Cloudy and warm in Quartzsite. Raining and cool in Yuma.
HUH ? RAIN IN YUMA ? ? ? How odd ! It started raining right after we ate lunch, about halfway between Quartzsite and Yuma. And while we only drove about fifty miles or so in the desert rain, it made both the truck and camper very dirty !
This morning we left the Hi Jolly BLM campground a few miles north of Quartzsite and drove south on Hwy. 95 into Quartzsite. I wanted look for an item at the flea markets.
I didn't find it. BUT ... HA HA HA ... we bought almost thirty bucks worth of stuff on impulse, most of it a "scratch & dent" vendor. Lots of marinades for use in Sun Oven cooking. Some cosmetics and toiletries. Unusual salad dressings, that sort of stuff. After shopping we continued south on Hwy. 95 towards Yuma. We pulled off the road into the desert to have lunch. As soon as we resumed driving after lunch it began to drizzle, and continued to drizzle lightly until we reached "home" at Kofa Ko-op SKP RV Park in Yuma.
We arrived "home" at 4:15 PM and got quite a lot of work done in the yard and Arizona room before it got dark at 6 PM. It got dark at 5 PM yesterday in Quartzsite because we forgot to change our clocks and watches when we crossed from California / Pacific Time Zone into Arizona / Mountain Time Zone. DUH !
The trip from Keremeos home to Yuma home was 3635 km. / 2272 miles.
Monday ; Sunny and warm.
We slept late and got a slow start to the day. Today and the next few days will be mostly taken up with "arrival" chores. Opening up the Arizona room, getting dust covers off the furniture, folding and storing the dust covers, rinsing outdoor furniture, etc., etc., etc. This afternoon we took Bo to the veterinarian to have him examined regarding a few problems that have persisted for about six months, and may be multiple problems or may be one problem with multiple symptoms. As I feared and expected ... we spent two hundred dollars to find out ... absolutely nothing ! ! ! After the veterinarian we went grocery shopping, then returned home and barely had time for a quick lap around the dog park before it got dark.
Tuesday ; Sunny and very warm. By the way, today I removed the thermometer I had mounted last spring on a shaded spot under our front patio. It read to a maximum of 120° F / 50° C. At some point this summer ... the top blew off. HA HA HA ... just like in the cartoons !
Today was another day of "arrival" chores. Joanne finished removing all food items from the camper, and stored them temporarily in the Arizona room. When we move the fifth wheel trailer to our lot, probably tomorrow, all of it will be moved into the fifth wheel trailer. < sigh > Lots of work ! We removed and stored all of the Arizona room's "solid" vinyl walls, turning it once again into a screen room. We disinfected our five gallon water jug. Joanne cleaned the interior of Elsie the camper. I worked on cleaning and maintenance chores. I worked on getting my bicycle ready for use. When I inflated the tires, the rear tire tube exploded. BAM ! Sounded like a gunshot !
Twice we went for walks around the dog park. We are trying to do that twice per day for needed exercise. I did some online and phone work shopping for a used vehicle to buy. I watered all our plants and gardens. A lot of our cactus plants have died, apparently due to heat and / or lack of water. < shrug > HEY ... they're cacti. Aren't they supposed to be able to tolerate high heat and no water ?
Wednesday ; Sunny and warm.
Our plan for today was to remove the camper from the truck, store it in one of our two storage spots in the storage yard, then move the fifth wheel trailer from our other storage spot in the storage yard to our lot 52. Instead ... we bought a car !
We have been looking for what would be described in Canada as a "winter beater". To use down here during the winter season as ... well ... our "winter beater ". HA HA HA ! And that's exactly what we bought. A scruffy, old, 1997 Oldsmobile Bravada SUV. It's the "same" as the Chevrolet Blazer or the GMC Jimmy. The Oldsmobile Bravada was never sold in Canada, so my Canadian readers won't recognize it.
I found it last night online. I made arrangements by e-mail and telephone to view it late this morning. We drove to where the buyer lives, viewed the car, I took it for a test drive with the buyer, and ... bought it. We left it with him until Friday so that I can buy insurance for it before completing the purchase transaction and registering / licensing it with Arizona DMV.
Before returning home we went grocery shopping at Food City, the Mexican supermarket. In addition to buying quite a bit of fresh produce, we also bought a lot of meat, and a turkey. We're not cooking it tomorrow for American Thanksgiving, but wanted to buy a turkey while they're cheap.
