Saturday January 22, 2011

Milk Bottles purchased from Antique Mall in Mesa

Saturday January 22, 2011

Silveridge had one of their craft fairs today so I walked up and looked for awhile. There is
always such a variety of vender's with some unusual items. Some of it is the normal craft 'junk'
but mostly there are a lot of quality handmade jewelry and items of interest. I bought a very
unique scarf, a belt and a neckless made out of a yarn that is just beautiful. Most of this will
probably be for someone else but I couldn't pass it by as it was different and beautiful.
I talked to Char today who is my childhood friend that lives in Phoenix. I had planned to go over to see her tomorrow and we had talked about going to the Desert Botanical Gardens for part of the day. I called her tonight and asked for a rain check as I walked so much today, my knees are killing me tonight. Linda Courtney, another of my childhood friends from Peoria sent me an email telling me it is Char's birthday today, so now I feel bad that I cancelled my day with her tomorrow. I will try to make it up to her as we also planned of me going over next weekend.

After the Craft Fair, we went to Fuddruckers for lunch. They have the BEST hamburgers we have ever had. Another of our favorite spots to eat here in Arizona. Actually the way we keep dining out in our favorite places we will both be bigger than we already are by the time we reach home again. That is one of the fun things about being here as they have so many restaurants that we do not have at home. When we finished lunch we drove down to the Chicago Cubs training fields, When the players arrive in Mesa, we wanted to go down and watch them practice. The training field is called Fitch Park and is a few blocks from Hohokam Field. We have been told that they allow you to come in and watch and most of the time you can get a chance to talk to them. They are due to start arriving on my birthday, February 14. I'm getting excited for the spring training games to begin.

Last year we found a cream top milk bottle at an antique shop down by the ball park so we drove by but found they had closed the shop. We were really surprised as it was quite large. We drove on back toward Silveridge and I had remembered driving by a couple of antique shops last Sunday when I was looking for a car wash. We found the first one.They were having a flea market in the parking lot so we looked through it and bought a milk bottle from one of the vender's. We went into the antique shop and looked for a long time and ended up buying a pint milk bottle. The bottle was short and more 'squat' than the other's I have at home. Larry said Stafford's Dairy used this type of bottle before the taller, slimmer bottles they used later on for bottling cream. We also found a cardboard milk carton that was unusual and I found a small crock type creamer that was used in restaurants years ago. I ran into Dorothy, one of the lady's I paint with and she told me there was another antique shop just down the street. so We drove to it. We browsed through it for another hour or so, bought one milk bottle and found another one we wanted that was amber in color. When we took it to buy, there was not a price on it so they will call us when they contact the owner. We have a pretty good collection of milk bottles and enjoy looking for them. Some are nothing unusual but we try to buy dated ones and ones that are a little unusual.

We stopped at the grocery store and headed home. As I was thinking about the day, I decided my knees were probably hurting so bad tonight because I walked a lot and stood on the concrete at the antique shops. We had a nice day anyway and the weather was beautiful. We have had such great weather since we arrived that I feel bad that our family is suffering the sub-zero weather at home.

Sunday January 23, 2011

What else do you do on a day that the only thing on TV is the Superbowl Playoffs?? That's what
our day consisted of. So DA Bears showed their colors today. The Bears are as big of losers as
the Chicago Cubs. I will always be a Cub fan, however! I can't wait till they arrive for Spring
Training! We are planning to go down to Fitch Field to watch them practice so hopefully we will get some one-on-one time with some of them. We grilled pork chops and had a nice salad for
dinner. Another boring day of football on TV.

Monday January 24, 2011

We did a few things around here today and then went down to Apache Junction to another Antique Shop and looked around for part of the afternoon. We bought a cute little pint bottle and 2 small creamer bottles. The creamer bottles were pretty much like ones I have at home but they are hard to find so I went ahead and bought them. After leaving the Antique Shop, we went over to Native New Yorker and had a pizza and SEVERAL Beer!!! We played BUZZ Trivia at the bar and had a good time. Larry was drinking Black and Tans so he had a bit of a 'buzz' so I drove home. The weather today was pretty cool, I think the high today was 69 degrees so a little cooler than normal.

Tuesday January 25, 2011

Larry and I took a long walk around the resort this morning. The weather is beautiful today,
suppose to be in the high 60's or low 70's. It seems it is always beautiful here even if it is
not so warm, as long as the wind is not strong. I haven't yet made it to the pool as it just has
not been warm enough for me. The pools are like bath water but at some point you have to get out and that does not sound pleasant when it's this cool. I should be working on getting a little
color in my body as I am defiantly WINTER WHITE! You always know who has been here since fall as they are nice and tan.

Not sure what's on the agenda for today but since we came up to the club house, figured I go
ahead and post my blog today. Will write more and post later in the week.

FYI to those of you that follow my blog; When I publish a blog sometimes the spacing is screwed up. I go back to correct it and when I publish, it again appears messed up. I went to a help screen and someone suggested editing the HTML, which I tried and it was even worse than before. Sooooo-- just to let you know I've yet to figure out why the layout is so messed up after publishing. From what I've read on the help screen, many people have this same complaint with this particular blog spot. So guess it is what it is!!!!

Saturday January 22, 2011

Silveridge had one of their craft fairs today so I walked up and looked for awhile. There is
always such a variety of vender's with some unusual items. Some of it is the normal craft 'junk'
but mostly there are a lot of quality handmade jewelry and items of interest. I bought a very
unique scarf, a belt and a neckless made out of a yarn that is just beautiful. Most of this will
probably be for someone else but I couldn't pass it by as it was different and beautiful.

I talked to Char today who is my childhood friend that lives in Phoenix. I had planned to go over to see her tomorrow and we had talked about going to the Desert Botanical Gardens for part of the day. I called her tonight and asked for a rain check as I walked so much today, my knees are killing me tonight. Linda Courtney, another of my childhood friends from Peoria sent me an email telling me it is Char's birthday today, so now I feel bad that I cancelled my day with her tomorrow. I will try to make it up to her as we also planned of me going over next weekend.

