Fulltiming Road Runners

I’ve been enjoying our time with visitors so much that I’m not blogging like I should.  The day Mike, Tiff and Tiff’s family left, Mel, Kirk & Brody arrived.  They had dinner with us last night (I baked a ham on our Weber Grill, saute’d some Asparagus, ‘n Mel brought a ‘tater salad), and we sat around the fire talking until Thom had to go lock gates at 10:00.   Today sometime, I’m going to walk Mel thru the making of a beaded anklet.  It’s a pretty simple pattern, so once she gets the hang of it, she can finish the piece in just a couple of hours.  This way she can find out if she might enjoy beading.  She said she’d like to eventually be able to make a hummingbird.

Our weather has cooled down considerably.  The low yesterday was 28F and today was 30F.  Highs are pretty much staying in the 70’s.

Well, Mel is here to pick bead colors, so I best get off the ‘puter and help her out.

Ya’ll stay healthy & happy.

Toodles

It was a pretty calm weekend.  My son, Mike and Tiff and Coen came in with her two sisters ‘n their spouses/kids, ‘n her father ‘n mother.  It’s been a wonderful few days, being able to stop and visit and share with them in between duties.  Tonight we had dinner with them, and as they were the only campers here we were able to devote the whole evening to them and enjoyment…… what a joy!  They are here one more night.

Marv and Deb came in Friday night and left late this morning.  I know I say it over and over, but we sure enjoy spending time with them… as limited as it was this time, being the weekend with people coming and going.

Mike ‘n Tiff ‘n family will leave Tuesday, probably just before Kirk, Mel ‘n Brody come in.  Mike was hoping to see the 3 of them again.  I’ll have to be sure and give them Mike’s email address.

Time for me to go.

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n happy!

Toodles!

I’m not gonna pick a topic.  If I say “all is calm”, all hell breaks loose.  If I say “status quo”, all hell breaks loose.  If I say “Nothin’ new”, all hell breaks loose!  I AIN’T SAYIN’ NUTTIN’!!

I’m hoping this is a fantastic weekend  My Daughter-in-Law’s father came up shortly after noon and set up camp, then a bit later Tiffany (D-I-L) and her Mom showed up.  A little bit later even, Tiff’s sister and her S/O showed up and set up a tent, then a little after everyone thought it should be dinner time, Tiff’s other sister showed up with dinner for them all, and just 20 minutes ago Mike showed up… he had to work today.  He has to work tomorrow & Saturday too, so he is commuting about 25 or 30 miles both days.  I hope to be able to spend some time with all of them on Sunday and Monday.  Things usually slow down on Sundays through Thursday morning.

Tomorrow evening our friends Marv and Deb will be arriving.  It’s always a joy to spend time with them.  What’s really nice about them is we know that even though we may be saying goodbye for a while when they leave, we know we’ll be seeing them sometime this winter in Quartzsite.

To top it all off… next Tuesday, our very best, favorite campers (and super good friends) are coming in for several days, Mel, Kirk, Brody and Buddy.  Mel and Brody are Mucuy’s (my parrot) favorite camping buddies.  Mucuy has a special bond with Brody and responds really great to Melani.

With all these good friends and family here in Utah, we are already trying to find a way to come back here and not be in the same type of situation we’re in now.  (We’re also trying to talk all of them into coming down to Quartzsite for a visit!)  Mike said he and Tiff are thinking about it and Kirk & Mel even said they may be able to work something out.

We’ve become good friends with the U.S.F.S. Law Officer here and are working on getting her to come down this winter for a visit.  If we come back to this canyon to host, she’ll be a big part of the reason we do!  Her and our families.

It’s about time for me to catch the happenings in the world on the news tonight, so I’m going to say “thanks to the Powers That Be for an uneventful day” ‘n

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n happy!

Toodles.

We had about 8 campsites empty out on Saturday Morning and fill up again by Saturday night.  That was fine, all our campers were good people and happy to comply if asked to quiet down after 10 p.m.

This morning, though, all hell broke loose!  At 9 a.m. there was a pounding on our door.  From the sound of the pounding I knew it wasn’t just a camper wanting firewood or to renew for the day.  When I answered it, it was our friend’s brother who had heard a scream and ran to the bathroom to see what was happening.  A woman outside the men’s bathroom was hysterical and her significant other was on the floor in the bathroom bleeding from the head.  He had had a heart attack and fell, cutting his forehead.  A camper across the street had heard the scream too and when he saw what had happened, he started CPR.  Thom remembered another of our campers is active military and very well versed in CPR also.  He raced the cart to his site and brought him back to help with CPR.  This gentleman, Luke, performed CPR for 20 minutes until the ambulance arrived.

