April 5 to 11, 2015 ; Palm Springs, California to Winnemucca, Nevada

Easter ; Palm Springs, California to Quartzsite, Arizona

Sunny and hot. Windy and cool late in the evening out in the desert.

This morning we left Caliente Springs RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs. Thank you very much for the two free nights, Caliente Springs. We refilled with diesel at Valero in Thousand Palms, then went to Spotlight 29 Casino for Easter Champagne Brunch. MMMMM ! ! ! Very good ! But not cheap !

We headed east on Interstate 10. We stopped at a rest area about halfway between Palm Springs and Quartzsite so that I could nap briefly. We arrived in Quartzsite about 5 PM. I drove around town to see if any of the flea market vendors were still in town doing business. They weren't ! DARN ... I bought an item here in January and wanted another one.

We drove a few miles out of town north on Hwy. 95 to the BLM's High Jolly boondock camping area. Not many rigs left out here in the desert, compared to the thousands and thousands that were here in January. We found a nice secluded area to boondock overnight, with a nice rock campfire ring. We hiked around the desert briefly then rested until sunset when I started a campfire. The plan was to have a wiener roast. BUT ... after that ETYS Easter Champagne Brunch neither of us was hungry enough to want supper. The wieners were already thawed, so we roasted them over the campfire and put them in the fridge to have for lunch tomorrow ... or ... ?

We sat around the campfire for awhile and watched the large full moon rise from behind the nearby mountains.

Monday ; Quartzsite, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada

Sunny and very warm. Who knew ... that roast leg of lamb and champagne ... for breakfast ... was constipating ? ! ? HA HA HA !

After leaving the BLM High Jolly boondock camping area near Quartzsite this morning we headed north on Hwy. 95. We took about a 50 km. / 30 miles detour to go see Bouse, a scruffy little desert village very popular with desert boondockers. < shrug >
I don't even "get" Quartzsite, let alone Bouse !

We stopped at Wal-Mart in Parker to buy me some antihistamine. < sniffle > Everything in the desert is in bloom ! We stopped at a grocery store parking lot in Lake Havasu City to have lunch. We stopped at a service station parking lot at the intersection of Hwy. 95 and Interstate 40 so that I could nap briefly.

We arrived at the south end of Bullhead City, Arizona around 5 PM. We drove through Bullhead City from south to north then crossed the Colorado River into Laughlin, Nevada. We checked into the Riverside Casino RV Park and were settled in our site by 6 PM. We rested for about an hour or so then drove about 30 km. / 20 miles south to the Avi Casino to have dinner in the Native Harvest Buffet Restaurant. After supper we drove across the Colorado River again into Bullhead City and refilled with diesel before returning to the Riverside Casino RV Park.

Tuesday ; Sunny, very warm, a bit windy.

We had a slow start to the day. After lunch we drove a short distance down Casino Drive to Laughlin Outlets Mall where I was going to buy a pair of Birkenstock sandals at Famous Footwear. BUT ... since I have destroyed my latest pair of U.S.$100 Birkenstock sandals in only a year, I decided at the last minute to buy a pair of SAS sandals at the SAS Factory Outlet Store. Other than a couple of pairs of Birkenstock sandals I have not worn any brand of shoes other than SAS in twenty-five years. Hopefully the U.S.$152 SAS sandals will last longer than a year !

While Joanne browsed in the mall I attempted to connect to Wi-Fi in the food court. No such luck ! Wi-Fi in the mall had not been working for about the last week. Well, geeeeez, people ... GET IT FIXED ! We drove a bit further down "the strip" to the Tropicana. While Joanne and Bo waited in the camper I sat inside the casino at a table near a bar and used the Tropicana Casino's free Wi-Fi.

At 7 PM we returned to the Tropicana to have "bottomless pasta" dinner at Passaggio Italian Garden, an annual event for us. HA HA HA ! We were back "home" at Riverside Casino RV Park about 8:30 PM. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV, episode after episode of Married At First Sight.

Wednesday ; Sunny and very warm.

We had another late start to the day. Joanne did laundry. I worked on March month end financial statement updates and reconciliations. We took Bo for a long, leisurely walk and obedience session. We watched a lot of TV. Networks that we rarely have an opportunity to watch ; Discovery, The Learning Channel, Arts & Entertainment, Food Network, Travel Network.

We used a discount coupon when we checked into the Riverside Casino RV Resort. It was for a three night stay, plus a buffet brunch for two, and a buffet dinner for two. We were planning to have dinner in the Riverside's buffet restaurant tonight, but changed our minds this afternoon and decided to keep our buffet dinner for two voucher for a subsequent visit, probably in a year. My intestines need a rest. HA HA HA !

Thursday ; Laughlin to Beatty, Nevada

Sunny and warm in Laughlin in the morning. Cloudy and cool in Beatty in the evening.

This morning we prepared for departure, checked out of Riverside Casino RV Park, drove across the street and parked in the casino's parking lot, then went inside to have buffet brunch using a voucher we received as part of our three night stay in the RV park. After eating we departed Laughlin heading west on Hwy. 168, then north on Hwy. 95 to Las Vegas.

First stop in Las Vegas was Camping World. We bought some sheets for Harvey the fifth wheel trailer in Yuma and a mattress pad for Elsie the truck camper. The sheets for the fifth wheel trailer will have to be hauled all the way to Keremeos, BC, then back to Yuma, Arizona < rolling eyes >, likely via Manitoba and Texas < sigh > ! Next stop was Dollar Tree, then Ralph's for some groceries. As I was entering the supermarket ...
< blink blink > ... Elvis was leaving the building. HA HA HA ! Welcome to Las Vegas ! ! !

Driving through Las Vegas on the freeway was ... challenging and stressful. We got lost briefly. Not the first time it's happened. Won't be the last ! Once through the city we headed north on Hwy. 95 again. Stopped briefly just north of Las Vegas to admire the Mojave Desert plants and trees. Stopped at Amargosa Junction ( turnoff to Death Valley ) to refill with diesel. At Beatty we turned west to head about five miles to the mining ghost town of Rhyolite. We were hoping to be able to boondock overnight in the parking lot of the museum there, then visit the ghost town tomorrow.

We pulled into the parking lot of the museum, I turned off the truck engine, stepped out of the truck and ... I could hear something happening under the front of the truck.   YIKES ! ! !   Coolant spewing ! ! !   I opened the truck hood and all I could see was ... coolant spewing ! ! !   We jumped back into the truck and I raced five miles back to the little village of Beatty. I thought it would be better to be in the village than out at the ghost town if I needed to use the cell phone, get a tow truck, find a repair shop or ... !

Once in the village I parked in a gravel lot between a fuel bar and the Chamber of Commerce. Seemed like a reasonable place to boondock overnight. Seemed like an easy enough place for a tow truck to find me, if necessary. Joanne went inside the fuel bar to inquire about a local auto repair shop, while I stuck my head under the hood and watched coolant spew !  HMMMMM ... seemed to be spewing out of the water pump.

Joanne returned from the fuel bar in a few minutes to tell me ... the local mechanic was on his way. Too small a village for a service station / auto repair shop, but ... it has a resident mechanic. In a few minutes he arrived, stuck his head under the hood ... YUP ... water pump shot ! Nearest auto parts store is seventy-five miles away. And they don't deliver ! BUT ... he had just overhauled a Dodge truck with a Cummins 5.9 diesel engine ... AND ... had replaced that truck's water pump ... SO ... he had a used but perfectly functional water pump sitting in his shop that would fit my truck !

I poured a gallon of water into the radiator and followed him home to his backyard shop. WOW ... fully equipped shop ! We parked beside the shop. He'll replace my water pump tomorrow morning !

Friday ; Beatty to Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Site, Nevada

Sunny, mild, windy.

This morning John, the town of Beatty's resident mechanic / "gear head" took about two hours to remove the blown water pump from our truck and replace it with the used one he had kicking around his shop. Charged me a hundred bucks. Seemed reasonable to me ! We were on our way about 11 AM.

We drove five miles to the mining ghost town of Rhyolite and explored their museum, ruins of buildings, and cemetery for about an hour and a half. We drove back to Beatty so that John could examine the water pump replacement job and ensure that there were no leaks once the engine and coolant were hot. Everything was fine !

Beatty and surrounding area are as white trash / hillbilly / trailer park trash as anything anywhere in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. John has a young "assistant", a young man maybe still in his teens, works part time as John's "Joe Boy" for chump change. And the "Joe Boy" has two even younger "hangers on" who tag along just because they seem to have nothing better to do with their lives. I drove with all of them in John's truck to the town's convenience store to get some distilled water to pour into our truck's radiator. These teenaged boys / young men listen to ... country music ! Old country music ! Patsy Kline music, for gawdsake ! And refer to Chevrolet El Caminos as "beaner" ( Hispanic ) cars. < shaking head in despair > If these fellas don't escape Beatty soon ... they'll be trapped and won't stand a chance ! That was my second trip to get distilled water. We didn't get enough the first time. My first trip was with John, in a 1958 Ford Ranchero that he is rebuilding / restoring. It's a LOOOOONG way from completion. And nowhere near roadworthy at this point in time. And has a license plate that expired in 2002 !

Beatty is home to the "downwinders", those people who lived downwind of the atomic bomb test explosions conducted in the 1940's and 1950's at the nearby Nevada Test Site. And it seems obvious why the U.S. military chose this area to detonate atomic bombs. Except for the town of Beatty, the area is just hundreds of miles of endless scruffy high desert in every direction.

