The Alamo

We visited the Alamo in San Antonio. I think we had last visited it in the late 50's. Willard bought a novel of the Texas Revolution, Bugles are Silent, by John Knaggs. I bought another hat pin. The Alamo was founded in 1718, where 189 Texians and Tejanos fought against Santa Anna's army in the battle that inspired the cry "Remember the Alamo." It was a wonderful day! The picture on the right is Willard. You can't see his big grin, but it's there. The picture below is a close up of the Alamo.

The Riverwalk

We discovered the romantic Riverwalk along the San Antonio River just across from the Alamo where there were an abundance of sidewalk restaurants and shops. The Riverwalk is beautifully lined with tropical foliage. We rode the River Cruise (see pict. below), probably the closest to a cruise I'll ever get, since Willard won't even discuss taking a cruise. He wants to keep his feet "on dry land and in the good ol' USA." The picture on the right is taken of me (Jean) at one of many sidewalk cafe's along the riverwalk. We had a delicious lunch at this one. I forget the name of it. Anyway, afterwards we found a quaint little icecream shop for dessert.

Visited Mexico Today

Today we crossed the Mexican border into the border town, Palomas. We walked in feeling very uncomfortable. The streets were dirty, saw few Americans, and our hearts poured out for the beggars. We headed for The Pink House, a place recommended to us at the Dream Catcher RV Park. It was a large retail shop and restaurant. The food was delicious, the atmosphere enchanting, and the Mexican music added to the ambience. I purchased a hat pin and Willard bought a "singing" hat from a vendor on the sidewalk. We were glad we came, but decided we don't like to visit border towns. We know people that buy their medication, be fitted for glasses, and have dental work done in Mexico. And they love to shop there, too. I was amazed at the large number of Mexicans waiting in line to get permits to enter the USA legally. I just don't understand why some must sneek across. Do they have something to hide?

Willard golfed this afternoon while Jean read and caught up on correspondance and bills. We will head for Texas tomorrow. Hope the wind is behind us.

Dream Catcher RV Park in Deming, NM

Since our mail came yesterday, we left the Western Horizon Park in St. David this morning. We really enjoyed our week there. Willard golfed and fished. Jean enjoyed the hot tub almost daily and went to lunch with the Red Hat Ladies. She met a delightful 80+ year-old redhatter named Boots. She always wears boots. Seems she has about 13 pair. Late each afternoon we sat outside and played music, Willard on the guitar and Jean on the picking stick. One day we visited Bisbee where we toured a copper mine, strolled through the museum, and ate a wonderful meal at the Bisbee Grille. On another day we had the Tacoma oil changed.

At the hot tub in the Western Horizon Park we met Suzie. Then at the Steak Dinner we met her husband, Randy. They are a lovely couple. They entertain in Western Horizon Parks with a "Your Hit Parade" program and Randy presents workshops on Cell Phones. We hope we meet them again on the road.

This is our second time to stay at the Dream Catcher RV Park. It is really filling up, for many Snow Birds are traveling at this time of year. Some are going back home and the fulltimers are just moving on.

This is the time of year for allergies and we are being affected. The "cotton" is flying from the Cottonwood trees. In fact, at the St. David park they had to close the pool one day because the wind was blowing so hard the pool was blanketed with "cotton" and the catepillers that make webs in the trees. They were stopping up the filters. And who would want to soak in catepiller water? Not me! The "cotton" is actually the traveling seeds from the trees. The catepillers feed on the Cottonwood leaves and through metamorphis turn into butterflies or moths. I'm not sure which.

Western Horizon RV Park in St. David, AZ

Yesterday we arrived at the St. David park about noon. After setting up and eating lunch we attended an Ice Cream Social. We just relaxed the rest of the afternoon. Then we attended the Southwestern BBQ Supper in the park. We met some wonderful people. One couple was from Pueblo, Co. and were retired from education. Another couple was from Switzerland. They spend about 6 months in the US each year. After eating we were entertained by the Hired Hands Band. Another memorable day in this lifestyle.

