A Small Dog With a Big Presence

This trip has proven that no matter the size of our living quarters, Ruby takes over the space. She has to be wherever we are. When we get out of her sight she barks, she always wants to be close to her “pack.”

 

Ruby is crowding Cray’s feet, a common occurrence, we dutifully compromise our comfort for hers. 

Here she is casually napping on the bed. Look at all that room…until we go to bed and attempt to position our legs around her. If we nudge her with our feet she gives off a low growl, as if to say “I’m not moving, you are.” 

Ruby even determines what restaurants we eat at.  They must have an outdoor patio that allow dogs. We don't eat out often, but when we do Ruby usually gets a bowl and a snack.

The campground where we are currently staying has a fun little dog park. I wanted Ruby to go up and down the ramp, but she won’t even look at it. Maybe, if I had some highly desirable treats, like the ones she got at Kim’s house, I could train her to do it.

Kim is a gracious host. We had so much fun staying at her lovely Sun City West home. Kim is originally from Des Moines and we have both known her for years. Kim and I reconnected when I worked as the RN for the Spinal Cord Injury Clinic at the Des Moines VA Hospital. Kim is the Executive Director of the Iowa Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. 

Kim LOVES dogs and cats. She is particularity fond of her 9 month old dog, Pogo, who has a lot of energy and personality. Pogo and Ruby got off to a rough start and we had to keep a close eye on them. Pogo just wanted to play, but grumpy-old-lady Ruby was having no part of it. Pogo ended up wearing a soft muzzle, a pinch collar, and a leash for quick corrections.  However, it probably should have been Ruby since she was the bitchy one!

Kim took us to a nearby golf course to eat at the Crooked Putter for all you could eat fish and chips. The food was really delicious. We also had the best server,  Kim’s good friend Denise. She is another transplant from Des Moines that we just happened to know from the Drake Diner. Such a small world. 

Denise, her partner Angela, and their two super awesome dog’s: Rider & Putter. It appears that all of Kim’s Sun City West friend’s play golf, pickle ball, and dominoes. Actually, I think everyone in Sun City West golfs, judging by the number of golf carts on the road.  I also ran into Nancy, a wonderful woman who worked at the VA the entire time I was there. She is one of the few people there that always eager to help you and she did it with a smile. Nancy currently goes back and forth from Iowa to Arizona every six months. I can see why people love to live in Sun City West. The taxes are low, since there are no schools in over 55 senior communities. 

Kim’s giant-old-lovable-half-blind dog Duke.

Kim’s cat that lives in a larger body named Butters

Kim’s secretary, Peanut, who probably hates me. Once, I locked her in the closet. Another time I shut her up between the front door and the screen door - overnight! Seriously, I felt so bad. 

Above is a photo of the campsite that our friend Pam posted on Facebook. Word is that you can be as close to other campers or as far away as you want. Quartsize is THAT huge. Oh, and it’s dry camping. Fortunately, we have solar and we are about to put our off-the-grid camping skills to the test!

This is a photo from Quartzsite taken by a camper this very morning. Now, that’s the what I’m talking about.

Cray and I are preparing to travel to Quartzsite, Arizona tomorrow. It’s about a 3 hour drive from our current location in Picacho. We are going to camp near our new friend Pam from Las Cruces and her RV buddy’s from Colorado. Quartzsite is the home of the largest RV rally and gem show - I imagine it to be like ‘Sturgis’ for campers. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Cray surprised me with a helicopter ride to celebrate my 60th birthday today. I rode up front and I was kind of like the co-pilot….well, maybe not, but I did feel pretty darn special.

There were hikers on the very top of Camelback Mountain in the distance. Chris, our helicopter pilot, said the last part of that hike involves pulling yourself up the rocks to reach the top. I won’t be doing that. 

Thumbs up! We are getting ready to board the helicopter.

Look at all those trails! Chris said they are for biking, walking, and horseback riding. No ATV's?

We flew over bazillion dollar houses. Lifestyles of the rich and famous - does anyone really need a forty thousand square foot home?

The pilot had the largest black bear ever shot in Arizona on display in his hanger. Personally, I think it’s pretty sad, but the bear did make a good photo-op. I look like I am swallowing my tongue. 

We stopped to photograph this sculpture designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built years later by one of his esteemed students.

Tonight, we are grilling steaks and playing dominoes with our friend Kim and our new friend Angela. I received tons of birthday wishes from all my friends and family. I am so blessed!

                         Happy Birthday to Me! 

It’s a Wonderful Life

Posing for a Christmas morning photo in front of the tree…I mean cactus. Ruby is like “get me out of here.”

A quick trip to the vet earlier this week and an important lesson learned about dogs in the desert. They can get “digital granulomas” which is just a fancy way of saying thorns in their paws that go through the bottom and work their way out the top. Ruby, suddenly, had a oblong shaped, bright red blister-like lump, on the top of her right paw. We speculated that she got bite by something - a spider? A lizard? A mouse? Even though it looked painful, Ruby didn’t try to bite me when I examined it, so I wasn’t too concerned, but we went to a local vet just to be sure.  A two second look by the vet and $63 dollars later, we learned it’s nothing to be concerned about. I suppose it was a small price to pay for peace of mind and next time we'll know. 

