A Relaxing Day

This morning we decided to stay here another day and just veg out. So, I went for a walk this morning and had to wear a jacket again. I wasn't impressed either with the cold or the walk. The furnace actually ran this morning for the first time in about three weeks.

The 'paved pathway' (photo below) across the road from the RV park that leads you to a city park is actually like a sidewalk that runs along the highway. It is not a nice walk nor is it a pretty walk so before I had gone too far I turned around and instead walked around the park and looked at license plates and RVs. I didn't manage to walk the whole 30 minutes so when I came in I changed the bed as I hadn't washed the sheets this week when I did the laundry.



Our site among the others.

One of the RV's in the boondocking area.


I saw this little robin when I was out walking.


After breakfast we went to Walmart and I picked up some things to make a salad as since Gordon isn't eating meat these days we thought a salad would be good for him. Gordon went along and got some washers that he had been wanting for some of our ground pegs.

When I got back I washed the sheets and then returned to the RV to finish my book. When that was finished I got another Sandra Brown book called 'French Silk' and also one by Tess Gerritsen called 'Vanish' from the campground library.

Other than doing computer jigsaw puzzles, reading and surfing, that is about it for my day. Gordon went out and got the truck filled up with diesel. Diesel across the street from the park is 4.19 and 4.29 per gallon so he went to the truck stop at the other end of Deming and got it for 3.87.

Tomorrow we'll be going to Albuquerque and we're hoping to stay there only one night. We stayed at Hidden Valley Resort in Tijeras on our way west. It's at 6680 feet and where I had a hard time walking as I couldn't breathe because of the altitude but it's cheap (Passport America park) and convenient and I think they have wifi in the library so we probably won't set up the internet for just one night. We're hoping to head to Amarillo on Monday and stay at least one and maybe two nights as we have to get the truck serviced.

We didn't hook up our thermometer but I would say it was around 70F (21C) today and fairly windy. The wind affects my allergies which affect my eyes so they're runny and blurry today which gives me a bit of a headache. I'm ready to move on!

4 April - 1st Leg of Our Homeward Journey - Tucson, AZ to Deming, NM

We took our time packing up this morning but were still on the road by 9:30 a.m. It was 68F (20C ) then and it never did get above 70F (21C) in our travels today.

Gordon did really well on the 4 hour drive. We took it slow and easy with only one stop and with the one hour time change (we’re now back on Mountain time) when we crossed into New Mexico, we arrived at Dream Catcher SKP RV Park in Deming at 2:30 p.m. He still felt well enough to set up the internet satellite! We’re thinking we might spend two days here, we’ll see how we feel tomorrow morning. This isn’t a pretty park with beautiful surroundings like we’ve had for the past few weeks but it’s functional, level, has 50 amp electric and restrooms and showers so it works for us!

Here are a few photos that I took along the way today.

Pretty green trees. Spring has sprung in the desert.



The Thing - you see these signs all along I-10. We've never stopped to see The Thing!

Lots of rock formations around Dragoon, AZ.

We saw several dust devils along the way.

There are always lots of colorful trains running beside I-10 along the way.

Yeah! We're in New Mexico!


Interesting 'ghost' trees.


I hate saying goodbyes when we’re leaving which is why we said goodbye to Jim, Ellie and Christine yesterday. A couple of other neighbors dropped by this morning to wish us well but the park is emptying out very quickly. It’s starting to look like it did when we first arrived there in November. When you come right down to it, the season for Arizona RV parks is nearly as short as they are in Ontario so how come Ontario RV parks charge so much? I always thought it was because of their short season?

Since we were leaving this morning I didn’t have my morning desert walk so I’m glad I said my goodbyes to it yesterday too.

It felt good to be on the road again but it always feels better to arrive safely at your next destination.

This is It!

Goodbye to Tucson! Gordon decided this morning that we're going to start our trek back to Ontario tomorrow (Friday). He thinks he's feeling well enough to go.

So this morning I went for what might be my last desert hike. I took the North Trail to Tucson Mountain Park then west to West Loop and back to the RV. I saw quite a few jackrabbits and one cottontail but thankfully, no snakes!

