Monthly Archives: November 2024

Day 90 – Friday – Tucson Botanical Gardens

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Today we visited a couple of Max’s favorite thrift stores to kill time until about 1700. That’s when we had to put our warm clothes on so we could go see the light show at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. This event is something that runs from today through January 12th. Diane planned our trip through the gardens so we could be in the first group to see the splendor.

We got there early and found a parking space about 10 feet from the entrance. We were so early, that we had to wait about half an hour for the door to open so we just sat in the car and watched the people show up and create a line that went all the way around to the front of the building. When the door was opened, we got out and just blended into the line and no one objected. Everyone was in good spirits. This is us waiting.

After showing our tickets, which were on my phone, the first thing we encountered was a Christmas tree decorated with bird houses.

The paths were lined with hundreds of luminaries. They weren’t candles, but Christmas lights, Lots of them. The advertisement reported that there were well over a million lights on display. I was a bit skeptical about that at first, but as we progressed further into the display, I became a believer. It was all quite stunning. I’m just going to put in a bunch of photos with no words.

After moving through the display for a while, getting whiplash to ensure we didn’t miss something, Diane took a break next to the only dinosaur in the place. Thankfully, he was friendly.

In the middle of it all was this display of trees with lights connected to the music. The music was great. I stood there and watched this three time.

After this we followed the luminaries and found our way out of the display. Just before the exit is this incredible wall covered with ceramic pieces that are edged with either brass or copper. Each piece had to have been placed individually because the only tiles are on the post. Quite stunning.

We finally found the exit and went home. Max had been alone for 2.5 hours and was ready for a walk. I know that because he sent me a text. He knows how to do that.

We’re not accustomed to doing anything after dark, so this was a special night for us.

Now it’s time for bed.

Day 89 – Thursday – Happy Thanksgiving

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Today was all about food and friendship.

We ate at the Dessert Inn Dining Facility here on base. Max couldn’t go. They told me that either I, or the dog could eat there, but not both of us. They said even letting in old sailors in was stretching their rules so adding a dog to the mix went beyond acceptable. That’s a total lie, of course. We were greeted at the front door by who we ultimately figured out were spouses of the senior officers and enlisted folks who were working the serving lines. There were a number of colonels dishing up food, and they roamed the floor talking with diners when not serving. It was very nice.

It’s a pay as you go place, kinda like a casino except you pick your food then you pay. It’s not all you can eat for a set price, but it’s certainly reasonable. For two full plates of turkey dinner, it cost us $17. A gentleman joined us at our table for 8 and Diane initiated a conversation and got him talking with us. His name is Bob, and he’s a retired AF colonel with 28 years active. It was great talking with him. I think he said he is originally from Philly so maybe Barb knows him. Didn’t get a last name, though, so hard to tell.

Sunset tonight.

A great end to a really nice day.

Now, get busy on those leftovers!

Day 88 – Wednesday – Fixed it!

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Diane drove me to ACE today after I finished giving Barb a hand with the Bethany November Newsletter. When all was said and done, there was no interference on my part because Barb figured it out herself. All I did was give her a bunch of other stuff to think about that probably caused more confusion than help. But it was fun to work with Barb.

Before leaving the ACE parking lot, I had to snap a picture of this …

I had to go around to the front to see what the logo was. It’s a Mercedes Benz. The hood, roof, and trunk deck are really shiny black. Interesting.

After shopping at ACE, for the bolt that fell into the black holding tank, Diane took us to Raising Cane’s for some Chicken Fingers. I wasn’t sure I’d like them simply because of the fact that chickens don’t have fingers. Also, the white meat they use has no resemblance to fingers whatsoever. I could tell that just from the advertisements. But I thought it would be OK. After all, on many of my trips overseas I’ve eaten some strange things cooked on a hibachi. It was universally called monkey meat because no one was really sure what it was. But it tasted good so none of us really cared. It was BBQ.

Cane’s chicken fingers turned out to be really good, especially with the dipping sauce they provide. We each had a 3-piece meal.

After lunch Diane went to the commissary, again. Seems like she’s always going there to get something. That’s probably because we’re always running out of stuff. I might have to quit eating food that requires refrigeration. While she was gone, Max and I did a little plumbing and got the toilet secured to the floor like it’s supposed to be. He was a huge help.

When Diane returned, she fed Max. He was being pretty persistent about getting that out of the way. Then we could all relax.

Now he needs to go for a walk. Diane thinks we should take him to one of the enclosed off leash areas where he can run. In my experience, however, he’s really not into running unless there are other dogs involved. Or cats. Either will do. By himself, he just sticks his nose to the ground and slowly walk around smelling every inch of the space he’s in. Once in a while he will release a measured portion of urine to leave his mark. It always amazes me how he can do that. If I was a dog, once I start going, it doesn’t stop until there’s nothing left.

