This Week Had Eights Days?

Gosh, what happened to Saturday – that is my usual time to post our weekly activities.  All of a sudden it's Sunday and I'm a day late!!

Our week started with a terrific visit and supper.  We were invited to join my nephew and wife, Glenn & Lori, for supper.  Time passes so quickly and it was ages since we have been able to get together so we had a great supper, and a long overdue visit.

At Mittry Lake, there is a mountain (very high hill) which has an old microwave reflector at the top.  In years past, we have walked up there several times with each visit but those days are past.  The road is far too steep, and far too rocky (lost of loose rock) for us to be walking up there these days.  So we got in the jeep with our friends, Rick and Chris, and drove up.  The drive up and down can be a bit unnerving for most people but it really is quite easy.  Once at the top, the view is spectacular as you can see for miles around.

We are headed up there

Closer - going up

The view from the top

This week it rained in the desert – about one-quarter inch.  The birds seemed to like the fresh air.

An the Ocotillo will love the moisture

While it was greatly needed, it did delay our plans to go back into Yuma to our friends lot – but only by about three or four hours.  And our timing was perfect because the weather turned cold.  In fact, on Friday morning, there was frost on the top of the jeep.

Our days are quiet, spent mostly  visiting, and not doing much exciting or silly stuff.  But that was this past week, and who knows what this next week will bring.  Until then, I hope you all have a great week – stay healthy and stay safe.

Happy Valentine's Day

 The week started off by celebrating Valentine’s Day – to everyone – Happy Valentine’s Day.

Sometimes we even go out to celebrate this special day.  This year we enjoyed it with our friends, Rick and Christ, with a lovely meal at Panda Express – first time dining there!!! 

We then toured around – visited a date farm to get some dates, flame raisins, and the ever famous date shakes.  Where ever we go, there are always vegetable gardens.  Often we recognize the vegetable as we drive by but sometimes we are stumped so we stop for a closer look.  We think this crop is Kale but the bottom leaves have all been removed.  It certainly makes it rather odd looking.

The week sped by and before we knew it, it was Saturday.  The model airplane club held an airshow which we went to.  It was a beautiful day – sunny with a slight breeze.  There were many different replicas of large planes and they put on quite a show.  When they speed by, it is hard to remember that these are just models.  When we see an actual plane it is a long way away so they really look to be the same size as these models.  The models are all remote control and I can’t imagine holding a console and trying to make sure that the joysticks move in the right direction all the time because these model planes are fast and are zipping in all directions – up, down, round and round.

I'm not sure what kind of plane this is!!

The travelling days are done - a crash!!

This is how they travel

Upside down

I always like to add a photo if we see something unusual.  This fellow parked near us has feathers coming from his handlebars and has two masks stretched between the signal lights.  Gerry said "I see your bike is wearing a mask".  His reply was "those damn Harley drivers always want to park so close and don't give you any distance".  Got to love his humour.

And we never get tired of the view out our front window.

And the week has come to a close and we can look forward to see what next week brings.  I hope everyone has a safe and happy week.

Another Week Another Address

This week was another full and busy week.

We started out the week with a day trip to Oceanside with our friends, Chris and Rick.  Of course, the scenery and the drive were amazing as usual as we enjoyed the trip. 

 Our first stop was at a mission – Pala Mission which was founded in 1816 and is the only historic mission still serving a Mission Indigenous tribe. 

This clock could be seen from the altar 

In the parking lot was a most unusual vehicle – was it a car or was it a motorcycle.  The name on it said Gold Wing but it sounds like it was a kit built on a motorbike (my interpretation which may or may not be correct). 

We also stopped at  a vegetable stand.  Chris bought some avocados (only to find out they were imported from Mexico) and I bought a jicama (wished I had bought two).    Then it was out for a stroll on the Oceanside Municipal fishing pier. 

The rental bungalows across the road from the beach

Not great waves but lots of participants

At the fish cleaning station - hoping

The pelican waiting for a generous fisherman

It was a lovely day with a clear blue sky but quite windy which made our walk on the pier a bit chilly.  But the walk along the beach and around the harbour was great.  We got to admire the water vessels that were in the harbour. 

Sailing school

 Plus the sea lions were lazing around simply enjoying the sun.

On our way home we stopped at Ricardo Breceda’s art gallery.  He creates unbelievable metal art and was commissioned to create the  130 metal sculptures that are around Borrego Springs.  While we did not go into his gallery, we were able to view a number of his pieces from the parking lot.  The detail and variety are amazing.

At Borrego Springs they were knocking down a bunch of orange trees.  We were told that orange trees have a life span of fifteen years and after that, they get replaced.  Most of these trees still had oranges on them so off we went, and picked a bunch of oranges that were only going to be destroyed.  We juiced them all and oh my, what delicious juice.

Mid week was moving day which brought us to Yuma.  We are set up at Mittry Lake again (an old favourite) with our friends Rick and Chris.  The fields are full of vegetables    and I love to watch the pickers and marvel at their speed and stamina as they are able to spend day after day after day in the fields.  I appreciate their hard work every time I buy a head of lettuce.

Since we are near a lake, we can sit outside and enjoy the view.  And we have a choice, we can watch from the comfort of a lawn chair, or from the top of a mountain/hill after a bit of a hike.  Regardless where we choose to view from, we enjoy every second.

View out our windshield

View from behind us

And the weather – what can I say.  We are having summer-like temps this past week with lots of sun, just enough wind to keep it from getting hot – and we hope it will continue.  Life is good!!

I hope you enjoyed  our weekly adventure and may you have a great week ahead!!                                 

  

February Has Arrived

Once again, here I am with the week that was….  We had a great week – great weather, great friends, some great trips.

We went on three trips this week.  One was a road trip where we stayed on the paved road all day but we certainly were able to see some great scenery.  The other two were off road where we could practice trying to hang on without our heads bobbing off.  Yes, we did hit some bumps and rocks and holes.  But we also saw some spectacular scenery.

As we were heading out of town on our first trip, we were so fortunate to see some big horn sheep grazing by the side of the road.  While we know they are in the area, they are not often seen near the roads – what a treat.

During the week we drove through canyons, down hills, up onto vistas where you could see for miles.  Around every turn was a different sight.  I won’t bore you with any information about the different areas where we went – mostly because I don’t always remember the names and/or any information about the specific areas.

Some folks enjoy going on a hike down (or up) a slot canyon.  Someone has to stay back and guard the vehicles - my job!!

As always, there are some interesting things to see right by the camper.  Who would have thought that a cat would go on a leash so easily.  Actually, the cat walked quite well on the  leash.  Whenever it did not want to go wherever the owner wanted, she would just pick it up and carry it – done!!

We are parked right up against the mountains (or perhaps higher hills) where there are many, many trails.  It’s always a great place to go for a walk.  Just up behind  us, some creative souls have created some rock art.  Originally there was a snake but over the years, new items are added.

As the new week starts, we will be heading out of Borrego Springs.  It has been a great stay but it is now on to somewhere new.  I hope everyone has a great week, and I will be back next week.  Stay safe and stay healthy!!