Wackadoodle day!

Apr. 11 - Apr. 17, 2013 Trailer Village - (Part of Grand Canyon Park), AZ

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RV LIFE: 

What a weird day I'm having! It's not what I expected.

First, Devin wakes me up at 3:30am. He had to go out. He's been a pooping machine lately. We're not feeding him anything different. At 3:30am it is 31° outside. Brrr! That sure woke me up. No going back to sleep now.

Time flies while on the computer in the wee hours of the morning. Somehow 7:30 arrived and it's now 29° outside. Our propane RV heater, and 2 electric heaters are keeping the RV toasty. 

Since I only had about 4 hours sleep, Scott asked me if I still wanted to hike the Bright Angel Trail. 

I told Scott it didn't matter. If he wants me to go with him, I'm fine with that. He actually said he'd prefer to go alone. That way he won't have to worry about me falling off the path, over the edge! He was concerned I may not be as alert as I should with so little sleep. So, I opted out of hiking today. I'll just enjoy a virtual hike of Bright Angel Trail.

I thought I might have another "down" day. Especially being so cold, I'll just snuggle under the afghan. Unlike yesterday, I did get out of my jammies and into street clothes. I walked the dogs about 1/2 mile to the US Post Office that is right here on the Nat'l Park grounds in the Market Plaza.

So just as I begin to clean up the kitchen and get ready to settle down to read, it starts snowing, well barely snowing, but I did not expect this out West in April. But I guess at 7000' high, it's a different climate than lower down.

I know it's not much but still seemed odd to me.

So as I'm outside trying to take photos of the snow, I almost walk into....An Elk, or 2! Actually there are FOUR Elk just grazing all around our site. Cool! I'm glad I didn't go on the hike. I would have missed the wildlife show!

Next thing I hear is our African Grey Parrot growling and spreading his wings. Yes, our parrot growls. He growls when he sees a strange animal (usually a foster dog). The parrot is growling, Devin is barking, poor Lyla who is deaf can sense something's going on and is just looking at me for reassurance. Ok, ok kids, calm down. What the...? Trot, trot, trot....

This is looking out our back window!
Holy crap, we're surrounded!

Devin's keeping an eye on those huge "dogs". They don't look like they want to play. Devin is staring at the Elk behind this tree on the left. You can barely see if. He's in between the white trailer and the tree.

The Elks seemed to graze in pairs. So there's the one pair that Devin is watching, where are the others? I go to the front door to see if they are on the other side. Holy double crap!

He's at my door!

Woo hoo! What a great experience! I'm thrilled!

Beautiful

It's only 2 in the afternoon. What other adventures await just sitting in the RV? Maybe Scott will have some stories about his hike.

SIGHTS:

The other day we planned on taking the dogs along the "Trail of Time". We walked from the campground to the trail. Lyla & Devin were enjoying all the smells. I made sure I had a good hold of Lyla while walking along the rim. I don't want my nightmares about her chasing something over the edge to come true.

We walk about a 1/4 of a mile on the trail, when Scott & Devin lag behind. What's up? Lyla is a senior and I'm not in very good shape any more. I turn around and there is Scott struggling with Devin to stay on the trail. Is Devin afraid of heights? Does Devin know he could fall off the edge? Nope. Devin is afraid of children. This was a Sunday afternoon and many kids were jumping, skipping, oohing and ahhing, complaining and just generally making kid noises. Devin was pulling as hard as he could to get away from them. He just wanted to hide under a tree. We have no idea why he is like that. Sad. Instead of struggling and instead of making Devin go through this panic state for the next 2-3 miles, we opted to go back home. We'll do the trail minus dogs another day.

Another day came (what a surprise) and we did walk the "Trail of Time" just Scott & Debbie. I tried to take in all the info along the trail. Signs explaining what layer of rock, mineral, whatever was formed at that time. The trail starts at present day and goes back 100 million years or so. I gave up on taking in all the info at 14 million. It just all blended together into mush in my brain. It is an easy, paved fairly level trail. 

There are big chunks mounted on cement of whatever substance layer was formed at the time along our walk.

Scott on South Rim

Ther are many campers who only stay a day or two here. I guess it's just enough to say "been there, done that" or "check that off my bucket list". Many Cruise America Class C rentals in the RV park. I did see a unique "RV" rental. It's called Jucy rentals. 

