Grandmas and grandpas are best!

San Jose  to Lake Havasu, CA                                February 10 – March 4, 2016

         I must warn you that this post may damage your pancreas…diabetes is imminent!  We spent 2 weekends with our sweet granddaughter (oh, yeah, and her parents and Joy) and the first half of this blog is all about our time with her.  Beware!!!

          We spent 12 days parked at Coyote Valley RV Park north of Morgan Hill, CA, which is about 20” from our older daughter and her husband, Jill and Bob’s house.  When we weren't with our family, we enjoyed Coyote Valley Trail.  One morning we found these deer in the meadow.

        

          Friday, 2/12, was Jill’s birthday so, of course, we were together, including Joy, who flew down for the weekend from Portland.  Lauren had celebrated her birthday the week before, so she knew all about birthday cake, candles, and presents.  She was all set to help mom unwrap her package.  We gave Lauren her present, a baby doll (Bitty Baby from American Girl) from us, too.  The baby doll’s eyes open and close, so Lauren promptly named her “Sleepy Baby”, to go along with Little Baby and Pink Baby.  I had knitted an outfit for Sleepy Baby, which she promptly removed.  None of her dolls get to wear clothes!  (Yes, I should have a photo to insert here, but I don’t have any!)

          Bob had gone surfing in Santa Cruz early Saturday morning so we all drove to the beach to join him for a picnic lunch.  Lauren loved the swings and slides and running around the playground, so we ran around the park, watching her play.  She’s quite agile for a 3 year old, I think!  Of course I might be slightly prejudiced.

          She thought it was great fun running up and down these steps and quite stylishly dressed, I might add.  Jill had bought these boots a couple of months ago for Lauren to wear to the snow and she loved them…pink, hearts, Velcro closure!  What’s not to love!

          Sunday we had a late breakfast at Jill and Bob’s and then it was off to Campbell to go to the Farmer’s Market.  This one was nothing like the one we went to Visalia and had all sorts of vendors selling everything from jewelry (I got a lovely pair of earrings!) to free range eggs.  Of course, there was a park close by so we had to check out a new set of slides and swings.        

          Our family doesn't get together very often.  It was so good to have our daughters together for a few moments!  Bob and Lauren with us, too, made for a wonderful weekend.  After a busy family few days, we took Joy to the San Jose airport to return to Portland on Sunday evening.  We hope to be together again in Illinois in the fall.  After we dropped Joy off, we returned to the bus to rest from our fun-filled weekend.

          Monday, President’s Day, both and Jill and Bob worked, but Lauren’s day care was closed to we stayed with Lauren all day.  Yay!  We pulled weeds, explored all her sticker books and colored.

          Lauren posed in this day’s outfit of choice, plus a hair-do that Grandma created.  This child certainly has a fashion sense!!  You’ll notice her temporary “Frozen” (characters from the Disney movie) tattoos on her arms.  She’s got two favorite buddies all secured in the stroller…Monkey and Little Baby.  Everyone is ready to pull weeds in the front yard.

         Lauren was just waking up from a nap.  She was holding her two “Frozen” dolls on her lap…Elsa and Anna, plus monkey.  Covering all of them is the blanket I had made for Sleepy Baby.  (I am making the quantum assumption that you know about "Frozen".)  My great niece, Lily, is a big fan of "Frozen" but is about a year older than Lauren, so I've decided this Disney infatuation of the latest character is a developmental stage for little girls.

         Tuesday was a catch up day on the bus and dinner with Kathy and Larry Belikoff, a couple who we’d met last year here in Coyote Valley RV Resort.  They were full-timers as well and had lots of wonderful recommendations and resources to share.  They were definitely foot-loose and fancy free, even though Larry still worked full time, using his computer and the Internet.  They were originally from Pennsylvania, doctored in Stanford, California, were residents of South Dakota, had bought their bus in Georgia, and owned a lot in Alabama!  Wow!  We love meeting folks like this!  They were also in a Tiffin Allegro Bus although theirs was much larger.  We hope to see them again in Texas.

         Wednesday and Thursday, 2/17 and 2/18, we went to see Beth in Turlock.  We didn’t stop to see her on our way north last fall, since we were trying to beat a storm in the Siskiyou’s.  She had redone her kitchen, turned a garden shed into a sewing/quilting shed in the back yard, and was in the process of re-landscaping her front yard.  She’s a busy lady!  Jerry was ready for Beth’s “honey-do” projects, but she didn’t have many.