For the first couple of hours that we drove north this afternoon, every ten or twenty miles there was ... < blink > ... a brothel. Usually a fifty to seventy-five year old mobile home trailer a few hundred feet off the highway, with a sign advertising the business name, like ... "Shady Lady"... and the fact that it was a brothel. And usually a few junked vehicles in the yard. Who would stop there ? And ... why ? I mean ... look at the trailer ! ! ! And the old Camaro up on cinder blocks ! ! !

For the rest of the day all we saw were ... Mule deer ... Pronghorn antelope ... wild burros ... and wild horses. I drove too far / too long today. By the time we stopped for the night Joanne was tired, hungry, and crabby. We stopped at dusk at a small unserviced campground near a petroglyph site.

Saturday ; Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Site to Winnemucca, Nevada

Overcast, mild, windy.

This morning we left the Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Site campground and headed east on Hwy. 50 to Eureka where we refilled with diesel. Then it was north on Hwy. 278 for about another hundred miles of endless scruffy high desert. At some point along Hwy. 278 we pulled off the road to have lunch. For the last two days we have continuously been at altitudes between 6000 and 6500 feet above sea level. Chilly ! Especially after the sun has gone down !

When we reached Interstate 80 we turned west. We stopped at a roadside rest area and dumped our waste holding tanks at the sani-dump station but the freshwater was still turned off for the winter. We stopped at a Flying J at Battle Mountain to refill our freshwater tank and refill a propane tank at the outrageous price of $3.90 a gallon, almost triple the price of propane in Yuma, Arizona ! What a rip-off ! I couldn't help but notice that it was a dollar a gallon cheaper in Winnemucca.

From Battle Mountain we continued west on Interstate 80 to Winnemucca where we boondocked overnight in the free parking lot of the Winners Casino right in town. Not a typical casino, just a small downtown hotel and restaurant. We were here before, about a year and a half ago when we were shopping for a truck camper on our way from BC to Arizona. We had supper listening to Prairie Home Companion on the radio. Afterwards I worked on the computer while we listened to a zydeco music festival on the radio.

DSK

March 29 to April 4, 2015 ; Yuma, Arizona to Palm Springs, California

Sunday ; Sunny and very hot ! Having difficulty getting much done because of heat !

This morning we replenished the Welcome Committee supplies and delivered them and the golf cart to this upcoming week's Welcome Committee volunteers. During our week we welcomed thirteen new arrivals to Kofa Ko-op.

Joanne went grocery shopping with a neighbour. We trimmed Bo's claws. We spent most of the day slowly preparing for departure, mostly preparing the trailer to be put into storage. Late in the afternoon we soaked in the swimming pool, then attended the ice cream social, then took Bo for a walk around the dog park.

Monday ; Sunny nad very hot again. < sigh > Should I backspace and correct that ? The heat made today's activities very difficult.

We spent most of the day "moving". Joanne unloaded all the food from the trailer's fridge and cupboards into our shed fridge and onto Arizona room counter and table space. I prepared the trailer for storage including back flushing the waste holding tanks. We installed the fifth wheel hitch into the truck and hitched the truck to the trailer. We towed the trailer to the storage yard, parked it, removed the hitch from the truck, then loaded the camper onto the truck. WHEW ! Much too hot for all that physical, outdoor work !

We returned to our lot with the camper on the truck. Joanne moved food from the Arizona room to the camper, went to cool off in the swimming pool, then did laundry.
I worked on setting things up in the camper, including setting up the TV connection to the park's cable, and setting up the computer and Wi-Fi, then I took Bo for a walk in the dog park. He refused to walk with me. He was too hot, as well as being confused and upset by moving from the trailer to the truck camper, but not going anywhere ! I went to the pool for awhile to cool off, then went bicycling at dusk.

Tuesday ; Still sunny and very hot.

We spent much of today packing and loading stuff into the camper. I'm guilty of having purchased way too much stuff this winter that is for our northern / summer home. This afternoon we worked our last volunteer shift of the season at the Humane Society of Yuma. When we returned home we went to the swimming pool briefly to cool off, then went out for dinner with neighbours. Cathy and Jim treated us to dinner at Olive Garden to express their appreciation for having repositioned their new trailer a few days ago.

Wednesday ; Sunny and very hot again.

Today we completed preparations for departure tomorrow. Everything that needs to be loaded into the camper is. Everything that needs to be put away in the shed or Arizona room is. The trailer is "summerized".

I made the mistake ( in hindsight ) of asking ( yesterday ) the park's "technical committee" to come over today and attempt to rectify the bad cable TV signal in our lot, a problem that has persisted for the three and a half years / four winter seasons that we have owned our lot. The "Mutt and Jeff" antics of the two technical committee members who came over this morning, coupled with my impatience and horrible people skills, just about resulted in the destruction of one of the more valuable and cherished friendships
I have in this park. I hope my subsequent peace offering was as well received as it appeared to be.

Marilu and Sammy the Australian Shepherd came by for a farewell visit this afternoon. After all our work was done we went to cool off in the swimming pool, then took Bo for his final lap around the dog park just before sunset. I timed the barbecuing of a steak for supper so that it would be ready just as Survivor was to begin. I brought in the barbecued steak, we sat down to eat, I turned on the TV, and ... we got to see the last five minutes of the episode. **** ! ! !   DUH ! ! !   I was hooked up to the park's cable TV instead of our satellite dish ! Survivor was on at 7 PM instead of 8 PM !

Thursday ; Yuma, Arizona to Palm Springs, California

Sunny nad hot < gritting teeth and rolling eyes >.

This morning we completed our departure preparations, locked up the shed and Arizona room, said our goodbyes to many neighbours, paid our propane and electricity bills for March, and left Kofa Ko-op about 11 AM. We stopped at Wal-Mart for a few items and Fry's to refill with diesel before heading out of Yuma, on Interstate 8 heading west across the Colorado River into California.

We thought our grieving for Sully was over. It wasn't ! As we passed by the Quechan Casino, and the road leading to Los Algodones, Mexico, and the pet cemetery where Sully is buried, we said a final farewell to Sully. And choked back tears. We miss him. This is our first trip without him.

As always when we head west from Yuma, we stopped in Holtville to buy burritos at Holtville Taco Shop. My goodness, their California Burritos are great ! Carne asada / diced, spicy seasoned, grilled meat, pico de gallo, guacamole, and fries all wrapped into an harina ( wheat flour ) tortilla making a burrito as thick as my wrist ! I told Joanne she couldn't eat a whole one for lunch, but she insisted that I buy two. I ate mine, then late in the evening, after Village Fest in downtown Palm Springs, I ate her lunch leftovers. HA HA HA ! I told you so !

About an hour after eating lunch, I was tired so we stopped at Red Earth Casino near Salton Sea Beach and I took a nap. We continued on to Palm Springs, arriving at the Palm Springs dog park about 5 PM. Hey, Bo ... wake up ... big surprise ! WOO-HOO ! Bo LOOOOOVES the Palm Springs dog park ! We spent about an hour and a half there, alternating back and forth between the little dog side and the big dog side. Bo is comfortable on both sides. As a matter of fact, he's the one who decides when it's time to switch from one side to the other. HA HA HA ... you go, Bo !

On Thursday evenings about a mile long stretch of Palm Springs main street becomes Village Fest, closed to vehicles and lined with specialty vendors of all kinds. We drove downtown and with some difficulty found a parking spot. We walked the length of Village Fest and back, browsing one side of the street in one direction, and the other side of the street on the way back. We bought some fresh produce and ... baking, of course. HA HA HA !

When we returned to where Lanoire and Elsie were parked, I munched on Joanne's leftover burrito, then we drove across Palm Springs and east on Interstate 10 to Spotlight 29 Casino where we boondocked overnight after having a very late, light supper.

Good Friday ; Sunny and very warm.

When we attended the "Big Tent Show" in Quartzsite in January we entered a draw. And won two free nights at Caliente Springs RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs. So ... here we are !

This morning before leaving the parking lot of Spotlight 29 Casino we went inside the casino to see if their buffet restaurant would be serving Easter brunch. They are !
We decided to go there for Easter brunch. We have boondocked at Spotlight 29 Casino a few times. It's about time we spend some money there. Their Easter brunch price is a bit steep but ... HEY ... this is Palm Springs. Palm Springs does a lot of things really well. But ... they don't do "cheap".

The United States does not have the same "statutory holiday" labour concept as Canada, so ... all businesses were open today. We drove to Trader Joe's in the "suburb" of La Quinta. We had not been to that Trader Joe's location before. We didn't buy much because we'll be shopping at Trader Joe's again in Oregon. No tax ! We decided to treat Bo to another visit to the Palm Springs dog park. After that we decided to treat ourselves to a late lunch at Sherman's Deli. MMMMM ! ! !

For many years Kurt Russell and his wife Goldie Hawn have lived in Palm Springs.
I think the man sitting at the table next to us at Sherman's Deli was their son. He was a spitting image of Kurt Russell about thirty years ago. He looked like him. He sounded like him. He had his mannerisms.

I wondered why there were so many women walking around downtown Palm Springs today wearing ... bathing suits and high heels. HUH ? Well ... there is a lesbian "gathering" in Palm Springs this weekend and many of the events are pool parties. Only in Palm Springs !

