Places We Have Called Home In 2020
Places We Have Called Home In 2019
Home Is Where We Park It: Rancho Rialto RV Resort, Yuma
January 14, 2020
Temperature 73 Degrees
Around Our Community
Time Out For The Dentist
As we moved around our new home we once again discovered some interesting yard decorations.
We found these two burros tied to a hitching post in a back yard. As you can see, this like all yards here, is groomed and pristine.
The whole family out for a walk.
Making themselves heard.
Beep! Beep! A roadrunner with a bandage on his tail.
Someone wanted to know what, if anything, I brought home from Felicity.
This was a must. The book about COE THE GOOD DRAGON at the CENTER OF THE WORLD.
A bag full of postcards and a definite must a new T-Shirt.
That was it for today. Unfortunately, I had a dental appointment so sightseeing was put on the back burner. This was the first of four appointments. The second is next week. The third and fourth will be when we return here in February. In fact it is the only reason we are coming back here. I’m not complaining its just that we like to move about.
Tomorrow we’ll be back to sightseeing. We haven’t decided yet where we are going but we’ll go somewhere. Its a must.
Update. I’m still sticking to my diet – more or less. I’ve already lost four pounds. Slow and steady wins the race.
The new mattress was well worth the price we paid for it. We both had a wonderful night’s sleep.
Time now to get ready to watch Jeopardy. I’m rooting for James and a big comeback to tie the match up. We’ll see in just a bit.
That’s it for our day on The Road of Retirement. As always we continue to travel along, hand in hand, singing our song. Catch you tomorrow.
Thanks for checking in again. We always enjoy your company and 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!
Small and stylish.
A Gila monster planter, a chili pepper, and a gnome taking a nap.
We’ll end with – you guessed it – another turtle. This seems to the number one decoration around here.
the old mattress which we’ve had since 2017. The problem has been, well, the problem is we never really thought about what we were purchasing back when we decided on a new one. Actually, this one is on me. Sadly, I found out the hard way that a rather thin memory foam mattress is not the best for us. Our backs have paid the price.
We’re now ready for the new. Would you believe the only thing that we could do with the old one is throw it out. Not even Goodwill would accept it.
Here comes the new mattress delivered by FedX
All eighty pounds still rolled up but in the door.
Barbara working on getting it unwrapped. Doesn’t she look like a woman on a mission?
Our new mattress. A pocketed coil spring mattress with a cotton quilted cover and border. Hopefully, this will be the ticket to no more back aches in the morning.
The Center of the World has become the central point for memories for Jacques-Andre’s latest, longest running and most serious project, The World Commemorative Center at Felicity.
On a series of two-inch-thick granite walls — long, two-sided wedges — Jacques-Andre is having inscribed everything that he thinks is worth telling future generations.
This is a stock, aerial view of the The World Commemorative Center and the two sections that have already been completed. Eventually, it will continue on past the chapel to the foot of the Chocolate Mountains.
Each granite wall is one hundred feet long and engineered to last for 4,000 years.
Installation of each wall begins with a three foot deep trench. 
Next, 5,945 pounds of knitted steel are inserted into the trench and then 1,960 cubic feet of concrete is poured over the steel. 
Finally, 60 panels of Missouri Red granite, each weighing 477 pounds and two triangular granite end pieces, each weighing 351 pounds are installed. 
Text is copied but drawings are done free style by hand by a handful of artists capable of such work.
One long wall that recounts the history of French aviation. You’ll learn more about the key role of France in the development of manned flight than you would in an aviation museum in France.
It was interesting to note that the top of each panel was in French, the bottom was in English.
There’s a United States Marine Corps Korean War Memorial monument — Jacques is a Marine Lt. Colonel.
Want to be remembered for all time? When this 400 foot wall was first built for $300 you could have you name inscribed on it. Unfortunately, both sides of the wall are now full. But don’t despair, the good Mayor has come up with yet another way for you to be remembered. More about this later.
with one side dedicated to the history of California and the other side dedicated to the history of Arizona.
The Felicity Stone is the Rosetta Stone of our day and age. It is located at the center of the eight granite monuments of the History of Humanity. It is designed to assist visitors of the distant future in understanding our present languages. To date the panel in English has been translated into ancient Greek, Latin, Egyptian and Chinese panels.
One of the the eight granite monuments dedicated to the History of Humanity. 
Michaelangelo’s Dawn of Creation painting in the Sistine Chapel. It occupies panels 11 through 13 on one of the walls.
This is a maze that twists and turns for close to a football field in length. The purpose of this monument: Your Place in History is captured on granite. Your laser engraved panel is installed on a protected and prestigious permanent monument.
For $100 you can have a loved one remembered, you can dedicate a panel to a parent or grandparent, you can celebrate a birthday or wedding anniversary or birth of a child, or . . . the list is endless.
