December 2019 - Lots of Friends & Family

Coloma, CA
Thousand Trails Resort

(Dec 2019) 

Once back at the trailer we put our little tree up and decorated.  It was a busy month as usual with getting all of our doctor, dentist, eye, etc appts in.  

                                       

Turkeys on Parade?

We drove over to Monterey to Ryan & Diana's place where all the kids joined us a couple of days later for our Christmas Eve celebration.

They took us to a nice place where we had a delicious dinner and then this really fun dessert.

It's ice cream on sticks served with a few dipping sauces.  Really yummy!

We decided we'd have a Cajun Christmas Dinner.  So we started making the Jambalaya and the Etoufee. before they all arrived.

Before dinner the kids all bought matching jammies and got some for us too.

Dinner turned out fantastic.  We also had rice, beans, green salad and a fruit salad.

Afterward we played some games and opened presents.  Ryan and Diana were babysitting a friends lab puppy who was fascinated with a game Kaylee and Alex were playing. He kept trying to eat the game pieces.

It was a long night and we enjoyed each others company.  Steve, myself, Ryan & Diana, Shane & Lindsay, Brennan & Alex and Kaylee.  Soon little Jaxson will join us!

Hurley opening his present.

OMG the kids had an idea to make a fun video on the stairway.  We were all shown what to do and Kaylee put the music to it.  We had had a bit to drink by this time so it took several tries and we laughed our heads off.

Ryan's birthday is the 28th so we celebrated that too!

The kids made a huge breakfast of eggs, Linguica, bacon, fried potatoes, biscuits & fresh pineapple.

Then we all went hiking and it felt good to get some fresh air and exercise.

We even geocached along the trail.  Me, Steve, Alex, Brennan, Shane, Ryan, Kaylee, Lindsay & Diana.

What a great time we had over the weekend.  Time to get back to Placerville and have Christmas with the rest of the family.

We end up at my Mom's for our big Italian Christmas feast.  My sister stays with her family in the Bay Area so we always miss them.  All of our sons and Significant Others were out of the country or with their other families so it was a much smaller get together. Our friends, John & Tina, joined us since they could not be with their family due to weather conditions.  It was bittersweet as my brother and his family will be moving to Florida next year so this was our last big get together.

Mom & Dad

The last week of the year before we head out to Arizona is always busy as well, buttoning things up for our exit.  We had John & Tina staying at the same resort so we had more good times!  Tina put on a nice RV Get Together with several couples for a great potluck.

Rene joined us but we missed Ron as he was home with a cold. Sadly I didn't get pictures of the rest of the gang.

We did some final hiking around the nearby trails.

Some of our other great friends, Rick & Angie bought their first 5th wheel and they joined us as well for their shakedown trip.  Steve has known Rick since their time in the Air Force. They bought a really nice Grand Design Solitude.  They will be part timers and we hope to spend more time exploring with them.

Another couple included in this gang, Mike & Rose and Rose's visiting sister, Mary, came down and we went out to dinner at Bricks in Placerville. 

The next night Angie made a fabulous Rack of Lamb for all of us.  It was AMAZING!  She is a great cook!

                                       

And to add to our fun, long time friends that now live in Hawaii, Ron & Kathleen, joined us too!  Steve, Rick, Ron & Mike all worked at Kodak after the military.  We've been friends since the early 80s!

                                                    

Our evening and year come to a close and it's almost time to head back to warm Arizona!

We enjoyed sunsets and sunrises and time with families and friends.  We're very thankful!!

Goodbye 2019!

Leaving Arizona & November in CA

Surprise, AZ
Happy Trails Resort

(catching up still from 2019)

Before we leave Arizona we had one last hike with Curt and Glenda.  We hiked three miles and then had a nice lunch before we packed up and drove back to California.

                              

 Glenda had a hitchhiker.

Time to hitch up and head back to Placerville, CA.

We decided to try out the Thousand Trails in Acton, CA.  It was late when we pulled in.  The signage was not very good, the roads dirt and the place was very dusty.  So much for the wash and wax we just did on the rig.  So many of the sites were unlevel, trees untrimmed and many of the pedeT

And all the girls (except my niece who wouldn't join in)

Before you knew it November was ending and we squeezed in a hike at Folsom Lake with Mike and Rose.  It was cold but sunny.

One thing Steve was looking forward to was making beer with one of his Brewmaster friends.

The beer has to sit for a few weeks before they bottle it.  They should have it all done before we leave for Arizona in January.

Something New and a Couple Old Things - AZ

Surprise, Arizona
Happy Trails Resort

(a reminder this blog is from 2019)

                             

It was Steve's birthday (starting a NEW decade!) and he really wanted to go to one of those Hibachi style restaurants where they cook in front of a table of several people.

We shared a table at the Sakura Sushi Teppan with another couple that was celebrating a birthday too.  Turns out, her and Steve had the same birthday.

Birthday Girl was on the right and visiting from New York.

We ordered a birthday desert for us and them.  It was a nice dinner.

And now for some OLD. We don't usually get much time out while we're in Surprise so this time we decided to check out some different locations in the Phoenix area.

We have never visited the Vulture City Mine which is only a half hour or so away so we decided to take a drive.

It was $10 admission to get in and walk around the grounds.  The Vulture mine began in 1863 when Henry Wickenburg, a prospector from California's gold rush,  discovered a quartz outcropping containing gold. The mine was named Vulture City. The town had a population of several thousand with a brothel, mess hall, and post office. 

Old Wells Fargo Bank

The Brothel

Many of the buildings have been rebuilt.

The Hanging Tree

The bullion was kept below ground in this hole.

                         

Hurley wasn't afraid of any of the supposed ghosts that hang around.  He sure loved the green grass.

My Grampa used to own a Flying Ace Gas Station.

It was hot but we really enjoyed the mine and the stories the staff told us.  They have done a great job with the grounds. 

After the mine tour we drove down the road to the Verde Flat Cemetery.  There are several unmarked graves.

This is the only marked grave in the cemetery.  The Boy Scouts have placed white crosses on the other graves.  There are also many unmarked graves.  Valencia died of Diptheria.

On the way back we came upon this sharp right turn.  Think they have enough signs?  

We also stopped at this memorial sign we spotted on the way in.

Then out of the corner of my eye there was this creation just off the side of the road in the middle of the desert.  Funny, but creepy too!

We also took a stroll through Wickenburg.  While we pass through it constantly, we've never really walked through town. We window shopped and had a great lunch.  Too bad none of the museums were open.  We'll have to stop by again.

Some little sculptures around town.

Henry Wickenburg, founder of the Vulture Mine and the town of Wickenburg.

On the way out we spotted this fancy aluminum looking Tesla.  Interesting.