the QUAD COMMANDOS

We went into the Fortuna Wash...that's the big one near us...and found seven caches today...DNF (did not find) two caches. We may get back to look for them, but, maybe not...

Catch-up VS Ketchup

Parked the pickup down by the gas station yesterday morning. Oh, in the 'geocache' world it's the 'Mini-Walmart'...This was the beginning of our morning walk out into the desert looking for caches and enjoying the sunshine. The desert floor is full of little purple flowers and now the white larger flowers are beginning to pop out. It's turning beautiful... No cactus blooming, but they aren't too far behind.

Along the way we picked up Little 'SUZI' in the 'Boot Hill' cache. Jumped a mile when I removed the top to this one as a little lizard scurried across the bottom...LOL
We don't pick up items out of the caches too often, but she's a cute rollerblader from Hawaii. She's already been to Oregon, so perhaps we'll save her for Las Vegas...Two hours and 5 caches found, one cache not found and we were back at the pickup...whew!

Interesting things I may want to remember:
using the tea kettle instead of the microwave to heat water puts moisture in the dry air
rinsing my hair with the drinking water we buy leaves it feeling soft instead of like straw
when the wind blows from the north it's cold even though the sun is shining
using the oven cooks the vegies/fruits I have sitting on the counter above the oven
eggs freeze on the bottom shelf of the fridge
rum n cokes taste good at 3:30pm
tequila filled chocolates are yummy even though I don't like tequila
there aren't enough chocolates filled with booze in the world to get me through another novel about the Viet Nam war
WARS ARE SAD AFFAIRS!

On a happier note...we're going to the Brown Bag Burgers place for lunch today...YUMMY!

to party OR not to party!

THAT IS THE ONLY QUESTION

Saturday...went to the party NO ONE wanted to go to...does that make sense? It sure does not! And several managed to make the host and hostess angry and did not go. We went...I managed to say about five words before I said "good-bye" about four hours later! That's better than JoAnn; she only said about three. I don't think we'll go again next year. Hmmm...let me re-phrase that...We won't be going next year.

It was a group of people who have retired from China Lake and moved from Ridgecrest, CA. We don't fit either category, but everyone else did. It would have been an interesting time if the chat had been about what they all used to do...What did they do, you ask? Why they did R&D on munitions...BLOWING UP STUFF and making bigger n better bombs was their job. Now wouldn't that have been a great conversation?

The flag...the flag goes up on a front corner of Boo n Ethel's home and everyone shows up for cocktails! NOW THIS IS A REAL PARTY! Yesterday the 'soup kitchen' (Super Bowl leftovers plus) was to open around 5-ish. The flag went up around 3:30p and before the food was laid out about 30 people had gathered. It was a good thing some of us added to those leftovers.

We eat good here in the neighborhood. I have only had to fix a few complete meals for Norman and I, since we arrived. There has been a potluck of some sort or other nearly every night. I've made several lemon merengue pies...many pans of Paula Deem's brownies (everyone asks for them)...really awesome cornbread...and today I'm making an apple pie. Yummy!

Jokes! So many new jokes, I'll never be able to remember them. And lots of kidding about getting older. Funny...none of us consider ourselves "old". Wonder when that will happen?

95?

Mesa story in Pictures

We walk at Marley's pace, wherever Marley wants to go. And when he decides to go home, WE GO HOME!

Notice the difference between how an Arizonan dresses compared to a snowbird...LOL!

Norman tried to teach Lily to use her brakes, but she preferred grabbing my shirt to stop as he chased her all around the tennis court.


Lincoln wanted so badly to toss the ball into the basketball net, but Di just couldn't hold him high enough. So he contented himself with throwing it away from her and giggled as she chased the ball.

We had a SINGLE BYPASS at the HEART ATTACK GRILL on the way home. That's a half pound burger and unlimited fries cooked in lard topped off with a liter each of Classic Coke. You can see the menu behind us...single, double or triple. No diet stuff here, and if you weigh over 350 pounds, you get to eat free!

Norman enjoyed the 'buns'...on the girls, that is!

Then a quick stop at the BLM campground with all the petroglyphs along I-8. Nothing we hadn't seen before, but just not in this quantity.

100 Miles of Bad Road...but fun!

We headed out into the bombing range yesterday morning to go for a little ride. First stop was the location of the Fortuna Mine Town. It's one of those 'must sees' that everyone going onto the range has to see and then doesn't go back. Afterall...if you've seen one old mining ghost town you've pretty much seen them all. We were surprised the first time, because the park rangers manage the area. They have put up a kiosk with pictures and information plus informative signs along the trails.

Then off we rode through the Gila (pronounced with an H) Mountains along the Dripping Springs Trail. I think the 'springs' that drip are from vehicles. This is just one of the wrecked vehicles we saw along the trail. It was a fairly easy, but rocky, ride for us. I would love to have been able to watch the jeeps go through a couple areas. We went over pebbles, rocks and boulders for miles and miles!

Finallllllllllllyyyyyyyy...we made it to the other side and the flat sandy desert. Oh, my aching legs.

Here is Bob playing Rommel in Africa on one of the many tanks. They are always a fun stop. We can climb all over inside and out, even turn the turrets and move the guns up and down.

I wonder what Bob thought of the wrecked Army jeep and the unexploded ordances we saw here and there throughout the range...made me a little nervous the first time we went out...I think the Marines had a good Super Bowl holiday, because no jets came out to check on us this time.

Norman, our fearless leader, skirted the Copper Mountains until he found the old turquoise mine. The shafts are straight up and down, so a person would have to have special equipment to get in. But there are bits and pieces all over the ground. Bob dug around in the trailings and found some pretty nice pieces to put in his tumbler. Me? Well, I brought home some too...grandkid gifts...LOL

We had gone about 40 miles by now on our 50 to 60 mile limit with each of us carrying an extra gallon of gas. We finally decided we needed to get into the nearest town for fuel before attempting to go home. So off to Wellton...

Our trip home was pretty boring...we rode along side the American Canal to Yuma. No scenery...just the walls of the road. It was like riding along a dirt freeway. BORING! We came out within a mile or so of Bob's campground...lucky him. But Norman and I had to get across the canal, under the railroad tracks, sneak around the cement plant and over some hills before we finally found the wash that would take us close to home...right around 100 miles for the day...and we are tired...

Superbowl XLIII

GREAT GAME...didn't think the Steelers were going to pull it off...well, actually...we were hoping they would lose. They've had plenty of glory; it was the Cardinals time for the trophy.

We had a good party at one of the neighbors, lots of people we didn't know. Funny...the two groups didn't mix real well...neighbors and friends. Hmmmm...

Lots of good food...lots of cheers n boos during the game...I created the boos by cheering on the Steelers (the only one doing it...hee-hee). It was fun!

Polamalu didn't get to do his stuff much, because the coach kept the safeties in the backfield. That was disappointing. We enjoy watching him...Fitzgerald was pretty quiet the first three quarters, but then finally got to 'show his stuff'. We think he's really great!

These are the shirts I painted for the party. They turned out pretty well and didn't cost much to make. Good 'knock around the house' shirts, doncha think?