Happy New Year - 2017

AJ, AZ    High 65  Low 53  Probably rain. It rained last night and is supposed to rain today and tomorrow.

One of the fun things about the holidays is the chance to get together with lots of friends. We’ve had some really good times.

We went with Aunt Happy to her Family Christmas Party at her complex. They provided goodies and some drinks along with entertainment.

I sometimes forget about the different generation that she grew up in. She saw the gentlemen who was going to provide the music and said (quite loudly) that we would be leaving early because she didn’t like black music. I told her we’d leave whenever she was ready but after he started to perform, she ended up really enjoying his music. He sang mostly country and Christmas. She also does not like women doctors. She wants a man because women are just nurses. Like I said, a totally different generation.

The gentlemen in the white shirt danced every dance with anybody who would dance with him. He is 100.

We also met up with friends for lunch several times. We went to Can’t Stop Smokin’ BBQ with 19 RVers, some of which we haven’t seen for a couple of years.

We had lunch at Sal’s Gilbert Pizza (that’s the place that has my Italian sausage sandwich) with Bob and Jo. Because of health insurance issues they are headed to Texas. We will really miss them and have our fingers and toes crossed that they can return to AZ in March. Safe travels friends.

We also got a chance to have lunch at La Stalla Italian Restaurant with Toni and Doug. They may have to return to Canada early to deal with family medical issues. Toni made us a fantastic apple pie which is long gone.

Had lunch at the Mongolian Grill which opened here in AJ last summer with Jeri and Terry. Thank you Jeri for the beautiful towels.

We drove up to Superior for our hamburger fix at Porter’s. Jim decided to try their chimichanga and he said it was really good but he should have gotten the hamburger.

It was overcast and cloudy on our drive and I loved the clouds sitting on the mountain top.

And no holiday season is complete without a visit to the dermatologist. Not near as bad as it looks.

We want to wish all of you a very Happy New Year and a fantastic 2017.

Merry Christmas

Apache Junction, AZ   High 61  Low 42  Rain and Wind – but at least it’s not snow

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:10, 11, 14

Jim, Skittlez and I want to wish all of you a joyous and peaceful Christmas filled with love, family, and friends.

Needed An Escape

AJ, AZ   High 75  Low 54   Sunny and Beautiful

Got the Christmas tree up.

My Mom made this tree back in the days when macramé was the big fad. Mom was always way more craftier than I will ever be.

The dogs are out with Spike. (Thanks Jan)

 

Santa has his catch

Last week we did an Escape Room with Jeri and Terry. If you have never tried this, you are really missing out. You are put in a locked room with no instructions and have to find the clues to “escape” the room. It is mentally challenging and you need to be able to think outside the box. That is not one of my few talents but I still really have fun trying. You are given 60 minutes to find all the clues and escape. We didn’t make it but we were sooo close.

They offer several different rooms and I would love to try again but this time with four other people. I think six people trying to figure it out would work better. Escape rooms are everywhere. We did one a couple of years ago with Todd and Michaela in Billings.

Jan and Bill are at Usery Park for a Chapter Rally but we were able to spend some time with them yesterday for a visit. Went to Los Gringos Locos for dinner and had the best fajitas ever. So much fun to see them again.

Skittlez adjustment to being an only dog has gone downhill. She has always been close to me but it has now gotten to the point where she is like a permanent attachment. Except when it’s time to go outside – then she wants Jim. If I go across the street to visit with Ginny, she makes Jim take her out so she can track me down.

When we leave her alone, she cries. Not loudly but enough that yesterday Ginny was outside reading and could hear her. Being Ginny, she came over and took Skitz for a walk so she could look for me.

Not sure what to do. I know people are going to suggest another dog, but we really don’t want another dog. There are many many reasons for that and we have discussed it over and over again. But I’m also not sure that Skittlez would settle down even with another dog.

So one day at a time. She is almost 13 but seems to be healthy.

We stay busy with every day life and are loving the weather.

Superstition Mountain Museum and Trains

AJ, AZ  High 72  Low 54

If you like model trains and are in this area, you need to make a stop at the Superstition Mountain Museum. The Museum itself makes for a great visit and the train just adds to it.

