Reflections on 2016

It's hard to believe we are teetering on the edge of a new year already. Where did this one go? Or, more relevantly, where did WE go in 2016?

Bob and I started out our year in Williamsburg, NM, as volunteers at Desert Haven Animal Rescue. On March first we left Desert Haven and 69 miles into our journey to Tucson we had a tire blow out so it took an extra day to make it to Arizona. We spent a month with our friends, Mike and Retha in Tucson before moving on to Yuma for a few days and then to California.

In California we stayed in Indio, visited our daughter's in-laws in Bakersfield, and stopped in Gustine,where we detoured by car to visit Jill Sanders of Saori Santa Cruz.  There, we also saw giant Redwoods for the first time at Redwood State Park. We then moved on to Groveland just outside of Yosemite National Park where we spent an exciting 5 days seeing Yosemite's beauty.

From Yosemite we drove southeast to Merced and then Three Rivers, CA where we spent four days in and around Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park.

We stayed a night in Mojave before moving on to Las Vegas for three nights, where we also visited the Hoover Dam.

From Las Vegas we were Utah-bound. We visited Zion National Park and then Bryce Canyon National Park, where we took a tour on horseback.

 

We stopped in the Lake Powell area in Arizona and Kirtland, NM on our way to Santa Fe, NM, where we stayed for a month, seeing the area and visiting Taos, NM.

Before leaving New Mexico we had to see White Sands National Park so we spent two nights in Alamogordo before moving on to Texas. We were heading for our niece's wedding in San Antonio, and stopped briefly in Van Horn and Sonora, TX on the way there.

We had a great time in San Antonio for six nights, visiting with family. Then we were New Jersey-bound! It took us ten days to get from San Antionio, TX to Cherry Hill, NJ. On the way we stopped in Livingston, TX, Monroe, LA, Cottondale, AL, and Carrollton, GA. Bob and I took a breather and visited with Mike and Retha, before moving on to Ashville, NC, and from there to Bridgewater, VA before making our destination in NJ.

Five lovely weeks later we drove up to Massachusetts for a week to visit family. We returned to NJ and stayed a bit longer before heading west to the Grand Canyon of PA, staying in Cedar Run, PA for about a week.

From Cedar Run we stopped in Beavertown, PA, Falling Waters, WV, and Salem, VA before arriving in Pigeon Forge, TN where we visited Dollywood.

We spent almost a month in Tennessee, spending time in Heiskell, Crossville, and Goodlettesville outside of Nashville. We were able to hang out with Mike and Retha there.

Bob and I went to West Memphis, AR before heading to North Little Rock, AR to visit the William Clinton Presidential Library.

We stayed briefly in Texarkana and Livingston, TX before spending a week with family in Temple, TX. From Temple, we met up with friends Ron and Kathy in Kerrville, TX. Then it was on to Fort Stockton and Van Horn, TX before making a stop in Las Cruces where we hung out with our friends Chuck and Linda for a week and were also able to visit with friends John and Joan.

We spent two weeks in Benson, AZ before stopping in Yuma for the winter.

Whew! We sure did a lot of moving around this year, didn't we? And next year we get to do it all over again, except in some new places! Comparing to last year, we stopped at 54 different sites in 2015 but only 48 in 2016. Our goal is to stay longer on our short hops from one place to another, but we shall see if that is possible for us. We get in "gotta get there" mode and just keep pushing.

Happy New Year!

Crafting in 2016

Its hard when you set the bar so high. Upon revisiting my end of the year post of last year, I saw that I completed 36 craft projects in 2015. This year? I finished 40, amazing myself (I may be too easily amazed, however.)  Here is my list:

Pirn Scissor Holder Necklace, January
Color Gamp woven on Piccolo, January
Handwoven/Felted Low Slippers for me, February
High-top slippers for Alex, Jillian, Quinn, Eve, Anthony, and me, February
Tape woven on Bob's handcrafted reproduction tape loom, February
Not a Mermaid Scarf on AKL, April
Handwoven Roller Towels (2), May
Hearts Band, both Sunna heddle and double-holed versions, May
Orange/yellow pickup inkle band, May
Band with Words for my friend April, May
Knitted Shawl, June
Pink crocheted dishcloth, June
Weaving project with grandkids on Piccolo, July
Crocheted Cat Necklace for Quinn, July
Sunna Heddle Sampler with gradations of pink, August
White Tencel Scarf woven with 3/1 floats, August
Cat collar sewn from orange/yellow pickup band, August
Lumbar Pillow with handwoven fabric from stash, September
Plaid Cloth woven with 5/2 cotton & 15 dpi heddle, September
1/2" turquoise/brown/black pickup inkle band for Auggie's leash, September
Saori-woven Blue Mobius Cowl on Piccolo, September
Matching 3/4" pickup inkle band for Auggie's collar, September
Japanese Knot Bag sewn using 5/2 plaid, October
Inklette-woven Purple Lanyard, October
Sigga heddle bands, October
Sigga Heddle Band Candle, November
Cream-colored Mobius Cowl, November
Rob's Hat, knitted, December
Christmas Tree card-woven band, December
Knitted Santa Hat, December
Jillian's Fish Scard, December
Snow Fox Scarf knitted for Eve, December
Red Fox Scarf knitted for Quinn, Decembe
Black/White/Red Knitted Hat for Alex, December
Red Knitted Hat for Jillian, December

