Windy Start, Jack Rabbits, Friends Arrive

Elephant Butte Lake State Park, New Mexico (pictures not necessarily in order)

Wednesday, Nov. 20^th started out to be a pretty nice day. It was 54F when I got up. Oh, I should start by telling you that after we both were in bed at 8:30 last night (!), I was up at 5. Up, out of bed and downstairs with my book where I read for an hour and a half. Bill joined me around 5:30, I think, and I skipped my tea and got dressed for my walk. By now, it was light enough.

Walking a trail - missing my buddy, Pat
today

I didn’t need to layer up today so just wore a hoody and my vest. Today, I went back up the highway that we came in on. I know I was smiling, maybe not outwardly but certainly inwardly. The peacefulness here and the fresh air felt great. 

I managed a selfie on the same bench as last winter

To top things off, I saw 3 jack rabbits! I didn’t climb any fences or chase them around the park, just so you know. I stuck to the trail behind the Desert Cove Loop and although I saw some little bunnies, no more Jacks.

Bunny rabbit or jack rabbit?
Then I saw the ears

 It was along this trail that I was missing my buddy back home. Pat and I enjoyed walking this trail last winter so I texted her with a picture of the rock lined walkway. Then, of course, I had to sit on the bench and take a selfie to send her. I know they would be here if they could so maybe next time. I look forward to new memories here with Bob and Jo-Anne (and Higgins, of course), they will be here shortly after lunch and we hope they like this park as we do.

Are you looking at my ears?

Following the trail up to the main road, I realized that I was close to the marina so walked across to take some pictures. That is when the sun decided to make its presence so that helped my photography a lot. I texted Bill to let him know that I was okay, since I knew I was going to be closer to the hour than the normal 30 minutes. He didn’t answer so I knew he was in the shower, which was good as well. After returning home, he said he’d begun to wonder and missed my text.

These trees in the fall create a nice 'straw' like bed
for the critters with their leaves

I made a tea and because the winds were gusting around the 20 mph again, I stayed inside and read a few blog posts. It is nice to see what our friends are up to and where they are today. Bill wasn’t giving up on the satellite, one of the things I love about him, and went out to adjust – again. This time, he easily got a green bar running around 84 so, even though last night we missed all of our shows, this made us happy – again. Maybe a little leery, with turning it off, he left the tv on.

The sky as I was just going out for my walk

Around 9:30, we drove into Truth or Consequences (still one of my favourite town names) and got propane, stamps and then Walmart to buy a few groceries and get our RO bottle of water filled. $1.45 total for 5 gallons. Good grief, can you believe that? I’m glad we switched from the small bottles. On the way home, Bill said he was getting hungry and hoped to have Pillsbury cinnamon rolls for brunch. Yes, I allowed him to put a pack in our grocery cart a few days ago. Ha ha, as if I could stop him.

And the sun rose as I turned and headed for home

The rain last night was very obvious along the trails

Anyway, after putting groceries away I followed the steps in our convection oven for baking them. It was a bit frustrating, some things I’m still learning, but they turned out awesome when I stopped it with 2 minutes left for baking. I hate to admit that I enjoyed these ooey, gooey things with butter and icing as much as Bill did. After dishes, Bill and I watched the last half hour of one of the Hallmark Christmas movies. Oh-oh, is the background music putting me in the mood?

Looking out over the marina at the sunrise

I noticed at Walmart, wandering down the aisles looking for cards, that I s miss the hunt for gifts. I said as much to Bill, not that I had to, and he answered “yes, I know you do”.  I don’t miss spending all that money though, so it is a bit of an oxi-moron. Isn’t it? Maybe I’ll play some of our cd’s and get started on our stockings early to bide the time until we are Pilot Knob when the decorations can come out.

When that movie ended, he switched to see the ending of another so I caught up on my blog and then took a walk down to the beach. The north side of the sky was blue and the south side was cloud covered. It was warm out so I didn’t need my vest this time. The temperature is reading 60F. I walked along the beach, got some selfies, felt the water (definitely not 73F as advertised at the front gate) and walked back up the hill to the Suite.

Where we are

Cinnamon rolls - what a nice change

Inside, Bill and I sat and watched some NCIS reruns until we heard from Jo-Anne. They were 30 minutes away and Bill agreed to meet them at the gate and help guide them in. They don’t need us to do that but since it is a long way in, things are much easier with a personal guide. Bill left at 1:30 and I put my hoody on and went up to their side and then up the hill behind it. I could see the entrance gate from there and could watch for Big Red through the zoom on my camera.

I had company on my walk

It was very windy so I walked around to find the most sheltered view in amongst the shrubs. Other campers, if they saw me, must have thought….well, I can’t even imagine what they thought. I could see Big Red up at the gate and I saw Black Beauty leading them back through the campground. Unfortunately, by then, rain had started and my glasses were getting spattered. Good thing I had my hoody. I walked down to their site and waited for them at the sheltered picnic table. I waved as they pulled up.

