First Things First!

Saturday we got kinda settled in, I got all the “stuff” out of the Barn. My main purpose to was get the Harley out. I had it almost sealed inside the cargo trailer, then with a cover on. It hardly had a speck of dust on it. It had been sitting for 8 months and I sure missed it. With one push of the starter it fired right off.. Oh Boy, it sounded good.....only a Harley can sound that good!!  I was ready for a ride!!

Sunday afternoon was a beautiful day and I told Ms. Pat I was going for a ride… in the Park. After not riding for several months I like to get a few miles solo before I take any passengers. So she was happy to stay home this time but she warned me to be careful. I told her I would and that I would be home by 3pm..

After riding through the Park, I turned south on the “Wildlife Loop”. I like to ride the southern prairie part of the park when I ride my bike. I encountered a couple small herds of Buffalo right away and I idled right on through and proceeded on South. My first stop was at the Lame Johnny Creek bridge. This is where the “Wild Burros” hang out. It is also where my good friend Bob Sperry used to hang out. I always stopped here and talked with Bob. We worked together in the Park for 10 years. He was from Oklahoma, a Historian and loved to dress up in the old “Buffalo Hunters” garb and give scheduled history discussions to the public under this tree. Unfortunately, Bob lost his battle with cancer recently. This beautiful Memorial Bench has been erected in his honor. It seemed strange for Bob not to be there but you know I believe I felt his presence and spirit as I silently said a prayer and wished him well. Inscribed in big letters on the bench it says: “BUFFALO BOB”.

There was two little baby Burros under Bob’s shade tree enjoying the shade also. They are so cute when they are small. I just love them. They were only a couple weeks old and still a little shy of people and wouldn’t let me “HUG” them. I thought at first that they were twins but I soon saw that they had different mommys. They sure had to be born at about the same time….their Moms looked just alike also.

I climbed back on the Harley and proceeded on around the Loop. I turned South at the end of the Loop road and drove down through the Wind Cave National Park. I came upon another large herd of Buffalo and idled slowly through them. They are gorgeous animals and always a special attraction to see. 

On down the road I stopped high on a hill where I could see for miles in every direction. I was inhaling the beauty of the place and enjoying the fine weather and just talking to God. I suddenly noticed it was almost 3pm and I was still a long way from home. I better get moving but first I called Ms. Pat to tell her I was OK but would be a little late. She kinda knows that when I take a ride in the Park, I get lost in time. ...time and memories. Praise the Lord.
 
It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

We’re HOME!!

Friday, about Noon, we pulled up the hill on Windmill Lane to our “Little Piece of Heaven in the Hills”. It is so great to be back. As much as we love our home at North Ranch, this is our favorite place to be in the Summer. Everything looked good.  The Hills are extremely green this year and of course, as always, they're BEAUTIFUL!
 
Here we are backed onto our RV Pad. Our “Cabin” in the pole barn is not quite ready for occupancy, so we will continue living in the RV until we get it finished.

We just love the view we have from the top of this Hill. Way in the distance, you can barely see Harney Peak. You can also see the Cathedral Spires, the famous “Needles Eye” and the “Needles Highway” that runs through Custer State Park. I’m sure many of you have driven that highway before.

The trip up here this year was one of the "windiest" I ever remember.  Out of the six days it took us to get here, the only day the wind didn’t blow was Tuesday and that was the day the Motorhome was parked and we were driving the little truck on the “Million Dollar Highway”.  The first day the wind caused us to shut down at noon in Flagstaff. The second day it was windy but bearable and we made it 375 miles to our destination  near Durango, CO.  When we pulled out again on Wednesday,  the wind was blowing again but bearable and we made it to Rifle, CO.  On the way, we stopped off in Grand Junction to see my close cousin Shirley and her husband Ev. This is Shirley and Ev at their beautiful home in Grand Junction, where we parked right out in front of there house.  We visited for a couple of hours and then we were on our way.


This is Shirley and I standing in front of the Motorhome just before we headed on down the road.  Shirley is a “Special Person” to me.  Now listen to this. Shirley’s Mom and my Mom were sisters....OK? Now that’s no big deal but what really makes it special is Shirley’s Dad and my Dad were brothers.   Got it?  They say that makes us "double first cousins".  Our DNA is probably as close as you can get to being brother and sister. That doesn’t happen very often and that is why she is special.  Plus, she is a darn nice Gal. I’m a few years older than her and she is as close to being a sister as I will ever have. It was great seeing the two of them again, even if it was just for a short time.

The wind caused us to shut down again about Noon on Thursday near Rawlins, WY. It was blowing 35-40mph and gusting up to 65mph. We sat in a large pull off for almost 7 hours. The wind died down around 6 pm, just enough for us to make it to Independence Rock south of Casper, where we spent the night. Friday morning early, we continued on and had a couple hours before the wind came up again. Just as we turned East towards Custer it was blowing hard again. But it was right at our tail…so we literally blew HOME!!