After breakfast, I set off to pick up some last minute groceries since we may not be unhooking the truck at night and to pick up more of the antifungal prescription as I have no idea if that is even stocked in Ottawa. On my way back, I stopped at the office to say goodbye to Christine (owner's wife) in case she's not here when we leave in the morning. She gave me some really yummy butter cake. That woman is always feeding me!

After unpacking groceries, I went to sit outside and read but the wind came up so I decided not to breathe any Valley Fever spores and came inside to read and do some computer stuff.

Just to let everyone know, we won't be hooking up the internet satellite on our way back (at least that's the plan) so my blog may be absent for a few days but I'll post when I can. I also probably won't be in the rv-dreams chatroom until we are settled either back in Ontario or perhaps in Ohio for a few days. Some of the parks may have wifi but the research I've done isn't hopeful for the most part.

We went out and fueled up late this afternoon. Just as we were leaving Ellie and Jim arrived back from La Mesa where there were having some things done to their new motorhome so we stopped by when we got back to say goodbye and so Gordon could see their new digs. He hadn't been over yet since they bought it due to his health. We said our goodbyes hopefully only until next winter in Rockport, TX.

End of Month Expenses and More Housework

Here are March's expenses:

I'm pretty sure that we'll get most or all of the Medical/Dental expenses back from our travel health insurance but I won't submit them till we're home in case there's more. Without the medical expenses our monthly total would have been $2397.65. I'm happy with the rest of the expenses for this month.

It was a bit cloudy this morning as I left for my walk but still 55F (13C). I took a different path this morning within Pima County Park. It's not very well traveled so you don't even realize it's a path. Unfortunately it dumps you off in an area of housing so I had to go through the desert a bit to get back to the RV park. The alternative was to walk back the way I had come. I can see why this trail isn't well traveled. As you get closer to the houses there is broken beer bottles and garbage all around in the desert. Looks like a weekend hangout for teenagers and beer!

Here's a bird's nest I found. I think it's probably a curved bill thrasher's nest.


After breakfast I got the laundry ready but delayed going to the laundry room for a bit as I thought it would be less crowded around lunch time. It also gave me time to have a shower before I went. It worked well, there was no one in the laundry room at all. I was just carrying my finished laundry to the truck when someone else arrived so I was happy. I spent most of the time talking to the owner's wife while I waited for laundry. She's such a nice, caring person.

When I returned, after putting laundry away it was back to reading.

Gordon is feeling quite well today so I hope that keeps up!

Later in the afternoon I went over to visit Jim and Ellie for a while as they will be taking their new motorhome in to the dealer tomorrow and we don't know yet if we're leaving on Friday. I got this photo of the doggies waiting for a treat.

When I got back to the RV, I asked Gordon if he wanted to go out for a drive and go to Taco Bell for dinner so away we went. We had dinner first so he could take his meds then drove up A Mountain (Sentinel Peak) where I took this photo of the gazebo on top of the mountain and a view of downtown Tucson as the sun was setting.




When we returned I got on the rv-dreams chatroom as usual!

Housework and A Gift!

I woke up today feeling lethargic again probably from the Benadryl I took last night for my allergies. I thought I'm going to walk, have breakfast, read some blogs and go back to bed for a while.

I went for my walk and saw that some of the prickly pear cactus look like they're starting to bloom. I saw two jackrabbits and a cottontail but didn't take any photos. They were just too quick for me this morning.

The prickly pear cactus look like they're about to bloom.


Creosote bush in bloom.


After breakfast and blogs, I looked at the bed and decided to make it up instead of going back to it. Then I got out the dustrag and dusted, cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed and washed all the floors. Only then did I lay on the couch to finish my book - "Dry Ice" by Stephen White. It was a good book but I haven't read any of his that aren't good.

This afternoon I biked the garbage over to the dumpster and on the way back talked to Joy. She had made me this lovely necklace to remember her by. They are taking their RV in on Thursday to have the new furnace put in and probably won't be back.


