March 9 to 15, 2014

Sunday ; Sunny and hot.

This afternoon was Bo's agility class "graduation". The class started nine weeks ago with nine dogs. It ended today with only five dogs. The "final exam" was a difficult agility course with seventeen components. Bo completed the entire course off leash, with only one "fault". And I don't think it was his "fault". The final component was the "broad jump" a triple hurdle with each of the three hurdles slightly higher than the one before, forming a 45 degree, rising "broad jump". Before starting I told the instructor that
I thought it was set too high for Bo. She disagreed. It was the seventeenth and final component. Bo was so tired by then that his back leg clipped the third and highest hurdle, knocking the bar down.

For a very short legged, ten year old dog .. WELL DONE, BO ! Only one dog did better than Bo, his buddy from here at Kofa Ko-op, the year and a half old, part Border Collie, Zona. I declare Bo to be the silver medallist. HA HA HA !

 

We attended this evening's ice cream social. There is much anxiety about the upcoming Escapees Roadrunners Chapter 7 Spring Rally starting on Tuesday. The Spring Rally is being held right here at Kofa Ko-op, and is a 30th birthday party for both Kofa Ko-op and Chapter 7.

This evening we watched Amazing Race and Downton Abbey. WHAT ? It's the end of Downton Abbey season 4 already ?

Monday ; Sunny and hot.

This morning we headed out for a long day of shopping errands. First stop was Historic Downtown Yuma to sign up for a date farm tour next weekend. Next was Food City to buy some food for the upcoming Escapees Roadrunner Chapter 7 Spring Rally. Over to Harbor Freight for some guy stuff ... WOO-HOO ! Lunch at Burger King. More Spring Rally food purchases at Smart & Final. Last stop was some personal grocery shopping at Albertsons.

Late this afternoon we gave Bo a bath. We packed some clothes in the truck camper. Joanne diced a lot of tomatoes for tomorrow's dinner.

Tuesday ; Sunny and hot again.

This morning I opened the box of the new Sun Oven that I bought a couple of months ago. I had not yet opened it because we were planning to bring it home to Canada, and leave the old Sun Oven here. But ... I am conducting a Sun Oven demonstration tomorrow and Thursday, using both Sun Ovens both days. I unpacked the new Sun Oven, and cleaned it, then set it out in the sun with a pot of vinegar inside. Over the next couple of hours the vinegar boiled and steam cleaned the inside of the Sun Oven. Meanwhile, Joanne baked a cake in the old Sun Oven, then cleaned that one to be ready for my cooking demonstrations.

In the afternoon we went to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift. WHEW ... 2½ hours of walking dogs really tires me out. Some of them are such "pullers". By the time we returned to Kofa Ko-op the Roadrunner Chapter 7 Spring Rally had commenced.

We attended the very well attended communal taco salad dinner. Then we attended the very poorly attended "campfire" on the south patio. There has been much "resistance to change" in having this spring rally here at Kofa Ko-op instead of boondocking out in the desert on Ogilby Road as in the past. Hope the next few days aren't filled with drama and turmoil !

Wednesday ; Sunny and hot.

Had to be up too early for me, to attend communal breakfast. Afterwards I conducted a Sun Oven cooking demonstration, using both of our Sun Ovens. I cooked a cake, eight "hard boiled" ( baked ) eggs, and baked two large sweet potatoes. For half the day struggled with a colitis flare-up due to last night's communal dinner. Should have known better !

Joanne prepared a contribution to tonight's communal potluck "progressive" dinner. "Progressive" means ; appetizers on pool patio, progress to salads behind clubhouse, progress to entrees on south patio, progress to desserts in clubhouse.

Watched Survivor this evening. The "brains" tribe seem dumb as rocks !

Thursday ; Partially cloudy in the morning, sunny in the afternoon, very warm.

This morning I hooked up my laptop computer to the large screen TV in Kofa Ko-op's clubhouse and presented a video on Continuous Chest Compression CPR to the Escapees Roadrunners Chapter 7 Spring Rally. Following that I set up our two Sun Ovens and conducted a solar cooking demonstration for the second day in a row. That was made difficult by the partially cloudy conditions that existed until about 1:30 PM.

Joanne spent much of the afternoon assisting with the preparation of tonight's communal Miner's Stew dinner. After dinner I led a street clean up effort. Many years ago Kofa Ko-op "adopted" responsibility for cleaning E. County 17th St. from Ave. 3E to Ave. 4E. That effort was led by an old friend of ours who died three years ago. Since his death, the cleanup responsibility has fallen by the wayside. I have decided to pick up from where he left off. I led a group of fifteen people on a one hour clean up of the road. We cleaned a lot more roadway then initially planned, in less time than planned. Well done, everybody.

And so ended this year's Escapees Roadrunners Chapter 7 Spring Rally.

Friday ; Sunny and hot.

This morning we headed to The Foothills for some shopping errands. By the time we were finished it was time for lunch. We had a coupon, and a recommendation, for Round Table Pizza, way over on the other side of town. We drove all the way over there and ... first of all ... Joanne tripped on their uneven floor as soon as she entered their door. Scraped knee, bruised hip, friction burned palm of her hand. Secondly ... terrible food, terrible service, and did I mention ... TERRIBLE FOOD ! Never again ! ! !

Early this evening we headed to Marine Corps Air Station ( MCAS ) Yuma for the Twilight Air Show. Tomorrow is the big, annual MCAS Air Show, tonight was the twilight "mini-show". Very unusual ! A jet powered glider ( can you spell "oxymoron" ? ) spewing pyrotechnics, a jet fuel powered race car ... zero to 400 MPH in nine seconds ... a fabric winged ultralight spewing pyrotechnics, and finally, a helicopter spewing pyrotechnics. I'll bet that none of those was thought up by a woman. HA HA HA !

Saturday ; Sunny and hot.

This morning we were supposed to attend a date grove tour that we had been eagerly looking forward to all winter, and for which we made reservations about a week ago. But ... < sigh > ... a few days ago I received an e-mail notification / invitation to a dog behaviour seminar at the Humane Society of Yuma, conducted by a French Canadian dog behaviourist. I opted to attend the seminar. Joanne went on the date grove tour with her 93 year old water aerobics friend Eilene. I hope to be able to attend that date grove tour next winter.

After the dog behaviour seminar was over I spent about ¾ of an hour "cat cuddling", despite being neither "trained" nor "authorized" to do so, and about another ¾ of an hour walking a couple of dogs.

In the afternoon I completed the difficult task of getting the old truck storage chest / tool box up onto the roof of the camper, and getting it temporarily "mounted" up there to haul stuff back home in about a month.

In the evening we went to dinner at Olive Garden, one of the restaurants we like to visit here once per year. Nice dinner ... good food, good service, reasonable prices.

DSK

March 2 to 8, 2014

Sunday ; Gila Bend to Yuma, Arizona

Partially cloudy, warm.

Before leaving Holt's Shell in Gila Bend this morning we refilled the freshwater tank and dumped the grey and black waste holding tanks. We headed west on Interstate 8, back towards Yuma.

On impulse we decided to take a side trip when we saw signage to the Painted Petroglyph site on BLM land about 100 miles east of Yuma. That short detour ( 11 miles in each direction ) made us late for Bo's agility class < shrug >. He didn't mind. An hour is too long for him anyway. The petroglyphs were interesting. And it was particularly interesting to me that the Hohokam Indians of Southern Arizona painted petroglyph images of turtles that were identical to the Indian petroglyph images of turtles in Whiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba, Canada, thousands of miles away.

 

At the turn off the Interstate onto the road to the petroglyph site there was a brand new ( four month old ) massively huge solar power farm, built by a company from Spain. Very impressive ! Tonight I sent them an e-mail inquiring about the possibility of a tour.

We stopped at a roadside rest area to have lunch. We stopped at Dateland to buy date shakes which we put in the freezer to have as a late night snack while watching Amazing Race tonight. As we left Dateland I realized we would be late for Bo's agility class at 3 PM, so ... in accordance with Interstate 8's speed limit I drove the rest of the way back to Yuma at 75 MPH ( 120 km./hr. ) ! Quick, but not very good fuel mileage with that large a truck camper at that speed !

We arrived at the agility class about half an hour late. Today's new component was a large "A-frame". No problem for Bo. Again the class ended with each dog running an entire agility course with more than a dozen components. Bo did extremely well, completing the entire course without being on a leash, with no "faults". However ... he still does not really "get" the point of weave poles. I had to lead him through and around the weave poles by leading him with a favourite treat right in front of his nose. HA HA HA ... well done, Bo, good dog ! But a Border Collie, you're not !

We returned home to Kofa Ko-op just in time for the regular Sunday late afternoon ice cream social. After supper we watched Amazing Race. And had date shakes !

Monday ; Sunny and warm.

We've returned to normal every day life ; chores and errands, socializing, enjoying sunshine and warmth, long walks in the dog park, "home improvement" projects, mostly on the truck camper. In the evening I did February's month end investment updates and analysis. Good month in the stock market ! I paid some bills, juggled some funds around from here to there.

