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Borrego Springs, CA

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Settling in at the refuge

IMG_8723It was 38* when I got up this morning, but it warmed up quickly so I could finish the rest of my set up in relative comfort.  I haven’t had a site surrounded by trees in quite some time.  Denny and I worked to find a hole in the canopy so the DISH would work, and eventually succeeded.  Then I put out my outside carpet, attached the extend-a-stay propane tank, and set up my rocker.  With a picnic table to attach Emma’s lead to, we are ready to enjoy our time here.  :)

IMG_8719As I sat down in the rocker to enjoy the labors of my work, Fonda gave me a call from the Visitor’s Center to tell me that some folks had arrived, and were asking if I was on the refuge yet.  It turned out that RANDY AND PAM Warner dropped by for a visit.  They are fellow bloggers that are volunteering for NOMADS in the area.  As others have said, it’s great to put some actual live bodies with folks we have only known in blogland.  They’re leaving the area soon, and I was happy that they took the time to stop by on the chance we could meet.

IMG_8725After lunch, I packed Emma into the car and we took off to familiarize ourselves with the surrounding community where we will be shopping for the next three months.

IMG_8727 IMG_8729

I had a few items on my list of things I needed, and was successful in finding them all.  It seems that anything I might need is available within a few miles of the refuge.  With National Wildlife Refuges that’s not always the case.  :)

57 MS Sandhill Crane NWRAs it drew towards sunset, Jay, another volunteer, invited everyone over to his site for fresh oysters, crawfish, and smoked mullet. He is from this area, and taught us all about shucking the oysters, and the proper way to eat those and boiled crawfish.  Some of us were able to partake, but since I’ve just graduated this noon to chicken broth with some vegetables and actual chicken in it, I had to decline.   After battling this Louisiana crud all week, I didn’t feel my stomach could handle these new taste sensations!  :)  Maybe next time, Jay.

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy

19 comments:

  1. looks like you are all settled in Judy. Hope you feel yourself again soon.

    Take Care
    Brenda

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  2. Crawfish-oh yea.
    Mullet- yummo.
    Anything you have to "shuck"-NO WAY

    Looks like you're right at home! Enjoy.
    Kathy

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  3. what a great campsite you have at the refuge!..hope you are back to you ole self soon!..and will be able to try all the delicious food that is available!..
    how great to meet a fellow blogger!..so nice to put a voice to the words on the internet!!!
    have a great weekend!..hope Emma enjoys her new surroundings!!

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  4. I'm not an RVer, but I love it when I have a chance to meet up with a fellow blogger. It is great to put those IRL faces in our memories, isn't it? So glad for you, Randy and Pam!

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  5. Glad you got to meet fellow bloggers Randy and Pam. I love it when actual contact is made. So glad the sun was shinning on you today. :)

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  6. What a great picture of Randy and Pam. I enjoy reading his blog. It sounds like you will have the best of both worlds during the next three months...a stay at a wildlife refuge AND be close enough to civilization to take care of all your needs without driving for hours. Enjoy your time at Sandhill Crane NWR!

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  7. Looks like you have a nice site there with all the trees. We do miss our trees when down here. We met Randy & Pam last summer when they were northbound through Bayfield. Good luck schlurping those Oyster thingys. I had a whole load of those things regurgitated on me from a drunken sailor in an upper bunk one time back in 66 so now I got this thing about Oysters!!!!

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  8. How great is that, you got to meet Randy and Pam, I read their blog all of the time. As far as oysters go, you love them or hate them. I'm from Maryland and all of us here on the east coast just love them. Crabs and oysters, you can't get better than that!

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  9. I love meeting my blog readers whenever I get a chance. I cannot believe the amazing people I've met in this RV lifestyle.

    I'm not a seafood person - must be the beef and potatoes I grew up on in Montana. But my hubby would have been in seafood heaven.

    I just hope you feel a hundred percent better in the morning.

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  10. So nice to see you settled in and comfy cozy! After all your ups and downs and repairs and such, it's so much nicer than sleeping in an RV repair parking lot!

    I read Randy and Pam too... cool to be able to meet up with them!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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  11. I have never taken to raw oysters. Craig loves them. I devoured smoked oysters when I was pregnant, but not since!

    Lokes like a nice place to be for the next three months!

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  12. Crawfish! YUM!!! Need to get me some... ;-)

    Looks like you have a nice place there and a friendly bunch to hang out with.

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  13. We met Randy and Pam in October 2009 when we were getting our MCD shades installed. We hit it off right away just like we had known each other for a long time. Isn't that the way it is with RVers??? Glad you all got to meet up.

    I haven't had oysters in such a long time.

    The refuge looks like a great place!! Your site looks wonderful....not always the case on a refuge! Have a great stay!!

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  14. Looks like you have a nice spot for the RV. Raw oysters isn't one of my favorites either. Enjoy your stay and looking forward to some of your bird pictures.

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  15. Nice that you got to meet Randy and Pam. I won't even look at people eating raw oysters let alone try it myself - disgusting!!

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  16. Looks like you have a very pretty spot for the next 3 months. Yes, it is great fun to meet other bloggers/RVers too! Hope you are feeling better soon although I think I would stay away from the raw oysters.

    John
    relaxedrush.blogspot.com

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  17. Looking forward to virtually visiting another refuge. Glad to hear you're getting better.

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  18. You sure have a beautiful spot there. Looking forward to all of your great pictures.

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  19. Judy, I hope your stomach has settled down by now and you get a chance to enjoy crawfish! I was addicted to them last spring! :)

    Have you eaten a Po' Boy with shrimp yet?!

    Very nice campsite at this refuge!

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