Errand In Gallup

Above, the plaque on display on the front desk at the El Rancho Hotel. Photo by Aramnd Vaquer.

This morning, before our usual gathering at Denny's in the Flying J, I headed into Gallup to Gallup Lumber & Ace Hardware to pick up some stuff, including water fittings for the swamp cooler.

The connector of the water line for the swamp cooler (that goes to the faucet) was badly corroded and part of it broken. The part I got at Ace, it was hoped, should fix it. Unfortunately, it didn't. Now I am forced to have a heating and cooling repairer come out to do the fix. It has been hot out here (at 90°).

After Ace Hardware, as I was heading out of town, I stopped at the El Rancho Hotel to see if the plaque has been mounted. It is supposed to go under a painting portrait of Armand Ortega, the late owner of the El Rancho.

It has not been mounted yet, but it is proudly on display at the front desk (photo above).

After leaving Gallup, I went to Denny's, but found them closed. They have a water leak and that forced the restaurant to close.

At least I managed to get the water connection to the swamp cooler "Mickey Moused" well enough for the cooler to work.

Yee Olde RV Junk Drawer

Above, the "junk drawer" in The Beast. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Pretty much everyone I know has a "junk drawer" in their home. These drawers, usually a kitchen drawer, if for odds & ends such as tools, screws, nuts, bolts, extra extension cords, hardware and all kinds of things that are needed on an occasional basis.

Such is the case of my Winnebago Minnie Winnie 22R motorhome. As it is a "home away from home", having a junk drawer is a necessity for keeping similar odds & ends that may become needed while on the road.

Since space is at a premium, my RV junk drawer is more organized than the one in my apartment. Since I gave up cigarette smoking some time ago and have taken up cigar smoking on an occasional basis, I have obtained some wooden cigar boxes. Some I use in the house to store things in and when I find any that will fit in the RV junk drawer, I'll put loose items into them. The boxes are sturdy and handy.

As you can see from the photo above, I have two wooden cigar boxes in the junk drawer. It is the top drawer below the wardrobe closet. In the boxes, I have small bungee cords, padlocks, wires, nuts, bolts, screws and other odds & ends. These boxes make it easier for me to find stuff. Larger items that don't fit into the boxes are left out. From the photo, there is a pair of binoculars, a handheld CB radio (with antenna, charger, power cable), cat harness and leash, bubble level, reading glasses, flashlight, Dutch oven pliers and other things.

Many cigar stores have cigar boxes available (in most instances, free) to customers.