Met another full-timer today . . .
Bridget and Sarah exchange a frosty hello.
Ed walks over to our campsite with his miniature Australian Shepherd, Sarah.
Sarah and the crew greet each other, but that’s as far as it goes. Sarah owns her master and doesn’t plan on sharing him. Bridget and Spike own this campsite and don’t plan on sharing it.
That settled, Ed takes a seat at the picnic table and we talk.
Ed has lived on the road for several years.
Somehow the conversation drifts back in time . . .
During the Viet Nam War Ed’s job was medical evacuation. Several times a day he’d fly a helicopter into Laos to remove our wounded soldiers.
One day he was flying with two other med-evac helicopters and was shot down. It looked like he didn’t survive, so the other copters left.
He ended up in a POW camp.
He was such a PITA after six weeks that the enemy chose to make an example out of him. They walked him over to a tree outside the camp and drove a stake through his shoulder, pinning him there. During the night he pulled himself off the stake and escaped, eventually coming across some of our soldiers, one of whom he knew.
I won’t reveal his personal life since those years. It will suffice to say that, looking back, he can see how his life has been a benefit to others, and he tries to continue along that path. An interesting fellow! I wish him well.
Not many photos today . . .
A cool wind blows all day. I don’t like to jeopardize my camera by taking photos in wind. Storm clouds gather and the reservoir turns steel-grey. It isn’t until this afternoon that the crew and I feel like spending any time outside.
These two prisoners have it pretty rough.
I put the crew in the pen and sit in my camp chair and attempt to read my latest Sue Grafton book.
The Look.
Bridget feels unjustly incarcerated, of course, and gives me The Look through her prison bars.
Spike — bless his heart — rarely complains about being in the pen, unless he has a good reason, like needing to relieve himself. Sometimes he wants to be in the pen after Bridget and I have gone inside for the evening. I guess he feels it’s his job to make sure everything is okay for the night.
Shortly after we arrived at Clark Canyon Reservoir . . .
Hazel, the camp host, warns us about the area of tall weeds between the campsites and the water’s edge.
Pretty to look at from a distance
“They killed a rattlesnake down by the boat ramp. They started mowing the weeds and I guess that’s what scared him out. I bet there are more in there,” she speculates. “I tell everyone to be careful. Still, I see kids running through the weeds to get to the water.”
I assure her that Spike, Bridget, and I will not be walking near or in those weeds.
My wish list keeps growing . . .
If I could’ve found a place in Dillon that accepts UPS shipments, I would’ve placed an order with Amazon. One of the things I want to order is a new anti-gravity lounge chair.
“But don’t you already have a lounge chair?” you ask.
My lounger in the outdoor room at our camp on Badger Mountain, Ephraim, Utah.
Not any more . . .
Let me tell you what happened a while back, the result of repeatedly slamming the PTV’s side door onto the lounge chair, along with other, various abuses.
I’m sitting in the recline position of the lounger in the outdoor room (above). Ah, this is the life. I have it pretty good. Yep, pretty darn good. At that point the lounger drops about three inches while making a cracking sound. I giggle in surprise. Well, that’s what I get for being smug. Bridget gives me a confused look.
Another crack and I drop further down. I laugh out loud.
A third crack and I come crashing down to the ground. I lie there looking up at the aspen leaves silhouetted against the blue sky. I’m flat out with Bridget licking my face in concern. I laugh so hard tears come to my eyes until I have to scramble to my feet and run to the bathroom.
And that’s why I want to order a lounge chair.
In the morning I’ll make the decision to leave this campground and head further north, or to stay through the weekend. Camp host Hazel told me it was very busy here last weekend, lots of weekend boaters. However, if it’s windy like it’s been today, we won’t get out on the road.
