Better Safe Than Sorry!!

I'm all about safety, especially when it comes to driving, and I'm NOT a fan of driving in the wind.  All good weather must come to an end, but I wish it had not picked the day I was to change locations.

My plan was to move on down to the Escapees Saguaro Co-Op in Benson, making the drive to Tombstone and Bisbee a little shorter.  Wouldn't you know, about 6 am the wind came up.  It got worse and worse until I was rocking and rolling while still parked with my jacks down!!

With only a short drive of 29 miles ahead, I wasn't worried ... I'll just wait until 11:00 to leave.  I made one quick trip to the office to let them know I was pulling out, when a gentleman there said if I was going East, it was no problem driving in the wind.

I packed up, pulled out of the site and hooked up my car when I got a phone call.  It was the gal in the office informing me that a rig had just come in from the East and the wind was TERRIBLE.  DON'T DRIVE IN IT!!  Yikes!!  So the office set me up out front (no charge) to wait a couple more hours.

Hmmmm ... no TV, dogs are antsy and in my lap so I can't crochet.  Finally, the wind seemed to die down a little, so I left at 1:00, figuring to drive 55 safely.  That part worked out great, but about 4 miles out of town, I hit construction.  Initially we were cruising right along at 20 mph, but that soon ended as I spent the better part of an hour going only 3-5 mph ... even downhill!!

In the end, it took me two hours to drive 28 miles to my turnoff.  My cautiousness brought consequences.  This Escapees park is packed ... always!  Those empty spaces from people moving out were quickly filled by noon and I was out of luck.  I'm dry camping for now and praying a spot opens up.  I'm only allowed three days dry camping, then I have to leave.

No sooner did I pull in, than friends Dave and Lynn Cross who have a lot here, stopped by to be sure I made it ok.  There's a LOT going on here, so with a quick hello to Jonathan, Lynn drove me over to the office in their amazing little golf cart ... I'll get pictures later ... for Friday Fish Dinner tickets.  Then she gave me a quick tour of the facilities on the way to the end of the Casita Tour, where I saw an amazing quilter setup!!

This park has park models, casitas big and small, along with many lots just having RV's.  The spaces are wide so you can't hear your neighbor's TV and are all gravel.  By now it was 4:00 and Happy Hour time, followed by hot dogs and a movie, but to tell you the truth, I was pretty tired.  By the time I got the dogs and Jonathan fed and situated, I sat down on the couch and just couldn't get back up.  

My view is pretty spectacular!!  This park sits up on the side of the mountain looking down into the valley below.  The weather is perfect ... 70-something during the day, about 38 last night.  

I guess it's better to be safe than sorry.  I've heard Nick Russell of Gypsy Journal fame tell people that many times, and I could hear him whispering in my ear ... pretty loudly ... that it's always better to live another day than test the Wind Gods.  I certainly hope they find a spot for me here, else I'm going to be trying to squeeze in to the park in Tombstone.  Hopefully today will be a settle in day so tomorrow I can hit the road running for some wild cowboy action in the Old West!!

Bring On The Wind!!

Yesterday was kind of different ... up early with no place to go.  That was the plan however, as I dumped my tanks and began putting things away for my move this morning.  I'm going East, or is it South ... whichever direction it is, to Benson.  I seem to get turned around easily in Tucson since they put the mountains on the wrong side.  I've always traveled North and South between two mountain ranges.  Here, you travel East and West between two mountain ranges.

At any rate, tired of my cooking I made a quick trip to Frys for some sushi.  They make the best crab rolls and even give away slices in the store.  If you act like you are shopping and go around the store a couple of times, you can get a free lunch!  I bought this one and brought it home however.  Not exactly cheap at $9.00, but delicious!!

On the way back, I stopped in at Walmart for some water and picked up several balls of yarn so I could try out a new pattern I found.  It's supposed to be the color of the Indian clay pots I've been collecting.  With a project like this, I don't spend near as much money in gift shops and I don't eat as much, since crocheting requires a little concentration ... and lots of puppy patience, as they are always getting tangled up in the stuff.

It was a beautiful day, so as I was cleaning the rig, I had the door open with my fan on.  Bad idea!  Suddenly a huge gust of wind came through, picking up several pounds of dirt from the road construction work at the entrance to the parking area and throwing it right through my door.  Even the puppies were coughing!!  So much for a clean rig!!  

