I Know Not Where I'll Be!

First thing this morning, I get an email about burial insurance.  I wonder if that was for my truck or me??

I also asked the extended warranty guy if I bought it right this second, if it would cover my complete engine replacement on the truck.  He said no, or at least I think that's the words that came out of his mouth!!

It was weird yesterday.  Cooper and I took a nice long walk, after which I worked on the puzzle with Patsy until it was complete.  She came over after lunch and I showed her how to feed Jonathan.  The most important part is watch your fingers.  Sometimes he doesn't care, but sometimes he comes at you like a battering ram!!  

And then it began to rain.  Weird actually since the sun seemed to be shining over their rig.  It didn't last long however ... just enough to make everything dusty turn filthy dirty.

I was invited over to Roland and Lori's for happy hour along with Patsy and Bill.  I always learn so much from other RV'ers.  Here's a picture of little Schatzi.  I took a piece of her dog food and tossed it on the floor.  She picks it up and throws it in the air a few times before carrying it over to her bed.  Dinner is consumed in this position.  She gets another piece and repeats the performance.  What a 6 pound cutie!!

The afternoon was spent deciding what to take with me to Havasu.  Anything I carry will be carried all day, so taking as little as possible is the key.

I'm off to Havasu early this morning, so no long blog.  That's probably not a bad thing.  I may or may not post tomorrow, depending on whether I'm sleeping on a chair in their lobby, a hotel room (if I can find one since it's Spring Break) or back at home.  I guess time will tell because I know not where I'll be.   In the meantime, here's Kitty Kitty for your viewing pleasure!!  Wish me luck!!

 

Just Hanging .....

Cooper and I were up early and out for a walk.  He would much rather be smelling the sagebrush than sitting at home.  Me too since sitting at home always involves me on the floor pulling on the squeaky toy. 

It started out nice, but the wind quickly came up.  I had two simple tasks in mind.  First, fill the water tank.  Apparently I twisted the knobs in the correct direction because water actually flowed INTO the tank instead of on the ground like my neighbor.

Next up, I made another attempt at the jigsaw puzzle with Patsy, actually finding about ten pieces this time.  It's funny how you can stare at that piece for fifteen minutes before seeing that it goes right in front of you.

Lunch was quick and easy, leftover pizza.  I even have two more pieces to down before I leave.  I had a little talk with myself about not taking too much stuff with me to this appointment in Havasu with the truck.  Dog food and water for Cooper will be taking up most of the space in my one little bag.  

Of no interest to Cooper at all, as we walk around the side of the park, there is an entire covey of dove hanging out here, along with more than a dozen quail.  

At one point I did have second thoughts about Havasu.  Had I picked Yuma instead, I'm sure Ray and Cindy would have put me up and chauffeured me around.  So ... why not call that dealer and see what they say?  Surprisingly, I actually was able to speak to a mechanic.

When I tried to explain, I couldn't really describe the noise.  Then he said ... I kid you not ... a harmonic hum at low speeds, 10-15 mph?  NAILED IT!!  (Out of Bill's mouth first, to this guys ears apparently.)  Yup ... that's a wheel bearing going out he said.  A big sigh of relief escaped my lips.  That shouldn't be too tough of a fix, nor take more than one day ... least I'm HOPING ... so I'm keeping the Havasu appointment!!  (Old picture of my baby that does not require DEF, which is why I keep her.)

Just as I hung up, I got a message from Patsy.  Bob's here!!  Anyone recognize this van??  We sat outside in the breeze and shot the ...... breeze.  I just love meeting the bloggers I've been reading.  And yes, I asked about his chickens and eyed the kayak.  He left before I could swipe it.

In a flash, it was time for him to head out and me to feed Cooper.  The best news of the day is I finally figured out my AC system.  If you put it on COOL, it runs all day and throws out not really cool air.  If you set it on COOL AUTO, it turns on and off, cooling every time.  Too bad I'm now paying for electricity by the kWh.  Yesterday is going to cost me.

The winds will be ramping up again today, practicing for the 45 mph gale that's coming Monday.  At least I won't be pulling a trailer and it will only last two days.  High of 76 today .... YAY!!!

Decisions Decisions .....

A beautiful full moon greeted us as I walked Cooper down the road.  I hoped it would make decision making easier, but no help was forthcoming from the Man in the Moon.

It was rather pretty as one lone strip of clouds fell from the top to the bottom.  Cooper wasn't impressed.

