FEBRUARY AND THE RUNNING OF THE GOURDS

WE DECIDED TO STAY ANOTHER MONTH AT PICACHO PEAK RV PARK. ONE DAY I WAS DIGGING AROUND IN THE UNDERBELLY AND FOUND SOME MORE PUMPKINS I HAD BROUGHT WITH ME. I WASN'T READY  TO THROW THEM OUT, SO I MADE VALENTINE PUMPKIN PEOPLE, DARRELL CALLED THEM  MARTIANS.  I THOUGHT THEY WERE CUTE!

THE GOURD FESTIVAL IS HELD HERE THE FIRST WEEKEND IN FEBRUARY. WE WENT TO CHECK IT OUT.

THEY HAD EVERY KIND OF GOURD YOU CAN IMAGINE!

GOURD CHILDREN!

GOURD CHICKENS!

EVEN A GOURD RICKSHAW!

GOURDS FOR EVERY SEASON!

AND THEY HAD THOUSANDS OF DRIED GOURDS FOR SALE.

WE ENJOYED READING ALL THEIR GOURD SAYINGS.........

WE HAD LUNCH.......IT WAS A FUN DAY!

PICACHO PEAK RV PARK

WE HAVE RESERVATIONS HERE FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL RV PARK, NEAR PICACHO PEAK STATE PARK.

 WE  LOVE OUR RV SPOT.....WE SPLURGED AND PAID A LITTLE MORE FOR A "SUPER SITE,"  COMPLETE WITH PRIVACY FENCE AND LITTLE PATIO!

 NO DIRT OR MUD!! WE WERE IN SEVENTH HEAVEN!!

I BROUGHT ONE SNOWMAN PUMPKIN WITH ME.

WE HAVE A SWIMMING POOL AND HOT TUB! THEY ALSO HAVE ACTIVITIES HERE.

I STARTED WALKING RIGHT AWAY, I HADN'T WALKED SINCE THANKSGIVING DAY, IT TOOK A BIT TO GET IN THE GROOVE AGAIN. YOU CAN GET TO THE DESERT BEHIND THE RV PARK. I LOVE WALKING IN THE DESERT, IT IS SO PEACEFUL!

I WOULD EVEN BRING MAGGIE AND MARLEE BACK TO THE DESERT AND TAKE THEM OFF LEASH. THEY ENJOYED IT!

I LEARNED HOW TO MAKE A DUCK TAPE BAG....IT WAS FUN!

AND A GOURD BIRDHOUSE!!

THERE IS A PECAN FARM ON THE WAY TO CASA GRANDE.

THEY ALSO RAISE COTTON AND GROW GOURDS NEAR HERE. SEVERAL PRISONS AROUND HERE TOO!
SOMEONE HERE TOLD ME ABOUT THE THREE AMIGOS, SO ONE MORNING I SET OUT TO FIND THEM........

I THOUGHT THEY WERE PRETTY COOL! THEY ARE ABOUT A MILE FROM THE RV PARK....WELL WORTH SEEING!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015

WE  HAVE HIGH HOPES  FOR  2015. WE WILL BE MARRIED 50 YEARS ON JULY 8 AND WE ARE RETIRING AGAIN,  AT LEAST FOR THE YEAR. WE ARE PLANNING ON TRAVELING TO THE EAST COAST THIS  SPRING/SUMMER.
WE WENT OVER AND SOAKED IN THE MORNING AND THEN CAME HOME AND MADE NOODLE SOUP. IT WAS VERY GOOD!
IN THE AFTERNOON WE WENT TO THE MOVIE HUNGER GAMES MOCKINGJAY AT THE  PICKFORD THEATRE.

WE HAD DECIDED WE WOULD WAIT UNTIL NOON ON FRIDAY,  IF WE HADN'T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THE TRUCK,  WE WERE GOING  TO DODGE. WE DIDN'T HEAR FROM FERNANDO SO, AT 12:30 WE HEADED TO DODGE.  DARRELL WENT TO FIND FERNANDO. I WENT TO THE CUSTOMER WAITING ROOM. I COULD SEE DARRELL THROUGH THE WINDOW TALKING TO FERNANDO, WAVING HIS ARMS, I KNEW THERE WAS TROUBLE IN RIVER CITY. DARRELL CAME INTO THE WAITING ROOM   AND TELLS ME, FERNANDO SAID THE DIESEL MECHANIC DIDN'T COME TO WORK BECAUSE HE HAD A FAMILY EMERGENCY. DARRELL WAS A LITTLE UPSET. DARRELL TOLD FERNANDO TO GET OUR TRUCK, WE COULDN'T WAIT ANY LONGER. I POINTED OUT  THIS SIGN I NOTICED IN THE WAITING ROOM.

