A Drizzly Sunday, Birthday Supper

The Ridge

On Sunday, Aug. 18^th I woke to Bill and Gibbs getting up. There was a bit of an accident on the edge of the bed and step but we understood the reason. Gibbs may have tried to wake Daddy but he’d slept on the floor part of the night, so Bill didn’t hear him. One of those ‘no fault’ claims. 😊

From inside, the sun performed
with the clouds

Looking out the door before closing it for the night.

It was after 6 when they went out and I dozed off and on until almost 7 when I joined them downstairs. Laundry got sorted and Bill carried the overfull basket of clothes and bedding to Ptooties. At the Mat, only Dollar Store Dave was in this morning, doing his laundry. A couple of others soon arrived and when my cleaning was done, I still had to wait for the two loads to finish drying.

How about a close up of this morning's
Moonflower?
Another bud in the back ground.

The weather was such that it was not a question of how to dry them. 😉 Misty, yeuchy, damp, rainy – I loaded the dryers. It was an off and on kind of day and when the sun appeared a few times throughout the day, it was quite hot and muggy. After we had some lunch, Bill went to the Hangar and I went out to vacuum Ptooties. Gibbs came out and, of course, had to sit inside and watch to be sure I was doing it right.

Just in case I was going somewhere,
he stayed close and watched my every move.
💖

For lunch, I had a wrap with salmon, feta cheese
and lettuce. But first, I had to grab the 'unsealed' bag of feta cheese from the
fridge drawer. Yikes!!
Gibbs had no interested until after I swept the mess up.
What a waste! Oh well, I still have some left. 

With that done, we all rested inside until it was time to get ready to go out for an early supper. It was the family birthday meal, 3 sisters altogether. One each in June, July and August. We picked Donna and Gerry up on the way and drove to Harley’s Pub and Grill in Mildmay. So Gibbs didn’t have an accident on our bed again, we closed the upstairs door.

Not much of a bright spot ahead
when we left

A clear patch of blue amidst the rain showers

Bill had fish and chips and I had my first chicken Caesar pizza with cauliflower crust. Yes, Shirley, I thought of you. 😊 It was delicious! I only ate half, saving room for a yummy butter tart. Apparently, a specialty of Harley’s. The rest of my pizza will be lunch tomorrow. ♥ After dropping Donna and Gerry off, we stopped at Walmart for a few necessary groceries and then home to Gibbs by 7.

This was a great pizza! I wish I could make this
crust. Mine don't stay together and it is a very
messy process from scratch.

He did have a few accidents but on the bare floors so we were wise in our decision to close the door. His water dish was empty and he had to go as soon as we opened the door. I say poor little guy, but at least he is on the mend. Bless his little heart. I put groceries away, Bill made his lunch and gave Gibbs his second dose of meds. He takes them like a champ, part of it has to be wrapped in cheese. 😊

The birthday girls and their
hubbies.
Left to Right:
Donna, (July), Gerry, Bill, Cathy (June)
John, Gayle (August). One sister, Audrey (August also)
couldn't be here.
Happy Birthday to my OLDER sisters. 
💗💗💗💗

This has been a good day. Clean clothes, a visit with family and my veggies got watered again without my help. We did reach a high of 20C/70F at mid-point this afternoon but by suppertime, it has cooled off to 15C/60F, with rain and some winds from the north. Starting to feel like fall and the next few days will be similar, minus the rains. Oh well. I hope you’ve had a great Sunday.

A picture of our little bum,
waiting for us to come home.
Such a sweet pooch.
Good night!

Thank you for the visit!

The Wind Helps, Beauty of a Day, Supper with Family

Park Place RV

On Sunday, Mar. 27^th our walk in the morning was another heated one. 😊 I’m enjoying the fact that I can just slip the shorts on that I had on yesterday and head out the door. It was just a couple of weeks or a week (?) ago that I needed longer pants. The heat has hit Arizona! This is our 4^th day in a row of temperatures in the 90’s. That’s low to mid 30’s in Celcius.

A few clouds to start the day

Bill and I had our morning brew and he had his cereal. There wasn’t much going on first thing, just hanging close to home. Bill did go to get our two 5-gallon water bottles filled and I went over to work on the puzzle for about an hour. I’m trying not to go as often or for as long because once it is done, I’m not starting a new one. It’s getting close, although still a good enough challenge for me.

