The Luck Of The Irish

I actually do have a little Irish blood in my long ago history.  Instead of getting all the good from the green clover, I seem to have acquired more of the dark side.  I have not one, not even two, but THREE bathrooms in my house.

Two now have big OUT OF ORDER signs on them.  Actually they do work, if you don't mind taking the top off, reaching in and pulling on the chain.  Can you believe if?  Both handles broke, one right after the other.  I'm saying little prayers that the third one holds together, because there will be no days off to hit the hardware store.  Course if I'm quick enough, I can make a run for the motorhome!!

So yesterday, my luck ran a little better.  It wasn't near as crowded as the first day, giving me lots of time to keep the snack bar stocked.  It didn't really help to have three brand new girls come to work, but we managed.

I've become very good at throwing them to the wolves.  It's easier to learn this stuff if you just do it, meaning I sit on the ice chest and they do all the work.  Surprisingly, I have a renewed faith in our country.  All three of those girls did fabulous, never missing a beat.

Sadly, one didn't know how to count out change.  She's seventeen years old, trying to subtract $8 from the $20 bill she was given.  I explained .... start with 8, pull out a dollar, that's 9, pull out another dollar, that's 10 and a 10 dollar bill makes 20.  She was impressed.  I was cringing.

At any rate, I wandered off to the Education Center to watch a little of the Barnyard Squares.  When the school kids come during the week, this is mandatory learning before they can go play.

These crazy looking critters play tic tac toe by answering questions about farming.  My favorite is Kareem De Corn.

Next I spent some quality time with my favorite Goaty Goats, getting licks and love.  

Pretty soon Dyno the T-Rex came out to play.  A terrible picture ... I'll try to get a better one.

I stood a total of 13 hours yesterday and walked 6.54 miles.  I think I'll keep a running total just for fun.  Today will be easy.  I actually don't have to work until 11:00.  That gives me much more time to get over that weird dream I had about being in the most fantastic Catholic Mission as it disintegrated around me from the biggest earthquake ever, while I tried to save all the dogs and cats.  Don't ask me, I've no clue.

Total miles to date:  14.17

My DATE For The Day

Drum Roll ..... TA DA!!!!  The Pumpkin Patch is open for business.  It's just amazing all the different kinds of pumpkins there are in the world, most all of which are available here for your decorating and eating pleasure.  Many of these are "pie" pumpkins, meaning you can cook them up any way you like.

Since nothing was set up the night before, I went in an hour early to get the snack bar stocked.  Surprisingly, they didn't have much in the way of food at all, thinking they were not going to be busy on opening day.  We were swamped!!  

I ran around like a crazy woman, trying to keep up with the snack bar and give breaks to the tractor drivers.  Guess what I was doing here!!!  It's my all time favorite tractor pulling the hay ride.  Where's the NEW tractor you ask?  It's on the Time Travel ride.  More on that later.

In the end, I hauled 16 cases of soda and water to the snack bar, followed by eight big loads of ice.  I was hoping the ice machine would get moved to the snack bar, but that didn't happen.  In no time, I called "Emergency" and someone went to town for more supplies.

I spent most of the day with my date, Mr. Nachos.  We had three girls on the schedule who had never worked the snack bar before.  That learning curve can be a killer.  Luckily they are pretty smart cookies who eventually got the hang of it.  With only two of us all afternoon, Mr. Nachos and I held hands.  He's a Hottie and I've got a couple little burns here and there to prove it.

My second friend of the day was Hot Dog!!!  A skinny but tasty dude (originally from Costco) who kept me hopping.  Since this modern cooker knows not whether it will heat up, we have to warm the dogs in a big roaster, then contain them here until called for.  

The request to please replace the errant GFI plug got lost in the shuffle.  A very watchful eye is now required to be sure the power doesn't go off.  Try explaining that to a high school girl.

I really did try to dial it back the first day, but still got in 7.8 miles of walking.  My feet are none too happy after ten hours on the job, but these sunflowers certainly are!!  

Weekends are tough.  Hopefully the weekdays will slow down and I can cut those hours a tad.  The school kids will start arriving for their field trips on Tuesday.  I'm praying for no rain.  On a high note, the temps are in the 50's at night and I'm LOVING it!!!

It's GO Time

It's that time of year again.  The Pumpkin Patch is in full swing, or at least I hope it is as I head off this morning to our soft opening.  The first week or so we aren't very busy, giving us the chance to get organized.

