New Chapter Begins

 I finished closing up and winterizing the rig up in the cold place and today I can stay home in the warm place (Quartzsite) and enjoy small town living.  That includes the facts that the nearest Walmart is over 30 miles away, the nearest Petsmart is 90 miles away and the nearest Costco is 100 miles away.  This could get interesting.

I had Pattie's Propane deliver a full 100# tank of propane and said I'd hook it up.  I can not get it to not leak.  A neighbor came over with a bigger wrench and he couldn't get it to stop, either.  I went over to Pattie's and they will come look at it.  I paid $280 for the delivered tank.  $200 for the tank and $70 for the propane and $10 delivery fee.  Not a bad price, I guess, once everything works.

I have met a half dozen people here, and gotten a schedule of activities for the month.  It looks like it can be a fun place to live.  I'll run over to the LTVA later and see what is going on.  Word is that they may be putting in a new road.  Report at 11, or whenever I post again.

Still Moving

 I did manage to get a nice full tank of propane from my neighbor propane guy.  The furnace is running full tilt in the mornings now.  I have made a couple of trips down to Quartzsite, with the keys in my pocket, and started turning on the air conditioner there set up to 90*, and last time I turned on the fridge.  Everything seems to be working fine so far.  I'm now pulling things out of the far corners of the current rig and sorting the things I've had out on the patio to pack away.  Luckily the heat seems to have mellowed in Quartzsite and it was actually comfortable there on Monday.

I worked driving shuttle for a wedding, which is kinda my part time job in the summers.  I didn't get home until after midnight.  That is probably the last wedding I'll drive for this year.  I'm ready to move on.  I usually am ready for something new when it comes time to move to the 'other' spot.  Usually happy to get back again when the seasons change.  I did go over and meet my new neighbors while I was in Quartzsite and they seem nice, like we will be good neighbors.  The propane situation there is that I need to procure one or two 20# tanks, and Patti's Propane will come get them and fill them and bring them back for $10.  I'll stop by there and start the process when I'm back.  Heat isn't so much an issue there now but having hot water is.

I'm ready to be moved and have life slow down. 

Changing Seasons, Shifting Gears

 I have been mentally writing a post for a couple of weeks.  Time to get it posted.

I spent most of the end of September and beginning of October in Southern Utah.  I spent 10 days in Escalante camping in a campground with one set of friends, and 6 days camping in a campground in Moab with another set of friends.  I slept in the car.  Lessons learned are that I sleep very well with my setup in the Mazda 3.  Also, as the temperature drops I tend to stop any and all cooking and turn to restaurants for meals instead.

By the end of the month I need to have moved everything I need for winter from up here at 5K' down to Quartzsite where it will hopefully be warmer for the winter.  I already moved the '95 motor home and put it in the RV park.  I made the first of a few trips with the car to take liquids (mostly cleaning supplies) that shouldn't freeze.  Unfortunately, I neglected to grab the keys for that motor home so ended up putting what would fit into the unlocked side bins.  Tomorrow I will go  again, this time with what didn't get left before, some clothes, some food, and the keys.  The plan is to make a couple more trips, then on the 30th move the pets, come back on the 31st and winterize this '98 motor home and move it to the (cheaper) storage spot, and spend a few weeks settling into the winter home.

At first I was annoyed by having 2 'homes' as it seemed like whatever I needed was in the other place.  After the difficulties I had on moving day taking the winter home from my previous spot in Apache Junction to the new Quartzsite spot I was counting my blessings that I no longer have to drive between spots twice a year.  More specifically, I don't have to put the car on the tow dolly and take it off, which I never have managed to do by myself.  The on-going plan is to outfit both places with the necessary things so I mostly just move clothes, food and pets.

And, with less than 2 weeks left here I think I just ran out of propane.  I need propane to have hot water.  I will ask my propane guy to just sell me a 7lb bottle to get through.  Maybe.  I also have to find propane in Quartzsite as I want to use a 100# tank instead of driving over every couple of weeks to fill the 18 gal onboard tank.  My understanding is that the gas company isn't allowed to fill onboard tanks inside the park.  Guess I'll look into that next time I'm down there.

