Saturday, May 20, 2006

Water, no Water?

I feel as if I am playing that game show "Deal, No Deal?" with our water in the house...."Water, No Water?" But I am getting ahead of myself. Like I said in my last blog, we arrived home and after figuring out where and how to turn the water on, we were in business! WATER! Well, that is until last night. Last night was just plain weird...all night. IT was a hot day yesterday, and kind of cloudy all day. Around 6:00 it started to blow and we got a few drops of rain. Then, we had a thunder storm that lasted over 2 hours of rumbling and rain. A nice rain that makes the wheat farmers here very happy. About 9:30 p.m. we lost power. Total blackness --and this house is DARK. Hmmm...where are the flashlights? After a scramble and stumble over a couple of dogs, I found one flashlight. And then located the candles. We sat in the dark for about 45 minutes, then decided to go to bed. Just as we were drifting off to sleep the power came back on and every light in the house was on! We got up and turned off lights and went back to bed, thinking we were going to have a good nights sleep. But, it was not to be. At 1:30 a.m. we were jolted awake with a "POP" then the sound of gushing water (sounded like Niagara Falls under the house). Now what????? We climb out of bed, put on some shoes and go looking for the cause of the noise. We discovered a water leak under the house...gushing water. Now, haven't we been here before? What the he--????? Oh, by the way, it was raining outside as well. I go out and locate the water shut off valve (the very same one I couldn't find last week...I am becoming way to familiar with it now), shut the water off and think "plumber, first thing in the morning." We get back in bed, start to drift off, when a thought goes through my very soggy brain, "Water heater?" Al, do you think we should turn off the water heater? Yup! So back up out of bed and back into our shoes and back outside in the rain to turn off the water heater. GRRRR! Finally, back to bed...only by then I was wide awake and a million thoughts going through my brain. I finally was lulled back to sleep by the rain about 4:30 a.m. We called our plumber this morning and he came out and discovered the source of the problem, a fitting had popped off one of the connections. Sure hope we don't have to make a habit of this! At least we now have water again. And we sure are sleepy today!

Since getting home we have been busy, just getting unpacked, (well, kinda' getting unpacked -- have several things that are taking up permanent residency in the trailer right now) cleaning the 6 months of dust and dirt out of the house, and trying to get ready for company at the end of the month. And then throw in a couple of trips to Moses Lake for supplies for the garden and house, etc. Actually, when I look back on the last week, we have packed a lot into it! And, here I felt I hadn't done anything!!! And it has been hot here....not just mildly warm, I am talking record breaking heat. 97 one day, 96 the next. This is May, right???? Feels like Tucson, looks like Odessa! I am confused. (no comments from the peanut gallery) And the S-s-s-n-n-n-a-a-a-k-k-k-e-e-ssssssssssssssss are out! Our neighbor up on the hill killed two (yup, TWO) rattlers on Thursday. GULP! On our way to Moses Lake yesterday I saw three dead snakes (the way snakes are suppose to be) on the road. So, I am really on high snake alert!

The truck and camper are at Sun Country RV getting the rocking and rolling taken out of them! Also a few minor maintenance things taken care of so that part will be ready for our big trip to Alaska next month. I have piles everywhere of Alaska bound stuff -- plus some stuff in the garage we will have to load before we leave. I am beginning to feel like I am in the moving business....oh wait, I AM in the moving business! From Odessa to Tucson; Tucson to Odessa, and repeat....and now throw Alaska in the mix! No wonder I never know where anything is...and I attributed that to my age!

Al is busy planning his garden. He got the rotatiller out Thursday and tried to start it and of course, it would start, but wouldn't stay running (I think these things get together during the winter and plan out revenge on us.) So the rotatiller is in for repair, then hopefully, he will get the garden in. Garden, you say??? Aren't you gone for the summer? YUP, but some how, some way, we will still have a garden...thanks mostly to the wonderful people who water our lawn for us while we are gone...they also get the garden. But this year, they will also share in the crops from the garden, which will mainly be, yup, you guessed it, tomatoes. Anyone who knows Al knows that tomatoes are his favorite. There will also be some zucchini planted....just for fun!

Well, that just about brings us up-to-date for now. The dogs and cats are loving their wroaming space....and the dogs LOVE the grass. Whoopee...nice, soft, green, grass to play on! The cats are on mice patrol outside and climbing the trees...yipee, these trees don't have stickers and bite! Hope they enjoy their freedom, because come next month, it's back into the camper and off we go again!

For now, we hope you are all happy and healthy and enjoying life. Until next time...Happy Trails to you.

