178. First day in Hemet!

Oct 30, 2016
     Fortunately for our nerves we didn't have long to wait A muscular man emerged from the front door with a welcome smile, handshake and hug for Ruthie. (Sterling mentioned later if he had known us better he would have came out carrying a firearm). Leaving the trike outside he ushered us into the home. Warm and inviting, beautiful decorated, I think we've done okay. Lynda my texting friend was waiting inside with guests. It felt like we had just arrived at an old friends home, inquiring about our ride and checking to see if we had eaten. We soon were seated at the table eating spaghetti and a warm cup of tea. 

Curious about the new
neighbors.

    Tired from the events of the last few days and anxious to see our residence Sterling opened the gate, I drove thru around the garage and met them over by the toy hauler. My thought was I would carry our travel bags in for the night and ride into town for some supplies. Not to worry, as Lynda had made sure we had a few necessary items in the refrigerator and supplies for breakfast in the morning. We carried our necessary travel bags inside, the rest could wait until morning. I was a little concerned as I viewed the size of our residence the layout didn't match what our research had prepared us for.  However just to worn out to think about it now.   Tonight we sleep!
Our first drop in guest, I named her
Bobbie, sorry couldn't help myself!   

Monday Oct 31, 2016 
I apologized to Ruthie the next morning as I had slept while she unpacked the entire trailer and was already started on arranging her new home. I think its a nesting thing perhaps an instinct us men don't have. As soon as I was up and conscious I lent a helping hand. It was afternoon before we made our trip to town for some supplies of special need were towels and washcloths, after all using a sock for a wash cloth has its limitations. A short 3 mile ride into town with our empty cargo trailer. One daughter Michelle's friends on Facebook said it looked like a traveling port-a-potty. I think its cute

Will it fit? If you want information
on California, follow the white car
to the left, Its Ester's. 
We were about to meet her.   

     . 





     Angel view thrift shop and Goodwill, a couple of pieces of cookware, drinking glasses and hangers. A stop at Stater brothers for groceries, glad we brought the trailer. Perhaps a little cautious due to the many warnings from our Coachella employers or maybe just anxious to get back to our new residence I was avoiding eye contact as we loaded our little trailer. As luck would have it we must have inadvertently parked next to the official Hemet town greeter and California welcome wagon. Could this be what they were warning us about. She seemed harmless enough. Her name was Ester, a retired school teacher, now substitute and doing some writing. Proud of her ancestral heritage they had pioneered California in covered wagons from Virginia. The patron of her family was one of the first judges in California. She said he had a sign on his door that said if the office was closed to come by the house. One young couple took it literally, in the dark they came by buggy, knocking on the door and greeted by the oldest son. A short conversation and the judge leaning out his bedroom window performed the ceremony as the couple waited outside in their carriage. The judges wife also still in her night gown and cap was the witness. Our Hemet host suggested this might have been the first drive thru wedding. Las Vegas eat your heart out.
Bare in mind we are standing in the grocery store parking lot as Ester continues our California welcome. She comes by her enthusiasm naturally as the judge evidently quite the writer sent eloquent letters back home describing this wonderful land. One of them mentioned the grass was as high as the bit on their horses bridle and looked untouched by human hand. Now a part of California history some of his letters and family bible are now in a museum in the state. I hate to admit it however Ester was still talking as we mounted the trike and rode out of the parking lot. We were anxious to get home. Sterling and Lynda would be home soon and we had a date with them this evening. No worries, we now knew Esters hair dresser and we can always check out Stater brothers parking lot to get the address of the museum.


  
   Our schedule from Lynda had mentioned that they would be taking us out to celebrate Ruthie's birthday. We rode with Lynda and Sterling met us on his way home from work.   Sterling's favorite restaurant is Los Vaqueros's looks like he has good taste. The food the atmosphere and of course the company was wonderful. It was a great evening, it gave us a little more time to visit and get to know our host couple. Our first day in Hemet left us with a warm feeling, although I shouldn't be making assumptions based on one day however Lynda and Sterling seemed much more than we had anticipated.   It was a good day. 

