Yep, today is the day. If you don't believe me, look at last year's post, or the year before, whenever the big mnemonic debate ran. Peggie called Becky today and wasn't told it was the wrong day, so it was confirmed at the source.
In honor of the big event, we actually got the hitch installed today. Yes, there were a few hitches in our git-along over the installation. But it is done, now. Tomorrow begins the adventure of resetting the level of the trailer to match the height of the new truck. 4x4's are taller, you know.
At some point we will be ready to head for the (relatively) cool mountains. We will wait until after the Independence Day crowds (pronounced i-de-its) have returned to their urban environs, hopefully without setting our haven afire.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
The Monsoon
Or is it the mon-not-so-soon?
The weather people used to have a complicated process for deciding when the Arizona monsoon season officially started. It had something to do with dewpoint and elapsed time and could only be identified some number of days after the fact. It was like figuring out when Easter will be without access to a lunar calendar.
Now, they have a day in mind. It is June 15th.
For the uninitiated, the monsoon is our summer rainy season. It is when, if conditions are right, we get thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are area specific, and of variable size and intensity. From any particular vantage point you may see rain falling somewhere else, but not get a drop where you are. The normally dry streambed could become a raging muddy river of runoff from a thunderstorm "over there, somewhere." Or, you could be subjected to a frog-drowning, zero-visibility downpour that starts with grape-sized hail and features gale-force winds that rip off your roof, or overturn semis. And it might last five minutes or an hour. It can happen three times a day, or not once in three weeks. When it does rain, it cools the air and smells terrific. When it doesn't rain, the humidity is like New Orleans (that means you sweat, but there is no evaporation, so you don't get cooled).
The right conditions involve a more-or-less stationary high-pressure system over Colorado and a more-or-less stationary low-pressure system over Mexico. The two systems together suck up moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and funnel it into Arizona. When it runs into the mountains the rising hot air cools and forms clouds. This can cause rain. But it can also just cause a rapid downdraft of cooled air which can create haboobs. Haboobs are massive fast-moving dust storms that can be many miles wide. They reduce visibility, causing pileups on the highways, and can scour the paint right off a car.
Anyway, our monsoon is now 10 days in and we have had only one passing thundercloud that gave us a trace of rain. Imagine your mouth is dry, your throat is parched, you stopped sweating an hour ago (because you have no more moisture in your body) but you spot a water bottle. You eagerly tip the bottle to your mouth and two teaspoons of water drip out. That is the kind of rain we had on the 16th. Yesterday there was some attempt by the clouds to gather into serious accumulations. They murmured a little thunder, but passed by without relinquishing any of their precious water.
The mon-not-so-soon is underway.
The weather people used to have a complicated process for deciding when the Arizona monsoon season officially started. It had something to do with dewpoint and elapsed time and could only be identified some number of days after the fact. It was like figuring out when Easter will be without access to a lunar calendar.
Now, they have a day in mind. It is June 15th.
For the uninitiated, the monsoon is our summer rainy season. It is when, if conditions are right, we get thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are area specific, and of variable size and intensity. From any particular vantage point you may see rain falling somewhere else, but not get a drop where you are. The normally dry streambed could become a raging muddy river of runoff from a thunderstorm "over there, somewhere." Or, you could be subjected to a frog-drowning, zero-visibility downpour that starts with grape-sized hail and features gale-force winds that rip off your roof, or overturn semis. And it might last five minutes or an hour. It can happen three times a day, or not once in three weeks. When it does rain, it cools the air and smells terrific. When it doesn't rain, the humidity is like New Orleans (that means you sweat, but there is no evaporation, so you don't get cooled).
The right conditions involve a more-or-less stationary high-pressure system over Colorado and a more-or-less stationary low-pressure system over Mexico. The two systems together suck up moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and funnel it into Arizona. When it runs into the mountains the rising hot air cools and forms clouds. This can cause rain. But it can also just cause a rapid downdraft of cooled air which can create haboobs. Haboobs are massive fast-moving dust storms that can be many miles wide. They reduce visibility, causing pileups on the highways, and can scour the paint right off a car.
