Monday, January 31/2011

I awoke early this morning to hear a few raindrops on the roof of the motorhome and once again I find it a rather calming sound. It is like all is well with the earth and it is merely replenishing some much needed water to this part of the desert. It is chilly in the bus this morning which really is no surprise considering the cloud coverage. According to the forecast, rain is on the agenda. I really will not complain though as it is -35C at home with a 10km wind so the windchill factor will easily take the temp to -40C. Way too cold for man or beast!!

I can't believe that it is the end of January already. Where has the time gone? It seems to be flying by this year and we are already half way through our time down here.

Lorne and Marilyn should be showing up soon and that will make time fly by again, then Jace and Kimmy will be here after that - only 34 more sleeps until we go pick the granddog up from them (so they can attend a wedding in Vegas) and then only 38 more sleeps until they come and spend a week with us!! After that, it will soon be time to think about starting the trek home.

John worked on the dash once again and around 4pm much to our surprise, Lorne and Marilyn arrived!! What a coincidence - I had just mentioned them in today's blog and they show up today AND right in time for happy hour!! It must be karma!!

Being that it was still rather windy and chilly out, John got the "fireplace in a can" out and we sat in the trailer trading stories of our lives since we had last seen each other. It was nice that we had kept in touch through out the year and had some clue as to how each other was doing. It was really good to see them. They will be touring around to the various sites again before they board the plane to Mexico. It is going to be a fun few days for us. We already have plans for karaoke at the Rancher on Friday so it looks like another bus ride into town!! And, most importantly, they know that happy hour starts at 4pm at this campsite!!

Sunday, January 30/2011

It was chilly in the bus this morning so I had to start the heater to get the chill out of the air. I see the finches are sitting in the tree waiting for me to fill the feeder.

Ben and I are to be hiking today so I had better get into gear and be ready when he arrives. Hogan can come with us today as he is no longer limping and will be able to enjoy the countryside with Grace. I must remember to take extra water because the two of them get quite thirsty on the trails.

Everett joined us on the hike today. And, as I predicted, Grace and Hogan ran around like a couple of idiots. They had the first bottle of water gone within the first hour. I will have to buy a bigger back pack just to carry their water!!

John was working on all the dash wiring today and it is coming along nicely. Maybe he will get it running sometime this year!!

Ben, Everrett and I headed into town for a few groceries. Some dumbass bought buttermilk yesterday when she was shopping and I must say it tastes rather nasty so I must go in and get some actual drinkable milk!!

It has been cloudy and a bit windy today and a good day to curl up in front of my fireplace and that is exactly what we did for the rest of the evening.

Saturday, January 29/2011

I was not up as early as I usually am and I am feeling a bit ragged around the edges today but I guess that is the price you pay when you party hardy!! It sure is noisy here in town and I can't hear the birds chirping. There is no end to the diesel pickups going past us though!!

We stopped at the Safeway to restock the larder, then headed back out to the peace and quiet of the desert. All was well at the campsite and we were soon parked and ready to enjoy the rest of the day. Ben stopped by for a bit of a chat and then Trueman stopped by as well. It is so nice to have people stop and chat and to just say "hi". Ben and I have a hike planned for tomorrow so I had better get rested up for that.

John's Mom and her friend Georgie are leaving Saskatoon today and are heading down this way for a bit of a vacation. Georgie and her husband have a place south of Phoenix and they will be there trying to sell it as Georgie's husband is no longer able to come here for health reasons. He is now confined to a wheelchair with severe parkinsons disease and has been put into a care home. They are to cross the border on Monday and travel according to the road conditions and the weather. It will be good to see them for a day or two or however long they plan on staying here, although I know Georgie is anxious to get to her place and get the thing sold. It will be a nice break for both of the girls as it is -28C at home today!!

Friday, January 28/2011

I love waking up and listening to the birds chirping. They are loud and so very busy at the feeder. The doves are busy on the ground as the finches are very messy and seem to drop more seed on the ground than what I think is necessary!! The hummingbirds are busy flying here and there and often stop at the finch feeder to check things out. If you sit quietly, you can hear their little beaks tapping at the feeder. They were busy checking out the yellow moons on the camping table yesterday while I was sitting beside it painting the other table and you could hear their beaks tapping the moon!! I walked over to check the syrup in their feeder and as I was standing there with one hand on the top of the feeder and the other hand on the bottom of it, one actually came over and decided to sit a spell on the perch and feed!! So, here I was standing still getting a close up of my little hummingbird and wondering just how long I would have to stand still. Fortunately, I didn't have to stand there for too long as the little thing took flight about 45 seconds after he landed. He certainly had no fear of me though. There were three at the feeder the other day and I must say they are rather territorial and waste no time in chasing each other off. Gosh, how lucky am I that I get all this entertainment with my morning coffee!!