We should go out to celebrate Joanne's first Canada Pension Plan payment !

 

Tuesday ; Mardi Gras

Sunny and very warm. HEY ! I just realized, a little late ( at 10:30 PM ), that today was Mardi Gras.

Late this morning we headed out to run some errands before going to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift of dog walking and cat cuddling. First stop was Bank of America where I had to do some banking that required counter service ... for the second time this winter. And for the second time this winter, I ran into hurdles that the Bank of America has imposed on Canadians trying to do routine banking transactions. For the second time this winter I had to demand to see a manager, and throw a bit of a hissy fit to get them to use some basic common sense.
I should NOT have to produce a passport to do routine banking when I have a Bank of America bank card ... for an account held at that branch, a BC driver's license, and an Arizona state issued identity card ! ! ! When did society lose the ability to use common sense ? ! ?

We went to Fry's to buy a few grocery items before having lunch at Rally's. More frustration ! I used a coupon for a free Big Buford burger. So ... the cash register rings in the Big Buford burger at $4.19, then the coupon registers as minus $3.99. That's not free ! That's a burger for twenty cents. That's not really the problem. The problem is ... two ... count 'em ... TWO ... staff members were unable to comprehend that $4.19 minus $3.99 does not equal free. Both of these staff members did not seem capable of grade two arithmetic ; $4.19 - $3.99 DOES NOT EQUAL ZERO ! ! ! It took ANOTHER hissy fit, and a manager's intervention, to resolve the issue. And I was stubborn NOT because of the twenty cents, but BECAUSE YOU MORONS DON'T GET THAT
$4.19 - $3.99 DOES NOT EQUAL ZERO ! ! ! ! !

< WHEW > Take a deep breath, Daniel !

After lunch we headed to the Humane Society. Two and a half hours of walking dogs soothes me ... calms me. Thank goodness !

Wednesday ; Sunny and hot.

My normal "get out of bed" time is 8:30 AM. So I consider it "ungodly" to arise at 5:30 AM like I did this morning so that we could leave at 7 AM for the 7:45 AM "get on the bus" time for the Field To Feast Tour, an extremely popular agricultural tour held three times a week from the beginning of January until the end of March. It's booked months in advance. It was somewhere around Christmas that I bought tickets for today's tour.

We got on the bus at Yuma Visitor's Center and were taken to a University Of Arizona research farm to pick vegetables. Two bags for each person. One bag with a card inside instructing you what to pick, and one bag for you to pick whatever you want. The bag with the card inside, filled with what you were specified to pick, went on to Arizona Western College, to be used in the preparation of a vegetarian lunch by the students in the Culinary Arts program. The other bag we got to fill to the brim with whatever we wanted ! I picked a lot of sweet peas and snap peas. I haven't had "fresh from the garden" peas since my teenage years working on my Aunt Lena's farm during the summers.

Since Yuma's Lettuce Days had been this past weekend, we had a celebrity chef on our bus. A "local boy made good" who was one of the featured celebrity chefs at Lettuce Days.

We left the research farm and were driven around for a couple of hours to various farms, with narration by one of Yuma's more prominent ( and wealthy ! ) farmers. Very interesting and well done agricultural tour. Around noon we arrived at Arizona Western College and were treated to our vegetarian lunch prepared by award winning culinary students. Lunch was ... good ! I expected stupendous ! And while the entire experience was ... good ... I didn't think it was quite worth what it cost.

After lunch we were returned by bus to Yuma Visitor's Center. On the way home we stopped briefly at Lowe's, and we also went to find a free RV sanitary dump station that Joanne had found listed online. At home Joanne sorted and cleaned the two large bags of freshly picked vegetables of every imaginable sort. We had so much we gave some away. Then Joanne prepared her contribution to tonight's "potato bake" communal dinner. I'm not really a fan of the concept of making a meal of a baked potato with toppings.

Late in the evening we watched the second episode of Survivor. We missed the first episode last week.

Thursday ; Sunny and hot. I guess spring has arrived !

This morning I did some "home improvement" work on Elsie.

This afternoon Joanne went to Lotus Day Spa in The Foothills for a manicure, pedicure, mini-facial, and hair style, a birthday gift from her sister. I worked on the storage chest removed from the truck bed when we bought the truck camper. I want to use the storage chest to haul some stuff back to Canada, but it needs some modifications / refurbishment before I can ( temporarily ) mount it on the roof of the camper.

This evening we went to see a "foreign art film" at Historic Yuma Theater. It was a "dark comedy" made in Belgium. It's interesting to see a foreign film and get a taste of what is humorous in other cultures.

Friday ; Sunny and hot. Cooked a beef pot roast in the Sun Oven today. MMMMM !

Got a late start to my day. Late in the morning I headed to The Foothills for some shopping errands. Stopped at Southwest Exchange and bought four cake pans for the Sun Oven, for our Sun Oven cake bake lottery at the upcoming Escapees Roadrunners Chapter 7 Spring Rally. Next stop was Tractor Supply Company to buy a thick rubber mat intended for use in horse stalls. I'm going to use it underneath the truck's old storage chest / tool box when I temporarily mount it on the roof of the truck camper to haul stuff back home to BC. Next was Al's RV Service & Supply to buy some needed items at their monthly 15% off everything sale. Also known as Al's RV monthly "doughnut day". Free doughnuts while shopping. My lunch today was two doughnuts. HA HA HA ... thank you for lunch, Al's RV Service & Supply.

I drove to the far end of The Foothills to find Yuma Optical Supply, the only optical shop listed in the Yellow Pages that does eyeglass repairs. I want to buy some hard plastic nosepieces for my new glasses. The silicone nosepieces that are on the new glasses
I bought recently in Mexico bother me. Silicone is similar enough to latex that it flares my allergies. I arrived at Yuma Optical to find ... an empty shop with a "for rent" sign in the window. When I phoned the listed number, I got a message from the owner advising that he has decided to retire. < sigh > Guess I should have phoned before driving all that way out there.

Back at home we took the truck camper off the truck. I did another "home improvement" project on the truck camper, mounting AA battery operated LED reading lights over the bed. After supper we went Wal-Martin'.

Saturday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne baked a Saskatoon pie in the Sun Oven today. We'd better use up the rest of those Saskatoons pretty soon ! We picked them at home at Riverside RV Park last July !

This afternoon Joanne took Bo for a walk in the dog park. She returned without him. He was lagging, as he often does at this time of the year, searching for, digging for, chasing lizards in the desert. I told her to just come back over the fence into our yard, in a minute or two he would follow, climbing over the fence into the yard and returning to the trailer door.

Well ... a minute or two later, that's exactly what he did. Head held high, tail wagging, very proud of himself. With a dead Desert Rat in his mouth ! GEEEEZZZZZ, BO ! ! !

This evening we went to a four hour outdoor music concert, in conjunction with Midnight At The Oasis, the annual classic car show in Yuma. Tonight's three bands were ;

• Missing Links, a Monkees tribute band
• Surfin' Safari, a Beach Boys Tribute band
• and Winter Dance Party, a tribute to Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, and Buddy Holly.

The Monkees tribute band was horrible ! The other two were good.

DSK

February 23 to March 1, 2014

Sunday ; Sunny and very warm.

This afternoon I finished the installation of the television in the truck camper, designing, fabricating, and installing a nylon strap restraint system to securely hold the TV and its swing arm mount during travel. Joanne did laundry.

We attended the fifth of seven weekly agility sessions at the Humane Society of Yuma. Bo did great ! At the end of today's class each of the eight dogs completed an entire agility course circuit. Bo is the shortest leg dog in the class, and the oldest, and ... it was a very warm, sunny afternoon, so ... he didn't complete it quickly ! But I'm proud of him. Well done, Bo, good dog !

This evening we attended the regular Sunday ice cream social, then watched the season premiere of Amazing Race.

Monday ; Mostly sunny and very warm. Joanne cooked chicken chile verde in the Sun Oven today.

This morning she took our recycling to a local recycling center while I got a slow start to my day. I slept poorly because of knee pain, an ongoing problem. After she returned we went to the storage area in our RV park and mounted the truck camper onto the truck.
I originally typed that as "mounted Elsie onto Lanoire" but it sounded ... dirty ! HA HA HA !

This afternoon Joanne packed clothes and food into Elsie. I fabricated a TV cover from some surplus sun screen material that was left in our shed by the previous owner. Now the new flat screen TV I installed in Elsie has a cover to keep out dust and protect the screen from getting scratched.

When I went for my daily bicycle ride at dusk I met old friends of ours from the Escapees B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33. They arrived yesterday and are in this park's unserviced boondock area because all the serviced sites are occupied. I invited them over to visit with us in our Arizona room after supper.

Tuesday ; Yuma to Gila Bend, Arizona

Cloudy, humid, very warm.

We were up early this morning to leave the RV park at 9 AM for a group tour of a local goat farm. It was a very interesting tour. I bought some goat cheese. Joanne bought some goat milk soap.

