Did they say snow???

The temperature has been in the low 80's, clear, sunny with a nice breeze.   Well, as they say all good things must come to an end.   The prediction for Sunday is 50+ mph winds.   In a sticks & bricks structure that's not too exciting, but in an RV it can be!   And they are  also predicting snow the first part of the week.   Yes, I said snow.   We shall see.  

We thought we would get a head start on the snow, so we took a drive up Mount Lemmon,  part of the  Santa Catalina Mountain Range.  A visit to Mount Lemmon is a scenic hour-long drive from Tucson through a lush, forested area with an elevation of over  9000 ft.   It is known for skiing & hiking, with a few restaurant and shops.    We really enjoyed the drive and stopped to have lunch at  the Iron Door Restaurant.

As you begin your drive up the mountain you
see a  vast area of all saguaro cactus.

Once you reach 4,500 elevation the saguaros disappear
and there are acres of pine and conifers.

We see great beauty in piles of rocks!

Apparently he does too.   Braver than I am!   There are several
trails, but I didn't even tackle one, as I usually do.

And we found snow!

All in all it was a nice way to spend a day.

Hope all is well!

Cabin fever cured!

Well we are still at Lazydays....still waiting for parts.   We've been staying close to the coach in case they need us to move it or have any questions or concerns.   But we are getting cabin fever.   The campground is hosting a rally for Fleetwood owners and some of the vendors who attended the rally we did in Yuma are here.  I did take a couple of hours away from the coach to help a vendor demonstrate her  induction cooktop that she sells.   She demonstrates by making a beef stir fry and chocolate sauce over angel food cake.   I am her little helper who plates the food and hands it out to the audience.    She asked in Yuma if I would help when she found out we would be in Tucson this week.  I'm really good at eating food, so I thought I could handle handing out bowls, forks and napkins.

We had to get away for a little while so we took a trip to Bisbee, AZ.  Bisbee was founded by Lt. Anthony Rucker in 1877.  Rucker while  looking for Apaches in the Mule Mountains and Jack Dunn, a tracker with the group noticed the mineralization of the area.   Thus the start of this mining town, incorporated in 1902 heading towards a whopping population of 22,800 and becoming the county seat in 1929.    Mining ceased in the mid 1970's  and today the population is 5,300 but is a bustling tourist destination.   It is located in southeast Arizona, 8 miles from the border and 90 miles from Tucson.  It is known for it's unique architecture, nationally acclaimed art scene, an underground mine tour and Smithsonian affiliated museum.

The scenery driving to Bisbee is enjoyable in itself. 

The road to Bisbee.

T

Main Street, at the foot of the Mule Mountains.

Houses built on the side of the mountain.

Structure on left is one of the original mining buildings.

This is a private residence.   A very artsy community. 

A barber shop on the outskirts of town.   I've never seen
a shop this small....had to stop and take a picture.  Notice
the crates holding up the air conditioner!

This is an actual church with services on Sunday morning
and Wednesday evenings.   There motto is "An old West setting
with an exciting new vision".   Whatever that means!  The
Pastor is David Bales and the sign says "Come as you are...
Doubters welcome!   Imagine it would be interesting to attend
a service.

Goofy Ron at the Bisbee Grille where we stopped for lunch.
I'm always telling him he closes his eyes when his picture is
taken....so this is what I got.   Lunch was good and since they didn't
have his Budweiser, he tried one of their local brews....Daves Electric Beer.


We had a good time touring Bisbee and curing our cabin fever.

Hope all is well!!

P.S.  All comments are welcomed....we enjoy reading them.

Repairs..Rally...& Ruins

We are back at Lazydays  (Tucson)  after spending 2 weeks in Yuma. Our main purpose in Yuma was to attend our first Gypsy Journal Rally, but since we had never visited we thought we would go in a week early and do some sightseeing. We stayed at the Cocopah RV Resort on the outskirts of town. A nice park, catering to the 6 month snowbird residents. It has everything you could want including an 18 hole golf course.

We found the visitors center and asked my 3 main questions: After leaving Yuma and telling people we were just there and they ask did you visit____________?; did you eat at _______________? did you shop at_________?

