Monday, February 5, 2007

I was up by the crack of dawn this morning and today was going to be haircut day.  By the time Sharon got up and we both had Breakfast she immediately started lowering my ears.

After the haircut we decided to go into town to retrieve our mail and then return all the plastic bottles and cans to the recycling place.  We found it without much trouble but the trip was hardly worth the effort.  Probably why nobody knows how to find the place.  I think our final tally was a dollar eighty something.

By this time it was almost time for lunch and we passed right by In-N-Out Burger without a comment.  We both said later that we thought about saying something when we went by.   We came home and ate our lunch.

We called Bob and Bonnie Barr and told them we'd like to stop by just to say good-by having explained to them about our situation. They were home and would be for the afternoon so we left to see them for a couple of hours.  We said our good-byes and on the way home we stopped at Norm and Sue's for the same purpose but they weren't home.

We came directly home after that since the ribs we were having for Dinner tonight were in the oven and were due to come out within a half hour.  We sat down outside for a Happy Hour with Henry and Arlene before we finally came in to eat.  Sharon had made Potato Salad and Garlic Bread to go along with the ribs and it all turned out excellent.  The Potato Salad was a little too "watery" for my tastes but it was still very good.  Henry and Arlene left immediately after dishes and we sat down to watch "24". 

For the rest of the night we sat and watched 24, Prison Break, CSI Miami and Rules of Engagement.  It took until 11 to catch all that however, since we missed the early showing of 24.

By 11 we were ready for the funny farm and headed for the hills and dales of slumber.

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

By the time we opened the shades and  windows this morning we knew that this is why we had come south for the winter.  The last couple of days had been warm and very nice indeed.  While we weren't really enjoying the nice weather because of our situation at home, there were quite a few people that were.

Today would be a "get ready to go" day for the most part.  Even though we won't be leaving until tomorrow, it's pretty much standard procedure for us to get everything ready the day before.  We've actually been getting ready for the last couple of days, starting with the oil change on the motorhome.

Sharon decided she would also catch up on the laundry that we have, even though it wasn't very much.  By lunchtime she also suggested we treat ourselves to another day at In-N-Out Burger.  We asked Arlene and Henry if they wanted to go but they had already eaten lunch.  It was still only 11:30 by the time we left so we drove past Norm and Sue's to see if they wanted to go, and they were gone lock, stock and barrel.  There were still chairs and a stone shield on the site and we just assumed they were theirs.  We'd check in with them later.  So off we went by ourselves to seek out a better lunch.

It was crowded and nowhere to sit so we ordered our food to go.  Just as we were about to leave a table opened up and we sat down to eat our lunch.  It was yummy just as we suspected.  This was just like a last supper.  Actually we'll have our last supper tonight with Clay and Jerie.

By the time we got back home we had contacted Norm and Sue and they were out with the motorhome having awnings replaced.  We caught them on their way home from CJ's on 32nd street.  They called when they got home and we stopped over for an hour or so before we left for Clay and Jerie's for Dinner at the Elks Club.  We had a good chat and before we left said our Good-Byes for this year.

We left for Clay and Jerie's about 3.  I took along my Tenna Tool because Clay was also having trouble with a wobbly dish antenna.  His dish didn't tighten with the tool so his problems must be on top of the roof.  I also tried to help him to get a software program to write a DVD to no avail.  It didn't work anywhere near the way my program works and I couldn't figure it out.  So about 3:30 we left for the Elks Club to have Dinner.  We had Fried Chicken for the most part.  It was very good and we went back to Clay and Jerie's after Dinner.  We had a few after-Dinner drinks, shot the bull for a while, said our good-byes and we were home by 9 o'clock.  I watched a little tube and then headed for Na-Na land.  We're going to miss all of this.

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

We were up early and it the road running this morning.  By 8:30 we were on our way headed toward the chilly hacienda in the north.  It'll take a few weeks especially since we're waiting for the weather to break before our final leg into Iron Mountain.  We'll go as far as Alabama or Louisiana before we turn north.

About halfway to Casa Grande we spotted about 8 or 9 Border Patrol vehicles just off the Interstate and they had a bunch of Mexicans spread-eagled on the desert floor apparently waiting for a bus to transport them.  What a country!

