Ahhhhhh........

We are relaxing after a visit from my wife's birth mother, her husband and our daughter.  It's amazing how much tension and stress can be caused by a visit you want; by people you love.  Guess that won't be news to anyone but jeez, it really is amazing!

We did to one thing that was really great; took the in-laws  over to Red Rock Natl. Conservation Area.  Here's a link.  Actually I was amazed at the number of people but I guess a nice spring day was a big draw.  Another thing I wasn't expecting was to be able to see climbers on the rock.  I'll close with a couple of photos.

A shot of some of the red rock; check out the dark rock in the middle of the frame.

Here is a closeup of the dark rock in the center of the first picture - see the climber?

(Men, women and family) Can't live with them; can't live without them.  Anon!

Kinda normal stuff

Got the trailer back the other day; the dealer is waiting to get the new flooring so doesn't want our trailer sitting there for weeks on end.  I can sympathize so brought it back.  Was lucky and it was a nice day; not too windy and no snow.  

It's pretty different hooking up by one's self.  Almost makes you want a motorhome!  LOL  Well, it really wasn't that tough.  From the time the guy got the trailer out where I could hook up until the time I left the lot was only 20 minutes; and that included me having to get him to raise the hitch.  Let me explain.  The trailer hitch has a motor to lift it but the leg isn't long enough to raise it to the height of the hitch ball unless it is supported by several inches of wood (one of the disadvantages of having a 4x4).  The guy put 4 layers of 2x4 under the leg but it wasn't quite enough; the tow ball hit the hitch rather than going under it.  So he came out again and raised the hitch with his tractor and added another layer of 2x4.  Backed up and got hooked up.  It really wasn't that tough; makes me wonder why my wife has such a problem backing me up but I guess that's another post! 

Now we are preparing for a visit from my wife's birth mother & her husband.  He's a fabulous guy; she's a ticking bomb; sometimes she's fine, sometimes she goes off on you.  I'm sure most people know someone like that.  Anyway, we are cleaning up things and getting prepared.  The husband has diabetes (and other health problems) so we want to be careful about what we serve.  We are still planning on corned beef & cabbage on St. Paddy's Day - not Catholic or even christian but we know a good meal when we hear it.

Hope things are good for you!

"You will be safest in the middle."  Ovid

Good timing!

Yesterday we took the trailer over for service; it was a very sunny 60 degree day. The rig will need to stay there a while until the maker can tell the dealer what they intend to do about the damaged floor.  They will either be able to patch it or they will have to replace the whole thing. Either way will work for us as long as it looks good when they are done.

This morning I woke to find snow here in the valley floor. Chains or snowtires were required for the pass between us and Vegas so I'm pretty happy about our trip being yesterday! My timing isn't always that good.  I'm originally from Iowa so I can drive in the snow but the combination of the pass, the idiots driving the other cars and towing a big trailer would keep me home.

The photo is of the house across the street and was taken about 08:30 this morning.  The snow sure looks nasty doesn't it.  Of course, by noon the snow was all gone and now the sun is out warming things up.  It will be muddy for a few days though.  Hope you are having a good one.

"And now there came both mist and snow,
And it grew wondrous cold:"
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Nuttin Much

Got all cleaned up and dressed up for jury duty only to find that the person had plea-bargained and there wasn't going to be a trial. Oh well, it actually worked well for me. Got a few errands done early.

Have an appointment to take the trailer in (much later) for service. Have to get the slide fixed and we'll see what they propose for the floor. We are flexible but want the thing to look good. Heartland is supposed to be a good company and our dealer, Johnie Walker a good dealer, so we are hopeful.

It's been raining again in the desert; I fell asleep about 21:00 last night and my wife says it was really raining when she took the dog out. I've put two gallons of weedkiller down; probably only about 15 gallons to go! The clouds today were great. First they were in little layers around the mountains; then swooping down on the desert floor; then encompassing the mountain tops. Just nature putting on a show for us.

(Hmm, wanted to insert a photo here but Blogger has changed something. I'll have to figure that out again.) Have a good one!


"The only solid piece of scientific truth about which I feel totally confident is that we are profoundly ignorant about nature..." Lewis Thomas

Glad to be home...

We are both enjoying being home. Went to our favorite pizza place; went to the casino for breakfast and a little gambling; just doing all the usual stuff. My wife had the video recorder going while we were gone; recorded probably more than 20 hours a week so she's glued to the tv. I am catching up on all the blogs, etc. that I waste my day on. Then we got the mail....

There was a registered letter for me from the Sheriff: I've got jury duty starting tomorrow! It's only my second time, the last time was about 1985, so I guess it isn't that onerous. Besides, it's a good excuse to delay taking the trailer to be fixed. I'm enjoying driving something that's under 50 feet long.

Today I spent an hour or so out spraying weed killer on our rocks. All the rain this winter has brought out a fantastic crop of the little buggers and they are (wait for it...) growing like weeds! There are tons of them; I'll be headed off to the store for more weed killer after jury duty tomorrow. It's the nice season here in the desert, I did my spraying in my shirtsleeves. We are still wearing jeans but it's going to be shorts season soon.

Gotta go. Have a good one.

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered." Ralph Waldo Emerson