WITH THE DAYS GETTING HOTTER MY MIND IS GETTING SLOWER:((

Other than slipping ourselves down to EL Mirage just south of Surprise Arizona this morning there isn’t a whole lot on my mind tonight.  Just kind of ended up at the end of the day here drawing a blank.  With the days getting hotter my mind is getting slower.  Think maybe it’s time to get on home & shovel some snow eh………………….

Thanks to everyone for the reading ideas.  Some of the books suggested I have read but most of them I haven’t.  I have made a note of the one’s sent in that perk my interest.  Some of the suggestions reminded me of my reading years.  Went through a phase reading many books about the first & second World Wars.  Shipwreck salvage operations held my interest for quite awhile.  I spent some time this morning browsing through Kindle book lists.  I have the links saved people have sent in as well.  And from some of the comments it looks like the Kindle can be used in other ways as well.  Very interesting.  Kelly has already downloaded so many books it takes two of us just to lift the Kindle up off the table……

I did take a walk around the yard later this afternoon looking at the Cactus pads I had planted this season.  23 of 42 have buds on them so I know they are going to make it.  About a dozen are still green & healthy looking but no buds. The rest are not looking well & I suspect they will be ka-put by the time we return in the Fall.  About 60% of the Agave’s are looking good & the rest are debatable.  About 90% of the Aloe Vera I put in are doing great.  Two new Creosote bushes are struggling & that’s because I forgot to water them for awhile when they were first planted.  The 5 Joshua Trees I transplanted are still green but who knows.  All the Yuccas I dragged home after a road grader ripped them out last Fall all look dead but I’ll leave them in the ground anyway.  Desert plants are extremely hardy at surviving harsh treatment.  I’m already looking forward to seeing how all the plants are doing when we return in 6 or 7 months………………..

GROANER’S CORNER:((  "It has been said that there is no fool like an old fool, except a young fool. But the young fool has first to grow up to be an old fool to realize what a damn fool he was when he was a young fool."

And remember….nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up your interests weakens the soul.

KELLY’S CONVERSATION WITH AN ARTISAN IS ABRUPTLY INTERRUPTED BY A RATTLESNAKE

Upon charging up the Kindle Saturday Kelly’s first question to me was, ‘Ok, what books do you want to download’??  Despite knowing we were getting ourselves a Kindle the question still caught me by surprise.  My mind had just not thought about that.  What books to read indeed.  Every time my mind went in search of reading interests it returned empty minded.  Couldn’t seem to get a grasp on the ‘books to read’ thing.  Figured the reason for that was my absence from the book loop for so long.  Occurred to me finally that maybe I had better re-verse engineer my thinking.  What books am I not interested in.  Years ago I my reading interests centered around fiction & I read countless books over the years simply because that is where my interest was.  In latter years my interest in fiction waned.  I have no interest in long fictional novels anymore regardless of who wrote them.  Books dealing with politics is out.  Murder mystery type books whether fact or fiction are out.  Not interested in travel books to exotic locations.  Philosophical books no longer hold my interest either.  So have I knocked out a big percentage of reasonable reading material for myself already?  Maybe, maybe not.

Short Reader’s Digest type of fiction I can handle.  Story telling based on fact maybe.  Factual reading has become important to me the older I become.  Also like to learn something as I am reading.  History, once thought of as kinda boring to me has moved up the ladder.  Just as in movies, whatever I read now has to be believable for me.  Biographies might be a good place to start.  Area history I find interesting.  History of an area I am not in or not likely to be in…..not so much.  Until I am actually planning on visiting an area or actually walking through an area my interests are limited.  For example I’m not going to read about the Florida Everglades if I am never going to be in the Florida Everglades.  It’s just the way I am.  No interest in reading anything about Polynesia or the Philippian Islands because it is highly unlikely I will ever be there.  Ok, so where does all this leave me so far??  Still scratching my head that’s where.