We headed into town today as it is time to dump the tanks and take on water. We will park at Tommy's lot just a block away from the Seven tonight so that there is no drinking and driving going on!! It was great fun and as usual, the night was capped off with a yahtzee game and to everyone surprise - I lost again!!

Thursday, January 27/2011

It was another sunny day today. I spoke with my sister Jan again and I think she is getting tired of me gloating about all the nice weather we are having although she said all in all, they are having a fairly decent winter. There have been several "cold" spells but today, the snow is melting and dripping off the eaves!! When I asked her if she was putting down salt so that no one slipped as they were walking on their sidewalk she asked me if I was the Sidewalk Cop!! She is a bit sensitive!!

Another day spent working on the table. It is quite a slow process being that the pattern is rather small. I think I have a "crik" in my neck!!

John is busy with the jeep again and now we have radio!! There are still several wires that have yet to find a home!!

Tomorrow, I think we are heading into town. Time to treat ourselves to supper and karaoke so I had better get to bed early so that I am well rested for tomorrow's activities.

Wednesday, January 26/2011

There is nothing but beautiful sunshine this morning. Already the day is starting out much better than yesterday's clouds.

John spent most of the day once again, working on the jeep and we now have wipers, heater and a few other things I can't remember. It won't be as much fun now cause when you turn on the lights, the windshield wipers won't come on!! Some people just have to take all the fun out of everything!!

I decided that it was time to get some pictures back up on the walls so spent part of the day doing that and then started working on the $3.00 table Ben and I picked up at the thrift store the other day. I have just about got all the woodburning done on it but am excited to start with the colors so will do some of that today - just to see how it is going to look.

Ben stopped by for a short visit then him and Grace left to make supper. His friend Everrett apparently drove into Phoenix to try out for a part in some movie that is shooting there. Good Luck - with his pallor, I can't see him being cast in any film. He really does look ill and apparently was ill for quite a while in Costa Rica so it will take him a while to shake off the effects from that.

After Ben left, it was time for a quick game of Yahtzee, then supper, TV and bed. John is often on the computer while watching TV and we had a quick email from friends we met here last year. Lorne and Marilyn were planning on meeting us for a quick visit before heading to Mexico for their annual vacation and they are already on their way!! They were able to leave earlier than they had expected so we just may be able to enjoy their company for a bit longer - before they fly to Mexico. What a nice surprise!!

Tuesday, January 25/2011

Up early today as Ben and I are headed into town to do laundry and some shopping. We were gone by 9:00 and home by 2:00. It is hard to believe that it took us that long to pick up a few groceries, gas, water, dump garbage, do laundry and run around town looking for all the stuff on John's jeep list. All in all, we had a good day and John had worked on the wiring of the jeep while we were gone so got a good bit of that done. There are still a million unattached wires hanging from under the dash and it is mind boggling how he is able to keep them all straight and know where they are all supposed to go!!

I picked up a pizza for supper as I knew I wouldn't feel like cooking after running around in town all day.

It was good to come home and just relax. PS - Ben did go and check on Jim yesterday after he left us and he is still in the land of the living and doing well. He did mention to John that Jim's jeep isn't running all that well and told Jim to bring it here and John would have a listen to it and see if he could help him out. John said he would help if he could although he wasn't a mechanic!! Nice to know - since you have ripped "Frank" apart!!

Monday, January 24/2011

Well what a difference a day makes. The sun is shining and there is not a breath of wind to be heard or felt. It looks like I will be able to get that varnish on the little camping table and then we can start using it again. I took a couple of pics of it today so that everyone can see what I have done.

Ariane sent me an email yesterday, they are in Brenda Az till the middle of February. John and I were wondering how far they got so it was good to hear from her. I answered her today and caught her up on all my news, which wasn't very much!!

I really must go fill the bird feeder today. I didn't fill it yesterday (as it was so windy out I didn't even venture out for more than a few minutes) so they might be mad at me!! I must fill the water dish as well. I love watching them drink. Even Mr Woodpecker was down having a drink the other day. He had a lovely red blaze on his head so I will have to look him up on google to see what kind of woodpecker he is.

