Stone Mountain – Atlanta – February 2019

February 26, 2019September 4, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Sunday February 24: Visiting my daughter Becka, a teacher in Atlanta, has been so much fun. This morning she makes us a great scrambled egg, steak, and potato breakfast before she goes off to school to get her classroom ready for the coming week. When she returns, she and her friend Jason take me to Stone Mountain. This unusual “mountain” is a big stone hill surrounded by Atlanta and its suburbs. It is a popular recreation area and there are hundreds of other people here to hike Stone Mountain, just as we are. Luckily we find a place to park and with water bottles and cell phones for taking photos, up we go. It is quite pretty and interesting, the stone path also being a natural course for the stream that runs down the hill.

Becka at the beginning of the hike
Warm down at the bottom
We don sweatshirts as we climb
Jason and Becka
Atlanta in the distance
Stone pathway

At the top it is very windy and chilly, but luckily sunny, and we have a great time hiking.

After stopping at Golden Corral for dinner, back at Becka’s place we watch a recommended movie, “Zookeeper’s Wife,” only to find that it is quite a grim depressing movie about war and not very fun to watch. Oh well. Becka goes to bed early, as she has school tomorrow. I stay up a bit longer to text Clifford about the day and then read before going to bed.

Monday February 25: Becka leaves early for her teaching day and I have the place pretty much to myself except for Kufu, her shy cat, and a short visit with Jason before he goes about his business. It is a day of blog writing, photo editing, editing a book proposal for an author I know, a call with Clifford, and reading the book I picked up at the neighborhood library. I also start packing a couple boxes to mail stuff back to myself since I have acquired too much to fit in the backpack for the flight back Tucson. I have dinner nearly ready when Becka get home from school and after we eat, we go for a short neighborhood walk. Back at her place, while she does lesson plans, I correct papers for her. What a big job! She could use a couple of really good assistants to do this chore. Then off to bed after sending texts to Clifford and reading awhile.

Tuesday February 26: Today is my last day here in Atlanta visiting Becka. She gets off school a bit earlier today so we have time to hang out on her deck in the sunshine before she gives me a ride to the airport.

She buys us a snack and we visit until time for me to go through security. I had such a great time with her and I know I will miss her. I am already looking forward to our next opportunity to spend time together.

Monday Night Brewery – February 2019

February 23, 2019September 3, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Friday February 22: Becka is already up and quietly reading when I get up. After breakfast, we go for a walk through the neighborhood, old houses, some big and fancy, others modest, but all with trees, shrubs, flowers, and lawns. We stop at the “local library” and I pick out a book to take back with me.

Flowers abound in the neighborhood
The local library

Today is mostly at stay-at-home day, as she has lessons plans to write. I try working out the problem with FB using the laptop, but to no avail. I am now tied into the previous owner of my phone number, even though I have had this number for nearly two years. After wasting too much time with the FB problem, I do some editing and then read while Becka continues with lesson plans.

In the early evening, we go for an outing to Monday Night Brewery, standing around a campfire with our “brew” and chatting with the fellows who are also enjoying the fire.

Back at Becka’s place, we have left-over chicken and sweet potato pie from the Farmers’ Market, delicious, better than pumpkin pie. Then a big campfire in Becka’s back yard with one of her neighbors invited to join us. We are having such a good time that I didn’t notice the time until we wrap things up and find it is already past midnight.

I take a shower so I don’t smell like campfire smoke, and then send a good-night message Clifford. He replies with the news that it snowed today at Cacti Forest northwest of Tucson where he is camped while I’m off having fun with Becka in Atlanta. Snow there is a bit unusual and I hope he has taken photos to show me.

Saturday February 23: Another misty kind of day in Atlanta. I like it! Becka and I have a quiet morning of reading and journal writing, sharing muffins and coffee with her roommate Jason. Then she and I head off to treat ourselves to pedicures in a section of town that doesn’t feel like we are in a huge metropolis, just staying in the “village” of East Point which is only separated from Atlanta by a technicality, i.e. this side of the street is East Point, that side of the street is Atlanta. We go to Panda Express for lunch and Ross for shopping. With Becka’s help, I am able to find the kind of light-weight pants that I am looking for. Shopping with her is so much more fun than shopping by myself!

