Fun Day and not so Fun Day

June 28 – Another fun day! We got up about 7:45 and walked the loop. There were a couple of sites that people left late that needed raked out. Bill went back out and raked while I got dressed to go into Durango and got out Bill’s cereal and made toast and my smoothie. The goal was to be on the road by 9 and we made it. Bill thought if we went to a movie at 11:30 instead of the afternoon we’d be home by 3, but it still takes the same amount of time to run all the errands so we got home at 5:30.

We stopped at Home Depot to return the last 2 tiki torches I bought since we can’t use them with the fire ban and to get some leather gloves. I have worn out the pointer finger of 2 pair of cotton and torn my nail up. I did find a pair that has leather lined palms and fingertips so hope they will last a bit. I wanted to stop at Nature’s Oasis for granola and any other deals on bulk items since I had a 15% off coupon. I got granola and whole wheat pancake mix and Bill got granola and sunflower seeds.

The movie was at the downtown 2 theater complex and we were early so looked in one of the shops we liked when were here in 2010. They have beautiful jewelry, kachinas, pottery and I looked at knives since my last one was confiscated by the LA airport security. Just looking right now and making mental note. The movie was at 11:30, “That’s My Boy” with Adam Sandler. I didn’t like is as much as some of his other movies. Too much “F-word” for me and I don’t understand why he wasn’t talking in his normal voice. It did have some funny parts to me, and to Bill they must have been hilarious. I had to jab him a couple of times to keep it down. I mainly wanted to see Dan Patrick and the Dannettes who were all in the movie.

At the bar in Jean Pierre's

It was 1:30 when we got out and we were more than ready for lunch. Bill had been looking at places in a restaurant guide for Durango and chose a French bakery/café and wine bar called Jean Pierre. It was only a block from the movie so we fed the meter more and walked down. The bread was nice and crusty with no salt, just the way it is in France. Bill got a quiche special with salad and choice of pastry and I went with a Friand special with salad and choice of pastry. I was thrilled with the salad as it was quite large for a side salad with lots of fresh mushrooms and black olives and a yummy balsamic vinaigrette dressing, however, I thought the portion of Friand (which is a puff pastry filled with chicken, sausage and shrimp) was rather skimpy for the price. Bill had a huge piece of quiche. For dessert he chose an apricot filled pastry and I had the L’Opera, which was awesome. It was layers of a chocolate wafer and coffee flavored filling and dark chocolate. I had to encourage (yeah, right) Bill to have some as I could not finish it after having 2 pieces of the bread first. I would go back again for sure.

We had some time left on the meter so we stopped in a couple of shops and found out that the shop where Bill’s chain was being repaired was just up the side street a block so we picked it up and left my Southwestern inlaid watch there for her to replace the band. The place in Ignacio could take all summer and she will have it ready next week. We popped in a couple of places on the way back and found a shop specializing in olive oils and balsamic vinegars and they carry a lemon infused and a blood orange infused oil but don’t have both in stock this week, so I will definitely go back and get a bottle of each. I have checked every grocery and food store I’ve been in at home and since we’ve been gone in hopes of finding some and not having to order it on line.

We had 13 minutes left on the meter and an errand out of the way so we were happy. I also found the free paper with the grocery ads so after a quick look, we only had to stop at Albertsons and Wal-Mart on the way out of town. Albertson’s had Snapple on sale and some good produce buys and then we needed new wipers and a few essentials from Wally World. Didn’t need a fuel stop this week so last stop was home. Xena was happy to see us and once things were put away we knew we were not going to be hungry for a while. I decided to hold out 2 of the brat burgers (yes, brats shaped like burgers) and just grill them and have 2 ears of corn when the time was right. We didn’t eat until almost 8, then took Xena for a walk. Some of the sprinklers were going in the wrong direction so Bill tried to move them but only one would change. Xena’s leg gave way and I checked her paw but didn’t see anything. Maybe that crazy harness slipped around and pinched her tendon or nerve. She walked a little gingerly on the way home and that reminded Bill we need to see if there is a 24 hours vet in Durango.

Bill read while I watched “Suits” and then he came out and did his dishes. Time to do some computer researching for a new TV and then read a while.

June 29 – I had hopes we would go kayaking today, but again it didn’t happen. If the kayak is still in the box when we get home it’s going on Craigslist.com and I never want to hear about one again. The water was smooth this morning and it wasn’t real hot out yet and it was our day off. But, Bill being the overly diligent person that he is sometimes, he had sites that needed done and these sites always come before anything else. So after we walked the loop we had some of our new granola as I wasn’t in the mood to make a big breakfast and we did sites.

I set our some cream cheese to soften and went to do two loads of laundry. There’s a double sink in the laundry room so I put in hot beach water and soaked our socks for a long time, then rinsed them 3 times and put them in a washer. The washers are crappy and the water isn’t hot enough and the socks are getting blacker and blacker. Well, they do look better so will have to try the same technique next time. Bill’s good Docker shorts were stained so I used Desolve-it on them and scrubbed them by hand and then scrubbed the sports with liquid detergent and threw them in the dark load and they look like all the grease came out. Now I need to iron some one afternoon. I took my book and got in a few minutes of reading.

Look carefully the yellow upsidedown V is the baby's mouth
and the two small yellows to the left are the other babies

We finished our elk summer sausage with some veggies, apple and cheese and I put my cake in the oven while Bill put a new inner tube in his bike. Seems to be fine again. I tried to take some photos of the 3 baby swallows when the parents came to feed them. They refused to come with me standing on the picnic table so after a while I had to give up. Two of the babies know to poop out side of the nest but one doesn’t and the parent bird picked the poop up in its beak and flew off with it. I’m glad I’m not a bird parent. Nasty!

I took the usable parts off the old window and put the rest in a pile so later we took it to a dumpster on a loop check. It’s pretty full here tonight and rumor has it that Tiffany only has one site occupied. Terry stopped by to see if we could/would drive shuttle on the 4th. Of course we could not turn him down, so we’re both driving from noon to 3. The extra host couple has some family problems up in Estes Park and he’s driving her up to meet their daughter half-way tomorrow and she will be there a month or longer. She said he doesn’t cook so I’ll have to take him some meals at least once a week. I’m sure the other couple will have him over also. He won’t starve he said, he has a microwave, but that does get old.

Then the fun part of the afternoon, paying bills! I have a couple of calls to make Monday on some things but did most of them. It sure goes out faster than it comes in. I caught up on email and made our spring reservations for Rainbow Springs. I ordered a new TV for bedroom and a wall hanger for it. The old one probably isn’t worth fixing and there’s no place in Durango or Pagosa to take it so I guess tomorrow it goes in the dumpster. I took a steak out for Bill, salmon for me and a chicken breast for another meal. I thick sliced one big potato for Bill to grill and planned salad for dinner.

I had to work on the toilet stopper several times today. I noticed all the water was draining out and remembered there is a special tool to clean around the gasket with. I didn’t remember that you need special cleaner or non-abrasive cleaner so I used some soft scrub and it took me 3 times to finally get it to not leak. I think it’s the minerals in the water here. We see some sediment after a while in a clear water glass. We found out they have well water and went there’s overage it runs into the little pond by us for irrigation and they fill the big water tank with it.

Manual took Bill to the maintenance shop to cut the big 6 x 8 block to 6 x 6, so I took Xena for her walk and checked on what extra sites were filled and turned reservations. We have 3 that were not on the list and 3 that still had not arrived by 8. I’ve seen one come in since. We only have 5-6 empties tonight.

I’ve had my shower so I’m ready to get up and go work in the office tomorrow. Time to post and then read for a while. A lady just stipped by to let me know her little dog wandered off.  I said that's why they need to be on a leash.  It's pitch black out here.  She said the name tag her her cell number on it.

