RVing & New Year

Today is the last day of the year and closed another year of RVing.   I’m not going to bore you with all the things we’ve done over the past year.  Most of you probably know.  It’s been a pretty good year over all and it did have a few bumps like all years do.  We made a couple of special trips for special friends.  The bumps smoothed out and life went on no matter what we did.  We had a lot of fun with and without friends.  A special thank you to Carol for putting up with me for another year.  She deserves a special award for sure.  Got to get some of them brownie points going into the New Year you know.

Ed & Sandy, Sharon and us went back to the resturant that had the $2.99 breakfast.  It was fun. 

We and others use to try to find all the cheap places in Quartzsite sorta like a game.  Then we would go as a group.  Police would call it a mob.  The eateries would say come on back.  They make their money on sodas and coffee.  Here in Tucson we are starting to do the same thing and here it’s paved and doesn’t have blowing dust.  Hmmmmmm.

Well, we all a had a blast New Year’s Eve at our place.  Pictures to follow in the next few days.  I’m lazy at the moment…

See ya…..

RV Get Togethers & Bugs

We’re all alive so that’s a good time to have a get together.  Plus we got the Air Force, planes, helocopters, hospitals and ERs all around us.  We’re safe as we can be at our age right now.

We’re making plans for up coming dinners.  We will do a smoked pork for New Year’s Eve dinner.  Don is cooking a turkey for New Year’s Day dinner.  I think Ed & Sandy are bringing the Depens.  It’s an old person joke…..

It’s hard for me to do a walk around in a RV Park.  I’m looking at other people’s equipment.  Wow, don’t take that out of text!  So now I just walk out of the park and down the road on the sidewalk.  Since we are now back to moving around more I have to get in the habit of carrying my little camera for different “stuff.”

This is a cute little bug.  Good color too….

Here’s Don’s Truck.  It’s a looker.

Here’s a picture from Tuesday night.  Sandy was drinking from her sippy bottle.  She seemed to sip on it a lot.  ?

It’s staying pretty cool here in TUCSON like in the low 30’s at night.  I think it’s normal.  During the day you need at least a light coat.

Now Wednesday morning Carol & I went to a $2.99 breakfast out in town.  It was a little resturant and nice looking but nothing real fancy.  Two egss, taters, toast for $2.99 and it wasn’t advertise at the resturant.  No problem.  Come Thursday 5 of us will be eating there.  I guess we were the guiena pigs. 

After breakfast we went to Trader’s Joes so Carol coud get her favorite cookies.  Then went back to base and took care of a few things.

For lunch we went back out in town to a Mexican resturant that was advertising $.99 tacos.  I liked them.  Carol said they were too greasy for her.  Oh well…..

Then for dinner we all made something and met at Don & Sharon’s rig.  It was all good.  No pictures.  I get caught up in the momment or it was the 6.9 beer.

All and all it was a nice day with friends.  Any day not in the ER is a nice day for me during the year 2015.

See ya…

Old RV Blogs Of Alaska/Hot Stuff

This morning I logged into the Escapees web page.  I haven’t been able to do that for months and months.  They changed their web something or another months ago and I couldn’t log on.  Bottom line… my old computer had to be updated with this and that.  I said oh well.   Long story but I ended up with a new computer that Carol couldn’t use.  Sure I will take a new computer.  I just about got the thing the way I want it with the things I use in it. 

Anyhow, I was able to log on the Escapees web site now.  I looked around.  It’s really nice looking.  I found a picture they used of me instructioning Carol in the Farton (Phaeton) backing up.  It was a seminar on RV Driving for Boot Camp at Goshen, IN years ago. 

Next I started looking at Alaska Blogs that the Escapees had listed.  Ours wasn’t in the list but Sharon and Don’s was and others too.  I spent hours reading these different blog trips to Alaska.  I really got lost in them.

Oh, a couple of blogs ago I said we were in Yuma.  Nope, not yet.  We’re in Tucson. 

I did a walk around the campground today and had my little camera.  So, here’s what I saw.

Yes a pet wash station.  Hey, the Air Force wants every thing clean.  They could make it into a person bath house.

Here’s a boone docker with solar and all.

Here’s the rest of the boone dock campsites.

You think this Chevy can pull a 5th wheel?

For a second I thought it was our Jeep.  I did trade it in here in Tucson a few months ago.  It wasn’t ours.  Other people have good taste like us.

Now this is a cool Ford.  Maybe cooler than Don’s Ford.

