Hoover Dam

New Bridge over Hover Dam

Laughlin, NV / Bullhead City, AZ - Happy Thanksgiving

Nov 22-Dec 10...We left Pahrump for Laughlin, NV. We parked the motorhome at the Railroad casino out of Henderson and drove the car to the new Hoover Dam bridge. What a site that is! We also drove down to the old bridge to get another view of the bridge. Once in Laughlin we parked the motorhome on the ridge overlooking the casinos. We dry camped for 4 days. It was a very nice view. We went for Thanksgiving dinner at the Riverside Casino Prime Rib room. It was ok but it's just not the same a 'home cookin'. On the 26th we moved to Ridgeview RV park in Bullhead City, AZ. It was nice for a few days and then on the evening of the 30th the wind started to blow and never quit. That first night we had to bring our slides in and from then on we tied down our slide awnings. Bob and Cheryl arrived on the 30th for 8 days. We got together several times for meals, football and cards! Dixie did more haircuts and worked on getting our Christmas photo cards and letters out. We also got our Christmas packages mailed to NC and WA. We stayed inside a lot due to the cool weather and winds. We did go to Joe's Crab Shack on the 9th for lunch. We filled up with propane before leaving the park on the 10th. From there it was a stop at “Smith's” to top off our fuel (had to do that before getting into CA due to $$). Hopefully we won't have to fill up while we are in CA. We ran into some road construction near Vidal Junction but other than that we had a good trip to Indio. We will stay at Indian Waters RV park for 2 nights.

The Guppy Family

Grandkids at the Seattle Aquarium

Pahrump, NV

Nov 2-21 …We were at Preferred RV resort for the first week and then moved the Charleston Peak RV for the next 2 weeks. While there we visited the Winery on Mike's Birthday on the 10th. We started with wine tasting and then had a wonderful dinner in the dinning room. We had a lovely evening. On the 17th we drove to Las Vegas for a flight to Seattle to visit Micheala, Tim and the kids. The flight out of SFO was full so we didn't arrive until late so we got a hotel at the airport and rented a car on Friday and drove to North Bend. While there we went to dinner Friday to celebrate the Oct/Nov birthdays (4 of them). Sat. we went to the Seattle Aquarium with Micheala and the kids. We flew back on Sunday – it was short visit but a good one. While in Pahrump Dixie did some haircuts and we spent time with friends. The weather wasn't great so we didn't get any hiking in.

Motorhome Trip South - Oct 2011

Trip South..Oct 29th We headed out at 9am...destination Idaho Falls Walmart – 361 miles! We stopped for lunch at the rest area near Divide and still made it to our destination of at 430p. We did our usual and went into Walmart and made some purchases! This was our first overnight at this Walmart and all went well. On Sunday we walked to Starbucks to use their internet and got on the road at 10am. Sunday we traveled 275 miles to the Walmart in Payson, UT. Monday we drove 280 miles to Mesquite, NV where we overnighted in the Rebel Truck lot. It was much noisier than we remembered from last spring! Tuesday we headed to Las Vegas where we stopped at Camping World and then to our destination of Pahrump, NV. We checked into Preferred RV resort shortly after noon. Dixie cut Cheryl's hair and we went to Bob and Cheryl's (friends from Chicago) motorhome for drinks and dinner. It was fun catching up with them!

