HAD TO THROTTLE MYSELF BACK TODAY

AT THE CONGRESS MERCANTILE STORE TRYING TO DECIDE ON A KITCHEN TABLE

As expected, I kinda overdid my brush clearing Saturday, so today was pay back time & I spent most of the day inside out of the heat working on a few easy house projects. Set up our Shaw satellite dish & found the Anik satellite right away. However, we had to re-activate our receiver after being dormant for 7 months & that cost Kelly two & a half hours out of her day just sitting with her Skype headset  on waiting for someone at Shaw to acknowledge her call.  She was told the long delay had to do with so many people calling in with problems resulting from Hurricane Sandy.  If Kelly would have hung up she would have lost her place in line.   Within seconds of having someone on the line, our receiver was updated & we had our first picture on the new TV.  Gotta love that high definition stuff.  Upgraded our package as well in an effort to find some interesting programs for a change….if that is at all possible:((   Now I can totally aggravate myself with CNN again. So glad to get away from the local stations we were pulling in with our antennae while in transit last week. And Phil, no, I don’t think we ever did see a Phoenix station.

KELLY FINALLY MAKES CONTACT WITH SHAW DIRECT & WE LATER REPLACED THAT TV TABLE WITH A BETTER ONE

Kelly had dropped into the Congress Mercantile Store again Saturday & spotted a used wooden dining room table with 4 wood chairs she liked. Plus, a small table to put our television on. Took us about 3 minutes to drive over & have a look at those things. Came home with the items we looked at in the store.  Store owner Judy was again helpful with local information & co-owner husband Jerry was good enough to deliver the 2 tables & 4 chairs for us. At least we now have a table to sit down & eat at.  We do not have a table in the Motorhome so I’m gonna miss sitting in my chair dribbling soup down my shirt.  With the purchase of the little dining room table, we will now move lock, stock, & barrel into the house Monday but will continue to sleep in the Motorhome until we get the bed problem figured out.

IT’S STARTING TO LOOK A LITTLE MORE LIKE HOME EVERYDAY…STILL HAVE TO FINISH PAINTING THOSE CUPBOARDS & DRAWERS

And a reminder to folks to check their Spam folders occasionally. I never seem to remember to do that & Kelly happened to find 4 comments in there from folks over the past month or so. Found one in there from Karen & Steve a month ago. And another one from Linda A. No idea why they end up in a Spam folder & I have no idea on how to prevent that.

 

KELLY CARRIES IN THE LAST KITCHEN CHAIR & JERRY TELLS US A BUNCH OF STUFF ABOUT SAGUARO’S WE NEVER KNEW.  HE ESTIMATES OURS TO BE ABOUT 200 YEARS OLD  

I seem to recall a recent commenter asking something about Rattlesnakes. So far in all our southwest travels we have never seen one. We know they are around & probably close by sometimes, but so far so good. They are not active in the cooler cold weather but with the hot days we are having right now they could be out & about. It was on my mind the past couple days as I have been clearing brush on the property. I'm careful not to stick my hand anywhere I can't see & I am relying on the Rattlers to at least give me a buzz if I'm getting too close. A wire fence will not stop them from coming on the property but a special wire around the bottom helps. An adobe wall would keep them out but it's just much too expensive for us to wall in our entire property. Our main reason for fencing is to keep the Javelinas (wild pig like critters) out. They will kill a dog pretty quick & can cause serious injury to people. And, they are in the habit of coming into our back yard at night.  At least they were last March when we were here.

 

TOOK THESE JAVELINA PHOTOS NEAR ELFRIDA ARIZONA IN NOVEMBER 2011

Casita Wren had a question about how we stay warm on cold nights while traveling. We had a Legacy Blue Flame Heater installed in Quartzsite about 4 years ago. It is extremely rare for us to run the rig's furnace. Doesn't take up much space, throws a great heat, & runs on propane. It's thermostatically controlled so we just set it for whatever. And, it has a pretty blue flame fireplace look. Very fuel efficient & we never RV without it. Interestingly enough, they are, or were, made in Mississauga Ontario but could only be bought in the States…Side note:  While looking for the Legacy website I came across a page that said ‘images of Blue Flame heaters.  When I clicked on THIS SITE a multitude of photos came up.  And, there was our little Motormouse.  Second photo in shows Motor sitting beside our blue flame heater in Quartzsite back in January 09.  Seventh photo in is Motor on my bed snuggling with her Teddy Bear.  No Legacy Blue Flame Heater in sight….just our little Motormouse (Cora) & her Teddy.  Motor died the very night we left our house in Congress last March for the long sad drive home to Bayfield Ontario. 

