Here we go again! 4/11/09

We are on the road again. We've spent four wonderful, sunny months in Mesa, AZ. (Well, actually 3 months since we spent a month or so up near our new grand baby, Lily, in central IL between Dec-Jan).

Departing Mesa on 4/7 with hopes of being in and out of the RV dealer for minor repairs, in actuality it wasn't till three days later, two trips to have the trailer fixed, one trip to have the truck fixed, before we were really on the road heading east. Our goal is to drive the Natchez Trace, beginning in Natchez, Mississippi and ending in Nashville, Tennessee. But more on that later.

We've experienced some rough weather so far; rain, wind, hail, sleet and snow showers. It's as if God wants us to see what we've been missing ALL IN A MATTER OF DAYS! As a matter of fact, when it started raining the other night, I had to really think about what that sound was - it had been so long since we've had rain in Arizona!

So stay tuned, hold on tight, and ride along with us as we head east through NM, TX, LA, and MS.

I am a closet bowl licker....

Not a TOILET bowl licker, but cake mix bowl licker. You know, when you're done scraping the bowl, pouring the batter into the cake pan? Any adult knows that you should put the dirty pan into the sink. Nope, nope, nope. Not me. I start salivating. I make sure I leave a fair amount of batter on the spatula so I can take long licks off of it. I try not to moan out loud with pleasure so my husband, Jim, can't hear me and wonder what the heck I'm up to all by myself in the kitchen. I wrap my tongue around those individual beaters (unplugged and unhooked, of course). I'm waiting for my tongue to get stuck inside one of them, and then have to sheepishly wag my tongue in front of Jim to untangle. What a nightmare THAT would be.

When I've finished licking off all of the attachments/spatulas, I leave the bowl for last. I run my index finger along the side of the bowl and scoop up sizable amounts of batter. Yum! I try, I mean I REALLY try, to scrape the majority of the batter into the pan, but sometimes I just can't get all of it out. So what else can a person do? That batter is just BEGGING to be eaten!

My biggest worry now is, when my grandchildren come over and want to bake with me, how can I turn over the bowl to them for licking? Can I really hand over those deliciously dipped beaters? Will I be adult enough to let go?

My only solution? I'll have to buy enough to make another cake, mix it up, then eat the batter when the grandchildren leave. Because I have a feeling I'll be a bowl licker till I'm old and gray.

Chihuly

A large group of my friends, Jim, and I visited the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden to see the exhibit, "Chihuly - the Nature of Glass." It was the perfect day to go - the weather was in the 70's and it was partly cloudy.



Dale Chihuly is a world renown glass sculptor who was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington. His work is recognized for its vibrant colors and grand scale and are found in more than 200 museums worldwide. This is Chihuly's first exhibition in a desert garden environment.



We walked around the garden and viewed the various structures amid the different kinds of cacti, bushes, trees and plants. The vibrant colors of the glass sculptures really stood out amongst the green and beige colors of the desert.



When the sun set, we walked through most of the garden again to view the glass sculptures lit up. The best ones were those that were lit from within. The most amazing one was a huge yellow neon tower that turned the whole area aglow in yellow. It could be seen from quite a distance.



If you have a chance to visit this traveling exhibit, I would highly recommend it.

I don't know nothin 'bout birthin' no babies!

You want to know what's harder than going through labor? Watching your CHILD go through labor. Let me tell you, I was just beside myself, watching my baby in pain. Even though I know millions of women go through this every day, it's not MY BABY.

Jessica was six days overdue when she mentioned to me that her face felt "funny" and that one side was not cooperating with the other side, especially when she smiled. When she blinked her eyes looked like the gates at a railroad crossing - they blinked alternately. My heart jumped into my throat - I thought that she possibly had a stroke.

"Do you think I should call the doctor?" she asked me innocently.

I immediately began to cry (ever the strong one - that's me) and answered, "YES!"

The doctor decided to admit Jessica for "observation" on Monday, 1/12. She was diagnosed with a slight case of Bell's Palsy, which is not too uncommon in the third trimester.