We arrived at Desert Shadows RV Park about noon and quickly set up and then ate lunch.  Just after lunch we gave Jayce Dale (a friend from Iron Mountain) a call and then left to go to Los Colinas RV Park near Arizona City to visit.  We were there for a couple of hours and picked up some items that Jayce wanted to go home.  We were traveling mostly empty this year so taking things home for her wouldn't be a problem.

After we left there we had just enough time to come home and freshen up before we left to pick up Jerry and Mary Milan, friends we took a cruise with several years ago.  We called them on the way into Casa Grande to see if tonight was Grill Night at the Elks Club.  It was, so we made plans to pick them up at 4:30 and spend some time together tonight.  With this abbreviated stay this year we have to make hay while the sun shines.  At this point we don' know if we can stay here Friday or not.

We had Burgers, fries and onion rings and several pitchers of beer at the Elks Club.  We had a great time just catching up on the last year.  We usually see them twice a year, but this year, because we came across on a northern route we missed stopping at Casa Grande on our way to California.

We got home about 7 after stopping at Jerry and Mary's house to look at some pictures in an album she had scrap booked about the cruise.  After getting homewe settled in to watch some TV before crashing for the night.  Although we hadn't had a long day it sure seemed like it.

Thursday, February 8, 2007

We got ourselves ready this morning to go to one of our favorite places for Breakfast.  We've been frequenting JB's Restaurant for years but we usually go on Tuesdays when we receive the Double Senior Discount. The food is good however, and it's worth the 10% discount anytime.  We had asked Jayce if she had wanted to go this morning so we met her here.  She had brought a few more things for us to take home for her and we put them in the trunk.  We said our good-byes not knowing whether or not we would be able to buy another day at Desert Shadows.

On the way back home and into the campground I dropped Sharon off at the office to check on the availability of our site for another day.  When she got back she informed me  that we couldn't buy another day.  So we would have to leave tomorrow instead of Saturday.  It's really not a problem for us as we were really trying to accommodate Tom and Dawn McKenna, my cousin and his wife.  We also wanted to see my Aunt Caroline since we missed her last year.(I had a kidney stone and didn't feel like traveling) We called Tom and Dawn and left them the new plans for Friday and Saturday.

We headed off to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things before our departure tomorrow.  Sharon had to pick up Valentine Cards and I had to get some 2 Liter Cokes.  We actually found the cokes for a better price at the Dollar Store and picked them up there.  We picked up 10 bottles for $10.

We came back home for a while until we realized we hadn't said good-bye to Jerry and Mary because we had still hoped to pick up Friday at the campground.  We called them and went over to have few drinks before we came back home satisfied that we had made a closure to our visit with them.

For Dinner tonight Sharon whipped up some Rigatoni and Meatballs along with some Garlic Bread and a Salad.  It was quite Italian and quite good.

We settled in front of the tube for some entertainment tonight.  The new season has apparently begun because the new episodes of all our shows would be on tonight.  I had to stay up until 11 in order to see it all and I was more than willing to do it.  There's really no need to fly out of here early tomorrow as we'll only be staying at the Wal-Mart campground tomorrow night, north of Tucson.

Friday, February 9, 2007

We were up and ready for a leisurely start this morning and actually pulled out of Desert Shadows at 10.  Our first stop would be the Flying J at Eloy to fill up and then continue on.  We got to the Flying J and realized we had might have made a mistake.  While gas was selling for $2.16 at Safeway it was $2.20 here.  And two days ago it was selling for $2.09.  Right now we're wondering if we'll hit a temporary rise in prices all the way home.

We pulled in to the Wal-Mart campground about 11 and Sharon wanted to go into Wal-Mart and just browse around for awhile.  I checked into my recliner and tried to catch some zzzz's while she was gone.  My body was having none of that, however.  Sharon got back in about an hour with some Corn Dogs in tow, and I finished them off in a hurry for lunch.  They were quite good but not as good as previous ones I've had from Wal-Mart's Deli.  She also picked up a spray of carnations for my Aunt.

