roadquill1

Dear family and friends,
Within recent months I read a book by a young researcher who decided to visit the stopping points of the great sailor Captain Cook. During his travels Cook received and sent frequent letters home to his wife in England and also to Royal Society that was sponsoring his journeys. Messages took up to TWO YEARS to arrive! I give you this factoid for a reason – a comparison.

Last Monday we rolled out of our lovely spot at Rivers Edge RV in Winterhaven, and headed for propane refills and supplies for the more remote setting of Squaw Lake – desert camping in a parking lot on a lake. I was pleased with my purchase of a T-Mobile SIM card and one month plan for my iPhone. And…I had discovered at Rivers Edge that I could “pair” my iPhone with my iPad, and use the iPhone as a modem that would allow me to receive mail on the iPad – using wifi technology. Genius! For the first time, we would be able to get phone service and mail at Squaw Lake. So, we got our propane, and groceries and left for Squaw Lake. When we arrived, we were surprised to find the lower parking lot (usually for smaller rigs like ours) almost empty…and our favourite spot was vacant. As we cruised through the parking lot to our spot, a voice hollered at us, “No more Canadians!” It was our friends from two years ago – Barry and Erna from Maple Ridge.

After setting up, I checked my iPhone – “No Service”, or the alternative, ” Searching…”. Nothing. Nada! What a disappointment! Oh well…there is a fellow up on Hurricane Ridge in the desert who supplies a wifi service for $2 per day. It is a 10 minute bike ride away. It is my thinking is that I will take time off fishing to visit up there every 2 or 3 days to “pick up” my email and text messages that I am sure will be waiting for my immediate responses! Think of that dear grandchildren, nieces and nephews – NO TEXTING, AND NO E-MAIL FOR 3 DAYS! (Incomprehensible?? Surely, the end of civilization as we know it!) The communication saga gets even worse. A bike ride up to Brad’s wifi hot spot on March 21 (“Expecting some messages, were you, Tony?”) proved fruitless. Brad has given up trying to create a wifi hotspot this year. A signal is spotty at best, and only in the early morning, or late at night. Thinking of less than friendly after-dark critters – specifically, scorpions and rattlers on the warm roads at night, I decide to pass on those off hour times!

Also on March 21, I decided to try Onstar (you remember that ongoing saga don’t you, readers?) to contact my mother to express my gratitude that she shares that wondrous birthday experience with me. No luck! I decided to stop hassling Onstar as I will probably not renew my contract with them this year. So…end result…no communications for a week! Thank-you Captain Cook for putting this into perspective.

Oh…another small event of great import – I must have left the propane hose with the Coleman BBQ attachment somewhere last week, for it has disappeared. An obsessive search of Truck House (“It’s gotta be here!”), and a 5 hour search run into Yuma didn’t help as no stores carry Coleman parts, and no place where we might have left it had it. “Why didn’t you get email while you were there?” you ask. Well…just because we were pre-occupied and focused, I suppose. And, the search took place only a day after we had moved to Squaw Lake. So…no barbecue! What a waste of space! (Not me!…the barbecue!)

And speaking of Spring…wasn’t I? We are finally back in Yuma for replenishment of supplies, and I am sitting outside Starbucks where I have just downloaded all my email including many, many Happy Birthday wishes. Many thanks to all for thinking of me…and caring! At Squaw Lake, Erna and Barry invited us over to “campfire” sing (candle fire, actually) and share a birthday cake – WITH ICE CREAM! What a treat! About a dozen people joined us, and all, except two from Ohio, were from BC, and all of those, except Barry and Erna were from Vancouver Island. I guess that says more about the leisure time retired Islanders have than anything else.

Today, strong winds curtail kayaking and fly casting, so we are shopping, and looking for a new barbecue, or a part for the old one. We are glad to hear that our family members enjoyed their Spring Break in mid-Pacific, and look forward to seeing their pics.

Much love and best wishes to all!

Tony, the Quill – older, and perhaps wiser???? Yes, and NO, and Sandy – showing early signs of yearning for her quilting machines!

P.S. many congratulations to the parents, and welcome to the newcomers in our family circle – Jude Pinilla, and Anna Catherine (Whitmore) Morris in Duncan!

P.P.S. We will return to Squaw Lake for perhaps another week, before heading further east to Patagonia Lake, then Phoenix, and then towards home. If we are not at Squaw Lake, we should be in a zone of communication – we hope!