Sunday January 7
The drive through Tyson Wells
heading west just off HWY 95 on Kuehn St. south side of I-10
It was such a nice day, so
when done reading the Sunday paper we just had to go for a drive around
Q
and check out the venders.
It's like the old scoop the loop, when we were kids. But we were country
kids in rural Iowa, so scoop
the loop, was driving around a couple of blocks of our hometown and then
heading to the neighboring
town to scoop the loop there. The only entertainment that is free,
except for
the beer that was sneaked
out the back door of the local tavern. And to think we were on the student
council.
Well back then gas was 25
cents or less, (1964 or so) and most of what we used as farm kids,
came from the bulk tanks
on our farms which and even cheaper since, no tax on farm fuel.
I degress... Bring
back any memories for You?
So here we are are now in
Q and Terry is posing with a balck bear... notice the trap below.
The vender sez many dogs
go by and get nervous to say the least. Didn't scare Terry, as he stepped
up and was ready for a bear
hug.
These pics are at the Main
Event area.
Here is the booty we picked
up while touring the venders. Let no one say we
don't support the action
in Q. The red and blue storage canisters are for welding rods for Terry's
brother.
Who would think we would
find such things in Q. A couple of books for 50 cents each. One was "All's
Fair"
by Mary Matalin and Jmaes
Carville. and another one by Patricia Cornwell "From Potter's Fiels".
(They had pallets of books
all for 50 cents each. This was in the second tin building at
The Main Event past the
ice cream stand.)
We also got hearing protectors,eye
protecter goggles, and a dusk mask.
(I keep telling him playing
at the rock club is unsafe.)
Place mats, paper plate
holders, drill bits, splatter fry pan guard, hair pin clips,
and pickup tie down inserts.
(which don't fit our truck). A plethora of goodies.
We have just started to
shop till we drop... Wait till the big tent sets up later this month.
One day soon I do want a
Bloomin
Onion... At The Main Event entrance.
I think the last one I had
was at Cheyenne Frontieer Days several years ago.
Monday January 8
Right across from the Bloomin
Onion stand you can get Lemonade to wash it all down.
All in The Main Event.
And just what you wanted
to carry around from campground to campground.
It all can be found in Q
in January. Think of having to truck all this stuff in and set up.
Later
I stopped at a vender in Tyson Wells and started to take a picture of her
crafts.
She
spoke up and said NO PICTURES. I looked at her in amazement and said NO
pictures
NO
sale and walked off. It takes all kinds. I think I will go back in the
days to come and
challenge
her on the no pictures thing. A public area, no entrance fees, and no signs.
Might
ask for her business card ahead of time, so I can let readers know who
not to buy from.
I
would think a vender would want all the exposure they could get. Now if
she wants to explain
why
no pics, and has a good reason I will listen. We shall see. Wonder what
she would say if I
explained
the pictures that our blog readers might see, of her crafts, just might
want them stop
by
to take a look, and BUY something.
Her
(fine works of art) would be more at home at a national art show, instead
of a vender booth in Quartzsite.
Anyway
we wish all venders good success selling their wares in Q. This for many,
is not just a means
to
supplement their income, but their only income source ongoing.
A warmer
Monday with no breeze at all. At 5 PM it is 70. We are having home made
pizza
tonight
to watch the big football game between Ohio and Florida.
Tuesday January 9
Want
to do a little RV decorating, or just make your picnic table feastive
for
your Quartzsite gathering. This vender in Tyson Wells can fix you up.
Or
if the weather report is to believed for this weekend of cold and rain
and just a little
north
of here snow. Low of 27 this weekend. You can run over to The Main Event
and
pick
up a sleigh or glass fishing floats.
Everything
is here in Quartzsite.
There are semi trailers in
back of the vender show areas in Tyson Wells with fork lifts to unload
more product as it is sold.
We will get some pictures of the tons and tons of rocks and jems that
are sold here eash year.
With
that poor forcast the venders sales will be way off this weekend as people
will not wonder about
in
the wind and cold. Lets hope for the big events the last two weeks of Jan.
that the weather picks up.
But right now again at 5
PM we are a fantastic 70 and calm.
Wednesday January 10
We ran accross this motly
crew on W Main Street. at a vender
who called himself Loose
Arrows.
We later went to RV Lifestyles
go get a new fluorescent light for over the dining room table.
It now has a fancy three
bulb light which does not put out as much light we would like and is
not very efficient. When
you turn it on the 12 volt reading spot light over the recliner dims some.
This we hope will be more
to our liking. We have four other EOM fluorescent lights and are very happy
with them.
The light was even on sale.
We like to do business with this bricks and motor dealer in Q.
It has been overcast all
day and does not look good for the next few days and even into next week.
Just had a severe weather
warning pop up in my toolbar. Talking about in the lower 20s to head our
way.
I use a free program Weather
Watcher. Runs in the toolbar and you can add any location
in the world to
monitor the weather. Day
by day forecasts or even hour by hour. It will alarm with severe
weather warnings.
Radar maps, etc. One neat
program. I have used it for years. If your are on the road and want to
keep track
of the weather back home
or anywhere, this is the program to get.