 The top is called the "Penthouse". It is not just a car top carrier, it's a...

sleeping quarter. It literally is a car top carrier made into a bed. Whatever works.

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COFFEE REVIEW: 

Major Dickason's Blend, by Peet's

My rating 5 out of 5

When living in NJ, I used to mail order this. You couldn't find it locally. This company started out as just a coffee house in California, and kept expanding their coffee sales. Now you can find Peet's Coffee fairly regularly in major grocery store chains.

I purchased the Whole Bean bag and then Espresso ground it at the in store grinder. 

Flavor Notes from their website, "Rich, smooth, and complex, with a very full body and multi-layered character." I think that describes this blend perfectly, although I don't know what multi-layered means.

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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:

Listening is an Act of Love, by Dave Isay

My rating 4 out of 5

This is an interesting concept. These stories are non-fiction.

Story Corps is a non profit organization that has recording studios both in stationary buildings and in a traveling Winegabo. You reserve recording time to record YOUR story, whether it be a fictional story you created or the story of your life and experiences. Listening is an Act of Love is a sampler of those stories.

Publisher's Summary on Audible " Drawn from the work of StoryCorps, the largest and most ambitious private oral history project in American history, comes this tapestry of the stories Americans have been sharing from their lives to leave behind to their loved ones."

What I listened to was a younger relative asking a senior relative about their life and memories. It is a great way to not only remember your family, but also to record life as it was and as it is now for future generations. These books I don't think are private. There is a copy kept at the American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress.

I found it very interesting listening to how things were in our grandmother's time. I think a great idea would to be record your story of going through a struggle and how you are dealing with it. That would be a help to others going through similar problems. 

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WHERE WE'RE GOING:

Apr. 18 - Apr. 24, 2013 Meteor Crater RV Park - Winslow, AZ

Apr. 25, 2013 (Tentative) Calizona RV Park, Needles, CA

Apr. 26, 2013 (Tentative) Sierra Trails RV Park, Mojave, CA

Apr. 27 - May 5, 2013 (Tentative) Sequoia RV Ranch, Three Rivers, CA
June 14 - 24, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR 

NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014

2nd Thoughts

FOUR PAWS KINGDOM
335 Lazy Creek Dr.
Rutherfordton, NC 28139
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RV LIFE:  I was very saddened to learn that David & Terri of Flip Flop Vector & The Zen of Sweeping are turning in their RV keys. Admittedly, they stated from the start, 1 year or until we run out of cash. Neither happened, but their hearts were missing the camaraderie of in person family & long time friends. So they are heading back to TX to settle down. But they do have the life experience of their travels. They may never have that freedom again. To each their own.

Terri wrote in HER BLOG, "I love my online friendships... I really do. But nothing replaces "face time". The real face time and not on an Iphone! =)"

That is just the opposite of how I feel.  I am so much more friendly with my on line acquaintances. And get great satisfaction from our on line communication. I had few close friends while living in one place. While in face to face contact with people, I tend to shut down. I don't want the conversation to revolve around me, me, me, so I keep quiet and listen. But....when I blog, or email, or facebook, I can express what I think! If you don't like it, or are not interested, you can just delete and no offense taken.

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WARNING, GIRL TALK:

Blogs: I've finally caught up on all the RV blogs I subscribe to. Haven't even started the food, craft and pet blogs! I truly enjoy many of the women bloggers who do open up their thoughts to their readers. I relate to many and learn from some also. After reading some of the women's blogs, I feel like I've just had a night out with the girls. Some wine to loosen up our inhibitions and say what's on our mind without worry of hurting other's feelings & still remain friends.

I'm going to refer back to Terri again. This is from a RECENT POST...

" I love wearing clothes that I love and some of them aren't "fashionable" and a bit eclectic... which causes me to stand out. I'm trying to get more comfortable in my own skin so I've been forcing myself to wear them in public...  

I struggle with being noticed though. I want to reach out to people, but being around people I don't know is stressful for me and drains my energy fast... I want to be friendly and social but I also want to be invisible and watch...I want to be my authentic self but I don't want to stand out or be the center of attention... I want to be liked but I want to be left alone too... I don't want to be left out but don't want to be included in everything either...I like observing and the freedom that being invisible brings but I also want to be a part of something." She explained the introvert personality so well.

I love wearing items I've knit or crocheted. They are beautiful items that takes time and talent to create, but, they may not be the most in style or flattering items to wear. I've decided, I don't care. It makes me feel good to wear them. I believe unless you are a naturally secure person, this "I don't care" attitude comes with age. I love the freedom of being over 50 and feeling comfortable in the like me as I am attitude or it's fine to leave me alone.  

