July,a Tough month but it is behind us now

July started off with a bang. On the afternoon of the 2^nd we had a thirteen minute hail storm with golf ball size hail that did a lot of damage to the car, trailer and motorhome.

                          The damaged TV dome on the top of the motorhome 

Hailstones on the slide out cover that ripped it from the MH.  The hail also damaged the other side out cover and all seven window awnings.

                                       Even the tire covers were shredded

                                  Maxx Air vent from the top of the trailer

                         Side of the trailer that was hit the hardest by the hail

              Some of the cracks in the car windshield caused by the hailstones

                                Big dents in the top of the car from the hail

Larry was gone into town on his bike during the storm and I didn't know where he was or what happened to him for two hours since we have lousy cell phone service in the park. PTL, God protected him because the part he was after was delayed so he was inside at the dealership, along with his bike, during the storm. Had the part been there like it was supposed to be, he would have been on the road when our storm hit with nowhere to hide since on one side of the road is a sheer drop-off and the other side is a wall of rock. The next day I started experiencing dizziness and was unable to work my shift in the dining hall. Then on Sat July 6 after my shift working I wasn't feeling very good and went to sit down. Shortly after that I passed out and had two goose eggs, one on my head and the other on my nose, to prove I went down. I remember nothing. We went to the emergency room and they ran all kinds of tests on me but came up with nothing—no apparent reason for me fainting. Since then I haven't felt quite “right”. Several people have suggested altitude sickness but I was here for five weeks with no problems so I really don't think that is it. I may be having a reaction to pressure changes as the next week our weather alert radio went off every day with severe storms warnings and we have had storms nearly every day since.

Friday July 12, since it was raining (again, all day) and we didn't have to work Larry decided to move the cell booster to see if we could get better reception and noticed the washer looked lope-sided (the booster connection is above the washer). Upon further investigation he discovered the floor under the washer had collapsed on one side! He spent the rest of the day taking the washer out (putting it on the bed frame which meant he had to get it done so we could go to bed), re-doing the floor and re-installing the washer in the tight quarters.  He finished at midnight but we didn't get anything put

away until Saturday. Also on Saturday the insurance adjuster finally made it out here to assess the damage.

                              How Larry took the washer out of the corner 'nook'

                                   Larry repairing the floor under the washer

Our friends, Ed and Lana, who have a place in the area, stopped by and then we all went to the big church service that the camp was having that involved five local churches. There was great music especially the acappella group from the Church of Christ. I really liked the bass singers (3) and one was a very deep voice that was wonderful. This past Sunday we went to the Inn of the Gods after church for lunch with them as they are leaving the area and won't be back before we leave in September. It is a beautiful hotel, casino complex on a man made lake with teepees around it for an added touch. It is on Mescalaro Indian land.

Saturday the 27th in the mid afternoon we were talking to some new campers when we heard a roaring sound and quickly saw we were experiencing a flash flood through the campground that basically cut the camp in half. It lasted about thirty minutes and left about 10-12 inches of mud and debris including a tire all across the road.  The camp director came with a frontloader and cleared most of the mud so people could get to their homes and we could get to the dining hall to serve dinner.

The flash flood from the south side of the gym

                             
               Larry 'checking out' the flash flood from the north side of the gym



Monday July 29 we took the car to Roswell to the body shop for repair. They will have it three weeks. Since we were in Roswell we went to the UFO Museum there and spent several hours reading and looking at all the evidence of the “Roswell incident” in July 1947. I remember as a kid looking at a magazine that had pictures of the creatures that the rancher found on his ranch after their craft crashed during a terrible thunderstorm. Of course the government poop pooped the idea and said it was a weather balloon. The museum has several rooms full of documents to say otherwise.

