Here the trouble started...bad tires! We girls were a bit whiney off and on but this poor guy had a wet towel and a bottle of water! Remember, it was 120 degrees when we pulled into Needles! Thank you Mr. Tire Guy!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Trouble starts! Murphy!
Here the trouble started...bad tires! We girls were a bit whiney off and on but this poor guy had a wet towel and a bottle of water! Remember, it was 120 degrees when we pulled into Needles! Thank you Mr. Tire Guy!
This is my friend Susan, I mention her off and on and she is the reason I blog. I assure you this is not how we looked when we met thirty plus years ago outside the Community College Day Care...she keeps promising me old college photos, but I have yet to see them...hurry up my friend, I have brain tumors!!! Let's not be selfish or lazy! (Long time friends are allowed to talk to each other like that)
And of course, Norm the Gnome...he's Mel's and travels whenever he gets the chance, or remembered.
Hummingbirds and Dragonflys!
I left to warm myself on the back porch and watch the hummingbirds. I cleaned and filled the feeder, and Langdon rehung it-brain tumors prohibit climbing and dangling from a log porch post-unless I want to land in the flower bed, of course.
I refilled my cup with the last of the coffee and grabbed my pimped out cane and headed to the porch. I set down my cup and turned my head only to be staring at Mr. or Mrs. hummingbird staring at me! I slowly back into my chair, it's actually Lila's chair, but that's another story...
So, the hummingbirds feed and I sip...they rest on the electrical wire that runs to the shop, and they SPIT! Yes, they spit...it shoots in a stream! I guess they eat as much as they can hold and then spit out the excess!
About two minutes later this huge bright blue dragon fly enters the vicinity and both hummingbirds are intimidated by it...they slide down the wire using their tiny little feet, they fly away and come back angry, they are chattering away! Mr. Dragonfly is not impressed and simply stretches his wings out to dry in the breeze and sunshine!
The hummingbirds by this time are quite angry that Mr. Dragonfly has entered their feeding area and start flying at him and then swerving when they get close. He stretched again then seemed to arch his body.
After about three or four of these "scares" the hummingbirds flew to the orchard area and Mr. Dragonfly flew away.
It didn't take long for the hummingbirds to return (I think they were watching). I sat there watching them resume their feeding and they chattered at me as if it was my fault their meal was interrupted!
Must go research now!
I refilled my cup with the last of the coffee and grabbed my pimped out cane and headed to the porch. I set down my cup and turned my head only to be staring at Mr. or Mrs. hummingbird staring at me! I slowly back into my chair, it's actually Lila's chair, but that's another story...
So, the hummingbirds feed and I sip...they rest on the electrical wire that runs to the shop, and they SPIT! Yes, they spit...it shoots in a stream! I guess they eat as much as they can hold and then spit out the excess!
About two minutes later this huge bright blue dragon fly enters the vicinity and both hummingbirds are intimidated by it...they slide down the wire using their tiny little feet, they fly away and come back angry, they are chattering away! Mr. Dragonfly is not impressed and simply stretches his wings out to dry in the breeze and sunshine!
The hummingbirds by this time are quite angry that Mr. Dragonfly has entered their feeding area and start flying at him and then swerving when they get close. He stretched again then seemed to arch his body.
After about three or four of these "scares" the hummingbirds flew to the orchard area and Mr. Dragonfly flew away.
It didn't take long for the hummingbirds to return (I think they were watching). I sat there watching them resume their feeding and they chattered at me as if it was my fault their meal was interrupted!
Must go research now!
Pictures of our pilgrimage!
I promised some pictures of the adventure, here's some from day one...more to follow...the sun is shining and there are humming birds to watch on the back porch.
Me, Norm, and Lou...husband number 1, Mel and Jay's Dad, he's exhausted from working on the RV day and night so we could make the trip...thanks Lou!
Me, Norm the Gnome, Gen Rose, "Bug" (Mel's youngest), Mel, "First Born Child of My Loins"
Me, Norm, and Lou...husband number 1, Mel and Jay's Dad, he's exhausted from working on the RV day and night so we could make the trip...thanks Lou!
Me, Norm the Gnome, Gen Rose, "Bug" (Mel's youngest), Mel, "First Born Child of My Loins"
Monday, August 4, 2008
Gosh Darn It!
I didn't put the pictures in the last post...realized I need to put them through photo shop first so you're not staring at one inch of my bald head and Mel's eyeball! I promise to get that done and some photos from our first day up tomorrow, if not later today...I'll use my brain tumor card here...sorry!
Three generations in an RV!
Okay, here it goes...take your imagination and back track to July 15th, I believe. Susan, (one of my longest friendships) arrived in Las Vegas late afternoon to visit and be the official driver (she drives school bus in NYC) of our RV trip to the Land of Georgia O'Keefe.
