Critters around the campsite

I'm actually looking forward to heading back to New Mexico where there are lots more interesting critters, and many beautiful birds.  There aren't nearly as many here, at least that I've seen, but I've gotten some pretty good photos of the critters in and around our campsite, and here are some of them.  (Don't get me wrong, I love Arizona!  When I've been in New Mexico for six months, I'll be anxious to get back here.  That's just the way it works!)

First the little round-tailed ground squirrel - he has the cutest face. 

The birds all fly away when he comes on the scene, but this little white-crowned sparrow was bravely waiting nearby for the squirrel to leave:

A bit of a stretch to get the seeds in the red part:

Juvenile white-crowned sparrow:

Adult white-crowned sparrow:

This is the view out the dinette window, so I get a good view of any critters around this large bush:

It's been hard to get a photo of these butterflies because they move pretty fast, but I finally got one:

And Katie's all time favorite critter - I got a quick shot of this lizard before he scurried into the underbrush:

Noticed this guy in the bush the sparrows always hang out in.  I saw the flash of yellow and grabbed the camera because most of the birds I see are sparrows.  I've only seen this bird once - a yellow-rumped warbler:

And there are doves here, too.  This is an Eurasian collared-dove way up in a tree, and I've seen some scurrying around in bushes, too:

The little squirrel was so funny yesterday - I snapped a bunch of photos and will show you in another post.  I also got some good hummingbird shots - bright, bright iridescent red - and will include them next time, too.  :)

Did I ever tell you how I made this great low-tech seed feeder?  I wanted something to put on the top of my hummer feeder pole.  The pole is open at the top,  and the small stakes on the solar lights fit perfectly into the opening.  So first I had a solar light there, which was good and I liked it until it burned out.  Then I did this:

I had a couple of Kentucky Fried Chicken side order containers - they are great for storing small amounts of leftovers.  I put the lid on the ground with the container on top of it and pounded a large nail through the middle.  For the pole feeder above, I just put the nail into the hole on top and it stayed there just fine.  But since I haven't gotten out the feeder pole here at Hot Springs, I simply nailed it into the ground.  It's perfect.

 In the photo below, look at the toes on the squirrel's back feet.  Cute like a cartoon?  or Creepy?

I like this little home-made feeder because if it's on the pole, birds can fly to it and if it's on the ground they can stretch up to get the seeds on the red lid or sit on the edge and nibble - and squirrels fit just fine inside, too.  It's small enough that I'm not wasting seed, it works great, and it's FREE.  Super easy to store while on the road, too.  :)
  
I remember my first year at Hot Springs I got some pictures of roadrunners, but so far I haven't seen any this year.  I forgot to tell you, though, on my drive here from San Diego as I was tooling along the highway, no other cars in sight, all of a sudden a big roadrunner came out onto the road and scurried across.  Then he flew over the bushes along the edge of the road - I've never seen a roadrunner fly before.  It was all so clear, right in front of me, no bushes in the way.  Obviously too quick to get my camera turned on, but that scene is embedded in my  mind forever.  He was beautiful.

A big WELCOME to our new followers:

Charlene Swankie, who doesn't have any information listed. Sometimes people don't show their blogs for various reasons, but if you do have  blog that I can list, let me know.  :)

Jana Shelby also has no information shown.  Again, as above, if you have a blog, Jana, let me know and I'll give you a plug.  :)

The Maura Bedard, who says in her profile, We are Pete and Marua Bedard, just starting our full time RV adventure along with our dog Fraser a.k.a. Mutton Chops.  We are traveling in a 22ft travel trailer pulled by a ford van."  Her blog is Bucket List or Bust, which she just started in January.  She's got a lot of great photos, too - check it out!

The Awesome's - this is also a new blog started in January named Awesome's on the Road.  The family either travels in their camper or around the country for her husband's job. They have three kids and an English Mastiff puppy. Their kids are home schooled and they are all about organic gardening and living a sustainable life.   I love the following that Ashley, "Mrs. Awesome," wrote as reasons she started her blog:  "And blogging is so much cheaper than shopping on Amazon.  I'll post little diddies about our travels, attempts at gardening, surviving 'smalltown life,' tons about homeschooling and some recipes that I've come up with."  Its a fun blog!

Thank you all for following along with me and Katie - Welcome Aboard!

