We are still here….

 

Our location:

BLM Ogilby Rd, Winterhaven, California 

We are still tucked away in Southern California enjoying the winter adventure. The days are mostly balmy with some chilly winds tossed in occasionally to remind us it is now winter time. We are of course sympathetic to those that can’t be here and will just suffer through for everyone with no complaining. Yes we are that generous!

Some times the night sky is on fire. 
Dec 22

We are no longer solo as most or at least some of you know, our friends Ken and Kim have been here since Nov 18,  they too are suffering the reminder of winter right along with us, they are not complaining either. Happy hours are more on the quiet side but fun, informative and some times even educational. We are truly enjoying their company. 

Kim and Ken have taken a spot in the front yard.

I told you it was breezy, sand in the chairs.

We, meaning the four of us, Kim, Ken, Riley and I met up with Bill, Patsy, Duncan and Patty on Nov 19 at the entrance gate to Los Algodones, Mexico for a fun filled day. It was our first time meeting Duncan and Patty, who also are from Ontario, Canada, and in fact are from Northern Ontario just as Riley and I are. We had a fabulous time, enjoyed some laughs, some good food and drinks, managed a few hugs and handshakes from some folks that remembered us, we even managed to spend some money, after all ,”Its almost free.”. It was so surprising when we turned the corner to start for the line at US customs, 2:00 pm and no one was in line! We all enjoyed that a great deal.

L-R
Riley, Deb, Duncan, Patty, Patsy, Bill, Ken, Kim

We shared Christmas Dinner in our rig with the two K’s, they supplied half, we supplied half, we were all full by the end! You will have to take my word for it as we don’t have a single pic! Thanks Kim and Ken, it was delicious and the company fantastic!

Christmas Eve

We FaceTimed with my grandsons on Christmas Eve for a bit, but chatted with everyone back home and here in California on Christmas Morning. SIL Janet and hubby Dennis are once again in Indian Wells, California.

Not spectacular but nice.

Nightly chats with Dad, has us wondering if they will get any more snow, it has rained now for a couple of days, their snow is mostly gone, but there are serious patches of ice in some places. 

Happy belated birthday wishes to Isabel, my great niece. She celebrated on Christmas Eve. I believe Miss Issy is 11. Also happy birthday to cousin Barry, a Christmas Day baby. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time…..

Take care, stay safe,

Deb

A new arrival….

 

Our Location:

Ogilby Road, Winterhaven, California 

A quiet day except for a new arrival on our home dirt spot. Ken and Kim’s friend, fellow Canadian and in fact fellow Ontarian, Keith and his trusted side kick Oreo arrived yesterday. They will be here for a little while before moving on to spend some time with other folks.

Sunrise, Dec 14.

A walk down to Dogpound Anywhere yesterday morning had me visiting with John and Brenda longer than my original plan. Oh well, it was enjoyable, and they didn’t seem to mind me popping by.

Water left over, but it was soon gone.

We being, Deb and Tom, Ken and Kim, Keith and I all sat around for a bit of a happy hour yesterday afternoon. A bit coolish but still nice in the sunshine. Riley stayed inside as she often does.

The view from a walk to John and Brenda’s.

Today, Christmas Eve we will all get together for happy hour and I believe John and Brenda will be joining us as well. We plan on sharing some goodies, and tomorrow our plan is to meet again for Christmas dinner. It promises to be lively and fun!

A chat with a few folks back home, it seems they will have a green Christmas this year, the temps a little above the freezing mark! Not fun for anyone getting snow toys!

New neighbour, Keith.

A special happy birthday to Miss Isabell. She turns 10 today. A beautiful young lady with a quick smile, a soft voice and a twinkle in her eye. She is my brother Rick’s oldest grandchild, being the oldest child of his oldest child, Nicole.

