desert plants in bloom

Wow.....what a couple of weeks it's been! We arrived to a lush Apache Junction Jan. 12th, still damp from nighttime rains. Superstition Mountain was beautiful in the mist, and as the sun rose, Fritz and I enjoyed a hike up the hill to view the surrounding area.

Superstition Mountain

 We connected with our friends there, Jim and Anna, before continuing on to our next destination en-route to Quartzite: Wickenburg. We are always royally treated there, provided free parking, water and electricity by our dear friend, Sharon Pearson, while parked at her house. Sharon outdoes herself as a hostess, and gives generously of her time and resources whenever we drop by. The morning of January 15th, we pointed west toward Quartzite.

Quartzite. Mom always taught me that if you can't say anything nice about something, don't say anything at all. Let me just say I am not a fan. It is a very small town that throws up a  jumble of temporary buildings for this big RV event every January. To the town's credit, their roads and facilities are well equipped to handle the influx of RV and ATV enthusiasts that descend upon them in the winter.

The event for which we came is billed as the biggest 'flea market' in the west (I believe). What it reminded us of is the state fair. Under the 'big tent' were scores of booths with people hawking every kind of item but geared primarily toward RVers. We had volunteered to man a booth on behalf of Loma Linda University Medical Center to promote proton radiation therapy. Our booth was small and well-manned. However, Loma Linda invested very little in terms of signage or current materials, so the first day Fritz made a sign to grab the attention of the fast-moving throngs, then made two more in the following days. Our encounters with people were touching; some for whom the message came too late; others that were encouraged to know there was another option. It was emotionally exhausting, and we only manned the booth four mornings for four hours each morning! At lunch, at our RV park, and elsewhere out and about, we had opportunities to talk about our mission there and share hope. 

Fritz ready to share hope with passersby

The last day there, we went to a gem and mineral show, but frankly, I was so 'peopled out', I couldn't enjoy it as much as I might have. Our biggest surprise of the week came when we encountered five people we knew from the Chewelah area, and some we didn't know! Who would have thought??? In fact, we met a couple at the gem and mineral show from Valley, WA selling the serpentine rock that we have been landscaping with! They'll probably come buy some from us when we all return home.

I was happy to leave the dusty, sparse desert of Quartzite. Here's a sample of the 'scenery' on our trip back to Wickenburg:

This is not the pretty desert to which we'd become accustomed!

It was like a desert oasis to return to Wickenburg! Once again, Sharon opened her heart and home to us. Sharon and I enjoyed hiking around the BLM land across the road from her house and taking in the views. Fritz and I agree we could live here (of course, we've never been here in the summer!).

Wickenburg

We're now back in Apache Junction for a week, then will head over to Thatcher to see our niece, Delann, for a day, then back to Green Valley. Somewhere in there we'll also sneak a trip to Tombstone.

I'll leave you with this beautiful shot of a rainbow ring around the sun our last day in Wickenburg. We've seen some beautiful skies in Arizona that, no doubt, the dust helps create. 

Will catch you later on down the road.......

Well, the first round of our Green Valley experience is coming to a close, as we leave day after tomorrow.  We have enjoyed the people, the games, the experiences, the weather (for the most part) and the down time.

Fritz's blood pressure has slowly come down, which is the big plus. He plays ping pong nearly every weekday while I'm doing water aerobics. On rainy days, I'll play ping pong and must confess it is a more thorough workout! However, my hip just doesn't like that much activity, and I love being outdoors and in the water, so I'll stick with what works!

We haven't played any more pickle ball or shuffleboard as our friends went back home to Wyoming for the holidays. We'll try those again when we return in February. Haven't done much sightseeing, either, as the weather has been uncharacteristically cool and wet. Yes, we've even had lows down into the mid 20s! Fortunately, such days don't last long and soon the sun is shining and the temperatures creep back up, seeming warmer than they are in contrast to the cool weather.

I've taken pictures of nothing but scenery. The facilities here are nice, but who can beat God's paintbrush? 

Moonrise at sunset

 The sunrises and sunsets here are spectacular!

Mountains ablaze!

I am disappointed that I haven't seen any javelinas; a peccary that is a distant cousin of the wild hog. However, I don't really want to encounter one as they can be vicious. Here is what they look like:

We are visited each evening by a huge horned owl that appears very well-fed, and woodpeckers claim their territory by tapping on the flag pole in the mornings. Jackrabbits and cottontails are also frequent visitors in the park.

We've sharpened our skills at Euchre and a mid-west offshoot called 'Pepper'. Last night we learned a new game called "Oh, Hell!"....and it was, ha! Can't wait to teach it to my siblings at the family reunion in May!

