Friday, April 6 (continued)
Sunset beyond mesquite, seen at Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, Arizona
~ ~ ~
The crew and I return from dumping tanks.
The Perfect Tow Vehicle with Best Little Trailer behind rumbles down dirt roads as we search for another boondock. We find one that might work for us. It’s a circular drive around a mesquite tree and bordered by grass, of course.
I try positioning the Best Little Trailer.
The site is too small. Not that the BLT won’t fit nicely, but I can tell there’s no way to hook Reggie and Roger on the tether without them tangling up with the mesquite.
We continue looking.
Our search moves us westward across Las Cienegas until we come to the Cieneguita Camping Area. That’s the place where we camped previously until the noise and activity of RVers sent us to our last boondock.
We’re here. Might as well take a look . . . .
Right away I see that the occupant of the first site has left. A few years ago I camped in this campsite with my crew and it proved to be a good location — at the end of a short, spur road and well separated in sight and hearing distance from the other sites.
It’s hot and we’re ready to settle in a spot.
“This will work! You’ll like it here!”
The campsite is nice, even though this photo (below) doesn’t show it off well.
Here’s our home in the grass:
Those of you who come to this blog to learn about boondocks are probably disappointed that we returned to the camping area.
Oh, well . . . . This is our life and here is where we are camping.
Tonight’s sunset is subtler than some of the others I’ve shown.
The east is colored in pastel blue, pink, and purple.
The view to the west, after the sun has gone down, is warmer.
Inside the Best Little Trailer . . .
Reggie and Roger have had their kibble supper and a drink. Harnesses are off. I’m ready to tuck in my crew.
“Time for bed, you two.”
“Pssstt! Hey, Rog, I can beat you up.”
“Oh, yeah? Ya’ think so, do ya’?”
“AAACCCKKK!”
rvsue
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Hello!
ReneeG from Idaho! HOORAY FOR YOU! NUMBER ONE!
YAHOO!!!!!
Nice! Well, in this case familiarity does not breed contempt. Nothing like home! Nothing like two little whippersnappers full of energy and not ready for bed!
Reg and Rog love the bed. It’s such fun to jump around on it and mess up the covers. 🙂
Hi Sue. Enjoying the pictures while at work. Looking forward to the relaxing lifestyle.
Have a good week.
Norman
Thank you, Norman. I hope you have a good week, too, even though you’re working. Someday you will have a “relaxing lifestyle,” too, and won’t it be swell!
Sue, do you camp mostly on BLM? Is it not as sandy getting to camping spots? I want to start boondocking but I don’t want to have to go thru sandy roads, get stuck, and the tow truck won’t come off-road and tow me out. Need your expert advice, please. Thanks.
Hi, Cat Lady,
Most of the BLM roads I’ve driven on are hard-packed and you needn’t worry about getting stuck. At Las Cienegas, for example, the roads are scraped periodically and are hard surface with rocks in some places. You wouldn’t get stuck here.
Only a few places we’ve boondocked were iffy as far as loose sand goes. In those cases, I park, get out, and the crew and I walk the road to investigate before driving further.
So nice to see your post. I get so excited to read each one. You are warm, we are COLD here in the Memphis area. We even had a few snow flurries Saturday. Not much mind you, but it is APRIL for petes sake. My peaches are blooming, the Azaleas are blooming, the Dogwoods and all kinds of other things. I sure hope at lease most of it all survives. I know I will not have any peaches this year, they got bit. Oh well, there is always next year. Enjoy your boondock and hug those pups for me.
Thanks, Jean,
Heartbreaking to see one’s peach blossoms nipped in the bud. Oh, the memories you bring to mind mentioning dogwoods and azaleas. I had a house with those.
You’re still having snow flurries? Noooooo!
Have a great week. 🙂
We have has some crazy weather here in TN. It gets nice with warm sunshine for a couple of days, then rain, then cold (down in the low 30’s) then cycle back to warm, etc. this has been going on for several weeks and everyone is ready to be done with winter.
I’m watching the forecast here in Ohio. We’re expecting three days in the 70s, a day with a high of 63, then snow for Monday. I keep an eye on the weather in the Southwest because it’s motivational for either moving or taking to the road.
Hi Sue, I love your campsites in the Arizona grasslands, including this one. The most important quality to me is being away from other campers and human produced noises. Your new site looks pretty secluded, and hopefully it will stay that way for you.
