A Long Walk, Cacti Varieties, Bill’s Flight

Park Place RV Park

On Friday, Jan. 31^st I had a couple of things on my mind when I woke up. Oh gee, I just remembered that I had quite the dream too. Wish I could remember more about it but, as usual, I got separated from Bill and got lost. Never good dreams for me when that happens. LOL I lazed in bed until Bill was done in the shower and then got up and had mine.

Good morning!

I skipped my early walk and instead took my white poufy vest and our two chair quilts (from Nancy) over to be washed. No one is ever there at 7 – 7:30. When they were done, I hung them on the park’s clothesline. 😊 It’s a beautiful morning with very little wind. Bill and Duncan left for the flying field around 8 and I was happy to sit with Gibbs and have my tea.

Gibbs gets a brushing
and so far he's liking it.

The good news is that I woke up feeling better than I have in a number of days. I was afraid to speak it out loud, but my sciatica pain was almost non-existent! Sssh! It may not last! Once my tea was gone, Gibbs indicated that it was his turn to go for a walk so at 8:30 we went around the park. Not sure why, but he didn’t do the outside perimeter this morning.

I walked to Celia's Rainbow Garden
and took pictures as I walked through to the
flying field.

I dropped him off and a few minutes before 9 I slipped into my hoody and windbreaker only and set out with my tunes. There has been a lot of buffering with the Sirius XM over the last couple of days, so my songs have had many interruptions as I walk. Oh well. Today, it was later and warmer and I was feeling good so walked through Celia’s Rainbow Garden to Bill’s flying field.

There's my pilot

It was a nice walk and a nice surprise for my hubby. He’d had two flights already but had one more so I could watch. Sweet! My pictures aren’t great because it is hard to find the small planes in that blue expanse of sky. 😊 He did well, had a nice landing and then I moseyed on, back through Celia’s Garden to take pictures of some cacti.

A Saguaro hangs on

Time for a selfie on the waterless bridge

A few interesting things at the garden.
Frisbee golf, fitness platform (?),
RVW memorial, wood art that looks
like a roadrunner (top right)

Teddy bear cholla (left)
Staghorn cholla (right)

a small Saguaro that didn't make it

Prickly Pear

I’m not sure of all the names, one in particular escapes me, but I’ve tried to show you the most popular ones that are in the garden. Back home, I still felt good and that sun was so warm that I immediately changed into shorts and summer top. Gibbs and I sat outside on the patio and I delved into my book. The sun felt so good.

This one is unnamed.
It is a cholla of some kind, I think.

Bill was working with Duncan on the damage to our trailer panel from the tire blow out. It sounds like they know what they’re doing so I wasn’t concerned at all. I didn’t get a picture though, maybe tomorrow I’ll remember. We had lunch at noon, a sandwich for Bill and more soup for me and after another hour of sitting out reading, I went to the puzzle. 😊

Even a cement chair for you to sit in

It's coming along.

We sat with Duncan and Patty for a Happy Hour, until about 5:15, supper time. Bill grilled a pork chop and I fried 2 pieces of liver I had in the freezer. With onions, it was wonderful!! We had a salad and finished a shrimp ring we’d picked up at Walmart. We do love our shrimp. ♥

Gibbs had a good day, finding shade

Supper was good.
The liver makes me want to buy more!

It has been a lovely day, 69F/20C, feeling warmer than that in the heat of the Arizona sun. Warmer days ahead and we are all so ready! This is more like it and totally what we are used to down here. I hope you’ve enjoyed your day.

Good night!

Thank you for the visit.

A Busy Day, Parker for a Few Things

Park Place RV Park

On Thursday, Jan 30^th, I was up by 7 and out the door for my walk within 10 minutes. It was a pretty decent morning at 45F/7C and a slight breeze. I was warm but it seems that what I have acting up is my sciatic nerve so it ached the whole walk. I’d done exercises and blocking but it wasn’t helping this morning. That’s the worst I’ve felt it. I did the leg stretches a few times on the walk to get some relief.