It will be difficult leaving my new friends and not knowing when or if we'll see them again. A lot depends on Gordon's recovery as to what we'll do in the future. We still don't know if we'll be able to leave on Friday or not. We're on a 'wait and see' schedule.

It wasn't as hot as far as temperature goes today clocking in at 81F (27C) but it felt hotter than it's been. There's wasn't much breeze so I didn't sit outside today at all.

Hey! I'm Now A Published Photographer

A few weeks ago I received an email from Schmap Florida asking if one of the photos that I had posted on Flickr of Lakes Park in Florida could be used in their second edition Schmap Digital Travel Guide. There was no compensation for it but I would be given credit for it if my photo was chosen for the edition.

Today I got the email saying that my photo had been chosen for Lakes Park and the link to the online edition - http://www.schmap.com/florida/parks/#p=298054&i=298054.jpg Hence the title of this blog. This is the photo that they chose. I took the photo a year ago when we drove from the Texas Coastal Bend to Fort Myers to spend March visiting with my sister and her husband. Lakes Park is a beautiful spot right in Fort Myers. We spent quite a bit of time there.

I had my usual lovely desert walk this morning staying in Pima County Park. After breakfast I went in to Tucson to get groceries and pick up some other stuff. I was back just after lunch. After unpacking groceries I went to visit Ellie and Jim for a while and then I stopped to see Joy before coming back to spend the rest of the afternoon with my book. I took this photo of Joy's dog, Lucy when I was there this afternoon.



When I was sitting outside reading my book I was joined by this Gambel's Quail and these two doves.




Gordon is coming along slowly. He tires easily and is especially tired around dinner time. His appetite still isn't all that good but maybe it's just my cooking!

Meeting New Friends

Today was a windy day but still bright and sunny but a bit cooler at 82F (28C). I walked in Pima and Tucson Mountain Parks this morning and saw this little jackrabbit nibbling at the vegetation.

The jackrabbit is beating a hasty retreat!



This ocotillo is changing color.



Gordon cooked hamburgers this morning before the wind came up thankfully otherwise I would have had to cook them on the stove and I hate doing that. With the wind so strong it keeps blowing out the fire in the barbecue so the hamburgers were ready by the time I got back from my walk.

This morning and afternoon I spent reading and making bracelets. Gordon and I walked to take the garbage to the dumpster and we chatted with a few people along the way.

I got to chat with my friend and former co-worker, Najat on Yahoo Messenger this afternoon and found out the latest information on the company I used to work for.

I had made arrangements yesterday to walk over to Desert Trails to meet Carolyn and John of Travels in Our Airstream. Carolyn and John are also from Ontario and have spent this winter in Yuma. They leave tomorrow to take a short detour through Texas before heading north. I'm glad I finally got to meet these fine folks! Carolyn and John stopped by to see us when we were at Mustang Island last year but we were out so we finally got to meet! I spent a while chatting with them arriving and leaving through the desert. I even took my camera but did I remember to take a photo???

That's my day in a nutshell!

We See Some Improvement!

Today was a pretty good day for 'the patient'. He got the sewer hose hooked back up again from unhooking it so the RV Doctor could get at the kitchen slide this week and then we dumped the tanks. Then around noon he decided he wanted me to show him where the flowering cactus is in the desert so against my better judgement I took him there. He's also saying he's hungry and all this after only 2 pills of the antifungal drug. Sure hope he keeps improving so we can get going on our drive back home. I've probably rested more today than he has!

This is a photo of Gordon in the desert this morning.


The desert is covered with white wildflowers.

Yesterday morning when I was out walking I saw this Gambel's quail on the back of one of the chairs in the desert.


Yesterday on our way home from Emergency I took a photo of the "A" on the top of "A" Mountain. This is where Sentinel Peak is. We've been up there a couple of times. There is a lovely view of the city and a few trails for hiking.

I did do my morning walk although I didn't have as much enthusiasm as I usually do for it. Whether it's knowing that the desert can make you sick or I was just tired, I'm not sure.