                                                    Crash site depiction

                                   Newspaper about the Roswell 'incident'

What the creatures that were found looked like at the UFO Museum in Roswell, NM

Enjoying NM

We have been at Bonita Park for a month now and the time has gone by really fast. We have been working in the dining room in the serving line five or six time each week. We spend between 2-2 ½ hours each time and that includes us getting fed. The food has been awesome and we both have gained weight. (not a good thing) So we are trying to cut back on all the good food. The desserts have been great and are my downfall.

We are no longer the only volunteers in the RV park and have met some great people. We watched the new gym go up in five days and already the kids have put it to good use.

Deer in the RV park looking south and showing the 'ribs' of the new gym and the aftermath of the fire on the hill

The 'ribs' of the new gym are up

Pulling the fabric over the ribs of the new gym

Putting on the end pieces of the new gym

The new gym minus the garage door

Because it is a soft sided building and pretty empty when the kids get in there the sound echos rather loudly and often they are in there until past 10 PM. It looks pretty awesome with the lights on at night since the light shines thru the walls.

The gym "glowing" at night

One of the fun things we did soon after arriving was go on the zip line at night. It was a blast but I want to do it again in the daylight so I can see where I am going. Larry had his phone drop out of his pocket as he was nearing the top of the zip line tower (50 ft up) but PTL with his Otter Box case and it landing in the water fountain his phone is fine. The tower to the zip line also serves as a climbing tower but I didn't want to tackle that.

Zip line tower that goes 70 ft into the air (note the water fountain at the bottom)

Me in my Kitty hard hat and spotlight ready to go on the zip line

Looking up 50 ft on the tower where Larry's phone fell from

Water fountain where Larry's phone landed


We took a bike ride to Bonita Lake one Sunday afternoon and cannot get over the devastation to the area. Most of the campgrounds around the lake are closed due to the fire and the lake is down a lot because of the drought. This area was beautiful before and it is so sad to see all the “sticks” that used to be full green trees.

Bonita Lake showing the dam

Private covered bridge over the Bonita River, one of the few structures in the area that did not burn


We went to Capitan, NM 10 miles north and visited the Smokey Bear Museum. The "real'" Smokey bear cub was found burned in a forest fire near here in 1950 and is buried at the museum.

Poster of Smokey in the Smokey Bear Historical Museum in Capitan

The final resting place for Smokey Bear after 27 years in Capitan, NM

We used to eat at home nearly every night and go out to eat on Sunday after church. Now we ate “out” at the camp dining room nearly every day/night and now eat at home after church on Sunday since usually Sunday is “transition” day here at the camp. Our food bill is nearly nil and we have not been to the store for groceries in three weeks. I am not complaining at all just wondering if I will remember how to cook when we do leave the end of September!

Larry repaired a golf cart that was shaking so badly it was hard to drive. It turns out the engine bracket weld let go so he made a beefed up bracket and welded it back in place. He also covered the top with left over material from the gym and finally found a rear view mirror to put on it. It looks really good now and runs great. Right now he is repairing a door latch on one of the camp trucks. He is waiting on parts from the local Chevy dealer to finish the job. He was able to fix the passenger side door latch without getting new parts. It doesn't look great but it is functional. Most of the vehicles around here have been donated and need some type of repair. That will keep Larry busy all summer along with the dining room 'duties'.

The utility cart before Larry put the top on it

The cart with the top in place

The utility cart fixed and ready to go with the new gym in the background

New Adventure

We started May out with three mystery shops at restaurants, one a new one for us, one a delivery pizza and the last one a Black Bear shop. We enjoyed them all and will miss them this summer.

Dawn, Vince and Bethany met us at church on Mother's Day and then took us out to eat at Sweet Tomatoes. We had a good time and I enjoyed the food since I like salad. Larry is not too fond of salad but then it was Mother's Day, not Father's Day! The outfit Dawn and Vince gave me for Mother's Day



On Monday after Mother's Day we met Todd and LaTia at Applebee's about half way between us to celebrate Todd's birthday since he was not feeling well when we first planned the meal for his birthday. Todd and LaTia at Applebee's.


