Flying J

Picture a place in the middle of nowhere. But add in that it is a Flying J plaza just off the interstate between places that are somewhere. Shouldn't be too busy, eh?
Wrong. Vehicles are at every pump. The islands are so close to the building that a vehicle pulling a trailer must use one of the two islands on either end of the string of eight. So we pull up behind a car. The man standing by the door, turns and saunters, yes saunters in no hurry into the building. Really? He couldn't move the car first? Well, maybe he is going inside to prepay and hasn't pumped yet. We wait long enough for him to have prepaid and return even if there is a long line inside. And there may be, the place is full of cars. A woman comes out to the car. She looks inside for a key in the ignition. Nope. Fishes in her purse. Still fishing. Ah! Keys. She unlocks the drivers door. Perhaps she is going to be courteous and move. She leans into the drivers seat, stands back up, repeats. Then she opens the gas cap door. What? They haven't pumped yet? She fishes in her purse, retrieves a credit card. Stares at the pump as if it is the first she has seen. Inserts the card. Reads the screen. Closes the gas cap door. Returns to the store. We decide to move to the other end. We must go completely around the building to do this. Ahhh! Somebody has beat us to it. Okay, we can wait behind them, but must leave the driveway clear so others can get in and out. The people do not appear to be pumping either. But, hey, the next island in becomes clear, I can just snake into it. We pump our gas, move the truck around back with the rest of the big rigs, go inside to use the restrooms and treat ourselves to a DQ. Unbelievably, the truck we might have waited behind is STILL THERE!!!
Okay, back up. While we were waiting behind the first car, a pickup pulled into the other side of the island. A redneck (yes, I can tell by appearance, not just him, but the truck, too.) Got out, walked around and opened the door for his woman. (Rednecks have women, who may or may not be wives) She got out to go into the store. He took a pit bull, one of three dogs in the cab, from the passenger side, walked it around and put it in the driver's side. The other two dogs seemed free to move back and forth from window to window on the seat.  ????  While he had the door open, he popped the hood. Then he checked fluid levels. Then, he opened the filler cap. Then looked for something in the cab. That's when we decided to go around to the other end.
We observed only those three vehicles. But all three of them behaved as if blocking the gas pumps while they messed with something else was no big deal. This in a place that was literally jumping. Cars in almost every slot and at every pump.

Day One and a Half

The hours of last minute details took a little longer than expected, so we didn't leave Tucson until about 2pm. Had a brief visit with Casey at her work, then spent about three days in Phoenix' rush hour traffic, with one accident related lane blockage to prolong the fun. We didn't get to Cottonwood until almost seven. But Don and Karin had saved us some dinner, so we did fine. Then we stayed up late to visit with Dave and Margie after they went to a play.
We slept well in our new Relax-the-Back (like temperapedic) bed. Our new down comforter was perfect.
We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with Greg and Amy at Camp Verde's Roadkill Cafe (not the actual name, just an inside joke) and actually started north at 11:00. Not a good early start. But the truck pulls the trailer up the grades just like it was meant to, so we made good time. As mentioned a couple of years ago, we love driving across the reservation on US 89. The colors were spectacular today. The grassy areas seemed to glow from an internal light source. And the dirt and rocks areas hold more colors than we have names for. When Flagstaff radio got too staticky (I made that word up) we found that Xavier Rudd makes perfect reservation-crossing music.  Due to the earlier earth slide that closed 89 south of Page, we had to take 89A across Marble Canyon, along the Vermillion Cliffs, and up over the Kaibab Plateau. In order to see some new road, we turned at Fredonia to see Colorado City, and join I-15 at Hurricane, UT. I wanted to stop at Hurricane so we could flush the rust out of our water lines (a legacy from Mountain View RV park in Skagway) but we missed the RV park, so continued on to Cedar City, which was our Plan A destination for tonight. We got here at 6:30, not too bad, then remembered that we had crossed into daylight savings time, and it was 7:30.
So the first adventure of the trip (rusty pipes don't qualify) was discovering that the RV gremlins had tied the power cord in knots inside that little hole it hides in, so it wouldn't come out. Never had that before. So I went ahead with the water and sewer hook -ups so Peggie could run the rust out. Then, I took the molding off the power cord's hidey hole, stuck my hand in there and unknotted the cord. Now it is coiled nicely like it is supposed to be. You just gotta love an easy fix. And, even without Don, I had the right tool.
Tomorrow we will drive the length of Utah.

