Monthly Archives: November 2018

Our Friendsgiving

We’re more than halfway through Thanksgiving weekend as I type this on Saturday afternoon. This was the first year since we hit the road that we didn’t have family members to share Thanksgiving with. But, we weren’t lonely. Our friends, Jeff and Deb Spencer, made the drive down from Dana Point where they are camp hosting at Doheny State Park. It rained early on Thursday morning but the sun came out and it was dry after 9am.

Donna grilled turkey breasts and a drumstick and thigh on the Weber Q. Deb brought down a salad plus asparagus and cherry tomatoes for roasting. Donna sauteed some corn with peppers and onions and made mashed Yukon gold potatoes and turkey gravy for Jeff and I  – the mashed potatoes and gravy didn’t fit the Bright Line Eating Plan that both Donna and Deb are following.

Grilled turkey

Round one

Deb and Jeff arrived around 2pm and we soon had the outdoor picnic table set. I poured a Belgian golden ale to go with my turkey. In lieu of pies for dessert, Donna baked Bartlett pears with cinnamon and chopped walnuts, then served it with a drizzle of balsamic reduction sauce and blueberries with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Deb said it was as good as apple pie!

Belgian golden ale

We dined and talked for a few hours. Before sunset, we made a quick lap around the RV park to stretch our legs and have a look around. The park is nearly full – but not quite as full as it was over the last couple of years. We actually have an empty site next to us which is a pleasant surprise. Deb and Jeff hit the road for the drive back up north after sunset.

Jeff, Deb, Donna and me after sunset

My friend Gary Stemple sent me a text saying he was visiting people over in site 71 and invited us to stop by. We went over and sat outside by their fire pit and talked for a while and made plans to get together on Friday.  Then Donna and I came back home to watch the end of the football game while I puffed a cigar.

Gary came over Friday at noon with a power boat that he beached outside of the park in De Anza Cove. We weren’t sure how many people were planning to go out on the boat – Gary, Donna and I planned to take a boat ride over to Paradise Point and have lunch at the Barefoot Bar. We thought others would be joining for a cruise after lunch.

Looking north from the boat as we cruised across the bay

Lunch at the Barefoot Bar started with Bloody Marys for all three of us. They make a great Bloody Mary and garnish it with wedges of lemon, lime, olives, celery and bacon!

Bloody Mary with bacon – because everything is better with bacon

I ordered the muffaletta sandwich and Donna had a salad with seared ahi tuna while Gary went for a bowl of clam chowder. The food was good although the service could’ve been better with a more attentive waitress. One thing I saw on the menu bugged me.

Hidden charge in the small print

If you click on the photo above to enlarge it, you’ll see a surcharge notice. It says they support increased minimum wage and other mandates – so they add 3% to the bill to cover them. In other words, they hide the additional costs of these government mandates with a surcharge – that way they can say we haven’t raised our prices on the menu – but you’ll pay more.

At the Barefoot Bar, they have a small lagoon that has water from the bay pumped through it. There are a variety of fish in the lagoon including small sharks. They had fish scraps brought out from the kitchen and fed the sharks while we were there.

Feeding the sharks

It turned out that everyone else bailed on the boat ride, so Gary dropped us off back at De Anza Cove and left. Thanks for the boat ride, Gary!

I mentioned the park is nearly full. As usual, many families and small groups came to the RV park for a long Thanksgiving weekend. People have been fairly well-behaved and although the kids run wild until about 8:30pm and parties in some sites are a bit noisy, it mostly settled down by 10pm. I hope that holds true tonight as the weekenders have their final night here. Tomorrow there will be a mass exodus as the park empties. I almost expect to hear a whooshing sound as everyone pulls out.

Monday we’ll have to leave. We’re restricted to a maximum stay of 62 days here before we have to leave for 24 hours. We’ll pull out Monday morning and head down to the Elks Lodge in Chula Vista for the night. Then we’ll be back to site 112 for another month-long stay. The forecast looks great for next several days with highs near 70 and mostly clear skies.

