Under the Dome

 June (!!!!) 1 - 14, 2024

Tombstone, Arizona

The Whetstone Mountains wrapped in color.

And Boom! it's June.

Being in the desert, being at the house, feels weird this time of year. It is decidedly different from the other seasons we usually spend here. Not just higher temps, but an even slower pace around us. Would be hard for our pace to be much slower these days! 

Plans for my solo travels with family, and a little yard maintenance keep me somewhat busy. The ugly Heat Dome moves in (here and a lot of other places) the first week of the month squashing most motivation to be outside. I'm even more grateful to be retired with nothing requiring me to be "out there in it". 

Eeeesh. I'm grateful it's not the norm here.

The first day we reach into triple digits the AC stops putting out cold air. I notice it on my way out the door for an appointment in Sierra Vista. Gone a little over two hours, when I return the problem has been fixed. Bill called our local HVAC service and they were at the house in 30 minutes with what was needed in their truck. A few days later the unit is just not keeping up so I call them again. Ten minutes the guy is a the door! The last time the tech missed something that is easily remedied, we're not charged for another service call, the house is cooled down quickly. 

For me good customer service doesn't mean mistakes are never made. It's more about how mistakes are handled. In this case we're pleased with the customer service!

We enjoy our porches in the morning, watching the birds, deer and the occasional lizard. Our wildlife trough is kept topped off in this heat. So far most of our baby Quail are surviving the Road Runners, snakes and Ravens. The big covey of ten babies still have nine, and the older covey of six is still six! The IPhone doesn't capture them as more than blurry rocks so I need to remember my camera. One morning a pair of Ravens dance overhead, it's so quiet we hear their wings wooshing in rhythm. Small blessings.

Stopping by for a drink.

Some mornings you can almost see "the dome" of heat.

Our electric service is a co-op, and I continue to be impressed by how they operate. With high winds, monsoons, snow, high temps, and the occasional driver taking on a power pole, there are year-round opportunities for outages. We've had a few of them each of the years we've had the house. Not only are they rarely lengthy, updates are provided via text with enough information that we're not guessing what and when. A few days after the AC repair, the power goes down. Fortunately it's a cooler day. A text tells me the time and location of the reported failure closest to us. In this case it's just down the street. Expected to be restored within 3 hours. The local FB page lets me know it's pretty widespread. Less than an hour later we're back on :-) Getting the texts is especially helpful if you're not at the house - so you know when to come back! Our friends and family in Texas should be so fortunate.

After the shop has the motorhome for a week they call and ask us to come "take a look at something we found". I don't imagine it's a stash of $100 bills? 

Nope.

It is however maybe an explanation for the ongoing large slide issues. We can't see it, but the tech "shows us" where the flooring has dropped on that side in the back, and explains how this caused the mechanism to shift and strip wires on that motor. Okaaaaay. He's been dreading telling us, but thinks he can fix it for us. They still can't find (and neither can I after much searching) a replacement door lock or dash stereo/camera unit so even with the slide working I don't know when we'll have a motorhome we can travel in.

<sigh>

Clearly it's a good thing we weren't able to head out last month, and in hindsight it's a blessing we're at the house for several reasons. 

But oh that beach sounds heavenly on these hot days! 

The best way to spend a hot summer day, Oliver contemplates the first bite.

Henry graduates pre-K!

Oliver joins cousins M&M for cherry-picking. Yum!

A Quickie With Nothing Being Burned Down

 May 21 - 31, 2024

Tombstone, Arizona

A decidedly more positive post for a change. Frustration and evil thoughts behind me now :-))))

Thanks Anna and Donnie :-))

At 68, I'm now officially elderly, a designation many never get to "enjoy" so I'm grateful to get here! For the next three months Bill's married to an older woman.

We don't celebrate/gift each other's birthdays, but family calls and friends' posts throughout the day mark the special day. Good friends Anna and Donnie take us to breakfast and spoil me with lovely posies and presents. It's a good day to mark another trip around the sun. 