I spent a night at Sheep Bridge Road BLM near Virgin, UT recently. My site was a small pull through and I was parked over to the side of the pull through to be level. I was only staying a night and didn’t want to unhitch. Right at sundown, a Class B Sprinter type camper pulled in and parked right next to me!! I couldn’t believe it, it was like we were in 2 parking spaces at the mall!! I was sort of in shock as I couldn’t imagine someone would actually do that. They pulled out early in the morning. Have you ever had something like that happen?
I haven’t been online too much the last 10 days or so, and have gotten behind on reading the comments. I need to catch up on the last few posts. There is always something interesting 🙂
Hi, Debra and Misty,
No, I’ve never had that experience. Wow. Those people must have absolutely no sense of private space. Good thing they left early.
I’ve had people camp too close, in my opinion, given the other places that were available, but never that bad.
One of the things you’ll discover when boondocking is “it takes all kinds.” 🙂
I can’t speak for the person who pulled in next to you in the Virgin, Utah site but if it was at sundown, it may have been someone with night vision problems who is afraid to drive past sundown. Pulling in next to you offered a safe respite for a night and pulling out early the next morning suggests they were aware of their proximity. They may have simply been new at boondocking and don’t know the culture associated with it. Perhaps they weren’t being rude, but were simply unaware. I remember being very uncertain about where to park when I first started living the rv life, and security for my person as well as my vehicle were top priorities. Your site may have appeared to be a safe alternative to travelling along an unknown road in the darkness, when you can’t see the road much less the ruts in it.
Archae…. You are very kind with the reasons you bring up for the behavior of these people crowding Debra’s camp. One thing stands out to me: What the heck is a person with night vision problems doing on the roads looking for a campsite near sundown? Going on 7 years of RVing, most of it in unfamiliar places including boondocks and I’ve never had to make camp that late in the day. People boondock for years and never do what those folks did.
New to boondocking, not aware of the culture, afraid, etc….. all of that should be addressed before going RVing. The internet is flooded with information about how to boondock. I still think the most likely reason they camped close to Debra was their own self-centeredness, whether being afraid or lazy or not wanting to find their own camp in the near dark. Shame on them.
Thanks Sue, I don’t think that was the reason either. I could have worded my comment better by saying it was as the sun was starting to set. I would say they pulled in about 45 mins before it got dark. The site was just as you enter the BLM land and the road goes on another 4 or 5 miles thru to Hwy 59 and is a good graded road. Other RVs were clearly visible further on and there are plenty of spots along the road. I stopped at this spot because I was going into Zion NP the next morning so wanted to get on the road early. I was more or less looking for a place to park for the night. I suspect this couple was thinking the same way as they pulled out at day break. Oh well, it’s a small thing and I’m not losing any sleep over it. I just couldn’t imagine someone would actually do that. 😀 …it takes all kinds!
Hi Sue, your new/old spot looks lovely! Nothing like get in one last play at bedtime! My cat will often get a playful spurt right when I am ready to go to bed! It is quite funny.
It’s funny how they (my boys and your cat) will have that last burst of play at bedtime. I think it has to do with their contentment with the daily routine of their lives. Instead of saying, “I’m so happy. I LOVE MY LIFE!”, they play. That’s my theory!
I want to reply to all you early commenters! I’ve ignored Reggie and Roger too long and they’re about to revolt.
Be back later! Always appreciate you taking the time to write . . . .
Who’s complainin’, Sue! Every site you choose is perfect for you and the crew! Enjoy! It is still really, really cold here. Will we ever get out of winter around here??? All folks are complaining out loud now. I respect that you are staying put until the weather suits you!
Hi, Diann,
As a Montanan you’re accustomed to long, severe winters. I think this one must be a real test of your endurance! I wish I could send some of our warmth your way and give you some spring (and let the rattlers sleep longer around here!).
You’re sweet. And, you are blessed, and you know it! LOL
I am sure you are taking extra precautions around those pesky snakes. They like the cool places in the heat of the day. Just remember to stay on the road and keep your eyes open. Enjoy the heat!
Will do! 🙂
Of course, I love the sunset pictures. You’re right about the east-facing one being more subtle, but if I were there, I’d stare at that part of the sky as well as the west. The picture with Reggie and Roger walking toward their long shadows is great in a different way.
My tent-camping group has a thread going about other campers’ dogs barking all night. One person said she sleeps well despite that. The rest of us don’t, and it’s another good reason for boondocking.
Hi, Calvin,
There are a lot of good reasons for boondocking and silence but for the sounds of nature is a big one.
