THIS SATURDAY NIGHT POST IS FOR THE BIRDS!!

HEY BACK OFF THIS IS A PRIVATE PARTY!!

My Friday night post was a classic example of an aging mind & demonstrates how easily the passage of time can blur one’s memory.  Not once did I give a thought to when Facebook started but as soon as I saw the comment in my Shout Box this morning I knew right away I should have given it a thought.  FACEBOOK was actually founded on February 4th 2004.  So that being said it makes my claim of being on Facebook for 15 years totally inaccurate by 5 years.  I stand corrected.  It sure seems like a lot longer that I started my first Facebook account but the facts is the facts.  Makes me think to myself, ‘Ok what else have I got screwed up in my memories of the past’.  Scary stuff:((

Sunny day with a warming breeze meant it was a good time to do some laundry.  And that’s what we did.  Kelly also busied herself in the kitchen fixin up some food stuff to take with us next week.

I’M THINKING THIS HANDSOME FELLOW IS A HOUSE FINCH >>>

I spent a good part of my day quietly tipped back in one of our lawn chairs camera in hand just watching the comings & goings of birds to our feeders.  At one point I was startled by a loud squawk right behind my head as something landed on the back of my chair.  I remained very still expecting a big ‘peck’ on the back of my head.   Instead whatever it was hopped onto my right shoulder for a few seconds before flitting into a prickly pear cactus right beside me.  Looking to the right I saw it was a Cactus Wren.

CACTUS WREN

THERE GOES BERT SHOWING OFF HIS HORIZONTAL SWAN DIVE AGAIN

Having moved my chair this morning to a different location behind our garden shed & closer to the feeders I became aware after awhile how the birds were coming much closer to me.  Even the skitterish Gamble’s Quail were being very unusually brave.  Of course I remained relaxingly still & any movements I made were all done in super slow motion. 

EVER SEEN A QUAIL DOING THE GOOSE STEP

 

I have only ever caught fleeting glimpses of an unidentified small furry critter scampering around the property & this afternoon I was able to get a good look at what it was as it stood rigidly still only about 5 feet away watching me.  Folks may call them Squirrels here but back home we call em Chipmunks. 

WHO ME??

 

AND HERE’S MY CUTIE PATOOTIE LOOK

Half an hour later that little Chippy fella was up the Mesquite tree & right onto one of our wooden bird feeders.  Aha so that’s why we’re going through so much bird seed eh.  I let him be & watched with amusement as various birds flew in landing on the feeder alongside Chippy.  It was only a single Curved Bill Thrasher that took offence at the Chipmunk being on the feeder.  Gave Chips quite a tongue lashing about it too.

“GET OFF THE BIRDFEEDER YA FLEABAG”…”ALRIGHT ALRIGHT STOP YOUR HOLLERIN YA BIRD BRAIN”

 

“LOOK, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YA TO GET OFF THE FEEDER & QUIT MAKING FACES AT ME THROUGH THE GLASS!!

THIS DAM RODENT IS REALLY STARTING TO TICK ME OFF!!!!

We actually do have a couple small inverters we can use to charge up our laptops with next week.  Both plug into the cigarette lighter/power adaptor plug.  One is a 75 Watt & the other is a 300 Watt.  We just have to keep an eye on the engine battery drain for any prolonged periods of time.  Not as convenient as a regular coach inverter of course but we can make do just as we did on the way here back in October when our main 2,000 Watt coach inverter quit working about half way down.    

<<< AND NEXT TIME HOW ABOUT INCLUDING MY BEAK EH!!

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Great Truths Of Life:

1. Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.
2. There is always a lot to be thankful for, if you take the time to look. For example, I'm sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don't hurt.
3. One reason to smile is that every seven minutes of every day, someone in an aerobics class pulls a hamstring.
4. Car sickness is the feeling you get when the monthly payment is due.
5. The best way to keep kids at home is to make a pleasant atmosphere - and let the air out of their tires.
6. Families are like fudge . . . mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
7. Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
8. Laughing helps. It's like jogging on the inside.
9. Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.
10. My mind not only wanders; sometimes it leaves completely.

ONLY TOOK ME 15 YEARS TO MAKE A FACEBOOK DECISION & THE PLUS SIDE OF TELEVISION

JUST KIND OF A SNOOZY DAY AROUND OUR HOUSE

Under a heavy cloud cover today so that meant cooler air.  With a warm T-shirt & my flannel shirt feeling quite comfortable I puttered about outside.  Loaded up & rearranged a few RV bins,  ran the generator & engine for a bit, pulled the tire covers off & rolled up the outside mat all in preparation for Monday’s departure.  Temps in the mid to upper 70’s slated for the Slabs next week with temps here in Congress predicted to be in the mid 60’s with night time lows in the low 40’s.

