Visiting with neighbors, my new hat and drones in the sky

George and Suzie invited me for dinner Friday evening - I was dying to taste one of those dinners I keep seeing in George's blog - especially the salad.  So I walked over to visit them on Friday for happy hour with George and Suzie and their neighbors.  All three couples live in the same place in Canada during the summer, and here they are neighbors in Quartzsite, too, for a couple of weeks!  I wanted to get a group photo before everyone started heading in different directions.

Clemson the Dog, Bill and Pat, Melinda and Jerry, George and Suzie. 

You can find their blogs here:  Patsy, Bill, Jerry and Melinda, George and Suzie.

The sun was bright - Suzie had given Melinda a hat, which she said she wouldn't wear, so she brought it over and gave it to me, and I love it!  Perfect for these bright days in the desert.  🔆🔆🔆

As I was walking up to their rigs, I saw Bill flying his drone.  These things are pretty neat!

When it was about time for dinner, the other couples headed for their campsites and George put a pork loin roast on the grill.

Wow, what a great dinner - I'm not much of a meat eater, and only wanted one slice of the roast, which was delicious.  George's salads have a little lettuce and lots of other things, my favorite kind of salad.  He put quite a bit on my plate, which I said I'd never finish...  Oh, yeah.

Gosh it was good!  As you can see... my empty plate:

Melinda and Jerry had a cherry/apple pie from town, and gave half of it to George and Suzie for our desert - thanks Melinda!  It was really good.

We visited for a while, then I walked home before it was dark.  Perfect timing!

When I got home I noticed Sue and Brian, behind me, had a blazing fire going.  I didn't bring my camera, but will next time.  They don't have campfires, they have BONFIRES!  So I put Katie's Bomber Jacket and leash on her, grabbed a light and we walked over for a visit.  Nice and toasty.

Speaking of Brian, I heard a drone outside yesterday, and there was Brian's drone flying around the area.

In fact, I was just outside and there was another one nearby - I don't think it was Brian's, so another neighbor must have one, too.  I wonder if they are allowed over the nudist area?   Humm.

And here's a beautiful pastel sky when the sun set the other night:

 Another perfect day in the desert!  From me and Katie, have a great evening, everyone!  😊😀😁

The Laundry Tree

Guess what I did this morning?

This is my laundry tree for the season - if I wash and partially dry everything at the laundromat, I can hang them outside to finish drying in the sunshine.  

I doubt the hummingbird whose job in life seems to be guarding the feeder is happy with all the clothes blocking his nectar, though.  Poor little guy - but they will be taken down soon.

The socks and " delicates" were almost dry, so I put them around the inside of the motor home.  Katie loves to jump up on the back of the couch and lay in the sun.  She wasn't quite sure what to do today, the look on her face was just so funny - not sure where to put that right front paw:

But she managed for a while.  LOL  Sometimes she cracks me up. 

Here's our Hummingbird on guard duty - he's not letting anyone get even close to this feeder:

He looks like a Costa's Hummingbird, they have deep purple necks in the sunshine, but his gorget shines a deep rose red, which would make him an Anna's hummer.  I think we have both here, because I've seen both colors.  ???

Here's another hummingbird, a female, who came by to see us.  She looks like the female Anna's in my guidebook:

It sure doesn't take them long to find us when we put out the feeders.

In the afternoon I walked down the road a ways looking for Suzie and George's motor home.  Click the link to check out their blog, Our Awesome Travels.  It was getting cold and I decided I'd never pick their rig out of all the ones in the distance, so I turned around to head for home.  And there was a car coming toward me - guess who?  George!  So I got a ride the rest of the way. Turns out I was almost there.

We had such a nice visit.  What a wonderful couple - I'm happy to have gotten to know them better.  They won't be here long, so it was good to have a chance to meet up again before they leave.