Thank you for your reaction to my photos. I’m always pleased when someone enjoys what I post.
hi Sue! i love your photos and updates. today Barry went to the Coast for the day because it is supposed to be in the high sixes there with no wind. i stayed home with my allergies and i know he will enjoy walking on the sand in blissful serenity. Spring is happening here in the Willamette Valley with lots of budding tree flowers and tulips. we are so blessed to be in this temperate climate.
In early March, we took our vintage 1955 trailer up the McKenzie River to Belknap Hot Springs Resort for a weekend with some friends who have an RPod. (i love my trailer and it has so much more storage than the newer models.) we relaxed by the river in a spot with electricity, which is a splurge for us. there was melting snow on the ground and it was sunny. the Resort has spots for $35 a night with all the hot springs/showers you want to use. it was very, very busy for the weekend and i went for walks on the trails to their secret garden to get away from the people. a lot of people come for day use. in the summer the resort has a small offering in their cafe.
we are planning a big trip to the Southwest in early Fall to attend a wedding and just relax in the desert. thanks for all the photos of that area because it prompts my memories and helps me get excited to get on the road again. of course we will be camping a lot this summer here in Oregon. have fun with the boys!
Hi, Bess and Barry!
It sounds like you two have been enjoying life. It’s fun reading about your travels and the places where you camp.
I hope you have a wonderful summer in Oregon. You are blessed with many great choices not far from home. You knew that already! 🙂
thank you for those sweet words.
OMG that was ADORABLE!!!!! It was PERFECT!! Of course you know what I’m talking about! Thank you for your ongoing doggie interpretations!
You’re welcome. Ha! Love your reaction to the crew, Lauri!
I don’t know why I’ve been hesitant to give voices to Reggie and Roger. Is it an after-effect of my relationships with Bridget and Spike?
Because I displayed their personalities through their “conversations” and “comments,” they became even more a part of me than what adored pets usually are. When they left, oh, what a gash across my heart!
Maybe I’m reluctant to be that vulnerable again. I don’t know. I’m going into it cautiously.
“Maybe I’m reluctant to be that vulnerable again. I don’t know. I’m going into it cautiously.”
Yes indeed, I know when I’ve lost loved ones it’s hard to love again and put the hearts pain yet again at risk.
Giving voices to Reggie and Roger every once in awhile is sweet, and how what they say is so appropriate to the pictures you choose. No one out here wants to bring you pain so you pick and choose as it feels right to you.
Thank You for the beautiful pictures you bring us.
Be Well.
Hi Sue,
I’m a big fan of pastel blue, pink, and purple. Great pictures and a great campground.
Thank you, Joe!
Hello Sue and Crew.
Hi, Ken! Hope all is fine and dandy in Queen Creek, Arizona!
Another day in paradise! Glad you found the perfect spot!
Pastels……awesome!
Enjoy your evening!
You, too, Cinandjules. Thanks for stopping byQ
Sue,
Your opening line “Friday, April 8 (continued)” should be Friday, April 6 or Sunday, April 8.
Yes, we are getting a taste of summer this week with the 90° tomorrow. Then the strong winds come back for three days with maybe a 65° high on Friday. Ah yes, Spring in Cochise County. You either love it or hate it!
Thanks for the correction, Ed. I changed it to April 6. I really need to up my game.
Tomorrow is going to be a challenge for those of us without air conditioning!
Hi, Sue,
Your sweet little home looks very cozy, snuggled in the grass. I hope you were able to stay there as long as you wanted to, and did not have close neighbors to disturb your peace. Thank you for sharing the beautiful sunset pictures! Reggie tried to take advantage of of a sleepy Roger….ha! I think Roger was faking him out! They probably slept soundly after their wrestle session. 🙂
Sending you, Reggie, and Roger love from me and Gracie pup! I thought about you and your Crew as I shared a Kroger rotisserie chicken with Gracie tonight. Thank you for letting us tag along on your great adventure! 🙂
Like many other folks, we had snow flurries early Sunday morning and again today!
Dear Mother Nature….we have our welcome mats out for you…please bring Spring and stay until the hot summer months! 🙂
Hi, Denise,
I have to laugh every time someone mentions they had rotisserie chicken. Invariably they mention thinking of us. I should start a brand of RVSue’s Rotisserie Chicken — Good on the road or off!
Love and hugs to you and Gracie pup. I hope you’re having a great week. 🙂
Yes you should! Or at the very least, get royalties for all of the rotisserie chicken sales your blog has inspired! Thank you for the love and hugs! xo 🙂
I too am guilty of rotisserie chickens, mine from Publix. We have at least 2- per month. I use them for all kinds of dishes.
