#92 – May & June 2022 – Las Cruces

May & June 2022 – Las Cruces

That about sums it up

Since we moved into the coach in 2014, I never lacked for things to do. There was always something, often several, that needed attention. With rare exception, deadlines weren’t an issue and Kayeanne wasn’t (figuratively speaking) standing over my shoulder holding up a clock. I think I read somewhere that time is supposed to be a continuum, implying that it never varies, except if you go very fast. Einstein said something like that, but if he did, he never moved into a new house.

It's coming along. Needs a bike, though...

I thought we could take a break after we finally moved out of the coach at the end of April. I mean, we were actually living in the place. Oh, contraire, grasshopper. We still had stacks (literally) of pictures to hang and then re-hang, many, many boxes to unpack and more shelves to fix, to reinforce and to build. And that didn’t begin to address the garage. The garage was the dumping ground for everything that had no other home. It would also have to be “upgraded” to add shelves for tools, sets of china, Wiklund family heirlooms and cubic yards of Xmas decorations that somehow got stuffed into the storage pod when I wasn’t looking in 2014.

Procrastination wasn’t possible, because Janie and Rick Fellows had bravely agreed to test drive the new guest room beginning on May  25^th. That sounded so doable when we set it up, but as the day loomed closer, the list of stuff needing to be finished before they arrived just never seemed to get shorter. Somehow, though, we made it.

It was a real pleasure to see them, especially in the new digs. We spent four very relaxing days showing them around Las Cruces, going out to dinner, cooking, talking and just hanging out with old friends. Having company in the new house really helped us feel like we were actually home. We went to Mesilla for dinner and to stroll around the old town square. We hiked to the hermit’s cave in the national park and spent a leisurely morning cruising the weekly farmers and crafts market. From all reports, the test drive was a success.

We're working our way thru all the choices

Las Cruces is growing on us. One thing that has really stood out is how nice everyone seems, and how committed they are to helping us out. Just before Rick and Janie arrived, the car A/C died. The new compressor that I bought on Amazon was DOA, but the guys at the repair shop went out of their way to get another one sent in from El Paso on a Friday afternoon to get us back on the road for the weekend. Then, the house air conditioning system died. In Thousand Oaks that would have been uncomfortable. In Las Cruces at 105° it’s a crisis. We had a home warranty to defray some of the cost but none of the HVAC companies I called would even talk with the warranty companies. After many frustrating conversations, I finally called the real estate guy who sold us the house and within three hours an expert arrived and diagnosed the problem (total system failure), the warranty company was happy with his quote and the parts were ordered. Two days later we had a new, larger capacity A/C system that works great.

We had a real treat at the end of June, when Liesa called to tell us that she and Cory were planning to spend a few days in Albuquerque. We packed up Schroeder and headed north to spend an evening with them. We had a great time getting caught up since we last saw them at Thanksgiving. While that’s only a few months ago, a lot has been going on that we needed to share. Phones, texts and emails are good, but sitting around a table with a few glasses of wine is so much better. And, we got to go to Trader Joe’s the morning we left. It turns out that dry ice will keep frozen food frozen on the trip back to Las Cruces. We bought many packages of mandarin orange chicken and lots of wine.

The line at Sparkys

We decided that no matter what is going on, we will make it a point to visit one or two of the
local attractions every month, so we decided to check out Hatch, NM, and the Fort Selden Winery in Radium Springs near Leesburg State Park and Dam. 

Hatch is famous for the iponimous chilis that are a state symbol displayed on many license plates. As you would expect, it is also a popular tourist and locals destination. Sparkys Burgers is the protypical burgers and fries joint, and one of the main draws for Hatch. I'm always skeptical of places like this, but all the people in line to place an order seemed todisagree with me. They were right, it was pretty delicious. We were lucky to go there on a weekday, the line can be an hour long on weekends.

