We fiddled around this morning until 1100 or so then headed across town to visit the Humane Society Thrift Store. When we got there, I discovered that we didn’t have Max’s leash so he couldn’t go in. To rectify this Diane gave me permission to go all the way back to the RV and get it, all by myself. First time for me driving off base. I admit it was a little scary, but I managed to get there and back, with the leash, without either falling down, or running into someone.

When I took Max into the facility, he was immediately accosted by all the women gathered near the front door. Apparently, they knew he was on his way. He was thoroughly pampered by the time I pried him loose and set off in search of Diane.

I told Max to “find Mom,” and he dutifully dropped his nose to the floor as if searching for her and led me off across the store. I actually thought he was on her trail until we passed the row she was in. I called him back and he when he saw her, he just melted and ran to her like he hadn’t seen her for days. It was quite a moving sight.

We walked around the store for a while, running into a few ladies who didn’t meet him at the front door.

After leaving the store, we headed way across town to have lunch at Freddy’s. They have custard and steak burgers. That caught Diane’s eye.

We parked in front, and I entered the facility to see if it would be OK if Max came in also. The gentleman at the count emphasized that “service dogs” are welcome. After a little talk about that he made it clear that I didn’t have to certify that he was a service dog. It took a bit for me to understand what he was really saying. essentially, he was OK with Max if I called him a service dog, which I did. He was under our booth, keeping an eye on the people coming and going, and they even brought him a bowl filled with custard topped with peanut butter sauce. He actually ate it slowly as if to savor this treat.

I had a chicken sandwich and got Diane a double patty steak burger for Diane.

After lunch Diane wanted to investigate the Elks Lodges in the area. There were three of them. She’s looking for a place to have Thanksgiving dinner. The area where the lodges live are a little bit scary. All the yards are surrounded by unfriendly fences making one wonder about the reason for a need for such fences. I think she crossed the Elks off her list for Thanksgiving.

She plotted our course for home and about halfway there I unplugged her phone and put mine on with directions to the only Eagles Aerie in the area. It turned out to be pretty nice and might be a perfect replacement for the Elks Lodge. Think she wishes to try out a Monday night Bingo session and give this place the “sniff” test, checking to see if the folks are friendly.

Another feasible solution is the base mess hall. It’s called a dining facility, but it’s really a Mess Hall. I have no doubt they would provide a really nice Thanksgiving meal. We’ll see how that works out and you can be sure I’ll tell all.

From there we went home for real. Once we got on base Diane made Max and me get out of the car so we could walk the last mile or so. Max needed to walk so it was really OK. Diane even had me keep the front door keys saying she would just sit on the patio and wait for us.

Here are some of the planes we could see from the RV park as we walked home …

I wish there was a way we could get in and visit the rows of fighter jets. There is no apparent access to common folks to this area of the base.

When we got home, she was waiting for us.

As always, no matter where home is, it’s always good to be there. Don’t you agree?

Cheers.

The PIMA Air & SM is located on the southern edge of the Bone Yard, almost directly south of the location of our current home. It’s 5.8 miles and 11 minutes away from us. Since Diane was driving, we made it in 9 minutes and she shaved off a couple miles by taking shortcuts not made readily apparent on the map.

We had Max with us so the only place we couldn’t go was the gedunk because there’s food in the area and they frown on having dogs around. So, we didn’t go there. That word, by the way, is recognized as a valid definition of any facility that sells junk food. Ask any sailor or marine who has been to sea.

The first thing we did upon arrival was take a walk to the area where the tram ride starts. We figured that would be the best way to get a feel for the area. That was a good choice because most of the planes on display live in the great outdoors. Yes, there are many that live inside but we haven’t seen them yet. No, we bought a ticket that allows us to make two trips to the museum and that was a good idea, too, because of the size of this place.

The tram tour guide/tram driver gave us a lot of history about many of the planes on display but he did so in a way that made it clear he’d done this so many times he no longer found it interesting. We managed to ignore the delivery and focused on the content to get the information. Pretty amazing stuff, for sure. If you’re ever down here, go there.

