I Must Get Caught Up

A new year is upon us and I must reflect back on the past year.  It has been an exhausting, emotional, exciting and sad year but a good one all the same.  We decided a year ago to go full timing and we accomplished it and haven't looked back.  We know we have made to right decision for us and look forward to what the new year has in store.

Anyway, I must get this blog caught up.  It really hasn't been too exciting of a month.  I spent my New Years eve helping out at the party that the park hosted, it was better than sitting home alone. With Mark being gone I took advantage of having the caravan to myself and got busy making my wine glasses.  I cover the stems of the glasses with polymer clay.  I can drink cheap wine but it has to be in a nice glass, no plastic for this girl.

 Mark returned on the 7th and we got back into our routine.  We visited the Boyce Arboretum out side of Surprise AZ with our neighbors, Dale & Sandy Lieber.  They have a Harley so we rode the bikes but the day was a little chilly, if the sun isn't shinning it tends to be cool.  Our friends went to the Arboretum in Phoenix but said they liked Boyce much better and it isn't as expensive.  We were lucky enough to go on a 2 for 1 day, just wish we would have packed a lunch and made plans to eat there, it was really nice.  Check out the colors of the desert. 

The Pickle Pear cactus will be a sight when fully in bloom.

                                    This is what the flowers look like on the prickle pear cactus.

I have never seen this many golden barrel cactus all together in a group, very impressive.

Now these cactus are the strangest thing I have seen so far, they are call Montrose Totem Pole. 

Can't remember the name is this one but it looks like an old mans beard.

                                This was a very cool suspension bridge that lead to a hiking trail.

              These signs were posted to keep us humans on the trail and they worked very well.

And always remember...

About a week after Mark's return he got the flu, ugh.  He was down for the count for a week and was on the mend the second week.  First I get sick, his dad passes and then he gets sick, hopefully we will both be healthy as horses for a long time.

We really like the area and the weather but don't plan on returning to this park.  It is way too big and too old for us.  We are the youngest people here but it has been a good experience as we now know what 55+ parks are all about.  I have enjoyed having a grocery store across the street but am ready to be in a real campground.  We have looked at the county and state parks which are more to our liking and would consider them in the future.  We have met some nice folks which is always one of the perks of living this lifestyle.  Just the other day we saw a mobile suite pull in so we went over to chat with the owners, Paul & Sue and found out that they were just in Quartsite and went to dinner with some folks that we met in Tennessee.  We visited Jean & Kim Brown in Apache Junction this past week.  Our paths crossed in Grand Island NE this summer, they were the folks that told us about the Irish Festival in Greeley.  So you never say bye, just see you down the road.

The packing has started as we will be pulling out on the 1st of Feb headed to Kingman AZ, then flying home to take care of some business.