Today we drove up to Sedona and decided to do Flagstaff for an adventure on the snow. A few miles outside of Flagstaff we turned around. The ice was a bit of a concern. We returned through Sedona and had a wonderful lunch at a Thai restaurant. We are back in Cottonwood and enjoying a visit with Don and Linda, Ken's brother and sister in law. More later but all is well. The rain has almost completed its visit and the surrounding grounds seem well watered. The foothills surrounding the valley are beautiful with white peaks.
Enough for today. Will attach a picture when the sun comes out so that we can see the beautiful hills around us.
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Tuesday, February 25, 2003
TUESDAY - February 25, 2003
We had a good visit at Yuma. Thbe weather was spectacular. Attended an air show on Saturday and just plain enjoyed the good weather. We are now in the Verde Valley area. It is raining and thus, the air is undergoing a cleaning. All is well with us and we are settled in. Off to the boonies. More later.
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We had a good visit at Yuma. Thbe weather was spectacular. Attended an air show on Saturday and just plain enjoyed the good weather. We are now in the Verde Valley area. It is raining and thus, the air is undergoing a cleaning. All is well with us and we are settled in. Off to the boonies. More later.
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Friday, February 14, 2003
"OFF IN A MATTER OF SPEAKING!"
La Mesa RV called today and the RV is ready for pick up. We will pick it up Monday. Our tentative plans call for a few days in the Yuma Arizona area, before going to Camp Verde where we will spend a week visiting that area and with Ken's brother, Don, and wife, Linda. We expect to be back in Glendale March 7. If modern technology works and phone service is available, we will keep you posted via this medium.
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Thursday, February 13, 2003
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
GOOD MORNING - It is raining in Glendale this morning and it not the usual sprinkles measuring three drops to the acre. It is raining as in big rain drops, the likes of which we so seldom see. This is good!
We are awaiting word from the RV dealer who will alert us when our RV is ready for pickup. They are correcting and fine tuning some 30 items on our list of complaints that should have been perfected before delivery. We love our RV and believe in its quality, but competence seems to be lacking every where these days. When the work is completed, we will go forth to Arizona and putter in the hinterlands thereabouts until early March. We plan to spend two weeks in the desert area, Palm Desert, Desert Hot Springs during mid-March. Later in the month, Ken wants to join a gathering of RV'ers in Pomona for a RV rally where seminars and RV related insights will be offered to further acclimate us into this new past time on which we have embarked. I can hardly wait! (not).
In April we will celebrate grandson Sean's 14th birthday -- where does time go? -- and then we are meeting two couples in Las Vegas for a reunion of friendships established during our trip to Spain in 2000.
In May, my niece Zoe will drop by for a brief visit en route to Reno for a bowling competition and May 9, we depart for a three week stint in the "sunshine" state.
Tentatively, our plans are to celebrate our grandson's graduation from elementary school on June 8 and then depart on a three - four week trek up the Coast, hopefully with Ken's brother, Don,and his wife Linda. July 15 returns us to California to celebrate granddaughter Lauren's birthday, followed by some other family events that month.
All of this, of course, is contingent upon our freedom to move about within a society free from terror and the fanatics who dwell within that oviously flawed "psyche". Talk about freedom. When we were young we looked to the day when we would have the time to enjoy the fruits of the labor in which we were engaged. As I look back on those days, I now wonder if I was too busy to do the things that would preserve that freedom. As a result, I now perhaps selfishly conclude that I permitted too many of my freedoms to be sacrificed to provide freedom for those who sought not freedom but dominance. As the reality of where we are today becomes more apparent to me within my limited understanding, I find myself more dedicated to the American ideals and American principles in which I believe and for which our forefathers paid a great price..
Have a good day!
E-mail Me!
GOOD MORNING - It is raining in Glendale this morning and it not the usual sprinkles measuring three drops to the acre. It is raining as in big rain drops, the likes of which we so seldom see. This is good!
We are awaiting word from the RV dealer who will alert us when our RV is ready for pickup. They are correcting and fine tuning some 30 items on our list of complaints that should have been perfected before delivery. We love our RV and believe in its quality, but competence seems to be lacking every where these days. When the work is completed, we will go forth to Arizona and putter in the hinterlands thereabouts until early March. We plan to spend two weeks in the desert area, Palm Desert, Desert Hot Springs during mid-March. Later in the month, Ken wants to join a gathering of RV'ers in Pomona for a RV rally where seminars and RV related insights will be offered to further acclimate us into this new past time on which we have embarked. I can hardly wait! (not).
