Some Quartzsite shots

We've had some beautiful weather here in Quartzsite.   It's starting to get cold at night, but the daytime temps are still pretty warm and nice.

I'm in my third campsite here and thinking about moving again tomorrow.  I was in La Posa South, then Tyson Wash, now La Posa West.  Thinking about moving back to La Posa South.  Sometimes it's hard to settle, you know?  And it's nice to have SO many choices! 😎

Here are some recent photos taken from our campsite.

Sunrise in Quartzsite:

We had a gorgeous Harvest moon and luckily I remembered to get some photos.  It's hard to resist a full moon:

Here's The Palms under a huge double rainbow.  That's my friend Nancy's rig on the right.  😊

And finally, one of Arizona's sunsets - I've never been anywhere that had so many beautiful sunsets.

That's all the photos I have - geez, I've got to start taking more pictures or I'll have nothing to blog about. 

I'm planning my drive south for my dental visit in Los Algodones next Thursday morning.  This time I'm going alone, but now that I know what to expect it should okay.  Not looking forward to it, of course, but it will be good to get that visit behind me.  Then just one more final visit and I'll be done.

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

Medical results = Great ~~~ Dental results = not so much :(

My annual medical test results were all good - always happy to hear that!  But the dental results, which are always good - get in, teeth cleaning, x-rays, quick check and walk out smiling.  This time there was an issue with a cavity under a crown.  My dentist said it was small, but very deep, and I'd need a root canal and crown replacement.  Then I found out my dental insurance only covers the check-up, x-rays and cleaning, and not root canals or crown (replacement).  So... after finding out the approximate cost of the work....

I checked on-line and read other bloggers' experiences with dentists across the border, and talked to Dean on the phone who has a dentist in Nogales right across the Tucson border.  He was going to visit some of his family in Tucson and if I could make an appointment with his dentist and drive to Tucson, he'd drive me to the border on the day of the appt and walk me over and keep me company.  What a guy, huh?

I made some phone calls to get an idea of prices and time lines to get a root canal and crown replacement done in Mexico.  Dean's dentist's office quoted me a price close to California prices and had the same timeline to complete the work needed.  I'm sure he's a great dentist, but I wanted one that was less expensive, would complete the work faster, and was closer to Yuma.

Rubio Dental Group, in Los Algodones across the border from Yuma, AZ, was very highly recommended by the camp hosts at Hot Springs where I spent a night coming back from San Diego.  The wife has had extensive work done by Dr. Rubio's office and was completely happy with the outcome. I called them to get a quote and time line for the procedure and was happy with both.  So I made the appointment with Dr. Rubio for November 10.

When I told Dean, he said he'd drive over and take me across the border and stay with me, which was super nice of him, and the final piece to make me feel comfortable with this whole Mexican dentist/across the border plan.

We met up at Paradise Casino in Yuma and the next day went to the USA border crossing building to talk to someone there about getting me into and back OUT of Mexico.  I don't have a Passport or Passport Card, so my California Driver's License would have to do.  We found out that my CDL was all I needed, so it was a GO!  I'm going to start the process to get a passport so I won't have any issues if things change in the future regarding the border situation.

We moved to Mittry Lake and camped there while waiting for the appointment day to arrive.  It's beautiful, the weather was perfect and the dogs had a blast.  TONS of flies and mosquitoes, though.  That was the only drawback, but being by the water...

Dog days, waiting for the dentist, camped at Mittry.

In the photo below, after Katie watched Steve going in and out of the water so much, she got curious and went to that "safe" spot a few times, examining it.  She actually got her feet wet and put her face in the water a couple of times and then rolled in the mud.  Steve is teaching this old dog some new tricks!

Katie loves watching Steve fetch his ball in the water - she was following him around, it was so cute. That's our campsite at the top of this picture.

You can barely see her, but Katie is on the left side of the photo below, running, running, just like Steve does, to get to where he jumped in.  She's such a "little sister" with him. :)

Another ball toss - it's in the air at the top of the picture:

Look at this form, I give Steve a "10."

Every time he climbs out he shakes off the water:

Throw the ball, dad!

And finally, being toweled off.  Lots of squirming going on, LOL.

Okay, back to business.  I'm including some specific info here for myself, and if you don't want the gory details, scroll down to the photo of our campsite.  It's all good from there.

