HELLO AGAIN FROM MESA, ARIZONA

January continues with our usual social outings with friends. This month's pot luck dinner with the seniors at Trinity Baptist was a celebration of birthdays for the year. Granny Debbie came to share her humor after dinner. She proceeded to show her props including glasses for the class optometrist, John! Her humor continued with a "dress" challenging our imagination of what it would be like to be young again!! Food was delicious and way too much!! First time I have seen a pot luck with so many corn casseroles. Very seldom do you see so many of the same!! Ours is in our freezer now. We spent a second Friday evening going back to Organ Stop Pizza with a first time workamping couple, Eddie and Pam from Arkansas and our Ohio friends, Bill and Jane. We don't get too much of the organ music!! I usually have a five hour day doing scrapbooking each Monday. And Gary usually finds something to run out and about for while I scrapbook. Last week we decided that we girls do not get enough time visiting, so we went to lunch in Scottsdale at Grand Lux Cafe on Tuesday. Not a place that I can afford very often, but it was very nice for a change!! Our Resort has the usual venue of entertainment and we try to do it all, when possible. It is free to us as workampers unless it is "big name" or with dinner. Then we have to buy tickets like everyone else. We got to see Jimmy Travis from Branson. He sings and plays guitar, as well as his comedian routine. He was very good and we enjoyed it immensely!!

Then we had crazy fingers Gordy for our ice cream social. I just love his style of playing also.

The last event this past week was the "Death Ahoy" murder mystery dinner show. We had prime rib and a lot of fun trying to solve the mystery. Of course, we were not correct, but it was fun none the less and we met new people in the park.

The cast was people who work in the offices, the resort manager, our boss the activity director and fellow volunteer workers. The murderer was the gal in the white hat. We thought that it might be Keri, as it had been her for the past two years, and we were going to call her the serial killer. Not!! She got a reprieve this year.

That is our fun for about two weeks, so stay tuned and see what we find to do for the next two weeks. We really need to be doing some new sight seeing also. It does make the time go quickly. Much too quickly, really. Stop back to see us.

WE BEGIN OUR NEW WINTER SEASON IN ARIZONA

Just wanted to share with our grandson the pictures taken from the airplane as Audrey left Pensacola Florida for Ohio before Christmas. Neat Photos, eh?

We sure rode above the clouds!!

On our trip west we stopped in Memphis Tennessee at Graceland. Of course, convincing Gary was easier since I was driving!! We have been through there several times but had not stopped before.

I took pictures of both the front and back views of the house, as well as many of the rooms inside and the Hall of Fame. The decorating of much of the house was not in good taste for a Georgian Colonial. However, the parents bedroom, the dining room and the front living room on the first floor were more tastefully done and the kitchen was large and modern for the '70s. Maybe I will share those pictures later. I wished that the second floor would have been open for tour, but it was not.

The Meditation Garden beyond the swimming pool was pretty and inspirational.

Myself, the swimming pool was my favorite!! There were also horse barns and fenced corral since Elvis liked riding.

Driving into New Mexico we found our first snow of the trip, getting a little deeper as we drove on west.

After leaving Gary's cousins, Mildred and Zollie, in New Mexico, we took a new route through the mountains east of Mesa Arizona for a change. Since much of it is Indian reservation, we stopped at one of their casinos for a restroom break. Of course, we had to try the penny machines!! When our $20. became $25 it was time to quite and hit the road again!! That is our philosophy and we're sticking to it!!

Our first excursion after arriving at Mesa Regal Resort was to the children's Christian Home in Mesa, Sunshine Acres. Gary has volunteered to teach a graphite pencil art class to seven junior high students. He will begin this Wednesday and has already met the students.

We toured this home last February also, so I will not show the rooms again. They have seven one floor houses, each housing ten school age children. Their plan is to build thirteen more houses in the near future. The Christian influence is very visible on the facility by the church.

The view of the desert and mountains from the front of the sanctuary is awesome!! Wouldn't you agree?