Once we were back at home I did some maintenance chores and prepared the camper for removal from the truck tomorrow. Joanne cut and repackaged meat, then did laundry. We took Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park. Actually, Joanne and
I walked two laps around the dog park. Bo sort of meanders around keeping an eye on us, more or less, but he no longer has the desire / stamina to walk laps around the dog park.
After supper I spent a frustrating, long evening online trying ( and eventually
succeeding ) to purchase vehicle insurance.
Thursday ; American Thanksgiving
Sunny and warm. Tough, busy day today. Not all of it went well.
This morning we completed our preparations for removing Elsie ( the camper ) off Lanoire ( the truck ). We drove to the storage yard in the RV park and removed Elsie, then installed the fifth wheel hitch into Lanoire and hitched up to Harvey ( the fifth wheel trailer ). On the way back to our lot we stopped at the park's air compressor station and adjusted the air pressure in all of the trailer's tires. We parked haphazardly in our lot then went into the Arizona room to have lunch.
After lunch we fussed and fiddled with the positioning of the trailer. It needs to be positioned very precisely, to ensure the door opens exactly where it should, in the cut out in the patio roof. Once I got the trailer positioned exactly where it needed to be Joanne went to work on inside chores and I worked on outside chores, connecting electricity, water, and sewer before extending the slides and unhitching the truck.
I worked on a burnt out tail light problem on the truck, then got "side tracked" by an extremely foul odour in the trailer's water system. This last summer was the third time the trailer was left parked in the storage yard during the brutal summer heat, but the first time we've had this foul smell in the water system. I spent a long time trying to figure out the problem and the solution. I think the tank of fresh water that I left full over the summer was well water with minerals that "soured" over the summer. I drained the freshwater tank, and will strongly disinfect it over the next few days.
My next priority was to connect the satellite dish and get the TV working. I failed. Another job that took up a lot of time. And I still don't know what the problem is. I have suspicions, but will need to do some more "troubleshooting" ... probably on Saturday ... to figure out the problem ... and solution. < sigh >
We did not attend the communal ( American ) Thanksgiving dinner. Joanne is so disgusted by the American people electing a sexist, racist, bigot as their President that she wants to avoid socializing with Americans as much as possible this winter season. And I have forty-two years of good reasons to "stand by my woman". I barbecued Coho Salmon from Haida Gwaii for supper. It was good !
Friday ; Sunny and warm.
We spent most of the day on the purchase of our "winter beater" 1997 Oldsmobile Bravada. And NO ... NO ... it did NOT go well ! ! ! ! ! Enough said ! < gnashing teeth >
Nevertheless ... the car is now sitting in our driveway, titled, registered, licensed, and insured. This is the first time we have had to deal with the distinctly American concept of vehicle "title". And hopefully it will be the last !
Saturday ; Cloudy and warm.
This morning I checked and refilled fluids in Obie ( Oldsmobile Bravada ), our new "winter beater" car. Then we headed to "The Foothills", the Yuma "suburb" to the east, for some delayed Black Friday shopping. While Joanne went to "The 99¢ Only Store"
I went to Foothills Shoes to buy a couple of pairs of SAS shoes at the ( extended ) Black Friday special sale price. I only wear SAS shoes ... for about twenty-five years now ... and they are so outrageously expensive that I have taken to buying them only on "Black Fridays" ( the big shopping day after American Thanksgiving ). After finishing shoe buying ( me ) and grocery buying ( Joanne ) we went to Burger King for lunch, then Fry's for a few more grocery items. On the way home we stopped at Southwest Exchange so that I could buy a replacement bicycle tire tube.
Once back at home my priority was satellite dish troubleshooting. By cannibalizing parts from Laszlo's satellite dish and installing them on my satellite dish I was able to determine that I will need to replace our satellite dish's old dual satellite LNB with the newer triple satellite LNB. I had an extra satellite dish back home in Keremeos, a new dish with the triple satellite LNB ... and I sold it ! DARN ! Getting the triple satellite LNB that I need down here will be difficult and expensive. DARN ! ! ! And in the meantime ... I’m paying for satellite TV service that I’m unable to use. HMPH !
We took Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park, then I worked on replacing my bicycle’s blown tire inner tube. It was dark by the time I completed that project, so I still need to inflate the tire and install it back onto the bicycle tomorrow.
In the evening I worked on bill paying and accounting. Certainly has been an expensive month so far !
DSK
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