200,000 TOTAL PAGEVIEWS

Last night we hit 200,000 page views. 

Little did I know August 8, 2010 when I posted my first blog post that two years later I'd have 200 thousand page views.  I was excited to have the first one - wow, someone read my blog!  I have my blog set so that my views don't count, so this is a true number, and I thank you all for your interest in me and Katie and The Palms, and our adventures.

As you know from reading my posts, some days have been really fun and interesting, and some have been normal and dull.  Sometimes I prefer the normal and dull, because that's what life is most of the time for most of us. Except the wild burrows, free range horses, and the occasional critter or bird that I get to see.  And the gorgeous sunsets.  Actually I guess most days have something that's interesting, exciting, or fun. Maybe that's why I love full-timing so much.

Traveling down the highway living in a fiberglass box with six wheels has been quite an education and experience so far.  I can't believe I've been on the road almost a year and a half already. It's gone really fast and I haven't once thought about ending my full timing adventure to return to a stable, sticks-and-bricks home.  This surprises me, because I had no idea when I started how I would do - would I really enjoy this lifestyle, or would it be a huge mistake?  But you know what?  I'm really enjoying full-timing.

To all you wannabes and planners out there, the worst part of a cold pool of water is standing on the diving board, fearing the cold.  Jump in!  The water's fine!  And if it really IS too cold for you, you can always climb back out. And you just might surprise yourself and absolutely love being a gypsy.  :)

Here are a few of my favorite photos from some of my favorite places; I wouldn't have missed these for anything!  Can you believe how lucky I am to have experienced these in person?

Today I'm posting some of my favorite "animal" photos. It was hard to choose, but these stood out.  In the next two posts I'll include my favorite "bird" and "other" photos.  It sure was fun going through all my pictures to pick out my favorites!

Remember these?

This is my favorite.  

I was so excited when the wild burros approached The Palms.

"OMG! My favorite seeds!"  Remember this little guy? He was so funny.

This was such a fortuitous shot - when I saw this coyote watching the wild burros across the lake, I quickly grabbed my camera and was happy the way the shot came out. I love the way the coyote stands out against the blue water.

This determined little guy tried various positions to get to this seed in the hanging bird feeder.

This is one of many photos I took at Bluewater Lake State Park of mares with their new foals. I was told the herd of 25+ free ranging horses belong to a local Navajo Rancher.

I love this photo of Hazel with her two greyhounds, Val and Fleur, at Quartzsite.

Hazel lost Val to cancer this summer, but still walks Fleur alongside her recumbent bike or her car. 

Always fun to watch, and people love it when she goes by.

Katie playing with other dogs at Quartzsite, AZ. 

Bennie is Denise's dog, and the black dog is Duffy, Don's dog.

I had just arrived at Bluewater Lake and drove down to park by the lake when this herd of horses roared past to get a drink - you can see the lake on the left. I couldn't believe I was so lucky to see these gorgeous animals running by in a herd. Just beautiful!

At Quail Hill, Imperial Dam LTVA, the wild burros visited our campsite and provided a lot of entertainment.  I snapped some great photos of them, click on the link to see them again. I loved being there and only the heat and the end of the LTVA season drove us on to another location.

Katie chasing Elliott, Debbie's dog, at McPhee Campground in Delores, CO. They had a blast, I loved seeing Katie run like that.

These two adult wild burros tried out the hummingbird feeder - I just loved the look they had on their faces when they saw me through the window.  "Oh-oh! We're busted!"

 Gorgeous Buck resting in a field at Zion National Park

At Quartzsite there were rabbits and squirrels willing to share the seed I put out. I loved watching them maneuver around each other. There were no problems with the rabbits and squirrels eating together.

However, there were a couple of altercations between the squirrels and the quail.  This squirrel was fierce! There are two quail in this photo, but one is fluttering so fast, the camera couldn't see all of him.  No one was hurt in the filming of this photo. :)

I was watching this stallion and his three mares and a foal in the field in front of The Palms. All of a sudden, he laid down and rolled around in the dust. The three mares followed. It was quite a sight.

The deer at Mesa Verde National Park, CO were always strolling through the sites munching on the tender leaves.

These two young horses at Bluewater Lake had a great time play fighting. I took a series of photos showing their playtime.

...and finally, little Katie under the covers - this seems to be a recurring theme. :)

Thanks again from me and Katie; have a great day, everyone!  :)