Holding pattern

We're still here in Wickenburg, in our nice green site beside the Hassayampa River bed.  

 insert picture here.....I've managed to lose an entire "camera roll" of photos on this laptop somewhere, including one of Beluga and the leafy green trees beside our sitting area.

Some of those leafy green trees are Cottonwoods, however, and the little white fuzzies often drift into our coffee or wine and they seem to make a bee line for poor Lew's nose.    Another lost picture.....

There have been some major changes since we last talked.     Dave had  bilateral epidural steroid injections on April 2.     This treatment did not work, made absolutely no change in his pain or pain level.     We weren't surprised but were very disappointed.        On to the next step, surgery.     Yesterday we met with the Neurosurgeon and discussed various options.    He suggested one that he felt would do the trick and would work within our timetable (more on that later).      He left us alone to talk and Dave decided it was the way to go so, after getting a chest xray, a Covid test and various blood work done, he scheduled the hemilaminectomy for this Monday, April 19!     The procedure should take about an hour and Dave will be able to come home the same day.    He's planning on feeling good enough to go out for a Sonoran Hot Dog on Wednesday - cross your fingers, he's pretty serious about his hot dogs!

Now about our timetable......We've found a house here that we think will make a good winter home base and the owners have accepted our offer.    We'll close on the property on April 30!  It's a small home, about 1700 sq. feet, sitting on a hilly 1 3/4 acre lot with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths.   The bonus is that they recently built a very nice 24x40 building just perfect for Beluga!    It's definitely a country property on an unpaved, dead end road.    There are homes in the area but, other than the one directly across the road from it, they are spread out on similar sized and not next to us.  I'll  see horses from my front windows and will have mountain views dotted with Saguaro for second cup, happy hour in the back yard.   

There are a few complications.   Dave will need to fly back to the lake, (Jesse will be fully vaccinated and join him there) organize and prepare for movers to load our belongings onto their truck for the long ride across the country, and then fly back here to meet them at the new house.    All this while recovering from surgery.     The surgeon assures us this will work.     Without the love and assistance of our friends it most assuredly would not work.    We have faith in Dr. Baaj and our friends so - here we go!      Once Angel (yes, that's the mover's name....) wonderful Angel delivers and unloads our stuff we may or may not get back on the road and head up to the Pacific Northwest for the summer.     Can' let any grass grow under our feet now can we!

So, that's the news from Wickenburg!    There have been too many moving parts to get a blog out before today, I'll try to be better in the future.    One of our Canadian readers said that just because we don't think things are interesting enough to blog about, it doesn't mean that others aren't waiting to read those blogs to keep them sane during their imposed shut downs.....I never thought about things that way, but I'm guilty of comulsively reading friends blogs to keep my spirits up during this difficult year too.

   

In addition to  filling out papers, talking with realtors, insurance people, inspectors, etc., we've managed enjoyed a few lunches out.   Now that we're fully vaccinated I can't tell you how  freeing it is to be able to sit in (outside actually) in a restaurant, share a meal and wine with friends, laugh  and feel normal again!

Our first was at tiny Nichols West in Congress.   We had the entire patio to ourselves (after a reservation mix-up and half hour wait).   We shared a lovely cool bottle of French white wine, shrimp tacos and chicken with waffles.   Time flew by as we ate and watched the birds in the trees surrounding our umbrella table.

The next week (we're trying to spread our fun out....) Dave and I discovered another small, relatively new place in "downtown" Wickenburg named European Kitchen,   The chef/owner is English and runs the little restaurant with the aid of only one waitress.   The effect is intimate and the food eclectic.

Once again we picked a slow day and time so we had the patio to ourselves.   I originally ordered the Konigsberg Klopse (german meatballs) but Dianna, our waitress, told us that Clair, the chef/owner, was still making them and they wouldn't be done for an hour or so!    Instead I chose chicken/spinach lasagna with watermelon radish salad while Dave had a lucious chicken pot pie with puff pastry top.  

Neither of us was disappointed and vowed to return for those meatballs.    

Easter came and went with nothing of note here except the end of our carefully metered out jelly beans.

Mr. David's A-1 Mobile RV Repair and Grooming Salon, LLC came twice.    Once to continue the work he started on a perplexing situation involving Beluga's aging emergency brake dashboard surround. 

 The next time he didn't come himself, but instead, sent one of his newer holiday crew to mow the poodle.   It didn't begin well - he forgot to put a comb on the clipper before he cut the first strip and the resulting crooked  "landing strip" is finally beginning to grow out.    We didn't point it out to Lewis because he is very sensitive about his looks and would have been mortified.