Anyway, our monsoon is now 10 days in and we have had only one passing thundercloud that gave us a trace of rain. Imagine your mouth is dry, your throat is parched, you stopped sweating an hour ago (because you have no more moisture in your body) but you spot a water bottle. You eagerly tip the bottle to your mouth and two teaspoons of water drip out. That is the kind of rain we had on the 16th. Yesterday there was some attempt by the clouds to gather into serious accumulations. They murmured a little thunder, but passed by without relinquishing any of their precious water.
The mon-not-so-soon is underway.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Happy Solstice
Today is the Summer Solstice, the day of longest sunlight, and the official start of summer. Hah!
Summer is well under way in the Arizona desert. Tucson will hit 104, and Phoenix is going to melt into the sand. Sadly, three people have died from the heat in Tucson already. All of them were out of town visitors who probably didn't fully realize the true dangers and didn't recognize the symptoms of heat prostration.
Two of them were hikers, and the third was working construction in a parking lot.
On our walk last evening, we once again spotted the red-tail hawk on the power pole. He had a snake for dinner. We couldn't tell what kind of snake due to the low light and the fact that the hawk flew away as we approached. He took the snake with him, and we turned off, so he wouldn't feel compelled to fly again, perhaps losing his meal in the process.
Tonight, we will leave our shiny (washed it last night) new truck to have the fifth-wheel hitch installed tomorrow. It is an auto-slide hitch that moves to the rear during tight turns so we won't break any more rear windows out of the truck by having the corner of the trailer impact it. We are keeping our fingers crossed that no glitches will interfere.
Today, Peggie is getting measurements of the wall space at The Source, a salon that will host her fiber arts groups' display and sale in October. She is happily working on some pieces for that and other up-coming shows.
Summer is well under way in the Arizona desert. Tucson will hit 104, and Phoenix is going to melt into the sand. Sadly, three people have died from the heat in Tucson already. All of them were out of town visitors who probably didn't fully realize the true dangers and didn't recognize the symptoms of heat prostration.
Two of them were hikers, and the third was working construction in a parking lot.
On our walk last evening, we once again spotted the red-tail hawk on the power pole. He had a snake for dinner. We couldn't tell what kind of snake due to the low light and the fact that the hawk flew away as we approached. He took the snake with him, and we turned off, so he wouldn't feel compelled to fly again, perhaps losing his meal in the process.
Tonight, we will leave our shiny (washed it last night) new truck to have the fifth-wheel hitch installed tomorrow. It is an auto-slide hitch that moves to the rear during tight turns so we won't break any more rear windows out of the truck by having the corner of the trailer impact it. We are keeping our fingers crossed that no glitches will interfere.
Today, Peggie is getting measurements of the wall space at The Source, a salon that will host her fiber arts groups' display and sale in October. She is happily working on some pieces for that and other up-coming shows.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Happy Birthday, Greg!
Oops, I'm a bit late. You were born at 11:01 and I see that my clock says 11:06. What a great day. I'm so glad you were born!!!
Have a wonderful Birthday and Father's Day!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
ALERT!! Tomorrow is a Special Day.
Tomorrow, June 17th, is Father's Day.
Happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there.
And for those of you who have fathers, this is your last minute reminder to contact Dear Old Dad.
Not my children, though. They are already great at remembering important events. Like our anniversary, on July 25th, and my birthday, on August 16th, and Christmas, on December 25th. My children and family and friends are all great at remembering these things. So thank you all. Oh, and, of course, Peggie's birthday on December 28th. And Mother's Day, on May something.
This Father's Day has the added significance of being Greg's birthday. This is the seventh time the two have fallen on the same day since 1979, when he was born on Father's Day, allowing me to celebrate at the earliest possible opportunity.
Happy Birthday Greg. Don't let Ariana get away with just one card or gift. One for each occasion is appropriate even when they fall on the same day! Get her used to it while she is young.
Casey, I got the sun-viewing-glasses and enjoyed watching Venus transit the sun. I made the mistake of using binoculars, though. It made for a better view, but each time, they focused the light and burned a pinhole in the plastic lenses. It took me five pinholes to figure it out. So next time I watch Venus cross the sun I will know better.
