24/7 Chat About Anything

[user 29855]

The frustration of travel and mail. My car tabs I ordered a couple of weeks ago we’re not among the mail my Private Mail
Box service forwarded to me. I bought them online from the state using a licensing agent just a few blocks away from my PMB. Fortunately that agency is going to reissue them at no extra charge. My friend who is my home base address and my BFF is going to pick them up in person from the agent and then mail them to me.

Right now the wind is rocking my little cradle with constant very strong gust. Another 4 hours of that to go through. I will stream a few movies to take my mind off it as well as mask the noise of the wind. A war or disaster movie would probably work best for noise but I am not in the mood for thinking of explosions tha blow things up…or over!

I found out about Anytime Mailbox on this forum, in a thread for domiciling in another state. They email me when mail arrives, will open it, scan it, and forward it (any or all of these things) at my request. They have been absolutely wonderful.

 

[SLB_SA]

Wasted On The Way - Crosby, Stills And Nash
But I wish that I had started Long before I did And there's so much time to make up Everywhere you turn Time we have wasted on the way

 

[maki2]

I found out about Anytime Mailbox on this forum, in a thread for domiciling in another state. They email me when mail arrives, will open it, scan it, and forward it (any or all of these things) at my request. They have been absolutely wonderful.

My domicile is in Washington state. My PMB service is close by to it. My problem this time got solved today by my domicile partner picking up the replacement tabs at the neighborhood licensing agent then walking 2 blocks to our mutual PMB service and shipping them in person using my postage account with that PMB company. Always nice to have friends back home to help out now and again to iron out the occasional wrinkles.

There are lots of mail forwarding services in Seattle and in the Pacific coastal towns because of all the people who live full time on boats. They all do scanning and mail forwarding.

 

[maki2]

Three times this week I have fallen asleep while listening to an audio book. I do try to remember to add bookmarks now and again but maybe I need to make a habit to bookmark at the end of every chapter?

 

[bullfrog !]

Pretty soon you will be to a point like me you will have forgotten what was said 2 sentences ago! Lol!!!

 

[maki2]

This is more along the lines of reading a book to a child at bedtime and they fall asleep while listening.

 

[maki2]

Took a short walk over the desert float at my campsite and found 2 green stones. The other day I downloaded an app called “rock identifier”. Free for a 7 day trial. It identified the stones as being Serpentine. I am not going to be turning them into jewelry as I do not have that kind of equipment along. But I will hang onto them for now, maybe someday I will have enough interesting small stones to join the Quartzsite club where I can use their equipment and have some jewelry making fun. A number of years ago I learned how to carve wax, make molds and cast metals such as silver. But I have never dived into it to turn it into an actual hobby. My favorite part was doing the wax carving, a fun material to work with!

 

[bullfrog !]

Lol!!! I used to teach foundry as part of a class on the reservation. Most of the kids grandmothers were better at it than I could ever be! When I left I guess they were glad to see me go as they gave me and my wife some beautiful pieces of their work as gifts! Lol!!!

 

[maki2]

There is most certainly a lot of beautiful silver work jewelry in the Southwest.

 

[maki2]

Today my neighbor handed a piece of red colored rock for me to identify. My app “rock identifier” said it is red jasper. Pretty fun app to have but only free for a 7 day trial period. I might end up purchasing it one of these days, could be an addictive hobby app for travelers who like to go on nature walks.

 

[jacqueg]

Took a short walk over the desert float at my campsite and found 2 green stones. The other day I downloaded an app called “rock identifier”. Free for a 7 day trial. It identified the stones as being Serpentine. I am not going to be turning them into jewelry as I do not have that kind of equipment along. But I will hang onto them for now, maybe someday I will have enough interesting small stones to join the Quartzsite club where I can use their equipment and have some jewelry making fun. A number of years ago I learned how to carve wax, make molds and cast metals such as silver. But I have never dived into it to turn it into an actual hobby. My favorite part was doing the wax carving, a fun material to work with!