We are so happy to be back in the Black Hills. We’re getting settled in and had a nice long HOT shower in our “Cabin” last night before Happy Hour.  Loving these 40 deg mornings and 70 deg days.  I dusted off the Harley yesterday and I can feel a nice “Ride in the Park” coming up, maybe this afternoon. Thanks for following along with us and now let the FUN begin!!

We Praise the Lord everyday for his wonderful BLESSINGS.  It is because of all he provides us that makes this wonderful lifestyle possible.

Today is a very special and memorable day for us.  It was 3 years ago today, June 5TH, that “Scooter” lost his battle with Cancer and went Home to his Father in Heaven.  God Bless you Son, you are missed very much.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

We’re on the Road Again!!

Sunday we were up way before the crack of dawn.  Of course, we are up every day way before the crack of dawn.   But this was special....we were headed back to our Summer home in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It was such a beautiful morning. Clear as a bell and not even a breeze as the sun came up over the horizon. We checked the place one last time and pulled the Motorhome onto the street, hooked the pickup on the back and by 7:30, we were “ready to roll”!  We swung around by Paul and Nancy's place to stop and say our final goodbyes and get our much needed hugs.  We sure hated to leave our good friends but we'll see them again real soon.  By 7:45, we were headed North up Yarnell hill towards Prescott.

We wanted to get an early start before the wind came up.  WELL, by the time we got to Prescott, it was blowing pretty hard but it was a nice tail wind. It blew us all the way up to I-40 but I knew when we headed East, we were going to have problems, as it would be a direct side wind.  Plus, by that time, it was blowing 30-40mph and wind advisories were out for I-40 and especially East of Flagstaff. That is a trouble area that is always prone to serious wind and dust storms.  We limped into Flagstaff but along the way we nearly lost one of the Fantastic fan covers. We stopped and I dug out our good old “DUCK TAPE” and taped it down as best I could. We're lucky we didn't lose the whole cover.  When we arrived at Flagstaff, we knew we couldn't go any further!!  WOW, 166 miles.  For some RV’ers, that’s a days drive but not us,.  However, that was it for today…… better conditions tomorrow, we hope. 

Monday, Memorial Day, we were up and out on the Interstate by 7:30 again with another pleasant morning.  We stopped at the Flying J in Winslow, AZ and filled with diesel.  Even Flying J is quiet at that time of the morning and we were feeling good when the price of fuel was only $3.819.  Yeah....ONLY!!!


We continued East and soon turned North on AZ 191 and proceeded on to Chinle and spent some time at the Canyon De Chelly National Monument. We didn't get to go through the whole thing because we didn't want to hang around until the wind started blowing again.  It's a beautiful place and we'll get back there one day.

We ended up at Echo Basin Ranch RV Resort, near Mancos, Co, about half way between Cortez and Durango. Now, we lost an hour when we crossed into Colorado, so we arrived right at.....you guessed it "HAPPY HOUR"!!!! 


Ms. Megabyte2 was also happy to arrive so she could check out the new area.   It was a great travel day and we put 375 miles under our belts that day.

Yesterday, we decided to tour the Durango area and check out the  Million Dollar Highway.  We drove all the way up Hwy 550 to Silverton, then through Ouray and on up to Ridgway.   We turned at Ridgway and made a loop back towards Cortez, going through the Telluride Ski Area and on home to Mancos.   What a wonderful, beautiful trip. We went a total of 245 miles through some of the most beautiful country in the world. The weather was again outstanding and you don’t see country this pretty that often.!!  I love this Mountain Time zone, as "Happy Hour" comes an hour earlier!  Hip, Hip, Hurray!!!



Above are a few of the pictures of the Million Dollar highway and our Campground.

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Tomorrow we will continue on our trip and head up to Grand Junction, CO, where we will stop for a short visit with my favorite cousin, Shirley.  She recently had some major surgery and we need to stop by to see how she's doing.  Then, we'll continue on North up to Rawlins, WY and from there to Custer.  We are anxious to get home to our Beautiful Black Hills and our "little piece of Heaven".  We continue to thank our Father for all he has provided us.

Travel Safe and God Bless you all…

Sunday’s Blog may well come to you from Custer.  Please stop back!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

It’s a GO.....for Blast Off!!

The time has finally come. Today is the day!   It's 5:00am and the sun is just starting to rise over the mountains to the East. It's 55 degrees, clear skies and absolutely NO WIND! That’s the way most mornings start here at North Ranch, near Congress, AZ. But later, like around lunch or shortly after noon, the winds sometimes begin to blow.   So we’re anxious to get on the road early and get some miles on while the wind isn’t blowing because if it gets real windy I will “shut ‘er down”.  Winds yesterday in the Winslow, AZ area where we are headed were gusting up to 65 mph. Not good travel time in a big rig like this.

Yesterday we got everything finalized. Whew, quite a job but when your going to be gone for 6 months, a lot of preparation has to be made.

Here is the living room area all covered……



Then we move all the Patio furniture into the utility room………….



Here is the kitchen area. Notice the 5 gal pails sitting in the sink.   They are full of water.  We place 5 of these throughout the house for humidity purposes.   Paul and Nancy will top them off several times during the summer so that things will not dry out.  It has worked well for us so far....all secrets we have learned from others in the area.
   
