Partially cloudy, warm.
Before leaving Holt's Shell in Gila Bend this morning we refilled the freshwater tank and dumped the grey and black waste holding tanks. We headed west on Interstate 8, back towards Yuma.
On impulse we decided to take a side trip when we saw signage to the Painted Petroglyph site on BLM land about 100 miles east of Yuma. That short detour ( 11 miles in each direction ) made us late for Bo's agility class < shrug >. He didn't mind. An hour is too long for him anyway. The petroglyphs were interesting. And it was particularly interesting to me that the Hohokam Indians of Southern Arizona painted petroglyph images of turtles that were identical to the Indian petroglyph images of turtles in Whiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba, Canada, thousands of miles away.
We stopped at a roadside rest area to have lunch. We stopped at Dateland to buy date shakes which we put in the freezer to have as a late night snack while watching Amazing Race tonight. As we left Dateland I realized we would be late for Bo's agility class at 3 PM, so ... in accordance with Interstate 8's speed limit I drove the rest of the way back to Yuma at 75 MPH ( 120 km./hr. ) ! Quick, but not very good fuel mileage with that large a truck camper at that speed !
We arrived at the agility class about half an hour late. Today's new component was a large "A-frame". No problem for Bo. Again the class ended with each dog running an entire agility course with more than a dozen components. Bo did extremely well, completing the entire course without being on a leash, with no "faults". However ... he still does not really "get" the point of weave poles. I had to lead him through and around the weave poles by leading him with a favourite treat right in front of his nose. HA HA HA ... well done, Bo, good dog ! But a Border Collie, you're not !
We returned home to Kofa Ko-op just in time for the regular Sunday late afternoon ice cream social. After supper we watched Amazing Race. And had date shakes !
Monday ; Sunny and warm.
We've returned to normal every day life ; chores and errands, socializing, enjoying sunshine and warmth, long walks in the dog park, "home improvement" projects, mostly on the truck camper. In the evening I did February's month end investment updates and analysis. Good month in the stock market ! I paid some bills, juggled some funds around from here to there.
We should go out to celebrate Joanne's first Canada Pension Plan payment !
Sunny and very warm. HEY ! I just realized, a little late ( at 10:30 PM ), that today was Mardi Gras.
Late this morning we headed out to run some errands before going to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift of dog walking and cat cuddling. First stop was Bank of America where I had to do some banking that required counter service ... for the second time this winter. And for the second time this winter, I ran into hurdles that the Bank of America has imposed on Canadians trying to do routine banking transactions. For the second time this winter I had to demand to see a manager, and throw a bit of a hissy fit to get them to use some basic common sense.
I should NOT have to produce a passport to do routine banking when I have a Bank of America bank card ... for an account held at that branch, a BC driver's license, and an Arizona state issued identity card ! ! ! When did society lose the ability to use common sense ? ! ?
We went to Fry's to buy a few grocery items before having lunch at Rally's. More frustration ! I used a coupon for a free Big Buford burger. So ... the cash register rings in the Big Buford burger at $4.19, then the coupon registers as minus $3.99. That's not free ! That's a burger for twenty cents. That's not really the problem. The problem is ... two ... count 'em ... TWO ... staff members were unable to comprehend that $4.19 minus $3.99 does not equal free. Both of these staff members did not seem capable of grade two arithmetic ; $4.19 - $3.99 DOES NOT EQUAL ZERO ! ! ! It took ANOTHER hissy fit, and a manager's intervention, to resolve the issue. And I was stubborn NOT because of the twenty cents, but BECAUSE YOU MORONS DON'T GET THAT
$4.19 - $3.99 DOES NOT EQUAL ZERO ! ! ! ! !
< WHEW > Take a deep breath, Daniel !
After lunch we headed to the Humane Society. Two and a half hours of walking dogs soothes me ... calms me. Thank goodness !
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot.
My normal "get out of bed" time is 8:30 AM. So I consider it "ungodly" to arise at 5:30 AM like I did this morning so that we could leave at 7 AM for the 7:45 AM "get on the bus" time for the Field To Feast Tour, an extremely popular agricultural tour held three times a week from the beginning of January until the end of March. It's booked months in advance. It was somewhere around Christmas that I bought tickets for today's tour.
We got on the bus at Yuma Visitor's Center and were taken to a University Of Arizona research farm to pick vegetables. Two bags for each person. One bag with a card inside instructing you what to pick, and one bag for you to pick whatever you want. The bag with the card inside, filled with what you were specified to pick, went on to Arizona Western College, to be used in the preparation of a vegetarian lunch by the students in the Culinary Arts program. The other bag we got to fill to the brim with whatever we wanted ! I picked a lot of sweet peas and snap peas. I haven't had "fresh from the garden" peas since my teenage years working on my Aunt Lena's farm during the summers.
