Thursday, June 19, 2014

Thursday, 6/19

So this is next to our last day on the road. Up early and getting ready to head for Memphis.  Fed and walked the dogs and in the bathroom I go to brush my hair. I come out and OH NO!!!!!!!! Lacey is now injured.....Really? She is hunched over walking very slow. What could she possible have done in that short period of time.  I grab one of Daisey's pain pills and cut it in half and give it to her. Figured it would take the edge off her pain and keep her calm during the ride. Sure hope that's ok.

We start our route south. The guy at the KOA told us what route to take that was quicker and connected with I40. Little did he tell us that this road goes down to a 2 lane, VERY windy road with lots of curves and switchbacks. Geez........Branson is VERY hilly. Not a place I will ever return to.

We finally connect with I40 and start our route east.  All of a sudden we hear truckers talking about a parking lot. But not knowing where.  Well an hour later we found it. Construction causing a bottleneck made us loose another 20 minutes. We now know which way we are going which is back to Jellystone RV Park, right where we started. Johnny wants to stop at our dealer again and this is a really nice RV park.

Funny or not funny, our first night on the road we stayed here and Daisey was injured and our last night on the road leaves us here and Lacey is injured. This will be my last post for the trip. I am anxious to get home now and get Lacey to a dr. Hope you enjoyed my journaling. 

Now I will be starting on new items for sale and will post them as they are available. Hope to get ready for 2 shows this year.  Thanks again for keeping up with me and God Bless.........Joanna



Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Wednesday, 6/18

Our morning was relaxing. I finally got to finish a few cups of coffee. I started putting things away and made us a big breakfast. We went out for a while to another craft mall. Still not what we consider crafts. This art is slowing dying. Not much made by hand or in the USA. So disappointing.  Then one last ride up and down the strip to see if we could find someplace to stop. We decided to have lunch at the Uptown Cafe. So cute and retro. The cab I'm standing next to was made in the early 50's and could be ordered from a Sears Catalog. The inside was really neat. They even have live entertainment. A pretty good singer and her 13 yo daughter who was starting in the entertainment world. As we were leaving, 2 tour buses full of senior citizens piled inside. Boy was I glad we ate an early lunch.





We return back to the coach to walk dogs and rest for an hour before leaving for our show.

Now let me tell you about the Hughes Family Show "IT". There are 5 brothers who mostly sing and dance along with their wives and children. Other family members are involved from the stage to behind the stage and in the lobby. Between the 5 brothers they have 34 children. Yep, one of them has 14, one has 12. They are a Mormon family and home school the children. They also all married wives who were somehow involved in singing or dancing during their lives. Even the youngest sing and dance and some play instruments. Great show. I would highly recommend it.


Our evening ended with grilled steaks and some baked cookies for dessert. The girls have been walked and Daisey attempted to play with her baby. That's a good sign.  Johnny went out to hook up the toad and put away the grill, while I packed up things inside.  Coffee is ready to go in the morning, clothes laid out and maps, etc all put in place.  We head toward Memphis which will be bringing our trip to a close. One more night and we should be home.
Tuesday, 6/17

Guess what????? I woke up at 2 am with the crud.....yep I'm now sick. I sneezed for an hour and blew my nose all morning. I woke up with a sore throat and now I have to pop pills too. We went out for breakfast, then to a mail packing store so Johnny could mail some things, then in search of another quilt shop.

Yep I found another quilt shop.  Now this one was wonderful. It was huge. It had the best assortment of baby panels. And some really cute new ideas for the holiday panels. I found another new ornament pattern to make and some fabric for purses and table runners. And the cutest skinny wall hangings. I hope to have some ready for the Sept show I'm doing in the Cove.


We came back to the coach for a 2 hour nap and then we were off to the Showboat for our Dinner/Show.  They served  a really great meal. Much better than I expected. The show was just wonderful. A Comedian/Magician, a woman who plays the violin/signs/and climbs silks, and a 5 man acopello  singing group. They were my favorite. The entire show was really great. 





So the day is almost over. Feeding and walking the dogs and now relaxing on the couch watching the premier of my summer shows.