Also a happy birthday to cousin Barry. He celebrates tomorrow. Barry is a friendly fella, a helpful and easy going guy.  He makes his home in The Slash on Manitoulin Island. His home is on his grandfather’s farm, his grandfather being my great grandfather.

A send off for nephew Jason as he once again prepares for his cross country drive and a month spent dancing, flipping and fixing his sled out in the BC area of Revelstoke. He meets a number of friends there and they spend their days sledding in the area. Have fun, stay safe!

From our Igloo to your home, Riley and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! May you be surrounded by family, friends, good will, peace, love and joy! 

Until next time….

Take care, stay safe,

Deb

Merry Christmas Eve......

 

 

 Our Location: 

North of MM 4, Ogilby Road, Winterhaven, California

Merry Christmas Eve to one and all. And of course Merry Christmas to one and all as well. Riley and I hope this post finds you all warm, healthy and happy, where you want to be, with whom it is you wish to be with and enjoying the love of family and good friends. 

Borrego Springs, California - Christmas 2018

Appropriately named Christmas Circle.

I didn't take any photos today so I thought I'd share some from past Christmas posts. I didn't delve too deeply, locations include here on Ogilby Road, Borrego Springs, California, Tonopah, Arizona and Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada. 

Saddle Mountain, Tonopah, Arizona - Christmas 2017

Saddle Mountain, Tonopah, Arizona, Christmas 2017

I spoke with my dad last night, my uncle Don and his lovely wife Joan, as well as my sister this morning. They all voiced the same news, snow, snow, snow and wind, wind, wind, and did they mention snow? Did they mention wind? Heavy wet snow, very hard to move without big equipment. The total as of this morning sounded like 16 - 20 inches/40.6 - 50 centimeters of snow.  That's a lot of snow. Glad I'm not there and having to move it. Normally I would sarcastically offer my sympathies for their situation but today I truly am sorry this is happening at this time of the year, the holiday season when so many people need to travel to see their loved ones. Dangerous times to be doing such a thing. We hope everyone remains safe, warm and well fed. 

Near here, Ogibly Road, Winterhaven, California - Christmas 2019

Same as above. My friend Jerry took me on a jeep ride a few days before Christmas to the Colorado River.

Today I didn't do much, chatted with Deb & Tom, and Riley. Later with Doug. I even helped Doug put this Mr. Buddy heater back together. It was a two person chore to be sure. However it's back together and it works. I'm finished. Walked a bit today and other than that Riley and I didn't do much of anything. 

Ward's General Store, Tehkummah, Ontario, Canada - Christmas 2020

The little stone cottage/house, Tehkummah, Ontario, Canada - Christmas 2020

 

A birthday wish to Isabella, granddaughter of my brother Rick and wife Barb, Izzy turns 9 today!!!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed today's photos, they've all appeared before in previous posts. 

The Igloo near our summer spot, Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada - Christmas 2021

Our summer spot view during the winter - 2021

Merry Christmas from our Igloo to your home!! 

Until next time...

Take care, be safe, 

Deb

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year

 

 

Location: Hamlet of Tehkummah, Ontario


It’s been a while since my last update but I haven’t had much to say. I’ve had the best intentions to keep reading blogs but well, we know what happens with best intentions. Enough said.

 

Downtown Tehkummah

Looking down the main street out of town.

 

 First things first, belated Happy Thanksgiving to our American Friends. We were with you in spirit and even celebrated here in our little corner of Ontario with a nice big ham. Belated Merry Christmas to one and all. We hope this holiday season has brought you peace, love and joy. Along with good health, good cheer and almost all that you wished for. I do mean almost ALL, because if you received everything you wished for, what would you have left to wish for in the future? We would also like to wish you all a very wonderful New Year as I doubt I'll be doing another update so quickly.

Ward's General Store, across the street from our little winter house.

 

Our little stone winter home.