When we departed the tram at the end of the 45 minute tour, Diane and Max took a seat outside the gedunk near a playground type facility for kids. I learned later that Max had a great time visiting with strangers.

While they rested, I took a walking tour of about 1/2 of what we saw and took a bunch of photos. My main objective was to find an F-4 Phantom so I could include it herein for Les. I found the plane and got the photo but getting it to my computer for use is a difficult task. It will show up eventually.

I returned to Diane and Max and learned about all the fun he had licking new people. Diane got to visit with them while Max was busy. Those of you who know Max are aware of how quickly he can lick the roof of your mouth if you get too close.

Going through Hangar 1 on our way back to the car was eventful because there were lots of people who willingly dropped to a knee for Max making his trip here memorable. Then, during an interlude, he circled up like he does before ejecting the remnants of unused food particles and dropped it right on a very shiny cement floor. It wasn’t difficult to remove and cleanup, so it was OK. He wasn’t the least bit embarrassed about it. Neither was I. Diane, maybe a little.

Ah, the F-4 finally showed up in my photos. Here you go, Les …

Sorry I didn’t get a profile show of this. I’ll do that when we go back for our second tour.

I had to stop writing for a while because I had to watch #1 Texas get beat up by#6 Georgia. Because of that, I’m pretty sure #2 Oregon (7-0) will move up to #1 and Texas will drop under Georgia since they both have the same win/loss record (6-1). Hope the #1 slot doesn’t go to the Ducks’ head and screw them up.

G’night.

Got up early this morning (0630) and took Max for a walk. It was 66 degrees and very comfortable. The sky was crystal clear, and the air was calm and cool. Couldn’t be better.

Then, as I sat here, looking out the window, time flittered by and all the sudden it was 1100! How could that happen so quickly? Also, the clouds had rolled in, and the wind picked up, threatening to blow stuff all over the park. I had the awning out and had to put it away before it joined the other litter flying around. Actually, there wasn’t much litter flying around, just the wind. It’s a little windy here all the time so there isn’t much litter at all on base. What litter there may have been was blown away a long time ago. I think I saw a sign somewhere on base alerting folks to just toss stuff out the car window on base because it will be quickly blown off base. It winds up along the freeways that surround and pass through the city. I’ve seen it.

Diane is getting ready for a trip to the Commissary, but Max and I have to stay home. That’s OK because I’ve got a ton of stuff to do here. Can’t tell you what chores I have waiting right now, but I might remember eventually. Sometimes I remember stuff.

After Diane departed for her commissary run, and possible toe-job (pedicure), Max and I set off in the direction of the only enclosed dog run we’ve seen so far. When we got there, I unshackled him, and he walked free for about 50 feet. What he actually did was walk with me to the middle of the enclosure then sat down under the chair I chose and sat there the entire time. I kept waiting for him to make a move, but it didn’t happen. I had his little tennis ball and tossed a couple of times, but he just watched it. When it didn’t come back to him, he lost interest. Dog runs just aren’t any fun if you’re the only dog in it. He told me that, and I understood him.

On the way back home, we encountered a rig from Montana that had 2 goats tied up out front. Not a common sight in an RV park. Next to them was a cage full of ripe chickens, then 2 big Akita dogs came around the corner, and James, the resident, said he had a couple of cats, too. He told me he and his wife are in the process of moving here from Montana and kinda brought the farm with them. Pretty interesting. I might have to take Diane over there to meet the herd. If she wants to, that is. I think Max would love to have a baby goat to play with.

The wind has been blowing very hard most of the day. The way it makes the RV shiver is reminiscent of being on a cruise ship. Most of the time you can’t see how the ship is moving, but you can feel the subtle jitters as it plows through the water. That’s the feeling, but in the RV you can definitely feel the movement when a strong gust slams into it. Max doesn’t like it.

