Once again, not much to say, but a dictionary to obfuscate the point(if there is one)…

I’ve been rising before the sun, bundling up in sweats, and drinking coffee as homage to the sunrise…this last week, the sunrise coincided with the moonset, so the view was terrific. Jim’s Mini came out this last week, also, and their son, Larry, drove in from Texas to visit and do some off-roading on his dirt bike…we’ve had potluck suppers, happy hours all hours of the day, and learned a new campfire cooking trick from Bob&Lou with…uhm…’Wampum Sticks’…honest, that’s what their called…they are basically a 1/4″ dowel, about 3′ long, inserted into a drilled out, 6″ long 1″ dowel…think immature cat tail…spray the big end with PAM, and then the creepy part begins. Ya take a large, raw biscuit, and slowly smooth it over the big end…now cover your kiddies eyes, as the closest thing I can describe this as is making a biscuit condom…smooth the dough uniformly over the large dowel, and then turn and toast over a fire until the dough becomes a…well…somewhat obscene biscuit…allow to cool a bit, pull it off the tip, and then you can fill the hole with hot dogs, ice cream, or whatever else strikes your fancy, and eat(this IS an campfire food, and as such will trail contents down to your elbows, so keep your pets handy for clean-up). The possibilities are endless, the conversation somewhat ribald, and the laughter refreshing.

I’m going to the rock&gem club this afternoon to play on their cutting, grinding, and polishing machines…yep, you just might get a pretty rock(well, PRETTY to me) as your next gift…remember…the larger the rock, the less you have pleased me and the more likely it will arrive C.O.D. Nights have been in the 40’s, days in the mid to upper 60’s…mostly clear…sigh!!!

Don’t ya just love a timely blog…

OK, let’s see…Yep, we left Quartzsite in a mini-caravan, with me as lead(sensing trouble, already, aren’t we?).

I had to drive by Tachometer, and I knew that 55-60 was about 2800 rpms…I DID, however, forget to include  the Gear Vendor’s Overdrive…according to the two trailers behind me, I was tooting along at 70…sorry folks… we got to Picacho Peak SP making really good time, tho’…got set up, and watched the rest of the trailers(31-32 total) arrive…I spent the next two days trying to flush too much BP medication out of my system, so was pretty much flat on my…well…backside…GREAT rally, the usual too much food and drink, and typical campfires gone Bonzofires…but the companionship was(and still is) a first-rate experience.

So, we stayed after everyone else left, then headed to Tucson for some follow-up MD stuff…stopped for gas in Marana(North Tucson), and as we pulled away from the pump, there was this ominous grinding noise coming from what sounded like the right rear…parked behind the Circle K and called Arizona Mobile Mechanic(we’d used his services last year and were quite impressed)…he came out, they jacked up the rear end and told us it was safe to drive to the shop…we did, they pulled all the right rear wheels off, the brakes, and everything checked out OK…still grinding, so we set up another appointment for the next week. They pulled the left rear wheels off, and the retaining spring for the tag-axle had broken, the shoe had wandered around in the drum, and the drum is, apparently, a hard find…I asked him to disconnect the electric brakes, he did, and replaced the speedometer and cable, and we were on our way back to Q the next day…

Q…H O M E…our friends were waiting for us(Jim, Bob&Lou, and Mike&Sheri)…and we pulled into the ‘compound at dark:thirty and just parked…right…there…we moved into our spot the next morning(they saved it for us), and we’re not moving til the black water tank is full(10 days-two weeks)…have been decompressing(reading, visiting, eating-ok, ok a few malted beverages, and actually falling asleep in the sun), and just kinda wandering around…the large area has become inundated with folks here for the RV show…hopefully we regain our solitude in a week or so…in the meantime, it’s desert, we’re here, and we don’t plan on moving…

Rain this week…some heavy gusts predicted…got lots of books, the internet, friends within shouting(or rock-throwing) distance, and satellite tv…yep, we’re roughing it, now…may have to run the generator while the clouds put the solar on vacation…oh, the trials and tribulations…

Will try to update this blog more frequently, now that we’re here, as I’m sure I’ll have a lot of nothing to report, and plenty of words to do it with(for you English lovers:  ‘with which to do it’…).

Left Q-town today, after circling the Airstreams at Scaddon Wash CG last night…well, as much of a circle as you can make with 3 rigs…enjoyed a comfortable campfire…caravanned to Picacho Peak SP with Bob&Lou and Milo&Karen…we have arrived early for the annual 4CU New Year’s rally…great weather, nice private loop, and the friends not already here will begin arriving tomorrow…some won’t be able to make it, but there will be other times & places…the sunset this evening was…yes, I’m gonna say it…DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS…full moon tonight…it’s a good life, if you allow yourself…only problem I had tonight was I forgot to buy beer…that used to call for four-wheel drive, but I’ll just read a bit more tonight. The flamingo is out, the table is set up, and the chairs are unfolded…even got a trash receptacle…

Gotta mention that someone in Q-town with a white vehicle put a huge dent in the driver’s door of the Tracker…as many of you know about my concern for appearance, you will appreciate that I didn’t notice it for two days…I mean, the duct tape holding up the window was only 3 days old!!! Go figure…time and dust will take care of it, and rust is a natural progression…it RUNS, no more need be said.

