Buckeye, Arizona

Backyard View While in Needles, CA

I stayed in Needles an additional night.  The land is so amazing it makes it hard to leave.  And since it was a new moon the stars were another added bonus.  Feels like I haven't seen a sky like that in such a long time.  I also had a neighbor that I thought might be interesting.  I did have some wine and conversation with him, but come the next day I was ready to leave.

So now I am in Buckeye, Arizona.  My neighbor while in Lincoln City, OR told me about this park and I decided to check it.  I really did not want to spend any more time at the park in Mesa I have stayed the last two winters and I am happy to have found an alternative.  I like this park just fine.  It is smaller, quieter and CHEAPER.  It has a nice outdoor swimming pool, good internet and before my new neighbor showed up, the space felt big enough.  I will miss out on line dancing, but I plan to pick up water volleyball so it seems like a good trade.  I may even go play cards tonight.  Not sure about that one yet.

The park is Leaf Verde (http://leafverde.reachlocal.com/?scid=1471759&kw=8293008&pub_cr_id=7552712791) and it suits my needs for the time being.  They do not have cable so the funny thing is I am now back to watching football on my original 9" TV.  What a laugh on me.

At Least I Have a Tree

Best Story Ever

I find myself once again back in Needles, CA.  I was here three years ago and stayed at this very same park.  Nothing to write home about, I just loved the wide open land and mountains that surrounded the park.  I wasn't thrilled with the site they put me in and was thinking I would never again come back to this park, until I was asked to join the group of winter residents.

It was a large group, sitting outside freezing in the cold early evening temperatures, keeping themselves warm with wine and other assorted alcoholic beverages.  I was offered a seat and sat down to enjoy their stories and get to know my neighbors a bit better.  This was by far the best story:

A man, who was not there this evening, sold his Harley to buy his girlfriend some new dentures.  Then she up and left him.

Ok, maybe the retelling isn't as funny as when you are sitting around hearing it first hand, but I thought it was one of the funniest stories I have heard in awhile.  Maybe I was just too long on the road today.

I did have a very challenging, long day on the road.  It took me 30 minutes to find a gas station that was 5 minutes from the park I stayed at last night.  I needed help unlocking my gas cap because I was turning it the wrong way.  My electric step somehow no longer works.  I even needed help plugging into my electrical outlet (use two hands to lift up the outside unit).

It has just been one of those days.  One of those days where someone else's story seemed much funnier than my own.

Petaluma, CA

Maria and her husband stayed in Deerwood for a few days and it was during that time that I picked up my Aspect.  While they were there Stan unexpectedly got a job outside of San Francisco, bought a 5th wheel and headed South.  Hmmm...sounded like a plan.  And that is why I find myself so unexpectedly settled into a KOA park in Petaluma.

Maria and I have spent some time exploring the area and yesterday took the ferry to San Francisco.  My favorite part about the day was the beautiful country side we drove through when her GPS took us the scenic route, causing us to miss our intended earlier ferry time.  But it was an amazing magical, mystery tour and I hope we go back to explore the area. 

Because it was such a hot day, my other favorite part was riding the ferry back and forth to Fisherman's Wharf.  Other than that, I am not such a fan of big cities.

These are sights I much prefer:

Beautiful view of Mt. Shasta from the Weed rest area

Trees outside my front door

Petaluma Fountain

Maria and I sitting in front of that Fountain

Not much going on today other than the multiple times it took figuring out how to roll in my awning.  Dang I miss my power awning!

A New Aspect

2005 Winnebago Aspect

Well, here it is, the first pictures of my new home.  It is a 2005 Winnebago Aspect.  It is 26' with a slide, entertainment center over the cab and 14,000 miles.  It has much more outdoor storage, a slide out pantry in the kitchen, a big wrap around couch that I LOVE and has just about everything I had on my wish list.  Except an automatic awning.  And I really, really, really miss my automatic awning.  First on my list of future improvements. But the slide makes it feel so much bigger on the inside and the dinette table can easily be elevated for those times when I need a table.  For now I am enjoying the lounging area but not real happy about the exposed zipper.

