Tyson Wells ... Let The buying Begin

Good morning Quartzsite.  It's getting colder in the mornings!!  Obviously Mother Nature isn't cooperating.  Since Patsy wasn't feeling so great and Bill had gone flying, I decided to hit up Tyson Wells.  I left at 10:00, hoping most people weren't up yet.

Turns out I was wrong, though I think most all of those vehicles belonged to vendors, or people in the Bg Tent.  The front, side and back parking lot were completely full.  I kind of got in a pickle in the back corner, trying to stay out of the wash.  I four-wheeled it up a steep bank and drove to the very far end.  WOW ... TWO whole empty parking spots.  At least I won't float down the river!

Last year I don't think there were six rows of vendors.  This year they are full from A all the way to Z.  How cool is that?  The place is buzzing.  Too bad my phone camera decided to change the picture size.  No clue how that happened.

By 10:30 the crowds had arrived and it was shoulder to shoulder.  I did a quick walk through of several aisles, finding a lot of new vendors with nothing I would be interested in.  The content has surely changed over the years.

Here's one though ... yes, they are selling cactus in the desert.  This is the big "stuff" store next to the kitchen store. which I just happened to find first.

Need sandals?  They have hundreds, but not my style or color.  I did find a small $5.00 collapsible plastic strainer at the kitchen store, since I had to drain my pasta without one last time.  Remember those $2.00 tiny flashlights we used to buy by the half dozen?  They are now $4.50 each.

Oh yeah ... prices are up at the flea market.  Need a skeleton or two?  Here you go!  

The Walla Walla burgers and onion rings are here every year, the smell of which makes me hungry as a bear.  Okay, for the first time in ten years, I'm going to try one.  I'm not sure why I thought it would be cooked fresh.  I got a cold bun, a pre-cooked burger, not-melted cheese and cooked onions, with a brush or two of barbecue sauce.  

That and a bottle of water cost me $13.50.  Definitely NOT worth it.  The good news is the number of food vendors is on the rise.  At least you get a choice of where to lose half the money in your wallet.  After that, I had to cross back over to the big tent and hit up an ATM machine for cash.  

I would have gone to the complaint department, but as you can see, it is a far walk.

I might have had one of those luscious and delicious cinnamon rolls, but every year they are $10.00 each.  The one I wanted was $12.00 ... for ONE cinnamon roll.  I passed ... it was hard, but I passed.

Here's an interesting one.  You know all those rocks painted with dots that are all the rage?  Now you can buy PLATES covered in dots.  Don't ask me what you would do with them, because I don't know.

Need sunglasses?  $20.00 a pair ... probably the only thing here at the old price.

I headed off for some ice cream.  I mean really, why come here and not partake?  This guy advertises his homemade ice cream made by an old one-lunger.  Don't be fooled.  This is NOT the ice cream you get when you order.  

Here's another interesting thing.  Everywhere I looked for food, I never saw ANY prices.  If I had, I'm sure I would not have gotten that burger.  The small bowl of ice cream, about 3/4 pint .... wait for it .... was $15.50.  No kidding, that was the price.

If pizza was on your mind, they had it this year.  Two wood fired ovens in the back cooked some tasty pies (according to the internet), but I didn't see much in the way of toppings.  They sure smelled good though.  No, I didn't see a price on these either.

I did came home with one of those things you have to lay your sewer hose on.  It's required in Arizona now and mine died a terrible death.  That was another shocker!  $45.00 was the price.  I looked around, but could not find anything cheaper.  Not much is a "good deal" in Quartzsite any more.

I lounged around in the afternoon, but as soon as I got home, the sun went away and it got a little cooler.  I contemplated cooking something fabulous, but Cooper kept me glued to my chair.  What's for dinner?  Why PIZZA of course.  Heating it in a frying pan gives it that oh-so-tasty brown crust.  I shared one teeny tiny piece with Cooper.  Later, I couldn't figure out what I stepped on.  I guess Coop doesn't like pizza.

So bring your secret stash of money if you're heading to Quartzsite for the Big Tent and Tyson Wells.  Everything is pretty pricey this year!!!   And YAY ... I fixed my phone camera!!

Timing is Everything!

Drum roll please ..... this is a strawberry margarita ... a real one including alcohol, though I could not really taste any alcohol.  Yeah, it didn't taste anything like a strawberry margarita!!  Next time I'll order a regular one on the rocks.

