rvsue and her canine crew

The crew and I stop at the plaza in downtown Ajo.  

I’ve filled up the water jugs at the spigot in front of the Chamber of Commerce and now I want to check my mail.  

The post office is tucked in alongside the deli and various shops.  I’m happily surprised when the post lady brings out not only a package from friend Geri, but also part of my Amazon order of painting supplies.

It’s a beautiful day.  Finally, a day without wind!

I take some photos of the plaza and browse the shops.

The plaza at Ajo, Arizona

Then we tool on over to NAPA at the far side of town to arrange for the PTV’s oil pressure gauge check-up.  The earliest appointment we could get is for next Tuesday.   

Practically across the road sits the IGA grocery.  I buy a lot because I need to restock several items.  I had considered driving to Casa Grande, some 90 miles one way, in order to go to Wal-Mart and my bank, and for the heck of it.   Any savings, however, would be wiped out by the cost of gas and then the oil pressure situation made the trip out of the question.

The crew deserves a hike.

On the way home I drive past our lane and go deeper into the Darby Well area.

Motorhomes are nestled among the saguaro.

Bridget and Spike scramble out of the PTV.   We’re on a mission to find new campsites.  This requires us to walk because I don’t want to take the PTV up unfamiliar trails that could have deep washes across them with no place to turn around.  Plus it’s fun to hike with a purpose.  The next time we come here I want to camp in a spot that’s more secluded and with a different view.

An arrangement of cholla branches

  We walk up a dirt lane and find a beautiful spot not far from Cow Plop Mountain. 

Yeah, that's a cow plop. A very big cow plop.

Its only drawback is a big hole nearby (abandoned mine? animal den?).  Once the PTV is back to normal we’ll look some more.  Spike and Bridget love these explorations!

"When we get home, Bridget, I'm going to take a nap."

I get out our little charcoal grill. 

The crew guards supper.

It’s difficult to do a good job with chicken on this grill as the distance of the chicken from the briquettes cannot be adjusted very much.  Just the same, you get what you pay for and I’m glad I got it.

The chicken legs have the skin on which gets burned, of course.  Oh well, I don’t want to eat the skin anyway and underneath the meat is tender and good.   

I also put on a hot dog which I love to eat burned, and the last, thankfully, two turkey burgers from a box of the frozen patties. 

One “burger” is for the crew to share and the other is for me. 

They really are terrible. 

"I love you more than Bridget does."

The crew thinks the hockey-puck burgers are wonderful and, judging from their eyes, they cannot believe I’m giving them each such a big piece. 

I should have given them mine, too!

We share some chicken and I put the rest in a zip-loc for tomorrow.

After our feast and clean-up, we watch the setting sun together.

We also watch a gang of mourning doves devour all the birdseed I’ve put out.  Every day more show up.  We’re up to eighteen at a time.  Bridget gets annoyed with them and walks around the ironwood tree, sending them off in a flurry of wings.  A half-minute later they’re back.  After they’ve stuffed themselves at our all-you-can-eat buffet, they finally leave.   

I put out more for the sparrows who dine most daintily, shelling each seed before picking another.  It’s funny how you can see human behavior mirrored in the actions of birds and animals. 

Later in the evening I get in pajamas and cozy up with the crew.

I want to look at the brochures about Utah that Geri sent.  I love not knowing where we will be in the coming months!  I’ve learned not to set an exact itinerary, just acquaint myself with areas I want us to see, set out in that direction, and then let the journeys unfold. 

Bridget and Spike are dreaming, too, fast asleep. 

Bridget opens her eyes momentarily as I turn on the television.  Oh boy.  Here we go.  The choices are how to plane a chair leg by hand (always good to know!), men trying to injure or kill themselves being daredevils (narrated in Spanish), or PBS being so. . . so . . . PBS.    

I turn it off and wrap up the day the same way I started it — reading the latest comments from blog readers!

rvsue   

 P.S.  Did you hover your cursor over the photos?