JIM UPDATE

Up at 3:30 a.m. I really wanted to shoot that alarm clock. Made it to the hospital by 5:00 and surgery was at 7:30.

Jim came through the surgery with flying colors. However, he doesn’t think so yet. He’s feeling pretty miserable this afternoon so I left and came home to take care of the girls. I’ll check on him later tonight.

The surgeon said everything went really well and he was very pleased with it. He actually ended up working on three vertebrae in the lower back and said it was a big surgery. Also said it should definitely give Jim some relief.

I’m really tired so I’ll give you another update tomorrow.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and best wishes. I know the Lord heard and answered the prayers.

THE GIRLS

We are busy trying to get everything done before Jim’s surgery tomorrow. He’s trying to make this as easy for me as possible since he won’t be able to do any lifting or twisting of bending for a month.

So the girls are here to entertain you for my post today.

Q GROUP

With everybody arriving and leaving at different times, it was really hard to get everyone together for one picture. But Carol did a great job with the majority of the group.

Front Row: Paul and Sue, Dave and Nancy, Carol and Steve, Connie and Kenny.

Middle Row: Paul, Terry and Jeri, Jerry and Kimberly, Tina and Jeff, Lee, Freddy and Delcie, Toni and Doug, Joe.

Back Row: Ed and Lyn

Joe and Margarite

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marti and Paul

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jim and Sandie, Debbie and Mike with Smokey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter and Bea

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent a lot of time discussing the world’s problems or contemplating RV’s.

 

And of course, eating out.

There is no question about why I wanted to be in Q.

A REALLY BIG TENT

 

RVer’s come to Quartzsite to spend money. And the vendors at the Big Tent welcome them with open arms and everything you could possibly need or want. (Well, except for the small table that we need to buy to replace the one that Jim sat on and broke that belonged to Jeri and Terry.)

The following pictures were taken by Jeri because I forgot to take the camera. Thanks for letting me use them. 

 

We made one big purchase – a new wallet for Jim. They sell the “world’s thinnest wallet” at the Big Tent. Two years ago Jim bought a nylon one and has been sold on it ever since. However, it has started to wear at the corners and he needed a new one. This time he got a leather one which will hopefully wear a little better at the corners. And that was it for us. Can you believe that?

One morning about 11:00 we thought we’d head into town and this is what we found. Needless to say, we gave up and turned around. I took the picture as we headed back to the campsite. The traffic was backed up from the Big Tent all the way to the entrance to La Posa South.

Five members of our group were able to get jobs working for vendors at the Big Tent event.

Toni, Doug and Lyn are working for Johnny’s Seasonings.

Jerry & Kimberly work at a food wagon.

Good way of keeping them all out of trouble.

DESERT BAR

On Saturday we played musical cars (Jeri’s description that I love) and headed out for the Desert Bar about 11:00. Jan, Bill and Jeri rode with us.

How does one describe the Desert Bar to someone who has never been there. It’s rather like trying to explain Q. You just can’t.

This is taken from their website:

The "Nellie E Saloon" (DESERT BAR) is situated in the Buckskin Mountains, in Parker, Arizona, on land that was an old mining camp. The name "Nellie E" originates from the old mining claim.
They used to mine copper and then take it to the smelter and get gold. The inside of the saloon is unique in many ways. It has windows that are old glass refrigerator doors, the bar stools are made of steel and they sway from side to side. The top of the bar is brass and the ceiling is made of stamped tin purchased from a factory in Missouri. The saloon is powered by solar energy and is stored in batteries and run through inverters.

The church is made of solid steel and the walls and ceiling are made of the same stamped tin used inside the bar and the roof is made of copper.

So that gives you some of the history of the place but it sure doesn’t explain it.

Just getting to the Desert Bar is an experience. I’m sure glad we had the four wheel drive even though lots of cars make the trip out there. After you turn off of the highway north of Parker, you have another 5 miles to go. Definitely not a paved road. Took us 27 minutes to go that 5 miles. You kind of hold your breath if you meet someone coming the opposite direction because the road is narrow as well as rutted.

When you arrive the challenge is to find a place to park. Way to go Jim. Amazing how a spot always seems to open up for him no matter where we go.

 

Some of the group had already arrived and were holding a table for us. Look at the lines for food.

 

The bar line wasn’t near as slow as the food ones. Kept everybody happy until the food finally arrived.

We had such a great time. The wind picked up a little bit but not too bad down in the canyon where we were sitting.

Bill taking a picture for Jan.

On the way back to Q we made a stop at Wal-mart in Parker to stock up. The place was packed and the shelves were pretty bare, especially the meat counter.

Back to the campsite and more visiting.

WHERE TO START

I have no idea where to start to get caught up on blogging. I’ve spent most of the morning reading blogs. I think I’ve been trying to avoid having to write my own blog. But here goes.

I think I’ll start with our last visit to Q and then catch up on life here in Apache Junction.