Back at the Casino

June 26 – Not much happening today. We got up at 8 and walked the loop and then I drove Bill to the maintenance shed to pick up the lawnmower. When he got back we had a quick breakfast of banana and cereal. He headed out to start mowing and I took the Mule and raked the 2 sites that vacated and then went up to pick up our reservations and put them all in the sites. Looks like another busy weekend. Then I started back on my weeding project. I was smarter today and stopped every so often and came back for a drink and cooled off and went back out. Bill reminded me that I needed to caulk around the outside of the bedroom window while the sun was on the other side, so I got that chore out of the way. I finally did my own site and the sides of the road coming into our campground. Looks so much better!

Bill finished first and I followed him back down to drop off and clean the lawnmower. He came in and did some paper work for the new reservations and I went back out and did the last of my weeding for the day. Then we had lunch. I didn’t feel like making a salad so we both had elk summer sausage and crackers, Bill with a side of cottage cheese and I had some mozzarella and we both had veggies and a cookie.

We did some reading and computer stuff and then I removed the old caulk from the area of the shower stall casing where I think it was leaking. Then I re-caulked it. Will be watching closely the next few times I shower. I am now making nectar by the gallon and took down both feeders and washed them good to try and get the sticky off the outsides to deter the wasps and bees. I re-taped the old one with duck tape but Bill said he still saw some dripping. Crap!

I caught up on email and posted 2 days of blog. It was a simple dinner tonight. I made half a bag of Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken with leftover brown rice and steamed the last of my frozen greens bean and put a lemon dill sauce on them. I really don’t like frozen beans, they just seem rubbery. These are the ones I blanched and froze when there was a truck load of beans spilled in Winter Garden and we were told to come and bring buckets. I got real tired of cleaning beans and blanching.

We took Xena for a loop walk and should have no new guests coming tonight. It was nice to have most of the afternoon to play catch up and do some reading. We did get a short sprinkle and the power went off for a few minutes and as I type we hear thunder and saw lightening west of us. I was hoping for a slow all night soaker, that would be great! Time to read some of my library book as I don’t think I can renew it again! Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell.

June 27 – So far we’ve had a really nice day, that is, except that Xena had me take her out this morning at 5:30 instead of Bill. That’s what I get for going to the bathroom. It was rather eerie out. The sky was still a dark blue except in the east where it was really lovely with a reddish hue and it was so quiet and still. It’s warmed up a lot at night to where we put both of the heaters away. The power went off again before I went to bed last night but only the 50 amp because the cactus lights were still on and they are on a 110 outlet in our power pole. Odd!

So when we got up at 8 we dressed and walked the loop, then I made omelets for breakfast with toast for Bill and cantaloupe for both. We headed out to ride our bikes up to office and Bill’s tire was flat. So we took the Mule. We had 8 – 10 new reservations, 2 for Friday and the rest for Saturday. Bill just said right now we have 29 filled for the weekend.

Bill went out on foot with the weed eater and I took the Mule and put the reservations in and then started weeding. Some are the size of a tumbleweed. That’s about 18” in diameter. These are some huge prickly plants and have major shooter roots. One guy saw me pulling them and he pulled the biggest one so far, from in front of his RV for me. He even offered to take it to the dumpster but I just put it in the back of the Mule. I would fill my 5 gallon bucket and empty it 3 times into my big tub and fill my bucket again and go to the dumpster. The huge ones I just put in the back of the Mule. I think in 2 more days, which will be Monday and Tuesday next week, I should have the rest of the sites done as far as the major stuff. Then it will be just keeping up with the small ones shooting up.

We rested for a while and then showered so we could go into Ignacio for lunch. With our player cards from the casino and being 55 and older we get the Wednesday lunch buffet for half price ($4.50) and if we swipe our cards at the player kiosk we can get $20 free money to play the machines with. Bill gave me his card and I played both cards and it let me cash out with $24.00, so that was a good day! The lunch is basically Mexican with a big salad bar and dessert bar. The tamales were good and so was the green chili chicken posole soup. Will be getting that again.

Entry sign to the winery

On the way out of Ignacio I stopped to check on the watch band I ordered 2 weeks ago and she said it was ordered but has not come in. Then we went to the Fox Fire Farms Winery. Bill stayed in the truck and talked on the phone while I went in and tasted 4 wines. There were 4-5 others but they would be red and dry or white and dry so I passed. I did get a bottle for me and a bottle for a gift.

We also planned to stop at the Ignacio Cemetery on the same road on the way back as according to the internet, Ute Chief Ouray is buried there, but once we went through the entrance it said it was the East Ignacio Cemetery and the stones and area all seemed rather new so there must be a West cemetery that we need to find.

On the ride home it was getting ugly out and one of our wipers is broken. We could see rain in several areas and a bolt of lightning here and there, but when we got home not a drop had fallen but the wind picked up and did a lot of blowing. We could see rain south and east of us but none made it over the hills. Darn!

Bill raked out two sites that left after we left today while I was getting supper going. We had the other 2 pickle steaks and I baked a couple of potatoes and made salads and toasted some buns that are ready to go bad. We just had a cookie or two for dessert. Bill’s red velvet ice cream has been gone for a couple of days and although he didn’t write it on the list, I’m sure he is going to want to get some at our last grocery stop tomorrow.

We watched a couple of shows and looked at information about Mesa Verde. There’s no way we can go and get on the guided tours of 3 sites and get home without being exhausted and grumpy so I think we will try to schedule the two sites that are closest to each other and just do them in one day. We’ve been here a month and need to get busy seeing more of the things we wanted to see and do the things we want to do.

Time to post and read for a while!

Weekend Work and Back to Weeding

June 24 – I got up at 7:20 but didn’t sleep well so migrated to the couch where I dozed for a few minutes then got and made breakfast. The blueberries were on their last leg so I made blueberry pancakes, bacon and a fruit bowl and of course, eggs for Bill. I was leisurely enjoying my cup of tea and realized I needed to get a move on. I did remember my watch, earrings and my key today and Bill drove me to work. It was a really slow morning and very smoky and hazy from the 7 fires going on. There is a new fire on the border of NM and CO and one in Cortez, so we’re pretty much surrounded by fired. Not a good feeling. We had talked about the situation and think we could be packed and ready to leave within an hour in our RV.

As usual the first hour was slow for me at the pass window but then it was busy and I closed out my drawer starting at 12:30 and was done in 20 minutes. I have some notes and I think I did everything I was supposed to for the first time. Well, it’s only been 4 days and there are 2 reports on the computer to do and copies to make and envelopes for this and that, so will see if Susan has anything I forgot next week.

Bill had my salad ready and I was pretty hungry. Then we both sat and read the paper that Marion got for us when he went for theirs. By the time I was close to finished I was ready for a nap so I put my footrest up and chair back and slept about an hour. When I woke up Bill had been out and raked the last of the sites for today.

I got industrious and worked on my journal for yesterday and some email until it was time to get dinner going. I decided to bake some potatoes for tomorrow night while I baked a large bone in chicken breast for tonight and some scalloped potatoes. If I’m going to use the oven and heat up the RV I need to get my money’s worth. We got a burst of wind and had to go out and secure some things so I put some water on my garden. Bill said I need to make more nectar as those hummingbirds are pigs. Last night I counted 9, new record!

We had left over broccoli slaw with our chicken and scalloped potatoes. Bill commented that we haven’t had the potatoes in a long time and that it was a good meal. We took Xena for a walk and checked what sites needed raked tomorrow. 4 -5 units left before dinner that were supposed to stay tonight. They were from the same group and Bill was concerned that they knew something we didn’t, perhaps about the fires. We had a couple stop after dinner to ask about staying the night so Bill said to pick a spot and pay at the office in the morning. Then another couple stopped to ask how to get their car out of the boat storage. They left their car when they picked up their boat and for the first time it was locked. I guess now that it is getting busier they won’t leave it open all the time. Bill had to make some calls to find someone to help him.

We watched some TV and read!

