From Paducah, Kentucky to Hot Coffee, Mississippi

It took me 2 days to get to my next destination. I left Friday noon heading toward Mayfield KY, on to Union City TN, then 45W to Jackson, TN. From there I took SR 18 into Holly Springs,MS. I found a Wal-Mart and dry-camped there overnight. The next morning found me heading across Rt 4 to Senatobia on I 55. That little stretch was a hairy ride to say the least!! I went that way to avoid Memphis, but there has to be a better way. Won't do that one again! I continued down I 55 to Jackson, MS and on to Mike Conner State Park near Collins, MS. I got there just about dark but did get parked in a pull-thru site. I waited till next morning to set up. My DD and SIL met me at the main road and guided me in. I had been there before and used their dump station, but had forgotten exactly how to get to it, and it would not come up on my GPS.

The next day, we went on a joy ride around the countryside and they took me to a lil town called "Hot Coffee". Yes there IS such a place ! You can even find it on You Tube, so they tell me!

Not much to it but worth it to say I been there! Its not quite as big as Luckenbach, TX! (south of Fredericksburg, where 'Willie and the boys' sang)

                                                               









                                               

On our way back to camp, on a back road that Timmy knew, we passed this dilapidated old house. Now, I just love old houses, always seeing the character, the charm; always wondering if it was a happy home or if grief had been experienced there;

 I'm sure some of both, as that is the way life seems to go....

I just had to get a closer look. And because my daughter is a bit like me, well... 

There was no "No Trespassing" sign, at least we didn't see one, although we really tried not to look too hard. SIL said he'd hold the barbed wires apart for us, but HE wasn't going in.

So we got a bit closer, close enough to know it wasn't safe at all. The old tin roof was quite rusted but the chimney looked in fairly good shape. At least it was still standing. The brick porch posts were leaning and the porch floor looked like a heavy tree branch could finish it off.

The mammoth tree in the front yard was truely magnificent! I wondered if it had at one time held a tire swing on one of it's strong branches....

It was a beautiful tree with lovely form!

We did walk around a bit more, then exited the property, touching nothing. We made our way back to camp in time to walk the pups again, chat a bit, then they went home.

The next morning I was awake earlier than usual.

The campground I stayed at has a beautiful lake. The mist was just rising as I took the pups out for their walk about 7:15 Monday morning. The sun was shining bright and no wind, but still freezing cold, about 28*. I had a hard time getting the pups to sit still while I snapped a few pictures. 

I returned to the RV and put a roast in the crock-pot with a dry onion soup mix, and a small jar of my home-made tomato sauce. Then I got out the mid-sized crock-pot and started sweet potatoes and apples in that one. Later I cooked up some kale with bacon and onion, and a small side-dish of white beans. Later after DD and SIL got here I cooked up a cornbread in the convection oven. It was the first time I had used it. DD helped me figure it out. I am a sight learner. Reading directions? Not so much..

That was our early Thanksgiving dinner together. And we had plenty to be thankful for!We had a very good visit; talked a bit, and laughed alot! It was so good to be able to enjoy each other's company! I had purchased a painting from DD, Rachel, and she brought it to me. I promptly hung it on my wall. It looks beautiful in my new RV!  

Oh..... and the best part? A cotton bouquet from my SIL. Thank you soooo very much Timmy Ray!

Thanks you all for coming along with me. Leave a comment if you care to

I hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving. What you eat is not so important as sharing time with ones you love. God bless you each and every one!

Phil. 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again, rejoice!

Ajo Stay Cut Short

It's been a while since I posted. I will try to give you the highlites in a nutshell...

I left Tuscon on a Sunday afternoon, stopping at recently opened Walmart on the way out for needed supplies. I got sidetracked in the store and I knew I could not make Ajo before dark. Thinking I could just overnight there, I put my groceries and other purchases away and was eating some supper when I got a knock on the door. Right ........"Yes, Sir".

 

No overnight parking within the city limits of Tuscon. I drove to Sells and parked behind a Shell station for the night. Getting up the next morning I noticed my fridge was not working. I did get the situation resolved at the Napa Auto store in Ajo by the owner who's name is Kord. He knows his stuff on RV's and I would go back with any other problems if needed.

