Happy Memorial Day!

Bill raking out a site

May 28 -We had to hit the ground running today.We had 24 sites to clean and rake.Bill went out and did 3 that left early while I made breakfast.Today was turkey bacon, fruit bowl and low fat cranberry orange muffins. After breakfast I went with him for the first time to start doing my share and we did 4.My job is to clean the fire pit, pick up any trash and sweep the wood that lines each site. Bill’s job is to rake out the whole site.We both pull any weeds we see along the way. It was pretty chilly when we went out but when we left for the second round when we did 14 sites we had both shed our jackets. The sun was out first thing this morning and there was no wind.When it gets hotter out it will be more of a challenge to get it done.Guests have until noon to leave so they straggle out until then. I haven’t adjusted to the dryness and my throat was so parched when we came in.

Lake side of the Marina at Navajo State
Park

We did have a little excitement today. I put the ashes from the fire pit in big plastic garbage bags and we carry a bucket of water in case there are any hot coals. I checked each time but guess I missed one as we were finishing our lunch and a ranger came knocking on the door. He said we had a fire in our vehicle and Bill jumped up and used a cuss word or two, and I looked out the back window where the Mule was parked and there was a blaze going. Bill moved the tools that were close and opened the tailgate on the Mule and raked the burning bag onto out driveway. Then he used his bucket of water to douse the flame. I heard we weren’t the first to have that happen. Bill went out by himself to do the last 3 once they left. It’s really empty out there now, only 6 sites filled.

The relief host couple came over and we discussed days off and we will have off Thursday and Friday each week and they will cover for us for 4 days if we want them, so that was nice.  They said they would be happy to come take Xena out during the day if we need them to.  They have a dog also.  So that’s great.

Later the other host couple, Marion and Jerry, came over to see how we did with the large number of sites to clean.  They didn’t have as many as we did.  A lot of theirs are staying thru tonight, so they will be busy again tomorrow and I think we only have 2 leaving.

I took the hinges off the cabinet that were sprung when we started out so this week we can see if we can find replacements.  Bill put out our flag for Memorial Day and I hung an Indian design windsock, so we’re gradually getting things set up as the winds recede.  Bill grilled some hot links, chicken and turkey burgers and I cooked corn on the cob, potato salad and some celery, tomatoes and mozzarella with Italian dressing for our holiday dinner.  It’s kinda sad to celebrate alone though.

The Marina

View of a section of the lake

After dinner we drove Xena around with us in the Mule and logged the campsite dates so we’d know what spaces we have coming up to clean.  We drove to the other campgrounds and took some pictures of the lake and Marina.  Then we walked Xena around the loop and I made chocolate cake in a mug for dessert.  It was pretty good.   Will definitely make it again.  That way there are no leftovers to over indulge in later.  We watched a show about the life of Johnny Carson that was really good.  Then time for reading and off to bed.

Still blowing in Colorado

May 27 – After having 60 mph winds gusts during the night, we awoke to a chilly, yet calm morning.  We used our space heater in the bedroom last night and it helped but the furnace would have been better.  We set out on our first loop check and walk.  It was cold enough that I put on long pants, a t-shirt and hoodie.  Our camp had not suffered much from the winds but we heard that Tiffany camp had several tents fly off in the winds.  I made our regular Sunday breakfast:  bacon, grapefruit, pancakes and 2 poached eggs for Bill. 

Bill and Xena had gone to the little convenience store while I was getting breakfast so he could get a Sunday paper.  They had not been delivered yet.  After breakfast he wanted me to drive up again and try to get one.  So once I cleaned up I went to the store, which is about a mile up the road from the park and got a paper.  On my way back I stopped at the office and checked for reservations and was able to get a box I need to mail something.  I picked up some tourist literature for us.  As I walked out, Bill drove up on the Mule.  We met another of the rangers and he said today and tomorrow would be nice with no more than 15 mph winds and chilly.  WRONG!  The day gradually got windier. 

When Bill finished his chores we decided it was nice enough out for me to get on the roof and replace 3 of the broken gutter spouts and replace and caulk several places where the screw cover was missing or weathered.  Once he sent up all the supplies I needed he went to the maintenance shed to report a broken toilet.  I was almost done when I started to smell something burning; then it registered:  I had left potatoes and eggs cooking for potato salad for tomorrow.  I moved pretty darn fast for a fat old lady and down the ladder.  I was so relieved to see the water had cooked down, but not out, so it wasn’t my food burning but someone else’s.  Finally something went right!