Fort Selden Winery

Fort Selden Winery is the smallest we've seen. It is a whole acre of vines that one gentleman and his family have been lovingly cultivating for many years. The wine wasn't our taste, but the winemaker and the location made the visit worthwhile. We'll stop in again.

We have had several inquiries about the coach, but so far no serious buyers. That’s a little worrying, but given the gloom and doom in the news and the astronomical fuel prices it isn’t surprising. Be sure to tell all your friends, because I won’t buy a bike until it sells.

I’d forgotten about several boxes of books that I had in the pod, so I have been rereading many old friends, lately. That aside, I really enjoyed these:

The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman
The Shallows by Matt Goldman
Dead West by Matt Goldman
Calypso by David Sedaris

I’ve fallen way behind reporting on wines, so here are a few of the many good ones that we have discovered recently:

Hedges CMS Cab 2018 – Col Valley
La Comtes de Ribeauville Alsace Rose of Pinot Noir
Desert Wind Cab - Col Valley
Bogle Phantom
Oyster Bay Sauv Blanc 2021 – NZ - VG (one of Kayeanne’s favorites)
Trader Joes Reserve Zin Dry Creek Valley 2020
Patamar Red Blend Reserve 2015 – Portugal
Bogle Petite Sirah (one of my favorite wines) 

More soon,

Bob

Company's coming

The ladies of Mesilla

 

 

 

Sparkys parking lot

#91 April 2022 – Las Cruces NM

 

April 2022 – Las Cruces NM

First night in the new house. Excellent wine from Jay and Kathryn: Thanks!!

I’m getting too old for this @%^$. As I said last month, we signed the papers for the new house on April 14. On the 17^th we drove to Phoenix. Monday morning we picked up a 20’ UHaul truck and headed across town to the 1-800-Pack Rat
(never, ever use this company!) warehouse to unload the container of stuff we hadn’t seen in almost eight years. But, they couldn’t find any record of our container in their local system. After an hour of phone calls and much computer typing they finally found it in an old database that no one uses anymore. From there, things went smoothly. Our hired help showed up on time, worked hard, and we transferred the contents of the container to the truck in two hours and hit the road for Tucson for the night. We celebrated that night with long showers and decent take-out sushi.

Tuesday morning we headed for the co-op in Benson to load all of the casita stuff into the truck, too. Before we left for Las Cruces at the end of January, we packed everything in the casita as compactly as we could. By paying close attention to really packing the truck as tightly as possible in Phoenix we just had room for the casita contents, too. By noon we were on the road to Las Cruces, arriving back at the coach about 7 pm. The next morning another labor crew met us at the house and we emptied the truck.

The whole house looked like this.
The garage was worse

We tried to route stuff to the right room, but the whole house seemed to be filled with dozens of boxes that couldn’t be unpacked until I assembled shelving that we’d stored, built new shelves and reinforced some of the existing ones. It turns out that our seller was a NASA rocket engineer but not much of a carpenter. Over the next few days we made a meaningful dent in the pile of boxes and got to the point where we could see progress.

I built the ramp for Lucy,
but it sure came in handy

By the middle of the following week we had some new and used furniture delivered, and the new mattresses were delivered, too. We unpacked all the lamps we had forgotten we had in the container, which made a big difference. After almost a week of non-stop work it finally looked like we could actually move in, so on the 27^th we brought Ripley to the house and spent a very long day moving all of our clothes, house wares, pots, pans, wine, food, bedding, golf clubs, tools, more tools, many books, computers, etc, into the house. It went smoothly, but oh, my, did we have a LOT of stuff squirreled away in the 91 cabinets and drawers that made that coach such a good home for almost eight years. We found things we had forgotten we had and that we never used or missed. But, that evening, we opened a very good bottle of wine and declared ourselves home. 

On the 29^th a crew washed and waxed the coach and we moved it to the first covered storage it had ever been in. Next month we’ll get it thoroughly clean inside, too, ready to sell to the next adventurers.