I have only lived in it a week and haven't done any decorating but here are a few more pictures.

Bedroom Looks About The Same

Entertainment Center (strange to have such a BIG TV!)

With The Table Down......Still A Work In Progress

Slide

Manual Awning Tilted to Allow Rain Run-off

Today I started my journey South and I love the way it drives.  Nice cushy driver's seat, good radio, feels tight and even though it is a bit bigger than Minnie, it feels smaller.  Because I had planned on keeping Minnie and needed more space I purchased a cargo carrier which is now on the Aspect and carries a newly purchased bike.

It took three years to get Minnie just right so I expect it will take some more adjusting before I am totally settled.  But for now, it feels really, really good.

(These are pictures from other 2005 Aspects to give you an idea of what the table looks like when it is elevated and the slide out pantry)

Changes

I have been back in Eugene for a month, a month that has felt like a week and also an eternity.  I knew there would be many loose ends I needed to tie up while in Eugene but I didn't anticipate the stress and the chaos I would feel.  It has not been an easy month.

I continue to grieve the loss of Koko.  I am still tangled in a legal situation with my son.  And as if all of that was not enough, I have committed to trading Minnie in for a newer model.

I found a motorhome that finally felt right and if all goes as scheduled I will do the trade out on Tuesday. 

Another chapter to my life is about to begin. 

Just What I Needed

Blurry, but Funny

With the passing of my dear friend Koko, I feel even more blessed to have Maria in my life.  I didn't want to be alone in my grief so I went to Florence, OR earlier than anticipated so I could spend a few nights with Maria.  It was just what I needed.

We went to the Chowder Blues and Brews Festival and laughed ourselves silly.  And we danced.  A lot.  Maria spent some time dancing with a 90 year old dance instructor but I guess I ditched him on the dance floor because he was trying to instruct me on the finer nuances of the dance moves.  It was BLUES music for gawd sakes and I had the blues!  I needed to allow my body to dance untethered and no instructor was going to rein me in.  And it was just what I needed.

We had good food, good brews, good laughs and good music.

And it was just what I needed.

Koko the Weaver

My dearest of friends, Koko, passed suddenly and unexpectedly on September 19, 2012.  Each day I wake up and have to remind myself that yes, she is really gone from her physical body.  I cannot imagine my world without her.

I met Koko my second time to Glastonbury, England.  She owned a B&B and I stayed there every time I returned over the next 5 years.  She always told the story of how I arrived over her door step, dropped my bags and called "Koko..I'm home!".  And whenever I was with Koko I did feel that I was at home.

We traveled together to Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Cornwall.  Twice she came to visit me in Oregon and we traveled through Oregon, California and spent a memorable week in Sedona, AZ.  In Cornwall we camped in her "condo" tent (it had a separate bedroom on each side of the tent and was large enough to cook in!).  Koko always traveled in style :).

But the thing I remember most is how she walked all those many lands we traveled.  Every step she took was sacred.  She walked in Beauty.  Countless times we would stop and create a ceremony honoring Mother Earth.  We created a labyrinth on the beaches of Ireland.  While we were in Sedona every day was a different ceremony.  Once she picked me up at the bus station in Bristol, England and before long we stopped at a cave along the road side to drum, tone and honor the Land.  Everywhere we went was a sacred pilgrimage for Koko.  She showed me her world and then shared it with me.

She was also a Weaver of people.  While sitting at her kitchen table I met people from around world.  I met people from South Africa, Wales, Spain, England, Ireland, Scotland and the United States.  We all congregated at Koko's table and all of our lives were impacted.

She woke up each day like a kid, ready to embrace whatever magic the day held.  And she in turn created magic out of each day.

It is not often you meet someone who changes your life forever, in such a profound way.  But that is who Koko was, to everyone she met.  My heart deeply feels her passing but I know she will always be with me, my constant traveling companion.

In Ireland with Koko (second from right)