Boats on Navajo Lake

I finished up and Bill came back and we discussed using some nylon rope to secure the slide topper that we fear will be damaged if we get more bad wind.  So once again I climbed onto the roof and we slid the rope through 2 styrofoam tubes that are for covering water lines to keep them from freezing.  We had those positioned over the edges of the topper and Bill tied one end to our entry handle and I came down and we pulled the rope under the slide so it circled it and secured it also to the handle.  Hopefully that will fix the problem so we don’t have to bring in the slide anymore.

Marina at Navajo State Park

We both settled in to read the paper and in the weather section it said tonight will be a low of 29 –YIKES!  Today was only in the 60’s and over the week it is supposed to gradually get a bit higher, into the 70’s.  That’s perfect but it is still supposed to be chilly at night, just not freezing.  Later in the afternoon we took Xena on a loop check in the Mule and went over to Tiffany camp to see if the tents were still down.  There were more down than up.  We stopped and Bill took a few photos of the boats out on the lake.  It was nice and clear today and the lake was really calm compared to the white caps we saw yesterday and the thick haze of dirt in the air.

I put a small pork loin in the crock pot this morning and we had that shredded for dinner.  The rest of our meal was cleaning out leftovers from our small fridge.  There was corn, broccoli, baked potato and I roasted the last 2 of my bell peppers from my garden.  Bill scarfed those down first.  He really loves it when I roast any kind of peppers.  For me they are totally nasty.  Following dinner we took Xena for her nightly walk.  It was chilly out but all the wind had blown away for the time being.  We’ll see what tonight and tomorrow brings.  I wanted to put out some of my patriotic decorations, but don’t want them all ruined if the wind picks up again tomorrow.

I read for a while and organized my coupons and Bill listened to some old radio shows on his Sirius radio and then we went on our last loop check on the Mule.  We had one new RV check in and we had to pick up (I told Bill it was his job) a deer foot and about 6 inches of leg.  It was right in the road.  We didn’t want any of the many dogs in the camp to get hold of it.  Yuk!  Is there a 3 legged deer in the park?  Bill hates that so many of the campsites have fires tonight, which means all those pits will have to be cleaned once they leave.  It’s the first night it’s been clear enough for everyone to enjoy sitting around the fire.  Bill had 2 girls come by to purchase bundles of firewood, our first.  One of the other hosts had a bundle stolen.

We have to leave our kitchen water on drip for the night so the hose and pipes don’t freeze and I turned the tank heaters on.  I took my shower before bed when it was warmer and we had plenty of hot water.  You never know!  Time to post this blog and read on my Janet Evanovich book.

Continued wind and dinner out

Our tree and birdfeeder

Kelly's garden

May 26 -  Bill let me sleep in this morning, but when he left for his first loop check I got up and started breakfast.  I made grits for me, bacon and fruit and when I saw Bill coming back I made him some toast and 2 eggs to go with his bacon and strawberries.  He was pretty happy to get his eggs two days in a row.  He left again to clean another site and while he was gone I planted the herbs I got yesterday and planted the two small planters I brought with me with radishes and lettuce.  I had in my mind that they were bigger so I have plenty of potting soil, so next time I go to town I will get more seed and a couple more planters.  I used the herb containers to plant the last of my basil seed so should have plenty of basil for the summer.  When Bill got back he worked on the getting more of the tar off the front bottom of the RV from the road work areas we had to drive through to get here.  I hung the tiny bird feeder that I brought from our only tree.  I laid out my cactus and banner light but won’t stake them down until the wind dies down.  I should say IF is dies down.  Bill said it will be a LONG summer if it’s like this every day.

We made two loop checks and checked the bathrooms for needed supplies.  We had the worst wind so far this afternoon.  I watched it blow over a grill at the site across from us and I think some campers left due to the wind.

Our picnic table with pavillion and all our "stuff"

We spent most of the afternoon inside because of the wind.  We decided to drive into Ignacio, which is about 20 minutes away, and have dinner.  Kam and Jared got me a gift certificate at Moe’s BBQ for Mother’s Day and we thought we’d try it and check out the casino in town run by the Ute Indian Tribe.  We passed it the first time through so went to The Patio Diner as they had quite a few cars in the parking lot.  The place is nothing fancy but they are known for their homemade pies.  They must have had 10 -12 kinds to choose from.  We both really enjoyed our dinner.  Bill had a steak and I had chicken fried steak and we both came home with leftovers.  I had oreo chocolate pie and Bill had Chocolate caramel.  Will have to go back and try the liver and onions and coconut cream pie!