From me and Katie, have a great Tuesday, everybody!  :)

Touched by Charms... my granddaughter's new business venture

This post is an advertisement for my granddaughter, Kennedy's, business, but I'll bet you'll find it interesting.  You might even want to buy something.  If not, you'll at least be aware of one of the coolest jewelry creations I've ever seen.  And I love the prices, even my frugal budget can play! :)

Origami Owl Custom Jewelry is a social selling company that was founded by a 14-year-old girl.  This young entrepreneur features darling lockets and adorable charms that come together to make a distinctive piece of jewelery that is customizable to fit anyone's lifestyle, hobbies, family, etc.  There are also plates, dangles, and tags that can be added to the lockets or attached by themselves to a chain.

When I was visiting my family in San Diego in February, Kennedy had just started her new business, Touched by Charms, and I was able to experience her excitement and the beginning of  her new partnership with her mom.  Kennedy is too young legally to "own and run" a business, so mom, Trish, stepped up and they formed a Daughter and Mother Team, which is encouraged by Origami Owl.

I told Kennedy and Trish that I'd post information about their new company and put a link on my sidebar. I'm very proud of Kennedy and happy to share her story with you.

             Daughter:    Kennedy                                  Mom:    Trish

Here is what Kennedy and Trish have to say:

Hi, I'm Kennedy and I'm so happy you stopped by to visit! My mom, Trish, and I are a team, but I'm doing everything an 11-year-old can do to make our business a success. I'm in the 5th grade and a good student. I like swimming, and I'm taking lessons so I can join a swim team. I have lots of interests, but my favorite is creating things. Arts and crafts are super fun and I'm a pretty good artist for my age. I've started some small "kid" businesses selling the items I've created, like my hand-made bracelets, Rainbow Looms and multi-colored duct-tape purses. But I definitely think Origami Owl is the best! 

I've graduated from kid businesses and feel like Origami Owl is my first Professional Business - my first real step on the road to a business career. My Aunt Kristy gave me my first Origami Owl necklace. It was the first time I'd seen one, and I loved it! It created a HUGE BUZZ in our house, and I went to the Origami Owl web page to see what else there was for sale. When I saw that I could sell them, I was really excited and since then my mom and I have been working together to create Touched by Charms. Waaaaay better than duct-tape purses, for sure!

Hi - Trish here. I thought I'd write a quick note, too. When Kennedy approached her dad and me about being a part of "Origami Owl," we thought it would be a fantastic way to teach her the value of hard work, giving back by donating a portion of her proceeds to charities, and achieving her goals.  She's actually pretty good at those things already, but Origami Owl incorporated all three in a way that will enhance her current experiences. 

The added bonus is spending quality time together doing something we're really enjoying. For now Kennedy is doing everything she can to run Touched by Charms, and I'm helping out with the "grown-up" things she hasn't learned to do yet. Little by little, Kennedy will take on more tasks until she is able to run the business on her own. Her dad and I are thrilled she wanted to sell these beautiful pieces, and we couldn't be prouder of her!

Below is the link to their Origami Owl page - check it out and feel free to make any purchases for yourself or for gifts.  The prices aren't bad - I already have my locket and charms picked out!  :)

Touched by Charms Kennedy and Trish Daughter/Mother Team

I already have a gold chain with a small gold nugget on it.  The nugget is one that my mom and dad bought a long time ago when they were driving through Placerville, CA.  My mom had it made into a charm and on the gold piece that attaches it to the chain she added the tiny diamonds from her first engagement ring from my dad.  When I was living in Placerville, my mom offered it to me and I gladly accepted. It's a very small, simple piece, but I love it because it has a lot of meaning to me and I wear it every day. I'm going to add my Touched by Charms locket on the chain so I'll be wearing a piece of history from my mom and dad, and from my granddaughter and daughter-in-law, too.

I'm going to order a medium sized brushed gold locket and four charms to put inside.  I think I'll also get one of the dangle pieces so I can hook my nugget onto the chain with a dangler.

Here's how it works in five steps:

Here's what I want - Gold locket with crystals:

Palm Tree for obvious reasons:

Dog Paw for more obvious reasons:

The Infinity Charm just because I like it:

Crystal Cross, I'm not religious, but I have a deep faith (Trish actually gave me this one, it was one of my choices and she didn't know it):

It was in this little cloth bag:

 

Here's my cross:

And I'm thinking I need a little color, so I might get a heart with the red crystals if it will fit:

And maybe a couple of crystals with other colors - jeez, I can see why Kennedy and Trish have so many charms!

Here's how they can look when put together, most are necklaces, but two are bracelets - these are pretty simple, my kind of jewelry, but you can glam them up, too:

Here are more photos from their website:

Trish wears hers with a chunky chain and lots of charms and dangles and sometimes two or three chains and they look great on her.  Kennedy and Trish have a collection of charms, chains, lockets, etc, and they share them.  They can be changed easily by opening up the locket and changing charms and plates so you can have a different story to tell each time you wear them - very simple or super glam.  

