DON'T BUY FISH ON A HOT DAY.

I’m used to  good mileage in my Prius and filling up the tank of my old 1994 Ford Ranger put a good-sized dent in the wallet. I made it to the Bay Area with nary a hint of a leak and it was certainly worth it to drive my truck and let it know I still cared about it. It responded by purring  all the way to the Bay.  I expect a lot from this truck when I need it.

I founded the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department Archive Association and worked hard over the intervening years to get it up and running, along with a lot of volunteer help, of course.  When I turned it over to Bill Rhodes, top left, it was the right decision. He has made so many positive changes that every time I do attend a meeting, I hardly recognize the place. He has expanded our buildings, is having a new one built and is rebuilding our old  guard tower. Next to him is Vic Agapalo and attending with a broken foot is Rich Barlow.

Al Ianarelli checked in as did Bud Harlan, not pictured.)  New is a case made for this missing child’s bust  that came out of evidence.  The new building will hold a mock cell with old style jail doors we have stored, along with other heavy equipment.

We will go from three large rooms and three storage rooms to one-third more space and we have enough stuff to fill it.  It is a great project and my contribution since being on the road with Jim is to interview deputies about the history of the department. I spent my time interviewing Rich Barlow, yesterday.

A recent donation to the archive was business cards and a shield that once belonged to  Hell’s Angel Berdoo. The Angels have changed their image from the old days.  When my husband was a detective, he arrested Sonny Barger and confiscated his stolen motorcycle and put it into evidence at the County Garage Impound Yard. The way it worked, when someone came to pick up their vehicle, he  took the elevator down to the garage, the civilian clerk  would ask for their  release order, then he would open the locked  gates to drive the vehicle out. Sonny, out on bail, with a friend, went to pick up his vehicle. He had no release. The friend distracted the clerk and Sonny got  into the yard rolled his motorcycle into the elevator and went out with it through the building. My husband couldn’t make his case without the evidence and Sonny went free.  The clerk, of course, was not a cop.
On the way home I stopped at a Costco to buy some batteries and refill on cheaper gas, at $3.93.  Murphys price is $4.29. I found some beautiful U.S. wild caught cod and bought it, figuring my air conditioning would keep it cool enough to get home. Well, long story short, my newly cleaned truck smells like fish; I had to poach the whole package when I crawled through the door at about 6:30 p.m. I can’t possibly eat all that fish.  I’ll have to be creative and invite company over. I had six messages on my phone. One an emergency call from a friend who was in an accident. It took me two hours to locate him. He was so drugged he was practically incoherent, one arm in a sling, and a whip-lash collar. His car totaled.  Another cold beer night.

YUMA LIBRARY, AND FRIENDS

Each day finds us at Yuma Public Library to check email and post a blog. That is, all days except Sunday. Upon arrival I look with envy at this beautiful library and fervently wish it were located in Calaveras County. The inside is a marvel as well and yet, we have yet to spend a day lolling around the place, perusing and losing oneself in a book or two. But the temptation is strong and I'm determined to have one complete library day before I leave Yuma. Hmmmm. Strangely enough, on the road, the relaxed lifestyle, the hours fill up and I never get done what I would wish to each day.
Currently, I'm working on Bob Gambol's rambles in South America. At one point, he was returning to his hotel at dusk and he saw a guy walking towards him. It was a rough and tumble town so he crossed the street. The guy crossed as well, his intent clear. Bob waited until the guy was 50 feet from him, reached in his pocket and brought out his hand in the shape of a pistol and said as loud as he could, "BANG!" The guy took off running. Altercation averted. Rather amazing.
Jim and I talked about characters we've known. (Bob his one of his rambling friends who backpacked the world from 1991 to 1997.) As we talked I realized, I've known many characters in my life and I'm so grateful to have crossed paths with them. As a writer, I hope to get them all down on paper. (Some of them are my own family members.)
Adios

Philosophy, psychology and new friends

Jim has a bunch of RV friends that are members of the WINs. WIN stands for Wandering Individuals Network. They share holidays, excursions, all types of gatherings. Many belong to more than one group, such as LOWs, Loners On Wheels, ESCAPEEs, self explanatory. It amazes me how many people love the RV lifestyle. Jim was featured on a television program about single RV'ers on the AARP channel last year. We decided to interview some of the unusual characters we've met in the RV world and see if they won't make a book.
Consider Randy Vining, an intelligent fellow who likes to leave as small a footprint as possible. He calls himself the stealth RVer. He lives in about 100 square feet, uses about two gallons of water for a shower, he uses only solar power, (some rigs have wind generators as well.) He made his own RV which he calls a stealth RV because you could never tell by looking at it that it is a domicile. He can park it on a city street and basically live anywhere he wants without arousing anyone's curiosity. Randy, the Stealth RV-er, is a member of WINs. He has a relationship philosophy that kind of defines people who have this wanderlust. A big part of their make up is to have a great sense of fun and humor.
Randy drew two figures, one resembles a snowman the second one resembles an upside-down snowman. The woman he desires is represented by the upside down snowman. Strong (lg. circle on top,) represents a strong parent relationship, middle circle, represents responsibility, (ie can support herself and balance a check book) small circle on the bottom, has a small sense of the child. He on the other hand has a weak (small circle on top) parent script, his center is equally responsible, can take care of himself and balance a check book, large strong circle on bottom has a large sense of the inner child. Does that make a balanced couple? Hmmmm. Jim says he never pays attention to such stuff. Hmmmmm! Randy and Jim are both fascinating characters. We've set up two interviews and have two more in mind.
Today, the day after Christmas, was another dental day. Feeling a bit bruised but my smile looks great. The French meat pie, by the way, was supreme, and, yes, I give out recipes.