Family Game Night

Sunday evening and time for the next Captain Jim...

This is Dan's take on family game night...


Of course, it may be the fact that Joan and I kicked butt on Steph and Dan... someone got her nose out of joint (and I won't mention Steph's name) when someone else (and that would be Joan and I) sang our version of the Queen song, "We are the Champions." Sheesh - sensitive, huh? I guess that part where we sang, "No time for LOSERS, 'cause we are the champions... of the world" while dancing and pointing at them... well, let's just leave it at sensitive.

Enjoy!

We've traveled from Arizona to Kansas; on Monday we'll take the 5th wheel in for factory warranty service. Nothing major, mostly a few cosmetic things and an addition. The wind howled almost all the way; we saw the worst fuel mileage since we bought the HitchHiker - 7.5 mpg. We've taken our time getting here, trying to stay out of nasty weather.

Izzy continues to impress me with the traveling... she rides great and doesn't make a fuss. And who knew cats could be so good with navigation...


And when we are set up for the night, she is very entertaining...

The land traveling has been going well; the HitchHiker is comfortable and the truck and 5th wheel combination is great going down the road. Going across Kansas yesterday with the wind blowing like stink, we saw a "witchy-woman" fly by on a bicycle. Izzy isn't Toto, but she was pretty concerned about the weather. This is the first time she's seen a storm since she's been part of our family. The rain pounded, there was hail, thunder and lightning. Tornado watch/warnings all around us. April in Kansas - go figure? And the cold, as in 32º tonight.

The city campground in Chanute is really decent - cement sites, water and electric, and the first 48 hours are free; then $10 per day after that. It's great to see small towns welcome RVers; it certainly adds to the local economy. And with NuWa here in town, it's a great situation.



Sunshine and warming to 65º is predicted for tomorrow - may get out and about on the bikes. Our service is scheduled for Monday morning, so we have some time to check out the area.

Resort Living

Since leaving the Grand Canyon, we've been staying at the Pueblo El Mirage Resort... RV sites, park home and home sites. It's a gorgeous facility with decent size sites, beautiful landscaping, and all kinds of amenities (pool, hot tub, wood shop, library, tennis courts, lawn bowling, concierge, laundry, etc, etc.

This is in Phoenix, so we've been reasonably close to our daughter's place. We've also had the opportunity to visit in her classroom several times, including taking a field trip with them. I took my guitar and led them in some sing-alongs a couple times. Great kids and a real treat for us to watch our daughter work with them... she's good!

Being in one place for a couple weeks also allowed us to get mail, order a few things for the 5th wheel, and get stabilizers installed. We were planning to head out on Friday, April 3rd, but wind and cold to the north caused us to rethink that plan and spend a couple extra nights here. Now, it looks like we'll head south before running east... just trying to stay out of the cold.

Next on the agenda is a stop at Chanute, Kansas, to the NuWa factory for some warranty work.

Izzy the cat has been doing great - she is growing, eating like a big girl (though supermodel skinny still), and very active. Here's a composite of her when she's sleeping...

Desert Cruising

Since leaving Texas, we spent time in Tucson (enjoyed Old Tucson Studios and Arizona Sonora Desert Museum), Phoenix (visiting with our daughter and son-in-law), then the 4 of us headed on to Laughlin, NV. We have fond nostalgic feelings for Laughlin - it was one of the first areas we visited when we started RVing almost 20 years ago. Certainly more laid back than Vegas, and RV friendly. While we did more than gambling, in an amazing turn of events, we all came out ahead when we left Laughlin.


The view at left was out the back window of our HitchHiker. We enjoy walking along the river, eating at the buffets, and just having no schedule.



From Laughlin, it was on to the Grand Canyon. We've been here for a couple days. It's been years since we've been here... and it's just as BIG and GRAND as I remembered. The shuttle bus system is a great way to get around. We've walked along the rim, ridden the shuttle from east to west, taken a gazillion photos, and have been enjoying traveling together.

Out on a ledge.


The 4 of us at the south rim.

On The Road Again...

Wild Blue is stored on the hard, the hurricane shutters are down, the three of us are rolling... off to the west to spend some time with Steph and Dan. Izzy is about to learn the ways of a traveling cat; we'll see if the "practice runs" in the truck and on the boat have prepared her for this.

Bittersweet; I'm really going to miss being on the water, but we're looking forward to some land traveling once again. After some time in Phoenix, we'll see where the weather looks good. No schedule, no return date.

Dolphin Watching

One of our favorite pastimes while in the Tropical Tip: dolphin watching...

It's been a great winter here this year - warmer and dryer than usual. Today was chilly by south Texas standards, it took most of the day to warm up to the mid-60s. Clear, crisp, sunny, and breezy; a perfect day to be in a boat with an enclosed helm like the C-Dory. Not many boats out today; we had the dolphin show to ourselves.

For those wondering, Izzy the cat is doing great. She is comfortable on the boat and rides in the truck without whining or puking. It won't be long and we'll find out how she does with long distance traveling with the RV.

Some background: we got a call last friday from a friend we haven't seen in years. John and his wife are vacationing on South Padre Island. John is the guy who taught me to sail years ago. He is also a sailboat dealer; we bought our first sailboat from him. All that isn't so remarkable until you know that John had polio when he was young and has very limited use of his legs. Once in the cockpit of a sailboat, he is a master sailor; you'd never know from his quiet manner that he was a US record-holder for racing. We had supper that night with John and his wife, a delightful evening, catching up on what we've both been doing. I invited them out for a boat ride, but John's wife has an inner-ear condition that keeps her off boats. John called yesterday and asked if the invitation was still open - said he'd really enjoy the chance to get out on the water down here; his wife could walk the beach (which he can't do) and he would go for a boat ride.

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I took John out on Wild Blue today. He told me it was the highlight of his vacation here... I don't know about that, but it was certainly special for me to be able to show him what it is we enjoy so much about this boat. With John's limited mobility, it took us about 45 minutes to get him from our driveway, down the steps to the dock, and then onto the boat. He thanked me for my patience, and I was stunned... I was thinking about how hard he was working just to get TO the boat. This was certainly no small effort on his part. And then the last small hurdle: getting him up onto the co-pilot seat. It certainly made me appreciate my mobility. I admire his gumption.

We had a pleasant ride; I showed him some of Port Isabel's shrimping heritage, we cruised by the marina where we commissioned the sailboat, we went through the swing bridge, across the Laguna, into the jetties, back down the ship channel, and around the island, back to our home. It wasn't the trip, the scenery, or the dolphins... it was about two friends who share a common bond (our love of the water) getting to spend some time together.

John asked plenty of questions about Wild Blue; I was happy to tell him all about it. I recall the hours he gave me years ago, suggesting and encouraging, while I learned about sailing. When we came back to the dock, we just sat in the boat for a while, talking.

I helped him back to his car; once behind the wheel, he was as mobile as any of us. He thanked me again before he left. I was grateful to have the opportunity to spend some time with him on the water. John lives and breathes sailing; he said to me, "I can see why you like this... all of this."

Yeah, what's not to like? I'm glad he understood.