GOT MYSELF A NEW LID TODAY & MY LAST PHOTO GROUP

OLD BUILDINGS ARE ALWAYS GREAT FOR PHOTOS

Another sun filled day & the ground is drying up nicely.  I am over my bout of temporary insanity in wanting a concrete pad, acres of pavement, & a postage stamp swatch of manicured grass.  Very close call there.  I could have been hauled away & locked up for those terrible thoughts:((  Fortunately we'll be back boondocking next week again & I know that will instantly erase any nasty thoughts of concrete & pavement.....10-4:))

 

Kelly headed off for her exercise this morning & I headed off down to the corral to do some clean up after the donkeys were in the pen for a few days during our recent spate of rainy weather.  I suppose that stuff in the corral is normally left to dry up & blow away in the wind but the landscape gardener in me took over & hauled me down to the pen with a shovel & rake to clean things up. 

KELLY AT JIMMY’S HOT DOG COMPANY IN SAN JOSE-BISBEE A COUPLE WEEKS AGO

Headed off about 12:45 for my Elfrida photo group in the little towns library.  The usual gang, Mary Beth from Douglas, Jim from Sunizona, plus Jean & Ray from Gleason were all there & it was decided to drive a half mile up the road to an old tumble down building & do some photography.  Each went their separate way crawling around with cameras clicking amidst the brambles & rubble of the building.   Different ideas & different perspectives.  I knew it was my last Photo group but didn't have the heart to tell anybody.  I'm just not very good at saying goodbye to people so we all parted with the old familiar, "Ok, see ya next week."  I'm kind of like that about not going to funerals as well........."Ok, see ya later."

MONDAY AFTERNOON PHOTO GROUP

Happy to report the little Motormouse woke up totally fine this morning.  No stiffness or soreness that we could see.  It is possible the donkey accidentally or intentionally missed Cora & stomped the ground around her.  In the fraction of a second it took I thought I saw her stomped but maybe not.  Anyway, all is well & I was over at the fence today rubbing some donkey noses & scruffling some donkey ears telling them everything was A-OK & not to worry:))

  

PIGEON PALS

On the way back from Photo Group today I stopped into Elfrida’s High Lonesome store.  They have a bit of everything in this well stocked western store from hay bales stacked outside to western belts, jeans, shirts, jackets & cowboy hats.  It was a cowboy hat I was after.  Wanted a lighter one than I have & something I can wear on hot days.  Wanted a wider brim as well.  Saw hats ranging from $32 to $155 so it was a no brainer for me as I found a size 7 & a half $32 lid made in Mexico.    It’s called a SUN BODY HAT.

NEW LID TODAY

Test fired the rigs engine this morning & it started right up & ran as smooth as a Swiss watch.  Brought it up to temperature & did not leave the area in case I forgot to shut it off like I did one time this past summer.  Also fired up the generator & all was well there too.  All systems are go so far but already today I could feel a bit of sadness creeping in about our departure.  As much as I'm ready for new horizons I am definitely going to miss the old ones here at the ranch.  Don't know if we'll ever be back this way but as we pull out of the driveway & head down the road soon I'll look out the window back at the ranch to Gleason & Pearce thinking......Ok, see ya later.

PEARCE, MAX, GLEASON, CHECKERS & CORA (MOTORMOUSE)

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Sign seen hanging on a divorce lawyer's wall:  "Satisfaction guaranteed or
your honey back."

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

THIS MORNING I SMOOCHED A HORSE.....AND THEN WE WENT TO BISBEE

COFFEE & PIZZA AT THE HIGH DESERT CAFE IN BISBEE


Frost covered everything this morning but it was better than the day before when we woke up to the ground all covered with snow. Had forgot to un-hook the water hose so it was froze up real darn good but we had lots of onboard water in our freshwater tank so no problem.

