Stews On The Go

-Edna Valley Wine Trip-

2012-02-04T21:32:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a day. A fantastically beautiful day on our Wine Tasting Bus Tour in Edna Valley of San Luis Obispo County. Such a fun time while riding the bus along Highway 101. The sky was clear, the hills were green and the weather was warm on this first week in Feburary. Thanks to Steve and Diane for inviting us on a very fun day trip up the California Coast with some great people. To view a view of the phots just click on "Edna Valley Wine Trip."

-Legoland Vacation-

2012-02-01T19:27:00.000-08:00

We took a chance and it worked out perfectly. The weather in January is usually a rainy one in California, but not this weekend. The weather was fantastic. Clear, warm, no wind on a great Southern Cal day in Oceanside. We set up shop at the nice WorkMark Oceanside before heading out to eat at Bubba Gumps. The next day we stayed until closing at the Carlsbad Legoland with Heather, Collin and Matt. Sooooo much fun. This place is great for 2-8 year olds. Bring a camera along for those great shots. View the photos by clicking on "Legoland Vacation Photos."

-Santa Rosa Holidays Hike-

2011-12-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

20 years ago the distance runners from Newbury Park High School use to run on these trails. But with development, washouts, fires, old age (Mike's) the trails have been "lost" for quite some time. Well, thanks to Ventura County Park and Recs a new foot bridge was installed to cross the Callegas Creek. With a new bridge, new park and lots of foot trails off Mike went to "rediscover" this beautiful part of Ventura County between Moorpark, Camarillo and Thousand Oaks. After a little more than two hours only a few of the trails were viewed. More for next time I think. Click on "Santa Rosa Park Photos" to see a view fun pics.

-A Thanksgiving Michigan Visit-

2011-12-05T11:21:00.001-08:00

Well, most of the Tregos joined with some of the Stewarts in a Thanksgiving Holiday visit in Kalamazoo. The weather worked out pretty well with rainy days alternating with sun. We were lucky to miss the snow, although it did drop 4 inches the afternoon we departed to Memphis. John and Debbie were great hosts having to put up with alternating families for 10 days. The visit was great and the dinner was fantastic. It was so much fun visiting with that side of the family. I have posted a few photos. Just click on "Michigan Thanksgiving Photos" to view them.

2011-11-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

Being retired has its definite advantages. We obviously get to take a "vacation" anytime. So it was with our trip to the Coachella Valley. We stayed in our timeshare at the WorldMark Indio Resort. Wow, what a place! The best one of the group we have stayed at thus far. After a days worth of wind we were greeted to wonderful fall desert temps in the low 80's. We were able to make use of the resort amenities as well as visit the eastern side of the Salton Sea and the small town of Niland and it's Salvation Mountain. It was worth the drive just to see what one man, Leonard, has done the past 40 years with adobe dirt and paint. Amazing! We also got in a few bikes rides, played some golf (well Nancy did) and won a few dollars at the local casinos. Click on "Indio Vacation Photos" to view some of our pics of the adventure. Check back again, as we upload more photos.

-Happy Birthday Devun-

2011-10-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well, we are so happy to announce a new addition to the Stewart clan. His name is Devun Matthew Stewart, born on September 29th at 1am in Mammoth Lakes, California to Trevor Stewart and Katie Elwell! Because Devun was born a month early and had some complications, he was airlifted out to Loma Linda University in Redlands for better care. As of today, October 16, Devun has progressed so well that he is now off all tubes and doing fine with mom in the Inland Empire. Hopefully he continues to improve so he can go home this week and enjoy his new life in the mountains. Congrats to Katie and Trev, they should be wonderful parents!

-Our Oregon Adventure-

2011-09-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

45 days on the road in our 5th wheel trailer. Sounds like fun right? You bet it does! Nancy and I decided to dive into our retirement with an extended camping trip up north. Our destinations basically revolved around our Thousand Trails Membership campgrounds. It allows us to stay for FREE! Our only real cost is the gas to get there. Luck for us, kind of, gas in Oregon got as low as $3.65 a gallon. About 40 cents cheaper then in California. We started with great weather, but it began to rain more as we got closer to the Washington border. Hopefully, it changes as we head back south. See you soon! Click on "Oregon Vacation Photos" to see the slideshow of the pictures we took. Also, click on "slideshow" to view them better.

-Big Bear Lake Vacation-

2011-08-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

It is nice to get a bunch of things done at one time. So was it with our mini-vacation to Big Bear Lake. Since the time we took over Carroll's WorldMark timeshare we have always wanted to visit one located at Big Bear Lake. Well, low and behold there just happened to be a new charity bike ride on the first weekend in August. So, guess what? We headed to Big Bear to rest and relax from our strenuous retirement life and participate in a fun bike ride around the lake and visit the timeshare. But some added treats were to visit with my former working partner and friend Marty and his family at their vacation cabin on the lake and head down the mountain to also visit with the Erquiagas and play with CJ's new blocks that Grandma bought him. What a great time with great weather, so much fun. View some of our photos by clicking on "Big Bear Lake Vacation Photos."

-A Family Camping Trip-

2011-07-31T09:14:00.000-07:00

What better way to spend some time together with the family then to go camping! So we all headed south towards the San Diego area to camp at our membership campground at Thousand Trails Pio Pico inland from Chula Vista. What a great time we all had walking, talking, visiting and making use of the campgrounds amenities. Obviously, three days was way to short a time to take in everything offered. Maybe next time. The weather was fantastic and so was the camping. Such fun. To see how much fun we al had just click on "Pio Pico Camping Photos" to view the pics.

-Country Coast Classic Weekend-

2011-06-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

We headed into our favorite section of the California Central Coast, Cambria. Here we stayed for a few days at the Cambria Shores Inn. This year was our annual trek to Cambria for the charity ride of the "Country Coast Classic." Here we rode from Cambria up scenic Highway 1 to our turn around destination at Ragged Point. Such a beautiful bike ride along the beautiful coastline. We started in overcast and drizzly weather but finished in sunny and wonderful tailwind weather. At the finish we were looking forward to the lunch of grilled salmon at Shamel Park. Mike did his "traditional" ride from Cambria to San Luis Obispo on Sunday morning. We had a great weekend. See just a few of the photos by clicking on "Cambria Weekend Photos." Oh, BTW, did you know it was our 25th Anniversary?!

-Spring Time Vacation-

2011-06-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

Well, springtime in California is one of the best times to camp. So we set out to take a short two week adventure into Northern California. During our stay we ventured to a private campground in Paso Robles, then onto the Thousand Trails Preserves of San Benito, Lake Minden and Morgan Hill before finishing in Buellton at a private campground. What we experienced was two weeks of weird weather. Winds in Paso Robles. At Lake Minden near Sacramento we had rain, tornadoes, thunder and lightening. In Morgan Hill we had a day (15 hours) of constant rain. Now fog and "June Gloom" in Buellton. Anyways, all worked out well. We got to relax, be tourist, wine taste and obviously ride our bikes. We will post out "Adventure Photos" later in the week, so check back soon.

-Philadelphia Vacation on the Go-

2011-05-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

Our goal was to visit Matt in Philadelphia and see a college play he was in at the University of the Arts in downtown. But, because I have never been to the area we decided to stay for a week and become a tourist. During our stay Philadelphia was having all kinds of activities that we took advantage of: UARTS play; Phillies baseball game; Penn Track Relays; Festival of the Arts in downtown. We also saw the other attractions by either walking (lots of walking), trolley, bus, subway or taxi. The places that were a hit with us: Washington DC, Old Historic Philly, Valley Forge National Park, Philly Waterworks area, Philly by the Big Bus, and all of the fun eating places (lots of eating places. However, this was the most fun vacation. All of it so new and different, historic and with wonderful weather too boot. We took so many photos. But, I have divided the good ones up into folders. Just click on each of these folders and then click on the slideshow to see them bigger and better: Downtown Philadelphia; Old City Philadelphia; Washington DC; Penn Relays/UARTS Play/Phillies Game/Riverwalk/ValleyForge.

-An Orcutt Birthday Party-

2011-04-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, Shaun is now 50 YEARS OLD! Oh my. Tiffany put together a fantastic birthday party at the Barn in Santa Maria for her husband's 50th. Over 50 family and friends attending the affair of great food, lots of wine with karioke and dancing also. We all had a great time remembering the fun times we had with Shaun in his life long path of growing older. Click on "Shauns Birthday Photos" to view the fun pics.