A UPS truck showed up while Max and I were gone. He left us the little stairs Diane ordered so Max can climb on the bed, if he wants to. I introduced him to it but he didn’t seem to be very happy about having to get on/off the bed all by himself. He’s getting lazy.

He also left the tire covers I ordered to protect them from the blistering sun.

Even though it’s cooled down a bit, the sun can still wreak havoc on tires, and human bodies. My little skinny arms and legs are no longer pasty white. I’ve been wearing shorts like the natives. I can do that now because my knees are almost totally healed from the falls I took at home. Seems like knees get the worst of those events. Next is the elbows. I think it was the last tumble I took that added in my forehead just for fun. That’s been many months ago and I haven’t had the urge to fall since them.

Diane returned from her trip to the commissary with a carload of groceries and newly painted toes. She also brought me an appointment card for next Monday, with Emily, to get my own toes whittled down a little. She won’t let me get a paint job. I don’t know why because I always wear socks so it’s not like I’m going to embarrass her.

We had planned to go to the movie this evening but since she spent quite a while shopping, she had second thoughts. So, we stayed home. Instead of the movie, I got to watch the Oregon Ducks beat the Purdue Boilermakers. The Boilermakers have a reputation of beating ranked teams, so I was a bit concerned since Oregon is #2 in the nation. When it was done, the score was 35-0 for Oregon. It made me happy. Oregon is 7-0 for the season and some analysts think they might just go all the way. We’ll see.

All of you needed to know that.

Now it’s time to wrap things up and get to bed. I just took Max for a short walk and had to wear a coat. The temperature is 63 degrees and chilly. Diane told me that overnight it’s supposed to be 49 degrees. I’ll have to wear long legged pants for that one.

That’s it for Friday. Be safe.

Today, after doing all the laundry, we took a trip off base to visit a couple of churches that interested Diane. We wanted to visit an AAA office along the way, but they apparently do not exist in Tucson. Nope. Just insurance agents and auto repair that preface their names with AAA.

The first church Diane found was Holy Cross Lutheran about 30 miles from the base, but still in Tucson proper. It was about a 40-minute drive in the afternoon traffic. It may be closer, but it seemed like 30 miles.

The church is small, like we are used to, but the distance is too much for us old people. Plus, service starts at 0900. So, we went looking for the 2nd church. She plugged in the address the GPS took us to an empty lot in an elevated neighborhood in the Tucson foothills.

With no church at the 2nd location, we took it as an omen that we probably should just go to the base chapel. Service starts at 1130 which makes it more appealing. Then we plugged in the address for the base and got back in record time. The route home took us from the empty lot, over a small hill and to Craycroft Ave., the street that runs directly to the main gate. So, it was a fairly quick trip back.

Max was happy to get home because he wore himself out during the ride as he did his best to see everything that was moving outside the car. He was pretty busy, so I made sure the A/C was aimed directly on him all the time. He thanked me with nod. We immediately took a walk when we got back, dropping the boxes we received from UPS just before we left.

The box was from Jennifer, Diane’s first daughter, and it contained all the pills that we received at home. Now I’ve got enough pills to last me 3 months. That’s about the time we leave this place and head out. Diane has a new plan for our return which I will share as we go. It will be easier that way because everything is subject to change and I’d get all confused trying to correct the schedule if I blurted it all out at once.

I can share that her plan is to make the trip home with short jaunts of 125 miles, or so, then stay a week wherever we land. Sounds like fun to me.

Last night when I took Max on his last walk of the day, the moon was doing it’s best to peek around the clouds. Yes, there are actual clouds here. Surprised me, too.

The quality of the photo is deceiving because it almost looks like the sun peeking out. It’s not. It’s the moon. Here’s what it looked like the other direction, where the sun was hiding.

Tricky, huh?

I took photos on our trip today, but none of them are very good so I’ll spare your eyes. Just think about lots of adobe-colored domains and office buildings. There was also a lot of stunning landscapes. Perhaps we’ll take that trip again and maybe Diane will drive a little slower, so the photos aren’t blurred.