We drove from Palm Springs on the south side of Interstate 10 to Desert Hot Springs on the north side of Interstate 10 and checked into Caliente Hot Springs RV Resort. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching TV and napping. Before having a late supper and watching Amazing Race we went and "took the waters" ... soaking in the resort's natural hot springs fed pools. AHHHHHH !

 
Saturday ; Sunny and hot.

This morning we headed out to the College of the Desert weekend outdoor market, sort of an upscale flea market with over 250 vendors. Only in Palm Springs could you find a flea market with a vendor selling used Bentleys and Mercedes convertibles ! HA HA HA ! I bought two belts. I had a difficult time making a decision ; belts ... Mercedes convertible ... belts ... Mercedes convertible. Joanne made the decision for me. She liked the two belts I chose. She didn't like any of the three Mercedes convertibles. HA HA HA !

We had lunch in the camper in the parking lot of College of the Desert. We drove back to Desert Hot Springs to shop at the women's swimwear shop Glossy, the ONLY place that Joanne can buy bathing suits < rolling eyes >. She bought two new bathing suits. We walked down the street to Angel View, a thrift shop. I bought two bathing suits and a pair of pyjama shorts. < shrug > What can I say ?

We drove back to downtown Palm Springs to shop at Joanne's favourite thrift store, Revivals. Yes, yes, I know it's an oxymoron, but Revivals is truly an upscale thrift store. Today they had a baby grand piano ... second time we've seen a baby grand piano there ... a restored player piano, and ... a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes ! ! !

On the way back to Desert Hot Springs we stopped at a supermarket, Ralph's, to buy some hot dog buns for tomorrow evening when we have a campfire and wiener roast at Quartzsite. Final stop was the Palm Springs dog park. WOO-HOO ... three days in a row for Bo at the Palm Springs dog park.

Once back at Caliente Springs we went for a soak in the multiple swimming pools and hot tubs, each at a different temperature. We had a late, simple supper and spent the evening watching some really stupid reality TV shows.

DSK

March 22 to 28, 2015

Sunday ; Sunny and very hot ! Joanne cooked beef stew in the Sun Oven.

This morning I drove out to The Foothills to buy a coupe of advertised specials at Southwest Exchange, a flea market / guy stuff kind of store. On the way there, northbound on Araby Road, I drove over / hit and killed a desert rat, sort of a desert version of a prairie dog. DARN ! On the way home, southbound on Araby Road ...
I drove over / hit and killed another one ! WHAT THE **** ! ! !

This afternoon we washed the truck. It's getting very difficult to get any work done here, temperatures in the mid 90's in the afternoons. Today was the first day of our week long volunteer "job" as the Welcome Committee. Only one new arrival today. And now the Welcome Committee has its own golf cart. We took Bo for a brief "drivey" on the golf cart. He has been coveting a golf cart for the entire eleven years of his life. HA HA HA !

Mid-afternoon when I took him out into the dog park to relieve himself, he spied a couple of large lizards running away. HA HA HA ! He gave chase, they turned ninety degrees after running about five feet, Bo ran full speed straight ahead for about a hundred feet. He stopped, looked around puzzled, then began to dig under a bush. HA HA HA ... you get 'em Bo ! I went back inside the air conditioned trailer when the hole got big enough to swallow him up. He gave up digging and came home twenty minutes later. I have never seen his tongue hang so far out of his mouth while panting. Geez, Bo ... you're an idiot ! Go drink some water !

Late in the afternoon I went to the scrap wood pile in our storage yard and brought home five pieces of firewood which I split in our backyard. It's for a campfire a few days after we leave here on April 2. SHEESH !   I quit working about 5:30 PM. My deodorant quite working a few minutes before that !   I had to shower before going to the ice cream social. After the ice cream social we went for a sunset pack walk with Marilu and Sammy the Australian Shepherd.

Monday ; Sunny and hot. You know, almost every day I type "sunny and hot" and it comes out "sunny nad hot". I wonder how many more thousands of times I can make that typing error ? ? ? Joanne cooked a corned beef brisket in the Sun Oven for supper tonight.

This morning we took a large load of recycling to the local recycling place. I'm pleased that we make that effort. We divert a lot from landfill to recycling ! Too bad Yuma ( in general ) and Kofa Ko-op ( specifically ) do not support recycling. From the recycling place we headed to the upholstery business with our Arizona room vinyl wall panels to have them install new snaps.

Just before having lunch I watered my plants and gardens. Everything is blooming, or leafing, or sprouting new growth. Bo went into the dog park and chased large lizards into holes, then dug very large holes trying to get at them. I thought it was a reasonable way for him to amuse himself. Joanne disagreed ! We put away the dog agility components that we had set up in the dog park behind our yard. We lubricated the trailer's slides. We soaked in the pool. AHHHHH ! ! ! No new arrivals today so ... no Welcome Committee work to be done.

We did some return home trip planning. We walked Bo around the dog park. More precisely ... Joanne and I walked around the dog park while Bo dug holes trying to catch lizards. I went bicycling at sunset.

Tuesday ; Sunny nad hot. See ... I told you so ! Joanne baked two lemon loaves in the Sun Oven today for tomorrow's potluck dinner.

This morning I went over to see a neighbour who is selling two motorhome roof top storage pods. I measured them, then climbed up onto the roof of our camper to see if one of them would fit up there. It wouldn't. Darn !

This afternoon we went to our regular Tuesday afternoon volunteer shift at the Humane Society. When we returned home ... there was a Fire / Rescue truck parked in front of our lot. And an ambulance was arriving. Our neighbour across the street who was diagnosed with lung cancer about a month or so ago needed help. He's been suffering terribly lately. The ambulance took him away. We hope he can now get better care. The U.S. health care system is truly confusing to us.

We went to the pool and floated around for awhile, cooling off. We took Bo for a walk around the dog park. No ... we walked around the dog park, Bo dug holes ! We went out for dinner with our friend Marilu. She treated us to dinner at Copper Miner Kitchen. All you can eat beef rib night. WOO-HOO ! Beef rib bones for Bo and Sammy the Australian Shepherd.

Wednesday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico

Sunny nad hot. Aw, geeeeezzz ... again ?

WHEW ! Busy day ! My day started with a phone call to my gastroenterologist in Penticton BC to make an appointment for an office visit and a colonoscopy, an annual event. Late this morning we headed for Mexico. Just before reaching the border we headed off into the desert of the Quechan Indian Reservation, to the remote pet cemetery where we buried Sully. After burying him a week and a half ago we bordered his grave site with concrete curbing, and now would like to slowly create a "rock garden" over his grave. So today we placed a Similkameen River smooth rock from home in BC and a Jeffery Pine large cone from SKP Park of the Sierras in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California on top of his grave site < sigh >. More next year, Sully.

We drove to and parked in the large parking lot at the border, and walked into Mexico. First stop was my dentist / periodontist where I had another dental cleaning and periodontal examination. Next stop was our favourite little restaurant / taqueria where we had a quick lunch of a couple of tacos each. HMPH ... price increases ! We walked across and to the edge of town to the veterinary pharmacy where we bought one of the two pet medications I wanted. They didn't have the other. On the walk back into town we stopped at a panaderia and bought a lot of pan dulce. WOO-HOO !

Back into town I went for a haircut and beard trim. HMPH ... price increases ! It's now four dollars for the haircut and an additional dollar for the beard and moustache trim. No additional charge for the eyebrows. HA HA HA ! We went to the "Purple Pharmacy" and I bought some medications I wanted for me. Last stop was "Hector Shrimp" where
I bought ten very large shrimp ... one pound of shrimp ! The line up to cross the border back into the United States was fifteen minutes long.

On the way back home we stopped at Action Auto & Home Upholstery and picked up our Arizona room's modified wall panels. We arrived back home about 4:15 PM and while Joanne prepared to attend the 5 PM potluck dinner I rushed off to play "Welcome Committee" to today's four new arrivals. Well done, Daniel. I visited all four arrivals in forty-five minutes and arrived at the potluck only a few minutes late. AND ... three of the four new arrivals accepted my invitation to attend the potluck dinner and join us at a table. Very well done, Daniel !

At 6 PM we rushed off again, this time to "host" the daily pack walk, attended by the only one of today's arrivals that had a dog. After two laps around the dog park, and more time just standing around chatting, we returned home around 7 PM without Bo who was somewhere out in the dog park, digging in lizard holes. At 7:30 PM ... already dark ... an annoyed Joanne said we had to go out into the dog park and retrieve him !
I didn't think there was a problem. And obviously neither did Bo. Nevertheless, Joanne and I walked around the dog park in the dark calling for Bo until he returned to us, obviously hot, tired, thirsty, and very pleased with himself. Sorry, Bo ... apparently we're both in the dog house ! HA HA HA !

In the evening we watched Survivor and Catfish. I peeled and packaged my large shrimp.

OH ! I almost forgot ! We almost died today ! ! ! After leaving Kofa Ko-op this morning, as we were driving northbound on Avenue 3E towards Interstate 8, suddenly ... and instantly ... we were enveloped in a dust cloud ! Instant zero visibility ! ! !  I rapidly stopped the truck and within a few seconds visibility returned. A very large utility trailer had become detached from the pickup truck that was coming towards us just before it reached us. The utility trailer ... luckily for us ... veered to the right, and onto the sand shoulder, instead of veering left into our lane and hitting us ! It skidded through the sand and came to a stop ... upright ... on the soft sand shoulder across the road, adjacent to my side window. The truck that had been towing it was stopped behind us. Close call !

Thursday ; Sunny AND hot. HMPH ! So there !

