The Class B

  With it being New Years Eve I did not do much on the van today except take some pics of projects that will need doing. Tonight is the busiest night of the year for a cab driver so I rested up during the day. 

  I found out that the seller lied to me about the mileage. He said it had 94k original miles but in researching the receipts for work done over the years it became obvious that the real mileage is 194k. Quite a difference. I called him up to question him about this but he was in complete denial, saying he had no idea it had that many. The only thing that made me feel better is that I found the for sale ad online from Feb 2012, the seller was the one who sold it to the one I bought it from. The ad said it had 190k highway miles and the oil was changed every 3k miles. He was asking $5000. I found another one where he was asking $4500. The guy I got it from was selling it for $4750 for a while then went down to $3750. I got it for $3000. I'm not sure how I feel at the moment.
  But it runs good and is in fairly good shape overall. Here are some pics of some things I want to work on...

Replace trim insert

The only rust spot I found

House battery just needs cleaning

Replace toilet

Replace shelving

Remove shelving

Breaker panel cover is held on with tape!

Replace radio

Replace windshield rubber

Replace propane cover latches

I am going to remove the carpeting and lay tiles also...later.

Bakersfield

  On Friday my wife dropped me off at the train station in Santa Ana at 6.30am. The Greyhound to LA was due to leave at 7.05 but I still had to get a ticket. I had tried to book online the night before but was having internet problems, it would have saved me two dollars and a mini panic attack....the ticket window said it did not open until 7. Anyway it all worked out and by 7.02 I was sitting on a nice comfy seat.
  The Greyhound of today is a lot different than the Greyhound I used last time, about seventeen years ago. These buses are really nice. New, clean and spacious. They even had a plug outlet for phones or laptops. I was half expecting to see an attendant coming down the aisle with drinks!
  In less than an hour I was in LA but then had to wait an hour and fifty minutes for the connection to Bakersfield. No problem, I had brought along some munchies, a thermos of coffee and a book.
  The reason for the trip was to look at, and hopefully purchase, a 1987 Chevy G20 Class B that I had been negotiating via email and phone.
The photos I had seen looked good, just what we wanted, and the price was right (after I had the owner knock $750 off). I was excited. I had not been to Bakersfield since the days when I used to drive the 350 miles to visit my wife-to-be every second week and then it was only a pit stop, being about 150 miles from home base. To get there you have to cross a mountain range using the 'Grapevine', a winding freeway through the pass. If there is any snowfall the Grapevine is subject to delays, mandatory use of chains or closure. Judging by the weather forecasts I did not expect any problems as there was a two day window of dry, windy conditions.
  It took two hours to get to the Bakersfield depot, most of which I slept. It was a full bus this time. The kid sitting next to me was travelling up to Tacoma, Washington to visit his mother. That's a long way on a bus! It was chilly when I stepped out of the depot and onto the streets, but I phoned Steve (the seller) and he was only ten minutes away. Time for a ciggy.
  He had the Chevy in a storage yard across town and I recognized it as we pulled in. Looking good. I took it for a spin, checked  everything I could think of, gave him the cash and was off. He had filled the gas tank so there was going to be no need to stop but just before the freeway I pulled in to the gas station to clean the windshield. I knew I was in Bakersfield as the only music on the radio is Country and Western. Traffic was light all the way back, even through LA so I made it back to the beach by 3.30pm.
  The van drove very well, even over the Grapevine which is fairly steep in parts. I took my wife and dogs for a spin but was a bit pooped to do any more with it so I parked it. Since then I have been compiling a list of changes and fixes that I plan to work on for the next month. First thing is to register it in California, it has Indiana plates now, and add it to the insurance. All in all I think I got a good deal and am already thinking of selling it for a profit after I work on it a bit but the wife says no. We have not come up with a name yet, I don't like calling it 'the van'. We are toying with: the pod, the shuttle, the shuttlecraft or the shuttlepod. I don't like any of them. I'll wait for inspiration.

Some road pics

Winter Solstice, end of the World, Christmas etc.

  I'm feeling pretty good about things generally. I survived the 'end of the world' and Christmas, two things I do not believe in. the evening sky on the 21st (Winter Solstice) looked very ominous though.

  Christmas day was spent on the beach, nothing different except that I did not move us to the park at the customary 4am. Instead we slept in until 7am at our nightly boondock. It was so quiet. No traffic at all and the Carl's Jr. we park behind was closed for the day.

  From the previous Wednesday to Sunday Newport Beach put on their annual 'look how the rich people live' parade. Also known as the Boat Parade. Each evening, from 6.30pm to 9pm, boats of all sizes, decked out in Christmas tree lights and decorations, troll around the harbor for us poor folks to watch in supposed awe and envy.

  Despite the rain it does manage to attract a crowd so, being the opportunist cab driver that I am, I troll around the crowds like a Great White shark looking for prey.

  As a result of all this 'work' I have not been TH'ing much however I have managed a couple of quick hunts, but only netted another silver ring and yet another lock-knife.

  We did not exchange pressies this year. That's normal for me but a little hard on Christine, my wife. Her son is..ahem, 'away' for a little time and, despite the fact that he is 29 and a 'grown man' (me talking) she is a bit sad about it. She is no stranger to 'a little time' herself. We had a three year enforced separation before we got married...I probably should not be sharing this fact..but then she does not read my blog anyway.

