Monday, December 12, 2016

Passing Time

 

Hard to believe another couple of weeks have passed here at McDowell Mountain Park. Been keeping busy with biking and Fearless Kitty. We helped set up for the annual Holiday Pet Festival in Scottsdale on the 3rd, spent a day taking down shelves in the old building and rearranging things in the new building in preparation for the tile being installed this week. That along with our usual days of caring for the cats. Here are just a few of the cuties awaiting a new home. And no, that new home won’t be ours!

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It was time to move sites again last week. Our last site had a great view of sunset over the McDowell Mountains.

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Our current site gives us a view of sunrise over Arizona’s Four Peaks and the Mazatzal Mountain Range.

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And our very own coyote.

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I put up two hummingbird feeders and they are getting lots of use. I’ve been trying to get some good photos of their color, but maybe one in fifty turns out halfway decent. This beautiful Anna’s hummingbird was sitting in the tree where one of the feeders is hanging. He just sat there on a branch and let me take as many shots as I wanted. They are gorgeous when the sunlight catches them just right.

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Couldn’t leave out the finches.

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Friends Alex and Ellen left the park but moved nearby to Eagle View RV Park for a couple months to work on some RV projects with their friend Scott. They are close enough that we’ve been by their place for happy hour, and they’ve come and ridden bikes with us a couple times.

We should know better than to hang around people like them who have big class As, since that got us looking at RVs again. Took a drive to Surprise to check out a 32’ Tiffin, which we both really liked. The owners were very nice and let us drive it. I only went round and round the huge (4,000 unit!) storage lot, but Jim drove down Bell Road and on the 101 for several miles. There is way too much traffic in that part of town so he was not very comfortable, although it is only two feet longer (and taller) and one inch wider than our Lazy Daze. Sitting up so high with that giant windshield was a bit intimidating for the first time. As usual, we will probably do nothing, but it’s something we would enjoy having as we sit for awhile in one place, and I imagine we could get used to driving it eventually.

We would really miss our big windows, though, especially since we got them de-fogged.

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One day we were eating lunch and noticed a car with bicycles on the back slowly going by our site. They stopped and Jim walked out to see if it was someone we knew. Turned out to be Mike and Deb, from Trekking With The Bs. They are staying at an RV park in Mesa, as she is still working part time, but they’ll be here at McDowell for a few days in January before we leave. Look forward to visiting more with them then.

Last Thursday we took a drive to Mesa to do laundry, and then met Debbie for lunch at San Tan Brewery in Chandler, which is halfway between McDowell and Casa Grande, where she is staying. Always fun to catch up, and we even took a couple photos for her mom!

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Jim went back to the Mayo Clinic for blood tests, which were all normal. He and Alex are the same age, and they were complaining about lack of stamina and being tired. Their standing joke now is “Remember, you’re not 66 any more”. Ellen and I, who are both soon to be 62, joked that we should have married younger men. Smile

If I don’t get around to posting again before Christmas. hope everyone enjoys the holiday season, no matter how you celebrate it!

29 comments:

  1. Stunning hummer photo!!!!! Nothing wrong with the focus on that!!!
    The cats are nice too :)
    Box Canyon Mark

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  2. Good to hear all is well. We are doing a lot of southwest-type thinking as our departure date nears. Love the view from your windows! Need to remember to pack the tiny hummingbird feeder we found in NM.
    My David has finally started on Eliquis and he's sleeping with a CPAP....both seem to working for him.
    Hope our stomping grounds fall close to yours sometime this winter.
    Plan to resurrect the blog soon.

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    1. Glad to hear the Eliquis is working for David. Nice not to have to monitor his diet and get frequent blood work.
      Hope to see you again sometime this winter!

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  3. Your hummingbird photos are spectacular. That was nice of him to pose for you. Also like the pictures of Debbie. Did Alex put the new bike saddle on his mountain bike? Does he like it? It's amazingly beautiful there.
    Allison (on Jim's laptop)

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  4. WOW...We wouldn't want to let Bella out alone with that coyote.
    Gorgeous photo of your hummingbird. Beautiful.
    HAHAHA...I think we women get younger, and the men age too fast. Don't tell Paul I said that.

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  5. That orange kitten in the sink is so cute it hurts me. Not sure I would be able to escape without her/him.......