We had a really great time together. Todd was feeling pretty good and that helped a lot. We rode the bike and enjoyed the ride as well.

On May 15, just five days before we left Phoenix, Larry had the privilege of leading one of our neighbors, Tony, to a saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. He went to church with us on Sunday May 19. Our primary purpose in life is to see souls saved and encourage straying Christians to return so we are rejoicing with the angels in heaven over Tony's decision.

Sunday evening May 19 we had Vince's 50th birthday party and our going away party at the clubhouse. Todd and Vince at the clubhouse for Vince's 50th birthday party.

The "boys" at the party.

The "girls" at the party.

The birthday boy and his cake.

One big problem was two grandkids didn't make the party -one totally forgot about it and the other one set his alarm for AM instead of PM and slept right through the entire evening. I told him I was disappointed not to see him again before we left but I was glad he got the needed sleep as he has been having a problem sleeping with his roommate's new whinny dog keeping him awake much of the time. Cerét felt badly for forgetting and came to see us before her work and our leaving Monday morning. That was a really nice gesture and we are grateful she made the effort. Cerét and Grandpa the morning we left Phoenix

We spent the next eight days at St David where very few folks were staying. The section of the park we wanted to park in was closed for the summer but Larry was able to jackknife the trailer into a spot that was wide and we were able to get everything into the site without unhooking. Jackknifed in our site in St David. Another view of the site in St David.

We took just the bike out and enjoyed a nice ride to Bisbee, AZ one afternoon and went into Benson after church on Sunday for lunch. It was very windy most of the time we were there so we stayed close to home. We did join the park for their Bar-B-Q on Saturday afternoon when more folks came out for the holiday weekend. Although the days were hot the nights were wonderful with the temp. going down into the low 50's or high 40's, great sleeping weather.

We had planned to spend Tuesday night, May 28 at Sam's Club in Las Cruces, NM but on arrival found they had no place big enough for us to stay that they allowed so after shopping we moved just down the road to K-Mart and spent the night there after checking with management to see if it was OK.

Wed May 29 was again windy but we had a nice tailwind much of the day and made good time and had decent mileage for an all uphill climb from Las Cruces to Ruidoso, NM. We stopped for fuel in Alamogordo and added an additive that seemed to make a big difference in our ability to climb at a higher speed. We arrived at our new adventure, Bonita Park Camp and Conference Center, 10 miles south of Capitan, NM around 1:30 PM on May 29 and are parked in the RV park as of now as the only volunteers (the three other RV's are staff members). Bonita Park RV park.

Where the gym was before the fire.

The devastation of the Little Bear fire of June 2012 is evident everywhere. Aftermath of the fire looking south from the RV park.


All the staff members except one lost their homes in the fire. There were 248 homes/cabins lost in the fire and 123 of those were on this camp's grounds. The people are very resilient though and forging ahead. One of the perks of volunteering here is we get fed and the food is awesome! We plan to stay the entire summer. God is good all the time.

Preparing for our next move

Getting old is for the birds! I completely forgot yesterday was the first of the month. The morning started off getting our mail and finding a nine day past due bill that I didn't even know about! Trying to get that straightened out and paid was quite a task because I don't have the card to give the correct number. Fortunately by using the phone listed on the account, our billing zip code and SS number I was able to get it paid. Then I had to change all the information (bank and bank account as well as cc number) with the merchant so that won't happen again. PTL the account has a fifteen day grace period so we weren't “donned”.

We started off April with another mystery shop at a new restaurant for us in Scottsdale. Since it was an evening shop we took the bike and had a really nice ride along with a great meal. I am going to miss all these great shops this summer when we will be in much smaller towns which do not usually have mystery shops.

