Yep, after 10 days of daily rain, I get to tell you that I mowed, yesterday…exciting, or what…?

Actually, I’ve been out to scout for wood(lots of it out there), mushrooms(none, as yet), gooseberries(bumper crops, this year), and raspberries(coming along nicely, but not yet ripe). I’ve found a few more rocks to supplement the two piles in the backyard, and have averaged about a half-book a day from the front porch…would be more, but I’m also counting the asphalt haulers through town(about 25/hr)and taking frequent coffee breaks…haven’t gotten any closer to the auction of all that stuff in our semi trailer…did go down there a couple of times to try to catalog what’s in there, but it’s a really intimidating amount of stuff…can’t get to the back two rows of boxes on the shelves without placing the front row of boxes outside, and…well…it’s been raining …a lot…I did do a rough count on the boxes…about 100, give or take 20…plus the 3 old Electrolux vaccuums, the 4 sewing machines, the furniture, the wood-burning cook stove, the patch quilts, and the two steamer trunks…i may have omitted a few items…kinda scary, ain’t it? Haven’t EVEN thought about the attic stuff, yet…

So, life in the big town goes on…Herb&Sidra(Florida) dropped by to visit with us yesterday…on their way home after the RMVAC Rally in Salida…they’re camped at South Mineral(a favorite of theirs). If the weather will cooperate, we’ll try to get them into the higher country before they leave. We were hoping to see Richard&Jan(Phoenix), but that 4 letter word, w o r k, got in their way…

I suppose some of you might be curious about the pie…someone tossed a small apple hand-pie in the yard…yep, the resulting spray pleased the birds AND the ants, and then the rains washed the rest away…

So, here I am, again, wondering how to explain why it is I can’t seem to chronicle more often…I can’t…just that simple…

Been several places, but mostly, we returned to Silverton with our overweight Nissan in toe…left it in the Durango Wallyworld parking lot for the drive over the passes…caught the van shuttle back to D-town for the car…will have to reverse that plan when we leave for AZ…will have to do some creative thinking, as the shuttle service stops a month and a half before we will leave. Nope, Greyhound and T,NM,&O don’t stop here anymore…so…well…creative planning…guess I could take a job at the ski resort(DMR) and ride their privately sponsored van for employees from Silverton, but that would mean…uhm…W O R K…camp host somewhere?…maybe…but W O R K…?…just tightens my shorts to think about it, and I’m already wearing them halfway over my navel…

So, we had a couple of Airstream visitors over the 4th…as usual, the 4th in this town is spectacularly small town…parade, Rhubarb Festival, Brass Band, American Legion picnic, GREAT crowd/people watching, and the fireworks…being able to share this event with friends(Steve&Reg and Howard&Carolyn) made it most enjoyable…we(ok, ok…)I am discovering that older age, earlier lifestyle, and altitude are not agreeable with comfort levels we like, so if anyone out there wants to pay an outrageous price for our humble abode, we’ll let you do it…

Otherwise, it’s mowing the dandelions and dead grass, feeding the hummingbirds and wrens, chasing the elusive ground-burrowing chipmunks, and wondering just HOW we managed to accumulate SO MUCH STUFF!!! and being able to gripe about such stuff is a real privilege…I thank our armed forces for that, and a whole lot more…m

Rolled into Austin yesterday evening…really burned up the highway(ok, ok…by MY standards) at 250+ miles per day…kinda nice to say that we spent money on gas and one pack of smokes…rest areas, tourist info parking lot, and behind the Mickey D’s in Van Horn, TX provided adequate accommodations(we brought our kitchen with us), and the(mostly) tailwinds gave us about 7 mpg!

