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!