It Was Time To Take A Trip

With our propane cylinders running low on fuel it was time to take a trip to Yuma. In Yuma propane is $1.69 while dealers in California are asking $2.75 for a gallon. And our van needed a refill of gas as well. So off we went. While I was doing the driving Bea took a few shots of the surroundings. The Imperial Dunes have always been a fascinating landscape to me. And when there are a few clouds around like there was today it makes for an even nicer drive. The dunes are approx. 45 miles long and and 6 miles wide and extend into Mexico. They are mostly used as a recreation area by ATV enthusiasts . And here are the pics. Enjoy!                 Thanks for starting the week with us!

Am I Walking In My Childhood?

The Norwegians have a saying about a person who’s getting a bit senile. They say ”Han går i barndommen”, which means “he walks in his childhood”.  In Norwegian this has the meaning that the person we are talking about is not in possession of all his adult senses anymore. Translating stuff like that is tricky. The intended meaning of it can go lost. Same thing goes for jokes. Rarely, if ever, you can translate a joke. Either because local knowledge is essential to understand it (F.ex. political jokes) or because it is based on a saying or expression. So when I choose this headline I’m not saying that it is time for me to take up residence in a nursing home. Nope! I rather thought of my many memories from my happy childhood in Germany, which formed my customs and habits and my life agenda. Habits? Sure, we all got habits, some good ones and some…well not so good ones. One of those good “habits” is to take in food after a regular daily schedule. I was never a guy who could be satisfied with just coffee in the morning. I always needed a full breakfast. And we always sat down around the table to eat. There was no “on-the run” food. We also ate our main meal at noon and not during some late hour at night or, worse, …in the afternoon. The afternoon held coffee and some pastries for us. And then at 6.30pm we had our evening meal: Dark rye bread sandwiches, with either tea or a glass of milk. And that was the last meal of the day. Even though the contents of these meals have changed (we now eat lunch at 12.00 noon) the times have not. Every day when I came from school, mom had our supper waiting for us. That was at 1.15pm as our school day was over at 1pm. My school route was really short. After supper we did our homework. First after that was done we were allowed to go outside and play. We went to school 6 days a week. We played outside when the weather was good. We did NOT hang out in front of any TV. TV-channels had not yet discovered the kids “market”. Kids TV did not start before 5pm. And hey – it was over one hour later. TV watching did not happen in the summer. First when the winds of fall got too strong and the days were getting shorter we some times “stole” an hour in front of the black/white TV, dad had purchased. So where did we play? And what did we play with? We played mostly in area’s where no houses were build like in nearby woods and wastelands. We rode our bicycles and were together with kids from the neighbors.  We mostly did that every day…and were never bored. We were outside during the winter too, when the sun was shining. We came home cold and tired and loved it. I had good days out there, and not a problem in the whole world. Nobody worked on a Sunday. Dad was home, maybe he had a little project in his cellar (he liked to make wine of berries) or he was just building our first travel trailer. Mom often played the Grand Piano on a Sunday. She was pretty good at that. But I had also “chores”. When big enough I helped mom in the kitchen. I remember I dried the dishes. It was a great time to have a conversation going with mom. I also mowed the lawn for granny…and raked leaves. Grandma and Grandpa lived in the same house. We were all together. So I took a broom and swept the yard. I picked apples and weeded flower beds. I loved that. Grandma rewarded me with my own little garden. I learned where berries and potatoes were coming from. I had them in my own When Grandpa got in his black VW-bug to visit a customer I asked permission to come along. There was nothing better than being on a car ride with him. Later, it led to working with my dad who took over after Grandpa was retired. Of course I did some mischief as well. But mercifully, except for the worst episodes, I have forgotten most of it. And that’s what I mean by “walking in my childhood”. It comes with the age. When we are still young we don’t think of our childhood. There is too much else we are busy with. Thanks for walking along!

Can You Spell C.A.R.R.O.T. ?

The 66th. annual Holtville Carrot Festival In February everything is about carrots. At least here in Holtville,CA. And what would a festival be without a real street parade? The Carrot  parade started at 10.00am and lasted for well 90 minutes. Even though I had seen this parade in previous years it was a lot of fun watching it again. And of course there’s always something new. Nice public turn-out   Even a water fountain was installed here. The reason for having a carrot festival are that all the carrot growers are getting close to the harvest of their carrots. And that should be reason enough to have festival about it. Now, this Harley-Parade would be something for Sassy-Rider. I arrive shortly after 9.30am and find myself a spot along Main Street. It’s a bright sunny day. Yesterday’s wind had almost subsided, (it was actually quiet last night) but it did pick up some speed again during the morning hours and now a cold wind is chasing down the main drag. Just about everybody is dressed in jackets – except me of course. I’m a snowbird and I am in a short sleeves shirt.                                                   Oops…look at those girlies Soon I discover that the guy to my right has a tiny Chihuahua on a leash. The dog is looking at me as if to say “won’t you come play with me?” But my main attention is soon directed to the oncoming parade. I always love to see the old cars in parades. Not all of them show their original design. Many have turned into some fantasy machines. The biggest marching bands are from El Centro and Calexico. They impress by their sheer numbers, shiny costumes and their drill. Next thing I know a couple (Snowbirds?) run across the street and position themselves on my left side. They also have a dog. Some sort of Pu-Shizu-Fricee. Anyway that Chihuahua on my right side is starting to go ballistic. It’s hanging on the end of its leash, yapping, beeping and whining. Whenever I look at it starts on a lap- jump but the leash is too short and it falls back. The people on my left are starting to give leash to their dog. It finds a way under my legs to get closer to the Chihuahua. There it sits only inches from the little Chihuahua. The owner, a woman apologizes to me for the nuisance, but I wave her off. We have a dog ourselves. No sweat! The parade is moving slowly. Float after float, marching band after marching band is getting past me. I have a few people sitting in front of me, so every time I want to take a picture I have to step forward, kinda bending over their heads to get a good shot.                                                                Carrots, carrots…everywhere Good thing I took a little chair with me. Next year YOU need to be here. There’s hundreds of carrot recipes, you can try. Oh, and bring a chair!

Whoa What A Wind

From time to time it’s getting pretty windy in this area. It’s when a storm low is moving in from the west or north-west. Wind speeds can reach 40-50mph. And today was such a day. With small breaks our trailer has been rocking from early to late. When you have a dog you know it has to go outside from time to time. It doesn’t matter whether it’s hot or cold or downright nasty outside – you’ve gotto go. I had my walk with Molly in the morning. It was cold, but the sun was shining as most of the day. Bea went out in the afternoon and had our NIKON with her. She took pictures of the wind, well at least you can get an idea of how much wind we had.           Thanks for being with us!