Finally Our New Table and Chairs Came!

We haven't had a table to eat on except the Patio Set since we moved into our new home over a month ago. The table and chair set that Ms Pat ordered had been back ordered. Finally it came in!!!

Here is our new table and chair set. I really like it...the gals did a great job choosing this set and it matches the rest of our things perfectly. After we got it all set up, it didn't take Ms Megabyte2 long to look it over and pass her approval on it. She likes it, too!!!  While we weren't looking, she found her way up onto it and she thought the decorative center piece tray was a good spot for her to relax. It didn't take Ms Pat long to let her know that it was NOT a  good place for her to be. 

"Ahhh....please, can't I lay here?" Ya gotta admit it does look a little like her bed. But Ms Pat says NO! Anyhow, we got a big laugh out of it. You could say she is a "Platter Full"!!

Whew, we have so much going on around here, I hardly know where to start. FIRST, I have to show you the latest NEW ADDITION.

Gina is all SMILES!!! Just look at her new Polaris 4 wheeler!! This is her early Mothers Day present.  Gina took one of our great neighbors, Paul and Nancy Wilson's, 4 wheelers out in the Desert on a "Girls Only" outing the other day. She was so nervous and excited about going out and riding solo that she could hardly sleep all night before the ride. Always before she rode on the back with Rollie driving. This time she was on her own.  Oh my gosh, she was so scared. Could she do it??  What about the extremely steep hills and all the rocks?  Oh Dear!!  I tried to calm her and so did Rollie.  Ms Pat told her she would be fine. Well to say she did fine would be an understatement.  She did Wonderful!  She LOVED it!!

It was a strange coincidence but the next day we saw a nice 2007 Polaris 330 Trail Boss for sale right here in the Park. It was a nice one and just the right size for Gina. Rollie took her over to look at it and talk to the owner. Soon she came riding it up into our yard. "What do you think POP'S?", she asked. "Is it OK?" Rollie, I and Ms Pat looked it over closely and Pat and I rode it around the block. It was a nice clean solid machine. I went to my computer and checked both the high and low pricing on the NADA  web site. With that info, Rollie and Gina went back to see if they could negotiate a deal.  I took the above picture when she came riding it home. I could tell by the SMILE it was now Hers!!  Good for you GIRL!! You will enjoy it and Polaris is the absolute BEST.   Isn't it great how things work out.  Another little gift from Our father above.  Praise God!

Gina, Rollie, Ms Pat and I all have been working around here to no end.  Gina started trimming all the Oleander bushes we have around here, then Ms Pat got into it and they really trimmed them up so they look so much better.

All of this trimming resulted in TONS of trimmings that had to be hauled to the land fill..  Rollie has been using his truck and has made about at least a dozen trips to the landfill about 6 miles away.

Soon Ms Pat came to me and asked,  "What do you think of removing one of the Rosemary bushes in the front yard?"  I agreed it would be a good idea, because they had gotten a little out of control. So Gina, Pat and Rollie started cutting, chopping and digging away.  I've had a little back problem the past few days so I just sat back and admired their good work.  :-)

One bush removed looked so good they decided to take two.   That's good because Gina's Rock and Cactus Garden was showing up better all the time. 

Here is Gina working on number 3.  These are really tough to cut out as they had spread way too far out.

Poor Rollie, he dug out all the stumps and the ground was hard as concrete! What a JOB!! We thank Rollie and Gina so much for all their great help.....and believe me it's HARDWORK!! In the picture above Gina was pulling on the stump while Rollie was chopping the roots, it came loose all of a sudden and Gina fell completely over backwards.   I didn't get it in time, but it was hilarious.  Look at her grin as she is falling backward.  They are so much fun as they do all this hard work..

I ran off somewhere for a bit and when I returned ALL THE BUSHES WERE GONE!!!!  They decided to remove them all.   Now that shocked me because when we moved into the house I made the statement that I "thought" those Rosemary Bushes should GO!!!!  I was quickly over ruled but I'm glad they are gone. I'm not one for a bunch of Shrubbery.  It took away from the looks of the house and especially the beautiful Rock Displays that Gina is building...