177 Touchdown in phoenix

 

Okay fine, I wasn't thinking the entire
flight.   Who takes a picture like this? 
This reminds me of  an interesting
trivia question.  Who was legally
forbidden from wearing a black mask?? 

     The flight to Phoenix gave me a chance to think about our last couple of weeks at home. My Hemet freind Lynda had sent a text asking when we would be arriving. I gave her our proposed schedule ( I think she appreciates schedules) Friday Nov 28 Twenty first birthday celebration with granddaughter Mikayla. Nov 29 early Saturday morning daughter Tammy and Brian would take us to the airport. Neighbor Barb would pick us up. (Bless her heart.) and take us to her home in Apache Junction, get the trike out of their garage and started.  Ride the trike to Glendale (100 miles round trip) and pick up our Craigslist trailer, check it for travel worthiness, load trikes and trailer with our belongings, Sunday the 30th ride to Hemet. (360 miles).   I cautioned her that sometimes there are hiccups.
   The week before we left we had three contacts from people we had met the years before in Coachella valley wondering if we were returning and hoping to see us. Makes you feel good.
      As the plane touched down in Phoenix I took my phone off airplane mode there was a message from "crouching tiger".   One of the former horse trainers at the Coachella ranch. It appeared to be quite lengthy so I thought I would wait to read it on the ride to Barbs.
      The hiccups start. Because of a miscommunication poor Barb had been waiting at the airport for over two hours. What a great friend, I'm sure she was tempted to just leave us.
      During the ride I let Ruthie and Barb catch up and I concentrated on the message from "crouching Tiger" She had elected to leave the ranch shortly after we left.   It was long, very long,  I will be lucky to finish it during the ride. I decided to skim and read it slower when we arrive in California. I had often teased her to see if she would last the 60 days which in my opinion is the average employ of a horse trainer at the ranch. Perhaps this was therapy for her as she relived in detail some of frustrating days and specific events at the ranch working with "Bobbie and The Don". She has an amazing memory, writing in detail events with the horses and employers as she was berated, belittled and put in harms way by the pair.   As she shared each event it brought back memories of our time there and made me feel good about our decision not to return for another year. But then one of her paragraphs raised my ire some. She mentioned "Bobbie" was giving her some training in horse handling techniques. Like her namesake (Bobby Knight) she does not have patience or tack.   And even though I have never witnessed her throw a chair across a basketball court.  The foals at the ranch lay witness to the violence they have endured during her "gentle" training sessions.   Evidently during the reprimand "Bobbie" didn't think "crouching tiger" was listening. "See that's where Vern got himself in trouble, he could Never take direction. And that's why he screwed himself out of coming back to work next year!".   (what would have made this even more amusing is we had accepted their offer to return this winter.)   Showing some discretion I chose not to share this with Ruthie, I can almost hear her now. No since causing a fuss since we are close to Barbs. It would be interesting however to get Ruthie and "crouching tiger" together to relive there frustrations.
         Moving the trike outside to avoid gassing their garage it started almost immediately.  And then the smell of gas.  At least two of the carburetors were spewing raw gas out the top. Check the shutoff's. Tight. Check hoses. Okay. I guessed that the floats must be sticking, Only slightly irritated at this point as I had been so careful to store it according to the manuals procedure. What to do? Kibitzer's were offering advice, I tried to be polite as sometimes its hard to listen and formulate a plan in your mind. The pressure was on.  Another hiccup, a call from our Craigslist trailer. He was only going to be home for a little while longer. What?  He said he was going to be around all day, finally he said he would be home later that evening. This would give me some time to work on the trike . The last thing I wanted to do was take a carburetor apart, it might mean we would be hung up for days. I was pretty determined to head for Hemet the next morning.  Letting everyone know I was taking it out on the freeway I played on again off again with the fuel shut off.  I found I could turn it on for about four seconds
