Monday
Sept 19
So geez just what
have we been up to you ask.
Well
the weather has been an issue here in sunny AZ... would you believe. They
call this the Monsoon season or rainy season. Since we were gone for the
summer we were amazed that after our return there were still storms on
many days in the afternoon. I cought this shot of a minny funnel. It twisted
and turned like a pigs tail.
One day last week while we
were off touring Tombstone with our friends from Iowa it stormed most of
the day and when we returned the main wash was still running and people
were still waiting for it to go down. Since we were in our visiting friends
Ford Exployer with 4 wheel drive we went to the head of the line and went
on through. Pic taken through the window so not so clear. The wash was
deeper than what it looked. But the road base was solid and not just mud
so we got good traction. Ya this is the private road to our winter house.
We just have to deal with it. Reported it has never been this bad before.
See what happens when we show up.
The next day our visiting
company from Iowa went on their own off to Tucson and while they were gone
another strom rolled through and produced more hail. In Tucson and here
we had over 3" of rain. Now in AZ that is a gully washer to be sure. In
Tucson a record for one day. Now as you can see it hailed and we now see
whe had lost granuals from our roof shingles. We think not enough to warrent
insurance coverage. Not to speak of the rose bushes that are now missing
much of their foliage. Even the Mesquite and grass was beaten down. . The
5th wheel did not incur damage to the roof or fan covers. This was the
second day in a row that we had storms and hail. The first day we were
gone touring... but saw the damage when we returned. Still this is
so much better than the constant storm warnings that occur in the midwest
in the spring. We love any kind of rain in AZ. And the best part it does
rain most everyday in the summer here. Who would think they get this much
rain here. We love it. IT RAINS IN AZ...
We took our friends from
Iowa on a day trip to Tombstome and Bisbee.
Thomstone was a slow day
but that ment they could wonder in and out of the trourest shops without
the crowds. I moved from each resting bench as they all wondered in and
out of the shops. All and all we had a good time and I will go back and
maybe spend some time in the saloons while others walk the streets. Think
they will find me when done as even on a slow day the saloons were where
the action was at.
Next off to to Bisbee
(now do click the Bisbee link) from Tombstone to the south.
While in Bisbee we had a
great lunch at the Copper
Queen Hotel
A great lunch at a fair
price and great service out on the patio.
We sat at that front table.
Check
out their menu
Open since 1902, the Copper
Queen Hotel is Arizona’s oldest continually
running hotel one of the
last remaining historical gems of the Southwest.
The next day we had planned
to go to the Pima
Air & Space Museum to do the Boneyard tour of the Air Base.
Our friends had done the
Museum before so we just wanted to do the boneyard tour.
Well that didn't work out
well as just as were to get on the tour bus they locked down the
Air Base. See
the story about it.
Since we couldn't do the
tour we headed off to go up Mt.
Lemmon that is a great drive up to Summerhaven at about 9 thousand
feet with fantastic overlooks looking back down at Tucson. Who would think
there are mountians in AZ.
Our friends Jan and Steve
at the lower overlook.
Now for the great news....
the bridge overpass I-10 at the Mescal exit 297 reopened today. It had
been closed after two semi trucks wrecked and burned months ago and closed
it (they survived). It is now rebuilt. A special huge rush construction
job. It caused a 10 mile detour for locals for several months. AZ DOT orig
said it woud take years to replace and the locals rose up and demanded
it be done now! There are some pretty expensive homes in this area to the
south in the J Six Ranch and it didn't take long for the powers to be to
get the word to get this done NOW! We are on the north side and on
the wrong side of the tracks so to speak... not really.. we love the views
from our house and have a property we only once dreamed about.
It's party time this weekend
(per our neighbor) with free food and specials at the businesses that were
effected by the closing. We are going to the free BBQ this weeekend and
another bar is having another free feed next week. This is a big deal out
there. We had not been in these to bar/restaurants yet but learned one
had a great fish fry on Fridays and a Sunday brunch. Think our choice for
a winter home is looking better and better.
It's now open...
Thursday
Sept 1
So
what are we going to be doing on Labor Day you ask.
Well I think you may get
an idea from these pictures.
Our
inside/outside or outside/inside pool area. All depends if you roll up
the door. Off on Saturday to some local farmers markets and to get pool
toys from Target in Siera Vista. Don't Ya think some float devices are
needed in this picture? I can float well enough on my own BUT which is
one reason I love a pool. Laying on your back floating without using any
energy suspended is PURE pleasure.
I picked this pool
up at a Wal-Mart closeout several years ago and it has been it the box
since then. Was stored in Iowa, never used. Now setting it up found out
it is huge, the box said 18 ft. I had no idea how large that was. Now I
know. Takes up a large area in the garage/shop. But it is fun and large.
Want a hard sided one when we get the deck built so will replace it later
on, me thinks. Or if it works well may just keep it. Terry does still have
the front half of the gar/shop for his maching/woodworking stuff so he
is not forced out so to speak. And notice the shed out back that needs
sides put on it which can hold much stuff when finished. It has a cement
floor and nice windows and door just needs to get the siding in place.
(We have a stack of it, which was left over from the gar/shop build.) The
former owner never got it done. Anyway hope you have a great labor
day weekend and remember why working folks get this day off.
Unlike the pictures of the
yard below Terry has been working had to get things cleaned up and mowed
since we have gotten back to our winter house.
Wednesday
Aug 17
How
time flies.
I know like the blogs on
our main site I keep harping... If you don't post you might be removed.
So decieded I just had to get somthing up as people were starting to get
worried.
We made we a quick run (loaded
on last Friday and took off on Saturday and arrived mid day on Monday)
to our winter house in AZ with a U-Haul of stuff that we has stored before
we went fulltime. Had to make it a beeline as they only give you
7 days to get the truck turned back in. That includes loading and
unloading. So we had no time for doing any side touring this trip. After
we get things set up will take off again for some more normal fulltimers
travels. We have big plans for next summer, fall and it is not to stay
in AZ to be sure. Also want to spend some time back in Quartzsite
during the winter high season.
Anyway what a surprise we
found when we pulled in on Monday. Everything was green and it all has
grown so tall. Could hardly find our driveway. Who would have thought you
would have to mow lawn at a winter house. Time to buy some vegetation
killer and spray away. It was all so dead and brown when we left in the
spring.
I was going to plant grass
in this small section between the house and garage... Guess I don't need
to, here it is.
Who sez things don't grow
in AZ in the summer.
I let Terry and his brother,
who came down with us to help, go today to drop off the U-Haul back in
Tucson and then go to The
Pima Air & Space Museum
More than 300 aircraft
and spacecraft including many of the most historically significant and
technically advanced craft ever produced, both from the United States and
throughout the world. (Nice verbiage right from their sitedon't Ya know.)
I'm still getting used to
the altitude of 4,200 ft here, and the trip to take on a big day like that.
Tomorrow it's Tombstone the "Town too Tough to Die" and Bisbee
"Copper to Culture." We have his brother scheduled on a fight on Saturday
morning so just a couple of days for him to see the sights.
See
where we are at right now. DataStormUsers
map ID 98
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