OUR LITTLE MOTORMOUSE JUST A COUPLE DAYS BEFORE SHE WAS GONE

We are still waiting to hear back from the fence guy who we think is in Mexico at the moment. Met our next door neighbors on our north side for the first time Saturday. Nice folks & it just so happens they are best friends with the fence building guy so they assured us they would get us a good deal on the fencing. I could tell the neighbor lady was very happy about me cleaning up our big weed infested overgrown property. Bud, our neighbor to the south is in California until January so we haven't seen him.

NOTHING FANCY, JUST OUR FIRST MEAL IN THE HOUSE…CHILE CON CARNE:))

When Kelly opened our front door tonight to take Pheebs out, a bird quickly flew right into the house.  Took nearly 5 minutes to catch the little feller but I was finally able to cup it softly in my hands & return it to the outdoors.  This little bird turned out be a persistent fellow & nearly got right back inside again.  Quickly closed the door but it tried to get through our screen.  Clung to that screen for quite awhile watching us.  I was close enough to the little guy to see it’s feathers moving from it’s beating heart.  We were on an eye to eye level only inches way.  One of us finally blinked & he flew up into the rafters of our porch & headed for bed.

These hot days bring warm nights, so I was outside with my binoculars tonight.  The Milky Way stretched from horizon to horizon & seemed almost close enough to reach up & touch.  One of my favorite constellations, the Pleiades (Subaru or Seven Sisters) was visible low on the northeastern horizon.  My 7x50 binoculars have always revealed far more stars in this cluster than are visible with the naked eye.  But, when I put my new 15x70 Celestron binoculars on my tripod & looked at the Pleiades for the first time through them, I was totally amazed at how many more stars in that cluster were now visible.  A much different star pattern than I had seen before.  From the Pleiades I followed the Milky way & swung up through Perseus & Cassiopeia.  The sky was literally littered with billions of what appeared to be patches of light fog.  The glow of light from stars so far away they are not even visible.  How great it is to be under the big Arizona night sky again………..:))

ONE OF MY MOON PHOTOS TAKEN FROM NEAR ELFRIDA ARIZONA, DECEMBER 21RST 2010 NIKON D50 – 700mm TELESCOPE LENS

GROANER'S CORNER:(( After digging to a depth of 100' last year, Russian scientists found traces of copper wiring dating back a 1000 years, and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network at that time.
So as not to be outdone, in the weeks that followed, American scientists dug 200', and headlines in the US newspapers read: "US scientists have found traces of 2000 year old optical fibers, and have concluded that their ancestors already had advanced high-tech digital telephone 1000 years earlier than the Russians."
One week later, the Irish press reported the following: "After digging as deep as 500', Irish scientists have found absolutely nothing. They have concluded that 5000 years ago, their ancestors were already using mobile cell phones".

--------------------------------------------------------------
- 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 PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

TANGLING WITH THE MESQUITES & PALO VERDES

NOPE, NOT A MOUNTAIN, JUST A HIGH ROCKY RIDGE A BLOCK BEHIND OUR HOUSE…I’M HOPING TO CLIMB MYSELF UP THERE SOMETIME THIS WINTER

Warm enough overnight to have the window beside my bed open. I was lulled to sleep by Crickets & awoke in the morning to the sound of our local Rooster up the road. Now, how nice is that. Under a half moon high overhead Pheebs & I had a nice walk around the front yard about 4:30. The air was very still as the Moon's warm glow cast it's soft light on our Saguaros, Palo Verde & Mesquite trees. A small bunny slipped around a large Prickly Pear cactus. Pheebs didn't see it. I think this quiet time just before sunrise is my favorite of day. And, it was warm enough to totally appreciate it. Another bonus.....sounds like we have a Great Horned Owl nearby & how nice to hear the mellow sounds of hooting in the night.