DARRELL WENT OVER TO THE SERVICE COUNTER AND ASKED WHERE STEVE BUSS'S OFFICE WAS.  DARRELL WENT LOOKING FOR STEVE. HE WAS GONE ABOUT A HALF AN HOUR, CAME BACK AND SAID THEY WERE WORKING ON THE TRUCK.  STEVE TOLD US HE WOULD CALL US IN TWO HOURS WITH AN UPDATE ON THE TRUCK. WE WENT TO WALMART AND WHILE WE WERE THERE, STEVE CALLED AND SAID THE TRUCK WAS FIXED. IT TOOK LESS THAN AN HOUR AND WE HAD WAITED ALL WEEK. IT WAS A LOOSE HOSE, BUT WAY TO THE BACK AND VERY HARD TO GET TO.  WHEN TEXAS INSTALLED THE TURBO, THE HOSE WAS NEVER TIGHT. STEVE SAID THE MECHANIC HAD TAKEN IT APART, CLEANED IT AND PUT IT BACK ON. THEY HAD DRIVEN IT AND THE NOISE WAS GONE. WE WERE RELIEVED THAT IT WASN'T A DEFECTIVE TURBO! STEVE WAS VERY NICE, NO CHARGE TO FIX IT AND HE WASHED OUR  TRUCK AND PAID HALF THE CAR RENTAL. HE ALSO APOLOGIZED. WE WERE IMPRESSED!  DARRELL HAD CALLED THE DODGE DEALER IN TEXAS BEFORE WE LEFT THERE, TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE NOISE, THEY TOLD US  THE TURBO NEEDED LUBRICATING, IT WOULD PROBABLY TAKE A COUPLE OF THOUSAND MILES. THAT WAS AN OUTRIGHT LIE, JUST TO GET RID OF US!

WE HAD RESERVATIONS AT PICACHO PEAK RV RESORT IN ARIZONA  ON THE FIRST, I CALLED AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED, THEY SAID THEY WOULD HOLD OUR SPOT UNLESS I CALLED AND CANCELLED. SATURDAY WE GOT READY TO LEAVE SUNDAY MORNING. WE LEFT AT 9:15, WE WERE GLAD TO BE ON OUR WAY AND GLAD OUR TRUCK WAS FIXED!

SUSAN HAVERTY HAD RECOMMENDED PICACHO RV RESORT TO US, IT'S IN BETWEEN PHOENIX AND TUCSON, NEAR CASA GRANDE. WE GOT THERE AT 5:00 AND RIGHT AWAY WE LIKED IT!

SAM'S FAMILY SPA, TRUCK REPAIR

ON THE WAY TO SAM'S FAMILY SPA IN DESERT HOT SPRINGS, CA. THE TRUCK NOISE THAT WE HAVE HEARD   SINCE HAVING THE NEW TURBO INSTALLED IN TEXAS THIS PAST SUMMER ,  WAS MUCH WORSE. WE KNEW WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE THAT LOOKED AT. WE ARRIVED AT SAM'S AT 3:00.

WE WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO SOAKING OUR TIRED,  ACHING BONES IN THEIR HOT MINERAL WATER.

AND WE WERE NOT DISAPPOINTED!

SUNDAY WE RAN ERRANDS, WE HAD DECIDED TO TAKE THE TRUCK IN FIRST THING MONDAY MORNING. WE GOT THERE EARLY.....CARS AND TRUCKS LINED UP FOR SERVICE.  WE HAD TO LEAVE DUALLY AND RENT A CAR. THE  SERVICE ADVISOR, FERNANDO,  SAID THEY WOULD LOOK AT IT THE NEXT DAY.  HE SAID HE WOULD CALL US THE NEXT DAY AFTER THEY LOOKED AT IT. WE RENTED A FIAT FOR $35.00 A DAY.

WE RAN SOME MORE ERRANDS BEFORE GOING HOME. THERE WAS A MAN ALONG SIDE THE ROAD SELLING ORANGES. WE STOPPED AND BOUGHT A BAG.

THEY WERE DELICIOUS!! TOOK MAGGIE AND MARLEE FOR A WALK, TOOK A NAP 

 AND THEN  WENT SOAKING.