After the Craft Fair, we went to Fuddruckers for lunch. They have the BEST hamburgers we have over had. Another of our favorite spots to eat here in Arizona. Actually the way we keep dining out in our favorite places we will both be bigger than we already are by the time we reach home again. That is one of the fun things about being here as they have so many restaurants that we do not have at home. When we finished lunch we drove down to the Chicago Cubs training fields, When the players arrive in Mesa, we wanted to go down and watch them practice. The training field is called Fitch Park and is a few blocks from Hohokam Field. We have been told that they allow you to come in and watch and most of the time you can get a chance to talk to them. They are due to start arriving on my birthday, February 14. I'm getting excited for the spring training games to begin.

Last year we found a cream top milk bottle at an antique shop down by the ball park so we drove by but found they had closed the shop. We were really surprised as it was quite large. We drove on back toward Silveridge and I had remembered driving by a couple of antique shops last Sunday when I was looking for a car wash. We found the first one.They were having a flea market in the parking lot so we looked through it and bought a milk bottle from one of the vender's. We went into the antique shop and looked for a long time and ended up buying a pint milk bottle. The bottle was short and more 'squat' than the other's I have at home. Larry said Stafford's Dairy used this type of bottle before the taller, slimmer bottles they used later on for bottling cream. We also found a cardboard milk carton that was unusual and I found a small crock type creamer that was used in restaurants years ago. I ran into Dorothy, one of the lady's I paint with and she told me there was another antique shop just down the street. so We drove to it. We browsed through it for another hour or so, bought one milk bottle and found another one we wanted that was amber in color. When we took it to buy, there was not a price on it so they will call us when they contact the owner. We have a pretty good collection of milk bottles and enjoy looking for them. Some are nothing unusual but we try to buy dated ones and ones that are a little unusual.

We stopped at the grocery store and headed home. As I was thinking about the day, I decided my knees were probably hurting so bad tonight because I walked a lot and stood on the concrete at the antique shops. We had a nice day anyway and the weather was beautiful. We have had such great weather since we arrived that I feel bad that our family is suffering the sub-zero weather at home.

Sunday January 23, 2011

What else do you do on a day that the only thing on TV is the Superbowl Playoffs?? That's what
our day consisted of. So DA Bears showed their colors today. The Bears are as big of losers as
the Chicago Cubs. I will always be a Cub fan, however! I can't wait till they arrive for Spring
Training! We are planning to go down to Fitch Field to watch them practice so hopefully we will get some one-on-one time with some of them. We grilled pork chops and had a nice salad for
dinner. Another boring day of football on TV.

Monday January 24, 2011

We did a few things around here today and then went down to Apache Junction to another Antique Shop and looked around for part of the afternoon. We bought a cute little pint bottle and 2 small creamer bottles. The creamer bottles were pretty much like ones I have at home but they are hard to find so I went ahead and bought them.

After leaving the Antique Shop, we went over to Native New Yorker and had a pizza and SEVERAL Beer!!! We played BUZZ Trivia at the bar and had a good time. Larry was drinking Black and Tans so he had a bit of a 'buzz' so I drove home. The weather today was pretty cool, I think the high today was 69 degrees so a little cooler than normal.

Tuesday January 25, 2011

Larry and I took a long walk around the resort this morning. The weather is beautiful today,
suppose to be in the high 60's or low 70's. It seems it is always beautiful here even if it is
not so warm, as long as the wind is not strong. I haven't yet made it to the pool as it just has
not been warm enough for me. The pools are like bath water but at some point you have to get out and that does not sound pleasant when it's this cool. I should be working on getting a little
color in my body as I am differently WINTER WHITE! You always know who has been here since fall as they are nice and tan.

Not sure what's on the agenda for today but since we came up to the club house, figured I go
ahead and post my blog today. Will write more and post later in the week.

Mesa, AZ - Week of January 16, 2011

Silveridge RV Resort

Mesa, AZ

Our Home away from Home

Tuesday January 18, 2011

Life has started to slow down some now that we are at Silveridge. We have begun to organize a little and starting to feel like home. I love to travel but it seems all we do is pick up and put away everything to hit the road. I like being in one spot long enough to have items needed at hand and not have to dig something out constantly.

I went up this morning to see the gals I oil paint with. I actually attend the Thursday class but there are a few in the Tuesday class that I know. Actually the only ones there this morning that I knew were Merle, Pat and Patty(our instructor). Patty said most of the ones in the Thursday class have returned this year so will be great to get back to the class and see them all.

Yesterday we went to Camping World to find light bulbs and some items for the motor home. They had none of what we needed so I guess we will have to visit Robert Criss, the dealer we bought the motor home from to get them. I'm not quite ready to unload my guts to them yet. I need a 'mood' to come forth before I visit their establishment. They owe us money that I'm sure we will never see, so that is one item that is up for discussion with them.

After we left Camping World, we went to eat lunch and then over to Trader Joe's for our wine supply. We bought several bottles to hold us over till we get back over for more.

Actually we have not done anything exciting since we arrived. It's just nice to kick back in the Arizona sun! It has been absolutely beautiful every day we have been here. Today's high is to be about 76 degrees but I think starting either tomorrow or Thursday, we are to get cooler weather.

Today is our 36th Anniversary so I made breakfast for the occasion. Ha! Tonight we are going to The Native New Yorker Bar and Grill for Wings. This is one of our favorite places in Arizona! It's been tough holding out until tonight to go. Tuesday's the wings are 39 cents each. Sometimes we get to craving them so bad! They have Parmesan wings that are to DIE for! We have tried making them at home but have never been too successful. Need to research a little about how to make them I guess.

Larry went next door to visit with Paul, his wood carving buddy. Paul showed him a set of birds that he is carving for his grandson and wife. Larry was really impressed by Paul's carving. Larry will never get far with his carving because, like me and my painting, he does not keep at it to improve. Paul is a tremendous wood carver and he has a little carving area in their outbuilding next to their trailer that he spends hours in doing his carvings.