The grandsons....Bailey and Nicholas

Brandon, Kat, Bailey & Nicholas Oct 2011

October 2011

October....Dixie saw Dr. Kluge, an Ear, Nose, Throat doc. He told her that she had a stone in both of her submandibular salivary glands. The bad news was they just hope that they pass on their own. The only other option it to cut them out and that is not a preferable method! It's now 3 weeks later and they are some better but not gone completely. The glands hurt off and on. On the 13th we flew to Houston. The first night we stayed in a hotel near the airport as it was a late arrival. On the 14th we visited our friend Ruthie at Villa Toscana. We spent 4 hours visiting with her. Her voice has improved a lot since we saw her last year. From there we overnighted with Roger and Karen. We went out for a lovely dinner with them and Casey and Corey and their families. On Saturday, the 15th we flew to Raleigh to visit Brandon, Kat, Bailey and Nicholas at Fort Bragg. That evening we went to a free Josh Turner concert at the Parade Field. Sunday we drove back to Raleigh and attended the NC State Fair. A good time was had by all. Nicholas's soccer game was canceled but we did attend his practice. We had a wonderful visit and left on the 19th. We had a long day as we started out from Brandon's at 6am eastern. We flew from Raleigh to Washington Dulles to Denver and arrived in Great Falls at 845p. The next item on the agenda was to get the oil changed in the motorhome. We brought it up to the condo on the 21st and started packing it up. The weather was warmer so it was easier to do. On Monday we took it back to storage. On Tuesday, the 25th Dad and Dixie cooked dinner for Doug's birthday. We brought the motorhome to the condo again on the 27th and did more packing. The forecast is for another 26 degree night so we wanted to plug it in and run the heat. Mike had his final dental appointment on the 27th where he got his crown. On Friday we had to go down to the crawl space one last time before leaving. We were told on Thursday that it would be very helpful if we patched the holes in the 'form-a-drain' with black tar. The idea is that this will stop the water from coming into the crawl space and force it to go to the sump pump. So we tried one more thing to fix this problem! Only time will tell!!!!! We finished loading the motorhome on Friday and then treated ourselves to a dinner at Dimitries Greek restaurant. It was our first time and we enjoyed it – the setting and the food!

Harvest in Hogeland!

Kerr Dam near Polson

View of Flathead Lake in the distance from RV at Polson Motorcoach Resort

Blue Angels getting ready to FLY!

August 2011

August...We started this month out with another FMCA Rally. We left on the 4th for Polson. The rally was at the Polson KOA/Motorcoach RV resort. We had to upgrade and stay in the motorcoach part. The view was incredible and the part was top notch. (the sites sell for $150K plus) While there we went to a car show, art & craft show, and hike to the Kerr Dam. The dam was a beautiful site (it is higher than Niagara Falls). We had a great time visiting our RV friends – Mike even won the Miniature Golf game and received a $25 gift cert to the KOA store. After a great pancake breakfast at the park we headed up the road to Lakeside where we parked in Jim and Diane Jenk's driveway. We went to the boat show, had a lovely dinner and went on a boat ride around the lake to Sommers! It was a beautiful sunset. Before leaving the next day (8th) Dixie walked with Diane and a friend...little did she know that they was 4 miles each day! We stopped and bought some cherry's that had just been picked and moved on down the road to Aunt Shirley's in Seeley Lake. We parked the motorhome in her backyard for 2 nights. We had a very enjoyable visit as usual while there. We headed back home on the 10th. We've attended several Alive @ 5 gatherings as well as the new Alive @ Lunch. It's great to listen to live entertainment and enjoy the great outdoors! We drove to the farm on the 19th and stayed until the 22nd. The harvesting was going full swing! Dixie spent her time doing 'hair' and working with Fran. We went on a bike ride on the River's Edge trail to the Black Eagle Dam on the 28th. This month it was time to visit the Dentist. Mike is scheduled for a root canal and crown in Sept...what fun! He is scheduled for Cataract Surgery on Sept 15th and 27th. This seems to be the summer for our health care!!!!!! It's time to start planning for our trip south! Where has the summer gone?

Levi and Tyler with their football hero, "Colt Anderson" at Jim & Shelly's on the 4th

4th of July Parade in Butte, America

Party at Jody's on the 3rd!

Flooding on the river, taken after our dinner with everyone at McKenzie River Pizza on June 13th

July 2011

July... We headed to Butte in the RV on the 3rd with Bill and Gloria. We stayed for 3 nights at the KOA. Attended a 4th party at Jody's on the 3rd where we saw Butte's spectacular fireworks display. Denita and family and Dad also were there. On the 4th we all attended a wonderful parade and then dinner at Shelly's. While there we took the Butte Trolly ride. It was very interesting and we learned a lot about Butte history. It's amazing how you can go to a town many, many times and never know a lot about it. On the 6th we moved the RV's to the Butte Civic Center for the Good Sam Rally where we hard wonderful entertainment the first 2 nights. While there we attended the Montana Folk Festival on the 8th and 9th. We headed back home on the 10th. We had a great week! Dixie gave blood on the 15th. Danny and Lexi arrived late on that day (due to – what else, canceled flights). Lexi stayed with us overnight the 16th while Danny attended a wedding in Butte. She did really well – spent time on the computer, going to the Pet Store and Grandpa's house. The next Day everyone but Dixie went to the Voyager baseball game. Dixie stayed home to cook! Danny and Lexi went to the farm for a few days and then came back to visit before leaving on the 23rd. July's bad news was that Chris Maloney was diagnosed with Cancer. He will be in Great Falls receiving chemotherapy over the next several months. Denita, Steve and the boys came to Great Falls on the 29th for the weekend and to attend the Blue Angles airshow. We attended on Saturday with Dad. It was a spectacular show held at the Montana Air National Guard near the airport. We both had our eyes checked. Dixie is trying out new contacts and Mike found out he has Cataracts. He will see a specialist in August.

