December 16 to 22, 2012
Sunday ; Well ... Bo is a tad disappointed that we gave away "his" kitten. Sully, on the other hand, is thrilled. As are we, knowing that Kacey will have an excellent home with Hans and Peta. Thank you Hans and Peta for adopting Kacey !
This morning I did routine chores then took Bo for a drivey. We went to Arizona Market Place to buy yet another LED "fluorescent conversion" bulb, then went to Barney's to refill with diesel. As I rushed through the flea market I bumped into Lori and Ed, Escapee friends from BC Okanagan Chapter 33. I didn't really have time to stop and chat as I had left Bo in the truck parked in the sun.
After a late lunch Joanne went shopping ( YIPPEEE ... I didn’t have to go to Wal-Mart ) and I worked on home improvement and maintenance projects. I repaired a screen
I damaged recently < rolling eyes >. I repaired the "whirly bird" vent on the shed roof. It had been damaged in a severe wind storm a few months ago. I installed coaxial cable from the new satellite dish on the shed all the way to the patio roof support beam closest to the trailer, fifty feet of cable and lots of cable clamps and mounting screws.
In the evening we went to the ice cream social where Kacey's adoption by Hans and Peta was made "official". WOO-HOO ! ! ! We said goodbye to Renie and Paul, Kacey's "rescuers" ( we just provided "foster care" ) who are leaving Kofa Ko-op tomorrow. We're glad that they got to see Kacey be adopted before they leave.
Another successful stray rescue and adoption. I'm SOOOOO glad that we didn't have to surrender Kacey to the Humane Society when we leave here on the 27th. Don't you love happy endings ? !
Late in the evening we watched the three hour finale of Survivor.
Monday ; Baked an excellent loaf of bread in the Sun Oven today. Joanne went to Kofa Ko-op's annual Christmas cookie exchange. She took three dozen peanut butter cookies she baked last night and came back with three dozen assorted cookies baked by other women in the park.
She went shopping by herself all afternoon ... and part of the evening < scowl >. Before she left she helped me aim the satellite dish I mounted on the shed roof recently. I'm not very good at aiming satellite dishes. Now we have a Star Choice / Shaw Direct satellite dish mounted "permanently" on our park model in Keremeos, and another on our shed roof here in Yuma, plus a "portable" satellite dish on a tripod for travelling. SHEESH ! I'd have never thought that I would need three satellite dishes. I actually have four. I have a "spare" stored underneath our deck in Keremeos. HA HA HA !
I spent the afternoon working on two different home improvement projects, both of which I had to abandon before completion because I needed either tools or hardware which were in the truck.
Tuesday ; This morning I finished up one of the two projects I didn't finish yesterday. At noon our friends ( and Kofa Ko-op's assistant managers ) Bob and Judy came over for lunch. We wanted to treat them to lunch as a small gesture of appreciation for the furniture they recently gave us. We had a very nice lunch that started in the Arizona room but moved into the trailer when it got a bit chilly. We spent the afternoon chatting. After they left I rushed over to Lowe's to get some hardware that I needed to finish the second project left over from yesterday. I arrived back from Lowe's in time to join the pack walk which was already underway. After the pack walk I completed the second project. And that was the last project that I considered absolutely essential to be completed before we leave for Mexico in nine days.
It rained in the evening ! After the rain ended, it was windy and cold !
Wednesday ; Sunny but cold today.
We did an obedience session this morning with Bo. Geez, Bo ... did you forget everything you ever learned ? I spent the day puttering around with minor maintenance chores. We went to the daily pack walk in the dog park then went to the weekly Happy Hour Potluck. Joanne contributed two pots of her very good sausage and shrimp gumbo ( with rice cooked in the Sun Oven ).
I went over to visit Hans and Peta and check how Kacey is doing. Well ... she's doing GREAT ! She's happy ! Hans and Peta are happy ! Their other cat Siemen is happy ! Sully is happy that Kacey no longer lives with us ! HA HA HA!
As I left Hans and Peta's I got "buzzed" by a large Barn Owl. How odd !
Thursday ; I felt ill today and spent much of the day snoozing.
Carol Mae came over late this morning for a brief visit. Afterwards Joanne put a roast into the Sun Oven then went off to spend the afternoon shopping by herself. Late in the afternoon I took Bo on the daily pack walk, but I wasn't feeling healthy enough to really enjoy it. Plus ... it was pretty chilly today ! After the pack walk I went for a long, slow bicycle ride.
As always, the roast cooked in the Sun Oven turned out superb ! In the evening
I wrapped Christmas gifts. BAH ! HUMBUG ! I hate wrapping gifts !
Friday ; Today was another sunny but chilly day.
This morning Peta came over asking for some help with her computer and photos.
I downloaded her camera's photos to my computer, then copied them to a CD, then copied that to her computer. Easy ! I worked on that in our trailer for awhile, then went over to their motorhome to complete the process. While there I visited with Kacey. She's doing great ! And growing !
I spent most of the afternoon trying to accomplish about fifteen minutes of work. HA HA HA ! I kept getting distracted by chatty neighbours walking by. Late in the afternoon we went out on a "date night" planned by Joanne. First stop was Harbor Freight for some "guy stuff" shopping. That wasn't part of Joanne's plan. HA HA HA !
We headed to the intersection of 8th Street and Avenue B, then went on a "taco truck crawl". There are "taco trucks" set up for a few blocks in each direction from that intersection. Most of their clientele are Mexican farm workers. A few of the taco trucks are El Salvadoran. At the first taco truck that we stopped at, we shared a sope, a tostada, a flauta, a taco dorado, and a large glass of limonada. They were all ... okay. We went to another taco truck, this one El Salvadoran, and shared a papusa queso, papusa chicharrone, and a tamale pollo. Tamales made the El Salvadoran way are wrapped and baked in seaweed instead of corn husks. And the masa is softer and sweeter. MMMMM ! The tamale pollo and the papusa queso were outstanding ! ! ! The jalapeño coleslaw side dish was ... different !
After our Mexican and El Salvadoran street food supper we went on a two hour bus tour of three neighbourhoods in Yuma with exceptional Christmas light displays. Two bucks apiece well spent ! Thanks for the date night, my dear.
Saturday ; "Sunny and warm" has returned to Yuma. WOO-HOO !
This morning we worked on routine maintenance chores. This afternoon Joanne went shopping. Mercifully, I didn't ! At dusk Joanne participated in Christmas carolling around the park. Mercifully, I didn't ! HA HA HA !
DSK
Monday, December 24, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
December 9 to 15, 2012
Sunday ; WHEW ... tough night ! In the middle of the night Joanne was awakened by kitten cries. Kacey was in her pet carrier, wearing her Elizabethan collar. Using a cardboard box I had made a small litter box that fit inside the pet carrier. Kacey used the litter box, but because of "visual impairment" / tunnel vision caused by the Elizabethan collar, there had been a < ahem > litter box "incident". There was cat shit smeared all over the inside of the pet carrier, all over the edge of the Elizabethan collar, and all over Kacey. Poor baby !
< sigh > While Joanne cleaned up the pet carrier and Elizabethan collar, I bathed Kacey. OH MY GOODNESS ! ! ! Good thing I had trimmed her claws a few days earlier. I don't think I've ever had the misfortune of giving a kitten a bath before. And I hope I never have to again ! Especially at 4 AM ! ! !
Today Joanne baked a loaf of beer bread in the Sun Oven. We had it with supper tonight. It was quite good !
Right after lunch we headed for Gila Ridge High School's Performing Arts Center to see the Yuma Community Theater production of It's A Wonderful Life. I've always disliked the movie version and was hoping that a live theatre version would be more to my liking. Well ... it wasn't, really ! After the play we went to PetsMart to stock up on pet foods and supplies using a discount coupon I got online. Joanne and I made a very small contribution as part of a group here at Kofa Ko-op, headed up by our friend Carol Mae, that sponsored ( paid the medical and adoption fees ) for two dogs and two cats at the Humane Society of Yuma. At Joanne's suggestion, Carol Mae selected four older or special needs animals. With all fees paid, they were put into the Humane Society adoption wing at PetsMart this weekend. When we were at PetsMart around 4:30 PM this afternoon, two of the four had already been adopted. WOO-HOO ! Well done, Carol Mae ! The seven year old dog Glen and the three year old ( ugly ) cat Baxter had new homes ! We visited with the special needs dog Scrappy that was one of our group's sponsored animals. Scrappy the fuzzy little terrier had been severely injured when attacked by two larger dogs. He required extensive surgery. He is now healed, except for permanent nerve damage in one front leg. It twitches constantly ... I think with each heartbeat ... and makes him look somewhat like he's constantly waving. He's cute. I hope he's adopted soon. He deserves a second chance.
We returned home in time for the Sunday ice cream social. Afterwards we had supper while watching the season finale of Amazing Race. Congratulations to the gay goat farmers. Who'd have thunk ... ?
Monday ; HA HA HA HA HA ! Kacey has decided that Bo's ears are kitten toys. She leaps up onto his head and attacks his ears. HA HA HA HA HA ! Good dog, Bo, just relax !
The park's assistant managers are refurbishing their Class A motorhome. Yesterday they offered us some of their motorhome's old furniture for our Arizona room. YES ! Thank you. This morning we picked up their sofa bed and dinette table with booth seating.
We took Bo and Sully to the veterinarian today for their annual examinations and innoculations. Sully's blood pressure is good, indicating that we are administering the correct dosage of medication. BUT ... HA HA HA ... each of the three times they checked his blood pressure ... it rose ! HA HA HA ! He's so irritable ! Bo and Sully are both in excellent health.
This afternoon we rearranged all the furniture in the Arizona room, incorporating the new sofa bed and dinette booth. I spent quite awhile installing the dinette table and booth seating. The new furniture and the rearrangement of all the furniture makes the Arizona room even better than it was. It's great !
We continued to dehydrate pineapple slices in the Sun Oven today. I went by myself to The Foothills to send a package at the UPS Store. Very bad service, and outrageous pricing. The package returned home with me ! We'll be taking it to the Post Office tomorrow ! On the way home from The Foothills I stopped to look at an old Class C motorhome for sale for $8000. What a piece of crap ! The $5000 one we saw a few weeks ago was better. Back at home, before the sun set, I did some minor home improvement and maintenance projects. In the evening I did some online financial work.
As I type this at 10 PM all three animals are asleep on the sofa, Kacey sleeping right on Bo's butt. How cute !
Tuesday ; Two days ago I sliced a sirloin steak into thin strips and put it into the fridge in a Teriyaki marinade. This morning I put it into the Sun Oven for my first attempt at making beef jerky. I dehydrated it all day at about 200 degrees. It turned out GREAT ! Joanne agrees. And neither of us are really fans of beef jerky.
Late this morning we headed to Bard, California. Normally if we were going to Bard it would be to get date shakes. But today ... I was headed to the Bard Post Office to mail a package. I will NOT go the Yuma Post Office in mid-December ! Been there, done that ... not stupid enough to do it again !
After mailing the package, on the way back to Yuma, we stopped and picked a few
( oversized and left in field ) heads of lettuce from recently harvested fields. Always a bonus included on a trip to Bard. HA HA HA ! We returned to Yuma to meet our friends Lynn and Micha at Golden Corral for a late buffet lunch. We had a great meal and spent the afternoon eating and talking. We returned home just in time for the daily pack walk. Lynn and Micha joined us with their dog Gypsy. After the pack walk they joined us in our Arizona room and spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with us.
Our first meeting of Lynn, Micha, and Gypsy was here in the Kofa Ko-op dog park five years ago when Gypsy was a pup. We used our old cat Teddy to introduce Gypsy to cats. And that was the genesis of Gypsy becoming cat friendly. She visited today not only with Bo, but with Kacey as well. So Kacey continues to learn that some dogs can be friendly towards cats. And the circle keeps going around and around. HA HA HA ! Gee, we're good with animals, n'est-ce-pas ?
After they left Joanne went shopping. Renie and Paul came over to visit Kacey ... and bring us a container of fresh, home made cookies. Well ... thank you very much. I sought their opinions on Kacey's future. I'm being encouraged to surrender Kacey to the Humane Society SOON ! As in ... before Christmas ... to increase her chances for adoption. I'm resisting that !
Wednesday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico
This morning I did an obedience session with Bo in the dog park ... well done, Bo, good dog ... then we left for my dentist appointment at noon in Mexico. My dentist has a "crown specialist" on staff, and I didn't even see the dentist today, just the "crown specialist". She yanked out the temporary crown, then fussed and fiddled with the new crown for about half an hour before getting the fit exactly correct. Then she decided she wanted to send it back to the lab for some final repolishing. I snoozed in the reclined dental chair for half an hour. HA HA HA ! When it came back from the lab she glued it in and ... adiós, señor. The line up at the border crossing back into the United States was about ten minutes today. WOW ! CBP is getting faster and faster !
On our way home we stopped to visit the brand new Humane Society of Yuma animal shelter, opened yesterday. I spoke to them about the likelihood that we will have to surrender Kacey to them on December 27 when we leave here < sigh > if we have failed to find her a new home by then. We arrived home in time for the daily pack walk. That was followed by tonight's communal turkey soup supper at the clubhouse. At the soup supper we discovered that some old friends from Ontario have arrived here at Kofa
Ko-op. We visited for awhile with Hans and Peta. Following the soup supper was Kofa Ko-op's annual "Christmas parade". Our intent was to walk with the parade, with Kacey in a Christmas stocking, and a "please adopt me" sign. BUT ... the parade moved much too fast for us to keep pace with, so we didn't get to exhibit her as much as we would have liked. Afterwards Carol Mae came over to discuss Kacey's future.
Thursday ; Today was mostly sunny and mild, becoming cloudy, cool, and windy late in the afternoon. It rained heavily in the evening. Ironically, it also rained heavily on this date last year.
Joanne went shopping with her friend Eileen today. I went shopping by myself, to Wally's World, Al's RV, and Arizona Market Place, mostly for hardware for home improvement projects. I spent the afternoon working on home improvement projects.
Friday ; Last night something happened in our bed that hasn't happened in 3½ years.
< whispering > Bo was thoroughly lick groomed by a cat. HA HA HA ! Kacey was grooming herself while cuddled close to him. He rolled over, shoved his head up against her face, and soon she was grooming him. And now that he's figured out how to get her to groom him ... HA HA HA ... he's getting his share every time Kacey grooms herself.
This morning we went on a tour of Datepac, the world's largest Medjool date processing and packing facility. A tour that I arranged for Escapees Roadrunners Chapter 7. We had 32 people on the tour. And it was a very good tour ! Afterwards we drove to The Foothills for the annual huge Helping Hands Yard Sale at Gila Mountain United Methodist Church. We each bought a few small items.
Tonight I am deeply saddened by the tragic massacre of twenty children in Connecticut !
Saturday ; We got up early again this morning. HMPH ! Potluck breakfast ! I'd rather sleep ! Joanne prepared her contribution and off we went. When breakfast was over our friends Hans and Peta came over to visit. We spent the rest of the morning visiting with them, and as they were preparing to leave around noon, Peta leaned over to Hans and whispered ... "I want the kitten". WOW ! Didn't see that one coming ! I just about fell over ! HA HA HA ! Just then Renie arrived for a visit with her cat Loxi. So ... Kacey's original rescuer got to see Hans and Peta tentatively adopt Kacey.
Renie visited for awhile and as she left with Loxi a new neighbour was walking by with her cat. So ... we invited Dana and her cat Louis into the Arizona room to visit with us and meet Bo. By the time Dana and Louis left after a brief visit it was time for a late lunch ... and, of course, a nap with Sully. HA HA HA ! Sully is very happy that Kacey has left.
This afternoon I converted the third and last of our fluorescent light fixtures to LED. We went on the regular daily pack walk, then walked over to Hans and Peta's to see how Kacey was doing. We had told them to take Kacey for a "test drive" and to feel free to return her to us if anything didn't work out. By the time we visited Kacey had been with Hans and Peta and their cat Simon for about five hours or so. And everything had gone well so far !
It would be wonderful if Kacey found her “forever home” with Hans and Peta. Let's hope !
DSK
< sigh > While Joanne cleaned up the pet carrier and Elizabethan collar, I bathed Kacey. OH MY GOODNESS ! ! ! Good thing I had trimmed her claws a few days earlier. I don't think I've ever had the misfortune of giving a kitten a bath before. And I hope I never have to again ! Especially at 4 AM ! ! !
Today Joanne baked a loaf of beer bread in the Sun Oven. We had it with supper tonight. It was quite good !
Right after lunch we headed for Gila Ridge High School's Performing Arts Center to see the Yuma Community Theater production of It's A Wonderful Life. I've always disliked the movie version and was hoping that a live theatre version would be more to my liking. Well ... it wasn't, really ! After the play we went to PetsMart to stock up on pet foods and supplies using a discount coupon I got online. Joanne and I made a very small contribution as part of a group here at Kofa Ko-op, headed up by our friend Carol Mae, that sponsored ( paid the medical and adoption fees ) for two dogs and two cats at the Humane Society of Yuma. At Joanne's suggestion, Carol Mae selected four older or special needs animals. With all fees paid, they were put into the Humane Society adoption wing at PetsMart this weekend. When we were at PetsMart around 4:30 PM this afternoon, two of the four had already been adopted. WOO-HOO ! Well done, Carol Mae ! The seven year old dog Glen and the three year old ( ugly ) cat Baxter had new homes ! We visited with the special needs dog Scrappy that was one of our group's sponsored animals. Scrappy the fuzzy little terrier had been severely injured when attacked by two larger dogs. He required extensive surgery. He is now healed, except for permanent nerve damage in one front leg. It twitches constantly ... I think with each heartbeat ... and makes him look somewhat like he's constantly waving. He's cute. I hope he's adopted soon. He deserves a second chance.
We returned home in time for the Sunday ice cream social. Afterwards we had supper while watching the season finale of Amazing Race. Congratulations to the gay goat farmers. Who'd have thunk ... ?
Monday ; HA HA HA HA HA ! Kacey has decided that Bo's ears are kitten toys. She leaps up onto his head and attacks his ears. HA HA HA HA HA ! Good dog, Bo, just relax !
The park's assistant managers are refurbishing their Class A motorhome. Yesterday they offered us some of their motorhome's old furniture for our Arizona room. YES ! Thank you. This morning we picked up their sofa bed and dinette table with booth seating.
