December 4, 2017

November 5, 2017

 This morning Ed and I drove up to the Rockler Woodworking and Hardware in Phoenix to get supplies for one of his projects.  Since Ed and Cindy own their lot they have put in a storage shed that is large enough so he can do his woodworking.

 Joyce has been down in the club house working on a sewing project she has started.  Me?  I’ve pretty much been vegging this afternoon.

November 7, 2017

 Today would have been my brother David’s 68th birthday.  Happy Birthday in heaven David.  I miss you.

 I have been having some problems with my back for several months so yesterday I went to Dr. Gary Hendrix, a chiropractor in Coolidge.  He spent about 45 minutes interviewing and examining me then started doing some corrections to my back.  I’ll be going back today and then on Thursday for more work and then we’ll see after that.

November 12, 2017

 On Friday we welcomed Rick and Patty Stills to Rancho Sonora RV Park for a few days.  While they were pulling in there was a guy standing in the road that at first I didn’t recognize.  Turned out to be Rick Kastner who Rick and I flew with in the 7th MAS/ALS many moons ago.  Stills went on to fly with Kastner for several years with Air Transport International.  He couldn’t stay long but he said he would come back over on Saturday.

 On the night of the 10th, Rick & Patty, Ed & Cindy and Joyce and I went to the Florence Elks Lodge for their annual Veterans Day Dinner and Dance.  The food was great and we all had a good time.

 Yesterday Rick and Patty hosted a barbecue party.  Rick and Sandy Kastner along with Steve and Kay Crowell who the Stills’ met some months ago showed up.  We all had a lot of fun.  Several names from the past came up during the course of our conversations.

 Rick and Patty were supposed to leave us today but have decided to hang around for another day.  Love it!

November 18, 2017

 Rick and Patty left here on the 13th to continue their journey to Florida.  We had a a good time during their time here and hope to see them in California in March.

 On the 17th Rd, Cindy, Joyce and I took a drive up to Mesa to look at park model RV’s.  Ed and Cindy are considering putting one of them on their lot instead up using their RV every winter.  If your not familiar with park models check some of them out here:  http://parkmodels.com/southwest/  Most folks add an Arizona room onto the home to give them more space.

26 November 2017

 It has been a very busy time for us lately so let me bring up to date.

 Last week Ed, Joyce and I met with Rick Kastner about joining the Elks Lodge.  We explained the benefits and the programs of the Elks.  Joyce and I met with Rick and Sandy on the 20th and they have decided to join.  I hope they can get this all done so I can be at Rick’s initiation.

 On the 20th Joyce and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary.  It’s hard to believe that twenty four years has gone buy so fast.  Rick and Sandy joined us at the River Bottom Bar and Grill for supper.

 We had Thanksgiving dinner here in the park with Ed and Cindy along with several of the guests.  There was enough food to feed an army and of course we all at too much.

 Also on Thanksgiving Day we celebrated Joyce’s birthday.  I won’t say how young she is but she is darned close to getting some really serious retirement money.

 On Friday we drove up Lowe’s in Gilbert, AZ to pick up a new air purifier.  The ones we have now just aren’t getting the job done so we decided on the Dyson Pure Hot+Coll Link.  Yeah, this guy cost a few bucks but it works really well and it also is a very nice cooling fan/heater as well.  This is our Christmas, Joyce’s birthday and my birthday gifts all rolled into one.

 So….yesterday Joyce was looking around on the Best Buy web site and saw that the purifier was on a Black Friday deal.  She decided to call Lowe’s to see if they would price-match the sale price and low and behold they did.  So, we’ll be getting about $110 bucks back from them.  Nice!

December 3, 2017

 We can’t believe that it’s December already.  November flew by and before long we will be in the new year.

 Yesterday Ed and I went over to Coolidge to attend the Coolidge Aviation monthly Fly-in.  There were a few more airplanes this month, some of them doing some showing off during landing and when they left the airport.

A Ercoupe

This guy doesn't have a rudder.

 Nuff said for now.

Barry & Joyce

November 5, 2017

October 23, 2017

 This morning after Joyce did her walk we hooked up the car and headed up to the Davis-Monthan AFB FamCamp.  The drive up was really easy until we got into the Tucson traffic making maneuvering a tad challenging.  Sometimes you just have to be pushy to get the job done.

 This is probably the largest RV park in the military system and for sure one of the best managed.  When they built this park I’m sure they consulted an RV’er because all of the power, water and sewer connections are in the right place and all of the sites are very level.  The park’s WiFi is the best we have seen anywhere and at $22 a day this park is a bargain.  They get very busy here starting in November with folks staying the whole winter.  They don’t take reservations so some snowbirds are already arriving to get their pick of parking sites.