Early on I got a phone call from Jerry Shannon ... a sweetheart of a guy who stopped by on his way to Phoenix to check out my truck.  We ... or rather HE ... removed the battery cable but the engine light did not go off.  I drove around while Jerry listened to the noise, but there was nothing we could do to check it out without putting it on a rack.  I thanked him a bunch and he headed on down the road.  Cooper kept watch for me.

I finally decided to call the Chevy dealership in Blythe.  They could get me in April 1st.  Really?  So I called the dealership in Havasu City and got an appointment for first thing Monday morning.  

Boy is it wonderful to have friends because just then Bill came by and fixed my power cord for the RV lights that I almost pulled out of the rig.  They keep telling me everyone has done these things once or twice.  Okay, I don't feel quite so bad now.

That left me all afternoon to figure out how to put together these jigsaw puzzles Patsy works on.  I think I got a total of 5 pieces in place.

Back at the rig trying to decide what to do with the critters while I'm in Havasu, Jonathan decided it was bath time.  It's bad enough when he does this in his big cage ... but the bathtub here is quite small.

I refilled the cup for him to the very top.  I was beginning to worry if he was ever coming up for air.

That's when he shakes his soaking wet head and gives himself a shower.  What a card he is, yelling pretty boy and disco the entire time.

Lots of gyrations go along with bath time before he finally settles down.  That's when I got the call to head out to LaPaz Valley with Patsy and Bill for a Deb and Tom Happy Hour.

Patsy's sister and her husband also showed up, just back from Mexico.  Time flew by and soon we were going back home.  You'll have to check out Patsy's blog for a picture.  

What's a perfect way to end the day?  Patsy invited me to dinner.  SCORE!!!!   Now this was an EASY decision.  Patsy cooked a nice roast in her Instant Pot.

Just look at that gravy!  Yum YUM!  Everything just hit the spot.

Of course I spotted the dessert first thing in the door, but I thought it was one of Patsy's breakfast creations.  Turns out it was rhubarb crisp, which was topped with whipped cream.  There was no decision about that one ... I ate it up!!

I've no clue what I'll do today ... just waiting around for Monday.  I did have one thought about my truck.  It seemed the noise was a little harmonic sounding.  My air bags are new ... maybe it's air flowing around them at just the right speed to make the sound?  

Just for kicks, I'm going to let the air out and take a short drive to see if there's any difference.

If not, I'm not taking any chances ... I'm going to Havasu.  That was an easy decision.

FOR SALE!!!!!

 ONE BRAND NEW FIFTH WHEEL

CHEAP!!!

Just kidding, BUT you've heard the old saying if it can go wrong, it will ... especially if it's in MY hands.  It started out a nice morning, cool and calm.  I loaded everything into the truck and off we went to Discount Solar.  Bill went with me for much needed technical support and kept Cooper occupied.  

Right off the bat, I forgot to put the jacks down first before hitting the "down" button.  I'm instantly frazzled, like sticking my finger in an electrical socket!!  We got unhooked just fine, no problem there and drove back to the RV park to the sound of something rubbing at about 16 mph.  What the heck?  We couldn't figure out what it was, even when Bill got in the back and listened closely.  

There's possibly a trip in my future to the Chevy dealer in Blythe.  Bingo is going to be SO happy if I'm late!

Patsy and Bill were kind enough to babysit Jonathan.  Gibbs was pretty fascinated, and apparently barked at lot, which makes Jonathan talk even more.  I think Patsy has videos, so check out her blog.  It was going to be a five hour wait, so Cooper and I sat on their couch while we talked all things Canada.  

Gibbs was such a good boy, but couldn't understand why he couldn't play with Cooper.  He's a bit rambunctious, that youngster.  I'm amazed how well they get along though.

We even went to Carls Jr. for lunch.  I thought Cooper was sick ... he just laid on the seat beside me.

Woohoo!!  A Carls Western Bacon Cheeseburger ... and it was delicious.

On the way back home, they showed me where Celia's Garden was.  I was surprised it was so BIG!!  

I'll come back and take a longer look next time.  Maybe I'll even try to spruce up this old western town.

THEN ... things started to go downhill.  I finally made a decision ... surprise ... that two panels and two AGM batteries would be just fine, after all, I'm probably not going to be doing this for another ten years.  Discount Solar called to say it was complete and they would walk me through everything.  Awesome ... time to head back to the RV Park.  

