Peter, the proprietor of the thrift shop, tells me his story.
I don’t know why people tell me so much about themselves, but I’m glad they do. I’m fascinated by the events and decisions that determine the course of people’s lives. Linda at the repair shop shared her story, too. So that makes two personal stories in one day! Anyway . . .
Peter and his wife are from Portsmouth, a harbor city on the southern coast of England. An 18-foot Swift Accord travel trailer was their home. Peter made a living fishing from his own boat.
Misfortune struck, or maybe it was good fortune when one looks in hindsight.
Several storms whipped through that area. One ferocious storm ripped Peter’s fishing boat from its moorings. The boat was lost. To add insult to injury, it rained so hard — 7 feet of rain in one year — that their home sunk into mud up to the axle. Very discouraging, no doubt.
Tired of the storms, Peter and his wife emigrated to the United States and settled in the desert Southwest. Hmm . . . not hard to figure why they chose Arizona. They opened a restaurant in Wickenburg. They aren’t in the restaurant business any more; now they manage several enterprises including the thrift store. Peter and his wife are happy to be in Arizona.
I admire people who have the gumption to pull up stakes and start over.
This cactus grows between the wall of their thrift store and the parking lot. I don’t know the name of it. (It’s about 3 feet in diameter.) It is a beauty!
Friday, March 22
Shortly after the crew and I arrived here at our free camp on BLM land north of Wickenburg, Arizona, I ordered several items from Amazon. Today I receive the phone call . . .
“Your package is here!”
The crew and I head into town. (The photo shows the gate over the cattle guard we traverse to get on Hell’s Highway.)
Before I placed the order with Amazon, I looked up UPS places online. First I call “Your Secretary & Shipping.” The rate to receive a package? Two dollars per package! With all I’m going to order, I could end up paying $20 or more. Not acceptable.
Next I call “Kaley’s Sew and Vac” and ask about their rates.
The lady on the phone says, “The first package is free and every package after that is fifty cents.” Well, that’s more like it!
Here’s what was in the big box from Amazon: two Benchmark atlases — Wyoming and Washington (Now I have all of them!), a hummingbird feeder (!), a stick-on-the-window bird feeder, a telescoping campfire fork, two boxes of Calgon, a collapsible water dish for the crew when we hike, an LED motion-sensor, stick-up light, and a hiking pack.
All this stuff can be seen on the Shopping Links pages.
I stuck the birdseed feeder on the window above our bed. I don’t know if I’ll get any birds with it that close to our faces. If I do, I’ll certainly see them up close! I’m not going to mess around with the hummingbird feeder at this camp.
I haven’t used my new campfire fork yet because it’s too windy for a campfire. Lots of dreaming and planning over the atlases already. Dropped some Calgon down the toilet. Stuck the LED light on the wall in the bathroom. Put the collapsible water dish on the floor with water in it, hoping to train the crew. Of course, Bridget and Spike act like they don’t see it.
I put some things in the hiking pack and try it on.
So far I like it! Now I can carry all the stuff I want to take on hikes. You can read more about it on the “For the road and campsite” page. I’ll let you know how well it functions after a few hikes. I’ve never worn camo before!
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rvsue
rvsue and her canine crew 