Amazon Locker, Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend

Honestly, I had NO IDEA what a Amazon Locker was…thought it was just a fancy name for a place to pick up Amazon shipments.  I had our new Wilson Antenna sent to an Amazon Drop Box at a QT Gas Station.  I walk in and tell them I have a Amazon package, and the gal at the desk kindly told me about the “lockers”, how I needed a code (in my text message I never read) and where it was located.   The ‘locker’ was just outside their side door…there is a screen where you enter the code, the door in the locker that your package is put in opens, and you take out your package and shut the locker door.  The picture above is the Amazon Locker outside the QT Gas Station. 


Like most motorhomes, there are few areas which have areas that a magnetic antenna can stick to.  On ours, our front doors and our front fenders are metal, but the engine hood is not, nor any other parts of the body.  When I put it on the side fenders, I did get a slight increase in reception…but not as much as when I put it on the roof of the HHR.  So when we are able to park close enough, when we need the antenna, that is what I will use, as I am now.  Without antenna, 1-2 bars, with antenna, 3-4 bars.  Webpages definitely load faster now.  


 
I had decided a few days ago to not take my camera to the Celebration of Life for Marcia’s friend Joyce.  Laurie had three nice display boards with pictures of Joyce and family, and her ceramic dolls that she made.  She also had on display a number of craft like items that Joyce had made, including a painting of “praying hands” which Joyce painted.  Her ashes were in a nice wooden box, with folding hand engraved on the box…nice touch.  For me it was the first time to meet the adult children, grandchildren and great grand child of Joyce’s family.  The father, Parker, died six years ago.  He had a boy and two girls when his wife died over 60 years ago.  He then married Joyce and they had two more children, Laurie and her brother.  So “technically”, Laurie is Joyce’s oldest birth child…but she had such a hand in raising the other three, along with the two she had, that all five adults kids were mourning the loss of a mother.  The Celebration of Life was at Joyce’s house, there was no formal service, and it was like a open house with people coming and going all day.  We were there from around 9:45 until nearly 2:00.  Many people came and went, and Marcia saw a number of people, including the adult children, that she had not seen for many, many years.  Laurie did a good job, with the help for friends and family, and it was a pleasure to meet everyone and hear so many stories about Joyce. 

Monday we leave Cave Creek and head north where the weather will be cooler…perhaps even cold at night.  With current temps of 100 degrees in Phoenix, and 95 degrees at Cave Creek Regional Park today…and hotter promised for tomorrow, it is time to cool off.

PetSmart, Verizon, Dinner with Laurie

First order of the day was securing some more dog food for the little ones.  As a Diabetic Dog, Skruffy is on Hills Prescription Diet.  She has 2 oz dry WD, and 2 oz of a mix of canned WD and ID, both the Vegetable & Chicken Stew.  I then stir it up to wet down the dry.  She eats it right up.  Bubba gets around 5 oz WD Dry, and a small spoonful of the canned mix, which is also stirred together (I got the ok for this from his vet…makes it easier just having one type of dog food for both).  He also eats it right up, and many times will finish before Skruffy…which we NEVER thought would happen because Bubba use to just eat and enjoy his food so slow.  Of course, in the middle of her chow down, Skruffy has to stop for a quick shot…but that only takes a couple of seconds. 



So twice a day, 8 am and 8 pm, we go through this ritual.  First, my phone alarm goes off, which reminds me that it is time to feed them.  I get everything ready by sitting on the bed, because the dry food is in a bag in a plastic container along with the scale.  So I grab the two food bowls, the canned food mix and insulin from the fridge, and a needle and head back to the bed.  Skruffy is right on the heals of my shoes every minute…while Bubba lays one the floor between the two driving chairs, and watches.  As I pour the dry food into the metal feed bowls, the sound of food hitting the bowls gets them both excited…but Bubba normally contains his excitement.  But when I open the container of canned food mix, and spoon it into the dry mix of each bowl, he starts acting like a little kids, wagging his small tail, his butt, and then he starts letting out this subtle little squeal of pending excitement…which, of course, gets Skruffy to start barking.  If I look at Bubba and motion as if to get up, he turns 180 degrees, starts jumping up and down briefly, and turns back around to look at me.    It is a cute ritual that goes on twice per day.

ps: Tested Skruffy yesterday at 1:45…she was at 119, which is great.  It has been a good 8-10 days since I last tested her, which is the longest she has not been poked since she got sick in Alaska last year.

