We continue to camp in my mom’s beautiful backyard in Thousand Oaks, California while my sister Jeanelle and Denise help with her recovery, daily physical therapy and overall well being.

When you are almost 95 years young it takes a little longer to recover and she continues to improve, she’s a tough cookie.

My duties have been to keep up with the shopping, general routine house and car maintenance and provide a stimulating amusement.

There is nothing quite like living in SoCal in the winter months if that is what you want to call it.  We routinely monitor the weather at our home in Alaska where recently its been -30 below, now thats winter!

The other night it dropped to 34 degrees here in Thousand Oaks and you would of thought a nuclear winter had set in.

With heaters on high, heavy jackets, gloves, Ugg boots and steaming hot coffee the locals forge ahead.  For us Alaskans it was just another day in the tropics.

The living is easy for the big dogs in this climate.  Our morning routine is to drive to a local dog park at the bottom of the Camarillo grade just off Hwy 101.

It is a paradise for the pups with hiking trails, large oaks, green lawns and other friendly dogs and their owners.

Since we have been very focused on mom’s recovery Thanksgiving dinner this year was catered by my sister Anne Marie and her family.  They provided a fabulous turkey dinner with all the fixings, it was a fantastic treat and a lovely evening.

Mom has had some trouble walking across the carpets within her home.  So the decision was made to replace the carpeting with laminate flooring to provide a smooth surface area for her.

By the time we moved all the furniture, ripped out all the old carpet and installed new flooring, Denise and I had spent about 4 days on the project.  Not a hard project but somewhat time consuming.

She now enjoys cruising around the new floor with her walker.

New Flooring Being Installed, Notice The Zefyr Parked in the Backyard

During our limited spare time we continue to wander the great backroads in the area.

Southern California provides some of the best driving roads in the state with names like Mulholland Drive, Decker Canyon and Deer Creek.  

These are the roads where I learned to drive in the 60’s and on the weekends today are busy with $100,000 plus sports cars plying the sinuous curves.

The big dogs are always ready to jump in the back of the Cabose and take a drive into the Santa Monica Mts. where it is still a golden brown due to the ongoing drought.

There are times we enjoy living in a city especially when it comes to fresh food.  The ability to shop daily for fresh produce is simply amazing.  In Alaska we must drive 125 miles one way to shop for anything.

There is an endless supply of good eateries in Thousand Oaks although they are still missing a good brewery.  

Christmas shopping is now well under way with holiday music blaring out of every speaker as folks search for the perfect gift.

Currently on the weekends thousand of southern Californians are wearing shorts while searching for the perfect Christmas tree.

 

Christmas without snow will always seem odd to us.  We are not complaining but it will never be the same as having to shovel the driveway on Christmas eve so your guests can get to the house for dinner.

Very soon we hope to drive east and get lost in the desert for some peace and quiet.  We have a secret boondocking spot calling to us located near Joshua Tree NP.

Enjoy our latest video of the Big Dogs cruising through the beautiful foothills of Southern California.

 

Next stop the California desert, keep you posted……