In April we will celebrate grandson Sean's 14th birthday -- where does time go? -- and then we are meeting two couples in Las Vegas for a reunion of friendships established during our trip to Spain in 2000.
In May, my niece Zoe will drop by for a brief visit en route to Reno for a bowling competition and May 9, we depart for a three week stint in the "sunshine" state.
Tentatively, our plans are to celebrate our grandson's graduation from elementary school on June 8 and then depart on a three - four week trek up the Coast, hopefully with Ken's brother, Don,and his wife Linda. July 15 returns us to California to celebrate granddaughter Lauren's birthday, followed by some other family events that month.
All of this, of course, is contingent upon our freedom to move about within a society free from terror and the fanatics who dwell within that oviously flawed "psyche". Talk about freedom. When we were young we looked to the day when we would have the time to enjoy the fruits of the labor in which we were engaged. As I look back on those days, I now wonder if I was too busy to do the things that would preserve that freedom. As a result, I now perhaps selfishly conclude that I permitted too many of my freedoms to be sacrificed to provide freedom for those who sought not freedom but dominance. As the reality of where we are today becomes more apparent to me within my limited understanding, I find myself more dedicated to the American ideals and American principles in which I believe and for which our forefathers paid a great price..
Have a good day!
E-mail Me!
Sunday, February 09, 2003
This is for Rhiannon's school project. Don't know if it will help or not but here it is for whatever its value.
Scene at entrance to Carlsbad Caverns -
Our visit to Carlsbad Caverns was most interesting. Over eight hundred feet under ground, it is another world, one that would be dark and foreboding but for the modern day miracle of electricity. It was unexplored until a cowboy named Jim White, was intrigued by a dark cloud of major proportions rising from what was referred to as the “big hole”.
He investigated further and discovered that it was thousands and thousands of bats that were ascending to the sky from the depths below. Exploration and investigation of the caverns became Jim White’s life obsession. When one visits the caverns today, they cannot help but be amazed that anyone could explore the depths of those caves without the benefit of electricity or other modern day amenities.
Pictures from within the caverns
Jim White was uneducated and could barely read or write, if at all. He told his story to a ghost writer who wrote a book about White’s experiences and explorations. I have linked some background information that you may find helpful
Carlsbad Caverns National Park contains 100 known caves, including Lechuguilla Cave—the nation's deepest limestone cave at 1,567 feet (478m) and third longest.cave. We were told that Lechugilla Cave will be maintained in its natural form for medical, environmental and related research and discovery. Today, only certain specified rangers are approved for entry into the Lechugilla Cave. In our search for knowledge, it is believed that research from below the earth’s crust may be as valuable as that of our voyage into outer space.
There are many rooms and regrettably, I do not know whichf pictures came from what room. However, the various rooms are awesome in their simple beauty and magnificence. When in the caverns, one almost feels as if they have entered “hallowed” halls, so great is the artistry within.
I was unable to link to the National Park site but I will e mail the link for you to check out if you haven't already been there.
Scene at entrance to Carlsbad Caverns -
Our visit to Carlsbad Caverns was most interesting. Over eight hundred feet under ground, it is another world, one that would be dark and foreboding but for the modern day miracle of electricity. It was unexplored until a cowboy named Jim White, was intrigued by a dark cloud of major proportions rising from what was referred to as the “big hole”.
He investigated further and discovered that it was thousands and thousands of bats that were ascending to the sky from the depths below. Exploration and investigation of the caverns became Jim White’s life obsession. When one visits the caverns today, they cannot help but be amazed that anyone could explore the depths of those caves without the benefit of electricity or other modern day amenities.
Pictures from within the caverns
Jim White was uneducated and could barely read or write, if at all. He told his story to a ghost writer who wrote a book about White’s experiences and explorations. I have linked some background information that you may find helpful
Carlsbad Caverns National Park contains 100 known caves, including Lechuguilla Cave—the nation's deepest limestone cave at 1,567 feet (478m) and third longest.cave. We were told that Lechugilla Cave will be maintained in its natural form for medical, environmental and related research and discovery. Today, only certain specified rangers are approved for entry into the Lechugilla Cave. In our search for knowledge, it is believed that research from below the earth’s crust may be as valuable as that of our voyage into outer space.
There are many rooms and regrettably, I do not know whichf pictures came from what room. However, the various rooms are awesome in their simple beauty and magnificence. When in the caverns, one almost feels as if they have entered “hallowed” halls, so great is the artistry within.
I was unable to link to the National Park site but I will e mail the link for you to check out if you haven't already been there.