Apricity West 2

January 22, 2022, Saturday

Pajama day today - dark, stormy with occasional rain, chilly. We did art projects and musical self-entertainment inside all day. Jodi Shannon was walking by so we invited her in to give her a palette name plate Rich made for her craft - infused glass. She was quite surprised and we asked if we could stop over to see her studio and how she processes her work. Tomorrow...

January 23, 2022, Sunday

Jodi and Jackson (her little dog) greeted us at the door. She had Rich’s palette on display as you entered the house. She has quite a variety of colored glass to work with - a small kiln for jewelry and a large one for plates and larger items. She is 82 years old and has been in this home in North Ranch for 20 years and that is when she started glass infusion…

Rich bought a pair of her earrings to add to his latest creation, Native American Woman, in multi-media. This was his first wood burning which he colored with  acrylic pens, watercolor and the earring. 

January 24&25, 2022, Monday &Tuesday

Absolutely gorgeous sunny day with temps in high 50’s! Met another lone rider woman today. She stopped by as we sat outside soaking up the sun. When I asked where she was from, the answer was, "Anywhere I want to be!” Her name is Lydia - she and her husband sold everything in CA when they retired and went “full-time” to travel and scout out the best place to settle. He ended up with cancer, and died soon after leaving her with a truck and a 36 foot 5th wheel which she traded in for a 36’ Coachman diesel pusher. This put her in an all-in-one rig like ours where her son felt she was safer. She has been widowed for 6 years now and would like to find her 2nd chapter with no success so far. She is retired from law enforcement and that might be a hiccup in her attempts.

 

January 26, 2022, Wednesday - Happy birthday sister, Leslie!

Went to Surprise today to have a farewell lunch with John and Eileen as we leave Congress on February 1. The good news is that we will be in Tucson sharing time and experiences with Terri and Jim for 2 months!

Had a wonderful lunch at Saigon Kitchen...

We stopped at Musical Surprise and walked out with a small Mighty Air bluetooth amplifier, a strap and a quick-release, for my ukulele! 

Still need a mic set up!

January 27, 2022, Thursday

Can’t believe it has been 5 years since my Dad passed! Love and miss you, Dad...

 

The day started off with me sneezing from my toes at 5am - with my CPAP on (which gets quite messy)! And it went on all morning. I started using Flonase yesterday and today had to add on the Claritin to clear up the stuffiness. Today is our (Joanne and I) debut in the Jam Session! It is as much about singing as it is playing, so this isn’t good. After washing the bedding, I swore that I was going to find a way to baracade Lily from our bed which Rich insists is impossible. 

When we came home from the Jam, she was NOT on the bed and the barrier was not disturbed! Training! Training! Training!

 

Well, the debut went well and I AM SO HAPPY THAT WE DID IT! It was my inspiration and goal to do this before we left North Ranch. We played and sang Summertime, My Heart Will Go On, Hallelujah  and Lion Sleeps Tonight. I think the most empowering moment was the last song when Danny played Wagon Wheel and we were able to play along and sing with the words and chords in SongBook on Joanne’s Tablet. It was so fun to play along like we knew what we were doing! Can’t thank Joanne enough for her support and guidance!❤️

Video of us at the Jam is in the body of this email…

 

 

 

Apricity West 2

January 15, 2022, Saturday

Finished the 2nd book of Olive Collins’ Trilogy - The Weaver’s Legacy. She is a terrific writer - it’s like putting a jigsaw puzzle together as she goes back and forth between the late 1800’s and early 1900’s describing the characters of the two generations and the family dynamics. There is always a jaw dropping secret divulged at the last minute. 

Sister Terri and husband, Jim arrived at noon today from Tucson. It is so good to see them again. They were home last September to see the whole family which was great. We get an added bonus for traveling out here and handmade birthday card created by Sis…

We had a nice lunch at Nichol’s and then drove up to Yarnell to show them the small town, the Emporium where we bought their sun catcher, and where the new Barnstar Brewery will be opening next month. Then we came back to the camper and shared beverages, shrimp cocktail, music, and conversation. They brought 6 beautiful and delicious pink grapefruit from their tree in the back yard. 

January 16, 2022, Sunday

Lunch at Hassayampa BBQ - this was my Monstrous Loaded Baked Potato

Hassayampa comes from a Yavapai Indian word - Hayesamo meaning “following the water as far as the water will go.”Apaches referred to it as "underground river as it flows” as it is underground most of the way. 

 

Covered Wagon Tour of Wickenburg - we were disappointed that Wayne Elliott was not there to serenade us, but enjoyed the ride, courtesy of Sid and Sam - 16 hands high. 

On to the Downtown Arena for more cowboy roping. Jim sat next to a cowboy and extracted a lot of information from him...

