The land provides.....

 7:54 am - Friday - January 30th - TWW - 26° F, humidity 27%, cloud cover 1%, wind 7 mph out of the east by northeast.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 58° F.  The view this morning.....

.....the EcoWorthy dual axis solar panels tilted today at 8:05 am....the earliest in a long, long time.  And on this date in 2019 TLE and I were visiting Meteor Crater located between Flagstaff and Winslow, AZ just off I-40....

.....we were staying at the Winslow, AZ Elks Lodge for a few days.

Our first task of Thursday morning was to get the Ford 420 diesel tractor restarted, so we could move it to the CONEX area where I was planning to take apart the entire fuel system to find out why fuel is not moving through the system as it should.  The other day when we were finishing the RV site for Phyllis' Newell it stopped running again right in the middle of the entry road.  As we worked on trying to get it started it became clear that no fuel was leaving the fuel filter assembly.  Since we couldn't get it started (fuel starvation) we decided to start taking apart the fuel lines from the fuel tank to the fuel filter.  I had to cut the fuel line coming out of the fuel turnoff valve as I could not get it removed from the valve.  Before we could remove the valve we had to empty the tank, so TLE brought out two 5 gallon diesel cans, and using our fuel syphon removed about 7 gallons.  Once that was done we removed the valve and discovered the problem....the valve was clogged with debris from the tank.  I used a flashlight to inspect the tank interior, and it looks pretty clean on the bottom, but I found some sort of pneumatic air compressor fitting laying on the bottom of the tank.....    

.....how on earth did that get in there?  I was able to remove it, and then headed back the trailer with the fuel line and valve.  Since I had to cut off the end of the fuel line that entered the valve I'll need a new compression fitting to make it whole again....I could not save the old one.....

What the other end is supposed to look llike

The compression fitting I had to remove to 

unscrew the valve from the fuel tank

.....I ordered a box of various sizes of brass compression fittings off Amazon, so the tractor will be sitting out on the entry road for a few more days.  Below is the fuel shutoff valve....

....this is where I found the debris which was clogging the valve.  Before I reinstall the valve I will flush out the tank to be sure there is no more debris hiding in a corner that will reclog the valve.

Next TLE and I raked up all the debris left over from the fallen pinyon pine, and restacked the rock pile.....

....last winter when we removed the old fiberglass corrugated roofing from the greenhouse we saved the best pieces in anticipation of installing them around the foot of the fence which surrounds the greenhouse growing area to keep out animals, mainly rabbits, which are able to squeeze through the welded fencing.  Once again, the land provides.  Thursday we finally began to install them....

....we managed to install just two panels, but we now have a plan on how to affix them to the welded fencing.  We used a hoe to dig out the dirt along the fence so we can bury part of  the panels a few inches below the surface.  We'll work on installing the rest of the panels Friday morning.

We began our work day around 11 am, and the time just flew by Thursday.  Before we knew it the tiny hand was on the 3, and it was time to call it a day.  I think that's the longest work day for us since back in November when it was still warm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Out of the wilderness.....

8:04 am - Thursday - January 29th - TWW - 26° F, humidity 27%, cloud cover 0%, wind 8 mph out of the east by northeast....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 55° F.  The view this morning.....

  .....and on this date in 2013 TLE and I were enjoying our 31st sunset at the Tiki Bar....

The world famous Tiki Bar at Low Key Hideaway in Cedar Key, FL

.....and for once a view of the Tiki Bar taken just after sunset.

We haven't been away from TWW since we returned from Prescott on January 16th.  We were pretty sure there was no mail in our PO Box, but TLE needed a few grocery items so we headed into town in the Explorer around 10:30 am, arriving without incident in Seligman around 11 am.  Our first stop was at the Route 66 General Store to fill up three of our 5 gallon propane tanks, plus two 5 gallon gas cans, plus I needed some screws for a small project, and a couple bottles of Stabil (fuel conditioner).  We needed some ether starting spray, but they only had half bottles at the General Store so we headed across the street to check out the automotive section at the Chevron where we found the full size ones.

