Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

A few days ago we all decided to visit Casa Grande National Monument, http://www.nps.gov/cagr/. Morning seemed like a good time to go as it's been getting quite warm in the afternoon. Well who knew a cold front would come through and keep the temperatures low?

We dressed warmly and it wasn't bad in the sun. The wind made it a bit chilly in the shadows. We left around 0900 and arrived about 40 minutes later. There was a tour at 1000 so we waited for that to start. We browsed the shop and grounds.

These are my pictures taken with my phone camera.

this is a fish hook cactus, see how the spines curve down?

this is a Santa Rita prickly pear cactus, it has purple coloring, quite striking in the sunshine.

I love dead trees....lives one too, but when they die they still provide shelter

Ocotillo blooming

looking up I thought this would be pretty and it is!

We were home by noon and had taco soup for lunch. I watched my soaps and continued with the laundry I had started before we left. Jim washed the truck and Boo just liked being with us.

Anne and Scotty are visiting a relative in Phoenix and Jim and I are going out to dinner tonight.

There are more pictures but Jim hasn't sent/given them to me yet. I wanted to get this posted in case we're out late!

"God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools ~ John Muir"

Daily Ramblings

We've had some gorgeous weather while here in Casa Grande. By the afternoon it heats up to the low 90's and I think we all like that. The forecast for today is much cooler. It's going to be windy and should only reach the low 70's. Must be a front going through and I do see clouds outside.

The guys have been doing outside maintenance and getting little chores done here and there. Jim bought some magnets for our water. It seems they help with minerals but so far I'm not sure of it.

Jim has also been cleaning on the rig. It's easier to do a little here and there.

Anne and I got our hair cut yesterday and we both look much better! We were getting a bit shaggy. She and I have also done laundry and inside chores.

Last night for dinner we grilled pork, chicken and salmon. All items we had in the freezer that needed to be eaten. I made a potato salad and fixed raw veggies with dip. A bottle of and friends to share it with. What more can you ask for?

"If I had to sum up Friendship in one word, it would be Comfort ~ Terri Guillemets"

Casa Grande, Arizona

Our drive from Benson to Casa Grande was an easy one yesterday. Interstate travel is mostly boring, but this one was fairly interesting because of the terrain. Within a half hour or so we were in the Tucson City limits;

We drove straight through and arrived around noon at Sundance 1 RV Resort www.sundance1rv.com. I'm not sure why the RV is in the name. There aren't that many RV's here, mostly park models. We're parked in what looks like a parking lot. But the weekly rate is a good one so we're here for a week.

As soon as possible I reheated the ribs and cooked some corn on the cob for our lunch which we ate around 1300. We were hungry!

We're parked next door to the Scott's and it didn't take long for us to set up and relax. I had mail waiting for us when we arrived and it was fun going through it.

While here we're visiting friends and seeing the sights. Anne and Scotty have a friend who winters here from Vermont. Larry stopped by to say hello. The afternoon temperature reached the low 90's but the AC kept the inside of our little home on wheels quite comfortable.

Early evening we headed over to visit with Larry and his wife Becky and this beautiful sunset delighted us. We sat outside and it was lovely.

We stayed until after dark visiting and enjoying ourselves. Once home we had a bite to eat and settled in to watch tv for the rest of the evening.

After getting up around 0630 this morning I was ready to tackle the day two hours later! Jim was up at 0800 and mostly we just putzed around. Jim did some chores outside. Anne and I went to town and went to the bank, post office and grocery store. Back home we had some lunch.

Then I settled in and watched my soaps. Jim went to the pool. While he was gone I showered and washed my hair because we were going out to dinner. Again the temperature went into the 90's.

Larry, Becky, Anne, Scotty and Jim and I went to a Chinese Buffet and had a nice dinner with good conversation.

Back home I watched Dancing with the Stars and now we're watching Dr Who. It's still 75 degrees outside and it's a quarter to ten.

"A hundred ten in the shade is sorta hot, but you don't have to shovel it off your driveway. ~ Author Unknown"

Tombstone, Arizona

Saturday night we went to bed at 2130! It took us awhile to go to sleep and I guess I slept well but for some reason I was up before the sun yesterday. It was pretty watching it peek over the mountains in the east.

Even Jim was up early. So we got some things done. I stripped the bed and started laundry. We went to Safeway and fueled up the truck and all this was done by 0930!

Since Tombstone was only 22 miles down the road I made the decision we were going and as soon as Anne and Scotty were up I told them to get ready. Not sure what time we left but the drive down was short and interesting.

We were able to find a parking spot and Jim started snapping pictures

not sure what the bikes had to do with Tombstone but it is a contrast between the centuries.

compare this mode of transportation between the one below!

There weren't a lot of people on the streets which is always nice in a touristy place.

Should have had Anne pose in front of this store

Some of the characters that performed through out the afternoon.

Ladies in period costumes

Is he leering at her?

Exotic dancers....belly dancing in the street. What was really cute was a young child mimicking their moves and doing quite well

We had lunch at the OK Cafe and strolled back down the boardwalk and then headed home.

Jim washed thee truck when we got home and fiddled with the bike rack. I continued with the laundry and drying sheets.

Even though I had ribs cooking in the crock pot we decided to have them at our next stop. We were still full from lunch. Jim and I had a salad and just enjoyed the evening. Well once he put the bottom sheet on the bed I had to finish making it.

For fun we dressed this sad plant...Don't you think it looks like Cousin It from the Addams Family?


"Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want. ~ Margaret Young "

Change in plans

Yesterday when I got up I checked the weather for Bisbee, Arizona, our destination. Well imagine my surprise when it said snowy/rain! I let Anne know and she said no to travel as did Scotty. when Jim got up we told him we were staying in Las Cruces one more day.

