Good Times in Tucson

We drove from Yuma to Tucson to meet Pete and Suzy at their friend, Sally Schroer's, home.  We have met Sally and her family on a previous visit and we enjoyed seeing them all again.  That was about 6 years ago and the grandkids have really grown since then.  Pete made sourdough pancakes which is always a treat and we enjoyed a dinner out, too.  Pete and Suzy are visiting with Brett (who hid behind Suzy) and his girls.  Brett's wife, Melissa, is pictured with the girls - Jamie on the far left and Aubrey in the middle.

One morning we went out for bagels and it's hard to believe there are so many different kinds of bagels and cream cheese toppings.  There were breakfast bagels and lunch bagels made with whole wheat, garlic, or sun dried tomato and olive bagels just to name a few.  They were very, very good.  After breakfast, we visited a local garden - the Tohono Chul Park.  It was a nice sunny day perfect for strolling along the paths.  The plants and cacti of the desert have their own beauty.  These gardens had a large variety of beautiful plants.

The fun exhibits among the desert plants were great.  An artistic way to accent the versatility of the desert plants. 

The saguaro cactus make a good backdrop for pictures.  Suzy, Pete and Sally shown in one picture and Bill, Teri, Suzy and Pete shown in the other picture.

Jamie and Aubrey have been collecting the American Girl dolls and they are very enthusiastic about them.  They gave us a fashion show and it was so sweet.  They told us the names of their dolls and described each of the outfits.  Thank you, Sally, Brett, Melissa, Jamie and Aubrey for making our short stay in Tucson a real delight.  Hope to see you again soon.

Yuma - People to See and Places to Go

The next stop is to visit Jerry and Mary Ann Barth in Yuma, AZ.  Bill and Jerry both retired from the Post Office so when Jerry spotted this old-time letter drop box, he wanted to show it to Bill.  Who is older - the guys or the drop box? 

We went to the local Farmers Market.  They had lots of craft items, produce and other miscellaneous items.  It was a nice day so it was fun to look around.

 

The historic Hotel San Carlos (listed on the national register of historic places) was nearby and we enjoyed a little tour.  The hotel is currently used as a low income apartment complex.  It is in good repair and it's great they have made good use of this beautiful building.

These mail boxes are still used for the current residents and the chess board was laid out ready to be used. 

Jerry and Mary Ann took us on a drive just to look around the outskirts of Yuma.  We saw lots of crop farms and date orchards.  We especially enjoyed these lettuce crops.  Had no idea that this was how they grew mixed lettuce.  Aren't the colors great?

Seeing a burro is not unusual in Arizona.

We visited the Yuma Crossing Park (part of the Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park) and the Ocean to Ocean Bridge -areas rich in history.  A little about Yuma Crossing - The Yuma Quartermaster Depot was used by the U.S. Army to store and distribute supplies for all the military posts in Arizona, and some in Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas.  Five of the original depot buildings remain on the park grounds.  Four of these buildings contain exhibits about both the military history of the site and the history of the Bureau of Reclamation’s construction of major irrigation works in the Yuma area during the early 1900s.    There is some information on the plague about the Ocean to Ocean Bridge but it had problems shortly after its construction.  The structure required falsework across the river for support during construction. Sudden, violent flooding was common on the river at the time and washed out the falsework twice. The contractor finally erected the truss on the south side of the river and floated it into position on barges.

A special thank you to Jerry and Mary Ann for another fun visit.  We enjoy their friendship and the time they share with us when we travel through Yuma.

We Never Pass By Pomona

My brother, Jeff, and his wife, Elaine, with the boys (Aros and Adonis) and Star, the little lady.  We have such a good time visiting Jeff and Elaine every year.  We go for walks, cook for each other, talk and talk some more and learn new games every time we get together.  Last year, we worked on backgammon and this year we learned Mille Bourne.  Here's a brief description of this fun card game.  "Hit the road and race to win. Be the first player to travel 1000 miles to win this classic family favorite!   Play distance cards and speed towards the finish line, or put the brakes on your opponent with nasty hazards! Drive Carefully! They'll be playing hazards on you too..   Out of Gas?  Lucky you've got a Gasoline card!"

The plants were just beginning to bloom along the path where we took a nice walk.  When I think of the Los Angeles area, some how I think of freeway gridlock and the Red Carpet of Hollywood.  But look at the mountains that are a very short drive from Jeff and Elaine's house in Pomona.  Both Jeff and Elaine work in Los Angeles.  Jeff has worked for many years for the LAPD.  First as a motorcycle mechanic and now as a supervisor of the mechanics.  Elaine works for the utility department for the city of Los Angeles.  We look forward to this part of our trip every year.

