1/2 In The Desert & 1/2 At Home....

With a fixed return flight, this Saturday past, I returned to Palm Springs country while Jeanette - with an open return flight - is still back home lending a hand and support with Ginette, Brie, Easton and Trevor.

While I managed to escape the rare - very rare - west coast snow.......

........Jeanette woke up to this yesterday (Sunday) morning.

My timing was good to head back south.  Exchanging email - and watching the local BC Lower Mainland TV news on our satellite at the RV in the desert - the snow is more or less hanging around today.  Typical west coast snow dissipates quickly with rain but, till that happens, a good 8" of the white stuff remains on the ground.

Our back yard.....looking quite festive.

I always enjoy beautiful snow photos while sitting outdoors in the desert, in shorts and T-shirts.  

Jeanette is spending plenty of time with baby Brie, Ginette and Easton while Trevor is at work.

Early morning look outside our 5th wheel this Tuesday morning.

I take a walk around the RV park every morning and it is a quiet time to work off the cob webs of night.  Few people are up and about and the only noise is generated by dogs who want a serious bite of my ankles.  You would think the dog owners/handlers would keep their pets indoors at that early time.  Talk about waking up the neighbors....!

This medium duty Ford F-650 truck and 40 foot toy hauler caught my attention.  Nice rig!

I took a Sunday drive into Desert Hot Springs to purchase some food stuffs, now that I am back.  An early morning run through the food store yielded the items on my list with little interference.  It was too early for most shoppers.  Yea to that!

Back at Sam's Spa and RV Resort, the food stuffs were quickly put away and I moved outdoors to remove the motorcycle cover and place our deck chairs back in their rightful spots.  Before long, the motorcycle was fired up and I left on a ride.  With no destination in mind, I eventually found myself on El Paseo Drive - in the expensive shopping district of Palm Desert.  My cousin winters in a nice condo there.  I stopped the motorcycle and gave her a call.  If she was home and open to a visit, then I was up for that.  If not, I would leave a message to call me back.

Madeleine, my cousin, was home and she was thrilled to invite me over.  Why?  Well, she enjoys our visits and, as it turns out, her two brothers were visiting too.  Well.....talk about opportunity!

L-R   Germain, Madeleine, Guy - my first cousins.

Madeleine and I keep in touch and we're up on each others families activities.  I had not seen - nor been in contact with - Germain and Guy for at least 40 years.  Talk about a reunion!  It was so nice to catch up.  Their mom (Sally) and my mom (Anne) were sisters.  

We sat outdoors, enjoying the great chat (and plenty of laughs too) while enjoying the lovely afternoon heat.  

Madeleine is a "primo jokester" and, because I arrived minutes before her two brothers were to return from a short errand, she wanted to pull a fast one on them.  So....I kept my sunglasses on and, when they arrived, I introduced myself as Mitch.  Well, they wondered why their sister knew a guy called Mitch and why she had not mentioned he would be dropping by.  They were puzzled for about five minutes before Germaine said, "hey...wait a minute here!  Can you remove your sun glasses?"  I did just that and within five seconds he knew who I was but could not remember my first name.  Once told, he and Guy were quick to shake my hand once again....and then the fun began.

It was a fun afternoon.  I - and they - enjoyed the visit.  It was a treat to finally catch up.  All three siblings live in the Province of Alberta.  Madeleine and Guy live in the Provincial Capital city (Edmonton) while Germain, and his lovely wife, live in Red Deer, Alberta - a vibrant city between the cities of Edmonton and Calgary.

So, there you have it!  A ride with no purpose developed into a chance - unplanned - reunion with two of my three long lost cousins.  Bonus!

All right....on to today!  My motorcycle is acting up!  It is missing - sputtering, etc....every so often....and I can't pinpoint whether the problem is electrical or perhaps due to a tired fuel pump.  It does have electronic fuel injection and perhaps the injectors are acting up too.  So.......tomorrow (Tuesday), I will attempt to ride it to a motorcycle shop in Rancho Mirage - about 20/25 minutes from our spot here in Desert Hot Springs.  (Most motorcycle shops are closed on Sundays and Mondays - and my choice of shop is no exception).

2003 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad 1500 cc motorcycle - with over 90,000 miles (about 140,000 kilometers)

This motorcycle is such a treat to ride.  It is a great ride!  It has been very good to us...but, it is a high mileage bike and to have to replace a fuel pump - or some other part - is not uncommon or unexpected.  We have had so few issues these past ten years of riding.  That said, because it is high mileage is the reason we purchased the motorcycle in the photo below, last season, while in Yuma, Arizona.  For long, long rides (that we often do), it is much preferred over the older ride.

2012 - 1700 cc - Harley Davidson, Electra Glide, Ultra Classic - detailed and covered and sitting back home in Langley,

Because our winter travels would have us return home for 30 days around Christmas and for Owen's and then for Brie's births most recently, I chose to bring our older ride along.  It was working fine - when we left home and while on many rides in the desert - these past several months.  Jeanette actually prefers riding on the Nomad over the Harley Davidson.

So.. we'll see what the motorcycle technicians can come up with.  More on that in the days ahead.

Off to enjoy the sun.

Thanks for dropping by.