Motorhome Remodeling

Just because your home came off a factory assembly line doesn't mean you can't change it. We've already done a lot to ours; took out the couch and put in file cabinet/bench and computer workstation; took out one dinette bench and added an office chair then fitted the table with a computer keyboard drawer. One other thing that has been bugging us for a while is the old carpet. If you've ever taken out an old carpet you know how dirty it is regardless of how often you have it cleaned. And, in a small place like a motorhome, every square inch of carpet is in the 'traffic pattern'! Lynne and John have had two motorhomes now. The first one, they took out the carpet and put down wood. The second one they put down vinyl tile. When they offered to do the same for ours, we jumped at it. I'm not sure if it's planned or not, but Lynne seems to get the dirty work! In this case, pulling up the old rug - including all the tacking strips and rotting padding. Jim helped a little. (I just took pictures!) Then, they had to cut plywood to fit for a 'subfloor'. They must be good at measuring because it was perfect. Then John went to work - making sure everything fit and lined up perfectly! Odie likes his new floor - he can make all the mess he wants and it won't upset me cuz it's so easy to clean. Yes, there are some times on chilly mornings that I miss the rug. But, I can use throw rugs to remedy that. Having this beautiful new floor makes me feel like I have a new motorhome! And, if we ever see rain again ... the knowledge that I won't have a muddy carpet to deal with is quite thrilling. The floor is obviously a BIG thing. But, the little things make a big difference too. Take a look at this canvas pocket shoe rack on Lynne's bed: We have something similar that we bought at Camping World. The difference with Lynne's is that she picked the exact color of canvas she wanted *and* it wraps all the way around the long side of the bed as well. That's because she sewed it herself. "Sewing" to me means hemming a pair of pants. "Sewing" to Lynne means creating anything you can imagine! Here she is in her 'sewing room' - the utility trailer that they tow behind their motorhome. This is how Lynne and John make their living while living on the road. Check out their website at www.cosmicmuffin.us. And, if you happen to be in the vicinity and want something unique created - give them a shout.

New Years around Quartzsite

Quartzsite is famous for a camel driver named Hi Jolly. There is a monument near the center of town and we had yet to visit. We found ourselves in the neighborhood this week and decided it was time for a photo: It really is quite an interesting story: We also did a little more geocaching. We all so enjoy the wide open spaces of the desert out here. On New Year's Eve, Gypsy John treated us to a lunch at our favorite Quartzsite bar and eatery called the Grubstake. We got the manager to take a picture of all of us and, in return, we listened to his long repertoire of jokes! We didn't know we were going to get entertainment too! If you're not a character - you don't belong in Quartzsite! Thanx John! and, Happy New Year to everyone. We stayed up till after midnight ... eastern time! We rang in the new year (well, close enough) with lots of good food and drink and conversation around the fire thanx to Frankie and Dick and all the neighbors here in Rainbow Acres. It's 2006 now ... time to contemplate.

Brazilian dinner in Quartzsite Arizona

A few months ago, we were invited to a family dinner in Austin, Texas. Carol made a unique dinner of rice, beans, salsa, eggs, greens and mango. She said she learned it when she lived in Brazil many years ago. The dinner was so beautiful, and delicious, that I posted a photo of it here on our blog. Almost immediately, I got a comment on that entry from Gypsy John saying, "Yummm .... I want some of that!" So, I determined that, next time we saw Gypsy John, I'd make that dinner and invite him over. You guessed it, he's here in Quartzsite (read his blog/website here) so we had the dinner here at 'the cabin'. All I had to go by was memory and the picture in the blog - but it came out pretty good. Thanx Carol! And, thanx John for the photo below.

Christmas in the Desert

Ahhhhh, we're back at 'The Cabin' in Quartzsite with our adopted family; Lynne, John, Dick and Frankie. It is sooo nice to sit around the fire on a cool desert night. But, Ariel was impatient to open presents ... she *knows* which one is hers! We started Christmas morning with Mimosas and a fabulous brunch made with contributions from the whole 'gang'. Our outing for the day consisted of a little Geocaching Then continued on - down the same dirt road - to the Bar in the Desert. This place is just too fascinating ... no electricity out here - totally self-contained with solar power and water tanks. Yet they're able to support a band. We enjoyed a couple drinks and our unique surroundings. Odie and I even got up on the dance floor for a couple turns - no-one else would dance with me! Uh-oh, if you take a look at last year's Christmas photos, you'll see that we're dangerously close to creating a *gasp* tradition here! hmmmmm We hope all of you had as nice a Christmas as we did!

Ho Ho Ho

I really think that a lot of these RVs go *way* overboard in the Christmas decorations. I mean ... where do they keep all this stuff the rest of the year? But I thought this one was rather tasteful ... don't you? Christmas roadkill.