Monday, March 11, 2013

OH DEAR, ANOTHER DECISION TO MAKE

DSC_0012

IF IT’S GREEN & GROWS IN THE DESERT IT IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE PRICKLY…THIS FELLOW IS IN OUR FRONT YARD

Despite another great weather day I had trouble motivating myself to keep busy with anything except some more packing of the rig & even that was a rather half hearted effort.  Did manage to do myself a load of laundry.  And, fired up the weed whacker for a little dusty twirl through some of last years dried weeds out along the road.  That seemed to drain today’s limited energy supply.  Some days it all comes together nicely & other days things just kind of end up in a pile of tatters.

DSC_0003 

SHED IS CLEANED UP IN PREPARATION FOR LEAVING NEXT MONTH

Frustrated myself this morning by trying to figure out how to lengthen a new camera strap cord.  I should know better than to tackle things like that in the first place because my mind is no help to me whatsoever when it comes to figuring that kind of stuff out.  Wasted nearly half an hour on that.  It is not easy being me:((

 DSC_0016

KELLY WORKS ON MY CAMERA STRAP PROBLEM

Happy to say, when Kelly returned from Wickenburg this afternoon she was able to figure out that strap configuration & all is well in la la land again.  Took her awhile though & I did hear her mutter, “why do they have to make things so complicated”.  This BLACKRAPID RS-4 strap is a beauty though & as soon as I hung my Nikon D-40 & heavy 300mm zoom lens on it I was pleased as punch.  Best & most comfortable camera strap I’ve ever had.  Thanks to Chris over at TRAVELS WITH CC & DIXIE for the tip & link to Blackrapid.

DSC_0022 IMG_0850   IMG_0852

NEW STRAP IS THE ONE ON MY LEFT SHOULDER CROSSING MY CHEST

DSC_0017

KINDA LIKE PACKING A 6 GUN ON MY RIGHT HIP

For you folks who have a hankering for some fine writing skills & photos I once again remind you to keep an eye on & watch for Mark’s posts over at the BOX CANYON BLOG.  He’s always got some darn good words going on over there.  And it won’t be long & Mike over at PHANNIE & MAE  will be doing the Limbo, the Watusi, & the Boogaloo.  He finally set the cane aside & has already taken the big 40' diesel banger for a drive.  The word Hippy may have new meaning for Mike now:))

DSC_0009

WE HAVE OUR OFFICIAL ‘WIND SPEED INDICATOR’ WINDSOCK ON THE RIG NOW:))

Reading Karen’s post from RVING: THE USA IS OUR BIG BACKYARD I was reminded once again how important photos are & how fortunate we all are to be living in the age of computers & digital cameras.  Karen & Steve have been touring around BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK in Texas & yesterday took a drive to Presidio.  Kelly & I stayed at Big Bend for a few days back in late December of 04.  My fading memory now struggles to tell me of all the wondrous sites we saw.  I have less than half a dozen small 4x6 35mm prints from the whole trip & that’s it.  And no photos of the great scenic drive between Big Bend’s western border & the small town of Presidio.  Karen’s post reminded me this morning of how important it is to record as much as we can, while we can if we want something to remember in later years.  At the end of each post I always include a few sayings one of which is one of mine that says, ‘ The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now’.  When all is said & done, for many of us, it will be the photos & written accounts of our travels that will remind & stir old memories otherwise irretrievably lost in the cobwebs of our aging minds.

DSC_0004

KELLY RELAXES WITH A BOOK IN THE BACK YARD

Unbeknownst to us we almost had ourselves a visitor in the night.  It seems a lost traveler in the Arizona hills spotted our house nestled in this Sonoran valley here in Congress Arizona.  Sensing a safe haven, the traveler ventured forward & low & behold Pheebs ran to meet her.  And all this while Kelly & I were asleep.  We didn’t even know Pheebs was out.  Had it not been for MERIKAY'S comment on our blog this morning we would never have known all that was going on last night.  In that comment Merikay said, “Had a dream last night that I was lost in the hills in Arizona. Then I looked down into a valley and saw your Congress house. I knew I was safe. Pheebs came to meet me”………….:)) 

DSC_0001

PLUGGING AWAY AT FILLING UP OUR DINETTE STORAGE SPACE

Easy to tell it is March break.  The kids are out in the desert tearing it up with their dirt bikes again.  So disappointing on our walks to come across the ruts & gouges in the struggling to be green Sonoran terrain.  And yes it’s kids.  You don’t find older responsible & mature adults doing that sort of thing on dirt bikes.  If it were older folks on those bikes there would be an endless parade of ambulances out here picking up all the aging & injured gray beards ker-splunked into the desert rocks, sand, & barbed cactus.

IMG_0846

IMG_0848 IMG_0849IMG_0847

OK, about that decision.  Over the past month readers have been sending in emails & comments suggesting we register our Sunseeker here in Arizona & put Arizona plates on it.  Pros & cons of course but as of today we are giving the Arizona registration idea some serious thought.  A call this morning from our good friend Ron up there in Grand Bend Ontario kind of pushed the wheels over the edge & got them rolling.  Ron is the fellow we bought our Damon Motorhome from back in April of 07.  Ron owns FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE in Grand Bend.

DSC_8630

FIRST TIME I’VE SEEN A GAMBLE’S QUAIL IN A MESQUITE TREE

Kelly has been doing a lot of research on the internet plus headed into Wickenburg today with a list of questions for the Motor Vehicle people.  Keep in mind Kelly is a U.S. citizen with dual citizenship.  We both have our Arizona ID cards & Kelly will be picking up her Arizona driver’s license shortly.  All those things figure in plus we do own property in the U.S. but don’t know if that would have anything to do with anything.  Cost wise it is cheaper to register the Sunseeker here in Arizona as opposed to Ontario.  Cheaper for insurance as well & no border Import paper work.  That one is a big plus because I don’t want to end up shackled to a Dungeon wall at the border!!  Oh, & no over the top Ontario safety inspection costs either.