About 4:00 I ventured out to visit one more home for sale.  I picked up this one on the MLS site, where it had pictures and everything!!  This is what I found upon arrival however .... nothing ... nada!  That house in the back is NOT the one for sale.  Next to the real estate sign was a box with flyers.  In big letters it said TO BE BUILT.  Really?  Then how did all those pictures of the inside of the house show up on the MLS site??  This MIGHT be a possibility however ... it's got paved roads and will be a solar house, costing half as much as mine!!

On the way home, I stopped in at the Chance residence for a quick dinner of soup and salad, but as soon as I got in the door, I heard those two words I can't refuse .... MEXICAN FOOD???  Uh, YEAH!!!  So off we went to our favorite restaurant for the Deluxe Burrito!!

To make it even better, Miss Patty knows how bad my cooking is, so she always stocks up my freezer when I'm leaving.  I came home with four bags of home cooked black beans and an entire deboned chicken I can use to make tacos and whatever.  You can't have a better girlfriend than that!!!

This morning, just because I'm moving, the winds have kicked up to over 20 mph.  I'm not in a hurry to get out of here, but as the morning goes on, the winds are supposed to get worse.  Not that I'm driving far, it's only 29 miles, but wish me luck anyway!!  See you in Benson!!

Cooking In Spanish!!

Since all the activities at the fairgrounds have come to a close, and museums don't seem to be open on Mondays, I found myself wandering around Walmart looking for something to do.  OH NO!!!  I'm a Walmart Old Fogey!!!  How in the word did THAT happen???

With my REALLY old crockpot ... you know, the tall thin one ... I wasn't having much luck with cooking.  To make it even worse, it's so old it doesn't have an insert that you can take out and wash easily.  I'll get a NEW one!!

With only 5 quart options available, WAY too big for me, I drove a few more miles North to the biggest Ace Hardware store I've ever seen.  Sure enough, here's a perfect little 3 quart for $19.99.  You can't beat that with a stick.  In fact, I also bought TWO sticks (dowels) to cut up for Jonathan's chew toys.

I only hesitated a minute or so .... all the writing on the box was in Spanish.  My first thought was "I hope you don't have to be Spanish to cook in this thing, cuz I'd be in trouble"!!  Not that it mattered, but the instruction book was in Spanish too.  No worries, I'll figure it out!!

On the way out of the lot, I was accosted by six kids who were washing cars.  Actually, they were just sitting on the curb with not a car in sight.   Mine hadn't been washed since Yuma, so I let them have at it.  They were trying to make money for their Tech School.  Hey ... here's six kids (8 counting the two out on the street), working their butts off to make a few dollars.  They SHOULD have had a line clear out to the street, but that wasn't happening, so I gave them $20 for the wash.  Come on folks ... if you see kids working hard, give them a break and get your car washed!!

In the afternoon, Patty and Dan's long time Alaska work-camping associates Jim and Meghan, stopped in for a visit.  Come to find out, Jim's a stunt kite flyer and has several Rev's in his collection.  Maybe we can hook up sometime and I can get some lessons.  After a wonderful lunch of chili chicken chowder made by Miss Patty, we sat on the porch while they caught up on all the news.  It's really nice to meet new RV friends, especially when you've heard all about them.  

Back at my rig, still not feeling quite up to par, I decided to make some soup, just in case ... split pea with a smoked ham bone.  The little crockpot worked like a charm and was easy peasy to clean.  Three quarts is just the right size .... I don't have soup for thirty people and I don't have to eat the gloppy stuff I've frozen because I made too much!!  Like Goldilocks, it's JUST RIGHT!!!

While eating the soup, I was thinking about cornbread muffins, when it dawned on me I was OUT of bird biscuits!!  Jonathan will never forgive me, so I whipped up a quick batch for the freezer.  These are full of all good bird things, kind of like a muffin vitamin for my feathered friend.

I don't remember much after that!!  I think I fell asleep on the couch.  When I woke up, Cooper was sitting on my chest, nose to nose .... meaning he wanted to go out.  

