ROOF COATING

SCRATCH ANOTHER ITEM OFF THE WINTER PROJECT LIST, ROOF COATING. THE CAMPER HAS A RUBBER MEMBRANE FOR A ROOF THAT’S GUARENTEED FOR 10 YEARS. AFTER 12 YEARS ON THE DESERT, I’M GUESSING IT NEEDS A COATING JOB.

SO I GOT OUT MY TOOL BOX, WHICH CONTAINS A PHONE BOOK AND A CHECKBOOK AND HIRED A PAINTER TO COME OVER AND COAT THE ROOF. EASY, DIDN’T TAKE MORE THAN 3 THREE HOURS TO WATCH HIM WORK.

ACTUALLY A PLASTIC VENT COVER CRUMBLED AND I HAD TO RACE ACROSS TOWN TO FIND A REPLACEMENT.

NICE TO HAVE ANOTHER PROJECT DONE!

SOLAR POWERED

IT WAS CINDY HOHLFELD WHO FIRST EXPLAINED TO ME THAT HER HUSBAND DAVE HAS BECOMED SOLAR POWERED.

IN MY FIRST YEAR OF RETIREMENT I’VE FOUND THAT I’VE BECOME SOLAR POWERED AS WELL. BACK IN THE DAY, I SLEPT UNTIL NOON, AND SAT AT THE ROM-NO-MORE TILL 2AM (OR MAYBE 3AM) EASY PEASY!

NOW…….. I’M IN BED WHEN THE SUN SETS. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW A PHOTO ON THE BLOG OF A BEAUTIFUL ARIZONA SUNSET? WHAT, DID YOU THINK MAJESTIC ARIZONA SUNSETS HAVE DISAPPEARED?

OR SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, THE SPRING BREAK CAPITAL OF TEXAS, NOTHING BUT SUNRISES….. DAY AFTER DAY, A BLOG FULL OF SUNRISES. IT’S AN ISLAND FOR GOD’S SAKE DON’T YOU THINK THE SUN SETS?

I HEAR YA, I NEED TO GET A LIFE…. , BUT WHEN YOU’RE SOLAR POWERED YOU JUST RUN OUT OF ENERGY WHEN THE SUN SETS AND I’M REQUIRED TO RETURN TO MY DOCKING STATION LIKE A ROOMBA VACCUME.

ON THE OTHER HAND, I’M WIDE AWAKE AT DAWN. SO, NOW I DON’T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 5 O’CLOCK, I  POP THE FIRST MILLER LITE AT 11 AM.

AND I HAVE A LIFE !!! I LIVE IN ARIZONA WHERE THE SUN SHINES 360 DAYS A YEAR !!!

PAUL’S HOUSE

I HEADED INTO LAS VEGAS TODAY TO CHECKOUT PAUL’S NEW HOUSE. OLD NEWS REALLY, AS PAUL BOUGHT THE HOUSE AND MOVED IN LAST MAY, BUT SINCE I WAS ON THE MOUNTAIN FOR THE SUMMER IT WAS MY FIRST VISIT.

WE ENJOYED WATCHING THE PACKER’S BEAT THE VIKINGS AND HAD A LOT OF CATCHING UP TO DO VISITING.

I SKIPPED A SOAK IN THE HOT TUB, AND GOT HOME 10 MINUTES AFTER MARY GOT HOME FROM WORK.

GOOD TO SEE YA BUD, I ENJOYED THE VISIT !!!

9 TO 5

I’VE BEEN RETIRED SINCE JANUARY, AND OF COURSE THAT STICKS OUT THIS WEEK AS MARY RETURNS TO SLAPP’IN JACKS IN THE CASINO. TODAY I DID 9 TO 5. YUP, I LEFT HOME AT 9AM ON MY SCOOTER AND DIDN’T RETURN UNTIL 5 PM.

