Gettin' 'er done...

 

We had an appointment for 8:45 at Discount Tire this morning.  We were there 10 minutes early, they got right after it, we went to Denny's (next door) for breakfast, picked up the car, went to the grocery store, then back to the motorhome by 10:15.

Timely.

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After getting Rufus his lunch, we headed to Steph's house; one of her furry boys needs some medicine and it needs to be given at a specific time.  Fortunately, we are available when needed - Mom and Dad to the rescue (well, Grandma and Grandpa to that furry boy).  He's a good boy and is quite patient while we give him his pills.  And since we are there, it was a good time to update all our devices on their fast home wifi, do some laundry, and Joan made some paste e fagioli (soup) to get us through the crap weather forecast for tomorrow (more of that cold, windy, rain, blowing dust stuff - with a chance of snow just north of us).  That was the purpose for the stop at the grocery store this morning.

While Joan was making soup, I had some time to drive to the nearby motorcycle dealer, hoping to get to see the new Honda Rebel 1100T (a Rebel with a windshield mount fairing, saddle bags, and dual clutch transmission).  Of course, they didn't have one; in fact, they had 3 Hondas that weren't dirt bikes: a Ruckus scooter, a Goldwing dresser, and a last year's flat black Shadow.  I didn't spend much time there.

On the way back to Steph's place, I got a Tire Pressure Monitoring System alert on my dash... it wasn't a low tire, there was no readout on either tire on the driver's side of the Equinox.  When I got back, I went through recommended reset procedures on the internet, none of which worked.  The owners manual said, "See your Chevrolet dealer where they will use a reset tool."  Instead, I called Discount Tire.  The nice young man apologized for the inconvenience and told me to bring the car in and they'd getting taken care of.

Once back at the motorhome and all our stuff unloaded, I took the Equinox back to Discount Tire.  It took longer to wait in line for a service writer than it did for that service writer to reset the system with his "tool" (that looked a lot like an old-time TV remote).  Truly, about 30 seconds per tire.  He once again apologized that I had to come back, but I was appreciate that they took care of it on the spot.  Our dealings with Discount Tire have always been good.

 

Pain in the a...

 

Um, butt.  "Something to do with the RV park neighbors, the traffic, or the weather?" you ask.  Well, those things are what they are.  It actually got pretty decent this afternoon.  After getting in a trip to Costco and lunch out, we were back mid-afternoon.  It was 63º and sunny; the wind wasn't howling.  After over a month of not riding my bicycle, I decided to uncover and unlock the bikes and go for a ride.

After not riding for that long, I knew my ass would feel it.  I rode all around the RV park; since we are near the front of the park, I really didn't know what to expect.  About 2 miles, when you ride on every street.  And, a few RVs that look like they have seen better days.  There is a sign up front letting people know that they are "no sites available tonight."

With only two miles of riding here in the park, I rode out onto the road in front of the RV park and took the narrow space outside the white line on the edge of the road... not really a bike lane.  South a short ways to the large mobile home park "next door."  It looks to be a LOT bigger than this RV park... it is mostly double-wide and modular homes, and is nicely kept up, and some actual grass in areas.

I got a bit over 7 miles in on the bike.  Not feeling it right now, but I probably will later.  Not in the leg muscles, but(t) a bit higher.

When I got back, I took Rufus for a nice walk.  Down the street a ways, there was a couple sitting out in camp chairs, with a small poodle-ish dog.  As we got close, he scooped up the dog, apparently concerned that Rufus might attack it.  I let them know that Rufus was "dog friendly" (my usual line) and he said, "She has never even seen a cat before."

"Well, this is a good one if you want to let her meet a cat."  He let the dog down, and Rufus came up to get nose-to-nose with it.  I could tell it was an older dog, but Rufus was especially gentle with it (he was probably 3 times her size).

The guy got a little teary-end and told me they had to put down their other dog just three weeks ago, and this dog was really missing its sibling (this dog is 12 years old).  Sad situation, but Rufus left a good impression.  He's a good boy.

Bombas...

 

If you said, "Richie Valens, 1958," you are good at music trivia, but get no points... talking about socks.  Because I am all about the socks, drugs (blood pressure), and rock 'n roll.

Bombas is a socks company (they also sell slippers, t-shirts, and underwear).  They are one of those companies that provides a pair of socks for the homeless for every pair you buy.  Steph got me a pair last year, because she found a style they sell that have right and left foot socks.  Yeah, my tender feet appreciate socks that don't bunch up around my wide toes.

When Dan met the NFL Hall of Fame guys and did a reception with community leaders, they were giving out "swag bags"... he brought one for me, which included (among other things) a nice compact flashlight and a pair of Bombas.  They are the calf socks, which isn't what I generally wear, but they did feet my feet comfortably.  Today, Joan and I shopped online to find the same socks, but in a "quarter length" (just above the ankles)... who knew there were so many styles to pick from?? 

With each of us on our devices, we set about to find the style of these most recent Bombas so I could order the same thing, but in a shorter height.  Good luck figuring out what I have, because of the huge variety of socks they sell... "Well, this one looks kinda like the ones I'm wearing,"... "No, those have a stripe at the top and they don't feel like they have any wool content,"... "How about this one?"

It would have been less complicated to order a new car online.  Joan thought she had it narrowed down to a couple styles that this might be.  In the end, we ordered 3 styles, with the hope that they fit nicely, and then I can order a multi-pack.  It was a lot of work to buy some socks... they have "performance" socks... socks made for golfing... or running... or hiking... socks made with wool, cotton, polyester, nylon, spandex, etc, etc... and different percentages of those fabrics... socks to keep your feet warm... or, cool... cushioned bottoms.  Whew!  Ordering something for my feet made my head hurt.

Another day, another…

 

… walk.  We went to Steph and Dan’s today.  Dinner, with Joan working in the kitchen, Steph, Dan, and yours truly working outside on their griddle.  Chicken fajita tacos and quesadillas.  Tasty.

