Benson, Arizona: First, a brief update on the satellite internet issue. Seems moving to a new satellite is not a good idea. Now the techs think I need a new LNB on the dish. They are out of stock of this $360 part until Tuesday. Guess I will just put this issue on hold for a while. Pull a "Scarlett O'Hara" and think about it tomorrow.
Dave and I ran in the glorious warm sunshine this morning, then continued east on I-10 and arrived in Benson, Arizona. Tomorrow we will explore the nearby caverns.
We are staying in the Butterfield RV Resort. (A RV "resort" is a RV park with a swimming pool.) We were assigned a site near the office and right next to Auburn University fans!
The Auburn fans, slowly making their way back to Alabama, were very friendly and did not mention the huge orange elephant sitting between our RVs.
The Butterfield RV Resort has a nice pool - and it is always heated to 86 degrees. The hot tub remains at 103°. Nice! They also have an observatory - which is quite unique.
Other than the uncommon addition of an observatory, Butterfield is just your basic RV park with poorly-planned tree placement that block any chance a camper would have of using their satellite television or internet dishes.The campground is conveniently located across the street from the post office, next to a Safeway grocery store and across the street from the hospital... which came in very handy this evening when I sliced the top of my thumb off with a paring knife while mincing shallots.
I wrapped my injury in a paper towel and walked across the street. 45 minutes later I was home. The doc opted to forgo stitches and instead glued (really, with some sort of super glue for flesh that eventually fades away as the wound heals) the cut, gave me a tetanus shot and sent me on my way. No antibiotics. I took a photo, but it is way too gross to post here.
DT was with me and actually walked back across the street to get the car to drive me home. It was a one-block walk at the most. He is so sweet. The doctor said I could not do dishes for a few days. I told him we had a dishwasher in our bus; but DT assured the doctor I rarely do dishes anyway. Did I already mention that DT is so sweet?
Luckily it was my left thumb and I am right-handed. But, please excuse any typos for the next few days, okay?
Why was I slicing my thumb off shallots? I was using up stuff in the fridge to make a nice soup for our Shabbat. Remember that massive steak from last Thursday? Well, I only had a bit of the steak at dinner, then I had a little more for lunch the next day and then - since I knew we would not be eating at home during all the hoopla for the BCS Championship game - I put my steak (and DT's steak) in the freezer. While we were traveling today, I cooked barley in the crockpot. (I place the crockpot in the sink while we drive.)
One steak has now fed me twice, with still enough leftover for a nice pot of soup. Ridiculously large steak. After returning from my little field trip, I sauteed the shallots with a bunch of sliced mushrooms, DT diced a few carrots (didn't trust me with a sharp knife) and then everything went into the pot with the barley, diced steak and organic beef broth. A lovely rich, satisfying meal.
The finished product was worth the little delay. And you know that doorstop I baked yesterday? One day left wrapped in a plastic bag and dang if that loaf of oat soda bread wasn't moist and delicious with our soup!
Before leaving you tonight to baby my throbbing thumb by drinking a few glasses of pinot grigio keeping it elevated and iced, I have received a few more photos from game day that I wish to share:
DT, Kathy, Kyle, Woody, Steve, DonnieTerry, Cory, Mary, Julie
Pre-game, in the stadium concourse. We were still happy. Anxious. Optimistic. Drinking brewskis.
My mean friends, Mary & Captain Jim sent this photo from Maui.A fun day planned for tomorrow. Until my next update, I remain, your resting-comfortably correspondent.
RV Park: Butterfield RV Resort - full hook-up sites. 30/50 amp. Cable. Free wifi. Pool, hot tub, meeting room, store, ice, nice dog run. Most sites cannot access satellite due to trees. We paid $36.