Birthday wishes, empty spot, and a visit to town....

Our Location: Quartzsite, Arizona

I woke up this morning around 5:30 am but lazed around in bed until about 6:30 am. For some reason I just didn’t seem to want to shake myself out of bed. Oh well, can’t be a lazy sluggard all the time, now can one?

I thought it should have been more to the west and much lower in the night sky....

I slipped into my clothes, and running shoes, my fleece sweater and headed outside to catch the sunrise about 6:50 am. I caught the moon still high in the sky but in a totally different place than I caught it the other morning. That kind of surprised me, I thought it would be much lower in the sky and a bit more to the west, but there it was right up over top of the Igloo. The temp was reading 56F/13 C at that time. 

Love that colour ......

 
I snapped a number of pictures and watched the sun start to brighten the eastern horizon. Not much, just hints and starts for a while. I settled down beside the Dogsled and proceeded to take pictures from just one angle today. Hmm….I’m not very good at that. Before long I was up moving around but sticking close to home.

Little blurry as it's hard to hold the camera still enough at this hour..

I called my Aunt Shirley/Uncle Lyle this morning way back there in the great frozen tundra of Manitoulin Island. According to them it was snowing, almost blizzard like conditions and extremely cold. I of course, felt very sorry for them and offered up my sympathies. I don’t think they believed me for a minute but I was almost sincere. Truly I was. We discussed numerous things and caught up on a few other things. Their grandson Sheldon and girlfriend were home for the Christmas Holidays for 2 weeks and they had a wonderful visit. It’s been over a year since he was home last time. It sounds as if they all enjoyed their time together.

Love this branch from a Teddy Bear Cactus.....

After hanging up I went inside and Miss Riley along with myself decided our day. We needed to make a trip to the dumpster and we needed to go into town to get some milk and a few other little items. I then proceeded to make some pancakes, which of course we enjoyed. That required dishes to be washed and put away. I know some folks use paper plates and cups but we don’t do that. I just can’t for some reason. I would rather have a real plate and  mug and just wash them. I have to wash the pots, pans and utensils anyway, so what’s a few more dishes.

We walked down to this bridge yesterday....lots of debris caught up at the bridge....

After that little chore we started getting ready for our trip to town which included gathering up all the garbage, and putting a few things away outside before leaving. I had noticed our neighbour Jim’s truck home last night just as it turned dark and this morning noticed him piling things in the back of the truck. That was two full days he’d been away and I didn’t have a great feeling. I thought they would have been back home sooner if things had gone well. I slipped over for a quick chat and sure enough he was alone and packing up. Karen is still in the hospital in Las Vegas awaiting some more tests. Due to his insistence they continued to look for things and found some blockage issues and perhaps a collapsed artery. So Jim and Puma came back to pack up, dump and head to Las Vegas where after a few more days in hospital Karen will be released and then they will head home. I was sorry to hear the news but glad they had caught it early enough to help. I’m also sorry to see them go, it was a bit of comfort having them across the way, not that we met or chatted until need made it necessary but it was still comforting. Jim donated some wood for a campfire and gave me an email address, so I’ll keep in touch and send some pictures he’s requested. We wish them well, quick recovery and safe travels.

I liked the looks of this piece of wood, it caught my eye for some reason....

 
Back at the Igloo we loaded things in the Dogsled and headed off to town. We managed to hit the dumpsters which are in need of a dumping, dropped our cans to the side of the dumpsters, and then proceeded into the little village. Our first stop was a little market, I want to say Roadrunner but that might not be the right name, there we found some milk but not our other items. The cashier suggested Family Dollar or Dollar General. Just up the street there is a Family Dollar. We of course took the scenic route through some back streets and enjoyed the sights. Churches were just getting out and a few folks were out and about. Family Dollar found us exactly what we were looking for, an ear wax kit. Riley has issues with build up and today we needed to take an extra step to help out. From there we headed the Big Dog’s nose toward the Igloo and let him run. We were coming past the dump station and noticed Jim in line, a quick wave and we were swallowed up by the dust.

Part of the same tree as the above picture....

Almost back home we instead headed over to the spot Jim had just left and picked up the fire wood he donated to us. Thanks again Jim. Piled it in the box, turned around, scooted off home. I proceeded to get a few outside chores going but the wind was playing havoc with my hair, couldn’t keep it out of  my face. Too short for a pony tail and too windy for a hat. Not easy to see through hair strands wiping into your eyes. So I quickly finished up and headed inside.