I’m happy either way.
rvsue
I LOVE RVSUE SHOPPERS! Thank you for shopping Amazon from my blog. Here are a few of the items recently purchased by readers:
Candle Lantern Kit
Dual Doggie Pet Leash
Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor
Needlepoint, Butterfly On Zinnia
Indexing Spin Jig
Panasonic Genius 1.2 cuft 1200 Watt Sensor Microwave w/Inverter Technology
I got this far on Amazon I guess I don’t remember my acct password
Hi Jean . . . I don’t know why you’re having a problem. When I go into Amazon, it recognizes me from my computer and it doesn’t ask for a password. I hope you figure it out.
Walmart stores accept Amazon orders, your supposed to sit in those chairs, not plop!!!
I’ll try to remember that, Jean!
I always think Montana is the capital of snakes! I had one leap out from tall grass and saw it in the corner of my eye and jump…my friend swears I was bitten but luckily I wasn’t. It was a big one…made a big thump noise as it landed behind me. Also, be careful getting out of your vehicle on side of road…more than once I saw coiled snakes right next to road….and they don’t rattle.
Monsoon has hit Phoenix, it clouds over but not a drop of rain in my area. I hear thunder not to far off & see the dark rain clouds but it goes around my area. It’s still nice to see other parts of AZ are getting soaked. I want it to rain for three days straight.
Thanks for the good advice, Rita. I’ll try to remember to be careful. You were lucky!
I hope you get a 3-day rain, too. It’s raining here as I type this. Of course, the crew wanted to be walked in it. Now the BLT smells like wet dog.
Looks like it may rain throughout the night. Dark clouds are overhead.
Hi Rita, we got a little rain in Surprise this afternoon but nothing like our heavy one a few days ago. The are widely spaced cells and they move fast but we have a long way to go before Monsoon ends in Oct. Be well…
Oh would I have loved to have seen you plopping! Grace (in Tucson)
Actually it was more like crashing . . . The frame was already broken, as well as the lever that holds the seat in position. It was only a matter of time. The three stage collapse was so funny! I laugh whenever I think of it.
Regarding Ed: OMG Wow! I can’t imagine the strength of living through all of that and coming out even half-way sane. I thank him and wish him well!
I laughed in reading your chair fail! Been there, done that. Unfortunately with a wooden kitchen chair that had been weakened from teenagers always leaning so their weight is only on two legs. Needless to say, I didn’t laugh.
Here in CT, we are in the middle of our fourth heat wave, each lasting over a week. Some wind to blow this humidity away would be nice!
Awwww, Bridget looks pathetic. Mommy, can I please come out? Pleeeeease? Funny how some animal’s faces are so expressive.
Hi Donna,
Bridget is so spoiled. I’ve never put her in a crate. She has this HUGE pen to roam around in with comfy beds and a pallet. I sit right beside the pen to keep her company, and she thinks I’m being mean to her. She thinks a pen is beneath her dignity.
Yes, Ed has had an incredible life. I asked him how he could pull himself off that stake and he gave me a simple answer, “It’s amazing what you can do when you have to.”
Thanks for the laugh in a rather boring evening. Hope you can work something out on the chair.
Hi Emily! Nice to see you here again . . .
Oh, I’ll get the chair eventually. Have to find a place to settle for a bit where UPS will deliver. I miss my lounge chair. I can’t fall asleep in my camp chairs.
All I can say to that is , thanks for making me laugh Sue! Love your sense of humor and the fact that you talk “Dog” I am a life long dog lover as well. Still smiling…enjoy the lake it’s so nice.
Hi Diane,
I don’t understand people who don’t like dogs. What more can you ask from any living creature? Happy you got a laugh out of my lounge chair pratfall. The lounger wasn’t done breaking until it — and I — were stretched out flat.
Exactly! Canines of privilege! “How dare they treat us like dogs!”
Amazon just signed up a vendor with 5000+ goodies for machinists, like indexing spin jigs. They are certainty becoming a one stop shop.
Hi Mick!
Yes, I’m amazed at the variety of products they sell, including industrial equipment and tools. I bet I know who bought the spin jig. 🙂
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I always thought those chairs were accidents waiting to happen. I had one and could lock it into place but could never unlock the thing, so I had to wriggle my way forward and down out of the chair. Fortunately my son-in-law loves it! I’m glad you weren’t hurt and can laugh about it.
