“I flow, Magnetically, Through the Universe,
And I wait, Patiently, For what may follow.”
~Jodi Pate
I stayed in Q for the weekend, in the Magic Circle. It was sunny and warm, and so the few people who had already arrived for the season were mostly naked. I eased into it by wearing my gym shorts, flip-flops, and a hat. I don’t know why, but naked people are almost always nicer than clothed people. Maybe they have stripped off all pretenses; they have nothing to hide. I have a terrible body image. I think of myself as old and fat, but I’m no older and certainly in no worse shape than anyone I saw naked over the weekend. Perhaps I’ll get over my self-consciousness and join the carefree crowd who has nothing to hide. It’s not about being naked outside. When I was in Bloody Basin, I LOVED going outside naked. It’s about having others judge me and my body. There was no one to judge in Bloody Basin, outside of a few cows, and their bodies were nothing to write home about if you ask me.
Sunday was cold (for Quartzsite) and windy. In one week, the weather went from being in the triple digits to being a low of 48⁰ at night. Cosmo and I had an “inside day,” listening to music and watching movies on Netflix. The wind howled all day long. I caught myself smiling a lot. Q has a lot of positive energy. Even when nobody came out of their rigs, there was a force of good in the air. Maybe because it’s mostly snowbirds, getting out of the great white north before the bitter cold sets in. Maybe it’s because we are mostly all retired, or at least on vacation. No deeds to do, no promises to keep. It made me happy to be there.
Monday morning, I decided to head to Ehrenberg, AZ. Bonnie had arrived in her old Roadtrek the week before, and I couldn’t wait to see her again. When I went to bed Sunday night, I had no idea when I’d head to Ehrenberg, but Monday morning while exercising and listening to music from the ‘60’s I decided I wanted to go. I could go back to Q anytime I wanted since I bought a season permit. I can stay at any one of six Long Term Visitor Areas in Arizona until April 15th. Lots of time to roam and explore.
I got to Ehrenberg and Cosmo started barking. I didn’t know what was wrong and then realized he recognized where we were. I guess he too was happy to be home. When we pulled into Bonnie’s spot, he went crazy, and I could barely contain him from crawling up Bonnie’s back. She of course greeted him with treats and a new ball. It was a fine reunion all around. We sat and talked for an hour or so, got caught up and then I drove down the road and reclaimed my enormous spot that I occupied last year.
There are perhaps 10 of us camped along this road and I am the most remote, being not only far down the road, but far off the road as well. I tease Bonnie about coming to visit me over in suburbia. Cosmo and I walk over to see Bonnie most mornings. According to my step counter on the phone, it’s a out half a mile. It makes for a good cool-down after I exercise.
Kitty called me. She had just arrived in Joshua Tree BLM, on her maiden voyage of her new (new to her anyway) van. She was excited to be out again. We’ll meet up next week. It will be two years since we met. In another world, we would probably never have met, let alone become friends. Out on BLM land, we chatted and found we had so much in common. We keep in touch, texting or calling each other nearly every week, and we relish our chances to get together in the winter when the weather allows camping near where she lives.
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I drove into town on Thursday. Usually that is a huge chore even though it entails driving only about 3 miles. I did it without any fuss. I stopped at Rite-Aid and got my flu, covid and shingles vaccinations. It was quick and easy and the pharmacist was friendly and outgoing. I headed to the Dollar Tree and picked up a few things. I’ve found that there are often items on my shopping list that are about half the price at the dollar store as they are at Albertson’s Grocery store. Afterwards I headed to Albertson’s and picked up fresh fruit and veggies and then around the corner to the dispensary (Pot Store). I love going there. The people, both workers and shoppers, are so fun and friendly. I wish I still smoked pot, but after years of damaging my lungs with tobacco, I now just occasionally do some gummies. I went in specifically to buy some nighttime sleep gummies. The budtender was, as always, so professional, so knowledgeable. He showed me a variety of gummies that had CBN (part of the marijuana plant that makes you sleepy?). He asked if I just had trouble falling asleep or had trouble staying asleep. He asked what time I went to bed and how long I usually slept. He was more thorough in doing his job and spent more time with me than my primary care physician usually does. He showed me some things he thought would be good that were on sale and some things that others had said they liked that cost a bit more. I was impressed that he endeavored to give me information, not to sell me something that cost more or that I wouldn’t enjoy. Next to me was an older woman (yup, older than *I* am) with a young man. I guessed that it was grandma and grandson, but hey, it was California, so perhaps they were lovers or friends with benefits. They were whooping it up and had their budtender laughing along. It’s always a good vibe in the pot store.
Saturday, the weather turned warm again. I exercised and then Cosmo and I headed over to visit Bonnie. When I returned, I made myself dinner for breakfast—some pretend chicken wings with hot sauce, fresh asparagus and tiny, multi-colored finger potatoes that I first discovered in Peru. The breakfast was delicious and felt healthy. With the sun so bright and warm, I didn’t want to pass up an opportunity for an outdoor shower, so I turned on my water heater, and went outside for a nice hot shower. After a delicious meal, a hot shower and exercise, I felt all was right with the world. The day finished perfectly with a beautiful sunset before the moon rose.
Lessons from the Road: I made several adjustments to my brain this week. Even though I’ve promised myself over and over not to commit to any certain dates or times during my travels, I’ve quite often made semi-concrete plans with others, frequently to be stood up and disappointed after I rearranged MY life to accommodate them. I’m not sure what caused the change, but I have somehow slipped into the mode of knowing where I think I’ll head next, but not setting a specific time. Kitty is going back to Joshua Tree BLM land next Wednesday. I’ll definitely go stay with her, but I don’t feel a need to arrive on Wednesday. Maybe I’ll get there Thursday after she gets a spot for us; more likely I’ll head over Monday or Tuesday ahead of her and pick us out a nice spot. I feel no compulsion to arrive at any specific time. We’ve both stayed there alone. We are quite capable of fending for ourselves until such time as the other arrives.
Cosmo too is changing. It is very noticeable that he likes being “home” in Ehrenberg. I can’t put it into words, but when you live with someone for 6 years, you can tell when they are happy and comfortable. Cosmo is both. After I finish coffee and e-mail each morning, he grabs his ball and sits patiently looking at me, letting me know it’s time for both of us to start our exercise. We have a new routine: When I work out at the back of the van each morning, I put down a blanket for him. It’s “His spot.” I get his ball thrower and throw one of his new-found balls as far as I can. The space we occupy is enormous so I can throw it far and he runs like the greyhounds he was raised with. He brings it back and I tell him “Go to your spot” and he lays down on the blanket, drops the ball and waits for me to finish another set of exercises and then I throw it again. He seems to enjoy this game of waiting for me to finish 10 reps of something and then pick up the ball and throw it again.
That’s all I got.
See you down the road!
Scott
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx9L4rW4Orsox-BDA4ebmmQ