The only month I didn't work on a project was March, which was very busy with sightseeing and with friends. The majority of items were woven, in addition to sewing, knitting, crochet, and making a pirn scissor holder (what kind of craft would you even call that?)

Fox Scarves Finished

Bob and I have had a lovely Christmas. We enjoyed the park's well-attended Christmas Eve service before settling in for the night. On Christmas Day we had homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast and I roasted a small turkey for our traditional feast. We opted not to participate in the pot-luck even though we were invited by several people as we strolled around outside in the 65 degree weather with Auggie.

I finished the fox scarves for granddaughters Eve and Quinn while watching holiday movies on TV. They were so much fun to make, and really quick to knit.

Here is the link to the free pattern for a werewolf scarf, that I adapted to knit these scarves. 

On Monday I warped up my 12" Ashford Knitters Loom for a krokbragd project, but may not have time to start weaving it until after the New Year. Bob and I have volunteered for the decorating committee again, to help set up for the New Years Eve party Saturday night. We helped on Tuesday to pull decorations out of storage sheds, and will have a meeting this afternoon. We have heard it will be about a six hour task to set up the decorations, and aren't sure when our coordinator will want us to do that.

We have been getting absolutely no sympathy for our chilly temperatures here, which have dropped into the high 50s to low 60s. With wind, which makes it even worse. Stop laughing! It's COLD! Yuma, we've been told, gets chilly weather for the last two weeks in December and the first two weeks in January. After that, it will be nice again. I guess our blood has gotten thinner since our years living in the Northeast. 

Today we are off to Walmart to do a bit of grocery shopping, and to the post office to mail a spindle off to its new home in California. And bake some burger rolls for this evening's hamburgers, attend our decorating committee meeting, and go to choir practice. A busy day!

60% Chance of Crafting

Our week has been busy-busy so far. On Monday night Bob and I went out to dinner at a great Italian restaurant called Da Boyz, located in the historic Kress building in Old Town Yuma.

The building was built in 1926 to be a five and dime store. Later, when Kress went out of business, the building housed a bakery. It is a really neat place for a restaurant, and the food was excellent.

On Tuesday I went to yoga class. Bob was unable to golf because the winds were blowing too hard and the golf course was closed. Some folks were bothered by the chilly 62 degrees. The fellow mowing the lawns got all dressed up, while the woman behind him was comfortable in short sleeves and sandals.

We went to burger night and had a great time socializing with friends over burgers and a beer.

Now, in between all this galivanting, I have been knitting. I made a hat for grandson, Alex. This is a three color version of Rob's Hat. It requires about 1/2 skein of Vanna's Choice worsted weight yarn in white, and about 1/3 skein each of black and red. I eliminated a couple of rows to make the pattern come out right, but this hat is so stretchy that it is no problem to do that. I have quite a large head and it still fits me just fine, so it probably would fit any adult or teen.

Another hat will be for his sister, Jillian

An Arctic Fox scarf for Eve

A Santa hat for me

And a new Christmas bracelet

On Thursday we had a Christmas concert and steak dinner. Bob and I volunteered to help with decorating which was a lot of fun and gave us the opportunity to meet some really nice people. The ballroom looked very nice when we were done, and the food and entertainment were great, too. 

About 75 guests were there to enjoy the steak dinner and watch the show.

Wishing all of you a wonderful Christmas, Hannukah, Kwaanza, Winter Solstice, or other holiday of your choice!

Crafting and Such

We are having a great time here in Yuma! On Wednesday, Bob and I toured a couple of model homes at the park. They were very nice but neither one knocked our socks off. If we ever bought a home at a campground we would most likely purchase a pre-owned unit, anyway. But it's always fun to look and to dream!

After the tour I went to check out the choir practice. I had so much fun in high school chorus oh-so-many-years ago, and I always wanted to join the church choir but it was pretty hard finding a free evening to commit to every week. Now I have the time! The women were super-nice, and very excited to have another person sign up so I felt very welcomed. And I really enjoyed the service here in the park on Sunday so it feels like a great fit.

On Friday I joined the Sit 'n Stitch group, bringing my Seidel Card Loom set up for a Christmas Tree band. It worked up quickly and was a fun weave.

