Saturday, March 23, 2013

RV BLOG VISITORS & A FEW THOUGHTS ON RESPECT

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Another early 3 a.m. start to my day.  Hate when that happens but sometimes when I wake up in the night, that’s it.  I’m up to stay.  Sure makes for a long tiresome & sometimes grumpy day being up that early:(( 

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JUST TOUCHING DOWN ON THE BIRDBATH FOR A DRINK OF WATER

Had an email from fellow RV Bloggers Chris & Caron at TRAVELS WITH CC & DIXIE Thursday saying they had just rolled into North Ranch.  It was Chris a few weeks ago who put me onto the BLACKRAPID RS-4 camera strap I like so much.  We have corresponded with these Ontario Canada folks on & off for about 3 years & it was finally nice to meet them in person here at our house this morning.  Pheebs was mighty happy they brought their dog Dixie as well.  Again, two mighty nice folks who have really logged a lot of miles in their Tiffin Motorhome from coast to coast in both Canada & the U.S.   They have sure seen & done a lot of things in the few short full timing years they have been on the road.  Nice genuine folks indeed & you can keep up with their travels on our sidebar.  They too will soon be heading home to Ontario.

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TODAY’S COOL WINDS KEPT US INSIDE FOR A FEW HOURS

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We are beginning to watch the weather across the country more closely now with our departure date looming in less that 2 weeks.  Not looking good for the most part but weather patterns are totally unpredictable these days & this year it is anybody’s guess which way the weather will swing in a couple weeks.  Our departure date is not set in stone & if we see the weather is bad we’ll just sit it out here in Congress & wait for things to clear.  It’s always a real gamble every year at this time trying to pack in 2,300 miles between Spring storm fronts.  It is one of the reasons we don’t dilly dally around anywhere.  We make the trip just about as quick as we can, while we can.

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WE SURE HAVE ENJOYED OUR LEISURELY DESERT JEEP RIDES THIS WINTER

And it was one year ago today the fellas stuccoed our house.  It was a Friday & I had my work cut out for the week-end.  I had to water the house.  In order for the guys to begin painting on the Monday it was important the stucco be watered 3 times a day for both Saturday & Sunday.  Tough job but somebody had to do it.  I was Okay with that because I like watering stuff…..but a house.  An old gardening habit I guess.

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I have the Spell Checker enabled on my blog & it is extremely rare when I hit the ‘Publish’ button for my post to immediately publish without first finding my usual spelling mistakes & purposely bent words.  But Friday night’s post had no delays.  Not even a purposely bent word or two.  Very rare indeed for me not to have some spelling mistakes.  But here’s the sad part….I have a tendency to spell the same words wrong over & over.  Direct result of a poor short term memory.  Give me a word I’ve never heard before & chances are by sounding it out I might even be able to accidentally spell it right. 

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Occasionally I write things that may not sit well with some folks &I think it’s something Bloggers do from time to time.   I, like many others am an opinionated person & some times my opinions spill out into my blog.  Sometimes it is in the form of a rant, sometimes an observation, & sometimes it is just simply my passion for something.  Could be my love for dogs, an RV lifestyle, thoughts on photography, music, maybe a movie, annoying television shows, etc.  Could be why I like button up shirts compared to T-shirts.  Or shoes compared to sandals.  I, like many of my fellow Bloggers write about our daily lives & what is going on in those lives.  What we’re doing, what we’re thinking, where we’re going & where we’ve been.  I also have a tendency to write about my feelings.  Some Bloggers take it a little beyond that & get into some of the hotter topic issues like Politics & Religion but that’s not for me.  I just don’t have the personality or the interest to get involved in that kind of head butting.  

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MANY MYSTERIES & LEGENDS HERE IN THE SOUTHWEST AS AN OLD WOODEN FRAMED BED LIES DETERIORATING INTO THE DESERT FLOOR

I have read many, many, blogs over the years & have left many many comments on people’s posts.  Especially in the first few years of my blogging.  I’ve read many things I didn’t agree with.  Seen language I didn’t like & topics I didn’t much care for.  Some blogs just simply didn’t hold my interest & I moved on.  I read blogs I am interested in & do not read people’s posts with the sole purpose of finding fault & being openly critical of them.  If I don’t like someone or their writing style I simply move on.  I’ve never felt a need or felt it right to go on a fellow Blogger’s site & leave demeaning, bitter, rude, & sarcastic comments whether using my real name, Anonymous, or as in some cases, phony names & alias’s.   For the most part we have a great bunch of blogging folks out here in our little community.  Most are understanding of each others writing styles, likes & dislikes.  We may not agree with each other all the time but at least most of us are respectful of each others thoughts, interests, opinions, & personalities.