Look up, look way up
Someone on an early flight around the area

Back home, I decided to sit upstairs and watch some of my vet shows. I get a kick out of the pets that people have from goats to turtles, cockatiels to lizards, rabbits to ferrets and that doesn’t even touch on the dogs and cats. 😊 It’s a great bit of entertainment although it can be sad sometimes, rarely, when the pets don’t make it through a surgery.

This morning we met Frank through the fence

We were going to meet Gayle and John at Roadrunner blm for one last Happy Hour at Tom and Debs’ but with a strong wind and the heat of the day, Deb suggested either dinner out or a meetup tomorrow instead. We agreed that tomorrow morning for breakfast was a great idea! I skipped my afternoon tea today as we were heading over to Gayle’s for supper anyway, at La Posa South and we'd have a drink later. 😊

A 3 month old pug, just as adorable as ever
Chewing sticks like someone else I know!

We hung about inside for the remainder of the day, feeding Gibbs early. Bill took him out for a walk while I packed our small cooler bag with our drinks. He can’t be fooled though as he followed us everywhere while we changed into clean clothes! He isn’t keen on accepting his ‘look after the house’ treat these days and won’t take it. I leave it on the chair or floor beside him and he eats it after we’ve gone.

All's well at the west side, Mom

Tonight, with a meal involved at someone else’s place, he’ll stay home where it will be much cooler for him. We will convince him that he’ll be happier. 😊 It was around 5:45 when we loaded the chairs and headed out to the desert. Even though it is sometimes a nuisance when the wind is too strong for the awnings to be out, we are thankful for it when it is 90F/32C. I wouldn’t trade this weather for what they are getting back home today, brrr, so we’ll very much enjoy our heat. ♥

All's well to the north also
Can you think of anyone better to look after
the house when we're gone? 💓

There was a nice breeze at La Posa South which died down within a half hour of our arrival. Gayle and John had a long table set up on their sheltered patio but it was quite comfortable without it by that time. John grilled cheeseburgers and Gayle had made devilled eggs, a Caesar salad, potato salad and lemon meringue pie for dessert! Holy wow!! It was all delicious and very much appreciated. Their good friends (and now ours), Judy and Gary joined them at La Posa this afternoon so all 6 of us enjoyed a great evening together.

I missed seeing the sun dip behind the mountain
but this is still a pretty after glow from their site

When it came to leaving, at 9, boy was it dark. Black Beauty drops ‘cookies’ on his gps so we thought we’d have no problem. Let me tell you, even with that knowledge and those droppings, everything looks the same. You can’t see roads until you are right upon them so we did a couple of circles trying to get back onto the main road. Bill got us out of there by taking us through a wash/road that I’ve walked many times. We were happy to get back on the highway. 😊

Good supper with a glass of smooth red wine

Topped off with a homemade lemon meringue pie 😋

I watched my vet programs upstairs until 10, with Gibbs, when I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I knew my blog wouldn’t get finished until this morning. That was a wonderful day, ending with a fun evening.

My poor attempt at a group shot, without getting up
Everyone has a sense of humour and I love it!
John, Gayle, Judy, Gary, Bill
Good night!

Thank you for stopping in.

A Pretty Normal Day, Finding the Stinger ‘B’, Gringo’s

La Posa South, Quartzsite, AZ

So, on Friday, Nov. 26^th we were up around 7, taking turns in the shower right away. With that out of the way, we turned the Keurig on for our coffee and tea. The first priority was to get propane so after getting washed up, we loaded in the truck and drove to town. Seeing the familiar places felt pretty good, we do enjoy it here.

The sunrises over John's Ford

RV Pit Stop is where we get our propane and they are always very friendly. No different today. It was warming up quite nicely, already 64F/18C by 11 am so we were in for a hot day. After filling the tank, we drove by American Trails RV Park, which is where we plan on staying in February. Before heading home, we drove past La Posa South to find RoadRunner BLM.