CAN WE GO BACK TO BAYFIELD MOM & DAD WHERE I WON’T GET SO MANY STICKERS IN MY PAWS:((

We luckily landed in Congress two days before the free community waste management week-end so we were able to get rid of a couple Jeep loads of garbage. Of course a Jeep load of anything isn't too much but we did manage to get rid of an old aluminum door, a tire, half a dozen flattened cardboard boxes, a tin awning, & strangely enough, a sponge cushion seat that may have come out of an old RV. It was lying behind the house & was definitely not there when we left in March. We also noticed some big tire tracks that were not here when we left so am wondering if someone with an older RV stopped in here for an overnighter at some point & threw the seat cushion affair behind the house. Hmmmmmm. Just another reason for us to get a fence with a gate installed. Especially when we are not here for 6 months of the year.

ROBBERS BEWARE….WE HAVE SSS!! A ‘SPENCER SECURITY SYSTEM’!!

Kelly headed off in search of some Saturday morning garage sales but came home a few hours later empty handed. Even went as far as Wickenburg.  I spent a total of 6 hours trimming Palo Verde & Mesquite trees. Sure wished I had brought my chain saw, but my manual Swede saw does pretty good & the exercise is good for my arms. Those thorny Mesquites can rip a feller up pretty good so I wore a long sleeve shirt & thick gloves. About 10 o'clock I had to switch to short sleeves & the Mesquite branches didn't waste any time getting at me. Despite the heat I hung in there & got myself a lot done before taking a 2 hour break before having another go at it for a couple more hours. Just the way it used to be years ago before this unwelcome age crap began to creep in & slow things down a bit. No matter, I enjoy the yard work.

GETTING MYSELF A FEW PILES OF TREE LIMBS GATHERED UP

CLEARING BRUSH ALONG THE BACK YARD PROPOSED FENCE LINE

  

YEP, AL FINALLY SAW THE LIGHT……..:))

This is our first experience with an RV in hot weather & I must say I am surprised at how blasted hot it can get inside the coach. If we were boondocking now we would for sure have to move to higher altitudes to escape the hot days. Because we do not have a couple beds yet, we are still pretty much living in the Motorhome. Seems a little silly because the house is so nice & cool. And, the Verizon signal in the house works great as well, even with the router out in the rig. Right now typing this I am in the house sitting in my recliner with nice ambient music on the IPod/Bose system. Now that the house is filled with music, it feels like home to me. A small fan brings me a soft breeze, a glass of cold Cranberry Ginger quenches my thirst, Pheebs is lying beside my chair & Kelly is on the sofa writing down some measurements for a table to put our television on. Sometimes I just have to up & give myself a good pinch to see if this is all real. It's like Kelly said yesterday, we are kinda like boondocking in a desert setting on our own property.....with a full size kitchen & bathroom. And my fav, a big shower with a big supply of hot water:))))))

I REALLY DO TRY TO SMILE IN PHOTOS, BUT MY FACE IS JUST NOT ONE OF THOSE ‘SMILEY FACE’ EMOTICONS 

Not sure if I mentioned this before but the 5 Cactus plants I hurriedly & temporarily planted last March have all survived. I was afraid the Javalinas would have eaten or trampled them. Right now they have a lot of weeds all around & close by, but as soon as I get some flowerbeds figured out I will move them into their permanent spots.

WE DO HAVE ENOUGH ROOM HERE TO PARK A COUPLE RV’S IF NEED BE

Have I mentioned lately how much fun we are having. Of course ‘fun’ may mean different things to different people of course.  Just got out of Bayfield in time because they are really having some very depressing November weather. Rain & temps in the low to mid 30's. Better give myself another pinch as we had to tough out another perfectly warm day here in sunny Arizona.  Weatherman says we have cooler temps headed our way next week.  

Everything we plant here will be native plants. Much the same way we did it in Bayfield. Whatever grew naturally in the forest I dragged home & planted. We did look at some plants at the new Congress Mercantile place along highway 89 & I think we'll try to keep our spending local. Very helpful & friendly lady who grew up in these parts & knows her plants. She has a lot of groovy stuff in her store.

