Mike in his "Bears Gear" ~ a loan from our Chicago friends
Monday, December 13, 2010
Casa Grande, AZ
Dec 1-13 ...While in Casa Grande we have been pretty busy. The 2 weeks went by quickly.
Exchanged dinner's with our friends from Chicago as they were in the park the same time we were. We've spent some time with them watching football (they are avid Chicago Bears fans), playing cards and visiting!
Drove to Chandler (suburb of Phoenix) to meet a couple of classmates of mine (Duane/Jill and Diane). We had a wonderful dinner visiting and reminiscing.
I did a dozen haircuts, wrote & sent our Christmas letter/cards, and finished up some Christmas shopping. Mike went to the gym & piddled around the motorhome.
Went to some entertainment at the park – one was Johnny Bencomo, a great guitar player & singer. He performed old country (pre 1982) & is one of the few people that play an 18 string guitar. We really enjoyed the 3 hr performance.
Had our carpets cleaned so we are now all spruced up!
Met Ross on the 9th for a quick visit as he was passing through this area.
Checked out a couple of 55 + communities (always looking).
We leave tomorrow for Desert Hot Springs where we will store the motorhome while we are in Montana. We plan to fly to Great Falls on the 15th ~ providing United has some space for us!!!
Exchanged dinner's with our friends from Chicago as they were in the park the same time we were. We've spent some time with them watching football (they are avid Chicago Bears fans), playing cards and visiting!
Drove to Chandler (suburb of Phoenix) to meet a couple of classmates of mine (Duane/Jill and Diane). We had a wonderful dinner visiting and reminiscing.
I did a dozen haircuts, wrote & sent our Christmas letter/cards, and finished up some Christmas shopping. Mike went to the gym & piddled around the motorhome.
Went to some entertainment at the park – one was Johnny Bencomo, a great guitar player & singer. He performed old country (pre 1982) & is one of the few people that play an 18 string guitar. We really enjoyed the 3 hr performance.
Had our carpets cleaned so we are now all spruced up!
Met Ross on the 9th for a quick visit as he was passing through this area.
Checked out a couple of 55 + communities (always looking).
We leave tomorrow for Desert Hot Springs where we will store the motorhome while we are in Montana. We plan to fly to Great Falls on the 15th ~ providing United has some space for us!!!
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov 23 – 30 … Tuesday, another scrapbook day for Dixie.
Wednesday, Dixie baked a couple of pies and rolls to take to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.
Thanksgiving day had us driving 90 miles to visit Dixie's cousins Hal and Sandra in North Glendale, AZ. Hal's dad had flown down from Great Falls and was spending several days with them. The weather in Great Falls had been extremely cold with temps far below zero. It was so nice to be able to spend the day with a part of family. We had a great time (we have a lot to be thankful for) and, of course, ate lots of food and watched football.
Friday,we drove to Sedona in order to do the 'Airport Koop Trail' hike. It was a beautiful day, sunny in the high 50's, but the hike turned out to be a bit longer than we expected but exhilarating none-the-less. The airport is situated on top of a mountain, literally. We went to the terminal building and looked around. It's strictly a general aviation airport as well as a location for boarding helicopter tours of the area.
On Saturday, we again drove to Sedona for another hike. This one was about 10 miles north of town to the trail named West Fork. It was a trail of about 4 miles along a fast moving stream with 300 foot cliffs on one side. The temperature was cool, around 50, and at this location we were over 5,000 feet above sea level. We had to cross the stream several times and unfortunately when Dixie stepped on a rock that had ice on it, she slipped and fell. The water was shallow but very cold. She's ok except a little sore all over. We thought it best to turn around after that happened. We stopped in Sedona and walked through some of the many gift shops in town before driving back to our RV park about 12 miles away.
Sunday was an inside kind of day. It was a cool day and, believe it or not, a couple of snow flurries. Dixie did a load of laundry and worked on the scrapbooks while Mike did some things outside the motorhome and watched football. We plan to depart this area tomorrow in search of warmer weather south of Phoenix.
Monday, we had a slight delay leaving the park as the bedroom slide wouldn't come in. We discovered the pin in the gear had sheared off once again. This happened to us 3 years ago and luckily we had a spare one! We left about 130p and headed to Phoenix. After getting propane at the Flying J we headed down the road and overnighted at the Gila River Zee Quiva casino.
Tuesday morning we drove the motorhome to Interstate 10 and parked it at yet another casino while we drove the car to Trader Joes!!!! We arrived at Desert Shadows RV park in Casa Grande around 2pm. After we got set up we went to visit our friends from Chicago (Bob & Cheryl). We enjoyed dinner, drinks and conversation with them.
Wednesday, Dixie baked a couple of pies and rolls to take to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.
Thanksgiving day had us driving 90 miles to visit Dixie's cousins Hal and Sandra in North Glendale, AZ. Hal's dad had flown down from Great Falls and was spending several days with them. The weather in Great Falls had been extremely cold with temps far below zero. It was so nice to be able to spend the day with a part of family. We had a great time (we have a lot to be thankful for) and, of course, ate lots of food and watched football.
