She's purdy again.....

8:27 am - Thursday - March 7th - Wittmann, AZ - 54º F, 51% humidity, wind 3 mph out of the northeast......cloudy today with a forecast high of 74º F.  

Cloudy today at Camp Newell

After our run up to Flagstaff and back Tuesday I was very tired, and spent most of Wednesday napping.  I did manage to get outside for about an hour to wash the Beetle, and a washing it sorely needed.  After a month, or more of dust, rain, and  mud it was hardly recognizable.  I drove the Beetle over to the front of the Newell Barn around 2 pm to park on the large concrete pad where there is a nice hose with a spray nozzle attached.....plus, in the afternoon the sun has moved far enough to the west that the area is in the shade.  Once I had the car detailed, and dried I just left it parked there on the concrete......

Lookin' purdy again

.....the rest of the day was spent reading and napping.  Washing the car was the first real work I have done since my operation, and even though washing the car tired me somewhat I felt the best I have felt at that time of the day since the operation.  

We went into Tom and Darlene's home at 8 pm to watch 'Survivor' with them.  We really like how they have changed it up again this year, and so far this season I have been wrong every single time about who was being sent home at 'tribal council'.

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Final doctors appointments......

7:59 am - Wednesday - March 6th - Wittmann, AZ - 58º F, 46% humidity, wind 8 mph out of the east by northeast.....cloudy today with a 30% chance of rain, and a forecast high of 79º F.

We were out of the gate by 7:30 am, and after a quick stop to take on fuel at the local Shell station we beat a path for Flagstaff arriving in town around 10:00 am, and at my doctor's office a short time later.  My appointment was for 10:45 am, but I was in the little waiting room a little after 10:30 am.

When I checked in for my 10:45 am appointment I asked if my second appointment at 3:45 pm with Dr. Aldridge (butt surgery on February 5th) would be moved up, and the receptionist suggested I come back at 1 pm to see if they could get to me earlier.

At any rate Dr. Tritle examined the surgical scar along my jaw line and pronounced me in good condition, and a little ahead of schedule on healing.  We were out the door by 11 am and on our way to do a little window shopping for new throw rugs for our coach.  The ones we have have become a little "long in the tooth", and it is time to begin looking for replacements.  We have always found good deals at Kohl's on throw rugs, and there is a Kohl's in Flagstaff.  They were having a sale, but we did not find the sizes we needed, so it appears we will be doing some online shopping.

From there we backtracked a few blocks to Raising Cane's for a chicken finger lunch.  You know, it's kind of funny that I had never even noticed this national chain store before, but ever since we ate at one in Louisiana I see them everywhere, and they are everywhere......

.....TLE ordered their 3 finger combo, and I their 4 finger combo (chicken, fries and a drink).....that dipping sauce they provide is amazing!

We were back at the doctor's office about 12:45 pm, and found that someone had cancelled their appointment, so I was shown almost immediately into that little waiting room again.  Dr. Aldridge arrived a few minutes later, and pronounced me completely healed.....of course, I knew that.  There is no residual pain, and I haven't thought about it in 10 days.

I asked TLE to drive home as by the time we got back to the VW it was about 1:15 pm and I was tired.  I napped most of the way home where we arrived just after 3:30 pm.  The drive up and back was totally uneventful.  Most of the snow from 8 days ago is gone, but there is still a lot of snow on the ground in Flagstaff, although the streets are totally clear of the slushy stuff now.

Now that I am done with my doctors appointments I can begin to look forward to our time in SoCal, and set an appointment for my right eye cataract surgery.....thanks for stopping by!

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WOW, just WOW!!

6:28 am - Tuesday - March 5th - Wittmann, AZ - 43º F, 81% humidity, wind 5 mph out of the north.....clear today with a forecast high of 77º F.  Today I have a followup appointment in Flagstaff for my recent surgery with Dr. Tritle at 10:45 am, so we will be rolling the VW wheels in about an hour.

A lovely sunrise this morning

It was so nice Monday we began opening windows in the Newell by 10 am, and even deployed our screen door for most of the day.  I managed to take care of a couple of very small maintenance projects which involved me sitting outside in the sun.....WOW have I missed being able to do that!

Our good friends Jim and Gail departed  just before noon time Monday to continue their full time adventures......

