One Fine Day, Remembering Elephant Butte, Quail Run

On Sunday, Mar. 3^rd we both woke up together after a really good sleep. It was around 6 am when our feet found each other under the covers. Bill slipped out of bed first and turned the Blue Flame heater on just to take the chill out of the air. Our weather station was showing 59F inside and 48F outside. I got up as soon as he was out of the bathroom and we had our first brew together.

Morning sky pictures

Other than the collage, untouched morning beauty

At 6:30 I slipped out the door to take a picture of the pretty sky over the lake to the east. Rob was doing the exact same thing. It was sure pretty. I finished my tea and went out for my walk. The air was so calm and after yesterday afternoon’s strong winds, that was a blessing and I hoped it would last for the day. It wasn’t long after I stepped out when I heard the quail all around me. Rob and Pat were anxious to see them so I texted him.

I don't know if you see them
but these quail were all over the place this morning

 What a nice treat following familiar lanes in this park. I knew where they led after having walked them many times last year around the same time. We are on the lower Level C rather than B this year because we wanted to be sure to get 2 sites together. Level B is a first-come, first-serve area and it is a good thing we didn’t count on squeezing in there. All sites up there were full when we arrived. We are very happy with the sites we booked online.

And these ran behind our site
Maybe it is a new Quail Run

Bill had his shower and I sat outside with Clemson for a while before I made us an omelette for breakfast. After dishes, he went outside to work on our transfer switch. Do you remember when we arrived at Sundance on Feb. 1^st that we had a problem switching from solar to electric? We had to either use just solar or keep our inverter on while plugged in so the batteries were keeping a continual charge.

Last night, Bill and I decided that for our time here, we’d switch some of the wires (he knew what needed to be done) so we could use full electric including the fire place. After all, it is included in the $14/night here, we may as well use it. When that turned out to be a bigger challenge (for one reason or another) we once again decided to leave things the way they are. When we leave here, he would have to change them back so we could use our solar for travelling. (our fridge)

Lion's Beach - where we are camped
Staghorn cactus, just past the blooming stage
Bottom right - coyote gourds still on the vine

He came inside to turn the inverter on and realized that all of a sudden, the transfer switch was working! Well, he obviously jiggled, tightened or moved something while in the compartment. Yay! Now we can at least save on propane while here and take advantage of the conveniences offered. That made us both happy.

Selfies first thing this morning

Pat and I went for a nice long walk down to the water snapping photos of things along the way. I’d only taken my zoom lens and so had she so when we found a nice area of rocks, perfect for a selfie, I had to be far enough away to make the picture turn out. What a hoot! I got more exercise running back and forth across the sand to sit beside her in the countdown seconds of the timer. She posed and laughed, I ran back and forth. It was fun and I only hope someone else didn’t see!

Turning the camera every which way on rocks, in between rocks
Pat posed for test shots

The rest of the day was spent at our own sites, sitting/laying in the sun, eating lunch (Bill had the sandwiches left over from yesterday’s drive and I fried up my pizza), reading and Bill recharging his plane and our lawn mower battery. This is something he takes care of a few times over the winter. At 3 we invited Rob and Pat to join us for Happy Hour. The winds had once again picked up but it was still a beautiful day in the mid 70’s.

These were my attempts - LOL
You can't hear my breathing from running
but there were a lot of 'near misses'

We said goodbye and Bill and I took Clemson for a walk down to the beach. Blowing us away, Clemson walked out into the water with Bill. The little bum! He has for years led us to believe that he is afraid of water. Ha ha, too funny. He didn’t stay in it long before turning around back onto the sand. It was, after all, only around 55F. We headed the uphill climb towards our site and I sat and finished my Sandra Brown book. ‘The Deadline’ is a good one if you haven’t read it.

And finally, we got it!

For supper, I had 2 chicken thighs out. Bone in and with the skin on. We happen to like the skin when it is barbecued and love the good fat it offers. While Bill grilled it outside on Weber, he turned the tv on in the basement and watched the first episode of American Idol. Inside, I prepared our caesar salad (as easy as opening a bag and the small packets included). The chicken took longer than we expected so it needed to be popped back on to make sure it was fully cooked through.

This family enjoying a beautiful afternoon

Walking down to the beach

That kind of takes away from the whole meal, when you have to recook something but it tasted pretty good at the end of it all. We cleaned up dishes and watched the rest of the program inside. We may share a cherry pie or share some Jell-o for dessert but at this stage, we haven’t decided.

Water Dad?

Sure!, I'll get my feet wet

Okay, enough of that, Lets go!

This was a wonderful peaceful day. We all said ‘this is quietest place we have stayed at all winter’. No traffic, no 4-wheelers, no trains, no planes and no loud neighbours. I think we’re all happy to be here. 

Good night!

Thank YOU for being HERE!