She was only dilated to 1 centimeter and 50% effaced so they decided to induce labor through various means. TWO days later, Wednesday, 1/14, Jess was only at 5 centimeters. Her blood pressure was going up pretty high. I was a nervous wreck. The first epideral that had been placed in on Monday wasn't working, so they yanked that one out and put a new one in. Jess was in a lot of pain and I couldn't understand what the doctor and midwife were waiting for to decide to take the baby by c-section. My eyes were filled with tears.

The midwife asked me if I knew a "Dr. Farley". I replied no.

She said, "Oh, you're not from around here."

"That's right," I said.

"Well," the midwife continued, "The doctor was a firm believer that the mother of the pregnant woman should never be in the delivery room. I never agreed with him. Now I see why he said that!"

As my twin sister would say, "Well la-de-freakin'-da lady!" That's all I wanted them to do was make a decision and get this baby out NOW!

And that's exactly what happened. Jess was wheeled into surgery, and wha-lah! A baby was born!

Introducing

Lilith (Lily) Winter Gray
8 lbs 1 oz
19 1/2 inches
11:16 a.m.
1/14/09

Tick, Tock

We are currently in Princeton, IL awaiting the birth of our granddaughter. And waiting. And waiting.

Our daughter, Jessica is due TODAY, January 7Th. We arrived here 10 days ago for the blessed event, hoping the baby would be born early so we'd have more days to enjoy her before we have to fly back to Mesa. Time is slipping away, she is still inutero, and I'm trying to will her out.

Poor Jess is so swollen, like Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.





She is SO ready for this baby to come out. The midwife has suggested that Jessica either a) drink some Castor oil in the morning (causing a shitload of diarrhea and then the onset of labor) OR b) have intercourse. I, personally would prefer (b), but apparently, neither option seems appealing to my daughter. I can't imagine why with her stomach out to HERE, and her cute, skinny little feet swollen beyond recognition. She just wants the baby out, "NOW!"

But we all know that the baby will come when she is good and ready. SHE doesn't care that Grandma is pacing the floor counting the days till she has to leave; SHE doesn't care that Mommy can't possibly get any bigger or she'll explode; SHE doesn't care that it would have been more convenient for her to have been born during the last two weeks while Daddy was home from teaching on Christmas break. No, none of these thoughts seem to bother her.

Although it's getting crowded where she is, it's warm and dark and she is comforted by the sound of Mommy's voice and heartbeat.

And so we wait. And wait. For Baby Girl Gray

The Eagle has landed, or Big Blue has dropped his load

Well, it was time to leave our nice little oasis outside of Bisbee. We had a great five days here in this valley, surrounded by mountains. We were on the road by 9:30 am, heading towards our winter home of Mesa, Arizona.

For the past several days, we've passed this sign while driving: "Animals on Road" Next 3 Miles, or Next 5 miles, or whatever. My point is, it is never clarified as to what KIND of animals might be on the road. We've seen signs with pictures of cows to signify open range, signs for elk and we've all sign signs for deer crossing. We even saw a sign once with a picture that kind of looked like a horse and kind of looked like a mule, and we deducted that they were wild mules. Sure enough, not too far away from that, we saw wild mules! But to have the sign just say "animals" and not be specific made me wonder, just what EXACTLY was roaming around out there in the desert? I know there are coyotes. Jim said that there were probably mountain lions. Greaaat. Javalinas, too. It's a wonder anyone ventures out after dark!

On our way from Bisbee to Mesa we passed a few interesting places. The first one was the Pinal Air Park, a "boneyard" for civilian commercial aircraft.




The thought is that the dry desert air will prevent any corrosion in case the planes are needed for duty in the future. Most of the aircraft end up being scrapped anyway. The majority of the planes are from Northwest Airlines, but other airlines are represented, too. Click here if you want to see an aerial photo of the boneyard.

The Davis-Monthan Air Force Base nearby is the boneyard for military aircraft.

