Whole Day of Lazyness, Bloggerfest? Star Gazing for Some

Quartzsite, AZ

I had good intentions on Saturday, Jan. 25^th when I got up but they kind of went to pot. Bill had his coffee and I got on and published yesterday’s blog post. Around 7:45 when I should have got dressed for our walk, I lazed out and said ‘nah, for some reason, I don’t feel like walking’. Bill would have gone but did say that his legs were a bit achy so he was just as happy to stay home.

The view from our south window

Trying not to feel guilty, remembering the ice cream last night, I made my creamy tea with coconut oil and just relaxed at my laptop. I have a system, as Mom’s POA for her finances, where I send Donna the Rockwood Invoices for Mom. We do three months at a time. She prints them off and sends a form with my signature on it to the V.A. office. It is a huge bonus for Mom that she gets back a nice chunk every month from Veteran’s Affairs. Every little bit helps.

I wanted to show you our new jackets
Bill models for me

Visa Versa
I should know better than to look down when I pose LOL
Is that one chin or two?

I took care of that this morning so she would have them at the end of the month. Bill wandered over to see what Keith was up to today. They wanted to go flying this afternoon but with a possible Bloggerfest at 1 pm, Bill said he’d hang back to go with me. 

The jackets are a hit, most of the guys picked one up

Keith and Oreo decided they would take a drive to Parker just for the drive. It is going to be a lovely 72F today and the wind is virtually non-existent. Bill went up on the roof to give our 6 solar panels a cleaning. As has been pointed out, (not mentioning any names, Dave), we agreed they were terrible!

Cleaning the solar panels

You have to agree - they need it

You can see the difference
Notice the hanging wind sock, another calm start to the day

When Bob left, he’d returned our portable panel so that is now in addition and can be moved around to follow the sun during the daytime hours. I did a quick run through of some blog posts to see what and where our friends were today. I then should have gone for a walk but instead I took a new book out to sit on the patio. This book is called The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. Sounds like it is going to be a page turner too.

The parade of the Entegra's have started
for their journey home

At 12:45, we loaded our chairs, Kim & Ken’s chairs and a cooler in Black Beauty. Tom and Deb followed us to the pavilion at the front of the ‘park’ to Bloggerfest. Paula aka ShadowMoss, Sandy aka Where are the Dixons? Doug and Yuma aka Miss Adventure Travels and John and Brenda from John and Brenda’s Incredible Journeys were just arriving. I didn’t look up their web addresses and don’t have them on my sidebar but if you check out Suzie’s Our Awesome Travels, you will find them.

A small group in comparison to other years
If the 6 of us hadn't gone, it would have been a different story
Left to Right: Kim, Tom, Deb, Bill, Ken (invisible), Doug, Sandy
Paula, John, Brenda

Far side, Paula (ShadowMoss), John to her right and Brenda

It was a small group but Paula was surprised at even the 11 of us showing up without any advertising at all. Word of mouth is all it took. She is hoping for more next year so we need to try and remember that it will be held on the last Saturday of the Big Tent show. We sat around for a couple of hours before splitting off for home. It was a bit different, everyone speaking about themselves in turn so we got to know something about each other. No food today which worked for us as Bill and I don’t usually eat at that time of the day anyway.

Introduction - sniff sniff

When we got home it was time for Happy Hour so we moved our chairs into the middle and carried on. Doug and Yuma joined us and Keith returned from his day trip with Oreo. The two dogs are of like mind, one male, one female and it was comical to watch them play and run around together until it was time to settle them down. They are both active yet very good pups.

I love the look on Yuma's face as Oreo ogles him

At 5:25, it was cooling down even though the sun was still above the horizon and I came inside to start supper. We only have a half rack of ribs for supper tonight but they are quite meaty. I rubbed them front and back and after Bill turned the generator on, Madame IP got plugged in and began her chore. I wanted to do some cabbage but because 30 minutes was too long in the pot, I steamed it on the burner while the ribs got browned on the Weber Q. Leftover corn to warm up for Bill and that should be plenty for tonight.

