Return to Mexico, Longer Wait, Happy Hallowe’en!

Pilot Knob RV Resort

On Thursday, Oct. 31^st we slept in until 6:30 and 7. You know who was up first, the early birds. I woke up a few times from dreams but can only remember fragments of who and what they contained. 😊 Typical. It was a cooler morning but not cold. We didn’t have to be at our dental appointments until 12 noon so relaxed for the morning.

Good morning!

Gibbs and I went for our walk 
around the park before we left.

It gave me the opportunity to vacuum the floors and do a bit of high dusting – of course, using my Norwex duster. We had our morning drinks and Bill had his cereal. I waited until around 10 and had a banana and yogourt cup. They aren’t exactly yogourt, but they are keto approved. Ha ha, and they fill in the gap when I’m hungry for something. I’m hoping Parker’s Walmart is still carrying my Keto Yogourt so I can stock up.

There isn't a lot of fat grams but it
still tastes pretty good.

At 11:15, we left Gibbs in charge again and drove back to Los Algodones. A bit of banter on our way to Dr. Eva’s and we weren’t waiting long and we were both called in. I’d decided to get the left upper quadrant deep cleaned today, all periodontal work that is necessary but I haven’t had done since we lived in London. If that is shocking, I shrug at that, oh well. Our regular dentists used to do deep cleanings every 6 months but these in Mexico, do not until requested.

Not sure what this plant is,
my Google lens didn't detail it in English. 

It is pretty though, isn't it?

Bill was in the other room getting his crown put on and we met back in the wait room, paid for my cleaning and we left. It was cute seeing Miriam, her mom, Dr. Eva and her 3 assistants all either wearing Hallowe’en scrubs and/or earrings or both. 😊 I wore my bat earrings and my ball cap with braids in honor of the day. Not like days gone by, when I used to dress up every year at work and every trick or treat evening. I used to love it but now we’re on the road and I don’t.

This was shortly after we joined the line
to cross the border back into the US

The fact that it didn't move in the usual
spurts had us concerned.

We were out of the dentists by 12:45 and joined the line at the border. It was already long, yet the same time as yesterday. Things happened, 3 heart attacks and 2 strokes today alone took away from staffing so only one door was open into where the guards check your passports and purchases. LOL We were in line for 2 hours, hardly moving, while 2 guards checked us through. Oh well.

What an interesting stone house in Yuma
It would be lovely out in a country setting.

The thing to be grateful for was after an hour of waiting, realizing there were still people coming to join the end of the line. It was a w-a-a-a-a-y back there and over the hill. After leaving Mexico, we drove to Yuma for Black Beauty to get washed. Bill found the do it yourself that he likes and she came out the other side looking much brighter and happier. For now. 😊

Black Beauty gets a bath.
Bill was happy to find his usual DIY wash

We hadn’t had lunch but at 4 when we returned, we decided to wait eating until supper. I started my blog and took 2 Advil as I noticed the freezing was almost out and my mouth was a bit tender. Then, I layed down for a while and skipped the pool today. We had hoped that our wait time would have been quicker so we could stop in to visit friends. But time wasn’t on our side.

In Yuma, agriculture is key.
Above the beginning stages of new crops.

We pass this rv on our way home
and a certain name jumped out at me.

I felt better when I got up and Bill and had a breakfast meal for supper. Scrambled eggs with bacon on toast or in a wrap. Yum, it was good! After clean up, I finished my blog and we relaxed for the evening. Moving day tomorrow, we’ve enjoyed the time here.

Breakfast for supper. Yum.

It was a good day, 76F/26C and a nice evening on the way. 

I wasn't dressed like this today
but
Happy Hallowe'en!

A cute little cow
(our youngest grandson)

Mooo not Booo!
(Krystal's words, not mine)

Alexander and his Daddy
doing chores
Good night!

Thank you for the visit.

How Important Electricity Is! Double Dipping

Pilot Knob RV Resort

On Wednesday, Oct. 30^th, we were up at 6 o’clock. Bill had to take Mr. Gibbs out at 5 when we heard him trying to throw up. ☹ Poor little bum. Just a small amount and he came back to bed and went back to sleep. We had our cereal, I made a tea to go and after giving Gibbs his treat, we drove to Los Algodones.

