I Think I'm Winning

 No real blog today.  The racking cough was horrible until I finally took a couple aspirin and went back to bed.  I got up at 7:30. That's a first in 30 years!!  Too bad it didn't help.

Poor Cooper is going into ball withdrawal since no one is playing with him.

I think I might be on the verge of winning this battle, but never speak too soon.  The Z pak I picked up in Mexico is working.  At least I don't feel like I'm going to die on this day, so that's a good sign.

Thank you everyone for the thoughts and advice.  Truly, as soon as I feel better, I'm heading off to Walmart to buy everything I can get my hands on.  My rig is going to be a rolling ambulance of medical supplies and chicken soup.  

This is an ugly one.  

My Teeth Hurt

 I'm sure we all know what that means.  I picked up the crud in Quartzsite.  Could have been from anywhere, in spite of all my hand washing.  My teeth hurt and I've been coughing all morning.  No temperature, no sore throat and no covid symptoms.  Just a stuffed up head, headache and chest congestion.  I'll survive I'm sure, but it's definitely cutting into my quilt fabric investigation plans.

The first thing yesterday morning, we were serenaded by the Coyote Quartet.  Brave little guys.  They came within a hundred feet of my rig.  Cooper could care less.  He was sound asleep.

It was early, and I felt bad, but laundry waits for no man ... or woman.  I hauled my container up to the office and peeked inside.  The instant I did, some guy threw a bunch of clothes into the SECOND machine.  He already had the first one full.

Oh .. only two machines I asked?  Mind if I use one.  YES was the answer, my stuff is already in the machine.  My bad ... But you just put it in there when you saw me open the door ... aren't you a nice guy for sharing.  I left. 

Back at the rig with the still dirty clothes, Cooper was sound asleep in his chair.

In case you were wondering, Jonathan is plenty warm with his ceramic heater.  It's actually much warmer here, so it's not a problem.

More coughing, and my teeth hurt so bad I took a couple Tylenol.  Some of that tomato soup and toast made me feel a tad bit better, and eventually the Tylenol took hold.

Just in time for some freezer caramel corn.  Gosh this stuff is tasty.

For those that didn't know about the Pima County Fairgrounds RV park, they have probably 75-100 spaces, full hookups for $250 a week.  You get a discount with Good Sam or Escapees.  Yes that adds up to $1,000 for a month, but Elva reminded me that's only $35 a night.  Quartzsite is a bargain!!  They do not take reservations here, so check their event calendar.  If there is no big rally going on, they usually have space.

We ended the night with yet another fabulous sunset.  Hopefully today I heal up a bit more so I can get to work on my to-do list.  Tombstone, visit readers, look for quilt material, oil change on my truck ... so much to do!!!

You'll love this one ... I was sound asleep last night when my phone started going off.  What the heck?  What day was it yesterday?  That's right ... BINGO day.  At 10:30 the guys called because they couldn't figure out how to close out either the infernal machine or the debit card machine.  Ten minutes later they were good to go and I was wide awake.  

I can tell you, I will be chained to my recliner for probably the next two days.  I ache all over and feel like I got pulled through a knothole backwards.  Oh the joys of a bad chest cold.

On The Road Again .....

 One should check for sunrise before planning on leaving at a certain time in the morning.  It was pitch black at my designated time.  On the road again was delayed until I could see well enough to back up.  I finally got everything hooked up with no problems.  

When done, I headed over to say goodbye to Patsy, Bill and Gibbs.   I'm going to miss them!!  Patsy is a blast to hang out with ... I have her to thank for getting me back in shape ... and Bill can answer any and all fifth wheel questions.  Hopefully I didn't bother him as much THIS time as I have in the past!!!!

Off I went, both kids in tow.  Lucky for me, there wasn't a lot of truck traffic.  The sun was just coming up as I left Quartzsite.  Check out Patsy's pics HERE.  She got a great one of Gibbs watching me leave.

Not many pictures today.  It's just not safe to take them while I'm driving.  We just cruised right along at 60 mph, trying to miss the big holes in the road.  There's that one rest stop at the top of the hill ... I stayed in the left lane it was so bad.  

Even coming into Tucson wasn't terrible in spite of their construction.  I landed at the fairgrounds where there was practically no one.  Funny they kept telling me I MIGHT get a spot to park when I got here.  Gee ... the place is empty!  And WARM!!  Who knew??  It's a lovely 80 degrees.

