Settling in, Settling down, Maybe a little mischief

Hello again, Dear Friends!  Noooo, thanks for asking, we did NOT fall off the face of the earth, nor have we gone underground again, so no worries...no stalkers, just been busy.  Doing what you ask?  I know, we're retired, and we really have nothing pressing, so what is it that keeps up so busy?  Honestly, darned if I know.  But we get up every morning, make the bed, get ready, and before you know it, it's lunchtime!  Then we do whatever chores and tasks we have on the agenda, and before you know it, it's dinnertime!  

Let's go shopping, shall we?  You may recall, we were headed all over tarnation, attending the Maricopa Independent Quilt Shops shop hop.  One county (I think), 8 shops, and about 200 miles!  Unreal!  The shops were demonstrating their favorite notions, from rulers (expensive!!) to pins, to magnets.  I did buy a new pair of scissors, specially developed for machine embroidery, and really not that pricey, at only $18.  They are made by Kai, and supposedly, guaranteed to stay sharp for life.  All the way to the very tippy tip.  We'll see, eh?  There was one other product, something you spray on the backs of your rulers to make them kinda tacky, so they don't slip around on the fabric.  It was $9 for a small spray can of it.  The product seemed kinda cool, and it appeared to work, but it was highly flammable, and even though we are a completely electric coach now, I just didn't think I wanted to keep that kind of explosive just laying around.  No telling how long it would take me to use it up, so it might be around a while.  The only other purchase I made was an itsy bitsy crochet-hook wire thingy, meant for pulling loose threads and loops to the back of the project.  Oh, and one piece of fabric.  But, the best thing of all - I *did* find a service tech for my machine, so that's quite a relief.  Last time it was serviced was about 3 years ago, so it was definitely due.  Probably overdue.  At one shop, waaaay out in the boonies, we did find these pillows, done in wools.  Cute, but very scratchy and heavy.  And sooo not our style!  But definitely cute!  That little quail, on the right, looks just like Squeak, the somewhat tame quail bird that lives a few doors down.  They've had him/raised him since he was no bigger than the palm of their hand, and he's a hoot.  It was a VERY long day, but we got 4 shops knocked out when we called it quits.  We saved the other 4 for another day.

The next day, Saturday, we gave the doggo another bath - these streets just crawl up her legs and make her all grimy, oily and gritty feeling, and then, of course, it all just comes right inside and makes dirty all over the camper!  Yeah, baths have become absolutely mandatory, weekly, at the very least.  Then, we decided to attend the Fiesta Grande that was scheduled to take place in Original Town Site, ya know how Jose loves his Mexican food...

And, of course, there was ice cream!  However, it was exorbitantly priced, and we had frozen yogurt at home, in the freezer, that promised to be every bit as good.  Plus, I could join him in a bowl of yogurt, and if he had purchased the ice cream, all I could do was sit and watch him eat it.  That wouldn't have been much fun at all.  Well, at least, not for ME.  

We wandered around for just a bit, to see what all was there; there were several food trucks and commercial booths and a mariachi band.  While the band was undoubtedly very good, they didn't really command (or hold) our attention.  Actually, they were very draggy and slow, so we lost interest after only one and a half songs, and we wandered back to the other end, where the kids were performing.  They weren't exactly professionals (yet?), but they were having fun!

If the video link below isn't available to you, click HERE to watch the kids dance.

This little hottie was full of personality!!  You could really tell she was gonna be hot stuff in a couple of years!

If you are reading this in email, and don't see the video link below, click right HERE to check out the little cutie-pie.

 There was the Chick-Fil-A cow there, and guess what!?  He (she?) had an attendant from North Carolina!  She said she knew I wasn't a local, 'cuz I sounded like her!  Hahaha.  They were passing out little "credit cards" with pictures of 3 of their sandwiches on 'em.  I asked what they were for, or would do (all the verbiage was in Spanish, go figure), and she told me they entitled us to a free dinner sandwich, all we had to do was present the cards!!  The catch - of course there's a catch! - was that the card is only valid at one location in town.  We don't know exactly WHERE that one location is, but you can bet we'll find it at some point.  Either that, or just give the cards to one of the neighbor ladies before we go.

