Afghanistan Update

The suicide bombing that occurred yesterday was at the gates of the base where Brian is, but we have IM'd with him and were assured that he is okay. They are located quite some distance from the gates where the blast happened. And just like every other day, we were made aware of the lives being lost as our thoughts go out to all the families from all the countries emeshed in this war.

I think the thermometer is supposed to dip down to 32 tonight, but I did see an 80 on the horizon for the week end. There is still the ever-present blue sky and sunshine so that is a good balance for the cold nights.

I can't believe how much of a Wal Mart shopper I have become; mostly out of necessity since there is no other shopping available without going to Phoenix. Yesterday it was a hair cut, a pedicure, and Coleman electric refrigerator. The two local salons were booked out for about ten days, and we could just walk in and sign in at Wal Mart. Actually, I was fairly impressed with both the haircut and the pedicure, but perhaps that is because the salons are independent businesses - not WalMart.

I decided the refrigerator was an outside necessity to keep beer and soft drinks on hand. There is no room in the refrigerator for that assortment, and we are not disciplined enough to keep ice on the drinks when in a regular cooler. The problem will come when it is time to move on, and we have to find a place to stow it while traveling.

We are tentatively planning to head south toward Yuma and Organ Pipe National Monument when we leave here on the fifteenth of this month. We need to get some sun screens to hang from the outside awning and want to purchase them from the same company in Yuma that made our windshield screens. We have driven through Organ Pipe but would like to see it again, and it has a wonderful RV park that is close to the visitors' center but essentially right out in the desert.

This is the third day that Colleen has been without heat at home. It was determined yesterday that the motor on the burner unit had shorted out, but the repairman couldn't get a replacement until today. So she has been wearing Polar Fleece, ear muffs, and a hat. She has a small space heater and is burning the fireplace. And snow flurries were predicted.

Tomorrow is the last of the 60s birthdays for Ken. I'll give him his choice for dinner and have our traveling partners over for dessert which is yet to be determined.

Have a good day. Ciao

A Skype Dog

We have had to scold Cooper for making telephone calls. We were away today, but Gary received a notice that Kirkwoods were on Skype (computer to computer telephone technology). He was quite sure we weren't home yet but stepped outside to be sure our car wasn't here, so the only creature to have access to our computer, inside the motorhome, was Cooper!!!!! Now I have always known he was a smart dog, but I never dreamed he could plug in the headset and make a telephone call!!!! Truth be known, I suspect Cooper wriggled his way to the front of my seat in the cockpit and somehow managed to jar the computer to life - the mechanics of what happened is beyond me, but it makes for a good story.

Karen and Rod arrived Sunday as planned and they are parked right beside us - for the next month. We are very happy that they decided to stay in this park, and right next door. We have shared some meals, swapped some stories, and touched on what we might want to do for the next three weeks. Karen and Rod invited their neighbors to join all of us to talk about Puerto Penasco since those folks had just been there. Everything we hear is very positive, and we are determined to at least drive down for a day just to see it and make plans for next winter.

We are still waiting for sunny warm weather. Once in a while we get a burst of sunshine, but sprinkled among the bursts of sunshine are blasts of wind and black walls of clouds. It is going to get down into the 30s here tonight.

There were two quilt shows in the area this weekend, and we were partially successful in attending. Yesterday was a small show in the town of Cooldige which is about 20 miles from here and looks like it has been forgotton. But there were some lovely quilts including some antiques. Today's show was at Fiesta Grande Park in Casa Grande but after a late start, a slow lunch, and my error in the hours of the show, we essentially missed it. The quilts were being taken down when we arrived.

We continue to work on our quilt of valor. Karen, Carolyn, and I worked on color placement today and now I am getting ready to join the blocks for the main part of the quilt. I am very happy with the choices for colors and am convinced the finished product will look smashing! Karen and I have worked outside the past two days and needless to say we have elicited several comments and visits from folks who are walking by.

The guys went to Chandler today for a car show which included the Shelby that was sold for $5M+ at auction here last month. Tomorrow Ken and Rod are going to Phoenix for a gun show, and Karen and I plan to stay home to catch up on some chores and projects. Even though this motor home is small, it still seems to require a fair bit of attention and cleaning!!

It is my bedtime so will toddle off to bed. Ciao

Friends

We have spent lots of time with the Jaynes this past week, and now they are headed out in the morning to spend one or two nights in Mesa and then on to Las Vegas. Last night we were invited to Gary and Della Reinbolds' who are parked in the Palm Creek Resort here in Casa Grande..........a very posh upscale resort with over 1000 spaces and a par 3 eighteen-hole golf course in the middle. We, the Reinbolds and the Jaynes then went on to Chili's for dinner. Another evening of enjoyable company and visiting.

Last Tuesday is when the Ziemers were here for the afternoon, and so we were able to catch up on what they have been doing. They have four kids about the ages of our four, and the last of them, one of the twins, got married last October. They are going to be heading back home within the next ten days as Daryl seemingly has injured his shoulder and has a doctor's appointment later this month. He has already had surgery on the other shoulder, and now it looks like it will be this one.

Today Carolyn and I were in Phoenix for an Amish furniture and quilt sale at the fair grounds. I was quite surprised at the reasonable prices of some of the furniture. All of the quilts that were for sale were machine pieced and then hand quilted - some were quite lovely. But aside from the quilts, most everything was more country than is my choosing. I purchased a book and two scented candles.