Today is Wednesday January 19 and Larry left around 9:00am with Paul to join the wood carving group. Larry is still working on the same item that he started last year with Paul so he's not making a lot of progress. We were gone so much last year, he actually didn't have a lot of time to work on his carving. I really think he would enjoy it if he kept working at it.

I went outside tonight around 8:00 and didn't notice that Tucker, our little sweet baby--or more like it--Larry's baby--must have followed me outside. I came back in and was working on finishing my laundry and noticed that the other two cats were laying on the bed but didn't see Tucker. I didn't give it much thought as I figured he was in the living room laying on Larry's lap, or whatever. Later we were watching TV and the picture got bad so Larry went out to make sure the cable was plugged in. When he walked outside, Tucker came waltzing across the street from who knows where! He called him and he came right over and Larry opened the door and in he came. Later when I got ready to go to bed, I saw a white paw poking out of the closet in the bedroom and he had gotten into the big closet and would have been stuck there all night had I not noticed him. He loves to explore but it ends up getting him in a pack of trouble. The neighbors told us there are a lot of wild cats around the resort this year so to watch our cats closely when we put them outside on the leash. Tucker is lucky he did not run face-to-face with one of the the wild boys last night.

We arise each morning on a schedule --6:30am or before. We are awaken by a trio of meowing cats. They MUST have their teaspoon of moist cat food each morning and DON'T BE LATE with their morning treat. I told Larry this morning I should take a video of their constant meowing while waiting for their food and put it on YouTube! If we made them wait 30 minutes after our feet hit the floor they would still be singing in unison for the food. You would think it was a major world event and to them I guess it is.

While Larry was gone carving, I ran some errands and picked up a few groceries. I bought some canvases for my painting class tomorrow. They had a great sale on them at Michael's this week. Painting can get really very expensive by the time you pay for the classes, purchase canvases and buy a few items for each class. I love painting even though I lack a lot of talent in that area.

My blog is not going as quickly as when we travel. Every day is NOT like a 'bowl of cherries' --like nobody really cares about most of the things we do around the resort here, so I will be cutting down on my publications until our life gets so exciting that I need to write a daily blog again!

I went to painting class today which is Thursday. All but one of the gals are from last year and the new one is Darlene, whom I bonded with immediately. She is really a great gal and she is from Olympia, Washington. She said she was a beginner but OMG her painting turned out awesome! I think the newer you are to painting, the better you do as you have yet to pick up the bad habits. Interestingly enough in our 70 something temperature today, we painted a winter scene. I really love painting winter with the snow. It was a pretty simple painting which consisted of mainly trees with a stream running through. My trees ended up looking like the great Redwood's of California nested in snow drifts. Patty, our instructor, paints beautiful trees but that has never been my strong point(among MANY). I finished it, however, and it looks fine. Everyone's pictures always turn out so different. It's quite interesting to walk around and see the many interpretations of the same painting. Audrey, whom I made friends with last year, said her 'significant other' had seen Patty's painting hanging in the lobby of the club house last week and told her that he was really excited for her to paint this picture. She was so PO'd today because her trees were not the best and she kept commenting on how wonderful mine were. I offered to give her my painting to take home as I wasn't thrilled with mine either. It's always that way when you look at someone else's painting, you think it is so much better.

I came home from painting around 4:00 and found that my WONDERFUL husband, had cleaned inside and washed the outside of the motor home. He is ALWAYS wonderful when he does my work for me ---which is not often enough!! Ha!

We found out Tuesday night that The Native New Yorker has now extended it's 39 cent wings to Thursday nights as well, so we went back tonight and had wings and beer. We will burn out on them before we leave at this rate but mmmmmmm---- they were so good! The waiters all look like they are part of the Chippendale's! They are quite BUFF-- so even if you don't like the wings, it's enjoyable just setting in the bar, drinking beer and watching them strut their 'STUFF'. I think of my friend Sharon when I go there as she REALLY appreciates nice looking men!

Charlene, my childhood friend, that lives in Phoenix asked me to go to another of the dinner shows at the Dessert Bothanical Gardens on Sunday evening. We went last year when Leslie came out to visit. It's really a beautiful place and the entertainment is normally wonderful. She was not sure she could get tickets this late, since it is this weekend. Char is a member of the Bothanical Gardens so she gets discounts on entry and special events.

Tomorrow the Swap Meet(Flea Market) in Mesa, opens for the weekend so I might have to go over and look for something to buy that I just can't live without! The place is huge and if you can't find it there, you really don't need it.

Well this pretty much sums up our breath taking week! Hold tight for more adventures to come your way next week!

Saturday January 15, 2011 Arriving in Mesa, AZ

Saturday January 15,2011

We had a problem with the lift for the power jacks when we were preparing to leave the KOA this morning. The panel kept saying power source was low. We finally got the jacks to lift and headed toward RT 10 to Tuscan. We drove less than a mile and the motor home was bouncing and riding terrible. We went over a small dip in the road and it was like we hit bottom. We stopped before entering RT 10 and Larry got out and looked at the outside and under the frame. He said he did not think the air bags had inflated. He got back in and put the jacks back down and then powered them back up, started the engine and it sounded like the air bags inflated. He got back out and checked around the tires and saw that they were now inflated. We drove on and all was fine. I guess we will never figure out the weird things that go on with this 'POSSESSED' money pit!!!