On Saturday, Bob and I went over to a Golf Liquidation store in town, and Bob found a 4 & a 5 iron that he needed, for a total of $25. Such a deal! Afterwards we ate lunch at Wienerschnitzels, a hot dog stand that specializes in chili dogs. I had a Kraut Dog with sauerkraut and it was yummy.

I've been busy crafting in other ways, too.  I found out that my granddaughter, Jillian, wanted a scarf shaped like a fish. No problem! I took a handwoven scarf I had made but never worn, and with a little snipping and a little sewing, made her one. I think it turned out rather cute, don't you?

Sunday evening was the Parade of Golf Carts here in the park. People decorate their golf carts with lots of lights, play music, and dress up to compete for Best Decorated Golf Cart.

Oh, and as they proceed slowly along the parade route (up and down the park roads,) they stop every few houses to have a drink, set out by welcoming park residents. Our neighbors had a fire pit set up and the booze was flowing.

We enjoyed the company and were probably some of the few folks who didn't wake up hungover this morning.

The wind came up in the night, and although temperatures are in the mid-60s, we are staying in today.

Ain't Never Had Too Much Fun...

...until yesterday! A new yoga class was starting Tuesday morning, run by a woman from a local yoga studio, so I biked over and joined the group. I enjoyed it, and look forward to becoming more limber. Afterwards, I bicycled back and relaxed for a bit while Bob played 9 holes of golf. He has just joined a 9-hole men's league.

A little later, it was back to the pool for a swim and a soak in the hot tub.  High temperatures this week have been hovering around 77 and the heated pool feels wonderful! We returned to the motorhome on our bikes, changed out of the wet clothes and biked back for Hamburger Night at the Cantina, where we met a delightful couple who regaled us with their travel stories as we enjoyed our burgers. I also found out about an open craft time on Fridays that I'd like to check out. Maybe I'll bring a small loom and weave.

Our neighbors hailed us over for Happy Hour as we rode up to our rig, so being the friendly folk that we are, we joined them.  An hour and a half just flew by, and Bob and I made a gracious exit so we could head over to the Ballroom for a 7:00 class in Western Line Dancing.

It turned out to be a two hour class, and we lasted an hour before returning home. We did learn three dances, though, and it was a lot of fun, so we'll be back next week and hopefully stay the whole class.

Whew! Maybe we DID have too much fun!

Lunch in Mexico

Bob and I have been thinking about running over to Los Algodones, Mexico for lunch, so on Friday we did just that. Yuma is so close to Algodones that we left our campground at 10:45 am, and a half hour later we were passing through the turnstiles and walking onto Mexican soil.

The walkway into Algodones. The flag front left is the American flag and off to the right you can see the Mexican flag.

We decided to look for "The Mines" (las Minas) because our neighbors at the campground, Kay and Steven, recommended that store for a fun jewelry shopping experience. I had been Googling and was unable to find any mention of its location through Internet search. We started off along a side street to the right.

But I got distracted along the way when this poncho caught my eye.

I liked that it was wool, it wasn't too long, that it had a collar, and that the fringe went all along the curved shaping of it. The vendor offered it to me for $36 and I bargained him down to $22, which was a good deal. It would have cost me more than that to buy yarn to weave it. Plus I can use it as a pattern to make a similar one, one day.  If you are on Ravelry, I put construction details here.

After we concluded the sale, I asked the vendor where we could find las Minas. He offered to take us there since the shop owner was a friend of his, and led us over to the shop.

I was glad he did, because we never would have found it otherwise! The sign is small. If you are looking for it, here's how to locate it. When you enter Los Algodones, go straight past the Purple Store, for one block. You'll see this building on the corner. 

 Turn left down this side street and you'll come to The Mine on your left. It's easy to miss.

Inside we were introduced to Señor Ramos, the owner and jewelry designer. We were offered a free drink or two, either beer, or tequila mixed with a lovely liqueur that tastes very yummy. We might have had a couple. American jewelry stores should do this!

Señor Ramos weighed out the earrings I chose, and also showed us some of his special jewelry designs in Australian opals. They were more money than we wanted to spend but I did come home with these lovely little palm trees.

We said goodbye to Señor Ramos after eliciting a recommendation for a place to go for lunch. He was happy to suggest a restaurant right across the alley and up the stairs, called the Alamo Restaurant.

We found the food to be very good and not expensive, and my poncho was the perfect weight to keep me comfortable on the terrace. 

Bob and I finished with lunch and decided to head back to Yuma. The line to pass through Customs was pretty long but we were entertained by men playing accordions and women offering to sell us trinkets. The Customs agents glanced at our passports and bid us a good day with a smile.

We will be back most likely in January, when we have our annual teeth cleaning. Unless we go to San Luis, which is a temptation for me to visit another border town. We shall see!