Mount Diablo State Park

On Sunday the folks drove to Mt. Diablo State Park.  The park is really not far from here, but the drive up the mountain took quite a while.  Mom was nervous because the road was narrow and there were no guard rails.  She said it made her sick just looking off to the side.  I didn't get to go because Dad wanted to visit the visitors center and dogs are not allowed inside.  Mom said I wouldn't have enjoyed it anyway.  You see, they say that on a clear day, from the summit of Mount Diablo State Park visitors can see 35 of California's 58 counties. It is said that the view is surpassed only by that of 19,000-foot Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. With binoculars, Yosemite's Half Dome is even visible from Mt. Diablo.  Do you want to see what they saw?

Yep, they drove up a mountain for this view.  BOL!  Mom said it was misting and cold.

Through the clouds you can see the light on the top of the visitors center.

They watched a film inside the visitors center and then drove back down the mountain.

This is inside the visitors center and it is said to be the top of the mountain.  Mom stood on it.

Coming down the mountain.

There is a spot in the park that is called Rock City.  It reminded Mom a little of Elephant Rock in Missouri, but it is not as massive.  Jack visited there with the folks.

These young people asked Dad to take their photo with their phone and Mom took a quick picture too because she thought it was a fun photo.

We have been surprised by the cool weather here in California.  The leaves change colors just like at home and yes, the leaves do fall from the trees.  We had a day last week that was windy and the leaves were flying by just like snowflakes.

Sunday night, the folks drove to Fremont and ate at Claim Jumper.  Mom was really impressed with the bread they serve.  It is a large yeast roll with cheese and garlic.  She also liked the potato patties that they serve as a side.  They are mashed potatoes with cheese that are rolled in Panko bread crumbs and fried.  She makes potato pancakes but has never put bread crumbs on them.  It is on her list of things to try now.

This coming weekend is our last weekend here.  Will the folks visit Chinatown?  They have tried a few times but the weather has not cooperated.  I have a feeling they will go this weekend even if it is cool out.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Not Happy About Leaving Here

Winchester Mystery House - Odd and Interesting

The folks had planned on visiting Chinatown on Saturday, but the weather was quite cool. They switched gears and decided to visit the Winchester Mystery House.  They had been dragging their feet on it because Mom had hoped to find a Groupon deal on it.  The tickets are $34 each and Mom thought that was pricey.
 

Winchester Mystery House

Sarah Winchester owned the house.  She was from Connecticut.  Her husband's father owned the Winchester Rifle Co.  Her infant daughter died which left her in a depression and then her husband died 15 years later.  She visited a spiritual medium that told her that her family and fortunes were being haunted by those killed by the Winchester rifle. The medium told her to move west and buy a house to appease the spirits by building a great house for them. She was told that as long as construction of the house never ceased, she could rest assured that her life was not in danger. Building of the house was supposed to bring her eternal life.  She found a house while visiting her niece near San Jose.  She hired a staff and over the next 38 years, work was done on the house 24 hours a day.  The work stopped on the day that she died.  If you would like to read more about Sarah Winchester and her house, click on this link: Winchester Mystery House.  It really is quite interesting. Photography is not allowed inside the house, but photos are on the website.  Mom also found several videos on YouTube that give small tours of the house.

 Before the folks took the tour, they ate lunch in the cafe.  The house is located near a mall and the traffic in that area was terrible with holiday shoppers, so they decided the cafe was their best option. They shared a plate of sliders and fries for $10.  Mom said it was good even though the bun was a little burnt.

The folks toured the garden before the tour.

These doors cost $3,000 when installed in 1906 and were unused as she did not entertain.

The tour took an hour and the guide said that they walked a mile. They did not tour the entire house. He said part of his test to becoming a guide was his ability to be able to find his way out of the house in five minutes.  His first try took him three hours.  You see the house is 24,000 square feet, 160 rooms, 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, 52 skylights, 47 fireplaces, 40 bedrooms, 40 staircases, 13 bathrooms, six kitchens, three elevators, two basements and one shower.  There are steps that end at the ceiling and also some that end at a wall, doors that open to walls and doors that open to nothing, just big drops.  There are steps called easy risers that are steps that are maybe just a few inches off the ground.  Mrs. Winchester had arthritis and those steps were probably easy for her to use.  However, it looks like guest are walking to a ride at Disney World watching them go up the steps because the steps had half walls around them. A ramp may have been easier.  Mom said Scout could have walked on the easy riser steps.  There is a seance room that had one entrance but three exits.  Mrs. Winchester did not sleep in the same room two nights in a row. She really wanted to confuse the spirits.   

She was very wealthy.  It is estimated that she made over a $1,000 a day and that was in the early 1900's.  She paid her staff well, but also fired them easily.  Many of the staff members lived on site.  If they had a family, they had their own little house on site. 

Mom said the stained glass windows were beautiful.  She wishes she could have taken photos.  The number 13 and spider web designs were important to Mrs. Winchester, so there was evidence of those all over.  The spider web designs were in some of the windows.

There is also a museum of the Winchester rifles.  That is included in the basic tour price.  There is a behind the scenes tour that is also offered, but the folks did not do that.  It included a tour of the basement and a few other rooms.