And, another walk with Rufus and Blaine.  Blaine won the “best walker” award today after Rufus plopped himself down on the way to the green space and refused to move.  I finally picked up him up and carried him - we were so close.

Blaine got to have some time on his 30’ leash, and practiced coming (back and forth between Steph and Dan) - it was cute, watching him frolic.  Rufus did not frolic… he seemed to be worn out just watching Blaine run.  ;-)

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This post is the first time using the new iPad for the blog, from downloading the images, editing and working them up, then writing and inserting the images here.

More music...

 

We got together with Mark and Cindy today.  Cindy made us a tasty chicken chimichanga lunch; then she and Joan went shopping while Mark and I stayed home and made some music.  We also came up with a premise for the next music video... don't expect anything for a while, but I'll work up a shot list... this one won't be a performance video (us playing for the camera) as much as a story line to go with "the story of the video."

In news from the working world (no, I didn't get a job): Steph applied for a different position within the school district for next year.  She has already proven that she does a great job at whatever she does for the district, so I figured she'd be a shoo-in for any position she wanted.  More on that later.  Joan and I are proud of her and support her decisions... not that our support carries any weight.  ;-)

Mugshot??

 

No, I wasn't arrested.  As far as I know, there are no witnesses, and if there were, I didn't do it, and you can't prove nuthin'!

Sorry... I guess I was a bit touchy there.  Today was "school picture day" and no, Joan and I did not go back to school.  But, Blaine, the Guide Dog for the Blind In Training got his photo taken...

 Steph sent me the file and I lowered the contrast and added the name, year, and the line (in a color to match his vest).  With the lines in the background, Joan said, "It looks like a Police mugshot - just needs some height numbers alongside him."  Yes, I could add those... but, I didn't.

A busy day for Blaine today: besides the regular socialization in school, and then getting his school photo taken, he is headed across town this evening for the weekly gathering of the Guide Dog group Steph and Dan belong to.  Since it has been a while since he got his rabies shot, he is now good to attend the meetings with them.

I don't think I'll take the bike today...

 

I'm heading to Mark's again today - there will be six of us.  Since it will be 5 guitars and 1 bass, I will probably spend some time playing the cajon.  There will be one guy there that I haven't met before... these guys are all volunteers at MIM, so they already have a bond... I'm the "sit-in" player/singer in this group.

On Monday when Mark and I got together, I took the CTX.  It isn't what I'd call "fun riding," since it is Interstate almost all the way (except for that last mile into Mark's neighborhood), but I just enjoy being out on the bike.  I won't be taking it today, though: the weather absolute crap.

The weasels were predicting strong winds to blow in overnight, and that ramped up about 2:30 am.  We were ready for it, having pulled the slides in (making for a skinny coach) and put away most of our patio stuff (laid down the stuff we didn't put away).  How windy?  Thanks for asking.  Gusts above 50 mph reported at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.  The forecast is calling for "windy, dusty, and rain."  Sounds like blowing mud to me.  The high today here won't get out of the 50s.  Temperatures drop quickly as you gain elevation north of Phoenix.

Snow is falling in the higher elevations all around the state; white out conditions in Flagstaff due to heavy snow and winds.  I-40 (which runs across northern Arizona) is closed from the New Mexico border west for over 200 miles.  Roads around the Grand Canyon are closed.

So, how are you doing in the motorhome?  Again, thanks for asking.  We hear the wind, and sometimes feel it when the coach "shudders" in the strong gusts.  Joan opened the door briefly this morning, just to check on the patio stuff - the wind nearly pulled the door out of her hands, and she was ready for it.  Wind here is out of the west southwest, so it is blowing right at the rear and side of the motorhome.  Tonight's low here will be in the 30s.

We've been here for just over 3 weeks now, and haven't been able to get in a bicycle ride - just too cold in the mornings, and we've had other stuff going later in the day.  Joan has been out on her scoot twice; I've done more than that, because I've taken the CTX to Mark's when weather permits.  We have run heat every single night since we've been here.  We've enjoyed the rare nice day... keyword there being "rare."

Yes, this is a big winter storm that will be tracking across the northern tier of the country as it moves east and north from here.  Batten down the hatches (that's boat talk).

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A nice surprise when I got to Mark’s place today: the last two items I had for sale sold.  That was the Epiphone SG electric guitar and the Yamaha 12-channel mixer.  Less for us to cart back home.  Mark did a great job getting the items listed and dealing with prospective buyers.  “So, what are you going to get to fill those empty gear slots at home?” you ask?  Thanks for asking.  All of that was gear that wasn’t being used - just taking up space.  I’m not in any hurry to get anything else.

For the record, it was all good stuff; mostly duplicate of other things I have.  The two guitars each came from a dealer that turned out to be a jerk; while the guitars were good, I didn’t need the reminder of the “jerkiness after the sale.”  The amp was one of 4 that I have, and others that I bought since that one are better.  Both of the multi-channel mixers were something I had high hopes for, but turned out to lack important features for me; a nice Bose T4 Mixer replaced those two and does all I want for live sound and recording, with better features.  Some of that you don’t know until you put them into use.

It was fun making music with Mark and 4 of his friends today.  We took turns (mostly) picking songs to play.  I did set up a small PA and mic today, so I wouldn’t have to push so hard singing, over the top of 5 guitars and a bass.  We all have different tastes, so it was a variety of music.

Does it ever go smooth and easy?

 

Well, it did when transferring data from my old iPhone to the new.  And then for Joan's phone.  But, the process is proving to be a pain in the ass with the new iPad... well, to be fair, mostly with getting the old iPad to transfer the data.  It has taken 3 restarts and a lot of fussing with settings to get it to this point...

And now that I finally got them to talk to each other, the new one needs to download the latest iOS before it will go any further.  It said, "14 minutes," about a half hour ago... and still downloading.  Then, of course, it will restart... and no telling where I'll be in the process at that point.  New technology is fun.  Not.