We took Bo and Sully to the veterinarian today for their annual examinations and innoculations. Sully's blood pressure is good, indicating that we are administering the correct dosage of medication. BUT ... HA HA HA ... each of the three times they checked his blood pressure ... it rose ! HA HA HA ! He's so irritable ! Bo and Sully are both in excellent health.
This afternoon we rearranged all the furniture in the Arizona room, incorporating the new sofa bed and dinette booth. I spent quite awhile installing the dinette table and booth seating. The new furniture and the rearrangement of all the furniture makes the Arizona room even better than it was. It's great !
We continued to dehydrate pineapple slices in the Sun Oven today. I went by myself to The Foothills to send a package at the UPS Store. Very bad service, and outrageous pricing. The package returned home with me ! We'll be taking it to the Post Office tomorrow ! On the way home from The Foothills I stopped to look at an old Class C motorhome for sale for $8000. What a piece of crap ! The $5000 one we saw a few weeks ago was better. Back at home, before the sun set, I did some minor home improvement and maintenance projects. In the evening I did some online financial work.
As I type this at 10 PM all three animals are asleep on the sofa, Kacey sleeping right on Bo's butt. How cute !
Late this morning we headed to Bard, California. Normally if we were going to Bard it would be to get date shakes. But today ... I was headed to the Bard Post Office to mail a package. I will NOT go the Yuma Post Office in mid-December ! Been there, done that ... not stupid enough to do it again !
After mailing the package, on the way back to Yuma, we stopped and picked a few
( oversized and left in field ) heads of lettuce from recently harvested fields. Always a bonus included on a trip to Bard. HA HA HA ! We returned to Yuma to meet our friends Lynn and Micha at Golden Corral for a late buffet lunch. We had a great meal and spent the afternoon eating and talking. We returned home just in time for the daily pack walk. Lynn and Micha joined us with their dog Gypsy. After the pack walk they joined us in our Arizona room and spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with us.
Our first meeting of Lynn, Micha, and Gypsy was here in the Kofa Ko-op dog park five years ago when Gypsy was a pup. We used our old cat Teddy to introduce Gypsy to cats. And that was the genesis of Gypsy becoming cat friendly. She visited today not only with Bo, but with Kacey as well. So Kacey continues to learn that some dogs can be friendly towards cats. And the circle keeps going around and around. HA HA HA ! Gee, we're good with animals, n'est-ce-pas ?
After they left Joanne went shopping. Renie and Paul came over to visit Kacey ... and bring us a container of fresh, home made cookies. Well ... thank you very much. I sought their opinions on Kacey's future. I'm being encouraged to surrender Kacey to the Humane Society SOON ! As in ... before Christmas ... to increase her chances for adoption. I'm resisting that !
Wednesday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico
This morning I did an obedience session with Bo in the dog park ... well done, Bo, good dog ... then we left for my dentist appointment at noon in Mexico. My dentist has a "crown specialist" on staff, and I didn't even see the dentist today, just the "crown specialist". She yanked out the temporary crown, then fussed and fiddled with the new crown for about half an hour before getting the fit exactly correct. Then she decided she wanted to send it back to the lab for some final repolishing. I snoozed in the reclined dental chair for half an hour. HA HA HA ! When it came back from the lab she glued it in and ... adiós, señor. The line up at the border crossing back into the United States was about ten minutes today. WOW ! CBP is getting faster and faster !
On our way home we stopped to visit the brand new Humane Society of Yuma animal shelter, opened yesterday. I spoke to them about the likelihood that we will have to surrender Kacey to them on December 27 when we leave here < sigh > if we have failed to find her a new home by then. We arrived home in time for the daily pack walk. That was followed by tonight's communal turkey soup supper at the clubhouse. At the soup supper we discovered that some old friends from Ontario have arrived here at Kofa
Ko-op. We visited for awhile with Hans and Peta. Following the soup supper was Kofa Ko-op's annual "Christmas parade". Our intent was to walk with the parade, with Kacey in a Christmas stocking, and a "please adopt me" sign. BUT ... the parade moved much too fast for us to keep pace with, so we didn't get to exhibit her as much as we would have liked. Afterwards Carol Mae came over to discuss Kacey's future.
Thursday ; Today was mostly sunny and mild, becoming cloudy, cool, and windy late in the afternoon. It rained heavily in the evening. Ironically, it also rained heavily on this date last year.
Joanne went shopping with her friend Eileen today. I went shopping by myself, to Wally's World, Al's RV, and Arizona Market Place, mostly for hardware for home improvement projects. I spent the afternoon working on home improvement projects.
Friday ; Last night something happened in our bed that hasn't happened in 3½ years.
< whispering > Bo was thoroughly lick groomed by a cat. HA HA HA ! Kacey was grooming herself while cuddled close to him. He rolled over, shoved his head up against her face, and soon she was grooming him. And now that he's figured out how to get her to groom him ... HA HA HA ... he's getting his share every time Kacey grooms herself.
This morning we went on a tour of Datepac, the world's largest Medjool date processing and packing facility. A tour that I arranged for Escapees Roadrunners Chapter 7. We had 32 people on the tour. And it was a very good tour ! Afterwards we drove to The Foothills for the annual huge Helping Hands Yard Sale at Gila Mountain United Methodist Church. We each bought a few small items.
Tonight I am deeply saddened by the tragic massacre of twenty children in Connecticut !
Saturday ; We got up early again this morning. HMPH ! Potluck breakfast ! I'd rather sleep ! Joanne prepared her contribution and off we went. When breakfast was over our friends Hans and Peta came over to visit. We spent the rest of the morning visiting with them, and as they were preparing to leave around noon, Peta leaned over to Hans and whispered ... "I want the kitten". WOW ! Didn't see that one coming ! I just about fell over ! HA HA HA ! Just then Renie arrived for a visit with her cat Loxi. So ... Kacey's original rescuer got to see Hans and Peta tentatively adopt Kacey.
Renie visited for awhile and as she left with Loxi a new neighbour was walking by with her cat. So ... we invited Dana and her cat Louis into the Arizona room to visit with us and meet Bo. By the time Dana and Louis left after a brief visit it was time for a late lunch ... and, of course, a nap with Sully. HA HA HA ! Sully is very happy that Kacey has left.
This afternoon I converted the third and last of our fluorescent light fixtures to LED. We went on the regular daily pack walk, then walked over to Hans and Peta's to see how Kacey was doing. We had told them to take Kacey for a "test drive" and to feel free to return her to us if anything didn't work out. By the time we visited Kacey had been with Hans and Peta and their cat Simon for about five hours or so. And everything had gone well so far !
It would be wonderful if Kacey found her “forever home” with Hans and Peta. Let's hope !
DSK
Monday, December 10, 2012
December 2 to 8, 2012
Sunday ; The weather continues to be sunny and very warm. Well ... what did you expect ? ! ? It's Yuma, Arizona ! ! !
We spent way too much of today shopping at Yuma Park N Swap a.k.a. Dog Track Flea Market. I bought a lot of hardware and tools and other "guy stuff" for a variety of home improvement projects I have pending, both here and at home in Canada next spring. We bought quite a bit of fresh produce, including some very fresh tomatillos which Joanne used tonight to make Chicken Chile Verde. WOW ... tomatillos that are that fresh are really tasty !
We did our regular daily two laps around the dog park pack walk. We attended the regular Sunday early evening ice cream social. The feral kitten we were hoping to capture last week has "adopted" a nearby neighbour, befriending the neighbour's cat which spends the afternoons outdoors in its "cat tent". We have arranged for the neighbour to "capture" the feral kitten, at which point we will take responsibility for having it spayed / neutered and innoculated, then adopted.
Monday ; Say hello to Casey ( KC ; Kofa Cat / Kitty Cat ).
This morning Joanne returned from her regular morning water aerobics session accompanied by nearby neighbours Reenee and Paul ... and the little feral kitten that they "captured". I named it Casey. It's a female, probably about three months old. Tiny and sweet ! Probably born feral. She's now going to live in our Arizona room until adopted.
Our pet loving and Humane Society "connected" friend Carol Mae has arranged for Casey to be spayed and innoculated on Thursday at the Humane Society of Yuma Spay & Neuter Clinic. Thank you very much, Carol Mae !
Casey is scared, but her fears are outweighed by her curiosity. So ... her "feral" state is already rapidly diminishing and she's becoming a very sweet little domestic kitten. She urinated on our Arizona room sofa this afternoon < scowl >. Initially we thought she was so feral she didn't know about litter boxes. Later I was able to deduce that she panicked, emptied her full bladder, then hid underneath the fridge in the shed when our pack walk stopped at the "oasis" behind our yard to have a drink. The sound of many dogs nearby, sounding as if they were about to come over the fence and into the Arizona room where she is being "held captive" and unable to escape must have terrified her. Sorry, Casey, we'll deal with the pack walk and the oasis a little differently while you're "captive" in the Arizona room. I didn't figure out what had happened until late in the evening when I was cuddling with her on the sofa and I realized that she reeked of urine. She had "peed herself" while we were on the dog walk, and then we couldn't find her. She was under the fridge. It took us a long time to find her there. And later ... she used the litter box. So ... when it became obvious that she understood the concept of a litter box we were mystified by the urination on the sofa. Eventually I figured it out.
I guess ... after she's gone ... we'll be shopping at Salvation Army and Goodwill for a new sofa for the Arizona room !
We spent the evening out. I picked up my resized rings from Gonzo's Jewellery ! Nicely done ! Good work ! I refilled Lanoire with diesel. Price is still holding steady at $3.739 per gallon. We went looking for ... and found ... DATEPAC, the world's largest Medjool date packing plant. Today I arranged a tour there next week for Escapees Roadrunners Chapter 7 / Kofa Ko-op. We went to Wal-Mart and I bought myself a new laptop computer for Christmas. They had a "one time offer" advertised special on a laptop computer for only $20 more than the Thanksgiving / Black Friday "doorbuster" special. We went to Fry's for some groceries. Then went to KFC for supper. Joanne's choice ! WOO-HOO ... ETYS KFC Buffet ! Joanne looooves KFC ! HA HA HA !
Tuesday ; Well ... there ya go ! Twenty-four hours with us and Casey is "de-feralized" ! HA HA HA ! Today Casey was calm and content. We trimmed her nails. No problem !
I took her inside the trailer to meet Sully. No problem ! I took Bo into the Arizona room to meet her. No problem ! Joanne stayed in the Arizona room with her while I went on the daily pack walk. Joanne wanted to see if Casey panicked when all the dogs stopped at the "oasis" behind our back yard fence to have a drink of water. No problem ! So now we really have no idea what scared her enough yesterday to cause her to pee herself while on the sofa then hide under the fridge. Reenee and Paul gave us some photos they took two days ago on their lot of her interacting with them and their cat Loxi ( a rescue from BiLOXI, Mississippi ... like Bo from RainBOw Plantation RV Park in Alabama ). We attached some "captions" advertising her for adoption and posted the photos on the bulletin board in the clubhouse.
Today I worked on converting two of the trailer's three fluorescent light fixtures to LED. First I worked on the eighteen inch fluorescent fixture over the sink. I was very uncertain of how to make the conversion, but ... I got it done okay. I removed the light fixture from underneath the kitchen cupboard, removed the fluorescent ballast, and rewired the fixture. Worked fine so I reinstalled it underneath the kitchen cupboard. I removed the twelve inch fluorescent fixture from the ceiling over the dinette table, and did the same things the same way. It wouldn't work ! I fussed and fiddled. Still wouldn't work ! Defective LED light strip ? I'll have to return the very expensive LED light strip and my rewired fixture to the Arizona Market Place on Thursday and seek assistance from the vendor.
After much nagging from me Joanne began to wash the trailer late this afternoon. Driving south through fall's typical wet weather leaves a lot of road grime on the trailer. And a couple of weeks of baking in the Arizona desert sun makes it extremely difficult to remove. We should have washed it before now !
Pretty sunset tonight !
Wednesday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico
This morning we both stepped out of the trailer for a few minutes and when we returned ... Bo was hobbling around on three legs. He seems to have re-injured the toe he broke late last winter. Poor Bo !
Late this morning we headed to Mexico for my mid-afternoon dentist appointment. We shopped for a tablecloth for awhile before having lunch. We found a tablecloth that we both liked and wanted. The "opening" price was $65. I offered $10. HA HA HA ! Welcome to Mexico. We broke off negotiations and walked away when the seller's price was down to $20 and I was offering $18. HA HA HA HA HA ! We'll return next week and buy it. Hopefully for $19 ( ROFLMAO ).
For lunch we went to a restaurant that we've never been to before. It was ... very disappointing. Oh, well ... ya win some, ya lose some ! We ended up there because we were exploring an area on the edge of town that we've never been to before, despite how many times that we've been to Los Algodones over the last eight years.
Last summer I broke a tooth. It needs a crown. Today Dr. Camacho ground down the broken tooth, took impressions to have a permanent crown made, and installed a temporary crown. My appointment to have the permanent crown installed is ... wait for it ... the 12th hour of the 12th day of the 12th month of the 12th year. HA HA HA !
For the hour that I was in the dentist's chair Joanne went shopping. And came back with packages of Nugs, mini-Nugs, and mini-Coco-Nugs. OH ... good girl, well done ! HA HA HA !
We returned home just in time to join the daily pack walk that was already underway. Bo was eager to go, but after we helped him over the back fence, his toe was too sore to allow him to join the pack. The pack's attitude was ... "he's injured, leave him in the desert to die, let's go". HA HA HA ! We went to today's late afternoon "heavy appetizers social hour" and chatted with Reenee and Paul, the rescuers of Casey. Reenee was surprised that Dr. Camacho's charge for a crown is $290, all inclusive. And he's one of the most expensive dentists in Los Algodones. She paid about $2000 for a crown recently at her American dentist.
Thursday ; WAAAAAYYYYY too early this morning ( 7 AM ) we took Kasey ( named by me but spelling determined today by Joanne ) to the Humane Society of Yuma Spay & Neuter Clinic. We returned home and I went back to sleep for a couple of hours. Joanne went to water aerobics as she does every weekday.
This afternoon we continued washing the trailer. We're not finished yet. Shortly before it was time to go pick up Kasey we headed to Arizona Market Place. I needed assistance from the LED light bulb vendor. < sigh > It didn't take long to ascertain that I had wired both fluorescent fixtures incorrectly. It was just plain dumb luck that the eighteen inch fixture actually functioned, despite being wired incorrectly. We went to the HSOY Clinic and picked up poor little baby Kasey.
Back at home we fed her ... she was very hungry and thirsty. She was still fighting off the anaesthetic, and was very anxious. She became even more anxious when we put an Elizabethan collar on her ... Kasey the cone head kitty ! It took a long time to get her settled down in the pet carrier that will be her home for awhile. First Carol Mae and then Reenee came by to visit her.
I took Bo into the dog park for the daily pack walk, but his injured toe was still too sore to allow him to walk much. We waited for the pack to get three quarters of the way around the dog park to our "oasis". The dogs all had a drink, visited with Bo, and carried on.
I rewired the twelve inch fluorescent fixture. And tested it. And rewired it again. And tested it. And rewired it again. And so on ... until I finally got it right < rolling eyes >. Tomorrow
I will remove the eighteen inch fixture, rewire it correctly, and reinstall both fixtures.
Friday ; Kacey was much better today. And the spelling of her name has changed yet again ! As I type this ( at 10:40 PM ) she is cuddled up to Bo on the sofa. Good dog, Bo, just relax and allow the kitten to lie against you. While Kacey is recovering from surgery quickly, Bo is not recovering so quickly from his toe injury. Today was his third day of hobbling around on three legs.
HEY ! That was a sonic boom ! Some young Marine pilot learning to fly the newly arrived F-35 Joint Strike Fighter at night is going to get his knuckles rapped for that !
Today I took a hydro meter reading, after using our new solar panels for a week. Our daily consumption of "paid" electricity has diminished from about two dollars a day to about fifty cents a day ! WOW ! And I think most of that fifty cents a day is going to power the large fridge in our shed.
I removed the incorrectly wired eighteen inch kitchen light fixture, rewired it correctly, and reinstalled it. Then I reinstalled the twelve inch fixture over the dinette table. I quite like the new LED conversion lights. I'm planning to convert the last fluorescent light fixture in the trailer, a twelve inch fixture over my desk.
We finished washing the trailer today. WOO-HOO ! Late in the afternoon we went to run some shopping errands. Wal-Mart on Pacific Avenue, Wal-Mart in The Foothills, Fry's, Walgreen's, and finally ... Wienerschnitzel for supper.
Saturday ; Kacey seems completely recovered, although we know that's not true. She's just been spayed / had a hysterectomy, and has a surgical incision with sutures, so healing will take a least a week. BUT ... she's trying very hard ... and mostly succeeding ... in convincing us that she no longer needs to wear her Elizabethan collar and no longer needs to be confined to a pet carrier.
Yesterday we bought a couple of pineapples on sale for a dollar apiece. This morning we put thin slices of pineapple in the Sun Oven to dehydrate. It's a two day process to slowly and completely dry them. Joanne went thrift store and grocery shopping by herself.
I worked on home improvement projects. Well ... and I napped with three animals. HA HA HA ! Before Joanne returned home I did "pet care". Cleaned everybody's ears, trimmed Bo's and Sully's claws. Pretty hard to do "pet care" without help. The process was unfamiliar to Kacey so she squirmed a lot. And Sully is in a bad mood because of Kacey, so he screamed loudly in angry protest while I trimmed his claws in the back yard.
I wonder what the neighbours thought I was doing ? "Does that guy rescue cats just so he can torture them ?"
We attended today's "barbecue your own meat" potluck dinner. It was good ! I spent much of the evening "setting up" the new computer I will be receiving as a Christmas gift. HA HA HA !
DSK
We spent way too much of today shopping at Yuma Park N Swap a.k.a. Dog Track Flea Market. I bought a lot of hardware and tools and other "guy stuff" for a variety of home improvement projects I have pending, both here and at home in Canada next spring. We bought quite a bit of fresh produce, including some very fresh tomatillos which Joanne used tonight to make Chicken Chile Verde. WOW ... tomatillos that are that fresh are really tasty !
We did our regular daily two laps around the dog park pack walk. We attended the regular Sunday early evening ice cream social. The feral kitten we were hoping to capture last week has "adopted" a nearby neighbour, befriending the neighbour's cat which spends the afternoons outdoors in its "cat tent". We have arranged for the neighbour to "capture" the feral kitten, at which point we will take responsibility for having it spayed / neutered and innoculated, then adopted.