From here, we're headed up to the Apache Junction area for a few days, then Wickenberg on our way to Quartzite, where we'll spend a week. Unlike many die-hards that dry camp in the desert, we're staying in an RV park. I understand this town of 1,000 becomes a metropolis of 500,000 people during this particular time of year, as there is a huge RV show and flea market. We are manning a booth to promote Proton Radiation Therapy for cancer. We'll have plenty of time to browse around as well. After our week there, we'll head back to Apache Junction for a week then return here to Green Valley for the month of February.

As I write this, many in my family are suffering with the debilitating cold, and I confess to feeling a tad guilty that we have escaped the grip of winter. Yet, God has allowed us to be here for some reason, and our job is to do His will wherever He places us. We have much to learn and some perhaps to teach. I just pray we are faithful as we enjoy His pleasures.

Til next time.....God keep you warm!

 

                                                                                           

Remember in my last post I talked about being flexible? Well, that's us! As we settled into our spot here in Green Valley, AZ and began planning our trip to California, Fritz confessed that his blood pressure has been too high and he really needed to just stay put for a while. So we canceled our plans to California and extended our stay here in Green Valley til the middle of January. 

Sunset at the RV Park

The Santa Rita Mountains

Virginia in the Santa Rita Mountains

We are really enjoying our stay here; our friends have been great hosts, showing us some of the beauty of the area in Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita mountains, teaching us how to play shuffleboard and pickleball. Their energy puts me to shame! Of course, I just finally went to the doctor last Friday to get antibiotics to finally kick whatever I have in the teeth, and have been slowly feeling better and getting my strength back. However, my months of relative sedateness caused me to wrench my hip on my first efforts at pickleball. So we're scaling back; Fritz is playing ping pong in the mornings while I do water aerobics.

The area is beautiful desert, just about 20 miles south of Tucson, alive with a number of cacti and scrub trees. Recent unusual winter rains have greened everything and some cacti are blooming. I've done a poor job of remembering to take pictures, so you'll just have to take my word for it! This community is largely 55+ which has its pros and cons. I miss the age diversity, but it's also nice to have so many activities geared for the senior age group! The slower pace, compared to Tucson, is very welcomed but it's nice to have the big-city conveniences so near.

It is quite a bit cooler here than I expected. We're at an elevation of 3,000 ft. and have been seeing lows in the 30s at night, with highs ranging from the low 50s to the low 70s. We're also benefiting from the remnants of all the rain California has been getting. But generally, the sun is shining, and when the sun's out, Fritz is happy!

So Green Valley is where we'll be for Christmas. We'll be thinking of all our family and friends scattered throughout the world, wishing each of you the joy of the miracle of Christ's birth. May the New Year find each of you healthy and happy. Til next time....

Unfortunately, being on vacation does not necessarily equivocate to being more healthy, as the curse of my Thanksgiving-time bronchitis visited with a vengeance and brought Fritz down as well. Hence there has been little activity to report and the big news was when I could finally sleep in my own bed again instead of sitting up all night. The beast persists for both of us nearly 3 weeks later, assisted by intense (and self-imposed) schedules. Here’s a recap of the events of the past several weeks:

I don’t know why I’m always surprised to get winter weather this far south, but it seems as if winter is taunting me that ‘you can run but you can’t hide’!! Our polar vortex brought a bit of snow and extremely cold temperatures (in the teens at night). I had to sit on Fritz so he didn’t just up and start heading west! Ha!

Well, we decided that, although Grove was a beautiful spot, it was just too far away from Tracy and family. So we pulled up stakes the Monday of Thanksgiving week and headed back to Bella Vista, AR. You do have to be careful making such treks, as natural impediments abound!

It was good to be closer for the Thanksgiving holiday so Tracy and I could shop and cook more or less together. We enjoyed a scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner x2! Our menu was so extensive, we decided to break it up into two meals (also, none of the adults were feeling too great so it worked well to space out the work). We had a delicious prime rib on Thanksgiving Day and the traditional turkey the following Saturday. That Tracy is one good cook and did an excellent job at her first time cooking those meats. She even put her newfound canning skills to good use and canned me some turkey broth! It was also heartening to hear the kids mention ‘family’ as that for which they were most thankful.

We left Arkansas (sad face!) on Dec. 4^th, choosing the scenic route through the Boston Mountains and Ouachita National Forest. It was a dreary, drizzly day, and the scenery was well hidden behind the low clouds. All we came away with was a very dirty motorhome and a very long day. 