You know those times when you really need to back up straight in front of people?  I couldn't back up straight to save me.  Too many good looking men watching.  (My rig is the one on the left in this picture).

As I was ready to pull away, one guy said WAIT ... your steps are down.  Oh good grief!!!  Now I'm really frazzled!!

It only gets better.  We got back to the park, I dropped Bill off and was escorted to my space.  The first problem reared it's ugly head.  The hitch wouldn't release no matter what I did.  I walked down to Bills and he came to help.  I finally got completely set up, air running nice and cool, bottle of cold water in my hand, smiling about my new solar.  

Let's watch TV ... but wait ...  I can't get the small satellite controller on the right to turn on.  Everything else works, but not that.  It crossed my mind (only because he just told me) that they put the old converter on a separate breaker, which was turned off.  It's just there in case the inverter doesn't work and I need to charge the batteries.  

I called and you know what they said ... bring it back down.  Are you kidding me?  Okay, I unplugged everything, hooked back up, loaded up the dog (Jonathan was still at Patsy's) and off I went BACK to the shop.

Clay had to take everything apart ... dish box, satellite controller, radio, TV ... and try to figure out how to rewire everything.  Finally ... it's done and I'm headed back to the RV park.

For the second time, I couldn't get the hitch to let go.  Now I'm hot, I've got a headache and I'm not far from screaming.  I take the long walk of shame BACK to Bills door once again and ask if he wants to buy an RV.  

He came to my rescue yet again, but I of course forgot to unhook the plug to the truck.  Yup ... ripped it right out of the plug, and the controller almost pulled out of the hitch.  It's a good thing Bill was there, cuz I would have said a lot of very BAD words.  

At long last I've got the rig set up, Jonathan is inside with Cooper and I turned on the satellite box.  Uh oh ... it's not over yet ... I can't get anything unless I authorize the box, which requires a password, left at home along with all 150 others.

Four aspirin later, I'm writing my FOR SALE ad!!!  Man I'm hoping I got it all out in one day ... I've never had this many things go wrong.  And I still don't know if there's really anything wrong with my truck.  We don't hear the noise constantly, so it's probably not anything mechanical ... maybe the heavy winds rattling something?  I never heard it before because I always have the radio on and the windows up.  

Possibly, just possibly, Jerry Shannon will stop in today to say hello on his way to Phoenix.  He knows all about diesel trucks, so if I'm really lucky, he might help.  If not, it's no big deal, I'll just take a quick trip to Blythe to have the code read.  Better safe than sorry!!   

Here's the cool part.  The app for the battery system is now on my phone.  Just click on it from my cozy recliner and I know exactly where the batteries are at.  Pretty cool.

So today I'll grease the hitch, pray a lot and keep my aspirin bottle close at hand.  But here's the thing, my mini problems are truly nothing.  Patsy and Bill's friends were dry camping next door to us while having a satellite dish installed.  

Out of the blue, things started going south electrically.  Absolutely nothing would work on their new rig.  Something is wrong with their control panels .... jacks, slide, fridge .... everything.  

That gave me a wakeup call ... my problems are SO SO minor!!!  I sending them good luck prayers so their rig can get fixed on the quick!!  And I'm counting my blessings!!

The BIG Q .......

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!

May the luck of the Irish be with you ... and me!! 

Be sure and wear your green today, or get pinched.  Anyone remember that old tradition?  

So ..... I made it to Quartzsite.  In spite of more traffic than I've ever seen (even with the cost of fuel) and a screaming headwind, I arrived, but not without a slight problem.  It seems when I stopped for two minutes (did not turn the engine off) the tow-haul disconnected.  When I realized I was shifting too often, I saw the light not on ... and hit the switch.  Two seconds later, the engine light came on.  RATS!!!  

I didn't even look at it when I arrived at the RV park.  What I DID see was Patsy and Bill waving from the window in the building.  After hugs all around, I had a long conversation with two new employees while trying to explain I didn't need a pull through, I just needed a site I could pull forward in so I didn't have to unhook ... OR backup.  Lucky for me I finally got a 30 amp, drove in and immediately turned on the AC.  It was a warm 84 degrees!!

I relayed my engine light gizzy thing to Bill as I handed him a box of cookies.  Cookie tips are always helpful.  I have something for Patsy also, but it had to wait until later in the day.

Other than the light problem, the trip was uneventful.  I cruised along at 60 mph for the first two hours, then ran into the headwind.  I could hardly keep it at 55, which I'm sure made the 75 mph truckers happy.  I apologize for the filthy windshield, but this section on the way to Buckley begged for a photo.

