DROVE US ABOUT 40 MILES TO FIND A SPOT ONLY ABOUT 6 MILES FROM WHERE WE STARTED OUT……..DUH:((

(this is Sunday’s post)

A PAIR OF CACTUS WRENS WERE BUSY THIS MORNING GATHERING NESTING MATERIAL

 

If anyone is up early enough & wondering what that bright round looking light is in the South-Eastern sky it is the Planet Venus.  With our crystal clear cool Arizona skies Venus really stood out this morning & caught my eye as soon as Pheebs & I stepped outside.

TIPPY ACROSS THE ROAD FROM US PATIENTLY WAITS MOST EVERY MORNING FOR A SNUZZLE WITH THE BAYIELD BUNCH & ESPECIALLY SMOOCHES WITH THE PHEEBS

 

We noticed a difference in Dally when we walked by this morning.  She didn’t come rushing over to the fence jumping up to see us.  She held back watching us at first then slowly approached.  Seemed like she was being very cautious.  Gave her a couple treats & she was happy to see us but the excited exuberance we had seen before wasn’t there.  Her experience may have settled her down a bit & she just might have been very, very, tired.

THIS CACTUS WREN COUPLE HAS TAKEN UP RESIDENCE IN OUR FRONT YARD SAGUARO CACTUS

 

I GUESS JUDY FROM TRAVELS WITH EMMA WOULD CALL THIS, ‘THE END’

Filled the bird feeders, fired up Jeepers & we were on the road before 10.  Kelly had read about a mineral hill up highway 93 somewhere.  We should have paid more attention to the map in the library gem book because it took us about 40 miles to find the spot we set out to find which turned out to be only about 6 miles from our house.  And all because we were not paying attention & missed a road sign.  Oh well nice morning for a drive but not necessarily on highway 93.  It’s the race track between Phoenix Arizona & Las Vegas Nevada.  I have a feeling there are a lot of drugs & alcohol on this stretch of road.  Why else would some of the crazies be driving the way they do eh. 

AT LEAST THE DESERT ROADS WE WERE ON TODAY WERE UNUSUALLY SMOOTH

AND HOW NICE TO BE IN A LAND OF JOSHUA TREES

We did finally find the area we were looking for at the western edge of the Date Creek Mountains.  That of course after a dusty stretch of desert road led us to a dead end & back.  Knew we were in the right spot though when we saw some people on a small hill digging with shovels. 

KELLY WALKS OVER TO SEE WHAT THE FOLKS HAVE FOUND

 

  

PHEEBS MAKES FRIENDS WHEREVER SHE GOES

Parked & walked over to where the folks were searching for Crystals.  They did have some nice small finds.  We spent about half an hour walking around picking up some prospects.  A lot of nice stones here but the elusive Crystals are hard to find.  Book says to dig for them & sort through the dirt.  They can be as small as half a fingernail or less.  Something that requires a trained eye to find.  The family digging on the hill was from Phoenix. 

  

OF COURSE WE DO HAVE OUR OWN ROCKOLOGIST IN THE FAMILY

 

MIGHT BE CRYSTALS INSIDE THE TWO ROCKS I PICKED UP

THE CLEAR PIECE ON THE LEFT WAS KELLY’S BEST FIND

PHEEBS DIGS HERE OWN HOLES LOOKING FOR CRYSTAL BONES

 

BACK HOME KELLY LOOKS UP SOME GEM INFO ON HER LAPTOP

We were home before 2.  Kelly had a hankering to head on up to Yarnell to browse some stores which are only open on the week-end.  Pheebs & I took a pass on that.  I trimmed some more Mesquite & Palo-Verde trees on the neighbors property & that was about it for the day.  Kelly did return with a couple nice colorful southwest skirts.

<<< ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS WHAT THIS BIRD IS??