-Solvang Springtime Bike Tour-

2011-04-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

Another weekend on the California Central Coast. But, this time with biking friends for the 1st Annual Solvang Springtime Bike Tour in Buellton. The Santa Ynez Valley is always a beautiful area, but especially during the spring months. So, the biking groups of the Moorpark Bike Riders and Channel Islands Bike Club combined to have a biking activity during the second weekend of April. We had a great time with our 18 biking friends doing what we like to do: bike, eat, wine taste and relax. We had two days of biking of 43 miles to Lompoc and 34 miles to Los Olivos. Great fun. Check out our biking photos at this link: "Solvang Springtime Bike Photos."

-Central Coast Camping Trip-

2011-04-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

Springtime. The best time to visit the California Central Coast. So we decided to take our trailer to Pacific Dunes RV Ranch in Oceano for a four day camping vacation. We had the best weather. Clear and no rain. We went for a few bikes rides in this beautiful countryside, visited a few wineries in Edna Valley, hiked at Montana del Oro State Park, ate a some new restaurants, took a lot of photos, visited Sharon and Gordy and basically enjoyed the weekday trip. Just a note about Montana del Oro State Park. It is south of Morro Bay and west of SLO. The wildflowers should be amazing come the middle of April. Do yourself a favor and take the time to visit the park!!!! We have posted the many photos at "Central Coast Camping Photos" so click there to view the great pics.

-Palm Springs Tennis Weekend-

2011-03-18T04:22:00.000-07:00

Nancy has never attended a big tennis tournament. Amazing, since she has played and coached tennis. So, we headed to Palm Springs where the BNP Tennis Tournament was playing in Palm Desert with all the big names. We saw local tennis star Sam Querrey play and Ana Ivanovic play. What a fun place to watch and enjoy the tennis activities. It did get a little hot for us, 92 degrees by 2pm. So, next year we will watch the evening matches when it is cooler. Besides watching tennis we biked (obviously), hiked, ate great food, did a tourist thing at Moortan's Cactus Garden and took a lot of cool photos. To view the photos, just click on "Palm Springs Photo Slideshow."

-A Finished Project-

2011-03-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

Finally, a backyard project that began in May, has finally been completed. The first leg of the project was to have removed two very large pine trees on the slope and then fix the sprinklers. The second phase was to remove an old storage shed and choose and have installed a new updated one. Next was the long term effort to remove all plants/bushes that have been in the garden for 24 years. And finally the choosing and planting of some drought resistant plants for the bare garden area. Lots of work in the course of many months but with the help of Nancy, my neighbors George and Major, Jose our gardner, Professional tree trimmers and Tuff Shed of Ventura. But, now we have a newly renovated backyard with bright green grass and healthy rose bushes. Fun stuff!

-10 Feet of Mammoth Snow-

2011-02-26T21:46:00.000-08:00

Well, Trev had to show off how lucky he is to live in Mammoth Lakes. Over ten feet of packed snow are now on the mountain. We both agree than the snow will stay on the upper slopes all year long! Wow, here are three photos of Trev's boarding and teaching at Mammoth.

-Fishing in Winter-

2011-02-25T21:47:00.000-08:00

What does one do in Mammoth Lakes when there is ten feet of snow during the cold winter month's? Fish, obviously!? Well, when snowboarding is not in Trevor's agenda for the day he heads out to Hot Creek and Lower Owens to catch his food. At least he doesn't have to drill a hole in the ice like they do in Minnesota. The area he fishes is so beautiful and the trout look great don't they? Mammoth Lakes is one of the best areas in the state to live and have great recreation opportunities. Trev is lucky to live his dream.

-Solvang Wine Tasting Weekend-

2011-02-20T22:10:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you put together a vacation with six great friends? A fantastic weekend in Solvang! Yes, a few of our good neighbors and us took off to Solvang for two days of socializing, wine tasting, eating, shopping and sight seeing in this beautiful part of California. We thought we missed the rain, but as the day lengthened on Saturday it really rained hard. But, we did not lose sight of our goal, to have a great time. We visited at least seven wineries in two days, it is difficult to remember after all that "sipping." We had some great dining experiences at Roblar Winery, Angelica's Restaurant, and Jalama Beach Cafe. The views were amazing, especially on Sunday after the sky cleared. To see some of our fun photos just click on "Solvang Wine Tasting Photos."

-Tour de Palm Springs-

2011-02-14T05:20:00.000-08:00

Biking for us is a great activity. A wonderful way to stay fit, enjoy the outdoors and be with good friends. Every February we participate in the biking charity event of the Tour de Palm Springs. The weather has always been fantastic. Usually 60-75 degrees and clear. The Palm Springs area offers so many things to do. From biking, hiking, shopping and eating. Lots of eating! Too much eating!! But, we did survive this weekend event with Dave and Gayle by staying at an "RPI" discounted hotel of the Palm Springs Tennis Club. Wow, great place at the end of Baristo in downtown PS. We had a fantastic time biking and meeting up with friends before, during and after the ride. Go to PS in the winter, it is the best!

-Rancho Oso on the Go-

2011-01-27T04:00:00.000-08:00

Well here it is January in California, our rainy season. NOT! We had our rains early this year in November and December, so January has been dry for the "La Nina Season." Thus our mini-vacation to Thousand Trails Rancho Oso Preserve, along the Santa Ynez River above Santa Barbara, was fantastic. While our hometown of Moorpark was experiencing Santa Ana East Winds we were lucky to have no winds and temps of around 72 degrees and clear sky's! What a great week we had in the Santa Ynez Valley. We biked, hiked, wine tasted, shopped, took photographs of the scenery and wildlife and hooked up with Sharon and Gordy for a family lunch at famous Pea Soup Andersen's in Buellton. Our son Matt is schooling in Philadelphia and had snow and temps around 15 degrees, while we enjoyed our "winter season" in SouthernCal of 70 degrees. Boy, life is tough. To view photos just click on "Rancho Oso Mini-Vacation."

-Animals in the Yard-

2011-01-21T17:01:00.000-08:00

Even though we are "suffering" in our Southern California Winter, we do have "animals" that stick around to endure the bad weather! Today, with temps dipping down to a very cold 65 degrees in the sun, I photographed birds at the backyard feeder and a local squirrel trying to partake in the bounty. I had to put on my sunglasses to shoot the pictures because of the glare off of the snow drifts. NOT! Hopefully no one outside of California sees this write up and moves here. Too crowded already.

-BBQing in January?-

2011-01-17T17:01:00.000-08:00

Yes, nothing is better than Southern California in January. 85 degrees with bright sun and no wind. Great day to BBQ beef ribs and get us in the mood for "spring fever." But, we all know it is still winter and maybe rain is still on the way.

-Hair today gone Tomorrow-

2011-01-13T23:12:00.000-08:00

Grandson Collin James has the best looking baby hair. But, all good things must come to an end. Heading closer to his second birthday brings the "rite of passage." Turning the little baby boy into the little boy. How is this done you ask? Well, trimming his hair that is. Yes, the photo on the left shows his beautiful locks on Tuesday at Disneyland and the photo on the right is on Thursday after the visit to the barbershop. We understand that Momma Heather held her composure by not crying. But, if she did we would understand. Hopefully, Heather saved some hair clippings for posterity.

-A Wonderful Day in Anaheim-

2011-01-12T04:18:00.000-08:00

Being with family is fun. Especially at Disneyland! Yes, we gathered at the "Land of Magic" with Heather and Collin for the day's outing on a two park pass. The trip began in wonderful fashion, NO TRAFFIC! Yes, we avoided the LA morning nightmare into Anaheim with much planning. Secondly, we found that the parking structure was almost empty, no people! Thirdly, the weather turned out very nice in the mid 60's. Heather just happened to pull into the parking lot the same time as we did, what luck. Then off we went with Heather, Collin and Matt for a very fun filled day. Lots of rides and things to do for Collin (he is 19 months old) made this a special day. Collin seemed to have a wonderful time because he smiled all day long. Lastly, the "World of Color" light show. If you have never seen the show do it NOW! It was the most amazing show I have ever seen. All with water, lights, fire and laser-lights. Well worth the wait in California Adventure. Click on "Disneyland Photos" to see the fun pics. Oh PS. If you want to a great business, make baby strollers. They were everywhere in the park today!

