Note: Californians begin most conversations with "So..." followed by a thoughtful pause.
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| CALIFORNIA STOP SIGN |
So....before I start my busy day, I sip delicious gourmet coffee (store brand coffee not permitted) in front of the warming fireplace whilst gazing at a misty morning fog hovering at the clifftops.
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| MORNING FOG OVER CLIFFS |
Soon, I'm sufficiently caffeinated and ready for the day's adventures!
Among the routines:
1- Monitor the park. Sis is a little off her feed recuperating from the knee surgery so I have been filling in some of the operational blanks. The park is hoppin' since the weather has been beautiful and everyone is living outside their RV.
Many park rules are broken and much time is spent "reminding" tenants of the most important rules (dog poop/leash) and chasing down visitors who park along the fence.
My favorite violation: a tenant neatly stored at least 30 empty 6 packs of Coors underneath his trailer. He was surprised when my sis asked him to clean up his site:
"So...I need you to remove the empty beer bottles from underneath your trailer by dark tonight". He thought it would be OK if he arranged the bottles neatly and in careful alignment under his vehicle.
2-Maintenance in park. I cleaned bathrooms when the Manager was off duty...troubleshot bathroom door code changes (everything gets nailed down due to trespassers)...pruned, groomed and cleared about a ton of debris from the BBQ picnic area...cleaned and prepped a vacated site...assisted hired help to fill potholes with asphalt...photo-documented 49 trailers + registration. It turns out that only a handful of RV's have current registration and many are over 5 years expired!
3- Evicting tenants. I am currently the acting unauthorized *process server chasing down the non-pays wherever they are hiding on or off the property. This is a park that rents to the economically-challenged amongst us. The stories of financial misfortunes related by hapless residents are many and fantastical and Sis is often mistaken for a social worker rather than a business owner.
*I am not an authorized process server; this "service" is theater designed to intimidate.
I recently served a demand letter on a deadbeat who was ratted out by her neighbor. We drove down to the town thrift shop, approached a man and presented as ditzy ladies looking for "Linda". He pointed to her apartment and there she was-- a middle-aged woman with missing teeth wearing a soiled tee and sporting a cig hanging out her mouth! I smiled, handed her the special envelope and said "You've been served"!
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| NOT LEGAL SERVICE-THIS IS THEATER |
Later that same day, I presented eviction papers to a woman at her workplace at the town pizza place. I sashayed up to order a pizza, spied a young woman and cried out loud "Laurie!" She curiously approached and I quickly pulled the eviction papers out of my shirtsleeve and handed the papers over to her "You've been served".
My favorite eviction involved forcible relocation of an unregistered trailer that had been abandoned by an absent tenant. In certain conditions, the law permits taking possession of the trespassing trailer, so we towed it to city property adjacent to the park.
Tenant subsequently appeared and was quite indignant but persuaded to pay past due rent and given 24 hours to remove the equipment.
But they failed to do so.
Alas! Unknown persons came in the night, hitched up the RV and took off with it. The police inquired about the disposition of the property at the insistence of the Tenant but gosh...what can you do? The property was abandoned on city property and up for grabs!
(You can't make this stuff up!)
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| TEARING OUT OLD STUFF |
4- Rehabbing an RV. Sis's son, a bio-horticultural business consultant, travels extensively in an RV that is in dire need of a full rehab so we have been helping and supervising the work.
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| SCOTIA FIRE |
We have had NO rain and were on high fire alert over the 4th.
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| OUR TRAILER AND THE FIRE |
The fire was too close for our comfort but remote to firefighters, so it was necessary to bring helicopters and planes in to drop fire retardant and bucket loads of river water. The entire park and half the town gathered to watch the fire.
Here's a cool video
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| GIVES TEAPARTY A BAD NAME |
When we're not doing park stuff, we are mostly meeting with friends for lunch or dinner or getogethers.
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| WOMAN OF THE VINE |
Our last bottle of merlot was called 'Woman of the Vine'.
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| MARGARITA MAMMAS |
Also known as the Margarita Mamas, Sis is far left.
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| SCOTIA BLUFFS AT SUNSET |
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| SLEEPING SUE NO SPILL ZONE |
Sooo...this is the most unflattering photo ever but my sis and I thought it was very funny and entitled it "Sleeping WineSipper". Sis has always marveled at how I can sleep and still hold my wineglass upright without spilling wine.
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