Time to get caught up on our post.

3-31-13 Easter Sunday

On Saturday the 16th our Minnesota neighbors, Bob and Twilla, who have a winter home in Sun City Grand came for a visit. We spent some time visiting here at the motorhome then went for a ride to show them Cave Creek and Carefree. After having lunch at the Sundial Café in Carefree we went for a ride to Bartlett Lake. The poppies were in full bloom out there.

We also ventured out to Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area. We will try to get back here to do a hike before we leave in a week. It’s a beautiful park but the only way to really see it is by hiking, bicycle or horseback.





Bob and Twilla at the Sundial Café.



Now that’s a big sundial in the background. It’s 62 feet long and gives accurate time in Mountain Standard Time. Is that why Arizona doesn’t go on Daylight Savings Time?



The Sundial area of Carefree has an extensive cactus garden featuring cactus from around the world.



Lake Bartlett.



Later in the week Chuck and Lorraine came over in the afternoon for a visit. After visiting for a while we played a few hands of a dice game called 10,000 and then grilled some steaks for supper. Later we played some more 10,000 and finished up the evening with dessert. Chuck and Lorraine had brought the makings for root beer floats.



While sitting outside we managed to get this picture of a female Phainopepla.



I flew back home for my Dad’s 90th birthday. He was born on 3-23-23, which makes it an easy date to remember, 32323.
 
Here are all of the Hasselberg boys, Rueben, Dave, Lucas, Derek, Bjorn, Glen, Joe and Soren. We were negligent in not getting a picture of dad’s three other grand kids, Finn, Bo and Beck. In February Dad was named Snow King of the care center so he’s sporting his “Royal Crown”.



When I got back to the motorhome I had to fix my chair. The elastic straps on my chair were broken so it was time to string on some new ones, might be that I spend too much time in it, or my guess is that the straps are of a poor quality. RIGHT.



It’s getting close to the end of our stay here so Sandy and I took another hike on the Overton Trail here in the park so we could see how the bloom is progressing. These are some of the pictures we took along the way.













We needed a break and this looked like a good place to sit.



We came across this Desert Tortoise on the trail. It was about the size of a dinner plate.





Later that day we had dinner at Ron and Jane’s with their new neighbors and new Lazy Daze (motorhome) owners, Dan and Paula. We have been spending quite a bit of time at Ron and Jane’s home and have had some great dinners.



On the 28th our friends Steve and Sandy came over for a visit, so we went to lunch at Harold's in Cave Creek and did a little sightseeing. Again, we stopped at the Carefree Sundial and walked through the cactus garden.



Sandy and Steve.



This Texas Sweet Acacia was in bloom in the park, and it’s aroma filled the area.



Here is a rare Crested Saguaro.



When we took them to Bartlett Lake we drove to Rattle Snake Flats across from the yellow cliffs to take these pictures. The lake is just about at full pool, which we had never seen before. The last time we visited this area a few years ago with my brother Joe and his wife Barb, the lake was so low there was about a 100 more feet of shoreline.





Until next time,
  
Dave and Sandy

Cave Creek, AZ. (North edge of Phoenix)

March 1st thru March 15th

We came to the Cave Creek Campgrounds on March 1st and will be here until we head for home on April 6th. Since we have been here the weather has been great with the highs from the low 70’s to low 80’s except for a couple days in the 90’s. About a week ago we had a front come through with a couple days in the 50’s and low 60’s with rain.

Early in the morning on the 8th the storm clouds started moving in from the west and they would be here soon.



In all we had a little over an inch of rain. Here in the desert that’s enough to start the water flowing. Our campsite quickly became a small lake.



By noon it was on it’s way out of the area with a few brief showers later in the day.



The Teddy Bear Cholla (Jumping Cholla) is one cactus to be avoided in the desert. What appears to be soft fluffy balls are actually EXTREME stickers that fall off and stick to anything that gets near them. (Sandy knows from experience.)



One morning we were sitting in the motorhome and could here what sounded like a tapping on the side of the rig. It turned out to be a Gila Woodpecker pecking on the electrical box next to us.



On Saturday our friends Chuck and Lorraine came out to visit. We played a few rounds of 10,000, a dice game, then we drove them around to see the areas of Cave Creek and Carefree. After the tour we stopped at Chili’s to eat.

We spent Sunday the 10th over at Ron and Jane’s working on finishing the laminate floor in Dan and Paula’s Lazy Daze. We got there around 9 AM and finished up around 7 PM. Ron and Dan had previously laid the floor, but with the driving around without the finishing trim it had shifted so we had to pull up a few pieces and move it back into place before nailing in the molding.



Here are Dan and Ron discussing some options.



While we were working on the coach, Jane was busy trimming their poodles. Let’s see, is Denver’s tail about right?



Sunday Sandy broke a tooth that had a large filling in it. She was able to get into Jane’s dentist on Monday to have it temporarily fixed until we get home and have a crown put on by her regular dentist.

On Monday Dan and Paula came over to see our rig and then we went with them for their first Camping World experience. It sure was fun spending somebody else’s money.
On Wednesday we went to Chuck and Lorraine’s RV Park where Chuck did some grilling and we also played cards. Thanks for the great dinner.