It got pretty dark after the kids performed, and there were lots of "dignitary" speeches that seemed to draaaaag on forever, then they brought in a live band.  Who promptly announced, in Spanish, that there was some sort of mixup and they weren't ready to perform, but they had a DJ lined up instead.  And they'd be back sometime after 6:30.  That was much later that we wanted or planned to stay, so moseyed on back to the shuttle bus pickup point.  Dinner was What-A-Burger, so it wasn't a total loss.

We must admit, we were getting a little bored with our day-to-day activities, and we needed a relief from all the stress of traffic (it's unreal!!  and not at all pleasant!)  Plus, we wanted John and Lora to know just how we felt about them being GONE when we got here!  Four rolls of crepe paper, some googly eyes, skeleton hands, and one tablecloth later, their site was sufficiently trashed.  We were careful not to tape anything to their rig or do anything permanent or damaging, 'cuz, well, that just wouldn't be cool.  We forgot to consider the HOA rules though....but no one seemed to mind too awful much.  Except for John and Lora, when they came home exhausted, and they couldn't even get their car in the driveway.  Which was exactly as we'd planned it!  HAHAHAHA!  That'll learn 'em, durn 'em!  Don't be taking off when we're scheduled to arrive!

So, some of you are wondering what were the results of all that testing I had done..  and if you weren't just close the window and go on with your bad selves!  MRI - shows that I have an "old fracture" in L4.  Exactly where it hurt back in July, and exactly where I showed them in the ER in Oklahoma City.  We are now playing phone tag with the Director of Emergency Medicine, at the hospital.  She wants to talk to me about what happened in the ER at the time of my visit.  We have an EOB for almost $4000, where they diagnosed me with a sprained muscle and sent me home with muscle relaxers and ibuprofen.  For a broken back.

The DEXA scan results are in too.  My hip is a T-score of -3.2, my lower back is -3.9 and I have a 21% chance of a fracture of some sort in the next 12 months.  Yippee.  So, I spent 3 hours, THREE HOURS trying to reach the rheumatologist's office, to get a follow up appointment for a Prolia shot.  Which, I believe I told them I needed, two weeks ago.  ARRGH, so annoying and frustrating.  No.  I have NOT gotten through to them - they kept me on hold, for 11 minutes, then after informing me that I was caller #1 in line, they auto-bumped me to the voice mail for the infusion department.  And the recording THEN informed me that the infusion department cannot accept voice mails. Click.  Yup, they HUNG UP ON ME.  This happened 4, count em, FOUR times.  You better believe I am going to address that if and when I get back in that doctor's office.  And Google Reviews will probably reflect that, as well as the original 51 minute wait time AND the failure of them calling their other office to tell 'em we were on the way.  But, in the meantime, I'm pretty much at their mercy, and I just hope and pray they can get their act together before we have to leave in December.

Tomorrow, we pack up and leave for Tucson, to get our floor repaired.  Yup, Doggo got another bath today, so she's all soft and fluffy for the trip.  AND, her feet are white again.  Today, anyway.  Tomorrow, after her morning walk, that may change.  We've been told (thanks Chuck!) that there are a couple of really good Mexican restaurants down there, a botanical garden/zoo (thanks Barbara), and Santa Cruz Chili and Spice Company, all not to be missed.  We'll see what's there, and I'm sure there will be pictures to share.  

Speaking of Barbara, on to the FL friends ---Barbara and Charles have received photos of their new rig.  You know, the 6th one!  The one they finalized the order on when we were all together up in Indiana and got to go into the "secret room" and scrutinize all the tile, flooring and countertop samples.  Oh gosh, that was fun.  Challenging, but fun.  The rig has arrived in Winter Garden, and if the weather cooperates, they can go down and pick it up very soon.  Like, in a couple of days!  We are sooo excited for them - it is simply gorgeous!!  We can't wait to see it (and THEM), in person, hopefully, sometime this spring, in Texas.  

So, not sure when the next post will be, I guess that'll depend on how complicated it is getting to the campground on base.  Maybe we had better go check out the directions, while we still have internet access.....and on THAT note, let me wish you all a good night!! 

Soooo, What All Happened Last Week? Sit Down, It's a Long One

Well, like any good storyteller, I guess I'd better start at the beginning, right?  For us, the beginning of last week was Tuesday....hey, just now noticed, that was a full week ago!  (translated, that means we've been here a week already, but that's just another part of the story..hold your horses, and let's go back to the beginning again.)  Tuesday, dawned, bright and early, and it was moving day.  We were going to leave Camp Verde and head down to Surprise, where we are due to stay for Oct, Nov & Dec.  Remember last week, I mentioned we had to get some clear coat paint, as well as some free lumber supplies for a special project?  Well, here it is!  Driver built me a set of mini-ramps to help me put the car up on the dolly without so much effort and finesse of the gas pedal/brake pedal.  

