Decisions Decisions Decisions

 Billings, MT  High 66 Low 45

 It is definitely time for me to bring you all up to date on what is happening in my world.  I'm in Billings for the summer enjoying those grandkids and their parents. 

For those of you who have been around for awhile, you know that I am a wanderer and that I love to explore and see places I've never been. Especially small towns and oddball sights. This trip north did not happen like that. This was an A to B trip that took me 3 1/2 days. 

The reason I made the trip so quickly was because I needed to be in Billings on June 1. That is the day I took possession of my apartment. That's right, an apartment. I really wanted to spend more time with my family without imposing on them. With two little ones, two dogs and two cats - their house is full. I'm old. I need some peace and quiet. 

The view from my front door. My apartment looks just like this.

 I went online and found a patio apartment that I really liked the looks of and especially liked the idea of a garage. I contacted them by phone and Todd did a walkthru for me. He said I would enjoy living in it so I filled out all the paperwork, paid my security deposit and he got the keys and garage door opener. 

This apartment was completely unfurnished. A one bedroom, one bathroom. Not even a partial toilet paper roll. So I had to start from scratch. Thank goodness I have this talented daughter-in-law who has an eye for decorating and loves to shop at Good Will. She found me a loveseat and recliner (new), a TV stand (new), a bed frame (FB Marketplace), dresser and night stands (new), lamps (used), mattress (new), a bookcase and toy box for Elias (used), and paintings (some she painted, some she found). I also bought a new TV. 

 If it sounds like I am moving in, that is what is happening. I do plan to return to AZ for the winter but next spring, I will be making a final trip to Billings. I want to be able to enjoy my family while I still can. But it's been a really tough decision to make.

I love the park I live in. I have the most wonderful, giving, friends ever. Especially Ginny who has helped me survive without Jim. Carol and Melva who have taken care of me when I couldn't walk or drive. Wendy who rescues me endlessly. Everyone in the park who helped me no matter what I asked of them. 

Then there are The Three Musketeers - Pat and Marilyn (and me). Wow, this one is really hard. You know how much fun we have and we are going to have lots of fun this winter. Tacey (Pat's granddaughter) who has made me a part of their family. 

This picture is taken from my recliner. The door on the right leads to the garage which is behind the TV. The door straight ahead is the bathroom and the door directly across from the garage is the bedroom.

Telling Paul about my plans was so hard. I knew he would understand but it makes me so sad to say goodbye. (I knew this blog post was going to be hard to write, but I didn't realize how hard). 

Elias's corner

I thought about continuing to spend winters in Arizona but that would really put a strain on my budget. I am also tired of living in an RV. I've lived in one for almost 19 years, which doesn't seem possible. I'm tired of dumping tanks, arranging for propane, making sure the roof doesn't have any leaks and is treated. Roasting in the summer time. Living in a cave because the sun makes it too warm to put the shades up. I had to climb on the couch to reach them and I don't climb on anything much anymore. 

 Elias's bookcase - a work in progress

And I want to see the excitement of Christmas with wee ones. I know I could fly up but I don't want to do that. 

I love my apartment. I've included some pictures kind of random like. I can't hear the rain pounding on the roof and the apartment doesn't rock and roll when the wind blows. That's a good thing. 

I plan on posting a blog occasionally. There are places in Montana that I have never explored so now is the time. I'll let you know what apartment living is like in a patio apartment. Thanks for hanging in there with me. 

Raelee 

 

Still Eating and Family

 Apache Junction High  98   low 65

This is going to be one of those odds and ends blog posts. Things I want to remember. First of all it's been a long long time since I've posted pictures of two (or three or four) of my favorite people. So let's start there. Elias and Raelee

 

 

I have to admit, I laughed when I read Todd's post. We've all been there.

Then there's the matter of my brain function which goes away at times. I was listening to the radio when I was waiting to meet up with Paul in Florence. I was also doing my church calling which involved several phone calls and no paper to take notes. So to say I was a little distracted might be an understatement. Paul pulled in behind me and I turned off the radio while I was saying hi. Got out of the car and we went in for lunch. After lunch we walked back across the street to our cars and I suddenly realized I did not have my keys. Panic!!  Sure enough, they were still hanging in the ignition. I am so blessed that my car did not disappear on me. But they wouldn't have been able to go very far because the battery was dead. It had enough juice to let me roll down the windows and I was sure glad it was a beautiful day and not 100 degrees. 

So I sent Paul home and called AAA. Well, I actually had to use their app to ask for help. I must say, they were quite efficient and had a guy coming to my rescue but he was coming from 55 minutes away. Love having my library book on my phone. Just had to watch the phone battery. This is what showed up to give my car a jump. I guess they want to be prepared for towing it if necessary. The tow guy was super nice and it took him about 4 minutes to get me running. 

 One evening we had this gorgeous sunset. 

There is a new restaurant in town called Spud Happens. It's all about potatoes. Time for The Three Musketeers to try it out. I went for fresh cut french fries. Pat and Marilyn both got a baked potato loaded with lots of options. We all agreed it was a place we would return to.

