And here's why they tell us....

...not to put levelers down when we're overnighting at Wal-Mart.  I always wondered what difference it would make - I don't have levelers so I don't worry about it, but it doesn't seem like a big deal.  Well, I saw the other day why they ask is not to put them down. 

So I took a couple of photos.  I took pictures, too, of the huge truck towing a large fifth wheel with the addition of a car in between, just because it was so different and cool looking - I've never seen that type of configuration before.  Then I thought, I really can't post their photo, that wouldn't be fair and they probably don't even know what they did to the parking lot.

The whole surface of the lot is perfect, except exactly where their levelers were all night in the soft paving material.  That spot now looks like this:

I guess that's why they tell us not to put levelers down when we're parking lot camping.  Now I know, and maybe by posting this, some people reading it won't put their levelers down while overnighting in parking lots.  I'd hate to have that option taken away from us.

TINY LEAK

After a huge rainstorm a couple of weeks ago, everything seemed okay until the next morning when I went to unplug my camera battery charger from this outlet under my overhead cupboard...

... and a few drops of water were on the battery charger.  It wasn't WET, just a few drops, but that worried me.  Especially after the ferocious rains we had the night before.

This is where the outlet is:

 under this cabinet:

So I pried off the outlet cover and pulled the plug down and there was ONE drop of water in that area.  ONE.  I checked the plug and the wires and everything was dry.  I got out my hair drier and blew some hot air in that opening, on the wires, and on the plug.  Then I blew more air on the battery charger.  They all seemed dry and just fine.

Then I climbed up on the roof and checked everything out; all the connections seemed fine until I found this (and it's right above that cupboard):

See the crack in the material around where the wire enters the roof?

I figured that had to be where the water came in from, and put a ton of GOOP all over that area.  No problems since then, but I think I'm going to have to take off all the waterproofing sealant soon, and re-apply new material to keep the roof water tight.  That's going to be a job!  This was just a "fix" for now, and it should be fine until I do a permanent seal.  I was lucky I found that small leak before it got worse. 

I guess since it's Sunday, I can be a little preachy:  remember to check your roof once in a while to make sure eveything is okay up there.  Wash your solar panels, check the seals, make sure everything is still on tight. 

And by the way, I was a little hesitant to use that plug for a couple of days, but when I did, it worked fine.

Here's a beautiful sunset we had the other night:

On a final note, there's a saying, "Nice guys finish last," that has always bothered me.  Bad boys usually seem more interesting and they often get the girl or the job, but they don't usually keep pace for the long term.  This morning I had a quote e-mailed to me:

It is not true that nice guys finish last.
Nice guys are winners before the game ever starts.  -- Addison Walker

I like that, it's so true!

And that's it for today - From me and Katie, have a great Sunday, everyone!  :)

Mommy, I can dress myself. I don't need your help.

This is my grandson, Graydin and he told his mom he could dress himself.  Here he is:

Trish posted the photo in Facebook, and I told her I was going to post it here.  I was truly laughing out loud.  She said it was too funny when he said his shirt was too tight.   

This is better:

Is he a cutie-pie, or what???

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

Fairies in the bushes

When Katie and I were walking in Las Vegas, NM the other day, I noticed something flittering around in the beautiful purple flowered bushes.  I stopped and watched them, and then ran Katie back to The Palms, got my camera and went back to get some photos.

These are truly amazing little insects.  They kind of looked like hummingbirds, kind of looked like bees; I had no idea what they were, but they fluttered from flower to flower, spending a few seconds at each one.  Their wings, which looked like double or triple layers, were moving constantly - I could hardly see them, ghost wings, they were moving so fast - like a hummingbird’s wings that never stopped.  They would hover over the flowers like a hummer, and out comes this super long tongue which goes into the flower, then rolls up underneath, like a party favor blower, and goes into it’s mouth.  Then quickly on to the next flower.

I checked on the web – John said he's heard them called Humming Bugs, so I looked them up under that, and found lots of photos.  The type I saw is called a White Lined Sphinx, and it’s a large moth.  I’ve heard of Sphinx moths, but I've never seen one until now.  They are sure interesting.  

