Wednesday, June 30, 2021

We're Home !

Corona de Tuscon

June 30, 2021


We had a wonderful time in Moab and are already planing on returning.  Next time it won't be quite so hot.  On the way home we did a one night stop over at the Flagstaff KOA.  Its not one of our favorite places to stop, but the convenience of getting in and out easy along with the long pull thru sites (so we don't have to unhook Pearl) make up for the tight and unlevel sites.  Anyway, this stop was especially nice because friends were there...yep, we had a great (and much too short) visit with Carol and Ronnie.  We first met them along with their awesome pup Cooper at the San Diego Metro KOA in January 2013.  

January 2013


This is the first picture I have of the four of us.  We had brunch at Croce's Jazz Bar in San Diego. 




We arrived home on Friday the 25th.  Our MH stays in a covered storage facility about 15 miles from home.  When we bought our home, we also bought a small 6' trailer we could pull behind Pearl.  A trailer sure made the transition from MH to sticks and stucco a lot easier especially with 3 puppies loaded in the back of the jeep.  We have used it so many times for so many different things.  This trip it was chained and locked to the post at our storage site and when we returned it was easy to load it up with tubs and coolers to take all our belongings home.  


Our version of the Clampetts only we didn't strike oil !






Joe and I are still trying to wrap our heads around the idea that we have a stick and stucco home and a home on wheels.    I'm not sure I see long months at a time of traveling, but we definitely want to go places.  In the meantime, its so nice to have a home and a place where we also love to spend time.  


Our home faces west so until mid-day, the blinds in the kitchen window are open.  Monday while having breakfast we noticed lots of activity in the yucca tree just outside the window.  A pair of cactus wrens have decided to call it home...lucky us ! 



Cactus wrens build nests that are the size and shape of a football with an opening at one end.

While the female is incubating on a clutch of eggs, the male will build another nest for a second clutch as the pair will have several broods a year.  While mom is incubating the second clutch, the dad cares for the young in the first nest.  


Old nests are used throughout the year as places to roost.  Every home need fresh flowers !


Instead of doing a post on lots of redo projects, I thought I would share some along the way in different posts.  So the first redo to share is the floor.  Before we moved in the house, we had the carpet and tile removed in the living space, kitchen, foyer, laundry room, hallway and both baths.  We like carpet in the bedrooms, so it stayed.  This was a contracted project to dispose of the old flooring, install the new flooring, and paint and install new floor moulding. I am over the top excited with how it looks and feels AND, it's puppy proof and easy to clean!  

The old carpet and tile...

The new floor

Once all the old moulding was removed, I spent a weekend painting the bottom of the walls in all the space that was to have new moulding.  Sure made it easier later when we actually painted the walls.

 


The new floor...

There is nothing really exciting going on here except that we are living and enjoying every second of it.  So until next time...

 Yesterday's sunrise on our very early morning walk around the neighborhood...

HAPPY TRAILS !

12 comments:

  1. Glad you and Joe are enjoying your new home. All the best to you both.

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  2. Welcome Home! Nice of you and the pups to share your paradise with the cactus wrens.
    You have a very good travel plan with Pearl behind the RV to visit Wile-
    E, or in front of the trailer for local trips and a beautiful base to enjoy.

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    1. Thank you Jeff! The cactus wrens are so entertaining…my favorite bird these days. It’s nice to have choices…👍

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  3. Glad you had a good trip and that you are still excited about your sticks and bricks! I totally understand the "Clampett" remark--I say that to Mike all the time--"we look like the Clampetts!"

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    1. We do love the sticks and stucco! And have lots more projects we want to do to keep us busy. Im glad someone knows who the Clampetts are! 😂🤣😂🤣

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  4. Your post thoughts sound just like us. We, too, are still pinching ourselves with having two wonderful homes. Love still having the house with wheels for little breaks. We thought we would travel for longer spells in the summer but really enjoy the house. We will also continue traveling but for shorter spells, not months at a time. Love your new floor. Definitely much easier with the puppies. How cute is Jack...and he has his ball! Oh, my, he is so adorable. Glad you had a great time in Moab.

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    1. Jack is definitely the “life of the party” around here! Joe and I would much rather deal with the heat and no humidity in the summers here than the cold, wet winters back east. We tried to pick a place to live with the idea that we won’t always want to or be able to travel. For now, vacations are nice, but we would be perfectly happy to never go anywhere if that times comes…👍.

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  5. The floor is gorgeous and much easier to clean with puppies splashing water and food everywhere. At least ours did.

    Always feels good to get home after being away.

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  6. It's nice to have you back! The house looks great and it's a bonus to be able to travel when the spirit moves you. Love Jack and his ball on the carpet! We totally agree that we'll take the heat and no humidity in the summer (or get out of town!) over the grey and cold of the fall, winter and sometimes spring of the east!

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    1. Thank you Sue! It’s always nice to have choices…especially when the choices are all good ones! I’m enjoying your travels…

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