We had a beautiful day to drive and the closer we got to Tuscan the warmer the temperature. We actually made the entire trip to Mesa without any further issues. We got to Silveridge RV Resort and stopped at guard house to pick up our paperwork for our lot. The guard followed us down so he could read the electric meter before we hooked up. I got out of the motor home to help get the car off the dolly and then he asked me if I had a pen as he forgot his. I got back inside and dug a pen out for him. As I started toward the front I caught my foot on the edge of the carpet and ---believe it or not--- fell VERY HARD on my right knee and hit the OTHER side of my head on the dash! OMG, I did not think I would get up this time at all. The guard went back to tell Larry that I fell and I could hardly keep from crying I was hurting so bad! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!!! It is like a 'death wish' has been following me every step of the way in the past few days. Thank God it was my right knee and not my replaced knee. If it had been the replaced one, I don't think I would have been able to get up as it is still so tender! My knee immediately swelled up to a HUGE red knot and hurts like hell! My dear friend, Cathy, offered to send me a helmet to wear after my terrible fall on Thursday. I think she should have 'overnighted' it to me along with some knee pads!!! The only good thing about the whole deal is I think I actually snapped my neck back into place after my fall Thursday. All day yesterday I had a very painful and stiff neck and could hardly turn it to the side. After my stupid stunt today it feels really good so I guess everything has a purpose????

Rod from across the street came over to hassle us a bit before we backed into our spot. He said he and Helen had a pretty rough trip coming down from South Dakota. They got here on January 1st. We got set up and I put the cats out on the leashes as they were all 'stir crazy' from cabin fever. We sat outside awhile and I came in to grill us a sandwich since we had not had anything much to eat all day. I went to get my glass that I left outside and Laura next door came over for a hug. She is such a sweetheart. As we were talking, Pat that lives next to Rod came over to welcome us and all of us talked for quite awhile. When I got back in, my sandwich was cold but I was so hungry I enjoyed it regardless.

Larry went to the club house to fill our water jugs for coffee and to pick up ice. I cleaned a little and then sat down for awhile. Someone knocked on the door and it was Paul from next door(Laura's husband). He brought us a big bag of oranges the he just picked today. I just love our neighbors and that is why we came for three months so we could reserve our same spot. Anything less than that amount of time and the resort will not guarantee a certain spot.
So we are here and glad to be here and half way settled. Our car and motor home is in bad need of a wash! They are both filthy from all the snow and nasty weather we drove through coming down. I'm sure the wash jobs are in the plans for tomorrow as Larry can't wait to get that job done when we arrive.

Friday January 14, 2011 Las Cruces NM

La Mesilla Square in Las Cruces, NM

I finished most of my laundry between last night and this morning. The weather was really beautiful today with the sun shinning and temps probably around 60 degrees. The cats are in heaven as one is laying in every square inch of sun shinning into the motor home. Of course Tucker picks his spot and Charlie and Raven take what's left.

We went into Las Cruces to La Mesilla, which is the old town part of Las Cruces. It was originally the capitol of the Arizona Territory. La Mesilla was also home to the infamous Billy the Kid. It is an area of old historic buildings that contain many gift and art shops and a few restrurants. They all surround the town plaza. At one end of the Plaza is a beautiful old church which had a Mexican wedding going on this afternoon. The only purchase we made was a bottle of olive oil for dipping from the Rustic Olive Shop. The shop carried many different flavored Olive Oils and spices and was an interesting place to look around.

Most of the shops were very high priced and I saw a lot of what we saw in Mexico last year. The prices were not as reasonable; most were priced three times of what we could buy it for in Mexico. The buildings were unique and a lady who worked in one of the antique shops was explaining how the original building looked before they turned it into the shop. The ceilings were all like a mud thatch over rustic logs. The outside was stucco as most all of them were and the floor was brick.

Each city we visit and see their 'Old Town' section, it makes me wonder if the buildings are REALLY authentic. We have been to so many 'Old Town's' in all our travels and it seems everyone of them basically look alike. Every shop is so high priced that it is hard to believe they can sell enough to pay the rent on the place. I just browse and never buy much because a very small portion of the merchandise is actually authentic from the area. Oh well it was such a beautiful day was nice to be outside getting some fresh air. After we walked awhile, however, I began to feeling so stiff and the entire left side of my body hurts today from my tragic accident yesterday! My left shoulder and arm is so sore and stiff, I can hardly lift my arm. It's amazing what a fall does to a person my age and it will probably take awhile to get my arm back in motion. My head feels like someone lowered a jackhammer on it where I hit yesterday. It's just hell to get old!!

After leaving La Mesilla, we stopped for a few groceries at our favorite place (NOT) WALMART! I think at least half of Las Cruces was there. It's a little late in the month for welfare checks but maybe they waited until the warmer weather came to go spend them. Anyway, we left there and stopped and had dinner before returning to KOA.

Taylor called when we got home and said they had a very nice time and were flying home tomorrow. They stayed part of their time at Steamboat at a house owned by one of Kyle's members and then they moved to Beaver Creek and stayed in a condo owned by another of the club members. They were both very nice as Taylor sent me pictures. I talked to Addy and then to Morgan for awhile, which only made me homesick for them. I have 3 more months to learn to be away from them!! That is the worse part about traveling is I miss my girls,granddaughters and the rest of our family and friends. I guess I am basically a homebody type of person as I hate being away for more than a week or two.

Well according to the weather forecast, Mesa is having beautiful weather with temperatures in the 70's. I'm ready for that but not much hotter as I really don't deal with the heat well. It will be nice to get there tomorrow and clean some of the winter crud off the motor home and the car.

Thursday January 13, 2011 Leaving Carlsbad

Night view of Las Cruces from KOA (not a good picture) much more beautiful.

We organized everything this morning in preparation of leaving. We drove the car into town and had breakfast at the Pecos River Cafe. The place was packed but we got a table right away and had a great breakfast.