Monday, 6/16

Today we will get some cleaning and laundry done. We drove into town in search of Walmart and did some grocery shopping.  We hit Bob Evans for lunch and decided on some shows to see while we were there. I found a quilt shop on line and when we went to the address it had been gone for a few years. Not too happy. But oh well I'll find another one.

When we returned to the coach I walked the girls and Daisey actually barked at me and walked a good distance without problems. I went to the laundry room and while the clothes were going, went into the office and ordered tickets to the Showboat and The Hughes Family.

I had bought baby back ribs today and made up a little rub to put on them while I baked them.  When I returned from laundry they were ready and I put them in the grill. Not bad for a last minute meal. Baked potato and salad and we were good to go. I walked the girls one last time and we were in for the night.

Sleeping on the couch with Daisey is getting old, but I just don't want to take the chance of her trying to jump that high off the bed right now. She doesn't seem to be in any more pain, just having some mental issues. I don't want her to aggravate her back problem. So another night on the couch.......

Sunday, June 15, 2014

On The Road To Branson. MO

Happy Fathers Day to all you dads.  Poor Hubby spent his Fathers Day driving another 300+ miles in the wind to Branson.  We hit the road and decided to go a while and stop at the Flying J to gas up and eat at Denny's. On our way we went thru the town where the Precious MomentsChapel and where they are made. Too bad we didn't have time to stop. Use to be open to the public with a tour. But I'm not even sure they are open any more. So we kept on going.   Our directions from the KOAA were pretty good. I kept resetting the GPS trying to get us closer to where we  were staying.  The directions were good up to the last turn. We were told to go thru 2 traffic lights and it should have only been one. Plus the usually BIG YELLOW KOA sign was faded white and I totally missed it.  So I called as we went down the road to find a place to turn around and made sure we did pass it. Yep we did. Got more landmarks and finally landed.  This is a very big KOA, but very nice and full.  We are 2 spots away from a grassy area for walking dogs. And of course Lacey prefers the pavement. Daisey has walked more here than anywhere so far and actually barked and talked to me today. I'm very excited as she always talks to me and hasn't since her injury.

We were actually able to order Hunts Pizza tonight and it was delivered to our site. Tomorrow we are taking the day off to clean and do laundry.  This place is very dusty and needs a going over.  Then to Walmart for some Grocery shopping.

I'm watching the Branson channel to see some of the acts.. Can you imagine they have "Smoke on the Mountain" here. Plus Dolly Parton's   Dixey Stampede. And a few other shows we have in Pigeon Forge. Have to find something we haven't seen.

While walking around I have seen more Yorkies than ever. The lady in the office has two and the couple next to us has two and several other couples has at least one plus another dog.  Yorkies seem to be the #1 RV dog........yeah.......For Yorkies.

So for now I'll say good night. Glad to be back in some humid weather again. My skin is not itching and has stopped flaking. Breathing is much better and Johnny is starting to sound better.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Saturday, 6/14

Johnny decided to hit the road and fight the wind.  Some areas are worse than others.  It has become a fight at times for him holding the steering wheel.  But still this coach rides much better than our gas coach did and even the dogs are much more comfortable.

I made us stop at a KOA before Oklahoma City so we can catch 44 north then 65 south to Branson, MO. The Branson map we have makes the area look huge when it really isn't. I decide to call the KOA there and get directions.  Good thing I did.  First the town is a smaller strip than I thought and the KOA is 4 miles from 65. I get directions because I am told the GPS will take you on a dirt road.
So off we go for 4 nights to relax a day and then see some sights.
Hope the drive there is better than today's drive. This KOA we are at has a restaurant here and we have decided no cooking. Anyhow I am getting short on food so may have to look for a grocery store or try to hold out till Memphis and hit Walmart.

I just hope the winds dies down so we can get a good night sleep. Daisey has decided not to eat dinner. She's a little stressed today. Poor baby...I wish I could make it better. Although she is traveling great sitting next to me.  Even Lacey is starting to stay more in her bed than on my lap....