I keep telling myself it will all be better when I get through this "Quick Start"... whoever came up with that name is full of crap.

Look - it is actually transferring!  One in a row!

It started at "Time remaining: 36 minutes"... and now after about 15 minutes, it is down to "52 minutes."  Must be organized by the same people who brought us Daylight Saving Time.  For a while, the two iPads were agreeing on a Time Remaining... now, they're arguing about it.

While waiting for the download to countdown, I opened one of the accessories I bought for this new iPad: Apple calls it the "Magic Keyboard"...

That's it on the right, next to my MacBook Pro.  Looks small by comparison.  The iPad Air looks small compared to my old iPad Pro (which is about the same size as the MacBook).  Apple likes to use the name "Pro" on some of its products... you do not have to be a "professional" to purchase this on an iPhone, a MacBook, an iPad, or even AirPods - you just have to be willing to spend more for it.  Much like this "Magic Keyboard"... I tried to pull a rabbit out of it - didn't happen.  Joan wouldn't let me try to saw her in half with this keyboard.  As near as I can tell, the keyboard (which does connect to the iPad in a cool way) magically removes more money from your bank account.  Yes, you can use an iPad without a keyboard - Joan does that all the time with hers.  I am rather tuned in to using the keyboard and trackpad on my MacBook Pro, so I appreciate having something similar for the iPad.  On the bright side, this "Magic Keyboard" feels more like the keyboard on the MacBook, which is a greatt improvement over the keyboard I got for the old iPad Pro.  (Yes, you'd think if it was "Pro" equipment, it would come with a keyboard.)

We are making progress: an hour after it said, "Time remaining: 36 minutes" for the download, it is down to only 23 minutes remaining.  It's "magic"! Oh, wait - it is staying on 23 minutes.  For the last 4 or 5 minutes.  It must be like a "watched pot."  So, that's fun.  Again, not.  Only 5 minutes for it to go down to 22 minutes remaining.  And 3 minutes later, it's down to 21.  I guess I should be happy that it is slowly counting down rather than gaining time.  I guess I should not have written that; 2 minutes after it went down to 20, it went back up to 21.  It's magic.  And the two iPads are disagreeing on the time again.

————

Back  home again - and now to re-enter passwords… this shouldn’t take more than an hour or twelve.

Making music...

 

Again.  I rode the CTX to Mark's place - I leave a guitar there so I don't have to haul one on my bike ... well, he has plenty of guitars, so he would have one, or a half dozen, for me to play. ;-)  We'll be getting together again with his group of friends on Wednesday, so it was nice for him and me (I think that is proper grammar) to work on some songs on the proposed list for the group.

Mostly, though, we had some fun: playing, reminiscing, playing, going off on a tangent for other songs, playing, more of that "Hey, do you remember when...?", and more playing.

A fun way to spend the afternoon, with a motorcycle ride at either end.  In a no-traffic situation (rare, 'cause this is the big city), it is about a 45 minute drive to go the 40 miles (+/-, depends on the route).  I use Apple Maps while on the bike to see where the traffic slow-downs are along my route... then, change the route as necessary.  A good riding day today: no one tried to kill me, but pulling out in front of me or changing lanes without looking.  It is freeway driving almost all the way there; not the most fun riding (I'd rather be out in the twisties), but it is riding, and it leaves the car home for Joan.  The weather is supposed to be crap here again by tomorrow night, so I won't be taking the bike on Wednesday.

Back home, I spent some time clearing stuff off my iPad Pro.  I got a new iPad yesterday (Presidents' Day Sale), but I haven't even opened the box.  I need to have both iPads on the same wifi, and my phone as a hotspot will only support one device, so I'll have to do the transfer at Steph and Dan's place sometime.  Maybe tomorrow.  I'm anxious to get it set up.  My current iPad was getting long in the tooth... looking up the serial number, I bought it in 2015.  In "iPad years," (like dog years) it is older than I am.  ;-)

Dogs and Cats Living Together - Mass Hysteria...

 

If you said, "Bill Murray's line from the movie Ghost Busters,  1984," you get 25 bonus points.  If you asked, "Did you get a dog?" - no, but we did take Rufus to Steph and Dan's home once again today, and Blaine (the Guide Dog for the Blind that they are training) and Rufus got to go for a walk together this afternoon.

This is only Blaine's second walk away from their house, as he is just now in that phase of his training.  The boy did a fine job.  Photographic evidence...

We walked to a "green area" at the end of their street.

These were from Dan (who wasn't holding a leash)...

The both did great.  Blaine, being a puppy, tends to put everything in his mouth.  One of those things was Rufus - our big furry boy didn't lash out, Blaine didn't bite down... Rufus got some dog slobber on him and that was it.

Some video...

 A nice afternoon and evening!

Ride, Captain, Ride...

 

If you said, "Blues Image, 1970," you get 20 bonus points.  If you said, "Did you finally get out for a ride?" you are right!  Seems like it has been a long time.  Because it has been over a week.  Don't believe that "Oh, it's so hot in the desert," crap.  It is about 6 months out of the year; about 2 months, it's mostly pleasant, and the other 4 months, it's cold overnight, cold in the morning, and sometimes OK during the daylight hours.

We were meeting Steph and Dan for pizza, so we had a couple hours to just tool around on the bikes.  We rode south to Hwy 85, east to Cotton Lane, south into the Estrella Mountain area, east to PIR (Phoenix International Raceway), then back west to Verrado Way, north into Verrado, then east to the Mod Pizza (that Steph and Dan didn't know was there) just east of Verrado.  It was a good ride for us, then some good pizza (we haven't tried it before - tasty!) and good company.  We made this our get-together with Steph and Dan for the day.  (The main reason we are out here in the desert.)

No, I didn't shoot any photos or video.  Our main goal was to get in a ride and try to avoid traffic as much as possible.  We are going to Steph and Dan's house this afternoon (with Rufus again), and I hope to get another ride in before we go.  Because man does not live by pizza alone - you also need to ride.