Hi, Barbara,
How do you like Publix rotisserie chickens? I do the bulk of my grocery shopping and fill Rx at Kroger, and purchase gas there at a discount. Their rotisserie chicken is a nice size and usually very tender, too. Publix has recently opened stores in Richmond, joining the grocery wars. Kroger has been dropping prices to keep their competitive edge. Pats on the head for little Angel. 🙂
Thanks Denise. Angel got her extra pets from you. She has gone upstairs for her hour of quiet. Then she will be back for her meds & evening dinner.
Publix Chickens and meats in general are very good. I have never been disappointed, but they are more expensive than Kroger. The Rotisserie Chickens are a little bigger than Kroger and they put them on sale for 4.99 quite often.
Hi, RVSue, Reggie, Roger & Blogorinos,
It’s been a while, but how’s it going?
I must catch up on the past posts. 🙂
It’s going great, Fuji-maru! I missed you! 🙂
Glad to hear that and sorry for my absence.
It is getting hotter day by day in Japan as well.
Have a good one!
Hi, Fuji-Maru! Glad to see you checking in! 🙂
Hi, Denise!
Snow flurries in April!!!
Spring is just around the corner.
I am ready for Spring! 🙂 🌸🌼🌻🌞
Hi Fuji-maru, glad to see you here, hope you are doing well.
Thanks Deena, 🙂
Hope you are doing well, too.
Good to see you back Fuji-maru.
Love the sunset! We have been having gray days with splashes of rain since Saturday, so your sunny pictures are good to see!
I want to thank the first lady who ordered the Crocs sandals a few weeks ago! I checked out her order and loved them, I ordered a pair right away! Love them! So comfortable and good looking I ordered another pair that you listed today! I very highly recommend them.
Love the boys wrestling before sleep! Ha! Using up that last drop of energy!
The grasslands look very relaxing, enjoy! Belly rubs for the boys💗 and 🌻🌺🌾 for you! See ya later!
Hi, Geri,
So good to see your comment here! I’m beginning to think this blog is on its way out. I included the bit about the boys wrestling as a test to see if that’s a direction I need to take this blog. Only a couple of responses to it tells me there isn’t the interest. Much of my readership has changed, I guess.
Besides your comment giving me encouragement, so does your purchase of the Croc sandals. Double thank you, Geri! I’m glad you’re happy with them. Love you!
I try to comment each time, but sometimes I get here so late, everything I would have said…has been said! I promise to howdy each time from now on! Hahaha!
Please don’t get discouraged Sue! I love ALL of your blogs, be they about the boondock site, the town your in, grocery shopping, dumping tanks, beautiful sunrises and sunsets and of course REGGIE AND ROGER! I would love a canine corner again. However, after reading about your hesistancy in this, I totally understand. As I said earlier, I save your weekend blogs to savor on my quiet weekend brunches in the sun with my cats. I really covet and savor that time of my week. So, thanks for being a part of that. Furthermore, I miss having dogs, so you give me a wonderful taste of that as well. Don’t get discouraged! We LOVE you!
I love seeing the dogs wrestling!!! Don’t give up on us. Maybe people just have comment fatigue. I can understand that. Please don’t quit your doggie antics. Every time I see those two wrestling I think how very very fortunate they are to have each other, let alone have you. They bring a lot of smiles to my life.
Sue, I truly miss Bridget’s comments to Reggie when he came aboard as a “newbie”, did not say that more dog talk would be great as it seemed that it might be too painful. Heaven knows neither Reggie or Roger could ever give you the looks she did, was that the “stink eye”? but their own unique ones. That was a looked forward part of RVSue and crew, please bring it back. Alright, will attempt to resend this, first time I got something to do with captcha value? tho I can subtract 1 from whatever. Hang in there, we are here.
Sorry for the inconvenience of a persnickety captcha. Thanks for the feedback on canine conversations. 🙂
“On it’s way out”?? Oh my, that stopped my heart for a second! I surely don’t find your journey any less enthralling than when I first found you over a year ago! I didn’t start commenting until I finished reading your blog from day 1, so I, like many others I imagine, was following your writing unbeknownst to you. Also with the archives still relatively fresh in my mind, and pardon me for saying so, but I find that this time of year is always harder for you to see how much your blog is read on a daily basis. The reasons range from tax season to spring breaks across the country to the fact that you’ve been “stationary” during the winter months as compared to the state-hopping you do during the warm seasons. I remember you mentioning your concern in years prior and the heartfelt response from the blogorinos! Of course, you have statistics haha so my apologies if I am wrong, but I know that I love waiting for your posts to show up in my inbox 🙂
Btw, I realized recently that I should click on the link in your emails to read the new post instead of going straight to the website through a browser. This helps to put a count on how many people follow RvSue. If everyone already knew this then don’t mind me 🙂
Keep boondocking like you mean it!!!