October 24, 2017

 After Joyce did her walk we finally left the base and drove over to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch.  Next stop was at Costco to pick up a few things and then it was back to the house for the rest of the day.  We did look at things we want to see while we are here and hope to get started on them in the next few days.

October 28, 2017

 Last Wednesday we went to see the movie Only The Brave that was about the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew that perished while fighting the Yarnell Hill fire near Yarnell, Arizona in June 2013.   This movie is very intense with some of the best cinematography we have ever seen.  Highly recommend you see this film.

 We saw the film at the Roadhouse Cinema a very upscale theater here in Tucson.  The theater isn’t just a place to enjoy a movie but you can have a drink at their full bar and order more food than just popcorn or a hot dog.  When you are seated in your huge recliner a waiter will come around and ask if you need anything.  Also, there is a button at your seat that you can use to summon your server at any time.  It’s a little more expensive (unless you go on a discount day)  to see a movie there but we can testify the experience is worth it.

 Yesterday we went back to see the new film Thank You For Your Service at the Roadhouse.  This film is about the Post-dramatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) suffered by five soldiers after their service in Iraq.  Joyce and I both thought the film was very “dark” and disturbing but hopefully it brings awareness to the plight of our military folks suffering from PTSD.

 After the movie and making a quick stop at Chick-Fill-A for some lunch we took the Mt. Lemmon Scenic Byway drive.  The tour starts in north east Tucson and winds up the 8000 plus mountain for over twenty miles.  You begin the trip in the desert and at the top your in pines.  The rock formations are amazing.

October 31, 2017

 Last evening we had drinks and a quick supper with Ben and Caroline Reed along with Ben’s mother-in-law at the sports pub here on Davis-Monthan.  I flew with Ben on C-141’s back in the day with the 7th Military Airlift Squadron.  Ben went on to transfer to the Reserves at Travis flying the C-141 then the KC-10.  He has recently retired from United Airlines where he was a mechanic for thirty-two years.

 Ben and Caroline have recently bought a new home here in Tucson and are in the process of moving down here from San Ramon, CA where they just sold their home.  Joyce and I are going to go over and see their place today.

November 3, 2017

 On Monday morning we left Davis-Monthan and after a quick stop for some fuel we headed up to the Rancho Sonora Inn and RV Park in Florence, AZ.  After getting set up in our site we then went next door to the Desert Gardens RV Park where our friends Ed and Cindy Kopic have a RV lot.

 Ed and Cindy bought their lot last year and now are planning on putting a park model on it next year.  If you don’t know anything about park model RV read about them here:  https://www.parkmodelsdirect.com/ph/.  They plan to add an Arizona Room onto the one they buy which will give them more living space.

 Yesterday we loaded up in Ed and Cindy’s truck and headed out to Casa Grande for lunch and to do some shopping.  After getting a bite to eat at the Firehouse Subs we decided to go out to check out the RV park Joyce and I have planned to spend December.

 Well, that didn’t work out so well.  Last month Ed and Cindy had a new transmission put in their truck and have had it out of the shop for just two weeks.  After getting off I-8 and turning onto Highway 84 the truck started acting funny.  He pulled over and tried to shift the transmission and nothing happened.  We got out and found fluid all over the bottom of the truck.

 We did get to drive by the Wild West Ranch & RV Park where we were going to spend the month of December.  There are several dairy farms and feed lots in the area and the smell was pretty bad.  We decided to stay at here in Florence so I cancelled our reservation at Wild West.  To the park’s credit they did refund out $100 deposit.

 It just so happened that where we pulled over was in from to a home and the owners, Larry and Linda Venteichar were out working in their cactus garden.  Cindy walked over to tell them what happened and Linda invited Joyce and her up to the house to get something cold to drink and to use their bathroom.  Ed called his roadside assistance company to get a tow truck headed our way then Enterprise Rental Car to arrange a rental car.  Larry then said for us to come up to the house for a cold beer while we waited.  What a nice couple.

 When we left Tucson we had a issue coming the living room slide.  Three years ago we had the same problem and it turned out to be weak batteries and we’re now having the same problem.  So yesterday Ed and I did a little troubleshooting.  We hooked my battery power pack to the coaches battery bank and tried the slide which came in without a problem.  Time to replace the batteries.

November 5, 2017

 Yesterday morning Ed and I drove out to the Municipal Airport in Coolidge, AZ to check out their monthly Flyin.  This event happens the first Saturday of each month and is a pretty big deal around these parts.

 After getting a really good breakfast from the Lions Club we walked around checking out all of the airplanes and talking to a lot of the owners.  Ed and I will definitely go back next month.

Had a chance to the builder of this one.  He said that once the airplane is trimmed it's pretty much hands off flying.

Ed checking out the graphics. 

This guy has 1/2 of a VW motor.  The builder said he can do about 45 MPH and it's a blast to fly it.

