Organ Stop Pizza with Ed and Hazel.

Off we went to Apache Junction. It took us about an hour to get there. Ed and Hazel are staying in a really nice park. It isn't like ours. They have a much smaller park, and it is all motor homes and fifth wheels and travel trailers. Ours is mostly park models. Folks here stay for about 6 months, and go back north for 6 months. Over there most are travelers. Hazel and I took a walk, and she showed me around the complex. While we were gone, Ed and Tom took a walk, too. We decided that when we come back to this area, we will be staying there. The view of the Superstition Mountains was wonderful.
Around 4:00 we went off to Organ Stop Pizza. What a great place. When you go in, you order and then go find your seat. Hazel got us a terrific seat at the railing of the balcony. When your order is ready, the number comes up on the board and you go get your food. We both had spaghetti. Ed and Hazel had pizza. All of a sudden out of the floor comes this huge Wurlitzer Organ. What awesome music. There are xylophones on the ceiling, drums on the walls, and a set of pipes that were the trumpets on the wall next to us. Not to mention the light show that goes on with the music. You could see the baffles working. Some of the pipes were also visible. The organist took request, and did Stray Cats Shuffle. Out came the cats. Really cute puppets. They moved to the music. Then came a rousing rendition of the Star Wars theme. WOW. It was really amazing. I kept thinking of my good friend Gloria. She would have loved it. She is an organist and choir director. Tom says she would have wanted to be the one playing. Probably so. We finished eating and went down stairs to leave, and what did we see? Breyers' Ice Cream Cones. I had butter pecan, and Tom had Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. A good ending to the meal.
It was hard to say bye to Ed and Hazel. They have become such good friends. We may not see them again till the fall. They come from the Chicago area, nowhere near Pa. They will be staying put for a while, and we will be traveling. By the time they move, we will be home. We'll meet in Livingston at the CARE Center in the fall...The Good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise.
It has been such a beautiful day. Nice and warm. Shorts weather. We have been looking for weather like this since we left Minnesota. Should be nice through the weekend. Tomorrow we are going to an RV show. It's at the Cardinals' Stadium where they played the Super Bowl. Then on Saturday we go to Jim and Dee's for a family get-together. It sure will be nice to see the family. We haven't seen some of them for a few years. We just keep movin' on. We sure like this life.
http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/OrganStopPizza

Sight Seeing Around Surprise

Tom and I took a trip out to the desert the other day. We traveled up to Lake Pleasant. Thinking we would fine the desert in bloom, we were armed with cameras and binoculars. Of course we took our water with us. You always have to have water in the desert. If you don't by a pass for $6.00, you don't get near the lake. All we wanted was pictures. We never got close. We did see some yellow patches on some of the hillsides. That was all. We did manage to get into the campground just to check it out for the future. Most of the campers there have boats of one kind or another. The sites are various sizes, and are priced accordingly. We thought the fees were pretty reasonable for being that close to the lake.
Yesterday we went to a very large swap meet. I call it a flea market. It was like we were back in Mexico. Prices were sort of high we thought. Nothing much there we wanted. I did buy a pack of dish scrubbers for a buck. That was that. Outside on the parking lot there was a big tent set up. They had some camels outside the tent, I we saw a small zebra. None of the animals looked like they were taken care of to well. And that was our Sunday.
Today we went to Glendale. The city has done a great thing. Most of the old houses have been turned into little shops. Most have the touristy stuff like wreaths and potpourri, etc. The longer we walked, the more we realized that antique stores outnumbered anything else. There was everything you could want. Lot's of stuff I had never seen, or stuff from our childhood. Be that as it may, no purchases today. But it was fun to browse.
Tomorrow we are going over to Apache Junction to visit with Ed and Hazel. It will be good to see them again. We have plans to go to a pizza place that has a pipe organ and light show. We'll take pictures for you all to see. Some of our friends have gone there, and say it's pretty neat. I hope we're not disappointed.
http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/LakePleasantGlendaleArea