This morning we installed the Arizona room's repaired / modified vinyl wall panels. They fit well. Good job, Action Auto & Home Upholstery ! Joanne went shopping. I did chores around home.

Kofa Ko-op had no arrivals today. No Welcome Committee work for us today. We spent part of the afternoon floating around the swimming pool. With many other hot people ! At suppertime we went out with Laszlo and Gayle, first to Yuma Palms Shopping Center for a free jazz concert, then on a food truck "crawl", an annual activity for Joanne and me. The free jazz concert in the outdoor courtyard of the mall featured high school jazz bands. Afterwards we went for a late dinner to an El Salvadoran food truck for papusas then a Mexican food truck for tacos. Real tacos, not gringo tacos.

Friday ; Joanne left very early this morning ( middle of the night, from my perspective ) on a day trip to Palm Springs and back. She offered to keep a neighbour company, and help out with the driving, for a neighbour who had to take a visiting family member to Palm Springs airport to catch a flight home.

Sunny and very hot, temperature near 100 degrees. This morning I puttered around with routine maintenance chores and end of season departure preparations. After a late lunch I went to nap, and I awoke when Joanne returned home at 3:30 PM. I didn't expect she would be back from her trip to Palm Springs that early, but as soon as our neighbour Darlene dropped her sister off at the Palm Springs airport for her noon flight, Darlene and Joanne began driving back to Yuma. WOW ... Palm Springs and back in nine hours. Those old women sure can drive ! HA HA HA !

I had a careless / clumsy day today resulting in two minor accidents and injuries. The first mishap resulted in a cut chin and bruised jaw, and the second resulted in a scraped and bruised hand.

We had two new arrivals today. After doing our Welcome Wagon shtick I went to the pool for awhile. Joanne just wanted to rest in the air conditioned trailer. Just before dusk we took Bo for a walk around the dog park. And Joanne made him come with us. No more lizard digging ! < whispering > She was SOOOOOO crabby this afternoon and evening. HA HA HA !

Saturday ; Sunny nad ( !*@&#^$% ) very hot, temperature 99 F, 37 C.

We started our day by attending a potluck brunch in the clubhouse. Ate too much ! Afterwards we repositioned a neighbour's new trailer on their lot. Cathy and Jim recently bought a new travel trailer, and the dealer's delivery person positioned it unsatisfactorily on their lot. They have a lot very similar to ours, with a large, stand alone Arizona room on it. To be in compliance with this park's side yard set back requirement, the entire length of the trailer had to be positioned within four inches of the Arizona room wall. Not a problem for my trailer handling skills. With Joanne's careful guidance by "walkie talkie" radio I slowly repositioned the trailer within 2½ inches of the Arizona room wall. We parked it then levelled it. A job very well done, even if I do say so myself. Cathy asked for help with the sewer connections, and I discovered that she needed three new sewer hose fittings, so ... off to Al's RV Service & Supply in The Foothills we went.

I bought the sewer hose connections, then we headed north out of The Foothills on Hwy. 95 towards Quartzsite to From The Farm, a local farm with a farm gate sales outlet, to buy some large, freshly picked artichokes. WHAT ? ! ? They're not ready to harvest for another ten days ? ? ? HMPH ! ! ! We had to console ourselves with a large date shake that all three of us shared. Bo was VERY happy about that ! HA HA HA ! Last date shake of the season, Bo.

We returned to Kofa Ko-op, completed the sewer connections on the neighbour's new trailer, then set off for today's Welcome Committee duties. Three new arrivals today. We visited the new arrivals then went to the swimming pool to cool off. WHEW ... hot day ! After the pool we took Bo for a pack walk, joined by one of this week's new arrivals with his large black dog, Georgie.

We gave Bo a bath. We had a late, light supper, then went Wal-Martin'. HMPH ... I hate Wal-Martin' on weekends. Fortunately, Wal-Mart was not crowded tonight. Perhaps because of the temperature.

DSK

March 15 to 21, 2015

Sunday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature well into the 90's F / mid 30's C.

After routine chores this morning we left for the nearby Cocopah Casino to have Sunday brunch with our SKP BC Okanagan Chapter 33 friends Barry and Jackie who are boondocking there for a few nights. We chatted while we had brunch, planning to meet again at the Princeton Traditional Music Festival in mid-August.

From the Cocopah we set out for an afternoon of running errands. First stop was Yuma Park N Swap a.k.a. Dog Track Flea Market a.k.a. Swap Meet Los Perros. Joanne went shopping for cosmetics and I went shopping for guy stuff. Next stop was McDonald's for some soft drinks ! < gasp > Hot day ! Then the "99¢ Only Store" for some groceries. Then Harbor Freight for more guy stuff. Last stop was Food City for more groceries.

By the time we arrived back home it was almost time for the Sunday evening ice cream social. During and after the ice cream social we chatted with a newly arrived couple from New Jersey that are full timing "newbies". Late in the evening we covered the pool and hot tub, the first night of our week long volunteer commitment to do so.

Monday ; Sunny and hot.

This morning we put a turkey into the Sun Oven to cook. I watered plants and gardens. Little lizards came running from all directions to get some water. HA HA HA ! We visited our Texas friends Bill and Candace who are leaving tomorrow. We might see them next summer if they decide to go to Alaska. Or we might see them in the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas next fall.

I did some bill paying and accounting work this afternoon. I napped. I miss napping with Sully. I installed caster wheels on a coffee table in the Arizona room ... at Joanne's request. Good idea !

Laszlo and Gayle came over for Sun Oven cooked turkey dinner. We spent the evening chatting in the Arizona room.

Tuesday ; St. Patrick's Day

Sunny and hot. Clouds rolled in late in the evening.

Joanne took Eilene to her monthly eye doctor appointment this morning, followed by a trip to Wal-Mart. I completed the inventory of all of our medications. HMPH ! I opened and counted a bottle of pills I bought recently in San Felipe, Mexico. A bottle supposed to contain sixty pills. That actually contained forty-six pills ! ! ! HMPH ! ! !

After lunch we headed to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon volunteer shift. I dropped Joanne off at the shelter to get started on cuddling cats, then drove over to Wally's World to buy some hardware I need. I returned to the shelter and walked dogs. WHEW ... hot !

We returned home just in time to attend Kofa Ko-op's St. Patrick's Day corned beef and cabbage dinner. WOW ... 120 people ! Late in the evening we closed / covered the swimming pool and hot tub, soaking for awhile in the hot tub before closing it.

Wednesday ; Partially cloudy, a bit windy, warm, nearby lightning and storm clouds late in the afternoon.

This morning we attended a meeting of the welcome committee members in the clubhouse, planning and preparing for next winter season. Some good ideas were brainstormed.

This afternoon we did some planning work in Elsie. I recently acquired a very nice 12V DC to 120V AC pure sine wave / "clean" power inverter, and Joanne helped me determine where and how to mount it in the truck camper. It will be a summer project, as I don't have time to do it before we leave here in a couple of weeks.

Laszlo helped me hoist the truck's tailgate up onto the roof of the camper, where I will tie it down and take it home to Keremeos. I removed it from the truck fifteen months ago when we bought Elsie, and we decided it should be stored in Keremeos, not here in Yuma. When we eventually sell the truck, it will need to have its tailgate, and it's most likely that we would some day sell the truck in Canada, not down here.

We visited with friends and neighbours. I did a repair / modification to the Sun Oven. Joanne harvested what was left of her herb gardens. I picked up a refilled propane tank. I "exercised" our little generator. We watched Survivor while having supper. We covered the swimming pool and hot tub. At 11 PM we drove Eilene to Yuma airport to pick up her daughter.

Thursday ; Cloudy, warm, a bit humid, a few drops of rain late in the evening.

This morning we drove over to Action Auto & Home Upholstery to pick up our repaired and modified Arizona room snap on vinyl wall panels. We will have to install them on the Arizona room, mark the exact location where each snap should be mounted, then return them to Action Auto & Home Upholstery for the installation of the snaps.

Next stop was Harbor Freight for a few more "guy" items. Then Fry's fuel bar to refill with diesel. I dropped Joanne off at Albertson's to buy some advertised grocery specials while I went to Pep Boys Auto to buy some spray paint for our minivan back home in BC.

We had a late lunch at home. I napped briefly. I miss having Sully cuddled against the side of my face while I'm napping. We went to the storage yard and I climbed up onto the roof of the truck camper to wrap the truck tailgate in a large mover's blanket, then tie it down on the camper roof using ratchet tie downs. Hope it's secure for the long journey back to BC !

We went on a pack walk today for the first time in a long time. When we "quarantined" Bo due to his upper respiratory infection early in February, the daily pack walks sort of fell apart. But today Terry and Judy leaned over our back fence while walking Spanky and invited us and Bo on a pack walk. The last pack walk for Spanky this season. Terry and Judy are leaving, heading to San Diego to visit family, then heading north towards home.

Friday ; Sunny, very warm, a bit humid.

This morning we headed to The Foothills, to buy some RV supplies at Al's RV Service & Supply, then some groceries at the "99¢ Only Store". We had lunch at Applebee's in the same mall. Good food, reasonable prices if using coupons, horrendously inept service. As Joanne and I grumbled about the inept service, we realized that inept service is not as bad as, and more forgivable than, indifferent / uncaring service. As former business owners and employers, we remember how hard it was to get good help. And ineptitude is usually just a function of poor training, whereas indifferent / uncaring service is a function of a poor attitude. Big difference ! On the way back home we stopped at
Wal-Mart for one item.