We attended to Riley’s ear and managed to ease some of her discomfort and hopefully tomorrow we’ll do a bit better. I think the lack of humidity has something to do with it. I think it makes the wax dry and brittle which causes pain at times, even with peroxide and oil it isn’t helping much. So we’ll try to flush it for a few days. She says it’s ‘kind of better’. So I’m taking that as a good sign.

Looking away from the bridge back toward home.....

While I sat and read outside for a bit, Riley worked inside making lunch. As it’s Sunday it’s her turn to cook anyway. Today is Spaghetti lunch. Salads made, she jazzed up the sauce, and made cheesy garlic bread as well. It smelled excellent and tasted just as good. Sorry no pics.

The sun is definitely back there...

 
After that I alternated between outside reading, inside reading and laying on my bed reading. I finished a book and started another although I’m not sure this one will be a good read. I’ll just keep plugging away for a few more chapters and see.

It's about to pop over any second....

Then outside to catch the sunset except with all the cloud cover there wasn’t any sunset. Oh well, there will be more in the future and we’ll take it. Today’s temps reached about the 80F/ 26C by mid afternoon. As I write this post at 6:45 pm the outside temp reads 61F/ 16 C. We even slept with vents open last night. I will admit I found it too warm with my fleece jammies on. 

Jim and Karen's empty spot....

A quick birthday wish to a couple of folks we know. First Happy Birthday to Buzz Sawyer, whom we know from Magic River Campground in Long Beach, Mississippi. Buzz is a wonderful man, with quick humour and a ready smile. He’s special in so many ways, and we’re fortunate to call him our friend.

Sunset tonight...

 
Second to my cuz Sheila. She and I are the same age, although as you can guess she is older by a number of months. Sheila is a wonderful teacher with Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten being her calling. She is a mother and grandmother, is creative and has a zest for many things. Happy Birthday Sheila. 

I thought it might get better.....

After coming inside I edited pictures and wrote this post. So there you have it. Our day here in Quartzsite, Arizona. Nothing too exciting but we enjoyed it just the same. I think tomorrow we’ll maybe  head out and see if we can stay out of trouble but find something to entertain us a bit. 

Too  much cloud cover for much more than this...

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

Until next time… take care, be safe,




 

Deb

A very accomplishing kind of day....

Our Location: Quartzsite, Arizona

I woke for the first time shortly after 2 am to the sound of a half dozen coyotes yapping just outside our little Igloo. I’m willing to bet that if I’d gotten up and looked out the window I might have been able to see at least one or two of them. However I didn’t, I simply rolled over and went back to sleep, after a trip to the ladies room of course. 

The moon greeted me first thing this morning...

As I write the beginning of this post it is 5:09 am and not a sound can be heard except the tap, tap, tap of the computer keys, and of course HRH Miss Kitty at her food bowl. She has heard me stirring up stairs and wants me to know that she expects breakfast as soon as I’m down stairs, or perhaps sooner if possible.

It's going to be a beauty....

At some point today or Monday we’ll be heading out to Blythe, California as that seems to be where the nearest blood lab is, or at least the nearest one I could find. Before we started full-timing I was required to have blood work every month, I’ve since convinced  the good doctor that once every two months is more reasonable as I have to pay for it myself down here in the USA. Of course him being the good doctor that he is, agreed to the two months. I tried for 3 months but he wouldn’t go that far. So I had my last work completed just the day before we left Ontario back in late October. I’ll have it done once more before I get back to Ontario where I don’t have to pay for it.

Look at that colour...

Outside by shortly before 7 am, the sky was still dark, the moon bright and a few stars twinkling merrily as they prepared to fade away in the upcoming daylight. Warmer this morning, 48F/8.8C with no wind of any kind. Truly a wonderful morning.

Love those changing colours...

I called my sister while I was snapping pics of the sunrise, we chatted for about an hour and in that time I had more than enough pictures of the sunrise to do for my blog. We chatted about numerous things and caught up on a few other things. 

All along the mountain top.....

While chatting with my sister Jan, and snapping pictures of the sunrise, my neighbour Jim stopped and told me that he was off to pick up his wife Karen today. Determined to be nothing more than low blood sugar they are releasing her. I’m assuming it was from Las Vegas but I don’t know that for certain. As I’m writing this post at 7 pm they still haven’t arrived back home. 