Friday,we drove to Sedona in order to do the 'Airport Koop Trail' hike. It was a beautiful day, sunny in the high 50's, but the hike turned out to be a bit longer than we expected but exhilarating none-the-less. The airport is situated on top of a mountain, literally. We went to the terminal building and looked around. It's strictly a general aviation airport as well as a location for boarding helicopter tours of the area.
On Saturday, we again drove to Sedona for another hike. This one was about 10 miles north of town to the trail named West Fork. It was a trail of about 4 miles along a fast moving stream with 300 foot cliffs on one side. The temperature was cool, around 50, and at this location we were over 5,000 feet above sea level. We had to cross the stream several times and unfortunately when Dixie stepped on a rock that had ice on it, she slipped and fell. The water was shallow but very cold. She's ok except a little sore all over. We thought it best to turn around after that happened. We stopped in Sedona and walked through some of the many gift shops in town before driving back to our RV park about 12 miles away.
Sunday was an inside kind of day. It was a cool day and, believe it or not, a couple of snow flurries. Dixie did a load of laundry and worked on the scrapbooks while Mike did some things outside the motorhome and watched football. We plan to depart this area tomorrow in search of warmer weather south of Phoenix.
Monday, we had a slight delay leaving the park as the bedroom slide wouldn't come in. We discovered the pin in the gear had sheared off once again. This happened to us 3 years ago and luckily we had a spare one! We left about 130p and headed to Phoenix. After getting propane at the Flying J we headed down the road and overnighted at the Gila River Zee Quiva casino.
Tuesday morning we drove the motorhome to Interstate 10 and parked it at yet another casino while we drove the car to Trader Joes!!!! We arrived at Desert Shadows RV park in Casa Grande around 2pm. After we got set up we went to visit our friends from Chicago (Bob & Cheryl). We enjoyed dinner, drinks and conversation with them.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Page Springs, AZ
Nov 16 – 22... Happy Birthday on the 16th to granddaughter, Adriana ~ she turns 11 today! After her early morning, before school call, we drove into Camp Verde to meet with longtime friend and Dixie's airline school and Continental Airlines roommate, Carla. The two of them had a good time 'catching up' on family and friends. Wednesday brought another move day; this time only a short drive of about 22 miles. We first stopped in Cottonwood in order to have a DirecTv technician take a look at our TV issue in the motorhome. We then continued on to a park near Page Springs, AZ. We were a bit anxious to be moving to this park after we paid it a visit a couple of weeks earlier. However, it's turned out much better than we expected. Only downer is we're in a site with no sewer hook-up. Hopefully, we'll be able to make do by using the park facilities as much as possible.
On Thursday we took a hike up the road to the Fish Hatchery and also wondered in a couple of wineries. That afternoon, we drove the 12 miles to the beautiful town of Sedona, AZ. We checked out the visitors center for hiking info, drove to the Village of Oak Valley and then stopped at the Chapel of the Holly Cross. The chapel is built in the hillside with a beautiful view of the Sedona Valley. We then walked through Tlaquepaque Village, patterned after that area of Mexico (outskirts of Guadalajara). There are galleries, shops & restaurants there.
On Friday, Bjorn the DirecTV tech came out twice – first to check out our TV wiring and again to install another receiver. We walked up the hill to the Page Springs restaurant and had B-B-Que ribs while overlooking the Oak Creek & the fall colors of the trees.
Saturday and Sunday we stayed in the park. Saturday we took a walk on a trail & Mike did some caulking on the roof of the motorhome. Sunday it rained off and on all day so we stayed inside. Dixie spent the afternoon working on a scrapbook of Adriana - one of the grandkids.
Monday we drove to Cottonwood to Walmart. We had some sunshine but it was still only in the 50's.
On Thursday we took a hike up the road to the Fish Hatchery and also wondered in a couple of wineries. That afternoon, we drove the 12 miles to the beautiful town of Sedona, AZ. We checked out the visitors center for hiking info, drove to the Village of Oak Valley and then stopped at the Chapel of the Holly Cross. The chapel is built in the hillside with a beautiful view of the Sedona Valley. We then walked through Tlaquepaque Village, patterned after that area of Mexico (outskirts of Guadalajara). There are galleries, shops & restaurants there.
On Friday, Bjorn the DirecTV tech came out twice – first to check out our TV wiring and again to install another receiver. We walked up the hill to the Page Springs restaurant and had B-B-Que ribs while overlooking the Oak Creek & the fall colors of the trees.
Saturday and Sunday we stayed in the park. Saturday we took a walk on a trail & Mike did some caulking on the roof of the motorhome. Sunday it rained off and on all day so we stayed inside. Dixie spent the afternoon working on a scrapbook of Adriana - one of the grandkids.