This afternoon we finished our departure preparations and left home about 1:45 PM heading for the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon dog walking / cat cuddling shift starting at 2 PM. We were finished at the Humane Society at 4:30, headed over to The Foothills to run some errands, buy some groceries, refill with diesel, and were on Interstate 8 heading east by 5:30 PM.

MMMMM ! ! ! Date shakes at Dateland. We bought two large date shakes and put them in Elsie's freezer to be dessert following tonight's supper. We drove as far as Gila Bend, arriving there about 7:30 PM. As before, we stopped for the night at Holt's Shell in Gila Bend. We had supper ( MMMMM ... fresh sushi from Fry's in The Foothills for me ) and then date shakes for dessert. Warm evening, everybody was happy, life is good !

Onward to the next adventure !

Wednesday ; Gila Bend to Phoenix to Oak Flat Campground in Tonto National Forest, Arizona

Sunny and very warm, even at the 4000 foot elevation of Tonto National Forest. Why are our animals getting so sick on these short camping trips we're taking ? Last time it was Sully. This time it's Bo who was very ill, vomiting about half a dozen times this evening, moaning and whining and shivering. Poor Bo. Hope he's better by tomorrow morning !

We slept in late this morning, getting a late start to the day. Before leaving Holt's Shell in Gila Bend we dumped Elsie's shower waste holding tank and refilled the freshwater tank. From Gila Bend we headed east on Hwy. 238 through the Sonoran Desert National Monument ( National Park ). Very scenic ! At Maricopa we turned north on Hwy. 347 into the metropolitan Phoenix area.

We spent the day shopping in Phoenix and surrounding urban area. First stop was Camping World in Mesa to buy a few RV items. HEY ! There's a couple of discontinued model folding chairs, marked down from $16 to ... < BLINK BLINK > ... four bucks ! Only two left. Just what Elsie needs, for sitting around campfires in state parks. Bought 'em !

Next we headed for Trader Joe's. HEY ! There's a Cici's Pizza. We haven't been to a Cici's Pizza in ... < thinking > ... five years ! Since Texas ! We like Cici's Pizza, a buffet restaurant. We decided to stop for a late lunch. The hostess advised us that the senior's lunch buffet price was six bucks apiece. Great ! However ... on Wednesdays ... the Early Bird senior's dinner price ... starting in one hour ... is ... wait for it ... three bucks ! WOW ! See ya in an hour, sweetie !

We went to Trader Joe's ! Where we spent a lot of money, as we always do at Trader Joe's, buying exotic, gourmet, and specialty food items, snack foods, junk foods, and twenty-five cans of Sully's beloved Trader Joe's Tuna Cat Food. Hope he lives that long ! HA HA HA !

We returned to Cici's Pizza for a very late lunch / very early supper. MMMMM ! ! ! As good as we remembered. That was a lot of pizza ( and soup and salad and pasta with sauce and garlic bread and brownies and cinnamon buns and apple pie pizza ... ) we ate for three bucks ! HA HA HA ! We headed to an outlet store mall to shop for Birkenstock sandals for me at a Famous Footwear store, the same chain of footwear stores where I bought my last pair of Birkenstock sandals, in Laughlin, Nevada. HMPH ! Famous Footwear no longer carries Birkenstock sandals in "wide" width. Maybe I'll have to order a pair online ?

As we headed out of the Phoenix area we stopped at Fry's. While Joanne ran into the store for one grocery item, I refilled Lanoire with diesel. We headed east on Hwy. 60 into the Superstition Mountains. A few miles after the city of Superior we turned off the highway to find Oak Flat Campground, a National Forest Service unserviced campground in Tonto National Forest. No services ... and no charge ! Nice campground, nice scenery, high dessert, in boulder mountains.

I'm very eager to get online to verify that Joanne's very first Canada Pension Plan payment was deposited to our bank account today. YIPPPEEE ... if everything worked as it was supposed to !

Thursday ; Oak Flat Campground to Cholla Campground, Tonto National Forest

Sunny and warm. Most of the day was wasted, lost to vicious bickering and the baggage that goes along with it ! ! ! Bo has never been sicker than he was last night and overnight. Twelve hours of hourly vomiting. What a rough night for him and us !

This morning we left Oak Flat Campground and drove to Wal-Mart in Globe where we bought some anti-nausea medication for Bo. By the time we administered it he had already stopped vomiting a puddle of bile on an hourly basis, bit was still very ill. He slowly improved throughout the day, so that by nightfall he didn't seem ill anymore, just extremely weak. I scrambled some eggs to feed him for the next day or two, and he was eager to eat a bit of scrambled egg. Poor Bo, hang in there, you'll be better soon.

We headed north on Hwy. 188 into Tonto National Forest. We stopped to get some information at the Visitor's Information Center, and had lunch in the parking lot. We continued north, stopping at Cholla Campground on Roosevelt Lake. Cholla Campground is a large campground with 206 sites, all unserviced, but the campground has solar powered shower buildings.

Friday ; exploring Tonto National Forest

Well ... we drove over 260 km. / 160 miles today exploring Tonto National Forest. Some of the day was sunny. Some of it was cloudy. We even had a few droplets of rain. When we left Cholla Campground at an elevation around 2100 feet, the temperature was 74 degrees. Mid-afternoon, along the Mogollon Rim, at an elevation over 7600 feet, the temperature was 41 degrees. Upon arrival at Windy Hill Campground at 6:45 PM, again at an elevation around 2100 feet, the temperature was once again 74 degrees.

When we pulled out of Cholla Campground late this morning we stopped at the trailer dump station. It's open ... four hours per day ... twice per week ! HUH ? And ... there is a dump ... < sputter > ... but no freshwater refill ! HUH ? ! ? Sometimes ya gotta wonder ... what was some bureaucrat in Washington thinking ? ! ?

We headed north on Hwy. 188, along the western shore of Roosevelt Lake stopping to explore each picnic site and campground we came to. We stopped at a church and refilled our freshwater tank from a water spigot on the side of the building. When we stopped to have lunch along the Roosevelt Lake shoreline Bo was even feeling chipper enough to briefly play beach doughnut fetch. HA HA HA ... well done, Bo, good dog. First time you've ever played beach doughnut fetch in the desert, isn't it, Bo ? HA HA HA !

 

He started the day feeling weak, but regained his strength ... and spirit ... as the day progressed. I fed him five small meals of scrambled egg with a bit of his regular kibble mixed in. Based on his mystery illness of Wednesday, and Sully's mystery illness of a month ago, we think we may be bringing viruses home on us after our work at the Humane Society. We're going to take more precautions to reduce that risk.

We drove north on Hwy. 188 through Punkin Center, and north on Hwy. 87 to Payson. We turned east on Hwy. 260 and stopped at three National Forest campgrounds, all closed for the winter season. At Forest Road 512, also known as the Young - Heber Road, we turned south on the "From the Desert to the Tall Pines Scenic Byway", travelling its 67 mile length in reverse. Most of the 67 miles were rough gravel road, providing a good test of the truck camper's ability to get us "off the beaten path", one of the main reasons why we bought it. Forest Road 512 became Hwy. 288 at the lovely, "old west" town of Young in Pleasant Valley. When we reached the end ( actually, the beginning ) of the From the Desert to the Tall Pines Scenic Byway when Hwy. 288 ended ( began ) at Hwy. 188 we turned north and once again followed along the shoreline of Roosevelt Lake until reaching Windy Hill Campground, arriving just at dark.

 

It was a pretty good day, made even better by our successful efforts started first thing this morning to "make peace".

Saturday ; Windy Hills Campground, Tonto National Forest to Gila Bend, Arizona

It began to rain heavily overnight, and it's still raining heavily as I type this in the laundromat of Holt's Shell in Gila Bend, at 9:30 PM.

It's too bad that the "flamers" who send me nasty messages because they take exception to something I've said in my blog years ago don't have the courage to send their nasty comments with their name attached . They always hide behind "anonymous".

This morning we departed Windy Hill Campground and headed south on Hwy. 188 back to Globe, then headed west on Hwy. 60 through Superior to Florence Junction. South to Florence on Hwy. 79, west on Hwy. 287 to Coolidge, we stopped to refill with diesel at the Safeway fuel bar, then had lunch in Safeway's parking lot. South on Hwy. 87 and west on Hwy. 287 to Casa Grande where we spotted ... WOO-HOO ... a Whataburger ! Didn't know there were any Whataburgers this far west, thought they were only in Texas and New Mexico ! We bought some burgers to put in the fridge and have for supper later tonight. Very disturbing to both of us to see a drug addled hooker who looked to be about 15 years old in the Whataburger, mooching.

