The Duttons

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and ready to ring in the New Year.  Judy and I had a nice Christmas here in Apache Junction.  Judy prepared a nice Christmas dinner for us and we had a relaxing day of football watching.
Our friends Terry and Rose, invited Judy and I out a couple of weeks ago for a Dec. 29th evening out.  They did not provide any information other than tell us it would be a surprise.  They picked us up at the RV last evening at 5PM and we had dinner at a Mexican Restaurant that we all really enjoy.  The only clue they gave us about the plans for afterwards was the venue would be at East Valley High School.  Judy and I could not imagine what was planned for the evening.  Once we arrived at the high school theatre, we discovered we were going to be treated to an evening with The Duttons.  I have to admit we had no idea who the Duttons were. At that time Judy and I did not realize that we were in for a Great night of entertainment.  Terry had reserved our seats in the 3rd row center from the stage. Perfect seats to enjoy the show. To learn more about the Duttons, CLICK. 
The Duttons are a family musical group who perform in Branson, MO at their theatre.  The act includes Mom & Dad, 8 children and 26 grandchildren. Oh, what a show. I can’t wait to see them in Branson.  Thanks so much, Terry and Rose.
The Duttons
    

      
The Duttons Video 1
Classical violin
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Spec. Wyatt Martin

Apache Junction, AZ

Saturday morning as most of us were running errands getting ready for Christmas eve, Spec. Wyatt Martin was being buried in Mesa, AZ. about four miles from where we are. He was killed in action in Afghanistan two weeks ago.

    

Spec Martin’s obituary

Martin, Wyatt Joseph US Army Spc. Wyatt Joseph Martin E4, 22, a Mesa, AZ native, was born unto his heavenly fathers' home on Dec. 12, 2014. He was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in the Parwan Province. Martin was assigned to the 3rd Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division of Fort Hood, Texas. Wyatt joined the Army because he wanted to give back. Wyatt loved the outdoors. After his time in the Army, Wyatt planned to go to Michigan State University and then become a fish and game officer. Wyatt graduated from Skyline High School in Mesa. Wyatt is survived by his parents Brian and Julie, sisters Katie and Beth, grandparents Joe and Joan Martin, Uncles: David Martin, Jeff Martin, Roger Martin, Scott Grace and Rob Grace, Aunts Katie Dornbos, Susan Fedele and Cindy Jewell and also his several adoring and co-mischievous cousins. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, December 23, 2014 from 1700 - 2000 at Mariposa Gardens Memorial Park and Funeral Care, 6747 East Broadway Road, Mesa, Arizona 85206. Funeral Mass will begin at 1000, Wednesday, December 24, 2014 at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 1244 South Power Road, Mesa, Arizona 85206. Funeral Honors Services will conclude at Mariposa Gardens Memorial Park following the Funeral Mass on Wednesday, December 24, 2014. Wyatt's family has requested that in lieu of flowers; please make contributions to the Wounded Warrior Project.  "If something happens to me, know that I went happy".

Angel Flight video

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Merry Christmas to ALL

Apache Junction, AZ

It is the time of year that most of us take  time to reflect on family and friends. Some of which we see often and some we haven’t seen in years. The family and friends we do see often, know they are in our thoughts and that they have impacted our lives. 

Judy and I have lived a nomadic lifestyle for the most part, since we were in our early twenties. Forty years later we are still living it.  During those years we have met many, many wonderful friends that we have not, nor will we ever forget. They may not realize that, even though we haven’t seen them in years, we still think of them. 

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

That is all for now. Thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: Probably after the New Year

Day Trip: Goldfield Ghost Town

Apache Junction, AZ

A couple of days ago we took a ride out to Goldfield Ghost Town. In the 1890s it was a boom town with fifty working mines in the shadows of the Superstition Mountains.  When the gold vein failed the town went bust in the late 1890s/early1900s.  Today, it is a themed tourist attraction with shops, restaurants, jeep tours out into the desert, and gunfight re-enactments!

     

   

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Apache Junction Update: Dec. 12, 14

Even though we have been here three weeks Judy and I have not gotten any day trips in. We have just been too busy.  This week was no exception.

It is  time for our annual physicals and dental appointments. Living on the road presents challenges for health care. Judy took care of her dental requirements before we left Madras but I need to get a dental check-up while we are in Apache Junction. We do not like to find health care professionals by choosing them on-line (think phone book) so we try to get references from locals where we are. Our task is a little simpler here because our PGE co-workers Rose and Terry live here in the area during the off season and have established long term relationships with health care providers. Rose has recommended a dermatologist, primary care doctor, and a dentist.  That was a big help.

Judy was concerned about a spot she noticed a couple of weeks ago so she went the dermatologist  last week. She was relieved to be informed that it was nothing to worry about.  Wednesday we met with the primary care doctor, whom we both felt very comfortable with. After a short “get to know you” session he arranged for us to have blood work and  also arranged for Judy to have a chest x-ray. He indicated that he liked to have the results from those before  performing the  physical  exams.  Judy had the x-ray the same day and we took care of the blood work Thurs. at the lab arrange by the doctors staff. The office called today and informed us that all the work-ups were in and let us know our physicals would take place in a couple of weeks.

I have also been working on  replacing the CR-V we sold before heading west last March. In all honesty, I would rather get a root canal than go through the car purchasing process!  I happened to see a commercial for  TrueCar.com, on TV sponsored by USAA.  I decided to check it out on-line. I decided to use the service and was pleased with it. Judy and I accepted the offered  deal with a few negotiated changes.  We will be taking possession of the 2015 CR-V EX L w/Navigation once it is delivered  around the 26th of Dec. More about this later.