A little lower in altitude were lupins by the dozens, lining the highway.  Too bad I don't know what these yellow beauties are.

Once settled in ... sort of anyway ... we made plans to eat at Silly Al's, seven of us in all.  I'm sure you'll see duplicate photos on the other blogs.   On the left and around, Patsy, Bill, Tom, Deb, Roland and Lauren.  No clue if I spelled everyone's name right ... we really should all wear name tags.

We beat the crowd on this day and even got a nice parking spot for Black Beauty, Bills HUGE one ton truck.  Conversation flowed as we sipped our margaritas and waited for the pizza.  I got a medium pineapple and ham so I would have food for the next three days.  

My appointment is at 9:00, so I'm cutting this short.  I'm off to see what they can give me for my dollar, or many dollars as the case usually is.  I'll let you know what I end up with.

Sticker Shock!

It was a beautiful morning full of birds singing and quail chirping.  At least it started out that way as I sat on the patio with my coffee and last piece of breakfast cake.  Yes my Mom did her best to discourage that kind of behavior, which is why I partake every chance I get.

There was a pretty family of six picking up bugs or whatever it is they like in the lawn.  Good aerators these guys. 

Of course Dad perched on top of the fence and kept watch.  I love how it looks like someone took a paintbrush to their wings.

I was taking big deep breaths trying to relax before taking off.  It helped to watch the bunny come for a long leisurely drink.  Okay, on to more important things.

I packed and packed, then unpacked all the things I found I needed this morning, like the dog food.    Speaking of dog food, I needed to get a roasted chicken for Cooper's dinner.  I'm lucky he shares with me!

On the way back home, I stopped for fuel.  STICKER SHOCK!!  This isn't bad "considering" ... except I got 30 cents a gallon off because of fuel points at Safeway, making the full price $4.799 a gallon IN ARIZONA!  Better here than anywhere else I suppose.  I got not quite 20 gallons for $93.00.  It will take $250 to fill my truck next time.  Sure makes you want to say a lot of bad words.  

The once $6.99 chicken is now $7.99, and that's if you are a member.  Cooper may be stuck with dog food after all.  Me too for that matter!!!  Hey, it's diet food and low in carbs!!

And so I'm OFF ........ I'll see you down the road in Quartzsite!!

As to the question about game cameras, I have a Browning HD ProX camera which I love, but it is made in China.  I think they are ALL made in China.  I'll do some research and see what's out there now.  GardePro has a great rating but I haven't tried them yet.

Lots Of Hot Air

While I was envisioning calling 911, surgeries and hospital hair, it thankfully never happened.  My pulled muscle is getting better, in spite of reaching for my phone 396 times yesterday.  It is OH so boring to sit on the couch, but I did my very best impression of a rock and today it's even better.  That's a good thing since I have to pack.  That was just the weirdest place to pull a muscle ... right at the belt line.  

I did make it down to the water station to pick up my camera.  This sweet little quail was a thirsty gal.  One of these days I'll leave it up during daylight hours just to see who else shows up.

 Cooper bugged me most of the morning, so I finally relented and went for a short walk up the hill.  

He's King of the Road, walking MUCH faster than I.  Speed it up Mom ... I'm on a mission to water every rock I see!!  When we return, he literally drags his feet, pulls hard and heads straight down the trail to the water station.  SO many new smells there.

This was not long after Kitty Kitty had wandered through, leaving those awful KITTY smells behind.  There was no dragging him away from THIS!

I'm not sure how he distinguishes between quail, kitty and coyote with a little javelina thrown in for good measure.  There was lots of hot air escaping from both of us upon our return to the house.

Next up .. more hot air.  It was time for that chore I never like.  Making sure the tires have air.  They are relatively new, so I'm not too worried, but had to make the rounds twice.  Why can't they make everything work the same?  It took me twice around the truck and the trailer because I discovered I was reading the gauge wrong as I was filling it.  Nope ... fill, let go and THEN read the gauge.  It a good thing it's fairly lightweight.  

Which brings me to my next question, which I know the answer to .... look on the tires.  What air pressure do you fifth wheel (or bumper pull) guys use in your tires?  It says somewhere on the tire, but it's so difficult to read, not to mention it says empty or weight.  I assume that means loaded with all your stuff??  I'm thinking I need to revisit those tires today.