After finishing up the call to Jan, and the sun being up I headed inside to chat with Miss Riley about the up coming day. Over hot drinks we discussed a few things and decided I would go by myself to Blythe for the blood work and she would stay home. Any walking would be done on the road and not venturing any cross country, a text to me when she was leaving and when she returned was also part of the requests. 

I prepped lunch, made our salads and cleaned up the kitchen while finishing up my hot drink. Nothing like having that out of the way. I’ve also checked on the list of things we cannot bring into California and so we’ll not be grocery shopping until we cross into California during the up coming week.

So I headed off to California around 9 am MST, toting the garbage to the dumpsters on my way out. The ride was pretty, quite and uneventful, just the kind I like. I found Lab Corp with no issues. I won’t tell you all about the experience but let’s say that an hour and a half later I had finally had my two vials of blood taken, paid my bill and left. 

A new day has dawned...

I stopped at a car wash just off of E Hobson Way and gave the Dogsled a decent bath. I wasn’t too worried about getting  it spotless, more just so I could see out the windows. The Big Dog is shining like a new penny. He also has a full belly, which I topped up just before crossing into California at $2.69 per gallon. This for the Canadians that have trouble not having a zip code when paying at the pumps with a credit card, try using the 3 numerical digits from your postal code, followed by two zeros. Example: L8K 3K1 would then punched in as 83100. It’s worked at the last three pumps I’ve tried.

Can you see the two birds on the far right hand side near the top?

Leaving Blythe I headed out on  I-10 East and just let the Big Dog run along at a nice steady pace. Riley sent a text message saying she was going for a walk (I pulled into a rest stop to check the message, not while I was driving). I literally pulled back on to the Interstate and my phone rang, my friend Linda was calling. I let if go to voice message and called her when I pulled into the BLM area and chatted while I drove home from the check in cabin. I also passed Riley about 2 minutes from home just a speeding down the dusty road with little tufts of dust kicking up around her feet. Reminded me of that guy on Charlie Brown that is always walking around with dust about him.

Almost looks like normal bark from a tree....

 

Further up it split into two....

And again further up....

After having chatted with Linda for about an hour and Riley having made it home it was about 1:15 pm when I pulled my salad out of the fridge to start enjoying my lunch, as I was hungry. The salad hit the spot but left me hungry enough to enjoy my lunch about an hour later. Today I worked the Weber as it was too hot for Riley outside, even under the awning. I didn’t mind, it was nice sitting outside and soaking up some rays while reading my book. It took only occasional effort from me to turn things on the grill.

The camera was close up to a Teddy Bear Cactus...

Today’s lunch was of course a nice green salad (actually multicolored), followed by mixed veggies with Sweet Basil, and Parsley (fresh mushrooms, asparagus, carrots, cauliflower, spaghetti squash, celery)  We also had grilled potato wedges brushed with oil and to those I also added a little Parm cheese to the tops of the wedges. Lastly I dropped a sweet country Ham steak on the grill. I can tell you it was very good and we have no left overs. Riley finished off her meal with some peaches, I choose to have a Granny Smith apple instead. 

Interesting wood from this dead part of the cactus....

This might be a goats head sticker.....grow everywhere and are sharp little buggers...

After cleaning up inside and out, I grabbed a stool, a towel, keys and the drill. Once again I pulled everything out of the side cubbie, crawled in, removed the panel and had Riley turn on the water pump. I adjusted the check valve that Bill Richards, (On Our Way) mentioned a few days ago, and sure enough, it shut off. Thanks again Bill. Afterward I put everything back in the cubby and sat down to read my book for a while. 

Around 5 pm I was inside just getting things together so I could slip out and take sunset pictures when my Dad called from Manitoulin Island. My Dad’s name is Doug. For those that that don’t know I’ll give you a little information about the Island. Manitoulin Island is located in Northern Ontario in the Georgian Bay/La Cloche/Killarney  area of Lake Huron. There are two ways to get on or off the Island from late April to mid October, but from October to April there is only one way on and off. During the summer months one can use the ferry from South Baymouth on the south western tip of the Island to Tobermory on the mainland, which is 27 miles away. The ferry schedule is 2, 3, and 4 trips depending on time of season and day. The ferry is called the Chi-Cheemaun which means Big Canoe in Ojibway.  The other alternative is Hwy 6 which crosses a single lane swing bridge at the northwest end of the Island at the town of Little Current. The swing bridge stops traffic during the summer months usually every hour on the top of the hour to allow marine traffic to pass into/out of the North Channel at the town of Little Current.