Friday, 6/13

So it's Friday the 13th. Are you superstitious?  I am a little. Don't want to jinx us so I'll be quiet for now.

We are on the road to Amarillo, TX. Another 300 mile day. The wind is still blowing and not fun for Hubby to drive.  On the way we passed the area where we saw the bad accident and the road is all burnt and area marked with a cross. So we know what happened at this accident.

We arrive at the same KOA we stayed at on the way west.  Hubby is not happy cause they have the train that runs every 10 minutes.  Well after we settle in and start watching the news.....trains are the least of our problems.  Severe storms coming our way.  Possible hail and wind gusts up to 70 MPH.  Crap, just what we need.  So we keep watching the updates and this thing is coming at us at 55 mph.  Now the bad thing is when your not sure what county your in or nearby roads to see how close it is to you.  I have packed a flashlight and leashes in my purse incase we have to run for the bathrooms.  There is a large group with kids camping in tents right across from us.  They are actually on a hay ride and oblivious to what's happening.  The sky is starting to get a dark gray with a hint if bright pink/purple.  Sort of pretty.  Then the winds start and it rains.  Doesn't last too long and calms down pretty good.  And just when you think it's over.......bam......the wind hits again even stronger. So strong we pulled in 2 slides for safety and to lesson the noise.  This goes on for a few hours and then calms down to about 15-20mph.  If the wind is still bad we may not leave in the morning.  We should get a t shirt....."I survived the high wind storm" in the morning.

Guess there is something to Friday the 13th........

Friday, June 13, 2014

Thursday, 6/12

Well we are leaving hot and dry Monument Valley.  Got an early start and started heading south.  We were not sure how far we would make it.  This is the first time that I actually got Lacey off my lap and in her bed while traveling.  Guess she got tired of me constantly putting her in the bed every time I needed to get up or move. It even gave me a chance to sit a little sideways and take the pressure off my sore hip.  Sure hope she continues to travel in her bed from now on.

Well we are back in Albuquerque, at another KOA. It's very clean, but still no grass. All pavement and pebbles and extremely hot for dogs to walk on. So I will try to wait till there is more shade between RVs to walk them.  I told Johnny to go lay down and we all took another nap. Now I really understand why there are siestas. It is too hot in the afternoon to do anything but sleep. I must be getting too old to walk around or sit outside in the heat of the day.  I really miss my cool, rainy, Tennessee.

It's funny with all the problems we have had with our RV, our friends who are in Yellowstone have had their hoses freeze at night because it's dropping to the 30's. They also can't get their outside steps to go in and have to push them in and the driver has to go in the drivers side. They also had a rock hit their windshield and put a crack in it that was growing. I think they were able to get someone to come out and stop the crack from growing till they get home. So see it happens to all of us.  So that's it for the night....trying to find a repeat on tv the I haven't seen over 50 times.  Wonder where we will land tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Our Day In Monument Valley

Wednesday, 6/11


A good night with Daisey. She actually woke me up telling me she had to go out. She came to me for her pills and ate all her food.  I cooked us a small breakfast and did a few loads of laundry at the facilities.  $3 a wash....WHAT!
So far the most I've paid was $1.25. Well I have no choice. I want to get my quilts washed and a few little rugs.

We are off to the Welcome Center and decided to drive the 17 mile tour in our car. This way we would be inside and maybe better for Johnny.  But after just a little driving we decided to turn back. The roads are VERY bad and with our luck something would happen to our car and then what would we do.  We went back to the restuarant for lunch and then John Wayne's cabin. It was used on some of the sets for some of the movies he made. They also have a cute museum with lots of info on the Navajo and the movies shot here.  Did you know Back to the Future was filmed here? I didn't.

