Thursday, February 10/2011

I was up early, again this morning. The sun has not yet risen so it is chilly and when I checked the temperature it was 2C.  There was about 1/2 an inch of ice in the dog water so I "braved the cold" (that will make the folks back home giggle) and got that out of the way so that the birds could get a drink.  Although it is funny watching them walk on the ice, I know that this is the time they often drink.  They do not have to put up with the wasps and other flying insects that also come in search of water when they drink at this early hour.  I find if I keep the dish in the shade, the wasps have a much harder time finding it  and Hogan does not have to deal with them when he is thirsty.
When Ben stopped by yesterday, he brought the stuff that had been delivered to the UPS store for us and in that batch of goodies was my new BBQ.  When Larry and Ariane were camping with us, they brought out their Weber BBQ.  I drooled over it then and continued to drool when they left.  It was a delight to cook on AND one could actually put a small roaster inside it  - top included. This was great for roasted chicken or a roast of beef, etc.  The point being, it was tall enough to accommodate that size pot.  Our BBQ was a Weber also, but a much smaller version and now,  here was the new and improved version and there I was....drooling like a dog!!  I guess John got a little sick of looking at my constantly wet chin and decided to order one for me.  Now perhaps my chapped, excoriated chin can finally heal!!  I absolutely love this BBQ and can hardly wait to try it out.  Oh, the culinary delights I can create on this thing will astound John.  I can hardly wait to try yams in orange sauce, garnished with asparagus spears. Plain, baked potatoes - be gone with you!!  John just does not know what a lucky man he is!!!
It is laundry day today and Ben have offered his truck for the day as he is going to stay at the apartment and get things in order. Once I dropped Ben back at his place I was off to the races and quickly did some of the running I needed to do before heading back out to the campsite and collecting all the laundry including the bed linen (John should be out of bed by the time I get back!!).  Then, it was back into town for a marathon session at the laundromat.  Once that was done (3 hours later), I headed across the street to Safeway then back home.  John worked on the jeep again and has most of the dash wiring done - complete with new speakers, radio, CB and switches.  "Frank" is starting to look pretty!!
Once back at camp, we quickly got ready for an adventure out into the desert.  John has been looking for a small piece of property to purchase for when we come down here for the winter.  It would be nice to have a place to park that was our own.  Off we went into the wilds of the desert and it soon became apparent that Ben's truck (being only 2 wheel drive) was probably not the best vehicle for this adventure.    I think we were under some delusion that we could actually drive on a reasonable road to get to this piece of property.  The majority of the "road" was good but it only takes a couple of  nasty little areas to cause you to wonder if this was such a good idea.  We would definitely NOT be able to get the motorhome into this property so, we will continue our search.  Once back at camp, we looked around and thought "so what is wrong with this place?"  We have a beautiful view and it is free.  Need I say more?
John drove us into town to give Ben's truck back and to check out his apartment.  He was quite impressed with the new digs and I gave Ben the gears about all the luxury he is surrounded with and that if he wasn't careful he was going to start loving all the conveniences he has!!  He assured us that his heart was back at his tent although he could see a little travel trailer in his future!!  That would be ideal for him and Grace.  Then he would not have to worry so much about the elements (not that he really worries about them anyway).  It is always nicer to be able to face the wind, cold or rain when you can go into your trailer and turn on the heat and cook a meal when you don't have to start a campfire!!  He loves his lifestyle and is not willing to change it but, a little travel trailer would make it a bit easier for him.
John drove us all back to camp then Ben headed back into town with "goodbyes" and "see you tomorrow" following in his wake.
It has been a busy, but good day all around.