It’s only 1700 right now, early actually, but time to shut down. We’ve been watching Castle on TV for a while and both of us are perfectly relaxed. TV is like a sedative. Think I’ll take a nap before bedtime.

Last night we turned off the A/C units and opened the windows to let the fresh air in. When I got up at 0630 to take Max for a walk it was very comfortable, even cool out. Nice. Now it’s almost 1000 and we’ve closed all the windows and ignited one A/C unit to fight the rising heat.

Sitting here at the table, sneezing and coughing, we wonder about the wisdom of opening the windows. Seemed like a logical thing to do because it wasn’t hot. But apparently there’s something in the air that disagrees with both of us. Or perhaps we just jumped the gun and need to get ourselves more acclimated to the dessert life.

I have to admit that not having green grass, or even brown grass, to walk on is different. As I showed you yesterday, all the grass has been replaced with rocks. Once in a while we’ll see what appears to be grass, but it turns out to be plastic turf. The upside of having a rocky yard is that Diane is not accosted with the smell of new mown grass, one of her worst allergies. Now it’s about dust, maybe, from us kicking rocks around. I’ll be walking softly from now on just in case that’s true.

This is how tall Max, and I were this morning on our walk …

That’s s perfect look for Max because when he encounters big dogs this is the persona he displays. Like he could beat them up badly.

While on the mountain yesterday, we came across this display of large metal discs displaying pretty much all the animals and fish Arizona has to offer. They were laser cut and each of the three pieces of art were comprised of two intersecting discs. I walked off the road through some questionable vegetation and stood in the afternoon heat to get these for you so hope you enjoy them.

The first disc has a Road Runner on the top left. Those guys run around in the RV park and Max would really like to be their friend, but he can’t catch them. They are pretty quick. Plus, he’s on a leash. But he tries. He also saw a jack rabbit the other day, the first one we’ve seen, and they are pretty fast, too. It’s interesting that I can’t find a rabbit on any of the displayed discs. Considering where we are, I can only assume that the rabbits are illegal aliens. If anyone can find a rabbit on the display, please let me know. They have really big ears.

I just this moment used my salt shotgun to remove a pesky fly from our midst. Diane didn’t want me to use it indoor because she said it would get salt all over the place. But, oddly enough, we haven’t seen many bugs at all.

Today we drove around the base looking for likely places to find projects for us to do. Since the base caters more to active duty folks there aren’t many choices for us. We did find the Arts & Crafts building but they didn’t have basket weaving. That’s what I asked about from the very British lady working there. The only do it yourself fun they had was picture framing. They have a class on that once in a while, but we missed that window. So, we went up the road to the Community Center where I talked with a young airman manning the desk. He was helpful but couldn’t find any basket weaving classes either. So, we just chatted a little bit. I sensed that he doesn’t normally get to talk with people much.

We also stopped by the Veterinary building where I talked with another nice lady with a British or Australian accent. I didn’t ask which one. We wanted to find out if they could clip Max’s nails. I’d do it but I’m pretty sure neither he nor I would like the outcome. So, we’ll go to a professional. We (Diane) just need to fill out a form and provide proof that he’s had all his shots. Diane planned ahead and packed all that info for reasons of this nature. Smart thinking, huh?

We found the base theatre, even though it’s without markings of any kind. They’re going to have a Free movie Friday evening, It’s “Ghost Busters Frozen Empire”; the new one. I am told they are even going to supply Popcorn for me.

Then it was time for lunch. We headed home and I cooked a bunch of eggs and made it look a little like an omelet with cheese, ham and onions in it. Diane doesn’t like anything but cheese in hers, so I only put it on my half.

After lunch we had semi-naps while watching FBI and NCIS.

Max is bored to a standstill with no yard to run in. He does chase his ball in the RV a little, but you can tell his heart isn’t in it. So, I try to make it up to him by taking him on long walks, letting him sniff things as long as he wants. That perks him up a little, even in the 100-degree heat.

