Places We Have Called Home In 2019

Dec 17, 2019

Temperature 53 Degrees

Tough Times for the Team

Week Three, Day Two, Last Major Project, Dining Room

Take me back to Florida, back to where the temperatures are more to my liking.  OK, we’re here by choice.  But now that we know what the winters are like in this part of the country our choice is to go back home next winter.   That we will.

Prayers are needed, please, for our team.  Its tough times for many.  Robin and Carrie had to leave today.  They received word last night that their niece lost her only child in a tragic ATV accident.

Our team leaders are out of action due to sickness.  Steve has flue like symptoms and has a lot of pain in his back and feet.  Jean, his other half has bronchitis.  In addition she had a minor out patient surgical procedure on her neck two weeks ago and it refuses to heal.

Kieth is also sick with flu like symptoms.  He will probably be out of action for the rest of the week.

Yes, tough times for many.  The rest of us are soldiering on to the best of our ability.  Yet, we’re all tired and dragging.

Onward we go.  One last push, one last major project.

The dining room needs to be repainted.

First, though, the walls need to be cleaned.  Kris is right on it.

Mark is hard at work on another wall.

 

A picture to prove that I am more than the team photographer.

Debbie, sponge and bucket heading toward a wall that needs washing.

Say Hi to Bob, he ran his own construction company for over 20 years.  So guess who gets to do all the spackle jobs?

Hi Leone!  She is making up another bucket of wash mix.

OK, the walls are washed and ready to be painted.  Tomorrow?  Tomorrow we have thirty volunteers from Target coming to paint the walls.  Yes, thirty.! We don’t know what to expect.  But thirty people where only maybe four or five are needed scares all of us.  We’ve been told it is our job to supervise them.  Yeah.  I’ll let you know tomorrow night how we fared.

That ends our day on The Road of Retirement.  Time again for warm PJ’s and some slippers on my chilly toes.  We have the electric heater on and as of now are as warm as two bugs in a rug. Yup, no matter the temperature we continue to travel along, hand in hand, singing our song.

Thanks for coming along with us again.  We always enjoy 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!

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2019

Dec 16, 2019

Temperature 59 Degrees

Week Three, Day One, Overflowing With Toys

OK, its Monday and that means only one thing – Off to work we go!  And a chilly Monday it is, only 48 degrees.  No shorts or T-shirt this morning.

A simple breakfast this morning.  An everything bagel, a glass of orange juice and a couple of cups of coffee.  Time, for some reason, got away from us and before we knew it, it was time to leave for devotions.

We’ve begun counting down the days.  This is our last regular week of work.  Then on December 27th we pull up the jacks and roll out of here.  Getting anxious.

Its Week Three, Day One.  One big project was finished.  We nearly drowned in the sea of toys that came in.  We have one more major project to complete before the end of the week.

The storage shelves on the third floor are finished.

The local radio stations held their annual Christmas Toy Drive this past weekend.

One by one their vans came rolling in.

Each filled front to back with all kinds of toys.

Each found a spot to back in by the front door.

It was all hands on deck – staff and NOMADS – working to empty them.

One by one they were emptied and soon we had a mountain of toys.

There were bikes enough for everyone.

Here is the toy room once everything was sorted and put in its place.

Lego’s anyone?

Remote controlled toys.

We have Hot Wheels as well.

 

Footballs, basketballs, Nerf balls, it’s all here.

 

Dolls for girls of all ages.

Barbie Dolls for little girls.

Board games for all ages.

The potpourri box – which by the way was empty by 2 pm.  The individuals in the pictures above are the case workers who are shopping for their clients.

Toys in hand they move to the wrapping room.

Presents wrapped and ready to give to needy families.

But not all donated toys can be given to families at the shelter.

No bikes are given out at Christmas.

Nor scooters or skateboards.  Reason?  They can’t have kids racing around the apartment complex running over or into others.  Instead, they save these toys and give them to kids when the family leaves the apartment complex for a home of their own.

Toys like these – bats, toy guns, dart boards, Army figures with weapons and others like this – are not given out either.  They call these trauma triggers and so they are set off to the side and usually given to other agencies who can give them to their clients.

That was our day in the toy room today.

One more major project to complete before the week is out.

We’ve been asked to repaint the dining room.

Which color will it be?  Time will tell, we don’t even know yet.  When they hand the paint to us then we’ll know and let you know.

Week Three, Day One is in the books.  Once again we were able to accomplish all that was assigned to us.  We go home dragging but feeling good about what we’re doing for others.

Our day on The Road of Retirement has come to a close.  Time to get some warm PJ’s on since the temperature is dropping like a rock.  It’s only 9 pm and we’re already down in the high 40’s.  Climbing under the covers is going to feel oh so good tonight.

Thanks again for being a part of our day.  We always enjoy 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!

 

 

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2019

Dec 15, 2019

Temperature 65 Degrees

Casa Grande National Park

Sunday and time for a message from Pastor Ron.  Once again a great message that provided a lot of food for thought for the coming week.

It was time also for a breakfast favorite of mine.  Barbara made me a chili-cheese omelet this morning and added a sausage patty on the side.  I added a glass of orange juice and a couple of cups of coffee, and I was in breakfast heaven.

Once that was done it was time to take things apart – specifically the old chair that was removed to make room for my new La-Z-Boy.  It came apart easily and in small, manageable pieces.  At this time all the parts and pieces are happily keeping one another company in the back seat of the car.  Who knows if sometime in the future we will need to put it back from whence it came.

Time to go back a couple of days and take a tour of

In 1894 Casa Grande became the nation’s first archaeological preserve.

This is where we’ll begin, so let’s go on in and get started.