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After Friday mornings encounter with the 2 dead Rattlesnakes and with Pheebe’s safety foremost in our minds we have decided not to do any further desert walks, hikes, Jeep rides, or rock scrambles now that the hotter weather is upon us.  In Wickenburg on April 13th they have a Rattlesnake awareness & training program for dogs but we will be gone by then.  Had we planned on staying longer we would have enrolled her in that awareness program for sure.  With the combination of hotter weather & Rattlesnakes now it certainly is a big concern to all pet owners. 

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WHAT’S LEFT OF AN OLD WINDMILL STANDS QUIETLY IN THE DESERT BACKGROUND 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Two silver-haired women entered a restaurant for lunch.
Each caught the other's look of joyful recognition--having been college mates 50 years earlier. They spent the afternoon laughing and reminiscing.
Then one looked at the other in obvious embarrassment. "I hate to say this," she confessed, "but what is your name?"
The other one thought a moment, then asked ruefully, "How soon do you need to know?"

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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.

14 comments:


  1. Good idea to forgo the desert walks,
    we are never around when the weather is warm enough for the snakes to out.
    Your house looks so nice and warm inside.

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  2. Al & Kelly, just to let you know we so much enjoy reading your blog. What you've done with your AZ property is amazing! You two remind us of us - it is so hard to be torn between two places - we love the mts of PA and the beaches of DE. Aren't we lucky though to beable to enjoy it all? Hugs to you both!
    Connie and Barry in PA

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  3. This may be impossible, but could you get snake anti venom to keep on hand if she did get bit? You could run into one just outside the door. We had one in the garage and we don't live near where they are numerous.

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  4. You will miss the night sky for sure, but it might be worth it for the cool weather and no kill you quick snakes in your yard. I grew up in the South and had many close calls with snakes, but they do just want to be left alone. That rattle always made me stop in my tracks and I still do not like them or water moccasins. Nothing like a small creature that can change your life if crossed on a bad day.
    Your Casa is looking mighty fine due to all the hard work and talent you two have.
    With all the storm systems moving through, you will have some recon to do before hitting the road.
    Enjoyed your post, always fun to read.

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  5. I'm sorry if you received rude or nasty comments on your blog, that can really ruin your day. I hope I have never said anything to upset you, if I have I'm sorry. Sometimes I joke around, but never mean anything by it.
    All the anonymous comments are driving me nuts, I get so many a day now keeps me busy deleting them all.

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  6. Know what you mean Al--when I posted a blog about killing rattlesnakes I was blasted by some stranger type people! When I posted about the wolves killing a family member's pet I was REALLY blasted. I would never think of leaving a nasty comment on someone's blog I didn't even know!

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  7. Al, there IS some kind of snake anti-venom shot that a vet gives. I know because ALL the dogs up in our local mountains get it. Could you call a vet in your desert area? I have no idea if it is a one-time shot or a yearly one...I DID see a run-over baby gopher snake last weekend and the kids and I saw a young gopher snake up at Joshua Tree, so they are indeed out & about. Take care. We may drive up to Joshua Tree today to take photos of the blossoms!
    Cheryl Ann

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  8. Nice once again to meet fellow Bloggers. It is easier to find you now with such a nice spot there in Arizona.
    We will be back in two weeks and will see if we can warm up the weather for you.

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  9. Thanks Al,
    My son took off for Japan to day with 1 of 2 blackrapids I got of eBay had that type of setup way back (homemade)
    But this new setup is way much better thanks Mister Ed

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  10. Also don't like obvious links to someone's ad, pretending to be a comment. Got one of those today.

    We are chagrined that we never got up your way! We'll be leaving here in less than four weeks (assuming Rosie makes the grade at her checkup this week!), heading first to Phoenix for a hot air balloon ride (No, I don't have to provide the hot air, although some folks think I could), then to Prescott, Las Vegas, Carson City and north. Won't cross paths with you at all. Dang.

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  11. Dennis had the Atlas out today ( I was giddy, thinking he might be looking to go somewhere...NOT.).He pointed out that you and Kelly are not far from Alamo State Park...We stayed there for a week once, the lake is man made and really pretty...Lots of fishermen there...Maybe a drive up there next year ??

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  12. It would be a boring world if everybody agreed with each other all the time. Unfortunately there are those that seem to believe that their way is the only way and like to ridicule and insult those that do not agree with their opinion. As far as I am concerned disagreements are just the beginning of a great conversation, you state your opinion and I state mine in a civilized way. Then we part with a deeper understanding of each other and a better friendship.

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  13. Totally agree with you on respecting others. Don't always have to agree though don't have to be mean.
    Love seeing the dessert blooms. Guess I'd better get down the hill before it gets too hot.

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  14. Just want to say I love your blog and your dog pictures. Glad you don't let rude comments deter you from writing your blog - those of us who enjoy your writing would be missing something from our lives without your blog.

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