18.05.21 - 06.09 Home Base Connections

The next 20 nights after the PEO convention I stayed in home base but moved 13 times as I wanted to visit with family and friends but did not want to wear out my welcome. Here are the highlights:

First  was a one nighter at Boykin’s during the going away party for Jenny and Pat

who have sold their house and are setting off on their own adventure and to find a  new place to settle. The event was well attended by Jenny’s PEO sisters.

Next I retrieved MT from the engine service station and moved to Thunder Valley where Mike and I have stayed many times before so I knew it would be safe and comfortable. I parked and slept for three nights while I worked on moving out of my home on wheels for the next two months. One night I met a group of PEO sisters at the Club Car for dinner and to enjoy the music of the Double Shots 
with Dan and Karen’s who introduced the duo to Mike and me several years before we left our house. Tonight I requested and they played one of my “connectivity with Mike” songs - “Don’t let the sun catch you crying” ( see Jan 14 Liverpool entry) which I cried to, of course, while I danced with Dan.

On the Friday of Memorial Day weekend I moved MT to B & B RV where he will get some maintenance on the House part of the vehicle. Then I drove to Citrus Heights to spend three nights with Laurie and Bob.  

One day we celebrated their anniversary at the Cliff House overlooking Folsom River and then went for pedicures.  Delicious and relaxing!

I spent Memorial Day and the next day with Dollie and Richard.  We went to a birthday party for Marie at Cecily’s house (she has an excellent party cabana in her back yard) 

with a bunch of people I know from Sierra Pines UMC.

I went to dinner with Kelly and Glenda one night and crashed on Kelly’s couch because Kelly is in the process of combining two households and the spare bedroom was occupied, but the accommodations and conversation were very enjoyable .

The next day I spent the morning and early afternoon on a hike in the American River Canyon with Gay and Suzanne. 

The four mile round trip up to Lake Clementine was a favorite of ours when the kids were still young enough to agree to go on a hike with their parents. It was a favorite hike of mine today, too.

That night, after another of my ongoing trips to storage to get and stay organized ( and to reduce my load) I spent with Patti and we talked on her deck until the mosquitoes sent us indoors and then for hours in the kitchen.

The next day I met up with my Truckee ranger friend Jacqui and the other hosts I knew from spending parts of three summers working with Jacque at Martin Creek Lake USACE campground. 

Today was Jacquie’s retirement party in Nevada City.

That night after Jacquie returned to Truckee I went to the home of Steve and Rochelle. They live on acreage near the Nevada County Fairgrounds. Beautiful spot. More good conversation until bedtime.  In the morning I went for a walk on their property before helping Rochelle with her knitting - perfect for me!

While moving from Grass Valley to my next stop in Rocklin I stopped at three homes to retrieve belongings I had mistakenly left  behind. Try as I might to stay organized, it is still a challenge!  At Suzannes’s house I was close enough to the Bear River 

tengo o stop for a while to  enjoy the memories of taking the kids there for summertime fun until they got old enough to drive themselves.

The next stop was Rocklin where I stayed with Dean ( who was our client for several years) 

and Joelle who are now both my (our) FRIENDS as well. We sent a toast to Mike over a bottle of champagne at the beginning of Joelle’s several course all evening dinner.

From Rocklin,  I went to Rancho Cordova and stayed with Diane - the wife of Doug - another work associate of Mike’s.  We lost touch for a few years after Doug passed away, but we’ve enjoyed getting to know each other better as ones who lost their love and life partner and are learning to deal with it.

Connie hosted me one night and served up a delicious dinner with catch-up conversation for Steve, Terri and me.  The next morning Connie and I took a brisk walk along the American River Parkway for an hour. 

What a great recreational feature to have in your neighborhood!

The last stop in home base was a return stay with the Boykin’s to prepare for and attend the 5th annual PEO bus trip to a SF Giants game.  This year I decided to make my schedule fit this activity because I’m a fan of both the Giants and the PEO sisters.  

Food and drinks in both directions on the bus, a nice day at the park 

and a win for the Giants made the day

a good one!

My last act on the way out of town was a trip to MT and my storage unit 

to continue organizing my belongings and a trip to the bank to pick up the pesos for my upcoming trip to Mexico I had ordered last week. I stayed one more night with Laurie and Bob.  We watched the final game of the NHL championship and then I did some luggage work until I fell asleep during a packing break. 

A pleasant drive against the Friday traffic to Tom and Pat’s house left me two more nights to get ready for my flight.  I left my bags downstairs in the living room and rearranged and eliminated for a day and a half until I had one roller bag, one backpack and one purse all ready to go on the airplane to Cancun tomorrow. Not too heavy, and not busting st the seams. Not as easy as it sounds:)  Success!

It has been a fun visit through home base, and really good to see everyone, but now I’m ready for some down time.  Adiós mi familia y amigos! Hasta luego!