FOUND OURSELVES IN SKULL VALLEY TODAY

I ALWAYS ENJOY SEEING THE RESULTS OF PEOPLE’S CREATIVITY & FREE SPIRITED SOUTHWEST IMAGINATIONS…YARNELL ARIZONA

Our stormy skies cleared early Monday evening & Aunt Jean & I were able to get out & do a little stargazing.  She likes to follow the constellation Orion across the Southern sky during the summer months while out for her early morning walks in Florida.  Orion is in the night sky now so she was anxious to see her old familiar early morn walking Buddy.  Orion was high in the sky & for a change, Jean, without all the Sarasota big city light pollution, was able to see the many other stars surrounding Orion.

COFFEE & COMPUTER TIME FOR THE GIRLS THIS MORNING

Our morning dawned clear & bright.  But, darn cold.  It was a quick trip around the block for us & back into the warm house.  Within an hour the sun’s rays began heating things up & melting the few pockets of ice we had seen on the roadway.

PHEEBS WAS LIKING THE WARM HOUSE TODAY

Thought I would try my luck using a hair dryer to see if I could get the condensation out of the Sunseeker’s back-up camera.  It worked, but only temporarily.  By the time I switched on the camera inside, the condensation had formed again.  I very carefully removed 4 tiny screws from the front of the cam & opened up the glass plate.  I was able to clean the glass & the camera lens behind it.  Decided to leave the camera open & warming in the sun while the mornings gentle breeze got in & dried out any damp parts.

 

After being cooped up in the house all day Monday due to inclement weather, we were all needing a major change today.  Including Pheebs, we all piled into the Jeep & headed up the Yarnell Hill for a drive atop the Weaver Mountains through Yarnell & beyond.   Snow along the roadsides, on house roofs, & in a few parking lots.  Toured through a very hilly community in Peeples Valley & decided to head further north looking for a restaurant in Skull Valley we had heard good things about.

A SANDER SPREADS ANTI-ICE GRAVEL ON THE YARNELL HILL

Peeples Valley is on the Colorado Plain & is not a part of the Sonoran Desert.  The Desert ends at the foot of the Weaver Mountains in this area.  We rolled through wide flat grasslands flanked by mountains on all sides.  This was horse & cattle country.  Pine trees & huge Cottonwood trees dotted the landscape.  We were on a higher plateau & the topography had completely changed from the much lower desert floor just a few miles behind us. 

THE COMMUNITY OF PEEPLE’S VALLEY

We found our unique little restaurant in a rather quaint setting called Skull Valley.  Kelly & I had driven through here before on our way back to, & coming from Canada.  Basically a General Store, a gas station, a small restaurant & a smattering of other random buildings.  Kinda neat.

  

It was going on high noon when we sauntered ourselves through the front door of the Skull Valley Diner & bellied ourselves up to the long wooden counter.  I like these old places with their western charm & décor.  Nothing fancy, just a good old western eatin place right alongside the road.

  

‘MMMMMMMM’ KELLY IS THINKING WHILE AUNT JEAN DIGS RIGHT IN

The girls had their Mexican feed bags strapped on so Aunt Jean had a Red Beef Tamale & Kelly had a huge green Chile Pork Burrito the size of a plump Groundhog.  Me, I stuck to my tried & true bacon & eggs.  Later, waddling out the door, we all agreed it was a great place to eat.

PHEEBS GRABS A QUICK DRINK OF WATER IN THE BACK SEAT

Wasn’t long & we were back through Peeples Valley to Yarnell.  Had never really ever taken any time to look around Yarnell at any time other than the main street before.  We were totally surprised at how nice the big boulder neighborhood was we drove through across from the Roadhouse Restaurant.  Snow on the ground added to the beauty along with quaint houses & tall Pine trees.  Really took a liking to the place.  This is the area fellow RVing Blogger Gaelyn from GEOGYPSY lives.  She’s in South Africa at the moment.

A JAVALINA RAN ACROSS THE ROAD IN FRONT OF US & I WAS ABLE TO GET A SHOT OF HIM HIGHTAILING IT INTO THE SNOWY ROCKS

THERE’S A HOUSE HIDDEN IN THOSE ROCKS

 

MAJORITY OF SNOW WE SAW TODAY WAS RIGHT IN YARNELL

AN OLD VINTAGE TRAILER

We were soon back to the highway again making our way down the twisty winding Yarnell Hill.  Always great views from here & always a great drive.  We were back home before 2.  Aside from the chilly wind, it was a nice day & Jean got to see another little slice of sunny Arizona.  Well, mostly sunny that is.

