I see it's been 10 years since I've been here and written anything.
There's been a lot of "water under the bridge" in that time. Some of it clear and refreshing, Other times it's been muddied with events not as pleasant.
Our travels have been fun when we've been able. The motor home fell into disrepair to the point it was not safe and refurbishing costs almost as much as replacement. So, we disposed of it to let a capable young man try to make a few bucks for himself by rebuilding. Truth said, I tried to be as informative as possible, but he found himself in a formidable project.
There have been a few delays along the way to deal with health issues. It began with both of us having a relatively easy time with cataract repair surgeries. The wife's knees both deteriorated to the point they needed to be replaced. Each time required a two month recovery and then rehab. Another couple of years of relatively good times before she set into a program to deal with deteriorating spine issues. A year of physical therapy, followed by another of therapy and pain management. Finally "cut to the chase" and the neurosurgeon fused her lumbar spine. That required an extended rehab. Recovery was not as complete as hoped for but life is still good and we play as much as we can in spite of our limitations.
I was down for an appendectomy several years ago and recently had to slow for a bout with diverticulitis. I have not been one for heeding dietary limitations, but with the surgeon's warnings about recurrences and consequences of chronic inflammation, that will have to change.
We still try to get away from the desert during the most brutal of the summer months, but as our agility is limited, that sometimes becomes as much a chore as a blessing.
God has been good as the family has stayed relatively healthy (with a few exceptions). The grand children are all doing well. Some are progressing into productive adulthood while others are still involved in their school work and summer activities.
It's surprising how quickly these events can fill 10 years, but here we are in 2019 and still doing relatively well. Octogenarian doesn't seem as old now that we face it directly as it did looking up from our younger years. We're kids at heart.

We spent an enjoyable week in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area.
We visited the Frank Lloyd Wright "TALIESIN WEST"  on one day and the Desert Botanical Gardens another. You can see my pictures of the gardens at http://www.flikr.com/photos/roger42 We also made a quick tour through part of the Heard Gallery.
How often do we go some place to relax and spend the time running to and fro. We did start our mornings nicely with an unhurried getup and breakfast.
We're home for ten days and then off running again.................

I sort of abandoned my journal of our trip to DC, Virginia, Tennessee and Missouri. We have since been to Sedona, Arizona.

This is a view looking north-east over the town toward some of the red sandstone formations that dominate the scenery all around the area.
We shared our time in the area with two other couples that had accommodations in the same facility and spent an afternoon touring the area.

Roger -

Looks like I can still post . . .

Bob

I-40 east is long and dry for the first several hundred miles. Nearing Flagstaff, AZ brings cooler temps and greener landscapes. Ah......relax a couple of days with no demands on our time. Time share condos are a nice way to go...........
Hiway 89 north from Flagstaff and on to other hiways east and north into Colorado brings beautiful mountain vistas and a suprising range of agriculture that we hadn't thought about being there. The 4 corners monument was sort of anti-climactic, but I'm glad we stopped there.
We spent a little more time than we had planned at the Verde Canyon Monument where we viewed a nice sampling of native american cliff dwellings. The feelings are indescribable as I ponder the antiquity and past activity of that era.
Time spent at Verde Canyon put us into our accomodations at Pagosa Springs, CO in the dark. A non-scale map of the resort is not much help when you cannot see the landmarks. With help of a mini-mag light and a little luck we found our place and fell exhausted into bed. Morning light revealed a beautiful little lake and a flock of Canadian geese on the lawn just off our private deck. We decided the colorful hot air balloon flyover was scheduled just for our enjoyment. Next on the itinerary: Enjoy somemore "kickback" time. It took us a couple of days to discover uptown and downtown are a couple of miles and several hundred feet in elevation apart. We finally found, from a viewpoint across the river, the "springs" are nearly obscured by several commercial spas.


The drive north to Denver filled a day with more beautiful Colorado scenery.






My witching hour comes early this evening.
More to come....................

It's been a long time since I've been here. We've been busy running around the U.S.

We decided when we were both retired that we would spend as little time as possible in weather above 100 degrees F. Success has been near complete these last 3 summers.

This summer we left the desert the last of May and headed to the Pacific Northwest. Trying to be as frugal as possible with fuel for the motorhome we attemped to keep the path as straight, up and back, as possible. We traveled hiway 395 off the desert to Bishop and then hiway 4 and 95 to get to I-80 as directly as we could go. Also, there're not as many steep grades on that route as compared to 395 to Reno, NV.

Our interim destination was with family near Riggins, ID, where the river flows and the trees are green. A few off-shoot trips in the car took up the next couple of weeks. One included our granddaughter's graduation from jr high preparing to enter high school. We senior adults wonder how time has passed so quickly that our tiny grandchildren have already reached these milestones. Another trip took us to the Columbia River Gorge for more water and green. The friendship and hospitality of friends there may be equalled but never surpassed.

We traveled on to Spokane, WA where we stayed in a very nice park on the northeast side of the city for a month. We discovered the wild huckleberry crop, in the Priest Lake, ID area, was early and prolific. We came away with several quart bags full, to hoard and meter out carefully over the year until we have opportunity to supply. The young people in the area harvested the berries and sold them at prices that seemed high until one considers the effort involved in the gather. We would require a "King's Ransom" to give up any we gathered. Prime gathering spots are not revealed to just anyone. We were fortunate to have "insider access" with friends living in the area.

We planned a trip to historic and fun spots in the eastern US for September, so time came to return home on the desert to prepare. Thank the good Lord that we have a cooler for the house, 'cause the desert is still HOT at the end of August.

Reading prior posts, I realized there is no followup to the PSA issue. The followup exam lead to a biopsy with NEGATIVE results.
Thank God for being spared at least for now. When I watch friends and acquaintences deal with the big "C", wherever it's located in the body, and attempt to console or in some way share the burden, it's almost overwhelming.
I lost a sister to a cancer this winter. I didn't see her as much as I would have liked. We will miss her dearly. Brother in law is closing the house in California and moving to Arizona. Care options appear more affordable close to family there.
Other siblings families are growing as well. The greater family is expanding to the point it's hard to keep track. It's hard to believe how many there are in the forth generation already.