TOUCHING ON SOME TRAVEL PLANS FOR SEPTEMBER 2013

We are just so much enjoying this milder weather.  Even I myself haven’t been complaining about it being too hot with temps in the mid 80’s but I will like it even better this coming week when we drop into the 70’s.  EL-Perfecto:))

KELLY & PHEEBS HAD TO DO THE MORNING WALK ALONE, MY LEG WOULDN’T LET ME GO:((
Some of our Snow Birding friends have already headed north & some are already home.  Some are on the way & some are just getting ready to leave.  We will be following the gang in a few weeks & of course it is with mixed feelings again.  I always look forward to a change of routines so getting back on the road with a destination in mind is something I do look forward to.  But it is also sad every time we leave the southwest.  Our winter lifestyle here always seems more exciting, more invigorating, & more interesting for some reason.  In only a few weeks our little house will be sitting here all by itself again all closed up until we return sometime in the Fall.  And, knowing me I will be counting the days until we once again return to begin another winter anew in the great American south-west:))    

As expected, pretty much all of our time this winter was spent around the house & property working on a bunch of projects.  Maybe could have spaced out some of those projects over the next couple years but being the impatient people we sometimes are we just simply wanted to get as much done this first year as we could.  For me it’s always important to get things done before the novelty of new wears off.  By doing the bulk of the work this winter I figure that will free us up for future travels next winter.  After all, that was the whole idea behind having a home base in the southwest in the first place.

I’M GUESSING THIS FELLOW AS A HOUSE FINCH
We have already touched on plans for our return trip in the Fall & have both agreed we will plan on beginning our journey in early September & head straight for southern Colorado & Utah.  I’ve been wanting to do this trip for 3 years now & am thinking this just might be the year by golly.  From southern Utah we would eventually wander ourselves down through Arizona’s Monument Valley & eventually drop ourselves into our home base in Congress.  Well that’s the preliminary plan at this stage anyway & it’s only 5 short months away.  Bonus:))

CURVE BILLED THRASHER
We do more of something here than we do back home in Bayfield.  Relaxing outside.  Although we do have neighbors here we can’t see the folks place across the road & we never hear them except for their chickens & roosters.  Same with out back.  Can’t see the neighbor’s place but we do like hearing their horses.  And with our other neighbor around the corner having Sheep it sounds like we are living on a farm & that is just great.  I love the sounds of barnyard animals all around.  Now if we could just get those Javalina’s to ‘Oink’.  Now add to that the never ending twittering of birds from sunrise to sunset & it’s obvious why we spend more time outside here.  Oh & aside from some Yellow Jackets…..'no bugs’:)) 

INCA DOVE
Our Mexican neighbors to the north are visible but they are not a bother.  Like us, they are on the quiet side.  And with our house being about in the middle of our 1 acre we do have somewhat of a buffer zone around us.  However, we have a bothersome bunch of kids on our south side but we’re hopeful that problem will be resolved by the time we return in the Fall.  

Back home in Bayfield our neighbors are much closer than here.  It is just ‘one’ of the reasons we will continue looking for a quiet place in the country as soon as we get home.  With Real Estate prices being what they are in our area the chances of finding another ‘super deal’ are pretty slim but if one gives up & quits looking, one is apt not to find whatever it is one is looking for.  And we are always ‘looking’:))

Kelly picked up a bird bath in Wickenburg today so now the little bird fellers have a place to wash off all that pesky desert dust.  We enjoy sitting out near the bird feeders, Kelly with her book & me with my camera.  I have all the patience in the world to sit & take bird photos but getting a sticky wrapper off a popsicle could put me in therapy.

THIS LITTLE FELLOW WAS SO HAPPY TO SEE THE NEW BIRD BATH HE ABSOLUTELY LOST HIS HEAD
Nina from WHEELING IT has posted her Bisbee Part 2 adventures.  Some of you foody folks will like this segment with some favorite local eateries listed.  Glad they made it to the Bisbee Breakfast Club on old Erie Street.  This short street is a page taken right out of a period in time.  And THE TALLEYS are still toughing out the 90 & 100 degree heat in the desert near California’s Borrego Springs.  And that’s after being rocked last week by an earthquake.