        It was a pretty time of year to drive into the central valley.  The trip through Pacheco Pass showed the San Luis Reservoir much fuller than we had previously seen, but still was far from full.  Jim Munch, our Anacortes friend, was working close by so he was able to join us at Dust Bowl Brewing, in Turlock.  We had a great evening catching up with everyone.

        Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, February 19 – February 21, we were back at Jill and Bob’s.  We babysat Lauren again on Friday and had another great day with our sweet little granddaughter.  Lauren, wearing the outfit she chose for the day, was “getting ready” in the photo above.  She has obviously watched Mom getting ready for work, and copied Jill’s make-up techniques.  Of course, all Lauren used was “Frozen” Chap Stick.  Hilarious!  Look out, Jill and Bob, life is going to get crazier!

         Part of Friday we went to the park once again.  Anything to keep our little lady happy!  Lauren loved to swing and the higher the better!  She liked to swing to swing so high that she almost stopped this Grandma’s heart.

         We had to take her two of her favorite dolls to the park in the stroller…monkey and Little Baby.  She was very determined to push the stroller all four blocks, stopping once or twice to make sure their blankets were securely tucked.  On the way home, she held Grandpa’s hand for awhile   Sweet photo!

          After a nap, and a new outfit, it was time to give Little Baby a bottle, while Lauren watched a little bit of the movie “Frozen”.  She rocked in the “family” rocker, the little chair that was purchased by Lauren's great-great-grandmother and passed down through the Woodall family.  She was finally tall enough to make it it all work well.  By evening we were exhausted again!  Running after a toddler all day was tough work. 

         Saturday and Sunday Bob was off to a company skiing weekend in Lake Tahoe, so Jill had found tickets for her, Lauren, Jerry and me to go to “Disney On Ice Presents Frozen” in downtown San Jose.  Lauren was beyond excited and, of course, wore her Anna costume from Halloween.  We all enjoyed it immensely and it probably helped that at this point we had seen the movie a few times and knew the story.

         

          Bob surprised us by coming home Saturday evening, so he was able to join us on Sunday.  We went to Happy Hollow children’s park in south San Jose.  Lauren had been here before and made a beeline to her favorite rides.  The park is designed for kids up to about age 10…perfect for her.

       

          Jill and Lauren riding the “Frog Hopper”.

         

          On the swings.

         We went to lunch in Morgan Hill and then the Kluck’s came to see the bus.  By this time it was late afternoon and everyone was winding down so we said good-bye.  We won’t see them again until June when we will meet in Visalia.

         Monday, February 22, we were off to Visalia.  We had recently learned that many Elks Clubs have RV parking for members and guests so that’s where we put Abe, thanks to Visalia friends who are Elks members.  We were in the back of a parking lot, but had power and water hook-ups and were right in the middle of town.  Location, location, location!

          Tuesday afternoon we went for a drive into the Sierra Nevada foothills to enjoy the fabulous flowers, thanks to a rainy winter.  Our route took us up Dry Creek Road to Mountain House.  The photo above, from Mountain House, has a funny story.  We stopped here to share a burger and a beer, before we made our way back to Visalia.  The only open table in the sun on the back deck was next to four folks (three men and a woman, obviously old drinking buddies) who were feeling no pain.  We couldn't help but here their plans for the week, their solutions for hang-overs, and their route down the mountain.  Most entertaining!  One of them apologized for their "boisterousness" as we left, but our response was, "No problem...we were well entertained!"

          It was delightful to see the green hillsides covered with lush grass and fields full of fiddleneck. 

        

Further up the road and higher into the foothills we saw gorgeous hillsides covered with California poppies.  (OMG, I sooooo look like my Grandma Rask here!!)

         The week in Visalia passed quickly.  Jan had lunch with former co-worker and good friend Nancy in downtown Visalia.  Where else could you find a specialty spam croissant?  We visited with old friends, had our income taxes done, and re-supplied for our next adventure.  We drove by our old house in Visalia and saw that a new fence had been put up on the east side of the lot.  Yay!  The old one was in bad shape.

         Friday, February 26, we drove to Earp, CA, on the Colorado River below Lake Havasu City…a big day of 420 miles for us!  Visalia friends, Mike and Sandy Albaugh were members of Emerald Cove RV Resort, a huge snowbird park on the west bank of the Colorado River, and invited us to spend a few days with them there.  Another new experience!  Mike and Sandy had been here many times before and were ready to play tour guides.  