Monday ; Say hello to Casey ( KC ; Kofa Cat / Kitty Cat ).
This morning Joanne returned from her regular morning water aerobics session accompanied by nearby neighbours Reenee and Paul ... and the little feral kitten that they "captured". I named it Casey. It's a female, probably about three months old. Tiny and sweet ! Probably born feral. She's now going to live in our Arizona room until adopted.
Our pet loving and Humane Society "connected" friend Carol Mae has arranged for Casey to be spayed and innoculated on Thursday at the Humane Society of Yuma Spay & Neuter Clinic. Thank you very much, Carol Mae !
Casey is scared, but her fears are outweighed by her curiosity. So ... her "feral" state is already rapidly diminishing and she's becoming a very sweet little domestic kitten. She urinated on our Arizona room sofa this afternoon < scowl >. Initially we thought she was so feral she didn't know about litter boxes. Later I was able to deduce that she panicked, emptied her full bladder, then hid underneath the fridge in the shed when our pack walk stopped at the "oasis" behind our yard to have a drink. The sound of many dogs nearby, sounding as if they were about to come over the fence and into the Arizona room where she is being "held captive" and unable to escape must have terrified her. Sorry, Casey, we'll deal with the pack walk and the oasis a little differently while you're "captive" in the Arizona room. I didn't figure out what had happened until late in the evening when I was cuddling with her on the sofa and I realized that she reeked of urine. She had "peed herself" while we were on the dog walk, and then we couldn't find her. She was under the fridge. It took us a long time to find her there. And later ... she used the litter box. So ... when it became obvious that she understood the concept of a litter box we were mystified by the urination on the sofa. Eventually I figured it out.
I guess ... after she's gone ... we'll be shopping at Salvation Army and Goodwill for a new sofa for the Arizona room !
We spent the evening out. I picked up my resized rings from Gonzo's Jewellery ! Nicely done ! Good work ! I refilled Lanoire with diesel. Price is still holding steady at $3.739 per gallon. We went looking for ... and found ... DATEPAC, the world's largest Medjool date packing plant. Today I arranged a tour there next week for Escapees Roadrunners Chapter 7 / Kofa Ko-op. We went to Wal-Mart and I bought myself a new laptop computer for Christmas. They had a "one time offer" advertised special on a laptop computer for only $20 more than the Thanksgiving / Black Friday "doorbuster" special. We went to Fry's for some groceries. Then went to KFC for supper. Joanne's choice ! WOO-HOO ... ETYS KFC Buffet ! Joanne looooves KFC ! HA HA HA !
Tuesday ; Well ... there ya go ! Twenty-four hours with us and Casey is "de-feralized" ! HA HA HA ! Today Casey was calm and content. We trimmed her nails. No problem !
I took her inside the trailer to meet Sully. No problem ! I took Bo into the Arizona room to meet her. No problem ! Joanne stayed in the Arizona room with her while I went on the daily pack walk. Joanne wanted to see if Casey panicked when all the dogs stopped at the "oasis" behind our back yard fence to have a drink of water. No problem ! So now we really have no idea what scared her enough yesterday to cause her to pee herself while on the sofa then hide under the fridge. Reenee and Paul gave us some photos they took two days ago on their lot of her interacting with them and their cat Loxi ( a rescue from BiLOXI, Mississippi ... like Bo from RainBOw Plantation RV Park in Alabama ). We attached some "captions" advertising her for adoption and posted the photos on the bulletin board in the clubhouse.
After much nagging from me Joanne began to wash the trailer late this afternoon. Driving south through fall's typical wet weather leaves a lot of road grime on the trailer. And a couple of weeks of baking in the Arizona desert sun makes it extremely difficult to remove. We should have washed it before now !
Pretty sunset tonight !
This morning we both stepped out of the trailer for a few minutes and when we returned ... Bo was hobbling around on three legs. He seems to have re-injured the toe he broke late last winter. Poor Bo !
Late this morning we headed to Mexico for my mid-afternoon dentist appointment. We shopped for a tablecloth for awhile before having lunch. We found a tablecloth that we both liked and wanted. The "opening" price was $65. I offered $10. HA HA HA ! Welcome to Mexico. We broke off negotiations and walked away when the seller's price was down to $20 and I was offering $18. HA HA HA HA HA ! We'll return next week and buy it. Hopefully for $19 ( ROFLMAO ).
For lunch we went to a restaurant that we've never been to before. It was ... very disappointing. Oh, well ... ya win some, ya lose some ! We ended up there because we were exploring an area on the edge of town that we've never been to before, despite how many times that we've been to Los Algodones over the last eight years.
Last summer I broke a tooth. It needs a crown. Today Dr. Camacho ground down the broken tooth, took impressions to have a permanent crown made, and installed a temporary crown. My appointment to have the permanent crown installed is ... wait for it ... the 12th hour of the 12th day of the 12th month of the 12th year. HA HA HA !
For the hour that I was in the dentist's chair Joanne went shopping. And came back with packages of Nugs, mini-Nugs, and mini-Coco-Nugs. OH ... good girl, well done ! HA HA HA !
We returned home just in time to join the daily pack walk that was already underway. Bo was eager to go, but after we helped him over the back fence, his toe was too sore to allow him to join the pack. The pack's attitude was ... "he's injured, leave him in the desert to die, let's go". HA HA HA ! We went to today's late afternoon "heavy appetizers social hour" and chatted with Reenee and Paul, the rescuers of Casey. Reenee was surprised that Dr. Camacho's charge for a crown is $290, all inclusive. And he's one of the most expensive dentists in Los Algodones. She paid about $2000 for a crown recently at her American dentist.
Thursday ; WAAAAAYYYYY too early this morning ( 7 AM ) we took Kasey ( named by me but spelling determined today by Joanne ) to the Humane Society of Yuma Spay & Neuter Clinic. We returned home and I went back to sleep for a couple of hours. Joanne went to water aerobics as she does every weekday.
This afternoon we continued washing the trailer. We're not finished yet. Shortly before it was time to go pick up Kasey we headed to Arizona Market Place. I needed assistance from the LED light bulb vendor. < sigh > It didn't take long to ascertain that I had wired both fluorescent fixtures incorrectly. It was just plain dumb luck that the eighteen inch fixture actually functioned, despite being wired incorrectly. We went to the HSOY Clinic and picked up poor little baby Kasey.
Back at home we fed her ... she was very hungry and thirsty. She was still fighting off the anaesthetic, and was very anxious. She became even more anxious when we put an Elizabethan collar on her ... Kasey the cone head kitty ! It took a long time to get her settled down in the pet carrier that will be her home for awhile. First Carol Mae and then Reenee came by to visit her.
I took Bo into the dog park for the daily pack walk, but his injured toe was still too sore to allow him to walk much. We waited for the pack to get three quarters of the way around the dog park to our "oasis". The dogs all had a drink, visited with Bo, and carried on.
I rewired the twelve inch fluorescent fixture. And tested it. And rewired it again. And tested it. And rewired it again. And so on ... until I finally got it right < rolling eyes >. Tomorrow
I will remove the eighteen inch fixture, rewire it correctly, and reinstall both fixtures.
Friday ; Kacey was much better today. And the spelling of her name has changed yet again ! As I type this ( at 10:40 PM ) she is cuddled up to Bo on the sofa. Good dog, Bo, just relax and allow the kitten to lie against you. While Kacey is recovering from surgery quickly, Bo is not recovering so quickly from his toe injury. Today was his third day of hobbling around on three legs.
HEY ! That was a sonic boom ! Some young Marine pilot learning to fly the newly arrived F-35 Joint Strike Fighter at night is going to get his knuckles rapped for that !
Today I took a hydro meter reading, after using our new solar panels for a week. Our daily consumption of "paid" electricity has diminished from about two dollars a day to about fifty cents a day ! WOW ! And I think most of that fifty cents a day is going to power the large fridge in our shed.
I removed the incorrectly wired eighteen inch kitchen light fixture, rewired it correctly, and reinstalled it. Then I reinstalled the twelve inch fixture over the dinette table. I quite like the new LED conversion lights. I'm planning to convert the last fluorescent light fixture in the trailer, a twelve inch fixture over my desk.
We finished washing the trailer today. WOO-HOO ! Late in the afternoon we went to run some shopping errands. Wal-Mart on Pacific Avenue, Wal-Mart in The Foothills, Fry's, Walgreen's, and finally ... Wienerschnitzel for supper.
Saturday ; Kacey seems completely recovered, although we know that's not true. She's just been spayed / had a hysterectomy, and has a surgical incision with sutures, so healing will take a least a week. BUT ... she's trying very hard ... and mostly succeeding ... in convincing us that she no longer needs to wear her Elizabethan collar and no longer needs to be confined to a pet carrier.
Yesterday we bought a couple of pineapples on sale for a dollar apiece. This morning we put thin slices of pineapple in the Sun Oven to dehydrate. It's a two day process to slowly and completely dry them. Joanne went thrift store and grocery shopping by herself.
I worked on home improvement projects. Well ... and I napped with three animals. HA HA HA ! Before Joanne returned home I did "pet care". Cleaned everybody's ears, trimmed Bo's and Sully's claws. Pretty hard to do "pet care" without help. The process was unfamiliar to Kacey so she squirmed a lot. And Sully is in a bad mood because of Kacey, so he screamed loudly in angry protest while I trimmed his claws in the back yard.
I wonder what the neighbours thought I was doing ? "Does that guy rescue cats just so he can torture them ?"
We attended today's "barbecue your own meat" potluck dinner. It was good ! I spent much of the evening "setting up" the new computer I will be receiving as a Christmas gift. HA HA HA !
DSK
Sunday, December 2, 2012
November 25 to December 1, 2012
Sunday ; Well ... still sunny and very warm !
This morning I baked a superb loaf of bread in the Sun Oven. This afternoon we cooked a beef roast for supper in the Sun Oven. We had injected it with Louisiana Gem marinade before cooking. WOW ... the roast was great !
I did a Bo-gility session. Well done, Bo ! I set up "International Long Distance" calling on our U.S. cell phone. You wouldn't think it would be necessary to do that, would you ? ! ?
I spent much of the afternoon "gardening". I removed the cacti in our gardens that did not survive the summer, including the plantings I did behind our back yard fence in the dog park. I trimmed / pruned as necessary. I cleaned a large area of the dog park behind our yard of scruffy growth of desert grasses and weeds. It must have been a "good summer" because the dog park is very overgrown with scruffy growth of grasses and weeds, including a lot of Devil's Claw / Horse Crippler plants, usually considered quite "rare".
Using expanding foam sealant I sealed inside the kitchen cupboard where the mouse entered. Geeeeez, that stuff is difficult to work with ! I've used it three or four times in my life, and I don't seem to be getting any better at it ! I posted my weekly journal to my blog. We went to the ice cream social. Afterwards I watched the final hour of the Grey Cup, Canada's championship football game. We had our wonderful roast beef dinner. We closed / covered the swimming pool and hot tub, a job I volunteered us for this week. We watched Amazing Race. I prepared a "smoked" candied marinade for our last two salmon fillets.
Monday ; I put the marinated salmon fillets in the Sun Oven this morning before we headed to The Foothills for some shopping errands. Went to three carport & awning manufacturing companies before I found the fascia moulding insert that I needed to replace what was damaged on our Arizona room roof during a recent storm. Went to the "new" Fry's store for groceries. I always buy a package of take home sushi freshly made by the in-store sushi chefs. MMMMM ! After grocery shopping we went to look at some old RV's at a couple of the "park & hope" sale lots.
Back at home we had lunch, then I went to nap briefly with Sully. Joanne and Bo went for a walk with Carol Mae and Dulce. I did some minor maintenance and home improvement project work. Joanne did some laundry. We went on our regular daily pack walk in the dog park. Six dogs today ! I shopped online for a laptop computer. Didn't buy one ! Cyber Monday specials are nowhere near as good as "shop in person" Black Friday specials.
Late in the afternoon we discovered a crying kitten under our next door neighbour's bush. Likely feral ! We put out a bowl of cat food. It ate that quickly. We put out a bowl of water. It came within about three feet of Joanne. Hopefully we'll be able to capture it eventually.
After supper we went to Wal-Mart for a few grocery items, then the Bank of America ATM to get some cash for dental work and some shopping in Mexico on Wednesday, then the other Fry's store to look for an advertised special that was out of stock in The Foothills store. This Fry's store didn't have it either.
Tuesday ; This morning I removed the truck tires' hub caps, wheel liners, and valve extenders in preparation for a tire rotation service on Thursday. I polished shoes. Walking in the desert sand in the dog park is hard on shoes. I removed the Direct ( U.S. ) satellite dish from the shed roof and mounted the Star Choice ( Canada ) dish in its place.
I removed the roof moulding insert damaged by the recent storm and installed new replacement moulding insert.
This afternoon I assembled and installed the solar panel kit I purchased recently. It's heavier and larger than I expected a "portable" solar panel assembly would be. It seems to work fine. I need to make some modifications to the trailer's "internal" battery charging system to allow the use of the solar panel system.
No sign of the feral kitten we fed and watered yesterday. Maybe it was just "passing through" ?
Wednesday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico
Today we remember Toby the cat, who died 8 years ago, while we were WorkCamping at Trout Lodge up in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. WOW ... it doesn't seem that long ago !
This morning we headed for Los Algodones. We had appointments for dental cleanings.
I also had an appointment for a periodontal examination. It was kind of nice going down to Los Algodones this early in the season, before it's crowded and busy. After our dental visits we both got haircuts. By Fabiola, a hairstylist that we have used for a few years now. Five bucks for a haircut for Joanne, three bucks for a haircut and beard trim for me. No extra charge for trimming my eyebrows. HA HA HA ! We walked all the way to the veterinary pharmacy on the outskirts of town to buy some pet medications for a neighbour back home in Keremeos. Then we shopped for a tablecloth. Well ... Joanne shopped for a tablecloth. I shopped for some medications. And we stumbled across ... WOO-HOO ... a new panaderia ! Bought lots of pan dulce.
We went to our favourite little restaurant for a late lunch. MMMMM ! ! ! Tres tacos por Joanne ( uno pescado, uno puerco, uno carne asada ), pollo asado con arroz y frijoles por mi. Very tasty food ! Wonderful grilled green onions on my barbecued chicken.
I asked the restaurant owner how she prepares them. She graciously shared her recipe with me. It was her husband who taught me how to make pollo asado a few years ago.
A bit more unsuccessful shopping for a tablecloth ... I bought a leather belt ... and it was time to head for the border. The line up was the shortest we've ever experienced. We arrived back home at Kofa Ko-op just in time for the daily 4 PM pack walk around the dog park.
Thursday ; This morning we headed to Sears. I dropped off the truck to have the tires rotated. We walked over to thrift shop at Salvation Army and Goodwill. After thrifting we shopped at Dollar Tree nearby and by then the truck was ready. We picked up the truck and drove across the street to the Indoor Marketplace flea market where Joanne bought some Rada knives. Then we went looking for Gonzo's Jewellery ( I kid you not ) where
I dropped off my rings for resizing. Final stop was the 99 Cent Only store. We were back home just in time for the daily pack walk.
The daily pack walk is growing in numbers. Today we were joined by Bo's old friend Spanky. Judy and Terry arrived at Kofa Ko-op around noon today. Welcome back, Judy, Terry, and Spanky. After the pack walk they all came over and visited with us briefly in our Arizona room.
Friday ; Last night I mixed up bread dough for two loaves. This morning I baked two loaves of bread. I had difficulty getting the dough out of the mixing bowls onto the counter and from the counter into the loaf pans. DARN ! I forgot that American flour is different than Canadian flour. And we just ran out of Canadian flour and began using American flour.
Our friends and neighbours from back home at Riverside RV Park Resort, Dave and Joy came over for lunch today. Part of lunch was fresh, hot bread right out of the Sun Oven. Couldn't slice the bread while it was hot. Made a mess of it, although it tasted alright. Also made a mess of my first attempt to replicate the breaded, grilled, green onions we had in Mexico a couple of days ago. Oh, well ... ya win some, ya lose some ! We visited with Dave and Joy over lunch and most of the afternoon.
Saturday ; We wasted the morning squabbling, each making the other hurt and angry
< sigh >.
This afternoon we gave Bo a haircut. And discovered two things. Firstly, his skin is not in as good condition as it should be. Secondly ... and I'm pretty annoyed about this ... he's missing a small piece of one ear. Maybe he shouldn't get involved in dog park squabbles. Which has happened a few times recently. Obviously during one of these "harmless" little squabbles some other dog bit his ear.
We invited two neighbour couples over for "Happy Hour" and treated them to fresh artichokes, some of my Sun Oven dried "smoked" candied salmon, a fresh Sun Oven baked loaf of my bread, and a Sun Oven baked chocolate banana cake baked today by Joanne. MMMMM ... all very good ! Apparently we weren't the only ones squabbling today !
This evening while Joanne went to the clubhouse to see a performance by a local children's choir I worked on setting up and testing our new printer. It's also a scanner and copier. Works fine, but ... it's larger than our existing printer, so ... I think our existing printer will remain in the trailer as our "travel" printer and the new one will become our "home" printer.
Late in the evening we watched the movie "UP" by Disney / Pixar. Not exactly what we expected. And what a sad first ten minutes or so. Joanne hugged me and told me that I've taken her to her Paradise Falls. < sigh > Thank you !
DSK
This morning I baked a superb loaf of bread in the Sun Oven. This afternoon we cooked a beef roast for supper in the Sun Oven. We had injected it with Louisiana Gem marinade before cooking. WOW ... the roast was great !
I did a Bo-gility session. Well done, Bo ! I set up "International Long Distance" calling on our U.S. cell phone. You wouldn't think it would be necessary to do that, would you ? ! ?
I spent much of the afternoon "gardening". I removed the cacti in our gardens that did not survive the summer, including the plantings I did behind our back yard fence in the dog park. I trimmed / pruned as necessary. I cleaned a large area of the dog park behind our yard of scruffy growth of desert grasses and weeds. It must have been a "good summer" because the dog park is very overgrown with scruffy growth of grasses and weeds, including a lot of Devil's Claw / Horse Crippler plants, usually considered quite "rare".