Made brief stops at PetsMart and Dollar General before heading out of Casa Grande, west on Hwy. 84 through Stanfield, until reaching Interstate 8, then west on I-8 to Gila Bend where we once again hunkered down for the night at Holt's Shell. My computer battery was almost out of power, so after supper I decided to kill two birds with one stone by going into the laundromat to work on the computer, plugged into a wall outlet, recharging the battery, and using the free Wi-Fi to retrieve e-mail. Had to share the space with the two wet, homeless guys and one dog sleeping in the laundromat to get out of the rain.

DSK

February 16 to 22, 2014

Sunday ; Still sunny and hot, temperature reaching up into the 90's yesterday and today. Pretty warm for mid-February !

Last night a visitor in this park had a heart attack. He was rushed to the hospital at
1 AM, and it wasn't until about 1 PM that his wife advised the park that their dog was left alone in their locked motorhome. Joanne and I were asked to care for the dog. Of course, but ... are we supposed to break into the motorhome ?

With all of the concerns that the wife had at the hospital, there was some confusion and misunderstanding about getting a key to open the motorhome. She finally returned from the hospital about 5 PM. We will be taking care of the dog for at least tomorrow, and perhaps longer.

This afternoon we went to the Humane Society of Yuma for Bo's fourth agility class. It's becoming more complex ... and more tiring. Bo is the "old man" of the group, and the smallest ( by far ! ) of the nine dogs. He can't quite make it to the end of the hour long class. We "dropped out" due to his fatigue about five minutes before the end of the class. Well done, Bo, good dog. Today the new component added was a hanging tire to jump through. No problem for Bo. But ... even after many years of "amateur" agility, and now professional agility instruction, he still doesn't "get" weave poles.

We attended the regular Sunday evening ice cream social. Large crowd tonight ! We chatted with our new friends from Houston, Texas and our even newer friends from Dallas, Texas.

Monday ; Sunny and hot.

From early this morning until supper time we had a houseguest ; Maggie the four year old chocolate coloured Miniature Poodle. Very sweet girl. A bit anxious. Her male owner had a heart attack a few days ago, and her female owner is spending long days at the hospital. We also had Lucy the Miniature Dachshund intermittently throughout the day. Her owners live across the street and have been going down to Mexico frequently for long days of extensive dental work. We go across the street and take Lucy out of their motorhome every few hours for a "bathroom break".

Late this morning we took Bo and Maggie for a drivey to Bard, California for date shakes and postage. I dislike going to the Post Office in Yuma because it's always so busy, so when I need postal services we usually go for date shakes and stop at the small town Post Office in Bard, California. When we got to the Bard Post Office today ... it was closed. !)@(#*$&%^ ! ! ! President's Day ! A holiday which seems to be observed only by Federal services such as the Post Office.

We had date shakes at Imperial Date Gardens. Bo had some, but not Maggie. On the way back to Yuma we stopped beside a lettuce field that was being harvested, and I cut two oversized heads of Romaine lettuce left behind by the pickers due to their size. Back in Yuma we went shopping to Food City for some groceries and ... just because it was there ... Elvira's Panaderia to buy some pan dulce. Joanne stayed in the truck with the dogs, engine running, air conditioning on, while I ran into Elvira's to buy "some" pan dulce. HA HA HA ... my definition of "some" and Joanne's are different. HEY ... if you don't like it ... next time you go in ! HA HA HA ! I wonder how long it will take us to eat that much Mexican baking ? HA HA HA HA HA ! Our final stop before heading home was Lowe's. I was in there so long the dogs ... and Joanne ... all fell asleep. HA HA HA !

We went to the Post Office in Yuma, even though it was closed. I thought I might be able to buy the postage I needed from a machine. Even better. They now have a computerized scale linked to a computerized self service station. Put your mail on the scale, answer a series of multiple choice questions, stick in a credit card ... BBBBBRRRRRPPPPPP ... out come postage labels, you’re done !

Tuesday ; Mostly sunny and hot.

This morning was the Kofa Ko-op annual general meeting. Kofa Ko-op's AGMs flow much smoother than do the AGMs back home at Riverside RV Park Resort. However ... today's meeting wasn't without controversy, not surprising given the turmoil of the last week or so. Following the singing of the American national anthem, during the singing of the Canadian national anthem, some "ugly Americans" sat down as an intentional show of disrespect. The lady seated next to Joanne made an "ugly American" comment about "you Canadians are trying to take over our park". < sigh > That really validates my decision to cancel the pet etiquette seminar.

This afternoon we went to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift of dog walking and cat cuddling. Carol Mae worked at the same time as us today, so that she and I could once again walk the Catahoula Leopard dogs. For the last time ! YIPPEEE ! They' re going to a rescue organization tomorrow.

Wednesday ; Mostly sunny, hot !

This morning we said goodbye to our new friends from Dallas, Texas, who left Kofa
Ko-op today, heading for new adventures. We hope to see them again some day, somewhere.

We did some minor maintenance and home improvements projects on Elsie today. Joanne painted my truck "Canadian tailgate", a piece of 2" x 6" lumber. I did some paint touch up work on Elsie's rear step. < sigh > Oh, yeah ... now I remember ... my spray painting skills are crap ! I replaced a window screen in the trailer that was mysteriously damaged recently. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, Bo ?
< scowling >

Thursday ; Sunny, windy, warm.

Today we finished painting the truck camper's rear step, and the cut ends of the wire shelving I'm about to install in Elsie. Joanne baked a cake in the Sun Oven. I did not like where she had placed the Sun Oven, so I moved it. After moving it I failed to glance inside, so ... I failed to notice that I had spilled cake batter all over the side of the cake pan AND ... all over the bottom of the Sun Oven. What a mess ! But ... it all baked quite nicely. Cake baked all over the sides of the pan and the bottom of the Sun Oven !

This afternoon, as I was walking through our screened front patio area towards the back of our truck, I saw ... and heard ... our neighbour across the street. He was running towards his trailer's door, waving his arms wildly, and hollering. HUH ? ! ? I stepped around our truck, took a look, and .... HOLY SHIT ! ! ! BEES ! THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF BEES ! ! ! A large cloud of bees heading towards me ! Looked like the Apocolypse was upon me ! I ran back into our trailer. And the next door neighbours ran down the street ! < BLINK BLINK >

The swarm of bees congregated around our truck and ... very slowly settled into the next door neighbour's Mesquite tree. In about five minutes ... all was calm ! The swarm of bees were hanging in a huge bunch on a branch on the tree. I came outside. As did the neighbours. Including the neighbour across the street who had sustained three bee stings on his face.

A few minutes later Joanne and I left for an evening out with the neighbours / friends whose motorhome I recently repaired. When we returned home about 8:30 PM, the swarm of bees was no longing hanging in the tree. Bonsoir la visite ! ! !

George and Betty took us out for dinner in appreciation for the body work I recently did on their motorhome. They took us to a Chinese buffet restaurant we had not been to before. Afterwards we went to another one of the Thursday evening free, outdoor, jazz concerts in the courtyard at Yuma Palms Shopping Center.

Thank you, George and Betty, for a lovely dinner and evening out.

< sigh > Joanne has just read to me ( late in the evening ) a newspaper article about a bill, ( backed by Republicans ), that has just been passed by the Arizona Senate allowing service providers / people in Arizona to assert their religious beliefs in refusing service to gays. < sigh > A "freedom of religion" protection !

Well ... at least it's sunny and warm down here !

 

Friday ; Mostly sunny, very warm.

This morning I stepped outside and ... HEY ! Why are there dead and dying bees all over our patio ? HEY ! Why are there dead and dying bees in the bed of our truck ? HEY ! Why does our neighbour across the street look like Popeye ? OH ! ! ! His eye is swollen shut from the two bee stings around his eye, and his cheek is swollen from the bee sting on his cheek ! YIKES ! ! !

We found out that last night the swarm of bees in our next door neighbour's tree were not moving on in a timely fashion, so a decision was made to exterminate them. They were sprayed, and that's why this morning there were dead and dying bees all over.

This morning we went shopping to Wally's World for some hardware items we needed. This afternoon Joanne went Wal-Martin' by herself while I installed some wire shelving in the truck camper.

BOOM ! Just experienced a sonic boom ( at 9:45 PM ). Another pilot from Yuma MCAS ( Marine Corps Air Station ) is about to get his knuckles rapped ! HA HA HA ! BOOM ! OHHHHH ! ! ! Another one ! Guess his wing man had to catch up to him. HA HA HA ! Two more Marine pilots peeling potatoes tomorrow. HA HA HA !

Saturday ; Mostly cloudy, humid, and very warm.

This morning we attended a potluck brunch in the clubhouse. It was not well attended.

This afternoon we went shopping to Lowe's and Food City. After returning home Joanne worked on a painting project, painting the barbecue shelf along the back wall of our shed. I worked on installing a new TV and swing arm mount in Elsie. I bought both the television and the swing arm mount on Thanksgiving evening, both items very heavily discounted.

In the evening we attended a performance in the clubhouse by Rainbow Station, a children's choir. They perform here every year. Some things ... like dental cleanings and children's choirs ... must just be endured.

Did I say that out loud ? HA HA HA !

