Sunday ; Mostly sunny, warm.
This afternoon we drove to the "76" Fuel Bar at "The Big Curve" ( where 32nd St. merges onto 4th Ave. ) to dump the camper's black waste holding tank. Then to a nearby car wash on 24th St. to wash the truck and camper. From there we went to Fry's to refill with diesel and buy a few grocery items, then Dollar Tree for a few items before returning home.
I spent some time visiting with our neighbours / friends Joe and Alene and their little Dachshund Lucy who have just arrived here from their "summer" home, SKP Park of the Sierras near Coarsegold, California. And we had a visit from another neighbour / friend, Linda, who also arrived here recently from her home in Washington.
Joanne finished cleaning the inside of the camper. I replenished medications and toiletries in the camper. I did some bill paying online. And I reconciled our Bank of America statement. This winter season we are using our Bank of America Visa & debit card to pay for everything, instead of our ( Canadian ) Bank of Montreal U.S.$ MasterCard as we did in previous years. In the evening I posted ( again ) some online and newspaper ads to sell the last piece of a neighbour's equipment that I am trying to sell for her.
Monday ; Sunny and very warm.
This morning I did some routine household chores, exercised our generator, and chatted with a neighbour ... for too long. Joanne cleaned the Arizona room which was left very dirty with desert dust after last Friday's wind storm.
After lunch we drove to Somerton to pick up Obie at Yepez Automotive Repair Services. Before leaving there I noticed that the passenger's side front floor mat was missing. It could not be found ! The owner ... who also happens to be the mayor of Somerton ... reluctantly agreed to buy me a new set of front floor mats. HEY ! Don't get pissy with me ! I'm not the one who lost the floor mat while the car was being serviced in your facility ! ! !
We drove both vehicles part way back to Yuma. I parked the truck and camper in the parking lot of Cocopah Casino, and we continued into Yuma in Obie. We shopped for and bought a used tire to replace the tire that self-destructed a couple of weeks ago. We drove back to the Cocopah Casino, I drove home in the truck and camper, and Joanne went grocery shopping in Obie. Back at home I parked the truck and camper in the storage yard, then chatted with neighbours until it was time to take Bo for our afternoon two lap walk around the dog park. Just as I finished that, and was about to go for my daily sunset bicycle ride, Joanne returned home.
Tuesday ; Sunny and very warm. Joanne cooked a Thai Chicken recipe in the Sun Oven today.
This morning Joanne helped me remount Obie's spare tire underneath the car. I did some minor maintenance on Elsie the camper. We loaded all our recycling bins in the car. After lunch we drove to the local recycling depot and dumped our recycling. From there we drove to the Humane Society for a slightly longer than usual shift of dog walking and cat cuddling. I was asked to assist with a "bite dog" assessment. And ... HA HA HA ... not surprisingly, I got bit ! No harm done ! The cute little "bite dog" got a mouthful of my pant leg and tore my pants, but ... missed my leg flesh ! Poor little Teddy ! His "prognosis" is poor. He's not really adoptable and will probably have to be ... well, you know !
Back at home we took Bo for a walk around the dog park then while I went bicycling Joanne started work on laundering. We had supper ... very good ... then spent the evening watching Canadian comedy shows, our regular Tuesday evening ritual.
Wednesday ; Sunny and very warm.
This morning we drove to Yepez Automotive Services in Somerton to pick up the front floor mats that the owner bought for us to replace the front floor mat that they lost while Obie was in for service. Back at home we had lunch, then went to the storage area to do some minor maintenance on the camper, and to put away our laundered clothing.
After a brief nap I trimmed my beard, then climbed up on the roof of the trailer and did some minor resealing, an annual roof maintenance chore. The trailer roof is looking pretty worn out ! I used a new lap sealant that I have not used before. We went for a two lap walk around the dog park, then I went bicycling at sunset.
Emma has been happily spending a few hours each afternoon in the Arizona room. It's sunny, it's warm, she can sit on the dinette table and look outside and watch what's going on in the dog park, and most importantly ... HA HA HA ... she can "hunt" the little gecko that apparently now lives in our Arizona room.
MMMMM ! Haida Gwaii Coho Salmon with dill cream sauce and mushroom risotto for supper. And that's the last of the salmon we bought on Haida Gwaii last August !
Thursday ; Sunny and very warm.
Joanne picked up our friend Gail and they went out shopping all day. I disassembled and thoroughly cleaned our barbecue, an annual chore. I made fire starters, using a cardboard egg crate, dryer lint, and melted wax. I read and napped with the animals. In the late afternoon and evening I worked on monthly computer maintenance, scanning for viruses and malware, cleaning and defragmenting the hard drive, that sort of thing.
Friday ; Sunny and mild, a bit windy. Joanne roasted a chicken in the Sun Oven today. It was very good !
This morning I worked on routine household chores. And things went poorly ! < sigh > I had a "funnel malfunction", and splashed bleach on my shirt and pants. < sigh > And a sewer hose fitting cracked while I was dumping the black waste tank. < sigh >
After lunch we went downtown to the "What's Growing In Yuma" event, the low budget, downsized version of "Lettuce Days", an annual agricultural event held in previous years. HMPH ... "What's Growing In Yuma" was a flop ! On the way back home we went grocery shopping at Albertson's.
We took Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park, then I went bicycling at sunset. Joanne visited with Laszlo and Gail to finalize arrangements for her to join them on a trip to Mexico tomorrow.
Saturday ; Sunny and warm. This morning Laszlo and Gail picked up Joanne and they all headed off for a day in Los Algodones, Mexico ; pedicures, haircuts, lunch, shopping.
After an early lunch I headed off to The Foothills for an afternoon of running errands ; Wal-Mart, Southwest Exchange, Al's RV Supply, Goodwill, and on the way back home, Wally's World. I arrived back home at 4 PM and walked over to the other side of the park to visit with some people from Vancouver Island. Carol Mae had asked me to pay them a visit to answer some questions they had about living in the Okanagan Valley region of British Columbia.
Joanne arrived home about the same time as I did, around 5 PM. We chatted in the Arizona room for about an hour, then took Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park.
I went bicycling at sunset, then barbecued a thick, juicy steak for supper.
DSK
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Saturday, February 18, 2017
February 12 to 18, 2017 ; Quartzsite, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada and return to Yuma, Arizona
Sunday ; Quartzsite, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada
Mix of sun and clouds, warm.
We slept late this morning. While I did some battery maintenance work on the camper Joanne took Emma for a leash walk in the desert. Emma didn't like the open desert much, but she liked going down in the arroyo ( dry wash / dry creek bed ) behind our campsite and exploring. She was afraid of the noise created by nearby ATV's.
We left Hi Jolly BLM Campground about 1 PM after having an early ( for us ) lunch. We drove north, then west on Arizona Hwy. 95 to Parker where we refilled our freshwater tank at Running Man Fuels. We crossed the Colorado River for the first of three times today, into California, then drove west on Hwy. 62 for twenty miles or so then turned north on California Hwy. 95. When we reached Needles, a scruffy little desert town that I have always disliked, we turned east on Interstate 40 and headed about ten miles or so until we crossed the Colorado River once again, back into Arizona. We turned north on Arizona Hwy. 95 again to Bullhead City.
We refilled with diesel at Maverik Fuels in Bullhead City, then crossed the Colorado River for the third time, this time west into Nevada, at the Avi Casino a bit south of Laughlin. We drove to Laughlin, and found our way to the Riverside Casino, arriving there about 5:15 PM. I am typing this about an hour later, still 5:15 PM, because when we crossed into Nevada the time zone changed. Joanne has gone inside the casino to check some things out while I stayed in the camper with the animals, and reset clocks and watches.
We had dinner at the Riverside Casino Resort's buffet restaurant, called ...
< blink blink > ... the Riverside Buffet. DUH ! We used the last of our free buffet vouchers, left over from previous stays in their RV park.
Emma has had another great day ! It seems as if she is going to enjoy travelling ! Hallelujah !
Monday ; Laughlin to Las Vegas, Nevada
Sunny and warm.
