The house selling two step

Two steps forward one back, one step forward TWO BACK!
Seems every time we get a chance to do the final couple of projects on the house another hiccup comes along.
Of course camping with the Escapees chapter is a self inflicted thing but we like to camp.
Then we were ready after that and our son called and said he as getting married back in Baltimore. We had to go see that.
At the same time the tenants in our rental property there decided they were moving out. Not before they messed the place up and didn't pay the last months rent though.
So we flew back there and spent money we didn't really want to spend on rental cars, hotels and airfares, repairs to the rental property, repainting, carpet etc, etc.
I took the opportunity to go to our company head office and sort out my retirement paperwork (2 weeks to go) and take the people I have worked so closely with out to lunch. Or at least that was my intent but one of them beat me to the check at the end. (Thanks Ish!). By sheer coincidence as I walked into HR a guy I've know since I started doing the line of work I'm in now (30 years!) was there retiring too. Good luck Deepak enjoy.
We planned on getting back and spending the weekend working on the house, except our old neighbors from Baltimore e-mailed to say they were going to be in San Diego for a couple of days and we all went touring the city and trying all the restaurants out.
I finally got half the ceiling of one bedroom painted then Barbara reminded me that I have jury duty Tuesday!
Still it's been great fun to see our son again for a few days and to share this great city with our friends and neighbors.
Finally we got a good run at the painting and after getting 75% of it painted I had to stand back and get prepared for MY RETIREMENT!! Whoo Hooo, after 49 years working I get to sit back and not have to remember to complete my time sheet at the end of the day.
Of course there are some formalities to go thru so while we were in Baltimore last week I stopped in at company HQ and we worked out how to do it.
I have to return my computer, company phone and my ID's. Then I can do the out-brief over the phone.
Friday is it, so Tuesday we lined up a bunch of chores and as we had free theater tickets that Barbara had won at the UCSD Christmas party we decided dinner and a show would wrap up the day nicely.
First drop off the computer, phone and ID's into Fedex. Company provided an account number to charge it to in an e-mail last week. Simple?
Except that all my e-mails have been deleted by an over exuberant IT guy and the nice lady who gave me the number is out sick.
Strike 1 for the chores
We needed some metal strips to fix a big light fixture in the kitchen, the hardware store is around the corner, I know they have the strip I need.
Simple?
Except they decided to re-coat the parking lot today and I can't get to the store.
Strike 2 for the chores,
Next we have a 40% off coupon for a new arts and crafts store that recently opened. They must have the strip.
Strike 3 they don't have what I want.
Fill the truck up, it's almost on empty. Tuesday morning so no problem right?
Except it's the day after Memorial Day and all the retirees are there so the line is around the block.
Strike 4. Hey I thought you were out after 3 strikes? Not in this game apparently.
Drop the drapes off at the dry cleaners. The cleaner takes one look at them and declares he can't clean them as the reinforcing at the top will disintegrate. We can't wash them as the last set we tried that with shrank 4".
Strike 5
Oops we forgot to bring the Kindles so we can take them to the library and find out how to borrow e-books from the San Diego Library system.
(No strike as we didn't have it on the list)
Same with Goodwill we forgot to bring the box full of stuff.
Drop the wills off for finalization at the lawyer. Hooray they were there and we handed them over.
Ball 1
Home for lunch then down to the Trolley station to go down to the Embarcadero, we plan on walking along the Harbor to Sea Port Village, grab a drink, walk the Gaslamp District and find dinner before the theater.
We had a nice walk, sampled some nice San Diego craft beer and stumbled on an Indian restaurant we hadn't tried before. A gentleman and his family assured us it was the best Indian food he'd ever tried.
Strike 6.
I asked for "Indian Hot" because I just love searing hot curries. This stuff wouldn't raise the temperature above freezing and it cost $60 for the 2 of us.
Well at least the theater would be good.
Strike 7.
The evening of Harry Nielson was based, I think, on dragging everything he ever wrote and throwing it in to pad out the show. They had songs about his TV and his desk!! And the "Star" performers were dull and monotone. The backup singers were way better. It was so bad we left at the intermission.
Walk back thru the Gaslamp and a trolley ride home.
Strike 8
The trolley arrived turned it's lights from "El Cajon" to "Out of Service" and went back the way it came leaving us with another 30 minute wait for the next one.
Still it's better than working....

Flower Power

Well the big news is that Barbara retired April 11th which gives us some extra time to play with!
I've still got 30 days to go but I work from home and provided I have an internet connection I can work from the rig.
We've been happy members of the "Escapees" RV club for over a year but most of the chapter rallies are midweek because everyone else is retired.

Well now we got to go to one of them!! 

A couple from the "Shanty Shakers" are docents at the Carlsbad Flower Fields http://www.theflowerfields.com/. Last year they obtained permission for the Chapter to dry camp in the overflow parking lot. It obviously went well because we all went back there this year.
The rally ran from Tuesday to Friday and between "Happy Hours" every day at 3 pm, lunches out, tractor rides thru the flower fields and dinner every night it was a full schedule.

John and Debbie were there and we spent a lot of time either in their rig talking full timing or in our rig talking full timing.
As an artist I was entranced by the flowers and took a ton of pictures for possible use in paintings. I'm going to have a tough choice deciding which to paint first!

We have been watching Wayne and Rhonda's blog lately.

http://turnwhentheroaddoes.com

 Wayne has been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis which has stopped their full time dream in it's tracks. Our thoughts, hopes and prayers are with Wayne.