Detours of Past & Present

The weather changed so much overnight that we thought it would be best if we headed closer to Tucson to get some warmer weather and try to get in touch with my sister and her family. We also wanted to get some other things done since we would be moving the van anyway. So back to Tucson we go!

[caption id="attachment_3875" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Interstate Walls[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3876" align="aligncenter" width="300"] On our way[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3877" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Downtown Tucson[/caption]

We started driving into the streets of Tucson to look for a self-serve car wash and ended up on the streets of Downtown Tucson, there is a lot of construction right now but it was nice to see the city. I don't think as many times as I've been to Tucson...and I was born here...that I've ever actually driven into Downtown...that I'm aware of at least! We drove around where the University of Arizona is, now that is a place I remember very well. When I was about 15-16 years old I came out and visited my sister and her hubby, pre-kids, for the entire Summer.

While I was here I had to keep up with my swimming routine and the University of Arizona was kind enough to let me practice with them during the week and even swim in a couple of swim meets...I was in Heaven!! It was really fun and good for me to have to "keep up" with college swimmers and some of them even had to keep up with me...it was a good confidence booster, plus I got a lot of amazing training from some of U.S.A.'s top swim coaches...and the pool was beautimous! So driving past the University was a little blast from the past for me.

[caption id="attachment_3879" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The outside of the pool[/caption]

We found our self-serve car wash right behind the University, where we stripped Joon Van down to her bare skin and cleaned her up, nice and good! She looks amazing, inside and out!

 The car wash took us about an hour and a half, then we were off to do our other errands, finishing our day driving back to the Casino del Sol.

[caption id="attachment_3884" align="aligncenter" width="300"] T-Rex at a stoplight!!![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3885" align="aligncenter" width="300"] "A"- Mountain[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3886" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Casino del Sol[/caption]

So, we're back here for...I don't really know. Hopefully I'll get in touch with my sista' soon and we can hook up and get our visit in. I can't wait to see my lil' noodlebugs...they are gonna freak!

Hope you all had a lovely day!

PEACE

 

 

Rejuvenation...complete.

Over the past few days I've just been doing lots of odds and ends. J' got my chair down for me so I've been sitting outside...ahhhh, I love sitting outside! I feel so much more refreshed and connected when sitting outside. I can sit in the sun, be closer to Nana and I just love being outside!

I've gotten some things done that aren't even that big, but annoying to not have done.

I took a shower, it's so nice and warm in this spot...it was actually a really nice (almost warm) shower!

[caption id="attachment_2829" align="aligncenter" width="150"] So fresh & so clean[/caption]

I sewed our silverware holder back together, the top was totally coming apart from the part that holds the silverware...so everything kept falling out of it every time you would pick it up.

[caption id="attachment_2830" align="alignleft" width="150"] Ah, geez[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2832" align="alignright" width="150"] Together again[/caption]

Since I had the needle and thread out, I secured my snap button on my favorite knit sweater, it was starting to pull away from the yarn...didn't want to lose it!

[caption id="attachment_2831" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Sew Radical[/caption]

 I have also spent anywhere from a half hour to an hour each day picking up rusty nails, broken glass and trash that has been left behind. I don't understand people and the thought process of leaving this stuff behind. I think it's very disrespectful. I started picking it up because I couldn't walk Savannah 5 feet in any direction without yanking her out of glass or nails or pulling trash out of her mouth...she's just a baby! Also, once we started looking around we started realizing we may pick one up in a tire if we're not careful so it became a daily thing.

[caption id="attachment_2833" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Full bag...tsk tsk tsk[/caption]

 Having some things to do in town and knowing about all of the trash, glass and nails we left our 'sweet spot' to do our errands. We had a full day ahead of us...crazy how two things take all day to do! The car wash: Wash Joon along with the mats and rug inside (and the grill). Laundry: 9 loads of dirty, dusty digs! Oh and we had to get water and ice, but that takes like 10 minutes.

[caption id="attachment_2840" align="alignleft" width="150"] Scrub a dub dub[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2841" align="alignright" width="150"] The inside too![/caption]

 The AZ Car Wash was a super nice wash and it was pretty much right next to the Laundromat so it worked out really well. While I started sorting the clothes into machines and doing my thing inside, J' was pulling clothes out of bags from inside and off the top, all of our sheets and blankies off the bed...anything that needed washing. While J' was outside getting the van squared away again with the mats and all that, I was inside feeling like I was in a Library...oh and getting yelled at! It's been a while, hasn't it!? I wasn't the only one this time though, haha. See, there are signs on every single dryer saying, Please close dryers gently. I thought I was doing a pretty good job at not slamming them, but the lady that worked there, ironing undies, thought differently and literally yelled across the laundromat at me to not slam the door. Okay, I shut it hard but I didn't slam it. Then about two minutes later, a dude on the other side of the 'mat slammed his dryer door. That lady came out from behind her ironing board and tapped him pretty hard on the shoulder, sternly telling him not to slam the dryer doors. My goodness! About a half hour later, I was so in my own world that I guess I had lost my flow of gently shutting the door and "slammed" it again....yep, got yelled at again! I looked up after she walked away and the shoulder tap guy was looking at me, laughing to himself. We had a 'moment'...it was kind of funny, but I couldn't wait to be done.