Her responses were: Mexico & the Yuma Territorial Prison National Park;   Lutes Casino & order their special ; Yuma Palms Mall.

Well, since I can't get Ron within miles of the border of Mexico, we took an afternoon and visited the territorial prison. We had visited Alcatraz and although the Yuma prison is smaller it still holds quite a bit of history for this area. It sits on a bluff overlooking the Colorado River and was home to 3,069 prisoners from 1876 to 1909. It is now a historic state park housing a nice museum and offering guided tours through the ruins.

Cell area.

Prisoner #1396 profile.

The museum had several pictures and profiles of some of
the more infamous prisoners.

The stone outlines are ruins of some of the original
prison buildings.

The "Dark Cell" (solitary confinement).   They slept on the floor,
on this iron grid,  sometimes 6 to this tiny area.  
Would make me a law abiding citizen!!

We never did get to Lutes Casino in downtown old Yuma, originally built as a general store with a hotel located on the second floor and gambling in the basement. Their special is a hamburger with a hot dog on top??? Guess it's perfect for the person who can't decide if they want a hamburger or hot dog.

We put it on our list for the next time we visit Yuma. There's more to see in that area but we were just getting over our "Arizona clung" and needed to rest up for the rally. By the time the rally started I was about 95% well and Ron 80%.

The rally organizers (Nick & Terry Russell) have been full timing for over 13 years and we first met them when they were instructors at the Life on Wheels Conference we attended in 2008. They put on a great rally with over 140 rigs in attendance. The rally consists of seminars with topics from water filters and batteries, to RV travelogues about Newfoundland & Alaska, to how to Geocache, buy insurance, clean with microfiber and much more. They also threw in fun entertainment like door prizes, a pizza party and a concert by David Bradley...nationally acclaimed yodeler who has performed with the Sons of the Pioneers and at the Country Tonite Theatre in Branson.

 One evening they presented their annual Cactus Queen Beauty Contest.

Yes..those are men, believe it or not. And very good sports. And NO I couldn't get Ron to volunteer.
What a party poop.



 But the best part of the rally was seeing RV friends Ray & Cathy and Bob and Sandra. We were able to spend several evenings between our coaches sharing appetizers, going out to dinner and getting updated since our last visits. We are now hooked and are already trying to plan our schedule to attend the next rally in September.

We are not sure how long we will be here.  The parts for the jack & slide have come in and been installed.  But when we arrived we couldn't get any electric to the coach, only to find out our transfer switch has a fried relay and a new box has to be located and  hopefully sent over night.   We don't have to be anywhere until the 27th for a rally in Casa Grande, AZ.    We are also waiting for our front panel light switches, but if they don't come in soon, we will probably cancel the order...we can do without for now.

Hope all is well!

OK call us crazy!

Ok call us crazy, but we really like the desert foliage and natural beauty. Even at this time of the year when there are just a few blooms. On the second day we were "homeless" we packed a picnic lunch and took off for the western side of the Saguaro National Park. This is a repeat visit for us, but I will never tire of the peacefulness of a quiet drive or hike through the desert.


Barrel cactus.


Everything that is blooming now, seems to be yellow. Pretty pinks and purples come later in the spring.


After lunch I took a hike on an easy trail while Ron rested in the car. He really wants to come with me but would never make it with his knees.


Getting a little more challenging. Remember, I just
had another birthday :(


Yikes!!


The reward is a great view of these petroglyphs at the top of the trail, created over a thousand years ago by the Hohokam people.

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Hope all is well!

DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun

Before I start this post, I wanted to let everyone know you can now sign up to receive an email each time a new post is written. On the right hand side you'll see a box "Follow by Email". Enter your email address, type in the security letters/number (I know I hate this part too), then you will receive an email. Once you confirm the email you should be set up.

Since the coach was in repairs for 3 days we had to find something to do. We spent several hours at the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun. Ted DeGrazia (1909-1982)was the son of Italian immigrants. His appreciation of Territorial Arizona, the native cultures in the Sonoran Desert and his passion for art are the background for his magnificent paintings.