I found this on the internet.  That's me getting those balls out from under the chairs.  That's Cooper saying ... THAT ONE Mom ... I need THAT ONE!!  It definitely hits the nail on the head

I skipped lunch, had a quick snack and headed off to the Chance house for dinner.  I was pretty tired, but there's no way I'll miss stir fry.  It was so good I didn't even take a picture.  This is Miss Snoopy, named because she snoops in every closet, drawer and cupboard she can open.  No, you CANNOT take my picture.

Oh all right ... just one!!!

Soon I was headed back to the rig to a very happy Mr. Cooper, and rewarded with this nice sunset.

So here we are, being serenaded by some guy's truck boom box two spaces over while he gets ready to leave at 5:00 this morning.  It's going to get better.  There is a Gem and Jam Music Festival going on here this week, along with a few horse jumping events.  That's right up my alley!

AND ..... it smells just like home ... there was a horse trailer parked exactly where I am located.  Be sure and wipe your feet before entering!!

Music Fest Goodbyes

Prepare to be regaled with song!!  Patsy stopped by and asked if I wanted to hear the locals playing and singing.  There were a few ukuleles, a piano player, a bass fiddle and several guitars.  What could be better?  

I give these folks lots of credit for getting out there and playing their hearts out.  As they go around the circle, each person gets to pick the song of their choice that the whole group plays while they sing.  One guy even whistles magnificently.  So here we go ... click the button!!! 

Okay, so everyone doesn't have an ear for being on key, but they enjoy their get-together and it gets them out of their rigs into like company.  I applaud them for making the world a little more musical. 

I almost forgot it was football playoff day.  I had lots of packing to do since I'm leaving first thing this morning for Tucson.  I'll be hanging out with Dan the Harley Man and his Chef wife Miss Patty.  I'm betting we will even find a fabric store or five!!

I also told Deb and Tom I would stop by for a last visit.  The morning disappeared fast, so I drove out to wherever that is ... in the middle of nowhere ... to try and find them amid a sea of roads and RV's.  I don't know how, but I found their rig.

I apologize for no pictures.  We were talking so much I completely forgot.  I met Melissa and Lyle, down from the great country of Canada.  It happens they live where some long lost remnants of my family live ... near Vancouver.  Melissa says she a blogstalker that doesn't comment.  That works for me!!  It was wonderful to meet up with them.  Kim and Ken were there also, along with lots of laughs.  Happy Hours are the BEST.  I'm going to miss these wonderful people.

Sadly, I had to return too soon to get things done in order to bug out early this morning.  I dumped my tanks without making a single mistake.  It's a miracle!!  Unhooking and resetting the multiple switches in order to get water by water pump, was another story altogether.  I finally got it, hoping I didn't blow anything out.  It's working, so maybe I dodged a bullet.

I was able to watch the end of the Chiefs winning game and most of the San Francisco game.  Talk about exciting.  I can't believe after the great start Detroit had, that SF was able to win.  This is going to be a GREAT Super Bowl.

And so ends another saga in Quartzsite as I take off yet again for hopefully sunny skies.  I hate saying goodbye, but I'll see them again soon.  The sunset one night ago wasn't all that great.

This one turned out to be a fabulous goodbye.   It started off on the shy side.

And just kept getting better and better.  It was almost a 360 degree sunset.

Weird skies right next to it looked exactly like this.  No, my camera did not make it blurry.  It was just different.

And ended with this.  Thank you Quartzsite ....

I'll see you again soon!!!!!

GEN X Y Z A

 We are back at the Dollar Store.  I have to admit, the first walk here was excruciating.  Well, maybe not THAT bad.  I've been sitting WAY too long, so climbing the steps in and out of my rig ten times a day with Cooper in hand has been the best thing I could do.   I sure got back in shape quickly.

Patsy already showed you this find, in case you need to test everyone who enters your house.  I admit, this is the first I've ever seen.  No worries there, I never get within 100 feet of the stuff.

Apparently a truckload or two came in on this day.  Every aisle was full of boxes and boxes of product.  They had more crew in the store than we had EVER seen.  I picked up a few small things, but nothing special.

Until now.  I've become a part of the Gen  X, Z, Y A generation, or whatever letter they are using now.  I had thought about ear buds previously looking for something to run with.  I have an iPod I can use, but I still have to carry my phone.