DSK

February 9 to 15, 2014

Sunday ; Happy 10th Birthday to Bo

Sunny and very warm. Joanne cooked a chicken in the Sun Oven today. MMMMM ! ! !

This morning while Joanne worked on cleaning scuff marks off the side of the trailer
( I scraped against tree branches near Kingman, Arizona in November ) I went shopping to Lowe's and then the Dog Track Flea Market.

After lunch I did some minor maintenance on Elsie, sanding and painting a corner of the rear bumper that had become rusty. Mid-afternoon we headed to the Humane Society of Yuma for the third week of Bo's agility class. Well ... he's getting old ! As am I. It was too hot, and the class was too long, for both of us. And ... < whispering > ... the instructor takes herself and the agility training process way too seriously. Bo just wants to have fun. I just want to have fun. Neither of us has aspirations to agility competition. "Dog people" take themselves too seriously, don't they ?

In the evening we went to the regular Sunday evening ice cream social. Afterwards we had Sun Oven roasted chicken, Waldorf Salad, and mashed potatoes for supper while watching some Olympics, then Downton Abbey. OMIGOD ... lady Edith is pregnant with a bastard child ! And the recently widowed Lady Mary has three ... count 'em ... THREE ... suitors ! AND THE COUSIN LADY ROSE IS SUCKING FACE WITH A BLACK JAZZ SINGER ! ! !

Bo's birthday gift was roasted chicken and mashed potatoes for supper ! HA HA HA ... good dog, Bo.

Monday ; Happy 65th Birthday to my sister Sharon

Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico

Geeeeezzzzz ... is she that old ? ! ? < snicker >

This morning we headed out to Los Algodones for my 11 AM dental appointment. My new periodontist wanted me to have another dental cleaning, and periodontal examination after using the WaterPik Water Flosser for a month. I could tell during the dental cleaning that there was significant improvement in my gum health. And Dra. Lilia Camacho's examination confirmed it. She was pleased. I was pleased !

After I was finished at the dentist's we went shopping for medications before having lunch. Joanne wanted to have lunch somewhere we haven't been before. We found a taqueria way off the beaten path. And lunch was very good. We are rarely disappointed when eating out in Mexico. Joanne also wanted to buy a metal sculpture to mount on the exterior wall of our yard shed back home in BC. Specifically, a metal sculpture of ... quail ... < shrug >. She found what appealed to her, a metal sculpture of a family of quail, mounted on a long saw blade, exquisitely painted. We were prepared to pay $100 for it. The vendor asked for $75. We haggled a bit and agreed on $55. The merchandise was too good and too well priced to "play hardball".

Because it's February, Los Algodones was busy and crowded. The line up to cross the border back into the U.S. was long. The back of the line, when we joined it, was about where it would have been a three hour wait a few years ago. Thanks to changes made over the last couple of years, it was a forty minute wait from that point today.

We returned to Yuma and went shopping. First stop was Harbor Freight. Joanne hates shopping at Harbor Freight, so ... I thank her for her patience and assistance today. Next stop was Fry's, to refill with diesel, and buy a few grocery items. Last stop was Walgreen's.

When we got home I tried ... twice ... to phone my sister and wish her a Happy Birthday. Both calls were very brief due to technical difficulties / poor reception. < sigh > First call was using Skype on my laptop, second call was using our cell phone. Poor cell phone reception and poor Wi-Fi plagues this RV park !

After supper we watched the Olympics on TV and gave Bo a bath.

Tuesday ; Sunny and hot. And getting hotter over the next few days.

This morning I did the 246,000 km. inspection on Lanoire. Good truck !

This afternoon we went to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift of dog walking and cat cuddling. No, no ... I did not walk the Catahoula Leopard dogs again. They were still there ... I just didn't want to walk them ! After two hours of dog walking I was tired so I went to the cat wing. Joanne wanted to work another hour or so, so I went to one of the two small rooms containing / featuring only one cat, and .... "cuddled" JetPuff. On perhaps the last afternoon of his existence. JetPuff is an Albino that came in a week ago. He is extremely obese, probably over thirty pounds. And not very healthy, probably due to his obesity. Poor JetPuff. The Humane Society will probably euthanize him soon.

This evening we went out for dinner before shopping. We had supper at Copper Miner Kitchen, a restaurant that we have not been to before, in Historic Downtown Yuma. It was very good. Afterwards we went to Yuma Palms Shopping Center where we bought dog food at PetsMart, and Joanne bought two facecloths at Kohl’s. < scowl > She bought two facecloths that cost eight bucks apiece because she couldn’t find facecloths that “matched” Elsie’s interior elsewhere < scowl >.

Wednesday ; What a very sad day here at Kofa Ko-op. One resident died late last night. Another died this evening. The first one died unexpectedly of a heart attack. The second had been in declining health for awhile. Rest in peace, Michael and Mona. Mona was a neighbour, and we used to walk her dog Bear for her when her health began to decline a couple of years ago.

Today we baked a beautiful loaf of whole wheat bread in the Sun Oven. It was a collaborative effort. Joanne mixed the ingredients and put them into the bread maker to be made into dough. When the dough was ready, I removed it from the bread maker, proofed it, then put it in to bake in the Sun Oven.

We spent the day puttering with minor maintenance chores, some painting, some truck maintenance, some trailer exterior cleaning, etc. Joanne prepared a contribution to the regular Wednesday late afternoon Social Hour / Happy Hour / hors d'oeuvre potluck. We stayed quite awhile after eating, chatting with two newly arrived couples, both new to the full time RV life, one couple from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and one couple from Dallas, Texas.

Thursday ; Another sunny, hot day. People are already complaining about the heat. Not me !

This morning I changed a rear tire on the truck. < sigh > You know how much I hate changing rear tires on the truck. I tightened the screw in valve stem on the tire that has been losing air, and will use it as the spare as soon as I know that I've solved the problem.

As Joanne was leaving with the truck to spend the afternoon running errands, Carol Mae came over and asked if I would go with her to the Humane Society and help her walk the two Catahoula Leopard dogs. Really, Carol Mae ? < sigh >

After we returned from the Humane Society < sigh > I took Bo on the daily pack walk. Today's pack walk was ... me and Bo. HMPH ... small "pack" ! Afterwards I walked over to the storage area to do a teensy bit of work on the truck camper, and I chatted with our new friend from Dallas. He came over to see our Sun Oven in operation. Joanne had prepared a pot of stew before she left and I cooked it in the Sun Oven.

In the evening we went to the pool and chatted more with the couple from Dallas. Afterwards I got into a discussion with a neighbour that lasted way too long into the night, until Joanne stomped over to the clubhouse at 1 AM to find out whey I had gone to check the mailbox four hours earlier and had not returned. UHHHHH ... sorry !

Friday ; Valentine's Day

Sunny and hot.

I was up early to be at the clubhouse at 9 AM for an RV fire safety seminar. The presenter ... was in Lake Havasu, Arizona at 9 AM ! Bit of a scheduling misunderstanding, n'est-ce pas ? ! ? I went home and decided I should have an early nap. HA HA HA ! Joanne left to go shopping at the Gila Mountain United Methodist Church Helping Hands Yard Sale in The Foothills.

Yesterday and today this RV park has been in turmoil. A Canadian leaseholder / lot owner here has been a ****ing a*****e lately ... and on an ongoing basis. Many Americans are upset with his behaviour. Yesterday one of the Americans took his irritation a bit too far. And exercised his second amendment rights < rolling eyes >. The Sheriff got involved. Now all Canadians are getting tarred with the same brush as the Canadian a*****e < sigh >. The pet etiquette seminar I was requested to present next week has come under attack. Much controversy, some opposition. I don't need the grief ! The seminar was not my idea. I cancelled it today ! And the Canadian couple who were planning, executing, and hosting a Valentine's Day Slow Dancing Under The Stars event on the large "south patio" tonight ... cancelled that as well !

This evening we went to Historic Yuma Theater to attend a Romantic Classics concert by the Yuma Civic Orchestra. It was my Valentine's Day treat for Joanne. All I can say about the symphony orchestra in Yuma, Arizona is ... Yuma sure has great weather, doesn't it ? ! ?

Saturday ; Sunny and hot ! It seems as if the entire nation is suffering from horrible winter weather except Arizona and Southern California, where high temperature records have been broken the last few days. Here in Yuma the temperature has been in the mid to high 80's F. / high 20's, low 30's C.

This morning was the Kofa Ko-op yard sale. I put out a few unwanted items for sale. Sold one for five bucks and donated one to a good cause when asked to do so.

This afternoon we worked at the Humane Society of Yuma's Adoption Fair in the parking lot of Yuma Palms Shopping Center, outside the PetsMart store. It was a long, hot, tiring afternoon ! But shortly before the end of the event, Joanne and I working together "sold" Walnut. WOO-HOO ! ! ! What a success story ! What a great match !

Walnut was adopted by a widow whose husband and dog both died eleven months ago. It's been a difficult and lonely year for her. Today she was ready to let Walnut into her life. She needs Walnut ! And Walnut needs her ! Joanne and I are so thrilled !