Then we put everything from the outside (tool’s etc.) in the shop and put the Golf Cart under the patio and covered it. I had already stored the ATV’s in the Cargo trailer a couple of days ago.  Then, one of the last things I did was to load one of the Polaris 4 wheelers into the back of the pickup so we can take it with us to Custer.   Meanwhile, Ms. Pat was loading all our personal belongings (well almost all of them !) into the motorhome.

We had one last Happy Hour yesterday with our good friends and neighbors Paul and Nancy and now we’re ready to “Hit the Road”!  Where we will end up tonight is anybody’s guess but be sure and stop back Wednesday and see where we are.


It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by.  God Bless all of you.  We're praying for a safe, uneventful trip for us and everyone who is on the road this holiday weekend.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!  Enjoy your time together and with friends and family.

Now, we’re GONE!!!!

Mike

This Blog is published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Another Surprise Visitor

What a surprise and shock it was to come around the corner and find this Visitor!!

It startled me at first, as I thought it was a rattler. However, I soon saw it wasn’t but I wasn’t sure what it was because I’m not up on snakes of the Southwest. I could tell it wasn’t a biter because it didn’t coil and prepare for a strike when I confronted it. He was a big guy, a good 5’ long. I hollered at Ms. Pat to get me a 5 gal pail so I could keep him out of my shop. He soon  got a short ride on my ATV out into the desert.  In checking, I found out it was a “Gopher” snake, non-poisonous and a rodent eater.   One of the “good Guys” but not a guy I want in my shop!  Ms MegaByte was on the porch and saw us trying to catch it and took off for parts unknown. 

Monday morning, Ms. Pat went up to her line dancing and I took what was probably my last 4-wheel ride out in the desert for this Winter. A great ride it was.  I really got into it…..quiet, all alone (I didn’t even take my camera), stopping every once in a while just to take in all the beauty.  Plus, some time to talk with God and with some other Angels that I know are watching over me.  It was a long ride.  I was lost part of the time but I kept on going and soon saw a familiar landmark. It was a really comforting pleasant ride and the weather was just so beautiful. The weather here continues to be just outstanding and really comfortable!  Should we really leave?  That is a good question.

Janna and Mike are about to be washed off the map with continuous rains in Montana. The Rapid City Journal sent out a “Flash Flood”  warning bulletin yesterday as the rain continues every day in the Black Hills. Terrible tornados and storms all over but here it is so calm and pleasant. Ms. Pat told me the other afternoon about happy hour (4pm) that she was going to turn the A/C on. I asked her what in the world for? She replied, "well we need to see if it works".   Oh yeah, I guess we do.  It was the first and last time we have had it on this year. In about 30 minutes, I shut it off. I was cold and I told her “yep it works!” The comfort of this home is something else. Warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Well, anyhow, I guess Saturday or maybe Sunday will be our day of departure…. good or bad, it's what we do and we are both anxious to get on our little “hill” south of Custer.  No chance of flood on our hill, if we can just get there!  I’m asking the weatherman for some good travel weather.  We’ll see how much pull I have....LOL.   I did crank up the Motorhome and drive it up to the club house for some Propane. It felt good to be behind the wheel, even if it was only for a mile!!  It ran great and I believe it's ready to roll.  Ms. Pat tells me we will be moving into it shortly, so we can close up the house. Soon we will be RV’ers again.

My blog is a little late this morning.  Sorry!!   I didn’t get it completed before we took off on our walk at 5:30am. The sun is coming up earlier and earlier....gotta get that walk in early before it gets hot.


Thursday (tomorrow) is an ALL DAY trip to Phoenix, our last visit for this summer. One last (I hope) Dr. visit and the normal supply trip to Costco, Sams and of course. Wally’s.

It is a GREAT WEEK !!!!

Sunday I will do my best to put out some kind of a blog…..stop back and see where we are.

Meanwhile, God Bless you all and travel safe!

Mike

This Blog is published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Load ‘er up!

OK, we’re getting serious about this "loading the Motorhome thing". We just received a $20,000.00 stock order of PressurePro Tire Monitoring Systems that needed to be inventoried and sorted. We have to, of course, take all that with us, which takes up a good bit of our basement area. Ms. Pat says it all has to go down there because she has NO ROOM for it upstairs.


I received an email from a friend that asked “Hey Mike, do you still have that ROTOCHOK for sale”? Hmmmm, well yep, by golly I do still have it. I had forgotten all about it, just as I have so many other things I have had in the past. Rotochok is a top notch, heavy duty trailer wheel chock.  One of the best I have ever seen and I have had one for years.  They're a little pricey, as most good stuff is, so most of us jump at a chance to get a good used one. I’m shipping this one to my friend Al in Iowa and he got a good deal on it, like half price.

