Errands, chores and friends arrive.....

 

Our Location: 

North of MM 4, Ogilby Road, Winterhaven, California

 

This morning Riley and I had errands and chores to accomplish. We loaded ourselves, the laundry, propane tank, gas can, etc into the Dogsled and headed off around 8:30 am MST. Our first stop was diesel and gas (for the generator) at the Arco Station at Exit 2. Diesel was down to $4.49 per gallon. We managed to fill both the truck and gas can and get rid of some garbage all at one place. A good start to the long list. 

 

Our second stop was for propane at U-Haul. Here I was informed it will be the last fill of this tank as it expires at the end of the month. Looks like we may be using smaller tanks until we get back to Ontario to exchange this one again, since it left Ontario as an exchange. What a pain in the ...  On the plus side, it was cheaper to fill this tank than last time. Less than $30.00 USD for a 30lb tank from flat. 

 

Our third stop was the laundromat. We managed to snag 4 big washers and within two hours had our laundry all completed and back in the truck. We also managed to find a post box for some mail back home. Two  more things off the list. 

 

The last stop was at Walmart on S. Pacific Ave for groceries and drinking water. We managed to find everything we needed, fill up the remaining 4 drinking jugs and put a jug of Def Fluid in the Big Dog. Wow, we were finished and heading home around 12:30 MST. 

 

We pulled in as Doug was pulling out, he came back for a quick chat and then scooted off to town. Riley and I managed to get everything put away and sitting down to lunch within the hour. We were happy to have this long list behind us. 

 

Around 3 pm MST the Stinger B and family pulled in. We went out to greet them and then came back inside while they did their parking and setting up. We had a quick happy hour and soon the cold and rain had us all heading inside. All is well in the neighbourhood. 

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

 

Until next time.....

 

Take care, stay safe, 

 

Deb

 

We are enjoying our views and the quiet...

 

Our Location: Empire Ranch, Sonoita, Arizona

A very quiet night last night, no wind, no frogs, no howls, no dogs, just quiet. It was deafening. I will admit, I slept in this morning and didn't see the sun rise, exactly. I was awake but still in bed. I know, I'm such a sluggard. 

The views are vast and far reaching here at Empire Ranch.

Cactus growing on the side of the roadway going toward the ranch house.

A single bud on that cactus.

After breakfast we opted to head out for a walk. We walked up to the main ranch road and strolled along for a fair distance keeping in mind that while it was all down hill going this way, it wouldn't be the same coming home. We made it though, and managed to accomplish more than our 6000 steps in the process. 

The colours are so appealing to me...

Those banks are high and cut away by the rushing waters that cross this ranch after a rain.

That is cement to hold the road crossing in place. It stops erosion and undercutting of the roadway.

The sun is shining, the wind is rustling the grass and it is such a haunting sound in the quiet of day. I can understand how day after day after day of this sound could be a problem for some people. It's very lonely and desolate, leaving a yearning for company. An emptiness of any hope or warmth. Of course it's not that way for everyone. Some people find it comforting, like an old friend come to visit. The familiar hum of a favourite tune might possibly be heard if you listen hard enough.  The gentle caress of loving arms and lips might be felt by others. The wind is a mistress totally unique to each person she touches. 

I don't think I would ever tire of this view. It changes constantly.

The road way leading to the ranch house, it winds on for some time yet.

It's very hilly here, lots of valleys and knolls, nothing is level.

The views out the windows are wonderful and remind me why I so enjoy looking at them. They change with shadow and light, they grow and diminish, they almost breathe a sigh at the end of the day. They offer beauty and life, they offer excitement and sanctuary. They call to an inner spirit, freedom and adventure. Of course they also offer brutal realities, death, hunger, darkness, sickness and fear. Centuries they have stood and witnessed our rise and fall, our victories and defeats and they have stood and watched, silent in their observations. They of course are the mountains, they call to me, much like the sea calls to a sailor or the skies to a pilot. I wonder why?

You can see the edge of the ditch/waterway that runs through the grass.

The trees are not tall but offer some shade, but do not touch, they are thorny.

With only my phone, I can't be sure but I think those may be pronghorn antelope mixed in with the cattle.

Not my usual post but one that seemed to flow from fingers today.  I have those days when writing seems to be necessary and other days when it seems a chore. I'm sure all of you fellow bloggers know what I mean when I say that. 

You can see the cattle off to the left.

And now the antelope are wandering away from the direction my feet are taking me.

Yep, that's us down there over that rise.

Today was a chore day for me. I did all the inside of the windows and screens, changed batteries, did some weather stripping, and a few other little chores, including taking, editing photos, writing this blog and just enjoying the day. 

They were so dark this morning they were almost black and now, the sun makes them much less foreboding.

A great place for a stroll, you can see the wind making the grass dance!!

Very sharp and pointy, careful not to touch.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

It's really not flat out there.

 

Until next time.....

 

Take care, be safe, 

Deb

Chores today....

Our Location: Oakdale Campground, Quincy, Ohio

 

I always seem to be lagging behind these days with my postings. I need to stop that. This is yet again, yesterday's post. 

 

We had a cool overnight but not too bad. We are used to cooler overnights of course, the winter is full of them. I guess our minds think that because we are getting further north the air should be cooler at night but I wonder if the river here is tempering the temperatures? We are in a small hollow between much higher river banks and it almost seems as if it's a little climate of it's own. The nights are warmer than we expect and the days are cooler than when we go out of the campground. 

 

The original. There is a campground on the other side of the river too.

 I have only two photos today, both of the same thing. One is a cropped photo and one is the original. It was taken with my phone. It gives one an idea of how far away the phone can be and still take a decent picture. 

 

It was a busy sort of morning. I defrosted and cleaned both fridge and freezer before breakfast. After that I headed out for a walk and again managed to get in just over 2.5 miles in an hour. I journeyed to the office to pay for one more night, we will be leaving here Friday morning but not crossing until Saturday. Back home I tidied up a number of cabinets and drawers inside and out, wiping them completely down to remove all the desert dust and accumulated debris.  I'm always amazed at how dusty things get. We'll finish our spring cleaning over the couple of weeks we are at Buttercup Ridge in Roseneath, ON. 

Riley also was busy while I was out, she hauled out the vacuum and did a very nice job, she also cleaned up her own room/bathroom. After lunch she decided to go for a walk and managed to put in about 2.5 miles as well. 

 

A bit blurry but not bad for the distance.

 By the time I was finished doing those few housekeeping chores I thought I'd sit outside, we had the big door open and it seemed coolish but nice. Of course the sun went behind the clouds and the wind turned even colder in the shadows of the clouds. I moved back inside within 15 minutes even though I had my hoodie on. I don't think gloves would be appropriate for reading outside. 

From that point on we had a quiet relaxing day doing a whole lot of nothing else. So a nice day, a productive day and a good day to be busy outside but not sitting. Still it's April in the northern USA, so not a complaint just a statement. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you had a fantastic day. 

Until next time... take care, be safe, 

Deb