and ride for awhile. I started calculating how many miles I could ride without turning it back on, yup that's the way my mind works. Pretty determined.   At one point I think I calculated it would take 72 fuel dumps to get to Hemet.  I headed to an auto parts store and purchased a can of sea foam and chemtool b12 I was grasping at straws.   A 1/4 can of each in the gas tank and down the freeway I went.  Don't try this at home after all I am a trained professional although not on a closed course I brought it up to freeway speeds, alternating between gas on and gas off. Leaning over the right side of the trike, to look for fuel leaks. The leak was slowing down, the faster I went the further I could go with the fuel turned on. I headed back to Warren and Barbs, I had missed a call and was sure they were concerned with my safety. I felt I was on the right track and thought maybe some time just soaking in the mixture of gas/cleaner might do it some good. A while later and another burn down the freeway gave me more hope. Now to check on our Craigslist trailer. Hugh seemed sort of elusive and non committal about his return home.  It was getting dark and around 8pm Ruthie and I headed over to Glendale, thinking if he called while en route we would be ahead of the game other wise we would wait in a coffee shop. With the fuel turned completely on Ruthie would shine the light on the enj I wanted to check out the address before we headed to a coffee shop and just a few houses short of our goal the phone rang. It was Hugh and he said he was heading for home. I said we were relieved as were very close to his home. When he found out how close we were he decided he had just arrived home, what????? 
           The locking cover that I had been promised was none existent. Evidently the key had been misplaced so they had drilled out all of the hinge bolts. I can't help but wonder if this was the reason for his stall tactics. Ruthie smelled horse and thought the trailer might have been used to haul something other than clean luggage on the way back to Glendale we stopped at a do it yourself carwash thinking the fifty miles back would air dry it. Back at Barb and Warren's we tried to not disturb the household as we retired for the evening. My mistake was thinking the TV room would be unoccupied so I took a shortcut through there. Unfortunately Warren was laid back in a recliner watching TV with his eyes closed.   I thought I had preformed a great ninja move as I exited the other side however as the latch clicked I think I heard him stir. The day had wore on us, the flight, problems with the gas leaking, stalling by our trailer owner, and now off to sleep knowing we had to make the trailer road ready, pack it and ride over three hundred miles.  And what awaits us in Hemet?
      Sunday 2:30 AM    The concerns of the days responsibilities wouldn't let me lay there.   Another ninja move placed me in the attached garage.   I don't think I disturbed anyone.  Reminder I owe Warren a wash bucket, evidently they are not strong enough to hold up even the smallest trailers. Raise the trailer, remove the wheel bearings and seals. Repack with fresh grease. Adjust bearings. (I should mention that it doesn't go this fast, evidently the bearing dust covers hadn't been off in years and I was trying to observe some stealth as this 55 plus community probably frowns on garage noises at this hour. I was still working on the bearings as Ruthie came out to check on me. (She is used to my late night wanderings by now.). She started sorting and packing while I inspected the trailer undercarriage, made a trip to the hardware store for bolts, washers, nuts and a lock cylinder. Back in the garage I installed the cover. We are getting close. I showered while Ruthie finished the packing. It was like Christmas as she found the items we had left last year. My concerns had been in vain as she was able to get everything in. (What had that rider told us in Arkansas the first year? Pack to 60% of capacity when you leave on a trip.). What does he know anyway.  With the trailer, the trikes trunk, and the bike tour trunk stuffed to overflowing, Ruthie carrying her purse and me with my shoulder bag (I don't care to use the term fanny pack) strapped to our body as there wasn't room on the trike. 


Linda looks happy but where's Donnie?

     We said our goodbyes, stopped to check air pressure and one more stop to see Donnie and Linda friends from Rochester.    Unfortunately because of the time and miles to ride we couldn't stay long. 


There he is, by the car. 

