Casa Grande AZ

This morning and afternoon we visited the Sonora Desert Museum outside Tucson. We spent an hour watching and listening about ravens, hawks and owls. There was a raven, hawk, barn owl and great horned owl flying around us and chowing down on rodent meat feed to them by the trainers. We then explored the cactus garden, hummingbirds, large cats and otters. If you look real close at the top right picture you'll see I have captured on film, after trying for 22 years, the elusive french fry devouring cactus, I think the catsup was key to getting this photo. Returning home we drove through the mountains and desert on an unpaved road. It wasn't dirt or gravel, it was stone. Very uneven and BUMPY. Not even Michigan has a road that bad. We returned about 3pm and I crashed in the Lazy Boy.

Casa Grande AZ

Today was one of exploration and looking for signs that the desert wildflowers are starting to bloom. We took the back roads to Picacho Peak and after checking out this well know landmark used for for centuries for navigation we stopped at Rooster Cogburn's Ostrich Ranch. An ostrich egg weighs 3 1/2 pounds and is equivalent to 24 chicken eggs. Judy got an ostrich duster and Devyn will soon receive an egg which will made 8 very fluffy omlets and a good show and tell at school. We then took more back roads, dirt, to visit Tom Mix wash (named after him when he died there) and the monument where he died in 1940. I know Don will know who Tom Mix is, probably Jean and Margaret too. Judy and I wondered about why he was in the desert and why he had an accident so we planned to Google him. We then went to Florence AZ and stopped for 1 1/2 hours at a great county museum. There we learned Tom Mix had 5 wives, the last from Florence AZ. When he drove through a road blockade, the bridge over a wash (dry stream bed) had been destroyed due to a flash flood, his 1938 Cord convertable flipped over and a metal suitcase hit him in the back of his head. At the museum we saw Apache buckskin playing cards; the story and stuff from the 1888 gun fight between a Florence sheriff and his deputy (who was killed); pictures and the nooses that hung 28 criminals hung at the Florence state penetentary (one noose hung 4 Chinese guys convicted of the same murder); the gallows trap door; the chairs and door from the gas chamber (the gas chamber replaced the gallows after the only woman hung in AZ had her head pulled off when she was hung); info on the suit case murderess; another murderess and lots of other interesting stuff. It's amazing what you can discover in small town free museums. There was lots on local cowboys and ranch life. Judy and I like them much more that large "professional" museums. From there we stopped and a nice Italian resturant and had.....pizza.

Casa Grande AZ

On Friday we cleaned out and organized the basement. While it was empty I took the opportunity to insulate the water pipes because when using the freshwater tank the pump will sometime made too much noise. We seldom use the tank & pump as we don't do any boondocking. We like city water, electricity, A/C when hot, etc. Although working in the basement doesn't sound exciting it's very acceptable considering it's sunny and 75 to 80 degrees. We work on the shady cool side of the trailer. The multiple breaks chatting with neighbors, and tipping a couple, make it more enjoyable.

Today was interesting. Our neighbors informed us they have been watching two birds build a nest in our rooftop A/C. This is not tolerated even if we haven't used the A/C since November in Gulf Shores. Judy is our roofing and high wire specialist so she took the grille off and removed the nest and vacuumed the debris. Nothing like Spring cleaning the rooftop A/C. She then duct taped the openings that gave the birds access. While she was working on it mom & dad bird didn't take kindly to what she was doing. Now we understand what the little pitter patter on roof means, certainly not reindeer and Santa.

Casa Grande AZ

Sunday and Monday we didn't do anything exciting to document. Tuesday we both had a dentist appointment and turned out we both are having crowns. I broke a tooth a month ago and Judy had a large old cavity needing some work. I will say a crown in AZ is less painful that MI, $700 vs $1000. In addition we now have better dental insurance so instead of costing $500 it's only $200. See kids, we have saved a little of your inheritance.

Wednesday was a busy day. Up at 6am and in Phoenix at 8 am to have air bags installed on the truck. OOPS kids, there went the $$$ we saved yesterday. After the air bags were installed we went to see Chet Riley who was in Phoenix visiting his daughter and her family. We had a very good visit and lunch at a good Mexican restaurant.

After visiting with Chet we stopped at the Casa Grande Indian ruins on the way home. The Indians must have taught today's farmers how to irrigate the land for crops. They started irrigation ditches 1500 years ago. AZ has much more green fields that we have seen since leaving AL. Did you know AZ's largest crop is cotton? We didn't. Everywhere you see a large field growing a crop you see irrigation ditches and pipelines everywhere. Casa Grande means great or large house. The ruin in the pic is 4 storied tall and the largest discovered. There were walls around 2 acres with many small homes inside. This was one of many similiar villages in the area.

Casa Grande AZ

Today's work consisted of replacing the home theater box and a lost dump valve handle shipped from NuWa (a great company to do business with!!), lubing some squeaky hinges and tightening two nuts on the bathroom sink faucet. Judy went to Curves and did some grocery shopping.
Another R&R day overall, retirement and RV living is soooo taxing we have to have lots of R&R days!
Another exciting event was the box of mail from Randy, Kristi & Devyn. We have a thing going with little D about shipping each other some surprises. She sent us a program from a school play she was in, a great note and a soccer picture.
We did get together with Ray & Barb who we have met via the NuWa Owners Forum. They also attended the Gypsy Gathering Rally last week and are staying in Casa Grande another week. We met for supper at the Golden Coral, a buffet, which was real good. We ate at one last February in FL with Neil & Calvin, had lots of good food, so we tried another one....still good food!
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Casa Grande AZ Thursday & Friday

Thursday was a R&R day. My excitement was building a ramp for our sewer hose out of a 10' gutter and 1/2" PVC pipe. Friday we went to Wickenburg (2+ hours north west) and met Todd Kostinko and Margaret and Jean. Margaret & Jean had flown into Laughlin NV a few days to break the casinos and Todd lives in AZ so we all got together.....one of us did a successful rain dance. I'll blame Todd as he has the most local experience. It rained all afternoon and Todd said they have had lots of rain this winter so the desert flowers should bloom very well. We met at the visitors center, Wickenburg is a touristy place. After a casual lunch at the Mine Shaft (so so food at best) and a short walk in the rain, which it did all day, we went through the Desert Calalleros Western Museum for an hour or two. Jean met a local cowboy who was just trying to stay dry and introduced Judy and Margaret to her new friend. The three of them also tried to pick up GI Joe. Todd wasn't sure about hanging around with all the senior citizens and was thinking about hopping on Trigger and getting out of Dodge City.

Casa Grande AZ Tuesday & Wednesday

Tuesday was a work around home day after a visit to the dentist, I broke a tooth so it's time for another cap. Judy cleaned the trailer inside and I did the truck inside plus 2 or 3 modifications in the trailer. Today we went to Tuscon (66 miles south) and stopped at a HUGE RV dealer called Beaudry RV then went exploring. We had a real good lunch at Tiny's Saloon, the Texas Toothpicks were good, in fact we are going to mail one to Don. We then went through the Saguaro National Park, Picture Rocks, & Tuscon State Park.

The Saguaro cacti are very tall, you can just see the baby (2 or 3 years old) growing under a bush in one pic. These things can grow 40 feet tall and live up to 200 years. They don't sprout "arms" until they are 75 years old. The pic of the white fuzzy bush is called a Teddy Bear.