Greg, the truck swelled to just the right size. We use it for all our driving needs. I am worried that the current dry conditions will cause it to shrink back to Matchbox size. Should I add more water? I lost the instructions.
Happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there.
And for those of you who have fathers, this is your last minute reminder to contact Dear Old Dad.
Not my children, though. They are already great at remembering important events. Like our anniversary, on July 25th, and my birthday, on August 16th, and Christmas, on December 25th. My children and family and friends are all great at remembering these things. So thank you all. Oh, and, of course, Peggie's birthday on December 28th. And Mother's Day, on May something.
This Father's Day has the added significance of being Greg's birthday. This is the seventh time the two have fallen on the same day since 1979, when he was born on Father's Day, allowing me to celebrate at the earliest possible opportunity.
Happy Birthday Greg. Don't let Ariana get away with just one card or gift. One for each occasion is appropriate even when they fall on the same day! Get her used to it while she is young.
Casey, I got the sun-viewing-glasses and enjoyed watching Venus transit the sun. I made the mistake of using binoculars, though. It made for a better view, but each time, they focused the light and burned a pinhole in the plastic lenses. It took me five pinholes to figure it out. So next time I watch Venus cross the sun I will know better.
Greg, the truck swelled to just the right size. We use it for all our driving needs. I am worried that the current dry conditions will cause it to shrink back to Matchbox size. Should I add more water? I lost the instructions.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Normal?
Is there such a thing as "normal?"
If there is, that's where we are. Or, it's what we're doing. Or, it's how we are.
Anyway, for Tucson in June, it is HOT!!
Air conditioning makes indoors the place to be. The heat makes nothing the thing to be doing. And we are doing a good job of it. We try to put off outdoor chores and errands until evening or early morning, and combine them to reduce exposure. We take walks after sunset. We have seen another diamondback. We frequently see the "s" trail across the dirt road so there are more of them out there. The resident red tail hawk seems to have moved away.
Peggie's creativity is active. She is designing work to put in the various shows her artists' group has coming up in the next twelve months. Yesterday, we restored her studio to work-in mode, instead of go-away-for-the-season mode. The outdoor sink has proven to be the useful appliance she wanted when dying fabric. The rail plates and other rusty objects are making interesting designs.
So, for now, normal is the new adventure.
If there is, that's where we are. Or, it's what we're doing. Or, it's how we are.
Anyway, for Tucson in June, it is HOT!!
Air conditioning makes indoors the place to be. The heat makes nothing the thing to be doing. And we are doing a good job of it. We try to put off outdoor chores and errands until evening or early morning, and combine them to reduce exposure. We take walks after sunset. We have seen another diamondback. We frequently see the "s" trail across the dirt road so there are more of them out there. The resident red tail hawk seems to have moved away.
Peggie's creativity is active. She is designing work to put in the various shows her artists' group has coming up in the next twelve months. Yesterday, we restored her studio to work-in mode, instead of go-away-for-the-season mode. The outdoor sink has proven to be the useful appliance she wanted when dying fabric. The rail plates and other rusty objects are making interesting designs.
So, for now, normal is the new adventure.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Flexible? We are as raw pretzel dough.
Well, that was a thrilling ride!
The promise of a short season in Skagway was greatly exaggerated as it turns out.
At least, we think it has turned out.
For two weeks, we've been back and forth. On Tuesday night we packed everything but clothes and refrigerated foods into the new truck. With an hour for last minute close-down-the-house stuff and final packing, we were hitting the road Wed. morning. We thought. Then the phone rang. There were issues at work which were apparently beyond anyone's control or understanding. So we stood down for a day. That became two days. Now, the issues (not pertinent here) cannot be controlled so we aren't needed, after all.
Well, during the back and forth we got so we wanted to go. A short season seemed perfect. I guess it is a good thing we had some appointments (and potential jury duty) to delay us, or we would have gotten all the way there before the "issues" surfaced.
Now, we are back to the original, albeit modified, plan. We will pull the trailer to the cool mountains and veg periodically to escape triple digits on the ol' thermo-meter.
