Saturday, June 13, 2020

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!


20 comments:

  1. Not much is more fun for me than a box of rocks! One of the things I miss about being here for the summer is those wonderful Jeep rides out into nature (and perhaps picking up a new rock or two).
    We're planning to head out in September also.....I'm focusing on that right now and hope that the sheer force of my desire to hit the road will turn the tide! (If my mother were were she'd smile and say "if wishes were horses, beggars would ride"

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    1. When we hit the road again we have to now make room for bringing back rocks :-))

      From your lips on turning the tide!!

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  2. Good to hear you are safe and doing well. So glad Ezra is one of your safe people.

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  3. Great rock garden! Fran wants one here, but as Suzi said 'if wishes were horses ...'
    Do you have hummingbird feeders too?

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    1. We do but only one hummer that visits. We clean and replenish often, but it's just not attracting anyone else :-(

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  4. Yes, we can now collect rocks of all sizes!! I didn't think about looking for a neat piece of wood in one of the many washes we hike/drive. We could use one in our front yard. I like all the rocks you are lining the foliage with in the yard. We don't wander to far in the desert with the Jeep once it gets into the 90's+. I want us to be able to hike out if we had a breakdown. It's been nice to have a few cooler days to get out into the desert. Tessa needs a little grass area in her yard. She looks so cute with her new short cut. Glad the slides were an easy fix but too bad you had to drive to Tucson for the fix. We had new windows put in this spring. It definitely makes a huge difference in the heat. The new glass they use today really cuts the temp down. We put in Milgard windows through Lowes. We love them.

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    1. The wood was a great find and really adds to the garden. We go way too far out by ourselves but try to make sure we have cell service within walking distance. Tessa agrees 100% about her grass! I'll look into Milgard for our place, I'm glad to hear they've made a difference at your place!

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  5. Nice to see what you are doing. Sorry it included RV problems. Glad you were able to get them taken care of easily and at a Camping World which I usually totally avoid. Couldn’t agree more that although I had planned to be here in April and May, having to be here and in an extended fashion is a totally different story. It’s making me grumpy.
    Your sunsets are enviable. Absolutely fantastic! I’d look forward to watching those every night. My mountains and trees are often in the way of both sunrises and sunsets.
    I took a look at that 112 and wondered how you do it. I’m seriously irritated at 92. Especially in June here. That’s supposed to be relegated to August but nothing is as it used to be,
    Can’t believe you’ve been there 9 months. My 3 here seems like forever.

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    1. The saving grace even in record setting May temps has been the lack of humidity. Means slathering on the lotion and drinking lots of water, but the dry is much easier for us to tolerate. Fortunately we don't get the heat of Tucson and further north - at 4500 feet we stay cooler year round. Still, wish we were able to head to the coast! Hang in there :-)))

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  6. Looks like we’ve both been doing some rock collecting, Jodee! We are living in fossil heaven up here in Michigan. I found another one today!

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    1. Bill is soooo jealous!! We'll have to see what we can find when we finally get to come visit.

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  7. Yes, life does go on albeit with a new normal. I am so hoping this isn't our permanent normal! Glad to hear you guys are coping well with an Arizona summer.

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    1. Oh I hope not as well!! I keep watching for dropping numbers but it's not very encouraging yet. Not loving the heat, but blessed to have our place.

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  8. While we're where we planned to be this summer it's very different. So many county fairs and breweries we wanted to check out, especially with good friends volunteering here for the summer. A friend on our AK caravan collected rocks, her jeep was loaded with them by the time we parted ways in BC. Hoping to head to CO in September, reservations are made but we shall see what things look like closer to it. Tessa looks cooler with the haircut. Stay safe.

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    1. There will either be a lot of us thrilled to get moving in September or depressed with further limitations. Working on seeing the positive outcome as it seems so far away to still be dealing with "this". Glad you're where you intended, and hope you're finding fun alternatives while there. You and Dave stay safe as well.

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  9. So fun that you can now collect rocks to your heart's content! It's crazy to think that you guys have been there for nine months. I feel like we're in a time warp. You made me laugh with your photo of the cardboard boxes in your garage....that pretty much looks like our garage, too, lol. I wish I had bought stock in Amazon a couple of months ago. Love your sunsets, and your photos of sweet Tessa.

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    1. Time warp indeed. Especially looking back at posts from a year ago, and realizing just how long we've been in this altered reality! The UPS driver laughs when Tessa barks at him "I'm here everyday, why are you barking??" Cracks me up :-)) We have several borders planned so the rock collecting will continue for now!! Hugs to you and Eric.

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  10. Yep, collecting rocks is one of the fun by products of having a yard again!

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    1. We're having fun finding new places to use them :-)))

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