Livin the La Vida Bueno in Ventura!

 We love Ventura.It is a great place for the winter.My brothers,My Son, the wives, and,myself all went to the rose bowl to watch ASU beat UCLA for the Pac Ten South title.We ate lots of hot dogs and cheered ASU to victory.

It was a close game all the way til the end

The Rose Bowl  is one of the finest venues in the country to enjoy football.I have watched 1 Rose bowl  and 4 or 5 ASU-UCLA games in this Stadium

Back at the Resort, Mr. Security is on the job keeping the guests in line and happy.Its a tough job.But somebody has to do it!

No 2 sunsets are the same.Each one is unique

When we are at the beach the Taco House is our favorite spot for lunch.We have been there so many times,they know us on a first name basis

This is the Ventura beach pier.Good food and good fishing off the pier.

We walk the seashore and sit and enjoy the scenery

One of my brothers neighbors son plays high school football for Santa Barbara so we went to his game.

While in Santa Barbara,we just had to sample the wine at one of their Wineries.We had taken the train from Ventura and it was late for our return trip so we "Stomped some grapes!"

Jeni with "flipper" while shopping in Santa Barbara

We are still smiling On our return trip back to Ventura on Amtrack

We are living the good life here in Ventura.Doing a lot of site seeing and enjoying the company of my brother Gary and his wife Martha.With 5 days off a week,we have lots of time to explore the area.
Our Daughter Katie and her family,and my Son and his boys came over for Thanksgiving . we all had dinner at Mimi's so nobody had to cook or clean.We all spent Friday Saturday at the resort enjoying Karaoke and live music.Sunday we were Toast!
The weather here has been so summer like but it is supposed to turn cooler this week.
We are in the planning stages for our big road trip for this summer.We have made reservations for Yellowstone National park for early June already and finalizing a plan for the summer trip as to what and how far we will travel.
Christmas is almost  upon us as the year is almost gone, We have more family coming in for Christmas and it will be party central again in Ventura. We are livin the La Vida Bueno!

At Ventura RV Resort

We finally made it to Ventura Ca.To start our stint here at Ventura Beach Resort.We are here til April 20th.Jeni is getting a lot of beach time and she is loving it.We are working 2 days a week Jeni in the office and me I'm working security.Yea that is right ole Barney Fife is making the campers here at the resort feel safe! More on Barney in my next blog.Were working Sat-Sun so we have all week to play and playing we are doing.

 This is a first class resort.A nice store,rec room,pool,spa and of coarse 24hr security.lots of grass no dirt.

 We visited a quaint little danish town called Solvang northeast of Santa Barbara.It was our anniversary and we had a hankering for a good German dinner.

 We spied this nice looking Danish restaurant and were really tempted but we really wanted Something German so we kept on looking.

We finally found what we were looking for "the Heidelberg Inn" Bratwurst,red cabbage,and German potatoes yum yum! and the beer.....superb!

 This was our waitress. She was a cutie and took real good care of Jeni and I.It was like dining in Hamburg so authentic.

 The dishes were so good and the beer was classic German lager. after this meal we had to walk it off around town.

This clock tower building caught our eye.Every 1/2 hr the bells in the tower would ring.What a great place.

 Jeni is standing in the bell tower of the Santa Barbara court house overlooking the city.What a view.We took a trip down to Santa Barbara and checked out downtown.

 The courtyard outside the court house was fantastic.This was the focal point of the downtown district.

A look at the court house from the courtyard.You can see the bell tower to the left that Jeni was at.

 Jen and I  are only 15 minutes away from the beach walking  the bike path .Only 5 minutes by car.We have been spending 5 days a week on the beach.We are doing other things too.

You can see by our smiling faces that we love where we are right now.This beach is just southwest of the resort.It is very secluded. On the other side of the park is the boardwalk and beach.This beach is a little busier with surfers,bikers,and dog walkers.A short walk out of the park and we are tanning on the beach. We are here for 7 months so we are going to see it all.Who says retirement is boring.Were livin the "La vida bueno""! Another great thing about being here.....My brother and his wife live close to the resort so we have been spending time with them.We have plans for a football game in Pasadena later this month,kids and grand kids for the holidays,and endless excursions in the following months.Life is good at Ventura Beach RV Resort.

A crazy summer!

A beautiful sunset over Yosemite Pines Resort

The Senf family(our daughter,son in law,and grandson at Yosemite

Jeni line dancing at Yosemite Pines Resort

Chris one of the maintenance men At Yosemite Pines

Val,Lance,and Roseann the deli crew at Yosemite Pines

Jeni,Laverne,Kathy,and Betty the office crew at Yosemite Pines

Angels Camp Resort This is where  we were evacuated to when the "Rim" fire forced us to flee Yosemite Pines

Well its been a wild and crazy summer here at Yosemite Pines Resort. From a bear encounter at Hetch Hetchy reservoir,to being evacuated out of the park down to Angels Camp because of the devastating "rim fire" that came within a couple of miles of the park,to working at the resort while it was almost empty of customers because Hwy 120 was closed to Yosemite because of the fire.And that was just the highlights of our stay. All in all we thoroughly enjoyed our summer here and will be back again.

A look down Yosemite Valley

We got to see a lot of Yosemite we never had seen before,and the quaint little towns,Groveland,Jamestown,Big oak flats,Sonora,and Angels Camp with their old west gold country charm. Our top dining spot was in Groveland. A Little Mexican food place the name escapes me but it had "Cocina" in its name which means kitchen.Bar none the best Chile rellanos I've ever had. It is a busy place but well worth the wait.