On the way home, we stop at a market to get food for dinner, and Becka makes us a really great meal – marinated steak, stuffed baked potatoes, and an amazing fruit salad. She is really quite the cook! What a delight to eat such well-prepared food.

She has finished the book she has been reading – a true story about a double murder that happened in this neighborhood in the 70’s, most likely in one of the houses that we saw when we went for our stroll yesterday morning. Kind of an interesting topic of conversation, and what’s even more interesting is that there was another double murder in the area about the same time with some oddly similar circumstances.

Atlanta Botanical Gardens and Medieval Times – February 2019

February 21, 2019August 31, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Thursday February 21: I am up before Becka and take this quiet time to write in my journal. After she gets up, we take care of essentials: lessons plans for her, texting Clifford for me, and coffee for both of us. Then on to fun and adventure in the drizzle and mist of winter in Atlanta.

Becka heading out for a day of fun fun fun

Atlanta Botanical Gardens on a drizzly winter day

Our first stop is the Botanical Gardens, and what a great place this is! Orchids and rain forests and fountains and much more. The rain has stopped and everything is fresh and bright. We stop at a little cafe for a cheese tray and wine, which was delightful as we chat. Then more sight-seeing in the Gardens, including a display of gorgeous wooden bowls. So much beauty in such a few acres.

Outdoors at the Botanical Gardens

The orchid house at the Botanical Gardens

Our next stop is the Farmers’ Market, which is not like any other farmers’ market I’ve even been to, being more like a wholesome warehouse with aisles and aisles of fresh produce, but also honey, teas, fresh baked goods, and much more. What a great place to shop.

Our next stop is a mall and when we go inside, it does not look like any other mall I’ve ever seen. It looks like a medieval castle inside and we were called “my lady” by the “servants” who were dressed in beautiful medieval clothes. Coming here was a surprise to me; had I known, I would have certainly dressed up, as Becka and I are members of the Royalty! We even have our photos taken with the queen.

Becka bought a bottle of muscato, which we sat and sipped in front of a fire in a great huge fireplace – true castle-style – until we were called to the bleachers and seated in the Royalty section, just beneath the throne balcony of the queen and her entourage.

Muscato and…
birthday cake

First off, fancy prancing horses came out into the arena to dance for us. So beautiful, stirring my memories as a child of loving horses and so badly wanting one. We are served a feast while the tournament is held. When the knight for the Royalty comes out, he throws his rose to ME!

The story goes that the king has died and members of the court are trying to dethrone the queen. The tournaments proceed with jousting and hand-to-hand combat.

The knight the queen has chosen to fight for her vanquishes her foes and all is well for the queen and her knight. So much excitement, even though it was make-believe. How intense it must have been when it was for real back in the day.

The knight who vanquished the queen’s foes

It was a wonderful jam-packed day and after returning to Becka’s cozy home, I send Clifford a message and head to bed.

Bound for Atlanta – February 2019

February 20, 2019August 29, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Tuesday February 19: It is 32 degrees out this morning at our camping spot in Cacti Forest northwest of Tucson. It is hazy on the eastern horizon with big thunderhead clouds over Mount Lemmon in the distance as we get ready to leave for the Tucson airport. I am excited to see my daughter, Becka, who is on break from her teaching position in Atlanta. Not being comfortable with flying, these big clouds make me uneasy, but I remind myself about making new agreements per The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, which I have been reading. My new agreement with myself is that I like flying because it is a safe and convenient way to travel long distances. Tucson to Atlanta qualifies as a long distance.

