Sunday was nice and sunny.

I thought it would be a good day to head down to where we store our motorhome and check up on it. The last time we stayed in it (just over a month ago) I noticed that one of the rear tires was a little soft. So I planned to pump it up and see how long it took for the pressure to drop. Did we have a slow leak? A fast leak?

I tossed my little compressor in the trunk of the Honda and off we went. It's a great little unit for keeping the tires on our cars properly inflated, but I figured it might have a bit of a challenge pumping up the RV tire. What the heck. I had all day.

So..,  what to do? Enjoy the day, of course!

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Taken at the Surrey Central Skytrain Station

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Things don't seem to change much here on the west coast. Rain is just a way of life.

Some like it. Me... not so much. At least not for so much of the time.

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A plane has come to take me away.....

*sigh*

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I'm not really a big fan of questionable kitchen gadgets. But this baby is great! Simple. Cheap. Effective. No batteries required.

You just grab a shrimp, push the pointy end under the shell and, voila!, the shrimp pops out into your hand.

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Works with all sizes of shrimp, but best with the bigger ones.

Reminds me of the time I was woken up in Mexico early one morning by a vendor wandering through the RV park, pushing an ice-filled cooler, yelling, "Shreemp! Shreemp! Really beeg ones....!"

I was a happy camper that morning, in my rumpled pyjamas, holding my bag of freshly caught shrimp.

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They won't let you dismantle these oldies.

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Interstate 8, about 100 miles east of San Diego. I've never seen so many rocks!

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Half an hour east of here and you're in the Imperial Valley. That's where we get most of our winter fruits and vegetables, even at home in BC.

Thanks to irrigation, the desert has been turned into thousands of acres of prime farmland. This is one of the most productive farming regions in California with an annual crop production of over $1 billion and provides 48% of all the employment in the area.

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Coffee first thing in the morning, of course.

Then a walk and explore.

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Off-leash. Yay...!

The rest of the day? Not too tough.

Always hoping for a special treat....

...and sometimes getting one!

.

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By the time I've finished my coffee, the mist has burned off and I can look forward to another warm sunny day.

[Menifee, California]

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Most people have coffee makers. Our neighbours have a Margarita maker.

Much more fun...!

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The good news is that everyone got out safely.

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Propane is a convenient, common fuel, especially in motorhomes and trailers. It runs our stove, our hot water tank, our furnace, our fridge, and our generator. We use propane for our portable barbeque and I think we have a propane lantern, too. We've never had any trouble with it and neither have most people. But unleashed, it can be devastating.

These folks had a problem with their fridge. The service guy said it was okay to keep using it until it got repaired. In the middle of the night, the fridge decided otherwise.

I have noticed that when motorhomes catch fire, they just keep on burning. Here the fridge was in the middle, but the fire damage runs from the front to the very back. I guess motorhomes are not built of fire retardent materials. (I guess regular homes aren't either.)

I'm going to be a little more repectful of the fuel and make sure I know where our emergency exits are and how to get them open fast.

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They were forecasting a little rain here on Sunday. Should I worry?
Pack up the things I have outside?

Late yesterday afternoon I watched the sunset and remembered the old
saying that goes, "Red sky at night, sailor's delight." This view has
got to be promising, I thought. No scrambling about trying to cover up
things for me.

Now, here it is, Sunday morning. A little cool and there are clouds in
the sky. But the newspaper I left on the picnic table yesterday
doesn't show a spot of rain.

I guess those old sailors were right.

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Getting introduced to the Captain and crew....

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It only took about 3 hours. The flight from Bellingham to San Diego took me from a cold damp morning to warm dry one. Nice.

Great views out the window, too. Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood, Crater Lake, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite Canyon - and all from my side of the plane!

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After that, a brief stop at about the halfway point, Orfila Vinyards and Winery in Escondido, for an afternoon tasting. We came in the back way (who can resist a place with this many barrels of wine) and left by way of the terrace, with its view of the vineyards and the countryside. It has a great family feel (lots of kids running around on this warm Sunday afternoon) and the place seems to be favourite for people who want to buy a glass or bottle of wine and relax at one of the tables scatterd about.

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Then, there I was, back at Wilderness (near Menifee). A sunny morning. Lots of time for sleeping in, slowing down, and drying out.

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...here in Surrey. Looking forward to heading back to drier climates
in two days.

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Menifee, California, is nicely located about an hour-and-a-half north of San Diego, about half-way between Los Angeles and Palm Springs.

We often stay at the Wilderness Thousand Trails campground here. There's lots to do in the area. (Personally, I like the wine tastings at the Temecula Valley wineries just south of here.) Menifee is also where you can find one of the most amazing Christmas-decorated homes I've ever run across.

Our friends, Dot and Jim, who live in nearby Hemet, took us through the quiet residential neighborhood to see the lights and we stopped in front of one amazingly decorated corner house to take a closer look. I'm glad we did. This place is definitely not a drive-by.

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One of the delights of southern Caifornis'a Temecula Valley is visiting its many small wineries - and sampling their wines.

There are over 30 wineries and 3,500 acres of producing vineyards, mostly family-owned, clustered in this rural area of rolling hills just a few miles east of Temecula, California, about an hour's drive north of San Diego.

Luckily, our good friends Ann and Gary, who live about an hour away, just happened to be in the area, conveniently camped next to us in the RV park. They know the area and they're knowledgable about the wines and wineries of the valley, so we volunteered them as guides.

I learned that trying to tour 30 wineries in one day is a little ambitious. For a number of reasons. You really need to take the time to savour the wines, And you need to keep a clear head if you want to appreciate their nuances. (Personally, I can't bear to, umm... 'discard' the tastes.) We visited two that day - just about right.

This is Monte de Oro, one of the newest wineries in the valley.

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Monte De Oro produces about 10,000 cases of wine a year from the 72 acres of grapes they have under cultivation. Their building and tasting rooms are gorgeous and the view - spectacular. And their wines are a delight.

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What I like about tastings is that I get to discover new wines I like, and to enjoy and appreciate wines that are wonderful to sample - but that I wouldn't necessarily want to drink in any greater amounts.

It can also get me out of the habit of always choosing the same kind of wine. I like full-bodied red wines and will usually come home with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. (Heck, I'm just as likely to come with a box of Cabernet Sauvignon.) Good choice for me. I like them.

But this day I found I that preferred a Syrah, and surprisingly (to me at least), what has been called it's cousin white, a Viognier.

The Viognier grape has been around since Roman times. It almost became extinct during the 1960's (with fewer than 35 acres of vines - some say much less - remaining in France's Rhône region). But that's another story.

Fortunately for me, the grape has seen a resurgence and is now grown in many areas of the world, including BC. So when I'm back, I can drink local.

It was a good day and, even though the Temecula Valley is a small, cozy region, there is still much for us to explore there.

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Lots of people, music, dancing, and food - especially tamales!

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...and your beverage of choice, and go look for the evening happy hour.

It's 5 o'clock somewhere. (Even though here at Palm Springs it appears to take
place at 3:30.)

The location changes from day to day, but it's not too difficult to
find. Great people, fun conversation, bad jokes.

Good fun.

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