We had another late, slow start to the day. Before leaving the Riverside Casino parking lot we went for a long walk, with Bo, on RiverWalk, the paved walkway along the Colorado River. We hit the road about 12:30 PM. Joanne and Emma stayed inside the camper. We wanted to find out if Emma preferred to be in the camper while we drove. She did not !
I drove west on Hwy. 163 for about half an hour or so until we reached NV Hwy. 95. Too many Hwy 95's around here ! I stopped at the intersection to allow Joanne and Emma to get out of the camper and into the truck cab. Emma was much happier !
We headed north on Hwy. 95 until we reached Las Vegas and Hwy. 95 merged with Interstate 515 heading through the city. We saw a mall with a Wal-Mart so we stopped to have a late lunch in the parking lot, then went inside to buy a few grocery items. By the time we left the shopping mall it was 4 PM and rush hour was starting ! Six lanes of traffic, bumper to bumper, seventy miles per hour, and ... < sputter > ... drivers all around me with their heads down, texting on their phones ! ! ! ! !
The exit that we needed to take to get to Main Street Station Casino Hotel & RV Park, was closed due to construction. < sigh > Story of my life ! We merged onto Interstate 15 and took the next available exit, then found our way on city streets back to Main Street Station. Not that easy ! < sigh >
We parked in our assigned site in the Main Street Station Casino's RV Park. While
I dumped waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank Joanne went across the street to the hotel's front desk to register our arrival. HMPH ! No cable TV. No Wi-Fi ! I raised the camper's roof top antenna and set up the TV. Joanne made supper. We "channel surfed" until it was time to watch the season finale of Celebrity Apprentice.
Tuesday ; Valentine's Day ; Las Vegas
Sunny and warm.
We got a slow start to the day. After lunch we walked a few blocks over to Freemont Street and bought two transit passes, then caught an overcrowded SDX ( Strip to Downtown Express ) bus ... double length, articulated in the middle ... and rode it from “Downtown” ( Freemont Street area ) to “The Strip” ( Las Vegas Boulevard ), getting off at The Bellagio, Joanne’s favourite Las Vegas Casino Hotel.
We got off the SDX bus right in front of The Bellagio’s “Dancing Fountains” a few minutes before 4 PM, just in time for the hourly dancing fountains show. We found a good place to view the show and ... watched a couple of weddings take place in front of the fountains / “lake”. First wedding was being officiated by some manner of “Rent-A-Priest” ! Black fellow, long black robe, white cleric collar, briefcase full of Nevada marriage documents, photographer sidekick. HMPH ! Who knew ? ! Welcome to Vegas, baby !
After watching the dancing fountains show ... ( Man, I never get tired of that ! ) ... we went inside The Bellagio to marvel at their astounding interior, and ... to visit The Conservatory and see what this season’s floral theme and displays were. OH ... Chinese New Year ! We spent time viewing The Conservatory’s floral displays, then began wandering through The Bellagio’s casino and shopping areas, moving in the general direction of Caesars Palace, the next casino hotel. Eventually we made it over to Caesars Palace. We found our way to The Colloseum, the venue for tonight’s show, our reason for being in Las Vegas, then wandered off to explore The Shoppes At The Forum.
We had a lovely dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. We had eaten here before and liked it enough to return. Good food, reasonable prices, excellent service, and close to The Colloseum. After a leisurely supper we headed back to The Colloseum for ...
ELTON JOHN ... MILLION DOLLAR PIANO ! Two tickets to see Elton John perform in Las Vegas on Valentine’s Day were my birthday gift to Joanne on her recent 63rd birthday. Happy Birthday ... and Happy Valentine’s Day, my love. You know ... when we were dating 45 years ago, and I was listening to Led Zeppelin and Iron Butterfly, your fondness for Elton John’s music was ... a tad annoying. It’s amazing how much the years have mellowed me ! HA HA HA !
This is the second time we have seen Elton John perform at the Colloseum in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The first time, a couple of years ago, the show was a little bit better than tonight’s show. AND ... < sputter > ... tonight’s show was marred by two disturbing incidents in the audience near us. What a rough crowd ! First ... some manner of dispute took place a few rows ahead of us. Some fellow was loudly screaming “shut the **** up” at people behind him. A fight broke out. A large group of security people rushed in, wrestled a bunch of people out, and evicted them. That incident caused us to have difficulty seeing and hearing the show for a few minutes. Not too long thereafter, some Valentine’s Day drama unfolded a few seats over from us. Some young woman began sobbing very loudly and moaning about “what a piece of shit you are” to the young man beside her. He stood up and left as Security arrived to quiet her down. They failed to be able to do so, so ... they removed her and evicted her from the show. Another couple of minutes of the show was disrupted for us.
My theory is ... some people drink way too much ! ! !
After the show we walked back to The Cheesecake Factory to share a piece of really decadent Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake ! Afterwards we walked through Caesars Palace, outside, across the street, and a long way down Las Vegas Boulevard looking for a bus stop. WHEW ... angina ! Must have headed in the wrong direction ! We caught The Deuce ... a double decker bus that made a lot more stops than did the SDX bus. We arrived back “home” at Main Street Station Casino RV Park about 12:30 AM.
Sunny and warm.
We slept late this morning and got a slow start to the day. After an early lunch we headed for an afternoon of exploring "The Strip". We left "home" about 2 PM, caught an SDX bus about 2:15 PM, and got off the bus at the Fashion Show Mall about 3 PM. We wandered around the huge, three storey mall for an hour or so, browsing, not buying.
We crossed the street and entered The Wynn, one of The Strip's large, luxury casino hotels. We wandered around The Wynn's shopping areas, then walked over to the next casino hotel, the Palazzo. More wandering around. Then The Venetian. More wandering around ! Bought some cookies at Honolulu Cookie Company. Watched some entertainment at The Venetian's version of St Mark's Square. It's hard for me to be appreciative of a Las Vegas version of St. Mark's Square in Venice when I've been to the real St. Mark's Square three times.
At about 6:30 PM we decided we were tired and hungry and it was time to go home. We caught an SDX bus and returned "home" to Main Street Station Casino RV Park. Joanne prepared supper, I worked on my computer, and ... Emma pouted. It seems as if our absences yesterday and today have made her feel a bit abandoned and insecure.
Thursday ; Las Vegas
This morning we prepared for departure and left Main Street Station Casino’s RV Park about 11 AM and headed south out of Las Vegas on Interstate 515 for only eleven miles before getting off the freeway at Sunset Boulevard in Henderson to refill some water jugs at Wal-Mart. Then it was back onto the freeway heading south on Hwy. 95. We stopped to have lunch in the parking lot of Terrible’s Travel Center in Spotlight. Terrible’s is a Nevada chain of small casinos and fuel bar / travel centers. After lunch we continued south on Hwy. 95, then east on Hwy. 163, then south on Needles Highway to the Avi Casino on the south side of Laughlin.
We got ourselves parked in the Avi’s RV boondock parking lot, then I napped briefly before going inside the casino to spend a couple of hours working online using the casino’s free Wi-Fi in their front lobby. First time I’ve had access to Wi-Fi since leaving home a week ago ! At 8 PM we went for dinner in The Harvest Buffet. WOO-HOO ! 2-4-1 Thursday ! Half price ETYS !
Friday ; Laughlin, Nevada to Yuma, Arizona
Cloudy and mild early in the day. Extremely windy in the afternoon and evening.
This morning we left the RV parking lot of the Avi Casino about 11 AM. We refilled the camper’s freshwater tank at the Avi's fuel bar, then drove across the Colorado River from Nevada into Bullhead City, Arizona. We stopped at Smiths Fuel Bar where
I refilled Lanoire with diesel, then crossed the street to Safeway where Joanne bought a loaf of bread. We had lunch in Safeway's parking lot, then about 1:30 PM we headed south on AZ Hwy. 95, crossing the Colorado River again to Needles, California, then briefly on Interstate 40, then south again on CA Hwy. 95. At Blythe we turned east on Interstate 10, crossed the Colorado River ( again ! ), then at Quartzsite we turned south on AZ Hwy. 95 ( again ! ).