Start the day with a smile...

 

I am almost always up before Joan.  Especially in the motorhome; I have my "morning routine" to get done, then I will sit down and be out of her way.

This morning when she got up, Joan said to me, "I woke up this morning with a headache."

I couldn't control myself - I said, "Oh yeah?  I woke up this morning with a pain in the ass."

And that's when the fight started.

Kidding, of course; we both had a good laugh.  I'm hoping it lessened her headache.  It's nice to start the day with a good belly laugh.

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Zap!

A couple days ago, Pat Anderson (a C-Dory friend) posted that he was using a TENS device on his knee replacement to help with the pain.  I've wondered about those, so thought I'd give one a try.  The price was surprisingly reasonable on the unit he uses; Amazon is "a day away" here in the big city (well, on the far west edge of the big city).  It arrived today, just before we went out for a late lunch with Steph and Dan.  (They have today off work.)

After lunch (The Spaghetti Factory) in downtown Phoenix, we went back to their place while Steph and Joan planned the rest of the weekend get-togethers.  Side roads to get back to Buckeye (the Interstate was "red" on the Maps program), took Ruf for a short walk, fed him supper, then I got to try out the TENS unit.

A light buzz with the electrode pads stuck to my lower back.  Not unpleasant.  Instructions indicated a lite setting for about 30 minutes to start.  My back wasn't hurting much before starting this, but feels fine (no pain) when done.  Probably too early to get a real feel for it, but first reaction is positive.

For full disclosure, my lower back hurts when I've been on my feet all day or doing a bunch of lifting, so this isn't a real pain situation.  But, I'm willing to try this instead of ibuprofen.

Siri...

 

She doesn't always get it right.  I occasionally use "talk to text" when riding or driving.  No, it isn't distracting and is completely hands free and you don't have to take your eyes off the road.

When heading east on I-10, I let Joan know that the westbound traffic was stop-and-go from Watson (Exit 117) to Estrella Parkway (Exit 126).  Yeah, 9 miles.  Some things about life in the big city are tedious.

When Siri read the text back to me before sending it, she said, "Traffic is backed up from Watson to Australia."  I truly laughed out loud.  No doubt it felt that way for those stuck in that traffic.  For those not familiar, Estrella is pronounced "es-tray'-ya"... so I kinda understand how Siri got it wrong.  I cancelled that and resent it, saying "es-trell'-ah"... makes me sound like a newby northerner in the southwest, but Siri understood what I was saying.

I think I will have a tor-till-ah for lunch.  ;-)

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Other musings...

This has to do with dumping RV holding tanks, so the non-RVers may want to skip this.  No bonus points for reading it, though.

Like most RVs, our Aspect has a gray holding tank and a black holding tank.  The gray is for water from the kitchen sink and the shower.  The black is... the poop tank.  Those who RV know that when both tanks are full, you dump the black tank first, close that valve, then dump the gray tank; it flushes soapy water through the sewer hose.  When we bought the Aspect, one of the "added features" was a macerator pump for dumping your holding tank.  Some RVs have (or have added) a macerator pump to the outlet from the black tank to "chew up" any solids.  (That is as graphic as this will get.)  Wild Blue had a macerator pump off the black holding tank, which would allow us to grind up and pump it overboard, when 3 miles or more offshore (yes, that is legal); or use a pump out facility if the marina you are staying in has one.

When I read that the Aspect utilized a macerator pump, I figured that was, indeed, a nice feature.  After owning for a very short time, I discovered the macerator pump is to move the gray tank contents over the rear axle and to the sewer connection.  The only way to get the water out of the gray holding tank is via that macerator pump.  With almost every other RV, gravity is what moves the gray and black tank contents.

Why is this significant?  Thanks for asking.  Many RVers will leave the valve open from their gray tank, so it just goes out their sewer hose and into the sewer connection in the RV park.  You do NOT want to do this with the black holding tank, because (OK, this may be more graphic than I thought) the liquids will drain out, but the solids will plop onto the tank floor and eventually build up to a "poop mountain" in the tank.  So, proper black tank use dictates that you close the valve as soon as the tank is emptied, and add some water to the tank so you don't get the dreaded "poop mountain."  And as the black tank starts to fill, it is smart to close the gray tank valve so it can fill and be dumped right after the next black tank dump.  In every RV we've owned the gray tank fills faster than the black tank.

So, since we can't leave the gray valve open and just let gravity do the work, I have to run the macerator pump - it generally works out to two dumps of the gray tank for each black tank dump.

I dumped the gray tank yesterday, but we could tell this morning that the black tank was getting full (you can tell by the sound of the flushing toilet, even though there is a monitor panel that reads "1/3, 2/3, Full" for each tank.  That means we had a relatively empty gray tank and a black tank that was getting close for needed to be dumped.  Easy resolution: we both took long, luxurious showers this morning... I felt almost decadent letting the shower run the whole time I was in there.  Since we can't leave the gray tank valve open, we generally take shorter showers, turning the water off (just a click on the shower head) between wetting down, soaping, and rinsing.  Holding tank strategy.

After getting dressed and getting the tanks dumped, I took Rufus for a walk after he had lunch.  Still chilly here at 1:00 in the afternoon.  A bit of north wind (reasonably light at 7 mph) that has a bite to it.  Ruf got to meet a Schnauzer being walked by a couple... he was friendly, the Schnauzer didn't know what to think about this animal that outweighed her - she ran behind her human Momma.  Ruf shrugged his shoulders - he was friendly, felt like he did his part in improving animal relations.  ;-)  He's a good boy.  (In case I haven't mentioned that before.)  The Schnauzer people were impressed with Rufus's good behavior.  I guess some dog people think every cat is going to ready for battle when they encounter a dog... that hasn't been our experience.  Because, he's a good boy.