June 25 – Before breakfast we went for a loop walk. Bill wants to walk and ride our bikes every day and if we don’t do it early it gets pretty hot out. So after a quick breakfast we rode our bikes to the office and I picked up our reservations. When we got back it was time to head out to work. Bill took the Mule and went to rake out 10 sites and I went to weed. I took my new dandelion tool and a big garbage bag and headed around the loop. How these weeds can sprout up so fast and get so big when there isn’t any water is beyond me.

We are site 51 to the right of the Irrigation Pond.  We see
everyone coming and going.  The two prime sites are 72
and 74.  We live on the un-crowded site.

It got hot out really fast and not much breeze this morning. I stopped to chat with a man here from Columbus, OH who was headed to Durango to pick his wife up at the airport for their son’s “Destination” wedding. He has a friend who drove out with him and after the wedding and a couple of days at Mesa Verde they are going to Alaska. It will be the third time he’s driven it. Then I talked to a lady who lives about 30 miles from here and said it’s 20 degrees cooler there. After a while I started getting nauseous from the heat, no water and bending over and back up. I called Bill to come get me but he didn’t hear or have his phone on him so I left my full garbage bag and walked to the first shelter and just sat and took my hat off. When Bill finished his last site he came back for me.

I just sat in the AC for a while and had a couple glasses of cold drink. When I felt better I got my shower and got the laundry all sorted for Bill to do two loads. We had lunch and then Bill headed to do the wash and I left for Ignacio. I was half way out of the park and remembered to go back for the postcards to mail. I stopped at the post office and we received a mail packet from Kam and Snapple coupons from Cindy. Nothing from Direct TV.

First stop in Ignacio was Paco’s to check on the door window. He was out. Just down the street was the hardware store so I got a tube of caulk for the bedroom window and a couple of other things and stopped back by Paco’s and he still wasn’t in. Next was the library to return 2 books for Bill, renew one for me and order 7 books for Bill. I crossed to the grocery and had everything in my cart when I received a call from Polly. It was so good to hear from her. I just stood at my cart and we talked for a really long time. Just catching up on her and telling her about here. She gave my day a big lift just hearing her voice. I send her notes and cards but it’s nice to really talk for a change.

After I checked out I tried Paco one last time and hoorah, he was there and I got our window glass and headed home. Bill wondered where I was as I was almost an hour longer than I expected. I only had a few things to put away and he settled into his chair to read the mail. I started my dinner as I was making pickle steaks and these looked like they would need extra time simmering. I heated up the potatoes I baked last night and put in peppers to roast for Bill and I had some steamed zucchini. No mashed potatoes this time but the gravy worked just as well over the baked ones.

We walked Xena right after dinner and turned reservations and picked up some trash along the way. Bill washed the front of the truck while I went in to get my cookies baking. I made the dough up while dinner was cooking. Oatmeal with raisins and nuts is how they started. Then after I’d put a batch in I added chocolate chips and in the last batches I added butterscotch chips. I’ll take some to the other hosts tomorrow and/or up to the office.

Nothing much new on TV so we both read. Bill is going through books like crazy.

Trip to Durango and the window is fixed

June 22- I didn’t feel well at all this morning. Actually thought I might have a kidney stone. I was feeling that right kidney twinge and then just felt yucky all over. Uh-oh! Not good. But it was our day to go to Durango and we had a list of stops and planned to go to a movie too. We just had cereal and I showered while Bill cleaned two sites (on his day off). We left about 9:40 and made arrangements with Rebecca to come and take Xena out for us.

On the way I made a call about the dumb washer. The tech says one part and the Whirlpool people say another part. I just wrote it down and left it at that for now. Just didn’t feel like dealing with it as then I had a headache coming on.

We stopped at Home Depot and they had a special on a battery powered weed eater and blower combo for $99. Bill has wanted to get one for at home instead of the gas one he uses so he got it. It came with 2 batteries, so that is good. I got a hand tool for getting up dandelions that I can use on my weeding. We stopped at Tarpley’s RV to check if we need different sealant for the window or just the stuff they sent with it and the guy showed us how to use what they sent and said it is supposed to be fine. At least that stop didn’t cost us anything. We went to the Hilton Doubletree and I went in and asked if we could try out their mattresses, as Kam can order us a set at a super price but we need to let her know soon. Kam and Bill had their doubts that they would let us lay on the beds but once I explained my daughter was an employee and why I wanted to she said of course. She called the head of housekeeping who took us to a room and he was really nice. He said the employees order them all the time and how good the mattresses are. Well, Bill loved it and the pillow so we got the name of that also to check on.

We picked up my photos from Walgreens and next I’ll have Bill label the backs of them. Then we took Bill’s shoes to the only repair shop we found and it was just down the road from the campground we stayed in on our last trip to Durango. The big challenge was finding a parking space in downtown so Bill could go into the jeweler to see about getting his gold chain repaired. They had the block we needed for one shop closed off and we kept circling and then he illegally parked in another store’s spaces while he went to the second shop on our list. I stayed in the car in case a tow truck appeared. This lady only wanted $30 to fix it compared to the $125 Kay’s Jewelry quoted. Hope we can find parking to pick it back up! I still was not feeling much better so Bill said we’d pass on the movie but did check and it will be there thru Thursday, so we will plan to go next week. Bill had wanted to eat downtown but due to parking constraints we ended up going to Wendy’s. I wasn’t all that hungry anyway and just had a half salad and Bill got a combo. Then it was a trip to Wally World, fuel up and head for home.

That didn’t mean the day was over, as we needed to defrost the fridge and freezer as it had not been getting down as low at night as it should, so Bill took all the frozen food to one of the park houses and put it in the fridge there and the rest I put in 2 coolers with ice. It only takes a couple of hours for these to defrost. We had leftover teriyaki chicken and veggies with brown rice for dinner and then took 2 loads of wash down and came back and did a loop check and turned reservations and chatted with some of the guests until it was time to go back for the laundry and picked up our frozen food on the way back too. Bill put the clothes in the dryer and I hung a few things.

Barry is coming at 9 tomorrow to help Bill put in the window since I will be at the office working. It could have waited until I get home but then the sun is on that side and I hate to make Barry work out there on the ladder in the heat. I’m sure the two of them can handle it. We did check on our door window today on the way home and he was out and hasn’t called but Bill might call him tomorrow.

My headache finally got better but as soon as we had dinner my stomach was in an uproar. I think my system didn’t know how to handle yesterday’s spicy, greasy, and 2 Pepsi’s in there. Don’t think I’ll do that again any time soon.

June 23 – I woke up feeling OK, so that was a good sign. Since I had to work in the office today I didn’t want to have a headache or stomach ache. Marion came to let Bill use the TP key this morning so I caught a ride with him since Barry was coming. I was kinda rushed and left with no watch, no earrings and no key to my money box. Oops! I did take my cell phone but as luck would have it, Bill didn’t answer. Doug, the park manager, came in and one of the girls asked him if he could get out the key and he said he would and he never came back. However, Bill came up to get our reservations and I told him I needed the key so he went back and got it. Not the best way to start the day but as least it was slow and I didn’t have a single customer until Bill got back.

It was pretty busy from about 9:45 til I got off at 1. I’m so glad I only have to sell one item. I would hate dealing with licenses and registrations. It takes a long time and then people are waiting in line and not happy. The girls do appreciate that I’m there so they don’t have to deal with a line from both directions. It’s like I’m at a bank drive thru window and they are behind me working the teller line in the lobby. We got word from the park manager that we were now on a fire alert which meant no campfires, no charcoal fires, no lanterns. The only thing that could be used is propane grills and propane lamps. It’s going to be bad for a lot of the tent campers who brought charcoal and have no way to cook inside. Plus we’re 18 miles from anyplace they can get cooked food or any kind of other supplies.

Bill called a couple of times with questions/problems on installing the window. The sealant that came with the window was too thick so Barry said he’d go to the hardware store in Ignacio because once the window was out Bill was afraid Molly would get out. When we close the hall partition or the bathroom doors there is still about 5 inches gap at the bottom and if she wanted to, even she could squeeze her fat butt through there.