Thomas and Percy were running for the kids.

The following is from their brochure.

Welcome to Dutchman’s Gulch, a journey through Arizona history via a Garden-scale model train exhibit. These larger models run on 1500 feet of 45-mm gauge track. This exhibit displays the key role that the introduction of the railroad to Arizona, during the period 1875 to 1930, played in the rapid growth of not only Arizona, but the entire American West. The coming of the railroad to Arizona enabled the transport of key Arizona exports (including cattle, cotton, citrus and ore products). In addition, tourists and settlers were able to travel to Arizona to enjoy the climate.

Native Americans were the first settlers in the area, then came the Spanish establishing missions in the Tubac and Tucson areas. Prospectors and explorers followed. With the coming of the railroad, mines, ranches and towns sprang up along the railroad track.

There are seven areas showing the growth of Arizona.

1. NATIVE AMERICAN SETTLEMENT – circa 1500.

The Pima are related to the Tohono O’odham people. They are probably descendants of the ancient Hohokam Indians. The Pima are American Indians who live along the Gila and Salt rivers in southern Arizona. They call themselves the Akimel O’odham, meaning “river people”.

2. SOUTHERN ARIZONA – TUBAC AND TUCSON – circa 1690.

Jesuit missionary Father Eusebio Francisco Kino was one of the early Spanish explorers of the deserts of the American Southwest.

 

3. ROOSEVELT DAM – circa 1905 to 1911.

Theodore Roosevelt Dam was the first dam on the Salt River that controlled water flow into the Greater Phoenix area. The dam is 357 feet high and was built between 1905 and 1911.

4. GOLD MINE – circa 1860.

Two major finds occurred in 1859 and 1862 in the Yuma area near the confluence of the Gila and Colorado Rivers. If the legendary Lost Dutchman Mine here in the Superstition Mountains does exist, it is still waiting to be rediscovered today.

5. SILVER MINE – circa 1858.

There were four major areas of silver production, the largest being the Silver King Mine near Superior which produced an estimated $42 million worth of silver ore between 1875 and 1900.

6. CATTLE RANCH – circa 1865.

Cattle and other livestock came to Arizona over 300 years ago with arrival of the Spanish Missions. After the Civil War, overgrazed pastures in Texas led ranchers to the Arizona Territory and began the state’s cattle boom. By the 1890s, about 1.5 million cattle roamed in Arizona.

7. FRONTIER TOWN – circa 1864 and forward.

The town in the exhibit is representative of towns in the early 1900s. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona Territory, replacing the temporary capital at Fort Whipple (Army Post near Prescott). At that time Tucson was deemed ineligible as they were supporting the Confederacy in the Civil War. After the Civil War, the Territorial Capital was moved to Tucson in 1867. Prescott again became the Territorial Capital in 1877. Finally, in 1889, Phoenix became the territorial capital and in 1912, the state capital.

Elvis Chapel

Another stop you want to make while at the museum is the Elvis Memorial Chapel which is a movie memorabilia museum showing the movies that were filmed at Apacheland.

There are several hiking trails also available in this area and with the Superstition Mountains as a backdrop, you couldn’t ask for a more beautiful place.

A Few Things That Make My Heart Happy

AJ, AZ   High 83  Low 62

A November Sunrise

The Super Moon

Skittlez

The Superstitions

A text from our son saying “I love you guys”.

An e-mail from Denise (Sassy) letting me know she is doing good in her cancer battle.

A meet up with Paula (Shadowmoss) and learning that she’s been accepted into a cancer study.

The privilege of knowing Rod (Retired Rod) who is losing his battle with cancer.

Jim’s family who has accepted me with open arms.

All the wonderful friends we have met throughout the years who have made for so many fantastic memories.

A clean cancer scan for Jim.

These are a few of the many things that make me realize how thankful I am for my blessings.

                       Happy Turkey Day

              

Fishing, Veterans, and Friends

AJ, AZ   High 83  Low 64

The weather has been beautiful this past week. A little breezy at times but still gorgeous.