I guess I should back up a bit…having been in Quartzsite for 4 months may have affected my sense of time…our ‘compound’ waxed and waned…mostly it was 4 units(trailers/rigs to you uninitiated)…Jimmini, Bob&Lou, Mike&Sheri, and us)…other folks dropped by to visit for awhile…we left for the 4th Dead Horse Ranch State Park Rally(Cottonwood, AZ) over President’s Day weekend, where this year’s theme was **PIRATES**…as usual, Richard&Jan threw a great gathering…several over-50 folks actually DID costume up…well, I HAD to, being TTQ and all, tho’ the margi ball, bloody marys, lemoncello(sp?), and martinis may have played a minor role…

We returned to Q after a pleasant visit at Steve&Reg’s in Camp Verde for decompression…while there, Tracy took fancy to a house across the street which was…gulp!…FOR SALE…maybe…maybe not…moving again doesn’t rate way up there with me, but it WOULD be a convenient way to rid ourselves of a lifetime of accumulation…I know, I know…P O O R excuse for moving, but all the other ones have already been used.

So, back to Q, where we regained our equilibrium(is that where Librium came from…???)…I got to play on the Gem and Mineral Club’s rock machines, and make pretty…well…rocks…’least I think they’re pretty…the last of the Q group left the morning before the afternoon we left(?), and we wandered over to Ajo, AZ to visit with Jim&Lou(former, and sometimes current neighbors from Silverton) for a few days…then the trip to and through Tucson to pick up mail and get the window winder fixed on the Tracker…

So, having spent a couple of months between this paragraph and the last…landed in Austin on 3rd of April…got Tracy’s appointments set up…oh, yeah,…I discovered that going from 45 mph to 0 mph in three feet with the Tracker was not a pleasant way to meet the seatbelt, steering wheel, and shins/knees to the dash…luckily, I was alone, the lady I hit was alone(although she developed a lawyer shortly thereafter, and injuries she initially denied…hell, I felt like I’d been run over by that proverbial Mack truck myself, so…)

Anywho, Tracy had bilateral cataract surgery(20/20 distance vision after!!!), and the neurologist exam was good…we finally found another tow vehicle(’95 Nissan Maxima, standard tranny, good ac-a real benefit since the car’s black and we’re in Texas in the beginning of the miserable 6 months of the year)…got the moho hitch replaced with a heavy-duty one, and are currently in San Marcos(Canyon Trail RV Park…er…Resort), waiting on Roadmaster to manufacture our base plates for the car…not a bad place, if it’s not…oh…say…end of April-into May…actually, it’s a nice place, and we have enjoyed watching it grow over the years, but stepping outside around noon to six is not my favorite activity…with the dry climates we are used to, I had forgotten what it was like to sweat, take a shower, and continue to sweat after toweling(and toweling, and toweling…). We stayed with Tracy’s dad and step-mom for longer than comfortable, but they never made us feel unwelcome…the discomfort came from me…

So, here we are, now, and here we are til the tow-stuff gets in and gets attached…I know the weather channel and the local weather stations didn’t record the 98-101 temps us trailer trash folks did, but we were HERE and they WEREN’T…oh, yeah, the ac units on our unit throw the breaker when it hits 95…once, again, a real advantage to Colorado living is that you can always add another layer of clothes, but in Texas you can only take off so many…even to the illegal level…

Second paragraph into a book, and it ended with”restful repose”…I liked that phrase. Sitting in the sun and wind in Quartzsite, AZ…in restful repose…I have a lot of time to consider where I’ve been, and what means something to me…friendship rates way up at the top…I have neighbors in this desert that are friends for just being there…I have others that welcome us when we come by to ‘mooch’ on their hospitality, a valued email that tells me “You are welcome at my home anytime”…a guy who drove x000 miles and offered me a fine scotch BEFORE setting up…my best man at my wedding who drove x0000 miles to just be there when Tracy was in a coma…folks who were there when I needed them(too many to list, but…)and the woman who came by the hospital to give me a hug and a crossword puzzle book after working 12 hours in the ER, and has continued to give me email hugs since…the folks that gave me a house to live in in Houston when T was still in a coma, and showed up from a gala in Austin when death was knocking…I even value those friends who no longer value us, as their presence was comfort at the time it was needed…RICH???I’m a damned BILLIONAIRE in friends…and that is all the wealth you need…well, living in the desert seems to help…

So, THANKS to all of you that have made our life richer…being crotchety doesn’t mean unappreciative. So, all you aspiring book-writers: “restful repose” set me off…keep that in mind…there may be a best seller in it…there already is with me.

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???