With all the issues we’ve had in our campground with communications, you may be wondering how we fared this time.  We got very very lucky.  The host in Perception Park happened to be in her motorhome using the phone when I radioed for her.  We were able to get the 911 call made within 5 minutes of the man going down.  Normally the hosts in Perception would have been out cleaning bathrooms and campsites at that time and they don’t take their radio with them.  As I said, we were very very lucky!

The patient had expired at least once and was brought back to life.  They called for the life flight helicopter and set up the landing site for the chopper on the highway at the intersection of our campgrounds.  The ambulance took the man down to the landing site and as they were transferring him to the helicopter he crashed again and they were unable to revive him this time.

My dear friend, Mari, and I sat at the entrance to our campground keeping traffic both in and out.  Thom was using our car to guide the emergency vehicles in, and then the cart to go help set up the landing site and control traffic at the Upper Meadows and the highway.  Things were all done and we were able to relax by noon, but I have to tell you, by then we were both exhausted from the constant high adrenaline for so long, yet too wired still to try to relax and take a nap.  We had a dinner date for 5:00 this evening at friends down canyon.

It’s a good thing it’s Sunday  with no new campers coming in.  Neither of us did any work today other than Thom finishing the cleanup/disinfecting job in the bathroom the man had the heart attack in (the paramedics did a really good job of cleaning up, but it still needed a quick mop and bleaching).

By the time we got cleaned up and hopped in the car to head for our friends (Marv & Deb) house, we were really ready to get out of the campground and to a totally different environment.  It was really wonderful to spend the time with Marv and Deb and share thoughts and plans, etc., not to mention the food!  We were able to totally get this morning out of our minds and just enjoy our time with these good friends.

Another really good thing is Marv and Deb are coming up to camp for the weekend this coming Friday.  This may be our last time to see them until after November down in Quartzsite.  AND, another really good thing is my son, Mike, our daughter-in-law, Tiff and darling Coen, along with Tiff’s family will be here starting Thursday thru Monday to camp.  It will be so nice to spend more time with Tiff’s family and, of course, Mike/Tiff/Coen!

Today has totally confirmed our feelings that we will never host again in a campground where we are sole responsibility and we don’t have the support we need for emergencies.

Ya’ll stay healthy and happy!

Toodles!

It’s been a relatively normal weekend in our campgrounds… no big partiers to quiet down, no issues of any kind… really nice.

We’re totally enjoying having Scott, Mari and Scott’s brother Matt here.  I’m feeling totally spoiled!  Mari had the opportunity to buy craft wire very inexpensively and brought a bunch to me.  On top of that she cooked her Asian Salmon tonight which was out of this world!  Ya know, she says it’s super simple, and yet, I see her hopping in and out of her camper and know she’s working in very close quarters and has to improvise to turn out these great meals!  I totally respect and admire her!

They are leaving tomorrow afternoon and I’m going to really miss them!

Last night, while everyone else was outside around the campfire and I was being an icicle in the trailer (couldn’t get warm), I finished my hummingbird!  There are some very obvious flaws, but I intend to do a whole lot better next time!

Here’s a couple of shots of my beaded ruby throated hummingbird.  This one from the front.

And this one from the back

I want to do one for Mom and one for my brother, Russ, and after that, any hummers I make, I’ll charge for!  LOL

Ya’ll stay healthy and happy!

Toodles!

Not a lot going on here. It’s very quiet for a Thursday afternoon. We’re used to being half full by this time of the week. I doubt our managers appreciate it much, but I’ve been giving our military guys price breaks on the campsites. If we can give old people (our age & older), and disabled people 50% discounts, we can certainly give our guys who put their lives on the line regularly in Iraq a discount when they come here during R&R.

The other evening we had a special visitor at my hanging plant basket. I’ve only seen the Hummingbird Moth twice now. The light wasn’t great for taking photos of him, but I tried anyway. Here are a couple of shots. He really is the size of a small hummingbird.

Scott just showed up so I better go be a hostess. Mari is coming up later with Scott’s brother. She had to work today.