The first order of business will be trying to find all the food they have stashed away over the last couple of weeks.  Two huge pallets of water have been delivered from Costco, amounting to well over 4800 bottles.  Same goes for soda and snow cone syrup.

Although I was expecting some changes in the snack bar area, it didn't happen.  We will still have to drag all of that water, and the two tons of ice required to keep things cold, 50 yards to the barn.  That's where I get my muscles every year.  

I almost finished unloading the rig of my quilting material.  There are still two big bins left.  I don't understand ... every time I turned around in there I found another container.  Where did all this stuff come from?

For those of you taking pictures of your grandchildren dressed in all their Halloween finery, here's a couple of tips.  I'm posting this only because I spotted it yesterday, having been taken by a professional photographer.  Always ... ALWAYS ... look behind your subject.  I know this is a fabulous background, set up specifically for these images.  

Unfortunately, this little girl has two big spikes coming out of her head.  Trust me, I've made this mistake many times.  It's usually a tree limb coming from their ear.  You get so focused in on the subject's face, you forget what's behind.

Here's another one. Yes, that's a football (look very closely) coming out of his head, but at first glance, it looks like a screw.  A BIG screw!!  Its a common problem .. we've all done it.  That's why I mention it so YOU don't do the same thing.  Happy Halloween picture taking!

So I'm off ... in about four hours ... to get the ball rolling and the snack bar filled.  I expect most of the day I will just be organizing the food containers and spiffing things up.  I'm sure my MAIN attention will go to these guys.  These goats are so darn cute!!!!

I'm putting on my pumpkin shirt and my sneakers and heading out ... in the Jeep.  Yes, my trusty pickup has not one, but TWO dead batteries.  I plugged in my battery charger, but I don't have much faith it will work.  Geez ... I just replaced those batteries last year to the tune of $450.  This time I'll ask if they can install a disconnect.  I looked it up, but I'm not sure I trust my mechanical skills.  C'est la vie!!!  

I'm OFF to the Patch!!

Patch Training

It's that time of year again ..... HALLOWEEN is coming up FAST!!  After unloading most of the rig (I still have lots to go), I spent most of the day trying to remember where things are.  Those morning routines are hard to change when nothing is in the same cupboard.  I actually had to stop and think about where the dog food was for the kids!!

I picked up the mail in a box Amazon would be proud of.  I threw away three quarters of it.  We wonder why this country produces so much trash.  It's all the junk mail and advertising!!  It has now doubled since I get the exact same junk mail and advertising delivered to my house too!!  One entire garbage bag was dedicated to flyers for real estate ads and insurance companies.

I tried to wade through my boxes of fabric and get organized, but it was a lost cause.  No matter how I moved that material around, it was all still sitting on the table.  I doubt I'll have time this month to deal with any of it anyway.

At 6:00 I headed off to the Pumpkin Patch to pick up my work clothes.  What a beautiful shade of orange.  Not really my color, but it makes it SO much easier to see if the high school kids are where they should be.

If you have a work permit, you have a job.  I think there are about 90 signed up.  No worries, it won't last long.  In no time they will pare themselves down when they discover just how much work this really is.  You would think that $12 an hour would keep them on their toes.  I think I received all of $1.80 an hour on my first job.  We lose at least half to the Prom.

This year the entire group went around to the different attractions to learn how to handle the crowds.  There are the old standbys, the Hay Ride, the Time Travel Tractor, the Animal Farm with talking critters that tell you where food comes from by playing Tic Tac Toe and the Bounce Pillow (#1 with the kids by far).

This year there is a new "ride" that I'm sure will be the hit of the day.  This is the Super Slider, or at least a picture of one I got from the internet.  I'm pretty sure ours is taller.  Tall enough that I don't think I will be the one working at the tippy top.  Here's a fun tidbit ... they spray Pledge furniture polish on it to keep the gunny-sack-sliders moving right along.

The other new attraction is the Zip Bee.  It's a zipline ride for little kids, assuming they can sit on a big round disc and hold on while it slides off down a hill.  Look out at the bottom ... there's no way to slow down before you hit the stopper.  I'll have pictures of that later.

Let the fun begin!!  We open tomorrow morning and will continue every day until Halloween.  I'll be doing the same job as before ... giving breaks to all the kids (except the one at the top of the slider!!), tractor driver, clean-up crew, goat feeder, snack bar Manager, teenager wrangler and I'll probably have a can of Pledge in my hand.