Jim had to replace the starter on the boat, but as soon as he got that done he and Mark went fishing. Had a good time but no fish. The next day he and Marv went fishing. For some reason Jim and Marv together are a jinx on the boat. This time, the starting battery died and would not start no matter what they tried. This happened last year but they were able to get it going. Not this year. So they were using the trolling motor to get back to shore when they were able to flag down another fisherman. He was able to give them a jump and they made it in. Jim now has a new battery in the boat.

BUT – look at what Marv caught. It’s a huge large mouth bass. No, they didn’t keep it. But he sure gave Marv a run for his money.

On Veterans Day we went to the parade here in AJ. It was a wonderful tribute to our men and women in the armed services. I remember my Dad walking in the parade in our home town of Sidney, MT carrying his father’s flag. All the deceased veterans had a flag that was carried in the parade and then raised in the park for the day. My Dad was so proud of being an American and he passed that love of country on to his children.

A few pictures from the parade

He drove this car backwards in the parade. Had Fife as a license plate.

Our future

Lots of old cars

Our Vietnam Vets

And what is a parade without horses

The pictures aren’t the best because we were sitting on the wrong side of the street. The sun was shining brightly into the lens of the camera.

After the parade we headed out to Chandler to meet up with Jan and Bill for lunch. Jan had an eye appointment and everything went really good so we were celebrating. Found a place called Philly’s Famous. Really had no idea what to expect but what a find. One of the best Philly sandwiches we have ever had. Jim ordered an Italian Hoagie which was really good but after he had a bite of my Philly, he knew he had made a mistake. We will definitely find a way to get back over there again.

Settling In–Well Sort Of

AJ, AZ – It’s been hot. 100 a couple of days ago and setting all kinds of new records.

I had thought by now that we would be settled enough that I could catch up on blog reading because I am so far behind. But somehow we are busier than ever and my internet connection is so slow. I really think I need a new Wi-Fi.

We went to visit Aunt Happy who is still amazing. She turned 103 last August. She had a great summer with no health issues except for a little arthritis in her hands. We talked about the election (she’s as fed up as we are with both candidates) and the fact that she had already voted. She is also very worried about the impact of the election on the stock market and what it will do to her money situation. Like she says, she never expected to live this long. She also had a pair of earrings that had broken. These are very inexpensive earrings which happen to be one of her favorite. Other people told her she should just throw them away, but she told them that Jim could fix them. If Jim couldn’t fix them and told her to throw them away, then she would. Well, Jim could fix them which made her so very happy. It was a wonderful visit.

Skittlez is glad to be home again.

We’ve been spending a lot of time being welcomed back to the park. Jim and I were talking about how much more of a community we live in here in AJ than we did in Billings when we were working. For us, this is a comfortable feeling. We can be as involved as we want to be and still know that if we need any help, there are always folks around.

Another first for us. We now have DirecTV. We have never had satellite TV before and we almost didn’t get it this time. Jim loves NASCAR and a lot of the races are not available on antenna TV. I finally decided we’d bite the bullet and get him NASCAR and a few channels for me.

But it sure didn’t happen without lots of problems. The salesman who took Jim’s order didn’t get it right at all. We wanted two receivers and two dishes so we can have satellite TV in the Bungalow also. The installer showed up on Thursday with only one set up. We thought he could at least do that one and then come back to do the Bungalow, but if he did that, they would charge us an installation fee for the Bungalow. The installer called back in to reschedule for us and told whoever what we wanted. Scheduled for Friday morning.

Friday morning two different guys show up. Took one look and told Jim that they cant install DirecTV in an RV. WHAT!!! Jim took them across the street and showed them two different fifth wheels with DirecTV. He didn’t want them touching our rig and sent them on their way. (These installers are independent contractors and don’t work for DirecTV or AT&T which now owns DirecTV.) Another call to DirecTV. After being transferred four times to different people (including being told to call Wyngard for who knows what reason), he hung up and called back. This time he asked to speak to a manager.

