Getting Away With Stuff...

 

Now what did you do, Jim?

Really?  That's where you go, right of the bat?  This isn't about me.  It's about...

 Yeah, Murphy.  Look at that sweet face.  He can be a little shit, then turn on that sweet stuff, and... all is forgiven.  Probably not even forgiven - he just gets away with it.

What?  Yeah, I am a bit jealous of that charm.  When I try that routine, there is no over-looking or forgiveness.  I used to be able to pull that off, but "boyish charm" is a long ways back in the rearview mirror. 

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We spent a good portion of the day waiting for the rain gutter guys... "between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm."  They showed up just before 2:00.  This crew was sealing up a couple leaks from the original install.  We'll give it a couple days, then do a "rain test" with a hose, 'cause there isn't any precip in the forecast until Christmas Day... and that's only 20% chance at this point.

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Bike Stuff...

I did get out for a ride this afternoon, after the rain gutter guys left.  I am enjoying the Lectric; kinda similar to the Trail Viper, but some new tech.  I'm still learning.

When I got back from my ride, Joan was working on her Trail Viper, getting it all set up for her and refreshing some things.  The last few years, she hasn't ridden much, so I have alternated between the two bikes, to keep the wear somewhat even.

She isn't interested in a different bike, so she is making this one hers and using some bits from the other bike to get the best of each on her bike.

And I have been getting this Lectric set up for the way I will use it...

 I've labeled what's what on the handlebars in that image above.  Once back from my ride, I added the RAM Mount to hold a camera or drone controller; moved the phone holder; added the bell - this bike is much quieter than the Trail Vipers, so it is good to let people know you are coming up behind them.  The other stuff was there.  Well, I added the bottle holder and the lock mount (under the frame, so it doesn't show in the photo) as part of getting the bike set up.

 

You're Still A Young Man...

 

If you said, "Tower of Power, 1972, from the album Bump City," you get 30 bonus points.  It was one of Tower of Power's first big hits.  If you said, "It's been about 50 years since you were a young man, Jim," you are stating the obvious, and get no bonus points.

Last night, we saw Tower of Power in concert again.  Same venue as last time: Wild Horse Pass Casino, which is an easy 20 minutes from our house.  We went out for supper first, then to the casino; we were there early enough to make some "donations" to the Gila River Tribe.

Our seats were much closer than last time: 5th row, a bit right of center.  Good seats.  Joan said, "Do you want to get a photo of the stage and equipment before they start?"

 The obligatory "we were here selfie"...

 And, has been the case in most of the concerts we've been to in the last couple years, "Big Head Todd" sat down right in front of me...

 No, I'm not kidding.  Fortunately, with our seat location, I could mostly see around him.  How do these ticket sellers know?

The concert was scheduled to start at 7:00 (yes, a mostly older crowd); it kicked off just after 7:10...

 Yes, the lead singer was wearing a Christmas sweater.  This concert was billed as "Holiday Music and the Hits," which is how it played out.  Of course, the holiday music was all done Tower of Power style.

Shortly after starting, a young girl (really - maybe 5 or 6 years old), danced in the aisle...

 Well, more jumping around, but she was obviously enjoying the music.

ToP played for about an hour and 40 minutes, no break.  The band all knew the set list, and they were tight! 

Off the stage into the aisle to sing...

I had to get this shot of the guitar player when he switched to a 335...

 It was a good concert.  Loud... as in my ears are still ringing the next morning.  They weren't that loud when we saw them last year, but we were sitting further back and on the second level last time.

We were home before 9:30... yeah, we know how to party!  ;-)

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Some HoverAir X1 Pro video of a ride on the Lectric XP4 e-bike...

 Joan and I got out for a ride through the neighborhood and around the park before lunch. 

After lunch, I took the CTX out for a ride.  The new e-bike is a fun ride... the CTX is more funner.  ;-)

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I worked up the video from last night's Tower of Power concert to give you a glimpse of the evening's music - these guys still know how to kick it!

 

I Love A Parade...

 

The Laveen Light Cruise (Lighted Car Parade) this evening.  Steph, Dan, and I went; setting up camp chairs alongside Dobbins Rd, right in front of Amadio Ranch Heritage Farm (the folks who put on this event).  A beautiful evening, and great participation from those in the parade as well as the people watching.  A fun community event.

We brought camp chairs and had great seats for viewing the parade...

 

These are some of the participants in the parade...

 

Almost as much fun as the Lighted Boat Parade in the Tropical Tip.

 

Oops, I Did It Again...