 

 There were several nicely restored Bonanza's there.

 Later in the day Ed, Cindy, Joyce and I went into Florence for a car show that was being held in one of the mobile home communities.  There wasn’t a lot of cars or motorcycles there but we did see some good ones.

For Jim Glaspey.

 More next time.

Barry & Joyce

October 22, 2017

October 16, 2017

 On our last day at the Missile Range Joyce drove up to The Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino in Ruidoso, NM to make her donation to their welfare fund.  Since I don’t gamble too much and hate the smoke in casinos, I just hung around the RV relaxing.

 This morning we left the Missile Range about 10:30 and after a quick stop at the Pilot Truck Stop in Las Cruces, we made the 135 mile drive to Deming, NM in good time.  We took on 47 gallons of fuel at $2.75 per gallon which included our Pilot Rewards discount.  We’re staying at the Roadrunner RV Park here in Deming, a Passport America affiliated park.  We got a full-hookup parking site for $13.73 a night including taxes.

October 18, 2017

 After getting settled in our parking site we decided to go over and check out the Elks Lodge here in Deming.  There were a lot of cars in the parking lot so we thought that the lounge would be full.  Not so and in fact there were just two folks there.  Everyone else was there for the lodge’s Monday night bingo.

 We asked the bartender where she would recommend for us to have dinner and she didn’t hesitate saying, “Ya gotta go to the Adobe Deli”.  I questioned her about recommending a deli for dinner but she said the steaks are amazing.

 The restaurant is located about ten miles east of Deming out in the middle of nowhere.  The building is rustic and the  atmosphere inside is all about the southwest.  There are stuffed animals all over the place, saddles hanging on railings and a lot of posters stuck to the walls.

 They had a lot to offer on their menu but I decided to get their 10 oz. filet and Joyce settled on the salmon.  Our waiter told us that not only is he a waiter but he is also the restaurant’s butcher.  Yep, the Deli processes their meat in house. The owner also makes his own wine.  I got a glass of his cabernet and found it to be delicious.  Here is a picture of the wine cellar:  https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g47009-d511601-i136748496-Adobe_Deli-Deming_New_Mexico.html

 Y’all have probably heard me rave about the steak I had at Bohanan’s in San Antonio, TX some years back.  Well, I have found that steak’s match.  My filet was prepared to a perfect medium rare and was like cutting into butter, and to say it was delicious is an understatement.   Joyce said her salmon was moist, flaky and perfectly cooked as well.  If you are ever in the Deming area make it a point to have dinner at the Deli.  We were told that on Thursday thru Saturday reservations are a must.

 Yesterday we drove up north of Deming to visit the City of Rocks State Park.  Not too much to see up there except a lot of rocks but we found the place to be interesting.  One of the cool things is the way that the tent sites sites are arranged among the rocks.  They have several electric and water sites there as well.

 After leaving there we drove out to Rockhound State Park to check out the camping there.  They have a lot of electric/water sites and some tent sites as well.

 This morning after Joyce did her walk we hooked up the CRV and headed west to the Fort Willcox RV Park in Willcox, AZ., arriving about 1 PM after gaining an hour when we crossed over into Arizona.  This is another Passport America park so we get a good break on the daily rate at $24 including taxes and an extra $5 for 50 amp electrical service.

October 21, 2017

 On the 19th we drove down to visit the Chiricahua National Monument.  This is one of our National Park Service’s hidden gems and should not be missed when your in this area.

 

 Yesterday we took a drive down to Douglas, AZ for no other reason that we had never been there.  The drive down isn’t anything to write home about but we did see there is a lot of farming down that way that we didn’t expect to see.

 
For lack of anything else to do we stopped in at the Gadsden Hotel to see what might be happening in the area.  After getting a beer in the Saddle and Spur Tavern we got to talking to a gentleman who was there and he told us about a terrace up on the second floor.  Alex offered to take us up there so off we went.  Read more about the hotel here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadsden_Hotel 

Alex is retired from the U.S. Army and the Veterans Administration who was born and raised in Douglas and definitely had the gift of gab.  We learned a lot about his life and the history of Douglas from him.  Alex and his lady now live in Huntington Beach, CA and come over to Douglas, get a room in the hotel and just relax.

 This morning after Joyce did her walk we hooked up the CRV and made the 66 mile drive down to the Elks Lodge in Sierra Vista.  The last time we were here we stayed at the Apache Flats RV Resort on Fort Huachuca but for several reasons we decided to stay off base this time.  Our parking site here has 30 amp power and water for $12 a night.
 
 The Elks Lodge here changed a lot from the last time we were here four years ago.  The hours have been cut drastically and they don’t have as many patrons spending time here.  In contrast, the VFW Lodge seems to have something going on everyday.  We drove by there and the parking lot was completely full.

Barry & Joyce