Hi there! Welcome back. It’s Day 6 of our road trip and we are still at The Shady Dell in Bisbee, Arizona with our Airstream, the Mali Mish.

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Dan is in the dog house. He used my camera last night to take a sunset picture and forgot to change the ISO sensitivity back. So all my pictures today are grainy and just plain yucky. How embarrassing. But if you look on the bright side, it was a travel day for us and not a sight-seeing day. So I might forgive him by the end of the day… maybe.

After three nights at Catalina State park, it was time for us to head to our next destination… Bisbee, Arizona. It took a bit longer that expected to pack up and get the Airstream ready for the road again. I’m sure after a few more times, we will become old pros.

Our gray water tank, that holds our sink water, was full since yesterday. Because the dump station was located down the road, we decided not let any more water down the drain instead of attaching the trailer to the van and dragging it back and forth. It was going to be way too much work, especially since we would be dumping all of the gray water out in the morning before we headed out to Bisbee.

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Two days ago Ava and I went on a little walk around Catalina State Park with her red wagon. Marlene was kind enough to capture the moment on camera. The serene surroundings with the majestic mountains really takes your breath away. It is unbelievable that right across the street from the park’s entrance is now the parking lot of a newly developed shopping center…

December 1st 2008

Speaking of shopping, I think I need to retire some of my wardrobe. What does my wardrobe have to do with this picture you say? Well, we were in our T@B trailer earlier this year (January 2008) and Ava and I went on this exact same walk, in the exact same wagon, with me wearing the EXACT SAME CLOTHES!!!

January 22nd 2008

Doesn’t Ava look so little in this picture? Look at Ava! Don’t look at me and my old clothes!

over and out,
dan

Our mornings start around 7am when Ava the Alarm Clock calls out for me as she awakens from her 11 hour slumber. Mama? Mama? Milk! We spend the first hour of our day together in bed, trying to keep as quiet as possible as to let Carrie and Dan catch a few more winks. Not an easy task… especially since toddlers have vocal chords. Surprise, surprise. After head butting her Dada and screaming for Carrie from our bed, the rest of the crew awakens and we are ready to start our days together.

Before we can hit the ground running, we need showers. Badly. The facilities at Catalina State Park are surprisingly clean and roomy. And the showers were pretty warm but the water shot out of the shower head like blast of needles. Having needles blast onto you while holding a squirming toddler who is screaming ‘No Mama No‘ at the top of her lungs is not a great way to start off your morning. Trust me. I would like to officially apologize to the lady that was “lucky” enough to be in the shower stall next to us. I’m sorry. Stupid, stupid, needles.

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Howdy partner! I’m Ava. Wondering why I have a red cowboy hat, purple mittens and a bunch of crap piling up on the sofa behind me? Well, we are getting ready for our road trip to Arizona. We’ve got plans to visit Phoenix, Tucson, Bisbee, Tombstone, the Chiricahuas and a bunch of other cool places…

…including more ghost towns. Yippee.

So, come back, y’hear! We’ll be posting daily once we are on our trip… and then when we’re back, we’ll post some more.

love,
ava

Ava is still to small to sleep on her own on one of the beds in the Airstream. Since she still sleeps in a crib at home, I have a feeling that she would roll right off of it. So, having her sleep on one of the beds in the rear half (living/dining room) is out of the question for now. And having her sleep next to us on the main bed, like she did in the T@b, is NOT a long-term option. Believe me. This kid likes to kick and punch and pinch in her sleep. Seriously.

During our test trip to Lake Isabella, we decided to set up Ava’s portable crib in the kitchen walkway of the Airstream. It worked out for the most part but was a little inconvenient. 1) She’s getting way to big for it 2) it takes up a lot of room, 3) it is raised up off of the floor and thus close to things she shouldn’t be touching, and 4) a pain in the ass to set up and break down everyday.

So, we are off to plan B. Dan was kind enough to order this AeroBed for Kids via Amazon earlier today. The sleeping part measures 50″ x 25″ and is surrounded by a 4″ safety cushion that will hopefully prevent Ava from rolling onto the floor. It should fit nicely in the walkway area and hopefully spare us from some of the cons I was complaining about a little while ago.

But the true test will all be up to Ava during our next planned trip, which happens to at the end of the month to southern Arizona. I sure hopes her prairie doggy gives the bed a thumbs up. And if he doesn’t? Well, then I will have to kick and punch and pinch right back. (j/k.)

the end,
marlene

On Sunday, Ava and I were awaken from our long long afternoon nap by the sound of Dan slamming the Airstream door closed. Does anyone else have problem? Not the problem of having a husband that can’t for the life of him shut a door without waking the dead… but the problem with shutting an Airstream door without pulling muscles you didn’t know you had? Well we do and I have the sinking feeling that it’s completely normal and I better stop complaining about it. Whoa is me.

So after giving Dan the evil eye, Ava put on her wild wild west poncho and we drove over to Silver City Ghost Town.

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