Were We Ever Surprised!

For three months we are Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in the town of Coolidge, Arizona, a town of a little more than 7,000 people. As we drive south and west of town, we pass the Wurtz Farm, which sells hay and gourds.



So, when we read they were holding a gourd festival at the Pinal County Fairgrounds about 10 miles from Coolidge, we decided to check it out. We didn't know what to expect, but we certainly saw much more than we had anticipated.

We entered the exhibition area of the fairgrounds under this neat sign.



We saw lots of cute festival decorations made out of gourds.







And huge baskets filled with about every shape of gourd imaginable.



Lots of people were lined up to view a juried show of decorated gourds. We didn't bother standing in the line.



We were amazed at the number of people attending the festival. In addition to the crowds of lookers and shoppers, there were vendors from all over the country.



There was a booth to teach about gourds.



Vendors selling the tools needed to work on gourds and lots of useful books for sale.







Gourds can be painted, carved, laced and decorated in so many ways I can't even describe them. At times, if I hadn't known we were at a gourd show, I would have thought I was looking at pottery. We took so many pictures, I made several into a movie, so you can appreciate the beauty and fun of what can be done with the humble gourd.

Gourd Festival

What Kind of Oil?

Yesterday, as we were driving home from a hike, we passed this sign.



I couldn't read everything on the sign, so I wondered what kind of oil they were talking about--a new oil well? A short distance down the road we spotted this sign.



Last week, while working in the visitor center at the Ruins, a woman asked me how to get to Queen Creek from Coolidge. She wanted to take her visitors to the olive mill there. So, now I knew what kind of oil they were talking about! We turned around to check out the mill.

I often use olive oil in cooking, but I really don't like eating olives. Obviously, lots of people do, not just my husband. The restaurant and store at the Olive Mill were packed. They sell oodles of foods made from olives and olive oil. Since our truck was full of groceries, we made a quick tour of the store, then left. They even have outdoor restaurant seating in the olive grove.



Earlier in the day we hiked the Goldmine Trail at San Tan Mountain Regional Park. We had last been there on New Year's Day. Since then, we have had lots of rain. You can really see the green coming out.

What a weekend!

Saturday and Sunday were the days of the 2nd Annual American Indian Music Fest at Casa Grande Ruins National Monuments. All of the regular volunteers, all of the staff and a lot of other folks worked to make the festival a success. Nine individuals and groups provided the entertainment. Most of them were Native American Flute players. Some were storytellers. There also were two traditional dance groups and one classical guitar player. Though we are really into Indian music, we really enjoyed the performances and were glad to help make the event successful. Somewhere over 4500 people visited the Ruins over the weekend--most to hear the music. They really got their money's worth--$5 or a Senior or Annual Pass. Where else could you listen to music from 11 am to 8 pm on Saturday and 11am to 5 pm on Sunday? What a deal! Here is a slide show of some scenes from the main stage area. Click on the photo, then on "slideshow" in the upper left corner.

Music Fest Entertainment

In addition to the entertainment, there were many vendors of handmade music instruments, jewelry and carvings. A local tribal group and a family sold Indian tacos and natural desert foods were also available for sale. Here is a slide show of the vendors. Again, click on the photo, then on "slideshow."

Music Fest Vendors

Full-timing For One Year

One year ago today we watched our furniture, books, dishes and kitchen ware taken off to storage. After a quick vacuum and photos of the empty rooms,





we climbed into our truck and pulled our 36-foot Montana fifth-wheel trailer to Chatfield State Park, about 11 miles west of our house.



Now we have been on the road fulltime for a year. And we love it!

Our empty house finally rented May 1 and we have a two-year lease on it. We are grateful for that lease and for our son who takes care of the property. We hope it stays rented for a really long time

We really haven’t put on a lot of miles—we have only pulled the RV about 4,200 miles in that time. We’ve spent time in Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Montana and passed through New Mexico, Wyoming and Nevada. We also spent one night in Idaho. It looks like Arizona is our favorite state. We have been here for five and one-half months, last winter-spring and from mid-October to now. For six and one-half months we have volunteered. Right now, we think that was too much work in one year, so after we finish our volunteer assignment at Casa Grande Ruins we are planning to drive along the southern US border to the East Coast, then up the coast to visit our son and his wife and our two granddaughters in Massachusetts.

We’ve made a lot of changes in our small, movable home: new leather recliners, new flooring,





a combination computer desk/table.



Several times a week we look at each other and say—isn’t this wonderful? We don’t need any more space than this. We’re so glad we are full-timers. We think our two feline companions agree. It has been a good year for PC and Partner, too.