The second interesting place was the Holy Trinity Monastery and RV Park. We were driving through the small town of St. David's and spotted a huge Celtic Cross behind some trees on the left side of the road. Then we saw the sign for the Monastery. The Monastery has a beautiful garden, bird sanctuary and an art gallery. It was created as a sanctuary for both monks and sisters of the church. Also people can live there temporarily in RV's and work on the grounds of the Monastery. This isn't a regular RV Park. According to website that I found, "Not all who come here just want to stretch their legs. Those wishing to make a retreat as a single or a group retreat can make arrangements to stay in the Monastery 's very simple accommodations where simple meals are included, or in the RV park. All guests of the Monastery, single or groups are expected to participate in the tradition of monastic retreats which exercises silence, solitude, simple living, community and personal prayer. The Benedictine Rule is followed at Holy Trinity Monastery." For more information on the Holy Trinity Monastery go to http://www.holytrinitymonastery.org

The third interesting place is Picacho Peak, which towers 1,500 feet over Interstate 10 and is located just 35 miles northwest of Tucson. Hiking, camping and picnicking are available at the state park.



I think with these three interesting places, we'll just have to plan a stay in the area to visit them.

We stopped for gas and I needed to use the restroom. In the bathroom stall butcher block paper (about 3 feet wide by 2 feet high) was taped on the wall. People (I assume women!) wrote all over it. I guess when it gets all filled up, they just replace the paper. It's like graffiti on a magic slate. Some of the messages written:

"The mountain at my back &
the ocean at my feet....
Back to California
but man it's sure
been sweet."
JCS
11/28/08

"Don't try to teach a pig to sing -
it annoys the pig."

Soooo, that was my enlightenment for the day.

We pulled into our home away from home, in Mesa, around 2:00 pm. It was about 77 degrees and sunny. Aaahhh

We will be parked here for four months.

Tombstone Continued

There was no gunfight to witness, so we walked further down the street to the famous Bird Cage Theatre, also referred to as The Bird Cage Opera House Saloon.



Back in the 1880's this was a combination saloon, gambling hall and a house of ill repute. In 1882, the New York Times referred to the Bird Cage as, "the Roughest, Bawdiest, and most Wicked night spot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast." It has been said that for nine consecutive years it never closed its doors, operating 24 hours a day. During this time period, 16 gun and knife fights killed 26 people. There are still 140 bullet holes through-out the building, in the ceilings, walls, and floors. Most brawls happened in the barroom, which has many bullet holes. One of the most brutal killings was that of Margarita, a lady of the evening, who was sitting on the lap of a gambler, Billy Milgreen. Billy's regular girl, Gold Dollar, entered the room, flew into a jealous rage and cut Margarita's heart out with a double edged stiletto. She fled out the back door when she heard that the Marshall was coming. No charges were pressed because they couldn't find the murder weapon. Surprisingly, 101 years later, the weapon was found behind the building and is now on display inside.

We toured the lobby of the Bird Cage, viewed some bullet holes, saw the beautiful wooden bar and large mirror above it, and saw the famous stairs leading up to the rooms upstairs.







We did not take the tour for $10/person that takes you behind the scenes. After reading more on this theater, I think it would be worth it next time we're in town.


We browsed through a few shops and then stopped to see a small show about the ghosts of Tombstone as told by Doc Holiday. It costs $5/adults, $4/seniors. I wouldn't recommend it; as a matter of fact, I think it's a rip off. There is about four rooms that you walk through, and in each room you press a button. Doc Holiday appears in a hologram among some old things in a room. There's some special effects like guns popping and air blowing, but not worth it.

We walked a couple of blocks over to the Courthouse. That cost $4/apiece to enter. It was filled with a lot of period pieces. The best places were the courtroom and the outside gallows.




The last place we stopped before leaving Tombstone was Boothill Cemetery. It is free to get in, but you can pay $2.00 for a descriptive list of the graves. Boothill Cemetery was originally called, "The Tombstone Cemetery" and was the burial place for the town's first pioneers. Around 1884, what is now called Boothill cemetery, was opened as a burial place. Because of the many violent deaths of the early days, the cemetery became know as Boothill Graveyard. Some of the people interred here: outlaws with their victims, suicides, hangings, (legal and otherwise), and regular citizens of Tombstone's early days. Boothill Graveyard got its name because many of the people who were buried there with their boots on. The soil was pretty hard, so the graves are shallow. The stones are piled high upon the body. The cemetery is filled with small mounds of stones and wooden crosses.