At the Tucson airport, the gps almost takes us a wrong direction, but we self-correct, arriving where we should be. All I have with me is the backpack and a personal bag, so check-in is easy. After a good-bye hug from Clifford, he watches until I am well into the security line. After finding my gate, I have a long wait since I arrived early and I am in the last zone to load. I have a nice seat companion and we chat during the mostly smooth flight.

At the Atlanta airport, I disembark and expect to see Becka, not realizing she is waiting at baggage claim. After waiting around awhile, I finally ask an attendant, whose English I can scarcely understand, and he points me in the right direction. By time I get to baggage claim, having also discovered that one does not walk but takes a train, she has been waiting an hour for me! Yikes! This would have been so much easier if I had had a cell phone!

She has a rain jacket for me, as it is raining in Atlanta. Back at her house in the suburbs, it is fun to see her house fixed up so attractive and comfy. She has a mom-goody-bag for me with lots of great stuff. The guest bedroom is fixed up with flowers, new pj’s, slippers, and a comfortable bed.

We have nachos and chat until late. It is so good to see her and I already feel spoiled! I meet her roommate Jason when he gets off work. He seems like a very nice fellow.

Wednesday February 20: Becka leaves early for jury duty tryouts. When I get up, I poke around the kitchen, finding what I need to make yerba matte tea. Using the laptop, I take care of some emails, including a message to Clifford. When Becka gets back, she makes us fancy lattes before we head off for errands and fun. The first errand is Verizon to get my new cell (which had been sent to her address) up and running. There seems to be some problems. The app for editing photos isn’t working and I am not able to access my FB account, as FB is now linked to an old phone number that has not existed for almost two years. Apparently I just need to update information using my laptop. At least I can send texts and take photos, which is the most important.

We then walk from Ponce Market to Piedmont Park on the Greenbelt. It has stopped raining and the colors are fresh and clear.

Tiny door
Fresh and clear on the Greenbelt

After the walk, we meet Becka’s very nice friend, Ali, at a somewhat funky pizza place for a tasty pizza and lively conversation. This is followed by a drive to a fancy dessert joint in downtown Atlanta where we have cheesecake and tea. I am amazed that anyone can drive in this kind of traffic, but Becka seems quite used to it.

Back at Becka’s place, I make a few notes for the journal and send Clifford a message. Both Becka and I are soon ready to head to bed after our busy and fun day.

More Cacti Forest – February 2019

February 18, 2019August 27, 2019 Carol Carnicom1 Comment

Sunday February 17: It is a very cool but clear morning at Cacti Forest, the dispersed camping area we found northwest of Tucson, Arizona. I am up early enough to get a few photos at sunrise, then make coffee and write in the journals.

However, there are increasing clouds throughout the day, so charging the batteries is limited. Projects by necessity include activities that don’t require use of the cell phone (which I don’t have) or laptop once the battery is dead. Viola, journal writing, reading, writing postcards, and taking photos are some of today’s projects.

Monday February 18: Another cool and cloudy day in the Cacti Forest.

Morning at Cacti Forest

Today I pack and repack and repack my backpack for the trip to Atlanta to see my daughter, Becka. We are both very excited. Even though I work on some of my editing and writing projects, today’s focus is mostly on preparing for the trip. Clifford learns how to water the herbs, leftovers are used up, and the backpack repacked once again. I go to bed late, but don’t sleep very well.

A Very Cholla & Saguaro Day – February 2019

February 16, 2019August 25, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Saturday February 16: It is a cool, breezy, mostly overcast day here in Cacti Forest northwest of Tucson. Whenever the sun breaks through, the cacti are illuminated and I run outside to get a photo or two before the next cloud takes over. Later in the day I walk east to the cattle tank, taking more photos, surprised at how chilly it is.

Cholla and Saguaro dominate the landscape

Luckily, the afternoon sun on the solar panels is enough to get the batteries charged and, therefore, my laptop charged. I work on projects, including downloading and organizing photos from the cameras, since I don’t have a cell phone at this point. Clifford keeps busy with his projects, also. In the evening, I play viola for a bit and Clifford plays his dulcimer while I do dinner dishes. This has been a very peaceful and productive day for both of us.