Good morning!

The price at the border has gone up from $6/day to $10/day, which we were aware of from the Quartzsite Chatter. It is still worth it to us, since we save on our dental and optical in Mexico. Our dental appointments were at 8 am with Dr. Eva Urena and we were early. There weren’t many vendors out trying to draw us in at 7:40. We don’t mind them anyway, just joke right along with them. 

The entrance to L.A. has been undergoing major changes since we arrived last fall and maybe sooner. It is still very messy, incomplete, but it is looking better each year. There are washrooms, you don't have to pay for, and although you may have to open your bag on the way in, no passports needed to be shown. They are doing a LOT of work. It can be confusing if you are 'me', and you may have to think about what street you need but the locals are very eager to help you find your way. 😀

Dr. Eva Urena's building
and sign.

When we got to her building, it was gated up so that shows how early we were. No worries, we waited. I walked across to the park and sat on a sunny bench. The air was a tad cool in the shade, only 55F/13C. We walked up to the door as soon as staff arrived but even though she let us in, she said that the electric/hydro was out all over town and has been since 4 am. Oh-oh. That left them with no power, water OR phone service! No wonder other dentists weren’t trying to drag us in.

A view down her street
and what the heck is that mess of wiring?
This small town doesn't get a lot of government assistance
for improvements. Sad but they do the best they can.

We waited until in the warmer office until after 9 and Dr. Eva suggested we walk around a bit, maybe grab a bite to eat. There were a few outside vendors selling tamales etc. but no coffee. Can you imagine that back home? Well, yes, we did experience something very similar back in early 2000’s, didn’t we? But no phones or service to call patients to cancel appointments.

There are always fun things to walk around
and look at. 
Everything you don't need but might want.

We perused some of aisles until one vendor told us that power was restored. It was around 10:30. We were the only patients at Dr. Eva’s all day. Miriam managed to cancel the whole day’s appointments, not knowing exactly how long they would have to wait. It turns out that just on the edge of town, someone hit 2 poles and that did it for Algodones. Wow! Mirian told us we were VIP's today, the only two patients they were seeing today. 💖😀

So, Bill got his teeth cleaned and got prep work done for his new crown. I got my teeth cleaned also, in another room at the same time. Unfortunately, it is my turn for dental work and the hygienist recommended a deep socket cleaning. Yikes! For reasons I won’t go into, it was necessary. Bill and I conferred and because they had the time today and so did we, I got the upper right quadrant done today.

Sitting at the pool,
I saw an osprey helicopter
and then a marine chopper go over.
Missed getting a picture of the osprey though.
Love this mountain range across the interstate.
Not sure why, it has always impressed me.

Tomorrow, we’ll go back and get Bill’s crown and see whether to do the lower quadrant done then or wait until the spring. Anyway, I have work to be done next year so we’ll be saving for that. His crown is $380 cash/cheque, cleanings are $40 ea. and my deep cleaning is $80 per quadrant. After picking up a rinse for me, we left Mexico, each of us with a different side of our face frozen. Quite a pair! There were only about 15 people ahead of us and we basically had no wait at all. It was 12:30.

Back home, Gibbs and I walked around the park.
This might be today's favourite picture.

Back home before 1, Gibbs was happy to see us. ♥ he’s so good, did I tell you that? 😊 We were hungry. My to-go-tea was lukewarm but I did my best to drink it from the left side of my mouth. Ha, that’s a feat! I should have straws on hand but I don’t. It was easy enough to chew my untoasted tomato and cheese sandwich and Bill had no problem with his toasted jam sandwich.

We were whooped so just rested for the rest of the day. My nose and right facial muscles are still frozen at 1:30, such a strange feeling when you can’t ‘*sniff*’. At 3, I took a couple of Advil as recommended because the freezing was starting to come out and I wandered over to the pool. A couple of dips, some sun-sitting and some reading before Bill joined me for a dip and a soak in the bubbly hot tub. Nice! Cures what ails ya!

Supper was good and filled us up.