-Snow Day in Ventura County-

2011-01-03T08:17:00.000-08:00

We live in Southern California for the nice warm weather. But, low and behold snow. Snow everywhere! The photo was taken from our upstairs bedroom window in Moorpark facing to the north/west direction of Ojai and Santa Paula. We will obviously head that direction for a day's worth of scenic photo shooting and sightseeing. But, we will definitely take out jackets and hats. What a way to begin the new year. Happy 2010! Well, here is an addition to our "adventure." The south facing local hills did not have much snow. So we ventured up the mountains via Highway 33. Half way up through the Wheeler Gorge Tunnels CalTrans was stopping traffic. We had to turn around. Boo hoo! No snow photos today.

-GPS on the Go-

2010-12-30T20:18:00.000-08:00

Finally a GPS that doesn't lose it's charge. One that I do not have to plug in to recharge. Nancy was soooooo nice to get me a new Kenwood GPS/Radio/CDplayer/IPODplayer for our truck. Now we can listen to lots of tunes while not getting lost on our lengthy camping trips into California, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona. Thank you good wife!

-A Santa Maria Christmas-

2010-12-27T16:41:00.000-08:00

It is always wonderful to get the family members together, especially during the Christmas Holidays. This year we ventured to Santa Maria to join our host, Sharon, for a fantastic mexican dinner and present opening. This is one of the best times of the year. Sorry for the tardiness of this posting. The photos got misplaced and recently "discovered." Just click on "Family Photos" to view the same postings in picasa.

-Holiday Show in Thousand Oaks-

2010-12-25T08:48:00.001-08:00

Yes, it is the season. So, with us having Matt home for the holidays from Philadelphia we set out to see a Christmas show. Low and behold one was at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza with Shirley Jones and Patrick Cassidy. We just walked up to purchase tickets at the window, cheaper that way, and were we lucky to get senior and student half price tickets. The show was very much a variety show with lots of talented performers. Ms. Jones showed her years, but she added to the family atmosphere as her grand kids and sons were in attendance also. Fun stuff!

-Laker Game-

2010-12-22T08:43:00.000-08:00

Mike was very lucky to able to attend the Laker game vs. the Milwaukee Bucks, kindof. The Lakers LOST! But the seats were great, free and with good friends (Big Dave, Major and Dave). The best part of the game was obviously the Laker Girls and seeing Koby get thrown out of the game. As we left the Staples Center is was sprinkling and raining hard on the way home. Thanks Big Dave for the tickets!!!!

- Christmas Lights on the Go -

2010-12-04T07:21:00.001-08:00

Yes, it IS the Christmas Season. Well, we are not the first and definitely not the last to put up the outdoor Christmas Lights. Nancy was the director and Mike was the hired help. Together we got the lights up in good fashion, without any fighting, and before the winter rains arrive. So, here is a blurry photo to at least show you of our efforts. Now it is time to go shopping for presents, right?

-Yucaipa on the Go-

2010-11-23T20:03:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving Week we ventured to Yucaipa in the Inland Empire to visit Heather, Josh and Collin. We were very lucky to get reservations at Yucaipa Regional Park. It was full 3 months ago, but a cancellation opened the door for us to reserve a full hookup site. This county park is fantastic. It has wonderfully spaced RV sites with full hooks of water, electricity and sewer on asphalt pads surrounded by lots of grass and trees. We took off on a walk around the park, where we photographed lots of birds, for about one hour to stretch our legs after the long drive. We got in our hike just before the winter rain storm hit where it rained most of the night. The next day we ventured off to do errands and visit the Yucaipa Adobe of 1846 and onto the Oak Glen Apple Farms and then to Heather and Josh's for pizza. Thursday took us to Heather's for a fantastic Thanksgiving Dinner with the family! Then on Friday went spent a fraction of the day touring Forest Home where Josh works. So beautiful! Check out our first set of photos by clicking on these links: Yucaipa Park Hike, A Day in the Y, Thanksgiving Day

-Beatty on the Go-

2010-11-12T02:34:00.000-08:00

Onto the "real" desert we go. Over the mountain from Las Vegas towards the town of Beatty with Death Valley NP as our goal. Lots of open space out here. We can't even imagine living in this desert in August. Today it is clear and beautiful, but a little chilly. We checked out the town of Beatty where we found a very new RV park to set up camp for few days. Death Valley Inn & RV Park is very nice and works well for our adventures. The first place we drove to was the "Rhyolite Ghost Town" just a few miles from Beatty. We found a candy shop, believe it or not, in Beatty and are getting ready to watch the Lakers on DirecTV. We had no idea Death Valley was so beautiful in the fall season. Every place we visited was fantastic to view and take photos. Lots of photos! Check out our fun photos posted by clicking on the links to: Rhyolite & Beatty, Death Valley Day #1, Death Valley Day #2 etc.

-Las Vegas on the Go-

2010-11-10T04:40:00.000-08:00

Greeted to overcast sky's and a little rain as we headed to Las Vegas, Nevada. Our destination was the Thousand Trails Las Vegas Campground. Located in East Las Vegas and near the expanding city of Henderson this campground is a little bit is heaven. Not a preserve like the other Thousand Trails, but it does work for us. We have listed on our "to do list" is to visit Hoover Dam, bike in Red Rock Canyon, walk The Strip, and do a little bit of gambling. So far Hoover Dam and the New Bridge Overlook were fantastic. We lucked out on our visit because we missed the previous day's winds. The new bridge addition make this a photographers dream with wonderful vistas. Photos to view just click here: Red Rock Canyon Bike Ride, Hoover Dam.

-Williams on the Go-

2010-11-07T13:15:00.000-08:00

Arizona is one beautiful state. We left Thousand Trails Verde Valley Campground and headed for Williams, Arizona. Why Williams? Well, because it is centrally located to civilization (kinda) and our destination of the Grand Canyon. So far great weather, but really cold in the early morning hours, about 30 degrees. We have totally enjoyed this "La Bamba Tours Desert Vacation" thus far. In Williams we parked the rig at the Circle Pines KOA. Great place, especially since we got a free nights camping out of the four. We visited the Grand Canyon, Sycamore Canyon & Keyhole Sink Petroglyphs and Route 66 in Williams. Lots of Route 66 stores with many ugly hats, but cool t-shirts. All photos of this section of our trip are now posted of the Grand Canyon, Sycamore & Keyhole & Route 66, and downtown Williams.

-Verde Valley on the Go-

2010-11-01T21:01:00.001-07:00

The weather has been fantastic here in Cottonwood, Arizona on our continuation of the "La Bamba Desert Vacation." Our plans are to bike, hike, view Historic Jerome, visit long time friends Lois and Ed in Prescott, see Sedona, photograph Montezuma Well & Castle, and take the Verde Valley Train Ride from Clarkdale.This area in Arizona is so beautiful, especially during this fall season. Warm, sunny, clear with very mild temps. We are posting photos today for: Jerome, Verde Valley Campground, Montezuma Castle, Sedona, Tuzigoot Indian Ruins and Verde Canyon Train Ride and a short "Thousand Trails Verde Valley Video."

-Salome on the Go-

2010-10-31T04:00:00.000-07:00

So where is Salome you ask? Well, basically in the middle of "Nowhere, Arizona." Generally speaking it is about 25 miles on Highway 60 from the gem town of Quartzite. We decided not to drive all the way to Verde Valley Campground, so we split the difference and here we landed. It is a nice, neat small town off Highway 10 between Quartzite and Prescott. Found out this town fills up during the "Snowbird Season". But, we just were a little too early as the campground was only a quarter full. The campground of Desert Vista RV is an RPI Resort so we only had to pay $10 for the night, great deal for full hookups and a very large site. We finally mastered the DirecTV dish for easier reception. Nancy and I decided to walk around the town and eat some of the best chili ever and buy a few knicknacks. It was so nice out that Mike decided to ride his road bike for about one hour. All in all it was a good place to spend the night during the wonderful fall weather. Check out our photos of "Desert Vista RV Resort."

