Warm Weather Brings Fog Again, Clean Suite

The Ridge

On Wednesday, Apr. 8^th we were lazy and when I saw the fog outside, decided there was no urgency to getting up – again. So, we slept in until 7:30. It was a warmer night, the thermometer was the telltale at 5C/42F. We had our coffee and tea together and I spent time on Facebook before getting into our blogs. Bill was enjoying his plane building so had his coat on at 9 and headed down to the Hangar.

Yeuch, too foggy to walk all morning

I’m so glad that he is relaxing more and doesn’t have the push on right now to always to be working. It is a mixed blessing, isn’t it? Here we are, many of us are off work at the same time and yet we can’t spend time with our loved ones outside the home. I’m feeling quite relaxed but it is funny how hard it is to settle things down inside myself. Do you know what I mean? Working on the laptop, I’m still thinking “I’d better finish this so I can ………hmmm, I guess I don’t HAVE to do anything”. LOL

poached eggs on toast

While it was foggy and I couldn’t walk yet, it was the perfect time to get the dusting done. I turned all the overhead lights on in here (the better to see it with) and set to work. It took me an hour to cover all of the woodwork upstairs and down and that included cleaning out 2 cupboards over the sofa. One is our games-type cupboard and the other is our memory cupboard, where we keep personal collections and things we can’t and don't want to get rid of.

This was a cold walk

I found 2 of the 500-pc. puzzles (borrowed from Pilot Knob) that I tucked away for just this type of day. As you know, there is one in the Bunky that I work on but it is just too darn cold today to go out there. Checking the size of these puzzles, I was thrilled to see that they’ll fit perfectly on our coffee table. I cleared it off and got all the pieces flipped over and sorted before making Bill and I some poached eggs on toast for lunch. After dishes, he went back out and I sat on the couch to play at the puzzle.

This little muskrat made a beeline for me and paused for a picture

 The CTV weather last night was w-a-a-y off base today with their forecast. It was supposed to be a high of 14C/60F with sun for the afternoon. Well, it didn’t get anywhere near that. It actually dropped to 4C/38f before settling on a cold 5/40. Brrr. I stayed huddled inside and got a lot done of the puzzle before deciding at 2:30 to go out and check the mail. It was freezing out there! Luckily, the mailbox was full with flyers and a magazine so it was worth the walk.

Naturally, I didn't have my camera, just my phone
Sound familiar, Maxx Trails?

Back inside, I worked on my post before sitting in my chair with my book. At 3, I made a nice hot cream cup of Earl Gray. It was just before my sister, Wendy, and I chatted back and forth on FB messenger that the sun made an appearance. Finally. There were still clouds but I noticed a rise in temperature. When my tea was finished, I took another short walk out to check on the turtles. I stopped in to see Bill before rejoining my recliner indoors.

I have the perfect little setup

Because the table lifts up so I don't need to bend over

When Bill came in at 5, I already had NCIS on. We watched reruns until I started baking more tea biscuits to go with our leftover stew and rice. These are so easy to make and while they baked, I made us each a salad using up the last of the head lettuce in the fridge. I’ll have to add that to the grocery list. Supper was done and cleaned up from by 7 pm. Everything tasted great and we are both very full.

Lots to eat for supper and it was delicious

This has been a good day with a few more little things taken care of. During the evening, I plan to work on my puzzle and my book. Bill will probably watch his movies. 😊 I hope you’ve had an enjoyable day.

Good night everyone!

Thank you for popping in!

Foggy, Possible Laundry Day

The Ridge

On Sunday, Apr. 5^th we lazed around and didn’t get up until close to 8 am. I’d sorted the dirty clothes yesterday with the intent of going this morning to the Laundromat. However, the fog is so thick so I won’t be hanging clothes out any time soon. We opted to wait until noon hour to make the decision. There should be sun after lunch at some point.

The fog delayed our trip to the Laundromat

We had a call after a quick breakfast from friends near Toronto and then took the time to call Marilynne and the girls. Everyone is doing well and that is all we can ask for. Nice to touch base. I called Patrick yesterday but got voice mail. The second time, I left a message. I wonder how long before he returns my call. Ha ha what a kid! I know better than to take the delays personally.

Mr. bluebird returned for a visit today

At 11:15, the area cleared like within minutes but still no sunshine. I watched our resident (as I believe him now to be) bluebird flitter back and forth while Bill chatted on the phone. Time to get the laundry on the go even though the air is a chilly 3C/36F. They may take all day to dry but we’ll take that chance. Prices here are a whole lot higher than down south so we’re being very tight-fisted with our change and we want to use our clothesline.

and then it cleared up for us

There were 3 others in the Mat with machines at different stages so we chose 3 washers and before loading, I sprayed them with our Lysol cleaner and wiped down the parts that we touch. They were big loads and we probably should have used 4 machines but didn’t. 