I thought this was such an ingenious idea, and to think a 14-year-old girl started the whole thing.  Kennedy is giving a portion of her earnings to various charities.  Trish is doing the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Cancer Walk in San Diego this year, she's already training for it, and Kennedy's first donation/gift is pledged to that charity.  Kennedy has to save half of her income and can spend the rest, after her donations.  What a great working/learning experience this is for a kid.  :)

If you'd like any information about this jewelry, Trish's phone number and e-mail are on their Origami Owl site and I know she would love to talk with you.

Thanks for reading to the end - Kennedy is a very smart girl and I'd bet there are big things in her future.  I love you, Kennedy, and I'm so proud of you!

On a final note:  You might not be interested now, but I'll have a link on my right sidebar - soon to be added under my new page tab, "Shopping with Me and Katie."  In the future if you need a quick gift, the classic ball chain for $10 with a $12 tag would be perfect for anyone:  boy or girl, man or woman.  And if you want something fancier, the options are almost endless.

From me and Katie, have a great Sunday everyone!  :)

PS:  Trish said if you'd like to save on shipping she'll place the order for you.  You'd need to get the order information from the website and e-mail her, including your phone number.  She'll call you to get your billing info.  It'll be added to their next order and when she gets your items, she'll send it right out to you (or to any address you specify) Priority Mail.  (I would start to place the order (but don't complete it) and when the shopping cart comes up with everything on it, do a copy/paste and paste the shopping cart in the e-mail.  Then you don't have to type the info.)   If you want to order directly through Kennedy and Trish, the e-mail address is:  touchedbycharms@aol.com.

PSS:  If you are on Facebook, this is Kennedy's Touched by Charms Facebook Page link. Please "Like" her - they are trying to get 100 Likes.  :)

STUCK! ... HELP! ... (REALLY!)

So, into every life a little rain must fall.  And I guess into every dry camper's life a LOT of dusty sand must fall, too, and I drove right into it.

Yesterday late in the afternoon Katie and I took another walk and right near us someone had pulled out that day.   There was a perfect site for us.  Level, near the road, near the front of the Hot Springs area closer to the dumpster and vault toilets (for my family next week, if needed), and surrounded by large bushes, so a little privacy.

Excitedly, I went back to The Palms, took in the hummer feeder hanging in a bush nearby, and started the engine.  We drove around our neighbors and into the great site on the other side of their rig.  And into the sand trap.  Here's the front passenger tire:

But the real problem was with the rear passenger tires:

As you can see in the bunk window, we were having a beautiful sunset - yes, it was getting dark and we were stuck for the night.  This is the first time ever I couldn't have "escaped" if I needed to.  Thank fully we are camping among a very friendly group of RVers and had nothing to fear.

Front tire:

I noticed my neighbor outside bringing in his awning and I walked over to get his view on the situation.  He suggested digging out behind the rear tires, making a ramp, then pouring water on the area to damp it down and make the dust more solid.  At that point it was dark, and we both went home.

I immediately e-mailed Bea and Peter and asked if they had any suggestions.  I was going to try the neighbor's idea in the morning, but wanted a "spotter" to yell if I was digging myself in deeper so I'd stop.

Then I went on the Internet and searched for solutions.  I did a copy/paste from a few different websites to save as a Word document just in case this ever happens again.  The good stuff I got was that after digging out the trench/ramp, I could put a carpet piece down on the "ramp," or even the floor mats from the truck, material side down.  That sounded like a good idea, and I've heard of that solution before.

I got a couple of e-mails back from Bea, and she said they would be down around 8 am to assess the situation.

I set my two alarms for 7 am so I'd have time to dig before they got here.  After a surprisingly sound, though tilted, sleep full of good dreams, I woke up at 6:30 and got up right away. I had some digging to do.

This is what it looked like after I was done digging.  The tires on the other side were on solid ground, so they were okay.

A bit of a tilt - surprisingly, once I knew this was it for the night, the tilt inside The Palms didn't bother me at all.  I guess I subconsciously knew "it is what it is," and if I couldn't do anything about it, I might as well accept it.

This is my telescoping shovel - actually a small spade - but it collapses into a small tool and fits in my closet.  And it works great.  All metal, so no wood to dry out.

And Four Dollars???  If you don't have one, you've gotta get one.

In the morning, Peter arrived - and he had a big, solid chain that someone found out in the desert and loaned him.  He found a good spot to attach it to The Palms, then....

