I WILL TURN MINE DOWN IF YOU WILL TURN YOURS DOWN…….

A strong cold wind blowing from the north was enough to yank our front screen door from my hand this morning.  Didn’t bother Pheebs though, she was out the door like a rocket ship chasing a bunny across the yard.  She never comes close to catching them but I like seeing her excitement & energy. 

<<< RED TAIL HAWK

Aunt Jean just got out of Dodge in time.  Strong gusting icy winds kept us house bound like a couple chilled Zombies all day.  Heaters going full tilt.  Dashed out the front door to take a quick pic of the house for tonight’s post & dashed right back inside again.  Even our 2 big Saguaros were teetering & shivering in the wind. 

I was tempted to make my way out the driveway & hang a ‘For Sale’ sign on the fence, except it probably would have been instantly blown away.  Warm Florida sunshine seemed like a good option today & we know there are cheap properties there.  But, whoaaaaa back there Pardner.  Give yer head a shake!!  Only thing I hate worse than cold weather, is hot muggy weather, so I had better get that thought  cleared out of my head right quick.  But, let’s face it…..anywhere is better than being stuck in miserable cold & snow infested northern winter climates like back home for months on end.  Anywhere!!  

Despite the differences in location, our nightly routines seldom differ.  At home in Bayfield, Kelly watches TV in the living room while I am at work on my blog & listening to my music in the sunroom.  Distance between these 2 rooms is far enough not to have the sound from one room bother the other.  Not so here in Congress.  We are in adjoining rooms.  Me with my Sirius satellite ambient music & Kelly with her television sounds.  Sometimes it seems I can’t here my music as well because of louder TV noise in the next room.  Kelly has the same problem with  louder music sounds in my room.  With each one of us nudging our sound up a tad, it has become quite a dilemma.  Neither one is edging the sound up to drown out the other, it’s just a matter of trying to hear one’s own sounds better.  Oh dear, it is such a dilemma we sometimes have with ourselves.

OUR NEIGHBOR HAS QUITE A GROWING FAMILY OF SHEEP

 

MAMA SHEEP PUTS THE RUN ON PHEEBS

 

The days are slipping by faster now & in another month we will be in the early stages of getting organized for our trip back to Bayfield Ontario.  Not as much free RV storage space going back as we came with so we’ll be carefully making decisions as to what stays & what goes.  Our electronics & any valuables will go with us, but I might leave behind some socks & underwear just so any possible robbers will not feel jilted when they don’t find anything of value here.

AND A BIG THANK YOU TO DIANNE FOR MAKING THIS BEAUTIFUL HAND MADE SOUTHWEST WALL HANGING FOR OUR HOUSE…DIANNE & HARRY OWN STORMRUNNER RV SALES & SERVICE IN BAYFIELD, ONTARIO:))

My right leg is still improving but I’m not out of the woods yet.  I am able to walk pain free again & have not had to take any pain meds for nearly a month.   Have to be careful of any unusual turns or twists though because I can still get a short sharp jabbing pain in my upper right leg groin area.  Hardest thing on my right leg is getting in & out of the Jeep.  Especially getting out.  That one hurts me every time.  Might have to trade my Motorcycle in for a Scooter when we get home so I do not have to swing my leg over the seat.  Guess maybe I could always ride side saddle…..and carry a purse:((  

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Thought the comments were interesting about that frosted object on the dash of that 55 Chevy Bel Air convertible in Saturday night’s post. (I had mis-identified it as a Corvette at first)  Never would have guessed it had anything to do with traffic lights or diffusing oncoming lights.  I do not recall ever seeing one years ago.  Of course, we never had any traffic lights in the small southern Ontario town I lived in at the time either.

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No matter which way you slice it, getting into or out of the top bunk in a Class C can be difficult. Ladders are generally used & we do have a heavy duty well built metal ladder. However, the rungs are narrow & hard on bare or sock feet. Tried it a couple times & that was enough of that. Easier to step up on the back of the dinette to climb into the bunk. A commenter suggested widening the steps & if we replace the dinette at some point, that is probably what we will have to do. If I don’t lose some weight soon I may have to look into the possibility of installing a hydraulic lift:((

OUR LITTLE 2012 23’ CHEVY SUNSEEKER PATIENTLY AWAITS WARMER DAYS & NEW HORIZONS

Some readers may remember it was a year ago at this time Pheebs was doing all that cow smooching.  We were boondocked just south of Congress Arizona. 

