QUARTZSITE IS NOT QUARTSIZE

What a HUGE area with a small town that in January,  expands to many miles in all directions. Quartzsite hosts the largest RV show and gathering in the country.  The website estimates that there are usually between seven hundred and fifty thousand and one million people people in attendance.  Now, that is a large crowd.

We arrived twelve days ago to attend the rock and mineral show that is held two weeks prior to the RV show.  The town was far from crowded.  Booths were not crowded.  We expected the crowds to roll in by the hundreds.  So far, the campgrounds, the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) areas and resorts all seem to have plenty of room.  

I wonder if the lack of people is the result of the cold snap we have experienced the last few days.  Have no fear, I think as the weather continues to improve, we will see more and more people. 

This photo was taken on a much warmer day last week.  I was in shirtsleeves, knitting socks on my antique CSM / Circular Sock Machine.  Notice that there is not another RV to be seen in the picture.  The closest was about a third of a mile away from us.   

We are parked between Saguaro Cactus. Saguaro are very slow growing cactus. A ten year old plant might only be an one and a half inch tall. Saguaro can grow to between forty to sixty feet tall. When rain is plentiful and the saguaro is fully hydrated, it can weigh between 3200-4800 pounds.

The Saguaro is the largest cactus in the United States. 

 

The sunsets in the deserts are beautiful.  The mountains take on colors that leaves me breathless.  Of course the most beautiful sunset was the evening that fellow RVer Sandie Dixon and I had to make a quick trip to Lake Havasu  for a prescription refill.  I am sure that there will be more beauties before we regretfully leave here then end of the month.

The winds have calmed down and the temperatures have risen to a balmy forty-eight degrees.  Since there is this "heat wave," Oliver, Olivia and I went for a walk.  In the short twenty minutes that we were gone, I saw three RVs with flags.  

I need a much faster shutter speed to clearly capture the Maple Leaf of the Canadian flag and others.  Here are the three I found.  

We have met many RVers that we follow their blogs.  It is great to put a live face with a name and a blog title. The first morning we were here Jim and Sandie Dixon of Where are the Dixon's Today.  Sandie was one of the mighty prayer warrior's who supported John and I through his hospitalization with respiratory failure then his short return to the hospital for congestive heart failure, just before our departure in December.  

I hope to meet and thank more of my Blogland friends and thank them for their prayers, thoughts and kind words of encouragement. 

Oliver and Olivia, the fur kids, have been making many new friends.  The funniest combination is Duchess, the Doberman and Oliver the Shih Tzu. Like Quartzsite, Duchess is not quart size!

  

Talk to you later.  There is much to do and see here in Quartzsite and you will be the first to hear about it.

God bless you with His blessings and please be safe out there.   

 

Joshua Tree & Borrego Springs CA, Tuscon, AZ

It still amazes me how the scenery can change in a matter of a few miles.  In Twenty-Nine Palms, it was flat and there were, of course, many palms.  We had planned to stay at the RV park there, but when we arrived the girl at the counter said they no longer accepted Passport America discount cards.   Then as my disappointment showed, she says, well, if you will stay two nights, we will honor your Passport America for one night and charge you full rate the second.  Sounded like a scam to us, so we left and went on in to Joshua Tree National Park. 

We were fortunate enough to find the Jumbo Rocks camping area. The camp sites were arranged in, out and around huge, huge "jumbo" rocks of granite.  This was a nice change from campsites that we in the desert sand.  The granite does not track into the motor home like sand.  It is a mecca for rock climbers and photographers and a bargain for $6.00 a night.  Finally, I was able to work with my circular sock machine.  I was also able to show another camper how much fun it is to knit socks on the antique. John and I enjoyed ourselves at Jumbo Rocks  for2 days then moved on down to  the other end of the park to the Cottonwood campground.  We were to meet Nancy Jo and Cathie there for the week end.  Jojo was to take part in a photography seminar with famed photographer, Ralph Nordstrum on Friday Saturday and Sunday.  We had the evenings to sit around the campfire and do more catching up.  Sunday, Jojo was smooth enough to talk her  dad into staying another night.  Yeah!!!!!! 

It was a blessing that we did stay Sunday night.  The National Park Ranger came around to warn us that we were have a wind storm (another one) with winds gusting to 60 and 70 mph.  He said that the Interstate 10 has been closed around Palm Springs, which was nearby.  This time, we were parked into the wind and did not feel as much motion as we did during the windstorm in Ridgecrest, CA.

The extra time allowed us to hike to the Cottonwood Desert Oasis.  I had seen an oasis in a movie and on TV, but to experience this in the middle of the desert was way cool.  Yes the oasis was named Cottonwood because there are actually Cottonwood trees there.  Another thing we saw was a rock the Indian women used when grinding grain.  It has been used for so many years by the Indians that the round hole(mortar) in the rock was about 12 inches deep.  Their "pestle" would be another rock or a sturdy trunk or limb of a tree. 

