Q!

For those of you who are familiar with Quartzsite, Arizona, the picture above exemplifies the quirky mass of folks from all over the U.S.A. and Canada who descend on this special spot in the desert not far from the Colorado River and California on Interstate 10 in the winter.

The pictures below exemplify the real Quartzsite, Arizona. This is the Quartzsite that excites my wife and me the most. That is not to say we don’t like shopping at the multitude of vendors who dot the landscape and all the yard sales that pop up each weekend. We do – but the best part is our small homestead we call our second home. We have quail, Mexican and Ring Neck doves, humming birds, Cooper and Red Tail hawks, assorted lizards, and occasionally, coyotes who visit us looking for food. The coyotes are looking for bird dinner or better yet, Chihuahua steaks. We watch our dogs carefully when they are walking with us.

There is talk in Quartzsite that the city and county are trying to rid the town of vendor tents and the like. This may or may not be true, but from our perspective, the real lure of the area is the winter weather and motor home visitors who love to enjoy life. All of us are very sociable and like to meet new people who become winter friends. While we all scatter to the four winds in the summer, you can bet we all look forward to meeting again the next winter – God willing and the creek don’t rise!

Meet "Pickles," our Meyer's parrot. He is heading toward me for food and since he is a cannibalistic demon bird, a finger will do quite nicely!

Sunrise in the desert is so very special. We have doves waiting patiently for us to spread seed out in front of the motor home. This is a morning ritual that happens every day we are in Quartzsite until our departure for the summer.

Speaking of breakfast, Gonzo, our older Chihuahua (named after the former D-backs' baseball star), waits not so patiently for food. You can barely see Taco, our rescue Chihuahua, with his white head sticking out of the covers to the upper left.

My wife, Sandy, is holding Taco and Gonzo while standing next to an African Sumac tree we planted while in Quartzsite this trip. Planting trees is something we both feel strongly about. Someday after we have left the planet, this tree will still be standing tall and proud, providing it survives the long, hot summers. I travel to Quartzsite once a month in the summer to water trees and check the motor home.

We found this outdoor U.S.A. flag wall picture at a swap meet and decided it must be attached to our shed door between two palm trees that are guaranteed not to die in the summer.

Trust me when I tell you I did not look this good while digging the hole for the African Sumac. The ground is like concrete!

There are four new signs in Quartzsite that were paid for by a grant along with new road paving, plantings and bus stop benches. Signs of progress I suppose – I will miss the old Quartzsite that we have been coming to for many years. But still, progress is not all bad…is it?

Sandy took this picture while we were driving along the Colorado River on a day trip. There is still much unspoiled land in the southwest deserts. You can see the lake behind Parker Dam in the foreground. God, we love this part of the world – I guess you can call us desert rats for sure.

I’m just saying Happy Thanksgiving,

Mittster

Thanksgiving

I know Thanksgiving isn't until Thursday, but I decided to blog about it early. I won't be blogging Thursday because I will be too busy stuffing my jibs with turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, deviled eggs, rolls, cranberries, and God only knows what else.

My daughter, Nissa, is cooking only the second turkey in her life and if her small practice turkey a few weeks ago is any indication, it will be delish! Family will bring all the fixings over to Grandma's house and we will celebrate and give thanks that we are all together on this very special day.

There will be many family members and friends not present, but we know they will be celebrating and giving thanks in their own part of the world. My daughter, Kimberry, as her name is pronounced in Thailand, will be working hard teaching in that country. To those loved ones who have passed, we light candles at the table in remembrance. It's a tradition that fills us with love and peace.

We will surely remember and give thanks to all our servicemen and women who are risking all so that we may live in a country that provides so very much for our freedom to celebrate and worship according to our individual beliefs. We also are thankful for the care our wounded solders are receiving and wish them a blessed Thanksgiving.

We also will give thanks to our fellow countrymen and women who work hard to support and maintain households that raise and nurture children who are the future of our great nation.

Americans are a giving people which is demonstrated by the effort to provide Thanksgiving food to the less fortunate through donations and volunteerism.

There is so much to be thankful for. I wish everyone a wonderful turkey day and remember to leave room for dessert. I just hope there is turkey left over for sandwiches the next day. Yummy!

I'm just saying, Happy Thanksgiving!

Mittster

In The Day

I really like the History Channel show, "American Pickers." It's hard to believe that we are living in the 21st century, yet there are people all over the world that still cling to old stuff in barns, garages and basements.

Why is that?

Well, first of all, keepers of old stuff are usually seniors. As a senior myself, I too have old stuff in the shed and nic-nac cabinet. We long for the good old days when life was simple and uncomplicated. Like The Old Man in Pawn Stars puts it, "We like to think about in the day, because it makes us feel good."

In the day was about honesty, truthfulness, being law abiding, a day's work for a day's pay, In God We Trust, children, Christmas with handmade presents, Easter egg hunts, Memorial Day parades with the United States flag flying everywhere, Fourth of July picnics at the park, Labor Day swimming at the pond, and Thanksgiving dinner with family from all four corners of the country.

Greed in the day was stealing a few cookies, while they were cooling, from the kitchen window. You could maybe tell a little white lie once in a blue moon and still feel good about yourself. Partying was snitching a little bottle of tequila from the camp trailer that was used for summer vacation and waking up with a horrible hangover, which kept you from doing it again. Marriage was for a lifetime and making love was for after you got married. Being neighborly and generous was normal, and saying the word God in the Pledge of Allegiance was not embarrassing.

I guess it all boils down to one thing. The past is gone, but we can still respect one another and our planet. It's not too late to get our standards back up to where they were when our forefathers brought forth this great country. Let's practice the Golden Rule and live today like the In The Day.

Write on, brother, write on....

Mittster