November

 Nothing really new or exciting going on.   Continuing to make the house and yard our own, visiting with friends (old and new), meeting two little neighbors, making introductory visits with dentist and eye dr.,  and just generally enjoying our time together.   The FedEx, UPS and Amazon delivery people know us by name.

I carved out a spot to be able to work on a puzzle, or puzzles.  I hope I get this one finished before Jesse and Erin come for the holidays, I bought a new one for us all to do....It's tradition.

The family across the street from us has twin boys, about 7 years old, Pearce and Jones.    They're sweet little guys, homeschooled and very curious.    Dave was working in the garage the other day, with the door open.     The boys quietly came across the street, introduced themselves and offered a gift for both of us....hand made bracelets.     I had trouble putting mine on and Jones quickly stepped in to help.....

At long last, our couch arrived.   We ordered it (and a couple leather chairs) in May!

Lewis promptly claimed it, he's been pestering us for something more comfortable to snooze on....

He lets us sit with him, if there is room.    He feels the chairs will be for us, the couch for him.   We don't like to argue with him, he's usually right.

I've been planting a few flowers around in the back yard, for bits of color in the brown and green desert. Lew recognized one of his old friends from the lake and tries to keep her company when he's relaxing outside.

Dave has been figuring out his part of the fireplace installation.   Literally figuring.   Lots of paper and pencils and measuring tapes and chalk lines, etc.    Today he made his first cut in the wall.... The unit is promised to arrive at the Fireplace store in a couple weeks and we have an installation date in early December.    Please keep your finger's crossed that it does come in and is not in one of the cargo boxes piled on a container ship somewhere.....

Last week MonaLiza and Steve invited us to their house for lunch with a blogger couple we've followed but have never managed to meet.   They were hiking with Joodie and Mark in the morning and would be home by noon.   They wanted to meet Lewis and he hasn't met anyone new in a long time, so we headed over. 

  We had a wondeful time talking and laughing and eating and birdwatching until it was time to go.   I hope we'll get a chance for another visit on their way through in Spring, they're way cool folks!   Lewis totally agrees....

Friday we invited Steve and MonaLiza here for a little celebration of sorts.   We sat outside and shared a bottle of champagne (actually, it was Prosecco but we weren't picky - it had bubbles!),

Lew wonders why Dave is using those wine glasses for champagne....

I couldn't find my champagne flutes (they're in a box in the garage, I just know it!) so we made due with what we had.    

We had ordered take-out smoked prime rib dinners from the Ornery Hog BBQ in town but they called in the afternoon to say that the "chef" was ill and was not preparing food.   Good idea.    I was able to pivot and none of us went hungry.      We'll try for the prime rib again this week.

Before they left, Lewis allowed them to try out "his" couch -  but the price was a kiss.....

Thanksgiving is next week.   This will be the first time in I don't remember how long, that I'll be cooking a turkey in a real oven.   Actually, Dave cooks the turkey (don't ask) but we're both looking forward to it.    Now, if we could just find a can of cranberry sauce somewhere.....

Friends and blue skies

 We continue to settle in, making our old "lake" life fit into our new desert life.

bringing the teak back to life

We've been fortunate to have made some good friends on the road and Tuesday we were able to welcome six of them to our new winter home base!    Jodie and Bill, MonaLiza and Steve, and Pam and John were able to come together for a long awaited visit.     We decided to make it a progressive dinner of sorts, MonaLiza and Steve hosted us for Happy Hour at their home and then everyone piled into their cars and came here for dinner.   

 

yes, we see you Tessa.....

We realized that all of them purchased their homes, furnished.    We did not.   No furniture in our main room.    It was too chilly outside (yes, chilly in the desert is a thing) to eat there so we made due by pulling the umbrella table into the livingroom, beside our lovely cardboard fireplace (although John managed to make our TV into a fireplace complete with crackling sound effects) and we all laughed and talked and ate and drank and realized how lucky we all are to be able to be together.    There was one particulary spirited directional discussion among John, Dave and Steve, two of them were wrong.....

yay!

Lewis got presents!   Gramma Pamma brought her usual pockets full of treats and Miss Tessa brought him a dead rabbit.    We got goodies from Jodee and Bill also!    Fun.....

After everyone went home we used our dishwasher to make clean up a breeze....not usually an exciting activity, but the fact that we've never had a dishwasher, ever, so it was the cherry on top of our great day.

The next morning Jodee and Bill continued on the rest of their  motorhome trip and we had a late breakfast with Pam and John on their way back to Boulder City.    We had another good meal at tiny Nichols West in Congress, sitting outside and enjoying the beautiful Arizona blue skies and their patio cat.....

love those blue Arizona skies....

No, we didn't eat the patio cat - he sat there politely watching us eat, ocassionally meowing quietly when he thought our conversation needed his opinion.   

After breakfast (or was it lunch?) we drove into the desert to try and visit a couple of Pam's old friends.

She has a great love for the rare crested Saguaro and keeps track of several of them as they grow and change.    We made our way to one particularly old and beautiful one that she hadn't seen since 2017 but we were so saddened to find it's majestic head had broken and crashed to the ground.   Nothing lasts forever.  Sigh. 