Two days later I headed out to the desert, down Darby Wells Rd. I had read on RV Sue's blog that she had camped there as well, so I figured for my first boon-docking experience it would be about as safe as it gets.

I got to meet RV Sue the next day while out walking Izzy and Joe. We also got to meet her canine crew, Spike and Bridget, and  had some good conversation as we walked along. She was able to tell me the names of several bushes and trees that I was most interested in.

I stayed at my camp spot there for a couple days; then wanting to explore more, I drove back to the fork and took the lefthand road for a few miles back until the road narrowed so much I thought I had better turn back. I had scraped bottom a few times with the long overhang behind the back tires of my rv. I camped about a mile from the fork, up on a hill just past the remains of what used to be a ranch on the left. The mountains, desert lanscape, and quietness was almost intoxicating, for lack of a better word. I could have stayed there in the desert for a month!

Joe and Izzy and I took our walks and the Border Patrol whizzed by many times during the day and night.

 

 I awoke one morning at 3 am. The moon was out so bright! I was wide awake and decided to paint. You can read about and see this painting here on Sunny's Studio. It had been quite a while since I had done a nocturn painting. 

The next day I was trying to use up some left-over food in my fridge, and wish now I had not tried to be so frugal and had thrown it out instead. A few hrs later I came down with a full blown attack of food poisoning.(researched later on the internet). I spent 2 miserable days there (no cell srevice, no internet) before being able to get around enough to head back to Tucson. I arrived back at my brother's place hoping I wouldn't need to go to emergicare. The next few days saw me gradually getting better, but it took a full week to recover enough to feel like I was indeed going to make it. I have recorded this here to remind myself and others to make sure what we eat is safe. From now on, anything over 3 days old will be thrown out of my fridge! 

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Today we are heading to Nogales, MX for a dentist and some shopping. Hopefully a fun-filled day! I will try to catch up on my blog reading in the next couple days. Oh yes, and Miss Izzy and Curley Joe got to visit the groomer last Friday.

They are so sweet looking when clean!!

I plan on doing a post on our visit to Nogales. I am taking my camera... and my passport!

 



How many Hours in a Day? How about minutes in an Hour??

If anyone could tell me the  real answer I'd like to talk to you.

I am sure I have been missing some hours or minutes lately. Time can't possibly go by that fast, can it?? Either that or someone decided to borrow some from me. and forgot to bring them back.... just sayin'.

So here is what I p ainted for day 2 of my challenge 

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"Breaking the Time Habit"

The idea being to s-l-o-w down and enjoy enjoy the moments.

 

 

Anyway, I had a wonderful time getting together with Jo of "Momma's Little Runaway and the Tin Can Cabin". and "The Good Luck Ducks" girls, Anne and Roxanne; as well as Lucy and Terri, a couple other RV'ers and Jojo's friends. The food was excellent as well as the conversation.  I had some of my boon-docking questions answered by Anne and Roxanne. We also talked about what Jo was looking for in an RV, vegan food, Lucy's interest and talent in mechanics, and Terri's upcoming trip. That was on Friday. Thanks so much, Jo, for opening up your home for all of us to get together. You were the perfect hostess!!

Saturday was to be spent on more painting and "organizing" the outside RV compartments. I had the compartment emptied out and stuff sitting all over the ground when Deaf Ranger came out of the house to announce he and Carol were going to some estate sales, run by a "Three Sisters" company, and invited me to go. I hesitated..... but not for long. Off we went. Now, I can't post all I got here cuz some might be for gifts, but I also found 4 classical music cd's ( I listen to them while I paint), a few more storage baskets I needed, a novel by Debbie MaComber, and a chee se knife. Ohhhh, I so want to tell you about the other finds, but can't. I may just burst from the suspense! Hard for me to keep secrets :-/

We stopped at a "Baggin's" for lunch. I had never been to one before. The sandwiches are fab! I would go again. Then we went to look for the new Hobby Lobby store, as I needed more small canvases, but it is still under construction. So we found the Michael's store. They had all sizes of canvas, and some on sale. I usually order mine online, but needed them now.  We arrived back at the ranch in time to get my things put back into the outside compartments and let the dogs out for some time on their cables. No time for a walk today. Then I tore apart the inside and re-re-organized stuff in there so I could get all my canvases in one place, rid out food items in cold storage under the bed, and make room for my "finds". No painting tonight. I'll just have to catch up later.

