March Madness

We began the month of March with our La Fiesta Celebration. The theme this year was Marti Gras. We all hurried about preparing for the big event. We made masks, planned what to wear to the dance, prepared food for the big feast, practiced the program, decorated floats, cars and ATVs for the parade.


We gathered for the parade. I played "When The Saints Go Marching In" on my clarinet. It ended up being the only music in the parade. In about a block of walking and trying to play, I hopped on a golf cart to finish the parade. I can't believe I used to march and play. My my, that was so long ago.

We had a hot dog and hamburger cook-out for lunch at the Activities Center. There was also a dutch oven cookout, a pancake breakfast, and a big dinner before the program. It all ended with the Mask Dance. Artists in the community displayed their works, a dog show was held for our four legged friends, the King and Queen was crowned, and games were played. It was a full two days of activities.

We played "Waltz Across Texas" during the program. Paul played the accordian with us.

Above: Our line-dance group danced during the program.

The above photos were taken byMax Latimer.

We attend the Dance on Saturday night. Oh what fun we had.

Below: Another highlight for March was helping Dan purchase a house in Cedar City. It's on a 1/2 acre lot, so we will have plenty of room to park our motorhome during our Cedar City visits.

It was 16 degrees at night in Cedar Cityduring our brief visit, so the woodstove was welcomed.

Below: On the way to and from Cedar City we crossed over Hoover Dam. We have been watching this bridge being built for the past 3 years. It will be the highest arched bridge in the world and the second longest arched bridge. An amazing feat



March did come in like a lamb and is going out like a lion. It's been windy and cool all day. All is well......

Fabulous February 2009

After the Roadrunner Rally in Quartzsite, we hopped into the Tacoma and drove to Cedar City to visit with Dan and the kids. We had a wonderful visit, but boy was it cold (8 degrees). We had dinner with all the kids, spent the night in a motel and headed back to North Ranch the next morning. Then the rains came. Ol' man winter stopped off in Arizona bringing rain and near freezing temperatures. My tomato plants hung in there though. We covered Willard's gold diggings with a big plastic tarp, so it is still dry for dry washing. Today was a nice day, so he went out to his claim and brought back some gold. I got up early and went to the Activities Center to help the Busy Bakers bake goodies to sell. Afterwards, I attended a Red Hat luncheon in Wickenburg. On Valentine's Day Willard was asked to be the DJ at the Stanton Valentine Dance, so we are going there on Saturday. I am looking forward to it because we had so much fun last year. We are starting to pull out the maps and plan our Spring. We'll leave here in about a month or so and head for our annual Texas visit. We are not going to have a fixed schedule this year so that we can just be as free as the breeze. My 50th class reunion is in July, but we are not planning on being in the area during that time of the year. However, who knows what the next few months will bring. I love this lifestyle. "Boring" is not in our vocabulary.

Goodbye Roadrunners

We packed up and said our goodbys "until we meet again." Ten rigs stayed for another day or two. The rest headed out in every direction. This campout will be a special time in our memory bank. We learned that we can boondock for at least 11 days. We met a wonderful group of people that have chosen this lifestyle too. It will be great meeting up with them down the road and sharing our new experiences. We arrived back at North Ranch early, since we discovered our favorite BBQ place was closed on Sunday. Graceanne and Charlie were already back from their trip. It was good to see them again and hear about their Ham Radio Campout. Of course, we didn't miss the Sunday Icecream Social.

On Monday I went line-dancing and Willard just puttered around the place. He started another Jig Saw Puzzle. We went to the mailbox and ended up having lunch with Graceanne and Charlie at the Frog Rock Cafe in Congress. That afternoon Bill and Karen stopped by for a brief visit. I fixed a pot of Beef Stew for dinner and called Dan to see how things were going with him. Willard went to his Woodcarving class and I watched a movie on TV. Things are pretty much back to normal here at North Ranch.

Today (Tuesday) Willard went out on the desert on his ATV to do some prospecting. I'm washing clothes (it never ends). I called Robbie. Tayna was there so I wished her a Happy B-Day. I can't believe she is already 21. My tomato plants and herbs are thriving in my little Kitchen Garden. Life is great!

