Del Rosario's on the Road Again

Casa Grande, Arizona
Sundance RV Resort

Guess who came to Happy Hour and dinner?  I had told Bud and Susie Walsh that Don and Sharon Del Rosario were coming up here to visit.  They happen to be staying in the same RV Park.  Susie invited Bill and I to bring Don and Sharon over for dinner.  Isn't it nice that our friends always want to feed us?

A couple of weeks ago I suggested to Sharon that Casa Grande had a dialysis center and if Don needed a change of scenery we'd love to see them.  

If you've been following this blog for awhile, you know how calendar challenged I can be.  Sharon needed to know when we'd be here, as in what day exactly, to see if Don could be scheduled for dialysis.  I had no idea how busy these places are and that there are waiting lists.  

I fudged our schedule a little bit, just to allow for the unforeseen.  It was a good thing, as we had to wait for tires in Lubbock.  As it turned out, I was off my predicted date of arrival in Casa Grande by only a day.  

Sharon picked Don up at the dialysis center and then drove the motor home up to Casa Grande.   The minute they called to say they arrived and were set up, we jumped in the car and headed over.  

It felt like we hadn't seen them forever.   Don looked great considering he's lucky to be alive.  He had some very serious medical issues, but he appears to be doing very well.  Don lost 68 pounds but really looks good.  Sharon also lost a lot of weight and she looked very good.  

Gigi, the new member of the Del Rosario family, wasn't timid at all.  She came over and made up to me right away.  I think she's a very smart dog and has a nice personality beside being very good looking.  Sorry, I didn't get a photo of Gigi.  

Susie and Bud were about 10 sites over.  It didn't take long before everyone was talking like they'd known each other for a very long time.  

Susie called everyone inside for dinner,

everyone buy Zoey and Khaki.  These dogs I swear can tell when it's 6 o'clock--their dinner time.

Susie really loves to cook.  I can't understand anyone loving to cook, but she really does.

This is a bad photo that is good.  Anyone that knows Bud knows he doesn't sit still for long.  He's blurred, must be his ski instructor mode.  

Notice how thin Sharon is?

  It was a wonderful evening and what better way to spend Halloween than with friends you haven't seen for awhile.

Turtle Safely........

Back in Casa Grande

Casa Grande, AZ
Sundance RV Resort

It's been a whirlwind the last few days.  We really wanted to stay longer at The Ranch but we knew there was a party brewing in this area.  The drive from The Ranch to Deming was longer than normal, but we enjoyed it.  I didn't have my directions for the shortcut that by passes El Paso but I thought I could remember it.  We did avoid the mountain pass, but missed a turn off on 54.  We ended up going a couple of miles out of our way but eventually arrived at the Anthony exit.  There was the usual road construction near Las Cruces but no delays.

We arrived in Deming and unhitched with enough time to fuel up the truck and make a Walmart stop.  The main reason we left Lakewood at 8 AM, yes, I said 8 AM, was so we would arrive in time for Bill to go to his favorite barber.  Yes, there is a barber pole outside. 

When we returned to Dreamcatcher we had enough time to relax for a little while before going up for Happy Hour.  The table was surrounded with people, and we enjoyed meeting new people.  There was someone there, that I kept thinking looked familiar.  The more we talked we realized we meet them at the Chapter 6 rally in Hastings.  

Everyone talked about the Escapade in Vermont and I believe everyone said they were registered or planned to register. Sorry I failed to take any pictures.

The following morning the weather forecast was for rain and high winds.  We decided to leave early and hopefully be off the road before the rain and winds started.  We hit some winds, but nothing worse than you usually get on that section of I 10.  We had a short shower near Texas canyon and that was it.  

For those of you that travel I 10, you might want to make a note that the rest area at the Arizona border is still closed.  The only other rest area is the one at Texas Canyon until you get to around exit 182 for the other one before Phoenix.  

When we arrived at Sundance we kept putting the gate code in, and couldn't get the gate open.  Finally someone came to our rescue. Can you believe they changed the code after seven years? It's a strange feeling to know we'll be parked for awhile.  

We visited Dad and while it was great to see him, it's difficult to watch his mental capacity decline.  He waits by the door, because he thinks he's shipping out or in.  He's packed everything in his little apartment.  I worry about trip hazards, as he is blind and doesn't use a cane or walker.     

We tried to move things to the side so it wouldn't be an obstacle course.  He's still in excellent health for 95.  

        
We came back home and look who we found.  Bud and Susie Walsh will be in town for a few more days.  I can't believe we visited for over 5 hours.  

Today we are expecting two very special people and their new addition to their family.  

Turtle Safely.......
    

A Day at the Ranch

Lakewood, New Mexico
The Ranch

I guess you could say since we were at the ranch, we were acting like ranchers who work from sun up to sun down. 
We decided to get some of the dirt off from our summer travels.  The first thing thing this morning we started on the fifth wheel.  