It was bittersweet saying good-by to Tracy and her family; kids change so much in a short time and it’s such a blessing to see Tracy and Mike so happy! But we were bolstered by their plans to visit us next summer. 

We spent the night in a picnic area off a secondary highway and found it to be quite a pleasant site. The next morning, we located a Wal-Mart parking lot, disconnected and went to visit Virginia, an old family friend who used to babysit the rowdy Johnson bunch. Later that day, we moved to the north of Dallas/Ft. Worth to another Wal-Mart. It was here the pump relay decided to quit ~ once again ~ so we had no water until morning when Fritz could acquire a replacement.

Saturday morning was quite hectic, with Fritz off to the auto parts store, returning to replace the relay, (so blessed with a resourceful man!) then we moved to an RV park that had an RV wash on site. We scrubbed off the red clay of Oklahoma (no easy task on 36 feet of behemoth!) before squeezing into our tiny site just off a major highway. As soon as we were parked, against all good wisdom, we jumped on that major freeway and drove right through Dallas to reach Fritz’s cousin, Lucille. Construction and accidents abounded and we arrived, frazzled, about an hour later (yes, just to get from one side of Dallas to the other!). Our efforts were rewarded with a delightful lunch and visit with Lucille, who is a recent widow.

We took another route back, on which was located a Costco AND a WinCo, two of our favorite stores that don’t exist in NW Arkansas, so made quick stops at both. We returned home exhausted.

Sunday, we located a small church near where my nephew, George, lives north of Dallas. It was so good to fellowship again, as we had been too ill to go to church for several weeks! Following services, we met up with George, saw his apartment and beloved Nugget (dog) and went to lunch. While Fritz and Nugget napped in the apartment, George took me to a few stores to grab some necessities for our trip. Upon our return, we had a friendly and close game of cribbage. It was good to connect with George again!

It’s been delightful to get to see so many loved ones along our way, but it is draining, especially when we are already running low on energy. So we headed west this morning, anxious to leave the big city behind us, and will go only as far as we feel like. Fritz is napping now and the slower pace is welcomed.

Next stop Tucson, where we’ll catch up with some friends and our niece, Delann, spending about a week there. We had originally planned to spend a month, but our friends are leaving to return home for the holidays. At the same time, we found that some special people will be in California during the holidays, along with others who live there we long to see. So we’ll leave the Tucson area around the 18^th and head for the L.A. area, then down to the San Diego area before returning to Arizona around the middle of January. It’s good to be flexible! 

So, guess I’ll have more to write about in the coming weeks. Til then, may you remember the real reason for the season and avoid being caught up in the commercialism that Christmas has become. Slow down. Meditate on the meaning. Spend time with loved ones and make your days count. God bless!

There hasn't been a lot going on, hence my hiatus from the blog. However, we did decide that we would move to another RV park for our next month. Loved where we were and the people there; they treated us like family. But they closed their restrooms for the season and, with so few RV parks to choose from, decided to head to a favorite spot of ours: Grove, OK.

Good-by Elk River!

Grove is on Grand Lake O' the Cherokees, and we secured a beautiful spot right on the lake facing west. We are treated to lovely sunsets most evenings, and there are great walking areas around here.

When up to capture them, we're also treated to the glowing colors from the sunrise behind us.

Moonset at sunrise

Unfortunately, we're 90 minutes from Tracy, and that's just too far away. We get together as often as we can, but it isn't often enough, as far as I'm concerned.

Last week Tracy and I went shopping for Christmas presents for the kids. That was great fun! And Fritz and I have been snooping around, looking at houses in the event this is where the Lord leads us if our house sells. Certainly can buy a lot more real estate for less bucks than in our neck of the woods!!

The weather has been beautiful! It was 72 degrees Sunday, until Mr. Polar Vortex decided to bluster in! We barely managed to kiss 32 degrees briefly today, and the mercury is sliding back down into the low 20s. Too doggone cold for a motorhome! We're supposed to get over a week of this! It's all I can do to keep Fritz from pulling up stakes and heading to Phoenix. Now I know we can't complain compared to our friends and family in the north; we're all suffering. I keep telling myself "at least we're not having to deal with snow". But even that's not true I've discovered, for 1-3" are forecast for this weekend. That would be equivalent (for the locals) to a foot of snow anywhere in the north! They just don't know how to drive in the stuff, and haven't the equipment to remove it! Ought to be interesting.....

We're looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with Tracy and family and are talking about finding a less-than-perfect RV park that's closer to facilitate that weekend's get-togethers. It'll be our last weekend to spend with the kids. I'm already getting melancholy about leaving. 