          It was 12:45 PM as we exited Mesa. My nervousness about our little trailers tow worthiness was calmed as Ruthie kept checking on it as we flew down the freeway. Straight as an arrow. At every gas refill I checked the wheels for heat and tightness. We were doing great, anxious to get to Hemet a couple of construction sites that forced us to slow to a crawl for 45 minutes. A text from Lynda checked on our progress she mentioned that we were bringing in the rain.   Rain, what??????? As we started the 30 mile descent into the Coachella valley it brought back memories of the last two winters here.

That's the Coachella valley with the sand filling the air.

     Evidently the weather front Lynda had mentioned was playing havoc with the desert. The sky was filled with ever changing cloud patterns as the swirling winds pulled the sand up from the desert floor. Beautiful unless you are in the middle of it and the sand is pelting your face and threatening your eyes.

After our last fuel stop climbing out of the valley, just after Desert Hot springs.  Notice the field of windmills in the bottom right corner. 

Our last stop in Desert Hot springs put us an hour out. It would be dark when we got to our winter home. Passing thru He met we didn't see anything scary (had the warnings form our former employers been wrong? Well we will certainly keep our eyes open.) The GPS took us to the South edge of town, turn right on a parkway that we nor the GPS lady could pronounce. South again for a couple of miles turn on a sand covered road. A couple of more turns and down a cul-de-sac. Since the ad had mentioned a security fence we had expected to arrive at a gate. Surprisingly the address led us to a large home. The area was darker than I had hoped for our arrival. We pulled in the drive half expecting someone would see us. Nothing? We called out there names. Nothing! I pulled my phone out of the holder and called Lynda. Nothing! What now? I must have been fatigued as I had made a rookie mistake. I had pulled our rig into a place that left no quick escape for us. No reverse, No where to go but forward.    Are we at the address?

176 Conversations with Lynda

    While Ruthie was slowly moving items from our dresser to the take on a trip pile.   I started receiving texts from Lynda our toy hauler landlord in California.  It was very reassuring to have contact with them.  Even better she started sending pictures, this was either the real deal or a very elaborate scam. 

I liked them already!

      The picture of Sterling and Lynda was most welcome. Sometimes you try and picture a person from their voice. My thoughts were the picture showed a loving couple, she was beautiful with perhaps a look of “you know I didn’t do it or it really wasn’t my fault” "how can you even suspect me" he on the other hand could have been a body builder or perhaps a tough guy with a little mischievousness in his eyes, he reminded me of Larry the cable guy so I was sure I would like him. 
     I started teasing Ruthie that I had a new friend in the West and asked if she was getting any texts?  At one point she mentioned that they liked the name Ruth and that their wedding vows had been taken front he book of Ruth.  As a matter of fact they already had someone on the ranch named Ruthie. 

Their "spoiled Ruthie"

    I found a photo of the two of us that I wanted to send however Ruthie vetoed it saying we didn't know them that well yet.

What do you think?  To much!

     Ok, fine.  I fired back this picture of my spoiled Ruthie.