Ya’ll stay healthy & happy!

Toodles.

I can’t believe it’s been 4 days since I’ve posted.  things are calm and quiet and maybe that’s why I haven’t thought to post.

They said it would be slow after July 24th (Utah’s Pioneer Day), until Labor Day, and even then it will be slower than all other holidays.

Tomorrow, our friends Scott and Mari will arrive, Scott’s brother will be with them.  They are staying thru Sat. night.  We’re really looking forward to spending time with them.  I don’t know about Scott’s brother, but Scott and Mari are both quite intelligent and oodles of fun to talk to.  I’m going to miss all our friends from Utah when we go to Arizona.  Won’t stop me from going, but I’m going to miss them anyway!  I’m so glad we get to see Kirk, Brody and Mel one more time before we leave!

I have a photo of my 3D hummingbird but it looks like a dead bird and I’d rather not share it.  I’m almost done with it and will share the whole thing very soon.  It’s really fun to make, and I can’t wait to start another one to make it right!

Ya’ll stat healthy and happy!

Toodles!

Had a couple of things go on yesterday and today I want to share.  Yesterday’s “happening” is going to take some time to explain I think.

When we have campers come in, they have to have a “sleeping unit (car, tent, trailer, camper, etc)” set up in the site, then they need to pay us for at least that night.  If their sleeping unit is a car, van, camper, motor home, etc., then when they drive it off and leave the site empty, they need to tell the campground hosts so they can put a cone in the site to reserve it.  Night before last we had a couple come in and pay for 4 nights.  They were in a van with a canoe inside/sticking out the back door, and when asked, said they were tenting.  On Friday, the Van was gone, there was no tent and they had said nothing about leaving for the day.  By 2:00 p.m., check-in time, we had heard nothing from them and the campsite was empty.  At that time I let another person sign up for the site because according to rules of the USFS the site had been abandoned.  (we’ve had people register, pay for several nights and leave early before).

After the new guy registered and paid for the site, he set up his tent and left for  a while.  Around 6:00 p.m., the original campers returned.  Thom told them the site had been re-assigned to another camper.  They, of course, objected and came to talk to me because I was the one who signed them up.  It went back and forth for a while, but ultimately I had to tell them they abandoned the campsite and I gave them back their check.  I didn’t have to give them their money back, but I felt that was the least I could do.  I know many of you will think I was wrong, but I was only following the guidelines given to us.  I’m sure the people went to Anderson Cove and filed a complaint with our managers.  Not a problem for me.

The second happening was today.  We’ve been having thunderstorms with clouds and humidity and a bit of wind.  Today the winds kicked up high while I was doing rounds.  Thom was left here at the trailer to deal with getting the awnings down before they blew apart.  As he was getting the last of the awnings put up, I was coming in to park and thought I best do a round in the Lower campground so turned to head out again and we heard a huge crack/crash!  I though something had fallen off the cart very noisily.  Thom apparently knew exactly what it was and let the awning go so he could duck!  We had one of the dead trees in our yard blow down.  Luckily it went down away from the trailer, but there are about 3 more up there that could fall in any direction.

The Forest Service was here several weeks ago falling dead trees and Thom told them about the ones in our yard that were threatening to our well being.  They never came to do anything about them.  We are now in the season of thunderstorms and heavier winds.  Tomorrow when our managers come to collect money for last week, I’ll be telling them we are definitely leaving on Sept 14th., but I’m also going to be telling them that if those trees are not dealt with, we are very likely to leave a lot sooner!  One of the trees has a  “widow maker” hanging right over where we walk to get into our trailer.  A widow maker is a branch broken from the tree just waiting for the right breeze or wind to make it fall.  It sure was scary when that tree fell in the wind!

I just keep telling myself “I am an outdoor person”  “I can deal with Mother Nature”.  I don’t think I’m very convincing.

The hummingbird babies have fledged and the parents are bringing them to our feeders.  I’m loving the cacophony of hummers chasing each other, but it sure can be difficult to tell immature males from mature females.  We do have one immature male Rufous Hummingbird ruling one of the feeders.  I’ve been able to get some pretty good shots since he’s more intent on fighting off intruders than avoiding my camera.

This guy sits in the tree just a few feet from the feeder and charges any intruders.

Here he’s just noticed an intruder and is going into chase mode.