This National Park has been set aside to tell the story of the Sonoran Desert People.  It’s all about the life of a people that flourished here 1,500 years ago to 550 years ago.  Six tribes in today’s Southwest still have histories that link themselves to the people who once lived here.  Many of their descendants still live in the Sonoran Desert.

The Sonoran Desert People then and now regard this place as scared.

Where did they come from?  What was their life like?  Why did they build in this spot?  Where did they go?  This is their story.

The people who lived in this area were originally called Hohokam but they prefer to be known as the Sonoran Desert People.  The Sonoran Desert is characterized by a series of parallel north-trending narrow mountain ranges that are separated by valleys.

The fine grain soils of the valleys made them highly suitable for agriculture.  The mountains provided raw materials for stone tool making.

The climate today is much the same as it was back then.  Day time highs can exceed 105 degrees and then plunge at night to below freezing.  The area is also characterized by two growing seasons and two rainy seasons.

Before there was the walled compound known as Casa Grande . . .

About 4,000 years ago as the people of this area began to stay in one location for extended periods of time, they first built earthen homes called

pit houses.

As the family expanded, they built new pithouses – for grandparents, relatives, new couples, etc. – and arranged them in a cluster formation.

Around 1150 AD they began to build walled compounds.

Each compound consisted of above ground structures surrounded by or connected to a wall around the perimeter of the compound.

Which brings us to the ruins of  Case Grade or the Great House and the compound that surrounded it.

Layout of the original compound.  The dominant feature of the compound was, of course, the four story Great House.

Picture the effort and skill needed to build something the size of the four story Great House without modern power tools, wheels, beasts of burdens or support frames.

An aerial view of the compound taken in 1931 with the first roof to be constructed over the Great House.

The ruins of the Great House today.

The $64,000 dollar question as some would say.  It’s original purpose remains a mystery.  Was it an ancient astronomical observatory?  Were sacred ceremonies held here?  Did an influential family of the compound call it home?  We’ll probably never know all of the answers.  But we can make some good guesses.

During it’s fifty years it appears that it was used in many different ways.  As a storage facility.  An observation post.

It was used to mark important events in time.

Look in the upper left, then the upper right of this wall and you will see the pair of holes used to mark the equinoxes.

As for the compound itself, we know from past digs in the compound that it was a place where the arts flourished.

They collected shells from the Gulf of California and Pacific Ocean.

A decorated shell was one of many artifacts found in the ruins of the compound.

Farming has been a part of Sonoran desert life for over 4,000 years.  In particular, cotton was king then and still is now in this area.

Cotton was freely traded.

But cotton requires a lot of water.

That being so Casa Grande and it’s compound was part of a network of communities that were built along canal systems.

This Barbara our tour guide explained was all that they had to dig the canals.

Canals like this.  Can you imagine?  Using only a stick.

For fifty years the compound and its people flourished.  Then they were gone.

For the longest time no one knew of Casa Grande and its compound.

Today

Casa Grande

The other structures that are still standing.

And the remaining walls are now preserved for all time.  Preserved and protected so that we might learn of those who came before us.

Time to bring to an end another day on The Road of Retirement.  This being Sunday I’m afraid another Monday is just a few hours away.  Which means time to go back to work.  Time now to get some shut eye in preparation for a marathon sorting of toys.

Thanks for checking in with us.  We enjoyed your company and as always appreciate 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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2019

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

Dec 14, 2019

Temperature 70 Degrees

Then There Were Two – Recliners that Is

Tiffin Phaeton Research

Casa Grande National Park

Hall of Flame – Firemen’s Museum

This morning was cool and clear and wonderful to wake to.  Days like this make you feel so alive and so blessed.  May I treasure each and every day I’m given. and never take even one for granted.

Let’s start with last night.  I spent a good part of the night writing up my notes, and further researching the Tiffin Phaeton we did an initial inspection on.  The more I dug the more interesting it became.  It’s listed for sale as a 2007 but I’m convinced it is either a late 2007 or early 2008.  That’s based on the engine, transmission, and the various standard features that it has.  It definitely deserves a second look.

First order of business this morning was real simple

That out of the way we decided to make today another day of sight seeing.

We have two very interesting places to tour.  Both of which, though, will have to wait until a future blog.  I just didn’t get the pictures from yesterday and today all sorted.

Here’s a preview of what is to come.  Yesterday, we spent the afternoon at

We had no idea that this National Park was in our area.  We stumbled upon it on the way home from Oracle.

The gateway to an informative  and fascinating experience.

The Casa Grande or Great House, the focal point of the park.  In 1894 the federal government made it the nation’s first archaeological preserve.

We have so much more to share with you regarding this National Park, so stay tuned.  It’s the story of a desert people and their will to survive, it’s the story of amazing accomplishments with only simple hand tools, and it’s the story of how our present was shaped by these people from the past.

Regarding today we were out and about again.  This time we visited

The dream and collection of one man who wanted people to know how difficult it was to be a firefighter, and he wanted to make people aware of the importance of fire prevention.

The front desk.  Barbara is purchasing our tickets.

A special kind of horse drawn fire wagon.  The three lined up on a row here were only used for parades.  Let’s take a closer look.

Again, just a sneek peek at a place we’re so glad we stopped to visit.  Stay tuned as we bring you the history of volunteer and professional firefighters, fire trucks galore, pictures of beautiful quilts and so much more.

When we returned home there was a big, white box truck waiting for us.  Inside,

one more La-Z-Boy recliner.

Up and in the door and now

we have two!  Happy, happy, joy, joy!  His and Her’s, now we can each sit in regal comfort.

That was our past two days on The Road of Retirement.  It’s been a full two days but we would not have it any other way.  I believe we’ll just sit back and chill tomorrow.  Especially since we have the chairs to do it in.

Thanks for joining us again today.  We appreciate having you along and hearing from you so feel free to leave your comments.  Till 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!