Those 70ish Girls

As most of you know, Kip had major back surgery in June. He wants to hike this morning, so I’ve decided to humor him by agreeing to accompany him on what should be a short walk.

TIPS 1-6

1) Let the patient take the lead. That way, they will automatically set the pace they are comfortable with..you would probably go at a much faster pace.

Good a nice little walk. Oh, there’s stairs. Okay..See, I’m staying a little behind on purpose.

Slow down a bit Sammie and Pattie..You shouldn’t strain on your leashes. Oh shoot, “KIP, I HAVE TO TIE MY SHOE!” See he needed a break.

2) Always wear shoes with laces

“I see you! I just stopped to take a picture of this pretty plant.”

3) Always be the designated picture taker.

” I think I heard a snake. Are there snakes up there? Did you see that cave? Pumas hide in caves. 

4) Be sure and stay back far enough in case a Puma flies out of a cave. That way he can’t get both of you, and I can run for help.

I’m pretty sure that’s a mirage. I’m really thirsty. Maybe it’s the Blue Lagoon.

“I’ll just wait here until you turn around! My knee is really bothering me…and my allergies are too. I have a headache!”

I accidentally let go of Sammie and Pattie’s leashes. Oh well, they like to run free.

5) Don’t be too hard on yourself. Everybody has an injury flare up. Just look at poor Kip. He just had major back surgery. I can’t see him. I hope he’s okay.

“What are you looking at me for? I typed on your blog for a while, then I took a little cat nap.”

6) Just keep telling yourself. “The cat is fat! The cat is fat.”

We’re having pork chops. Murdo Girl is resting

I somehow got off on my days. I just counted them on a calendar and we left Mabank, TX 28 days ago. In some ways it has flown by, but in other ways it seems like a long time has passed since we spent that first night in Snyder, TX.  I guess it must feel that way because we have done so much. I have resolved to remain in a state of gratitude and appreciation. I have a lot of those “pinch myself” moments. Are we really experiencing all of this fun, or are we dreaming?

Today we saw London Bridge. We walked around and took pictures for a while and enjoyed the beautiful day. The dogs drew a lot of attention. By the way, taking animals with you is a great way to make new  acquaintances. We stopped and found a bench overlooking the channel and under a shade tree. It was fun to sit and watch all the pricey boats go by. The dogs were enjoying all the people who stopped to make a fuss over them. One nice gentleman stopped and talked with us 15 minutes or so, and told us the history of the bridge.

It was built in the 1830’s and formerly spanned the River Thames in London, England. Back in 1967, London decided to sell the historical bridge. They wanted to replace it because it was sinking. It hadn’t been built to withstand heavy 20th century traffic. The bridge was sold in 1968 to the founder of Lake Havasu City for $2,460,000. It cost another $1.2 million to dismantle it brick by brick and ship it here. The reconstruction was completed in 1971.

Bomb and bullet shrapnel fragments are still lodged in the bridge from when the Germans were bombing the dickens out of London every night during WWII. England wouldn’t sell the bridge to be reassembled in Lake Havasu City, unless it was over water, so there is a man-made channel which is fed by the Colorado River. The river also feeds the very large Lake Havasu.

We really enjoyed talking with this man. He said he owns a couple of houses in Lake Havasu City, but he only spends six months out of the year here. I asked him where he spends the other six months. He said, “Oh, I’m from South Dakota. I have a farm in the Northeastern part near the Minnesota border.”

I know Kip was grateful I didn’t launch into my excited Murdo Girl diatribe. We did talk some about living in good old SD though. It’s a small world. When we got back to the RV park, we heard the group next to us yelling, “Hi, Hi!” It was two families with little girls who had stopped to pet the dogs while we were sitting under the bridge having lunch. We hadn’t yet run into each other at the park, which is one of many around the massive Lake Havasu.

This was the view from our bench.

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Below are photos of Lake Havasu..They were having a gathering of model ski-plane flyers. They flew the planes a long way up, then brought them down into the water on the skis. It was entertaining to watch them maneuver the models so skillfully.