.....their 1987 Newell is one of the most beautiful Newell Classics I have ever seen....

....it always looks as if it just rolled off the assembly line.....

.....now that the annual BBQ is over Tom's two Newells have been moved back in to the Newell Barn.....

.....I spent the remainder of Monday reading, and napping.  Monday was probably my best post surgical day so far.  Almost all my stitches have now dissolved, and the side view of my face continues to look better and better.

I was able to make an appointment with Leo at All Aboard America to take the Newell back in to have the rear brakes relined, and to put new bushings on that torque rod I wrote about a couple of weeks back.  We'll be departing the Newell compound next Tuesday to drive over to All Aboard America to get that work done, and then we will head for SoCal!  Looking forward to seeing our kids, grand kids, and great grand kids!

One final note of interest......just before we went to bed Monday night we received a text from my sister-in-law Laureen telling us they would like to buy the 1982 Newell I wrote about a few days ago.....WOW, just WOW!

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It's called freedom........

7:45 am - Monday - March 4th - Wittmann, AZ - 46º F, 87% humidity, wind 6 mph out of the northeast.......cloudy today with a forecast high of 71º F.

For the first time since we arrived home from Flagstaff following my most recent surgery TLE and I left the Wittmann property where we have been residing and met good friends Candy and Steve for an early dinner at 'Wild Horse West', a cash only burger place out in Peoria just off the Carefree Highway, and about 6 miles west of I-17.  Candy and Steve are also RVers, but even before they bought their Class A diesel pusher TLE and Candy were very good friends back in their workaday lives.  They both worked for the same company for years.  As is always the case we try to get together with our friends as we crisscross our country.  Candy and Steve are currently visiting friends in New River, which is not far from 'Wild Horse West', so we made a date to meet them, and I'm glad we waited until Sunday as I do not think I could have physically done it any sooner.....

With Candy and Steve at 'Wild Horse West'

.....we met at 4 pm and were able to snag an alfresco table for our meal.  When we are together with Candy and Steve the time just flies as we catch up on each others travels, and I am always grateful for their friendship.  They were the ones who sponsored us for membership in the Fontana/Rialto Elks Lodge.  By the time we finished our meal it was closing in on 6 pm, and beginning to get a little chilly outside.  I cannot remember the last time we ate a late meal alfresco in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops outside without any winter attire!

Approaching the Newell compound just before sunset Sunday

While we were watching TV Sunday night we received a text from our brother-in-law, Glenn.  He and Laureen, TLE's sister, have been following our journeys for years, and they even flew up to Maine to visit with us this past summer.  Glenn always has lots of questions about our lifestyle, and I could kind of tell this past summer that his interest had gone from mere curiosity to actually considering it for he and Laureen.  Glenn's text indicated he was interested in the 1982 Newell for sale I had written about a few days ago, which totally floored me.  I asked him to rate his interest in buying any RV on a scale of 1-10, 10 being very interested, and he replied with a 7, but only a 2 for Laureen.....she's not sure about being away from home on a full time basis, and I totally understand that as fulltiming is not for everybody, and I get that.  At any rate, the rest of this blog post is for my sister-in-law Laureen.

Whether you commit to living full time in an RV, or only do it part of the year, it is really the lifestyle, in the end, that you are embracing......the freedom to change your view without going through escrow.  Some spend 6 months, or less traveling in an RV each year to escape the winter cold, while others do it to escape the summer heat, depending on where they might call home.  Ultimately what you get from owning, and using an RV is freedom.  Traveling full time, or part time gets you out of your comfort zone, out of the congestion of the big city, and out into rural America where you can hear crickets chirping, coyotes howling, roosters crowing.....life slows down, and you take time to enjoy a beautiful sunrise, or sunset.  You rarely hear horns honking, or sirens, or even that dull, background humming sound of 24/7 traffic. There are very few traffic signals in rural America, and a 'traffic jam' may be just 4, or 5 cars in a row on the highway.  Sometimes you can go miles without seeing another vehicle, or person, or even a STOP sign.  One of my favorite things about rural America are the big, long views you get in the western half of our country, and an overwhelming sense of freedom.  