This afternoon we did some "spring cleaning" chores. Joanne did laundry. We walked Bo around the dog park. We visited with friends and neighbours. In the evening we watched an old movie on TV ; The Great Escape. If that was a true story ... what stupidity !

Saturday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne cooked a chicken, tomatoes, and rice casserole in the Sun Oven today.

We mounted the modified wall panels on the exterior of the Arizona room, marked the locations where the snaps need to be installed, then removed the panels. Tougher job than you might think ! Joanne spent half a day shopping on her own. We lost half the day to fighting !

DSK

March 8 to 14, 2015

Sunday ; Sunny and hot. Well ... it's about time ! HA HA HA ! Today Joanne cooked Korean beef and rice in the Sun Oven, sort of a marinated roast slow cooked until it's so tender that it can be shredded.

After regular morning chores we headed out to run some errands. First stop was the Giant / 76 fuel station on 4th Avenue where we dumped the truck camper's waste holding tanks in the station's free sani-dump. < sigh > AFTER waiting a very long time for a really obnoxious ( and fat ) fellow in a Class A motorhome to finish using the
sani-dump. From there we headed over to a car wash on 8th Street where we washed the truck and camper. We went to Burger King for a late lunch then over to Fry's to refill with diesel, then shop for groceries. By the time we returned home it was about 3 PM.

Joanne spent the rest of the afternoon getting caught up on laundering clothes. And sleeping bags ! Remember ... Sully had been sick during our San Felipe trip !   I made campfire starters. Old boy scout "recipe" using a cardboard egg carton, dryer lint, and melted paraffin wax. We took Bo for a walk around the dog park then headed to the regular Sunday late afternoon ice cream social.

After the ice cream social we sat around with Canadian friends ... and “dissed” Merkins. HA HA HA ! What fun !

Monday ; Sunny and hot.

This morning at 9 AM, by pre-arrangement, Wally the Jack Russell Terrier / Dachshund arrived for "day care" while his people went to Los Algodones, Mexico for the day. He was very easy to care for, and very compatible with Bo. He was with us until
mid-afternoon. Good dog, Wally ! He looked like a white version of Bo !

Joanne went grocery shopping with Eilene this morning. I watered plants and gardens.
I did some routine "after travel" work on Elsie the truck camper. After lunch Joanne and I removed Elsie from Lanoire the truck, leaving the camper in one of our two assigned spots in our RV park's storage area. Wally's people invited me over for a quick drink, as appreciation for caring for Wally today. I had refused their earlier offer of paying for a day of doggie day care. Joanne went to a "girls' night out" party in the backyard of a neighbour, complete with "campfire" in the back yard. It was supposed to be a water aerobics group party, but turned into a farewell party for Shirley, who is leaving the park tomorrow morning ... for the last time. Like Eilene, she is one of quite a few people who are making this their last year in the park. Lots of old people in a park like this ... lots of changes every year !

I removed the cover from, and started up the Arizona room's evaporative cooler a.k.a. swamp cooler a.k.a. hillbilly air conditioner, then went for a sunset bicycle ride. By the time I had returned the swamp cooler's water intake tubing had burst. DARN ! That's pretty much an annual event. That thin plastic tubing seems unable to survive the summer's heat. I suppose it would be prudent to plan to replace it every year before
I even start up the cooler. Joanne had supper at her "girls' party". After I had my supper of leftovers I did some February month end financial reconciliation work.

Tuesday ; Sunny and hot.

This morning I headed out by myself for part one of a day of errands. My first stop was a local RV dealer who wanted to buy my surplus set of fifth wheel hitch rails, but asked me to deliver them. Okay ... no problem. T'was a painless deal. He paid my asking price ... in cash. Next stop was RV Connection, a local RV parts dealer that I avoid as much as I possibly can. Because ... every time I shop there ... every time ... the service is atrociously bad ! And today was no exception !

I returned home for lunch. After lunch Joanne and I went to the Humane Society for our regular weekly shift of cat cuddling and dog walking. After the Humane Society was part two of the day of running errands. We drove across town to an upholstery shop that
I was hopeful would be able to remake our Arizona room vinyl wall panels. < sigh > The three previous shops that I have been to were not capable of doing so. Today's shop ... owned and operated by Mexicans ... greeted my queries with "of course we can do that" ! And then ... suggested that they repair and modify the existing panels instead of making new ones at much more cost. Seems somewhat typical for this region. Three "whitey" shops that can't get the job done, and a Mexican shop that can not only get the job done, but at much lower cost than expected, by repairing and modifying what already exists instead of starting over from scratch.

From the upholstery shop it was over to Harbor Freight for some needed guy stuff. WOO-HOO ... I love Harbor Freight. HA HA HA ! A very quick stop at Staples next door to Harbor Freight and then we headed home.

Wednesday ; Sunny and hot, temperature 31º C. / 88º F.

Since being ill a week ago Sully has been constipated, not the first time he's had this problem ! Today he had three tiny bowel movements, and was obviously suffering intestinal distress / cramps / spasms this evening. Poor Sully. Late in the evening I gave him an enema. That did not inspire any further bowel movement. And it did not seem to give him any relief or comfort. And then ... really late in the evening he began to leak a bit of blood out of his urinary tract. Poor Sully. Kidney and / or bowel failure ? Maybe the end really is near this time. At this moment ( 10:20 PM ) he is asleep on the sofa beside me, but I can see his abdomen is having spasms.

Today I did routine chores, made phone calls, and replaced the water intake tubing on the Arizona room's swamp cooler. We gave Bo a bath and trimmed his dew claws. Joanne went shopping for awhile this afternoon. I did an agility and an obedience session with Bo. Too hot for either, he thought.

Late in the afternoon we visited with friends and neighbours. Joanne did laundry. I went bicycling. We pampered Sully, although to little avail. Rather than comforting him, our attention just made him cranky. Poor baby just wants to be left alone. "HEY ... don't squirt warm water up my ass and then try to be my best friend !" HA HA HA !

Thursday ; SULLY DIED TODAY

With a little help ... at the age of 18½ ... he died in my arms, hearing my voice.

Sunny and hot today. I cooked "hard boiled" ( baked ) "scrambled in the shell" eggs in the Sun Oven this morning. Afterwards Joanne baked a chocolate cake, then this afternoon she cooked "Arroz con pollo", a Mexican seasoned rice and chicken casserole recipe.

This morning I received troubling news by e-mail from my sister about her husband’s health.

Joanne awoke very early this morning and almost immediately realized Sully was dying. As soon as it was possible I phoned the veterinarian to make an appointment for euthanasia. We spent the morning trying to make Sully comfortable, minimizing his distress to the extent that we could, and doing all that we could to reassure him of how much we loved him.

After lunch we headed for Arizona West Veterinary Clinic. At the intersection of Avenue 3E and East County 14th Street, I began to make a left turn then realized that East County 14th Street was blocked due to construction, with a police car blocking the intersection. Having already started the left turn, I turned the wheel to the right and made a somewhat question mark shaped ( ? ) u-turn across the intersection. The police car immediately gave chase. < sigh > I stopped, the officer approached, chastised me for the illegal u-turn across the intersection, and asked for my documents. I gave them to him, and asked him to take into consideration that we had a dying cat that was due at the veterinarian in five minutes. The veterinarian that was just beyond the intersection that he had just been blocking, inspiring my illegal u-turn. He took my documents to his cruiser and returned in just a minute or so. He "warned" me about the u-turn manoeuver and sent us on our way.

With compassionate assistance Sully died at 2:45 PM.

< pausing to cry >

From the vet clinic I drove back to the blocked intersection to thank the Yuma City police officer for not delaying us. He expressed his condolences.

We drove to Interstate 8 and headed west across the Colorado River into California, turning south at the Quechan Casino on the road that leads to the border crossing into Los Algodones, Mexico. Just before the border crossing we turned into the desert lands of the Quechan Indian Reservation and found our way to the secluded pet cemetery.

We buried Sully in a simple grave, slightly shaded by a Palo Verde tree, resting on his favourite Sobakawa pillow with a can of Trader Joe’s tuna cat food beside him.

Godspeed, Sully ! Rest in peace !

Friday ; Sunny and hot.

We miss Sully. We are profoundly aware of his absence. My grief hangs heavy on me.

Late this morning Joanne went out with her water aerobics group to Historic Downtown Yuma for lunch at an Italian restaurant. I moped and puttered around with routine chores. This afternoon I began taking inventory of medications ; what's in the trailer, what's in the camper, what's at home in Keremeos, what do I need to buy in Mexico before we leave, etc. AND ... I moped.

Mid-afternoon we headed to the clubhouse for the first annual new leaseholders' introduction social. And almost before it began I realized how truly shitty I felt and how much I did not want to be there. After I needlessly snapped at a hard of hearing neighbour, Joanne gently suggested that maybe I should return home. I took a deep breath and knew she was right. I should have realized before going that I was in no mood for socializing.

Late in the afternoon our SKP BC Okanagan Chapter 33 friends Barry and Jackie stopped by for a brief visit on their way to boondock for a few nights at nearby Cocopah Casino. They invited us to join them for lunch on Sunday at the Cocopah Casino.

We walked with Bo around the dog park. I went cycling at dusk. After supper we watched a great musical documentary on PBS of Paul McCartney with Diana Krall ( from Nanaimo, British Columbia ) recording the album Kisses On The Bottom at Capital Records in Hollywood.

And then I moped some more !

< sigh > I hope I'm finished moping !

Saturday ; Sunny and very hot at 93 F / 34 C.

This morning we did some spring cleaning chores. This afternoon we went out with our friend Eilene. She wanted to treat us to lunch at The Garden Cafe in Historic Downtown Yuma. Thank you very much for lunch, Eilene.

From downtown we drove across the Colorado River into California, then headed north towards Bard and the date farming area. We didn't go to the date farming area, instead we headed towards Picacho Peak State Park. When the road crossed one of the Colorado River irrigation canals Eilene instructed me to turn left into the desert. We slowly drove about eight miles along a dirt trail through the desert to an area where people have been writing their names on the desert floor using rocks since ... ! We saw names with dates going back to 1970 ! Eilene will not be returning to Yuma any more and she wanted to show this area to us before she leaves soon. Thank you, Eilene.

We wanted to write our names on the desert floor ... BUT ... it was 93 degrees ... and sunny ! UHHHHH ... not today ! It will have to be a project for next winter, on a much cooler day than this. We returned to the highway, then returned to Bard and the date farms to have date shakes. We arrived at Imperial Date Gardens at 4:30 PM. WHAT ? Closed at 4 PM on Saturday ? ! ? HMPH ! ! !

I found out today that our friend Carol Mae, who is in Florida this winter, lost her dog this week. Our condolences, Carol Mae. Rest in peace, Dulce.

DSK

March 1 to 7, 2015 ; Yuma, Arizona to San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico & return

Sunday ; Cloudy, windy, chilly, raining in the evening.

This morning we headed out, with Eilene, to Yuma Lettuce Days. This is the first year it was being held "on the farm", at the University of Arizona's College of Agriculture's research farm on the west side of Yuma. Attendance was poor due to the weather, but it was a very interesting day, as our Lettuce Days outings in the past have been. We attended a chef's "mystery box challenge" with Yuma's top five chefs competing in a cooking challenge. They were provided with a box of mystery ingredients and given twenty-five minutes to create something using every ingredient in the box, which included a fillet of salmon, a chocolate bar, a package of Ramen noodles, and lots of fresh produce, of course. We had lunch at the Tanimura & Antle ( a local farm ) giant salad bar. We wandered around the many vendor booths. We bought some dip mixes. We were given a lot of different free products, including a lot of produce ; citrus fruits, leafy greens, and all kinds of other vegetables grown in this area. I had a vendor of herbal ointments apply a sample of one of her products to my infected boil. It was quite soothing, and there was obvious improvement in the appearance and condition of the healing skin by bedtime. We walked out into the farm fields and viewed the spinach research field where they had grown eighty-five different types of spinach. < shrug > Who knew ? We viewed small "drone" aircraft used to monitor field conditions. We saw a variety of specialized farm equipment, some of it developed right there by the university.

On the way back to Kofa Ko-op we made a brief stop at Food City. Back at home we went to the regular Sunday late afternoon ice cream social where we presented Eilene with the album of photos I took at her recent farewell party. In the evening we watched the season finale of Downton Abbey.

Monday ; Yuma to El Centro, Arizona

Partially sunny, warm, a bit windy.

This morning Eilene brought over and gave to us a large piece ( quarter section ) of her famed lemon meringue pie. She had made a "test" pie in preparation for an upcoming "pie social" at Kofa Ko-op where one of her lemon meringue pies will be auctioned. The last time one of her lemon meringue pies was auctioned it sold for $500. HA HA HA ! Proceeds to charity, of course.

We spent the morning preparing for departure for a four day trip to Mexico. We left home around noon. We refilled with diesel before leaving Yuma, then headed west on Interstate 8 across the Colorado River and into California. As always, we stopped in Holtville to buy a burrito for lunch. MMMMM ! ! ! After lunch I napped with Sully. We were in no hurry today. I had planned to take two days to accomplish about one day of travel distance.

From Holtville we continued west on I-8 to El Centro then south on Hwy. 111 into Calexico, a small city. Well ... half of a small city. The other half of the city is Mexicali in Baja California, Mexico. The American built border fence runs through the center of Calexico, California and Mexicali, Mexico < rolling eyes >. We drove slowly through and around Calexico, exploring. It was somewhat difficult to appreciate that we were still in the United States. Calexico is as Mexican a city as anything in Mexico ! We found a Bank of America. Great ! I stopped and deposited a couple of cheques. No more Bank of America in Yuma !

There is a border crossing from downtown Calexico into downtown Mexicali, but we are planning to cross at the newer, larger, faster border crossing about seven miles east of town. We drove out there just to find it and orient ourselves for tomorrow's border crossing. We drove back to Calexico then north back to El Centro where we again drove through and around town just to explore a bit. Just before it got dark we returned to Interstate 8 where we drove a few more miles west to a rest area to boondock overnight.

Tuesday ; El Centro, Arizona to San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico

Mostly sunny and warm.

This morning we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the rest area's sani-dump, then departed. A few miles east on Interstate 8 to El Centro, then ten miles or so south on Hwy. 111 to Calexico, then seven miles east on Hwy. 98 and a few miles south on Hwy. 7 to the border crossing and ... we were in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico.

We were pulled aside for a "secondary inspection" by Customs which I think is "standard procedure " for all RV's, and then had go inside to see "Migracion" to obtain tourist visas. I did not think that we needed tourist visas to visit San Felipe, which is in the northern "free zone" of Mexico, but ... obviously I was incorrect. However ... once told that we needed tourist visas, I was expecting that we would have to pay about U.S.$25 for each visa, as we have done in the past. The Migracion officer issued us tourist visas valid for one week, then sent us on our way ... without us having to pay anything. So ... < shrug > ... I don't know ? Is there no charge for a week or less ? Had the cashier called in sick today ? Do they make up the rules as they go along ? ! ?
I thought it was hilarious when I peeked inside the camper as it was being inspected, and "caught" the officer taking a photo of Sully lying on the pillows on the bed. HA HA HA ... "stupid gringos ... let their gato sleep on their pillows".

As we drove though Mexicali, trying to find our way through the city and out to Hwy. 5 southbound, we passed ... WOO-HOO ... LEY'S. A Mexican supermarket. Haven't shopped in a real Mexican supermarket for a couple of years. I just wanted to take a quick peek, but ... ! HA HA HA ... an hour and almost four hundred pesos later ... ! ! ! HA HA HA ... lots of pan dulce, of course, lots of Joanne's beloved Yomi Lala chocolate milk, a large bottle of ToniCol, a vanilla cola ... tag line ; "es diferente", a small bottle of Mirinda, an orange soft drink, a package of Oaxaca ( pronounced "wha HAWK a" ) string cheese, from the city of Oaxaca, in the state of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico ... ( been there ) ... turkey "ham" luncheon meat ... almost all luncheon meats ... and wieners ... in Mexico are made with turkey meat ... ! ! ! Almost as much fun as shopping at Trader Joe's. Eventually we finished grocery shopping and resumed driving.

Once we finally got through Mexicali, a much larger city than I had expected, we headed south on Hwy. 5. We stopped to eat lunch inside the camper in a small ejido, a communal farming village. WHEW ... tough little village with tough big dogs ! And Bo doesn't think it is necessary to take any guff from Mexican pit bulls who are trying very hard ... and almost succeeding ... in jumping over their yards' six foot fences to kill a stupid little gringo dog attached to a rope while he's being walked. C'mon Bo ... shut the **** up and just keep walking. Or better yet, take a piss so we can go back inside the camper. HA HA HA !

Before reaching San Felipe we had to stop at a military checkpoint and be inspected ... again. Just a few miles before reaching San Felipe we found Las Magdalenas, the housing development where our friends Barry and Marty live, with Sunny their Cocker Spaniel. Bo and Sunny have been "buddies" for about eight years. We visited with Barry and Marty for a couple of hours, then they invited us to join them for dinner at El Paraiso, a restaurant at a nearby RV park called Pete's Camp. We lingered over dinner, then drove into San Felipe for a brief night time tour of San Felipe before returning to their home where we spent the rest of the evening chatting.

We boondocked overnight in Barry's and Marty's driveway.

Wednesday ; Sunny, warm, windy on the beach.

Why does it seem like every time we go on a short trip one of the animals gets sick ? ! ? Today it was Sully, with diarrhea and vomiting. Don't know why ! Poor Sully. He really was very ill this afternoon and evening. Once again ... hope he survives ! ! !

On Sunday at Lettuce Days, at my request, I was given a small sample of a pine sap salve made by a herbalist / hippie. Excellent product ! Five days and my ugly, infected skin boil is healed ! Will have to track her down and buy a small jar of her pine sap salve. < whispering > It's obviously a better product than the pine sap salve I make !

This morning we visited with Barry and Marty for awhile before leaving their driveway. Thank you very much, Barry and Marty, for your hospitality. We drove into San Felipe and began finding the half dozen or so RV parks in town, to check them out and decide where we would like to spend the next two nights. After finding and checking out the half dozen or so RV parks in town we drove about ten miles or so south on Hwy. 5 to an area where there were a few more RV parks. We checked out the one rated as the best in that area, and made our choice. Club de Pesca in town on the east side. On the way back into San Felipe we stopped at a deserted camping area and had lunch. While Joanne prepared lunch Bo and I went for a walk on the beach. Very nice beach ! Strong winds ! ! !