Back at the camp we drove the loop with Xena and checked the restrooms and turned the reservation tickets on the new campers.  One poor man was trying to put his tent up by himself in the horrible wind.  Bill offered to help him but he said he’d be fine.  He’s working on a road project in the area and will be here a couple of weeks.

Watched TV a while and read.

Still windy------------

Bill in his new vehicle

May 25 – The wind died down by morning so Bill put the slide back out.  We hope it stays died down.  Bill went out to clean his first site and I made breakfast.  I ended up just having a half grapefruit and piece of toast because Bill mistakenly put ketchup on my Florentine scrambled eggs, so he ended up having my eggs and an over easy one of his own along with his toast and grapefruit.  He offered to cook more egg for me, but I passed.  Since there wasn’t anything he needed me to do and I wanted to pick up a few groceries for the weekend, Bill said I could drive into town.  The word was that the road to Durango was finished being resurfaced and the one to Pagosa Springs was now being worked on, so I decided to go to Durango.  My first stop was the Durango Mall.  It’s not a huge mall but they have most of the stores I am interested in.  I went to Bed, Bath & Beyond, Pier 1 and Bath and Body Works, but they also have Sears and Penneys and 10 -12 more small stores.  I used my coupons for a few things, then drove into town to see if there was a car wash and to fill the truck.  Traffic in town was terrible and I did manage to go the wrong way on a one way street for a block without incident.  Whew!

Our Site and Designation

I couldn’t get over to the gas station I was trying for so headed back to Wal-Mart and did all of my shopping except for a new wheel for Bill’s bike.  He didn’t know til he tried to ride it that when the bike carrier was bent, his bike hit the ground hard also and bent the wheel.  I guess we’ll have to find a bike shop there or in Farmington, NM.  There was a gas station across from Wal-mart so I filled up and headed for home.  It takes about 40 minutes each way, which is what I grew up on to get to town.  Traffic once I was out of town was minimal.  Bill was wondering what happened to me.  I was taking my time and enjoying my time alone.  It rejuvenated me. 

Bill had his lunch while I was gone and I grabbed a BBQ sandwich at Wal-mart and ate it in the parking lot before I left.  When I got back we made rounds of the campground and checked off who had arrived and turned the reservations slips.  We took Xena along for the ride.  She loves the Mule as much as riding in the truck.

Terry came by while I was gone and changed our satellite pole to a smaller one and said he’d be back and get us up and running.  He did come back and he did get us to 91% on the signal meter.  Bill asked him what he did different that we had and he used a higher elevation.  We were so ticked that we went by the one provided on the TV set up and that the technical support at Direct TV told us.  Unbelievable!  So now we have one TV working.  Will work on the bedroom  TV tomorrow.

We had finished off our Newton Thins so I made a batch of the bagged cookie mix.  They were filled with chocolate chips and pretty good.  That will be our dessert for a couple of days.  I made some chicken chorizo quesadillas for dinner with re fried beans and a salad.  We each had a cookie and then took Xena for a loop walk.  Later we did another loop check once more sites were filled.  Then we watched a little TV and actually went to bed early.

Things continue to go downhill!

May 24 –  We were to meet one of the other couples at the Visitor Center to meet the staff there and pick up our reservations for the day, but at about 8:30 Terry showed up to give us a tour.  We covered a lot of ground.  We didn’t realize how big the park is and where all the fishing and boating ramps are and there’s a 4^th small campground that is first come, first served across the lake with no hook ups at all, but there are restrooms.  It was pretty interesting.  We met his wife who works in the office and one of the other office ladies.

When we got back I tried calling about the washer again and was told to unplug it for at least 15 minutes then try it again.  Well, of course that didn’t work so we loaded 6 loads of wash in the truck.  Xena has had a couple of accidents and we had lots of linens and Molly had thrown up on the bathroom rug.  Our little washer can’t do blankets, etc so we went to the first campground and they have a nice laundry room with 3 washers and 3 dryers.  I did the wash and Bill took it back to the RV and started putting it in the dryer.  The big bulky stuff I had to dry in one load there and did the rest in our little dryer.  It took all after noon but the laundry is all done.

While we had lunch we watched the tow truck pulling houseboats from dry dock to the launch.  One of them is the one that a pair of volunteers live in.  They said they will be very busy tomorrow putting more boats in for the weekend that will be left buoyed.