After we find a hitch. And get it installed. And lift the trailer. And get running boards. And replace the torn awning. And if the forest doesn't burn first.
But, we do have a beautiful new truck.....that is loaded to the rails with stuff that needs to come back in the house. Unpacking just doesn't have the same appeal, does it?
Can we still call this an adventure? What kind?
The promise of a short season in Skagway was greatly exaggerated as it turns out.
At least, we think it has turned out.
For two weeks, we've been back and forth. On Tuesday night we packed everything but clothes and refrigerated foods into the new truck. With an hour for last minute close-down-the-house stuff and final packing, we were hitting the road Wed. morning. We thought. Then the phone rang. There were issues at work which were apparently beyond anyone's control or understanding. So we stood down for a day. That became two days. Now, the issues (not pertinent here) cannot be controlled so we aren't needed, after all.
Well, during the back and forth we got so we wanted to go. A short season seemed perfect. I guess it is a good thing we had some appointments (and potential jury duty) to delay us, or we would have gotten all the way there before the "issues" surfaced.
Now, we are back to the original, albeit modified, plan. We will pull the trailer to the cool mountains and veg periodically to escape triple digits on the ol' thermo-meter.
After we find a hitch. And get it installed. And lift the trailer. And get running boards. And replace the torn awning. And if the forest doesn't burn first.
But, we do have a beautiful new truck.....that is loaded to the rails with stuff that needs to come back in the house. Unpacking just doesn't have the same appeal, does it?
Can we still call this an adventure? What kind?
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Casey comes thru again.
Even from Delaware Casey found me the sun-safe-viewing glasses. The store here in Tucson restocked. I got them today. I will be able to see Venus cross in front of the sun without going blind. Yippee. I just have to remember to take time from the frantic last-minute packing and loading we will be doing Tuesday.
And I can give Greg some credit for getting me a truck. Do I have great (adult) children, or what?
And I can give Greg some credit for getting me a truck. Do I have great (adult) children, or what?
Friday, June 1, 2012
Who doesn't like instant gratification?
Last night I got in the jeep and drove to the end of our street. Peggie got in the truck and drove to the other end. We accelerated at each other like a game of chicken, but we didn't chicken. Apparently we both hit 88 mph at exactly the moment of impact, sending us into the future. October to be exact. But when we got there, we were not in the jeep and truck any more. We were in this hybridization. It is a four door, 4wd, Dodge Ram 2500. We raced it up to 88 mph and returned to the past and the new truck came with us.
In reality, (that first paragraph is mostly fiction) I was looking on-line at truck dealers' inventory to get some kind of idea what might be available and what they cost. Here was a 2012 with all the equipment we wanted in the used car inventory. It had 19,000 miles on it and was about $18,000 less than a new, new truck. We decided, "What the heck. Might as well check it out." The good news was, it had the right stuff without anything we wouldn't want if we ordered from the factory. The other good news (?) it is available right now. I decided that with a 4wd truck, I could give up the jeep as a trade-in, and we needed to trade the old truck anyway. So it was a twofer.
Of course, there were some adventures included. I took the old truck to our favorite RV place to have the fifth wheel hitch removed, to be remounted on the new truck when we return in October. First, the hitch had been welded, not bolted in place. Second, the frame of the new truck will not accept this hitch without adaptive hardware, since Dodge has redesigned their frame in the last 16 years. Third, the company that made our hitch has been out of business for 5 years, therefore, the adaptive hardware is not available. Result: the hitch stayed with the old truck. Aw, it will probably all be scrap metal next week, anyway. There will be further adventures in October when we have to buy a new hitch, and have the trailer raised to the new bed height. I just bet that won't be a straight-forward proposition. You think?
We will be heading to the hinterlands in a new-to-us vehicle. The ride will be more comfortable. We have cruise control, a longer wheelbase, a heavier vehicle, and new suspension.
And we can take A LOT more stuff now.
I (mostly) don't make this stuff up, folks.
We will be heading to the hinterlands in a new-to-us vehicle. The ride will be more comfortable. We have cruise control, a longer wheelbase, a heavier vehicle, and new suspension.
And we can take A LOT more stuff now.
I (mostly) don't make this stuff up, folks.
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