New window outside

New window inside

Bill was right on time to get me and said the window was in and he told Barry I could manage to put the blinds and the window header back up. The blinds were broken and we had them up tied up with bungee cords. I had saved the cord that broke off when the blinds were blowing around and halfway out the window, but I’ve never worked on a venetian blind before. Bill said he asked Terry if he had any rubbing compound to get the marks off from the window frame hitting the side of the RV before we stopped and he not only brought it over, he rubbed out all the black marks. Newell was here too, but true to form I hear, he sat on the Mule and watched.

After we had lunch I needed to get my food ready for our cookout tonight with all the summer help, so I put my pumpkin cake in the oven and then I put together buffalo chicken dip to bake next and I put together creamy Italian broccoli slaw that needed to refrigerate. Bill was taking a nap by then since he’d worked on the window all morning and then cleaned some sites, so I brought the blind and cord out to the living room and just looked it over so see how the cord ran through and access the situation. Luckily I had brought 2 furniture markers and one was dark enough that I “painted” all the bad spots that had been scraped and got the wood-look all pretty much looking like wood again. Then I got down my sewing box and tied the end of the cord to a tiny piece of wire to maneuver it through a hole in the top of the blind and down. Then it was pretty simple to weave the cord back through in the same pattern as the other side which was fully intact. At the bottom of the blind there was only about a 2 inch piece of cord sticking up from the bottom piece and my cord was already damaged and would not work properly if I cut it off and tied it, so I got out some thread and a fine needle and I sewed the two ends together by overlapping and then wrapping some of the thread and sewing through it as much as I could. It seemed pretty strong so I tested it and it worked. It was the cord that draws the blind up and lets it down. I was pretty happy that I managed to fix it since it would either not be available to match it or it would be expensive to replace all 4 blinds to match. We rarely ever use it and no one can even see where I sewed it.

When Bill got up I put the brackets back up for the header and then put the blind up and cleaned it good with Orange Glo. The header only had 2 screws to put in but not much space to work in. I had to mark on the inside with a marker where the hole was to line it all up. After dropping the screw a couple of times I managed to get one in then the other was easy. The header over our other window was not screwed on one end so while I had Barry’s extended screwdriver I put one in there and was done.

Now the down side of the new window is that when Barry was inside and Bill was outside pounding on the new window to get it flush, the vibration made the TV and Direct TV box fall out of the cabinet directly over the dresser onto Barry’s head/back. He was fine, which was a relief but when I went to hook it all back up and get it back in I saw that the cable hookup on the TV was gone. After looking all over I realized it was still screwed into the cable and had totally broken off. RATS! It’s always something! Bill saw it as an opportunity to get a new TV in there, but the hole is not made for a flat screen, so it’s got to be a really small screen. There’s only one repair place in the phone book and it’s in Cortez or Farmington. I just don’t want to deal with it.

Barry came out in his Mule and took all the firewood that was for sale. They gathered it up from all of the camps so no one would be tempted to take it and have a fire anyway. The good news is it won’t take long too clean the sites if you don’t have to clean the fire pits.

We needed to be over at Rosa camp by 5:45 to help set up and we left a little early after loading our grill and a gas tank in the Mule along with a bag of paper/plastic good and tablecloths. There were 11 of us for dinner and everything was very good. It was just nice to sit and visit with the summer help that we mostly just pass and wave or have short conversations with. There were the 3 couples of us that are hosts, a single male host (Newell), our supervisor Terry and his wife, a single ranger (Manuel) and Barry whose wife works in Santa Fe and he comes here for the summer. There were some good stories told about visitors and events of years past and we all had some good laughs. There was plenty of food and no one left hungry. I gave away some of the cake so we wouldn’t be FORCED to eat and the couples gladly took some.

We took Xena for a ride in the Mule and did a loop check and we walked the loop also. I finally worked on some photos and printed some cards to send and did a posting on the blog.

Friends in town and Sightseeing

June 20 – I slept better last night but poor Bill had to get up with Xena at 4:30 this morning to go out. I think he read for a bit to get back into relax mode and then came back to bed. We got up around 8 and just had cereal this morning after we walked the loop together. We planned to ride our bikes to the office to check reservations but Xena seriously wanted to go so we took the mule so she could ride. We stopped by Rosa on the way back to borrow the TP key and put 2 loads of wash in and talked to Barry about installing my window. He said to let him know when. He suggested we stop at Tarpley’s RV in Durango Friday and see what is recommended in the way of a sealant or anything we might need for it. We hope to hear from the glass guy by then that our door window is in so we can do them at the same time.

Bill did his site cleaning and I was back at the weeding. I filled my plastic grocery bag twice and then asked the lady that does the bathrooms and cabins for a garbage bag. I put the weeds and trash both in. I did 4-5 sites and some that I missed on the way to those. I can’t do more than an hour to 90 minutes due to the dry heat and constant bending over. After a while it starts to make me nauseous and a lady here said that was due to the heat and if it continues I’d have a heat stroke. I never have tolerated the heat well. My face gets red as fire from heat not sunburn and it takes a long time for me to cool down. Bill came around to check on me and I had him do some areas with a hoe that I just can’t get by hand. Then he cleaned and waxed the front of the truck and went back for the laundry and hung out the rags and put the other in the dryer and did all the folding.

After we both cooled off a bit I vacuumed and he helped put some things in the front hold. There is only so much you can do in this small of space, but it looks pretty good. Bill learned how to fill the bird feeders. While we had lunch of more pulled pork we were looking out the window and a big pretty yellow bird was trying its best to get the nectar out of the hummingbird feeder. It just could not get its beak in the tiny holes and it was scaring off the hummingbirds. We should have tried to get a photo, but hind site! It finally flew off. Later we were sitting out at the picnic table with Marion (one of the hosts) and a pair of pretty birds with some orange on them came to the seed feeder and just sat and ate for the longest time. We hope they come back as we’ve still only had one other bird eat there. The hummingbirds paid them no mind and just ate away at their feeders. Marion came to borrow some big wall anchors and said he and Jerry thought after the week of the 4th that we 3 couples could go into Ignacio for dinner. We thought that was a nice idea. Those 2 couples live almost next door to each other so they get to visit a lot but we’re out here on our own. They live in Rosa where Barry (volunteer) and Manuel (seasonal ranger) live all clustered together.

Somewhere in between everything else I talked to the washer tech and he said I could use either part for the repair so let him know. I called Sears Appliance and Home Depot in Durango and talked to two very nice and helpful guys and they both called back and they could not find a washer the same size as the one we have. They are all deeper and that’s almost 4 inches and I measured and they simply will not fit so I looked a little on line and need to also check out the part some more before deciding what to do or not to do.

We eventually showered and dressed and Darlene called to say they had arrived in Pagosa Springs just as we were getting ready to head out and stop AGAIN at the post office. Of course there was NO Direct TV access card. I tried to call as we drove but only minutes east of Arboles we have no reception until we are almost in Pagosa. I called and this person told me it didn’t look like a card had been ordered but he could see where I’ve called twice and placed the order so he was hand giving it to his supervisor to hand input into their manual ordering system. We think it’s all due to having a PO Box and not a street address. So, once again we will see what happens.

Along San Juan River

Along San Juan River

We met Darlene and Mike at their hotel and we headed to the Pagosa Springs Brewery. It was all outside under a tent with long sharable tables. The food was pretty good. I had them make me a Radler and Mike tried some of their beers. I had a lettuce wedge with gorgonzola cheese, tomato and bacon bits and an order of wild caught grilled Alaskan salmon. Bill had some kind of burger. We went into the downtown to see the springs and walked out on the rocks to the river. Every agreed we needed to find a bathroom and Mike thought we needed to find ice cream so we agreed on McDonald’s for both. They all had hot fudge sundaes and I had the new chocolate chip frappe. It was really yummy. Everyone agreed it was a great way to finish off the evening. Mike drove us back to the hotel to get our truck and we set our time to meet in the morning.