Until next time, may you all be counting your many blessings during this season, and may thankfulness become an everyday part of your life.
 

When I last wrote, we were worrying about rising waters. Turns out we were advised to move to higher ground after the next round of thunderstorms. We would have been okay, but I slept better knowing we wouldn't be swept downriver overnight! We moved back the following day. It's astounding how much water can pour into a river in such a short time!

Normally, the water is beyond all those trees in the foreground, and there would be beach and grass where the water is. For perspective, see the tree leaning in the background on the right? Fritz was sitting on the rootball of that tree just a few days earlier.

Since Maddox has been born, there's been less of a demand for my help as Mike took two weeks off to help the family adjust. We still try to get together a couple times a week. One day, we all met at a state park that used to be an old homestead where a photographer friend of the family offered to take photos of the Lindstrom clan. They sure are a good-looking bunch of people!

Later that evening, they joined us at our campsite, where we roasted hot dogs and made s'mores over a campfire. What fun!

A cloud hanging over the family's head since Maddox's birth was the knowledge that he has a whole in his heart. He was referred to a pediatric cardiologist in Little Rock. Tracy and I made the seven-hour round trip on Wednesday. The dr. ran an ECHO cardiogram on Maddox. He was such a trooper! The result: a Praise-the-Lord 'tiny hole' that may close on its own, but even if it doesn't, it should have no impact on his lifestyle! Follow-up in one year, just to see if it has closed. We enjoyed lunch and a beautiful drive home through the Boston Mountains near Fayetteville.

With all this free time on our hands, Fritz and I decided we ought to float that river behind our motorhome, the Elk. Today was the perfect day: 83 degrees and sunny! We set out before 10 a.m. and had a most pleasant float! Because the wind was contrary, there were times we were at a standstill, but in general, the river ran at about 2 miles per hour; a perfect speed. We were on the river about 5 1/2 hours, which was about an hour longer than we would have liked, but enjoyed it immensely.

Can you spot the blue heron on the shore?

Lunch on the Elk River

After all that sun and fun, we're ready to plan our next adventure. It may be catfishing on the Elk......

Til next time......abundant blessings to you and yours!
 

After kissing a lot of toads, so to speak, from Fayetteville, AR to Pineville, MO, we finally found a decent and affordable RV park to call 'home' for the next few months. What a load it has taken off us to have that settled! Unfortunately, our park is in Pineville, a good 40-minutes from Tracy's. Still, it's a nice location, grassy and on the confluence of the Little and Big Sugar Creeks that come together to form the Elk River (a popular rafting river). We understand there's catfish in that there river, and have been eyeballing some fishing gear to see if we can catch any....

Right now, we're a little nervous about being very close to the river, as flash flood warnings have already raised the level by 2-3 feet. There's a sign on an electric pole as we enter the park that marks the flood level on April 25, 2011. Where we're now situated would have been under several feet of water. Nice that we can move our home if we have to! Folks on the other side of the river weren't that fortunate....

On to more important news: After several weeks of waiting for Tracy's contractions to get serious, she was finally scheduled to be induced on Maddox's due date, October 9th. Doctors were concerned about his size, as she was measuring at 42 1/2 weeks when he was 40 weeks! I was home with all five grandchildren that day, as Jack and Kate are on a 2-week school break. Tracy went in at 6 a.m., and Maddox Frederich Lindstrom was born at 2:01 p.m. weighing a whopping 10 lbs. 3 oz and 22" long! He has a full head of jet black hair, and is just perfect! He has mom and dad's long fingers and toes and, apparently, their height! 

I loaded up his five siblings and took them to meet their little brother. They were so excited! Of course, so was I....

Today, two days later, we stopped in to see Mike, Tracy and Maddox on an otherwise kid-free weekend, and Fritz's birthday present was to get to hold his 14th grandchild (along with getting a yummy treat Tracy made for him!)

So....it's recovery time for all of us. It's been an intense few weeks and I've been to Tracy's nearly every day, leaving Fritz a virtual widower. We can expect to achieve a little more balance as the Lindstrom/Little family adjusts to its new equipoise. Mike is home for two weeks to be the guiding force behind that adjustment. We're so grateful for him! He's the calm in the storm, much like Fritz.


Speaking of storms, our last week at the "Hilton" RV park, as I was returning from Tracy's, a tornado siren went off. I was only a mile from home, so made a dash for it. The other RVers joined us in the laundry room until the all-clear sounded. More severe weather is expected tomorrow night. There is also a sturdy restroom/shower area here, if needed. Between severe weather and the rising waters of the river behind us, I don't think we'll be able to really relax until the skies clear early next week!