They work GREAT!  They've reduced the rise considerably, and made it much more gradual, so I don't have to stomp the gas, then mash the brake immediately.  I also don't have the skidding and fishtailing that I've experienced previously, when the drive surface is gravel.  Or wet and slick.  While we were at Peregrine Pines, up at the Air Force Academy, we watched a tow truck driver remove a car that had overshot his dolly tire stops.  I know it must have been embarrassing, not to mention, expensive, for the driver of that vehicle.  Since I brake left-footed normally, I can't foresee that happening, but ya never say never in this biz!  

Soooo, we got all loaded up (the car and camper, not us, personally, per se....) and set out right on time, at 9 am.  We try to time our travels so that we avoid morning and afternoon rush hours, and lunch congestion going through cities.  Sometimes, we hit it just right.  Take that as you wish - sometimes we are right in the thick of things, and sometimes, we accomplish our goal and miss the stop-and-go traffic.  We miss it, meaning, we avoid it.  Certainly don't miss it!  I had not realized that Camp Verde was still up in the hills; I thought we were in a Valley!  Well, we were, it was a valley high up in the hills!  I remember taking this photo, specifically because of that sheer cliff wall, and that warning sign.  But darned if I can remember what that warning sign was for, and I darned sure can't read it, can you??

Eventually, after about 10 minutes, the road flattened out again, but we could see we hadn't left those pesky hills yet....

 Aaaan, here we are back again, being warned of steep downhills coming right up.  We consider ourselves "trucks" and/or "vehicles pulling trailers" depending on the situation, in this case, we decided we could be both, and the warning was directed right at us.

 They did not lie.  Steep slope, coming right up.

And, down at the bottom of the hill, our first glance of the majestic saguaro cactus, in the wild.  We had seen a few over at the Cactus Nursery in Jerome, but this was the first time I've ever seen one growing wild.  I took lots of pictures as we drove along, but this one was the closest to the road, and also the one with the most arms.  I found this blurb to be most interesting:

Saguaro are very slow growing cactus. A 10 year old plant might only be 1.5 inches tall. Saguaro can grow to be between 40-60 feet tall (12-18m). When rain is plentiful and the saguaro is fully hydrated it can weigh between 3200-4800 pounds.

Again, the hills.  This time they weren't quite so scary, as we seemed to be meandering along their bases, rather than up and over each one.

This was my third attempt to capture the wild burro warning sign - I was not quick enough on the shutter for the first two.  Shortly after seeing this sign, we actually SAW the BURROS!  There were only 3, but they were sure cute!  Sadly, the shutter finger was not fast enough yet again.

 And, FINALLY, we reached the flat land of the West Valley.  That's what they call this part of Phoenix, anyway.  It is low, comparatively speaking, at only about 3000 feet elevation, and it is definitely flat.  This is "the 303 Loop" around Phoenix, so traffic was relatively sparse.  That day, that time, only,  It has gotten MUCH MUCH worse, since we've been in town.

 I had been in contact with Lora, as we traveled, and she had asked to let her know when we were in and settled.  This is the picture I sent her to let her know we were at the front gate, to which she replied, "you made it!!" I guess she knows her sentinels!

And here we are, all set up in our site for the next 3 months.  Yep, we struggled to get around that cactus that extends over into our site.  What you cannot see is the 60 foot palm tree in front of that cactus.  Nor can you see the car in the site directly across from us, nor the chain links blocking the driveway next to the site directly across from us, where we would have like to have pulled forward.  Nor can you see the little brick wall surrounding the palm tree in front of the cactus that we would have had to drive over, had we continued attempting our back-in as we had been directed.  Why on earth I assume campground "owners" or security personnel know how to park our rig?  Yeah, they took us in a different way than I had planned, but I figured, they know their park, so I gave 'em the benefit of the doubt.  Arrrgh.  Dumb move on my part.  Didn't take us but a couple of minutes to figure out that we were approaching it backwards.  So we drove down the street, did us a 3 point turn at the end of it, and came back to our site, facing the opposite direction.  We don't normally back in from the passenger's side, BUT...when that's where the room is, that's what we do.  Took us one go at it, and BAM! We were in.  Granted, I misjudged a tad, and we were about 6 inches too far over toward the cactus side, but that was an easy fix for Driver, and he was able to move it over in just one forward and back.  We were all set up in about 10 more minutes and almost ready to hit the pool  But, first, bath time for puppy!

