THE STREETS OF LODI, CALIFORNIA

LIVING IN LODI

Our houseboat is located between Lodi and Stockton on the Sacramento Delta. Stockton is a port city. Ocean going ships from China and other exotic ports come all the way up the San Joaquin River to pickup cement and other cargo. When we are out with the powerboat we must watch for them. As a port city, Stockton has problems with crime and we try to avoid it when we can.

Lodi on the other hand is a sweet little town that is very welcoming. The downtown stores are all locally owned and there are no chain stores. A Farmers’ Market that stretches several blocks with all kinds of produce and other goodies is held on Thursday evenings. Different bands play and restaurants have tables out on the sidewalk. It is a very laidback time.

The Lodi area has always been a grape growing area but now has developed a wine industry that is challenging Napa/Sonoma. There are almost 80 local wineries that together gross over six billion dollars a year. Over a million visitors tour the wineries and vineyards each year as well. An olive oil industry is developing as well with six companies currently producing gourmet quality olive oil. Some are using a new method of growing olives in hedges instead of trees so that machines can harvest them rather than by hand thus bringing the cost of the oil down.

We will be gone during the grape harvesting stomping celebration so we can’t report on that but will have lots to share about our repositioning cruise and visits to friends/relatives on the East Coast when we return. We fly to England the first part of September and the ship will stop at Scotland, Ireland, France, Iceland, New Brunswick and Newfoundland on the way to our final stop in New Jersey. More in October.

VINYARD IN LODI

OUR POOL AT THE NEW PARK

OUR NEW PARK IN APACHE JUNCTION

Before I forget it, I want to add an additional note to our visit to Wenatchee last month. While there, we went to a music festival concert of two pianos in a lovely setting out of town. The whole wall behind the pianists was glass and looked out to the forest in the foreground and mountains in the distance. A doe that came to listen to the finale and stood quietly framed behind the pianists further enhanced the gorgeous setting. What a great way to listen to music!

It has been a particularly hot summer, even here on the Delta. As if we weren’t hot enough, we drove to our park in Arizona to move things out of our shed there to a new shed in another park. Our old park has raised our rent for the second time in two years and since we use very little of the extensive facilities there, we decided to move. We can save over $2000 a year in the new park and it has all the facilities we want: lovely swimming pool, exercise room, billiard room, good laundry and is all new. It is also for RVs only so we will no longer feel squeezed between park models.

Temperatures hit 115 and with no electricity for fans, we started work at 5:30 am in our swimsuits and regularly hosed ourselves down until we quit about 11. We trimmed things down with donations to the senior center and to friends and so were able to get the contents of the 10X10 shed into a 3X5 shed. We didn’t drive our RV over so was saved by Pat and Joan letting us stay in their home while they are in Wash. State. It was a lifesaver.

We are very happy with the new park and look forward to going there in October (when it’s cooled down)

PATIO IN NEW PARK