We returned to the RV Park, loaded the car and left around 10:00 for Las Cruces. Today we will only drive around 150 miles to reach Las Cruces. As we drove the weather kept warming up and Larry was roasting with the sun coming in the windows on his side. He actually stripped off his sweatshirt and put on a short sleeve T-shirt. We were somewhere near El Paso when I got up and walked back to the kitchen to prepare us a snack since it was getting into the afternoon. We had a cheese ball so I got out a box of crackers and was spreading cheese on them when Larry slammed on the break and I went flying to the front of the motor home. I came to a halt when I slammed my head into the wood trim of the slideout behind the drivers seat. I layed there for a long time trying to decide if I was dead or alive. My head hurt like hell so I was pretty sure I was alive. Larry didn't have a spot to pull off the road so he just kept asking me if I was ok and telling me he was really sorry. I finally struggled up to my knee and pulled myself up and my hand was full of cheese and crumbled cracker. When I hit the floor, Charlie came racing up front and later I saw the litterbox was halfway to the kitchen and there were about 3 or 4 wet spots on the floor in front of the litterbox that looked like cat urine. As I was cleaning up spilled water from the cats water dish and the dried cat food thrown all over the place, I got to thinking that Charlie must have been thrown out of the litterbox when Larry hit the breaks. I have not seen Charlie move that fast for 15 years. His normal day consists of sleeping on the bed or the chair 23 hours a day. The only time he moves is to use the litterbox. My head has a nice bump on my forehead and with any luck at all I will have a black eye. On Monday I was doing something up near the dash of the motor home and raised up and almost bored a hole through the top of my head when I hit the edge of the TV that hangs overhead. So what I still HAD in the way of a brain is much compromised after today. The moral of this story is keep your rear in your seat while traveling.

We stopped for fuel near El Paso ,TX and it was warm enough to walk around without our coats for the first time since we left Peoria. I looked at the weather forecast for Mesa and they are calling for 70 degrees and sunshine for the next 10 days. I guess all the nasty weather we have driven through will be worth it if the forecast is right.

We arrived in Las Cruces at the KOA around 3:30. When we got parked and hooked up, I started laundry and then cleaned inside a little. Everything is so dusty and dirty from our trip to Alaska and from everyone working on the inside doing repairs for the past 3 months. I still have a lot to clean but will slowly get it done. We stayed at this KOA last year on our way to Mesa and it is very nice, clean and scenic. The park sets up on a hillside overlooking the town. It is really beautiful at night with all the lights of the city. We will decide tomorrow if we are staying here the second night or driving on toward Mesa tomorrow. The office at Silveridge closes early on Saturday so we will have to make arrangements with them tomorrow to leave our checkin information at the guard gate as we will arrive after the office closes, if we travel from here Saturday morning. We arranged to arrive late last year and there were no problems so I'm assuming we can do the same again.

Wednesday January 12 2011 Carlsbad NM

Carlsbad, Caverns

Larry, Linda Arnold and Ed Stafford










Larry, Linda Arnold, LaDell and Ed Stafford and Cecil Arnold




We left Carlsbad this morning headed to the Carlsbad Caverns. We decided to say tonight so we could see the caverns before we moved on. We have until Saturday to arrive in Mesa at Silveridge.

We arrived at the caverns around noon.It is only a 20-30 mile drive from Carlsbad. We talked to one of the park rangers at the caverns and he explained what we might like to see and how much time to allow for each area. He suggested that if we had not had lunch to eat in their dining area before going down to the caverns. We had a nice lunch and took the elevator 750 feet down which took 54 seconds, to what is known as the 'Big Room'. In this area there is a walkway around the perimeter and it took us about an hour and a half to complete the mile walk. The self guided tour passes by many large and famous formations including, Bottomless Pit, Giant Dome, Rock of Ages and Painted Grotto. The Big Room is a total of 8.2 acres.

During the early spring through the end of October, the caverns are filled with bats, known as Mexican free-tailed bats. Every evening at dusk, there is a mass exodus of these bats from the cave for a night of feasting on insects. There is a viewing area for visitors for this event and a park ranger gives a talk on bats. I was very (NOT) disappointed that during the winter--as in our trip today--that there are no bats in the caverns. The bats migrate for the winter to Mexico and do not return to Carlsbad until spring as mentioned.

The caverns were filled with spectacular formations. Various varieties of Stalactites and stalagmites are to numerous to imagine. There are 'soda straw' Stalactites created from water dripping down from the ceiling, and stalagmites that were created from water falling on the floor. Another formation known as 'draperies' was created from water running down a slanted ceiling. There are many different formations, many that look like pearls, lily pads,crystals and popcorn. There were many areas that looked like snow flakes with delicate edging.As we walked through all of the beautiful formations, I was thinking how much Leslie would have enjoyed it. She is our 'Science Queen' who know the ins and outs of how all of these things of nature occur.

We left the caverns around 4:00 pm and on our drive back to Carlsbad, I call LaDell as they wanted to go out to eat again tonight. When I called she said Linda and Cecil also wanted to join us but Linda was running errands so LaDell said she would call us before they left home and then pick us up at the motor home. When we got back we changed cloths and Ed and LaDell picked us up around 6:30. We went to a restaurant that was cafeteria style and I think most of us had liver and onions, which was wonderful! I have not had liver since I was pregnant with Taylor and became very sick after eating it at the Caterpillar Cafeteria in Pioneer Park. I had no problems eating it tonight and we had a nice salad and I had Chess Pie for desert, which was also great. We sat and talked awhile at restaurant then went back to Ed and LaDell's for coffee. These people are all so interesting and I have loved every minute that we have spent with them. It seems that all six of us bonded almost immediately. I was reminded of setting around with Larry's Aunt Maude and Aunt Lena listening to all the stories from their younger years. Setting there listening to these stories was like da ja vu! I really hate to leave as I feel we have become pretty good friends over the past three days. I told Larry last night that Linda reminds me so very much of my dear friend, Sandi Camp. Her actions, facial expressions and her 'devil may care' attitude just keeps me laughing. I would classify Linda as a 'rebel' in a lot of what she says and does. She gets crazy with the management of the Senior Community when they tell her she is not allowed to do ---whatever--and come hell or high water, she is going to do it. I just love her. LaDell is rather laid back and loves to do social things with neighbor and friends and is just a person that would be fun to spend your time with. When I say that about LaDell, I do not mean that Linda would not also fall into that group; they are just two different personalities . Ed is very entertaining when he tells his stories. He is so 'dry' in his delivery that he makesus laugh as well. Cecil is such a sweet person and even with his disability he is so pleasant to be with and he tries very hard to tell us stories but at times, Linda has to finish them for him as he can't remember.