Before (thanks Pam)

after
His beautiful head on the ground, returning to the desert....

We took a few dirt/rock roads to locate another one that has evolved quickly from just the beginnings of a crest when she first discovered it, to what it was that day....

Now that we know where it lives, Dave and I will watch it's progress.   Another good excuse to get out in the desert, if one really needs a good excuse.

So, that's all I have for now.    We're scheduled for our booster vaccine next week and we'll continue to make this house our own.      And....we'll continue to honor sweet Lewis's subtle suggestions.... 

gentle pink sunset in the eastern sky

And....we're home!

 We spent the first two nights back in Wickenburg at Desert Cypress RV Park so we could slowly ease our way into the house.    All our things were already there, but we needed to dump Beluga's black tanks, rinse out the fresh water tank and gather our wits about us in order to transition from living in a motorhome to living in a real house.   I try to have duplicates of most everything so there wouldn't be too much to take from Beluga once we arrived, but still.....what was the hurry?

Since we were only a few miles away, I followed Beluga down our washed out, rocky road to the house.

We put Lewis in the house and then worked on backing Beluga into her new winter home.   The building was large enough so it would be easy peasy for Dave.

Beluga's coming generated a bit of interest from the horses across the street....It's a boring life for a pipe corral bound horse after all....

So....we backed in, right to the rear wall of the building but part of Beluga was still sticking outside, the door would definitely NOT close, uh oh.    Dave readjusted, tried backing in a little to the left, a little to the right, kitty corner to the door, etc., but in no way would the door close.   One of the reasons we bought this property was because Beluga would have a building to live in while we were in the house.

Long, long story short, he was able to carefully back Beluga so that her ladder fit between two of the studs in the back wall.   With a 1/2 clearance on either side.    I stood with my nose to the studs, walkie talkie keyed in my hand, guiding him slowly back (and forth) - inch by inch until the ladder was as tight as it could be to the back wall.  

back as far as she could go....

Then we moved to the front and cautiously brought the door down, hoping it could clear Beluga's windshield wipers and close to the ground.   We held our breaths.

just made it

Success!  by inches.   What an exhausting and nerve wracking first few hours.    

We closed up Beluga, walked up to the house,  poured a good stiff gin and laughed at our almost catastrophic failure.   Mother nature gave us a beautiful welcome but later,  when we went to use the master bathroom toilet we found it was leaking.   Ugh.

Another long story short, Dave worked on the toilet and ended up cracking the tank....luckily we have another bathroom to use so we gave up and went to bed.     The next day we drove into Sun City and bought another toilet.

yes, he knows it's upside down....

Lewis continues to enjoy our movement in and out of the house.   He knows where his toys are and where the best places to use his new ball and get our attention.....   Sometimes he loses it under things but he knows we'll come to the rescue, eventually.

got a minute to kick that ball?

   

 

it's under there, I know it's under there......

stopped it just in time!

Sometimes he tires of playing and just wants pets...If we're busy he lets us know what he needs.

I need pets, can't you just stop for one minute, can't you?  I'm right here - see me?

He's not a "dog bed" sort of dog, has never been.   Since this house is all tile flooring I tried to place soft beds everywhere so he wouldn't have to drop his old bones down on the hard floor.    He studiously avoids all help.   He plops down next to a bed and only gets on it if I bribe him.     But...we bought a really nice, thick and luxurious velvet bed for him to use our bedroom at night and that one he seems to use regularly, but he'd still rather sleep in the carpeted master closet.   Go figure.

One day (Saturday I think) we decided to take the day off and go to the Wickenburg Airport to attend  Fly-In Classic Car Show.    We hoped we'd be back from our Spokane trip in time to get to this show - it combines two of Dave's loves.     Steve and MonaLiza were planning to be there also so it would be a fun outing.    Until.....we got into the Jeep, ready to go and - click click click.   The battery was dead.  Grrr    Do we call AAA and wait all day for them to bring a new battery and miss the car show?     Once again, good friends came to the rescue.   Steve and Mona Liza were in the area and they responded to Dave's call.    They came right over, agreed with Dave's diagnosis and wasted no time taking him to the local Napa store for a new battery.

We managed to make it to the Fly-In Classic Car show before all the exhibitors flew or drove away.   Thanks again Steve and MonaLiza!

Lots of the planes were beginning to fly away but we enjoyed watching them taxi and take off as we walked through the remaining cars.    It was a very good show and next year we'll make sure we arrive a bit earlier!

So, back to the house and getting settled.   We're using our Beluga outdoor chairs in the livingroom - our new furniture won't arrive til near Thanksgiving (ordered mid May).     Here are a few pictures, in no particular order, my brain is fried with  too many details.....The FedEx man knows us so well he brings a biscuit for Lewis each time he comes.

out with the old

in with the new

Dave uses CAD to help me visualize a fireplace (cardboard aided design)

new license plates

tv antenna works great - now.....

my new Mexican Agave (it's metal!)

And, to top it all off, we've just purchased the empty property next door to assure the privacy we're so enjoying here.   

So....we're here and happy until next summer's travels.   We look forward to being able to welcome friends and relatives, celebrate the holidays with a real Christmas tree, and just generally enjoy our own little slice of Arizona!