In honor of National Puppy Day...

Really?  What else were you expecting here??

A cool day in the desert.  Steph came by this morning for a visit, and got to take Izzy for a nice walk.  I joined them after a bit - Steph did a fine job of guiding Iz.  Steph even got some leg rubbing when she put Izzy's lunch down for her.

This afternoon, we showed Steph and Dan more about being old people.  No, we didn't holler at kids to get off their lawn... well, because they don't have a lawn - it's Phoenix, they have a dry river bed.  Oh, and there were no kids around.  But, I am digressing again.  The four of us went out for an early supper, as in: before 4:00.  Texas Roadhouse.  Which is not from Texas (corporate office is in Louisville, KY), nor is it a roadhouse.  But, they do have a good early bird special.  Three of us had steak, Joan had chicken; everybody got their bellies full.

We stopped for a bit at their house afterwards, so we could visit the grandkitties, and Joan and Steph could get us seats for a movie this weekend.

Then, to demonstrate the whole idea of "early bird special," we were home before sunset.  And, yes, Izzy wanted to go for a walk.  It was a mostly clear and cool day here in the desert; just before sunset...

Little Izzy with sun on her cute face...

That is a long shadow...

And, the actual sunset...

We walked for a while more.  Time for a couple on bikes and a lady on her way to Bingo in her golfcart to stop and tell Izzy how pretty she is.  No, they didn't say anything about me... and I think I was looking pretty good in the dusky light.  There was another couple with a black lab who kept looking nervously over his shoulder at Izzy.  She can be pretty scary.

Since it really is National Puppy Day, I asked Iz if she'd like a puppy...

"Will it crap outside?"

"Yes," I answered, "that is what dogs generally do."

"Forget it.  That is gross and I am not cleaning that up."

So... no puppy.  But, we do have a really cute kitty.

And, as the sun sets in the west...

Well, if it did, we didn't see it...

We are supposed to get wind and rain tonight - looking a bit ominous to the west.

Little Izzy got her evening walk in, and a bit of sittin' time...

When she and I came inside, Joan was just about done getting supper ready.  The timing was good, because just after finishing, the first gust front blew in - we could hear sand and grit on the side and back of the coach.  I went outside and put our patio chairs in the cargo trailer.  Plenty of blowing dirt, followed by 3 minutes of light sprinkles... a little moisture to help the blowing dirt stick to the side of the coach.  Sigh.

Could be worse: there is a couple miles of road construction east of us - lots of dirt.  With the west wind, we are on "the good side" of that mess.  Until the wind changes direction.

Even though I just did, can't complain too much - the weather has been warm, but not windy.  We have had our awning out for a couple weeks; a first for us.  Yes, we did take down the sunscreen and rilled the awning in this morning.  We keep an eye on the weather, too.

Gun control...

Nothing political.  My definition of gun control is: hitting what you are
aiming at.

Some time at an indoor range today - it is a very nice place (Shooter's World).  They sell all kinds of gun accessories and ammo; a friendly and professional staff.  Twenty-five lanes with concrete block separation at the shooting stations.

This was the first opportunity to try out my smaller gun.  First time Joan has had her hands on it.  Because of the small stature and relatively short barrel, this is designed to be more of a "point and shoot" personal defense weapon.

Everything works as it should.  Still able to put the shots in a mostly tight area...

Joan was done after firing off a couple clips.  I went for specific spots: head, neck, right of center torso (between the "6 & 7")...

I am thinking it is fine for the intended purpose, and hope it will only ever be used for practice.

There were a variety of targets to select from (yes, you pay for them).  A portion of the sales of this one go towards breast cancer research.  Shooting for a Cure.

False Advertising...

I believe in "tell it like it is."  If you are of the proper grammar persuasion, you may say, "tell it as it is," but it does not have the same panache.

The kids bought lunch for us today; their way of thanking us for checking in on their fur babies the last couple weeks while there were some tummy issues.  That wasn't necessary, but who turns down a "free lunch"??  And, we certainly would have done whatever our grandkitties need, with no expectation of a reward at the end... other than having happy, healthy kitties.  Lunch at Oregano's?  Yeah, I'm in.  Especially when there are left-overs for an easy supper!

We planned for some shopping once again after lunch, so we parted company with Steph and Dan.  Joan had a list, and we worked our way through the stores and down her list.  Yesterday, I got a new pair of skivvies at the Under Armor store.  No, I don't make it a point to discuss my U-trow, but these are comfortable and cool... Under Armor makes good gear for cold and warm weather wear.

So, today, I wanted to go back and pick up some more, now that I know they fit and are comfortable.  I do have a problem with them, though.  What's that you ask?  Well, a photo is worth a thousand words...

