English and Spanish phraseology every day.

October 25 – No pressing things to take care of today so we have dim sum for a late breakfast (or early lunch) then off for a bit of shopping.  About 2PM we traded cars with Carolyn and picked up Emily from school.  Ross was expecting a bit of fuss from her about leaving school and going with these two weirdo grandparents……but she calmly helped Grandpa Ed find her coat and things and we were off to explore.  We decided to go for a walk at Garry Point Park in Richmond (along the dyke) and Emily got to hold Mojo’s lead while we walked.  Not sure if Emily was actually leading or just holding on for dear life but there was lots of squeals and laughing so apparently everything was OK.  Stopped for ice cream (she can say Grandpa Ed and Grandpa Ross so Grandpa Ed has to honour his promise of ice cream when Emily could say our names!!) and then home for more Chinese food…..and sake.

October 26 – Off to Centralia, WA but first we have to wait in line to cross the border……about 60 minutes!!!  We really started to sweat when we saw it was a young female officer in the booth, but she only wanted to look at our passports, ask us where we were going, and see our faces.  We had an easy drive in good weather and, after  a quick trip for some groceries, we settled in for the night.

October 27 – Off to one of our favourite RV parks Seven Feathers in Canyonville, OR.  We had a quiet trip and the weather is still holding up – sunshine, and only a slight breeze.  Seven Feathers is on the Umpqua Indian Reservation and has a casino, hotel, multiple restaurants, and an outstanding RV park with level lots, huge landscaped sites, pool/hot tub/showers, library, and a free shuttle to the casino. 

We had a quick dip in the hot tub (and endured a rather outspoken braggart who knew everything about real estate)  then back to the M/H for clean clothes.  We made the call for the shuttle, AND as it was Thursday the feature is a seafood buffet!

Shrimp, crab, prime rib, scallops, cod, and shrimp, shrimp, shrimp!!  Good dinner (not as good as previous times, but still good) then off to have a little fun at the one armed bandit.  Both of us are kinda chicken when it comes to betting, so the penny slots are made just for us!  We start out with $20 each and off we go.  Ed went through his money rather quickly but for some reason Ross started making money, and even more money….to the tune of about $70.  This is a guy that NEVER wins, E V E R!!!  Nice feeling I must say!

October 28 – Feeling rather flush we fill up at the Seven Feathers casino (52 gals at $3.81/gal – you can do the math-so much for the ‘flush’) and leave the casino grounds somewhat poorer!  But the day is bright with no hint of clouds or rain in the forecast.  Off to Corning, CA but first have to cross over the Siskyou Pass – several climbs and descents through the Monashee and Coastal mountain ranges.  We get to the Rolling Hills casino with plenty of time to head over to the Olive Pit – another of our favourite places.  This store has a huge, I mean H U G E selection of olives in all sorts of configurations.  We got a few more groceries (remember we can’t take much fresh stuff across the border) and then back to the M/H. 

Instead of staying in the truckers lot as we have at times we sprung for a space in the RV park.  Got cleaned up and into the casino.  Again this casino has a hotel, a few restaurants, RV park, etc……..certainly not at the same scale as Seven Feathers, but very nice just the same.  The seafood buffet (yes, Rolling Hills has a seafood buffet every FRIDAY……now you  know why we plan our trips so carefully……..the seafood buffets!!) is much better than Seven Feathers this time around and we had a great feast. 

The casino gods are smiling down on Ross this week as he won over $170 on the penny slots!  Again remind yourself that Ross NEVER, E V E R wins…….at anything…….at all!!!!  Back to the M/H, only half-heartedly joking about needing an armed guard – although the couple sitting next to Ross were winning four and five times as much as he was – those machines must be tired with all those lights flashing and bells ringing.  Anyway, all Ed could do was stand there and watch in amazement.

October 29 – It is now official shorts weather (high 70’s and low 80’s) and we are not complaining.  The dogs are happy to be with us, but the heat is a little too sudden for them we think.  Teddy is panting most of the day, but again they are happy to be with us.  We are off to Lodi today and to Flag City RV park, with an easy drive on surprisingly good roads for the main part. Flag City is another huge park with high-end amenities.  It also has a “winter pool” where spring run-off goes, so there is a massive indentation surrounded by a fence and is a great place for the dogs to run – if ever Mojo can get over his aversion to grass! 

After we settled in it was off to find some dog food and maybe something for supper.  We found Pet Discounts which is the size of any large pet supply store and has comparable brands and prices.  The cashiers were friendly but suddenly became a bit concerned when Ross decided to use a John Hudson quote……………”Hi there, did you find everything OK?” “Yes, thank you…….yes, Grandma loves this brand of food…….it’s her favourite”!!!! 

We were actually looking for a Safeway when out of the blue we came across a Mexican grocery – Rancho San Miguel.  Great store and incredible smells.  BBQ, fresh seafood, wine and beer for very low costs, tortillas being made right there, bakery pushing out delicacies that you just wouldn’t believe.  Back to the M/H for a soak in the hot tub, a walk with the dogs, and a quick game of Scrabble.  Then dinner of roasted chicken and tomato/cucumber salad.  We are here for two days.