Well done, Daniel and Joanne ! Congratulations, Ruth and Walnut !

click on this link ; http://fb.me/1V2aqX7Dv

DSK

February 2 to 8, 2014

Sunday ; Gila Bend to Yuma, Arizona

This morning before leaving Gila Bend Shell we dumped Elsie's waste holding tanks, refilled the fresh water tank, put air in the tire that's been slowly losing air, and refilled with diesel. We headed west on Interstate 8 back towards Yuma. We stopped at Dateland and had date shakes for lunch. Including Bo. Poor Bo, the last two times we've had date shakes in Dateland, once a week ago and once last year, he was ill or recovering from illness, and we didn't allow him to have any date shake. But today ... WOO-HOO ... Bo had date shake !

Approaching Yuma from the east we stopped at Fry's in The Foothills to buy a few grocery items, then headed to the Humane Society of Yuma for Bo's 3 PM agility class. It was cooler than last Sunday, so all the dogs were more comfortable this week. Bo was not as focussed and disciplined as he was last week, but still did well, and enjoyed the experience. Two more dogs joined the class, so now there were nine. And ... all did quite well ... all "got it". It wasn't so last Sunday, the first week.

We were hopeful that once we got home, Sully would find comfort in his "home" litter box, and his constipation would end. NO ! It's now been eight days, and we're getting very worried.

Instead of watching the Super Bowl ... as everyone else in the United States seemed to be doing tonight ... we watched Doc Martin and Downton Abbey, our regular Sunday evening ritual. And I ate Joanne's wonderful, home made, fresh guacamole with my "custom ordered" flour / vegetable oil tortilla chips. Great !

Monday ; Nine days without a bowel movement, Sully ! Could you be more anal retentive ? ! ?

This morning the first of half a dozen neighbours came over with a copy of yesterday's Yuma Sun newspaper. And there on the front page ... above the fold, yet ... was a large picture of ... ME ! HA HA HA ! It was a photo of me, walking Penguin the Husky at the Humane Society a couple of weeks ago. The photo accompanied an article on the Humane Society of Yuma. Thank you to all the neighbours who brought me a copy.

And ... in desperation ... we tried to end Sully's constipation. First I inserted a petroleum jelly lubricated cotton swab very slowly into his rectum , hoping that would trigger a bowel evacuation. Obviously that caused Sully great distress, but an hour later ... still nothing in the litter box. So ... Plan B ! With great trepidation, I very slowly inserted a gloved, lubricated index finger into his rectum. My entire finger ! Much more distress ! Still no bowel movement. < sigh > After lunch, it was time for Plan C. Because Plan D was an emergency trip to the veterinarian. Plan C was ... I slowly injected a three ounce syringe full of warm water into his rectum. TWICE ! A six ounce warm water enema. Lots of distress, obviously. BUT ... after the second syringe, we put Sully down on the floor and ... he waddled as quickly as he could over to the litter box and ... ten seconds later ...

HALLELUJAH ! ! ! Wow, Sully ... how could you have held that much for that long ? ! ?

We still don't know what caused him to be ill for a couple of days a week ago, and we don't know why such severe constipation resulted but ... we're just very relieved that it's over. As is Sully ! He was very content this afternoon, lying in the sun, grooming and snoozing. Once again I'm hopeful that he can make it to his eighteenth birthday in eight months.

I did not attend this afternoon’s “Cooking For Life” cancer survivors’ cooking class. I’ve “dropped out”. I’m just not a lentils kind of guy !

Tuesday ; Sunny and warm.

Well ... I had quite a volunteer shift at the Humane Society today ! Our friend and neighbour Carol Mae came along to do her volunteer shift this week at the same time as us. Our objective was for her and I to walk dogs together. Only one dog can be walked per volunteer, so when there are two dogs in a kennel, as is sometimes the case, it takes a pair of volunteers working together to walk both dogs at the same time.

Carol Mae made the first selection. A pair of Catahoula Leopard dogs in one cage. Big fellas ! Nineteen month old siblings. One large, one huge ! While we were attempting to get leashes around their necks while letting them out of the cage, the huge one leaped out, knocking me over, and charging over top of me in an attempt to get out ! I tackled him. We wrestled. Carol Mae screamed at me to just let him go before I got injured. PHHHHTTTTT ... I don't ****ing think so ! We wrestled ! Powerful fellow ! I lost ! He escaped ! My elbow was smashed ! It hurt ... and still does, many hours later.

Buzz ... or Woody ... no way to tell which was which ... ran out the open door of the building. I picked myself up off the floor and headed out after him, Carol Mae following, with the other dog on a leash. I chased the huge dog around futilely. Carol Mae opened the gate into the small, fenced play area and entered with her dog on the leash. And fortunately, the loose one followed them in. I entered the play area and closed the gate. The dogs ran around feely for a few minutes blowing off steam. I licked my wounds, so to speak. After about five minutes they calmed down, we leashed both of them, and walked them around the grounds for half an hour or so. By the end of half an hour, they were acting sweet and docile. Oh, yeah ... it's all fun and games until somebody's eye gets poked out !

Speaking of which ... next was Louie. I named him. He was a small terrier mix. With a mangled eye. And front claws that were over an inch long. So long that Louie could not put his weight on his front legs. When he attempted to stand, the pain of such overgrown claws forced his feet to turn over sideways. Poor guy. I picked him up, carried him to the grooming room, and clipped his claws. Probably the first time in his two year life that they were trimmed. I also used baby wipes to clean his pus filled eye socket. The eye was still there, but severely damaged. Didn't seem to be causing pain, though. He was another obvious puppy mill dog. Claws never trimmed, damaged eye not treated, had no idea how to interact with humans, wouldn't make eye contact ... ! ! !
I carried him into the small, fenced play area. Within half an hour he was walking happily on grass, making eye contact, wagging his tail ... acting like a regular dog. Carol Mae was astounded at what could be achieved in just half an hour. HEY ... it's all in the wrist action, baby. HA HA HA !

Louie was my success story of the day. But tonight ... my elbow sure hurts !

Wednesday ; Sunny and warm. Joanne used the Sun Oven to cook two large pots full of Beef Provencal, our contribution to tonight's communal dinner.

I'm a bit stiff and sore from yesterday's "wrestling match" with a Catahoula Leopard dog. My bruised elbow doesn't hurt as much today as it did yesterday.

Joanne spent today cleaning the truck camper after our week long trip, and preparing for tonight's dinner. She was hosting a table of fourteen at Kofa Ko-op's annual Renters' Appreciation Dinner. The leaseholders / lot owners feed the renters / travellers. Our table was four leaseholder couples and three renter couples. As table host Joanne had to provide the main entree, and co-ordinate the contributions of the other three leaseholder women.

I did an obedience session with Bo. I did some minor maintenance and "home improvement" work on Elsie. And I resumed working on some auto body repairs on a neighbour's motorhome. I had previously fixed the damage on the motorhome's front bumper. And the results were ... poor ! So ... I'm redoing the front bumper repair. And undertaking a larger repair on the rear bumper. Wish me luck !

Tonight's Renters' Appreciation Dinner was attended by ... WOW ... about 200 people ! Might be a new clubhouse record ! Afterwards we gave "tours" to some people who were interested in seeing our truck camper, then we spent the evening socializing in our Arizona room with friends from Texas.

Thursday ; Started out cloudy and warm, became sunny and warm.

Did some "home improvement" projects on Elsie the truck camper today. Removed the window blinds' plastic hold down clips and replaced them with custom modified metal clips. Painted the fridge exterior vent door and frame. I wanted to replace it. Joanne wanted it repainted black. Did auto body work on a neighbour's motorhome. Putty, sand, putty, sand, putty, sand. Should be ready for painting tomorrow.

Went shopping after a late supper. Joanne stayed home and did laundry. Bo came along with me for a drivey. Went to Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy, and Lowe's. One of the items I needed was a syringe to administer medicine to Sully. < whispering > I used the one we had to give him an enema on Monday. Walgreens price was seven dollars.
I thought that seemed a bit excessive for a little plastic syringe. I went across the street to CVS. They gave me two ... for free ! Thank you, CVS Pharmacy.

Friday ; Sunny and warm.

Slept late this morning. Got a late start to the day. Headed to The Foothills for the monthly 15% off sale on everything at Al's RV Service & Supply. Also shopped at 99 Cent Only Store. Had lunch at A Touch Of Thai / Vinnipeg Palace. It was GREAT ! Owned and operated by a woman from Thailand, and her Ukrainian husband from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, our hometown. My grandparents' generation of Ukrainians who immigrated to Canada a hundred years ago could not pronounce "W".
It came out sounding like "V". Hence ... Vinnipeg Palace. HA HA HA ... only someone our age, from Winnipeg, and with immigrant grandparents, would "get" Vinnipeg ! We shared a bowl of excellent Thai soup, and an excellent Thai noodle entree, and ...
a plate of perogies. Strange combination ... that works very well together !