And then, one more little project to get out of the way....We found a good deal on some patio furniture up in Clarkville, up toward Sedona.  Trouble was, it came all in a box, and needed to be assembled prior to use.  Soooo, that was the other use for the clear coat....and as soon as the paint was dry, we set to assembly.  Didn't take us long, and both chairs were ready for a load test!

So that was a recap of our Tuesday.  Next day, we found out about the upcoming craft show, so I put together my inventory and looked to see what I could list in my Etsy Shop.  I don't mind selling it in person, but the shop always looks better if I have more than one or two items in it.  

Then, given that the chairs were built, the dog was clean, the laundry was under control, I decided I'd better get started on Betty's garden flags.  She wants two - one for herself, one to give as a gift to her dear friend Dona (yes, spelled with only one N).  Each flag is going to be double-sided, so that she can use it for 2 seasons.  This one is the Autumn Bounty side of hers.  Dona will get one, but the purple flowers will be salmon instead.  The reverse sides will be totally different.  Betty's will be Santa swinging on an ornament, framed by arched Merry Christmas, and Dona's will be a Jacobean style urn with flowers arranged and have her name under it.

Thursday we checked out a couple of the local grocery stores, Sam's Club, the local Air Force Base (cool watching jet fighters doing touch-and-goes!!), the Commissary, and of course, the Base Exchange (BX).  Have you noticed, we always check out the Commissary and BX?  I'll never forget that trip we did, going from NC to FL, we hit THREE Commissaries in ONE DAY.  Just 'cuz we could!  Friday, we got coupons for Joann's Fabric, and decided maybe we'd go check it out....we did...and ran right into a manager's special, 90% off the red-sticker Clearance prices.  Whoohooo, SCORE!  Dick found him some paints and brushes, and I found a paper slicer for only $3!!!  And a table top Ott Light, for only $4!!  Yeah, those lights retail for about 70 bucks, and it was clearance priced at $39.99, which came to FOUR BUCKS after the 90% discount!  I figured that was a steal, and even if we donated the paper cutter to the scrapbooking club here, it was a good deal.  On the way home, we happened to pass by a quilt shop....and somehow, the car just automatically steered right into the parking lot.  Poor Driver, must have lost control at that point.  And what do ya know...they just so happened to be gearing up for a shop hop next week.  Eight shops, each offering a special demonstration, refreshments, and possible prizes.  After some discussion about time available, driver availability and plans, count me in.  I found me a local print - some Kokopelli dancing on a black background, and thought, well, that'll go nicely for some of the campers here in the park.  Hopefully, they'll sell quickly, and at a decent price point.

Saturday and Sunday, we just hung around the park, meeting some of the neighbors, hanging out with the orphaned quail down the street (more on him later), walking the dog, cleaning the camper, sewing (16 bowl cozies to show for it!), preparing Aunt Grace's financial report, finishing up my embroidered Nice Baby items that had been commissioned two months ago...(the baby's last name is Nice, so Nice Baby is kind of an inside joke with the mom and her friend)

servicing and riding the bikes a bit, and checking out each of the pools and hot tubs.  And eating.  I'm not naming any names or anything, but there was this one night....a pan of brownies was baked.  And eaten.  And yes, all in the same night.  The.WHOLE.Pan.  ????!!!  Yup, not so proud of that, but it happened.  And we even got to speak with Charles and Barbara - they found a long-term renter for their Maryland home, got all their stuff moved down to the basement for storage, in spite of Charles' face plant (two stories, take your pick - he tripped over a 6 x 6 or Barbara hit him in the face with said 6 x 6.) and set out for their place down in Silver Springs.  And for those friends and family of his that are wondering when Dick & I have time to ourselves for hanky-panky, you can just ask him what I answered!  😂😊😆

Monday, I was able to get in to see a spine doc, to see if I've cracked a vertebrae, or something is just out of place that might be impinging a nerve.  Or whatever.  We pretty much just messed around in the morning, waiting for the afternoon appointment, couldn't really start on any projects, so we just hung around thinking about places to go, things to see and do.  The appointment went pretty well; no real answers, just figuring out which vertebrae to concentrate on and seeing what options were available.  The MRI was scheduled for Tuesday at noon.