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More thoughts from another fellow blogger: PHOENIX ONCE AGAIN was talking about saving things for special occasions. 

For the fellow FT RV'rs, I think maybe a lesson is learned when we purged items from our house. All the things we have and were only used or worn for special occasions. So how many times were these items used over the past 10-20 years? 

I have a gold bangle gifted to me 30 yrs ago.  After only wearing it for special events, I realized I hardly ever wear it. I started wearing it 24/7 about 10 yrs ago. Yes, it's banged up but I'm enjoying this piece of jewelry every day.
I assess my life quite often to make sure I'm doing what I want as if these were my last days. That includes NOT saving items for special times. Life itself is a special time. Enjoy your precious things NOW.

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Our time at the Kingdom is almost over. Only 2 to 2 1/2 weeks left. Only 1 week that the campground is open. I'm so excited to head to new areas, but it is sooooooo easy just to settle down. We have a great workamp site with a fenced in yard. I will miss that! We know and enjoy our neighbors. We are always somewhat anxious arriving at a new RV park. Will we have room for the dogs to be tied out while we're relaxing outside? Are there places to walk the dogs? Are we in a parking lot? Will we be able to get satellite and cable? Will our neighbors be too close and annoying?
But on the other hand, what gems we may find also. New friends, fellow bloggers, new hikes and biking, new restaurants, beautiful sights and so on. We have the health, means and freedom to do this right now. We can settle down....later.
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I spoke in my post of Nov. 11, 2012, about my forgetfulness & my need for making lists and writing notes and then not losing those notes. Do you think these will help??

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This past weekend was the annual leaf clearing weekend! Four Paws Kingdom Campground offered Friday and Saturday sites for free if you'd spend the day helping clear out the leaves at the park.
What a day!!! We had about 30 people helping us out. Leaf blowers filling the normally quiet campground with the noise of work getting done. The smell of gasoline to fill those hard working blowers. The sound of aluminum can tops being popped. Ahhh, a beer sure does taste good when working so hard! Husband and wife side by side working together. New friends being made.  A real sense of accomplishment at day's end. I give Four Paws credit for thinking of this great idea. We all win.

Back at our campsite, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something on my shoulder. It looked similar to a lady bug, only bigger. Well, that was just at a glance. I swiped it off my shoulder and it landed on our garbage bag. No, I didn't scream. I just swiped and it was gone. But now getting a better look, I had to call Scott over. He was getting creepy chills and I was very curious.  Can anyone IDENTIFY this spider that was sitting on my shoulder?

Meik made delicious potato leek soup for us all. And the one day workampers brought desserts for a dessert pot luck. The cool weather, the hot soup and bread, the propane heaters all made for a cozy, rewarding dinner.
The desserts were phenomenal! We had spice cake, nut bundt cake, cheesecake, crock pot molten chocolate cake, crock pot apple spice something with whipped cream on top. There were cookies, kool aide pie, mini eclairs and a few other items. I think that was my favorite pot luck so far!
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RV MODS: Our fiberglass flooring for the RV has arrived. We haven't seen it yet. Between the flooring at a price of approximately $800.00 and the labor for $1200.00, this is an expensive RV mod.  And yes, I'm having 2nd thoughts, but it's too late now.  I've come to realize that I'm thinking of our RV as if it truly is our "house" for the long haul. I forget that we have no idea how long we will be living this lifestyle. Sweet Scott doesn't like to make waves so he didn't question my want of vinyl/fiberglass flooring instead of carpet.
Our RV is already 5 years old. We see all the beautiful newer models and maybe someday. Well after investing $2000. into the RV in one shot, I think we'll hang on to our current home on wheels. Which is really par for our course. We are not one for change, yet we travel to new places all the time. What I mean is while in our home, we did not rearrange the furniture, we did not buy new cars, etc. So even though we'd like a larger kitchen area, we will most likely just stick with what we have.
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WINE REVIEW:
Burlwood Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Calif. 2011 $4.99 @ ALDI'S
My rating 4 out of 5. 

