Saturday, March 03, 2007
DAY 60!! State Chili Cook-off......
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!!!!!!
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!!!!!!
Friday, March 02, 2007
Day 59: Swap Meet purchase/Olive Mill
Here I go again!!!!! Oh yeah......it was one of those fabulous Arizona days.....brilliant blue skies, bright warm sun, and a very gentle breeze moving across the desert.......WOW!!!! Love it!!!
Today.....we were up a bit earlier to prepare to leave for Mesa(Phoenix east)....and the weekend "swap meet"....not quite a flea market operation as almost all of the thousands of items in the 1600 stalls/booths are new and not used. But....having been there on this past Sunday....we knew EXACTLY where we needed to go which saved 2-3 hours of walking through the buildings.
When we arrived the cars were lined up to locate a parking place. Since we knew the location of the stall we wanted, we managed to park not tooooooo far away from that area. What were we looking for?????? An area rug for the den in our traveling HowserHouse.......one that we had seen in our friends rv a few weeks ago....and we fell in love with it then. We saw it last week, but were not certain if the size was to wide, so we returned to TheHowserHouse and measured the distance between the heating vents in the floor.
Yep....it would work, so that is why we hurried back up there today. And......they had three of them, so after a short bit of bargaining, I managed to get the same price they had charged our friends.....$125.00. The price on the sign was $150.....but I talked him down and also got him to drop the sales tax! I reminded him that he had done it for our friends.....so it left him without much room to keep it at $150. He rolled and taped it up for us and off we went to the truck.
Then it was back to Queen Creek, several miles south of Mesa. We located the Queen Creek Olive Mill, parked and purchased our tickets for the "tour". The olives are picked between Oct and Dec, so we didn't get to see them "crushed" and milled, but we did get to learn about it from a very good tour guide. It was really interesting.....and I learned alot about olive oil and how it is produced.
Then....it was back into the gift shop.....and LOTS of tastings.....from various stuffed olives to all kinds of olive tapenades to various olive infused oils, dipping oils, and other goodies!!!! GREAT way to end the tour....!!! We purchased a couple of large bottles of the dipping oil, a baquette to eat with the oil.....and thoroughly enjoyed this experience!!!!!! If you are in the Phoenix area.....make a trip to Queen Creek Olive Mill!!!!!!
Leaving there we went into the town of Queen Creek and had a bit of lunch....actually more than "a bit"!! It was toooo much.....and I must say just "average" food. Serrano's Mexican Restuarant was the place......a new building, lots of tables, below average service, and food that was not bad....but just nothing special about it. I had a shrimp enchilada with rice and beans and washed down by a Corona/lime. No.......to answer your question, I would not eat there again. There are other places that are mucho better than this place!!!
On southward and back to Casa Grande and the Sunscape RV Park east of town. Lots of traffic on the two lane roads as we crossed the desert on very straight roads.....passing by sooooooo many new "communities" that are being built in the desert......all new housing at high prices. Can't begin to imagine how many houses we have seen being constructed......unreal!!!!!!
We unrolled our new area rug.....a 5x8 size....and it works beautifully!!!! LOVE IT!!!!! I'll get a pic of it for tomorrow's post.
This evening the 1st Lady went with some of her friends and played cards at the Clubhouse......a game called 31. I began to search for RV parks and available ones in Las Vegas......Williams....and Flagstaff as we begin to think about the return journey with LOTS of stops along the way for sight-seeing.
And so.....as I said at the top of this......it was a gorgeous day.....and another enjoyable one!!!! Sooooo what do I say????? It can be nothing but.....
Life is GREAT.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!!
Today.....we were up a bit earlier to prepare to leave for Mesa(Phoenix east)....and the weekend "swap meet"....not quite a flea market operation as almost all of the thousands of items in the 1600 stalls/booths are new and not used. But....having been there on this past Sunday....we knew EXACTLY where we needed to go which saved 2-3 hours of walking through the buildings.
When we arrived the cars were lined up to locate a parking place. Since we knew the location of the stall we wanted, we managed to park not tooooooo far away from that area. What were we looking for?????? An area rug for the den in our traveling HowserHouse.......one that we had seen in our friends rv a few weeks ago....and we fell in love with it then. We saw it last week, but were not certain if the size was to wide, so we returned to TheHowserHouse and measured the distance between the heating vents in the floor.
Yep....it would work, so that is why we hurried back up there today. And......they had three of them, so after a short bit of bargaining, I managed to get the same price they had charged our friends.....$125.00. The price on the sign was $150.....but I talked him down and also got him to drop the sales tax! I reminded him that he had done it for our friends.....so it left him without much room to keep it at $150. He rolled and taped it up for us and off we went to the truck.