The solution?  Ear buds ... but electronics are not the cheapest thing on the market.  Except when you shop the DOLLAR STORE.  No kidding ... I was pretty shocked when I saw these for $15.00.  I mean even if I stepped on them, it would be no big loss.  Turns out they work great!  I can even answer the phone and get messages.  A USB charges the case, which charges the buds.  I said I would never go there, yet here I am.

I think Patsy posted a picture of this house.  Good grief ... what a mansion.  Yup I would buy it in a hot second.  It was on the market for awhile and has been sold a few times.  Too bad the value is now at $778,000.  There's a huge building in back, a half covered pool and 4 acres just waiting for horse barns.  Sadly, it's not for sale.

On this morning there was no gorgeous sunrise .. just the sun coming up and finally warming up the place.  Patsy and I went for a walk to check out some of the local housing.  It's crazy she said we walked over 10,000 steps yesterday.  By this time today, I was only at 5100.  

I think these cool houses were going for $200,000 when I first looked.  Now it seems they are $300,000 and up, with one just selling for $428,000.  Yikes!!!  But look ... the perfectly cute house with RV parking.  

You know this would be one of my first purchases.  The yard art around here is pretty crazy!!

I keep asking WHO BUYS ALL THESE ROCKS?  Well here's some decorating the house yard.  Who knew?

Back home, I played with the kid.  Think he has enough toys??   I spent another couple of hours on the phone with my RV groups, to find out two have now left.  That's less work for me!

I had more leftovers for lunch.  This is another cheese covered tuna and noodles casserole.  I mean really, anything is better smothered in cheese.

In the afternoon Patsy and I went over to the clubhouse to be regaled by the local group that gathers to sing and play their instruments for a few hours.  That will have to wait for tomorrow's blog.  You're going to love it!

About that time, the proctologist stopped in the RV park.  Uh oh ... that's not good for somebody.  Turns out it was me and the guy right behind me.  His rig was completely plugged up.  I tried to stay inside with all the doors and windows shut, trying to keep out the lovely odors.

The neighbor introduced himself, and his first words were WHERE'S YOUR SEWER HOSE?  Gee ... nice to meet you too.  I only take it out when I need to dump.  That's probably why you need to call in the pros.  There was lots of banging and pumping going on as I prayed the tanks here at the park were really really big ones.

Seems he's a single guy from Nevada with a little four wheeler and a boat.  The boat doesn't work, but he's working on it.

Thankfully, the dinner bell rang.  I was invited over to Patsy and Bills for one of their magnificent cheeseburgers.  I don't know what their secret is, but these taste just as good as they look.  One hundred times better than that Walla Walla burger.

Stuffed to the gills, it was already the end of the day.  Time flies when you're having fun.  Be sure and check in for tomorrow's jam session.  You will be surprised just how good these guys are!!

Chip Clips and Corn!!

 We all keep hoping Mother Nature will put on her most fabulous dress and heat up the countryside, but alas, it's 39 degrees this morning.  Brrrrrrr!!

Cooper and I stayed in as long as possible.  Guess what we did.  It seems there's a bit of morning hair there.  You should see mine!!

Patsy and I walked over to the Dollar Store for an interesting find, but I'll share that tomorrow.

There was only one plan of action on this date.  Hit up the Big Tent one more time.  I contacted one of the RV groups to find they all bugged out due to the cold.  See ... I'm not the only one trying to stay warm, but at least I'm plugged in!!  

We luckily found a spot to park, offered by a nice gentleman who was leaving.

It was still crowded, even this late in the game.  I got a couple more packages of dip mix while Patsy grabbed more Yak Cheese.  What's that you ask?  Hard as a rock chew bones for Mr. Gibbs.  He loves them.

Next up, a drive through the dreaded Tyson Wash to the market one block away.  It looked like a few people might be spending the night there.  You have to be very careful where you park.  Bill knows all the back roads, took a right and we were parked in minutes.  As usual, he went one way and we went the other.

Next to the kitchen store we found stuff ... lots of stuff ... but amazingly this year we could do without most of it.

Patsy and I wandered back through the rows admiring the pretty colors.  What amazes me most is the outfits people wear.  I wasn't rude ... didn't take any pictures ... but it's crazy what you can see here.  If you've been, you know!

