I ALWAYS SEEM TO DEVELOP AN ATTACHMENT TO THINGS & PLACES

Knew we were in for a windy day when I heard the eaves outside my bedroom window rattling in the pre-dawn hours.  Brisk gusting northeast winds made flying difficult for even our backyard birds this morning.  Our birdfeeder was swinging to & fro like an old boogie woogie metronome.  I was glad I had taken our long poled wind sock down a few days ago.  Kelly took down her set of ‘peace flags’ on the front porch as well.  Couldn’t help but think it was a good thing we were not headed anywhere with the Motorhome earlier today.  Winds diminished as the day lengthened & we ended with nary an evening  breeze.

Needing a few groceries for the road we slipped on down to Safeway in Wickenburg.  Another stop at TSC for doggy food & a last stop at the Bank Of America to make sure our $3 was still safely in our savings account.  Affirming it was we were soon back to Congress.  Stopped into Sarge’s (John & Jackie) to say good-bye until we’re back & see them again in the Fall.  They have been a big help to us since moving to Congress a couple years ago.  John is just one of those big positive thinking Jolly Green Giant guys always standing by to lend anyone a hand who needs it.  Still a few more people to see before we leave.

Took the Motorhome in & topped up the propane tank.  Added some gas as well & it was right back home again.  Parked the rig in front of the house for shorter loading trips to carry out food etc.  Since making the decision to leave this past Tuesday morning I’m anxious now to just get the show on the road & get rolling.

GOING TO MISS SITTING ON OUR FRONT PORCH READING & LISTENING TO THE BIRDS IN THE SAGUAROS

A SHELTERED SPOT FOR SOME OF OUR SMALL CACTUS PLANTS OVER THE SUMMER

It’s kind of like leaving an old friend behind.  That is how I have felt these last 9 years leaving America’s southwest each Spring & heading back to Canada.  And especially these last 3 years leaving our little place in Congress Az.  It’s not a depression or gloomy feeling, just a wee bit of simple sadness.  Most people miss their friends & families but for me it has always been the material things.  The mountains, the deserts, our favorite places, taking photos of our backyard birds, quietly reading on our front porch, the sunrises & sunsets.  I’ll miss my clear night skies & Pheebs will miss her big fenced in yard.  We were just talking today on our way back from Wickenburg how much we like our Congress place & this whole area in general. I’m always a little sad when we leave our house in Bayfield all alone by itself for the winter & I feel even sadder when we leave our little old ranch style house here in Congress for the summer.  I always seem to develop an attachment to things & places.  Strange I know in the grand scheme of things yet I’ve been that way since ever I was just a little feller.  Friends seem to come & go but things & places for me have a trusting foreverness to them which can last just as long as I choose to remember them.  I am most comfortable with my things & places…….

GOING TO MISS THE BIG FULL MOON’S EVERY MONTH TOO

GROANER’S CORNER:(( I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult:

I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8-year old again.

I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four-star restaurant.

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make ripples with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them.

I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer's day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple. When all you knew were colors, multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care.

All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset.

I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good.

I want to believe that anything is possible.

I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.

I want to live simple.

I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness, and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind, and making angels in the snow.

So, here's my checkbook and my car-keys, my credit card bills and my 401K statements. I am officially resigning from adulthood.

And if you want to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first, cause "Tag! You're it!"

MORNING & AFTERNOON VISITORS TODAY

GOING TO MISS ALL THE MELODIC BIRD SOUNDS IN OUR BACK YARD WHEN WE LEAVE

We’ve been traveling to the southwest United States each winter for 9 years now & I have never seen a Rattlesnake or a Gila Monster.  Doug from Miss Adventure Travels in only his 2nd winter here just in the last few days has seen 2 Gila Monsters & 1 Rattlesnake.  And he has photos to boot.  Luckily he had Yuma on a leash when he encountered the Rattlesnake & 2nd Gila Monster.  The fact snakes are out now is another contributing factor for us to move on to cooler climates.  Even though Pheebs has had her anti-rattlesnake vaccine shots it is still a big worry for us.

MALE HOUSE FINCH

Occasionally in my posts I have mentioned Stanton Arizona.  This old gold mining ghost town is less than a half hour’s drive from our place in Congress.  We have been in & through Stanton a half dozen times & I have touched on the history of Stanton a few times but thought this couple explained it much better than I.  Thom & Dar are adventurous desert travelers & in this post from Thom & Dar's Sabbatical Journal for 2015 they not only talk about Stanton’s history but write about their 2 trips to the ghost town with the second one being along rough Jeep back roads.