The day of the dental appointment was interesting.  We walked across the border and went straight to the Purple Pharmacy, as Dr. Rubio's office had told me to do when I set up the appointment.  I told them I was there for an appointment with Dr. Rubio and they called an escort to drive us to the dental office, just a short walk from the pharmacy.  We were delivered right to the front door and went in, I got checked in and completed the new patient paperwork.

The office was clean and open, the staff very friendly and I was soon called in to see Dr. Raphael, my new dentist.  I had e-mailed my California dentist to send me my x-rays, which were e-mailed to me.  I had forwarded them on to Dr. Rubio's office so they would have them for my file.  They did use them and said they were very helpful.  Dr. Raphael didn't need to take any x-rays, though, because he could see upon examining my crowned molar that there was decay along the gum line.  He said not only was the cavity deep, but also WIDE, he could actually SEE it, and there was no way he could save the tooth. It should be pulled right then and a bone graft done to start the process needed to go forward.

Since the tooth was being pulled, I didn't need a root canal - that was good (I guess).  I asked the dentist how long the extraction, bone graft and closure of the surgical site would take - 45 minutes he said.  I asked if someone could go out to the waiting room and let Dean know, so he could walk around town if he wanted.  The dental assistant didn't speak English, at least I don't think she did, and she went out and came back with "Mr. Dean."  I asked if he could stay and it was okay, so Dean stood back against the wall and watched the procedure.  I've never had anyone along like this before, and it was nice to have him there to ask the questions and remember the answers.  Huge help.  And he was really interested in everything the dentist did.  He only asked a few questions, but they were good ones I didn't think of.

I've only lost my wisdom teeth.  My mom always told us kids to do anything possible to save our teeth, and I really didn't want this one pulled.  I asked him if there was anything he could do to save the tooth, and he said he'd remove the crown, with my permission, drill the cavity as far as he could and see how deep it went.  Well, after some drilling he stopped and said the decay was all the way down to the tooth floor where the two roots met.   He explained why it couldn't be saved.  It had to go. :( 

He then explained that I had two choices after the extraction: an implant or a three-crown bridge.  The two teeth on either side of the extracted tooth were both ready for crowns - the last tooth has one of the oldest crowns in my mouth and was prime to be replaced and the tooth on the other side has a large silver filling and I've been told by dentists for years that it should be crowned before it breaks.  So they were excellent candidates for new crowns to bridge the middle one where the tooth was pulled.  So that was good.

I asked Dr. Raphael which he would choose, the implant or the bridge, if he were the patient and he said absolutely the bridge.  No question in my case.  The teeth on either side were good anchors, it's easier to repair than an implant if repair was needed in the future, the cost was lower, the time frame shorter, all in all the best option for me.  And the two anchor teeth would need to be crowned/re-crowned in the near future anyway.  In other situations, implants would be the proper dental plan, but not this time, luckily.  I looked at Dean - "What would you do?" - and he agreed with Dr. Raphael.

So that's what I'm doing.  He pulled the tooth, in pieces.  What an ordeal!  It didn't hurt at all because I was numb, but I expected it to come out in one piece.  Finally it was out, bone graft material was placed, a small overlay of collagen placed on that, and he stitched it up and we were done. There was hardly any bleeding, and he put a sterile gauze pad on top and said to keep it there until there was no more blood.  I was able to take it out as we were walking around.

Having the tooth extracted cost me $225, which I paid before we left, as well as getting a print-out receipt that also had the estimated cost of the bridgework, $1,650.  It's $550 per crown and he's not charging me for the temporary crowns I'll get on the next visit.  I'll need to pay that one-half in cash at one visit and for the other half I can pay by check.

I have to say, I was very impressed with everything about this experience so far.  Our border crossing was easy, the convenience of being transported to the dental office took pressure off finding the place (which as it turned out would have also been easy), the cleanliness and friendliness of Rubio Dental Group were reassuring, Dr. Raphael appears to be an excellent dentist, and everyone I needed to speak with spoke English.  I'll post more information about Rubio Dental Group after my next appointment.