Luckily, hair grows back and we can barely see the mistake now.   Needless to say he comped the entire grooming job and we were happy.  

That's all I have for now.    I just tried, unsuccessfully, to fnd those lost pictures.   I know there is one of a huge and stunning cactus flower that I really wanted to show you.    Perhaps I'll find them another time.    Sorry.

  

Still Wickenburg

 We're happy to say that we both had our second Moderna Covid shots and experienced relatively little side affect from it.    We felt a little tired the next day and used that excuse to take a lovely mid-day snooze but nothing else happened.     We ate a normal dinner and slept through the night.    It's in the rear view mirror now and we're happy campers.

Dave did not have the epidural injection scheduled for the same day, as was originally planned.    The doctors both said they didn't know if it would compromise the Covid immunization so we decided to not take that chance.   One thing at a time.   He's scheduled for the steroid injection on April 2 now....finger's crossed that it works for him.

Life has been relatively quiet and slow here.   No explorations or visits with anyone.   The weather has been lovely and we've done a lot of reading in the sun.    The trees next to us have leafed out and are now home to lots of bird activity, which we always enjoy.  

binoculars poised

 

There is some news, however.     We have accepted a great offer on our sweet lakeside cottage and will close on the sale very soon.   

  Keeping or selling, keeping or selling....that has been the subject of  second cup and happy hour conversations between us for some time now.    We both love the cottage and the lake.    We love the beautiful New York summers and our dear friends there.      What we don't love, however, is the long stressful drive across the country twice a year.    We love the west, have loved it since our first cross country trip in 1971.     If it was up to Dave, we would have moved to Arizona many years ago.     The "crossings" are always during the worst weather months for traveling the way we do.   I can't say how many times we've danced between fronts that were throwing tornados in our path, or halted in our tracks in order to stay put during an early spring/early fall ice storm instead of meeting it on the road.      Making sure we stopped for the night at a campground with a storm shelter had become the norm.  Exhausting.

We're absolutely NOT finished with traveling though.    We feel that the time is right to move our "home base" from the east to the west.     We hope to find a place in Arizona to spend most of the winter (with a few MH visits to favorite places nearby) and then travel for the late spring, summer and early fall.    We aren't done with the Pacific Northwest area and since Jesse and Erin have recently moved up there, our timing seems perfect.      

Lots of balls in the air for us right now.    Did I say "quiet and slow"?    Perhaps not.

gratuitous Lewis photo for his friends

 

  

Wickenburg, AZ

We left Catalina State Park and arrived in Wickenburg, Arizona about 2 weeks ago.    Time flies when you're having fun!     I haven't taken many pictures here, we haven't done much since we arrived.    Covid and Dave's leg/back problems have kept us relatively static, with a few notable exceptions.

We usually stay in a pretty small site near the entrance because we back into a copse of trees that gives us some visual relief from all the fifth wheels, pick up trucks and the noisy off road vehicles zooming in and out.     When we sit outside we can turn our back to it all and gaze into the trees.    Our neighbor on one side was a very nice man, famous to many NASCAR fans.    Ron is a retired Winston Cup Truck Champion so Dave had lots of fun conversations.     He and his wife couldn't have been more pleasant.

On our other side, however, was the absolute opposite type of person.    When we first arrived we found that his truck was parked over the line and impeded our entrance.   He and his wife were not home at the time, but the Manager of the RV Park called him to ask if he would mind moving his vehicle back completely into his spot when he got home.   I was there, she was pleasant and courteous to him on the phone.    He screamed and swore so loudly at her, I could hear him all the way across the room!  He most certainly would NOT!   He was here first and he needed that space......

We could have shoe-horned Beluga in tight to his truck to claim our rightful space, we could be as obnoxious and self righteous as he was,  but what would that accomplish?    A rude, cocky, entitled ass as a next door neighbor.   Oops, his truck door just accidently bashed into Beluga, oops, our sewer hose accidently sprung a leak, oops his grill accidently fell over into Beluga's side......Nope, we pick our battles.    So we ignored him, looked into the trees and waited for another spot to open up. 

view from my window

 A few days later a great, large and private spot opened and the Mgr. moved us into it immediately with her apologies.    We're so happy here.....we have lots of birds visiting and unobstructed sunset views over the river bed (if there are clouds that is....and there are few clouds lately).   Our neighbors (only one one side) here are great, even bringing Lewis steak cut offs for his dinner! 

When we sit out for happy hour or second cup, there is no one in view, just the wide open sky.   Nice.