Now I must quit. Diane will probably delete that last bit.

Day 87 – Tuesday – Dancing with the Stars Finale

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Yes, after the night is over a new mirror ball winner will be crowned. Diane is an avid supporter of the show. They don’t need it but I’m pretty sure Diane sends them money. I could be wrong, of course. Lots of time I am. I’m rooting for Ilona.

Another event for today was the arrival of our Netgear Nighthawk M7 Pro hot spot. It didn’t take long to get it set up and useable. The Wi-Fi in the Bone Yard is probably the best we’ve ever had while camping. Then I connected to the MiFi and was amazed at how much faster it was. Best ever. I figure we’ll be able to get rid of Xfinity at home when we return. It’s that good.

Now, we just have to see if it lasts.

Dang. Ilona didn’t win, but she came in 2nd. That’s pretty awesome for a bad ass rugby player.

I still need to get that bolt to secure the toilet. Maybe tomorrow.

Day is done.

I was fiddling around in my photo collection for something to share and started editing stuff. So, just for fun, I’ll end with a photo of our daughter, Jennifer. She got to go to Disneyland recently where she met this guy.

Day 86 – Monday – The Toilet Has Been Fixed

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Almost.

This afternoon we went back to La Mesa RV to pick up the part they got from Phoenix to replace the one that broke in our toilet. We’ve been toiletless since Friday, so we were excited to get the replacement part.

On the way back, as we got close to the base, we saw a couple of A-10 Warthogs were doing touch & go. They’re flying around here all the time.

This is what they look like when they are little dots flying over the highway.

I went right to work as soon as we got back to the RV even though I had to go to the bathroom. There’s something about working on a toilet that manifests that urge. Just like washing my hands, all that running water requires my bladder to relieve itself. Weird.

As I was getting everything positioned to put in back together, something slipped and magically dislodged one of the flange bolts that hold the toilet to the floor. As luck would have it, it did a double back flip into the holding tank, well out of reach if I had a notion ‘to go diving for it. Which I didn’t. It can stay there forever as far as I’m concerned. I figure one bolt will keep things in place for a little while. At least until I can get a replacement tomorrow. Losing that bolt was kind of the topping on the cake, so to speak, after all that waiting.

After hanging my head in dismay for a little bit, I bucked up and put the rest of the toilet back together with no more incidents. It is fully functional and when you sit on it, the small gap on the side missing the bolt is compressed to the floor as if the bolt was there. That means nothing is going to leak out. I’ll still get a replacement bolt tomorrow because one of us might get a little antsy about not having the base firmly bolted to the floor. But it looks normal.

The weather is changing a little at a time, getting cooler. We hear the coyotes more at night, too. Perhaps the weather is their que to get more aggressive. Whatever the reason, Max is going to learn how to hold his water a little longer because I’m a little wary about going out with him in the dark. It was OK previously, but now you can hear them yipping not too far away. Why take a chance?

That’s about it for today so I’m going to quit and take a shower. It’s my turn.

G’nite.

Day 85 – Sunday – Harbor Freight & Beyond

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After all this time I finally had valid reasons to visit Harbor Freight. The failed toilet is one of them, and the flap thing on the bottom of the slide is another. I was allowed to plot a course to the nearest store. When we got there, it was not really a Harbor Freight store. We’re not sure what it was but I then had to compute a course to the next one which was about 10 miles away.

Getting there had us traversing city streets we’ve not been on since our arrival here. That was fun because we love going different places.

When we got to the store Diane parked in a shady spot then she got busy looking for a likely spot for lunch. Dog friendly was the key element. I went inside and got the items I needed, then added a couple extra just for fun. It didn’t take long.

For lunch, Diane found the Union Public House close to the Catalina Foothills. They like dogs. It’s a unique facility, a large outdoor area surrounded by places to get out of the sun. At one end of the dining area is a huge TV screen that was displaying the NFL Red Zone channel, so we got to see all the fun plays from the games that were on today. Pretty cool.

Diane got a Chicken Quesadilla, and I got an enormous Burrito.

Diane used to love chicken quesadillas until she had bad experience with one from Victorico’s in St. Helens. It wasn’t pretty so I was surprised she ordered one for lunch. She ate 3/4 of it and Max ate the innards of the other 1/4. Her love of quesadillas has returned. We already plan to visit this venue again before we leave.

Today was a really good day.