Using expanding foam sealant I sealed inside the kitchen cupboard where the mouse entered. Geeeeez, that stuff is difficult to work with ! I've used it three or four times in my life, and I don't seem to be getting any better at it ! I posted my weekly journal to my blog. We went to the ice cream social. Afterwards I watched the final hour of the Grey Cup, Canada's championship football game. We had our wonderful roast beef dinner. We closed / covered the swimming pool and hot tub, a job I volunteered us for this week. We watched Amazing Race. I prepared a "smoked" candied marinade for our last two salmon fillets.
Monday ; I put the marinated salmon fillets in the Sun Oven this morning before we headed to The Foothills for some shopping errands. Went to three carport & awning manufacturing companies before I found the fascia moulding insert that I needed to replace what was damaged on our Arizona room roof during a recent storm. Went to the "new" Fry's store for groceries. I always buy a package of take home sushi freshly made by the in-store sushi chefs. MMMMM ! After grocery shopping we went to look at some old RV's at a couple of the "park & hope" sale lots.
Back at home we had lunch, then I went to nap briefly with Sully. Joanne and Bo went for a walk with Carol Mae and Dulce. I did some minor maintenance and home improvement project work. Joanne did some laundry. We went on our regular daily pack walk in the dog park. Six dogs today ! I shopped online for a laptop computer. Didn't buy one ! Cyber Monday specials are nowhere near as good as "shop in person" Black Friday specials.
Late in the afternoon we discovered a crying kitten under our next door neighbour's bush. Likely feral ! We put out a bowl of cat food. It ate that quickly. We put out a bowl of water. It came within about three feet of Joanne. Hopefully we'll be able to capture it eventually.
After supper we went to Wal-Mart for a few grocery items, then the Bank of America ATM to get some cash for dental work and some shopping in Mexico on Wednesday, then the other Fry's store to look for an advertised special that was out of stock in The Foothills store. This Fry's store didn't have it either.
Tuesday ; This morning I removed the truck tires' hub caps, wheel liners, and valve extenders in preparation for a tire rotation service on Thursday. I polished shoes. Walking in the desert sand in the dog park is hard on shoes. I removed the Direct ( U.S. ) satellite dish from the shed roof and mounted the Star Choice ( Canada ) dish in its place.
I removed the roof moulding insert damaged by the recent storm and installed new replacement moulding insert.
This afternoon I assembled and installed the solar panel kit I purchased recently. It's heavier and larger than I expected a "portable" solar panel assembly would be. It seems to work fine. I need to make some modifications to the trailer's "internal" battery charging system to allow the use of the solar panel system.
No sign of the feral kitten we fed and watered yesterday. Maybe it was just "passing through" ?
Wednesday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico
Today we remember Toby the cat, who died 8 years ago, while we were WorkCamping at Trout Lodge up in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. WOW ... it doesn't seem that long ago !
This morning we headed for Los Algodones. We had appointments for dental cleanings.
I also had an appointment for a periodontal examination. It was kind of nice going down to Los Algodones this early in the season, before it's crowded and busy. After our dental visits we both got haircuts. By Fabiola, a hairstylist that we have used for a few years now. Five bucks for a haircut for Joanne, three bucks for a haircut and beard trim for me. No extra charge for trimming my eyebrows. HA HA HA ! We walked all the way to the veterinary pharmacy on the outskirts of town to buy some pet medications for a neighbour back home in Keremeos. Then we shopped for a tablecloth. Well ... Joanne shopped for a tablecloth. I shopped for some medications. And we stumbled across ... WOO-HOO ... a new panaderia ! Bought lots of pan dulce.
We went to our favourite little restaurant for a late lunch. MMMMM ! ! ! Tres tacos por Joanne ( uno pescado, uno puerco, uno carne asada ), pollo asado con arroz y frijoles por mi. Very tasty food ! Wonderful grilled green onions on my barbecued chicken.
I asked the restaurant owner how she prepares them. She graciously shared her recipe with me. It was her husband who taught me how to make pollo asado a few years ago.
A bit more unsuccessful shopping for a tablecloth ... I bought a leather belt ... and it was time to head for the border. The line up was the shortest we've ever experienced. We arrived back home at Kofa Ko-op just in time for the daily 4 PM pack walk around the dog park.
Thursday ; This morning we headed to Sears. I dropped off the truck to have the tires rotated. We walked over to thrift shop at Salvation Army and Goodwill. After thrifting we shopped at Dollar Tree nearby and by then the truck was ready. We picked up the truck and drove across the street to the Indoor Marketplace flea market where Joanne bought some Rada knives. Then we went looking for Gonzo's Jewellery ( I kid you not ) where
I dropped off my rings for resizing. Final stop was the 99 Cent Only store. We were back home just in time for the daily pack walk.
The daily pack walk is growing in numbers. Today we were joined by Bo's old friend Spanky. Judy and Terry arrived at Kofa Ko-op around noon today. Welcome back, Judy, Terry, and Spanky. After the pack walk they all came over and visited with us briefly in our Arizona room.
Friday ; Last night I mixed up bread dough for two loaves. This morning I baked two loaves of bread. I had difficulty getting the dough out of the mixing bowls onto the counter and from the counter into the loaf pans. DARN ! I forgot that American flour is different than Canadian flour. And we just ran out of Canadian flour and began using American flour.
Our friends and neighbours from back home at Riverside RV Park Resort, Dave and Joy came over for lunch today. Part of lunch was fresh, hot bread right out of the Sun Oven. Couldn't slice the bread while it was hot. Made a mess of it, although it tasted alright. Also made a mess of my first attempt to replicate the breaded, grilled, green onions we had in Mexico a couple of days ago. Oh, well ... ya win some, ya lose some ! We visited with Dave and Joy over lunch and most of the afternoon.
Saturday ; We wasted the morning squabbling, each making the other hurt and angry
< sigh >.
This afternoon we gave Bo a haircut. And discovered two things. Firstly, his skin is not in as good condition as it should be. Secondly ... and I'm pretty annoyed about this ... he's missing a small piece of one ear. Maybe he shouldn't get involved in dog park squabbles. Which has happened a few times recently. Obviously during one of these "harmless" little squabbles some other dog bit his ear.
We invited two neighbour couples over for "Happy Hour" and treated them to fresh artichokes, some of my Sun Oven dried "smoked" candied salmon, a fresh Sun Oven baked loaf of my bread, and a Sun Oven baked chocolate banana cake baked today by Joanne. MMMMM ... all very good ! Apparently we weren't the only ones squabbling today !
This evening while Joanne went to the clubhouse to see a performance by a local children's choir I worked on setting up and testing our new printer. It's also a scanner and copier. Works fine, but ... it's larger than our existing printer, so ... I think our existing printer will remain in the trailer as our "travel" printer and the new one will become our "home" printer.
Late in the evening we watched the movie "UP" by Disney / Pixar. Not exactly what we expected. And what a sad first ten minutes or so. Joanne hugged me and told me that I've taken her to her Paradise Falls. < sigh > Thank you !
DSK
Sunday, November 25, 2012
November 18 to 24, 2012
Sunday ; As expected, another beautiful, sunny, very warm day here in the "Desert Southwest" as this part of Arizona is called. But ... < moaning > ... a day of colitis flare up.
Today was a day of "arrival" chores around lot 52. But first, we did a great Bo-gility session, utilizing our back yard and side yard brick fencing, concrete "toadstools", and yard furniture to do dog agility. HA HA HA ... extremely well done, Bo ! This morning we did some minor maintenance and cleaning chores. I set up the Sun Oven and Joanne baked a cake.
This afternoon I set up our satellite dish. It took way too long, and was way more difficult than I thought it was going to be. Maybe there's something about setting up satellite dishes that I don't know ? When I set up the satellite dish this summer when we moved, it was easy. But not today ! This was the first time I've set up our Canadian satellite dish here in Yuma. And I set up our "travel" dish, the "portable" one on a tripod. I'm going to have to do it again when I mount a "permanent" one on the roof of the Arizona room.
After finally getting the satellite dish set up we began to work on removing, cleaning, and storing the Arizona room's thick vinyl, snap-on walls. We did not finish by the time we had to leave for the weekly ice cream social. After the ice cream social we returned to the trailer to watch Doc Martin, cook supper, and watch Amazing Race. I worked on downloading and processing the photos I've taken over the last week or so.
Monday ; Very sunny, very warm !
This morning we headed to the Salvation Army for some "thrifting". On the way we stopped at Yuma Nursery. Joanne bought some ice plants. We stopped at Sears so that I could make a truck service appointment for next week. Today's Salvation Army special was all clothing articles were one dollar. Hard to resist that ! We bought nine articles of clothing. Nine bucks ! Joanne wanted to thrift shop longer than I did, so while she continued thrifting I went to a local vacuum store looking for a hard to find vacuum filter, then went to the Yuma Sun office to subscribe to the newspaper. I returned to Salvation Army, met Joanne and we shopped at Dollar Tree. I stopped at Barney's to find out what I was supposed to do with the "Free 'til 2013" sticker I received at the Desert Balloon Glow on Saturday night. OH ! ! ! Stick it on any mug and get free soft drinks or coffee at all Barney's locations until the end of December. Okay ! Good deal !
In the afternoon we finished removing the vinyl wall panels from the Arizona room. We assembled the park model steps we bought at Camping World in Spokane, Washington two weeks ago. They're very nice. While attempting to repair a loose piece of screen spline on the Arizona room ... !)@(#*$&%^ ... I tore the screen ! ! ! I guess that's why duct tape comes in a clear version ! I installed the two "NO HERBICIDE SPRAYING" signs I had made in Quartzsite.
Tuesday ; Still very sunny, very warm. Long, tough day !
I started my morning by doing pet dental care. Then I put a salmon fillet that I had marinated overnight into the Sun Oven to become sun dried "smoked" candied salmon. While Joanne did a lot of laundry I worked on reinstalling the section of Arizona room roof moulding that had been damaged and torn off during a recent wind storm.
After lunch we went to do a bit of specialty shopping. On the way we stopped at Barney's to try out their "Free 'til 2013" deal. We walked in, each with a large mug with the Barney's "Free 'til 2013" sticker on, filled them with Diet Coke for me and iced tea for Joanne, flashed the mugs with stickers at the counter staff, and walked out. Cool promotion ! I bought a large, heavy duty tarp for the truck at Yuma's Bargain Warehouse, then shopped for a kitchen faucet at the Habitat For Humanity Re-Store next door. HFH Re-Store didn't have any kitchen faucets that I liked. But I did buy a TV coaxial cable that
I needed. Twenty-five cents !
Back at home we went for our daily dog party / walk around the dog park. Bo made a new friend ; Wally from Texas. Wally is a terrier cross and has a personality similar to Bo's. They're destined to be great buddies ... until Wally leaves here on Saturday ! After the dog walk I washed the truck. YUCK ... lots of road grime !
After supper we went shopping again ! WOO-HOO ... PetsMart ! ! ! Bo loves shopping ! HA HA HA ! I refilled Lanoire with diesel, beating the traditional Thanksgiving fuel price increase. Then to Albertson's for some groceries. When Joanne was putting the groceries away at home, she discovered ... mouse damage in a kitchen cupboard. There were holes chewed into a new, large bag of cat food, and a large bag of Cheezies ... only available in Canada. Irreplaceable until next spring ! Oh ... you're dead meat, Mr. Mouse !
Wednesday ; 11:20 PM. DAMN DAMN DAMN ! ! !
Sunny and very warm again. I'm going to stop commenting on the weather until it's something other than ... sunny and very warm !
This morning my priority was to check the mouse trap I set last night. DARN ! Mr. Mouse managed to eat the peanut butter off the trap trigger without tripping it. OOOOO ... now it's personal ! I loaded it with cheese, reset it, and placed it in the cupboard again.
I did an obedience session with Bo. Well done, Bo, good dog. I did some minor maintenance work including changing a bicycle tire tube. Yesterday my bicycle's rear tire valve spontaneously blew out ! Guess I'll have to find a parking spot for the bicycle that isn't in direct sunlight all day ! Joanne went Wal-Martin' by herself. Thank you !
After supper we watched Survivor. I worked on reconciling our two MasterCard statements for November ; one Canadian dollar, one U.S. dollar. Lots of work. Lots of spending ! ! ! Joanne helped me prepare two batches of bread dough. I'm cooking two loaves of bread in the Sun Oven tomorrow for our table at the communal Thanksgiving dinner.
11:10 PM ! < SNAP > AH-HA ... GOTCHA ! I heard the mouse trap snap in the kitchen cupboard. I opened the cupboard door and there was ... Mr. Mouse ... in the trap ... alive ! DAMN ! That's not supposed to happen ! I took the trap and mouse outside and opened the trap over the back fence, dropping Mr. Mouse into the dog park. DAMN ! It started to crawl away in the sand, dragging its hind legs. Its back must have been broken. I put on a pair of work gloves, climbed over the back fence, picked up the mouse, took it into the shed and ... < ahem > ... euthanized it. DAMN DAMN DAMN ! Well ... I couldn't very well just leave it there suffering, now could I ? ! ?
Thursday ; American Thanksgiving
Well ! ! ! It's almost midnight ... and we have just returned home from our first ... and my last ... "Black Friday" shopping experience !
This morning I baked two loaves of bread ( from scratch ! ) in the Sun Oven. They were our contribution to our communal Thanksgiving dinner table. And they were excellent ! Well done, Daniel !
This afternoon Joanne cooked a large batch of dressing for the communal Thanksgiving dinner. That was the job she volunteered for. My volunteer job was to mash potatoes.
A lot of potatoes ! Using a "custom made" potato masher that looked like some kind of road making tool. HA HA HA ... kind of like an asphalt tamper ! With a handle that's about three feet long ! HA HA HA ! And I served the potatoes.
Thanksgiving dinner was good. Good food, good company, at our table of eleven people.
In the United States the day after Thanksgiving is "Black Friday" the largest retail sales day of the year. And over the years, Black Friday's store opening times have become earlier and earlier. 8 AM ... 6 AM ... 3 AM ... midnight ! ! ! And this year ... as was inevitable ... the store opening times became Thanksgiving evening. We perused the Black Friday flyers and decided to give it a try.
I wanted a TV for our new park model home in BC. And a new laptop computer. Joanne wanted a new printer. Sears had what we wanted, and was opening at 8 PM. Target had what we wanted, and was opening at 9 PM. And Wal-Mart had what we wanted, was opening at 8 PM, and the items we wanted were available at 10 PM.
After Thanksgiving dinner we headed to Sears, arriving just before 8 PM. The line up seemed a bit long, but we got in line. The doors opened at 8 PM, and the line moved into the store very quickly. I was at the TV department at 8:03 PM. The advertised special
I wanted was sold out. WHAT ? ! ? Three minutes after opening ? ? ? Yup ! They had an inventory of ... wait for it ... nine units !
We headed for Target, arriving there about 8:30 PM for their 9 PM opening. Oh, no ...
I am NOT waiting in a line up that long ! We headed to Wal-Mart, arriving at 9 PM. We received a voucher for the TV we wanted and got into line. A long line that snaked up and down three aisles of the grocery section of the store. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people in line for the 10 PM advertised TV. Joanne stayed in line while I went looking for the laptop computer I wanted. I found the line up. And there were a lot more people in line, than the inventory of 60 computers that they were going to be making available at 10 PM. I returned to Joanne in the TV line, and suggested that we leave. She suggested that I get in line for the printer. < sigh > The printers were piled in ... a stack that looked like a mountain. And staff prevented anybody from taking any until 10 PM.
< sigh > I waited an hour for my printer.
As soon as I got my printer I returned to the TV line which was moving very quickly. About half a dozen staff were passing out these televisions off of huge stacks on pallets. WOW ... what a lot of televisions ! We got a TV and headed for one of the incredibly long check out lines.
And then the fun really began ! ! ! ****ing morons with insufficient credit remaining on their credit cards, insufficient cash, indecisive about whether or not to buy the damn "upsell" warranties ... and so on. And on and on and on ! ! ! We were in the check out line for an hour and a quarter. Longer than we waited for the damn TV in the first place ! And then ... another incredibly long line up to get out of the store, while security people checked everybody's receipts to ensure that shoplifters weren't just wheeling out unpaid cart loads of electronics.
First time ... and last time for me ! BUT ... we did get a big screen TV for $148 and a printer for $19 ! Too bad I couldn't get a new laptop. Maybe online on Cyber Monday !
Friday ; WHEW ... another day dedicated to spending money !
This morning we headed to The Foothills to pick up a Star Choice satellite dish from our friends Dave and Joy, neighbours back home at Riverside RV Park Resort. It was surplus to their requirements. I'm going to mount it on the roof of our shed. Thank you, Dave and Joy.
We visited with Dave and Joy briefly, then went to RV Pedlar to see an old, cheap, Class C motorhome advertised for sale. Joanne wanted to see how much Class C can be bought for $5000, compared to how much truck camper we've seen can be bought for that price range. We viewed the old Class C, and a few other used rigs. Five thousand dollars can buy "more" Class C than it can truck camper. Maybe we'll give more consideration to buying a Class C.
Then the Black Friday shopping began ... again. We were interested in a few advertised specials at a few different stores. But none of what we wanted to see today was in the same league as the electronics and other "door opening specials" of last night. We bought a couple of items at Home Depot, and quite a few items at Harbor Freight, including the solar panel kit I've been intending to buy. Joanne hates shopping at Harbor Freight. HEY ... every time I got dragged into Value Village in Penticton should be worth one trip to Harbor Freight in Yuma. HA HA HA ! One of the items I wanted at Home Depot was sold out, so when we got home I ordered it online. It was such a good price that it was worth paying shipping costs.
Saturday ; And yet another day of shopping ! We're spending money like ... to paraphrase my father ... inebriated First Nations people. HA HA HA !
This morning was Kofa Ko-op's "yard sale". Early this morning Joanne set up a table outside with our unwanted items. We sold two items and after the yard sale put the rest of the items on the bargain table. I cooked eggs and potatoes in the Sun Oven to make potato salad for supper.
This afternoon we went shopping to Arizona Market Place, the nearby huge flea market. And we bought a lot of stuff ! Home improvement project items, hardware, tools, kitchen gadgets ... ! From Arizona Market Place we drove to Albertson's for some advertised grocery specials. On the way home we stopped at an RV dealer and looked at another small, old, Class C motorhome.