Knowing how happy it will make me, Jeff chooses my birthday weekend to seek out his cousin (my first cousin's son) at his gallery in Seattle. They had yet to meet, and I'm indeed delighted that now they have!

Once calmed down (one can only say that about themselves and not others without risk of bodily harm), I'm relieved to have the stress of ever-changing summer plans over with. The rig will get fixed when it gets fixed. We'll figure out medical support when we figure it out. We will putter around the house. We will little-bitty travel.

Puttering is the official term for avoiding boredom. A necessity for me. Bill fixes the wheelbarrow and gets the small chain saw working so I can putter with purpose. With 2.5 acres of desert there's as little or as much as I want to tackle. The increasing heat is definitely an "influencer" this time of year, but there are times of day when being outside is quite nice. 

Our House Finch are tenacious in their attempts to build nests in our porch rafters. The wind never lets them stay long, but this is the biggest one they've completed before being blown down. So much work :(

Evidence of Oliver is a great addition to our back yard.

Most years (we've had four here) the skinny Cholla just have bright yellow buds, but this Spring all of them have burst out with these gorgeous fuchia blooms.

Lots of wild Desert Bird of Paradise give us pretty color in our front and side yards.

The biggest surprise has been our Yucca sending up this tall stalk of fragrant blossoms. There're more every day.

In SoCal, Ezra, at eight years-old, is attending his first school dance! I don't think I'm ready for him to be so grown up.

Dressed up with Daddy - both so handsome :-)

Our beautiful oldest grand - I'm glad he's growing his hair out again.

Bill continues to feel fine, and has figured out the routine he needs for in-home treatment. In hindsight I'm glad we're not traveling with iffy support while the medical team here continue to make modifications to dosage, etc. 

The weather-guessers predict a weak monsoon this year (like the only other summer we spent here), but I'm hoping we get some rain soon - our desert is parched! I'm sure there will be just enough to grow all the weeds I'm working on knocking down now.

The motorhome is in the shop and we're once again hopeful all will get repaired. On the positive side they had very few units in the lot pending work, and there are now five techs instead of one - fingers crossed!

Weird to look out and not see the motorhome in it's spot!

The Force is strong in Elliott :-)

Our youngest, Cassidy, is on the move.

M & M are enjoying their time in Scouts. 

Silly sisters Penelope and Reese clowning for Mom.

An extra Elliott pic - because he's so proud of his Ninja Turtle balloon art :-))))

 

Uncle!!!!

 May 10 - 20, 2024

Tombstone, Arizona

Apparently the universe will just keep kicking you in the face until you realize you are not going to keep those plans you're holding on to! Geeeez, okay! 

I still haven't heard back from the dialysis "travel unit" about our requested assistance in three states when it's time to set up the motorhome for our visiting family. There is also no word yet from the RV repair shop regarding the pending three items for our departure on 5/28. But I'm still very much in planning-to-go mode.

And then I am very much NOT. 

The large slide that we just got fixed comes out 6-7 inches, only in the front, jams, and completely quits. Dead-at-the-switch quits. A few minutes of loud, creative language, some made-up words with clear meaning, and I'm sooooo done! 

After returning to the house and explaining to Bill why I'm burning the rig to the ground and never leaving the house again, I eventually decide there could possibly be less drastic options. None of which are keeping our summer plans. 

But we have all the Gravel boys and one DIL and grandson coming for the weekend so let's focus on that joy! Corey and family are in Tucson Sunday, so they pick up Travis from the airport (his flight from Virginia is delayed four hours), and arrive less than an hour ahead of Nick and Richie who have driven from SoCal. Their first visit here, we're soooooo excited to see them!

It's a whirlwind of catching up, meals around the big table, Cribbage games, exploring Tombstone and Bisbee, a few cocktails, and lots of enjoying the youngest grandson. Oliver is funny and smart and cute and a delight to be around. 

Nick 1, Travis 3, Richie 4, Dad and Corey 2.

Dads getting caught up - so fun they all have kiddos now.