THE SCOOTER GETS USED A LOT MORE IN THE MOHAVE VALLEY THAN ON THE MOUNTAIN, AND YESTERDAY THE ODOMETER ROLLED OVER TO 6,000 MILES.

FIRST THING WAS A DENTIST APPOINTMENT ALL THE WAY ACROSS TOWN AT 10AM. NEXT WAS A HAIRCUT AT 11:30AM. HMMM…… IT’S AFTER 11 AM GUESS IT’S TIME TO STOP AT JESTER’S FOR A BEER ($2.00). NEXT IT WAS ACROSS THE RIVER AND A STOP AT THE MALL. I DID A “WALK ABOUT” IN LAUGHLIN TO SEE WHAT’S CHANGED AT THE LOCAL CASINOS, AND STOPPED AT THE REGENCY TO LOOSE $10 IN A SLOT MACHINE AND HAVE A BEER ($10).

AFTER LAUGHLIN IT WAS DOWN RIVER TO BAY SHORE WHERE THE BEER WAS $1.75, BUT I HAD FOUR SIXES DEALT TO ME IN VIDEO POKER SO I WON 400 NICKLES ($20).

LAST STOP WAS THE AVI CASINO TO LAUGH AT MARY STANDING BEHIND A BLACKJACK TABLE AND THEN HOME.

NOT A BAD DAY, 9 TO 5. 70 MILES ON THE SCOOTER AND MORE GOOD NEWS, GAS FELL TO $1.96/GAL. IT COST ME $2 TO FILL ‘ER UP.

MARY’S OFF TODAY, SO IT’S BACK TO WORK, STARTING WITH SEVERAL LOADS OF LAUNDRY.

“SUNNY & 73”

WELCOME BACK !!!

CROSSROADS RV PARK HAD THEIR “WELCOME BACK” PIZZA PARTY. NOW THAT THE SOCIAL SEASON HAS OFFICALLY OPENED WATCHOUT FOR HORSESHOES, BOWLING, POKER, EUCHER, CAMPFIRES, POTLUCKS, ARTS AND CRAFTS, BIBLE STUDY, AND STARTING THIS YEAR, MARY’S EXERCISE CLASS PROMPTLY AT 8AM, M-W-F.

THE PARK IS HALF FULL AT THIS TIME, BUT MANY SNOWBIRDS WAIT UNTIL AFTER THANKSGIVING OR CHRISTMAS TO SEEK WARMER WEATHER.

UNFORTUNATELY, DUE TO EL NINO WE ARE EXPECTING A COLDER AND WETTER WINTER THAN USUAL. LAST NIGHT THEY HAD SNOW DOWN TO 3,000 FEET. NO WORRRIES HERE AT 650 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL.

THE PICTURES WERE TAKEN BY LARRY HULL.

(Looks like 30-40 pizzas stacked on the back counter.)

MOHAVE VALLEY

WE’RE STILL HERE IN THE MOHAVE VALLEY, KINDA KICKED BACK AND JUST ENJOYING THE LAST WEEK OF MARY’S VACATION. MARY IS RETURNING TO THE CASINO NEXT WEEK AS A BLACKJACK DEALER AFTER 200 DAYS OFF.

WE HAVE THE FALL “TO DO” LIST AND A WINTER PROJECT LIST TO WORK ON, BUT SUNSHINE AND SCOOTER RIDES HAVE BEEN THE CASE THIS WEEK.

ONE WINTER PROJECT WE DID DO WAS THE REMOVAL OF THE DINNING BOOTH IN THE SLIDEOUT. IT’S ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS WE SHOULD HAVE DONE 10 YEARS AGO, BUT WE NEVER FOUND THE RIGHT CHAIRS, AND WE DIDN’T WANT TO GIVE UP THE STORAGE UNDER THE BENCH SEATS.

 

WHEN WE BOUGHT THE CABIN LAST SUMMER WE INHERITED A COUPLE OF THESES CHAIRS AND THEY WILL WORK GREAT AT THE EXISTING TABLE, WHICH WE MOVED ABOUT A FOOT. ALL IN ALL, IT WAS A LOW BUDGET PROJECT.

