Category: Uncategorized

We’ve been traveling around New Mexico and Arizona for awhile now and things are starting to tie together.

As I mentioned previously we visited the Very Large Array in New Mexico.

There we learned that students from the University of Minnesota, Dave’s Alma Mater, asked to have the radio telescopes pointed at an area of the sky that turned out to be empty. Not a black hole. Not a dense cloud. Empty. A hole among the stars.

Later we visited Meteor Crater in Arizona.

Another hole. This one in the ground. Made by something falling from the sky.

Today we visited Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Where we got to see a photograph of the hole in the sky. And a piece of the meteor that made Meteor Crater.

Big little world.

TTYL,

Linda

I finally persuaded Dave we need to just sit somewhere and catch up with ourselves. Unfortunately, we decided to do that in Flagstaff, Arizona, where there are not a lot of highly rated campgrounds. So we would up in a highly expensive one instead. A KOA. On a weekend. With all the weekend campers and their activities.

The staff drive around in a golf cart with a bullhorn announcing the next activities. Late yesterday afternoon is was story time at the Eco Park. Last night was Dominoes pizza and table games. We didn’t go to either but I do want to go check out the Eco Park while we are here. And we will be able to recycle our collection of aluminum cans here. And if I get some stamina built up the walking trail into the National Forest is near our campsite. So this is an OK place to be for awhile.

Dave spent yesterday just running errands and still didn’t get them all done. I spent yesterday sorting recipes and planning food and still didn’t get it all done. But, we plan to be here a week so maybe we’ll get everything done by then.

At least I finally started exercising again. This morning I got out my stretch band and instructions and did the warm up exercise part and my body said, “That feels good but we’re done for now, right?” Maybe next time I’ll get to do the actual exercises. 🙂

The pool here is at a health center about 3 miles down the road. It charges $5 a day for non-resident drop-ins. Maybe I’ll go do some aqua aerobics. If I get up enough courage to try on my swimsuit.

Dave just told me there’s a ten percent chance of snow here Monday morning! I don’t do snow anymore so it better not! How am I supposed to start a walking program if it snows?! Unless it melts by the time I’m ready to go outside. I’m not a morning person, you know.

TTYL,

Linda

That reads “minimal” without the unnecessary letters. I am a minimal type person when it comes to owning stuff. That makes living in an RV easier for me than for most people. And it means I enjoy reading websites about simplicity and getting down to the necessities.

One of those websites challenged its readers to get their personal possessions down to 100 things. You don’t count items that are shared with other members of your household like dishes, furniture, and linens. You only count the things you consider truly yours. Here’s my list:

Line #	Qty	Item
1	4	pair slacks: 3 cotton that roll up to capris, 1 purple pantsuit
2	9	T-shirts: cotton short sleeve
3	6	long sleeve shirts: 3 Oxford, 2 purple pantsuit, 1 t-shirt
4	2	Polar fleece tops
5	1	sweatshirt
6	9	pair panties
7	9	bras
8	8	pair socks—I wore out 1 pair
9	18	hankies—2 per day
10	5	pair shoes: Crocs, sandals, tennis, slippers, water walking
11	1	windbreaker with hood
12	1	raincoat—full-length
13	1	poncho—crocheted, for wearing in cold restaurants
14	3	hats: 1 summer, 1 winter, 1 visor
15	1	scarf
16	1	pair gloves
17	1	pair pajamas
18	1	swimsuit
19	1	pair silk long underwear
20	1	jewelry roll with 5 pair of earrings I wear and some I don’t
21	1	purse—hobo style, convertible to backpack
22	3	wallets: 1 with ID & credit cards, 1 with discount cards, 1 with money
23	1	computer with mouse
24	1	cell phone with charger
25	1	pocket camera with charger and case
26	1	eReader with cable and case
27	1	hairdryer—seldom used but needed when it is needed
28	1	electric shaver
29	2	hearing aids with cleaning kit and extra batteries
30	2	pairs glasses: both bifocal, 1 tinted for sun with case
31	1	cane that converts to a chair
32	1	Segway with loading ramps
33	1	wrist brace—I sleep with this on to keep my tendonitis from flaring up
34	1	seat belt adjuster—for us short people
35	1	lumbar pillow
36	1	neck pillow—so I don’t break my neck when I fall asleep as a passenger
	103

I think I did well; don’t you?

TTYL,

Linda

We’ve been lots of places, seen lots of things, and took lots of photos.

But I got tired of editing them and trying to make them interesting to you.

So here’s some links; go see for yourselves.

http://www.nps.gov/cave/index.htm

http://www.vla.nrao.edu/

http://www.nps.gov/pefo/index.htm

http://www.arizona-leisure.com/painted-desert.html

TTYL,

Linda

The window coverings our new bedroom came with allow the day to come in when ever it is good and ready.

I don’t like that. I am not a morning person. After months of trying to move pillows to block that morning sun I am so glad to finally be at MCD Innovations in McKinney, Texas, where our new window coverings are to be manufactured and installed.

On Monday a crew came in and measured our windows. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of that which is too bad because they have a neat trick. The put an adjustable bar inside the window framing, tighten and remove it, then measure the stick. That’s sure a lot easier than trying to contort your body in such a way as to be able to see the measuring tape with it buried inside the window framing.

Tuesday they spent manufacturing the new shades with the install scheduled for Wednesday. They said the install would probably take most of a day so we saved up a bunch of stuff to go do on Wednesday so as to be out of their way.

Which didn’t happen, of course. They got ahead of schedule so they came late Tuesday afternoon to begin installing. So, we were home to take pictures of them crawling around our furniture trying to figure out the best access to the insides of the framing.

Now we have the option of no shade down, the solar blocking shade down, or the night shade down.

And our bedroom is now so dark…

…that Dave had to turn the light on to get you a picture of it.

Now I should be able to sleep in mornings again. Which makes me wonder how we will ever get out of campgrounds by their deadlines now. And when we’ll do the errands we had saved up for today.

TTYL,

Linda