Attached the other end to their van.

I got in The Palms and started the engine, put it in neutral and sat there, waiting.  Peter started the van and slowly, slowly moved forward - in my imagination.  But in reality the van didn't move forward.  It started digging a hole with the rear passenger tire even though he seemed to be on solid ground.  The van just wasn't strong enough to pull The Palms out, I guess.

Next idea was the carpet.  So while Peter removed the chain, I got out my new $10 Costco carpet to lay under the rig, behind the rear tires in the ramp.  The photo below shows the rug, it's a "runner," so it's longer than a normal carpet piece and I thought it would be a longer area for the tires to grab and keep going.

This is the rug:

I went back into the cab, started the engine, and put it in reverse while Peter moved the van back out of the way in case I was able to reverse out and then he positioned himself so he could watch the tires and carpet and also be in my line of sight.  The articles I read said to move slowly, and if you started getting traction, keep going - don't stop!  I slowly pressed on the gas and we started moving - YEAAAA!  I kept moving and WE WERE OUT!   I kept backing up until we were on solid ground.

Thumbs up to Peter, and thumbs up right back at me.  :)   I got out of the truck and looked at the tire tracks. The rug was bunched up like an accordion in the rear tire hole, but it didn't wrap around the tires, thank goodness.

What a great feeling!  I was so stoked, and Peter had a huge smile on his face, too.

That's when I noticed my neighbors standing next to Peter. I hadn't met them yet, but they had come over for moral support and bearing a piece of lumber in case I needed it.  Thanks, Jim and Maryon!  Peter got back into the van and went home, where Bea was probably wondering what was going on.  Thank goodness he went home with a good report.  Maryon and Jim stayed for a while and had a really nice conversation. When they left to walk over to their rig, they said, "Well we haven't solved all the problems with the world," and I said, "Yeah, but we solved MY problem!"  :)   Very nice neighbors!

I got into the truck and backed up further to the hard packed area behind our site and moved The Palms over to the other side, where there's a nice, level, hard packed drive-through which is in the midst of large bushes and opens up on the motor home entry door side to a large "living room."   Perfect.  I filled the hummer feeders and my homemade dorky seed feeder and put them out and within hours I had some Costas hummers and some White-crowned Sparrows.

There is also a little critter here in our area - it's either a Prairie Dog or a light colored squirrel.  My camera battery was charging when I saw him, so I wasn't able to get a photo.  That's usually how I identify critters, snap a photo, blow it up big, and then look it up.  So, I'm waiting to see what he is, but I'm thinking a light squirrel, the color of the sand.

So - this is our new, and I hope last, campsite here at Hot Springs LTVA:

Around 1:00 after resting up and fooling around inside The Palms for a few hours, I went outside with my rake and leveled the area where we were stuck.  It's quite an eyesore in the middle of one's campsite.  With all the hard packed ground surrounding this area, though, I decided top put my American Flag in the middle of the soft sand area.  Just in case.  Maybe someone else driving over to visit, or just driving too close, might be saved from the indignity of getting stuck in the sand!

And now...  it looks as if it never happened.
 

Yeah, it never happened, you know what I mean, it never happened?  Yep, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  :)

And here's the sunset on that fateful evening, very pastel:

From me and Katie - have a great Friday, everybody!  :)

The new dress - thank you, Donna!

The other day Donna had a post offering three doll dresses she made herself.  She was cleaning out a closet, and after going through the toys and clothes she had for her grand kids who are now grown, she gave them all away to a niece who has young kids.   As she wrote in her post, "But, in my closet, pushed into a corner and forgotten, I found three doll dresses that I had sewn for the girls' 18" dolls."  She went on to offer the dresses to any Grandma commenters with granddaughters who might enjoy having one of the dresses.  All we had to do was leave a comment that we were interested in one of the dresses - so I did.

And guess what?  I won one of the dresses for my little cutie-pie granddaughter, Lauren, in Northern California.  Donna sent the dress out the next day and Lauren received it the following day.  My daughter was surprised it arrived so quickly, and Lauren loves the dress. 

Here are two photos of Donna's handmade dress - first on a bigger doll, and then on a smaller one.  I don't know what this doll's name is, but I think Lauren has names for all her dolls.

Then Lauren decided the hat didn't fit that doll very well, so the next morning she dressed Morgan in the dress and hat - yes, much better!

Thank you, Donna!  As you can see, Lauren is super happy with her new doll dress, and the dolls look beautiful in their new outfit. 

From me and Katie, have a great Thursday, everybody!  :)