So, a brief description of the new digs at 3529 Sierra Prado Ct, Las Cruces NM 88012: The house is about 10 years old, single story, 1760 square feet. It has three bedrooms, but we have set up one as a shared craft room / office. 

The master suite is smaller than the one we had in TO, but is working out. We found Kayeanne's "new" dresser at an estate sale!

The guest room has a brand new king bed, just waiting for our friends to visit. 

Despite the southwestern look on the outside, it’s pretty contemporary on the inside. The kitchen/family room/ living room/dining room is all one space, which seems to be working for us as we settle in. We both thought the kitchen was too small to be really useful, but the large pantry and a very large island that we insisted convey with the house has actually made the space quite efficient. 

We didn’t want to maintain a half acre again, but this one might be just a tad smaller than we thought when we bought it. It is quite private, though, which was one of our priorities. The garage is much too small, but I’ve got some plans for making the space as efficient and useful as possible. I don’t think I need as many large power tools as I once had. We’ll see how that goes as we continue to settle in. One of the significant selling points of this house was the solar system that is already installed.

Here are a more few pictures. We still need a few items that we are going to try to find at garage sales, but we are pretty comfortable as is. I think it took us about an hour to get used to the walk-in shower, bath tub, walk-in closet and full size kitchen. Oh, yes, and the laundry room and the dishwasher.

More soon,

Bob

Huh, I forgot we kept that, and that...

Yikes!

Very high ceilings

The front yard view

Kayeanne's "shop" after...

Before....

Local gal makes these tables

The new table, another estate sale find

#90 March 2022 – Las Cruces

 

March 2022 – Las Cruces

I’ll start with the big news: This is our new home, or it will be on April 14 when we close. Yup, your eyes don’t deceive: no wheels!  

Despite our sour experience with the first house we tried to buy, we sucked it up and charged back into the fray. The real estate market in Las Cruces (LC) is still  pretty hot. The good houses came and went very quickly, so when this one popped up a few days after we returned from Benson we went to see it right away. That evening we made an offer, and two days later we had a deal. The inspection didn’t turn up any issues and the appraisal (finally) came through without any drama. All the pictures show it with their stuff, so you’ll have to wait until the next issue to see the rest of it. 

A park along the Rio Grande

LC is an interesting place, weather wise. These photos were taken two days apart in mid-month. Sheesh. It's a challenge to dress right.

Yup, that's snow

Since we sold or gave away most of our stuff when we moved into Ripley, we have been shopping, a lot. We are now familiar with most of the consignment stores, thrift shops and new furniture stores in LC at this point. More pictures after we get stuff in the house.

We haven’t spent all of our time on housing related issues, however. One of the reasons we chose LC is the spectacular backdrop of the Organ Mountains.

 

One morning we drove about 10 miles from town to one of the mountain sections of the Organ Mountains-Desert National Monument to hike a little and get away from everything to do with real estate, furniture, etc. As you can see from the pictures, the mountains are even more spectacular up close. We walked a couple of miles, which turned out to be plenty, given how little exercise we’d had lately. We certainly will be back, often. More pictures below.

It turns out that waiting for this house-buying process to wind through the steps  is pretty stressful. We’ve been cleaning up small projects on the coach and watching furniture ads on Craigslist. That is pretty pointless because we don’t have any place to put anything. We ordered a few new items because we have to buy things like chairs, tables and a couch just to move in. The highlight of our week is going to the farmers market on Saturday for really fresh tomatoes and tacos, and the everything-sourdough bakery on Tuesday for bread and bagels.

Las Cruces does have a couple of geograhic drawbacks: It's 220 miles to Trader Joe's in Albuquerque and 55 miles to Costco in El Paso. There is one decent wine shop in LC, but the prices are high and the selction could be a lot better. I foresee monthly pilgrimages to Costco to restock the cellar, aka closet.

