And the road goes on forever...

Monday, February 27, 2017

The Kids Visit

It’s always hard to get excited about writing an entry when the kids have just left as it always leaves me feeling so sad since I get to so seldom see them. Eric & Rachael are due back at work tomorrow however, so left this morning on the three-hour drive back to the San Diego airport. It’s raining right now, adding to my feeling of depression. 

All in all, the visit was fantastic and we enjoyed lots of catching up chat, evening al fresco dining and fires, and a ton of good beer and wine! Neighbors joined us for a brat dinner to welcome them to Yuma and celebrate their recent engagement.
Sunday, we planned for the day in Algodones, as Eric had never been to Mexico and Rachael had a wish list of things she wanted to shop for. The colors are so enticing--bursting forth from every vendor’s booth and I was able to find the new stained glass window I wanted for my little trailer. Wandering worked up our appetites, which we satisfied over lunch at El Paradiso, a consistent favorite of ours.
Marc has a big week coming up given his job trailer was finally delivered last week. Electric is supposed to go in today and the official groundbreaking ceremony will take place on Thursday. The project is finally underway!

Thursday, February 16, 2017

It’s Wintertime and the Living is Easy

Our lives should all be as easy and effortless of those of our cats. Lay in the winter sun, have grass grown for you to nibble on, not a care in the world, huh?
Marc’s pants are on fire to start his project but still no go on that front so he still occupies my trailer as his office which leaves me out in the cold as far as trying to do any practice with it. The kids are coming to visit next Friday for a few days so it needs to be cleared out by then! 

He did do some work to get our new washer/dryer ordered and installed and that was quite a job and quite a tight fit. The dryer is gas so it won’t be hooked up until later when he runs the propane line where it needs to be but I have a clothesline here so that’s no problem in Yuma’s persistent sunshine. Personally, I feel as though this has been a very warm winter and although I know most RVers travel here by the droves to enjoy this stuff I am not so sure I do anymore. My circulation seems to have a problem venting my body in my older age and all heat does for me is make me five shades of beet red in the face and cause profuse sweating. My preferred temps now range in the sixties; Yuma has moved into the 70’s and 80’s already.
Our neighbor Ron loves them though and can often be seen whipping around in his Razor which is one sharp rig and must be fun as all get-out. Boys and their toys. Despite being a four-seater, this thing looks like it could climb just about anywhere he chooses. 
Meanwhile, the weather is conducive to having my mind turn to all the yard work that awaits me in Wisconsin when I get home. I really would like to see some major strides made in getting the outside appearance into a “finished” state and add some curb appeal since the exterior of our floorplan is so plain. Pinterest has thousands of ideas for me to try out in my mind’s eye and pictures to save and compare. The big question now becomes what does the exterior that is there already lend itself to? Something country/rustic (think split rail fence here) or something more cottagey (imagine arbor with picket fence here)?
Of course, first things first, the porch needs to be completed and a new and permanent stairway built. Instead of going with an enclosed sunroom, given Marc’s absence for so many forthcoming years, we have determined it’s best to just go with our initial plans to screen it in. That way it can be enjoyed almost immediately instead of waiting so long. Obviously, someone besides Marc will need to do the work although I am planning myself on doing a paver walkway of individual steps leading from the house to the shop. That will be back breaking I’m sure…but at least I’ve got a truck now to haul stuff in!

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Has Yuma Become the ATV Capital?

It dawned on me the other day as I was doing my morning neighborhood walk just how many ATVs I was seeing. Wow. It used to be a few would be present but this year it has literally been overwhelming—nearly every lot is sporting at least one and sometimes several. Has the character of RVing changed here in the past three years? Seems so. 

More lovely homes have been built and I assume the RV crowd is now also younger and more active than ever before. There are even more squatters in the nearby desert whereas before folks were hardly ever found boondocking there. Most of them also are carrying off road vehicles.
Between the RV off roaders and the weekend crowd that comes from San Diego and Phoenix to play in the sand dunes west of Yuma it does indeed seem as though we are now the ultimate playground.