RALLY - DAY 2

The theme of this years FMCA Western Area Rally is Dogpatch USA, and that was the focus of yesterday afternoon's parade.  You don't need to give a bunch of senior citizens a reason to wear costumes, and act goofy, because they will, and they did at yesterdays parade.  Since we've been members, our chapter hasn't  been involved in the annual parade, other than to be spectators.  Some folks relish the spotlight, and that's OK.  But for me, watching that spotlight, and not being in it, works just fine, thank you very much!

 At least this fella had a seat, and didn't have to walk. 

 Lil Abner's cousin was passing out moonshine disguised as water bottles.

FMCA National President Charlie Adcock was passing out dog treats.

As soon as the parade was over, Nancy and I made a run to Costco, where we picked up 12 pizza's for our chapter dinner.  If you've never sampled a Costco made pizza, they're pretty darn good, and you can't beat the price.  The total for our 12 Italian Pies was $120 something, and change.  

Oh yea, I did manage to lighten the bank account, with the purchase of a Progressive Industries electrical management system, that will be installed this morning.  The Power Master system that I currently have in the coach has died for the second time, and I've lost confidence in its ability to protect the motor home.  The progressive system doesn't boost power like the Power Master, but it does shut everything down when the voltage drops below 105, or exceeds 131.  Low voltage is the most common problem when connected in RV parks, and without some type of protection, low voltage over time, can damage electrical circuit boards in everything from refrigerators, to computers, to furnaces.  Yep, even propane furnaces have circuit boards.

Today & tomorrow, our chapter heads up the ice cream social, which takes place at noon both days.  Since Nancy has taken over from Bill Hall, I'll continue to help her with deliveries to all of the groups who are working, such as the vendors.  Another mid 70's day is forecast, with lots of sunshine, and free ice cream!  Yep, life is indeed pretty awesome!

RALLY - DAY 1

The heart of the Family Motor Coach Association is the individual chapters around the country.  Most of the chapters have a focus, that serves the interests of it's constituency, and helps attract new members.  The Golden Spike Chapter's main interest is trains, and railroads, a subject that caused me to seek membership several years ago.  Our group tries to have 3 or 4 rallies a year, usually at some western state venue, where the activities have something to do with either a train ride, or history involving a railroad.

 

The chapter fair at these FMCA rallies, is an opportunity for the individual chapters to tell interested folks what they are all about.  Pictured above, is our president Kurt Simon, talking to a prospective new member about our Golden Spike Chapter.  I know there were several folks who signed our interest sheet, but I'm not sure how many actually joined the chapter yesterday.  

 Ken Carnes, and Kurt Simon were busy at the BBQ's.

After the chapter fair, four of us brought out our BBQ's, and we cooked 20 pounds of Santa Marie style tri-tips, as the main entree for a pot luck dinner.   When everybody was stuffed, we had our business meeting before everyone drifted back to their motor homes.

Bob & Dottie Poole, visiting with chatty pants.

The rally gets going today with lots of seminars, the vendors will be open for business, and the chapter is buying pizza for this evenings dinner.  The weather forecast for the rest of the week is sunny skies, with mid 70 degree temperatures.  Yep, things couldn't be much better.

HANGIN OUT IN INDIO

Today is the official start of the FMCA Western Regional Rally, but not a whole lot on the agenda, other than the chapter fair.  Our Golden Spike Chapter always participates in the fair, which serves as a way for all of the diverse groups to recruit potential new members. 

Yesterday, Patty, Nancy and I scurried around the fairgrounds in the golf cart, lining up where, and how much ice cream we need to deliver on Friday, and Saturday.  We (I) even managed to get scolded by a volunteer security person for driving the golf cart into an area that is supposed to be a "golf cart free zone" in front of the exhibit building.  Hey, the rally hadn't even started yet, and there were no signs, so what's up with that?  Oh well, sometimes it's my job to justify other people's position of power, and I was simply doing my job, even though that person didn't know it!  Sort of like trying to get a building permit in Pima County.

After the social hour, we had dinner for the second night at the Fisherman's, a local restaurant that has an incredibly diverse menu of seafood.  Not quite as good as a fresh catch in Alaska, but most everything is pretty darned good. 

 Another awesome sunset last night!

