SUNDAY, FEB. 15TH

We were in Yuma only 8 days, but it seemed like three weeks! It definitely was NOT the hospitality that we received from the Clarksons. Instead, it was the ritual of looking at properties! As each day passed and we looked at several new lots, they all began to look the same. The first one we saw would have been perfect: the next one that really grabbed us was sold before I touched base with the seller. It was another small, 372 sq. ft. casita with a full bath, a kitchenette, washer & dryer, and a comfortable living area and outside patio. I was disappointed when he told me he put up flyers and sold the lot in two weeks. We continued to shop and visited another realtor that deals exclusively with properties in the Foothills. Our Wells Fargo banker, Bill Craft, recommended the agent highly and we found a terrific realtor that is really working for us now.

During our stay with the Clarksons we ate some absolutely fantastic meals that Dottie and Linda collaborated together. And we ended most of the evenings with some serious games of Pegs’n’Jokers. Of course, the men succeeded in humbling the women with our victories, but they finally recovered. Yeah, right! The last day of our stay we were joined by Clarksons friends, Ron & Flor, from San Diego. That was another fine meal followed by a major sweep at the game table.

As we left Yuma on Friday morning, we stopped by the realtor and signed the papers on an offer for a lot that is in the Foothills, but also within the Yuma city limits. It belongs to an old friend of ours from Hart Ranch who now lives in Tucson. The advantage of being in the city limits is trash collection, water, sewer, and emergency services are all provided by the City. In the Foothills the water and sewer is a private company that is about to attempt to triple the sewer rates much to the chagrin of the residents. Also there is a registration fee with the Rural Metro Fire District for their services. With the City services we’ll pay city taxes, but they are very reasonable. We’re not getting our hopes too high on the offer because it was a lot lower than what he was asking. However, we found out on Saturday that the lot was taken off the market - it had been on since July 2008 - so the realtor is attempting to contact the owner by phone and serve as our representative in the negotiation. We’ll control our patience and wait and see.

On Friday night we joined Jim & Peggy Grich and visited Bob & Marlene Rae at their new house in Casa Grande. It is a beautiful home in a 55+ community. The home is open, airy, and just what the Raes wanted - or at least what Marlene wanted. She has done an impressive job of decorating and furnishing the home. She prepared a wonderful dinner followed by a cut-throat game of P&J. We really enjoyed the opportunity to see their new digs!

On Saturday night I wanted to go the Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa and get my pipe organ fix. We were joined by the love of my high school years, Nancy Horlbeck Cummins and her husband, Craig. It has been over 40 years since I had seen Nancy and I think she was a bit shocked when she finally realized she was looking straight at me. We had dinner, enjoyed the organ music, and then went to their house for some coffee and conversation. It was a memory-filled evening and quite astonishing to hear how we’ve fared for the last 40 years. I’m sure Dottie and Craig were completely bored by the laughing and recalling of interesting times. We were back at the coach at a reasonable hour to start getting it ready for the trip to Benson on Sunday.

On Sunday morning we were met at the coach by one of my favorite motorcycling buddies, Tony D’Arcy. Tony & I used to do some Rotary motorcycle trips and have kept in touch with each other through the years. Tony is trying to find that perfect house in the Phoenix area where the market is ripe for folks who have the funding to buy homes. Tony and his new flame, Sandy, drove down to the Western Horizons RV Park in Casa Grande, picked us up, and took us to breakfast at Mimi’s. It was a short visit, but absolutely wonderful to see Tony again and share some great memories. He looks great, has the same outgoing personality that he has always had, and has a charming girlfriend in Sandy. I only regret that I don’t have a motorcycle to go riding with Tony again.

We were back at the coach in time to get unplugged, hooked up, and leave Casa Grande with the Griches headed for Benson, AZ and the Valley Vista RV Resort. Shortly after hitting the interstate, we stopped in Eloy at the Flying J to refuel and top off the propane tank. Flying J is usually a pleasant experience, but this particular location is a real pain in the patoot to maneuver through. In spite of the designated RV lanes, there is always some moron that takes his sweet time and throws courtesy out the window. Well, we found him there this time, too.

We continued south on I-10 with Jim Grich leading the way and driving through Tucson, the land of never-ending road construction. We made it without incident and arrived at Valley Vista about 3PM. The park has some of the most pleasant and courteous workers and we were assigned adjoining sites since we’ll be here for two nights. During that time I hope to show Jim & Peggy Tombstone, Bisbee, and some of Sierra Vista. We’ve always loved this area, but our favorite RV park was sold and the new owners didn’t buy the memberships. There are lots of disappointed folks who lost substantial amounts of money in the sale of the park. We have always enjoyed this area, but it will now be only memories since the sale has limited our ability to stay here for any long periods of time. Since we are here it will be fun to share some of the interesting areas with the Griches.

Our next stop is Deming, NM, then on to Texas. We may stop in Van Horn and Ozona, or we may continue straight to Ft. Stockton and on to Canyon Lake - giving us an extra day in Canyon Lake with Bob & Maribel Clerc, two of my most treasured RVing friends.