Monday we drove to Cottonwood to Walmart. We had some sunshine but it was still only in the 50's.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Camp Verde, AZ
Nov 8 – 15 . . . On Monday we did what we've done almost every day we've been at the Camp Verde park, that is, drove into town to either MacDonalds or Starbucks to use their wifi to connect to the internet. Tuesday we took a drive around the area and made a stop in Cottonwood and had lunch at the Hog Wild restaurant. It was excellent pulled pork BBQ. We also took a drive out to the park we go to next- Page Springs. It is a very small park with lots of trees and 'small' sites ~ hope we fit & get satellite! Wednesday – HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE! We drove to Prescott and wondered around Costco and Best Buy. Somehow this started our search for a new cell phone. Next stop was Jerome, a small old mining town on a mountain. The road from Prescott to Jerome is famous (at least 12 miles of it is). There are “158 curves in 12 miles”! It is a winding, curvy road with a wonderful view. Once in Jerome we wondered in a few shops and then had a wonderful Birthday dinner in a restaurant called “Grapes”. The front is all windows so we had a beautiful view of the mountain and sunset. On Thursday we went back to Cottonwood and checked out the phones at the Verizon store there. Looks like the best deal is at Costco so on Saturday we went back to Prescott and purchased our “Droid X” phone. We bit the bullet and went to a Smartphone & added a 'data package' so we can get internet. It's been fun learning how to use it & seeing all the cool things it does (wonder how we lived this long without it). On Sunday we finally got access to the parks internet, however it's not great. We can get email quickly but can't get to many websites. On Sun. afternoon we made the 38 mile drive to the little town of Strawberry ~ another curvy, hilly road. A lot of the drive was in the forest. We stopped for a cool one at the Sportsman Chalet. Monday Dixie did another haircut and then it was another trip to Cottonwood. This time to replace our remote extender at Radio Shack (one of the power cords stopped working on our other set). Can't live without it as it allow us to use the remote for the bedroom TV.
Sunday, November 07, 2010
On to Camp Verde, AZ
Nov 1 – 7...Mon...We headed out around 10am with our first stop being Dead Horse Point State Park. This is where many movies were filmed (specifically, Thelma & Louise & Mission Impossible II). The view of the red cliffs, canyon and the Colorado River is phenomenal. After a couple of stops & a walk around the viewpoint we moved down the road to Canyonlands Natl Park (Island In The Sky division). Our first stop was to eat our picnic lunch and then on to the Shafer Canyon Overlook. We made the short hike to an area where you could see trails where cattle were moved to the lower canyon to provide shelter in the winter ~ later the trail was made wider to accommodate mining vehicles. Our next stop was a ½ mile hike to Mesa Arch and then another ½ mile hike to Upheaval Dome (an inverted dome a mile wide & 1500 ft deep believed to be cause by a meteor or slow moving underground salt deposits). Either way it was quite a site. Next stop was the Grand View Point Overlook. We hiked on the rim where we could see for miles! To finish off the day we wander into a few shops in Moab and then stopped at the Moab Brewery for dinner.
Tue...Left Moab around 10am and drove 145 miles to Monument Valley where we overnighted at Gouldings RV Park. We were here 5 years ago so we just hung out at the park and hiked to an arch nearby.
Wed...We were parked in a 'pull-through' space so hooking up the car was not an issue. Our destination today is Camp Verde, AZ, a drive of about 240 miles and included many steep up and down grades of 5 to 8%. Thankfully, all went well and the motorhome performed flawlessly.
Thurs...The wifi in the park is inop and management does not know when it will be fixed. Since we depend a great deal on our computer for email and billpay while on the road, we made a trip into a MacDonalds in the big city of Camp Verde where they have complimentary WIFI. This worked fine on Thursday but when we tried it again on Friday, their system was down. Starbucks here we come. While there we were able to get online and get some things done. We made a trip to Cottonwood (11miles from here) to hit the local Walmart. We've met some of our neighbors who are from Oregon, California and Canada.
Sat...Walked to a neighboring Retirement Park that had a community garage sale going. We enjoyed the walk and checking out their stuff. Of course we made our daily trip to town (this time Starbucks) for WIFI. Mike shot a few baskets on the court in the park & then we hit the tennis court where we managed to hit the ball for some exercise. We attended a spaghetti dinner at the clubhouse and then listened to the entertainment – a family group called “Hired Hands”. They played & sang country and some classic rock music for 2 hours. They were very good and played several instruments. One of the members was a young man about 18 years old who was a Black Belt in Ti Quan Do.
Sun...Nothing specific on the agenda today. I have 3 requests for haircuts for people that are leaving soon so today may be the day.
Tue...Left Moab around 10am and drove 145 miles to Monument Valley where we overnighted at Gouldings RV Park. We were here 5 years ago so we just hung out at the park and hiked to an arch nearby.
Wed...We were parked in a 'pull-through' space so hooking up the car was not an issue. Our destination today is Camp Verde, AZ, a drive of about 240 miles and included many steep up and down grades of 5 to 8%. Thankfully, all went well and the motorhome performed flawlessly.
Thurs...The wifi in the park is inop and management does not know when it will be fixed. Since we depend a great deal on our computer for email and billpay while on the road, we made a trip into a MacDonalds in the big city of Camp Verde where they have complimentary WIFI. This worked fine on Thursday but when we tried it again on Friday, their system was down. Starbucks here we come. While there we were able to get online and get some things done. We made a trip to Cottonwood (11miles from here) to hit the local Walmart. We've met some of our neighbors who are from Oregon, California and Canada.
