Stationary in SoCal

Not terribly much has happened since the last post. Grandma got a plane back to MN, I've been working for my brother doing handyman and maintenance work, and the weather has been mostly nice.
A cool thing happened the other day. I was talking to my mom and she said that she had talked to grandma. "It was a privilege for me to get to ride with Kris out there..." is what grandma said. It means a lot to me, I used to spend so much time with her up at the farm, and since getting my license and college I hadn't seen her much at all. She can talk a person's ear off, but still fun to be around. She also said something about me being calm under stressful situations, which affirmed my suspicion. I also got a $40 "house warming" gift from her, ha! At least some people realize this is my home and not a temporary fix to the work problem.
I purchased a Giant Revel 1 mountain bike at a local bike shop here the other day. I was looking at trails around my campground and noticed that there isn't much for hiking trails around but a whole lot of forest roads and OHV trails. Since I hate motorized travel in the woods, I decided to get a bike. Now, to just learn the ropes of off-road biking and keep myself out of Truckee Hospital!
I've been doing odds and ends for my brother out here. He paid for my deer and elk applications in Colorado this year and now I owe him a lot of money. I don't think with the wage he is paying me and the time I have to leave by that I can get it paid off, but I will pay him cash for whatever I don't work off. I've been installing a sprinkler system in the front yard, taking down a baseball fence in the backyard, digging up stumps and small dead trees, painting and I still have a bunch to do yet. Feels nice getting stuff crossed off a list though.
It seems that though my best friend Nic Westing will be joining me this year in elk camp. The last time we got to hunt for elk was '09 in Utah bowhuting and before that was the first year in Colorado and neither time we got anything..... I hope he isn't bad luck! This year I should have a cow elk and a buck deer tag. I saw a half dozen shooter bucks last year and decided to cash in my two preference points this year. The plan is to finish with my job in the first week of October, drive down to my brother's here, and then drive with them out to CO. We'll see, plans change....
It rained last night, and I found out I still have two leaks in my roof. One in the overhead cabinet that I keep my dishes and cookware in, and a brand new one in another overhead cabinet. I looked up on the roof this morning while it was still raining and couldn't find the holes. Good thing I bought a roof coating the other day, but I didn't have time to put it on. When everything dries out I will be putting two coats of that sucker on and then taking a hose to the roof to test it out. Other than that the weather has been fantastic. Mid 70's for highs are the norm and lows in the camper for sleeping get somewhere around 45. Last night was a bit cool and supposedly in got down into the high 30's. Good thing for a nice denim quilt I got for Xmas a couple years back!
It looks like I'm going to get another job too!!!! Its a watercraft inspection job that's just a half mile from my campsite. I check boats that go into the water to make sure there aren't any invasive species on them and I think I check them on the way out too, not quite sure. Anyways, I sit in a covered lawn chair and wait for people to come and go. Not too hard to to for $13 an hour! I guess I'll get 10-20 hours a week which brings me up to a possible 50 hours a week. More money is nice and since I don't have any friends up that way yet, I'm ok with it. I have to head up to South Lake Tahoe in the first week of April for an official interview. My plan is then to leave in late March or early April to Bishop, CA. I'll camp at the Pleasant Valley Pit campground that I stayed in last year for spring break at a hefty $2 a night ;) . I'll head the 150 miles up to SLT for my interview and come back the same day. Then wait until I have to go up for paid training, which I think is the middle of April. I'll rock climb my little heart out until then. So excited to get on some rock! Wish I had a partner, but I'm sure I'll have no problem finding someone at the campground, she might even be cute!
Well until next time, keep your stick on the ice!