All's well...

January 29, 2008

Peoria, AZ

Just a quick update: Geri's dental surgery went fine and she's doing well. She was finished at the periodontist's office around 10:30 AM. While uncomfortable and tired, she's been up and around, and even prepared a batch of food for the pups this afternoon.

As an aside, I had to make a quick run to the grocery store for the green beans that go in the dog food, and bumped right up against Super Bowl Mania. Being about 3 miles away from the stadium means that we'll probably run into a few strange things over the next few days. When I tried to pull into the Fry's parking lot, I found the entrance blocked off with these big black semis. As I turned to go to the next entrance, the Budweiser Clydsdales came swinging around the parking lot. About 1/2 of the lot was blocked off and the whole rig was doing laps in front of the store. Now, Fry's is the closest but most inconvenient store to us, primarily because the lot is always hard to maneuver. You can imagine what happens when the Clydsdales take over. I lucked out and found a parking spot out of the way and was able to get in and out with only a minor delay. I took pictures and video with the cell phone, but the quality is lousy.

Some people get all the good jobs -- and then there's this guy!

Today’s the Big Day

January 29, 2008
Peoria, AZ

Yesterday was an easy day. Geri did some house cleaning and had her Physical Therapy appointment in the afternoon. I cleaned up some “paperwork” (so many things are electronic these days that term really doesn’t apply) in the study, including finalizing changes to many online accounts due to a new expiration date for a credit card. The convenience of having bills taken care of automatically is great, but a simple thing like getting a new card due to expiration can cause a whole bunch of work. It’s surprising how many places financial information is stored, even if we try to minimize it for security purposes. You’d think that card issuers and payees would come up with a way to automatically update expiration date changes.

What’s even more surprising is the number of places I had to call because I couldn’t change the expiration online. This is goofy. If automatic payments can be set up online, you should be able to change them. Of course, the other end of the spectrum has web sites that show an alert when you log on (“Your credit card expires this month. Click here to update the expiration date.”) and make it very easy. If they’d just push this into an email, I’d be a happy guy.

Today is Geri’s tooth extraction. In fact, I’m writing this as I sit in the periodontist’s waiting room. Her appointment was at 8:00 AM. We walked in the door at 7:58 and she didn’t even have a chance to sit down before they whisked her back. This tooth has been bothering her for well over a year now, so it’s really a good thing that she’s getting it removed. It’s a rear molar that anchors a bridge, so there will be follow-up work to insert two implants, and it’ll all involve some pain and expense, but the relief from the ongoing pain, discomfort, and infections will be worth it.

Scheduling on all this will be a little tricky, but it should work out OK if there are no complications. Since the tooth being removed won’t get an implant (just the two in front of it, where the current bridge is, will), extraction site healing won’t be an issue and she should be able to get the implants installed in March, after we get back from our next trip. This assumes that a bone graft isn’t required to build up the area for the implants; we’re keeping our fingers crossed that grafting isn’t needed.

Once the implants are in, it’ll be back to the primary dentist for the caps that go on them. Everybody gets a piece of the wallet. We’ve gotten a couple of different estimates on the timing there: the dentist said 4-6 weeks and the implant guy said 4-6 months. If the former is true, we might try to push to get all this done before we leave for the summer. If the latter is true, the caps will be on hold until we get back in the fall. I suppose we’ll know more about that once we see how the extraction is evaluated, and have a chance to schedule the next step.

Other than all this, things have been quiet. I used the rainy days as an excuse to get the bread machine out and made a halfway decent rustic loaf, which is already gone (must have been OK). We signed up for a spot at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta again, and the check cleared for that so it looks like we made the cut (this group is limited to 80 coaches). We enjoyed the Fiesta in 2006, and are looking forward to going again. This time, we’ll be with a group of Monaco coaches (last time, we were with the Escapees group) and are supposed to have much better parking spots. Our friends Wayne and Eva have signed up as well, so we’ll have a chance to catch up with them after summer travels.

Well, that’s about it for this morning. Geri should be done soon, and I’ll post a follow-up later.

Catching up between the raindrops

January 27, 2008
Peoria, AZ

We’re well into a real soaking rain storm as I write this, but more on that later. The last couple of days have been busy, as usual. When I got back from the Land Rover dealer on Friday, we made a quick run to the coach to drop off stuff (clean bedding and towels) and pick up a few things we forgot to unload. We had Skillet Lasagna for dinner, using up ingredients we’d bought while on the road but didn’t get a chance to use.