Sunflower RV Resort, Sunrise Arizona

Here we are at Sunflower Resort in Sunrise. There are many park models here, and some folks are here for the whole year. Most stay only for the winter. It is very clean and well taken care of. We have a number of things to chose from as far as activities go. There are many kinds of card games, bingo, lots of entertainment shows. The Mills Brothers is coming up, but is sold out. That is just an example. There are sewing groups craft groups, wood carving, quilting, stained glass, silver lapidary, a big library, a lap pool, and family pool, 2 hot tubs, and games. Such as tennis, golf, horse shoes, lawn bowling, bocce ball, shuffle board, and more. We also have to option of going to some dinners at specific times. There is also dancing. Square, line, ballroom, etc. As you can see, we should not be bored or looking for something to do.
Tom's cousins live in the area. Today we stopped in to see Jimmy and Delores. They live in Peoria. Skip and Mary live in northwestern Phoenix. We have friends from St. Cloud, Minn in the park, and Ed and Hazel are in Apache Junction, which is not too far. So, we have only a month, with lots to fit in.
Rain is in the forecast for the next couple of days. We probably won't get to see the eclipse tonight. It is already cloudy, and it's only 5:00. We'll see. We had planned to to do the Apache Trail. We have been told it is really beautiful, and we are anxious to see it. It will be a full day event. I'm sure pictures will come with the review.
We thought there would be a Culver's here. They won't be opened till sometime in April. No good hamburgers for us in Surprise. We'll be in Nevada by that time. Maybe next time through.
Tomorrow, if the weather holds, we may do some geocaching. It's something we really have fun doing. When we get home we plan to do our own cache. Probably somewhere in our campground. It will be fun to see how many come in to find it. Of course, it will only be accessible in May thru Oct. Then the gate is closed. That's a little ahead of myself. We have time. Lot's of time. Are we lucky or what?

The Gypsy Rally at Casa Grande

What a great time. This is was our first Gypsy Rally, but definately not our last. Nick and Terry Russel have done such good job getting this all together. We had some very informative seminars. We would have liked to fit in some more, but scheduling didn't permit it. They had open craft time. Everyone took their work and shared it with the others. That was different than the way it is usually done. They sometimes have a craft to make. This way you could learn different things. Lot's of beading took place. I don't bead, but it is beautiful work. I took my necklaces for CARE, but left my swedish weaving home.

We have been members of the Escapees Class of 2007 for quite some time. It is Escapees who started to go full-timing in 2007. We have been on the computed forums for a couple of years now, and since we missed Quartzsite with them, we were new here. They welcomed us with Escapees hugs, and we had such a great time with them all. We established a Gypsy Red Hat Mammas Club. Miss Terry was made an honorary member. Marcia has this Margarator. It's a machine that makes great margaritas. We sat out every evening for happy hour. Lots of laughs and good times. On Wednesday we headed over to the main building for a pizza party. I think 200 pizzas were delivered to the Rally. They came loaded in 2 pick-up trucks. YUMMY. One of the vendors had furnished the drinks. We had wine and non-alcoholic grape juice at every table. Then came the entertainment for the evening. It was a Dessert Rose Beauty Queen Contest. Most guys from our class took part. The winner was Sal. He was hilarious. He was crowned by last years winner. At the conclusion of the event, the guys took donations for CARE. They collected about $800. With all the other monies we have collected and sent, we have a total of $1125 so far that we have to donate to them. We are so proud of that. CARE needs all the help they can get.

Last night we had a nice little get-together for supper. The ladies all made appetizers and desserts. You can fill up nicely on finger food. It was a nice ending to a fun week. We all exchanged cards, and will be sure to keep in touch.

By the way, I purchased some nice little earrings that look just like Emily. Along with some others. We won a years free subscription to the Gypsy Journal. That's Nick's Newspaper. You can learn about good places to go and neat things to do. It was one of the best door prizes.

Right now we are in a very muddy parking lot. We decided to stay an extra day, because we don't have reservations till tomorrow. We did our laundry, and picked up a prescription and some milk at Wal-Mart. It is quite cool here today and very rainy. Hence the mud. Many of the class has stayed on, but have all stayed inside. Trying to stay warm and dry. Tomorrow we head out to Surprise, on the northwestern side of Phoenix. We will be there for a month, and visit with some of Tom's family. It will be nice to have full hook-ups for a while. We just hope the weather gets better. Like someone said to day, "It could be worse. We could be going to work." I'll take this any day.
http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/GypsyRally

