Big City Livin'

It seems to take a long time in our circuit to mosey over to Phoenix where I get to catch up with my friend Ruth and restock at the stores, but we finally made it. We use her house as a shipping address, and it was like Christmas when we got there! All kinds of packages awaited us along with a sweet card from the grandkids. Anticipating our arrival, we ordered several things from Amazon to restock and replace.

We spent several days in Casa Grande at RoVers Roost SKP park and while there I drove up to Phoenix for the day to go shopping with Ruth when she was off work. It was a great day and I was able to find all I needed including 3 pairs of shoes! I had saved my sandal shopping for Phoenix and was rewarded by finding more than anticipated. It's not my favorite thing to shop for, but made fun by sharing it with a friend.

Butterfly Guy with several at once!

We were able to park in front of her house for just over a week. She went around asking the neighbors nearby if it was a problem, and unanimously they welcomed us! I enjoyed her large and lovely kitchen, catching up on some baking and other kitchen activities as well as being 'camp cook' for the week. She appreciated having home cooked meals after a long day at work. We took advantage of her loaded lemon tree as well as her electric citrus juicer--such a great thing! We started 3 batches of limoncello and used the juice to make lemon ice cubes to have on hand.

Ruth, wearing hers on her sleeve

On her days off we were able to go see some of the sights with her and Tim, her boyfriend. The nighttime Canal walk was lovely with all kinds of light displays and people strolling in the warm evening air. Another delightful place we went was the Butterfly Wonderland, A Rainforest Experience. It was an amazing time, wandering around looking at all the butterflies and having them land on us! Jerry was especially interesting to him.

Linda and Jerry sitting with butterlies adorning them.

Tim sporting a forehead decoration!

Ruth, Tim and Jerry busy capturing more pictures of butterflies

Ajo, Arizona. Where?

The little town of Ajo has some really beautiful buildings. One can see the impact of artistic people in paintings on the buildings as well as architecture in the plaza buildings. This small town hosts a Fiddlers competition each year and well as a number of other community activities. Although we arrived after the Fiddling Contest was over (won by a 16 year old girl) I did get in on a wire-wrapping class which was great fun. We also enjoyed the Farmer's Market on Saturday and dinner out on Valentine's day at Marcella's.

This little town is a jumping off point for traveling into Mexico as well as Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. We stayed north of the border, but did do a 21 mile drive around Organ Pipe Cactus NM which was quite beautiful. We were glad we had our truck, although it is a road that can be done in a car with enough clearance. Pretty rough in places, but worth it to see this amazing place.

Organ Pipe Cactus like to grow in sparse vegetation. This is the only place north of the border where they grow.

Amazing hills full of all kinds of color and quite dramatic.

We were parked with the Boondockers BOF, a subgroup of the Escapees RV Club at the Roping Arena outside of Ajo. We enjoy spending time with the group. Talks by the fire at night, Happy Hour at 3pm, doing crafts with the ladies, going for walks. We seldom make it to the campfire at 7 am for the Cowboy Coffee. Too early!

Onward to Yuma

  
18 days at Boomerville in Quartzsite, and we were ready to move on and dump tanks! We left on Sunday before the rain hit since we didn't want to get stuck way out there with full/empty tanks and have to wait for the water to go down. Halfway to Yuma I decided we were crazy to be driving on such a windy day! Driving mostly with side wind was nerve wracking, but since I was following a rig taller than ours, that was a comfort since he didn't get pushed off the road! Part of the journey was driving into the wind and it felt like it was heavy going. Jerry was driving the truck and following me. As we approached Yuma, it looked like there was a brownish cloud hanging over it, so I wasn't sure what we were getting into. Yikes! So much dust in the air. At home in Washington, that cloud would have meant rain. We found a place to hunker down at the BLM land near the VFW on Hwy 95 just outside of Yuma. It was comforting to be in the midst of so many rigs and it rained much less there than the reports of Quartzsite, so maybe it wasn't so crazy! The next day was still windy, but less so.
  We moved to Kofa SKP park and stayed there for 9 days. It was time to catch up on laundry, grocery shopping and pool time for Jerry. We met many great people there and had a relaxing time. We got in on the Renter's Appreciation Dinner which is a yearly thing, and Jerry wants to make sure we return for that next year! I had twisted my hair up after my shower earlier in the day to create some curl since I left curling irons at home, and decided that it looked good enough to leave up for the dinner. However, when I took it down, I had a mass of crazy, curly hair that was hard to contain! I'm thinking it's time for a haircut--if I ever slow down long enough to find a place to do this.
 We also got in on a craft fair, line dancing and church, among other activities at the Kofa park. We also went into Yuma to check out the Old Town area which was interesting. Lots of small shops, and we got in on the tail end of the Farmer's Market.

Chili Cook-off Soup

Potlucks are always a challenge for someone with food issues. I have learned over the years to bypass much of what is there, scanning for veggies, salad without dressing or something that looks safe. Even then I am cautious. Much easier and safer for me (and my microbiome friends) to just take my own food and focus on being social.

