Our busy life in Quartzsite continues, still enjoying it and
we have actually decided to return here again next year! Surprisingly we think
that we would be bored just sitting on a beach – yes crazy!
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| a view of one of the big shows here, Tyson Wells showgrounds |
Robin hasn’t been carving since he ran out of cottonwood
bark but we did check out the Wood Carvers Expo in Yuma, some pretty amazing
work!
The time of year that we have heard so much about arrived –
the January shows! First came the PowWow, over 500 vendors indoors and out, all
selling & displaying everything related to rocks, gems and jewelry. My
supply of cabochons has increased, as well as lots of copper wire in all sizes
for wire weaving and Robin has stocked up on obsidian for knapping plus
supplies for our rock polishing machine and cutting saw.
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| the Pow Wow grounds "before" |
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| "before" from another angle |
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| during the Pow Wow! |
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| a dry camping area "before" |
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| and during! |
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| "some" of the cabochans for wire wrapping |
Next came the Big Tent Show, a huge tent complete with a carpeted
floor selling everything related to RVing plus all sorts of weird stuff –
everyone needs a magnet that attaches your pistol to the inside of your car
door or a cute doggy stroller.
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| inside the "Big Tent" |
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| a common sight |
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| my favorite vendor! |
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| pick a color - all for doggy's |
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| Quartzsite traffic jam |
We look forward to the weekly rock finding trips, Robin is
now scrounging for wood for knife handles – he filled the back of the car with
cactus wood which made a mess, which required vacuuming. He was doing a very
thorough job which seemed a bit odd, later he confessed that he had brought a
scorpion into the car with the wood, which he thankfully vacuumed up. Not only
did it freak me out, the neighbors were equally unimpressed!
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| the desert is beginning to bloom! |
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| the rock we were looking for (porcelain jasper) & the polished version |
I go weekly to a creative wire weaving class, Robin came
along to learn the tree of life and we both did the beginner wire wrap class.
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| my favorite wire weaving project |
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| tried it out in silver |
It took several phone calls & emails but we managed to
get our Honda airbag recall done in Yuma. Another chance to hit the delicious Chinese
buffet!
We have attended several events – from a Canadian potluck
dinner to a presentation on Arizona ghost towns to a pizza party for Superbowl.
I have gone to bingo once, with a couple of sisters that come from St Paul,
came home empty handed but had fun. The last show of the season was the Gold
Show – we volunteered by manning the table for the Gem & Mineral club. Our
park had a Pegs & Jokers tournament; my team came in second and was a lot
of fun.
Robin has been keeping very busy with his knapping; he is
somewhere around 36 knives and a couple of spears, plus many, many arrowheads.
He bought a couple of crates of obsidian rock for a ridiculously low price and
ended up with 125 lbs. This should keep him going for a good while.
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| 125 lbs of obsidian!! |
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| inside our "workshop/tent" excuse the mess! |
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| Robin's arrowheads |
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| his knives |
Robin decided that some weight loss was in order so he quit
drinking Dec. 1 and kept at it until he got below 180 lbs – hurrah, he made it
Feb 10! Our upcoming cruise will probably mess with his milestone but we hope
to “be good” – eat less & exercise more!
We have done our last Craft Fair for the season, now we keep
making stuff until the May markets back home.
Our RV Park is excellent, lots of subsidized dinners, coffee
& donuts, etc – a wonderful steak barbeque for Valentine’s Day! The folks
here are also friendly, we are close enough to walk pretty much everywhere and
the sites are huge – all things that have influenced our plan to return in the
fall.
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| looking out our window towards the clubhouse, spooky sky |
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| Valentine's Barbecue |
We took two friends with us to Algodones, Mexico for some
shopping – both of their husbands had no interest in the trip,we had lots of
fun and of course we now have more
Mexican souvenirs!
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| Kelsey & Maralyn |
Today was a rock trip for purple agate and a look into an
amethyst mine; interesting and we had a visit from a friendly young burro. He
quite enjoyed eating peanuts from Robin’s hand and had a drink out of a dog
bowl.
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| going into an amethyst mine |
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| Robin & the burro |
Now we shift into packing mode – we drive to L.A. this
Saturday to head out on a 15 night cruise to Hawaii! This was never on “the
bucket list” but it should be fun. A total of 9 sea days should provide some
relaxation on our balcony and hopefully time to study Spanish.
Still living the dream and keeping busy!