After RV check-ups, shopping, packing and doing what three generations of woman do we were finally ready for our departure on Thursday at 2 p.m.
Susan had preset her ipod to "On the road again" and we were off...headed to 215 east to catch 95! Yeehaw! Susan, Mel, her youngest GenRose and I were off. We had decided to get outside of Las Vegas for our fuel fill up and as things would go that did not happen...there was a motorcycle in flames at the gas station...quick maneuvering got us out of the turn lane and back on the highway! Hmmmm...we all looked at each other wondering if this was an omen.
We continued on to Needles, CA...thought we'd fill up the tank and throw the generator on so we'd have some air conditioning...the temperature outside was 120 degrees! HOT AS HELL!!! Mel made sandwiches and then went to pay for the fuel. The guy told her we needed all new tires...that ours were baked and just waiting for the opportunity to blow out. After a group discussion, and not wanting to get stuck in the desert if we did have a blow out, it was decided that we'd replace them. We were told it would take a couple of hours and they had an air conditioned waiting area inside we were welcome to use. Gen Rose and I headed in there and Susan spotted a Jack in the Box across the street touting iced coffee and where she promptly headed, Mel was outside eyeballing the tires and talking to the tire guy. She returned a short while later and her phone rang; it was Susan saying the Jack in the Box was air conditioned and not crowded, we should come over there for a while. Of course we did. For a long while! Mel got a bit impatient and headed back to the station to see what was taking so long...Needles is a small town and is one of the first off the desert highway...the station takes care of the gas, food/snacks, and tires...it's a busy little place! Mel is good at being friendly and getting things done and made friends with Sue Ellen, the woman running the food/snack part of the station. We wandered from the Jack in the box to the station several times and generally had a good time visiting with Sue Ellen and watching the comings and goings of others.
At 8:30 pm our tires were changed...we said our thank you's and good byes and loaded up our crazy selves and got back on the road again. We crossed the Arizona State Line at 8:38pm!
Susan and I used to refer to Murphy (as in Murphy's Law) as the one to blame when things would mysteriously occur while we were first friends in college...we were beginning to think he had reared his retched little self and was a stow-away in one of the compartments of the RV.
In spite of everything we left with smiles on our faces...especially GenRose! Sue Ellen's daughter (I think it was her daughter) came running out to catch us as were leaving and said her brother liked Gen and wanted her cell phone number! Mel said not today, maybe in the next couple of years and waved good bye.
On the road again...we went as far as Kingman...it was late, we were tired and hungry...it was time to stop. We ended up at McDonald's where everyone but me ate (I rarely do fast foods and wasn't up to it)...there was a sort of creepy guy there that tried to strike up a conversation with me...started asking if my baldness and cane use was due to chemo therapy or radiation...when I just automatically answered, Mel gave me a kick under the table. We moved outside to eat dessert and sit in fresh air and he followed us. With dessert done we wanted to head back to the RV which we had parked near a Semi and were planning to spend the night in on the generator's power, after all we had a baseball bat, a golf club, and my cane to protect us! So, we headed out to the far parking lot and our home on wheels and the kind of creepy guy turned creepy! He moved over two tables so that he could see where we were going! Now the four of us were totally convinced to hurry and get inside and lock the door, which we did. As I was closing the curtains I got that creepy feeling you get when one is staring at you and looked up and realized that Mr. Creepy was following our movements...gosh it was scarey! Mel promised not to leave the trailer to restart the generator without the baseball bat, it had been shutting itself off for some reason and we desperately needed the a/c to sleep. She ended up going out three or four times during the night and once one of the truckers let her know that he was behind her so he didn't get bashed with the bat...it wasn't a restful night, but we did manage to get a few hours sleep. Friday morning greeted us with that hung over feeling from lack of sleep...to be continued.
After RV check-ups, shopping, packing and doing what three generations of woman do we were finally ready for our departure on Thursday at 2 p.m.
Susan had preset her ipod to "On the road again" and we were off...headed to 215 east to catch 95! Yeehaw! Susan, Mel, her youngest GenRose and I were off. We had decided to get outside of Las Vegas for our fuel fill up and as things would go that did not happen...there was a motorcycle in flames at the gas station...quick maneuvering got us out of the turn lane and back on the highway! Hmmmm...we all looked at each other wondering if this was an omen.