So when the Annual Boomerville Chili Cook-off happened, I just made my chicken soup and took it, pot and all, with me to the potluck. I debated whether to put it on the table or not, but finally decided it would be easier to dish out that way. Since the potluck had already started when I got there, I wasn’t really expecting anyone to be wanting any. Not only were there many pots of chili, but also all kinds of other potluck things to enjoy. But then a couple of friends found out my ‘bone broth soup” was there, they made a beeline for it! There was only a small bowl of it left. Who knew? I'm happy that they enjoyed some good gut-healing soup. Today, one of them came up and said, “I want the recipe for that soup. It was so good!”.

Recipe? What, recipe? You mean I have to write this down? When I make soup and stir fry and a number of dishes, I just put in a bit of this and a little of that, whatever I have on hand. I base what I cook and eat on foods that will heal the gut, and this kind of soup is great for that. Bone broth made from beef, chicken or fish bones--and meat--is full of good things that heal the gut. This link here goes to a website that tells you all the benefits of bone broth. Once you read up on that, you will really be motivated to include this in your diet!

So here is what I think I made (quantities are approximate!):

Drumstick Bone broth soup
5-6 organic chicken drumsticks
1/4 head cabbage shredded, organic
1 cup Broccoli Slaw, organic
1 leek sliced
1 pkg frozen broccoli/cauliflower/carrot mix
1 yellow pepper chopped (has some heat to it, not a bell pepper)
1/2 TBSP celtic sea salt
1 tsp pepper, freshly ground
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar (I forgot this, but usually add it to help pull nutrients from the bones)
water to nearly cover it all

This gets brought to a boil, the pressure cooker lid put on, brought up to where it gets a little bit of pressure, then taken off and wrapped in layers of wool blankets and it sits for 4-6 hours. When we're ready to eat dinner, it's all ready for us! I especially love to do this on traveling day. If you are not traveling in an RV and want to make this, just use a crockpot if you have one. I put into my soups whatever veggies I have at hand. It changes with every batch, but there are some constants: bones, salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar, water and lots of veggies!

the tables of food in the lee of a couple of rig to block the wind

 

Boomerville gets busy

  We left Ehrenberg for Quartzsite on Jan 15th, arriving in Boomerville held at Scaddan Wash. There were a number of rigs already here even though it hadn't officially started. We were #34. It was great fun to be reunited with friends made last year and to meet new ones. Last year there was a total of about 110 or 120 rigs coming and going during the 2 weeks. This year by the official start date we already had nearly that many! The word has gotten out that this is a fun place to be.

   We are only a few days into the activities and already the schedule is filling up. Since I was here early, I was able to get my "The Why and How of Veggie Ferments" class done right away. It was well attended and well received. I enjoyed the feedback and sharing the fermented foods I love so much and have done so much to improve my health and energy. I have had several people express disappointment in missing the class because of something else they were doing, so I may have to see if I can find time on the schedule to do a repeat.
   I have enjoyed a few nights around the campfire and have played my tenor recorder to an appreciative audience. Last night I was able to join in with some ukulele players and we made music together! It's always fun to find other musicians. I anticipate more musical fun.
   We braved the crowds and went in to the Big Tent RV Show today briefly and met a few people we knew. We saw lots of interesting things and bought 4 postcards! Then we got groceries and made it back in time for the announcements at Happy Hour.
   This evening there was a presentation on RV travel in Europe by a guy who takes 6 - 8 small rigs (they call them Caravans in Europe) on tour in several places in Europe. The pictures were beautiful and it made me want to do that. What a fun way to do any European country!

A little art project

the design

   While at Jojoba, Diana inspired me with her stained glass painting on her rig's door window. I remarked that I would like to do that, and she generously gave me her paints and all the extras that she had picked up at a garage sale to play with. She said she'd get them from me at Quartzsite, so I had a deadline!
  I had plenty of time to work on my project while we were at Ehrenberg and worked on it a little every day. First I did some research on stained glass designs as well as techniques for using these Gallery Glass paints. Jerry really wanted a hummingbird, so I looked at a lot over pictures over a couple of days and finally came up with the design elements I most wanted and set to work. He was very pleased with the final design, so I did a trial run using a part of the design to get a feel for the paints. When dry it makes a kind of window sticky and can be carefully pealed off.  I was very pleased with the results and started in on the 'real thing'!
   Once nice feature is that you can do your leading paint line on the 'leading sheet' and then fill in the colored areas and let it dry, then peel it off and put it on the window. That's how I did my test one. For the large window, I did large portions of the design on the leading sheet, then when it came time to put it on the window, I removed the window and finished the design on the table. A cardboard piece had to be put in the window since it took all night to dry. But when I got it put back in, I was really happy with the results! Unfortunately, I ran out of paint, so I will have to get more and finish it, but it is at a stage where I can finish the window in place. Although it's a bit awkward to balance on the top step, holding the door with my foot and trying not to lean on the screen door!



making the test design

my test window sticky!

the leading for the final project

Mostly done. The white areas are now dried to clear and it is still on the table do dry.