After a long discussion, they said they finally agreed that they would send out a senior technician Friday afternoon. This guy actually works for AT&T. And he knew what he was doing. Yahoo! After several hours we now have satellite TV. The challenge now is learning how to use the remote.

Mom, get rid of that flash please.

I want to express my sadness that our dear friend Joe passed away. Our love goes out to his wife Betty at this very sad time. We also have many loved ones fighting Cancer. Retired Rod is still undergoing chemo. Denise (Sassy) is recovering from her brain surgery. Paula (Shadowmoss) is starting her battle with breast Cancer. Our beloved niece, Patti, is going through Chemo for lung Cancer. We ask for prayers for all of them and for everyone else who is fighting the brave fight.

We’re Back

Apache Junction, AZ   High 96  Low 68

We left Las Vegas on Tuesday after spending an extra day because of the wind. We drove to Quartzsite to spend the night before heading into Apache Junction.

Quartzsite is still pretty empty but a few of the folks who spend the winter there are starting to arrive. I’m really not sure why anyone would want to spend the winter in Quartzsite, but each to their own. Some of the restaurants were not open and the vendors were few and far between.

One of my classmates from grade school through high school and her hubby just became full timers and this is their first winter in the southwest. They chose Quartzsite because of friends who are also there. This gave us a chance to have dinner with them and catch up on a lot of old memories.

Wanda and Dale

We went to the Yacht Club for dinner and it was really good. We will be seeing Wanda and Dale again next September in Billings for our 50th Class Reunion.

We left Quartzsite about 8:15 and other than the usual traffic on I-10, had an uneventful trip back to Apache Junction. We have spent the last two days moving stuff from the Bungalow into the fifth wheel.

But we got the Bungalow settled in her storage space and took a break from “work” to have dinner with Paula at Los Gringos Locos.

It’s good to be back.

Rockin’ and Rollin’ in Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV   High 90  Low 67  Windy

The storms that hit the PNW, sent their winds down to Las Vegas. It has really been moving the rig around but it is supposed to die down today and we will be heading out in the morning.

We are camped at the Road Runner RV Park on Boulder Highway. Definitely not anything to write home about but close to our friends. The park does not take reservations but we have not had a problem getting a site if we get here by 11:00. However, we have a small travel trailer. I’m sure the larger sites fill up quite rapidly. The rate is based on the length of your rig. We are 23 feet and our rate is $20.60 per night plus tax. The sites are close together and it is definitely not a park that we would stay in for any length of time. But for the short time we’re here, the price is right.

Even with the wind, we’ve had a lot of fun since we’ve been here. We met up with our friend, Key. He got us tickets to see Murray the Celebrity Magician at Planet Hollywood. Great show, but the music was much too loud for my poor ears. It was a family oriented show and there were lots of children in the audience and they were as much fun to watch as Murray. Thanks Key. We really enjoyed the show.

The next night we went to dinner with Key at the Hash House A Go Go located down in the Linq area. Their menu is really interesting and we were warned ahead of time that the portions they serve are huge. Sure glad we knew that cause Jim and I split the chicken pot pie. Take a look at this serving.

Key had a hamburger with mashed potatoes.

The Linq has been decorated for Halloween. Jim and Key made a new friend.

Another night we went duckpin bowling with Key. In an Airstream. This was a lot of fun. Jim grew up with duckpin bowling and I had heard about it.

The balls are much smaller than regular bowling balls and have no holes. The pins are also smaller and in this bowling alley they are attached with wires that set the pins. The rules are the same as bowling – strikes, spares, the foul line.

I bowled two games while the guys bowled three. We did okay and that’s all I’ll say about the scores.

The Airstream is located in the Silverton Casino back in the bar. If you are in Las Vegas, this is definitely a fun stop to make. It cost $3 per person per game.

Table and bench

Thought this map of the US was really neat. Each state was created by using one or two license plates from that state.

We also found Jim a motorcycle at the Bass Pro Shops.

We also were able to catch up with our friends Peter and Steve for a wonderful visit and lunch. Steve and I have been friends since 1968 and have a lot of good memories to share.