Day #3

"Treat them Special"

Need to have treats for the fur-babies .... especially to bribe one that easily slips their collar!

Here is Deaf Ranger enjoying his morning coffee and the sunshine in my rig.

Even though I am parked right now at my brother's, I still stay in my RV. I like routine and I think it's important for my pups. I tried staying in their beautiful and comfy guest bedroom, but really like the coziness and at-home feeling of my rv.

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Today we went to church, then headed out to Walmart for sandpaper and to return the second heater I had purchased that didn't work for my situation. I did manage to find some flannel sheets I had been wanting at a reasonable price. Also bought some new rechargable batteries. What I got back on the heater paid for my purchases today.

Enjoying the time together

After that we went to La Parrilla Suiza, an authentic Mexican restaurant, for our dinner. The food was delicious and the atmosphere quite friendly, in a beautifully structured setting.



Our attentive waiter



Woman making tortillas








After arriving home I tended to Miss Izzy and Curley Joe, taking them for a long-awaited walk.

I then got out some of the canvases and prepped them for painting, 15 smaller ones and 2  8 x10's.

Looks like I may be painting all day tomorrow it looks like the weather is not going to be so nice.

 

Till next time!

New Challenge (s)

Today I got my RV into All RV Service Center in Tucson.

I needed to get this roof vent

replaced!

 

....as well as a shorted-out turn signal in the rear driver's side that I had previously *fixed*, and needed to get the batteries checked because when I went to start up to leave this morning the engine complained.... alot!... and would not start. This was the 3rd time in 3000+ miles. We arrived about 10 am, brother and s-i-l enjoying the ride.

The guys at the service center did a good job. They had the roof vent and the arm and it was installed quickly. Good thing I had them check the batteries, as one was dead and 2 were "compromised". So, new roof vent and 3 new batteries.

They checked the turn signal and it was badly corroded, which I knew, and they had to replace the whole thing as the turn-signal/tail-light comes as a sealed unit. No biggy, as I was sure it was as old as the rv itself. And I had them check the other side as well. I didn't want trouble down the road. Yep, it was corroded also.

So, new roof vent and arm, 3 new batteries, 2 new turn-signal/tail-light units, and 4 hrs later we got back to the *ranch*.

Carol started on linner (lunch/dinner) while I got Miss Izzy and Curley Joe out for a walk. We had hamburgers and Texas fries! Oh they were so good! We had not eaten much that morning and were hungry!

After that, true to my committment, I got my painting stuff set out. Barely dipped the brush in the turp when the phone rang. I almost didn't answer it .. but decided to. It was daughter #3 telling me about the awesome advancment in her job. Whoo-hoo! A company car and a gas card!!! She does alot of traveling working for Visiting*Angels. I was so happy for her, and glad I had taken the call.

Back to painting, determined..... pressing on.

I decided my theme would be about my experiences while RV'ing this winter.

So here it is  And I accomplished Day 1 !!

"In the Beginning ... Winnebago Winnie"

3.75 x 4.75 Oil on stretched canvas

and now I am finishing the other half of my other daily committment. Thanks for stopping by!

Stay safe out there!



Tiny Home Atmoshere

Just thought you might like to see some of my "creature comforts".

 

These plants sit on my dinette table when I am at a campsite, otherwise they ride in the sink or a cardboard box while on the move. The one in the middle has 3 plants in it; a rope plant, a philodendren, and a hen and chicks plant, They are all starts from my friend Debbie in Kentucky where I used to live. She gave them to me this fall on my way through.

