onaemtnest

When we retired from our careers in Colorado, we decided that we'd like to move to Arizona, you know, no snow, a change-of-pace and scenery after 35 years living in Colorado. We sold our home in Colorado, bought a home in Arizona, bought a pontoon loved the lake, loved our new friends, the sunsets were beyond incredible but boy howdy were we gob smacked by the HEAT! What about the word desert didn't we comprehend????

I developed allergies for the first time in my life, to which the doctor said, "What did you expect, something is always blooming in the desert!"

115 degrees on average is hot, hot, hot whether it's dry, or the nasty moist high humidity heat during monsoon season in latter July through August 115 degrees is HOT. I never have loved an inanimate object so much in my life as I did our air conditioner. We bought in an area where the wind blew only two times a year, six months from the north and six months from the south.

Millions and millions of people love Arizona, we found it kind of prickly (pardon the pun :0) we moved after four years leaving an opening for two other people to move in and 'love' the dry heat! LOL We found we missed the 'green' of the Rocky Mountains, even on the hottest days it cools in the evenings and yes, indeed we missed the change of seasons including snow, sometimes you just can't teach these two old dogs new tricks.

So MizMelly I truly 'get' your post that 114 is a cooling temperature!

sewbizgirl

Good morning. Great stories, Onalee! I admire your courage.

When our kids were little the only kind of "vacation" we could afford to do was camping. For me, it was mostly terrible. Hubby liked to drive. And drive, and drive, and drive... I get anxious from the confinement of too much time in the car, and with three little kids to keep happy, even worse. Camping was lots of fun... for everyone else! Mama has to do all the work. I finally put my foot down and said no more camping. It was nice that the kids got to see some other places, but boy it sure was W.O.R.K. for me. And then you get home and have a week of laundering clothes and bedding... more 'fun'. I am not a camper.

Last year, while I was out of town visiting at our daughter's home, hubby bought a used pop-up camper, envisioning reliving the 'glory days' of our youth! When I got back and looked at it, I told him I just wanted to break down and cry thinking about having to travel and live in that thing. So now its for sale as we try to unload it.

I know a lot of our quilters here travel this way all the time, some of them quilting in their campers. I just can't see it for me.

LOL, hope you don't read these posts until after your camping trip, Barb! Don't want to put a damper on your trip.

JENNR8R

I went camping twice... once on my honeymoon (we were 19 & 20 and couldn't afford anything else) in a tent, cooking potatoes on a wood fire in August... can you say hot and sweaty?

The second time was in a pop-up camper in November to go deer hunting... before dawn. I bagged my deer and decided that camping was not fun. I went on to hunt some more and got a rabbit and a squirel. The wild turkey was very well camoed, and I wasn't successful.

I left the wild game acquisition up to my husband after that. I was a good shot, but I just didn't enjoy the experience. He brought me a bear arm once. It never made it out of the freezer. I like packages of meat from the store.

onaemtnest

Oh I wasn't trying to throw cold water on Barbara's camping trip, it sounds as though she enjoys it very, very much and wouldn't be influenced by my experiences. It is great we aren't all cut from the same bolt of cloth it makes getting to know people so much more interesting :0)

I just finished dusting corners and places ignored until we have guests whew that seemingly a lot of places the older I'm getting. Our son and wife are coming for to brief, a visit, from Denver. So sitting down and looking at sewbizgirl's post and JENNR8R posts gave me the respite and chuckles I was needing.

sewbizgirl I particularly had to smile about your DH purchase of the camper. I cannot tell you how many big motor homes we saw in our neighborhood in Arizona for sale with under 10K miles. People think that it is going to be great to travel the states now that retirement was a way of life. Then either one or both found it wasn't for them or myriad of other reasons they were choosing to sell the motorhome. So those HUGE investments sat depreciating in the desert sun awaiting someone else to come and buy it so they to could try the 'dream' of luxury camping. So I would surmise you are very fortunate to have a just a pop up camper and not to have a huge investment like one of those behemoths to unload.

I guess my idea of ruffing it is, a cruise cabin without a balcony or an all inclusive resort with no ocean view. LOL

Speaking of quilters taking their quilting along in fifth wheels and campers etc. The most incredible person and she may be on this board is a lady over-the-road truck driver. She has the sleeper portion behind the driver in her semi set up to quilt!!!!! She had posted pictures of her set-up it was pretty innovative. Now that is organization, not to mention dedication to her love of quilting in my book!

Crispy_Frog

Hello all! Just checking in. I sent out all 4 July birthdays today. Hot here in Dallas!

sewbizgirl

Onalee, I would have killed hubby if I came home and found a behomoth parked there! The popup was bad enough. Hubby had the same problem of the "idea" of camping being more attractive than the actual camping. I think once the popup came home, even he didn't want to use it. He has too many health problems.

I can't imagine someone quilting in the sleepover part of an 18 wheeler... that lady needs to retire so she can Quilt! LOL.

JENNR8R, we camped on our honeymoon too. First daughter must have been conceived in a tent! That should have told me what was coming...

djmat

All our camping equipment is for sale - 3 tents (The big one has two rooms with a separation panel & a detachable kitchen pantry for "extended" stays, one is a scout pup tent, & the other is a -117 degree cold country tent popup sleeps 4). Had a lot of fun camping with the family, girl & boy scouting trips, and the occasional romantic get away with hubby. Had many adventures using all that equipment. The backyard water hose cleaned the majority of the tents & us on return. Wouldn't trade the memories! Texas Gulf Coast rattlesnake nest right next to the beach campsite, jebel (desert) camping in Saudi Arabia, cooking on a burning a ring of fire in heavy rain in Pennsylvania to the astonishment of nearby campers, so many great memories. Now we must relinquish the toys of youth. But keeping the ax, just in case we get a wild hair to trek out once more. Always wanted to walk the Appalachian Trail, now relegated to dreamland. Some bucket list items are just that, daydreams. I detest downsizing so I'm taking lots of pictures with captions for the kid's scrapbooks to help me deal with the passage. If the equipment doesn't sell, maybe I'll wax nostalgic & tear outta here for one last hurrah!
hugs,
dj

djmat

Oh, I forgot to mention, we will finally be able to park a second car in the triple garage - Christmas boxes & lawn gear have third bay dedicated. hehehe & lol
dj

sewbizgirl

Go for it, dj!

jaba

I just have to giggle when I read all of your posts. Been there but now at 70 yrs. I just want a place, like a house, that I can go to in the cold winters of Wyoming and stay warm. Love it here in the summer but not the snow. Hubby is going to retire in December so it is certainly calling. I even convinced him to sell 1 of our boats, had it on a local website and it sold and left in 4 hours. Now another boat and a 30' toy hauler would be nice to get out of the way. Then there are the 4 wheeler's that go into that toy hauler....little bit at a time I figure. I told him if they are sold he can buy all his woodwork stuff and have it at the winter house. He smiled, maybe I am progressing a little! Never fear, I already have a sewing machine and a quilting table setup to take with me, some things are just important