A Very Nasty Gusty Day

It was a good thing we had decided that today would be a rest day, because there was absolutely NO way we could have been out driving in this weather. The wind during the night just kept getting stronger and stronger with gusts that buffeted Auntie Violet. Neither of us slept well, as we kept getting woken up by the noise and the gusts.

I gave up about six and made a cup of coffee and tried unsuccessfully to download the newspaper. Forry got up a little while later and about then we realized that there was NO traffic on Interstate 40. We heard later that the State Patrol and the Arizona Department of Highways had closed the highway from near Flagstaff all the way to the other side of Winslow due to blowing dust.

Because of the gusts, we took down the TV satellite receiver on the roof. Phone and internet reception were intermittent all day -- I think the cell towers were being shaken too!

It was an absolutely miserable day. Sometimes the keys were even dancing on the wall hanger from all the shaking. The RV Park lost power around noon and we ended up running the generator for a few hours. The Weather Advisory for the area predicted that the wind would slow towards dark and it finally did.

The power came back on about 6 PM and about the same time they reopened the highway. It was quite interesting to watch the huge parade of trucks that had been waiting all day streaming down the road.

There was still a great deal of dust in the air, but at least they had deemed it was safe to travel once again.

We are hoping the weather holds and we can head for Gallup, New Mexico in the morning.

WET!

As we got ready for bed last night, we could hear an occasional rain drop hit Auntie Violet's roof. Later there was hard enough rain that it woke us up. That happened a couple of times during the night. Then about six AM, it really began to pour. It rained very hard for two to three hours before it let up a bit. Of course, it wasn't long before it was really coming down hard again.

Once again the forecasts were wrong. We were supposed to have sunshine today with some cloudiness and an occasional shower by mid-week...

Looking out the windows, you could actually see water running down the street. The few cars that were out and about splashed water two to three feet high -- depending on how fast they were going -- as they came up the street.

Both of our cell phones kept buzzing as the Weather Channel was broadcasting "flood warnings." Most of the messages had warnings about staying out of the arroyos and low-lying road areas. We've basically had rain showers, many of them quite hard, until about six PM this evening.

I went outside a few minutes ago to put some paper stuff in the recycle bin. It's amazing how quickly the water dissipates in this country. Where there were large puddles alongside our patio, there is now just wet gravel. Even the paved roads, which were streaming water, are now just wet and without puddles.

I am certainly glad the Mobile RV Service that we hired soon after we arrived, did such a good job sealing the roof !

Getting Ready --

I spent most of the day today dealing with laundry. Folding and putting away what I washed yesterday and washing a few more. I got most everything I had taken to Sister Sherry's earlier in the week cleaned up and put away. I started organizing what we might need to take with us over to Mount Vernon tomorrow.

Seems like even though we are back at the ranch after our 11,000 miles driven during the last year, we are still doing a lot of running around. It's a great deal easier to travel with Auntie Violet as everything we need as far as clothes, etc. is with us. Since we are still awaiting the arrival of the new tow bar for the Suzuki, we either have to leave her behind or one of us (me) has to drive Toad II while the other drives the motor home. So what we've been doing is packing a suitcase and traveling without Auntie Violet. NOT fun!

At least the wind was fairly quiet today. I think the cold front or whatever weather system it was, came through last night. The thermometer showed that it had gotten down to 29.3 last night after several night without frost. I could look out and see frost on the tips of the sage brush this morning!
 

RV Parks and Campgrounds

In the five and one half years that we have been living in an RV full-time (first Al, then Auntie Violet) we have stayed in all kinds of RV parks and campgrounds. They range from very nice almost city resorts with paved streets and all kinds of amenities to very rural places with dirt roads and rocky sites. But, the one we are staying at tonight is the first time we've stayed at one that is primarily a motel with RV spaces next door. The Lakes Motel and RV Campground in Alexandria, Minnesota is just a couple of miles off of Interstate 94 on Highway 27.

