MERRY CHRISTMAS 2025

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!! 

It was a rough ride for Santa with all the rain and snow, but I think he made it around the world in record time.  I'm sure I saw him flying over last night, saluting the flag along the way.  The weather wasn't exactly celebrating his arrival here in Arizona.

Christmas Eve started off with rain ... in the desert ... when it's supposed to be sunny and gorgeous.  It's even heading down to the 40's at night.  BRRRRR ... it's a good thing I have a small house and a big heater!!

Mr. Chance came out to the rig for a new project that will fit right here on the dash.  Hopefully it will be dry and cured today.  I'll show you that one later.

Cooper wanted to wish everyone Merry Christmas, so I whipped up this card for him.  My first try, so maybe I'll get better at it over time.  He's been doing very well, spending most of his time smelling the bunny rabbit trails and wanting to crawl under the bush and leap down the cliff to where they hide.  

We watched a few movies last night, testing our investigation and deductive skills on Lincoln Lawyer and catching up on Land Man.  

That was followed up by Dan's famous beef stew ... of which I ate WAY too much ... and Chef Patty's biscuits!!  I'm going to weigh a ton when I leave here.  

Today will be a quiet one while we hunker down and stay warm.  I timed it perfectly ... 6 days of clouds and two big days of rain!!  I'm making up my Walmart list and checking it twice, but the crowds are keeping me at bay.  After Christmas returns and sales are not my thing.

And so I will wish you all a very Merry Christmas with family and friends, and thank you for reading about my crazy days.  Nothing brightens up my day more than reading your responses.  

One last thought ..... remember the Reason for the Season!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!

Merry Christmas Eve from lovely WARM Arizona.  On the OTHER hand, I woke up to rain this morning.    It's not one of their crazy storms, just nice quiet rain, the kind that makes you want to stay in bed. This was yesterday's sunrise.  I just love the pink skies.

I did have a bit of a problem yesterday however.  This is Control Panel 101.  There are FOUR different panels to navigate.  You might think this would be easy ... just tap the icon to start up the heater.  There are at least two or three things you need to do BEORE you tap.  On this morning, no matter what I did, I could not get either the heater OR the hot water heater to work.  

Oh Joy!!!  Instead of calling on Dan, I called on Canada.  When I purchased this rig, I received the phone number of my personal representative who resides in Canada where this thing was built.  No matter when you call, they answer.  Ryan is his name and he's a Saint.  After listening to me describe the problem, he said "easy peasy".  Turn the main control screen off ... count to 3 ... turn it back on.  It resets everything.  TA-DA!!   It worked.  

When I turned the heater on before the gas, it went into lockdown mode.  Reset the main control screen and it resets the mode.  Heater works .... hot water heater works.  Easy peasy is right.

A bit later, I set Cooper up for a few hours and we were off to the top of Mount Lemon ski resort.  Yessiree ... in the middle of the desert is a mountain with a ski resort at the top.  

It being the week of Christmas, everyone was off work and on their bikes riding up the hill.  No WAY said I, it's WAY too steep for bicycle riding.  But climbing ... I could do that.  This guy climbed to the top while the guy/gal at the bottom belayed him.  Lots of picture taking followed.

The higher you go, the farther you can see.  It's interesting, because as you drive along, you think you are in the desert ... when really, you are in a big valley.

I should have been a geologist because the rock formations fascinate me.  Layer upon layer, then this piece falling off the top of the hoodoo.

SURPRISE!!  We even ran into a little snow from the last rain.  Maybe this rain will bring a little snow for Christmas.

Though there were quite a few people up there, the ski lifts were not running.  You may remember me talking about this little town almost burning down a few years ago, but you can barely tell it happened now.  There is a new hotel with lots of rentable cabins, and road work all through town.  Too bad for us, the restaurant we came to for lunch, was closed for Christmas.

BUT WAIT ... there is a place called the Divine Bovine in Tucson.  Burger Central!!  Believe it or not, Habit Burger closed down.  This humongous burger and a bowl full of French fries is a suitable replacement.  They are so big, Patty and I got the "kids" burger and fries.  It was double what I can eat, but I ate it all!!!

Back home, Mr. Cooper was still sleeping.  He's waiting for Santa to come by.  So if you see this guy, please tell him Cooper is in ARIZONA!!!

