Places We Have Called Home In 2019

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

Dec 13, 2019

Temperature 71 Degrees

Two Down, Many, Many More To Come We’re Sure

End of a Legend – Tom Mix

Our first day off and what did we do?  Up and out at the crack of dawn!

Our first stop was at

for my favorite of all times

An everything Bagel with Cream Cheese!

Breakfast finished we were off on a mission.  Someday, maybe in a couple of months, maybe in a year we’re going to replace our faithful Graybeard with a diesel pusher.  But what floor plan would work for us?  What features are offered in the price range of what we are willing to spend?  Only one way to find out.  You just have to go visit as many coaches as possible.  So that’s our new mission.

Two weeks ago we looked at

a 2008 Newmar Kountry Star.  We came away with a bad feeling.  The floor plane would work, sort of.  However, the one we looked at was a rambling wreck someone was trying to sell at a premium price.  No documentation as to whether regular maintenance had been done.  No documentation as to whether Newmar recalls had been addressed.  In so many words, buyer beware!  We’ll probably look at others in the future, especially if they are being listed by a private seller.  Dealers are a whole other story.

Today we went to look at another coach.

This is a 2007 Tiffin Phaeton being offered by a private seller.  It comes with complete documentation as to all maintenance performed, and recalls addressed and done.  It also has numerous upgrades and improvements.

A residential refrigerator.

Barbara liked the kitchen layout.  There is also a pull out island on the near end of the kitchen counter that gives another two feet of counter space.

She especially liked the pull out stainless racks that the owner installed in a number of the kitchen cabinets.

A must for us, it has a Microwave/Convection Oven.

How about this?  A ceiling fan in the bedroom.

 

Along with a new memory foam mattress.

House power is provided by four new Interstate six volt 225 amp hour deep cycle batteries.

A Xantrax 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter powers the interior electrical outlets and the residential refrigerator.

And the list of extras and upgrades goes on and on and on.  According to the owner, and I’m inclined to believe it, this coach is a mix of items available on 2007/2008 Tiffin Phaetons.  Yet, still it is not perfect and once again we came away with mixed feelings.  There is work that needs to be done.  The price is a bit high for us.  Especially in light of some of the items that need to be addressed.  Bottom line, it has good bones and if in a few months while we are still in the area and it is still available we will probably take another look at it.

We’re in no rush.  It took us a good four years before we discovered Graybeard and we’re realistic enough to know it may take us as long to find his replacement.  So we’ll keep looking.  Our next coach is out there somewhere with our name on it.

On the way home we also did some sightseeing.

Anyone remember Tom Mix and Tony the Wonder Horse?  Tom Mix was the hero of more than 300 Western films between 1909 and 1935. All but nine of them were silent movies. He was Hollywood’s first Western star and helped define the genre as it emerged in the early days of the cinema.  For millions of Americans he was King of the Cowboys.  It would be more than 15 years after his death that Roy Rogers would claim that title.  Tony his horse who started along with him became a celebrity in his own right.

On the way home

we discovered a memorial dedicated to him.

This was the spot were the Western Star

met his fate so many years ago.  The story goes he was late for an appointment,  speeding, failed to slow for a construction barrier, ran through it, his car plunged into a ditch and overturned and he was instantly killed.  Now how about that, another interesting tidbit of American history we all know.

That brings to an end another wonderful day on The Road of Retirement.  We both agreed it was fun to be on the hunt again for our next coach.  Who knows where we’ll find it, or when.  Looking for it is half the fun.  We’re going to take it slow and steady because we both realize the next will be the last.

Thanks again for joining us.  It’s been good having you along.  Hey, if you have any comments about the coach we saw today, or whatever, please feel free to post them.

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 12, 2019

Temperature 68 Degrees

Week Two, Day Four, Shelves, Doors, and Wrapping

Team Night Out – The Pita Palace

The nice, beautiful, cool, crisp mornings just keep coming one after another.  I can really get used to this.  In fact, I believe I have.

Regarding breakfast this morning, honestly, we both were still full from the night before.  Thus, a simple English muffin with peanut butter and strawberry jelly, a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee was more than enough.

Then we started singing our song, We Volunteered, we volunteered, so off to work we go!

What were we up to today?

Keith and Mark continued building shelves.  We kiddingly call this the Dairy Project telling the two of them that they are milking this project for all its worth!  As you can see, one section of shelves is up, they are now working on the second section.

In the same building

Myself, and the three amigos – beginning from the back, Anton, Bob, and Robin -finished touching up the walls and doors on the second and third floor of the main housing unit.

Then we come to the ladies on our team.

Barbara at one table

Debbie, Sandy and Kris at another table

As well as Leone and Carrie at yet another table were busy wrapping gifts.

I’d say they got quite a bit done.  There were these gifts ready to go

In addition to these bags and boxes.

More clothes came in so they also spent the day

sorting children’s clothes

as well as sorting and hanging men and women’s clothing.  This is just the beginning, next week it’s going to be all hands on deck for sorting toys and clothing!

Volunteer’s from Bank of America made and donated these and many other Ginger Bread Houses for the upcoming UMOM staff Christmas party.

Week Two, Day Four is in the books.  Everyone had a project or projects to do during the day.  Funny, just when we think we have nothing more to do something always comes up.  That’s just the way it is.  Really, we wouldn’t want it any other way.  We’re here to do.

This being Thursday it was time for Team Night Out.

