Kelley RV Wash

We discovered a gem today! We've been drycamping for the past 7 days between the Wild Horse Casino and our spot in Chandler. Today, we needed to fnd a place to take on water and dump black and gray tanks. Luckily for us, just a few miles away in Chandler is Kelley Car & RV Wash! It is an idea place for fulltimers because they have a dump station....$5.00 charge, AND you can fill your water tank....FREE! They've got a special right now on an RV wash....$25.00!
Any mobile RV wash typically runs $65.00 and up, so at $25.00 we jumped on it. The best part was with the $25.00 wash, the dump fee was waived. Bottom Line? We filled our water tank, dumped the black and got the rig washed all for just $25.00!!

Now, about the RV wash. It is automatic, but as soon as you pull in and are sprayed with soapy water, the nice young man that works there comes along with his long handled brush and washes the entire rig for you. As you are enjoying your beverage safely inside your rig, and your dog is freaking out because of the suds and the noise, the rinse cycle commences, followed by the typical vacuum type drying. Within a matter of minutes, you've got a super clean RV and you're on your way.

I highly recommend Kelley Car and RV wash!! ---A $5.00 fee to dump and no charge for water is worth the stop!

Let's Talk CVS...And Saving Money

Saving Money. Getting free stuff, like toothpaste, dish soap, or chips. It is possible. It can be done. CVS is a great place to start, in my opinion, because it's a relatively small store with a good variety of personal, grocery and health items. PLUS, you can save even more by getting their extracare card simply by asking any cashier. You earn 2% with every purchase and get instant savings on their weekly sales item.

Here's a quick rundown on CVS deals this week to show how you can really save some bucks:

Colgate Maxfresh, Maxwhite, Maxclean 6 oz, OR Manual single pack toothbrush $2.99 = $2 Extra care bucks (limit 2)
Buy Colgate Manual single pack toothbrush Use the $1/1 coupon found in the 3/27 smart source insert from Sunday's paper Pay $1.99 Get back a $2 extra care bucks.
Final cost FREE!

How about this one? Campbell’s soup 10.75-11.5 oz, Swanson broth 14.5 oz, Heinz gravy 12 oz, Stove Top stuffing 6 oz,or Kraft mac & cheese 5.5-7.25 oz on sale now for $0.77 each.
Buy Stove Top Stuffing $0.77 Use the $0.50/1 coupon found here: stovetop or here: coupons.com
FINAL COST $0.27!

Easter's coming! That means candy!

Mars single egg 1 oz 2/$1 Use the $1/2 coupon found in the 3/20 Red Plum insert in Sunday's paper
Final cost – 2 for FREE!

Who doesn't like the Buy One, Get One Free deals? Add a manufacturer's coupon to the deal, now you're talking! Check this out:

Buy 2 Irish Spring body wash 15 oz $4.99 (based on online price) Minus Buy 1 get 1 Free sale = $4.99 Use 2 $0.50/1 coupon found in the 3/13 Smart Source insert in Sunday's paper
Final cost $1.99 each!

hat/tip to my daughter for telling me about CVS and their great deals!

Shhh...Our Secret Camping Spot

Three years ago we found the ideal drycamping spot in the surrounding Phoenix area. It's a quiet spot at the end of a road. No one has ever bothered us AND it's just 2 blocks from our daughter's apartment. This is the third time we've stayed here when visiting and we usually pull in on a Friday and stay through the weekend. The sand crane in the picture above was taken just 100 feet from where we are parked.


It's been a fun weekend with her. We've done some shopping, visiting and playing games. Her boyfriend loves to play Scrabble and we've got the Super Scrabble game which takes the four of us a good two hours for just one game. Our daughter is Super Scrabble Champion this time around and kicked out butts. - Last night, we got the deck of cards out and played 'Oh, Heck', which is a card game my family has always played at get togethers. Lots of fun!


So, today is Monday and we are hoping she will hear from the insurance company with a settlement amount on her Jeep. -Still in a holding pattern.

Wild Horse Pass....

Casino, that is. In Chandler. We are making our way very slowly. As the weekend has finally arrived, so have we. Maybe now with our daughter having a short Friday workday and the weekend off, we will be able to spend some quality time with her. This has been the craziest past few weeks. I feel like we've waiting in a holding pattern at 80 degrees. Oh, that's probably because it is what we've been doing.

An update on her Jeep accident: The insurance company totaled the vehicle, as we expected they would, so now she is awaiting word as to their declared value. Hopefully, they will offer her enough to replace what she had, but, not to sound pessimistic, it is unlikely. So, the quality time we will be spending with our daughter will entail checking out what's out there.

That's it from Arizona today.