Sat...Walked to a neighboring Retirement Park that had a community garage sale going. We enjoyed the walk and checking out their stuff. Of course we made our daily trip to town (this time Starbucks) for WIFI. Mike shot a few baskets on the court in the park & then we hit the tennis court where we managed to hit the ball for some exercise. We attended a spaghetti dinner at the clubhouse and then listened to the entertainment – a family group called “Hired Hands”. They played & sang country and some classic rock music for 2 hours. They were very good and played several instruments. One of the members was a young man about 18 years old who was a Black Belt in Ti Quan Do.
Sun...Nothing specific on the agenda today. I have 3 requests for haircuts for people that are leaving soon so today may be the day.
Monday, November 01, 2010
Heading South!
October 28-31 ~ Our Trip South! We headed out on the 28th only to get 65 miles down the road to find out that oil was 'spewing' out the back of the motorhome. The back of the motorhome and the car was covered with oil! We had to turn around and go back to GTF to the CAT place. When they worked on the oil pan in Aug, they had put too much oil in (9 quarts too much). They drained some oil and we were once again on our way at 220p. Instead of making it to Pocatello, ID, we made it 160 miles to Butte where we overnighted at Walmart. Next's days drive was to the Walmart in Springville, UT just south of Salt Lake City. Saturday we drove 200 miles to Moab, UT. Here we stayed at the OK RV Park for 3 nights. Sunday we washed the car to remove yet more oil! We drove scenic Potash Byway 279 and went on a 3 mile hike to Corona Arch & Bow Tie Arch. Corona arch is 140ft by 105ft, one of the largest in the area ~ a beautiful view. It was a great hike where we used 2 cables and climbed a short ladder. While at the arch a train carrying Potash came through the canyon ~ it was a neat site. On the way back we stopped to watch several people canyoneering (repelling the steep rocks). It seems to be the thing to do around here.
October ...We had a condo meeting on the 5th to discuss our water problems. Not much was accomplished other than to find out it was our problem. Doug, Mike & I spent the next weekend playing in the water/mud in our crawl space. We dug trenches to make the water flow to the sump pump. What a backbraking job ~ you can't stand up down there and the clay was heavy! After a full day of work we finally got rid of some of the water. We then rented a big carpet fan and let it run for a week and then used Doug's grain aerator fan for another week or so!
From there we went outside and started to determine where the water was coming from & dug some more between our condos. After a visit from the builder we determined that 90% of our problem was coming from the grassy area between the units. So on Tuesday we began another dig project. The condo association rented a 'excavator and bought the materials' and Doug, Dad, Mike & I along with the Condo Assos. Chairman began the project of putting in a catch drain and piping it to the gutter drain. To finish our 'dig project' on the 24th/25th we dug down over 4ft in the unfinished landscaped area next to our condo to find the gutter drain there to add a drain pipe. Next spring we will determine what we want to do in that area to catch water before it enters our crawl space.
Also in Oct we were busy packing up the motorhome for our trip south. Luckily the weather held out and we did not have to winterize it before we left.
Mom is feeling pretty good and actually had 4 weeks between doctor appointments. The next on is Nov 1.
September...Dixie's Uncle Don pasted away and she attended the funeral on the 7th in Baker, MT. Aunt Marge flew in from CA & cousin Debbie & Dixie road with Dad & Mom. Even thought the circumstance were sad, we had a very nice time visiting with family. A week later Danny flew back to CA and we attended a funeral for a family friend, Brent Cresswell in Havre. We made another trip to the farm for to attend the Missoula Children's Theater play that all three nephews were in.
From there we went outside and started to determine where the water was coming from & dug some more between our condos. After a visit from the builder we determined that 90% of our problem was coming from the grassy area between the units. So on Tuesday we began another dig project. The condo association rented a 'excavator and bought the materials' and Doug, Dad, Mike & I along with the Condo Assos. Chairman began the project of putting in a catch drain and piping it to the gutter drain. To finish our 'dig project' on the 24th/25th we dug down over 4ft in the unfinished landscaped area next to our condo to find the gutter drain there to add a drain pipe. Next spring we will determine what we want to do in that area to catch water before it enters our crawl space.
Also in Oct we were busy packing up the motorhome for our trip south. Luckily the weather held out and we did not have to winterize it before we left.
Mom is feeling pretty good and actually had 4 weeks between doctor appointments. The next on is Nov 1.
September...Dixie's Uncle Don pasted away and she attended the funeral on the 7th in Baker, MT. Aunt Marge flew in from CA & cousin Debbie & Dixie road with Dad & Mom. Even thought the circumstance were sad, we had a very nice time visiting with family. A week later Danny flew back to CA and we attended a funeral for a family friend, Brent Cresswell in Havre. We made another trip to the farm for to attend the Missoula Children's Theater play that all three nephews were in.
Summer 2010
The rest of August....We had a great time with Micheala and the kids. We went to the State Fair, Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, fishing and picinicing at Giant Springs, and the Water Park. Danny & Lexi came for a week on the 13th. We all went to the farm for a few days and took in some of the harvest. We took another family photo since we were all together. We had lots of rain for August which halted the harvest for a week or so. We had some motohomer work done at the CAT place in town – oil pain leak & a valve adjustment. The day after we picked it up (20th) we went camping at Holter Dam. Mom & Dad came out on Saturday to spend the day. The weather was nice and we had a nice time relaxing.