Snow, cold, milder temps, rain, more snow, more cold, etc. You get the idea. The weather here is a constantly changing thing. Although we’ve had a few very cold nights we haven’t had any long stretches of such weather and so we will not complain. The Big Dog muscles onward but can be seen shivering late at night when he thinks we aren’t watching, the Igloo is safely tucked away near our summer spot and I’m sure is shivering much more frequently. Hopefully next year we will all be back to a much more normal way of life and we can be in a much warmer place with a lot less snow and enjoying spectacular sunrises and sunsets.


 

The back yard of our little stone house.

 

A few days of work here and there but otherwise very quiet here in our little neighbourhood. We did have daughter Courntey visit for a few days before Christmas. It was so wonderful to see her and spend some time getting caught up. The days whipped by quickly but a few days is better than no days. She had a friend heading westward for a couple of weeks and so we managed to meet them only an hour and half drive away which made her visit much easier for us. A less than easy ride taking her home to Toronto, a quick overnight for me with a much easier ride home to the little stone house here in Tehkummah the following day. 

A bit different view of the back yard.

 

Other than that, nothing is new here, everyone is well, healthy and getting through the winter one day at time. All of the photos today were taken with my phone this morning, Boxing Day 2020. They show the small hamlet of Tehkummah and our little stone house for the winter.

View of the back our little stone house.

 Nephew Jason left this morning for a month of sledding near Revelstoke, BC. We wish him safe travels and good health. A very long drive for a single traveller. Wife Leah didn’t make the trip this year as she is due to deliver their first baby in mid February.

 

Can you see the General Store across the street?

Belated birthday wishes to great niece Isabel, who celebrated #7 on Christmas Eve, to cousin Barry who celebrated a much bigger number on Christmas Day. Future wishes to nephew Jason (Jan 2), cousin Sheila (Jan 7), niece Amber (Jan 9), sister in law Janet (Jan 14), daughter Courtney (Jan 22), cousin Craig (Jan 23), daughter Riley (Jan 28) and cousins Bob and Ruth (Jan 29). Lots of folks celebrating those candle days!!!

 

We are too protected here at the house to know the real weather and so we watch it through the trees in that open field of the dairy farm behind us. We can see blowing and drifting snow, fog, snow and when the trees start bending we know about the force of the wind.

So there you have it folks, a quick update. We do hope everyone out there is safe, healthy and happy. Stay warm or cool, whichever one might apply to you. Thanks for stopping by.

Multiple wind chimes grace the yard, these are just a few.

Until next time…. take care, be safe, stay healthy,

Deb

A very Merry Christmas to one and all....

Our Location: Saddle Mountain BLM, Tonopah, Arizona

Today's pics are sunrise, lunch and sunset. Sorry but I didn't take any other pictures at all today.

Start of sunrise between 7 - 7:30 am

Merry Christmas to all! May this day bring the love and warmth of family and friends to you and yours. 

Opposite the sunsets, the skies go from red to yellow

A coolish Christmas morning here in Saddle Mountain BLM as the temperature reached 37F/ 2C over night.  I’m sure I heard the sleigh bells ring as St. Nick passed overhead much earlier around 5 am. A Merry Christmas wish from daughter Courtney about an hour after that had me thinking it was time to put the iPad aside and get out of bed. A beautiful sunrise brought the day to a awesome start between 7 - 7:30 am. HRH Miss Kitty and I started the day curled up on the couch waiting for Mr Heater to warm the Igloo. Actually I was curled on the couch, she sat on the chair looking at me as if to say, well, aren’t you going to feed me yet? Which I did when I was making my hot chocolate like I do pretty much every morning. You would think she would know the routine by now. 

Enough cloud cover to make it interesting today

Around 7:45 am I headed outside, as Riley was still sleeping, to start my holiday phone calls to the great white north of Ontario, and of course to the areas of Southern Ontario that my two other daughters call home. Wishes and warm tidings were exchanged and passed around  in all of those calls. Nothing like hearing the voices of loved ones at any time, not just on this day.