We had a few errands to run so the four of us hopped in the truck and headed to Lowe's and the guys spent so much time we thought they should take us out to lunch, but nooooo. We stopped at Albertsons and picked up some groceries.

Back home we had some lunch and watched the weather deteriorate. It really didn't get bad, but the temperature dropped and we had spitting rain. Scotty said he saw snow flakes while working outside.

I made a pot of taco soup for dinner and Anne made a salad and corn muffins. A good meal if I say so myself! We then made plans for our next stop.

A cozy evening indoors and life is good.

This morning I was up at 7 and woke Jim shortly thereafter. We wanted to make an early start for our trip to Benson, Arizona. Since we have reservations for Monday we changed our destination from Bisbee to Benson. I was ready to go around 10 minutes after 9. Jim was almost ready to go as were the Scotts. But they couldn't start the Winnebago! ERS was called and we waited about 45 minutes for them to show up. They got the rig started and we were on the road!

Better late than never. Our drive over to Benson was easy if boring. We took I-10 and though the mountains broke up the monotony of interstate driving it was a long trip. About 220 miles. The most interesting part of the trip was Texas Canyon! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Canyon We may have to check it out some day.

Arizona doesn't do daylight savings so we gained an hour when we arrived in the state. We're staying at SKP Saguaro C0-Op for two nights. the rates are good and the park is laid out nicely.

For dinner we ordered pizza and having it delivered was nice because no one wanted to drive out to get it. Anne made a small salad and we all ate our fill. Scotty and I drank a bottle of red wine while Jim and Anne had beer.

Back home we've showered and we're computering as Ginger would say. The TV is on but we're really not paying attention.

"Leave sooner, drive slower, live longer. ~Author Unknown"

rainy earth day

It was a good day to stay indoors and get things done. Jim had to get fuel and run a couple errands. I stayed home doing laundry and ironing.

He came home just as I sat down to eat lunch. We polished off the tuna salad.

Our afternoon was pretty much lazy. Watched TV, played games. Made reservations.

We had dinner with Anne and Scotty. Anne fixed macaroni and cheese, Jim grilled some pork loin and I steamed some carrots and snap peas. All in all we had a good dinner. Oh and a bottle of wine.....a big bottle of wine!

A cold front has given us some really chilly temperatures. as I type it's about 47 outside and the predicted low is 41. A good night to sleep under the comforter!

Moving on to Bisbee, Arizona tomorrow.

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ~Native American Proverb"

Mesilla, New Mexico

Around ten this morning the four of us headed to Mesilla, a historical area outside of Las Cruces. To read more about this unique city click on this link, http://www.oldmesilla.org/

As we walked around we found a little bit of everything to take pictures of, like this cactus

Tacky tourist items

and flowers

This building which I think is a private home had beautiful landscaping. Jim and I both took pictures and I love each of them

these pictures don't really show the true color of the adobe

this shot that Jim took shows the color best, but it's a deeper shade than pictured here.



San Albino Church, for some reason it was closed.


We had lunch at Double Eagle Restaurant, www.double-eagle-mesilla.com We sat in the courtyard and as you can see from the pictures below it is beautiful

As we sat awaiting our drinks more and more diners arrived so we were lucky to get these shots



Scotty got a burger, Anne had sliced brisket, Jim had Seafood Rellenos and I had a cup of New Mexican tortilla soup and ceviche Mesilla. Both of my choices were very tasty with some heat from peppers that pleased me. Jim and Scotty had a beer while I had a margarita and Anne had coffee. The prices on the food were reasonable but I think the drinks were overpriced.



Very nice table settings

and the doors and art were pleasing to the eye.

After lunch we hit a few more shops then headed back to the truck and home. Jim took a nap and I watched my soaps and read for awhile. Around 1600 I joined Anne outside and we chatted while we drank our coffee. Jim and Scotty came out and we ended up making plans for future stops.

I don't think any of us wanted dinner, but we made note of a custard shop just down the road so it was time for dessert! I did not partake but from some of the sounds I heard they enjoyed it. Back home we split up for the evening going to our separate abodes.

"History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days. ~Winston Churchill"

Las Cruces, New Mexico

We were in no hurry to leave this morning as our trip was only 70 miles to Las Cruces. So we had our coffee and breakfast. Then we slowly packed up and left around 1030 this morning. The drive over the mountains was beautiful and uneventful.

We were all set up in Sunny Acres RV Park www.sunnyacresrv.com by 1300. Anne and Scotty were already here having gotten their coach repaired earlier today. The mountains from this side are worthy of pictures so we'll need to get some when we're out and about tomorrow.

Jim needed to get his sun glasses repaired so we found an Eye Masters that just happened to be in a mall! Once the repair was made we walked around the mall mostly for the exercise. I did pop into Chico's and we got some vitamins from GNC. After we left the mall we stopped at Arby's for a bite to eat. Then checked out Walmart for fuel. But no fuel. Then Jim stopped at a Verizon store. For a Tuesday afternoon it sure was busy. He checked out the phones then we left.

Back home we sat outside enjoying the afternoon. Jim had wine while I had a cup of coffee. Felicia and Frederico look like they wanted Jim's wine! Not sure how long we sat there with Boo before Anne and Scotty returned from their outing. They sat with us for a bit then Anne and I went for a walk around the park.

Haven't seen any iris lately and these are about the last of them in bloom here.
These snapdragons greet you at the office.
this flowering yellow bush is pretty, the flowers look like small roses but it didn't have a scent.

The four of us split up and went inside just before seven, I caught the end of Dancing with the Stars.

We've showered and we're just watching TV and playing on the computers.

"How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains! ~John Muir"