Simple Living and Simple Travel

At times, I’ll be sitting outside the Nash watching M&M moving about. This video clips slows the feline gait down so one can see why they look so cool when one is cruisin’ about. The gait changes when they pick up speed. I’ve read other web pages on this pacing and some don’t jive with what’s written on this link’s page, but be that as it may, that’s one smooth kickass stride. cat pacing video clip Last month, while still at at Oliver Lee, the day the Dog Canyon trail was closed, I hiked down the Dog Canyon arroyo, circled out and over to the Oliver Lee House and back to the Nash. A nice two hour hike, but I’m not a fan of flat hikes. Anyway, I came across these two javelinas. For the spring equinox I purchased another flock of ducks. My Heifer International total is now seven goats, two flocks of chicks, one flock of geese, two flock of ducks, and a ‘Gift of a Healthy Home.’ Next donation will be on the summer solstice. My social-fix season was pretty much a b...

Lemme think here. Should I turn around—or keep goin’? I went back to last month’s page and added three more paragraphs, changed some text, switched a photo, added another of an absolutely awesome tow vehicle that I came across in Bisbee, and changed the title a bit. I seem to go back and edit past pages quite a bit, even some I’ve written years ago. Meadow and Mesa did not like staying in the Nash for three weeks while we were in Bisbee. Meadow would go hyper every evening. If there were a small item lying about, it would get swatted all around the trailer. Mesa was way more vocal than he usually is, and his usual can be a bit much to take. He was making a sound between a howl and a snarl—he was totally pissed. As you know from previous pages, once we got to our next spot and they were allowed out, they flew out the door, easily clearing the three steps and disappeared for hours. Maybe I should trade them in for a turtle. While in CoRs, I ran across a couple I met a fe...

I went back to Bisbee for a week and this was my room without a view—the mark of man on the land. Kinda makes me embarrassed to be human. There is a scenic overlook less than a mile down the road for this. Definitely different strokes. While in Bisbee, I thought to check the expiration date for my AZ driver license. It had expired over a year ago, when I turned 65. Guano. Thankfully, I was not pulled over while towing the Nash in another state. The Dodge would have been impounded and I would have had to hire a tow for the Nash to a place where it could be set up. Then I would have had to get to a DMV in Arizona to see about getting a new license (without doing any driving). Unreal. So there I was, sitting in a DMV affiliate office in Sierra Vista, reading the driver manual, then taking the written and driving test. I lost my CDL and motorcycle endorsement. Guano. What a day. Then I had to stay in Bisbee another two weeks until the license arrived. Oh well, at least with all ...

For the winter solstice I purchased another goat. My Heifer International total is now seven goats, two flocks of chicks, one flock of geese, one flock of ducks, and a ‘Gift of a Healthy Home.’ Next donation will be on the spring equinox. This is a different concept—a modular trailer that you assemble when you want to hit the road. The Teal International Tail Feather’s website is: http://www.tealinternational.com/TailFeather/index.html What a treat it is for me to stay at Bottomless; it’s about the only place I stay that offers wi-fi. I caught up on all the URLs from my list to check out from the previous year and looked up a number of things I was interested in. I downloaded dozens of pages that I will read through once I get back off-the-grid in the spring. Life is good. Even took care of the annual waxing of truck and trailer. Wish I had access to ready water in the summer so I could do it twice a year. So much for heading south for the winter. For those ...

There were a lot of rabbits up on the bluff; mostly cottontails but a few jacks like this one. Ever notice when driving along a dirt road, if a cottontail comes out, it tends to run across the road? If it’s a jackrabbit, it tends to take off down the road ahead of the vehicle, as if to outrun it. Strange. I gathered two bags of processed grass for a few campfires this winter (some refer to it as cow pies). They have a pleasant smell when burning, but I’m sure there would be some who would complain if they noticed what was being burned. It was a different mindset back during western progression and the use of buffalo chips (correctly referred to as bison chips). Well, I had my most interesting moving day last month. Listening to NOAA weather on my Etón Scorpion, I heard that it was going to rain, snow and stay inclement for the next two or three days. The red dirt is very slick and I would be stuck here for awhile. I decided to head out early in the morning trying to beat the w...

Fall again, time to place my annual orders for a few basic staples, entertainment items, and miscellaneous stuff that needs to be acquired or replaced. A couple friends in Moab let me have the packages delivered to their house. I placed my annual order for 6 kilos of yerba mate from myyerbamatestore.com. Three of the kilos were a variety pack; they threw in an extra kilo (I love free useful items). With all the found metal I’ve been acquiring over the last three or four years, it’s way past time for me to get back to my bench, so I ordered new templates for medallions I plan to make. I also ordered an awning cover from awningpro-tech.com. Sure hope that proves to be a good investment. I put it over the rolled up awning for the winter. Also purchased another iPod nano for a backup. All this should carry me till next October. I stayed at four other spots in the area south of Moab since I’ve been coming here in the fall. This is the third year I’ve stayed on the bluff. The first y...

Finally! Got this shot a few days before coming down off the Kaibab last month. Took it through the back window. It doesn’t show the tall funky ears all that well—oh well, two out of three. This past summer I finally got back to having a hummingbird feeder hanging off the back of my trailer. Since acquiring a Kindle, I’m not reading as many paperbacks. There is one thrift shop I visit each winter that still sells paperbacks for 25 cents and always has an extensive selection. I fill a tote bag and I’m set for the year. I exchange books when I have the opportunity and I’ve had some luck on town-run days with stopping at an RV park to ask if I could exchange books. Only one park said no; the exchange was just for those staying in the park. Didn’t make sense to me; there would have been new books to choose from for those staying at the park. Paperbacks are somewhat fragile and improper use can damage them. Pages are meant to be turned from the top corner. There is much less ch...