Next we headed to the Seligman Market to buy some of their amazing sour dough bread, then back to have lunch at Highway Hot Dog, where we've been several times before.  I had their Sonoran Hot Dog and TLE their daily special called 'The Phoenix' (turkey sandwich with all the trimmings).....

The Phoenix with wedge fries

The Sonoran with wedge fries (they also offer onion rings)

....I was hoping to have a beer with my hot dog, but they just got their liquor license and are not yet serving alcohol.....maybe next time.  I settled for a Dr. Pepper (my favorite soft drink).   Our last stop in town was Family Dollar where TLE went in to do her shopping, while I walked next door to check for mail, and as we suspected, there was none.

By the time we finished shopping, and headed for home it was 1:30 pm.  Our return trip took 30 minutes. As soon as I turned off the Explorer we exited the car to total silence.  We love that about TWW.  It is so quiet here.  What's the old idiom...."the silence is deafening"?  It is so quiet it is immediately noticeable.

By the time we finished putting things away it was almost  3 pm, and what little warmth had been in the air was quickly dissipating, so we called it a day, and settled in to read the rest of the afternoon away.  In the evening we began watching the final 4 episodes of Landman to finish out Season 2.  As we understand Season 3 is in the works, so it will be a while before it is released.  To say the least, we are hooked!  What a well written series.  Sam Elliott just steals the second season (he plays the father to Billy Bob Thornton's character 'Tommy Norris').  What a great actor.  If you have seen Season 2 you know exactly what I'm saying.

Thanks for stopping by!

The last of the pinyon pine.....

 7:47 am - Wednesday - January 28th - TWW - 30° F, humidity 22%, cloud cover 57%, wind 5 mph out of the east by southeast.....mostly cloudy today with a forecast high of 56° F.  The view this morning....

....and on this date in 2016 TLE and I were at Prison Hill Brewing.....

Deep fried avocados...OMG!

.....in Yuma, AZ.  The next day I had a dental appointment in Los Algodones for a root canal, and a dental post installation....kind of like 'The Last Supper' for me....lol!

When we first arrived at TWW back in late October one of the first things we did was to trim back the fallen pinyon pine tree away from the driveway, and water tower....here is what it looked like then just after we had cut it back just enough to get it out of the driveway....

Then (October 2025)

....when I asked TLE what she thought we should do Tuesday she suggested finishing the job of cutting up, and removing what was left of the dead pinyon pine, so that's what we did when we headed outside around 11:30 am.....

About half way done

Done!

Now (January 2026)

....as you will recall, pinyon pines used to dominate the landscape, but over the last 100 years the incursion of the juniper, which suck up a lot of water, has gradually killed all the pinyon pines on TWW.  There are places in this area where they still flourish, but as time progresses their population will continue to yield to the juniper. Over the course of two hours, using the 20" bar Stihl chainsaw, we cut up the dead tree, and hauled it away.  Frankly, I thought it would take much longer, and if it had been just me doing everything it would easily have taken 4-5 hours, but with TLE's help things go so much faster.  We really work well together cutting wood.

We also trimmed some branches back on the juniper tree which borders the new site for Phyllis' Newell so when we do move the Newell the branches will not be close to it.  The site is 10' x 40', and the Newell is 8' x 38' so the pad is the perfect size....

.....plus some branches from one of the junipers in the middle of the circular driveway....

.....which were hanging over said driveway.  We finished it all close to 2 pm, and called it a workday.

Our overnight low Tuesday evening was just 27° F, and while still quite cold, a far cry from 17° F.  Daytime temps will continue to warm into the 60's as the week progresses.  So far, at least to us, this winter seems a little milder than last winter as far as snow goes.  As far as rain goes, we've had a lot more than last winter, however, right now the roads are quite dry, which is a good thing.

Thanks for stopping by!

The weather window....