We are still active with shuffleboard. Judy and I played in an inter-park match today. She is getting her walks around the park in daily.

Getting the shuffle boards ready for play 

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: about a week

Returning to Pelton Park for 2015

Judy and I received a phone call from Portland General Electric’s (PGE) talent acquisition dept. Wed. officially offering us the Camp Host / Maintenance position at Pelton Park in Madras, Oregon.  We are excited to be returning to the park.  We will be returning in mid April 2015.

      

Tue. we had a visit from Terry and Rose, fellow PGE temps like us.  They ran  PGE’s Round Butte Dam Overlook day use area near Pelton Park. They have a home in the nearby community of Queens Creek. I thought they were sixty miles away, but it is only a short 15 miles from us. They dropped by to visit awhile and then we had lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. Terry suggested that we follow them back to their home to continue our conversation and to show us the way so when we visited again we would know how to get there.  I was surprised at how close they lived from our park. Terry and Rose have a beautiful home. 

     

Judy and I are continuing our routine at the park.  We played in our first inter-park shuffleboard match Thurs.  Afterwards, our team hosted a get-together for refreshments with the visiting team.

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Next blog: about a week

Apache Junction- Update 1

Apache Junction, AZ  

Judy and I have been at our winter park for exactly one week.  We are still getting used to the park routine.  I have not finished unpacking things from the basement area yet that usually comes out for extended stays, such as the grill and tables. That will be my project for today.

Judy and I have joined one card group and the morning shuffleboard group.  I plan to take advantage of the exercise facilities but haven’t gotten around to it yet.  Judy is working on her “walking routine”.  The computer club will be presenting a number of classes for computer users of different skill levels from novice to advanced.  Judy and I are going to sign up for the Excel class.

This being the first week, we haven’t ventured out for any day trips.  I am looking forward to getting up into the nearby Superstition Mountains.  The Grand Canyon is within driving distance also.

Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving by stopping by a local restaurant for the holiday meal and then went to see a movie.  Many of the park residents participated in the park sponsored dinner. 

The movie we chose to view was “MockingJay Part 1”.  The movie is the third in the “Hunger Games” trilogy. I agree with the decision to divide the book into two movies.  If you plan to go see the movie and have not seen the previous two or read the books, I recommend you rent the first two movies first. 

MockingJay Trailer:    

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Superstition Sunrise RV Resort

Apache Junction, AZ

Judy and I have been at the Superstition Sunrise RV Resort only about five days but we are settled and getting the routine down. We know many of our RVer friends are curious as to how this park compares to Adelaide Shores RV Resort in Florida. That would not be a fair comparison  because one park is smaller and family operated and located in Florida and the other is a much larger park located in the desert southwest in AZ. One factor that is equal,  the residents of both parks are friendly and gave us very warm welcomes.

There is plethora of activities and amenities offered at Superstition Sunrise RV Resort. In fact there is enough to keep you busy from before sunrise to well after sunset 24/7.   I am not going to list them but if you view their web site you can see what all is offered. CLICK

Park Pics (click to enlarge)

     

     

         

    

     

   

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: about a week

Travel Day: Apache Junction, AZ

By 8:00 AM Saturday morning Judy and I had hitched the RV to the truck and departed Naval Air Station Point Mugu, for the 470 miles drive to our wintering location in Apache Junction, Arizona. We thought about extending through Monday but I didn’t want to drive through Los Angeles on a workday.  As it turned out, I was right to leave as scheduled on Sat. because the traffic proved to be light.

Our plan was to drive to Desert Center CA , the half way point  and find a place to stop for the night.  We made it there by 1:00 PM but neither of us were ready to stop for the day so we pushed on another 170 miles (400 for the day).  We could have made it all the way to Apache Junction but we would have arrived after dark.  We decided to stop at a TravelCenters of America (TA) Truck Stop for the night.  Since it was only 5:15 PM there were plenty of parking sites available.  It doesn’t take long for the parking lot to fill up when the truckers start rolling in after dark.

  TravelCenters America- Tonopah, AZ

Judy and I pulled out of the truck stop at 7:30 for the remaining 70 miles to our winter park, Superstition Sunrise RV Resort. The drive through Phoenix was traffic free..  We arrived at the park around 9:00 AM and checked in.  We were escorted to site 339. The park is much larger than Adelaide Shores in Florida, where we wintered the previous two winters. I am sure we will enjoy it here but we will miss our Florida friends.

     

         

Our neighbors, Boyd and Josie stopped by and welcomed us to the park.  After getting simi-settled in we took it easy for the rest of the day.  Judy and I will officially check-in Monday morning and get briefed on the scheduled activities.  I’ll take some pics around the park tomorrow and post them in the next blog.

Our journey from Madras, Oregon to Apache Junction, AZ covered 1,775 towing miles. The route down the west coast resulted in about 500 additional miles over the direct route.  Judy and I agree the coast route was worth each one of the additional miles and then some!

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Next blog: in a day or so.

 

A day at the Library, The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

Today I was excited to be going to visit the Ronald  Reagan Presidential Library.  To me, President Reagan is the best President of the modern era. The library is situated in the mountains of Simi Valley, Ca.  Being in the Navy during the “Hollow Force” era under President Carter I was thankful that President Reagan undertook a massive rejuvenation and modernization of the United States Armed Forces. This policy of Peace Through Strength eventually led to the end of the Cold War and the demise of the Soviet Union. Sadly, much of this is being dismantled by the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.  

Keep in mind that there are many exhibits that aren’t included herein.

    

    

Panel of Berlin Wall 

    

    Berlin Wall Display

     

     

 

    

Ronald Wilson Reagan 1911-2004       

To take a tour, CLICK

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