The folks really enjoyed the tour of the house and are still talking about it today.  The guide they had didn't seem to like his job much.  He commented that tour guides have to clean the windows, put up the Christmas trees and do five tours a day....same tour five times a day. 

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Glad He Doesn't Live In The Mystery House Because It Might Take A While To Find The Door To Go Outside

Garlic And Hard Water

BOL, is that a title or what? 

The folks visited Gilroy, CA which is the Garlic Capitol of the World.  They stopped at a store called Garlic World.  They sell garlic, some sauces, seasoning mixes etc.  Mom bought garlic powder and a garlic cheese powder.  She really likes the garlic cheese powder, but hasn't tried the garlic powder yet.  She cooks with a lot of fresh garlic.

While they were out, they stopped at the Camping World that is near there.  It is not the one that they drove an hour and a half to on Friday only to find it was closed for the day. They didn't buy anything.

They ate lunch at Uncle Buck's FishBowl.  It is a restaurant located in Bass Pro Shop.  It is a restaurant/bowling alley.  They ate at an Uncle Buck's in Texas, but it was not a Fishbowl.  That one was more of a steak place.  This one is decorated so that it looks like you are under the sea.

This is the bowling alley.

Last year at this time, we were in Alabama.  Mom sure misses the food there.  So, she decided to have the alligator as an appetizer.  She said it was good. 

Alligator Bites

Dad ordered the fish platter.  He said it was good.

Mom ordered the burger and fries.  She said it was good.  I had some of the fries.  Yum!

You are probably wondering why our title had hard water in it.  Well, the water here is hard.  We do not have a water softener.  Mom noticed the shower doors were getting pretty nasty. She looked on the Internet to see how much vinegar and water she should mix together to clean.  She found a "recipe" for Dawn dish washing detergent and vinegar.  She tried it and she is very happy with the results. She left it on for about twenty minutes and then wiped it with a wash cloth and then rinsed really well.  The shower doors are sparkling now.  Here is the link, if you are interested.  Dawn Vinegar For Sparking Shower Doors

 Joey,
The Greyhound Who Didn't Know Water Could Be Hard

Almost Wordless Wednesday - 12/02/2015

We decorated today. Mom actually waited until December this year.

No stockings, just ornaments.  The heat comes out the top of our fireplace and we don't want to start a real fire with stockings.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Needs To Make His List For Santa

Yes, This Is California, But.....

 
It is freezing. That's right, it was 30 degrees last night.  I even wore my coat this morning.  I feel silly wearing a coat because only the little dogs wear coats here. Mom reminded me that the race horses next to us wear coats, so that made me feel a little better. The lady in the office said I looked cute and she invited me over for an early morning treat.  She told me to come back this afternoon for my regular one. 

I always leave my tongue out when it is cold outside.

The poor trees dropped their leaves last night.

Yesterday, the folks drove 1.5 hours to a Camping World. It is about an hour away but traffic was bad.  They got there and it was closed.  They have shopped at Camping Worlds on past Black Fridays, so they were surprised it was closed.  What retail store is closed on Black Friday?  They were not the only ones who expected it to be open.

Mom and I are hanging out together while Dad is at work.  It is too cold for her to ride Buddy today.  She said we need to clean the RV.  I think that is just silly.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Thinks Cleaning Is A Waste Of Time

Thanksgiving 2015

Happy Thanksgiving! We had a cold start to the morning.  Mom decided to see if our electric heater could keep us warm on a cold night.  She is trying to conserve the propane.  Well, it didn't work very well.  It was 56 inside and 32 or 33 outside.  Tonight, she will use the propane.  It took about an hour to get it warm inside. 

Mom has joined the adult coloring craze.  This was her first attempt at a detailed one.  She used glitter gel pens on this one.  You can't see the glitter here, but in person it looks pretty neat.  She normally uses colored pencils.

The lady in the office gave me two treats yesterday.  She said they are closed today, so one was for yesterday and the other one was for today.  Mom baked a pumpkin pie yesterday.  I thought I might get a taste of that, but she only gave me some whipped topping.  Mmmmmm.... I love whipped topping.

This is my spot in front of the office.  I think it is rude that I have to move when someone comes by to check-in.

The folks have reservations at Black Angus Steak House for dinner.  They have a Thanksgiving meal for $19.99 a person.  That is not bad considering some places are charging $75 a person.  Yikes!  They have reservations for three and I thought the third one was for me, but it's not.  It is for a guy that Dad knows from work.  He is away from home too and doesn't have family here.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates. We hope you are wearing roomy pants, and if not, we hope you don't pop any buttons.  BOL   Mom told Grandma that she hopes her turkey popper pops and the sweet potatoes stay flame-free.  BOL  Yep, we have had some mishaps on past Thanksgivings. 

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Hopes His Mom Remembers To Sneak Him Some Leftovers From The Restaurant

An Attitude Adjustment?

Mom says I have an attitude and it needs to be adjusted.

Does this look like I have an attitude?