 

If you said, "Britney Spears, 2000," you get 5 bonus points.  If you were picturing me in that red vinyl outfit, you lose 12,000 bonus points and are permanently banned from this blog.  Yes, I will know... I am psychic... or psychotic... it's one of those things.

"What did you do again, Jim?"  Thanks for asking.  I have been considering another e-bike.  My wish list: lighter than what I currently have, smaller, more range, and newer technology.  After all, our other e-bikes are 11 years old.

I ordered a Lectric XP4 750 with the step through frame.  It weighs about the same as our SSR Trail Vipers, but is smaller, folds up smaller, and has nearly twice the range.  And, it is easier to get on and off, and that matters.

The bike arrived yesterday.  We had just finished unloading the van, and had some other things to get done; so, I didn't get a chance to open the box and start setting the bike up until just before sunset.  I started in the garage, then moved to the courtyard, where I had more elbow room.

Just getting the box opened and the folded bike out of that box was a bit of work.  I shot some video while I did the unboxing and set-up.  By the time I was done, it was getting dark, and I was tired.  So, more work on the bike this morning, then out for a short test ride.  Here's the video...

 

At first blush, I think I am going to enjoy this bike a bunch.  Joan says she is happy with the e-bike she has, but we'll do some swapping back and forth.

For full disclosure, I rode almost every day when we lived in Texas - part of my morning routine.  It was easy on our island, with limited traffic.  Living here in Phoenix, the traffic can be too heavy for me to want to take a bicycle on the streets here.  It is pretty quiet in our neighborhood, but you have to deal with some heavily traveled surface roads once you are out of here.

So, we'll see how this works out.

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Joan and I did get out on the e-bikes this afternoon, our first bike outing to Caesar Chavez Park...

 

 We swapped bikes for a while... Joan likes that Trail Viper she is on, I am quite fond of the new (blue) Lectric XP4.  Joan found us a way to the park that only required crossing Dobbins (and not needing to ride around traffic).  Apple Maps, satellite view.  We have lived here two years; I had no idea this walking, jogging, bike path wound through a neighborhood to get to the park.

 

 

 

A 3-state day...

 

Been a while since I posted that title... but this was a pretty easy: leaving Laughlin (Nevada), south through Needles (California), then into Arizona for our way home.  Different routing from what we took to get to Laughlin.  This route ran along the Colorado River for parts of it, taking us through Lake Havasu City and past Parker Dam.

More nostalgia for us, as we had traveled all around this area back in the 90s.

We didn't take any photos until we were past Lake Havasu City.  That town has grown a bunch since we were there last.

South of there, we came across the first boondockers along the way...

Lone campers (above) or groups (below)...

 What are boondockers?  Thanks for asking.  There is a lot of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land in western Arizona - you can stay on BLM land for cheap (or free, depending on the location).  No hookups, no defined sites, you just pull out into the desert... and there you are.  Not our style, but a lot of people take advantage of the cheap living; or, they just like being out on their own in the desert.  There are some LTV (Long Term Visitor) areas that have a dump site and a place to get fresh water - you will pay something for that.  Other areas, you are just out there on your own.  If you are into that sort of thing, a trip to Quartsite (about 10 miles from the California border, on I-10 in Arizona) sees a couple hundred thousand boondocking visitors over the the winter, with January being the "high month," with a giant RV show, swap meet, gem show, bringing in the crowds.  We also did that a time or two back in the day... even in our younger years, we preferred more amenities than just parking in the dusty ol' desert.

But, I digress.  South of Lake Havasu City, the terrain turns rugged, and there are plenty of resorts along the Colorado River, on the California and Arizona sides...

 We bypassed Quartsite, taking a diagonal road that put us on I-10 further east.  Nothing much else to talk about with the Interstate traveling.

Home around 2:00, unloaded the RoadTrek and put it away.  For a while.

Murphy seemed happy to be home.  Definitely happy to have his "domain" (our courtyard) again.  I did take him out on the leash once while we were in Laughlin, but he wasn't happy about it.  Joan is glad to be back in her home.  I kinda missed the Christmas tree.  But, I really enjoyed being out and about in the van for a few days, and revisiting some some of the places we enjoyed in our "winters away" time in the bigger motorhomes.

The RoadTrek isn't big.  There are people living full-time in Class B campervans ("VanLife"), but that would not be us.  The first night out in the van felt like real close quarters.  After that, you get used to it again... to the point where it feels very comfortable.  Not sure Murph ever got to that point this trip.