Once back in San Felipe we drove to the Malecon ... the waterfront walkway ... and found a parking spot. Joanne and I walked the length of the Malecon in both directions. Lots of beach town tourist outlets and many restaurants. Some old drunks panhandling. Unemployed fishermen killing time. Old, fat gringos eating and drinking at outdoor patios. We brought Bo out of the camper and walked down some steps from the Malecon to the beach, then went for a long walk on the beach. HA HA HA ... Bo chased gulls, terns, and a few pelicans. The pelicans are so much larger than him that you would think he would be afraid of them, but ... NOOOOO ! ! ! He had a wonderful time romping on the beach, running out into the surf to chase birds, digging in the sand to find ... who knows what ?

After our beach walk we went exploring the town by driving. I stopped at a farmacia and bought some medications that I needed. We went to two of the three pescaderias / fish markets in town. At the first one we bought a couple of Halibut fillets. Three hundred grams / two thirds of a pound for two dollars. At the second one we bought a thick Curvina fillet. Again ... three hundred grams / two thirds of a pound for two dollars. We stopped at the new supermarket in town for a couple of grocery items.

Around 5 PM we drove back to Club de Pesca to check in for the night. Nobody in the office ! We chose a site and will settle with the office in the morning. Before it got dark we took Bo for another walk on the beach. As we settled in for the evening Sully was at the height of his illness, having attacks of diarrhea and / or vomiting every half hour or so for a couple of hours. Poor baby ! Once his stomach and intestines were completely emptied out he seemed to become a bit more comfortable, although it was obvious that he continued to suffer from intermittent intestinal cramps.

Thursday ; Sunny, warm, a bit windy on the beach. Sully was sick during the night, then seemed to be very slowly improving throughout the day today. By evening he was alert, eating well, and drinking well, although subdued.

This morning I walked over to the RV park's office to pay for last night and tonight. Then we moved to the RV park's "dry camp" / unserviced area on the beach. WOO-HOO ... beach camping ! We spent the rest of the morning playing beach doughnut fetch with Bo. HA HA HA HA HA ! What a fun loving little dog. But ... HA HA HA ... he has difficulty picking up his beloved "beach doughnut" now that he is missing five of his six lower front teeth ! A couple of big dogs from a nearby home came wandering down the beach to visit with Bo. WOO-HOO ... thought Bo ! He loves having a "beach pack" to romp with ! It's always been obvious that Bo desires to be a leashless Mexican dog. HA HA HA HA HA !

We rested on the beach for awhile, almost falling asleep, before going inside the camper to have lunch. Eating made us really sleepy so we all went for a long nap after lunch. When I awoke I took Bo for a long walk on the beach. The tide was going out late in the afternoon, so there was a lot of exposed tidal flats, with interesting things to discover, like Dungeness crabs. Around 5 PM with about an hour of daylight remaining ... and Joanne finally awake ... we went for a short "drivey", to "jungle dump" the camper's grey waste ( shower ) tank and to see the town's large harbour. YUCK ... what grubby looking large fishing boats.

We returned to our beach camping site and I barbecued steak for supper while Joanne prepared a salad and guacamole. As I was setting up the barbecue on the beach behind the camper's door I was surprised by the full moon "rising" out of the Sea of Cortez / Gulf of California. Late in the evening we went for a walk on the beach under a full moon. We ended our walk sooner than Bo would have liked because our bare feet were getting cold. < sigh > We must be getting old ! HA HA HA !

Friday ; San Felipe. Baja California, Mexico to Yuma, Arizona

Sunny, very warm, windy.

This morning we went for our final walk on the beach before leaving Club de Pesca RV park and the city of San Felipe. Driving through the city I noticed a taller mecanico ( actual translation is "machine shop" but means "auto service station" ) with two tow trucks that I think were each about sixty-five years old. We stopped to refill with diesel at a Pemex station. They did not accept credit cards. I had no pesos, only U.S. dollars. Their exceptionally poor pesos to dollars exchange rate made it the most expensive ( per gallon ) fuel purchase so far this winter season.

We left San Felipe heading north on Mex 5. When we were hungry for lunch I pulled off the highway into the desert and we had lunch. When we stopped at the military checkpoint halfway back to Mexicali, the young soldier who was inspecting us stepped into the camper, saw Sully on the bed, and "meowed" softly to him. Sully lifted his head, saw the machine gun toting young soldier, and ... screamed loudly at him. HA HA HA ! The soldier turned around and quickly headed out the door of the camper. Inspection over ! Crabby old gringo cat is screaming at me ... I'm outta here ! HA HA HA HA HA !

We decided that we would rather not have to contend with the two hour or longer line up to cross the border from Mexicali to Calexico, a congested border crossing. When we got halfway through the city of Mexicali ( a larger city than I had realized ! ) arriving from the south on Mex 5, we turned east on Mex 2 and drove through and out of the city again. Just before leaving Mexicali I refilled with diesel again, this time purchasing at a station that accepted credit cards AND had a very decent exchange rate. We drove east on Mex 2 to all the way San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, and crossed the border into San Luis, Arizona, just a short distance south of our home at Kofa Ko-op RV Park.

We were in the line up to get to the border for about fifteen minutes. The female agent cleared us for entry pending a secondary inspection by Agriculture, standard procedure for RV's. We waited in "secondary inspection" for close to half an hour until a shaved head, jack booted a*****e came over to give us a "107" inspection. Sorry, a*****e, we were sent for a "104" inspection ( Agriculture ), not a "107" inspection ( we must "prove" that we do not intend to illegally remain in the United states forever ). < rolling eyes > Why would a Canadian drive all the way from Canada through the United States, then into Mexico, then return from Mexico back into the United States with the intent of becoming an illegal alien resident ? ? ? What a doofus ! ! !

Finally the Agriculture inspection agent came over. The shaved head doofus offered to "help" him. We were sent inside the building to wait for them to complete their Agricultural inspection. The doofus wanted me to open the truck hood before we went inside. Good plan, doofus ... maybe I illegally stashed some citrus fruits in the engine compartment. HA HA HA ! I think his insistence on "inspecting" us showed disrespect for his female colleague who had already cleared us for entry pending an Agriculture inspection.

In a few minutes doofus and the Agriculture inspector came into the building. The Agriculture inspector had confiscated a turkey sausage and two chicken thighs from our freezer because Joanne had repackaged them from larger grocery store packages into Baggies when she had purchased them in Yuma and the country of origin was no longer obvious.

Well done, boys. Keeping your HOMELAND SECURE one ****ing turkey sausage at a time ! < shaking my head in utter despair and contempt >

I had a very busy evening dealing with four days worth of e-mails and phone messages. We watched episode three of Amazing Race.

< inhaling deeply > WOW ! Can you smell that ? The nearby lemon groves are in blossom !

Saturday ; Sunny and hot. Forecast is for more of the same for the next week. Of course ... it's March and we're in Yuma. DUH !

I spent the morning and afternoon dealing with phone calls regarding the fifth wheel hitch rails I have advertised for sale, and visiting / chatting with friends and neighbours. We made plans to go to Midnight At The Oasis tonight with Laszlo and Gayle. Marilu came over and we settled up for the pet medications I "loaned" her last week. A man from Kamloops, British Columbia ( same city where Laszlo and Gayle live in the summer ) came over to see my fifth wheel hitch rails, but they were not the style he was looking for. If he had asked just one or two more questions on the phone, he could have saved himself a long drive over here. After lunch Joanne went to the clubhouse to assist with this afternoon's fund raiser "pie social". I skipped going. I don't need or particularly want to pay three dollars for a small slice of home made pie. And I certainly don't intend to bid five hundred dollars for one of Eilene's famous lemon meringue pies ! ! ! < whispering > Especially since she occasionally gives us a quarter of a pie !
I downloaded and processed photos from our Mexico trip.

At 6 PM we were picked up by Laszlo and Gayle in their tuck and we headed off to Midnight At The Oasis, the annual classic car show in Yuma. Every year Midnight At The Oasis has a rock concert on Saturday night. Tonight there were three tribute bands. While the Neil Diamond clone performed we wandered around the nearby sports field admiring the many beautiful classic cars. We returned to the performance stage area for the second band, a Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons tribute band. They were very good. The final band of the evening was a tribute to Journey, And they weren't very good ! We left halfway through their performance.

DSK

February 22 to 28, 2015

Sunday ; Thin overcast, warm, a bit windy early in the day.

I started the day with a Bo-gility session followed by routine yard chores. I helped Joanne with a furniture refinishing idea she had. A good idea, it turned out well. In the afternoon we worked on the photos I took at Eilene's farewell party. Joanne will be making an album for Eilene. We attended the weekly ice cream social, then had supper while watching two episodes of Downton Abbey. I ended the day by printing and reconciling our February MasterCard billing.

Monday ; Overcast in the morning, sunny in the afternoon, warm.

I spent the morning slowly doing routine chores. At noon we went out for lunch with Eilene. We drove to Somerton, a small village southwest of here on the way to the Mexico border. And not surprisingly, Somerton is a "Mexican" village in Arizona. There's more than a few of those. We went for lunch at Somerton Main Street Cafe, a small Mexican restaurant operated by a small culinary school catering to Hispanics. The food was interesting. The prices were a tad too high for what was offered. The service was atrociously bad. Like the cooks in the kitchen, the wait staff are "students" of the culinary school. The "tip" I wanted to leave our waitress was ... "find another career" ! HA HA HA !