The rest of the day I was on the computer, reading or sleeping. Not a very exciting day except for the improvement in Gordon's health.

Gordon was going to cook some burgers on the barbecue tonight but it was too windy so we went in to Wendy's instead. On our way back we drove through Tucson Mountain Park for a bit looking for critters but all we saw was a roadrunner on our way to Wendy's.

Interesting day, wasn't it?

A Gordon Update - The Good News and the Bad News

This morning we were at St. Mary's Hospital Emergency at 9:00 a.m. We didn't have to sit too long in the waiting room this time. All we wanted was a prescription for a different antibiotic. While we were there the results of his blood test came back and he does indeed have Valley Fever induced pneumonia. So instead of getting a new prescription for an antibiotic he got a prescription for an antifungal medication along with a stomach medication as the antifungal apparently affects the stomach.

The doctor that we saw on Monday night came in at 11:00 a.m. and we were still talking to other doctors and nurses at that time so he got to see Gordon again. He also felt that Gordon should not drive home and recommended that he fly so we have a letter to that effect just in case.

We brought Gordon back to the RV and I went out to Walmart to get the prescriptions filled. When I came back I had to go to the office and pay for another week here at Diamond J RV Park. While I was gone, Joy had stuck a message to the door wondering how Gordon was. She was just leaving to go out when I was coming back from the office so I talked to her and then stopped at Ellie and Jim's and talked to Ellie. Back at the RV I called the travel medical insurance to update them. The lady I spoke to was the same one I talked to last night about the allergic reaction to the prescription. She told me that there is $2000 coverage for the RV to be moved back to our home base if Gordon can't drive so we're going to wait and see how he is in a week or possibly two. We're hoping that he'll be able to drive it himself.

That's our today in a nutshell!

A Low Key Day and a Barbecue

First of all I want to thank all the people on rv-dreams chat for their prayers and good wishes for Gordon's speedy recovery. I especially want to thank Ellie and Jim for being there for us and for offering to be of assistance to us in any way. We appreciate it more than words can say.

Today we spent a quiet day. Jim stopped by this morning to see if we needed anything and Ellie came over around noon to invite me over for a barbecue.

I spent the day reading and making a few bracelets.

Around 4:15 p.m. or so I went over as I saw Jim slaving away at the barbecue and sat outside and talked with them and took this photo of Jasmine and Mr. Bo Jangles. Ellie's sister, her husband and cousin arrived shortly after and we had a wonderful dinner of chicken, broccoli, fruit salad with apple pie and cool whip for desert. It's the best meal I've had in a while as we've only been eating salad since Gordon hasn't felt like eating much. I even got a care package to bring home to Gordon.

Gordon had a pretty good day today but has a definite reaction to the antibiotic that he's taken so he called his daughter who is a pharmacist although staying at home being a Mom right now and she didn't think he should continue taking it so I called the pharmacy who suggested I call the ER Doctor. The doctor who saw Gordon on Monday night wasn't on duty so I was told he would have to come in or else have the pharmacy call them. So I called the pharmacy again and they are to call Emergency and call me back so that's what I'm waiting for right now. Nothing's easy!

Update:

The pharmacy called back and they couldn't get anyone to authorize another prescription at the hospital, the hospital wants us to go back in.

So I called the insurance and she said to go ahead to the hospital but to let them know if they want to do more tests. She also gave me some walk in clinic information in the area.

I talked to Gordon about it and he had already taken his antihistamine cough syrup and the rash has gone again so we're going to wait till tomorrow to do anything.

Why is this so difficult? All we want is a replacement prescription that won't make him break out in a rash!

A Day in the Life.....

I went on my walk this morning but as I was passing a dead prickly pear I heard some rustling so I think there might be a snake living in there. Either that or some other little animal. Anyway, I made sure I skirted well around it and made lots of noise.

I saw this flowering cactus in the desert this morning. It was the only one!

JoAnn, Doug and Fillmore were leaving this morning so I caught them just as they were about to leave. JoAnn was actually walking down to say goodbye as I was walking up to see them. They are headed to the Bisbee area.