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas 2011

We know, we know.....it’s WAAAAAY too early to be talking  about Christmas! But before you know it we will be off to California again ….this year and we leave Westbank October 24^th!!

Santa and his Executive Assistant

We were in Fresno again last year (2010) where Ross was having lots of fun at Fashion Fair Mall as Santa.  Ed spent most of the time working on his tax business, walking the dogs, going to the gym, either dropping off or picking up Ross from the mall, and cooking/cleaning/etc.  Ross is going back to the same mall this year and Ed will be doing all the usual stuff......as well being a secret shopper!!

Travels

After Fresno, we were unable to hook up with our other Santa buddies from Vancouver Island so we roamed the California landscape - Monterey, Hearst Castle, Bakersfield, Anaheim, San Diego, Niland, then over to Yuma and Quartzsite and Lake Havasu in AZ just in time for the fire works festival!

Spent a week in Vancouver early March waiting for the snow and weather to clear - finally took the Fraser Canyon (Trans Canada #1) to Kamloops and then down to West Kelowna and home.  Planning on returning to Fresno this year of course then over to Quartzsite to meet up with our Santa buddies for a couple of weeks and then we are all going down the Baja Peninsula with a RV caravan for 28 days - really looking forward to that!!

In June 2012 (after tax time!) we’re  hoping to travel up to the Yukon Territories for a visit and look around.  Ross was born in Whitehorse and has never returned so should be interesting travels.

Work

As mentioned before Ed is still handing out income tax advice and filing bunches of returns.  He hired Ross full time this past year and the business grew by about 100%......so what’s this retirement that you speak of?  He is gaining quite the good reputation around the central and southern Okanagan Valley and we keep getting more and more referrals.  Let’s hope that continues for a couple more years!!

Theatre

Ed directed and Ross produced “Here on the Flight Path” by Norm Foster in July to great success for Many Hats Theatre Company.  We are taking the show over to Castlegar Oct 1 for one night.  Also we are doing a show for Summerland Singers and Players (over 105 years of community theatre!!) for late October - “Mesa” by Doug Curtis.  Great cast and crew so HAS to be a good show!!!  Next year we never know what shows with come our way (Though Ed already has a couple on the back burner!!)

House and Home

The garden and house just got away from us this year so we have hired a landscaping firm to cut grass and weed and a housekeeper to keep the cobwebs under control.  With theatre and income tax there never seemed to be enough time to get outside and do what needed to be done, now the place is looking much better.

Family

The Ross clan had an amazing family reunion with cousins, their partners, and families.  Jan hosted the shebang and Chris Ross, Jan, and Ross organized it.  Pictures, stories, family trees, fishing, BBQ, jet ski rides, and of course a couple of dirty hands of PIT........great times and wonderful to see everyone.

Jan and Chris are still living at the lake and loving it more each day.  Tanya, Dylan, and their brood continue transforming the old house on the West Bench (Penticton) into an amazing piece of architecture.  Clint, Jen, and their brood are sharing space with Tanya and Dylan..........and everybody is getting along.

Ed’s daughter, Carolyn and her husband Alex are now settled in Richmond in their new condo with our grand daughter, Emily.  In April Alex’s other daughter, Angie, immigrated from Columbia to live with them.  Emily continues to amaze us......her language and motive skills are improving daily but we have yet to hear either “Grandpa Ed” or “Grandpa Ross”........soon we hope.

Pets

Teddy and Mojo continue to bring smiles to our faces on a daily basis.  Teddy is getting a little white around the muzzle.........but so are we!!!  Mojo just keeps being cute, and getting away with it!!

Health

The aches and pains are getting more pronounced but our doctor is happy with how we are doing so we guess that things are generally OK.

We will be continuing our travel blog again this year so keep watching your computer to find out what’s happening with us  http://losviajesdelososos.blogspot.com/  There will also be postings to FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/texasedschneider  or  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=540903409   and Twitter http://twitter.com/texased   

And we hope that each of you has a blessed Christmas, a wonderful New Year, and peace and happiness follow you throughout the year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Well, Here we go again!

Hard to believe the speed with which 2011 is racing by! Here we are well into September and in just over a month the Bears will be on the road again!


We felt that a new Blog was warranted so we are retiring the Santa and the Wrangler (partly because the Wrangler has been promoted to 'Executive Assistant') and now we are 'The Travels of the Bears'  or en espanol 'Los Viajes de los Osos.' The other reason is that this winter's travels will take us to MEXICO!!


As we speak Prince Reindeer is waiting in the driveway and we are slowing getting him packed and organized for the trip south. 

We will be posting our 'Christmas Letter 2011' shortly and will be starting to update the blog as we roll along.


In addition to our California Adventures this year we will be joining up with Santa Bruce and Sue and Santa Buck and Heather and heading down the Baja in a caravan starting mid January 2012 but much more about that later!