We Are Settling In for the Winter

What a day yesterday.  We knew it was going to be a long drive as we've done it so many times before.  But, weirdly, yesterday's drive was/seemed as if it were longer than usual. We aren't sure what the story was, but we are thinking we got away later than normal from Las Vegas.  That's the only explanation.  We left around 9 and got in just as the registration office was closing at 5.  We both remember earlier arrival times in the past.  It has us baffled. 

About two hours away from here we realized we were up against the clock and Roger drove a little faster than his normal pace.  It was unnerving for both of us.  It felt as if we were barreling down the road at 150mph but we were only doing 65-70 on highways that have 70mph speed limits.  Since our normal speed is between 55 and 60 (vehicles towing another - 55 is the limit).  At about the same time as this "speeding" started, Maggie's pill wore off and she insisted on sitting on my lap with her head tucked under my arm.  So the last few hours were a bit stressful.  We set up in the semi-dark - the sun was just setting.  Rog only hooked up water and power - the basics.  

But, up until that time, the drive was OK.  We had a constant stream of California plates passing us on the left the minute we got south of Las Vegas until we reached San Bernardino area.  No delays or real slowdowns, but the road was full of cars all heading back to the LA basin after a weekend in Vegas.


The solar panel farm just at the Nevada/California border has expanded big time and they have three towers with some high velocity reflectors that catch the sun's rays and shoot them down to the panels.  It really was kinda spooky looking as you could see the rays of the sun (look carefully at the pic and you will see an umbrella shaped display of the refracted light.)  Very futuristic looking.  Very impressive.  It looks like we are trying to contact another planet. Maybe we are letting them know this is a good spot to land.  

The further south we got the warmer it got!  We were sooo glad to leave the cold behind us.  We just couldn't adjust to the fact that the weather was so awful in Vegas in November.  

We are here now and setting up and psyching up for the next four months.  Rog was in shorts today and I had my sandals on. It was mid-60s with intermittent sun.  More importantly - No wind. 

The site looks a bit bare and lifeless right now, but tomorrow we plan on making our patio and set up some shade for the picnic table.  I did put up a couple of Christmas wreaths and the Santa flag outside this afternoon after we returned from getting groceries and making our reservations for next year!   I'll be sure and post pictures once we get all set up.  

We've noted several familiar looking RVs around and this afternoon we were greeted by our Danish friends from across the street. Last night we saw our friends, David and Eileen. David is a severely injured Vietnam vet who gets around in a wheel chair. (He was 18 when he got shot out of a chopper.)  He is about the happiest person we have ever known - at least that is how he presents himself.  Well, Maggie just loves David.  Two years ago when we were here with her for the first time, she took a shine to him.  She hears his voice and she goes running, hops up in his lap and kisses him incessantly.   Well, last evening as I got out of the truck with her on her leash, she headed straight for their RV (they are in the same spot as before).  She saw David and went wild.  It was amazing.  Their Puggle, also a Maggie, was trying to play with her but all she wanted was David.  It just blows us away.  When we go out to do business, she wants to go by their place every time.

Another Maggie story - Well, you know we spoil her and she is absolutely rotten, but we've inadvertently created another bad habit.  When we started traveling she would wake us up at her usual 6:30ish time to go outside.  At home we just open the door and let her out, go to the bathroom, let her in and everyone goes back to bed.  Well, neither of us wanted to go outside with her in the cold and wind, so Rog picked her up and put her on the bed.  After wiggling all over, giving us kisses, she curled up between us on top of the covers and went back to sleep.  Well, you guessed it.... it's a happening thing.  Only now she wants to put her head under the covers or in my armpit and she wiggles around till she gets comfy and then goes to sleep. This morning at 3am she decided it was time to get in our bed. I spent 15 minutes tucking her into her own bed, re-tucking her over and over until she gave up.  And, at 6:30 this morning, when Rog picked her up, she squirreled herself under the covers with her head towards the foot of the bed and wouldn't be moved.  We have created a monster.  

We are glad to be here and look forward to a nice winter.