 

A Race and a Game

Last weekend was one of the quietest here at Mission Bay RV Resort. Most weekends, the park fills up with weekend warriors, but I think people were preparing for the Thanksgiving week ahead. Donna and I were busy though.

We were up early Sunday morning. Sini Schmitt came by and picked up Donna at 8am. They were headed to Mission Valley to the former Qualcomm Stadium – now renamed the San Diego County Credit Union Stadium where the San Diego State Aztecs play. Donna and Sini were signed up for the 10k Wonder Woman run that started and ended at the stadium – the run actually finished inside the stadium where they completed the course by running a lap around the football field.

Sini and Donna at the finish

I had a Lyft driver pick me up around 8:10am for a ride to my friend Gary Stemple’s house in Clairemont. Gary has season tickets for the Chargers games at Stub Hub Center in Carson. Two of Gary’s friends, Dave and Bob, joined us and we drove to Carson in Gary’s car. On a Sunday morning, the drive was easy and we made it there after only 90 minutes on the road and were ready for the tailgate party by 10:15am.

The atmosphere at Stub Hub is really laid back and the pre-game parties are fun. Gary brought a small barbeque grill and cooked up chicken ranchero and carne asada. We set up one row off of Thunder Alley – the prime party place.

Thunder Alley

Our tailgating spot

Dave, me, Jordan Fredin, Gary and Bob pre-game

We found our seats just as a pair of F-18s did a fly-by over the field. We had great seats in the corner of the end zone a few rows above field level.

Great seats – game on

Drum Corps between quarters

The game ended in disappointment for us as the Broncos kicked the game winning field goal as time expired.

More people left the park on Monday and it was only about 40% occupied. That started to change on Tuesday as early arrivals checked in for the Thanksgiving weekend. Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times here at Mission Bay RV Resort. The people arriving are mostly small groups of families and they are here to celebrate. It got a little noisy Tuesday night.

All day today, more arrivals showed up and I expect the park to be nearly full by the end of the day. The site next to us has been empty for a few days, but I don’t think that it’ll stay that way.

Rain is in the forecast for tonight with a 60% chance of precipitation by morning. Hopefully it’ll clear out before noon. We’re expecting company – our friends Jeff and Deb Spencer (RollingRecess) are joining us for Thanksgiving dinner. We also plan to visit with other friends that are coming to the park for the weekend. I’ll add that to my next post.

Rags to Riches

Another week has passed by here at Mission Bay RV Resort. Sometimes, when we’re stationary for extended periods of time, I don’t have a lot to say about the RV lifestyle. As full-timers, we settle in and go about everyday life as if we’re living in a permanent residence. Of course, an RV park is a different kind of neighborhood. Neighbors come and go constantly – typically the park fills up on weekends and many younger families are here. On Sundays and Mondays, a major exodus occurs and the park becomes quiet with a lot of open sites.

With neighbors moving in and out of the park, we often have opportunities to meet people. Over the past five years, I’ve had the chance to chat with quite a few very interesting people that retired from businesses they built. I always enjoy hearing their stories of how they succeeded at entrepreneurship. It takes a certain type of personality to risk financial stability and go out on your own.

I lived my working career in a corporate environment. I traded security and a guaranteed pension for the chance to be my own boss and build my own business. I sometimes wonder if I could have been a successful entrepreneur. Donna spent most of her career working for herself.

Some regular readers of my posts may have noticed I’ve taken up cigars in the last seven or eight months. In fact, I’ve become quite a cigar geek. There are some great success stories in the cigar industry – and also some failures. I think one of the greatest stories is that of Nick Perdomo Jr.

Nick’s grandfather Silvio and his father Nick Sr. made cigars in Cuba. They lived in San Jose de las Lajas and worked their way up to management positions at the Partagas Cigar Factory in the 1940s and 1950s. They were visited at the factory by then president of Cuba Fulgencio Batista and were anti-Castro. When Fidel Castro took over the country, Silvio was put in prison and Nick Sr. was shot by soldiers – he survived. Silvio spent more than 15 years in prison and Nick Sr. managed to get out of Cuba and immigrate into the United States. He lived in Baltimore working as a janitor before becoming a US citizen and moving his family to Florida. He built a successful contracting business there.

