FAVORITE THINGS

 There was a time I considered the most important aspect of a chair, comfort.  But, ramblin' about the country can change that perspective. With camera in hand, I continually run into chairs, in shops, on sidewalks, or buildings I visit that strike me as deliberate attempts to seduce the eye with its beauty or quirkiness, or attract the hand with its texture.

Looking at quirkiness, why would anyone build a chair that rocks sideways?

Rawhide makes a clever statement but the statement isn't comfort.

Surprisingly comfortable for street side respite,  but its beauty is what attracts because its placed where it catches the sun to tease you with its shadow.

Hand bent hickory, a rocker with comfort, strength and texture. Comfort to sit up straight, only.

You just want to reach out and polish these seats with your hand to see if they are actually as smooth as they look-and they are.

A place to kneel and commune with God or your soul;  maybe a special spot for a small child to sit and read to grandma. It tells a tale.

Who would I ask about this carved face? The maker is long gone, the chair is old. Makes you wonder?

Too fancy and formal to enjoy, but beautiful. It resides in a famous southern plantation house.

Very intriguing. Looking comfortable, but my eye was seduced by its artistic back, and the smooth texture of the knobs. Definitely not a place to lean back for fear it would break all that beautiful construction.

Comfortable looking, but maybe only for a doll. I have yet to see the chair that I want to plop back into and read a good book without going to a  furniture store.

A rocking chair porch wants to invite me in for a cuppa and a chat with the neighbors, except, ramblers are just passing through.

 For a temporary respite,  a curb or a rock can be a chair, or even a table in this park in Gloucester.

But, for comfort, there is nothing quite like an overstuffed couch or chair. I keep looking for one on the street.

GIRLFRIENDS

Everything they say about girlfriends, is true. We really bond, talk and understand each other. (Jim calls himself a thorn among the roses. He took the picture.)
All I know is I would be bereft without my girlfriends. This impromptu gathering was so much fun, the toasts we made, the laughter and "girl talk."
Tomorrow I have girls night out with the three M's, that's myself, Michal and Madalaine. Because I'm now on the road so much with Jim, I find these get togethers all the more precious. When I'm gone, I miss some family gatherings, neighbors, deaths, weddings, local events, my local newspaper...gosh, whole buildings go up in the neighborhood when I'm gone.
Its about choices. I'm glad I've become a rambler; I'm glad I have Jim in my life. I'm happy to have these years of good health and happy to have new adventures to look forward to.

A good girlfriend, (now deceased) used to always toast with these words:
"Here's to us good friends and true. Stab her in the back before she stabs you." Which always brought rollicking laughter.
Another, that I tend to over use is: "Here's to you and here's to me. May we always agree. And if we should disagree, to hell with you and here's to me."
Of course toasts can be serious, but for some reason or another me Irish comes up when I have a drink in hand.

"Heres to my friend, the bride. May you always have diamonds on your fingers and knock-you-dead-destroy-the-paycheck dresses to wear. And to the groom, may you have an indestructible paycheck."

Truth to tell, my usual toast is may you know as much happiness as I have known. And that's for real.

YUMA AGRICULTURE

Yuma is an agriculture area. We see vast fields of lettuce, kale, cabbages and alfalfa plus orchards of citrus and dates. Packing houses with iconic names like Dole and US Packing Company are evident about the area.
Sheep in herds of undulating wool are visible in the background as the individual sheep cruise the fence lines and seem less sensitive to traffic.
We drove out to the edge of town, crossed the Colorado River that put us in California for a couple hours as we visited Bob Gambol and man who lived and worked in Las Vegas at one point in his life. He claimed that people, when they found out his name, advised him that it was a lucky name and he should put a lot of money out there. He wisely didn't. Some of those quirky superstitious gamblers did. Much to their chagrin.
Bob Gambol is a WIN, a rambler like Jim, and an interesting individual who back-packed 128 different countries over a period of six years. He avoided the most traveled spots, such as Europe. He chose instead, the off beat, small towns, communist countries and revisted Viet Nam where he spent two years at war.
The wandering culture of the RV world is an interesting phenomena that I have yet to explore fully and to understand.
But, I'm working on it.
Chaio

Weather Cheated and Tamale Rich

Jim is feeling cheated because his winter home, Yuna, (he's a snowbird) is cold instead of warm. He is tired of wearing sweats and wants to get into sleeveless t-shirts and shorts for the duration, especially since he is skewing his winter to return to (brrrr!) cold Murphys while I have surgery in February. We all have our comfort levels and 65 degrees is definitely not for Jim.
But, its okay, the friendly weatherman is forecasting 70 degrees in a few more days and then the Rambler will be out and about without shivering. I keep telling him I've got weather Karma. Its a fact, wherever I go, I bring the sun shine with me. Well, sort of. I know we've been smiling a lot. I guess that qualifies for sunshine.
Dental work yesterday gave me a new smile and if that isn't a reason to celebrate, I don't know what is.
So tonight, we'll spend happy hour at the America Legion so I can try my smiling voice on Karioke. But, not before eating another wonderful dinner of home made tamales via Lydia. If you are in Yuma, you should call her and she'll make them special for you. The best I ever tasted, really. Call 928 388-1577