War Of The Insects

Little did I know when I woke up in Hanford (where the air quality was enough to choke a horse), I would be fighting battle after battle in the afternoon.  The good part is it was cool as a cucumber.

I thought to take my time packing up so I would miss the busy morning traffic.  I couldn't stand just sitting there, so I zipped everything up and headed out the gate.  Somewhere along the line I missed the On-Ramp CLOSED sign.  I'm never really sure of my GPS gal, but I decided to trust her this time.

In no time I was mixed in with the crowds of morning commuters.  An hour passed fairly quickly until I pulled in to the fuel station on Avenue 18-1/2 near Madera.  They are usually 15 cents a gallon cheaper than the Flying J next door.  Interestingly enough, they are building a new PILOT just down the road.

I think that's where I picked up my hitchhiker.  He landed on my driver side window and he was HUGE!!!  At least half an inch, not counting the feelers.

I watched him crawl up the window.  I'm pretty sure this is what we call stink-bugs.  Touch one and you will instantly find out.  Unfortunately, there was nothing in sight I could gather him up with.  I finally grabbed my fuel notebook and gave him a light tap.

Sure enough ... here it came in waves of green noxious gas as he fell into the window track.  I watched in horror fifteen minutes later as he righted himself.  NOOOOOOO!!  Another ten went by before he began to crawl slowly up on the edge.

One more little whack and I was sure he was a goner.  More green gas filled the air.  As time passed, I watched one feeler move, then one leg.  Good grief!!!  He crawled up on the track just as I pulled up in front of my house.  I grabbed my hitch gloves and threw him unceremoniously outside.  Hopefully there are no more.

Happy to be home, I carted stuff inside to my stinky house.  It was so stale, I could hardly breathe.  Even the stink bug wasn't that bad!!  After opening up everything and turning on every fan I have, I began unloading.

Only one more load and I'll stop.  Okay, one more load.  Rats ... I have TWO more loads ... and what about the dog food?  Instantly I stopped in my tracks.  I happened to look up to find three huge swarming groups of wasps hanging just over my head as I entered the door.  The WAR was ON!

Luckily I had one can of spray left in the rig, but it was only 1/4 full.  I attacked full force, running like a 3-hour marathon winner.  Oops ... I ran the wrong way.  I should have gone IN the house.  I waited as dozens hit the concrete.  

It's funny, because of the three huge confabs, only one had a nest.  It took the rest of the can to get them all.  I stopped counting at 50 dead bodies on the patio.  A quick check around the side yard and I discovered two more groups, but alas, my can is empty.  

Today I have a dentist's appointment, so I'll pick up another can and continue my quest.  Then it's off to the Pumpkin Patch to check in.  I've received about ten messages in the last two days.  

Social media is a good thing when you've got someone who knows what they are doing.  So much for that, since I've received three different schedules for the same day, along with MANY telling me to bring my work permit.  

It's good to be home!!!

Tums Are MAGICAL!!

Up bright and early at my usual 4:00, the puppies and I wandered around the area.  It's always cool and quiet in the early morning hours.  That means no barking Jessie when other dogs appear.  It's my secret to a happy camping life.

Even better news ... Generator Guy left yesterday at 3:00 so I had a GREAT nights sleep after that train went by that blew his horn the four-blast sequence NINE times before getting out of earshot.  There must be a LOT of crossings on that track.

Our touted as the best-in-the-west breakfast came in at 9:00 instead of 8:00, which was fine with me.  There's nothing like McDonald's sausage and eggs.  Trying not to be wasteful, I ate the muffin too.  First bread I've had in ages.  That would turn out to be a mistake.

This is the name of our group ... the Family Motor Coach Association "Western Motor Home Association".  That's a mouthful!!  

This group has their one big rally in Indio every year.  This planning meeting is to iron out any problems before hand ... and there have been LOTS of problems.  The company that provides electricity to something like 600 sites has of course upped their price, meaning our price went from $65 to $150.  OUCH!!

To add to that, FMCA has provided an "Assist" Program (things like medical and travel) for FREE if you are a member.  It had so many claims, the Insurance Company raised their rates 73%.  There has definitely been some craziness going on!

Lunch came in on time ... Subway sandwiches all the same with salami, ham, pepperoncinis, green peppers and vinegar and oil dressing.  I ate that too and my stomach instantly went into convulsions. I literally RAN to the rig for my bottle of Tums.

