We had a quiet two-night run from Salem to Antioch, CA. We stopped early the first day in The Valley of the Rogue State Park, where the scenery is beautiful and the weather was very mild. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at the Redding, CA, Elks’ Club the next day, the temperature was 103. We were lucky—as it had been 106 the day before. That’s a bit too warm for me!
Apparently rice does well in warm weather—as we passed miles of rice paddies north of Sacramento, CA.
A few fields were still green, but most of the rice paddies had already been harvested.
We pulled into the Antioch Fairground RV Park and made ourselves at home, such as it is:
The Antioch area is suffering some severe crime events—including a murder on the fair grounds just three nights before we arrived. Twice we heard gun fire during the night. What is more perplexing is the lack of sirens afterwards—it appears no one bothers to call the Police Department—located just four blocks from the fairground. It wasn’t the best of times! The worst assault was on our ears: a five-hour Rap Concert held just behind the RV park. It was LOUD and it was disgusting! I have never heard so many swear words so loud and so often. No wonder the kids are killing each other—they are being egged on toward violence in their music. It actually was a blessing when the stock-car races started as the roaring cars—just off to the left in the photo, were quieter than the disgusting rap music we had endured from noon to 5 pm. We just smiled at each with the race noises!
We thought we would be leaving for Texas on the 20th—the day after we were finished with doctor appointments. Wrong! Larry’s blood pressure had been climbing over the past month—until we realized it was just too high to start east. We decided to hang on until Sunday, the 22nd—and then Wednesday—in the hope it would level out. We emailed his kidney doctor to see what we could do to bring it down into a safer level. When she emailed back on Wednesday that we needed to adjust his current dosage for a week—and then add two more pills if that didn’t work—we called our favorite resort, Sugar Barge RV Park, and made a month’s reservation. We are looking at least two week’s delay if her readjustment of his Terazosin works or 3 or 4 if she has to add or change one of his BP meds.
Sugar Barge is beautiful and so much quieter—no gunshots waking us up at 2 a.m. I can walk in the evening—without having to keep an eye on the road outside the fairground watching for cars slowing down to do us harm. So, I reluctantly cancelled our plans to be back in Livingston for the annual Fun Fest celebration. I had signed up to help with event cashiers and market day to sell my pottery. Some very nice friends have picked up my slack and will make sure the cashiers are there to sell dinner and lunch tickets! Thank you Joan Anderson, Sherry King, Joyce Houck and Beth and Wayne Roberts. You are the best!! Now if I could get someone to display and sell my pottery bowls, ha ha!
Tomorrow I will unload the car and run to the storage shed to put some stuff back in and to pick up the patio chairs. We were ready to go—everything was packed! And now we are on hold—until Larry’s blood pressure is back in the safe range. Darn, and double darn. There goes those plans—again and again! And that is what RVing—and getting older—is all about. Our plans are written in the sands of the Sahara—and can change with a soft breeze! I had to remind myself—when we kept trying to make it work to get to Texas in time—when you are stuck in a hole and trying to get out—stop digging! It could be so much worse—this is just another hick-up in our lives, not a major event. We always have next year to make Fun Fest!
Meanwhile, I can help my sister by stringing more beads for her necklaces. A good therapy for impatient hands! This is just part of her bead stash!
So, until my next post, think of my eyes getting blurry and my clumsy fingers threading beads onto wire—in a labor of love! If I didn’t love her, I wouldn’t be doing this, smile!
Happy travels—for some of you!
Sorry your plans had to be changed, but health issues definitely come first! And we're glad to know you're getting out of the bad neighborhood and going back to Sugar Barge. Take care.
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