Girlfriends ARE Important
Posted by: Gwen on: December 4, 2009
It seems that wherever I go, God is always faithful in giving me a special friend. I am not talking about the relationships that are just acquaintances but a relationship where there is mutual respect and acceptance. You know, the ones that don’t try to change you or judge you, they just love you the way you are. I have found that these kinds of relationships only belong to a handful of people I have crossed paths with. These people also have a deep seated belief that friends are forever rather than to throw off a person because of this or that!
Kathy is no exception. We met up at Howard Prairie. They came to camp and their camp spot was next to ours. I didn’t have much time to get to know Kathy at HP because of working and my hours. But we would run across each other in stores and chatted. When we left HP and needed to find an RV park, we found one in Applegate, OR. Just what we needed. Then one day as we are out walking we run across Kathy and her husband Terry. We were surprised at seeing each other. They had given up RVing and moved into a home in the same park we had brought our 5th wheel to. Was this destiny! You bet. We became friends and walking buddies. They even got back into RVing, sold their home and took to the road. They worked a season at HP and Kathy and I worked together.
Now, we don’t get to see each other as often as we would like but we can keep in touch in the normal ways people do. They have come to spend two weeks with us and we are having so much fun together. Yesterday we all went to Parker and Kathy and I took off together to shop. Shopping with a girlfriend is a wonderful experience!
Girlfriends are important! They are the best. 
Did You Say Water?
Posted by: Gwen on: December 1, 2009
- In: Arizona
- Comments Off
Our plan is to stay in this present campsite for a couple of months. So how do we manage our water? We are asked this question many times and I will share with you what we tell others.
Water is precious out here in that we have to pay for it! Yep, they sell water. Arizona water is salty and not fit for drinking. We carry 9-one gallon jugs (old Arizona tea jugs). We fill these jugs with drinking water. In Arizona we go to a RO (reverse osmosis) vendors. They are all over town in Quartzite. We don’t make a special trip but take the empty jugs with us when we go to town. It costs us 25 cents a gallon for drinkable water. 
There are several tips we have learned from others and by trial and error when it comes to conserving water. We have learned to take the cold water that runs in the shower before the hot water comes through the pipes and put it in a container. When the water is drinkable we use it in the kitchen and for brushing our teeth. When the water is undrinkable as this water is, we use it in the toilet. We have learned to turn the water off when taking a shower when we aren’t using it – like soaping down and shaving. We also take what we call ‘birdie baths.’ We use a cup full of water to brush our teeth so we don’t forget and not turn off the water in the bath sink thus wasting water down the drain.
On one of our shopping trips in Baker City we found a 25 gallon cooler that has a connection for a hose so we bought it and carry it in the back of the truck. When we fill it up to transport water to our rig, we put it up on the extra gas tank and strap it down for the trip back to the RV. In Arizona, we can get water at the country park, 2 miles away. All summer we have been close to a water source and this location is no 
different. The only snag is that the water isn’t free. It is 5 cents a gallon which comes out to be $1. Dale made 3 trips the other day. So we still need to be conservation conscience when using water.
Boondocking – just love it!!!
Happy Hour in the Desert
Posted by: Gwen on: November 30, 2009
One thing that isn’t ignored when boon docking in the desert is happy hour; social hour; or whatever one wants to call getting together. Our happy hour can start at 3 or 4 most days. It all depends on what everyone is doing. Some days we don’t have happy hour because the wind is blowing to hard for us to sit out in someone’s backyard!
However, most days we gather at each others rigs to relax and catch up with our day. We also talk “boon docking” and learn how everyone else boon docks. I learned to put dinner in my crock pot, put it in the sink wrapped with towels, plug it in and
turn on the solar as we travel down the road. Dinner cooks and will be ready when we arrive at our next camping spot. I learned about solar ovens and pots. The men talk “solar” and what uses the most amps and all that jargon.
We had a couple of rigs come in today so happy hour turned out to be 19 people. By 5:30 we are all ready to go in as the sun is setting and it gets chilly. Happy hour in the desert is a great event to the close of the day.
A BoonDockers Thanksgiving
Posted by: Gwen on: November 27, 2009
As we drove around Bouse and read all those “White Sheets” papers, we found we had many options for a Thanksgiving dinner. The community center was having a potluck that everyone was invited to. Just bring a side dish. The Ocotillo Lodge was having their Thanksgiving potluck 3 hours later, or we could cook up a dinner in our rig. We had tentatively decided to go the Blue Water Casino for dinner and the price wasn’t all that expensive.
We had two more rigs pull in this last week, so we all decided we would have our own Thanksgiving potluck and began the planning at one of our happy hours. The biggest discussion occurred when it was mentioned that the turkey was going to be cooked in a solar oven. Suggestions of when to put the turkey in the oven were put out but one person said they wouldn’t eat the turkey if it was cooked that way. Either lack of understanding about the “heat source” or just being afraid of bacteria nixed the solar oven. The turkey was baked in a regular gas oven.