It was an exciting time for us one year ago now but also a sad time as well.  With our departure time for home looming ever closer we were just on the go every single minute scrambling to get our newly acquired house in some semblance of shape before we left.  I was busy painting the kitchen as well as the kitchen cupboards.  Septic system in backyard was in the process of being inspected & repaired.  Arrangements were being made to have the whole house stuccoed, & a big clean up was underway both inside & out.  Furnishings were being gathered at garage sales & second hand stores.  It was an exciting time for us.  But it was a sad time for us as well as our little Cora’s (aka Motormouse) health continued to decline.  Little did we know that in just a short couple weeks she would no longer be with us. 

But of course we still have our ever happy, ever playful & our ever entertaining fabulous Pheebs.  What a joy she is as every single day she puts a smile on our slightly aging faces.
 
GROANER’S CORNER:((  Friend: "I suppose you carry a memento of some sort in that locket of yours?"
Woman: "Yes, it's a lock of my husband's hair."
Friend: "But your husband is still alive."
Woman: "I know, but his hair is gone."
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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.

I NEVER KNEW I HAD A PHLOG

Just an all round nice Saturday morning.  Our Mexican neighbors gave us a dozen Cactus pieces that had fallen off a couple of their tall Cactus plants.  This particular species was carried up all the way from Mexico years ago but she couldn’t remember the name of it.  That makes 35 Cactus plants into the ground in the last couple days.  Some of we northerners do like to surround ourselves with green plants:))

GATHERING UP SOME OF OUR NEIGHBOR’S CACTUS CLIPPINGS

LOOKS LIKE DEER MAY HAVE NIBBLED ON THIS ONE BUT I PLANTED IT ANYWAY >>>

Had an email from reader Dan this morning where in part he said, “Al, I read your ‘phlog’ every day”.  I thought Dan had himself a typo error there but he added…(photos & log).  Well, that’s a new one on me.  I’ve been writing this blog for about 6 years now & had never heard that before.  Or if I did hear it, I forgot it.  I obviously live a sheltered life.  I must get out more.  Phlog on Dude, phlog on:))

WE ARE SURE GOING TO MISS OUR MORNING DESERT WALKS SOON

Had written myself up a rather lengthy post on Boondocking for today but after reading it over I realized it was way too long.  I’ll get back to it another time & condense it into a much shorter Reader’s Digest version.  Good project for a rainy day. 

PHEEBS HOLDS UP HER LEFT FRONT PAW TO TELL US SHE HAS A STICKER

 

HURRY MOM:((

WE HAD TO USE TWEEZERS ON THIS PARTICULARLY NASTY BUNCH OF STICKERS

Many readers will remember RV Bloggers Laurie & Odel from SEMI-TRUE TALES OF OUR LIFE ON THE ROAD & many may remember their lovely Motorhome.  Settled comfortably in a sticks & bricks in northeastern California now they have decided it is time to sell their home on wheels.  Anyone interested in a top of the line coach with many quality up grades may want to want to slip on over to their site & take a tour of their rig.  Just click on the link above.

  

Keeping it short today by simply changing a couple words in one of of my tag lines to read…'It is not so much having nothing to write about as it is not having the interest to write about something.  Some days are just like that.  See y’all tomorrow night:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((   Just before his operation, a man was wheeling himself frantically down the hall of the hospital in his wheelchair.  A nurse stopped him and asked, "What's the matter?"
He said, "I heard the nurse say, 'It's a very simple operation, don't worry, I'm sure it will be all right.'"
"She was just trying to comfort you, what's so frightening about that?"
"She wasn't talking to me. She was talking to the doctor!"

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

JEEPERS HAS NEW TIRES, PHEEBS HAS NEW TOYS, & AL HAS A PHOTO ALBUM MEMORY LAPSE AGAIN:((

CAN YOU TELL WE DROPPED INTO SANDS GM DEALERSHIP IN SURPRISE ARIZONA AGAIN TODAY

How nice to be out after dark when it’s warm enough to wear a short sleeve shirt.  Walked around the property Thursday night thinking, wow maybe we should just stay here & how nice would it be if the whole winter was as warm as this.  Oh how Aunt Jean would have loved this weather if she were here now:))

EARLY SUNRISE ON THE DATE CREEK MOUNTAINS

We were up, out the door, & around the block for a walk before the sun even got itself over the mountains.  Had the Jeeps wheels rolling for the city of Surprise at the crack of 7.  Knew we had a hot day coming up, tires to replace, a GM dealership to see, & a little bit of shopping to do.  All that meant one thing for Pheebers.  She would be staying home in the nice cool house snoozing & relaxing.  And for me it meant the first time off the property (except for morning walks) since we returned from Borrego Springs over a week ago.  E-gads, what is becoming of me:((((( 