I do believe there are some sweet nothings being whispered here

By 7 we were finished eating and that was another successful rib cook-off. 😊 My oh my were they good. It was a small half rack so Bill had a dish of Lime Jell-o for dessert. I was quite content without any. He washed and I dried dishes and then Ken popped over to offer Bill some assistance with his Canon camera. They are planning to try to shoot star pictures. Not famous people, but the stars in the sky. I stayed indoors, mostly, finishing my post. Maybe enough people had left today that I could get published before bed.

During Happy Hour this Mobile Suite, our twin, went through
Quite the assembly line
Wonder why the gap between the truck and camper?

Now you should have your answer
That little red smart car is theirs too

I downloaded pictures, although there weren’t many today, and moved them into Picasa to imprint my logo on them. I stepped outside to see how the boys were making out and Ken has managed a very cool picture of a grouping of stars. There are so many! It’s a beautiful night, still 63F at 7:30. 

From insideI watch as the sun sets

The ribs were perfect!

 This has been a very lazy day for me. I didn’t get out for a walk worth talking about. Bill got the solar panels and vents all washed as well as the Suite windows. When the sun shone on them later, the insides needed a bit more wiping down so I took care of that. That wasn’t a criticism, windows always need a second going over in different light.

No words necessary

While the boys were star gazing, I liked the look of
our site without a flash

This one is with a flash

I hope you’ve enjoyed your day and had warm temperatures today too. It got to 74F here in the desert of Quartzsite and we are loving it!

with my little Canon powershot
This is my attempt at a star picture
Lovely, isn't it?
Good night!

Thank you for stopping in. You are welcome to leave a comment at any time.

Canadian Potluck, Bloggerfest, Happy Hour - Social Fun Never Ends!

The new day dawned for me at 6:30. I got up, got dressed and came downstairs to wait for the actual daylight. I caught up on the blog postings that I didn’t get to last night. I slipped out the door at 7:25 for my walk. Today was 4-mile morning because I went to the front entrance to return the Stephen King book. The cover was in pretty rough shape so I taped it up and left it in better condition than how I found it. It is just shy of 2 miles if you stop at the office building.

Colour me Pretty has to be the name of this photo

And to the west, not to be outdone

As I headed back, I chatted with my little brother's double, asking me about the signs being still up. I’ll bet if I asked him, he is from Alberta. Ha ha.  Not only did he look like him, (handsome as all get out) his mannerisms and voice were Michael. 

Good morning sunshine!

Me and my shadow made it to the front entrance

I enjoyed a great walk back yet darn I forgot my sunglasses again! It was 47F/9C and very little wind and I had layered down a bit so I wasn’t so hot upon my return. It worked out well with just one long sleeve top, my neck scarf, a windbreaker and my vest. Oh, of course my fingerless gloves helped too.

I love this cactus "Peace brother!"

Deb D. one of those 'just because I liked it' pictures
It is cool to see the grass growing around it

The green trunk of a Palo Verde tree

Back home, Bill was up and before I made my tea to join him, I hopped in the shower. I’ve been negligent or lazy and my hair was in quite a state! Then I had a tea. Clemson needed to go out so we walked around a bit until he was satisfied. Bill felt hungry so had a piece of toast while I prepared the cooler bag for today’s adventures. It starts off with the Canadian Potluck in Quartzsite at 11 and we are to bring one dish for 8, our drinks and place servings. Done, done and done.

QIA building

At 10:15 we hopped in Rob’s truck and he drove to the QIA. Bill and I had never been there before although we did know where it was located. We were greeted at the door by guess who? A Canadian! The whole room filled up with Canadians by 12 noon, 196 to be exact. 

Fun to play even though they weren't winners

We signed in, paid a $3 donation and bought 50/50 tickets before finding a seat with our 6 other friends. I couldn’t believe the food that piled up on the tables. If you consider that each couple brought a dish, you end up with at least 90 dishes. Before they started calling tables to be served, Sonja started us all on a rendition of O' Canada. 