Monday morning came and we had to say our good bys. I fixed  breakfast for all and John prayed for safe travels for all of us and thanked God for such a wonderful time with loved ones.   It was so hard,  I would have stayed if I could.  I will have to be content planning next year's trip.  And to be sure, it will be longer! 
We were off to Anza Borrego Desert and Jojo was off to work.  This commute was a 3 hour commute for her compared to a 30 minute one she would have had if she had gone home Sunday night.  We all had wind during our travels.  Jojo said it was pretty frightening for her and we experienced a dust storm that cut the visibility to about 50 yards. 

Arriving at Borrego Springs, we went directly to the state park to register for a camping site.  Oops! they were booked until May!  It is time for the wild flowers to bloom in the Anza Borrego desert.  We did find great camping at the Borrego Springs RV and Hotel Resort.  We splurged a bit and went to a nice Mexican Restaurant that also had a Mexican Grocery.  More tacos for me!  After dinner, we drove around a bit then went back to the RV and played one of our favorite word games NABBIT.    Shortly after dark, we went to bed, continuing the habit of up with the sun and to sleep with the sunset. 

Yesterday, Tuesday, we were up and off to find wildflowers and Big Horn Sheep.  The wild flowers, but no luck finding the Big Horn.  The park ranger said we probably would not because this has been such a wet winter and the sheep are not coming as close to civilization as they usually do in search of water. 

This morning we were up and on our way towards home.  Our stop tonight will be in Tuscon.  We are not going to  be able to stop much on our return trip due to the Smoky Mountain Fiber Arts Festival in Townsend, Tennessee where I am vending and teaching wet felting classes. .

Well, we are approaching Tuscon.  Until tomorrow...be save and blessings to all

From Indiana to Oklahoma

Cleaning the motor home, loading and arranging the motor home took more time than I anticipated. Before,when we prepared for trips, the motor home was at the house and I worked over a period of days, at my leisure. This time, we were really "itching" to be on the road.

There was a bit an anxiety coupled with the "itch". We had just spent $6000 on repairs to the "roadhouse" We had anticipated a bill of only $1500, but some problems showed their faces in the garage. We are thankful that they were found before we left. The large repair bill has but this trip on a tight, tight budget. This an unexpected challenge that are really enjoying. Bring it on!

We were finally ready to pull out Friday afternoon at 2:30. We are using www.gasbuddy.com to research gas prices as we drive the interstates. It is helping us to save enough to put smiles on our faces. The roads in Indiana and Illinois were great. Our first stop was in St Louis. I must say that the Arch in St. Louis is spectacular at night. My camera did not want to cooperate and we did not get a photo.

Friday night our camping was "boondocking"(camping using our own power). BUT....the generator would not start....oops, forgot to consult the gas guage! Generators will not run if there is less than a quarter of a take of gas .... guess what..... we were just under. So out comes the down comforters and we snuggle into bed, and sleep just fine even with temperature of 22. Getting out of bed was a bit cool though. We moved quickly into warm clothes, started the engine on the roadhouse, warmed up the 35', grabbed a quick breakfast and was on the road.

Night 2 was spent in Cabin, Oklahoma at a very small RV campground. The snow wat to the top of the picnic tables at the campsites. They had only 10 spaces and we were the only ones there. The electricity was good to have and on went the new ceramic heater. Yummmm, toasty. We had dinner, played a couple of games of Farkle and went to bed in a bit warmer motor home than the previous night. Downside? since we did not boondock, we spent $21. Actually, very reasonable. Total money spent for three days on the road..... $22.00 groceries, gas, 21.00 camping last night. We are keeping the speed between 60 and 65 to improve gas mileage. Not bad, not bad at all.

Oklahoma has had much more snow and snow related problems than we have encountered thus far. Tractor trailers lay, abandoned, on their sides like road kill. Crews are still trying to get the snow cleared from the interstate and the entrance/exit ramps.

The bad thing is that I have read on the web that Oklahoma city and northern Texas is expecting 2 more snow storms today and Tuesday. I don't know how much of that is TV drama, but we decided to hit the road early, forget our sight seeking in Oklahoma City and our steak at the Cattlemen's and keep on motoring down while the roads are still clear. We are 90 miles east of OK city. Wish us God Speed!

Trip Modification

After some thought, we have decided that we are trying to pack too much trying to pack too much into two months. We have cut our trip to the south east, Florida, Gulf Shores and New Orleans from our trip. Instead, we are heading to California to see Jojo and to Texas to enjoy new sights and experiences. In essence, we have cut our miles in half! Less time driving, more time enjoying!

We made that mistake last fall on our trip to North and South Carolina and Virginia. Being our first extended trip, we tried to pack too many "places to see" into 4 /12 weeks. This time, we travel smarter, not harder. Wow, we leave in just over a week!

