WELL SPINDLE McVINDLE WE HAVE US A KINDLE:))

Noticed while hanging out my laundry this morning we had us a nice cooling breeze coming in from the West.  Also noticed my energy levels were up.  Excellent combination for doing a little work outside I had been putting off.  Move our umbrella clothesline.  Of course that idea didn’t materialize until after I had hung up all my wet laundry on it.  No matter, out came the shovel.  Start a hole around the base of the steel pole buried in the ground, add water, & wait about 15 minutes.  Repeat this process half a dozen times but not before I clued into the fact I had better take my wash off the clothesline first.  Oh I am such a smart fellow sometimes.  Moved my wet laundry to another clothesline tied between 2 trees.  I had anticipated the steel pole had probably been originally set in concrete.  Sometimes it is just so nice to be wrong about something & this morning I was wrong about the concrete base.  Having dug down about a foot I was able to wiggle & pull the laundry pole loose.  Bonus, it had just been stuck in the ground.  So confident was I that I would actually get this laundry umbrella clothesline out of the ground that I had already pre-dug a new hole for it over close to our backyard fence.  Carried the laundry Umbrellamagator over to the new hole, stood it up, kicked dirt in around it, tamped it down with the end of my shovel handle, added some water to harden the sandy clay dirt, & used my level to get it leastways standing up reasonably straight.  Amazingly enough everything went as smooth as a loose load of teetering bricks & I had the job successfully completed inside an hour.  How nice it is for people like me when things work right the first time……:))

 

POURED WATER AROUND POST THEN DUG IT OUT MOVING CLOTHESLINE BACK TOWARDS OUR FENCELINE

In Canada we do not have postal service on Saturdays but here in the States they do.  Kelly returned from the Post Office this morning with a small cardboard box.  Our new KINDLE PAPERWHITE had arrived.  She wasn’t long unpacking it & plugging the little device into our Acer laptop to charge it up.  Let the reading begin:)) 

NOT EVEN OUT OF THE BOX YET

YES, IT IS AN ORANGE CASE WE HAVE FOR IT

Spent some time pouring over my Arizona, New Mexico, & Colorado, Benchmark Atlas’s today.  Also Mapquest on the computer.  Still figuring on a run up through Monument Valley but am now leaning towards an easterly route through Northern New Mexico rather than Southern Colorado.  Might just take the same route out across the Plains we took coming down in the Fall last year.  I’m starting to monitor long range forecasts & we’ll see how the weather begins shaping up for places like Flagstaff & Tuba City Arizona, Farmington & Taos New Mexico, Raton Colorado, Dodge City & Salina Kansas.  Maybe Lincoln Nebraska & Davenport Iowa.  If the weather goes into the dumpster up in Northeastern Arizona or out on the Plains in a couple weeks we’ll have to consider a more Southerly route.  It’s a wait & see game now…………

I thought Paul from R SANITY RV ADVENTURES in a blog comment did a good job in summing up my Friday paragraph about ‘Blog Mode.  Paul said, “Even though I don't blog every day, I do enjoy writing posts. I find blogging makes what I do during my days and travels more enjoyable, it gives me a new perspective on life and helps me keep my eyes sharp for interesting things to share with my readers”…..Well said Paul:))

 

My photos of Alamo Lake’s slot canyon a few days ago pale in comparison to what Sue over at THE MOHO AND OTHER TRAVELING TALES has just seen.  She & Mo were fortunate enough to visit the Slot Canyon of all Slot Canyons.  Near Page Arizona lies a gem hidden away on ancient Navajo lands.  ANTELOPE CANYON is visited by people from all over the world.  Sue not only has great photos of the swirling Canyon but her narrative gives one a feeling of the Canyon as well.  Be sure to drop over & see Sue’s ‘ADVICE FROM A CANYON’.

 

AND HERE COMES ‘SPEEDBALL McPUG ROUNDING TURN FOUR & COMING DOWN THE HOME STRETCH

Antelope Canyon is definitely on our ‘must see-must do’ list for next winter.  Page Arizona & Antelope Canyon is an easy day’s drive for us at 328 miles.  It will make for a nice week long side trip out of our home base here in Congress Az.  We did pass through Page in the late Fall of 07 on our way to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim but we didn’t take the time to stop & see Antelope Canyon.  I have read where the biggest problem at Antelope is the crowds of people & many tour groups going through.  Things sound rushed.  No doubt I will have to steel myself against the throngs of people.  Thinking about that this morning I came to a conclusion of why I become so irritable with so many people crowding around historic & scenic sights.  And it has to do with my photography interests.  Thought occurred to me if I were to leave my camera gear at home when I visit these especially scenic places I would probably enjoy the experience of where I was much more.  Photography & maybe Arts oriented people will understand when I say, it is so maddening trying to capture & compose the beauty & feel of a place when one has hordes of people milling about obstructing views.  It is that plus all the noise which is so frustrating for someone like myself.  Figure I could maybe wear ear plugs to muffle or eliminate the noise of so many people going on at once.  People carrying on in foreign languages is like fingernails on a chalkboard for me & extremely annoying.   I don’t know why that is….it just is.  I understand their need, want, & desire to be there just like myself but it doesn’t lessen my annoyance.  If I didn’t have my camera along I’m sure my irritability would be much lessened.  I would just walk around with my ear plugs in enjoying what I could see without getting myself all bent out of shape trying to photograph things.  But then again I would be kicking myself all the while there that I hadn’t brought my camera.  It is the way with me…..there are always 2 sides to everything & I am always in a constant flux between the two.  Anyway, I’ll deal with all that next winter when we get to Antelope Canyon…..or other great spots along the highways & bi-ways of this big beautiful land so many of us are so very fortunate enough to travel in:))

CAN YOU SEE A MAN’S PROFILE IN THIS PHOTO >>>

GROANER’S CORNER:((   Last summer, my husband, took me camping for the first time. At every opportunity, he passed along outdoor-survival lore. One day we got lost hiking in the deep woods. He tried the usual tactics to determine direction -- moss on the trees (there was none), direction of the sun (it was an overcast day), etc., etc.
Just as I was beginning to panic, he spotted a small cabin off in the distance. He pulled out his binoculars, studied the cabin, turned and led us right back to our camp. "That was terrific," I said. "How did you do it?" "Simple," he replied. "In this part of the country all the TV satellite dishes point south."