A few miles south of Quartzsite we stopped at the Roadrunner BLM ( boondocking / unserviced ) Campground where we were planning to stop for the night and have a campfire dinner. BUT ... by the time we arrived there ... around 4:30 PM ... the wind was extremely strong, with the radio warning of dangerous winds and heavy rain in the evening and overnight. This was the storm that was devastating Southern California today. We decided not to stay, and continued south on Hwy. 95, arriving home at Kofa Ko-op RV Park in Yuma about 6:45 PM just as it got dark.
Good decision ! The winds tonight were ... < blink blink > ... severe !
Emma was stunned and thrilled to be "home" ! When we thought about it we realized ... twice in the last year she has left home ... and never returned. Her first home, lasting some twelve years, and her second home, lasting seven months. She has no experience with leaving home ... then happily returning a week later. New experience for her ! Learning curve, eh Emma ?
Saturday ; Cloudy, chilly, raining all day.
The rain started overnight and continued all day, a pretty rare occurrence for Yuma. This is the killer storm from Southern California, although by the time Pacific storms reach us here in the Mojave ( California / west side of Colorado River ) and Sonoran
( Arizona / east side of Colorado River ) deserts they're pretty dried out, so to speak. The heavy rain all day brought to my attention ... < heavy sigh > ... a leak in the camper roof around the kitchen Fantastic Fan vent.
I spent much of the day getting caught up on online chores and processing photos. Joanne unloaded and cleaned the camper. Emma snoozed and snoozed and snoozed on her fluffy little yellow blankie on the rocker recliner, "her" chair. HA HA HA ... welcome back home, Emma.
DSK
Mix of sun and clouds, warm.
We slept late this morning. While I did some battery maintenance work on the camper Joanne took Emma for a leash walk in the desert. Emma didn't like the open desert much, but she liked going down in the arroyo ( dry wash / dry creek bed ) behind our campsite and exploring. She was afraid of the noise created by nearby ATV's.
We left Hi Jolly BLM Campground about 1 PM after having an early ( for us ) lunch. We drove north, then west on Arizona Hwy. 95 to Parker where we refilled our freshwater tank at Running Man Fuels. We crossed the Colorado River for the first of three times today, into California, then drove west on Hwy. 62 for twenty miles or so then turned north on California Hwy. 95. When we reached Needles, a scruffy little desert town that I have always disliked, we turned east on Interstate 40 and headed about ten miles or so until we crossed the Colorado River once again, back into Arizona. We turned north on Arizona Hwy. 95 again to Bullhead City.
We refilled with diesel at Maverik Fuels in Bullhead City, then crossed the Colorado River for the third time, this time west into Nevada, at the Avi Casino a bit south of Laughlin. We drove to Laughlin, and found our way to the Riverside Casino, arriving there about 5:15 PM. I am typing this about an hour later, still 5:15 PM, because when we crossed into Nevada the time zone changed. Joanne has gone inside the casino to check some things out while I stayed in the camper with the animals, and reset clocks and watches.
We had dinner at the Riverside Casino Resort's buffet restaurant, called ...
< blink blink > ... the Riverside Buffet. DUH ! We used the last of our free buffet vouchers, left over from previous stays in their RV park.
Emma has had another great day ! It seems as if she is going to enjoy travelling ! Hallelujah !
Monday ; Laughlin to Las Vegas, Nevada
Sunny and warm.
We had another late, slow start to the day. Before leaving the Riverside Casino parking lot we went for a long walk, with Bo, on RiverWalk, the paved walkway along the Colorado River. We hit the road about 12:30 PM. Joanne and Emma stayed inside the camper. We wanted to find out if Emma preferred to be in the camper while we drove. She did not !
I drove west on Hwy. 163 for about half an hour or so until we reached NV Hwy. 95. Too many Hwy 95's around here ! I stopped at the intersection to allow Joanne and Emma to get out of the camper and into the truck cab. Emma was much happier !
We headed north on Hwy. 95 until we reached Las Vegas and Hwy. 95 merged with Interstate 515 heading through the city. We saw a mall with a Wal-Mart so we stopped to have a late lunch in the parking lot, then went inside to buy a few grocery items. By the time we left the shopping mall it was 4 PM and rush hour was starting ! Six lanes of traffic, bumper to bumper, seventy miles per hour, and ... < sputter > ... drivers all around me with their heads down, texting on their phones ! ! ! ! !
The exit that we needed to take to get to Main Street Station Casino Hotel & RV Park, was closed due to construction. < sigh > Story of my life ! We merged onto Interstate 15 and took the next available exit, then found our way on city streets back to Main Street Station. Not that easy ! < sigh >
We parked in our assigned site in the Main Street Station Casino's RV Park. While
I dumped waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank Joanne went across the street to the hotel's front desk to register our arrival. HMPH ! No cable TV. No Wi-Fi ! I raised the camper's roof top antenna and set up the TV. Joanne made supper. We "channel surfed" until it was time to watch the season finale of Celebrity Apprentice.
Tuesday ; Valentine's Day ; Las Vegas
Sunny and warm.
We got a slow start to the day. After lunch we walked a few blocks over to Freemont Street and bought two transit passes, then caught an overcrowded SDX ( Strip to Downtown Express ) bus ... double length, articulated in the middle ... and rode it from “Downtown” ( Freemont Street area ) to “The Strip” ( Las Vegas Boulevard ), getting off at The Bellagio, Joanne’s favourite Las Vegas Casino Hotel.
We got off the SDX bus right in front of The Bellagio’s “Dancing Fountains” a few minutes before 4 PM, just in time for the hourly dancing fountains show. We found a good place to view the show and ... watched a couple of weddings take place in front of the fountains / “lake”. First wedding was being officiated by some manner of “Rent-A-Priest” ! Black fellow, long black robe, white cleric collar, briefcase full of Nevada marriage documents, photographer sidekick. HMPH ! Who knew ? ! Welcome to Vegas, baby !
After watching the dancing fountains show ... ( Man, I never get tired of that ! ) ... we went inside The Bellagio to marvel at their astounding interior, and ... to visit The Conservatory and see what this season’s floral theme and displays were. OH ... Chinese New Year ! We spent time viewing The Conservatory’s floral displays, then began wandering through The Bellagio’s casino and shopping areas, moving in the general direction of Caesars Palace, the next casino hotel. Eventually we made it over to Caesars Palace. We found our way to The Colloseum, the venue for tonight’s show, our reason for being in Las Vegas, then wandered off to explore The Shoppes At The Forum.
We had a lovely dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. We had eaten here before and liked it enough to return. Good food, reasonable prices, excellent service, and close to The Colloseum. After a leisurely supper we headed back to The Colloseum for ...
ELTON JOHN ... MILLION DOLLAR PIANO ! Two tickets to see Elton John perform in Las Vegas on Valentine’s Day were my birthday gift to Joanne on her recent 63rd birthday. Happy Birthday ... and Happy Valentine’s Day, my love. You know ... when we were dating 45 years ago, and I was listening to Led Zeppelin and Iron Butterfly, your fondness for Elton John’s music was ... a tad annoying. It’s amazing how much the years have mellowed me ! HA HA HA !
This is the second time we have seen Elton John perform at the Colloseum in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The first time, a couple of years ago, the show was a little bit better than tonight’s show. AND ... < sputter > ... tonight’s show was marred by two disturbing incidents in the audience near us. What a rough crowd ! First ... some manner of dispute took place a few rows ahead of us. Some fellow was loudly screaming “shut the **** up” at people behind him. A fight broke out. A large group of security people rushed in, wrestled a bunch of people out, and evicted them. That incident caused us to have difficulty seeing and hearing the show for a few minutes. Not too long thereafter, some Valentine’s Day drama unfolded a few seats over from us. Some young woman began sobbing very loudly and moaning about “what a piece of shit you are” to the young man beside her. He stood up and left as Security arrived to quiet her down. They failed to be able to do so, so ... they removed her and evicted her from the show. Another couple of minutes of the show was disrupted for us.
