Can't believe it has been a month since blogging but days just pass and I just didn't get it done.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Arizona this year. It has been the warmest winter we have experienced overall the last five years. We had lots of friends in this park and that always makes it fun. We did have one incident that wasn't enjoyable - car accident.

On February 28, we were involved in a car accident. We were out to eat with our friends, DeAnn and Bruce, and we were T-boned on the passenger side of the car. I was sitting on the passenger side. My rib on my right side was broken. Bruce was shook up and has a sore back but other than that we thankfully were not seriously injured. It could have been much worse. We were riding with our friends and their car was totaled but it is drivable. The other car was totaled also. It is now two weeks later and my rib is still sore but is improving. So I have slowed down on the activities here in the park until my rib is better.

Here are a couple pictures of the car:



On February 25, we went to the Fountain Hills Art Fair. This is always such a treat to go to as they have over 400 vendors with all kinds of arts. This is the second time we have attended and have enjoyed both times.

Here are a couple shots at the street fair:




Jack and I have been thinking of up-grading our fifth wheel for a while. Last week, DeAnn's uncle and aunt came up from Coolidge to look at our fifth wheel as they were looking for one similar to ours. Well, yesterday they called and said that they would like to purchase ours. So we are going to sell it to them, and deliver it to them next week on Wednesday. Then we will start back to KC on Thursday, March 24. When we get back KC, we will start looking for a new trailer. We have been looking at some while out here but haven't decided for sure what we will buy. We both liked the Open Range. So it will be exciting to start looking for a new one.

Verde Canyon Railroad - 2/14/11

On Valentine's Day, we took the Verde Canyon Railroad, Chocolate Lovers ride. This is located in Clarkdale, AZ (about 90 miles NW of Phoenix). DeAnn & Bruce Hoover and Shelley & Buddy Wright went with us.



The train has two FP7 locomotives that pull the renovated passenger cars. It has the passenger cars plus an open-air car so you can go outside to enjoy the scenery. The train follows the upper Verde River, runs by Indian ruins, and over trestles. It goes through a man-made tunnel.

Enough about the train, the real thing was the chocolate - we had chocolate lava cake, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate mousse, chocolate candy, etc.... We also had champagne served, a full appetizer bar, with no less than a chocolate fountain with strawberries, marshmallows, pretzels,
& bananas. Oh so good! Now you
know why were so full and mellow
on the ride home.










Buddy & Shelley Wright








DeAnn & Bruce Hoover

Birthday Celebration - January 29

On January 29, we celebrated my birthday with our friends here in Arizona. We had a great time!

New friends - Marilyn & Paul -









Donna & Bill -









DeAnn & Bruce -










Jack, Brandy & me -









Buddy, Shelley, & Sharon - (sorry we missed getting Tom in this picture)







We had drinks and snacks at DeAnn & Bruce's and then went to Garcia's (Mexican Restaurant) for dinner.

















What a day! We had a great time from morning to night. Thanks for making my birthday special.

Tonto National Forest

On Friday, January 21, we took a drive to Tonto National Forest.

This is Red Mountain which is located
just outside Tonto National Forest entrance.









Jack thought he had to get out on the
rock to get better pictures. DeAnn and I thought he was going to fall in the River but he fooled us and made it just fine.







Jack, Brandy, and I on the banks of the Salt River at one of the recreational areas.









The Salt River that runs thorough the
Forest. The water is so clear you can
see the fish in it.









We had a picnic lunch at Saguaro Lake. The shelter house was right on the bank of the lake. Lindy and Brandy enjoyed all the fresh air. Jack and Bruce enjoyed watching the boats on the lake.










This was a great scenic drive and the weather was just wonderful. Great day with great friends.

Enjoying Arizona

VAL VISTA RV PARK









Here are a few pictures from our RV park.



We are enjoying our RV park here in Mesa. The park is great and has all kinds of activities and things to do. The weather has just been beautiful the last week or so.

I have gone to line dancing, took some pickleball lessons, went to Zumba exercise, utilized the gym equipment and took walks. Last weekend we went to our first dance with a live band which was a lot of fun.

Last Wednesday we attended a concert from the Fab 5 which was five sisters that dance. They had appeared on one of the talent shows on TV and were in the top 10 finalists. They have performed at a number of places throughout the U. S. It was very good and they even had their children who also performed a number of dance routines.

Today we went to the Mesa Marketplace - Flea Market and we made some purchases.

Looking forward to another week here in Arizona.

New Home for the Winter

We have arrived at our new home for the next three months. We are at Val Vista RV Park in Mesa, AZ., this year. This is the first time we have visited this park, but so far we really like it. Some friends, Tom and Sharon, are the ones that recommended this park. They had been here last year and liked it real well. There are a number of people in the park that we met while at Arizona City three years ago.