At 2 pm we all gathered to partake and give thanksgiving for where we were and the blessing so richly bestowed on us in this country. As you can see, we had no lack of food. Everyone ate to their hearts content or to the syndrome of “your eyes are bigger than your stomach!”
After lun
ch the gals took a walk. We either had to decide on a nap or a walk and the walk won out. After we got started we decided we were taking a “waddle.” We also decided to move dessert time back an hour!
After dessert at 5 pm – apple pie, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheese cake pie, and pumpkin pudding pie, we circled the chairs around the campfire to relax and enjoy the end to a great day. One thing RVers do well, beside eating, is laughing and we did plenty of that too. After the sky had darkened, Dale pointed out two moving objects crossing the sky. Once we determined there were no blinking lights, and therefore not airplanes, the objects must be the space station and the shuttle following it. Oh, what a sight. We watched it move across the sky until the earths shadow blocked the sun shinning on them and we could see them no more. Incredible! And sure enough, it was what we thought it was. They will be passing us again tonight at 6:30. Actually, we will probably only see the space station tonight.
Thanksgiving in the desert was a very satisfying and lovely day. If one can’t be with family, then this was the next best thing.
Life is good.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by: Gwen on: November 26, 2009
As Thanksgiving Day rolls around,
It brings up some facts, quite profound.
We may think that we’re poor,
Feel like bums, insecure,
But in truth, our riches astound.
We have friends and family we love;
We have guidance from heaven above.
We have so much more
Than they sell in a store,
We’re wealthy, when push comes to shove.
So add up your blessings, I say;
Make Thanksgiving last more than a day.
Enjoy what you’ve got;
Realize it’s a lot,
And you’ll make all your cares go away.
Happy Thanksgiving from our hearts to yours….Gwen and Dale
By Karl Fuchs
Weekends in this area are for everyone because there is something for every one to do!
We went to Quartzite to get Morgan groomed. She was dirty! She was so funny when we arrived. She went to the very farthest part of the yard in order to not go through the door that led to a bath. We had to carry her up the stairs to get her inside! We were laughing so hard. When we picked her up she ran in circles! Didn’t know if that was because she was glad to get out of the groomers or she smelled soooo good! Ahh…I love that dog.
After dropping her off, we went to the senior center to indulge ourselves in the many crafts on display. Knitted everything! Quilted everything! Jewelry - every gals dream. Fun things like aprons for dish soap bottles and funky hats and jackets; dressed up T-shirts and so much more. Dale found a couple of things for Chloe – a Christmas stocking and a clothe book about Rudolph. Outside, we found a Christmas present for the folks. But they may not get it until next year when we visit! Trying to find a box in this place is a real challenge. I will keep on Dale the mission. Hope it isn’t mission impossible.
We also ate at our favorite place, Bad Boy Cafe. They have a new building on the opposite side of the street from last year. 
We had a great lunch there. Steve and the crew do a great job with food and service.
Quartzite isn’t in full swing yet, but it sure is nice without all the hordes of people who end up here in January. We ended the day at the laundry. Which takes only 20 minutes now because I have a clothes line back at the rig and don’t have to spend lots of bucks using the dryers. All in all, it was a good day. Life is good!
A Desert Party Or Is That A Dessert Party!
Posted by: Gwen on: November 23, 2009
The day brought sunshine in abundance as I watched the sun come up. The horizon was a golden orange. Arizona sunrises are pretty and breathtaking all in one shot. And they happen quick.
Yesterday was my birthday. Once again time is marching on and I can’t believe I am in my sixties. We didn’t have anything planned for the day except lazing around and just enjoying the day. Then, here comes Noreen. She had an invitation in her hand and was inviting me to the “Football Widow” party.
At the appropriate time I wander over to her “backyard” to spend a couple of hours with the gals in the neighborhood while their husbands sat in front of the tube watching grown men tackle each other. (don’t go getting upset guys. I like watching football too.) Well, it has been a long time since my last “surprise” birthday party, but they pulled this on off (with the help of Dale I found out.) So we had a party in the desert, tea, chocolate cake and cookies and girl chatter. What a great way to celebrate being more than 60!
Today, we had another birthday party in the desert. At happy hour with the group we celebrated Bob’s birthday with chocolate cake and cherry cheesecake (both his favorites). Good talk, good friends. Life just doesn’t get much better than this. Oh, did I mention the Arizona sunshine! The cherry on top of a wonderful day.
We Made It To Sunshine
Posted by: Gwen on: November 21, 2009
We have been in Arizona for a week. After leaving the family in Barstow, we tried to get to our destination before dark, but didn’t make it. That’s okay by me. I had all morning with my daughter and that was a sweet, sweet time. We enjoyed a home made breakfast – breakfast burritos to accomodate our “healthy diet!” So we left at noon and the sun goes down about 5 to 5:30.
