GOODBYE 2009

2009 is about to become a memory, and it seems like only yesterday that the year started! Tomorrow will be the beginning of a new decade, and with it's inception, many challenges face our country. Perhaps a step up on the proverbial soapbox is in order, as tonight we step into the new year, and I believe that our country has come to a crossroad. I'm neither Republican, nor Democrat when it comes to politics. My philosophy about life in general is a conservative viewpoint, that attempts to utilize good old common sense, with a strong emphasis on individual rights, limited government, and a firm belief in "We the people" as the foundation of all government actions. It seems to me that many of our national elected politicians have forgotten that government is supposed to work for the people, not the opposite. When I hear, and read about the federal government spending money by the TRILLIONS, that they don't have, I'm starting to wonder if any of these bureaucrats have any common sense at all. Instead of fixing existing programs like Social Security and Medicare that are about to go broke, the wisdom in Washington is to borrow more money, funding new trillion dollar programs, that the majority of the people don't want. When I have to balance my checkbook, my city, county and state have to balance their checkbooks, why is it that the feds just print more money, and don't adhere to the same principles that everyone else must live by? Congress just extended the federal deficit again, to the tune of over a trillion dollars. That is on top of an existing deficit that was already at more than 10 trillion dollars! This is madness that will have severe consequences down the road. If this so called health care reform passes, more unfunded mandates in the billions of dollars will be passed on to the states via Medicaid, unless you live in Nebraska or Louisiana, where 2 senators received backroom deals to buy their votes. As the old saying goes - the crap rolls downhill, and you are starting to see the effects at the local levels. Everything from budget cuts in local police and fire, to the State of Arizona closing Interstate Rest Areas because of a lack of money. Yet, the priorities at the federal level seem to be all about "social reform", " social justice", the expansion of the federal government with new multi billion dollar entitlements, and a blind eye to the impact all of this is having on local and state governments, and their people. Am I angry? You bet I am. It's easy to be apathetic, and turn a blind eye, and unfortunately, that's exactly what most Americans have done for decades. The people do have power, but it's not an individual power, it's a collective power. For "We the people" to have any meaning, it's the consensus that develops on election day. In order for this madness to stop, we the people must send a new message to Washington, and tomorrow, starts the year that this message must be heard.

LAZY IN QUARTZSITE

We left Tucson on Saturday morning, after Marc and Laila joined us for breakfast in the motor home. The drive to Quartzsite was mostly freeway, and just before sunset, we parked in the desert, about a mile east of town. We're a little bit ahead of the huge wave of RV'ers that will be arriving in the next 2-3 weeks. There's lots of activity at the various vendor areas, as many were in the process of setting up their booths, and displaying their stuff. Yesterday, we spent several hours at two of the larger swap meet locations, and of course, we found a few things we just could not live without. The weather was almost perfect, in the high 60's, and not a cloud in the sky. I picked up a Sunday paper, and when we returned to the motor home, it was mostly an afternoon of reading and relaxing. After all, that's what we do best, and it looks like Gracie is fitting right into the family. For dinner, I BBQ'd a couple of New York steaks on the brand new Weber that I purchased before we left for Tucson. I've been using what I call the "throwaway" gas grills for years, and decided it was time for a nice motor home BBQ. It worked so well, I almost overcooked the steaks. Today, we'll check out a few more swap meet locations, then head for home tomorrow.

CHRISTMAS DINNER

Patty and I brought a prime rib roast to Tucson, for our Christmas Day Dinner, and it turned out perfectly! A quick thanks to Chef Dan in Coos Bay, OR. for the expert telephone advice to Patty, as neither of us had cooked a prime rib in a long time. It's nice to have a Chef in the family. Seated at Marc & Chandra's table are from the left - Our favorite girl, Laila, Patty, Sami, Marc, Chandra, Stacey, Troy, Hanna, and Stacey's dad, Cliff. It was a nice day in the Chance house, and the only thing that would have made it better, is if our other two boys, Mike and David, would have been there.
This morning, Miss Laila will be visiting the Chance house on wheels, where Grandpa will be fixing Laila's favorite breakfast, a plate full of pancakes. She will also be seeing our new kitty cat for the first time. About mid day, we'll be traveling west to Quartzsite for a few days parked in the desert, then home for a few weeks before returning to Quartzsite, and a meeting with many of our friends. Life is good!

MERRY CHRISTMAS !

I have always believed that Christmas is a magical time for young children, and watching our Grand Daughter Laila opening some of her gifts last night on Christmas Eve, was very special, and exciting. After she put on her new sponge bob pajamas, the wrapping paper was flying in all directions. She was having a great time, and at age 4, she has a much better grasp on all things connected to Christmas. Thanks to Claudia and Marty, (Laila's Aunt & Uncle), we had a Mexican dinner, with homemade Tamales that were some of the best I've ever eaten. Aunt Sami joined Grandma and Grandpa for the Christmas Eve celebration. This morning, we head back to Marc & Chandra's house for a Christmas Day Breakfast, then later, we'll put in the Prime Rib Roast that we brought from Lake Havasu. I think there will be more than enough in the feed trough today, for everybody. It's days like these, that I have to pause, and reflect on the many things that Patty and I have, and are grateful for. Even though our other 2 boys are many hundreds of miles away, Mike and David have navigated their way through life's challenges, and are both doing quite well. It's been many years since we have had all 3 boys together, but we both have vowed to make that happen in the future. Can anybody say Caribbean or Mexican Cruise? Tomorrow, we'll be heading for one of our favorite winter destinations, Quartzsite, AZ, which is right on the way home to Lake Havasu. This is the time of year that thousands of snowbirds in their RV's, start to gather in Quartzsite. We will only be there a couple of days, kind of like a reconnaissance run, before we return to Quartzsite in a few weeks for a longer stay.
Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family, and happy birthday to Dan's Aunt Martha in Stockton, who's birthday was yesterday.

CHRISTMAS IN TUCSON

We arrived in Tucson yesterday afternoon, and made a quick stop at Beaudry RV, to pick up a part that had been on order from Monaco for about 2 months. Even though Beaudry has emerged from a Chapter 11 filing, it is but a shell of it's former self. It seems that the person who called me about the part, was one of many who have been laid off, and no one could find the part that I had ordered. After about 45 minutes of searching, the part was finally located, and we were on our way to the Pima Co. Fairgrounds, which has become our home when we park the motor home in Tucson. At $20 a night with full 50 amp hookups, it's quiet, and only about 7-8 miles from Marc and Chandra's house. We spent the evening with the kids, and had a nice Spaghetti dinner, before heading back to the motor home. The picture was taken this morning, as Gracie continues to explore the motor home on her first trip away from Lake Havasu. There are a lot of firsts going on in her life right now, like becoming roommate to a dog, traveling in a moving house, and adjusting to new surroundings and a new life. Amazingly, she is adapting quite well, and except for her fear of ceiling fans, has pretty much taken over the Chance household. As Patty says, she now owns the house, the dog, the motor home, and of course has captured our hearts. She and Sami aren't the best of buddies quite yet, and it's doubtful that they ever will be, but, their relationship has progressed to one of tolerance. We left them "Home Alone", yesterday evening, and despite a little anxiousness on our part, we returned to the motor home, and found everything to be normal. Today is Christmas Eve, and we will be spending the afternoon/evening with Marc, Chandra and Laila. Uncle Marty and Aunt Claudia will be joining us later today, and it will be fun to experience the excitement of Christmas with our granddaughter Laila.

MOVING FORWARD

Since bringing Gracie home on the 14th, things around the Chance house have been interesting, to say the least. When we first introduced the newest member of our family to just our bedroom, Sami was instantly aware of something different. She smelled at the bedroom door, barked to get in, and before seeing the new cat, just knew there was a critter in there that she had to chase. The second day, we left Gracie in the bedroom undisturbed, in order for her to get adjusted to her new surroundings. On the 16th, we let Sami in the bedroom to smell, and see Gracie on a limited basis. More of the same on the 17th. Yesterday, we left the bedroom door open for most of the day. Even though there were a few doubts in the beginning, yesterday proved that the new relationship between dog and cat will evolve into at least one of tolerance. What we've discovered, is that Gracie's personality is naturally inquisitive like most cats, but also a bit aggressive when necessary. In other words, when confronted with Sami in her face, she stands her ground, and actually causes Sami to back away. This is what we had hoped for, and not a cat that would always look to run away, which would accelerate Sami's naturally instinct to chase and hunt. So, even though we have a ways to go, it looks like at the very least, these very loved animals of ours, will eventually have a relationship of tolerance. Today, Gracie gets her first introduction to the motor home, where she will spend a good part of her life.

A RIDE IN THE DESERT

It's about a week until Christmas, and even though some parts of the country are cold and miserable, that's not the case here in western Arizona. Yesterday's temperature was just shy of 70 degrees, and the Kawasaki KLR had been sitting in the garage for over 6 months. It felt like a day to do some exploring in the desert, so I headed toward the north end of town and rode for a couple of hours on roads and trails that I had not yet tackled. Since I've always done a lot of riding by myself, which I enjoy tremendously, I have a healthy respect for my capabilities, my bike's potential, and the terrain where I'm riding. As I get older, I try to limit my riding to areas where I don't get into any serious trouble. Except for one 4 wheel drive road up to where I took the bottom picture with Lake Havasu in the background, the ride yesterday was mostly on dirt roads north of the airport. One area that I have been wanting to check out for a long time was Craggy Wash, a BLM primitive RV/camping area, just past the airport. Even though the limit is supposed to be 14 days, it looked like some of the RV's were there for the winter. In a few weeks, we'll be parking our motor home in the desert near Quartzsite, for the annual RV show and flea market. It looks like we'll most likely be parking in our usual spot near mile marker 99 on hwy 95, south of Quartzsite, on or about January 15th. The big tent opens on the 16th, and some of our friends won't be arriving for about another week. When the Barrett-Jackson auction is over on the 24th, a few of our friends working that event will be heading for Quartzsite. Hopefully, Art & Linda, and Everett & Lori will be able to make the trip from California this year.

A CAT IS SAVED

It's finally official. After about a month of emails to and from Flagstaff, Gracie is ours, and at a safe and loving home for the rest of her life. When Patty saw her picture on an internet Pet Rescue site, she knew it was the cat she wanted, and the wheels started turning. It's hard to believe that Gracie was snatched from the pound by the rescue group Paw Placement, back in August of this year, right before she was to be euthanized. Why she had not been adopted was a mystery to Patty and I, because she is a beautiful cat, and seems to have a loving personality. She has been fostered by several volunteers for the past months, and has been spayed, micro chipped, and treated for a skin disorder. Her unknown future is now secured, and we're happy to have her. Now, if we can smooth the introduction process with her and our Beagle, Sami, everything will be perfect. Even though Sami was raised from a puppy with our last cat, she still has the hound instinct of chasing what she perceives to be a prey animal. One good scratch on her nose, will probably cool that instinct very quickly. We have kept Gracie mostly isolated in our bedroom since bringing her home 2 days ago. Today, we will let the two of them see each other a little more, and hopefully, Sami will start to accept Gracie as a member of the family. Once again, it's always good to be home, this time from our 2 weeks in Las Vegas, working the National Finals Rodeo. As is the case most of the year, there won't be any grass growing under the wheels of the motor home. We will be heading to Tucson in about a week, to spend Christmas with Marc, Chandra, and Laila.

THE LAST NFR RODEO

The pictures show our workplace for the last 10 days, inside the Las Vegas Convention Center. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas, and it will probably be the last for Patty and I. The company we work for, (MainGate) has had the NFR official merchandise license for the last 31 years, but, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) has awarded next years contract to another company. The bottom line is - we are out of a job next year! Even though it is a long 10 days of dealing with mobs of people, we have enjoyed the NFR much more than any of the other events we have worked for MainGate. This year, our gross sales were down considerably, mostly due to the economy. But, even with reduced sales, this event provides us with a nice boost to the bank account right before the holidays. Our partners in the booth for the past 3 years have been Jim & Megan Stebbins, and we will miss working with our good friends, who have made the entire experience much more enjoyable. Today, we are enjoying the morning of leisure, and will make the 3 hr drive back to our home in Lake Havasu City. Tomorrow, if we can dodge the snowstorms, we will be driving to Flagstaff, where a 1 year old Siamese/Snowshoe kitty cat awaits our arrival. Patty has been on the "countdown to kitty" for the last few weeks, and with any luck, tomorrow she will fill the kitty void of the last 2 years.

COWBOYS & COWGIRLS

Today will be the 4th of our 10 days here at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas. Patty and I share a merchandise booth in the Las Vegas Convention Center with our partners of 3 years, Jim & Megan Stebbins. We first met Jim & Megan in Skagway, Alaska, the first year we work camped in 2004, and we have been friends ever since. Our booth, which I hope to have pictures of for the blog, (left my camera at home), is one of about 15, in several venues around Las Vegas. We have been busy working, with not much time for anything else. The hours of the Cowboy Christmas at the convention center are 10-5, but we have to be at our booth much earlier in order to put away our merchandise that is replenished from the previous days sales. Then, when the doors open, it's pretty much non-stop sales for the next 7 hours, with maybe time for a quick potty or lunch break. Last year, the 50th anniversary of the NFR, we set records, with sales reaching into the multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars. This year, sales have declined, but by the time we're done, our commission check will still be substantial. Patty is still on "countdown to kitty", and is very anxious to get to Flagstaff to pick up her rescue cat, and bring her home to Lake Havasu.

RODEO SUPER BOWL

Today we start working in our merchandise booth, in the Las Vegas Convention Center, at the 51st Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), National Finals Rodeo (NFR). This is the 8th year for us at this huge event that not only includes 10 nightly performances of rodeo events, but 3 convention centers that are full of vendors, selling ranch lifestyle merchandise, and a lot of other stuff. We have been busy the last 3 days, setting up our booth and getting it ready for the thousands of people that will visit the convention center during the next 10 days. Last year we set sales records because it was the 50th NFR. This year our goals are set a little lower, due primarily to the state of the economy, and the fact that "the big one" was last year. We're looking forward to getting past these next 10 days, because Patty has made arrangements for us to pick up her kitty cat in Flagstaff, the day after we get home. As she says this year at the rodeo, "it's countdown to kitty".