Tag Archives: travel

Day 118 – Friday – Off to See Roberta

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For this trip, we decided to leave Max home alone. We know he’ll be bored, but we’ll make it up when we return. I actually think he’s part bear, because he doesn’t really sleep, or play with his toys, he kind of hibernates. I’m guessing about that but intend to one day install a camera to see what he does when we leave him alone. We might be amazed to find out that he’s a super-hero who pretends to be a very nice dog when people look at him then becomes an unstoppable crime fighter when they look away. Quantum mechanics must be involved allowing him to shift back and forth as quickly as he does.

Before going on our trip to Green Valley I’m being forced to take my shower a day early. Actually, I’m a day late even though I was told I don’t smell bad. Yet. So, I’ll clean up and put on fresh underwear even though no one will see them unless I hurt myself badly enough that a trip to the doctor is necessary. Most people don’t know that any time you go to the emergency room, no matter what it’s for, they make you remove your clothes so they can confirm that you have clean underwear. There’s a check box on the intake form for that purpose. I looked.

When we left the bus, Max just sat on his pillow, hanging his head, looking as pitiful as he could, but he didn’t fool us. We knew he would shift to hero mode as soon as the crunch of our tires faded away.

We left a bit early to ensure we would arrive at the appointed time, so we took the long route. That means we stayed off I-19. I may have mentioned before that Interstate 19 is not really an “interstate” highway. It never leaves Arizona so it should be A-19. I won’t dwell on that but rest assured I’ll be thinking about it every time I look at a map.

The trip south once again took us through the vast pecan orchards that live in the valley south of the Tucson airport and north of E. Sahuarita Road. I’m guessing but believe I’m pretty close. Whatever the boundaries are, the orchards are composed of thousands and thousands of huge pecan trees. Maybe hundreds of thousands. There’s a lot of them. So many, I’m pretty sure there aren’t many available for planting anywhere else in the world. I’m pretty sure there’s a sign long one of the roads through the trees that has that written on it.

Once we got to Sahuarita, we had to turn left on A-19, heading toward Nogales. It wasn’t long before Veronica, our GPS, directed us to get off the freeway and establish a presence on the southbound Frontage Road on which we traveled until we made it to W. Placita de la Cotonia Street. That’s the street Roberta said she lives on. It has been about 70 years since we’ve seen each other, and we hadn’t communicated during that time, so we didn’t have any reason to not believe her. Surely after all this time she wouldn’t lead us astray, would she? No, she wouldn’t.

We found her home without any problem and drove in the driveway just as she was escorting two gentlemen out of the house. We were introduced to both of them but I only remember Ron. I think the other fellow was Bruce. That’s a guess.

As with most family members, Roberta greeted us as if we’d been missing for only a little while, not 70 years. It was a good reunion. Big hugs all round. Then we sat down a table on which she had her photo album displayed. Shortly, another person arrived, and we got to meet Jim whose grandfather was my uncle whom I have no memory of meeting. I knew the name, Knute, but to me he was just one of my Dad’s brothers who lived in California.

We sat around the table going through the photos, putting names to those we knew, and wondering about the ones we didn’t recognize. It was a great visit that went well into the afternoon until Max called and suggested that we return before he got a notion to chew on something. His call was a surprise because I didn’t know he had a phone. Huh.

Before leaving, i set up my tripod and took some photos from Roberta’s veranda to commemorate this joyous gathering.

This is me, Diane, Roberta, and Jim

Me, Roberta, and Jim

I didn’t get a photo of Ron because he left the party before I figured out how to get my phone hooked up to the tripod. I learned, from Roberta, that Ron came with the home when she bought it. Seems like they said he worked with the previous 2 owners, too. Kind of handy to have someone like Ron who’s been around long enough to know pretty much everything about the house and how to fix it.

After the visit we headed home using the same back roads that brought us here. Fortunately, we got home just about sun down, Max’s suggestion, and I took him for his walk right away. He’s about the best dog in the world. Really, he is.

It was a glorious day in Arizona.

Day 116 – Wednesday – Merry Christmas

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Here we are, counting down the days until we begin our trip North, to home. Only 2 weeks left here in the Bone Yard. We’ve been here for so long that everything seems quite normal. This is the longest we’ve ever parked in one spot.