THIS WAS AN ACCIDENTAL COMPOSITION…IT WAS MY FIRST SHOT AT THE RUNNING JAVALINA BUT I MISSED HIM ENTIRELY, THE RESULT WAS THIS PHOTO, WHICH ACCIDENTALLY RESULTED IN AN OK PIC

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A few thoughts on life…………….

1. Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.

2. There is always a lot to be thankful for, if you take the time to look. For example, I'm sitting here thinking how nice it is
that wrinkles don't hurt.

3. One reason to smile is that every seven minutes of every day, someone in an aerobics class pulls a hamstring.

4. Car sickness is the feeling you get when the monthly payment is due.

5. The best way to keep kids at home is to make for a pleasant atmosphere - and let the air out of their tires.

6. Families are like fudge . . . mostly sweet, with a few nuts.

7. Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

8. Laughing helps. It's like jogging on the inside.

9. Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

10. My mind not only wanders; sometimes it leaves completely.

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

TODAY WAS SNOW, SLEET, & RAIN, INTERSPERSED WITH A FEW WARM SUN SPLASHES

BACKDROPPED BY CLOUDY SKIES, I CAUGHT A RARE SUN SPLASH TODAY

I think if it gets any colder around here I’m gonna do like my good friend Jim does each winter back home.  I’ll drag out the garden hose & begin flooding our back yard to make an ice skating rink.  So disappointing to have this miserable cold snap right when Aunt Jean is here from roasty toasty Florida.

‘PHEEBS THE SMOOCHER’ IS AT IT AGAIN

 

We have never met the neighbor behind us.  We know he is a Canadian rancher from Alberta who built a small new house, some corrals, & out buildings a few years ago.  We hear he has only returned briefly a few times since then.  Now, that’s my kinda neighbor:))

 

WE HAVE NEVER MET OUR ABSENTEE BACK YARD NEIGHBOR

Pheebs & I have spent the past 3 nights in the Sunseeker getting oriented with the new digs.  No problem staying toasty warm.  With the much smaller space we warm up pretty quick.  Propane furnace heats things up fast & doesn’t have to keep running to maintain temperatures.  I use it in conjunction with a small electric heater. 

Transitioning from a smaller RV to a larger RV is much easier than going the other way.  I remember going from a 17’ Class C years ago to a 24’ Travel Trailer, a 21’ Class C, a 25’ 5th Wheel, then to the 33’ Motorhome.  With the slides out in the Motorhome it felt like we could hold a square dance, do a few handstands, half a dozen summersaults, & maybe a few laps around the living room.  With the smaller rig now I think we are limited to one person running on the spot.  Loss of space is the hardest part to adjust to.  Where to hang towels, clothes, coats, etc.  Big adjustment for sure.

Like the idea we do not have an outside sliding step anymore.  This rig is designed with 2 inside steps allowing one to make the next step to the ground easily.  For me, the fewer moving mechanical parts on a rig the better. 

SOON (I HOPE) OUR BACK YARD WILL BE TURNING GREEN

Always a good idea to take my cowboy hat off when entering the rig or something inside is gonna knock it off for sure.  A feller does not like to have his hat knocked off!!  We actually have 3 interior levels in this rig.  Driver’s compartment is lowest with a step up into the kitchen/living room.  Another step up puts us on the bedroom/bathroom level.  If I included the cab over area I guess I could say we have 4 levels.  Kinda like ground floor to penthouse all in less than 23'.

I LIKE HOW THEY HAVE DESIGNED THE ENTRANCEWAY LOWER & ELIMINATED THE NEED FOR THAT OUTER SLIDING STEP

Due to our totally crappy weather again we never strayed far.  The Jeep stayed in the driveway & we stayed in the house.  A few flakes of snow on our morning walk followed by rain this afternoon mixed with sleet.  Oh, way to go Arizona!!

 

SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING

Most exciting thing all day was Kelly’s trip to the Post Office where she received a parcel from her brother Peter containing 4 books, a pasta strainer colander, a list of favorite movies, radio programs, book authors & a DVD entitled, ‘Geronimo’ And the Apache Resistance.  A big thanks goes out to Peter & Leslie over there in that Rochester place, New York.

