Saturday, January 26, 2013

RAIN, RAIN, & MORE RAIN…WOULD HAVE TO CHALK THIS ONE UP AS A LOST DAY

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AND, THIS KIND OF SUMS UP OUR RAINY DAY

Had ourselves a steady rain all day long with no let up.  Temps dropped & tonight we have our small space heaters going full tilt.  This newer 3/8 inch red crushed stone isn’t working out the best though.  As feared, it sticks to shoes when wet, tracks inside & has a habit of leaving smears on the floor from the reddish dust.  Wipes off & wipes up easy enough, but…..  Maybe all this rain will wash that dust down into the stones more.   I did use the Jeep to try & pack it down harder in the wet ground today as well but ended up making some ruts.

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THAT REDDISH ORANGE WATER IS FROM OUR CRUSHED RED GRAVEL

Well, we are over the half way point now in this years stay in the southwest. Hard to imagine in another couple of months we will have to leave this all behind for half a year again. It’s always a worry for we Canadians whether we will make it back across the border for another Snow Bird season in the fall. We know of RVers who have left home heading south, only to be turned back at the border on some kind of technicality. With ever tightening border restrictions, changing laws, & border guard personality flaws, one’s winter lifestyle can end in an instant. Only takes one grumpy boarder guard to take a dislike to the cut of your Jib (nautical term) & decide you have a tire on upside down & should not be allowed entry into the United States. Always one of those little worries that kind of simmers away on a back burner somewhere.

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We have had our Motorhome since April of 2007 & it has served us well.  No major problems with it at all except for the usual little glitches here & there.  The engine, transmission & drive train never caused us one bit of trouble in all that time.  We did have to put all new tires on it a couple years ago though.  But, it’s 10 years old & we didn’t want to reach a point where we had to begin pouring money into it for aging repairs, etc.  The rig is still worth some money but in another 3 or 4 years it may very well be worth nothing.   We will miss our solar set up for sure & we will miss the larger living quarters & full basement storage.  But, we have to roll with the changing times & for us it is time to downsize into something smaller & more practical for our needs.  We’ll see how things shake out over the next few days & if we have ourselves a deal on something.

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LITTLE BIT OF A CREEK BEGINNING TO MEANDER THROUGH OUR BACK YARD

The south-west has always been my favorite part of the country for scenery & if you drop by Mark’s blog over at BOX CANYON BLOG he can show you better than I what it is I like about the big swirling rock formations, the myriad of colors, & the overall magic of the land.  Mark’s got himself some nice photos over there again.

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NO BBQ’ING TO DAY

IVAN is still lost somewhere in the downtown shopping maze of Quartzsite Arizona.  He has been sending his model helicopter aloft in an attempt to take photos of where he is.  Thought I saw it fly over yesterday towing a banner saying…HELP!!  To get a true idea of just how big an event this is at Quartzsite every year, just slip on over to Ivan’s blog & check out the Q from a few hundred feet up.  You’ve heard of, ‘Where’s Waldo’, well now I think it’s………… Where’s Ivan:))

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NO CAMPFIRE OVER THERE IN THE CAMPFIRE PIT BEYOND THE TREE EITHER…HEY, IS THAT A UFO THERE IN THE UPPER RIGHT

And, speaking of Ivan, it was one year ago today that Ivan & I were out in the desert near Bouse, bumping & jolting our way over some old dusty Jeep roads & stopping to look at a few mine shafts here & there.  HI-HO HI-HO IT'S A JEEPIN IVAN & I DID GO  Kelly had slipped over to Parker with Wandering Willy to pick up some groceries & a fiber glass kit to repair our busticated satellite dish.

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EVEN THE PHEEBS IS HAVING A BORING INSIDE DAY

Well, it’s the end of a frustratingly bad weather day.  All of a sudden we have a ton of stuff to get organized & most of it involves being outside.  Today was a total loss & if it rains again all day Sunday we are really going to be crammed in behind the eight ball on a possible heavy schedule for next week.  Oh Dear…..  And thanks to everyone for your Verizon/Millenicom thoughts & suggestions:))DSC_0007

EVEN OUR MOTORHOME IS LOOKING SAD ON THIS RAINY SATURDAY:((

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Two die-hard golfers saw some kids fishing at the lake.
One said to the other, "Look at those idiots fishing in the rain!"

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If a man is standing in the middle of the forest, and only whispering...And if there is no woman around to interrupt him...is he still wrong?

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Abe's son arrived home from school puffing and panting, sweat rolling down his face. "Dad, you'll be so proud of me," he said, "I saved a dollar by running behind the bus all the way home!"
"Oy Vey!" said Abe, "You could have run behind a taxi and saved $20.00!"

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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

8 comments:

  1. Understand your concerns about crossing the border. How about dual citizenship, would that help ?

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  2. I love the granite in your header photo, and the sunshine. What a comparison to the gray muddy day you had today. I remember one year I spent camping in my pickup truck in Southern Utah, and I was still finding red dirt on my driveway months later. I love red rock, and red dirt. Maybe you can take some home on your undercarriage to remind you of your time in the southwest.

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  3. I should have thought of this weeks ago. In order to make your fireplace more efficient there are Fireplace Inserts that claim to keep 85% of the heat inside the home instead of out the flue like you are getting now thus lowering your cost of electric heat which is also going out the flue. Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  4. Regarding Bob's comment, wouldn't you have to get a green card first, and then go for citizenship later? I was going to suggest a green card, but if you (and I) don't trust border guards, I certainly have no faith in the Homeland Security. Things were much easier and better when it was Immigration & Naturalization, but even then, the customs official or border guard thought he was god almighty.

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  5. Glass doors also help. when closed, they keep heat from going up the chimney too. When we lived in Wisconsin I put a piece of plywood, with a picture painted on the front, in front of the fireplace when no fire was burning. You could do a neat Indian design...

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  6. Agreeing with Rick and Kathy about a fireplace insert that blows heat out...or...a franklin stove type wood burner..or...a gas log that acts as a heater...
    You have a plethora of rain...Florida could use some..Not complaining..temps are high 70's day and 50's night..Anxiously awaiting your decision on new camper..

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  7. Great UFO Pic. Knew you would get one someday out there in the Big Empty.

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  8. Thanks Al,
    Intermittent Internet our here in the boondocks :(
    Good luck on the "deal."
    A Bayfield Fan,
    mark

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