More Cacti Forest – February 2019

February 15, 2019August 19, 2019 Carol Carnicom1 Comment

Thursday February 14: I am up too late for sunrise color, but make coffee and get ready to go walking. Since I am walking in a place that I am not familiar with, I take a radio for communication and the knife my son Tye made for me. First I walk north, keeping an eye on the tallest saguaros. The thick growth of cacti is very disorienting and within minutes I could have been totally lost. It is certainly much different than walking in La Posa South where I walked in the desert every day, never losing my sense of direction. I continue walking, keeping a close watch on the tall saguaros, until I arrive at a large wash with lots of animal tracks in the sand.

I have no desire to attempt to cross the wash, so make my way back to camp and then, crossing the road, I walk south, a gradual downhill with fewer saguaros to use as landmarks and more cholla… and javelina tracks…. so I don’t go all the way to the thicket ahead.

Back on the road and walking west, I go beyond the point where Clifford and I had walked together when first looking for a spot to camp. The cattle tank and the highway are to the east, so I skip that for now.

Back at camp, we open our mutual Valentine Day card and then I make smoothies for breakfast. I stay busy with email, writing blogs, editing, and playing viola while Clifford works on his projects.

Afternoon in the Forest with clouds moving in

In the evening it starts to rain and we have a chance to try out our collapsible water-collection buckets, filling them all with rain water.

Friday February 15: The morning is overcast with mist and drizzle; temperatures are in the 50’s all day.

In connection with his research, Clifford is making contact with a lab in Phoenix today. The drive with all the traffic and the rain is stressful and I have to remind myself to breathe easy. Once we arrive at the lab on the far side of Phoenix, Clifford talks to a lab technician there and comes away with an idea for the next step of this aspect of the research.

Heading back to our campsite, we decide to stop at Cracker Barrel in Casa Grande, south of Phoenix, and after lunch we take my defunct cell phone to a Verizon store. It is verified that it did not get wet, but just died, and a replacement will be sent to me. That is good news!

Back at camp, we sit out in our little “patio” area and relax before I make nachos for dinner. The day was a bit stressful, so having this quiet forest is especially appreciated.

Cacti Forest – February 2019

February 13, 2019August 17, 2019 Carol Carnicom1 Comment

Tuesday February 12: Today is moving day and we are up early to finish packing, but first I go for one last walk in the desert, saying goodbye to LaPosa South, south of Quartzsite, Arizona, where we have been camped for over a month.

Back at camp, I finish packing inside and make thermoses of tea while Clifford takes down the ham antenna and packs his radios. We are on our way by 11:00 a.m. Our route takes us toward Phoenix until we turn south on Arizona highway 85. When we reach the Buckeye BLM Recreation Area, we decide to not stop for the night. We have stayed here a couple of times, but it is early enough in the day that we decide to push on. After stopping for gas in Gila Bend, we continue on I-8/I-10 to our destination, Cacti Forest, near Tucson.

Nearing our destination with Picacho Peak a landmark of the area

It is a good thing research was done ahead of time, as this place isn’t exactly obvious from the highway. We find the right country road but miss the turnoff into the dispersed BLM camping area. The map isn’t clear, but we find the right spot, park by the water tank, and then walk the road that heads out into a dense forested area. The reviews indicate that this this place does not accommodate big rigs. We are more of a medium rig, but investigating is a good idea.

This is quite the forest with cacti of all sorts growing lushly rather than sparcely as cacti tend to do.

We find a spot that will allow for Cougar’s size. The ground is a bit soft, but we get in place, taking care not to damage vegetation. We almost have a problem when releasing Cougar from the Suburban due to the wheel chocks not holding firm, maybe because of the soft ground. Yikes! A tense moment, but we make out okay.

Once we are set up, we make a little patio area and sit out to relax with a glass of wine, happy to have found this little niche. Dinner is soup, rice, and leftovers, and since it was a long day, we soon head to bed.