At the kitchen store, Patsy mentioned she needed clips for chip bags.  We didn't find any there, but I did find these.  I tried to convince her they would work just fine, but she wasn't having any of it.

On the way out, I was rather fascinated by this metal palm tree.  It even had coconuts.  I might have bought the life-size buffalo for my front yard, but figured it would just get stolen.

So here's the haul.  Carmel corn, up $2.00 from last year's $8.00 a bag (and I think the bag is smaller).  A Shadepro Visor from 2023 for $1.00, a $5.00 pink stainless steel drinking cup for my Pepsi (and it's a GREAT one), not one, but TWO little black flashlights for $2.00 each and more of that Hickory Bacon dip mix.  I think we ran through another two packs of pretzels, just trying them all again ... sort of a snack before dinner.  I thought I was exceedingly good with my impulse control today.

All that Caramel corn made me rearrange the freezer for the eighth time in order to get at least half the bag stuffed in there.  If you didn't know, it freezes really well and stays fresh as can be until you polish it off.  That meant eating up some of Silly Al's pizza for dinner.  Boy do I love this stuff!

The sunset was less than climactic ... this is looking south.  There was nothing to see looking West.

I settled in with Cooper and a book given to me by Patsy.  Appropriate, yes?  I love it!!

I've got more visiting to do today, but it's time to start packing up the small stuff.  I may even have to hit the Dollar Store ONE MORE TIME!!

Solved the Worlds Problems

Waking up with Cooper.  Oh yes, this is an every day thing at 4:30 am.  I actually found a box of EIGHT balls in the pantry.  He got his pick, and as you can tell, it's a squeaky one!!  Yes he rolled it under the chair, and yes I had to go get it.  Thank you to whomever invented the extra long kitchen tongs. 

After having my first cup of coffee, Mr. Cooper and I wandered outside for the sunrise.  It's pretty amazing to watch these almost every morning.  It's very cold as the morning air is around 45 degrees.   I never seem to know what to wear.  One day it's windy and freezing, the next it's hot and sunny.

There were no coyotes in the bushes on this morning, but there sure was fire in the sky.

It just got better until we were both shivering.  After warming up a bit, it was time to head off to poker pool.  It took all of two minutes to tell them I would be missing in action.  Neither Patsy or I felt all that great.  I was coughing quite a bit ... normal for me in the mornings ... but didn't want to make anyone nervous.  There seems to be a lot of crud going around.

I hung out with Cooper, mostly on the floor, until after lunch when we headed off to another RV group committee meeting.  The agenda .... solve the worlds problems.  Even Gibbs got to come along.  Uh yeah, he's sitting on my lap.

It's okay though, because he is just the sweetest puppy EVER!!  You can't help but smile when he's around!  He's just so happy!!

FOUND THEM!!  Some times that's a pretty tall order when there are six roads to choose from.  Luckily, Bill drove right to it.  This is a picture of Deb taking a picture.

Look who's here!  Yuma the wonder dog, along with his personal chauffeur Doug!!  We seemed to be able to solve the world's problems, but not Doug's engine problem with the White Lion.  We came up with lots of suggestions, but none of us are diesel engine mechanics.  We sure hope he can figure it out, because camping out in his jeep can't be all that comfortable.

We started out by the rig, but couldn't decide if it was hot or cold, so we moved a few times.  

Mr. Gibbs the lap pup kept Patsy and I warm with snuggle sitting.  Yuma tried to wander off and smell the smells a few times.  He so wanted to play with Gibbs, but Gibbs wasn't interested this time.  

We did solve the problem of the guy next door who kept driving his Class A back and forth.  I noticed when he came in, it looked like he had an air bag with no air.  I think he drove out and back four times before parking next door.  What's more fun than people watching!!

It was a great afternoon while we all discussed our plans for the next few days.  Everyone is going every which direction, just like the weather.

Back home in the late afternoon, I was presented with some fabulous peanut butter pie ... my favorite!!  I balanced it nicely with a rather anticlimactic green salad for dinner.  That pie however ... was delicious, Thank you Patsy.  And yes, that is two pieces.  I shall devour the second piece today!

I'm sure there will be another trip to Tyson Wells before I wander off further south.  Surely there is something here that I can buy other than my electrical hookup and propane.  Maybe a coat for Jonathan, since I looked up the weather at my next location.  53 degrees and raining, 38 at night.  That should be fun!!  Come on Mother Nature ..... lighten up please!!