Today is housekeeping and bill paying day.  I had hoped that would disappear when I started RV'ing, but alas, it never seems to go away.  My time in Tucson has come to an end as I get ready to head further South.  Not far mind you, I'm only going 29 miles to the Escapees Park in Benson, where I'll stay while visiting Tombstone and Bisbee.  There's nothing like old cowboy towns in my book!!

Going To The Dogs!!

After having seen enough of the stuffy horse show on Saturday, I wandered over to where I heard there was some kind of dog show going on.  An agility course?  Not knowing exactly what to expect, I headed for all the barking.

There was no crowd for this event, not even one spectator.  Just a lot of dog owners having fun with the babies!!  As I went inside the big covered arena, this poodle was jumping high with his ears flopping in the breeze, barking all the way.  I guess he was having a LOT of fun!!

It didn't take long for him to get a little distracted however.  Off he ran towards the Judge, who sat quietly in his chair.  Finally, lured away with a treat, he went back to the course and finished it with tail flying.  I probably shouldn't have laughed, but I can SO relate!!!

Now THIS is a beauty!!  They all sat patiently at the start line for all of two seconds, before chasing after that elusive treat.  There were apparently several divisions, from amateur on up.  Even though it appeared to be a competition, everyone was very laid back.

Many dogs were going so fast I had trouble getting them in focus!!  This was another barker!!  If they happened to hit the top rail, and some did, it was replaced by an army of owners.  No volunteers here!!

Some jumped from   W   A   Y    back and some jumped just as their nose touched the bar.  In this course they had to make 12 jumps and run through one tunnel.  You couldn't help but smile!!!  

Not a single dog missed the tunnel ... not even the little black poodle, who after making the first jump, played racehorse around the entire course, barking at the top of his lungs.  He jumped up on the judge and almost escaped out a gate before the owner could get him stopped.  Even she was laughing as she gave him a great big hug ... the poodle that is!!  

The taller the dog, the taller the jump.  This whippet easily cleared the jump and was spot on all around the course.  Even though several of these owners were wearing Dog Agility Club shirts, they were more than willing to give me tips, show me the treats they give (all made in the USA) and allow me entry to take all the pictures I wanted!!

The shorter dogs, like a miniature corgi, only had to jump the bottom bar.  There might have been a few purebreds here, but most looked like mutts to me.  I just saw a lot of people who were having a GREAT time with their puppies.   Honestly, I don't even know if they were being judged.  I never saw anyone writing anything down.  

After they finished the first jumping course, they moved over to the bigger agility course.  Thirteen obstacles in all, including four tunnels, many hoops to go through and two ramps they had to climb up.  

This gal had to go help with the setup, so I volunteered to hold her baby.  What a sweetheart!!  She slobbered all over me in no time!!  I'm guessing this wouldn't be something Jessie would be good at.  She'd be trying to bite every dog in sight!!  She would't be alone however, there actually were a couple of rasty babies who wanted to bite.

Cooper on the other hand, just might like to try this.  It's great exercise for the dogs as well as the humans, who are running trying to keep up!!  There was even one little old lady, I'm guessing in her 80's, who went through the course in a flash!!  She said the secret was to get a dog with short legs!

Now THAT was fun!!  So much so, that I went right out and bought some of those treats for my kids. I have to say in two short days they can "sit" and "stay" on command, as well as "wait" for the treat as it lays on the floor in front of them.  I may be on to something here!!  I just need a few dollars to make the jumps (I took closeup pictures) and to buy a tunnel!!!

At this point, I do unfortunately have to inform you that I was mis-informed.  On two separate occasions, the gals in the office told me Saturday was Gay Pride Day.  I even repeated it and they said yes.  Turns out, it was VAIL Pride Day.  I'm not sure if they were incorrect or it was their strong accents.   I only found out when I picked up some trash and saw an advertisement.  It didn't matter either way, everyone sure seemed to be having a good time!!

I was thinking I would try one more time to visit the Arizona State Museum, that is before I woke up with a sore throat. Everyone, even the natives, seem to be having allergy problems.   This may be just a lay-around, practice being a couch potato kind of day.

TROUBLE Is My Middle Name!!

If you're spending a few days in Tucson at the Pima County Fairgrounds, you won't be bored!!  This place seems to be hopping with events almost continuously.  Just log on to their website and you will find the schedule, as I did yesterday.