What a Year, and it's only March

2011 is shaping up to be quite the year...in a not so good way. We've been waiting in Casa Grande for our daughter to return from San Fransisco. We haven't seen her in over a year so have been quite excited about seeing her! The very next day after she returned from CA, we got a phone call from her saying she was just in an auto accident. She is fine, not hurt, other than her neck is quite sore, but the status of her Jeep (which she just bought a few months ago) is not so fine. The accident was not her fault and the other driver was cited. Our daughter's Jeep was not driveable and had to be towed away. Fortunately, she had full coverage insurance and the other driver as well, so now it is the painful, frustrating ordeal of dealing with the insurance company.....and waiting. It is quite likely her Jeep will be totalled, as the damage was quite significant, but we shall see.
Anyway, upon her phone call to us that day, we jumped in our Jeep and drove the almost 40 miles to see her. We arrived as her Jeep was being towed away and she was standing on the side of the road. It was wonderful to see her, despite the circumstances surrounding it.
But, boy oh boy.....

Sorry no exciting adventures to report.

Super Moon

Last night was the rare occurence of what is called 'super moon'. It is when the moon appears much larger and brighter than normal. Sunset in Casa Grande is at 6:58 p.m., so we were outside and ready for the moon to pop up over the horizon. Unfortunately, there were a few clouds, as you can tell from the pictures, but it was quite spectacular.

Now, we were unable to use the new camera, because we do not have a telephoto lens for it, so we used the old Sony with a zoom on it. Huge difference in the quality of pictures, as these are quite grainy, but at least we captued the moon!

Our daughter has returned from her San Fransisco trip, so we will finally be able to see her and visit for the next several days......of course she works fulltime, but we'll figure it out. I am excited about seeing her!

Inupiat Masks

Our Inupiat Mask; it hangs on the wall in our motorhome. Memories of home I suppose you could say. A reminder of where we come from. Actually, H. was practicing with his new Nikon, so we're getting pictures of all kinds of strange things. Poor BlackJack is the primary subject, and such a good one at that!
But, as long as we're on the subject of the Inupiat people, click on the title to this post for some excellent history on them.

Inuit men in Nome, Alaska, singing, dancing.

The Inupiat 'Eskimo' are a proud people, and even today are found adhering to the same customs and traditions practiced by their ancestors.

Have a great weekend!

Rover's Roost

Not a whole lot has been happening in our world of fulltiming. We are still sitting in Casa Grande and enjoying the temperatures in the 80's.
The SKP parks are interesting and after having visited a few, you get a pretty good idea on what sets one apart from the rest. For example, The Rover's Roost (I'd provide a link, but apparently they do not have their own website, which is unusual) is a relatively small RV park. The sites are narrow and not very deep, but all have either gravel or concrete. There is a clubhouse that serves as a place for all the typical SKP activities, like Bingo, cards, social hour and morning coffee gatherings.
As we have seen in other SKP parks, there are many permanent tenants/owners. However, this park has been full every day with guests since we arrived, including their boondocking area. The price is great at $85.00/week plus electric, and if you're boondocking, the first night is free which makes it ideal for anyone needing a stopover for one night.
On a scale of 1-10, I'd give Rover's Roost a 9.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Photography Lesson

broken pottery closeup

broken pottery

budding cactus

How about this one? I like how he captued the sky, and the shadow of the tree.

Things that make you go Hmmmmmm....

This is insane. Goes to show you how ignorant most people are. This guy tries to buy a .99 cent taco with a 1 oz. gold coin valued at $1428.00, and the cashier at Taco Bell refuses to take the coin and demands a dollar bill. Oh, brother.

Please pray for the people of Japan

These are the headlines on Drudge Report this morning:

ANOTHER PLANT EXPLOSION...
Radiation level soars...
Winds Blowing Towards Tokyo...
Panic buying, evacuations...
RACE TO SAVE THE REACTORS...
Japan Asks USA To Help...
WRAP...
BBC LIVE... REUTERS LIVE... KYODO WIRE...
QUAKE MAPS, DETAILS...
NIKKEI PLUMMETS 11%...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The radiation threat is escalating, the evacuations are widening and the people are being told to not breathe the air and not drink the water. The outlook is grim as of today.

Our prayers need to be with the people of Japan.

sidenote: In case you were wondering what our prez. is doing today --he's making his basketball picks...(you can click on the title of this post which will take you to the headlines above)

Desert Art....Naturally

Saguaro in the park

desert litter

And, desert in bloom

Parting shots.

Another Jack Moment

Jack had another bout of being sick last night. It usually lasts for a day or two, but so far this morning, he seems okay and after midnight last night he finally slept. For those that don't know Jack' history....almost 4 years ago we were told that Jack had a livershunt. Liver shunt is quite serious and usually fatal. We were told to not expect him to live beyond a year or year and a half. They gave us medications to administer daily and special food that would digest easily. Long story short.....Jack is still here, happy and healthy, 3 pounds heavier and most likely just has a super sensitive stomach, which is why he does gets sick on occasion.

