Planning A Slower Couple-A-Months
For various reasons we’ve decided to stay put around San Diego for a few more months. You could call it an extension of our whole “take your time” motto that’s naturally becoming part of our 2012 travel plans. So far we’re loving it here. Weather is spectacular, natural beauty abounds and we’ve got tons of friends & activities in the area, plus there’s plenty of opportunity to do day-trips to interesting spots.
Just to keep things fresh and the ol’ travel-bug fired-up we’re going to mix-up the months by moving around -> some time boondocking in the desert (this coming week), a month by the coast and more time in-land by the mountains. For the moment it all feels “right” and although it’s not quite the rapid pace of our previous 2 years it’s all part of the RV lifestyle. Move as you want and enjoy the spots you like while you’re there.
Another novelty of our longer-stay winter is that we’ve made firm friends with just about everyone around our rig. I’m a natural-born conversationist so I’m usually nosing my way into whatever is going on around me. We’ve got the snowbirders out back who’ve just taken Paul golfing for the day, the young Navy family in front of us with a cute lab-chow mix that’s become Polly’s new bestest-boyfriend, and the folks to the side of us who’ve got a new German Shepherd pup and are a bit overwhelmed (I’m going to give them some free dog-training lessons today). It’s this same sense of community which draws many RVers back to the same spots year after year, and I can certainly understand that attraction.
Oh, and for those of you who perked up like prairie dogs at the mention of golf let me say that so far it’s only Paul going that route. He was a rather keen player in his youth and has taken it back up this year with great enthusiasm. In my case, my lack of patience and complete absence of hand-to-eye coordination has (to the great boon of other players in my opinion) kept me happily off the greens. Of course, between grumbling about his swing and cursing the slice, Paul keeps trying to convince me it’s a fun sport. You should never say never of course, but I do tend to lean to Robin William’s view on the matter (if you’ve never seen this is definitely not PG, but it’s a classic!):
Having nothing to say that can beat that skit, I’ll leave you for a relaxing week-end in the sun. Next stop, the wide-open desert…..we’ll see you there!
San Diego and the whole SoCal is always a great choice.
And yeah, certainly a classic stand-up. I lost my DVD of it though. Hilarious. esp. the end bit.
Totally with you 🙂 Nina
Where are you staying in San Diego? We’ll be in California next fall/winter sometime and San Diego is one of the places on my list. Pros and Cons about your current park?
Thanks, Sue
We’re currently in Santee Lakes (county park run by the water district) and it’s one of our favorite spots in the area. Big sites, lots of green and space, and not too far from town. I have a (very) old review of the place on the blog which i’ll be updating and re-publishing. Our next spot will be Mission Bay which I’ll review too. Nina
I don’ blame you for wanting to stay the San Diego area for the next month or two! we love it here! what’s not to like. the temperatures are awesome.
Where are you guys parked down here? We’re always open to meeting folks so let us know if we’re close.
Nina
How great for you guys to slow down, enjoy the area & get to know people – not good for us though! We were hoping to meet you both but (at this time – totally subject to change of course!!) the closest we are going to be to San Diego is Palm Springs in a few weeks.
Oh goodness!! You guys will be so close! How long are you staying around the SW?
Nina
Not as long we would like…we unfortunately have to return to work much earlier than we anticipated so we are Portland bound & plan on getting there sometime in March. So, that leaves breezing up the interior of California going faster than we planned. 🙁
Sounds like you have found a wonderful temporary home. I love Robin Williams!
That man has a natural-born skill for stand-up. One of the best ever!
Nina
yes we have noticed that to really get to know your neighbors you need to be there an extended stay… not being a natural conversationalist means it takes a while before we make acquaintances…
The extended stay definitely makes for a local sense of community. I’m lovin’ the experience.
Nina
It sounds like you are really loving the area. We are anxious to get there ourselves, and although we will be workamping while there, we will have plenty of time to explore, so am enjoying your descriptions of the surrounding area. Hope to meet you both in February. We had seen the Robin Williams skit before but it is hysterical no matter how many times you watch it.
Lookin’ forward to emeting up! You won’t be dissapointed w/ the weather here. It’s been one of the best winters I can remember. Simply beautiful.
Nina
Nina and Paul – San Diego is really putting on a good weather show this year. Long stretches of above average sun and temps. I hiked up to the top of Stonewall peak New Year Day and I was hot in a short sleeve Tshirt. I drove past you guys today on Rt 52. Sometime this season there has to be some more rain and cold. Maybe.
Robert,
The weather has been nutty good here! You’re SO welcome to come by and see us if you’re in the area. Always enjoy meeting blog readers!
Nina
Nina and Paul,
I had thought about stopping by but reluctant to invade your privacy.
Bob
Just e-mailed you our details, in case you’re in the area again 🙂
Nina
If you every feel like codifying and blogging those tips on dog training I would read them with interest before passing on the link. My daughter (who, unlike me, does have patience) is trying to manage two boys (three and one), a senior citizen Chihuahua, a mature (and amazingly tolerant) cat, and a new (as in not even housebroken yet) Border Collie mix medium sized pound puppy. (At this point the puppy has clearly identified her as the alpha female, the boys as elder siblings, the Chihuahua as a interesting puzzle, the husband as the absolute Alpha to be pleased at all costs, and the cat as a object of absolute terror).
To make things even more interesting she and her husband are expecting a daughter this coming January.
Words of experience driven puppy training wisdom would certainly be appreciated.