Well, if I do, it is her fault.  It all started on Sunday when the folks started preparing the RV to move it.  No one told me about a move!  Normally I am very excited about it, but I like it here and I did not want to move.  Where will I get my daily treats and lovings?  Mom took me for a walk and do you know what I did?  I marked my outside bed.  Yep, I showed her, don't you think?  I refused to go back inside until she forced me and when it was time to ride the slide (laying on the couch as the slide comes in), I did not enjoy it.  Nope, I put my head down and gave her a stink-eye.  It turns out that we just moved to the next site.  We did not actually leave the park. We did have to back out and then circle the area to get into our new site.   I do not like the site though.  I keep going back to our old site, but now someone else has moved into that site.  :::sigh:::  I have been in a "mood" since the move.

The folks tried to make it up to me by taking me to a park for a hike.  I thought I might enjoy that, but there were foxtails, rattlesnakes and mountain lions, so it wasn't much fun.  We didn't actually see the rattlesnakes and mountain lions, but we saw lots of signs warning us.  California is a dangerous place to live, it seems.

These are the only pictures from the park.  I don't even know the name of it and I really don't care.

Yesterday, Mom started knitting me a sweater.  Yikes!  She actually made me stand up to take a measurement.  Why can't she just buy from a store like other Moms? 

We do have an interesting neighbor.  She has parrots.  Those things talk more than Mom. :::snicker::: One day I was outside and the parrot said "HELLO, GOOD-BYE, BUCKLE UP and MOM.  She said they call for their Dad.  They say STEVEN, STEVEN when they think they hear his car.   Most of the time they just make a lot of screaming noises.  I enjoy watching them though. 

This is Giggles.

Well, it is supposed to be a rainy day here, so I guess I will take a nap and see if I wake up with an adjusted attitude.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Wouldn't Have An Attitude If People Just Let Him Do What He Wants To Do

She Can't Be Really Gone - Remembering A Friend

This morning, our friend Donna, earned her angel wings.  Donna was married to Mom and Dad's friend, Lee. Lee was a mutual friend of Mom and Dad's in high school.  He actually introduced them. The folks were in his first wedding and he was in theirs.  They lost touch for a few years, but re-connected when he married Donna.  Donna was his soul mate.  She raised his two girls as her own. Mom never heard her say "step daughters", they were HER girls.  They were a family, a very happy family. 

Donna was hospitalized a little over three weeks ago. She was unconscious and I don't know if they knew for sure what was wrong.  There were guesses and treatments, but she did not recover.  She left this earth around 1:30 a.m. surrounded by her family.  The girls have lost their mother and best friend.  Lee has lost his soul mate.  Mom and Dad are both very sad.  Mom said her heart hurts for Lee and the girls.

Even though Donna was sick, it is hard to imagine that she is gone.  Her things are still waiting for her to come home and this song made us think of that.  We hope you can hear the song.

RIP Donna Vickers - you were loved by so many.


Can't Be Really Gone - Lyrics

Her hat is hanging by the door
The one she bought in Mexico
It blocked the wind, it stopped the rain
She'd never leave that one
So, she can't be really gone


The shoes she bought on Christmas Eve
She laughed and said they called her name
It's like they're waiting in the hall
For her to slip them on
So, she can't be really gone


I don't know when she'll come back
She must intend to come back
And I've seen the error of my ways


Don't waste the tears on me
What more proof do you need
Just look around the room
So much of her remains


Her book is lying on the bed
The Two of Hearts to mark her page
Now, who could ever walk away
At chapter twenty-one
So, she can't be really gone


Just look around the room
So much of her remains


Her book is lying on the bed
The Two of Hearts to mark her page
Now, who could ever walk away
With so much left undone
So, she can't be really gone


No, she can't be really gone

Thinking Of Scout On Her Birthday

Today is Scout's birthday.  She would have been ten.  Mom really wanted her to make it to ten, but it wasn't meant to be.  We are thinking of her, but trying not to be sad.  Scout has sent has several signs to let us know she is okay.

Scout would have loved it here.  The people are so nice and they have a treat window at the office.  That's right, the office has a half door and they hand out treats to all the dogs.  Last week, they stood outside and handed out treats.  They give me lots of love and you know, they would have really loved Scout.   

Mom came across a post about Scout last week and it really sums up Scout and her personality.  We should have saved the one with her sunbathing and posted that today instead of this one because that one really made us laugh.  Oh, what the heck!  We are showing that photo again.



Scout was definitely an Eeyore and this post shows it.

01/21/14
It's me, Scout, to tell you all something.  Normally, I walk around like Eeyore.  I drag along without too much enthusiasm.  Mama is always telling me to pick up the pace.  Well, today, I had a pep in my step.  I was a happy girl.  We were all having a great walk.  Do you know what happened?  Joey peed on me!  That's right, he peed on my nose. My pep is now gone.  I don't think it will ever return.

Scout,
The Greyhound Who Thinks Eeyore Has The Right Outlook On Life

Mom here:  That was not the last time that Scout had a pep in her step even though she probably wouldn't want to admit it.  She did get Joey back just a few days later by peeing on him.  LOL  Scout had a very happy life with us.  She was loved and she knew it.  :-)  Miss you Baby Girl....Mama loves you!