Beginning to decline....

Among the news my dad shared was numerous accidents on various highways in the north which claimed a number of lives  over the past few days. We chatted about the weather, the temps, updates on this and that and before I knew it 20 minutes had passed. Dad had lots of news today. 

An dying cactus , love the 'head' shape...

After hanging up the phone I slipped outside and started taking pictures. I walked around and took pictures from a number of angles and locations. Wasn’t an extraordinary sunset but it was nice. I was back inside around 6:30 pm to chat with Riley for a bit before starting to write this post and I still have to edit the pictures taken today. 

Loved the sunset in the hoop of the branch...

So there you have it, our day. I managed to accomplish the three things I wanted to do today, blood work, bath the Dogsled, and check the check valve. I didn’t get out for a walk, it was just too hot when I got home but tomorrow I plan on having a good long walk. Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment. 

A different kind of 'skeleton'  in the desert....

Until next time…. take care, be safe, 

Goodnight from Quartzsite, Arizona

Deb

Meeting a neighbour, fast trip to the gate and a warm day....

Our Location: Quartzsite, Arizona

(All pictures shown before the end of sunrise picture were taken before the sun was actually up)

 

Awake just before 6 am today, I started by getting caught up with the blogging folks. I read a few blogs, made a few comments and checked a few things I wanted to research. 

 

This greeted me when I slipped out the door this morning...

Next I headed outside about 6:55 am to catch the sunrise. I was greeted by the moon shining brightly and a few clouds still showing off their glitter against a dark sky. Off to the east the horizon was starting to brighten just a bit.

 

Lights off toward HWY 95......

I had merely slipped my feet into my slip on shoes that I use for quick errands outside, and pulled on my fleece sweater and had my mini gloves stuffed in my pocket but I was still in my jammies. The temps were reading 45F/7 C when I quietly made my way outdoors. 

 

This same cactus I snapped a few days ago with all the breaks in the bark...

I strolled around a bit taking some pictures of the moon and a few stars, a few cacti and occasionally snapping one of the eastern sky. It was starting to show off it’s range of colours  by 7:30 or so. A few more pics, a few more glances around and I was getting set to focus on the sun actually peeking out from it’s hiding place when I heard the fella in the tow behind trailer not far from me. He was talking on the phone. Then he disappeared but reappeared within a minute. He was still on the phone and walking toward me. I could hear him more plainly and heard him talking in medical terms. I knew something was wrong and he was heading straight toward me still talking. I immediately started heading toward him and just kept listening. Getting closer I asked if there was something wrong, and could I help. He told me his wife has had a stroke and the ambulance would need to be brought back to our location and could I meet them at the check in building. Telling them to watch for a white chevy pickup I headed back home, slipped on some pants and grabbed my keys. Off I headed for the gate house. I can tell you I broke the 15 mph speed limit. I made it to the gate as quickly as possible, within  8 minutes and I’m telling you that’s fast. 

 

The sky is turning lighter over that way.....

I meet the ambulance and paramedic truck just inside the front gate coming slowly with the lights on, I told them to follow me and we headed back to into the dust storm. Of course it was difficult to see, the sun had just popped over the horizon and the dust was everywhere but we managed to get back here pretty quickly. I pulled down the roadway past his entrance and directed them into his driveway, turned around and went back home to the Igloo. They didn’t need me standing around looking on. I admit I did take a picture from the front door though. I checked the time, it was under 20 minutes from when I turned the key in the ignition to start the Dogsled, until I turned off the key  back in our own yard. I spent a few minutes of that time directing the ambulance and truck in to his driveway, turning around and coming back home to park in my own spot. I realize that driving faster than the limit may have caused some people to complain to the front gate and I would definitely admit it was me if anyone asked but under the circumstances I can’t see anyone complaining. 

 

Definitely a sunrise going to happen....

It was about 10 - 15  minutes and they were leaving, they turned the lights off. Not wanting to be nosey but not wanting to seem unfriendly either I noticed the gentleman outside about 10 minutes later and decided I’d drop over and see if I could be of any further assistance. The ambulance took his wife to the clinic/hospital in Parker, thinking that she's had perhaps a mini stroke, with low blood sugar also in the mix of issues. He was on his way there within a few minutes. He thanked me and I headed home after offering any further assistance he might need. He left shortly afterward and I haven’t seen him any more today.  I still don’t know his name, we never got to that part of the conversation.