     The texting went back and forth as she added information and pictures of the ranch and the area we would be living in.    With every message we felt better about our decision.  It felt more like we were going to see an old freind.  Some of our nervousness about our Craigslist booking was wearing off.  Now if I don't talk to Wes for a few days I will be okay.
     More inquires into our likes and activities to do in the area and then one day she asked if Ruthie liked to cook?   I think I replied that she did and she is an excellent cook.  The reply, "oh good, I'm putting her down for appetizers for our progressive supper."   Wow! We felt like we had just been accepted into a prestigious club.  How can we be so lucky.  Years before we had been involved in a progressive supper and remembered how much fun it was.  Remember, you eat appetizers at one friends, move to the next have the next course and so on.   I believe it was a few days later we received an activity schedule for November and December.   Yes that's right a schedule, mostly weekend activities, two that caught our eye was the first weekend we were there Ruthie was doing appetizers for the progressive supper and the next month dinner was at our house around our campfire.  We couldn't believe our good luck.  This was going to be a great winter.  Looks like we won't be working with horses and projects from 6 AM until dark.  What a welcome change. 
     One of the texts mentioned that they played Hungarian canasta and that Sterling liked to win.  When I showed Ruthie she said "to bad for Sterling, I like to win too.".  We had played canasta years before while in the Navy.  We thought we had better look up the rules and practice a bit.   Unfortunately my searches didn't produce the rules for a Hungarian version.  It only came back with how to say canasta in Hungarian.  I mentioned this to Lynda and she said its just like regular canasta except with more cursing.  I think we are going to like these people.  
     One day she asked if I liked woodworking?  I said. "A little caution creeps into my mind before I answer this. You asked if Ruthie liked to cook and pretty soon we received a schedule with her providing appetizers for a progressive supper and a meal by the campfire.  If I admit that I can do woodworking will I get a schedule where you farm me out to the neighbors for work?". Ruthie made me add that I was teasing. 
     Preparations continued for our six month winter trip.  I think I seen a bag with a heated blanket move close to the door and then one day it was removed and some other belongings took its place.  I'm starting to worry if our little trailer waiting in Arizona will be big enough however I kept my silence, Ruthie was packing and I best not get in her way. 
     Due to the tension and conflict between us "the Don and Bobbie" the last few weeks at the ranch over the work load, unreasonable expectations (in our humble opinion) and their management style. ( if you can call it that)  We were perhaps a little surprised when an olive branch was extended from the ranch.  "The Don" texting me to continue our standing wager on the Minnesota Vikings football used it as opportunity to ask me to give him a call.  Seems they are expecting seven foals to be born in 2016 from January to April and wanted me to do the imprinting and early training.  There was an offer to live off the ranch in a two bedroom home with a pool.  I mentioned that we already had lodging secured in Hemet California however maybe we could work something out as an on-call basis.  I typed up a proposal with times, training schedule and wages expected. (I think I have finally learned my lesson.  With these two it has to be very specific and in black and white.)  I received a vague text warning us of our safety living in Hemet.  Of course I replied with what I considered a humorous response.  Texting back that I hoped it wasn't the Craigslist killer that neighbor Wes was warning us about.  He didn't respond, then Ruthie and I both got a call from "Bobbie". I visited with her about the position, she wanted us to stay there full time to be there when the foals were born.  I reminded her of the conflict with Ruthie, she didn't remember it.  I certainly did.  I think word for word.  Let me see if I can.?
     Lets see Ruthie had entered the room and observed "Bobbie" belittling me for perhaps over stepping my boundaries while doing a repair.  While Ruthie perhaps might be one of the most gentle people I know, she wont stand by when family is concerned.  Stand back "Bobbie" here it comes.  Ruthie went on what seemed an hour lecture about what her and I had been through while working for "the Don and Bobbie".  Her final words "You know as people you at times are very giving and we like being around you, (she just has to throw in a compliment, but wait for it, here it comes.)   however to work for and with,  you two are the worst people we have worked for in our entire life"!  
    No, seriously Ruthie why don't you tell us how you really feel.  Yup, can't believe that still isn't ringing in her ears.  I thought we would be on the trike that night heading out of town.  But we stuck it out.  Perhaps a little less interaction the last few weeks. 
      I didn't waver and at the end suggested she start looking elsewhere for help.  Mentally I actually liked the idea of letting the foal bond with the mare, nurse and rest before starting the imprinting process however it didn't seem like the time to discuss it with her.  She dropped some more innuendoes but would not give specifics about our proposed winter home.  Seemed like a desperate scare tactic to me.   One more call from "the Don" about the position claiming he didn't know "Bobbie" had called us.  Don't they talk?  Basically the same conversation, they wanted us to be at the ranch full time.  We only wanted to train and flood the new foals and be gone.  Trying to be nice I didn't burn any bridges.  I told him I might advertise on Craigslist to train/flood new foals.  He wished me luck, but didn't think I would get any replies. 
     I think we will be seeking other lodging for all future winter trips. 
    

