Dale has been considering knee replacement surgery for several years, and finally pulled the trigger on October 18. Since it would be difficult for him to climb in and out of his RV during his recovery, he put his Minnie in storage and stayed with me for about 6 weeks. He was an excellent patient, recovering in record time. Even the doctor and physical therapist were amazed at how quickly he was walking without a walker or cane, and even riding a bike. He left here right after Thanksgiving and took his RV out to Quartzsite for the winter.
In appreciation for me taking care of him during those weeks, he agreed to take care of Hanna for me on two upcoming trips.* Carrie and I made our annual Christmas visit to Disneyland the second week of December, and we dropped Hanna off with Dale, meeting up with him at the Tesla Superchargers in Quartzsite on our way through, and picked her up on our way back three days later.
I’m planning to go on a Mediterranean cruise in May with Brian and Carrie, and will be gone for about two weeks. Dale has agreed to care for my pup while I’m gone. After surveying my side yard where I store my Minnie, he determined if I pull forward a few feet, he can get his Minnie in behind mine. (City ordinances declare RV’s stored on residential properties must be behind gates and fences.) He will stay in the house with the dog, but have his RV here, both saving on storage fees (which I would have covered), and also having access to his personal and household stuff. So it should be a pretty good situation for both of us.
*Just a note: the couple I used to trade dog sitting with recently had to put their beloved Sheltie down, and have informed me they are done having dogs around, so I’ve lost my perfect dog sitting situation. Not only were they free, they loved Hanna and I loved Laci, we both knew our dogs were safe and well cared for while we were traveling. Going forward, I will be more limited with the number and frequency of my trips or will need to find options to take her with me. So more RV travel, and fewer Disney visits and cruises.
So that wraps up Fall/Winter 2023 for me.