Yesterday, we took a vote to see what our future travel plans might look like. It went something like this:
All in favor of camping in the future cover your left eye: 2 to 1 (Max abstained)
All in favor of not being full time Snowbirds blink 6 times: 3 to 0
All in favor of going to the beach any time we want bow your head: 3 to 0
All in favor of selling the RV nod your head vigorously: 87 to 2
(we used some proxy votes for this one)

So, next stop is Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix.

From there on we will continue moving north as the weather allows.

Should be fun.

Here’s Christmas morning in Tucson.

After a lunch of eggs and toast, we took a leisurely drive around the Tucson Mountains. To do this required that we transit the road to Old Tucson and Saguaro National Park West, roads we’ve been on before. Diane was actually hoping we were going to a park where Max could run freely. It was a really nice ride and it was fun to see all those Saguaro cacti again, but the end of this trip, according to the GPS, was Gilbert Ray Campground.

We drove around inside the park for a while but didn’t find any place where Max could run freely. The park is smack dab in the middle of Saguaro National Park West. Well, maybe not in the middle, but it’s imbedded in the park because Saguaro cacti are everywhere.

Since there wasn’t a place for Max to jog, I got out with him and prepared to walk along the exit road. First, I stopped at an empty campsite to check the electrical hookup and found that it was both 30- and 50-amp service. Diane did another search and discovered that this campground is only $35 a night. There is an RV dump and there are no showers in the restrooms. But when the sun goes down I don’t think there is any light pollution so star gazing must be incredible.

As Max and I walked to the back of that first site, a coyote calmly walked across our field of view about 20 feet away. I was a little astonished. Max didn’t see it. If he had I may have lost an arm is he’d taken off to chase this guy. Within seconds he disappeared in the underbrush. What fun. Max and I continued our walk while Diane followed along behind us. We quit about 1/2 mile down the road then got back in the car and headed out.

Instead of returning the way we got there, we took Gates Pass Road that goes over the Tucson Mountains back to the town proper. It was a very scenic trip.

This is about halfway up the road from the valley.

This is closer to the top, looking back to the valley, before heading down the other side.

Going down the Tucson side, looking at the north side of Tucson.

When we got home Max wanted to stay outside after that long ride This is how he communicates that desire.

When asked if he wants to go inside, he drops to the ground immediately if he wants to stay outside. He’s pretty creative that way.

That’s pretty much it for the day, except for the spaghetti dinner we made. No pics so you’ll have to trust me it was really good. It’s the first time we’ve had spaghetti this trip.

Since supper we’ve been binge watching NCIS from 2012. We’ve always liked the show but these are so old if we watched them then, there’s no way we’d remember. So they’re all brand new to us. Nifty.

Now I must stop.

Day 105 -Saturday – Football, Maybe

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Saturdays are usually my day to watch NCAA football, but Oregon had time off after winning the Big 10 conference championship game. We won’t see them again until the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. Until then I just kinda watch whoever shows up on the TV.

I actually started watching the Army vs. Navy game and saw Navy score first, but let it go when a movie came on that Diane had set to record. Since our Dish receiver only has one tuner we can’t record a show and watch a different channel. Diane was out at the time, replenishing our food and I know she would not have minded if I have cancelled the recording. It didn’t seem right, though, so I just let the system change channels. I heard later that Navy went on to win that game 31-13. How about that? The only other scores that sometimes interest me is when Notre Dame gets beat.

After Diane returned, we went off base and got the car washed because we’re going to church tomorrow in Saddle Brooke. This trip is so we can visit with pattyaz and her husband geneaz. With the use of very few brain cells I think most of you can interpret those names to be Patty and Gene. Patty is Diane’s legitimate cousin and, therefore, my cousin by marriage. Patty and I were also classmates all through high school in Scappoose. Unlike me, Patty paid attention in all her classes.

Because of our lack of activity this day, I don’t have any new photos, except for this stellar sunset. I’ll leave you with that.

Kinda nice, huh?

Day 103 – Thursday – Laundry Day

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Yup, all the clothes are dirty again. She didn’t know it, but I’ve been running around the Bone Yard for the past 3 days without underwear. I didn’t realize how much denim chaffs.

I don’t normally lie so blatantly, but that’s a big one. Old denim doesn’t chaff at all.