Actually, the temp was only 70 or so this morning so it was very refreshing during that walk. This will last a few days then it’s going to heat up a little. The weather people also said that we may get some rain on Friday! They predicted we’ll get 0.1″ or so. How exciting! After seeing the ditches they have around here to control water runoff, I was kind of hoping for a gully washer. But, no, it’s just a tease.

Time for Max to take a walk so I’ll end this for today. He wanted to say something, but he just couldn’t get the words out.

Ya’ll stay safe, ya hear?!

Actually, Diane drove us uphill to the northern edge of Tucson to Western Way RV Resort. It’s about 20 miles out of Tucson proper and around 3000 feet higher. She’d seen an advertisement and was thinking we might want to move there from Davis-Monthan AFB in January.

The Park was very nice, filled with a combination of park model homes and a few open spots suitable for RVs. The trick is that they typically don’t allow RVs older than 2013 vintage. We were told this after driving all over the park and seeing many RVs that were obviously older than 2013. There was a 1970s model Winnebago, for instance. It looked pretty nice, I’ll admit, and the lady did say, “send me a photo of your RV and I’ll see if we can accept it.” So, it’s a general rule that can be broken if they like the way the RV looks. We asked about availability in January, and she said they had only one spot that would fit our rig for that time frame. We haven’t officially made up our minds about moving, but Diane’s checking our options. We have time.

For lunch we stopped at a McDonald’s and had chicken sandwiches and fries. We had Max with us, so we ate in their parking lot. Max didn’t mind. I offered him a fry, but he graciously declined. I know he really wanted a bite of chicken, but he knew he knew that wasn’t going to happen, so he just sulked a little.

Got back to the base and stopped at the Boneyard Vista office to get some brochures about things to do here. You know, like basket weaving, ceramics, line dancing, beer pong, yoga, stuff like that. We’ll digest our choices and maybe try some of them.

Diane dropped Max and me at home, and she toddled off to the base exchange to get some essential things. Max and I sat on the patio for a while enjoying a nice breeze in the shade. The temps have dropped from the 100’s to the low 90’s and it’s noticeable. I guess winter really is heading our way.

Before Diane got up this morning, Max and I took a walk all the way around the park. I think on one of these trips, I’m going to count all the spaces to see how many there are. Just a quick glance makes it evident that there are lots of them. Also, I’m sure I could check the map and count the spaces, but that’s the easy way.

Anyway, on that trip, I found this.

I think it used to have something to do with phone lines until squirrels and rabbits got to it. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work anymore.

Adjacent to the RV park are some of the base housing units. There are hundreds of them, mostly duplexes, and pretty much every roof is covered with solar panels. This is certainly the place for those things.

And finally, I’ve mentioned the color-coded rocks they use for landscaping here, but haven’t had photos previously. So, here you are.

Stay safe.

Today started out nicely. I hooked Max up for a walk and when I opened the door he dragged me out in his attempt to visit a little dog that just happened to be passing by. Her name is Ally. I didn’t have my phone so there is no video proof. You’ll just have to trust me on this.

The morning breeze about 0700 is nice and cool and lasts well into the morning. It’d just after 1000 and the windows have been closed and the A/C is on. According to the temp displayed on my computer, derived from an unknown source, it’s 88 out there. Supposedly, the temps are going to drop a little before zooming back into the “bake you where you stand” level.

There is an upside for Diane with regard to the atmosphere here. She reportedly has been able to stop taking her asthma medication and is strongly considering taking walks with Max and me. That’s huge. We just need to get up early to get that done.

I’ve taken a few walks in the evening, after it gets dark, but I stay close because there are reports of coyotes visiting the area in search of snacks. Also, there are javelinas roaming the area. Those are animals that look like pigs but are really hoofed mammals. Who knew?

Now it’s time to travel so we can get a wagon for Diane to haul our laundry back and forth to the wash shed. I’m too weak and feeble to assist with that any longer and she doesn’t need the stress of all that manual labor in this hot sun.

See you later.

It’s 1400. We’ve been home from our trip to the VA Hospital and Costco.

