Jeep Stuff & Family Visit

 

We are finally getting a little rain, but could use alot more. The plants here in Southern California are looking green and healthy but we need more water to fill up resivoirs and ground wells. Lucky for us our resort has three wells on property and all of them are in great shape.

I recieved my new bumper and winch for the Jeep, and on one of the rainy days we had, I secluded myself in the auto/metal workshop that we have here at Jojoba to get the install done.

It took me awhile to get the old bumper and tow bar off of the Jeep. The bumper was pretty easy but removing the tow bar was a real problem. Getting access to the nuts inside the frame tube took some ingenuity and the sacrafice of a 3/4 in Craftsman wrench. I basically had to cut and grind and twist the wrench to have it get ahold of the nut. I can now add tool maker to my resume!

The project after dissassembly.

With the new bumper and wench installed.

The upgrade turned out great, and it will come in handy when we are off road.

Last week Max’s sister Betty and her husband Randy came from Phoenix to visit us for a weekend. We took the motorhome out of storage and was able to rent a lot just a few sites away from ours and get it set up.

We spent the weekend relaxing, visiting a local winery, and a trip to some of the beaches. We visited Dana Point and walked around the marina and looked at the boats and watched a few boats come and go.

This Great Egret could care less if we were pretty close to him.

I think Max and Randy are trying to impress him with thier standing on one leg abilities! I don’t think that he was awed!

Max and Betty looking lovely!

Looking south towards Laguna Beach

I am the worlds worst “selfie” taker! I don’t have long arms so it takes the two of us to hold the phone to take the picture.

We spent most evenings outside in the cool air enjoying some wine and swapping stories.

Randy brought his airgun and we spent some time on the shooting range so he could sight in his scope.

We had a great weekend with Betty and Randy, hopefully we can do more weekends and weeks once they both get retired. Thanks for coming guys, we had fun!

This past week Max had an Orthopedic consultation regarding her knees. She has had knee problems since high school and has had several surgerys on both knees. Her right leg has the biggest knee problem but her left leg has a complete tear of the ACL which she did in 2010 when she fell out of the rig. That ACL has never been repaird and causes some stability issues when walking/hiking etc..

Finding a doctor in an area that you are not familier with can be challenging. Luckily we had some good recomendations for the Loma Linda facility in Murrieta Ca. When we arrived for the consultation on treatment options I was pleased to see that they are the Orthopedic group that handle several Pro Moto-cross teams. In my opinion, Factory teams would send thier racers to pretty good doctors.

After meeting with the Dr. he showed us Max’s e-xray. Looking at the knee on the right (her rh knee) you can see where the bone from the femur is hitting the bone on the tibia, compared to the nice gap between the bones on the left knee. Conclusion and treatment is a total knee replacement.

The issue with the tear of the ACL on the left leg will be treated with a leg brace and lots of therapy. It will never heal but by using the brace when walking long distance or hiking it will solve her stability issues. The concern is that if it gives out it could cause her damage to other joints with a fall or damage the new knee replacement.

So right now Max is planning on scheduling surgery for next fall when we return to Jojoba Hills. This way she can recoup with all the amenities of the park and it doesn’t impact our plans for visiting family back in Indiana this spring and working this summer.

Enjoy Your Day!