By the way here's the hook that RV Doctor put in the wall to hold the top of the stove up when I'm cooking.


This morning we went to Camping World to see if we could get a part for the stove that we needed as well as the new motor for the bathroom fan but they didn't have the stove part nor did they have the fan. Ours is made by Ventline. We got the stove part at Beaudry RV but still haven't found the fan and since Gordon didn't want to be out too long we came home with a brief stop at Taco Bell so Gordon could get his Southwest Steak Bowl. He said he wanted to do something 'normal' today.

This afternoon both of us had naps. Gordon slept for most of the afternoon. When I got up I went to visit our neighbor, Joy who makes beautiful necklaces. Here are some samples of her work. I watched her make part of a new one and she showed me how she makes each module and also the catch for the necklace. She really needs to sell them. They are so beautiful!

This is Joy wearing one of her necklaces.





Tonight Gordon told me that he hasn't been feeling well since he had his nap this afternoon and his fever is up but he doesn't feel like going to Emergency and sitting forever in the waiting room so if we have to go we'll go after midnight when most people have cleared out. When we left at 4 a.m. there wasn't anyone there.

Another night on the rv-dreams chatroom.

Not What We Signed On For!

One of the things we dread as fulltimers being from out of the country is illness. As you know Gordon hasn't been feeling well for the last couple of weeks and last night his temperature was up and he had chills so we decided to go to Emergency. We spent almost four hours waiting in the waiting room in chairs not designed for people who are ill. He finally got a bed in Emergency about 10:30 p.m. where after blood work, a chest x-ray and a CT scan of the chest he was diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown origin. We arrived home around 4:00 a.m.

When we went to the walk in clinic last week he was given antibiotics which apparently should have cleared up pneumonia but it did not and he kept getting worse. They gave him three heavy doses of an inhaler last night in the hospital and prescribed an inhaler for him as well as another round of antibiotics of a different type. They also did blood work to determine if he might have Valley Fever. This test takes about a week to come back. If he does have Valley Fever, antibiotics will not help and he will have to go on an antifungal drug but they won't give him the antifungal drug until the diagnosis is positive. So here we are in Tucson waiting for the results and for him to recover sufficiently to drive back home.

If he has not recovered sufficiently as determined by the doctor to make the long drive (about 2500 miles) to Ontario, our travel medical insurance will look after returning the RV to our home province. We're cutting our time really short to be able to get back especially if he doesn't recover quickly.

I have been asked why I don't drive the rig. I have a couple of answers to that. One, I'm not that comfortable driving the truck having always been used to driving a Saturn sport coupe and two, I don't need the stress with the health problems that I have personally.

When we began this lifestyle we had decided that if we started having health problems we would discontinue our life on wheels and return to the stix and brix house. Is this the time? At this point we're keeping our options open.

We had booked an appointment with the RV Doctor (mobile RV repair) to come today as our kitchen slide has been very noisy when going in and out for the last few months. He fixed that in short order and also showed us how to raise the top of the stove. It's so easy when you know how! I've also had a problem with the stove top cover not sitting back far enough so that when you have pots on the back burners they get pushed ahead which makes for ineffective cooking so he hooked up a little hook thing to keep the top in the upright position. Again so easy! He also looked at our bathroom fan motor and said that if we go and buy it, he'll come and install it and make the necessary adaptations so it will fit so it's another trip to Camping World tomorrow!

Other than feeling exhausted today from getting about 4 hours of sleep, we're relieved first of all to have a diagnosis for Gordon and second of all to have the RV problems fixed.


Thanks to all of you who have expressed concern and inquired about Gordon's health. We really appreciate it!

Walking and Visiting

It was already 50F (10C) at 7:40 a.m. when I started out on my walk. There was quite a strong breeze blowing enough so that my hat didn't want to stay on my head! I had another beautiful walk taking lots of photos so at least I have memories in photos for when we leave here.