Danny & Lexi at Giant Springs

Lexi, bungee jumping at Alive @ 5

June 2011

June...Dixie attended the 'cousins' party which was held this year in Chinook at Pearls. She road with Gloria, Dina, Shirley and Lacene. A good time was had by all once again. Denita and Dixie ordered a beautiful heart shaped pendant that they carry some of Mom's ashes in. It's a wonderful reminder and keeps Mom close at heart! We sure do miss her. We went to the PBR Bull riding in Belt with Bill, Gloria, Dana and Dad. Dixie saw an orthopedic specialist (Dr. Bortnem) and he believes her hip problem is a torn TFL muscle. He suggested PT. She had a massage and then saw Dr. Crane (Chiropractor). He gave her some exercises to do and it is gradually improving. The 16th-19th we drove to Billings for the first FMCA rally of the year. It was held at the Lockwood School. While there we went to the Pictograph Caves with Gloria, attended a nice Father's Day dinner and had a great time visiting with fellow Rvers. Dixie continued work at Fran's. She worked quite a bit while they took Levi and Tyler to Hawaii for 10 days. The Voyagers starting their baseball season and we started attending several of the games with Dad! Our crawl space was dry when we arrived home in May but after unusually large amounts of rain in June we now have a few lakes down there once again....More trenching and sore backs!

Rainbow Dam after all the rain

May 2011

May...Arrived home on Monday, May 2nd. Now the fun comes – unloading the RV. We settled into life back at the condo. Dixie gave blood, Mike continued with Ebay sales and we helped Dad follow up on some of Mom's issues as well as cleaning out her clothing and such. Dixie also started working with Fran again at Medical Accounting Services when needed. On the 13th we headed to the farm. We helped Levi celebrate his 17th Birthday on the 14th and Tyler his confirmation on the 18th. We also attended a benefit for Tim Cowen in Turner. We had a nice time visiting and seeing everyone. Dixie saw Dr. Legan for her hip that continues to hurt. Xray's showed no arthritis. Our landscaping in the back is finally being completed (2½ years later).

Headed Back to Montana

Apr 29 – May 2...We caravaned back home with Bill and Gloria, staying the first night in Mesquite at a parking lot across from the …. casino. We took in the seafood buffet and hit the road early in the morning. Night two we spent at the Brigham City Walmart and night 3 at the Walmart in Butte. While in Butte we went to Shelly & Jim's and had a wonderful dinner with them and Jody.