 7:34 am - Tuesday - January 27th - TWW - 20° F, humidity 21%, cloud cover 5%, wind 6 mph out of the east.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 55° F.  The view this morning......

.....and on this date in 2013 TLE and I were watching our 31st sunset in Cedar Key, FL.....

....this time from one of the boat docks at Sunset Isle RV Park.

The outside temp finally climbed back into the 50's Monday, so TLE and I decided to finish the new RV site for Phyllis' Newell....at least finish covering the underlayment completely, and then releveling everything.  It only took one bucket load of gravel to finalize our work....

Looking northeast

Looking southwest...you can see the rear of our Newell 

in the upper left of the picture above

....now we just need to dump a couple of bucket loads of straight gravel to complete it...almost there, and it looks great!

That was the extent of our labors Monday, but by the time we were finished putting things away it was near 2 pm.  The working window here at TWW this time of year when it is at its warmest is about 2-3 hours, so we try to get as much done as possible within that weather window.  Once again, special thanks to The Lovely Elaine for her help in loading the gravel in the Ford 420 bucket, and then raking it level  after I dumped it.....she is a trooper!

The sun has moved considerably higher into the sky in a northerly direction since the solstice in late December, and as a result our sunsets are arriving much later....today's will be close to 6 pm, with sunrises occurring a little earlier (of course).....today's sunrise was at 7:35 am.  Soon the EcoWorthy dual axis solar tracker will tilt (tilted at 8:10 am....the earliest since early November) eastward to face the rising sun, and follow it as it moves hour by hour toward the western horizon, thereby recharging our Bluetti battery bank in the shed.  Today, January 27th marks the end of our 3rd month here at TWW leaving us just 3 more months until our annual northward migration begins again.  We've now watched 9 episodes of Season 1 of Landman, and are loving it!

Thanks for stopping by!

AFC and NFC....

 8:24 am - Monday - January 26th - TWW - 27° F, humidity 19%, cloud cover 41%, wind 7 mph out of the south by southeast.....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 50° F, and a low of 19° F.  The view this morning.....

 ....and on this date in 2025 we were nearing completion of our permanent site here at TWW....

....this was the third day of work on the new site, but we still would have to move our shed, the 120 gallon propane tank, and the sister Newell before we could move our Newell into the site.

As you know from reading my post from yesterday, the overnight low here at TWW was between 19 and 21° F.  Due to our more moderate overnight lows recently we had not been running the diesel heater in the greenhouse at night, just the catalytic one.  When it gets into the low 20's/high teens we have to run both to protect the plants, which is what we did Saturday night.  On these cold nights we run the diesel heater anywhere from 10-12 hours, and the catalytic one on low for that same period of time.  Sometime during the night the propane for the catalytic heater ran out, and the temp in the greenhouse fell to 26° F for  short period of time, but the plants (broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower) survived unscathed.

The outside temp did not get to 40° F until near noon time, and since the AFC and NFC Championship games began at 1 pm we chose not to do any work.  The AFC game between New England and the Broncos was first up, and it was a close game.  The Broncos scored an early touchdown to go up 7-0, but their quarterback made a bad mistake near the end of the half to give New England a short field, and they scored quickly to tie the game.  At the beginning of the game it was sunny, and comfortable, but as the second half started it began to snow, and the wind began to blow.  New England managed a field goal to go up by 3, and that was the final score of the game as conditions continued to worsen.  The game ended on an INT by New England, so the Patriots will go to the Super Bowl.  The afternoon game pitted my L.A. Rams against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle.  At half time the score was 17-13 in favor of the Seahawks.  The lead changed several times in the second half, but in the end Seattle prevailed 31-27, so the Super Bowl matchups are set, and in two weeks we will know who the new world champions are.

Sunday was a very sunny day, and our battery banks had no problem reaching their desired 100% charge level.  This coming Sunday (February 1st) TLE and I will be celebrating 15 years of living in the Newell fulltime, and 14 years of traveling.  All that being said, it seems as if this is how we have always lived.  Our former workaday lives seem like somebody else's lives.  Later this year TLE and I will become great grand parents for the 3rd time.  Life is good, and thanks for stopping by!