Nick Jr. served in the Navy where he learned to be an air traffic controller. Later he worked as a controller at Miami International Airport. The desire to follow his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps as cigar producers was strong in Nick Jr. He began making cigars in his garage – called Nick’s Cigars. In 1992, he employed three rollers (skilled laborers that hand roll cigars) while he and his wife packaged and marketed the product. They made a little over 9,400 cigars that year. Nick worked the business by day and at the airport on the swing shift from 4pm until midnight.

The 1990s were a boom time for the cigar industry and Nick’s Cigars took off. In 1997, Nick Sr. came out of retirement to help his son. They opened a factory in Ybor City, Florida. The high cost of labor was stifling though. In 1997, Nick produced one million cigars but wasn’t making much money.

Nick Sr. moved to Nicaragua and they opened a new factory there in Esteli. Their sales were booming and they also contracted with CAO to make cigars for that brand. Then a disaster struck. They had a large batch of cigars that were sub-standard – they wouldn’t burn correctly. Nick identified the issue as a bad lot of tobacco he purchased from a broker. He lost about $300,000. That’s when he decided to change his approach.

They acquired farmland in Esteli, Condega and Jalapa Valley – prime tobacco growing land in Nicaragua. They would take charge of growing their own tobacco, fermenting and aging it themselves and make their cigars. That way they could control the quality throughout the process. Nick continually reinvested in the company.

Today the company is still family-owned and operated but the name has changed to Tabacalera Perdomo. Their headquarters is in Miami Lakes, Florida but their factory is in Esteli, Nicaragua. They have the second largest cigar factory in the country – it’s an 88,000-square-foot facility. Nick Jr. incorporated modern farming techniques with traditional methods to produce high yields of quality tobacco. Ninety-five percent of the tobacco he uses in Perdomo cigars comes from his farms – the remainder is from Connecticut Valley or Ecuador for wrapper leaf.

Speaking of wrapper leaf, there are three main components to a fine handmade cigar. There’s the filler leaf – the inside of the cigar – the binder leaf which holds the filler in place and helps control the burn and the outer wrapper leaf which gives the cigar its color and appearance. Although the wrapper is less than 10% of the tobacco in a cigar, it has a great influence on flavor and is the most expensive tobacco used.

There are three methods of hand rolling used by most makers – the first is the book method. This is the easiest and fastest way to roll a cigar. Basically the leaves are stacked then folded like the pages of a stapled magazine before rolling. This method is usually found on cheaper cigars and can be inconsistent in quality. The next method is the accordion style. Here the leaves are individually folded like pleats on an accordion, then bunched together. This takes more skill than book rolling and the results are better. The pleats allow good airflow and the cigars draw and burn well. The third and most difficult method is called entubado. Here each leaf is rolled into a scroll-like tube before bunching. It’s the most time consuming and takes skill but it produces the highest quality and consistency.

Nick Perdomo only uses entubado rolling in all of his cigars. Today, Tobacalera Perdomo makes about 22 million cigars annually! Nick spends time at the farms and factory and also keeps a grueling travel schedule to market his product. From a beginning with three employees in his garage to a huge facility employing over 2,000 people was a journey of about 20 years.

His company is totally vertical – they plant and grow their tobacco. They makes the cigars. They have a box factory to make their own cigar boxes. Their packaging department has a machine that makes the cellophane wrappers for each cigar – 9,000 per day. They make their own cigar bands and graphics. Nick’s obsession with quality means he wants to have control over every aspect of the product with his name on it. What a rags-to-riches success story!

My blog post wouldn’t be complete without a dinner plate photo. On Monday, Donna sauteed shrimp with bacon and served it over cheese grits. Asparagus spears were the side dish. The box of grits was part of a gift basket of local goods from Miriam and Rand Armbrester when we visited with them in Alabama last spring.

Southern shrimp & cheese grits

The weather has been fine all week – sunny and in the mid-70s. The nights cool quickly and overnight lows are in the mid-50s. Last night we had a few thin clouds and it made a spectacular sunset.

