Last Day, Making Progress on My Lesson ♥, Pack Up Process

La Posa South, Quartzsite, Az

On Monday, Jan. 31^st, we have successfully and happily reached the end of another winter month. The good (great) thing is that we have spent it all in the warmth of the southwest. There have been cool days, definitely cool nights, but we haven’t had anything below 32F/0C and we haven’t had any of that white stuff. Heck, I can say it – we haven’t had any snow! 😊

We had company on our walk today

You could say we are happy campers and you would be 100% on the money. Gibbs and I went for our walk, a bit later than normal and when we returned, Bill was almost ready to go flying again. Good for him! The day was a calm one and the sun rose into a beautiful clear blue sky. I wasn’t concerned about the few wispy clouds but I guess I should have been.

I asked this 'fellow' on the corner which way,
and this is my answer

Bill left at 8:30 and Gibbs and I sat in my chair with my tea and my book. I was itching to get back into the crocheted blanket that Deb started me on yesterday – before I forgot the stitches - LOL but wouldn’t do that with Gibbs being so keen. I warmed up some of my ‘oatmeal’ and enjoyed it with a bit of cream and pineapple. Bill chose a fresh pineapple off the shelf at Walmart and I’d used my handy corer to slice it for easier consummation. If it’s ready, we eat it.

The sun was already popping

Gibbs and I moved outside around 10:30 and I took my project and thankfully remembered the steps, even turning the corners correctly! 😊 My teacher would be proud. I chatted back and forth with Donna back home on the progress of our LadyFest plans. They are coming together. Back to today’s plans though. When Bill returned from the field at 11:30, he was happy after a number of flights. He had stopped at the park we’ll move to tomorrow to check on check-in. Now we know.

Look now, tomorrow we will be gone 

He began packing up things we wouldn’t need tonight and then stopped for some lunch. He doesn’t usually need my help outside, today being no exception, other than folding our wind break tarp so I continued to crochet before putting many of our ornamental things away inside. We won’t be in a rush in the morning, not having to move until after lunch, but it’s nice to have things mostly taken care of. It’s our way to be ready in advance.

This was my progress on the new rectangle afghan
at 11 am and I'm happy with what I've done ♥

I made a tea and Bill poured himself a drink around 4, when he finally stopped working. Gibbs is probably wondering what is going on? He was just settling in to another place, thinking it was the new ‘Ridge’. 😊 More changes, good thing he’s flexible like his Mom and Dad. For supper, a hamburger ghoulash in Madame IP. There are leftover potatoes that can be fried up and there is Jell-o and whipped cream to clean up as well.

Bill put our panels down flat,
removing the tilt arms

There was no more sun, so he'd taken down the
sun screen first

Bill drew my attention to this low-flying plane

I had my phone in my pocket so was able to
catch it as it flew over

So, plans are good but they don’t always go as we expect. Bill started the generator around 5:30 and I prepared the ground beef, carrots, onions and celery in the IP. Sautéing the meat and onions first, then adding the carrots and setting for 30 minutes. About 15 minutes in, all power went off because the generator went off. ☹ Bill got it going for a few short minutes but it died again. Bummer.

It's a process but when you need solar power,
tilted panels benefit us a lot.

Our batteries were charged enough for us to manage through the evening BUT I moved the stew to a pot on the stove. Carrots take the longest but they were almost completely cooked already so it wasn’t going to take long. I fried the potatoes separately and then decided to add dumplings. It all turned out well but it sure did create a lot of dishes.😊

for a last minute concoction, it was very good!
Bonus = leftovers!

We watched a couple of programs on tv. I finished my J.P. book today; Liar, Liar, is an exciting page turner. This was a good day, we are ready for our move with just a few things left for the morning. I hope your beginning of the week and end of the month went well too.

For a very brief moment, we had a lovely sky

After the remnants of our sun went down for the night
Cloudy overnight means warmer temps 50F/10C
Good night! Good bye January!

Thanks for stopping in!

 

Things We Love, Company of Friends Being One

 La Posa South, Q., Az

It’s late to start my post so I’ll sum up. 😊 Sunday, Jan. 30^th we did a few things we love to do. Not necessarily together but still good things. Gibbs and I went for our morning walk (1). Gibbs met a new doggie (2). Bill went to the flying field to do some flying. He managed 5 flights. ♥ (3) I read a lot of my book (4). I sat in the sun with my little buddy (5).