LATE AFTERNOON LIGHT COMING THROUGH A BATHROOM WINDOW CAUGHT MY ATTENTION WHEN IT REFLECTED OF MY KEYBOARD ONTO MY BEDROOM WALL

Hard to separate all the nonsense from cold hard facts in U.F.O. sightings but I do find the subject intriguingly interesting.  One of the last books I ever read cover to cover dealt with this subject & that book still sticks in my mind.   Speculation mixed with a healthy dose of fact & common sense, sprinkled with perhaps a bit of myth & legend held my interest all the way through the book.  Thanks to my poor memory I cannot remember the name of that book but it started with the Roswell Incident.  Anyway, I guess I have just told myself my reading interests lie somewhere along the lines of factual history, biographies, & realistic happenings that may or may not go bump in the night.  Ok, where should I start looking????

A new solar system for John & Nan from TRIPPIN WITH THE TALLEYS this past week in Quartzsite.  After solving some 10 year old battery problems they went ahead with the solar installation & sounds like they are quite happy with the fellow who did their install.

Chinle over at SPOTTED DOG RANCH after much indecision has finally made……’a decision’.  Not so much for herself as for Bodie, Spice, Rowdy, and Callie.  And not just those 4 guys but I think the Canine crew is going to love the change as well.  I’ll give you a hint…..might have something to do with a future room full of sun:))

Called Aunt Jean tonight & she’s doing good.  A little difficulty breathing some days with the humidity present over there in that Florida place but she is still making it to the golf course most Tuesdays.  She was curious as to why I had moved that umbrella clothesline Saturday.  Told her it was twofold reason.  Didn’t like looking at that thing right outside our  back door but more importantly it now makes it much easier for us to drive the rig around behind the house to dump our tanks when returning from our little side trip travels.  We have a dump station close to the house but with the that clothesline thing there it made it difficult to get the rig close enough to the dump pipe without running into the clothesline.  Much better now & we could probably almost get a 40 footer in there…….if we had to.

Arky makes walking sticks.  Don’t know his real name but he lives with a lady friend in the desert out the other end of Ghost Town Road.  They spend their winters here & their summers somewhere in Colorado.  The two of them somehow manage to travel between these two places in an old short based home painted school bus & a kind of aging army green cube van.  They drive separately in tandem with each one towing an old homemade trailers.  Arky’s an army Vet with a mechanical background.  Not much is known about his lady friend.  We’ve seen his green van coming & going past our place the last couple years but never knew anything about him until Kelly ran into him a week ago at a garage sale just down the road.  He was dropping off some walking sticks.

 

ARKY SHOWS KELLY HIS WALKING STICKS & EXPLAINS HOW THEY ARE MADE (KELLY’S PHOTOS)

 

Kelly has been on the look-out for a good MANZANITA walking stick for quite awhile now & as it turns out Arky just down the road from us hand crafts them.  He didn’t have any Manzanita sticks with him but told Kelly to come down in a couple days & he would have one for her.  Saturday afternoon she drove the short distance to the BLM land near the old cemeteries & sure enough he had a Manzanita walking stick finished for her.  The linseed oil finish was still fresh.  Arky puts a lot of work into his sticks & like many of his fellow craftsmen is very proud of his finished product.   He was showing Kelly how he first has to shave the outer gray bark off the dried Manzanita when their conversation was suddenly interrupted by something moving not far away on the desert floor.  Arky immediately hollered to his lady friend, “get the dogs inside…..Rattlesnake”!!!!  Kelly looked in the direction Arky pointed but without her glasses she thought it was just a stick.  Within seconds Arky had his shotgun in hand & with one shot the approaching snake was quickly dispatched.  Kelly had my Canon point & shoot camera with her & prior to the snake’s arrival had been taking some pictures of Arky & his walking sticks.  She did take some photos of the dead Rattler but I chose not to include them in the post.  Not a pretty site after a shotgun blast.  Nina had just encountered a Rattlesnake out there in that same area about a week ago.  Arky said that was the third one to come into their campsite.  Needless to say Kelly was pretty excited by the time she got home.  Arky also said with the snakes active now it’s about time they start packing up & rolling out for Colorado.  Needless to say we have curtailed our morning desert walks for the season.  Many of the photos in today’s post are close-ups of Kelly’s new walking stick.