It was a breathtaking drive back to the campground watching the sun set behind the mountains, leaving the looming giants in the dark while the sky turned from blue to pink to purple and finally to midnight blue.

The Town Too Tough To Die

We spent the day in Tombstone, which was about a 25 mile drive from our campground.

According to Tombstone's official website, "The Town too Tough to Die," Tombstone was perhaps the most renowned of Arizona's old mining camps. When Ed Schieffelin came to Camp Huachuca with a party of soldiers and left the fort to prospect, his comrades told him that he'd find his tombstone rather than silver. Thus, in 1877 Schieffelin named his first claim the Tombstone, and rumors of rich strikes made a boom town of the settlement that adopted this name."

This is the place of the infamous shoot out at the O.K.Corral where Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Virgil and Morgan Earp fought the Clantons and McLaurys on October 26, 1881.

Now it is a touristy town with most of the activity happening on Allen Street, which is about three blocks long. You are immediately thrown back into time with the stagecoaches, covered wagons and horse-drawn carriages (all for sight-seeing) that traverse the dirt roads. No automobiles are allowed on the road. Employees of the local establishments are dressed up in character and can be seen both in the stores and walking the streets. It was not uncommon to see cowboys wearing chaps, holsters with guns, hats, or vests. There are many gift shops, saloons, and restaurants lining both sides of the street.

I wanted to go to Big Nose Kate's Saloon but we couldn't get in unless we wanted to wait for over a half hour. Big Nose Kate is believed to have been the first prostitute in Tombstone. But her biggest claim to fame was in the company she kept - she was Doc Holiday's girlfriend. It seems ole Kate helped break Doc out of jail in Ft. Griffin, Texas before he was about to be hung. Together they traveled West earning money, Doc by gambling, Kate by doing tricks, and I don't mean by playing "fetch".

Big Nose Kate's Saloon was formally known as the Grand Hotel in 1880.




It is said to be haunted by "Swamper", the janitor who lived in the basement of the hotel. The basement, deep below the surface of Tombstone's streets, was not too far from the many mine shafts which ran beneath the town. Swamper spent many a nights tunneling an entrance from his bedroom to the nearby mine shafts. When his tunnel was finished, he hit the mother lode, accessing a thick vein of silver. What he did after hoarding his silver is unknown, but many believe it may still be hidden somewhere beneath Big Kate’s Saloon. Swamper has appeared in photos and has been seen roaming the halls, stairways and especially the basement. Some believe that he hid his silver in the building and returns to protect it.

We passed up our opportunity to eat at Big Nose Kate's and continued on down the street to the Crystal Palace Saloon. Before it was the Crystal Palace Saloon, the Golden Eagle Brewery stood in its place, built in 1879. The establishment suffered damage from fire on June 22, 1881. The brewery did not reopen and in May, 1882, when the town suffered yet another fire, the building was destroyed.

On July 23, 1882, the Crystal Palace opened its doors for business. The idea behind the "Crystal" Palace was to attract the "finer" people of Tombstone by providing "crystal" tableware, the best drinks, and as many as five bartenders on duty around the clock.



It is still a bustling place. A bar runs along the length of the whole side of the rectangular room. It has a huge mirror above it with a wooden frame around it.




We met two other couples there from Phoenix who were very nice. One of the women told me that this was her 6Th visit to Tombstone. She said that every day at 3:00 pm a gunfight breaks out in the street. It continues down the street and a crowd gathers to watch. The gunfight moves down the street to the front of the O.K. Corral. To see how the fight ends, you have to pay. Well, it was about 2:55 at this point. I gobbled down my hamburger without even enjoying it so I could witness the gunfight and take pictures. I left Jim to pay the bill. I grabbed my camera, hurried outside, and started taking pictures of what I thought looked like gunfighters. Jim finally came out, after I'm sure a leisurely lunch, and still no gunfighters. Finally Jim asked around and no one seemed to know what the heck we were talking about, so we were misled. I could have sat and enjoyed that nice juicy hamburger after all.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

Gobble, gobble or is it peep, peep?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We are now in McNeal, Arizona, which is right outside of Bisbee, which is just south of Tombstone, and way southeast of Phoenix. Whew! Clear as mud? Let's just say this...We're pretty close to the Mexican border. We pulled in here yesterday. We are staying here through the weekend and then we'll make our way up to Mesa where we'll park our trailer for the winter for 4 months.

