6/8/2015 Pow Wow in the Pines

(Pinetop, AZ)

Today Bob and I joined fellow workampers Dana and Judy on a trip to Pinetop, about a half hour away.

The purpose of our trip was to attend the 18th Annual Pow Wow in the Pines.  It was held on the grounds of the Hon-dah Resort, Casino and Conference Center.

Tribes from all over the United States and Canada are here for the competition between dancers and drums.  Two of the categories are fancy dance and the grass dance.  The stakes are high as each tribe is competing for their share of the $39,000 in prize money.

Of course in addition to the dancing and drumming were food tents, and lots of jewelry sellers.



If I was into Indian jewelry I could have spent a fortune!  Lucky for my wallet that I am quite satisfied with my one pair of turquoise earrings.

To say that things were colorful would be a huge understatement. 

We got there early enough that we had our choice of the bleacher seats.  If the truth be told we wish we hadn’t gotten there so early.  It was HOT!

At noon the dancing started and I have to say it was a really slow start.  So many people had to be acknowledged and it seemed the list went on and on.  We had to wait for each one to come out of the crowd and shake hands with about a dozen people standing in a receiving line.  The crowd was getting restless needless to say.

Finally.  The dancers and tribes members were brought into the arena and the line of people went on and on before they all got it.  Did I mention it was hot?

I told you!  Color overload!

It was like a crate of a thousand crayons exploded in my head!


You could “hear” these ladies coming before you saw them.


This fellow was doing a special dance.  This was his coming of age ceremony.  All the people on the left are his family members.  Today he received his first eagle feather.


These dancers tired me out just watching them.  Round and round the arena they went a different movement with arms and legs with each step.

There was still lots more dancing and drum playing but they stopped in the middle of it all so the host tribe could greet some members of others tribes.  Each member was given a basket and we had to wait for each one to come out of the crowd and shake everyone’s hand again and be presented with a laundry basket filled with gifts and it was sooooo HOT!  So we said, “We came, we saw, we sweat and it was time to get of here!”

I can’t tell you how good that air conditioned vehicle felt!

We decided to stop and eat dinner on the way and stopped at Charlie Clark's Steak House.  We all had a very good meal and said we would come back here again…..again.

So this was our day at the Pow Wow in the Pines.  Hot as hell but a good time all the same!

6/7/15 Show Low Days

(Show Low, AZ)

We’ve been hearing about Show Low Days for several weeks now.  Posters in stores, radio spots and in the park itself.  In the park itself….. everyone talks about but no one we’ve talked to has actually ever gone to it.  We wanted to see what it was all about.

We left Juniper Ridge and knew it was in Show Low but not exactly where.  I mean how hard could it be find something as big as Show Low Days?  We had a heck of a time and found it quite by accident because we had given up and were heading back home.

The parking situation at the fair grounds was horrendous at best. 

It had rained quite a lot the day before and we were greeted by a muddy mess at the entrance of the fair.  It wasn’t nearly as big as I thought it would be.

As at most city fairs there were bouncy rides for the kids.



Arts and crafts galore.









Robinson Golf Carts had a display and I really liked this six seater.


Although we missed t, earlier in the day there was a derby down the main street.  The cars on display were quite a draw with the kids.  I’m sorry we missed the race.




Some of the car builders were quite creative.




This one was one of my favorites.  There was a lady with a clipboard standing nearby and everyone had a chance to vote for their favorite one.  What they won I don’t have a clue but we cast our votes all the same.




Bob grabbed something to eat and sat down to watch the show going on under the big tent.  Meanwhile, I knew there was something I wanted to buy before we left.  I took off to find the tent with the pan flute player.


I LOVE to hear the pan flute so I bought two CD’s.

All in all it was a nice day in Show Low.

6/6/15 A Dinner Dance for Mom’s & Dad’s

(Show Low, AZ)

My co-workamper, Judy and I started our day baking a dozen pies.  Not from scratch of course, frozen ones.  We’re having a dinner dance here this evening, a combination celebration  of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

It was so nice to put all the pies in the oven at the same time, it’s a big oven with a half dozen racks in it.  I would love to bake my Christmas cookies here!

The guys joined us shortly after and we set up ten round tables that seat eight.

