IVAN & I GO A JEEPIN:))

 
Another mighty fine Arizona morning with no wind.  Ivan slipped our satellite dish out of the 5th wheel press & everything looked solidly in place.  Wandering Willy felt the break should be additionally fiber glassed so the decision was made to take the dish to Parker.  WW needed propane so Kelly decided to go along with the Dish because we needed a few things from town anyway.  WW carefully loaded it into the back of his Tundra pick up truck & off they went to Parker.

 
PHEEBS & MOTOR ACCIDENTALLY STAMPEDED HAILEY UP A TREE
After Ivan got little Hailey out of a nearby tree he & I jumped into the Jeep & headed ourselves out into the desert along a twisty winding ATV trail.  Spent the next couple hours climbing small knolls that looked like walls, nosing down into steep washes, running along some ridge tops & just generally totally enjoying ourselves like only a couple of aging wild & crazy guys can do.

  
IVAN KEEPS TRACK OF OUR POSITION WITH HIS IPOD GPS

AND, WE EVEN FOUND A HOBBIT HOUSE
Stopped & checked out some mining related digs.  Ivan & I think a lot alike in that we have a lot of the same questions & wonderments about the nature of things that surround us.  We have an equal love of the great American Southwest so it was two hours well spent for me with a like minded person. 

 
 

MANY DIG SITES ON THIS RIDGE
Ivan & I were back in camp before noon & it wasn’t long before Kelly &  Wandering Willy rolled in as well.  Propane tanks filled plus some groceries.  Satellite dish was looking healthier too.  They had found an RV Marine place in Parker where for no charge a guy ground off all the rough & splintered fiber glass edges around the glued fix.  He also had some ideas on how to further strengthen the break.

 
THIS ARIZONA STATE  IS ONE MIGHTY PRETTY PLACE
Wasn’t long & WW had the satellite dish back on his tail gate smearing liberal amounts of J-B Weld Epoxy glue onto a cloth mesh all around the damaged area.  That Wandering Willy guy sure is a good smearer.  Satellite dish was then left in the back of his truck to let the glue harden.

 
 
MIKE had a question wondering if I had used ‘THE CLAW’ to hold the tripod down in the wind.  Well Mike, if I had used my ‘Claw’ in the first place I would not have had the satellite dish accident.  My fault in forgetting to use that great anchoring device.  It was sitting idly just a few feet away in a bin:((
 
GOT THAT CLAW IN THE GROUND THIS TIME MIKE
Ivan noticed the wind had quit so he hastily assembled his Chopper for flight.  Minutes later he was airborne.  But, so was the wind.  He wasn’t in the air 2 minutes when a sudden gust of wind sprang over a nearby ridge & suddenly threw his Whirly bird completely out of control & smashed it into the nearby branches of a tall Mesquite tree.  The Chopper fell to the ground…..broken.  Not good!!  No, I did not take any pics of Ivan’s mishap…….

 
Gingerly stepping in amongst the prickly Mesquite branches Ivan calmly retrieved his prize possession, broken parts & all and walked back to lay out the damaged bird on the tailgate of his truck.  Close inspection revealed the damage was not as severe as first thought.  Fifteen minutes later, with one replaced propeller blade and one of two landing legs securely fastened in place again, Ivan was back in the air.  All controls functioned properly & the Whirly-Bird flew as if nothing had ever happened to it.

PHOTO SHOWS A JET AIRCRAFT ABOVE THE HELICOPTER >>>
Well, that was enough excitement for one day & I headed back to the rig for an early start on the Blog & an afternoon Siesta.  Along about 4 p.m. I heard footsteps outside & it was WW ready to try attaching the LMB arm to the dish.  Back to the tailgate of his truck.  I held the dish while WW filed down the hardened fiber glass until the arm fit snugly in place again.  That Wandering Willy guy is not only a good smearer, but he’s a darn good filer too.  All was solid and secure.

YEP, I DROPPED A FULL BOTTLE OF MY ARTHROTEC PILLS TODAY & THAT MEANT A 100 PILL PICK UP!!
Carried the dish back & remounted it on the tripod.  A few minutes later we were once again back on satellite TV.  And, this time I got the ‘Claw’ out and anchored it under the tripod.  Ivan brought over a strap device & snugged the tripod to the ‘Claw’ and all was well with the world again.
 
Sat around for a wee chat until the sun went down & that was it for me.  Had a blog to write you know……..:))

Two new Blog Followers today. We welcome DAN BROWN plus Jim & Rosie from THE TRAVELS OF JIM & ROSIE. Sounds like Jim & Rosie from Idaho are in the process of going Full Time. Always nice to have new folks joining us in our travels:))

THAT’S OUR CAMP DOWN THERE
GROANER’S CORNER:)  Jerry was at a marriage seminar, and the leader of the seminar, a lady, was asking everybody how long they were married for. When it was Jerry’s turn Jerry said that he was married for almost 50 years. “Wow” the leader gushed “that’s amazing, perhaps you can take a few minutes to share some insights with everybody, how you stay married to the same woman for so long. “Well,” Jerry said after thinking for a few moments, “I try to treat her nice, buy her presents, take her on trips…………. and best of all, for our 25th anniversary I took her to the Bahamas.” “Well that’s really beautiful, and a true inspiration for all of us” the lady said “maybe you can tell us what you are going to do for your 50th anniversary” she said with a smile “Well” Jerry said “I’m thinking of going back to the Bahamas to pick her up.”
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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of
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If one's thoughts are positive about the landscape, one's eyes will appreciate what they see......AL.
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