Holiday Rambler motorhome with a tag axle.  What a classic.  Not in bad shape either.

Cool Mustang and from Alaska.  It looks better in peron and standing 20 feet away.

Not a very clear picture but they have both the grey and blackwater tank valves open. Ewwwww.  Trouble down the road.

Ed & Sandy Kruty arrived here in TUCSON today.  They got a site away from all of us.  I told them they had to change their clothes a little more often.  Plus take a shower with Ajax.  Just kidding…..no Ajax.

Everybody ended up at our rig later. 

Wow, can you tell we all socialized very well.  Don did the smart thing – he was napping.  The Fireball and 6.9 beer was brought out and all them there electronic stuff went away.  I think they didn’t want to get them wet.

For dinner we got out the left overs with the most mold.  We put all of them left overs in a bucket and heated them up.  Hey Hobo soup.  We also had the Fireball and the 6.9 beer available.   We had some wheat crackers (diet stuff) along with some of Mark’s green stuff in a jar and a jar of red stuff.  They were so hot we couldn’t tell which one was the hotest.  Thanks Mark.  We also had the Fireball and the 6.9 beer available.  Where’s the diet ice cream?  On my early morning walk I think I will walk from the park’s restroom to restroom.  I should be able to make it.  It really Depens!

Tomorrow we have nothng planned.  We will play it by ear since I have still have one left that  works right.

See ya………….

RV Door Lock Thing

Our RV door won’t lock or unlock with our key fob (clicker).  We actually have to use a key.  RVing is rough (not really – duh).  Plus our entrance step kept going in and out while driving.  I took it apart a few days ago and put it all back together and it worked for awhile.  This time I was on a mission to fix this simple thing again and better.

I decided to go to Harbor Freight and get a soldering gun and solder and did.

 

Plus I got a battery maintainer for $7.  I just had to have one.  It’s a guy thing. 

Well, I took the door thing apart and realized that I couldn’t solder it.  Oh poo.  I bent, pushed, pulled the wires and reconnected the push in device.  It works.  Time to rest…. 

While at Harbor Freight I went into a Walmart Grocery Store.  Just groceries.  Carol gave me a credit card and a short list.  Well, don’t give a hungry guy a credit card and send him into a grocery store.  $105 dollars later I was happy.

When Carol saw all the groceries she just laughed.  I did get her cookies and pretzels.  Hey, got to keep them women happy.

Later we went to dinner with Don & Sharon again.  This was an Asian buffet called, “You Like It.”  We’ve been here before and for $10 bucks each it’s hard to beat.  It was really good.  I managed to stay away from the fried food.  That was hard.  Lots of seafood and a big salad with a lot of healthy add on’s.  I did have a couple of small sweets for dessert.  No regrets for eating at a buffet.

Temps are remaining below 40 degrees at night so no heat pumps.  We just use two electric heaters and all is well.

See ya…….

Snow/RVs/Wrecks

I got these blog dates mixed up somehow. 

I got on top of a 6 foot ladder and pushed the snow off our slide outs so we could leave.  Don’t worry.  We knew where the closet ER/hospital was.  The wind was hitting the other side of the RV so I didn’t have to deal with the wind, just the wet snow.  We left about 10 AM and the wind was on the edge of being bad.

Our full hook 50 AMP site for $20 a night here at Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson.  They had a few sites to choose from.

Our car is was a bright white.

The RV has a lot of road grime on it

We got to Yuma about 3 PM after filling up at the local Pilot.  Diesel was $2.05 (discounted) and the RV got about 8.2 MPG.  I think gas was about $1.75.

Sharon & Don greeted us and helped us get situated in our space.  It was nice seeing these two lovebirds again.

Later on we all went out to dinner.  Don drove us in his new Ford pick up.  It’s real nice.  We ate at Poco’s Mom’s (?).  It was good and Carol &  I would both return again.    

Before we left Deming I had to get a picture of the manager walking around.  Now the wind is howling and it’s below freezing.

When I went out to clean the snow off the slide outs I had long john’s on, 4 layers of shirts and a heavy coat, gloves,  a hat with ear coverings and boots.  II couldn’t find a scarf.  I was just barely warm with that wind hitting me.  Oh well.  Guess I spent too much time in Texas.

See ya……………..