My theory is ... some people drink way too much ! ! !
After the show we walked back to The Cheesecake Factory to share a piece of really decadent Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake ! Afterwards we walked through Caesars Palace, outside, across the street, and a long way down Las Vegas Boulevard looking for a bus stop. WHEW ... angina ! Must have headed in the wrong direction ! We caught The Deuce ... a double decker bus that made a lot more stops than did the SDX bus. We arrived back “home” at Main Street Station Casino RV Park about 12:30 AM.
Wednesday ; Las Vegas
Sunny and warm.
We slept late this morning and got a slow start to the day. After an early lunch we headed for an afternoon of exploring "The Strip". We left "home" about 2 PM, caught an SDX bus about 2:15 PM, and got off the bus at the Fashion Show Mall about 3 PM. We wandered around the huge, three storey mall for an hour or so, browsing, not buying.
We crossed the street and entered The Wynn, one of The Strip's large, luxury casino hotels. We wandered around The Wynn's shopping areas, then walked over to the next casino hotel, the Palazzo. More wandering around. Then The Venetian. More wandering around ! Bought some cookies at Honolulu Cookie Company. Watched some entertainment at The Venetian's version of St Mark's Square. It's hard for me to be appreciative of a Las Vegas version of St. Mark's Square in Venice when I've been to the real St. Mark's Square three times.
At about 6:30 PM we decided we were tired and hungry and it was time to go home. We caught an SDX bus and returned "home" to Main Street Station Casino RV Park. Joanne prepared supper, I worked on my computer, and ... Emma pouted. It seems as if our absences yesterday and today have made her feel a bit abandoned and insecure.
Thursday ; Las Vegas
This morning we prepared for departure and left Main Street Station Casino’s RV Park about 11 AM and headed south out of Las Vegas on Interstate 515 for only eleven miles before getting off the freeway at Sunset Boulevard in Henderson to refill some water jugs at Wal-Mart. Then it was back onto the freeway heading south on Hwy. 95. We stopped to have lunch in the parking lot of Terrible’s Travel Center in Spotlight. Terrible’s is a Nevada chain of small casinos and fuel bar / travel centers. After lunch we continued south on Hwy. 95, then east on Hwy. 163, then south on Needles Highway to the Avi Casino on the south side of Laughlin.
We got ourselves parked in the Avi’s RV boondock parking lot, then I napped briefly before going inside the casino to spend a couple of hours working online using the casino’s free Wi-Fi in their front lobby. First time I’ve had access to Wi-Fi since leaving home a week ago ! At 8 PM we went for dinner in The Harvest Buffet. WOO-HOO ! 2-4-1 Thursday ! Half price ETYS !
Friday ; Laughlin, Nevada to Yuma, Arizona
Cloudy and mild early in the day. Extremely windy in the afternoon and evening.
This morning we left the RV parking lot of the Avi Casino about 11 AM. We refilled the camper’s freshwater tank at the Avi's fuel bar, then drove across the Colorado River from Nevada into Bullhead City, Arizona. We stopped at Smiths Fuel Bar where
I refilled Lanoire with diesel, then crossed the street to Safeway where Joanne bought a loaf of bread. We had lunch in Safeway's parking lot, then about 1:30 PM we headed south on AZ Hwy. 95, crossing the Colorado River again to Needles, California, then briefly on Interstate 40, then south again on CA Hwy. 95. At Blythe we turned east on Interstate 10, crossed the Colorado River ( again ! ), then at Quartzsite we turned south on AZ Hwy. 95 ( again ! ).
A few miles south of Quartzsite we stopped at the Roadrunner BLM ( boondocking / unserviced ) Campground where we were planning to stop for the night and have a campfire dinner. BUT ... by the time we arrived there ... around 4:30 PM ... the wind was extremely strong, with the radio warning of dangerous winds and heavy rain in the evening and overnight. This was the storm that was devastating Southern California today. We decided not to stay, and continued south on Hwy. 95, arriving home at Kofa Ko-op RV Park in Yuma about 6:45 PM just as it got dark.
Good decision ! The winds tonight were ... < blink blink > ... severe !
Emma was stunned and thrilled to be "home" ! When we thought about it we realized ... twice in the last year she has left home ... and never returned. Her first home, lasting some twelve years, and her second home, lasting seven months. She has no experience with leaving home ... then happily returning a week later. New experience for her ! Learning curve, eh Emma ?
Saturday ; Cloudy, chilly, raining all day.
The rain started overnight and continued all day, a pretty rare occurrence for Yuma. This is the killer storm from Southern California, although by the time Pacific storms reach us here in the Mojave ( California / west side of Colorado River ) and Sonoran
( Arizona / east side of Colorado River ) deserts they're pretty dried out, so to speak. The heavy rain all day brought to my attention ... < heavy sigh > ... a leak in the camper roof around the kitchen Fantastic Fan vent.
I spent much of the day getting caught up on online chores and processing photos. Joanne unloaded and cleaned the camper. Emma snoozed and snoozed and snoozed on her fluffy little yellow blankie on the rocker recliner, "her" chair. HA HA HA ... welcome back home, Emma.
DSK
Thursday, February 16, 2017
February 5 to 11, 2017 ; Yuma, Arizona to Palm Springs, California to Quartzsite, Arizona
Sunday ; Sunny and warm, becoming cloudy and mild late in the afternoon.
This morning I remounted Obie's damaged tire underneath the car, in the spare tire position, just to get it out of the cargo area at the back of the car, and out of the way for now. And I remounted the jack and all the other stuff / accessories that were needed to change the tire last Friday. I took my bicycle to the RV park's compressor station and adjusted the air in the tires. I mounted an LED switched night light on the front "A" pillar on the passenger's side of Obie, as another "courtesy light".
This afternoon after I did some accounting work we loaded folding chairs into the back of Obie, picked up Laszlo and Gail, and headed out to attend a "unity rally". It was a social and political activism event that had "morphed" since it was first announced a couple of weeks ago. It began as Yuma's "second wave" response to the "women's marches" of a couple of weeks ago. But it changed from a "march" to a "rally". And it changed from a "women's march" to a "unity rally". And it was Joanne's interest.
I agreed to participate to be supportive. And Gail did the same. This morning I assisted Joanne in making a large sign "in memory of the six Muslim Canadians murdered one week ago".
And ... I realized this morning ... I had something to say at the rally. When we arrived at Kennedy Memorial Park, the site of the event, I approached the organizers and asked for an opportunity to speak for a minute or two. Joanne and I were carrying small Canadian flags. Joanne was carrying her "in memory" sign. With Joanne and Gail holding flags and a sign, standing behind me on stage, I gave a brief "speech" ... in four languages ; English, Spanish, French, and sign language. Despite having rehearsed it silently to myself throughout the day, I stumbled and fumbled, but got through it. And it was well received, especially my Spanish speaking efforts.
There were a variety of speakers speaking about a variety of social topics ; women's issues, LGBT issues, immigration issues, and so on. A lot of signs. A lot of anti-Trump sentiment ! We were surprised to see three other couples from Kofa Ko-op ( our RV park home ) at the rally, including an elderly lesbian couple. Based on the "demographics" of our park, we had not expected to see any of our "neighbours" at the rally. The rally lasted about two hours. Afterwards we went out for an "all you can eat" spaghetti dinner at Omega Restaurant.
Monday ; Mostly cloudy, warm.
This morning Joanne went out with Gail for a day of shopping and errands, sort of their weekly "girls' day out". Fine by me ! I puttered around the yard, watering all our plants and gardens. I did some maintenance work on Harvey the fifth wheel trailer. I had lunch, then napped with the animals. I removed the cover from our Arizona room's evaporative "swamp" cooler, and did the necessary annual maintenance to make it ready to function. Hot weather is coming ! After Joanne returned home I removed the passenger side front door panel from Obie. Tomorrow I will do some refurbishment of the door panel and reinstall it.