Coming back across into The United States was no problem.  I showed the border agent my California Driver's License and she accepted it for entry.  She did say - twice - "Everyone should have a Passport."  I told her I was in the process of applying for one.  She said, "Your driver's license will always get you across, but EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A PASSPORT."  Noted, and double noted.  Working on it.  :)
 

Our campsite at Mittry next to the lake

So now we're up in Quartzsite waiting for the next appointment which is on December 1.  That will be for impressions and temporary crown placement.  Three/four weeks after that we'll go back for the final appointment.

I feel fortunate that I had the knowledge of Mexican dentists so close by from reading other people's blogs about their positive experiences, that it will be less expensive there, that the cavity was discovered early in the winter season so I can comfortably get the work done before the heat becomes intense, and especially that I have someone willing to do the driving to the border, walk me across and be an advocate for me.  Thanks, Dean - you're the Bomb!  The whole experience so far has been nothing but positive.  

The extraction site is almost healed, but still sore.  I'm hoping everything is okay, I've never taken Ibuprofen for this long, but it's helping to knock out the soreness.

The weather's cooling down in Quartzsite - perfect days and COLD nights - and we've had a beautiful Harvest Moon and gorgeous sunsets.  I'll post those next time.

And one more thing, I have to post the photo of my daughter, Kristy - on the right - and her fellow walking team members who are completing the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for the Cure in San Diego today.  This picture was taken yesterday after they finished their second day, and 40 miles of the three-day 60 mile walk.  Can you imagine looking this beautiful and happy after walking two 20-mile days?  You girls are really something, I'm so proud of you all - Love You, Kristy!

From me and Katie, have a happy day, everyone!  😊💓😊

New friends in the campground, human and canine

Katie and I had so much fun in Sedona and Cottonwood.  The area is beautiful, the weather was perfect, and there weren't any bugs flying around to ruin sitting outside during the day or evening.  It was really nice.

We made new friends and did a lot of visiting.  One of my favorite new camping buddies is Steve:

Such a handsome boy!  Steve is quiet, super well-behaved and he loves to play.  He's really good at paying toss and fetch with either a ball or a stick.  He loves playing ball and played by himself in a way I've never seen before.  His owner, Dean, said Steve used to have a football he'd play with.  He'd put the ball between his legs and kick it back behind him with his front paws so it flew backwards.  Like he was "hiking" a football.  Then he'd run to get it and hike it again.  He didn't have the football, so he was hiking the tennis ball and running after it.  When he wasn't playing ball, he picked up sticks for us to throw.  He was so entertaining!

Dean and I were camped near each other in Sedona and when we moved to Cottonwood we met Dale, who was not far up the road from where we were.   We got lots of visiting in during the two weeks we were there.  Here's Steve with his dad, Dean, and Dale on the right.

Dean is a pretty active outdoors guy and went mountain biking and hiking and running in Sedona, always with Steve, who keeps up on 10+ mile rides. 

Dale does a lot of walking and sometimes stopped to visit on his way to or from the long road down to the river.  You can read Dale's Blog, My Trails, here.  He thru-hiked the entire Appalachian Trail in 2012 and posted about it starting here, April 2 and ending September 28, 2012.  

I'm reading the A.T. section of his blog and it's really interesting.  I've never known anyone who thru-hiked the A.T.  According to The Appalachian Trail Conservancy website, "Completing the entire 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) in one trip is a mammoth undertaking. Each year, thousands of hikers attempt a thru-hike; only about one in four makes it all the way.  A typical thru-hiker takes 5 to 7 months to hike the entire A.T."  Impressive, right?   I'd love to undertake something like that, but on a MUCH smaller scale.  

So here I am meeting up and visiting with men who are really active - way above my activity level - and I think they may have put a fire under me.  Wouldn't that be nice?  I really need to get out and exercise more, but I have to say it helps to have a walking buddy.

Another new camping friend, who I actually met first, was John.  I met John and Dean when we were camped at Sedona in the Coconino National Forest.  After our 14 day limit was up, we all ended up moving to Cottonwood in the Prescott National Forest, so we had another 14 days there.  John was camped closer to the main road, and we visited him in his camp or he visited us in our area.  Sure was fun.


My last night at Cottonwood before heading south, John treated Dean and me to dinner in town.  We all had a great time; the company and food were both delicious.  Thank you, John!  

I just have to show you more pictures of Steve.  I took so many of him.  He'd go out into the desert and search out the perfect stick for us to throw.  Some were big, some were little - he'd chase after them all and return them for another throw. 