There.....the finished product. Don't you agree it looks so much better? Now you can see the raised Rock arrangement that Gina designed and built. Plus wait until you see the new area she has under construction. You can just see the beginnings of it developing right in front of the screened in porch.   More on that later...
Yep, we're all happy with NO BUSHES and I'm not even going to say "told ya so"!! LOL

With all that's going on, Gregg and I still managed to get in a little 80 mile ride over to Aguila, AZ. Behind Gregg is the famous "EAGLEs ROOST" . See the shape on top where you can see the Eagles beak.  It was a nice ride.  I enjoy riding with Gregg and Bonnie so much.   Gregg knows Harley's inside and out. He helped me put a heat shield on my bike before we left for the ride and it really helped.

Gee, I'm sorry this blog has gotten so long......I don't like long Blogs, but when so much is happening, it is hard to be brief and do justice. I hope I haven't bored you to death and lost everybody's interest.  I promise to try and keep them shorter in the future.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!

A big Welcome to our latest Followers, Wheel Estate Travellers. Welcome Chuck and Elva. So glad to have you......    Click on any of my followers (well most) pictures and you can visit their Blog....

God Bless you all...

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Where's Ms Megabyte2?

How is our little Kitty, Ms Mega2 coping with the move and all this activity? For over a year, Ms Megabyte2's home has been our Teton 5Th wheel. It was her only home since the old storage shed that she lived under when we first met. She learned to love the Teton.  She had her little hiding spots and places to watch out the window. We took her outside a few times but not for long and she was always happy to get back to her home.

This has been as big a move for her as it has us. When we first brought her into our new house, she walked around and checked it all out. She then sat down and looked up at us as if to say, "whats this"?  Like me, I believe she thought it was neat, but wanted to go "home" to all our  familiarity. So the first night we moved the Teton here, we stayed in it. She and I just needed a little time.

Well, she quickly got used to the house and it soon seemed more like home. Ms Megabyte2 has found several spots she can watch out the window and she "races" around from room to room, sliding and slipping around the corners on the tile. She is still as curious as ever and looking for her own private places to just sit and watch.

We were sitting in our recliners watching TV one evening when Ms Pat glanced up and said “Look where Mega is”!! She was way up on the top of the kitchen cabinet’s enjoying the site’s from her new found “perch” and purring away. She was a “happy Cat”.  It took some coaxing with her favorite toy to get her down.  I’d say she is quite happy in our New Home. I wonder how she will feel when we move back to the Teton?

The Gal’s went shopping in Prescott again Monday. Ms Pat, Gina and Dale spent the entire day “shopping”.  Rollie, Mark and I were only too glad to just stay home and do OUR thing. Here they are when they FINALLY got home. (way after Happy Hour).

Here Gina was so happy as she says “Pop’s you won’t believe what all we got in this little car”!! Gina is “famous” for what she can pack in a small space.   She is “loaded” with enthusiasm and is a bundle of energy and JOY! What a sweetheart she is.

As you can see, they were all still full of giggles and laughter. Gina says they spent the entire day having a BALL!!

Rollie and I unload this LARGE rug……How they got it loaded is “another story”!

Gina and Ms Pat unload this large Bench.  I still can’t believe they had all that in the little Honda CRV….. But when Gina says “we’ll get it in”, it WILL happen!!

We finally got it all unloaded and are now in the process of putting it in its place…  Yes, this place is Shaping Up!!

We have been waiting for our good friends Gregg and Bonnie to arrive and they are finally here !!!  They are our neighbors in Retama Village in Mission TX, fellow HDT’ers (heavy duty truck)  and our favorite Biking Buddies. So we decided to take a little trip up through the Mountains.  WOW, let me tell you it was SOME trip!! 175 miles and Boy O boy did we all enjoy it. The sights were awesome, to say the least.  Needless to say we were WORN OUT…. just havin too much fun!

It's a GREATWEEK!!!

Welcome to our latest followers,,Weldon and Sandy. Glad to have you with us!!

God Bless you all!

Mike

(Sorry about the fuzzy pictures, google Blog is playing tricks and giving me a "FIT" today.  If you click on the pictures and enlarge them, they are not fuzzy.  Don't ask me why...I have no idea!!)

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Time is Flying!!

Time does fly, as we all know. It's been a month since Ms Pats daughter Terri stopped by on her way from California to Florida. She has been working for the Center for Disease Control for the last 4 or 5 years...can't rememer because like I said, "time does fly".   She was on her way back to Tallahassee, Florida to begin a new phase of her life.  She is returning to school to get her degree in Nuclear Medicine.  We know she will do well and wish her the best in her new career.