On Friday we took a short hike and Sandy took a few pictures of the desert flowers starting to bloom. The winter rains have provided moisture for the desert to green up and more wildflowers and cactus are expected to begin blooming soon.

The Mexican Poppies are starting to bloom and some of the hill sides are turning yellow.






This group of riders is heading back to the corral at the riding stable.



You really have to wonder how things can grow in all this rock.





Hazy clouds began to move in during the afternoon and we suspected we would be in for a great sunset and we were not disappointed. This is probably one of the most beautiful sunsets we have ever seen. That’s another reason why we are here.

This first picture is actually showing the reflection of the sunset looking east. What a perfect way to end the day in the desert southwest. You can almost hear Gene Autry singing by the campfire. For all you “youngins” out there, Gene was known as the original “Singing Cowboy” and was in films from the mid 30’s to the mid 50’s. He is also the one who sings “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”. http://www.autry.com/home.php







Until next time,

Dave and Sandy

Tucson, AZ

February 22nd thru the 28th.

Friday 2-22-13: Chuck, Lorraine, Sandy and I went for an excursion to the Mission San Xavier. This church was started by the Franciscans in 1783. To complete the interior between the years 1790 and 1815 they imported artists from central New Spain, probably Queretero, Mexico. The artists had to be paid double because Apaches were a constant threat. After Mexico won independence from Spain the Franciscans were slowly forced to leave. The last left in 1837 and did not return to the Mission until 1913. During their absence the local population,Tohono O’odham, faithfully guarded their church and its sacred chalices. This Franciscan church is considered to be America’s finest surviving example of Spanish Colonial architecture. Statues dating to the 1750’s, vivid late baroque altars, and original paintings adorn the interior.

The Mission has been partially restored as you can see by the condition of the white left tower compared to the right tower. As money comes in they plan to do more. For some unknown reason (probably ran out of money) the right tower was never finished. Restoration attempts have been made over the years using modern materials such as oil-based paints and cement. However, cement has failed and they have gone back to using the original adobe brick and natural pigment paints.

Traditionally, a Christian church is longitudinally orientated toward the rising sun, with the sanctuary housing the main altar at the eastern end of the building. Mission San Xavier is one of the few that face north/south.  





The main altar.





The east transept.



The choir loft.



The west transept.



A very rare painting showing Mary changing the diaper of the Christ Child.










Saturday 2-23-13: Today Sandy and I went to lunch with Linda, a classmate of mine, and her husband, Bill, who graduated one year ahead of us. We had a great time catching up on what has transpired in our lives. After spending some time in Florida and Georgia they have been coming to Green Valley, south of Tucson, for the last 3 years. It sounds like they plan to keep coming back and we can see why after having been here a few times ourselves.



Sunday 2-24-13:  A classmate of mine, Lucille, had some framed artwork of her mother’s that she asked if I could bring down. So on Sunday we took that over and spent the afternoon visiting. When we got back Lorraine and Chuck joined us at the Texas Roadhouse for supper and ate way too much.

Monday 2-25-13: Today we had lunch with Tom, another classmate of mine, and his wife Jackie at their club house in Quail Creek. After lunch we went over to their house to visit and spent some more time catching up on information about friends and classmates. We talked about each other’s travels. They had been to Egypt on a Nile cruise just before the revolution and it sounded like a great trip. Jackie is just finishing her 8^th book; she uses the pseudonym Nora Barker. I have read “Murder in Primary Colors” and would recommend it. At this time they are available only as “E” books.



When we got back to the motorhome we moved to the Lazydays campground where Chuck and Lorraine had gone earlier in the day to meet our friends, Steve and Sandy.
Tuesday 2-26-13: Chuck unloaded his SUV so he could use the third seat to haul all six of us to the Saguaro National Park (west) for a sightseeing tour. After stopping at the visitor’s center and watching their film, we hit the trail.

I figured I should have a picture of us doing something other than eating. Here are Lorraine, Chuck, Sandy, Sandy and Steve.





A picture showing some petroglyphs that are hard to see, so you will have to click on the picture to enlarge it.



Friday 3-1-13 We are again on the move, this time to Cave Creek County Campground where we will be spending the month of March. After we got settled in we went over to Ron and Jane’s for Ron’s special chili. Another couple, Dan and Paula, who are their new next door neighbors who had just bought a Lazy Daze also joined us for supper.
Saturday 3-2-13 We woke up to a beautiful morning. It was 53 degrees when we got up and by 9 AM the temperature was up to 71 degrees. It’s supposed to be 82 degrees for a high today with high 70’s for all of next week.

These are some pictures taken from the back of our motorhome at site #8 here in Cave Creek County Campground. Sandy and I have decided this is our new favorite campsite in the park.









By 9 AM Sandy was outside drinking her morning coffee and drying her hair. She kept saying “what a wonderful start for the day. This is what I have been waiting for.”



We had rabbits and quail running around the camp site-----



One quail was in the tree right behind the motorhome. It even cooperated so Sandy could walk up to the tree and get a good close-up.



I’m feeling real good and only have a week to go on my 10lb lifting restriction, and is Sandy going to be glad as she has had to do the heavy stuff so far.

Until next time,

Dave and Sandy.