March 31–April 10, 2023 Casa Grande

March 31 – Yuma. We finished packing up and closing down the lot and shed for the season and headed east.  I drove the first 80 miles and Andy did the rest.  Slowly getting use to driving.

Area east of Gila Bend – looks like lots of lava rock:

We have passed this way many times over the years.  Someday I am going to stop and pick up some of these pieces.

Green everywhere:

And, oh my, flowers everywhere:

Barrel cactus and saguaros:

Cholla cactus on the right – looks like it is glowing!

What a beautiful drive!

 

Miles Traveled: 172 Miles Miles

Routes Traveled:

Arizona: E County 17th; Avenue 3E; I-8; S. Montgomery Road;

That evening we went to one of the local churches for their fish fry – Yummy!  We joined Pam, Steve, Orville, and Tony? (I think??).

What a nice day..

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Saturday was grocery shopping and that evening, we went to dinner with Howard. It was good to see him and get caught up.  He will be heading back to Canada on Tuesday.

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Sunday, I spent the day with my cousin Kris at the Tempe Festival for the Arts.  What a great time and it was so good to see her.

One of the statues at the park:

The festival was huge – it is almost like we need 2 days to see it all.  (Hint, Hint for next year Kris!)

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Monday brought us together with Joyce M.  I met Joyce when I first came to the Casa Grande park and we had many good times together.  She is now living in Arizona City full time.  It was so great to see her and get caught up with each other.  Hopefully we will spend more time together next season.

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Tuesday found us up early and at Ascendant Auto and Diesel Repairs before the sun rose.  Yikees!  They did a great job on our tail pipe and we were back at the park by noon.  They also made sure that no other damage was done – we are good.  I highly recommend them for any repairs.  They are family owned and looks like they do a great business. 

Late afternoon, our park had a dinner out at Barrow’s Pizza – Yum!  We sat with Linda and Mark – it was great getting to know them.

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Wednesday was a get caught up day at home!  We needed it.

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We have been having some problems with our awning so on Thursday, Mike from Silver RV Awning Sales came to look it over.  Well, it turns out that our one awning arm is not good.  So we will need a replacement arm and probably new fabric.    That is going on our list for next season.

Mike also does small RV repairs.  We may have some work for him next season too.

On a side note: He has been here since the mid 90’s and has never seen a bloom like this in the desert!

We then met Larry and Cheryl for lunch and a good visit at their new place.   What a great time!  This will be their first summer in AZ and we will be interested to hear how they do.

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Friday was trip planning day!  We will leave here on Tuesday 4/11 and slowly make our way east with our eye on the storms..

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Saturday was grocery shopping and getting caught up around the sheds, lot and motorhome.  I did get a chance to get out and take pictures.

Going into town the flowers are everywhere. 

They are tiny little puff balls!

Walking on the north side of our park:

New growth:

Beautiful cacti flowers:

Almost there:

Looks like the tops are glowing in the sun!:

More flowers to be!

The trees are spreading their leaves:

Grasses in the desert – who knew!

We feel so blessed to be able to experience this bloom in the desert!

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Sunday – Happy Easter!! 

Started the day with laundry and finished the day relaxing.  Fry’s had a special on ham so I picked up 2 of them.  We can use for lunches and quick suppers as we travel.

The kitties love watching the birds!

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Monday, today, final packing up and almost closing down the lot and sheds.   Yes, it is getting warm!

Tomorrow we head out so stay tuned and enjoy today.

January 11–13, 2014 Our Time in Casa Grande Part Five

Every time we walk in the desert we usually go east or south first then make a big loop – anywhere from 2.75 miles to over four miles.  And almost every walk we do there is something new to see but I always forget my camera.  So on Saturday, I brought the camera along and here are some of the sites in the desert that keep me wondering.

Balloons on the horizon:

A jar full of sand buried in the middle of nowhere:

Bones, bones, and more bones:

We have come across quite a few bones.  In one area they were scattered all over.  In another area was a horse.  Actually the horse was killed in November and we watched it go from full to bones – Interesting to see but also gruesome.

Some ones balloon:

We haven’t figured out why this was here.  Could have been a carport for a house/business or ??  There were a lot of nails sticking out on the top of the pole so something was attached.

Found these guys too – :

Lots of glass:

And ?

Shoes??  Actually we find quite a bit of clothing and bedding.

Trash, trash, and more trash (lots of broken glass in there too):

Now this is interesting.  It is a small ceramic Siamese cat.  There was nothing around it.  Was it carried by the water to just this spot??

We came across an area that was full of stuffed animals – whose were they?

More trash – this was roofing material:

Did someone live here for a while???

After all that rain, the desert has grass:

I have a lot more pictures but you get the idea.  It is like a treasure hunt every walk – what will we find today?

On Sunday, my cousin, Kris spent the day with us.  We had a wonderful time getting caught up, showing her around the park and a great “lupper” at the Native New Yorker Restaurant in town.  What a great time and always good to spend some time with her.

Here we are:

Today, Monday, was pack up/shutdown/laundry kind of day.  We will be leaving tomorrow for Quartzsite so stay tuned and enjoy today.