Forry was looking for a place to spend the night about half-way through the State of Minnesota. (The other choice was at a gun club that allows public parking.)- The motel park has forty sites with grassy areas separating them. Most of the sites are on the outside of a circular road with several parked in the middle area. There are lots of small trees.

When I called for a reservation yesterday, I asked for a pull-through site.  When we arrived this afternoon I went into the motel office. The lady at the desk said we needed to go back out onto the highway, take a left and then take another left in back of the motel between two businesses and come into the RV area on the dirt road between the businesses. The site is actually on that dirt road with the hook-ups right along side the road.

It turns out that this is the only pull-through site they have... I just hope no hot rod drivers or motorcyclists decide to take that back road tonight. They'll run right into the back of Toad!

People Watching

Elkhart Campground is a busy place. In addition to what looks like several fairly permanent RVs (flower beds and walks around the rigs), there is a great deal of overnight traffic. In the two nights we've been here, we have had new neighbors twice on one side and three times on the other. These are nice long pull-through sites, so many of them don't even unhook from their tow vehicles.

This afternoon, in contrast, the folks who pulled in on our driver's side set up a major camp. While the sites are nice and long, they are also fairly narrow. I could look out the window as I sat on the couch reading and see how their dinner was coming along on their barbecue which was set up right outside our slide-out.

Sometimes I feel a bit guilty about my people watching as the windows on Auntie Violet are reflective and during daylight hours no one can see in while we can look out without being seen...

Sometimes I wish people could see through them -- especially those dog owners who look around and make sure no one is watching when they decide to walk on without picking up after their animals!

It was raining again this morning and so overcast it seemed almost like twilight. There were hardly any people out and about. Then the sun came back out this afternoon and the walkers appeared. There are not many children at this park like there have been at the last few parks and we have not had lots of bicycles flying around.

Today in N Fort Myers

We spent the day at home today. I've discovered that the rear basket on my trike is quite handy. This morning I took the garbage and the recyclables (Yeah! Sun Seekers recycles!) over to the dumpster area. Then I rode over to the office and picked up the box of mail at the office and tossed it in the basket while I took a few turns around the park. It was already in the 80s and because of yesterday's rain, it was HUMID! I was dripping wet when I got back to Auntie Violet. We've been running the fans in the RV with all of the windows open and it's actually quite comfortable inside.

We spent some time paying bills and dealing with the paperwork -- including school levy ballots -- generated by the arrival of the mail. There were several magazines and periodicals in the mail, so we enjoyed just taking time to read. Plus I've been reading a couple of good Laura Cardinal mysteries on my Kindle. 

Toward evening (after a nap) we went out together for another ride. This time we went up and down all of the roads in the park. It was almost sunset -- it stays light now until after six -- and it was much pleasanter riding. We went long enough that I could really feel it in my knees and thighs. That's good, I guess.

The weather forecast for today had been for occasional showers with thunderstorms this evening. We didn't get any rain here, but you could see the big thunderheads off in the distance --
 .

 It made for a rather nice sunset here at the park as we look west over some of the more permanent structures --

A Day at Home -- Mostly

It was VERY late when we got home last night, so we did not get up very early this morning. We spent most of the day inside Auntie Violet -- it was just too chilly to sit outside. In fact, I haven't even pulled our lounge chairs out of Toad yet.

We joined the folks at Menno this morning listening to the video of last month's Harvest Festival. We are so grateful to Bill D who has faithfully mailed us videos of Menno services. And to Gene who sits up in the balcony every Sunday running the video camera! I think that no matter where we travel, Menno will ALWAYS be home to us.

Late this afternoon we finally got up enough ambition to go into town to get Forry milk for his breakfast cereal (I've offered to share my Greek Yogurt with him, but for some reason he'd rather eat his cereal dry than share my yogurt!) The GPS unit in Toad showed that there was a Winn-Dixie grocery about twenty miles from Pine Lake RV Park in the town of Arianna.

We followed GPS Sally's directions, but when we got to where she said the store was, all we found was a park. We finally spotted the store on the other side of the park. There was no road between the park and the store, so I guess Sally assumed we were already there...

Those Christmas Letters!