We left KC on Monday, December 27, and arrived in Mesa on Wednesday, December 29. We had a good trip - didn't have any weather and no problems with the RV. Our friends, Bill and Donna, ran with us on the way out and that was nice having someone else traveling with us. They had been coming out here the last few years, so they knew places to stay at on the way.

Our friends, DeAnn and Bruce, arrived last Friday. We have been busy exploring the park and getting to know the town. DeAnn and I went to a cooking class yesterday which was presented by the Chef from the park. It was very informative on lots of healthy ideas and on how to start your new year off in a better way. They served a lunch with it and it was very nice. We also went to a class at the gym to learn all the equipment they have to use and we signed up with the personal trainer to give us a one-on-one session. So see we are going to try to be a little better (at least for the first month of the year!)

Hope everyone had a great holiday season and are ready to start their new year.

Where did Summer go?

I can't believe it has been 3 months or more since I have been on here. I really don't know where the time goes but it just goes!!

We have been busy with the family & friends most of the summer.

We visited the Kansas City Chief's Training Camp this year in August. They have moved it to St. Joseph, MO., which is only about 35 miles North of KC. So that makes it real handy to visit. It was fun to go there and see them work out and practice. So far this year the Chiefs are doing so much better than the last few years, so there is always hope for them!

Jack and I have gotten back into square dancing the last couple of years while we were in Florida, so when we came home for the summer, we decided to take some more lessons which has been fun. We have been to a few dances over the last couple months but most clubs do not dance much in the summer. We plan to attend a few dances this fall/winter before we leave for Arizona. We have already checked out the parks in AZ to see where the dances will be held. We need to get some of our friends to take lessons this year.

The last week of August we went to Branson with our friends, DeAnn an Bruce. Had a great time. While we were there, our friends we met in AZ three years ago, Don and LaVon, were there also. Had a good visit with them.

Over Labor Day weekend, we camped at a local lake - Smithville for four days. We took our 3 year old grandson, Bronson, with us for the first time. He did great. We only had him for a day and night, but he enjoyed it and wanted to know when would be the next time he could go. Hopefully we can get him out one more time this year.

On September 25, Jack and I attended my 45th high school reunion. We hadn't been to one for about 15 years so it was fun. Boy, how people change!! Of course, I haven't changed just them - LOL. I have about 6 girlfriends that I have kept in touch with over the years and most of them came to it so that was the best of times.

Zack, our 15 year old grandson, is playing JV football this year. So we have been busy attending his games. We went last night, he made a touchdown and had some really good plays. It is so much fun to attend these games. Both of our sons played football so it sure brings back the memories from their games.

The weather has been just beautiful here in the Midwest. Fall is definitely my favorite time of the year. The mornings have been cool but it warms up to the high 60s and low 70s by afternoon. Just perfect!! We have made our reservations for the winter in Arizona this year. We are going to be in Mesa at a RV park called Val Vista. We understand that there is going to be a number of people we know going to be there also so that will be fun. Looking forward to seeing them.

Winfield Country Music Roundup - July 2010

Dierks Bentley in Concert:

On July 13, Jack and I took a trip to Winfield, Kansas, to the Country Music Roundup. This was our second year to go to it and we had a great time. This roundup runs through the week.

We had three other couples go with us and we all camped at the fairgrounds at Winfield. The weather was a little on the hot side but we found ways to keep cool. Mary and Doug; Bruce and DeAnn; and Bill and Donna were the other couples. We made a U-shape with our RVs and had a courtyard in the middle of the RVs. This worked out great as Mary and Doug brought a canopy type tent so with the awnings and this we had a lot of shade. Had two big fans that ran most of the time!! We had good food, including homemade ice cream. Can't ask for more than this.....

The music concerts were at night so that helped out. They were in the arena with covered stands that faced the East so we were always in the shade. They had some great entertainers this year -- LoCash Cowboys; Bill Currington (People are Crazy guy); Hotel California (tribute to the Eagles); Randy Houser; Chris Cagle; Keith Anderson; and Dierks Bentley - this was just some of the bigger names. So we had a good variety of country music.

I will try to post some of our pictures.

Bill & Donna:

Mary & Doug:

Bruce & DeAnn:

The whole gang except Jack, who took the picture:

This was one great trip.

Summer-Time is Here

We are definitely in summer here in Missouri. It has been hot and humid for the last few weeks and we are still having the summer thunderstorms almost daily. There has been some flooding and if it doesn't stop soon it might become more severe (like we had in 1993) - hopefully not.


Let's see what have we been up to for the last six weeks. Busy as usual, with our normal activities.