With the meeting over, I waited for someone to say let's go for ice cream.  By this time I was really thinking twice about it, but when in Rome .......

Sadly, no one said they were going, even though I found out later they all WENT.  It happens to me all the time, so no big deal.  If I really wanted that much ice cream, I could have just gone over by myself.  That's why I always say .... invite a single person along.  We really hate inviting ourselves!!

By dinnertime, my stomach was doing flip flops of the extraordinary kind, so it was probably a good thing there was no ice cream to top it off.  This year the caterers showed up (last year they were a no-show) with meatloaf, apricot chicken, rice, potatoes and salad.  I could have stayed closer to my diet if I had not eaten the rice.  In no time, I was back at the Tums bottle.  They should just liquify that stuff so I can slug it down.

At any rate, dinner was good, followed by to-go boxes in order to clean up the leftovers.  There were a LOT of leftovers, so I picked up a box of chicken.  No cooking for me the next two days.

The pups and I went for another walk, trying to mitigate the bread in my system, before settling in for the night.  

This morning I'll be heading off for home with lots of unpacking before gearing up again for the Pumpkin Patch!!  It's almost HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Down Town Dairy Land

I was very happy to be safely parked in downtown Hanford.  I was ecstatic after the first thirty rigs came in.  You see the first time I ever came here, all I had was a 110 plug-in.  Luckily there wasn't a heat wave going on.

THIS time I came in even earlier at around 11:00 am and got my pick of spots since no one was here.  Next time I'll be in by 10:00.  Here's why.  They tell everyone to come in Monday.  SUNDAY is kind of for the mucky mucks.  By MONDAY, all you've got left is lots of grass and no 50 amp boxes.

I sat back and watched the action as rig after rig came in looking for parking spaces.  Two seconds after this guy parked across from me, he was out with the spray bottle cleaning his wheels.  Who does this?  Then he cleaned the steps going into the rig.  Go figure ......

Little did I know, the spot he picked didn't have power.  Yes there is a box there, but no power.  That meant he turned on his generator at noon and ran it all day long ..... and of course into the night 

That's when I got the ALERT on my phone.  STAY INSIDE ... air quality extremely low.  Well no wonder, it's from that generator!!  I don't understand why people don't realize all that noise might bother their neighbors.  Please don't be the noisy neighbor!!!  I've no doubt it will run all day today and into the night again before we leave on Wednesday!!

By the time it was all said and done, 40 rigs came in, parking back to back and door to door.  I have the only spot with breathing room.  Nancy is a very thankful girl.

Did I mention I was on the MAIN DISH list, but brought dessert stuff?  I didn't read the fine print.  Although that never EVER seems to be a problem, I trotted off to Save Mart and bought a huge pan of chicken enchiladas.  What can I say, I try to follow the rules.

I really wasn't sure if my Breville oven (set at 400 degrees) and my AC unit could run in unison, so just to be extra sure it got cooked, I thawed it first.  In three minutes the Breville put out so much heat inside the rig that I switched it over to convection and waited for the sparks to fly.

Nothing.  YAY!!  In 45 minutes, it was done and I didn't melt in the heat.  I took my dish inside.  Yikes ... there were only two dishes on the table.  WHAT?  Someone didn't count correctly when they decided who would bring what.  In all, there were seven main dishes, five salads and at least twelve desserts to feed 80 people!!  There should have been at least 40 dishes on those tables.

I couldn't believe our table was the first chosen.  I took tiny bits of a few dishes, KNOWING there wasn't going to be enough.  I was right for once.  I think this is the first time ever a pot luck didn't have enough dishes to feed everyone.  Let them eat cake was the word for the night.

For those who did NOT show up, you didn't miss a thing.  There were a few discussions about California highways and a few laughs about how I ended up President of our group.  I wasn't laughing.

So just how bad is the air quality in Hanford?  I stepped outside this morning to the distinct smell of DAIRY.  Horses and beef cattle do not compare.  I think it's all that corn chop they eat.  Don't get me wrong, I'm the girl that likes the smell of a County Fair.  It will soon be filled with the smell of diesel exhaust however.  Hopefully I don't die before I get out of here tomorrow.  I'm buying a bottle of Fabreeze to decontaminate my rig.

P.S.  There was no ice cream to be had yesterday and I stayed in with the puppies.  I'll let you know if Superior Dairy becomes a pit stop.