We like ice cream

We need another one

I talked Kip into spending another day here. I want to take more pictures of the RV park, and it will be fun to do some relaxing. We’ll take the puppy dogs on a couple of long walks. They have their very own beach and trail.

Cat Tail State Park. The most reasonably priced place we’ve stayed on the whole trip so far….

And the most beautiful

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Our plan for Sunday was to have a cookout at the RV park. Billy, Liz, their daughter Erin, and Gus were all coming at 3:00 pm. That morning we decided to take the dogs to a huge fenced dog park Kip found the day before. The dogs loved running all over chasing each other. There were balls and toys laying all around in the grass. The park even had several water spigots with bowls underneath. It takes a lot to impress our pampered pets, but they think leashless is the way to go.

Come back in an hour. I smell a rat.

By the time we left to go to the store and pick up food for the picnic, the temperature had dropped, and it was sprinkling. Kip cooked the burgers outside on the grill, but we gathered inside to eat. Gus brought my favorite New York style cheesecake from Trader Joe’s for dessert. It wasn’t too crowded for the people and animals, but we had to balance dishes and food on limited RV counter space. It was still fun.

After dinner, the guys started watching the Cowboy game. I gave Liz their copy of the Sanderson DVDs, and she and Erin wanted to watch them. We won out. Can you believe it? The guys looked like they were in severe pain, but they let us watch most of the 2 hours. Poor Gus and Kip had to watch it all for the second time. Billy kept asking when he would see the young Queen Mary riding in a wagon pulled by her horse Governor. You know the scene where she wore a tinfoil crown and sat in a folding chair in the wagon, AND.. she wore her Kitty Reynolds red formal.

Strange, but he expressed disappointment that it went by too fast. Maybe I overdid the build up some, but he can always watch it again on his own. That’s the beauty of recorded memories.

 I love family get-togethers..Billy and Gus…Liz, Erin, Billy and Kip.

Goodbye Pomona KOA..On to Cathedral City!

Kip knew I was missing my Queendom and found this crowned mask at a thrift store where our friend JoAnne volunteers. I love it!

• I’m going to post this with a promise to catch up soon. We’re getting ready to go for a tram ride up to the top of beautiful Mt. SAN JACINTOoooo.

• You are such a brave Jones County soul Murdo Girl. (I read the article Sherri sent about the birth of Jones County.) I’m not doing that!

We love going places we’ve never been. We drive and then stop, again and again.

We love having a house that takes us around..through mountains, valleys, and each little town.
We love that our animals can all come along.. for as long as it takes.. for as long as we’re gone.

Yesterday, we drove up to Mt. Baldy. It’s a short drive from Ontario where Gus lives.

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We have time to relax, and time to explore. Who could ask for anything more?

We miss the family and friends left behind, but we visit our old friends. (The ones we can find.)

It was 22 years since we’d seen friend JoAnne. We’ll see her twice, in a one year span.

We saw cousin Val two more times than we would have. She broke her crown, one more time than she should have.

BROTHER BILLY AND LIZ TOOK GUS, KIP, AND ME TO A WONDERFUL DINNER. NOW A FOND MEMORY.

We look forward to seeing Patti and Jim. Some of our most treasured times are done on a whim.

I’m writing this poem while betting on horses. We’re watching the races and eating three courses.

I PICKED A WINNER, BUT IT TAKES MORE THAN ONE, FOR BILLY AND GUS TO HAVE ANY FUN.

Tomorrow the family will come spend the day. We’re having a picnic at camp KOA.

If you’ll be seeing us soon, I guess I should warn ya. We’ve eaten our way through Southern California.

New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada..we had more to eat than we shoulda hadda.

We try to remember, when we eat all that stuff..We’re not too fat. We aren’t tall enough.

We’ll say bye for now. Let a new day begin. We know where we’re going. We love where we’ve been!

A rerun from our Queen tour a couple of years ago…

Val and I wanted to show you a typical day in the life of a Queen. It’s not always about crowns and red convertibles. Sometimes we have to participate in the same activities as you commoners. We do however feel compelled to wear our crowns whenever possible. We are Queens..and Queens have to do what Queens have to do.

Gus wanted to show off his royal family to friends attending one of the Ontario Senior Center’s exercise classes. Gus is working out behind Queen Lav.

In this photo you can see others in the class looking at us. We tried not to be too much of a distraction, but of course that proved to be impossible. 

We really worked up a sweat during the facial exercises. If you do these, be sure and follow-up with some facial stretches. Otherwise, your face might lock up in a strange expression. We have seen it happen to others and it’s not pretty.

Queen Lav and I were in the alcove adjacent to the gym when I was reminded of a story. I was visiting my parents back in ’95, when one day they asked if I would go to the senior center and exercise with them. When we pulled up in front, Gus asked Mom if she was going to tell me about her “situation.” She looked down as if ashamed. She told me she had gotten into trouble for talking too much. Rose, who led the classes, made Mom exercise in the little alcove. Of course like any other kid, Mom swore it was not her fault. The lady standing next to her was the one who started the annoyance. It was a proud moment for me as I watched my mother walk over and pick up her exercise stick. With her head held high, she marched over to the alcove where she enjoyed a strenuous workout.

I snapped this pic of Gus, Queen Lav, and Kip with our fabulous instructor, Priscilla. Kip brought the doggie poop bags, which he carries in a little holder hanging on his belt. Thankfully none were needed.

After our workout, we attended a reception held in our honor, at the Ontario Bakery. They have wonderful danish pastries. I recommend the cherry roll…or maybe the bear claw..the cheese danish was to die for.

Dining under the stars the night before.

We had cheeseburgers for lunch at Andy’s before taking Queen Lav to the airport. It was a tearful goodbye. It was made even more poignant by the courage Queen Lav displayed upon discovering a very prominent piece of her crown had broken off during the exercise class.

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Later that evening, Gus treated Kip and me to a steak dinner at the Legion Club. It was a very enjoyable evening complete with peach pie and karaoke. I resisted singing one of my hit tunes, “Big Girl’s Don’t Cry,” by the Four Seasons. Kip suggested it might prematurely empty the club.

So..It was a typical day in the lives of two Queen’s doing their Queenly duties. It’s a small sacrifice to occasionally mingle with people whose lives aren’t otherwise very glamorous, you know. Oh… It appears that Queen E was lurking around as well.

“If I hadn’t seen it all with my own four eyes, I wouldn’t have believed this story ever happened!” …Queen E.

We stopped for gas and look who I ran into..At least we’re on the right side of the fence.

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It might appear as though Kip and I are trying to surround the Grand Canyon. Last year we went to the Southern Rim, and last week we spent a day on the Northern side. Today we went to the Grand Canyon West where the dreaded Skywalk is located.

We loaded the doggies in the Jeep and made the hour and a half trip. The drive was different from the others so far. We saw flat land with sagebrush, then a virtual forest of Joshua trees before getting into the mountainous area closer to the Canyon. The first place we came to had helicopter rides and all kinds of busses and shuttles. It was also where you purchased your tickets. A security officer told us where we could board the dogs for the day, so we got our tickets and drove over to a place called The Hualapai Ranch. It’s a cute little staged western town. They have a general store, mercantile, root beer saloon, a telegraph office, and a place you can rent horses to ride. A very nice cowboy met us at the barn where they take care of the pooches.

Kip under the noose, me with the skeleton horseman, a team of horses, and the barn where they board the dogs. The other side also has a row of western stores.

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Next, we went by shuttle to Eagle Point, which is the location of the Skywalk that protrudes over the 4000 foot deep canyon. As we walked over to see what it was all about, I was alarmed to see people walking dangerously close to the edge of another part of the Canyon. There were no barriers at all. One slip or a fainting spell would mean lights out. I would never take a child to this viewpoint.

I snapped the first picture of a guy I thought was standing dangerously close to the edge. Now that I look at the pic Kip took of me, I was standing pretty close too..Yikes! The bottom is a far away picture of the Skywalk. I’ll have a better one, when I can go online and get the one they took of us.