My wriggling forward was another way I wrecked that chair. I love anti-gravity chairs. I love to lie back and look up at the sky. Great for outdoor reading and snoozing, an important part of many of my retirement days.
Bless Ed.
Love doggie stink eye looks, my puppy is very good at them also.
Had the same thing happen with our lounger chair except it was “company” that was sitting in it when it happened….was so hard not to laugh.
geeze, thought the threat of rattlers was over when you left the desert, be careful. Kris
Oh, I can see the chair collapse happening . . . I would’ve laughed!
“Stink eye look” — That describes Bridget’s look perfectly. 🙂
I had a couple of zero gravity chairs when I left South Dakota I gave them to my neighbor lady. She was a high school teacher and a great neighbor. She owned a beautiful black lab who I had full permission to let out when they were at school and work. I would throw her ball for her and spoil her with rawhide bones and treats. When she and her hubby and the wife and I would sit around in my patio in summer that dog sat right by me with her big ole head on my thigh. Her name was LuLu and I loved that old dog.
Apparently LuLu loved you, too, Jim. Sounds like a wonderful dog.
I have a LuLu too, Jim! She’s a sweet old blue heeler mix.
Hi to you Mary Ann and that sweet ole LuLu of yours!!
What’s a PITA?
Pain In The Arse
Hi rvsue:
I’m a relatively new blogger. I’d love to be able to use my photographs for my banner – and change them as I go along. Can you tell me where I can learn how to do that? Thanks and I loved this blog – what interesting people we meet out there. unlike your description of yourself, I’d always ‘needed’ to be around people. Not anymore! I’m readying for my (at least) one year adventure around the US, Canada and maybe a little more of Mexico. I’m thinking a year can’t be anywhere near enough time. Maybe I too will become a real full-timer!
Love to hear from you …. thanks for sharing your world! mary-pat
Hi Mary-Pat,
I can tell you how I make the custom headers in WordPress. Beyond that, I know nothing. 🙂
WordPress has on its administration page a menu for Appearance – Header. On that page is a Browse box. By clicking Browse one can go to a pictures folder and choose a picture. Then upload it. Automatically the photo appears with a wide, but not very tall, box imposed on it. (This is the shape needed for the header.) One moves that box to position over the photo and clicks it.. This crops the photo. One click of the publish button and there it is in the header.
So you can see… Beyond using the WordPress feature, I don’t know how to make a custom header. With WordPress, it’s fairly easy.
Mary Pat, I also write a blog but I use Google Blogger. Also easy to use with many formats to choose from. However, one of my readers suggested that I try using Windows Live Writer first. This allows you to create your blog off line and then transfer it to either WordPress or Google Blogger when you are done. Live writer allows you to size and place your photographs where and how you want them. If you use Windows, you might want to experiment here also.
Thanks so much for the info – I’m off the Word Press!
Oh what a giggle imagining you in your lounger slowly lowered to the ground stage by stage………glad you weren’t hurt though! Hey I have never seen a miniature Australian shepherd. My daughter has a “normal” sized Aussie called Ace………he has the same colour configuration as Ed’s Sarah. Ace is a beautiful dog with such a gently soul………..all he wants is to be loved! Ed’s story was amazing………what a brave man!
Ed told me that people think Sarah is a puppy because of her size, as if she’s not fully grown. In truth she is a mature dog.
There IS a place in Dillon accepting UPS. I went there once and picked up a FEDEX shipment. Just can;t remember the name of it. But it’s close to town center.
Think, Peter, think! 🙂 Was it a store? What kind of store? Any hint would be appreciated.
BTW, the post office is in the center of town.
When I was in the mental health biz, I learned that my department head had the exact same assignment in Vietnam as Ed. He never talked about it, but some of his friends told me that he still had nightmares about what he witnessed. He and Ed are both survivors and getting on with their lives.
