March 26 to April 1, 2009 ; Yuma, Arizona
Thursday ; Today was sunny and hot. We had been planning to leave here on Saturday, but we still have so much shopping, cleaning, and repairing to do ... as well as needing more relax time ... we've decided to stay an additional week. We're going to eliminate going to SKP Park of the Sierras near Coarsegold, California, for a week as we had planned. And we're going to take a different route home than we have ever done before, just for the adventure of it. I feel miserable, with a cold and an earache. But, at least if one is going to have a cold, it might as well be in this kind of weather.
Today was another long, hard, hot day of shopping and running errands. First stop was the Chevron station across the street from the Marine Corps Air Station ( MCAS ) to adjust the pressure in all the truck tires. Then on to Truck Mates to pick up the bed rail protectors I ordered a few days ago. Next was Hilco RV Parts, then CJ's RV Parts. Neither had what I was looking for. Refilled with diesel at Circle K, then shopped at Arizona Market Place flea market. Got what I was looking for there. We headed across town to The Foothills. RV World didn't have what I was looking for ( sigh ). Stopped for lunch at Subway. Checker Auto Parts didn't have what I was looking for. Al's RV Parts didn't have what I was looking for ( sigh ). Spent the rest of the afternoon at Wal-Mart ( huge sigh ).
Back home at Kofa Ko-op we trimmed Bo's dew claws then took him for a walk around the dog park. I took some photos of Prickly Pear cacti in bloom in the dog park. I mounted a new thermometer inside the trailer. I replaced some mounting hardware in the truck's mud flaps.
Friday ; Today was sunny and very warm, but a bit windy. This morning we headed for the Post Office. Our mail forwarded from home had arrived but the mail forwarded four weeks ago from the RV park in La Feria, Texas that we stayed at during November and December had not arrived. I concluded that it never will arrive here. It was either lost in the mail system, or it was returned to the original sender, the U.S. Government. Perhaps mail from the U.S. Government can not be forwarded ? From the Post Office we went to Midas Muffler where I purchased a stainless steel exhaust extension tip and had it welded on. I'm hoping that installing an extended, downturned exhaust tip on the truck will reduce the amount of diesel grime on the trailer. On the way back to Kofa Ko-op we went to Peanut Patch and stocked up on their wonderful, freshly made peanut butter.
After lunch ( and a nap ) I installed the new bed rail protectors on the truck. The truck is now repaired and restored back to pre-Mexico condition. And then some, with new tires and a chrome exhaust extension. I did some minor repairs inside the trailer, then removed and reinstalled a section of decorative wood moulding in the bedroom, putting pretty little screw caps on the mounting screws. I took our water jugs to the clubhouse and refilled them. Kofa Ko-op has a reverse osmosis water purification system in the clubhouse. Joanne did some laundry. She cleaned and medicated Teddy's ears, a task we need to do on a weekly basis to prevent a recurrence of a chronic ear infection Teddy gets. I phoned my sister and chatted briefly. Joanne had been encouraging me for a couple of days now to phone Sharon and find out if she was affected by the flooding of the Red River and its tributaries in Manitoba and North Dakota. I reviewed and discarded some old medications of mine, some of which were almost 9 years old ! I filled out and mailed a Sears / Michelin rebate form, for a partial rebate of the new tires' installation costs. I did some online work, searching out the Government of Canada's 2008 official currency exchange rates for income tax purposes
Saturday ; Again today was sunny and very warm with a bit of a wind. Because we've decided to stay an additional week, we can afford to slow down our pace a bit. We slept late this morning. I did some minor maintenance work, then shopped by phone for a 120 volt AC / 12 volt DC digital TV converter box. But since I did not receive my digital TV converter box $40 coupon, which was the mail being forwarded to me from La Feria, Texas, it's unlikely I will buy one of the digital TV converter boxes. I don't want or need one badly enough to buy one without the $40 coupon.
After lunch I downloaded and processed some photos. Joanne defrosted the fridge and freezer. I did online research of digital TV converter boxes, even though I don't have the rebate coupon. I spent some time on the Vancouver Sun online auction website. A neighbour back home at Riverside RV Park Resort referred me to the Vancouver Sun online auction held annually at the end of March, because he knew I was interested in an item that would be available on the online auction. We took Bo for our daily walk around the dog park. I activated my new U.S.$ MasterCard which had arrived in the mail, and set it up for online account access. My previous U.S.$ MasterCard had been cancelled by MasterCard Security because of "suspicious activity", which is what they deem usage in a foreign country when they haven't been notified in advance !
We spent the evening having a "date night", watching a couple of movies on TV.