Xena was howling as soon as she saw our truck pull in. Bill forgot to put her diaper on and I was expecting the worst, but she was dancing and prancing and shot out the door to go potty. She did not go inside, so that was great. We took her on a loop walk and checked the TP in the bathrooms. The large church group is leaving tomorrow as we don’t normally have to check the bathrooms except on the weekends. We watched some shows we missed, then bedtime.

June 21 – What a fun day! First I made Red Velvet waffles with the new old waffle maker that Darlene and Mike gave me. They want a Belgian Waffle machine and I just wanted a small one for in the RV so that was perfect. Then we were to meet them by 9:15 at Chimney Rock to go on a tour. We were there by then but Bill wanted to be earlier. Anyway, we got there and they had quite a large group for the 9:30 tour.

Bill at Great Kiva

Once everyone paid and signed in, the guide took the lead and we all followed in our cars up a couple of miles to a nice parking area with restrooms. From here the guide took us on a walking tour of the Great Kiva Trail. The Chimney Rock Sites are believed to have been inhabited from 1080 AD to 1280 AD. Along the Great Kiva Trail we saw the Great Kiva of course and a Pit house and 3 concave mounds that have not been excavated but are 3 more kivas or pit houses. There was also a site called the Great Basin that had a perfectly round hole in flat bedrock but they really don’t know its significance. From there we all went back to the parking lot and could use the restrooms and decide if anyone wanted to stay there rather than take the more strenuous walk 200 foot up and about 2/3 of a mile. We were already at 7,450 ft.

Rugged trail down

Companion and Chimney Rock

This part was definitely more strenuous as it was not a paved trail as the first was and there was loose rock, dirt, wood pilings as steps. We took frequent stops during the ascent when the guide would explain more about the relationship of this site to Chaco National Monument in NM, 150 miles away. The view was amazing. At the top was the Great Pueblo, which had on large viva and numerous small rectangular rooms that were for food and trade storage. There were also rooms where the grain was processed into meal and food preparation took place. The theory is only 6-8 people lived here year ‘round and they are thought to be the high priest-type who studied the moon, sun and stars and had a system of notifying communities as far away as Chaco of when a special “time” would occur and then hordes of people would ascend to the Great Pueblo for ceremonies and religious events. Chimney Rock is the mountain beside this location and there are two tall pillars; one is the Chimney and the other one is called The Companion. It was all very interesting and they have events there all summer and special events for lunar events that you must reserve way in advance to attend. We have talked about going to one of the night events this summer. Each person who made it to the top received a nice little card designating such. Poor Darlene pooped out on us almost at the top. Once Mike, Bill and I got back to the parking lot we made her take a photo of the three of us holding our cards!

We made a brief stop back at the ticket cabin to see if they had any postcards or bookmarks, and they did. Bill also got a small magnet for his ever growing collection. Then Darlene and Mike followed us to Arboles, where we stopped at the little convenience store/diner and we all had Mexican for lunch. I tried the carne adovada and it was very good. The meat could have been a bit tenderer but the sauce was just like what I had in Chimayo and I plan to look up a recipe for and make it. Bill had a taste and liked it so I know I can make it for us one night.

Everyone came back to the RV and we took them on a tour of the park and the great views of the lake, then we just sat and visited more until it was time for dinner. Mike drove and we went to Ignacio to Smokin’ Moes. Everyone enjoyed their meals and Darlene gave us her leftovers, so we came home with enough for a meal and one lunch. Mike said the ribs and hot links were both excellent and Bill did a repeat of his hot links and brisket. Dar just had a pork sandwich which had enough meat for 2 sandwiches and I had the brisket dinner. This time Bill and I didn’t both order the sweet potato fries, just me and he got onion rings and we both got salads. Mike was a good boy and cleaned his plate. Knowing that they are soft serve people, I said we could stop at 7 2 11 for one. Bill said he didn’t want any and the rest of us wanted a small swirl and then Bill decided to have a baby. We stood outside reading all the posters of events and items for sale and ate our cones. Yum, however I was so stuffed I really was not comfortable.

Mike and Dar dropped us off and headed back to Pagosa Springs. They were heading home in the morning and had a couple of stops along the way they wanted to make. We sure had a good time and lots of laughs. We’ll go see them in August.

We didn’t do much after that but walk Xena and Bill had already checked our sites. The hosts that were to clean our sites really lucked out, as the church people made the kids all rake the sites and pick up all the trash. Lucky ducks!

Hummingbird Update

The Man and His Mower

June 18 – It was nice to sleep in again. Bill was up early as usual but he let me sleep til I felt like getting up. While he rode up to the office on his bike to get our reservations, I made smoothies for breakfast. Then I got dressed and drove into Ignacio. I called Karen and we talked the whole way so my drive went really fast. It was good to hear her voice and catch up for a few minutes. My goal was to go to Wells Fargo Bank (the only bank in town) and get some papers for RWA notarized and drop in the Fed EX box just outside of the bank. As my luck would have it the person who was the notary was on break, and didn’t bring her notary in anyway, so I was a bit ticked. The teller told me there was a notary over at the Town of Ignacio office. So I walked over there and yes, there a notary and she indicated they sent a lot of people to them.

While I was in town I went to Mom’s Hidden Closet. It’s a tiny little shop with all kinds of things. There were a lot of holiday items, jewelry, stationary, t-shirts, books, just a varied array of items. I only got 2 used paperbacks and a roll of decorative packing tape. I stopped at the grocery for some produce they had on sale. Then I stopped at the post office in Arboles but still no Direct TV card.

When I got home it was close to lunch time so we just sat and had a beverage and rested a while. I picked up some tourist magazines that we looked at to get some ideas of places to go and things to see in the Four Corners area. We eventually got around to lunch, a sandwich and cottage cheese for Bill and a salad for me. I made a batch of hummingbird nectar and let it sit to cool.

I changed clothes and went out to weed some more. I was out for an hour and am just over half done. I carried a plastic bag and picked up a bag of trash along the way. The wind started the moment I got home so things were blown around from the sites and most people were out on the lake. Bill raked out a site and ran some errands on the mule. The large church group goes through a lot of toilet paper so he restocked the restrooms.

Helping my birds fill up

It was too windy for me to work on my grill shield project. I made a batch of molasses ginger cookie dough and put it in to chill, watered my plants and then we I filled the feeders and we sat out to watch the hummingbirds. I put Molly in her hut and Xena was on her chain and there we sat. At one time we counted 7 but with the wind so bad the poor things could barely light on the feeders. At one point I sat between the two feeders and steadied the big one with my left hand. They were a little leery at first but then they landed on it and Bill took some photos. I hope they turn out.

For dinner we had the pulled pork the church group brought over last night. They brought buns too. We only ate maybe a third of it with leftover potato pancakes, Waldorf salad and black beans. I always like getting dishes out of the fridge so I can see what is still in there.

After dinner we took Xena for a loop walk and then we rode our bikes to Rosa camp to borrow the toilet paper key and to talk to Barry, another volunteer, who said he’d help me put my window in. We kinda had a volunteer meeting as we were all outside talking for a while. We are all getting together on Saturday evening for our early 4th of July celebration in the meeting room by the laundry. The three couples are providing all of the meal but we invited the 3 single guys and Terry and his wife Carole. It should be a nice evening for everyone. They are all so nice. Manuel is going to let Bill know when he pressure washes his Ranger truck and said he’d do our truck. Barry is going to come by tomorrow and look at my window to let me know what kind of sealant I need to get in Durango on Friday. We came back and filled the toilet papers and stopped by the site of the guy in charge of the church group to say hello and the guy who does the cooking gave us a bag of teriyaki chicken and a bag of vegetables and said he was out of rice. I told him I had rice. We haven’t finished the pulled pork yet! Wonder what tomorrow night will be? At least now I know what we’re having for dinner tomorrow. Nice!

