April 27, 2011 Enjoying Sugar Barge Resort

We expected to move back to the Contra Costa Fairground on April 25. Just before it was time to check out, we learned we could extend additional days here at the same rate. So we quickly paid for 11 more days to take us through Larry’s doctor appointment on May 4th.

I thought I would share some of the reasons we enjoy visiting Sugar Barge Resort.

Welcome to Sugar Barge Resort. You drive in and stop at the office down this road.

This is the office, laundry room and club meeting room. The pool is just to the right of the office building.

Sugar Barge Resort lies just below a levee in the Delta. The levee is holding back water, lots of water. Bethel Island is surrounded by Delta sloughs fed mainly by the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. Someone once wrote there are 10,000 miles of water ways in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area. It is easy to get lost out there if you don’t carry water-way map.

On top of the levee, boaters and campers shop in the convenience store and eat on the top deck of the outdoor restaurant located next to the boat launching ramp. The upper level cafe is perfect for getting a bird’s eye view of Frank’s Tract--a breath-taking water view.

I climb up on to the levee on my evening walk—to add a bit of hard work to my exercise—huff, huff! Some days the climb is easy---and some days it is a LOT of work. But the view from the levee makes the hugging and puffing worth it.

We have enjoyed our visit, even with lots of rain, wind, sunshine, wind, wind and more wind. The friendly and helpful staff members make this place extra special. It feels like home away from home when we need to stay close to Antioch for a month or two. Thank you Sugar Barge Resort!

Last weekend we celebrated Easter with my dad, sister, Diane, and her husband, Roger. Easter just isn’t Easter without happy-looking dyed eggs. I have too many years of egg-dying experience to quit now—so I did the Easter eggs. Notice the cute colored cups—they sure made the job easier. Pour out and toss—no washing up needed!

The Easter bunny even left a basket for Larry this year. He looks so cute carrying his Easter basket. Yes, I said “his” basket. He didn’t want to share his delicious Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs with me.

(But he did—even if it was under duress, smile. Thanks Sweetie!)

Larry skipping down the Bunny Trail with my dad (Bill) and Roger cheering him on.

We cooked a ham and baked potatoes for dinner and I made our now-famous Argo-cornstarch lemon meringue pie. It tasted even better than it looked.

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We have been in the Antioch/Bethel Island area for almost 7 weeks. We plan on heading back to Texas next Thursday, May 5th, after Larry’s appointment with his kidney doctor. After sitting here for so long--with so little to do, we are going to be very busy for the last week.

We are helping with my dad’s yard sale on Friday, going to visit long-time Benicia, CA, friends Saturday, and on Sunday, we are looking forward to company joining us at Sugar Barge Resort for a few days—Don & Sharon Del Rosario. They are passing through on their way to meet up with Dennis and Carol Hill for a trip to Alaska this summer. They will have lots of great things to write about—so be sure to check out Sharon’s blog this summer: Gypsy and the Mariner's RV Adventures.

Stay tuned for the shock of going back on the road. You can follow our travels back to Livingston, TX, as we deal with high-priced diesel and a dramatic weather change. We will be driving from cool, spring weather smack dab into heavy, hot summer weather. How will I survive? I don’t do HOT weather!

April 10, 2011 Sugar Barge Resort, Bethel Island, CA

After two weeks at the Contra Costa County Fairground, we moved  to Sugar Barge Resort--during a “knock you to the ground” rain and windstorm.  We picked a site with a gravel pad to avoid sinking slowly through their lawn into the underlying mud and just backed in and plugged in electricity to hunker down until the storm passed.

Here is our view out the door the next morning:

We decided to stay in this spot, # 113, next to the entrance gate because we can use the cell phones here—a miracle since they don’t work in other sites—and we receive regular digital stations on the TV—three different PBS stations, so I am a happy camper!  One even has CREATE TV—which is filled with the PBS craft, cooking, travel and wood shop programs we enjoy watching. Life is GOOD!

The weather hasn’t been good.  We have had a few days of beautiful spring weather up to the low 80s, but then winter returned in full force—rain with winds shaking us for hours.  Snow levels are the highest in over 40 years up in the Sierra Nevada mountains—with Interstate 80 closed days on end due to snow. Hurry up Spring, we are anxious to have you back!

I enjoyed a bit of drama the first few days.  The gate and old guard shack are visible through the side camper window.  I was looking out and noticed a pretty Siamese cat strut out the gate and peer down the road for a few minutes.  He looked and looked.  And then….

he took off down the above road like he was on his way to work—tail high in the air and headed straight down the road. The nest few mornings, he and another cat peered down the road and then trotted down the road.  I wondered what they saw and where they were going with such determined strides.

And then one morning, the fog descended all the way to the ground.  The Siamese and the black cat came out of the gate and stood about where the tree is in front of the photo—and looked down the road—and couldn’t see beyond the guard shack because the fog obscured everything.

They looked at each other—then down the road and kind of shook their heads and looked at each other as if to say:  Where did IT go???  What ever IT was—it couldn’t be seen that morning.  They waited and looked a few more minutes and kind of shrugged their shoulders and reversed direction and came back inside the park gate and wandered back to their homes.  It was a hoot to watch.  I know, I am easily amused with cheap entertainment!

Yesterday, Brentwood’s Farmer’s Market opened for the season.  It was an opportunity to get in a bit of walking as well as add some fresh veggies to our diet.

 

To Larry’s dismay, the tomatoes won’t be ripe until we leave the area, but we did buy some Brussels' sprouts and cauliflower from this booth.

With time to pass, we have been doing some cooking.  Arlene taught me how to bake a lemon meringue pie at Q. She uses the Argo cornstarch recipe with five eggs; I found it on the internet.  Oh, Oh, Oh!  It was sooo good, I am baking another one for Easter dinner!

The one thing we learned is that you need a mixer to make lemon meringue pies.  Luckily I was able to borrow my sister’s because you need a mixer to get the rich meringue topping with the toasty peaks!

We are staying here at Sugar Barge until the day after Easter when we return to the Fairground for our last few days in the Antioch area.  We would love to stay at Sugar Barge until May 5th, but the exorbitant diesel and gas prices are impacting our campground choices and we have to cut where we can.  

Gas prices topped $4 this past week and the diesel prices are quickly closing in on $4.50.  We will cut where we can in order to fund our travels.  Like the rest of the country, we will tighten our belts as well as count our blessings.  If we concentrate on the things we can still do, (instead of the “cant's”) we will feel rich and powerful.

So, take a moment to remember all the things you can still do—even when funds are short.  And then make your plans to fulfill your dreams!