Day 84 – Saturday – Pork Chops

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Diane decided that she was cooking today. We had some porkchops thawing in the fridge for a couple of days and it was time to spice them up. She did it in the crockpot and it was really good. It had sliced potatoes and onions under the meat and the end result was a lot like pork chops and scalloped potatoes. It wouldn’t be ready until 1730 so she had the entire day free to roam.

Once the food was in motion, we went to ACE Hardware, one of the many in Tucson, to get metal screws so I could properly attach the flapper seal on the bottom of the bedroom slide. That’s the part that blocks daylight from streaming under the slide when it’s extended. She figures if she can see daylight under the slide, so can mice and rats. Up until now, I’ve been blocking the gap from the inside but that’s a tedious task. I should have fixed it a long time ago but by putting it off for so long I was honing my procrastination skills to a world class level. Diane has convinced me that it’s time for me to give up on this lofty goal and get to work. What I needed was some self-tapping metal screws to put it together properly, so we took a little trip to a local ACE store. There are 5-6 of them in this town. Thankfully, it had free popcorn. I got to eat most of it before I dumped it on the floor on my side of the car. What a mess.

Diane dropped Max and me at home then drove off to complete her visit to the last thrift store she was at yesterday, the Humane Society Thrift Store. She had to stop shopping early because she wore the wrong shoes, and her feet complained. Today she’s in flip flops and can walk a mile in those things.

I stayed home with Max with the understanding that I was to find a way to use my time alone in a productive manner. So, between bouts of productivity I watched a little NCAA Football and randomly walked Max. We ate some stuff, too. I don’t remember what it was, but it was good. It was a nice day, so we spent some time lounging on the patio. Max got whiplash trying to get a bead on everything that moved, and I just sat there, reading. It was best to be outside because the crockpot aroma was getting to me. It was wonderful.

Watching football wasn’t really interesting to me until late in the afternoon. The Oregon Ducks, #1 in the nation, didn’t play today so I had to wait until 1700 when the PAC 12 teams, both of them, played each other for the title. The Oregon Ducks used to be in the PAC 12, but they went east to play with the Big 10 guys. They are doing OK, too.

The Oregon State Beavers played the Washington State Cougars for a full four quarters. The lead changed hands numerous times throughout the game, and it was tied 38-38 with 20 seconds remaining in regulation. Oregon had the ball, and it was 4th down. All the Beaver kicker had to do was nail a 57-yard FG. Which he did. Final score, 41-38, Beavers win. It was awesome.

While I watched the game, Max spied on the neighbors, Diane locked herself in the bedroom and watched old Columbo mysteries. It’s her safe place. I appreciate that she allows me to watch a game now and then.

Diane wouldn’t let me add a photo of her which makes sense. I didn’t even take one.

Later.

Day 83 – Friday – The Toilet Blew Up!

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Yes, today the RV toilet chose to fail. It didn’t really blow up and it didn’t really fail completely, it just decided it wasn’t going to flush any more. The little flapper thing was frozen in place making it impossible to rid the bowl of whatever was deposited in it. That’s a problem. So, I got my tools and dismantled it. I’m pretty good a taking things apart and I can usually get them back together with very few parts left over. In this case, there really aren’t a lot of parts. To totally dismantle this thing required that I remove only six 1/2″ nuts, and 4 screws. Amazing, right? So, if you ever need your toilet dismantled, I’m your guy.

Now I know how it works and what it needs to return to service.

This is the sit-upon part that didn’t need a lot of cleaning and nothing on it was broken. I placed it out of the way in the hallway to the bedroom.

All I had to do was discover an RV parts store that had what was on the short list for repair. Considering that this effort began in the afternoon, we went to Camping World, without calling first, to see if they had the necessary items. They had a couple but not the flapper thing. But the guy behind the counter wrote the part number on a sticky note so I could go check other places.

Next up was Sandy’s RV, about 10 miles away. As we sailed west on I-10 Diane saw an advertisement for La Mesa RV at exit 263, the next exit. So, we went there. It was handy and we were running out of time.

We exited and headed towards La Mesa but there was an RV dealer just before La Mesa, and it was on the proper side of the road (the right side) so we stopped. It was a fancy place and didn’t have a parts department. All they sold was RVs in the $500K range. They fixed them when they broke, but they don’t sell parts to folks like me. La Mesa RV was about 1/4 mile further.

Diane found a shady spot to park, and I was directed to Robert Creech in the parts department. I gave him my sticky note explaining what was going on and he found the part. It was a miracle. He instantly became my best friend. I asked if he knew there was an air force base in Nevada named for him and he said, yes. It’s where drone pilots are trained.

Back home in the Bone Yard, I took the newly acquired part and spent about an hour trying to make it work with our toilet. Sadly, I discovered, the part Camping World suggested was for a toilet that uses a lever on the side to flush. Ours has a pedal on the front. It was 1545 when I decided I was trying to fit a round hole in a square peg, and we went back to see Robert.