The larger pot holds 2 plants; of which I am not sure the names, but one resembles a staghorn fern without the "stag" part, and the other is a spiney thing  which reminds me of the game "Connects" (click to view larger image.) and is from another Kentucky friend, Wendy, with whom I also worked. Both these girls are special to me and I am so proud to have a living plant from both of them!
 

The water bowl is actually where my little Beta fish, "Moby Dick", lives. I changed his water the other day and he is happily blowing a bubble nest. He has made the journey quite well since the beginning. The lid has a light in the cover, and an opening for a bit of philedendron to live with its roots in the water. 

See him in there?Isn't he pretty?

These minor 'creature comforts' bring a smile to my face and makes my little RV feel like home.

 

Other comforts, such as of the nutritional kind are......

This awesome mueslix mix from a Menonite bulk foods store. I keep it in a ziplock freezer bag, and use 1/2 cup cereal to 1/2 cup water in a microwavable bowl, on high for 2 min. It is made of oatmeal, a couple other grains (no corn), flax, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, raisins, dates, and almonds. It doesn't even need honey to sweeten. Absolutely yummy!!

 

Oh, and did I ever show you my bread-maker?? Another yard-sale find. Yes, its actually my old 3 qt crock-pot, which has a roasting rack for meat (bottom left) but also has this nifty little can in which to bake a loaf of bread. Yeh, I agree.... quite a find :)

 

So yesterday I also made some bread using the below ingredients.

Dry yeast mixed with almost a cup water and 2 tsp honey set to "work", 3 1/2 cups of 7-grain bread mix, and some of my home-dehydrated shredded zucchini.

Mix all and knead into a smooth ball

Let rise once, then let the air out (punch down) and put in the can, letting it rise again.

"Bake" in the crockpot on high till done. Mine took almost 3 hrs.

Finished product.... a little dense but oh so flavorful! I can remedy next time I bake it

 

I get the crust!!!



Canyon Lake - Potter Creek Park-COE

Part of the 8,230-acre lake with 80 miles of shoreline.I found this by putting the coordinants in my Garmin GPS. Love Garmin! It's a GPS for dummies, er, it was a wise investment for me.

Anyway this is looking toward the lake from down below my campspot.

Below, the campsites of the left loop. Nothing for shade except for the roofed picnic shelters, which I guess is ok.

Far across this field is the right loop down closer to the water.

The fur-pals and I took a long walk across this field this morning and they got their sniffing, running, pottying time in.

Of course I had to watch out for holes like these, about the size of the first half of my shoe.

They were all over that field.

At least the dogs tired out before I did this time ;-)

(The down side of this campground is the little burrs that are all over. They had to be combed out of the dog's fur everytime I took them outside. So if you visit here be prepared if you have dogs.)

Back to the camp we went, where I had parked near some trees on the back side, which is the west.

The cement pads are pretty level and backing in was not a problem.

As I had electric hook-up, last night and today were crock-pot days.

(except that, reading "Traveling with John" made me realise I was eating like I was still up north in the cold) Well, got to fix what I have , no matter the temps. So here's my dried bean, lentil, veggie, polish sausage hearty soup.

...and my cooked apples because I had left home with a peck of good northern apples and some I had left are starting to wither, so I cut up the worst ones. Still good, mind you. I can have these with pancakes or make a biscuit topper, or just plain eat them; there are many ways to use these.

I carry a 3 qt and a 1 1/2 qt crock-pots with me.

Thats what I do when I get to a place with electric is cook up enough for several days. It saves my propane for boondocking and I don't have to eat at Burger King.

 

Opps! I downloaded the wrong picture of the deer.... just a minute....

There, that one is better.....

This is right in back of my RV. They are not scared at all. There is a ban on feeding them now, in fact a huge fine if you do, because of over-population. They hope to eliminate 130 deer this year because they have been eating off the trees for lack of proper grazing per number of deer. It seems that way in alot of places.

I am kicking myself tonight because there was a beautiful sunset and I forgot to carry my phone with me when I walked the dogs. And I leave tomorrow to head west....

Got to plan my route. Have a wonderful evening and may the Lord keep you all safe.