December 6 to 12, 2007

December 6 to 12, 2007

Quartzsite to Yuma, Arizona

 

Thursday ; Quartzsite to Yuma, Arizona

Whew ... some days just have more than their fair share of "excitement". Today started out overcast and cool in Quartzsite, and ended up sunny and warm in Yuma.

This morning the trailer battery was dead. It's almost 2 years old. Previous experience has shown us that the life of an RV battery seems to be 2 years. Boondocking for just 1 night, the battery has always been okay, particularly if the truck remains attached to the trailer, so the trailer is actually operating on 3 batteries ; one in the trailer and two huge diesel truck batteries in the truck. But we detached Harvey from Lanoire to go shopping, and we spent 2 nights boondocking near Quartzsite. Two nights on just the trailer battery was a bit too much for an "old" battery. This morning there wasn't enough left in the battery to power the jacks to raise the front of the trailer enough to hitch the truck. I had to bring the truck alongside the trailer and use booster cables from the truck battery to the trailer battery to raise the front of the trailer enough to hitch up.

We left Quartzsite and headed south on Hwy. 95 to Yuma. Bo was very excited to arrive at Kofa Ko-op SKP RV Park, his favourite RV park of all. Must be the 2 acre fenced dog run here. He loves running off leash on the soft desert sand. Most desert is like gravel, but here, around the Imperial Sand Dunes, the ground is soft sand. About 15 minutes after we arrived, and just as we were sitting down to a late lunch, there was a knock on the door. Tom Huggard ... and Emma the Scottish Terrier ! Tom and Ruth-Anne Huggard are friends of ours. We first met at an SKP Ontario Chapter 18 rally 4 years ago, our very first outing with Harvey the trailer just after we bought it. They now live in Alberta. Joanne and I finished lunch quickly, then walked with Tom and Emma over to their trailer to say hello to Ruth-Anne. We chatted with the Huggards for awhile.

Just before the park's weekly Thursday afternoon social hour I returned to our trailer and Joanne took Bo and Emma for a walk. I entered our trailer. The kitchen faucet was running slightly. The sink was full. There was water all over the counter and floor < sigh >. I cleaned the mess as quickly as I could. In the meantime, Joanne had taken Bo and Emma for a walk to the dog run. As she opened the gate to the dogrun, there was a small Sidewinder Rattlesnake under the gate. Oblivious, Bo and Emma both charged into the dog run, running over the Sidewinder. The snake began to slither sideways as Bo's and Emma's leashes yanked Joanne forward. As she was being yanked through the gate she inadvertently kicked the poor little Rattler, who curled up into a ball, raised its head, and struck. Good thing Joanne was being yanked forward. Good thing it was a little baby snake !

I'm typing this late at night, while watching the late news and weather on TV. It looks like southwest Arizona is about the only area in all of North America that is not receiving either heavy rain or heavy snow tonight. HA HA HA HA HA !

 

Friday ; Today was sunny, warm and windy. Yuma is often windy. I bought 2 items today that caused Joanne to declare the "official start" of the new winter season. I bought cheap, fresh avocadoes for guacamole, and cheap, fresh lemons for my Diet Cokes. Lemons are so cheap here and in the Texas Rio Grande Valley I can't bring myself to buy lemons at "regular" prices elsewhere. I spend half of each year depriving myself of fresh lemons for my Diet Cokes. Buying lemons at 20 for a dollar prevents me from being willing to pay 55 cents for a lemon !

This morning after unhitching, we figured out how to extend and retract the slides manually, and extend and retract the front jacks manually. I guess it’s about time ! Bo wants to go to the 2 acre fenced dog run about every 2 hours. Today he made friends with Gypsy, a 9 month old female mutt. She’s a bit larger and has longer legs than him, so she can knock him over in the sand and jump on him. And her age gives her an advantage in energy. She actually tired him out. After romping and wrestling in the desert sand, Bo looked like a dirty mop. He’s overdue for a haircut.

