And the road goes on forever...

Sunday, September 23, 2012

My Complete Joy

With his little soulful eyes, his sweet disposition, and his inquisitive nature, Rocket has quickly become the center of much of my attention. Especially given that my days are solitary, with Marc sleeping away in the bedroom after his long nights of graveyard shift. He logged an 80 hour week this first week on the new project; seven straight nights, and will now have to go for thirteen before his first break of a night off so his world has become a simple one of eating, sleeping, battling the commutes, and work. 

I looked around enough of the area coming in and getting out once to grocery shop to know there really is nothing here I care to see so I am saving expensive fuel and staying put in the RV. Everything here is old and decrepit, like there is no civic pride and no cohesiveness to the community save for bars on many of the windows. It is probably the closest thing to a ghetto we have ever had to stay near. I walk the single track of pavement in the RV park up and back enough times every morning to justify calling it a walk and then spend time allowing the kitties outside while it is still cool. Rocket at first was very timid but becomes bolder every day. He feels better sidling up next to big buddy Tucker when there is stranger-danger.
We can already note just how quickly he is growing. There is nothing he hasn’t investigated if he can reach it. He is a momma’s boy, no doubt about it. He plays himself silly and then collapses into sleep in the most incongruous positions at the drop of a hat, like a napping baby. If it’s not in my lap, then that’s when I can get some things done without his interference, so I am taking those precious few hours to get back into my jewelry making.
Marc will need to go to San Bernardino, the next project site, on Friday for a pre-construction meeting and will take that time to peruse the available RV parks. We figure not many could be worse than this one, where we just did get working cable TV yesterday and we struggle daily with spotty off and on again WIFI. To say nothing of course about the daily merry-go-round of vans and small Class C’s which back in two feet from our trailer’s rear making a spot out of our leftover space. Each time I hold my breath and say a prayer that the novices in these rental RVs know enough of what they are doing to not hit and destroy the back end of our rig. And then I wonder when they will pull out so I can once again access all of my back basement storage lockers. Yup—they’re that close, that even our own storage is off limits to us. RIDICULOUS. This is a van as seen from my kitchen window:

Saturday, September 15, 2012

We’ve Arrived in Van Nuys or Someone’s In My Space!

Welcome once again to the greater Los Angeles area, where everything is overcrowded, including our current RV park. We were lucky to even gain entry into this one given that it is the only one able to handle (barely) a rig our size. Usually they don’t even let patrons park their own rigs; for trailers they unhitch and the park takes over with a three ton forklift which literally jacks them into place. Fortunately for us, Marc got to park our rig but it may have had something to do with the fact that our trailer’s tongue weight is nearing 6000 pounds and the lift probably wouldn’t have worked in our case.
This park dates from 1938 when it was a P-38 training camp for pilots since the park sits immediately adjacent to the country’s busiest private airport. You can imagine in those days the size of the tiny trailers and how now there is a van, motorhome, bumper tow or fifth wheel jammed into every possible inch of this acreage. What space isn’t occupied by a unit is filled with everyone’s vehicles, primarily pickup trucks. They have taken over both sides of the main road, now perilously narrowed, and one side of each spur road—all ending in a dead end, necessitating everyone to back out again. The final picture shows a good example of one of the spur roads filled with cars.
Initially Marc was able to park the FL on the back side of our space as seen in the intro photo but was told this was actually another RV space that was soon to be occupied. You can note the size as you gaze at this photo I took when Marc was backing into our space. I’m sure you’re tempted to say “huh?” as I did. Well, today, this is what it looks like from my front steps now gazing at the van occupying the Freightliner’s previous parking space. Can you say cozy? Thank God we are not in a motorhome where bedroom walls would nearly be touching!
I’ll think I’ll call this gorilla camping—it goes well beyond combat camping.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

A Sweet Addition

I guess it was bound to happen—get a broken heart from the absence of a dear pet and one feels as though they must get a replacement. Our golden boy Tucker is not in any way a lap cat as Derby was so I was missing the affection terribly. We have always had cats our entire married life but usually rescue stray adults and have had only one we raised from a kitten, Skitter, our first cat together.  

I made the mistake of making a trip to the Yuma Humane Society shelter on Marc & I’s 24th anniversary Tuesday to look at kittens, figuring a young one would be much easier to train to be a traveling cat. Initially thinking I might want a female, I neglected to look at one little male who immediately started vocalizing to me as I walked in the door. Later, when I took Marc back to look at the little black female kitten she proved to not like to be around other cats so that let her out. We started at square one, looking at and handling all the kittens until this little guy’s persistent calls to me insisted I take him out of his cage. Well, with a face like this, who could resist?

We had to leave him at the shelter so he could be neutered the next day so we finally picked him up late in the afternoon yesterday and right from the start he is proving to be a pistol. Despite having just had the surgery, he rocketed around the RV, currently filled with boxes from us getting it packed to hit the road again; thus finding his new name. He found all the nooks and crannies endlessly fascinating and was just hilarious the first time he saw himself in a mirror.
Rocket is proving to be extremely affectionate and adaptable, meeting Tucker fairly well and taking to the cat condo as his rightful perch and napping place. What a sweet little boy we lucked on to!