Bill put out our rope lights but it has been pretty windy still so didn’t put up our cactus and other light yet.  Tomorrow is supposed to be the last of the bad wind.  I brought the slide in again on the windy side most of the afternoon.  Terry delivered our “Mule” this afternoon.  We have rakes and shovels and garbage bags.  We went for a test drive over to the maintenance area and Terry gave us each 2 shirts and a new cap.  Bill got a key to the storage in the restrooms.  We only have to stock the toilet paper, no cleaning toilets!  Looks like we are ready to start working.

I called Whirlpool back and they gave me the numbers for the two closest authorized repairmen.  One is in Pagosa Springs and one is in Durango.  I left a message for the one in Pagosa Springs and hope to hear from him tomorrow AM.  Would like to have it fixed by the middle of next week. 

Then we attempted to set up our satellite.  That was a huge NO GO!  I decided to give it a rest and fix dinner.  We bought some fresh made sausages in Albuquerque so for dinner Bill had an Italian pork sausage and I had a really delicious chicken with spinach and feta cheese one.  He had baked potato and I had sweet potato and we had steamed broccoli.  We were both pretty hungry and didn’t say a word during dinner.

Then it was back to working on the Direct TV.  First the guy told us the box was bad and our second box was not on the account.  Then the next lady told us to try all kinds of things with the second box and she deduced that the boxes are probably fine but something wrong elsewhere, so we have a tech coming NEXT THURSDAY!  A whole week.  With the antenna we get one station and it’s a bit dicey.  We just not must be living right!  We heard from Carole today and some of our luck must have rubbed off on them, as yesterday she had a double tire blow-out and had to get a new tire on and this morning she checked the pressure before leaving Texas and had a flat and had to have them come out again and they got another new tire and ended up staying another night since it was so late getting the repair done.  Bummer for them!

So we gave up and had our strawberry parfait desserts and I wrote postcards and Bill read.  Since no campers are scheduled to leave tomorrow we don’t have any “work” to do.  We will go get our P O Box and Bill wants to see if it is dollar taco day at the place people here say to go.  He cleaned the front of the RV today and wants to take the truck for a bath tomorrow.  Since they are doing road work on the road we would take to Ignacio and Durango, we won’t plan to go that direction.  If we decide to go to a movie we will go to Pagosa Springs.

I have a good view from my computer desk that I can see who comes and goes from our campground and we just had 2 late arrivals that we will have to check on in the morning to make sure their reservation started today. 

Colorado here we come!

May 23 - We made it safe and sound to Navajo State Park, and boy, is it in the middle of no where.  The lake it’s on is huge and beautiful.  The trip here was uneventful.  We left Albuquerque at 7:45 and stopped in Bernalillo at the KOA to dump our tanks for the long drive.  That took about 30 minutes.  Then we headed on up the road.  It was not Interstate but it was all nice 4 lane road until the last 30 miles.  We had expected to run into some wind along the way but luckily did not have but a few swells along the road. 

For some reason I got really tired and could barely keep my eyes open, so Bill got to switch with me for a while.  I napped and then traded back.  He got to drive through a couple of small towns and make several turns, so it was good experience for him.  It was only 200 miles today and we stalled off lunch until we arrived.  The Volunteer Coordinator, Terry met us and led us to the Carracas Campground where we will be spending the summer.  There are 3 campgrounds here and ours is the middle one.  We are the first site at the entry and it is concrete pad, and perfectly level.  We have a sheltered picnic table and some nice grass for Xena to do her business.  The minute we arrived the real wind kicked up and has not stopped.  We were concerned that from the direction it was coming it might tear up one of our slide toppers so we brought the slide in after we finished vacuuming and so it’s been a bit cramped. 

We didn’t get to put out our lights or anything outside due to the wind.  One of the other volunteer couples came by and introduced themselves.  Nice people from south of Tucson.  We also met one of the seasonal rangers, a volunteer who is the head of maintenance and he and his wife live on a houseboat on the lake.  There are 11 volunteers for the summer, so that’s good.  There is a couple assigned to each campground and a couple who covers those couples’ days off.

I really needed to get some laundry done and put in my first load and it washed but would not spin.  I wanted to cry.  I just can’t believe now the washer is broken.  The error message says it’s electrical.  I called Whirlpool and was on hold for over 15 minutes and once I got someone and clarified who I was, my machine’s info and told her I wanted clarification of what that code means, she said she’d look it up and we got disconnected.  I wasn’t up to trying again so will call tomorrow.  We have to go tomorrow and get a PO Box , so will take all the laundry and find the Laundromat.  Maybe Bill can sit with the wash while I get some milk and a couple other things.  If it weren’t for bad luck, we’d have no luck at all!

