May 3, 2013 - Spring time in the Desert

Hello friends and family! It has been a very busy winter of traveling to spend time with family in WA, CA & CO. There is so much to do in the fall when we get home and catching up with our AZ friends. Don't know where the last 6 mos has gone, but we've had a great time! It's spring time here as the desert is in bloom. The month of May brings the white blooms of the saguaro cactus. That means we are getting close to packing up and hitting the road soon...

Apr 14, 2013 - Tortilla Flats, Az.

We took a short drive to an old Gold mining town about 30 Mi. East of Mesa. Tortilla Flats (population 6). I had a good "killer Chile burger" and we saw some old Kool stuff. Tomorrow we are headed for Palm Springs, Ca. for a few days then will head North to the Fresno area and then to Jackson. Weather is warm (89) and sunny..

Apr 13, 2013 - Scottsdale

We spent most of the day with Tom and Lucy Harmon, ate lunch at a great Mexican resturant, then enjoyed a beer @ "The Blue Moose" near the cultural area of Scottsdale. The annual "Arizona Picnic' was in full swing.. Lots of activity and "eye candy". Tom drove us around Scottsdale so we could see some of the sights and art galleries in the area... Nice warm day..

Apr 10, 2013 - Goodyear, Az

We spent most of the day visiting Harold and Peggy Miller @ thier home in Pebble Creek Country Club (Goodyear, Az). We enjoyed a couple of competetive games of "Bocce Ball" (the girls won).. It was a fun day with some long time refinery friends... Temps are almost back up into the 80's

Apr 9, 2013 - Roughing It........

Last night we got together with Jack and Marcia + Tom and Cathy for dinner, Today we spent part of the day at Weichel's, the met Jack and Marcia for Pizza at a really unique Pizza Place... I have attached some snapshots of the RV park we are at in Mesa... This is really 'Roughing it..... Smoothly' Check it out at... Organ Stop Pizza - Mesa

Apr 8, 2013 - Mesa

We moved up the road about 50 Miles today... Really Windy..... We are set up At the TowerPoint RV Resort (right across the street from the park that Jack and Marcia are at. We will get together with them and our 'across the street' neighbors from Billings (Tom and Cathy Weichel) for a bite to eat tonite.. The weather remains warm, but wind gusts to around 40mph make it a little dusty.. Tower Point RV Resort - Mesa

Apr 3, 2013 - Hidden Gem in Chandler

During our travels, Art and I enjoy stopping at museums. Our preference is historical museums rather than art museums or galleries. After about an hour in an art gallery or art museum, our eyes start to glaze over. However, at the suggestion of a neighbor, we took a drive to the Zelma Basha Salmeri Gallery of Western American and Native American Art. In short, the “Basha Art Gallery.” If you’ve traveled through Arizona, you might have shopped at Bashas. It is a small family-owned chain of about 125 supermarkets with their corporate office...

Mar 30, 2013 - Valley of the Sun

Our time in Valle Del Oro RV Park and Resort is coming to an end. It is getting warmer here in Mesa as temperatures are nearing the low 90's in the next few days. When it gets hot, we move on. We are getting some work done on the RV before we leave, and we also are getting new tires on the 5th wheel as well. As you recall, we had a blowout on July 13, 2012 up in Sheridan, WY which caused some body damage to the RV. That has now been fixed, but I am not taking any chances with old tires. Also, I need to find time (how did I ever getting...

Mar 28, 2013 - Update from Mesa

Whoa! It has been three weeks since I’ve posted to the blog. I suppose it is because we are sitting still and settled into more of a routine. I don’t want to bore my readers with too much day-to-day musings. Friday is our last official day of work. We’ll wrap up the season, as usual, by pouring beer for the final Manager’s Happy Hour. There will be free beer for all residents and the 12 kegs will be gone in about two hours. The park is beginning to empty out. Residents are locking up their park models and won’t return again until October....

Mar 25, 2013 - Third Winter in Mesa

April 1st the magic day of departure. After three more months in Silveridge it is time to put this puppy on the road. We have had another busy and successful season with some weeks feeling like there is not enough time to do it all. Tennis is still the mainstay of our activities during the winter, but this season I took on additional tasks, one planned the other two unplanned. I had agreed to develop, over the summer we sat in Sacramento, a beginning photography class directed at novice camera owners within the park. I had an overwhelming...

Mar 9, 2013 - March Madness

March Madness, as it is described in the resort’s brochure, is here. This month caps off the season with various events such as the weekly Manager’s Happy Hour with free beer and Theme Day with all-day music, food and games. The resort wants its residents to leave with good memories so this becomes a busy month for us. Come April 1, the Snowbirds will begin their mass migration north to their permanent residences. We’ll be joining the exodus around April 10th. We’ll begin with our slow migration north with stops at Sedona, Canyon de...

Mar 3, 2013 - Day 230 - in Mesa, Arizona

Bill and Myrna drove us a short way over to a local Desert Garden Walk. We walked the trails there and spotted birds, rabbits, and geckos and identified some of the cacti that we have seen. Verna's gnarley bush is actually a Staghorn Cholla, a tall thin cactus that looks like it has fur stripes running down it is called a Senita Cholla, and another tall thin lumpy looking cactus is a Major Tower Cactus. Also saw the Saguaro that we knew and lots of different Prickly Pear varieties. Also the cuddly looking Teddy Bear Cholla that you better...