Month: February 2017

Parker, AZ.  Our newest campsite is serene and much different than the Quartzsite and Bouse areas. In just 26 miles from Bouse the rocky ground, ironwood trees, palo verde, saguaro and greasewood give way to sand and greasewood with a few dry bunches of some type of grass mixed in here and there. We’ve only been here a couple of days and after the initial run through town I discovered they have a Walmart and a McDonalds with excellent Wi-Fi so I will be able to get the hotspot/phone sorted out and stock up on supplies . First, though, I plan on taking a couple of days at our campsite before I rush into town to deal with that. I will ask about a dog park, too.

In the mean time I am experimenting with leaving Burger off leash on our walks. He’s doing pretty good, but tends to panic a bit when he dallies behind us and then realizes we have walked on.  Hollering for him doesn’t work well as his hearing is getting worse, but waving of arms to catch his attention works as long as his one good eye catches the motion.  Hoping this new-found bit of freedom will do the old boy good. I won’t go into details but he’s been a bit of a pill over the course of our adventure. I will say I’ve been more than a little irritated with him on more than one occasion.

It’s pretty cool today, in the lower 60s, down from mid 70s back in Bouse and the sky is rich with clouds,  “mare’s tails”,  a type of cirrus cloud which are made up of ice crystals and serve as a warning of an approaching warm front and a possible storm.

UPDATE: We have INTERNET access now!  Wow, what an ordeal trying to get the hotspot from the phone working. It took many sessions with support over several days as I kept losing connection with them while still in Bouse, but McDonald’s here in Parker was the ticket to getting it sorted out.  I am dearly grateful for public Wi-Fi right now! 

Thanks for stopping by 2Dogs!

We leave Plomosa Camp near Q and head to Bouse again.  The ocotillo is almost finished blooming, but I found one bloom hanging on for dear life.  It’s a beautiful drive on the cut-off road between the two towns.

We didn’t get that dire sandstorm prediction from our neighbor in Plomosa, but it did show up in Bouse our second day back.

 The wind, gusty and grit filled, slowly obscures the Plomosa Mountains.  If you didn’t know they were there it would be almost impossible to make them out.  Eyes tired from staring at the slide screen all day during the genealogy class I signed up for and scratchy from the dust in the air I drive our vome back to the campsite glad I had taken the time on breaks and during lunch to let the boys run in the huge Bouse Dog Park; I know I don’t have it in me to walk them this Lying on the bed listening to the wind huCamprl sand into Freedom’s side and being gently rocked to and fro with the higher velocity blasts is very soothing. I think the sand swirling in the higher atmosphere gave us the dramatic sunset the next day.

 I think about having to leave–I do eventually have to make my way back to Far Northern California and begin cleanup and repairs from all the snow and rain they have had to contend with this endless winter, but it won’t be this week. I plan to stay on idle for a few days before I make any plans … and getting back to Cali will take me a month so it’s not a rush deal by any means. Just thinking and just thankful that it was only the yard that flooded and the house was spared. The sun room got thrashed again, but it could have been far worse.  My granddaughter sent these photos:

I look at that ugly blue shed thing surrounded by water and have to laugh. My son asked me when I was going to take that thing down and I told him when my grandson was too old to want to play in it. I think he’s past that age now, but it’s still there.

As I contemplate a very laid back evening my tired eyes see a bowlegged modern cowboy walking what looks like a black rooster. Surely not; it must be some very small dog breed with a fluffy tail … It must be, but who knows. My eyes and brain are extremely tired, but back in Quartzsite I saw a monkey in a diaper riding on a woman’s shoulder as they headed inside the local hardware store so really nothing is out of the realm of possibility.

I have yet to get the hotspot working with my new phone subscription so I will stay in Bouse at least over the weekend. Perhaps I can get online again at the library if they leave it on after hours and try to get that little irritant sorted out.  Internet isn’t very reliable anywhere in Bouse.

I have discovered I do not miss Facebook, but I feel isolated and out of sorts without internet and getting email.  Thanks for stopping by 2Dogs! Hugs, Shawna

 CURRENT READ: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

 

 

 

Dang! Procrastination was never a good thing, for me in particular, but I didn’t realize my memory card was almost full and I missed some fantastic sunset shots at La Plomosa Camp, a few miles north of Quartzsite.  The show started in the east with these sweet tinges of pink.

Right after I took this last shot I turned to the west and tried to grab the deepest reddish/orange skyline I have ever seen . It stretched across the entire western horizon and was truly stunning. It wasn’t until I tried to capture it on film that I found out my memory card was full! I didn’t get the shots but I fully enjoyed almost a half hour of the continuing show.

  Thanks for stopping by 2Dogs.  Hugs, Shawna

It was a tough night; too WARM to sleep well until about time to get up. I’m sure you know how that goes.  Actually, I got up a bit earlier than usual because I was too warm and it was serendipity. The full moon was setting on the western horizon.  Big, beautiful, gorgeous view.  The photo isn’t very good and certainly doesn’t do it justice but I knew I would miss it if I took the time to get the tripod set up.

Then a quick walk around our little area at Plomosa with the dogs so they can relieve themselves while the coffee brews in the French press.  An insulated, lidded tumbler full to start the morning off right and the rest goes in the thermos for later. We’re off to the library for some internet and then to the dog park.

I switched things up a bit this morning and put the dog park second on the list.  The bowsers were none too happy about that but they settled down and let me get my computer things taken care of in relative peace.  They only growled and barked at a couple of people who dared to say hello to them through the van’s passenger side window.  Their turn came and as usual they loved seeing their park buddies.