For dinner we had our leftover stuffed peppers and then took Xena for a walk around our campground loop.  There are only 2 others here tonight but for the Memorial weekend, all are reserved but 5 in our campground.  Our sites are water and electric and the first one is full hook ups and it’s almost full now.  We drove around the whole park and the lake is beautiful and there are a lot of houseboats on it now.  We will be busting our butts come Monday and everyone leaves and we have to work each site.  Fun! 

I printed some picture with the new printer and it does a really nice job.  Bill wants to send some as postcards so I will have them ready for him in the morning.  Time for bed, I’m pretty tired tonight!

Our best day so far!

May 22 -  We really had a great day today!  It’s about time.  I made Bill his Sunday breakfast since I didn’t get to on Sunday; red velvet pancakes, bacon and grapefruit.  Them we showered and left to get massages.  Oh, that was so nice for my neck and shoulders after 6 days of driving.  Bill really enjoyed it too.  Bill dropped me at Office Max where I was able to exchange my sad little printer for a new one.  It was $10 less and is a scanner and copier also, so it was a good deal.  It’s a little bigger but will still work in my limited space.

I wanted to stop in Albertson’s for some Kefir, which they didn’t have, but did pick up some other things that Wal-mart didn’t have yesterday.  There’s a Sunflower Market across the road that we went to before and it’s such a nice market.  Reminds me of Whole Foods.  Lots of organic and bulk items.  Bill went in with me as he likes that market too.  Got the Kefir and several bags of bulk items, fresh fruits and a jicama.  We unloaded at home and had lunch and just chilled for a bit.  I attempted to resolved the window issue but have not.  I called a claim in to the insurance in case it gets really expensive and talked to the manufacturer who will not sell us the piece we need in the event it’s not installed properly and causes a future injury or claim.  I understand but was not happy with the answer.  Then the distributor I needed to order from left early, so will work on it again tomorrow.

The Spy House

Bill wanted to go see The Spy House here.  It was the home of Ethel and Julius Rosenburg who in 1953 sold the plans for the Atomic bomb to the Russians.  They were electrocuted for treason.  It’s now a bed and breakfast and has a small sign on it that says The Spy House.  He knows all kinds of trivia stuff like that.

Cathedral on Old Town Square

Then headed on down to “Old Town” Albuquerque and shopped a bit and walked the old square.  It was the first time we’ve been there when it hasn’t been packed with people. Stopped for a coke and ice cream, well, Bill had the ice cream.  Looked at lots of jewelry and we bought another Kachina.  I told him this is the last one.  We have no more room for knick-nacks. 

We decided to have dinner at one of the places from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Standard Diner.  It was delicious.  Bill had a fancy meatloaf that was round and wrapped with bacon, served with pretty tasty mashed potatoes, thick gravy and steamed asparagus.  I had Ahi tuna bites that were lightly breaded, deep fried and sliced and served over a wasabi guacamole and another sauce, with Israeli couscous.  We shared a blue cheese lettuce wedge with bacon and these little blue cheese potato balls.  Of course the loaf of bread was excellent too.  Bill couldn’t eat all of his; he blamed it on the ice cream from earlier.  I was stuffed but didn’t want to ruin my tuna by re-heating it.  They had some nice looking desserts in a display case and it was a tough decision but we were kinda good and each got a shot dessert of Chocolate Pie.  They were twice the size of the ones at Season’s 52 for just $2 each.  It had oreo crumbs, then chocolate cheesecake, then chocolate mousse and a white chocolate swirl dollop and chocolate crumbs on top.  Can’t eat like that every night for sure!

Pretty exchange in Albuquerque

Traffic was horrendous on the way home.  We both walked Xena and then I had to clean the RV hitch and put fresh grease on it.  It had some sand on it and that will ruin the hitch.  I found homes for all the groceries.  We over-bought but didn’t know when we would get into Durango to a real grocery once we arrive at Navajo State Park.  We need to get set up and go get a PO Box and get trained and then work our first weekend.  So we don’t know yet when our first day off would be.

I got the new printer all set up and ready so will print some photos for post cards tomorrow night if I’m not too tired.  We’re expecting strong winds they say, up to 60 mph, so it will not be a fun drive to Colorado.