Saturday started out slowly. We slept in for a change, which was nice. After coffee, we went across the street to help Clisby with her new – and first, at age 82 – computer. We got her set up and connected to the Internet, and pointed her in the direction of some books and classes.

Since the forecast was for rain, I decided that I could run the cable I needed for the second DirecTV HD receiver in the kitchen. I’d bought it on eBay last week, so we were ready to go. I tapped into the spare wires coming from the LNB/Multi-Switch, fixing a bad connection to the original DVR while I had the ladder out. I was able to run the cable up under the eaves and along the side of the house to the attic over the garage. Due to the layers of insulation above the house proper, the attic over the garage is the only accessible place to work. Fortunately, the kitchen TV is positioned along the rear of the garage, so it’s easy to get to. Once I had the cable run inside, I knew I could finish the job today, irrespective of the weather.

For dinner, we quickly did up the last of the Omaha Steaks burgers we’d gotten as a Christmas gift. We used up the few odd rolls we had hanging around and finished off a jar of roasted red peppers and some value wine, so it was a “what do we have around” kind of meal.

Last night’s forecast called for up to 1.5” of rain in this storm, which is a lot for this area. It’s nothing like Southern California is experiencing, of course, but I’m sure we’ll see a few cars washed away by high water on the 10:00 news. I was able to finish wiring in the satellite cable, mounted a shelf in the pantry for the receiver, placed a new over-the-air antenna in the attic for local HD channels, and split the signal off for the TV in the spare bedroom. Everything has been tested out and the wires have been buttoned up to finish off the installation.

Tonight, Geri made Asian Chicken Soup and Pork Wontons. She’d gotten the recipe from our friend Eva, and this was her first time “solo”. Well, she learned well, and it was fantastic. As usual, we’ll have enough for a second meal. This is especially important this week, since Geri’s scheduled to get that troublesome tooth extracted at 8:00 AM on Tuesday. She’ll be on soft foods for a while, we suspect. The whole week is shaping up to be busy since, in addition to the dental work on Tuesday, Geri has PT (Physical Therapy) on Monday and Friday, and I have to take the Range Rover in to have the coolant leak fixed on Wednesday. At least the weather is supposed to clear up by tomorrow afternoon.

Time Flies…

January 25, 2008
Scottsdale, AZ

Wow, time really flies when you’re having fun! I can’t believe I haven’t had a chance to update the blog in so many days. Well, here’s a quick update:

We had a great time in Quartzsite, making new friends and catching up with past acquaintances. Although the overnight lows were on the chilly side, things warmed up each day and the wind didn’t stir up too much dust.

We took a ride to the KOFA National Wildlife Refuge which was OK but a bit of a disappointment. We got in a bit of off-road driving (Geri: “Any time you want to do this with other guy friends, have at it.”) but saw no wildlife and had no photo opps (high-tension power lines on one side and a string of yellow “gas pipeline” signs on the other. Maybe we just went in the wrong entrance road. We (er, I) will have to try it again at some point.

We had potluck dinners several nights, and I managed to get over and go through many of the vendors’ displays. The RV tent opened last weekend, and that was interesting but I didn’t feel the need to buy anything, having just spent the budget at Indio. I did find some tools in the other vendor areas and filled in a couple of stray wrenches that I’d needed. In general, I found prices to include few bargains, with some things I saw cheaper at Harbor Freight. As long as a cash sale didn’t generate sales tax (Quartzsite has raised theirs to near 12%), I suppose the total cost would be a good thing.

Here are the links to the remaining Quartzsite pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/GeorgeandGeri/QuartzsiteDay5

http://picasaweb.google.com/GeorgeandGeri/QuartzsiteDay67

http://picasaweb.google.com/GeorgeandGeri/QuartzsiteCrowdJanuary2008

http://picasaweb.google.com/GeorgeandGeri/QuartzsiteFromBillCrawford

We reluctantly headed out last Monday for home, leaving mid-morning and arriving back in Peoria mid-afternoon. We’re getting pretty good at getting things ready for storage, with Geri unloading the refrigerator/freezer and getting all the laundry, and me dumping the tanks (we have a sewer cleanout in the front yard and the macerator pump works great) and doing the heavy lifting. We were all set in about 2 hours, and had the coach back in storage before dark. Of course, then we started making a list of the stuff we forgot to grab, but we were able to make a quick run back to pick up the remaining items when we dropped off the clean laundry later in the week.