Then it was back to Queen Creek, several miles south of Mesa. We located the Queen Creek Olive Mill, parked and purchased our tickets for the "tour". The olives are picked between Oct and Dec, so we didn't get to see them "crushed" and milled, but we did get to learn about it from a very good tour guide. It was really interesting.....and I learned alot about olive oil and how it is produced.
Then....it was back into the gift shop.....and LOTS of tastings.....from various stuffed olives to all kinds of olive tapenades to various olive infused oils, dipping oils, and other goodies!!!! GREAT way to end the tour....!!! We purchased a couple of large bottles of the dipping oil, a baquette to eat with the oil.....and thoroughly enjoyed this experience!!!!!! If you are in the Phoenix area.....make a trip to Queen Creek Olive Mill!!!!!!
Leaving there we went into the town of Queen Creek and had a bit of lunch....actually more than "a bit"!! It was toooo much.....and I must say just "average" food. Serrano's Mexican Restuarant was the place......a new building, lots of tables, below average service, and food that was not bad....but just nothing special about it. I had a shrimp enchilada with rice and beans and washed down by a Corona/lime. No.......to answer your question, I would not eat there again. There are other places that are mucho better than this place!!!
On southward and back to Casa Grande and the Sunscape RV Park east of town. Lots of traffic on the two lane roads as we crossed the desert on very straight roads.....passing by sooooooo many new "communities" that are being built in the desert......all new housing at high prices. Can't begin to imagine how many houses we have seen being constructed......unreal!!!!!!
We unrolled our new area rug.....a 5x8 size....and it works beautifully!!!! LOVE IT!!!!! I'll get a pic of it for tomorrow's post.
This evening the 1st Lady went with some of her friends and played cards at the Clubhouse......a game called 31. I began to search for RV parks and available ones in Las Vegas......Williams....and Flagstaff as we begin to think about the return journey with LOTS of stops along the way for sight-seeing.
And so.....as I said at the top of this......it was a gorgeous day.....and another enjoyable one!!!! Sooooo what do I say????? It can be nothing but.....
Life is GREAT.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!!
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Day 58: Splendid Weather for Visitors and a Pizza Party
The day dawned clear, brilliant, and.......wonderful!!! WOW......this Arizona weather just goes on and on and on as it stays beautiful each day. I just keep thinking that it can't continue.....but it does...thank God!!! Temps were in the mid-60's....a bit cooler, but a perfect day.
The morning at TheHowserHouse was busy with visitors. And......the friendly park residents/friends all feel comfortable in just dropping in.....and that is sure the way it should be!!! Guess I will have to begin grinding more coffee beans as the Fr. Roast coffee seems to be a favorite as everyone wants some coffee!!! HAHA.......is it the aroma.....the beans freshly ground.....or my HowserHouse formula of coffee to water???? Hmmmm.........I wonder.
By late morning we were on our way into town.......a bit of shopping to do. We stopped at Lowe's.....egads....thought I wouldn't ever have to go there again AFTER the remodeling was completed........anyway, we were looking for a fold-up table about 4' long to carry with us for outside patio use. Then it was on down the main drag to a place called Food City which has the most Mexicano food items. Their panderia is really awesome.....(bakery)!!!!! Sooo, I wanted to purchase a few high calorie items,just in case I am not getting enough calories each day....haha!
I picked up some orejas for myself and then an Americano Apple Fritter for the 1st Lady. From there it was back to Frye's.....another supermarket where we like to shop for necessary food items.
After filling the cart, including a bottle my dark red medicine and a 12 pack of Corona......both on sale......we exited the store and went back to TheHowserHouse. Unloaded the truck and managed to get the things stored away.....and before we hardly had completed this task, I heard a diesel pull up.....
AND....WOW....it was the beetle inspectors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...............No, not quite.....it was Jim and Judy Watters, the Cedar Creek members who we visited at their RV Park east of Phoenix a few weeks ago........were knocking on our door!!! What a GREAT surprise!!!! Of course, as it is at the stick and brick in Misery........so is it here at TheHowserHouse.......our door is ALWAYS open!!! We then had such a great visit with them....such a wonderful, warm, and loving couple!!!! It is always soooo great to spend some time with them........THANKS for dropping in on us this afternoon!!!!
Shortly after they left, it was time to go over to the Pizza Party!! Gail had cooked from scratch, including the dough/crust.......SIX homemade pizzas!!!!! And as it has ALWAYS been for the many, many years that she has been making her pizzas........these pizzas were absolutely marvelous!!!!!! Others contributed to the table of eats with slaws, fruit salad, veggies/dips, etc., etc........and no one left hungry....at all!! As always.......many various topics of conversation dominated the patio during the meal.....and afterwards. THANKS Gail.......for sharing your marvelous talent of pizza making!!!!!