As soon as that was done we were free for the rest of the afternoon.  Well, until four o’clock anyway when we reported back to work.

Bob and Dana took on the ticket taker duties while Judy and I helped get things together in the kitchen for dinner.

Pies had to be cut.




Sandy, our Activities Director checking on the doneness of the broccoli.




Judy, my co-workamper, filling large bowls with dinner rolls.


Before I get too far into this let me say that the event was supposed to start with the doors opening at 4:30 for (bring your own) cocktails.  The residents started arriving at 3:45!

At 5:00 the four of us manned our stations in the service line.  Bob and Dana served the roast beef and turkey and Judy spooned mashed potatoes and gravy and I had the broccoli.  The serving went smoothly and we soon found our voices to decline giving extra servings to the people in the first tables.  More than once I heard, “I really, really like broccoli!”  Each one was told they could come back for seconds after everyone was served.

When dinner was over and dishes cleared, we watched two music videos about Mothers and Fathers.  Both were well done.

A few minutes after six the music started.  We have a resident DJ here who has a very large music selection.   Now keep in mind this is just a few minutes after six.  People started dancing right away and everyone was having a good time.  At seven o’clock many started leaving.  We couldn’t believe it!  It’s only seven o’clock!  Of course those of us who stayed to the end had a great time. 

I did have a special request for the DJ.  Tonight was the 35th anniversary of Bob and my’s first date.  We danced to Kenny Roger’s  Through the Years.  I remember that first date like it was yesterday.

6/5/15 Little Green Aliens

(Show Low, AZ)

We hit the road again today in search of a resort to spend our summers in.  Today we went to yet another town to check out two resorts. 

On the way we passed through Heber and this store that had me do a double take as something bright green caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.  I told Bob, “On our way back I want to stop there!”

I am convinced after checking out these two dumps that the people who write the copy for their websites have never seen them and possibly never even set foot in the state of Arizona.  Since when does moss covered, black streaked to the max, (RV’ers will understand that) old junk cars up on blocks in the yard, dead trees and dusty dirt roads represent resort?   Sorry, not in our book.  Oh don’t get me started!

On the way back Bob pulled into the parking lot of the store that intrigued me.  I was smiling ear to ear as we got out of the car at all the treasures laid out before me.  We were at Wild Woods on Route 260 in Heber.

Wood!  Everywhere. 

Chairs,,,,   (very comfortable too!)



,,,,and bears

,,,,and little green aliens were there for admiring and purchasing.

I love things made out of wood!  I so admire the skill set it takes to carve things with a chain saw.  These pieces are works in progress.



While talking with the fellow who was putting the polyurethane on the above he told us there was a very large fire years ago, thirteen years if I remember correctly, and they got a permit to go in and retrieve the damaged trees.  I imagine at most they were scorched on the outside or perhaps the lower parts were burned but the upper sections were still usable.  Which ever way it was I think its great that this business was able to put the remains of a forest fire to good use.



When I went inside the first thing I did was ask if I could take pictures. 

I’m just in awe of people who can make more intricate pieces like the ones shown below.



There were so many things made of wood.  Bowls, decorative pieces, lamps, toys, beautiful pieces of furniture made from imported wood.  Everywhere I looked I found something else that brought a smile to my lips.

I did buy two pieces. 

I’ve been wanting one of these lizards for awhile and price was right!



I also fell in love with this piece.  The workmanship is very good and it will be a nice addition to the park model.  It just says “Quail Run” to me.



If you ever find yourself in this neck of the woods I would make an effort to visit this wonderful shop called Wild Woods at 1890 Hwy 260 in Heber.

And if you get the chance, have Kelly assist you, she just rocks this place!

6/2/15 Bet You Didn’t Know This!

1. Arizona has 3,928 mountain peaks and summits, more mountains than any one of the other Mountain States (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming).  

2. All New England, plus the state of Pennsylvania would fit inside Arizona.  

3. Arizona became the 48th state and last of the contiguous states on February 14, 1912.  

4. Arizona's disparate climate can yield both the highest temperature across the nation and the lowest temperature across the nation in the same day. 

5. There are more wilderness areas in Arizona than in the entire Midwest. Arizona alone has 90 wilderness areas, while the Midwest has 
50.
 