A little interesting story about a young man we talked with who worked in the restuarant.  His name is Remington, after a famous artist.  He is a server at the restaurant. I asked our server if all the kids around here spoke Navajo. Thinking they did, she answered no, only one who works here. He came over to us and proceeded to tell us a large group of the kids living here are in gangs, but that wasn't the path he wanted to take. He just graduated high school. He lives with his parents and grand parents and they continue to talk their language. He also explained to us his religion and how and where he goes with the elders to pray. They really go into tepees and sing and dance. He told us how their drums and staffs were made.  Praying started on a Saturday night going into the next day.  They talk out their concerns, problems and health issues.  He explained about their Navajo names which he could not tell us. They are private only used for praying. He explained that when he 
was born he almost died and everyone praying to the sun, sky, and fires for him to breath again and all their beliefs brought him back to life. I asked him if he had a talent for art and he said he did pencil drawings of the area. He said he loved to draw. His grandparents gave him their horses and sheep and he also loved to draw them. He planned to go to college unlike the other kids in gangs. He said his younger brothers would take care of his animals while he was away. I asked him what he planned to study and he said some commercial art and then he wanted to go to a trade school for welding. He really seemed to know what he wanted in life and it wasn't getting into drugs, alcohol or gangs here. He took the time to tell us about the  Code Talkers during WW II and some of the words they used and their meanings. He even encouraged us to read the book The Code Talkers.


This is a view from our Camp Ground. Goulding's Camp Ground. Very nice. Very pretty surroundings. But VERY HOT, DRY and DUSTY!!!!

After lunch we decided to come back to the coach, take a nap and then walk the girls.  We have relaxed the rest of the day and will be leaving in the morning working our way back home. Although it will take another week or so.

I'll let you know where we land tomorrow.........

John Wayne Here We Come

Tuesday, 6/10

We are on the road again to Monument Valley.  About a 4 hour drive.  We are staying at Goulding's RV Park for 2 days.  We have set up camp and I'm making pot pies for lunch and hoping Johnny can rest a little since he's not feeing too well and the girls can get settled in. Daisey did well on the trip now she's on the couch calming down. Poor baby.....

We decided to stay around camp so Johnny could rest. Daisey has actually started walking outside. You must be careful where the dogs walk. The pavement is very hot and could burn their pads. I try to keep them in the shade. I decided to brush out Lacey and wash her ears out.  She is not happy with me. She really needs a bath but I'll wait till we leave the desert area.

I cooked dinner in. I had a frozen meatloaf and it really hit the spot. Then Johnny went back to bed to rest and I started working on one of my UFOs. Falling Leaves Quilt. When the sun started going down I was able to walk both girls and then we settled in watching repeats on TV.  So glad I'm able to catch up on my blog. Just wish I could show pictures.  Soon........

Our Last Day In The Canyon

Monday, 6/9

Daisey slept much better last night. She let me rub her belly and turned on her side for more rubbing. A good sign.  She ate breakfast well and went out without a problem.  Bring her back in and she shakes for a while and shies away from you when you walk by her. I think we are going to have a longer recovery for her mentally. She's just afraid anything or any move she makes is going to hurt her. I just feel so bad for her.

We decided to finish our tour of the Canyon. Since this is our last day here. Johnny is not feeling so well.  He has suffered a little with his breathing because of the altitude and the dryness and dust is killing his sinuses.  We did the rest of the rim and actually I think today was the best.  It was a little cooler and clearer. The views were just beautiful.

The fire on the north rim seemed to flare up a lot today, and we saw some helicopters flying around too. We were told one was taking supplies down to the ranch and the other may have been filled with water for the fires.

We had a good tour and stopped at the Bright Angel Lodge for lunch. When we returned to our car parked at the Market we realized it had been hit.  GREAT! Just a little ding on the back fender. I went shopping to stock up on milk and eggs and sinus meds for Johnny and we came home for the remainder of the day.  I sew some, napped, and then grilled chicken for dinner.  

