On the Road Again!

We left Yuma AZ on March 30, 2012 and back East on Interstate 8, eight miles south of Casa Grande and the Desert Valley RV Resort.

Having spent a couple of winter seasons there, we still know some folks in that area, and had a really nice visit.

We took a day trip down Interstate 10 to Rooster Cogburn's Ostrich Ranch. I really enjoy the birds and the other creative displays for the animals that he has.

They have changed a lot since we were there last.

We also tripped down to Tucson and drove around to some of the Sonoran Desert locations to witness some of the waking up of the desert!

It was just a bit early, but we did get in on seeing some big fat Saguaros, and other blooming flowers and Cacti. The bloom of the Saguaro is the Arizona State Flower.
Another day we spent looking at Real Estate in a 55+ Golf Community. It is always good to have a plan for the future and that community is beautiful. A person couldn't want for much in there, and when the time comes to hang up

the keys, it is definitely on the top of our list! We spent a couple of evenings playing games with our friends. I have never played darts competitively, and got the high score of the evening and helped our team knock out the top scoring team for the season! Beginners luck, but they were greatful! Then we played a game of washers (like horseshoes, but inside) and I didn't fare so well with that, but DH was on a good team that won. His back isn't cooperating much with letting him play golf right now, so was a good diversion.

We bid them farewell after a week and headed up to Buckeye and the Glendale, by Phoenix. We had to visit the Cabelas store in Glendale. Credit points were burning a hole in his pocket! I got a nice pair of pink cammo flip flops out of the deal! We have been to that area before, so the drive was not bad, and we got to have lunch with one of DH's hunting buddies that comes to Nebraska in Pheasant Season.

We pressed on from there and headed north and west to the metropolis of Bullhead City Arizona on the east side of the Colorado River. On the West side of the river is Laughlin Nevada. We visited several services in Bullhead and drove around to see the area. Slipped into two of the casinos on the Laughlin side and made a usual donation. Not big losers, just paid a little to have fun. We didn't spend all our time in the Casinos however, we took a side trip to Oatman, AZ,

an old Mining town that has been turned into a tourist trap. Their Volunteer Fire Department is strong there, so we spent a little on shirts to support them. Most of the town is shops and places to eat.

The old Hotel was the site for a gunfight in the street and wild burros are pretty tame and walk around being fed special Alfalfa pellets that are for sale at several locations.

After a few hours walking around, we loaded back up and headed for town to pack up for Monday's departure.

All trips cannot be uneventful. Luck does not operate that way!

On our way up to Bullhead City, the battery tray came unhooked and pushed the Battery door open! We rode along for several miles by Parker AZ without being able to pull over. Thankfully when we found a spot to safely pull over, it was a simple fix and nothing was harmed or broken! The most recent event happened on this last trip from Bullhead to Pahrump Nevada..when we got ready to pull out, the step wouldn't retract.

That is definitely not good! With no one available to fix our problem we crossed our fingers and held our breath as we drove over the Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, the new Bridge across the Canyon by the Hoover Dam.
It is very high but with the high sides, you barely know it's a very long way down! While here we have several exploring side trips.

It was a beautiful day when we travelled through Las Vegas, the usual gritting of the teeth through the traffic and construction, and we arrived safe and sound in the town of Pahrump Nevada, stopping at an RV dealer before checking in at the Resort. after about a 4 hour trip and waiting for them to diagnose our problem, I was ready to be done for the day! We're set now, and we'll spend some time exploring Death Valley and more of the desert. It is really starting to warm up and the snow left on the peaks is really melting a lot every day. After a trip to Home Depot this evening, the battery tray problem is a thing of the past, and as soon as the parts arrive, they will fix our errant step! No more moving until that is taken care of!~ We have to venture back into Las Vegas a couple times too. Time moves the fastest when we don't want it to!

Hello Spring!

Another great winter in Yuma Arizona is coming to an end. We had a last get together with our friends from the block here at the Palms last night. We shared an excellent Prime Rib dinner and enjoyed the new home built by the Billinger's this past year. They have a beautiful home and a great patio, complete with Fire Pit.