Last winter, they were just finishing these new washrooms

Someone is very trusting and left their 'toy' moored here
I looked around an couldn't see a trailer or vehicle

Lake pictures for Donna

When Jo-Anne got out, Higgins pulled at the leash and came to greet me. Once he heard Bill’s voice, he got all excited and couldn’t wait to get out. We greeted once Bob got in the spot and chatted a bit about the weather, their park, their drive and this park. The rain stopped and the warm sun came back out. Too bad for the wind, still at 20 mph, as without it this would be a gorgeous day. Bill and I left them to set up and walked down the hill to home.

Did I say it was windy?

Time for a snack, so I sliced a Gala apple, got a few walnuts out and Bill cut some cheese to share. He prefers his cheese with Ritz crackers. I updated my blog post and then sat with my book. I’m getting close to the end and it is getting harder to put it down. Around 3:30, I texted Jo-Anne to see if they were just relaxing for the rest of the day, they were the ones who traveled today, or did they want to join us for Happy Hour. I wasn’t surprised at their response and we’ll get together tomorrow.

I saw this sky overhead and thought I'd better get back up the hill

So, I made us each a tea anyway and Bill and I sat together. NCIS reruns, you know. At 4, Bill went upstairs to watch a movie and I kept reading. I couldn’t put my book down and when I finally got to the end of a very long exciting chapter, it was 6:00. Jeepers! I’d better get supper on the go. Madame IP came out of the cupboard and I sautéed 3 farmers sausages and then cooked them with an onion for a total of 8 minutes and with a natural release for 6 minutes.

Reserved for Francis's

With my zoom lens, I could see them approach the gate

And from our level we can see their site

While it was cooking there was a knock at the door and Bob and Jo-Anne came in with Higgins. Just out for a short walk, down the hill to visit their ‘neighbours’. Us. 😊 Supper wasn’t ready so we invited them in to sit for a while and I got some lovin’ from that little pooch. Bob loaned us the latest movie they’d bought, Rocketman, the story of Elton John. So, after we had our sausage on a bun, we cleaned up dishes and put the movie in.

And from their level looking down to our site

We love Elton John’s music and don’t know a lot about his life story so it was very good. I may have to pick up a copy of our own. The evening, thanks to the movie, was a whole lot later one than last nights. This was a great day and we are reunited with our friends again.

And reunited with this little guy

Simple but delicious sausage on a bun with my
homemade relish
Good night everyone!

Thank you for stopping in today.

Family Day Back Home, President’s Day Here, Huachuca City, Winds

We were awake at 6 and I could feel that the air outside of the snuggly covers was not too bad. Bill left our Blue Flame heater on the lowest setting before coming to bed last night, er this morning. It makes sense, rather than starting at 54F inside to warm up the Suite, we were starting at 60/62F. Bill crawled back in bed and I dozed until 10 to 7 and got up.

Waiting the rain out

I wasn’t surprised that he didn’t move right away, it was 1:30 when he came to bed! Ask him if he finished his book! Yes, he did. Sometimes his sleeping hours are all messed up for sure. I touch wood that I am so lucky for my regular sleep habits. I put on my hoody and wind breaker and set off. I wasn’t far down the lane when I noticed it starting to spit. Darn!

No promises from the sunrise this morning

At the mailbox, I placed the last post card that I had a stamp for in for pick up today. Oh, maybe tomorrow. This is President’s Day so a holiday here. I walked to the clubhouse with my hood up and stopped under the porch and sat on the swing for a while. I talk-texted my sister, Donna, our morning ritual, checking on weather and what we’re up to. I love the connection we have.

I sat for a while, took a selfie and walked around a bit of the front park heading back home. Short walk but hopefully later, I'll get out again. On my Fitbit app page, I challenged a few friends, Bill being one of them, to a Workweek Hustle. This is more for me/us than for our friends, it will push us to do better. The weather makes us lazy and we don’t get our walking in as we should.

A blogger friend called this a Beargrass plant
A member of the Yucca family
Now I can see why

This tree and cactus are fighting for the spot
but the tree got the lights

This is the office

The front clubhouse

Back home, Bill was just getting up making our hot drinks. Clemson was still in bed, under the covers, oblivious to the rest of us. Teenagers! We read and made comments on our friends’ blog posts. Everyone is busy in their own way and doing all kinds of cool things. Hiking mountains, car racing, redecorating, celebrating birthdays,checking out rodeos and exploring mines etc. Others, like us, are just taking it easy and enjoying the southwest peacefulness.

At least the sun popped this morning

At 9:30 I remembered we had leftover pancake batter in the fridge so cooked some bacon to go with the waffles. We have leftovers in the fridge for supper too, so not much planning is necessary for meals. I like that! I’ve pulled some pork ribs out of the freezer after seeing George’s (Our Awesome Travels) dinner the other night. They are thawed and now in the par-boiling stage for a couple of hours today. They will be tomorrow night’s supper. I’ll brown them on the Weber Q with sauce. Yum. Hope they turn out!

We are enjoying our half grapefruit in the morning
This one was huge!