Sunset over Mission Bay

The week ahead looks to be a little cooler with highs in the upper 60s. We might even have a rain shower before Thanksgiving.

 

 

Balboa Park

It was a beautiful, sunny day Saturday so we decided to head out to Balboa Park. Of course we can say it was a beautiful, sunny day most of the time here in San Diego, but for some reason we felt compelled to get out to the park. The temperature reached the upper 70s with blue skies. We rode the Spyder which made parking relatively easy. Parking a car on a weekend at Balboa Park can be an exercise in patience.

Balboa Park is about 1,600 acres of land in a roughly rectangular shape. The land was set aside for the park in 1835, making it one of the oldest public recreational parks in the country. The park is bordered by Sixth Avenue to the west, Upas Street to the north, 28th Street to the east, and Russ Boulevard to the south.

There are 16 museums in the park along with 17 gardens and botanical buildings. Much of the park is open space with green belts, natural vegetation, walking paths and areas set aside for archery and frisbee golf. It also includes the world famous San Diego Zoo.

El Prado with museums in the background

Natural History Museum

Botanical Building

Spanish Village Art Center

California Bell Tower and Museum of Man

Rose Garden and Natural History Museum in background

Donna was interested in a display and video presentation at the San Diego Automotive Museum. This display detailed the Plank Road. The Plank Road was built in 1912 and operated until 1927. It was literally wooden planks on the Imperial Sand Dunes. The planks were the only way an automobile could cross the sand dunes between El Centro, California and Yuma, Arizona. The Plank Road allowed travel from San Diego to Tucson or Phoenix by motorcar. Eventually a paved road replaced it. We learned that a portion of the Plank Road still exists west of Gray’s Well. We intend to stop there and check it out on our trip from San Diego to Arizona at the end of the year.

I shot a few photos of cars I found interesting in the museum. The first two are German compact cars from the 1950s. Post-World War II Germany had a need for cheap transportation. These three-wheel cars provided it. The first one is a 1957 BMW Isetta Sport. To enter the car, the front panel opened up – this was the only door.

1957 BMW Isetta – note bumpers added in front identifying this as an USA import model

The second one is a 1955 Messerschmitt KR200. Messerschmitt was an aircraft company and it shows in the design of the cockpit with the driver in front and passenger rear with a clear canopy. This car isn’t much bigger than our Can-Am Spyder – and we have more than ten times the horsepower.

1955 Messerschmitt KR200

Beautiful 1938 Delahaye Type 135 Roadster. Immaculate coach work.

1974 Lamborghini Countach. The car behind it is a Bizzarrini – one of three built.

1960 Sprint Car with a fuel injected Chevy small block

Hot Rod built around a 1942 Ranger V-12 aircraft engine

It was great way to spend the afternoon – the museum was interesting and walking around Balboa Park is always a treat.

Sunday was November 11th, Veterans Day. On this day we pay tribute to those that have served our country in the military. It’s also Armistice Day marking the end of World War I. Today military personnel and veterans are treated respectfully for the most part. It wasn’t always this way though.

My step-father, Ken Keller, served in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and fought at the battle of Chosin in Korea. It was a horrible battle as US troops were outnumbered and overrun by Chinese forces. Veterans of the Korean War are largely forgotten.

In 1974 at the age of 17, I enlisted in the USMC and went to boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) San Diego. That’s right, boot camp right here in my home town next to the airport. Boot camp was hell at times but I mostly enjoyed the 13 weeks at MCRD and Camp Pendleton. I excelled at most tasks and graduated on December 31st, 1974.

Me, 1974

From there I had orders to report to the Naval Air Station in Millington, Tennessee near Memphis. That was where I attended “A” school and learned to be a jet mechanic. Again, I excelled at the program and graduated in the top 5%. I was given some choices in my next duty station. I decided I wanted to be back in southern California and chose Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Orange county – about 50 miles north of San Diego where I was a plane captain (military occupational specialty 6012 – ADJ). This move was the first of a series of poor choices.