I really don't care what Ann Landers, Carolyn Hax or any other etiquette guru says. I LIKE Christmas letters and pictures. I enjoy reading about what everyone has been doing and seeing the pictures of families and especially seeing how the kids have grown. I really dislike opening a Christmas card and only seeing someone's signature -- or printed name. I want to know what's been happening to you! I want to know who's getting married, or having a baby, or being promoted -- or demoted, or graduating, or retiring, or getting a new job, or becoming a grandma or??? I don't throw them away either. It takes me a year -- sometimes longer -- to finally toss them out. (Right now I have three years worth...)

Maybe it's because we are on the road much of the time and I don't see you very often. But, I don't think that's it either. I've ALWAYS liked Christmas letters and photographs. That's most likely why I like Facebook, newsletters and blogs as well. Even if it's only a glimpse, I enjoy knowing what's going on in your life. It's the same reason I've never wanted to live in one of those "65 and older" places. Life is more than my own age cohort -- that's what makes it so interesting.

But, I must confess, I've not done well the last few years with sending out a Christmas letter. I think I've let my blog sort of take its place... I've had good intentions and have even started once or twice, but obviously haven't gotten it done.

When we were in Office Depot a month or so ago, I saw some very nice Christmas letterhead, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given."  It had an ornament in the corner with silhouettes of the Holy Family. Giving in to an impulse and hoping it would motivate me, I bought a packet along with matching envelopes. Naturally, every time I've opened the file drawer, I've seen that stationary just sitting there, looking back at me.

A couple of days ago, I sat down and started drafting a letter. Always before, I've just typed one up and added some pertinent clip art to it. It's not quite as easy to fit a letter into a prescribed format. Forry read my draft, added some comments and changed a couple of things that didn't quite make sense (everyone needs an editor). This afternoon, I got serious and got the letter printed. I wanted to add some pictures to it, but realized that in an entire year, we did not get a single picture that had both of us in it! (I did stick a little picture of Auntie Violet and the Toad into a corner.)

Now that it's done, I feel good about it. I'll sit down tonight and tomorrow night and get them addressed and stamped. And then I'll wait for the mail, so I can start reading yours!

A Happy & Blessed Thanksgiving to All

Happy Thanksgiving!

It was a lovely day today. We have caught up with Fall -- some of the trees here are just turning their Fall colors --

This one, just outside Auntie Violet's door has these beautiful shades of red and yellow --

We had a quiet day today, sort of eating our way through it. We started with crab cocktails about lunch time, followed up with pecan pie. Later this evening we had our roast chicken, dressing and caramelized sweet potatoes.

Forry has been kidding me about these extra guests that show up towards evening every day --

This turkey vulture is one of a fairly large flock that roost in the trees at the edge of the RV park --

How many can you count in the picture above? (I can count at least five...)

Note the red head typical of the turkey vulture in the picture above. The one on the right below is most likely a black vulture which doesn't have that red featherless head. It seems to be a mixed flock of the two types. We've counted at least twenty of them circling before they come into roost.

It was a bit chillier today. A cold front came through and I don't think it got much above 75 degrees this afternoon. We watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade this morning, then the National Dog Show. I've just realized that Forry has not watched a single football game!

Getting Ready to Move On

Preventive maintenance isn't Forry's favorite thing, but today he was out checking the air pressure in the tires on the Toad --

 We're planning to leave here in the morning and start heading on down towards the Gulf Coast:

While he had his air compressor out, Forry checked all of the tires -- and added a bit of air to a couple -- on Auntie Violet as well --

I spent most of the day doing laundry, that never-ending task. I made a pot of chili for supper that I served along with biscuits.

I have been chatting with my friend Cathi in Spokane off and on since last night about the three inches of snow at her place in Spokane. The conversation widened to Sharla near Menno and Mary in Warden. Sounds like it is snowing or trying to snow all over that portion of eastern Washington. I was gritching about the wind here in Mississippi, but at least it's in the seventies.

I want to give a "shout-out" to my great-neice Ellie today -- she's celebrating her second birthday! Happy Birthday Ellie Jane!

