Last Night...

So here it is... Time to say goodbye to Blythe California.. Its been one LONG month.  Tonight is our last night here and will be driving back up north into Winter.  Its one am and I am wide away worrying that we will leave something behind.   Jack and Justin are snoring away and I have our stuff all backed and by the door.  I want sooo badly to take the keys and put what I can in the RV we are driving up.  Justin will freak out if I do, plus I hurt my back today and I can't seem to get comfortable.. Its all out of sync.. :P
Today was laundry day.  No fun there.  I asked the maid if she wanted to do it and make some extra money and she said she would, but she never came and picked it up.  Too bad, She could have made 30 bucks for doing 4 loads of laundry.  We went to yet, another Laundry Mat, that was very old and not as clean as I would have liked it.  But it was cheap..  Less Than 10 to do it.   I wish we could get that kind of rate back home..
Today I was irritated at Justin for something and I was mad, mad.  He tried to hug me and I jerked away and right smack into the RV step.  Bamn.  Where I hit it there is no skin, it was torn completely, a chunk out of my left shin.  There was hardly any blood and no pain if I poked the owie.  My shin is a different story.  OUCH...  I guess I should have been more contrite and accepted the peace offering of a hug..  My bad..
After the laundry we drove up to our spot between Quartzside and Blythe on the Arizona State line.  We tried two places.  The first  turned out to be a waste of time and energy.  We did find a few weird pieces.  The second place was our honey hole..  We spent the rest of the daylight searching in the flash flood river flows for agate.  and we found some :)  Jack finally got tired of picking up quartz..  But, before he did, BOY, oh Boy!  I was packing around boulders...  But unfortunately I spent the better part of the day bent over and I am paying for it now.. MY back is in some serious pain.   I have tried everything I can think of except get in the tub and I think I will even though its after 1 am now.. Booo.. That sucks..  Justin rubbed and rubbed for me but not ever the hot tub was a help tonight.  I royally messed it up..
I don't know why I am so anxious..  I know I will quadruple check the room to make sure that nothing is left behind.
Tomorrow is definitely going to be a very big day..  I should sleep.. ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Santa Anna....

So, I have heard about the Santa Anna Winds, but I had never experienced them before now. A totally different kind of storm than I have ever encountered. This picture was taken at 5:00. Its not Dark. Its the Dust that blew in from LA from the Winds. The visibility is insane, and the wind is whipping around. Growing up in Alaska is not like I am a newbie to winds or storms or cold. This is different, and intriguing to me. We were out in the desert yesterday afternoon looking for rocks and the wind really started to pick up.. The sky began to get a haze in the distance. You could taste the dust. By the time we left Arizona and got back to our hotel room in Blythe ( we are right on the border ) it was so dark you could not see because of the dust, but through a purple light. Garbage Cans were blown over, pool furniture moved from the strong gusts.

 We promised Jack a little time in the hot tub, so we indulged him.  After packing for him the heavy quartz pieces he so proudly found in the desert, I badly needed to sit in the hot tub, so I was happy to oblige. It was soo hot and the bubbles felt soo good to all of us.  We just sat and watched and felt the wind.  But then the dust got so heavy that it was getting into our noses and eyes so we had to get out and come to the room.  I love hearing and watching the palms blow in the wind....