When I took Bo for a walk in the dog park late this morning, I discovered ... HUH ? One of my neighbours is "hand feeding" one of our dog park's resident Roadrunners ? ! ? And this is the second year he has been doing so ? ! ? Our seven acre dog park has a mated pair of Roadrunners. They are frequently visible in the dog park. They drink water out of the water bowl we have placed in the dog park behind our rear fence. And our neighbour hand feeds small pieces of wiener to the male every day around lunch time. HA HA HA ! The female is too timid to take food from Don, so she stands on the brick fence and waits for her mate to return with "lunch". Today ... HA HA HA ... the male jumped down into the dog park with the piece of wiener in his mouth, and began an elaborate mating dance. It's spring time ! It's mating season ! "Hey baby ! Want some of my wiener ? < wink wink >" HA HA HA HA HA ! You go, Roadie ! I had never seen a Roadrunner mating dance before. It’s very interesting !
Tuesday ; Sunny and warm.
This morning I repaired and reinstalled the passenger side front door panel in Obie. Now both the driver's side and passenger's side front door panels have been repaired and reinstalled. This car has been subjected to some very poor "home handyman" repair work in the past, or ... it has been roughly torn apart by Customs or other law enforcement.
This afternoon we went to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift of dog walking and cat cuddling. The inventory of both cats and dogs was much lower than usual. That's a good thing, I guess. I "mentored" a new dog walker volunteer on her first shift. After we returned home I filled and hung a Hummingbird feeder. And
I glue repaired a broken door shelf in our shed fridge.
On Tuesday evenings we watch a succession of Canadian comedy shows on TV ; Rick Mercer Report, 22 Minutes, and Schitt's Creek.
Wednesday ; Sunny and very warm.
This morning I sold our neighbours' expensive tow bar system, for towing a car behind a motorhome. More than a month ago I agreed to try to sell some of their surplus equipment, including two expensive pieces of towed car towing equipment. I sold all the smaller, less expensive items, and now I sold one of the two expensive pieces of equipment. Only one item left !
This afternoon I went to the storage area to turn on the fridge in the camper.
I discovered ... the battery on the camper was dead. AND ... < sputter > ... both truck batteries were dead ! < sigh > When we parked the truck and camper in the storage yard after returning from our Palm Springs New Year's Eve trip, I did something wrong, and three dead batteries were the result. I borrowed a battery charger, charged the truck batteries while we had a late lunch, then was able to start the truck. I moved the truck and camper to our lot, put the battery charger back onto the truck batteries, and plugged the camper into 120V AC which will result in the camper battery being recharged. Hopefully all three batteries will be fine tomorrow.
Thursday ; Happy 13th Birthday to Bo
Sunny and very warm. What a frustrating ( half ) day !
This morning we drove both vehicles to the nearby town of Somerton, and left Obie the SUV for service while we are travelling for the next week or so. This afternoon we replaced a section of aluminum fascia insert trim on the roof edge at the rear of our Arizona room. While assisting me with that Joanne inadvertently damaged the cable of the satellite dish, and bumped the dish out of alignment. < sigh > It took me about four and a half hours of frustrating efforts to identify / locate and solve the problems and get our satellite signal re-established. < sigh > Second bout this winter of satellite dish drama !
Friday ; Happy 68th Birthday to my sister Sharon ; Yuma, Arizona to Palm Springs, California
Mostly cloudy, very warm.
This morning we took care of routine chores, finished preparing for departure, walked a lap around the dog park, and departed Kofa Ko-op at noon. We drove through Yuma, to Interstate 8, and west on I-8 over the Colorado River into California. About an hour later we turned north on Hwy. 111, then north on Hwy. 86. We stopped for a late lunch, including a date shake, in Westmoreland. Bo's first date shake of this winter season. Happy belated birthday, Bo ! Bo LOOOOOVES date shakes ! We arrived at the eastern edge of Palm Springs around 4 PM.
This was our first road trip with Emma. It went very well ! She vocalized her displeasure, and paced restlessly around inside the cab of the truck, for about an hour. Then she settled down and relaxed, realizing that everything was okay. She trusts us to care for her, and seems confident that no harm will come to her as long as she is with us. She spent most of the trip on Joanne's lap, but also spent some time on the dashboard, and in the pet carrier on the back seat.
Our first destination after arriving in the Palm Springs area was La Quinta Community Park, where we are attending a charity dog event tomorrow. After finding that location we headed to Trader Joe's for some gourmet / specialty food shopping. Finally we headed to the Palm Springs Dog Park, arriving later than we had hoped, at 6:30 PM. Bo was SO excited ! It became dark about twenty minutes after we arrived, but the dog park now has night lighting, so we were able to enjoy ourselves there for about an hour, until 7:30 PM. By then Bo was tired, and we were hungry.
We went to PetsMart to buy some dog food, and an engraved pet tag for Emma. Even though he was tired out from the dog park, Bo enjoyed shopping. HA HA HA ! We went for a late and eagerly awaited supper at Sherman's Deli, at their Palm Desert location. We have never been to that location before, having always gone to their "downtown" location before. We arrived at 8:30 PM and even at that late hour we had to wait about fifteen minutes for a table. And surprisingly ... we were a tad disappointed. We have never been disappointed with anything at the downtown location, but ... with the exception of the superb Matzo Ball Soup, our meal at this location fell a bit short !
After supper we found our way back to Interstate 10, and travelled east back to Spotlight 29 Casino where we boondocked overnight, arriving at the casino about 10:15 PM.
Saturday ; Palm Springs, California to Quartzsite, California
Mostly sunny, very warm.
This morning we left the parking lot of Spotlight 29 Casino about 10:30 AM. First stop was the nearby Love's Travel Center to refill our freshwater tank. Then we headed over to the La Quinta Community Park, arriving about 11:30 AM for the start of Strut Your Mutt 2017, an annual, day long, fun competition, charity dog event.
BO ! You're such a loser ! HA HA HA ! We entered Bo in two competition categories ; Best Tail Wag and Best Rescued Dog Story. He did not win either category ! Fortunately, those were two of the earliest categories, because by the time they were over, Bo was tired ! HA HA HA ! We had lunch in the camper, then spent the rest of the afternoon watching the rest of the competitions, such as ; Best Hairstyle, Best Bling, Prettiest Female, etc. HEY ! This IS Palm Springs, you know ! HA HA HA !
When the event finished at 3:30 PM we headed back through the city towards Interstate 10. We stopped at a Ralph's Supermarket & Fuel Bar to refill with diesel and buy some hot dog buns for tonight's supper. We were on the Interstate and headed east at 4:30 PM. We arrived in Quartzsite, Arizona at 6:30 PM, and got to the High Jolly BLM Campground a few miles north of town just as it got dark at 6:45 PM. I made a campfire and we had a "wiener roast" for supper, with potato salad made with eggs and potatoes cooked at "home" in the Sun Oven a few days ago.
Emma did superbly well today ! She seems to have accepted travelling in the truck as a great way to snuggle and bond with both me and Joanne. And living and sleeping in the camper is quite alright with her too. She is fascinated by the concept of this “tiny apartment” that we live in, that travels with us, and the view / scenery out the windows changes with each move. HA HA HA ! And we “crossed a bridge” today ! Between Palm Springs and Quartzsite, Emma used the litter box on the floor in the back of the truck for the first ... you know ... “important event” ! No problemo ! ! ! Good girl, Emma !
DSK
This morning I remounted Obie's damaged tire underneath the car, in the spare tire position, just to get it out of the cargo area at the back of the car, and out of the way for now. And I remounted the jack and all the other stuff / accessories that were needed to change the tire last Friday. I took my bicycle to the RV park's compressor station and adjusted the air in the tires. I mounted an LED switched night light on the front "A" pillar on the passenger's side of Obie, as another "courtesy light".
This afternoon after I did some accounting work we loaded folding chairs into the back of Obie, picked up Laszlo and Gail, and headed out to attend a "unity rally". It was a social and political activism event that had "morphed" since it was first announced a couple of weeks ago. It began as Yuma's "second wave" response to the "women's marches" of a couple of weeks ago. But it changed from a "march" to a "rally". And it changed from a "women's march" to a "unity rally". And it was Joanne's interest.