Sometimes we are entertained by a small Cooper Hawk that flies in and perches in our nearby Fremont Cottonwood tree.   I guess he's looking for his own second cup goodie.

What really gets us laughing though is the tiny Kamikaze hummingbird that dive bombs the hawk, with no concern for his own safety!   It's quite entertaining and the little guy never gets a rise out of Mr. Cooper, no matter how annoying he becomes.

We had an overnight of rain last week.   It was a real blessing as the summer monsoons didn't arrive this year and everything is tinder dry.

our chairs dry in the warm sun

We've used the services of Mr. David's A-1 RV Repair and Mobile Beauty Shop here a few times lately.   Beluga's rear furnace was beginning to squeal like a little piggy when we turned it on so Mr. David's best technician replaced the blower motor, both fans, the burner head and ignitor and all is peaceful and quiet and warm here in the mornings now.

this particular tech works best with a mouthful of screws

His Number 1 mobile TV technician installed Chromecast on the bedroom tv so I could watch whatever I want when I retire in the evenings and Dave can focus on whatever he wants in the living room.    Check that one off the list.

He is brainstorming a tricky fix on Beluga's parking brake surround.   It's beginning to show it's age and needs some reinforcement and strengthening.   This particular problem has been the subject of much consternation.    Mr. David's tech may or may not need to use some of Steve's tools to accomplish his plan.    Stay tuned. 

Occasionally this company's techs get so involved in their work that they forget how to answer the phone when we call.    They do such good work that we forgive these little confusions.

One of the main reasons we're here is for Dave to visit his doctor in Phoenix.   His leg pains (which we now realize are back problems manifesting themselves in the thigh) have gotten worse to the point where sitting is difficult, and driving is very painful.    Last week he had an MRI in Sun City and, as a result of that imaging, he is proceeding with treatment.     Our second Covid vaccination appointment falls on the same day as the prescribed bilateral epidural steroid injection, so Dave will be needled in a number of places that day!

We both ascribe to the theory that "a little sugar helps the medicine go down", or in this case, a little grease helps the medicine go down so after the MRI we stopped at Five Guys for a wonderful burger and some lovely, greasy french fries.   All better now.

Lest you think that our stay has been all unpleasant, we've had the pleasure of visiting with friends and new residents of Wickenburg, Steve and MonaLiza!   Their new home is perfect and we've been able to enjoy it with them a few times.    Two nights in a row they fed us dinner.    Actually it was supposed to be one dinner, but due to a slow delivery it turned into two.    MonaLiza ordered PEI Mussels for dinner, she knows Dave loves them, and they were to arrive on Wednesday.    We all sat and enjoyed glasses of wine and a little appetizer while we waited....and waited.    They never arrived so Steve quickly improvised by pulling  a really delicious pizza direct from their freezer!   (it was really good!)   Afterward they treated us with a knock-out drink.....Screwball!

where to they make this stuff?

Who knew peanut butter and whiskey could taste so d amn good together?

A phone call yesterday had us heading back to their home - the mussels have arrived!   Dave orders them whenever they're on a menu and they are some of Steve and MonaLiza's favorites.    I was the only one who had never eaten a mussel (or clam or oyster)    My verdict?     Wonderful!    I've joined the ranks of the rest of the world now.   Good girl.

That's all I've got for now.   Hopefully it won't be so long between posts next time,  but who knows?

   

 

    

Moving on to Arizona

 

Our site at the Springs at Borrego

When we last spoke we were enjoying our last few days in Borrego Springs.  

  We drove up and over the mountain to pick up our last pies for the trip.  Three for the freezer!

As we pulled into the parking lot we heard a helicopter circling and then watched it land a little way from us.   The folks inside climbed out and went into the pie shop for their fix....evidently we're not the only ones addicted to these pies!

We played one last round of golf with Pam and John.   I kept my camera on the natural surroundings around the course,  Golf is not always an easy game......

On the afternoon of our last day Pam and John followed us out to Fonts Point (socially distant Jeeping) for what has become a tradition with us....Happy Hour high over the Badlands.    Sometimes we wait to watch the sunset but this time there were beautifully clear skies, so no dramatic sunset.

We hiked a short way up to the point, fairly close to the edge (gasp) and set up our chairs and tables.   Silence surrounded us.     After we were there quite awhile a few others came along, but they walked to another overlook and left us to our views and conversation and snacks.

We did have one couple settle nearby, but they were quiet and kept to themselves.   See the rocky point in the distance between Pam and John?    That was the couple's choice of spots.

Pam and John headed home the next morning and we started our move to Catalina State Park, just north of Tucson.   We broke the drive into two days because we've decided not to travel more than 200 miles in one day.   Why hurry?

