It's about time.

Many of you can relate to Working long hours at your career. Raising your families. Buying a home and paying all the bills related to being homeowners and parents. We're now retired and don't need all that work and expense. Now "It's about time" and what we do to follow our dreams.

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Sunday, March 31, 2019

On Our Way , Minor Problems Fixed and Casa Grande Monument.


Our Location today is at Walmart in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Click on the pictures to Enlarge

We both managed to sleep soundly last night without the usual Pretravel Night’s Wakefulness thinking of totally useless things. Waking at 5:00 I convinced myself it was too early to start getting ready to leave. Then 6:00 I was again awake but told myself to relax that it was Sunday. When my Back started bothering me at 6:45 I knew it was time to get started.
Leaving that Chair by the Firepit.
We had deliberately not packed too many things away inside the Trailer as it seemed to trigger the Restlessness in the past. The first thing I did was start packing away my Computer before getting things ready for breakfast. Kathy was downstairs at 6:55. After finishing breakfast we started packing things away inside the Trailer.
Lots of Wildflowers along the road.
As we were hooking up I suggested that Kathy offer the Camping Chair that we could not fold to our neighbour on the other side of the wash. He said he had no room so we left it sitting by the Firepit that we’ve enjoyed so many times this winter. With all our Lights working and nothing we wanted being left behind we started our departure.
When we arrived at the Dumping Station something was as the Maintenance Truck had the One Lane blocked off. Just as we got to the front of the line he waved me over and headed off. With only Ten Days of Waste there was a lot that went down the drain.
Another Homemade RV.
As we were going to pull up to the Fresh Water Spigots a woman in a car blocked both lanes and started doing her Laundry right at the Spigot. It was a good thing there was no one across the road so we got filled up over there. Other people shared some heated words with her but she just gave them the Bird and continued what she was doing. As we were driving towards the Entrance we saw another neighbour across the Wash putting our Old Chair by his RV.
Lots of Flowers and Butterflies.
It was 10:30 when we rolled off the I-10 Ramp leaving Quartzsite in out Rear-view Mirrors heading east. We had only gone about Five Miles when we seemed to go through a Swarm of Butterflies that had been feasting on all the Wildflowers along the road. If you read yesterday’s Blog you’ll remember how long it took to clean the Truck’s Windows. All that work will have to be redone.
Special meaning!
We stopped for lunch at 12:15 at Cracker Barrel and because we knew exactly what we wanted we had our meals in Ten Minutes compared to the Twenty Minute Wait everyone else had. Everything was done exactly the way we liked it and we were back on the road by 1:00.
Orange Wildflowers.
Our destination was the Casa Grande Monument where they have room for a Dozen RVs to park. Before going in I noticed something hanging from the Roadside Slide. This is the Slide that cause us a lot of problems when we first got this Trailer. Both End Seals were actually sliding out the bottom of the Track and the Rear Seal actually had Wear Marks from where it rubbed on the Pavement. With a little team work we finally got Both Seals to where they should be.
Visiting the Monument we learned how the Ancestral Tribes know as the Huhugham learned how to master living in the desert by producing natural Irrigation for their crops as well as creating a Community as well as a Four Story High Grand House made entirely by hand from materials that were available. This Grand House has lasted over Seven Hundred Years. Like many other Civilizations they suddenly disbanded and headed off in different directions taking with them the secrets of the Tribe. In 1892 it was made into the Nation’s First Archaeological Reserve. It was covered Twice to protect it from the natural elements of the desert with its Present Canopy being erected in 1932.
The Metal Structure was built in 1932.
The Grand House is Seven Hundred Years Old.
Heading back to the Truck I noticed One of the Load Straps holding our Barrels was hanging loosely. With the Netting olding them in place we headed over to the nearby Walmart. As we were leaving the Truck a gentleman told us we were missing a Signal Light on the Trailer. After getting replacement Bulbs and a few supplies we got Permission to spend the night.
As soon as we’d eaten I replaced the Burnt Bulb and refastened the Load Strap that had slid off the Barrel it was holding. Luckily the Tarp and Load Net were still holding it in place.
With lots of traffic and EMS coming by our parking spot it looks like we’ll be wearing Ear Plugs tonight. Thank you for following along and feel free to leave a comment.
Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.
Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

Your TV is wider than your sofa.