I agreed to participate to be supportive. And Gail did the same. This morning I assisted Joanne in making a large sign "in memory of the six Muslim Canadians murdered one week ago".
And ... I realized this morning ... I had something to say at the rally. When we arrived at Kennedy Memorial Park, the site of the event, I approached the organizers and asked for an opportunity to speak for a minute or two. Joanne and I were carrying small Canadian flags. Joanne was carrying her "in memory" sign. With Joanne and Gail holding flags and a sign, standing behind me on stage, I gave a brief "speech" ... in four languages ; English, Spanish, French, and sign language. Despite having rehearsed it silently to myself throughout the day, I stumbled and fumbled, but got through it. And it was well received, especially my Spanish speaking efforts.
There were a variety of speakers speaking about a variety of social topics ; women's issues, LGBT issues, immigration issues, and so on. A lot of signs. A lot of anti-Trump sentiment ! We were surprised to see three other couples from Kofa Ko-op ( our RV park home ) at the rally, including an elderly lesbian couple. Based on the "demographics" of our park, we had not expected to see any of our "neighbours" at the rally. The rally lasted about two hours. Afterwards we went out for an "all you can eat" spaghetti dinner at Omega Restaurant.
Monday ; Mostly cloudy, warm.
This morning Joanne went out with Gail for a day of shopping and errands, sort of their weekly "girls' day out". Fine by me ! I puttered around the yard, watering all our plants and gardens. I did some maintenance work on Harvey the fifth wheel trailer. I had lunch, then napped with the animals. I removed the cover from our Arizona room's evaporative "swamp" cooler, and did the necessary annual maintenance to make it ready to function. Hot weather is coming ! After Joanne returned home I removed the passenger side front door panel from Obie. Tomorrow I will do some refurbishment of the door panel and reinstall it.
When I took Bo for a walk in the dog park late this morning, I discovered ... HUH ? One of my neighbours is "hand feeding" one of our dog park's resident Roadrunners ? ! ? And this is the second year he has been doing so ? ! ? Our seven acre dog park has a mated pair of Roadrunners. They are frequently visible in the dog park. They drink water out of the water bowl we have placed in the dog park behind our rear fence. And our neighbour hand feeds small pieces of wiener to the male every day around lunch time. HA HA HA ! The female is too timid to take food from Don, so she stands on the brick fence and waits for her mate to return with "lunch". Today ... HA HA HA ... the male jumped down into the dog park with the piece of wiener in his mouth, and began an elaborate mating dance. It's spring time ! It's mating season ! "Hey baby ! Want some of my wiener ? < wink wink >" HA HA HA HA HA ! You go, Roadie ! I had never seen a Roadrunner mating dance before. It’s very interesting !
Tuesday ; Sunny and warm.
This morning I repaired and reinstalled the passenger side front door panel in Obie. Now both the driver's side and passenger's side front door panels have been repaired and reinstalled. This car has been subjected to some very poor "home handyman" repair work in the past, or ... it has been roughly torn apart by Customs or other law enforcement.
This afternoon we went to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift of dog walking and cat cuddling. The inventory of both cats and dogs was much lower than usual. That's a good thing, I guess. I "mentored" a new dog walker volunteer on her first shift. After we returned home I filled and hung a Hummingbird feeder. And
I glue repaired a broken door shelf in our shed fridge.
On Tuesday evenings we watch a succession of Canadian comedy shows on TV ; Rick Mercer Report, 22 Minutes, and Schitt's Creek.
Wednesday ; Sunny and very warm.
This morning I sold our neighbours' expensive tow bar system, for towing a car behind a motorhome. More than a month ago I agreed to try to sell some of their surplus equipment, including two expensive pieces of towed car towing equipment. I sold all the smaller, less expensive items, and now I sold one of the two expensive pieces of equipment. Only one item left !
This afternoon I went to the storage area to turn on the fridge in the camper.
I discovered ... the battery on the camper was dead. AND ... < sputter > ... both truck batteries were dead ! < sigh > When we parked the truck and camper in the storage yard after returning from our Palm Springs New Year's Eve trip, I did something wrong, and three dead batteries were the result. I borrowed a battery charger, charged the truck batteries while we had a late lunch, then was able to start the truck. I moved the truck and camper to our lot, put the battery charger back onto the truck batteries, and plugged the camper into 120V AC which will result in the camper battery being recharged. Hopefully all three batteries will be fine tomorrow.
Thursday ; Happy 13th Birthday to Bo
Sunny and very warm. What a frustrating ( half ) day !
This morning we drove both vehicles to the nearby town of Somerton, and left Obie the SUV for service while we are travelling for the next week or so. This afternoon we replaced a section of aluminum fascia insert trim on the roof edge at the rear of our Arizona room. While assisting me with that Joanne inadvertently damaged the cable of the satellite dish, and bumped the dish out of alignment. < sigh > It took me about four and a half hours of frustrating efforts to identify / locate and solve the problems and get our satellite signal re-established. < sigh > Second bout this winter of satellite dish drama !
Friday ; Happy 68th Birthday to my sister Sharon ; Yuma, Arizona to Palm Springs, California
Mostly cloudy, very warm.
This morning we took care of routine chores, finished preparing for departure, walked a lap around the dog park, and departed Kofa Ko-op at noon. We drove through Yuma, to Interstate 8, and west on I-8 over the Colorado River into California. About an hour later we turned north on Hwy. 111, then north on Hwy. 86. We stopped for a late lunch, including a date shake, in Westmoreland. Bo's first date shake of this winter season. Happy belated birthday, Bo ! Bo LOOOOOVES date shakes ! We arrived at the eastern edge of Palm Springs around 4 PM.
This was our first road trip with Emma. It went very well ! She vocalized her displeasure, and paced restlessly around inside the cab of the truck, for about an hour. Then she settled down and relaxed, realizing that everything was okay. She trusts us to care for her, and seems confident that no harm will come to her as long as she is with us. She spent most of the trip on Joanne's lap, but also spent some time on the dashboard, and in the pet carrier on the back seat.
Our first destination after arriving in the Palm Springs area was La Quinta Community Park, where we are attending a charity dog event tomorrow. After finding that location we headed to Trader Joe's for some gourmet / specialty food shopping. Finally we headed to the Palm Springs Dog Park, arriving later than we had hoped, at 6:30 PM. Bo was SO excited ! It became dark about twenty minutes after we arrived, but the dog park now has night lighting, so we were able to enjoy ourselves there for about an hour, until 7:30 PM. By then Bo was tired, and we were hungry.
We went to PetsMart to buy some dog food, and an engraved pet tag for Emma. Even though he was tired out from the dog park, Bo enjoyed shopping. HA HA HA ! We went for a late and eagerly awaited supper at Sherman's Deli, at their Palm Desert location. We have never been to that location before, having always gone to their "downtown" location before. We arrived at 8:30 PM and even at that late hour we had to wait about fifteen minutes for a table. And surprisingly ... we were a tad disappointed. We have never been disappointed with anything at the downtown location, but ... with the exception of the superb Matzo Ball Soup, our meal at this location fell a bit short !
After supper we found our way back to Interstate 10, and travelled east back to Spotlight 29 Casino where we boondocked overnight, arriving at the casino about 10:15 PM.
Saturday ; Palm Springs, California to Quartzsite, California
Mostly sunny, very warm.
This morning we left the parking lot of Spotlight 29 Casino about 10:30 AM. First stop was the nearby Love's Travel Center to refill our freshwater tank. Then we headed over to the La Quinta Community Park, arriving about 11:30 AM for the start of Strut Your Mutt 2017, an annual, day long, fun competition, charity dog event.