He never watched the stick, he'd keep his eyes right on the human's eyes.  

This was a long stick, it had more little branches coming off it that got knocked off after a few tosses:

Here's a little fat stick.

Waiting for the throw - so intense:

This was a good one - I'd love to see him try to bring this one through the door:

Waiting for someone to pick up his stick to play:

The other thing I got such a kick out of was when Steve would walk away from me.  The way his coloring is configured, his back legs and butt are black and his feet are white.  As he was prancing away and all I could see was his rear, it looked like he had black ballet tights on.  LOL - made me laugh every time.  I tried to get a good photo, but these kind of show what I mean:

Katie was really interested in this stick tossing stuff and wanted to play, but she also wanted to chew on the sticks which were really dry and brittle.  I didn't want her getting part of a branch stuck in her throat so I put her in the stroller.  Poor thing, mean Mommy, but Katie got to run around and chase her ball, too, and she had a good time.  I think watching Steve running around and having so much fun got Katie excited to do the same thing, and one day especially she was really running and playing with John and chasing her ball like her old self. 
 

So...  I'm hoping to meet up with all my new friends down the road.  Friday afternoon I left our camp and drove to Quartzsite to stop off on my way to San Diego.  More on that next time.

From me and Katie, have a great day, everyone!  ❤❤❤

Laundry in the desert - TMI?

Men are so funny - they have no problem hanging their "delicates" outside for all the desert walkers to see.  LOL  When I saw a laundry line stretching from an RV to a bush that was lined with men's shorts, I had to take a picture.  I did get permission to post it, but I'm not posting photos of the man.  You're welcome, sir.  :)

Two other interesting photos - first a tarantula in the next campsite.  I was glad he was over there and not close to me and Katie in our campsite.

Katie has been different lately.  This laying on the kitchen floor is so weird.  She always picks the couch, lays next to me on the dinette bench, or sits/lays in her carseat.  Lately she seems to like the smooth, cool kitchen floor.  It hasn't been that hot, so it's not a heat thing.  But I get a kick out of seeing her there.

That's it for now - just a quick post, and I only have a few more photos from this area which I'll post in a few days.  I'm leaving here on Friday.  My annual medical/dental/optical appointments in San Diego are on the books for next week, and I'll start heading that way Friday.

From me and Katie,  take care, everyone!   ❤❤❤

Mom! Help!

Well, we are in our final campsite before leaving for Quartzsite.  It's funny, I've been really looking forward to heading south and finding that perfect site in Q, but now that the time is coming up to head that way, I'm feeling nostalgic about this area.  The spring and summer between Camp Verde and Flagstaff, AZ has been so enjoyable.  Perfect weather, nice campsites, I've met some really nice people, and the months have flown by.  But it's cooling down now in Quartzsite, and in a week or so, we'll be leaving this area.

Yesterday I looked out the front window and saw a big black bull with a white face in front of The Palms.  I watched him for a while, then got busy doing other things.  Katie was sitting outside in her stroller, which she wants to do a lot lately, and a while later I heard heard her whining softly.  I looked out the window again, and this is what I saw:

I think the bull was getting a little too close for comfort.  I went outside and took a photo, then picked her up and brought her inside The Palms.  She loves sitting outside, will lay down curled in a ball and sleep, so she feels very safe as long as she's in the stroller.  But she didn't hesitate when I wanted to pick her up with that bull behind her.

It kept it's eyes on us until we were inside and then continued to graze around The Palms.

He came closer and walked around the back of the rig, getting pretty close.  These photos were taken  out the kitchen window:

I took this one below out the side window when he rounded the corner of the rig.  I'm sure going to miss these beautiful animals when we leave the area next week.  They really raise my desert camping experience!

I saw this walking stick - at least I think that's what it is - poking out from my wheel well in the back.  He's smaller than the others I've seen in this area, and he was multi colored.  He also has flat ends on his antenna.  They were a reddish color, and his legs were yellow and green. Really pretty.

I have some packages to pick up in town this afternoon - my Sirius radio has been giving me grief lately and I have a new one coming today, as well as my regular mail from my mail service.  I don't go to town often, but always look forward to a drive into town to break the day up.  All is well in Cottonwood.

From me and Katie, I hope all is well in your world, too. 🔆📫❤