Spent the afternoon working on painting the neighbour's motorhome's front and rear bumpers. Coming along very nicely. Almost finished.

Had a neighbour visit this evening to ask me to conduct a pet etiquette seminar in this RV park. Her and many others fed up with irresponsible pet owners. Will gladly conduct pet etiquette seminar. It's pretty simple. There's not a whole lot more to it than ...

PICK UP YOUR DOG'S SHIT ! ! !

Saturday ; Sunny and warm.

This morning I met with Carol Mae to plan and schedule my presentation of a pet etiquette seminar. Then Joanne and I took Elsie ( the truck camper ) off Lanoire ( the truck ). We had an audience. One of our neighbours, whose husband died recently, is going to sell her motorhome and continue travelling in a truck camper she has purchased but not yet taken delivery of. She asked to be taught the process of removing the truck camper from the truck, and later, putting the camper onto the truck.

This afternoon Joanne went shopping to the Dog Track Flea Market with her 93 year old friend Eilene. I did some work on the truck camper, and finished the auto body repair of a neighbour's motorhome.

We spent the evening watching the Olympics, flipping back and forth between Canadian coverage and American coverage.

DSK

January 26 to February 1, 2014 ; Yuma to Roper Lake State Park, Arizona

Sunday ; Yuma to Gila Bend, Arizona

Sunny and hot, temperature up into the 80's !

This morning I removed one of the Aloe Vera plants I had planted in my cactus garden in the dog park behind our back yard fence. Something ate it ... from the roots upward ... from underground ! When it fell over a day or two ago, I thought a dog had run over it. But NOOOOO ... the roots had been eaten ... from underneath.

This afternoon we headed to the Humane Society of Yuma, for the first of seven weekly agility classes Bo and I are attending. HA HA HA ... well done, Bo, good dog ! What a lot of fun we had. As did all the other dogs and their owners. Bo was the star performer today. Well ... of course ! He's the only one of the seven dogs in attendance that has done agility before. And it showed. Today's agility class was limited to hurdles and a big tunnel, both of which Bo has much experience with. One of the other dogs in the class was Zona, one of Bo's "pack members" from Kofa Ko-op. That worked out well for Zona. Since she knows Bo well, she learned a lot by following his example. Hey, Bo, you're a mentor !

The hot weather made the hour long class seem a few minutes too long. With a few minutes to go, Bo faded, physically and mentally. Of course, he is the oldest dog in the group, so it's not surprising that an hour of really enthusiastic agility work under the hot desert sun would wear him right out.

When the agility class ended at 4 PM we drove back to Kofa Ko-op to pick up something Joanne had forgotten to pack ... < fume > ... then we headed east to The Foothills. I bought a birthday card at the 99¢ Only Store, then refilled with diesel at Fry's Fuel Bar. We went inside Fry's for a couple of grocery items. I bought some sushi Summer Rolls for supper tonight.

We headed east on Interstate 8, not getting out of Yuma until 5:30 PM, only an hour of daylight left. We stopped at Dateland where we bought a large date shake to be dessert for tonight's supper. We stopped for the night at Gila Bend, where we boondocked overnight in the large parking lot of the Shell service station. Bo slept a lot while we drove. HA HA HA ... poor, tired out, little agility dog !

Yes, yes ... the Summer Rolls and date shake were good !

Monday ; Gila Bend to Benson, Arizona

Sunny and warm. We had a comfortable night in Elsie.

This morning we refilled our fresh water holding tank and dumped our grey waste holding tank at the Shell station's free sani-dump. Thank you, Gila Bend Shell. As we were leaving the Shell station to get back onto Interstate 8 ... there it was ! HA HA HA ... the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was parked at the front of the Shell station. We've seen it before, many years ago, and I don't remember where. Today ... HA HA HA ... I took a photo of Lanoire & Elsie parked beside the Wienermobile.

 

From Gila Bend Shell we continued east on Interstate 8 and then Interstate 10 to Tucson. Our initial plan was to stop for one day at Picacho Peak State Park before Tucson, but ... we changed our plan as we drove. We stopped at a Wal-Mart in Tucson to have lunch in the parking lot, and then buy a couple of items in the store.

We continued east on I-10 to Benson where we stopped for the night at Saguaro Co-op SKP RV Park. We stayed in their unserviced / boondocking area. While Joanne took Bo for a walk in their dog park I took a nap with Sully. Before it got dark we opened the awning on the side of the truck camper for the first time. It's in good condition, although it needs a thorough cleaning. As RV awnings always seem to need ! That's why we didn't shed any tears when we lost the awning on the fifth wheel trailer in 2007. All we ever did with the trailer's awning was open it twice a year for cleaning. We never got in the habit of using it on a regular basis. It will probably be the same with the truck camper.

After supper we went to the park's large clubhouse to use Wi-Fi ... and recharge the computer's battery at the same time. EEEUUUWWW ... ugly looking rockslide extremely close to our summer home at Riverside RV Park Resort near Keremeos, BC.

Tuesday ; Happy 60th Birthday to Joanne

Benson to Roper Lake State Park, Arizona

Sully is ill ... and may be dying. He has neither eaten nor defecated for two days, and by supper time tonight we realized how ill he seems. < sigh > We hope he will survive and recover, but ... at his age ... we expect the end is near.

Today was sunny and warm. This morning, before leaving Saguaro Co-op SKP RV Park we dumped our waste holding tanks, refilled the fresh water holding tank, and reinflated a rear tire that had gone flat. Hopefully, it's just a valve extender problem.
I had installed a new valve extender on that tire recently.

We left the RV park and drove into Benson. We refilled the truck with diesel at Scott Fuel. At Ace Hardware I bought a propane fitting that I needed. I bought a birthday cake and candles at Safeway. And some cat food for Sully, since he refused to eat his regular food for the last couple of days. We thought he was stressed and "pouting" about being back on the road again. Tonight we realized it's more that that.

We continued east on Interstate 10. At Wilcox we stopped in a Safeway parking lot to have lunch. Shortly after Wilcox we turned north onto Hwy. 191 and shortly before reaching the city of Safford we reached our objective, Roper Lake State Park. Joanne's request for her sixtieth birthday was to spend a few days at Roper Lake State Park, rest and soak in the mineral hot springs hot tub , and have some meals at restaurants on the Salsa Trail, a series of Mexican and / or New Mexican restaurants in Safford and other nearby towns.

After getting set up in our campsite, I napped briefly with Sully, then we went to soak in the mineral hot springs hot tub. As the sun set we took Bo ... and Sully ... for a walk in the small dog park. That's when we realized how ill Sully really was. < sigh >

We drove into Safford and had a wonderful meal at Casa Mañana. Wonderful name in Spanish, sounds a bit goofy when translated into English ... Tomorrow House. We returned to Roper Lake State Park for birthday cake and gift opening. Joanne spent the remainder of the evening cuddling with Sully in bed. < sigh >

Wednesday ; Sunny and warm ... intense sunlight creating radiant heat, but cooling off a lot after sunset due to 3000 foot altitude.

Sully seems to have decided not to die today ! He seemed near death overnight. He spent most of the night cuddled into Joanne's armpit, his favourite "comfort zone". His breathing was shallow and very slow. This morning he slowly became a bit more alert and active. We took him outside a few times for walks to stimulate a bowel movement. It didn't work, but ... he walked around slowly, exploring the campsite, enjoying the warm sunlight. He continued to refuse food, but ... late this afternoon he accepted Joanne's offer of cat treats. His willingness to eat a bit was a good sign.

This afternoon we did what we could to stimulate a bowel movement. With me holding him, Joanne very slowly and carefully inserted a lubricated, gloved pinky finger about an inch into his rectum. I learned that from a veterinarian. Sully screamed in protest, but ... no bowel movement. She massaged his abdomen a few times this afternoon. That seemed to comfort him, but ... still no bowel movement. At last he didn't seem to be near death as he was yesterday.

C'mon, Sully ... take a shit already ! ! !

We had a slow day today. I attempted a minor repair on Elsie, but couldn't complete the job because I didn't have a tool I needed. We walked around the campground with Bo. We did an obedience session with Bo. We drove over to the day use area and explored the day use "island" / peninsula jutting out into Roper Lake. We soaked in the hot tub.

Thursday ; Roper Lake State Park to Duncan to San Carlos, Arizona

Sunny and warm. Sully still has not had a bowel movement, but ... it's now apparent that his constipation is a result of being ill, not the cause. We don't know what the cause of his illness was, but he has improved a lot, was alert and active and hungry today. As soon as he has a bowel movement, we think he'll be okay.

This morning we dumped ( waste ) and refilled ( water ) and left Roper Lake State Park. We drove north a short distance on Hwy. 191 to Safford. We drove around looking for ... and finding ... some of the restaurants listed in the Salsa Trail handbook, including Mi Casa Tortilla Factory, which isn't really a restaurant but is listed anyway. We bought fresh flour ( as opposed to corn ) tortillas, made with vegetable oil ( as opposed to lard ), whole wheat tortillas, also made with vegetable oil instead of lard, and "custom ordered" a bag of tortilla chips made with the flour / vegetable oil tortillas. That "custom order" would be ready in an hour. As I discovered later in the afternoon, that was a "Mexican hour". HA HA HA !