Next month is going to test our stamina. We have to retrieve the contents of a storage unit in Phoenix that we haven't seen in eight years, collect all the stuff we accumulated in Benson and move all that and the stuff in Ripley into the house. Logistics is an art, and a hell of a lot of work. 

More soon,

Bob

Yes, that's still snow in the Organ Mountains

 

LC and the Rio Grande Valley

 

 

 

 

 

#89 – February 2022 – Las Cruces

 

February 2022 – Las Cruces   

It’s an easy five hour drive from Benson to Las Cruces (LC) that ends with the sudden appearance of the city and the Rio Grande valley as I 10 drops down a long grade. The distinctive road runner statue appears and you know you have arrived.

Every Saturday morning the craft and farmers
market takes over Main Street in LC

We’ve been looking forward to going to LC for months, ever since we decided to settle down here. Kayeanne has spent several hours a day researching the area, the neighborhoods, houses and realtors. I think she knows more than the natives do about the town, and especially the real estate market. We made a reservation for two months at Sunny Acres RV Park about a mile from downtown LC and began looking at houses the next day.

Like many area, the housing market in LC is very active. The good homes often sell within hours of being listed. A listing we called “the cup house” popped up a day or two before we arrived. The owners collected mugs and had about a hundred of them mounted in a custom-made wall unit. I think it was the fourth house we toured that first day. We liked it but had a few more to see the next day. Nothing else caught our eye, so when the house appeared on the open houses listing for that weekend we decide to take another, longer look, and that evening made an offer. After a little back-and-forth we had a deal. It was a little bigger than we wanted and hadn’t been updated inside, but it ticked most other boxes.

The owners wanted a fast escrow, so inspections were quickly scheduled, financing secured and an appraisal ordered. The home inspection turned up some troubling items that the owners unexpectedly pushed back on, but we worked through them. We weren’t happy, but decided that we would make most of the repairs ourselves. Then the appraisal came back substantially below the price we had agreed to. Everyone involved was surprised, to say the least. After the initial shock wore off, offers and counteroffers started flying back and forth. It quickly became apparent that the owners’ expectations were not in sync with ours or for that matter, with normal market practices when this occurs. We became pretty disenchanted with the owners and no longer trusted them. After much soul searching, we decided to walk away, despite being out of pocket about $1200 for the inspections, appraisal and title research.

While some of that drama was still going on, we returned to Benson for several days to wrap up some stuff in Tucson and to pack and clean the casita to get ready to give up our lease at the Co-op. We have certainly enjoyed our years there, but it didn’t make sense to hold onto it. And, of course, we want the money for new furniture, landscaping, etc..

It is quite amazing how much stuff we have accumulated in three years! It actually took me a couple of days to return some items to the coach, box up what we wanted to move to LC and to dump the rest. I had to make two trips to Walmart to buy boxes and tape!

On the 28^th we returned to LC. We reserved the space at Sunny Acres thru April to remove any time pressure on our renewed search. Watch this space.

I really enjoyed reading two books this month: Welcome To The World, Baby Girl! by Fanny Flagg and The Blizzard Voices by Ted Kooser.

Knowing that LC doesn’t have Costco or Trader Joe’s, we stocked up on wine in 
Tucson at the end of January, and again before we left in February. Here are a few that stood out:

    Duck Hunter Sauv Blanc – 2020 NZ – G
    Kirkland Sauv Blanc 2021 NZ – VG
    Bieler Born to Run Cab - 2018 – CA - VVG
    Cavaliere D'Oro Chianti Classico Reserva 2017 - Italy – VVG
    Gekkeikan Sake – VG (bargain, esp. at TJ’s)

Sorry about the lack of pictures in this edition. I deleted the pictures of the house that fell through, and discovered that I hadn't taken many others. I'll try to make up for it next month.