DSC_0005

OUR 90 DAY TEMPORARY ARIZONA LICENSE PERMIT IN OUR BACK WINDOW…THIS IS GOOD TO GET THE RIG BACK TO CANADA UNLESS WE REGISTER IT HERE IN ARIZONA >>>

Anyway, that’s the decision we are facing this week.  We will just have to take some time & think this whole thing through.  What if after returning home we decided to sell the American registered Sunseeker in 3 months?  What about crossing the border back into the States next Fall?  Silly questions…..maybe, but there is a lot of silly rules & regulations when it comes to this kind of stuff & one has to tread very lightly through this minefield of changing unknowns.  And finally, finally, finally, from the dealership where we bought our rig, we received our clear title of ownership for the Sunseeker today.

DSC_0015    

Ever had someone tell you the right way to do something when you already had your heart & mind set on the wrong way to do something.  Naw, I didn’t think so.  Must just be me again.

DSC_8609

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Robert told his doctor he wasn't able to do all the things around the house that he used to do. When the examination was complete, he said, "Now, Doc, I can take it. Tell me in plain English what's wrong with me."
"Well, in plain English," the doctor replied, "You're just plain lazy."
"Thank You." said the man. "Now give me the medical term, so I can tell my wife!"

-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

15 comments:

  1. Those are indeed the best camera straps. My brother-in-law introduced them to hubby and I.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That rock hat Pheebs is wearing in the last pic is cute.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the shout out, Al. I take about 100-150 pics a day when we are out and about. It's so hard to choose which ones to put in the blog. But I save them all in my files.

    Also I make video clips of fun routes while we drive, like along part of the Old Ore Road (a rugged four wheel drive road) bumpety up and down and all around on video. and then when we are old and grey, we can watch them over and say: WE WERE NUTS WHEN WE WERE YOUNG!

    hahahahahhaha

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    RVing: The USA Is Our Big Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. From the photos of you modeling the new camera strap, it sure looks like you have lost weight. Be careful those strong desert winds don't blow you to Oz!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That looks like a dandy camera strap. I hate hanging a heavy camera around my neck. Good luck with your Sunseeker registration. With all the research you're doing, you should be able to make a well-reasoned decision.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You're going to love that strap. I've had one for a couple of years now. Totally takes the strain off.
    Fred

    ReplyDelete
  7. I will be looking into the camera strap. Thanks!

    So sad what the dirt bikes are doing in the desert.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Seems like nothing is simple in life is it. Decisions, decisions all the time. You sound like me, I don't have the patience to figure things out I hand them over to my better half too :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Many years ago on a hot Sunday morning I went for a bike ride about 7 a.m. Passed a guy out scrubbing his driveway with soap and hot water, and a neighbor was saying "those kids sure can make a mess working on their cars."
    The guy doing the scrubbing replied: "But you don't understand the satisfaction of knowing where he was all night long."

    ReplyDelete
  10. Registering it in Arizona seems like the right thing to do since you own property there. If it's legal and can save you some money, what trouble can you get

    I had to laugh when I saw you mentioned my dream. It was so real. Pheebs reminds me of the dog
    i grew up with. She is a bit of a clown, but also a loving soul. Some dogs are just dogs. A few are so much more.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Since I wouldn't be back to Kansas in 90 days when I purchased the Goldwing, I was forced to get an Arizona Tag... It took about a month for the County people to mail it to me... Do you have someone to forward the plate to you if it comes in after you are back in Canada..? I was really frustrated while I was waiting for the tag to come in... Also, how long do you have to wait before you can transfer the tag back to Ontario? If I don't wait 6 months before going after a Kansas tag, I will have to pay sales tax again in Kansas... I do think they give me some credit for the tax paid in Arizona, but it isn't dollar for dollar.... Believe me the bike will continue to be an Arizona citizen for some period of time...... Since it will come back to the address where it is registered in Arizona, I'm not sure Kansas can do anything.... Time will tell how much trouble I am making for myself.... I have a Kansas drivers license...see the problems....

    ReplyDelete
  12. Like you said all the pictures and Blog writing sure help create great memories we can look back on.
    I would think that registering you rig in Arizona would be a good choice and probably save a lot of hassle.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Al, one reason I have my blogs is so that perhaps, in the future, I can turn each one of them into a book for my family. I think there's a website called "Blogbook" or something like that...you can research that. And, yes, I have lots of photos from the pre-digital age, but I could scan those. Take care! It will be almost 90 here for the rest of the week! TOO HOT TOO FAST!
    ~~Cheryl Ann~~ Did you hear about our earthquake? I was in class with 30 3rd graders and I heard it coming...then felt it. I yelled, "DOWN, DOWN, DOWN under your desks NOW...EARTHQUAKE" and man, they ALL dove under their desks! They were scared. It really shook us up. It was up in the Santa Rosa mountains, up by Anza.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Glad you like the camera strap Al. And good idea about regging the RV in AZ. WE got rattled by that tremor yesterday also here in Anza-BSP. Caron was outside and didn't feel anything but she saw the coach swaying back and forth and thought I was jumping up and down inside it. Dixie didn't react either..I thought dogs had some super sensitivity to these things...another myth squashed.

    ReplyDelete
  15. You and I sound like we are kindred spirits in the "decision" area..I defer most of them to McGyver..he is much better at that stuff...You DO have some very important stuff to think about...and potentially cost saving ideas in mind...Good Luck!

    ReplyDelete