Close call

We were both exhausted when we went to bed.  Now, by definition, anything that interrupts your sleep always happens "in the middle of the night".  "The middle of the night" is defined as anytime between when you go to sleep and when you expect to get up.  So 1:00 AM could be "the middle of the night" just as 5:00 AM could be.  In this case it was 3:40 AM.  We were awakened by a load noise just outside the back of the RV.  It was a thud, crash, boom combination.  We both sat up and wondered what it was.  I got dressed quickly, grabbed a flash light and went out.  By night I could tell there was no damage to the RV.  The next day here is what I found.

This is the back of our RV.  The part you can see stinking out of the right side of the RV is part of our bedroom.

The tree had just split near the base of the trunk.  Fortunately, there was no damage to anything.  The section of tree had fallen so that it did not hit any RV or any vehicles.  But it was close to our RV and to a truck parked behind us.

Once we realized there was no damage and the tree would be removed in the light of day we had no problem getting back to sleep.

Medical issue

After a nice conversation with Daniel on Mother's Day we were going out to celebrate at a Sushi restaurant in Pismo Beach, CA.  When we got there Diana felt a pain in her lower left abdomen.  She gets these and sometimes they mean nothing and sometimes they mean the onset of diverticulitis.  She has had a few episode of diverticulitis so we know the routine.  We ate and she felt progressively worse.  We got home and she laid down.  About an hour later it was time to seek medical help.  The area we were in does not have 24 hour clinics such as a Patient First or a Urgent Care type facility.  So I took her to the local hospital ER.  They were great.  Gave her medication for pain, took history and agreed with the diverticulitis idea, gave us medication and we went home.

Monday morning Diana was doing better but by afternoon she was in distress.  Big time distress!  Back to the ER.  Several tests and lengthy consultation later they were not sure if she had diverticulitis or if it might be a ovary issue.  They do not have any gyno Dr.s at that hospital but their sister hospital in Santa Maria does.  They are 15 miles south.  So we got traded to the other hospital.  Apparently it was no small feat for the first hospital to pull this off.  They have done it before but there is a ton of paperwork and coordination involved.  And it was Sunday night about 9 PM when they started.  But they pulled it off.  We got to the next hospital about midnight.  Initially they could not determine if this was diverticulitis or ovarian or something else.  So discussions between the general surgeon,who would take the case if it was diverticulitis, and the ob-gyn  Dr who would take it if it was ovarian, were held.  In the mean time the Dr.s and staff did a great job of trying to manage her pain and keep her as comfortable as possible.  After an MRI it was determined that it was ovarian.  There was a large cyst on her left ovary that had become twisted, thus causing her pain.  With in a few hours Diana was in surgery having both ovaries removed along with tubes.  She was given a choice to keep some or remove it all.  It all went.  The surgery began about 6 PM on Tuesday and by noon on Wednesday she was released and we were back home to continue her recovery.

As I write this it is Thursday, and while tired, she is feeling much better and recovering nicely.  We do have some pictures but I am not going to post them as a matter of self preservation!

So thanks to all the medical staff from both hospitals for a great and caring job.  Also thanks be to God for providing us with the resources we need at the time.  God is amazing.

UPDATE:  A week later we went in for a follow up exam. Not only was Diana released from Dr. care but all pathology reports show healthy tissue and no cancer!  Praise be to God.

Elephant seals

While exploring the pacific coast highway (Hwy 1) in the Jeep we came across some beautiful scenery and cool sights.  As we were driving along we saw a sign the indicated in a few miles we'd come to a beach area where elephant seals hang out. So we decided to check that out.

The elephant seals come to this 3 to 4 mile stretch of beach during various parts of the year.  In April and May they come to molt.

One of the volunteers there told us that there are about 20,000 elephant seals that use the beach but not all at the same time.  On this day they estimated that there were between 4 and 5 thousand on the beach.

 During molting they do not eat or drink.  They just lay on the beach molt and begin growing new skin.  Then back out to sea for a solitary life of swimming and eating.

These two pictures are just of the coast line.

Santa Ana Winds

On April 30, 2014 we were in Orange, California just outside of Anaheim and LA.  The Santa Ana winds kicked in at between 20 and 40 mph with gusts near 70.  We were safe in an RV park and somewhat protected.  We had no damage although the park had a few trees damaged and some signs destroyed.  It is very unusual to get these winds in the spring.  And even though we were safe, the RV was rocking back and forth as it was pushed by the wind.

 Here is a copy of a description of the winds from Wikipedia;
The Santa Ana winds are strong, extremely dry down-slope winds that originate inland and affect coastal Southern California and northern Baja California. Santa Ana winds blow mostly in autumn and winter, but can arise at other times of the year also. They can range from hot to cold, depending on the prevailing temperatures in the source regions—the Great Basin and upper Mojave Desert. The winds are known especially for the hot dry weather (often the hottest of the year) that they bring in the fall, and are infamous for fanning regional wildfires. For these reasons, they are sometimes known as the "devil winds" across Southern California.

Today, May 1 we will get them again but they should die down by late afternoon.  The news and local residents were all talking about the Santa Anna wind and how unusual it was to happen in the spring.  A cool experience I hope we don't have again!

Joshua Tree National Park

We spent 4 nights in Joshua Tree National Park in California.  The park includes part of the Mojave Desert and part of the Colorado Desert.  Each part is very different but there is no doubt you are in a desert.  It was beautiful.

 This is a Joshua tree and the park has thousands of them.


Because we are over 62 and have a senior pass we get into any NP for free and pay only half price for camp sites.

This our RV at our camp site.  Worth every penny of the $5.00 per night!









Rather than bore you with text, I'll let the pictures talk.

It was a great 4 days!