6. Arizona has 26 peaks that are more than 10,000 feet in elevation. 

7. Arizona has the largest contiguous stand of Ponderosa pines in the world stretching from near Flagstaff along the Mogollon Rim to the White mountains region.  

8. Yuma, Arizona is the country's highest producer of winter vegetables, especially lettuce.  

9. Arizona is the 6th largest state in the nation, covering 113,909 square miles.  

10. Out of all the states in the U.S., Arizona has the largest percentage of its land designated as Indian lands.  

11. The Five C's of Arizona's economy are: Cattle, Copper, Citrus, Cotton, and Climate.  

12. More copper is mined in Arizona than all the other states combined, and the Morenci Mine is the largest copper producer in all of North America.  

13. Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, two of the most prominent movie stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, were married on March 18, 1939, in Kingman, Arizona.  

14. Covering 18,608 sq. miles, Coconino County is the second largest county by land area in the 48 contiguous United States.
 
15. The world's largest solar telescope is located at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Sells, Arizona.. 

16. Bisbee, Arizona is known as the Queen of the Copper Mines because during its mining heyday it produced nearly 25 percent of the world's copper and was the largest city in the Southwest between Saint Louis and San Francisco. 

17. Billy the Kid killed his first man, Windy Cahill, in Bonita, Arizona. 

18. Arizona grows enough cotton each year to make more than one pair of jeans for every person in the United States. 

19. Famous labor leader and activist Cesar Chavez was born in Yuma.  

20. In 1912, President William Howard Taft was ready to make Arizona a state on February 12, but it was Lincoln's birthday. The next day, the 13th, was considered bad luck so they waited until the following day. That' how Arizona became known as the Valentine State.  

21. When England's famous London Bridge was replaced in the 1960s, the original was purchased, dismantled, shipped stone by stone and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where it still stands today.  

22. Mount Lemmon, Tucson, in the Santa Catalina Mountains, is the southernmost ski resort in the United States.  

23. Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch in Picacho, Arizona is the largest privately-owned ostrich ranch in the world outside South Africa.  

24. If you cut down a protected species of cactus in Arizona, you could spend more than a year in prison.  

25. The world's largest to-scale collection of miniature airplane models is housed at the library at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona.  

26. The only place in the country where mail is delivered by mule is the village of Supai, located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  

27. Located on Arizona's western border, Parker Dam is the deepest dam in the world at 320 feet.  

28. South Mountain Park/Preserve in Phoenix is the largest municipal park in the country.  

29. Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, located about 55 miles west of Phoenix, generates more electricity than any other U.S.. power plant.  

30. Oraibi, a Hopi village located in Navajo County, Arizona, dates back to before A.D. 1200 and is reputed to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in America.  

31. Built by Del Webb in 1960, Sun City, Arizona was the first 
55-plus active adult retirement community in the country.  

32. Petrified wood is the official state fossil. The Petrified Forest in northeastern Arizona contains America's largest deposits of petrified wood.  

33. Many of the founders of San Francisco in 1776 were Spanish colonists from Tubac, Arizona.  

34. Phoenix originated in 1866 as a hay camp to supply military post Camp McDowell.  

35. Rainfall averages for Arizona range from less than three inches in the deserts to more than 30 inches per year in the mountains.  

36. Rising to a height of 12,643 feet, Mount Humphreys north of Flagstaff is the state's highest mountain.  

37. Roadrunners are not just in cartoons! In Arizona, you'll see them running up to 17-mph away from their enemies. 

38. The Saguaro cactus is the largest cactus found in the U.S. It can grow as high as a five-story building and is native to the Sonoran Desert, which stretches across southern Arizona.  

39. Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman appointed to the U..S. Supreme Court, grew up on a large family ranch near Duncan, Arizona.  

40. The best-preserved meteor crater in the world is located near Winslow, Arizona.  

41. The average state elevation is 4,000 feet.  

42. The Navajo Nation spans 27,000 square miles across the states of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, but its capital is seated in Window Rock, Arizona.  

43. The amount of copper utilized to make the copper dome atop Arizona's Capitol building is equivalent to the amount used in 4..8 million pennies.  