They fit fine, but I don't look anything like the photo on the front of the package.  (Insert your own "package" humor here.)  I naturally assumed the skivvies would give me 6-pack abs (instead of a keg), and a hairless, toned torso.  They do nothing of that sort!  What's that?  I am not their target audience?  I am male, I wear underwear, and I would like those underwear to keep the boys cool.  And, of course, to make me look like the image on the box.  Well, except I would like to keep my head.  The image on the box has no head... probably so more of us guys can identify with it.

Well, mostly.

What?  More information than you want or need?  That's the chance you take when reading a free blog.

Coulda been worse.

;-)

On the first day of spring, my true love said to me...

"Let's go shopping with the kids."  For those not keeping track, the kids (Steph and Dan) are in their 40s.  Mostly, I carried bags.  Joan and Steph shopped for clothes; Dan and I sat outside on a bench, making guy talk.  Joan and Steph shopped for shoes; Dan and I sat outside on a bench, making guy talk.  A few more stops to make sure everyone got something, and it was off to lunch.  At BJs.

Good food - did you know that two more kinds of meat on a burger make the burger even better?  Friendly waitress.  A good experience... but I was about to explode by holding in all the sophomoric BJ references.

What can I say - it is the first day of spring, and an old man's fancy turns to ... nice weather.

Joan wanted to hit up Costco on the way home.  Steph was wearing out.  Lightweight.  A walk through Costco is good exercise.  And, it is air conditioned... important when the first day of spring will be topping out above 90º.

Shopping, lunch, more shopping, and still home in time for a nap.

;-)

A hot time in the old town...

... all day.  95º for a high here today.  Wind about 2 mph most of the day.  In the words of the philosopher, Paris Hilton: "That's hot."

Last night, the area had a record high low temperature for over-night.  Um, the low for the night was higher than any previous low on record.  Sometimes, I think they have to stretch to find something to talk about on the weather broadcasts here.  ;-)

But, it's a dry heat.  We went out to eat with Steph and Dan today; sitting in the back seat, looking around, the only cloud I saw was in the distance, over the mountains.

The lack of clouds (and humidity) makes for less than dramatic sunsets...

A few moments of color before the sun completely disappeared.  I think we'll be running the A/C tonight, again.

:-)

3 footitis...

It's a malady many boat and RV owners experience: going up or down in size of their conveyance, always searching for "the ideal."

Today, on one of the boating forums I read, there was a discussion on why there were so many used boats of a particular brand for sale.

My response:

Often, "the dream" isn't the same as the reality. The boat brochures don't show wave heights at the top of the cabin, the dog falling between the boat and the dinghy, the first mate puking in the head, or the skipper confused about what that upcoming nav aid means. Nor do the high end motor coach ads show the sewer hose popping loose from the connection, I-10 across Louisiana, sitting in a truck repair place while a guy with greasy boots walks through your coach, or the fact that most RV sites can't accommodate a 45' coach, AND the converted box van in the next site with 6 kids, 4 dogs, and a rooster.

Of course, those things didn't happen to us... we don't have a dog... and a cat is easier to fish out between the dock and the boat... except for those razor-sharp claws and teeth.

It all depends on how each couple handles the reality.

Some people need a piece of dirt somewhere with a place to keep their stuff. Some never intended to do extended boat cruising or RV traveling... but, found out they enjoy it so much that they wanted something bigger so they could stay out longer.

The reality is NEVER as carefree as the ads, and those who go into it knowing that have a much better chance of buying the right conveyance. We have had a bunch of boats and RVs... there is something to the saying: buy your third boat first. Meaning: knowing the difference between how you think you will use it and how you will really use it. Many people get a boat with the idea that grandkids, friends, (insert your crowd choice here) will want to cruise with you... that is rarely the case. By the time kids are 12, family (parents and grandparents) are embarrassing and they'd rather be with their friends. Friends and neighbors have other things they want to do with their weekend... and they sure aren't going to be around when it's time to wax the hull or pay for maintenance.

Most boats and RV are best utilized by... a couple. You often need two people to get them parked (docked), and even 40' is too small after a fine Mexican meal.

So, buy the boat that the two of you will use. Make sure it is big enough that you can take care of your daily needs (a real potty, shower, meal prep, comfortable places to sit, a comfortable bed, and storage for your stuff), but small enough that the two of you can handle it. And, understand that as you age, you will get smarter about how to handle it, but there will be some physical things you could do a year or two ago (insert eye roll here) that you can't do now.

And, because of all that, we move up or down... thinking that 3 more feet will be "all we will ever need"... or 3 less feet will be easier to handle. And that is what keeps boat and RV manufacturers busy, and creates a good used market.

-----------------------

For the record, we are still in the desert southwest, in our motorhome.  Living in "a van down by the river"... except, the Aspect is a little bigger than a van, and there is no nearby river.  Altough, there is an irrigation ditch at the far end of the park, away from where we are.

And, I'm kinda missing my boat.  Yeah, our little boat.  And the dolphins.  But, the motorhome and the boat are just the right size.  ;-)