Saturday - The Last Day of the Campout in Q

The Sheriff's Potluck Dinner

A group of early risers gathered around the Louisiana Fireplace for coffee and donuts. I started preparing for the trip back to North Ranch. At 1:00 the women gathered to discuss ideas for living in our Alfa See Ya motorhomes. MaryAnne had a hot plate that I just loved. I must get one. She had some other great ideas to become more organized in the the kitchen. I also liked Robin's fold up colander. Dick and Melinda came over and we had a jam session. It was so much fun playing bluegrass music. It was a stretch at times because we were not familier with many of the songs; but, it was a good experience. Then...you guessed it....Happy Hour. Then at 5:00 we lined up to fill our plates with the food we all brought to the Sheriff's Potluck Dinner. Afterwards the sheriff was revealed. It was Nancy! She had spent the week taking notes on those of us that did not follow the rules. She fined Willard $1.00 for not remembering my birthday until 6:30 Suncay evening. I got fined for being too nice. Everyone had to pay a fine for some reason or another. It was all such fun. Clayton got a call from a Roadrunner trying to find our camp in the dark. Dianne and I went out to meet him and lead him in. It is hard enough to find this camp in the daytime much less at night. I think he was glad to see us. Don told me about a book they use while traveling: BIG RIGS, BEST BETS CAMPGROUND DIRECTORY. I will surely get that book before we take off in April. After a couple of hours socializing, we are back in the rig for the evening. Another great day with a lot of wonderful people. Life is good.....

Thursday and Friday

After coffee and donuts at 7:30, Dianne and Clayton brought out the grills and pancake batter and I prepared the sausage for our Pancake Breakfast. The pancakes were simply delicious. Dianne added some beer to the batter which made them light and fluffy. Nothing was scheduled for the rest of the day. Some went riding out on the desert in ATV and bicycles. Some went hiking and others went back to town. We ended up at the Tyson Wells Flea Market where we wondered in and out of hundreds of booths filled with almost anything you could ever want. Willard bought some Bass wood for carving and I bought a bow for my hair. Then we had to walk about 1/2 mile back to our truck. I was glad to get back to camp. Of course, we finished off the day with Happy Hour.

On Friday we had our new awning installed. Again nothing much was scheduled other that the usual coffee and donuts and, of course, Happy Hour.

Wednesday

We began another beautiful day with coffee and donuts. Then it was back to the Big Tent for most of us, where we waded through people to see the latest RV assessories, cleaning and cooking supplies, clothes, jewelry and massage machines. You could sign up for insurance, refinancing, and park memberships. This year we bought a big slide awning and some toe bar pins. We returned to the camp site just in time for a nap before Happy Hour at 4:00. We snacked on appetizers and engaged in great conversations while standing around the campfire. Slowly people retired to their rigs for the night, exhausted from another busy day at Quartzsite.

Tuesday at the Campout

This morning we had Omlets in a Bag for breakfast. The table was filled with goodies to put in our omlets. We had a yard sale in the afternoon followed by Happy Hour and then Bill conducted our business meeting. Nothing was really decided, but we did discuss several concerns. We finished the evening with lots of sharing and Willard played his guitar and sang in the background at the campfire. Another nice day.

Roadrunner Quartzsite Campout Photos

This is the crew in front of our motorhome. Looking forward to seeing everyone again in Jan. 2010.

Craig led a great problem solving group concerning our Alfa See Ya motorhomes and ideas on how to boondock with our rigs. That evening we prepared a good campfire for our weiner roast. What a great bunch of people to be associated with.

Roadrunners Quartzsite Campout

On Monday morning the guys gathered around the Louisiana Fireplace, the campfire, and the table with serious discussions.

Day 3 of the Alfa Campout at Q

We got to sleep late this morning because the Bakery was closed. It was a lazy morning. Willard, Charles and ___ Wiggington went out on the desert to look for Quartz and basically enjoy the area. I stayed home and puttered around the rig. We spent the rest of the day just visiting and not doing much of anything. At about 4:00 food started arriving from every direction and filled up four tables. It's hard to believe that we didn't have any leftovers, but we didn't. Willard and I entertained the group for about 30 minutes. They seemed to enjoy our music. Graceann and Charlie came over to visit. It was my birthday today. Alice White and Carolyn called and sang "Happy B-Day" to me. Graceanne gave me napkins with her beaded napkin rings around them. Willard had the group sing "Happy B-Day." We spent the rest of the evening talking and nuturing friendships while we gathered around the campfire. It was a good day.

