Mom's back from Thailand We had to set the alarms for this one! 6am her plane was scheduled to arrive. So, we got up at 5, got ready and left. She was early ... darn! She had already picked up her luggage and was waiting outside. I really like to meet her inside at the gate. Especially when she's been on a long trip, and this one was a full month. First she spent 2 weeks touring around Myanmar (aka Burma) - then she was on a dive boat The Ocean Rover off the coast of Thailand. Think we'll ever get her to settle down enough to travel around this country?! Actually, it was her idea years ago to get an RV and live/travel in it. We thought it was a good idea. She's still planning to get a Roadtrek someday and join us. She was surprisingly alert and chipper for 6am ... of course I guess it was more like 6pm (tomorrow) for her - she had two Sundays due to the International date line. She said she was ready for happy hour! I believe her flight started in Thailand, probably stopped in Singapore, Taiwan, Guam, Los Angeles, then Fort Lauderdale. Over 30 hours of travel. Mom - if you read this - tell me if I got it anywhere near right. Later note: she said I was close, it was 35 hours and she didn't stop in Guam. You can read her notes of the trip on her weblog, Marilyns Planet.

How we spend a Friday night! Well, it certainly isn't very glamorous, but any time we drive our home down the road it's exciting for us - even if it's just to take it to the dumping station. We are both getting antsy for truly getting on the road. Soon, soon.

One step closer to hitting the road. So, we have our new car (the Honda CRV) that is good for towing - now we have to get the tow package installed. It's actually quite involved. There is a hitch/receiver on the back of the RV. Then most of the apparatus gets installed on the Honda. The apparatus gets bolted on to the front end and then electrical wiring connects the brake lights from the RV thru to the Honda. Parts and Labor = $1500. The Honda is now officially a 'Toad'. That's what we RVers call a 'towed vehicle'! We don't have any photos of it being towed because the weather was really nasty. Later. Our first RV mishap Well, besides the hole in the kayak (see post for Feb 3) ... that was 'RV related'. This one is truly an RV mishap. You know how I told you the weather was really nasty? Well, it is true that an awning is like a sail and a gust of wind at just the right angle will pick it up and send it flying. Yes, we know it should be taken down when it gets stormy, and that's exactly what Jim was doing when it ripped right away from him and went sailing over the roof of the RV. Pretty scary, but he's fine. There goes another $1,000. It ripped the brackets right off the coach.

It's good to be a computer hero! We've both been in the computer field since the early 80s and our friends all know who to call when they're in a computer jam! So, today my oldest friend (in terms of years known, not age) was in Fort Lauderdale just for a couple days on business - I'm sure he had no intention of taking time for social calls ... but, while staying with his Dad and working on his computer he encountered some drastic problems. So, who does he call?? The Computer Heroes! And I get to see my dear friend Lanz! Cool. Of course he had to get new directions because we weren't in the same place as last he saw us. Are ya gonna eat that?

We're back at Donna's Backyard RV park now, and it feels like home! So quiet and peaceful. I'm spending all day sitting at the computer doing my web work (and writing on the Blog of course). Every hour or so, I take a break and go outside to throw a ball for Odie. Just throwing it ... I have no expectation of him bringing it back! But, he loves to run and it gets me to stand up and stretch. Very important when you sit at a computer all day long. If you look real closely at this photo, you'll see a black blob (that's Odie) right outside the RV door. His nose is on the ground by a yellow ball and his tail is up in the air. I got COLD last night. The thermometer said 50 degrees outside when we got up this morning! Yeah, I know, anyone from up north reading this is saying "That's not Cold!" But, to us it is. I'm so glad our heater works good - we're a nice, toasty 70 degrees inside. I don't think I have any desire to be up north during the winter. So, wherever we go this summer, we need to be back here or maybe Baja next winter.