Listening to music from the 40’s on Sirius Satellite radio this afternoon I realized for the first time while listening to Nat King Cole singing Route 66 that we have actually been through the majority of the cities & towns mentioned in that song.  Chicago, St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Gallup, Kingman, Flagstaff Arizona & don’t forget Winona, .  Much of Route 66 can still be seen running alongside I-40.

And I did tough out the annual Grammy Awards show tonight simply because I wanted to see Paul McCartney & Ringo Star.  I well remember the days when I enjoyed the Grammies.  There was a time when it was all about talented musicians & their music.  Oh there are still a lot of greatly talented musicians out there but I do not associate talented musicians with rap music.  For every minute that offensive noise is on stage it is taking away valuable time from truly talented & genuine musicians.  Keep in mind folks this is just old Grumpy’s opinions here.  Did enjoy seeing & listening to Chicago, Paul & Ringo together, Willy Nelson, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson & Blake Shelton.  Nice to see Carol King is still going & of course Taylor Swift is always easy on the eyes.  And I would have got into the Metallica segment if we had had a decent sound system here.  But tinny TV sound automatically means…..no bass.  Liked the tribute to Phil Everly by Miranda Lambert & Greenday’s  Billie Joe Armstrong.  Heard a few tunes from the FOREVERLY album by Billy Joe Armstrong & Norah Jones last week & thought it was totally excellent.  They really nailed the Everly Brothers harmonies………………

 

SHE SURE LOVES STRETCHING OUT ON HER VERY OWN COUCH

GROANER’S CORNER:((  When we were looking to buy property I had this over zealous Realtor show us what can only be described as a totally worn out old farm. I mean the land had just been worked to death. The weeds were hardly even growing. The smiling super salesman said, "Now really, all this land needs is a little water, a nice cool breeze and some good people." I replied, "Yeah, I agree, but couldn't the same be said of Hell?"

Canadians & especially Ontario folks will recognize these two characters depicted here as Laurel & Hardy.  Justin Bieber on the left & Toronto’s mayor Rob Ford on the right.  I think the picture sums these two Ontario headline grabbers quite well…..

DALLY WAS FOUND FRIDAY 10 MILES AWAY IN STANTON AZ…. WE THINK SHE WAS DRIVEN THERE & DUMPED OUT!!

First the good news about Dally.  We have 2 good neighbors around the corner called Shirley & Lou.  They live next to Dally’s house & their daughter is Dally’s owner.  We met Shirley on our walk this morning & she said Dally had been found 10 miles away in Stanton on Friday & other than a little worse for wear she is OK.  A neighbor is suspected of taking her there & dumping her out.  Sheriff is involved.  Lou was suspicious of the neighbor right from the beginning.  The neighbor, across the road & down a bit is a loner, not friendly, & other neighbors have had trouble with him.  Personally I think he is mentally unbalanced.  He hangs out in the Stanton area where a lot of gold prospectors live.  It is thought he took a dislike to Dally’s occasional barking.  There was a confrontation with Dally’s owners awhile back & Lou himself.  Shirley thinks he came in the wee morning hours & let Dally out because she heard a commotion over there & thought it was her daughter letting Dally out of the house for the morning.  It wasn’t.  Lou was suspicious of that neighbor right from the beginning.  We met that neighbor & his dog a couple times on our morning walks & said a cherry ‘Good Morning’ to him but both times he never spoke.  Pheebs wanted to be friends with his dog but it seemed very timid…………

DALLY KEEPS A CLOSE EYE ON ME TODAY AS I GIVE HER SOME SCRUFFLES OVER THE FENCE

 