The glass half full.

Okay, so all the things getting in the way of our departure have been dealt with.
The new floor in the master bedroom has been halted until fall. The subfloor is warped way out of level. The plywood will have to be removed and the beams either planed or shimmed (some of both) so our new laminate can be put in place. So everything is out of the bedroom, which looks just like a construction site, and in stacks in the office and living room. It will stay that way all summer. Whew.
But, we think as long as all that has to be done, maybe it is a good time to go ahead and remodel the bathroom and repaint the whole area. OMG $$$$
The new carpet on the stairs has been installed. It looks and feels great. $$
We had planned to leave today for a short drive to Cottonwood. Instead we now plan to leave tomorrow. So we would have been a day late, except that the original plan was to leave on Saturday. So, in that regard, we are still a day early. (See title of this post)
We still have time to include a day in Kelowna, BC for winery tours, and a day to make a detour for a look at Prince Rupert. Too early for accurate weather forecasts, but what we can see looks good.
Anyway, as long as we arrive in Skagway by the 30th, we are golden. We are traveling north on the Stewart-Cassiar Highway, which he haven't done since 1995. That was in June, this is April, so there will be more snow.
Today we will complete the hours of last-minute details: laundry, dishes, return library books, hit the drug store, get gas, etc.

I couldn't pick a title

The show at the Drawing Studio downtown is open. We had the reception Saturday, and I did a fine job of manning the wine table. I learned from watching Dave.  Peggie already sold another piece. Wow!
We are hard at it getting ready for Skagway. But there are interruptions. My annual physical resulted in several (seven) additional medical stops. You don't want or need the gory details, but suffice it to say I have been thoroughly examined from head to toe and those regions in between. I've had two ultra sounds and I am not pregnant. I have it on good authority (including color photos) that my bowels are in fine shape. I can stay on a treadmill that somehow keeps going higher and faster. I am going to have to reduce my cholesteral. This is a genetic condition, so family, beware.
Getting running boards on the truck seems to be more of a problem than it ought to be. Finding time to get tires on the trailer, also. But we think we can finally do both this weekend.
Remember Peggie's little computer mishap? Happy ending. We went to cousin Bruce's house for Easter and while telling the woeful tale, got an offer of a laptop to borrow from the son of another cousin. This cousin-once-removed lives in Tucson and we were able to arrange a pick-up without much trouble. Thank you, Alex.
We found a guy who seems knowledgeable and reliable to take care of the landscaping all summer.
We think we can get the new flooring installed this weekend, and the stairs carpeted right after.  Oh, but we have to move everything out of the bedroom for three days. We aren't really crazy. Our thinking is that there is that stinky out-gassing from these products, and we want that to happen while we are gone. No stink!
I got a call from Heath (new owner of Southeast Tours, for whom we will be working) today. He is driving my (that is my) new ( only 40,000 miles) bus to Skagway. He says I am going to love it. Everything works. It has AIR CONDITIONING. We (I mean, I) will have the only air conditioned bus in town. He is caravanning with other company employees who are taking another new bus, maybe Peggie's, a bunkhouse trailer, and two new four-door jeeps. Our garden this year will not be five planters on the boardwalk, he his bringing equipment and other interested parties so we can plant an actual in-the-ground garden.
Surprising fact-o-the-day: We have been retired for SIX YEARS! ........So, remind me again. Why are we going so far to work?
Answer: For the fun of it!