If it were more expensive, it would be 3 out of 5.
I'm finding that I'm enjoying Cabernet Sauvignon somewhat more than Merlot that I've been drinking for many years. Maybe my tastes are changing. Cabernet seems altogether smoother.
This particular Cabernet starts with a tart, spicy taste, but as it swirls in the mouth, it ends fruity and almost bland. It goes down very easy and fast. I am usually a very slow wine drinker, but this is very easy to go down. Maybe too easy and needing a stronger after taste.
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PETS: Devin, our Irish/English Setter mix is just 1 month shy of 2 years old. I've noticed in the last 3 months that he is still growing. He has gotten taller and filled out nicely. He's losing his puppy physique, but still runs, lopes, gallops like a puppy.
Both our dogs are definitely "couch potatoes", or in our case, "easy chair potatoes", since we don't have a couch. I've posted numerous photos of the two of them hogging our chairs inside. Well now they hog our chairs outside also!

CABELA'S RV PARK - Sidney, NE 69160

CABELA'S RV CAMPGROUND

Sidney, Nebraska 69160

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RV PARK REVIEW:

Site #6 $31./day
Our rating 4 out of 5
SITES: Level, gravel, with grassy area and picnic table. Average spacing. Some have a shade tree. Also sites for tents.
HOOK UPS:FHU
BATHROOMS:
LAUNDRY: Decent laundry, only $1.00 for wash and $1.25 for dryer. (2012)
PETS: Pet friendly. Lots of places to walk. Corral for horses.
WIFI: Free wifi worked well.
VERIZON INTERNET: Worked excellent
VERIZON PHONE: 5 bars
AT&T PHONE: 5 bars
BOOK EXCHANGE: No, but did leave a book in the laundry anyway.
AREA/TOWN/SIGHTS: Not much in the way of restaurants. Cabela's Grill is actually pretty good.
There are a few historical places to visit. Large Cabela's retail store on sight.
EXTRA: There is a lot for free overnight parking,with no hook ups, but a dump station and water spout available.
We would stay here again.

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RESTAURANT REVIEW:
Cabela's Sidney Grill
Our rating 4 out of 5
Right in the Sidney retail store, they have a small restaurant.
Staff was friendly, but slow (new staff).
Lots of sandwiches to choose from with not your "normal" meats. Such as elk, boar, bison, & buffalo.
We chose to stick to average. Scott got a prime rib sandwich and I got the Cuban Reuben.
PRIME RIB SANDWICH: Quite tasty. A generous 3/4" slice of prime rib, then cut to fit the thick wheat bread. Lettuce, tomato, and onion added along with some jus. Prime rib was tender and he was able to bite into the sandwich and meat easily.

CUBAN REUBEN: Delicious. Thick, hearty slices of rye swirl bread, topped with shredded bbq, pastrami, sour kraut, swiss cheese, then put in a pannini grill. Would have liked some russian dressing on it to make it perfect.

Both came with a side and a drink.
FRIES & ONION RINGS: Probably would be good if fresh. They are cooked ahead and then put in a steamer tray, which makes them limp and luke warm by the time they are served.
I would definitely go back for another sandwich. Great prices also.
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 WILDLIFE:
Even though we aren't at a wooded park away from civilization, we still have been introduced to new local wildlife. First, there are signs warning of rattlesnakes! We're in an open area with lots of mowed grass and small trees. Luckily, haven't seen any rattlesnakes.
We have been attacked by small gray birds with yellow breasts.  They are constantly on guard and when you go near "their tree", 3 or 4 fly overhead and take turns swooping down. They sort of stay clear of me, but they have come within inches of Devin! I guess they know who the bird dog is! So now I avoid that war zone on our walks. I tried looking up what kind of bird it could be, but there are too many to go through.  Anyone have any ideas?

There is actually a government site that gives info on how to protect yourself from swooping birds. The site is DEPT. OF SUSTAINABILITY AND EVIRONMENT. They actually have a pdf download with a fake set of eyes to put on your hat to fool the birds. Below is a photo of some of the techniques bikers use to avoid swooping.

Wild wig, eyes on helmet, feathers on helmet.

Also, the other morning while walking the dogs, all three of us, Devin, Lyla and I spotted a large chipmunk, oh wait, naaaaw, that's not a chipmunk. Maybe a skinny squirrel? Nope! I did get a good look and saw how it ran low to the ground with a really long, skinny body and long tail. It looked like a ferret.
So, onto my best friend Google and search "weasel nebraska". Sure enough, found out it's a LONG TAILED WEASEL.