ARKY DEMONSTRATES HOW HE FIRST HAS TO PEEL AWAY THE LAYER OF DRIED GRAY MANZANITA BARK

 

MANY JACK KNIVES ARE TOOLS OF HIS TRADE

 

HE INLAYS HIS STICKS WITH MANY INTERESTING THINGS WHICH HE TOLD KELLY ALL MEAN SOMETHING…THE STICK SHOWN IS NOT KELLYS

KELLY GETS A PHOTO OF ARKY TAKING AIM AT THE RATTLER WITH HIS SHOTGUN

Kelly now has her own personalized Manzanita one of a kind walking stick made by a true desert dweller Artisan from just down Ghost Town Road.  A neighbor if you will.

ARKY CALLS THIS A ‘WHEAT PENNY’ & IMBEDS THEM IN MANY OF HIS STICKS

  

GROANERS CORNER:((  Barry and Hannah, an old married couple,  are sitting on the couch watching TV. On the show they were speaking about how to prepare in case of death etc. “Honey,” says Barry, turning to his wife with a serious expression, “I want you to promise me, that if there ever comes a time that I am dependent on just machines and bottled fluid, that you will make sure to  put an end to it.” “No problem hun,” said Hannah, and she promptly got up, turned off the TV, and poured his beer down the drain.

WELL SPINDLE McVINDLE WE HAVE US A KINDLE:))

Noticed while hanging out my laundry this morning we had us a nice cooling breeze coming in from the West.  Also noticed my energy levels were up.  Excellent combination for doing a little work outside I had been putting off.  Move our umbrella clothesline.  Of course that idea didn’t materialize until after I had hung up all my wet laundry on it.  No matter, out came the shovel.  Start a hole around the base of the steel pole buried in the ground, add water, & wait about 15 minutes.  Repeat this process half a dozen times but not before I clued into the fact I had better take my wash off the clothesline first.  Oh I am such a smart fellow sometimes.  Moved my wet laundry to another clothesline tied between 2 trees.  I had anticipated the steel pole had probably been originally set in concrete.  Sometimes it is just so nice to be wrong about something & this morning I was wrong about the concrete base.  Having dug down about a foot I was able to wiggle & pull the laundry pole loose.  Bonus, it had just been stuck in the ground.  So confident was I that I would actually get this laundry umbrella clothesline out of the ground that I had already pre-dug a new hole for it over close to our backyard fence.  Carried the laundry Umbrellamagator over to the new hole, stood it up, kicked dirt in around it, tamped it down with the end of my shovel handle, added some water to harden the sandy clay dirt, & used my level to get it leastways standing up reasonably straight.  Amazingly enough everything went as smooth as a loose load of teetering bricks & I had the job successfully completed inside an hour.  How nice it is for people like me when things work right the first time……:))

 

POURED WATER AROUND POST THEN DUG IT OUT MOVING CLOTHESLINE BACK TOWARDS OUR FENCELINE

In Canada we do not have postal service on Saturdays but here in the States they do.  Kelly returned from the Post Office this morning with a small cardboard box.  Our new KINDLE PAPERWHITE had arrived.  She wasn’t long unpacking it & plugging the little device into our Acer laptop to charge it up.  Let the reading begin:)) 

NOT EVEN OUT OF THE BOX YET

YES, IT IS AN ORANGE CASE WE HAVE FOR IT

Spent some time pouring over my Arizona, New Mexico, & Colorado, Benchmark Atlas’s today.  Also Mapquest on the computer.  Still figuring on a run up through Monument Valley but am now leaning towards an easterly route through Northern New Mexico rather than Southern Colorado.  Might just take the same route out across the Plains we took coming down in the Fall last year.  I’m starting to monitor long range forecasts & we’ll see how the weather begins shaping up for places like Flagstaff & Tuba City Arizona, Farmington & Taos New Mexico, Raton Colorado, Dodge City & Salina Kansas.  Maybe Lincoln Nebraska & Davenport Iowa.  If the weather goes into the dumpster up in Northeastern Arizona or out on the Plains in a couple weeks we’ll have to consider a more Southerly route.  It’s a wait & see game now…………

I thought Paul from R SANITY RV ADVENTURES in a blog comment did a good job in summing up my Friday paragraph about ‘Blog Mode.  Paul said, “Even though I don't blog every day, I do enjoy writing posts. I find blogging makes what I do during my days and travels more enjoyable, it gives me a new perspective on life and helps me keep my eyes sharp for interesting things to share with my readers”…..Well said Paul:))

 

My photos of Alamo Lake’s slot canyon a few days ago pale in comparison to what Sue over at THE MOHO AND OTHER TRAVELING TALES has just seen.  She & Mo were fortunate enough to visit the Slot Canyon of all Slot Canyons.  Near Page Arizona lies a gem hidden away on ancient Navajo lands.  ANTELOPE CANYON is visited by people from all over the world.  Sue not only has great photos of the swirling Canyon but her narrative gives one a feeling of the Canyon as well.  Be sure to drop over & see Sue’s ‘ADVICE FROM A CANYON’.