By the way, did I mention I've gotten a few BINGO calls?  It seems someone, somehow, completely deleted the brain from the Infernal Machine.  There wasn't much I could do being this far away.  After a few long conversations while they tried to figure out every purchase using a calculator, one of the Castle Knights stepped up and volunteered to try and reprogram the entire thing.  

Apparently they got it going the next week, but are awaiting my return for a break from "that which tries to defeat you at every step"!  The Infernal Machine strikes again!!

I'll be packing today and trying to squeeze every little thing I can into that tiny freezer!!

Cookies Come In Handy

I've always been happy that I'm as healthy as a horse.  Sadly, sometimes the horse gets sick and dies.  That's just a reminder that I'm not Superwoman, in spite of my cape and cowboy hat.  I woke up yesterday in quite a bit of pain, so if that blog was weird, it was because I was having trouble concentrating.

Apparently when I hefted the generator up on the tailgate after I just raised the airbags, I pulled a muscle in my side.  I didn't even feel it at the time.  Thinking my trip was going to be delayed for who knows how long, I called Nurse Patty.  She was an ER Nurse until she retired, which comes in pretty handy!

The directions to sit down and stay there were concise.  I stole Jonathan's heating pad from the rig and filled a bag with ice.  Swap them out she said, and so began my day of keeping the couch from running off.

I'm apparently not good at that sort of thing because in no time, despite the double bagging of ice, me and the couch were soaking wet, as in I had to change my shirt and use the hair dryer on the pillow.  Nothing in the world is more boring for me than sitting on the couch, but I followed the Doctor's directions.

Suddenly I got a text message.  Mr. Chance was cleaning his barbecue and would be by shortly to pick up mine for a much needed bath.  

I opened the garage door and deposited a cookie tip on the lid.  Cookies always come in handy around here.

In no time at all it came back sparkling clean.  Woohoo!!!  I didn't even remember the lid was painted tan since it was completely black inside when it left.  I even got door to door service!!!  Now THAT'S good friends to have ... a Nurse/Doctor and a BBQ Cleaner all in one day!!

I celebrated with a nice bowl of ice cream.  I mean really, there's not much to write about when you're stuck sitting on the couch.

In my every attempt to check out all kinds of Mac 'n Cheese to find the best one yet, I decided I was well enough to try out this one.  How could I lose since all I had to do was boil water, which I must say I did very professionally.  It didn't even boil all over the stove.

However ... this came in WAY down the list of all things shells and cheese.  Next time I'll be much more careful about managing the available food in the freezer just before I take off on a trip.  

I'll be on the couch again today, in between trying to get a few things loaded up.  My time is short. 

Horses ... My FAV!!!

 There's nothing better than a sunshiny day in Arizona.  Except for the wind ... we could do without the wind.  It began with a lovely little video of this baby.  It looks like he's lost his squadron.  Yup, that's what they are called.  Maybe his navigation skills are a little off.

I set about quilting the last chunk of fabric I sewed together because I completely forgot about the horse competition at the fairgrounds.  I threw all that aside, pulled my boots on and was off with the Chance family to watch Laila ride.  

For those that haven't done this with their grandchildren, there's a lot of sitting around talking and waiting for a two minute ride.  This is dressage ... the English way of riding around an arena at different paces, following a specific pattern.  When done, you salute the judges who have been scoring you and ride out.  There were so many entrants in this class they had two arenas going at once.  People come from miles around to ride these competitions.  

Laila and Max did really well in the novice class until he had one tiny instance of balking, but completed the pattern perfectly.  I never did find out how she placed.

Next was the jumping competition.  This is really good for a horse bred for pulling carriages.  He didn't hesitate at all going over these jumps, even though he hasn't been doing it very long.

Let me just say that these competitions for novice riders are VERY stressful.  You get so nervous your adrenaline is running crazy.  Sadly, that's what happened this time and Laila's mind went blank, not knowing which jump to take next.  She turned the corner and exited the field.  

I'll bet you that won't happen again.  She gathered herself and went to the office requesting another ride today.  No points, but like the old proverb ... if you fall off, just get back on and do it again.

Back home I spent the rest of the day and well into the night trying to finish this quilt.  I looked for an easy snowflake pattern to complete quickly.  I guess that knowledge comes with practice.  This pattern took one whole hour just to do ONE ROW!!  

Besides that, it took rolls and rolls of bobbin thread.  I'm getting really good at restarting it when it runs out.  

At long last it was done and I was off to bed.  Today should be an easy restful day of packing!!!