Mid-afternoon, it is only 55º.  It looks pretty out, because the sky is blue and the wind isn't howling.  But, don't be fooled... the desert is crafty like that: sucks you in, then whacks you.  It may be the pretty blue sky, but by the time the sun is ready to set, you will be freezing.  When you think you're dressed for the weather, the desert will blast the temp up to turn you into a sweatball.  When you think, "Oh, look at that pretty flower," it will be attached to a cactus, just looking to stab you with its spines.  Deserts are like that.  They are not a good boy.

(It is supposed to get into the 30s again tonight.  Brrrr!)

Sleepless in Buckeye...

 

Not even close to Seattle.  Not a low budget version of that movie.  After the hail last night, I laid awake most of the night... wondering if I had it in me to deal with insurance companies and repairs again.  A quick look around in the dark (right after the storm) assured me that there weren't major dents and broken windshields.

Just after sunrise, I did a walk around in the cold air (41º); looking close, I saw no dents or broken glass.  I opened the trailer and didn't seen any evidence of water intrusion.  Joan was still in bed, so I didn't get up on the roof or drop the tailgate to the trailer to get a better look in there.

Opening the blinds when she got up, Joan said the neighbor's (across the street) had blown over and collapsed.

I'll get up on the roof when it warms up a bit; open the tailgate and move the bikes so we can check all the corners in the trailer; start up the coach and check all the lights in back (the direction of the hail).  Then, we can all breathe easier.

And, I'm going to need a nap.

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Up on the roof...

If you said, "Written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, the song was done by The Drifters, 1962," you get 25 bonus points.  If you said, "You looked over the top of the motorhome?  How's it look?" you get my thanks for your concern.  The fins on the air conditioner are bent down on the section of that unit that faces west...

Every place you see something that looks "shiny" between those openings is damage to the fins.  I didn't see any other evidence of damage on top of the coach.  I won't be turning that in for insurance, but I will get an "a/c comb" and straighten them out myself.

All in all, with the amount and duration of the hail, we got off pretty easy.  If it had been any larger... well, I don't even want to think about it.

I moved my bike out of the trailer so I could examine the floor in every area, each corner and the V-nose - no evidence of water intrusion; seems that the repair I did to the roof of that is holding.

So, we can move on... and hope Mother Nature is kinder to us.  As I was coming down from the roof, a couple walking by asked if I was looking for damage - they used to own an insurance company in Sundance, Wyoming, about 30 miles from where we used to live in Spearfish.  They told me, "In 20 years of spending winters here, this is the first time we've seen hail."  Lucky me.  We visited further, and had several "small world moments."  When she found out that we had owned James Photography, she said, "You did my senior portraits!"  I didn't ask her age, but I'm thinking she may be off on that by a year or 12.  ;-)  We did know some of the same people.  He asked if I knew about "the best place in town for Mexican food..." which led to a discussion of Taco John's... and the three of us agreed that it isn't what most people think of as Mexican food, but it sure is good!  They asked if we were members at Hart Ranch, and then the discussion of that terrible hail storm 2 years ago.  Yep, small world.

Oh, HAIL!!

 

The weather weasels were calling for cold, wind gusts to 45 mph, and generally crappy weather this evening and through the night.  About 7:45 pm, the first "WHAM!" of hail.  Yes, we know that sound all too well.  Poor Rufus freaked out.  Joan and I opened the covers on the skylite and the bathroom vent to see if the vent covers were getting busted and leaking... not yet.  It started coming down harder!  Fortunately, we were ahead of the game and had pulled in the bedroom slide (facing the direction the big wind was supposed to come).  I tried to scoop up Rufus, but he was running back and forth, terrified!  We turned on the porch light to see how big the hail was... hard to tell, with it coming out of the west nearly sideways.  Joan mouthed to me, "Nothing we can do about it."  It was loud - reminiscent of the hail in 2021 at Hart Ranch, but not as loud - we could still hear each other hollering.

Hail?  In Arizona?  Who knew?  I sure didn't.  When it let up,  I went outside with a flashlight.  The wind was still howling, a bit of rain that felt like needles, and cold.  Hail was piled up around the picnic table and on the windshield of the car.  I took a few photos, but the windshield didn't look broken and by the light of the flashlight, I didn't see any visible damage to the Equinox...

 Pea size and some larger.  Solid (not the mushy kind of hail).  It came howling out of the west southwest, so I went back to the cargo trailer and looked it over...

I didn't see anything new for hail damage (once again, by flashlight).  The e-bikes are under a cover on that side of the trailer, and I didn't see any obvious damage to the cover.  It's too cold and windy to stay out very long, so I'll be looking things over much closer in the daylight.

At 8:40 the wind is strong and gusty - strong enough to make the coach shudder as it blasts mostly from the side.

No visible damage to the skylites, so likely that the roof is OK.  But, as I said earlier, I'll be up and out at first light to look it over close.  In the meantime, my heart is beating a bit faster than normal (and I'm sure Rufus, too) as the rain continues to come down, along with the wind.  The streets in the RV park are concave (with the center being lower) and water is running fast down the middle.

We were ready for the wind and rain - sure didn't expect the hail.  In Arizona.  In February.  We've been coming here for over 2 decades... never seen anything like this before.

Sleep may be hard to come by tonight.  But, the power is on, the heat is running (it's in the mid-40s currently), and we are safe and dry.  This coach could use a break from Mother Nature, and the Equinox has heard the stories about the Honda getting beat to a pulp.

 

Happy V-D...

 

What?  No, not the clap - what is wrong with you people?  It's Valentine's Day.  Love is in the air.  Romance abounds.  And you have to make it all sleezy.

Which reminds me: did you hear about the guy who was killed when a radio antenna came loose from a passing minivan and pierced his heart?  The coroner didn't have a box to check for "radio antenna pierced heart" so he put it down as VD.  When the police detective came to investigate the coroner told him: "The guy died from a van aerial disease."  (rimshot)

I can't help it - I'm a romantic.  Happy Valentine's Day to all you lovers out there.