Keeping an eye on all the activity.

More Daddy!

Morning is best for cooler temps and fewer crowds.

The Wyatts hang out on Allen Street before heading to their infamous shoot out at the corral next door.

Likely our most authentic historic location, Nick and Corey check out the Birdcage Theater.

Richie, Nick, Travis and Corey with son Oliver at the theater.

A friendly family game of Cribbage. Not so exciting for doggies.

Oliver likes the vintage cars in Bisbee's Lowell district.

Nothing makes our home better than happy grands having fun. 

Departures begin on Sunday morning and end with taking Travis to the airport on Monday morning. It's all over way too soon, but we're grateful for the chance to have them all here together.

Before the family gathering we enjoy a couple fun visits with friends.

First our pals Sue and Dave bring their new guide-dog-in-training pup Taos to meet us. A beautiful yellow lab with precious deep brown eyes that draw you in. We meet at their RV in Benson for outdoor visiting, then head to the Benson City Grille (I had no idea there is a golf course, let alone a decent grill in Benson!). 

Handsome and smart, and oh so loveable. 

And not shy about getting his photo taken :-)

Surprising beautiful views from the patio at the golf course grill.

The following day they come to see us and give Taos more new experiences as part of his training. We're happy to be one of his many lessons! He's a lovely guest and Tessa manages to be a good hostess by ignoring him.

It's always great to get caught up with these two dear friends, and we're happy Taos brought them to see us!

Having spent time with Kim and Jack (she from our high school, he her spouse) at our reunion in April, we make plans to visit them near their home in Tucson - at the Saguaro NP. We're hoping for multiple blooms in mid-May, but we're clearly a couple weeks too early. It's still a beautiful drive, and lunch at Saguaro Corners is tasty. Now that we'll be around, we'll get together with them again this summer.

 

Kim, Bill, Jodee and Tessa. It's hot!

Bridge construction in St David - making the N larger does not make it a M!

Alas, again, our summer looks different, and we'll make the best of it. Once the rig is fixed, again, we can plan, again, for a shorter trip within Arizona to see if we can navigate travel support.

Reese and Penelope excited that the pool is open!!

Cold temps persist on the mountain so Ezra and Elliott get creative with lots and lots of Legos!

Henry and Cassidy take their parents to see Bluey.

Roller Coaster Whiplash

 April 16 - May 9, 2024

Tombstone, Arizona

Never say never. Or definitely. Definitely never say definitely!

I have rewritten this post twice already, and now I'm having to modify it once again. Better publish today before everything changes!

This is where we were on Wednesday:

Returning last Fall I was pretty discouraged from our large slide not working for two months, but eventually confident we'd have a better trip in 2024. Then Bill had to go on dialysis and it was clear our traveling days were over.

Lots of ups and downs continued.

When the options for in-home treatment came up we were once again making travel plans, maybe in a smaller rig since I was still not loving our motorhome. 

After our April trip we were both happy with our home on wheels, and glad we hadn't made a change. All the reservations were finalized for three months of travel starting the last week of May.

Bill started training for in-home treatment, we measured space in the motorhome, the website information for his dialysis provider promoted how easy they made traveling for their patients. Even providing a carrying case for the machine for air travel. This is definitely going to work for us.

Keeping in mind that he has been open about our plans all along, it's a big surprise to us (like WTH!) that his doctor won't clear him to travel for 90 days. Even more long-term "surprise" is the weight of the supplies needed for his treatments. We knew the measurements and could fit it all in the motorhome. But the 450# for 2 weeks of boxes (they allegedly bring you supplies semi-monthly when you're traveling)  is much more of an issue than we planned for. How does one realistically travel by air or go to hotels, let alone smaller RVs, with that much weight to transport?

Our first month's delivery is a big eye-opener! At 30# a daily box, a two-week supply is very heavy. Not all of this comes every delivery - whew!

The ups and downs and maybes of summer travel come to a big full-stop. Poor communication is a huge pet peeve for me, and moving forward from this lack of important information from healthcare professionals takes me some time to process (swearing and plotting personal demise is therapeutic).