This was my view last night before bed.  What looks like a full moon, is only at one quarter.  As you can see by the flag, it was a tad bit windy as this storm came blowing in.

I hope everyone is having a great time with family and friends.  Remember the reason for the season!!!  And be good, because Santa Clause is coming to town TONIGHT!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE TO EVERYONE!!

ONE QUART LOW

 Early mornings in Quartzsite are beautiful.  You only catch them if you have to walk your dog at O-Dark-Thirty.  

As the sun rose, I was packing up for my trip to Vail Arizona.  It's been a lovely three days, but I'm heading to my Christmas destination, friends Patty and Dan Chance.  They were responsible for my first big Class A purchase, as well as my education in that respect.  It seemed so much easier back then!

Gibbs knows Cooper is in there, and wanted to say goodbye too.  He got lots of scrutches and hugs before I said goodbye to his Mom.  No worries, I'll be back in January for lots more fun!

First up .... diesel fuel.  Wouldn't you know, they were out completely up front, mostly because .... wait for it ..... THE PRICE WAS $2.99 A GALLON!!!!  The nice guy said I could go to the trucking pumps in the back, but it looked like the wait was VERY long.  I'll check out the stations not too far East.  

But WAIT ... you forgot to turn the gas off again.  I pulled over, hit the button and was on the road in a flash.  The next station was a 9-ONE (I think) ... a sad looking example of a fuel station ... but the price was right.  I filled up for $2.99 a gallon.  That has to be a record.  

But WAIT ... again ... as I started it up to head out, more of those orange and now YELLOW flashing lights appeared on my dash.  Good grief!!  I've never had so much trouble on a trip.  Here's the thing.  You cannot be proactive with this rig ... like checking the oil and water ... it checks it FOR you and gives you a huge dash warning if anything needs attention.

YOU NEED ONE QUART OF OIL.  CHECK OWNERS MANUAL.  I already know there is no dip stick on this thing ... only an oil fill cap.  Luckily when I purchased it, someone told me this engine uses a bit of oil, so I stuck a couple of quarts in the cupboard.  But I kept driving while I thought about where in the world the fill cap might BE! 

I also contemplated how far I could go when one quart low.  I finally pulled over in Tonopah, but that place is scary now.  Old vehicles ... people moving lots of bundles from one pickup to another ... so I kept going.

I'm passing Buckley here, wondering what's causing the beautiful sky.  I finally stopped long enough to google WHERE IS THE OIL FILL, before stopping in Gila Bend.

So here we are, adding a quart of oil so I can get back on the road.  The video I watched said not to worry about having to add oil now and then.  These new engines tend to burn up a bit every 3-5000 miles, though no oil change is required until 10,000.

 

When I turned the engine on, the orange/yellow lights had magically disappeared.  It's weird ... this picture shows you the oil level every time you start the engine ... and it always looks like it needs oil to me, but what do I know.  Disregard the dust please.

I was off once again, through lots of construction that I don't think will EVER be completed in Tucson.  Lucky for me, there were no more flashing lights on the dash.  Here I am backed right up to the backhoe in the perfect location.  

Hello Patty and Dan!!!  We talked a bit, then got ready for a fabulous dinner of salad and chicken soup before sitting down for the 49'ers game.  The score sounds pretty bad, with the 49'ers winning 48-27, but you have to give it up to the Colts Quarterback who came out of a 5 year retirement at 44 years of age to keep the Colts in the running when they lost BOTH of their quarterbacks.  Oh ... and a pint of Ben and Jerry's Salted Caramel ice cream magically appeared in my lap!!  YUM YUM!!

I finally headed to the rig for the night.  That's when I made yet ANOTHER mistake.  I forgot to turn the gas back ON.  I woke up at 1:00 rather cold.  I shut everything off and turned the gas on, but could not get the heater to turn back on.  I plugged in the little noisy electric one and slept with my eyes open the rest of the night.  

So on today's menu, I'll try to figure out how to get the heater working again after we make a trip up to the ski lodge at the top of Mount Lemon for lunch.  Hopefully there's no snow up there!!!

Talk About Lazy!!

 Some days you just have to lay around and relax.  That was Mr. Cooper's plan for the entire day.  He wasn't too pleased when I woke him up to go outside!!  The good news is I slept VERY well.  Must be the desert air.