--------

My Honey took me shopping today.  Well, I drove, so I guess I took us, but she's the one who said, "Your pants are all too big - we need to get you some clothes that fit."  I've heard women say that when they lose weight, it comes out of their boobs first.  Old men lose their ass... and not in a "stock market" kinda way.

We went to my go-to clothes store: Bass Pro Shop.  This one used to be a Cabela's near the stadium (where the Superbowl was held); I thought the Cabela's stores would stay with that name after Bass Pro bought them - guess not.  Same inventory, so I was looking through familiar goods.  I was darn near worn out after trying on about 50 pair of pants.  Yes, I'm kidding... it was closer to 60.  This pair fit in the waste, but was baggy in the legs... this one had pockets that are too short (where do you put your phone and keys??)... this pair fit OK, but the color is ugly... what is this material - it looks like parachute pants.  Then we moved on to shirts; I said I was fine with shirts, then Joan found a flannel - I haven't had a flannel shirt in years.  I picked up a size large; Joan followed behind me with a medium.  I tried on the large, and it seemed fine to me.  Apparently, I was wrong.  Joan handed me the medium, which felt tight to me.  Again, I was wrong.  I tried on a couple hoodies - liked the fabric, didn't like the fit.

In the end, I got two pair of pants and the one flannel shirt.  I can't say for certain, but I think she likes me to wear my pants tighter so she can show me off in my role of "trophy husband."  Two inches smaller than what I've been wearing on one pair, three inches on the other.  Yeah, that's what this healthy eating does to a person.

She tried on a pair of shorts - took about 15 seconds in the dressing room to decide they were "good."  She did not feel the need to come out of the dressing room and model for me, like I did for her.

By this point, it was nearing 3:00 - time for "lupper."  We ate at a Mexican place, which put us heading west for the RV park during "rush hour."  I don't know why they call it that - with bumper to bumper traffic, no one is rushing.  I don't know how people who live here do this every day.  What should have taken us 20 minutes at most turned out to be closer to an hour.  I even detoured to head to a "less traveled" street... just like the thousand cars in front of me did.  The options for heading west funnel you into just a few options, and I-10 is generally the most crowded, slowest moving.  Pulling up Apple Maps showed us that all roads heading this way were moving slow.  Life in the big city.

Rufus was happy to see us when we got home.  Because... he's a good boy.

Shrinking...

 

"Are you talking about old guys' height or what happens when you get into cold water?" you ask.  Neither, but thanks for asking.  Music gear, specifically amps and PAs keep getting smaller.  A few years ago, an amp less than 50 pounds and anything smaller than a Great Dane would have been considered "a toy."  These days, I have a PA that isn't much bigger than breadbox and only weighs 15 pounds... and it sounds good.  I have a guitar amp that is less than 10 pounds and is the size of a shoe box... and it kicks, and can be plugged into a bigger sound system.  When we saw the BoDeans last Friday, the bass player had an amp that was barely knee high; back in my rock 'n roll band years, the amps were as tall as the musicians and weighed well over 100 pounds.  Smaller works these days.

Here's an example...

That is two Spark amps, stacked.  The two together are just a bit bigger than the drinking glass to the left that olds a 16oz drink.  The top one (white) is mine, the bottom (black) is Marks.  I stacked 'em up to make it look impressive.  LOL  They are about a 6" cube and they have thousands of guitar setting options, thanks to being able to be connected with an app to the internet.  Will you get volume to fill an auditorium with those little amps?  Of course not.  But, they will fill a small room with sound.  In fact, Joan uses that amp more than I do, as her blue tooth speaker, to listen to music.  Multi-use.  ;-)  And that cylinder shaped thing to the right is the Spire Studio that I have mentioned in the past, that handles my recording.  You don't need a giant console with a thousand knobs and sliders to handle 8 tracks for recording.

For the record, I remember when a computer at college took up the footprint of a full-size van and had less computing power than my iPhone.  What?  Yeah, that was A LOT of years ago.

Mark and I had a good time together this afternoon.  He sold an amp that I brought today... that's 3 down and 2 to go.  The items left are the Yamaha 12-channel mixer and the Epiphone SG electric guitar.  We also learned a BoDeans song: Closer To Free... yes, that is the big hit from the band we saw last Friday night.  He also gave me some instruction on how to get the most out of that Spark amp.

He called it...

 

We had a good time spending "Superbowl Sunday" with Steph and Dan.  We did take Rufus, and he did fine with their guide-dog-in-training Blaine.  Well, mostly they just sniffed at each other, then ignored.

Rufus was a little unsettled at first when we got there.  He knew there were other cats around, but he couldn't see them (Steph kept her cats in their bedroom suite).  I borrowed Dan's guitar to play Ruf a couple of his favorite songs (yes, he has his favorites)...

Ruf was just outside of what the camera was seeing (Steph didn't know that Rufus is the star in all these photos).  He sat beside me most of the game...

Dan called the game before most of it happened, especially the last few minutes.  We were all mildly pulling for the Chiefs, but that was only because it is required that you pick a team if you are watching the game.  The most interesting thing during the half-time show (to me) was the "floating platforms" and the discussion of Rhiana is pregnant.  The commercials were OK, with my favorites being The Farmers Dog, and Ben Aflack working at Dunkin' Donuts.

Steph made the chili-cheese dip, Joan baked sugar-free cupcakes and brownies (very tasty!) and chicken fries (skinny chicken strips in the shape of a French fry); Dan and I worked at the griddle, he made brats and dogs, I did the cheesesteaks.  We didn't go hungry.

Mostly, it was nice to spend time together.  Away from crowds.

The Big Game...