WE HAD NOT HEARD FROM FERNANDO BY 1:00, SO DARRELL CALLED HIM, HE DIDN'T ANSWER, SO DARRELL LEFT HIM A MESSAGE.   HE  FINALLY CALLED BACK  SAYING THAT  THEY HAD NEVER GOTTEN TO THE TRUCK. TOMORROW FOR SURE. WE WOKE TO WIND AND COLD THE NEXT MORNING. IT WAS 40 DEGREES AND THERE WAS SNOW ON THE MOUNTAIN RIGHT OUTSIDE OUR WINDOW!

PALM TREES AND SNOW ON THE MOUNTAIN.....WHAT A SIGHT TO SEE!

FERNANDO  CALLED AND SAID THEY HAD LOOKED AT THE TRUCK AND THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS JUST A  LOOSE HOSE  CONNECTION. THEY WERE GOING TO TIGHTEN THEM ALL AND HE WOULD CALL US BACK. HE CALLED BACK AND SAID THEY HAD TIGHTENED THEM ALL AND IT WAS STILL MAKING THE NOISE. THIS WAS THE LAST DAY OF 2014, SO, OF COURSE THEY ARE CLOSED ON NEW YEAR'S DAY. IT WOULD BE FRIDAY NOW.  WE WERE TRYING TO BE PATIENT, BUT IT WAS GETTING HARDER EVERY DAY.

I WAS HUNGRY FOR HOMEMADE NOODLE SOUP, SO DARRELL AND I MADE THE NOODLES AND SET THEM OUT TO DRY.

IT WAS COLD AND WINDY ALL DAY, BUT WE WERE WARM AND COZY IN OUR LITTLE HOUSE!

PARTY TIME AND LEAVING

WE WERE IN THE MOOD FOR SHOPPING, SO AFTER WE CLOSED,  WE WENT TO WESTFIELD MALL. WE THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE SUPER BUSY, BUT IT WASN'T TOO BAD. WE ENJOYED WALKING AROUND FOR A WHILE, AND THEN WE GOT TIRED. WE NO MORE THAN GOT HOME AND THERE WERE THREE PEOPLE THERE TO BUY TREES.  ALL THE MANAGERS WERE INVITED TO DOUG AND DEIDRA'S HOUSE FOR A PARTY THAT EVENING.

TONS OF FOOD AND WE GOT TO MEET DOUG AND DEIDRA'S FAMILY! AN OUTDOOR EVENT......WE HAD A GREAT TIME!!!

WE THOUGHT IT WAS VERY GRACIOUS OF DOUG AND DEIDRA TO INVITE US INTO THEIR HOME. THEY HAVE A BEAUTIFUL HOME IN A LOVELY NEIGHBORHOOD.

WE TIRED OUT RATHER QUICKLY.....WE WERE INVITED BACK FOR BREAKFAST BRUNCH, BUT WE DECLINED. WE WANTED TO STAY HOME WITH MAGGIE AND MARLEE. AT 10:30 THAT NIGHT WE LOOKED  OUT AND SAW CAR LIGHTS  IN THE PARKING LOT. DARRELL WENT OUT........THESE FOLKS WANTED A TREE! DARRELL SOLD THEM ONE. WE ARE THINKING........WHO WOULD BUY A TREE AT 10:30 ON CHRISTMAS EVE????
WE SOLD OUR LAST TREE AT 11:00 CHRISTMAS DAY!!!THAT AFTERNOON WE WENT TO  THE  IMAX 3 D MOVIE, THE HOBBIT. WHAT A TREAT THAT WAS! WE WORE THE 3 D GLASSES. IT WAS REALLY FUN!!
WE HAD ASKED DOUG EARLIER WHEN WE WOULD HAVE TO BE OFF THE LOT, HE SAID SUNDAY DECEMBER 29. WE STARTED GETTING READY TO LEAVE THE NEXT DAY. THAT EVENING DOUG CALLED TO SAY THEY WOULD BE THERE SATURDAY MORNING EARLY TO TAKE DOWN THE TENT. WE DECIDED WE  WOULD JUST LEAVE AND GET OUT OF THEIR WAY. DOUG AND GREG CAME TO SAY GOODBYE AND WE WERE ON OUR WAY!

WE WERE GRATEFUL WE HAD MADE IT THROUGH....IT WAS A LONG HARD SEASON!

WE WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO A LONG NEEDED REST!