More soon,

Bob

#88 January 2022 – Benson AZ

 

January 2022 – Benson AZ

Moonrise from the casita's back yard 

Pulling into the SKP Saguaro Co-op in Benson for the ninth or tenth time felt like home and I immediately started to relax. We had no sooner pulled into our lot and set up the coach than John Hahn stopped by to say hello, followed by a number of other folks that we have come to know over the years. Due to Covid, though, the atmosphere seemed somewhat subdued. The social calendar wasn’t as bare as it was when we left in April to head east, but it wasn’t back to the Co-op’s usual frenetic pace by any means.

Every evening the quail
come through the yard

Four days after we arrived, I turned out for the landscaping crew and was greeted by many familiar faces. The work wasn’t any easier, but it was good to see the crew and get back into the routine. Tuesday night Bingo restarted the following week after a long, long hiatus, and Kayeanne rejoined that crew, too. There was one show and a couple of dinners during January, but we aren’t yet comfortable with large indoor gatherings, so passed on them. One of the members came out of retirement and organized his signature Friday Fish Fry. The dinner tickets quickly sold out. We got two of the last ones and ordered ours to go, which appeared to be a popular choice.

With frequent trips to Tucson for our annual medical stuff the month flew by. A trip always included sushi for lunch and shopping at Trader Joe’s and Costco, so no complaints. It was really nice to get together again with Lynn, and Jackie and Kaz. We caught up with Ellen and Becky at Bingo, too.

We had such a good time last year wine tasting near Wilcox that we decided to return. We revisited Zarpara Vineyard to see their dog, a really friendly old Lab that is their official greeter. He comes right to the car and says Hi as soon as you open the door. Oh, yes, their wine is good, too. Try Origen, a red blend. Total Wines carries some Zarpara wines. We also went to Bodega Pierce, where the owners knocked themselves out to make us comfortable. I didn't care for their wines, but Kayeanne like one called Emotiva.

Pix by Kayeanne

Liesa was talking to someone in Salt Lake who used to live in Tucson who mentioned the Oasis Parrot Sanctuary in Benson. In all the years we’ve been coming to the Co-op, we have never heard of this place, but it sounded interesting so we made a reservation to visit.

This place has got to be the best kept secret I’ve never heard of. We’ve been coming to Benson since 2015 and no one ever mentioned it. It’s about 20 miles from “downtown” Benson, about 4 miles after the pavement ends on the road to Cascabel. We pulled into the yard and were the only car there. After guessing right about which door in which mobile home was the office, we were warmly greeted by enthusiastic volunteers, one of whom gave us a private, two hour guided tour of the many aviaries where over 850 parrots are living out their lives in comfortable, spacious quarters. 

It turns out that parrots can live more than 70 years, often outliving their owners. Oasis provides a refuge for these birds and many others, including some that are seized at the border from smugglers. By law, these birds can’t be returned to the wild. Others are captured after being set loose by negligent owners. Those poor birds have no idea how to survive in the "wild" of our cities and towns. 

A small staff of dedicated employees and volunteers tend to the daily physical, medical and emotional needs of this diverse, beautiful and very noisy community. The birds are clearly well cared for and most love to see visitors. We had a great time. If you are even passing through Benson, be sure to visit. Reservations are required, so plan ahead. It is way off the beaten path but really worth going. I’ve added more photos below. Donations are gratefully accepted.

Time for an announcement: After eight years on the road, we are going to take a break. Kayeanne has spent hours a day for six months researching areas where we might live and their real estate markets. A few months ago we decided to focus on Las Cruces, New Mexico. It seems to have most of the things we are looking for and is still (just barely) affordable. We pulled out of Benson on the first of February and headed to Las Cruces to see if we could find a house that we can make our home. Our travels will take a break for awhile, but we both hope it won’t be too long before we can get back out on the road part time to see our many, many friends. I’ll keep you posted.

I actually read this month:
I reread Sure Signs by Ted Kooser and enjoyed it even more.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. His newest book. I thought it was right up there with A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry.
I couldn’t stay with Where the Deer and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman. I had the same problem with his earlier book, so no more.