Linda told me tonight that her son, Robi, has 36 acres of Pecan Trees. She asked me if I wanted pecans as she had a lot of them frozen from last year. I told her of course and that I would pay her, which she really got upset about. She informed me that she gets them free so why would she want to charge me for them. Then I had asked her about buying one of her paintings and she told me she would get it all together and send to me. She's such a sweetheart!

We just have had a great time here! We left the group at around 10:00 pm to come home. We were both exhausted from the day as it was really a very full day. We are leaving tomorrow morning for Las Cruces, NM for at least one night maybe two. We have an extra day to kill before we can get our spot at Silveridge. LaDell acted like she thought we should just stay there longer but we both felt we might wear out our welcome, so to speak! Anyway, we will decide tomorrow what we are doing I guess.

Tuesday January 11, 2011

From left: Will Stafford, Cecil and Linda Arnold

From left: LaDell and Ed Stafford and Larry

Pecos River running through the RV Park.

Pecan Tree outside our door.

We woke this morning and Larry went out to connect water and our water hose is frozen. Won't be having running water until the hose thaws today! Crazy Weather everywhere this year. We have never traveled when it has been this cold and I'm pretty sure I'm not enjoying it.

The RV Park is full of Pecan Trees. We have one outside our door and it still has a fair amount of Pecans on it. I asked LaDell today if the pecans would still be good at this time of year since they are harvested in the fall. She said she was sure they would be so I picked up a few to crack and check out. As I mentioned, we are on the on the Pecos River. Today Ed and LaDell took us on a tour around Carlsbad. We drove along the Pecos River and up on the hillside above Carlsbad. It is a scenic area and I'm sure in the spring and summer it is very pretty.

After our tour, we stopped to get a sandwich for lunch and sat and talked for quite awhile. After we had lunch we went to Linda and Cecil Arnolds, which is also Larry's cousin. They live just 5 or 6 houses down the street from Ed and LaDell. They are also a part of the Senior Community and have a beautiful house as well. Linda is quite a character and was quite entertaining to talk to. Cecil has Dementia but seems to carry on a conversation fine. He takes medication which helps him with his control. He seems like a very nice person and we really did enjoy our time there. The six of us are going for dinner at the Elks Club tonight.

We visited for quite a long time at Linda and Cecil's with LaDell and Ed. We all talked like we had known each other all our lives. I really enjoy hearing about the Stafford family from years past. Some of the things we talked about I had heard from the immediate family and others were new. This part of the family has lived around the Carlsbad area and done so many interesting things over the past 40 years, I was very entertained with the conversations. Linda and Cecil have a son and a daughter that lives in Carlsbad. The daughter has a 16 year old boy and the son has 3 boys, 18, 20 and 22, I believe. I offered to remove my shoes when we got there and Linda made it known that she has dealt with 4 grandson's for years and she was not worried about our shoes in her home. She is a real character and I love listening to her. Larry says she is a lot like her mother, Caroline. I was admiring Linda paintings and she told me several of them were painted by a lady she knows from Carlsbad, who is now 94 years old. As I moved on looking at the paintings, Linda told me she went to the college here in Carlsbad and studied art for awhile. She then showed us her paintings, which Larry and I both told her were very good. Later Larry said I should ask Linda if she would sell us one of her paintings. She was very flattered and amazed that we would want one. I told her I really would like to have one, not only because I think they are great, but because it would be something to remember her. She said she would think about what she could part with. She was very humbled by my request.

Ed brought us back to the motor home around 4:00 so we had some time to relax before we met them at the Elks for dinner. They called us when they were ready to eat which was about 5:30. Linda told us that Ed and LaDell love to eat at the first hint of evening and made us laugh the way she said it. She and Cecil are 'night' people. She told me she is so exhausted from her days of dealing with Cecil that she has no time to relax until she can get him to go to bed. She said she stays up most nights until 2:00am just to have some time to herself. I feel very sorry for her having to deal with the dementia. Cecil seems to do well in a conversational setting but from what Ed told us, he is quite different when he and Linda are alone. We should all be thankful that we have not had to deal with this issue in our lives.

We met Ed, LaDell, Linda, Cecil and Will, Ed and LaDell's oldest grandson, at the Elks. We had a few drinks and then had a wonderful dinner. We had a salad and the fare for the evening was Mexican. They served enchiladas, rice and beans and it was very good. We visited for a long time at dinner and then all went to Ed and LaDell's for coffee and desert. Will is such a great kid, very well educated and great to talk with. Ed told us he has a degree in Finance and one in Accounting. Currently he is not working and studying for his CPA. Their oldest granddaughter who is 18 is living here in Carlsbad with Will(her brother), to finish high school. Her parents moved to Texas and she wanted to finish school with her class so she stayed here. I asked Will if they got along living together and he told me they were 8 years apart so they got along very well. He seems like a very mature guy and was so polite with all of us.

We came home around 10:00 and since the temperature is suppose to drop tonight, we again unhooked the hose from the motor home. This time Larry drained it good so it would not freeze. When I hit he bed, I felt exhausted. I think I talked myself to death today, which for my family rare as we love to talk. We decided to stay one more night as Larry wants to got to the Carlsbad Caverns tomorrow. Ed, LaDell and Linda told us a great deal about the caverns so we decided we should see them.

Monday January 10, 2011

When we woke this morning, it was cold(er), windy and everything is full of ice. We walked over to Walmart and the parking lot was covered with thin ice and hard to walk without falling. The guy parked next to us told me that the roads were very slick and there were a lot of semi's overturned on RT 40 so he told us to take it very slow in the motor home.