Caught In Snow/Wind/Ice

It looks like you can just get in and go.  WRONG.  The slide outs are frozen on top and on the slide rails.  It’s not the snow, it’s the friggin wind.  We will have to wait and hopefully thaw out later this afternoon before night and temps drop.  Hopefully this wind will die down.  It’s strong.  It’s so strong that I don’t have to stir my creamer in my coffee inside the rig due to rockin and rollin.

See ya…???????

Snow or Ice or ?

This is Saturday afternoon.  Big storm tonight and tomorrow.  We won’t be here in El Paso, TX and Las Cruces, NM.

So,  I think we made it.  We will know tomorrow morning when we look out our window.

It’s now tomorrow morning…5 AM Sunday morning and we are at the SKP Dream Catcher Park in Deming, NM as of yesterday (Saturday) afternoon.   We’re setting in snow and it’s windy.  How windy is it?  It’s so windy that our car that is hitched up to the RV, the tow bar/car is moving and making a terrible noise.  The car is actually moving the RV along with the high winds.   Yes we have our jacks down.  The RV rocked a lot all night long from the 40+ MPH wind.  It snowed sideways and I didn’t even go out in it - later.  Earlier yes to check on the car.  I think I should have put on the emergency brake on in the car.  We put down the sat dish so it wouldn’t get frozen in the up position.  Too late for the slideouts.  There out. 

If we are only on the edge of a blizzad, we’re really glad we are not in the middle.  It’s 27 degrees and there’s about 3-5 inches of snow on the ground.  I-10 Interstate was closed at least around here starting midnight last night.  I think from El Paso to Lordsburg, NM.  That put’s us in the middle here in Deming, NM.  It’s bad here but worse in other places.

I will put this blog out now and at daylight I will take some pictures and put them on today’s blog (Sunday) this morning.  The wind hasn’t stopped.

See ya………..

Let It Snow……NO Not Yet

We will be going thru the Van Horn – El Paso corridor this weekend in our big RV.  It will be cold (teens) and 8 to 18 inches of snow.  What would you do?

Stay tuned and I will let you know what we did and why…….

See ya………….?

Christmas Eve In A RV

Not a mouse was heard thank goodness.  Mice are big problems whether your RV is in storage or your on the road.  We had a mouse one time.  At that time we had two cats.  Once the mouse was aboard the cats would just set in front of the cabinets waiting.  The mouse left.

I was told I should unhook my house batteries in the little RV since we will be gone for three months.  OK…done deal.  Covered the windshield and door windows.  It’s now in storage and ready for the winter.

Looking at the handy dandy weather for our over night stays in Baird & Van Horn, TX will be an adventure.  Cold, rain, and snow if we leave a day early.  When it starts to snow and we are on the road we will stop at the nearest exit and honker down.  RV’s are not made to be in or drive in snow or ice.  Been there, done that and that’s a little too much excitement for us nowadays.  We’ve pushed the envelope edge in years past but now we just get inside the envelope and let others worry about the edge.  

We were thinking real hard about leaving this Saturday but the weather is calling for SNOW in Van Horn Sunday which meant we would have been there during it.  I guess we will leave Sunday like originally planned unless the weather changes there.  Monday night looks good in Van Horn and it will be in the friggin TEENS.  We will have to brake out the portable LP heater even though hooked up to elect.  We have a little portable electric heater but it’s not good in the teens for the whole RV.  The LP and the heater will be.

Oh, what to do especially when you are ready to leave.  There might not be a blog during the Christmas time so Merry Christmas now.

See ya…………

15 Years Of Full Timing–Let’s Go!

Even though we are and have been living in RV (7 of them) for over 15 years (since June 2000), setting for 3 months just don’t seem normal for us.  It just ain’t the same. We do enjoy being around stationary friends (ex full timers) and even extended RVers but the out and about on the road is our way of life.  It’s a continuing adventure and even an education.

Our Winnebago RV key bob door lock has stopped working AGAIN.  We had it (door wiring) fixed at La Mesa RV (Tucson) earlier this year and had to pay for it.  They accused us saying that someone had jerry riged the wiring and the aftermarket insurance company wouldn’t cover it.  Nobody has worked on it other than Winnebago.  Oh well…. I will get into it in the future and jerry rig it correctily if it don’t fix itself.  Yes, it has….

Toady we moved the “stuff” that was on the porch to inside the mobile or into the barn.  Then we moved the cooking stuff out of the mobile into our home, the big RV.   I took the stuff out of the mobile freezer and put in the big RV.  It was hard but it all worked out.  It’s tight!