MOTOR HOMES & SUNSETS

 Happy hour in Indio.

For the past several years, the Family Motor Coach Ass'n (FMCA) Golden Spike Chapter (common interest is railroads & trains), has met in Indio at the closed Sam's Club parking lot in Indio.  This has been our staging area, before moving the 3-4 miles to the Riverside County Fairgrounds, the location of the Western Regional FMCA RV Rally.  Led by our president, Kurt Simon, all 18 motor homes pulled out of the Sam's Club parking lot yesterday morning at 9:30am, traveling as much as possible in a group to the fairgrounds.  By noon, we were all parked, set up, and ready for the rally to begin on Wednesday.

The happy/social hour began at 4:30pm, after Nancy joined us on a quick trip to wally world for some stuff.  As the sun began to set, we enjoyed some incredible orange and red colors in the western sky, closing an almost picture perfect weather day, with a high temperature in the mid 70's.

 A picture of the sunset picture takers.  L to R, Dan St John, Barbara Westerfield, and Nancy.

Because our group does a couple of volunteer jobs at this rally, we have preferred parking, with a 30 amp electrical hookup.  Additionally, Nancy has taken over the job of coordinating the ice cream social, and some other tasks previously managed by Bill Hall, and with those extra responsibilities, she has a golf cart that we can use during the coming week.  Life is good! 

TUCSON, AZ TO INDIO, CA

We pulled out of the old homestead a few minutes after 8am, destination Indio, CA.  On a Sunday morning, the traffic on Interstate 10 through Tucson was light, as we headed W/B toward the I8 - Hwy 85 bypass around Phoenix.  When we got back on I10 west of Phoenix, the traffic was getting heavier, and when this small convertible passed me the first time, I did the proverbial double take.

  
When the car pulled over, then passed me a second time, I was ready with the camera.  Was there really a driver in there, or was this some kind of remote control experiment, with junk disguising the electronic gizmo steering the car??  My inquiring mind just had to know............

My curiosity got the best of me, and I sped up, trying to at least get a glimpse of a person driving this shrunken down version of a Mayflower moving van.  When I pulled alongside on the left and took the last picture, I actually did see part of a person behind the wheel.  In my old traffic law enforcement days, I think this driver and I would have been having a chat alongside the freeway.

Just after crossing the Colorado River into CA, we passed through the non staffed inspection station, that is unique to CA.  I've driven in 49 states, and CA is the only one that has agricultural inspection stations on all major highways entering the state.  Even when there are live bodies at these checkpoints, I've always felt like they are a complete waste of taxpayer dollars.  RV's are particular targets, due to the fact that most have refrigerators, and lord knows, you might be carrying some sort of toxic vegetable or fruit across the state line.  Usually, the only question is "where are you coming from", and with a reasonable answer, you're quickly on your way. 

I'm not sure who was the most stressed out during the drive, Miss Snoopy Cat, or her mom.  The scardy cat started out in a small carrier on Patty's lap, but that went from bad to worse after a few miles.  With continual meow's, sometimes bordering on howls, Patty took her out of the carrier, and tried to hold the kitty on her lap.  But, the frantic feline was having no part of that either.  When allowed to wander, she eventually found a place to sit, as Patty guarded the entrance to the bedroom, thinking that the kitty would get under the bed, never to be seen again.  Not the most comfortable trip for the over protective mother.

After we got parked in Indio, and put a couple of the slides out, the kitty hid near the bed for awhile.  Later, she came out, and explored every nook and cranny of her new house.  By the time we went to bed, she was pretty close to being back to normal. 

This morning, we (18 motor homes) move as a group over to the Riverside County fairgrounds, where we'll be parked for about a week.  The rally officially starts on Wednesday.

READY, SET..............

Almost go.  Except for the last minute stuff, the motor home is cleaned, packed, and pointed toward the gate.  I'm shooting for an 8am departure this morning, which will give us plenty of daylight to travel the 384 miles to Indio, CA.