I thought my computer was
going bad as the mouse curser was very jumpy and it took two clicks
to open files and such.
I did a run chkdsk a couple of times and rebooted and then it dawned on
me to
replace the wireless mouse
batteries as the red pointing diode was going nuts blinking at me.
DAH. That did it.
Got the new mouse on black
Friday sale at Radio Shack. So first battery change. I know what
you are say
I should have read the instructions.
Men don't do that do they? Or ask directions.
Why do you think GPS devices
are such big sellers.
Terry is if off to a night
wire wrapping class at the rock club so I'm going to catch up on the forums.
9 PM UPDATE
I found this post on the
forums...
Just back from a trip to
Quartzsite and I am very disappointed in what I saw in the LTVA's, they
look
like shanty towns! Fancy
rigs with a cobbled together mess around them are no better than a mess!
I thought at one point LTVA's
were a good thing but after seeing what they have become I have to say
I
would be in favor of discontinuing
the program. In many ways it's hard to see any difference between
the LTVA's and Slab City
other than the subsidized services provided for the snowbirds!
Slums surrounding a set
of wheels!
MY REPLY WAS:
I'm sorry that you don't
like Q and the LTVA's BUT 100,000 thousand others or more, think different.
All types of people in rigs
from $300K MH to broken down cars in tents do stay the season in the LTVA.
Sometimes we have to get
a life, and understand we are all in this together. The BLM is here for
ALL.
If you want a 5* resort
go for it, just leave the rest of us to partake in the kind of lifestyle
we enjoy.
We have the means and could
stay in the finest RV resort in the area, BUT we would rather be in the
BLM and not have another
RV unit so close we think we are in a parking lot.
For what we spent on solar
and a generator we could buy a lot in Q.
BUT we like being away from
the herds.
We like RV watching (like
people watching) as they pull into the LTVA. Some people might miss the
fact
that most RVers have found
that 'class structure' disappears when you get in a campground. It turns
out,
for most of us, we all just
love this lifestyle, and go out of our way to be friendly and helpful to
a fellow RVer.
9:20 PM ...
Terry just called on the
GRMS radio from the rock club and he is now off to get fried chicken to
bring home.
Healthy NO good YES.
Thursday January 11
Sandy
our new roving photographer spotted these snow shoes.
More
talented eyes, more shutter clicks , and more great photos of life in
Q
in the height of the season. She has submitted many more great shots,
watch
for them in the days to come. We hope she will share her skills with added
commentary.
You
thought we were fooling about the strom headed our way.
You
do remember we are in southwest Arizona.
The
big news in USA Today is how warm the winter is up north.
It
has been nice here, but the jet stream is sending us a cold wave and we
want it to shift back up north.
Asked
Terry to look for the snow shovel display at the General Store.
 
Watch
out pardner their gunning for Ya.
And
at Hasslers RV park you can go fishing if you are big enough to reel it
in.
And
if their is water running in Tyson wash. Hasslers (by the way) is For Sale
if you
want
to buy a RV park right on W. Main St. which at times is a water front property.
Friday January 12
A short
non pic post today... spent my time working on ebay stuff.
Everybody
needs a day off now and then... when frustrated trying to get other
programs
to work.
Also
after Terry took ALARM IT
units to the Quartzsite Post Office and they could not figure
out
how to scan in the Delivery Confirmation bar codes. They did it before,
but today no clue.
We
love them but that doesn't help. The units went but without Track and Confirm.
You
can feel the change in the air as it is getting colder.
Many
RVs are pulling in to boondock in the BLM. They just keep driving by unit
after unit,
right
by my window, as I sit at this computer, working (or should say playing)
and watching life go by.
It's
interesting to see the variety, of the types of units, people choose to
fulfill their dreams of living
and
traveling in an RV. RV people watching at its best right here in the BLM
LTVA.
It
gives me a perspective about the choices we made about the equipment we
settled on,
and
to compare our choices, with what others made, to also live this life.
As
the many units drive by I wonder about their stories and the adventures
they have to share.
Saturday January 13
7 PM
WOW we are talking cold.
Tonight it is to get to 20 degrees. That is just insane.
The news sez a record low
for at least the last three years.
One of the things we do
is open the cabinet doors below the kitchen sink. Run the gas water
heater all night and turn
of the water pump and open up the faucets.
I just broke down and changed
from shorts to sweat pants.
Time for a few more great
shots from Sandy.
Terry went over to Bob and
Sandy's 5er just up the raod in the BLM and they had a little wire wrapping
session.
They were unable to get
into a class at the rock club so Terry set up a little private class.
They did great per Terry.
This is their first season in Q (just starting out fulltiming it) and they
love the desert
and the rock club and are
getting into it big time. See the new heater they just added on the wall
behind them.
Oh! by the way the BIG TENT
went up today. It is huge. Just count the tent poles in this
sucker.
(2006 photo from the RV
Show web site)
See a whole group of aerial
photos of the tent and the event.
See what all the fuss is
about at the following link.
http://www.quartzsitervshow.com/index.htm
Stay warm now, and if your'e
in the midwest we hope the ice doesn't take down your power.
Weather can be fun to talk
about, but at times it is serious. Take care out there.
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