After breakfast I went into Tucson. I had a strange purchase considering today was to be 85F (29C). I decided to buy a warming throw as I had seen them at Walgreens. It may be warm here but our return through the mid-west and into Ontario will be very cold for at least a month and possibly more before it starts to warm up again. I'm really not looking forward to it. I also stopped at Walmart and got some groceries.

I got back to the RV shortly after lunch and was unpacking groceries when JoAnn came to the door and told me that a 'leftover lunch' was being put together at Ellie's as they had gone into Tucson and picked up Froggi Donna and brought her back to Ellie & Jim's. Froggi Donna is a solo RVer whose blog is called 'From the Lilypad' the Lilypad being her 26 ft Class C. I have been reading Donna's blog for quite a while now so I was glad to finally meet her. There were a lot of people there as Ellie's sister and her husband and her cousin were there as well as JoAnn and Doug. Gordon still isn't up to par so I didn't stay long.

I'm afraid I didn't get very good photos today. This one is of Donna, Ellie's cousin, Berta and JoAnn with her back to the camera.


The rest of the afternoon was spent sorting out the beads that I've bought over the past few weeks and then continuing reading my book.

Easter Sunday and Other Stuff

Happy Easter everyone!

Today was another beautiful sunny hot day with a nice little breeze. Thank goodness for the breeze or it would have been really hot at 85F (29C).

I had another beautiful desert walk this morning. I was walking along enjoying communing with nature and missed my trail so had to backtrack and there was no Easter bunny on the trail this morning handing out Easter eggs! Bummer!

More wildflowers



This morning I got my hair colored. I was beginning to feel like the old joke - she had such pretty blonde hair, too bad she dyed the roots black! It's darker again almost like it was when we first arrived in the U.S. in November last year. It's called medium ash blonde but always turns out dark on me for the first couple of weeks till some of it gets washed out. I like it darker for a change.

I sat outside and read the book that JoAnn brought to me the other day. It was a bit hard to get into but quite enjoyable after the first couple of chapters. It's basically the story of a middle-aged woman and the ins and outs of her life when her husband leaves her for a younger woman.It's called 'Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman' by Elizabeth Buchan who is a British writer.

Golden Gate Mountain framed by two palo verde trees.


This afternoon I changed the bed and put on those wonderful hand-me down sheets that I got this week from Ellie so I'm looking forward to sleeping on Egyptian cotton sheets tonight! Then since I decided no one but me would be silly enough to do laundry on Easter Sunday headed over to the laundry which was indeed, empty. Another lady came in later. While I was doing laundry I was sitting on the front verandah of the office reading my book when Ellie, her sister and her cousin stopped by so I got to meet them. They had been walking in the desert with Jasmine and Mr. Bo Jangles, Ellie's two miniature schnauzers.

I talked to my older sister this morning and the weather is cold but sunny in Toronto. I called my younger sister in Ottawa this afternoon and the weather there was also cold and sunny and the snow isn't melting due to it still being so cold. They're also expecting more snow on Tuesday. She says they still have eight foot snowbanks. Sure hope the campground in Kingston will be open and able to accommodate us! Margie & John have volunteered to let us park in their driveway but I'm not sure we'll fit especially with all the snow! I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!

That about encompasses my day. Gordon is still not feeling the best so he rested most of the day.

I Saw the Easter Bunny!

I've had a request for the recipe for Linda's Taco soup so instead I'll give you the link to Linda's recipes. For those of you that don't know rv-dreams.com, this site is a wealth of information. It has a forum and also a chat room.

Here's the link for recipes: http://www.rv-dreams.com/recipes.html .
The recipe for Taco Soup is under Main Dish Recipes.

Here's the link for rv-dreams website: http://www.rv-dreams.typepad.com/

The link to the forum: http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=91511&p=1

And the link to the chatroom: http://www.rv-dreams.com/chatroom.html

For the chatroom just wait until the Java box shows a box to enter your name or any name and press Connect and you're in!




On to today - I had a great walk this morning and finally saw a roadrunner (photo on right) in the wild. I was so excited!









Walking up on the ridge in Tucson Mountain Park.