We continued on to Needles, CA...thought we'd fill up the tank and throw the generator on so we'd have some air conditioning...the temperature outside was 120 degrees! HOT AS HELL!!! Mel made sandwiches and then went to pay for the fuel. The guy told her we needed all new tires...that ours were baked and just waiting for the opportunity to blow out. After a group discussion, and not wanting to get stuck in the desert if we did have a blow out, it was decided that we'd replace them. We were told it would take a couple of hours and they had an air conditioned waiting area inside we were welcome to use. Gen Rose and I headed in there and Susan spotted a Jack in the Box across the street touting iced coffee and where she promptly headed, Mel was outside eyeballing the tires and talking to the tire guy. She returned a short while later and her phone rang; it was Susan saying the Jack in the Box was air conditioned and not crowded, we should come over there for a while. Of course we did. For a long while! Mel got a bit impatient and headed back to the station to see what was taking so long...Needles is a small town and is one of the first off the desert highway...the station takes care of the gas, food/snacks, and tires...it's a busy little place! Mel is good at being friendly and getting things done and made friends with Sue Ellen, the woman running the food/snack part of the station. We wandered from the Jack in the box to the station several times and generally had a good time visiting with Sue Ellen and watching the comings and goings of others.
At 8:30 pm our tires were changed...we said our thank you's and good byes and loaded up our crazy selves and got back on the road again. We crossed the Arizona State Line at 8:38pm!
Susan and I used to refer to Murphy (as in Murphy's Law) as the one to blame when things would mysteriously occur while we were first friends in college...we were beginning to think he had reared his retched little self and was a stow-away in one of the compartments of the RV.
In spite of everything we left with smiles on our faces...especially GenRose! Sue Ellen's daughter (I think it was her daughter) came running out to catch us as were leaving and said her brother liked Gen and wanted her cell phone number! Mel said not today, maybe in the next couple of years and waved good bye.
On the road again...we went as far as Kingman...it was late, we were tired and hungry...it was time to stop. We ended up at McDonald's where everyone but me ate (I rarely do fast foods and wasn't up to it)...there was a sort of creepy guy there that tried to strike up a conversation with me...started asking if my baldness and cane use was due to chemo therapy or radiation...when I just automatically answered, Mel gave me a kick under the table. We moved outside to eat dessert and sit in fresh air and he followed us. With dessert done we wanted to head back to the RV which we had parked near a Semi and were planning to spend the night in on the generator's power, after all we had a baseball bat, a golf club, and my cane to protect us! So, we headed out to the far parking lot and our home on wheels and the kind of creepy guy turned creepy! He moved over two tables so that he could see where we were going! Now the four of us were totally convinced to hurry and get inside and lock the door, which we did. As I was closing the curtains I got that creepy feeling you get when one is staring at you and looked up and realized that Mr. Creepy was following our movements...gosh it was scarey! Mel promised not to leave the trailer to restart the generator without the baseball bat, it had been shutting itself off for some reason and we desperately needed the a/c to sleep. She ended up going out three or four times during the night and once one of the truckers let her know that he was behind her so he didn't get bashed with the bat...it wasn't a restful night, but we did manage to get a few hours sleep. Friday morning greeted us with that hung over feeling from lack of sleep...to be continued.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Home!
Hey everyone!
I thought I'd take a little time to tell you that I'm home again, in Estacada! I arrived home late Tuesday, after a two day drive with my husband...lot's of fun! I'll be writing about my trip with the girls to O'Keefe country and then the trip home in the next few days. My computer (with the pictures) is waiting to be reconnected here (I'm told that is a priority for tomorrow). I've been catching up on rest...six days on the road with the girls and two with the hubby, leave a girl very tired. I still don't have my voice back, but I think it's starting-at least that's what Di says...my Dad still can't hear me on the phone...I imagine it is frustrating, but thank God for email! Oregon is chilly! I experienced a fifty degree drop in temperatures over night and this bald headed grandma is cold! My daughter-in-law, Christy, brought her three beautiful children over to pick blueberries this afternoon and have a short visit...it was raining, but we perservered and had a great time! Until later...
I thought I'd take a little time to tell you that I'm home again, in Estacada! I arrived home late Tuesday, after a two day drive with my husband...lot's of fun! I'll be writing about my trip with the girls to O'Keefe country and then the trip home in the next few days. My computer (with the pictures) is waiting to be reconnected here (I'm told that is a priority for tomorrow). I've been catching up on rest...six days on the road with the girls and two with the hubby, leave a girl very tired. I still don't have my voice back, but I think it's starting-at least that's what Di says...my Dad still can't hear me on the phone...I imagine it is frustrating, but thank God for email! Oregon is chilly! I experienced a fifty degree drop in temperatures over night and this bald headed grandma is cold! My daughter-in-law, Christy, brought her three beautiful children over to pick blueberries this afternoon and have a short visit...it was raining, but we perservered and had a great time! Until later...
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