I finally removed the "rock n roll with Bill and Jan, rally on!" off the back window.  Make yourself a note not to park near Vicki Allen.  

After that was done, Bill decided he couldn't stand the truck dirty and washed it.  He always waxes it when he washes it, but today was the exception.  

The next thing we knew it was time to attend the happy hour at the ranch house.  They sang "happy trails" to us, since we are leaving tomorrow.  Everyone is so friendly here.  

Dave McKenna noticed we didn't have a Boomer decal on our truck and brought one over to us.

John and Shirley Kohl invited us for dinner at Mexican restaurant in Artesia.    

John and Shirley

The food was nice and spicy and very good. 

Artesia has some beautiful bronzes and I tried to take photos but it was too dark.

The fairly new library had this beautiful mural on the wall.

We'll have to revisit this town in the daylight hours. 

We enjoyed our dinner and evening with John and Shirley and look forward to seeing them again.

Bill and I really enjoy this Escapee park because of how friendly everyone here is. 

Turtle Safely....... 

Shall we stay or shall we go.....

Lakewood, New Mexico
The Ranch

We were told that our four tires should arrive today.  Rather than sit around waiting for Costco to call we decided to drive over and see if they had the tires yet. We were told that they hadn't arrived yet, but when they called to find out where the delivery truck was, they said it should be in about 20 minutes.

Bill drove the truck over to the pumps to top off the fuel tank and was surprised to find diesel with no ethanol.  Even better the price was below two dollars.  Well, $1.999 is below two isn't it?  

It was 12:30 when they were finished.  Bill bought two of the $1.50 hot dogs so we could head right down the road as soon as we hitched up.

We hitched up and I ran down to tell Freddy and Delcie good by.  Bill and I both had a great time with them.  Can't wait until we see them again in a few months.  

The drive was pleasant until we crossed over into New Mexico.  I must say highway 82 was in poor condition other than I 65 in Indiana we haven't had any bad roads all summer.  The scenery was nothing but oil wells.  

When we pulled into The Ranch around 3:30 there was a motor home checking in in front of us.  Jan, said they had 5 that already checked in.  I think she said they only had one site left.   

It was a rush but we were backed in and set up in time for Happy Hour.  Bill didn't feel like rushing over for it so I went by myself.  I'm sure I was the last one to arrive.  They were just welcoming everyone that arrived today.  Guess who jumped up from the back row?  It was John Kohl.  He came up and gave me a big hug.  It finally dawned on me that the lady in charge of the Happy Hour had to be Shirley, his new wife.

I came back and just as we were clearing the dinner dishes there was a knock on the door.  It was John and Shirley coming over to say hi to Bill.  They invited us to join a small group for Happy Hour.  Bill grabbed a bottle of wine and we went to join them.  

This was my kind of campfire--no smoke and no smelly clothes.

It was a beautiful evening with some very nice people.

The full moon added to the atmosphere.  

Turtle Safely........
  

A Wannabee Cowboy and a Real Cowboy

Lubbock, Texas
Elks Lodge

Today was a wonderful day.  Freddy and Delcie came to pick us up at 10 am today to go to the National Ranching Heritage Center.  I had just checked out the internet and found out that the Sunday hours were 1 to 5.  

No problem Freddy and Delcie came in and we chatted for awhile until time to go.  When we arrived and I saw all the bronzes out front, I knew this was going to be something great.

We were all handed a map that showed 47 different exhibits.  The Heritage Center is on a 16 acre site and has authentic structures restored as early as the 1700's.

The grounds are beautiful and they have hills separating the buildings.  The perfect weather just added to the day.  

All of the building were moved to this site.  

Each structure had a sign telling the story of the people that lived there and also where the building was originally located. 

Freddy doesn't know for sure if this was his uncle.  

I remember those old washing machines.

We decided this was our favorite home.

We heard that this lady was wanted for picking fruit in other states, now it's for picking pecans in Texas.  

They are really getting close to being ripe enough to pick.

This was a bunkhouse.  

Bill and Freddy were ahead of us and when we found them in the barn, Freddy is telling us where all the ranches are located and he knew the brands from across the barn. 

We had no idea that Freddy had been in rodeos and won many awards.  He knew nearly everyone that was mentioned in this center.  He was telling us stories about these people.

Bill was like a little kid enjoying the tales that Freddy knew about all the people and exhibits.  

The fellow in the posted sign contacted Freddy to give condolences when Heidi, their dog, died. 

  

The neat thing was that Freddy had never been to the National Ranching Heritage Center before today.

It was so much fun and we left 5 minutes before closing. 

When we returned Freddy suggested we go to their coach, as he had a book he thought Bill might enjoy.  

I'm sorry the photo didn't come out better, but guess who those two are in the photo.

This was a life story of the Prather's life.  The book contained numerous awards and certificates.  

Delcie asked if I would take a photo of their 14 week old puppy named, Echo.  No problem I thought.  Do you know how fast a puppy moves?