175. Oct 2016. An Apology and promise

      As usual Ruthie was correct again, even with the reduced work load to recover from minor surgery try as I might I was falling further behind on my blog. What to do? Let’s try this. With a little background leading up to today. Oct 29 sitting at the Delta Gate in Minneapolis Minnesota waiting to board a flight to Phoenix at 9:25 AM anxious to start our 2016 winter trip. This will at least keep me from falling further behind and with the anticipated lighter schedule at our winter residence. I can by posting current posts and as time allows catching up and publishing old ones until I have one continuous time line. As you have probably already noticed our lives do not flow like a book anyway so you won’t be missing anything. There will be something's that will be mentioned that will be clear once the missing posts are published.
     After spending the last two winters at the Arabian horse ranch in the Coachella area events made me promise myself that I wouldn’t put Ruthie or myself through that again. Searching for a way to reply to friends and relatives asking if we were going back to the ranch again forced me to come up with a less detailed and polite answer.  “It was an amazing adventure. We seen and experienced situations that only people of wealth and privilege are used to. We witnessed the abuses of the same and realize that wealth and riches don’t guarantee happiness or good manners.   We met some wonderful people that we hope to see again, while a few we will strive to avoid. Yes an adventure indeed. And like the roller coaster ride,  it was fun and exhilarating I choose not to ride it every day.”. 

With that in mind we started searching for lodging in the Coachella valley area. At first Ruthie and I thought we would be content with a studio style or perhaps a casita adjacent to a home. With the help of our new friend Marge (met at the lunch area of the College of the desert street fair) providing us with classifieds from the area we started our search. We found that even very small accommodations were quite costly and a year’s lease was quite common. At some point Ruthie reached the conclusion she would like something a little bigger or at least something that would give us the option of entertaining an overnight visitor with some privacy. A new search was started using craigslist search engine, setting new filters and expanded the search area. We searched south of Phoenix trying to stay some distance from Yuma knowing we didn’t care for that area. We searched the area south of Los Angeles down to San Diego and East toward the mountains. Since we had enjoyed the climate the last two winters our biggest concern was committing to an area and then finding out it wasn’t a comfortable climate. The list changed daily as apartments came and went, we expanded the search filters to include mobile homes and trailers. A few started showing up that were promising. Not knowing specific areas we shied away from some in large cities. I was content with our progress however I could tell my partner was getting a little antsy not having something locked in. With a new sense of urgency (got to keep Ruthie happy) I narrowed it down. A fifth wheel trailer on a private acreage seemed very promising and a smaller RV toy hauler trailer on a small ranch looked like it would work. A toy hauler is basically a RV trailer with a drop down ramp at the rear so you can load motorcycles, all terrain vehicles, or any toys you would like to take along on your camping trip.  The garage area used to haul the toys doubles as living and extra sleeping space.   The contact for the fifth wheel said they would contact the owner to see if a six month lease would be acceptable and I sent an email to the toy hauler. The toy hauler had mentioned in the ad that due to the size of the trailer they would prefer a single tenant.

I sent this:

Good Morning,

Your place sounded so desirable I thought I would send this email with some information on us to see if you would consider a couple, we are small and don't take up much room.  Just teasing.   

Just checking

         We are a middle age (70) married (50 years) nonsmoking couple.   For the past 5 years we have been riding a trike like the one you see pictured.  Leaving Minnesota in the fall and going south for the winter months trying to find an area to our liking. The last two years have brought us to the Southwest.   At times we have traded our work skills for lodging. Work such as horse training, foal imprinting, general repair, computer skills and maintenance.    A life time of experiences gained thru Navy training, home, business ownership and maintenance/repair occupations have made us adept at numerous tasks.  On more than one occasions I have been labeled McGuyVern and Ruthie constantly says “Vern can do it, he can do anything”. (Which I’ve encouraged her not to say.)  Last winter found us on an Arabian horse ranch.  In addition to training and caring for the horses we did numerous repairs and maintenance at the ranch and luxury rental homes in the Indio area.  While Ruthie did everything from light housekeeping to assisting with catering.  Our duties also included running courier type errands such as depositing checks, delivering documents and shopping for clients using our three wheel vehicle.   At the present time we are checking out the possibility of winter rental. We generally leave Minnesota in late October and return late April. 