Boondockers at Ehrenberg

Dramatic clouds

  After leaving Jojoba Hills, we headed on to Ehrenberg, AZ to meet up with the Escapees Boondockers Birds of a Feather (BOF) group. We had shopping to do first, so we drove north into Palm Desert, stocked up and spent the night at Spotlight 29 Casino.


hiking back up from  the canyon

red cactus seen on the hike

  On Tuesday, we arrived in the early afternoon, our first time to actually meet up with the Boondockers group, although we have had their newsletters for the last year. The have meet-ups for 14 days in various places usually one right after the other, with different combinations of people. It was a nice sized group, plenty of people to talk to, but not so big you didn't get to know the names everyone. There were several old-timers and we enjoyed hearing their stories of life on the road and how things have changed. There were a few newer people like ourselves and several in between. Many are early risers and get up to have 'cowboy coffee' over the fire at 7:00am. I made it out there one morning when there were still people hanging around talking. I'm not that much of a morning person! Happy Hour was earlier than we were used to at 3:00pm, but that's because in early January, the sun sets so quickly. A couple of nights there was a fire, so I sat out and chatted with the few hardy souls who were out there. There were some days too windy or cold to sit by the fire, but some days were beautiful.

We are parked on top of the mesa

   The view from up on the mesa where we were was quite beautiful, overlooking the valley into the town of Blythe, CA, a mere 4 miles away on the other side of the CA/AZ border. It made for some interesting moments when we were trying to figure out which time zone to use! Our phones were using Pacific Time, but I changed the rig clocks to Mountain Time.
   The day after arriving, we joined the group in Blythe at the Sizzler Steakhouse for dinner. It was a large bunch and fun to see most everyone in the group at once. I was hoping it would help me to figure out who was who, but it still took me several days to get everyone sorted out.


desert artwork

   On one of the days, several of us went on a hike down into the canyon and along the dry wash and then back up. We saw coyote prints all over, some scat of varying kinds, and likely javelina hoof prints. Someone saw a lizard, which I missed, but I was able to see one another day.
  Another day I went shopping with a few of the ladies in Blythe. We checked out the Walmart and a thrift store and then got groceries before heading back. They also drove by the best place in the area to dump tanks and fill the fresh water, always a good thing to know!
  Jerry and I went into town one day to do the laundry and brought back some damp clothes to hang dry, rigging up dry lines from the ladder on the back to the truck. One experienced RVer who washes their own laundry using a hand crank washer and spinner came over and offered the advice to use tent poles for stringing the drying lines up. I will have to look into that! Clothes dry quickly here, and the dryers eat up quarters.

Jojoba Hills

We were so glad to be able to return to Jojoba Hills. It is such a beautiful park with such a lot to do that it's a treat to be able to spend time there.
  This year we were there for Christmas Eve Chili Dinner as well as the Christmas Day Turkey Dinner Potluck, both of which were great times of getting to know people. George and Diana Ruelens took us under wing and made sure we felt welcomed and had plenty to do. Diana took us to the air rifle range where we got to make sure those bulls eyes had holes in them!
   We left after 3 days, going to Pechanga Casino for a couple of nights. Jerry watched the Seahawks game from a Sports Bar and Grill in the Casino while I went shopping and stocked up. I was very glad to return to the rig after braving the crazy traffic around Temecula. I thought I was used to crazy traffic living so close to Seattle, but this! Whew!


Skip and Sheila with the dance floor behind

Patrice and Norm, tablemates

  Returning to Jojoba on Monday, we stayed a week and got in on the New Year's Eve Party which was great fun. We started out sitting at different tables which forced us to talk to those around us, but eventually people made sure we were reunited. The prime rib meal was great and the live band and dancing was lots of fun. I was shocked to hear my name announced during a break from the dancing. "Who wants me and why?!" I was the first to win a door prize! It was a gift certificate for the charming Richie's Diner in Temecula, so we convinced George and Diana to go with us the next day and help us spend it. And, yes, I was able to find something to safely eat;  an excellent, slightly modified Cobb salad.
  I enjoyed many good walks around the park, while Jerry went for runs and then sat in the hot tub. I got a chance to watch a beginners pottery class in the new ceramics center as well as watch a class on wood carving. Not feeling the need to take up yet another hobby, I was content to watch and chat.


kumquat

  We made sure to stock up on the lemons hanging on the trees there, and we were also blessed with some lovely limes and grapefruit that people had grown in their yards. On one of my walks, I asked a man what the unusual small oval orange fruit was on a shrub in his yard. He told me it was a kumquat, something I had only heard of. He generously gave me one to eat, which you eat whole and it was yummy: tart and sweet at the same time. He has a gorgeous cactus garden, and now I regret not whipping out my phone and taking pictures of it! It's such fun to see what people with a green thumb can do.