Waffles and Harvest Hosts

We enjoyed a much needed break from our volunteer duties at the Good Sam Rally today in Phoenix, AZ. I had fallen asleep around 7:00 pm last night, I was that tired. Yet despite the chance to sleep in, I was awake again at 5:30, and Bob got up right after I did. There was too much to do to waste any of the day sleeping!

Years ago my grandmother gave me an old Wagner Ware cast iron waffle maker meant for wood stove cooking and dated February 22, 1910. It is one of my most cherished possessions. I have used that waffle iron for probably forty years and it will outlast me (the kids will have to draw straws to see who gets it after I'm gone!) There is something pretty special about items that were not built with planned obsolescence in mind.

So this morning I fired up the gas stove and made some yummy waffles for breakfast. Boy, were they good!

Bob and I then went over to the Rally and spent some time in the vendors' section. There we met Don and Kim Greene from Harvest Hosts, a member network of wineries, farms, and agri-tourism sites that invite people with RVs to visit and stay overnight for free. For about the cost of a one night campground charge you can join this organization for a year, and then have access to their network of hosts. We were quite impressed with the options we will have, especially when we are on the move to a destination cross-country. While this is dry camping (no hookups) it looks like a really fun way to visit interesting places, meet interesting people, and save some money along the way. As members we are encouraged, of course, to purchase from the hosts, and have the options of staying at wineries, fruit/vegetable growers, cheese producers, alpaca farms, and many more. Look at the map of options on their website; I couldn't believe there were so many places in the Harvest Hosts network. Truly a great deal.

After we had our fill of Rally, we headed out to LA Fitness to use our free pass that another volunteer had given us. It's been years since either of us have stepped into a gym like that. We were given a tour and a fitness assessment, then were turned free. So Bob and I soaked in the hot tub for a while before taking advantage of the showers. Since we have had only electrical hookups this week we've been conserving water, it was nice to take a long hot shower. We may go back again Sunday since the pass is good for a week.

Poor Auggie has been left alone every day for hours. So when we decided to treat ourselves to a 

dinner out we tweaked that plan just a little and called Red Lobster for takeout. Auggie got to ride along with us while we went to get the food so he was happy. And of course he loved licking the takeout containers afterwards. He thanked us with kisses.

Happy birthday to our son, Tim. we are so proud of the man he has become.

Tomorrow we start our two day stint as Security volunteers, 7-12:00. Hope it doesn't rain!