The UNWroamin' Wraspirs,
Al, Jo, Beau, Schuster, Jose, Juanito

Friday, May 12, 2006

ODESSA, FINALLY!

May 12, Happy 17th Birthday Victor!!!!

We are finally in Odessa! We got home last night around 10:30p.m. All of us tumbled out of the truck/camper (for the cats -- and yes, Ted, Juanito made it all the way!!!) and the dogs ran and ran, we wandered to the house. We were almost incoherent we were so tired. But I am getting ahead of myself here!

We finally got out of Utah on Wednesday....we were beginning to think we had taken up residence there! We made it to Twin Falls, Idaho before stopping. The truck and camper weren't rocking so bad after having the shocks turned up to the highest they would go and the tire pressure a pretty much the highest we dared! However, the wind is not our friend and it was with us all the way up I-15, blowing, of course, across the road. Al's shoulders and back hurt just from holding on to the steering wheel so tight! We finally stopped at another KOA (now, this is unusual for us, we usually avoid KOA's, or Keep On Adding as we call them, as we have had some bad experiences in the past with them) and this one was very nice as well. The wind stopped blowing after we stopped, so we sat outside and just relaxed.

Yesterday we got on the road about 10:00 a.m. and decided we would probably go to Pendleton, Oregon and then stop. The wind was still with us and it was getting a little on the cool side as well. Still lots and lots of snow on the mountains all the way up through Utah, Idaho and Oregon. We reached Pendleton at 4:30 and decided to heck with it, lets go on to Richland/Kenniwick/Pasco. Well, once there, we were only 100 miles from home....so we decided to just go home. But, not before a stop at a Home Depot for toilet seats (we have new toilets in Odessa, but no seats?) and then a stop at Costco for needed supplies. After that and a quick bit to eat we hit the road at 8:30 p.m., hoping the wind would have died down, but no luck, it was blowing just as hard! MAKE IT STOP!

Now, we are home, anxious for a good nights rest. I come in the house and flip on the water faucet and get NOTHING! NO WATER??? What the??? Then I remembered Denise had said the water was turned off under the house. What I didn't remember is where the new shut off valve was and how to turn it on! And I wasn't about to go looking for it at 11:00 p.m. (remember, there are snakes here...and they could just be waiting for me!!) At this point, we were so tired, we didn't care. We went to bed! No dogs in bed with us either.....well, Beau tried, but was quickly put back in his bed! The cats even stayed out of bed....I have no idea where they slept, nor did I care!

Up this morning, refreshed and ready to tackle the day. The damn wind is still blowing a minor hurricane outside. Al took the dogs for a walk and he said they ran until he thought he was going to have to carry them home. I walked over to where the T-Bird was stored and brought it home, after picking up 2+ weeks of mail. I sat down and went through the mail and Al installed toilet seats. YEAH! IT takes very little to make me happy anymore apparently! Oh, and the very first thing we did was turn on the water! Water....we have water! Thanks again Denise and Gordon....wonderful job! Haven't gotten much more accomplished today. We both decided to take it easy today and tackle unloading/unpacking tomorrow. I have a lot I want to do before our company gets here at the end of the month, but I don't know how much I will get done. I seem to have a lot of ideas of what I want to get done, but the mind is willing and the body says "NO WAY!"

We are both glad this trip is over! As I sit here I see storm clouds gathering to the north of us....but if the weather holds true to pattern, they will pass to the north of us and we will get no rain. Good thing, we have things scattered from here to there and I don't feel like hauling them in!

IF you are in the Odessa area, stop in. We may be here! We plan on leaving for Alaska probably around June 6-7ish. Of course, that is just the plan. We could leave earlier, or later, we finally, after all of these years, have discovered we leave when we leave!

So, until next time.....happy trailers, er, trails, to you.

The Wroamin' Wraspirs,
Al, Jo, Beau, Schuster, Jose and Juanito
(pffttt to you Ted from Juanito!)

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Wroamin' North

May 9,2006 10:30 a.m. Kanab, Utah

You say, “Where in the heck is Kanab, Utah?” Well, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but this is where we are. We left Tucson about 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, heading north on our annual trek to Washington. We stopped in Camp Verde, AZ at the “Distant Drums” RV Park for the night. This was a very nice park and had a large area for the dogs to run….which they loved and so did we!