I had to share these pictures of Gibbs
sitting behind me on my chair - side view

From the top 💓

We’d never been in there before so took a stab by turning into La Posa Tyson Wash LTVA in the hopes we’d locate the bright Stinger ‘B’. In a round about way, I spotted Deb and Tom’s rv to our right and we followed the road to their site. There’s no mistaking their ‘home’ and it was a nice morning surprise for them and great for us to get our UP hugs. 😊

Not to be left out, it's Daddy's turn

Is he needy or does he just think his parents are? 

They were getting ready to pull out and come to La Posa South so we didn’t stay long and left with a promise to see them soon. Slowly, some of our friends are coming together even if it is only for brief periods of time. Back home, we had bacon and eggs for lunch and even though I’d planned to wash the back window of the Suite, other things took precedence. My book and the sun were calling my name. ♥

After dishes, Bill had a snooze and Gibbs and I went out to the patio. I was in heaven. Gayle and John left for town to do laundry and I was almost finished my book by the time they’d returned. Gibbs was pretty good out there, with some grumbles and barks but mostly good behaviour. He likes to find stones, big and small, to crunch on so it keeps us busy, keeping that from happening and/or fishing them out of his mouth. :0

By 5 o’clock, the 4 of us were on our way to Quartzsite to have supper at Gringo’s. Lorne and Sue had told us about an entertainer there on Tuesday and Friday but unfortunately, the turnout on Tuesday was not enough to warrant him to return tonight. Oh well, maybe in January. We went mostly for the night off from cooking and for the good food. Tom and Deb were joining us so they met us there. 😊

I'm going to call this Keith's mountain
I can't look at it without thinking of him
It is the one he and Oreo trailed in 2020

I was about to text Deb when I spotted the yellow
off in the distance

Enjoying the afternoon sun

And when Bill went in, Gibbs claimed the chair 
for a while ♥

It was and enjoyable evening. Bill and I had fish and chips while the others mixed it up with fish tacos and chimichangas. Everyone left with full tummies and satisfied palates.

a good supper, there are a few appealing choices
for our next visit(s)

Gringo's is temporarily set up here for the winter
But moves around in Billings, Montana for the summer months

We were home by 7 and I changed into my pj’s. I hadn’t written anything on my blog yet so sat and got it written. I downloaded pictures with a cup of hot honey water at my side. It’s actually turmeric honey and I’ve grown fond of a nice hot drink with it every so often.

A nice dinner with family and friends
Good night

This has been a great day. I got some sun and really got the best of the day. Thank you for stopping by!

Quiet Day, Cool and Wet Again, Supper Invite

The Ridge

On Monday, Apr. 29^th my plans were to just relax. We’ve had a couple of busy days so I’m looking forward to just chilling. And with the temperature only forecasted to rise to 47F/7C that will be an easy thing to do. We’re tired of the rain and April 2019 will not go down in our books as a nice one. After hearing yesterday about the loss of a friend, we look forward to just focusing day to day on everyday living. However, I can still grumble about the weather!

It is nice to have rv company at the Ridge again

We had our tea and coffee together, both up within half hour of each other. It was only 32F/0C and windy so no walk again. The sun rose and then by 8 promptly bid us adieu for the day. Bill drove to Durham to pick up a couple of things for the Hangar and also filled our 3^rd 40-lb bottle of propane since arriving in Canada. This is mostly why we grumble about the cool weather; it is time to warm up already!! We do expect costs to be higher in April and October up here on the Ridge though.

They have a beautiful home

Bill worked out in the Hangar, putter putter, but couldn’t put the paint on the Stinson Reliant yet because it is too cold. Scott and Ellen had a problem with their cords so Bill offered ours which meant he couldn’t plug the electric heater in. No big deal, when he gets too cold, he’ll come inside. They took off for the day to Owen Sound where they have a storage unit. They had a big house and lots of furniture that had to be stored while they travelled for the winter.

On my walk to retrieve the bins, I took pictures of how high
the ponds are
Last summer that outlet in the top of the picture was almost dry

We’ll see them at the end of the day for sure and Ellen has graciously extended an invite to join them for supper. They want to thank us for offering them a place to stay for a few nights. That’s nice, another night I don’t have to cook! Bill is taking me out………..across the lot! 😊 After making us bacon and eggs and cleaning up dishes, he went back outside and I bundled up and walked down to bring the recycle bins back. Our first garbage pickup.