Day 2 of the Alfa Campout in Quartzsite

Today started very early for us. We were to go get the donuts...at 7:00 AM. So, we got up at about 6:00 am and headed for town to get 3 doz. donuts. The coffee and donuts were devoured by 8:30. We then went with BJ and Charles to the Big Tent where "RV" venders were displaying their goods. There were just too many people to actually enjoy the experience. We then went to the bookstore. Yes, the one that is owned by the nudist. Yes, we saw more of him than we needed to. Then we got back to camp in time to prepare for the Spaghetti Dinner. Jean was in charge of the green salad. Dianne prepared the rest of the meal and it was marvelous. Sitting around the campfire finished the evening. The photo to the right is an ariel photo of Q during January. Our site is not in the photo. We are actually off the picture in the lower left corner. They say about 1 million visitors show up for the January events. Some come for the entire winter. We will be here for only a week. The weather is great with cool nights and 70 degree daytime temperatures. We now have about 25 rigs in our camp. What an amazing experience.

Day 1 @ Alfa Campout in Quartzsite

We left North Ranch yesterday about 11:00 headed for our first Alfa Campout in Quartzite. It's our first time to boondock for more than one night. BJ and Charles (our new Escapees friends at North Ranch) joined us. We met for lunch at a great BBQ place on the west side of Salome on the way to the RV Mecca. After arriving at Quartzsite, we ventured out into the desert at North LaPosa to the Alfa Campout area. To our surprise, about 5 rigs were already there. The campout doesn't actually start until Saturday. Anyway, we got parked and began our job as Assistant Wagon Masters. Clayton and Willard went to the storage unit to get the items needed (signs, coffee pots, etc) then proceeded to put out the direction signs. Jean and Dianne went to town to the Bakery to preorder donuts for each morning during the campout. We spent the rest of the day welcoming newcomers and just getting acquainted or greeting new friends we have met at the campouts. One group member got out his kite and flew it for awhile. About 4:00 we decided to find Graceann and Charles who were camping with the Ham Radio Club out on the desert on the way to Yuma. We rode with BJ and Charles. Graceann and Charles were not home, but were in town trying to find a place to eat. BJ and Charles invited us all to their rig back at our camp for BBQ ribs and all the fixins. So back to camp we went to enjoy a wonderful meal. Afterwards, we joined the group around the campfire until about 8:00. The stars were just beautiful. We could even see the Milky Way. Who could ask for more: great people, full tummy, warm campfire, and a breathtaking winter night sky. I just can't wait to see what happens next.

I did remember to take a few pictures of some gathered around the campfire.

Goodbye 2008 and Hello 2009

Well, it's been another whirlwind year on the road! Highlights: We celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary; Jean went on a cruise to Mexico with the gals and we both took another cruise up the Inside Passage with Joey and Beth; attended an Alfa Rally in Montgomery, TX; visited with Alice, Randy and his family, and Barbara and Harrel while there; visited all the kids (Texas and Utah); bought some property at North Ranch in Arizona; spent a month in Oregon prospecting for gold; visited Charles in Montana; and attended a Roadrunner Campout in Durango, CO. And we entertained at several RV parks along the way. Now we are back at North Ranch on our lot for most of the winter. Willard has taken up woodcarving and Jean is learning to Line Dance. Alice came for a short visit in November. And in December we visited with Joey and family in Ogden, UT and with Dan in Cedar City, UT. We will be attending another campout in Quartzsite, AZ in a couple of weeks. Life is good. I just wonder what is in store for us in 2009?
Happy New Year everyone!!!

Just Where has the Time Gone?

So much has happened since we arrived at North Ranch several months ago, I just don't know where to begin. One of our first projects was to do some landscaping. We modified our patio and planted some cacti and other desert plants. They're not much to look at right now, but with time they will be beautiful. We also put in a ceiling in our Studio ( the little building in the back of the lot in the photo below). The picture on the right shows one corner of the Studio. That's were we practice our music and Jean sews and paints. We also have some storage cabinets and a freezer in there. It's handy to have during the winter to help curtail cabin fever.
It's not sunny and warm all the time in Arizona.

