Going back "home "

Welcome back!  

So here I am,  gathering my thoughts once again.  This time I am en-route back to Tampa, Florida.  Having left Orange County, California behind me. It was 22 days ago that you heard from me last when I was flying TO California.  These 22 days have been the longest Joe and I have been apart in the past 7 and a half years. And to be honest, I didn't care much for it, nor did he!

You may ask: Then why did you do it? That's a valid question I shall say!

Exactly 6 months ago I decided it was time to handle an overdue dental problem. I had the choice of going the convenient route and finding a nearby American dentist. OR choosing a rather complex route BUT saving thousands of $$ by doing so. Well you guessed it. Option # 2 won, hands down! 

So, 6 months ago we of course resided in Escondido. Southern California. Joe and I drove to the Tijuana border, got on a cab and arrived 3 miles later at the dentist to begin the labor intensive visit to remove and replace some hardware in my poor mouth. Now I tell ya, I have not been blessed with healthy teeth for as long as I can remember.  Dentists love me! I help them finance extravagant world trips and pay off their student loans. Yes I am a great and loyal customer! 

Anyway,  the Tijuana adventure had begun. I left the clinic 1 tooth and 1 bridge lighter. Quite the surgery, let me tell you. Now if you value your sanity, take my words of advise:  When offered a great pain killer,  don't EVER do what I did and turn it down!  We ended up waiting in line to cross the border back to the US for almost 2 hours and I literally thought my mouth and head were gonna explode from the excruciating pain in my jaw. 

I was not looking forward to continuing the procedure by flying back to California 3 weeks ago.  But hey. I'm a tough girl so I got on that darn plane to finish what I had started.  

I thank the universe for good and loyal friends. If it wasn't for them, who knows where I would have stayed for the last few weeks. Because of them many heartwarming distractions made time go by faster. 

Our travels have enriched our lifes in many ways, as I often say. Having met many wonderful people along the way.

Getting a rental car for 4 days made it easy to reconnect with special friends this time ! 

My heart was heavy but happy driving down to Escondido on rental car day ONE and visiting the grounds of our previous gig at Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead and San Dieguito River Park.  Leaving this (to me) magical place, where we had previously resided last year was one of the tougher moments of RV life. I had loved it there. Now I got to meet 2 friends there for lunch and reuniting my soul with IT for a few hours. Driving through the big white gate opened the flood gates instantly.  Happy tears ran down my face mixed with sad ones.  Just a few hundred feet to my left is where we had buried our old dog Milo last July.  It's where I spent endless amount of hours digging in the dirt, planting flowers and enjoying watching them grow.  Most of these same flowerbeds are now overgrown with weeds with a small amount of green left; just a hint of what I had planted.  It made my heart sad to see that something so beautiful to me had little value to our replacement workampers, who now reside in our old spot.  I told myself it's time to let go.  Sometimes that's easier said than done.  This was one of those times. 

 My lunch on the other hand was fantastic and my friends and I enjoyed a quaint lunch under the tree not far from where we used to have our home on wheels parked. 

Later that afternoon I took a drive through Escondido to relive a few moments of our 5 months here. The busy store fronts, palm tree covered green hills, the familiar twists and turns in the roads.  A visit to the thrift store I had missed often. 

That evening I drive up the mountain to Ramona,  where my sister in law with husband live. I was greeted by the familiar smell of her horses,  the mountains as a backdrop, just a few minutes before the sun disappeared for the cool night ahead. A hearty meal and long chat ended that day just right.  The next morning I left for my 2.5 hour drive up north to Los Angeles to visit more family for the day. How fortunate was I to get to see everyone! 

The next day, on Wednesday I had yet another reunion to look forward to:  This time I drove almost 2 hours south, just past San Diego to Chula Vista to anxiously meet with my girlfriend of 25 years with her son for an afternoon at Imperial Beach. We couldn't have picked a worse day for this venture. Seriously.

 It was rainy, super windy and cold. I should mention here that occasionally I've been know to trip and fall. And I am very good at it, too! This was one of those unfortunate occasions. Who put that sand there for me to accidentally dive into it....? ...Wet shoes and pants and the whole 9 yards were the result.  Maybe that's where the intense wind was practical, so I could literally air dry quickly?  Not so much,  but in theory, it makes sense! Doesn't it? 

We ended up in downtown San Diego, ready for a warm lunch.  Oh wait,  did I mention that due to Covid there was NO indoor seating available in the whole dang city? So here we were, damp and cold enjoying some delicious Middle Eastern food OUTSIDE while watching a downpoor 3 feet from where we were sitting! Looking back, it's actually quite amusing.  You know how that goes. 

Thursday was another day to look forward to:  My friend from Sikes was about to pick me up for an afternoon at the beach at Dana Point. This time perfect weather and 🌞 greeted us upon arrival at the parking lot. We enjoyed a 2 hour long walk on the beach, that was filling my "happy to be in nature" tank quickly.

 We ended our outing at a nearby shopping center where we endulged in a hefty portion of delicious frozen yogurt.  Just what the hips needed.

  

Yesterday I was excited to meet friends that came down from Las Vegas and we strolled through the beautiful passages of Laguna Beach, 

visiting several cute little boutiques, filled with things you don't need but can't live without before heading east to Irvine's awesome huge outdoor mall.

 We ended up at the Cheesecake Factory, where we relaxed and loved every bite of our delicious lunch. Of course one can NOT leave the C Factory without....well you know what! Needless to say, we left with a happy belly.

The many days in between my 3 dentist visits my friend Lynn and I we spent thrift store shopping along with many talks at the kitchen table about life..., the universe and other important topics, like ... chocolate and our favorite ice cream flavors.

The captain just announced the descent to Houston, where I have my halfway point layover. It's time to look out the window and enjoy the beautiful scenery and come back to what's soon to be in front of me: My dearest hubby and furry and feathery family that's waiting for me. Now just a few hours away. 

Bon Voyage my friends. Til next time!