One thing I love is our home and with a backdrop like
this, it would make a great framed painting

I made some preparations with my sisters regarding this year’s LadyFest (6). I read some more (7). I know that’s cheating but I’m the boss on this one. 😊 At 2:30, our friends, Tom and Deb, joined us for an afternoon visit (8). After some catch up chit chat, Deb and I retreated into the Suite and she attempted (& mostly succeeded) in teaching me (Miss fumble-fingers) to crochet a granny square Afghan from the centre (9)!

Sunrises in the desert

New friends & old friends

Deb and I got to know a bit more about each other inside while Bill and Tom (& Gibbs) did the same and solved world issues outside (10). It was a great afternoon and I just hope that I remember my lessons. Deb was very patient with me and my fumbles. I truly enjoyed the time she and I had together, alone. 😊 

Gibbs is quite interested in the shower stall now

He is such a character!
Love ♥

We joined the guys outside and continued chatting until almost 6 o’clock! Woops! Didn’t mean to keep them that long but as I said, it was very enjoyable.

Here's a story for you:
Gibbs, what are you doing?

Digging for gold, Mom
It's down there somewhere

Before they left, we made plans for one more outing before we all part ways. I’m looking forward to that (11). I guess I can stop counting now but I’m trying to fill up a day’s post. 

You're stirring up the dust, goofy

But I think I'm getting close!

Look at the size of that hole!
Yes, I know, Mom, but watch me.............

Bill barbecued bacon cheeseburgers for supper and I opened up a bag of garden salad as a side. That was easy. I took Gibbs for a quick walk while supper was grilling and we both commented on what a lovely day it was.

                                                     Look at your dirty nose!

The weather was perfect, hardly any wind and gorgeous sun. This was a very nice Sunday, one more day here before we pull up stakes. We are looking forward to a cleaner place to park for a couple of months. I did dust the place, top to bottom, before Deb arrived, although I know she’d understand. 😊

They almost got away without a picture
but not quite! 😀

These burgers never let us down
Yum!

Here's what I was doing last year on this date

And we had burgers then too! only they were pan-fried
Good night!

Thank you for popping around! Your comments are always welcome.

Bill 'Takes Off', On the Cooler Side of the Week

 La Posa South, Quartzsite, Az

We had mostly clear skies this morning, Saturday, Jan. 29^th, when Gibbs and I headed out for our walk. I remembered my sunglasses so we headed in a different direction. It’s not so difficult then walking to the south after the sun comes up. Which it did, quite nicely from behind the mountain. 😊

Good morning!

On the way back, almost home, Gibbs spotted Harold, someone we meet most morning. He always speaks to us and pets the furry bundle at his feet. I found out today that they are from Montana and are here for the whole season. Nice man. Bill got up when we did so he had Gibbs’ breakfast ready and boy does that dog know where his food is! Gone are the days when he hesitates over the food dish!

♥

It is quite amazing how these old Saguaros remain
standing with their 'trunks' eating away like this

I wasn’t surprised when Bill got ready and announced that he was going to the flying field this morning. I’m glad to see him take advantage of the calm morning and he left at 8:30. I knew the day would be cooler than it has been by a few degrees but thought we’d have sun all day. After my tea was gone, I put the ingredients together to make my Baked Oatmeal recipe. I had been waiting to buy coconut so now there was nothing holding me back. 😊

Gibbs and I relaxed while I drank my tea
after Daddy left

I made my Keto baked oatmeal batter
but had to wait until mid-afternoon to bake it

When the clouds moved in, the batteries weren’t being charged enough to prevent the beeping of ‘low battery’ so I listened to that for a while before deciding that I couldn’t bake it without turning the generator. The power supply might have been enough but with the fridge coming off and on, as it does naturally, I knew it would take longer than the required 25 minutes to complete the baking process. I turned it off.

The week of the show ends tomorrow
and the Integras are pulling out daily
Cha-ching!

It was around 11:30 when Bill returned for lunch so I told him that we’d need to start the genny later long enough to cook my dish. He made a sandwich and I had the last of my broccoli soup. I won’t buy it again; it was from an envelope pack and was too watery. I had to add cream each time to make it enjoyable enough to eat. ☹ Live and learn! I’ll make my own broccoli cheese soup next time.

Gibbs doesn't mind the cool breeze
and sits under the Suite to people watch

After dishes, we both found it too cool (seriously) to sit outside and be comfy so we read our books inside. 