We really enjoy this small lot. It's not very big, but we aren't here most of the time. And we don't want another house, yet. We don't want to worry about a house while we are on the road most of the year. Been there and done that! We can now pack up and leave in a matter of hours for 6 months or more, or we can just stay put if we need to. It works for us.

Below is a picture of our small young cacti garden and storage trailer where Willard also works on his jigsaw puzzles and does his woodcarving.

My sister came for a short visit. We managed to get a lot done in the three days she was here. We took her out on the desert for a 9 mile ATV trip to Willard's gold claim where we put her to work moving material and dry washing. We managed to recover some gold for her to take back home. We took walks around the park, and celebrated her birthday with a hamburger cook-out and birthday cake. For supper on Friday night we grabbed our neighbors, Graceann and Charlie, and all went up to Yarnell to the American Legion Hall for a Chicken Fried Steak dinner and to meet some of our friends from Stanton. Not much was going on, so we came back early. On Saturday we spent the day in Prescott just goofing around. On the way back home we took the back road and visited Stanton. On Sunday Charlie came over and we played music while my sister danced with the shovel and broom. It was so good to have her here, even if it was such a short time.
Photo: My sister climbing into our motorhome.

(Photo below) We captured this rainbow one afternoon in November. It was a complete rainbow and just beautiful. Willard prospects for gold out on the desert at the end of this rainbow. And there is gold in them there mountains.


We are involved in a lot of activities here at North Ranch. Jean line-dances three days a week, Willard prospects for gold and attends woodcarving workshops. Besides developing new friendships, we play music when we can and attend pot lucks, Saturday breakfast and Sunday Ice-cream Socials at the Activity center. We have had a yard sale since we have been here. And we've enjoyed visits by several of our Stanton friends. We have been out to Stanton a few times, too.

Last week we went to Ogden, UT in our truck to visit our son and his family (13 hour trip). To our surprise, we encountered a ground blizzard on the pass between Beaver, UT and Filmore, UT. It was dark and NOT fun. A car even slid off the road was upside down in the ditch. By the time we arrived at Scipio the road was clear, so we continued our journey. While in Ogden we did some shopping, attended the light exhibit at the Temple grounds in SLC, attended a basketball game at Weber State University, and played some music with Joey. We also exchanged gifts. It was great visiting with Joey's family for a few days. We had a short visit with Dan and Anna on the way home. We didn't get to see the kids, since they were all in school and we were running from another snow storm. Dan said it started snowing right after we left and there was about 3 inches on the ground by night fall. We arrived back home about 10:00 pm, bringing the storm with us. It has rained every day since. We are on a flash flood watch at the present. We are on high ground at North Ranch, so not to worry. I'm just glad we are settled in for the winter. It looks as if it will be a cold one this year. We will be here for Christmas and New Year's. In January we will be spending a week at an Alfa Roadrunner's Campout in Quartzsite, AZ . Never a boring moment.......

Back at North Ranch

We are back at North Ranch in Congress, AZ for most of the winter. It is good to be off the road for awhile. We have several projects planned like landscaping our lot and turning our shed into a studio. Willard will be prospecting for gold and hopes to do some fishing. I hope to get my exercise through line-dancing and walking. I also plan on painting in oils and water color and doing some writing.

Hoover Dam Bridge Construction

We travel over Hoover Dam each year on our way to or from Congress, AZ. So we have been watching the construction of the new bridge for years. It should be completed by 2010. It is an amazing feat. It's the highest arch bridge in the world and the second longest. Yesterday, after going through an inspection process by the Home Land Security Officers, we moved slowly through the area and over the dam. These are some pictures I took out the motorhome window.

Heading Back to North Ranch

We got up early Friday morning and headed for North Ranch for the winter. It was a beautiful drive from Durango to Cedar City where we stopped on Saturday to visit with Dan's Family. Dan played music with a group in the city park while the kids played. We enjoyed the relaxing afternoon listening to the music and watching the kids. Afterwards we went back to Dan's apartment to eat Pizza and watch a football game on TV. Trevor spent the night with us and we left for Arizona the next morning.

It's good to be on the road again.