The nice thing about this life style is you really don't know what day it is and I haven't worn a watch in months. If I need time and date I'll look on the computer. No need in asking someone, they don't wear watches either.
But there are things that happen that make you remember a particular event and sometimes you count on those events to be your calendar.
On Thursday we moved our tent from the side of the motorhome to outward more so to the front. We felt it was a better location and would allow for more exposure to possible customers. It was a task of breaking down and then hammering in the stakes at the new location. Pat and I used muscles we hadn't used in ages. A couple of other vendors came by and asked if we were throwing in our hats since customers have been slow for everyone. Of course it gave me the opportunity to say yes and joke about the situation we were all in.
Thursdy night, December twentith. I watched Thursday night football and then hit the sack. A warm night. We even had to open the windows to cool off the motorhome. During the day I was told the winds were suppose to be 40mph. It was too quite to believe and weather forecast for Quartzsite are not at the top of the list on the news. The aren't at the bottom either. Actually the town isn't on the news or the news maps. We usually get Pheonix weather which is ninety miles away and they talk about the "Valley" which is in the Pheonix area. Ninety miles northeast of us. The next nearest thing that is on the map is Yuma, eighty miles south of us.
About 4:30 am I was up for awhile just listening to what was happening outside. Nothing. It was still a quiet night. An hour later I heard the beginnings of wind blowing across this flat land. Later that morning, about 8:30 it was blowing what we thought was a good twenty mph. We looked out the front window and about 500 yards away we could see the dust flying across the ground. There were some workmen in that area and they brought a water truck in to spray on the dry land so they could continue their task. About an hour later they gave up.
We decided not to open, as most everyone decided the same thing, and use the day for inside work and catch up. As the day was progressing so was the wind and our tent began to take a beating it wasn't built for. We had to leave the motorhome to take whatever precautions we could to keep it from blowing over. With the help of others, for this is a society where people pitch in when they think there is a need, we ended up taking the hard earned labor of the day before down. Dropping the sides, removing the top, putting everything away and just leaving the frame work standing. We can always put it back up another day as long as the frame is still there. After I finshed mine I went to a neighbors and hepled him with his.
Another day of hard labor for old folks. But another learning experience. We then setteled down to spend the rest of the day in the MH. Watching the flags being straightened by the north wind of forty mph plus with nothiing flaping but their very ends. It was windy. One vendor who stopped over said he lost a chair. I saw the remanents of a fake ivy plant stop by our tent and then take off for part unknown. Whatever you had that was not tied down was leaving. There was a flag we had made up for our tent that decided to take a trip. Of course the wind played games with me and as I got close to it the wind would push it futher away. It would wait for me to get close again and then move it away. I began to notice the distance between me and the flag was getting greater each time it stopped so I decided not to play anymore. As I turned to return to the MH I could hear the wind laughing as it picked the flag high off the ground a sailed it to parts unknown.
Later that afternoon a new found friend stopped by and asked Pat if she wanted to make the trip to Albertson's with her. A resounding yes because we don't have a tow with us and have to depend on local stores or others to stock up on supplies. Our mode of transportation is our bicycles but in this wind it is not the most efficient. So off they went to the shopping center, nineteen miles away into California. I stayed behind and did some work of my own. Besides someone had to keep an eye on the skeleton of the tent.
I think I mentioned it before but I'll say it again for those who might have missed it. The wind out here roars. There is nothing to slow it down but us and sometimes I think I hear mother nature laughing at us. I walked around this complex and there is only one tree. It is loved by all dogs but I'm sure it is lonely and dose not feel the same about them.
It is 10:30 pm now and the wind has subsided quite a bit. Gust still rock us every now and then but the forecast calls for a much better day on Saturday. Less wind. A high of about sixty-five. With those conditions we will go out and pick up the pieces and rebuild just as everyone else will be doing. We'll laugh, joke, complain and start a new day and somewhere in there I'll be ready for some football.
But there are things that happen that make you remember a particular event and sometimes you count on those events to be your calendar.
On Thursday we moved our tent from the side of the motorhome to outward more so to the front. We felt it was a better location and would allow for more exposure to possible customers. It was a task of breaking down and then hammering in the stakes at the new location. Pat and I used muscles we hadn't used in ages. A couple of other vendors came by and asked if we were throwing in our hats since customers have been slow for everyone. Of course it gave me the opportunity to say yes and joke about the situation we were all in.
Thursdy night, December twentith. I watched Thursday night football and then hit the sack. A warm night. We even had to open the windows to cool off the motorhome. During the day I was told the winds were suppose to be 40mph. It was too quite to believe and weather forecast for Quartzsite are not at the top of the list on the news. The aren't at the bottom either. Actually the town isn't on the news or the news maps. We usually get Pheonix weather which is ninety miles away and they talk about the "Valley" which is in the Pheonix area. Ninety miles northeast of us. The next nearest thing that is on the map is Yuma, eighty miles south of us.
About 4:30 am I was up for awhile just listening to what was happening outside. Nothing. It was still a quiet night. An hour later I heard the beginnings of wind blowing across this flat land. Later that morning, about 8:30 it was blowing what we thought was a good twenty mph. We looked out the front window and about 500 yards away we could see the dust flying across the ground. There were some workmen in that area and they brought a water truck in to spray on the dry land so they could continue their task. About an hour later they gave up.
We decided not to open, as most everyone decided the same thing, and use the day for inside work and catch up. As the day was progressing so was the wind and our tent began to take a beating it wasn't built for. We had to leave the motorhome to take whatever precautions we could to keep it from blowing over. With the help of others, for this is a society where people pitch in when they think there is a need, we ended up taking the hard earned labor of the day before down. Dropping the sides, removing the top, putting everything away and just leaving the frame work standing. We can always put it back up another day as long as the frame is still there. After I finshed mine I went to a neighbors and hepled him with his.
Another day of hard labor for old folks. But another learning experience. We then setteled down to spend the rest of the day in the MH. Watching the flags being straightened by the north wind of forty mph plus with nothiing flaping but their very ends. It was windy. One vendor who stopped over said he lost a chair. I saw the remanents of a fake ivy plant stop by our tent and then take off for part unknown. Whatever you had that was not tied down was leaving. There was a flag we had made up for our tent that decided to take a trip. Of course the wind played games with me and as I got close to it the wind would push it futher away. It would wait for me to get close again and then move it away. I began to notice the distance between me and the flag was getting greater each time it stopped so I decided not to play anymore. As I turned to return to the MH I could hear the wind laughing as it picked the flag high off the ground a sailed it to parts unknown.
Later that afternoon a new found friend stopped by and asked Pat if she wanted to make the trip to Albertson's with her. A resounding yes because we don't have a tow with us and have to depend on local stores or others to stock up on supplies. Our mode of transportation is our bicycles but in this wind it is not the most efficient. So off they went to the shopping center, nineteen miles away into California. I stayed behind and did some work of my own. Besides someone had to keep an eye on the skeleton of the tent.
I think I mentioned it before but I'll say it again for those who might have missed it. The wind out here roars. There is nothing to slow it down but us and sometimes I think I hear mother nature laughing at us. I walked around this complex and there is only one tree. It is loved by all dogs but I'm sure it is lonely and dose not feel the same about them.
It is 10:30 pm now and the wind has subsided quite a bit. Gust still rock us every now and then but the forecast calls for a much better day on Saturday. Less wind. A high of about sixty-five. With those conditions we will go out and pick up the pieces and rebuild just as everyone else will be doing. We'll laugh, joke, complain and start a new day and somewhere in there I'll be ready for some football.
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