Today Willard fished in one of the two ponds. He caught several crappie, but threw them back. Then we attended another ice cream social and was entertained by the Olde Tyme Fiddlers. They played favorite old tunes. After supper Willard went fishing again. Jean sat in the hot tub. Willard joined her later. We met people from Alaska, Louisiana, Wyoming, and Oregon. Tomorrow we plan on touring the Tucson area. The tempertures are cool nights and warm days. We couldn't ask for better weather. Worth doesn't like it much because he can't go outside with out a leash. Duster is always happy! Peggy (and Ray) called and asked us to come over to North Ranch for a visit. She didn't realize that we had already left Stanton. Jeannie (and Jim) called from Indiana just to talk. It was good to hear from her. Got an email from Bill and Karen. Wish they were here. I tried selling one of my clarinets (I have 3 with me) on eBay, but the bids weren't high enough. I'm not going to give it away, so I'll just keep it. Maybe I will meet someone on the road that will want it.

The Hired Hands Band

The Hired Hands Band performed at The Western Horizon RV Park in St. David, AZ. We attend their performance and it was wonderful. They are a family band and full time RVers since 1996. They also perform in Thousand Trail Parks. This summer they will perform in RV parks in Washington and Oregon.

Headed for St. David

It is 9:16 and we are on Hwy 10 headed for St. David. We spent two nights at the Western Horizon park in Casa Grande. It is a big park, but no grass, just concrete, gravel and a few young trees. It's a popular park and during peak season you can seldom get a spot. We happen to be coming as everyone else was going. They had a pool and hot tub which we enjoyed both nights. Now we are head for St. David to another Western Horizon park. It also has a hot tub, pool. An added bonus is the fishing ponds. Also, there are several golf courses nearby. We will be staying in St. David until Friday. That's when our mail arrives. I took an entrance exam for a Children's Literature Writing College. They called to tell me I had be accepted and had sent me all the information, so I called for my mail. I need to make a final commitment soon, if I am still interested. Do I really want to do this? I love this Verison National Access. I can get on line as we travel. And I don't have to go through my cell phone to do it. My, the wonders of technology. It sure is a bonus for fulltime RVers. Guess I'll go check my eBay to see if my old Noblet clarinet sold. I have three. I sure don't need that many.

Catching Up on Happenings in Stanton

We can't believe so much has happened in just 10 days. The inclement weather finally moved out and the sun blessed our camp again. So we began our "goodby" get togethers. The northern end of the camp hosted a weiner roast. About 60 attended. We all contributed food and proceeded to lick the platters clean. Willard entertained us with old Country Classic songs, then we sat around the campfire and talked as we made and gobbled down "Some Mores."

We went to Prescott the next day and got a travel approval from Jean's Retina Specialist. That was a load off her mind.

Joan and Jean completed their last hike down to Antelope Creek (2 miles) and back to camp. Nothing exciting happened. We just enjoyed the beautiful weather and the company. It took us 1 hour and 45 minutes.

We were invited to Val and Melissa's for a get together. They are from Canada and have a commercial mining operation on the other side of Rich Hill near Decision Corner. We met new friends and enjoyed the evening with some of our Stanton friends. Val showed us pictures of their mining operation in Canada. It is 300 miles down a gravel road out in the middle of God's Country. He and Melissa shared some of their adventures. Then we gathered around the campfire and Willard played his guitar and sang some of the old favorites. We had a wonderful evening.

Don, Penny, Karen, Bill, and Mark came over for Hamburgers Monday afternoon. Don and Willard had a jam session while the rest of us enjoyed each others company with the music as our background entertainment. The weather was perfect.

It turned cold and rainy the next few days. We stayed in the motorhome most of the day on Tues. and Wed.

Jean played in the camp Texas Hold'm tournament and won second. This winter she has taken a first, second and third place.

Today we said our goodbys and left Stanton for the next six months. We are now in a Western Horizon park in Casa Grande. We arrived about 5 pm. Jean cooked supper and afterward we relaxed in the hot tub and swam a little. Then we watched a movie and munched on popcorn. Bill called and said his car battery died while pulling it to Quartzite, so his new Brake Buddy didn't work. Too bad! Alice placed a conference call between her, Charles, and me. It was a great way to make some important decisions and make sure everyone had input. I must learn how to do that.

We are excited about being on the road again!