A cactus in bloom.
A different kind of bug.
Yup, a turtle, and flowers that never need to be watered.
We noticed these buildings off to the right while we were on our way to the Plank Road. What first caught our eye was the brilliant white church in the background.
You’re reading that right. Population of 2, not 20, nor 200 but 2. This is where we needed to go. Our exit was right after this sign.
Exiting the highway we next noticed this sign. This was starting to get interesting.
A little further down the road we saw this sign. This was getting even more interesting. But wait, there’s more.
Then we were there, downtown Felicity.
Everything here is the work of 
First, Jacques-Andre wrote a children’s book which helped convince Imperial County, California, to legally recognize a spot on his property as the official Center of the World.
Next, he had the town of Felicity incorporated, naming it after his wife, Felicia Lee. To our knowledge, it’s the first town in America named for a Chinese lady, he said. Felicity’ means ‘ happiness, culture.
The Mayor needed a way to mark his Center. Felicia had the idea: Why not build a pyramid. Her husband was delighted, and had a 21-foot-tall, hollow, mirror-lined, pink granite pyramid constructed.
This The Official Center Of The World which is a dot in the center of a bronze disk set into the pyramid’s floor.
Standing on the spot is an occasion for ceremony in Felicity,
with a town official recording the exact moment on your certificate and ordering you to make an obligatory wish. So we each in turn stood on the spot and made a wish.
Oh yes, it is the highest spot in town! I’m proud to say I made it up, and of course back down.
You can’t help but notice this as you enter the parking lot.
This is a set of 25 ft. high stairs which don’t actually lead to anywhere, yet just act as a sculpture. The stairs are section number 12 of the original stairway of the Eiffel Tower. The stairs weigh 6,600 lbs and required engineering and a building permit to install.
It was dedicated in December 1987 when thousands of small post offices were being closed. This tiny town of 2 received over 2,300 letters mailed the dedication day. It’s operated by the town at a staggering cost of $1 to the Federal Government per year. All of the checks to date have not been cashed. They are framed and mounted on a wall in the Post Office.
more turtles
and more turtles
and this one with a hitchhiker on his back.
We also came across this beautiful tub of flowers.
Go west they said and so we did into California.
Thirty minutes later we found our exit for Gray’s Well Road, turned on to the access road and within another ten minutes we were there. Why the tire on top? Historically, a tire on top of a post marked a turnout where you could move over to let another car pass. I came across a rater interesting story about what happened one time at a turnout. On one occasion, a caravan of 20 cars encountered a lone traveler going in the opposite direction. Whether through timidity or stubbornness, the driver refused to back up to a turnout behind him. Finally, the party took matters in hand. The men lifted the car and set it on the sand, while the women proceeded to advance the caravan. When they were past, the car was lifted back up on the road, and all continued on their way.
There were actually two plank roads. The first did not last all that long. A better one was needed. With more funds, manpower, and equipment than the pioneer road builders, the Highway Commission built a new Plank Road in 1916.
Plank Road upkeep proved difficult, and a permanent maintenance force was stationed near Gray’s Well. From 1916 to 1926, crews of workmen struggled incessantly against nature to keep the road passable. Hard winds blew drifting sand across the road an average of two or three days a week, rendering the road nearly impassable about one-third of the time. The crew routinely worked the road with Fresno scrapers hitched to a team of draft animals, and travelers huddled in their vehicles while the sand swirled around them.
Despite pleas from local residents for preservation, the Plank Road began to disappear: a section to the Ford Motor Company for display purposes, another section to the Automobile Club of Southern California for installation at its Los Angeles headquarters, and another section ripped up to make way for the All-American Canal, and so on. Countless cross ties literally went up in smoke as firewood for campers.
Remnants of the Plank Road have been preserved as a result of efforts by the Bureau of Land Management, the Imperial Valley Pioneer Historical Society, the California Off-Road Vehicle Association, and Air Force personnel. These groups worked together in the early 1970s to assemble a 1500 foot section from various locations in the dunes.
Looking this way at our car you get a sense of just how narrow the roadway was.
So did I really drive the Plank Road? Technically yes. I drove on to it at one end and drove off on the other end. Yup I drove the old Plank Road!
where we made a stop at
and learned that the Imperial Sand Dunes are the largest
furthermore we learned that this area is
Coming out of the Ranger Station we took a ride into the campground.
This is boondockers heaven. No hookups here, you need to be self-sufficient.
What really amazed us was the number of high end rigs that were here. I guess it takes some bucks to bring your toys to play in the desert.
This is off highway heaven and you will find
buggies of all sizes for all members of the family.
then in the back of the picture you see that ribbon running across the desert and you realize that that is the border wall which means that this gentleman belongs to 
the Border Patrol.
"On The Road of Retirement" 