Alas here we are. 

In-home treatment is still a huge plus for Bill. 12 hours a week of sitting in a chair with two needles in your arm for six months is a good thing to be done with! We're all set up at the house with closets full of very heavy boxes, and a program that Bill can do himself every night. All our days are once again open for exploring. It's a much smaller area than planned, but it is freedom nonetheless. 

We're nothing if not tenacious, so we'll spend 90 days looking at how/if/when we can actually store supplies inside the rig, not all on a slide, not underneath in a bin, and how realistic it is to receive more supplies on the road. I have trust issues right now :-)

Buuuuuut --->Thursday Bill has his monthly doctor appointment. Returning to the car he says "We can go." Of course I'm sure he's messing with me. But no. The doctor never mentions 90 days, never says he isn't cleared to travel. She raises the subject first saying "So you're leaving the end of the month, you need to know a few things."

I've given up knowing how to "feel" anymore. I'm naturally elated that we are once again medically cleared to travel this summer, grateful I didn't cancel any reservations pending this dr appointment, but those trust issues remain, and I'm hesitant to feel like celebrating just yet!

The dr does give us more hoops to jump through, including the daunting news that she and the local program don't work with us out-of-state. Fortunately there is a network that does work with traveling patients so we're jumping into that quickly. I'm not happy that we've lost two weeks of preparation time with the misinformation (again) about Bill's status.

And although I am happy with my call to the company that delivers those heavy boxes with two weeks notice in whatever quantity we need, we still have to figure out how to travel with any amount of supplies!

Rising temps means the return of high winds. And the return of the weed blanket that is our fenced yard. Since we're usually gone by now it's new for us to see the green and little daisy-like growth. It will be knee-high by the time we return. With the interior updates completed, we really need to look into landscaping this Fall. Today that seems a long way away :-)

30+mph wind turns the signal-light to the side!

A pretty local takes advantage of the wind-break off our driveway.

When we made our mad dash back here from North Carolina a couple years ago our priority was moving our healthcare to Arizona, replacing our Cadillac employer-paid plan with a Medicare supplement plan that we can access anywhere in the country. Even with the current fiasco, getting that done has significantly reduced the stress of prevention and treatment, as has having providers near our home. We knock out annual checks and dental appointments over the last few weeks. 

In addition to our personal check-ups, the motorhome and Tessa both have appointments. Desert RV continues to be our go-to for local work, and they continue to be booked months in advance. Fortunately they take me in one morning to take measurements for our short-but-important list of fixes. Fingers crossed they can replace our iffy front door lock, repair a loosened gizmo on the large slide topper, replace the dash stereo that has never worked since it was installed a few years ago, and install a new step rubber that has once again pulled off. 

In downtown Tombstone is the famous Rose Tree Inn, home to the largest rose bush in the country. Behind a large wall, it's viewable for a small fee. At the Catholic Church is this beauty, on the National Registry of Historic Places, and free to walk up and enjoy.

It's been here since the Earps were also making history.

Also white tea roses, this massive bush looks just like the pics I've seen of the more famous one.

Tessa is thirteen, and while she's still active and happy, her hearing and overall body strength are showing signs of age. She responds well to hand signals, and we've added easy folding steps for the Jeep. I'm especially pleased that she receives high marks at her annual wellness check. They find mild heart arrythmia, but aren't concerned that it's going to affect her for now. Something to "keep an eye out for symptoms", and they'll check again in the Fall. She comes home and does zoomies all over the house to remind me she's doing fine :-) 

We have some wonderful visits coming up this month. While every week at crafts has smaller attendance with folks leaving for the hotter months, there are still a couple of us who gather to play and gab for a few more weeks. October we'll see who returns and get caught up on our summer adventures.

On the way to school, Ezra insists on walking this stray shopping cart back to the store. What a good kiddo!!

Reese's dandelion wishes require concentration.

Little M shares his face froggie, serious stuff.

Henry loving his beach time.