Not sure what is going on at the end of the Grand Bend pier back home but clicking on the Yacht club lake cam this morning I saw 2 work trucks backed out to the end of the pier & the white lighthouse beacon which has stood there for as long as I can remember is missing.

Only took me about 15 years to remember something I’ve been meaning to correct regarding my Facebook.  Had set up a Facebook account in our early computer days back in the late 90’s.  At some point for some long forgotten reason I decided to not use that Facebook account anymore & set up a new one which I have had ever since.  Problem was I kept forgetting to delete the old Facebook account & occasionally I was still getting notifications of pending friend requests etc.  Yesterday after thinking about it again I quickly mentioned it to Kelly.  Didn’t take her long to figure things out & 20 minutes later that old Facebook account was history.  And to think it only took me about 15 years for my mind to remind itself to get that done.  Aren’t modern day attentively decisive minds a wonderful thing.

<<< PHEEBS WITH HER NEW TOY SOPHIE, LOUIE, & BIG JAKE GAVE HER:))

Yes I know I grumble from time to time about the state of television programming & I do whole heartedly stick by my grumbles but like everything else there are two sides to television programming.   The goods the bads, pros & cons, ups & downs, negatives, positives, & so it goes.  Same thing can be said for computers but would I quit using my computer or throw it out the window because of the negative side.  Not a chance.  Have I given up watching television & thrown it out the window.  Not a chance.  Both television & computers are not only great entertainment sources but they are excellent learning & educational tools as well ‘if used properly’.  To give up either one because of their negative side I think is a bit shortsighted.  Like cutting off one’s nose to spite their face.  It comes down to each individual’s preferences, self control, & how well one discipline’s themselves to what is in front of them.  Yes there is a lot of lot growing garbage on TV making it more difficult to flesh out the quality programing but there is still some left.  Frustrating of course to have to wade through all the schlock nowadays but if one perseveres one can still benefit greatly from the positive side of television.  And yes there still is a positive side there although it seems it is increasingly harder to find these days.

 

A FEW BIRD PHOTOS THIS AFTERNOON

Chances are good we will be without an inverter next week for a few days & probably longer.  If so I’m hoping Solar Mike will have a spare he could throw in for us until we get our’s back.  Otherwise we are going to be dead in the water having to use our generator for everything.  I’m sure it will be another learning experience for us……… 

TONIGHT’S SUNSET IN KELLY’S BEDROOM WINDOW

GROANER’S CORNER:((  It was very crowded at the supermarket, and the customer in front of me had a large order.  As the harried looking clerk lifted the final bag for her, its bottom gave way, sending the contents crashing to the floor. "They just don't make these bags like they used to," the clerk quipped to the customer. "That was supposed to happen in your driveway!"

---

Mary and Joan were having lunch when Mary said "My son is really growing up."  Joan said "How do you know that?"  Mary replied, "Instead of asking me where he came from, now he refuses to tell me where he is going!"

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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.

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SAD TO SEE OUR GOOD FRIENDS LEAVE THIS MORNING

WE HAD SOME SAD FACES THIS MORNING AS WE ALL SAID OUR GOOD BYES

As well as Jean & Skip we are early risers so we were all outside saying our good-byes somewhere around 8 o’clock this morning.  As it is with friends we still had lots to talk about so all the doggy guys also had lots of time to race around playing & saying their own good-byes.  We had hoped they could have stayed a few more days but maybe next time.

PHEEBS IS ALREADY FEELING SAD

 

HUGS & SMOOCHES FOR BEST PALS

AW MOM & DAD WISHED WE DIDN’T HAVE TO GO

 

 

LOUIE LOOKS ON AS SOPHIE JUMPS UP FOR A BIG COMFORTING HUG FROM MOM

 

UM, WOULD IT BE OK IF I STAYED A COUPLE EXTRA DAYS

We were sad to see Sophie, Louie, big Jake, Jean & Skip leave this morning.  We always so much enjoy their company & doing things with them.  They are two people we feel very comfortable with.  Big Jake, Louie & Sophie left a nice new toy for Pheebs & she’s been racing around with it all day.  Thanks guys:))  It was 8:45 a.m. when the Vancouver Island gang rolled out our south gate heading off in the direction of that big Yuma town. 