Sunday ; Today was sunny, hot, and windy. I felt ill this morning, staying in bed until almost noon. And Joanne felt ill this afternoon. Today I continued repairs inside the trailer. The truck is now totally repaired / restored / refurbished. Except ... I noticed late last night that Señor Caballero, our little rubber Saguaro cactus with the face, cowboy hat, and bolo tie, is missing, having blown off the CB antenna on top of the truck. Darn ! Everything inside the trailer is now totally repaired / restored / refurbished. The only repair left on the exterior of the trailer is the large, two part job of repairing the damage caused by the exploding tire. I hope to complete part one of that repair while still here in Yuma. Part two will be a summer job back home in Keremeos.
Late in the afternoon I took Bo for a walk around the dog park. Joanne wasn't feeling well enough to come along. So I also went alone to the regular Sunday evening ice cream social. Afterwards we had supper and watched Amazing Race and Celebrity Apprentice. I began work on reviewing and dealing with a three month batch of forwarded mail.
Monday ; Today was sunny and warm, a bit windy in the morning ... again. This morning I played telephone tag with my investment broker, then went to the RV park’s office to receive a fax from him, signed it, and faxed it back. Last Friday I had been to a local metal fabricator and discussed buying some galvanized metal plate for part one of the trailer repair I hope to start tomorrow. At that time the cost of what I need was estimated at "maybe five bucks". Today when I phoned to place my order, the cost was $32.50 ! Forget that ! ! !
We had an early lunch, then set off for another day of errands and shopping, with just a bit of fun thrown in. Bo came along. First stop was Lowe's to buy some materials for the trailer repair. Next stop was PetsMart. WOO-HOO ... Bo loves shopping at PetsMart. From there we drove to Bard, California, about 20 minutes northwest of Yuma, to buy date shakes at Imperial Date Gardens. Gee whiz ... Bo completely loses impulse control when we have date shakes. I think date shakes might be Bo's favourite food. I also bought myself some dates rolled in coconuts. MMMMM ! ! ! We drove back to Yuma for some shopping at Home Depot, then back to Lowe's to return something that I bought earlier. I found something better at Home Depot. We went to Albertsons for some groceries, including stocking up on some of our "must buy before leaving U.S." items. Finally we went to El Pollo Loco to buy some takeout pollo asado / barbecued chicken for supper.
Back home at Kofa Ko-op we took Bo for our regular daily walk around the perimeter of the dog park. Walking to the dog park then around the perimeter of the seven acres is good daily exercise for us, and an opportunity for Bo to have some off leash time on a daily basis. After supper I completed our 2008 medical expenses summary, the first step in the preparation of our annual income tax returns. I spent the rest of the evening continuing to review and deal with the batch of incoming mail.
Tuesday ; Today was sunny and hot. Or so Joanne tells me. I was too busy to notice. I woke up this morning feeling healthy for the first time in a week. My cold and earache seem to be finally over. I found a chigger embedded in Bo's neck this morning. I wonder if he picked it up here, or has it been sucking his blood since we were last on a Mexican beach with grassy sand dunes almost three weeks ago ?
I spent the entire day rebuilding the inside and underside of the trailer's wheel well, which had been destroyed by the exploding tire. I didn't think I could accomplish this job in just one day, but ... it's finished. And I even had to run out to Wal-Mart during the job to buy some more materials. I'm proud of myself. Like most of the repairs and improvements I have done on the trailer, this repair has produced a result that is far superior to the manufacturer's original design and product. In some areas, and this was one of them, the manufacturer's engineering left a lot to be desired. Without having this repair completed we would not have been able to travel on wet roads / rainy days. And we inevitably encounter rain driving north through Oregon and Washington during April.
When I finished the job it was late afternoon. We took Bo for a walk around the dog park just as the sun was setting. After supper I retrieved month end investment updates. I composed and sent some e-mails. I printed the investment updates and 2008 medical expenses summary I completed yesterday, then did some sorting and filing of income tax documents.
Wednesday ; HMPH ... found a flea on Bo this morning ! Today was sunny and hot. Finally, my "must do" projects are done, and I could relax a bit today. This morning I redid a repair project in the trailer that I wasn't satisfied with. Joanne baked cookies for this afternoon's social hour. After lunch I read and napped. I took a propane tank to be refilled. We took Bo for a walk around the dog park. He chased lizards. What a Terrier ! I downloaded, printed, and reconciled bank statements. I did some accounting. I did some e-mailing, making some arrangements for our return home in two weeks.
We went to the regular Wednesday afternoon social hour / potluck, our last of the season. I spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening updating and analyzing my investment files. This was the first time in two years that I didn't find the exercise disheartening.
