Another stifling hot day even when we went out for our first walk around 9:30 am. We walked the shady roads but not for long as the heat was almost unbearable even that early in the morning. The dogs huffed and puffed as they walked along and I could tell, they too were uncomfortable. Back in Quatro, I sat for a while stroking both dogs as they both sat on my lap which was very peaceful and soothing. This was followed by breakfast for me, and coffee made with a fresh carton of milk thanks to yesterday’s shopping spree.
I did the usual e-mail check before catching up with the blog and bringing it up to date and sat for a bit just contemplating. I did not solve the world’s problems as no one is ever going to do that but enjoyed my own thoughts which I must admit, turned a bit dark and afraid for the future. My friend BJ called, and we had a very interesting conversation about the state of this country. She agrees that we are in serious trouble. After that, she had to spoil it by telling me that she was getting ready to go swimming in a friend’s pool.
I needed to do laundry and wandered over the laundry room which is only 50 yards away to check on the machines and see if any of them were available. There are two washers and two driers, and both were open so a quick trek back to get my laundry and we were all set. The machines are on the honor system probably due to the very small number of RV’s, 8 including mine plus two tiny homes which probably have their own machines anyway, here in the park. They get very few travelers like me. I left my $4.00 in the jar for that purpose along with a few of my business cards advertising the blog and walked back to Quatro to await the wash completion. There were three deer wandering the park and I amused myself watching them before they took off for the woods. Whether they were the same ones as before, only Nature knows. I used the Olympus camera to get some long-distance pictures.
When I walked back over to transfer the wash into the drier, I took my new Olympus camera with me to take a few pictures. I have had it awhile and have not used it very much so am unfamiliar with its controls although most modern-day cameras are very similar. The difference is that the Olympus is mirrorless. I tend to use my phone all the time only because it is convenient and always with me plus the picture quality is very good. Of course, it does not have the same zoom capability that either of the two Olympus lenses have.
With laundry folded and packed back into my laundry bag, I made my way back to Quatro to cool down. The temperature is 103 degrees with at 40 percent humidity making it very sticky indeed. Mother Nature is hitting us with a vengeance to make up for the past few years of relatively cool summers and it is only July. We still have August to go before it even starts to cool down In September. Both A/C units are running full blast and that is 24 hours a day as it only cools to around 78 degrees here at night, hotter than a lot of State’s summers. It was only 4:00 pm and it was way to early and too bloody hot to go out walking, I put the laundry away and settled down to write again. I should write a book as I have all these words inside of me, but I have no ideas for a suitable plot. I am more of a reporter than a writer. No imagination only facts. I have tried to write a biography and finished the first part of my life in England but never got around to my life in America. The story is on a flash drive somewhere and will never see the light of day in print, that is if I can ever find the flash drive.
We waited as long as we could before going out walking. Again, we walked the road but as the shadows had increased, we were able to visit the pond and feed the large catfish in it. The feed is in a bin on the deck provided by the thoughtful owners. I can understand why there is a “No Fishing” sign on the deck as these fish are like pets.
Back in Quatro, we had the evening meal and then watched television before retiring for the evening
Written 07/08/2022 Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com
Hawks Nest RV Park, Atlanta, TX Day 9 Saturday
07/09/2022
We got up late on purpose as it was so comfortable just lying there dozing and waking and dozing again. The dogs were not in any hurry which added to my laziness. I finally crawled out and after a quick shower, we went out for the morning walk. Because we were later than usual, the sun was already high, and it was hot, bloody hot. We walked the road again only because it has more shade and when we reached the park driveway, both dogs turned in and hurried back to Quatro acting as though they had enough of being outside and wanting the A/C. Me too and I did not argue.
I sat for a while just to cool down savoring the A/C before getting breakfast for us all and the oh so important morning coffee for me. I sat at the desk, which is really the table acting as a desk, to eat and drink and peruse the emails that I had already received, none of which were of any particular importance. Some of the news is depressing, others make me wonder about some people and are they for real. Still others just make me sad. With the emails and morning news out of the way, I concentrated on writing the blog finishing up the one from yesterday and starting this mornings. So far, there is not much to write about as so much of my life is very repetitive and sometimes, nothing changes from one day to the next. I like it that way with no surprises. I do have a couple of things to do around Quatro getting it ready to move out on Monday but most of that will happen tomorrow.
To give you an idea of the preparation work involved, it includes, putting things away in safe places for the journey as they tend to move around… a lot. I have stabilizing bars inside the refrigerator to stop things from sliding around and I utilize the shower floor to put things like the indoor grill and toaster for safe keeping plus a few other items. All are placed on the small bathmat to stop them from moving too much. The coffee maker goes in the sink and any small items are put into drawers. The higher items in the dishrack are put on the lower areas so it is not top heavy. I use the bed for other things to stop them from jarring around. In one RV, the refrigerator door came open during our travels and I had jars and cans up front with me.
At this site, because Quatro does not have a ladder for roof access, I need to get out the extending ladder and blow off the two slides of pine needles and other tree debris. On Monday the day of the move, I will finish putting everything away indoors and then start the system of departure preparations which includes bringing in both slides and the awning, if it is out. This is followed by disconnecting the sewer hose, the water hose and finally the 50-amp service. The very last thing is to remove any blocking from under the wheels if possible before raising the jacks. Finally, I have to get out and pick up all of the wheel blocking material and the wooden boards I have to support the jacks, take one last walk around the RV and then we are ready to roll. I did not follow this procedure at one of the campground resulting in running over the blocking and turning the specially bought heavy duty plastic chocks into a million tiny pieces.
Hooking up the Jeep is governed by how much room at the campsite so it might happen early or after everything else is complete and we have pulled out into a level and straight line. This time I can hook up the Jeep early as there is plenty of room here and we are going forward when we pull out. Incidentally, it is impossible to back up the RV with the Jeep attached as it jackknifes very quickly and anyway, I cannot see it except through the back up cameras which are only good for a visual of what is behind and only show the roof of the Jeep.
Hooking up the Jeep takes a good half hour and can be difficult and frustrating as everything has to be fairly level and lined up plus the required distance from the RV. There is a little leeway but not a lot. There are a couple of other things to remember as well. One is to turn off the propane at the tank which is one I sometimes forget. The other was to bring in the electronic weather units that are the outside part of the system and placed on top of one of the tires. I say was because I did forget to do this and ran over both units squashing them almost beyond recognition with the 22000 lb. vehicle. So much for that weather system. Now I have two indoor units that tell me the temperature indoors and not a clue about the weather outdoors. Might as well run over those too. Nowadays it does not matter too much as I already know it is hot, very hot outside. It is summertime in Texas after all with the outside temperatures at 104 degrees and high humidity and needless to say, we are not doing much except staying inside. So much for my plans. Tomorrow, there is always tomorrow, thank goodness…Which got me thinking, does tomorrow ever come because by the time it does, it is today?
It suddenly clouded over and turned very dark, and a thunderstorm accompanied by a very strong wind blew in. I remembered that the awning was out when I heard it flapping in a very agitated sort of way and quickly brought it back in. Just in time too as the wind grew stronger with the storm which lasted for about an hour. There was not a lot of rain but some bright thunder flashes and lots of rumbling.
We waited for a couple of hours before going out for the evening walk around the park. We visited the lake and fed the fish before returning for the usual evening meal and evening’s entertainment.
Written 07/09/2022 Read my other blogs at https://pondblog2011.com
That first view is stunning, Francis! Nicely captured!
Thank you. The scenary is beautiful.