We sat around just resting until about 2:45 when we got in the car and set out to find my Aunt Caroline's House.  The directions Tom gave me were excellent as we drove right up to the house.  We sat around talking an catching up on the last two years as we hadn't stopped here last year because of a kidney stone I was trying to get rid of.  By the time I passed the stone it was time for us to leave and we were headed north instead of south.  She had toiled in the kitchen for most of the day as she had made for us a lovely meal of Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, roasted Carrots and Apple Sauce.  She finished it all off with a Chocolate Cake made with Sliced Bananas.  It was all very, very good.  The Chocolate Cake was a new experience for us.  Yummy!

We left there headed for home about 8 and came back and just rested our stomachs for the rest of the night.  We did, however, stay up til 11 so we could catch all of our shows on TV for the night.  You can't miss that TV junk even for one night.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

We were ready to go this morning at 8:15 because we intended to meet Tom and Dawn and my Aunt for Breakfast at the IHOP.  They were doing a ton of construction around the restaurant and we missed the turn along with Aunt Caroline.  As we turned around and came back we noticed a car off the road in the ditch but didn't recognize that it was her.  We didn't find out until we were in the restaurant.  She didn't get hurt or anything, she just got off the pavement.

We had our Breakfast and then Sharon and I said our good-byes and were on our way to Wal-Mart to pick up our motorhome.  After a couple of minutes we were hooked up and on our way on I-10 again.  We would drive and get as far as we could today and we were shooting for Deming, NM.  We looked for cheap gas all day today since our stop at Flying J yesterday morning was less than satisfactory.  When you're expecting to pay $2.09 and the price is $2.20 it's quite depressing.  So we tried to find cheaper gas on the road.  It was hovering around $2.17 until we pulled into Deming.  We found it advertised on the highway at $2.03.  We stopped of course and filled it to overflowing.

After leaving the gas station we found our campground, The Little Vineyard, a place we've been coming to for years.  Although we haven't been here for some time on the way home, this is the only place we stop in New Mexico.  Now, however, we'll be stopping at Dennis and Mary Ceshker's in Tularosa for a couple of days.

We settled into our campsite and Sharon dashed off to church.  When she got back after dark she cooked us up Steak and Rigatoni's and Garlic Bread and some Old Fashioneds.  And then we had some more Old Fashioneds.  Because there wasn't a thing on TV, we pretty much Old Fashioned the night away.

We both hung in there until 10 but quickly folded our tents and went to bed forthwith.  Forthwith I say.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

We were on the road this morning at the crack of 9 headed toward Tularosa, NM and Dennis and Mary Ceshker's.  The only stop I wanted to make was to pick up a New Mexico T-shirt along the way.  There are several souvenir shops right along the highway and I intended to take a little side trip to get one.  As luck would have it, the store we stopped at didn't have what I was looking for, and we left without the T-shirt.

We kept right on going til we hit Alamogordo and stopped for lunch.  It was at a Long John Silver's and they were advertising that the Lobster Bites Combo was back.  We didn't even know it left because we have none of these restaurants near home.  Perhaps in Green Bay but we've never seen one there.  Anyhow the Combo was absolutely delicious.  It consisted of about 7 or 8 Lobster Pieces deep fried in batter, 2 corn fritters, a piece of Fish and French Fries.  It was quite yummy indeed.

We got back on the highway and we were now about 20 miles from Dennis and Mary's.  We rolled into their yard about 12:30 and just left the motorhome, without plugging it in, even though Dennis had the electric cord all ready for us.  We just sat around talking and sipping some suds for the afternoon until it was time for Dinner.

By this time Sharon and I went out and plugged in the camper and set the jacks down and put the slides out.  We were home for the next couple of days.  Dennis and Mary are the couple we had hoped to attend a Bullfight with on our way through here in April.  Those plans have all been put on the back burner until next year now, if ever.

Mary had prepared a delicious dinner of Chicken and Broccoli with Rice Casserole along with a salad and Corn Bread.  It all just hit the spot an then she finished it off with a Pineapple Cake.  Another culinary delight.

After Dinner Sharon helped Mary clean up the dishes and Dennis and I just camped in front of the TV.  There was nothing special on but it didn't matter as we were just resting our stomachs anyway.  Later they brought out the slides from their trip to Germany in Nov/Dec last fall.  He had them all on a DVD as a slide show.  It worked out very well.

About 9 we returned to our own hacienda to watch Desperate Housewives and the wind came up and cancelled those plans.  So instead of fighting with the dish we fought with our eyelids in bed.  Good Night Sweet Prince.