The list of choices for Saturday was long ....  a Hunter-Jumper competition, a high school festival, agility dog trials, I saw a Color Guard and a parade of sorts, the high school plant sale for gardeners, a wedding I wasn't invited to, remote controlled airplane flying, drag races and a gay pride celebration.  It was a no-brainer for me .... the HORSES of course!

There were two arenas set up, one for the junior competitors with lower jumps, and this one for the more experienced riders.  I couldn't quite seem to find the entrance, so I wandered around the back side looking for a good viewpoint for photography.  

I'm no dummy when it comes to horses, since I've ridden in hundreds of competitions.  Many things can spook them, so I was careful to stay back and not move if anyone was close.  I really wasn't in the middle of the arena.  In fact, I was OUTSIDE by at least 20 feet.  It wasn't far enough to keep me out of trouble however.

I was drug over the coals by another "Canon" photographer for being inside the arena.  I'm not sure how that could be since there was a fence between me and the horses.  From his shooting location, he was MUCH closer to them than I was, but since his lens was bigger, I deferred!!

Not wanting to create a problem, I climbed over another fence and moved even further away so as not to be shooting directly into the sun like he was.  That STILL didn't suit him!  I think he just didn't want another photographer around.  In five minutes one of the judges came racing out in his little golf cart.  I heard him report back on his radio that "she is NOT too close".  He did however, chase off the people behind me playing with a frisbee!!

At any rate, I got lots of great images of my favorite creatures in the world doing amazing feats of jumping!  There's nothing like balancing yourself perfectly as they fly through the air and land on the other side.  Too bad I sold all my English equipment!!

I spent the rest of the day at the Dog Agility competition.  If you love dogs and want to have a good time as well as lots of laughs, find a local competition to attend!!  They're not nearly as "stuffy" as the horse competition.  Pictures tomorrow! 

Another cloudy day in the 80's brought one more spectacular sunset to the desert.  They don't last long ... their beauty is fleeting ... but WOW!!  I have to run outside with the camera every time!

As I type this morning, I'm being serenaded by a large pack of coyotes!  Every morning about 6:30 they come through singing to the moon.  At my house at 6:30 I would be listening to a freight train.  I think today will be a laid back do-nothing day.  I need some groceries and the puppies need some play time.

Sometimes You Win ... Sometimes You Lose!!

Sometimes you get both, even though that's NOT on your agenda.  Yesterday I wanted to go see the Indian pottery exhibit at the Arizona State Museum.   I've been looking forward to learning about all the different tribes, how they made their pottery and how it's changed over the years.

The first indication that this may not go well was my GPS.  I don't usually use it, but the museum is in downtown traffic-congested Tucson.  Trouble was, it couldn't find the address.  Uh oh!!  So I picked the one closest and figured I'd just wing it.  There has to be big signs, right?

Wrong!!  After the first trip around the four block area with not a parking spot in sight, I finally saw a tiny sign to turn right, which took me directly into a parking garage.  I grabbed a ticket and drove around ..... and around .... and finally decided to exit, since there were no spaces available.  Just as I was heading out the gate, I saw a sign that said "Pay Cashier First".  But wait ... I didn't park!!  Ok, where's the cashier?

Another drive around the garage landed me in hot water when I turned the wrong way and almost hit a car head on.   I finally found the cashier and a 10 minute parking spot so I could pay, or at least find out how to escape this maze.  It's a good thing I didn't drive around for more than 14 minutes.  My parking was free.  With the now-stamped ticket, I was able to exit the gate on the wrong street, going the wrong way.  YIKES!!!

I give up!!  I hit the GPS for home where I arrived two hours after starting out.  Strike one for Nancy!!  Undaunted, I returned to the Mission San Xavier Del Bac to take advantage of the nice cloud cover and have an Indian Taco for lunch.  That's a large paper plate under the fry bread, covered with red chili, homemade pinto beans and regular taco stuff.  For $7, you can feed a family of four!!  It was delicious, but I could only eat about a quarter of it.

It was really crowded on this day, so I didn't go inside, just took a few photos with the clouds.

Then I walked up Martinez Hill to the East, named for Jose Maria Martinez, Lt. Colonel at the Presidio in Tubac.  After Apache Indian attacks, he was granted land here by the Indian Chief.