After dishes, Bill got cleaned up and then it was my turn. The weather is sure stuck in a rut right now. This is about a week of this crappy cloudy stuff we’re experiencing. It isn’t snow but I can still grumble a bit when I miss my outside Vitamin D. Back home in Ontario, they are expecting +14C tomorrow which is 57F so warmer than our expected high. That isn’t right! Ha ha, I know it is temporary so mostly chin-wagging here. Unfortunately for them, it is presenting flooding conditions. I hope they all get through it without incident.

I had a project to complete so set about the task. Remember I told you about the dvd storage suggestion I found from Marlene and Benno’s blog? I have already placed all of the dvds into a DVD binder/case that I purchased, alphabetically, before discarding all of the plastic cases. Then I bought a binder plus 2 packs of 3-holed acetate sheet protectors. It has been sitting in the cupboard waiting for my attention ever since.

Dvd's and index covers all in the same storage binder

Today, I put the ‘index’ pages from each case into these sheets, again in alphabetic order. Bill’s suggestion of putting them in the same binder with the dvds made sense and I don’t need the 3-ring binder after all. Brilliant! All done and it takes up a space of about 12” x 6” x 2” for 40 dvds. This was one of those 'rv'-type things you pick up from others and I love it.

Your guess is as good as mine what kind of day we'll get

We took a drive into Huachuca City to the Dollar General. I needed a special birthday card and that is my ‘go-to’ location for greeting cards. I will not pay high prices for a piece of paper no matter how important the message is or the person receiving it. It ends up fire or recycle fodder all too soon. I found what I needed with many to peruse through. Forgetting that it was a holiday (duh!) we pulled into the U.S. Postal Outlet only to find it closed so I will have to get stamps tomorrow.

Love the fence around this property

It is definitely original!

On the way back, we drove down some back streets around the north end of Huachuca City. You see all kinds of things and we did. We also found a few “No Outlet” roads so would turn around and found another one. This was fun, I was able to snap some pictures and all 3 of us got out for a nice drive together.

Still keeping our eyes peeled for that old Ford pickup for Larry

"Hey there, what 'r you folks looking at?"

Church...........for Cowboys!

Well, I mean, if you're going to go to church.....
wouldn't you rather go with a cowboy or a bunch of cowboys?
I wonder if they have to take their hats off?

My ribs are cooked so wrapped them in tinfoil and put them in the fridge. I added onions, carrots, celery and broccoli to the broth for a soup. This one will be for me, since Bill doesn’t like broccoli. Once it had simmered for half hour, I added more chicken broth, a can of tomatoes, some spices and some pearl barley. Smells good!

then we saw this large beautiful homestead
Turns out they owned the RV Park at the end of their street

A sign said the Office was in here
Shake your head and we're back in the 50's?

The winds have really picked up and there is an advisory out for winds gusting to 30 mph, however the sun is popping out more and more so I’m going for a walk. Bill and Clem have stretched out on the sofa in the sunshine for a nap. I’m not surprised he is tired and Clemson can sleep anytime at the drop of a hat.

The mountains were so pretty today
Some pink in the sun, some black in the shade of the clouds

It was a short walk, let me tell you. I walked to the garbage behind the office and to the mailbox again to mail the card before circling the west side of the park. Not sure if they are overflow areas but there are no paved roads in that area. I like where we are, this is a nice pull-through site, close to all things except the round clubhouse. The wind was really whipping around so I headed back home. A lady I met said ‘nasty weather’ and yup, that describes it!

Of course, the sign had to jump in the picture

Back inside I cuddled with Clemson in my recliner, next to Bill and we read our books. I can’t even imagine how much tv he would be watching, had he not gotten into reading. Being inside so much, because of the winds and cooler temps, the television is getting more play than it did over the last 2 months.  We caught the tail end of an old Walton’s episode and watched Sue Thomas, FBI. Fun to see a young Yannick Bisson (Murdoch) from 15 years ago. A cutie patootie, for sure.

Yum!

My soup is looking good so at 4:30, I turned it off and will put it in the fridge for my lunches.  I had added a cut up chicken breast that we’d grilled a week or so ago and popped in the freezer. Upon a taste test, I found my buds saying ‘yes, thankyou very much!’  At 5:30 Bill flipped the switch to power on so we could use the convection oven for heating our leftovers. The sporadic sunshine today kept our batteries topped up to their potential.

Clemson was waiting to see if there was anything left on our plates for him

And then faced the facts and layed down

Dinner was quick and easy to warm up. With a reheat button on my convection oven, I placed 3 containers on the metal tray. One with mashed potatoes, one with dressing and one with a chicken breast and pork chop. I pressed the ‘casserole’ setting and in 3 minutes everything was heated perfectly! We were eating within 10 minutes from start to finish and dishes were done up soon after. We have never been ‘dawdlers’ at the dinner table, when we are alone but do enjoy it with friends. Habits we create together.

this was another pretty morning capture from out at the park entrance

And I thought yesterday was the lazy day of all days but I think we almost capped that one! It was a great day though with a trip into town and a drive down some small-town roads. We made our own fun and it was perfect! I hope yours was a great one too.

And the evening sunset looks just like our sunrise in reverse

I wanted to thank you for popping in to see what we were up to today, or weren’t. 😊 Please feel free to leave a comment, I love reading them!