PHEEBS SADLY WATCHES AS HER PALS SOPHIE, LOUIE, & JAKE ROLL OUT THIS MORNING

 

I COULD SEE BIG JAKE SITTING RIGHT UP FRONT BETWEEN JEAN & SKIP LOOKING OUT THE WINDSHIELD AT PHEEBS

BYE GUYS & YA ALL COME BACK NOW YA HEAR……….

Fifteen minutes later Kelly & I were in the Jeep heading for Wickenburg.  It was time for some groceries & seeing’s how I was needing a Safeway fix I decided to go along on the grocery run as well.  Nothing too much new there as I skittered around the aisles rounding up my own stuff.  Kelly generally spends about a day & half in the meat department alone so I tried to throttle back my skittering.  We were home again by 11 $214.00 poorer but we did have a 21 pound frozen Turkey with us.

<<< I’M GONNA MISS YOU TOO LOUIE

Turned out to be a very laid back day.  Had ourselves a high cloud cover & temps were comfortably cool.  Solar Mike emailed today saying he can have a look at our inverter problem first thing Tuesday morning.  We will roll out of here Monday morning & spend the night at the Slabs in order to be at Mike’s soon as he opens the following morning.  Tuesday will be November 18th which is nearly one year ago to the very day we were last at Solar Mikes to have a solar system installed on our 2012 Class C Winnebago.  That day was November 19th. SOLAR INSTALLATION 2013  And here is our original 2003 Damon Challenger Class A solar installation back on DECEMBER 20TH 2007 at Solar Mike’s as well.  Last November I remember when the rig was done & we were on our way out of Slab City thinking, “well, this is probably the last time we will ever be at the Slabs”.  Ya right, here we go again.  I think this will be our 4th trip to the Slabs since late 2007.  Guess you could almost call us part time Slabbers now………….

For you techie types out here & especially you Mac folks you might want to have a look at Steve’s latest post entitled, ‘A BITTER SWEET GEEK SQUAD COMPUTER REPAIR.’  Here is an exercise in complete frustration control.   Under the conditions Steve did a great job writing this post & even managed to infuse some fine humor in what could have otherwise been a very scathing rant.  Well done………………  

I’M MISSING MY PALS DAD

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A man had just arrived home after the successful implantation of a pacemaker.
Reading through the literature, he was delighted to learn that the instrument carried a lifetime guarantee.

---

A husband and wife were at a party chatting with some friends when the subject of marriage counseling came up. "Oh, we'll never need that. My husband and I have a great relationship," the wife explained. "He was a communications major in college and I majored in theater arts.  He communicates real well and I just act like I'm listening."

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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.

MET A FELLOW RV BLOGGER IN YARNELL & DOWN THE MOUNTAIN ON AN OLD STAGE COACH ROAD

CONGRESS’S OLD PIONEER CEMETERY

Louie had a 9 a.m. appointment to have his nails done this morning.  Same place Pheebs had her nails clipped a couple weeks ago.  He was soon back from the groomer & we all took us for a drive out to the end of Ghost Town Road where two Congress Pioneer cemeteries are located.  It was one of the places Jean & Skip hadn’t made it too last time here a couple winters ago.

  

Had a look across at the old Congress Gold Mine & took us for a drive through a small settlement just up the road from the mine.  Kelly & I had looked at a couple pieces of property there back in March of 2012 before we decided on our present location. 

 

From Ghost Town Road we headed ourselves up the Yarnell hill to the wee town of Yarnell itself & took us for a drive around the area where Yarnell’s tragic fire had been a year & a half ago.  Pretty well all of the burnt out home sites have been cleaned up & many new homes have already been built.  Some are presently under construction while other damaged lots are still bare.  Yarnell is a very pretty place all nestled in among huge boulder formations with lots of shady trees.  An all round nice seasonal place to live.  There is talk of erecting a permanent monument to the 19 firefighters who died there right on the actual site where they lost their lives.

We knew fellow RV Blogger Gaelyn from GEOGYPSY lived in Yarnell somewhere but didn’t know the exact location so as we drove slowly around looking at the reconstruction we were keeping an eye out for a 5th wheel & a dark colored pick-up truck.  And sure enough we found her.  Luckily she was home so Gaelyn, Jean & Skip were all able to meet each other.  They were familiar with each others blogs.  Gaelyn showed us the spot where a shed had once stood but burnt in the fire causing her to lose a bunch of mementos.  She said feelings are mixed in Yarnell about the location of the firefighter’s memorial & also mentioned how some homeowners who lost their homes in the fire are still having a hard time dealing with their uncooperative insurance companies.  With Yarnell tightening up some of it’s municipality laws Gaelyn thinks this may be the last winter she will be allowed to park her 5th wheel on the lot she has been living on for a few years now.