Palm Springs Ariel Tram

Clouds in Palm Springs on the way home



Easter Sunday at Hope Lutheran in Riverside

Dixie & Lexi at Pioneertown

Desert Pools RV Park

Apr 15 – 28...On the 16th we met Danny and Lexi at Palm Desert Civic Center Park for the annual Autism Walk. It was very hot so we didn't make it too long but we got our shirt and Lexi played in the water playground. From there we went to the COD Street Fair – we didn't stay long their either due to the heat. Did some shopping and went to Danny's for awhile. The wind started blowing bad on Monday, the 18th and it blew and blew and blew all week. We started playing water volleyball with the group in the park – 2 hrs each session. They play 6 days a week – we managed to make it 5 times during our stay. On Monday, the 18th we went into DHS & shopped at Angel View and Stater Bros. Our friend Ross visited us on Tuesday the 19th. We showed him some things about Ebay on the computer and then we BBQ'd some steaks for dinner. On the 20th we golfed 18 holes with Bill at the Desert Palm Country Club. Afterwords we had dinner with Bill & Gloria. Ross came back on Thursday and Dixie cut his hair. Denita celebrated her 40th Birthday on the 22nd. On Saturday the 23rd we drove to Aunt Marge's in Riverside. We took lunch and then shopped at Berean's Christian Store for a memorial gift in Mom's memory for Bethel Lutheran Church in Great Falls. That evening we went to dinner with Buster and Sandy. Had a great time visiting and catching up on the years events. We stayed overnight with Marge Easter Sunday we went to church with Marge,Don & Lexie. We had a nice brunch at the church following the service. Easter dinner was at Marge's condo. Danny joined us as well as Lexie's boyfriend, Ryan and his mother, Monica. We had a wonderful dinner! It would have been Mom's 77th birthday on Easter Sunday (24th). On Monday, the 25th we tackled the big job of washing the motorhome! On Wednesday we finally took the Palm Springs Tram ride to Mt San Jancito. The tram turns 360 degrees a couple of time on the 10 min ride. It goes from 2,643 ft elevation to 8,516 ft in 2 ½ miles. We watched a movie and walked around taking in the view. We then started on a 4.2 mile hike “Round Valley Trail”. We stopped to eat our lunch at a rambling stream and then started the hike up hill/rock. The 1st mile we encountered some snow but the 2nd mile was mostly all snow (ankle to knee deep). A this point we are asking ourselves WHY? There was a guy in front of us and we were following his footprints in the snow as you couldn't see the trail most of the time. We we got near the second half of the loop it became rocky and we lost the footprints and the trail. At this point we decided it would be a good idea to turn around and go back the way we came! We hated to have to do that but it was better than getting lost trying to find the trail through the snow! We now know why you have to get a permit to hike in that area...they failed to warn us about the lack of a well marked trail. Danny told us later that they often have people lost while hiking in that area!!!! Three hours later we arrived back at the tram station. We really did enjoy the tram ride and the hike!
We made our last stop at Trader Joe's for the season. Then we went to Danny's and sat in the Hot tu while Lexi went in the pool. We ordered a Pizza and ate at the pool.
Today the 28th we are getting the motorhome ready for travel tomorrow. Checking fluids, tire pressure, cleaning, etc. Tonight we are meeting Ross for dinner and we will head out early in the morning...destination – Mesquite, NV.

Mission Hills - LPGA

Polo Match

Sunset in Indio!

Happy 73rd Birthday Aunt Marge

Indian Waters - Indio, CA

Mar 24 – Apr 14...We left our park around 8am. We decided to drive up the east side of the Salton Sea for a different view. We arrived at Indian Waters at 1110a to find out that were were no 50 amp sites available. We decided to go to the Lake Cahuilla county park for the night. We came back at 9am on Fri and managed to get a good site right across from the pond/office. Ross visited that afternoon and Danny came for dinner that night. Saturday we did some grocery shopping. Sunday the 27th we went to a Polo Game at Eldorado Polo Club. Tuesday the 29th we went to the Kraft Nabisco LPGA tournament for the Celebrity PRO AM. It was hot out but we had fun walking around and watching the golf. Wed
the 30th we placed 9 holes of golf with Bill at the First Tee. Thur the 30th we finished out taxes and had some friends over for Happy Hour. On the 1st we headed to Danny's about 715a. Dixie stayed with Lexi while Danny was at work and Mike went back to the LPGA golf tourney. He also did some errands for Ross (picking up pictures and delivering to pro shops). On Sunday the 3rd we met Bill & Gloria at the Polo field again for 2 games. We had a fun time! On the 6th we played golf again with Bill at the 'First Tee'. Dixie was able to find a leftly hybrid club there both times we played! Lunch at Schlotzsky's after golf along with some shopping. We celebrated our 21st Anniversary on the 7th. Stopped and did some 'thrift store' shopping and then had a wonderful dinner at the Olive Garden. On Saturday the 9th we met Danny at the Augustine Casino for their barb-b-que and to listen to a couple of country bands. We enjoyed the music and watching the line dancers. We had dinner afterwords at the El Mexicali restaurant, a locale Indio place about 30 ft from the railroad tracks. On the 12th Aunt Marge and Don came for dinner to celebrate Marge's 73rd birthday! We had a great time visiting and eating!!!! Dixie did several haircuts in the 3 weeks we've been at Indian Waters. Mike did golf stuff for Ross - Ebay and local pro shops.
Thurs the 14th – we headed to Desert Pools after a painful stop at the 'truck stop' for diesel! ($4.49 per gallon).