I love serpentine! I have been finding it occasionally here at La Posa South, can't help but wonder where it is washing down from. In a previous life, I did a lot of field botany for various federal agencies in the Siskiyou Mountains of SW Oregion and NW Califrornia, where there are huge outcrops of it. It is usually on the soft side, and I knew a stone carver who said it is not dissimilar to soapstone, but it has a lot more internal cracks than soapstone does.

Will need to get that app...

 

[INTJohn]

 

[maki2]

I love serpentine! I have been finding it occasionally here at La Posa South, can't help but wonder where it is washing down from. In a previous life, I did a lot of field botany for various federal agencies in the Siskiyou Mountains of SW Oregion and NW Califrornia, where there are huge outcrops of it. It is usually on the soft side, and I knew a stone carver who said it is not dissimilar to soapstone, but it has a lot more internal cracks than soapstone does.

Will need to get that app...

The app says may be asbestos containing rock. It varies as to how much in different localities. So use appropriate measures to avoid inhaling dust and containing/controlling the dust if reshaping it.

Of course some but not all soapstone also can have asbestos. Soapstone is fun to carve, I have done a bit of that. Art supply stores I have gone to in Seattle sometimes stock it.

 

[maki2]

A fireplace I made with soapstone circa 2010.

 

[maki2]

^^ only about 7” tall, lol. But it was fun to work with a different kind of material.

 

[maki2]

Went into Yuma this morning to pick up mail and get a few supplies before tonight’s big blow with 55mph wind gust.

I already have rear, drop down stabilizers on my trailer and I also have the tongue Jack. But it was still annoyingly bouncy in strong gust. So today I purchased a pair of stabilizer jacks to put under the frame toward the front. Big difference! I can feel the wind gust rocking the trailer a bit but it is no longer a carnival, bouncy castle. But the real test will be around 4 am Pacific time when the 55mph+ wind storm gust will arrive out of the West.

Now it is time to reposition my tow vehicle as a wind block for the trailer and then I will be storm ready.

I am glad I did not get another Clam type shelter this year. It would have been more of a worry than a help this windy 2022/2023 winter season.

No line of semi tractor trailers heading West into California on I-8 from Arizona at the state border weigh station/ agriculture inspection stop. Looks like the truck companies are keeping most of them off the road. There were some in the East Bound Lane.

 

[tx2sturgis]

No line of semi tractor trailers heading West into California on I-8 from Arizona at the state border weigh station/ agriculture inspection stop. Looks like the truck companies are keeping most of them off the road. There were some in the East Bound Lane.

That almost always comes down to driver discretion, or as we like to say, captain of the ship or pilot in command.

Trucking companies want you moving. Drivers however, get the final say.

 

[bullfrog !]

The winter storm warnings in the west for snow as well may be affecting mountain areas as well. Plus it is hard to make good time when the road is blocked by numerous blow overs! Not a good time to be trying to get back home empty or hauling insulation! Hard on tires to drive straight down the road with a half turn on the steering wheel! Lol!!! Glad those days are over for me!

 

[maki2]

I suspect the sand dunes west of Yuma will be much lower by sunset this evening The dunes are just visible in the distance from my campsite. The weather report is completely accurate about hazardous driving conditions. Total brownout of the mountains a few miles to the north. I did a walk around of my campsite earlier. I still feel grit covered and likely that is a real feeling, not imagined.

I hope no one from this forum is actually doing dispersed camping on Ogilby Rd in this weather. The dunes are very close to there.

The wind speed will decrease at sunset today. Happily looking forward to that.

 

[Frood]

I suspect the sand dunes west of Yuma will be much lower by sunset this evening The dunes are just visible in the distance from my campsite. The weather report is completely accurate about hazardous driving conditions. Total brownout of the mountains a few miles to the north. I did a walk around of my campsite earlier. I still feel grit covered and likely that is a real feeling, not imagined.

I hope no one from this forum is actually doing dispersed camping on Ogilby Rd in this weather. The dunes are very close to there.

The wind speed will decrease at sunset today. Happily looking forward to that.

Lower? I think more likely that they are just closer (assuming the wind is blowing towards you...)

I've always found it odd that sand dunes seem to get bigger but not blow away altogether.