While digging up the Rotochok, I ran across another neat item that I forgotten I had. It is a 25’, 30 amp electrical cord with a 50 amp electrical twist lock connector.  Since I don’t have that type hookup on my Motorhome, this one is excess to my needs…. so if you can use it call or email me quick and it's yours for half price.  Here is what I am talking about:    Camping World   

This week was going along just fine, then Friday we got hit with a couple items that totally set us back.  Friday we received word that my last living Uncle had passed away.  We knew my mother's youngest brother Ed was extremely sick and in the Veterans hospital in Reno, NV. We had talked with him the previous week and could tell he was failing fast. His daughter advised us that she had asked Hospice to step in. Uncle Ed was the last of both Mom and Dad’s sisters and brothers.   He was only 4 years older than me and he used to live right here in Congress, AZ. About 3-4 year’s ago family took him home to Reno because his eyesight was failing.  He had the same thing Mom had “Macular Degeneration”.... the fast kind.  Rest in Peace, Uncle Ed.


Then yesterday, we found out that our Pastor in Custer, SD had moved 300 miles away to another Church in Platte, SD. Neal and Deb Hughes were special dear friends....not only our top fishing buddies but Neal was one Pastor that really touched our hearts.   He was an old Cowboy and once a Cowboy, always a Cowboy. Neal and I had similar Ranch backgrounds and we had a special bond.  So special that a couple of years ago, I asked Neal to re-baptize Ms. Pat and I in this special place in the Black Hills that God had led us to and that we enjoyed so much.  Many of you remember this Blog Post. 

Pastor Neal was also very instrumental in helping me understand and accept my two Sons death.  He further strengthened my Faith in God in so many ways.  Oh dear, I’m going to miss him and I know Ms. Pat will also.  We are devastated that he is gone. We don’t know the details of his transfer yet but Deb told us "the Lord is moving".  I can hear Neal telling me that it was God’s calling.  Well, I have a feeling that we will be making a trip East 300 miles to Platte, SD to see Pastor Neal and Deb and listen to one of his very moving Sermons.  God Bless you my Man.

We ask God to continue to give us strength to go on and we continue give thanks for so much he has provided for us.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!

Now we're off to Church to our other "favorite" Church.  By this time next week, God willing, we should be on the road headed home to Custer,SD. We may not have internet all the time but we will keep you posted as soon as we do. 
 
Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you Wednesday.

Travel safe, and tell your loved ones you love them.  They may not be around forever.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday.. 

A BIG JOB!!

One of the big jobs we had to get done before we headed north was to tame our wild Oleanders down a  little. They sure had pretty blooms on them, mostly white, with several red and pink ones mixed in. Above is a picture of how wild they looked. We just couldn’t leave with them looking like that.  They would really be out of control if we left them like that all Summer.

Now that’s better. Wow, do they look a lot different or what? It cut down on our "privacy" a little but we're going to be gone anyway.  They'll grow a foot or two while we're gone.

Another project we had to get done was on this tree in our front yard. It took a real hard hit in our “Big Freeze” this winter. We have been watching it very closely since February and the limbs from about 6’ up appeared to be dead. So we called the Tree Man out and after inspection by an expert, we were told it was a "goner".  It does have a lot of new growth below the dead limbs so we don't think it is totally dead.  All we could do was cut off the dead limbs and let it start all over again.   Ugh, we hated to hear that as we didn't  want to lose the shade this little tree provides,  But such is the story all over North Ranch. Folks are having to replace all kinds of trees, shrubs and plants...even some of the native Cacti..

So, this is what we had to do......it sure looks sad but all we can do now is wait and see what it does and how well the new limbs develop.  We may have to totally remove it and start over completely but we wanted to try it this way first.  It sure changes the look of the front of our house but when Mother Nature deals, you have to contend with what she wants.  We are much luckier than those folks back in tornado country with all their storms.  So we count our blessing again.  


This is how it looked back in early December when we had to trim some branches from it caused by a summer wind storm.We'll be anxious to see what it looks like when we get back next Fall.

We even got so far as to put a few things in the Motorhome this week but next week we have to get real serious about getting it loaded up. We will probably even move into it a few days before we leave so we can give the house a good cleaning and cover the furniture with dust covers.

Meanwhile I even found time to go out in the desert and have a little “shoot out”. Yep, got a little target practice in.  Boy I'm getting a little rusty and my “aim” sure isn’t what it used to be. I really had to discipline myself to concentrate enough to get my accuracy anywhere near what it was when I used to shoot for qualification. However, I finally got my “pattern” down to the inside of a paper plate at 20 yards. Not expert, but a good average. I’ll get a couple more practice sessions in before we go....I hope!

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

We continue to thank Our Father for all his many Blessings and all he provides for us. God Bless you all and please travel Safe!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday…

Cleaning up loose ends..

The Gypsy in me is coming alive again. I have been in one spot long enough!  If I didn’t have a Doctor's appointment on May 26th, I swear I’d hit the road.   It’s the soonest I could get in to see this Dr. and it's an important one to me or I’d cancel it.. But we really do have a cram-packed two weeks ahead of us before we leave. But, two weeks from today, we should be on our 2nd day headed for good ole' Custer, South Dakota.