Oatmeal without the oats

The clouds pretty much took over the sky around 2:30 when Bill started the generator and I baked my oatmeal. Just a nibble from the corner and although it looks funny with the green powder collagen, it tastes like yummy oatmeal with any oatmeal added. ♥

Waiting for Daddy

Supper was chicken thighs, a potato for Bill, cauliflower rice for me and vegetables. A good supper tonight. I’m really enjoying my Louise Penny book, Kingdom of the Blind. Good thing I have distractions or it would be finished by now and my butt would be sore from sitting! LOL 

This looks pretty but the white clouds soon covered the
blue sky

So, as it turned out, Bill went upstairs to watch some tv and Gibbs went with him, for the most part. There went my distractions and I finished my book before supper. Excellent to the very end!

I thought this was going to be it for the sunset
and was quite happy with it

It was a great meal and after dishes, it was another quiet evening. 

I had to find a new book to start so moved to a James Patterson. Bill is finishing them at a mile a minute so I need to stay ahead of him. 😊 The sky didn’t co-operate too much today for outside sitting and we only reached 63F/17C, feeling cooler under the clouds, but it was still a very nice day.

I slipped out when I saw the surprising sky that followed
Gibbs is always here, when we slip out, hoping to get an opening. 😄

What a lovely treat after the cloudy day we had
Good night y'all!

Thank you for stopping in.

Quick Last Tent Walk, Clouds Moved In

La Posa South, Quartzsite, Az

On Friday, Jan. 28^th it is like we blinked and the month has flown by. I’m happy to say though, that it didn’t feel like that to me, us. It was a slow leisurely January and we have enjoyed it a lot. It is our first time to be boondocking for this long, in one stretch. 😊 We still think this year is not a good judge for how much we liked it.

This morning's sky was pretty
and the moon still hadn't said goodbye

In one way, maybe I’ve said this before, it was too quiet without the hustle/bustle of many friends and many Happy Hours. Another perspective is that it was more peaceful, more relaxing and the privacy was great for our little family. Given a choice, we’d rather connect with our friends, here for the 2-week period during the Quartzsite show, since we have all the time in the world to be on our own, away from here. Sounds confusing, but it really isn’t.

A beautiful sky

Today, Gibbs and I went for a shorter walk since Bill and I wanted to head into the Big Tent one more time. We left the Suite a few minutes after 8, got a good spot and after playing our Wordle game on my phone, read until 9. There was no lineup today, the 2^nd last day of the show. There was hardly anyone in the tent and we walked down the middle of each aisle with only a couple of stops at booths.

Okay, Gibbs. We need you to look 
after the house for a few hours.

We’d bought magnetic bracelets last Saturday and I needed the young man who sold them to us to take one link out of mine. He did that, we reported on our experiences after wearing them for the time since purchase and moved on. We did one walk around outside and then spent some time wandering through the Grand Design Solitudes. For no reason other than finding the one Bill fell in love with 2 years ago. 😊 It was fun but nothing will be happening in that department.

A yummy lunch if I do say so myself!

Back home, I dust mopped the floors and did some dusting, basically (in his mind) chasing Gibbs around the Suite. Ha ha. What is it with doggies and mops and dust mitts? ♥ At noon, I made us toasted omelette bun sandwiches and wow, they were really good! After dishes, I took my blanket outside and worked away until the clouds moved in and cooled things down. I’ve made good progress which tells you that it is an easy pattern that I’m following. 😊

He looked after the house for us but it sure
looks like he knows something I don't know.

Supper was one of those fall back on meals. Mac & cheese with tube steaks (aka wieners) and it was good. Are olives a vegetable? That was my side dish. Teehee. We did the dishes and watched a bit of fill in tv until Magnum P.I. came on at 7. Because of the clouds late afternoon, we put the generator on to watch the show and spent the last couple of hours with our books. Bill has finished another one! He’s leaving me in the dust.

The pink mountains don't only start our days,
they end them too

Bill took this great picture for me tonight

A poor man's meal is a great meal
sometimes

This was a good day. We had fun touring some new rv’s this morning and spent a pleasant afternoon together. I hope you have had a good day as well. Funny story - my little brother in Cold Lake, Alberta texted me a thank you for his Christmas card. It just arrived today. LOL Mailed from Yuma early December. The good news is that it still looks like Christmas in that neck of the woods with all their snow OR that it is early for next Christmas! I'd say it took a trip around the world.

One more look at the sunset
Good night!

Thank you for your visit. Get ready for the weekend!