It rained on and off overnight, but nothing to write home about.  All day long the clouds were gorgeous ... sometimes covering just the tops of the hills and sometimes leaving just the tops uncovered.  No pictures since I was paying too much attention to Mr. Cooper.  He kept barking and growling at a bush that I was sure might have a coyote behind it.

And then the OH NO happened.  Timing is everything I guess.  At 7:00 am, we ran completely out of propane.  It appears one tank (which is all I had full) will last me about 15 days in 40-50 degree weather.  It would last much longer were it not for Jonathan.

I got the tanks out and loaded in the truck, when Bill volunteered to go with me.  He showed me how to strap them down and even donated a strap for the occasion.  I'm telling you ... I don't know what I would do without the bestest of friends.  

$44.00 later, we were back in business.  Jonathan was a happy camper.

SO happy that he decided to take a bath.  He dips his head completely in his water dish, raises up and shakes his head and wings ..... over and over again.

Just like my vacuum cleaner, water went everywhere!!  On the counter, my chair, the floor ... making sure the entire corner of the rig got a nice bath.

He squawks and carries on ... singing in the shower like a pro.

More dips and more shakes went on for about ten minutes.

And now he is soaking wet.  As you can see, he also chewed up his carpet.  That's what I call the paper on the bottom of his cage that has to be changed daily due to his chewing.  

ALL CLEAN MOM!!  So I turned the heat up a little more until he dried out.  The life of a parrot!

Lucky for me, my timing was right when I checked the pork loin in the fridge.  It thawed much faster than I thought.  The plan was to barbecue it and share with Patsy and Bill.  Instead, I browned it on the stove, using my handy dandy splatter screen, as recommended by Deb and Riley, before sticking it in the oven.

Since I had no roasting pan for the oven, I used one of TWO comals in the drawer.  No, I do not know WHY I have two.  Timing is everything when it comes to roasting meat even if the 425 setting never materialized.  I ate part of one, and donated the other to Patsy for their dinner, with a note that they need salt and applesauce.

Dinner was served!!  

In between all this I spent quite some time on the computer doing RV Rally stuff.  It doesn't help when you are working with someone who isn't so familiar with computers, and doesn't know how to open reports.  Add to that having to deal with IRS reports for non-profit and I could have used another one of those drinks.

The rain continued in the evening off and on, causing both Patsy and I to run outside at the same time for some sunset pictures.

Even with thick clouds, they never disappoint.  

This morning we are socked in with fog, though I can't see any at the moment.  They say no rain for several days now, so maybe the sun will come out and dry everything up.  I'm ready for a trip to Tyson Wells and meet ups with RV group friends.  

Trying, But Falling Short

 This is what it SHOULD look like in the desert.  Gorgeous sunsets and sunrises, making for lots of adventures in the warm sun.  It fell a little short today.

Just for giggles, I decided to vacuum all the rocks off the floor.  I wasn't feeling it, which is probably why I got a little too close to the towel on the floor, on which Coopers water bowl sits.  Yessirree ... it sucked that thing right up, along with half the water in the bowl.  

In my defense, it's hard to turn that thing off.  Water went flying everywhere and Cooper ran for cover.  I've no doubt my vacuum is now full of mud.  It took fifteen minutes of cleanup before I just put it away.  Better luck next time.  

The sunrise on this morning had all the markings of being a spectacular one, like I hoped to be at poker pool.  Cooper and I wandered around the park while waiting for it to materialize.

It tried it's best to be brilliant, but alas fell a tad bit short, like me at poker pool.  Love the purple clouds, but the orange spectacle never did materialize.

This was the best it (and I) could do today.  A tie for 4th.

Lucky for us pool players, this time it was NOT raining at 9:00 when we headed over to the clubhouse.  No, I'm not getting any better at pool.  I just keep hoping everyone else will drop those balls in the pockets that correspond to the cards in my hand.  

Here's Patsy the bookkeeper keeping track of who does what, whose turn it is and who won.  It's not me, so I rarely pay attention.  Some of these gals have their own pool cues ... so there's that!!

Though I had planned to go shopping at whatever I could find open, it was really cold and a little windy.  I'm glad I changed my mind, because as you can see, it's raining quite a bit.  Steady, as it were, all day long.  

Here's the weather guessers latest guess ... and it was heading right for us.  Better to be inside and dry, yes?  In fact, it rained so hard I couldn't even hear my TV in my little cabin.  

