Happy Veterans Day – first of all I want to express my gratitude and give thanks to all those who have served our nation, including my step-dad.

I closed my last post with a description of the accident our friend Deb Spencer (RollingRecess) suffered while hiking the Flat Iron Trail in the Arizona Superstition Mountains. This is a steep and difficult trail. Deb will undergo orthopedic surgery today to facilitate the healing of her shattered wrist. Our thoughts go out to her and we wish for the best results. I know she’ll have a long road of rehabilitation ahead to regain functionality and range of motion.

On Monday, I noticed the channel guide on my DISH receiver didn’t show all of the channels I pay for. One of the missing channels was ESPN. I went through the set-up menu and ran diagnostics, but it wouldn’t pick up the correct programming. I went online with DISH customer service and we ran through all of the steps together. It still didn’t work. I could see that the receiver was only locking in on one satellite (110) but the customer service guy didn’t focus on that. After going through all of the steps I had already performed, he threw his hands up and said, “I can’t fix it. I’ll have to send out a new receiver – it’ll arrive in a few days.”

Wouldn’t you know it, the San Diego Chargers were playing on Monday Night Football which is broadcast on ESPN.  So at 4:45pm, I rode the scooter with Donna over to the old visitor center at the foot of Clairemont Drive. Donna rode back home from there as I walked to Dan Diego’s on Morena Boulevard to catch the game. After a disappointing loss, I walked about two miles back home.

I walked past the mobile home section of the park – this area is finally coming to the end of a long-fought battle. The residents of the trailer park have to move out by January 13, 2016 – just a couple of months from now. A lot of the trailers are empty now but a surprising number are still occupied. As I walked by one unit, I saw three raccoons come out from under a trailer house.

Raccoon coming out from under a trailer house

Raccoon scampering up a tree

A lot of people think raccoons are cute and harmless. But you don’t want raccoons in proximity with your home. Raccoons develop latrines – places where they habitually urinate and defecate. Raccoon feces commonly are infected with roundworms – a parasite that can be harmful to humans. I was surprised to see this particular trailer house was still occupied.

We had rain overnight and it was windy and cool on Tuesday. The high temperature for the day was only in the mid-60s. I rode the scooter over to Von’s grocery store and picked up two racks of baby back ribs. I prepared the ribs by removing the membrane from the bone side of the rack and dry rubbing them with Stubb’s seasoning and put them in the refrigerator.

Donna and I rode the scooter to the Pacific Beach Recreation Center (PBRC) at noon. The PBRC has open pickleball on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 4:30pm. We joined a few other people there and set up the portable nets on the indoor courts. We had a crowd of players shortly after we got started. We were able to get five games in before we had to leave at 2pm. I wanted to get back so I could start the baby back ribs on the Traeger wood pellet smoker/grill.

Indoor pickleball at PBRC

I emptied the last of the hickory wood pellets I bought at Cabela’s into the hopper and fired up the grill a little before 3pm. I cooked the ribs for about three hours. The thing with ribs is you have develop a feel for how done they are – you can’t get a reliable reading with a meat thermometer because there are too many bones. I figured with the windy conditions and cool temperature, it would take three hours.

Meanwhile Donna prepared roasted smashed potatoes, cornbread and sauteed veggies. Our friends Bob and Sini Schmidt came over at 5:30 pm for a little happy hour conversation before dinner. They gifted me with a book – Complete Guide to San Diego Breweries 2014/2015 Edition. With more than 130 brewing company owned pubs in San Diego, a guide with ratings and information will be useful! Thanks, Bob and Sini.

Brewery guide

We pulled the table extension out and brought in two extra chairs from the basement compartment and ate inside – it was cool and dark outside. Bob brought a few beers for us to sample – we split bomber bottles (22 ounces) of New English Brewing Pure and Simple IPA, Alesmith Horny Devil Belgian Style Ale, New English Bourbon Barrel Aged Brown Ale and I contributed a bomber of Lagunitas Maximus IPA.

We enjoyed the meal and the beers and talked for a few hours. We don’t have company for dinner in the coach very often, but it was comfortable and we had a fun evening.

Dry rubbed baby back ribs with roasted smashed potatoes, sauteed veggies and cornbread

Today is not only Veterans Day, it’s also Free National Parks Day! Donna and I plan to ride out to the Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma (map) and take advantage of the free admission.