Quartzsite Pictures

We finally made it to the big tent on Tuesday to do a little shopping. The crowds were pretty thin until after lunch.

Working hard, staying up late to finish business and freezing in a cold spot in the big tent, Chris still has a big smile and hugs for all!

Michelin Man is almost too big to fit in my camera frame.

Don was happier than a pig in s**t, eating his favorite Quartzsite turkey leg and sharing laughs with his good buddy Frank!

Later we escaped the crowds and drove out to Plomosa Rd. to visit more friends. Carol keeps her car spotlessly clean, even out in the desert.

Rainbow had something to say about the sun shining on her tent.

Nice fire rings – one of them used to be ours but we found we didn’t use it much, so we sold it to make room for dialysis supplies.

It was great to see Jean and Claudette, who toured Alaska with us a few years ago.

Cody wanted to get up in his Mom Sandy’s lap.

He left a cute design on her jeans.

Rainbow just observed quietly from her safe perch.

We stopped to see some friends at the gathering of SKP chapters 6 & 21.

Bunny’s chair was being sacrificed for the bonfire. Is that an ancient ritual?

Bruce’s shirt made a statement.

Here’s everything we needed to know about the Polar Bear and Hobo Stew party planned for Wednesday.

Don had a dialysis session in Blythe on Wednesday, so I caught a ride with Mark & Dortha Hall.

The weather was perfect, and the long line moved quickly to get a bowl of hearty hobo stew.

It was good to see Susie again, but Denny was under the weather and didn’t come out.

The line for polar bears (an adult beverage) didn’t move as fast because people wanted to stand around sipping and chatting.

It was nice to see lots of friends, including one of my RV Driving School students, Ginger and her hubby Herb.

Don thought he might come out later, but he called on his way home from Blythe and said he needed to eat pretty soon. I didn’t know if there was any hobo stew left, but it contained a lot of things on his diet’s “avoid” list. So I rode back with Mark & Dortha. Don and I then went to Mountain Quail Cafe and ate at the counter so we could get in quickly. There were several large parties, including some people we know, that couldn’t get tables – similar to our previous experience. The restaurant has good food, but not enough wait staff for this busy time of year.

Visiting, Sat Dish, and a Dog Sweater

While Don was in Blythe on Friday for his dialysis session, Jan & Bill Mains came for a visit after dropping off their 5th wheel for installation of a satellite dish like the one we bought. Gigi made a new friend. She stayed in Bill’s lap for the whole visit!

Our neighborhood is getting busier. When we first arrived, there were no RVs anywhere near us. Stu & Sandy arrived and parked on our patio side.

We now have RVs on all but our driver’s side.

The one in front of us is actually nose-to-nose! I hope they aren’t staying very long, as we might have trouble getting out.

And the rest of the neighborhood is filling as well.

This morning we saw the final end of an era. We got rid of our DataStorm satellite dish. We haven’t used it much for the past 2-3 years because it was terribly slow, support was non-existent, and we mainly use my smart phone now as a WiFi hotspot. But Don had some money invested in the dish and other equipment, and it took awhile for him to realize he wasn’t going to get any more service out of it. Lately, it has just been an extra 120 pounds of dead weight we’ve been carrying around. Steve O’Bosky installed the dish, originally on our 2008 Phaeton, then moved it to our 2012 Phaeton. He and Dennis Hill came over this morning to take it off the roof. Rather, Dennis supervised while Steve took it off.

Carol was ready to catch it. Right!

When Steve had the dish unscrewed from the base plate, he and Dennis practiced the 1-2-3 motion to toss it off the roof.

One…

Two…

Three!

They lifted it into the back of our truck and helped Don take it to the dumpster.

Steve took the box of controller equipment we no longer need as he might be able to use some of that in his satellite business.

Meanwhile, Carol and I visited with Sandy while we tried to stay warm in the sunshine as the wind was blowing just enough to make us feel chilly. Sandy’s sweatshirt says “Snow Happens.”

By the way, did you notice Gigi is wearing her new sweater? It’s a little big on her, but it’s really warm and she was ready to get it on as soon as I took her outside. I keep saying I’m not going to knit or crochet anything that needs to fit again, then I go against my pledge. I don’t think Gigi minds, as the wool blend helps her stay warm.

We have been enjoying the sunsets here, but I haven’t had my camera handy to catch any of the scenes at the right time. I caught this one with my phone camera, and it’s not too bad. This was right after finishing dinner with Gloria & Frank (sorry, no picture) at Heaven’s Kitchen BBQ.

Today we drove to the RV Driving School parking area and enjoyed a nice visit with George & Valerie Mayleben who we hadn’t seen in quite a while. We hope to join them for the potluck dinner they are hosting on Saturday.