After dropping me off at home, Joanne and Eilene went grocery shopping for the rest of the afternoon. I napped with the animals. I watered all our plants and gardens. I did monthly maintenance work on the computer. < sigh > I recently attempted an unsuccessful download of Windows 8.1, so the process of "disk cleanup" today took about two and a half hours ! Waiting for that to be competed caused me to waste a lot of time ! At dusk I went bicycling. BRRRRR ... t'was a bit chilly. Well ... Yuma chilly, not real world chilly. HA HA HA !

When we walked Bo around the dog park, Joanne stumbled and fell heavily. < sigh > An annual event, it seems ! And ... as usual for her annual fall ... < sigh > ... she scraped her palms, elbows, and knees, and severely bruised a knee and hip. < heavy sigh > Well ... at least she didn't break an elbow this year !

Tuesday ; Sunny, windy, warm.

A few months ago a dark red coloured lesion began to develop on my skin between my sideburn and my ear lobe. As it slowly got larger and uglier I thought it might be skin cancer. About a week ago it was the size of a lima bean, inflamed and tender. It burst ! Blood and pus spewed. OH ... just a boil. I was relieved. It drained, then began to heal nicely. By yesterday it looked almost healed.

Last night at bedtime, it suddenly burst again. HUH ? I thought it was almost healed. It spewed blood and pus again. When I woke this morning ... WHAT ? ! ? It was infected ! An oozing lesion surrounded by obviously infected tissue, about the size of a Loonie ( Canadian dollar coin ). YIKES ! I took an antibiotic pill and will continue for a few days. Frequently during the day I applied a hot compress to the boil. It slowly oozed all day. By the end of the day it looked a bit less inflamed, but ... it still looks pretty scary ! And it hurts !

This morning I did some annual "spring cleaning" maintenance in the trailer. I spent quite a bit of time today weeding my cactus gardens in the dog park behind our rear fence. Joanne went to the Humane Society this afternoon for her regular Tuesday afternoon shift of cat cuddling. I did not go the Humane Society today. I wasn't feeling well, perhaps as a result of the infection. When Joanne returned we went to Wal-Mart to buy some supplies to make a photo album for Eilene of her farewell party. Bo enjoyed going for a drivey. I think his upper respiratory infection / cold is almost over.

In the evening Joanne did laundry. I barbecued steak for supper ... and some wieners for me for tomorrow because I won't be able to eat what is being prepared for tomorrow's Renter's Appreciation Barbecue Dinner.

Wednesday ; Sunny and warm.

This morning I disinfected the trailer's freshwater holding tank, then did an obedience session in the dog park with Bo. Well done, Bo, good dog.

I spent much of the afternoon working on printing photos for Eilene's farewell party photo album, Joanne's farewell gift to Eilene. YIKES ! I had no idea how quickly printing "high quality" photos on glossy photo paper would consume the printer's colour ink cartridge ! I ran out of ink, and will likely need two more colour ink cartridges ( at about thirty-five bucks a pop ) to complete the job. < shrug > Oh, well !

Late in the afternoon was Kofa Ko-op's Renter's Appreciation Barbecue / Picnic. The lot owners provide a meal to the renters to express our appreciation for them choosing to stay in our park. And ... spending their money / paying their lot rental fees that helps defray the lot owners' annual maintenance fees. The lot owners contributed potluck salads and hot side dishes, the park paid for bratwursts to be barbecued, and a couple of large cakes, and the renters just show up and eat ! It was very well attended, and there was more than enough food. Joanne was in charge of the salads table ... or more precisely, four tables ... and I was the photographer.

Immediately after the dinner Marilu came over with Sammy the Australian Shepherd to have help performing "minor surgery" on him. Sammy had a large abscess inside his ear flap that needed to be lanced and drained. And drained, and drained, and drained ! Poor Sammy ! His ear flap was filled with blood, and was puffed up like a balloon ! Joanne and Marilu held and calmed Sammy while I lanced and drained. And he tolerated it amazingly well. It actually seemed to bring him comfort to have that fat ear drained.

Later in the evening we watched the premiere episodes of Survivor and Amazing Race.

Thursday ; Sunny and very warm.

This morning we headed out to Wellton with the Arizona room's snap on vinyl wall panels, to the place where I was going to have them remade. We travelled 50 km. / 30 miles east on Interstate 8 to Wellton. After about fifteen minutes or so of frustrating discussion with the staff at this specialty sewing business, I rolled up my wall panels and left, convinced that they do not have the expertise necessary to do this job, despite them being the original manufacturers of these wall panels thirteen ( or more ) years ago.

We returned to Yuma and went to visit two of the four Yuma Community Fishing Ponds, the two we had not yet seen. Both of them were a bit north of Hwy. 95. First was Fortuna Pond. I estimate it to be about ten acres in size. There were quite a few boondocking RV's around the pond / small lake, and quite a few fishermen. We had a leisurely picnic lunch beside the lake. Next we drove to Redondo Pond where we parked and walked around a bit. Nice place to relax and fish. A bit smaller than Fortuna Pond.

From there we drove to the Yuma winter home of Dave and Joy, neighbours of ours back home at Riverside RV Park Resort near Keremeos, BC. Dave and Joy had invited us and three other couples from Riverside that spend their winters in Yuma to a barbecue party. So ... the five couples spent the afternoon and evening chatting and eating, with very little < snicker > gossiping about the rest of our neighbours back home. Hope they're all enjoying the winter back there. HA HA HA !

Friday ; Sunny and very warm.

This morning I trimmed my beard, made difficult by the still oozing, very sore, ugly looking, infected skin boil between my sideburn and my ear lobe. I also cut some Prednisone pills in half to "lend" to Marilu for Sammy the Australian Shepherd. She ran out of his Prednisone medication.

Immediately after lunch we left for a small adventure outing ; date shakes in Bard, California. In Eilene's car were me driving, Joanne, Eilene, and Marilu. Laszlo and Gayle followed us in their truck. Laszlo assured all of us ( especially his wife ) that he could have a date shake even though he's diabetic ! He would just combat the rise in his blood sugar with more insulin than usual.

We crossed the Colorado River into California and headed north on regional road S-24 towards Bard. On the way I stopped beside a Romaine lettuce field that had been harvested earlier in the day ( the harvesting crew was still on the field, but further away ) and I harvested / "gleaned" six heads of "leftover" Romaine lettuce. Many heads were "leftover" because they were "too large" and / or perhaps dusty because of proximity to the gravel road. We continued on to Imperial Date Gardens where we all enjoyed date shakes. I felt guilty having a date shake without Bo.

On the way back towards Yuma I stopped beside a field of "artisan lettuce", furrows with eight different types and colours of lettuce planted side by side in colourful rows. Fields of "artisan lettuce" are so pretty ! While we were stopped beside the field, Marilu taking photos out the car window, all of us watching the large equipment and harvesting crew, one of the workers ran across the field to present us with four sealed bags of artisan lettuce. WOW ! Muchas gracias, señor ! It was labelled as artisan lettuce for the Trader Joe's chain of gourmet food stores. WOW ! It was our first real example of lettuce that is picked and immediately sealed / packaged right in the field, never to be opened / touched again until the consumer tears open the bag, a few days from now, anywhere in North America.

Did you know ... Yuma produces over 90% of the lettuce and leafy greens consumed in North America during the winter months ? Chances are that salad you had tonight was made with lettuce that came from here in Yuma.

On the way home I stopped at Arizona Market Place and picked up the dash cover ( for our "new" minivan back home in BC ) that I had ordered a week ago. When we arrived back home I realized that I had "miscalculated", especially now that we had the sealed bags of artisan lettuce, and had cut too much Romaine lettuce. I gave away a head of Romaine lettuce to each of two neighbours.

Joanne and I took Lanoire the truck over to the storage area and mounted Elsie the truck camper onto the truck. We are going to San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico next week.

Our neighbour Merilee came over to chat with us about the trip she and her husband have just returned from. They went to Laughlin, Nevada for a few days to attend their Missouri high school reunion, about fifty years after they graduated.

Laszlo and I had accepted Marilu's invitation to join her tonight at the evening performance of the annual MCAS ( Marine Corps Air Station ) Air Show. Just before we were to leave, Gayle came over to tell me that Lazslo would be unable to attend. Apparently ... < snicker > ... he was a tad incorrect about his ability to consume a date shake and simply adjust his insulin dosage. He was sick and asleep ! I decided I also was going to "bail out" on Marilu's invitation. I was feeling a bit "behind schedule" in my workload / obligations. I still have a lot of work to do to complete Eilene's farewell party photo album, amongst other things I have to do.

Joanne took Eilene grocery shopping. I took Bo for a walk around the dog park.
I polished shoes. I went bicycling. After supper we watched episode 2 of Amazing Race. I worked on photos and finances !

Saturday ; Partially cloudy, warm, a few drops of rain in the afternoon.

This morning we went to the clubhouse for a communal potluck brunch. MMMMM ! ! !

This afternoon I took care of routine outside chores, then spent the afternoon at my desk, working on the computer. First chore was finances ; pay bills, transfer funds, etc. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening working on Eilene's farewell party photo album. And ... I finished it ! Almost forty photos, printed in high quality format, on 8½ " x 11" glossy photo paper, used more than two colour ink cartridges ! Costs ; about a hundred bucks ... but ... results ; priceless memories for Eilene, we hope.

A neighbour was taken away by ambulance early this morning. Early diagnosis ; brain hemorrhage while sleeping. Not sure what the prognosis is !

DSK