Fun Times with Friends in Laughlin, NV

We have been planning to meet several friends in Laughlin, NV, for months.  Audrey Baardson worked as a postal clerk for Bill in Eatonville.  She has been asking us for years to meet her in Laughlin.  She loves to go to casinos and since she is 82 years old, we decided it was time.  She traveled there with Rosie (Boush) Johnson, 80 years old, who was a rural carrier at Eatonville.  These two ladies can wear you out.  We also got to spend time with Uretta and Rick Lykstad (pictured with us on the riverwalk).   Rick and Uretta are from Bonney Lake, WA.  Teri met Uretta at the first job she had after high school in 1966 at the Mutual of Enumclaw Insurance Company.  Our families became friends and have stayed in touch ever since.  We were excited when we discovered that all our friends were going to be in Laughlin at the same time.  We had so much fun with all of them. 

After playing bingo one morning,  Rick and Uretta took us for a short drive to Katherine's Landing, a resort on Lake Mojave.  The lake is a reservoir of the Colorado River.  The river divides Nevada and Arizona and runs between Laughlin and Bullhead City.  There were some beautiful ducks and lots of carp waiting for you to feed them.  There was even an albino carp.  It was amazing that such a beautiful lake was just behind a mountain from these two busy cities.

Rick and Uretta asked us if we wanted to go visit Oatman, AZ, an old mining town.  We have always enjoyed seeing historical places so we jumped on the band wagon for the outing.  Oatman, AZ,  and nearby, Goldroad, were the largest gold producers of Arizona in the early 1900's.  Oatman is located just across the Colorado River from Laughlin.  It is also located on Historic Route 66 and a living ghost town with many shops and attractions.

We visited the Post Office and talked with the current postmaster.  She is happy to report they will stay open for a while even though some small post offices are slated to close soon.

We had lunch at the Oatman Hotel where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent a honeymoon night after marrying in Kingman, in 1939.  The hotel was built in 1902 and is the oldest two-story adobe building in Mojave County.

Happy looking group.  Around the table, Teri, Bill, Uretta, Jan (Uretta's and Rick's friend from WA) and Rick.  Lunch was great and what a fun atmosphere.

The hotel was decorated with dollar bills.  We were told the most recent count of bills totaled over $50,000 stapled on the walls, ceilings and uprights of the hotel.  We had good lunch entertainment - a  country western singer.

No wild west town would be complete without a "shootout".  Shame on the outlaw for trying to pretend to rob the hotel.  He had to be stopped!!! 

The wild burros were not so wild but curious and funny.

We couldn't leave Oatman until we smiled for the camera.

Bill, Teri, Audrey and Rosie went to the Oak Ridge Boys concert at the Riverside Casino.  This group has been around longer than Bill and I have been married and that is a long, long time.  Chuck Yeager, a well known WW II pilot and friend of the group, gave a great introduction for the them and shared some of his life story.  He was the first pilot to travel faster than sound (1947).  A night for reminiscing - who can forget these lyrics - Giddy up, omm poppa, omm poppa, mow mow - from the unforgettable song, Elvira.  The "Boys" put on an energetic, fun show.

This was our first trip to Laughlin and it is a laid back casino town with a nice riverwalk.  It was great that it worked out to see everyone and share some good times together again.

California - Here We Come

 

As we enter California, one of the most beautiful sites is Mt. Shasta and Shasta Lake.  We were lucky to have a beautiful, clear day as we drove through northern California. We had met the Lybeckers in Silverton, OR, where we met Suzy's sister, Sam, and her nephew, Elton. We will travel together as far as Sacramento.

As you drive down I-5 through California, you will cross the Sacramento River many times.  These pictures were taken from the Sundial Bridge near Redding, CA.  We didn't see the fisherman catch any fish but it was a great day to be on the river. 

We were glad our friends, Chuck and Jeanette Bieker, told us about the Sundial Bridge.  It is an architectural marvel designed by Santiago Calatrava.  Plans for the bridge began in the 1990's and was opened in 2004. 

Fun artwork on the side of a bridge on the Sacramento River.  The Lybeckers will stop to visit relatives and go to the Tulare Farm Show and we are headed to Laughlin, NV, to meet friends.

As we crossed the Tehachapi Pass and headed toward the Mojave Desert, we were treated to a gorgeous (although stormy looking) sunset.