No problem finding DISCOUNT TIRE in Surprise this morning after we accidentally blundered right into it.  They took us right in at 8 a.m. as planned.  Forty minutes later we rolled out of their parking lot with 4 brand new Goodyear Armor Trac tires.  Have mostly good things to say about Discount Tire.  Staff was very friendly, organized, & the whole place seemed to run like a finely tuned Swiss Watch.  Sat at a big window & watched how all the young fellows in the shop smoothly worked together on about half a dozen vehicles in the bays.  But, I do have a ‘head’s up’ if you deal here because you may find some fees on your bill that you were probably not made aware of.  We weren’t.  #1. Ask them to explain the $19 charge for 'Guarantee Certificates’ on each tire.  #2. Ask them to explain the $16 ‘Lifetime Spin Balancing’ on each tire.  These 2 costs will add up to $140 & are not necessary.  We feel these 2 options should be made aware to the customer before the bill is made up…..not after!!  Aside from that I would recommend this place & for sure we would buy tires there again.  And, could tell right away the Jeep handled better.  Always a nice secure feeling knowing one has good tires.  Especially when towing it behind an RV.

 

JEEP HEADS IN FOR NEW TIRES…USED SPARE IS PUT ON

  

THE OLD & THE NEW:))

Ten minutes after leaving the tire facility we were at SANDS GM DEALERSHIP & of course I have more car photos.  Some kinda the same as before, some different.  No problem getting the no charge GM ‘Recall Update’ letter we had come for.  Friendly staff & this is a real hustle bustle place.  But, somebody had already beaten us to the punch & eaten the two boxes of free donuts before we got there:((  Also grabbed another spare key for the Sunseeker.  We’ll program that Sunseeker key in the morning when our brains aren’t so Zombified.

   

Nice big fairly new Walmart kiddy-corner from the GM dealership so we weren’t long in getting ourselves over there again for some groceries & stuff.  E-Gads, another hundred dollar bill gone.  Breakfast at the indoor McDonalds & we were back on the road headed for sleepy little Congress Arizona.  Always glad to put that big city nonsense in my rearview mirror where it belongs.  Slight high cloud cover today so our drive home was not as hot as we thought it would be.  We do not have A/C in the Jeep.

QUICK STOP AT McDONALDS IN WALMART BEFORE HEADING HOME

A quick stop at a garage sale netted Pheebs some more cuddly toys.  Her toy basket is already overflowing but she just seems to end up with more & more.  We get the biggest kick out of watching her ‘prance’ around with her new toys.  A yellow Duck, a brown Bear & a Christmas Hedgehog were just 3 of the toys that made the list today.

    

Our warm weather has really brought out the YELLOW JACKETS & we’ve had to change our habit of leaving the doors open.  Figure we should replace a few old torn window screens next winter as well.  I removed 3 Yellow Jackets from the Motorhome yesterday & Kelly took out 5.  Had to get some out of the house as well, they were landing on my porridge in the morning.  I don’t mind the little Wasp fellers so much but when they get between me & my porridge that’s where I draw the line!!

SOMEBODY’S FANTASY CORVETTE EMERGES FROM A DREAM

ABOUT $53,000+ WILL PUT THIS ONE IN YOUR DRIVEWAY 

Rainbows?  Who’s got rainbows?  The DUCKS got rainbows, that’s who:))

THIS IS ONE VERY LARGE DEALERSHIP

So happy to see Nina & Paul from WHEELING IT enjoying the quaint, picturesque, & artsy little Alpine like village of Bisbee Arizona.  While Ranch sitting for a few years we were just a short 20 minute drive northeast of Bisbee & took a real liking to this unique little hillside town.  It is a place like no other we have seen except maybe Jerome.  I have many posts & photos from our times spent in Bisbee.  If you type Bisbee into the search box at the top of our right hand column you can find many of those posts.  One of my favorite hobbies in Bisbee was to photograph it’s many colorful characters as well as the character of the town itself. My Bisbee album can be found here at…..BISBEE ARIZONA.....A FEW FINE MEMORIES.  This album may or may not open for you.  Since Google + took over Picasa’s Web Album format I have pretty much lost touch with all my photo albums.  Oh I know they are here or out there somewhere but I have forgotten where & lost touch with them again.  My aging memory does not serve me well sometimes.  It was just a fluke I found my Bisbee album.