I have my cookies all baked and Bill has finished his dishes. I’ve had my shower and now my blog is done and I can see how today’s photos turned out.

June 19 – I didn’t sleep well last night. The battery warning on the carbon monoxide alarm went of at 12:30 and I grabbed Bill and he said it’s the smoke alarm and I was disoriented and asked where it was. He told me and I got it off the wall and went in the bathroom and once I turned on the light I saw how to get the battery out, then just set it on the sink and went back to bed. Guess it bothered me after that. I’ve been tired all day and after lunch developed a sick stomach when I am standing, but feels better sitting. I made Bill his omelet this morning with toast and a fruit bowl.

before heading back. I wanted to get to my weeding before it got hot and windy so I put on my safari hat, my worn out gloves, sun glasses and grabbed a trash bag. It took me almost an hour to do 2 sites, that’s how bad they were. So I was close to finishing the 4th when I remembered I left the hot pot on to boil water to make a pitcher of tea. This is not like mine at home that shuts itself off after it boils a bit. This one is REALLY old. So I hurried back as quickly as I could and there was less than an inch of water left in it. I was both glad and lucky!

Bill came back from cleaning a few sites and running errands on the mule and we both rested and had a drink. I don’t think I am drinking enough as I don’t go to the bathroom too often and I guess although I’m not sweating much, it’s evaporating so better start getting more fluids. The washer guy called and said he would need a new circuit board for the washer and it would be $260 just for the part, so I said I’d check on a new washer and get back to him. I called Whirlpool who transferred me to Marcone’s and he said there were 2 circuit boards and both had rebates and one is $280 and one is $116 so he gave me the numbers and I called the people back and as usual got the machine and left a message that I need the part number. The extended warranty does not cover any electronic parts. So might hear back from them tomorrow and that might tell the story.

I did some cleaning up and Bill sprayed bug/mosquito spray that Terry gave us in our “yard”. Maybe that will make it so we can sit out in the evenings without making a fire. After lunch we went to the post office to mail our postcards and see if we got the Direct TV card, but alas, no surprise, no card. I did manage to get the new remote programmed to the box though, so it will turn it on and off, so I’m assuming it will handle the rest of the functions if we ever get it box going.

After breakfast we rode our bikes to the office to pick up any reservations and took a ride around Rosa

Bill went out to wash the truck and I went back to finish weeding the 4th site and went ahead and did 2 more that weren’t nearly as bad. My bag was full of weeds and trash so that was my indication it was time to stop. Bill brought Xena out and he sat and read while I filled the feeders AGAIN and put together my grill wind shield. It’s not perfect but should do the trick. I need a dremel to cut the screws off that are too long so will ask Terry if he has one. Bill adjusted the handle bars on my bike a little so I don’t have to lean forward as much and we went for a test spin around the camp and I think it will be better. He is just so handy. Then he and Xena took a nap and I made a huge batch of nectar. Now that we are getting 8 or more birds they go through it really fast. You can just refrigerate it once it’s made.

Bill needed more postcards so he wanted some of him on the riding mower to send all of his school friends. He sends a lot of postcards. I don’t think he gave the blog info to any of his “peeps”. Maybe he doesn’t want them to know the real story.

We only got in 2 new tenants this afternoon, but Terry dropped off 12 reservations that we put out so looks like we’ll have some for the weekend. As expected I didn’t hear back from the washer people, so hope they call tomorrow as we might need to look at new washers in Durango on Friday. They have a Sears appliance store, so that’s a possibility.

I made enough brown rice for 2 meals to go with our teriyaki chicken and stir fry veggies. It was very good but I could have used some more sauce. There was still enough left for us 2-3 more meals so I put about half of the meat and veggies into cool whip containers and a few cookies I made and we took them over to Terry and Carole. We had taken Xena for a short walk first, so this time she got to go for a ride and then we did a bathroom check and stocked the TP. I thought about sitting out but it was chilling down kinda fast so will pass on it tonight.

Working Weekend

June 16 – Oh joy! My first day at my new job. I got up at 7:30 so Bill and I could flip up the mattress so when the guy came to work on the washer it could be set on the mattress frame. Then we just had cereal for breakfast and I put away the dishes Bill washed from last night and changed my things to my tiny purse. Bill took me up in the mule because it was really windy and I’d be pedaling against it and would be tired and grumpy when I arrived. I checked the reservation slips for him and there were 2.

I got out my locked box and took out my $100 bank and set up my drawer and had my passes ready to go. It really was a busy morning. I now see why they need so many people in there. I sold 59 passes, most of which were cash but I had 9 credit, which takes longer. I gave out maps, directions, answered questions and got to chat with some folks. I also had to check in some campers who reserved on line. My job was easy compared to the ladies working the desk from the visitor lobby side. They had to issue fishing licenses for both NM and CO, handle boat registrations, sell annual and senior park passes and handle walk in campers. That paperwork takes time and at one point there were 2 lines of 7-8 people in them. About 30 minutes before the end of my shift I get to balance out. All my years of banking and working with money paid off again as I balanced to the penny. How hard can it be, it’s multiples of $7 all day. My supervisor walked me through the forms, the copies, the computer input. I should have taken notes, but tomorrow I will write down some things since I’ll only be in there 2 mornings a week I might forget where to go on the computer and what codes to use.

Bill was there promptly at 1 to pick me up and when we got home he had my delicious salad ready. He had eaten already. Then he told me the washer guy never came by and I never got a call so we don’t know what that means. After lunch I drove up to the post office to drop off a now late birthday card and they close at 11. Will now make mental note of that!

We were just lazing around watching a movie on TV when Terry came by. We invited him in and we visited for a while and got to ask a lot of questions about the running of the park and the people. Being the nosy people we are we like to be in the know. He said he had charged his small skill saw and I could come down and get it as he was headed back home. Marion and Jerry stopped by also so Bill could use their bathroom key to refill the toilet paper. They didn’t stay long. I asked Bill to just drive me to Terry’s and I’d just cut my boards there and be done with it. Of course they invited us in and we got on a conversation about the Ute Indian Tribe and how they run things. I finally had to tell Bill we needed to get a move on and we knew they were headed out. It only took about 10 minutes to make 6 cuts with his saw, what a nifty little battery powered saw it is. It would be perfect to carry in the RV. Going on my Christmas list!!!

I took Xena for a walk while Bill got a shower, then I changed clothes and we headed into Ignacio for dinner. We had heard good things about the casino so thought we’d give it a try. The buffet was prime rib and shrimp, both of which Bill is not crazy about, so we went to the Rolling Thunder Grill instead. It was good. Bill had a marinated chicken dish that he loved and I had the special, shrimp scampi and it was good, but too much garlic, a bit too spicy and too much floating olive oil. I did have enough to bring home for lunch. I played the slots while we waited for dinner because there were right there, but didn’t do well, lost $9.00. We ran into our supervisor, Terry and his wife and he had just won almost $400 playing penny slots after dinner. Lucky guy!

On the way home we stopped at the small grocery in Ignacio mainly for tomatoes and eggs. Then we found that the 7 2 11 gas station/convenience store sells soft serve, my favorite. So we got swirl cones and ate them on the way home. What a nice treat.

Still no word from the washer guy. We even drove thru Tiffany to see if they were using the business truck but no luck. Oh well, will see what happens tomorrow.

I spray painted 2 coats on my wood I cut today and we sat out for a while and watched the hummingbirds. There were 4 briefly. Bill said he counted 5 at one time this morning. Once the mosquitoes came out we went in. I got my shower while Bill listened to a radio show Johnny Dollar. Then I did some paperwork and my blog. I am pretty tired tonight so time to cut it short, take Xena out and head to bed.

July 17 – Happy Father’s Day! I made sure I was up at 7:30 so I could make Bill a nice Sunday breakfast. I left his Father’s Day gift from Xena and Molly in a Victoria’s Secret bag on the chair. I knew he’d have opened it before I got up. I got him a Durango & Silverton train t-shirt and an Old Spice gift set. He was happy with his beagle card and his gifts.