So as not to end the day on a wet note, everyone decided it was happy hour time at Silly Als Pizza.  You knew that was going to happen.  I've never been here that I did not partake.  I'm a pizza fanatic.

We were meeting at 5:15, but you know how the parking can be.  Patsy, Bill and I left at 4:45, only to find the lot completely full.  Lucky for us, someone left from a spot big enough to park Black Beauty.  Let the waiting begin!!  We harassed the guy seating people until he finally got a table for NINE, but it took him an hour and fifteen minutes to find it.  This was our view from the outside waiting room.

Since it's hard to get pictures, I snatched this one secretly, but Patsy caught me.  Patsy and Bill, Kim and Ken along with the daughter whose name escapes me (bad Nancy), Tom and Deb and Keith.  Check out Patsy's blog for better pictures.

Since it's happy hour, I ordered up a special.  I bet NO ONE will ever guess what this is ... because I didn't believe it was actually what I ordered.  Give me some guesses and I'll tell you tomorrow if you were right. 

From parking lot to pizza on the table was about 2-1/2 hours, but worth it if you like pizza.  We would have settled all the world's problems, but as you know, it's noisy there.  I couldn't hear anyone.  As Patsy said, it makes you think you are going deaf!!

This is it ..... my lovely Al's Combo ... ready to be devoured.  This one did NOT fall short!  It was worth every minute of the wait.  I didn't get far, but you know why.  My plan was to take at least half of it home so I don't have to cook.  

Our timing was perfect because when we came out, it was not raining.  It did come down a few times during the night though.  We have a 30-40% chance of rain all day long, and it's staying rather chilly.

Of course first thing this morning, I discovered I'm almost completely out of propane, so you know what I'll be doing today!!!  Stay dry everyone!!

What To Do ..... It's Raining!

First off, it's a lovely 50 degrees at 4 am, meaning it's going to rain all day long.  The good news is that thanks to Mr. Ed for finding my coffee online and a big thanks to Frances for actually SENDING me a case ... I have plenty to enjoy all day long while watching the water fall from the sky.

There's lots to do around Quartzsite ... when the sun shines.  When it's this cold, it's a different story.  The clouds rolled in pretty early and the rain came down.  Not a gullywasher flooding the entire town as rumored by the locals (I think to get everyone to go home), but a nice rain nonetheless.

Luckily there was a break in the wet so Cooper could go outside, but the breeze kept up all day.  By the end of the day, it was still 61 degrees.

SO ... laundry it is!!  I was in the door by 7:30 and out 30 minutes later.  The good news is that I located all three of the rallies I'm supposed to attend.  They are all outside of town, so I'll be driving here and there.

But first ... I'll woo Cooper into sleeping so I can slip out the door to go grocery shopping with Patsy and Bill.  Off we went to the big town of Parker for groceries.

I'm sure you all know that it is a Walmart.  I was pretty shocked when I got so few items for so much money.  I even made the kid come over and go through the charges.  WOW ... is this pup of mine eating filet mignon??  Apparently!!  I spent $30.00 just on food and one treat for him!  I should eat so well.

Well ... I guess I do since I'd rather have Tillamook ice cream.

A  N  D   ... look here!  My favorite Toffee Crunch Oreos.  These are SO tasty!!

When I got back, Bill, Patsy and I had a long conversation about Starlink.  I did not realize that was for the internet.  I thought it was like Direct TV or Dish Network.  That brought up my TV problem.  I usually get three satellites with my Traveler Winegard dish.  It seems I'm only getting TWO, neither of which have the football games I want to watch.  I was also getting a notice of no satellite connection for local channels.

I placed a call to Dish Network and asked for a TECH.  Never believe them ... she said she was a tech, but today I found out she lied.  I explained the problem to her and she had me do test after test.  Nothing.  You are not getting the satellite she said ... you need repairs ... and we won't do it.   I had her delete the local channels.  I wasn't getting them, so why pay for them.

Today I called Satellite Advantage in Quartzsite and explained my problem.  The wonderfully nice lady said they don't USE that satellite any more ... that the local channels are available on the satellites I am receiving.  WHAT???  BUT THAT GIRL SAID!!  No, all you have to do is give them your zip code.  The error code will then go away.

I'm sure you know just how fast I called Dish Network.  I explained everything yet again, gave him a zip code and he said OH YEAH!!  He added my local channels back and VOILA!!  I had the football games.  That was all I wanted ... to watch the playoff games!!