August ...We had the motorhome front end aligned and the Crossfire system put back on the tires. We attended another baseball game on the 1st.
We haven’t had very good luck with electronics lately the camera now decided not to work. I guess we will borrow the one we all got for Dad for Father’s Day for Micheala’s visit!
Micheala, Adriana and Dillon arrived on the evening of the 3rd for a 5 day visit.
July ... On the 1st we headed back to Livingston for an FMCA Big Sky Rally. While there we attended a parade, saw the local sites and visited with rally attendees. On the 2nd we drove to Chico Hot Springs and had a great dinner. We left the morning of the
4th and arrived back home in time to attend the Voyager baseball game and the big fireworks show afterward with Mom & Dad.
Mom had a CT scan on the 9th. The results were mixed. The doctor will not give her chemo for time being. Her counts are down and he will continue to monitor her. She has been much better since the chemo was stopped.
On the 11th we started our journey to North Carolina to visit Brandon, Kat, Bailey and Nicholas. Due to heavy flights we left a day early and overnighted in Denver. On the 12th we spent most of the day trying to get on a flight from Denver to Houston. Our intent was to visit most of the day with Ruthie and then visit and stay with Roger and Karen. So must for best laid plans – we didn’t arrive in Houston until 6pm so we borrowed Ruthie’s car and made a quick trip to TIRR to visit with her for an hour or so. Then we headed back north to her house to overnight. We were on our way to the aiport by 630am on the 13th.. We did manage to make it to Raleigh at 11am where Brandon and Bailey picked us up. On the 14th we loaded up the SUV and all drove to to Valle Cusis, NC, just out of Boone. They had rented a 3 story house (cabin) for a week in the mountains. It was beautiful and roomy. Kat’s parents, Mike & Hope arrived later in the day. We had a wonderful week – visiting, hiking Grandfather Mtn & other areas, fishing, browsing an old General Store, touring the Biltmore Estate in Ashville, card playing and EATING!!!! On the 21st we had to say a sad goodbye when they dropped us off at the Greensboro airport. We made all our flight on our return trip and arrived at GTF at 1130pm where Dad was waiting to give us a ride home!
Sometime in early July we discovered once again that we had water in our crawl space ~ I guess it wasn’t from watering our tomatoes. There are several condo units that have the same problem. So far we have done nothing about it ~ we are in denial until they can figure out where it is coming from and how to stop it! On the 22nd we attended a condo picnic where we all became part of the Neighborhood Watch program.
Dad burned his foot really bad while we were in NC (17th) while removing a pan of ribs from the oven. The water/grease spilled on his left foot/toes. It has been extremely painful and slow healing.
After having problems turning our computer on while during our travels we broke down and bought a new computer. We got a great deal on an Acer at Walmart. We will leave the old one at home while we go south as it works fine as long as it doesn’t get turned off!
June ... We road with Mom & Dad on the 1st to Aunt Shirley’s in Seely Lake. We went especially to attend the “cousins” party. Along the way we stopped in Lincoln to visit with family attending George Anderson’s funeral. We stayed with Shirley for 2 nights and enjoyed our visit with family. We took in the Farmers Market, Voyager Baseball games, and Alive @ 5. We played a couple of rounds of golf at Emerald Green.
Mom continues to see the Dr. every other week. Her last chemo was on the 4th. She has had side effect from it and/or other medications (disorientation & confusion).
We decided to go ahead and replace all the tires on the motorhome. Doug bought the 2 that we purchased in Utah on our way home in Apr. Also this month Doug & Mike replaced the air filter on the motorhome.
On the 29th we headed south to Gardiner for 2 nights and a visit to Yellowstone National Park. Doug and Fran followed us on their Harleys! We spend two days seeing the sites in Yellowstone. We got a great close up of a Grizzly and her 3 small clubs as well as numerous Bison, Elk, and a black bear.
May ... Planted some tomatoes, herbs and flowers. This year everything went into pots just in case the watering near the house ends up in our crawl space. Nephew Levi turned sweet 16 on the 14th. Mom is having a hard time getting around due to a gout flare up and a change in pain medication ~ we purchased a transport chair to help. We had the refrig. checked out at McCollum RV and it now seems to be operating OK.
Apr 24 – 30 ...Had a great time at the farm. We celebrated Mom’s 76th Birthday with some friends on the 24th. On the same day we enjoyed seeing Levi in his black tux with red accessories all decked out for the prom. Hard to believe he will turn 16 in a week or so! It was neat to see everyone once again.
August ...We had the motorhome front end aligned and the Crossfire system put back on the tires. We attended another baseball game on the 1st.
We haven’t had very good luck with electronics lately the camera now decided not to work. I guess we will borrow the one we all got for Dad for Father’s Day for Micheala’s visit!
Micheala, Adriana and Dillon arrived on the evening of the 3rd for a 5 day visit.
July ... On the 1st we headed back to Livingston for an FMCA Big Sky Rally. While there we attended a parade, saw the local sites and visited with rally attendees. On the 2nd we drove to Chico Hot Springs and had a great dinner. We left the morning of the
4th and arrived back home in time to attend the Voyager baseball game and the big fireworks show afterward with Mom & Dad.