What a gift Reggie and Roger bonding so soon after they first met has been. I get such a kick out of the ways they play, walk, run and rest together. I hadn’t thought about how giving voices to Spike and Bridget made them more a part of you. When you lost them I thought you were especially close to them and vulnerable because of your history with them. They had been with you through thick and thin, hard and unhappy times, then through the beginning of your joyfully full timing, exploring a new lifestyle and vistas together.
The fourth photo in this post makes being there so appealing. The soft, pastel colors in the sunset and grass, quiet, vast, private and gorgeous view combine to make a picture of such a peaceful evening. No wonder you returned to that spot, it’s a treasure!
Sue, I haven’t noticed anyone that comments on your blog wanting to just take one big trip to all new places in the states you go to. People interested in adopting a lifestyle similar to yours long term will sometimes want the comfort of revisiting a tried and true camp, rather than always having only unfamiliar destinations every season. You are showing us how to do that by your example, thank you. I’m not disappointed, I’m elated to know those choices are available.
P.S. This week may be one with fewer responses to any topic you cover in a post. A lot of people are using their time with a keyboard to file with the IRS because of April 15th-18th being so close.
True dat!
Yep! I will be doing my taxes tonight….old school. Itemizing….paper forms and pencil, then a copying a set in pen to mail.
Weather, first thank you for mentioning Celestial Seasons Country Peach Passion. It is one of my two top favorites now, good hot or cold.
My thinking about low response was similar to yours but I was envisioning people out in their yards digging for those coffee cans full of money they buried for emergencies years ago.
That’s a really funny scene with people digging 🙂 . I’m glad you like the tea hot or cold. Sue mentioned enjoying it both ways, too. I brought some of it with porcelain cups, saucers, spoons, honey, lemon and a table cloth with napkins for a couple of my friends and I to have tea time at a lakeside park last autumn. However,…the hot water I brought had cooled a bit, so we really had barely warm tea on a brisk afternoon. That’s how I found out the tea was good at any temperature.
Wow, you know how to do up having tea outdoors Weather, with porcelain cups and saucers and napkins and a table cloth. I’d just put my cup down to do something quick, then an hour later remember it. Tasty either way but will be so nice on a hot summers day. Hope it’s warming up where you are.
Hi Sue;
I see you are still in my ole stompin’ grounds! If you are still there, and feel like a short(ish) drive to check out another potential grassland site: take hwy toward Benson; turn on Elgin Road (you said you saw the sign); go about 3 miles watching for windmill and water tank on right side of road; on the left side of road, just opposite said windmill, is a gate in to BLM land. Go through gate. Road is dirt but hard packed; take left fork of road and follow toward Mustang Mountains. This is all grassland. Less than a mile from fork you’ll see a couple of trees standing all by themselves off on your right. A spur off the road will take you to the trees. Nice view out over the Sonoita/Elgin valley, Santa Rita Mountains in the distance, Mustang Mountains right behind you. Fine print disclaimer: It’s been several years, so I don’t know what shape the BLM road is in, nor if the site would meet your criteria, and all distances are from an aging brain and sometimes faulty memory. Nice drive though, and something new to see. Keep up the posts: you’ve been (and continue to be) an inspiration to many people!
Hasta Luego
Hi, Sue,
Just a thought – why not post some pictures with a scenario and let your blogorinos create the dialogue for the boys? You have so many talented readers who connect with Reggie and Roger and could really give them voices. Might be a real hoot!
Enjoy!
Kitt
As I sit here, sucking up oxygen from my equipment, I reflect on my days “out there”. Had I thought more then about my future, I would have tried to enjoy even more the gifts of the day. I would have smelled one more flower, taken in with more gusto one more sunset, enjoyed the flavor of my freshly caught and cooked trout (wrapped in bacon), tried to capture the memory of the southern breeze blowing gently through my camp. Now, alas, I have only the memories that I did capture and Missy’s adventures to usher me on…You folks out there today……..suck it up, breath deeply and save memories, someday it will be your yesterday don’t let it waste…. Missy, thanks so much for what you bring us. Bless
Beautifully written, Jim. Thank you for that wise advice, and for being here with those of us that have a special fondness for you.
Thank you for the heartfelt reminder, Jim. I need to be reminded daily. It sounds like you have a good store of memories. I hope they continue to nourish you. Sounds like they do.