Rain and Cold in the Desert

Well, we went 141 days without rain...and the temperature has not been very cold until NOW. It rained much of the night and Rich Hill was covered with snow this morning. All is melted now, but it is still cold. Willard tried to metal detect, but it was too cold. I poked my head out of the motorhome this morning and that was enough for me. I haven't felt much like doing anything today, so haven't. I remember days like this in the stick house, too. We are getting anxious to hit the road. We plan on hitchin' up around the first of April. That means I gotta do some Spring cleaning around here...soon. But, I think I'll wait until tomorrow to start. For now I'll just play my keyboard and try to pull myself out of the dumps!

Look at that pile of tailings! Joel (our middle son) came for a visit last week. He wanted to prospect for gold. So, that's what he and Willard did. Now, in dry-washing the amount of dirt one moves determines the amount of gold you find. As you can see, they moved a lot of dirt and rocks. And they did find him some gold to take home. We really enjoyed his visit. Not only did he look for gold, but we attended a GPAA meeting and learned about finding gold with a metal detector. We also had a steak dinner with Don, Karen and Bill; went to Prescott twice (once for a Dr. appointment for Jean and once to go to the Casino); had a jam session with Don, Willard and Joel; went to Wickenburg to shop... He left Sunday. We couldn't believe how fast the week went.

Joel working to find that gold. 

This is Joel dry washing in Weaver Creek 

This is Joel and Willard prospecting for gold. We had a wonderful week long visit with Joel.  

Crowned "Queen of the Road" of Stanton Red Hat Gold Miners

On Tuesday I was crowned as the Queen Mum "Queen of the Road" in the Red Hat Society here at Stanton. We had a dilicious brunch and invited the men. The Opera House was filled to capacity. Willard sang to me after Karen and were initiated. We all danced to "Queen of the Road." I take over in October 2006. I selected Karen to be the Mini Queen because I know she will be back next year the first of October and we work well together. We will plan the October activity, then ask other Red Hatters to take turns planning and organizing the other activities through March. We had so many outings, luncheons, and just fun activities this year. The Red Hat Society is a disorganization with no rules or fund raisers. We just have fun and enjoy each others company. We have about 40 members here at Stanton. I'm looking forward to next year. Judy, our Queen Mum for the past two years, did an outstanding job and is a great mentor. I just hope I can wear the crown with the same enthusiasm and fun.

March 9, 2006

We are starting to prepare to leave Stanton. We will be storing our gold prospecting equipment in Bill's and Karen's 24 ft boxed in trailer and pay the storage fee of 50 cents a day. It is better than renting a storage unit in Congress for $60 a month. They are having extra keys made.

Today I received our new updated travel cards that we plan on giving to friends that we meet on the road. Included is our name, address, phone number, web page, and email. We have already traded with quite a few rvers that we have met. I write notes to help me remember them and where we met them on the back of their cards.

We are in the process of changing our address from Livingston, TX to South Dakota. In August we changed our domicile to SD because it is less expensive to live there. We don't pay state income tax. The registration on our vehicles are less, as well as the insurance. Also, when we make a big purchase (like a new RV or a new TOAD) we pay only 3% sales tax. We have our mail forwarding service out of Sioux Falls, SD and they have done a fine job getting our mail to us. We will keep using our Livingston mail forwarding until May, just in case I have not contacted everyone about our change of address.

I have also changed our email to jeanbass@escapees.com , a free service from Escapees. I just cancelled our account at Sisna and saved $100 a year.

I have begun cleaning out the cabinets, drawers, and bay areas to reorganize and discard items we have found we don't need. We took our rock trim saw and grinder over to Ernie's in case someone in the Rock and Mineral Club wants to use it while we are gone. I just weighs too much to haul around during our travels.

We are excited about Joey visiting all next week. We have a full schedule planned. We want him to have a taste of our life here at Stanton. Today Bill and Karen said some in camp are contemplating parking at another camp next year because of all the dust we seem to have, but we like it here and plan on making it our home in the winters for quite some time. We purchased two air filters and have had no trouble with the dust while inside our motorhome. Every year is different here and we always make new friends and get involved in new activities. Also, we enjoy reunions with old acquatintances.

But we are getting excited about getting back on the road. We've been here long enough. Only three more weeks!