Here is a picture of her and her Mom just before she headed on. It was a long drive for her all alone, clear across the US but she is used to that and has traveled the US far and wide in this job. She has really seen the country.  She is a happy, young, good looking gal and we are both extremely proud of her.  BTW, the day she left (March 25th) was her birthday.  It was one of the "0" birthdays....I won't say which one, Terri. (-:

In my last Blog, I wondered if anybody would notice Ms Megabyte2 sleeping in the picture of the new love seat on my little computer stool. Did you?  Well, Kelly of  The Bayfield Bunch did and noted it in the comments.  She also noticed the WINDMILL. Did anyone else see that? It's my SPECIAL windmill. Everyone knows how much I love Windmills. Al says in his blog that every time he see's a windmill he thinks of me. Plus, Al (of Bayfield Bunch) usually takes a picture of them for me to add to my collection.. Thanks Al and Kelly.

This is the neat WINDMILL I found while we were at the Gypsy Journal Rally in Yuma, AZ a few weeks ago. It was just sitting there on a vendor's table. The Vendor was a Carefree Awning repairman.   I couldn't see the relationship in the Windmill but it sure caught my eye and I asked "Is THIS for sale? " "Yep it is." was the response.   Hmmm..." can I pick it up?", I asked. "Sure, go ahead".  WOW, it was beautifully done in Barb Wire. Wire that we had plenty of on our Ranch, wire that had helped "tame" the Wild West.  Someone had spent some time and effort in making this WINDMILL!!  Almost afraid of the answer I would get, I ask "How Much"?  "10 bucks" the old gentleman, about my age said..  Hummm, I couldn't believe it. My left hand immediately went in my pocket where I carry my money clip.. My upbringing just made me ask "couldn't take any less could ya?"  NOPE, was the reply..   I'll take it, I said !! My Dear ole Dad was quite a horse trader (among other things) in his day and he taught me that if you don't ask someone if they will take less for something, you will never know..  I would have easily gave $20.00 for this Prize, maybe more.  I couldn't believe it as I proudly took my new WINDMILL back to our booth. Gee, it takes so little to please us OLD GUYS...:-)

Rollie and Gina Thurston went to Yuma last week to see their son Thomas. Thomas is in the Marines and he is taking some training at the Marine Base there. While they were there, they went over into Mexico and brought us back this beautiful picture and frame and stand (among other things)  Isn't it out of this world? Do you think they knew about this ole "Cowboys" fondness of Windmills?  This picture is a beauty.  Here it is with my Barb Wire Windmill right beside it.  Prize possessions for our New Home!!

We have to rush to early Church, but wait until you see some of the other things they brought from Algodones, MX for our new Home.  We have grown so fond of Rollie and Gina.  God sure sent them to us and they are such a blessing. They are now "our kids".  I always wanted to RV with our kids.  I hope they NEVER leave.  They are truly family and so neat to have around.  Praise the Lord!!! Thank You,,Scott!

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!

Welcome to ROY and ANN, followers #80. We are so glad to have you with us........

We are ONE MONTH from departure time to our place in the Black Hills...  That will FLY by and be here before you know it!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesdays..

It's Shaping Up!!

Although our new home came with a lot of furniture, in order to make it "our home", we had to add a few things. This week two delivery trucks have delivered some new items. Here is what the first truck brought.

This is the Love Seat and Ottoman.

Ms Pat and Gina found this neat "sofa table" to go behind the Love Seat.

This picture was taken way back about the time we were moving in. We knew that "tiny" Microwave would have to be replaced.  Pat has gotten used to the Convection oven in the Teton, so we wanted one in our Home. The place is too WHITE and needs some color added.....bad.  So we set off to find a new Microwave.  It will replace that WHITE power vent above the stove.

After a lot of looking and measuring, Rollie says the one we liked best would fit and he could install it EASY!! Here's Rollie finishing up our installation of the new Micro. Of course, the wiring and the vent all had to be redone also.

Here is the finished product all working and looking good. Nice job Rollie, and Ms Pat is Happy, Happy. When Ms Pat is Happy, ole "whats his name" is Happy!! (Me):-)

Then yesterday the new frig came. They installed it and here it is... Now it's looking better around here.. The refer and the micro go together quite well, and the sink is stainless. Now all we're waiting for is our kitchen/dining table. It is a little overdue because of a back-order, but thankfully we have the screened in Porch with the patio set to eat on. There's still lots to be done but it's shaping up!!