DSK
Thursday ; Today was sunny and hot. We had been planning to leave here on Saturday, but we still have so much shopping, cleaning, and repairing to do ... as well as needing more relax time ... we've decided to stay an additional week. We're going to eliminate going to SKP Park of the Sierras near Coarsegold, California, for a week as we had planned. And we're going to take a different route home than we have ever done before, just for the adventure of it. I feel miserable, with a cold and an earache. But, at least if one is going to have a cold, it might as well be in this kind of weather.
Today was another long, hard, hot day of shopping and running errands. First stop was the Chevron station across the street from the Marine Corps Air Station ( MCAS ) to adjust the pressure in all the truck tires. Then on to Truck Mates to pick up the bed rail protectors I ordered a few days ago. Next was Hilco RV Parts, then CJ's RV Parts. Neither had what I was looking for. Refilled with diesel at Circle K, then shopped at Arizona Market Place flea market. Got what I was looking for there. We headed across town to The Foothills. RV World didn't have what I was looking for ( sigh ). Stopped for lunch at Subway. Checker Auto Parts didn't have what I was looking for. Al's RV Parts didn't have what I was looking for ( sigh ). Spent the rest of the afternoon at Wal-Mart ( huge sigh ).
Back home at Kofa Ko-op we trimmed Bo's dew claws then took him for a walk around the dog park. I took some photos of Prickly Pear cacti in bloom in the dog park. I mounted a new thermometer inside the trailer. I replaced some mounting hardware in the truck's mud flaps.
Friday ; Today was sunny and very warm, but a bit windy. This morning we headed for the Post Office. Our mail forwarded from home had arrived but the mail forwarded four weeks ago from the RV park in La Feria, Texas that we stayed at during November and December had not arrived. I concluded that it never will arrive here. It was either lost in the mail system, or it was returned to the original sender, the U.S. Government. Perhaps mail from the U.S. Government can not be forwarded ? From the Post Office we went to Midas Muffler where I purchased a stainless steel exhaust extension tip and had it welded on. I'm hoping that installing an extended, downturned exhaust tip on the truck will reduce the amount of diesel grime on the trailer. On the way back to Kofa Ko-op we went to Peanut Patch and stocked up on their wonderful, freshly made peanut butter.
After lunch ( and a nap ) I installed the new bed rail protectors on the truck. The truck is now repaired and restored back to pre-Mexico condition. And then some, with new tires and a chrome exhaust extension. I did some minor repairs inside the trailer, then removed and reinstalled a section of decorative wood moulding in the bedroom, putting pretty little screw caps on the mounting screws. I took our water jugs to the clubhouse and refilled them. Kofa Ko-op has a reverse osmosis water purification system in the clubhouse. Joanne did some laundry. She cleaned and medicated Teddy's ears, a task we need to do on a weekly basis to prevent a recurrence of a chronic ear infection Teddy gets. I phoned my sister and chatted briefly. Joanne had been encouraging me for a couple of days now to phone Sharon and find out if she was affected by the flooding of the Red River and its tributaries in Manitoba and North Dakota. I reviewed and discarded some old medications of mine, some of which were almost 9 years old ! I filled out and mailed a Sears / Michelin rebate form, for a partial rebate of the new tires' installation costs. I did some online work, searching out the Government of Canada's 2008 official currency exchange rates for income tax purposes
Saturday ; Again today was sunny and very warm with a bit of a wind. Because we've decided to stay an additional week, we can afford to slow down our pace a bit. We slept late this morning. I did some minor maintenance work, then shopped by phone for a 120 volt AC / 12 volt DC digital TV converter box. But since I did not receive my digital TV converter box $40 coupon, which was the mail being forwarded to me from La Feria, Texas, it's unlikely I will buy one of the digital TV converter boxes. I don't want or need one badly enough to buy one without the $40 coupon.
After lunch I downloaded and processed some photos. Joanne defrosted the fridge and freezer. I did online research of digital TV converter boxes, even though I don't have the rebate coupon. I spent some time on the Vancouver Sun online auction website. A neighbour back home at Riverside RV Park Resort referred me to the Vancouver Sun online auction held annually at the end of March, because he knew I was interested in an item that would be available on the online auction. We took Bo for our daily walk around the dog park. I activated my new U.S.$ MasterCard which had arrived in the mail, and set it up for online account access. My previous U.S.$ MasterCard had been cancelled by MasterCard Security because of "suspicious activity", which is what they deem usage in a foreign country when they haven't been notified in advance !
We spent the evening having a "date night", watching a couple of movies on TV.