The primary reason for our return date was that Geri had an appointment with a periodontist on Tuesday. She has a tooth that she’s been “nursing” for over a year, and we’re going to finally get it fixed. She’ll need an extraction and two implants over the next several months, and it looks like everything will fit in fine with our schedule. She’s not looking forward to the work, or the expense, but a bad tooth can wear on your constitution and general health, so we’re moving forward. We’ve met several people who get dental services in Mexico and that’s a definite possibility for the future but we’re not interested in starting off with such a major operation. We’ve done enough research to know that Algodones, a town just across the border from Yuma, has a great concentration of US-trained dentists, and have gotten a personal recommendation for at least one of them. I’m thinking we may try to make a run down there for a cleaning or something next winter.

Otherwise, life back at home has been quiet. Geri’s been back to Physical Therapy for her bursitis, we’ve had a few great dinners (catfish, porterhouse, baby backs), I’ve gotten a backlog of stuff in the study cleaned up, and it actually rained .25” yesterday. Today, I’m spending the morning at the Land Rover dealer getting the Range Rover checked out. It’s been dripping coolant for a while now, and they found a leaking valve that needs to be replaced. They won’t have said valve until early next week, so I’ll be back here on Wednesday. It’s still warranty work, though, and they have a Wi-Fi hotspot in the waiting area so I’m able to occupy my time productively. And, they always wash the vehicle before returning it, so I luck out on that front (it was pretty dirty from the travel and time in the desert). Woo-hoo!

Well, they just pulled the Range Rover around, so my work here is done…

I feel like Alice in Wonderland

Well, folks, for all of you who have ever seen the movie “Mad Max -- Beyond Thunderdome”: that’s where we are!

It is absolutely fascinating. There is no rhyme or reason for the layout of this town called Quartzsite! It is in the middle of the desert with sights to behold that cannot be experienced anywhere. Thousands of RVers descend here during the winter to park free or almost free somewhere. Some people need to be where it’s not too cold or not too hot and enjoy this place in all its glory.

It is like a giant flea market or swap meet. You can find almost anything and everything you were looking for. Speaking of that, I think I will look for one of those hat forms you put on baseball caps to wash them in the dishwasher! Maybe I can find some new rocks to bring home as well.

We saw a whale and a horse drinking water yesterday made out of metal, also I saw a home made RV made out to look like a castle. It was truly ingenious in my book.

An “inside day”, with a little end-of-day excitement

January 16, 2008
Quartzsite, AZ

Today started out cloudy, and it stayed that way most of the day. The winds picked up out of the northwest again, and a wind advisory has been in effect this afternoon. The weather didn’t interfere with our plans, since we didn’t really have any. We hung out inside for a while, yakked outside for a while, and started an early dinner. We missed the daily gathering, as Geri was off starting dinner and I was outside trying to get sunset pictures.

All was going well until I came back inside to do my part of the dinner preparations (sautéing the onions for the burgers) and found that Geri had been making shoestring fries with the mandoline. This is a kitchen tool than makes very small slices. It’s excellent for making shoestring fries. It’s also excellent for shaving the end of your finger off if you’re not careful. In general, Geri’s not allowed to use ladders and sharp knives. Mandolines fall into the latter category.

So, instead of onions, it was band-aid time. Actually, numerous band-aids, antibiotic, finger condoms, etc. Hopefully, we’ve got it wrapped up well enough. We’ll see how it is tomorrow.

Here is a link to some other pictures from today:

http://picasaweb.google.com/GeorgeandGeri/QuartzsiteDay4

A busy day in the desert

January 15, 2008
Quartzsite, AZ

Today was another crisp, clear day. It was chilly this morning (55°F in the coach this morning when we got up) but warmed up quickly. I think I got some extra sun today, as I can feel a bit of a burn on top of my head (not that hard to imagine, right?). I made a quick trip over to the Post Office. I had to mail our application for a spot at the 2008 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta (couldn’t be postmarked before the 15th). With that as the highlight of the day, you can tell that we’re relaxing!

For most of the day, we just hung out around the coach. I started organizing a big bag of keys I brought to sort through. We had a visit from Roger Berke, who moderates a Yahoo! Group that many of us subscribe to, and enjoyed that. Later in the afternoon, we “circled the chairs” and had some chips and dip with a libation. Dinner was the remaining Filet Mignons from Costco in Indio, with a meche salad and foil-roasted new potatoes. It paired well with a “3 Blind Moose” 2005 California Cabernet Sauvignon. We had a nip of the Johnnie Walker Green after dinner while watching Corner Gas (Dave and Sandy will get that).

Here are a few pictures from today…

http://picasaweb.google.com/GeorgeandGeri/Quartzsite2008Day3