Helping with the laundry is something I always do willingly. That’s a tradeoff because I’m totally not allowed to actually do laundry unsupervised. There once was a sweater Diane really liked …. need I say more?

As directed, I put designated stuff into designated washers and put washed clothes into designated dryers. When clothes are dry, I help fold them.

In the morning, I called brother Jack to wish him a Happy Birthday. I try to do this every year but think I didn’t get it done last year. He’s much older than me so it’s OK. It was good to talk with him. During our talk he mentioned that Roberta lives somewhere down here and said he’d see if he could find her phone number and/or address. Our guess was that she’s in Green Valley. Not long after that visit, he sent me a text with a phone number. When I took Max on his afternoon walk, I called the number and had the pleasure of reuniting with my long-lost cousin. We had a nice long visit, remembering some of the many things we did together as children. It will be great to look her in the eye and say Hi. May be toss in a hug or two.

I’ve kinda kept track of her over the years through contact with other family members but was never in position to make contact until now. Plans are in the works. She’s only 36 miles away.

Our conversation carried on until it got dark, and it ended while Max and I sat next to the laundromat. We’re only 4-5 RV’s away from there but it’s still a little unsettling to be that far away with no flashlight knowing the coyotes are patrolling the area. I know it’s not likely we’ll be attacked, but you just never know. They might be hiding just around the corner. With Max on guard, I doubt if there’s any danger, but I can pretend. It keeps my sphincters in shape.

That’s it!

Just for fun, here are a couple of school photos that do not relate to this post at all except they are related to us in the form of Grandchildren.

First is Siah. He’s 3.

Then there’s Jasper. He’s 4.

Then there’s Mom, our daughter Jennifer:

Day 102 – Wednesday – Biosphere 2

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Today Diane drove me north to visit the University of Arizona Biosphere 2, a giant 3+ acre terrarium. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. Eight people entered the facility in 1991 and stayed there 2 years and 20 minutes. during that time, they had no contact with the outside world. They ate what they grew and recycled everything. I’m guessing the food they ate had a head start so they wouldn’t have to wait for something to grow so they could eat.

I thought the additional 20 minutes was a little odd but after careful consideration I figured it had something to do with skepticism about how accurate the clocks were in 1993. Adding 20 minutes might have been a cushion to ensure they had indeed spent 2 years locked up.

Or, it might have been because one of the detainees had to use the facilities one more time before exiting. It could also have been because the second to last person to use the facilities used the last few strips of toilet paper and couldn’t reach the Kleenexes.

With Diane’s blessing I was allowed to take the 90-minute walking tour and learn all about Biosphere 2. By the way, after a little research, I learned that Biosphere 1 is actually planet earth. Biosphere 2 is a miniature earth because is encompasses most of the various environments found on earth.

Max was allowed to accompany me because he’s a good dog. That was true right up until the moment we got through the gate, and he saw the turkeys. Three of them. He did his best to yank my arm off and it took a while to convince him that Thanksgiving is behind us, so he had to leave the turkeys alone. Finally, he saw something else move and we detached from the turkeys to follow the RED arrows.

I took a lot of photos after Max decided we were OK, and he didn’t need to protect me from anything. He was, however, very curious about everything. I mean that literally. He is curious about everything and what he was seeing was totally foreign to him.

The walking tour is accompanied by an app you download to your phone that leads you to 23 locations throughout the complex. At each stop you can watch a video on your phone of someone explaining what you’re looking at. Pretty cool. It worked just fine until I missed a turn somewhere and missed #7 so had to go back and find it. That involved going down 3 levels of stairs then finally asking a handy docent where #7 was. He looked at me, leaned to his left a little and point over my shoulder at the #7 hanging in the window behind me.

Apparently I missed #1, too.

Max paused here and I’m sure he was thinking, “that’s a lot of stairs.” But, he skipped the ramp and dragged me to the bottom.

Proof of life. Made it in one piece.

That tall portion of the structure is the library that was reportedly not used a lot because getting to it involved lots of stairs like those below.

The skylight in the center is the top of the library from the inside. I think I would not have gone up there very often, either.

Next is one of the three sections where the atmosphere is controlled so they can study how water flows through soil – like how much water hits the ground and how much of it makes it to the bottom of the hill.

This tree apparently fell down, broke it’s hip and was doomed to use crutches for the rest of its life.