Riley rolled out and while I was finishing up my phone calls and she pulled out some Grand Biscuits for breakfast. They were purchased for the occasion so it was nice to have a treat this morning. Although I will admit we’ve treated ourselves a few times this winter season to these biscuits.

We have enough chicken left over for a couple of sandwiches

After that I did a bit of tidying up and finally about 10 am got out of my jammies. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m not ever in my jammies that long. However I was a lazy bum this morning and enjoyed it to the hilt. 

Lots of veggies but my favourite is the stuffing

We decided on a walk this morning, and walked about two miles. Up one road, down another, with Courthouse Road adding the last of the triangle. On our easy walk we met Sonya from Connecticut. She travels with her youngest son, Josh and dog Jack in a van type camper. We finally made friends with Jack before we left our chat with Sonya. We chatted for about 15 minutes and enjoyed the interaction with other folks.

I left the date so you would know I wasn't just showing the same pics over and over

Back home I started prepping lunch. I opted to bypass my salad today as I still pretty full from my 3 biscuit breakfast. I put the whole chicken on the Weber around 1:30 pm and turned it twice. It was done to golden perfection and isn’t in the least bit dry. We added Thyme, Parsley, and Oregano before tossing it on the grill. It was just about ready by 2:45 pm at which time I added two packets. One of mixed veggies including fresh green beans, fresh mushrooms, spaghetti squash, celery, peppers, and carrots. In the other packet I added some butter and a bit of honey to some Acorn squash. While those were cooking Riley made some stove top stuffing. That my friends was our Christmas lunch. We have a bit of left over chicken and everything else was cleaned up with no leftovers. 

Maybe Chevy should be buying some of these pics.

After dishes I once again donned my shoes and headed off for the approx mile round trip to Courthouse Road and back. I didn’t over eat but I was certainly full and the walk made me feel much better. 

Awesome, isn't it?

The sky was overcast all day and the temps didn’t get very warm, only in the mid 60’s/ 16-18C, with a hint of wind, nothing you could actually say was wind but the hint was there. Since there wasn’t any sunshine to sit in for warmth I had to put on my fleece sweater and my Santa Hat while I sat outside reading and cooking lunch. We left the outside door open but not any windows. I closed the door when it reached 4 pm as it was cooling off quickly. Now as I sit outside taking pics of the sunset at 5:30 pm the temps are still dropping. The sky has cleared up some with some blue showing more now that the sun has left the sky. A nice light yellow seems to be the colour of the moment. 

Our plans are to kind of pack up a few things tomorrow but nothing much. We will be heading to Buckeye on Wednesday to do a stock up shop before we head out on Thursday. I also want to top up the Dogsled’s fuel bowl before I hook up as I find it much easier to do so. I find that it’s often difficult enough to get to the diesel pumps with just the truck as some people have no concept of what the green handled pumps are for and park their little cars in the middle of the pumps to block anyone from using the other pump. When I’ve got the Igloo behind me it makes it a bit more difficult to maneuver around those folks. Which is the reason we aren’t taking the Igloo with us to stock up and then head out. We aren’t pressed for time so we can take our time and do it over two days. Less hassle, less stress. I like less stress.

A plane left his calling card in the night sky too.

So there you have it, our Christmas Day. Peaceful, bountiful and quiet. We like that. We hope you’ve all had a wonderful day, feeling the love and affection of family and friends, enjoying the warmth of the season in a way that was comfortable for you. While it seems we can’t have peace in the world, I’m happy to settle for the peace we’ve found here at Saddle Mountain during out stay.

A birthday greeting goes to cousin Barry, who celebrates his birthday today. A Christmas baby that was definitely a unique gift, he is truly one of a kind! Happy Birthday Barry!!

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to drop a comment. 

Merry Christmas, goodnight from Saddle Mountain, Tonopah, Arizona

Until next time…take care, be safe,


Deb