 

AND HERE COMES ‘SPEEDBALL McPUG ROUNDING TURN FOUR & COMING DOWN THE HOME STRETCH

Antelope Canyon is definitely on our ‘must see-must do’ list for next winter.  Page Arizona & Antelope Canyon is an easy day’s drive for us at 328 miles.  It will make for a nice week long side trip out of our home base here in Congress Az.  We did pass through Page in the late Fall of 07 on our way to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim but we didn’t take the time to stop & see Antelope Canyon.  I have read where the biggest problem at Antelope is the crowds of people & many tour groups going through.  Things sound rushed.  No doubt I will have to steel myself against the throngs of people.  Thinking about that this morning I came to a conclusion of why I become so irritable with so many people crowding around historic & scenic sights.  And it has to do with my photography interests.  Thought occurred to me if I were to leave my camera gear at home when I visit these especially scenic places I would probably enjoy the experience of where I was much more.  Photography & maybe Arts oriented people will understand when I say, it is so maddening trying to capture & compose the beauty & feel of a place when one has hordes of people milling about obstructing views.  It is that plus all the noise which is so frustrating for someone like myself.  Figure I could maybe wear ear plugs to muffle or eliminate the noise of so many people going on at once.  People carrying on in foreign languages is like fingernails on a chalkboard for me & extremely annoying.   I don’t know why that is….it just is.  I understand their need, want, & desire to be there just like myself but it doesn’t lessen my annoyance.  If I didn’t have my camera along I’m sure my irritability would be much lessened.  I would just walk around with my ear plugs in enjoying what I could see without getting myself all bent out of shape trying to photograph things.  But then again I would be kicking myself all the while there that I hadn’t brought my camera.  It is the way with me…..there are always 2 sides to everything & I am always in a constant flux between the two.  Anyway, I’ll deal with all that next winter when we get to Antelope Canyon…..or other great spots along the highways & bi-ways of this big beautiful land so many of us are so very fortunate enough to travel in:))

CAN YOU SEE A MAN’S PROFILE IN THIS PHOTO >>>

GROANER’S CORNER:((   Last summer, my husband, took me camping for the first time. At every opportunity, he passed along outdoor-survival lore. One day we got lost hiking in the deep woods. He tried the usual tactics to determine direction -- moss on the trees (there was none), direction of the sun (it was an overcast day), etc., etc.
Just as I was beginning to panic, he spotted a small cabin off in the distance. He pulled out his binoculars, studied the cabin, turned and led us right back to our camp. "That was terrific," I said. "How did you do it?" "Simple," he replied. "In this part of the country all the TV satellite dishes point south."

JUST ANOTHER MIGHTY FINE ARIZONA DAY:))

NEST BUILDING IS STILL IN FULL SWING AT OUR HOUSE

An earlier than usual start to the day.  I had to get out & open our main gate by 6:30 this morning.  We had a crew coming to do battle with our yard’s weeds.  I have about a third of our grounds under reasonable control but about two thirds of our acre has a variety of weeds & wild grasses growing.  The yard crew of 2 led by our gardener guy Les rolled in about 6:45 a.m. & went right at spraying those weeds.  Not a big fan of spraying but we had to make a start at getting the properties remaining weed population under control.  Not only for our own satisfaction but our neighbors as well.

  

TOOK THE GUYS CLOSE TO AN HOUR TO DO THE WHOLE PROPERTY

 

Even without this morning’s spraying our property sure looks a heck of a lot better than the first day we set foot on it back on February 23rd of 2012.