Finally got back outside.

This dome structure is called the “Lung” of the facility. I’s purpose is to ensure the air pressure of the enclosed buildings is maintained as the air heats and cools. Had the lung not been included, the hot air inside would have caused the big buildings to explode. That’s a lot of glass that would have littered the dessert. There’re roughly a bazillion glass panels in this place. It’s true. I’m sure I heard that on one of the videos I watched. Amazing.

Inside the next structure are a stunning variety of trees and plants.

There’s even an ocean with a coral reef. Sadly, we learned, the reef did not survive but it served it’s purpose to allow people to study the effects of various temps of ocean water.

Some of the trees in the rain forest section are 90 feet tall. This is a big terrarium.

Heading for the exit.

Back up the stairs makes a full circle.

Another aspect of the facility is the many casitas they built to accommodate scientists who come to study. I believe I heard that the casitas had 3 to 5 bedrooms for a total of 200. They are very nice, too. They won’t let riffraff wander through them. Seems like they could probably make a few bucks on the side if they rented them out to common folks.

Somewhere not far down the road to home we stopped for lunch. When I did a search for a likely location, Max spied the Grain River Asian Bistro so that’s where we went. I think it was a lucky call on his part because it just happened to be the first one on the map and we were hungry. How handy.

While waiting he thought maybe he could sit at the table with Mom.

I convinced him that dogs eat while standing on the floor. When I told him I’d order some chicken for him, he readily agreed.

Thanks, Dad

Day 101 – Tuesday – Tacos and Nachos

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Today we visited a museum where all the displays are all miniatures. Very stunning stuff. I took at least 125 pictures and videos of the displays. I know, it doesn’t take me long to use up that much film and there’s no way I’ll be able to share all of them with you. I was fascinated looking at the incredible work the artists created. The houses and everything that fills it were awesome, but what got me the most was the art created at the end of a #2 graphite pencil. Simply amazing.

Max enjoyed it, too, and we didn’t even have to pay his way in.

The miniatures start before entering the museum. The door is beautiful.

Next to it is it’s miniature.

The pencil art is amazing.

This is the couch from Beetlejuice. It’s not a miniature, but it’s pretty cool.

I took a lot of photos but I didn’t do justice to the displays so please visit the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures website and see for yourselves.

Day 99 – Sunday – Tumacácori National Park

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We left the bus not long before noon, and we only made it about 10 feet before Diane stopped and told me to get my keys.

I’ve done this before. So far, no harm has befallen us because of my mismanagement of the keys.

The park is about 55 miles away, a bit south of Green Valley, so we had to traverse familiar territory to get there. That was OK, because it’s actually a nice drive. It’s even better because I don’t have to drive. More accurately, I’m not allowed to drive. Max and I just sat there enjoying the ride.

Getting there was simple but when we approached the park there were cars parked all along both sides of the road. At first glance it was apparent that getting to the park itself could involve a long walk. Not knowing exactly where the entrance was, Diane kept driving until she spied a handicap spot and took it. As it turned out, that spot was directly in front of the entrance door into the park. Amazing, right? It gets better.

The entrance sign was very specific that no pets were allowed so I went inside to see if Max would be allowed to enter as a Support Animal. I made it clear that Max was a work in progress to be a Service Animal. To our benefit, the guy sitting behind the desk was a retired Command Master Chief with over 40 years of service so wearing my navy hat paid off. He only gave me a little grief about only making Senior Chief and for quitting the Navy after only 26.5 years. We chatted a bit and It was a good talk. He handed us off to a fellow ranger gave me the drill for service animals to ensure I understood the importance of not letting him desecrate the buildings or grounds. We understood. That actually isn’t a problem with Max because he’s the best little dog in the world.

There was a fiesta going on, the reason for our trip, and we could hear the music and singing in the distance. It was very pleasant.

We followed the fiesta signs that led deep into the park, behind the old church in the photo. Since it was on the way to the music, we had to stop and to see it before finding the source of the music.

Work on the church began in 1800 and the church was dedicated in 1822.

This is a rendition of what the interior looked like when it was in use.

This is what’s left

This is a rendition of what the altar area looked like

Here’s what’s left.

Now that you’ve seen my photos, you need to check out the park’s web site for better ones. I’m sure you will enjoy it.

