Proof of Life – February 16, 2022

Five months have come and gone since last I wrote in this journal. Time just gets away from us. In the Rio Grande Valley, the awfully hot weather of summer extended well into autumn. It wasn’t until the end of October when conditions made it possible to work out in the direct sun. That’s when I began to give the Gypsywagen a proper refurbishing. These efforts were to prepare the coach for market. I wanted to present it to the next owner in pristine condition. 

As things turned out the rehab work wasn’t completed until the third week in November. By then I knew it was the wrong time of year to sell an RV. Still I ran an ad on craigslist and to my surprise received quite a few inquiries. A woman from Taos very nearly bought it, as did another woman from Santa Fe. But by December 20th I had no sale. Accordingly, I wrapped the Gypsywagen with a tarp for winter storage and then finally got out on the road again.

Christmas Eve was spent camped in the vast outlands near The Painted Desert in Arizona. Then came an unexpected sojourn along the Colorado River. For nearly two months now I’ve been camped, waiting for a local, ace mechanic to become available for a critical repair on my truck. Bill Maxwell is a race car mechanic in nearby Ft. Mojave and he’s working on the Ranger now as I write this. Still, it’s been an exercise in the value of patience, a character builder by just staying put and being still. The upside, I suppose, is a new short story I’ve been working on during this period. It’s title is “Extranjeros” and when it’s finished I’ll post it on this blog.

Not much else to share at this point. I had intended to spend time in Ajo, Arizona. Looks like I’ll finally get there next week. This town may well be the subject of the next article in this Gypsywagens blog.