[caption id="attachment_2844" align="alignleft" width="150"] Very clean[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2845" align="alignright" width="150"] 2 out of 9[/caption]

 Finally done with laundry and the van...and $30.00 dollars later, yep expensive here! Thank goodness J' does the outside stuff while I'm doing the inside stuff, it would take twice as long if we didn't have each other there. I sort, wash, dry and fold and he takes everything apart and puts everything back together, especially making the bed from foam to fort! We were both totally pooped when we were finally done and ready to go back to camp and just veg. We found a new spot sans all the nails and glass, it's actually up on a little perch and we can still see all of the towers so we are getting hella good signal for TV...hopefully the wifi will be just as good.

[caption id="attachment_2852" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pretty perfect![/caption]

Overall the last few days have been very successful. Many things have been accomplished...doesn't really matter how big or small, things are things and once they are done it feels good. Now, we are pulling our fort out early, everyone is clean in the clean sheets and ready to get our snoozers going!

Goodnight my friends, much love and light to you and yours!

PEACE

 

 

Change for change

Okay I think an update is in order here! I would say things have been hectic but I think it's just that way in my head and before I know it several days have gone by! haha Anyway let's see what have we been up to...?? Well...oh Lúnasa sásta (that's Happy August to the people that don't speak Irish...I don't either I just think it's fun to translate stuff!) On the 2nd of August we went down to Fresno to pick up some stuff at the Postal place and grocery shop, among other things as always. We didn't leave super early thinking we could definitely get all of our stuff done by the time the sun would be setting...haha we are silly, yes we are! We left about 10-10:30 a.m. We went down with a plan this time, a list written out for the groceries, a list or budget you might say for the entire day. We thought this would lessen our stress but we can be fooled ya know!? We picked up our stuff and a few things for Bob & Miss Cherry at the Postal place then headed onto the rest of our errands. We proceeded to the laundromat with our 6 loads of filthy laundry. I didn't think it was that bad, we did 6 loads of laundry for $15.00 roughly and we were only there for about an hour and a half...maybe 2 hours (I'm quick and to the point man, I'm a folding machine). There is something strange about going to the laundromat though, it makes me feel like a normal person...maybe it's the domestication. J' helped by making the bed while I folded the rest of the clothes, this helped on time immensely...thanks babaa'! We went to a self car wash instead of the one we went to before because we now have the solar on the roof...not good to go through a car wash with that!

[caption id="attachment_388" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Dirty girl[/caption]

We got to the car wash and their coin machine didn't work so we drove back to the laundromat to get change and then back to the car wash. The van was filthy, just like everything else we own haha...including our feet (yes we washed those too!)

[caption id="attachment_391" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Gotta get the tootsies clean![/caption]

We thought it was neat when we got to the car wash there was a couple of guys, that looked like they just bought this Westfalia, they were cleaning it out and up. It was pretty nostalgic.

[caption id="attachment_389" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Wonder what they're going to do with her?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_392" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Just like new[/caption]

Now that our clothes were clean and Joon Van was clean, it was time to grocery shop...ugh...the dreaded Wal-mart. We had to get some vitamins there anyway, so we just planned on getting what we needed and getting the hell out...we had a list, should be a breeze. I swear this place just sucks the life out of J' & I, the only time we argue is when we are in THIS store, it's so annoying. We got what was on the list and didn't get a lot of stuff on the list, too and left. We still had two more stops to make before we even thought about making it home and it was already 5:15p.m.

[caption id="attachment_393" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Wonder what an Ice Sandwich tastes like?? Ice cold![/caption]

We made a stop into The Vitamin Shoppe to get my new supplements and since I had done all of my research and knew exactly what to look for (& I had someone helping me) we were only there for about 10 minutes. Out the door we go to the Fruit Stand, oh and I found out their name it's, Takahashi Farms Fruit Stand at Copper Avenue & Auberry Road.

[caption id="attachment_394" align="aligncenter" width="300"] I ♥ you[/caption]

I was, again, like a little girl in a candy store and since we budgeted this time for about $20 in fruit and veggies here, I was grabbing everything I could think to put in or on something...without it going bad. We walked out with a big box full of goodies and the mom (the lady that yelled at me last time) even gave us a free bag full of fruit. She was saying to me, "Grab some of those doughnut peaches and some dapple dandy plums and some of those." I was grabbing things I didn't even know what they were, just thankful that we had the chance. By the time we got back up the mountain the sun was starting to sink but we still needed to get water and be Santa Claus to Bob & Miss Cherry....rollin' rollin' rollin'. We got our water, handed everything out and got back to camp just in enough time to make a quick bite and get in the van by night fall.

[caption id="attachment_395" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Cookin' in the dark[/caption]

The next day would be like Christmas for us we will open the bags of groceries, fruit and the boxes we got from the Postal place and access "the damage" once again!

[caption id="attachment_390" align="aligncenter" width="300"] What a nice sign[/caption]

PEACE