It was a dark and chilly day...

Not at all like Arizona should be...in fact, we even got rain off and on.  That was ok because we needed to rest up, take care of some logistical planning, do a bit of grocery shopping and get a Target "fix".

 

We took a walk on a path near our camp site. The clouds hung low on the Santa Catalina mountains.

 

 

 

 

Very cool cactus

 

 

 

Can you spot our Casita among the big rigs???

 

What a beautiful place.

 

We are so glad we chose this state park. Tomorrow we will do a bit of site-seeing.

Tally Ho,

Cathy

Here we "go" Again

Our week spent with friends in Las Cruces kept us hopping! Karen and Ron took us all over and they assure us we only scratched the surface. We ate Mexican all but two days...toured many museums from historical homes to the Border Patrol...and everything in between. We attended a Pow Wow and left our mark (However tentative) in the shimmering gypsum of White Sands. In short, we had a ball!

 

 

 

Having our final delicious Mexican meal together  

 

Tomorrow we pull up stakes and head to Tucson. We have reservations at Catalina State Park and while there we hope to see a few of the area sights before we head up to Phoenix.

 

Our weather has been cool, but no where near the frigid temps a bit north and east of here...Cary, NC...wow.

So, we count our blessings knowing it is winter and it can get cold!

 

 

 

 

Thank you for a "wonderful" adventure!

Tally Ho,

Cathy

 

 

Enchanting New Mexico

We are staying with our friends who have been showing us so many wonderful sights! Karen assures me we have just scratched the surface.

 

White Sands Missile Range.

 

 

Karen and Paul discussing the spectacular view

 

 

 

White Sands National Monument

(click on the photos for a larger view)

 

 

 

 

 

Incredible!

 

 

 

Three Rivers Petroglyth Site

 

 

Climbed up to see amazing drawings on rocks!

 

 

 

 

 

I wish these photos were better...

 

 

 

Lovely church

 

 

Gigantic pistachio

 

New Mexico produces a major quantity of pistachio nuts and also pecans. Dairy is also a large portion of this states Ag industry.

The Stiths wore us out! But we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and learned much.

Thanks Ron and Karen

Tally ho,

Cathy

We passed Pecos

Signs of the old west abound. We enter a new dimension...no, not the twilight zone...more like scenes from a John Wayne movie. Cactus of all varieties scattered on both sides of the highway, tumbleweed rolls aimlessly along, tile roofs...Driving through El Paso we sing the Marty Robins song...you know the one..."Out in the west Texas town of El Paso, I fell in love with a beautiful girl...darker than night were the eyes of...."

 

The scenery changes before our eyes. Beauty abounds  

 

We have arrived in Las Cruces and are enjoying the company of good friends. What more could we want? Oh, sunny skies to try out the solar panel!

 

Off on a day-long adventure will report back later...

Tally-ho!

Cathy

A Herd of Javelinas sighted

This photo has absolutely nothing to do with this post...I just couldn't have a post without a picture!

We spent 3 nights in San Antonio at the Lackland A F B fam camp. Best place yet for price and services so far! We had a big level cement pad to park on, full hookups, free Wi-Fi, free cable and....free laundry! All for just $18 a night. It was cold, cloudy and windy, we had already been to the River Walk area and the Alamo, so we just relaxed. Made veggie soup and spent alot of time notifying folks of our change of address. I also took advantage of the free laundry.
Today we hit the road headed toward Las Cruces and friends.
Drove about 5hours, a bit longer than I like, but we knew we would be stopping in a friendly WalMart for the night, so didn't mind the longer drive time. Makes tomorrows drive a bit shorter.
Along the way we saw a whole bunch of javelinas! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peccary Could not believe my eyes. Well, this adventurer sure has been full of wild life.
I knew what they were because there is a picture book about javelinas...working in a library certainly fills your mind with lots of interesting information. Would love to share a photo, but the camera was in the camper!
Tally-ho from Walmart,
Cathy

Moving on...

Packing up after six days in one location is a process. Paul has found he likes getting everything ready the day before we leave, as in taking down the tent we use as a "garage" and putting up everything stored inside the tent, hauling up onto the roof of the Nissan our soft-sided carrier full of more necessities and making sure the tires on both vehicles are roadworthy. It is a whole lot of work. My job is to secure the inside of Pearl, which means taking down and securing all loose objects, making sure the doors are all closed properly and all is ship-shape inside Pearl. After many months and much scrutinizing of all our belongings we have become fairly proficient 😊   Remember, this is our life now, so we should be getting good at it!