The festival was a venue for many church, youth groups, and individual artists who sold items they made to support their groups. Scattered amongst the crafty people were many opportunities to by an incredible array of food. I bought Diane a bottle of water and a small Christmas tree ornament made out of string. Here are a couple of photos of the festivities. It was a busy place.

On the way out of the park we stopped for a while in a shady spot.

Here’s where we parked – the car on the right. That dark spot to the left of the car is the entrance door.

We drove back to Green Valley before hunger struck so we stopped at Arby’s for a fill-up. Max wasn’t offered anything to eat so he was a little bummed.

He stood like that the entire time I was eating my sandwich, so he got his way and wound up with quite a few bits of roast beef. It was only fair.

As soon as we got home, I took Max for a walk. We wound up talking to Chuck Berry, a fellow who drives an older RV with Oregon plates. I’ve been waiting to meet him, but he was never there when we went by, until this time.

I introduced myself and asked him which part of Oregon he had escaped from. He looked me right in the eye and said, “have you ever heard of St. Helens?” That was a true shocker. He and his wife live in St. Helens less than a mile from where we live.

Small world, right?

Needless to say, we had a nice visit and plan to have another before they leave this week.

Imagine that.

Day 98 – Saturday – Green Valley, Arizona

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Today was a good one for a number of reasons. First, Diane had us scheduled to visit Green Valley to go see the Festival of the Trees at St. Francis Episcopal Church.

Green Valley isn’t very far from where we currently live, so it was an easy drive down I-19. It’s just a little way beyond San Xavier Mission so we got to see a little more of Southern Arizona and got closer to Nogales than we’ve ever been. Maybe we’ll make it to the Mexican border before this trip is over. We can’t cross it because Diane doesn’t have her passport. I don’t have mine, either, but I’ve got the magic driver’s license that will allow me permission to cross over. I won’t, however, because I made a promise to never go to Mexico without Diane. So, we’ll just get close.

Once at St. Francis Diane went in to see the trees while Max and I roamed around the parking lot. At the entrance there was a prominent sign alerting everyone that pets were not allowed. Although Max was wearing his working vest, I didn’t try to get him in because I suspect he would have found a reason to pee on one of the trees. Instead, he stayed outside and peed on bunches of rocks. It was OK. When we left the church, Diane drove around in the urban area so we could look at houses, just for fun. Green Valley is a nice place, and we discovered that houses here are wildly expensive, just like they are at home. We both like the architecture and the colors used to make the adobe-like homes. It’s very pleasing. I’m not a big fan of yards full of rocks and various kinds of cacti, and would rather have a lawn to mow but that doesn’t seem to be an option down here. They do get into the holiday spirit here, though.

Then we went to lunch.

I selected KFC because it’s one of our favorite places. When we got our order the young girl at the counter asked if she could give Max a chicken strip. I had to accept because I think there’s a rule somewhere about severe consequences if you turn down a free chicken strip at KFC. I chopped it up for Max and he gobbled it up rather quickly because he really likes dead chicken.

After lunch Diane stopped at a DQ and got me a large chocolate malt and herself a dipped cone. I paid for them. Now I only have $3 in my wallet. That’s OK because I don’t spend much cash. No one offered Max an ice cream cone, so we drove directly home.

The mountains caught my eye. We find them pleasing. These things surround the entire valley where Tucson and a bunch of other villages live.

When we got home, I gave Max his lunch. It was only a few hours late, but he didn’t seem to mind. He did, however, make short work of it. Once he was done, we took a walk around the park. He earned it because he’s really a good traveler. We walked a long way and found this little resting area that has 2 chairs, a bench and an ashtray for smokers surrounded by very large rocks. We didn’t stop to sit. Max just peed on a couple of the rocks, and we went on our way.

Around 1630 we got ourselves comfortable on our couches to watch football. Today the Oregon Ducks played Penn State for the Big10 Championship. The game was in Indiana. I don’t know why Oregon had to travel 2500 miles and Penn State only had to travel 497. That didn’t seem fair. Seems like whoever chose the venue for the game wasn’t a Duck fan and wanted to make it easy on Penn State. Surely that’s true.