Many of our vets are troubled with memories of those years. That’s why we can never thank them enough.
You sure meet some interesting folks. Best wishes to Ed.
Bridget says Spike is the “criminal” and should be behind bars!
Thank God you didn’t hurt yourself when your chair went south! Glad you made it to the restroom before you pee’d on yourself!
Thanks for the chuckles………………drive safe…can’t wait to see our next camp site.
Hi cinandjules . . . I was thinking about you this morning and the recent passing of your kitty. It’s good to see you here . . .
Yes, Bridget is Little Miss Innocent. I think Spike accepts his criminal status and figures he’ll be released on parole so why sweat it? He works the system.
Too many females here, always pickin’ on poooor Spike all the time…..the pic of Bridget is GREAT! Her for sure!!!! Sorry about the chair, hehehhehheeeee! Wish we’d a bin thar to see that!!!!! We miss my mini Aussie,Bobbie. Was such a character, he is missed. Geri found Radar to replace him.
Don’t worry about ol’ Spike. He can handle any number of females. 🙂
I didn’t know your Aussie was a mini. This Sarah is a pretty little thing.
What a beautiful view from your patio!
Thanks for introducing Ed. You’re readers are sending prayers and thankfulness his way.
I am very familiar with The Look — Lucky is indignant when he’s treated like a dog–even a very good little dog.
I guess we bring on The Look ourselves. We treat our dogs like people and then, on the rare occasion that we treat them like dogs, they’re offended!
If you don’t want to wait for a delivery they do sell them at the big box hardware stores and Kohls department store 🙂 oh yes and lots of them at a Camping World. Think I almost have hubby convinced that we need them for the trailer.
Love your adventures.
Vicki
Hi, Vicki!
I’m rarely near any department stores of any size. I stay out of big towns and cities. ( I bought the one that collapsed at Target a couple of years ago.)
Sue, I purchase Items from Amazon at times & when I do I type in item I want,,
like you said they know who I am, I than purchase & thats It nothing else to do
but press buy,, they already have all info about me,, fast & easy,,
BUT for the life of me I can find no key to hit so you get credit think I need new glasses.. HOW do I do It ???
Please believe me at times I am a little smarter,,, Safe travels,,,
John–don’t go through Amazon.com. Go to Sue’s page and then go to the top right of the page and click on the link “Amazon Has It–Click here to shop” That will give Sue credit. Hope this helped.
Or any link or box on my blog that leads to Amazon . . . Thanks, DeAnne.
John . . . If you click any link that goes to Amazon from my blog, I will get credit for anything you buy. You don’t have to do anything more. The code for my Amazon Affiliate account is embedded in the link. Thanks for wanting to support my Amazon endeavors!
I noticed your blue water bottle next to the ‘contraption’ and hope it says BPA free. If not better get on Amazon and a get a new water bottle too. Can’t be too safety conscious now days.
Ha! Not to worry, Joe! Subsequent to that photo I ran over the water bottle and smashed it to smithereens. LOL
LOL @ “the look” I know it well, I get it often right here at home with my Swedish Vallhund, Odie aka The Odinator….pathetic aren’t they…LOL. I also get the “I just ate but I’m starving” Look even more pathetic!
As far as the snakes go; a friend of mine rigged a mirror on the end of a long retractable pole to be able to look under cars and their travel trailer in the AM…sometimes they’ll park under them. Stay Safe! I grew up in the NW and before I got out the car on the side of the road I’d throw a few rocks out in the bush…I’d keep a few in the front of the rig in a cup or something like it. It did scare off a few and kept me from getting bit I’m sure.
The Viet Nam War was an unjustified invasion of another country by the US. What happen to Ed is inhumanity one human done to another human, no more justified than the killings of the Viet Nam citizen or the US soldiers.
The war is over Jenny. We were defeated by the Viet Cong and North Vietnam, let it rest. Better yet let those that served there rest, they have paid the price.