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Borrego Springs, CA

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Three days off

For the first time this year since I’ve been at Tamarac, I decided to take my three days off in a row.  Other than needed ordinary chores, I just didn’t do much of anything.  No commitments, no visitors, nothing.  I have to admit it was rather refreshing. 

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                                                      A bald eagle soared overhead.

One of the inside things I did tackle was getting my Splendide washer/dryer back in working order.  It had taken to not drying very well, and shutting down in the middle of the drying cycle.  I was afraid I’d have to find a dealer to take the rig to for repairs.  Then John and Bridget told me they once had the same problem.

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                                   A female American goldfinch dining on the bull thistles in my yard.

John contacted the Splendide folks, and got directions on how to take care of the problem.  No mechanical skills involved in this fix at all.  It just takes loads of time to put the washer through it’s paces to cure the problem of gathered lint in the machine.  It’s a rather detailed step by step solution, but if any of you ever have this problem I’d suggest you check out their blog.  John has put the solution on the side bar of the blog.  You can book mark the steps like I did so you won’t tear your hair out if this happens to you.

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Neil Powers, the refuge manager, told me that they like to do a little something each year to improve the RV volunteer sites.  Last year, we got big cement patios.  This year, they are building an 8’ X 16’ storage shed for the volunteer’s use.  Today the cement floor for the shed was laid.  I know that once it’s done, I’ll use it to store my bike, Emma’s traveling crate, and that blasted extra refrigerator compressor that I’ve been toting around.  It would also be a great place to store my birdseed for the Hard Rock Bird Café.  I’ll keep you posted on its progress.

One of the things I enjoy doing on my time off is planning for future adventures.  To that end, today I looked into some possibilities for next summer.  Some time ago I contacted a place in Oregon about a summer position, but I’m not sure that will ever come to anything.  Instead, I picked a refuge in Colorado and left a message about my interest in volunteering there.  All the while, John Denver’s song about “Wouldn’t you rather be in Colorado?” kept playing in my head.  I’ve spent brief periods in that state, but I think I’d enjoy an extended stay.  I’ve got my fingers crossed that they’ll call me back soon.

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This evening as Emma and I were sitting outside, I spotted a nice white-tailed buck in the marsh beyond my site.  His velvety antlers fairly glowed in the beams of the setting sun.  He was quite a distance away.  He was actually munching away in the middle of the marsh pictured at the end of tonight’s post.

Tomorrow it’s back to work, but I’ve got a new assignment that will keep me outdoors.  I can’t complain about that.

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                                                                               Good night!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

16 comments:

  1. Glad you enjoyed the three days off. Who knows, it could become a habit:) I am pretty sure it has been almost eight years since I have worked three days in a row! I would be lying if I said I missed those days.

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  2. After 10 months volunteering at ODNRA I did not realize how fatigued I had become. We're off the Forest for a week and a couple days and we're still recuperating.

    I really like the idea that each year the refuge does a little something to improve the volunteer situation there. Other locations could use the example. :-)

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  3. Glad to see the refuge taking good care of their volunteers.
    If you store bird seed in the shed make sure that it is in a sealed air tight container. That will keep out rodents and bears from helping themselves to a treat.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  4. Refuges fixing up the volunteer sites is a wonderful development! I really would like to see that happening in lots of places!

    So glad that you had a great three days off, and that the washer/dryer is now "healthy" again!

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  5. It is always niceto get some well deserved R and R.

    We love Colorado in the summer. What a gorgeous state. There are so many outdoor activities that I can't image you ever being bored there.

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  6. Colorado in summer sounds good. It might be on our route too.

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  7. It won't be too long and I'll bet that buck will be shedding his velvet...We saw that on the Elk in Denali , late August...amazing...Aren't John and Bridget just the greatest people????

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  8. The last picture is a beauty. So peacefully lovely.

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  9. 3 days off in a row to do a whole lot of nothing sounds absolutely rejuvenating. Glad those amazing neighbors of yours were able to help you out with your splendid problem. We are now in Colorado, near the mile high city, where it is HOT and has been for some time. Hope your refuge is in a spot that is cool all summer. Maybe not as cool as Rocky Mountain NP where the lows are in the 30's. In August, I couldn't believe it.

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  10. Guess what I am doing! I am on step one of the lint cleaning process! Love the Eagle photos.

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  11. We are in Oregon. There is many different ones here. They may have a opening in Brandon for next year. That is where we are going. Oregon Coast talk to Dawn.

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  12. I'm hopelessly behind in blogland.... we don't have washer nor a dryer so I can't comment on that. I am probably much in need of some time off (your 3 days sounds wonderful) but mostly to think about the whole volunteering way of life. We, too, are pondering next summer.... Already they are asking us if we'll be back next year. Without going into the nitty gritty, let me just say that this year, here... it's been the pits. The other volunteer couple left this morning... unhappy with the refuge, with us... who knows? Guess this crap doesn't need to be discussed here, but believe me, I'd rather be cleaning lint than dealing with conflict of any kind. But... we loved volunteering in Oregon... we were right on the coast and it was fantastic. Wishing you the best!

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  13. This is selfish of me, but I hope you get to Oregon because I'm thinking about flying out there next summer and I'd love to work you into that plan! I want to go hiking in the Columbia Gorge but other than that have no destinations or even a month in mind just yet except not August because I'll probably be going to Newfoundland that month. Love your bull thistles!

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  14. Hmmm, so many great places... Oregon, Colorado... choices, choices. Fun to plan, huh?

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