This Has Been Amazing

Just after lunch today, we saw a rainbow.



But that didn't mean the rain was over. About 20 minutes ago, it was raining hard and the television weather gurus say it won't clear out until tomorrow morning. But it was good to see the sun and the rainbow, even if the ground had puddles--or maybe even lakes--everywhere.

We went for our morning run in the rain. We learned how to keep on going in the rain during the two months we spent last spring at Gnat Creek Hatchery in western Oregon. There is rained all but about six days of our two-month stay.

After the run, we were able to go on a volunteer-only tour of the Great House at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. Until 1973 the public was allowed to walk through the ruins here. After then, it was closed to public traffic, both to protect the ruins and out of concern for the safety of the public. But the Cultural Resources Staff (read archaeologists) offered to take the new volunteers on a tour today. It was wet and cold, but we did it.

This is Laura, one of the Cultural Resources staff members.



This is what we saw from the inside of the room on the north end of the ruins. The large hole near the ceiling is believed to have been used to observe the setting sun on the summer solstice.



This row of holes shows where the beams were inserted for the ceiling of the second story of the building.



Later in the morning, after we returned to our trailer, I took a picture of the raindrops falling in the pool at the edge of our concrete pad. It is really wet here! We will be glad when the sun returns and we snowbirds can go back to hiking or playing golf.

Rain in the Desert

Here we are in the desert. Last year Coolidge, the town where Casa Grand Ruins National Monument is located, received only 3.97 inches of rain. A week ago, no rain had falled in 2010. That has changed this week. Here is a picture of the Great House this morning.



That really is a great big puddle of water reflecting an image of the 700-year-old ruins. In the past week we have received 1.27 inches of rain, 0.48 inches last night. From about 11 to 11:30 pm it rained hard and the wind blew. For that half hour it kept me awake. I am sure it rained for longer than that, but it wasn't loud enough to keep me from sleeping.

If you are watching the national weather you know California is expecting lots of rain in the next few days. Those storms head straight from southern California to Arizona. They expect 1-2 feet of snow in the northern mountains, several inches of rain in Phoenix. We are south of Phoenix and we probably won't get that much rain. But is will still be significant.

You really should drive only 5 mph when you go into the maintenance compound here.



I hope the workers don't want to eat lunch at this picnic table tomorrow.



We have lived most of our life in Colorado. When a big snow storm is coming, the TV newscasts cover it ad nauseum That is what we are seeing here, as they warn of flooding and possible power outages. Local fire stations and other locations in the Phoenix area have brought in piles of sand so residents can fill sand bags to protect their homes and businesses. That is different from worrying about slippery roads and heavy snow.

We lead tours here at the Ruins and talk about the years when heavy rain deepened the river channels and other years when there was drought. Southern Arizona has had several years of drought. This week, at least, there are heavy rains. We are learning what it is like to live in a new environment. "Turn around, Don't Drown" is the slogan for avoiding flooded areas on the road. We've seen the signs. Maybe this week we see what they are talking about.

Merry Christmas!

I know. I know. I have already told you about our Christmas, the one with no decorations. And I know Christmas really happened almost three weeks ago. When we were opening gifts at our son's house on Christmas day, one gift for us was a picture. Well, yesterday the item pictured in that box arrived. Here you see the package just after we wrestled it out of the 18-wheeled delivery truck onto the rails of our pickup. We were dismayed with how big it was.



We drove--very slowly--the 3/10 mile from the parking lot in front of the visitor center to our RV. As we drove into the volunteer housing compound, it was no surprise that we caught the attention of two couples sitting outside. (Did I mention that yesterday was the warmest day in several weeks?) We were grateful when the two men came to help us unload. Here are Don and Joe helping John removed the packaging.



We then removed our old dining room table from the RV. Here, John is using it to unwrap part of our gift.



What do we have? you ask? It is a combination computer desk/dining table, built for us by Focal Wood Products of Nappanee, Indiana. Click on the link to see the fine furniture them build for RVs. Here it is, set up in our RV. We still have a shelf to install in the open area and doors that close off that open area. You can see the table extended with a leaf for use at dinner time. When we remove the leaf, it only extends about 18 inches from the desk. We are so delighted with our gift. It was worth the wait.




There was one more special thing that happened yesterday. After hours and hours of research last spring and summer and more hours of writing, yesterday I gave my first guided interpretive tour at Casa Grand Ruins! John will give his first tour on Sunday.