Mar 2, 2013 - Dolly

Today we went for a drive along the Apache Trail thru Tonto National Forest. . Just before entering the park we found a great flea market where we bought a 19th century Spur and found out most old cowboys wore only one spur because they were expensive and beside they only needed one to get the job done. ( quick acceleration ) We also picked up a great beer sign for a friend. We then entered the park and drove along another narrow winding road over some of the most scenic territory you will ever see. This evening we went on a old steam boat...

Feb 18, 2013 - Day 217 - Chandler, Arizona

We started today with some shopping. Found some new shorts for me at Kohl's and Verna found some stuff for herself. After lunch we received a call from Rocky Mountain Cummins that said the bus would be done by 4:30 today. The problem turned out to be a warped manifold which was replaced, a faster, easier job than the gasket replacement apparently, so ready faster and cheaper than expected. Still a $1,100.00 bill but less than expected. We headed out to pick up the bus to bring it back to the parking lot at the Solera Community Center for...

Feb 17, 2013 - Day 216 - Chandler, Arizona

We spent a lazy day today, enjoying the sun in the yard and updating the journal. We are sure glad that Verna was here to offer us a place to stay while the bus is at shop. We could have stayed in it there but that would have been no fun. We got ourselves organized and headed to Florence to visit Carol and Dave Buckle for supper. They own a couple of lots in Florence Garden campground and have quite a nice set-up with storage shed and patio beside their fifth-wheel. Carol fed us a wonderful supper, with Dave's BBQ skills of course, and even...

Feb 16, 2013 - Day 215 - Chandler, Arizona

Verna and I had a lazy morning while Garry drove up to the bus to get stuff we forgot and get it ready for them to work on. When he got back we headed out to check out the Mesa Market Place. This is four large open air barns with vendors selling everything from metal sculptures, to paintings, to t-shirts, to jewellery, to cement garden statues, to food and crafts and anything else you can think of. We spend two hours wandering there and Verna bought a cement tortoise planter for her front yard. We finished off the afternoon at Home Depot...

Feb 13, 2013 - Day 212 - Around Chandler, Arizona

We headed back to Verna's in the morning, laundry in tow. We started a load then headed out for a walk around the Solera community that Don and Verna live in. It is a gated 55+ community with a golf course, community center, party rooms, exercise areas, pools, hot tub, tennis, shuffleboard, bocci ball, horseshoes, card clubs and sewing/quilting or woodworking clubs. No end to the fun things to keep you busy. We then headed out in the car to find lunch and tour the area. Verna then made us a terrific fish supper and we taught her how to play...

Jan 29, 2013 - Basha's Art Gallery

The Basha family, owners of one of Arizona's largest grocery chains, opened an art gallery in 1992 at their corporate headquarters in Chandler. What an amazing collection. The gallery is open Monday through Friday, with a few exceptions, and is free to the public. The story of the gallery is this: When Eddie Basha's parents were starting the business and working long hours, Eddie was left in the care of his Aunt Zelma - an artist. When Eddie graduated from Stanford University (with a degree in History) he joined the family business,...

Jun 14, 2011 - Staying at the TAH MAHAL

Wednesday = 06/15/11 18:07PM. Arrived at Rick and Jackie (my Niece) and Shelby's home in Chandler, AZ. on Monday = 06/13/11 at 14:00PM from Williams, AZ. They live in the TAJ MAHAL and don't know it!! Their home is BEAUTIFUL and they have been so kind to let us invade their privacy and make ourselves at home. Jackie has had to work the three days we have been here and her husband Rick has been our cordial host, cook and guide....and a fine job he has done. Their daughter Shelby arrived from North Carolina yesterday, 06/14/11. She drove...

Mar 13, 2010 - Casa Grande Ruins

Mar 13 Two parks are on the agenda today, Casa Grande Ruins NM and Hohokam Pima NM. Casa Grande Ruins The Great House raises four stories high and is 60 feet long, the walls face the four points of the compass and a circular hole in the upper west wall aligns with the setting sun at the summer solstice. Other openings align with the Sun and moon at specific times. Who were these people who studied the sky and built such large dwellings? The Hohokam were inhabitants here before 300 CE (Common Era). There had learned how to construct canals...

Jan 29, 2010 - Chandler Casino Bus Trip

Today we got up really early for us as we had to be on the bus by 7 AM for the casino trip that Lee won. We parked the car in a Fry's (grocery store)parking lot and hopped on. We stopped to pick up several more people most of them from another campground in Welleton. It is about 20 miles from Yuma. After they got on the bus it livened up a lot. They kept passing around food and standing up and telling jokes and even did some singing. They were mostly Canadians and they kept us pretty much entertained both on the way over and back. When we...

Feb 17, 2008 - Lake Havasu City - Chandler (Phoenix)

Sadly, we have to depart Lake Havasu today; Evan is quite upset, because he has taken a liking to this town and the park we are in. We have had a great time and will most definitely return here! We retrace our steps towards Parker, drive along the lake with its beautiful colour. We are amazed how many RV's there are here now parked in the desert with ATV's and motorcycles running through the hills. The weather is getting warmer and more people come northward from the southern part of Arizona, when the weather gets too warm there. February...

Dec 29, 2007 - A week in Chandler

Wow, where did the week go??? We arrived in Arizona on the 23rd and the majority of our time here has been spent visiting with Kens mom. We hadn't seen here since January, so we had lots of catching up to do. She also had a 'project' list for Ken!! The big job was installing 5 patio shade screens. Ken's mom will have lots of stories about that project to share with her friends. Ken also worked on some smaller projects and we did some shopping We also managed to do a little bit of sight seeing. . It was a great week but it's time to...

Nov 22, 2007 - Thanksgiving in Chandler

We camped out at Usery Mountain off the 60 and Ellsworth for our long Thanksgiving week in our hometown of Chandler, AZ. The boys were suffering greatly from a lack of friends while on the road, so they really lived up while in town! We are blessed with such a wealth of wonderful friends that are a reflection of God's glory. May each and every one of you experience the holiness and glory of our Saviour this season. Signing off until January of 2008! The Erwin von Trapps....no we are not singing while on the road, it's just fun to say!