He dropped me off at the office this morning and then he had sites to clean. We had 26 vacates today and 16 of those needed to be turned around for a large church group coming in today for 4 nights. It was pretty busy this morning in the office. I sold 66 day passes. I thought today would be slower but it was busier. I balanced again, so that was good. Bill picked me up right on time and he was filthy from cleaning 14 sites in the wind. I made our lunches and as soon as we ate and I changed into my work clothes we went out and cleaned 12 more sites. We could have left some for tomorrow but decided to get them out of the way since we were already dirty. It’s really a pain to clean them when it’s so windy. When I clean the fire pits the ash dust gets up my nose and all over me. Also when Bill rakes and I am doing a pit in the same site the dust from raking is bad. I hate this wind. I watered my garden and should be getting lettuce in a few days. The radishes are looking good also.

The good news is the washer guy finally appeared this morning and luckily he had his grown nephew with him who helped him get the washer out of the cabinet. The bad news is he had the new motor with him and it was not the motor. He thinks it has to be the circuit board. When the first tech called Whirlpool they said due to the error message it was the motor, so he’s going to call again tomorrow and see what he can find out, so he left the motor with us since our warranty paid for it. So we needed to get some laundry done AGAIN. After I got showered Bill dropped me at the laundry while he went to the office to pick up two packages we heard were there for us. One was our new bedroom window, yeaaaa! The other is the awning tape I ordered to finish my repairs and have some extra for our next emergency. They have a phone book in the laundry room so I looked up some places in Durango to repair Bill’s chain and a pair of his shoes.

We put two loads in the dryer and hung the rest on our line. We ran another one to our RV door handle but as soon as the clothes were dry I took that one down so no one will be after us about it. Bill sat out with Xena will I made dinner and said there were 6 hummingbirds. I’ve got to sit out there tomorrow and get some new photos.

I took out what I thought was Italian sausage at lunch time to have some spaghetti squash with it and sauce, but it was chicken chorizo so I made chorizo enchiladas, black beans, salad and jimica with lime and paprika. Now Bill says he likes these enchiladas better than my chicken ones. I couldn’t believe it. There were two shows on he wanted to see at 7 and 8 (that nasty Mountain time again) so we waited to walk Xena and turn our reservation slips til 9. Oh, before we left the man who does all the cooking for the church group of about 60 brought over some pulled pork and buns they had left from dinner tonight. He said we were invited to their meals and if not he would be bringing meals to us. He owns a bbq place in Buena Vista. I had a taste and it’s yummy and more than enough for us a meal, probably 2. Looks like I won’t have to do any cooking this week!

One day off and one day on

June 14 – OUR DAY OFF! Bill had trouble getting up as now his left chest area hurts, we assumed from his fall with the dog the other night. He said it hurts to turn his head and take a deep breath. I made ham and cheese omelets for breakfast (which is becoming Bill’s favorite) and cantaloupe. We were showered, dressed and out the door just after 9 but stopped at the two hosts RV’s to leave keys to take Xena out and Bill wanted to talk to the one who was a RN for 50 years. She said his pain was a pulled muscle and to put ice on it for 20 minutes at a time. She loaned him one of her ice packs and I did the driving.

We headed into Durango and stopped at Home Depot, the ATT store, Habitat for Humanity Store and then the mall. I had some coupons for Bath and Body Works and they said they were bringing back my favorite lotion, Mango Mandarin and I planned to stock up. What I didn’t know until we got here that they had a huge semi-annual sale on with my lotion and bath wash marked from $11 to $3. What a deal, and lots of items I normally buy were 50% and 75% off, then I used my $20 of coupons. I ended up with about $260 of merchandise that cost me $67. Bill checked Kay’s Jewelers to see about having his gold chain repaired but they wanted $75 so he said he’d wait til he got home to our regular guy. Since Penneys has changed its strategy, I really didn’t find much of interest. This store is really small too, so they don’t have nearly the selection ours does at home. I was looking for some black capris for my position in the office. I only brought one pair and might want to wear them some other time. Struck out! I did get 2 tank tops to wear under long sleeve shirts to keep the sun off. By the time we left the mall I knew Bill would be past ready for lunch. He suggested the little place we saw last week in the Albertson’s shopping center. The name sounded Mexican and there were a lot of Mexican dishes but they stressed that every item on the menu was made with at least one item from a local farmer and it was all organic. Bill had a chicken burrito and was disappointed. I had a pork tamale with a side salad and that was one of the best tamales I’ve ever had. The cornmeal was coarse and so good. I asked where they got it to see if I could get some but the owner says she gets it from Texas. She said she’d sell me some if she had enough to spare but couldn’t. Darn! That would have made some delicious cornbread.

We picked up a few things in Albertsons then headed to the other health food store, where we picked up a few more things. They do sell sunflower sprouts but I can’t buy any until I finish my clover sprouts. We asked where the Walgreens was and she directed us. Once we got on Main St we remembered driving on it to Beeville when we were here before. I took in 100 photos to be printed with a coupon so will pick them up the next time we’re in town. Then we took Main through town and looked for a restaurant we read about in the paper today, Chimayo. We spotted it and want to try it some time. Bill didn’t remember seeing a McDonald’s and I told him it was right by the parking lot to take the Durango-Silverton train. He saw it and I thought it was time for a snack, so we hit the drive-thru and he got a hot fudge sundae and I got a Mocha Frappe. Then we headed back in the direction from whence we came. We stopped at the Humane Society Thrift Store and Bill found one of the books on his list. Then it was Wal-mart, our last stop except for fuel. I told him I would buy ice cream if we didn’t stop on the way home. He saw an ad on TV for Red Velvet cake stirred in the ice cream and really wanted to try it. It was the last item in the cart and it was the last one on the shelf. The ad worked!

We had some time before dinner so I cut the truck windshield wiper covers out. I had Bill get 1/3 of a yard of brown flannel backed vinyl at Walmart. He wanted covers to keep the wipers from rotting in the sun. I went out and measured and did the first one and he said it fit fine, so I cut out the other one but didn’t sew it. I bought some crafting needles as I’d never sewn that vinyl by hand before. A good deal at $1.67.

Fortunately we had enough leftovers for dinner that I didn’t have to really cook. We had a few more campers come in while we were gone, so at bedtime there were 6 besides us. While I put things away and got the dinner stuff out, Bill took a load of wash up to do. I pared up the new rhubarb and put it in the freezer for later. After dinner we took Xena for a loop walk and settled in for the night and watched some TV and read.

June 15 - Well, we didn’t get today off. Pretty much ticked me off but Bill feels guilty all the blasted time that we aren’t doing a much at others, and I don’t agree. We do what we agreed to do. The appliance people called and she said they have my washer motor and would be camping in Tiffany this weekend and wanted to know if her husband who owns the company, could come put it in on Saturday. I told her that would be fine with me. Now we have to arrange for someone to take out the washer.

So after breakfast of bacon, whole wheat pan waffles with chia seeds, we drove the mule up to where one couple was trimming shrubbery along a walking trail. They said they appreciated the offer but they need to do it to get their hours. We ran into Manuel (he’s a seasonal Ranger) and Newell (he’s the camp host at Tiffany) and told them about the washer deal and they said they would come tomorrow and take it out. They agreed with me that if we take the mattress off the bed and put something strong down on the platform they can put the washer on it for the guy to work on it instead of taking it out of the RV and then having to bring it back in.