For supper, Rosy air fried plain sausages and we had them in buns with Caesar salad on the side. It was a filling supper, topped off with another piece of his cherry pie. 😊 I was careful and chewed on my left side for a change as the gum area was a bit tender. I won’t need any more pain pills for it though, I don’t think. Tonight is Survivor night but because of our time change, I’m not sure I’ll be able to find it now that it is aver 6:30 MST. I’ll find something!

At the kitchen table, I looked up and this
looked like a painting. Although blurred in my zoomed
in photo, it is nice to be able to see the sunset from our rig.

This was a good day, we survived ourselves after the mix up this morning. We’ll be visiting Dr. Eva again tomorrow and get things all taken care of. It was a warm 78F/26C and dropping to a chilly 49F/9C overnight.

Ladies: I took my Marshall's crossover purse today
and it is perfect! Finally, I found one that is lightweight,
comfortable to carry and large enough to carry the few
things I really need to take shopping etc. 
The bottom is the other thing I found yesterday.
A short skort. I may wear it tomorrow, since our appointments are later. I love it!
Good night!

Thank you for popping in. Your comments are appreciated as is your company.

A Quiet Shopping Day, A Swim!

Pilot Knob RV Resort

On Tuesday, Oct. 29^th there was no push to get up at any time. As Bill told Gibbs last night and first thing this morning, ‘we don’t have to drive anywhere today’. Well, not entirely true. Bill and I were going into Yuma to buy a new tire, to pick up some groceries and do some personal ‘fun’ shopping. Gibbs was staying home to look after the Suite. 😊

Good morning!
The park is pretty empty but it is 
not November yet.

A couple of our stops today

We dropped the blown tire and rim off at Ed Whitehead’s Tire Pros and then went to the Yuma Palms Mall. One stop at Target to w/d cash from the Allpoints atm and then Bill dropped me off at Ross & Marshall’s. From there, he drove to Harbor Freight. We were both happy and had decided to leave Hobby Lobby for another visit. I found a couple of things at Marshall’s and some Christmas goodies for Gibbs at Ross. Sssh!

I like the change rooms at Marshall's
These hooks help you place things after you
try them on. 😃

When Bill picked me up, we went to get fuel at an Arco ($3.19/gal) and then to Fry’s for some food items. I feel that we did quite well and for less than $150 we walked out with a lot of groceries. Burgers, sausage, fish, chicken and a huge pork butt all that will keep us in protein for 40+ meals.  😊  No complaints here! The last thing we did was stop back to pick up the new tire and returned to the park.

I wasn't in the water long but I got wet a couple of times
before sitting in the hot tub and on my recliner.

All this for $18 was the whole pork butt.
That's a lot of meals.
PS - we like the fat.

It was a nice day, not too hot, mid 70’s/20’s but still some wind out here that we didn’t notice in town. When we got home, it was around 1 so we had toasted tomato sandwiches. The boys dozed, I changed into my bathing suit and when Bill assured me he didn’t need my help, I went across the lane to the pool and he went out to replace the tire.                          

Gibbs and I caught the sun before it
dropped below the horizon.
Oh yes, Gibbs had to water the Oleander.

These pictures were taken in front of our site

Our site.

I took a new book, my phone, towel and hat and found my comfy chair where I could still see our Suite. I stayed for a couple of hours and when Bill was done working, I returned home to separate the meat into meal sizes for the freezer. It’s really full now! Rosy air fried a chicken breast to share, I boiled some potatoes and mixed up a store-bought Caesar salad. Supper was quite good. Bill found a cherry pie at Fry’s so we had a piece for dessert. ♥

A cute moment at home.
Gibbs wiggles his way in wherever
he can to get a tummy rub from Daddy.

After cleanup, I tried to write my blog while we caught up on NCIS and NCIS:Origins episodes. We are enjoying the new season. 😊 Then we watched Elspeth's latest ones. We’ve had a good day and we’re off to Los Algodones in the morning.

Supper was good.
Good night!

Thank you for your visit.                                                                                                                                                                      

Early Travel Day Seven (from the Ridge), Meeting Friends, Blew It!!

