Tuesday, November 7
After a day of leisure at camp, Reggie, Roger, and I board the Perfect Tow Vehicle. We rumble across the desert to the paved road that connects Midland Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) to the town of Blythe, California, ten miles to the southeast.
“Hold on a second, guys. I’ve never seen a cotton plant up close.”
Gosh, all those years living in the Southeast . . . .
I park the PTV on the shoulder and get out.
I hop across the ditch and position myself at the edge of the field.
After a few shots of the field, I squat and aim the lens for a close-up.
Lovely! I’m glad I took the time . . . .
Midland Road becomes Lovekin Boulevard. We approach Palo Verde Middle School and High School.
The parking lot is full of vehicles and students.
The sidewalk is lined with bushes spilling yellow blossoms in brilliant colorfalls. Of course, I want to take pictures.
(These photos were taken the following weekend. I didn’t think it a good idea to be found peeking through the bushes with a camera while school is in session.)
(After this post was published, a blogorino informed me this is Yellow Trumpet Flower.)
“Go, Yellow Jackets!”
We turn onto Hobson Way.
“K-Mart, here we come!”
My selection of clothes for warm weather could use a few additions. I’ve never been a “clothes hog” but, living as a full-time RVer who relies on laundromats, one needs to maintain clothing balance.
“Do tell us, RVSue . . . What is this thing you call “clothing balance?”
Okay, since you asked . . .
Clothing balance means one’s supply of clean shirts and shorts keeps pace with one’s supply of clean undies. I mean, what’s the point in having a four-week supply of panties if the other stuff you wear needs washing in two weeks?
I say, old girl! This is just the kind of fine tuning of the full-timing life that brings folks to RVSue and her canine crew!
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“Oh, darn! K-Mart has closed down.”
Well, not a big deal for me but I bet it’s a big deal for a little town like Blythe or at least for the people who had jobs there.
After a quick turn-around in the sad and empty parking lot, we shoot across the street to Ace Hardware where the parking lot is happy and full.
“What pretty flowers!” I exclaim.
Grabbing my camera again, I jump out and rush over to a planter at the edge of the parking lot.
I’ve seen these blooms somewhere . . . in a Japanese painting? In a design on fabric?
(Blogorinos identified this plant as Mexican Bird of Paradise.)
Wonders never cease!
I don’t expect to buy clothes at Ace, but I’m all set to shop and, dang it, SHOP IS WHAT I’LL DO!
Let’s see . . . What shall I get? I know! White spray paint! (The metal cover for the stove is worn and shabby.) Oh boy, another project to procrastinate about!
I find the “helpful hardware woman.”
She takes me to an aisle with shelves of spray paint lined up like prisoners behind cage-like doors. She finds what I want, inserts a key, and unlocks the floor-to-ceiling metal door.
“What? You keep the paint locked up?”
“Yeah,” she replies. “California state law.”
At the PTV two cute faces bob around on the other side of the window as I fumble with my keys while holding my wallet, a can of spray paint, and a package of chew bones “Made in U.S.A.”
(I forgot to bring my own bag, of course.)
Reggie and Roger are tired of waiting in the PTV.
“Just a little bit longer. You can get out and run around at the library.”
I keep my promise. Reg and Rog are happy boys, zigzagging on the grass in a high-speed sniff-a-thon. My library card that I obtained last winter is accepted. I carry out my treasure — five books.
It’s nice to be here . . . pleasant weather, sharing another day with my boys, doing ordinary things.
Before returning to camp, the crew and I zip over to the other side of town, the east side.
(The plant in the photo is Bougainvillea.)
At Twin Palms RV Supply and Repair where the BLT got her new fridge last winter, I chat with Karen, the pleasant and cheerful woman who keeps the place going.
If you need a crazy, obscure, little thing-a-ma-jig specifically made for the whatcha-ma-call-it in your RV, you can depend upon Karen, without skipping a beat, to find it for you, either in the store or in the catalog.
Women like Karen are the backbone of our nation!
Ha!
After we catch up on things happening in Blythe (her) and on the road (me), I make an appointment for the Best Little Trailer to have her (the BLT”s) 12-volt system repaired. I mention wanting the new Wave 3 heater installed, too, and Karen advises me to go to Cosme’s Propane up the street.
More about those appointments in another post!
rvsue
NOTE: You might have missed some of the recipes and late comments that came in after I posted the Thanksgiving card. You can find them under the post “Cotton fields and hefty rotisserie chicken — Back in Blythe, CA.”
BTW, I loved your Thanksgiving greetings! My readers are the best in all the blogosphere! — Sue
THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY BLOG!
If you’d like to browse and shop Amazon and see a few of the products recently purchased by readers, follow these links:
Snow Gloves
Thermo-Kitty Heated Pet Bed
VIAIR 85P Portable Air Compressor
Eat Drink Cork Placemat, Linen, (Set of 4)
Olympian Wave-3 3000 BTU LP Gas Catalytic Heater
Kindle Paperwhite E-reader with Built-in Light, Wi-Fi
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