READY FOR FAMILY REUNION.

For the last three days, my son and grandson’s came to help set up for our family reunion. Mason and Stewart sanded chairs to be painted.

Doug discovered a picnic table had cracked and  rotted boards, so he rebuilt it. We know it would be cheaper to toss the stuff and go buy something new, but none of us like to do things that way.

Nothing works as smoothly nor as quickly as you think it will. My truck wouldn’t start and I had to have it towed to the garage in Angels Camp.

The second day, the boys picked gobs of weeds and we went to the dump with a full load. (Truck is back) The rebuilt table is beautiful.

Stewart scrubbed decks, did weed eating, trimmed shrubs among other chores. The jobs the boys did in Las Vegas were easier than working for grandma.

Mason cleaned off the roof, set up the cooler, chased gobs of weeds. He doesn’t like picking weeds, or any of that stuff. But, it gives him an idea of what he doesn’t want to do with his own yard some day. In fact, apartment living is looking very appealing to me at this moment.

By the second and third day, Laurie decided to lend a hand. She primed the chairs. Painted benches and tables and kept everyone hydrated and fed.


Day three, the chairs are looking good. We have two blue, two yellow, two green and two red. And, a matching coffee table. She has some artistic ideas in mind for the chairs as well.

Things got a little easier for the boys,  but not much. Mason uses the compressor to blow up the tubes.

Stewart scrubbed up the trampoline. They moved heavy barrel plants around with a dolly, cut and hauled tons of brush for another dump run today. The boys are heading for Reno for Mason’s college orientation over the weekend. I’m still getting chiropractor treatments and hoping to be well by late July to return to the motor home. We had an outdoor plug to the sprinkling systems clock die just as the temperature hit over 100. This morning at 5 a.m. I was out reprogramming the clock. The new digital clocks are no match for the old mechanical clocks. I have one that has run for 18 years without any trouble, and it can be programmed in two minutes without double glasses, a flashlight and a book.

SWAMP WALK.

I know yesterday was Valentines Day, but it doesn’t seem to resonate when you are parked next to a swamp.

On the 13th, we did some cleaning, and packing stuff away. Our bedroom windows were hung with beads from Mardi Gras 2010, New Orleans. Some of them had become faded and the curtains needed washing.


So, we said our last goodbye to Mardi Gras by taking most of the old beads to the park laundry  for anyone to take if they like. That is a common practice in parks we live in. The new beads aren’t as colorful as those we had, but, we had way too many, anyway.


Jim worked on a leak in the Bronco’s sun window and we got ready to leave. Late in the afternoon, we went for  swamp walk. The late sun makes creative shadows on the swamp weeds.

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It is so beautiful in this swamp with reflections in the water.


Everywhere you aim is beauty. You can’t take a bad picture here.


Of course, lurking under all this beauty, are alligators. We talked to a woman who saw four of them.  Her family is camped right next to the swamp.


I was quite content to spot turtles balancing on a half sunken log. These were a long distance away.

Look at the size of his powerful hind feet.


An uncrossable bridge if you don’t want wet shoes. We went around to the other side where it was just as wet.


A tree with knobby growths covering it caught my eye.

Probably not healthy for the tree, but certainly interesting.

These small metal boats are used by the rangers. We saw a fisherman on the river using this type of boat for fishing, as well. He said he likes to fish, but only uses barb less hooks and releases everything he catches.


More turtles. A bit closer to the camera.Stretching to catch those last rays.

It’s cold, and we’ve had more cold and foggy days than sunny ones.


Jim spotted something moving in the water. We watched this turtle munching weeds just popping up and down in the water.


I spotted a snake. He is so fat I thought at first it was a piece of rubber someone had thrown in the swamp. But the lens proved it to be a big black snake.


I didn’t have my glasses on, but I showed the picture to the local fisherman we talked to, and he said it is a water moccasin. A very poisonous snake.


I know I’m going overboard here on the turtles but they are so darned cute. A little turtle confab on a log. The one has green moss growing on his shell. Sitting in the sun with their reflections in the water. Nice.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

That old song has many ramifications, but at home, its a myriad of tasks. Spring chores and spring cleaning have always been a pleasure for me. Getting up on the roof, uncovering the swamp coolers, hosing pollen off the solar panels, blowing the leaves off the roof, feels good. I don't enjoy cleaning gutters or rattling the chains in the chimney. Planning and planting a garden have always been high on the list.  In the house, taking curtains down, washing windows, cleaning fan blades, and in general, refreshing everything and maybe changing the furniture around, puts a spring in my step.
None of those things happened this year. Not only was the rain incessant, the weeds tall enough to cover the windows, and my time at home temporary, but I've passed into another life, ramblin' in a Motor Home. My friends and family don't really understand that I've discovered the benefits of living small, and seeing it all.

Even so, its was nice to get the ceiling repaired and repainted.

It took two days to vanquish the weeds and chop down trees threatening to fall. Everything had to be done between the storms.

 Instead of helping,  I spent my time playing cards with my sister and brother who don't visit very often.

  It makes sense to concentrate on the important things like the wonderful new card game, Quiddler, and company. The rains are coming back tomorrow and I'm in no hurry to do battle with the elements. Must be time to squeeze in a gathering of the neighbors.