We spend spend four days in Columbia, Missouri, helping our friends, Jeannene and Warren, celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. We took the RV and camped in Columbia. We had a wonderful time. I helped Jeannene get ready for their party on Thursday and Friday. We got to visit with their two sons and two granddaughters. Then on Saturday the party was from 2 - 5 at one of their friends' clubhouse. Everything turned out just great and a good time was had by everyone. After the party, we all went out to eat at a country restaurant between Columbia and Jefferson City - by the Missouri River. It had wonderful home cooking! Here is the group standing on the steps outside the restaurant. Jeannene's two sisters; their sons & granddaughters; a friend; and Jack and I.




Here is a picture of them at the party:





We have been busy with our neighborhood board as we are members of it. We are in the process of changing some things so that has been taking up a lot of our time the last few months.

Our granddaughter, Emma, was in her school district's math bee. She represented the fourth grade from her school. She competed with a large number of candidates (don't know how many but I would estimate over 25 in the fourth grade level) and she came out in 4th place. She received a medal and trophy. We were so proud of her!

Jack and I celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary on June 12. Can't believe that it has been that long but time flies when having fun!! We had a wonderful dinner on June 11 at Bonefish Grill. Then on June 12 we were actually with our friends, Marlin and Dora; Frank and Linda celebrating Marlin's 60th birthday.

On June 13, we left for Branson, Missouri. We took Emma with us and camped there until Friday, June 18. We had a great time. Our youngest son, Chad and his family, were also staying in a cabin on Table Rock Lake, which is close to Branson. So we all went to Silver Dollar City one day and then another day we went to see the play, Noah the Musical. The children just loved the play. Well, the adults did too but they were so fascinated with all the animals and the special effects of the show. We forgot the camera on some of the trips but here are a few of the pictures.

Jack went fishing with Chad three mornings we were in Branson. Chad was staying at a resort on Table Rock Lake so they had a great place to fish. Two mornings they rented a fishing boat. Bronson, our three year old grandson, loves to fish too. He caught a 4 lb bass. He was the envy of his Dad and Grandpa!!

April Showers (Storms) Bring May Flowers

Can't believe we have been home for over a month. Where does all the time go.....just keeping busy with one thing or the other.

It is good to be home and catch up with our family and friends. We met our friends, Donna and Bill, for dinner the last part of April. It is always good to see them and catch up with their lives. They spend the winter in Arizona so we compared our winters, etc., and that is always fun.

My niece, Tara, had a baby girl on April 13. We are all excited about this baby girl as she already has three boys!!! So it was time for this girl. Jack, my sister and I went down to Lake of the Ozarks and stayed at the condo for four days the fourth week of April. As my niece lives in Lebanon, we got to see the new baby and Mommy. Her name is Amelya Kay and she is a doll. There is a picture on Jack's facebook page of her.

We have been catching up with our routine doctor's and dentist's appointments. So far we are healthy and cavity free ...LOL.

We started some Spring cleaning and decided to have a garage sale since the neighborhood was having one on May 1. We had a really good sale -- got rid of a bunch of stuff and made a little money to boot. Luckily, we had good weather which hasn't been easy here in the Midwest. We have had all kinds of rain and storms the last three weeks. So far we haven't had any tornadoes here in KC this year. Sorry to hear about the ones in Oklahoma as we have friends with relatives there - hopefully all is well with them.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. We started on Friday night having dinner with our youngest son, Chad and his family; and then on Sunday morning we had brunch with our oldest son, Craig and his family. Then we went to church (our granddaughter Emma) spend the day with us so I couldn't have had a better Mother's Day. Thanks to my family.

The sun is finally out today but it is cool - 59 degrees. Where has the nice warm May days gone?? I'm ready to be able to sit out and enjoy the weather. Hopefully it will be here soon!!

Traveling Home - Part 3

Here is some of the beautiful old houses in Charleston. (above)

Here is one of the residents of Charleston making Sweet Grass baskets. (below)


This was our view when we camped at Asheville, NC. It was beautiful through this area.


This was our view when we camped in St. Louis. We were across the Mississippi River from the Arch. Beautiful view.

Home Sweet Home - Part 2

(Above) The trees were all blooming at Savannah.


This house was featured in one of the famous movies filmed in Savannah.


This is inside of Paula Deen's restaurant. We were there on a Sunday and they have buffet that day. All the food was delicious!!

This is outside of the restaurant - you have to stand in line to get a time for a reservation. We lucked out that it wasn't near as busy on Sunday so we only had to wait about 30 minutes to get our lunch time.




Here is Jack on the stairs that were built back about 275 year ago. (Savannah)