  

2 OF OUR 3 FRONT YARD SAGUAROS

 

Renee from North Ranch dropped over to say hello & goodbye this morning.  You may remember it was from Renee & Dave’s place we hauled home all those big bricks awhile back.  Renee & Dave just bought & moved with their big 5th wheel onto a nice spot in North Ranch last year.  They also spend time at their property near Datil New Mexico during the hotter months of summer.  Nice folks for sure & I missed getting a picture of Renee this morning.  Some days I am much less impressed with my memory than other days.

NO MATTER WHERE ONE IS IT’S ALWAYS SO NICE TO SEE THE VIBRANT GREENS OF SPRING

 

Cloudy day but we had the nicest warm breeze in the morning.  Sky looked dark & grumbly at times this afternoon but we never did get any rain out of it.  Computer’s weather map showed other areas around us did.

Gaelyn from Geogypsy Traveler came down off the mountain this afternoon to say hello & goodbye before we rolled out in a few days.  Gaelyn’s home base for the winter months is in Yarnell atop the Weaver Mountains about a 10 minute drive from our place.  In the summer months Gaelyn works as a Ranger at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim.

WE’LL MISS ALL THE BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS ON OUR PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS AGAIN THIS YEAR

We have been monitoring the weather around the Grand Canyon area plus all the way up to Moab & so far weather is looking great for the next 10 days.  Yes we may have to put on an extra pair of socks at the Grand Canyon’s south rim but that’s fine & we are well aware it could be cooler there.  And with a bit of luck maybe those cooler temperatures will mean less people.  I did check the Canyon’s website & it stated a good time to visit the Grand Canyon was from March to May.  Less people:))))))

I’M MISSING OUR PLACE ALREADY & WE HAVEN’T EVEN LEFT YET

GROANER’S CORNER:(( An American couple was fond of England and of all things richly historic and aged. They decided to retire to London, where they hoped to buy a castle. Though that proved out of their price range, they did find a wonderful house, quite ancient, with a long and noble history.  They found this house during their July vacation. They sold their house in Chicago and in November they crossed 'the pond' to retire.
To their horror, they found that their new home was abysmally cold.  They immediately set about trying to get a central heating system installed. Sadly, they were told by contractor after contractor that, in a house that old, it simply wasn't feasible.  "I was afraid it would come down to this," the husband finally said.  "What, honey?" the wife asked. "We can't have archaic and heat it, too."

HOPE TO HAVE THE BIG WHEELS ROLLING MONDAY OR TUESDAY

CURVE BILL THRASHER WITH THE PRETTIEST OF SONGS IN A SAGUARO CACTUS RIGHT OUTSIDE MY BEDROOM WINDOW THIS AFTERNOON

When l can sleep at night with my window open I know hot days are upon us.  Not hot by summer standards or what the locals may consider hot here in Arizona but hot enough for both Kelly & I.  This much warmer weather was a contributing factor in our decision to head for cooler climates on our slow trek back to Ontario Canada.  We concluded that neither one of us felt much like sitting around for the next 3 weeks doing basically nothing then making a mad dash for home.  Might as well get out there & see some more of this beautiful country while we still can. 

In a blog comment Sharon from The Odd Essay in part says, ‘I don't know if you're like me, but once we have a plan I'm ready to hit the road...now.  Yes Sharon I am exactly like you that way.  Being the sometimes impatient person I am once I decide to do something it generally is right away on the spot I want to do it.  Like you I am that way with travel.  Let’s not just talk about….let’s just do it & let’s just do it right now!!  Of course after we decided on our new travel plans Tuesday morning I had my little knapsack packed & was ready for the road Wednesday morning.  Always fortunate for me that Kelly is here to take the wind out of my sails & keep us on a realistic & logical steady course.  Lots of loose ‘home owner’ ends to be tied up before we go & it’s best the loose ends are tied up properly.  We still want to get around & see some of our friends before we leave Monday or Tuesday morning as well.  And yes despite our rather reclusive ways we do actually still have some friends:))

We were happy a high thin cloud cover held our temperatures down for most of the day but the clouds did thin out a bit in the afternoon & when the sun shone through it was like someone had turned on a heat lamp. 

FOREGROUND CHAIR IS WHERE I TIP WAY BACK & LEISURELY TAKE MY BIRD PHOTOS

 

A few more things in the rig, did some vacuuming, watered a few plants, did a bit of reading & took a few bird photos.  Imagine next week at this time we may be somewhere around the south rim of the Grand Canyon if all goes according to plan.  It will be our third time there.