    Jim on Allison's computer

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  6. So great to see Debbie back on the blog again. ;-) Fantastic shot of that gorgeous hummingbird! I've never seen one that close up before.

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  7. Do you and Deb go to the same hairdresser? I lust for that lovely cut!!

    Virtual hugs,

    Judie

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    1. Hi Judie, luckily a bob is pretty hard to screw up, so you can walk in almost anywhere and get a decent haircut. I cut my own bangs in between so I only get a "real" cut a few times a year. Always a challenge for those of us who don't stay in one place very long.

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  8. Fearless Kitty looks like a great shelter, so homey. I think I could work there and not feel like I needed to take every cat home. Love the kitty in the sink:) Another beautiful site:) Sunrise sites don't work for us though...haha! The photo of the hummer is wonderful!! Such beautiful color details.

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    1. Jim doesn't see too many sunrises, either, but it doesn't rise until 7:30, and I am usually up by then. Without cats to wake me up, I am staying in bed much later than I used to!

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  9. Those are some great photos. Sounds as if life at McDowell is going well for you guys. Maybe you should consider just skipping the class A and going straight to the park model 😉

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  10. That first kitty looks like my Rosie!

    Beautiful hummer shots!

    Sounds like you're having a great stay in McDowell...Happy holidays to you both!

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    1. Yes, that does look like Rosie. Her name is Mustacha, and she is very shy but sweet.

      Hope you're enjoying your time back in San Diego!

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  11. We started with a 21 foot Terry with no pull outs and still have it. It needs some repairs to be live in worthy but we could still use it as is. We got a huge Raptor toy hauler a couple of years ago (used at a steal of a price). Right now it is home base but does not get mover and we have decided it is WAY to big to hit the road. Now we are thinking motor home and not so big. Looks like we are going to have some serious changes in this coming year and might need to be mobile. I have followed your blog for some time and think the size you have is good because small means you can go more places and there is less to keep up.

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    1. We do like the size of the Lazy Daze for driving around, but it would be nice to have slides, bigger holding tanks, and a bit more storage without having to worry about being overweight. Everything is a compromise.

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  12. Darling kitties and gorgeous hummer! Nice to be in one park, even with a few short moves, long enough to do some volunteer work and meet up with friends nearby. Those views are beautiful. We love our big IMAX windshield while traveling, and most of the time when we're parked, but your side windows are wonderful!

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    1. I do really enjoy volunteering at cat shelters. Fearless Kitty is so nice it almost makes me want to live in Fountain Hills. In fact it's on our short list!

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  13. We enjoyed our visit with you. We don't usually just drop in but when we saw your Lazy Daze across the campground, we had to say hi. If you get a new class A, leave the present RV picture up to avoid stalkers. Great hummer picture.

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    1. We really don't have too many stalkers, and we don't mind people just dropping by. Hope to see you next month!

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  14. I'd want to take every kitty home. I'm more about sunsets also but get to see a few rises during winter. Those hummer shots are superb! Is there really the "perfect" RV. The longer we live in them the more of them we seem to try. Merry Christmas to you both!

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  15. Hi Gayle & Jim: looking at something with more room is SO desirable but there is just nothing out there like a LD (that we can afford!). Are you still planning to stop in at Q? We're hoping to meet you two at Q.

    Barbara

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  16. I am just now trying to get caught up with everyone's posts. I don't know where the time goes. Love your kitty photos and happy to hear that you have resisted so far. We hope you and Jim have a wonderful holiday and that the new year is full of wonderful adventures. Glad to hear that Jim's blood tests turns out fine.

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  17. The hummer shots are the Best! but of course the kitties are adorable.
    I remembered our stay at McDowell and missed all those gorgeous sunrises and sunsets!

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  18. The hummer shots are the Best! but of course the kitties are adorable.
    I remembered our stay at McDowell and missed all those gorgeous sunrises and sunsets!

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  19. We just re-entered the full-time lifestyle. We originally owned a 40ft Dutch Star. We loved it but when we came off the road we sold it. Mike (my husband) lost the vision in his left eye so this time we are trying something smaller....the molded fiberglass Oliver. It is awesome but much smaller. The upside....we can park it anywhere and with the solar we can be self-contained (although tanks are smaller). Its all compromise.
    Love the hummer pictures....beautiful!!!

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  20. Love your photography. I just wanted to visit using the link you provided in Freethinkers.

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