I'm sure you remember the lovely paint job in the Mat

We waited in the car with our books for the 30-minute wash and then filled the basket with the damp clothes and came home. Bill made himself a coffee and went down to work on his plane. I set myself to the task of hanging the laundry.

A hole in the clouds gave me hope for a good drying day

The sun wasn’t out at that stage but we’d seen evidence of it in the sky as it tried to poke through holes in the clouds. It was chilly up there on the hill handling wet clothes but finally, after half hour of hanging, they were up. The clothesline has never been utilized so fully and I ended up with only 3 unused clothespins. Good thing I did a spit wash of my few things earlier! Back inside, I made a tea to warm up and took it out to the Bunky. Probably not the smartest thing as it was chilly out there too.

The wind and the sun dried our clothes

I wrapped a blanket around my lower body and worked on the puzzle for an hour. Then realizing it was almost 3, I walked down the lane and came inside to the warmth of the Suite. The sun is very nice, hardly any clouds, but the wind is very cold. The 7C/45F feels much colder than that. The turtles were out in full force on the grass clumps in the pond. Skittish though, they all slipped into the water as I walked by. Without much of a stretch, I saw about 15 enjoying the sun.

Mr. & Mrs.

I checked out the clothes on the line and they were close but they were still too damp to be brought in. So, I read more of my book and at 4:30 turned on the tail end of the movie August: Osago Country. It is a chic flic with Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep that I’ve seen before. I knew it was full of language at the end but couldn’t remember how it ended. Now I know and don’t need to see it again.

It is like a puzzle - how many turtles can you see through the reeds

At 5:30 when it was over, I went out and started folding and bringing clothes in. Bill joined me and did the same with his. Between us, we had them indoors and all put away by 6:30. It meant supper would be late but I started coating the chicken legs in spices and cooking them in Rosy, the air fryer.  They took longer than we thought, mainly because they were quite meaty and I was cooking 5 at a time.

The legs took longer than expected but they were still tasty

A piece of apple pie on our new plates

I put together a salad and we shared the legs between us. After some apple pie and cheddar, we cleaned up dishes.  I worked away at my blog while American Idol was on in the background. This was a good day. Other than laundry, we just did what we wanted. We each have hobbies to putter at and after doing our own thing, we come together at the end of the day again. I hope you’ve had a good day.

The sun drops below the tree tops and behind our pretty flag
Good night all!

Thank you for stopping in. I trust everyone out there is doing what’s necessary to keep yourself and others safe.

The Beat Goes On, Early Shopping, Foggy Start, Losing Each Other

Walmart, Joplin, Missouri

We were up with the birds on Wednesday, Mar. 18^th. We were drinking our brews at 6:30 and in to the Walmart at 7. That is definitely the time to go with maybe only 20 people inside aside from staff. We got our ground beef and some chicken for the freezer and scooted out. Quickest shopping ever! Ken and Kim were heading in as we returned. With quick wash ups, I made a sandwich for our lunch and we all pulled out before 8:30.

Driving into the fog once more

And eventually, we saw the blue sky and sunshine

Just at the corner, we both pulled in to fuel up. The price for diesel was amazing at $2.39/gal! The sun was fighting the fog this morning so we were expecting a clear sky at some point along the drive. Let’s see how far we get today. The goal is Joplin, MO at minimum. Before we left Bill chatted with his sister, Carol, with the same concerns as everyone else back home and full support in our decision. We all agree how crazy the hoarding is and that is one thing we can scoff at, even though this is a serious situation. Just get what you need for 2 weeks people!

How many of us have driven under this awesome looking Skydance bridge ?
The structure was inspired by OK's state bird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher
How cool is that!?

The temperature was co-operating as it was a mild 50F already. The sun broke out through one of the visible blue patches at 9:45 and that sure warmed things up inside and out. We had 57F staring at us right well and proper! By the time we reached Oklahoma City, it was almost 10 but busy enough for not being rush hour. Clouds have now replaced the blue sky and sunshine but it is a dry day. 

It's hard to not notice these huge planes along the highway

Part of the Airforce Bomber Base

You can see the fog has returned somewhat

We had one close call where a pick up cut across in front of us for no apparent reason. I’m dreading what that did to inside the Suite. Bill had to pump our brakes 4 or 5 times. They work and so does the horn!  We were glad to put O.City behind us. Staying on I-40E there were good sections and very bad spots but we are trucking along. Just after 11 we pulled off to a Sinclair fuel station to top up on diesel at $1.99/gal and so we could use their washrooms. They were just cleaned, so perfect! The rest area previous was closed.

