THE GYPSY JOURNAL RALLY GETS UNDERWAY IN YUMA

I am wrapping up my first week on the road to writing. When I left home on Tuesday, several inches of snow  had created  a white hush over  Beaumont, Ca. The winter wonder land was deposited by a cold winter storm rushing through Sun City that sucked the mercury down from the ninety degree mark the day before causing me to put back the warmer clothes I had removed from my tiny closet.

I traveled to Yuma, through snow peaked mountains and fertile farmland and arrived without any mishaps. The Good Sam Rally was already bustling with vendors setting up their wares.

Only thirty minutes into my arrival a squadron of Marine Corps fighter jets screeched over the fairgrounds. I wanted to give them a high five as they passed above but I may have lost my arm they were so close. The roar shook my rig like ten big rigs passing me on the interstate; at least it seemed like that. By the third day I became acclimated to their training sessions from the Marine Air Base and felt a warm sense of security each time they flew overhead that is after I exhaled in relief

My seminars were well attended except the one competing with the ice cream social. I canceled it, shuffled the two attendees to the Saturday class and headed over to the ice cream social where I discovered the Wadinger. Check out my last blog to learn about the making of  a Wadinger.

The most memorable  event of the rally was meeting Bernie, a retired Marine Corps K-9 and her fellow team mates following in her paw prints. It was exhilarating to watch the dogs show their stuff with such enthusiasm. Although I have trained dogs for protection work in the past and the demonstration was not new to me, I always love to watch the dogs work with an eagerness to serve that is unmatched by any human employee.

Yesterday I watched the Good Sam attendees head out for home and places yet unseen as the Gypsy Journal Rally rigs  crept  into the vacated spaces, sighed a heavy hiss, came to rest and ignored the roars  from the Marine Corps.

It wasn’t until after I met Nick Russell did I realize what a privilege it is and tremendous opportunity to participate in this rally. In the five minutes, I now have had more sales on Amazon in the last three days than I have since my book came out. Wow!! Thank you Nick. What happens after I take his seminar?

Back at home my girls are literally working their fingers to the bone, grooming dogs. I say literally because my assistant manager was bitten in the hand. After a trip to emergency and a heavy dose of antibiotics she is recovering nicely and ready to go back to work. And my manager, who just announced her pregnancy, grooms a dog, throws up, grooms another dog, throws up and just keeps on working.  My girl’s enthusiasm may not match the Marine Corps k-9s but their loyalty is definitely a match.

I will check in next week as I get ready to travel to Pahrump, Nevada.