BO ! You're such a loser ! HA HA HA ! We entered Bo in two competition categories ; Best Tail Wag and Best Rescued Dog Story. He did not win either category ! Fortunately, those were two of the earliest categories, because by the time they were over, Bo was tired ! HA HA HA ! We had lunch in the camper, then spent the rest of the afternoon watching the rest of the competitions, such as ; Best Hairstyle, Best Bling, Prettiest Female, etc. HEY ! This IS Palm Springs, you know ! HA HA HA !
When the event finished at 3:30 PM we headed back through the city towards Interstate 10. We stopped at a Ralph's Supermarket & Fuel Bar to refill with diesel and buy some hot dog buns for tonight's supper. We were on the Interstate and headed east at 4:30 PM. We arrived in Quartzsite, Arizona at 6:30 PM, and got to the High Jolly BLM Campground a few miles north of town just as it got dark at 6:45 PM. I made a campfire and we had a "wiener roast" for supper, with potato salad made with eggs and potatoes cooked at "home" in the Sun Oven a few days ago.
Emma did superbly well today ! She seems to have accepted travelling in the truck as a great way to snuggle and bond with both me and Joanne. And living and sleeping in the camper is quite alright with her too. She is fascinated by the concept of this “tiny apartment” that we live in, that travels with us, and the view / scenery out the windows changes with each move. HA HA HA ! And we “crossed a bridge” today ! Between Palm Springs and Quartzsite, Emma used the litter box on the floor in the back of the truck for the first ... you know ... “important event” ! No problemo ! ! ! Good girl, Emma !
DSK
Sunday, February 5, 2017
January 29 to February 4, 2017
Sunday ; Sunny and warm. Joanne cooked a "barbecued" shredded chicken recipe in the Sun Oven today.
This afternoon we trimmed Bo's claws. Then I continued working on, and finished, rebuilding the solar panel frame. Finally ! The final project on my 2015 / 2016 winter season "TO DO" list is completed. HA HA HA ! Now I can get started on my
2016 / 2017 "TO DO" list. And the season is only half gone ! HA HA HA !
After our afternoon two lap walk around the dog park, and before having supper, we did some trip planning for an upcoming trip to Palm Springs and Las Vegas, part of a birthday gift for Joanne.
Monday ; Sunny and warm.
This morning I watered our plants and gardens, then took photos of the equipment that
I am trying to sell on behalf of a neighbour, to post on Craigslist. This afternoon Joanne went shopping with Gail. I napped with Bo and Emma, then did some online banking work. I made online reservations in an RV park in Las Vegas for our upcoming trip.
Late in the afternoon we went for a two lap walk around the dog park, and I went bicycling. After supper I worked on the computer doing some semi-annual "extended backup" work.
Tuesday ; Sunny and warm.
This morning I removed the bedroom window valance, and heat damaged pleated shade. I replaced the heat damaged pleated shade with a cheap roller blind. Tomorrow I will reinstall the valance.
This afternoon we went to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift of dog walking and cat cuddling. < taking a deep breath > It doesn't happen often, but today's experience left me feeling ... despondent and a bit overwhelmed. Joanne and
I squabbled while working on the bedroom window, so I was already feeling a bit emotionally beat up before we even got to the Humane Society.
Tonight I watched "Highway Thru Hell" on TV. Hard to believe that we live there ! Glad that we only live there during the summer !
Wednesday ; Sunny and very warm ! Summer has arrived here in Yuma, Arizona. On February 1 ! Eat your heart out, Winnipeg ! HA HA HA ! Joanne cooked Swiss Steak in the Sun Oven today. I wore shorts and sandals for the first time since ...
< thinking > ... September.
The window blind that I installed in the bedroom yesterday had to be removed and repositioned today. < sigh > Then I reinstalled the window valance. It also had to be mounted in a slightly different location than it initially had been. I filled out, printed, and mailed our annual IRS 8840 forms, declaring our "closer connection" to a foreign nation ( that would be Canada ) than to the United states, for income tax purposes ... < rolling my eyes >. That annual filing prevents the United States Internal Revenue Service from attempting to collect income taxes from us, despite our lengthy ( up to 182 days ) presence in the United States each year. I did some monthly budget planning and accounting.
Joanne did laundry. We had a four dog pack walk around the dog park at 6 PM ; Bo, Angus, Hank, and Jasmine. Bo thought it was great to have a pack walk with a couple of large Golden Retrievers. After the pack walk I went bicycling at sunset.
Thursday ; Sunny and very warm again.
We took Emma and Bo to the Humane Society of Yuma's walk in vaccine clinic today. Emma required a rabies vaccination, the last of her required vaccinations. Bo required a Bordetella vaccination, and a Yuma County dog license for 2017. The clinic was very busy today, as I think it almost always is. When we arrived there were fifteen patients waiting ahead of us, so our wait was about half an hour or so. All dogs ! Emma was understandably upset about being back at the Humane Society yet again. And this time, in a small waiting room filled with dogs. Sorry, Emma ... hopefully that will be your last visit to the Humane Society of Yuma. The very good news is ... Emma's weight has increased eleven ounces in the four weeks that she has been with us.
We drove to the Humane Society with Emma in a pet carrier. And on our way home we allowed her to be loose in the car, her first unrestrained ride. She did okay. Not excellent, but ... not bad, could have been a lot worse. Next week she will have her first long car ride when we go to Palm Springs.
Late in the afternoon we gave Bo a bath. Joanne applied a coat of spray paint to one of the two sets of mobile home steps that we use to get over our rear fence and into the dog park. Bo was inside the trailer, drying off after his bath. Emma was lounging in the Arizona room, which she has become fond of doing on sunny, warm days. Bo's dog friend Angus and his people were walking in the dog park, and stopped to chat over our fence. Angus was standing on our steps on the dog park side of the fence, looking over the fence into our yard. I brought Emma out of the Arizona room to visit. She stood on the brick fence, face to face with Angus on the steps. Emma sniffed Angus's face. Angus snapped at her.
HA HA HA ! Bad dog, Angus ! Emma drew her head back after being snapped at, and glared at Angus. His people scolded him. He is a smart enough dog to know when he has been bad, and when he is being scolded for bad behaviour. BUT ... he was totally unrepentant. "Bad dog ? Are you kidding me ? Did you see what that cat did ? She sniffed my face ! ! ! HMPH !" HA HA HA HA HA !
Friday ; Sunny and very warm.
This morning we picked up Laszlo and Gail and headed out in Obie for a day of shopping errands. I think it was a longer day than Laszlo and Gail had expected it to be. First stop was the Habitat For Humanity Re-Store to buy a can of spray paint. Desert coloured ( almond ) military surplus spray paint ... < rolling my eyes >. Then we headed east to The Foothills. Today was the second and final Helping Hands Yard Sale of the winter season at Gila Mountain United Methodist Church. Laszlo and
I found none of what we were looking for. Joanne and Gail each bought a couple of small items. Next stop was Al's RV Service & Supplies. Today was the monthly 15% off sale day. We each ate a free doughnut ... or two ... so lunch was postponed. Shortly after we left Al's the passenger side front tire on Obie decided to self-destruct. That wasn't a surprise, I had been advised recently by Big O Tires that that tire was about to self-destruct. I pulled into a parking lot and changed the tire.
Next stop was Southwest Exchange, sort of a flea market / guy stuff type of store. Then Green Tree Grocery, a sort of scratch and dent grocery store. Final shopping stop was Westerner Products, an aluminum awning and siding business where I bought sixty feet of two inch black trim insert for our Arizona room roof edge fascia. Last stop before heading home was Del Taco for a very late lunch.
After returning home to Kofa Ko-op, and dropping Laszlo and Gail off at their rig on the opposite side of the RV park, we took Bo for a walk in the dog park. And put Emma into the Arizona room for some fresh air. She was feeling quite ill today, probably from yesterday's rabies vaccination. While Joanne continued to spray paint our rear yard steps into the dog park I worked on our malfunctioning electric heater, tediously dismantling it, cleaning it, repairing it, and reassembling it before ... WOO-HOO ... perogies for supper.
Saturday ; Sunny and very warm.
This morning we headed to Arizona MarketPlace, the local large flea market. We bought a couple of small Canadian flags, to wave at tomorrow's "human rights / unity rally". And a whole lot of "guy stuff" repair hardware.