DSK
Today was a day of "arrival" chores around lot 52. But first, we did a great Bo-gility session, utilizing our back yard and side yard brick fencing, concrete "toadstools", and yard furniture to do dog agility. HA HA HA ... extremely well done, Bo ! This morning we did some minor maintenance and cleaning chores. I set up the Sun Oven and Joanne baked a cake.
After finally getting the satellite dish set up we began to work on removing, cleaning, and storing the Arizona room's thick vinyl, snap-on walls. We did not finish by the time we had to leave for the weekly ice cream social. After the ice cream social we returned to the trailer to watch Doc Martin, cook supper, and watch Amazing Race. I worked on downloading and processing the photos I've taken over the last week or so.
Monday ; Very sunny, very warm !
This morning we headed to the Salvation Army for some "thrifting". On the way we stopped at Yuma Nursery. Joanne bought some ice plants. We stopped at Sears so that I could make a truck service appointment for next week. Today's Salvation Army special was all clothing articles were one dollar. Hard to resist that ! We bought nine articles of clothing. Nine bucks ! Joanne wanted to thrift shop longer than I did, so while she continued thrifting I went to a local vacuum store looking for a hard to find vacuum filter, then went to the Yuma Sun office to subscribe to the newspaper. I returned to Salvation Army, met Joanne and we shopped at Dollar Tree. I stopped at Barney's to find out what I was supposed to do with the "Free 'til 2013" sticker I received at the Desert Balloon Glow on Saturday night. OH ! ! ! Stick it on any mug and get free soft drinks or coffee at all Barney's locations until the end of December. Okay ! Good deal !
In the afternoon we finished removing the vinyl wall panels from the Arizona room. We assembled the park model steps we bought at Camping World in Spokane, Washington two weeks ago. They're very nice. While attempting to repair a loose piece of screen spline on the Arizona room ... !)@(#*$&%^ ... I tore the screen ! ! ! I guess that's why duct tape comes in a clear version ! I installed the two "NO HERBICIDE SPRAYING" signs I had made in Quartzsite.
Tuesday ; Still very sunny, very warm. Long, tough day !
I started my morning by doing pet dental care. Then I put a salmon fillet that I had marinated overnight into the Sun Oven to become sun dried "smoked" candied salmon. While Joanne did a lot of laundry I worked on reinstalling the section of Arizona room roof moulding that had been damaged and torn off during a recent wind storm.
After lunch we went to do a bit of specialty shopping. On the way we stopped at Barney's to try out their "Free 'til 2013" deal. We walked in, each with a large mug with the Barney's "Free 'til 2013" sticker on, filled them with Diet Coke for me and iced tea for Joanne, flashed the mugs with stickers at the counter staff, and walked out. Cool promotion ! I bought a large, heavy duty tarp for the truck at Yuma's Bargain Warehouse, then shopped for a kitchen faucet at the Habitat For Humanity Re-Store next door. HFH Re-Store didn't have any kitchen faucets that I liked. But I did buy a TV coaxial cable that
I needed. Twenty-five cents !
Back at home we went for our daily dog party / walk around the dog park. Bo made a new friend ; Wally from Texas. Wally is a terrier cross and has a personality similar to Bo's. They're destined to be great buddies ... until Wally leaves here on Saturday ! After the dog walk I washed the truck. YUCK ... lots of road grime !
After supper we went shopping again ! WOO-HOO ... PetsMart ! ! ! Bo loves shopping ! HA HA HA ! I refilled Lanoire with diesel, beating the traditional Thanksgiving fuel price increase. Then to Albertson's for some groceries. When Joanne was putting the groceries away at home, she discovered ... mouse damage in a kitchen cupboard. There were holes chewed into a new, large bag of cat food, and a large bag of Cheezies ... only available in Canada. Irreplaceable until next spring ! Oh ... you're dead meat, Mr. Mouse !
Wednesday ; 11:20 PM. DAMN DAMN DAMN ! ! !
Sunny and very warm again. I'm going to stop commenting on the weather until it's something other than ... sunny and very warm !
This morning my priority was to check the mouse trap I set last night. DARN ! Mr. Mouse managed to eat the peanut butter off the trap trigger without tripping it. OOOOO ... now it's personal ! I loaded it with cheese, reset it, and placed it in the cupboard again.
I did an obedience session with Bo. Well done, Bo, good dog. I did some minor maintenance work including changing a bicycle tire tube. Yesterday my bicycle's rear tire valve spontaneously blew out ! Guess I'll have to find a parking spot for the bicycle that isn't in direct sunlight all day ! Joanne went Wal-Martin' by herself. Thank you !
After supper we watched Survivor. I worked on reconciling our two MasterCard statements for November ; one Canadian dollar, one U.S. dollar. Lots of work. Lots of spending ! ! ! Joanne helped me prepare two batches of bread dough. I'm cooking two loaves of bread in the Sun Oven tomorrow for our table at the communal Thanksgiving dinner.
11:10 PM ! < SNAP > AH-HA ... GOTCHA ! I heard the mouse trap snap in the kitchen cupboard. I opened the cupboard door and there was ... Mr. Mouse ... in the trap ... alive ! DAMN ! That's not supposed to happen ! I took the trap and mouse outside and opened the trap over the back fence, dropping Mr. Mouse into the dog park. DAMN ! It started to crawl away in the sand, dragging its hind legs. Its back must have been broken. I put on a pair of work gloves, climbed over the back fence, picked up the mouse, took it into the shed and ... < ahem > ... euthanized it. DAMN DAMN DAMN ! Well ... I couldn't very well just leave it there suffering, now could I ? ! ?
Thursday ; American Thanksgiving
Well ! ! ! It's almost midnight ... and we have just returned home from our first ... and my last ... "Black Friday" shopping experience !
This morning I baked two loaves of bread ( from scratch ! ) in the Sun Oven. They were our contribution to our communal Thanksgiving dinner table. And they were excellent ! Well done, Daniel !
This afternoon Joanne cooked a large batch of dressing for the communal Thanksgiving dinner. That was the job she volunteered for. My volunteer job was to mash potatoes.
A lot of potatoes ! Using a "custom made" potato masher that looked like some kind of road making tool. HA HA HA ... kind of like an asphalt tamper ! With a handle that's about three feet long ! HA HA HA ! And I served the potatoes.
Thanksgiving dinner was good. Good food, good company, at our table of eleven people.
In the United States the day after Thanksgiving is "Black Friday" the largest retail sales day of the year. And over the years, Black Friday's store opening times have become earlier and earlier. 8 AM ... 6 AM ... 3 AM ... midnight ! ! ! And this year ... as was inevitable ... the store opening times became Thanksgiving evening. We perused the Black Friday flyers and decided to give it a try.
I wanted a TV for our new park model home in BC. And a new laptop computer. Joanne wanted a new printer. Sears had what we wanted, and was opening at 8 PM. Target had what we wanted, and was opening at 9 PM. And Wal-Mart had what we wanted, was opening at 8 PM, and the items we wanted were available at 10 PM.
After Thanksgiving dinner we headed to Sears, arriving just before 8 PM. The line up seemed a bit long, but we got in line. The doors opened at 8 PM, and the line moved into the store very quickly. I was at the TV department at 8:03 PM. The advertised special
I wanted was sold out. WHAT ? ! ? Three minutes after opening ? ? ? Yup ! They had an inventory of ... wait for it ... nine units !
We headed for Target, arriving there about 8:30 PM for their 9 PM opening. Oh, no ...
I am NOT waiting in a line up that long ! We headed to Wal-Mart, arriving at 9 PM. We received a voucher for the TV we wanted and got into line. A long line that snaked up and down three aisles of the grocery section of the store. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people in line for the 10 PM advertised TV. Joanne stayed in line while I went looking for the laptop computer I wanted. I found the line up. And there were a lot more people in line, than the inventory of 60 computers that they were going to be making available at 10 PM. I returned to Joanne in the TV line, and suggested that we leave. She suggested that I get in line for the printer. < sigh > The printers were piled in ... a stack that looked like a mountain. And staff prevented anybody from taking any until 10 PM.
< sigh > I waited an hour for my printer.
As soon as I got my printer I returned to the TV line which was moving very quickly. About half a dozen staff were passing out these televisions off of huge stacks on pallets. WOW ... what a lot of televisions ! We got a TV and headed for one of the incredibly long check out lines.
And then the fun really began ! ! ! ****ing morons with insufficient credit remaining on their credit cards, insufficient cash, indecisive about whether or not to buy the damn "upsell" warranties ... and so on. And on and on and on ! ! ! We were in the check out line for an hour and a quarter. Longer than we waited for the damn TV in the first place ! And then ... another incredibly long line up to get out of the store, while security people checked everybody's receipts to ensure that shoplifters weren't just wheeling out unpaid cart loads of electronics.
First time ... and last time for me ! BUT ... we did get a big screen TV for $148 and a printer for $19 ! Too bad I couldn't get a new laptop. Maybe online on Cyber Monday !
Friday ; WHEW ... another day dedicated to spending money !
This morning we headed to The Foothills to pick up a Star Choice satellite dish from our friends Dave and Joy, neighbours back home at Riverside RV Park Resort. It was surplus to their requirements. I'm going to mount it on the roof of our shed. Thank you, Dave and Joy.
We visited with Dave and Joy briefly, then went to RV Pedlar to see an old, cheap, Class C motorhome advertised for sale. Joanne wanted to see how much Class C can be bought for $5000, compared to how much truck camper we've seen can be bought for that price range. We viewed the old Class C, and a few other used rigs. Five thousand dollars can buy "more" Class C than it can truck camper. Maybe we'll give more consideration to buying a Class C.
Then the Black Friday shopping began ... again. We were interested in a few advertised specials at a few different stores. But none of what we wanted to see today was in the same league as the electronics and other "door opening specials" of last night. We bought a couple of items at Home Depot, and quite a few items at Harbor Freight, including the solar panel kit I've been intending to buy. Joanne hates shopping at Harbor Freight. HEY ... every time I got dragged into Value Village in Penticton should be worth one trip to Harbor Freight in Yuma. HA HA HA ! One of the items I wanted at Home Depot was sold out, so when we got home I ordered it online. It was such a good price that it was worth paying shipping costs.
Saturday ; And yet another day of shopping ! We're spending money like ... to paraphrase my father ... inebriated First Nations people. HA HA HA !
This morning was Kofa Ko-op's "yard sale". Early this morning Joanne set up a table outside with our unwanted items. We sold two items and after the yard sale put the rest of the items on the bargain table. I cooked eggs and potatoes in the Sun Oven to make potato salad for supper.
This afternoon we went shopping to Arizona Market Place, the nearby huge flea market. And we bought a lot of stuff ! Home improvement project items, hardware, tools, kitchen gadgets ... ! From Arizona Market Place we drove to Albertson's for some advertised grocery specials. On the way home we stopped at an RV dealer and looked at another small, old, Class C motorhome.
DSK
Monday, November 19, 2012
November 11 to 17, 2012 ; Laughlin, Nevada to Yuma, Arizona
Sunday ; Remembrance Day ( Canada ) / Veteran's Day ( U.S.A. )
Lest We Forget !
Today was sunny but cold.
This morning we prepared for departure from the Avi Casino RV parking lot, then walked out into the desert just before 11 AM. We both pinned our poppies to a desert bush then at precisely 11 AM observed a minute of silence ... to remember. For me, Remembrance Day is mostly an opportunity to remember and honour my father, a veteran of World
War II.
We drove from the Avi Casino south of Laughlin to the Riverside Casino on the north side of Laughlin. We had a coupon for a special rate for a three day stay at the Riverside Casino RV Park. We checked in then spent the afternoon getting caught up on chores. We trimmed Bo's dew claws. We gave Bo a bath. I downloaded and processed the photos I've taken since we left home eleven days ago. Joanne did a lot of laundry. We went out and refilled our remaining five gallon water jug. I instantly got addicted to the TLC reality television show "Breaking Amish".
In the evening we watched Amazing Race. And episode after episode after episode of Breaking Amish.
Monday ; Another sunny but cool day.
This morning we went across the street to the Riverside Casino to have our free buffet breakfast. It was okay. We're not huge fans of the Riverside Casino's buffet restaurant. But ... each time we stay in the Riverside Casino's RV Park we get a free buffet breakfast for two. This time, we got a free buffet breakfast for two and free buffet dinner for two. Guess we'll go for dinner tomorrow evening.
After breakfast / brunch we drove across the Colorado River to the Arizona side, then on the Bullhead Parkway around Bullhead City to Fort Mohave where I got the truck's oil and filter changed at Bullhead Super Lube. Grungy little Mom & Pop shop, with a sweet, badly behaved, little terrier cross named BoBo. Just like being at home ! HA HA HA ! After the oil change I refilled with diesel at Maverik, then we crossed the Colorado River back into Nevada at the Avi Casino, and drove north back "home" to the Riverside Casino RV Park.
We went to the Laughlin Outlet Center shopping mall next door. I bought a pair of shoes at the SAS Factory Shoe Store. Joanne browsed while I worked online for two hours using the free Wi-Fi in the food court. My Home Depot shed refund drama continues
< gritting teeth > ! When we got back "home" Joanne finished removing the Similkameen Day Tours lettering off the truck. Thank you, my dear.
We treated the new dinette chairs and sofa bed with ScotchGuard. We watched a bit of TV. Fairly late in the evening we went to the Tropicana Casino & Hotel to have the Bottomless Pasta Bowl special at Passagio Italian Gardens Restaurant. MMMMM ! ! !
Tuesday ; Today was sunny, cool, very windy. We spent the day relaxing, reading the Sunday newspaper, and working on minor maintenance and home improvement projects. We installed glider feet on the new dinette chairs. We installed small plastic bumpers on the sides of the chairs to prevent them from scratching each other as they move around a bit during travel.
In the evening we went to the Riverside Casino buffet restaurant. Tonight was barbecue night. MMMMM ! We stayed at the Riverside Casino RV Park for three nights for a total of $69, and got $45 worth of buffet meals included. Pretty good coupon deal !
Wednesday ; Laughlin, Nevada via California to Quartzsite, Arizona
Today was sunny and warm, temperatures reaching up into the mid-70's as we drove across the Mojave Desert seeing Ocotillos and Saguaros for the first time this year.
This morning we prepared for departure and left Riverside Casino RV Park, and Laughlin, Nevada, heading south on Needles Highway to ... Needles, California. Geeeeez, what an armpit. < singing > "Well I headed for Las Vegas ... only made it out to Needles" ( with apologies to Three Dog Night ). Diesel was over five bucks a gallon in Needles ! ! ! We drove through Needles on Historic Route 66, stopping at a Bank of America to withdraw some cash from an ATM.
We drove south on California Hwy. 95, stopping on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere in the Mojave Desert to have lunch. When we reached Interstate 10 we turned east towards Arizona. We stopped to refill with diesel at Flying J in Ehrenberg. Lowest diesel price so far ! At Quartzsite we saw a sign maker, so stopped to inquire about having a couple of small signs made up for our lot in Yuma. Ü NO HERBICIDE SPRAYING Þ The price was reasonable and it would only take a few minutes, so ... I had them made !
We drove south out of Quartzsite on Arizona Hwy. 95, just a few miles to the location of the Escapees Roadrunner Chapter 7 Fall Rally in the desert at mile marker 99. The three day rally started yesterday, so we missed half the rally. Shortly after we arrived there was a communal dinner, then we spent the evening socializing around a large campfire.
Thursday ; Escapees Roadrunners Chapter 7 Fall Rally
Today was cloudy and mild. AND ... actually ... a few drops of rain fell in the evening. And I do mean "a few" ! If you weren't standing in the right place at the right time ... no rain drops hit you.
Today at the rally was ... well ... more of the "same old same old". Escapee rallies have ... in my opinion ... become very "formulaic" ... and somewhat boring. We're committed to attending the spring rally, but I think that may very well be our last.
Late in the evening I brought Sully to sit around the campfire with us. I tucked him inside my zippered sweater with just his head sticking out. He sat dozing in front of the campfire for quite awhile.
Friday ; Quartzsite to Yuma, Arizona
Today was gorgeous, sunny and warm, temperature way up in the high 70's. When we arrived in Yuma, I had to change into shorts and sandals, no shirt.
I had to arise very early this morning to fulfill my manly obligation to participate in the tear down of the "rally tent". After that I ate doughnuts, drank coffee, took Bo ( and Carol Mae and her dog Dulce ) for a long walk in the desert, and then sat around the campfire socializing for a couple of hours.
Late in the morning we left the rally site and drove to Yuma, a distance of about 100 miles or so. We arrived at Kofa Ko-op and got set up in our lot 52. < sigh > There is some damage to the Arizona room's roof fascia moulding from a recent violent storm. After a late lunch and a brief nap I removed the damaged fascia. Joanne worked on cleaning the yard and Arizona room.
Last winter I planted many cacti in our yard and in the dog park behind our rear yard fence. Some survived. Some didn't. My prized Ocotillo seems to have survived, although it doesn't seem to be doing great. I know that Ocotillo suffer greatly from "transplant shock". I am hoping that weekly watering will improve it
Summer home to winter home was about 3000 kilometers / 1900 miles.
Saturday ; Sunny and very warm, temperature in the 80's. YEAH ... that's why we're here !
Late this morning we headed for Historic Downtown Yuma, to the first annual Medjool Date Festival. A month or so ago when I received e-mail notification of this event
I registered for the noon tour of a date packing plant. We arrived at the festival just in time to find the tour gathering point. < sigh > I guess I forgot to mention to Joanne that the date packing plant tour required closed toe shoes. < sigh > She wore sandals. We weren't allowed to go on the tour. < sigh > Maybe next year !
We went shopping. Walgreens and 99 Cent Only store before lunch. Lunch at Rally's. Fry's after lunch. Lots of grocery "stocking up" now that we're here in Yuma and have an extra fridge. By the time all our provisions were put away at home it was time to leave for the "balloon glow". This weekend was the annual Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival. On the Saturday night of the festival is Barney's Desert Glow. Barney's is a chain of local fuel stations, and the sponsor of the "balloon glow". Many hot air balloons inflate in a local baseball field at dusk, but remain tethered to the ground, usually tied to a pickup truck. Every few minutes, they all simultaneously light their burners, causing the balloons to glow eerily in the dark. It's really cool, especially for youngsters. This is the second time we've attended this event. After the balloon glow there was a fireworks display.