Courtesy of Corbis Royalty Free Photos

Their black tipped tail is a defense marking, hoping predators with think it is their head.  In the Winter, they turn pure white, and as the spring-summer approaches, they get darker until they turn a dark brown. The above photo is the color I saw which makes sense, being a light brown since it is mid season.
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PETS:
We thought Devin's paw was on the mend, but last night he was licking it and sure enough, another big swollen spot with a large hole. That means we need to squeeze, prod, soak and hopefully get another cheatgrass awn out of his paw. Sigh....
While walking the dogs this morning, we were greeted by a very interesting looking dog. First impression pit bull mix. She ran over to my dogs and I could quickly access that she was friendly. Next, that she's a puppy.
Ended up it was a fellow camper with a 7 month old Catahoula Leopard dog. Sort of looked like the photo below.

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RV LIFE:
So our Jinxy July is getting a little better.
Scott thinks he has figured out how to set up the Direct TV/DVR. As of now, he's got it working. Let's see how it goes when he tries to set it up at the next stop. We have two DVR's, one in the bedroom and one in the living room. We can record 5 things at once in the living room and 2 or 3 things at once in the bedroom. Seems very complicated to me. I suppose if I was alone, I'd just be watching campground cable. I'm very happy that Scott can figure all this out.
My computer is still dead, but I've decided to go with a good laptop instead of another desktop, at least while we are living in the RV. The laptop takes up much less space, I won't have to keep unhooking the monitor and putting it on the bed for travel, etc. Scott is the computer guru and he feels there is enough room and speed for me to be happy with it for what I do on the computer.
We  had to adjust our travels to accommodate being near a Best Buy. So tomorrow (Mon, 7/9) we'll head to Grand Island, NE and pick up my new laptop there. I'm excited...a new toy. I am surviving quite well on my present older (cheap) laptop I have now, but it is not fast (quite frustrating) and does not have a lot of memory, plus the #6 key popped off. Also, I use the numbers quite often and miss the side number keyboard that is lacking on this laptop. Also the new laptop will be 17.3".

Weather: Hot, hot hot in Nebraska, and windy. Seems every day we are threatened with high winds and storms. It was quite scary the other night. Our weather radio was set to announce when there is an alert. Sure enough, 3AM, it starts warning us of high winds and yes, our RV is shaking, & our slide covers (like awnings) are flapping noisily. It was quite difficult to get back to sleep.
The park actually has posters stating that on Wednesday's at 10am there is a test tornado warning siren. I don't think we'll be moving to Nebraska.

ALTOONA, FL 32702

Love you Mom & Dad

Had an enjoyable 2 weeks with my parents at their Continuing Care Retirement Community. We're only 55 but we seem to fit right in.  I see our future.

RV: We were able to set up our RV right on the community property with 30amp service & water.  We did quite a bit of bicycle riding the short distance to my parent's home, so as not to fill up our black water during our 2 week stay.
A small dog park was right behind our site. The Par 3 (chip & putt) golf course was in front of us.  Below is a photo of a beautiful sunrise over the golf course (thank you Devin).

We also heard this really weird noise quite often. Found out it came from the flock of cranes (I think Sandhill Cranes) in front of our RV in the golf course.

FAMILY & FRIENDS: Pat, our parents dining companion shared her extra credits with us. Between her credits and my parents credits, we were able to eat in the Community dining room almost every night.
We did go to Pizza Hut one night and Scott made his Chunky Pasta Sauce one night. (See July 16, 2011 post)
We enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving dinner in the Community dining room. All you can eat served family style. Ham, Turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing w/sausage, corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and mince meat or pumpkin pie for desert. No cooking and no cleaning up for any of us!!!
My very frugal Dad treated us to a evening of musical entertainment at a local high school.  Great seats close to the stage and very entertaining. It was great to see my father clapping & swaying to the music.
A couple of evenings we played Bingo with other residents.  I won the big final pot of $8.00! We would spend a couple of evening playing Dominos with my parents.

PETS: We took lots of walks around the lake to try to tire Devin out. Most times it didn't work.
Devin & Lyla met my parents' cat, Sandy. Lyla just sniffed, but of course, Devin wanted to play. Sandy wanted no part of it and hid most of the time.
As soon as we'd bring the dogs into our parents' home, my father would jump up to move the cat food.  My father didn't appreciate feeding our large dogs, Sandy's breakfast.
All in all, our dogs were good and we all had a wonderful relaxed two weeks with my parents.