This afternoon while Joanne was out shopping by herself I sorted through yesterday's and today's purchases, then did some routine maintenance and repairs, mostly on Harvey the fifth wheel trailer. The largest and most difficult of today's jobs was removing the old and installing a new exterior door latch on the trailer.
At 6 PM we went for our regular two lap walk around the dog park, followed by my regular daily sunset bicycle ride. I visited for awhile with Laszlo and Gail. My contribution to tonight's supper was to cook the fish for fish tacos. I sliced cod fillets before coating and frying them. But they fell apart, and mostly became breaded cod mush more than breaded cod strips. Nevertheless ... it worked acceptably well for fish tacos. HA HA HA !
DSK
This afternoon we trimmed Bo's claws. Then I continued working on, and finished, rebuilding the solar panel frame. Finally ! The final project on my 2015 / 2016 winter season "TO DO" list is completed. HA HA HA ! Now I can get started on my
2016 / 2017 "TO DO" list. And the season is only half gone ! HA HA HA !
After our afternoon two lap walk around the dog park, and before having supper, we did some trip planning for an upcoming trip to Palm Springs and Las Vegas, part of a birthday gift for Joanne.
Monday ; Sunny and warm.
This morning I watered our plants and gardens, then took photos of the equipment that
I am trying to sell on behalf of a neighbour, to post on Craigslist. This afternoon Joanne went shopping with Gail. I napped with Bo and Emma, then did some online banking work. I made online reservations in an RV park in Las Vegas for our upcoming trip.
Late in the afternoon we went for a two lap walk around the dog park, and I went bicycling. After supper I worked on the computer doing some semi-annual "extended backup" work.
Tuesday ; Sunny and warm.
This morning I removed the bedroom window valance, and heat damaged pleated shade. I replaced the heat damaged pleated shade with a cheap roller blind. Tomorrow I will reinstall the valance.
This afternoon we went to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift of dog walking and cat cuddling. < taking a deep breath > It doesn't happen often, but today's experience left me feeling ... despondent and a bit overwhelmed. Joanne and
I squabbled while working on the bedroom window, so I was already feeling a bit emotionally beat up before we even got to the Humane Society.
Tonight I watched "Highway Thru Hell" on TV. Hard to believe that we live there ! Glad that we only live there during the summer !
Wednesday ; Sunny and very warm ! Summer has arrived here in Yuma, Arizona. On February 1 ! Eat your heart out, Winnipeg ! HA HA HA ! Joanne cooked Swiss Steak in the Sun Oven today. I wore shorts and sandals for the first time since ...
< thinking > ... September.
The window blind that I installed in the bedroom yesterday had to be removed and repositioned today. < sigh > Then I reinstalled the window valance. It also had to be mounted in a slightly different location than it initially had been. I filled out, printed, and mailed our annual IRS 8840 forms, declaring our "closer connection" to a foreign nation ( that would be Canada ) than to the United states, for income tax purposes ... < rolling my eyes >. That annual filing prevents the United States Internal Revenue Service from attempting to collect income taxes from us, despite our lengthy ( up to 182 days ) presence in the United States each year. I did some monthly budget planning and accounting.
Joanne did laundry. We had a four dog pack walk around the dog park at 6 PM ; Bo, Angus, Hank, and Jasmine. Bo thought it was great to have a pack walk with a couple of large Golden Retrievers. After the pack walk I went bicycling at sunset.
Thursday ; Sunny and very warm again.
We took Emma and Bo to the Humane Society of Yuma's walk in vaccine clinic today. Emma required a rabies vaccination, the last of her required vaccinations. Bo required a Bordetella vaccination, and a Yuma County dog license for 2017. The clinic was very busy today, as I think it almost always is. When we arrived there were fifteen patients waiting ahead of us, so our wait was about half an hour or so. All dogs ! Emma was understandably upset about being back at the Humane Society yet again. And this time, in a small waiting room filled with dogs. Sorry, Emma ... hopefully that will be your last visit to the Humane Society of Yuma. The very good news is ... Emma's weight has increased eleven ounces in the four weeks that she has been with us.
We drove to the Humane Society with Emma in a pet carrier. And on our way home we allowed her to be loose in the car, her first unrestrained ride. She did okay. Not excellent, but ... not bad, could have been a lot worse. Next week she will have her first long car ride when we go to Palm Springs.
Late in the afternoon we gave Bo a bath. Joanne applied a coat of spray paint to one of the two sets of mobile home steps that we use to get over our rear fence and into the dog park. Bo was inside the trailer, drying off after his bath. Emma was lounging in the Arizona room, which she has become fond of doing on sunny, warm days. Bo's dog friend Angus and his people were walking in the dog park, and stopped to chat over our fence. Angus was standing on our steps on the dog park side of the fence, looking over the fence into our yard. I brought Emma out of the Arizona room to visit. She stood on the brick fence, face to face with Angus on the steps. Emma sniffed Angus's face. Angus snapped at her.
HA HA HA ! Bad dog, Angus ! Emma drew her head back after being snapped at, and glared at Angus. His people scolded him. He is a smart enough dog to know when he has been bad, and when he is being scolded for bad behaviour. BUT ... he was totally unrepentant. "Bad dog ? Are you kidding me ? Did you see what that cat did ? She sniffed my face ! ! ! HMPH !" HA HA HA HA HA !
Friday ; Sunny and very warm.
This morning we picked up Laszlo and Gail and headed out in Obie for a day of shopping errands. I think it was a longer day than Laszlo and Gail had expected it to be. First stop was the Habitat For Humanity Re-Store to buy a can of spray paint. Desert coloured ( almond ) military surplus spray paint ... < rolling my eyes >. Then we headed east to The Foothills. Today was the second and final Helping Hands Yard Sale of the winter season at Gila Mountain United Methodist Church. Laszlo and
I found none of what we were looking for. Joanne and Gail each bought a couple of small items. Next stop was Al's RV Service & Supplies. Today was the monthly 15% off sale day. We each ate a free doughnut ... or two ... so lunch was postponed. Shortly after we left Al's the passenger side front tire on Obie decided to self-destruct. That wasn't a surprise, I had been advised recently by Big O Tires that that tire was about to self-destruct. I pulled into a parking lot and changed the tire.
Next stop was Southwest Exchange, sort of a flea market / guy stuff type of store. Then Green Tree Grocery, a sort of scratch and dent grocery store. Final shopping stop was Westerner Products, an aluminum awning and siding business where I bought sixty feet of two inch black trim insert for our Arizona room roof edge fascia. Last stop before heading home was Del Taco for a very late lunch.
After returning home to Kofa Ko-op, and dropping Laszlo and Gail off at their rig on the opposite side of the RV park, we took Bo for a walk in the dog park. And put Emma into the Arizona room for some fresh air. She was feeling quite ill today, probably from yesterday's rabies vaccination. While Joanne continued to spray paint our rear yard steps into the dog park I worked on our malfunctioning electric heater, tediously dismantling it, cleaning it, repairing it, and reassembling it before ... WOO-HOO ... perogies for supper.
Saturday ; Sunny and very warm.
This morning we headed to Arizona MarketPlace, the local large flea market. We bought a couple of small Canadian flags, to wave at tomorrow's "human rights / unity rally". And a whole lot of "guy stuff" repair hardware.
This afternoon while Joanne was out shopping by herself I sorted through yesterday's and today's purchases, then did some routine maintenance and repairs, mostly on Harvey the fifth wheel trailer. The largest and most difficult of today's jobs was removing the old and installing a new exterior door latch on the trailer.
At 6 PM we went for our regular two lap walk around the dog park, followed by my regular daily sunset bicycle ride. I visited for awhile with Laszlo and Gail. My contribution to tonight's supper was to cook the fish for fish tacos. I sliced cod fillets before coating and frying them. But they fell apart, and mostly became breaded cod mush more than breaded cod strips. Nevertheless ... it worked acceptably well for fish tacos. HA HA HA !
DSK
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