Auntie Violet is Getting Restless...

She is anxious to get on the road again! She has been rather neglected since we're been in California and is quite dusty and cluttered. I started cleaning and sorting in the bedroom this morning and she became very aware we were thinking about heading back to Washington soon. I threw the blanket, bedspread and rugs into the big washer here at camp and got all of the mirrors in the bathroom and bedroom cleaned. It's a start anyway!

The new director should be arriving tomorrow afternoon. We'll spend a couple of days getting him oriented and then try to start back to Washingon on Sunday morning.

While Forry went into Santee and El Cajon this morning to pick up the proper circuit breakers, plus the foundation vents and insulation for House #4, I spent the morning transcribing my notes from the past 2 1/2 months on the computer for Franzie, the new director. Ken, our construction supervisor, had also left a sheaf of notes, so transition may be a little easier for the next guy.

Here's a couple more of the blooming cacti that we've been seeing:

I've always been jealous of Sister Dena getting to see all of the cacti in bloom when they are in Arizona, but I seem to be getting my chance this year. We see more of them in bloom every day and I have really been enjoying them. Even if my friend Robin calls them "weeds"....

A Different Kind of Monday

I couldn't believe it -- we had a chance to sleep in! But we were awake by 6 and actually over eating breakfast by 7! Not sure what is wrong with us. Probably because we still have two of the younger long-termers here...

Jon and Alta packed their lunches and went over to House #4 to start wrapping it with Tyvek -- which they actually finished today. I waited until the San Diego County courthouse opened and ordered inspections for tomorrow -- a framing and rough-in for #4 and a final for #2. I wanted to get the final for #3 as well, but there is not enough water yet in his tanks to run the fire sprinkler system (it needs at least three feet in the 5000 gallon tank) for the Fire Marshal's inspection --which comes before the final. I'm hoping we'll be able to do it on Thursday. (Tuesdays and Thursdays are the only days the county inspector comes in this direction.) Robin told me later that she had ordered a site inspection for House #6 for tomorrow as well -- if that one passes, she'll be able to pull the permit for us!

After arranging for the inspections -- and paying our bills online -- Forry and I headed into Dulzura to pick up the mail and mail letters, then dropped off the van I was driving at the auto place in Jamul for its 50,000 mile check-up and oil change. Next to Santee and El Cajon to pick up stuff that had been ordered for houses. First to ABC to pick up the special order foundation fire vents that were supposed to be in today, but hadn't arrived yet. Next to CED to return one faulty ARC circuit breaker and to pick up four more for House #4. Then to Home Depot to pick up a pickup load of insulation (one more to go). Stopped at the produce stand on the way home to get limes, a papaya, strawberries and cherries.

The last couple of weeks we have been seeing more and more of these flowers. I thought at first they were some kind of thistle, but I've discovered they are called prickly poppies. They are a distant relative of the opium poppy.

I did chuckle when I read that another name for them is Cowboy Eggs -- Sunny Side Up.


We had planned on staying in town after running all of our errands and going out to dinner to celebrate my birthday, but got done early enough to come back to camp -- and a short nap!

Since we were back, Forry decided to invite Jon and Alta to go to dinner with us. I had a $10 gift card from the Cheesecake Factory which we decided to use while we were here, so we drove to Chula Vista to eat. I had a lovely hibachi steak -- marinated, then grilled and sliced thin. Forry and Alta had cheesecake, but since I don't really care for it, I ordered their lemoncello cake, which was delicious! Jon said he was too full to order dessert, but he did manage to take a bite of everyone else's.