-Palm Desert on the Go-

2010-10-30T05:38:00.000-07:00

Our first stopover on our "La Bamba Desert Trip" was to the Thousand Trails Preserve in Palm Desert. Here we were able to hook up for a visit with Heather and Collin. A great visit with playground time for Collin and lunch at a local sandwich shop, yums. We also had success in setting up our DirecTV in the RV, finally. In the morning we had the best bike ride to La Quinta and the Bear Creek Bike Trail. Such a fantastic fall day in the Coachella Valley. We lost money again at the two local casinos of Fantasy Springs in Indio and Aqua Caliente Casino in Palm Springs. At least we had a good dinner. Heading to Salome, Arizona for an in between layover before heading to Cottonwood, Arizona. Hope the weather is as good there as it has been here in Palm Desert. To view our photos click on "Palm Desert Photos." Have fun.

-Halloween Bunco Night-

2010-10-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

Oh, did I mention Halloween? I guess I did with the posting of the two "pumpkin" photos below. Well, the monthly "Women's Bunco" called today. And with that calling each member had to dress up in a Halloween costume. Nancy did her part with her rendition of "Mr. Potato Head." She looked so hot in this outfit?! Like a "hot potatoe." Funny, get it? Anyways, off she went to use her Potato Head magic to win lots of money at bunco.

2010-10-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, you can tell Halloween is closely approaching by viewing the many "displays" on porches, yards, neighborhoods and ranches. The photo on the left was emailed to us from Sharon while the photo on the right was taken in Solvang by us. These are very creative, don't you think?

-San Diego on the Go-

2010-10-15T05:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, San Diego has everything to do. We have a short list of "vacation" activities to do while being in the San Diego area for the Laskowsky Wedding on Coronado Island this week. We stayed at the centrally located Worldmark Mission Valley Resort before visiting sights of: Balboa Park Museums, Gaslamp Downtown District, Barona Casino, Downtown Coronado Island. Then it was on to stay on Coronado Island at the El Cordova Plaza Hotel to join our neighbors Dave, Gayle, Sue, and Major for the Laskowsky wedding at the Coronado Naval Base. Oh I forgot to mention we visited the Aquarium of the Pacific at the beginning of our trip, great place to visit. For these sets of photos, just click on their link: Long Beach Aquarium, San Diego Balboa Park, San Diego Gaslamp District, Before the Wedding, and the Laskowsky Wedding.

-Biking Highway 1-

2010-10-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

On a fantastically beautiful fall day in Southern Cal, Nancy and I ventured to Mugu Rock State Beach to begin our 28 mile bike ride to Trancas Beach in Malibu. The day was warm, sunny, cool breeze with a flat ocean. We had a great time biking past a company filming another car commercial, past dolphins near the shore, past surfers, to Starbucks and then to Neptune's Net for lunch with the other million motorcyclists. Doesn't anyone ever work anymore? Ooops, we don't. We had a great time. To see our photos just click on the link "Mugu Rock Bike Ride" and have fun as we did seeing the sights along Highway 1 in Malibu. Next time you a bored, dust off your bike and spin around town.

-Sharon on the Go-

2010-10-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

From a hobby to an "enterprise"? Well, could be for Sharon. She is headline news in the Santa Maria Times Newspaper for her selling of her homemade wind spinners at the 27th annual Autumn Arts Grapes and Grains Festival. We have a few of the spinners on our RV 5th wheel trailer and they look great. Go to the link of "Santa Maria Times Newspaper" to see Sharon in full color!!!! To go to the link for the "Autumn Arts Festival".

-Pt. Reyes National Park on the Go-

2010-09-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

If you have never visited the Pt. Reyes National Seashore area above San Francisco you need to do so. This is a magical place! We were in the VERY small town of Inverness for our hotel at the Tomales Bay Resort. It is a lodge right on the Tomales Bay an old oyster region. We took a very short drive into the National Park in the early evening to take some wonderful closeup photos of a hawk, quail and a full moon reflections on the bay. In the early morning I was able to take some fun photos of the sunrise and white egret in front of our room. In the afternoon we saw a lighthouse, farm house, secluded beach, hawks, deer, seals, cows (lots of them), and ELK! Yes, elk in the preserve in the national park. We have so many photos that we are going to have to do them in groups: Tomales Bay Resort, Pt. Reyes National Park, Pt. Reyes Lighthouse, and Wineries.

-Cambria on the Go-

2010-09-22T03:30:00.000-07:00

Our first "real" retirement vacation without the camping trailer. We love the California Central Coast, especially Cambria. Staying at the Cambria Shores Inn which overlooks Moonstone Beach and the beautiful Pacific Ocean. This is a 1960's motel that has been totally renovated. We use this location to relax, sip wine, bike, take photos etc. Our first "adventure", other than biking, was to visit Hearst Castle again. This time we took the "Garden and Casa de Mar Tour." The tour and weather were both fantastic. Well, we have so many great photos that I am going to have to do them in groups: Cambria Shores, Bike Ride, and Hearst Castle.

- Computer Learning on the Go-

2010-09-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

We will always be teachers. And teacher love to learn. We have the time now to learn during our leisure moments, like 4am in the morning. Nancy and I are always attempting to pick up new and better ideas for our webpages, photo albums and the internet. Since we are able to travel more in our 5th wheel trailer, we want others to know of the fun we are having and also keep track of what fun things we are doing. I recently came upon a site that is meant to help RV'ers learn more about computers, blogging and the internet. The site is called "Geeks on Tour". Check out their webpage for information that might be informative, I know it was for me.

-Oceano Mini Vacation-

2010-09-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

Well, today are two milestones. The "BIG" one is that this week's adventure is our first vacation in our retirement life. Yes, finally we get to travel during non summer months. Get to view places in the fall like here at Pacific Dunes RV Ranch Campground in Oceano, CA. The second milestone is with this webpage. It will be the first time, while on "the road" that I have updated and uploaded to this blog. So, we will see how it goes. We arrived at this beautiful campground just south of Pismo Beach. We have ventured into the dunes next to the campground, biked to Avila Beach for coffee, went wine tasting in Edna Valley and explored the Farmers Market in SLO. What a great first day we had. Next we watched St.Joseph's HS Football team, with Austin playing and had a great visit with Sharon and Gordy. It was the perfect trip except our new DirecTV reception did not work, ouch! See our photos by clicking on the title header above or going to "Oceano Photos".

- Shed Project on the Go -

2010-09-03T11:35:00.000-07:00

"The Project" has almost come to an end. After much thought and planning our storage "Palace" is now up and running. The project first began when we determined we have too much stuff in two different sheds. One shed, Matt's "old playhouse" was converted into storage and now falling apart. Sorry Carroll, but the old wooden shed could only last so long. The other shed is a small metal garden/storage unit rusting and too small. So, Nancy and I explored various companies and determined that "TuffShed" was the way to go. One of our neighbors has one and we checked it out and it was nice. It is very well built to last us to our "very senior years." With our neighbor's help we "destroyed" the old wooden shed in two hours and moved the old metal shed over the fence to George's yard. Wow, more work to clear the "footprint" of weeds for the new shed and remove all the old wood and trash. Now to clear half of the garage of the stuff that came out of both sheds. This whole project took over 4 weeks from start to finish. Boy are we tired. View our outstanding shed photos by clicking on the title header above or going to this site: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/ShedOnTheGo#

- DirecTV on the Go -

2010-08-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, we finally did it. After much "research" we decided to move from TimeWarner to DirecTV. Why? Well, we have an RV that needs satellite TV reception. Many of the campgrounds we go to have either sketchy or no reception on our antenna. So, after being frustrated many times due to the lack of TV reception we decided to go totally with DirecTV. The main reason is being good reception for the home and trailer. But, also because it would be too expensive just to have it for the trailer and keep our regular setup for the home. Nancy spent over 2 days of at least 1 hour at a time talking with a sales rep on the phone. After many "discounts" the price was then manageable. DirecTV is going to install it on the house in one week. So we will let you know have it all goes down.