Interesting entertainment on a warm evening !
HA HA HA HA HA ! ! ! A Canadian neighbour here at Kofa Ko-op is wearing a new cap. On the front it says "War Of 1812". On the back it says ... wait for it ... HA HA HA HA HA ... "Kicking American ass for 200 years". HA HA HA < ROFLMAO > HA HA !
DSK
Lest We Forget !
Today was sunny but cold.
This morning we prepared for departure from the Avi Casino RV parking lot, then walked out into the desert just before 11 AM. We both pinned our poppies to a desert bush then at precisely 11 AM observed a minute of silence ... to remember. For me, Remembrance Day is mostly an opportunity to remember and honour my father, a veteran of World
War II.
We drove from the Avi Casino south of Laughlin to the Riverside Casino on the north side of Laughlin. We had a coupon for a special rate for a three day stay at the Riverside Casino RV Park. We checked in then spent the afternoon getting caught up on chores. We trimmed Bo's dew claws. We gave Bo a bath. I downloaded and processed the photos I've taken since we left home eleven days ago. Joanne did a lot of laundry. We went out and refilled our remaining five gallon water jug. I instantly got addicted to the TLC reality television show "Breaking Amish".
In the evening we watched Amazing Race. And episode after episode after episode of Breaking Amish.
Monday ; Another sunny but cool day.
This morning we went across the street to the Riverside Casino to have our free buffet breakfast. It was okay. We're not huge fans of the Riverside Casino's buffet restaurant. But ... each time we stay in the Riverside Casino's RV Park we get a free buffet breakfast for two. This time, we got a free buffet breakfast for two and free buffet dinner for two. Guess we'll go for dinner tomorrow evening.
After breakfast / brunch we drove across the Colorado River to the Arizona side, then on the Bullhead Parkway around Bullhead City to Fort Mohave where I got the truck's oil and filter changed at Bullhead Super Lube. Grungy little Mom & Pop shop, with a sweet, badly behaved, little terrier cross named BoBo. Just like being at home ! HA HA HA ! After the oil change I refilled with diesel at Maverik, then we crossed the Colorado River back into Nevada at the Avi Casino, and drove north back "home" to the Riverside Casino RV Park.
We went to the Laughlin Outlet Center shopping mall next door. I bought a pair of shoes at the SAS Factory Shoe Store. Joanne browsed while I worked online for two hours using the free Wi-Fi in the food court. My Home Depot shed refund drama continues
< gritting teeth > ! When we got back "home" Joanne finished removing the Similkameen Day Tours lettering off the truck. Thank you, my dear.
We treated the new dinette chairs and sofa bed with ScotchGuard. We watched a bit of TV. Fairly late in the evening we went to the Tropicana Casino & Hotel to have the Bottomless Pasta Bowl special at Passagio Italian Gardens Restaurant. MMMMM ! ! !
Tuesday ; Today was sunny, cool, very windy. We spent the day relaxing, reading the Sunday newspaper, and working on minor maintenance and home improvement projects. We installed glider feet on the new dinette chairs. We installed small plastic bumpers on the sides of the chairs to prevent them from scratching each other as they move around a bit during travel.
In the evening we went to the Riverside Casino buffet restaurant. Tonight was barbecue night. MMMMM ! We stayed at the Riverside Casino RV Park for three nights for a total of $69, and got $45 worth of buffet meals included. Pretty good coupon deal !
Wednesday ; Laughlin, Nevada via California to Quartzsite, Arizona
Today was sunny and warm, temperatures reaching up into the mid-70's as we drove across the Mojave Desert seeing Ocotillos and Saguaros for the first time this year.
This morning we prepared for departure and left Riverside Casino RV Park, and Laughlin, Nevada, heading south on Needles Highway to ... Needles, California. Geeeeez, what an armpit. < singing > "Well I headed for Las Vegas ... only made it out to Needles" ( with apologies to Three Dog Night ). Diesel was over five bucks a gallon in Needles ! ! ! We drove through Needles on Historic Route 66, stopping at a Bank of America to withdraw some cash from an ATM.
We drove south out of Quartzsite on Arizona Hwy. 95, just a few miles to the location of the Escapees Roadrunner Chapter 7 Fall Rally in the desert at mile marker 99. The three day rally started yesterday, so we missed half the rally. Shortly after we arrived there was a communal dinner, then we spent the evening socializing around a large campfire.
Today was cloudy and mild. AND ... actually ... a few drops of rain fell in the evening. And I do mean "a few" ! If you weren't standing in the right place at the right time ... no rain drops hit you.
Today at the rally was ... well ... more of the "same old same old". Escapee rallies have ... in my opinion ... become very "formulaic" ... and somewhat boring. We're committed to attending the spring rally, but I think that may very well be our last.
Late in the evening I brought Sully to sit around the campfire with us. I tucked him inside my zippered sweater with just his head sticking out. He sat dozing in front of the campfire for quite awhile.
Friday ; Quartzsite to Yuma, Arizona
Today was gorgeous, sunny and warm, temperature way up in the high 70's. When we arrived in Yuma, I had to change into shorts and sandals, no shirt.
I had to arise very early this morning to fulfill my manly obligation to participate in the tear down of the "rally tent". After that I ate doughnuts, drank coffee, took Bo ( and Carol Mae and her dog Dulce ) for a long walk in the desert, and then sat around the campfire socializing for a couple of hours.
Late in the morning we left the rally site and drove to Yuma, a distance of about 100 miles or so. We arrived at Kofa Ko-op and got set up in our lot 52. < sigh > There is some damage to the Arizona room's roof fascia moulding from a recent violent storm. After a late lunch and a brief nap I removed the damaged fascia. Joanne worked on cleaning the yard and Arizona room.
Last winter I planted many cacti in our yard and in the dog park behind our rear yard fence. Some survived. Some didn't. My prized Ocotillo seems to have survived, although it doesn't seem to be doing great. I know that Ocotillo suffer greatly from "transplant shock". I am hoping that weekly watering will improve it
Summer home to winter home was about 3000 kilometers / 1900 miles.
Saturday ; Sunny and very warm, temperature in the 80's. YEAH ... that's why we're here !
Late this morning we headed for Historic Downtown Yuma, to the first annual Medjool Date Festival. A month or so ago when I received e-mail notification of this event
I registered for the noon tour of a date packing plant. We arrived at the festival just in time to find the tour gathering point. < sigh > I guess I forgot to mention to Joanne that the date packing plant tour required closed toe shoes. < sigh > She wore sandals. We weren't allowed to go on the tour. < sigh > Maybe next year !
We went shopping. Walgreens and 99 Cent Only store before lunch. Lunch at Rally's. Fry's after lunch. Lots of grocery "stocking up" now that we're here in Yuma and have an extra fridge. By the time all our provisions were put away at home it was time to leave for the "balloon glow". This weekend was the annual Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival. On the Saturday night of the festival is Barney's Desert Glow. Barney's is a chain of local fuel stations, and the sponsor of the "balloon glow". Many hot air balloons inflate in a local baseball field at dusk, but remain tethered to the ground, usually tied to a pickup truck. Every few minutes, they all simultaneously light their burners, causing the balloons to glow eerily in the dark. It's really cool, especially for youngsters. This is the second time we've attended this event. After the balloon glow there was a fireworks display.
Interesting entertainment on a warm evening !
DSK
Monday, November 12, 2012
November 4 to 10, 2012 ; Pendleton, Oregon to Laughlin, Nevada
Sunday ; Pendleton, Oregon to Nampa / Boise, Idaho
Today was partially sunny and mild. Pretty decent weather !
This morning after boondocking overnight in the Wildhorse Casino RV parking lot we went over to their Arrowhead Travel Plaza and refilled with diesel. Then bought a gallon of Lucas diesel additive. While paying for the Lucas we joined their "loyalty program" to get discounts on future fuel purchases. HA HA HA ... it's called "Rewards On The Rez". We used their dump station to dump the waste holding tanks and refill the freshwater tank. We adjusted the air in the truck's rear tires. What a great place to boondock overnight.
We continued southeast on Interstate 84. We stopped at La Grande to do more tax free Wal-Martin' and have lunch. More southeast on I-84 until we crossed from the Pacific Time Zone to the Mountain Time Zone, then more southeast on I-84 until we crossed from Oregon into Idaho.
At Nampa, just before Boise, we found our way to Garrity RV Park, a reasonably priced Passport America park with Wi-Fi and cable TV. Joanne wanted to watch Amazing Race tonight. We checked in, set up in our site, took Bo to the dog run, then walked around briefly enjoying the nice weather and getting the kinks out of our bodies after four days of driving.
We had supper, watched TV, and I worked online.
Monday ; Nampa / Boise, Idaho to Jackpot, Nevada
Today was sunny and warm. Finally ! ! !
The long awaited and much anticipated furniture buying day had finally arrived. We checked out of Garrity RV Park and drove a short distance to RV Furniture Center. After seeing their products last spring, this summer we ordered a custom upholstered dinette suite, and were fairly confident that today we would also buy a Flexsteel sofa bed there. RV Furniture Center manufactures wood and upholstered furniture for RV's, and is also a retail dealer for the Flexsteel line of RV furniture. As soon as we walked in the door we saw the dinette table and chairs with the upholstery we had chosen. Beautiful ! And great workmanship. AND ... two sofa throw cushions in the same material as the dinette chair upholstery ! And sitting beside the dinette suite were the two Flexsteel sofa beds that we were interested in. In just a few minutes we selected the sofa bed we wanted.
The owner of RV Furniture Center and his two sons came out to our trailer in their parking lot to help remove our old dinette table and chairs, and love seat. The love seat had to be disassembled / demolished to be removed through the door of the trailer. Six years ago I had to remove the trailer's largest window to get the love seat in. I did not want to have to remove and reinstall the window again today ! One of the sons took our old dinette table and chairs in his pickup truck to donate to a local charity. The demolished love seat went to the garbage. They brought the new dinette suite in, and then the sofa bed. They bolted the sofa bed to the floor, saving me the trouble.
The new furniture is great ! It makes the entire living area of the trailer seem brand new ! The workmanship is excellent. The service was excellent ! The prices were excellent ! T'was a very pleasant buying experience. And I'm very difficult to please ! Thank you, Ray and RV Furniture Center.
We were out of there much quicker than I had anticipated. We stopped at Camping World for me to cancel a special order I had placed, and to explain and apologize in person ( I bought it a few days ago at the Spokane store with a coupon ). We stopped at Lowe's to buy a couple of items.
We were southeast bound out of Boise on Interstate 84 before noon. We stopped for lunch at a roadside rest area. We stopped in Mountain Home to refill with diesel at Pilot. Just before reaching Twin Falls we turned south on Hwy. 30 to avoid having to drive through Twin Falls. After driving south and east around Twin Falls we turned south on Hwy. 93. We stopped in Buhl to buy some groceries. We crossed from Idaho into Nevada and stopped for the night at Cactus Pete's Casino in Jackpot, Nevada.
While Joanne prepared supper ( MMMMM ... chicken and shrimp étoufée ) I went into the casino lobby to work on my computer.
Tuesday ; Jackpot to BLM Elk Viewing Area south of Ely, Nevada
AHHHHH ... a beautiful, sunny, warm day, temperature reaching 70 degrees ! A pleasant but long, slightly boring day of driving south across endless, scruffy, high desert. At any moment I expected to see John Wayne ... or Clint Eastwood ... loping across the highway on his horse.
We pulled out of Cactus Pete's Casino's parking lot this morning and before leaving town we went to an old, abandoned campground that we know of, and dumped our grey waste tanks in the old abandoned trailer dump station. We drove over to the Chevron station and refilled our freshwater tank, then continued south on Hwy. 93.
We refilled with diesel at Flying J in Wells. We stopped for lunch on the shoulder of the road in the middle of nowhere. Most of today was "the middle of nowhere" ! As I was leaving the trailer after lunch, Sully wanted to follow me out the trailer door. Okay ... I let him walk out the door and down the steps. He took about three steps in the warm, soft desert sand and ... flopped over and took a dust bath. HA HA HA ! When we resumed driving a few minutes later, Joanne wanted to know why Sully was so dusty. Gee, dear,
I don't know ! HA HA HA !
Shortly after lunch I felt so sleepy I decided to stop for a nap. It was a lovely sunny day. Sully enjoys afternoon naps with me on sunny days. We were in no hurry to get anywhere today. While I napped Joanne worked on a sewing repair.
After a brief nap and more hours of driving across scruffy desert we stopped for groceries in Ely. By the time we finished our grocery shopping it was dusk and we were ready to stop for the night. We didn't find any good boondocking spot in the town of Ely, so we continued south on Hwy. 93 until we reached a roadside rest area / BLM Elk Viewing Area where we boondocked for the night. Had the place all to ourselves !
Wednesday ; BLM Elk Viewing Area south of Ely to Cathedral Gorge State Park
In the middle of the night I woke up ... cold ! DARN ! The bedroom heater was not working. Out of propane. DARN ! I got up, put on shoes, and stepped outside to change propane tanks. As I was switching from the empty tank to the full one, I heard a noise off to the side of the trailer. I shone my flashlight over there and saw nothing but then heard the start of ... HUH ? ... a stampede ? A herd of elk ? ! ? Scared the dickens out of me !
Today was another sunny, warm day. We prepared for departure then did an obedience session with Bo, since we had the large parking and picnic area of the BLM Elk Viewing Area all to ourselves. We had a great obedience session which included some "search" since there were places for us to hide then call him, and ... HA HA HA ... Joanne went over a cattle ( or elk ) grate in the road and called him to come. With great reluctance, he gingerly crossed the cattle grate. Good dog, Bo, well done ! Bo has been afraid of cattle grates and has refused to cross them ever since he fell and got stuck crossing a cattle grate at an Escapee park in New Mexico a few months after we got him almost eight years ago.
We continued the boring southbound drive on Hwy. 93 across the endless scruffy desert of Nevada. No wonder this is where they chose to blow up atomic bombs ! We got off the highway at the town of Pioche to find and view the free municipal campground we had heard about. Shortly after that we reached Cathedral Gorge State Park, our destination for today. We had been here twice before, and quite like the place.
While I napped with Sully, Joanne began removing the Similkameen Day Tours lettering off the sides of the truck. Today she completed one side, the side facing the sun, which made the plastic decal lettering easier to remove. We walked around the campground and surrounding area, getting the kinks out after spending the last seven days sitting in the truck a lot. As planned, I started a campfire and cooked supper over the open fire, a treat that we both enjoy.
Thursday ; What an unusual weather day ! It started out sunny and mild, became cloudy and cold, then cleared and warmed late in the afternoon.
Today we rested after seven days of driving, worked on some "home improvement" and maintenance projects, and went hiking and exploring in slot canyons. Bo loooooves exploring in slot canyons. HA HA HA ... what a funny little dog.
Joanne continued removing Similkameen Day Tours lettering off the truck. She didn't get much done today, because the plastic decal lettering doesn't come off easily on cloudy, cold days. I did some "Velcro work" on recent purchases. HA HA HA ... good RV living with Velcro ! We removed the Velcro on the floor underneath the dinette table that held down the old dinette table. Then Joanne spent a very long time removing the adhesive residue left behind by the old Velcro.
Received a phone call from a fellow in Penticton, asking questions about our lot 89 for sale at Riverside RV Park Resort. Hope we hear from him again !
< huge sigh > While doing some maintenance work on the truck's batteries, I got battery acid on my zippered, hooded sweater. DARN ! Ruined another one ! I ruin about two a year ! Good thing I buy them for five bucks or less at thrift shops !
We went for a short hike over to the nearby slot canyons, then explored in some of them. Bo fearlessly rushes into slot canyons and goes in way faster and further than we can, coming back with a look of disgust because we're too slow or simply too large to follow him in that far. HA HA HA ... good dog, Bo, well done < rolling eyes >.
After our hike our last project of the afternoon was to bolt the new dinette table down to the floor. It's a temporary job. I didn't have the right hardware to do the job as "elegantly" as I would like. I'll redo the job in a couple of weeks in Yuma. In the meantime, now the table can't move around as we travel.
Once again I cooked supper over a campfire. And this time, I stretched my campfire cooking horizons a bit. I cooked salmon fillets, rice pilaf, zucchini, and brussel sprouts, each item wrapped in foil. Everything turned out perfectly. First time I cooked brussel sprouts over an open fire.
Friday ; Cathedral Gorge State Park to Valley Of Fire State Park, Nevada
Another unpredictable weather day !
This morning at Cathedral Gorge State Park it was cold and cloudy. We prepared for departure and drove over to the trailer dump station to dump the waste holding tanks and refill the freshwater tank. As we finished it began to rain. BRRRRR ! We drove south on Hwy. 93 through rain that was at times heavy. The sky cleared and the temperature rose significantly when we entered the Mojave Desert. We stopped for lunch and a nap at the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge.
South on Hwy. 93, east on Hwy. 168, one mile on Interstate 15, south on Hwy. 169. We stopped to buy some groceries at Overton. Then ... WOW ... Valley Of Fire State Park. What an astounding area of red rock formations ! We got set up in a campsite, and were planning to light a campfire and cook supper over it when ... BRRRRR ... again ... it suddenly became very cold and windy as the sun set ! Forget the campfire ! DARN !
Saturday ; Valley Of Fire State Park to Laughlin, Nevada
This morning we prepared for departure, then went for a leisurely walk around the campground. I took many "CoolPix" with my new Nikon CoolPix camera. We departed the Valley Of Fire State Park campground and drove west on the state park road back to Interstate 15. As we were driving, there was a long line of ... 1, 2, 3 ... 22, 23, 24 ... WOW ... 24 brand new Camaros heading into Valley Of Fire State Park. HA HA HA ... must be a Chevrolet marketing photography session.
We refilled with diesel and propane on the Moapa Paiute Reservation. First time on this trip diesel was under $4 a gallon !
We drove southwest on I-15 to Las Vegas, our planned destination for today. We found our way to Sam's Town RV Park, and after checking it out decided to just keep driving.
It was only about noon, and there was nothing interesting or attractive enough about the RV park or nearby to entice us to stay. We headed southeast on Boulder Highway to the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson where we stopped at a 99 Cents Only store to do some shopping. When we stepped out of the truck in the shopping mall parking lot ... UH-OH ... there was water coming out of the trailer underneath the door ! ! ! Not a good sign ! We opened the trailer door to discover that our full five gallon water jug had just tipped over and shattered. Five gallons of water spilled on the trailer floor and was finding every opening it could to leak out !
