Kitt Peak National Observatory

Two friends, Larry and Doug, and I attended the Nightly Observing Program at Kitt Peak National Observatory southwest of Tucson. 

After enjoying a beautiful Arizona sunset,

we scampered off to the Visitors Center for several hours of education, including views through a .5 meter telescope.  We saw Jupiter and two of her moons, our own moon, a globular cluster of stars, a spiral nebula, and other far away stuff I can't now recall.  Plus learned to use a star wheel to identify visible stars throughout the year.  And peered through night time binoculars.  A good time was had by us.

A few of the twenty-four optical and two radio telescopes.

 

Bruce

Our 30 year Anniversary

Not Clancy!  The humans...Jenna and Bruce!  [Pic in Alaska]

Thirty years of marital bliss.  Plus the first unsanctioned year, when we were practicing, if you know what I mean.  In the first 27 years, we lived in four states [NJ, AZ, AR, and WA], in which we owned nine houses and held too many jobs.  Living as nomads for the last three plus years.  Many dogs, coupla cats, and uninvited mice. 

How have we lived together thru all this change?  Without separating or straying?  After all, we have a lot of differences, in our communications styles and heights and numbers of head follicles.  And different genders, with all that entails.

Well, maybe we're more similar now than we were at first.  But more importantly, we share the same values of honesty and compassion and adventure and simplicity.  And a loving commitment to our relationship, through thick and thin.  [Not that we expect to see "thin" again.]

For example, we thought only of each other at ten years when Jenna was ill.  At twenty years when Bruce was unemployed.

Now we're retired, through a combination of luck, planning, and hard work.  Make no mistake about it, you need all three. 

Thirty years.  More to come....

Bruce

Thoughts on the Lunar Eclipse on Winter Solstice

Watching the total lunar eclipse in the Tucson night sky lying back in our loungers. Thinking of the mysteries above us, how what we know constantly changes and leads us to further questions and new temporary knowledge.

Thinking of the Man on the Moon watching his solar eclipse. Does he wonder why those earthlings know so little and can't just get along on such a beautiful planet? And he thinks, "Probably doesn't matter, as they won't be around much longer anyway."

The Moon will emerge from darkness intact. Will we?

Bruce

Children's Store Converted to Jewish Temple

Still working on that Star of David tho.

[Seen in El Paso, Texas.]

Don't get it?  Try reading this Definition of Oy Vey

Bruce

Tucson 1

Finally we achieved our destination.  Beautiful, stimulating Tucson AZ.  Mature readers will recall our last winter in this fair city.  Hope so, for as my mother would say, "I don't sell my cabbage twice."  [What a comedian!  Now you know where I get it from.]

After one week here, Jenna's sister, Pat, who lives in North Carolina, arrived for a visit.  Tomorrow we will head off to Las Cruces, New Mexico to visit their brother and his GF, who lives in El Paso, Texas.

What, you say?  No more repairs?  Fear not.  We are still waiting for the hydraulic pump, as well as some fiberglass work left over from the Unfortunate Awning Incident.  More challenges ahead.

Sure like them tires tho!

Bruce

Quartzsite and Casa Grande, AZ

We spent one night drycamping in Quartzsite and visiting our Lake Tyee friends Steve and Sandy.  Saw the cute Christmas lights parade through town.

Steve and Sandy introduced us to Howie and Nora, friends of theirs.  First words out of Howie's mouth, "I like the way you change tires."  Uh oh!  Blog reader!!  I was just kidding!!!  Don't throw away those lug nuts!!!!  You may need them!!!!!

Tonight we drycamped at the Escapees Park in Casa Grande, where we met up with our Canadian friends Doug and Toni.  And parked in front of owners of another Excel.  We traded stories of repairs, as do all RV owners.  Heck, Doug and Toni, who have an SOB [Some Other Brand] regaled us with their adventure of blown tires and a broken axle while recently traveling in Georgia.  We felt better.

Tucson ahead.

Bruce

Prepare to Repair and Then Some

First we stopped south of Fresno to replace the equalizers [suspension system] that we just replaced with locally available but inadequate parts in late August.  This repair went well and we left without incident.

From there, we drove to a Lippert plant in Rialto CA to repair our broken slide once again.  We expected this repair to take a few hours.  One thing led to another. And another.  They had never worked on a fancy trailer like ours before.  We spent two days and nights at the plant.  Dry camped in the cul-de-sac, then sent the RV inside, while we spent our days at the local park.

Back in August, in Canada, we ran into a problem with our hydraulic slides.  As in this post.  Now, in the last month, this problem has worsened.  By time we arrived in Rialto, the problem slide was moving in and out when I raised and lowered the jacks.  And vice versa. Entertaining in a certain way, but ultimately frustrating.  So the Lippert guys spent a third day working on this problem and we went back to the local park. 

Turned out to be a leaking hydraulic pump.  Which they did not have in stock.  Lippert Central promised a new one in two weeks (!).  So we left for Tucson with the promise that Lippert would ship the part there and pay a local technician to install it.

The hydraulic pump was covered under warranty.  No cost.

The slide repair took 30 man-hours.  But the plant manager felt badly about the length of time to repair everything, as well as forcing us to camp on the street for three nights.  He didn't charge us at all!  Ha ha ha!!  I didn't ask him what it should have cost.  But I can estimate $3,000, or even $2,000 if they knew what they were doing the entire time.  Whew!!!

Have a nice day indeed!  Now if these repairs will only work.

Bruce