- Retirement is Rough -

2010-08-25T17:30:00.001-07:00

Yes, retirement is tough. We have to decide when to get up, when to bike, when to nap and what senior discount meal-deals we want. However, there are some positives. One being biking. Yes, when it was 108 degrees in Agoura and 93 in Moorpark, we decided to head to the beach for a cool bike ride. We did suffer, it was a very hot 70 degrees along the Pacific Coast?! We started this bike ride at Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades and headed down the South Bay Bike Trail to the Manhattan Beach Pier. From there we did a reverse route which ventured through Marina Del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Dockwiller Beach, Venice and Santa Monica Pier. We stopped for lunch in Venice at a local Taco Shop for a well deserved meal. We had a WONDERFUL ride!!!! Cool beach breezes, clear skys, lots of sunbathers, rollerbladers, cyclists and walkers along this bike path. Both of us did 32 total miles today and it was GREAT!

- It hasta be a Shasta -

2010-08-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

Being RVers we like to look at anything that involves camping. So when we were invited to look at a renovated 1965 Shasta travel trailer we jumped at the chance. Especially when food and beer was offered as the carrot to attend. Alan really did a great job in his "project." New paint job and the interior was cleaned up for Theresa and Alan's first trip to Thousand Trails Rancho Oso above Santa Barbara. Lots of friends that like to camp, bike or eat attended this fun get-together. Thanks to Theresa and Alan for a fun Sunday afternoon treat. View a few of the photos by either clicking on the title header above or go to "Shasta Photos."

-A Visit to Apple Country-

2010-08-12T19:16:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky that Heather, Matt and the "retired folks" didn't have to work this day. So, we traveled to Yucaipa to visit Heather, Collin and Josh. What a good day to visit. Foggy in the morning and not so hot in the afternoon. We got to see their beautifully organized new house. What a great place for the three of them. So well done inside. Also, we ventured to the Apple Country to view Oak Glen Retreat Campground just in case we use it for camping during Thanksgiving Weekend. The apples are just starting to ripen for the season that begins in September to November. Heather was our guide as we toured some beautiful apple farms. We truly want to return during the winter months, especially when snow falls. We posted just a few photos of our visit, most of them at the campground. Take a peek of them by clicking on the title header above go going to "Apple Country Photos."

-Huey Lewis Weekend-

2010-08-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

So many photos to show you. It took over 2 hours to choose and resize them. But, they are all so fun to view. We ventured to the Thousand Trails Rancho Oso Preserve between Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez for a camping trip prior to the Huey Lewis Concert at the Chumash Casino. We had a great time of relaxing, photography, hiking, wine tasting, gambling (kind of), and going to the concert. A super 4 days. We hope you enjoy all the photos. BTW, if you haven't taken in a concert at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez do so soon. Great seats for their weekly activity held on Thursdays only. So enjoy the photos by clicking on the title header above or going to "Huey Lewis Weekend Photos."

-Goleta on the Go-

2010-07-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

So what is in Goleta you ask? Well, the most fantastic section of California Coastline, that is what. Nancy and I vacated the house to take a day trip to Santa Barbara and Goleta. Our primary purpose was to visit the Elwood Butterfly Preserve. No butterflies yet, but the scenery was fantastic. What a beautiful California day. Only 70 degrees with lots of sun and a cool ocean breeze. We were so lucky that day. There were hardly any people on this large section of beach north of UCSB and the Santa Barbara Airport. We will definitely come back between November to February to view the Monarch Butterflies that rest in the trees while heading to Mexico for the winter. Also, we ventured to the Santa Barbara Harbor for lunch on the pier with a great view of the boats and mountains. You just can't beat Santa Barbara in the summer! Check out our fun photos by clicking on the title header above or clicking on "Butterfly Hike Photos."

-Fix-It Man on the Go-

2010-07-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

Projects, projects and more projects. With the "extra time" of retirement, things that should have been fixed in the house are now getting attention. Besides organizing the garage we have started some repair work. First, we hired our highly recommended "It-Fix Man" ,Paul, to replace the side door to the garage. The old one was totally rotted and needed to be replaced with a new metal door and jam. The second project was to repair the wall corners inside the house. The corner tape was pulling from the walls and needed to be "destroyed" and re taped and mudded. Lastly, we finally got a pot rack for the kitchen. With it now installed, and beautiful, we have better access to the pots and pans. Next project is to remove two older sheds, wow it will be a tough job, and have installed a long storage shed on the side yard. Coming soon, new indoor curtains for our master bedroom, some inside wall painting and possibly painting for the exterior. Wow, I am tired just thinking of all of it.

-Erquiaga's New House-

2010-07-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Heather and Josh, oh and Collin, for their great buy of their first house. The entire house has been remodeled with beautiful wooden flooring. New paint has been applied and nice new appliances. The driveway is very big to allow all of the relatives to park while visiting during the "Apple Season." We have posted, without asking first, photos of their "new adventure." Granted, the house is probably very well organized at this point, but when we visited they were still in the moving stages as illustrated by the photos. Anyways to view the house photos just click on the title header above or go to this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/ErquiagaSNewHouse#

-Windmill Bike Rides-

2010-07-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, La Bamba Tours strikes again. The Chaneys and Stewarts headed to Santa Maria's Raddison Hotel to rest before having dinner with Sharon and Gordy at the fantastic Roadhouse Grill. Saturday morning Dave and Mike wakened at 5:30am to dress, eat and prepare for the VERY foggy ride to Pioneer Park in Santa Maria. FOG, lots of it. Who would have guessed after having temps of 85 degrees and higher? Oh, well! The fog lifted by the first rest stop in Los Alamos. We shedded our warm clothes to then head into the hills on Aliso Canyon Road and then past the twin windmills onto Foxen Canyon Road. After circling "the mesa" the second stop was in the small town of Sisquoc. Here we loaded up on oranges, bagels, bananas and M & Ms. Off again to more hills on Dominion Road. Oh boy! Almost to the finish now while heading down Clark Avenue into Orcutt to Pioneer Park. Believe it or not, as we turned into the finish at the park, here comes Gayle and Nancy finishing their ride from Guadalupe, about 26 miles today. It freaked us all out to be finishing at the EXACT same moment after starting at different places, different route and different times. Go figure! The BBQ was "the best ever" while relaxing under the oak trees and clear skys in Santa Maria. Try this ride sometime, it is fantastic! Check out a few of the photos by clicking on the title header above or going to this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/WindmillBikeRides#

-Movers on the Go-

2010-07-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

We ventured to Redlands to "help" Josh and Heather move a few things to their new home in Yuciapa. Since it was a federal holiday, the freeways were free of any traffic. We basically made it from Moorpark to Redlands in 1:35, wow. Oh, don't tell the CHP please. We visited a little while as Josh and his friends we taking a load to the house. We took Collin to Brookside Park where he slept, walked and experienced the "playground scene" with other older toddlers. He is an amazing kid. Never cried, ever, during the entire day. He was a joy at the park Subway and the new house. It was so much fun watching him and visiting the "adults" and seeing inside the new house. It is so well done inside. We think they got a great deal. The house should be super for the first time home owners. You can view a few photos by clicking on the title header above or going to this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/MoversOnTheGo#

-Metrolink Los Angeles Adventure-

2010-07-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I have wanted to do this trip for years. So, Nancy and I boarded the Metrolink Train from Moorpark to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. The day long trip was perfect! The cost of the roundtrip train ride was $20 each. We made it to LA in one hour. Not bad after stopping at seven stations. We then boarded the Metro Redline Subway, for only 25 cents each (senior price, ya), from Union Station to Pershing Square. The subway is so beautiful, safe, fast and cheap to ride. Our "walking trip" started from Pershing Square to Angels Flight Railway and then to Water Court Mini-Mall and onto the Disney Concert Hall and down to the Bradbury Building and Grand Central Market and eating at Clifton's Cafeteria and touring the Jewelry Mart. All sights were just spectacular today. The sky was blue and the temperature was 70 degrees. After many fun photos we headed back in the subway to Union Station and a short walk to Olvera Street for a quick Mexican snack. This entire "La Bamba Tours Trip" cost very little and we had a super fun time. I would recommend doing the "link" and/or subway into LA. It is fun, safe and cheap. You may view the MANY photos by clicking on the title header above or going to this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/MetroLinkLosAngelesAdventure#

-First Retirement Hike-

2010-06-30T14:44:00.000-07:00

Well, in our effort to become more fit and slimmer we have pledged to do at least one hike a week. Today was our first "Retirement Hike" at Happy Camp Canyon in northern Moorpark. This is an easy hike into the old Strathearn Family grazing area of the Simi Hills. The settling founders of Simi Valley use to "vacation" here near a year round spring. We did not make it all the way to the narrow canyon, but we were out for 1 1/2 hours. We headed then to the Rustic Canyon Golf Course Cafe for our lunchtime treat. We were treated to a wonderful afternoon in the outdoors with fun views from the canyon and cafe. You can view a few of the photos we shot by clicking on the "title header" above or going to this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/FirstRetirementHike#

-Gordy Can Dance!-

2010-06-29T14:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we added a short video of the "Mexican Dancing Man" at Papas & Beer during our Ensenada Cruise with Carnival Paradise. Hope you have fun with it.