We had a little rain last night and this morning, so the clouds were hanging around. Big, white, puffy clouds, along with dark ones , once in awhile. I decided to take the camera out and try to get a few shots. It was really beautiful out. There are mountain ranges on three sides of us. I will have to look them up to find out their names. As I was wandering around, I discovered that the campground has three horses, a mule, and one longhorn cow. The horses let me pet them; two of the three tolerated a few pats then went on their way. The first one started to walk away, and as I was taking pictures, he lifted his tail and started pooping. Great! An action shot! I turned my back to give him some privacy, and the next horse came trotting over. Again, just a few pats then he walked away. All of a sudden he lifted his tail a little and I heard this rush of air and I thought to myself, "Did he just fart?" No sooner did I think that and then he, too, started pooping in the EXACT spot as the other one! Are horses like dogs and they have to go in the same spot if they smell it? The third horse was a smaller one, and I think female, (I didn't look). She was just begging for attention. I patted her face, scratched her ears. Then she turned her whole body against the fence and I scratched her side. She just loved it. She put her whole head on my shoulder, or her face on my chest. I'm going to have to ask the owners if I can feed the horses apples or carrots. I think the horses stay outside year round because I didn't see a barn. They didn't look too well taken care of; I mean they certainly aren't brushed every day.

Today is the big TURKEY day. I hope you all ate till your tummies were full, took a nice nap on the couch, and that the kitchen fairies flew down and did all the dishes while you were sleeping. Oh, wait, I WAS dreaming....

We didn't eat turkey. I made Cornish hens. They're like little turkeys who didn't reach their full potential. Who said "Size Matters"? I just think they are so cute looking and I get my own little turkey all to myself. I also whipped up some wild rice and steamed some fresh green beans and called it a day. Oh wait, Jim and I did have a toast with rum spiked eggnog and I DID have a pumpkin spice candle burning for some ambiance so I gotta get some points for trying here. Although I lose some for having a store bought pie instead of making one.

I ain't afraid of no ghosts!

The plan was to get up early enough to see the sun gently kiss the Oregon mountains good morning at 6:45 a.m. and take great pictures. But I didn't set the alarm and woke up around 7:10 a.m. I quickly dressed and was out the door by 7:15. Right across from the campground was an open area with a trail that lead over a wash. I was a little frightened that I might lose my way in the shrub as the path twisted and turned and it was quite hilly. But I thought to myself that if I kept the campground on my right at all times that I would be okay. So I walked in the crisp morning air happily snapping pictures. Then I caught a glimpse off to my left of a coyote bounding through the brush. I swear I had Marty Feldman eyes - one bulging left at the coyote, one bulging right towards the campground. (For those of you young 'uns who don't know who I'm talking about...)



Thank God I had my camera strapped around my neck, or I would have dropped that sucker like a hot potato. I ran as fast as this pudgy ole body could run. That's all I could think of was me tripping, falling, and landing flat on my stomach and being surrounded by a pack of coyotes licking their chops and saying, "My, look at this juicy morsel that just dropped into our laps!" (I KNEW I shouldn't have eaten those French fries last night!) Meanwhile, the buzzards are circling. I shook that vision out of my head and ran like hell. I leaped over bushes, I zigged, I zagged, I'm telling you that I could have made the Olympic team, albeit the middle-aged, overweight team, but Olympic, nonetheless. I made it back to the trailer safe, in record time, and gasping for breath. Nothing like a little vigorous exercise to start your morning.

We were just planning on doing grocery shopping and then hanging around the trailer for the day. But I did some exploring on the net and found out about a neat town right near where we were staying called Mesilla. It is a famous little town. Billy the Kid was once jailed here and tried in 1881. Judge Roy Bean, the famous Texas Hanging Judge, got his start in Mesilla.