Buckeye Az.,Old Friends and Geo Caching

Here we are in Buckeye. It was a nice little town. Now it is growing to fast to count the population. We were told 12,000 to 1 million by the year 2020.We see the "old town", and the new area with a new Wal-Mart and lots of new fast food places. When we arrived, we took a run to Wal-Mart. There were lots of people outside. There they were! The Budwieser wagon and the horses. Just like in those great commercials. Complete with the dog. Someone said they were in the area for the Super Bowl, and they stayed around for a few days. Of course we didn't have the camera. Another day, perhaps.
Last night we stopped in to see Jennifer and Doran Hunter. Jen grew up next door to us, and they have been here in Buckeye for about 3 years. They have 3 great dogs. Peanut , Bruno, and Babette. The boys are kinda fiesty, but the little girl keeps them in line. They out-weigh her by about 50 pounds each, but she's the boss. They are all so loving and compete for patting and attention. Great dogs. It was good to see them. It's nice to see someone from home when you're out on the road.
Today we were out geo caching. We didn't do to bad. We found 3. The first one was a hill climb. The second one was very easy. The third one wasn't so easy. The GPS had us going the wrong way. Tom went back to the car and started over. He ended up on the other side of the road, and there it was. Easy when you go in the right direction. We tried for another, but no luck on finding the right road. Maybe we'll try again.
Tomorrow we head out for the Gyspy Rally. Nick Russell, who writes the Gypsy Journal, gets folks together a couple times a year. Casa Grande Fair Grounds is the spot this time. I'm looking foward to it. Lot's to do, and great folks. The Escapees Class of 2007 will be there. Since we missed them in Quartzsite, we will be with them for this. We did meet some of them when we got to Q, but some of them had already left. Now we will be camped with them. Hopefully a good time coming up. Can't wait. Nothing like taking your home with you.
http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/BuckeyeAzGeocaching
http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/BudClydesdales

Mexico and Shirmp Tacos

Now for our trip to Mexico. It'll be a while before we go back there again. First of all, we had no idea what we were doing. We just went with everyone else. We parked way to far away. When we came up to the border, we just parked. Then came the walk to the gate. There is no sidewalk. The walk-way was just dirt and stones. just a little pathway between the parked cars and the fence. When you get there you just keep walking and your in Mexico. I've never seen so many dentists in one place. Again, it wasn't what we expected. Pharmacies, dentists, optometrists, and more of the same. Also lots of hats and purses. "Hey Lady. What you want? We have best price." Lot's of jewelry. Let me tell you....I just love to look at purses. I have had one purse since I left home. I've been so good. I looked but didn't touch. It was so hard to find a T-shirt for Connor. We finally found one. Not exactly what we were looking for, but OK.
The hit of the day was stopping for shrimp tacos. They were so good. As we stood in line we could watch them deep fry the fish and shrimp. They warmed the tortillas, and filled them up with the warm shrimp or fish. Then you go to the register to pay, and that is where you put on all the other stuff. Of course, you can make it as hot as you want. Tom and I each got 2. I had one of each, and he had 2 shrimp. Yummy!! They were as good as we had heard they are. I'm sure it would have been a better trip for me if I hadn't been recovering from that bad cold. But that line at the end did me in.
As we were getting ready to leave, we had to wait in line to get back over to the USA. I stress WAIT IN LINE!!! Wait till you see the pictures. The line went down the street, up the hill, and around the corner. Then it went down that street. It took us over 2 hours to get through the gate. Even if you don't buy anything, you have to wait in this line. I can't imagine standing in this line if you buy a couple bottles. Even if you have a few bags of things. There wasn't even any place to sit, until you got near the end. The cars were going through faster than the walkers. Anyway, it was interesting to see. We may go back again, but probably not Algodones.
We have been sitting here in this nice little park. We are finding out that we really needed to do just that. We have had to be somewhere ever since we left in June. We have enjoyed not having to get up, or set the clock, or even go outside. We are well rested, and are getting ready to be on the move again. We have a few days till we go to a Rally in Casa Grande. I have been reading, and Tom has been watching some TV and puttering around. It's not as warm here as we would like, but it is warmer than home. The other day we did our wash. It didn't take long, we had all the washers and dryers we wanted. It's the first time we've been in a laundramat in years.
Today we went out for bread, and also stopped at the Dollar Store because we are sending Connor a box. We like to get him little junk stuff that doesn't take him long to get rid of. Of course we will send him a rock from the Colorado River, and one from the desert in Quartzsite. (He has a rock collection.) We put them in bags and label them so he knows which is which.
Wait till you see the sheep. We are in sheep country. Technically, it is the desert, but they irrigate so much here, that it is green and lush. So many fields of hay growing. When we stopped to take the pictures of the sheep, they started to come up Baaaing at us. The little ones were so cute. I think they thought we had food for them. Not so. Tom will post the pictures tomorrow.
http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/SheepMexico