Reminiscing...

 

If you said, "Little River Band, 1978," you get 30 bonus points.  Still one of my favorite bands.

This is some actual reminiscing...

Joan is looking through newsletters.  Newsletters?  Long before I started this blog, I did a newsletter to keep family informed on what we were doing.  This started back in the 90s.  Full color.  Multi-page, generally at least one issue each week.  Mostly, it was about our travels at the time.  Copies went out to family.  I found out my Mother was keeping these in a binder, by year... we started doing the same.

Going through a cabinet in our entertainment center at home, Joan said, "We need to condense these newsletters.  I told her, "Toss 'em if you want."  She said, "No, I'm just going to take them out of the plastic sleeves and 3 ring binders - it will save a lot of space."  It's the first time either of us have looked at them in years... Joan said, "These photos are so crisp - what camera were you using back then?"  I don't know - there have been a lot of cameras over the years.

I kept doing the newsletters, kind of in conjunction with this blog, which started in 2008... the newsletters had more images and details than the blog.  When my Mother passed away in 2011, I kept up the newsletter for a year or so, but it was easy to eliminate the paper version, and just do an electronic version of the newsletter.  And in 2012, I switched it all over to this blog.  Prior to that time, I did the blog so Stephanie could see what we were doing, while we were doing it; especially the Captain Jobs.

Since 2012, we have saved an annual electronic version of a year's worth of blog posts - these can be saved on a hard drive with all the photos from that year - takes up very little space.  And saves me a pile of money on ink/printing.  Progress.  For reference, the blog posts from 2022 would have taken up over 700 pages.

With these binders, I did front and rear cover images each year.  The binders and plastic pages take up about the same amount of space as the actual newsletters.  We'll gain that space and eliminate the weight.  There is other stuff on those shelves - there will be piles: donate, toss, keep.  And, yes, there are boxes for iPads and iPhones we've had over the years... those will go in the "toss" pile... along with some of the GoPro crap... and probably some other gadgets accumulated.  It's a "project."

And the reminiscing: about once a minute or so, Joan would say, "Oh, look at this..."  It was usually an image of our sweet little Isabella.  2008... we brought her home just before Christmas that year... she was so tiny and frail looking.  But, the heart of a lioness.

Screening...

 

My calls?  No.  Not usually, although I occasionally don't carry my phone.  But, I digress.  The screens I am talking about are the ones that go on the windows of your house.  In our case, those screens have framing that is aluminum, with what looks like white powder coating; they came with the windows when we had the house built.  Time and salt air had the white on there bubbling up... it looked tacky.  Joan found that we could order more screens on-line.  Then, she found out our local lumber supply place makes screens.  The "pulls" for removing them aren't exactly the same, but the rest of the framing looks to be a good replacement.

I took one screen of each size (15 total) with me when I went to the lumber place.  I had also measured each screen so they had an exact size.  The guy at the counter said, "As long as you have the number of each, we'll just go by these screens for the size."  I was told it would take "4 days... but Friday and Monday are holidays."  This was yesterday.  They called today to let me know the screens were ready.  In one day.  Getting work done ahead of schedule is a rarity around here.  I was told it was "good timing" because they were slow yesterday afternoon and this morning.

When I went to pick up the screens,  they didn't look as "square" as the old ones.  When we went to install them, I found out why: the right side on every stinking screen was about 1/64th of an inch longer.  It made it a giant pain in the ass to get the screens to fit.  Oh, we got them... with some "persuasion" (as in: pounding the corner in with a hammer)... it shouldn't be that difficult.  Oh, and on two of the screens, they put the pulls and spring on the wrong sides... I had to take those back this afternoon.  I was told they'd be ready "by 5:00 today."  We'll see.  They didn't take my name and phone number this time (I asked if they needed that to let me know when they were ready)... "It's on the paperwork."  Not on my copy.  So, we'll see.  I assumed they could just take the corners of the frame apart (looks to be a plastic piece that snaps in place), move the pulls and the springs, and it would be done.  But, no, I was told they'd have to be remade because the screen wouldn't fit again once they take them apart.  He acknowledged it was their mistake (they had the original screen to go by, the reason I took the old ones in).

There's a few more "projects" to be done around the house.  I'm so excited I could just puke.