We took off from there yesterday and made it to Flagstaff. We stopped there because, once again, the camper is rocking from side to side when we drive. We had hoped that putting the new shocks on would end this nightmare, and they do help, but it still rocks and Jo gets motion sick! Now, Jo has NEVER had motion sickness….she can usually ride the wildest rollercoaster, rocky seas, worst roads, etc. and be fine. But this movement from side to side makes her sick in an instant. And this is no damn fun! We put more pressure in the tires in Flagstaff and talked to several different mechanic’s and they all scratched their heads and said “I don’t know!” Finally we found a RV place, and they recommended air bag susupension, but of course, they had none in stock and it would be 4 days before they could get to it. So, finally, off we went, and when the rocking starts, we just slow down until it quits and then off we go again. This is kinda’ like going forward, then slow down, and then go again. And it is the strangest thing, sometimes we can go for miles and miles with no problems, then we will hit a patch of road (not necessarily a rough road either) and it will start to rock. We figured we MAY be home for Mothers Day, then again, maybe not!

We made it to Kanab last night….we have a little RV park here we have stayed before and it is really nice. We thought we would stay at Lake Powell at Wahweap, however, they have raised their camping prices to $40 per night…..I DON’T THINK SO! So, we decided to just push on to here. Now, you ask, why aren’t you on the road now? Well, one minor problem. When we stopped yesterday at Wahweap, I noticed the right rear tire had a big crack in the sidewall. So, this morning we found a tire shop, un-hitched the trailer, unloaded the camper, and Al is now getting the spare put on. Nothing is easy anymore! Maybe we will leave Kanab today, and then again, maybe not! It is raining as well, so doing anything outside (like hitching/unhitching, loading/unloading) is miserable. Oh well, so is our life!

We had a nice few days in Tucson before we left. It was getting pretty warm and Al was definitely ready to head north. A friend of ours, Bob Grabow took us to dinner one night at a restaurant called Lil Abners. Now, I have to tell you, we had the best steak we have ever had in a restaurant! Why we haven’t been to this place before is beyond me! We also had dinner one more time at CafĂ© Poca Cosa with Jack and Sue Waddick and it was good, but not as great as before. However, the restaurant has just moved into it’s new location and hopefully working out the problems with the new location/moving, etc or, we just hit it on a bad night. It has always been one of our favorites.

The plumbing in the Odessa house is finished, so we can have water when we get home. Thanks to Gordon and Denise at Sun Country RV. I tell you, if you ever need any RV work done, and you are anywhere near Moses Lake, they are the ones. They are also very good friends of ours and we really appreciate their efforts.

A few observations we have made in the last few days. Some rives actually have water in them! Now I know this isn't a revelation to most of you, however,if you live in Arizona, where the rivers usually are dry, it is nice to see rivers with actual water in them! While we were in Missouri we were actually surprised to see water in rivers! We have been in Arizona too long!

Utah is beautiful. Especially around Kanab and the southeast part of the state. Of course, Zion and Bryce Canyon are here, as well as that other big canyon is close by...you know, the Grand Canyon. Lake Powell still needs more water...still really low.

As I finish this blog,(10:00 p.m., mdt) we have managed to get the tire fixed, camper reloaded, trailer hooked up and made a whopping 200 miles today. We are currently in Fillmore Utah in a very, very nice KOA. If you ever are traveling I-15 and need a place to stay in this area, this place is very nice. It has been really windy, and slow going for us today. We did get the shocks turned up (apparently the new shocks have adjustments on them) as high as they would go....and it has helped some with the rocking. But it will be air bag suspension for us before we go to Alaska!!!

The dogs, cats and Al are all in bed, so guess I will close this and join them. We hope this finds you all happy and healthy....until next time, we are,

THE WROAMIN' WRASPIRS
Al, Jo, Beau, Schuster, Juanito and Jose (yes, Jose is with us....)

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Great Letter...a Must Read for everyone!!!

I just received a copy of this letter....it pretty well sums up my feeling regarding the immagration issue.

This letter sent to Tennessee Senator Bill Frist from a retired border
> patrol agent, and it has more common sense than all the bull being
> spewed from the Senate, with the exception of a few sensible
representatives.