Our placemats  with the words to O' Canada if you needed them

When our table #5 was drawn we lined up and were served hot potato, roast beef and gravy and then helped ourselves down the row of homemade dishes. My plate was full but not overflowing and I was comfortable with the amount of food I took. Then I kind of went overboard on the desserts. There were just too many to pass up and I always go for the homemade creations. My Apple/Blueberry Crisp went over well with only crumbs left to bring home in the dish. Good! That was encouraging!

Two tables of cold food dishes and one against the wall with hot dishes

Our Travel buddies

Pat and Rose
Long time friends

We left there after door prizes and 50/50 draws were finished. Kim was the only lucky one from our group who won a prize. Yay Kim! The money they took in for the 50/50 draw was $600 so a nice haul for the 2 winners. It was interesting that Albertans claimed the most participants attending, with B.C. second. We claimed third with 42 guests from Ontario present today. That is almost double last year’s attendance. By a show of hands, you could see where people from your province were sitting.

From the left: Kim, Ken, Bill (my chair)
Across from me, Rob, Pat, Rose, George, George, Suzie

Usually after a buffet meal, I look at the picture and I groan because I'm full
This picture makes me hungry all over again - it was excellent and just the right amount

The only thing I might suggest is that they group the people from the same province together, unless of course, you were with a group of friends from mixed provinces. Hmm, that wouldn’t work. We all had a great meal and a wonderful time. 

Bloggerfest with probably half the participants of the previous 2 years we've attended

 From there we drove back to La Posa South to attend the Bloggerfest at the Ramada. Hoping for the Social Hour to continue, we grouped our chairs in the warmth of the sun. In my humble opinion, and I think a few others, this event has run its course.

Aside from our group of 14 there were only 6 other people in attendance. Hmm, we could almost have had the same discussions at Happy Hour. It was nice to meet Ed and John and I’ll see if I can locate Ed’s blog on Rick’s sidebar. I do think maybe the time has come to put Bloggerfest to rest but I certainly can’t speak for anyone else. The whole circle introduction has grown old for us, no offense intended, just my opinion. If you've never been, you would enjoy it, I'm sure. 

The first hour of Happy Hour, the winds were very strong

So, we just stayed until it died down

We left there within the hour and drove back to our sites. It was 3:15 so time for our real H.H. With the winds whipping around at 20 mph, Bill and I took our chairs to sit on the patio at Rob and Pat’s unit. I noticed Ken and Kim’s chairs were out in the circle so brought them over as well. I’m sure that was a ‘nod’ that I got from Kim through their coach’s window. George, Suzie, Tom, Deb, George and Rose joined as well. Because most of us had no need for supper tonight, (and thanks to Deb's little nibblers) we overstayed our welcome until 6 when we took ourselves off home.

The night sky started out like this after sunset

The sky to the west tonight was gorgeous. Oh wait, turn around! The east, north and even the south sky was in full blown competition. I just went in circles snapping a picture of the changes. Such are the sunsets in the Arizona desert.

And then it did this

To the southwest

Back to the east

This has been a very social day and a really great one. We have such a fun group here. I hope you have enjoyed your day wherever you are and whatever you did. Bill and I topped Saturday off with a dish of Tillamook White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl ice cream adorned with nuts and sugar free caramel sauce.

And while busy looking the other way, the north sky produced my finale
Good night everyone!

I want to thank you for stopping by and if you’d like to leave a comment, I would enjoy reading it.

Fitbit, Drone, Walkabout, Bloggerfest, Fish and Chips Night

I woke up on Saturday, Jan. 27^th around 6:45 to the sound of Clemson doing his morning shake. I expected him to jump off the bed next to go out, which would mean I’d have to throw some clothes on and not dawdle. When he has to go, he has to go, like us. Surprisingly, he just changed positions and lay back down again.

