Life Goes On

June 2-10, 2020
Tombstone, Arizona

It's hard to believe (how many sentences have you started like that in the last few months??) that we have been in Tombstone now for over nine months! We moved into our house eight months ago. Even with the unexpected changes in all our lives, that time has flown by. Although we would have had to do so in March, we had already decided in February to cancel our summer travels so we could see what the weather and life in general is like here year-round. 

Without unlimited funds to spend on the property, we wanted to see if anything needed to be done to make it more comfortable during the hot months. So far, new windows seem to be the priority as our old, thin, single panes rattle in the wind and fail to keep out extreme temps. Of course the more time we spend here, the more ideas we come up with for both inside and out. Plenty to keep us busy - now we just need to win the Lottery!

So although we planned to be here, not having the option to do otherwise is a very different reality. Still hoping we can hit the road in September for some shorter travels :-)

But while we're here......

Not unlike how we most like to spend our days on the road, day trips out in nature are our favorite. Now we get to add collecting rocks for landscaping our yard. After years of showing restraint in bringing rocks home to the RV, we can now bring back as many as we want!

We have a large variety of areas to explore.

Each rock has unique colors and shapes. The best finds are the two large weathered logs that Bill found in a wash.

More fun than a box of rocks!

Our Spring lasted about five minutes and temps in the 90's arrived in mid-May. We have had a few cooler days in between, with some cloudy and smelling of rain. Unfortunately we've only had a few minutes of light sprinkles. But oh that smell!! There's nothing else like petrichor in the desert. 

Those cloudy days give us the most spectacular sunsets as well. We are blessed to be treated to such beauty from Mother Nature.

So what's Tessa been up to? Other than wondering why we landed somewhere with zero grass, she's happy to have lots of space to run around inside and out. And more family means more belly rubs and snuggles!

Even before I was safely able to get her groomed, she loves to lie in the sun until her panting sends her back to the shade for short breaks.

Happier with shorter hair, milking the cute.

Guarding the bird feeder. They have gotten used to her, note the quail on the ground close by.

Our two RV sites have 50 amp service and water, but no sewer hookup. After Jeff's two week quarantine it was time to dump the black tank. A good reason to get the tires turning on the RV, sort of stretch her "legs" after being stationary for months. Slides in, jacks up, and me trying to remember how everything works! One of the local RV parks allows use of their dump for $20 so we made our way into our little town and took care of that chore. It seems a bit steep, but I'm all for helping local businesses stay open.

30 minutes later we're back in the spot. Jacks down, slides.....no slides. Zip, nada, no movement or sign of life. Exactly same issue we had in September that brought us back early. Since we can't get to the fuse box with the bedroom slide in, we have no choice but to head to the shop. Jeff moves into the house with the clothes on his back as his clothes are behind the slide :-(. Two days later Bill and I head for Camping World. 

It's the hottest day so far, and Tucson is always at least 10 degrees higher. It's gross and we spend the day driving around in the air conditioning because of course we can't go hang out anywhere. The highlight is a slow drive through Saguaro National Park where it's very dry and most of the blooms have already faded. We only see three other people although there are a few cars parked at the trailheads (it's so hot?). We always enjoy the variety of cactus, and the long vistas.

Cholla camouflaged as entrails.

Dry, but still lots of green here.

So different from our desert.

Javalina Rocks, likely providing shelter to lots of snakes.

Clusters of Teddy Bear Cholla

Not a teddy bear anyone wants to cuddle up with!

I make a quick stop at Trader Joes for a couple yummy salads. Bill finds us a perfect city park with a table in the shade to enjoy our lunch. And Tessa is excited to find some grass!!

Yuk!! 

Not thick and healthy, but the grass gets a smile.

We love our Camping World, and four hours after dropping it off, we're picking up the RV with slide issue fixed. Turned out to be a "wrongly aligned" fuse. Human error that could have been us, and they agree it could have been them in October, but the good news is it wasn't a serious problem and we can head home.

Even better is that it's 19 degrees cooler when we get here!

There are some images that will always remind me of "these times" of shutdowns and shortages. While we never came close to running out of anything, it was disconcerting to see shelves completely empty of paper products and certain food items. Today there's plenty of most everything except disinfecting wipes!

Just because I didn't need it, doesn't mean I wasn't happy to see it return!

A new addition at the groomers - zero contact drop off.

The reality of shopping from home......

Ezra and his folks will be back in a few days, Jeff is keeping busy with work and friends online in between visits with us, and Bill and I are talking about more projects than we're working on. Life goes on. Everyone here is healthy and safe. 

I hope all of you are able to say the same!