Back to Mesa; October 2011



JoAnn busy quilting

Molly headed back to Oregon for a week long Quilting Retreat up in the Cascades with sister JoAnn.  While she was there, I was here in Mesa cleaning and getting things in shape in temperatures in the high 90's.  They were getting rained on.  But they were having a good time and she has already signed up for next year.

My job list included 19 items that I had to get done while she was gone including washing the Park Model, cleaning the car-port and back patio as well as many other items that I completed.

Letterbox hike to Weaver's Needle

Also while she was gone, I couldn't help but go out and get a few Letterboxes.  She didn't want to do any of the longer hikes so that's the ones I got.  My first one was a 4.5 mile hike in the Superstition Mountains up to a viewpoint for Weaver's Needle.  It was quite a hike, especially in the heat.

I completed some of the rubber stamp carvings for some Letterboxes we wanted to plant up at Saguaro Lake.  I planted four while Molly was gone that we called the Saguaro Lake Series.  They included the Marina, del Norte, Butcher Jones, and Saguaro Lake Trails.  Actually the same day I published the clues at , someone hurried up there and found two of the easy drive-bys.

Once Molly got back we both did some Letterboxing to some of the easier ones around here.  There aren't nearly as many here in Arizona as there are in the Northwest, and many of them haven't been found for some time.  The Weaver's Needle box hadn't been found for a year and a half.  We also planted another box named "Red Mountain".

While browsing through the paper one morning, Molly was surprised that Jimmy Buffett was coming to town that week.  We hadn't seen Jimmy since we retired, so we got on-line and bought tickets.  The concert of course was great, but there were sure a lot of crazy people there.  He sang most of his old standards, with only one or two that we hadn't heard.  And of course he sang Jolly Mon Sings just for us!!! (we named our sailboat after the dolphin in that song named "Albion", and our trail name for Letterboxing is "Jolly Mon").  It was a fun night, but a late one for us.

Raggedy Ann & Andy?

Apache Wells Pumpkin

The park is busy already providing parties for us residents.  Late this month we had a wine and cheeze tasting party with live entertainment.  It was good to see a lot of friends that have already returned and we got to compare summer notes.  Then, of course, we had our Halloween Party.  Molly had asked Jeanette for her Raggedy Ann and Andy costumes.  They were fine.....except Jeanette and Terry are not quite as fully bodies as we are!  So we went to Goodwill and Sunshine Acres for a few items to make the costumes complete.  We had a fun time.  And I couldn't go to the party without "something" so I spend a good part of the day carving an appropriate pumpkin for Apache Wells.

We had signed up for a maintenance club last year for free routine electrical, plumbing, and air conditioning inspection.  It was about to expire, so we called and had the air conditioning people come out to check the system.  They found out it was a 30 year old system, but most everything was checking out ok, until they got inside.  A wire to the motor was nearly bare, and to replace it would require a special order for an entire motor, $$$.  Then the filter/condensor (looks like a radator) was completely clogged and needed cleaning, $$$.  When they removed it, they found it was sitting in water (it wasn't draining) and was all rusted....another special order, $$$.  They also recommended that the ducts be cleaned if we were going to get a new filter, $$$.  So by this time, the supervisor showed up.  We started talking about a new unit rather than putting a lot of money into a 30 year old unit.  SO.....now we have a new air conditioning unit, duct cleaning included, that will last another 30 years, $$$$.  That's longer than the Park Model will last and certainly longer than WE WILL LAST!  We now have a programable thermostat, but the unit is about three times bigger than the old one, and therefore, lost some patio space out back.