TOOK ME A LOT OF CLIPPING, SAWING, & WEED WHACKING TO GET RID OF ALL THIS…EXCEPT THE TALL CACTUS OF COURSE:))

Ever asked yourself the question, “What will my retirement years look like?  RV SUE did & she didn’t like what she saw.  But unlike many, RV Sue, after much reflection grabbed the Bull by the horns & did something about it.  Catch Sue’s first installment…..THE ROAD TO VAGABOND LIVING: :THE SPECTRE OF A PREDICTABLE RETIREMENT".  Today’s "AN EPIPHANY" is her second posting from The Road To Vagabond Living:

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT ‘SPIRIT DAY’ IS

Tom over at TOM_KATHY_ RETIRED: is pretty steamed at Disneyworld.  Seems some changes have been made at the big Mouse & Tom’s not happy about how it may affect the waiting time for rides for folks like himself & Kathy.  Kathy, in a rare mode of upsetedness phoned Disney & gave them piece of her mind.  And in an even rarer mode…..dropped a curse word on em too.  Oh Dear:((

I had one remaining tree to finish trimming on my neighbor’s property so slipped over & finished that up this morning before the day’s heat built up.  That finishes my clean-up there for this season.  I’ll see what things looks like next October or November & decide then whether to continue with any more clean-up.  Rest of my day was spent puttering.  A few more things into the rig.  Kelly slipped into Wickenburg for groceries.

  

For all you fellow Boondockers out here do not miss Nina’s latest post entitled, ‘6 GREAT RESOURCES FOR FINDING BOONDOCKING SPOTS IN ARIZONA’  This is not only informative for seasoned Dockers but it’s also valuable information for folks just starting out in the great Boondocking lifestyle.

 

Had a nice email from another long time blog reader this morning in which he talked about being in blog mode.  I think I may have touched on ‘blog mode’ a few times in previous posts.  Reader says, “I find myself in a Blog mode all the time”.  It is the same with me.  I am in blog mode 24/7 & maybe that is why writing a daily blog for the most part is enjoyable & comes reasonably easy (not always) for me.  I’m sure it’s an enjoyable hobby for most of my fellow daily Bloggers as well or they probably would not be doing it.  Whether consciously or sub-consciously my mind is always thinking of things to write about & I see that as great exercise for the brain.  Kind of like a photographers eye.  My eye sees things that maybe other eyes do not see.  My mind thinks of things to write maybe other minds do not.   It’s the same with anything.  Mechanical minds can figure out ways to do things other minds cannot or have great difficulty with.  An artist sees things differently.  A technology oriented person can figure things out that baffles the rest of us.  It’s just the way we all are.  And isn’t it a good thing we are all different & have our own special interests to offer others.  ‘Blog Mode’….I love it:))  Every time some one thanks me for writing this blog I have to turn the tables around & say ‘no’, thank you for reading this blog & allowing me to continue my enjoyable hobby each day.  I would not write this blog if you did not read this blog…….:))  

 

SPENCER LIKES SPENDING HIS DAYS SOAKING UP THE SUN ON OUR FRONT PORCH

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A couple lived near the ocean and used to walk the beach a lot.   One summer they noticed a girl who was at the beach almost every day..  She wasn't unusual, nor was the travel bag she carried, except for one thing; she would approach people who were sitting on the beach, glance around and then speak to them.

Generally, the people would respond negatively and she would wander off..   But occasionally someone would nod and there would be a quick exchange of money and something that she carried in her bag.

The couple assumed that she was selling drugs and debated calling the cops, but since they didn't know for sure, they decided to just continue watching her.

After a couple of weeks the wife said, 'Honey, have you ever noticed that she only goes up to people with boom boxes and other electronic devices?'   He hadn't and said so.

Then she said, 'Tomorrow I want you to get a towel and our big radio and go lie out on the beach.  Then we can find out what she's really doing.'

Well, the plan went off without a hitch and the wife was almost hopping up and down with anticipation when she saw the girl talk to her husband and then leave...   The man then walked up the beach and met his wife at the road.

'Well, is she selling drugs?' she asked excitedly.  'No, she's not,' he said, enjoying this probably more than he should have.

'Well, what is it then?  What does she do?' his wife fairly shrieked.

The man grinned and said, 'She's a battery salesperson.'

'Batteries?' cried the wife.

'Yes!' he replied.

'She Sells C Cells down by the Seashore!'