We Are Blessed, Thanksgiving Saturday

The Ridge

On Saturday, Oct. 12^th we had no commitments to an early rising so slept in past 6:30. Even Gibbs. 😊 When we got up, closer to 7 for me, we had our morning brew and Bill had his cereal. Gibbs was the first to hear the motor home start up around 7:45 so we went out to say our goodbyes. They wanted to be on the road by 8.

Good morning!

Until we see you in Arizona, so long!

Jell-o did jiggle, as it often does for rv’ers (et al) when Duncan had an on-screen note regarding coolant. Rather than having him unhook their SUV, Bill drove him into Durham to get some and they were on their way by 8:30. Not too much later. They were making their first of two border crossings, in a month, this morning for a chassis seminar on their new home and then returning for a couple of weeks before crossing again.

Bye!

We watched them pull out of the lane and even though it was quite chilly, 5C/41F, the sun popped up over the horizon and it gave us some warmth. Bill and I set to work putting the round table, patio chairs and wagon in the Bunky. We lit the propane fire pit that we got from Doug in the spring and enjoyed some extra warmth from that before packing it away too. ♥

We weren't sitting around it, but we enjoyed
the heat from the fire pit, since our wood pit was stored away.

The outhouse (left), storage shed (top right)
and Bunky (bottom right)
all packed up except for recycle bins.
Bill needs a walkway to the back to turn our power off.
The pictures will help us next year for pack up too!

Bill checked the tire pressure on the Suite and topped them up where necessary and packed the basement – almost to completion. The patio mats were folded and one packed to take as well as the Weber Q and table. These are things that we don’t want to put away wet. Just a few more last-minute things to get packed up but we’ll be using them up until Tuesday night. 😊

I pulled the cushion covers off to
wash them and noticed the 'pleather' peeling
like crazy so took them outside to do it.
Cheap cheap cheap.

I don't have to go far to get pretty fall pictures.
Our own yard produces some beauty.

We had ham sandwiches on freshly sliced sour dough bread and when the clouds started rolling in, we debated moving the picnic table to its resting spot as well. That’s as far as it got, we’ll move it in the morning. The shed, outhouse and Bunky are full, with just enough room for the 2 recycle bins. Bill and Gibbs had a bit of a snooze while I started my blog.

Gibbs rolling on our patio mats.
Bill pulled them out into the sun to dry before
folding them up.

I don't know if it was because of his coat,
but he was sure feeling frisky today!
Tummy rubs, please?

I was outside when I heard a familiar bird sound. My Merlin app told me it was the Sandhill Cranes and sure enough, when I looked up, there were 9 of them flying over. Cool! Too far away to video but I still saw them! 😊 

I did take a walk around the property,
saying goodbye in a way.
The turtles heard me coming though
and were soon in the water. Just a couple.

I have a lot of favourite pictures today.
These are some of them (besides Gibbs' pics)

Our side and back field

It would be a good day for a walk but I didn't go further than the Ridge. I mostly just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. Our supper was ham, the last of the scalloped potatoes, corn and turnip. We had rhubarb strawberry pie for dessert. I can feel the pounds going back on! LOL

This homebaked (by Foodland) sour dough bread is
delicious! So was our leftover meal.

After cleanup, it was a quiet evening. The Hangar is closed up so we utilize both tv’s inside unless we can find something we both like. ♥ 

This has been a nice day, back at the busy-ness tomorrow with a Thanksgiving dinner and work – not in that order. We have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving but our gratitude isn't just reserved for this weekend. Every single day, we count the blessings we have in our lives. Each other, family, friends, lifestyle and our home. I know you all have many things as well, we mustn't forget. 💖💖💖

One of my favourite photos of the day,
taken before 8 this morning.
Good night!

Thank you for popping by!

We’ve Moved, A Down Turn, Counting Our Blessings, Friends

Quail Ridge RV Park

On Saturday, April 1^st, commonly known as April Fool’s Day, we were up before 7, movin’ and shakin’. Now that we know we are moving on, let’s just get to it. After a quick cold breakfast, Gibbs and I went for a short walk. He has had his little hawkeyes on our every movement. He knows something is up and I truly don’t know how. We haven’t done much out of the ordinary yet. 😊 He just wanted to get back home to Daddy.