Laila and Grandma had one last kitchen project before her several day visit came to an end.  They made some oatmeal cookies which were delicious, and are already in the motor home.  Once again, we've enjoyed having our Granddaughter stay with us for the past 5 days, but all good things usually come to an end at some point.  Marc & Chandra landed back in Tucson yesterday afternoon, and after some hugs, & goodbyes, our house was back to normal.  I used to think that the cat was the main beneficiary when Laila left, but I'm not so sure any more.  The play time, and all of the attention that she devotes to the kitty, certainly cuts down on the Snoopy slumber time, but it's hard to tell which one is having the most fun when toys are being dragged, and chased around the house.
  

 

"I don't want to play anymore, I just want to sleep"

These next 3 weeks will probably be a blur, with the first week at the Family Motor Coach Ass'n Western Rally at the fairgrounds in Indio.  Then, a week in Yuma, then another week or so at the annual gathering of RV's in the desert at Quartzsite, AZ.  Lots of stuff to see and do in the coming days!

IT'S MOVIE TIME

It was back to the movie theater yesterday afternoon, and this time, we got there before the film started.  Walking with Dinosaurs was what Laila wanted to see, and I must admit, it was a pretty entertaining movie.  Going in, I thought that I might catch a "cat nap" but instead, the reality that computer animation brings to feature films these days, kept me totally involved with the story line.  Price of admission - $18.  Price of popcorn, soda, and candy - $19.

Back at the ranch, Grandma & Granddaughter got busy in the kitchen, making pudding, and brownies.  Laila is using a hand mixer that someone paid way too much for at Quartzsite last year.  It has mostly sat in the drawer, but came out yesterday for some use.  Those impulse purchases don't always work out to be the best deals, but at the time, it was a gotta have thing.  Full disclosure - I'm the one who thought he couldn't live without it. 

 "When I grow this high, I'll be as tall as Grandma".

These two are practically inseparable.

Mom and Dad return home from CA today, and tomorrow, the wheels on the motor home will turn for the first time in about 3 months.  It's a little under 400 miles from here to Indio, where we'll be meeting a bunch of our RV friends.  We've both enjoyed being home since our return from last summer's Alaska trip, but for me, I've been doing quite a bit of scratching on the hitch itch lately, and it's going to feel really good to get back behind the wheel of the motor home. 

HANGIN WITH THE CAT

I finished getting several months worth of dirt and grime off the motor home yesterday, including a thorough cleaning of the roof.  I like to keep a good coat of wax on the roof vents, the A/C covers, the shower skylight, and a few other things, as a hindrance to the damaging rays from the sun.  While I was doing that, Patty and Laila made a run to the grocery store.

 Yesterday morning in the recliner.

We're both amazed, and thankful that our Snoopy Cat is not a grouchy animal.  She seems to have an abundance of patience, and we have never seen her try and bite, or scratch while Laila is playing with her.   She does occasionally escape to the safety underneath one of the beds, but is usually quickly lured back out, to chase something that Laila drags around the house.   The picture of her being carried from one room to another, is repeated several times during the course of the day.

When Grandma and Grandpa are busy with projects, Laila and Snoopy can often be found in her bedroom.  Most cats don't like being on their back, but this one will sit on the bed with Laila for extended periods,  as long as her tummy is being rubbed.  Too bad we don't have any cat clothes, because there's no doubt, Laila would have the kitty dressed, and undressed multiple times during the day.  Patty watched her trying to put a pair of her socks on Snoopy, but that wasn't going too well, as the cat was putting up some mild resistance to the effort. 

Update on the RV Shade Cover --  Coast to Coast Carports is tentatively scheduling delivery and installation for the end of January, or the first week in February.  They can't give me a specific date, but I was assured that delivery would be within a week or two of our return back home.  So, maybe there's finally some light at the end of the tunnel!

A GIRLS DAY

 Laila pulls, and the kitty chases.

I haven't quite figured out who has the most fun, the two, or the four legged kid, when Laila runs around the house dragging the kitty bait on the end of a piece of yarn.  Yesterday's lure was a small catnip mouse that Laila tied onto the end, and as she pulled it, Snoopy was in hot pursuit.  I think I mentioned before, how the cat has figured out the double back maneuver, often catching Laila from the front, when she runs around the sofa, instead of simply chasing from behind.  Whenever that happens, the only person in the house not laughing is the kitty.

While I spent most of the day either working on the outside of the motor home, or reorganizing all of my tools, the girls were busy in the house with several projects.  The one pictured is the making of some sort of edible treat made out of popcorn, M&M's, and I'm not sure what else.  Laila is wearing her new apron that Grandma made after we got back from Alaska.