In the morning I will finish putting away everything and we will be on our way to Monument Valley.  So until we land there I will close for now........later

The Story of Trailer Man

Ok Funny Story

This guy pulls up in this white travel trailer in the spot across from us. Now......he pulls in and halfway out the other side.......now......he backs up without turning his wheel to align the trailer.......now......he pulls forward again........now.......he backs up and his trailer wheels go on the curb.....this occurs 3 more times.....pulls forward.....backs up.......this is going on for 15 minutes. Now he pulls out and goes around the block and comes back and does the same stuff for another 15 minutes. I actually dozed off a little and when I woke up he was now trying to level the trailer putting and taking away wood under his jacks. Never putting anything behind his tires. So I hear Johnny laughing his butt off and I get up and look out the window....now he is trying to park his vehicle that is too big for the area left.  He doesn't know how to parallel park and pulls up and backs up.....pulls up and backs up on the curb....again for 15 minutes.  We are laughing so hard that I have tears in my eyes. Then he decides to pull up on the grassy area you shouldn't park on. Now I am not making this up. I couldn't if I tried. And if I wasn't laughing so hard I would have made a video.  Now mind you he has been at this for 2 hours now and still has to hook up water, sewer and his gas.  3 1/2 hours later he is still walking around his trailer trying to hook up the gas and a mule deer comes strolling down the street right in front of us. And I don't mean like back home, I mean with in 5-10 feet from us grazing.  So Johnny went over to the guy to warn him so he wouldn't come face to face with a surprise. He doesn't speak English and walks around the trailer and jumps when he sees the deer.
I'm gonna venture to say this guy was at it for over 4 hours.  I know we have done dumb things and will continue to, but this guy really doesn't belong camping.  He can't even drive his vehicle away without driving on the curb. Funniest Home Vehicles would have loved this one.

Next day....you won't believe this but after all the hours of work setting up last night. This guy is packing up to leave.

He gets in the vehicle, backs it up to the tow bar.  Pulls forward a smidge.....gets out to look.....gets back in, and backs up a smidge....gets out to look.   NOW we counted 27 times he does this and he's still in the same spot. He gets out....walks around the trailer....bends  down to look at something gets back into the vehicle.  Turns the wheel and backs up back to where he started. This took 15 minutes. He now hooked the tow bar and backed up a little.

WAIT.........he's not leaving, just trying to reposition. OMG!!!!! You just can't believe this...LOL......After all the hours of work yesterday,  and he's still in the same spot only 5" further back. And still no room to park his vehicle. He's now back to trying to level the trailer and has walked circles around his trailer putting wood under the jacks and then takes them out again just like he did yesterday. Repositioning wood from one side to another.  We are now into 20 minutes of this process.  He's now hooking up his water and electric again.  This guy has got some set of patients. So 30 minutes later the task is done and he rides off in his vehicle..........it is 8 pm and he still hasn't returned.



It's been 2 days and no trailer man.  I'm a little concerned. With all the weird things going on in this world I decided to go to the office and tell my concern. It turns out he has paid till June 17th.  I was told he may be from a company that rents out trailers to families. So maybe some people are due in soon. So strange......

I finally went to the office with my concern about trailer man.  He's paid up till the 17th. So they think he may be a company who set up campers and brings in families to camp.  Finally 3 days later trailer man shows up in a van full of orientals. He is there for hours unloading groceries, water, etc.  So now we know.  But you have to admit it was funny in the beginning.

Grand Canyon

Sunday, 6/8

Our morning starts slow.....Daisey slept with me on the couch all night and did fine. When we woke up I took her out, walked her just a little and brought her in. I made a small breakfast and we decided to take a ride just south of here to a town called Tusayan and see what was there. It's 10 miles south on 64. Well it was a small town and early in the morning on a Sunday...Johnny wanted to find a car wash and gas station and he didn't realize there are no car washes around. So we decided to drive 50 south back to Williams.  Gas stations, car wash and the great restaurant we ate breakfast in had a wonderful Hot Roast Beef Sandwich.  Wish we could bring this restaurant back home with us.

On our return ride back we stop at a neat gift shop area that had vintage cars. We took pictures and then went next door to another gift shop that has more cars and sculptures made from metal. Angie's Murphy would have loved the wagons that were there.

We have returned to our coach and I am attempting to let Daisey out on the floor and she is really scared.  I'm hoping that she is relating the pain she had with areas in the coach and just needs to get confidence that she won't be hurt. I have her on the couch with me again and it took her about 20 minutes to calm down.