I think she was 1 pound 9 ounces.  

She teased the cat so much and bit her tail.  

She's a cutie.

We went out for Mexican food.

We had fun and here's Delcie pretending to be drunk.  We only had one margarita.  

It was an enjoyable day and evening made so much better by having such great people with us.  

Turtle Safely.......

Wind, Wings, and Music

Lubbock, Texas
Elks Lodge

Last night Freddy suggested we go to the National Ranching Heritage Center today, but when we woke up it was cold and cloudy.  We thought it might be better to postpone it and go to a musuem indoors today and do the Ranching Center tomorrow.  

Our first stop today was the Silent Wings Museum.  John and Gerri Beckman suggested we visit it.  Once again their suggestion was right.


The Silent Wings Museum is the only one in the world devoted to the military glider program.  

Our orientation began with a very good video on the glider program in WW II.  The gliders played a very big part in the invasion of Normandy.  

Naturally, Bill enjoyed seeing all the WW II weapons.  

It's hard to believe how much they carried on these gilders.

The nose of the glider lifted up to remove the jeep.

This is the inside looking forward.

Looking from the doorway backward.

This is what their barracks would have looked like.

When we paid our $6.00 apiece admission, the lady stamped our receipt and told us it was good for half price at the Buddy Holly Museum.  Of course you know where we went next.  I love a bargain!  Three dollars per person to tour the Buddy Holly Center which also included the J I Allison house, where Buddy and J I wrote music. 

Buddy Holly was born on September 7, 1936 in Lubbock, Texas. The museum had many artifacts and stories about Buddy Holly but I was disappointed that the only place we heard any of his songs was watching the video.  It would have been so much nicer if they had played his songs.  

His first song That Will Be The Day was inspired by John Wayne from the western movie The Searchers.  Even though his career lasted 18 months he managed to have 25 hits.

I enjoyed the story of Buddy, J I Allison and Joe Mauldin walking into a Harley Davidson shop looking to buy three motorcycles.  The salesperson didn't recognize them and  suggested they leave.  They went to a Triumph dealer and bought three motorcycles and went back to the Harley dealer to show him what they bought.  

We were in a RV park in Clear Lake, Iowa and LC and Marilyn Boyer were also in the park.  LC lived there at one time and showed us the Surf Ballroom where Buddy performed with the Crickets.  He was killed in a plane crash after that performance.   

The tour of the J. I. Allison house began at 1 pm.  There were about 20 people standing around the gift shop waiting to take the tour.  Our tour guide took everyone in the tiny circa 1950's house.  There were so many people I didn't feel real comfortable.  It would have been so much better if they had the house open and a docent inside and people could visit it without waiting for a huge crowd.  

The West Texas Walk of Fame was across the street 

Here's just a few names that appeared:  Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, Mac Davis, Jimmy Dean, Tanya Tucker, Roy Orbison, Gatlin Brothers and Dan Blocker.

Our next stop was to another largest in the world museum--  The American Wind Power Center.  There were 170 rare windmills on over 28 acres.  One hundred of these are in the exhibit hall. Admission was $5.00 a piece or $10 for a family.

This mural called the "Legacy of the Wind" covers 6,000 square feet and took two years to complete.  There were people in there setting up for a wedding so I didn't get a great photo.

These were huge and you can barely see Bill in this photo.

As tall as this building was, they had to dig down another floor to display this section.  

This is Monitor WV Series windmill that is still in its original shipping crate.  It was manufactured by the Baker Manufacturing Co. of Evansville, Wisconsin from 1933 to 1960.  

This is  the Elmer & Melvyn Miller Windmill weight collection.  

Are you wondering why this Red Ryder air rifle is featured in this musuem?  

The Plymouth Iron Windmill Co of Plymouth, Michigan made a vaneless wrought iron pumping windmill.  It was so different that it did not sell well.  C. Hamilton, inventor for the mill, perfected a new all metal air rifle in 1888.  He showed it to the company president who said, "Clarence it's a Daisy".  The company then started giving one with every windmill sold.  

The air rifle became so successful that the Plymouth Company ceased making windmills and changed its name to the Daisy Manufacturing Co.  which became world famous for its Daisy Rifle.  

These were salesman's samples.

Once we were through with the indoor exhibits we went outside to view more.

Hopefully, with our truck in the photo it will show you how large the building is.  They are also working hard to expand the exhibit in another large area that is not open for a couple of months.  

The cost of one of these is about a million dollars.  This generates the electricity for the museum.

This is a replica of the Yeardley which was built in 1621.  it was the first wind driven grist mill in North America.

I always enjoy something that is a little different and this museum was it.  

We hurried back to the Elks as we were going to dinner with Freddy and Delcie Prather. 

I can't believe I didn't even take a picture of us at dinner.  I had the camera, but we were so busy catching up since we last saw them, I completely forgot.  

Dinner and the company were great, but I was glad to get back and prop up my foot tonight.  

Turtle Safely..........