But we specifically went to the town of Mesilla because of the famous Double Eagle Restaurant. It is haunted by two young lovers. It is the oldest structure on the plaza and is on the National Register of Historic Places.



This restaurant was originally a home, beginning in 1847. The first family who ever lived in this house, which was the largest house ever built in Mesilla, was the Maes family. They were import/exporters from Santa Fe. When the Mexican-American War ended in 1847, giving more of northern Mexico to the United States, the Maes family decided to move south to Mesilla to make it a permanent home. The Maes were a well-to-do family, and with such a large house, had many servants. Their eldest son, Armando, had eyes for one of their young servants, Inez. As the days went on, they fell madly in love. Armando's mother got wind of this and was terribly angry with the situation. She fired Inez and forbade Armando to continue to see her. Who could stop young love? Supposedly the townspeople helped the couple because they knew the young couple were really in love. One day Mama Maes came home early and heard voices in Armando's bedroom. She went in there and found the two of them in each other's arms. She ran out of the room and stumbled over her sewing basket. She saw her sewing shears, grabbed them up, ran back into the room, and in a rage, stabbed Inez in the chest, killing her instantly. Armando jumped up to stop his mother and she accidentally stabbed him, too. He died 3 days later. It is said that he did not die from the wounds, but of a broken heart.

The REAL Clue Game:
Murderer Mrs. Maes, sewing shears, Carlotta Salon (Armando's Bedroom)



The ghosts of the young lovers haunt the Carlotta Salon (Armando's room), and the restaurant, to this day with the likes of broken glasses, knives on the floor, and overturned wine bottles. There are two upholstered Victorian arm chairs in the Carlotta room that are said to be the ghosts' favorites. They have worn areas where it looks as if someone is sitting in each chair. The front of one seat is worn exactly where two legs in pants would be. The other, the entire front of the seat is worn exactly as if someone was wearing a skirt. The restaurant warns visitors to beware of these chairs if you dare sit in one of them. Unfortunately, I didn't read the brochure about the chairs until AFTER I was out of the room. I sat in different chairs in the room.

I saw the two painted portraits of Mr. & Mrs. Maes hanging on the wall. The one of Mr. Maes has a bullet hole through it.



The restaurant has many rooms to dine in; we ate in the Billy the Kid patio. It has a seven foot carved stone fountain in the center, surrounded by Cycad palms. The red brick floor was installed in the late 1850's. The patio had been open to the weather until 1984.




Each room had its own charm. The Gadsden room had a large back lit stained glass ceiling surrounded by tin ceiling tiles. The stained glass was salvaged from a hotel in San Francisco after the Great Quake of 1910.



The Maximilian Room, named after Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph, Archduke of Austria, who was made Emperor of Mexico in 1864,contains three Baccarat crystal chandeliers, measuring three feet wide and seven feet tall. They are in the classic French shape containing 18 brass arms with more than 1,000 hand cut lead crystals. The ceiling is covered in 18 carat gold, except for one tile which is covered in 24 carat gold. The original design called for the complete ceiling to be done in 24 carat gold, but the owner at the time caught the interior designer in the act and ordered him to cover the tiles with the less expensive gold.





I was reluctant to leave the restaurant, but we were done eating, I had wandered in the majority of the rooms, and lest I wanted to work in the kitchen, I fear my time was up. So we had to leave.

The old part of Mesilla is set up pretty much like the majority of the old towns of the southwest. Everything is set around a town square. So picture a large square, or rectangle, if you will. In the center is a gazebo, park benches, and just open space. Along the two longer sides and one short side of the rectangle are shops and restaurants.



At the other short side is a church. We stopped in to pay our respects to the Basilica of San Albino. This is the third church to stand on the same site;it was built in 1908.




The bells of San Albino are an important part of Mesilla. The first bell was cast on September 1, 1876. Shortly thereafter the second bell was made. The biggest and last bell was not made until December of 1887. The bells still ring today. They wake the townspeople to early mass at 6:30 a.m.. The ring for deaths, funerals, baptisms, and marriages. Here is the room with two large bell pulls hanging down into the room.