“Dude! When’s Your Next Blog Post”?

So asked a friend recently.

Yesterday, a little after noon, we slipped over the Arizona state line into Utah.  It’s been a blogging hiatus during our time in Arizona. That was intentional, mainly because it felt like blogging about our ordinary life, with narrative such as, “We went to the grocery store today”, or “The dogs are back on their normal pooping schedule”, is hardly worth taking the time to write about, or asking our readers to read.

(But please know this — Sally and Trax both have dang good pooping schedules).

As we are moving toward points north for the next six months or so, we would like to share an overview of some of the experiences that we’ve had since we arrived back in Arizona in November.

We spent lots of time time in the Maricopa County Park system.

I am telling you… the park system in Maricopa County is, in my opinion, stellar. The network of parks surround the perimeter of Phoenix. You are technically still in the city, but the experience is not city-ish at all. Each of the parks has a campground with rest rooms and hot showers, play areas for kids, hiking/biking trails, usually a visitor center, etc.

Usery Mountain on the east side, McDowell Mountain and Cave Creek in the north/north east, and White Tanks in the west valley. All stellar.

 

We stayed in our own home.

Except for the 12 days we spent house-sitting, every night was spent in our camper van. Sometimes friends generously let us spend the night in their driveway, or in their back lot (in the RV world, that’s call “mooch-docking”). Other times we parked out in the desert. And in a couple rare instances, we bunked in the parking lot of a business establishment. But, we kept to our home on wheels. For the forseeable future, it’s where we choose to live — and where we love living .

We saw many, many friends.

We were delighted to catch up with most of our friends, both two-legged and four-legged, through bunches of lunches, dozens of dinners, and a healthy mix of happy hours. We went to a Super Bowl party, and four birthday parties (two of them were mine — score!).

 

 

We got our checkups.

Doggies and humans went to our medical appointments. And the camper van got checked over by the service shop I trust. All of us are hopefully good until the fall. Got our shots, renewed our meds, had our fluids changed and lubed. And Sally and Trax had their tires rotated.

 

We got groomed.

Sally and Trax got pampered by their favorite groomer a couple times.

As did I, by mine.

 

 

We ate.

Man oh man, did we eat. Friends prepared favorite meals for us – you know who you are, and thank you!!! Others entertained us in some of our favorite eating places – you know who YOU are, and thank you!

On our own, we sought out some of our favorite foodie locations. Yep, when I came back to town, I had a list. Top on the list was pizza from two locations and chipotle raspberry wings from the sports bar in my old ‘hood.

We shopped at Trader Joe’s.

 

This, as it deserves, has its own category. From the time we left Phoenix last July to the time we arrived back in November, we did not encounter a single Trader Joe’s store. Oh, the humanity!

 

We saw a gazillion sunsets. And an occasional moonrise.

Every evening that we were not busy with one of the aforementioned social events*, we took time to watch the sunset – with intention.

*Don’t get me wrong. We are NOT social butterflies. Most evenings my butt was happily in the camp chair with my eyes and camera turned westward.

We saw many big western skies from our spot in the campgrounds in the Maricopa County Parks. And during our travels through southern and northern Arizona to the State Parks in Apache Junction, Catalina, Dead Horse Ranch, Kartchner Caverns, and Picacho Peak.

Ritual can be a good thing, and the evening sunset watch, especially when the sky is seen from the Arizona desert, is a ritual that I cherish.

We rang in a New Year.

 

 

Giving thanks once again that I and my two furry pals, Sally and Trax, can live this amazing vagabond lifestyle.

 

 

 

 

 

It was a comfortable winter and spring.

And we enjoyed it all.

But we are ready to hit the road again.

Gotta get out of this comfort zone — and get a little bit lost.

 

Thanks for following along with us. We love your comments and questions.