Thanks for the chat, you guys!  :)

And here's a gorgeous Quartzsite sunset.  I should add, "As usual."  But even if the sky is beautiful almost every evening, I don't think any of us get tired of seeing and snapping pictures of each one.

From me and Katie, have a super day today, everyone!  💓😀💓

Settled, finally! Here's our new camp - and our first visitor. :)

We are finally back in Quartzsite, La Posa South, after being in the Yuma area for a week for some shopping, two dental appointments and checking out Imperial Dam LTVA. 

It's SO GOOD to be back, and my favorite campsite was still empty.  It used to be my second favorite, but it's moved up on my list.  That's Brian and Sue's camp right behind us on the next wash. 

For the first time this season, I brought out the hummingbird feeders. That's when I know I'm settled for a while.  It's been a wild month and I'm glad it's behind us.  Now we can relax and enjoy the desert!

And here's our first visitor - of the feathered variety.  Not long after I hung my feeders, this Black-chinned male hummer came by for a look - he didn't stay long, but he'll be back.


As soon as he flew away a beautiful Broad-tailed male checked out the feeder attached to my dinette window - he had a beautiful gorget of crimson feathers shining in the sun.  I'll be waiting for him to come by again - hopefully get a good shot of the brilliant color.

We didn't stay at Imperial Dam LTVA for long, only two nights.  One night at Quail Hill and then one night at the main campground, South Mesa. We didn't see any burros, but each morning there were donkey droppings right near The Palms, so I know they were walking by in the night.  When the babies are older they will come during the day. 

I made the best oatmeal yesterday - it was the instant kind, quick and filling, and I added chopped almonds and fat blueberries and cut up bananas.  It stuck with me all day. 

And here are two photos of little Katie - first on her morning walk with her pink quilted bomber jacket on.  This is the first time she's worn it this season, but the morning was cold and windy.  I was so bundled up, it didn't seem fair not to put her coat on, too.



Then later when it was warmer, she wanted to be outside in her stroller watching the world go by.  Look at those ears - she looks ready to take off.  LOL

Have a great Tuesday, everyone.  Stay warm and happy!  💓😊💓

Can you believe it? THIS is inside THIS??

When I was in town with a friend looking for a trailer to buy, I found a rock on the ground and picked it up.  This was the inside...

and this was the outside...

Proof that you can't tell a book by it's cover.

It was already cut on one side so as soon as I picked it up I could see all the detail that was in the rock.

Isn't it beautiful? What a lucky find! I'm using it as a paperweight on my dinette table.

We've moved again.  There ain't no moss growing under these wheels!   More tomorrow.

From me and Katie, have a great day, everyone!  😁💓😁

Dental work done - and moved to new camping spot. Tiring day!

This morning I again woke up early - what's with this early morning thing???  It was dark and cold and I finally got up and made a cup of coffee and some hot oatmeal.  My dental appointment wasn't until 2:00 pm, but I finished my morning routine things and headed off to the border parking lot so I'd be there.  On the way there were some Pelicans in the American Girl Canal and I parked to get a shot of them.  When I walked across the street they took off and I got a great shot of them:

Here's the fourth one:


No weapons or ammo allowed in Mexico. 


Around 1:30 I left the parking lot and headed off to cross into Mexico.  I decided to walk to the office since I was early and had a nice short walk there, checking out the vendors along the way.  I was checked in, shown back to Dr. Rafael's dental chair's office, and he popped out the temporary crowns.  The bridge fit almost perfectly, but was a little high, so he took some time to make sure it was perfect and then it was permanently fixed.   Done and Done. Dr. Rafael thanked me, shook my hand, I thanked him, and he walked me to the accounting office to pay the final bill.