The trip to the VA Hospital was just a practice run because, guess what, today is Columbus Day and the only services available were emergency services.

That ruled us out, so we just turned around and went to Costco from there.

Diane got the wagon she’s always wanted so it was a good day.

Max was happy to see us back so soon and he helped me unwrap the wagon with much joy. I’m pretty sure he’s going to want a short ride, and I’ll happily give him one. I said “short ride” because I believe that’s all he can handle. He’ll want to get out and sniff everything. Can’t do that in a wagon.

This is what the wagon is for.

 Hasta la vista

Yes, “Me and AT&T”. Sounds kind of like a song title, doesn’t it?

It’s 1410, and 99 degrees out, and I’ve been chatting with various AT&T employees for the past 2 hours trying to get my bill squared away. You don’t want to hear all the details but don’t be surprised if I forget where I am and head down that road.

We’re on a long trip. That’s long in time, not so much in distance. I wanted a mobile hotspot for us to use because wi-fi in RV parks isn’t always very reliable or it’s difficult to keep it going. So, I wanted our very own and was willing to pay for it. Sadly, I couldn’t buy the unit I wanted from an AT&T store in Imperial Beach, CA because they couldn’t verify my identity.

OK. Now it’s getting detailed so buckle up. . .

I got deep into a chat session with AT&T. Almost had my desired solution of getting rid of the number for which we had no phone. I may have touched on that previously. The phone was returned and accepted. While waiting for a response from the lady chatter, I apparently touched my computer in the wrong way that caused my chat session to just disappear. I got logged back in to AT&T just in time to see her check out. Buoyed with confidence from the first session, I initiated another one and made it all the way to the end when the lady chatter admitted she couldn’t help me, gave me a phone number to call, and ended our session. You can imagine how happy that made me.

So, with a chip on my shoulder I called the number and put myself in a que for a callback that would happen between 49 mins to 1 hr 1 min. Odd times, I thought, but at least I didn’t have to hang on to the phone all that time.

Got the call back and talked with Mac for about an hour. We hit it off nicely and he filled me with all kinds of confidence. He gave me a military discount, which no other AT&T employee ever did. He also whittled down my bill to a reasonable number and educated me at length about how the system worked from his end. It was nice to hear what he had to say. He explained that yes, the phone number with no phone was mine because I paid $35 to activate it. No take backs. So, I should dwell on what I could do with the number before the next bill comes due in November. The solution I felt more strongly about was to get Diane a new iPad to replace the bent one I kneeled on and make it a 5G wi-fi unit instead of just wi-fi. Yes, I really bent it and gave it a nice curl, but it still works.

After all was said and done, we parted ways and promised to write often. There was no talk of a reunion but I’m sure if I ever met Mac in person, we would get along nicely.

Shortly after the successful end to my tech call, Diane buzzed off to the base commissary. On the way she dropped Max and me at the fenced dog park so Max could run free if he wanted to. It was 99 degrees, and he wasn’t interested in running anywhere.

There was a drinking fountain inside the fenced area so he got a drink and looked around a little,

then we just picked up and walked slowly back to the bus. Slowly because sniffing things on a hot day is just fine. No running, though.

Near the fenced dog run, there’s a dog wash. Pretty nifty. Max can’t wait to try it out.

This is where we live. Our rig is behind those trees on this side of the road, just above the sign. Max had to check it out to make sure we’re in the right place.

Back at the bus our neighbors were out so I stopped and visited with them a bit. He’s Leroy, retired Army, and his granddaughter is Katy. I can’t remember Leroy’s wife’s name. I told him that was a distinct possibility.

Once in the bus I turned on the TV in time to catch the #3 Oregon vs. #2 Ohio football game. At the half its Oregon 22, Ohio 21. Interesting game.

The view looking east from our patio. I’d tell you what those hills are, but I don’t know them.

This is the view looking west. This is a good place in early morning – 7-ish.

Unless you haven’t already figured it out, they don’t waste a lot of money on lawn mowers. Everything is covered in gravel.