It's a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Wow, I've had some kind of a hard time getting the Blog published this morning. Every kind of problem you can think of... Router, Antenna, Laptop or a combination of everything... has slowed me down. Pictures wouldn't load, everything was all so slow moving.  Just one of those mornings where nothing would go right. I was so sick of hassling with it at 6am, I said to "^*%#"  with it and went on with our walk and started all over when we got back. Sorry I'm late.....

A big Welcome to Glenn and Bobbi our latest Followers, who are # 79. We're getting closer to 100 Followers every day......so jump in and help me get there. Just a short time ago it was 50. See ya in Custer, Bobbi and Glenn!

God Bless you all and thanks for stopping by......

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

The new zBoost cell phone extender.

Now here is a neat gadget that I just have to tell you about.  I ordered this "zBoost" and it arrived about 2 weeks ago and since then our life has been much better.  Down at this end of the North Ranch SKP RV Park near Congress, AZ where we bought our new home, the cell phone signal is not near as good as it was up higher on the hill at our old place. The previous owner had installed a special "Yagi" antenna on the roof for better cell phone reception. He tethered his cell phone to it, which means he was direct wired to it.

This is the Yagi directional antenna on the roof of our house. It works great and gets Verizion quite well, but we weren't happy leaving our phone connected to it by a wire. In fact, our Motorola Verizion phone doesn't even have a connection for a wired antenna. We couldn't use the Yagi. Our phone service was lousy and dropped calls constantly. This  wouldn't work with us, as we continue to sell PressurePro Tire Monitoring Systems and PowerTank's like hot cakes.   We had to come up with a solution.  So I started looking and talking and reading. I talked with my neighbor and good friend Bill Jones, who now just lives a few houses away.  He said come on over and I'll show you what will work.  Bill showed me his zBoost.

After Bill showed me his, I thought this would work PERFECT!! I immediately set out to find one. Within a week, I had one sitting on our counter. As you can see above, the black wire is coax from the Yagi on the roof and the white wire is the power to the zBoost. WOW!!  What a difference. We went from one to two bars on our phones to four and five. Designed for consumers, the zBoost Dual Band cell phone signal booster extends a zBoost Cell Zone for single or multiple users in homes or offices.  It increases indoor signal coverage – up to 2500 sq ft..  It comes with its own Vertial antenna and coax, but since I already had the Yagi, I used it.  We are HAPPY CAMPERS!! No more dropped calls and missed messages. We love it and believe me our zBoost will go with us when we travel. Plus, I can use the antenna and coax that came with it while traveling and at our other property.  Isn't it great when a plan WORKS? Praise the Lord!

Speaking of plans working....Gina's Rock Gardens around our new home continue and they are WORKING!! Just look at some of the beautiful work she has been doing. She says "I'm not done yet"!!

Back Yard

I am so proud of all she has done and we are getting lots of compliments...... Nice job Gina!!!!

Our friends Mark and Dale Bruss arrived yesterday. They have been traveling and sight seeing for a couple weeks on their trip from their Lot in Retama Village in Mission, TX. In fact, they are our close neighbors at our lot in Retama. They will be staying on our other lot here at North Ranch for a few weeks. 

This called for a POT LUCK.   Here we all are after enjoying the food and especially Rollie's GREAT COOKING. Plus enjoying our NEW PORCH.

Pictured above left to right around the table is:  Ms Pat's head, Don and Camilla Heasty, Gina and Rollie Thurston, Tom and Sally Gierisch and Dale and Mark Bruss.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Gina, Rollie, Dale, Pat and I are off to early 8 O'clock Church. Thanks for stopping by.   Praise the Lord for all he continues to do and provide for us.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

My Friend Del

Every year when we come back to North Ranch, I think of Del Holowell.  Each year, I dedicate my Blog in remembrance of "My Friend Del".  Del was just one of those guys you can't forget. When we bought our lot here at North Ranch SKP Park near Congress, AZ almost 10 years ago, Del was my next door neighbor. Del and I immediately became friends and I admired him very much. He was such a friendly guy, it was a joy coming back every year and seeing him.   He loved horses and kept his horse at a boarding ranch near Wickenburg.  Knowing I was an old Cowboy and raised with horses, he always wanted me to go riding with him. I never did go but believe me I wish I had.