Mike at the 'Yuma Territorial Prision'

Workers picking lettuce near Yuma

Desert Hot Springs, Winterhaven & Yuma

Mar 17 – 23 ….We left in the am for Winterhaven, CA/Yuma, AZ. Dad drove his car and us the motorhome. Doug and the motorcycle group arrived at our park (Pilot Knob) around 5pm. We went to the Mad Chef for Corned Beef and Cabbage with them. Doug and Dad stayed with us from the 17th – 23rd. We drove around the Yuma farm area and watched them harvest lettuce. We even helped ourselves to a couple of heads (well Dad did). We also stopped into a great date shop for a 'date shake' and some other goodies. We toured the old Yuma Territorial Prision. On Saturday we went with John Hebblemen, Randy Ross and Julie to the Moose Lodge where we had a wonderful Rib dinner and dancing. On Tue we drove around some more and stopped in and looked at Park Model homes and then Toy Haulers and Motorhomes. Dixie cut John's hair and then we all went out for a Chinese dinner. Doug and Dad left on Wed morning. Mike & Dixie did laundry and some house cleaning.

Mar 13 – 16... Mike was to fly back to PSP on the 13th but flights were full out of Denver. He decided to drive back with Dad and Dixie. We left Great Falls in Dad's Sebring convertible at 815a on Sunday the 13th. We drove 702 miles to Fillmore, UT where we overnighted at the Best Western. On Monday we arrived at Desert Pools RV park in Desert Hot Springs around 330pm. We picked up some dinner and went to Danny's. On Tue we went to the pool. In the afternoon we went to visit Bill and Gloria and then we all went to dinner at Babe's. On Wed we had Bob and Cheryl over for Happy Hour and Danny and Lexi came for dinner.

Mom's Memorial Service ~
Florence Irene Beck Hamilton
April 24, 1934 ~ March 3, 2011

Picture Board in memory of MOM

Mom's Memorial Service ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - March 13, 2011

Mar 4 – 12.... Pastor Steve came over in the afternoon and discussed Mom's service arrangements. Rod & Patty Morris and Russ and Cheryl Klette came by Dad's. Doug and Fran arrived the evening of the 4th. Dad, Doug, and I drove to Chinook on the 5th and met Denita and Steve at Edwards Funeral Home to make the arrangements. Mom was cremated as her request We also ordered flowers at Shore's Floral. From there we decided to go out to the farm. We spent the weekend going through pictures – we put together a slide show and a picture board for Mom's service. There was bunches of snow piled everywhere. We came back on Monday morning. Marge and Don arrived that evening. Danny flew in Tue afternoon. Mike was to have been with him but the flights were full. He ended up flying to LAS and then DEN and finally arrived at 1130p Tue. Russ, Cheryl, Marge, Don, Shirley, Doug and Fran were over for dinner at Dad's. Cheryl and Russ provided a wonderful spaghetti dinner. I took a fall on the ice when going to pick up Mike!
We left for the farm on Wed., the 9th. We got most everything set up at the church. Shelly and Jay arrived late in the day.
The Memorial Service on March 13th for Mom turned out really nice. We had 3 pastors – Steve, Cheryl and Rowlie as per Mom's request. All had lovely words to say. Ken Overcast sang and played his guitar...Granny's Mansion (his song) and Mansion on the Hillside. It was very special. The congregation sang I Was There to Hear You Bourning Cry and How Great Thou Art as were her request. I wrote a short Eulogy that was read by Pastor Cheryl. Approximately 200 people attended the service and 140 were served at the meal following. Due to the snow we will have the burial of the ashes this summer. Following the dinner we went to Wally and Loretta Becks to visit with relatives. We drove back to Great Falls on Friday the 11th. Marge and Don left for home on Sat. Dixie made phone calls to Insurance companies, etc to help Dad. Danny flys back on Sunday.