We went to the nearby Arizona Market, the larger of Yuma’s 2 flea markets, to buy fresh produce. From there we drove to Famous Dave’s BBQ Restaurant to make arrangements for the Escapee B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 inaugural Snowbird Luncheon I am hosting there on Tuesday. We went to the main Yuma Post Office and picked up the batch of November mail that our next door neighbour, Stu, had forwarded to us. We drove to Walgreen’s and finally bought a U.S. cell phone. But I’m going to return it for a refund. I found a better price at Wal-Mart. Just before doing our Wal-Martin’ we had lunch at Wienerschnitzel, a fast food place that we found coupons for yesterday in the local “White Sheet”, a local Bargain Hunter type publication. Interesting, good food ! And with the coupons ... cheap !

I’m still fascinated by watching the kids from the Marine Corps Air Station ( MCAS ) near our RV park practice flying circuits in fighter jets. They make each turn in the circuit by banking at 90 degrees. I should try that in a Cessna. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !

 

Saturday ; Today was sunny and warm. It was forecast to be raining today, but the forecast was wrong. Maybe a forecast of rain is just wishful thinking on the part of the weatherman ? Hey ... it's pretty dry here in Yuma ! After completing some minor chores this morning I took Bo to the dog run. He met Emma and Gypsy, both known to him, and River, a new dog to him. Surprisingly, he seemed too tired to romp with them. Gypsy was especially disappointed that he wouldn't romp and wrestle like he did yesterday. HA HA HA ... she tired him out so much yesterday he didn't want to play with her today. You must be getting older, Bo !

After lunch we took Tom and Ruth-Anne over to Bard, California, about 15 minutes north of Yuma, to have date shakes at Sun Gardens Date Farm. Yes, in one of those strange quirks of geography, the southeast corner of California is north of the southwest corner of Yuma, because of the twists and turns of the Colorado River, which is the border between California and Arizona. MMMMM ... we all love date shakes. Large for me and Joanne, small for Bo ... and Emma ... and the date farm’s scruffy little poodle. I didn't think I should have to share Bo's date shake with a scruffy little dog that lives right on the date farm, but ... Joanne and Ruth-Anne thought the poor little thing looked skinny and needed more nourishment ! I'm not sure that sharing Bo's date shake was really what the scruffy little mutt needed.

On the way back we stopped at Arizona Market. Ruth-Anne wanted to buy some produce. Tom and I browsed though guy stuff. Tom bought some tool stuff. I bought some hardware stuff for a home improvement project I have in mind. My list of projects to do is getting large. Guess I'll have enough to keep me busy for awhile. Driving back to Kofa Ko-op we passed a flock of sheep in a field. Bo loves barking out the window at farm animals and making them stampede away. Not that hard to accomplish with sheep. Back at Kofa Ko-op we went to the clubhouse to use our Wi-Fi phone to phone our next door neighbour back home, Stu. He's flying to San Diego on Monday, then driving all the way across California over here to Yuma to join us for our luncheon on Tuesday. Joanne and I chatted for awhile with a couple from Ontario who arrived here today. In the evening, I worked on the batch of November mail we picked up at the Post Office yesterday.

 

Sunday ; This morning was overcast and cool, with a few drops of rain. Happy Anniversary, Bo. We got Bo 3 years ago today, in Summerdale, Alabama.

Joanne went flea marketing with Ruth-Anne. I did some minor chores around the trailer, then went to the clubhouse with the computer to pay some bills online. I took Bo for a romp in the dog run. Gypsy was there. They play well together. Bo and Gypsy together dug a big hole in the desert. Bo's chin was sticky from eating a date shake yesterday. So now his chin is all coated with sticky sand. Sheesh ... he's a filthy little dog again. Gypsy's owner told me that they were taking Gypsy to a groomer to have her nails trimmed and anal glands expressed ( emptied ). I offered to do both of those for her ... at no charge, of course. She declined. She seemed to be skeptical about my abilities. Okay ! Suit yourself ! Although I'm puzzled by why she would trust a total stranger, who charges her money, but wouldn't trust a total stranger, who doesn't charge money. I went to see a woman in the park about an ad she had on the bulletin board advertising a "Fantastic Fan" brand RV roof vent fan for sale. Her husband had recently died and she was selling "stuff" in their garage. Well, her husband had obviously installed the Fantastic Fan roof vent fan in their RV, and had put the regular roof vent that he had removed off their RV into the Fantastic Fan box. I tried to explain to the woman that what was in the box was a regular $30 roof vent, not the $160 Fantastic Fan. She didn't understand, and seemed annoyed at me, or distraught at the recent death of her husband, or whatever !