 

The finished product.

Later in the day, they started putting together a loom, that I think has something to do with building a scarf, or a piece of clothing, or, to be honest, I really have no idea what the end result is supposed to be!  Hey, that's girl stuff, and I was happy, happy, happy, playing with my tools in the garage.

 

I think there was some talk about a second attempt to see the Walking With Dinosaurs movie, but that's later today, and we still have a lot of work to do, before heading to Indio, CA this Sunday.

ENDING 2013 WITH ART & CHICKIN

 A girl and a cat on the last morning of 2013.

Our celebration for New Years Eve wasn't going to be the usual late night party, but rather, an afternoon trip to the Century Theater at the Park Lane Mall in Tucson.  Laila has a fascination with dinosaurs, and has been talking about wanting to see the new animated feature film - Walking with Dinosaurs.  A quick check on the computer, showed the non 3D version was playing at 2:30pm.  When we arrived at the theater, the times were all different, and the next showing of the movie was at 6:50pm.  Scratch that idea, what was plan B?

It just so happened that right across from the theater in the mall, was the "Color me Mine" store.  This was something entirely new to me, which just goes to show that you're never too old to learn a new trick.  The basics of this retailer is that you paint your own designs on assorted plain white pottery items.   Then, they kiln fire the pieces, and you end up with a dish, bowl, or whatever, that is ceramic, and safe for the dishwasher, and microwave.  It turned out to be one of those artsy activities more suited for Grandma than Grandpa.

Laila first painted a bowl for her buddy Snoopy, while Grandma worked on a Gecko, or lizard, or something like that.  By the time Laila had finished her second piece, a dragon fly, almost a couple of hours had passed.  What did Grandpa do for 2 hours you say?

Malls, and lots of people aren't exactly on my top 10 list of things to do, but, this particular mall has a large Sears store, and one thing that Sears is famous for is....... you got it - Craftsman Tools.  Yea, an escape from an endless number of retailers that sell nothing but women's clothes, shoes, jewelry, and beauty products.  An escape into a testosterone fueled display of tool boxes, wrenches, ratchets, sockets, screwdrivers, and countless other "guy stuff".   I ended up with a small 3 drawer Craftsman tool box that will take the place of the bigger one that I have in the motor home.  I've been carrying around way too many tools for years, that I never use.     This will be an opportunity to consolidate many of my tools back into the garage, and lighten the load in the RV.

We ended the afternoon at Laila's favorite fast food joint - Chick-Fil-A, then it was back home to the "Last Chance Ranch".  Did we stay up for the New Years celebration you say?  Not a chance!  I can't remember the last time I saw midnight on New Years Eve, and I kept the streak alive last night.  We were all in bed by 9:30pm, and as I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help but think that 2013 was a pretty darn good year in the house of Chance.

2013 REMEMBRANCES

The year 2013 is only hours away from fading into the sunset, and for the most part, it was a good year for us.  We got settled into our new home on the outskirts of Tucson, made an 8,000+ mile trip to Alaska in the motor home, and enjoyed being only minutes away from part of our family.

Even though we made the physical move from Lake Havasu City in late 2012, it was during the early part of this year that we started getting everything organized, including the finishing of a 48'x32' garage to hold all of our stuff.  Due to a county building restriction of 1,500 square feet, I wasn't able to have the garage built large enough to house the motor home, but eventually, it will have a protected parking place under a new metal building on the other side of the house. 

We returned to Alaska after a 6 year absence, and except for a sick kitty (Gracie), and some dental problems, it was a fantastic trip.  We were gone for 5 months, covering a lot of ground, and seeing many old sights, along with some new ones as well.  I think the highlight of the trip was spending over a week in Skagway, Alaska, our old summer home from 2004 - 2007.

For the last several months, we've been busy with projects around the old homestead, and even though there have been times when I felt like firing up the diesel engine in the motor home, we've enjoyed being home, and spending a lot more time with Marc, Chandra, and Laila.

Speaking of Laila, the kids came out for pulled pork sandwiches yesterday evening, and I must admit, with a little of Ray's famous BBQ sauce, they were pretty darn good!  Marc & Chandra are flying to CA this morning, and we have our Granddaughter Laila for the next several days.