We returned to Prescott to help Larry's mother once again only this time it turned very ugly (I will spare you the details) so we left after an hour and do not plan on returning. Larry's brother and wife drove from IN (around 2,000 miles one way) to see 'Mom' Clark and they were there four days before she let only Larry's brother in for three hours. She would only see him in the evening before they left and he has really bad night vision so it just goes to show she thinks only of herself. They left the next day and said they would not see her again alive. So sad she is burning her bridges and will die a hateful, lonely old woman. We drove to Prescott to see them and met at the Golden Corral so their trip won't be in vain (we met them on day three of their visit). We had a great time visiting and spent nearly four hours at GC! Those folks are so nice and never once made any indication they would like us to leave. Brother Bill and Nancy at Golden Corral in Prescott, AZ

Back in Phoenix we signed the lease for another year here and then rented the Home Depot truck and brought in two loads of pink rock to level the site better. Larry has been concerned about the MH tires and the concrete since the rock wasn't up to the concrete. Now it is and looks good. The weather was perfect 75º and we worked hard for old folks but we are glad it is done. After we added 2 1/2 tons of pink rock to the site in Phoenix

New 'patio' at our place


Since we are leaving now in mid May Larry has been busy getting the MH ready for the trip. It has been seven years since the antifreeze was replaced so we now have new. He greased the u-joints and wheel bearings, replaced the broken tail light and repaired the squirrel cage on the front A/C that had come forward so far it quite working (the A/C). We are so grateful we didn't have to replace the A/C unit itself! Back when we had the trouble with the AquaHot Larry discovered the vents were too small for the heat exchangers and that was why when the heat was on the sinks would get so hot. The heat was going UP not OUT so we bought bigger vents and Larry spent last week putting them in. That was a messy, dusty job but we are glad it is done. Showing the different size of the old vents to the new ones Larry put in so we can get the full benefit of the heat

Fan in cabinet where the modem is, hopefully helping it to last longer

While he was cutting holes in the woodwork for the vents, he decided to put a fan into the cabinet that holds the modem because it didn't have any ventilation. He also fixed the cooling pad on my laptop since my computer was getting so hot. He discovered the connection was broken so I was getting very little cooling. He turned the fans around to blow the opposite direction and the cooling pad is working great now. I do hope my computer didn't suffered permanent damage.

We ended the month with a dinner visit to Dawn and Vince's because Colby was visiting. It is always good to see family! Dawn making salad



Vince and Larry watching TV waiting to eat

Bethany and Colby

2013 'Marches' on

Larry finally put his 'Man Cave' sign over the door of the trailer, something I bought him two months ago.
Larry under his new sign.

This has been a tough month. We discovered our AquaHot coolant was dangerously low with only four gallons remaining out of 16. That caused the electric element to blow out
Burned out electric element

The radiator cap was toast and allowed the coolant to evaporate but PTL Larry changed the wrong fuel filter in the beginning which forced us to continue looking for the cause of our problem. That's when we found the coolant so low. After replacing the cap and new coolant (and draining it all out to replace the electric element), Larry realized he had changed the generator fuel filter, not the AquaHot fuel filter so when he replaced the AquaHot filter, all the problems we were experiencing went away. Had he replaced the AquaHot filter first, we would have stopped looking for the problem and would have burned the AquaHot up and would have had to replace it to the tune of $9000! God is so good! HE is always looking out for us.
How we put the new antifreeze into the AquaHot without using a pump
Hose going into the radiator of the AquaHot. As you can see there is not much room to work.



Then our toilet wasn't holding water so we ordered a new one since it was cheaper than buying separate parts but when we received it, it was the wrong one! Larry decided he could cannibalize it and use the parts since we really didn't need the complete toilet. He went to do the job and only then did we discover the manufacturer had labeled the seal kit wrong and we didn't have the proper seal. He looked all over the north side of Phoenix and found one seal kit but it was labeled wrong too! Since the manufacturer is back east and we are three hours behind them, by the time we discovered we had a problem, they were closed. The next morning I called and did locate the correct seal and had it sent priority mail which still meant we were without a toilet for three days. Fortunately the clubhouse isn't very far away for daytime use and a urinal and a can served for night time use. I kept having to remind myself that our grandparents didn't have indoor plumbing so surely we could last three days! One doesn't appreciate things until they are gone. We are back in business again and we even have a spare seal “just in case”.