One of the last things we have to do each year before we leave is Megabyte2’s annual visit to the Vet for her checkup and immunization shots. She doesn’t like it!  When I got her car carrier out, she took one look at it and vamoosed! Under the chair, then the table....she wanted no part of that carrier. I could hear her hollerin' “NO!! POP’s, I ain’t goin'”!!  I finally caught up with her and had to “stuff” her into it because she wasn’t going willingly.



After a short 10 mile ride to Wickenburg, we pulled up to the "Bar S” Animal Clinic. Ms. Mega2 didn’t say a word....she was trying to hide in that little car carrier.


Now while we were in the waiting room, I know she is thinking, "Oh, I remember this place and I told you I NEVER wanted to come back here"!! She endured a lot of pain here a couple years ago and I’m sure she hasn’t forgotten it.   I know I haven’t forgotten it and I was about as scared as she was.


In no time, they ushered us to the examination room and asked Mega2 to remove her clothes and get on the table. Ms. Pat is trying to comfort her but she was looking at me with her big eyes and I could tell she was saying “Please help me Pop’s....lets get out of here!”


Soon the Doc was in and began her examination, looking at teeth, poking and pushing, listening and then that dreaded SHOT! During all of this, Ms. Megabyte2 was trying to be nice but she didn’t like it and she stayed as close to Ms. Pat as she could.   Then came the rear toenail clip and the Doc got a little close on one and Mega2 let out a BIG holler…….”OUCH”!! I almost clobbered the Doc and wanted to tell her to BE CAREFUL!! Don’t hurt my girl!! Ms. Mega2 passed the exam with flying colors and is good to go for another year.  She and I were ready to get her out of there so we headed for the pickup and left Ms. Pat to pay the bill. Whew....glad that's over for another year, and so is Ms. Megabyte2!

Now if Ms. Pat and I can get our medical checks done and come out as well, we’ll be outta here. Plans are to leave the next day after my Dr. appointment on the 26TH. So by the night of the 27TH we should be several hundred miles from North Ranch.  So many of our friends all went north out of here to Canyon de Chelly (pronounced d’Shay) and since we have never gone that way, we decided to do a "Monkey see, Monkey do". We’ll plan to spend the night in that area and look around a little, then go on over to Cortez and Durango, Colorado. Then I think we will give that Million Dollar Highway #550 from Durango to Grand Junction a try. Haven’t decided for sure yet but if you watch the You Tube Video, it looks like a humdinger and I love humdingers!

It was a GREAT WEEK!

I’m happy to report that we received word late last night that Gina had arrived back home in Louisiana all the way from Grenada.  We are so happy to hear that. When loved ones are flying nowadays, I worry.  Glad you're home Sweet Girl...... now we are anxious to hear all about your wonderful trip.

Thanks for stopping by.  Come on back Wednesday and get the low down on a few more projects we HAVE to do before we leave.

Travel safe!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Paul and Nancy’s New Van….

Our good friends and long time neighbors here at North Ranch RV Park near Congress, AZ. have been looking for a small “B” Van.   After looking at several over the Winter, they were about to give up when Paul saw one in the Phoenix newspaper that interested him.  Low and behold, it was what he wanted and he tendered an offer to the private party sellers. After some hesitation the seller decided to let it go.

FINALLY, Paul and Nancy had found just what they were looking for.   Take a look at the above slideshow and see the beautiful Van they came driving home. (click on the black border at the bottom of the picture and you can restart the slideshow) It is in real good shape and is very clean.  Paul took it in to his local mechanic and had it checked from bumper to bumper. The mechanic suggested a few minor items, which Paul had him take care of and it should be no problem in making their planned trip back East to Pennsylvania this summer/   Hot Dog...they are going to stop and visit us in Custer, SD on their way home.   That’s wonderful!!!

Speaking of Custer SD, (our 2ND home) can you believe our departure date is only 3 weeks away!!!  Ah, yes and I’m getting anxious.  I’m already starting to plot the trip and plan the departure procedures  Three weeks goes by real fast but so much can’t be done until just a few days before we leave.  North Ranch is again almost deserted….
   
This is the Campground at North Ranch, which has some 110 RV sites. Most of you know that these campsites are almost all full or at least 75% full most of the Winter. It is about the same way in the residential and private lots at North Ranch, although there are several folks that stay here year around, including Paul and Nancy. It’s getting a little lonely around here….a "Ghost Town"…..but it sure is quiet and peaceful.



I slipped up to the Club House the other day and took a picture of Ms. Pat and her line dancing class.  There are still a few gals here but the class is getting smaller and smaller.

Safe Travels and Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there!!

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by……….come on back Wednesday.

Mike

This Blog is published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Easter Sunrise Service Was Beautiful!

Easter Sunday was a beautiful morning as we attended Sunrise Services in Wickenburg,AZ. Services were at 6:00 am, so we had to leave North Ranch by at least 5:30. We always get up at 4 am but still we had to scurry around to be ready to leave so early.