Ben stopped by on his way into town and asked if I wanted to go in with him or if he could pick anything up for me and since I was on a mission to finish the table I stayed here at camp. He then stopped by on his way from town and the three of us sat and enjoyed the weather and had a couple of beverages to wash away the day's dust!! He got a call from his son Bennie who had asked him to make him a walking stick as he has scheduled a hiking trip to Peru and needs one. He also asked me to post a pic of the sticks and so I had Ben hold the stick he was planning on sending to his son. It has the most incredible finish on it and the color is awesome. I am sure he will enjoy many happy hikes with it. The stick with the wolf and the moon is the one I decorated for myself and is not quite finished yet. I am determined to hang some genuine turquoise from it - making it my official Arizona walking stick!!

Grace and Hogan played like a couple of kids and we finally got smart and removed Hogan's collar - now Grace can't grab it and haul Hogan around like a rag doll!!

John got his "list" of stuff he needs to finish the jeep off and Ben and I are headed into town tomorrow to do laundry, pick up a few groceries and tackle "the list". Should make for an interesting day!!

Sunday, January 23/2011

Although it is sunny today, there is a nasty little wind blowing. It is a good thing we keep a clean camp as I am sure I would be retrieving all sorts of stuff that had blown into the thorny trees nearby. I noticed that the tarp over the jeep has come undone on one end and is flapping in the breeze. I did a quick check of the up coming weather and today it says windy (32km/hr) but sunny and will remain sunny for the next ten days ranging from the low to mid 70s. No problem!!

It was a quiet day today with me getting my arse kicked once again in Yahtzee then watching the football games. Ben stopped by and left the can of varnish for me to use on the camping table but being so windy today, I will save that job for tomorrow.

I spoke with Jan today and she text that the water is dripping off the eaves today as the temperature has risen to well above freezing. For anyone who has lived through a Canadian winter, you know that this is a double edged sword. Although it is absolutely beautiful during the day, all that melted snow freezes and make the loveliest ice making it very hazardous to walk or drive. As I was lying in bed tonight (John was listening to the news) I heard there was a travel advisory out - the roads are extremely slippery and travel is NOT RECOMMENDED. Surprise, surprise!!

Saturday, January 22/2011

Once again, I awoke to sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. It is going to be another nice day. Casey skyped us last night and we had a nice chat with him. He sounded quite enthused about how things are going in school and that is a very good thing!! He is quite confident that he will be done and graduated in another few weeks so I am sending all kinds of good mojo to him!!

It is our niece's birthday today so I will have to send her an e-card with happy birthday wishes. You have got to love technology!! It has taken over an hour (probably longer) to find a decent birthday card and I am not sure I even like the one I finally sent, just got sick of looking. Next year I will just send her a card through the mail. It would be a lot easier on me!! Now with my kind of luck, she may not have even received it!! Now, wouldn't that be a kicker!! All that time spent for nothing!!

John worked on the jeep again today and I got started on the other camping table - the $3.00 one I picked up at the thrift store. I sanded it till my wrists hurt but got the ugly stain off it and then started with the leaf stensils and did a pattern all the way around it along the outside edge. It is rather folk artsy with acorns and leaves. I want to burn the pattern into the wood and maybe color it in but it will be rather labor intensive as far as the woodburning goes. Oh well, what else do I have to do!!

Heard from Casey again today. One of his roommates has a sick cat and looks to be dying so, he was wondering what he should do about it. The cat's owner is out of town and no one has any money to take it to a vet. Casey, who has such a soft heart and can't stand to see anything suffer has decided to take it to the SPCA, tell them it is a stray and either get it some help or have it put down. That is so Casey - what a nice young man. He was always very gentle with animals. Even when the boys were little and we were camping and they caught all kind of creatures from frogs to lizards to butterflies and bugs, the rules were always to be gentle and not hurt them and at the end of the day, they had to be let go so that they could return to their families. I will have check on the cat situation tomorrow to find out what happened.

The evening was totally awesome and we were once again blessed with one of the absolutely best sunsets to date. The way the cloud formations were, it looked like the bus was on fire and the clouds were the flames rising above it. I hope the pics I took do it justice. Even John got into the act of snapping pictures because the skies were just magic last night.

We had an awesome fire and an even more awesome steak then, it was off to bed as it is football Sunday tomorrow and I know my legs are going to tired after I help the Pittsburg Steelers win the conference finals and head to the Superbowl!!