A patio area
Relaxing after the days’s drive and setup

Wednesday February 13: Today is a day of settling in and some exploring. After breakfast, we walk out to the cattle tank and across the paved county road to other camping sites, many of which are occupied. According to our map, this is not BLM, but obviously it is dispersed camping. As we walk, we observe the variety of cacti and the sometimes whimsical growth of the saguaros.

Whimsical saguaros

In the afternoon, I do quite a lot of editing from authors as well as photo editing for myself, post photos on FB, and send texts with photos to my kids and siblings.

I watch the light and take photos of the forest. This is really quite an intriguing place and I especially like seeing Picacho Peak in the background with the interesting variety of cacti in the middle and foreground.

After dinner and cleanup, I write in my journal while Clifford works with his ham radio. It has been a quiet, peaceful, and productive day for us.

Birthday in the Desert – February 2019

February 11, 2019August 12, 2019 Carol Carnicom1 Comment

Saturday February 9: Kind of an overcast and chilly day here at La Posa South, south of Quartzsite, Arizona, where we are camped. Pretty sunrise color, but my phone won’t turn on and I don’t have time to dig out a camera before the color fades. With laptop and hotspot, I do some research on the phone situation, but nothing seems to fit. Bummer.

No long desert walk this morning, partly because of the cell not working, but also I want to be here when Clifford gets up. He has been in a lot of pain, very worrisome to me, but he has done research on gall stones, as he thinks that is what’s going on. He is feeling some better when he gets up, but not what he should be.

We cancel running into Quartzsite to get the right Mr. Buddy heater hose, but at least he is able to start the generator in the afternoon so I can charge my laptop and get some work done. He sleeps most of the afternoon, getting up when dinner is ready, but not feeling like eating much. My brother, Rollie, joins us and after dinner, he and I play cribbage before the evening cleanup and journal writing.

It was a weird off-day with Clifford being in pain and no cell phone.

Sunday February 10: Quite chilly in the night and windy all day. Clifford was restless and up in the night with the gall stone pain, so our sleep was disrupted. However, in the morning he tells me he thinks he passed the stones in the night and although he is weak, he is feeling better. That is certainly good news.

Plans for celebrating my birthday – an outing to Palm Canyon and pizza at Silly Al’s Pizza – are put on hold, as he is not up to either, but at least he is feeling better, which is the best birthday present.

I work on email, write a blog, and do some editing. Rollie and I do music in the afternoon, and I fix a good chicken dinner, followed by a game of cribbage. I start packing for my trip to visit my daughter, Becka, in Atlanta. For photos, the camera is bulky compared to the cell phone, but it will have to do. Very awkward to not have a cell phone when traveling, however.

In looking at the weather, we will have to move a day earlier than planned to avoid high winds. Rollie is leaving tomorrow and heading to Texas to visit our cousins, so guess it works out for all of us.

Monday February 11: Today is our last day here at La Posa South.

We say good-bye to Rollie once he is packed up and ready to head out.

We run errands in Quartzsite and then pack up as much as we can outside and in. We have enjoyed our time here in the desert, but now it’s time to move on to new venues.

A Word About Quartzsite – February 2019

February 8, 2019June 21, 2019 Carol Carnicom2 Comments

Tuesday Feb 5: Real clouds and chilly wind this morning. I make coffee by candlelight and lanterns this morning, then head out for a walk in the desert. I find a place to sit and write in the journal, but the wind is too chilly to stay out long.

Back at camp, after making smoothies for Clifford and myself, I get the journal caught up, take care of emails, send query submissions for Princes & Priests, send photos/texts to siblings and kids, hearing back that Montana is being hammered with blizzards. We have an early dinner, then go to Quartzsite for the Hardshell Harmony bluegrass concert, which was fun. Then back to camp and soon to bed.

Wednesday Feb 6: Chilly morning, only 38 degrees. I go for a walk in the desert, but don’t take time to journal there as we are headed to Parker today.