In the end, though it is the people you meet and befriend along the way that make this lifestyle so rich and fulfilling.  You make friends much more easily, and get to a deeper level with them much more quickly.  As you are traveling you are also following the travels of your friends and when you see your paths may cross you make plans to get together.....it could be 5 years since you last broke bread with them, but when you meet again it is as if no time has passed.  Five years ago we traveled into Alberta, Canada for about a month and met Jim and Gail who were working and living at an RV park in Cochrane, Alberta.  We spent several evenings sitting around a campfire getting to know each other, and became friends.  As of this year they have been traveling and living full time in their 1987 Newell for 12 years.  We have kept in touch, and crossed paths briefly over that 5 years, but this year they came to stay at Tom and Darlene's property for a few days, and I have the chance to spend time talking with Jim in depth several times.....it is as if no time had passed since our last conversations.  There is this immediate connection, and feeling of kinship, and that makes me happy.  I asked Jim if he could ever imagine living in a sticks and bricks home again, and he immediately replied, as I expected.....No!

One of the things you realize pretty quickly when you travel in an RV is you can live pretty nicely with much less stuff, and that is the ultimate freedom!  When you have less stuff to worry about you have more time to enjoy life.  Your wardrobe gets smaller as you find yourself wearing pretty much the same thing everyday.  Sure, you will always have your 'Sunday go to meeting' clothes, but you will rarely need them, or wear them, but when you need them, they are always there.

Owning and maintaining an RV may seem intimidating, but it is really not much different than doing the same with a sticks and bricks home.  Things break, and you fix them.....you become more self sufficient, and that gives you such a sense of freedom.  As time passes you find you can fix most things yourself, and I know you are that kind of person.

I could go on, and on, but I think I've said enough for now.  Life is good, and freedom is wonderful!

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Quicksand........

7:27 am - Sunday - March 3rd - Wittmann, AZ - 46º F, 91% humidity, wind 4 mph out of the northeast....partly cloudy to day with a forecast high of 71º F.

Saturday was the day of the 4th annual BBQ Tom and Darlene sponsor each year.  As part of the preparation for the BBQ Tom needed to move his two Newells out of the Newell Barn to make room for all of the tables and chairs.  I heard him as he passed by our coach on his way to park his coach next to Adrian's and walked outside to watch.  As he made the left turn around our coach his coach began to bog down in the still soft, damp sand from our recent rain.  He attempted to back up, but the rear wheels began to spin so he quickly stopped.......

.....the right rear of the coach was down almost to the frame, which would have really been bad, but he had stopped just in time to avoid that.  Still in recovery mode from my surgery, and prohibited from doing any sort of manual labor I was reduced to watching as Adrian and Wade retrieved shovels from the Newell Barn to dig out the front and rear wheels.  Adrian  placed a  large piece of 3/4" plywood under the right rear dualies, and it was time to see if Tom could extricate his 2002 Newell from the loose sand.....

.....we all figured Tom had one shot at extricating his 50,000 pound Newell before it might be time to call a large wrecker to pull him out.  As it turned out he was successful in driving out of the soft, damp sand.  He ended up spending more time filling in the large holes created by the mishap than he did in getting it out.

By the time Tom had both of his Newells out of the barn, and Jim and Gail had arrived in their 1987 wide body Newell (our 1982 Newell is 8' wide....the wide bodies are 8.5' wide) there were a total of 5 Newells present on the property (all pictures in today's blog post were taken by our friend Tom).......

 Jim and Gail's 1987 Newell with tag axle

 Our '82 peeking out from behind Tom and Adrian's coaches

.......soon 5 pm rolled around and it was time to kick off the BBQ......

 Getting set up

 The festivities are in full swing

.....there was 70 lbs. of pulled pork, funeral potatoes, baked beans, chips brownies and a lot of great conversations.  By 6:30 I was getting tired, and retreated back to the friendly confines of our Newell for the evening.  In all I think around 150 people were served Saturday evening.  Many people brought donations of clothing which will be delivered to Saguaro Jane's (a local charity) next week.

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Melting ice......

7:50 am - Saturday - March 2nd - Wittmann, AZ - 54º F, 77% humidity, wind 7 mph out of the east by northeast......cloudy today with a forecast high of 70º F.

