We are settled in our campsite. As usual I've moved all over the site trying to find the best place to put The Palms. I've been dismantling the rock lined ramp that's in the middle of the campsite. I have no idea what the original intent of this ramp was, but it's in the way - for me. I've gotten all the rocks out and put them around the site, then I started on the dirt. I have a small shovel, and Hazel loaned me her pick, so I 've been loosening the dirt, then shoveling it into plastic bags and dumping it into the lower parts of the site.
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| This photo is after I had already moved a lot of the side rocks and bigger rocks. They were too big to lift, so I rolled them to other areas. |
As great as this site is, it's really uneven - it slopes a great deal toward the wash. Unless I'm parked right next to the saguaro cactus, the right side of The Palms is way lower than the left, so I decided to drive up onto the ramp. With the rocks out of the way and the edges picked and shoveled away, I could drive up onto it from any direction. I tried that, and was still uneven. If I want to be in the middle of the site, I'm going to be very un-level.
I put all 20 of my leveling blocks onto the ramp, put a large base down and built it up. A neighbor named Jake saw me working and came over to help. He guided me onto the top leveling block, and I was even. But I have to say, that right front tire was so far up on that ramp and the blocks, I didn't like it. So yesterday I went into town and when I got back I parked in my original spot, close to the cactus and trees.
It is very cozy, and although I have more sun coming into my over-the-couch window, I have great shade cast into the area where chairs are set up - my living room. I'm also closer to the bird feeders and can easily hear the hummers when they fly up to get some nectar.
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| The living room. |
I'm going to continue to dismantle the ramp and spread the dirt around to make the site a little more level and better looking. It's quite a job.
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| This is the front of the "living area" where I put my Welcome sign and American flag. |
It was super hot yesterday. Katie and I took a nap from 2:30 to 3:30 yesterday afternoon. When I woke up it was 97 degrees in The Palms. I turned on the A/C and we took a walk. When we got back it was much cooler. :)
Here are some hummingbird photos from yesterday and today. I'm going to get a lot of hummer shots this season!
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| Anna's Hummingbird |
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| I'm not sure what this one is - female Broad Tailed Hummingbird? |
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| Male Black-Chinned Hummingbird. |
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| Female Costa's Hummingbird. |
As always, if I have any of these wrong, please leave me a comment - this was the best I could do with my Birds of Arizona book. Some IDs are kind of iffy.
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| Saturday's Sunset. All the sunsets look like this, only the clouds make them different. |
WELCOME to our two new Followers!
BJ, who lives with her husband in Oregon, and has a blog - Joe and Betty's Adventures. They have a 32 ft 1996 Rexhall Aerbus, which is winterized and in storage for now. They are currently caring for Joe's 98 year old mom, and are traveling with us - through our blogs for now. Welcome Joe and Betty!
Welcome also to "Moderate," who is a successful businessman, originally from Minnesota. He was a Marine and served in Vietnam. I don't see an RV blog for Moderate, but he does have some politically motivated blogs. Click on his photo under our "Member" section for those blog links.
Welcome aboard to you all - Katie and I are happy to have you along on our adventures!
That's it for today. From me and Katie, have a great Tuesday - and don't forget to VOTE! :)
You and Katie have quite a nice looking site over there. I love the pictures of the hummingbirds. You've certainly got some fantastic ones. And, after the discussion you and Terry had this afternoon, I know you'll both be ready to celebrate together ... or not. If you hear our horn honking, your candidate won!
ReplyDeleteBarbara, we'll skoot over to make room in the back seat here for Betty and Joe. They are fun folks, and we've met up with them a couple of times. They even sat on our patio, just like you did, so you've already got a lot more in common. LOL Don't wear youself out in that heat! Give Katie a love for us!
ReplyDeleteBarbara, I don't know how you managed to move all those rocks and dirt in this heat !!
ReplyDeleteI even turned on the A/C this afternoon to cool things down a bit in the rig.
Sure will be glad when it's a few degrees cooler.
Whoa, you are working pretty hard there. Make sure you stay hydrated. I bet that site will be perfect when you get done with it. I love all the hummingbird photos. I agree, VOTE, whichever side you are on.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing the things you have to do to boondock in the desert :) Glad you are settled.
ReplyDeleteWatching the election returns with interest!
Ahhh...you have hummingbirds. I miss ours already. I will enjoy your pictures, wish we were there.
ReplyDeleteWell, thank you for the mention! Yes, I am very retired! I'm trying to get the courage to follow you guys and sell it all for the joy of the road. It's just me and my two old doggies so we don't need much. The big problem at this point is being away from my kids and grandkids. It looks like you've got a great site there. Do you ever worry about traveling all alone? Was it hard to get rid of your "stuff"?
ReplyDelete