As we passed by El Centro we saw evidence of the Blue Angels practice routines.

Surrender Dorothy?

 I love to see the smooth tan sands of the Imperial Sand Dunes along the way.

We stopped for a lunch break at a rest stop in the middle of the dunes and had fun watching buggies race up and down the high sand mountains.

We ended our day at Copper Mountain RV in tiny Tacna, Arizona, along I-8.   I have never had to sign as many pages of disclaimers and campground rules as I was presented with there, however it was an extremely inexpensive and quiet overnight spot.   Our pull thru site was very large and the park was easy in and easy out.

We're now in Catalina State Park, a favorite place for us all.   Lots of space for hiking, for walking Lewis and for enjoying the birds.

site 73 at twilight

The bosque is just beginning to leaf out and the delicate leaves shimmer in the bright, warm sunshine.

busy day at the feeder

We broke our self imposed (Covid imposed) restaurant avoidance the other afternoon.    A few years ago Laurel and Eric introduced us to a wonderful Italian restaurant in the nearby Catalina Foothills area and Dave immediately fell in love with one of their signature dishes.      We decided to treat ourselves and order it for a take out dinner at home.    Dave was a very happy man....

Cioppino

We also treated ourselves with a springtime favorite - a fragrant purple hyacinth.    As an added bonus, it serves as a daily Covid test for us.   It's beautiful aroma greets us each morning and we're delighted to know that we still have our sense of smell.

Yesterday was a day of firsts for us.    We finally received our first Covid vaccine at Walgreens in Tucson and on our way home we bought fast food at a drive thru window - something we've not done before!

We're here for another few days, then on to Wickenburg.  The Daytona 500 race heralds the beginning of Spring for Dave and he looks forward to watching it tomorrow. 

    

Playing in the desert

 Saturday was a nice day so after lunch we drove out into the desert to see what we could find.  

  I had seen a road, from a distance, that looked like it wove up into the mountains.   I finally figured out which road it was and where it intersected with a paved road so that was our "soft" destination.    Too bad.....it turned out to be a private road, and posted as such.     I had my maps out so I plotted another course behind a small, private air park community and out into the San Felipe Wash.     We kept away from the airport because it was private, again, posted as such.     We didn't exactly know where we were going, the road came and went in the sand as is often the case in desert areas, but the basic road was on the map and on our Jeep's GPS.   No posted signs, no private property signs, gates, fences, etc. anywhere.     Out of nowhere an American flag festooned "vintage" cut-down range rover appeared on our bumper.     It's driver, a hefty -ahem- gentlemen loudly informed us that we were on his private property and we needed to GET OFF immediately.    Of course, we acquiesced immediately.    We do not drive on private property, ever.   

Once in the San Felipe Wash, we decided to take the long way home.  Navigating in a wash is an inexact science.     We were always going in the right direction, but sometimes we found ourselves in fairly deep sand in narrow, twisting branches of the main wash.    In such cases, one always has the option of getting out and climbing up the side for an affirming look around before continuing.

Long story short, we found our way out of the side wash, and once back on track, it didn't take us any time at all to make our way home.    Another adventure for the books!

Yesterday we explored small Hawks Canyon.    We had passed it's entrance last year with Pam and John (back when people actually rode together in the same vehicle!) on a wildflower discovery exploration and commented that it looked interesting.    We took the sand road to it's end, left the Jeep and set off on foot.   There was no one else there - Yay!

  Since we had no directions or map we followed footprints in the sand as they led up to a path "foot carved" into the green rock.     Below us was a narrow wash with water smoothed boulders and interesting rocks,    As you know, I don't like to be "up" I like to experience canyons from the bottom so we backtracked to a spot where we could drop down into the rocky wash and continue our exploration there.

When I say "backtracked", I meant it quite literally.   We not only went back the way we came, but I went down some of the steeper, sandier parts on my back end.   I crab crawled backward down them to avoid a sure slip and fall - I'm not an agile hiker.......  It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done.   Luckily I carried the camera and the phone so there is no record of my style.

rocks within rocks

We made a slow exploration of the wash and canyon walls, just the way we like it.   No time limit, no pressure, no one following.    Lots of interesting rocks and even a few bushes beginning to flower.

Today was a golf day, as will be tomorrow.  Wednesday we'll make a last drive over the mountain for pie, Thursday we'll make our annual trip out to Fonts Point for an early afternoon, non-alcoholic happy hour with dear friends and Friday we'll be off again.   Tough life, but someone has to do it.

a waddle of widgeons aerating the golf course on 9