 

And isn’t it nice I finally got through a post without having to get into all that vehicle/border/rules & regulations stuff again……:)) 

 

NOTICED SOME NEW BIRDS IN THE YARD TODAY BUT OF COURSE I DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE…2 ON LEFT WERE NOT MUCH BIGGER THAN A HUMMINGBIRD

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A tourist is sport-fishing off the Florida coast when his boat capsizes. He can swim, but he is so afraid of alligators that he clings to the overturned craft.
Spotting an old beachcomber standing on the shore, the tourist shouts, "Are there any gators around here?"
"Naw," the man hollers back, "they ain't been around for years."
The tourist breathes a sigh of relief and starts swimming leisurely toward the shore. As he nears the beach, he yells to the man, "How'd you get rid of the gators?"
"We didn't do nothin'," the beachcomber says. "The sharks got 'em."

- 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 LAST PHONE CALL TO THE CANADIAN BORDER HAS INFLUENCED OUR DECISION

I think it was the first time I have seen the Milky way stretch from horizon to horizon so clearly.  Beginning on the northeastern horizon in Cassiopeia it stretched across the heavens overhead through the flying swan known as Cygnus & on down into the southern hemisphere brushing through Sagittarius the great teapot & tickling the very tail of the large Scorpion, Scorpios.  Totally magnificent clear night time skies out here in Arizona:))

OUR NEIGHBOR’S STARTED THEIR WILDFLOWERS FROM JUST A FEW PLANTS CARRIED HOME FROM THE DESERT YEARS AGO

Kelly again phoned the Canadian border folks in Port Huron Michigan.  After talking with officials this morning we have made our decision as to where to register the Sunseeker.  And, it will be in Canada.  Bottom line is this……with our main residency in Canada the ‘vehicle has to be imported’.  And, by the way, Kelly does keep her Canadian Driver’s License & no, I will not be getting an Arizona driver’s license.

CAN YOU SEE THE LARGE STONE DESERT TORTOISE

We could still register it in Arizona & drive it to Michigan & store it until we return to the States in the Fall but that is not an option for us.  Wouldn’t think of storing a motorized vehicle for 6 or 7 months.  Besides, we want to use it for further travel in the coming summer months.  Plus, storing a vehicle comes with a whole lot of ‘what if’s.’ 

That 8 cylinder ‘gas guzzler’ charge mentioned in my Wednesday post is bogus.  Asked the official about that this morning & he said, ‘no such thing’.  The RIV (Registrar of Imported Vehicles) & A/C (Air Conditioning) are both factual charges & after double checking Kelly found out the RIV charge is $220 not $260 or $270.  The border official, as well as PETER also said, “The RIV inspection is free (at Canadian tire)! You have then already paid $220. That covers the inspection. The inspection itself is a 15-minute affair.  The $220 can be paid at the border crossing.  Peter also said, “As long as your main residence is in Canada you are not allowed to drive a vehicle with U.S. license plates into Canada.  We have been through it and it wasn't any fun at the border. They will stop you right there at the border”!  Barrie in the Shout Box is also correct with his information.  But, here’s something else we just found out this morning.  Not only do we need an updated ‘recall’ list from General Motors on our Sunseeker’s chassis but we also need one from Forest River the rig’s manufacturer.  GM’s letter which we will pick up in the morning at Sands GM dealership in Surprise is no charge.  Forest River on the other hand charged us $25 to send us a an updated ‘recall’ email:((  It’s one of the things that does not impress me about the human race.  Seems just about every human being always places waaaaay to much importance on making a dollar off every other human being.  Ohhhhhhh, don’t get me started!!

DESPITE HIS GROUCHY LOOK THIS YELLOW EYED CURVE BILL THRASHER HAS THE PRETTIEST  SONG

We know there are likely loopholes & short cuts to get around all this vehicle registration stuff but we do not want to take the chance of having Kelly’s American duel citizenship compromised in any way & that is exactly what can happen by trying to skirt around the edges with the Government. We will just simply play this one by the books, pay the fees, & rest secure in the knowledge we have done things right. If in the future we decide to sell the Sunseeker or something happens to one of us it will be far less complicated with a Canadian registration on the Sunseeker as well. And, ‘less complicated’ has been my latest two new buzz words these past few years.