On a fiber note, my waste yarn finally arrived yesterday. Now I can begin to use my antique circular sock machine! I've made only one sock so far and that was with Mary Ann, a wonderful and patient teacher. Now, to have a go at it on my own! I'm so sure there is a very steep learning curve, so here I go! That's okay though. John will be learning to weave on his rigid heddle loom and I will be on my Legare 400 making socks. You know, all that travel time we are saving? That time will be spent weaving, making socks, fishing, hiking etc. Sounds like a super trade-off to me!

Gentlemen, Get Ready to Start your Engine!

With the holidays over and the hardwood floors installed in the house, we are a few steps closer to leaving the Indianapolis area and heading on to warmer country. The Motor Home is at Edmundson RV, located in Taylorsville, IN for it's oil change, brakes, new water closet and a few other minor repairs to make our road trip worry free, (we hope) and more comfortable. Since we are new to this lifestyle, we are learning new things every day as we read the blogs of those more experienced. Oh, what a learning curve!

As of today, our first stop will be Savahna, Ga. Then on to Florida to watch the launch of the last space shuttle. Once we have experienced that, we are off to Gulf Shores, Alabama to meet up with family for a day or so then to New Orleans. After that, it is off to California to visit with daughter #2. After this, we hope to spend time in south west TX before heading home for the Smoky Mountain Fiber Festival in Townsend TN March 18 -20. From there, we head to Bowling Green, OH for the Black Swamp Market Day on March 26.

During all this time, we will be stopping off at antique shops and yarn shops seeking our dreams. We dream of any fiber related item, and John, also, of coins. Since I have discovered the antique circular sock machines and knitted my first sock, I'm on the look-out for more sock machines. Oh, my gosh, what fun the sock machine is....and when good at it, I will be able to knit a pair of socks in an hour....did you hear what I said???? AN HOUR!!!! Holy cow! I'm on one pair of socks I started knitting at the Michigan Fiber Festival in August of 2009! These sock machines were popular in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many were sold or given to people to knit socks for the soldiers in the war. Now, these machines make socks that exceed the quality of any sock made in China or wherever.

John has started weaving on his birthday present I purchased at the southern Indiana Fiber Festival in Corydon, IN. He is learning to weave on a rigid heddle loom. I have a 4 harness loom, but he wanted to "start small" and work up...He's about to get hooked!

The drawback to this trip? My niece, who is more like a sister (6 yrs diff), is having total knee replacement. I wish I could be here to walk through the experience with her since I had my first TKR 12 years ago and my second 4 years ago.

Enough for now, but as the "blast off" date grows closer and arrives, there will be more.

quote of the day: "Success if the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." Winston Churchill

Hard, but Fun Work!

Laying over 1100 ft of cherry hardwood is mighty hard work. I select the wood according to shade, grain, length etc. Some people call me "picky" .... can't imagine why! After the selection process, I lay in place and John follows behind with the heavy nailer and nails the wood. He also does all measuring and cutting. Do you know how many times you say thanks and you are welcome in a day of work? The more we work, the more we look forward to getting in the "Road House" and heading to warmer weather. We are having a sunny day of 27 degrees.....and this is only December!

Sad thing is that I've not been in my fiber studio for over a week! Withdraw hurts! Still getting vendor contracts for Hoosier Hills Fiberarts Festival. It won't be long until I have to return contracts and put people on the waiting list.

Christmas is only a week and a day away. I'm about ready. Shopping is done...99% was done on-line this year. Thanks Holly and Chad for the suggestion. It is so fun to have young grandkids to buy for! Lucy - 5 1/2 and Ross 2 bring joy to the times.

We are new to Motor Home life and have totally fallen in love with the lifestyle. The only problem is our lack of experience. I have read that some RVrs drive their motor homes once a month (when they are not out on the road). Is this a common practice or something that just a few people do? Ours has been parked just under a month. If necessary, we will get in and take it for a ride. BUT sure don't look forward to driving on our icy, snow packed roads.

Time to get back to work....gotta get this done for family Christmas celebration, ya know....anyone wanna come help?????

For now....N

Preparing house to sell

Carpeting is up, thanks to Zack - grandson #1. All squeaks in the floor eliminated. Roofing liner partially down and John is resting today. This is hard, slow work for someone with COPD. Today is a day of rest for him. He has slept most of the day. BUT, he says that If he enjoys this, we may remove all carpet and lino in RV and put down hardwood.

I'm working on Hoosier Hills Fiberarts Festival today. Placed ads in Spin-Off, Interweave Knit, a special edition of a Knit magazine, Interweave Handwoven, Crochet, Piecework. Guess I've spent enough money today.

Tomorrow, move that huge antique, finish the liner (serves as a moisture barrier) and begin laying the cherry hardwood. I'm getting excited, but sad that we will not enjoy the fruit of our labor for long (we hope).

I sold my desk and credenza! Another positive move. Now to take photos of antiques and get them on Craig's List.

The Road House (name of our 35'Winnebago Adventurer) is in the drive calling our names. It's ready to roll. Wish we were.