Good morning!
A bit of a breeze this morning

I made it back and popped some Advil to have with my tea. I’m thinking the extra carbs I’ve been eating are aggravating it; Google says I should avoid them. I do try, usually, but have fallen way off that wagon in the last few weeks. It seems to make sense that it could be the biggest culprit. I haven’t had my good yogourt this winter, not able to find it since Walmart is stocking something different. That used to be my breakfast and now I’m eating cereal most mornings. Duh!

After I got inside the Suite, the sun popped!

After my tea and Rice Krispies w/cream & milk, I took Gibbs out around 8:30. I wanted to get back home and relax but once we got home, it seems the pain meds I took were doing the job and I felt just fine again. LOL 😊 Bill had gone flying with Duncan around 8 and when they returned at 10, my hubby and I drove to Parker for a food stock up.

The highway is down to one lane for a few miles
out of Quartzsite, heading north.

There is construction along I-95N, the route we take, as they are resurfacing the pavement. It is quite necessary so we prepare for the delays as we head out. We were only stopped for 5 minutes on the way there, which was awesome. We did the Walmart shopping thing first, then went to Parker Mail & Parcel Centre. Bill needs a FedEx box for a shipment so he got what he needed. At Walmart, I did pick up a couple brands of yogourt so I can have it with bananas for breakfast. I'll see if that helps at all with my issue.

This rail car is missing its calling.
It should be a diner or at least something
we could walk through.

It was almost lunchtime and would indeed be at least another hour before we got home so we stopped at The Early Bird Café just down the street and had a meal. What a great choice! They only serve breakfast and lunch and close at 2 so Bill had a toasted blt and I had a 3-egg omelet with hash browns and it came with a biscuit and gravy. Yum, it was delicious! ♥

Lunch was delicious.

My omelet was loaded with ham, spinach, mushrooms and cheese.
Hash browns were a little overdone but tasted good regardless.

Next, we were crossing the hwy to give Black Beauty a much-needed bath. Behind Terrible’s, the fuel station, is a diy car/truck wash so we pulled in the spot. Usually when we do this, the water spots are ‘terrible’ by the time we get home, but today, we dried her off before leaving the parking lot. Teamwork and she was smiling and looking pretty again. 😊

You maybe can't see her smile,
but trust me.................

Black Beauty was happy!

On our return trip, the construction caused a 14-minute delay but still pretty good with a fair bit of traffic. Again, we don’t complain because it needs to be done – badly. Bill brought the groceries in after I let Gibbs out and he did his best to get IN the way! My job is inside, putting things away. There are some meat items that need to be separated so I’ll do that today or tomorrow.

She's just gleaming! All for $5

While I did the restocking, Bill got out the truck wax and proceeded to make BB sparkle. It isn’t an easy job, his arms were pretty tired by the time he finished but boy, does she look purty!! 😊 

We waited here for 14 minutes.
This car is indeed in front of the STOP sign.
They stopped and then carried on.
The Police officer and traffic guard had to
run over and stop them. LOL
Have they never experienced this before???
He made them back up to the sign.

After taking Gibbs for his walk, I meandered over to the puzzle at 3 for an hour and made a bit of progress before returning home. Bill was just about finished so Gibbs and I sat out with him. Me with my book, him with his sock ball.

It's coming along, slowly without my partner.

When it cooled down, I moved inside and read some more of my book. Bill and Duncan were leaving at 5:30 for night flying so we were waiting until they returned before we had something to eat. Having such a nice lunch out today was smarter than we first thought since supper would have to have been fast and simple anyway. We had fresh shrimp and cheese and Tillamook ice cream. YUMMY

Bill used elbow grease and waxed Black Beauty
back home. I could fix my hair in her shine now!
We know it won't last long but our 'California' duster can
help keep it this way.

It has been a lovely day. Shorts weather – almost, so I wore my capris. We reached 67F/19C but still expecting a low of 40F/4C overnight. From here on in, we’re hoping the weather people are right and we’ll be in the high 70’s & 80’s/25+’s. Bring it on!

Tillamook Chocolate Peanut Butter
A little soft from the time it spent in our cooler bag earlier.

Bill was home by 7 and supper was just what we needed. I hope you’ve had a good day. Sorry to hear that family and friends back home have been dumped on again. ☹

This is my sister's back door of their
house. Gerry is scraping the snow off the porch.

Good night!

Thank you for stopping in.