See you later.

We took a trip downtown to the Southern Arizona VA Hospital to see what they could do for me because I can’t count very well. Yes, I have a math deficiency. You see, we had a plan in place to have our meds mailed to us from home but, one of my main pills runs out tomorrow. We checked the cost of overnight shipping and it’s prohibitive. So, in an attempt to delay my pending demise, we decided to take a chance and see what the Tucson VA Pharmacy could do for me.

We got there shortly before noon. Upon arrival, Diane luckily found a parking spot near the entrance, in the shade, so she and Max stayed in the car with the A/C running while I did all the leg work. In the heat of the day.

The first thing I learned from the first person I talked to was that my VA card expired in September. How handy is that? I had no idea, but I hadn’t used it for a few months. I had to register and get a new card ordered.

I was directed down the hall, past the coffee shop, to the registration area. I took my number and joined the Conga Line of people waiting for help. I think there were two people ahead of me, so it went quickly. They took the photo and everything. It will be mailed to our home in St. Helens. I should receive it in 2-5 weeks, just in time for my next projected visit.

Once that was done, I returned to the helpful lady in the pharmacy who confirmed I was indeed in their system. She ordered my missing pills, and they were delivered to me in about 10 minutes. I was amazed. I think I was in the hospital for about an hour, but I remembered where the car was and found my way back. They were both happy to see me.

When we got back to the base I cooked lunch. That’s my job. I cook stuff. We had stir-fried dead chicken and veggies with rice. It was pretty good. Diane said so.

The temp was still running around 100 degrees, so we locked ourselves in the RV, turned up the A/C. After I figured out how to get the Dish wi-fi to work we watched one episode of our favorite show, “White Collar”, then all the sudden, it quit working. Diane said, “huh” and tipped her head to the left to think about it. It was only a couple of minutes before she figured out that they must have changed the password for some reason. Probably one of those unadvertised planned events.

It was getting dark, and the temp was finally dropping so we piled into the car and took a ride to the office to see if there was some information about her suspicion. There was, indeed, a note on the door reporting that the password had been changed. Good job Diane! The new password was included on the note. Later I learned that there were notes posted all over the campground with this information. So, I guess the password isn’t a big secret.

With the solution in hand, we headed back to the RV but took a slight detour to the fenced dog run to see what it had to offer. It was almost dark and there were no lights, but I took Max inside the fenced area anyway to let him have a look around. He told me he can see in the dark with his nose. Well, he didn’t actually tell me, but I’ve watched him close his eyes while sniffing so it makes sense. Making his rounds, very slowly, smelling pretty much everything in the place, he paused, looked around with a satisfied look on his face, looked me in the eye and led me back to the car. Apparently, he’d seen enough.

Many of the RVs parked around us have rope lights all around their rigs so Diane did some research as to why. Turns out that Arizona, especially in the south end, have about 700 different kinds of mice and rats that come out at night and ravage the neighborhood. So, guess what we’re doing tomorrow — we’re going shopping for rope lights.

One of the reports on mice and rats is that they burrow in the soft sand and sleep all day. I gave this some thought and concluded that we weren’t really in any danger of being consumed by rats and mice. The entire park is covered with many layers of color-coded rocks. They are small and well compacted meaning rats and mice who venture into the park have to travel over a lot of rocky territory to get to us. I shifted into “quandary mode” and wondered why any rat or mouse in their right minds would subject their tiny little feet to those sharp rocks littered with sticker burrs. Even after sharing that thought, I have no doubt we’re getting rope lights anyway. Diane said so, and Max agreed. Apparently, he’s a bit wary of rats and mice. It might be because of his small stature.

Now it’s almost 2300 hours and way past time for bed so I’m quitting.

See you tomorrow so I can share some photos of our new lighting system. I think you’re going to love it.

Now, just for fun, here’s another photo of Max and his new friend the bear rug. After they got acquainted, he gave the bear an opportunity to get a little closer by using a universal method of establishing identity.

It didn’t work.