Couldn’t wait to see Terri and Jim’s Airbnb shipping container home. It is in walking distance from Safeway, yet removed from traffic. It is modern, homey, efficient and comfortable with 2 lofts, an entertainment unit, convenient kitchen, and bathroom with walk-in shower and washer/dryer set up.

January 17, 2022, Monday

Wickenburg Western Museum - if you haven’t been there, I highly recommend going. They have done a fantastic job of displaying and sharing the Western experience in a relatively small footprint with only 2 levels. 

In 1863, Vulture Mine was a gold mine and settlement and became the most productive gold mine in Arizona history. As it grew, itinerant merchants came to service the needs of the miners, at first selling goods from the backs of their wagons and from tents. Land along the Hassayampa River provided and ideal location for a town and permanent buildings were soon constructed for homes and businesses. Gardens, orchards, and farms prospered along the river and ranchers raised cattle and sheep. The town of Wickenburg was born!

LOWER LEVEL PICTURE OF STORE FRONTS

Sadly, the young actor pictured in the video in the body of this email was hit by a car and killed in 2019. He was 6’8” tall and contributed much time to the physical development of the downstairs portion of the museum. 

 

WHERE THE COOK WAS KING OF THE CHUCK WAGON:

With the arrival of hot summer temperatures, ranchers herded their cattle, goats, and sheep to higher elevations. A public trail for driving animals, known as a "stock driveway,” stretched from Phoenix through Wickenburg and north to Williams. The herds returned to the desert floor as cold weather descended on the high-country.

The chuck wagon was used to transport food and supplies for trail crews and served as the cowboy cook's home base on long drives. The cook was second in the chain of command only to the trail boss, because the morale and teamwork of the group depended upon his culinary skills. The cook's tools of choice were the Dutch oven (a cast iron pot with legs and a rimmed lid) and the coffee pot. They were heated at the campfire.

PROVISIONS FOR 1,000 MILE DRIVE FOR 12 PEOPLE

300 pounds salt pork
500 pounds flour
50 pounds salt

100 pounds coffee
50 pounds baking powder
10 pounds pepper
200 pounds onions

500 pounds beans
50 pounds sourdough starter
500 pounds potatoes

50 pounds dried chilis
50 pounds dried garlic
50 pounds lard
200 pounds dried fruit

 

Before the invention of barbed wire, Osage orange hedges were commonly used in the mid-west to keep animals and trespassers out of fields and gardens. In this part of the country, ocotillo stalks were sometimes used for this purpose. Barbed wire, first patented in 1867, was advertised as "The finest fence in the world. Light as air. Stronger than whiskey. Cheaper than dirt." Cattlemen began using it to fence their land. This put an end to the "open range" concept and eventually to the huge cattle trail drives. In 1950, 482,000,000 pounds of barbed wire were manufactured and sold as compared to 10,000 pounds in 1874.

Vi and George Wellik first saw the Flying E dude ranch in April of 1949 and began to invest in the property, taking it over in 1960. Vi was a popular local horsewoman and philanthropist. This outfit was made for her by the famous Western outfitter "Nudie" Cohn, which she wore while riding in the 1970 Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California. The saddle and drape she used in the parade are also on display here in the Quayle Family Gallery, and all items were donated to the Desert Caballeros Western Museum by Vi Wellik.

This magnificent parade saddle was made by Edward Bohlin for C.C. Whitcomb. Vi Wellik bought it and rode in this saddle at the 1970 Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California, along with the drape, made by famed designer "Nudie" Cohn. The drape complements the "Nudie" outfit she also wore in the parade, on display here in the Quayle Family Gallery. Vi Wellik donated the saddle to the Desert Caballeros Western Museum.

We came back to North Ranch and gave T&J the tour of the Club House to see where the dancing and jam session take place. Sat outside the camper for cocktails and then went inside for a delicious steak dinner a la Rich. 

 

January 18, 2022, Tuesday

Went to Anita’s Cocina for an early lunch before T&J headed back to Tucson. Can’t believe the number of people who eat a full Mexican meal at 10:30am like us. 

 

January 19, 2022, Wednesday

Did my 2 hours of line dancing with relatively good results. Had lunch and then walked to Joanne’s to play ukulele for an hour, then a walk back to the camper. 

 

January 20, 2022, Thursday

Joanne and Denny invited us to tag along to Quartzsite, 1.5 hours west of us, for Dottie’s Margarita Party complimented with homemade chili, live music (Denny, Harvey, and Wayne), potluck buffet, and a huge bonfire. It was a fun-filled 11 hour day, with Denny doing the bulk of the work - driving, setting up, and entertaining. We stopped along the way for breakfast at the Black Rock Cafe...