The sunflowers have made their appearance

The spaghetti special at the Blue Water casino at Parker, Arizona, about 30 miles north, is a big draw for Clifford. At Walmart we get groceries and I find the perfect backpack for my trip to Atlanta. I will be flying there later this month to visit Becka.

Thursday Feb 7: It is 30 degrees outdoors when I get up and not much warmer inside. When I light the stove and turn on the furnace, the propane goes out and I don’t get it switched to the other tank in time. With fussing around trying to get heat going, I miss the morning walk at sunrise, but go for a walk a little later. I end up in the wrong wash and disturb the camper up the wash from us by alarming his dog when I get too close. Oh well, no damage done.

It is after I get back that Clifford has a severe gall stone attack, which is quite alarming. Ultrasound helps and after he rests, he and my brother Rollie work on installing a Mr. Buddy heater for auxiliary heat. Once everything is in place, we discover that the hose that was purchased is the wrong type. We try Mr. Buddy out with a small propane bottle, finding it to be warm and quiet. We have a light dinner, but Clifford doesn’t eat much, as he is not feeling very well. We both go to bed early.

Friday Feb 8: It is even chillier this morning, 29 degrees outside. I don’t go for a sunrise walk, as I want to see how Clifford is doing when he gets up. Not better, not worse, so I go for a longer walk, taking photos of sunflowers and the desert rose (that is not a rose), and stopping at the topknot saguaro sitting spot for journal and coffee. My son Matt calls, so I chat with him as I walk back to camp.

Sunflowers

Today we go to Quartzsite for a different hose for Mr. Buddy. Then on the way back to camp, we stop at the Tyson Wells market to buy t-shirts — 3/$10, finding that they are of good quality and well worth the money. Back at camp, we discover that we still wrong hose for Mr. Buddy, so we will have to go back again, but not today.

A word about Quartzsite: The town of Quartzsite, Arizona, at the crossroads of I-10 and US highway 95 has a resident population of less than 2,000 people, with infrastructure accordingly. However, during the winter months, especially January and February with the Gem Show and the RV Show, there are a million visitors, most of whom are camped in RVs in the BLM land surrounding Quartzsite. Take a grocery market for a town of 2,000 and expect it to handle the million visitors – you get an idea of how well that works. Same with the post office. There aren’t that many eateries in Quartzsite, considering the influx of visitors, but Silly Al’s Pizza, if you don’t mind the wait, is the best pizza ever with great service. Most of the town, as it is seen driving through or from above on I-10, is one giant flea market, with row upon row of white canopies housing every sort of merchandise imaginable. During the RV Show, the BIG TENT is set up, with hundreds of vendors selling their wares, while in the outdoor parking area hundreds of RVs are for sale. This year we did visit the BIG TENT during the last days of the RV Show (mentioned in a previous blog), and this week we went to one section of the flea market conglomeration known as Tyson Wells, mentioned above. Later we found out that there are booths that sell marked down canned and dry goods at a great price. One just has to get to know the place.

To me, Quartzsite and the surrounding BLM land seem like going to another country, not a 3^rd world country with poverty and disease, but a way of life different than any other place I’ve been. Even though many of the motorhomes seen in the desert are valued at several hundred thousand dollars, the life-style is more down-to-earth. People sit out in lawn chairs watching the sunset, sand under their feet and a light breeze cooling the warmth of the afternoon, same as the folks in the simple 20’ camper trailer next to them. It seems to be understood that we are each and all merely sojourners in this land.

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Stone Mountain – Atlanta – February 2019

Monday Night Brewery – February 2019

Atlanta Botanical Gardens and Medieval Times – February 2019

Bound for Atlanta – February 2019

More Cacti Forest – February 2019

A Very Cholla & Saguaro Day – February 2019

More Cacti Forest – February 2019

Cacti Forest – February 2019

Birthday in the Desert – February 2019

A Word About Quartzsite – February 2019