It was really fun to pull in and see the surprised expressions on people’s faces. Some of the folks figured we couldn’t stay away and weren’t all that surprised. Do you think they are beginning to know me too well?

We got rather a late start on a Friday afternoon. This was the traffic we faced as we slowly worked our way through Phoenix. And this was at 3:00 in the afternoon. What is it like at 5:00? Sure glad I don’t have to drive in this kind of a mess anymore. We did get to Q before dark which was our goal. I know I could have found the group in the dark but I sure didn’t want to.

This sunset was definitely worth all that traffic. We had a campfire and I got to meet some of the new folks that had joined our group. Of course I couldn’t recognize anybody the next morning cause it was so dark. But oh, those incredible starry skies. So happy to be here.

I LOVE SURPRISES

At least I do if I’m the one doing the surprising.

We are back in Quartzsite. I just couldn’t stand it anymore. After Jim’s doctors gave him the go ahead for surgery we had a few days with no more doctor appointments and my dear, wonderful, loving, understanding hubby said we could return to the group in Q. Only I didn’t tell them we were going to show up.

My internet connection is still lousy out here so I’m not going to try and post much of anything. I do want you to know that I am reading your blogs even if I have trouble commenting. A lot of your pictures aren’t showing up but I at least get all the words.

We are only going to be here until Tuesday and then back to AJ for another doctor’s appointment. I’ll try and get all caught up at that time. Having lots of fun and I’m not crying or whining any more which makes Jim happy.

HEALTH ISSUES

We still haven’t heard anything from Jim’s cardiologist and I’m not real happy about that. He called and left a message this afternoon but nothing. We’ll try again in the morning.

His GP was really happy with the results of his blood sugar tests. In fact we’re doing so good (and I do mean we) that he took him off one of his medications. He gave him a good to go for the surgery. That is exciting news.

Today we were up bright and early to take Aunt Happy to her foot doctor. He took her blood pressure and wouldn’t let her leave his office until it came down. Found out that she had a problem during the night and that concerned him even more. We then took her over to the hospital to see her heart doctor.

This office is one of the busiest doctor’s offices I’ve ever seen. There are people everywhere and they were an hour behind on appointments. The poor women at the reception desk tried to tell Aunt Happy that the doctor could not see her today and that she would have a nurse call her. That was not happening for Happy. She informed the women that she and Dr. Perlstein had worked together to build that hospital and she was going to see him because they were friends. The receptionist got her supervisor who got Dr. Perlstein’s secretary who talked to the doctor. Sure enough, he would take the time to see Happy. But she was going to have to wait for awhile. So wait we did.

What started out as a brief visit to the foot doctor ended up being an eight hour day at the doctor’s offices. Happy did have a small stroke and he told her in no uncertain terms that she had to lose the five pounds she gained (no carbs). But she’s doing well and he will see her again in 8 weeks.

So how was your day?

UPDATE: We heard from Jim’s cardiologist this morning and got more great news. He actually did better on his tests than the doctor thought he would do. So surgery is a go on the 31st.

Thank you all for all your prayers and best wishes. I know they helped make this all work out for us. You guys are the greatest friends ever.

The pictures in today’s blog were taken at the Banner Baywood Hospital in Mesa. Aunt Happy (Norma) was one of the original board members who built this hospital with their own money. In addition, she had the chapel built because she knew that it was important for people to have a place to go and find peace and quiet. She’s quite a lady.

ROUNDUP

 

Let’s see if I can remember what we’ve done this last week. We are back in Apache Junction. Did laundry and tried to clean some of the desert out of the RV. Tuesday we went to see Aunt Happy (who wasn’t home, of course) and my sister (who wasn’t home either). Gave up and went back home.

Wednesday, we got up really early so we could take my sister and her hubby to the airport. His sister is very ill in Hawthorne, NV and he wanted to spend some time with her before she dies. When we got home, Jim decided he wanted to do some fishing. Had a good time but his back started to bother him so he was home early.

Wednesday night, Dianna and Dottie joined us at Superstition Skies to listen to Brant and Kerry (those guys we just love).

Thursday Jim had his nuclear stress test and I’m not sure what else they did to him. We haven’t heard from the doctor yet on the results. Hopefully Monday or Tuesday.

On Friday, Harbor Freight was having a great sale and Jim bought us our own carrier for the generator. He spent most of Saturday getting it put together and holes drilled and everything else that needed to be done to it. Now he’s going to bolt the generator to the carrier as well as chain it down. Hopefully that will discourage anyone from trying to steal it.

But the best part of the whole week was lunch on Friday with Freddy and Delcie. These are two of our favorite people. A real life cowboy and his cowgirl. We visited for about 3 1/2 hours and it sure was hard to say goodbye to them. They are now in Quartzsite with the rest of the gang that has arrived there.

 

More doctor appointments next week. Hoping for good results.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS

They have found Sherry’s body and have two men in custody. Not many details being released yet. One man, age 47, is being held in Williston, ND and the other, age 22, is being held in Rapid City, SD.

I want to thank all of you for all your thoughts and prayers. This is a very sad time for my little hometown.

CHANGE IS INEVITABLE – SOMETIMES NOT FOR THE BETTER

I never thought my hometown of Sidney, MT would make the National news because of a missing math teacher. Things like that just don’t happen in the small, sleepy town that I grew up in. My parents are buried there and lived almost all their lives there.

Sherry Arnold was out for a morning run and never came home. She is a distant relative of mine. Her Grandmother and my Grandfather were brother and sister. Not sure what relation that makes us. My prayers are with her family and with her.

Then this morning the Triangle burned down. This night club was an institution in Sidney since before I was born. For very special occasions Dad would take us out to dinner at the Triangle so we could have their baby sirloin special. So many special memories there.

But things change.

Sidney is in extreme eastern Montana, only 11 miles from the North Dakota border. I know some of you have read about the Bakken Oil boom that has hit Williston, ND. The Bakken is a formation of shale source rock covering about 200,000 square miles of North Dakota, Montana and Saskatchewan. It is currently the largest known reserve of light sweet crude in North America.

Sidney is 50 miles from there. There is no available housing in Williston, no campgrounds, no motels because of the oil workers that have come into that area. A lot of that falls over into Sidney. You can’t find a house to buy or rent or an RV site anywhere in Sidney either.

Places like McDonalds, the grocery stores, the shops, the restaurants cannot find enough workers because every one can make so much more money in the oil fields. McDonald’s was offering $11 an hour and still couldn’t hire anyone.

The population of Sidney has increased from less than 5,000 people to more than 6,000 people. The water and sewage systems cannot handle this great influx in such a short time. Bars are doing a booming business. Definitely not how I remember my hometown.

DiFonzo said he can feel the growing pains in Sidney — a town of about 5,000 only 10 miles from the border with North Dakota — as people pour in from out of town, chasing the money brought by the Bakken oil boom.

Police Chief, Frank DiFonzo has seen it before — the last time there was an oil boom in the 1980s. "We have a lot of activity now at this part of the state." "A lot of out-of-state people are here to work, and locals don't know them or recognize them."

The influx has increased crime, and Chief DiFonzo said officers are responding to more bar fights, domestic violence and drunken driving. "We are just seeing the tip of the iceberg," he said.

My Dad was Mayor of Sidney for many, many, many years. He was Mayor during the boom of the 1980’s and I know it broke his heart to see the crime that came to his beloved city. I’m glad he’s not here anymore to see it happen again.

QUARTZSITE, AZ

The above is a picture when the RV big tent is set up.

We are back in Apache Junction getting ready for a series of doctor appointments for Jim.

I do want to share some pictures of Quartzsite with you, especially for those of you who have never been there. The problem is, no matter what words I use or what pictures I post, you still can’t truly understand what Q is like until you experience it for yourself.

(Peter, your picture turned out so much better than mine, I hope you don’t mind if I used yours.)

In 1856, Fort Tyson was built at the present site of Quartzsite to protect the water supply from attacks by Native Americans. It had become known as Tyson's Wells by the time the stage stopped running and the town was abandoned.

Mining resurrected the small town for several years until it was discovered by RVers who now arrived 1 million strong during the months of January and February each year.

 

Jim did some shopping at the vendors. Picked up some LED lights and a post for his windchime. That was about it for us. Oh, we also got some water filters. Just not shoppers. But there is definitely something for everyone and you could spend days wandering through all the vendors.

The big RV tent show doesn’t start until January 20 this year so we won’t be there for that. Currently there is a huge rock and gem show happening.

 

                        Tomb of Hi Jolly in Quartzsite.

One of Quartzsite’s most famous citizen is surrounded by an air of mystery. Nobody knows for certain where he was born, when he was born and what he was named after he was born. He was a dreamer, an adventurer and an entrepreneur but never achieved great success in any of his undertakings. He died almost 97 years ago, but his name is still immediately recognized here. His tombstone is the largest monument in the city.

He came to this country as Hadji Ali but came to be known as Hi Jolly. He was one of the first camel drivers ever to be employed by the U. S. Army in 1856. Jefferson Davis, then the U.S. secretary of war, believed camels could solve the Army's transport problems in the arid Southwest, so he imported more than 60 animals and a full complement of drivers from the Middle East. Ali was one of the drivers.

Although the camels could carry up to 600 pounds of goods and travel more than 60 miles a day without water, the operation failed. In his final years, the old camel driver lived in a cabin near Quartzsite.

He died on Dec. 16, 1902. According to the legends that survive him, Ali perished when he went out into the desert to find a wild camel. And when they found his body, he had one arm wrapped around a dead beast of burden.

A very unique place – Quartzsite, Arizona

Our last night out on the desert we had a pot luck. Small group but lots of good food. And even better company.