Wednesday, November 25
Early morning light awakens the Big Maria Mountains near Blythe, California
It’s the day before Thanksgiving and the crew and I have a lot to accomplish.
Bridget, Reggie, and I head out for Blythe in the Perfect Tow Vehicle. Dirty laundry sits in the passenger seat. Like a hulking, 300-pound hitchhiker it fills the space from seat to ceiling.
“Don’t worry. This is temporary,” I say to Reg who lost his window seat. “Bridgie, knows, dontcha, honey. We’re going to the laundromat!”
First, however, the crew and I zip over to the post office.
Hmm . . . Only two people ahead of me in line. Not like holidays in the past . . . . Yay, Amazon!
I buy a stamp for a letter and card going to my sweet auntie in New York state.
Then I show my driver’s license and ask for my general delivery packages and a mailer (forwarded mail from America’s Mailbox in South Dakota).
The clerk brings the Amazon boxes.
“There should be a mailer, too.”
The clerk goes to the back again and brings me the mailer.
(This is not to criticize the clerk. I don’t know what it is like to be a postal clerk. The last three shipments to different post offices, I’ve had to ask the clerk to go back and look again in order to receive everything. Be advised: If online tracking says your mail is at the P.O. and the clerk tells you it isn’t, smile sweetly and don’t budge from the counter until it’s handed to you.)
I open the boxes and the mailer while inside the post office lobby.
I discover to my great happiness that one item — a back-up battery for my Verizon jetpack — is included in the shipment! Online tracking warned me it could take until December 1st.
Receiving the item now defies the aggravating Package Delivery Rule of Waiting which is, to wit: When ordering on the road, one item is always slower to arrive than the rest, thereby pinning you to an area.
All my stuff is here! Oh yes, of course, a bunch of insurance stuff (yuck) I hope I never have to read. And here’s the grip n’ grab thingie for picking up trash. Last but not least, the book and some supplies for my new hobby!
I’m not telling you what my new hobby is. Not yet. It will be a while before I actually engage in it, because I have a lot of learning to do first, plus supplies to collect. I’m very excited about it!
Over at the laundromat, things are pretty quiet this Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
Everyone’s probably grocery shopping.
Quickly I load the washers, then return to Bridget and Reg to take them for a walk around the block.
I’m happy to see that my white curtains washed well. Up until this point I’ve always washed them by hand. I fold them up spin-dry-damp (they’ll dry in two seconds once they’re hung), load up the dryers with the rest of the laundry, and rush out to the PTV to sit with the crew and read my new hobby book.
Laundry locked and loaded . . . Next stop — Smart and Final — extra!
Unlike the photo indicates, the place is very busy with Thanksgiving shoppers. I’m on a mission to grab a few items and leave quickly, considering all the waiting required by the crew this day.
I grab one of the carts by the entrance and . . . .
“What? Not AGAIN!”
The dadburn cart will not MOVE. I try another. Same deal. I go inside the store, which is bustling . . . no carts. It turns out that all the carts have their brakes on and need to be collected from hither and yon and “un-braked” by the employee who has a sensor capable of doing that.
A harried cashier kindly makes a phone call to the back. A guy looking like he was awakened from a darn good nap behind the pallets pushes an empty cart toward me and grins. Anyway . . . . I get my stuff and leave.
And that, dear reader, is “smart and final!”
“You know what, guys? I’m hungry. Are you hungry?”
Wiggles and hops. Two votes in the affirmative. Let’s see. Seems like I saw a Carl’s Jr., around the corner.
Later, at the edge of town, I pull over and park the PTV on the road’s shoulder, near a big, green field.
Bridget and Reggie move in close, bright eyes and fidgety bodies expressing their impatience.
“Okay, okay, hold on. I’m getting it!”
I unwrap the hamburger patty and break it up into little pieces.
“A bite for you, Bridge, and a bite for you, Reg.”
I unwrap my sandwich and we chow down together.
“Happy Thanksgiving!”
Oh my, look at that!
Ahead of us, directly up the road, a curtain of dust billows across the jags and folds of the Big Marias like floating, tan gauze, leaving only silhouettes.
Immediately I hit the power button and bring up the windows.
We continue our little Thanksgiving repast. I munch on my turkey burger which, by the way, isn’t half bad, and watch the dust storm pass like a National Geographic television special.
“That’s all there is, cuties. No more hamburger. ” And no more dust storm, thank God.
The PTV, stuffed to the brim with clean laundry, Amazon boxes, groceries, the usual paraphernalia, as well as the crew and me, makes her way down the road like a gluttonous guest leaving Thanksgiving dinner.
Bridget and Reggie sink into a snooze, satiated and happy.
Gosh, what a sweet pair. I couldn’t ask for a better holiday.
At camp all is calm. I find everything is okay. The lounger and camp chair are overturned, that’s all. Always good to keep a clean camp . . . .
Thursday, November 26 — Thanksgiving Day
A lovely, lazy day of eating apple pie, smiling over Thanksgiving comments on this blog, wandering the desert, watching our hummingbird, lying in bed reading my new book, taking naps with the crew, and reflecting on our good life.
Friday, November 27
Sunrise!
Thank you for another beautiful day in the desert!
rvsue
AND, AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AMAZON FROM MY BLOG!
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iDevices iGrill Mini
Toshiba Satellite 14″ Laptop
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