Just as I rounded the first corner, a roadrunner ran across my path.  I think that must mean good luck, because the entire time I was on the hill, there were no humans around.   I was unable to find out who is buried here.  It could be Mr. Martinez, killed in an Apache raid in 1889, or one of the Franciscan Monks who restored the mission.

Around the first corner is a huge grotto with a statue of Mary high up in the side wall.  Erected by the Bishop of Tucson in 1908 on the fiftieth anniversary of the apparition of Mary at the Grotto of Lourdes, it's an amazing spot to sit and view the surrounding Indian lands.

The path continues around the entire mountain, with many benches to sit on, giving you great views of the farmland.  This was certainly a WIN for today!!

Just about sundown, I drove across the fairgrounds where I climbed up to the top of the grandstands for some nice sunset shots.  Luckily I turned around just in time to catch these beautiful pink clouds surrounding the moon.  

It's not quite full, but beautiful none the less.  I would have a better shot, but realized all my big lenses (and battery chargers) are over at the Chance Ranch, where I left them for safe keeping. 

When I turned back around, I was greeted by this gorgeous sunset.  I just can't get enough of these Arizona evenings!!

That was TWO WINS versus one loss, so I'm ahead of the game.  

Even better, while I was on the grandstands, I located the arena where the horse jumping competition will be held this weekend.  AND the drag races are back on today.  I'm going to be a busy girl!!

Guess Where I Went!!!

You got it right .... here I am back at the LaMesa RV store in Tucson.  Although it took two phone calls, I found out Wednesday afternoon that my AC unit had arrived.  That Dave Adams is a really smart guy, having me make my appointment when it was ordered.  So yesterday morning, I zipped the rig up and headed off to the repair shop.

I'm so glad this business is dog friendly.  You can take your animals anywhere you want, except into the food preparation area.  When I reminded Dave about the bird biting, he wrote in BIG red letters ... BIRD BITES, so the guys wouldn't lose a finger, causing me even more delay!!

At least this time I remembered to take water for the puppies, and that expensive collapsible bowl I bought and never used, came in REAL handy.  I was pretty proud of Miss Jessie ... she only barked once at another dog and didn't bite any of the fingers of people who tried to pet her.  Good Dog!!!  Better yet, it was overcast and cloudy all day long, so not near as hot as expected.

I met a couple who I'd seen there before, and we chatted for a few hours while their new-to-them rig was having the carpet cleaned due to some grease from fixing the slide that wouldn't go in.  Just kidding, they said they wanted LaMesa to make their first month's payment since they had been waiting for parts for about 10 days.  Well the Salesman jumped right on it and LaMesa paid HALF of their first payment.  Sometimes I think our smiling faces and good attitude get us more service than an angry, I'm-going-to-rip-you-apart face!!

My extended warranty paid $1500, and even though my deductible is $100, I only paid $50.  Heck, I ate that much in free food at lunch everyday day I was there!!  They were even nice enough to bring me my food again since I couldn't go inside with the puppies.

Out the door by 3:30, I drove back to the Fairgrounds.  Where I come from, when it's that cloudy, the sun is obscured and there's no sunset.  Not here!!  When I saw this, I ran outside for some more pictures.

It was then that I heard the Hoo Hoo Hoooooo!!!  There's that owl I've been hearing in the trees.  As I looked up, sure enough there was one perched at the end of a big limb.  Then a SECOND Hoo!!!  It was so dark you could barely see them.   I quickly changed my camera settings and shot away.

Here's what showed up when I processed them.  Two beautiful great horned owls .... TWO!!  One perched on this tree talking to the one perched on the light standard.  How cool was THAT!!!!

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.  I snuck as close as I could without scaring them off.  I got pretty close since I was wearing my Indian moccasins!!  I was in stealth mode!!  Not that they cared, they were just looking for dinner.  This one spread his wings like he was going to fly off, but stayed on the light.  I probably took 100 photos.  Hey, it's digital!!  Still a little too far away and too dark to get their eyes, but at least you can see the feathers.

I really wanted to stay and watch them, but it was time to feed the puppies.  It's a hard job being on alert all day long, protecting Mom from those other killer dogs.  I found them both laid out on the couch asleep!!

I'm happy to say my AC works just fine, although the temperatures on the readout don't quite seem to match my handheld thermometer.  Who cares, as long as it works!!  All in all, I can't say enough good things about LaMesa RV.