AT THE CONGRESS MERCANTILE WE LIKED THE CALIFORNIA PEPPER TREE ON LEFT & YELLOWBELLS ON THE RIGHT

Couple questions in our Shout Box abut MPG with the Motorhome & does Kelly drive it. I have no idea how many miles we get to the gallon & it's probably best I don't know that or we might never get out of Bayfield. The way I look at it is, we knew going into the RV lifestyle it was going to be expensive.  With the ever rising cost of fuel it was just one of the things we had to accept for the Snow Bird lifestyle we chose. I can tell you one thing though, it cost us just under a thousand dollars for gas to travel about 2300 miles……. And, Kelly has driven the Motorhome but I pretty much do all the driving. Kelly drove large school buses years ago so can handle it if necessary. I must admit, I am a driving hog. It is the only place in a vehicle where I feel totally comfortable & relaxed. I am not a good passenger at all.

NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE AT SUNRISE

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A woman and a man are involved in a car accident; it's a bad one. Both of their cars are totally demolished but amazingly neither of them are hurt.
After they crawl out of their cars, the woman says, "So you're a man, that's interesting. I'm a woman. Wow, just look at our cars! There's nothing left, but fortunately we are unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should meet and be friends and live together in peace for the rest of our days."
Flattered, the man replied, "Oh yes, I agree with you completely!"
"This must be a sign from God!" The woman continued, "And look at this, here's another miracle. My car is completely demolished but this bottle of wine didn't break. Surely God wants us to drink this wine and celebrate our good fortune."
Then she hands the bottle to the man, The man nods his head in agreement, opens it and drinks half the bottle and then hands it back to the woman.
The woman takes the bottle, immediately puts the cap back on, and hands it back to the man.
The man asks, "Aren't you having any?"
The woman replies, "No. I think I'll just wait for the police..."

---------------------------------------------------------------
- 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 PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

GOT A LITTLE CROWDED IN THE JEEP TODAY

OUR FIRST MORNING DESERT WALK OF THE SEASON
First, an apology to the city of Albuquerque for my 'smog assumption’ a couple days ago. Received this comment from Debbie...'Al, that wasn't smog you saw in Albuquerque. There was a prescribed burn in the Jemez mountains and it drifted down our way. Most of the time, we have the most beautiful blue skies and clear air that you will ever find.

PHEEBS GETS A LITTLE HELP WITH A STICKER THIS MORNING
Forgot to set my night clock to Arizona time again so when I woke up & checked my clock it said 4 a.m. Got up, took Pheebs outside & then realized it was really only 3 a.m. Oh well, we were up now so Pheebs & I just took in the beautifully quiet starry night, cricket sounds & mild 63F night temperatures with stars, stars, everywhere:))

THIS IS PART OF THE BRUSH CLEARING I AM WORKING ON:))
Our time of arrival in Congress Thursday morning was 11:05. Would have been a bit earlier if it hadn't been for some road construction in the Skull Valley & a stop at the Yarnell Bakery. On the way to Congress we talked about not having to unload the Motorhome when we get to our house. Two hours after arriving we had most of the rig unloaded as well as all of the Jeep. We don't listen to each other very well sometimes. I think we were both too excited to just sit down & do nothing. By late afternoon we had no choice....we were both totally wrecked.

I WILL TRIM THAT PALO VERDE TREE ON THE RIGHT, UP TO THE 6’ LEVEL
Sure have a lot of work ahead of us but that's Okay because that is exactly why we are here. Had a little chuckle at myself early this morning. Because I was already up, I headed outside before the sun was over the horizon & tackled the weed problem with the battery operated weed whacker. Battery only lasts about 20 minutes & then I have to charge it again. And, I realized the battery whacker wasn't powerful enough to chop down a lot of the tougher weeds I was faced with. No doubt about it, I was going to need a gasoline powered whacker. But I did have a little chuckle at myself, out there by the light of the moon & early dawn, buzzing down the weeds. By 9 a.m. our temps were rapidly climbing & that was the end of the yard work for the day. I don't work well in the heat anymore.

THE DREADED YELLOW JACKETS ALONG OUR ROOF LINE
After talking to the water guys again this morning we came up with some good leads on a fence builder guy, a local handyman by the name of Indian Joe, a great place to buy desert trees & shrubs, & some good tips on where to buy a few yard work tools. Headed up into the Weaver Mountains to the Yarnell Hardware store & came home with a wheelbarrow & a gasoline powered weed whacker. We've seen some rather unique hardware stores in our travels.....& then we walked into the Yarnell store. Two people could not pass one another in this small cramped hardware store, but the two owner Brothers have everything from soup to nuts packed in there. Next time back I'll grab some pics of the well known Yarnell hardware store.
 