Mom had a CT scan on the 9th. The results were mixed. The doctor will not give her chemo for time being. Her counts are down and he will continue to monitor her. She has been much better since the chemo was stopped.
On the 11th we started our journey to North Carolina to visit Brandon, Kat, Bailey and Nicholas. Due to heavy flights we left a day early and overnighted in Denver. On the 12th we spent most of the day trying to get on a flight from Denver to Houston. Our intent was to visit most of the day with Ruthie and then visit and stay with Roger and Karen. So must for best laid plans – we didn’t arrive in Houston until 6pm so we borrowed Ruthie’s car and made a quick trip to TIRR to visit with her for an hour or so. Then we headed back north to her house to overnight. We were on our way to the aiport by 630am on the 13th.. We did manage to make it to Raleigh at 11am where Brandon and Bailey picked us up. On the 14th we loaded up the SUV and all drove to to Valle Cusis, NC, just out of Boone. They had rented a 3 story house (cabin) for a week in the mountains. It was beautiful and roomy. Kat’s parents, Mike & Hope arrived later in the day. We had a wonderful week – visiting, hiking Grandfather Mtn & other areas, fishing, browsing an old General Store, touring the Biltmore Estate in Ashville, card playing and EATING!!!! On the 21st we had to say a sad goodbye when they dropped us off at the Greensboro airport. We made all our flight on our return trip and arrived at GTF at 1130pm where Dad was waiting to give us a ride home!
Sometime in early July we discovered once again that we had water in our crawl space ~ I guess it wasn’t from watering our tomatoes. There are several condo units that have the same problem. So far we have done nothing about it ~ we are in denial until they can figure out where it is coming from and how to stop it! On the 22nd we attended a condo picnic where we all became part of the Neighborhood Watch program.
Dad burned his foot really bad while we were in NC (17th) while removing a pan of ribs from the oven. The water/grease spilled on his left foot/toes. It has been extremely painful and slow healing.
After having problems turning our computer on while during our travels we broke down and bought a new computer. We got a great deal on an Acer at Walmart. We will leave the old one at home while we go south as it works fine as long as it doesn’t get turned off!
June ... We road with Mom & Dad on the 1st to Aunt Shirley’s in Seely Lake. We went especially to attend the “cousins” party. Along the way we stopped in Lincoln to visit with family attending George Anderson’s funeral. We stayed with Shirley for 2 nights and enjoyed our visit with family. We took in the Farmers Market, Voyager Baseball games, and Alive @ 5. We played a couple of rounds of golf at Emerald Green.
Mom continues to see the Dr. every other week. Her last chemo was on the 4th. She has had side effect from it and/or other medications (disorientation & confusion).
We decided to go ahead and replace all the tires on the motorhome. Doug bought the 2 that we purchased in Utah on our way home in Apr. Also this month Doug & Mike replaced the air filter on the motorhome.
On the 29th we headed south to Gardiner for 2 nights and a visit to Yellowstone National Park. Doug and Fran followed us on their Harleys! We spend two days seeing the sites in Yellowstone. We got a great close up of a Grizzly and her 3 small clubs as well as numerous Bison, Elk, and a black bear.
May ... Planted some tomatoes, herbs and flowers. This year everything went into pots just in case the watering near the house ends up in our crawl space. Nephew Levi turned sweet 16 on the 14th. Mom is having a hard time getting around due to a gout flare up and a change in pain medication ~ we purchased a transport chair to help. We had the refrig. checked out at McCollum RV and it now seems to be operating OK.
Apr 24 – 30 ...Had a great time at the farm. We celebrated Mom’s 76th Birthday with some friends on the 24th. On the same day we enjoyed seeing Levi in his black tux with red accessories all decked out for the prom. Hard to believe he will turn 16 in a week or so! It was neat to see everyone once again.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Back at the condo in Montana!
Apr 19 – 22 ...TRIP BACK TO MONTANA. Monday we decided to leave a day earlier than planned so we could drive shorter days. We left at 10a with the intent of getting a little north of Salt Lake City. We ended up with a unexpected stop in Nephi to buy & install 2 front tires. When we stopped for fuel in Beaver we noticed a indentation in one tire (it was pointed out to us by an employee of a tire shop at Flying J) Their cost of a tire was quite pricey so we decided to call a Big O Tire at the next larger town. Once there we determined we needed to replace both front tires. Well, after that 2 hour stop we were on our way just after 5p. We ended up in the Walmart parking lot in Brigham City, UT at 740p.
Tue....We left at 8am and drove to Dillon where we stayed overnight at ‘Countryside RV’. We arrived there about 230p. Once we set up we got in the car and drove 20 miles to Bannack (a mining camp & the first territorial capital of Montana). It’s the 2nds largest ‘ghost town’ in the US. We enjoyed walking around, looking in the old buildings & seeing the beautiful countryside. The area around Dillon is surrounded by mountains.