Sunday ; Today was sunny, hot, and windy. I felt ill this morning, staying in bed until almost noon. And Joanne felt ill this afternoon. Today I continued repairs inside the trailer. The truck is now totally repaired / restored / refurbished. Except ... I noticed late last night that Señor Caballero, our little rubber Saguaro cactus with the face, cowboy hat, and bolo tie, is missing, having blown off the CB antenna on top of the truck. Darn ! Everything inside the trailer is now totally repaired / restored / refurbished. The only repair left on the exterior of the trailer is the large, two part job of repairing the damage caused by the exploding tire. I hope to complete part one of that repair while still here in Yuma. Part two will be a summer job back home in Keremeos.
Late in the afternoon I took Bo for a walk around the dog park. Joanne wasn't feeling well enough to come along. So I also went alone to the regular Sunday evening ice cream social. Afterwards we had supper and watched Amazing Race and Celebrity Apprentice. I began work on reviewing and dealing with a three month batch of forwarded mail.
Monday ; Today was sunny and warm, a bit windy in the morning ... again. This morning I played telephone tag with my investment broker, then went to the RV park’s office to receive a fax from him, signed it, and faxed it back. Last Friday I had been to a local metal fabricator and discussed buying some galvanized metal plate for part one of the trailer repair I hope to start tomorrow. At that time the cost of what I need was estimated at "maybe five bucks". Today when I phoned to place my order, the cost was $32.50 ! Forget that ! ! !
We had an early lunch, then set off for another day of errands and shopping, with just a bit of fun thrown in. Bo came along. First stop was Lowe's to buy some materials for the trailer repair. Next stop was PetsMart. WOO-HOO ... Bo loves shopping at PetsMart. From there we drove to Bard, California, about 20 minutes northwest of Yuma, to buy date shakes at Imperial Date Gardens. Gee whiz ... Bo completely loses impulse control when we have date shakes. I think date shakes might be Bo's favourite food. I also bought myself some dates rolled in coconuts. MMMMM ! ! ! We drove back to Yuma for some shopping at Home Depot, then back to Lowe's to return something that I bought earlier. I found something better at Home Depot. We went to Albertsons for some groceries, including stocking up on some of our "must buy before leaving U.S." items. Finally we went to El Pollo Loco to buy some takeout pollo asado / barbecued chicken for supper.
Back home at Kofa Ko-op we took Bo for our regular daily walk around the perimeter of the dog park. Walking to the dog park then around the perimeter of the seven acres is good daily exercise for us, and an opportunity for Bo to have some off leash time on a daily basis. After supper I completed our 2008 medical expenses summary, the first step in the preparation of our annual income tax returns. I spent the rest of the evening continuing to review and deal with the batch of incoming mail.
Tuesday ; Today was sunny and hot. Or so Joanne tells me. I was too busy to notice. I woke up this morning feeling healthy for the first time in a week. My cold and earache seem to be finally over. I found a chigger embedded in Bo's neck this morning. I wonder if he picked it up here, or has it been sucking his blood since we were last on a Mexican beach with grassy sand dunes almost three weeks ago ?
I spent the entire day rebuilding the inside and underside of the trailer's wheel well, which had been destroyed by the exploding tire. I didn't think I could accomplish this job in just one day, but ... it's finished. And I even had to run out to Wal-Mart during the job to buy some more materials. I'm proud of myself. Like most of the repairs and improvements I have done on the trailer, this repair has produced a result that is far superior to the manufacturer's original design and product. In some areas, and this was one of them, the manufacturer's engineering left a lot to be desired. Without having this repair completed we would not have been able to travel on wet roads / rainy days. And we inevitably encounter rain driving north through Oregon and Washington during April.
When I finished the job it was late afternoon. We took Bo for a walk around the dog park just as the sun was setting. After supper I retrieved month end investment updates. I composed and sent some e-mails. I printed the investment updates and 2008 medical expenses summary I completed yesterday, then did some sorting and filing of income tax documents.
Wednesday ; HMPH ... found a flea on Bo this morning ! Today was sunny and hot. Finally, my "must do" projects are done, and I could relax a bit today. This morning I redid a repair project in the trailer that I wasn't satisfied with. Joanne baked cookies for this afternoon's social hour. After lunch I read and napped. I took a propane tank to be refilled. We took Bo for a walk around the dog park. He chased lizards. What a Terrier ! I downloaded, printed, and reconciled bank statements. I did some accounting. I did some e-mailing, making some arrangements for our return home in two weeks.
We went to the regular Wednesday afternoon social hour / potluck, our last of the season. I spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening updating and analyzing my investment files. This was the first time in two years that I didn't find the exercise disheartening.
DSK
No comments:
Post a Comment