 

That's the moon way up there and that beat up cactus in the back ground....

For the above reason I didn’t get the total sunrise but I’m not complaining, just explaining. 

 

Can you see the hint of colour back there behind that truck and 5'er off in the distance.....

The rest of the morning Riley and I simply house cleaned. We pulled out the vacuum and gave the Igloo a good going over, I even pulled the floor vents off and vacuumed them out as well. The amount of beetles we’re still getting is ridiculous. Not as many as before but we’re still probably getting about 6-8 a day. The heat is slowly killing them I think, as we’ve found dead ones every day as well. Hopefully we’re getting to the end of them soon. 

 

And over that way as well....

After a thorough clean in her room Riley was tired and just wanted to rest. Of course I was also ready for a rest myself. I however didn’t sit down, instead I prepped lunch and stuck it in the fridge. After that I took my book and headed outside to read.

 

Cute little unit, that's a window in the door ...(sorry for the fuzzy pic)

About 1:30 pm I came inside, grabbed my salad, and headed back outside, alternating time in the sun and the shade as the temps were at 89F/ 31C in the sun. Before long Riley was outside cooking lunch on the Weber. Today we had salad (of course), a grilled potato, veggies with Oregano, Parsley and Rosemary (fresh green beans, fresh mushrooms, asparagus, cauliflower, spaghetti squash), and Bourbon BBQ Chicken breast. We followed that up with some peaches. I can tell you it was excellent and I enjoyed every bite.

 

Definitely something happening over there in that sky...

We finished a quick clean up by 3:00 pm and once again I sat outside for a bit but retreated inside with the door and windows open the Igloo was the perfect temperature. I will admit I didn’t do anything else this afternoon except read. I finished a book by John Saul called Shadows. It was a different kind of read than I’m used to, and although I’ve read a few of his books, they too were different than I usually read. I can’t say they aren’t good but you have to enjoy stretching your imagination a bit. I’m going to start a book by Stephen White called Blinded, we’ve had it for a while and it’s been shoved to the back of the book closet until today. 

 

A slight breeze this morning making the Stars and Stripes wave in the distance....

Our little spot has been a bit busier today with a bit more noise but still much better than the other spot. Not a lot of dust floating around here as there isn’t much going on to stir it up. We like that too. I will admit I had a few other things I wanted to do today but since it’s so warm out I’ll wait until morning  to actually attempt at least one of them. Who knows maybe I’ll get ambitious and get two of them accomplished.

 

Love that pink over the mountains in the west....

I headed outside about 5:15 pm tonight to catch the sunset, the temp was reading 76F/23.3 C. I was just pulling up a chair when our neighbour pulled into our driveway. I walked out to chat with him and find out how things were going forgetting about the sunset. 

 

I'm pretty certain the sun is back there ....

His name is Jim, his wife’s name is Karen. They are from Oregon and have a cat named Puma. Jim told me that Karen's troubles were related to low blood sugar. However the doctor thinks that due to the stroke like symptoms  perhaps it’s an indication of future issues and are sending her to Las Vegas for more testing. We chatted a bit about what that might entail and so on. I once again told him if there is anything I can do to help I’d be happy to do so while I’m here.

 

My last picture of the sunrise....

Jim and Puma headed off home and I came back inside having missed the sunset tonight. Again I’m not complaining, just explaining. 

 

A bit later over at the neighbour's place....

Apparently another ambulance was needed down closer to the check in building near one of the restrooms at the same time our neighbour's  ambulance was leaving the driveway, some one staying in a tent suffered a stroke there. A busy day here in the BLM near Quartzsite. 

 

My lunch time salad, there is lettuce under there honest....

Riley has gone off to do whatever it she does. As I explained last night, I’m not sure what she does and I don’t think I want to know, she makes a lot of noises in her room. I’ve been writing my post, editing pics and just kind of enjoying the peace. 

 

Lunch is served....

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful day, as we all know we’ve had it better than some. Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment. 

 

Sunset was finished by the time I got back to my camera....

Until next time…. take care, be safe, 

 

Love the pink in the sky over there.....

Deb