Thank you for the reminder to enjoy and savor the gifts of each day, Jim. Trout wrapped in bacon (cooked on a campfire?) sounds delicious! When you share stories and wisdom with us, that is a gift. Thank you! . 🙂
Hello AZ Jim, You know you have some really wonderful memories to reflect back on. Many people never make time for the outdoor experience thus have no memories only, “I wish I had gone camping” in their lives. Freshly caught trout wrapped in bacon cooked over an open fire, Oh my goodness.
Take Care, Hello to Detta, keep in touch.
Az Jim, My husband & I have been enjoying Death Valley and heading to Grand Canyon in am. Then head in to Southern AZ.
We would love to meet you and Detta. You would love our joyful little rescue dog Peanut. Not sure how to make it happen or if you would feel like it.
Let me start out by saying I LOVE this blog just the way it is. I love the way you put the words and pictures out there for all to read and reflect on. That being said, if you are finding things a little too much it would be ok with me if you put out one or two sentences and a few pictures. And a question of the “day” for all to ponder on and comment their views or perspectives. But please keep this alive for all, we love it and look forward to the respite you give us. What I like the most is the way you read each and every comment, I know you do by the way you respond. My mother used to write me letters 50 years ago because there was no phones, emails, skyps etc. I cherished each and every letter. You can take the teacher out of the classroom but you can’t take the classroom out of the teacher.
Hi, Blogorinos,
Thank you for your sweet comments. At the moment it’s very hot. Reg, Rog, and I are inside the BLT with the fans going. It’s too hot to type on this laptop, so please know I appreciate your kind words, even if I haven’t replied.
Bye for now,
Sue
It is 39 degrees here….wish I could pipe over some cooling breezes! 🙂
Hi Sue,
Just wanted to add my 2 cents here….I don’t read your blog for any particular topic….I like to be surprised about whatever you choose to write about on each post so it is always a pleasure to me regardless of what you decide to talk about or pictures you choose to share with us. (Of course the pups are my favorite topic since I’m living the pup experience vicariously through you until I adopt again 🙂 but I do enjoy all of your topics.)
And as Geri mentioned, often I’m so late reading your posts (and all the comments), that I often think, I’ll just wait til the next one to respond. I will admit though that I also enjoy your follower’s comments and the interactions that I often revisit a post to continue reading comments until the next post is released.
I love the idea of a “crew corner” and giving voices to Reggie and Roger if you are up to that. I do understand the fear of vulnerability but I’m going to make a bold and possibly presumptuous statement and say that I think there will be a huge gash across your heart when it is time for this crew to leave you regardless of whether you give them voices. There just is no getting around that when you love your pups as much as you do but it is a risk worth taking for all the joy they bring!
Anyhow, I think there are many of us who faithfully read every post you write so I don’t believe your blog is on its way out. There are a few other popular blogs I read only occasionally and I’ve noticed that they don’t receive anywhere near the number of comments I see on your blog, even on one of your ‘slow’ days. I for one still look forward to the email notification telling me that there is a new post from you….I’m just not always in a place where I can read it right away and it does take a while to get through all the comments :).
Enjoy your very warm (hot) weather…..still cold here in NH but I’m hearing it will hit 70 on Saturday……YEA
Well said!
Second that feeling Geri!
Third! So look forward to your posts. You are my only rv blog I follow.
Sue, I love this camp even if you have been here before. I never tire of seeing the camp sites. The photos of the sunsets are lovely. My favorite colors in general are in the first, but the western sunsets are striking.
Also, please don’t give up on us blogorinos. A lot of folks have had kids/grandkids home for spring break and are either on vacation or just having them around re-arranging normal activities.
I enjoyed the caption and antics of the bedtime boys. Have to tell you this. May have mentioned that I set an old office chair by our bed, as it sits high, so Angel can get in the bed. Last night she was running around and while I was trying to get the chair in place, she jumped too soon and was between the chair and bed about 2/3’s up the side of course end up landing on the floor. The stunned look on her face was priceless. When I came home from the dentist today, she wasn’t at the door, so I asked where was my welcome home. She came flying out to the kitchen jumping around, then we had to play our came of chase before I could have my lunch. What a goof, I have!
Hugs to you and the boys from me and Angel.
Angel has you trained well, Barbara ! 🙂
I left you a note above, about rotisserie chickens.
Got it and replied.
Sue – I enjoy reading anything that you write! I read a couple more blogs occasionally but your blog is the only one that I read consistently! Any stories about the pups are my favorite! Many times I will share Reggie and Roger pictures and stories with my husband! I also love the stories about everyday life on the road. My life is really complicated right now and reading your blog helps me to relax and dream of retirement. I am very close to retirement, but have a couple of big projects to finish. Thanks for letting us all experience your wonderful adventure!