Saturday, March 30, 2019

Packed and Ready To Roll.


Our Location today is at the La Posa South, LTVA, Quartzsite, Arizona.

Click on the pictures to Enlarge

Even though we are trying to rest up for our trek back east our bodies don’t seem to be getting the message. I was up by 6:35 this morning and barely had the Window Shades opened when Kathy came downstairs at 6:45. She got up on her own with no prodding from me.

During breakfast we discussed what we had to do today. Kathy wanted to do some inside cleaning as well as making the last of our Expenditure Entries on our Spreadsheet. I needed to reorganize our Basement. We have added to what was already an over filled Basement.
White Desert Flowers growing out of the stone.

After doing my inside chores I started pulling things out of the Basement. Tools went back in the Toolboxes, Fittings went into the Fitting Container, Sealants, Lubricants and Paints found their way into a proper Container. We had purchased Containers to hold the components for the Wind Generator and it all had to fit. By the time Kathy called me in for lunch most of the Basement had been rearranged and there were only the few things that still needed sorting left out.
This would hurt.
Kathy served us each a bowl of her Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup which is always good. Since we were both working hard she also served us Roast Beef Sandwiches from the Roast that I grilled yesterday. This Roast came from Smart and Final and seemed tougher with less taste then the one we had gotten at Coyote Fresh Foods. Guess where we’ll be buying them in the future. Dessert was an Apple Sauce Cup.

Head to Tail about One and a Half Inches long.
Back outside by 1:30 I only had a few things left to put away but needed Kathy’s help to fold up our Patio Rug because the Twenty MPH Wind Gusts were trying to make it into a Kite. Just before she came outside I saw this interesting Bug. It was checking out the area near our Trailer. With the basement being full there was no room for any Hitch-Hikers like it.

By rearranging the Basement I managed to empty some cardboard Boxes and get rid of some Trash. Kathy had been busy doing the same thing inside. After loading the Near Empty Propane Tanks in the Truck along with the Trash we were ready to run a few errands.
Stopping at the Trash Bins we noticed that even though all the Small Bins and the One Large Roll-Off were still overly full someone had cleaned the Trash off the ground that surrounded them. We also noticed as we drove out of La Posa South the number of RVs has dropped just since yesterday probably due to the Hot Temperatures heading this way. It will be close to the Century Mark in another Week and a Half.

There were a few more vehicles on the road today as we headed into Quartzsite. Our first stop was RV Pit Stop to top off our Two Propane Tanks. It was strange to see the attendants actually sitting on a chair waiting for customers. Normally they are non-stop from the time they open until they close. I prefer getting our Propane filled in the US because you only pay for what you use not like in Canada where they have set prices for the different sized Tanks.

Our next stop was the Chevron gas station where we filled the Main Fuel Tank and added the same amount in our Auxiliary Tank. I also took the time to scrub away the collection of Bug Smears we gathered on our trip to Blythe yesterday. While I was busy doing that Kathy was checking out the Ornate Yard next to the station. She found that their taste in decorations was similar ours. What really caught her eye was the resident Rabbit that was enjoying their garden. It took Twenty Minutes to fuel the Truck with Diesel. It took Forty Minutes to clean the Dust and Bugs off all our Windows.

We both need a break from working in the heat so we planned on going to the Main Street Restaurant but they are now only open Tuesday to Friday until the 12th of April when they close like other restaurants for the season. Our next choice was Times Three Family Restaurant. Even at 4:00 it was busy. Kathy had a Taco Salad while I had a Ruben Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries. They were both tasty and filling. By the time we left at 5:00 the place was getting packed with Rowdy Senior Citizens whooping it up.

Back Home I got the Wind Deflector raised and the Hitch unlocked ready to hook up in the morning. It felt sad that this is our last night here for this season but there are other Adventures that are waiting for us down the road.

A few minutes ago we both had the munchies so Kathy brought out a Cherry Cheesecake Pie that she made this morning. Can you say “Mmmm Good”! Thank you for following along and feel free to leave a comment.
Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.
Krackers

The World's Great Proverbs

Dogs bark, but the caravan goes on.

Friday, March 29, 2019

Cooking, Repairs, Another Change Of Plans, Over Flowing Bins, Missed Delivery and Laundry.