  

And, it was just one year ago Saturday (23rd) that we first stumbled upon our little rough & tumble house on Ghost Town Road.  Here’s what I wrote in my blog at the end of that day…… “We are always on the lookout for a little piece of property with 3 or 4 acres & a house on it so Kelly had spotted one for us to look at. No big acreage but the house was listed as quietly private so we found it on Old Ghost Town Road & had a look at it. Even had 3 Saguaros out front. Could be had for low to mid 30’s probably, but it was older, in need of repair, & just didn’t have the WOW factor going for it. And…..there were neighbors:(( Not so good!! Our search continues. Like I have said many times, whether RVing or living in a sticks & bricks, the only thing we want to see around us is the fine & undisturbed works of Mother Nature”.

 

THESE ARE THE FIRST 2 PICS I TOOK OF WHAT WOULD BECOME OUR  ‘FUTURE SOUTHWEST HOME’

OUR DIGS 1 YEAR & 1 DAY LATER

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A swimming instructor at a Los Angeles university was quizzing a group of students on Red Cross life saving and water safety techniques.
They answered all of her questions easily until she posed this one: "Which article of clothing would you remove last if you fell from a boat or dock fully clothed?"
Everyone mentioned something different. It was evident that no one knew the correct answer, so the instructor helped out. "The blouse," she said, "because the air gets under the blouse and acts like a buoy!"
The subsequent uproar ended the class.

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

A FINAL FAREWELL & IT WAS OFF TO THE NEAREST CHEVY DEALER……….

We were all up early this morning & on the move.  There was no sitting around in our PJ’s & housecoats leisurely drinking coffee & chit chatting.  Jean had her suitcase all packed, I skipped my shower & breakfast while Kelly took care of some early morning computer stuff.  Jean said a final goodbye to a little sad faced Pheeber doggy.  It was dark, & we were on the road by 5:35 a.m.

 
 
PHEEBS & JEAN SAY GOODBYE
 
Not a lot of traffic all the way to Surprise Arizona.  Golden Corral didn’t have it’s lights on so I drove right by it.  We circled back through the Mallopollis maze of parking lots & found it no problem.  Again, it was sad sitting there watching the dawn break over a distant mountain range knowing we would be saying goodbye in a few minutes.  The shuttle van was right on time.  Suitcase out of the Jeep, a last hug before helping Jean into the van, a final wave, and she was gone………………….:((

JEAN PACKS AWAY HER WINTER MITTS…WON’T BE NEEDING THEM IN FLORIDA
 
A FINAL WAVE

AND, THE BLUE SHUTTLE VAN HEADS FOR THE AIRPORT
Kelly & I drove away reflecting back on Jean’s visit & how much we enjoyed having her here.  But alas, it was time to move on & we had ourselves another immediate mission to take care of.  When we bought the Sunseeker, we only got one set of keys.  The Chevy key is a chip key so we had to have another one made at a GM dealership not too far from where we had dropped Jean off.  Only took us about 15 minutes to reach the western side of Surprise & pull into the SANDS CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP.  Wow!!

 
I’ve seen a few big fancy schmancy car dealerships before, but this one kinda took the cake.  First thing that caught my eye was the row of vintage Chevy Corvettes in the showroom.  The photos below will show the display better than I can describe it.

 

1959 CHEVY IMPALA
No problem getting a second key made &  Kelly had already checked our Chevy manual to see how we could program the key to our Sunseeker ourselves.   I think the key cost us around $30.  The waiting room had a lunch bar with fresh coffee brewing & 3 big boxes of fresh donuts.  I wasn’t long in getting my face into a sticky sugar coated lemon filled donut.

 
NICE WAITING ROOM

KELLY PAYS FOR THE NEW SUNSEEKER IGNITION KEY
Beautiful morning as we headed the short distance to a fairly new Walmart for a few groceries.  Dragged ourselves through an indoor McDonalds & hit the road for Congress.  Easy drive all the way back & we rolled into the driveway about 9 a.m.  Of course Pheebs came bounding out of the house right away running around looking for Aunty Jean. 

THIS V-8 ENGINED MOTORCYCLE IS FASHIONED AFTER A 1957 CHEVY
 
Kept ourselves busy for the rest of the morning.  I had the vacuum out sucking up dust bunnies while Kelly tackled a load of laundry.  I later got a load of laundry done as well.  Moved all my stuff out of the Sunseeker back into my room as we worked away at getting ourselves re-organized.  It was good for me to keep myself busy or I would have been feeling sad about Jean leaving.

We are fortunate here at the house to have an outside RV sewer hook-up in our back yard.  Must have been put in by a former owner.  I simply drove the rig around to the back of the house later this morning & lined up with the in-ground sewer pipe.  It was the first time dumping the tanks on the Sunseeker & everything went off without a hitch.  Now, how handy is that, having an RV dump station in one’s own back yard.  This rig also has a backwash hookup for the black tank so I easily flushed it out using the hose/flush/spray system.  Nice feature.