Tuesday, that's today, well, that was a whole 'nother story.  Let me just say, about 2 or 3 months ago, I did my research and found a rheumatologist that was taking new patients and offered Prolia shots under the right conditions.  Of course, I'll meet the conditions, it's just a matter of some bloodwork and a bone density scan, which will undoubtedly come back as (still) indicating osteoporosis.  Well.  We arrived at their office this morning, in plenty of time.  Unlike the spine doc, though, I was not given a link to new patient paperwork, so I had to fill it all out once I arrived.  Noooo problemo, right?  Ugh.  Several pages later, I was able to turn in the completed paperwork and was told I would be seen shortly.  FIFTY ONE MINUTES LATER....I was called back in to get weight checked (those damned brownies showed up, too!!) and height checked.  Surprise - I've lost another inch! Ugh.  BP was a super low 86 over 60something, and body temp was only 93!  I kept telling them it was cold in there!!  And then we waited again.  And waited and waited.  By now, we were getting concerned that I was going to be late for my MRI, so I went and checked with the receptionist, who was too busy to give me an answer at that time.  As I returned to the room, the PA was approaching.  Finally!  So she asked all her questions (which I'd already answered on the darned paperwork!) and said she'd send the doctor right in.  And we waited.  And waited.  And waited.  The PA had determined that a Dexa scan was in order, and Dick went out to retrieve the imaging center paperwork from the car, so that they could send the order directly, and I might could get it done at the same visit as my upcoming MRI.  Which I was due to be at in only 40 minutes!!!  Finally, the doc came in, spent about 3 minutes talking to me about Prolia, the protocol I had come to get, and another option, Reclast infusion.  We opted to stick with the Prolia, which seemed to be working well for me, with no detrimental side effects.  But, a blood draw and bone density exam was required first.  But, I had that pesky MRI scheduled, so we really had to go.  Then.  No more farting around.  So it was decided that we would go do the MRI and return for the blood draw, at which time, they could schedule the bone density scan.  At their other office, about 13 more miles away, since THIS office didn't have the scanner.  Argh.  So we went and did the MRI (thank you so very much, 2 Xanax, you knocked me RIGHT OUT, even though I was trying to give driving directions!) and returned to the rheumatologist's office for the blood draw.  They scheduled the bone density for 45 minutes from the time of arrival, but, apparently, no one told the phlebotomist that there was any sense of urgency.  'Cuz we SAT WAITING, for another 22 minutes!  The stick itself only took about 25 seconds!  Can you sense my anxiety and frustration?  Well, you can only imagine how we felt, when we discovered that the imaging center office was RIGHT BACK in the neighborhood WHERE THE MRI IMAGING office was!  And you can only imagine how I felt when I went to check in and was told, "you're too late, and the radiologist left at  because she didn't think you were coming."  This, after arriving 15 minutes late, because of the FIRST OFFICE delay, and them telling me, "don't worry, we'll call and tell them you are on the way."  Yeah.  Didn't happen.  And of course, we couldn't make that 13 mile drive in less that 23 minutes, which was all we had time for to be on time.  I was speechless.  Actually, I wasn't speechless, I just didn't want to lash out with what I was thinking in front of a room full of strangers (old people, no less) and to people that so obviously didn't give a rat's patooty.  So I just told 'em "you've got to be friggin' kidding me" and turned around and walked away.  If you've been following this saga any length of time, you'll know exactly what I mean when I say, "it's Florida's fiasco all over again, just different excuses, different delays, and different people."  But, it's just the same.  One royal PITA.  God love him, though, Driver is adamant that I follow through and get it done.  So, I found my own imaging center, only 3 miles from our park, and I have an appointment for a scan on Friday.  We'll see what happens when the time comes.  But lemme just say, here and now, in public, for all to see, and in writing, for the record, don't cross me, people, I am right on the edge!!  And it won't take but one more person to be an A$$, and I'm gonna unleash the beast! Could be fun to watch, any takers?  Tickets go on sale Thursday afternoon!