We have called ahead to Monument Valley and made reservations in Goulds Camp Ground for 2 nights.  Then we may plan our trip to start home and stop in Branson, MO. We cut our stay here in the Grand Canyon 1 night. We have been to almost everything. Our Sunset was not great as the smoke from the North Rim Fires came in and dulled the colors.  So we are done for the day.  I hope to grill burgers tonight and just enjoy the rest of the day relaxing, napping, laundry, and sewing.

Oh....did I tell you.....I quilted and put the binding on my two new RV Placemats.  On my little Janome.  Came out great. Now I'm sewing up the clothes to my little people ornaments..........later

More Of the Grand Canyon

Saturday, 6/7

I got up and looked outside this morning and I really don't think trailer man ever came home last night. No vehicle and no sign of him. Hubby can't decide what he wants to do so instead of making breakfast we shower quick to go out early. I get out of the shower and he's playing with his drone. So I started sewing a little. We then head out east along the rim to a geological museum. You can see the path we took with the mules from here. And a small part of the River can be seen. A ranger talks with us a while and give me more information on how the canyon was actually formed.

As we walk along the path we come a cross a little baby squirrel. So tiny and cute. And then an older one feeding in grass not caring we are taking pictures of it.

We come back to the coach and I cook us a breakfast.  Then Hubby goes outside to play with his drone and I sew a little and then try to take a 15 minute nap.  Between 11-4 is very hot and not good for walking around. So this is good for us.  I'll keep doing small loads of laundry and eventually catch up again. 

I decided to make a late lunch-early dinner so we can drive out to the farthest point and catch sunset. I'll also maybe sew a little more. I have finished one of my RV Placemats and if I can quilt and sewing the binding on the other, it will give me handing sewing when nothings on TV.

Off To See The Canyon

Friday, 6/6

Up before the sun again, but this time I refuse to go outside with Lacey till it's light out.  With all the different animals walking around here I want to be able to see them.

We all finally get up, Daisey is carried out to pee and returns to her room. She eats ok and takes her meds.  I do a few very small loads of laundry, and then make Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches outside on my griddle for lunch. Then we are off to see the Canyon.  The free shuttle picks you up at the entrance to the camp ground but we drive to the first stop. It's where the big grocery store is. So we hop the shuttle and drive from look out to look out.  Shuttles come every 10 minutes so you can take as long as you want. This is so much better than driving your own car.  They are air conditioned well so you could skip a stop if you want to ride and cool off.  We passed the cabin we stayed in 20+ years ago and the barn where the mule are kept. A few of the stops have toilets and one has a gift shop.  We ride around for a few hours and return to the coach to check on the girls. This time when Daisey is taken out she takes one step, yelps and wants Johnny to pick her up. So back to her room she goes and I decided to feed the girls and then take a nap.

We are 7,000+ feet above sea level so it does make you tired more with less oxygen and it is hot and no humidity.  My skin is so dry and my eyes and throat.  You must keep drinking water.

We decided to eat at the cafe near us for dinner which was really good.  Only thing was we saw on the menu small dinner salad .06. So we each took a salad. When we go to the register it was by the pound. Johnny's salad cost $5. What???????

We are back at the coach resting....I'm working on my ornaments. I tried to paint a face  to see how cute it is, but I really need the face to be sewed and stuffed.  I am sewing the clothes up and they will be ready. I can also sew the clothes and just have to stuff little bodies.  Nothing on tv now so sewing will be done while we are here.

Houston, we have landed in the Grand Canyon

Thursday, 6/5

Our morning started slow. Packing up getting ready to leave. I was able to make us a quick breakfast and walk the girls. Daisey got up in what we though was better condition. She slept well, was able to stretch, roll on her side for a rub and she ate. 

Our drive was easy and slow. As we traveled down the road we started noticing some Indian Trade Shacks on the side of the road. The land started changing a bit also.  

We made it to the entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park and showed our senior park card and entered for free. OMG I have a Senior Card.....Now the map we had of the Grand Canyon wasn't marked too well with all the roads, and of course you know the GPS wasn't as up to date either.  But between the signs on the road and GPS we actuall found the Camp Ground.  It's really nice. Paved spots and very clean.  We are on the end and there is a corner next to us with trees that I noticed is where deer bed down. It's shady and great for walking dogs.