A Bit of Shopping

Juni sent me a note on Facebook last night asking if I wanted to go to the leather store with her today. It turns out that Tunica has an Outlet Mall that has a Wilson Leather Shop as one of its tenants.  Juni had promised her daughter that she would look for a leather jacket for her while we were here. I don't know what it is about stores that sell leather items, but they just smell so good!  I just want to stand in the doorway and breathe in that lovely aroma.

Juni found a very classic coat for her daughter and we looked at lots of purses, bags and jackets. One thing about being retired and not needing a lot of nice clothing -- I wasn't even tempted! From the Outlet Mall, we decided to take a look at the town of Tunica -- the whole two, maybe three, blocks of it.

We did find the Post Office and decided to check.  To my surprise, our box of mail that Daughter MM had mailed on Saturday was already here! She had sent the important letters last week went she had sent us our ballots, so a lot of this box is magazines, newspapers and "junk" mail.

Juni had made a pot roast today using her pressure cooker.  I made a tossed salad to go with it and we had another feast tonight.

I had to come back to Auntie Violet right after dinner as I had a conference call meeting with the Executive Board of Mennonite Church USA. We spent most of the meeting working our way once again through the Purposeful Plan incorporating the suggestions that had been made by the CLC and other groups since the convention in Pittsburgh in July.

At least tonight the wind is not blowing...

WINDY Day!

We went to bed last night with the sound of the wind blowing. We woke up this morning with the sound of the wind blowing feeling the gusts of the wind against Auntie Violet's sides.  We spent the morning listening to the sound of the wind and watching leaves -- and other stuff -- blowing across the lawn of the RV park. We listened to the wind this afternoon and watched the clouds racing across the sky with occasional patches of blue sky accented by black clouds. This evening we ate chicken and dumplings at Tom and Juni's motor home and listened to the wind buffet the sides of their house.

But all of a sudden, it is quiet.  Has it finally stopped? I asked Forry and he immediately hushed me -- "SH! It will hear you and start again!"

I am tired of the wind! It was windy in Arkansas at Tom Sawyer's RV Park. We had gusty winds when we drove into Mississippi. We've had wind ever since we arrived at Mid South RV Resort. I am so tired of the wind!

My Judy Blanket

I have a blanket that has traveled from the Mennonite Country Auction at Menno where I purchased it to our ranch where it went on picnics and boat rides.  Then it traveled with us to Spokane when we moved up there so that I could go to work for the AHEC (Area Health Education Center) at WSU Spokane.  In Spokane it saw more picnics and found a new role as a blanket for grandchildren when we had pizza in the TV room where they sat on it on the floor.

Now the Judy Blanket travels in Auntie Violet.  When we are parked somewhere, she sits on the back of the passenger chair which swivels around to face the living room.  When we travel, she plays an important role.  She covers the laid-down desk chair and prevents the wheels and the arm from scratching the cherry wood of the desk. And on rare special occasions, she once again gets to be a blanket for pizza eating grand children!

My Judy blanket is made from alternating worn blue jeans and striped overalls with a backing of new blue denim fabric.  She even has a few pockets with brass snaps (when she was new, there were napkins tucked into those pockets...).  There are also cherished Judy Blankets that live at the homes of our daughters.

These Judy Blankets are cherished not only for their beauty, toughness, utility and general usefulness, but for the lady who made them. Before the auto accident in the fog on her way to work, my friend Judy was one of the best ER nurses I have ever known. I learned so much from her in the early days of my own career. Due to severe head trauma and brain damage, Judy never practiced as a nurse after her accident, but she participated as much as possible in church activities.  Her sense of precision and order -- which she never lost -- shows in the precise measurements and placement of the squares of my blanket.

Judy passed away a few years later of hypothermia while sitting out in her garden (her sense of being cold had been impaired by the injuries from the truck that struck her...).  A wise person once told me that a person is never really gone as long as anyone still has thoughts and memories of them.  Thoughts of Judy often come to my mind as I wrap my Judy blanket around the chair wheels; or when I fold it to place her on the back of my chair; or when I glance up and see that her blues are picked up by the Chinese rug on Auntie Violet's floor. Thoughts of Judy warm me as much as my Judy Blanket!

A Sunset Walk

After a day spent doing laundry and household chores, we went out for a walk around Sun Valley campground just before sunset.

Auntie Violet's site is at the edge of the campground.  There is only one other RV parked near her.  The father drives one of those pickups that can be driven on railroad tracks, so we are assuming he's a RR worker.  They have two young boys who left for school this morning before daylight.

There is a big pond not very far from where we are parked.  There were lots of sparrows hiding in the tules as we walked by --

It looks like the level of the water is much higher during the summer season.  One end of the pond is posted for swimming and the other end for catch and release fishing --

Auntie Violet seems much happier now that she can put all of her slides out --

And I certainly am enjoying life more with all of the space that we have when the slides are out!

Auntie Violet Gets New Batteries

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8. 2011

(I was unable to get an Internet connection last night where we were staying at Honey Bear Hollow RV Camp, so am posting this on Sunday.)

Auntie Violet was anxious to make her stop this morning at Interstate Batteries on our way out of Indianapolis --

 Her bank of 6 volt house batteries was exhausted and worn out --

It was already in the high eighties when we got to  the shop and Forry quickly decided that the $75 charge for removing the old batteries and installing the new ones was well worth it --

The tech brought out a cart load of shiny new batteries --

And was Auntie Violet ever happy when they were all safely installed in her battery bay --

While we were at the Interstate Battery store, I also got a new battery installed in my watch!  I saw this on the wall of the shop when I went in to pay for it --

It took about two hours to get the whole job done.  From there we headed out via State Highway 31 towards our Monday appointment in Elkhart.

Storm Damage!

Yesterday evening's wind and the blowing dust finally slacked off a bit and we could occasionally hear rain drops. As we were getting ready for bed, (Forry was already undressed...) I thought I heard someone yelling. After I put my shoes on and went outside, I could hear voices from over by the lane (Auntie Violet is parked by the windbreak about 200 feet from the lane) and lots of high bright lights. I hollered at Forry to come out and see what was going on. He quickly realized that linemen were over working on one of the electric poles. They had three lit-up trucks over there, one with a big bucket. As we watched, they brought down the bucket, turned their rigs around and left. When we went back inside, Forry checked and sure enough, we were running on battery power, Power flowed from the batteries through the inverter as the power from the lines was off. But it wasn't too much later when the power came back on.

Auntie Violet's setup is such that she switched over to motorhome power without us even noticing it -- there wasn't enough of a glitch to mess up the clock on the microwave oven! And the refrigerator automatically switches over to run on propane instead of electricity.

We had a rain then off and on through the night. The ground was actually wet this morning! Later when we left for Spokane, we could see that there were ropes attached to the pole in the lane (which was sagging), being used as guy wires to hold it upright. Then when we got to the top of the hill and headed east on Rosenoff Road, this is what we saw:

The one pole was completely snapped off. The one behind that you can see in the distance, just had the top part of the pole hanging from the wires -- with no sign of the bottom portion of the pole! There were two more poles like this within the next mile.

This evening when we returned, there were new poles lying on the ground beside the four snapped poles on Rosenoff and another lying beside the leaning pole here in the lane.

Monday and it IS Laundry Day...!

At least today it is! I (started to say we, but that definitely would be incorrect!) have emptied all of the suitcases and piled up the dirty clothes. It's is amazing how many two people can accumulate in seven days away from home! We got back to Auntie Violet just a little after 1 AM, crashed and slept in until almost 9.

I got a few loads of clothes done this morning before we went into Moses Lake to see Phyllis and Vic and to pick up groceries. Now I have another load in the washer with several more lined up to go.

I got a weak "Hi, Hap" from Phyl when I first came in, but that was about it. She's much less alert than she was before we left...