We came back to the RV and Terry came by and asked if Bill wanted to use one of the other mowers and cut the grass around the sites before they all start showing up. So I drove him to the maintenance shop to get the mower and he mowed for 2 hours. I weeded for an hour and I was so dry I stopped. Some of the sites had sprouts coming back up and we were told not to do the gravel driveways but it was bothering me that they all had weeds, so I did about 18 sites. In addition there was more trash that had blown around and I picked it up as I went. I came back and made a batch of nectar for my hummingbirds and filled the new feeder I got yesterday and put it out. Wasn’t 2 minutes and I had my first customer. They really like this one because the bottom is wider and has a perch all the way around and they can sit and drink. It’s a bird bar! I decided to keep the old one up also to see how many birds I can attract. I made our lunch and was supposed to meet the head of maintenance at the shop at 1. Bill drove the mower back and I went down and the guy never showed or came around. Terry said the dock broke again and he was down there working on it. I guess I will get Terry to take me down and monitor me using the table saw. They just don’t get it that I know more about tools than a lot of their employees do, but they can’t let me cut my finger off. I want to make a surround for the grill to keep the wind from blowing it out. I sewed the other wiper cover so I could put that task to rest.


I put my two tiki torches in but the ground is so hard I couldn’t get them down 6 inches so I took some tiny chain and used it like a brace up against the wood barrier around our site. Then I took the little latches at the bottom of the louver doors where the washer is off, so the guys don’t break them getting the washer out. I filled my tikis with fuel that has mosquito repellant in it and I sure hope it works. We sat out tonight for a little while after supper and it was fine while the breeze was strong enough but as soon as it died down the bugs start biting. I made a batch of Peoples Cookies so I can take some to my new co-workers to win them over.

We did 2 loop checks and we have all but 4 sites rented tonight. There were a couple rented that haven’t arrived so they might come during the night. There are so many boats and kids on bikes! We had 3 sets of kids come and buy firewood. We are down to 3 bundles. There will only be 3 sites to clean tomorrow while I’m at work at the visitor center. That’s good so Bill will be here when the washer guy comes and then he can go to the post office and maintenance shed and find my water bottle he left in the lawn mower.

Well, unfortunately I have to get up earlier tomorrow than I’d like to get the mattress moved and dressed and eat. Will ride my bike up to work in the morning as Bill will be busy. I’ll bring back any new reservations we have. So, time to say good night and no reading tonight Kelly!

Hum Drum, Hum Drum

June 12 – I was pretty late getting to bed last night so didn’t jump up early today.  I cooked Bill a ham and cheese omelet and I had oatmeal and a banana.  Once you put in some raisins and cinnamon it tastes pretty good.  We knew we only had 2 possible sites to clean so we decided we’d go into Pagosa Springs this morning.  Bill just had to rake the sites while I got ready to go.  Then he felt bad to leave when the other host guys were cutting back shrubs along the walking trail from the visitor center.  So he told me to go ahead as he was going to go help them.  I told him I wasn’t going to stay long as I needed to get to work on my contracts for RWA. 

I had just arrived in Pagosa when Bill called and said he should have gone as they were about through when he got out there and he just used his Mule to haul off 2 loads of branches.  Oh well!  I checked out the health food store but it was really expensive and some of the food items were rather “far out” to my liking.  I went to the Alco and Family Dollar.  I found the meat shop that processes and sells buffalo and elk.  Now that was some expensive meat.  I did treat Bill to some elk brats and got some elk summer sausage for me.  I know we will end of sharing.  They had some nice fresh fish and seasoned meats and precooked meats but most of it was way too much for my budget.  I went to the wine/liquor store next to the City Market.  The grocery stores cannot sell wine so this one looked pretty big and since it was beside the grocery I thought it would have a good selection and maybe decent prices.  They do not have the Blue Teal Riesling that I found in NM that I really like so settled for a bottle of California Riesling to try.

I do like the grocery.  It was big and had an excellent selection of items.  I would have liked to just go up and down every aisle looking but really didn’t want to take the time today.  I got some good produce prices on some things and some things I just got because we like them.  Couldn’t buy too much as the fridge space has not grown since we left.  It things are too close to the tiny freezer in the little fridge, they freeze.  Celery and radishes are not good once they have been frozen.  Take my word for it!  They had some marked down chicken kabobs for $4.28 and I thought that would be a nice change.  Still have a few items to get in Durango at Wal-mart this week but got most of what was on my list.

I got home at about 1:15.  I ate an apple on the way as my oatmeal was no longer sticking to my ribs.  Once I unloaded the groceries, I made a nice salad with the spinach and sprouts I bought.  I really miss my sunflower sprouts from the farmer’s market at home.  These were clover and basically like alfalfa.  I put the kabobs in a gallon storage bag with some marinade and put in the fridge til time for dinner.  Bill sat outside with Xena while I set up the small plastic wash tub I bought to use for another little garden.  I planted it with more radishes and watered everything else.  Then I brought Molly out and put her in her hut and Bill and I watched the hummingbirds.  That never bores me.

Bill wanted to take a nap so I took that time to work on my RWA contracts.  I got 8 more done and emailed in.  If Kerry sends me the info I need I plan to knock out the rest tomorrow and put that project to rest.

Bill grilled the kabobs and I made us fruit bowls for a change of pace with mango, blueberries, strawberries and I seeded a few bing cherries.  I heated up the last of the risotto.  Everything was pretty tasty.  Bill enjoyed his dinner and saved the skewers so we can make our own kabobs.

Kam called this afternoon and we set up a time to Skype tonight.  We got a late start on dinner so we ended up skyping while Bill walked Xena.  We were on for about an hour.  She is so excited that it looks like they will close on their house July 20.  I’m really happy for them as they have been looking for a long time.  It’s a lot of house but they agreed they didn’t want a starter house and to move up later, so they took the plunge and bought what they want, or what they think they want.  It’s got a pool and nice yard with 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, living and family rooms and a nice kitchen.   I sure hope no glitches crop up!

I should write some postcards, but I’m running out of steam, so will call it a night!

 

June 13 – Pretty boring day!  We both had smoothies for breakfast and after getting dressed we rode our bikes to the office to pick up our new reservations and we had a bunch.  All but one is under the same name so guess there will be a big family reunion starting on Sunday.  Poor Bill will have to clean a lot of sites by himself while I’m at the office. 

We just didn’t do much.  I watered my mini garden, paid bills and wrote some cards.  After lunch we went to the post office to check on the new card for the bedroom direct tv box, but it still has not come.  Then we drove up the hill to try to get to the houses that we see up on top from our side.  We had no idea how many homes were up there and so many roads.  Bill backed into a ditch but managed to get back out and we realized neither of us brought our phone.  We came to some dead ends and decided to head back and bring the camera next time.  We could see Rosa campground from one point but never saw our campground so will need to explore a bit more.

I called Direct TV about the card and they said it might still come tomorrow but they will order a new to be sent, so we wonder if we will ever get that second TV up and running.  Then I worked on my contracts and got all of them done but 2 that I have questions for Kerry on.

I made a turkey meatloaf for dinner with waldorf salad and steamed cauliflower.  I’m running out of ideas and can’t keep but so much food in here.  Dinner was good with enough meatloaf left for another night, so that’s one night I won’t have to think about.  We took Xena for a walk and we only have 2 guests tonight and neither is leaving tomorrow so no sites to clean, well, we’re off anyway so no sites for the back-ups to do either.

We were watching TV when Marion and Jerry came over.  They stayed about 45 minutes and it’s nice to have some company for a change.  They wanted to know if we were told to take down our clothesline today as they were.  Well, we ran into the head of maintenance while we were at the post office and he told us it couldn’t be tied to a tree, but we could tie it from pole to pole on our shelter.  I took it down and moved it as soon as we got home but it’s not much of a clothesline now.  Marion said they were not using a tree and were told to take it down.  Rules are the rules but no one gave us a copy!  Marion has a number of complaints with lazy rangers, and other workers and that the volunteers are expected to do all the work.  One volunteer doesn’t even rake his sites or weed them.  Not sure what he does, but he’s a nice guy.

Jerry asked if one of my hummingbirds was missing as one ran into the glass at the meeting room and died.   I haven’t seen 4 in a few days, so maybe it was one of my birds.  How sad!  We drove by the prairie dog town today and only saw one, so guess all of his friends are now in the hereafter.

Time to get this posted and have a cut of cappuccino and read before bed.