Friday, January 21/2011

Hot again today and John worked on the jeep and I finally finished the table. Now all it needs is a good coat of varathane or something along those lines and it will be ready for use. Ben stopped by for a quick visit, he had been in town earlier and brought John some packages that were at the UPS store for him - what a sweet man he is. Now, hopefully, John has most of the things he needs to get the jeep running.

Oh, by the way, the jeep has a name --- "Frank". Now you may think this is a real strange name, but we came by it quite honestly. When John and I were discussing some of the parts and pieces of the jeep, I said something along the lines of "well isn't that an original piece?", and John looked at me with a rather funny look on his face and said "there are not very many original parts on this jeep - it is a Frankenjeep" Hence - the name Frank. I think it is rather noble and stately, don't you?

We met Ben's friend Everret today and for someone who has been in Puerto Rico for a month, he sure isn't very tanned - in fact, he was rather pale. When I mentioned this to him he told me he had been in the jungle for the most part and there is not much sun gracing the jungle floor. By the look of him, I believe him!!

Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to squeeze in a bit of a hike. It is time to get back into gear after taking a couple days off!!

Thursday, January 20/2011

The sun is shining like crazy this morning and I think it is going to be a warm one today.

I spoke to Jan on skype and it was good to hear her voice. Texting is great but to hear a voice is even better. It is -39 with the windchill there today so that is cold, cold and cold!! But it is to be warming up by the weekend so they are really looking forward to that. Ron was home today so I told him I had a couple of carpentry jobs for him when we got back. I want him to fix our kitchen table and to make me a step that is more sturdier than the one I am using now. I told him I wanted it made out of the expensive "designer" 2x4s and he mentioned something about Braziian Cherry Wood!! Nothing but the best for me to be stepping on!!

Ben stopped by and dropped Grace off. He is headed into Phoenix and will be back later this afternoon. Grace can hang out here for the day with Hogan.

John was busy working on the jeep (almost getting tired of typing those words!!) and I sat down to finish our little camping table that Jace made us when he was in high school. It is about time I finished that project too!! It sure looks nice - even if I do say so myself!!

I also have another walking stick I have decided to work on. Ben found some old saguaro spines and those being so unique, I decided I wanted another stick so he sanded one down for me and I am currently putting a few personal touches to it. Hopefully, it turns out as nice as the table did.

Ben returned sooner that I thought he would with his friend Everret, who had been vacationing in Costa Rica - Rizzo's owner. Grace certainly knows the sound of Ben's truck because as soon as she heard it, she was gone!!

It was a good day and tomorrow is looking pretty good as well.

Wednesday, January 19/2011

It was a cloudy day today with the sun breaking through only on occasion. I sent out a couple of inquiries about Jace and Kim (thank heavens for girlfriends) let me know that he had made it to Mexico and was currently having a blast. I of course, had to remind her know that he would be having a much bigger blast if she had been there with him. The two of them will be here in 45 more sleeps so we are all looking forward to that.

I went into town today to replenish John's supply of decongestant as he is still battling his cold. I picked up a few more parts for the jeep and got back to camp in time for happy hour! What great timing I have!!

Ben is heading to Phoenix airport tomorrow to pick up a friend and I volunteered to keep Grace again while he is gone. This way, Grace and Hogan can play all day instead of her being in the truck all day with Ben although she loves going in the truck and her and Ben are quite attached to each other.

Trueman stopped by for a short visit before heading back into town. He is busy getting his sluice box ready and once it is, he has promised he will come and get me and I can help him look for gold!! Sounds like fun. Maybe there is gold in them there hills!!!

It was a full moon tonight and I hope I managed to get a few good pics of it.

Tuesday, January 18/2011

Sunshine again today - a good day for travel. Larry and Ariane packed up and left today for Yuma and parts unknown. Larry had very little trouble backing up that long unit and getting it back out onto the main road although he may have added a bit of desert pinstripping to the side of his power unit and the trailer. It will only give it more character!!

Ben stopped by in time to say goodbye then headed into town. He picked up a couple of packages for the jeep for John then we sat and chatted till suppertime.

Hogan's paw is much better - no limping today and him and Grace played like a couple of kids!!

All in all, it was a good day.

Monday, January 17/2011

Another sunshiny day is in store for us today. It is only 8:00am and already I can feel the heat. Oh my, it may hit 80 today!!