More wildflowers






I continued on into Tucson Mountain Park, came around a corner in the trail and there was the Easter bunny and his associate (photo below on left) just sitting there on the path. They let me get one photo before hopping away. Don't they look like the chocolate bunnies that you see in the stores?

On my way back I also saw a little cottontail but he didn't stick around long.





After breakfast, I asked Gordon if he was up to go to the Tohono O'Odham Swapmeet and he thought he was so away we went. The people were much more interesting than the swapmeet itself but we walked around it all. There wasn't much of interest to us though.


From there we drove into Tucson Mountain Park and walked a bit on the Brown Mountain Trail but only where it connects with Cougar Trail. By that time it was 80F (27C) and I didn't have much water with me so we came back to the truck after finding out that Cougar Trail isn't that far.

Brown Mountain with lots of wildflowers among the saguaros.


Not much was accomplished this afternoon however. I did start looking at the map again to see what direction we might take to head home. The consensus is to stay south as long as possible at this point.

Happy Easter Weekend Everyone!

We were supposed to be packing up to leave Tucson today instead I found myself out wandering the desert trails at 7:30 this morning. On my way back Doug and JoAnn were just leaving to go over to La Mesa to help Ellie and Jim move into their new digs - a brand new Phaeton motorhome so I stopped to chat with them and let them know I'd be over to help as soon as the office opened so I could pay for another week.

I went over to the office and Doc was there so we got our weekly rent paid then I was off to La Mesa. By the time I got there they had the Bounder mostly cleaned out and were about to have lunch which JoAnn had so kindly provided. She had made Linda Payne's Taco Soup which was delicious, there was fresh fruit and her chocolate pie for desert. I'm never one to turn down chocolate pie! JoAnn is a wonderful cook. I sure wish I enjoyed it as much as she does!

After lunch I started to clean out the refrigerator and freezer in the Bounder with Ellie's help as that was the last thing to do. When the food had been transferred, I got their bed cleaned off and stuff put into the cupboards. Good luck finding stuff guys! When I left they were waiting for someone to come and fix something on one of the outside compartments and then they were ready to return to Justin's Diamond J.

I didn't take any photos of the new Phaeton as I thought Ellie should be the one to post the first photos of their new home. I actually took very few photos today so this will be a posting with no photos - a rarity lately.

I stopped on my way home to pick up some eggs and a couple of other things and they actually beat me back. The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to solve this month's Where Are You contest. Even though they tell you its in Shanghai, I still haven't been able to come up with the answer. My sister called today wondering if I had been able to solve it. NO!!

After that, a nap was in order. Another day in the life of a fulltime rver!

Desert Museum, Doctor and A Change of Plans AGAIN!

Today I got up early as we had planned to go to the Desert Museum on our last day here in Tucson. I did a short walk in the desert then came back to have breakfast and get ready to head out. We got there before they opened and spent a couple of hours there. I finally got to see a roadrunner! I've seen them before but from a distance. We did see some at Big Bend NP in Texas three years ago but none really close up since then. Since this was spring break we wanted to get there early and I'm glad we did. There were lots of people coming in as we were leaving!

The Roadrunner


Flowers and Cactus
More pretty wildflowers


A California Ground Squirrel (we think)

A couple of flowering cactus

As I've mentioned before, Gordon hasn't been feeling well for about a week. He's been kind of feverish and coughing a lot. Today he was feeling worse after we got back from the Desert Museum so we decided he should go to the doctor. I knew there was an Urgent Care Clinic on Ajo Way not too far into Tucson so we went there. We didn't wait all that long and the doctor gave a diagnosis of bronchitis. She asked if he wanted an antibiotic shot so we decided that would be a good idea and might clear it up faster. She also gave him a prescription for cough medicine and an antibiotic. We got that filled at the Walmart Neighborhood Store on the way back to the RV.

So we've decided to stay probably another week and forego our trip to Louisiana. We want to be sure the antibiotics work and he doesn't really feel like driving this rig the way he's feeling right now. Doesn't bother me to stay another week! We'll get to see Jim & Ellie's new Phaeton and meet Ellie's sister!