 

 

Watching sports on TV isn't my thing.  I know stating that publicly puts my Man Card in jeopardy.  Don't get me wrong, we have enjoyed taking in baseball, football, and basketball games while we're here in the Valley of the Sun.  And, we will get together with Steph and Dan to watch the Superbowl today... Dan is an avid Packers fan, but, alas, they aren't in it.  I have no doubt he will enjoy watching the game today.  I enjoy the commercials, and we'll all partake in the food that Joan and Steph will be making.

But, I am over the hype.  Being here in the Phoenix area, it has been non-stop Superbowl hype on every local channel.  No, they don't all get to carry the game, but everyone of them have had reporters at the many "pre-game venues" in various cities around the Valley.  I don't need to see another reporter interviewing a Chiefs or Eagles fan to ask "Which city has the best food?"... or hear another cliche' about "looking like Christmas with all the red and green apparel,"... or listing outrageous prices for seats at the stadium or hotel rooms.  It has been going non-stop for the past week.

I won't miss the added traffic or every restaurant having a waiting list.  We have taken alternative routing to avoid the Loop 101 near the State Farm Stadium (where the big game will happen).

At lunch yesterday, while making the food plans for the game, the question of "Which team will you be cheering for?" came up.  No rabid fans either way at our table... but, with our mid-western routes, it seemed like the Kansas City Chiefs were the tepid choice for all of us... not much rivalry happening for us today.

There will be a bit of "a production" for us, though: Rufus is coming with us to Steph and Dan's house today, so he doesn't have to spend so much time alone.  Really, the boy likes our company.  Steph's cats will get their bedroom suite, Rufus will get the rest of the house.  I have no doubt he will share that space comfortably around their guide-dog-in-training Blaine, but it will be best to keep the felines separated.  With the RV park where we are staying being further away from their place than years past, it isn't a 5 minute jaunt to run back to feed and walk our furry boy.

So, we have huddled and we all know our parts for this play.  And tomorrow, when workers are dismantling all the huge tents and stages surrounding the stadium, and people are boarding business jets and commercial airlines (Monday is being anticipated as the busiest day ever at Phoenix SkyHarbor Airport), and all the hoopla is over, maybe this area will get back to normal... which is still plenty crowded and abundant traffic.

Who's ready for Professional Baseball Spring Training ("the Cactus League") to get underway??  Meh.

;-)

The BoDeans...

 

We had supper last night with Mark and Cindy, and their friends, Tom and Joan.  Yep, two Joans there.  BBQ and good company!

Mark had done some set-up work on the SG I have for sale; yes, the action is even lower and no buzz on the strings.  It plays good.  No, I am not having second thoughts.  It's a nice guitar, but I'm ready to move it on.  I posted Mark's G&L bass for sale on the Acoustic Guitar Forum (yes, some of those guys play electric guitars, including bass).

From Mark's we all headed to MIM for the BoDeans concert.  Mark had great seats for us - it's a really nice venue (as you'd expect at MIM).  I have to say I wasn't familiar with a lot of their music, but we had given a listed to some of their songs yesterday afternoon.  The concert was outstanding: good music, a lively crowd, nice acoustics, and theater-type seating, so every seat has a good view.  A few photos from our seats...

 

I may need a nap...

 

The wind howled again last night; I was up early.  Tonight, we are going to a concert with Mark and Cindy at MIM (the Musical Instrument Museum)... the BoDines.  80s and 90s rock, for those keeping score.  It's "the late show" at MIM - they are doing 2 shows each night that they are here.

From Wikipedia: BoDeans is an American rock band formed in Waukesha, Wisconsin. BoDeans came to prominence in the 1980s. The band's sound encompasses multiple rock genres, including roots rock, heartland rock, and alternative rock.

This will be the first "event" (live concert) we've been to since the start of Covid.

Blowin' In the Wind...

 

If you said, "Bob Dylan, 1962," you get 20 bonus points.  If you said, "Peter, Paul, and Mary, 1963," you get a partial credit of 5 points, because they did cover that song.  If you said, "Is it windy there today?" you get 5 bonus points for understating the obvious.  It is blowing like stink out there.  Current wind conditions here: 18 gusting to over 40 mph.  So, that's fun.

Joan requested a 1/1/1/1 breakfast this morning.  It wasn't that windy when I started...

 But, it is chilly in the desert in the morning.

I am using the new griddle table Joan ordered...

Midway through the cooking, the wind kicked up.  Four beer cans, one by one, blew into our site from a neighbor's site (somewhere upwind of us).  I had to be careful when flipping the pancakes that they didn't blow off the spatula.  It was a handful while trying to stand upright in those gusts.  I handed the plates in to Joan, then went to crush and pick up the beer cans.  In the meantime, a guy walking his dog let it crap  and started to walk away.  "Hey!  You have to pick that up!"  Fortunate for him, there is a "bag station" just across the street.  Smart pet owners carry a bag with them.  In some parks, you have to have a "visible means of picking up after your pet" on you.

After eating, I went back outside to clean up the griddle.  In the wind.  Hold on tight to those paper towels and handi-wipes.

It's a good day to not be going anywhere on the bikes.

--------

Back to School:

We got a text from Steph late this morning, asking if we wanted to see her classroom in her new position... "Absolutely!"  She isn't in a traditional classroom this year.  She might not like my description, but she is working with what I call "last chance" situations; students who have been long-term suspended... this could well be their last chance at getting an education.  I won't go into the behavioral or academic problems, but these students have this last opportunity to stay in school.  I would think it is a seriously challenging task for Steph, but she believes she can make a difference for the kids who are given this opportunity.

She has also been tasked with establishing and administering a similar program in each of the schools in their district.

With class time over for the day, we got to look around...

This is very different from the traditional classroom where Joan and I have volunteered in the past.  It is not in a school with a bunch of classroom - this is the only classroom in the administration complex.  The school believes in this program, as does Steph.

She took us over to the building where Dan's office is...

Dan's position is doing the social media for the district and being the "community liaison" for the school district.  His job today took him to Luke Airforce base and the opportunity to meet several NFL Hall of Famers (including Dan Merino and Warren Moon) who are in the area for this weekend's Superbowl... interesting job, huh?