I just sent a text to Jace asking him if he is in Mexico so will be anxious to hear back from him. I imagine he is and may be "too busy" to answer his mother!! I am so excited for him and I only hope that this trip will give him the travel bug and he will make a point of starting to see a few of the sights the world has to offer.

As predicted, it was hot like crazy today and suitable for suntanning and sitting in the lawnchairs with a cold beer in one's hand and, I must say, we did it well.

Larry scooted into town for propane and Ariane stayed behind to get the trailer ready for travel tomorrow. Apparently, they have decided to head down towards Yuma to see what there is to see in that neck of the woods. Their holding tanks are pretty much full so it is time for them to dump and move on.

Hogan is still limping on his front paw so we will have to keep him quiet again today which should be pretty easy because he is smart enough to know he needs to rest it. He looks pretty sad!! John is still feeling lousy but maybe the sunshine will sweat the evil spirits out of him today!!

Sunday, January 16/2011

It was a bit cloudy when I awoke but the clouds soon dissipated and the sun shone through with wild abandon. Time for Ben and I to hit the hiking trails. We asked Ariane to join us but she opted out, instead decided to head into town with Larry for propane and what ever other adventure they could find.

Hogan in limping today on one of his front paws and although I have looked and looked, I can't seem to find any thorn causing the problem so he may have just bruised it while playing with Grace yesterday or while chasing that rather annoying jack rabbit that keeps taunting him!! Whatever the reason, he will not be coming on the hike with us which is really too bad because we always hike together and I feel bad that I have to leave him behind.

John is feeling even worse today - as colds go and plans on having a "football" Sunday, so him and Hogan can bond over some football!!

I plan on having Roast beef for supper so will get it on the BBq when I get back from the hike.
As you can see from the pics, the saguaro are everywhere. They stand majestically on the hills perpetually reaching towards the sky. No two are the same and I love taking pics of them. It is like they are the custodians of the desert.

We hiked for what seemed like forever and headed cross country and off trail to traverse a couple of hills heading back towards camp. As we crested the hills, we hoped to see Ben's camp on the other side and twice were greeted with more hills!! Finally, on the third hill we saw his camp!! This hike had taken us three hours and close to 6 miles round trip and we were just in time for "happy hour"!!


Leaving Ben at his campsite to rest for the remainder of the evening, I hiked the rest of the way to our site and once there, put the roast on the bbq for supper. John was still feeling rather poorly and Hogan was still limping. Man, what a bunch of sad sacks I am hanging out with!!

I had spoken to Jace earlier today. I text him a "Have fun but be careful" message as he is headed to Mexico to be the best man at his friend's wedding. He was to leave at 11:00AM but I guess there were issues with the plane and now they were re-scheduled for 9:30 tonight. That is a bit of a bummer but I reminded him that he should arrive there in time for "happy hour"!! Mexico never sleeps and the Cervases is always cold!!

The roast turned out beautifully and Larry and Ariane made it back just as it was ready although they had already eaten so it was just John and I who enjoyed the fruits of my labour!!

As it turned out, they had made a trip to Prescott over the pass that John and I had told them about and the same one that we had taken on the bike last year. They seemed to have had a good day and got back safely so what more can one ask for!! Another great day in the Sonoran Desert and another lovely sunset.

Saturday, January 15/2011

Sunshine again!! What a surprise!! Hogan and I are up early again. John continues to cough and he sounds like various barn animals when he breathes so I might just as well be sleeping in the barn as opposed to my nice warm bed!! He has become "one" with Buckley's Cough Syrup and makes all sorts of weird faces when he drinks it!! I listened to his chest last night with the stethoscope and it actually sounded pretty clear so that is a good thing. It is just a cold so it too will pass.

Ben and I are headed into town today to check out a couple of bargain stores he has found so that sounds like fun. I might just as well stop at Safeway and restock the cupboards and fridge while I am there.

Hopefully we will not get too carried away and will get back here in time for a hike, before it gets to hot to move.

Finally got back from town and what a time we had!! We did all the thrift stores and finally ended up at a flea market about 10 miles from here!! I bought a "new to me" fold down camping table for $3.00 (a steal of a deal!!) and bartered for an antique oil lantern which I managed to get for $5.oo!! It was great fun and we managed to kill most of the day!!

Being Saturday, it was campfire and steak night and the evening was clear and warm. The stars were out in glorious numbers and being that the moon is close to full, it was quite bright out. All in all, it was a great day.