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Update: the screens were ready at 3:00; yes, they called.  These last two snapped right into place.  Yeah, that's how they're supposed to function.

And the beat goes on...

 

If you said, "Sonny & Cher, 1967," you get 20 bonus points.  If you said, "The song was written and composed by Sonny Bono," you get an additional 20 bonus points.  Cher was the star, but Sonny played a big part in their success.

More getting stuff done around the house today: we took screens off all the windows, I took measurements, and off to the local lumber yard - they make screens.  The paint has bubbled on all the screens and they look tacky; it will be less hassle to replace them rather than sand, prime, and repaint.  They will be ready in "4 days... maybe 5... it's a holiday tomorrow and Monday, so maybe a week."  Yeah, that's about normal for here.

After dealing with an air conditioning business here since last October ("We can't get an air conditioner like yours - the government is writing new regulations, blah, blah...), we moved on and contacted the guy who built our house.  He had a new air conditioner sitting beside our house the next day; hopefully, he will get it installed yet this week.  No, the current air conditioner hasn't given up.  Yet.  But, it is working harder and cooling less.  Rather than put more money into it, we figured it would money well spent to get a new one, which should be more efficient.

Joan had me get hoses out and connected, and she is rinsing off the house right now - things can get grubby after two months.  People who know her say, "She loves to clean"... I think it is more a matter of: she doesn't like things dirty or messy.

On the Rufus front, when we went out on the deck to measure screens, he slipped out the door unnoticed.  No, he isn't a flight risk.  He was happily munching grass by the side of the house when Joan went to look for him.  We have a screen that rolls across the opening at the bottom of the steps from our deck; like a gate.  We remove that when we're gone; I guess getting that put back on will be on the to-do list.

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Update: Pete came this afternoon and installed the new air conditioner.  Two days after I first asked him about it.  We waited for over 6 months for the other air conditioner company, with no action on their part.

Second verse, same as the first...

 

If you said, "From the Herman's Hermits song, Henry the 8th, 1965," you get 25 bonus points.  You also had better adolescent years than today's teenagers.  If you added, "It was #1 on the pop charts in August of that year," you get an additional 10 points (mostly for knowing how to use Google).

A trip out to the storage unit to get the rest of the stuff unloaded from the coach and into the Equinox and the cargo trailer.  The coach is in need of a bath, but that will be another day.  We got the cargo trailer and car unloaded, bikes out of the trailer, chocks removed (puts the trailer in "garage mode"), then bikes back in.  More stuff to put away in the house, then we can start living like nearly normal people again.  So, today was pretty similar to yesterday, as far as moving stuff and dragging asses.  Well, one ass each.  Dragging.

The rest of our clothes and shoes came 

A mostly overcast day here in the Tropical Tip - it helped to keep us from melting.  After two months in the desert, it will take a while to reacclimate to the humidity.  But, my sinuses do like this salt air.

Back at it... this stuff won't put itself away.

What are those marks on the floor??

Oh, that?  That’s from my ass dragging.

We are home.  Shortest trip back from Phoenix since Covid had RV parks shut down in 2020.  Mother Nature was reasonably kind to us… until yesterday, when she gave us temps in the mid-90s.  Today, it was wind.  Ugly wind.  Mostly on the nose, with the occasional gust from the front corner.  Fortunately, it was only a bit over 100 miles today.

We put the coach on the RV pad at our storage unit…

Loaded necessities into the Equinox, put the cargo trailer in the storage unit, then headed for home.  It took a while to get everything into the house and get the bikes off the rack on the back of the Equinox.  Not blazing hot (like yesterday in Kingsville), so the unloading didn’t leave us dripping.  

Rufus is happy to be home - he jumped into closets as the doors were opened, got a nice snack, and is now sitting on the back of  my chair as I am writing this.  I have to admit, I’m happy to be home, too.  There is still a lot of  “moving back in” to be done, but we’re safe and reasonably sound.  And a bit more room to move around.

I voted to leave the cargo trailer at the storage unit because of the ugly wind.  The motorcycle and scooter will get back home when the wind eases up… which at some point, it will likely do.

The Gates of Hell...