We spent a fair bit of time in the rig this afternoon discussing plans for the dinette area, organizing drawers, etc.  I also spent time with the radio re-tweaking the sound again & familiarizing myself with the iPod workings.  I can no longer rely on my memory to instantly retain things so it is repetition that works best for me.  If I do something over & over long enough, it has a better chance of sticking to my brain cells.  So, when I say I spent a fair bit of time with that touch screen computer Mossmagator of an entertainment center in the Sunseeker, I meant I did just that.  If I go out there in the morning, turn on the radio & can’t remember anything…….I’m gonna take a long walk of a short pier!!!!

Following our Chevy manual instructions later this afternoon, we were successful in programming our new Sunseeker ignition key.  Kelly read the easy instructions & I did the very strenuous & somewhat hard physical task of turning the key to the correct positions at the correct times….as instructed of course:))

AM WONDERING IF ANYONE KNOWS WHAT THAT FROSTED GLASS OBJECT IS FASTENED TO THE DASH OF THIS OLDER CHEVY BELAIR  
GROANER’S CORNER:((  After a long, dry sermon, the minister announced that he wished to meet with the board following the close of the service.
The first man to arrive and greet the minister was a total stranger. "You misunderstood my announcement. This is a meeting of the board members," explained the minister.
"I know," said the man, "but if there is anyone here more bored than I am, then I'd like to meet him..."
-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

OUR LAST MORNING DESERT WALK WITH AUNT JEAN:((

First thing I do upon awakening every morning is to peer out the window scanning the sky for stars.  Lots of stars visible this morning so knew we were going to start the day under sunny skies.  For me, that is always encouraging.  And, especially this morning because it would be our last desert walk with Aunt Jean.

IT WAS A 2 HAWK MORNING WALK

It was with mixed feelings as Aunt Jean, Kelly, Pheebs & I headed through the old cowboy gate out into the desert.  Jean leaves Saturday morning & we will be on the road to Surprise Arizona before the sun is up.  A Blue Shuttle Van will pick her up where it dropped her off a couple short weeks ago at the Golden Corral.

  

Jean has said several times, this will be her last trip west & I couldn’t help but think of that as we ambled along our familiar morning trail for the last time.  Jean loves the big rock formations in the desert so we spent time walking amongst & marveling at the wondrous forces of nature.  So nice seeing Jean enjoying herself walking amongst the rocks. 

OUR VERY MUCH MOST FAVORITE INTREPID EXPLORER

Health issues are a concern now, the long flight was difficult, & the cold weather really took it’s toll.  But, we have to look on the bright side.  Having Aunt Jean come west for the past 2 years has been a great adventure for all of us.  How nice it has been watching her enjoy herself.  The Jeep rides, the rock scrambles, great suppers, the chats, morning coffee, evening ‘Dragon’s Den’ television, afternoon snoozes, a campfire, play times with the Pheebs, bird watching, & my personal favorite…morning desert walks.   The list goes on.   I asked Jean what her favorite time was in the past couple weeks, & as expected, it was the day we Jeeped ourselves out to House Rock.  Nearby was a formation of rocks she had seen on our header picture before coming west this year.  And, it was those rocks she most wanted to see.  Jean’s favorite moments can be found here at, A PERSONAL TRIUMPH FOR AUNT JEAN:))  Adventures & memories we will all have with us forever. 

Rest of our day was quiet.  In fact, so quiet that I missed part of it.  Rare for me to sleep during the day but sleep I did for awhile this afternoon.  Jean & I had talked for quite awhile about years gone by & reminisced about our old home town of Tavistock Ontario.  People we had remembered, family members past & present, school teachers old enough to have taught us both, future plans, hopes & dreams, & just about anything we might not have a chance to talk about again.  Our conversation was as enjoyable as it was sad.

At some point in the afternoon Jean attempted a crossword puzzle & it put her to sleep.  I pulled out my Chevy Chassis manual to look up a few things & I was gone too.  Nothing puts me to sleep faster than trying to read something.  My eyes quickly tire & my body soon follows.  The ingredients on a corn flakes box could have me unconscious in minutes.

Woke up just in time to haul myself out of my chair, put my hat on, & join the ladies heading out the door for supper.  It was a short trip to Nichols West.   Jean really enjoyed her Shrimp & Kelly enjoyed her Spring Rolls & Beet salad.    

 

JEAN CHECKS THE MENU AT NICHOLS WEST       

GROANER’S CORNER:(( 

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