We drank several very good wines this month:
Don Ramon Barrica 2018 - Spain
Kirkland Napa Red Blend - 2019 - CA
Columbia Winery Cab 2018 – Columbia River Valley WA
Scharffenberger Brut Excellence - NV – CA (New Years eve!)
Castoro Syrah – Paso Robles - 2009 – CA (an Xmas present. Thanks, Chris)

More soon,

Bob

                   

#87 – December 2021 – California

December 2021 – California    

This month we followed the plan we cancelled in 2020 when Covid was climbing through the roof and vaccines weren’t available. If it sounds familiar, it is the plan we have followed every December for five years: Salt Lake City to Simi Valley, on to Meadowbrook, and finally to Hemet for Xmas. 

We've tried to make the trip from SLC to Simi in two days, staying one night in a casino parking lot on the NV/CA state line. That's two very long days, and we are just not willing to do that anymore. Sand Hollow State Park in Hurricane, UT makes a good stop for the first night. Although it's a bit off the interstate, we have ususally been able to get one of the large pull through sites in the hill section. This year, we had to take a site in the ATV section on the other side of the lake. The site itself was fine, but the constant buzz and roar of those things became really annoying.

The casino we used to stay in at the NV line on the second night appears to be permanently closed, and alternatives are sparse on the stretch of I15 from Las Vegas to Barstow. After beating up Google Maps and various RV camping web sites, we decided to try the Mad Greek Café parking lot in Baker. The surroundings looked a little sketchy, but several trucks coming and going kept us company all night. One of the local gendarmes took a really, really long break in his cruiser under the tree next door, so security wasn’t a problem. We must have caught the cook at the Greek on an off night, though, because the food was pretty lousy. I ate there on a motorcycle trip to Death Valley many years ago and don't remember it to be quite as disappointing.

We took advantage of a relatively short final day to leave I15 in Barstow to avoid the Cajon Pass and I210. We took CA58 across to CA14. It’s several miles longer but the stress level is much lower. It’s also much easier than the alternative route via CA18 to CA14, too. Getting through Victorville on CA18 is no fun.

Rare-ish Red Shouldered Hawk
patrolled Tapo campground

Tapo Canyon County Park Campground in Simi Valley was the first place we stayed when we hit the road in 2014 and we have come back every year since, barring last year. The park price keeps going up and the showers are barely warm, but it’s about the only place to stay that let’s us visit friends in Thousand Oaks and Pasadena. Simi also has a Trader Joe’s and a Costco which let’s us overlook many other deficiencies.

It was so good to see everyone again. You may recall that we were lucky to see Judy, and Janie and Rick this summer as our paths crossed during our travels, but even six months seems like a long time between visits. Not seeing Kathryn and Jay, and Mary and Sam for two years was really much, much too long. We had so much to catch up on!

Judy organized a trip to LA to see the Van Gough digital multimedia show followed by lunch in Beverly Hills. Both were great fun, especially the show. It used the same computer controlled HD technology as the similar one that we saw in SLC, with equally spectacular results. The layout of the interior spaces in the two venues was quite different. That meant that there were unique viewing perspectives that one site offered that the other couldn’t match; both were very interesting. See more pictures below.

Having to show both vaccination cards and photo ids was annoying until I thought it thru and talked to one of the security folks, then it made sense and I became a firm supporter. The stories he shared about people trying to cheat the regulations were pretty disheartening. Dispite the hassles of getting around downtown LA, don't miss it if you are anywhere nearby or discover other venues on the tour. Thanks, Judy. 

Our time in Simi seemed to just fly by, and then it was time to head south to Meadowbrook RV Park in Perris, close to Lake Elsinore. I used to think nothing of driving the coach in SoCal, but it no longer has any appeal to me. The lanes must have gotten narrower and the traffic more aggressive in the past two years. I can do it without issues, but it takes 100% concentration and there are way, way too many thoughtless drivers in cars and in big trucks here. Ok, rant over.