Total cost for the three visits - one surgical tooth extraction with bone graft, bridge prep and two temporary crowns, and a new three crown Zirconia bridge - was $1,875.  I don't know what it would have cost in the states, but I'm sure it would have been more. NOTE:  I just checked my notes from my phone call to my dentist in San Diego.  I was quoted $1,400 for one crown replacement ONLY - and it wasn't a Zirconia crown.  It was metal under with porcelain over.  As it turned out I didn't need a root canal, as he diagnosed, but I'm sure he would have figured that out once he took off my old crown and saw the size and depth of the cavity.  But by then, the endodontist would have already drilled through the crown to do the root canal as diagnosed, so I would have had that cost also.  In addition to an un-needed root canal, WHO KNOWS what the extraction, bone graft and 3-crown bridge would have cost!  I would have needed a "fund me" page. 

I'm very happy with the end result and would highly recommend Dr. Rafael with the Rubio Dental Group in Los Algodones.  :)

I walked back through Los Algodones and stopped at the Purple Pharmacy for another OTC med and then walked across the street for the bottle of Jamison's Irish Whisky that I was too early for yesterday.  I make the BEST Irish Coffees, if I do say so myself.  It's all about the cream.  :)

When I left the parking lot, I still wasn't sure where I was going, but I needed to head toward Yuma to get to any of the camping spots I was thinking about.  There was a detour because of all the road work and the exit to Highway 8 was closed, so I took the detour toward Winterhaven.  This is the great road we traveled on for the detour:

I was undecided on whether to go to Mittry Lake, the VFW for one night, Imperial Dam LTVA, or just head back to Quartzsite.  I decided to pass Mittry Lake, and while driving along Highway 95 a cop car with lights and sirens passed me.  A bit later I saw why:

A big rig was across the highway, blocking both lanes.

This Arizona State Patrol officer came by and let each of us know it would take up to 30 minutes for the tow truck to arrive.  Some cars turned around and went back toward Yuma, but a few of us waited.  

This school bus might have been involved in the incident.  He backed up a way, then was out of sight.

Tow truck to the rescue!  At least I think this was the tow truck - it looks pretty short.  But soon after he arrived, the scene was cleared.

I don't think anyone was hurt, because once the truck was out of the way, traffic started moving and everything was back to normal.  

Before I got to the VFW, the highway sign for Imperial Dam said it was pretty close by, 7 miles I think.  Instead of doing the VFW for one night, I thought I'd rather drive to where we could camp longer in a prettier setting.  It was windy, and Quartzsite is lots colder than the Yuma area, so Imperial Dam was the final choice.

To get to Imperial Dam LTVA, you go into the entrance road for the Yuma Proving Grounds.  Here are a couple of photos of the entrance hardware.  There's one big gun on each side of the road:

I always feel very patriotic when I drive down this road.  They have lots of military equipment, tanks and things, in one place as you drive down, and you can stop and park and get up close to them.  There's also a helicopter at one of the entrances.

So here we are, at the Imperial Dam LTVA at the Quail Hill Campground.  We are over the road with a nice view of the canals and one of the dams.  It's such a pretty view, I always try to get a site with this overlook view.  Here is one of the dams:

And more views out the window:

And finally, the sunset on our first night at Quail Hill. 

I don't know how long we'll stay here.  I'd like to get back to Quartzsite, but the difference in temperatures between there and here can be as much as 7 degrees, especially during the night.  So...  I think I'll camp here for at least a few days and relax.  I'm hoping the burros will come by this year.  There is evidence of past visits on the ground in my campsite, so fingers crossed they will be back while we're here!

The last week has been a bear for me, and I need to chill.  Now that my annual medical and vision tests and dental work are finished for the next 12 months, I can put that behind me and look ahead to some fun in Quartzsite.  I'm planning to camp near Brian and Sue in the area I always seem to end up.  I guess I just like La Posa South.  And I like camping near Brian and Sue.  I told them the other night, "Even if I don't see you guys every day, I know you're there."  It's good to have friends nearby.  And no matter where I start out, or where I go to change camps or visit other people, I always end up back there, it seems.  

From me and Katie, have a great weekend, everyone!   😊💓😊