A Nomadic Life on Our Couch

Yes, it’s still relatively chilly and very windy here at Imperial Dam LTVA, near Yuma, AZ. We’ve been spending a lot of time in the trailer, which not one of us is excited about, but Tracy endures it with more stoicism than either Banjo or I.

Quiet Inside

I’ve been reading (I just started the Wheel of Time series), cleaning odd spaces (usually I clean right before we travel, but with no travel that’s fallen behind), and working on Matt’s Towel Tiny House.

Tracy’s been planning and booking our spring trip up the Pacific Coast and summer traveling east across Canada. Oh, we never heard back from the guy with the campsite way down on the beach in Mexico (Riveria Nayarit), so that immediate plan didn’t get off the ground. We’re gonna be here for a while.

We’ve all been spending a lot of time on this couch wrapped in blankets and looking for love (says Banjo).

We’re especially smug these days in having chosen this Airstream layout, since we did it for the L-shaped couch and the greater illusion this gives of separate spaces. We knew we’d not be inside much, but if we had to be, we wanted to be able to feel like we were in different rooms, if possible. This is a bit of an old photo below, but a friend took it from the sofa, and see how far away I look? LOL, yeah, I know. It’s not that big of a space.

Quiet Outside

We’re, of course, still walking Banjo three times a day, and she sniffs the creosote bushes for signs of jackrabbit and tries to get away with eating wild burro manure. Tracy gives her a preventative growl when she gets near any, but I’ll freaking reach into her mouth and pull that ball-o-poop right out. As my riding coach always says, I’m not proud.

Just to get outside more, Tracy’s been riding his bike or driving to nearby wet(ish) areas to watch birds while I try to get exercise wandering among the washes here or simply walking the 2.5-mile round trip against the wind to take the trash to the dumpsters. You guys know how much entertainment campground dumpsters provide us!

Field Trips

Once again we undertook that still-exciting trip of walking into Los Algodones, Mexico, because my new fillings needed tweaking, and man that young dentist was as kind as can be.

I can only imagine how frustrating it is for a patient to say, “There’s something not right, but I don’t know what the symptoms are or exactly where the problem is, and I haven’t felt it for a few days.” And in a language you’re not entirely fluent in. But she took another x-ray, asked a more experienced dentist to look at it, and together they identified two areas that needed a bit more filling and filing. Then, she efficiently did the work and sent me on my way, no charge. Seriously.

We were in Los Algodones for the morning only, so on our way back we had lunch outside in Yuma during a brief spell of warmth and no wind. Ah, I can imagine this place is peachy keen when it’s just a wee bit warmer.

New Years Eve Traditions

Tracy and I have had the great luck in our history as a couple to go hear live music on NYE, with one especially memorable time seeing Phish at Madison Square Garden for a three-night run. (Mark, I believe you set us up with that executive apartment—we still appreciate that!) This NYE, Phish canceled their Garden run to avoid being a super-spreader, but they played to an empty house at another venue and streamed it for free, which suited us perfectly.

The stereo in the trailer is pretty good. I made deluxe nachos. We shared a bottle of champagne. Our friend Bob watched part of the stream from the East Coast and texted funny comments. All was calm and right.

This week is supposed to get a bit warmer and to stay sunny, so maybe by the end of the week I’ll go back to yoga in the gravel pit pavilion, and we’ll start spending the rest of the day in the sun or in the tent where we’re protected from the on-going wind. It’s been cozy inside, but I’ll be glad to move back out into our Mars-like environment outside. Banjo is especially ready; she didn’t sign up for this gig just to sleep on the couch!

Well, okay, maybe she did. She still loves that couch. We like it too, thankfully.