My only collage today but it is an interesting one
We understand the implications from low fuel prices
BUT we are still  happy to save all we can on this trip home

Down the road, we pulled off at a No Facility rest area that was open for parking so we stopped and had our sandwiches. We checked and compared notes for the route ahead before heading out around 12:45. 

Our rest area lunch stop was open and very spacious

Woops! Bill and I took a B instead of an A exit and had to drive the wrong way 2.5 miles to turn around. Now we were on I-69N and Kim and Ken would be ahead of us. They were paying better attention and didn’t make the same mistake. I-69N is no treat to drive on either. 

So many familiar things along the interstate

Lots of water in the area

Many fields of grass fed  cattle
which is nicer to see than those cattle farms we've also seen

Thinking we would catch up to Kim and Ken, we drove through a lot of small towns, Muskgee, Wagoner, Chouteau and Pryor before we caught US60/Rte 66 at Vinita and went through Afton. Still no sign of the Journey. 

It is nice to see a lot of trees in blossom too

They’re ahead of us somewhere. We chatted back and forth by text to update our destination address and carried on through Fairland. Still in Oklahoma. Next was a turn onto OK-10/S 660 Rd, a jig to the right and left onto MO-43. That means we crossed the state line!

Grand Lake State Park

Too funny! Ken and Kim got twisted around too so now they are behind us, somewhere! We carried on with a few more turns and arrived at the Walmart SuperCentre in Joplin at 4:00. 

The day got better again

We found the ideal location, way off to the side and within 15 minutes, Ken and Kim joined us. After set up, Happy Hour ensued inside the Suite. We could only sit inside because we didn’t want to get our chairs out although the weather was quite nice. It isn't proper etiquette in these lots.

A really nice casino Temporarily Closed

Some nice homes off the highway on a frontage road

Many topics were discussed with an acceptable interruption by phone call from Marilynne. After reassuring her of our location and well-being, we carried on until 7 o’clock with our friends. It was almost like a ‘this is soon coming to an end’ gathering and it will be sad. When they said goodnight, I heated up a container of our chili for supper. For dessert, it was a toss up between Jell-o and Ice Cream but I seriously doubted that I would need anything at all.

Joplin arrival at 4 pm

The Happy Hours are winding down but we are still together

We ate by 7:15 and had dishes done and sandwiches for tomorrow made by 7:45. I sat to work on my posting but I was tired and distracted. I gathered the receipts and made a list of our expenditures that needed to be claimed at the border. Then I didn't feel like finishing my blog. This was another good travel day and although we lost each other for a while, we miraculously ended up at the same place!

the chili was good and healthy too!
good night all!

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Can You See Me Now? Christmas Music, Marina Walk, Outdoor Happy Hour

Elephant Butte Lake State Park, E.B., NM

We were up on Friday, Nov. 22^nd at 6:15 and downstairs. Where ever did the week go? While Bill made his coffee, I bided my time until it was light enough to go for my walk. It looked quite gray outside and indeed it was. The fog off in the distance was hovering over the rest of the park and yet it looked pretty and spooky the way it hung over the lake. Which way to walk today? The temperature is 36F/2C but completely calm.

It was a little spooky this morning when I went out for my walk

I'm sure this little guy thinks he is invisible
And he almost is except I saw him move there before he stopped

I didn’t have a route in mid, basically just going where my toes were pointed. I went to the lakeside first and took some pictures before cutting across the dunes and up towards the campsites. It is always slow walking in the sand but today even though some areas had solidified after the rains, others were softer. I had to be careful where I placed my feet, even more than I usually do.

To the right, looks like some sunshine may appear

When I was working, I used to hear horror stories of co-workers falling on ice or just tripping on ruts etc. It is so easy to do and I’ve always tried to make it a practice to slow down when my eyes want to check out the views around me. That’s what my photography (if I can be so bold as to call it that) does. It slows me down. BUT, as I age, I also am more aware of the path ahead of me.

This is the road down to the beach after a heavy rain

Looking to the north, you can't even see the lake

After falling a couple of years ago across asphalt at a rest stop and then Bob taking a tumble last week while walking Higgins, yup, we gotta be watchful. I’ve wanted to take a picture of this rig since our first day here but didn’t want to risk the owner seeing me. He was trying to be hidden, after all! So, at this time of the morning I could only assume he was still asleep so got as close as I was comfortable but still a fair distance away.

A camouflaged truck and 5th wheel trailer

The paint job seems to be working!