This was the place for supper tonight.  Would you believe I forgot to bring my camera?  Not to worry here are some stock photos of where we went.

It was a really neat restaurant so full of amazing creativity and artwork throughout the entire place.  The food was great and time with the team in a relaxing atmosphere was the icing on the cake.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  It was another full day from dawn to dusk.  We must admit, we’re sure glad we’re off now until next Monday.   Time to give sore muscles and aching backs time to rest.  But lest you think we’ll be doing nothing, perish the thought.  We have a number of projects to accomplish here at home.  We may even squeeze in a day of sight-seeing.

Thanks for tagging along with us today.  We always appreciate having you with us as well as reading 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 11, 2019

Temperature 71 Degrees

Week Two, Day Three, We Solider On

Anniversary Dinner, A Bit Late But Worth The Wait

Another beautiful day to awake to.  What would this day hold?  What challenges would be before us?  What adventures would we be a part of?  Only one way to discover the promises and possibilities of the day, out of bed and embrace the day and live it to the fullest.

Let’s do this a bit backwards today.  We never did get to go out for our Anniversary Diner.  We corrected that tonight.

This is where we went for supper.

We started with this, enough for a family of four.  We brought a good bit of it home.

Then we went for the ever popular four course supper special.  It’s soup and salad, then your choice of favorite entree, and finally you finish with a piece of cheese cake.  Suffice to say we sort of just waddled out of the restaurant.

OK, back to the projects at hand.

Steve and his harem of strippers finished their given task.

No new toys or clothes came in today so sorting toys is on hold.

Old projects continued.

Shelves are going up.  Remember Keith, measure three times and cut once.

And Mark began to ponder Did we really put it up the right way?

Who says we need a shelf up here?  I’ll just hold the box.

We had other new projects to work on.

Touch up painting of the walls on the second and third floor of the main housing unit.

One more new project.

We had two picnic tables to sand and refinish.  Robin to the left, Bob to the right.

I know I put it here in this can.

Let there be paint.  Bob with the brush and Anton with the roller.

The finished table.

End Day Three.  We are ahead of schedule.  I’m sure they’ll find other projects for us to work on if we get all the others done.  In fact I know they will.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  It was another full day.   Another wonderful day.  Another day of living life to the fullest.  It doesn’t get any better than this.  Time to go.  I can’t seem to keep my eyes open any longer.

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

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

Dec 10, 2019

Temperature 69 Degrees

Week Two, Day Two, In The Office and On The Third Floor

Ah, a nice cool, crisp morning that we awoke to.  The sun was shinning bright.  The rain showers of yesterday were long gone.  The promise of a new day full of possibility and promise stretched out before us.  What more could one ask for.

A quick breakfast of juice, coffee and an egg with spam on an English muffin and we were ready to head out the door.

This is our full team.  In the back row:  Barbara and myself, Bob and Leon – our new arrivals, Anton and Sandy, Keith and Kris, Mark and Debbie.  In the front row, again from left to right:  Robin and Carrie, and our leaders, Steve and Jean.

Today our work continued on several different fronts.

Here they are!

Steve and his harem of happy strippers -stripping stales from documents so they can be electronically scanned in the future.  And what were you thinking?  At the head of the table is Steve.  On the left, from the top:  Kris, Sandy, Leon.  On the right, from the top: Carrie, Debbie, Barbara.

Construction of the third floor shelves continued in earnest.

My job was to put the 2×4’s on the truck.

 

Then the truck was driven around to the wood shop door.  I then had to take them off the truck and bring them into the wood shop

so Bob could cut them to the right length.  Then I had to take them back out to the truck and the truck was driven as close to the elevator as possible

at which point in time Anton, Robin and myself took them off the truck

and loaded them onto the elevator for their trip to the third floor.  Bob is minding the boards until we can get them all loaded.

On the third floor the mastermind of the operation, Keith, used them to build

the frames for the shelves.

While back on the ground Mark prepared to work with Bob on ripping the sheets of plywood in half for the shelves themselves.

Then, you guessed it, on the truck, to the elevator, and up to the third floor.

Things are beginning to come together.

Break time.

All present and accounted for.  Time to break out the refreshments.

Today Louie and his wife Barbara stopped by to visit.  Louie is the NOMADS coordinator for the Phoenix/Tucson area.  He stopped by to offer his thanks for the work we are doing and to update everyone on future projects possible in this area.  His wife also brought a bunch of brownies and cookies. Yummy!

As for the toy room.

Some books came in.

Some health and beauty kits.  Not much more today.  The real bulk of the toys, clothes and such is still scheduled for Friday night.

End of Day Two.  We continue to move forward making progress on a number of fronts.  We go home tired and exhausted each day, but we also go home with a good feeling knowing that if only in some small way we are making a significant difference here at UMOM.  Yup, it feels good to be able to give back for all the blessings we have received over the years, especially those received these past two years.

Today we are just a little bit further down The Road of Retirement.  Once home we were invited to Anton and Sandy’s rig to view the photos of their trip to Alaska.  Wow!  we really, really want to go.  If you guessed that it is now high on our bucket list you would be quite right.  How?  Caravan?  By ourselves?  A cruise?  We haven’t decided yet but we are working on it.

Thanks for coming along with us today.  We enjoy having you with us and as always enjoy your comments.

Tonight, let me end in a different way.  With the table grace we say each day before each meal.  It absolutely expresses how we feel this Christmas season.

For rest and food, for love and friends, for everything His goodness sends, we thank the Heavenly Father.  Amen