Quartzsite is a popular RV destination due to the weather, free camping options, and trade show in January. Small camps emerge as different groups of RVers park together - SOLO’s (singles), Boomers, SKP’s, etc. About 100 people were at Dottie’s party with the RV’s circled around the campfire like covered wagons of old. 

Dottie even smoothed out a section for line dancing! 

Apricity West 2

January 9, 2022, Sunday

Great find on our bike ride today - FREE lemons! There are so many fruit trees on the properties here. Love it when they share the bounty!

January 10, 2022, Monday

Dance class today and I realize that I am actually utilizing muscle memory in my feet to do the dances with much more ease (Beginners coordination?). I stay for Intermediate class and it seems more doable than it did. Miss you, Lu! Get ready - I am gathering beginners step sheets and song choice to bring on the road with me…

 

January 11, 2022, Tuesday 

Rich has been hard at work doing commission work:

Also, he gifted these flamingo cards for Kathy Benton:

This is her yard - she is quite enamored with famingoes!

January 12, 2022, Wednesday

Did another Costco run with John and Eileen, followed by a delicious lunch - this time Italian! 

Babbo’s Pasta Valducci - Delicious! 

 

January 13, 2022, Thursday

Rich “pretending” to be sitting in the jam circle! One day it WILL happen...

January 14, 2022, Friday

Birthday today! Went to practice ukulele with Joanne and invited them to go to the Elks with us for Fish Fry Friday which they were happy to do. Joanne walked me home after practice and on her way back one of her friends stopped her to ask if she was "going tonight". She asked “where?" To the Elks to see Two of a Kind (Wayne Elliott and Ed Rice)! What a surprise - they know them well and Ed plays in the North Ranch jam often. There were a lot of North Ranchers there tonight.

Ed and Wayne - Two of a Kind

A great time was had by all…

Stay tuned for next week’s blog as the editors in chief (Terri and Jim) will be paying us an in-person visit. We will be seeing Wayne again on Sunday afternoon for our covered wagon tour of Wickenburg. Can’t wait! 

Apricity West 2

January 2, 2022, Sunday

As I mentioned before, I have been trying to understand my newly acquired allergies for several years now. I have been going through what seems like cases of tissues lately. My mom has a cat and I was a snotty, sneezing mess the whole time I stayed with her. I noticed that I did not sneeze or blow my nose at all while traveling cross county! Then I walked into the motor home with Lily the cat greeting me, and immediately started a sneezing fit! I am pretty sure that is the source of my distressed reactions. I also switched from my usual Zyrtec to Claritin the next day and did not notice a difference immediately, but will persevere for a while. 

I think we’re on to something - Lily isn’t allowed on the bed at night, but always hops on to claim her turf while I make it in the morning. She stays snuggled up on or near my pillow all day! Last night, we pulled a heavy blanket out of storage to see if she would use it during cold nights at the other end of the camper. The bed has been made for an hour and she is still on the blanket! Yay!

January 3, 2022, Monday

I went to Line Dancing Class this morning with a mask on. I made it known that I was not exposed to anything that I know of, but since I was around hundreds of people, who knew? One of the teachers also had a mask on as she was in a room with someone who tested positive. The togetherness of the holiday season is the culprit along with the highly contagious new strain, Omicron. I was surprised to manage 2 hours of dancing with the mask on, and felt so much better about it that I did. 

 

January 4, 2022, Tuesday

Rich went into Art Club with Tom Kern this morning and was happy to present him with a customized palette for his table during craft fairs. Tom was elated and another member already commissioned one for her display.

January 5, 2022, Wednesday

There was more disclosure of new Covid cases in North Ranch at dance class and I was glad I still wore the mask there. Those who have been sick were down for 3 to 4 weeks and one fellow dancer ended up with pneumonia after that. I plan to wear mine at the Jam Session tomorrow and at Friday’s line dancing. Then I will reassess.

My new friend, Lu, left today for parts unknown. She and her husband are looking for a place to settle. They sold their house in Nevada and went full time (camping) a year ago. They want to find the perfect place to plant themselves and really like Arizona. They stopped at Rovers’ Roost RV park between Phoenix and Tucson and really like what they have to offer - line dancing in particular for her. We hope to meet up again in Deming, New Mexico the first week of April. 

Lunch at the Elks

Historic Back Bar

It’s hard to see the beauty of this bar, but the history is very interesting:

Lodge No. 2160

History of Wickenburg Elks Bar Con Beastrom, first Exalted Ruler, had an idea to put an old-time bar in the Lodge. He spoke to Tom Cousins, who told him about a bar in the Lions Club in Gallup, New Mexico. The bar originally was in a saloon in Silverton, Colorado, before 1850, and was purchased by a Mr. Gurley of Gallup. Our Lodge found out they could get it for $500. The Lodge sold a Life Membership to Belford Howard to get the money for the bar, finances being somewhat short in the Lodge at that time.