This is Pastor Dean, he was there and warming up when we arrived. He is one superb fellow that we adore in so many ways. He is an extremely talented musician, plays several different instruments and has a voice second to none. He is a great Pastor that delivers a powerful message in a wonderful manner. Rollie and Gina will enjoy this picture, as they too grew to love Pastor Dean.  This is his 10TH year anniversary at The First Southern Baptist Church in Wickenburg....a true blessing for us and the Church.

It was near this same time a year ago that we received word of our son Mikel’s sudden death. Pastor Dean and his wife came to our house in North Ranch and sat with us for several hours. That touched my heart very much as his words were a special added comfort. Those days were tough.  We thank God for our friends that were with us at the time and Pastor Dean and his wife.

Here comes the Sun!! The weather was perfect……  I even got to finish my morning coffee, as the pot was on!

Here is Paul and Nancy and Ms. Pat seated for the services and enjoying the Sunrise. What a wonderful celebration of the Resurrection of Christ. 

As we all enjoyed the special morning, I couldn’t help but remember just one short year ago when we lost Mikel.   As I’ve said before, some memories aren’t the best, or easy. However, we must move on as we have so much to be thankful for.  I am still mourning my two boys, in my special way and I sure miss them.  I hope you all understand.  It is hard to explain and I ask for your patience.

God Bless you all!!

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

One More Month at North Ranch in Arizona..

 April 2011 is history, gone forever and we only have a few short weeks before we head North to our other favorite place, the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. I get anxious to go but I love it here and have plenty to keep me busy. While Ms. Pat is up Line Dancing I have been taking short trips out in the desert on my 4 wheeler. I needed a few rocks to complete a little project, so I been Rock Hunting.. 
I needed a few of these smaller rocks to complete a little “spillway” where rain water runs off the roof.   Gina started it last year but didn't have to time to finish it.  I know she could do a much better job but she's on an island somewhere relaxing on the beach and eating "lobster". :-) Bless you Girl!

I found enough to get it pretty well lined so hopefully it won’t wash out. I hope Gina approves!

I wet the rocks down and Ms. Pat ran the 4 wheeler back and forth over them to sink them in so they will “stay put”.

Ms. Pat wanted a few more rocks for some special places, so we went out again yesterday by ourselves. This big vast desert is so beautiful. This is a wonderful time of the year down here...it is so quiet and peaceful. The weather is perfect. Almost everyone else is gone, headed who knows where. We have the entire place all to ourselves. Fellow Blogger Al would be in Heaven....right Al?

Always way back in the background is "Round Mountain". It is a landmark we use to keep from getting disoriented. You can get in these “washes” and zig zag around and around and it’s easy to get confused as to where you are exactly. Just get up on a little hill and there is Ole' Round Mountain to tell you just where you are.  Pictures make this country look “Flat”, but believe me it is anything but…..
  
Here we are about 3 miles out looking back at the large Martinez Wash. North Ranch is right in the middle of the picture just over the hill out of site.

Ms. Pat has found some special rocks.  If Gina were here she would be “Rockin' and Rollin'” with us!

I wanted to call your attention to Ms. Pat’s special “Cap” that she wears in honor of Rollie and Gina’s son Thomas. Thomas is a Marine and has been deployed since February.  Presently he is staging on a ship out at Sea waiting,…. waiting for something that we all hope doesn’t happen. But isn’t it comforting to know that our American Sons and Daughters are standing ready to defend our country and our freedom?  Ms. Pat gives Thomas a “Thumbs Up” and wants him to know we love him very much and are thinking of him and praying for his safe return.  We can’t wait for him to get back home!!  You be careful Son and God Bless you and all your buddies out there.

I wanted to show off my son Patrick, who was also a Marine!! He went riding with us out in this beautiful desert back in February...We took him to "Box Canyon". One of those times I will cherish forever. Way too few and far between.
This is Patrick’s “RAZOR”.  Hopefully, this will clear up the confusion and answer the question many readers had about what the connection was between a Golf Cart and a RAZOR.   Razor is a model of ATV that Polaris makes. As you can see it has dual seats and “roll bars”.... it even has “safety belts”! My son feels it is much safer than the ATVs we ride. Some are afraid I might fall off of mine and hurt myself.....so they think I should get a RAZOR.  I have no idea why they would think such a thing…..baffles me! :-)

But, to answer their question, " No there is no RAZOR in my future".  Not to say that I will never have one but remember I’m an old Cowboy and Cowboys like to ride “on” stuff, not “in” them.   So I’ll keep slinging my leg over my rides for a while yet…..  maybe until I get old!!

That’s about all the foolishness I can think up this time…..until next week.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!

Thank You for stopping by and I do hope you can find the time to drop back in next week…

Praise the Lord for all he provides us and you all travel safe!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Ms Pat Loves to Line Dance!!

Ms Pat has really gotten into this Line Dancing........and to say she loves it would be an understatement. It was a couple years ago when she got interested in it and started taking lessons from Danielle (of Jack and Danielle).  Danielle is an EXCELLENT instructor and teaches classes at Diamond Campground in Woodland Park, CO where they work and spend their summers.