Glacier Point in Yosemite Park

We also had 4 other couples from our park join us this summer to work kamp.And to all of them we say Thanks for a great summer
After our stay here at Yosemite Pines,we will be moving down to Ventura Ca. to work amp this winter at Venture Beach RV Resort.First we have to make a stop in Sacramento to get our Refrigerator fixed and visit with Jackie,Katie and their families.We are scheduled to start work in Ventura Oct 2nd.
I have not been able to blog since June because of a problem with my computer.It took us 2 months to figure out we couldn't fix it ourselves so we finally had to take it to "Best Buy". Luckily when Jeni bought her computer last January she purchased the "geek squad" 1yr service plan so after 2 trips to them with my computer,problem solved and it cost us nothing.I'm back on and blogging, Thanks Geeks!
Hopefully we won't encounter earthquakes or floods this winter like we did with the "rim"fire this summer.We could really use a nice quiet winter after A Crazy Summer!.

Yosemite and a visit from DJ

Its been a busy June here at Yosemite Pines Resort. Everything is up and running now. The Deli is now open with some delicious food,the pool is open and full of visitors trying to stay cool,and the hayrides,campfire programs,and,movie nights are in full swing on the weekends. Jeni and I have been puttin in the hours but we have been lucky enough to get weekends off so we have been doing alot of sightseeing.
We took a day trip to a part of Yosemite we have not visited before. We headed into the park,I showed my senior pass,(we get in free-a nice perk for being old!) and we headed up the #120 toward the Tioga pass.To some who we have talked to, this part of Yosemite is the most beautiful place in the park. We stopped at Tenaya Lake,Tuolumne meadows,and the wild and senic Tuolumne river. Our journey ended at a cute little cafe on Tioga pass at about 10,000ft.elevation. The beauty of this area is to us the hidden treasure of this park. On the weekends this area is less crowded than the more popular Yosemite Valley.


DJ checking out the tractor at the park.Jackie and DJ visited the park last weekend. DJ liked feeding the animals  the best.Sunday we had all you can eat pancakes at the Deli. Jeni and I had a great weekend with them.



This little cafe at Tioga Pass was our lunch spot in Yosemite. The food was good but the atmosphere was great.

Jeni is relaxing by the Toulumne river reading her book. I was looking for wildlife but was unsucessful. No matter where you are in Yosemite there is sheer beauty all around you

The picturesque Toulumne meadows area.

I did see a buck way out in the meadow here but I had to use my binocularsw!

The sheer granite walls sure define the park

Jeni dipping her toes in the cool water of Tenaya lake. A beautiful  area with sandy beaches,in a heavily forested backdrop. lots of hiking,waterfalls,and picnic tables.

No that isn't snow on that little mountain but we did see patches here and there. I think this area is about 9000ft elevation.

A closer look of the lighter colored Granite in this area.

The beauty of Yosemite is without words! Jeni and I will be back.

What a trip that was! Another area in Yosemite we will explore next month will be "Hetch Hechy reservoir. We hear this place won't disappoint.
July brings Dentist appointments,more Yosemite,park activites,and maybe just maybe a SF Giant game!
We have cut back our working hours at the park just a bit as we are not used to the ole 40hr week. Thus, more play time! YEA!
We are also trying to put together an ocean weekend down in Ventura with Gary and Martha. Probably late July.
Ah June. Summertime,Yosemite,and DJ......life is good!

A Graduation and a Birthday

Jeni and I have been busy working 8hr shifts at Yosemite Pines Resort.It is a lot of fun. Jeni works in the office and helps fold laundry for the cabins, I work maintenance and occasionally drive the Hayride on the weekends. We sure love it and, were making money! The managers, Jesse and Aimee are the best.
 Gary and Martha rented a cabin and visited us here. Then we all headed to Sacramento for Grandaughter Alyx's high school graduation. It was a moving experience for Jeni and I, Aginst all odds this amasing young lady graduated and is off to college. In spite of all the Grad parties that night she chose to be with her family This is one proud Grandpa.
 We also were surprised to find out we were off work for Waylans 1st birthday so we headed back to Sacramento. We got to party with Lil Waylan. We only stayed about 5 hrs and then we headed back to the resort.The end of May and the first days of June have gone by fast.Here are some pics of the last few weeks.


this is our manager at Yosemite Pines Jesse. He is great to work for



Jeni at Priest grade cafe, a delightful cafe overlooking the valley below.One of the fine little eateries in the area.



Grandma and Waylan at Katies house prior to Alyx's Graduation.



The Graduation at Casa Roble high school. Alyx is in there somewhere



Here is our "LIL BOO" all grownup.I choke up just thinking about it!



A week after Alyx's graduation,we were back in Sacramento for Waylans 1st birthday.



GOT MILK!



Back at the park on the weekends I occasionally drive the tractor for the hayride.



My beautiful Daughters and the birthday boy.



One proud Grandpa!



this picture got put in the wrong order,this is our manager Aimee jesse's wife.she is in the middle.thats her daughter Rayanna in front and one of the seasonal employees Val in the back

Its been a busy May for us.And June looks to be just as busy as May was.Jeni and I plan to visit every inch of Yosemite this summer and the surrounding towns in the gold country.
 We are one big happy family at the park. On Wednesday we close early and have a potluck and play cards.It just like being at Park Sierra. There are 29 of us working here and everybody is just a delight to work with.Lets hope the love continues in Sept! Ha Ha.
We are already thinking of places to work this winter. One place we are thniking of  working is down in Ventura close to my Brother.The resort is called Ventura Beach Resort.We are working this summer and the winter so we can travel north next summer to Yellowstone park and South Dakota.
We will undoughtily be heading back to Sacramento during the summer for some Grandkid time.just as we did in May......for a Graduation and a Birthday.....See Ya