HEY CALIFORNIA.....TURN OFF THAT BIG DARN WIND MACHINE WILL YA!!!!!!

MAX LIKES THE SUNRISES

At least we were smart enough to pull our slides in last night before going to bed.  It was obvious the wind was not going to let up, & it didn't.  With the slides in it is less noisy inside so I was actually able to remain in an unconscious state for 5 wonderful back to back hours.  Kelly was hoping I would have stayed in that state much longer:((

Nice looking day outside with plenty of sunshine & white fluffy clouds.  Temps are OK but the strong gusting 40mph winds add a wind chill factor so we opted to just hang out in the rig doing 'in the rig stuff.'  Can hardly get the door at times anyway.   Kelly continued wrestling with Microsoft's Live email program trying to import our address book from the other computer.  This has made for hours of frustration for her over the last while.  I've never been impressed with Windows Mail, or Windows Live Mail, or Windows Live Hotmail, or Windows Dead or Alive Mail or even their Arrive Alive Mail.  What a mess they have made of what could have been a simple email program to go with Windows 7.  Big mistake dropping easy to use Outlook Express.  Yes, I know there are other email programs, we have them, & I don't really care much for them either.  Certainly not that impressed with Windows 7 so far.  I suppose it would be much easier to get onto if I could just swap out some tired old brain cells for some nice new fresh ones.

On the way back from Ghost Mountain Wednesday I rolled out of the Yaqui Pass into the sweeping Borrego Valley.  The air was clear & I could see clean across the valley all the way to the Salton Sea.  The nearby huge San Ysidro mountains filled the western horizon dwarfing little Borrego Springs in their shadow.  I was reminded of some comments I've heard from a few people regarding various States that make up the American Southwest.  I prefer to look at the southwest as having no States or State lines.  First & foremost in my mind, I see this borderless land as one big chunk of beautiful earth.  I attach no politics to it, no boundaries, no limitations.  It bothers me when I hear people say things like, I don't like Arizona or Colorado, or I don't like Utah because of some political reasons or other sillyness.  If they passed a law in Nevada saying everyone must wear their underwear backwards does that mean you now dislike Nevada & wouldn't go there again.  Who cares about backwards underwear anyway.  Maybe California's prices are higher than some other places but does that make it any less beautiful.  What if New Mexico took a stand on aboriginal rights, abortion, & whatever other hot political potatoes there are out there.  Would that make the land any less attractive.  The mountains, canyons, & deserts were here long before man came along & divided it all up with his warring political boundaries, whims, & fancies.  Never mind the silly politics, the territorial greed, the marches, & the causes for awhile.  Just come on out & enjoy the vast beauty Mother Nature has created here in the west.  See it for what it really is.

I pumped up my excitement level a tad this morning by simply getting all my maps & atlas's out.  Besides California's huge winds here right now there are also other winds afoot.  The winds of travel are again beginning to whisper themselves around my ears.  Had us a look at temperatures in the Joshua State Park area & beyond.  Dusted off our good old Mountain Directory to see what mountainous obstacles would have to be circumnavigated, if any.  Checked out scenic secondary roads northeast of Joshua & also checked the calendar as our shortening days begin to take on a bit of anxious meaning.  As always, it's apparent.....so much to see & do & so little time to see & do it all.

A month from now will see us on our homeward leg for another year and from the time we pull in the driveway at home I will be counting the days until we pull out of that driveway again.  Right or wrong, it's just the way it is with me.  But, having said that, it is still a nice feeling having a home to go home to.  Even if it's for a few weeks or a few months.  I would sooner be on the road a whole lot more but for now this is second best.  A sticks & bricks home in Ontario for six or seven months (way too long) of the year & a motor home anywhere in the southwest for the rest of the time.  Sometimes we just have to make compromises when we can't have things our own way:((  In the meantime we'll continue to keep our back burner ideas on simmer.  We'll continue to follow & stir the real estate waters of British Columbia for example & we'll continue to keep the burner turned up on our dream of having our own small quiet piece of country property somewhere in a forest setting with year round civilized temperatures.  Well, that's kinda the big darn long range plans anyway.......................10-4:))

IVAN & ROADTRIP 2010 had to return to Canada earlier this winter on business but has just transferred his gear from his truck camper to his Rockwood 5th wheel & after pulling it out of the snow is in the process of sweeping it off & heading south again.  We had the pleasure of meeting Ivan when he popped into the ranch back in McNeal, Arizona a couple months ago.

Looks like the wind is going to continue blowing the stars around tonight so wish us luck.  We're really getting tired of all this rapidly moving air stuff!!

GROANER'S CORNER:))  Queen Nyteshade had two claims to fame. She could tell fortunes and she was a midget. The local authorities frowned on her because they thought that fortune telling was fraudulent. They had Queeny arrested. She was placed in a holding cell. Since she was so small she was able to squeeze between the bars of her cell and escape. This so incensed the judge that he ordered the local newspaper to print an article about the culprit. The following was printed in the paper the next day......... 'Small medium at large.'

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.