Wed... we headed out just after 800a. We decided to get off the interstate for awhile and drive via Twin Bridges &Whitehall – ending up on the interstate at Boulder. After a quick stop for lunch we arrived home at 115a. If was a long afternoon - unloading all our stuff and putting it away in the condo. Not sure why we need so much stuff but we were gone for almost 6 months! After putting the motorhome in storage we went to Mom & Dads for a wonderful steak dinner that we enjoyed outside on the patio.
Thur. ..Happy Birthday to sister Denita! Dixie went to Mom’s and cut & colored her hair and helped move some furniture around. This afternoon we caught up on laundry & worked some outside. Tomorrow we are going with Mom & Dad to the farm.
Tue....We left at 8am and drove to Dillon where we stayed overnight at ‘Countryside RV’. We arrived there about 230p. Once we set up we got in the car and drove 20 miles to Bannack (a mining camp & the first territorial capital of Montana). It’s the 2nds largest ‘ghost town’ in the US. We enjoyed walking around, looking in the old buildings & seeing the beautiful countryside. The area around Dillon is surrounded by mountains.
Wed... we headed out just after 800a. We decided to get off the interstate for awhile and drive via Twin Bridges &Whitehall – ending up on the interstate at Boulder. After a quick stop for lunch we arrived home at 115a. If was a long afternoon - unloading all our stuff and putting it away in the condo. Not sure why we need so much stuff but we were gone for almost 6 months! After putting the motorhome in storage we went to Mom & Dads for a wonderful steak dinner that we enjoyed outside on the patio.
Thur. ..Happy Birthday to sister Denita! Dixie went to Mom’s and cut & colored her hair and helped move some furniture around. This afternoon we caught up on laundry & worked some outside. Tomorrow we are going with Mom & Dad to the farm.
50th Reunion in Houston
Apr 14 – 18 ... Las Vegas & Houston. We arrived in Las Vegas around 330p. We overnighted at Boulder Station hotel/casino.
Thursday we left for the airport around 515am for our 7am flight. That flight was full so we headed to the Presidents Club until the 815a flight. We got seats on that one but we sat on the plane for almost 2 hrs due to a maint. problem. We finally arrived in Houston at 3pm, got our rental car at Hertz and drove to see Ruthie at Garden Terrace in the medical center area. We stayed for an hour and had a great visit. Dixie trimmed Ruthie’s hair (her first cut since it grew back after surgery). We ended up staying at Ruthie’s house instead of Roger & Karen’s due to Karen being sick (never did get to see them). We had a wonderful dinner with Jim & Priscilla (neighbors from Atascocita) at Hasta La Pasta. On Friday we headed back to visit Ruthie. We spent 3 hours with her & sat in on her therapy. Her sister Julie and brother Joe arrived before we left. We defiantly saw some improvement in Ruthie since we saw her last month. She is still really struggling with her voice, but has improved in other area. We attended a small gathering for Mike’s reunion that evening and went with some classmates/friends to a late dinner afterward.
Saturday morning we cleaned Ruthie’s house and backyard area. In the afternoon we visited with Mike & Hope. The Saturday evening reunion festivities were at the Post Oak Hilton in the Galleria. We really had a good time visiting, listening to oldies music, and eating/drinking.
Sunday we headed to the airport at 730a and made it on the 930a flight - Mike even got first class. We made it back to the motorhome at St George about 4p.
Thursday we left for the airport around 515am for our 7am flight. That flight was full so we headed to the Presidents Club until the 815a flight. We got seats on that one but we sat on the plane for almost 2 hrs due to a maint. problem. We finally arrived in Houston at 3pm, got our rental car at Hertz and drove to see Ruthie at Garden Terrace in the medical center area. We stayed for an hour and had a great visit. Dixie trimmed Ruthie’s hair (her first cut since it grew back after surgery). We ended up staying at Ruthie’s house instead of Roger & Karen’s due to Karen being sick (never did get to see them). We had a wonderful dinner with Jim & Priscilla (neighbors from Atascocita) at Hasta La Pasta. On Friday we headed back to visit Ruthie. We spent 3 hours with her & sat in on her therapy. Her sister Julie and brother Joe arrived before we left. We defiantly saw some improvement in Ruthie since we saw her last month. She is still really struggling with her voice, but has improved in other area. We attended a small gathering for Mike’s reunion that evening and went with some classmates/friends to a late dinner afterward.
Saturday morning we cleaned Ruthie’s house and backyard area. In the afternoon we visited with Mike & Hope. The Saturday evening reunion festivities were at the Post Oak Hilton in the Galleria. We really had a good time visiting, listening to oldies music, and eating/drinking.
Sunday we headed to the airport at 730a and made it on the 930a flight - Mike even got first class. We made it back to the motorhome at St George about 4p.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Happy 20th Anniversary to Us - Apr 7th
Apr 5 – Apr 13 ... St George RV, UT. We left AZ around 730a and made a stop at Trader Joes & In & Out Burger in Las Vegas (last one for the season). With the time change we arrived at our park around 230p. Our view of the red rock mountains with snow covered mountains in the background make a beautiful view from our front window.
On Tuesday the 7th we celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary – had a lovely dinner at the Outback in St. George.
