Joe Hackman

Joe Hackman

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Adventure Day 8 – Final Day in San Diego and Bonding with the Cat

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Our week in San Diego is wrapping up and if I had to give the week a theme I’d say it was rest. I think we were all pretty tired from the preparations for selling our house and getting ready for this trip. Next week I will be working in Arizona, then we intend to spend some mostly family time in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. Our real sightseeing starts then, it’s been tough to do much in the way of outings during the week due to work commitments.

Bonding with Raisin

Our sole surviving kitty Raisin really likes me. She’s a neat cat, she really cracks me up sometimes. Last night after I wrote the blog post about day 7 I was watching the Matrix in the “garage” of our RV. Raisin decided to join me:

Raising Watching the Matrix

Raising Watching the Matrix

I’ll tell you something really cool about this cat, she does tricks. Didn’t think that was possible? It’s true, her nick-name is “Bear” and I have a video to prove it. Only I don’t have a stable enough connection to prove it today, so I’ll have to save the cat videos for another time!

Pushing off tomorrow

So we’ll be saying adios to our amigos here in San Diego tomorrow. I love it here, we could have spent a month here. We’ll be back for sure. Due to our busy resting schedule, we didn’t get out to see much. Luckily we’ve all been here before and didn’t miss out too much.

Highlights and Take-Aways

  1. You can fix almost anything with duct tape and hot glue.
  2. RV Trips are better with pets
  3. Our son gets along well with the laid back San Diego kids.
  4. Ants CAN infiltrate your RV, it took them nearly a week to find us.

As I mentioned already we’re headed to Arizona tomorrow. Our plan is to try to make a reservation at a place fairly close to Phoenix, we’ll do that on the road. We’ll be driving out Highway 8 East, a highway I drove on many times with friends headed to the desert back when I lived down here. I spent a long holiday weekend at Buttercup, Glamis, etc. Good times! It will be fun to share the stories with my son as we drive by the old playground.

Next up: Adventure Day 9 – Road trip to Arizona and Hurray for 4G

Adventure Day 7 – Friends Missed Far Too Long

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Today I was sitting at lunch with two great friends reminiscing. It’s hard to believe that it had been close to twenty years since I’d last shared a meal with them and, from my perspective, inexcusable. Luckily I have Facebook to thank for reconnecting us. As I was riding away, it hit me pretty hard that I had let that much time pass without enjoying the presence of these two guys. I made them a promise as we left that we’ll get together and do something, anything once a year. They invited me to a Christmas month ride from California to Mike’s Sky Rancho in Mexico, it sounds like a lot of fun, but I am not sure if I’ll be ready for it this year. I love their sense of adventure, though. It was one of those getting the band back together kind of moments, but it was way too short.

3 Amigos

3 Amigos

Is there a great friend who drifted away in your past you’d like to reconnect with? I hope you get the chance to connect, take the initiative; you won’t regret it. I feel as if this trip is re-shaping my future, helping me to remember what matters most and preparing me for those important next steps.

Thanks for your feedback

I’ve been very encouraged by the feedback you’ve given me about sharing this story, much of it on Facebook. Truth be told, this is probably a once in a lifetime chance for me to do this. In the future, it will be a great way for me to remember all the steps of the journey beyond just the normal photographs I’d take. One comment suggested I link the Flickr album – here it is!

Highlights and Observations from Today

  1. Scanners work better when you remove the protective sheet inside. (They actually work with it, but it’s not pretty)
  2. Starbucks is still a decent place to get some work done (though I prefer Panera Bread, there wasn’t one close today)
  3. When you’re 8 years old, it’s hard to beat Star Wars in terms of movie night entertainment value.
  4. Speaking of connecting with friends, I’m really going to miss Liz Strauss and all my SOBCON friends in Chicago this weekend.

Time is going by WAY too fast. I can’t believe Thursday is our last full day in San Diego. It’s going to be tough to say goodbye…

Next up: Adventure Day 8 – Final Day in San Diego and Bonding with the Cat

Adventure Day 6 – Extended San Diego Stay and a Toast

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Sleep is definitely not over-rated, and I think we’re all sleeping better now that we’ve settled into our new environment. That’s one thing that was really lacking over the last month or more, sleep. Listing and selling your house and prepping to hit the road for a month involves a lot of work, ups and downs, and stress. All of those have an impact on sleep, and over time that starts to take a toll. Late this afternoon, I found myself taking a spontaneous nap to help catch up. Sleep is good. Today was officially workday #2 on the road. Yesterday I mentioned that our time in San Diego was too short. Today we realized that it would be cool to stay in San Diego a little longer, so we extended our trip an additional day to be 1 full week. I am pretty sure that the laid back atmosphere here will help us get fully caught up on our rest and ready for the road ahead. It will also allow me to get out and meet more of my customers.

Fishing from a Paddle Boat

After cruising around in the paddle boat yesterday and watching the bass and perch cruise by, we decided to take some time to try our luck today fishing. We didn’t catch a thing, and we somehow managed not to lose anything either. One thing about these lakes is that there are many aquatic plants and algae to catch your lure/hook on.

Paddle Boat Fishing!

Paddle Boat Fishing!

It’s official, *cheers* our Danville House closed Escrow today.

Last week we said goodbye to our Danville house of almost ten years; today, it became official. To toast the occasion, we popped the cork on a very special Cabernet Sauvignon made by Wine Maker Steve Tonella (aka my brother in law) of SR Tonella Cellars. Wow, what a treat it was indeed. His release party is this weekend, head over to his website if you want to be a part of this very special event. Sadly, we are going to be in Arizona that day so share your experience with me if you do make it!