Hope everyone enjoys a Happy New Year, that they had a Merry CHRISTmas, and that we will get to share some time, somewhere down the road…m

So, went to do the dump/water thing today…dark horizon…could I get offloaded before the deluge…???nope…got soaked, pelted with hail for the second time in a week, and I’m in the desert??? Winds were pretty impressive, as a lot of our left-at-the-campsite stuff was not where I remembered leaving it…propane tank was, but I managed to miss running over it by a good 2 inches…not an accident you’d want to admit to, even WITH the burn scars…still, we’re in the desert in the winter, and, last I looked, a lot of you folks weren’t…not trying to be smug…I AM smug…really wish more of you were here to enjoy this with us…yeah, yeah, I got rained and hailed on, and had a few lightning-type thunderbumpers that still have me somewhat puckered, but when you live in a metal container, ya takes yer chances…besides, I got my weekly shower and didn’t have to take my clothes off…would have preferred warmer water…but I did have my coat on…ya know, wool can absorb a tremendous amount of weight without much effort…not the favorite way of aerobic exercise(is there any???), but apparently effective…still got my girlish figure(back off, guys, It’s a FIGURE of speech)…guess I’ll go and burn a dictionary today…or is that also politically incorrect? Kinda nice to have yer own forum to write on…m

Well, Jimmini is packing up to spend Christmas in Mesa…will leave a BIG hole in our desert community…Bob&Lou will hang here till Picacho…no fire this am…warm enough for just a pullover…Rich and Terry came by for a visit yesterday evening…they missed out on stuffed hamburgers, but since they had steak waiting, I can understand the move…I’m feeding the feathered folks around here…Bob&Lou sacrificed some tomatoes to the foxes…we’re falling into the desert rhythm…not a bad thing at all. Sunrises to be up for, sunsets to wait on…lots of nothing in between…pretty darned special life…c’mon, folks, where are you???

So, last I left you, we were on our way out of Silverton…house winterized, most of the  check stuff handled, MoHo packed…on the road!!!…for about 4 miles…getting dark, the moho just flat dies in the southbound lane of Hwy 550…it’s 20 degrees out there, and no place to back up to to get off the road…LOTS of traffic, however…played flashlight patrolman until a real one showed up…3 hours later, his tolerance was maxed, so a local wrecker had to come pull us 150 feet up to the shoulder…a couple stopped to help, and got us the cop and Good Sam moving…Good Sam was not to arrive till the morning, so we got to go back to the house to spend the night…NO water, NO gas…lord love an electric blanket!!!…spent two nights in a motel in Durango(now, why do we have a moho…?. Finally, on our way, and arrival in Quartzsite, with a stop-over at Richard and Jan’s in Phoenix for a night and a great take-out meal…up at the crack of noon to Q-town…pulled in after dark and had to call Jimmini to lead us in to the soon-to-be rally site.

RALLY: good to have so many friends attend(28 trailers, I think)…food, friendship, a bit of booze(ok, ok…a LOT of booze), desert golf, and live music provided by Paul and Michael, some kazooiokie, and just plain kickin’ back…we have now moved to our winter spot- Jim, Bob&Lou, and ourselves…Mike& Sherri will join us after the rally at Picacho Peak on New Years…others may line up…BIG desert, plenty of room…today, I filled a hole with rocks…this kinda agenda is gonna make it hard to keep up appearances, but I’ll brush my hair…ok???

PEARL HARBOR DAY…HUG A VETERAN AND SUPPORT OUR TROOPS.

I know I’ve been delinquent in posting, but a lot has gone on…I will REALLY try to do some late entry catch-ups when I can…honest…m

Still stuck in Silverton…luckily, the weather is supposed to be good
for a few days…have a few more bank things, phone calls, and
paperwork to wade through…I swear, everytime I think we’re done,
something else comes up…I may never write another check in this
lifetime…spent another hour on the phone this am, and I HATE dealing
with businesses I’m supposed to be a customer with while I touchtone
thru miles of “Please wait, the next available service representative
will be with you shortly” and “this call may be recorded for quality
assurance or training” and having me punch in my accout information
only to have to repeat it when I get an actual human on the line…and
then, there’s the Muzac I have to listen to between recordings…AH, I
rant, but then I feel better…well, sorta. Glad you guys are
there…it focuses my aim…m

Not that I’m opinionated, just frustrated…still think that ‘customer service’  is a non-entity, anymore…it used to be MY money that kept them polite and personal…now it seems to depend on whether or not they got a good cup of coffee(oh, wait, NOW it’s ‘Latte”) in the morning, or if they slept good the night before…whatever, “service” is now from the lips, and not always from there…m

Stuck in paperwork heaven…almost done…still have to set up another bank account, arrange for Aetna(sorry I met ya) to send their checks or EFT’s, and call a few places where checks may have been returned…really embarassing…however, if anyone out there has learned something from our misfortune, it will be worth it…well, kinda…just not for us…

26 degrees on the front porch, this am from about 3:00 to 7:30…snow still sitting on the shade side of the house…feels like the first big storm is coming…pray to the paper work gods to act quickly…got 3 hours of winterizing to do, 3 hours of packing left(if I’m lucky), so the first night will probably be in Durango(50 miles away)…used to that, though…getting outta here is the primary objective…Q…HERE WE COME!!!

OK, 11 degrees on the front porch, yesterday morning…my coffee was cold in 5 minutes…don’t ask me why I sat in 11 degree weather for 5 minutes…may be senility, but then, I wouldn’t know…I’m pretty sure it wasn’t over 5 minutes, ’cause I’m here and not a popsicle…we’re ready to chuck the check recovery and get the heck outta here…still, fixed income has…well..fixed limitations…kinda tired of dealing with the various financial institutions and merchants, but the bottom line is it’s my name on the account, even though it’s not my name on the bogus checks…I’m still a handshake kinda guy, so…It’s extremely embarassing to have bona-fide checks bounce while the bogus ones clear…especially when some of them are to friends…ok, friends understand the situation, but the obligations are passed on, and it just ain;t right…I’m doing what I can, folks, and thanks  for your patience and understanding…the check is in the mail…mike