The evening was warm and after supper we had a fire and shared more stories. More memories to cherish while we all go our seperate ways this summer. The sun is coming up as I write this, soon it will be high in the sky and the temps are starting to climb up in the 80s by afternoon. I've been working on a list of things to get done to ready the coach to move. We have had several dust blows and this rig is just about as dirty as I've ever seen it. The guys come this afternoon to wash and wax us up and get us all sparkly again. We had a bird pick holes in one of the tire covers last week and had to get a new pair. I won't speculate what the reason for that was. No shiny objects...black covers....who knows!Looking back through the season, we haven't made very many side trips but took advantage of things close by to Yuma and attended some of the festivals here in the area.
A couple weeks ago, we went to the Yuma Lettuce Days held in the Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park. Yuma is a year round Agricultural area. Many vendors, equipment displays, cooking demos by celebrity chefs and recipe contests.

It was a beautiful morning and after walking around, collecting samples and watching some demonstrations we stopped in at the Toss it Up Arena and had a great big salad for lunch.

Tanimura & Antle is the local Harvest Company that works to provide many of the fresh vegetables that go in a great salad from here in Yuma.
They sponsor the lunch and the FFA kids assist with the interactive salad bar. You can find that brand of Artisan Lettuce, Romaine, Leafy Green and Red, Celery,onions, brocolli and cauliflower that are grown in this area in stores all across the country.

I have found their Artisan lettuce in Walmart in Holdrege, Nebraska and even in Florida last summer.

Also the Case IH dealer, RDO John Deere and other equipment sponsors put their harvest equipment on display. Dole is also another food company that participates with samples of fruit cups and fruit juice samples. It was a yummy,healthy event! We went to Quartzsite a couple times to visit with friends and attend the huge RV gathering.

One day we toured the Lake Martinez area and driving through the Proving Grounds.


We made several trips to Los Algodones Mexico, about 20 minutes from here. We walked in about 9 am and depending on the time of day you return, sometimes we walked right back and a couple times we stood in line for over an hour! I got some great bargains and very cute gifts there.

There were shows and activities here at the Palms RV Resort offered to not only the residents, but open to the public as well. We attended the Jan and Dean show and the Mel Tillis Show and several other functions here for residents only.
The Resort is starting to clear out now. All of us are either going home or moving on. We will be moving on in the morning. First off to the Starlight Solar Company, where we will have 4 new house batteries installed and our solar panels checked for a recall. Depending on if they have to be replaced, we will head back east about 3 hours to Eloy Arizona and stay a few days in the corridor south of Phoenix. While in our old stomping grounds, I have a couple stores to visit and we are going to take a drive to Tucson and around to see the desert as it's waking up. Spring is a great time to visit the desert!

Shamrocks and Ten Drops

Hope everybody had a very Happy St.Patrick's Day! Ours was celebrated quietly. DH had an early morning golf date and breakfast at the golf club. I was busy here at home making the Corned Beef and Cabbage. I think I got the best batch I've ever done! I'm sure the fact that I had fresh field cabbage didn't hurt anything. We missed going to the Marine Corp Air Station Air Show yesterday. Our neighbors that watch KayCee were gone and we didn't get tickets early enough to have box seats. So I volunteered to watch our friend's dog while they went to the show. I still got to see the fabulous tricks and formations of the Thunderbirds jets. They come directly over here and were almost low enough when they flip upside down I could almost see their faces! Hopefully next year it will be our turn to go! Thursday evening we had our St. Patricks dance and although it was nice being able to visit, the music wasn't good so we were home by 9:30! The weather continues to be strange, we have been expecting a winter storm all week. It arrived amid the blowing dust and high wind warnings. Lets just say I'm getting tired of putting away the chairs and getting them back out again! The wind speeds got to 14 once. The rain amounted to wetting the pavement and it did cool down some. I don't think I'd call it a storm! Sun is out for the moment and that may change as we still have clouds around. I need to get out this morning and wash the sreaks and spots off the windows :{ More lots here have been sold this week, and the construction continues.
Lots of Villas and small homes are going up. Most are Canadian residents. Its amazing how they are getting all the square footage out of these lots.
We continue to look ahead and plan according to the schedule of leaving here the end of the month. We have gone for our last trip to Mexico this past week. I'm ready to move on. Getting excited about being in a different place and seeing some different scenery. If that makes me a Gypsy, then so be it!

Birthdays and Brats

We have had a busy week! Tuesday was DH's birthday. He played golf and we went out for supper. Texas Roadhouse was really nice to him for his Birthday.

They brought him a special seat, sang to him and gave him a Chocolate Sundae.

We had been preparing for the 2nd Annual Antigua Street Brat Party. It was scheduled for Wednesday at 4.