The Line Dancing group here at North Ranch near Congress, AZ is a large one and they are quite active.  Ms Pat goes up to the Club House every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. Then, a few of them get together on Sunday afternoon for a couple hours  to work on some intermediate dances.  I have watched her a few times and she does real good.   She asked me to come up and give it a try.  HA....that would be something to see...you could sell tickets to that!!!  I'm a lot of things, but a dancer is not one of them!

Here is Gina, Danielle and Ms Pat line dancing up in Woodland Park when we visited Jack and Danielle last October on our way south.
















When we were out in the Desert near Bouse, AZ boondocking in January, Ms Pat and Ely got together and turned up the music. Ely had a couple new "step's" she wanted to show Pat.  She dances everywhere....everywhere she gets a chance that is!

Since she is running up to the Club House at least 4 times a week for Line Dancing, I found her this little Golf Cart to make the trip.  It's a neat little Yamaha Golf cart I spotted down in the "Big City" one day when we were there. It was For Sale by a private party and was in excellent condition. It's a 1989.  That's 22 years old but it's had very little use. Now she is protected from the Sun, Wind or Rain and doesn't have to crank up our new pickup for all these short trips. She loves it!!  Just plug it in and it's ready to go....and so quiet.

Right now it's 7am.  We have to get out and do our walk while it's cool and so Ms Pat can head up to Line Dancing at 9:00.  We are getting our walking built back up again after our brief lay off.  We're getting ready for those Hiking Trails up in the Black Hills. It will be about a month and we'll be headed that way.  I sure am getting lonesome for those Hills....and especially lonesome for a spin on my Harley Softtail. I know it is setting up there in the Toy Barn just waiting for me.

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by.....Travel Safe and God Bless.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Easter Sunday 2011

These Easter Cacti are on our small lot.  We have been waiting patiently for them to bloom. These buds open up for one day only, then they are gone. They don’t all open at the same time, so we have several days of these beautiful large flowers all around the Park. I wanted to share them with you this morning on Easter Sunday…

These are a little different variety and color of Easter cacti on a neighbor’s lot.

And yet another color. Now you have just a small idea of how this Arizona Desert comes to life in the spring. Everywhere you look, flowers are bursting out all over. God's beautiful creation!   

We are off early this morning heading for Easter Sunrise Services at 6:00am in Honor and Celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We will then go to our Church for breakfast, followed by Church Services at 10:15.  It will be a busy morning and the weather looks like it will be wonderful.  Praise the Lord.

We want to wish all our Friends, Family and Followers a very

HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER !

Thank you all for stopping by.....come on back Wednesday.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday,,

Gina Lands in Grenada….

Yesterday (Tuesday) we headed out at 7:30am to Prescott,AZ. We just love Prescott and when we just go for supplies and a little shopping (I hate that word) we always go to Prescott.  It is a lovely place in the mountains and has about all the stores that Phoenix has and not near all the traffic. It is where we bought almost all our furniture for our new house.  In fact, every time we go up there, I always think of last year about this same time that Gina, Rollie and us were shopping up there and loading it all into Rollie’s truck. In fact I had just mentioned to Ms. Pat that I was thinking of those times as we pulled into the Sam’s Club parking lot and the phone rang………. it was Gina!!! WOW, now that’s exciting. Talk about the power of thought!! With that “Bluetooth” set up in our new truck, all calls come into the Bose stereo system and Gina sounded as if she was sitting right there with us. She was at the Airport waiting for her and her daughter's flight to Grenada. I could feel the excitement in her voice. She and Nicole, Rollie and Gina's oldest daughter, are going there to visit Ashley, the other daughter, and spend a couple weeks. Gina is still recuperating from her surgery so the girls are going to make sure she  behaves herself and follows the doctors orders.  It was so good hearing from her....she made our day!

The above picture is of Gina and I watching Rollie and Ms. Pat play Softball in Custer, SD last summer.

This morning when I started up my computer there was a message from her letting us know that she had safely landed. She made our day again!! Good for you Girl!! Now relax and enjoy yourself!! As you said in your email, "Let the FUN BEGIN!!"

We had a super day in Prescott, as the weather was fantastic and I enjoyed looking through the “MY” stuff in all the stores while Ms. Pat did her grocery shopping…

One of the things that Prescott lacked that Phoenix has and we missed was a TRADER JOE”S.  Well LOOK what we noticed right along the main highway right close to Costco…  Hallelujah...........Trader Joes is COMING SOON!!!!   Right on!!

Just as we headed out of town, our Bluetooth cell phone rang again. I can’t seem to get used to that thing and it scares the daylight’s out of me when it rings over the stereo system.  It was our friends Jerry and Suzy that were coming to visit us at North Ranch.   We had emailed them directions to our other lot a couple of days ago so we told them to go ahead and get set up.  We stopped by when we got home to welcome them and invited them down to Happy Hour.  It was so good seeing them again. We hadn't seen them since Mikel’s funeral in Tucson almost a year ago.  Gosh it was already 2:30pm, where had the day gone??