Playing Mario Kart On The Freeway

Sometimes driving can be a challenge.  I rather LIKE challenges, but the ones presented in Bakersfield California were almost above my pay grade.  I've been heading out on Highway 58 for eight years.  That's eight years of driving through some of the worst construction zones in the country and it's STILL not finished.

Not that I'm complaining, because it certainly improves my skills.  It used to be just the section closest to Hwy 99.  Now it's the entire length almost up to the mountains.

I waited as long as I could, since I only had a short 2-1/2 hour drive.  Engine Guy started up at 6:30 and finally left at 7:05.  It was SO quiet!!  Immediately upon leaving and entering the freeway, I sat upright and began to pay attention.  The road shifted from lane to lane with those white barriers narrowing the lanes considerably.

Lucky for me, I decided to stay in the right hand lane.  All of a sudden, without warning, the highway split in two, the left lane going into a lane of it's own and me staying on the rumble strip side with concrete barriers on BOTH sides of me.  In the middle was the newest lane of concrete under construction.  It was like playing Mario Kart!!

I was very happily surprised when my turnoff ended up being in MY lane.  If you happened to get into the left lane and wanted to go right, you were out of luck, probably ending up by the ocean somewhere.  As if that wasn't enough, the entire rest of Hwy 99 through Bakersfield was ALSO under construction, with S curves and super narrow lanes.  WHEW!!!  I finally made it out of town.

Two hours later, I landed in beautiful downtown Hanford.  There was not a rig in sight.  Uh oh ... do I have the right date??  I double checked my calendar.  How nice, I had my choice of parking spaces.

I spent the next 30 minutes in a battle of epic proportions with a big herd of yellowjackets.  They seem to love electric boxes here.  I grabbed a stick, poked the nest trying to knock it off the breaker, then ran like crazy as fast as I could.  Upon my return, I hit it again, this time to the ground as I raced away.  I watched out the window until they finally left so I could plug in.  Yay for air conditioning!!

In case you were wondering about that last picture of Jessie ... here's my couch condition.  Jessie has a hard time jumping up now, so she gets the spot without the cushion.  Cooper can't jump ... I mean what poodle can't jump ... so he gets the cushion as a launching pad and thereby doesn't hurt his back again.  What can I say, they are spoiled.

Friends Betty and Kurt Simon finally arrived ... my IN to the upper group of officers.  That's lucky for me because they invite me out to dinner with the group.  We went to Ryans Place.  Lookie here ... I was good and had a caesar salad with chicken.  Sorry this looks pretty unappetizing.  It was okay because I was looking forward to the FREE pie when you sign up to receive emails.

I chose pecan.  I chose badly.  I'm pretty sure it had been sitting on the counter for a few days.  To make it even worse, I forgot I signed up the year before (which never went through) and so their computer wouldn't give me my FREE piece.  Ten minutes later, I'm still waiting for the gal to figure it out, when another lady came by and said the pecan pie is NEVER free.  

Well rats ... no problem.  I was happy to pay for it rather than keep everyone standing there.  FYI ... don't order the pecan pie.

No meetings today, so I don't know what I'll do.  I did discover I'm on the "main dish" menu instead of the "dessert" menu I purchased supplies for.  Since I distinctly remember running OUT of main dish food last year, I suppose I should find some alternative to cherry crisp!!!

Another Day, Another RV Park

Here's the biggest surprise of the day.  In spite of having my Jeep unhooked so I could purchase a gift card for the Ladies Tea, I did NOT go to the fabric store in Indio.  It's one of my all time favorites too.  If I'm thinking of a long arm quilting machine, I need to start saving pennies.

Try as I might however I could NOT pass up the lemon loaf at Starbucks.  The weirdest thing happened though ... I put it in my purse and completely forgot about it.  I discovered it yesterday when reaching for my wallet.  You have to give it up for this yummy moist product ... it was still just as tasty as if I'd eaten it the first day.  It's called CHEATING on my diet because it's got flour, but boy was it GOOD!!

I have such fond memories of the Morongo Casino every time I pass by.  They have a GREAT buffet with plenty of parking and a driver to take you right to the front door.  It's also the site of the infamous Jonathan crash of 2013.  You might remember his cage fell on the floor, breaking it to pieces, whereupon he walked the doggie gauntlet all the way to the front and crawled up on the doggie gate, unscathed and uneaten by Jessie.  I've hated round-de-rounds ever since!

