Happy New Year 2010 !

Here is a photo of Roger and the wheels set up at the Chula Vista KOA. Nice park and lots of interesting plants.... I had to feel the plant, pic included here, because at first I thought it was a metal sculpture! I painted today, "painter at the beach", from a photo I took while we were in Oregon. I think she was really reading a book, but as artist! I improvised..lol The calla lillies were done while we were in Casa Grande.

We've met one couple who are going on the Baja trip and have been told another couple are here too, haven't met them yet. We found Walmart and Starbucks, and are settled in for a quiet New Years Eve...

Hope you all have a safe, happy NewYears !
happy trails...

Christmas dinner 2009

Roger and I had a great dinner with our Fiesta Grande family on Christmas day. The park provided a great ham and our group's wonderful cooks brought the side dishes. We had 24 people at our tables and there must have been at least 300 people in the room. The ballroom was decorated for the holiday. We hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well. The sky photo was taken 12/28, incredible color just before the light disappeared. We leave for Chula Vista tomorrow to meet up later in the week with the Baja Winters RV tour.

Happy trails....

a week in Dec. '09

Our most exciting news this week is that we have a new Great GrandSon!... Vienna and Dave Thomas, my granddaughter in CA. just delivered David William Thomas on Dec. 15th. Mom, Dad, and baby are home now and doing great. We can't wait til we get a chance to visit, hug and kiss them all!
Other fun here in Casa Grande..... I've been painting! .. and boy, do I love that. Roger has been installing Windows 7 and he Doesn't Love That! He also put up our new 10 ft. canopy, which we hope will give us some shade in Baja. It was amazing... it went up in less than 10 minutes the very first time!

The paintings are from photos taken by Bob Moore, a professional wedding photographer who was a guest in our park model two years ago. Of course they are just my version of the flowers. The last photo is just an example of our Christmas decorating in AZ.

We are in our wrap-up days here in Casa Grande. We leave for Chula Vista to meet the Baja tour group on the 29th. The official tour gathering is Jan. 4 I think in the KOA park. We are pretty psyched about this trip!

Hope you all are ready for Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
happy trails...

Electric Light Parade and party 2009

The neighborhood carpooled to downtown Casa Grande on Dec. 7 for the Electric Light Parade. The whole town turns out for this event, which kicks off with a day of 'snow' fun and the lighting of the Christmas tree downtown. The weather was very chilly, and we all dressed accordingly, hats, gloves, boots and lots of layers. I never expected to be wearing my fur Alaska hat in Arizona! The day was also Betty Green's birthday, which we celebrated at Manuel's resturant after the parade. We love the Mariachi band, who serenaded Betty. She is in the first photo. They also got the guys to dance and then the ladies. What a hoot! I hope you will click on the photo of the guys standing... this is a movie, and my first attempt at posting one. Be sure and turn the sound on!

The parade had over 80 floats and groups. We were chilled to the bone by the time it was over. But this is an annual event for our group and none of us would miss it if at all possible. This is the same group that got together for Thanksgiving and will gather at the ballroom in our park for Christmas dinner. Yes! we do manage to do a lot of celebrating and eating together. The photos of the parade are just a sample ... the parade went on for at least 1-1/2 hours. Our park had an entry and so did many of the other local rv parks. One even had a live singing cowboy on board.
This was one fun evening....and a great way to start the holiday season. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with good friends and family.

Happy trails......

AZ Thanksgiving 2009

We had perfect weather this Thanksgiving in Casa Grande. It was about 80 deg. and our group of friends joined together for a potluck outside. I think there were 18 or 20 of us. Max Anderson cooked the turkey and the rest of us brought the side dishes. Roger did his wonderful fresh cranberry/pear/apple sauce and the mashed potatoes. It took some organizing (see photo) to get us lined up, but we managed group photos too! I have to include one guest who came late.... Max's cat, Lucky. What a beauty! I am also including a photo of the painting of the Grand Tetons I did on a cedar chest panel for my friend Kay. The piece is about 3-1/2 ft x 2 ft and done in acrylics. We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. We all have so much to be grateful for. Happy Trails......

Ajax Mine trip Nov. 09

On November 20th two Jeeps took off for 'wild' AZ offroad. We were headed to the Ajax mine and "Lulu's Cabin". Bob and Betty Green had Al and Dianne with them; Roger and I were in the 'green convertible"... The weather was perfect. Our first stop was the mine. All the folks in Green's car are rock hounds and marched up the hillside quick time, sledge hammer and pick in hand. Roger and hiked the side of the hill, found another covered shaft. Those miners must have been part mountain goat and mole. Those shafts are straight down in very rough areas!