-50th Anniversary Cruise-

2010-06-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, Sharon and Gordy celebrated 50 years of marriage on the Baja Cruise with many family members. The last week in June over 14 relatives ventured on Carnvial Paradise Cruise ship to Ensenada, Mexico from the port of Long Beach. What a FUN time we all had. It was so much fun having lots of family members to party with. On Friday we arrived by 1:30pm to partake in early festivities. Lots of checking out the ship and then onto our 6pm Early Dinner. Saturday, the "group" headed on a bus to downtown Ensenada. This was one of the most fun days we have had. Lots of tourist stuff to do: shopping (lots of it), photography, eating AND drinking. If you have never gone to "Papas and Beer" you need to do so for "free tequila twisters." Courtney and Megan did recover from "their adventure." Saturday's dinner was formal dinning on primerib and lobster. Everyone looked so nice in celebrating the BIG 50! The hit of the dinner were wax lips and mustaches supplied by Sharon. Sunday we excerised, sat by the pool, gambled, sailed to sea and took lots of "cruise photos." We were very surprised how quick demarkation was at the end of the trip. Much thanks to Laurie for arranging everything for this "wonderful happening!" See the many photos by clicking on the title header above or going to this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/50thAnniversaryCruise#

-World Champion Lakers-

2010-06-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

YES, the LA Lakers finally beat the bad boy Celtics in a seventh game for now two consecutive NBA World Championships and 16 Title Banners Overall. 16! Go Koby. Go Derek. AND GO RON ARTEST! Now it is important the the downtown locals NOT to burn downtown LA up today or during the parade. WAY TO GO LAKERS!

-Faculty Club Retirement Dinner-

2010-06-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

Geez, this was so much fun. The 2010 version of the NPHS Faculty Club Retirement Dinner at Boccaccio's at The Landing in Westlake Village on June 9th. A beautiful setting with lots of family and friends with plenty of tasty food. Five official retires from NPHS that day with Mike, Dennis, Lynnette, Kate and Jim. Director of Ceremonies was our club leader, Diane Brabant. It was a gorgeous day at a fantastic location. The Stewarts were well represented with Mike, Nancy, Heather, Matt, Sharon and Gordy. While the PE Department had Marty, Nori, Mike and Betty. It was so much fun that I was thinking of not retiring and just coming back again for the festivities next year. NOT! To view the many photos click on the title header above at "Faculty Club ..." or go to picasa at this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/FacultyClubRetirementDinner#

-Menifee and Temecula Sightings-

2010-06-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend at the Thousand Trails Preserve in Menifee which is near the wine country of Temecula. So, we wandered around the campground during the early morning hours and were lucky to have the photo opportunities of the "wildlife" on the preserve. Due to the canals throughout the preserve many birds either nest or "compute" to the campground for easy pickings of meals. In the afternoon hours we headed south for twenty minutes to the Temecula Wine Country. Specifically, Wilson Creek Winery on Rancho California Road. This was after our tasty lunch in Old Town Temecula, a former stagecoach stop in the 1890's. See a mixture of photos by clicking on the title header above or going to: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/MenifeeAndTemeculaSightings#

-A Retiring Movie-

2010-06-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

Well, Nancy and I will be "fully" retired on June 12th, 2010. To celebrate the occassion we are having a few school functions as well as a neighborhood party at our house. All should be quite fun. But, to get us in the mood for these festive celebrations there is a video link that maybe you can watch and enjoy. Just click on the video below and turn up the sound. Have fun!

-Collin's 1st Birthday-

2010-06-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

Boy does time fly. Already our grandson, Collin, is one year old in June. He is growing so fast and walking fast too. Heather and Josh arranged a great family oriented birthday party at Brookside Park in Redlands. Lots of EZ Up canopies and tree shade made the very hot day a comfortable one. Lots of friends and family brought their cameras to note this world famous occasion. Attached are a bunch of photos of everyone having fun eating, talking, taking photos and watching Collin being lifted by everyone around him. Boy, is he a fast walker. This is a good thing, because he will need to walk and run to collect the 100 balls that he received on this Saturday afternoon. Photos are posted by clicking on the title header above or going to this website: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/CollinS1stBirthday#

-Temecula Balloon & Wine Festival-

2010-06-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

We were told it was fun. And everyone was on the money. We attended the Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival at Lake Skinner the first weekend in June. We were so lucky on all accounts. Arrived early with no traffic so we got a great parking location. Had enough light to browse around at all the vendor booths as well as get a few sips of wine and eat a few things, like a frozen banana on a stick covered with chocolate and nuts. Yum! We then set up camp on the grass infield as the balloonists arrived. There were easily over 12 balloons going to inflate for the "Balloon Glow." Here the balloon were inflated as darkness arrived to create a beautiful background for some wonderful photos. I would encourage anyone that loves good fun, drinks, and photos to attend next year. We were so lucky because it was about 75 degrees at sunset with no winds to mess up the balloonists. Check out the photos by clicking on the title header above or going to this website in Picasa: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/TemeculaBalloonWineFestival#

-Go Dodger Blue-

2010-05-27T15:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I had to be sitting in the right seat at the right time when Dennis asked me if I would like to go to the Dodger game one evening when they were home vs. the Padres. Checking my family calendar I noticed that I was "free" of any prior engagements, so I said YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But, I had biked to work that day and I had to "sprint" home to shower, change clothes, pack some food etc and drive to Thousand Oaks to carpool with the "3 Muskateers" of Dennis, Jim and Jorge. Off we went from the 1000 Oaks Transportation Center to Dodger Stadium. Wow, no traffic. Just in time to have a $20 dinner of a hot dog, coke and fries. Are we really in a recession? I do not think the Dodger owners, McCourts, know that yet. Oh, I forgot, he has to pay his ex-wife a million dollars a month. So, I guess fries should cost $6.00. At least the day was beautiful and the game was fantastic as the Dodgers won! Ya. I tried to stay awake on the drive home, but getting up at 5:30am to bike to school, teach all day and then biking home was just tooooo much. At least I was not driving. GOOOOO DODGERS! Click on the title header above to see some of the photos of our wonderful seats behind home plate in the lower level or go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/GoDodgerBlue#

-Tour of California-

2010-05-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky to have Amgen in Ventura County. And very lucky to have the Amgen Tour of California end in our own neighborhood of the Conejo Valley. Gayle, Dave and I ventured to the corner of Decker Road and Potrero Road at Westlake Elementary School. A great place to watch the tour. The parking was close, grass to sit on and trees to sit under as the bikers passed by. I got a lot of wonderful photos of the group as it passed from the Santa Monica Mountains. Check out the flickr photo page by clicking on the title header above or going to: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/TourOfCalifornia#

-Time to Retire-

2010-05-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is time for us to finally retire, really. Nancy and I are "officially" retired now. I have been receiving my STRS checks for a few months and Nancy is getting ready for her's by the end of June. We have been on the "banquet circuit" while attending four retirement parties and ceremonies this past week. We are soooooo excitied about it all: can't wait to sleep in, camp in the fall and spring, biking during the week, seeing Matt graduate from college and watch our new grand son grow. Click on the "title header" above to view many photos of our recent party time: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/TimeToRetire#

-Cruisin the Conejo Bike Ride-

2010-05-09T02:26:00.000-07:00

On a fantastically beautiful spring day, with warm sun and cool breezes, we ventured to neighboring Thousand Oaks to partake in "Nancy's Yearly Tradition" of biking in the Cruisin the Conejo Bike Ride with Mike,Dave and Gayle. The ride began in Newbury Park where Dave was able to test ride a very expensive Giant Bicycle which enabled him to "kick Mike's butt" on the hills. Wow! The ride wandered from Newbury Park, into Thousnd Oaks, North Ranch, Oak Park, Agoura, Westlake Village, Hidden Valley, up "Potrero Wall" and down into Newbury Park. Dave and Mike's time for the 34 miler was 2:30, Gayle's was 3:00, while Nancy's 21 miler was about 1:50. All, very good times and efforts. We feasted on BBQ chicken and roamed the bike expo afterwards. Fun was had by all on this beautiful day.

