Travel Day

We left Western Horizon RV Resort in St. David bright and early this morning. Even though it was 50 files farther, we decided to take the scenic tour around through Bisbee and Douglas instead of the freeway because of all the trucks. BIG mistake! We spent an extra hour looking at Yucca plants and bare mountains (see above). It has it's beauty, but enough was enough! Plus the road wasn't in the best condition. We made it into Demming, NM about 2:30 this afternoon. We are spending two nights here at the Escapees Dream Catcher RV Park. At 4:00 at all Escapees parks there is a social hour. So we went down to the club house and met some nice people, discussed alternative fuel and the like. It was good to be off the road because the wind picked up about the time we arrived. After the social hour we went shopping for a few items at WalMart, then back home for supper and evening activities (supper, TV, computer, planning, relaxing, etc).

A Quiet Day in Camp

We stayed in the campgrounds today. I washed clothes and tidied up the rig. We played music this morning in the rig and this afternoon we played outside. One woman came over and thanked us. Another lady from New York came over and we talked for quite some time. Earlier we walked up the hill to visit Mac and Marsha. The have to leave earlier than planned. In the middle of the afternoon we sat and watched the fish and ducks in the little creek that runs into the ponds. We ended it by watching TV after attending an ice-cream social in the Activity Center. It was a lazy day. We need those kinds of days from time to time.

Went to Tombstone Today

We went to Tombstone today to have lunch and to just goof around. We ate a wonderful lunch at the Chrystal Palace. It once belonged to Wyatt Earp. The waiter said it had the original ceiling, wall paper, floor, and bar. They have entertainment each Friday night. We might go back and have dinner and stay for the entertainment. I think it's a band. However, we don't plan far ahead...that's two days away. We might get hitch-up itch and leave here to see what's up the road. I can be ready to move in 30 minutes. Or we might stay until Monday. This afternoon we practiced our music, then cooked hamburgers outside and ate at the picnic table. The weather is perfect. To our surprise a delightful couple came by that we met in Soap Lake, Washington last summer. We invited them in and talked until 9:30. How time flew by. We missed a soak in the Hot Tub, but I'd rather nurture a friendship any day. After talking to them, we decided to purchase an Extended Warrenty. All of our warrenties are up on this rig this year. It will give us peace of mind. Wonder what tomorrow will bring? Hmmm.........

Tucson Botanical Gardens

We visited the botanical garden in Tucson today. The thing we liked best was the Iris Garden.

I also liked Herb Garden. We were really interested in the Xeriscape Garden where we had a chance to see plants we might like on our lot at North Ranch. I did learn that all the plants we decide to use in our landscape need special care for a season. Guess we won't do any landscaping until fall or winter, since that's when we plan on being there for a long period of time. Willard is getting interested in wood carving so we a stopped by a Wood Craft store on the way home to pick up a few items. When we returned home, I fixed supper and then we went to relax in the hot tub.

Back at St. David, AZ

Willard fishing for perch, bass, and crape.
We always enjoy the ducks here.

We arrived at the Western Horizon park in St. David, AZ about 2:00 yesterday afternoon. It was good to be back. We have been coming here at this time of the year for the past 5 or 6 years. As you can see, Willard is headed for one of his favorite fishing holes. He can fish here without a license, since the ponds are on private property. Last night we went to the Hot Tub to relax before hitting the sack. We missed the ice-cream social. This morning we got our mail. Alternative Resources forwards our mail wherever we land long enough for it to catch us. Then we have it forwarded to our next destination. It's a little pricey, but worth it. We are having trouble with our King Dome after coming down the Stanton road. I think something jarred loose. Willard took off the dome and checked for loose wires, etc. but found nothing unusual. We have a call into King Dome to do some trouble shooting. Just waiting for a call. We miss our Direct TV shows. Thank goodness we have cable here in the park. This is a rest day. Tomorrow we will go to Church and perhaps back to camp for a camp Easter Dinner. But then we may decide to go siteseeing.

New Tires in Wickenburg

We left North Ranch about 9:30 to wait for our new tires at Big O Tires in Wickenburg. We purchased 6 new Toyo tires. I like to think of it as putting new roof on the house. That's about how much it costs. They had no means to balance the tires, so we had to stay overnight in Wickenburg Tires so that they could balance them the next morning. We were headed for St. David, AZ to the Western Horizon park by 8:30.

Our Move to North Ranch

Well, we moved over to our lot at North Ranch early Friday morning (I think it was Friday). Anyway so far we have attended an Ice Cream Social, visited a Woodcarving class, and began getting acquainted with neighbors. Monday I went to Surprise, AZ with my Stanton Cruise buddies to shop and have lunch. I really like getting away with the girls. Willard stayed home and worked his crossword puzzle and did some work on the patio. Today Bill and Karen and two of their friends came over for supper. I guess you could say we are in the process of saying good-by to our Stanton friends. We have such mixed feelings. We're excited about getting back on the road, yet we know we will miss everyone. Here are some pictures I took this afternoon. I thought you might be interested in our new "home."


