roadquill1

Tuesday March 12, 2013

Dear family and friends,

At the risk of blogging myself into spam status, I will send another road note tonight. I wanted to tell you of the sensory experiences of road travel into California. First of all, let me explain that I am a total fan of Spring! Rather fitting I would say since, after all, I sprang into the world on the first day of Spring some many moons ago! (Get on with the story, sir!)

After leaving Woodburn (having purchased a new T-Mobile sim card for my cell phone – I would like to tell you that I slipped that one by Sandy while she was in purchasing quilting supplies, but that would be a complete fabrication!), we drove on and on in steadily warming temperatures, and clearing skies, until we crossed the Siskiyous just south of Ashland, and were rewarded with a spectacular view of Mt. Shasta and its smaller companion cone. What a sight on a clear day! Temperatures continued to climb, and by the time we rolled into Red Bluff at 3:30 or so, it was 27C outside: 15C above normal for this time of year. Many bird songs at Red Bluff RV completed the illusion of early spring where we were tucked into a private corner enjoying the remainder of the day outside with our books.

Oh yeah, before I ramble further into my sensory tales, let me add a further detail to the hot water issue…

Shortly after arriving in Red Bluff, Sandy tried to get some hot water out of the tap. It gave her a brief burst of hot, and then returned only cold water. Oh-oh! Something is really wrong with the hot water system, think I! Perhaps I should look for a mechanic after all. So, perplexed about the whole situation, I begin an Internet search for a nearby RV service. Gradually a whole new concept seeps into my mind – what if there were TWO taps from the hot water tank (intake and output) and I had only turned on ONE? I suddenly pulled the closet apart and sure enough – I found the second tap and turned it. Voila! NOW it all works well. As old Walter Brennan used to say in “The Real McCoys”… “Dagnabbit! You’re stupid!” (I don’t know whether he said that or not. I made that part up, too.)

Traffic today was fairly light, and I thoroughly enjoyed the miles with warm scented breezes at the various stops, and either music from my MP3, or NPR on the radio. The music can sometimes be a titch jarring! On “Shuffle” and with my playlist set to “All, but classical” (about 1400 tunes), I get many miles and hours of singalong time. However, shuffle can sometimes do mood changes that are dramatic, and shattering. We can be humming along with Andrea Bocelli’s, and  Sarah Brighton’s “Time to Say Good-bye” – a stunningly beautiful duet, and before we have time to come down, the next song that kicks in might be Claude King’s “Wolverton Mountain” – “They say don’t go…”, or Delbert McClinton and Kacey Jones singing “You’re the Reason our Kids are Ugly”. Enough said!

Many, many bugs bit the windshield as we passed between rows and rows of olive or almond trees in bloom. The windshield spillage changes the hues of the fields to yellowish.

Oh, and one further note if you care about my scorecard of critters seen…

WILDLIFE:

Hawks  – 11

Walking ducks – 17

NOT SO WILDLIFE

Coyotes – 2

Skunks – 2

What used to be furry tribble-like creatures (probably ground squirrels, raccoons, muskrats, etc.) – dozens. (I tell Sandy that these are just “sleeping”.)

POPES – 0 (This probably should have been included in “Not So Wildlife”.)

Sandy doesn’t approve of my counts. She says I should have included her counts. Okay – here is what she was counting…

colts, lambs (gamboling, of course), goat kids, calves. (She wasn’t sure of the numbers.)

Much love and best wishes to you all!

Tony, the Quill, and Sandy, the Quilter