Carol went and said goodbye to her line dancing friends and her stich & bitch club this morning.

The La Colona gang usually goes on Thursdays for lunch but we went today (Wed) because they are closing down for the rest of the week.  I had my “burnt fries” and charo beans.  They cook the fries extra long so they are really crisp and dark.  They nick named them “burnt fries”.  They are actully getting other customers asking for them.  The owner came over and played some guitar and sang for us.  He’s never done that before.  I guess we are wearing on him. 

Then it was off to a follow up Dr appoitment for Carol’s foot.  She wanted to make sure her foot is OK before leaving.  It went well and the recovery is on schedule.  Carol has three more weeks of the air cast.  She’s worried about making the Line Dancing Rally in California in March.

On the way back I got gas….$1.49 for regular.  Diesel was $1.65 I think.  Let’s hit the road.

Then we stopped at the car port place.  We ordered an 18’ by 41’ and will be 16’ in the center.  They will install it the end of March or the first week in April.  So, we will be back by then of course.

Well, our frig is full and I got beer left over in the mobile frig.  There was only one thing to do,  Call Mark.  I told him I didn’t want to abuse alcohol by putting it in a compartment where it would get warm.  He got off work at 6 PM and came over immediately.  We fixed the problem.

And yes I know I got some mis spellings in yesterdays blog.  No spell check.  I type faster than I think and my proof reading is just about non existant (see).  When I talk I mis spell so now you know it’s really me.

This blog is big… time to go…

See ya…

5 Days And We Are Gone

It’s firggin 69 degrees at 7 AM.  That’s really something.  The light rain is hanging around all this warm weather.

This is Wed AM and I’m doing Tuesday’s blog.  I done forgot what I did yesterday for the most part.

I know our valve for switching from park water to tank water in the big RV isn’t working.  If we leave the valve on park water our fresh water tank overflows.  It’s hard to get to the switch so it ain’t gonna get replaced before we leave.

The pork butt was suppose to be done around 7-8 AM yesterday morning.  Nope.  I have an alarm for when it’s done and about 3 AM it said it was done and it was.  I had to go and pull it out of the smoker, wrap it up in tin foil, then a blanket, then put it in an ice chest until we’re ready to eat it.  That is about 7 hours later.  I’ve never done it that long.

The gang is here and the pork butt is warm.  Carol made some cole slaw and I warmed up some Bush’s beans for all.  I didn’t think about pictures until we were done.

Lets’s see….Dave & Jan Wilson, Jon & Sue Glick, Greg & Jan White and Carol & I.  We put a hurtin on that smoked pork butt.  Oh, Greg is a comuter geek.  He set up my old computer to down load over 5 years of pictures into a back up drive.  It took hours and hours even after they left.  Now I have to get them in my new comuter so I can have easy access to them.  thanks Greg.

Everybody left about 3 PM or so.  About 3:30 PM we left for Woodville where my Mom is in an assisted living facility there.  We got there about 4:15 and we were going to go out for dinner…BUT.. as she was getting into our car her knee gave out.  I lifted her up (ouch for both of us) into a walker chair and returned her back to her room.  We decided going out for dinner wasn’t going to happen.  We gave her Christmas gifts which she enjoyed.  After a while we said our goodbyes until next year.

Mom’s health isn’t the greatest for sure.  I think the place she’s in will put her in a regular rest home in the near future.  She has trouble getting into out of her wheel chairs, bed, etc.  We will deal with it when it happens of course.

Carol & I went to Elija’s (Woodville) for dinner.  Mom didn’t want a To Go Box and ate at the facility with friends.

We got back home and rested.  During all this excitement I did hurt my back.  I’m not suppose to take my Ipurphen (sp).  Opps, there go my walks again.  Get this.  Then last couple of days I’ve been eating cookies that friends bring over.  I had pulled pork, ate dinner out and I lost 2 lbs.  It just don’t figure….

The blogging geeks haven’t figured out to put spell check or grammer check into these blogs yet.  So, I HAVE and WILL continue to be myself.  I type slower than I think which is usually trouble.  My proof reading is just about not really there.  It reads fine to me!

We’re talking about maybe leaving Saturday vice Sunday.  Cold weather is coming in Sunday/Monday.  We will see how it goes with my back and finishing up the loading like the tow bar, etc….

We’re thinking about going to Brokshire grocery store and ordering a Christmas dinner from them.  We have no plans.  Sometimes it just works out that way.

See ya…..love that this blogging system has returned.