In the midst of all that, we had friends from Oregon visit us. We had a good visit (they have family in the area so we weren't the only reason they were in AZ ) and it was good to see them again since we last saw them in Grants Pass, OR in 2009.

Larry's Mom left her phone off the hook two different times this month, the first time being when we were having all our “issues” so we couldn't leave and the police went out to check on her. She was fine. The second time we had already planned to visit her so it was no big deal. She had even figured out the phone was off the hook before we arrived. Larry ended up completely rebuilding her toilet which he found was rusted loose from the floor.

We celebrated grandson Colby's birthday by going to Red Lobster and then Dawn, Vince, and Bethany joined us for the Passover Seder.
Dawn and Colby at Red Lobster

Ellen, Larry and Vince at Red Lobster for Colby's birthday

Dawn, colby and Bethany at Colby's birthday party at Red Lobster

Our son, Todd stopped by when he was feeling a little better as he was on 'our' side of town. It was great seeing him but he didn't stay very long as he started hurting again. He has been experiencing incredible pain for two years now and doctors cannot seem to figure out what is causing such excruciating pain.

Larry has been doing maintenance on the MH by greasing the wheel bearings, changing the fuel filters, and greasing the U joints, front end and chassis. He said he is getting too old to continue doing all that in the future as he really 'feels it' for several days afterward. But since we have more time than money I'm grateful for all he does do.

We were able to sell our old cooktop on Craig's List as well as our small Vitamix container. Every little bit helps!

Larry had a follow-up appointment at his primary care doctor at the VA. Everything checked out OK. The weather was so nice we rode the bike. We also took a night ride recently which took me back many years when we used to ride nightly in Tucson when our house was being built and Larry worked the swing shift. We would ride out to see what was done that day.

Glad February is behind us

We started Feb off with a visit to the VA to see about Larry’s shoulder issue. After hearing the three possible solutions (do nothing, go for physical therapy or surgery) He decided to do nothing for now and just ‘grin and bear it’. We did get new pads for his Tens unit and the doctor told him where to place them for the best help. That has helped some.

We went to Prescott to move the mailbox from the bottom of the hill to beside the garage for his mother. I also called the newspaper and asked them to throw the paper up by the garage door so she doesn’t have to go down the hill to get either the mail or the paper now. She is liking that very much and said on the windy days the paper has been in the paper box below the mailbox which means the paper person has to get out of their car to put the paper in the box. That is really nice!

We met friends at our favorite Chinese restaurant and were very disappointed with the food. We have been going to that restaurant for almost twenty years and learned it had been sold recently so we will not be going back. We also met ‘growing up’ friends we haven’t seen in 11 years and had a nice visit. They have retired to a small southern IN town not too far from where we once lived in southern IN. We learned it really is a small world!

We moved the MH by going to Cave Creek, AZ and doing a take out pizza shop so we killed two birds with one stone. The great pizza we bought in Cave Creek
The pizza was fantastic but Larry was feeling pretty bad and was running a fever (we stopped to buy a thermometer on the way). He spent the next few days in bed and I ended up taking him to the emergency room at the VA on Saturday because he thought he had pneumonia (which the chest x-ray showed he didn’t). Monday evening he started coughing up blood and then his nose started bleeding so we went back to the emergency room at the VA. They kept him overnight but never did figure out what caused the problem. They said he had bronchitis. He has been taking it easy since trying to shake whatever he has. We had some cold weather and hail so he didn’t want to get out anyway. Hail that came down on Feb 20, 2013


The last Sunday of Feb after church I did a shop for Black Bear Diner, something I have wanted to do for a long time. It was well worth the wait and we had enough leftovers for two more meals. Sweet!