We generally head out to do the chores shortly after 8 in the morning & by that time the sun is over the mountains & the warming process has begun. The chickens were happy to see us as were Gleeson & Pearce, the two rootin tootin ranch dogs. Weatherman said we were in for some good weather over the next bunch of days so decided to open the corral gate & let the horses & donkeys out to pasture. As I walked across the corral, the two horses, Sporty & Banshi closed right up behind me, one on either side. They were pretty happy because they knew they are heading out to the fields. As I reached down to undo the chain at the gate, Banshi put her dead down right over my shoulder beside my face. I turned my head & put a little smooch on her nose. First time I ever smooched a horse. Swung the gate open & away went the donkeys & horses went kicking up their heels in jubilation to be out of the corral at last.
BISBEE MINING MUSEUM

Jeanie had recommended a really great hot dog place in the San Jose area of Bisbee so this morning we figured we'd head on over there & check it out. Nice drive on Frontier & Double Adobe roads to catch highway 80 into Bisbee. We found Jimmy's Hot Dog Company without any problem. Pretty hard to miss because it's painted bright yellow & trimmed in red. This is a really nice clean little diner done up in the old Chicago style diners of yesteryear. Friendly staff with great hot dogs & home cut fries. Loved the music they were playing on a quality sound system. You don't often find that in eating places. Jimmy himself came over to talk to us. Nice fellow. We'll definitely be back there sometime in the next few weeks. From Jimmy's we slipped across the street to a Safeway grocery store for a few groceries. This was probably the nicest grocery store I've been in simply because of the way they have used creative lighting to highlight their products. Makes for a nice homey feeling. Not just that usual bland fluorescent lighting glare from above like in other stores. From there we headed over to the main part of Bisbee. We had been there once before but it was a brief encounter. We passed through this area 2 years ago with our truck & fifth wheel one day. Bisbee is a mile high in the mountains & by the time we got there it was snowing. We got lost in the town somehow & without ever even stopping we somehow got spit back up onto the highway heading west. We were tired & confused so just kept on going but I do remember thinking at the time, this looks like a really neat place, hope we can come back here some day. Well, to-day was that day. A TOWN BUILT ON MANY HILLS

Bisbee is a town like no other. http://www.discoverbisbee.com/ It is in an alpine like setting high up in the Mule mountain range of southeastern Arizona. It's multi-colored buildings, fascinating old west architecture, narrow streets, & collection of artsy type shops & characters make it a totally unique experience. We spent a couple of hours walking the town & taking photos. Bisbee is a real mosh of narrow streets, alleys, & hidden stairways. We only saw part of it so will be returning there again sometime over the next few weeks for sure. From the ranch to Bisbee is only about a 25 minute drive. Lots of local characters in Bisbee & it's plain to see where all the aging hippies vanished to years ago. They are all in Bisbee with their folk art, music, trendy little shoppes, cafe's & eateries. Bisbee is much like another little Arizona town we came across last year....Jerome, over on Mingus mountain near Cottonwood, but I think Bisbee is even trendier than Jerome. This is a place you have to see for yourself. My photos just don't do it justice I'm afraid. THE OLD ARCHITECTURE IN BISBEE IS TOTALLY AWESOME

Just one of the fascinating places we came across to-day was, The Shady Dell. Jeanie had said not to miss this.
Nine lovely fully restored vintage aluminum travel trailers are here in a cozy park like setting & are available for overnight or weekly rental. Their brochure says, "For once, experience the 1950's in full Technicolor. Met a friendly lady there who showed us inside one of the trailers. The old television was black & white & the 50's radio plays only that genre of music. It is truly like stepping back in time to the 1950's. There is even an old wooden yacht that can be rented for a stay. This is really a neat-0 place & I did take a bunch of photos here. http://www.theshadydell.com/ Also on the property is Dot's Diner. This little diner originally sat on the corners of Ventura & Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. It was closed to-day but we are definitely going to go back for some eats at Dots. http://offbeateats.blogspot.com/2008/01/dot-diner-bisbee-arizona.html VINTAGE TRAILERS OR THIS OLD BUS ARE AVAILABLE FOR OVERNIGHT OR WEEKLY RENTALS THE ORIGINAL DOT'S DINER FROM LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA

We were back to the ranch by 3:45. Jeanie & Ray were just putting the final touches on their upcoming travel plans. Their fifth wheel is all loaded up & they're just about ready to hit the road for a long overdo little holiday somewhere. While we were standing outside talking, Ray spotted an illegal alien walking across one of the fields about a half a mile away. He said that's not unusual in this area. JIMMY'S HOT DOG COMPANY....GREAT EATS

Nice moonrise over the Swisshelm mountains to-night........................

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