And so......another varied and fun-filled day comes to a close here on the Sonora Desert of Arizona. We are having soooooo damn much fun that these 58 days since we left our stick and brick in Misery(Missouri) have simply flown by! We are now in the process of planning and discussions as to our travel plans for the summer and fall. We know that we will be in Wisconsin the 1st week of June to attend the 2nd International Cedar Creek RV Owners Club Rally........and then the decisions as to which way we travel from there need to be made. We had talked and thought about going to New England and on up to Nova Scotia, but with the decision that the 3rd International CC Rally will be held in '08 at Niagara Falls.......we decided to not "do" New England until then.
Tomorrow........we are going to run up to Mesa to the Swap Meet again and hopefully purchase a new area rug for TheHowserHouse, if it has not been sold yet. Then, we plan to go to Queen Creek to tour the Queen Creek Olive Mill where freshly milled olive oil is made and sold.
You know.......what more can I say this evening but.........
LIFE IS GREAT......and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!
(Success comes in Cans......Failure comes in Can'ts)
The morning at TheHowserHouse was busy with visitors. And......the friendly park residents/friends all feel comfortable in just dropping in.....and that is sure the way it should be!!! Guess I will have to begin grinding more coffee beans as the Fr. Roast coffee seems to be a favorite as everyone wants some coffee!!! HAHA.......is it the aroma.....the beans freshly ground.....or my HowserHouse formula of coffee to water???? Hmmmm.........I wonder.
By late morning we were on our way into town.......a bit of shopping to do. We stopped at Lowe's.....egads....thought I wouldn't ever have to go there again AFTER the remodeling was completed........anyway, we were looking for a fold-up table about 4' long to carry with us for outside patio use. Then it was on down the main drag to a place called Food City which has the most Mexicano food items. Their panderia is really awesome.....(bakery)!!!!! Sooo, I wanted to purchase a few high calorie items,just in case I am not getting enough calories each day....haha!
I picked up some orejas for myself and then an Americano Apple Fritter for the 1st Lady. From there it was back to Frye's.....another supermarket where we like to shop for necessary food items.
After filling the cart, including a bottle my dark red medicine and a 12 pack of Corona......both on sale......we exited the store and went back to TheHowserHouse. Unloaded the truck and managed to get the things stored away.....and before we hardly had completed this task, I heard a diesel pull up.....
AND....WOW....it was the beetle inspectors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...............No, not quite.....it was Jim and Judy Watters, the Cedar Creek members who we visited at their RV Park east of Phoenix a few weeks ago........were knocking on our door!!! What a GREAT surprise!!!! Of course, as it is at the stick and brick in Misery........so is it here at TheHowserHouse.......our door is ALWAYS open!!! We then had such a great visit with them....such a wonderful, warm, and loving couple!!!! It is always soooo great to spend some time with them........THANKS for dropping in on us this afternoon!!!!
Shortly after they left, it was time to go over to the Pizza Party!! Gail had cooked from scratch, including the dough/crust.......SIX homemade pizzas!!!!! And as it has ALWAYS been for the many, many years that she has been making her pizzas........these pizzas were absolutely marvelous!!!!!! Others contributed to the table of eats with slaws, fruit salad, veggies/dips, etc., etc........and no one left hungry....at all!! As always.......many various topics of conversation dominated the patio during the meal.....and afterwards. THANKS Gail.......for sharing your marvelous talent of pizza making!!!!!
And so......another varied and fun-filled day comes to a close here on the Sonora Desert of Arizona. We are having soooooo damn much fun that these 58 days since we left our stick and brick in Misery(Missouri) have simply flown by! We are now in the process of planning and discussions as to our travel plans for the summer and fall. We know that we will be in Wisconsin the 1st week of June to attend the 2nd International Cedar Creek RV Owners Club Rally........and then the decisions as to which way we travel from there need to be made. We had talked and thought about going to New England and on up to Nova Scotia, but with the decision that the 3rd International CC Rally will be held in '08 at Niagara Falls.......we decided to not "do" New England until then.
Tomorrow........we are going to run up to Mesa to the Swap Meet again and hopefully purchase a new area rug for TheHowserHouse, if it has not been sold yet. Then, we plan to go to Queen Creek to tour the Queen Creek Olive Mill where freshly milled olive oil is made and sold.
You know.......what more can I say this evening but.........
LIFE IS GREAT......and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!
(Success comes in Cans......Failure comes in Can'ts)
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