Update

It's been so long since I have written anything and so much has happened. I'll begin with our activities today. Karen and Bill came by this morning about 8:00 and asked us to go with them to North Ranch (a nearby Escapees RV park) an have a biscuits and gravy breakfast. Of course, we didn't turn them down. After breakfast, we went to Wickenburg and went to all the garage sales we could find. I bought a sleeping bag, some corner shelves, a transister radio, a billfold, and a wooden model biplane. We met Carol and Bill at Kentucky Fried Chicken for lunch. Then after a stop at the grocery store and the post office, we headed back to camp. I cleaned up the RV while Willard played his guitar outside. I can't believe we can make such a mess of this place in such a short period of time. After supper, we took Duster for a walk around the camp then settled down to an evening watching TV.

Many of our friends have left Stanton or getting ready to leave. We plan on packing up and leaving about April 4, which is the last day we can "live" here. The rules say that no one can stay her over six months unless they are caretakers.

I have been having some health issues. My right eye needs some more attention. I am scheduled for surgery in two weeks and I will also be seeing a retina specialist. Also, I had an ecocardiogram to see if my heart valves are still leaking. They also took blood samples to see if my cholostral is still high. I also had an Xray of my lungs and took a breathing test. I'm trying to get ready for 6 months of traveling without having to worry about my health. I can't believe I have been having so many problems the past two years. I have always considered myself very healthy. I have changed my primary care physician to a doctor in Wickenburg, since we plan on staying near Wickenburg during the winters. And Prescot has quite a few specialists. I am now on Medicare and can receive medical attention anywhere. Before I qualified for Medicare, I had to go back to Utah for any madical problems, since my medical insurance did not cover anything out of state. Willard is strong and healthy. It is a good thing because he won't receive Medicare benefits until July. He was on my insurance, so he did not elect to have Medicare Plan B. We later found out that you can only apply for Medicare in Jan. and July. And it takes 6 months for the government to get the paper work done. He has hospatilization, so I told him, if he gets sick he is going to the emergency room. Enough of this!

I Just Saw My First Boat RV

Yesterday evening I looked out my window and low and behold a boat was moving into an RV site across from us. "Reel Dirty" is from Florida. The owners travel and camp in their boat. What a unique "RV." Imagine, you can live in your boat on land or on water. What a great idea.

Our Feather Friend Visitor

This morning we had an unusual visitor. Polly, a parrot that lives with one of the guests at Stanton came for a visit this morning. She didn't talk much, but she loved to pose for pictures. I spent most of the day trying to get our income taxes figured out. I hope this is the last year I have to do the long form. My life must get simpler. Jack and Hazel stopped by for a visit to let us know they will be going back home to Oregon on Sunday. We plan on meeting them at Blue Bucket in Oregon in July. Blue Bucket is a gold prospecting camp near Baker, Oregon. We spent a month there last summer and really enjoyed it. And Willard recovered gold, an added bonus.

This afternoon Willard and the "boys" practiced their guitars. They will be playing after the Potluck Dinner Friday night. It will be Don's last night to play with them. He will be moving to the Guest Ranch in Wickenburg where Penny, his wife, is working. They will begin preparing for their trip back to Houston for a visit with family. We hope to meet them on the road, for we will be heading that way in April.

We invited Mark over last night for a steak dinner. The food was good and it was fun hearing about all of his experiences this past year. He is remodeling his Airstream while he is here for a few weeks. Then he will be back on the road.

We are going to Laughlin tomorrow. Karen will check on Duster while we are gone. Hope we win some money!

Polly visited us this morning. She belongs to one of the guests here at Stanton.  

Polly loves to have her picture taken. 

The Old Bath House Work Party

As you can see, the Old Bath House is leaning. So, we had a group of our neighbors over to help fix up the old building which is located at our campsite. The rock structure to the left of the building was used to heat the water for the showers. The building is now level. We need another work party to replace some missing siding in the back and on the left side. The doors actually close now. Karen made delicious donuts for us all and Judy built a fire in the fireplace to help keep warm. Later Willard and I roasted hot dogs over the fire for lunch. Judy came back over later and read by the fire, while we went to Wickenburg. Photo by Snackmaster.

Our Valentines Day Wiener Roast

"Some had to go back for more."

We had plenty of food and boy was it good. 

Just visiting. It was great seeing Mark again. He arrived today (center of picture). 

We had a Wiener Roast at our site. About 40 people joined us. We had a wonderful time visiting and eating. Alice sang Happy Anniversary to JoAnn and Dave. It was their 23 wedding anniversary. 