When we finally arrived home at 4 pm (yes, yes, we had started this journey at NINE AM!!), doggie was about to pop.  I walked her while Dick got her dinner ready, which she scarfed down as soon as we got back.  I was still pretty PO'd so I thought, maybe if we walk again, I'll calm down a bit.  When she had done her business, and we returned back to the camper, there was a lady standing in the middle of the street, on the phone, right in front of our camper. Whaaa??  Turns out, she is friends with our landlord, and that's who she was talking to.  We arrived just in time to hear her say, "their camper is to die for."  Ha, glad she recognized quality when she saw it!  Of course, she wanted to come inside for a tour, too bad I still have sewing stuff strewed all about, and I haven't swept the floor in a few days, so there are paw prints and dust puppies all over the place.  It was going on twilight, so we just didn't turn on all the lights, and poof!  All that dirt and grime is gone!  Oh, what a day!  So glad it's about over, and thank you for allowing me to rant and rave.  The coyotes are out again tonight, so we'll be quick in our evening walk, sticking pretty close to home and the spotlights.  

Here's hoping YOUR day has gone better!!  Tomorrow is Wednesday, and it's definitely the day puppy gets another bath.  The black tar on the streets just crawls up her legs and makes her pretty white feet all dirty and grimy, and she just drags all that crap inside, so it looks like pup is going to have a standing weekly appointment with the outdoor shower.  Lucky duck!

Y'all stay well and happy, and stay away from incompetent doctors' offices!  They are not good for your mental health!!

Location, Location, Location! Montezuma Castle and Well and More Petroglyphs

Well, that's what the sign said anyway, it's all about location.  Water, plant and animal resources and farmland were all nearby.  As a result, this was deemed an ideal place to settle and build homes a hundred feet up, under the limestone ledges in the cliffs of the Verde Valley.  

 Just so ya know, Montezuma had absolutely nothing to do with this "castle" nor they now think he even knew about it.  Montezuma was an Aztec, and lived many years after this Pueblo was occupied and deserted.  It's just that then-current thinkers associated all Native structures with Aztec life, so it was named after him.

Arizona Sycamores are the strongest wood around - stronger than oak and hickory even.  The supporting beams inside the structure are over 700 years old and still doing their job.

There used to be sycamore ladders leading up to the tower and doorways, as well as a few inside, leading to the higher levels.  Used to be, visitors were permitted to walk all around inside, but increased traffic led to the site's degradation and destruction, so in 1955, all access was banned.

 Next up, just down the road, is Montezuma's Well.  Again, absolutely nothing to do with Montezuma, but the name stuck.  This is a limestone sink, created by ground water filtering through the ledge, many miles away, then hitting a horizontal and vertical basalt wall, that was impenetrable. Sooo, the water percolated back UP to the surface, here in this hole.  Even during times or drought, the water level doesn't change, proving that water is still bubbling INTO the sink.  During times of flood, the water level also doesn't change...that's because there are a couple of caves, over on the right, that act as an outlet for excess water.  NOOOO, we did NOT go down there and explore the caves, though there were steps and we were free to do so.  The Ranger at the Castle had asked us not to enter the caves, due to there being lots of guano (bat poop) and remains of humans still inside.  If I had been comfortable with the steps, that sage advise would have been enough to scare me off.  Don't worry, Mr. Ranger....we stayed up on top and out of trouble!  

There were pueblo remnants here, too, way high up on the cliff sides of the well.  I wondered how in the world they got into 'em....the walls did not divulge the answer to that question, but there was a poster that mentioned they carefully traversed the narrow ledges.  Yikes.

We followed the pathway down and around, to the outlet for the caves, where the overflow was released.  I thought I had taken a photo of the steps leading down to the creek.  Apparently, I didn't.  I did take several of my feet, though, I wonder if they were the resulting snaps.  In my defense, it's really difficult to see my polarized screen, especially when the sunlight is strong and/or I'm wearing my sunglasses.  Or the dog is pulling me, or I'm standing near the edge, or Driver is, or...you get the picture.  Or, more likely, you DON'T, sorry.

This is where the water is actually released. And, boy, was it flowing at a rapid rate!  I expected it to be ice cold, but it wasn't much cooler than the pool at the campground!

Two miles more over paved road, then another 1 over gravel, and we were at the Pit House ruins.  This appeared to be a communal room, formed with materials that were on hand at the time.  Today, only the floor with its holes remains.  The 2 large holes in the center likely held roof supports, and the door is directly across from me in the back wall.  The ruins are well covered, and the fragile dirt floor has had soil cement applied over it, so no more degradation should occur.