Ruby survived her digital granuloma and truly enjoyed Christmas Day. 

The "adults" in the house did a white elephant gift exchange. Cray got a pair of Spanx leggings, which I promptly swiped from her, but not before she had a chance to model them. She is always a good sport.

A photo of me at the beginning thinking, “This trail doesn’t look too bad.”

After all the presents were opened and the wrapping paper stuffed into the recycling bin; Mia, Jasper, Ava, and I set out on what we thought was a short holiday hike that turned out to be a six mile trek in the desert. Yes, they had maps, but we didn’t take one. We weren’t lost, we just took the longest trail available -  on accident. Ava was a trooper. 

If you spend hours hiking in the desert you may start to get a little silly. 

Another Christmas Day comes to a close. We are blessed and it is a wonderful life!

Happy Holiday’s From Scottsdale

Goldfield Ghost Town in Apache Junction, Arizona.  

Ava insisted we pose for an old-time photo. Adding a costume over your existing clothes definitely adds a few pounds, but there is no room for vanity in the old west. I'm pretty sure Cray was an outlaw cowboy in a previous life.

We took a "family friendly" tour of the Bordello, which is an oxymoron. Even men paying women to "cuddle' is just awkward and wrong. Sorry, Ava. 

Cray declined joining us for a tour of the old gold mine. Something about being in closed spaces deep underground. 

Honestly, there is really no reason to ever leave the house we are staying in. There is a TV in every room, a heated pool, games, puzzles, and a refrigerator stocked with delicious food. Of course, Ruby has taken over the house. She is in heaven here after being cramped-up in the camper. She has circled the pool and dipped her nose into it. I think she will be swimming next to me before this trip is over. 

Ruby thinks she is a cat.

Yes, we put this throw pillow on the couch just for you, Ruby. Don’t mind us, just make yourself comfortable. 

I busted Ruby checking out the presents, but she didn’t find one with her name on it - Santa doesn’t come until Christmas, silly dog!

This is my face on vacation; relaxed, carefree, and extremely grateful. 

Ruby is Taking a Break

I've fallen in love with the desert.

Ruby and I are taking a break from blogging to focus on important tasks at hand. Ruby is going to go for more walks and I am going to work on getting all my continuing education (CEU’s) done for my nursing license before January, 2022. Yes, I waited until the last minute, but if you knew how boring CEU’s can be you wouldn’t blame me. So, this is the last blog post until I can once again renew my nursing license, like I’ve done every three years since 1983, when I first became a Registered Nurse. 

My happy place is walking and hiking. I especially like it when steep mountain trails have wooden steps.

If bees are the scariest thing on a trail I can handle it. 

We visited this National Monument and spent a few dollars in their gift shop.

I grew up reading my dad’s National Geographic magazines and sneaking peeks at his Playboy’s (sometimes there wasn't a lot of difference). I figured I would either grow up to be an archeologist or a Playboy Bunny.  I still love archeology and anthropology. Everything about these ruins, and the people that made them, fascinated me. 

This is the spot where I will be studying (and eating). It doesn’t get any better than this. 

Ruby at the window watching the world go by. 

Ruby, Crayola, and I wish everyone a peaceful and love-filled holiday. I’ll still be posting photos on Facebook to let my mom know I’m still alive and to share about our many adventures, but for now I'm hitting the books. Stay safe and merry. Love, Carrie

An Arizona Winter’s Night Equals a Good Wool Blanket.

 

Ruby all curled up in a tight little ball to stay warm at our feet. It got down to thirty in the night, but we are from Iowa, so this is good sleeping weather for us.

We made camp last night at a friendly KOA in Willcox, Arizona. The camp is all gravel with a few scattered trees, which is better for Ruby than a camp full of cacti and other sticky things that gets stuck in her paws. The KOA includes a little cafe. We ordered dinner, which an elderly man delivered to our camper door on a gulf cart. He passed us up a couple times looking for our campsite number boldly displayed at one end. I don't know, maybe he was new. Helpful tip: When a menu in Arizona says a burger is spicy, it's spicy. 

This beauty is parked next to us. 

I thought I wanted a small vintage-looking camper like a Scamp, but considering how tight it can feel in our 22 foot home on wheels, I am grateful we settled on a bigger one. Mostly, we have a “baby” camper compared to the semi-like rigs in most RV parks. Here at the Willcox KOA, several monster motor homes are decorated with lights, Christmas trees, garland, and wreaths. We need to up our game. 

This is how the sunset began. 

The colors start to pop.

The lemon yellow color over the mountains is my favorite.

This plains girl never gets tired of watching the sunsets and sunrises, wherever I travel. I don’t see much of them living in the city center on the first floor of a south facing condo. 

The Chiricahua National Monument.

These towering volcanic rock formations are what we plan to venture to today. I understand people come from all over the world to see them and the monument is only 35 minutes from us. I'm pretty sure Cray will want to take a few photos of this!

We’ll also be looking for all the birds that migrate here, including thousands of sandhill cranes at Sulphur Springs Valley, nearby.

And finally, since this is the land of cowboys, I'll be keeping an eye out for an available-well-aged- rancher to take home to my cowgirl mom, but not these two buckaroos. 🙂