The highpoints of this stop were a visit to Zion Natl Park. We were there 2 yrs ago so this time we went especially to hike. We took the ‘Watchman Trail Hike’. It was 3 miles RT with an elevation gain of 360 ft. The views along the way were spectacular. Once back at the visitors center area we ate our picnic lunch and then went on the short Archeological hike. The next day (Sat) we drove the short distance to the Red Cliffs Recreation area where we hiked into the canyon. We did this hike 2 yrs ago & watched some people rock repel which we were hoping to see again. However, this year there were just a bunch of people there – the scenery & water are still very beautiful. The next day we headed up I15 about 20 miles to the Kolob Canyon entrance to Zion. We started out on the a 5.2 mile Taylor Creek Middle Fork hike when we realized it was one we made 2yrs ago. We turned around and went down the road to the South Fork portion. We made it about a ½ mile in before the snow got too deep and we couldn’t see the trail anymore. We then drove to the end point and went on the mile long ‘Observation Point’ hike (very windy at the top). All this was before lunch which we then enjoyed at the far point of the canyon road.
We made few trips into St George....the last one yesterday to get our oil changed. The weather has been very nice with the exception of the last 2 days (cooler & some rain).
Tomorrow we drive to Las Vegas so we can catch an early morning flight to Houston on Thursday.
On Tuesday the 7th we celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary – had a lovely dinner at the Outback in St. George.
The highpoints of this stop were a visit to Zion Natl Park. We were there 2 yrs ago so this time we went especially to hike. We took the ‘Watchman Trail Hike’. It was 3 miles RT with an elevation gain of 360 ft. The views along the way were spectacular. Once back at the visitors center area we ate our picnic lunch and then went on the short Archeological hike. The next day (Sat) we drove the short distance to the Red Cliffs Recreation area where we hiked into the canyon. We did this hike 2 yrs ago & watched some people rock repel which we were hoping to see again. However, this year there were just a bunch of people there – the scenery & water are still very beautiful. The next day we headed up I15 about 20 miles to the Kolob Canyon entrance to Zion. We started out on the a 5.2 mile Taylor Creek Middle Fork hike when we realized it was one we made 2yrs ago. We turned around and went down the road to the South Fork portion. We made it about a ½ mile in before the snow got too deep and we couldn’t see the trail anymore. We then drove to the end point and went on the mile long ‘Observation Point’ hike (very windy at the top). All this was before lunch which we then enjoyed at the far point of the canyon road.
We made few trips into St George....the last one yesterday to get our oil changed. The weather has been very nice with the exception of the last 2 days (cooler & some rain).
Tomorrow we drive to Las Vegas so we can catch an early morning flight to Houston on Thursday.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Happy Easter from Bullhead City/Laughlin
Mar 30 – Apr 4 ... Ridgeview RV – Bullhead City, AZ. Early on the 30th we headed for Bullhead City/Laughlin area. We managed to make it before the predicted wind got too bad. The first two days were windy but as the week progressed it got much nicer. We toured the towns, did a little shopping and attended the movie “The Hurt Locker”. The movie was good but it was pretty gruesome and left you feeling not so good. It’s sad to think what our troops have to go through for our freedom in this country. On Saturday we met Bill & Gloria at the “Blues & Brews” festival at the Colorado Bell parking lot. We enjoyed the music, a brew and a wonderful muffalata sandwich. That evening they came over for dinner where we enjoyed some steaks and conversation. On Easter Sunday we had a wonderful Champagne Easter Brunch at the Pioneer Casino with Bill & Gloria. We spent a lazy afternoon outside reading. It was a bit windy but the temp is 83 degrees. We are packing up to head to St. George, UT in the morning where we will spend two weeks before heading back home to Montana.
As I post this we are having problems with our Refrig again! We came in from outside and found that it was not working at all and the burner was cold. We shut it off and switched it to gas and the burner is now heating up - I guess we will be making a stop at Camping World in Henderson tomorrow on our way through> I really think we got a lemon refrig.!!!!!
As I post this we are having problems with our Refrig again! We came in from outside and found that it was not working at all and the burner was cold. We shut it off and switched it to gas and the burner is now heating up - I guess we will be making a stop at Camping World in Henderson tomorrow on our way through> I really think we got a lemon refrig.!!!!!
Friday, April 02, 2010
Yuma, AZ Area
Mar 21 – 29 ...Pilot Knob RV – Winterhaven, CA. On the 20th we left for Pilot Knob RV in Winterhaven, CA (about 8 miles west of Yuma, AZ). Doug and Fran arrived on the 22nd and stayed in an RV spot at a friend’s house. It was a wonderful set up with a courtyard in the middle of 2 RV sites...we enjoyed several hours there! While in this area we made 2 trips to Algadones, Mexico where we had our teeth cleaned and Mike had a Root Canal & a Crown (that was fun!). Everything turned out well and Mike is happy with the work (which was 1/3 of the cost it would have been in the states). Dixie did a few haircuts in the park and we enjoyed the pool a couple of days. We finally saw some days in the 80’s! We took another drive (car & motorcycle drive)to Martinez Lake north of Yuma & a backroad on the return through some California farm land. We really enjoyed our time with Doug and Fran. It’s nice to have someone to travel & tour with!
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