After a quick shower in a very tiny room hardly big enough to turn around in, I felt considerably revived.  After a quick breakfast and a Cooper walk, I went to check out the latest puzzle.  Patsy and I finished it off in record time while Bill sewed covers for his plane wings.  I think he had more patience than anyone in the building.  

At the perfect time for a break, Patsy provided a delicious lunch.  You'll have to check her blog to see what it was.  Click here.  Back at the rig, I caught Mr. Cooper snoozing away once again.  This time he didn't hear me come in at all!!  Sound sleeper this boy!

The worst problem of the day was trying to get football on my TV.  I'm too far away for the local channels to come in.  I called.  I called again.  I called the third time before finally getting someone who of course could speak good English.  Big sigh!!  It took FIVE phone calls before someone knew what I was talking about.  I'll fix it he said.

Two hours later, it was not fixed.  Three more phone calls and I was STILL trying to get them to switch my location to Arizona.  Talk about frustrating!  And with every phone call, they would try to sell me their telephone service.  I flat out told them ... with service THIS BAD, why would I EVER switch to them???  They finally got it done, when the games were over.  C'est la vie!

Back out the door to the puzzle, I spotted one of Bills planes under his rig.  They are stashed all over the place!!!  Cooper and I went for a few walks, but we barely got past the gate.  Our days of long walks around the park are no longer. 

And so once again, Patsy pulled out another Christmas puzzle.  No worries, Mr. Ed, we will bring out your puzzle when I return in January, so there are at least four of us who can work on it for three weeks straight.  I told them I need LOTS of help.

The day passed in the blink of an eye, after four more Cooper runs.  Dinner was short and sweet ... the last potato and the last of the first slice of meatloaf.  Yes, it was that big.  We hung out in the rig and watched TV for a couple hours before calling it a night.  

This morning I'm packing up because I'm heading out to Tucson, or Vail as it were.  I'll be spending Christmas with Patty and Dan.  I'm so thankful for good friends everywhere I go!!!  And good food, because Chef Patty will be doing the cooking!!!

I'll see you in Vail Arizona!!!

QUARTZSITE MISTAKE

Even in the dark of night, the desert in Arizona gives you amazing views.  The time change thing is causing fits for both Cooper AND myself.  Though I woke up at 4:00, it's actually 5:00 here.  I've lost an hour somewhere and I feel it!  

Mr. Gibbs finally got to meet his buddy Cooper face to face.  He barks every time he sees Cooper out the window ... and believe me, he keeps WATCH!  There is no sneaking around!!  

 

First things first ... we traded stuff.  I got this fabulous bottle of REAL maple syrup!!  In trade, Patsy and Bill got some yummy oranges, some boysenberry jam, a bag full of quilling supplies, and peanut butter cookies.  

But wait ... there's MORE!  I got this cute as can be quilled boot to hang in my rig and Patsy got a shoulder bag I bought last year at the big tent.  There's still more, but they have to have room in their freezer.  I brought a bunch of those steaks to share.  I will never be able to eat that entire box I purchased from the Elks, and Bill is a master barbecuer!!

That's when the big mistake occurred.  I needed to find some roast chicken for Cooper.  Well that's easy, I'll walk to the grocery store.  Even better, Deb and Tom left this morning, so I bummed a ride to Coyote Fresh, not quite a mile away.

So there I was, smelling all that great food they cook, and the meatloaf sucked me in.  Two pieces turned out to be enough for four sandwiches.  Do you have any roast chicken?  Why yes ... in that case over there.  I grabbed one.  To finish it off, I got a couple of things from the dollar store ... like Windex.  Do you know how heavy Windex is?  Do you know how heavy a roast chicken is????

It's okay I thought ... these 15 pounds of groceries will be nothing to carry.  Yup ... BIG mistake.  Patty Chance called me while walking and I could hardly talk.  I finally sat on a light pole base.  I'm sure it was a 5 mile walk, and I almost stuck my thumb out to hitchhike.  Good grief that stuff got heavy.  In my defense, it IS uphill all the way back.

I fell exhausted onto the couch.  Maybe the bike would have been worth the fight to unlock.  I fixed myself a lovely meatloaf sandwich so I wouldn't die of starvation.  It was delicious!!!

Once I recovered, I went to the clubhouse to work on this puzzle with Patsy.  It's one of my favorite pastimes ... and she is VERY good at it.  I can't wait for her to try the quilt puzzle Mr. Ed sent to me.  She has been forewarned!!  Ed ... we are DETERMINED to put that thing together!!