I’m another staunch reader who rarely comments, but loves your blog. You have been an inspiration to me. I have been working my way through the final year of living in sticks-n-bricks (remember those days?). I have been in the Great Purge, getting rid of stuff for many months. I put the house on the market at the end of March and had a buyer in a week. We close June 5, and then I head to British Columbia to pick up my full-timing rig, a 17′ Escape. When I felt weary of all the work, or overwhelmed with the changes, I would read your blog. You gave me hope and lot of practical tips as well. Please don’t doubt that your work makes a difference. For some, you are a welcome escape and glimpse into a differnt way of living. For people like me, you are an essential role model. Thank you so much.
Thanks for sharing. Love and hugs.
Gypsy Rose, Luvy, my cat, and I are headed to DC!! EXCITED!!!😁😁
Wishing you a wonderful trip, Virginia!
Thanks, RVSue. I’m also dreaming about those solar panels so I can boondock one of these days.
Hope dental chair for nothing major.
Good morning, everybody!
I hope you’re having a great day! The crew and I are off to a dental appointment. Be back later to work on a blog post.
Sue
Thanks for the nice wish, Sue, I hope any dental issue is minor and easy to deal with.
Routine visit. 🙂
Your blog is perfect, RvSue! I always love it when the crew “talks”, as well as your fine writing! Getting ready for a camping trip of our own so may not comment much in the next 2 weeks-but I think of you and the crew!
Hi Sue & Crew-
I also have been quiet lately. Catching up when I can. Been working on the yard trying to get it all ready for the big humidity that sets in for the summer when all yard work should be done by 11 am or you’re just nuts to be out there. Once it’s that hot, I just like to mow and be done. Trying also to finish Irma’s damage to our fence. It seems like that fence is nothing but an albatross around my neck. Like your old home, I can’t see hanging around here forever. Every time I spend money on that fence, I just want to be the heck out of here. Of course, the insurance didn’t even cover the roof so all fence money is out of pocket. Ugh!!!!!! The roof is scheduled for the 16th, but two rainy days have probably changed that. Anyway, I’m still here. Glad you are too. I would miss you sooooooooooo much. All of it, especially the blogorinos. So glad when “old friends” check-in. Hi Fuji-maru. Hope everyone has a great day.
Forgive me if I have already posted this, it’s a little story about our last three pets…
Let me start that I have been owned by dogs and cats all my life. I am an animal lover. Hell, give me a long day with a gopher or lizard and I would love ‘em. That’s me. I have always been in love with the animals of our world. Mom and Dad were that way too. I grew up with pets.
I spoil my pets. I protect them. That is why I at my age do not have any pets now. I have the ashes of my last babies, Grey, Annie and Christopher. I would like to tell you about them. My first of the trio was Annie. She was an adorable little girl and she was so special. Our daughter, loved animals too. She had picked up Annie as a very young homeless kitty. Soon thereafter our daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer. While hospitalized she asked if I would care for Annie. Of course, I agreed.
For awhile our daughter did better and went home. She called me and asked if I wanted to return Annie (from little orphan Annie) to her. I told her no in no uncertain terms. She laughed and said “I knew you would love her!” Annie was my baby. Our daughter fought hard, went through all the chemo, the radiation but we lost her.
Back to Annie. If I laid down to sleep, Annie was on my stomach, also sound asleep. If I picked her up and waded in a lake, she was on my shoulder perfect content that her “daddy” would protect her. I once had a two story home I was painting, my wife, Detta, shouted up to me on my ladder that Annie was on her way up. That little cat climbed the rungs in that ladder one rung at a time and soon was by my side on a one story garage roof where I was painting the second story on another ladder. Annie traveled to more states and more miles than many do in their entire lives. She was a great little passenger. I loved her dearly. She died with a liver cancer. Broke our hearts. I used to see her in my mind, almost as though she was there.
Christopher came along next. Our next door neighbor who was an elderly widow, she had a daughter who was a lawyer. She had found a little stray black and white kitty. She took it home to my neighbor. My neighbor came over to show him off. She went home, Christopher stayed. My neighbor said she left him because she said she knew of no one who would take better care of him. He was a sweet little guy. Always calm. Years later he had a massive stroke and died in my arms.