DALLY JEALOUSLY PUSHES AWAY HER PAL FROM GETTING ANY ATTENTION…THE OTHER DOG IS JUST VISITING TODAY

A lady in Stanton called her Vet in Prescott to report a stray dog.  Other calls were made & a connection was made. A photo was taken & it was confirmed it was Dally.  Shirley’s daughter & Granddaughter headed out & brought her home.  Shirley & Lou are good friends with the Sheriff so he was called.  Sheriff went & talked to this unfriendly fellow & told Shirley’s daughter to put ‘No Trespassing’ signs on their gates.  That way if the guy comes over again onto their property steps can be taken.  Kelly & I are worried the guy will throw some poison over the fence since there has been a second & third confrontation.  Shirley is hoping her daughter will smarten up & pay more attention to Dally now.  We have our doubts.  But the main thing is Dally is home & safe for the time being.  I remember a reader asking what breed Dally is so we asked Shirley this morning.  She is mainly a McNab with a bit of Border Collie in her.  We had never heard of a McNab breed before.  Wikipedia says ‘McNabs are well-mannered dogs, are hard-working, have good personal hygiene, and are friendly with small domestic animals such as cats and chickens’.  I’m thinking Dally’s over exuberance might have something to do with her young 2 year old age & not being shown a lot of attention or affection.  And not being properly trained.  Anyway, bottom line is she’s home………………..

OUR NEIGHBOR SHIRLEY & LOU’S FLOWER CACTUS GARDEN

 

Noticed when I was out with Pheebs around 5:30 this morning we still had a solid cloud cover hanging over us but no matter, it was still mild by Arizona early morning standards at 54F.  By late morning the clouds began breaking up & we could once again feel the warming sun’s rays.

 

When I entered my bathroom this morning & turned on the hot water tap the the old style plastic knob broke in my hand leaving water gushing from the tap with no way to turn it off.  Made a mad dash for a pair of vice grips to lock onto to the bare metal part & I’ll be darned if I didn’t manage to get the now steaming hot water shut off.  No idea why it broke.  Just old I guess.  Not a clue how to fix it either.  New knob, new set of taps??

  

Pheebs & took Winnie The Bago out for a good slosh before lunch.  Added enough water to the black tank to bring it’s level up to about three quarters full.  Drove us around some Congress streets for about 15 minutes giving that tank a good sloshing.  Back home I wheeled around behind the house & dumped the tank plus the gray water into our RV dump outlet.  Nice to have that convenience.  Rig just needs a vacuuming & we can begin loading her up for our next expedition.  

<<< US GUYS WAS CRUISING AROUND IN THE WINNIE WAGON THIS MORNING

Leslie & Peter did finally make it back home to Webster NY arriving slightly after midnight.  Said flight was smooth except for over the Rockies & coming into Buffalo with crosswinds.  I’ll bet they are feeling that classic traveler feeling…..nice to get away but what a great feeling getting home again too.  We always experience that in our travels & it is one of the great benefits of being a Snow Bird. 

  

Back in the years of 08,09, & 2010 I was very gung-ho on Full Timing.  Sell the house & all our stuff & the hit the road.  Had we done that I am sure we would have enjoyed the full time life & could very well still be doing it.  Would have certainly meant more adventures & places to write about.  But it was not to be & we just continued on with our Snow Birding ways & that has actually worked out very well for us.  Took a bit to get my head swung around from my earlier RVing day desires but swing around it did.  It has been said we have the best of both worlds now & I am inclined to agree with those thoughts.  We still have our boondocking ways when traveling & also have a little sticks & bricks at either end of our travels to be comfortable in.  Between the traveling & two home bases I am almost at the point of not being bored out of my tree having to do same-same things in the same-same place day after day.  Not everybody’s cup of tea of course but it sure does work well for me & my restless nature.   In fact we were just talking about some coming up summer travels this morning.  Nothing major like east or west coast Canada but shorter get-a-ways in & around Ontario.  Same ideas as last summer until a bunch of medical stuff snuffed out our plans.  We have our fingers crossed for a better summer this year:))

NICE TO AGAIN SEE SOME SUN SPLASHES ON THE MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING

I like the ‘Tree Spirits’ Paul has carved over at WHERE'S WEAVER.  I’ve always thought wood carving would be a great creative hobby & I think Paul has the right idea with his Tree Spirits.