Joanne did laundry. One of my Las Vegas t-shirts was ruined by its first washing. Now I know why they were 4 for $10 ! Ruth-Anne baked some date cake with the dates she bought yesterday, and brought me a couple of large pieces. I love date cake. And we never have any, because Joanne doesn't like it. We went to the park's regular Sunday evening ice cream social. I chatted with a couple who travelled to the tip of Baja Californiawith Baja Winters, the caravan company that we're going with. They were very happy with the experience.

 

Monday ; Today was sunny and warm. I felt quite ill today, with a sudden and severe flare-up of colitis. I was planning to tackle a fairly large home improvement project today, but felt too ill. I decided to tackle a much smaller job. I installed a new exterior light fixture I purchased in Quartzsite. First I took our Wi-Fi phone to the clubhouse and made some phone calls. Then while I was working on the exterior light fixture Tom, Ruth-Anne, and Emma came over for a visit. We visited for awhile. That slowed down my project. It's hard to work on a project and visit at the same time. Having Tom "supervise" my work slowed me down even further. And being ill certainly slowed me down as well. I took the entire afternoon to remove the old light fixture and install the new one. Ruth-Anne and Joanne took Emma and Bo to the dog park. All the dogs in the RV park get to know one another quickly, and they all enjoy the 2 acre dog park. Bo and Emma romped with 3 other dogs. Joanne exhibited her dog handling prowess by taking 5 dogs for an off leash pack walk around the dog park. In the evening we did our Christmas decorating. We have a very small Christmas tree, and we decorate it with a few very special old ornaments we kept from our previous "brick & stick" lifestyle, and some special new ones we have acquired since we began RV travelling. Bo got so excited when he saw his Christmas jingle collar that he fell off the chair. When we were finished decorating, we were very pleased with the results. We don't have a lot, but each Christmas item evokes a memory of a special person or place.

There is a lot of military air traffic around here because of MCAS, the Marine Corps Air Station. Today while I was working on the light fixture, an unusual aircraft flew overhead. It had short, stubby wings, with a huge propeller at the end of each stubby wing. I had never seen anything like it before. Then I realized ... it was a VTOL ! The short stubby wings can rotate to a vertical position, putting the propellers above, like a helicopter, and it can take off and land vertically.

 

Tuesday ; Today was sunny and mild. We hosted the first, and from my perspective, the last, Escapee B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 Snowbird luncheon, at famous Dave's Barbecue Restaurant. In addition to Joanne and me, and 5 of ourpersonal friends, the luncheon was attended by one Chapter 33 member. Yes, count 'em ... one ! ! ! ! ! I suggested and hosted this inaugural Snowbird Luncheon for Chapter 33 because at the spring rally they were complaining that they were tired of doing the same old things the same old ways, and they needed fresh ideas from the new members. Yeah, well ... I guess some people can talk the talk, but don't want to walk the walk ! There were at least 10 couples at the spring and fall rallies who said they would be in the Yuma area at this time. To say that I am miffed would be an understatement.