 

BLOGGING

I’VE NOTICED FEWER AND FEWER BLOGGERS OVER THE YEARS. IT SEEMS EVERYONE HAS TURNED TO FACEBOOK TO STAY CAUGHT UP WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY. ANOTHER FACTOR, LIKE  DIGITAL CAMERAS, COMPUTERS AND LAPTOPS HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY IPHONES, AND TABLETS. SURE YOU CAN READ MY BLOG ON YOUR SMART PHONE, BUT IT TAKES AN EXTRA EFFORT AND I HAVE FEWER READERS THAN EVER.

I HAVE BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH A FEW BLOGS BEING POSTED ON FACEBOOK. I DON’T REALLY CARE FOR IT, SEEMS MY BLOG APPEARS FOR A HALF DAY AND DISAPPEARS INTO FACEBOOK HEAVEN. I’LL STAY WITH BLOGGER, AND BLOG OCCASIONALLY WHEN THERE IS SOMETHING OF INTEREST GOING ON AROUND HERE.

   “SUNNY & 70”

WOW WINTER !!!

WOW !!! LOOKS LIKE WE GOT OFF THE MOUNTAIN JUST IN TIME !!!

THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN BY HUNTER, OF OUR CABIN ON “THE MOUNTAIN” YESTERDAY MORNING.

THANKS HUNTER FOR E-MAILING THE PICTURES, AND STAY WARM UP THERE. WE’RE IN SHORTS AND T-SHIRTS HERE ON THE DESERT.

WINTER CAMP

WE SUCCESSFULLY LANDED AT WINTER CAMP EARLIER IN THE WEEK. BECAUSE WE’VE SPENT THE LAST 16 WINTERS IN MOHAVE VALLEY IT ALWAYS FEELS LIKE WE’RE COMING HOME.

IT WAS A SHOCK LEAVING THE SUMMER WEATHER AND THE SOUTH PADRE ISLAND BEACH TO ARRIVE BACK ON “THE MOUNTAIN” AND WHAT AMOUNTS TO WINTER FOR MARY AND I. WE HAD MR. HEATER AND THE ELECTRIC HEAT GOING FOR THE LONG WEEK-END WE SPENT CLOSING DOWN.

THE CABIN IS SET UP LIKE AN RV WITH WINTERIZING THE PLUMBING. THERE ARE TWO LOW POINT DRAINS, DRAIN THE HOT WATER HEATER, A WATER HEATER BY-PASS, AN RV WATER PUMP WHICH WE HOOKED TO THE OUTDOOR FAUCET AND PUMP THE LINES FULL OF RV ANTIFREEZE, OPEN EACH FAUCET AND RUN THE PINK STUFF DOWN THE DRAIN. DON’T FORGET THE CLOTHES WASHER OR THE KITCHEN SINK SPRAYER. I’LL HAVE TO REPORT BACK IN THE SPRING IF THE PLUMBER HAS TO COME AND FIX WHATEVER I SCREWED UP!

OUR BIGGEST CONCERN RETURNING TO WINTER CAMP WAS THE SCREEN MATERIAL COVERING THE PORCH. THE CLOTH LIKE SOLAR MATERIAL HAS A LIFE OF 5 YEARS, AND OURS HAS BEEN UP 6 YEARS. WE WERE EXSPECTING IT TO BE FLYING IN THE WIND. GOOD NEWS EVERYTHNG IS IN TACT!!!

NOW WE HAVE THE FALL “TO DO” LIST AND THIS AFTERNOON MARY IS OFF TO THE DENTIST, MY DENTIST APPOINTMENT IS IN TWO WEEKS.

I’D LIKE TO REPORT THAT THE WEATHER IS “SUNNY & 80”, BUT IT’S ONLY SUNNY & 70 THIS AFTERNOON.