One photo is of Roger standing by the covered mine shaft. Another is of the ore crusher complex across the riverbed from where we were. We could imagine the horses/mules? pulling the loaded wagons on those narrow, rocky "roads". The photo of the white Jeep is the Green's ahead of us, on one of the 'better' stretches of the road.

Our next stop was "Lulu's Cabin", a tiny cabin built into the side of the hill, which has a mine claim nailed to the door. The 'refrigerator' is built into the side wall of the cabin. It has a tiny porch which faces on to the cliff it sits on, looking across the riverbed below, and into the hills that surrounds it. In the distance there is an old mine shaft. We had lunch here, sitting on rocks, a lawn chair, and ice chest. The rock hounds brought back bags of beautiful stone and Roger and I brought back a great day of memories.

Happy trails......

Snow Bound

10/29/09
Whooeeee, lots of snow here in Trinidad. Trucks line the frontage roads along the freeway and fill up the large gas station parking lots. Originally we thought we would leave today as weather was 'supposed' to clear by noon. HA! Now they say it will be about 50 deg. on Sat, with a little sunshine tomorrow when it is supposed to be in the 40's. Meanwhile we are living in a Christmas card.

We did make it to Walmart, which is just across the highway overpass. Sheriff's car was blocking the onramp to the freeway. Word in Walmart was that they were about to close it down (I-25). So we picked up supplies and I got a haircut. Now I'm making baked oatmeal (cinn., apples, raisins, walnuts and oats) and we'll have hot taco soup for dinner. Fortunately we have big fat books to read and cable tv .... This town is prepared for this kind of weather though... big snowplows out on the road and everyone has some kind of
snow plow to clear their parking lots. However, nothing much can help at the 7800 ft Raton pass. TV has lots of crashes and overturned trucks to show us... so we are staying put for the time being. Thank goodness the Jeep can get us where we need to go.
Stay warm and dry out there..
happy trails.....

Snow Bound

10/29/09
Whooeeee, lots of snow here in Trinidad. Trucks line the frontage roads along the freeway and fill up the large gas station parking lots. Originally we thought we would leave today as weather was 'supposed' to clear by noon. HA! Now they say it will be about 50 deg. on Sat, with a little sunshine tomorrow when it is supposed to be in the 40's. Meanwhile we are living in a Christmas card.

We did make it to Walmart, which is just across the highway overpass. Sheriff's car was blocking the onramp to the freeway. Word in Walmart was that they were about to close it down (I-25). So we picked up supplies and I got a haircut. Now I'm making baked oatmeal (cinn., apples, raisins, walnuts and oats) and we'll have hot taco soup for dinner. Fortunately we have big fat books to read and cable tv .... This town is prepared for this kind of weather though... big snowplows out on the road and everyone has some kind of
snow plow to clear their parking lots. However, nothing much can help at the 7800 ft Raton pass. TV has lots of crashes and overturned trucks to show us... so we are staying put for the time being. Thank goodness the Jeep can get us where we need to go.
Stay warm and dry out there..
happy trails.....

Snow time in CO 10/24/09

What a difference 24 hours can make! Went from 76 to 36 deg. in 24 hours. Here are some photos of what Trinidad CO looks like in snow, very different from previous photos! The photo of Roger was taken through the window of the jeep, as he brushed snow off. We hand icicles (?) hanging off the coach. However, snow now is almost gone. But what a Christmas card view we had.

We had a little adventure yesterday, Friday. Coming back from town, we were stopped at the last stop light before the park. We heard a big screech, and were rammed from the rear. No one was hurt, and the Jeep seems ok... but the kid who hit us sure made a mess of his car. We were very close to a gas station so pulled over to exchange insurance info. When we were ready to pull away, Jeep wouldn't start! So we called AAA, I walked back to coach, and Lance and Roger waited for the tow truck. They got a "jump", crossed the overpass and bought a new battery. Roger doubts the rearender had anything to do with it, but it sure made for a crummy couple of hours. BUT, the kid's dad walked over later (seems they all worked at the resturant/gas business) and said it WAS a bad day for his kid. Police were on their way to pick him up for some other charge. Guys didn't stick around to hear the details. We celebrated surviving the whole mess later that evening by going to an Italian resturant in Trinidad, Rhino's. If you ever get to this town, be sure! to eat there, wonderful food and singing waiter/waitresses! We had a great two hour meal and entertainment. Who would have thought it in this littlel place. See, we are having life experieces on the road!

happy trails....