We're back in business baby ... just in time to see the Detroit Lions win that playoff game for the first time ever.

I wasn't the only happy camper ... Bill cut up some wood for Jonathan to chew on.  You should have heard him talk up a storm!  Jonathan says thank you very much Bill.

They say rain most of the day for the next two days.  There probably won't be much shopping, investigating or Happy Houring ... but poker pool is on the menu this morning.  Depending on the rain, I may be off to visit the gathering of Golden Spikes.

You Know What THIS Is .....

We interrupt this program for an important message.  It's raining and it should continue for three days.  That is all.

Oh yeah ... the BIG TENT show in Quartzsite with everything RV, including RV's to buy.  We got there an hour early.  Seems lots of people have figured that out.  In 20 minutes, we were not alone as car after car came streaming in.  

Another interruption:  Most lucky for me, when my phone hit the water, it went in head first and the attached cord kept the important end out of the water.  I snatched it out, dried it off, used my best butcher knife to remove the plastic cover and VOILA!!  It didn't seem too bad and it still works.  That's a good thing since I denied any kind of damage coverage.  I used it to take all these pictures, so all seems to be okay.  That was a close one!

Here we are standing at the gate by the RV sales lot, waiting not so patiently.  In no time there was a line clear back to the parking area.  WOW ... I've haven't seen this many people here in years!!

At 9:00 on the dot, they opened the gate.  You can see, we were one of the first in the building.  NICE!!

Here's Patsy and Bill contemplating hummingbird feeders.  No sales yet since they already have one.

In less than five minutes we were elbow to elbow.  Patsy and I wandered down the aisles, not purchasing anything.  We must be sick!!  Many of the old timers no longer come here, like the Tire Tracker guys, but if you want pretzels and dip ... this is the place.  I went down the line twice before picking up a few more. I will tell you to bring lots of money.  Prices seem much higher.  

These kids make up for it.  I love the puppies who get their own chairs to hang out in.

Still not packed, as Patsy and I hit every table for candy and pens.  I think I picked up about ten and so far three of them do not work.  The pots and pans were being displayed and cooked on, and the big tall heaters were a nice warm spot to stand.  I think there were more technical things I wasn't interested in this year.

There were a few dog fights.  Why they don't just leave them home is beyond me.  Your dog would be MUCH happier!  This cutie was bundled up from the cold.

This?  I could use this for sure.  After all this lifting Cooper in and out of the rig five times a day, I'm ready for a nice hot tub.

In case you need some socks, they have them in every style of dog on the planet.  These things sell like hotcakes!!

This one ... this is for Mr. Chance.  I won't ask him if he remembers, because Patty and I remind him constantly.  See that long stick thing?

Not one, but THREE for the price of one!  As seen on TV!!  How could we resist.  Push it down, it spins around and whips up anything from eggs to whipped cream.  I threw mine away after finding it still unused in the drawer two years later.  

The chicken guys were there again, barbecuing deliciousness.  It being only 10:00 in the morning, we passed.

Here's a new one ... fire without wood.  It's some kind of stick with holes, all attached to your propane tank.  It actually put out quite a bit of heat.  No muss, no fuss, no ashes.

Then, just for the heck of it, we looked at some of the RVs.  Bill said he saw a Phaeton previously that I might like.  It was a 2015, with a layout better than my 2012.  I loved it ... and for $239,000, it could be mine.  They even take trade-ins he said ... at full value.  That's because they up the price of the rig you are buying.  Too bad it was a 40 footer.  I might have thought twice if it was a 36.

Then we looked at this.  What was this Patsy?  A 2002 Monaco?  

I loved the modern orange chairs.  Instead we looked at another one for something like $600,000.  Woohoo!  Fabulous to live in, terrible on maintenance.

We all decided we liked our own better ... except for that Phaeton .... maybe they will lower the price!  Nah .... it's too big for just me and the kid.

THIS kid on the other hand, would be happy to drag his scruffy along the floor in the big rig for 45 feet!!  I swear, this is the happiest dog in the entire world!!

In the end, I came home with a container of Happy Camper and some dip mix that I use with pasta.  Nothing was cheap.  Maybe Tyson Wells will have more things that like our wallets better.  

In case you were wondering ... case of water $8.00, dozen eggs $4.59, ice cream $7.99 ... no one said Quartzsite was CHEAP!!

The rain continues this morning as I think we are heading to Parker.  It's going to be a wet one!