Anniversary fun

Greenfield, CA

7 years ago on the 22nd of October, George and I got married!

We've celebrated in different cities,

doing different things.

This year, since we're so close to Monterey,

we decided to take a whale watching trip and go out to dinner.

For $98 we booked a 4 hour trip.

It sails from the Monterey Fisherman's wharf.

There are lots of fishing boats in the harbor.
It was a gray day with the marine layer in.

I never tire of the otters in the water.

We dutifully took our sea-sick pills an hour before,
and boarded at 9 am.
The water in the harbor was pretty calm.

It wasn't long before we saw our first humpback!

She (or he) was swimming beside another one.

It was about this point that the swells and rocking of the
boat was getting to me and about 6 others :-(
George gladly took over the camera duties for me.
I saw a lot of the water off of the back of the boat :-)

It got a bit sunnier as we sailed north near the
 Moss Landing Power Plant.

We continued to see whales during the trip.

I felt much better after we got off the boat,
and George got us some McDonald's fries :-)

After stopping off to see Mom and doing some grocery shopping,
we came home and got ready for dinner.
We went to our favorite Italian restaurant, Luigi's.
No pictures, but believe me it was a nice dinner!

Huh? George can hear!

Greenfield, CA

George has been experiencing hearing loss for the last

few years from all his years in a rattling chip truck.

I know from my Father's experience that hearing aids

can be so costly as to be prohibitive for most people.

George did some research online

 after having a hearing exam when we were back in PA last year.

The doctor back there gave him his exam results,

but his estimate was over $6,000!

Even with payments, it made it way too costly.

George finally found hearing aids (the same ones he was fitted with)

online at a site called HearStore for a fraction of the cost!

He purchased them for $2800.00, with a promotional $1,000 off.

They set up a $150/month no interest payment plan as well.

They contacted a local audiologist in Salinas,

who then fitted him with the hearing aids the Hear Store sent them.

They are inconspicuous, tucked inside his ear,

with the small wire over his ear.

 He absolutely loves them! 

There's quite a difference in his ability to hear things.

George even said on a walk recently how he's hearing birds

chirping in the trees that he couldn't hear well before!

We recently broke down and got 2 new phones as well.

George's Note 4 phone died one day, and he got a new Note 8.

My battery has not been holding a charge all the way either,

and so I got a new Samsung S9.

We both are quite happy with them.

Mine takes such great pictures!

  

Here's the latest of Cooper,

now 10# and almost 10 months old.

This is a goofy emoji that my phone's camera created of me :-)

The weather is turning to fall here now.

The wind we normally get during the summer months has died down.

We've even got an early rainfall!

6 year recap

Greenfield, CA

It doesn't feel like we're beginning our 7th year of full timing.

October 1, 2012 we set sail from Pennsylvania

to see what we could see.

As we look behind at our 6th year on the road,

we wanted to recap some of the facts and figures.

Total miles towing this year:  4,354

Total miles driven this year:  12,139

As most everyone knows,

we've been sitting fairly stationary,

keeping an eye on Mom, and helping her

on our days off.

We've been workamping for site and pay at

Yanks RV Resort in Greenfield, CA.

George and I have been here working off and on 

since 9/30/16!

We haven't traveled extensively like we have in the past,

however in September last year

we took a two month 'vacation' across country.

For the past fiscal year we spent:

Fuel $3,383.78

Campground Fees $397.92

Most of the fuel cost was traveling from CA to PA and back,

as well as the campground fees.

Our normal diesel cost per month averages around $150.00.

We use my Mom's car occasionally, saving us some money.

Repairs to truck/RV $671.71*

*Includes oil change and new shocks for truck.

Cell phones/internet/TV $3,455.47

Groceries/Entertainment/Dining Out $11,336.42

Insurance -

Truck/RV $2,145.05

Health Insurance $3,119.46*

*Health Insurance

Includes my ACA insurance premiums,

George's Medicare supplemental,vision insurance,

and prescription plan and prescriptions.

Although my Blue Shield plan is an HMO that I can only use in Texas,

the doctor I see here has not charged me for any of my visits

 including lab work!!

She's my Mom's doctor as well, and George really likes her too.

God bless her!

We have other expenditures, but these are the major ones.

Our pay here at Yank's in addition to the free site

has enabled us to pay extra on our RV payment.

We still watch our budget, staying out of debt except for the RV.

I'll be turning 62 in January, and am planning on filing for SS.

We've had a great year, including a cruise to Alaska in August,

and my son Adam's wedding in August.

In February we got a new family member, Cooper.

He's now 9 months old, and is a joy!

George and I still love this lifestyle,

and we'll do what we can to continue!

Here's to the 7th year!!