It was 44F when I headed to the showers after trimming my beard and shaving my neck. The showers were only about 50 yards from the Ship. I dressed minimally as usual: hoodie, gym trunks, flip flops, towel, and wash cloth. I carry soap and shampoo in the hoodie pouch.
As I entered the men’s shower without using my code; the door was jimmied! It wasn’t a recent event. What good is the code? Then I saw three shower stalls. Two were missing shower heads, the goosenecks that hold the shower heads and the faucet to adjust the water temperature. The third stall was lacking only the shower head. I celebrated that, but no matter how long I ran the water or which position I placed the faucet, no hot water appeared! It was then I started cursing loudly. I managed to lather up the wash cloth to hit the important parts and stuck my head under the water long enough to lather and rinse. Worst shower ever!
The staff wasn’t there to admonish. I wanted to get to church on time and pray for these clowns! Later, they blamed thieves and a bad water heater part and weren’t about to admit any culpability. They had our money so we drove away gnashing our teeth! We will post a review on Yelp.
Our Lady of the Desert Catholic Church was a gem. Its adobe styled exterior and breezeways allowed views to the distant snow capped mountains across the Apple Valley. Huge walls of stained glass allowed streaming sunlight to illuminate the interior. A large stained glass skylight was an additional attraction. A very diverse congregation ( gringo, latino, black and native) packed the very large house and seemed one big happy family singing boisterously together. Communion!
Later that afternoon, the Barbs payed us a visit to check out our tiny house and share Penny’s black eyed pea stew and fresh made corn bread. More great conversation and laughs made for an intimate evening culminated with a variety of cheesecake treats,