We decided to go back east on RT 40 to Denny's and get breakfast just to kill some time before leaving town. We were thinking the roads might be better if we waited awhile. When we left Amarillo we took RT 27 heading toward Carlsbad, NM. Larry called his cousin Ed Stafford who lives in Carlsbad to make sure they were home and not traveling. Ed was very excited we were heading their way and told Larry he would find an RV Park for us and call us back. He made reservations at Pecos River RV Park which set directly on the Pecos River. When we arrived it was a very nice small park with full hook ups and very clean. We had barely parked and I was trying to clean up the place a little and someone knocked on the door. When I answered the door it was Ed and LaDell(Ed's wife). They came in and we visited for awhile and then they asked if we would eat Pizza for dinner. We agreed that sounded good so they said they would pick it up and we could come over to their house to eat when we were ready. We both took showers --WHEW-- that was so wonderful after two days without! We drove over to their home which was only five miles or so. It is located in an over 55 community and is absolutely a beautiful place. They told us that the maintenance crew takes care of everything for them, such as mowing and yard work, right down to changing light bulbs if needed . No hassle no worries for them. How wonderful that would be for us when we are traveling. During the summer it becomes difficult to leave home when we have to worry about mowing, etc. The community they live in is pristine and all the homes are new and just a beautiful place. LaDell is just a good ol' southern girl and someone you feel you've known forever. Ed is a very well versed,educated guy and really fun to listen to as he has some pretty interesting stories. Looking at Ed, I can defiantly see the 'Stafford' in him as I can imagine he must have looked a great deal like Gerald Stafford when Ed was younger. Ed is 76 years old and I believe LaDell said she is 75. They are both young acting and full of life. We had such a wonderful time with them last night and we are so glad we made the effort to come down to see them. LaDell has the whole day planned for tomorrow. I'm not sure exactly what she has in mind except we are all going to the Elk's tonight for dinner and Larry's other cousin , Linda and her husband who lives just a few houses from Ed, are going to join us. Ed is the son of Ellis Edward Stafford who was a brother to Larry's father(Art), and Linda is the daughter of Caroline Lenole(sp), who was a sister to Art. If Linda is half as interesting as Ed and LaDell, we will totally enjoy her as well.

We got back to the motor home around 10:00 pm(NM time--11:00 IL time). I was very tired as I was up early this morning again. Larry disconnected the water last night as it is suppose to get down in the 20's and we just want to make sure our tanks don't freeze.

Sunday January 9, 2011

Left Peoria on Saturday morning at 9:30am. It was only 10 degrees when we left and not much warmer in motor home. We are not sure, but Larry doesn't think we can run the furnace while traveling as he says the wind will blow out the pilot. We have only used the dash heater while traveling. It gets so cold that when we stop, we turn on the generator and run the furnace to warm the place up. It's nice for about 30 minutes and then starts cooling back down again. The cats are NOT pleased with the winter conditions inside the motor home and Charlie is especially not happy as he got a haircut just before we left home. They all agree this is as bad as riding in the 5th wheel without heat as they have done in years past.
Last night we stayed in the Walmart parking lot at Springfield, Missouri. Larry was looking for an RV Park to pull into for the night. I asked why we wanted an RV Park since we cannot fill the water tanks yet since it is still so cold. I figure as long as neither of us shower, the smell should not bother either of us!!! We both had a shower before we left home so today is only our second day and wet wipes work wonders in these situations.
We woke very early this morning since we went to bed so early last night. This is like living out in the Boone's as we have no TV, which we should not miss anyway. Since there is nothing to do but go to bed and read, we were asleep by 9:00. We walked across the parking lot to McDonald's and had a breakfast of champions--not exactly!
The weather was miserable all day today. It was right around 20 degrees but the wind was terrible when we left Springfield. The farther we drove, the worse the weather. It snowed a little off and on and then turned to a light freezing rain. When we got to Amarillo, TX, we decided we might as well take advantage of another free night on our Uncle Sam Walton. We are parked along with several other free loaders here in the Super Walmart in Amarillo.
We walked in to Walmart tonight to pick up a couple of items and asked a young man working there if there were any restaurants within walking distance that we could eat at. He looked at us for a few seconds and just shook his head --- NO SPEAKUM ENGLISH I'm thinking!@ We went to the deli to look for something to eat for dinner and it was either chicken or chicken. We had chicken last night from the Springfield Walmart so decided not tonight. Walked into the McDonald's located inside Walmart but had two meals there already today! I could cook but don't have water to do dishes so a real mess to fix much. I made my famous egg omelets before we left home to bring so we popped some in the microwave with some turkey sausage, made toast, juice and coffee. That was all from Carol's diner served on paper plates. What more do you want in a meal???
The checker at Walmart told us that the weather just got cold here today. They have a cold front that came in today and to stay cold through Wednesday. Right now, it is windy, misty and foggy here in Amarillo. Char, my friend in Phoenix, sent me a message today that it was a 'toasty' 50 there today. WOW --where's the warm weather?
After we had dinner someone knocked on the door, which always scares me when we are in the RV in a strange town! Larry went to the door but didn't open it. Some guy(foreign) was trying to ask him about his motor home. He was asking about the water and said his was full of water. Larry got his coat and walked over with him to his motor home, which I was a little concerned about. When he came back, he said the guy and his wife(girlfiend--whatever) were from Switzerland. came from Florida in the motor home and that they just bought it in Florida. The guy knew nothing about the motor home so Larry was trying to answer some questions for him. Then when Larry left, the guy told him they were heading to the Grand Canyon---WHAT???? Does he not know that this is January and Flagstaff has several feet of snow??? Larry told him this and he said they were only staying at the Grand Canyon a day. Well GOOD LUCK to you bud! I have no desire to see the Grand Canyon in January!
Larry is really wanting to go down to Carlsbad, New Mexico to see his cousin, Ellis. If we go we will head that way tomorrow morning. Not sure it will be much warmer there as I checked the temperature today and I believe it was only predicting high 30's or low 40's. At least at 40 we could probably de-winterize and have a few more luxury's--such as water!