Tom and Ruth-Anne attended. Today's luncheon was actually one of the reasons they headed to Yuma from Alberta. After Christmas they're moving on to other places they would rather be. Ron Webster and Karen Patton, neighbours of ours at Riverside RV Park Resort in Keremeos attended. They spend their winters in the Yuma area. We invited them last summer. And our next door neighbour at Riverside, Stu Murray attended. He drove from Keremeos to Penticton, flew from Penticton to Vancouver, then Vancouver to San Diego, then rented a car and drove across California to Yuma. Way to go, Stu ! His career was in the airlines, and so he can fly almost free. Attending our luncheon was a good excuse for a short winter holiday for him. And it probably won't cost him much, if anything. When he arrived in Yuma last night, he went to Cocopah Casino ... and got pretty lucky. About $500 worth of lucky ! Way to go, Stu !

After lunch we went to Walgreen's to return the cell phone I bought there the other day, then over to Wal-Mart to buy the same cell phone at a lower price. To make a long story shorter, the morons at Wal-Mart have an entire display set up of Virgin Mobile limited edition blue colour phones, that can't be sold because of some computer glitch with the SKU of the blue phones. But, of course, the morons don't remove the blue phones from the display. They allow customer after customer to incur delays at the cash register when the blue phones won't scan in, then even longer delays while a Customer Service Manager waddles over to unsuccessfully try to resolve the matter, then even more delays while she waddles over to the electronics department to consult with the department manager, who is quite aware of the problem, which cannot be resolved. HOW MANY MORONS DOES IT TAKE TO FINALLY FIGURE OUT THAT THE BLUE PHONES NEED TO BEREMOVED FROM THE DISPLAY ? ? ? ? ? < taking a deep breath > I finally bought a black phone.

Back at Kofa Ko-op we took Bo to the dog park for a long play session with Emma, Sonny, River, and an apparently tireless 7 year old boy named Oslo ( "like the capital of Norway", he explains ). Oslo is travelling with his full time RV'ing adoptive parents, a couple obviously old enough to be Oslo's grandparents. Oslo is the last in a line of 11 children they have adopted. We sure meet interesting, unconventional people in this full time RV'ing lifestyle.

I spent the evening activating and programming our new cell phone. Sheesh !

 

Wednesday; Today was sunny and warm. First thing this morning Joanne tracked down what hotel our Keremeos next door neighbour, Stu, was staying at, and invited him for supper. I spent the rest of the morning in the clubhouse, with the Wi-Fi phone and the computer. I made a vet appointment for Bo for an annual physical exam and vaccinations. I made reservations at an RV resort in Hemet, California in February for ourselves and our friends from Ottawa who are joining us on our trip into Baja California, Mexico. Then I made reservations at the KOA in San Diego, where the Baja Winters caravan group is gathering for our journey into Baja California. I did some Mexican vehicle insurance research. Canadian and U.S. vehicle insurance is invalid in Mexico. One has to purchase Mexican vehicle insurance to take a vehicle into Mexico. I spent a long time trying to resolve a software corruption problem with my Internet Explorer. < sigh > I finally had to download a new version of Internet Explorer. ****ing computers !

This afternoon I took a propane tank to be refilled at the propane refill station here in the park, adjacent to the dog park. And I took Bo along for a romp while I waited for my propane tank to be refilled. WHEW ... Bo romped with a variety of dogs for 2½ hours ! And for the first time in his life, he was truly, completely exhausted. Bo doesn't have the stamina of the one year olds. HA HA HA ... you're no longer the highest energy dog in the park any more, Bo. I finally took him and the propane tank home when Stu arrived. Joanne made fresh guacamole ( she makes great guacamole ) and we sat outside drinking beer, and eating tortilla chips with fresh home made guacamole, enjoying the warm afternoon sunshine. Nice life ! We had a nice dinner and visit with Stu.

After Stu left, Joanne played around with programming phone numbers into our new cell phone, and I reviewed our medications to figure out what we need to buy tomorrow in Los Algodones, Mexico. Too bad Stu has to return to San Diego tomorrow, and couldn't join us on a day trip down to Mexico. Our little group is growing. In addition to Tom and Ruth-Anne, we're going to be joined by 7 year old Oslo ( Ozzie ) and his parents, Terry and Donna.

 

DSK