Forry was able to make an appointment for tomorrow morning in Spokane with his dermatologist. He has to be there at 11, so I guess we'll be leaving here by no later than 9:30. It seems to take a good share of our time doing maintanance on the bodies when we are back in eastern Washington!

Company for Lunch

We had a guest speaker at Menno this morning. Augustin Suarez who is the Moderator of the NW Mexico Churches was our guest. Augustin does not speak a great deal of English, so Glen from the Warden Mennonite Church came with him to translate. It's always an interesting experience to listen to a translator -- you really have to keep focused -- as it's easy for your mind to start to "wander" during the intervals when the Spanish is being spoken. I have just enough Spanish to be dangerous -- if I know what the topic is, I can generally follow along. But this morning, it was hard.

After church, Colleen and Dennis came down to check out Auntie Violet and to have lunch with us. They are seriously in the process of getting their houses and his vending business ready to sell so that they can purchase a motorhome and go on the road. Dennis makes very interesting and gorgeous jewelry and wind chimes out of silverplate spoons. They have been setting up booths at various fairs and gatherings around the area checking out what they could make if they were to rely on their jewelry sales. They are getting pretty excited about the prospect of becoming fulltimers.

I made crab salads for lunch. I put hard boiled eggs, pea pods, cucumber slices, bamboo shoots, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes on a bed of spinach leaves with crab heaped in the middle and served the salads with a choice of dressing and rosemary flat bread and ice tea. They turned out to be very pretty.

As I had four dinner plates to work on, I was short of counter space until I remembered that there are covers for the stove burners (and for the sinks) under the sink! I don't think I had ever gotten them out to use... It was amazing how much more work space I suddenly had!

You Need a Man

who can take almost anything apart and fix it -- or at least figure out how it works! Other qualities for a man -- tall, blonde and handsome -- yeah, they're helpful too, but when it comes right down to it, a fix-it guy is well worth having!

Today it was Auntie Violet's toilet. She's been complaining that it no longer held water -- that the water just seemed to seep away. So it seemed a new seal was in order. While we were at Camping World, we checked them out. Seems there are two of them that fit her Landsea toilet, but we couldn't find the model number so that we could know which one was the right one. We probably should have picked up both kinds and returned the one we didn't need, but Forry took an educated guess based on all of the measurements.

It was too gusty to spray today, so today was the day to take everything apart. The top portion of the toilet assembly comes off and this seal sort of goes in the middle part (darn, why didn't I think to take a picture?!). Well, the seal we bought wasn't exactly like the one she had, but strangely enough, it actually seemed to fit better! Now we are wondering whether the wrong one was put in initially at the factory...?

Well, after letting everything sit for a period of hours (and a few tests), Forry had it all working -- AND he installed a new sprayer as well. (Ours was not always shutting off well, it tended to drip.) Oh, and the model number, he never did find it, even when he had it all apart.

Never thought I'd be writing about fixing toilets, but it's like everything else in an RV -- or a house, for that matter -- things wear out, break, don't work anymore and hopefully someone is around who can fix them!

Sort and Clean

Every once in a while, we almost have to go through everything and start over! After you've been on the road for a while, it's amazing how much "stuff" shows up in both Auntie Violet and in the Toad.

Today we took the Jeep apart, emptied everything out and gave it a good cleaning. Vacuumed, shampooed the seats, used ArmorAll on the dash, cleaned the windows, etc. The back seats and the rear of the Toad seem to be our secondary storage area. Everything that doesn't have a space in Auntie Violet ends up there. Some of it because it seems easier -- for example, it's easier to put the lawn chairs in and out of the Jeep than it is to put them away in the bays. Some of it because we don't know what else to do with it -- the box my computer came it that we wanted to keep until we were sure this one wasn't a lemon too. And some of it, like Forry's compressor, because it just doesn't fit anywhere else.

Then you start looking at everything when it's time to put stuff back and wondering if you really need to have it all...

Tomorrow morning I'm going over to our neighbor Diane's to swim (exercise) in the morning, then will head in to Moses Lake to spend the night with my friend Phyllis while Vic goes to Wenatchee for his sleep apnea testing.