Saying Goodbye, Quilling Class, Quiet Afternoon

Park Place RV Park

On Wednesday, Jan. 29^th the day changed its course from the get-go. Not the best news that Nancy began feeling some cold symptoms yesterday afternoon, but it was sad that this morning she felt and sounded worse.

Good morning!

So, we were up in this household before 7 and I was ready for my walk at 7:15. Nancy skipped walking with me, and decided the best action was to pull up stakes and head for home a few days early. ☹ It is no fun travelling when you aren’t feeling up to par. You need your ‘Spidey-senses’ at all times on the roads. So, it was a quiet walk, no one to talk to again, but I did have my tunes to listen to.

The sky was beautiful this morning

When I returned, Bill and Duncan were about ready to go to the flying field, so I made my tea and skipped cereal. It was Coffee & Snack hour at 9, and Gibbs needed his walk. We took his usual route and we were back home with 10 minutes to spare. 😊 I walked over with my coffee mug and we were all surprised (& a bit disappointed) that Sue wasn’t in attendance, nor were her usual tasty snacks.

I conversed with the small group and at 9:30 walked back to the Suite to grab a snack bar of my own. Sue felt bad, she forgot what day it was. No criticism as we’ve all done that before! Jess and Jessie picked me up a few minutes later for our quilling class. Jessie works the shop for the owner when she isn’t around so he drove.

There they go.
If you look real close,
that little white dot in the passenger window
is Cooper, the navigator. 💗

Today, there were 8 of us w/o Nancy, so a pretty full class. We made a shadow box, this time a desert scene. 😊 We had a lot of fun and the newcomers (4) enjoyed learning a new craft. We were rushed a bit near the end but all managed to finish our projects before the next class at 12:30. I like the little box that I made a lot; my She-Shed back home will be adorned well!

The Saguaros were a little skinny,
but we had fun and are proud of our creations again.

When we got back home, Nancy was within minutes of her departure so I quickly walked over for a goodbye hug (which she almost didn’t want to give because of her cold) and to say bye to Cooper and Jonathon. “whatdoin’ Jonathon?” he was such a little chatterbox this time. ♥ She was gone before 1 pm.

Bill and I had lunch and he went to get propane while I worked away at my blog. It took a long time with all my pictures but I got it finished by 2:30. While Bill and Gibbs dozed, I went to the puzzle for an hour and a half to see what progress I could make. It went quite well, working in a couple of areas. I miss my puzzle partner though!

I managed to find a few more pieces today.

We had Happy Hour with Patty and Duncan until just after 5:30 and parted for supper. Bill grilled himself a bacon cheeseburger and 2 wieners for me. When I realized I only had 1 hotdog bun left, I put both wieners in it with melted cheese. Yummy, it was loaded and delicious! We’re making a grocery list and tomorrow after he flies, we’ll head out for a restock of some items.

There was a bit of confusion at the empty site,
but Gibbs claimed Cooper's palm tree in earnest!
That settles that!

This has been a nice day. Mostly sunny throughout the day reaching a pleasant 64F/17C at the hottest point of the day. Gibbs and I got out for another walk before supper so he is a happy camper. He did hesitate at Nancy’s site though, before moving on. No van door to sit at today! ☹

Yum, a double dog. Delicious!
Good night!

Thank you for the visit!

An Oatman Kind of Day

Park Place RV Park

On Tuesday, Jan. 28^th we were up between 6:20 and 6:45. Bill and Gibbs first and then Gibbs and I next. The little bum gets Daddy up and then comes back to bed. 😊 Bill had his shower and I got washed and dressed before having our cereal. At 7:30, I took Gibbs for a walk and he chose to just do the ‘inside the park’ route at that time.

Good morning, Off to Oatman we go!

Bill, Patty, Duncan and I were in the truck at 8 am. Nancy was going to keep an eye on Gibbs for us today as we were headed to Oatman, the Burro village that we all love. It was a 2 ½ hour drive, with one stop in Lake Havasu City for a break before arriving at our destination around 10:45. 

Familiar roads from a few years ago
Turning onto Rte 66 to Golden Shores

Route 66 - these views are amazing.
You can see for miles and miles
Lots of Teddy Bear Cholla on this route

We didn’t see any burros along the drive from Lake Havasu City, however, Oatman was not a disappointment, within an hour and a half we toured shops, fed and pet 12 burros and witness a gunfight!