Mr. Cooper has survived so far, though we are not walking any distance like we used to.  

Since it's warmer here, I think he got a little overheated yesterday, so I took the scissors to him.  He lost about 3 cups of hair, and seems to be much better now.  Maybe it was the chicken!!

Dinner was about as easy as it gets.  One microwaved red potato and a little meatloaf.  With meals like this, who needs to cook??

And so ended a lovely day of rest and relaxation.  I'm happy to report everything on the rig is working just fine, though I will be on the hunt for a small heater that doesn't make as much noise as the Truma propane heater.  I've heard bad things about those little floor heater watts melting the inside of the plastic outlets they now use.  Not sure if that is a real problem or just an imagined one, but sleep is my friend and I don't want to scare him away!!  Maybe one of those infrared ones??  What better place to look than Quartzsite.

THE BIG Q

 IT'S WAARRRRMMMMM!!!  At least warm-ER than it was in foggy California.  I left Bakersfield with high hopes for no traffic.  Other than the windshield that was so dirty I couldn't see out of it, we cruised right along.  I finally stopped in frustration and tried to clean it.  It didn't help much.

Then I remembered I did not turn the gas off.  No big deal, in my other rigs it was never turned off, but I took the Tehachapi exit anyway.  Well that was the wrong one to take.  There was no turnaround wide enough.

Two blocks later, I was back on the road, soon to be cruising through the Lucerne Valley.  That always makes me VERY nervous since that's where that head-on accident almost happened.  No one would have survived that.  I literally hold my breath through that entire section.

That's when everything went crazy.  I had it on cruise control, with the brake assist turned OFF.  There is one very VERY steep section into a big gully.  The van didn't like that one little bit.  The brake assist came on, it slammed on the brakes, and orange/red lights began to flash.

BRAKE ASSIST NOT FUNCTIONING.  That's GOOD!  I don't want it to!  But the warnings would not go away.  They replaced the little zero in the center, which happens to be my speed.  Ding ding ... flash flash ... it would not stop.  Great!  Now I'm on another big downhill.  I was hoping at least the brakes would work.  On the left is a speedometer, completely covered up by the steering wheel, so no telling how fast I was going.  AND I had no cruise control.

I finally pulled over and turned the engine off.  That should do it!  NOPE ... still flashing lights.  Too bad ... I'm driving you anyway.

Now in downtown, I pulled into a parking lot and played with the touch display.  I spotted the word FUNCTION and tapped it.  MORE THAN ONCE.  I think I beat it into submission.  There's just too much fancy dancy electronics on this rig.  With a big sigh, I headed back on the road, and to my amazement the little zero speedometer showed back up and the orange disappeared.  YAY!!!!  Once again I turned that feature OFF.

That's when we hit the traffic jam in Indio.  They chose a Friday afternoon to close a four lane highway down to two.  It took an hour to get through that mess.

At long last I MADE IT!  I'm in QUARTZSITE and parked between Patsy and Bill ... and Deb and Tom.  Sadly, I'm in their Happy Hour spot.  Mr. Gibbs came out immediately for some puppy love, but wanted to see Cooper more than me.  He KNEW he was in that rig, so he just sat and stared at it.

We camped out for over an hour, me completely forgetting the time change, which got me this morning.  We got up at 4:30, but it was 5:30 here.  Love these smiling faces.  Both Patsy and Deb got pictures, so this is the only one I took.  

This was the most satisfying part of the day, besides surviving the drive ..... Bills famous bacon cheeseburgers!  OH YEAH!!!  No one barbecues them better.  Dinner was delicious!!  I can't thank them enough!

As darkness fell, I caught Deb and Tom packing up.  They will leave this morning to spend Christmas with their family in the snow back home.

We were all waiting for that fabulous sunset Q is known for ... and it did not disappoint.

Even looking East, it was gorgeous!!

It just got better all around.

And then this happened.  There's just not much better than an Arizona sunset and the pictures don't do it justice.

Mr. Cooper and I are pretty beat up this morning.  It was a long seven hour drive for us, having been stuck in that traffic jam for over an hour.  The time change ... that doesn't help.  

Today will be spent resting up and reorganizing the rig until I can actually FIND things.  It took me an hour to find a fingernail file last night.  

And so it begins ... FIVE DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS!!!!