GREAT WEATHER..AND…A CHILI COOK-OFF?

We were awakened this morning by the sound and lights of a vehicle pulling around the campground.  Den looked out his window, which faces the park loop, and he saw it was a Border Patrol car…Nice to know they have our back.  I woke up when the car went by, but also I was having a “temperature control” moment.  I never seem to get MY thermometer and the real temp to jive. If I plan for a cool evening by leaving our fireplace heat on, I get too warm.  If I leave the fireplace heat off and open a window, I freeze to death…Dennis usually manages to snore through it all.

The couple next to are full timers and they have 6 cats traveling with them..(yes, I DID say six..) Sometimes they are all outside at the same time, all of them  tied up to the picnic table on harness and leash..They just kind of lay around, licking, cleaning and watching the gazillion park dogs with disdain..(is that a word?)..you know what I mean…Dogs are different..A dog will usually see you, wag it’s tail, slobber all over with excitement like they are saying” Hi, my name is Rover and I LOVE people, please take my picture”.  Cats, on the other hand, will  quietly clean themselves, pretending to ignore you, then switch their tail impatiently as a warning like they are saying, “What’re YOU lookin’ at?? Are to talkin’ to ME???”…Canine vs. Feline….Woman vs. Man…very similar, eh?

 

 

We took our walk around the park today and met Ray on the way.  He was dismantling the  “jester” board from Mardi Gras..(You may have seen Dennis putting his head through it…If you did…sorry about that.) The sun was getting warm and I shed my long sleeved shirt quickly. The desert here is getting greener every day.. There is a spot here that looks so inviting.  The shady area under the tree looks like a lush park, until you notice the dry wash right next to it…

 

After our walk we drove into Ajo to get groceries…

I love the drive into Ajo, especially in the morning when the sunshine bounces off the mountain..The photo on the left is the “overburden” left from the mining of copper here in Ajo…As you drive into the town itself you are amazed at the feel of history in this area…the architecture is reminiscent of the Spanish history embedded in these mountains and this desert.

We stopped first at he good ‘ol General Dollar for paper goods..When you drive through Ajo, you pass some residential areas..and the local Elk’s Club, where they have steak frys every Tuesday evening and bingo once a week….Not very historical, but a much frequented spot by the locals.

We got to the IGA and noticed there was an Hispanic lady out in front roasting jalapeno peppers to sell …Here she is just dumping a huge bag of peppers into the drum…They are smoked in a big smoker outside…

   …and the smell coming from them is heaven!!

Den and I do “tag-team” shopping….it makes it go faster…We get the local ad when we walk in the door and if I forget my scissors, Den cuts the coupons with his knife, or , as I did  today…I savagely rip them out of the paper.  We loaded up the groceries and Den decided he wanted to stop at the local liquor store and check the beer sales…We tried this once before and they were closed…So we tried again…

That would be Dennis bouncing his nose on the glass….”Let me in!!!”….no, they were not there…again…What goofy hours does this place keep??  I dragged Den away, kicking and screaming expletives at the absent owners.

We left town without beer, but don’t worry..”We’ll Be Back!!”..

As we left town I took a shot of the Mineral Research and Recovery site.

When we got back “home” I reheated the last two tamales we had in our possession…Those things are soooo good, but they do work on your system..if you get my meaning..Let’s just say, you don’t want to eat one and then go for along walk in the desert… After lunch I plopped myself outside and watched the neighborhood..another rough day for ‘ol Den and Donna..

We were planning of going to the Barry Goldwater Range Saturday morning, but as I was reading the Ajo Copper News (the local paper), I saw that the Legion Riders Ajo Post 10 was having a Chili Cook Off/Poker Run starting at 11AM..hmmmm, this looks intriguing.  They are having a 50/50 raffle, Door Prizes, Hamburger and Chili Sales and a Salsa Contest.  This is all topped off with a Merchant’s Bazaar and Chicken Dump..(your guess is as good as mine on that chicken dump thing..) Here is the real clincher…They are having a car raffle of a 2001 Chevrolet Impala for $5.00 a ticket!!!! Really!!..a 2001 car!!!..not a new one?? Now I know we just gotta get in on this..The trip to the Goldwater Range will be put off till next week.  We cannot miss this Chili cook off in Ajo.

Well, it is time again for a much needed shower. We have  had about 7 consecutive days of 76 degrees and not one cloud in the sky!..And it looks like a few more are ahead of us.  The sun is much warmer now..and this means that the snakes will be rolling their scaly little slithery selves out from their comfy snake beds in the holes of the desert…trying to catch the rays just like I do…My walks into the desert may be done with much more care from now on…

Oh, yes, dinner tonight is left over Italian beef sandwiches, cole slaw and homemade potato salad..This is why we try to get a bicycle ride in every afternoon…so we can and drink more!! Come on by, I’ll fix you a sandwich…