If it wasn't so cold, it would be a good time for the kayaks
before the grasses grow up
This is the 'dock' area

Inside, Clemson slept up on the bed with my sweater and I got back into my book. By the way, the keto cake yesterday was a hit. I still have leftovers but enough was eaten that I know it was enjoyed. There were a few glazed carrots left too which I’m happy about since I really like them. I’ll think of my buddy, Pat, when I eat them as she loves them too. I would have liked to know Rob’s opinion of the cake but it will be gone before he returns.

Of course, ElScott is sitting in the garden

Bill is holding his opinion of the cake but I’m sure it is because he overheard me tell Cathy that it was keto. Things like that flavor what would otherwise be a true judgement. Silly guy. Anyway, it has cream cheese icing and I like it so can eat it guilt free even if he doesn’t. We were getting a bit of a hunger on but not for much so I cut up an apple, Bill cut some cheese and we made ourselves a cup of tea. Bill had a few Ritz crackers, which I avoid, with his cheese.

I can't be sure but I think these are hyacinth
We'll soon find out!

We sat for the afternoon inside in the warmth and I managed to finish the Stuart Wood’s Short Straw. It was a fast paced read with short chapters and I really enjoyed the mystery involved. Now, I had to find another one to move on to so I had one more by the same author that I hadn’t read. Maybe I can zip through another one just as quickly.

There is some keto cake left over

Bill falls behind in his reading once we arrive home. With his days working and stuff to do around here, there isn’t the same amount of time during our Ridge time. My cupboard and under the bed stack is lessening and his is filling up.  I decided to make some cookies but because we’ll just eat them (!) I wanted to make something that wouldn’t be bad for us.

Bill and I sat for our afternoon snack and some reading

 George from Our Awesome Travels posted over a week ago about his grandson who is into writing a blog. One of the posts I read of Dave’s was a recipe for peanut butter cookies that he made. It was simple and although one of the 3 ingredients was sugar, I knew I could substitute it with Splenda. I only hoped that because of the different texture that Splenda has compared to sugar, they would turn out just as good. So, I made a batch.

Funny, how snowflakes don't show up in the picture

The first dozen and a half turned out great. I liked them, Bill liked them and other than them being crumbly (solved by putting them in the fridge) we were both very pleased. Thank you, Dave! Since I still had the ingredients and mixing bowl on the counter, I made another dozen and a half. This is a recipe I will keep and repeat and I don’t even need to write it down. Check it out here if you are interested, but I won’t take credit for it.

Go away!!

At 3, Bill looked out and said ‘it’s snowing!’ Here we go again, we thought. What crazy weather. Watching it come down as wet flakes didn’t give us too much concern until it continued and the white stuff was sticking to the ground. LOL We heard from Ellen and Scott around 4:30 that they would soon be on their way and so we were a bit concerned of what they had to drive through. It was pretty white out there for a while and roads can be tricky for driving.

Scott, Ellen, Bill
Great people we met through RVillage last summer

Just after 6:30 we joined them in their Ultrasport home for Caesar salad, garlic toast and chili. What a treat! Thank you guys, it was delicious and we enjoyed sharing the air space with you again over wine. 😊 It was around 9 when we said our goodbyes and walked back to the Suite. The last hour of The Voice was on so we watched what we could of it but neither of us saw much through our eyelids. We let The Enemy Within record on the pvr and at 10 we went to bed.

Dave's peanut butter cookies

It was a lazy day for us although Bill did accomplish some things down in the Hangar. The snow was gone by the time we left our neighbours motor home last night so that was good to see. I’m still waiting for a bit of warmth. It didn't get to the forecast high for today and now instead of wishing for too much I’d even be happy for something in the 50’s/(double digits in Celsius). I hope you had a good day too.

So can someone tell me what the yellow thing is?
Up and down in the days to come but it's better than down, down, down
This looks promising!

Thank you for your visit. Your comments are always read and appreciated if you wish to leave one.

Best Views, Burro Sightings, Bill Williams Overlook, Wayside, Supper Treat

I woke at 5 again on Friday, Nov. 16^th but still felt it was a great sleep. We were both in bed by 9:30, lights out. I crawled out of bed around 6:15 as I wanted to see the sunrise this morning. Not sure exactly where it would pop but I wanted to be prepared. The prelude was already beautiful with splashes of pink across the easterly sky. Bill reminded me how much further south we were so the sun would rise differently than at home.