Fiona is getting very good at getting cozy!

 

We head west...

Tally-ho!

Cathy



Another "Meet-Up and another first!

Seems our adventure is taking on a few themes...
We visit military museums, we enjoy many coastal views and we connect with friends we have not seen in at least 2or 3decades!

 

 

This is Chuck and Kathy.  Chuck was our pastor while we lived in upstate New York.  We had a wonderful 3 hour visit (and some delicious Mexican food too)

 

Here we all are...none the less for wear!  Our kids babysat their kids...wow

 

 

 

 

We had our very first Whattaburger....

 

 

We head west to San Antonio tomorrow.

Tally Ho

Cathy

 



We Saw John Glenn

While we were staying on Dauphin Island we made a day trip to Pensacola to visit the Pensacola Naval Air Station.

So far on our travels we have been to the Army Museum at West Point, the Marine Museum outside DC and the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio...now for the Navy!

 

 

 

 We saw sailors

 

 

We saw planes

 

I

 

And lots more planes!

Very cool classic autos

 

 

And then we saw John Glenn!

Was an excellent day and a fine Museum, could return there many times and not see everything.  I know my dad, who served in the Navy during WWII would enjoy...and any of you other sailors out there. 5 *

Tally ho,

Cathy

 

Getting Real

Fiona and Lamb Chop getting cozy by the fireplace....

 

What can I say?  We have it all and in just 17lovely feet!

 

We visited with good friends Mike and Barbara and their pup Sadie.  So good to see them again and they were such great hosts.

We made our way back to Rice, TX.  Where our adventure began.  The folks in customer service were top notch, everything on our "list" was repaired or replaced no questions asked!

Rainy day...lots of little eggs ready for homes

 

 

We could not be happier or more satisfied with our choice of a Casita, and special thanks to the famous Victor (www.youtube.com type in Casita orientation)

                     TALLY HO,



                                                                                   Cathy

Cookin' in a Casita

As I have said before....we live simply, but still enjoy the comforts!  Well, we try very hard to maintain a life-style that is moderate, with a few indulgences...for instance, Christmas is not Christmas without Monkey Bread and Egg Casserole!  and then I have a craving for my Best Pumpkin/Orange/Apple bread...So, I made it all, all in my kitchen in the Casita! 
I am finding that quick and easy is so much better to  prepare and clean up after, so I tend to do crock pot meals like chili, soups, and stews.  On the other hand, those dishes usually are more than one meal offerings and we don't have alot of space for left overs.  I am learning that the hard way.  Wonder what we will end up eating in a few months?  Tonight I fixed bacon and eggs in a hole (that's a piece of bread with a hole in the center that you crack the egg into and fry in the pan with a bit of butter.  Very good and easy.  We are camped in a lovely CoE park (that's Corp of Engineer) a bit north of Rice, Texas.  Tomorrow we take MiniPearl in for a bit of work, hopefully most under warranty.  No big deal, just a window sash, battery check up and replace some plastic from the screen door which broke months ago. 

 

We do enjoy a cozy fire when the weather is chilly!

I tried to find my photos of making the pumpkin bread, but they seem to be lost somewhere between my notebook, camera or space!!!

Suffice to say, due to our planning, I am able to fix almost anything.  Tonight, I am fixing "ranch chicken". It has been raining all day and very windy.  We stay inside and read, compute and keep warm AND dry😊

Now that I have straightened out my problems with Google I think I will be able to post more often.

Tally-ho,

Cathy 

Happy 2013

Our last day on Dauphin Island saw us packing up and getting organized.  We have been here a whole month....now it is a new month and a new year and we are off on our west-ward trek!  It has been a month of enjoying a beautiful beach, 70s temps during the days (at least the majority, we did have some cool days too and cooler nights), we ate gumbo, and I was able to visit Florida for the first time, we did the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, which was excellent, saw John Glenn while there!  My sister and her husband were also here and it was very nice to have family close for Christmas and New Years, plus we had full hook ups!  Now we head out and our first night will be in a Walmart....back to our adventure.  We have solar.  Just a 50 watt panel, but it will keep our battery charged while dry camping.  Now, let's see if it works! 

Good bye Dauphin Island
Tally ho,
Cathy