 

Had myself a little photo assignment this afternoon.  Pam in the Shout Box had a question about Pheebe’s platform in the back of our 2 door Jeep Wrangler.  Shortly after buying our Jeep I had a concern with security.  If we had the Jeep top off (which we only did once) what is preventing anyone from walking by & just reaching in & lifting any valuables like cameras out.  I came up with an idea that would keep my cameras out of of sight & relatively safe.  Figured if I could put some sort of inconspicuous platform in the back I could conceal things underneath it & it would make a nice flat area for Pheebs to ride.  With the concept in my head I talked to my good friend Bruce back home.  Bruce is one of those guys that just knows how to do most stuff.  Told him what I had in mind.  He made a few measurements, asked a few questions, & went home & simply built it just like that.  It fit perfectly, was light weight, & lifts out of there in about 6 seconds.  No bolts or screws holding it in.  Just some well placed notches in the wood to fit over the seat holder latches.  I threw a bit of paint on it & cut me a piece of heavy duty rubber backed carpet runner for the top.  Screwed that down & that was it.  On top of it I carry a folded flat tarp & on top of that a floor mat.  And on top of that is Pheebs cushy bed.  Makes a nice soft riding space for her & she can lay down & look out the windows.  She can enter or exit the Jeep through the back but we encourage her to come in & out the passenger door instead.  It’s just easier & safer for her.  We can load a lot of groceries & any kind of cargo on the platform plus if we don’t want Pheebs to get into any food items we can just put them in the safe place under the platform.  The space under there is eight & three quarter inches.  That is high enough to carry my camera case & my telescope lens case underneath.  I purposely decided on that measurement based on my camera bag size.  The way Bruce built it we can also access a few items from the front seats.  This platform has worked well for us since July 2010.  So here then is what it looks like…………….

BACKSEAT IS REMOVED LEAVING THIS SPACE

  

PLATFORM’S UNDERSIDE & THE WOODEN NOTCHES TO FIT OVER THE FLOOR LATCHES

 

LOOKING AT THE PLATFORM FROM THE FRONT 

PLATFORM IS IN THE JEEP

 

MY CAMERA BAG & TELESCOPE LENS EASILY FIT UNDERNEATH ON THE RIGHT SIDE

 

PHOTO VEST, RAINCOAT, HIKING BAG, WALKING STICK & CANE PLUS JUMPER CABLES, TOW STRAP, QT OF OIL & A MINI AIR COMPRESSOR PLUS A CAMERA TRI-POD ALL FIT IN WITH LOTS OF ROOM TO SPARE

NEXT COMES DOGGY’S BED COMPLETE WITH A DOGGY & LOTS OF ROOM FOR ANY OF HER PALS SHE WISHES TO BRING ALONG FOR THE DAY

 

AND THIS IS A VIEW FROM THE FRONT SEAT…PHEEBS CAN EASILY MOVE BACK & FORTH BETWEEN THE PLATFORM & THE PASSENGER SEAT USING THE CENTER COUNCIL TO STEP ON

Pheebs & Kelly went to the library this afternoon & on their way home stopped to see Dally.  Another dog was there as well.  Kelly took Pheebs into the yard but Dally & the other dog’s playfulness were just too much for Pheebs to handle.  About an hour later I walked over to Shirley & Lou’s to take some photos of all the flowers in their Cactus Garden.  Stopped & had a few scruffles with Dally over the fence along the way.  She was pretty happy to see me & had quite a time keeping her Pal from taking any scruffles away from her.  She wanted them all:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((   One day there were three people. Their names were Manners, Trouble and Shut up. One day they were playing hide and seek. Manners got a tummy ache so he went to the toilet. Trouble was hiding. Shut up was finding Trouble when he met a policeman. The policeman said, "What is your name?" "Shut up!"  The policeman replied, "Are you looking for trouble?" "Yes!"  The policeman fumed, "Where are your manners?" "In the toilet."

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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.