January 2024

 Hi there everyone, 

Well, the holidays did not go any way in which I had hoped. I pretty much was shamed into having Rescue Ranch take Woody since we were not able to find him a new home in the short few days that I was given. I know this wasn't easy on Karen, or maybe even Mike, so I've tried to not say too much to them about it, but I am surprised as to how easy my other family members seem to think it might be for me to deal with finding Woody a new home. They have no concept as to how hard rescue is, or how much energy I put into it. I know I will move forward, but asking Rescue Ranch to take Woody is probably one of the most disappointing things I have ever had to do. It took a few days, but Rick at Rescue Ranch did agree to take him. Once Woody arrived at the adoption center, he was relocated to the Sanctuary. Sadly, this time of year, was not optimal for Woody to be at the sanctuary because it gets so cold at night and there are no kennels where Woody can be indoors at the sanctuary. Eventually, Woody found his way to a foster in the Mt. Shasta area... I'm hoping he finds an adopter soon. 

Aside from the drama associated with Karen and Mike's relocation to Connecticut, the month of January was fairy uneventful. I did have a recall on a coolant valve on the Jeep. I had not experienced any problems with the Jeep, but if I'm told to bring it in to have a recall item addressed, then I'm willing to follow up on it as soon as I can. One problem that I am having with the Jeep is a problem with the screen on the infotainment system. Every once in a while, about every 6 months, the screen goes black and will not turn on and then eventually does turn on and resolves it self. I have brought this to the attention of the dealership, and they are tracking the issue. Hopefully a recall on the infotainment system will be forthcoming as well. Despite some of my concerns about certain aspects of the Jeep, I absolutely love the vehicle and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Yes, I might like to have a 2024, but that would only serve to delay the time with which I get it paid off. Though I have no love for having to drive into the office, I sure love driving the Jeep if I have to go into the office. I love being able to charge it for free at the office, and it is just a smooth riding vehicle that is very comfortable. 

This month we are for the most part in a Rinse and Repeat of every other month of my life where I move from one RV park to another every 3 weeks. Don't get me wrong, I love this life and I enjoy the various locations that we find our selves in. However, I don't mention Remi much. Remi is my dedicated travel partner who is always there for me if I need her, and always curls up next to me on top of the covers of the bed at night. 

This time of the year, when the temperatures are cooler, it is much easier to have her come along for the ride. With the cooler temperatures, if I need to leave her in the car, I don't have to worry about her getting too warm in the car. Whenever the opportunity arrives, I like for Remi and I to be able to go on a day trip where just Remi and I are spending time together. Sadly, this probably doesn't happen enough, but I try to make time for us to do these sorts of outings as frequently as I can. 

One such day trip was to go up Interstate 80 towards Nyack and hopefully take Remi to go play in the snow a little bit. Remi and I stayed up at the Thousand Trails Snowflower Lake location last year (2023), just before the closed for the season in late October. So, Remi and I loaded up the car and headed up Interstate 80. Remi first stopped for a Pup-cup (a cup of whipped cream) from Dutch Brothers. We then ventured up the hill to do some exploring. When we got up there, we found a lot of other people up there as well, playing in the snow. Remi loves the snow, and in typical fashion, she went with me to explore it a little bit. 

For part of the month, Remi and I found ourselves at Lake Minden, one of our favorite parks and one night there was a knock on the door of the motorhome. It was a little girl, maybe 11 years old asking for some food. I knew which RV she lived in, and there was a man, a woman, 2 dogs and 3 kids living in it. It broke my heart to think they may not have any food, but also based on what I had seen in the way of things being brought in an out of the RV, I wasn't surprised that they didn't have a pot to piss in so to speak. So, I went to the grocery store the next day and bought them some groceries and some dog food. I left the items in a bag, under the cover of darkness for them to find the next morning. I hope if nothing else, that it brightened their spirits a little bit. 

Something else I did this month, that I've never attempted before was to do the Martin Luther King Jr. Day walk in Sacramento. I got up super early and headed off to Sacramento City College to hopefully participate in this years event. Well, I made it to the event, but my feet were bothering me and so I didn't attempt the walk this year. I did however get to see Secretary of Technology Amy Tong address the crowd, along with Sacramento Mayor Steinberg. I have great respect for both of these people, so I was glad I got to see them in person. 

As the end of the month approached, I did make a trip up to Phoenix Oregon to help Karen and Mike get started on packing. Kris and Laura's adopted daughter Eliza wanted a neon "Music" sign that Mike had, so that is one of the things I helped them to pack. We also got an early start on my birthday and we went out to dinner. This time we went to a place I had never been too before, but it was very good, and had a yummy chocolate cake desert item. I was glad also that Chuck and Teri were able to join us for this evening as well. 

Well, that pretty much makes up what happened in the Month of January. Please feel free to check out my two videos this month. One is my VLOG, and the other is a tour of the motorhome.  

Safe travels all.

Remi and Eric Too!