The horse barn built from a check received from western actor, Ben Johnson, is very dominant also. The children raise different kind of animals for 4H projects as well as the horses that they ride.

If you enlarge these pictures from their walls, you will get some idea of what they started out with back in 1953. It is amazing and the founder's children and grandchildren are very much involved still.

Last Friday evening we went to Organ Stop restaurant for pizza and spaghetti with friends, Bill and Jane. It was fun and we have decided to go back this weekend also with another couple also.

So as you can see we are settling in. It seems like "home" now!!

Tune in again and maybe we will get more adventurous. Take care and stay warm.

HOLIDAYS IN FLORIDA AND OHIO

After leaving Oregon the first of November we dropped the motor home in Arizona where we planned to settle for the winter. At that time our plans changed and we left in the car for New Orleans and the Florida panhandle to visit with Audrey's two brothers before going on to Ohio for the holidays. Our time then became so hectic that Audrey was not able to do the Blog and we did not do any sightseeing to share with you either. Now that we are back in Arizona I will do a little catch-up. We begin work here in the park tomorrow. I will work in the construction office and Gary has two colored pencil art classes to teach here in the park. One of his classes will be new people and the class on Friday will be the people that he had in his first class last year. So we are looking forward to our new schedule. Now backing up in my story, we visited with Audrey's brothers while her sister was down from Ohio also. Early in November our oldest brother went with Gary and I to celebrate my sister's birthday at a Logan's steakhouse. We were so hungry for a good steak, so it was very much a pleasure!! Gary and I then left for Ohio for holidays with our children. We spent Thanksgiving at our oldest son's house and all were there except for our step-granddaughter and her boy friend. We missed you!! The turkey was great and Vic is always glad to have mom home when she is willing to cook and keep up with the dishes!! I even managed to get some cookies baked for them. Our daughter-in-law helped with kitchen duty, while the guys did their usual, watching movies and playing computer games!! While we enjoyed our dinner in Ohio, Audrey's relatives were enjoying Thanksgiving at a great nephew's house in Florida. Our last visit with them had been in Norfolk not much more than a year ago. How the boys have grown!! Sorry we could not be with you also!! After the first of December, Audrey decided to return to Florida to spend time with her brothers so that her sister could return to Ohio. After I was there for three weeks, Sis and I changed places again. Now I had a few days for Christmas before Gary and I began the long drive to Arizona again. And all before the snow began to fall!! Audrey's gift to her daughter-in-law, of course, is the usual breakfast at their house. It was awesome breaking in the new oak floor that our son drove himself to have finished for Christmas. It is beautiful and we can hardly wait until he gets the insulation and walls finished as well as the entertainment center!! I doubt that it will be by next Christmas, but I do expect that he will make good progress. Rich also had a job that he was doing for his wife's step-dad. So he took his son along and broke him in on some of the work!! Good idea!!

This is the pattern in the center of the floor and it looks great!! I am sure that John was very pleased!!

We stopped on our trip west and had a day's visit with Gary's cousin in New Mexico again. And that is always so enjoyable!! They have traveled a lot in their lives and thus have many stories to share. Mildred and Zollie, thanks again for that lovely visit!! We are wishing you both a very healthy and happy New Year.

Now that we are back "home" in our house on wheels, we are relaxing and planning some sight seeing and fun. We stopped to tour Elvis' Graceland in Memphis on our way through, and I will share those pictures with you in the next Blog. I am sure that you are all holding your breath to see those!!

Gary will also be volunteering to teach a pencil art class at Sunshine Acres, a children's home here in the Mesa area. So he went out today to meet his seven students. Later we went back to the home for a tour with our Ohio friends who are wintering here in Mesa as our neighbors. It is always such an inspiring tour because of the way that the home was started in 1953, without borrowing money and without accepting government funding. They do not solicit funds, but with a thrift store, individual donations and organization's donations they have developed a very well rounded educational Christian home for disadvantaged children. They have great plans for more growth in the near future!!

Stay tuned and I will try to get back into a routine again with the Blog. We are praying that you all have a wonderful New Year!!