This is just an example of the sunsets around here. They are truly breathtaking.

This is a little park across the street.

Below is a picture of our motorhome parked on our lot. As you can see, there is a lot of work to be done.

This is one of our neighbor's lots. I like the oleanders.

This is the back yard of one of the lots. I like the trees and privacy fence. There are about 400 lots here at North Ranch. Some are big lots with nice homes and some are small lots (like ours). There is also and RV Park here where you rent a spot by the day. We have a Club House and Activities Center. Activities are line dancing, various interest groups: woodcarving, beading, quilting, writing, gold prospecting, book club, Tai Chi, rubber stamping, ham radio, painting, and crafts. There are also classes dealing with the computer, all kinds of card games, and a weekly jam session. There is a social hour each afternoon, and Ice Cream Socials, Sunday Breakfast, and Pot Luck dinners. If you are bored around here it's your own fault. After we are here for awhile and develop friendships we will have a much needed support group. Of course, we will keep in touch with our dear friends at Stanton. Most of them go back home during the spring and summer. However, some take to the road as we usually do.

You might want to check out our other web page. It has two of the songs Willard has written and some information about what we are doing with our music. Go to: http://www.myspace.com/wearecarefreeandcountry

"Isn't It Funny How Time Slips Away"

Millie, Carol, Alice and I went on a Cruise to Catalina Is and Ensenada, MX. We had so much fun. Carol drove us to Long Beach for 4 days of Fun in the Sun. But, it really wasn't that sunny. I'm looking forward to another Cruise. What can I say...I'm hooked.

Stanton Camp helped Ben celebrate his 92ed birthday. He has lived in camp for over 30 years. Because of Ben we have beautiful trees, plants, and organized rock gardens. We helped entertain at his party along with Ken, Dixie, Delana, Hollywood, Don, and Millie. Gifts were given and cake and ice cream served. Ben will tell us the rest of his story at his 95th birthday party.

Joy-el and I decided to teach line dancing on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. This is a picture of our group. I am so proud of them. They learned 9 beginner dances in a relatively short time. I'm going to miss this group. Some have already left camp.

On Valentine's Day we had a wonderful dance in the Opera House. Willard and Don were the DJs. They played requested 50's music. About 40 attended. I danced till I almost dropped. Oh what fun we all had. Thanks to Millie and Dixie for making it so special.

We have participated in quite a few jam sessions here at camp. Lately we have been playing on the Opera House porch along with Millie, George, Ken, Don, and Hollywood. We've even had a small audience most of the time.

We bought a small lot at North Ranch last week. If Willard can get to his gold claims on his ATV from North Ranch, we will probably stay on our lot next winter. We need to do some landscaping before we take off for the summer. But first we go to St. David, AZ to soak in the hot tub, fish, and golf for a few weeks. Then we will head for Montgomery, TX for an Alfa Rally. After the rally we will head back to North Ranch for about a month to build a retaining wall, and do some landscaping on our lot. North Ranch is an Escapees Park located just south of Congress, AZ. We love it in this area during the winter, but we want to be more free to travel in the winter if we wish. Stanton does not give us that option because the rules state that you lose your site if you move your rig or leave for an extended amount of time. North Ranch is only about 10 miles from Stanton, so we can visit our wonderful friends that live here during the winters.


We went to the big yard sale at North Ranch and Willard bought another guitar. It is a 1962 Gibson. Now we have 2 bass guitars, 3 guitars, a clarinet, fiddle, pickin' stick, and key board, three amps, mikes, etc. Unbelievable! But, we do love to play our music. It soothes our soul.



We are beginning to prepare to travel. I can't wait to see what happens next.


We went to dinner and to see Rex Allen Jr. at the Wickenburg Entertainment Center the other night with Bill and Karen. They gave us the tickets as a Christmas gift. It was a great performance. Thanks again Bill and Karen.




Red Hat activities: We had a caravan of 20 Red Hatters join the North Ranch Red Hatters in Surprise, AZ for lunch and shopping in early January. Then we had two Scrapbooking and Craft parties in the Opera House in camp. In February our outing was lunch at Golden Corral in Surprise, AZ. Some went to the big Flea Market, some went to Wal-Mart, and some went back to camp. Today we prepared and served the Wickenburg Museum Ghost Town Tour group. Eighteen group members toured our little ghost town and devoured our lunch menu of Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Potato Salad, Cold Slaw, Baked Beans, Veg plate, and Carrot Cake.



Tomorrow we are having a weiner roast behind our rig after Bingo. Millie's granddaughter is coming to visit and we are going to celebrate her arrival. We tend to find any excuse to have a party.



I finished this 30"x40" oil painting, finally. It's hanging over the "bar" in the Opera House. Some wanted a nude, but I have no training in painting people, so I just covered up the parts I thought I'd have trouble with. The nude painting that was there earlier was returned to its owner. Someone asked if I could paint a picture to replace the nude and I said I'd try. This is the result of my efforts.