(It kind of looks like Pat's hair is on fire). I want to tell you what this woman did. She and Marilyn both amaze me with the things they do. One week-end Pat's great granddaughter graduated from the University in Flagstaff and the family went up to celebrate with her. They decided the family wanted to go on a nature walk. Not your usual kind but one that was set up for you. It was a mile long and you go barefoot. So off Pat goes - on rocks, ice cold water, sand, dirt, mud, and stones. She went the whole mile. But then at the end of this torture, she takes their zipline. This is a women who just a few years ago jumped out of an airplane (attached to a buddy) and would love to do it again.  She is certainly an inspiration to seniors everywhere. 

Paul is back in Minnesota. Marilyn and I are getting ready to head north.  Marilyn to Idaho and me to Montana. Hard to say goodbye to friends. But we'll be back in the Fall.

Running Out of Time

 Apache Junction, AZ   High 101  Low 78

 My time is starting to run out before I head north for the summer. I really want to get these blog posts done before I leave so I may combine a few of them.

First of all - What are the "Musketeers" up to?

Eating is one answer. Since I had just returned from my adventures with Paul, Pat and Marilyn decided it was time for them to meet him. Everybody voted for Chinese and there is a really good restaurant close to Paul's house. So we headed down that way to have lunch. Paul and Pat took his golf cart to pick up our order and we enjoyed lunch and visiting. I think he passed muster. He is on his way back to Minnesota for the summer.

Next Marilyn had another birthday (whether she wanted to or not). We made her pick where she wanted to go for dinner and she picked the Cheesecake Factory. I haven't been to one in years so I was excited about checking it out. 

Tacey (Pat's granddaughter) was finally able to join us. She is among the still working crowd and can't join us for our lunches. We had a great time and Marilyn was overjoyed with the food and the gifts. We love you Marilyn. 

She got this amazing piece of cheesecake for dessert and everybody got to share. 

This time out involves animals. We went to Honeybrook Farm Store in Gilbert. We wanted to check out the store but the main draw was fluffy cows and zebras.

Wendy, my neighbor during the winter months, was able to join us this time. It was fun to be able to pet the animals but we were rather disappointed in the store. Their inventory was really low and the prices were really high. 

After leaving the farm we went to lunch somewhere (I can't remember where it was) and then to Deseret Industries to do some shopping. I don't shop. So I stayed in the car and read my book while the other three helped out the economy.

Since that time I had to have my hot water tank replaced. The pan cracked and I had a leak. It seems to be working just fine now. This is a picture of Robert of AJ RV Service and Supply after he had to get the old tank out from inside the RV. 

Had to say goodbye to so many people as our park emptied out for the hot summer months. It really is like a ghost town around here. You can go to the grocery store or Walmart without fighting for a place to park or crowds in the stores. It's really quiet which I love.

Heading Home With a Great Lunch

 Our journey is winding down and it's time to head north. One more stop and then lunch in Globe.

I enjoy exploring ghost towns and wondering what the inhabitants' lives were like. 

The Pearce General Store

 

Pearce, AZ is a little different than most ghost towns because it has the same zip code as several other unincorporated areas such as Sunsites, Richland and Sunizona. We couldn't figure out where Pearce ended and Sunsites began.

The Pearce Post Office

 

Pearce is a mining ghost town and most of the men worked at the Commonwealth Mine in 1894. The post office opened in 1896 and the railroad station opened in 1903 to serve 1,500 people. However in the late 1940's when the mine closed, Pearce became a ghost town. There are a few buildings still standing.

The Jail

The Cemetery

 We stopped in Safford, AZ but you know those dark clouds that you saw in the above pictures? They picked up the wind to go along with them. I got out of the car and couldn't close the door. I also could barely walk the wind was blowing so hard and yes it rained on us again. 

We both agreed we didn't want to see anything that bad and headed up to Globe for lunch. We made another great food choice - Salinas's Smoke Street BBQ. We knew it had to be pretty good because the parking lot was packed. And the parking lot did not lie. We had the pulled pork sandwiches and they are worth another visit to Globe next winter.

We arrived at Paul's house and I loaded up Jazzy and headed home. We had such a great time and I think Paul only wanted to choke me one time.😁 I am a horrible direction person and I would probably would have felt the same way if I was driving. But he finally figured out where I went wrong and got us back on track. 

We are both getting ready to head north for the summer. But we've been able to grab a couple of lunches together.    

Gadsden Hotel in Douglas

We had one more stop in Douglas and that was the absolutely gorgeous Gadsden Hotel.  

 

The Gadsden opened in 1907 and became a home away from home for cattlemen, ranchers, miners and businessmen. In 1928 the hotel was burned down leaving only the elevator in tact with no where to go. 

 

The hotel was rebuilt in 1929 with a solid white Italian marble staircase and four pink marble columns with 24K gold leafing.

The stained glass window at the top of the staircase is 42 feet long and 6 feet tall and depicts the Southwest Desert.

 

There is a vaulted stained glass skylight that runs the full  length of the lobby. 

The hotel has been seen in several movies like The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean and Terminal Velocity. The hotel has had several visitors like John Wayne, Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, Pancho Villa (it is rumored that he rode his horse up on the marble staircase), Paul Newman, Tom Selleck, and Peter Fonda.

 

The hotel fell into disrepair and luckily got new owners in 2016 who have been working to restore the hotel completely. There are several rooms that you can stay in on the second level. It also has a restaurant right next door. Definitely worth a stop to relive some of those good old days.