A BIT CROWDED IN THE JEEP THIS AFTERNOON
Aside from a mild coating of dust on the floor the inside, the house looked fine when we walked in Thursday morning. Our March roof repair may have worked because we didn't see any new evidence of water damage. Our house's stucco job from last March looks fine & everything is intact. In other words, the mud didn't fall off during the summer Monsoons.

PULLING INTO OUR DRIVEWAY THURSDAY MORNING
Everything looked good, but I spotted a bunch of Hornet looking things along a roof line. Having never seen them before, I didn't know what they were. About an hour after we got home, a guy showed up from the water company to turn our water on at the road. When he lifted the lid on the water box he immediately jumped back. Yellow Jackets. He headed back to the depot & returned with a guy in a bee suit. The Yellow Jackets were sprayed & our water was finally turned on.  Lucky break for me that I didn’t turn the water on myself like I did last March.  Showed the guys all the Hornet things along our roof line & the bee suit guy said, "Yep, Yellow Jackets all right. With that, he hiked up my ladder & gave them a good spraying. He had to tear off a board to get the spray inside the roof to get at the nests. Another old board has to come off so I will try to do that myself when the weather turns colder & knocks out the Yellow Jackets. Thought that was really decent of the water guys to go out of their way to help us out with those Hornets. It's just the way folks seem to be in these here parts. They used up 2 full cans of Hornet spray. I think we may have to get a case of that stuff by the looks of it.

 
SPRAYING THE YELLOW JACKETS
Our rig's gray tank was filled to the brim so knew I had to try & do something before the gray water backed up into the tub. Amazingly enough I was able to summon up enough patience, get my socket wrench set out & undo the 4 bolts & remove the valve. Expected water to come gushing out........but it didn't. Couldn't believe it but the drain line was totally plugged with about 4 inches of grunge. Probably about 10 years of grunge too. It was soft so I was able to easily dig most of it out with a screwdriver. Then, the grunge began to move, & 'WHOOOOOOOOOSH'........ we had Niagara Falls happening right there & then in the bin. I had expected that would happen so had everything cleared out of the way. Needless to say we had a mini lake going on under the rig. There is a garage that does RV repairs in Congress so think I will get them to install the new valve which we already have. Like I always say, 'if I want something important done right, I gotta get somebody else to do it'. Rig is in need of an oil change & filter anyway so will hopefully get all that done at the same time before too long.

 
Our Verizon signal was sketchy Thursday but we did think it was working better than in March. Maybe the Verizon guy was right & they did upgrade the tower. This morning we tried out our ‘Wilson Sleek’ that I pooh poohed' last March & 'bang-zoom' it was like we were on high speed. Nice to have another problem taken care of:))

AS SOON AS WE TRANSITION INTO THE HOUSE, I WILL PARK THE RIG HERE IN THE FOREGROUND
First thing I heard when I stepped out of the Motorhome here Thursday was a Rooster crowing just up the road. A neighbor has chickens & I like that barnyard sound. Second thing I heard was a Cactus Wren sitting on one of our 3 front yard Saguaros. We have a lot of birds here so I'm looking forward to getting some backyard feeders up. And, the third great sound was.....Crickets. I love the sound of Crickets. And, like I said Thursday, it is just so great to see everything still so green. We may still be very tired here at the Bayfield Bunch, but it's a good kind of tired:))

SUNRISE ON GHOST TOWN ROAD
GROANER'S CORNER:)) An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his plane into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy, which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, give a smile, and a "Thanks for flying XYZ airline."
He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment, but no one seemed annoyed. Finally everyone had gotten off except for one little old lady walking with a cane. She approached and asked, conspiratorially, "Sonny, do you mind if I ask you a question?" "Why no Ma'am, what is it?" "Did we land, or were we shot down?"
--------------------------------------------------------------
- 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 PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

GALLUP NEW MEXICO TO OUR HOME IN CONGRESS ARIZONA… GRRRRRREAT:))

FLAGSTAFF ARIZONA IS JUST AHEAD SOUTH OF THOSE MOUNTAINS
I could easily write an entire post on just how grrrrrrreat it feels to finally be at our house…..but, first things first.

