Places We Have Called Home In 2019

Home Is Where We Park It:   UMOM New Day Centers, Phoenix 

Nov 25, 2109

Temperature 69 Degrees

Back Home Again

We’re home again.  Hopefully, there will be no more trips in the near future to those nasty places where it is cold and rainy.  Though, unfortunately, it appears a bit of that type of weather has slipped down this way.

It was great to have the whole family together again, though the reason for coming together was not the one we all would have hoped for.  Saturday afternoon we came together for Mom’s Memorial Service.  My sister Cindy delivered a beautiful and moving eulogy for mom.  Later we gathered at her house as a family to hug, to remember and to support one another.  As in the past my sister was the every gracious host.

Sunday afternoon found Barbara and myself back home in Phoenix.  It was good to get back to shorts and T-shirts.  That, however, the weather forecast says is going to change within a couple of days.  By the weekend we’ll be down in the 30’s at night – at least for one or two nights.  We’ll also be staying in the mid 60’s during the day.  I’m OK with that.

Today, Monday, I didn’t make the bell for work.  I was dragging, freezing cold and just could not get myself going.  Thankfully, the others understood and sent me home.  I spent the day in my pj’s and in bed most of the day.  This evening I’m finally beginning to feel a whole lot better.  I’ll be there tomorrow you can count on it.

What else is new?  Not a whole lot.  I finally ordered the last set of blinds for the rig – we had never replaced the one small shade in the bedroom.  Today it decided to quit working so I could not procrastinate any longer.  That’s about it.  Exciting, hey?

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  A weekend of mixed emotions.  A time to say to mom we’ll see you on down the road. A time to be with the whole family and support one another.  Who knows when we will all be together again. Or where.

That’s it for now.  Thanks for your company, your prayers, and your support over the last several weeks.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before

See you on down the road!

 

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2019

Home Is Where We Park It:   UMOM New Day Centers, Phoenix 

Nov 21, 2109

Temperature 69 Degrees – Rain, Thunder and Lightening

FINISHED!

We awoke to the familiar sound of rain on the roof.  It’s been raining off and on for the last three days.  In addition the temperature has been down in the 60’s.  Overall it has been damp and cool.

But we kept at it and we finally finished a number of projects for this three week time period.

The paint room, all the paint has been consolidated and the floor has been cleaned, scrapped and repainted.

Two new Sunday School rooms have been cleaned out, the walls covered with new paint, and the doors also were repainted

Two units were repaired, repainted and a new bathroom installed in one in preparation for new clients

The three Ramada’s were reconstructed with new plywood and concrete backer-board and then repainted.

The toy room was cleaned out in preparation for new donations for this Christmas season

All doors and windows in the activity room were covered with Christmas decorations

Storage area behind the wood shop was cleaned out

Sandals, flip-flops, and other shoes were sorted and stored by size

Files were sorted and reorganized in the office

Six new picnic tables were assembled for use in the picnic area

In addition we’ve gathered Monday through Thursday in the morning for devotions.  We’ve gone out to supper each Thursday night as a team for supper.  We’ve struggled with the unexpected illness of three of our team members.  Most importantly we’ve become a family and new friendships were made that will last a lifetime.

This is what being a NOMAD is all about!

Our day on The Road of Retirement has come to an end.  Time now for some sleep since we once again have a 7 am flight to catch tomorrow.  We’re going back to Wellsboro for my Mom’s Memorial Service.  Please keep the family in your prayers this weekend.

Thanks for checking in with us again.  We always enjoy your company and your comments.  Quick note, the blog will be suspended until we return on Sunday evening.  Till then.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before

See you on down the road!

Places We Have Called Home In 2019

Home Is Where We Park It:   UMOM New Day Centers, Phoenix 

Nov 19, 2109

Temperature 79 Degrees

Multi Projects Racing to Finish Before The Rain

What’s this?  A cloudy sky?  Actually, completely overcast with ugly black clouds rolling overhead.  I never thought I would see a sky in Arizona like this.  The weather report is for rain, thunder, and lightening.

Breakfast first.  Chocolate chip pancakes, fried spam, a glass of juice and a couple of cups of coffee. Yummy and tummy filling.  But no time to linger it’s time for morning devotions and then we have several projects to finish.

We’re going to divide and conquer today.  The Ramada’s needed to be caulked and painted.  Crew number one was assigned to that job.

So that’s a caulking gun!

Ladies front and center.

Denise always has a smile.

Jean decided to sit down on the job.  That’s Keith around the corner on the roller.

They managed to finish the inside and outside of one before the heavens opened up.

The Second Project on the list was painting the paint room floor.  First step was to clear everything off the floor.  Tim and yours truly were assigned to this.  Steve gave us a hand taking things out before he moved on to his own project.

Then we scraped, vacuumed and mopped the floor to get it as clean as we could.  We got one coat of paint on it today, a second coat tomorrow.  I’ll have a picture then.

The third project was assembling new picnic tables.  Steve spearheaded this project.

They were just getting into the swing of things went the heavens opened up and put an end to their work for today.

Yes, it rained today.  Really rained.  I was beginning to wonder if it ever did rain in Arizona!  It’s still raining as I type this tonight.  The temperature is also dropping just as fast as the rain is coming down.  We’ll be in the 40’s tonight and probably for the foreseeable future at night.

Another day on The Road of Retirement has come to a close.  A different type of day for sure with rain and wind, thunder and lightening.  We’ll just take it as it comes and make the most of it.  Hey, it could be a lot worse – it could have been snow and freezing temperatures!