In May of 1960 Houston Anders and Con Beastrom left on a Thursday night in Mike Courtney's truck to pick up the bar for our Elks Lodge. The bar was stored 40 miles north of Gallup in a tavern, and was torn down and scattered all over the floor. After they got there they had nothing to wrap it in, so they had to go back the 40 miles to Gallup to get things to wrap the bar in, to keep the mirrors from breaking. This wrapping was all supposed to be done before they got there. They worked all Friday and got back time to see Houston's daughter graduate on Friday night.

It was unloaded at the Lodge, and was erected as it now stands.

The pillars were countersunk into the back bar so that if the Lodge got quarters with a higher ceiling they could be brought up the their original height. George Blakney raised $1000 to put in the present mirrors; the original mirrors were in bad shape. The Lodge members put in countless hours removing the old varnish and refinishing it.

At a later date Houston Anders and his son Noble drove to Phoenix to pick up some chairs and kitchen equipment given to the Lodge by Mr. Hyder.

This history of the bar was supplied by Houston Anders, R.D. Jones and Mrs. Tom Cousins.

The reason for this history being compiled was because many visiting Elks, and their Ladies and guests, in admiring the bar, have asked for its history.

 

January 6, 2022, Thursday

Rich has breakfast with the guys on Thursdays, but today the Horseshoe was closed due to staffing issues. So they went to Denny’s and they are now jus doing takeout. So they went to Hassayampa and the place was packed. He always orders biscuits and sausage gravy - yummy! 

 

January 7, 2022, Friday

Went to Joanne and Denny Evans' house today to practice ukulele. She has been playing for a couple of years. It was awesome to play with someone else and to learn numerous tricks and tips. Our goal is to join the Jam Session circle on January 27th, the last jam that I will be here at North Ranch. Joanne’s daughter lives in Avon, CT and she has a 10 year old and 12 year old. They go to the Big Y (where sister Leslie worked for years) to get lemon donuts whenever they are there. She plays pickle ball and loves to walk - I will not be doing pickle ball, but will walk any chance I get.

We had a new Casita park across the way from us today, and Rich recognized her as Marilyn who we met in Deming last year. At that time, she was excited to be turning in her tear drop for a Casita and now she actually came to North Ranch for the Boot Camp scheduled in February. Boot Camp is a week of instructions on safety, fire prevention, maintenance, driving school, Smart Weight (to see if your rig is overweight for the axel specs), etc. for RV owners. The Escapee organization schedules this annually in various Escapee RV Parks. 

 

I told her there were several other lone women in the park and how much I admire their bravado. She in turn said that she bows down to people who have been married for 30 years!! As we chatted, she recalled that our knitting conversation last year was life changing for her - how to turn the heel of a sock!! Do you see this, Leslie? Yes me, with knowledge of how to turn a heel!! Who knew? Good journalist that I am, I asked if I could get a picture of her with the Casita and she was happy to do it. As I walked toward her, I had to step over 1 high railroad ties (I thought). It turns out is was 2 high railroad ties, and my foot was not high enough to clear it. So I had to decide in a split second if I wanted to do a face plant in the gravel, or chest plant! As I dropped to my knees (ouch) I put my hands out in front of me with one holding my phone, and did all I could do to land this large mass gracefully and painlessly. Thankfully, the phone did not break and I just had a few cuts on my palm and a blood blister on my thumb. My chest and shins were protected by clothing. Poor Marilyn didn’t know what to do. The first words I uttered were, I’m OKand Did anyone see me? I recovered quickly and went on with the conversation as if nothing happened. 

Since we are leaving in 3 weeks, I find myself in count down mode - getting pictures I should have taken before now. Our new BFF UPS gal, Jennie, is such a great personality and we have a lot of fun teasing with here. We are one of her best customers with our habit of ordering online rather than going to stores if we can help it. 

From there Rich and I went to the Elks and I talked with the young cowboy about being a Roadie for grampa and gramma as he stood in front of the MIA POW table set for one. I wish he would get a chance to play with the band - I saw him strumming before the gig started. 

When I got back to the table, I was pointing out which player was his grampa to Rich, knocking over my wine, shattering the glass all over the place! I swear the glass had just hit the table when several people rushed to the rescue with towels to clean it all up. Then a full glass of wine was placed in front of me as if nothing ever happened. Poor Rich - he didn’t know how many embarrassing moments he was in for!

By the way, Claritin seems to be working well - praise God!