-Anacapa Island on the Go-

2010-04-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

While cleaning out my office of some of the items I will be taking home after my retirement in 55 days, I found a CD of photos taken on our trip to Anacapa Island in 2003! So, I decided to post these photos because the trip was soooooo beautiful. I remember we had a slight east blowing Santa Ana Wind which cleared the skys of any haze. The ocean was totally "flat" and the flowers on the island were fantastically beautiful. It was a once in a lifetime Southern California Spring Day! Click on the title header above or go to this webpage at:

-Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve-

2010-04-10T16:18:00.001-07:00

Yes it is definitely peak wildflower time. We, including Dave and Gayle, headed out on our "La Bamba Tours" session to the Antelope Valley Reserve for a walk in the California Poppies. We were not disappointed. We beat the early rush by beginning our trip at 8am on Saturday. Lots of photos in the sea of orange. No photo was bad, just some better than others. After the hour hike we headed westward to the Ripley State Desert Park to walk among the cactus and flowers. Again, many fine photos here. Once again, we got back into the car to head further west into the Gorman area off Highway 138 and Gorman Road. We were totally surprised to see the wonderful hills blanketed with lots of yellow flowers. So many views but we were very hungry due to our hiking adventures. Off to Gorman to have a fine lunch at the Ranch House. Then we headed to Camping World in Santa Clarita for a very short shopping trip. Wow, did we cover alot of ground. But it was fun had by all. Check out our photos by clicking on the "title header" above or going to: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/AntelopeValleyPoppyReserve#

-Bees on the Go Away-

2010-04-05T03:23:00.000-07:00

While vacationing at the Thousand Trails Preserve in Palm Desert we set up our trailer and headed to lunch. Low and behold when we came back from lunch we were visited to a few unwelcomed visitors. While relaxing in my chair I noticed a very dark limb on the tree nearby. As inspecting more closely I discovered a hive of bees nesting in that tree. So, off to the check-in gate to let the powers that be know of our problem. Many of the park employees came by to see "the happening." The local "bee guy" did his deed and vacuumed the bees and off he went to sell them to a local farmer. Geez, I could have made some money by selling them too. Oh, well, you have to "bee" very careful in today's recession. Check out the photos by clicking on the title header above or going to: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/BeesOnTheGo#

-Indian Palms Oasis-

2010-04-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky in deciding to hike in the Coachella Valley Preserve in the late afternoon hours. The light was so much better than the early morning time. Also, the clouds from the incoming rain storm presented us of some wonderful shots. This hike was only about a mile long one way. It was an easy hike with no elevation gain. So feel free to explore it during the spring, fall or winter, NOT in the summer. View the photos by clicking on the header link above or going to this link at: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/IndianPalmsOasisOnTheGo#

-Coachella Valley Preserve-

2010-04-04T17:06:00.000-07:00

Well, our next big adventure was having Heather and Collin visit our campsite on the Thousand Trails Palm Springs Preserve. Collin just woke up and was slow to go before we finally headed out to the Coachella Valley Preserve in 1000 Palms. What a great day for a desert hike. About 72 degrees with an slight breeze made our adventure fun. Lots of fun photos while heading from the visitor center and onto the "secret." The secret developed into the best we have seen in this area. Lots of water with many great plants both in and out of the water. We were very lucky to get photos of two lizards on the sand dunes. Fun stuff. Check out our photos by clicking on the title header above or going to this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/OasisOnTheGo#

-Anza Borrego State Park-

2010-04-04T16:47:00.000-07:00

Our vacation begins in Palm Springs in early April. Our first adventure was to take a full day exploring the Anza Borrego State Park south of Palm Springs and west of Salton Sea. It was a beautiful "Huell Hauser Day" in the lower desert. The puffy clouds were pushing into the desert from the storm in Los Angeles. This meant a wonderful day to take lots of photos of the blooming flowers, dinosaur statues, vistas and much more. The best time to visit Borrego Springs is late March into the middle of April. Flowers usually bloom that time of year, especially with a good rain season like we had this year. Check out the photos by clicking on the "title header" above or going to: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/BorregoOnTheGo#

-Birthday on the Go-

2010-03-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well, time marches on, so they say. Not looking any older on her "39th Birthday Again", she was treated to a cool birthday rocker, beautiful flowers with a balloon and a fantastic dinner at "The Melting Pot" in the Conejo Valley. Happy Birthday Dear Wife!!!!! A few photos of her "stuff" at: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/BirthdayOnTheGo#

-Lake Casitas on the Go-

2010-03-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful weekend it was to camp and relax at our local Lake Casitas Campground in Ojai. The weekend had fantastic "spring" weather; warm days and cool nights. We had a wonderful time relaxing and organizing our new trailer, hiking, photography and more relaxing. We will definitely come back again to the RV friendly park that has large grassy sites with water, electricity, sewer and even cable TV. Check some of our photos of this March weekend by clicking on the "header link" above or going to:

-Avocados on the Go-

2010-03-14T16:27:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? Here it is in March and we still have some avocados on our tree from the backyard. We missed "harvesting" them in the fall and they continued to grow and grow and grow. They look like avocados on steroids. Sooooo, we will let then ripen in the house and see if they make good dip. It is so hard being a "gentleman farmer."

-Sewer Ride on the Go-

2010-03-06T14:29:00.000-08:00

I know that biking in a sewer does not sound appetizing, but riding on river levees does. Dave and Mike headed on a stormy looking Saturday morning to Bell Gardens for a charity bike ride of 30 miles. Rain was predicted for the afternoon, sooooo we thought we would be dry for this ride in the morning from Bell Gardens, up the Rio Hondo River into Montebello, eastward to Rose Hills in Whittier and then south on the San Gabriel River into Norwalk, Bellflower and Bell Gardens. Oh, BTW the rain was hit and miss for most of the ride until around mile marker 18. Then all the skies opened up. Luckily, we were at the rest stop and hid under a awning of a main building until the storm cell passed over. Then we ventured around puddles to the finish area of grilled chicken, salad, bread, and soft drinks. I would recommend this ride. We thought it had little car traffic with lots of river levees to bike on. Photos are coming at: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/SewerOnTheGo#

-Anniversary on the Go-

2010-02-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

Yes, good things happen for good people! A wonderful couple were surprised in Santa Maria to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Sharon and Gordy were greeted by families of the Henderson's, Day's and Stewart's at Pepper Garcia's on the Santa Maria Airport in February. What a great time we all had due to the great planning of Laurie, Shaun and Tiffany. Sharon and Gordy were surprised to know that they will be treated to a Baja Cruise in June with the members of the family. A fun preview book about the cruise and a wonderful dinner was had at the Mexican Restaurant in Santa Maria. Go to the above header to view photos in Picasa or go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/AnniversaryOnTheGo#

-President's Weekend on the Go-

2010-02-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, a four day weekend is always great. Especially when it turned out to be the most beautiful weekend in Palm Springs history. The temps were around 75 degrees with a low of about 50. The air was clear, the snow was low and the views were fantastic. We ventured to "PS" to check out the WorldMark Timeshare, ride in the Tour de Palm Springs, hike at the Whitewater Preserve in Cabazon, hike in the Lynnkin Trail in PS, eat lots of food with Dave and Gayle, gather with Heather, Josh and Collin and visit the Riverside National Cemetary to see Carroll's plaque. This was probably the perfect weekend of all times thanks to "La Bamba Tours." Check out our photos by clicking on the title header above or go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/PresidentSWeekendOnTheGo#

-Winter in Ventura County-

2010-01-23T19:54:00.000-08:00

With lots of rain and snow this past week we decide to drive up to the Upper Ojai Valley to take a few winter snapshots of the views. Not as good as last winter, but it was still so beautiful. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful county as Ventura in Southern California. Check on the photos by clicking on the title header above or going to: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/WinterInVenturaCounty#