No intrusion.....

 7:52 am - Sunday - January 25th - TWW - 21° F, humidity 26%, cloud cover 2%, wind 5 mph out of the north.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 45° F.  The view this morning.....

....and on this date in 2018 our daughter, Meredith, came to visit us whilst we were working at the Grand Canyon.....

....that winter, and yes, it was cold!

Saturday was cold, breezy, snowy and rainy, and a day to remain inside the warm confines of our 1982 Newell Classic.  Other than the time we spent at the greenhouse first thing in the morning checking on our growing plants, we spent pretty much all day indoors.  We did get some snow....

....and rain, and that was that for which we were waiting.  Waiting to see if the rain would get into the garage.....

.....and it did not.  These pictures were taken this morning, but when I went to check yesterday afternoon there was water all across the garage door on the left (the first picture), but none inside.  You can still see some of the water which froze overnight in the first picture.  Normally, after even a light rain storm there are puddles of water inside both garages.  For now I am pronouncing the installation  of the rubber seal a resounding success with zero water intrusion.  The snow, while heavy, only lasted 30, or 40 minutes, while the rain (really a drizzle) lingered for  a couple hours....just enough rain to test the rubber gasket's effectiveness.

Four our evening entertainment we began watching 'Landman', a Paramount series.  Most everyone we've talked with loves it, so now that there are two full seasons available, with season 3 coming soon, we can begin to 'binge watch' it.  The verdict?  We watched the first three, or four episodes, and we love it.  Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone, 1883, 1923), who writes the story, is an amazingly prolific writer, and story teller.

Thanks for stopping by!

A long delayed project.....

 7:46 am - Saturday - January 24th - TWW - 31° F, humidity 62%, cloud cover 73%, wind 2 mph out of the south by southeast.....heavy cloud cover as I write with a chance of rain/snow this morning, and a forecast high of 42° F, with an overnight low of 16° F.  The view this morning.....

.....and on this date in 2013 TLE watched our 28th sunset at the Tiki Bar located at Low Key Hideaway in Cedar Key, FL.....

....sometimes these sunsets would last 40-50 minutes.

You may recall, but maybe you won't since it's been so long, but last winter we began to create another RV site, and in the middle of that process the Ford 420 quit running, and even though we got the tractor running again, we never got back to finishing the site, which is just to the northwest of our site.....

.....in that circle you can see the pile of dirt I scraped toward the north to begin leveling the site last winter.  That is far as we got until Friday.  We had just gotten the tractor running again, so I proposed to TLE that the first thing we should do is finish that site.  I never expected to get it 90% done in just a few hours, but we did.....

Making progress

Getting it level from side to side, and front to back

Level and compacted

Underlayment down

Haulin' gravel

Almost done after one year!

You can see the black sewer connection in the middle of the picture above

.....the site measures 10' wide by 40' long. We managed to get it about 90% done before we called it quits for the day.  We have about 3 more buckets of gravel available, and I don't think we'll need that much to finish.  Once we get the site finished we can then move Phyllis' Newell to its permanent site. Special thanks once again to TLE for her help, especially raking out that gravel, which is not easy by any means.

The skies were mostly cloudy Friday, but all of our battery banks charged back to 100% by early afternoon.  It's nice not worrying about our electrical system.  There is something about living off grid that is extremely satisfying, and liberating.  We pay no electrical bills, no sewer bills, and a microscopic water bill of about $20/month, or less.  I know we had to make the initial investment in the batteries  (The Bluetti 2,200 watt hour battery which powers the trailer, the almost 7,000 watt hour Bluetti battery bank which provides AC to the Newell, and the Cloud Energy 300 amp hour batteries which provide mostly DC power while we are at TWW for the Newell, but also AC power when we are on the road), but they will have paid for themselves within another year, or less.

Thanks for stopping by!