I didn't think I'd see the need for a grader here but they needed
it to clean the roads

And quite a few sink holes off the road sides

And through the washes

Back home, looking back at the lake, the fog was even heavier, looking more like a thick blanket covering the flock for the night. I made a tea, read some of our friend’s blog posts and perused other friends' stories on Facebook. 

With small trailers (or in some cases, NO trailers)
people can pay a minimal fee and boondock just anywhere

I need to make one clarification, while I’m thinking of it. I keep forgetting! I mentioned earlier in the week that this park is $14/night with full hookups. It isn’t full, only electric and water. There is a dump station at Loop Desert Cove that is very easy to access as we leave. I just wanted to clarify that.

Now look at the lake - it's out there

The lights you see as I look towards the beach
are not ufo's but our lights inside the Suite

Around 8:30, I had my shower and then rooted around under the bed to bring out something to work on. I have quite a few hobbies so what was I in the mood for? I decided I ‘might’, ‘possibly’, ‘perhaps’ feel like crocheting so I’ll start with that.  As you can tell, it wasn’t a very firm choice, yet. 

Do I feel like doing a crochet project?
apparently not.

Maybe cross stitch is more what I’m feeling. LOL Bill has moved on to his next book, King and Maxwell by David Baldacci, another good story with the same characters as in Simple Genius. He likes that flow, while having the players in his mind. Me too, come to think of it.

We had a good breakfast
I fried up the leftover sausage and onions from the other night
with our bacon and eggs

Around 9, the fog was noticeably cleared and I could see the lake clearly again. For a while, it seemed as if night was returning. Black fog, eh Daddy? Bill had switched our XM Sirius Radio to Channel 065 ‘Holly’ to put us (me?) a bit in the Christmas mood. One of my Blurkers also mentioned a few channels from which to choose. It is a lot easier than digging out the cd’s and continually changing them. We did not keep our 5-disc changer since the Suite had its own player.

And it cleared up nicely so I sat outside with my book

Look at that sky - no sign of any fog

The day for me consisted of sitting outside at the back of our site in the sun, inside playing online, a nice long walk down to the Marina, more outside sitting at the front of the site (following the sun, basically) and then we joined Bob and Jo-Anne (& Higgins) for Happy Hour. They had full sun on their patio so we sat outside. We haven't done that for a while. They’ve had a busy day with things back home and they filled us in on what they've been up to.

On my walk to the marina

A little fun along the way

making my way down there to the marina
This is about half way
I walked just under 6 miles total today

Starting to see more and more cacti

We chatted about plans, trailers, the weather, food and the park before returning home around 4:45pm.  When that sun dropped below the trees, it got chilly very quickly. I had ground beef thawing for supper and still hadn’t quite decided what to make. It will definitely be a surprise to both Bill and to me. As you’ve noticed there has been no other mention of the crocheting, well, I didn’t feel like doing it today after all. I was able to find enough otherwise to keep me busy.

This is a beautiful protected sand sculpture
Mrs. Ellie Phant

Boats at the marina

a little history for you buffs

At 5:30, I fried up the ground beef in bacon grease rather than olive oil. This was something we talked about at Happy Hour too. I added onions, garlic and oregano and when the meat was brown, I broke a handful of spaghetti noodles and crisscrossed them on top of the meat. Then the sauce was added to the middle, basically over top of everything. After 7 minutes on Manual, the noodles weren’t quite done so I cooked them for 4 more minutes with a 1-minute release. Perfect.

Another elephant sculpture up near the entrance
Such talent!

Invitation to use social media

There's my walking partner

I had some French loaf that I cut in half lengthwise, buttered and added grated cheddar before reheating it in the microwave. It was soft rather than toasty but with the cheese melted, it was the best I could do minus garlic. 

Happy Hour with Higgins

Stand off between Bill and Higgy
Notice the treat on Bill's shoe?

Supper was good and there is enough leftover spaghetti for another night with a salad on the side. For dessert, we had another piece of cheesecake and it was all very filling. After dishes, Bill went up to watch a Christmas movie and I watched Live PD downstairs and finished today’s post.

The sun dropped and so did the temperature
It's going to be another cool/cold night 34F

I took this from up on the hill behind Big Red

Jo-Anne, Bill, Bob and Higgins
down on their patio

This was a relatively quiet day. We didn’t have anything pressing going on and sometimes that makes for a great day. We were surprised with the turnout of the weather today and all 4 of us enjoyed being outside for a Happy Hour.

supper was good

 There were a couple of downers for today – one for some home issues for Bob that he's dealing with and the other for our good friends, back home. Our hearts are breaking for the news on the latter and there are no real supportive words other than ‘Continual prayers and hugs, George and Suzie. You are ever on our minds’.

Yum
good night y'all!

Thank you for your visit today.