Del told me that he had Prostrate Cancer and was treating it.  He hadn't been to a doctor in several years and by the time he had his PSA tested, it was 117.  He said it was bad but they were treating it and although it had gotten dangerously out of his Prostrate Gland into other parts of his body, he felt they would be able to control it.   He didn't talk about it much, although I quizzed him about it often because at the same time my PSA tests were coming in rather high. Del just enjoyed life and didn't seem to worry about anything much. He was always in such a good and friendly mood. He never met a stranger.

In just a few short years, Del was gone.  The Cancer had spread from his Prostate into his bones as Prostate Cancer nearly always does. We visited him in the hospital several times and in a few months he was called to that blessed Campground in the Sky. We only got to know Del a few short years, but he left a permanent impression in our hearts.  He was a GOOD guy!!   No, make that a GREAT guy!!  

Del, Ole Buddy, we miss you and I know your wife Pat misses you very much. However, I know that our Lord called you home for a purpose and you are living in peace. I can see you riding the trails and leading the pack!!  We love ya Man!!!

I will never forget "My Friend Del".

I have one request of all my male readers and friends................please get a PSA test every year.  

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!

Thanks for stopping by,,,,

Welcome to Doncat and Cheryl our latest followers # 78......

God Bless You All !!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

My Boy's,,,,,

My oldest son and his oldest son drove up from Tucson for a visit.  We sure were glad to see them. They pulled into our new place about 4:30 PM. What a special treat for happy hour!! My son is Mikel and his son is Mikel and I'm Mike. Now that can be confusing when we are all in one place. However, confusing as it is, I think it's neat! We all sat around and caught up on some visiting. We sure don't get to see enough of each other. Then we all piled in the car and went into town for a Chinese dinner. I haven't had one of those for many years and probably won't have another anytime soon. The best thing about it was being with the BOY'S!!!

The next morning they were up and out early and headed up to the Grand Canyon. Mike (Grandson) is on spring break so his Dad agreed to take him on a little trip.

Ms Pat and I sure like the color of his new Pontiac.  Guess that color runs in the family!

Here we all are....Mike, Mike and Mike. Can you tell which is which?  My son is retired from the Army and lives in Tucson where my Grandson is in High School.  Our time together went by way too fast and I wished it could have lasted longer. Sure enjoyed seeing them. I hope we can get together again soon.... real soon!!

We continue to get settled in our new home more and more each day. It was crazy at first...some things were in the 5Th wheel and some in the house. Remembering which was here and what was there was confusing. We were just SO comfortable in that Teton.  The day we moved it to the new place, I told Ms Pat I couldn't leave yet.  I was going to sleep in my regular bed. I knew in time it would be OK but I almost got cold feet. I have been living in an RV for 15 years. It has become my way of life and change never was easy for me and seems to get harder every year. I guess I'm getting old and sentimental. But I'm OK now and we both have become accustomed to the house. Some things are real easy, like no dumping the tank and the 50 gal water heater. NEAT!!!

Gina ROCKS!!!   Gina loves all these rocks.  She and Rollie have made several trips out with the 4 wheeler picking up rocks. She is building us some kind of a neat Rock and Cactus Garden.

Recently Paul and Nancy Wilson (our 4-wheeling buddies) agreed to take us all out to a rock quarry. Gina was so excited.  It was about 20 miles and Paul knows all these back trails better than anybody I know.  So we all took off and here is what we found.

 We didn't go into any of the mine shafts, but there were beautiful Quartz rocks everywhere.

Gina was in Heaven!! She wanted to take them all!! 

Rollie says "Whoa, thats a lot of ROCK!!

Gina is looking hard and Ms Pat has found one just like she wants.

Soon we had all the rocks, big, little and small, that we could dare haul out of there.  It was a beautiful day and very pretty country.  So we loaded up and headed home.  What a great day and neat trip out back of our house in the wild, wonderful desert mountains.  We even saw a Western Diamondback Rattle Snake crossing the trail.  Sorry I didn't get a picture. Thanks Paul for showing us the way.  We brought home a ton of rocks for Gina's planned rock display in our new front yard.  I can't wait to see it when she is done!!

It was a Busy GREAT WEEK!!!!