Another wasted Day

Thursday January 6, 2011. Freightliner will not have the motor home ready again today but promised we would have it back early Friday. This is crazy and we have wasted the entire week thinking each day we will get the motor home back to pack. We are getting down to critical time now as we are due in Mesa on January 15. Larry is pretty upset because I doubt we will have time now to go to Carlsbad to see his cousin on our way out.

We wasted the day away but did pick up some groceries for our trip. We had lunch at Five Guys in Peoria. Neither of us were impressed. I placed a note on Facebook, saying the hamburgers were good but nothing we could not live without. I was bombarded by all the lovers of Five Guys Burgers. I personally cannot see what is so outstanding about the hamburgers as this place was all the rage when people found it was coming to Peoria. I personally would rather have a hamburger from Steak n Shake.

This was pretty much the sum of our day. Hopefully tomorrow will be more productive!!

Wednesday January 5, 2011

We received a call from Gab at Freightliner in Morton. His news was that he still did not find the cause of the failure of the engine brake on the motor home. He said he had decided to put it all back together and in doing so found that the alternator was bad. He ordered a new alternator which should be delivered tomorrow morning and he plans to put it on and possibly have it ready for us to pick up sometime early on Thursday. So we have yet another day of waiting. At this rate we will be lucky to get everything packed and leave by Saturday.

Talked with our friend Jerry , and he told us they had two bottles of wine they forgot to send home with us on New Years Eve. He wanted to bring it over so he could get it out of their refrigerator. We made plans for them to come over tonight and order pizza from Tyrone's.
Larry went to pick up pizza and Jerry and Jan arrived just before he returned. We had the pizza, which was very good, and then played cards for awhile before they left. Had a nice time.

One more day with nothing accomplished. Hopefully we can pick up motor home tomorrow and get going on the packing.

2011-The start of a New Year

Of course a bubble bath was in order to remove the ring after setting on potty for three hours!

The early hours of potty training

It's hard to believe that we are four days into the year of 2011. We had an absolutely wonderful holiday as the entire family was together. That alone, in my mind, makes the holidays wonderful regardless of anything else that happens. I love my family and nothing makes me happier than spending time with them. My daughters are absolutely a blessing in my life and now we are expanding our family one by one. I love my granddaughter's with all my heart and love my son-in-law for all that he provides for them. Leslie plans to add another member to our family this year in the form of another son-in-law named Pete. He is such a great person and will fit with our family like a glove. I am very excited for them and know they are anxious to start a family of their own. I am also excited to think of another grandchild to love. I am so afraid of how much I will spoil their child if they continue living within five miles of us. I yearn to spoil my two granddaughter's that are 175 miles away and seem to do a fairly good job considering the distance. When I have one so close, it will be impossible not to spoil it. That IS what grandparents do best so I'm ready for another as soon as possible!

Taylor started Addy on the potty training, much to Addy's strong attitude that she was NOT going to use the potty. We have been talking to her for month's about all the fun things she could do if she would use the potty and give up the diapers. Each time it is mentioned, she return an abrupt 'NO!' ,before you can get it out of your mouth. Taylor, Kyle, Morgan, Addy and Kyle's parents are leaving on Thursday, January 6, for a 10 day ski trip to Colorado. At Christmas I told Addy she needed to learn to use the potty so she could join the ski school when they get to Colorado. As is her usual, I got the definate 'NO' before I even finished my story. Taylor just decided that she had spent too much of her time changing diapers and set Addy on the potty about a week ago. The first time, Addy sat on the potty chair for three hours!!! Taylor said Addy cried until her eyes looked like a bull frog. After her three hour stretch and a red ring around her butt, she was sucessful in her venture and was so excited she had to call me. It's almost like she had a phobia for the potty chair and once she accomplished her mission, there was no turning back. Of course, the dirty job has yet to land in it's respective place so that is the next big hurdle for Addy!

Larry and I have been spinning our wheels waiting for the motor home to be released to us. It has been at Freightliner in Morton for between three or four weeks! Yes, I will never finish my book on the trials of owning a motor home! This time they are trying to, AGAIN, figure out our problem with the exhaust break. Remember in my Alaska blog when we were racing down the mountain side with no exhaust break to slow our progress???? I believe this makes at least five--possibly six trips to Freightliner trying to find the problem. If I recall, Anchorage Freightliner tried to figure this problem out two or three times and Morton has tried to resolve two or three times. The guy who is working on it now seems to have a real desire to find the problem so we would very much like to let him have it for whatever time he needs to resolve. We are patiently waiting for them to finish so we can pack for our trip to Arizona. We are planning to leave by Friday January 7. After our trip to Alaska, we unloaded many items to bring home, so at this point, it's hard to know what is there and what is needed. We have packed the obvious items and will have to take inventory IF and WHEN we get it home.

We are anxious to leave for Arizona, even though our reservation is not until January 15. We have thoughts of visiting Larry's cousin, Ellis Edward ,who lives in Carlsbad, NM on our way to Mesa. He called us in the fall and talked to Larry for a long time. This is probably the first time in 40 years that anyone in Larry's family has talked to him. I'm assuming the reason he called was to check off an item on his 'bucket list'. I think Larry wants to visit him so he can also put a check on his 'bucket list'. Larry has talked for years of visiting him and we have not had an opportunity so this may be our first and last visit as neither is getting younger.

Looks like a trip to Los Algodones, Mexico is in the future again this year. Larry just lost a crown off of one of his teeth today. We will not know the safety of going to Mexico until we get to Silveridge and find out from the residence. Many of the people at Silveridge arrive in October so by now, I'm sure, the word will be out on the safety issues.

We are keeping our fingers crossed that we will get the motor home back tomorrow and can dig into what is needed. Hopefully, we can load most of our items as the weather is to be a little warmer tomorrow. We are anxious to get out of town before the next blizzard hits Peoria.