That's what has been going on.

First, Vacation(s) then moving

 I managed to move the '95 motorhome to Quartzsite a few weeks ago.  It was hot and I was not feeling well.  If not for help from 3 of my neighbors in Apache Junction I would not have been able to get the tow dolly hooked up and the car onto the dolly.  Mostly all I could do was sit on the steps of the motorhome and try to breathe.  I have never had that much trouble breathing before.  The drive over went fine.  Once there my friend who lives there year round, JimInDenver (solor guru extraordinaire), managed to get the car off the dolly and the dolly stored on the lot.  I had gone from not being able to breathe to lying on the couch dizzy with my left arm starting to cramp.  We went to the restaurant at the park I moved to and I sat in the air conditioning, drinking water and then eating.  I felt well enough after that to back the RV into the lot with Jim's help and just buttoned everything up and headed home in the air conditioned car.  If I had had any recurrence  of the breathing or chest pains I was going to head straight to an ER.  I made it fine, though.  May have been anxiety or something else.  I have no desire to go through putting the car on the dolly ever again, as I hate not being able to do something myself.  So, now I am happy I have 2 motorhomes and don't need to travel with them anymore.

On Wednesday I meet my friend Turtle Lady in Flagstaff.  She has driven her fitted out van from KY.  We will head up to Escalante, UT for 10 days, meeting some other friends there.  I'll camp in my car as I usually do.  This is our second time at this campground so there is less need to see EVERYTHING and I'm hoping to take it slow and maybe poke around to some of the places I missed last year.

A week home, then I go back up and meet other friends in Moab, UT for a week, also camping in my car in a campground.  I hope to go back to a couple of walks from last year and walk further this year.

Callie and Bosley will be taken care of by my neighbors, one of whom often reminds me he likes them better than he likes me.  I'm ok with that.

Everything else is going well.  I'm looking forward to getting to Quartzsite for this winter season.  I found a nice park on the edge of town that is half of the cost of the park in Apache Junction.  I have friends in Q and I hope to join in the town doings and also ramble around the area.

Time to start thinking about Fall

 Most of my good intentions this summer have fizzled out.  It got hot and I stopped going up the Rim to hike.  I'm still thinking about some of the concepts in the Most Human Human book and I don't think I got 3 chapters in.  I've lost the link where I was reading it but I may find it in a library or ebook somewhere and read some more.  Organizing and getting rid of things has moved to going through boxes and bags and sorting the individual stuff and tossing some things I never thought I'd toss.  If I can't figure someplace to donate something, or it is too used to give someone else I am now putting it in the dumpster.  I have lots of that stuff.

I drove shuttle yesterday to take a customer to MD Anderson Cancer Center down in Gilbert.  That is where I go for my cancer followup appointments as well.  He was suitably impressed by the facility, as am I.  As I waiting for him I noticed that a number of the people going in and out were very thin.  Painfully thin.  I'm thinking I'll hold on to my few pounds extra as long as I can.  I may need them at some point.

I'm starting to think about what to take back down to the motorhome that will move to Quartzsite.  I don't want to put anything that high temperature will damage.  However, my extra TP, paper towels that Mom left that I'm still working my way through, things like that will start moving back.  I'll move that motorhome  to Quartzsite the first week of September.  I'm also thinking of starting a deep clean of this motorhome before it goes back to the storage space.  I'll move pets and myself out of this one and into the one in Q around November 1.

The rains arrived and cooled things down a bit so I've been a bit more motivated.  In another 10 years or so I will have everything set up as I want it.

Still walking

 Yesterday I finally downloaded a hiking app and can say I walked .7 miles in and .7 miles out on the trail.  This trail walks like a remote woodland trail, but I can hear the traffic from the highway it parallels and I usually meet someone either on the trail or at the trail head.  My neighbor  who kinda looks out for me is worried about me hiking alone in bear country (it is) and so I reassure him I'm not really out in the boonies.  