He established the Gallery in the Sun when he could not find any other galleries interested in exhibiting his artwork.




Many of his paintings have a religious theme.



"Wind from the East"


A self portrait





You can spend hours on the grounds which comprise of 10 acres in the foothills of Tucson's Santa Catalina Mountains. Besides the gallery there are beautiful gardens, a Mission in honor of Fr. Kino and dedicated to the patron saint of Mexico - Our Lady of Guadalupe. Using traditional adobe bricks crafted on site, De Grazia built the Gallery and many of the other structures.

In 1976 publications such as the WSJ and People Magazine reported he hauled 100 of his paintings on horseback into the Superstition Mountains and set them ablaze to protest inheritance taxes on works of art. An interesting fellow.

A must see if your in the Tucson area and like spending a few quiet, peaceful hours surrounded by beautiful art. And the admission is free!

Hope all is well!!

Catch Up

I recently read a blog I follow that stated a good blogger writes frequently, even if they don't have anything to say. I have a hard time writing a blog saying we went grocery shopping, did laundry and ate breakfast, lunch and dinner. How boring!!!! However, waiting almost 3 months to post is just too long. We have been having fun and staying pretty busy, so here goes on the catch up...

After completing our job in Branson we hustled 4 days from Walmart to Walmart to arrive in Fort Lauderdale, FL for our company convention. Then the convention was non-stop for 4 days. It was our first one and we weren't sure what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised even though we didn't win an iPad or portable scanner. But we did win a beautiful quilt, learned some new things and met a lot of great people.


Halloween party participant. They like to have fun.
We went dressed as the "2011 World Series Champions".
Only because we had the jerseys.



We left Fort Lauderdale to arrive in San Antonio just in time to spend Thanksgiving with my nephew and his family. We had a great holiday dinner experiencing our first Turduken. It was delicious and for those who do not know what that is, it is a de-boned chicken stuffed into a de-boned duck stuffed into a de-bond turkey with a layer of dressing in between. Of course we had all the wonderful side dishes to go with it. It's fun to experience the holidays with family in other parts of the country. One evening we toured a neighborhood where they go all out with lights and decorations.

One house had a decoration we all jumped out of the car like kids to stick
our heads through. From top left: John, Ron, Joan, Jack and Ali. Kandy was our photographer.

We had Christmas dinner with John, Kandy, Jack, Ali and Kandy's mother Gloria. A very nice, quiet, relaxing time. We ate, drank, opened gifts and played games. Our kind of entertainment.

While in San Antonio we visited the McNay Art Museum built by artist and educator Marion Koogler McNay in the 1920s, the Spanish Colonial Revival-style home opened as Texas’ first museum of modern art in 1954. We visited Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas exhibit.


They didn't allow pictures of the exhibit but
the gardens surrounding the museum were beautiful.



Kandy, Jack, Ron and I then enjoyed a great lunch at the Chart House Restaurant located in the 750 foot tall Tower of Americas . The restaurant is located at the top and rotates offering spectacular views of the city. We then walked out on the observation deck to take pictures.




During our time in San Antonio, my sister (Ann) took a 24 day trip to the hospital. I flew in for a 10 day visit while she was in ICU at Barnes, flew back to San Antonio for Christmas, then Ron and I took off by car January 6th for another 13 day visit to St. Louis. During my first trip I stayed with my sister-in-law, Margie and her family. I can't thank them enough for offering their home, support and love. We stayed with Ann & John during our second visit and was able to help with a few things around the house. She is doing really well and getting acclimated to her new medicine regiment. Thank you everyone who was aware of the situation and offered all their prayers and support.




Due to our delay we were able to celebrate Jack's 13th birthday.


Because of our detour to St. Louis we stayed in San Antonio a little longer than we had planned, leaving on February 4th for Tucson, Arizona. After one night stops in Ozona, Van Horn and Deming, NM, we arrived at the new Lazydays on February 7th. We bought our coach at Lazydays in Tampa, Florida and they bought out the Beaudry RV Park in Tucson last year. Although we have some "issues" with their Tampa service we are so glad to have a western location for coach repairs.


