Saturday, January 26, 2013

Images and Memories of 2012

120600_co

Thought you might enjoy some of my favorite photos and memories.

120600_co2

Rainbow Trout (2,500 of them) being released into Meadow Lake, CO(where I Campground Hosted summer 2012).

121006_ok

The biggest lily pad I ever saw.  Vandweller/Member here… Joey told me the name of it the other day, but I have forgotten.

121012_ms2

The Biggest Catfish(or is that FATfish?)  I ever saw, though I understand they get much much bigger than this.

121013_al2121025_la

Some of the most beautiful wildflowers I’ve ever seen.

121025_la2

I got over my fear of alligators this year.  They are much much more afraid of us. Seriously folks, nothing to fear here.

121212b

After three years of stuff just falling all over the place, I built shelves in my trailer this winter.

0111121414 (2)

Made my first trip to Mexico and found it amazing how clean the plaza was and was amazed at the decorated trash cans.

gary_f

Photo by fellow rock club sawyer, Gary Fahrnback… we paddled the Bill Williams Wildlife Area together.

IMGA0011

Awesome.

IMGA0056 (2)

The quilt and the purple had were my Christmas gifts from my Florida sister (I got sisters everywhere – AK, CA, SD, MN).

IMGA0061

Strange tree formations.

IMGA0077

Eire sunsets.

IMGA0415

This fellow drove up, asked if I wanted some fish, went back to his freezer and brought enough for two people for two meals.  He fishes all over the country and fast freezers the fish to give away.

IMGA0426

Boy was that good.

IMGA0422

Gamble Quail walking through camp.

IMGA0434

Good ol’ SwankieWheels holding up well.

IMGA0593

My favorite vandweller and my favorite dog. 
It was cold and Tori was staying warm.

IMGA0615

Fisherman on the Gulf caught this little guy in his net,
I released it and hope it was o.k.  It swam away.

IMGA0643

The best part of RTR 2012 was running in to Peg, who had hired me to do five sketches for her when I needed money the most.  She was my first customer.  I had to drive back across town and grab my notebook to bring back and show everyone.  What a treat. She is a very special lady.

IMGA0661

IMGA0736IMGA0822

I camped with vandweller Liz for a time, and her pup… Boo Boo really took a shine to my kayak.  He got up there by himself.  Boo Boo at the helm.

IMGA0737IMGA0758

Very strange cloud formation.

IMGA0761IMGA0767

I invented a solar water heater.  A plastic water jug, spray painted black will heat water to 140 degrees.  You can have a delightful sponge bath with that ONE gallon of water.

IMGA0796

You never know what surprises you will get when walking alone in the desert. This guy nearly landed on me.

IMGA0811IMGA0812

IMGA0813

The Sun Oven easily gets to 350 degrees F, and bakes the best bread and cakes.  Maybe it’s my imagination, but I think they taste better.

IMGA0850

Got to meet Good Luck Ducks… what a treat.  And I had not noticed that mural before… at Carl Jr’s in Quartzsite.  Pretty cool.

IMGA0921

Had some amazing paddles and completed kayaking the lower 48 states (and I couldn’t walk in 2004!)  tee hee

IMGA0935IMGA0936

More goodies from the Sun Oven… brownies with pecans.

IMGA0965IMGA0968

IMGA0973

Out hiking with friend Pete from the Rock Club, he caught this Horney Toad.. neat guy to rock hound with… but darn if he didn’t sell his red truck, now we can rock hound on a motorcycle.

IMGA0977IMGA0978

The solar over and solar shower hard at work.

IMGA0993IMGA0994

Learning about rocks, becoming a Foreman in the Lapidary shop and a sawyer in the Saw Shop were the highlights of a great year.  It’s why I came to Quartzsite and I plan to return every winter.

Learning to use the Solar Oven was also a real bonus… you don’t have to suffer to live out of your van.  It was a great year.

IMGA0984

It doesn’t get any better than this, until 2013.  I expect as much or more from the New Year.  Thanks for riding along with me.  Please comment below… so I know people are still alive and tagging along.  But DON”T live vicariously through me, get up out of that chair and LIVE your life.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Question for my followers!

After you joined my site, did you begin receiving notices when I posted something new?  Or did you have to set that up someway???

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Disappearing Blog??? What happened????

Got an email this morning saying my Blog was gone.  After wrestling with various logins and passwords, I think it is back up.  This is a test.  Let me hear from my followers.   swankiecharlene@gmail.com

I'm at the RTR with about 60 other vandwellers.  Had a nice "women's only" session yesterday.  Look out world... woman power.

Today, going to a concert in town by Oasis Bookstore Owner - Paul Winer.  Google that!!  (tee hee).

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Laptop Monitor Died!!! Just Black.

I'm using a computer at the Quartzsite, AZ library to let everyone know I will be unable to post anything new for the foreseeable future.  I had decided to fore go fun things like camping with friends in the desert and playing with (i.e. making jewelry) rocks, in order to do all the data entry of 40 plus years of genealogical research and scan hundreds of photos, making all of this available to family members through Ancestry.com.  I had hoped to get this work completed over the winter.  Now, I am thinking I will need to return to civilization and get a job so that I can replace the laptop and save for my kayaking trip to Alaska.  I guess right now, even the genealogy and scanning will have to be put on the back burner again.

It's only day two of the RTR and I am finding I am even more anxious and ill at ease than I expected, probably because I am computerless.

If anyone reading this post has a working laptop to donate to the cause, please let me know.

Thank you.  And happy happy new year to all my followers.

Charlene

Who is Swankie?

My photo
Anywhere, USA, Full-Time USA traveler, United States
In 2006, I was shopping for a wheelchair. By 2007, I had new knees, better health and by 2008 a kayak. In Aug 2013, I kayaked my 49th state, Alaska, at the Holgate Glacier and in May 2014, I kayaked Hawaii, my 50th state, to celebrate my 70th Birthday and the finale to the wonderful adventure of Kayaking America. Next up... Re-kayaking southwestern states.

Followers: