Grandma Susan's Blog Spot

Thursday January 5, 2012 -picked up dad and went to visit the lawyer, Eric Barnes.  He is an Elder Care Lawyer and I was very impressed with his manner and knowledge.  He is going to help us set up dad’s trust from a revocable trust to an irrevocable trust so that we can apply for VA benefits for dad and still able to sell the house when in order to continue to keep dad in the assisted living.

After taking dad back to his apartment Ed and I headed South towards  Quartzsite.   We stopped for the night in Mesquite.  My cousin Brenda got us a really good deal on a lovely room for the night at the Eureka and then to top it off she took us out to dinner !!   Talk about service with a smile.  Bob and Maysen joined us. 

Friday - We woke up at 6:48 am (Nevada time) and got up and got rolling so we made it to Quartzsite about 3 pm.  Our little trailer was sitting there safe and sound just waiting for us.  Everyone at the circle welcomed us back.

Saturday we could have gotten up and gone back into town for the QIA (Quartzsite Improvement Association) monthly craft sale and booked a table for five bucks but we didn’t – we just begged.  It got up to 75 degrees – no wind….gorgeous day.  We laid out on the chaise lounges and read for quite a while. 

Sunday – Church – always feel so young among that crowd!!  It’s great.  Then we went on a fun ATV ride with a bunch of other people that afternoon.  There were a total of 12 rigs – about 16 people altogether.  Fun but we had a cool wind blowing from the north so we stayed bundled up the whole ride.  I got out to hike to the top of a little knoll and somehow walked through a bunch of teddy bear cholla and had stickers all over my shoes.  Even sticking into my feet.  Ed had to drive the four wheeler to the top of the hill to pick me up as I couldn’t walk.  I climbed into the razor and spent the next 30 minutes pulling needles out of my shoes and socks (plus the three Ed pulled out of my feet…OW!)

Monday – went into town to wander through the open air shops in Tyson Wells.  I wasn’t going to buy anything except a set of new sheets (I took my others home before Christmas and washed them and forgot to bring them back)  Well – of course these guys are all getting ready for the rock and mineral show so they all have rock beads ….cheap.  I had to buy a few here and a few there and I’ve noted where I want to go back to.  Too much fun.

Tuesday – another ATV ride – this time we hopped in the truck with Ed and Jo and my Ed and Patty and Gary came along too and we went to the Brenda Valley just to the East of Quartzsite about 13 miles. Gorgeous ride – pretty country…so much more interesting than just the hills and desert and cactus of Quartzsite. 

Wednesday – our weekly ladies craft group got together and we made the glass birdfeeders like we bought in Idaho last summer.  I made a cute one but instead of a birdfeeder we put a solar lamp in it so it will be a night light.  Now I need to go to the garage sales and swap meets and find some cheap crystal plates, ashtrays, sherbet bowls etc. to make some more.  I think I am going to show Jeff and see if he wants to make and sell them at his farmers markets that he goes to.  I don’t think we will stay home long enough this summer to do it ourselves.  After the class was over we hopped in the truck and drove East to Phoenix and then North up to New River to meet up with Ken and Jane.  We will be staying here for three nights!!   They are such fun people. 

We may not be resting but we are sure having lots and lots of fun!

Thursday January 12…We are staying with Ken and Jane in their RV…we headed out after breakfast to see the trail that Jane and Ken have been working on here at their RV park.  Jane is one of the most creative people I have ever made and she had come up with so many cute ideas for the walking trail.  In fact, they park their trailer here at no charge in exchange for the work they are doing on the trail.  She has made dinosaur island, and frog hollow is in the plans.  There are pixies and gnomes and alligator’s and bigfoots all along the trail.  It will take them several years to get it all done.  I hurt my knee walking about a week ago just before I headed down South – pulled a muscle and have been very thankful for the hot spot heating pad Mauri gave me for Christmas as it fits under my knee at the bend just perfectly.  It has really been bothering me the last few days and after our hike completely around the RV park I barely limped back to the trailer.  I have tried to keep it elevated.  Tomorrow I am going to try cold on it as the heat that really helped the first part of the week isn’t helping it know.

We went into Cave Creek, AZ for lunch at a fun Mexican restaurant and then walked through a fun store called the City Dump!!  It has all sorts of yard and house art – it was fun to walk through it but it didn’t help my knee any.  We headed back to the trailer for naps and reading and then this evening we watched Jeff Foxworthy and his group…hilarious.  Finished off the evening with lots of visiting and then a trip over to the hot tub.  Fun day!