I only took Tylenol one time Friday, and while I was uncomfortable most of the afternoon I made it, and through the night to boot.  I need to get used to how it feels without pain killers, otherwise every time they wear off I think something is going wrong, like maybe an infection.  You see where my mind goes, right?  TLE assures me all is well, and that the wound is looking much better, and the swelling is diminishing.

While it was quite cloudy most of the day it got quite warm by mid afternoon, and to counteract the warmth I had most of the windows open in the coach.....such an unusual circumstance for us if you think back over the last few months.  Since we arrived in Campbellsville (Amazon) back in mid October of 2018 we have rarely had more than one window open for brief periods of time.  Even when we first arrived here in Wittmann it was still too cold to open windows, and our heaters were running most of the day.

I spent most of the day inside once again just relaxing.  I did go outside a few times for a few minutes at a time, but I tended to be a slug most of the time.  I even spent a few minutes in the Newell Barn watching Tom polish the ALCOA aluminum wheels on one of his Newell coaches, but refrained from anything resembling work.

Tom and Darlene's 4th annual BBQ is Saturday, so TLE spent most of the day assisting Darlene in the preparation of the food, including applying the dry rub to the pork butt, smoking the pork butt, and then putting it in the oven to cook overnight......the pork butt will be the star of the BBQ.  They are expecting over 160 people I think so it will be quite a fandango!

I wish I had more to share, but that is the complete extent of day 5 of my recuperation.  It feels a lot like watching ice melt, or paint dry, but the improvement at the end of each day is discernible, and that is all that counts.

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The sister ship.....

7:38 am - Friday - March 1st - Wittmann, AZ - 53º F, 71% humidity, wind 3 mph out of the east by northeast.......very cloudy today with a forecast high of 74º F.....get that?  Yes, 74º F!

About 10 years ago I came into contact with a man (Steve) who had just purchased a 1982 Newell, which looked just like mine.  We became friends over time, and after doing some research found that our two Newells had virtually the same completion date in March of 1982.  I knew the first owner of my Newell was an attorney out of Cherry Hills, CO named Leonard Law.  Steve later found out the last name of the original owner of his Newell was also Law....related somehow?  Our VIN #'s are just one digit apart.....his was completed just before mine.  His Newell, at 38' in length, is 2 feet longer than mine.   In August of 2009 we traveled together to Creede, CO to attend a Newell rally, and became closer friends in the process.  I often refer to his coach as the 'sister ship'......

The 'sister ships' in Creede, CO

......I write that to say this......Steve and his wife are thinking about selling their Newell, and I would love to see this one go to someone I know........  

 Steve's 1982 Newell at the Parker Strip on the Colorado River

Steve's coach above and mine below....hard to tell the difference, no?

 They look very similar inside, but his wood veneer is a little lighter than mine (Steve's above, mine below)

......Steve found his Newell in Yuma, AZ in 2008 where it had been sitting unused for a number of years due to the death of the wife's husband.  It was in pretty rough shape at the time, but Steve bought her anyway and brought her back to life.  Thankfully she had been sitting in the dry Arizona desert.  Steve's 1982 Newell has the same engine mine does (Detroit Diesel 6v92 with turbo).  Steve was a Marine Surveyor in his workaday life and had come across a lot of 6v92's in commercial boats in his time, so knew a lot about them.  There is no deferred maintenance on this coach.  A few years ago he had his gear driven alternator rebuilt, and also fixed the tachometer.  I know the rear axle seals have been replaced, and the brakes relined during his tenure as owner.  The current odometer reading is 135,789.....these Detroit Diesel 6v92's are not even broken in until they pass 150,000 miles!

Steve and his wife typically take the coach to the Parker Strip each winter for a couple of months, which is where it is right now.  This will most likely be the last winter they do that, and would like to have it sold by next winter.  Steve has been a member our our Newell Gurus user forum for as long as I have, and his coach is featured on the website masthead.  If you are interested send me a text at 951.236.5312 with your contact information and I will relay it to him......

So, you might wonder, what happened Thursday?  Well, not much.....a lot of napping, some sitting in the sun, some reading, some more 'bad TV' watching, and just general post surgical recovery.  The healing continues to progress rapidly......TLE says I'm looking much better.....

......if you see me head on you would not know anything had happened, except the lump on my right cheek is gone......I won't gross you out this time with a side view, but it does look much better!

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to by a tank of diesel.