Since Yuma's Lettuce Days had been this past weekend, we had a celebrity chef on our bus. A "local boy made good" who was one of the featured celebrity chefs at Lettuce Days.
We left the research farm and were driven around for a couple of hours to various farms, with narration by one of Yuma's more prominent ( and wealthy ! ) farmers. Very interesting and well done agricultural tour. Around noon we arrived at Arizona Western College and were treated to our vegetarian lunch prepared by award winning culinary students. Lunch was ... good ! I expected stupendous ! And while the entire experience was ... good ... I didn't think it was quite worth what it cost.
After lunch we were returned by bus to Yuma Visitor's Center. On the way home we stopped briefly at Lowe's, and we also went to find a free RV sanitary dump station that Joanne had found listed online. At home Joanne sorted and cleaned the two large bags of freshly picked vegetables of every imaginable sort. We had so much we gave some away. Then Joanne prepared her contribution to tonight's "potato bake" communal dinner. I'm not really a fan of the concept of making a meal of a baked potato with toppings.
Late in the evening we watched the second episode of Survivor. We missed the first episode last week.
Thursday ; Sunny and hot. I guess spring has arrived !
This morning I did some "home improvement" work on Elsie.
This afternoon Joanne went to Lotus Day Spa in The Foothills for a manicure, pedicure, mini-facial, and hair style, a birthday gift from her sister. I worked on the storage chest removed from the truck bed when we bought the truck camper. I want to use the storage chest to haul some stuff back to Canada, but it needs some modifications / refurbishment before I can ( temporarily ) mount it on the roof of the camper.
This evening we went to see a "foreign art film" at Historic Yuma Theater. It was a "dark comedy" made in Belgium. It's interesting to see a foreign film and get a taste of what is humorous in other cultures.
Friday ; Sunny and hot. Cooked a beef pot roast in the Sun Oven today. MMMMM !
Got a late start to my day. Late in the morning I headed to The Foothills for some shopping errands. Stopped at Southwest Exchange and bought four cake pans for the Sun Oven, for our Sun Oven cake bake lottery at the upcoming Escapees Roadrunners Chapter 7 Spring Rally. Next stop was Tractor Supply Company to buy a thick rubber mat intended for use in horse stalls. I'm going to use it underneath the truck's old storage chest / tool box when I temporarily mount it on the roof of the truck camper to haul stuff back home to BC. Next was Al's RV Service & Supply to buy some needed items at their monthly 15% off everything sale. Also known as Al's RV monthly "doughnut day". Free doughnuts while shopping. My lunch today was two doughnuts. HA HA HA ... thank you for lunch, Al's RV Service & Supply.
I drove to the far end of The Foothills to find Yuma Optical Supply, the only optical shop listed in the Yellow Pages that does eyeglass repairs. I want to buy some hard plastic nosepieces for my new glasses. The silicone nosepieces that are on the new glasses
I bought recently in Mexico bother me. Silicone is similar enough to latex that it flares my allergies. I arrived at Yuma Optical to find ... an empty shop with a "for rent" sign in the window. When I phoned the listed number, I got a message from the owner advising that he has decided to retire. < sigh > Guess I should have phoned before driving all that way out there.
Back at home we took the truck camper off the truck. I did another "home improvement" project on the truck camper, mounting AA battery operated LED reading lights over the bed. After supper we went Wal-Martin'.
Saturday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne baked a Saskatoon pie in the Sun Oven today. We'd better use up the rest of those Saskatoons pretty soon ! We picked them at home at Riverside RV Park last July !
This afternoon Joanne took Bo for a walk in the dog park. She returned without him. He was lagging, as he often does at this time of the year, searching for, digging for, chasing lizards in the desert. I told her to just come back over the fence into our yard, in a minute or two he would follow, climbing over the fence into the yard and returning to the trailer door.
Well ... a minute or two later, that's exactly what he did. Head held high, tail wagging, very proud of himself. With a dead Desert Rat in his mouth ! GEEEEZZZZZ, BO ! ! !
This evening we went to a four hour outdoor music concert, in conjunction with Midnight At The Oasis, the annual classic car show in Yuma. Tonight's three bands were ;
- Missing Links, a Monkees tribute band
- Surfin' Safari, a Beach Boys Tribute band
- and Winter Dance Party, a tribute to Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, and Buddy Holly.
DSK
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