THE SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS NORTH OF FLAGSTAFF ARIZONA
We dropped another time zone today so I think it was about 4:30 this morning Arizona time we were up getting ready to hit the road. Really cold out as I did a walk around checking lights, etc. The Walmart parking lot was quiet with maybe half a dozen RV’s scattered about. Despite the heavy I-40 traffic not far from our door, we did have a decent night’s sleep.
---
Plodded steadily westward in the dark for a couple hours before catching the first glimmer of dawn. Light traffic & no wind, so we just kept the hammer down with only one fuel stop somewhere east of Winslow. What a great feeling it was knowing it was our last day on the road for awhile & we would soon be at our house in Congress.

PHEEBE LOVES HOWLING ALONG WITH THE ‘SONS OF THE PIONEERS’
We had driven I-40 eastbound in that area a couple times before, but never westbound so the scenery was new to us. Caught sight of our first large mountain as we approached Flagstaff. Have seen the San Francisco Peaks several times before but never from the east side. Our altitude increased as we approached Flagstaff & how great it was coming up from the lower flatter plains & mesas of eastern Arizona onto the higher Colorado Plateau. Pine forests stretch for as far as the sky can see, growing up & over hillsides, climbing to mountain tops, & filling canyons & valleys. It is truly beautiful country stretching southward to meet up with the northern edge of the Sonoran Desert. And, it is that very northern edge of the Sonoran desert where our house is. Only 12 miles separate us from the higher Pine tree Colorado Plateau.

BIT OF FOREST FIRE SMOKE IN THE MOUNTAINS AHEAD AROUND WILLIAMS ARIZONA
There are 3 ways to reach Congress from the Flagstaff area. Two of those ways go south from Flagstaff & the third one runs south from Ash Fork. We went home last March via the Ash Fork route & that is the way we took back to Congress today. Can’t tell you how great it felt to finally turn off I-40. We had been on that Interstate since Oklahoma City & on Interstates all the way from near Rochester, New York. How nice to be on a quiet two lane highway again & the drive down through the Chimo Valley to Prescott was soooo relaxing.

SOOOOO HAPPY TO SEE THESE SIGNS

OOPS, A LITTLE CONSTRUCTION BETWEEN PRESCOTT & SCULL VALLEY
Garmin Gertie weaved us through the north end of Prescott & put us on track for Skull Valley. There are two ways to travel between Prescott & Congress. Both are mountainous, one is very scary & the other one is kinda scary. I strongly suggest RV’ers take the kinda scary route. We did the very scary route in the Jeep last March & you really do not want to do that one in a big RV. However, the scariest part of our whole trip took place in the last 10 minutes of our drive.

THE COTTONWOODS ARE JUST BEGINNING TO CHANGE COLOR
Coming down the steep twisting grades of the Weaver Mountains between Yarnell & Congress will test anyone’s driving skills. Brakes, gear down, brake again, try an even lower gear. Brakes & gears & preferably more gears than brakes. Great feeling of relief to reach the bottom & glide right on into Congress.

Unhooked the Jeep in a large dirt parking lot across from the fire hall. It hadn’t been off since we left Spencerport New York last Saturday morning. Kelly went on ahead in the Jeep & I followed the short distance down Ghost Town Road to our house.

UNHOOKING THE JEEP IN CONGRESS

JUST STARTING DOWN GHOST TOWN ROAD & OUR HOUSE IS ABOUT A MILE DOWN THERE ON THE LEFT
What a totally super great feeling it was to turn in our driveway &……shut er down.

We found everything inside the house exactly as we left it. The outside was a bit of a different story. With all the rain this summer, things had really grown & our yard was in quite a mess. We were surprised at how green everything was. But, I will get to all that Friday, including….the Yellowjackets. Tonight we are both so tired we can hardly move, & that includes the Pheebs. But, it’s a great kind of tired & we are all soooooo happy to be at our south-west home:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( I’m even too tired tonight to go find me a joke.
--------------------------------------------------------------
- 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 PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com