          Our first stop was the Poston Memorial Monument, south of Poston, AZ.  This memorial marked the site of a war relocation camp where over 17,000 Japanese Americans were interned during WWII.  Poston was built on the Colorado River Indian Reservation, over the objections of the Tribal Council, who refused to be a part of doing to others what had been done to their tribe.  Not much was left of the buildings and town has grown up over the site. 

    

         

          Saturday, February 27, we drove to Bluewater Resort and Casino to hear Lee Greenwood perform.  He recorded “I’m Proud to be an American” along with many other songs…some of which I had never heard of…but gave a great show!

         Sunday morning, after several Sundays of sleeping in, we were off to Messiah Lutheran Church, in Parker, AZ, with Mike and Sandy.  They had been here many times before and knew this little congregation to be warm and welcoming.  For being first time attendees we received a coffee cup and an information packet…nice!  We were surprised to see that the sanctuary was almost full.  This congregation, openly invites and welcomes the snowbirds from the RV parks in the area to come for worship.  What a great idea.

         It was a good thing we went to church Sunday morning because we took off for the Desert Bar in the afternoon.  Ha!  Five miles down a washboardy dirt road, this famous bar draws crowds from all over.  The history:

The "Nellie E Saloon" (DESERT BAR) is situated in the Buckskin Mountains, in Parker, Arizona, on land that was an old mining camp. The camp was located on the portion of land that is now the parking lot. When Ken acquired the land in 1975, there was nothing left of the old mining camp. With the land and a liquor license from an old business on leased river land, the owner decided to give the "bar in the desert" idea a try.

         Monday, February 29, was our day to explore Lake Havasu City, about 30 miles north of us.  We made the obligatory stop at the London Bridge.  THE London Bridge was brought from its original location in London, England, in 1968, for $2.4 million.  The bridge was dismantled, block by block and moved to Arizona and, was re-dedicated at its new site in 1971.  It has become Arizona’s second largest tourist attraction, after the Grand Canyon.

         Lake Havasu City had four intersting microbreweries and Mike and Sandy, good sports that they are, agreed to explore them with us over the next few days.  We liked College Street Brewhouse and Pub the best, which is where this photo was taken.

          On our return to the RV park, we drove across Parker Dam, which created Lake Havasu, around and read the signs. Built between 1934 and 1938, it extended 235 feet below the riverbed, making it the deepest dam in the world.  The building of this dam was quite controversial and to this day Arizona would like to renegotiate the terms of the water and power alotment agreements!  It primarily distributes water to Southern California.

         Tuesday, March 1, we were off to do some more exploring.  This time we went to Oatman, AZ, an “authentic western ghost town and gold mining camp” on the old Route 66.  Famous for its street-wandering burros it draws lots of tourists, us included.  We had lunch in the old hotel, explored the shops, and all agreed this was a great place NOT to live!  The burro in the photo was licking the rocks in the old ore cart.

         We hadn’t had enough travel over rough roads yet, so on Wednesday we drove to Swansea Town Site.  Located about 30 miles NE of Parker, AZ, this mining camp was once a flourishing copper mine.  The mine was worked by various owners from 1862 to 1944, when the final owner declared bankruptcy.  At one point the town had 500 people, a movie theater, and a hospital.  Today, the shells of a few of the buildings remain.  The photo shows the ruins of the old smelter.

         In all our travels and explorations we had driven through the Sonoran Desert several times.  Wildflowers were in abundance as well as several cactus varieties.  We saw lots saguaro cacti, which are unique to this area.  I read somewhere these cacti grow 1” year!  

          We also saw blooming prickly pear cactus, barrel cactus, and teddy bear cholla.

          Blooming sand verbena

       

          Blooming creosote bush

          Flowering brittle bush.  And lots and lots more.  A great time of year to drive through the desert.

         While we were in Emerald Cove, the days were quite warm for February…low 90’s a couple of days, but, of course it’s a dry heat!  The evenings were beautiful with lows into the high 50’s.  We had little light pollution and a new moon, so the stars were glorious!  Since Mike and Sandy’s RV site was right on the beach of the Colorado River and it was lovely to sit outside to listen to the river flow by as we talked and talked.  

         One late afternnon we had an unexpected visitor come wandering up the beach!  Burros are all over this area and it’s a stretch to call them wild.  They liked to hang out on the golf course, enjoying all that lovely green grass.  Since we had no carrots to offer, this gentleman agreeably wandered on.

         Join me next time for more Arizona adventures!