PetSmart was 19 miles away, and less than a mile further is a Verizon Store.  I needed an adapter to connect our aircard antenna to the Jetpack/Aircard.  Like many of you, I just don’t enjoy entering these phone stores…be it AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile or Apple.  Walk in, people are being helped, but there is no sign.  A guy comes up to me within a minute, and I explain what I am looking for.  “Oh, I am just here to get you down in our automated waiting list…”  I give him my info, my cell phone goes off, I have a message.  “You’re checked in…”  A few minutes later they start helping the lady who came in right before me…my phone goes off, “You are next in line…”  How fun is this???  Then it is my turn.  I show them the antenna, they try and tell me that the Jetpack 6620L only had an internal antenna.  The young man goes and gets one, now there are two guys helping little oh me who wants to make a purchase for an adapter which runs about $9.99.  They look it over, one guy starts pulling off the rubber cover hiding the antenna input, but gives up and keeps looking at it.  “May I?” I ask.  “Sure thing…”  I proceed to open the rubber cover, expose the antenna.  “You see, this end of the adapter (pointing to the computer screen) goes there, the other end goes here (holding my antenna).   “Oh…”, as lightbulbs start going off in their heads.   Next problem, “We will have to order this….”   Next problem, “We need an address to send it to…”  “Ummm…I am at a County Park in my RV, I was hoping I can just pick it up here.”  “Well, that is something we just don’t normally do…”   “Oh, you mean you can’t receive packages here?”  “Let me go ask….” as he turns around to go ask the manager.   Bottom line…I pick it up from the store on Friday, Thursday if it arrives early enough.  All for a $9.99 part which is costing me $15 due to second day shipping.

Shortly after 4 pm we made it Logan’s Roadhouse (Steakhouse) about half way between where Laurie lives and where we are staying.  There were tears, hugs, memories, and lots of love.  Marcia shared a few memories of Laurie’s mother Joyce, all of which Laurie was familiar with.  We did not leave until after 7, it was a quick three hours…we are looking forward to seeing the family and the memories at the celebration of life on Sunday.

Four Cracker Barrels in a row...and a farewell to longtime friend

Tonight we are in a Cracker Barrel just above the Indiana state line in Michigan.  We have had two lunches in a row with Marcia's cousins, each at Cracker Barrel.  In fact, this is going to be our fourth Cracker Barrel in row...but two nights in  RV park starting Thursday.  We had AWESOME visits with cousins of Marcia on her mother's side.  I have come to learn a LOT about her upbringing, her Greek Heritage, and oh, the list is long...  Sure glad to have met Byron and wife Jennifer yesterday in Indiana, and Connie and Jim today in Battle Creek, and especially for the latter two for driving all the way over from the Detroit area today to meet us!  We had a great time and great visits with all.

Today as we started up the tire pressure sensor to leave Cracker Barrel after lunch, we immediately got a low tire reading...this time the inner tire on passenger's side. We were a mile from Discount Tire, and this Discount Tire had brass tire valve stems for inner dually tires!  I told the manager that the shop in Sacramento and the shop in Tennessee did not have them.  He said he got a stock of 30 of them a year or two ago just for situations like I faced.  At $4 each it was a deal, and no charge to put on since I had bought my tires from Discount Tires two years ago.  Not wanting to wait too long, and because work on the breaks is going to take place a week from today in Little Rock, I had him just put on the one, and the other will go on in Little Rock.  And I don't need any extensions for these inner tires any more!  Our tire problems are behind us!  And it only cost $8 and 90 minutes of our time!

We have had lots of communications with Phoenix, and today's text telling us that Joyce had passed away was expected...but still the news was a shock.  She walks into the Hospital on Thursday, and finds out for sure it is leukemia on Monday, and today she is gone.  We will miss her, but our faith tells us she is happy, in no pain, with her Lord and Savior, and with friends, family and loved ones who passed on before her.  Our prayers are for those she left behind that morn.  We plan to be in Phoenix for the service in a few weeks.