And it's a new day here in the desert

I was wide awake but didn’t move to get up until about 5 minutes after 7. Last night I took my book up to bed around 9:30 and read until 10. I knew Bill had plans to finish his book so no idea what time he joined Clemson and I. I need my 8 hours of sleep during the night so can’t keep the hours he keeps. It also explains why he is in ‘need’ of an afternoon nap more than I do.

First thing, it was a calm day
Note our flags

We had talked last night about moving by 8 this morning to go into town to get cream and a jug of Vitamin D milk. Just enough to tie us over until we get to our next destination. Bill checked our online banking and was happy to see our CPP (Canada Pension Plans) and his OAS (Old Age Security) payments were deposited. The bonus was that all 3 had increased with a total of an extra $25ish. You gotta love that!

 So, now that we can afford to buy some dairy (ha ha, just kidding!) we hopped in Black Beauty, all 3 of us, around 8 or so and went first to the General Store. I’d never been there. I was horrified when I saw the price of Homogenized milk for $3.99 and disappointed that they had no Half & Half creamer, clearly visible. Even if they had it I'm sure the price would knock me over.

Bill got his drone out for some fun

I left the store and we drove back to Roadrunner. Well, their price wasn’t much better but it saved us 30 cents on the milk and made up for our gain but gouging us for the creamer. Glad it is only a one-time purchase but it wasn’t worth the drive to Blythe for 2 things. We are feeling the itch, now that the show is basically over (for us) to get the wheels in motion. It will be nice to be set up in a park setting for a while.

An odd sight in the boondocking desert
Electric/hydro poles for the Maintenance staff

We got back home, had our tea and coffee. It is like a reward when you have to do something to earn that first one! I made bacon and eggs for breakfast and Bill and I shared the Mineola orange that George gave us yesterday to try. It was very juicy and yup, tasted like an orange! 😊 We cleaned up dishes and took care of our personal hygiene (fancy, eh?).

Breakfast is ready!

Bill has been wanting to get his drone out and things seem to get in the way, so this morning it was first on his list. While he was hovering overhead, I took my water, phone, camera and his completed book and strolled up to the front gate. I took the back way this time and figured I’d avoid a lot of the main street traffic. I did, actually, but came out just before the big dump station in time to see the 18 rv’s lined up to dump their tanks.

Lined up to dump tanks

At 53F and with the wind from the north in my face I was grateful for my light sweatshirt and wind breaker. I noticed Ken working in the back of their truck but I was on the wrong side to chat. I didn’t see Shirley around. 

A nice selection of exchange books in the Gate House

I exchanged a book, checked out the free stuff and headed back home. By this time, their Toyota was gone and even though the outside door was open, I still didn’t stop. With our commitment today at 1, I needed to keep moving. It was already 11:20.

Bloggerfest today, Church tomorrow
Both at the Ramada Inn (Pavillion)

Ken honked when he passed me coming back from getting water perhaps. We’ll see them at Bloggerfest today. By the time I got back it was 11:45 so a nice hour walk. I have a Fitbit, I’m sure I’ve mentioned that before. I love my Fitbit. It is my encouragement to walk when nothing else works. It has a job to do though and when it fails to do that job, I get frustrated with it as I would any employee of mine.

For the last 3 days, I have been unable to get it to sync. Here I am walking and adding steps daily and it won't record on my laptop app. Bill has a Fitbit also and each day I hear “I synced okay”, “Mine synced”. Infuriating!! Not Bill, the watch/nagger/brat on my wrist. My, how my feelings change when something doesn’t perform properly! Anyway, before I left for my walk, I downloaded the Fitbit app on my phone. It still didn’t sync which makes me think it is a problem with the device itself. Hmm.