Several months ago near Borrego Springs California we had the great pleasure of meeting Lynda & Howard from stillhowlyntravels.  Lynda & Howard were just returning from one of their long runs in the desert when we drove up to their camp at the Clark Dry Lake Bed.  We were saddened this morning to read Lynda has suffered an unexpected medical setback.  Lynda & Howard have been on the road for 20 years living in their RV criss-crossing the country.  They have seen & done so many things in their travels that many of us can only dream about.  In her latest post Lynda writes about the difficulties confronting her.  We are wishing them all the best & hoping Lynda’s health will soon be on the mend. 

GROANER’S CORNER:(( After a rigorous drilling program, a group of ROTC cadets was about to board the trucks back to the barracks. Just for fun, the cadets fell into formation with their caps on backward.  The lieutenant in charge was indignant at this breach of military decorum and dressed down the cadet leader, "Cadet! I want to see those caps facing front Immediately!!!!!"  The young cadet captain was unshaken. He called his group to attention, then commanded crisply, "About face!"

---

Used to being the center of attention, young Robbie was a little more than jealous of his new baby sister. The parents sat him down and said now that she was getting older, the house was too small and they'd have to move.  "It's no use." Robbie said, "She's crawling good now and she'd probably just follow us."

NEW TRAVEL PLANS AFOOT:))

NEIGHBOR’S FLOWER GARDEN

These are difficult days for a blog writer like myself.  With not a lot going on it is difficult & quite a challenge to come with something creatively different let alone interesting each day & that includes photos.  I know ‘I don’t have to write a post every day’ but my problem is that ‘I want to write a post every day’.  It’s an outlet for me, it’s my entertainment if you will & it’s my way of communicating with folks.  And above all it’s my favorite hobby:))

GAMBLE’S QUAIL IN ONE OF OUR MESQUITE TREES

Couldn’t believe how warm it was already when I stepped out the door about 8 a.m.  Knew right away we were going to have ourselves a hot day.  With no A/C in the Jeep we knew we wouldn’t be going too far:((

CURVE BILL THRASHER

Mike brought our Jeep’s back seat back today.   Janna & Mike had borrowed it when they had company last week.  Today they are headed over to Salome for a weeks ATV’ing with a group of friends.

I’M HOPING OUR FLOWER GARDENS WILL SOMEDAY LOOK AS NICE AS OUR NEIGHBORS

Sitting on our front porch this morning talking about this & that I’ll be darned if we didn’t just up & hatch ourselves a whole new set of travel plans.  Looks like northern Arizona & eastern Utah with a stop at the Grand Canyon are back up on the drawing board again.  And we may be rolling out shortly:))))))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Johnny was at his first day of school. The teacher advised the class that each school day starts with the Pledge of Allegiance and instructed them to put their right hand over their heart and repeat after him.  As he starts the recitation he looks around the room, "I pledge allegiance... to the flag..." When his eyes fell on Johnny he found he had his hand over the right cheek of his buttocks.  "Johnny, I will not continue till you put you hand over your heart."  Johnny replied, "It is over my heart."  After several attempts to get Johnny to put his hand over his heart the teacher asked, "Why do you think that is your heart?"  "Because every time my Grandma comes to visit she pats me there and says, 'Bless your little heart,' and my Grandma wouldn't lie."

I NEEDS TO GET DONE WHAT I NEEDS TO GET DONE EARLIER IN THE MORNINGS NOW……..

VERY PLEASED AT HOW SOME OF OUR CACTUS ARE FINALLY COMING ALONG

With our days rapidly warming I have to be out early if I’m wanting to get anything done outside.  By 10 a.m. it’s already too warm for this guy to be working around in our yard.  By noon our front porch thermometer was reading 80F in the shade.

CRUSHED STONE ON THE PATHWAY 

  

Took advantage of the cooler morning & by 9 had planted a couple nice potted Cactus plants that had pads on them looking like Mickey Mouse ears.  Scrounged up a length of old wire fencing which has been sitting in the corner of our property since we bought the place & fashioned a couple wire cages around the cactus.  Pegged the bottoms down in hopes of keeping our local gang of rabbits from digging under the wire while we’re gone for the summer.  Managed to do some watering this morning as well as spread a few wheelbarrow loads of crushed red rock gravel on a few of our front yard cactus garden paths.