 

"Making plans are ya, Jim?"  Thanks for asking, but, yes, we have plans.  Nothing eternal, just trying to get across Texas in the least painful way.  We thought we had it figured: if we got south of San Antonio before Tuesday, we'd beat the really hot weather.  And then thunderstorms in that area coming in behind the heat.

In a big surprise to me, the weather weasels got it wrong.  (Insert giant sarcasm emoji here!)  We had to run heat last night, hit the road before 8:30 this morning, and needed air conditioning by 10:30.  We went from high desert on Sunday night to around 2,600' elevation last night, and close to sea level tonight.  In the low 40s for temperature last night to 97º, 12,000% humidity, and wind out of the south at about a million miles per hour for tonight's stop.

We're only 100 miles or so from our storage unit, so after the sun goes down and the wind drops to 100 mph or so, we'll dump tanks one last time and be ready to start moving back in tomorrow.  It will be a several day process.

As far as anything of interest today, it went from this...

 ... going across Hill Country, to this...

... south of Corpus Christi.  Lots of greenery!

I didn't get any photos of the wild flowers that come up in the spring along the roads in Texas, but here's a file photo...

 

I was too busy holding onto the steering wheel in the wind (high profile vehicle).

A treat for lunch today: Joan said she was tired of cold sandwiches.  Fine by me, because I am always tired of cold sandwiches.  She proposed at stop at a Love's that has a Mickey D's... you know she is trying to work with me if the Golden Arches come up in conversation.  While she took the car through the drive-up, I pulled the coach and cargo trailer around back to the "big rig" section, and parked us amongst the 18-wheelers.  No, we were not keeping any hard-working trucker from getting a parking space; there were plenty available.  And lunch was good.  To my sophisticated palate.  Rufus got lunch, too.  Everybody's happy!  Joan did give me a "dessert" at our fuel stop today (paid $3.04 at a Pilot, btw)... she said it was a chocolate brownie... it was a "dirt bar."  I can't say that is the brand name, but it is an accurate description.

The wind didn't kick up until we got close to San Antonio.  Our timing was decent, going through the city around noon.  One slow down, due to a work detail with no advance warning.  The coach has good brakes... "Warning - items in overhead compartments may have shifted during abrupt stops."  Yes, I checked the cargo trailer at the first parking area I came to south of SA... everything is still upright.  Joan and I are talking by phone (hands free) during the city passages - I did have to say, "Fast stop coming up!" without panic in my voice.  I got practice at that during my pilot days.

And now, down for the night at this RV park that has become a close-to-home favorite, thanks to long paved sites and no dirt and gravel.

Rufus says to tell y'all, "Hey!"  He was a good boy again today.  We may do a walk if/when it cools down out there.  

On the positive side...

 

I didn't want to come across as a grumpy old man... although the description fits.  Leaving Deming, NM, around 8:00 this morning, the road was good all the way to the Texas border.  We assessed our fuel situation as we approached Exit 0 (Anthony, TX) - we always stop for fuel there, since it is generally the least expensive all along this route.  Gas was $3.25, so it was tempting, even though we were both good on fuel.

I told Joan, "I can make it to Fort Stockton with what I have for fuel onboard - gas there will be more expensive, but we'll save some time, since we'll have to top off in Fort Stockton anyway."  She was in agreement.

Going through El Paso just before 10:00 am on a Sunday was a good move - traffic was light and we didn't get slowed down or terrorized by the usual crazy-ass drivers there.  Most of the road construction that we have experienced there for the last decade is done, so there wasn't a stretch where they put 4 lanes of traffic in a space designed for 3 lanes.  And the road stayed decent as we rolled southeast out of El Paso.  Mother Nature gave us a tailwind... which is good for the fuel mileage.

We stopped briefly, for Joan to divvy up the lunch she had prepared this morning; of course, Rufus got his lunch on schedule, and we rolled.  Our stop was in Fort Stockton - they have a Flying J with RV lanes, so it is generally convenient... even though the gas price is usually the highest along our route.  In an amazing turn of events, the price for unleaded at the Flying J there was $3.15... which means I got it for $3.10 (with my GS discount).  Yes, even cheaper than at Exit 0.  A pleasant surprise.