Thanks for tagging along with us.  We always enjoy your company and your comments.  Catch you again tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before

See you on down the road!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2019

Home Is Where We Park It:   UMOM New Day Centers, Phoenix 

Nov 18, 2109

Temperature 85 Degrees

Ramada Reconstruction

Mystery Castle of Phoenix Part Two

Hi Ho, Hi Ho I Volunteered So It Is Off To Work I Go!

Today we’re back at it with the team.  Last week they began Ramada Reconstruction and that is what is on the docket for this week.  Hopefully, we can finish this outdoor project before the rain set’s in on Wednesday.

This is one that is almost ready for painting

A second one that needs the concrete backer-board installed then painted.

The tool wagon has arrived.

Barbara is loaded for bear!  A real two handed power tool user.

Smile Steve, it’s not all that bad just another 6 hours to go!

Many hands make light work.

What’s that you say, That is Called A Board?  Now I know!

Measure Twice and Cut Once!

Denise is a real cut up.

 

We made good progress today.  With any luck we’ll be ready to paint the three that we’ve already built by tomorrow.

So much for our day here at UMOM.  Let’s go back and conclude our tour of the Mystery Castle of Phoenix.

We’ll begin with the Mother In Law room.  Actually, you can’t go into this room for the following reason.  Look at the stairs leading to it.  Yes, the staff still goes up on occasion.

That spire up there, it’s a lightening rod.  They said it was connected to the metal bed frame in the room!  We all know of course they were only kidding.

Let’s head to the kitchen.  This is the original stove and oven.  The castle had no electricity until the mid 60’s and no running water until the mid 70’s.  Remember, Mary Lou and her mother were living here full time.  Water originally came from a river over a mile away.  When they first moved in there was a water truck on site.  But then someone stole it.  They adapted we were told and found other ways to gather water.

Table setting at the kitchen table.

Lamp over the table.  Look at the detail.  It’s just amazing what you find and where you find it in this wonderful home.

Speaking of which, how about this plant.

I found this tea pot and platter set so beautiful and colorful.  Mary Lou they told us always kept at least one cat in the castle.  Why?  To keep snakes, mice and other native wild life in check.

This by the way is the kitchen after electricity was installed.

To the guest room.  Look at the stones in the floor, the walls, look at the windows, the wooden figures, there is something different in every direction that you turn.

Now how about this for ingenuity – the bed tucks in under a shelf and when needed slides out on wheels attached to rails embedded in the floor.

I know this is not the best picture, but believe it or not this window is actually a rim from a Stuz Bearcat.

Another fireplace.  Note the copper work above it.  The art work around it.  So many, many items to look at and appreciate.

More furnishings in the Guest Room.

And this pillow done we were told by Leonard De Copy Cat!

Time for another room.  On our way there we are going to pass The Fountain of Youth.  Want to take a guess as to what it once was?  He definitely used everything that he found!

This was the kennel for the Castle Dog.

We’ve come now to the chapel.  Mystery Castle used to be a popular place to hold weddings, but in the mid-2000s Mary Lou Gulley decided that no more weddings would be held here. This wedding altar is located in the chapel room.

What do you think?  Maybe, maybe not?

Moving out of the chapel we are headed to the bar.  But before we get there, remember I said he used everything he got his hands on?  This is an actual railroad rail set in the ceiling of this room.  Branching out from it are railroad ties.

Yes, there was also a bar built in the castle.

Notice what our friend is drinking?

You might even say they thought of everything.  Too much to drink?  Here’s a place where you can sleep it off.

 

One more place to visit.  This one is outside, it is the barbecue that was built.

If you look close you will see that a good part of the barbecue is built of what our guide told us was originally known as klin rejects.  You could pick them up for free.  Today, they are considered extremely rare and quite costly.  Imagine that!

There is so, so much to see here.  While guests are free to roam through the castle and get an up-close look at their surroundings, one room remains inaccessible to visitors: the private bedroom of Mary Lou. She wanted to keep her personal sleeping quarters behind closed doors, and only a privileged few have seen it. These are the stairs leading to it.

And the view of the room from the outside.  It is the largest room in the castle.

Mary Lou and her mother began giving tours of the castle in 1948, and after her mother passed, Mary Lou continued to reside in the home until her own passing in 2010.

Mary Lou Gulley, resident princess and proprietress of the Mystery Castle, passed away November 3, 2010, her obituary reads. To ensure the Castle and the spirits of her father, mother, grandmother, uncle, and all other keepers of the castle would live on, Mary Lou formed The Mystery Castle Historical Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, to preserve and care for the castle when she was no longer able to do so.

Today, the castle remains intact, just as it was left when Mary Lou passed. Visitors can tour the site and hear it’s story firsthand.

If you have or are putting together a bucket list of must see places in the USA this one deserves to be on that list.  There is so much more to see in addition to the pictures in the last two blogs.  The tour itself and the knowledge imparted by the guides is priceless.

A word of caution:   the parking lot is unpaved, rocky and uneven. The house and the surrounding walkways are worse, with steep, uneven steps and walking surfaces that are not level. But given all that it is well worth making the effort to get here and to take a tour.  You will not regret it.  We sure didn’t!

Another day on The Road of Retirement has come to a close.  Time to get some shut eye since tomorrow is another work day.  It’s been another great day spent with friends and working on projects that hopefully will in the end benefit others.  You can’t ask for more than that.

Thanks for coming along again today.  We also appreciate your company and your comments.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before

See you on down the road!