Boots And Saddles!!

You KNOW any museum with the name horse in it is going to be on my list of places to go.  At 11:00 on the dot yesterday, I was standing at the door waiting for them to open.  It being mid week and not another soul in sight, I got a personal tour by the Owner/Director.  

He's been procuring items for museums for over 20 years.   Once an instructor at the University of Arizona, his passion has become Horse Soldiers, who came from all over the world to fight in the various wars here and overseas.

I'd really just like to have one of his horses in my front yard.  It's hard to come by old horse equipment.  Most of it didn't last long and was discarded at the dump.  Even with great care, leather products don't last as long as cotton or wool material.  This museum however, has LOTS of great items!!  These training saddles were used by the troops in the pictures as they learned to ride and fight.

There's a uniform for just about every year of saddle built.  This is a Scouts dress uniform, as evidenced by the red and white cording.  It's hard to believe that out on the prairie or at the desert fort, men would actually get dressed up in this regalia, let alone try to ride a horse in it.

Not the greatest of pictures ... you can take all the photographs you want, but the lighting and reflection on the windows pretty much distorts the image.  This is the helmet that goes with the above uniform.  The insignia on the front denotes his occupation and status.  The crossed arrows mean he's a Scout, as well as the red and white horsetail on his head.

THIS is the most amazing piece of leather ever!!  You are looking at one of only THREE 1844 Ringgold saddles left in the world.  He purchased this one from a 96 year old collector who had no family, and sold off his collection to museums.  By the way, this is all purchased with private money. No government grants here!

Even more amazing, these saddles had pistol holsters mounted on each side in front.  THIS one is covered with it's original bear skin cover.   The roll on the back is his suitcase and his bedroll would lay across the holsters in front.  For each saddle, he has a bridle from the corresponding year.  There's one more like this in Kansas and one in the Smithsonian.  As a horse rider, I can tell you this would have been a VERY comfortable saddle to ride!!

This is an 1874 McCelland saddle, not quite as comfortable.  These were only made in certain years, and he has one of each.  There's also lots of boots worn by the soldiers, and a great example of the Riderless Horse with boots turned backwards in the stirrups, a sign of the Officers last look back at his troops.

Hanging off the saddle would be all of this gear ... your sword, a knife, a pair of guns, bullets and your gloves.  

Many of the items dug up at the old Forts include bridle parts and pieces, including these conchos and buckles.  Sometimes when the leather breaks, it can be repaired.  Mostly it was just thrown away and a new bridle secured.

If you've got that many horses, you have to have a Veterinarian and a Horseshoer.  Although these bottles say Veterinarian on them, I would imagine these were also used by the men for fever, strains and coughs.

In World War I, the Mules from Mars were used extensively to move supplies.  Mars is an acronym for Merrills Mules And Replacements.  Although only open three years now, there's lots of information and interesting stories about Horse Soldiers in this museum.

This is Frank.  He was a war horse at Gettysburg and having survived 13 battles along with his rider, Bugler Isaac Swartout, watched the surrender of General Lee.

You've probably all heard about Sgt. Reckless, the pride of the Marines.  She was purchased from a young Korean boy and courageously carried men and supplies during the war.  Wounded many times, she just kept going.  Men even covered her with their flack jackets, risking their lives, since she had saved theirs so many times.  

All around the museum are collections of items found at many of the forts in Arizona, including Fort Huachuca.  

Here was an interesting piece ... Rose Vegetable Tooth Paste from Jules Rauel Perfumer, for the protection of teeth and gums.  Too cool!!

In the Civil War, many kids joined up along with their fathers.  Anyone 13 and under became drummers, not only drumming as they marched into battle, but passing messages along as they banged out a special code.  This particular drum was carried by a 9 year old!!

I stopped here because I'm a horsewoman and this is my thing.  I think I've spent more hours IN a saddle than out.  The saddles and bridles were amazing to see, and it was fun to spot the repairs.  Even if this isn't your thing, there is a lot of VERY interesting history here, including many personal stories of the men and horses who used this equipment.  For $8.00, it's well worth stopping in and even nicer to support a private enterprise.

The good news today is that my AC unit came in to LaMesa RV, meaning I have to button up the rig and get over there by 11:00.  It going to be a long day sitting on the patio with the puppies.