From there, we moved on down to the V Bar V ranch historic site....another immense rock wall full of petroglyphs.  So far, over 1000 have been identified, and the local Hopi clan has made an attempt to educate the Rangers on some of the symbolism and stories told by their ancestors. 

This is all that stands of the original ranch house - you can see the V Bar V brand that was built right into the corner chimney.

The people here were given the name Sinagua (Spanish, Sin (without) Agua (Water)), but no one really knows what they called themselves.  What is known, is that they considered the Well their source of origination, and they used part of the 3 mile long wall of rock as their calendar, to aid, not in telling time, but determining when to sow the corn and when to reap it.  

It's hard to tell here, but there is a vertical slab of rock (lighter colored, dead center) whose edge appears to be chiseled in such a way that the shadow cast is a PERFECT match for the profile of the San Francisco mountains, north of Flagstaff, and a couple hundred miles away.  Remember when we drove here from Winslow, and we saw S#$%W on Humphrey's Peak?  THAT was the San Francisco mountains.  The shadow cast below is hard to see, but the Ranger provided a photo of the moutains, side by side with a photo of the stone and its shadow, and it was as if a tracing had been made!  How DID they do that??

Off to the right, there is a break in the rock, that legend has it, is a portal for the spirits to return to the mountains and there is a large face-type petroglyph just to its left, that is said to be guardian of the portal.  On our way back to the car, this modern portal caught my eye...Can you just imagine yourself, sitting on the front porch, looking up at that moutainside, where so many years prior, a whole entire population lived and died, then simply vanished from the area?

So, today was another long, hard day, and again, we missed our PBJ lunch, so we were pretty hungry by the time we started back to the camper.  I had taken a couple of hamburgers out of the freezer, so dinner was planned, but it remained to be cooked.  I also wanted to stop in at Basha's (the local grocer) to replenish our fruit supply, so it was suggested that we could also pick up a bag of frozen french fries.  That sounded good, but I would still have to be cooking...and we had stopped in at Crusty's, the local pizza parlor earlier in the week, and we found out they used only mozzarella cheese......yup, you know where that went!  I went into the grocery store, picked up some strawberries and UTAH peaches (I'm promised they will be delicious!) and Driver went next door to order our pizza.  It was delivered, hot and fresh, taken home, and devoured in about 10 minutes!  No cooking involved, thank you kindly!  What's that?  What about the puppy?  Oh, don't you worry about her....oh no...SHE got her food around 4 pm, just a little later than normal.  I've taken to packing her a generous portioned snack and her bowl, along with water for us all, every day.  SHE eats, even when we're out on the roadside!

We got news tonight, that one of our dear friends and fellow square dancers had suffered a massive heart attack early Saturday morning and passed away as a result.  Gene, you will be sorely missed, by us, and a whole slew of others.  Kerry, we're so sorry for your loss, and we send you our deepest sympathies.  We sincerely hope you will continue traveling and visiting all your Florida friends and dancing when you can, in his honor.  I know he would want you to be brave and continue on.  We hope our paths will cross again, sooner than later.

What's up for tomorrow, Monday?  At this point, we don't really know.  There is still a salt mine, coincidentally enough, down Salt Mine Road, that bears investigation.  NO, we don't plan to return to Alcantara Vineyards; once down and back up that road was sufficient, thank you ever so much.  NO, we don't plan to return to Jerome; again, once up and down that road was quite sufficient, thank you ever so much.  In truth, we actually did consider returning to Jerome on Monday, when, hopefully, the crowds will be considerably less, but, well, there's that road....with sheer cliffs going up one side and down on the other....soooo, nah....we didn't really see anything up there that absolutely had to be seen up close and personal.  Maybe in another lifetime, but not this one!  Maybe we'll give the dog a bath- she could sure use one!  But then again, maybe not, since it is nothing but dirt and pea gravel in our current site.  Maybe that will wait until Tuesday, when we are on a better site and have more time.

Barbara S is on the road, traveling back to her home base, in Oregon, and Barbara & Charles A (and Molly) , as well as Gary & Gail, and Jennifer & Steve (and Bella!) should all be setting out for Florida real soon - y'all be careful and travel safe!  Star & Rich - I think you're heading to Georgia - I know you'll be seen by several of our friends there, y'all be safe too, and keep on making those dreams come true and spreading smiles & joy everywhere you go!