44. Near Yuma, the Colorado River's elevation dips to 70 feet above sea level, making it the lowest point in the state.  

45. The geographic center of Arizona is 55 miles southeast of Prescott near the community of Mayer.  

46. You could pile four 1,300-foot skyscrapers on top of each other and they still would not reach the rim of the Grand Canyon.  

47. The hottest temperature recorded in Arizona was 128 degrees at Lake Havasu City on June 29, 1994  

48. The coldest temperature recorded in Arizona was 40 degrees below zero at Hawley Lake on January 7, 1971.  

49. A saguaro cactus can store up to nine tons of water.  

50. The state of Massachusetts could fit inside Maricopa County.  

51. The westernmost battle of the Civil War was fought at Picacho Pass on April 15, 1862 near Picacho Peak in Pinal County  

52. There are 11.2 million acres of National Forest in Arizona, and one-fourth of the state forested.  

53. Wyatt Earp was neither the town marshal nor the sheriff in Tombstone at the time of the shoot-out at the O..K. Corral. His brother Virgil was the town marshal.  

54. On June 6, 1936, the first barrel of tequila produced in the United States rolled off the production line in Nogales, Arizona.  

55. The Sonoran Desert is the most biologically diverse desert in North America.  

56. Bisbee is the Nation's Southernmost mile-high city.  

57. The two largest man-made lakes in the U.S. are Lake Mead and Lake Powell, both located in Arizona.  

58. The longest remaining intact section of Route 66 can be found in Arizona and runs from Seligman to Topock, a total of 157 unbroken miles.  

59. The 13 stripes on the Arizona flag represent the 13 original colonies of the United States.  

60. The negotiations for Geronimo's final surrender took place in Skeleton Canyon, near present day Douglas, Arizona, in 1886.  

61. Prescott, Arizona is home to the world's oldest rodeo

62. Kartchner Caverns, near Benson, Arizona, is a massive limestone cave with 13,000 feet of passages, two rooms as long as football fields, and one of the world's longest soda straw stalactites: measuring  21 feet 3 inches.  

63. You can carry a loaded firearm on your person, no permit required. VERY TRUE AND A LOT DO!

64. Arizona has one of the lowest crime rates in the U.S.A.

DISCLAIMER:  I have not personally researched each one of these facts.

5/30/15 We Check Out Other Resorts

(Show Low, AZ)

RESORT:  noun:  a place to which people frequently or generally go for relaxation or pleasure, especially one providing rest and recreation facilities for vacationers.

Today we traveled about 35 miles to a town called Heber to check out a resort as a possible place to park the RV for next summer.  We figure its got to be away from the junipers and thirty five miles away so perhaps the wind won’t blow so much.

So we find the place and pull into the resort with great anticipation and expectations. 

DISAPPOINTMENT:  noun;  the act of disappointing or the state of being disappointed.

Oh Em Gee!  Just shoot us now!  We pulled into this resort and our jaws dropped. 

DUMP:  noun:  Informal  a place, house, or town that is dilapidated, dirty, or disreputable.

Oh Em Gee!  I’m serious, just shoot us now!

I mean their website showed happy people and evergreens,,,,  Oh wait, that was the only picture come to think of it.  But, but, their write up sounded so FUN!  Oh wait, a copy writer in Timbuktu could have written that.   BUT WAIT,,,,it was on the INTERNET, therefore it must be true, right?

Well, we continued the drive through the resort and the deeper we got into this run down campground the more dismal it got.

We drove right on through and couldn’t get out fast enough. 

We won’t be in Heber next summer.

5/29/15 Another Workday For Us

(Show Low, AZ)

Another workday.  We’re not complaining, it gives us something to do.

After the last line dancing class today we went in to set up the tables and chairs for a board meeting and when that was over we set up for Monday Morning Coffee since there wasn’t any activities planned for the Grand Lodge this weekend.

Line dancing.  Line dancing takes place three times a week for three hours.  The first class is for advanced dancers, the second for intermediate and the last for beginners.  So that’s nine hours of line dancing per week and one teacher!  I went to one class and made it halfway through a beginners class.  The music was some I had never heard before, I’m calling 1940’s music but I'm not positive about that because I had never heard any of the songs before.  The dances were not line dancing like I’ve ever seen before either.  Its not for me and that's ok, its what they do here and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  I was really disappointed to because I was looking forward to dancing this summer.