Monday, May 19
I awake to sunlight on my face. Without lifting my head from the pillow, I look up through the window of the Best Little Trailer. Light twinkles through the leaves above. Birds sing.
Spike jumps up, hits the floor, stretches, and trots to the door.
“Okay, Spike. Just a minute.” I talk out loud to Spike even though he can’t hear me.
I step outside. The travel trailer across the creek is quiet. Hmm. . . The truck is gone. They didn’t come back last night. Well, I’m not waiting for them to return and run that horrible generator. I can’t take it. It’s so nice to wake up to birds singing . . . .
After breakfast the crew and I take off in the Perfect Tow Vehicle.
We roll a short distance to another spur road. I want to move us to this private site which is further downstream. Great! No one’s here. That fifth wheel left!
Around noon I tuck the BLT into a shady place in the large campsite.
Bridget, Spike and I hurry down the bank to see the creek.
“Wow! This is better than the other campsite!”
The creek continues tumbling along (shown in the next photo) until it forms a quiet, shallow pool, ideal for Bridget and me to wade in and for Spike to soak in.
I unhitch the BLT and move the PTV to put the solar panel in the sun.
Setting out the blue rug and the lounger on an ordinary piece of ground transforms it into our home!
“Whattya’ think, Spike? Do you think you’ll like it here? . . . . Bridget! Get out from under there! I’m not taking any more pictures.” What IS it with that crazy dog? Yesterday she plopped herself into every photo she could.
Tuesday, May 20
A stay-at-home day. After a morning of puttering around, tidying up the inside of the BLT, working on the blog, raking up cigarette butts and picking up trash from our yard, I take my camp chair down to the creek to relax.
I walk into the creek with my waterproof Keen sandals on.
It seems very cold at first until I get used to it. Bridget comes in, too! Spike walks halfway down the bank, changes his mind, and goes back up. What’s with him today? Oh well, I guess he’d rather lie in the sun.
I relax in my camp chair with my feet in the water, watching and listening to the waterfalls.
Later I meet the man who owns the property adjacent to our campsite.
His private dirt road meanders near the fence. Further up the road is a chicken coop.
On the way back from checking on the chickens, he stops his white pick-up and hollers, “Hi!”
I walk over to stand at the fence, the crew at my feet.
“Pretty nice campsite you got there,” he states, smiling as he looks across the passenger seat at me. His pleasant face is crowned with thick, white hair.
We chat a little. I learn his name is Del and he’s retired from the Navy at the rank of Captain.
His wife passed on a little over a year ago, and now he lives alone in their big house in town.
“My son and I built a cabin over there,” he says, pointing to the woods. “I come out here a lot to the cabin and check on my son’s chickens. I’ve got a fifth wheel over there, too. Sometimes the grandkids come out.”
We discuss the chicken situation.
His son raises them for a hobby, not for eggs or meat.
“Lost two chickens last night,” Del reports. “I think a coyote got ’em. Did you hear anything last night?”
“No, nothing at all, just the creek.”
Del informs me that there’s a bounty on coyotes.
“Present the ears of a coyote to the Forest Service and they give you fifty dollars.”
Wednesday, May 21
I like to be outside a lot. Good thing . . . I have so much dirty laundry that there isn’t room inside to sort it anyway!
(Here I am, airing my dirty laundry in public!)
It’s around four o’clock when we motor into Salina.
I pull into the All Washed Up laundromat. Well, isn’t this nice. We have the place all to ourselves. No fights over machines. No new acquaintances to ignore . . . . Maybe I should do laundry at four from now on.
I’m feeling pretty good driving back to our lovely, private campsite with the laundry folded, fresh, and clean in the basket beside me. Let’s see . . . For supper I’ll cook those chicken breasts I thawed, along with potatoes, carrots, and beans. The crew can have chicken, too.
I drive down the driveway to our home, sweet home.
“Whoa! What the heck is that?”
Something dark is moving over by the fence!
“Oh my gosh, it’s a TURKEY!”
I fumble for my camera, and, unbeknownst to Bridget and Spike, take pictures through the open passenger window of our surprise guest.
This guy is in full display. He puffs himself up and turns one way and then another . . .
I catch a glimpse of the objects of his attraction. Two hens scurry into the open and quickly disappear into the brush before I can get a photo of them.
I love surprises like this . . . coming home from the laundromat to find a turkey strutting his stuff in the yard!
Later, Del and his son Reg invite me to see the cabin they built.
That’s the story for the next post!
rvsue
NOTE: Hey, blogorinos! I wasn’t going to tell you this, but I can’t wait!
Along with the spare tire cover (ho-hum), I ordered another pair of Keen sandals from Amazon (yippee!). These are slip-ons called “Rose Slide Sandals.” Slip-ons will be quick and easy when getting out of bed during the night to go outside with Spike. There. That’s my justification for the purchase.
Amazon is holding a sale on Keens over Memorial Day Weekend (see the temporary ad below comments). If you”re interested in Keens, choose the color you like and also your size and then the price will change!
HAPPY SHOPPING!
Thanks for the show, Big Tom. Bye!
AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AMAZON FROM MY BLOG.
