April 12th: Catching up

I guess I've been having fun because time has sure flown by! I decided I better get caught up with the blog. 

My Arizona trip to see Tom included moving on to Cleveland for a few days. My sister Julie asked if there was a van that Jim could drive a wheelchair into to make transportation more feasible. After some research, we found a perfect solution. It was an electric wheelchair that Jim could drive up a small ramp and lock the wheelchair in place electronically. This would allow Julie and Jim to be much more mobile. 

Jim trying out the new chair

Julie made all the arrangements and I said I would come to help them learn to use everything. It worked out great. The first day we went to the dealer and they measured placement of the wheelchair in the van. Jim practiced driving it around. It was a little tricky because it steers with a small joy stick. But he caught on quickly.

Two days later they delivered the van to our house. Julie successfully drove the scooter into the van which fits behind the wheelchair. 

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Jim successfully drove the chair into the van and got it locked into place. It's a great system. They were hoping for some good weather so they could get out for some adventures.

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Julie rolling buttercream 
centers

My visit was short but we managed to make a batch of butter creams. Julie hadn't made some for a few years and I told Tom I would try to send him a batch. They turned out great.

While I was visiting I learned that the broiler in the oven wasn't working. After doing some investigation, I discovered the problem. The broiler element was is terrible shape. I couldn't find one in stock in Cleveland. Installing the element was not easy so I wanted to fix it before I left. Thanks to the internet, I was able to order one on line with expedited shipping. Installing it required being a bit of an extortionist, but Jim held the light for me and we got it done. It's fun to have a project that is successful.

So I left the cold Midwest and headed back home to California. Surprisingly, our weather was not great, which is unusual. But it was good to be home. The nasty weather changed rapidly and I was treated with the view of a rainbow from my window.

Bev at Swami's, low tide

The weather improved rapidly. My friend Bev likes to walk the beach at low tide as much as I do. We had a very low tide. At high tide Bev would be in the water! We had a great walk with beautiful weather.

I had been putting off a project to polish the headlight covers on Wendy's car. (The car I rent from her very conveniently.) They were quite yellow. The kit to clean and polish them with an electric drill worked great. It's fun now every time I look at them. They looked so good we did Matt's Toyota Highlander also. 

I was thinking about Easter dinner. What to have? Matt and Wendy don't like lamb so that was out. Matt is not particular at all so I checked with Wendy and we decided on cabbage rolls. They turned out great!

Cabbage rolls

I found out the San Diego Botanic Garden did a bird walk the first Monday of every month. I signed up and it was great. We had four guides, two of whom had degrees in ornithology. It was a beautiful morning and the people were all great. I'll go again.

Bird spotting

The gardens are beautiful and we saw a large number of birds. 

I am helping Fran with some mechanical issues on her boat. Most are maintenance issues that require replacement of parts over time. Fran hired a great mechanic who is working with us to get everything up and running safely and efficiently. For those of you who are boaters, the pictures show the water pumps, the transmission coolers, hoses and some rust corrosion. Fran has invited me to captain her boat to several yacht club trips starting in May and into the Fall. I'm looking forward to it. 

I still enjoy hiking at the San Elijo Lagoon. My friend Bev and I went for a long walk around the south end of the lagoon. Bev encouraged me to take a trail into Annie's Canyon. It was incredibly beautiful and fun. I'd seen the signs for the trail but didn't think it would be that interesting. Glad Bev was the guide this time.

The trail comes straight up from the
bottom with the help of some small ladders.

Bev at the top of the trail overlooking the lagoon

I bought my hummingbird attracting plant. It attracted a couple hummingbirds so far. Also, a red eyed vireo spent time going from blossom to blossom getting something out of the flower. They eat insects so maybe? Fun to watch it.