After explaining my predicament, he searched but didn’t find the part, but he could have one by Monday. Figuring that was the best choice I had, I walked back to the car with my head hanging a little low so Diane would know I failed.

On the way back to the Bone Yard we discussed the logistics of not having a working toilet for the next few days and settled on an agreement that provided us relief of bodily liquids at night using the hastily reinstalled toilet and using the shower/toilet facilities 100 yards or so from us to dispose of solid waste as needed. That took planning.

Now, all we have to do is make it to Monday when the correct part is delivered to Robert. Until then, I can practice dismantling and remantling the offending toilet until I can put it back together blindfolded. We all know that won’t happen but tearing it apart and putting it back together solidifies the steps necessary to ensure it works when the final bolt is tightened.

The biggest benefit of having to dismantle the toilet was that it gave me an opportunity to clean all the toilet surfaces, inside and out. The RV is 17 years old, and that toilet has been used a lot, so most of the interior working surfaces were coated with crispy black residue. I made it all go away while Diane was out shopping for stuff. It was better that she wasn’t here because I’m sure she would have been a bit upset had she seen that I didn’t use the rubber gloves she found for me. I didn’t use them because they were heavy duty and what I needed were the skinny kind that worked like an extra layer of skin. I washed myself thoroughly every so often to ward off the possibility of some deadly disease. I figured that if I could get it cleaned up and put back together without throwing up, I was OK.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Day 82 – Thursday – Really!?

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Did you hear about the billionaire who paid $6.2 million dollars for a banana and a piece of duct tape? Makes me wonder if acquiring all that money causes mental illness, or if they’re already a little whacko in a way that allows them to dream up ideas that ‘we the people’ can’t live without. Most certainly they are crafty people but, personally, I’m quite content to muddle along in the middle class doing dumb things that no one in their right mind would pay me to do again. Perhaps all those potential investors know I do dumb things with no expectation of renumeration because I just like doing dumb things.

Moving on …

Max really likes our neighbors, Laurie and Patricia. They give him treats. Normally the driver’s window is left open during the day so they can talk to him but at night we close it and pull the curtain. So, he sticks his head under the curtain and spies on them, hoping one of them will bring treats. He’s quite funny.

Today I did nothing productive. I tried to be productive, but it just didn’t work out. Diane was productive. She went to the commissary after her appointment with the optometrist at the BX. She had a good checkup from a lady who was trained at Pacific University in Hillsboro, Oregon and she knows where Scappoose and St. Helens are. She even knows where Deer Island is. Small world, right?

Thanks to Diane’s due diligence, I have a fresh supply of frozen breakfast meals and fresh vegetables for an occasional salad. I guess I’m going a little nuts because I get agitated easily, like that lady I see in the Alzheimer commercials. Perhaps I should be certified.

Now I must shower and go to bed.

Dau 81 – Wednesday – Went to a Movie

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Today we went to a movie at one of the most modern movie theaters we’ve ever been allowed to attend. It’s one of the Cinemark theaters here in Tucson.

Diane reserved our tickets online and even ordered our snacks. When we checked in everything was ready for us. All we had to do was say “Thanks”.

Every seat in the place is a recliner and the sound system is really, really loud. They add “XD” on to the theater’s name to indicate that when you go to one you will be Xtremely Deaf for a while after you leave. When she ordered the tickets, I was allowed to help pick our seats which was a little difficult because neither of us had a clue about how the seats were placed. Turns out the seats we chose were far too close to the screen. Not because of the picture, but because of the sound. A lot of commercials were played before the movie, and the sound was just over the edge of “painful”, so we packed up our popcorn and moved up to the 3rd row from the top. We would have gone higher but there were people sitting where we wanted to be. I don’t know how many seats there are but there weren’t many being used. Actually, there were only 4 of us in there. It was like we had our very own private theater. I suppose we should have expected that because it’s Wednesday, and the movie we wanted to see started at noon. That’s old people time for a movie.

We watched this one …

No doubt you’ve seen it advertised. It’s an excellent movie about Santa Clause but it IS NOT for children. So, if you take children to see it just remember that I told you so. That’s sad because the story line is perfect for kids. There’s just some colorful language once in a while.

I know, most of the theaters now days have all kinds of fancy seating, and we’ve been to a few. It’s just that we haven’t been to a movie in a long time and (at least) I tend to forget stuff like that. So, it was almost like the first time. You’ll have to ask Diane about it. Except for the very loud sound system, I think she liked it a lot. Our next movie is going to be “Wicked”. We’ll take earmuffs for the commercials.

G’nite.