Our original plan was to stay in Meadowbrook for two weeks, including Xmas week, and make the 50 mile round trip to visit family in Hemet whenever something was going on. It is much less expensive to stay there than at the Golden Village park in Hemet, and much closer than Jojoba Hills in Aguanga. The traffic on CA74 has gotten worse in two years, because it only took a couple of trips to realize that this plan wasn’t going to work. The only feasible park in Hemet is Golden Village Palms RV Resort. There were no online deals, so Kayeanne got on the phone and called the park office. It turned out that they were offering a 33% discount on weekly rates, including Xmas week. We quickly signed up and cancelled the second week at Meadowbrook.

Meadowbrook is the closest park we can find to visit Christine, Ed and Zack in San Juan Capistrano. It has been two years since we last saw them, too. We had hoped to meet them on the road this year, but issues with their business kept them anchored at home while that all got sorted out. It was so good to spend an afternoon and evening with them. Schroeder got to come, too, and had the run of the house, which he took full advantage of.  

Christine and Zack with bowl

Kayeanne brought her renown Covid Cupcakes for dessert at their house a few days before Xmas. We had such a good time that we forgot the frosting bowl. As much as we like that bowl we weren’t going to drive all the way back to get it. We’d miss it, but it wasn’t a family heirloom. Then Christine had a great idea: Zack just got his pilot’s license and wanted to do a practice flight, so they would deliver the bowl and meet us for lunch at the Hemet airport. Plan! Everything went fine, we got the bowl, and then their plane wouldn’t start. The flying club diverted another one to pick them up, so it all ended happily.

Golden Village Palms RV Resort does live up to its name: it actually is a resort, with pools, a spa, a health club, immaculately maintained spacious grounds, live entertainment, and an activity director. Apparently their season doesn’t begin until January because the place was less than half full, hence the deal. It is a great place to stay, but not at full price!

After all we’ve collectively been through this year, it was great to get together with Chris, Paul, Brenda, Katy and Ed for Xmas. We really missed seeing them last year. Paul, Brenda and Katy just moved into their new house, and Chris just finished putting lovely new floors throughout hers, so the holiday venues were especially festive this year. I cooked my dad’s traditional Xmas day fried bread for breakfast and was rewarded with lots of great stuff, including several new books that I am looking forward to reading, soon.

We also got together with Ted and Judy. We’ve known them for over 40 years (good grief), since before either of us had kids. They were headed to Las Vegas that day and very graciously detoured at least a couple of hours to meet us for lunch. I hope we can spend a lot more time with them soon.

We pulled out of Hemet on December 29^th. We took our usual beating on I10 through Banning and Palm Desert (don’t get me started on CA’s roads) and gratefully turned off on US86 to get to I8. We decided to push on through Yuma this year to even out the two-day drive to Benson. A little research popped up the Oasis RV Park at Aztec Hills in Dateland, AZ, just about half way between Hemet and Benson. Dateland is barely a spot on the map, so we were a little skeptical of the glowing reviews for this place but they were right, it is a real gem of a park. The next day we rolled into the SKP Saguaro Co-op and were soon settled in.

We treated ourselves to an extravagant bottle of good champagne to toast in the long anticipated New Year. I am surprised to report that we both made it to midnight.

I really enjoyed reading Slouching Toward Nirvana by Charles Bukowski. Thanks Cory. I also reread Amor Towles Rules of Civility and enjoyed it even more. 

I am falling behind on the wines, or more accurately, we are discovering new ones faster than I can list them. I really like Petite Syrahs and here are two that I recently enjoyed:
    Michael David Petite Syrah – NV CA
    Shannon Ridge Petite Sirah - 2019
I discovered an old friend at Trader Joe's in Simi:
    Rancho Sisquoc River Red - 2020. If you see it, be sure to try it.

More soon,

Bob