Being that close to home, I spent most weekends or any other free time back in the neighborhood hanging out with friends, going to the beach or parties. But things weren’t the same. People looked at my high and tight Marine haircut and assumed I wasn’t from here. They also assumed I must have come back from service in Vietnam. Both assumptions were wrong, but that didn’t stop people from disrespecting me. I was called a baby killer at a party in La Jolla. Another time I was waiting for a bus to the beach on Balboa Avenue when a guy came up with a couple of girls and spit at me and told me to go back where I came from. What? I’m from here, I thought, but I didn’t say anything.

It didn’t take long for me to become disillusioned with the military way of life – instead of directing my anger and shame at the people disrespecting me, I turned against military authority. Within two years, it was clear I had no future in the military. I wish I would have done things differently, but that was another time and public sentiment was largely anti-military back then.

I’m glad things are no longer like that although we still have much division in this country. I have nothing but respect for our military forces and the people that serve in them.

If you’ve followed my posts you may remember me mentioning the high-end liquor they have at Costco here. The Costco store on Morena Boulevard is gearing up for the holidays and that means more high-end booze. This bottle of 41-year-old Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch doesn’t quite match the $18,999 bottle I saw there last year, but at $6,999 for a liter, it’s not cheap!

41- year-old Scotch Whisky

The week ahead looks like we’re in for more of the same weather-wise. Highs in the mid-70s with a few clouds and no rain in the forecast.

 

Back to Normal

Things are settling down to some semblance of normal around here. When I wrote my post last week, I thought I’d turned the corner and beat the flu-like symptoms. It wasn’t to be. Tuesday morning I woke up feeling like I’d relapsed. I didn’t do much but sleep all day.

Donna returned from her two-week trip to Vermont Tuesday night. Two weeks is the longest we’ve been apart since we married over 12 years ago. While she was in the northeast, the climate was little different from here. She had to wear winter clothing! We don’t do much of that. She also wore the Lucchese boots I bought her last year. She probably wore them more in the two-week period than she has all year.

Donna dressed for New England weather

I wasn’t very good company when she got home – in fact I was dead to the world asleep in bed. The virus lingered and I wasn’t good for much for the next few days. Donna did a pile of laundry and also restocked the refrigerator and pantry. I’m eating a higher quality diet again!

Grilled chicken thigh and veggies with feta cheese

Thursday night Donna grilled chicken thighs and a medley of vegetables with feta cheese. She came home in time to see the best sunset of the season so far.

Nice sunset – I wish I was up for a walk to the bay at that time

Friday was my break-through day. I finally felt rested and better. While Donna was in New York, she went out with her friend Joan for dinner. Donna ordered a poke plate and wasn’t impressed. They left out a few details – like sesame-soy dressing and scallions.  Friday night we went to Offshore Tavern and Grill and ate there during happy hour. I had the poke plate made with cubed ahi tuna, sesame-soy dressing, cabbage, scallions, avocado and fried won ton wrappers.

Poke plate

Donna went for the seared yellowfin tuna made with sushi grade seared tuna, scallions, cabbage, soy sauce, ginger & wasabi. The meals were delicious as always.

Seared yellowfin tuna

Donna’s boots had a couple of scuffs – mostly on the heel stack and edges of the soles. I broke out my shoe-shine kit in the morning and went at it. First I cleaned the boots with saddle soap, then went over them inside and out with Bick 4 leather conditioner. I dressed the edges of the heel and sole with Fiebig edge dressing and finished up with a light polish with Kiwi shoe polish. The boots look new again

Saturday was a beach weather day. We ran a few errands then walked the boardwalk at Mission Beach. It was perfect beach weather – the temperature topped out just over 80 degrees with abundant sunshine and light wind. We had lunch on the corner of Mission Boulevard across from Belmont Park – Mr. Ruribertos Mexican Cafe. We ate at a table on the sidewalk.

The forecast calls for cooler temps with highs around 70. We’re heading over to Ocean Beach to play pickleball at the recreation center this morning. Like I said, things are returning to normal around here.