Our Location today is at the La Posa South, LTVA, Quartzsite, Arizona.

Click on the pictures to Enlarge

After enjoying a Warm Shower before going to bed last night we both managed to sleep like a couple of rocks. When I did open my eyes at 7:35 I felt totally refreshed and ready to start my day. Doing the usual opening Window Shades, Windows, getting things ready for Breakfast before Kathy joined me at 8:00 this morning
We did spend a short amount of time on the Computers trying to catch up on a few Blogs that we’ve missed due to errands and chores that we have been trying to do. By 10:00 we were once again doing our inside chores before doing more packing up.
Kathy decided that today was perfect for cooking meals in advance. She made Pepper Steak, Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Potato Salad and Chicken/Egg Salad, Most of these dishes involved using up Leftovers that will last us for more then a few meals each.
As soon as I walked out the door I started our Weber Q and put another nice Beef Roast on a Grill Mat. I only left the Burner on High for a minute so the Flame would stay lit when I set it on low.
Don't mind the Bug Smears
We’ve been having an issue with an LED Driving Directional Light that wasn’t working lately. Checking that we had power to both lines the only thing left was to check the Ground. Now all our lights are working the way they should.
The next thing was to load our Honda 3,000 into the Truck. With it weighing nearly a Hundred and Fifty Pounds I made certain to wear my Back Support Belt to avoid any injuries.
It was time to flip the Roast before doing anything else.

Since I already installed the Backup Camera on the Trailer I busied myself wiring up the Monitor. When I tried getting a picture without the Trailer being connected it didn’t work too well so it might be a work in progress.
Kathy had put the Trash and Recycle outside so I loaded it in the back of the Truck along with the Bag Of Nails that she had collected from our neighbour’s Firepit yesterday. Even though they had never had a fire themselves someone before them had burned Skids and never bothered to clean up the Nails. What really upsets Kathy is that many times the Nails are spread outside of the Firepits which could be picked up in Tires. That made Four Firepits that Kathy cleaned the Nails from this season alone.
Kathy handed me the Meat Thermometer to verify that the Roast was cooked. It was only there for Two Hours but was right up to the Internal Temperature and still juicy.
For lunch we had Roast Beef Sandwiches from the last roast along with Potato/Egg Salad for a side.

Before going back outside I checked the status of the Second Meter that was ordered through Amazon. When I ordered it there was no place that allowed me to pay for a speedy delivery so it was shipped on a Slow Boat and then sent through the USPS. When I checked it after lunch it had just arrived at a Distribution Center in Chicago, Illinois.
We reviewed what we were planning on doing with the rest of the day and since I wanted to stop at Quiet Times just to be certain that the Meter had not been secretly delivered we changed our plans. While Kathy got everything in the Fridge and cleaned up the Kitchen I went outside to finish closing things up.
This coming week's Temperatures.
After getting changed I started sorting Laundry. This will mean we’ll have very little dirty clothes to haul around when we leave. Checking The Weather Network we can see why more people are heading North already.
In Two Weeks this will be the Temperature.
We had the Truck loaded and were headed towards the Trash Bins by 3:20. We were surprised to see there was a second Large Roll-Off Bin in place while all the Smaller Bins and the first Large Roll-Off Bin were still overflowing.
Pulling onto Arizona 95 we had an eerie sensation because there were no other vehicles in sight until we crossed the Interstate and turned onto Main Street. We were at Quiet Times by 3:40 and they verified that our package had not been delivered so it will get sent back. I wished then a good summer and hope to see them again in the fall.
Lots of the Seasonal Businesses have already closed so we headed off towards Blythe. Considering how long it would take to we chose to have our supper before we started the Laundry. We stopped at Jack In The Box where by 4:00 we enjoyed a couple of Chicken Sandwiches. They were tasty and satisfying so we were ready to work it off.
We drove around the block to Madd Jax Laundromat and had no problem getting our laundry done. Three Large Loads cost us less then Nine Dollars to do.
We managed to get Home by 6:30 and got a few Sunset Pictures. Tomorrow we’ll finish getting things ready for our Sunday morning departure. Thank you for following along and feel free to leave a comment.
Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.
Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

Every member of your family has a "darn close call with a rattler" story.