Then there was Grey. Grey was a stray who my across the street neighbor had been feeding. This was in South Dakota. Shortly after I first saw him winter had hit. My neighbors were wonderful people but like lots of others didn’t realize that a little cat cannot deal outside during a blizzard. I spotted him during a huge blizzard in 1996. I watched him trying to find shelter. I couldn’t stand it. I went over and picked him up, brought him to our house and made him a bed in the garage and put a heat lamp above his nest. He was absolutely exhausted and after some food went sound asleep. The next two days he stayed with us. Then I went to the neighbor and asked if I could have Grey. They said yes and he was ours. We only had Grey for a year and even though we took him to the vet and got his shots, he died because the vet said when he was on his own he got a spore that eventually killed him.
Now this probably looks, and reads like a sad little story of loss, but sandwiched in between the sadness, was so many wonderful memories of our little charges that made it all worthwhile. Now, with Detta and I not being real healthy and because we are old, we have no pets. In the case of Detta, the trip hazard of a pet makes it dangerous and in my case, I don’t want to strand a little pet if I can’t care for one.
AZ Jim, what a beautiful and touching story, it brings tears to my eyes. Of both sorrow and joy- sorrow for the pain of the loss of your 3 kitties and joy for the love and care you gave to them. Thank you for sharing.
Debra
Thank you Deb, it gives me pleasure to reminisce.
Hi, Jim,
Thank you for sharing that beautiful, touching story. You and Detta, always have had open hearts, ready to take in, love, and protect a fur baby. They were so blessed to have been in your care. And even now, you are looking out for what is best. I know you enjoy the birds and hummers in your yard – may they continue to bring you great joy! 🙂
Hi Denise, yes we still have our hummers and birds to watch and lately there is a stray kitty who comes and stands at our bird bath to get drinks.
AZ Jim,
What a wonderful story and how selfless of you to not take on a pet at this point in your life because you may not be able to care for one. So many of the older pets that I see from rescues are there because their person could no longer care for them or passed away. It is hard to know when that point in our life will come but I hope I can be like you and recognize that is a possibility.
I too love all animals. I made myself late for work one day last week because I had 3 deer in my yard. I believe they may have slept there during the night and I was fascinated to watch them stretching and getting ready for the day I was amazed that they seemed so comfortable just outside the dog fence I installed so only about 70 feet from my house.
Also as much damage as the woodchucks in my yard do, I enjoy watching them. I have relocated some in the past but more manage to find their way into my yard, under my deck and shed.
A great reason to be late for work! Good for you, Jan…
That was a sweet and touching story of your kitties. As much as I love Angel, I still think of my cats often and miss them a lot. All but one were strays. That one was my pure bred, grand champion bloodline, Blue Point Himalayan, which I got when he was 8 weeks old. His name was Prince, even though I had to give him a fancy CFA name to suit them. I never showed him, he was my pet and lived for 16 years until he died from kidney disease. He had three separate surgeries for it, but the vet advised me to put him down, so I did. So sad for me.
You are a treasure, Jim.
Not only because you tell these wonderful stories and memories on my blog, but because you have a big heart full of love for animals. Thank you for sharing the happy and the sad from your and Detta’s life. I love your writing!
New post coming up soon….
Oh AZ Jim. You are a good person! Thank you for telling us those stories of your kitties!
AZ Jim, thanks for sharing your stories. I too am a total animal lover. We lost our Boston Terrier to cancer 4 years ago. A month later we found out my cat Jake had cancer in his throat so we lost him. Last July 1st we lost our cat Rocky Balboa Stone to kidney and thyroid issues. I was so depressed!
Last Oct I was looking on the Oregon Dog Rescue sight and saw Vanna…went the next day and adopted her. We call her Peanut. She’s traveling with us bringing JOY to everyone she meets and every animal she meets including dogs, donkeys, sheep and little lizards. She is a clown so much fun.
Love your reminiscences, AZ Jim! Wish everyone had as much concern for animals, be they wild or domestic!
AZ Jim – that is a wonderful story! I am a dog person and we are currently owned by our 15-yr old hound mix, Sadie. Yes, we have had losses – Tiger, Tink, Maggie, Rusty, Carly – the list goes on. While the hurt is HUGE when they leave us, the love they give is absolutely worth it!
I so enjoy your stories and your writing style. Maybe you would consider a blog of some sort to share your stories? Or better yet, just pop in the comments here with another wonderful story any time. I’m sure RVSue wouldn’t mind. 🙂
Thanks again to those who commented under this post. I appreciate your encouraging remarks and feedback on canine talk.
New post is almost ready. 🙂
Not to have a blog from RV Sue and the crew would be awful! Please add my name to the long list of readers who would miss your words! Enjoy it all!