Before leaving Safford I stopped at a drapery business to buy some mini-blind hold down clips. Joanne broke one yesterday. With the assistance of the owner of the shop, and her installation serviceman, we fabricated "custom" metal replacements for the plastic hold down clips in Elsie. Don't you just love small town independent businesses ? ! ?

We headed east out of Safford on Hwy. 70, about 80 km. / 50 miles to Duncan, just to have lunch at one of the restaurants listed in the Salsa Trail handbook. I was thinking ... lunch at Hilda's Kitchen better be pretty spectacular to justify driving that far just for lunch. And ... it was ! Hilda's Kitchen is a butcher / convenience store / take out restaurant, with sit down restaurant under construction next door. And while the sit down restaurant under construction cannot be entered from outside due to it being under construction, it can be entered from the inside after ordering at the take out window. HA HA HA ... how Mexican is that ? ! ? My lunch, today's special, was a green chile & meat burro, enchilada style. Green chile / chile verde is a specialty of this area / the Salsa Trail. And my green chile & meat ( seasoned ground beef ) burro, enchilada style, was ... < deep breath > ... pretty damn good ! ! !

After lunch we drove west on Hwy. 70 back to Safford to pick up my "custom" tortilla chips at Mi Casa Tortilla Factory. Four hours after placing an order that was supposed to be ready in an hour ... it wasn't ready, but ... they were "working on it" immediately upon my arrival. HA HA HA ... how Mexican is that ? ? ?

After my "custom" tortilla chips were ready we headed out of town, continuing west on Hwy. 70. I stopped at Big "O" Tires on the edge of town to adjust the air pressure in one of the truck tires that has been losing air slowly the last few days. We drove west and northwest on Hwy. 70 to the Apache Gold Casino Resort at San Carlos where we stopped for the night. We refilled with diesel at their Chevron station, found a place to park overnight, then went into the casino to check things out before having supper. We contemplated having supper in the casino's buffet restaurant, but decided against it.
I renewed my casino player's club free membership. My new card included $10 in "free play". After having supper in the camper, we returned to the casino. I tried ... very unsuccessfully ... to get some online work done using the casino's Wi-Fi while Joanne went to play slot machines with my free / imaginary $10. I was unable to get Wi-Fi to work properly, while Joanne ... won $7.78 real money before the "free play" $10 was used up ! Oh, well ... ya win some, ya lose some. HA HA HA ! No Wi-Fi, but $7.78 in the pocket !

Friday ;San Carlos to Sells, Arizona

Cloudy and warm today, a bit windy at times.

Well ... despite not having had a bowel movement in the last six days, Sully seems surprisingly healthy ! He's alert and active, eating and drinking. I suppose nature will take its course. We hope ! Soon ! ! !

This morning I turned on the radio in the truck camper and while searching available radio stations I found an Apache radio station broadcasting from right here on the Apache Reservation. It was enjoyable listening to a mix of classic rock and traditional Apache music and ... they made an announcement about a PowWow this weekend on the Tohono O'odham Reservation south of Tucson. HEY ... let's go ! For a long time Joanne has wanted to visit the Tohono O'odham Nation. AND ... one of the reasons for getting a truck camper was to increase our ability to be spontaneous / impulsive while travelling.

We departed Apache Gold Casino and headed west on Hwy. 70 to Globe, only about eight miles away. I bought an item I need for truck maintenance at Napa Auto Parts then we went to Fry's to buy some advertised grocery specials. Quite a bit of advertised specials actually. Our receipt showed that we bought $67 worth of groceries ... and paid $32 !

From Globe we headed west on Hwy. 60, then south on Hwy. 79. South of Florence we stopped for lunch by just pulling off the highway into the lush desert. The desert between Phoenix and Tucson is lush and lovely, filled with Saguaro Cacti, Palo Verde trees, and lots of Teddy Bear Cholla Cacti. We were far enough off the highway that while Joanne prepared lunch I allowed Bo to wander around off leash, and I allowed Sully to wander around, hoping that some activity / exercise would encourage nature to take its course ! I neglected to allow for Sully's poor vision.

Well ... this is only the second time in the four and a half years that we've had Sully that I've seen him actually run. HA HA HA ... poor Sully. He brushed ... very lightly ... up against a Teddy Bear Cholla, and a segment broke off and impaled itself on his leg. The myth that Teddy Bear Cholla can "jump" onto you is a well deserved fallacy. But the lightest of touch against a Teddy Bear Cholla, and ... BAM ... you're "stuck" ! I grabbed Sully as he ran away from the cactus, and while he howled and squirmed, I hollered for Joanne to come outside and help me remove the cactus segment from Sully's leg. OOOPS ... too late ! Sully squirmed, his leg hit my hand, and the Cholla segment detached from his leg ... where it was very lightly embedded ... and embedded itself deeply into my finger. HA HA HA ... OUCH ! ! !

We reached Tucson ... < sigh > ... right at rush hour. It took about an hour of "stop and go" on the congested freeway to get across Tucson. We entered Tucson from the north heading south on Hwy. 79, a few miles southeast on Interstate 10, a few miles south on Interstate 19, then west on Hwy. 86 onto the Tohono O'odham Nation, and the village of Sells. In Sells we found out that the PowWow tomorrow is at the Fairgrounds, two miles west of town on Hwy. 86. When we arrived at the Fairgrounds ... HEY ! Not only is there a PowWow tomorrow, there is a rodeo and fair today, tomorrow and Sunday.

It was after 6 PM, and dusk when we arrived at the Fairgrounds. The rodeo was finished for the day. We wandered around the fairgrounds, filled with carnival rides and games, and food vendors. Many of the food vendors were Native, and some were offering rather unusual fare. On impulse, we purchased two Navajo dishes to share for supper ; Steamed Corn Stew ( with mutton ) and Green Chile Mutton, barbecued mutton served on Indian Fry Bread with a scrumptious barbecued Green Chile. I'm certain that my ulcerative colitis will be unhappy about it tomorrow, but I ate about a quarter of the large Green Chile. It was SOOOO good ! And not to be confused with Mexican style chile verde / “green chile”, made with tomatillos.

Saturday ; Sells to Gila Bend, Arizona

We had a late start to the day. Mostly because the PowWow didn't start until noon. We had planned to stay at the PowWow for the preliminary Goard Dancing from noon until 1 PM, then the Grand Entry ceremonies at 1 PM. Before today we didn't know what Goard Dancing was. And ... after sitting through more than an hour of it ... we're still not sure what Goard Dancing is ! And ... in the worst case of "Indian time" that we've ever experienced, at 12:45 the 1 PM Grand Entry was rescheduled to 1:15 PM, then at 1:10 PM it was rescheduled to 1:30 PM, and it eventually got underway about 1:40 PM ! HA HA HA !

We watched the Grand Entry until about 2 PM then went back to Elsie to have lunch. We left the fairgrounds about 3 PM, heading west on Hwy. 86. Twice this afternoon, as we drove, we saw a very rare "inverted" or "crested" Saguaro Cactus. Both times
I stopped to take a picture. These were the third and fourth times we've seen an example of the mutant "inverted" or "crested" Saguaro. And considering their rarity, we're very fortunate ! Once was way down the Baja California peninsula, and the rest of the times were all within 100 miles or so of Tucson.

We continued west on Hwy. 86 to Why, then north on Hwy. 85. Near Ajo we stopped to investigate a popular boondocking "campground" out in the desert. The Escapees Boondockers BOF ( Birds Of a Feather ... special interest group ) were having a rally there. We didn't know that until we came upon them there. A short time later we stopped again, pulling off the road into the desert to have a rest break. After a short rest and snack break we were preparing to depart, and both Bo and Sully acted like ... "HEY, aren't we staying here tonight ?" Apparently they both like boondocking out in the desert. HA HA HA !

We continued north on Hwy. 85. Because Hwy. 85 leads directly into Mexico south of Why, there was a Customs & Border Patrol checkpoint a bit north of Ajo. What a waste of American tax dollars ! A bunch of men standing around with their thumbs up their asses, at least one sniffer dog, and a very rambunctious and unfocussed one at that, many vehicles, lots of tax dollars at work accomplishing ... ? ! ? I stopped and rolled down my window, and the agent made a silly remark about Bo. His humour didn't particularly appeal to me so I remained silent. He became stern and wanted to know if
I was not going to answer his question. What question ? There was no question in that remark ! Joanne thinks it's a bad idea for me to show my contempt like that. < shrug >

We reached Gila Bend at Interstate 8. We turned east on I-8 for two miles where we once again spent the night boondocked at Gila Bend Shell.

And no, no ... Sully still hasn't had a bowel movement ! ! !

DSK