We are off for early 8am Church church this morning and I'm pleased to say Rollie and Gina are going with us.

Thanks for stopping by. 

Travel Safe!!

Mike


 This Blog is published every Sunday and Wednesday..

We had a Feast!!

Since we knew our screened in porch would be our primary point of entertainment and we enjoy it so much, we decided to get some new patio furniture. So, off we went in Rollie and Gina's truck to Prescott shopping. The gals found just what we wanted at Home Depot. Now to get it and several other items we purchased home.

The guys at Home Depot were a little dubious that we could get it all in the truck. Ms Pat says "where will it go"? Gina stands back surveying the situation and says "IT WILL GO!  " Rollie says "when she says that, it usually goes"!

Let's see now...this will go in the sleeper....somehow!

It WILL...GO,...I know it will!!

Rollie says "Yes, it will go, but we have to take it apart".......

Soon the truck was FULL!!  Rollie says "If you want to hand it up to me, I can get some more in"!! LOL


Now let me tell you, I hate shopping!!  After about an hour of it, I've had enough. My attention span is extremely short! We spent ALL DAY chasing from store to store, looking, measuring, comparing and pricing. The gals, Gina and Ms Pat were into it! Rollie and I just stood back and smiled at each other. I don't think Rollie enjoys shopping much either, but watching these girls and just answering when we were asked for an opinion, was actually fun.

Here it is, home and all put together...I think it looks GREAT. I am extremely proud of their selection and everybody's hard work. It took the entire next day to put it all together. Rollie did most of the labor and had it all put together in a very short time.  Thanks Rollie.  Can you believe we got all this into Rollie's truck?  We sure did, plus much more!!

We didn't wait long until we put it to good use and it worked great!!  Here is our very first get together on Easter Sunday. Around the table left to right, we have Gina Thurston, Paul and Nancy Wilson, Ms Pat, Rollie Thurston and Tom and Sally Gierisch. We all enjoyed the Turkey Rollie deep fried and the Ham Sally cooked, plus all the other super dishes everyone brought...

After dinner we all sat around and visited. The new Patio set worked great and we love it.

This picture is especially for my friend Rick. There ya go Buddy! That's the way to show FOOD on your Blog. Didn't think I would do it, did you.....?:-)   Rollie is a top notch cook and like all Louisianians, he has had lots of experience. We, along with several of our friends, can vouch for the fact that he does a GREAT job!

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!

Welcome to Dale Bruss as our latest follower.. I know Dale has been reading our Blog for a long time. Thanks for signing up Dale, its getting to be a race with other Blogger friends.....keep "Following" folks!!

God Bless you all!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Happy Easter!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY

Sorry, no time to do a Blog this morning.  We're off for the Easter Sunrise Services with Rollie and Gina and our neighbors Paul and Nancy. We're leaving at 0530 and I have to shave and get ready.

This afternoon is our first "House Warming" Celebration!!!!!  Easter Dinner and all the trimmings. Deep Fried Turkeys by Rollie and lots of covered dishes from everyone else.   Paul and Nancy, Tom and Sally, Rollie and Gina and Ms Pat and I will christen our new home in celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Wish you all could join in the fun.

Ms Megabyte2 welcomes you to our new HOME!!!  Gina found this and gave it to us...isn't it neat? How thoughtful of you Gina. We love it!!!

Welcome to Nicole, our newest follower. We want a picture Nicole! It's great having you along with us.

God bless America!!

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

We Made the Move...

We made the move Monday onto our new lot.  All went well and the weather was beautiful. Now to make the transition into the house.  Well, that shouldn't be hard, should it?  No way!!  Hmmm...stay tuned on that one.

Thanks to everyone for all the "Congratulations and Well Wishes". We received more comments and hits on Sunday's Blog than ever before.   Praise God for all our great friends and a very, special thanks to Rollie and Gina Thurston.  It's been so great having them here and they have helped in so many ways that it's impossible to thank them enough.

It's unbelievable all the dozens of little projects we have going on.  Busy doesn't describe it. The "hurrier I go the behinder I get"....you know how that goes.  Poor little MegaByte doesn't know what to do.  All her favorite hiding and sleeping places are gone.  She likes the big house but she also likes her favorite places.  I'm sure she'll be fine but right now, she's a little confused. 