Willard trying to keep warm. 

Jam Sessions in front of our Motorhome.

Willard is singing at the Jam Session. They try to practice at least once a week and entertain for various events here at Stanton Camp.

Don and Hollywood Don come over for a Jam Session 

We had fun showing him Stanton. Look carefully and you will see Stanley playing on the ATV at camp

Stanley's Visit

Austin sent Stanley to visit for a few days. We were to give him adventures around Stanton then send him back to Austin in Missoula so that he could share the adventures with his classmates. We have so many cacti aroun here that the first thing that happened to Stanley was that he got stuck on a cactus. Ouch!

Stanley is helping Willard dry wash.

New Friends from the Fulltiming Class of 2005 visit.

Snackmaster & Jan and Glen & Diane Hubbard (Rollin' Hubs) visited us at Stanton.
We gave them a tour of our treasured old ghost town and shared our gold prospecting hobby. It was great seeing them again. Photo by Snackmaster.

Typical Day at Stanton?

Actually, there isn't a typical day here at Stanton. At least not for us. I never know what tomorrow will bring. Usually Willard gets up early in the morning and takes Duster for a walk. Then he eats breakfast and heads for the hills to look for more gold. I usually sleep late, something I love to do, but couldn't in my preretirement years. Today, I showered, then went for a 4 mile hike up the back road to a creek. I took Duster because he loves to walk around in the water looking for fish. No fish in this creek though. But, he had fun looking. The walk took me two hours. I stopped along the way to enjoy the views. When I got back I completed two sketches of buildings in camp. I plan on using the sketches for my watercolor subjects. I'm taking private art lessons from an Oregon watercolor artist here at camp. People kept stopping by and admiring my work. Seems I spent most of the time talking. I then practiced my clarinet for about an hour while Willard fell asleep on the couch. After he woke up he decided to play his guitar and sing to me. We had leftovers for lunch and supper. A few friends stopped by. Willard panned out his gold for the day from his concentrate. Then we spent the evening watching television. That's one day at Stanton.

Karen's and Bill's Anniversary

Tomorrow is Karen's and Bill's Anniversary. Since our Rock and Mineral Club meeting is tomorrow night we decided to celebrate their anniversary tonight. We had a lovely evening. They came over about 5:30 and we cooked steaks on the grill and had baked potatoes and salad. We toasted their anniversary and ate to the tunes of the 50's. We learned how they met and married. It was great getting to know them better. It was a good evening.

Our day was a busy one. Willard and I slept late and had a late breakfast. Then we decided to practice our music. Then we had company throughout the rest of the day. About 3:30 we made a quick trip to Wickenburg to buy groceries. Don and Penny dropped by for a brief visit about 4:30, then Karen and Bill came over about 5:30. I love this life. There is never a dull moment.

The canyon winds a blowing. It's late and I'm headed for bed. Goodnight.

Update

We have really been busy around here. We had a recall on our Tacoma and had to go to Phoenix to get it fixed. We did some shopping while we were there.

Willard took Glen out drywashing to demonstrate the process. They had a good day considering the amount of dirt they moved. The more dirt the more gold. I think Glen was surprised how much work is involved in gold prospecting. But, the prospectors around here love to go out on the desert and HUNT for gold.

I got a perm. It's the first one I've had in years.

We invited Jack and Hazel over for hamburgers the other night. We had a great visit. Willard sang one of their favorite songs for them. Jack is an artist in watercolors and has quite a few of his paintings in galleries in Oregon. He is going to give me a few lessons. I'm looking forward to them.

I'm cutting Willard's hair again. It's been over 25 years since I was the family barber. I just hope other men in the camp don't come asking for haircuts. It's really not my favorite thing to do.

Austin sent us a Flat Stanley (a paper doll) to take prospecting. Austin is in the first grade and he is to give a report on Flat Stanley's visit. We had a great time with Flat Stanley taking him drywashing over by the Vulture Mine. I took pictures of him around the camp as well as stuck to the cacti around Vulture Mine. Then I sent the pictures, a journal, and information about Stanton back to Austin. We even included a little gold and some pretty rocks for his classmates. I hope Austin and the class are happy with the information.

I don't know where the time goes. But, we only have two more months here before we take to the road.