Mom at Missouri River Manor 2/23/2011

Mom on 1/29/11 while in the hospital

Mom's Long Road comes to an end

Feb 19 – Mar 3 ….Dixie flew back to Montana the afternoon of Feb 19th. She was able to visit Mom on Sunday. Denita and family were also there from Hogeland. Dixie got a haircut on the 24th and went to the dentist for a teeth cleaning on the 25th. She stayed with Dad and went to the Missouri River Manor to be with Mom daily. Mike flew up on the 24th. Doug, Fran and Danny decided to go on their trip to Purta Vallarta on the 24th. Mom's back and neck pain continued to get worse. The last day she was out of bed was Feb 22nd. It just caused too much pain. Jim and Diane came to visit on the 20th and Shirley and Shelly on the 26th. Pastor Steve made several visits to see Mom. On Sunday the 27th Mom told us that she was not going to make it. She talked to Doug, Danny and Marge on the phone and said her goodbyes. Denita came up on the 27th. I spent the night with Mom from the 27th to the 2nd. Denita stayed overnight with me from the 28th to the 2nd. Mom was not very coherent after 1st. By this time she just wanted to know 'how long it was going to take?' Mike flew back to Palm Springs early in the AM on the 3rd. Mom passed away peacefully at 515p on March 3rd. Denita and I had just left the room move items in the cars and I was headed to Doug’s house. I got Doug and Fran's tickets changed to fly back on the 4th.

Indian Waters Feb 10 – 18 ….We made the move to Indian Waters RV. Dixie stayed busy doing Haircuts. O the 12th we went to movie 'True Grit' with Danny and then over to Bill & Gloria's for burgers. On the 17th we got a call from Doug advising that Mom took a turn for the worse. She is not able to get up without excruciating back pain. Dixie made plans to fly back to Great Falls.

Wilderness Lakes - Menifee, CA & Montana

Jan 26- Feb 9....Mike drove to San Diego on the 28th to the golf tournament. He stayed with Ross for 2 nights and helped him at his booth and also saw a little golf. On the 31st Danny flew back to Ontario. Mike picked him up and they drove to Rancho Mirage where Mike overnighted with Danny. On the first Mike accidentally locked the keys in the car while filling up with fuel. $50 later he was on his way back to Menifee.
Mom continued to improve and was moved to a transitional care facility, Missouri River Manor on Tue. The 1st. She got settled in there and Dixie flew back on the 3rd. She had to fly into Orange County airport as flights were full to Ontario. She arrived at 830p. Friday was a rest up day! Saturday we drove the 27 miles into Marge's. We went to lunch with Marge, Don & Shelly and spent the afternoon visiting. Danny and Lexi stopped on their way back from Sea World and spent Saturday night with us. The also remained on Sunday and watched the Super Bowl with us. Dixie picked up a cold somewhere along the way and is feeling pretty lousy. Dixie talks to Mom daily and checks in on her progress. She is getting lots of occupational and physical therapy and continues to improve. We thank God daily for her progress.
We made a Walmart run on Tuesday. Dixie has a bad cold so we needed more drugs! Today, the 9th we move to Indian Waters RV park in Indio. We will stop at the Flying J on the way for fuel and propane.

Indian Waters - Indio, CA

Jan 12-25...Went to the movie Country Strong – good one! On the 14th we went to the FMCA RV rally, attending a class and wondering around the exhibits. On Friday the 14th we had Bill & Gloria, cousin Box Cox and Danny over for dinner. We enjoyed the afternoon visiting with Bob and had a wonderful evening. On the 17th we started helping Ross get ready for the golf tournament. Our first day of working the booth was Thur. the 20th. It was a long day but at least the weather was better this year. Friday was Dixie's 54th birthday. We spent the day working the tournament with the exception of a couple hours when Dixie went shopping. We found out that day that Mom was admitted to the hospital due to non-responsiveness and incoherence. The doctor found out that the ammonia level in her blood was very high. Dixie and Danny decided to fly back home. We left at 430am on Sat. to pick up Danny and then headed to the Ontario airport (flights we full out of Palm Springs). They arrived in Great Falls around 430p (had a slight delay in Denver where on take off the airplane windshield cracked). Mom was not in good shape when we saw her. She did start improving about 4-5 days later. The doctor had to give her & continues to give her lactulose, a form of laxative in order for her liver to work properly. The only way to remove excess ammonia from the blood is through excretion. She also had built up a lot of fluid that the doctor is trying to removed through medication.
While Dixie was gone Mike continued to help Ross at the Bob Hope golf tournament. On Wednesday, the 26th he moved the motorhome to our next park, Wilderness Lakes, in Menifee, CA.