Here is a clear close-up photo from the web, showing what they look like – their wings looked pink, white and brown when they weren’t a blur.  They are about the size of a small hummingbird.  Really pretty.  Check out how long their tongues are:

And here are some of my best photos – it was so hard to get them – most of the moths were just blurs.  These are the photos from Las Vegas along the sidewalk:

John said we had these insects here at Storrie Lake by the creek, and when Jeanne and I were walking the dogs near the bridge, we saw one that looked like it was hurt – it was just sitting on some greenery near the bridge, so it’s wings were still:

I also saw a new bird in town, a European Starling, and later saw some in the park, too:

This isn’t a good photo, but I loved the bright purple gorget which shows up so well on this Black Chinned Hummingbird:

In the field behind the electric loop where we're camped, there is a field with horses, and the other day I noticed the goats there.  I heard a loud whinnying and glanced out the window, and a little herd of goats was running through area.  Later I walked over to the fence to see them closer – how I wish I lived on a farm.  I love goats, I guess I should since I'm a Capricorn, and here they are:

WELCOME to our newest Follower, Motorhomes N Muttskeys!  They have no information available, but the name sounds like they do have an RV.  So, M N M, let me know if you have a blog or if you start one, and I'll pass the info along in a post.  Thanks for following along with us, and Welcome Aboard!

From Me and Katie, have a great Wednesday evening, everybody!

Critter photos

Still hanging out in and around Storrie Lake...

Katie and I are out of the park for the required six days out of every 20; I was planning to go into Santa Fe and do some shopping and overnighting in the many places available to overnight there.  We stopped in Las Vegas, NM to do laundry and other errands and might just stay here for the six days.

The weather has been pretty rainy lately - but we've also had cooler weather which is nice. 
There's not much happening to post, so I'm putting in some photos taken during the last couple of weeks.

Katie snuggled in with her toys:

I bought an "exercise pen" for Katie, so she can be outside and still easily kept in one place and off her leash.  It works perfectly spread out across the shelters in the New Mexico State Parks.  Jeanne sent Annie, Roxi and me a link to let us know they were on sale, and I jumped on it.  Midwest Black E-Coat Exercise Pen w/o door.  The regular price is $80.49 for this exercise pen, and the current sale price is $28.79, free 2-day shipping available if you are an Amazon Prime member:

The size I bought has eight panels -  2 feet x 2 feet square; I think it looks really nice and it's the perfect size for Katie.  The ex-pen, folded up, fits nicely behind my driver seat, so storage is not a problem.  They come in all sizes and with or without a door - this one at this price is without.  If you've been thinking about getting an exercise pen for your dog - now's the time!

Remember Flat Stanley, the large frog we saw on our walks?  Well, I FINALLY saw a real, live frog.  I think it's the first one I've seen in three years of traveling.  Here he is - Not Flat Stanley:

Annie's cats have been going outside here at Storrie Lake.  They are both good at staying in the area and coming home without a problem.  One day Parker was outside, and decided to rest in the shade under The Palms.  He sure is a handsome boy and I was honored!

Unfortunately, Annie was told by the Ranger that her cats could not be outside without a leash - there are signs around saying dogs must be on a leash, but I've never heard that cats had to to, as well.  Hopefully some of the other parks won't have the same rule, because I really enjoyed watching Parker, and sometimes Ellen wandering outside my windows in the field between the row of campsites and the road.  It had to be so much fun for them to wander around, sniffing new smells, and hiding wherever they found a good spot in the shade. 

Here are a few more recent hummingbird photos - I've loved taking their pictures and just can't seem to just sit and enjoy them - I have to grab the camera.  You have no idea how many photos I've taken, and neither do I - LOL.

This is the first time I've seen a Calliope Hummingbird - with his red streaked gorget, he's a beautiful bird.  He's also our smallest hummingbird, from my SILBEY FIELD GUIDE TO BIRDS of Western North America, "tiny and short tailed with relatively short, thin bill.  Male has distinctive streaked rosy gorget and white stripe across cheek."

The little Calliope Hummers are sure recognizable!  Here are some of my other favorites:

These two guys below sure look intense, heading toward the nectar:

I got some good photos of the bird below, on the right.  (S)he's larger than the other hummingbirds and not colorful, but I liked it's grayish colors and patterns, kind of plainly beautiful. 

In the past when I was taking pictures of the hummingbirds that came around, I seldom got a photo of displayed tail feathers, which are so striking.  But because we have SO MANY hummingbirds here at Storrie Lake right now, they seem to spread their wings and tail feathers all the time.  There's always one guarding the feeder, and because there are so many birds trying to get close to it, there's lots of dive bombing, tail feather displays, and loud calls.  Fun to watch, and fantastic for photos.

WELCOME to our newest Follower, Steven!  It doesn't look like Steve has a blog, so I can't point you to it, but Steve, if you do blog, please send me a link and I'll pass it on.  Thank you for following along with me and Katie, we sure appreciate it!  Welcome Aboard! 

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

PS - THANK YOU! to all our Followers and readers who are purchasing Amazon.com items through our links.  It's the first site I check in the morning, and it makes my day to see a new item on my "ordered" list.  Remember, although we do get a list of items ordered, we have no idea who orders what - your purchases are totally private - and our small percentage of your sale costs you nothing.  Sure is wonderful for us, though!  :)