The rest of our morning consisted of watching the radio controlled airplanes dip and swirl, climb and dive during the annual RCA Fly In at the RCA air park located next to the dog park. I couldn’t get a shot of the “jet” someone was flying, but it was fun to watch and even sounded like a jet.  This little plane in the photo did some wonderful dives and other maneuvers.

While all of the sights and sounds of the air show kept everyone looking up, the dogs greeted every furry face that showed up with happy dog behavior and the usual greetings.

 

 The big boys have their own section

 

Meet Lucky, one of my favorites at the park. He’s there almost every morning with his dad, Terry, a sweet, intelligent veteran that rescued this cutie a couple of years ago. Lucky is a glen malin terrier and he is one sweet pooch.  He ambles over to the gate, toes pointed out in glen terrier fashion, the minute the boys and I pull up to welcome us back.   Not sure I have the correct spelling for this breed …

The boys and I appreciate your continued interest in our adventures. Hugs, Shawna

Our time back in Q is rapidly coming to a close, although we will make one more camp somewhere while I wait for my Cricket phone/hotspot to arrive. I  want to take the genealogy workshop I signed up for over in Bouse—that’s where we will head in a few days—but from there, once that is over, I am not sure where the wind will blow us. I like that downtrodden, sad little town, but the internet is terrible there.  Maybe the Cricket will be the answer. Like Jack Keurac says, “There was no place to go but everywhere so just keep on rolling under the stars” …   We have about six more weeks of our little adventure left and I want to take my sweet time on the trip back.

I have a plan!  It isn’t set in stone yet, but it’s a route that I would like to take back to northern California rather than go through Las Vegas again and back the way we came. Of course that’s not until toward the middle of March so there’s plenty of time to think about it.

Where does a cactus grow when it’s afraid of sunshine?

Snuggled beside a tree of course!

Interesting ironwood tree

and I love these saguaro cacti with the moon in between them

Happy trails!  Thanks for joining us at 2DogsTravel. Hugs, Shawna

CURRENT READ:  And Then She Was GONE, Christopher Greyson

WHAT’S IN THE NIGHT SKY:  You can still view Venus, the Evening Star, in the western sky. She appears before sunset, and starts out as a pinpoint that appears to get larger and larger as the sunset settles into dusk and then into night. Look for her early though; by about 8:45 she has dropped below the horizon. Also on display are Jupiter in the late evening and Saturn in the southwestern sky during the predawn hours. Mars is still near Venus in the early evening, but small and above Venus.

 

We’re back in Quartzsite in the Scaddan wash area, only closer to town than we were before. We can actually hear all the traffic from I-10, but I find it doesn’t bother me. Coming for a visit? Once you turn into the Scaddan, turn left and travel about ¼ mile, bear right at the yellow cowboy boot, then take the first dirt drive to the right past the saguaro cactus wearing a cowboy hat.  J  I was too into the rest and relaxation mode and didn’t get pictures of this, but just imagine J

Sunday we lazed about. The dogs napped all day and I read most of the day.  Monday we drove to town and I did laundry and bought water, then it was some time at the dog park for the boys, then some time at the library for me checking on a few things. Then back to the dog park. The Chiweenie Brothers are doing so well in the socialization department.   More times than not now it’s someone else’s dog(s) that are the troublemakers! Wonders never cease.

We will be here for a couple of weeks then we’re off to Bouse once again. We will check out a place I was told the internet is better, and only just a mile or so north of town.  More than that, though, the Bouse genealogy society is putting on a workshop mid-month and I would really like to attend that. 

It was a beautiful start to a beautiful day.

When Fries gets “THAT LOOK” you’re about to get your eye poked with that nose.

Hugs, Shawna

What’s in the sky in February: The moon is sweeping past the planets Venus and Mars in the western sky after sunset.  Venus rules in the evening sky while Jupiter holds court over the morning sky.  Find Venus in the west first thing at dusk, and be sure to watch February 17 when she shines her brightest. Look for Jupiter, the second-brightest planet, late evening and sunrise. Mars is near Venus in the evening sky, but it’s higher up and much fainter than Venus, and sets in the west shortly after Venus does around mid-evening. Saturn appears in the southeastern sky during the predawn hours. Mercury is succumbing to the glare of the rising sun.

Our time here needs to come to a close because I have to get to hitting this keyboard for profit not fun. Without a decent internet connection I can’t do that so we will head back to Q for a couple of weeks.

Before we leave, though, a visit to the military display along Main Street is in order. Camp Bouse historical photos and tank display on Main Street.  Read all about Camp Bouse  HERE.

 

Thanks for stopping by 2Dogs!  We appreciate your readership more than you know. Hugs, Shawna

When we don’t go into town and Burger and The Chiweenie Brothers aren’t treated to a visit to the dog park, at least a couple walks a day are the norm.  The nearby dry gullies and washes are where we head. I promised myself that I wouldn’t collect any rocks, but it proved to be just too tempting.  It’s crazy—I know what I am going to do when I get back to Burney—and to haul rocks home is, well, crazy, but like I said they’re too tempting. I will be reasonable, though, and take just a few, ‘K?

The ironwood tree grows big a gnarly here and is prized by those who carve wood and otherwise make beautiful wooden things. Ironwood is a good name for it as they say it’s one of the toughest woods around.  Learn more about it HERE.

 

We got FROST two mornings in a row; seems to be colder than normal everywhere in the west.

Thanks so much for visiting 2DogsTravel, and welcome to the new readers!  Hugs, Shawna