Toasting to 2010 S.R. Tonella Cellars Cab

Toasting with a 2010 S.R. Tonella Cellars Cab

The 2014 RV Adventure Flickr Album

I promised to upload photos from my SLR and decided a Flickr Album would be the best way to share. Here is one of my favorites. It’s as if the ducks were saying, “No food? We’re out!”

Highlights and observations from Today

  1. I need a place to hang a hammock.
  2. The RV can start to feel small pretty fast if acting as an office and a summer school.
  3. I really enjoy being near water. (Add this to the house feature list? Hmmm)

Tomorrow I am excited to spend my third working day in San Diego and to have the opportunity to meet up with a couple of old friends. It’s going to be a great day.

Next up: Adventure Day 7 – Friends Missed Far Too Long

Adventure Day 5 – Business as Unusual and Dinner with Old Friends

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Today was back to business as usual. By that, I mean, it was the first day I had actual client appointments “on the road.” After being digitally native and building and maintaining relationships with no face to face contact, I still find it incredibly rewarding to connect with people in person. Today was one of those days where I was able to do that and, in the process, learn more about some of my customers here in the San Diego area. I learned while visiting one customer in Santee, CA, that the owner races street bikes. I enjoyed checking out this fine piece of historic 2-stroke fun during my visit:

In my Customers Office!

In my Customers Office!

The coolest part was in chatting with the owner of that bike. He intends to ride it more. That means his work-life balance is destined for an adjustment, and I love that!

Paddle Boats at Santee Lakes

This afternoon we rented a paddleboat here at Santee Lakes. It’s a pretty nice setup. We were able to see a lot of fish and get a workout at the same time. I’ll have to add pictures from the SLR when we get to a better connection, but here is one to give you an idea of what it was like:

Ducks - from a paddle boat.

Ducks – from a paddleboat.

Dinner with Friends

We had a short notice dinner with some friends tonight, and it was fantastic. I love filling in the gaps of the last 20+ years of people I knew a long while ago. It really makes me wish I had been around for more of them to enjoy those times together, but better late than never. All of it was made possible by Facebook, which is really an invaluable tool for people to connect, reconnect, and find common interests.

Highlights and Observations from Today

  1. The more opportunity you have to see interesting things, the more likely you are to see them.
  2. Let the youngster steer the Paddle Boat.
  3. Shared broadband actually works once the campground clears out.

What will tomorrow bring?

I am feeling like the time in San Diego will be too short. It’s probably the best weather we’ll have on our entire journey. There are more people here that I know, and there is a whole lot to do. Tomorrow I fully intend to take a couple of hour breather from work at some point to take the little dude fishing. Thanks for following my journey; where has your summer taken you? Are our paths going to cross?

Next up: Adventure Day 6 – Extended San Diego Stay and a Toast

Adventure Day 4 – Unpacking and Office Setup, US Ties Portugal

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When was the last time you moved? Do you remember that feeling when you started to dig into those boxes to find the things you needed? Stuff that got added to the “have to do” list so you could navigate your life. Today felt more like moving into a new home and office than anything else here in our RV. We had a lot of stuff in our “garage” that needed to be unpacked or setup. This was all precipitated by the persistent reminders to get a fishing license to take a young man fishing. Said fishing license requires a printer, so I unboxed an Officejet MFP that will be filling the role of office copier, scanner, and printer for the coming month (or perhaps longer?). I figure a good sign was when we took a bunch of cardboard to the recycle here at Santee Lakes. Here is some visual proof nestled between our combo washer/dryer and bikes:

Mobile Office MFP

Mobile Office MFP

Our Little Helper

You are probably expecting to hear more about our son, but actually, I realized today that I had not mentioned our cat – Raisin, traveling with us. She will be keeping the “rig” rodent-free (no freeloaders allowed) and providing entertainment along the way. This is not her first trip with us, but it is her first trip alone with us. She had a sister with her last time that we believe may have met with foul play in the open space behind our old house. This, of course, put a little more of a psychological burden on us all the last few days and the days leading up to our departure. We’ve always tried to balance our quality of life and safety for our cats. When the Coyotes are around, we try to keep them inside; the cats have other ideas. Raisin’s story is pretty extraordinary; the odds she overcame to live are huge. Her mother was hit by a car carrying her and her brothers and sisters. She was taken to the Contra Costa County Animal Shelter; Raisin was the only cat that survived the ordeal. Her mother and all her siblings didn’t make it. She has now outlived two other stepsisters to remain the sole survivor of our pride. Needless to say, Raisin is now a house (RV?) cat and taking really well to being our pet.

The Survivor "Raisin"

The Survivor “Raisin”

Proud of the US World Cup Team

Even though the satisfaction of a victory was torn from their hands, I am incredibly proud of this team’s performance today. They are exceeding the expectations of nearly everyone and becoming more confident with every minute of play. Today the team really seemed to have what it takes to be champions; we could believe it. Portugal’s equalizing goal with so little time left was heartbreaking, but I am hopeful the team will continue to build on this impressive early showing. USA! USA!

Be Grateful for Good, Thoughtful Neighbors

While walking down a trail today, I spotted a couple standing next to the trail a short distance behind our son. Our son cruised by them on his bicycle without event. When we caught up, they told us they had stayed in that spot to ensure our son didn’t get too close to a rattle-snake on the trail. I want to think most people would make an effort in a similar situation, but I am grateful to them for sparing us from a potentially dangerous situation.

Highlights and observations from today

1. Never use wifi for a printer.
2. Never give up.
3. There are unsung heroes all around you.
4. San Diego Weather is as good as you hear it is.

By the time you’re reading this, I am probably in full work mode. It’s going to be a busy week. I did manage to schedule some time with local friends that I am very much looking forward to. We will continue to enjoy what San Diego has to offer for work and play. Thanks for following our developing adventure!

Next up: Adventure Day 5 – Business as Unusual and Dinner with Old Friends