Pat and Harold arrive

Our friends Pat and Harold will be arriving today and that will make our caravan to Arizona complete. They left Canada 4 days ago and are looking forward to some time in warmer weather.  It looks like today will be in the mid 70's which will be perfect for their welcome party.  They won't be arriving until around 3 pm so we had some time to do some stuff before they get here.  First thing was to take Charlie for a long walk down by the State park and follow the trails back up to Ponderosa.  It is a nice quiet area to walk, but we were hoping to see some wild life but we didn't.

I went back to Nellies Beauty Salon and she was back from looking after her parents yesterday.  I was all prepared with all my best Spanish to tell her "Necisito corte de pelo" when she says to me in the clearest English I have heard in a long time, "how y'all today, need a haircut??"  All I could say was "sure"  She whisked me into the chair and started cutting.  I explained how I was trying to learn Spanish and she thought that was great and we had a good time working on my skills.  She asked me how much I wanted cut off and I responded "piquito".  She said I was close but I needed to say un poco, which means a small amount.

So the Spanish word of the day is "pequino" which loosely translated means "small".

And the Mexican word of the day is:

When I got back from my haircut, Sue had all of her stuff ready to put highlights in her hair.  My job in the highlighting process is to pull her hair through the cap.  It is a tedious job, but she always manages to talk me into doing it by reminding me that it probably saves 30 or 40 bucks extra that it would cost to go to a beauty salon.  I will have pictures of the finished product tomorrow.

After that chore, Ed and I headed to town to pickup some parts we wanted, so when the girls heard we were going, they prepared a big list for us to pick up.  So after I picked up my new trailer lighting plug, some penetrating oil, and a couple spare lights for the jeep, we headed over to Walmart.  The only thing I really needed there was ant powder.  There are a lot of sugar ants around the Ponderosa and I really don't want them in there.   The lady at Walmart said this spray stuff would work just fine so I got a bottle.

While looking for it I noticed that there is a lot of fire ant powder.  Apparently there are lots of fire ants around these parts but not at the park where we are thankfully.  I don't know if your familiar with fire ants but they pack a fiery bite. The fire ant sting typically causes red hive-like lesions that burn and itch. Painful pus-filled lesions can also occur. Cold packs, pain relievers, and antihistamines can help relieve the discomfort. Often they will attack their prey in large numbers.  That is when they are really dangerous.  A large number of stings may trigger a toxic or severe life-threatening allergic reaction.

While I was checking out the fire ant powder, I spotted some snake repellent on a bottom shelf.  I'm sure glad the snakes like to hibernate for the winters down here although one has to be conscious that there still may be some around.

After we got all the stuff on our list we headed home.  By the time we got there, P&H had arrived.

They were tired from all the driving so they got parked and set up as quickly as possible.  We have a nice little court yard in the middle which we use for bonfires.  Tonight we will have a wiener roast and get caught up on the gossip.

The wood here is a hardwood of some kind and it burns hot and for a long time, which produces bright red coals.  A real photographer would have a hay day getting pictures of it.

The view out our window today:

Our Location tonight:  Falcon Heights Texas  Boondocking