Pilot Knob RV Resort, Winterhaven, CA

We were up at 6 am on Monday, Oct. 28^th and with windows open all night, the Suite had cooled down quite nicely. It sure was warm yesterday afternoon and evening and by nightfall, it was pleasant for sleeping. We both slept well in the lot along with 6 other rv’ers. It was 50F/10C and all but the 5^th wheel beside us pulled out at the same time as us. 😊

Good morning!
On the road again. ♪♫

Today will not be such a long day for driving and it will be broken in half. We will be meeting our Illinois friends in Eloy, Az, which is about half of the day’s journey. They have a winter home in Picacho Peak RV Resort and we always count it a blessing when our paths are able to cross in the winter.

It was warming up nicely, but not too quickly yet, and just after crossing the Continental Divide (4,585’ elevation) we jumped the state line into Arizona. Now the sightings of rocky piles, excuse me, more like ‘boulder’ piles along the I-10W. This is picture worthy country, no matter where you look and we love this view. We also watched for and soon started seeing Saguaros, Teddy Bear and Staghorn Cholla cacti. ♥

There they are!
Our favourite cactus.
The most expressionable cactuc.
Look at those arm gestures in the left bottom photo. 💖

We stopped at a Rest Area around 8:30 MDT, which soon changed to 7:30 MST. It was a bit confusing at first but not for long. I messaged my sister back home to confirm their time and informed her that were now 3 hours behind them. LOL She is even more confused! Ha ha, sorry Donna! The elevation rose to 5,020’ before it began dropping off and the temperature hit 81F by 9:00. Okay, that WAS quick!

Picacho Peak
I'd love to live on a street called
Sunshine Blvd. 😍

What the time change did was make us a bit early to meet our friends but it gave us time to fuel up at the Flying ‘J’ (one of the highest prices yet at $3.47/gal with a Good Sam card) and open up the Suite for Gibbs. We walked into Denny’s and our friends arrived shortly after. 😊 It was great to see them, they both look awesome!

Nancy and Ken

As usual, our meal at Denny’s was very good. We all cleaned up our plates with no ‘take home’. Wow! Ken and I had the Mile High Denver Omelette, Nancy had the Veggie Omelette and Bill had a Classic breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausage etc. Yum. We said our goodbyes just before 1 pm and were pulling out at the top of the hour. Bill hopped on I-10W which took us to I-8W towards our next destination.

Must be the year for blown tires.
Friends of ours had two on their way down
this fall too. 

We drove for an hour and it happened again. Must be the year for tires to blow. Yes, the second one on the driver side blew causing my mechanic-do-it-all hubby to fix it on the highway side of the Suite once more. He knows what steps to take and all I did was take Gibbs out and in, offered help turning the crank to drop the spare and then crank it back up when he finished. ☹

We were soon on the road again.
Thankful, as it could always be worse.

This little guy was as good as gold today.
He didn't lie down all day but for a lot of it, he did,
AND he actually stopped panting for the last 2 hours.
What's going on? 💘💘💘

I felt helpless but kept an eye on traffic. Today, they were pretty good, moving over when they could. No slow downs though unless they couldn’t move, SOME, slowed down. Others are just clueless. Within 45 minutes, Bill had the spare on and we were moving along quite nicely. There is damage to the skirt over the tire so Bill duct taped it on as best he could for now, and we made it to our destination in Winterhaven, CA.

Clouds sometimes make the sky.
This jet flew over, F35 or Raptor?

Pilot Knob RV Resort is where we’ll stay until Friday, Nov. 1^st and we’re happy to have this break again. The office was closed but our envelope packet was ready for us so we pulled into site #203, a pull through. It is crazy windy, we’d noticed the sand/dust blowing off in the distance as we made our way here on I-8W. We are facing west to east so other than the whistling through the open windows and the blinds clattering, we are solid. 😊

Arrival in Yuma and then at Pilot Knob RV Resort.
Lots of wind, as you can see from the trees
and Old Glory at the clubhouse entrance.

Because we had a big lunch, we only snacked for supper. Gibbs, on the other hand, ate all of his food and cheese bits that somehow fell into his dish. ♥ It has been a great day. Seeing our friends again was the icing on the cake. The temperature reached another high of 93F/34C today. We had a good drive today with the obvious exception. You can check out Bill's blog here. 

Lovely view from our back window tonight.
Good night to you all!

Thank you for stopping by.