The plan is to do about 450 miles... where we generally do 250 to 300 when making miles with the RV/cargo trailer/car.  That would put is in Ozona, TX.  We have never overnighted in Ozona when going across west Texas... because there was no RV park in our apps/guide book.  Joan found an Economy Inn motel that has RV sites.  The reviews weren't great (2 out of 5 stars), but we'd have to push uncomfortably further if we didn't stop there.  Plus, this gets us almost 2/3 of the way across west Texas.  Another long day tomorrow, and we can be home on Tuesday.

I shot a few photos along the way, but there isn't a lot to view out here.  Heading east, looking into the sun...

The Las Cruces "skyline"; well, the mountains to the east of Las Cruces...

Into west Texas, with miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles (that is a quote from my friend Charlie Jones).  The elevation here gets above 4,600', so the greenery in the desert here hasn't blossomed.

An interesting notch cut for the Interstate years ago...

The traffic was significantly less today.  More 18 wheelers, fewer RV and cars, about the same number of motorcycles.  The wind was up to 18 mph, mostly from the west.  I didn't get a photo of the dust devil that passed between our motorhome and the truck in front of us... yes, I slowed for it, to let it get across the road.  Insert your own "Annual Blowing Dirt Festival, Jan 1 through Dec 31" joke here.  I've made the joke many times.

High desert terrain...

We pulled into Ozona just after 5:00 pm.  I usually like to get off the road earlier, but there is no reason to stop along this stretch, so we drive 'till we're tired today.

The RV parking (can't really call it an RV park) is a gravel lot, with 30 amp electric (we need power because the heat has begun and we'll need a/c to be comfortable tonight - I saw a high of 91º today).  They have water and sewer... first I've seen both of those connections in the same enclosure (???) in any campground anywhere... not sure that is up to code.  But, we don't need water or sewer, but Joan saw they have cable TV.  Fortunately, the cable situation was better than last night's park.  It is a bit "snowy," certainly not high-def, but I don't know if we'd get anything on the antenna here.  And something is better than nothing.

There are a few RVs here.  You go to the motel office to check in... the motel has seen better days, too.  I asked the lady who took my money (who spoke very broken English) if it mattered what site I took - we put the coach in a site before I went to register.  She said, "You done - you go now.  Bye."

With 3/4 of the sites empty, I figured we were OK to park the Equinox in the site next to us.  Nope, while we were having supper, a guy knocked on our door and said, "Your car is in my spot."

"We'll get that moved right now."  No chance he could have taken one of the many other empty sites.  We moved the car to in front of the motorhome, where it is sticking out well beyond the site.  No other sites in front of us, so it shouldn't be an issue.

Steph likes us to text here when we're down for the day.  My text to her: "We are down for the night in Ozona, TX.  Very sexy here… it is an erogenous Ozona.  Just kidding.  Another west Texas shithole.  But it is a nicer shithole than Van Horn.  (What isn’t?)"  I'm sure there are plenty of very nice people who live here and enjoy living away from civilization and find charm with the blowing dirt.

If all goes as planned, we'll be out of west Texas tomorrow.  One more big city to roll through: San Antonio, the 8th largest city in the country; and one of the largest in land area.  And traffic.  We're 200 miles from that, so we should roll through there well after their morning rush hours.  You have to plan ahead.

There is nothing we have to get back for on a schedule.  Just looking to get back home.

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After the sun went down, Rufus wanted to go for a walk.  Yes, I was tired, but he has been cooped up all day, so out we went.  A teenage boy about 4 sites east of us saw Rufus and asked if he could see him closer.  "Sure, he's a friendly boy."  I think this young man may have been on the spectrum - he couldn't look me in the eye, but he was very friendly and respectful with Rufus.  We visited for bit, then Ruf was ready to stretch his legs a bit.  The young man said, "Good bye, Rufus."

Ruf and I walked to the far end of this gravel lot, where he could sniff at some greenery, mostly weeds...

He walked nice, with little guidance from me.  Looking back towards the RV sites...

That's us with the white Equinox in front of the motorhome.  Lots of empty sites.  That motel you see in the background is not the one that is connected with these sites.  When I told Rufus it was time to "go home," he turned and headed right for the coach.  Because, he's a good boy.

We're two time zones earlier since we left Arizona.  Even so, I think we'll all be ready for bed early tonight.