Today is Miss Terry’s birthday, but I got the present, because I get to spend the day with her! Terry is a very practical lady, so she thinks it’s just another day. But it’s pretty darned special to me.

Some women want jewelry or clothes for their birthday, but when I asked Terry what she wanted, she told me one of the new Dremel Trio power tools. I asked her why she wanted that, since we are done building a bus conversion, and she just looked at me, shook her head, and sighed “There’s always something.” I wonder what that meant?

Yesterday while we were in Flagstaff dropping off the new issue of the Gypsy Journal at the mail service, we stopped at Home Depot to get Terry her new toy, but they were sold out, it being the day after Father’s Day. So I promised Terry a rain check, then took her to one of her favorite places, Barnes & Noble bookstore. Okay, I confess, it’s one of my favorite places too. We can spend hours browsing, and usually spend more than we had planned to, but we justify it by telling ourselves that we don’t drink or smoke, or play golf, or gamble, so we deserve a treat now and then.

I know I have shown you pictures of forest fire smoke two days in a row, but just to put in in perspective, here is one more that Terry took in Flagstaff yesterday. It’s close enough to town that some folks we talked to were getting pretty nervous.

When we left Flagstaff, we stopped at the new Camping World in Bellemont to drop off a bundle of sample papers, then stopped at several RV parks around Williams doing the same. We got a chuckle out of this sign at the KOA. Somebody needs spelling lessons. But what can you expect from people who spell campground with a K?

So what does a charming husband like me do for his special lady on her birthday? He drives her across the Mojave Desert in 100+ degree temperatures! And if that were not enough, tonight I hope to be in Bakersfield, California, where she has her choice of dinner at the Flying J truck stop or the Jack in the Box restaurant next door! Hey, do I know how to treat a girl right or not?

I’m pretty much recovered from my bout with the flu, but my energy level still doesn’t feel quite up to par. It’s about 450 miles from here to Bakersfield, so we have a long day of driving ahead of us. And if we get tired or run into any delays, I have a couple of alternative stops in mind.

We have several readers in Bakersfield who have asked us to stop in for a visit, or invited us to dinner, but this is just a quick overnight stop, since we have to be at the Elks lodge in Oceano Wednesday by mid-day to claim an RV site before somebody else snags it out from under us.

We plan to be in the Oceano/Pismo Beach and Morro Bay area for a few days, then we’ll go up to the Thousand Trails preserve in Morgan Hill for a week or so, where we have arranged tours of a few places to write about for the next issue.

Happy birthday, Terry. I love you with all my heart, my darling.

Thought For The Day – One man all by himself is nothing.  Two people who belong together make a world.

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As I reported in yesterday’s blog, firefighters were hoping the wind would hold off and not make battling the Eagle Rock forest fire that is burning northeast of Williams, Arizona any more difficult.

But Friday evening, the wind began blowing and it still hasn’t stopped. Yesterday the winds were steady at 35 mph, with gusts over 45, and today doesn’t look any better. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, a 400 acre fire is now burning just south of the Little America Resort, right off of Interstate 40 in Flagstaff. The news says this fire was man-caused, and police are interviewing a person of interest.

Sitting here on top of an open hill at Canyon Gateway RV Park in Williams, we can really feel the wind. We have a view of Interstate 40 down the hill through our windshield, and in spite of the high winds, we saw quite a few big RVs on the road battling the wind. It makes me wonder where they have to be so badly that they’d drive in those conditions.

I want to thank my son-in-law, Jim Robinson, and my granddaughters Hailey and Destiny for the unforgettable Father’s Day gift they gave me. Just before we left Show Low, they all came down with the stomach flu, and Friday night it nailed me big time. I’d have to feel 200% better just to die.

Poor Miss Terry worked hard all day yesterday stuffing envelopes with the new issue, while I napped off and on, drank ginger ale, and sniveled. I feel guilty because she wouldn’t even let me carry the finished plastic bins of envelopes out to the van. Those things are pretty heavy, and I just didn’t have the strength to even lift one.

I had no appetite all day long, but finally about 8 p.m. Terry talked me into eating some Jello. I’m usually up until at least 2 a.m., but as soon as I post this blog entry, I’m headed for bed. I’m sorry there isn’t much of a blog today, my brain is so foggy I can’t even type.

Before I close, I hope you take some time today to call your dad and wish him happy Father’s Day. It’s the best gift you can give him.  And if your father has passed on, take a moment or two to remember him. I think he’ll know. And to my own dad, I think of you often, and miss you every day of my life. If my own kids look back someday and think of me with even half of the love and respect that I do you, I will consider my life a success.

Thought For The Day – Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad.

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