We are extremely happy to report that my oldest son, Mikel and grandson Mike came up from Tucson to spend a few days with us.  Mike, who's 15, is on Spring break and has a few days off.  We are so happy to spend some time with them.  They plan to run on up to the Grand Canyon towards the end of the week..

We are anxious to see Nick and Joanne Alexakis who will be coming over from western California to spend a few days.   They will be here Thursday.

Right now, I seem to be going in circles and not accomplishing as much as I should.  I apologize for my lack of Blog reading and time to spend on writing my Blog. But slowly, one by one, things will get taken care of and we hope to get back in the normal "swing" of things. Time goes so fast!  I can't believe the first quarter of 2010 is gone.....Unbelievable!

Thanks for stopping by and please "hang" in there with me as we get through this "TRANSITION" in life..

Welcome to Serena, our latest Follower.  We now are up to 75!!

It's a GREAT WEEK!!!

Travel safe!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

More News,,,,Now What???

We continue to have a ball with Rollie and Gina Thurston. They are enjoying North Ranch and the desert more than they ever thought they would. Rollie is even looking for a Polaris ATV to ride the back country with and he's planning to come back next year. We hope so, because we have really enjoyed getting better acquainted with these fine folks. They plan on coming to Custer this summer, also. Now let me tell you, if they think this is great country, just wait until they get to the Black Hills.   Rollie has even offered to help us get started on finishing off part of our Toy Barn, so we can have some living quarters in it.  I have been looking at pictures of his home that he built in Louisiana and let me tell you, he is one talented guy. The work he has done on his Truck and 5Th wheel is also outstanding.. He has a solar system that is nothing short of OUTSTANDING and the Air Conditioner in his Volvo is the same way. 

Now What????      OK, here's what....

New House

We bought a house right here in North Ranch. We probably looked at a dozen places here in the Park and when we saw this one "For Sale by Owner", Ms Pat's eyes lit up and she said "WOW!!  That's it"!  I was getting a little "punchy" from looking at so many and I said "It is"? She pointed out that it's just what we had been looking for, not too big, large open rooms, not all cut up with little tiny rooms and it was especially clean. It is a stick built stucco home built in 2004...not a double-wide or a park model.  It's on a big lot, plus I have my own little shop, radio room or whatever, and my shop even has its own private bathroom!

We tossed it around for several days, spent some more of those tossing, turning nights trying to decide what to do.  We decided to make them an offer and ended up striking a deal.  We took possession last Friday. Now the fun begins.  We will move our RV Monday. Pat and I are both so excited it's unbelievable.

Yesterday Ms Pat, Gina and Sally went to the big city shopping for furniture.  Pat came home last night really excited about what they had found.  She showed me pictures and it looks like they did a super job.

I put a bunch of pictures of the new House in my Web Albums. You can look at them all, a few or just the one above, whatever you wish.  Just click on the picture above. (or below it)

Rollie and Gina are going to early church with us again today and it's getting late so I gotta run....

Times are exciting, oldest son Mikel and Grandson Mike are coming to visit us for a few days next week and Nick and Joanne Alexakis are coming from California for a visit later in the week. Tom and Sally are here and I'm happy to find out that Rollie and Gina are staying for another week...  We are certainly "Blessed" with a wonderful family, GREAT friends and neighbors!!! Praise God for what he gives us....

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!

We now have 74 followers.  Welcome Barbara and Tom.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday...

Upsizing and Downsizing, part 2.

OK, back to downsizing. Remember I was struggling. I wanted to get a bigger 5Th wheel...but should we? Was it right for us?   Well by morning, I had decided the only way I would do it was if we could work a trade. I didn't want to end up with two RVs. So I offered my co-worker that deal and he said he would think about it. He brought his wife over that evening and showed her our little 32' Airstream.  Ugh, I knew it was gonna be tough for them....moving from that nice, big, new Teton. But they needed out from under the payments and also needed something to live in.  So I made them a "take it or leave it" offer....I made it so low that I assumed they wouldn't except it.  Well, it's bad to assume anything because after a lot of debate on their part, they decided to take my offer.  Uh Oh, now I got myself into it but Pat and I decided that if we were ever going to "upsize" this was the chance of a lifetime. This kind of a deal could never happen on a dealer's lot. 