A nice moving day
All hooked up
See ya in November!

Our neighbours, 5 of them, came over to give us hugs and good travel wishes and we were hooked up and on our way by 8:20. It was a beautiful sunny warm morning already when we connected with I-10E out of the Quartzsite area. 

Gibbs was a good boy today

The roads were rough for a few hard miles but cleared out for most of the day. We caught the 202 S Loop around Phoenix and then stopped at a Rest Area for a break just before Tucson.

some of the turns

Good thing we weren't going west
on I-10 - quite the back up coming out of Phoenix
Bottom pix is the Rest Area we stopped at

I’d made salmon sandwiches with homemade buns from Roadrunner last night so we ate while travelling. Gibbs surprised us both by being such a good little guy today on the trip. The wimpering and whining was minimal, only when Bill turned a turn signal on, did we hear a sound. We can’t understand what he thinks but Bill always assures him that he knows where we’re going. 😊

A few scenic pictures of our drive
The colours of the desert are beautiful

glorious Saguaros!

Picacho Peak
We didn't plan enough in advance
to see our friends here
Next year maybe we'll connect ✌

I took too many pictures so will pare them down and share just a few tonight. The scenery is very pretty and yet most often my pictures just don’t express what I’m really seeing out the windows. It was a lovely drive and after taking Exit 302 onto AZ-90, we had only one more turn to make onto AZ-82 to Quail Ridge RV Park. We’ve camped here often, not every year but often. When we drove to our site, we saw the Stinger B two lanes over. Yay!

Red Rock's old water tower
a Cholla tree?

That’s when things went downhill. We needed fuel so drove into Sierra Vista, thinking a Hobby Lobby and a Ross stop were in order. At the Valero fuel station, we drove around the pumps until we saw the yellow handled pump for diesel. Bill put the max allotted into our tank, $75, and proceeded to add more when he realized this was not diesel but ethanol! Oh no! Our pump handles for diesel back home are yellow but not here. They are green and he just acted on impulse. ☹

I love the overpasses in some states

Unfortunately, this is bad news for Black Beauty and our pocket book. Fortunately, I’m married to a smart cookie and he knew enough NOT to start the truck. Fortunately, again, we were parked right beside Lawley’s Ford dealer. When Bill came back from their shop with 4 men following him, I have to admit how comical it looked. Being on a bit of a down hill from the fuel station, he hopped in the cab, put it in neutral and the guys pushed him to the dealer’s parking lot.

Snow on those mountains
Arrival at our park

That’s where she sits tonight as I type this. What would we do without friends? No one ever wants to know that and today we are so blessed that Tom and Deb are here and were willing to come to our rescue. It’s Saturday so no mechanics are in until Monday. They need to empty the fuel tank, clean it out, maybe replace a fuel filter and then she should be good to go…………once we diesel it up. Bill feels terrible although he shouldn’t. Mistakes happen and we roll with the punches.

Back at our park, we had a nice Happy Hour at T & D’s and made plans for an outing to Tombstone tomorrow for lunch. It was the only reason we came this route. Again, our friends obliged. This upset may possibly delay us and we’ll have to stay here another night at the park before heading out again. Future plans may also change now that our finances will be taking an unexpected hit. Oh well, it’s only money and we’ll work it out.

I laugh at this picture
One guy running ahead to give direction
3 guys pushing, 1 guy lagging behind (service Manager?)

I wasn’t going to write about the mix up but Bill said go ahead. It happened. So, tonight, after scalloped potatoes, chicken nuggets and vegetables, we are settling in to watch a couple of dvds I picked up at the park exchange library. We made it to a nice park, the weather is decent and we have our friends and each other for comfort and support.

Lunch and supper
Good night
Better days ahead 

Thank you for stopping by!

 

Two Days of Rain and Yet We Can Still be Grateful

Friday and Saturday, May 5^th and 6^th. We woke up yesterday to the same pitter patter on the roof as we had for most of the previous day. This is getting to be pretty pathetic, I need a boost of sunshine or at least a little more warmth to get outdoors. I don’t like getting wet or damp.