We had Bob and Sharon and Gary and Carolyn over for dinner tonight - hamburgers. This is one of the first days that it has been warm enough that we could sit and eat outside, as long as we finished before the sun went down. I think it is supposed to be nice tomorrow as well with the temperature in the mid seventies.

I talked to Karen briefly this afternoon, and they are in Ely, Nevada tonight with a goal of getting here on Sunday. The space next to us is going to be available so we will be neighbors for a week and then see what they decide to do. I think a road trip to Yuma and Mexico might be in the plans for the near future. Since we have occasionally considered spending time in Mexico, we thought it would be worthwhile to just drive across the border to Puerto Penasco to spend the night and check it out.

We have been able to connect with Brian once in a while for some IMing, and last Saturday, he, Keith and I were all on at the same time. He is very busy and is currently working nights. We sent some rugs, coffee, and a magazine to him recently, and he had it in less than ten days so it is good to know that the U.S. Post Office is doing its job.

We have not been in touch with Sheila and the boys for a while, and I suspect they are in McCall this week end for some skiing. Both boys got straight As on their recent report cards, and Nolan is number one student in his entire student body. We have awesome grandchildren; otherwise known as our space chickens!!!!!

We are settling in for the evening...........the television is on and Cooper is snuggled up on the sofa. Have a good weekend. Ciao

Another week has gone by. We have been here almost four weeks, and I have yet to open my sewing machine. I have also been thinking I would take one full day to go to Phoenix and shop by myself, but I haven't done that either.

We have shared some dinners with Gary and Carolyn, but with each of us having friends arriving, our schedules will change a bit. Bob and Sharon Jayne arrived last Friday and are staying at Val Vista Winter Village which is about 2 miles from here. They and Angus are fine and it is good to see them. Gary and Carolyn have some friends arriving tomorrow and will be here for three days. Tony is a magician, and he has some engagements in this area.

Rod and Karen Sprague plan to be here by this time next week. I'm not sure where they plan to stay, but we have heard that this park is full, so they could end up at Val Vista as well. We are looking forward to our time with them as we had such a good time down here last year when they joined us.

And Davenport friends, the Ziemers, called and said they were coming down for a visit next Tuesday afternoon. They always stay in Phoenix at The Resort, and we haven't been up that way even though we were within blocks today..........

We, the Ouseys, and the Jaynes went to the Mesa Market (a must when wintering in the Phoenix area) today, and I managed to spend less than $5. But I have my eye on some items when I go back next time. We also found a reasonably priced outlet for a sunscreen to hang from our awning, so it was a worthwhile trip, and we can probably pick up the sunscreen sometime in the coming week. Our awning cannot be adjusted as to how low it sits, and we get sun all day on the door side of the MH so it is time to take action.

Have a good week. Ciao

Ah the Sunshine

It is still in the 40s in the morning, but the days have been glorious and in the low 70s. It is still a bit too cool to sit outside with my morning coffee and paper.

I'm afraid this past week has not been very exciting. We have been in to Phoenix twice on specific shopping expeditions and had Gary and Della Reinbold here for dinner on Thursday evenng.

We, and the Ouseys, went to Chandler on Friday for the Beaudry RV 'roundup' which included a free barbeque lunch. Afterwards, we climbed in and out of at least two dozen motor homes ranging in price from the low $100s up to $750,000 and above. I was pleased to see that the manufacturers are putting in more and more hard surface flooring in the living areas rather than cheap carpet that gets dirty and wears out. I think two lavatories in any motor home is over the top, but I do like the rear master bath that is found in some of the diesels. But I managed to find something wrong with all of them, and was willing to come back to our humble abode.

We enjoyed the Reinbolds visit and caught up on what they have been doing. The first six months after Ken and I were married, we carpooled with them. Della and I worked downtown Spokane and the guys would drop us off and then go on out to Eastern for school. They eventually settled in Davenport and bought the local insurance agency. Their son Mike and daughter Kris are about the same ages as Keith and Colleen. Now they spend most of their time either at a condo in Anacortes or somewhere in their motor home. This winter they are here in Casa Grande at a nearby golf resort.

We were thrilled to have the Air Force IM site up and working yesterday, and with a bit of technical help from Keith, he, Brian and we were able to 'chat' . It is quite fun with a three-way conversation because there is usually something to be reading while someone else is composing. So we determined that there is a chance that all of our family could be together the first week of July. Keith and Janet and the girls arrive on the sixth, and if Brian, Sheila, and the boys can stay a day or two beyond the Fourth, it will work. What fun would that be?

I have had some interesting grocery shopping experiences that have run the gamut. There is a chain of stores in the area called Food City which would be considered lower end, but the fun is that they cater to the Mexican cuisine, and every store has its own tortillaeria with fresh warm tortillas hurtling down the conveyor belt Plus the store has all kinds of interesting ethnic foods; Knorr brand chipotle flavoring base, and some fresh vegetables that I have never seen such as grey squash which is similar in taste and texture to a zucchini.

And at the other extreme was a stop at AJ's which is a very upscale chain here in the area. A beautiful store with lots of interesting and high end foodstuffs with prices to match. But it was fun to poke around, and we only needed 2 items so we didn't blow the budget. I still rely on the commissaries for the staples, and then frequent local stores for produce and fresh items.

The Super Bowl is in the fourth quarter and then we are going to have dinner here with Gary and Carolyn - chicken enchilada casserole, Mexican rice, and spinach salad. That should make us sleep well after a late dinner! Ciao