I sat here for awhile tonight trying to think of a paragraph to separate these photos but just couldn’t seem to come up with anything, so I gave up & hit the ‘Publish’ button…..:))

AND, THESE LAST 2 PHOTOS KIND OF SUM UP OUR WHOLE DAY 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Five-year-old Becky answered the door when the census taker came by. She told the census taker that her daddy was a doctor and wasn't home because he was performing an appendectomy.
"My," said the census taker, "that sure is a big word for such a little girl. Do you know what it means?"
"Sure do! Fifteen-hundred bucks, and that doesn't even include the anesthesiologist!"

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

ANOTHER COLD DESERT DAY, BUT WE MANAGED A COUPLE OUTINGS

No snow on the ground this morning but still cold at 33F when I woke up around 4.  A canopy of stars told me it was going to be a sunny start to the morning, & with no wind, we had a good chance at a better weather day.  But, it didn’t last……….

AUNT JEAN CHECKS OUT THE MORNINGS BLOG, KELLY WORKS ON A LOAD OF TOAST & PHEEBS IS UPSIDE DOWN ON THE FLOOR

 

AND JEAN TAKES A PHOTO OF KELLY GIVING AL A MUCH NEEDED HAIRCUT

With today’s HD technology & high resolution TV’s, I really enjoy watching those full featured animation movies.  Polar Express & Hugo come to mind.  Pheebs & I watched ‘Despicable Me’ Saturday night & enjoyed it.  Truly amazing what animators & the wonderful world if digital imagination can do these days. Takes me back to the time in the 50’s when my Mother bought a brand spanking new 24 inch Westinghouse B&W television.  It was cutting age stuff at the time & as a kid, I felt I was standing at the edge of the Universe.  Been awhile since those days, but sometimes while watching these animations in HD, I am almost back, standing at the edge there again.

A BRISK DESERT WALK UNDER SUNNY BUT COLD SKIES AS A HAWK & BUNNY KEEP A WARY EYE ON US

 

RV AND OUTDOOR ADVENTURES WITH JULIE & TOM located in Gainesville Florida joined us today as our later Blog Followers.  Say, Aunt Jean forgot to bring some of that warmer Florida weather with her….d’ya suppose you could send us some over.  Thanks for dropping by folks:))

PHEEBS KEEPS A CLOSE EYE ON PASSING BUNNY OUTSIDE THE SUNSEEKER

Karen & Steve from THIS COUNTRY IS OUR BIG BACKYARD have been working hard these past bunch of months on renovating an older house they recently purchased.  Two very talented people here & it’s always a learning experience to see what great alterations they are making to either their Safari Motorhome or recently acquired house.

 

ALWAYS INTERESTING THINGS TO SEE IN THE DESERT 

We did manage a sunny morning walk in the desert but an icy wind later picked UP & kept us indoors except for an hours Jeep ride around the neighborhood.  Showed Aunt Jean 2 cemeteries at the end of Ghost Town Road & did manage a short walk in the old Pioneer one.  Toured around Congress & then on down to North Ranch for a drive through.  Went by MIKE'S PLACE expecting to maybe see him outside in his Bermuda shorts, but with the colder temperatures I figured he was probably staying inside pretty close to his gun powder today.

 

 

A SHORT WALK IN THE OLD CONGRESS PIONEER CEMETERY

Rest of the day was uneventful.   Reading Cheyrl Ann’s post from DEEP CANYON a few days ago I left her a comment & decided to post that comment here as well…….'Editing photos to me is as much fun as taking the actual photograph itself.  Lighting conditions are not always the best in the field & composition can be a challenge in many locations, but getting those same photos into a editing program is like a second chance to photograph the same subject all over again.  Lighting problems can be corrected, composition re-positioned etc.  Inaccurate colors can be dealt with & contrast problems solved. Half the fun of photography is in the photo editing process & at the end of each day I always enjoy uploading my photos into my PICASA photo editing program to see what little treasures I may have captured.  And, it's always a challenge, no matter what the photo problem is,  to solve & trouble shoot each & every photo to have the photos come out as natural looking as possible.  Some days, using all 4 cameras, I may very well have over a hundred photos to edit & organize.  But, like so many hobbies, the key is loving what you are doing....and that is the key’:))

LOOK JEAN, A FLYING CHICKEN………….OMG!!

AND, HERE’S THE LADIES WATCHING DOWNTON ABBY SUNDAY NIGHT

GROANER’S CORNER:(( In Africa, some of the native tribes have a custom of beating the ground with clubs and uttering spine chilling cries.  Anthropologists call this a form of primitive self-expression.....
In America we call it golf.

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.