We were so happy that the burros were hungry
enough to visit the western town.

We all got our burro fix today

So pretty.
Mama-to-be on the right.
Her baby was moving quite a bit in that belly. 💗

The burros are our favourite attraction there as they are so adorable and calm. One very pregnant mama followed a couple of her companions around and accepted as many pets as we could give. She wasn’t too hungry, didn’t eat from our hands as the others did, but I did see her eating later on from the local stores. ♥ That baby looks due any day!

This is Oatman

We carried on to Kingman but first we made a stop in Cool Springs at Sitgreaves Pass. This Pass is a section of Route 66 in the Black Mountains of Mohave Cty, Arizona. It is at an elevation of 3,586’, steep, narrow, and curvy and considered one of the most dangerous parts of the road. Bill drove it expertly, as did Black Beauty, and as passengers we kept the ‘eeks’ to a minimum. 😊

This is a Captain America motorcycle.
#33 out of 110 replicas
From the movie Easy Rider.

How good a shot are you?
This Sheriff was pretty good and got
the banks gold back with one (or two) shots.

During the day, I took the time to check in on Gibbs via our Wyze security cameras. If he wasn’t sleeping on the bed, he was up on the back of my recliner. I wasn’t worried, Nancy would take good care of him and sent me a couple of her own pictures. We followed Route 66 through to Kingman, Az where we found Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner for a late lunch. It was 1:30.

A close up of the cholla cactus
Top right: Rte 66 comes right into Oatman.
Bottom right: These Saguaro inards are beautiful!
I would love one at the Ridge.

Passengers can look around but the driver is not allowed!!
The 2-lane highway was narrow with switchbacks.
Black Beauty and our driver was a pro.

Photos at Sitgreaves Pass

A stop at Cool Springs, out in the middle of nowhere.
This beautiful kitty wanted attention so I gave her a tummy rub.

We were all in agreement that a bacon cheeseburger was our choice and only I differed with my side dish. Instead of fries, I opted for onion rings. Yum. The homemade root beer came in a refillable mug and it was absolutely delicious! When Duncan and Patty stepped up and took the bills, paying for our meals, we were very grateful. It wasn’t necessary but a great gesture. ♥

From there, we went down to Bullhead City which is a long city from north to south. Traffic was busy enough at 3:30 but we carried on through to Needles and came back home through California until we caught off to Parker. We’ve not taken that route before but not going back through Lake Havasu City saved us about 20 minutes. The view is lovely, the ‘rocky’ mountains are sure picture worthy. 😊

Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner
Love the record design menu and the
guitar shaped serving trays.
The food was great and there are 2 
pretty trucks in this picture. (not looking at the white one either)

We pulled in to the site at 5:45 and Gibbs was excited. He wasn’t home alone much and when he was, he slept and kept guard. Nancy walked with him 3 or 4 times, or should I say ran with him? 😊 She loves our nuisance too and visa versa. We couldn’t thank her enough so we picked up a sweet piece of fudge (is there any other kind?) that I took over to her later.

A different route home through California
Still lovely views and saving time

After that big meal at 2:00, we sure didn’t need supper. Bill and I sat and watched a bit of news and then an episode of the new series Doc. Second one in and we are still liking it, so that’s good. My sister told me of another series that they watched so I caught the 1^st episode of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart on Prime Video last night as well. Hmmm, I’ll see which way it plays but it seems interesting.

I checked in on Gibbs at home a few times.
He was quite content in between Nancy visits. 💕

I was way too tired for blog writing so that is why the delay. Plus, way too many pictures that I need to sort through. Around 8, we had some cheese, crackers and I had a bit of my soup. That was just enough. 😊 It was an awesome day, we really enjoyed showing our friends this quaint little cowboy town. It turned out to be warmer than expected, Bill and I took our coats off early on, even though only 54F/11C.

He will miss his friend when she leves.
These are pictures Nancy took during the day.
Thanks again, Nancy, for looking after our baby.

Good night!

Thank you for joining us for our Oatman day! (warmer weather is on the way! Yay!)