Enjoy the video!

What We Love .....What I Miss

Thought I'd put this video up....partly because it reflects what we both really enjoy doing...taking the Jeep offroad. But not JUST offroad...we like some challenge, some rocks and some excitement. This video is from last April in Moab, Utah. The trail is appropriately called 'Poison Spider'. Enjoy.

Sunny Arizona

Jack through the screen?

trying to get cool

on guard

Just a couple pictures from lovely Casa Grande I thought I would share...oh boy, we really need to get out and take pictures of something other than Jack.

Oh, Glorious Day!

This morning, Jack woke me up before I was ready to get up. He needed to go outside, so off we went. The park we are at is surrounded by desert, which just so happens to be the pet walk area. The sun was just coming up and all was quiet as we walked. I was reminded how much I love Arizona! No wind blowing and no wet grass under my feet. My kind of place!
Today it will warm up to the mid 80's again, but by this evening it will cool down making it ideal for sleeping. Perfect!
Now, I'll have to figure out how to spend my day....

Family Reads

It's a semi-lazy Friday in the Arizona sun. So, as I'm getting ready to soak up some much needed Vitamin D while reading my book, I was wondering what others are reading now. Here's what our family is reading.

H. is reading webgriffin (that's what he reads) He's been reading the various Griffin series for 3 years now. We usually pick up an entire series in Quartzsite for a few dollars. Then, after he's read them, we'll scout out a bookstore that offers exchanges. If they've got more Griffin books, we'll simply exchange, otherwise the store usually gives us a credit.

---As for me, everything I've been reading lately has come from my daughter. When I'm done with the books, I just hang onto them until the next time I see her. I'll return everything I've read to her and she's usually got several more books waiting for me. She and I prefer the light hearted, feel good books like the Sophie-Kinsella books.

I talked to my son yesterday and he is currently reading Atlas-Shrugged, written by Ayn Rand and first published in 1957. He said it is an excellent book, and recommends everyone read it. I better add it to my 'must read' list. The last book he was reading is another I want to read, called The Road to Serfdom and of course can be purchased at amazon.com.

Quite the variety of topics, right? ---btw, I believe I am finally beginning to feel better. Certainly hope so. Not sure about H. He's up and moving......barely.

Thursday's Thoughts

Did you know that the price of gas has gone up 67% in the past two years? hope-and-change, Baby! In the two years prior to that, prices had only gone up 7%. Weird.

I need to pay closer attention to grocery store receipts for possible gas savings, and shop for groceries at the stores that will give us 7-10/cents per gallon off.

Considering tomorrow is Friday, doesn't 25% off a meal at TGIF's sound good? Go here to print the coupon: http://dealspl.us/tgifridays-coupons/228007p



Today, the temperature is in the 80's in Casa Grande, Arizona. We traveled a whopping 78 miles today, and we're still not feeling 100%, so, I'm thinking a little sunshine in my chair with a good book this afternoon. I'd better hurry because I just noticed it's already 3:30!

Dinner for two....at Half the Cost. Seriously.

Here we have been for the past 3 days at the casino.

Okay, first of all, a flu bug found its way to us and we are both in miserable condition today. It's rather pathetic. I have no idea where we picked it up, but it would not hurt my feelings any if it returned to where it came. I am hoping we feel better tomorrow because we should be on the road, but will see.

On a much brighter note, how about going out for a nice dinner at a huge discounted price?

My daughter told me about a website called restaurant.com . The way it works is pretty slick and will save you some bucks!

Go to their site, put in the zip code of the area you wish to locate restaurants.
Scroll through the restaurants, view their menu, etc.
Select one that appeals to you, then choose from either a $10.00, $25.00 or $50.00 gift certif.

The typical cost for a $25.00 gift card is $10.00. So with that scenario, look at the $$ you'll save:

Between today and the 14th of March, restaurant.com is offering 80% OFF, so your $10.00 charge has now been reduced to $2.00.

So, your $25.00 gift certificate cost you just $2.00!
What's the catch? There's always a catch, we know that. But, stick with me, it's worth it.

*typically, a $25.00 gift card requires a minimum purchase of $35.00.
* 18% gratuity is automatically added on.

Okay, we can live with that! Let's compare the cost - with the gift certificate:

$25.00 gift card ---------------cost to you: $2.00
$35.00 spent less the $25.00 gift card = $10.00
Plus gratuity @ 18% = $6.30

DINNER OUT: $18.30 TOTAL COST

Without the gift certificate:
Spent $35.00 on dinner/no discount
gratuity of your choice -10%? 3.50

DINNER OUT: $38.50 TOTAL COST

Your choice, but seems like a no brainer to me. Check it out, restaurant.com. Oh, and for the 80% savings for the next 5 days, don't forget to use the coupon code SAVE at checkout.