Happy New Year from Desert Hot Springs!

Jan 1 -11 …..New Years Day! Danny came over around 330p. About 5p we drove to Pioneer Town and had dinner and listened to a couple of bands. On the 4th our friends from Chicago came over for dinner and some card playing. Tuesday we took a 'pickleball' lesson. It's cross between tennis & ping pong???? It's a fun game & good exercise. Unfortunately not too many parks have courts. Wednesday we played 9 holes of Golf at the “First Tee” (senior rate is $10 on that day) with Bill Brinkman and some of his friends from their RV park. We also had dinner with Bill & Gloria that evening. Dixie did some haircuts this week and the normal stuff..ie laundry! The weather has improved and we are now in the 60's. We utilized the pool and hot springs some. Friday we picked up Bob & Cheryl & went to the “$2 theater” & saw the movie, Secretariat. It was a great movie! We then made a Walmart stop & then to an authentic Italian Pizza place called Palermoes near the airport. The pizza was very good. Saturday was a stay at the park day. Sunday we went to Bob & Cheryl's for football, dinner, & cards. Tuesday we decided to hike to flag mountain. The weather was cool but sunny; perfect for climbing over 1,000 ft. to the American flag at the peak of the mountain. We had done the same climb one year ago but, somehow, this one was tougher to master. We attributed it to the fact that we had done very little hiking in the past several months. We had lunch and again signed the book hidden under several large rocks in a metal army ammo case. The total time of the hike was almost three hours. When we got back to the park, we immediately went to the hot mineral water tubs and soaked our tired bodies. We moved to Indian Waters RV park in Indio on the 12th.

 

Lexi ~ Dec 14th

 

Us ~ Christmas Day 2010

 

Steve, Denita, Levi, Tyler, & Shay

 

Dad & Mom ~ Christmas Day

 

Doug & Fran on Christmas Day

Our Time back in Montana ~ Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Dec 14-31 ...Had a good trip from Casa Grande to Desert Hot Springs. Arrived about 230p set up for our one night stay. That evening we went to Danny's & had an early Christmas with Lexi & him! Dixie did a quick haircut for a repeat customer right before we put the motorhome in storage. From there we took all our refrig/freeze stuff to Ross's condo for storage while we were in Montana. We had lunch at Applebee's & then mailed the Christmas packages. We met Danny at his condo where we left our car and he and Lexi took us to the airport. We got on with now problem & arrived in Denver to find out our flight to Great Falls was delayed but a couple of hours. We finally arrived in Great Falls around 1am. Dad picked us up & we stayed overnight with them.
Our stay in Great Falls....On the 17th Dad went to the farm and we stayed overnight with Mom. She has been in a lot of back and abdominal pain. On the 18th we attended Harold Struck’s 80th Birthday party. We visited with Russ & Cheryl there. Dixie worked for Fran a few days, gave blood, went to Mom's doctor and acupuncture appointments, & went to see the doctor for her hip pain. Mike went to the Peak & hung out at home (only had the use of one car so he was stuck at home a lot). Dixie cooked Christmas Eve dinner that we enjoyed at Dad & Mom's. Denita, Steve and the boys come up on Christmas Eve and stayed until Sunday. Christmas Day we had a wonderful Prime Rib dinner at Doug and Fran’s. We spent a lot of time at Mom & Dad's visiting and helping out where we could.
The flights were very full on our scheduled return day (Dec 28th) so we planned to wait until the following day...however the night before, due to the bad weather back east, we decided it was best to try for the original plan. The flights didn't look any better as the week went on. Surprisingly we got on the flight out of Great Falls at 720am. We didn't make the first flight out of Denver but we did get on the next one at 3pm. We arrived in Palm Springs around 430p. Danny picked us up and we stopped for dinner at a small Mexican restaurant. We overnighted with him & on Wed. morning we got the MH out of storage & parked on a sight. We will be here for 2 weeks & move to our park in Indio.
New Year's Eve Danny came over and we grilled steaks & watched a movie.