  No, the reason for the lack of boxes under the tree and the lack of the tree itself is that we are purchasing our 'pod' this week. I have made a deal on a 1987 Class B Horizon van 

  On Friday I am travelling by Greyhound to Bakersfield to collect her. I am quite excited!! Christine is also happy as she will have another vehicle to make all homey. Now that we no longer have the boat we need an escape vehicle so we don't feel stuck here. It could be that that is just the way I see it, but she also wants to go a-roaming.  I must say I am very lucky to have a woman who puts up with my ideas, plans and dreams.

  I phoned my mother on Christmas day. She and my dad are back in England, where I am from. She is 80, my dad is 81 with Alzheimer's. She is losing her short term memory too so the conversations are hard and  often repeated, but it's good to hear her voice. Her long term memory is fine so we talked about her childhood, before the war.

  I wonder how the two of them manage, they probably talk all day.....it will be like:

Mum: Fred rang to say happy Christmas.

Dad: Fred who?

Mum: Your son!

Dad: Oh....good.

Mum: I'll put the kettle on.

Pause.

Mum: Fred rang to say happy Christmas.

Dad: Fred who?

etc.

  While detecting this little guy started following me along the beach. After I dug a potential treasure and moved on he would trot up to inspect my work. He was with me for over an hour.
  I went back to the same stretch of beach the next day and after  a while I had the feeling I was being followed. And I was. He stayed with me for two hours that day before getting bored.

Ads on my Blog?

  I don't usually TH on the weekends due to work, and it was a busy weekend. Lots of Christmas parties going on. However, by Sunday I was Jonesing for a little. My luck finally ran out on the beach I had been visiting and on Thursday I found nothing of real interest. So on Sunday afternoon I went out on the beach by the parking area that we call home. I did not expect to find much and was not disappointed. But it was great to be there anyway, the weather has been flip flopping between drizzle, rain and wind with some sun thrown  into the mix.
  Today I revisited another section of beach where I have had some luck in the past. The wave action has been fairly heavy so I thought it might have stirred something up. Well I did manage some clad and another lock Knife but no gold or silver. Again it was a quick hunt  but I then spent a good deal of time just being there....the birds, the clouds, the sun and the sea.
I felt very lucky to be doing what I was doing.
  I have been trying to put advertisements on my blog. I have tried several third party companies but have settled on Amazon at the moment. This may change in the future.

Two more visits

  Tuesday. A beautiful day again but rain is coming. I knew I had better get some THing in or I might regret it.
  Low tide was at 2pm. I was on the beach by 1pm. Same beach, a little further up. So much trash that I'm getting blisters on my scoop hand again. I thought that it was going to be a ringless day then, just after I phoned my wife to pick me up, I got one.  Tungsten Carbide is a very heavy metal and not uncommon finds.  Pity they are relatively worthless. But a ring is a ring. Four days in a row I have found rings on this particular beach. And I'm not done with it. Where's the gold?

Big, heavy and tarnished

After a clean

Wednesday. A different day altogether.

Cloudy with a hint of drizzle, and cold (for California anyway).
Looks  like a movie day to me!!

We settled in with hot chocolate and Men in Black two, or three or something. The last one.
Good movie but I did not realize how long it was. Luckily the tides are way out at low so, when I got to the beach, I still had plenty of time before the seas covered my hunting area again.

  Definitely not shorts weather. I had on jeans and my wellies. Being English I jump at the chance to wear Wellington boots. They remind me of my childhood, sploshing about in puddles and, later in life, sploshing about in pig s**t on the farm.

I think I enjoy this weather as much as the hot, sunny days as long as it does not last too long.








  I managed to find another ring fairly early into my hunt but the rest was junk jewelry a trash. Lots and lots of trash. Also a couple of fishing weights to add to my collection. The rain stayed away until I was home, then it poured for a while. That was OK, I was dry, having a coffee and cleaning my new ring!

Coyotes

  There is a family of coyotes living in a square mile section of land near the beach and behind the park that we stay at until the beach opens. I like coyotes. At night they call to each other, reminding me of the time I lived in the desert. I admire the fact that although we (humans) have paved over just about every square inch of 'our' property they still remain, eking out an existence despite us.
  I've spotted them all over the place, usually at night, mostly one at a time but sometimes in two's or three's. They return to their dens at about the the time I pull the rig in, about 4am. On some occasions they are late, probably having had a good dinner, and can be seen wandering home in daylight, no hurry at all. I've seen around twelve at one time, yipping and playing and obviously in good health despite the fact that their home range is on an oil companies property that is deemed toxic.
  A couple of them are more curious of me and my younger dog. We've met while out for a walk. No fear, just curiosity on all our parts. This morning I let Toot (my younger Staffordshire Terrier) out for a pee at the park, checking first to make sure the coast was clear. Rabbits also live in 'squirrel' park and Toots loves to chase them. I thought it was all clear so out she went..but there was one bunny I'd not seen. Off went Toots like a greyhound, but these rabbits are seasoned to life in a park frequented by dogs and disappeared into the woods in seconds. This is always the outcome so Toots was none too surprised and went back to her business of sniffing and peeing. Then, to both our delight, a coyote came out from the treeline where Toots was standing. I was not sure how this was going to play out, and little I could do anyway. It was like that scene  in Hang em High where each participant in the drama looks from one to another and back again to see who is going to make the first move. It was Toots! With a cross between a woof and a whine she made a leap towards the coyote who took off back into the trees. It was over in seconds. The coyote was gone and Toots came back out just as I got there. She was still excited and obviously enjoyed the whole thing.
  Later, just before we left the park I saw another coyote also heading home. This time I had time to get my camera but only managed three shots before the battery died. I've had a hard time getting snaps of them, as you can see by the last two I've posted below. These were taken from my taxi about two in the morning. 
  Long live the coyotes.