We set up camp and got into the car to drive around and seek some info.  We stopped at this huge Market that was the size of a Walmart. One third souvenirs, one third groceries (with wine), and the rest a nice deli.  So we ate personal pan pizzas for lunch and motored down the road seeking the hotels.

We finally found them and walked behind the El Tovar Hotel and walked to the rim.....OMG. Our Lord hit the jackpot on this one.  Only God could make this beauty. What a sight....we were here 20 something years ago and we decided to walk down to the cabins where we stayed.  Now we are up over 7,000 feet and our breathing isn't what is use to be so we had to take it slow.  We stop and talk to a Ranger who give us information on how to see the best of everything. How sweet of him.

We stayed out for a while and went back to camp to walk the girls...this time Daisey came in and when I placed her on the couch to sit with me she let out two screens and jumped in my arms shaking again.  Her back must really be bad this time.  So in her playpen she went and I gave her a pain pill.  The remainder of the evening she stayed calm and was only taken outside the door to pee and brought back in. I'm praying that being here for 5 days and not driving anywhere with her will give her plenty of time for her back to start feeling better.

Tomorrow we have to decide if we want to see the Canyon at sunrise or sunset. There are now free shuttles from the camp ground all over so we may not have to drive much.  

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Tuesday and Wednesday, 6/3 and 6/4

Tuesday seems to be a blur to me.  We were just so worried about Daisey's health.  We headed to Petsmart to buy a new toy to see if she would respond and we wound up talking to a dog trainer who gave us some ideas and suggested we call a vet.  He gave us the name to his Vet in the area, and we came back to make calls. First to ours and then to the local one.  We wound up taking her to a third Vet as the others were all booked.  They did blood and X Rays and saw more discs in her back injured.  We were given meds and she was put on complete bed rest for four to five days. Great, try to keep an active Yorkie from jumping on the couch......came up with the idea of putting the playpen in the living room for her. So that's where she's been since.  Her bed, food, water and pee pee pad. The meds made her sleepy so she really didn't want to come out. Seems like she knew this was what she needed.  We would pick her up occasionally to get her out to pee, but I'm guessing the pain was bad cause she would come right to us to be picked up and go back to her bed.  I slept on the couch with her, keeping the leash on so she couldn't jump off. She did really well. Here she is confined to her playpen in the living room area.  She knew she had to rest and never cried to come out. She has everything she needs in there including pee pee pad.  She is such a good patient.

 
I spent the rest of the day doing laundry and house cleaning which was needed bad. Even though I do have a washer and dryer, I have not kept up with laundry as I packed enough of everything for 10 days. So I decided to do big loads in the laundry room.

Wednesday we decided to drive down to Williams for the morning and have breakfast and walk around. Great breakfast was had at a really nice restaurant. We walked around and Johnny wound up buying some stuff and I a small bag to just carry water and money while I walk around the Canyon taking pictures. Then I went into a wonderful art gallery which had great artists from different mediums of painting to fiber art, metal, glass jewelry. To see it and the artists go to www.thegalleryinwilliams.com.  There was also a doll maker Sherry Jacobs...www.etsy.com/shop/MyArtsyFartsySelf.
She make wonderful art dolls like the ones I use to make before moving up to Tennessee.  Then my last stop was a cute quilt shop where I bought a yard of Route 66 fabric and a pattern.  Fabric out here is now $15 a yard. So I will be very choosy at what I buy.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning, laundry and sitting with another couple talking outside comparing stories of the Motorhomes.  You think We had problems.  This couple say they go to open cabinet doors and they fall off, drawer fronts come unglued and they have a switch and panel that they have no idea what it's for.  Noting in all their books shows it and when they call their service, no one returns phone calls.  At least Tiffing calls you back and the service guys are wonderful to us.

These Stellar Jays were all over the Camp Ground. Related to our Blue Jay, they are a little brighter in color and have the darker heads. Big birds, musical and not afraid of anyone.