It wasn’t making an appearance yet so I decided to step back inside and wait a bit. I glanced at the west mountains and caught a glimpse of this beautiful dark brown and white burro. I quickened my step inside and switched out for my zoom lens. Oh, he is so beautiful. Bill joined me and we were tickled when he bellowed “good morning, Canadians!”. We’d never heard them call out before. In answer, a young burro from behind our Suite called back in a gentler reply.

Don't look at the dirt on our nose but the reflection instead

Pat and Rob joined us outside to watch their slow, leisurely trek across the terrain. We made plans with our friends to take a drive and see the Bill Williams Overlook and dam. Then we’d go along to Wayside to show them the Oasis. It is a cool little spot completely manned solely by generator power. Bill and I enjoyed lunch and some local chatter in 2016 when we were there.

and finally the sun popped over the mountain

Love this untouched photo of the water and sky

We each had breakfast and piled in Black Beauty around 9:30. First, we took them to the overlook and we spent a good 45 minutes up there taking pictures and just admiring the view over the lake. 

It was by fluke that I spotted what Bill figured was a bald eagle swooping high over the water. He tried with his zoom lens to capture it. We got photos of each other and had some good chuckles before heading back the way we came.

Not bad for a selfie!

I love this photo!

Bill drove out onto Alamo Road about 3 miles and turned into the very rugged road to Wayside. This was a real treat to show our friends and the Oasis, the restaurant, was empty when we walked in. It was a pleasure to speak and listen to the ‘waitress’. It isn’t fair calling her that because she does more than serve. She with her partner were hired to run the business for the owners who live in Phoenix. She is loving this retreat after living in Montana.

Bill ordered us all a coffee and we sat at the lovely cedar plank bar to drink it. I remembered the bathroom floors being covered with pennies so suggested that Rob and Pat visit them, whether they ‘had’ to or not. We probably visited for, at the very least, 30 minutes before heading back the same route we came in on. There were a couple of ‘iffy’ spots in the washes where the sand was deep, causing our wheels to ‘hover’ slightly in our 2-wheel drive. Rob and Pat truly enjoyed that journey.

Beautiful day for a country drive

Inside Wayside

A very delicate rattler's skin

Dollar bills on the ceiling

It is a cute little place

Bill left our own dollar bill

Back at the ‘ranch’, we parted ways and changed into summer attire. It was 72F at noon hour and we checked out our pictures before heading outside to sit in the sun’s warmth with our books. There was a point where we all heard the bellows again from the burros and rushed to the valley behind us. With cameras, zoom lenses and even our telescope we watched the progress of 2 families as they headed towards the lake. 4 adults and 2 babies and they were entertaining.

Wayside parking lot

When they disappeared from view, we resumed our reading and then joined together for Happy Hour until 4:30. We were invited next door for supper so I didn’t have to plan or prepare anything. How nice! Rob was cooking steak and potatoes and no vegetable or salad was required with such a filling meal. Bill and I only contributed by taking our own bottle of wine over to share. We will certainly return the favour at some point and invite them over here.

There is a story to this picture
The one below is the one Bill took of me, at this same saguaro
Today, I brought a buddy. 😀

November 2016

The sun returned after disappearing behind wispy clouds for the last couple of hours and just in time for it to provide another pretty sunset. Supper was served in the Silverback at 5:30ish and it was delicious! T-bone steak and bbq baked potatoes and onion. Of course, Pat and I each had half of our steak leftover for another night. Rob was in good enough spirits to share his White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl ice cream with us. Thanks guys!

Beep beep!!
First road runner sighting

Bill showed some videos of our daily drive today and we chuckled over that while finishing our wine. It was a wonderful time and we couldn’t get over how dark it was at 6:30 when we walked back to our site. The rest of the night was quiet with our books. We hadn’t bothered with the satellite dish and our antenna brought nothing in here. No worries, we had a program or two to watch on PVR and we also had books to read.

This is the view from our site

This was our beautiful view from Alamo Lake S.P.
I'm standing behind our Suite close to the bluff

This was a great day. Thank you for checking it out with us.