Oh yes.....here I go again.....the review of the incredible brilliant weather out here in the Sonora Desert!!!!! We were up early......today was the 1st Saturday of the month and this is when the Sunscape RV Park has their monthly "yard sale". It was chilly......but soon after we had started ambling up and down the streets, the wind picked up and......OMG.....it really became chilly very fast. Without a jacket this morning.....I soon found myself hurrying back to TheHowserHouse to put on a sweatshirt.
We went up and down almost all of the streets looking at the unwanted "stuff"......oh yeah....remember last fall when I was yelling about all of the "stuff" people hold on to??? Well.....this was THE "STUFF" that needed to be sold/given to other people so they could have MORE "STUFF" for themselves. I was...and still am....sooooo damn proud of ourselves for not bowing to the internal pressure to purchase a few of these things so we could own them........them="stuff"!!!! It was fun to visit with everyone along the way.....both the sellers and the "stuff" buyers.....and along the way we saw several other rv'ers that we now know.
Returning to TheHowserHouse, I visited briefly with the "landlord"....the man who owns our lot/site......and asked if there was to be anyone else "move in" to this site when we are scheduled to leave...March 10th. We had decided to stay if it was going to be an open site......but,....alas....it is not to be. His sister is arriving from Texas on the 11th......or so he thinks as of this morning. Mr. Chaney(correct spelling) only arrived day before yesterday from the state of Washington to spend the month in his park model which sets next to us. Sooooo, it appears we will move on down the road by this time next weekend.
As it as approaching 11am, the 1st Lady and I decided to go into town......a few things on our lists. We stopped at Home Depot......looking at folding tables for the patio....and also some new floor vents for the heating ducts. Then we remembered that today was the huge Arizona State Open Chili Cook-off competition here in town!!!!! How could we have forgotten something as huge as this event???????????????????????
So we began the hunt for the park here in town where it was being held. Welllllll, it took us almost an hour to locate the place, stopping several times to ask for directions.....and, as is always the case, no one had a clue as to where this event was located!!! But....we persisted and soon we found someone who knew where it was being held......and we were off and going....didn't want to miss it!!
Arriving there, the crowd was very, very large........and I wondered if there would be a place for this long truck of mine......but there were people to assist in parking so we were guided to a place to leave it......in the desert dust. And.........we could smell the chili pots cooking away as we wandered up and down the rows of RV's where the many chili chefs were stirring the pots and beginning to add the final ingredients to the pots.
We nosed our way around.....and enjoyed talking with some of the chili chefs.....and we learned that at 2pm they each had to take a container of their own chili to the judge's tent where it would be tasted and graded in various categories!!! Each "chef" just knew that HIS/HER chili was going to win....!!!! I loved their enthusiasm......and their pride in their chili!!!! GREAT FUN!!!
We had to purchase a ziploc bag which contained a bowl, napkins, and a couple of spoons.....all for $3.00. The minute the chef's returned to their outdoor "kitchen", then they could begin giving out the chili. OMG.....the lines began forming and by 2pm........each "kitchen" had many, many people in line for a tiny....perhaps a 1/4 of a cup...of chili that would be put into your bowl. I looked around........and for a brief moment I was taken back in time 37 years to when I was in Thailand!! Yep......everyone standing in lines with their bowls reminded me of seeing the Buddhist monks going down the streets each morning with their "begging bowls"....all in a line in their orange saffron robes. I will never forget those mornings!!!
HAHHA...the individual dress of those in line today was in sharp contrast to the monks......today it was cowboy hats, ball caps, tight jeans, western clothing, and motorcycle garb. Yep......there were two shows also going on here on the grounds: an antique car/truck show and a motorcycle show. Soooooo, those with their begging bowls were much more animated and loud than the mornings in Thailand.......but today was great fun. We rushed from "kitchen" to "kitchen" trying to get the small tasting of as many different kinds of chili concoctions as we could......before they ran out!!
WOW....couldn't believe the many different recipes for chili........some with way toooo much salt, many without any beans in the chili, lots of chili with LOTS of hot peppers of various kinds, and most with real beef...not just hamburger. Surprisingly.......we had about 10 different kinds and by that time we were not needing or wanting any more. Yep........they always say that the more "heat" that is in the food, the less you eat......and today certainly proved that point! The back of my mouth and throat was on fire.........if I had had some of that damned tumbling weed that blows across the desert roads all the time, I could have started a HUGE fire just by breathing on it!!!
As we finished we sat down and listend to the live music for a brief time. The winds were blowing more and even with the sun beating down on this gathering of chili lovers, the chili didn't keep the chilly winds from bothering us. So, since we didn't know any of the chili chefs.....we found the truck and left........with a very warm feeling...in more ways than one.......for this event!!!
Then we drove south of town and spent and hour or so at the Outlet Mall. Nothing there that we couldn't do without......oh yeah....I did buy a sweatshirt for $9 at The Gap.....a good buy!!!
Across the desert we then went......and returned to TheHowserHouse for a bit of peace and quiet. This evening wasn't quite as quiet as I planned as the 1st Lady sliced into her finger as she was slicing up some of those wonderful Texas naranjas...oranges....that we brought with us when we left there. After some disinfectant and several bandages.....the bleeding from the fairly deep cut began to be controlled and soon all was closer to returning to a normal evening.
A quick visit over at Mac and Gail's and I am now bringing the world up to date on Life in TheHowserHouse..............and as always......
Life is GREAT.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!!
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