We cleaned it up as best as we could, then went shopping. After shopping we walked over to the next mall to have a late lunch at Burger King. We're usually quite impressed with Burger King. Not this one ! REALLY terrible service ! Interminably long wait for our food. Food was burned ! Somebody from Burger King needs to pay a visit to this franchise and straighten them out !
We headed out of Las Vegas / Henderson on Boulder Highway and Interstate 515, then turned southbound on Nevada Hwy. 95. Joanne told me to "drive like stink" to outrun an ugly little storm cloud that was approaching from the west. I successfully outran it, but not before stopping to take a picture of the heavy rain coming out of it, falling on the Mojave Desert, just before it reached us. The rain, not the desert !
We contemplated stopping to boondock overnight in a casino parking lot in Searchlight. NAHHH ... too early ! We contemplated stopping to boondock overnight in a casino parking lot in Cal Nev Ari ( near the borders of California and Nevada and Arizona ). NAHHH ... too early. We drove all the way to Laughlin, Nevada, where we have a reservation for three nights at the Riverside Casino RV Park ... starting tomorrow !
It was still daylight so Joanne suggested we cross the Colorado River into Bullhead City, Arizona, and go do some Wal-Martin'. Yes, dear ! Whatever you say, dear ! There's nothing I'd rather do than go Wal-Martin' on a Saturday afternoon, dear !
After Wal-Martin' < sigh > we drove through Bullhead City and Fort Mohave to cross back over the Colorado River into Nevada again, at the Avi Casino south of Laughlin. We decided to boondock overnight at the Avi Casino's RV parking lot. We went into the casino to pick up a Laughlin "Entertainer" magazine, and check out the Avi's Native Harvest Buffet Restaurant. Well ... how fortuitous ! Prime Rib 2-4-1 night. ETYS prime rib and everything else ... $11.49 per couple ! We ate and ate and ate until Joanne had to ... ! ! ! HA HA HA ! She said it was perfect. "Nature" called when she had 3 spoonfuls left of her Cherries Jubilee dessert. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
DSK
Today was partially sunny and mild. Pretty decent weather !
This morning after boondocking overnight in the Wildhorse Casino RV parking lot we went over to their Arrowhead Travel Plaza and refilled with diesel. Then bought a gallon of Lucas diesel additive. While paying for the Lucas we joined their "loyalty program" to get discounts on future fuel purchases. HA HA HA ... it's called "Rewards On The Rez". We used their dump station to dump the waste holding tanks and refill the freshwater tank. We adjusted the air in the truck's rear tires. What a great place to boondock overnight.
We continued southeast on Interstate 84. We stopped at La Grande to do more tax free Wal-Martin' and have lunch. More southeast on I-84 until we crossed from the Pacific Time Zone to the Mountain Time Zone, then more southeast on I-84 until we crossed from Oregon into Idaho.
At Nampa, just before Boise, we found our way to Garrity RV Park, a reasonably priced Passport America park with Wi-Fi and cable TV. Joanne wanted to watch Amazing Race tonight. We checked in, set up in our site, took Bo to the dog run, then walked around briefly enjoying the nice weather and getting the kinks out of our bodies after four days of driving.
We had supper, watched TV, and I worked online.
Monday ; Nampa / Boise, Idaho to Jackpot, Nevada
Today was sunny and warm. Finally ! ! !
The long awaited and much anticipated furniture buying day had finally arrived. We checked out of Garrity RV Park and drove a short distance to RV Furniture Center. After seeing their products last spring, this summer we ordered a custom upholstered dinette suite, and were fairly confident that today we would also buy a Flexsteel sofa bed there. RV Furniture Center manufactures wood and upholstered furniture for RV's, and is also a retail dealer for the Flexsteel line of RV furniture. As soon as we walked in the door we saw the dinette table and chairs with the upholstery we had chosen. Beautiful ! And great workmanship. AND ... two sofa throw cushions in the same material as the dinette chair upholstery ! And sitting beside the dinette suite were the two Flexsteel sofa beds that we were interested in. In just a few minutes we selected the sofa bed we wanted.
The owner of RV Furniture Center and his two sons came out to our trailer in their parking lot to help remove our old dinette table and chairs, and love seat. The love seat had to be disassembled / demolished to be removed through the door of the trailer. Six years ago I had to remove the trailer's largest window to get the love seat in. I did not want to have to remove and reinstall the window again today ! One of the sons took our old dinette table and chairs in his pickup truck to donate to a local charity. The demolished love seat went to the garbage. They brought the new dinette suite in, and then the sofa bed. They bolted the sofa bed to the floor, saving me the trouble.
The new furniture is great ! It makes the entire living area of the trailer seem brand new ! The workmanship is excellent. The service was excellent ! The prices were excellent ! T'was a very pleasant buying experience. And I'm very difficult to please ! Thank you, Ray and RV Furniture Center.
We were out of there much quicker than I had anticipated. We stopped at Camping World for me to cancel a special order I had placed, and to explain and apologize in person ( I bought it a few days ago at the Spokane store with a coupon ). We stopped at Lowe's to buy a couple of items.
We were southeast bound out of Boise on Interstate 84 before noon. We stopped for lunch at a roadside rest area. We stopped in Mountain Home to refill with diesel at Pilot. Just before reaching Twin Falls we turned south on Hwy. 30 to avoid having to drive through Twin Falls. After driving south and east around Twin Falls we turned south on Hwy. 93. We stopped in Buhl to buy some groceries. We crossed from Idaho into Nevada and stopped for the night at Cactus Pete's Casino in Jackpot, Nevada.
While Joanne prepared supper ( MMMMM ... chicken and shrimp étoufée ) I went into the casino lobby to work on my computer.
Tuesday ; Jackpot to BLM Elk Viewing Area south of Ely, Nevada
AHHHHH ... a beautiful, sunny, warm day, temperature reaching 70 degrees ! A pleasant but long, slightly boring day of driving south across endless, scruffy, high desert. At any moment I expected to see John Wayne ... or Clint Eastwood ... loping across the highway on his horse.
We pulled out of Cactus Pete's Casino's parking lot this morning and before leaving town we went to an old, abandoned campground that we know of, and dumped our grey waste tanks in the old abandoned trailer dump station. We drove over to the Chevron station and refilled our freshwater tank, then continued south on Hwy. 93.
We refilled with diesel at Flying J in Wells. We stopped for lunch on the shoulder of the road in the middle of nowhere. Most of today was "the middle of nowhere" ! As I was leaving the trailer after lunch, Sully wanted to follow me out the trailer door. Okay ... I let him walk out the door and down the steps. He took about three steps in the warm, soft desert sand and ... flopped over and took a dust bath. HA HA HA ! When we resumed driving a few minutes later, Joanne wanted to know why Sully was so dusty. Gee, dear,
I don't know ! HA HA HA !
Shortly after lunch I felt so sleepy I decided to stop for a nap. It was a lovely sunny day. Sully enjoys afternoon naps with me on sunny days. We were in no hurry to get anywhere today. While I napped Joanne worked on a sewing repair.
After a brief nap and more hours of driving across scruffy desert we stopped for groceries in Ely. By the time we finished our grocery shopping it was dusk and we were ready to stop for the night. We didn't find any good boondocking spot in the town of Ely, so we continued south on Hwy. 93 until we reached a roadside rest area / BLM Elk Viewing Area where we boondocked for the night. Had the place all to ourselves !
Wednesday ; BLM Elk Viewing Area south of Ely to Cathedral Gorge State Park
In the middle of the night I woke up ... cold ! DARN ! The bedroom heater was not working. Out of propane. DARN ! I got up, put on shoes, and stepped outside to change propane tanks. As I was switching from the empty tank to the full one, I heard a noise off to the side of the trailer. I shone my flashlight over there and saw nothing but then heard the start of ... HUH ? ... a stampede ? A herd of elk ? ! ? Scared the dickens out of me !
Today was another sunny, warm day. We prepared for departure then did an obedience session with Bo, since we had the large parking and picnic area of the BLM Elk Viewing Area all to ourselves. We had a great obedience session which included some "search" since there were places for us to hide then call him, and ... HA HA HA ... Joanne went over a cattle ( or elk ) grate in the road and called him to come. With great reluctance, he gingerly crossed the cattle grate. Good dog, Bo, well done ! Bo has been afraid of cattle grates and has refused to cross them ever since he fell and got stuck crossing a cattle grate at an Escapee park in New Mexico a few months after we got him almost eight years ago.
We continued the boring southbound drive on Hwy. 93 across the endless scruffy desert of Nevada. No wonder this is where they chose to blow up atomic bombs ! We got off the highway at the town of Pioche to find and view the free municipal campground we had heard about. Shortly after that we reached Cathedral Gorge State Park, our destination for today. We had been here twice before, and quite like the place.
While I napped with Sully, Joanne began removing the Similkameen Day Tours lettering off the sides of the truck. Today she completed one side, the side facing the sun, which made the plastic decal lettering easier to remove. We walked around the campground and surrounding area, getting the kinks out after spending the last seven days sitting in the truck a lot. As planned, I started a campfire and cooked supper over the open fire, a treat that we both enjoy.
Thursday ; What an unusual weather day ! It started out sunny and mild, became cloudy and cold, then cleared and warmed late in the afternoon.
Today we rested after seven days of driving, worked on some "home improvement" and maintenance projects, and went hiking and exploring in slot canyons. Bo loooooves exploring in slot canyons. HA HA HA ... what a funny little dog.
Received a phone call from a fellow in Penticton, asking questions about our lot 89 for sale at Riverside RV Park Resort. Hope we hear from him again !
< huge sigh > While doing some maintenance work on the truck's batteries, I got battery acid on my zippered, hooded sweater. DARN ! Ruined another one ! I ruin about two a year ! Good thing I buy them for five bucks or less at thrift shops !
We went for a short hike over to the nearby slot canyons, then explored in some of them. Bo fearlessly rushes into slot canyons and goes in way faster and further than we can, coming back with a look of disgust because we're too slow or simply too large to follow him in that far. HA HA HA ... good dog, Bo, well done < rolling eyes >.
After our hike our last project of the afternoon was to bolt the new dinette table down to the floor. It's a temporary job. I didn't have the right hardware to do the job as "elegantly" as I would like. I'll redo the job in a couple of weeks in Yuma. In the meantime, now the table can't move around as we travel.
Once again I cooked supper over a campfire. And this time, I stretched my campfire cooking horizons a bit. I cooked salmon fillets, rice pilaf, zucchini, and brussel sprouts, each item wrapped in foil. Everything turned out perfectly. First time I cooked brussel sprouts over an open fire.
Friday ; Cathedral Gorge State Park to Valley Of Fire State Park, Nevada
Another unpredictable weather day !
This morning at Cathedral Gorge State Park it was cold and cloudy. We prepared for departure and drove over to the trailer dump station to dump the waste holding tanks and refill the freshwater tank. As we finished it began to rain. BRRRRR ! We drove south on Hwy. 93 through rain that was at times heavy. The sky cleared and the temperature rose significantly when we entered the Mojave Desert. We stopped for lunch and a nap at the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge.
South on Hwy. 93, east on Hwy. 168, one mile on Interstate 15, south on Hwy. 169. We stopped to buy some groceries at Overton. Then ... WOW ... Valley Of Fire State Park. What an astounding area of red rock formations ! We got set up in a campsite, and were planning to light a campfire and cook supper over it when ... BRRRRR ... again ... it suddenly became very cold and windy as the sun set ! Forget the campfire ! DARN !
Saturday ; Valley Of Fire State Park to Laughlin, Nevada
This morning we prepared for departure, then went for a leisurely walk around the campground. I took many "CoolPix" with my new Nikon CoolPix camera. We departed the Valley Of Fire State Park campground and drove west on the state park road back to Interstate 15. As we were driving, there was a long line of ... 1, 2, 3 ... 22, 23, 24 ... WOW ... 24 brand new Camaros heading into Valley Of Fire State Park. HA HA HA ... must be a Chevrolet marketing photography session.
We drove southwest on I-15 to Las Vegas, our planned destination for today. We found our way to Sam's Town RV Park, and after checking it out decided to just keep driving.
It was only about noon, and there was nothing interesting or attractive enough about the RV park or nearby to entice us to stay. We headed southeast on Boulder Highway to the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson where we stopped at a 99 Cents Only store to do some shopping. When we stepped out of the truck in the shopping mall parking lot ... UH-OH ... there was water coming out of the trailer underneath the door ! ! ! Not a good sign ! We opened the trailer door to discover that our full five gallon water jug had just tipped over and shattered. Five gallons of water spilled on the trailer floor and was finding every opening it could to leak out !
We cleaned it up as best as we could, then went shopping. After shopping we walked over to the next mall to have a late lunch at Burger King. We're usually quite impressed with Burger King. Not this one ! REALLY terrible service ! Interminably long wait for our food. Food was burned ! Somebody from Burger King needs to pay a visit to this franchise and straighten them out !
We headed out of Las Vegas / Henderson on Boulder Highway and Interstate 515, then turned southbound on Nevada Hwy. 95. Joanne told me to "drive like stink" to outrun an ugly little storm cloud that was approaching from the west. I successfully outran it, but not before stopping to take a picture of the heavy rain coming out of it, falling on the Mojave Desert, just before it reached us. The rain, not the desert !
It was still daylight so Joanne suggested we cross the Colorado River into Bullhead City, Arizona, and go do some Wal-Martin'. Yes, dear ! Whatever you say, dear ! There's nothing I'd rather do than go Wal-Martin' on a Saturday afternoon, dear !
After Wal-Martin' < sigh > we drove through Bullhead City and Fort Mohave to cross back over the Colorado River into Nevada again, at the Avi Casino south of Laughlin. We decided to boondock overnight at the Avi Casino's RV parking lot. We went into the casino to pick up a Laughlin "Entertainer" magazine, and check out the Avi's Native Harvest Buffet Restaurant. Well ... how fortuitous ! Prime Rib 2-4-1 night. ETYS prime rib and everything else ... $11.49 per couple ! We ate and ate and ate until Joanne had to ... ! ! ! HA HA HA ! She said it was perfect. "Nature" called when she had 3 spoonfuls left of her Cherries Jubilee dessert. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
DSK
Sunday, November 4, 2012
October 28 to November 3, 2012 ; Keremeos, British Columbia to Pendleton, Oregon
Sunday ; Still gloomy, but a bit warmer ... and no rain.
The ad for the truck camper that we went to see yesterday was gone today, within 24 hours of it being posted on Kijiji, implying the truck camper has sold already. WOW ... that was fast ! Proving my point ... pricing is everything ! While our lot 89 has not yet sold despite being for sale for the last three months, nothing else was sold in this park during that time either. I am determined that our lot be the next lot to sell !
Fall pre-departure preparations continued today. And I installed two new carbon monoxide detectors today. We bought them yesterday. One installed in the house. One installed in the trailer. We had a carbon monoxide detector in the trailer, but it was
120V AC. Our biggest risk from carbon monoxide is when we are boondocking, so ... the new ones are 9V battery operated.
Monday ; Gloomy but warmer. Rain in the morning.
Another long, hard day of running errands in Penticton, the last of this season. First was a review meeting with our investment broker. WOW ... she had a heart attack very recently. Same age as us ! Sobering !
Tuesday ; Cold ! Very wet ! Clouds so low that southbound geese can be heard but not seen. HA HA HA ... geese flying IFR !
"Fall pre-departure" checklist items completed today. Tomorrow dedicated to "park model winterization" checklist. HEY ... I'm a pilot. And more than a little bit
obsessive - compulsive. I have checklists for everything !
Wednesday ; Hallowe'en
Gloomy ... but mild and dry. A pretty decent day to be working outdoors doing park model winterization. That's what I spent most of the day doing. Lots of "learning curve" ! Joanne spent most of the day moving stuff from the house to the trailer. Bo realized that we're preparing for departure and he's got serious hitch itch. HA HA HA !
By late afternoon we had moved from the house into the trailer, returning to the house in the evening just to watch Survivor on TV.
Thursday ; Keremeos, B.C. to Omak, Washington
Today was gloomy but mild and dry. Not a bad day for departure and travel.
This morning we slowly completed our last minute departure preparations, chatted with neighbours, and finally left Riverside RV Park Resort not much before noon. We stopped in Keremeos to adjust the tires' air pressures and make a grocery purchase, mostly to have a purchase receipt to prove we were still in Canada on November 1, for travel medical insurance purposes.
We drove east on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos where we turned south onto Hwy. 97 to cross the border to Oroville, Washington. Well ! ! ! Hallelujah ! ! ! After that border crossing fiasco a year ago at Sumas it was a pleasure to once again cross the border at Osoyoos. Now that's what a border crossing is supposed to be like ! ! ! The polite and professional Customs & Border Patrol agent asked a few pertinent questions then spent a minute or two inspecting inside the trailer. Thanks ... bye !
After crossing the border we continued south on Hwy. 97, stopping for an extremely late lunch at Tonasket, Washington. After lunch we continued on to Omak. We found the Bank of America branch, where I took a Bank of Montreal U.S.$ MasterCard large cash advance and deposited it to our Bank of America account. A few days ago I had transferred that same amount to my BMO U.S.$ MasterCard account as an
"overpayment", so there will be no interest charged on the cash advance. More than one way to skin a cat, eh ?
We refilled with diesel then went to Safeway to replenish groceries before heading to Wal-Mart to boondock overnight in their parking lot. WOW ... what a lot of southbound BC RV's in the Wal-Mart parking lot !
Friday ; Omak to Spokane, Washington
Today was cloudy and mild. We didn't leave Omak until 1:30 PM ! < sigh >
Last night while washing dishes Joanne discovered a small plumbing leak underneath the kitchen sink taps, leaking onto the dishes in the cupboard below. Since we were parked overnight in the Wal-Mart parking lot, and there was a Home Depot in the mall next door, I thought it would be a good opportunity to repair the leak immediately.
I determined that the taps / faucet assembly needed to be replaced. I bought the faucet assembly 7½ years ago for forty bucks, so ... < shrug > ... I guess I got my money's worth.
