Sunday, February 25, 2007

Day 54: Mesa Swap Meet Shopping........

Ahhh.......do you get a bit tired of me talking about this FANTASTIC weather out here??? Huh??? I BET YOU DO!!!!! I'm damn sure I would if I was sitting somewhere right now reading this and the cold, wet winds were blowing against the windows and the crunch of ice and snow could be heard by the cars slipping down the street. SORRRRYYYYY!! But...it has been another incredibly gorgeous day......and we love them!!!! (try to visualize the bright blue sky above the browns and beiges of the desert, the bluish/purple craggy mountains in the distance, with the temps in the low 70's and little, if any, wind)

After a couple of cups of Fr Roast coffee, we jumped into the truck, went around the corner, and picked up Mac and Gail for our trip up to Mesa and the HUGE Swap Meet which is only open Friday thru Sunday. It is difficult to describe how LARGE this place is........acres of parking for the hundreds and hundreds of vehicles, and four long, long shed like structures filled on both sides of the walking aisle with 1600 stalls and booths selling everything from dried mangoes and soy nuts to huge southwestern items that would necessitate a mansion to house.

So, you ask.....what did we buy???? I bought a new wallet......a good buy for only $6.00, a knife sharpner, and I believe we will return next weekend to purchase an area rug for TheHowserHouse den. We found the one we wanted but we thought it would be toooooo wide to fit between the heating vents on the floor. Soooo, we decided to return and re-measure it one more time. I really do believe that it will work.....it will only hang over each vent about 1/2"....which leaves PLENTY of room for the heat to enter the room without causing any damage to the furnace. We also purchased four drink coasters of a sandstone and southwestern design that do not jump up and hit you in the face.......very monochromatic like the desert we see each day. Can't you tell that we are the "last of the big spenders"???

After about three hours at this most interesting place to shop, we were hungry!!! And....so after several cell phone calls to get the correct driving instructions from friends back down in Casa Grande, we found "Filly's"......a large western watering hole that serves wonderful chicken!!! Well....when we arrived all parking spaces were filled, the extra lot was filled, and the street was lined on both sides by cars and pickups. Loud country-western music was blaring loudly from the rear of the building where a couple of hundred people were sitting at long tables, eating, having some cold beer, and dancing to live music. Among these people were many in western dress including chaps.....and everyone having a great time under the tall and very, very old saguaro cacti. A bit farther back were many horses tethered to a rail........standing there patiently as their riders enjoyed the bright sun and the cool long necks and doing the country two-step.

As there was no place to sit, we entered from the front of the cafe/bar and sat close to the back entrance so we could watch the crowd and enjoy the music. The food was really good, the Corona that I consumed quickly was cold and thirst-quenching.....and we enjoyed an hour on a Sunday afternoon in an Arizona watering hole.

Returning to Sunscape RV Park and TheHowserHouse........we carried all of our purchased inside.....all three items. And.....now as I write this I am being constantly interrupted as my attention turns to the Oscar presentations. This is a great show........soooo different than many, many of these shows. LOVE the shadow figures as they roll out behind the screen and form various shapes and figures..........soooooo creative!!!!!!!!! IF you didn't see this.......well, that is toooo bad......it is super!

It has been another great day.......relaxing but filled with sights, aromas, and sounds that make Life soooo enjoyable......and because of all of these things.....

LIFE IS GREAT.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!

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