Mother Nature decided that we needed to postpone it and have it on Thursday! 30mph wind isn't conducive to a nice BBQ.
Thursday we went to Mexico in the morning and got back in time to go to the party. It was a nice afternoon and they used the lot on the corner because we ended up with about 56 people!

Once more, the BBQ was deemed a success. We spent the day on Friday running around town returning and restocking. We got to sit and visit with lots of folks from our surrounding neighborhood. Here in the desert, Sand Buggies are a popular toy! They make a great little vehicle to run after the mail too! Some of them we see everyday and some we just pass by on the street.

Stopped for a bite to eat at Logan's Roadhouse, which reminds me of Whiskey Creek, one of my favorite restaurants in Nebraska. I got my mail today and finished all the business and bills for this time. One more mail delivery before we move. We are waiting for our taxes to get them signed and sent. I have a list of chores to do yet. KayCee needs to go to the Vet and get a Bordatella shot so that if I need to board her for the day in Vegas I can do so. I will definitely be ready to go by the end of the month. I need a vacation from the vacation! We are going to the Annual Lettuce Festival tomorrow. It's really a fun time. Free Lettuce too. The Harvest is going strong. Every trip to town we see the pickers and field hands busy as can be.

We'll stand in line for our free box of Tanamura and Antle Fancy Artisan lettuce. Their Harvest and Cooling plant are just down the street. Last winter I got their lettuce in Nebraska in the winter!
I am thankful for them! They employ Harvest Crews from Mexico. They come over, work and go home to Mexico every night. Not many Americans are hardy enough to work in this heat and the work is very strenuous. The weather is cookie cutter for the upcoming week. 81 81 81 81 81..... then looks to be another cool snap. It will be nice not to use the AquaHot for heat much now as our Diesel may be getting a little low after heating for 3 months.

In the evenings we go to the Clubhouse and get in the hot tub at dark.... The still and beauty of the complex makes it my favorite time of day!

Time Marches ON!

Today is the 2nd day, and March is coming in like a lion! Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those people affected by the horrible weird storms in the Eastern half of the United States. Today we are spending the day inside because the wind is blowing a Gale! 33 mph gusts, and roaring so bad we had to turn up the TV! It makes me crazy after a while! Just not a good day to be outside, you step out and get sandblasted, but not a drop of moisture to be had! I am almost missing rain or moisture of some kind, but not missing the cold. Many things have been happening the last couple of weeks of February.

We attended a downtown Mardi Gras Festival put on by the Rotary Club and we ended up eating lunch at Lute's Casino and Bar. Lots of music, dancing, food and drink!
We have had several outings and meals with our friends from the Escapees Class of '08.
One afternoon we were sitting in the sun with our Palms group, and spotted a hot air balloon heading over the top of us, so DH got all excited and we had to get in the car and chase the balloon down the street!

Well, it landed just down the road a bit in an empty field, so we got to watch them land, disembark and deflate.

One evening, we had a great Speghetti meal at our friend's Steve and Carol's.

A couple days ago we went to Mexico again with Freddie and Delcie. Dickered, Shopped, had lunch in an enclosed patio cafe, complete with live music.
All the bright colors, curb side vendors, many souveneers and Keepsakes being sold is a carnival atmosphere in itself!





After walking up and down the streets and sidewalks, we gathered up some deals, presents and souveneers. The best was this "Mexican Chicken" (roadrunner) made out of wire and rock. We watched as a spray painter added his eyes and gave him some color. He is now in residence on my patio! We waited for over an hour to come back across the border. I'm just glad it wasn't 100 degrees!




Last Friday night we attended a concert here at The Palms. Mel Tillis performed. He came complete with a huge Prevost bus, and his band and crew. Nine guys in his band, all of which has been with him for 30+ years. It was a very professional, well put together show, they all were in suits, and it was the best by far that we have been to here! Mel will be 80 years young this year and his voice is still good. I learned that he has written a lot of songs that other singers have made famous. He has been a cook his whole life, and has a cookbook! He ran around the whole ballroom at a trot! I would hope at that age, I could walk that far! After the show he stayed on the patio and signed autographs and the items that were available for sale as souveneers. DH bought me a cookbook and had it autograhed. Mel even referenced a certain recipe for me to try out! I will cherish that book forever. Tonight we go out for fish at Parrish's restaurant. Time marches on. We only have a little less than a month here now. Just thought I would catch up with the events of the last couple of weeks. Nothing earth shattering, just winter in the desert!