-Soledad Hike on the Go-

2010-01-03T18:31:00.000-08:00

Our "retirement gift" to us was a new 5th Wheel Camping Trailer. After it was delivered to our home on December 23rd we made a decision to do a "test run" at the Thousand Trails Soledad Canyon Preserve in Acton over New Years. Well, the trailer was fantastic and so was a "mini hike" we had on the campground. Yes, it is nice to actually see a "change of seasons" in California. The upper desert outside of Los Angeles presents itself with colder temps and lots of falling leaves. Enjoy the photos by clicking on the title header above or going to: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/SoledadHikeOnTheGo#

-Christmas on the Go-

2010-01-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

Finally! Yes, it took a year (ha, ha) to post the photos from our "Stewart Gathering" in Moorpark for the Stewart's, Henderson's, Day's and Erquiagas. Over 16 attended this very fun dinner and present opening. Hope everyone enjoys the photos. Click on title header above or click on this site: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/ChristmasOnTheGo02#

-Retirement Time-

2009-12-11T13:23:00.000-08:00

Yes, the end is near. The process is in motion. We can see the end of the tunnel. The light is getting brighter daily. YES, both Nancy and I are heading into our "Golden Years" this coming June. The state and district paperwork has been turned in and there will be no looking back. So much excitement in heading out in our new trailer to visit places in the USA in the off months of September, October, November, February, March. We are ready!

-Solvang on the Go-

2009-11-09T17:45:00.000-08:00

Yes, Solvang is more than knickknacks and pastries. We ventured two hours up the coast to the quaint town of Solvang in the timeshare of Worldmark. It was a fantastic weekend. The beautiful two year old timeshare offered us a great view of the Santa Barbara County mountains from our second story room. What a great place. We rode our bikes in the Solvang Prelude 50 and 25 milers on Saturday and ate a fantastic dinner in downtown Solvang, just a short walk from the timeshare. On Sunday Mike biked to Lompoc, and we both ate hamburgers at the world famous Jalama Beach Grill, visited a few wineries in the late afternoon and watched the Lakers win. Could things get any better than this? A few photos have just been posted. Go to the header above and click on it our go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/SolvangOnTheGo#

-Celebrity on the Go-

2009-11-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

Well, now one of the family members is now a TV celebrity. Yes, Mike got on television in the local Time Warner segment of "Southern Cal's Best" Well, we couldn't record the show in "on demand." So, Nancy used her movie camera to capture the four minute clip. It was placed into "You Tube" for us to view. Now, when you visit, just bring $5 for a autographed photo of Mike. You know being a "celeb" does have its price. Hope the poperatzzes (sic) don't find out! Click on the title header above or go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch5mdX5-bnI&feature=player_embedded

-New 5th Wheel on the Go-

2009-10-25T03:24:00.000-07:00

Well, we went to the Los Angeles RV Show in October to check out the vendor's booths, get some free stuff, eat a hotdog and just brouse around for fun. Little did we know that by the end of the day, very late in the day into the night, did we trade in our older model 5th wheel camping trailer for a newer one with better quality. Go figure! We got a foot shorter model, but over 1500 lighter in overall weight. The living area is very big and the bathroom is now in one room! Our bedroom now has much more storage area. We now have 3 small slideouts as before we had one big one. Nice extras are mounted TV's in the living room and bedroom with a electric fireplace in the living room. We our older RV we were starting to run into electrical problems, tires getting warn, and age starting to show. We did get a good price. So here we go, off to Banning (again) in early December to get our "new home." Check out the photos of our "house on wheels" by clicking on the header above or going to: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/RVOnTheGo#

-Buellton on the Go-

2009-10-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

Nancy and I headed for a short "school break" with the members of the Channel Islands Bike Club in early October. we had a great time with the club members. We set up camp at the Flying Flags RV Resort in Buellton. Here we ventured into a few bike rides to Lompoc, Solvang, Nojoqui Falls and Buellton. Dinners we had at the Starting Gate in the Marriott Hotel and at our campground site for a wine and pizza. Yum! Go to the header above to link to one of our club rides.

-Rancho Oso Preserve on the Go-

2009-10-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite Thousand Trails Campgrounds is Rancho Oso located in Northern Santa Barbara County near Lake Cachuma. Off Highway 154 (San Marcos Pass) in the Santa Ynez River Watershed is this heaven of a campground. Lots of great views, oak trees, creeks, waterfalls, wildlife (see other posts), hikes and places to visit, such as Solvang, Wine Country etc. Between early morning picture taking, hiking and great breakfasts at the historic Stone Lodge we both had lots of fun and very relaxing. Also, we purchased a new high def TV which received quality reception for the first time in 7 years at the campground. Also, cellphone reception was also had at our campsite with our new ATT phones. We have never had reception in the campground and always had to drive to a turnout in the campground roads, known as "Verizon Hill" to get off a phone call. View the photos of the campground and Neverland in Los Olivos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/RanchoOsoOnTheGo#

-Animals on the Go-

2009-10-04T21:40:00.000-07:00

The weekend we visited Thousand Trails Rancho Oso in Northern Santa Barbara County seemed to be "animal weekend." I love viewing animals, of any type, in the their wide and natural state. This weekend was THE weekend to view deer (lots of deer) squirrels and birds. Fun stuff. We couldn't resist taking so many photos of the "local" deer. They wandered through the campground from the Santa Ynez River to their sleeping areas in the woods in the early mornings and early evenings. We were lucky to have them basically walk behind our campsite for a few days. Deer are soooo cute. Here are the many photos of the "animal life" in the Rancho Oso Campground by clicking on the name header above or going to: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/AnimalsOnTheGo#

-Wineries on the Go-

2009-10-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

On our "weekend vacation" we ventured to the Thousand Trails Perserve at Rancho Oso in Northern Santa Barbara County. Great trip. We have soooo many photos that I had to separate our blog postings into three separate ones. So, here are a "few" photos of the wineries we visited. Many of the Santa Ynez Valley wineries we have visited except a few. Well, we "discovered" some of the best few: Roblar, Bridlewood and Blackjack. The wineries were so beautiful. The day was just perfect. Lots of sun with a cool beach breeze. Bridlewood was a complete surprise. A very large winery with lots of acreage with a fantastic driveway entrance. So, enjoy the photos by clicking on the header above or going to:http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/WineriesOnTheGo#

-Lost Photos on the Go-

2009-09-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

Well, what does one do when a group of "lost photos" are found? Post them on the family webpage sounds the best. Yes, I discovered a group of photos from our family outing to a World Mark Timeshare in Angels Camp, California. A few things were on the agenda then. One to take furniture up to Trevor, visit with Trevor and Kate, partake in a World Mark condo and take some time to regroup and relax. All things on our agenda were fullfilled that weekend. What a beautiful part of California is in Angels Camp. Lots of oak trees, rolling hills, historic towns, and many wineries. The weekend was just too short for our liking. So, maybe in a year we will do the trip again. Check out our photos by clicking on the title header above or going to: http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/LostPhotosOnTheGo#

-Wedding on the Go-

2009-09-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

Yes, Laurie and John finally got hitched on one of the most beautiful days on one of the most beautiful restaurants in one of the most beautiful cities in California. Fun was had by all at the Cannons Grill in Dana Point for a wonderfully planned wedding and reception. Everyone looked so great and the food was delicious. Oh, the drinks weren't too bad either. The Stewart's want to wish the "new Day family" the best in year's to come. And especially on their honeymoon to the Islands of Bora Bora. Click on the header above to go to the our family photos webpage with lots of nice photos or go to their album at: http://www.wdphoto.com/blog/

-Photos on the Go-

2009-09-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

Check out the wonderful photos of Matt while performing in the play of "CATS" at the Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center in July of this year. They are so beautiful and colorful. What a great play it was and Matt did a super job as the Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat. Click on the header above (Photos on the Go) to view the set of pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/2stews1948/CATSOnTheGo#

-Matt on the Go-

2009-09-12T03:02:00.000-07:00

Well, Matt has left for better times. He is now relocated at the University of the Arts in downtown Philadelphia to study his love, acting. A big jump for him to head east in a quest to learn more about acting, dancing and singing at one of the best performing arts universities in the nation. We are all so proud of him. What a big adjustment for him. New surroundings, a different culture in the east, full time school and away from his loving parents! We all know he will be very successful and we wish him much luck. Go Matt!