Adventuring made easy

You don't even have to leave home.
All you have to do is spill a glass of water onto your laptop.
ADVENTURE!!!!
If you are lucky, you have another computer nearby so you can google "What do I do when I spill water on my laptop?"
Step three is wait 24-48 hours for it to dry out before turning it back on. Are you kidding? This is the digital age. There is no waiting. Isn't there a shortcut? (If you want to know the other steps so you can be proactive, google it yourself.)
Well, sort of. If you have a son in the business you can ask him. He will say "It was time to get a new one, anyway." Actually, he had several good suggestions, which still lead to "You will have to get a new one."
But, while you explore all the good suggestions, the 24-48 hours pass...... and you weren't waiting!
Boy, isn't the digital age GREAT!?
A piece of advice: Back up everything somewhere else. I hear there is a cloud, but I don't know where it is. You can look it up.
Second piece of advice: Spill water anywhere else, but not on your computer. Or on your sleeping spouse. If you spill water on your sleeping spouse, there is no back up, and you will be on a cloud with wings and a halo.

Next-to-the-last minute

We are leaving in three weeks.
So there is a lot to do.
Peggie still has the show to hang downtown. And she is submitting work to two other exhibits that will take place while we are gone.
We are trying out a new landscaper to maintain our yard while we are gone. We are having the bedroom floor and stairs redone. Laminate in the bedroom and carpet on the stairs. The new bed we bought in Connecticut is great. Now we need to get rid of the old bed. We need to replace the tires on the trailer. The truck has to go in for service, plus we are finally getting running boards so getting in and out will be easier.
It is springtime in Tucson, so of course the drip irrigation system is acting up and needs attention. Every time I cross off something on the to-do list, I add two more things.
Also, it is March Madness time, and we are hoping the Wildcats will play a few more games before somebody beats them. Or not. Championship?
Ariana is on spring break, so we are skyping more just to hang out together. (I purposely did not capitalize skyping 'cause in my mind it is as generic as aspirin or kleenix.)
There is a lot of sorting to do. Last time we took the trailer to Skagway, we took way too much stuff. Proof came when we discovered we had sprung the axles. Now we know we can get along with what fits in a Jeep. If the Jeep is overloaded. But we know what clothes to take, what food to take, what tools. Well, tools are silly. Don won't be there with all the right ones and the know-how to use them, so the most important tools will be a phone and the AAA number.

Back from NY

We spent the last two weeks with GajT. Ariana got bunk beds so we shared her room with her. Julian is soooo cute. By the time we left he was smiling more. He is good all the time except for Papa's bedtime, which he thinks is his crying time. Taking Ariana to her school and other activities is fun. She recognizes the routes and lets you know if you make a wrong turn. She is an avid game player, and enjoys creating "shows." When she wears her robe, she makes a "show" of tying the bow in front. She taught herself by watching Papa tie it. The family went to a circus recently so each show begins with "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, are you ready for...."
One of our pleasures was minding the kids (we like that plural form) while Tomoko gave piano lessons upstairs. She also teaches Ariana on a voluntary basis. That is, Ariana goes to the piano and starts to practice, and Tomoko provides feedback and direction.
Greg and Tomoko are house shopping so it was fun to ride along and see some of the homes for sale in the area. It is a real decision between open rural properties and convenient, but crowded, urban sites.
We did get a day alone in the city. We took the train from Tarrytown, then rode subways between city locations. The Brooklyn Museum of Art had a show by El Anatsui (you can look him up) that was amazing.
The City Quilter, a shop midtown, has added a gallery next door whose current show was quite good.
Then we went looking for a place to eat. We found an Indian restaurant kind of out of the way. It was so good we were recommending it to Greg and discovered they have eaten there before. There are thousands of restaurants in NYC, what are the odds?
Our flights both ways went through Atlanta. Crowded, but nothing terrible. Some delays, but not outrageous.
One thing we did that we did not expect. We bought a bed. Peggie needed to get a good pillow. She wanted one anyway for the trailer. We found a Relax the Back store in Greenwich, CT. that carried the right kind. While lying on one of their TemperaPedic mattresses to try it out, we mentioned that we also were in the market for one of those. The salesmen pointed out that he could sell us one, have it delivered in Tucson (they are nationwide) and we would save the sales tax. No delivery fee. And he would throw in the pillow for free. Eventhough it wasn't a throw pillow. Haha. So we bought it. Again, we were going to get one anyway, for the trailer, and we saved significant money. Now we are waiting for it to be delivered (maybe today) so we can try it out before we head to Alaska.