Well, we just left the center of the retired world, Yuma, AZ. We really enjoyed our visit and will definitely come back again to explore a little more. I think the main draw to Yuma is actually the people. Bob was able to visit with a lot of people that he hasn't seen in a long time and we have really enjoyed getting to know Dan and Linda who let us park the Cameo in their back yard. We had a blast playing games - old and new. (this is where I have to say "Girls RULE and boys DROOL!") We went to "Midnight at the Oasis" car show and had a great time. The weather was kinda wierd, but not horrible. Saw a lot of really well done restorations. Most were pretty impressive. I can't ... read more

It's amazing. You get 5 days in a row of rain in Washington and it's considered a "typical week". In Arizona, it's the worst storm in decades and it becomes a "state of emergency". We actually didn't get 5 days of rain here. We had one day of really bad rain and a couple of nasty days of cold, wind and some "spitting". There were tornado warnings along the Colorado river and in Pheonix. The Barrett Jackson auction had a tent fly to the middle of 101 and another couple collapse. There were flash floods all over the valley. We actually thought we might wake up with waterfrontage on the Colorado (we're in the second row back). There were definitely high winds and we lost power a few times. The rain really came down hard for ... read more

We started our woodcarving class on Tuesday this week. We are carving an American Avocet which is a shore bird with a long curved bill and long legs. Sure seemed like a good idea at the time.... I figured if it resembled anything like a bird, I'd be happy. Our second lesson, however, ended rather abruptly for me after a slip of the (very sharp, very pointy) carving knife. The nearly 2 inch long slice in the meaty part of my thumb bled with the force of the hanson dam (if it actually ever did fail). With quick work by the wife of the instructor (Rena) - who is very familiar with the sight of blood - the bleeding slowed to a drip so I could get home to butterfly it. It was just short of ... read more

So, instead of parking in Bakersfield for a week, we decided to motate to Blythe. The drive here was absolutely incredible, for several reasons. Highway 10 on a Saturday turned out to be an incredibly bad choice. Traffic was horrific. We thought there had to be an accident or something, but we saw nothing. After being in a stop and go mess for over an hour, it finally opened up and we were off again. It was a great reminder of exactly why we left the Seattle area. Traffic sucks. We got through Palm Springs (WHAT is the attraction there people?!?!) and drove through the desert at dusk. The desert scenery was wonderful and the sunset was spectacular! We had chosen a park south of Blythe and had hoped that it would be "the one". We ... read more

California parks are really expensive! And going for the least expensive ones has proven to be a, uh, how can I say this... a good reason to pack a gun after dark? I suppose my first clue should have been Chris's reaction when I told him we were in Vallejo. "VALLEJO?!?! You're in VALLEJO?!?!?" When we went to dinner, I hoped that in that short 1/2 block walk to the restaurant, Allie would turn into a crazed guard dog and the truck would still be there when we got back. I walked her around the neighborhood today and saw a guy who looked like a pimp straight out of a 70's cop series including the broad brimmed hat the same mustard brown color as his bell bottomed liesure suit with large pointy lapels. I am SO ... read more