A special thanks to Patty's brother Michael, for redesigning the blog header, to include the newest member of our family, the Snoopy cat, along with a new picture of Patty.  I decided to debut the new graphics one day early, and am kind of up in the air regarding the daily morning post schedule that I've been following for quite some time.  The original idea for doing this blog, was to keep our family and friends up to date with our travels, and adventures.  I also wanted to create a written record of part of our life, along with my views and observations regarding a range of subjects.  With each years blog turned into a book, the 2013 book will be the fifth that each of our 3 boys will have received, and that might be just about enough.  I never intended on doing this forever, but, in a way, it's kind of taken on a life of its own, but at some point becomes a bit redundant.  We'll see how the wind blows during the coming year, and in the meantime, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy 2014. 

A WEEK TO GO

By this time next week, we'll be in Indio, CA, at the Western Regional Family Motor Coach Ass'n (FMCA) RV Rally.  Since joining the FMCA Golden Spike Chapter several years ago, this is an event that we have not missed.  I think we have close to 20 rigs signed up, and it's always fun when we get together with our train enthusiast friends.

We've been working on getting the motor home ready to go after being parked for the last 3 months.  I finished sanitizing the fresh water system yesterday, and have about half of the outside either cleaned and/or cleaned and waxed.  Taking our new cat on it's first motor home trip is causing us to be a little bit apprehensive, due to her ability to find the darnedest places to hide.  We've twice taken her out to the RV while working inside, and even though she's been looking for that perfect hiding spot, so far, we haven't had to call out the cavalry to find her.

Starting this evening, we're keeping Laila for the rest of the week, while Mom and Dad take a New Years trip to CA.  When they return this coming weekend, we'll be hitting the road for Indio, Yuma, then Quartzsite. 

I smoked two more pork butts yesterday, and discovered that it takes longer to cook two, than it did one.  I put them both in at 5:30am, and one had reached 180 degrees 12 hours later.  The second one took 13 hours to cook.  By the time they sat wrapped in foil for a couple of hours, and I had finished pulling the meat apart, it was time for bed.  When the kids bring Laila out this evening, guess what's on the dinner menu?  You guessed it, smoked, pulled pork sandwiches.

A PERFECT BUTT

At 3:30pm, 10 hours after going into the Bradley Smoker, the 8lb pork butt had reached an internal temperature of 180 degrees.  The next step was to first wrap it in foil, then in a towel, before putting it in a small ice chest for another 3 hours.  At 6:30, I took it out of the cooler, and started separating the meat from the fat, and the bone.  It was done perfectly, with the meat being tender, moist, and tasting pretty darn good! 

When I had finished, I ended up with about 4 1/2 pounds of nice, stringy pulled pork, from what started out as an 8lb roast.  With a little BBQ sauce,  I think a pulled pork sandwich just might be on the lunch menu today.

 Two more butts went into the smoker at 5:30 this morning.

While the meat was cooking, both Patty and I were busy with different projects on the motor home.  One of my annual chores is to flush out the hot water heater.  The mineral rich water here in Arizona is the source of lots of calcium deposits, not only in places like the water heater, but around faucets, on shower heads, and just about anyplace where you have running water.  This simple hose attachment gets into the drain hole of the water heater, and does a pretty good job of flushing out most of the minerals that have accumulated inside the tank.

The white stuff on the side of the motor home is only a small sample of what came out of the water heater.  

Some water heaters have anode rods that attract the minerals, and the rods have to be changed on a regular basis.  Our brand does not, and this is the process that keeps the tank relatively free of calcium buildup.  I remember one summer in Skagway, Alaska, one of the work campers was complaining that his water heater had stopped working.  When we started to diagnose the problem, I asked him when was the last time he had changed the anode rod.  His reply of "never" gave me a clue as to what was the problem.  When I finally was able to unscrew the drain hole plug , the rod that was supposed to be attached,  had completely disintegrated, and the water heater tank was full of calcium deposits.  We were able to clean it enough to get it working, but I suspect that a new water heater wasn't too far down the road for that RV.  

More maintenance and cleaning today, then a must see football game between the S.F. 49ers, and the AZ Cardinals.