> Dear Senator Frist:
>
> There is a huge amount of propaganda and myths circulating about
> illegal aliens, particularly illegal Mexican, Salvadorian, Guatemalan
> and Honduran aliens.
>
> #1.
> Illegal aliens generally do NOT want U.S. citizenship. Americans are
> very vain thinking that everybody in the world wants to be a U.S.
citizen.
> Mexicans, and other nationalities want to remain citizens of their
> home countries while obtaining the benefits offered by the United
> States such as employment, medical care, in-state tuition, government
> subsidized housing and free education for their offspring. Their main
> attraction i s employment and their loyalty usually remains at home.
> They want benefits earned and subsidized by middle class Americans.
> What illegal aliens want are benefits of American residence without
> paying the price.
>
> #2.
> There are no jobs that Americans won't do. Illegal aliens are doing
> jobs that Americans can't take and still support their families.
> Illegal aliens take low wage jobs, live dozens in a single residence
> home, share expenses and send money to their home country. There are
> no jobs that Americans won't do for a decent wage.
>
> #3.
> Every person who illegally entered this nation left a home. They are
> NOT homeless and they are NOT Americans. Some left jobs in their home
> countries.
> They come to send money to their real home as evidenced by the more
> than 20 billion dollars sent out of the country each year by illegal
> aliens. These illegal aliens knowingly and willfully entered this
> nation in violation of the law and therefore assumed the risk of
> detection and dep ortation.
> Those
> who brought their alien children assumed the responsibility and risk
> on behalf of their children.
>
> #4.
> Illegal aliens are NOT critical to the economy. Illegal aliens
> constitute less than 5% of the workforce. However, they reduce wages
> and benefits for lawful U.S. residents.
>
> #5.
> This is NOT an immigrant nation. There are 280 million native born
> Americans. While it is true that this nation was settled and founded
> by immigrants (legal immigrants), it is also true that there is not a
> nation on this planet that was not settled by immigrants at one time
> or another.
>
> #6.
> The United States is welcoming to legal immigrants. Illegal aliens are

> not immigrants by definition. The U.S. accepts more lawful immigrants
> every year than the rest of the world combined.
>
> #7.
> There is no such thing as the "Hispanic vote". Hispanics are white,
> brown, black and every shade in between. Hispanics are Republicans,
> Democrats, Anarchists, Communists, Mar xists and Independents. The
> so-called "Hispanic vote" is a myth. Pandering to illegal aliens to
> get the Hispanic vote is a dead end.
>
> #8.
> Mexico is NOT a friend of the United States. Since 1848 Mexicans have
> resented the United States. During World War I Mexico allowed German
> Spies to operate freely in Mexico to spy on the U.S. During World War
> II Mexico allowed the Axis powers to spy on the U.S. from Mexico.
> During the Cold War Mexico allowed spies hostile to the U.S. to
> operate freely. The attack on the Twin Towers in 2001 was cheered and
> applauded all across Mexico. Today Mexican school children are taught
> that the U.S. stole California, Arizona, new Mexico and Texas. If you
> don't believe it, check out some Mexican textbooks written for their
> schoolchildren.
>
> #9.
> Although some illegal aliens enter this country for a better life,
> there are
> 6 billion people on this planet. At least 1 billion of those live on
> less than one dollar a day. If wanting a better life is a valid excuse

> to break the law and sneak into America, then let's allow those one
> billion to come to America and we'll turn the USA into a Third World
nation overnight.
> Besides, there are 280 million native born Americans who want a better

> life.
> I'll bet Bill Gates and Donald Trump want a better life. When will the

> USA lifeboat be full? Since when is wanting a better life a good
> reason to trash another nation?
>
> #10.
> There is a labor shortage in this country. This is a lie. There are
> hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of American housewives, senior

> citizens, students, unemployed and underemployed who would gladly take

> jobs at a decent wage.
>
> #11.
> It is racist to want secure borders. What is racist about wanting
> secure borders and a secure America? What is racist about not wanting
> people to sneak into America and steal benefits we have set aside for
> legal aliens, senior citizens, children and other legal residents?
> What is it about race that entitles peop le to violate our laws, steal

> identities, and take the American Dream without paying the price? For
> about four decades American politicians have refused to secure our
> borders and look after the welfare of middle class Americans. These
> politicians have been of both parties. A huge debt to American society

> has resulted. This debt will be satisfied and the interest will be
> high. There has already been riots in the streets by illegal aliens
> and their supporters. There will be more. You, as a politician, have a

> choice to offend the illegal aliens who have stolen into this country
> and demanded the rights afforded to U.S. citizens or to offend those
> of us who are stakeholders in this country. The interest will be steep

> either way. There will be civil unrest. There will be a reckoning. Do
> you have the courage to do what is right for America? Or, will you bow

> to the wants and needs of those who don't even have the right to
remain here?
> There
> will be a reckoning. It will come in November of this year, again in
> 2008 and yet again in 2010. We will not allow America to be stolen by
> third world agitators and thieves.
>
> David J. Stoddard
> U.S. Border Patrol (RET)
> Hereford, Arizona
>

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