The wind turbines have exploded with more and more babies.  Honestly, every time I'm here there are at least a hundred more covering the landscape.

Finally out of freeway land, I headed north on 395, which is now a nice smooth roadway as it tops the hill and heads down into Kramer Junction, or as I call it, Three Corners.

After five long grueling hours of driving, I landed in the middle of beautiful Orange Grove RV Park.  Yes it's pricey at $50 a night, but convenient, VERY roomy and full of free oranges in the winter.

Right now, the trees are covered with big green balls, soon to turn orange and juicy for our eating pleasure.  There's a swimming pool if you want as well as a nice office to sit with your computer.  You can even snack on FREE donuts and coffee in the mornings.  

I set up just in time to watch the fun as several rigs came in.  Even though the temperatures are not all that hot, the place is a ghost town.  A big rig came in way too fast and landed two doors down.  He completely ignored the waving arms of his wife trying to park him, getting out and looking three times.

Thirty minutes later he was basically set up, with the engine running the entire time.  At long last, with even his awnings out, he turned off the ignition.  Oh the fuel he could save.  

The fifth wheel across from me has had a jet engine running on top of his rig from the moment he arrived.  How can they sleep?  It's a fabulous 60 degrees this morning, so I don't know if it's the AC or the heat.  He's also got every light on the outside burning brightly, even though he's under a streetlight with a million lumens.  People are funny!!

We all crashed to the sounds of train whistles, at least for a couple of hours.  Maybe I'll sneak in a little nap this afternoon in Hanford.  

I've not far to go, so am not in a hurry.  I can however, SMELL the ice cream and hear it calling my name.  Superior Dairy ..... you WANT some ICE CREAM!!  You are NOT sleepy ... head down here quickly and get your FIVE scoops that only count as ONE!!!

Indian Waters ... So Cool

No, it's NOT cool, it's hot here in the big city of Indio, but then that was expected.  I just spent over an hour on the internet trying to access my email accounts.  I don't know why all of a sudden it wouldn't let me in.  That's always so much fun!!

At any rate, I took off from hot Quartzsite with a full tank of fuel.  That little Arco station on Riggles Avenue is always cheaper than anyone else at $3.00 a gallon.  Get an outside pump and it's easy peasy.

There wasn't a lot to see ... your usual cactus and hazy landscapes.  But WAIT!!  What's this?  A rather small helicopter hovering very low to the ground.  It looked like he was looking for tracks.  Parked on the side of the highway were three Border Patrol vehicles.  Someone was in trouble.

This guy kept me occupied for quite some time.  I'm definitely a rear view mirror kind of driver.  I saw him wavering as he came up beside me, so I gave him plenty of room.  As he moved to the right, he just kept going.  I thought he was going to crash.  

Those highway noise makers beside the white line didn't even phase him.  He rode directly on it for several miles, before moving MORE to the right.  Back and forth he went, never quite getting in the lane.  I slowed way down and gave him plenty of room to crash without me being involved.

As I passed by Desert Center, I wondered about the big pie-in-the-sky plans this guy had.

Desert Center (click there) has a most unusual story and it's a fun read.  He planted all these palm trees so he could have a tree ring circus.  Ta-DAH.  

At any rate, the next palm trees I saw were in Indio.  I've heard of this Indian Waters RV Park before and thought I would check it out.  I usually stay at the Elks Lodge, but I only remember 30 amp hookups, nowhere near enough for my two air conditioners in this 100 degree weather.

Try as I might to land here when the doors opened at 1:00, I was early.  I phoned the after hours number and was met with a very nice voice saying come on in!!  They have two swimming pools for your enjoyment, a hot tub, workout room, laundry and clubhouse with free coffee every morning, for a measly $24.00 a night.  In the winter, that jumps up to $71, IF they have space available.

I opted for a pull-through site.  Yes, the big tree is WAY too close, which is why I'm parked all the way to the right.  That puts my awning in the middle of the LITTLE tree.  No matter, we were fine.  The main thing is BOTH air conditioners are working very nicely.  I'm a cool 82.

Although I had no intention of unhooking, I realized I used one can of my cherry pie filling for the sewing group and forgot to replace it.  My addition to the Hanford pot luck of cherry crisp won't work so well with only one can.  Off to the Walmart neighborhood store I went.  