Full threatening mode… get as big as possible even though he’s 1 inch smaller than all the rest.

My brother, Russ, is really partial to this type of hummingbird.  I hope to get good enough with the beaded hummer to try to make one of these for him.  In the meantime I’ve had to stop work on my 3-D hummer so I can make one of my wire sculpted trees for Tiffany, my much loved Daughter-in-Law.

This is a particularly long blog.  My apologies.

This afternoon the sky got dark, the thunder clapped and we got RAIN! It was only 0.04″ of rain, but it sure was refreshing. The world looks a whole lot cleaner out there, and smells so fresh. We still have clouds overhead so I’m hoping for a rainstorm to happen at bedtime to put me into deep sleep.

I think things have slowed down here. It’s Thursday night and we aren’t half full in the Lower Meadows. The Upper Meadows has pretty much been taken over by one family, they have taken 6 of our 9 sites in the Upper.

I think I mentioned I’d post progress pics of my 3D hummingbird. It’s not going real well, I’m not keeping the beads and thread as tight as they should be, but it will be good enough for me to keep for myself and I’ll do better with the next one. In the meantime, step by step I’m getting better with this one. Here is a pic of just the head. See the threads… I need to pull the stitches tighter.

Trust me, it looks better as the body builds. LOL

It’s time for me to get ready for bed. It’s almost 10:00 p.m. and if I’m going to stay healthy, I need a good nights sleep. I used to think I needed at least 8 hours a night, but during the time we’ve been here in the canyon, I’ve been averaging 6 to 7 hours and I seem to be adjusting.

Ya’ll stay healthy and happy!

Toodles!

It’s been quiet here today.  Our very good friends, Kirk, Melani, and Brody left today.  Kirk fell yesterday and hurt his back so it was a real chore for the poor guy to get hitched up and out of here.  Of course, he Mel and Brody are a well oiled machine and were able to get on the way with minimal pain for him.  I’m now waiting for word from Mel or Brody that they got home okay and all is well.  These guys are such neat people, we feel blessed in having met them.

Brody and Mucuy (our Quaker Parrot) have bonded like you wouldn’t believe.  I’ve never seen Mucuy respond to requests/demands from someone who’s not me or Thom like he does with Brody.  Mucuy absolutely loves Mel too.  If I were to have to get Mucuy out of my life, I’d feel very comfortable with him going to Brody, Mel and Kirk.  Of course, I’m still quite attached to the obnoxious guy, so it’ll be a while before I decide I can’t live with him.  Besides, I’m not sure Mucuy can live without Lymon, even though he ignores him and denies he’s part of the family.

Just got word today that Scott and Mari, our friends in SLC (kinda in SLC), are coming up next weekend.   Thom worked with Scott at the Salt Lake Community College.  We are really looking forward to seeing them.  It is so neat having people we love and care about coming up here.

We’ve firmed up our plans to go back to Quartzsite.  I called Phyllis on Monday to let her know we’d be there to host again this winter season and to reserve a spot for us.  Phyllis and Larry were our Camp Coordinators last year at La Posa North in Quartzsite.  It’s going to be such a different life working just 2 days a week instead of 7 days.

We have made an appointment with Ardell Brown’s to have the final bit of warranty work done on our Mobile Suites.  We will definitely be leaving this campground on Sept. 14th.  The work on our RV is to start Sept. 15th. and we WILL be in Quartzsite the first week in Oct.

I never thought I’d be so excited about going back to Quartzsite this winter.  I know I love it there, and I know I’ve had some ambiguous feelings about it last year, but now that I know I’m going back, I’m really excited and can’t wait to get back there and see Larry & Phyllis, Bill and Cheryl, possibly Larry, possibly Sandy.  I fear I’m going to be really disappointed if we don’t get our old site back, but I’ll survive and we’ll make wherever we are OURS.

Today I saw our first Monarch Butterflies.  They are here visiting the Milk Weeds.  Here’s a shot or two.

These guys are big and I love watching them fly by.

I’m off for the night.  Being so close to leaving here and heading back to familiar territory, I can’t wait for time for just Thom and I.  It’s been a long time coming.  We got here May 5th and haven’t had a whole day off since.  That’s been 3 months and by the time we get on the road it will have been 4 months.  Lesson learned!

Ya’ll stay healthy and happy.  (Mom… can’t wait to have you with us again in QZ!)