We drove through Needles, CA into Arizona. I love this scene. As we crossed the bridge over the Colorado River, the Arizona sign welcomes people and the skyline is full of the Needle Mountains. It is quite beautiful. We didn’t even stop in Lake Havesu! Dale was on a mission!
Alas, his mission didn’t happen no matter how hard he drove. We stopped at La Pas County Park thinking we would get a good deal on a space. Not so. This park is huge. They have a building for the host to register people and a gold cart to park RV’s. A jeep convention was going on also. So it was pretty full. They put us out by the road, in powdery dirt and charged us $16. No hookups, no gravelled space. Just dirt and road noise. We were quite disappointed in their policies but they were very nice hosts. We ate dinner and I went to bed. Dale went over to see what the jeep people were doing. Beside the blaring rock ‘n roll music, they were running their jeeps over old cars. Whatever! Oh, and did I tell you the music was blaring loud? It was. With ear plugs I was able to sleep a good sleep. It was a hard day for both of us.
Now, I am not supposed to tell people where we are. It is a secret. I roll my eyes because this desert is so big. A couple of people don’t want anyone to know where we are so people won’t move in on us and turn our privacy into the scene at Quartzite. Being who we are, no one else would want to bring their rig in to where we are. There are 5 of us parked on Broken Glass Lane, down in Solar Hallow. We are near a cute little town that has lots going on in it. We have already been to their founding days and bought a huge bag of books for $2. We attended their Monday breakfast and $1 taco nights.
Our new friends from Oregon, who bought a home here, arrived. They visited yesterday. It was good to see them.
However, it is wonderful walking out my door and not seeing a soul. Or to look up at the night sky and there is no light pollution to disrupt the awesomeness of the stars. The horizon shows us an awesome sunrise and sunset. Life is good!
Take a look at the video of our arriving. See it here.
Visiting Family
Posted by: Gwen on: November 19, 2009
When my daughter and grandkids moved away from us I thought they had almost gone to the ends of the earth. They were a hard day and a half drive away – into California. I did that drive once by myself and will now pay the money to fly! They are also on our way down to Arizona, so we stopped off and spent a week with them. It had been 7 months since I had seen those grandkids and that is way too long to go without a Nana fix.
Our son-in-law is in the Air Force and so he is stationed way down south. We are so glad the base has an RV park for us so we don’t have to park so far away from the kids.
This is our birthday dinner. Lesa, the kids and myself all have birthdays close together in October and November. So we went out to celebrate with Italian food! That’s Germans for you!
While visiting we were able to catch a few of Court’s volleyball games. What fun. My tomboy is into this game! She did very well and so – watch out Olympics – her she comes – in a few years!!! After each game, the girls do the victory dance. Ahhh, 7th graders!
My Courtney is the only blonde gal on the team! Catch her video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPslFtLTN5c
While with the kids, we took Dale to see the Calico Ghost Town. There was an actual town here back in the 1800’s. Mining for silver
was their game. Over the years the town was deserted and all the buildings were blown away by the desert. Some conglomerate business came in and built up this “attraction” to look like the old town. It is fun to visit but would be so much better if it was the actual buildings. See our video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kQNnkfD4vw
We had a great time with the kids and I can’t wait until their next visit. We are about 3 1/2 hours away from them so hopefully we can see each other a bit sooner than 7 months!
Our New Coffee Table
Posted by: Gwen on: November 18, 2009
Not too long ago I decided I wanted my living room to look like a living room. You see, our living room was an office. Dale has his computer stuff where the TV should go if we had purchased that big and heavy TV they put in RV’s. We had our own wall mounted TV so nixed the TV that comes with the RV and this space his “office.”
At the back of the RV, in the living room is a huge space. We didn’t purchase the couch that came with the RV because it didn’t fit our lifestyle. In its place we put a desk for me. This became my “office” with my laptop and “stuff.” This last summer, I didn’t use the desk. It was just too much setting it up and taking it down all the time. Remember, before retirement we lived up in the mountains for 7 months and then in the valley the rest of the time. So having a desk was essential. Now, not so much.
At the September Rally, we toured our friends camper and they had a coffee table between their recliners. It was exactly what I was looking for. So we got the website from them and contacted the people who make these tables. This became my birthday present from the parents and our Christmas present from them also. All we had to do was get our recliner chair from Dale’s sister’s house and we were set. If you are interested, leave a comment and I will send you their website. I have to get it from Dale and he is outside doing “guy” stuff.
The table is very nice. We ordered it in the medium cherry. It blends in well with our maple interior. The top of the table is like an oval leaf table. The top also rotates so that both leaves can be out or just one at a time. It also adjusts in height to make a great coffee table or a laptop desk. Underneath is a magazine holder. I store my bible there. 
My daughter took the desk and monitor and I have a living room once again. And it doesn’t matter where I use the laptop – outside, at the dining room table or kicked back in our recliners. It all works!!!
We are very pleased with this arrangement. Now to find the perfect oval carpet for the living room floor!
Recent Comments