         I included a link to the blog.

Thank you for your consideration. 

Vern and Ruthie 

     The day passed with no replies. Ruthie was getting nervous. Contacting the fifth wheeler we found out the owner was in China and hadn’t answered as yet. We had performed a search of a 30 foot toy hauler like the one we seen in the picture and looking at the floor plan we decided we could make it work. After all we had been watching the show tiny houses and they seemed to make it work. We have not only been amazed at the size of the tiny houses and the type of money they spent to build them. They've got to be seeing something we don't. I sent another message to the toy hauler asking if they had received my email, they hadn’t seen it yet. We emailed back and forth a couple of times and she mentioned that her husband was calling us. A pleasant conversation ensued, he mentioned his concern about the size of the unit using an example that if he and his wife were cooped up in there for a week of rain that perhaps it wouldn’t be very pleasant. This didn’t deter me however the promise of a week of rain made me nervous about the non-paved road to their ranch. Of course I was thinking dirt and the mention of a week of rain took my mind to red dirt road and muddy ruts, now I was nervous. A reply to my inquiry reassuring us that the roads were sand and became hard packed if it rained and it hadn’t rained there in seven months. I felt better. He had mentioned that instead of a six month lease we would go month to month in case we didn’t like them or vice a versa. The only problem I seen was if they didn’t like us I would be hunting for a residence again. I guess I better be on my best behavior. Wandering around later that evening or early the next morning when I was unable to sleep. I seen we had received an email letter. It was a very detailed letter telling about our host couple, the ranch and the area we would be living in. And most importantly it said they felt after our conversation that we would be a better fit than the other applicants. Included was a note that a deposit would hold it until November. 
      We did as much due diligence as we could until we felt comfortable sending the down payment using PayPal. A confirmation reassured us that we now had a place for the winter.
     With some relief we started the next phase. Even though I had mentioned I was going to be traveling South with my electronics bag only I was noticing items of mine being packed for the trip. Already concerned with the room on the trike we had waiting in the garage of our neighbors Warren and Barb. When I rode out of Indio last spring I was completely full including the seat that Ruthie usually occupies. I mentioned my concerns to Ruthie however it did not seem to curtail her packing. Plan B: We would have to come up with a way to move the extra baggage to our new home in California. Checked on rental vehicles, seemed pretty spendy for a one time gig. Searched the internet for small trailers to pull behind our trike. A new aluminum one seemed promising however it would mean some assembly on arrival and building a wood platform to put our luggage on. Finally one day a cute little pull behind trailer popped up on Craigslist. I had never seen one quite like it. Looked to be factory built somewhat like a pod.

I started to type in the phone number. Now here is where it gets spooky, remember we are talking the Phoenix area almost five million people and as I'm typing in the number a name is prompted by my phone, Hugh miniature horse, Paris. Thinking its just a common area code I keep dialing and the name stays to the very end. What are the chances that I have already met the person I'm about to call? We had a short visit about the trailer. I called the next day and sealed the deal making arrangements to send a money order and he would have it ready when we arrived in Arizona. I told him his address and I think I spooked him a little. I explained that I had met him two years before as he was thinking about having me train his miniature horse Paris some tricks. At least it was reassuring to know this person actually existed. My Harley neighbor Wes had been teasing me since he had seen the movie “the Craigslist Killer” on TV ( what kind of a person does that? ) and he heard he was now somewhere in Arizona.