Update

Nothing wrong with the brakes and the testing was covered by warranty. That is a relief. Tomorrow mom and I plan to go out in the middle of the desert and I am thankful that my brakes are in good working order. I hope to have some great pictures to share.

It has been hurry up and wait with an umbrella winter

This winter has been pretty crappy. If we were not fighting rainy, damp weather we were being given instruction on patience by the Roadtrek Company. It has been hurry up and wait with an umbrella winter. Now we are heading for Chevy dealership in Phoenix on Monday.

I will start at the beginning. I had made plans to visit the petroglyphs on Monday and a trip to Ajo afterwards. Saturday mom and I went out to eat and on the way both brake lights went on and bells started going off. It was a typical oh crap moment because I am not mechanically inclined. I pulled over and turned off the motor and gave mom that what do I do look. I grabbed the instruction manual and looked up brakes. It said “you are in a whole lot of trouble-call a tow truck.” So I turned the motor back on, thinking maybe I was seeing double or something and it was all a bad dream but I wasn’t dreaming. So I shut off the motor. I sat there thinking, my brakes felt fine, I never noticed anything different. So I popped the hood and went out to take a look around. Thank god for pictures because I found the brake fluid doohickey and checked that and it was fine. So I got back in the van and fired that baby up. I told mom we are heading back to the park and I will think about it. On the way back the lights went out. So I thought to myself “well shoot, I am going to find that Italian place and grab a pizza.” Then I hit the grocery store and went back to park. The lights never came back on. It didn’t come on when I turned on the motor this morning. I am not going to take any chances.

I sat down and read the manual about the braking system last night and it could be the sensors needed to be reset. If it turns out to be nothing but a quick fix then I will be heading back to the petroglyph site and Ajo. Somebody down there wants to buy mom and I a hamburger.

Kids, yes I knew how to open the hood without the manual, no snarky comments on me laughing when the car salesman asked me if I wanted to look at the motor… Please don’t call because you know I will if the crap hits the fan.

The Pups In My Life

I have had four pups in my life since my old friend passed. Lu and Fi – Lu couldn’t travel and Fi wanted a family. I made up my mind not to get another dog. Around Christmas this year my daughter called and she found an Affenpinscher/Poodle mix that needed a new home. I admit to being a dog snob and I always wanted an Affenpinscher. Hannah’s beau, Robert picked her up at the prison where she was residing and flew with her to Florida where we were staying.  She came with a little Christmas bow on her crate.

Perhaps “prison dog” should have been a red flag but I wasn’t looking for flags, I was looking for a furry companion. I called her Abby. I think the first few days Abby was in shock. Since she was residing in a little cell prior to moving into a van I don’t think space was an issue. I think going from an adoring inmate to two crazy women proved to be too much for her. She was a one person dog and she was trying to figure out who she was going to attach herself to. Fortunately for me she picked me. Unfortunate for ma though because once Abby decided I was the one, Abby also decided mom had to go. You think living full-time in a van is rough try living in a van with a thirteen pound dog that wants to eat you. Poor mom… one false move and Abby was going for the throat. Since the rescue wanted her returned and not dropped off at a pound, we had to live with her until Robert and Hannah caught up with us in Texas. We sectioned off the van (Divide 19 foot by 2), mom was extremely careful and didn’t make any sudden moves when she was around me, and we made do. When Robert took possession of Abby she went for him and drew blood. There is good news for Abby, she is back in prison with her inmate and she will never be adopted out again.

After Abby left I was left with an even stronger desire to have a pup. When we arrived in Tucson we decided to get a puppy. So we found Annie and she was such a sweetie. She needed a home that would suit her needs. So Annie went to live with a nice lady who lives in Iowa. I am a believer in signs and I know someone is trying to tell me to wait…. Someday a furry companion will find me.


I was asked why I still grieve for my old friend. Why after almost two years I still mourn her passing… I know that it is strange why I grieve for her like I do and not for my human friends but the truth is she didn’t bite.

Still in Gila Bend, enjoying the brief rain, and tomorrow we are going to look for petroglyphs. Thank you everyone for your comments. It is good to be back.

Happy Birthday

I am going to try and dedicate 10 minutes a day to writing and maintaining this blog. Mom and I are still traveling and exploring. We are hoping to be heading to Texas at the end of March. We have some repairs that need to be done to the van and after that we plan to head to the east coast.

My birthday was the 12th of February. Mom and I were in Bullhead City and to celebrate my 51 years we went to the Aquarius Casino in Laughlin Nevada. I am not a big fan of the seafood buffet so we ate at a small café in the casino. Our waiter was Jose and what took place in that café was just like a scene out of “Will and Grace” only I didn’t hire Jose as my personal assistant.

Yes, I got a waiter fired on my birthday.

You have to realize that I do not complain to the manager unless I am really torked off.

We were escorted to our table and about 5 minutes later a party of six was escorted to their table. We sat and we waited…. Then we waited some more and finally here comes Jose. Jose couldn’t speak English and when he did speak it was done in grunts. Mom and I told him what we wanted and off he went. The party of six waited…. Then waited some more and finally here come Jose. He took their order. 45 minutes later Jose returns with the party of six’s meal. Judging from their reaction I was afraid of what my meal was going to look like. It wasn’t long that we found out. My hamburger bun was so wet that it was dripping off the burger. Plop Plop Plop… Not very appetizing. I scraped the bun off the burger and tried to eat the hamburger. Yeah right. I picked up my ticket and went to the manager. Then I filled out a complaint on Jose. So did the party of six. No, I didn’t pay for my birthday dinner; I took the money I was going to spend on dinner and went out to the slots and won. It turned out to be a great birthday after all…. But not for Jose.

Mom and I are in Gila Bend, making our way slowly to Tucson.