A little (very little) western Texas
campground humor!



While in San Antonio we sprung a leak in our refrigerator hose. The way these things are built it was impossible for us to locate the exact location of the problem but was able to place a bucket in the right spot to keep the bays from getting soaked. But because of the pressure when we used the shore water we had to empty the bucket 2-3 times a day. For over a month we used our water pump and reserve water. Until the water pump line developed a crack and we could hardly get any water pressure. So, even though we were going to a spend quiet, relaxed time at the Lazydays campground anyway, we made an appointment to get the leaks repaired. Along with a few other repairs, 3 days later we are back in full service without any leaks.

They had to order a few parts, one being a new jack, so once they arrive we will be back in Tucson to finalize the repairs.

I'm getting tired of writing and your probably getting tired of reading. So I'll end this post....but watch for others in a more timely fashion...promises...promises.

Hope all is well!!

GO CARDS!!

We were in St. Louis for a total of just over 7 weeks, but time sure does fly. We got to see all the family including some cousins on Ron’s side, friends and past work associates.

We left St. Louis for two weeks in September to work a job in Goodfield, IL. You gotta love “rural America” I don’t want to see another cornfield for awhile.


This is a real road our GPS took us on just outside of town.




The weight limit is 500 pounds when wet. Ron and I could hardly walk together on this road let alone drive on it.


We were also able to play tourist some. We spent a couple of hours in downtown St. Louis at the Citygarden. They had just opened it when we left town a couple of years ago. It is 3 acres in the heart of downtown that has been transformed into an urban oasis featuring contemporary sculptures, lush landscape, reflecting pools a café and spray plaza for those hot, hot summer St. Louis days. There are no walls, fences or “do not touch signs” nor are there any admission fees. Just a fun place to take a stroll and see over 23 sculptures enhanced by rain gardens, water displays and 235 trees comprised of 20 different species. The lush landscaping is made up of 1,170 shrubs, 4,194 perennials, native grasses and wildflowers, 8,000 bulbs, 12,726 ground covers and 32,000 square feet of lawn. Twelve hundred blocks of Missouri quarried limestone were used to build a 550 foot arcing wall. A natural paradise in the middle of a bustling downtown area. When you’re enjoying the garden you forget there is any traffic whipping around you. A highly recommended “tourist” destination for St. Louis residents as well as those visiting the city.



View of the Arch and Old Courthouse from inside the gardens along the walkway.


Lush landscaping.



Fountain & spray plaza featuring 102 vertical jets that
project water up to 10 feet in height.



Dismembered head of the Greek god of love and desire - Eros.
Bandages wrapping Eros's face suggest that the eyes and mouth
have been covered indicating that desires & ideas have been
imprisoned.



Untitled (Ringed Figure) made of painted steel by sculptor Keith Haring.
He is known for gracing children's hospitals, orphanages & day care
centers around the world with his works.


Jim Dine's painted bronze Pinocchio - 150" tall.


Painted bronze creating the impression of marshmallowy lightness of
these two rabbits.


Also while in St. Louis we saw another form of art and what we think is the absolute best use of all of those orange barrels and cones we see on nearly every highway while traveling.


Tax dollars at work!


We left St. Louis last Sunday for Forsyth, Missouri a small town just outside of the Branson area. We have a job here for 2 weeks and tickets to the Don Williams concert. I’ve known of Don Williams for years but really got turned on to his mellow, country sound when my sister-in-law, Terri, cut a CD for us a few months back. St. Louis is so close to Branson, how could I pass up an opportunity to spend an evening with Don?

After Branson, we are heading to Fort Lauderdale for a 4 day convention with the company we work for then off to San Antonio to spend the holidays with my nephew and his family. We are looking forward to our visit.

If you can’t be in New England at this time of the year (so they say, we’ve never been there, yet) then the Midwest is the next best place and the Ozarks "mountains" are beautiful.


View of the Ozark hills. Colors haven't quite peaked yet.


GO CARDS!!


Hope all is well!