I liked the way this Saguaro is pointing to the sun

I came back from walking, sat down with my phone and checked it for shits and giggles (or grumbles and groans). Tadah!! It synced! So, I’m a happy camper again, literally. I have a few friends with Fitbits online and each day you can see where you rank in the world of walking. I’ve been at the bottom since Wednesday. Now, I’ve moved up to 3^rd. I’m sure you’re interested in all that babble. I know, as long as I’m happy. 😊

What an interesting rock

Bill had a doze with Clemson in his chair and I felt the need for something to munch on. I can easily satisfy that with some yogourt and cottage cheese, which I did. At 1 o’clock we loaded the truck with our chairs, a cooler with drinks and a snack to take up to the pavilion aka Ramada Inn. Bloggerfest was about to begin and as we pulled out, so did Deb and Tom and George and Suzie. Paula (Shadow Moss) from Arizona (In the Shadows) spoke briefly, thanking everyone for coming and thus began the Circle Chat.

George talking to Shadow Moss (Paula) our host

We took turns introducing ourselves, naming our blogs and stating a brief bit of information about ourselves. Then it was a free for all. How nice to meet other 'new to us bloggers', Steve and Jane from Ontario (Rollingfrom Wasaga), and Anne from the PNW (Right Brain; Right Lane).

We got to re-meet Stacie and Bob from B.C. (Maxx Trails), 

Maxx Trails

chat again with Dave and Cheryl from Alberta (Our View fromHere), 

Our View from Here

reconnect with Doug and Yuma from (Miss Adventure Travels), 

Doug and Yuma

and see Rick and Kathy from Ontario again (It’s About Time).

GeoGypsy on the left, Miss Adventure Travels, It's About Time

I can’t stop there because of course we also had our buddies here in Quartzsite, George and Suzie from Ontario (OurAwesome Travels), 

Our Awesome Travels

Tom and Deb from Upper Michigan (Celebrating the Dance) 

Celebrating the Dance

and Ken and Shirley from Nevada (Seeing America with Ken and Shirley). These are our Happy Hour amigos. I regret that I didn't get pictures of everyone but it was a nice personal gathering of 22. One couple from East Texas do not write a blog but stopped in to meet us all. They read blogs and maybe now they'll follow some of us.

There were delicious snacks under the pavilion and we all had no excuse if we chose to walk away with an empty tummy. The peanut butter squares were awesome as were the cream cheese roll-ups and the 7-layer dip. Oh my! 

Like our little mutt, Yuma likes his cheese
"Please Daddy, please?"

People started saying goodbye around 3:30 and by 3:50 we were also on the road for home. We could hear voices behind us and so Bill poured a drink and I took my water over to join the Amigos.

Such a happy group

We said our goodbyes to Ken and Shirley as they are pulling out in the morning. It was so great to meet them after following their blog and we certainly will do our best to cross paths again down the road. We had decided on fish and chips tonight but opted to grill both on the Weber. Can we make the fries crispy enough? We’re gonna try!

Supper turned out pretty good, the potatoes weren’t as crispy as if we’d done them in our deep fryer but not bad. We don’t regret not turning the genny on to use electric. Bill washed the dishes up, I dried and with so few, we were done by 7. 20 minutes after we started eating. No, we don’t dawdle at the table after dinner. Get ‘er done!

Another bland looking meal
It wouldn't win any 4-H awards but neither of us wanted a salad which
would have brightened it up, I'm sure

Bill settled in his chair, debating whether he wanted to start a new book or start the generator to watch Live PD. Maybe both! I downloaded my pictures from today and finished jotting notes on this post. Bill was really ahead of the game and before Happy Hour posted on his blog. Show off! You can check it out here.

I hope your day has been as nice as ours has. I’m 100 steps shy of making 5 miles today so need to strut my stuff a bit more before going to bed. Yay! Before I do that, I think I'll have an ice cream cone. This Oregon Strawberry is yummy. Clemson gets a cone too.

Add caption

Spoiled? Not our puppy dog!

Well, Dave, we got a bit of a performance tonight
and then it was done

I was waiting for someone to post a group picture of today's Bloggerfest, but want to post this before it gets too late. So, instead I will copy a picture from Bill's post.

Thank you for stopping by. I’d love to hear from you if you wish to comment.