Friday, January 6

It’s dump station time!

The Perfect Tow Vehicle rumbles across Midland LTVA with the Best Little Trailer bopping behind.

Dump ditty, dump ditty, dump ditty-do . . .

I complete the task without incident.  Heh.

Reg and I return to our campsite by the ironwood tree.

Gee, this would be a good time to move to another campsite.  We’re hitched up.  The inside of the BLT is secured . . . .

I do really like our site.  We’ve camped here two winters.  It makes a pleasant home.  And that’s what it was until recently when a “situation” came up . . .

Up out of the ground.

Ants are creating sand sculptures in our campsite!

At first it was big, red ants.

Not the crazed battalions of fire ants that attack in places like Florida and Georgia.  These red ants are relatively friendly.  At least they don’t go OUT OF THEIR WAY to attack.

If  I should be kicked back in the lounger, happily reading and enjoying the sunshine, minding my own business, and one of these ants living at Midland LTVA should meander up my leg, let me tell you, one such ant would have NO reservations about inflicting pain.

I’m wondering what to do about the situation when good ol’ Nature takes care of it.

The big rains came and washed the big, red ants away!

And then . . . and then . . .

Along come the smaller, black ants who sit down beside me and commence building their little sand castles and underground mazes.

They remind me of neighbors when I lived in a regular house.  Busy, busy, busy and yet they always had plenty of time to cause me pain.

Anyway . . .

Like with those neighbors of long ago, I don’t want to engage in warfare.

I don’t even want a few, brief skirmishes.  That’s why I toss aside any solutions involving death and destruction.  I’d rather avoid confrontation and move away, which is what I did long ago with those other neighbors and what I shall do now with these.

I pack up the outdoor stuff, and Reg and I pull out.

This next photo is supposed to be an action shot illustrating our departure from the Ironwood Tree Camp.  Of course, the photo doesn’t quite pull that off, because, well, if we’re leaving the campsite, who’s standing there taking the photo?

Golly, RVSue.  Sometimes I wonder about you . . . .

The BLT being towed away from the Ironwood Tree Camp . . . Yeah, right.

I drive our house around this section of Midland LTVA.

No one is camped over here so I have lots of choices.  Many of the sites are near a deep wash.  I don’t choose any of those because washes are coyote highways and that’s kind of creepy when I let Reggie out during the night to go potty.  Yes, I keep him on a tether.  Even so.  Creepy.

I find a level, clean site next to a scraggly tree and a few creosote bushes.

This looks good.  No ant sand sculptures.  We’re far enough away from the other camp.  It’ll take at least a week for the ants to get organized, load up their wagons, and make the long, arduous journey across the desert to settle here . . . .

I position the BLT to take advantage of the warmth of the sun and to put the Big Maria Mountains in view from my camp chair.  What wind there is right now is coming from the west and the BLT is angled with her nose toward it, somewhat.  Not perfectly.  Good enough.

How many times have I put out my blue mat, a chair, and doggie beds?  And I still get a kick out of it, making an ordinary piece of ground into our home, set up how I like. 

Let’s see . . . Where shall I place the table?

I fuss around our new camp with giggles of contentment just under the surface.

I sweep the interior of the BLT and shake out the rugs.  This time I shake them far away from our campsite.  Kibble crumbs may have attracted the ants.  The inside and outside of our home is tidy.

The BLT being backed into our new campsite . . . Yeah, sure.

I plop down into the camp chair and Reggie jumps on my lap.

Got ants?  Move!  No need to go down to the hardware store for some treatment to kill them or to make THEM move. 

Here we are with a nice, new home. I like this spot.  Thanks, ants!  I appreciate it.  Not that I want you to come over for a visit. . . .

~ ~ ~

More desert wash sand art!

These photos were taken shortly before sunset a few days ago.  While going through the pics, let’s talk about other stuff.

In comments under the previous post, readers wrote about their hobbies and activities.  If you’re wondering how you will occupy yourself during retirement, other than (or while) camping all over the place like I do, here are some ideas, many from blogorinos!

You can fool around with photography, for instance.  Or you can paint, draw, make “found objects” creations, knit, crochet, quilt, make jewelry, make online or offline scrapbooks, woodwork, repair stuff, or other handiwork.

Lots of us enjoy reading or writing blogs.  Some do puzzles like Sudoku or crosswords.  Others relax with an adult coloring book and markers, or they play games and cards.

How about becoming an amateur radio operator?  Or a rockhound?  You can meet up with other RVers who share your interest.

Maybe you’d like to improve your skills with technology or learn the history or geology of areas you visit.  You could take up camp cooking (or learn to handle your rig and do stuff like dump tanks) and give your spouse/partner a break!

Some folks volunteer their services with people-helping organizations.  Maybe helping animals appeals to you.  Often wildlife sanctuaries provide campsites for volunteers.

A couple years ago I met a woman in Pt. Angeles, Washington, who was retired and loved showing people around the marine center, explaining the displays of ocean creatures and answering questions.

Feel welcome to share your interests, hobbies, and activities in the comment section.  Have any money-making ideas?  As always, other topics are welcome, too!

rvsue

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