< sigh > I couldn't remove the faucet assembly from underneath, inside the cupboard, so ... < bigger sigh > ... I had to remove the entire sink ! The faucet retaining nut on one side was corroded. I had to break it off with a chisel ! We went to Home Depot and bought a new faucet assembly. Seventeen bucks ! Real cheap piece of junk ! BUT ... it works fine ! And I only need it to work fine for a month or so. I'll buy a much better faucet at the Habitat For Humanity Re-Store in Yuma.
We installed the new faucet assembly into the sink, then reinstalled the sink into the kitchen cupboard. And ... hit the road at 1:30 PM !
We drove east and south on Hwy. 155 to the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River, southeast on Hwy. 174, and east on Hwy. 2 to Interstate 90 just before Spokane. We drove through Spokane ... during rush hour ... on I-90, arriving at Camping World on the east side of Spokane just before dark. The store was just closing, so ... as planned ... we boondocked overnight in their parking lot so we can shop there in the morning.
Saturday ; Spokane, Washington to Pendleton, Oregon
Today started out cold and wet in Spokane, but ended up dry and mild in Pendleton. Lots of miles today. And lots of spending today !
We started the day by spending almost $550 at Camping World in Spokane. And that was for about $750 worth of merchandise ! I had a few very good coupons, including a recent coupon for 10% off everything at "northern" location Camping World stores for Canadians heading south for the winter. Plus 20% off and 25% off coupons for the two most expensive items we purchased.
As we were dumping our grey waste holding tanks and refilling our freshwater tank at the Camping World customer courtesy sani-dump station it began to rain heavily. We got pretty wet ! We headed southwest on Interstate 90 in heavy traffic and heavy rain. Oh, joy ! We turned south on Hwy. 395 to Pasco. I was almost out of fuel by the time we got to Pasco, and we missed the exit to the Flying J. DAMN ! By the time we got to the next exit and got turned around, I had to put our emergency two gallons of diesel into the truck !
While we are big fans of the Flying J chain of service stations, the one at Pasco ranks right up there with the Flying J at Ellensberg, Washington as the worst Flying J's in the chain. Small, filthy, overpriced ! What is it with Flying J's in Washington state ? ! ? Just a few miles down the road the price of diesel was thirty cents a gallon less ! ! ! And I had just bought over 34 gallons ! Close call ! The truck's tank is 35 gallons !
We crossed the Columbia River into Oregon and headed south on Interstate 82, then east on Interstate 84 to Pendleton, arriving at dusk. At the exit where we knew there was a Wal-Mart we also found a Dollar Tree. We had a lengthy shopping list of items to buy in Oregon ... sales tax free. When I entered the trailer before going into the Dollar Tree
I discovered ... < sigh > ... somebody ... < nudge, nudge, wink, wink, point, point > .. had not closed the fridge door properly after lunch. It popped open during travel, and items fell out. Including a tub of yoghurt ! All over the floor ! And under the edge of the slide !
< sigh >
After shopping at Dollar Tree ... and cleaning up the yoghurt ... we drove across the street for lots of shopping at Wal-Mart. By the time we were finished Wal-Martin' we were both tired and hungry. We bought a "meal to go" chicken dinner at Safeway and drove a few more miles to Wildhorse Casino where we ate our greasy chicken dinner ( YUCK !
I expect better of Safeway ! ) and boondocked for the night.
Daylight Savings Time ends tonight. I should reset all our clocks one hour back tonight. BUT ... we're crossing a time zone tomorrow afternoon, so ... if I set them back tonight
I will have to set them forward tomorrow afternoon. We'll live with the wrong time for half a day.
DSK
The ad for the truck camper that we went to see yesterday was gone today, within 24 hours of it being posted on Kijiji, implying the truck camper has sold already. WOW ... that was fast ! Proving my point ... pricing is everything ! While our lot 89 has not yet sold despite being for sale for the last three months, nothing else was sold in this park during that time either. I am determined that our lot be the next lot to sell !
Fall pre-departure preparations continued today. And I installed two new carbon monoxide detectors today. We bought them yesterday. One installed in the house. One installed in the trailer. We had a carbon monoxide detector in the trailer, but it was
120V AC. Our biggest risk from carbon monoxide is when we are boondocking, so ... the new ones are 9V battery operated.
Monday ; Gloomy but warmer. Rain in the morning.
Another long, hard day of running errands in Penticton, the last of this season. First was a review meeting with our investment broker. WOW ... she had a heart attack very recently. Same age as us ! Sobering !
Tuesday ; Cold ! Very wet ! Clouds so low that southbound geese can be heard but not seen. HA HA HA ... geese flying IFR !
"Fall pre-departure" checklist items completed today. Tomorrow dedicated to "park model winterization" checklist. HEY ... I'm a pilot. And more than a little bit
obsessive - compulsive. I have checklists for everything !
Wednesday ; Hallowe'en
Gloomy ... but mild and dry. A pretty decent day to be working outdoors doing park model winterization. That's what I spent most of the day doing. Lots of "learning curve" ! Joanne spent most of the day moving stuff from the house to the trailer. Bo realized that we're preparing for departure and he's got serious hitch itch. HA HA HA !
By late afternoon we had moved from the house into the trailer, returning to the house in the evening just to watch Survivor on TV.
Thursday ; Keremeos, B.C. to Omak, Washington
Today was gloomy but mild and dry. Not a bad day for departure and travel.
This morning we slowly completed our last minute departure preparations, chatted with neighbours, and finally left Riverside RV Park Resort not much before noon. We stopped in Keremeos to adjust the tires' air pressures and make a grocery purchase, mostly to have a purchase receipt to prove we were still in Canada on November 1, for travel medical insurance purposes.
We drove east on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos where we turned south onto Hwy. 97 to cross the border to Oroville, Washington. Well ! ! ! Hallelujah ! ! ! After that border crossing fiasco a year ago at Sumas it was a pleasure to once again cross the border at Osoyoos. Now that's what a border crossing is supposed to be like ! ! ! The polite and professional Customs & Border Patrol agent asked a few pertinent questions then spent a minute or two inspecting inside the trailer. Thanks ... bye !
After crossing the border we continued south on Hwy. 97, stopping for an extremely late lunch at Tonasket, Washington. After lunch we continued on to Omak. We found the Bank of America branch, where I took a Bank of Montreal U.S.$ MasterCard large cash advance and deposited it to our Bank of America account. A few days ago I had transferred that same amount to my BMO U.S.$ MasterCard account as an
"overpayment", so there will be no interest charged on the cash advance. More than one way to skin a cat, eh ?
We refilled with diesel then went to Safeway to replenish groceries before heading to Wal-Mart to boondock overnight in their parking lot. WOW ... what a lot of southbound BC RV's in the Wal-Mart parking lot !
Friday ; Omak to Spokane, Washington
Today was cloudy and mild. We didn't leave Omak until 1:30 PM ! < sigh >
Last night while washing dishes Joanne discovered a small plumbing leak underneath the kitchen sink taps, leaking onto the dishes in the cupboard below. Since we were parked overnight in the Wal-Mart parking lot, and there was a Home Depot in the mall next door, I thought it would be a good opportunity to repair the leak immediately.
I determined that the taps / faucet assembly needed to be replaced. I bought the faucet assembly 7½ years ago for forty bucks, so ... < shrug > ... I guess I got my money's worth.
< sigh > I couldn't remove the faucet assembly from underneath, inside the cupboard, so ... < bigger sigh > ... I had to remove the entire sink ! The faucet retaining nut on one side was corroded. I had to break it off with a chisel ! We went to Home Depot and bought a new faucet assembly. Seventeen bucks ! Real cheap piece of junk ! BUT ... it works fine ! And I only need it to work fine for a month or so. I'll buy a much better faucet at the Habitat For Humanity Re-Store in Yuma.
We installed the new faucet assembly into the sink, then reinstalled the sink into the kitchen cupboard. And ... hit the road at 1:30 PM !
We drove east and south on Hwy. 155 to the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River, southeast on Hwy. 174, and east on Hwy. 2 to Interstate 90 just before Spokane. We drove through Spokane ... during rush hour ... on I-90, arriving at Camping World on the east side of Spokane just before dark. The store was just closing, so ... as planned ... we boondocked overnight in their parking lot so we can shop there in the morning.
Saturday ; Spokane, Washington to Pendleton, Oregon
Today started out cold and wet in Spokane, but ended up dry and mild in Pendleton. Lots of miles today. And lots of spending today !
We started the day by spending almost $550 at Camping World in Spokane. And that was for about $750 worth of merchandise ! I had a few very good coupons, including a recent coupon for 10% off everything at "northern" location Camping World stores for Canadians heading south for the winter. Plus 20% off and 25% off coupons for the two most expensive items we purchased.
As we were dumping our grey waste holding tanks and refilling our freshwater tank at the Camping World customer courtesy sani-dump station it began to rain heavily. We got pretty wet ! We headed southwest on Interstate 90 in heavy traffic and heavy rain. Oh, joy ! We turned south on Hwy. 395 to Pasco. I was almost out of fuel by the time we got to Pasco, and we missed the exit to the Flying J. DAMN ! By the time we got to the next exit and got turned around, I had to put our emergency two gallons of diesel into the truck !
While we are big fans of the Flying J chain of service stations, the one at Pasco ranks right up there with the Flying J at Ellensberg, Washington as the worst Flying J's in the chain. Small, filthy, overpriced ! What is it with Flying J's in Washington state ? ! ? Just a few miles down the road the price of diesel was thirty cents a gallon less ! ! ! And I had just bought over 34 gallons ! Close call ! The truck's tank is 35 gallons !
We crossed the Columbia River into Oregon and headed south on Interstate 82, then east on Interstate 84 to Pendleton, arriving at dusk. At the exit where we knew there was a Wal-Mart we also found a Dollar Tree. We had a lengthy shopping list of items to buy in Oregon ... sales tax free. When I entered the trailer before going into the Dollar Tree
I discovered ... < sigh > ... somebody ... < nudge, nudge, wink, wink, point, point > .. had not closed the fridge door properly after lunch. It popped open during travel, and items fell out. Including a tub of yoghurt ! All over the floor ! And under the edge of the slide !
< sigh >
After shopping at Dollar Tree ... and cleaning up the yoghurt ... we drove across the street for lots of shopping at Wal-Mart. By the time we were finished Wal-Martin' we were both tired and hungry. We bought a "meal to go" chicken dinner at Safeway and drove a few more miles to Wildhorse Casino where we ate our greasy chicken dinner ( YUCK !
I expect better of Safeway ! ) and boondocked for the night.
Daylight Savings Time ends tonight. I should reset all our clocks one hour back tonight. BUT ... we're crossing a time zone tomorrow afternoon, so ... if I set them back tonight
I will have to set them forward tomorrow afternoon. We'll live with the wrong time for half a day.
DSK
Sunday, October 28, 2012
October 21 to 27, 2012
Sunday ; Well ... weather not as bad as forecast. It was cold, but dry and sunny. As we were driving back from town this afternoon we could see a dusting of snow on the tops of the higher mountains. BRRRRR !
This morning we took our old mattress to the Keremeos dump. I'm glad to finally get it out of the bedroom where it's been propped up against a wall for the last few weeks. Back at home we did a long obedience session with Bo. I relocated the last two planters from lot 89 to lot 4. Joanne sprayed weeds on lot 4. We continued working on our "fall pre-departure" checklist, which is more complicated than before because we now own this park model home.
In the evening I worked on finances and paying bills. This month, the little statement at the bottom of our MasterCard bill reads as follows ; "The estimated time to repay the current statement balance if you only make minimum monthly payments on each due date is ... 57 years and 5 months". HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ! ! ! ! ! Good thing I pay the total amount owing each and every month.
Monday ; Today was cold and partially sunny. I'm satisfied as long as it's not raining.
We spent the day running errands in Penticton. I'm suffering a flare-up of colitis, so was feeling quite sick for most of the day.
Tuesday ; Cold, mostly cloudy, but still not much precipitation, neither rain nor snow. That allowed us to continue to work on outdoor chores. By the end of daylight we had completed all except one of the outdoor chores that needed to be done before we depart for the winter.
My colitis flare up has settled down. I felt healthier today.
Wednesday ; Snow halfway down the mountains ! BRRRRR ! Cold and wet. YUCK !
I lit the furnace in the park model today, first time it's been lit in its six year life. Worked just fine ! Went into town to see the doctor to get prescription refills. Took them to the pharmacy. Refilled an empty propane tank. Bought some hardware.
Back at home I installed the safe I bought in Penticton a few days ago. Downloaded and processed some photos. Did more pre-departure preparations. Suffered hitch itch.
HA HA HA !
What is it with local affluent guys about my age and mountain bike accidents ? ! ? First my gastroenterologist had a mountain bike accident a few years ago leaving him a quadriplegic. Now one of the veterinarians at the Penticton veterinary clinic that we use has died in a mountain bike accident. SHEESH !
Thursday ; Cold, cloudy, gloomy weather.
Today I sorted all my clothes ; stay in park model or load back into trailer. I only intend to do this once ! I do not want to be moving everything in and out of the trailer every six months ! I disinfected all our five gallon and one gallon water jugs. We auger cleaned the trailer shower drain, an annual chore. We continued our fall pre-departure preparations.
Friday ; Another cold, gloomy day. It rained steadily until mid-afternoon. Having just read last year's journal entry for this date, Joanne and I agree. Recently the weather has been colder this year than last.
After the rain stopped we continued our pre-departure preparations. I went to lot 89, and started our little generator, a monthly task to ensure the generator doesn't become hard to start from lack of use when we're not travelling. I refilled it with fuel, and loaded it into the bed of the truck. Ready for use in less than a week !
Everybody was cold at today's daily "dog party", even the dogs !
Late in the afternoon we went into Keremeos to run a few errands before going to the Branding Iron restaurant for dinner. We had a Branding Iron gift certificate from the father and daughter team of real estate agents who sold us our park model home three months ago. Tonight was the third time we've been to the Branding Iron in the six summers that we've lived here. And it will be the last ! Good food, overpriced, bad service, surly waitress, a shot of expensive, premium whiskey ruined by soda fountain cola when "Diet Coke" was asked for ... overall, not worth anywhere near the relatively high prices charged.
Saturday ; Cold and wet !
HMPH ! Way too much driving today. Keremeos to Kaleden to Okanagan Falls to Oliver to Osoyoos to Keremeos, then later in the day Keremeos to Penticton and return.
This morning we headed to Advance RV, an RV service facility in Okanagan Falls. This is their last weekend in business and they were having a "garage sale" to clear out their remaining inventory of RV parts and supplies. We bought five items at very good prices. From there we went to the new Canadian Tire store in Oliver before returning home.
Late in the afternoon Joanne found a four hour old listing on Kijiji for an interesting truck camper at a great price in Penticton. After phoning the owner we decided it was worth an immediate trip to Penticton to take a look. We drove to Penticton as dusk set in. We viewed the truck camper, and had a difficult time making a decision whether to buy it or not. We decided not to buy it. We drove home in the dark, in the rain.
DSK
This morning we took our old mattress to the Keremeos dump. I'm glad to finally get it out of the bedroom where it's been propped up against a wall for the last few weeks. Back at home we did a long obedience session with Bo. I relocated the last two planters from lot 89 to lot 4. Joanne sprayed weeds on lot 4. We continued working on our "fall pre-departure" checklist, which is more complicated than before because we now own this park model home.
In the evening I worked on finances and paying bills. This month, the little statement at the bottom of our MasterCard bill reads as follows ; "The estimated time to repay the current statement balance if you only make minimum monthly payments on each due date is ... 57 years and 5 months". HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ! ! ! ! ! Good thing I pay the total amount owing each and every month.
Monday ; Today was cold and partially sunny. I'm satisfied as long as it's not raining.
We spent the day running errands in Penticton. I'm suffering a flare-up of colitis, so was feeling quite sick for most of the day.
My colitis flare up has settled down. I felt healthier today.
Wednesday ; Snow halfway down the mountains ! BRRRRR ! Cold and wet. YUCK !
Back at home I installed the safe I bought in Penticton a few days ago. Downloaded and processed some photos. Did more pre-departure preparations. Suffered hitch itch.
HA HA HA !
What is it with local affluent guys about my age and mountain bike accidents ? ! ? First my gastroenterologist had a mountain bike accident a few years ago leaving him a quadriplegic. Now one of the veterinarians at the Penticton veterinary clinic that we use has died in a mountain bike accident. SHEESH !
Thursday ; Cold, cloudy, gloomy weather.
Today I sorted all my clothes ; stay in park model or load back into trailer. I only intend to do this once ! I do not want to be moving everything in and out of the trailer every six months ! I disinfected all our five gallon and one gallon water jugs. We auger cleaned the trailer shower drain, an annual chore. We continued our fall pre-departure preparations.
Friday ; Another cold, gloomy day. It rained steadily until mid-afternoon. Having just read last year's journal entry for this date, Joanne and I agree. Recently the weather has been colder this year than last.
After the rain stopped we continued our pre-departure preparations. I went to lot 89, and started our little generator, a monthly task to ensure the generator doesn't become hard to start from lack of use when we're not travelling. I refilled it with fuel, and loaded it into the bed of the truck. Ready for use in less than a week !
Everybody was cold at today's daily "dog party", even the dogs !
Late in the afternoon we went into Keremeos to run a few errands before going to the Branding Iron restaurant for dinner. We had a Branding Iron gift certificate from the father and daughter team of real estate agents who sold us our park model home three months ago. Tonight was the third time we've been to the Branding Iron in the six summers that we've lived here. And it will be the last ! Good food, overpriced, bad service, surly waitress, a shot of expensive, premium whiskey ruined by soda fountain cola when "Diet Coke" was asked for ... overall, not worth anywhere near the relatively high prices charged.
Saturday ; Cold and wet !
HMPH ! Way too much driving today. Keremeos to Kaleden to Okanagan Falls to Oliver to Osoyoos to Keremeos, then later in the day Keremeos to Penticton and return.
This morning we headed to Advance RV, an RV service facility in Okanagan Falls. This is their last weekend in business and they were having a "garage sale" to clear out their remaining inventory of RV parts and supplies. We bought five items at very good prices. From there we went to the new Canadian Tire store in Oliver before returning home.
Late in the afternoon Joanne found a four hour old listing on Kijiji for an interesting truck camper at a great price in Penticton. After phoning the owner we decided it was worth an immediate trip to Penticton to take a look. We drove to Penticton as dusk set in. We viewed the truck camper, and had a difficult time making a decision whether to buy it or not. We decided not to buy it. We drove home in the dark, in the rain.
DSK
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