THAT’S GAELYN (GEOGYPSY) IN THE BLUE SHIRT

From Gaelyn’s place we drove to Yarnell’s north end.  The ladies were needing a Thrift Store fix & there is one adjacent to Yarnell’s Community Center right on the main street.  Kelly found a $4 full length mirror for her bathroom.  I somehow ended up with the most loot coming out of there with a couple shirts & a mouse pad.  I think Jean found herself a cute artsy pillow & I think Skip found his way back out of the building not long after finding his way into the building.  We had hoped to stop into Yarnell’s Ranch House Restaurant but it was closed today.  So was the Thunderbird Pizza place just up the road in Peeples Valley.  That was two strikes against us.  Strike three was the community center where they have a daily luncheon but by the time we walked in the door we were told ‘they were out of food.  So it was 3 up 3 down for eateries.  But wait…we saw cars parked at the Yarnell Diner so in we went.  Let’s just say it was a swing & a miss & leave it at that………………..

YEP WE’RE IN YARNELL ALRIGHT

 

THIS CREATURE WAS OUTSIDE THE YARNELL COMMUNITY CENTER & HOW YARNELL GOT IT’S NAME

YARNELL COMMUNITY CENTER

IN THOSE DISTANT DARK MOUNTAINS ON THE HORIZON LIES THE BIG TOWN OF PRESCOTT AZ

We had driven the old stage coach road from Stanton up the side of the Weaver Mountains to Yarnell several times before but we had never driven the rough & bouncy road back down from Yarnell to Stanton.  Today we did that & what a scenic drive it was as we wound our way around a few tight curves, nosed our way through some dusty gulleys & lumbered around half a dozen gravely switchbacks.  A wave to the old & still active gold mining town of Stanton as we passed by.  Well there’s really no town anymore but there is a history & there are a lot of modern day prospectors living in RV’s here.  The mountains & hillsides all around are pock marked with mine shafts & mining claims.  Lots of folks up in them thar hills still digging for gold.

HEADING DOWN THIS PICTURESQUE VALLEY TO STANTON

 

AUTUMN COLOR & STOPPING FOR A LEG STRETCH

 

THIS IS THE ORIGINAL STAGE COACH ROAD DOWN THE SIDE OF THE WEAVER MOUNTAINS BETWEEN YARNELL & STANTON

 

LAST WINTER WHEN WE CAME THROUGH THESE TREES THERE WAS STILL WATER ACROSS THE ROAD AHEAD

A FEW TIGHT CORNERS ALONG THE WAY

A long dusty & fairly flat miserable washboard road led us back to highway 89 & minutes later we were all back home.  Wasn’t long & a few of us were in Siesta mode.  zzzzzzzz

STANTON ARIZONA TO THE RIGHT

LOTS OF GOLD DIGGING RV FOLKS OVER THERE

AND A MODERN DAY PROSPECTOR I PRESUME

Later in the afternoon we took a walk around the neighbor’s property behind us.  It’s the one with the nice Joshua Trees & the property where I did a bunch of cleaning up last winter.  The fella who owns the property lives in Alberta & rarely comes here but we did meet him for the first time earlier this year.  Nice fella.

WITH BINOCULARS WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE OUR HOUSE AT THE FOOT OF THE DATE CREEK MOUNTAINS AHEAD

CLOUD SHADOWS ON THE WEAVER MOUNTAINS

Jean & Skip are rolling out in the morning heading further southwest.  I think chances are good we’ll cross paths somewhere again over the next 4 months as Kelly & I also intend on heading further southwest on some of our boondocking ventures.  We always like having Jean, Skip, & the doggy gang here.  We all have a lot in common & enjoy hanging out & doing things together.  We feel very comfortable with them & it will be sad to see them go.  We had us a great few days:)) 

HEADING HOME TO THOSE DISTANT MOUNTAINS ABOUT MID AFTERNOON

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Granny Adams made such beautiful pies! One day I asked her, "How do you get such beautiful pies with the crimps around the edge so even?"
"Well, it's a family secret," she said. "But if you promise not to tell, I'll let you in on it."  "Okay," I said. "Tell me!"
"Well, first, I roll out the dough, making sure it is flat and even. Then I cut out the bottom layer and carefully put in the pie plate and make sure it is firmly against the sides of the plate.  Then I slowly pour in the filling, making sure it's not too full.  Next, I cut out the top layer and carefully put it over the filling.  Finally, I take out my teeth and just run them around the edge of the pie crust and they make the nicest even impressions you ever did see!"