PLANTED THESE 2 MICKEY MOUSE LOOKING CACTI THIS MORNING

 

NEW PADS GROWING ON OUR PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS

So nice on our front porch this afternoon with a slight gusting cool breeze playing through our two large Saguaro’s just feet away.  Writing this now I am sitting in a comfy recliner, have my Kindle on a table beside me, my computer on my lap, & an ice cold tall cran/raspberry drink on tap.  The air is alive with sounds of nature.  A couple Cactus Wrens chattering from a Mesquite tree to my right with half a dozen sparrows chirping happily away in a tall Ocotillo in front of me.  I can hear the plaintiff cry of Mourning Doves nearby along with our neighbor’s chickens.  Neighborhood dogs must all be well into their afternoon Siestas.  Now & again I hear the unmistakable whir of hummingbird wings.  Busy Bees are active as well as the sounds of buzzing flies going by.  Even managed to up & slap me a whining Mosquito sneaking up somewhere around my left ear.

THOROUGHLY ENJOYING A GOOD BRUSHING THIS AFTERNOON

 

PHEEBS BROUGHT ‘SHUSTER THE ROOSTER’ OUT TO PLAY

JUST RELAXING & SOAKING UP SOME SUN

Called Aunt Jean in Florida Sunday night & she’s kinda apprehensively excited about some changes coming up.  The nice condo complex where she has been living for over 20 years was once inhabited by older mature tenants but most of those folks have passed away or moved on & the building has filled up with younger Spanish speaking families with children.  Aunt Jean has decided the time for her to move has come so the hunt is on in earnest now for a newer quieter condo.  She has her eye on a 55+ community not far from her on Tippy Canoe Lake.  Already put a bid in on one place but it was too late & the condo unit was sold.  It’s a big decision & a big move for someone well up into their 80’s but Aunt Jean is just the person to pull it off.  She has a lot golfing friends standing by to help her with the move.  And speaking of golf Jean still hits the golf course every Tuesday for 18 holes & was pretty excited this week when she got two ‘birdies’ on the front nine.  Now that doesn’t mean she clobbered 2 little birds with her golf club of course.  In golfing terms it might be fair to say it’s second best to a ‘hole in one.’  Yep, lots of excitement going on down there in that Sarasota Florida place:))

Had a startling few seconds of fear & confusement late this afternoon while out in the front yard taking a few photos for tonight’s post.  We have the sound of fighter jets high in the air out here in Congress 5 & 6 days a week.  As often as not when I hear them close overhead I look skyward trying to spot the planes.  There is always two of them.  Most times I cannot see them but today was for a few seconds frightfully different.  Heard the roar of jet engines coming in close so I turned & looked up.  Have you ever looked at something & it made no sense?  In a split second my eyes flashed a message to my brain, ‘something’s not right here.  I saw two objects very low & close together.  The wing configurations on what I was seeing instantly told me these 2 fighter jets were diving straight for the ground & what appeared to be straight for me.  But something still wasn’t right with what I was seeing.  I could still hear the roar of the jet engines but the planes did not seem to be getting instantly closer.  They were unexplainably hanging in the air as if not moving.  A split second later I saw a slow lateral movement to the left.  Jet aircraft do not move like that!!  Keep in mind this whole incident happened in the space of maybe 3 seconds.  I stood transfixed watching these two objects trying to make sense of what I’m seeing. Then another movement much higher in the sky behind the 2 object caught my eye.  Another half second & my eyes flashed another quick message to my brain & my brain instantly figured out what I was seeing……Turkey Vultures!!  Yep, a flock of 7 Turkey Vultures two of which were probably less than a hundred feet over my head & it was those two I associated with the coincidental roar of the jet engines.  It was a classic example of what my ears were hearing, my eyes were seeing, & my mind was struggling to make sense out of.

THIS BEAVER TAIL CACTUS WILL SOON HAVE BRIGHT FUSCHIA COLORED BLOOMS

Darrell has an interesting & informative post up about his visit to The Reagan Library located in the Simi Valley of California.  In the building is President Reagan’s Air Force One.  Darrell makes the statement, “ It is much smaller inside than I anticipated.”  I remember thinking the exact same thing when I toured inside JFK’s early Air Force One (or was it the back up plane to Air Force One) at Tucson’s Davis-Monthan Air Base On January 1rst of 2007. 

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Anyone who's ever ridden in a cab in Rome, Italy, knows they're some of the world's most brazen drivers. Oddly enough though, their current accident rate isn't all that bad.  I asked one of the drivers one day the reason for that.  "Easy," he said. "All the bad drivers are dead."