I won’t bore you with details, but despite the travel distance disparity, and the ho-hum chatter about the Ducks by the TV announcers, THE DUCKS WON 45-27! It was a great game most of the time but we had to turn the TV sound down so we didn’t have to listen to the announcers proclaim how great Penn State is even though they were getting beat the entire game. Oregon scored first and never looked back. What fun. The Ducks are 13-0 and is the #1 seed for the Championship playoff. We also heard, from our daughter, Jennifer, that the Ducks are playing in the Rose Bowl this year. More fun.

Now it’s time for bed. I believe we will sleep well tonight.

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 76 – Friday – Laundry Day (again)

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It’s 1000. Max and I have been up for 3 hours, and Diane is busy in the bedroom sorting the laundry that needs to be washed. There’s a whole wagon load of it. I’ve been told to vacate the area around her where she can hear me speak, or to just not speak. My choice. She’s like that in the morning most of the time and I understand. So, I do my best to not talk to her or ask questions until she’s fully awake. But she’s already had breakfast and 2 cups of coffee that normally puts her in a more receptive disposition, so I thought I had permission to speak, but I was wrong. The last question I asked her was “how can I help.” Her answer was to look me in the eye and giving me the universal sign to go way – that’s when you hold your hand out, palm down, then activate your fingers by making them point down, then wave them at the offending person until they get the message. Considering the chore ahead of her, I can understand her desire to not be disturbed while dealing with my underwear and socks. So, I left, and here I am, doing this until I’m allowed to communicate again. That won’t be until she’s ready for me to load the wagon and drag it to the laundromat. The wagon is stored in its original box under the RV. I keep it there, in the box, so if someone thinks they should steal it, it won’t be difficult to do. So far no one has lifted it, even though we were gone for 3 days.

The temp outside was 52 degrees this morning. Inside is was 58. I thought it was pretty comfortable, but I turned the heater on anyway.

There’s a table outside the laundry on which people put things they no longer need or want, free for the taking. Yesterday I got a very nice folding knife with shiny blades in a nice leather case. There were other knives, but I only took one. Every once in a while, a painted rock will show up, too. We have one of them. There was another one on the bench this morning, but I left it. If it’s still there when we take the laundry, I will add it to our collection.

When we got home yesterday, I waited for Patricia and Laurie’s door to open before announcing our return. We didn’t want to bother them because Laurie had a surgical procedure yesterday. Even so, once Patricia saw me and Max near their door, she called to Laurie to come visit. She did, but it was obvious she was in pain. Still, she brought Max a treat, as she always does, and let him lick her all over. He’s helping her heal, I’m sure.

My Fitbit bit the dust on our trip. It want’s its software to be updated but my efforts to do so have not been successful. Diane thinks it’s broken and that I need a new one, but I haven’t given up, yet.

Diane forgot to bring her iPad on our little jaunt, so we took a trip to Best Buy in Sierra Vista so I could get her a replacement. I owed her one because I kinda bent the old iPad and I’m amazed it still works. It was laying on the car seat one day and I needed to get something from the car that required me to kneel on the seat and I bent it. Nothing broke, it just made a nice curve. So, I got her a new one and a cover that has a keyboard attached. I think she’ll learn to like it a lot.

This afternoon we took a short trip to get fuel for the car and some vegetables. I was good to get out and stretch our legs a little. Oh, I do that multiple times a day walking Max, but this was walking without Max. We left him home. As soon as we got home, I walked Max. See what I mean. When we got back to the bus, Max jumped in the driver’s seat and set his focus on the neighbors. Almost right away I hear voices coming in the driver’s (Max’s) window and checked it out. It was Patricia and Laurie talking to Max. When they saw me, they asked if Max could come out and play. They really love him.

So, of course, I took Max out for them. I let him run free from our bus and told him to “get Laurie” and that’s what he did. It’s not far around the front of the bus to their rig, but he ran flat out to get there. The reason was Laurie had treats. She always has treats for him. He’s a little mooch but he’s such a friendly little guy and, as I mentioned earlier, I really think he’s helping Laurie heal. She’s been going through a lot of turmoil with medical issues, so Max is like a breath of fresh air for her. I wouldn’t be surprised if he can sense her need for comfort from him.

I need to add a photo of Max and his new friend. I can’t remember her name and Max isn’t talking about her. I do know that she’s a Shitsu so, technically, they are related because he has a little Shitsu in his DNA.

That’s it.