Funny you can buy all the beer you want, putting it right in your shopping cart.  You want the hard stuff?  Find a clerk because it's all under lock and key.

I thought it was perfect .. Starbucks was right next door and I needed that gift card for the Ladies Tea.  Trouble is, they were closed for renovations.  Four miles away through traffic light after traffic light was my destination.  

It's interesting to note that Indio has figured out the flooding problem.  Every corner has very deep dips to drive through, making progress slow.  It was a good thing though, because now I knew NOT to drive the rig on Jackson Street to the freeway.

Back home, I had another piece of that glorious pizza (I'm getting WAY too hooked on this stuff) and spent the evening with the puppies.  

This morning I'm off to Tehachapi Pass and cooler temperatures until I drop down into Bakersfield.  We went there a lot when I was a kid.  Thankfully there's not as much oil being processed as in the past, making the town smell a tad bit better than it did.  If you've ever been to Bakersfield, you know what I mean.  I'm on the road AGAIN.

Cool Things That Make Me Happy

Here we are parked in lovely downtown Quartzsite Arizona in Park Place RV Park.  This place makes me happy every time I come through.  The two hosts are as nice as can be, always remembering my name.  No paperwork required and $19 gets me two air conditioners running full blast.  It was 102 when I arrived.

I'm also happy and proud that I actually stopped at an unfamiliar fuel station.  Getting diesel is my nemesis.  I've only had one bad experience, so it shouldn't bother me so much.  I fretted the first hour of driving that I wouldn't have enough fuel to get to Quartzsite, where I always fill up.

Between the generator running the AC for about five hours and two trips to the Cummins Repair Shop, I wasn't sure I had enough to go 265 miles.  It would help if my fuel gauge was correct, but it isn't, plus generator fuel doesn't record on the dash.

I saw a Pilot sign and at the last second said SELF ... Just pull off and get fuel so you'll quit stewing about it.  I pulled off the freeway.  It was straight in, pay the nice lady and around the corner to out.  YES!!!!!

Clean ceiling fans make me happy too.  Terrible picture, but I noticed this just before leaving the house.  Good grief ... where did all THAT dirt come from??  There was enough on this five blade fan to stuff a pillow!!  Only three fans to go, but that's for when I return.

Turning on the faucet and getting water makes me happy too.  Not a single faucet in the rig had much more than a drip coming out.  Once parked, I took all the gizmos off (the screen thingies) and soaked them in vinegar.  Worked like a charm.  When done, I stuck the shower head in too, just to be sure it would work also.

After five hours of driving, being passed constantly by trucks, as in a steady line of them (it must be drive-your-truck Thursday) I was ready for lunch.  The only thing I could scrape up was a can of tuna.  What about the pizza you ask?  I only have enough for dinners!!

I was exceedingly happy to find an empty container for the tuna juice.  I was even more thrilled when I poured the juice into the empty Advil bottle and didn't spill not ONE drop!!  SCORE one for me!!!

That's when I had my only non-happy moment.  I got an email saying our Golden Spike Chapter has to bring a gift bag to the meeting in Hanford for the Ladies Tea at the January Rally.  Rather short notice.  I'm headed to Hanford now and I rarely unhook my Jeep when traveling, to trot about town. The only quick thing I can come up with is Starbucks ... or maybe a Cold Stone gift certificate, which I doubt they have in beautiful downtown Dairy-Capital-of-the-Valley Hanford.

I was interrupted in my thoughts however as I tried to light my gas stove and heat up one of my amazing pieces of pizza.  Boy was I looking forward to this, not having had any bread in ages.  The stove wouldn't light.  Ughhhhhhh.

I went outside and found the tank turned off.  Okay ... now it will work.  Click click click ... again and again.  By then I was ready to eat the pizza FROZEN.  At long last I smelled gas and hit the igniter one last time.  SUCCESS!!!  Or not, as I had no lid to put OVER the pizza in the pan so it would warm up before it burned.  Yes, I could nuke it, but if you've ever tasted pizza warmed up in a frying pan, you'll never nuke again.

At last, I scrounged up a cookie sheet.  In 15 minutes I had PERFECT PIZZA, which put a BIG smile on my face.  I savored every single bite.  THIS makes me happy!!

I'll be getting a late start this morning as I only have a two hour drive to a new-to-me RV park in Indio.  With the high temperatures, I really need a 50 amp hookup for AC.  See you there!!