We were up drinking our morning cuppa by 8 yesterday and then Bill took a drive to Owen Sound. He had some errands to run and didn’t need me. Clemson will be happy because Bill picked up some pet food at their Pet Smart. He won’t miss a meal now for a while! I stayed home and puttered around on the laptop.

Is it still raining?

Before I forget, I want to mention that we had a wonderful surprise after dinner on our anniversary. We’d just gotten home and settled in our chairs when Bill’s phone rang. On the other end of the phone were our wonderful friends, Colin and Charmaine, from Langley, B.C. It is such a delight to hear their voices, we have a friendship like no other. They are the reason we wanted so desperately to go home from Arizona by means of Vancouver.

My oh my, what else can you say about someone who never ever forgets to call on our special days. Birthdays, Anniversaries, Christmas, they never let us down. We only hope that they feel our bond back out to them in kind. So very great to hear from you two! Colin, congrats on the new more relaxed position. We couldn’t be happier for both of you.

When can we go outside and play again?

I am typing up my scribblings from our Winter Trip onto a Word document. This takes time and I need my wits about me to decipher some of my self-made abbreviations.  Good conversations come from reminiscing about our journey, especially on a wet, cool rainy day. I enjoy this project and as you know, I love typing.

Friday was otherwise uneventful, I hardly moved other than a sitting position. I read a lot more of my book and if I’d felt so inclined could have curled up with a blanket and finished it. I tried to flip flop from one thing to another, book, laptop, television. The day ended with a chicken breast dinner with potatoes and corn on the side. A nice easy meal.

While watching some television Bill and I indulged in some Chapman’s Vanilla Chunk ice cream. Wow, is it every creamy! I like to add pecan pieces to mine for some extra crunch and protein. By 10, the laziness of the day had me going to bed. You’d think I had worked hard today!

Lots of water laying around 

Saturday morning when we rose, there was that same ‘relentless’ (George’s word) sound on the roof. Hmm, I think we’ll be getting out today regardless. I won’t be walking in the rain but a trip into Durham to get propane is in order. Maybe we can pop in on friends, if they are home.

You know, putting into perspective what this rain is doing to us, spiritually, makes me a bit embarrassed. Our thoughts are with my sister living in Terrasse-Vaudreuil, Quebec. She is dealing with flooding right now. So far, her home is not flooded but the driveway is and backyards are filling up. It is still raining. We have nothing to complain about.

Heading into town

After tea and coffee this morning, I did some more lap-topping and then settled in

 to read more of my book. We get a kick out of how our little baby can cuddle himself into a ball in the corner of the sofa to stay warm. No one sleeps as much as Clemson does. Bill covered him up with the blanket, from which he usually crawls out, but he didn’t move. Today’s motto is “Baby me”, apparently.

By noon hour and a bit of breakfast in our bellies, Bill and I cleaned up to go into Durham. The winds are very strong today so I layered a bit before we went out in the rain. Once the propane tank was taken care of at FS we drove around to Rob and Pat’s for a quick visit.

A cold day for propane top up, kind of ironic

Both vehicles were in the driveway which meant our timing worked out. Rob invited us in and Pat made us a nice cup of tea. An early happy hour, indoors out of the rain with great friends. We were fortunate enough to meet their daughter and fiancé, Sandra and Bill before we headed home to Clemson. On a warmer day, we will visit again with our pooch.

We hope the rain stops, this is our neighbour's driveway which has been known
to flood over

Of course, the rain never let up. After we arrived home, we nibbled on some cheese and crackers. Somehow our timing was off and we missed lunch. This would tide us over until supper. When Bill turned the tv on I took my book up into the bedroom. I was so close to finishing I wanted no distractions and finish it I did! Another awesome Lisa Gardner book.

Our little boy snuggled up in his bed

For supper, chili is on the stove and what better for a cold, damp, windy day? I hope your weekend has started off well. We’re mostly all in the same ‘boat’ here, ha ha, but if we are dry, let’s remember those who are dealing with flooded basements etc.

Homemade chili and biscuits
Perfect cold day meal

Thank you for reading, please feel free to leave a comment.