Last time I met a couple of guys at the trail head getting ready to do a multiple day hike as this trail ends up joining the Arizona Trail and goes as far as you want.  I talked to one of them for a few minutes about hiking clothing and various places we had each hiked.  This time there was a group setting up a small tailgate base camp and they had matching t-shirts.  I asked what the group was and they were support for a friend who was celebrating her 30th birthday by running 30 hours on the trail.  She was in hour 27 at that point and due in to their welcoming arms soon.  They offered me water and laughed at my amazement for the birthday girl's accomplishment.

Driving shuttle has wound down as the trips either get cancelled or there are no weddings to shuttle for at the even center we drive for.  I'm fighting the tendency to just sit on the couch.  Wanting to update my progress here is one of the few things that get me up and moving.  I have decided on my goal with the walking:  5 miles in and 5 miles out by September 1.  Doable, but a stretch goal.  I'm going to up the plan to walking twice a week, and try taking Callie dog with me as she will need to be with me when I'm in Utah in September.  The primary thing keeping this going is that I truly love walking on the trail.

I'm keeping on keeping on with Duolingo.   Another of my stated goals is to manage 7 days straight on Duolingo Spanish.  I made it 4 then skipped 2 days.  I'm at a 3 day streak this time, so I try to focus on at least making my online time worthwhile rather than vegging on FB videos for hours.

Report so far

 I haven't walked yet.  I need to drive for my shuttle boss (not really a boss, more a friend) in a bit so my weekly (hopefully) walk is postponed until tomorrow.  I now have my hiking boots, hiking poles, pink backpack (so I can be easily spotted if necessary), water bottles and such in place.  It is still overkill, but as I go longer I may need any or all of it.  I noticed my ankles were talking to me a bit after my approximately one mile hike last week.

I was going through things on my computer and found a note labeled 'books'. Only 2 listed, and one was a knitting author whose book of patterns I've already purchased.  The other was 'The Most Human Human' by Brian Christian.  I've got it up in PDF form and read the first chapter.  So far, what I've learned is that I really, really need new glasses.  Moving to the actual book, it is about how he was a 'human' in a Turing Test contest against AI chatbots.  In a 5 minute conversation with a judge, who also has a 5 min conversation with an AI chatbot, he tries to let the judge know he is the 'human'.  There is an award for the most human human, the one who won the most votes from the judges as the human.  From what I've reado so far he is going to go into great depth about what makes humans human.  This is the first thing I've voluntarily stepped up to that I have to actually think about for awhile.  Time will tell if I make it though the entire thing.  Also, how wonderful is the internet and the places that put these types of book into PDF form to be accessible to random folks searching for obscure things.

For the knitters, the other book is about Elizabeth Zimmerman's Surprise jacket.  At some point I'll make a child's size to learn the method, and I already have some Noro yarn bought specifically to make that jacket for myself.

Croft, I knew I was close.  We got to Victoria at 8pm.  I originally had hoped to put out an invitation to join us for a drink or fish and chips.  It didn't work out that time, but I do have a trip up your way penciled in for either later this summer or next summer.

Two is a trend

 I went up to the Highline trail again yesterday.  My modest goal of once a week walking on an actual trail seems to be achievable.  I went twice as far as the week before and had less trouble breathing.  I think my breathing issue is more allergies to whatever is putting out pollen than it is elevation, but I haven't been able to isolate it since I've been coming up here.  As the season goes on I have less trouble breathing.  But then, it isn't spring anymore after awhile, either.

I sometimes drive a shuttle for a guy here in town.  I drove two days so far this week, and am scheduled for 2 more next week.  It gives me a bit of spending money during the summer.

I hope today to make progress on things around the place, and tomorrow I'll go down to the other RV and get the things I keep reaching for and remember they are at the 'other' place.  I am hoping that it will get easier to have two places as I get settled more.  I definitely have at least 2 of everything I own, I just need to get what needs to be where it needs to be.

Catching Up

 I did finally get the header picture to post at the correct size.  I just don't do this stuff much anymore.  It took two different editing programs, but I finally got it.

Let's see.  I own 2 Class A motorhomes, a 1997 and a 1994.  I was using the 1997 one for storage as when the fridge door fell off after I had just put a lot of money into the rig I gave up and bought the other one.  I've been living in the '94 Pace Arrow for a couple of years now and really like it.  It is smaller that the other on in that it is more narrow and isn't as tall.  Those things take away inside space.  It is a better quality motorhome, though.