It was interesting to see their work areas.  Changes for them over the years.

Sold!

 

Mark is a selling machine.  Second item sold, the Taylor 522ce 12-fret, the biggest ($$-wise) of the items.

That is a sweet guitar, and the person getting it will be playing a like-new instrument.  Both items he sold so far have to be shipped; we brought boxes for both guitars.  It is a relief to know that we won't have to cart them back home.

Making Music...

 

I went to Mark's today to play some music with him and 3 of his friends... which makes them my friends, too.  They do this a couple times a month, so it was a treat for me to be able to sit in with them.  Our musical tastes are similar, so it is easy enough to take turns picking a song and getting everyone familiar with it.  I was having fun, so I didn't get any photos.

I took my CTX to Mark's place, making for a brisk ride this morning - it was still in the 50s when I got there.  With that temp, I put on a pair of flannel lined jeans that I haven't worn in a couple years; the were a little big on me (guess I've lost weight since I last wore them).  The style of the jeans has a fuller leg... so I got to experience the legs flapping in the breeze on the way there and back.  This is the first time in a couple years that I didn't wear motorcycle pants with armor in the knees and hip... yes, I felt a bit "unprotected."  Not to mention that I was mixing it up with traffic on I-10, Loop 101, and Loop 303... where 70+ mph is where traffic is flowing.  It was a bit unnerving at first, since it has been a while since I've ridden that speed in busy traffic; but, I did settle into the flow.  The CTX does a great job... I was able to twist the throttle and pull away from the two tailgaters (not the party kind) along the way.  Lots of traffic here in the big city. 

One other bit of music gear info: one of the mixers sold on Reverb, and Mark and I were able to get it wrapped and ready to ship tomorrow morning.  One item down, 4 to go.  There was an offer on the Taylor 522, but it was a bit shy of what we were hoping for - the guy said, "I'll think about it."  He low-balled an offer, Mark declined that and gave him another price.  Mark enjoys this give and take - I am not a fan.  When I got home, a guy who had made an offer on the mixer that sold was willing to take it for the listed price... but, it was already sold.  Or, as Mark said, "You snooze, you lose."

It was chilly and I was staring right into the sun on the way home, heading west.  That aside, it was a good ride.

Morgan...

 

It's our young neighbor's name.  And by young: I'm guessing he is about 3 years old.  While we have not been formally introduced, we know his name because we constantly hear:

"Morgan, NO!"

"Morgan, put that down!"

"Morgan, stop screaming!  Morgan, shut UP!

"Morgan, stop throwing gravel!  I mean it!  Stop!"

We know when Morgan is awake, because we hear him stomping from one end of the travel trailer to the other.  Over and over.  Morgan seems to have plenty of energy.  And by that, I mean he makes the Energizer Bunny look like a slacker.

The RV sites are quite close together here.  The window at our dinette is about 4 feet from the side of their trailer... much closer where their slide out sticks over the top of our shared water connection.  Yesterday, when I raised the shade on our dinette window, I was treated to Morgan energetically licking the inside of their window.  Licking doesn't do justice to what he was doing... he was full-on French kissing that window.  I'm surprised I didn't hear: "Morgan, stop licking the window!"  I'm guessing the parents were still asleep.

Morgan has no shortage of toys to keep him busy.  There is a table with a toy car parking garage on it.  Two bicycles: one with pedals, the other is a Strider.  A kid size table and chairs.  And that's just what I can see from our window.

You're thinking: "Jim, you're just being a grumpy old guy."  No, I am grateful that we didn't raise a Morgan.  I can't even say, "Get off my lawn, ya damn kid!" because, first of all, it is all gravel here (no lawn) (so Morgan has plenty of throwing material), and the kid hasn't wandered onto our site.  Yet.

Don't get me wrong.  I like kids.  Well, some kids.  Well, I'm sure there are a few good ones out there.  No doubt grandparents will come out of the woodwork to tell me how great their grandkids are.  They, obviously, don't have a Morgan.  We don't have one, either, but we sure get the effects of the neighbors having one.  Even Rufus looks up and me, saying, "I don't get what people see in having a kid."  The furry boy has a point.

--------

Out and about this afternoon.  I wanted to check out a nice guitar shop in Tempe, Joan was interested in checking out some kitchen stuff (like pans).  We got both what we wanted.

At Acoustic Vibes, I looked at a McPherson Touring...

Yes, it is carbon fiber.  No, I am not hot to buy it.  But, if both other guitars I have for sale go away... no, it is close in size to my delightful Emerald X7... even smaller scale length... sounds good.

From there, it was on to...

If you said, "IKEA," you get 5 bonus points.  This was a good stop because it has been too cold in the mornings since we got here to ride my bicycle... you get in PLENTY of steps as you work your way through "the maze"... seriously, they should give you a piece of cheese when you make it through there.

It is rare that I am looking for anything from this place, but I find the doo-dads interesting.  And, I especially like the names of all their merchandise.  Like: Skanka... I mean, who doesn't want to bring home a Skanka??  I did find this...

I thought it might be a good tool to bring back to the motorhome and give to Morgan's parents; but, no, it was just a silverware holder.  Maybe they could still smack him with it?  Yes, I know that isn't the way people parent these days.  It seemed to keep me in line when I was a kid.

 

Unlike my visit at the guitar shop, Joan did not leave empty-handed.  What?  No... no Skanka.  From there it was onto Texas Roadhouse (right next door to IKEA).

Traffic was thick coming back from the east side of the Valley to our RV park on the west side.  It took a bit over an hour to go 34 miles.  When traffic wasn't at a stand-still, I was able to do 70mph... it doesn't balance out.

Rufus was ready to go for a walk, after he had supper.  I was already wore out from walking the equivalence of a marathon while going through IKEA.  But, the boy needs to get out there and see his adoring public.  ;-)