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We got in a short line to walk out onto the horseshoe-shaped glass bottom bridge. It costs $16.00 if you want to have your picture taken while we you’re out there. You can’t take cameras, purses or anything loose with you, because they don’t want people dropping things over the side. They provide a free locker to store your stuff and cotton booties to wear over your shoes so you don’t scratch the glass floor. Kip and I got our picture taken because certain people won’t believe I went out there without proof. I wasn’t that afraid, because after I sneaked a peek, I didn’t look down through the glass floor again. We have to go online in a couple of days to pick out our picture.

The ticket price included lunch that we could have at any of the three viewpoints. We ate at the Skyway at the Skywalk. It was past our lunchtime and we were hungry. We got our sandwich and chips and ate at a table in a covered area outside. Although windy at times, it was another sunny but reasonably cool day.

Kip was in a hurry for lunch and forgot to take his booties off.

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After lunch, we got on another shuttle that took us to the third viewpoint which is called Guano Point. It offers a highpoint hike. When you reach the top there is a panoramic view of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. Kip climbed up there and said it was great! I stayed down below and took his picture. Before he climbed up there, I asked him if he thought he should give me the keys to the car just in case. He laughed.. I guess he thought I was kidding.

I took this picture of Kip at the top of Guano Point. Kip took the top right photo looking down from the top. The cute little couple on the bottom right asked Kip to take pictures of them. They were also at the top.

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This all took us about three hours, but you can take as long as you want. There are shuttles running every five minutes. We took one back to the ranch, picked up our pooches and drove back to Boulder City.

It was another great day on the road. Tomorrow we head for Southern California for some family time.

We had to catch up with ourselves today, so we decided to wait until tomorrow to go to the Skywalk over the Grand Canyon. Hoover Dam was scary enough for me. There is something about heights that messes with my equilibrium. If I look down from way up there, I feel like I’m going to fall, way down there.

Here’s how our day went. We took the dogs for a long walk like we do every morning. Then we found a barbershop and Kip got a haircut. From there we went to Walmart to get some supplies. We didn’t spend nearly as much money as we did the day before when we stopped at Walmart in St. George, Utah. Right before we got there, the driver’s side shade fell down, so Kip pulled into the Walmart parking lot to fix it. While he was doing that, I went into the store to buy a few things we needed.

I was only in the store for a little while, but by the time I got back out to the motor home, Kip had talked to a guy who saw him fixing the shade and one thing led to another. The guy ended up crawling under the RV and decided we needed new shocks. Kip said the guy’s men could do it now. I said, “Now?” Kip said, “Yes, now.” So we doubled back a few exits to a Chevron Truck Stop where the guy’s workers were. We didn’t even have to get out. They put the shocks on while we ate lunch. By the time we finished eating, they were done and we were on our way. Kip said he already knew we needed new shocks, but he couldn’t get the RV into the shop before we left. It does make you wonder though doesn’t it? How much business does that guy get by hanging out in the Walmart parking lot?

When we left, Kip asked me if I had noticed the sign that said campers would be towed. I guess our group of 31 wouldn’t have been welcome there. Then I noticed the shade wasn’t fixed. He said “Oh yeah, I needed you to help me hold it.”It’s fixed now.

Back to today. When we got back from running errands, we drove the 12 miles to see Hoover Dam. We tow my jeep behind the RV to drive on our side trips. Once again the weather was beautiful. We were surprised at the number of people there on a Thursday in October. The dam was pretty impressive. It’s quite an engineering feat. Lake Mead is beautiful too, although the water level is really low from lack of rain.

We managed to spend the whole afternoon walking and looking at everything. We walked up the stairs and across the arched bridge that spans the Colorado River and links Arizona and Nevada. It is named The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. Mike O’Callaghan was a Governor of Nevada, and Pat Tillman was the football player who left his career with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the United States Army. He was in Special Forces and was later killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan.

The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge..Me on the walkway across it.

Tomorrow we go to the Skywalk that extends 70 feet out and 4000 feet above the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Kip wants to walk out on it. I’ll have to take a look, but I doubt I will be doing that.

Yes of course I remember Hoover. He invented the vacuum cleaner during his Reign.