Sorry for the silence, but Portia and I have been busy. From San Diego to San Clemente and back to Poway, then on to Indio, Wickenburg, AZ, Sedona, Tucson, Las Cruces, Marfa, then San Angelo, and finally back to Dallas, then on to the hill country to take in the solar eclipse.
As you may remember, I was back in San Diego to celebrate my friend Matt, who passed on December 10th. The Deli Stop is a neighborhood deli and sports bar. Matt's first of two tributes took place there on March 9th. Matt loved the "D-Stop". And everyone there loved him. Matt had been visiting the D Stop for over 20 years, shooting the breeze over a few cold ones with good friends. He used to take me there when I came to visit. The owner of the Deli Stop suggested they hold a tribute there in honor of Matt. And it was a moving tribute with tons of photos and videos of Matt's band, "The Abiding Dudes", playing at various gigs over the years and some of just Matt playing guitar and singing. Matt loved playing the guitar for friends and family and always performed his best, and he took it very seriously. One of Matt's cherished guitars was there on a pedestal with a spotlight. To join me in San Diego, my good friend from Dallas, Mary, flew out to visit and accompanied me to the tribute, which was very touching and emotional for all of us who loved Matt.
Despite the reason for our San Diego visit, we had a wonderful time. Mary got to experience RV life and a glimpse into living in a trailer with a dog—it's a good thing she's a dog person with three at home. We enjoyed exploring the beaches and surrounding area and even hit a few craft breweries.
After Mary left to return home, Portia and I stayed in San Diego for a few days and began our trek east. Our first stop was the Elks Lodge in Indio, CA, near Palm Desert and Palm Springs. While there, my water heater stopped working, but I reached a mobile RV service guy who diagnosed the issue and repaired it in a day.
Our next stop was a Harvest Host location in Wickenburg, AZ. We spent the night at the Wickenburg Golf Course and Country Club and had the entire place to ourselves. It was so peaceful and beautiful. We left and headed for Sedona, AZ, where we spent 3 nights camped at the Sedona Elks Lodge. The Schnebly Hill Formation constitutes the bulk of Sedona's stunning red rock formation. It is a truly spectacular area.
From Sedona, we traveled to Tucson, where we had another unique experience with a Harvest Host location. We spent the night in the parking lot of Little Anthony's Diner, with the Gaslight Theatre next door. It was a bit noisy but a perfectly fine place to spend the night. Before parking, we went to one of my favorite breweries in Tucson, Moto Sonora Brewery, which has really good beer but an even nicer beer garden and dog area.
Leaving Tucson the next day, we stopped and spent the night at the Las Cruces Elks Lodge in very high winds. And those high winds followed us to Marfa, TX, where we are currently camped at the Marfa Yacht Club, where we spent this past New Year's Eve and day. From here, we will stop in San Angelo, then Dallas, where we'll stay for a few days, pick up Mary, head to Austin, then Hye, TX, to camp and enjoy the eclipse.
And I forgot to update you on Portia's hip issue. I included in the pictures a few supplements I began giving her that have made a huge difference in addition to a change in her diet. Thanks to Tom and Janine, they showed me how they make their homemade dog food for their dog Buddy, so now I'm making Portia's food with the help of the Instant Pot. Tom and Janine also put me in touch with a holistic vet. He combines Eastern and Western medicine and is the brother of another friend, Brian Metcalf. Todd Metcalf has been an award-winning vet in Arizona for over 40 years and now lives on the Central Coast of California. He assessed Portia's condition along with electronic acupuncture and spinal manipulations and recommended different foods, gut health supplements, and vitamin supplements. I'm happy to report Portia now hasn't favored or limped for over a month.
Until next time, take care my friends.