 

So the rest of the evening I will spend starting to pack up a little as we leave for the Grand Canyon in the morning. On this time we don't have to leave at 7 am as we are only 2 hours away and we can't check in too early.

I'll let you know when we get there.......later. Jo

Monday, June 2, 2014

Heading To Flagstaff, AZ

Again we start out at 7:00 am. We seem to time it the same every day so far.  Stopped again at Pilot for fuel and Denny's Grand Slam.

Our ride was quiet, no wind, sunny, but the landscape was beige and boring. It is so sad to see so many abandon homes and buildings. Makes you wonder where the people are and what happened.  Quite a few Casinos on the way and now starting to see Indian Shops.  Quite a bit of I40 again was once Route 66. So sad that this too is almost totally gone.

We arrive at our KOA, and again I was glad I read the KOA Book. I checked the book directions and compared them to the GPS.  Two different directions. So I called and the GPS kinda took us into a shopping mall. We are hear now for several hours and guess what........wait for it......wait for it.........you guessed it. Something went wrong.  The refrigerator is not working. Was this morning at the other camp ground. I call several repair shops and hubby is on the other phone with Tiffin Service.  Short story.......from all the bouncing around, the frig shifted and crammed itself against the wall, smashing the plug.  After pushing the frig in a little  and straightening out the plug it worked.  Another thing for a Red Bay trip.  Add that to the list along with the door that locks you out.

Now we are settling in for the next 3 days. Get out the grill, put out the chairs. I'm sure as soon as hubby finishes hooking up water and sewer we will head out In search of a new coffee pot.  I did pretty good this morning pouring hot water into the dead one. It was drinkable. The sewing machine comes out tonight for sure. Tomorrow we head to the welcome center for info on places to see while we are here. So until then.......enjoy the rest of your day...

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Not A Way To Start The Day

Sunday,  6/1

I woke up at 5:30 am this morning and just had to get up.  I walked the girls in the dark and came in to start coffee........OH NO!!!!!!!!  The dang coffee pot died.  You must have coffee to start your day. I had to heat up water in the microwave and pour it thru the pot.  Not too bad.  It had to do for now.  We went up the road some and stopped at a Pilot for gas and went into the Denny's for breakfast. When we stop we will look for a place to buy another coffee pot.

The rain has stopped and last night the wind picked up. Now I'm not complaining, but do you have any idea what it's like driving in 20-30 MPH winds.  Wellllllllllll you get blown all over the place.  But I must admit, that either the winds were not as bad or this new diesel pusher and the other stuff Hubby added to it has helped.  Little Lacey hates walking in the wind. It blows her hair flat against her face.  And it almost knocks her over. So we started out again at 7 am and headed towards New Mexico.  Hubby wasn't sure he wanted to stop in Albuquerque so we passed thru and ended in Grants. Population 6,000. This town and KOA is actually sitting on a lava flow from a small volcano 45 miles away. Hope to take and post pictures. No grass growing here so I have to walk to girls on hot pebbles.  I will walk them quickly and wait till the sun goes down and it's a little cooler. There is only a small Walmart here which didn't have the coffee pot hubby wanted.  So we will improvise again in the morning and wait till we land in Flagstaff.  The manager Susan is cooking a dinner special tonight, so again I decided to take advantage of a Turkey/dressing/green beans/mash potatoes with apple pie for dessert special. I do plan to cook while in Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. 

After we arrived while Johnny was talking with the manager I went on to walk the girls and put Daisey inside to calm her down and walked over to join the conversation a while. When we went to go inside our coach, the door was jam stuck shut.  DRAT!!!!! Everything so far, with the exception of Daisey's health has been going great.  Now this happens.  I know all of you have been waiting for something to go wrong. I almost started crying.......not this....Daisey is inside, with the air on and we are outside in the hot sun....I got one of the guys who worked here and him and hubby pushed hard on the door and it opened.  But you can see it's starting to have a problem. Now we have to be very careful of closing the door. And I think keep the driver window unlocked just incase I have to climb in.