This is Jerry and Suzy just as they were leaving last night after Happy Hour!! We had a great visit with these fine folks.   They are on their way to attend their daughter's College graduation in Carson City, NV.

It is a GREAT WEEK!!! As we continue to Praise the Lord for all he provides to us.

A GREAT BIG welcome to our latest Followers:

K and D in the RV
Astough

So glad to have you stop by and join us.  You can click on their picture in our list of Followers and it will take you to their Blog, if they have one.

Travel safe all you travelers out there!! God Bless. Hope to see you Sunday.

Mike

This Blog is published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Another Exciting Week!

Most of our weeks are exciting, some "planned" excitement and some "not planned". I really prefer the "planned" because sometimes the "not planned" are not much fun. Whichever, we like to stay busy. Depression has never been a problem of mine, until the last few years anyhow. However, it seems if I don’t stay busy, I have a tendency to dwell on the past too much. Memories are great and we all have them. The difficulty lies in my memories of the past affecting my present. Confusing right? YES!

Friday, April 15TH, was Mikel’s Birthday. He would have been 56. As you know, Ms. Pat and I dedicate this Blog to both Scott and Mikel. Their birthdays seem to be the toughest and always bring back a lot of memories. I remember way back in 1955 when Mikel was born. I was but a mere 20 years old but I remember how proud I was of him.  I always said how Mikel and I grew up together.  Back in his beginning years, I was driving a semi-truck hauling Rodeo stock around to rodeos and following the circuit, riding bucking horses and brahma bulls. I took him with me everywhere and showed him to everyone in his cowboy hat and boots. He was a cute little guy and was quite the center of attraction. 

It wasn’t long until I realized that my lifestyle was not that of a responsible Father and I needed to get a real job. We were staying in Motels a lot and Mikel’s bed was many times a “dresser drawer” . I didn’t like that. I enjoyed the great excitement of being around and a part of rodeoing and the competition of being a contestant was very enjoyable for me. I was making good money driving trucks for the O'Conner and Son’s Rodeo Producers and winning some prize money every now and then. But Mikel was my main concern, so I gave it up and found a real job.

Anyhow, what I’m trying to say is, memories are wonderful, even though sometimes sad, but I sure wouldn’t want to be without them. Sometimes, however, they can be overwhelming unless they are controlled. That control is tough and my only defense is “Stay Busy”. Dwelling on those memories too long causes depression. What keeps me going is the fact that I know both Scott and Mikel would not want me to be sad or depressed. So for them and with the Good Lord’s help…… I will not let my memories make me overly saddened to the point of depression. But I sure miss ‘em…………Now, lets get on with it!


Late Thursday afternoon, the FedEx man pulled up into our yard and delivered this beautiful NEW COMPUTER…. WOW, was I excited. I thought he would never get here!! It didn’t take me long to get it unpacked and fired up…  Uh, Oh, now the task of getting everything I “wanted” transferred over from the old one.  It took about 30 seconds for me to get totally confused…  I started hollering “PAT”!!

Ms. Pat knew how excited I was and anxious to get the new DELL set up so I could use it. As busy as she was on her stuff and after hollering at her and asking “what do I do know”, she came in and told me to let her work on it for a minute. As most of you know, it's no easy task changing from an old to a new computer. It was a lot longer than a minute, but it wasn’t long until she had me quiet and happy on my new Laptop!! The old Sony had been a great companion and although it was only a couple years old, it was showing signs of hard use. Believe me, I am HARD on them. I had hammered on the keyboard until 2 keys had totally fell off and recently the “E” key only worked about 50% of the time.  That can be frustrating. I have a new Keyboard ordered, and I will do my best to install it when and if I ever get it. So the old Sony is not totally given up. Plus, like my friend Mark Bruss always says “You need a backup” !  So, I’m here to tell you that this morning I am coming to you from my new DELL INSPIRON !!!    I LOVE IT.....the “e” works and everything!

Yesterday (Saturday) just after lunch Doug and Jutta arrived here at North Ranch for a visit on their way to Oregon. They are our good friends and former neighbors from Retama Village in Mission, TX. They also came to the Black Hills a couple years ago and visited us several times while they were there. Doug and Jutta are on their way to Washington where they plan on spending the summer.  We are so glad they stopped by. So last night called for a special Happy Hour and "travel day" meal in their honor.   Ms. Pat and Sally prepared some salad and burgers for us all. Tom and Sally own a couple of lots here at North Ranch and also own a lot in Retama Village.  They met Doug and Jutta at Retama a few years ago, so they helped us welcome them to the "Ranch".   Doug told us that his Mom owned a lot here at the Ranch several years ago.  It's a small world.

Here we all are at Happy Hour.  Don’t we look like a HAPPY bunch?  That’s Jutta on the left, then Doug, next is Ms., Pat and "yours truly", then Sally and Tom.  The hat rack on the left is where Ms. Pat always makes me check my Hat and Gun. 

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by.  Come on back Wednesday if ya' can. Until then, God Bless and travel safe.  We're off to Church!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..