YEP, GONNA NEED 3 VENT COVERS ON THAT ROOF FOR SURE

Now, to clear up another point.  Kelly phoned the Canadian Tire Store in Goderich Ontario this morning & was told they do not add an additional charge for their shop time.  I had some wrong info there again!!  My apologies to Canadian Tire of course.

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In conclusion, one thing is absolutely clear to me about all this.  Everything, & I mean everything you talk to people about whether they be Government Officials, friends, border personnel, neighbors, readers, Title Company people, Insurance folks, Ministry Of Transportation, vehicle dealers, on-line forums, the local candle stick maker, or Grubstake Joe & his lame duck horse out in the middle of Montana, it will be extremely rare for two pieces of information to ever be exactly the same.  And, it is that one fact more than anything else that makes most everything about anything soooooo confusing. 

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Example:  Three days ago we had a Canadian border official tell us it wouldn’t be any problem bringing our rig into Canada with Arizona registered plates.  This morning we had another border official at the same location explain in detail why that was not the case & why we could not do that.  So there ya go.  Who do you believe?  In our case we chose to believe the information we were given this morning & that is what our decision was based upon.  The fellow this morning just presented a far more detailed & logical approach as to what the proper procedure is & what in the long run would be best for us.

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Ever had a quilt over you & then been wrapped up in it like a sausage in a crescent roll & carried by paramedics & firemen out to a waiting ambulance for a jouncy stomach turning ride to the hospital?  No, me neither but it happened to MERIKAY Wednesday night.  And that was all before she encountered the Elephant thing-a-ma-jig. 

And for you outdoorsy adventurists I remind you to keep an eye on the, OH, THE PLACES THEY GO blog as these folks hike & explore the canyons & mountain trails of southern Utah right now.  One of my all time favorite scenic States:))

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With our temperatures soaring up into the mid 80’s today our shaded front porch has become a favorite spot.  House stays cool even without A/C but it’s that nice cooling breeze on the porch that just feels so right.  Despite the sun wanting to burn my skin off I find this dry heat easier to take than our hot & humid July/August weather in Ontario.  Humidity turns me into a ball of sticky paste & I find it stifling & soooo energy draining.  This drier Arizona air is definitely preferable as far as I am concerned.  I think this has been our hottest Arizona day since traveling the southwest & it feels just fine if you don’t let the sun burn your skin off that is.

WITH HOTTER DAYS NOW OUR FRONT PORCH HAS BECOME A FAVORITE SPOT

A steamboat cruise in Arizona?  What!!  Despite the recent sad loss of their beloved Basset Hound, Lucy, the folks over at THE FRITZ ADVENTURES have continued their travels east of Apache Junction.  It was along the Apache Trail drive they came upon Canyon Lake…& a Steamboat.  Check it out:))  I met Laurie, Bob, & Lucy just a few weeks ago:))

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Question about the Cactus I planted Thursday. Speed of growth depends on moisture. If Arizona has a wet summer the cactus will grow faster. The cactus I planted will definitely grow much faster than Saguaros for sure…………..

 

THESE ARE THE 2 MOTHER CACTUS PLANTS OUR 23 WEDNESDAY CUTTINGS CAME FROM  

We are off to DISCOUNT TIRE in Surprise Arizona in the morning for new tires.  Spent time on the phone today talking with a couple tire guys to determine what is best for our kind of Jeep driving & have come up with Goodyear’s ARMOR TRAC tires.  Had thought of going to a wider tire but the guys explained some of the problems with doing that.  One thing we forgot to do with our last set of new Jeep tires was rotate them.  Just plum forgot.  Discount Tire sends out reminders to people.  At my age, I need reminders. 

YEP, TIME FOR SOME NEW JEEP  TIRES ALRIGHT

Ok, & what did we do all day?  Easy one word answer……nothing!!  Well, at least that sums up my day but Kelly was pretty busy most of the morning making phone calls & enquiries about you know what.  Been trying to stay off my right leg & hip for a few days to see if that helps so it has been a pretty slow couple of days.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A man sitting at a lunch counter has just been served his food when he calls the waiter back.
"Waiter," he says, "can you explain why there is a footprint in the middle of this food that I ordered?"
"Yes, sir," replies the waiter. "You rushed in here, asked for a large omelet and told me to step on it."

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