So we did it.  We pulled the RV's door to door and we took everything out of the Airstream and they took everything out of the Teton.   It took us about an hour.   Four hours later they were still taking stuff out of the Teton.  Finally they got it all out and we put our stuff in the Teton, it didn't even make a dent in it. It was like an empty RV, even after we put ALL our stuff in it.  My friend on the other hand had stuff everywhere.  No way could he get all his things in the Airstream, so off he went to rent a storage unit..

I remember sitting in my recliner the very first night in that big Teton.  WOW!! I looked at Ms Pat and said "what have we done"? Pat was smiling from ear to ear and said "isn't it beautiful"?  I knew it was right for us so I just put my feet up in the recliner and watched that BIG TV. Life was good!!!


It's too long a story to tell you all about how we got that Teton down to Florida that Fall, but after 5 years living in it and 2 trucks later we traded it for a new 1999 40' Grand Teton.  It was a Grand Teton!! It had an extra slide out and was 3' longer (more space).  We lived in it for 5 years and 2 trucks later, we traded it for a new 2005 Reliance 45' Teton that we special ordered with everything we could imagine on it, including a Full Body Paint Job.  We sorta knew it might be our last "Big" rig.   Well, here it is almost 5 years later and we both see the handwriting on the wall.

Both of us have enjoyed the RV'ing lifestyle so much that we dreaded the day we had to even think about not doing it but we knew it had to happen.   We always tried to stay as healthy as we could, eat right and exercise a lot, so we could keep enjoying this lifestyle as long as we could..    We didn't slow down much the first 10 years....a couple months here, then move on.  It was a great lifestyle. We thanked God for such an opportunity and for the good health we both were experiencing..  We saw a lot of our original RVing friends come and go. Several of them are deceased now, others are too sick to continue, some are in nursing homes, apartments, park models, etc. That is when you see the hand writing on the wall. We want to continue on as long as we can but...and that's a BIG "but"...we want to be ready if something should happen to either of us.

Thus, the decision to downsize.  We love Tetons and we love 5Th wheels. There is twice (or more) the room and storage in a Teton than there is any Motorhome we have ever seen and believe me in the last 2-3 years, we have looked at dozens of Motorhomes.  For full timing, we don't feel there is any comparison in the room.  However, that being said, I do believe Motorhomes have an advantage in that they are easier to handle.  Many of my friends that used to have big 5Th wheels and have gone to Motorhomes confirm this. But they still agree that 5Th wheels have more room. Some will disagree with me but I believe I've seen the proof over the years. I will never try to advise what is better of the two, because it is a matter of preference, just as some prefer Fords, Dodges, Chevrolet, etc.

That is where we are at now.  We haven't made any definite plans yet, but we are planning on slowing down and downsizing..  You might just say, we are getting kinda tired and need to plan for the future. We aren't in any great big hurry and we're open to any suggestions and advice anyone wants to give us. We are waiting for the right deal to come along and we will make the switch to a Motorhome and probably get a small house.

There I said it.  It wasn't easy and I know a lot of you are saying, "Well I'll be. I don't believe it".  It won't be an easy task for us, but one that we feel is absolutely necessary.  I'm sure a lot of you will understand, if not you will after you have done it for 15 years and are nearly 3/4 of a century old.  Last I heard, no one has lived forever and no one ever got out of this world alive.  We both want to continue as long as we can and we will. But in a little smaller scale. How long it will take us to downsize?  We have no idea. It might be a few years and it might be tomorrow.

If anyone is looking for a nice 2005 Teton 45' Reliance and a 2001 Volvo to pull it with, get in touch with us.  If you should have anything, preferably a Motorhome, any size 30' to 45', old or new, that you would like to offer a trade, let us know.

We won't be listing the Teton anywhere for a while. I have several avenues that I want to pursue. Word of mouth will get out and the opportunity will appear. For anyone who's interested, we will be at the SKP North Ranch RV Park until the end of May. Then we will be heading for the Black Hills.

This is one beautiful RV and it has been a pleasure to own. We have received more compliments on it than we can believe.  When we pull into a place it definitely is a head turner.  People go out of their way to tell us that it is the most beautiful RV they have ever seen.  Plus the comfort is outstanding. It is one comfortable Full Timing rig!...

This Blog has gotten way too long and I'm sorry. I planned on breaking it up in several parts because I don't like long Blogs but I heard from several of you that are like me and don't like to "wait".

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!

Thanks for stopping by and let us hear from you.  We are ready for that deal.

Travel Safe,

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..