When I decided to start going to Quartzsite for the winter next winter I really didn't want to tow the car all the way from the summer town to Q, about 5 hours, maybe 6 in the motorhomc.  I decided that I needed to see if I should say last rites over the '97 rig and sell it to salvage it or try to resurrect it.  My friend Mike was able to put the fridge door back on (the fridge works), and so I started cleaning it out and getting it ready to live in.  Original plan was to bring the '94 rig up here, get both rigs set up to live in, and take one or the other to Q and leave the other here.  Issues at the park in AJ made me not want to vacate my lot for the summer there, so I've been running back and forth emptying the one up here, and getting the other one emptied of things that the extreme heat in the Valley would affect.

The last couple of weeks of May my Aunt Carol and I went on a 'free' cruise to Alaska that the casino gave me.  Our 'free' cruise cost around $2K all in, which is ok, I guess.  We had fun.  I flew back to Phoenix on May 30th late, got up on the 31st and loaded the car up.  Original plan was to have the electricity (and air conditioning...) turned off the next day.  I was too tired from everything to get it all loaded that day so I gave myself until yesterday to go back and finish.  I now have everything that NEEDS to be out of the heat brought up here.  Electricity is to be turned off today.  Which reminds me that I haven't gotten the text yet.  I turned off the fridge and air conditioner and shut off the water before I left.  I'll go down over the summer at least once a month, probably more often, and start the motorhome and check on things.

I am not sure at this point which motorhome will stay up here and which will go to Quartzsite.  I knew I needed to get this one handled to either get rid of or live in.  So far it is fine to live in with a few things I want to fix.  That is just part of living in an RV, though.

And that is how I spent last winter.

Needs work

 It's been awhile since I did modifications to this blog page.  I'll work on getting the header picture shrunk down after I walk the dog.

Later...

I'm trying to shrink the size.  I cropped it but it put the cropped image in at the same larger size.  I haven't done this in a long time.  I need to run back down to the Valley.  This 'improvement' may take awhile.

Turn the Page

 I decided that on June 1st I would cross a chasm in my life.  I'm no longer spending my time working out how to get all this stuff done.  For decades I've spent my time figuring out how to move this, clear that, organize everything.  Now, I will still work on those things, but I'm ready to live my life now.

I think one of the reasons I quit writing here was that it was the same thing over and over.  I'm getting rid of stuff.  I'm moving from this place to that place and sorting and organizing.  I'm cleaning out Mom's stuff.  I'm cleaning out my stuff.  Over and over, the same stuff.  Even I was bored.  I declared that I am as finished clearing out Mom's stuff as I'm willing to make that a priority.  A bit like when I got divorced.  About a year after the (amicable) divorce I realized one day that I had gone the entire day and not had a single thought about how I was 'going through a divorce'.  I figured I was finished with that chapter.  I was right.  Now I am finished 'trying to get rid of stuff'.  I'll still get rid of things, still organize, but not at the expense of doing other things.

I'm going to change the header picture as soon as I get the picture off my phone.  It will be a trail head.  I went up and walked a bit on the Highline trail yesterday.  I have a long way to go to feel like I'm in any kind of shape to take long walks, but it is a start.  Breathing is my main issue at this point.  The trail would be at around 5500' elevation, as it is near the top of the Mogollon Rim.  Hopefully acclimation by living here at 5K' elevation for the summer will help that.  I have a goal to be able to walk around Southern Utah in better shape on our trip this year than I was last year.  One method of approaching goals is SMART:  Specific, Measurable, Achievable,  Relatable(?), and Time-sensitive.  I Specifically want to be able to walk for longer distances.  Measurable is a bit hazy, as it now means just further than I can walk now.  Achievable is that I'm hopeful that if I walk on the Highline at least once a week this summer I'll improve.  I think the R is relatable, in that it relates to my current life.  Time-sensitive means I have a deadline.  The middle of September is my first trip.  And so, now I'm accountable here.

For once I actually have more to write, but I'll post what I've been doing the past few (6?  where does time go?) months next time.  And hopefully that won't be months from now.