The Show Season in the Q

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!

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.

the Pow Wow grounds "before"

"before" from another angle

during the Pow Wow!

a dry camping area "before"

and during!

"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.

inside the "Big Tent"

a common sight

my favorite vendor!

pick a color - all for doggy's

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!

the desert is beginning to bloom!

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.

 

my favorite wire weaving project

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.

125 lbs of obsidian!!

inside our "workshop/tent" excuse the mess!

Robin's arrowheads

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.

looking out our window towards the clubhouse, spooky sky

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!

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.

going into an amethyst mine

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!