How cool is that?

Doctors and Jobs

Today was interesting. I made a visit to an Ear, nose and throat doctor, and H. received a job offer......in Dallas, of all places. My doctor visit was expensive and I'm not convinced his diagnosis is correct. Ugh.

The job offer came out of the blue and is well worth considering, however, it means a permanent location and permanent work. Ugh.

Like I said, today was interesting. I think I need to go to bed and sleep....it's been a long day.
Everything will look different in the morning!

A Walk in the Wind

The Casino Del Sol (looks like a mosque, right?)


Where's Jack??

Some of the plants...or reeds?

I thought this one was cool.

We saw this truck on the way back to the RV

The wind is blowing like the banji today! It is sunny, clear and warm, but holy cow, hold on to your wig! We took the dog and the Nikon and set out for a walk around. The grounds are enormous here, complete with an amphitheater and tons of room for RV's to park. I would guess there are probably 30 or so rigs in here right now, and still plenty of parking available. The area for the RVS is completely separate from the main parking lots. No need to register with the casino when you arrive, no fee to pay, and stay as long as you'd like. (Or until they kick you out).

Chicken enchiladas for dinner tonight and hopefully something good on TV. Speaking of TV.....we've got DirectTv with no movie channels and nothing fancy. We had been paying $62.00 a month for the past 3 years....until today. $72.99! Ridiculous! And, with the way Verizon has throttled back our internet, I think it's time to consider other options once again, for both TV and internet.....Oh, and cell phone! The fees associated with my phone has increased so I am now paying over a $1.00 more a month. Between the $11 increase with TV and the $1.00 with the phone.....that's $144.00 a year out of our pocket. Every penny makes a difference as a fulltimer, especially with rising fuel costs. But, I won't go there, because I promised no more politics.

Happy Monday!

Sweet Tooth

Somebody in our house has an incredible sweet tooth (and it's not me). He can consume entire bags of candy in no time, as you can tell from the pictures above. :))

Now, from a photography viewpoint, I would say the candy wrappers made for a bright and colorful photo! Apparently, somebody (again, not me) couldn't find anything else worthy of photographing? Or, he may have been practicing with the new Nikon.

What times we have!

Twilight in Tucson

This picture taken last night from our RV.

The new hotel and expansion which is currently under construction can be seen in the background. It is scheduled for opening on 11/11/11.

The sunets are gorgeous in Arizona whether southern or northern Arizona!

Casino Del Sol

We are parked in Tucson at the Casino Del Sol, and it's our fifth night of dry camping. After leaving Weatherford, Texas we headed to The Ranch in New Mexico where we parked in boondocking for two nights and visited with friends there. At The Ranch your first night in boondocking is free and then it's $5.00. So, we've spent just $5.00 to camp so far this month.

It was fun catching up with friends we hadn't seen in three years, but the atmosphere there is different than it used to be. They've got new leaseholders on some of the lots, and others have passed on, so it's a mix of people now, and it just felt different, but I must say The Ranch is still the friendliest SKP that we've been to, hands down.

The Casino here offers $10.00 in free play when you sign up for their membership. I made the long walk, got my card and my $10.00 in credits, and found the nearest Wizard of Oz machine. In went my $10.00 free play, and I was able to play for a couple hours, cashed out at $15.00, and returned to the RV. They do a drawing every evening at 8:00 p.m. for $5,000 cash, so I will be returning at 7:50 with fingers crossed that they call out my name. :)

Day 6, New Flooring Completed!

Stairwell

Day 6, and the job is finally completed. I love the new flooring! Today we left Weatherford and are currently overnighting at a WalMart. We went into the store and bought a new rug for the entry, which looks so much better than the rug in the pictures above. We also bought a dust mop for the floor. I now have no carpet in the RV, so the vacuum cleaner, which I've hated, is going in the nearest dumpster.

As to caring for the hardwood floor, which is Thomasville brand, either water or vinegar and water is recommended for cleaning. When we had our Travel Supreme, I used Murphy Oil Soap on both the hardwood floor and cabinetry, but from what we've been reading, the continued use of oil soap will have negative effects on your wood in the long run. So, when I toss the vacuum cleaner, I may as well toss the Murphy's, too.

I am happy to be done with flooring and on the road again. Before leaving Weatherford this morning, we took advantage of our 'free waffle' coupon at Waffle House. Of course, we had to order some hash browns, smothered and covered. I LOVE Waffle House!

Tomorrow, our destination will be The Ranch. It's a little out of the way, but always worth the trip. The people are so nice, the price is right and it feels like home.