AN UPDATE ON MY LIFE

As usual, I can't believe it's been a year and a half since I've been here. Where do I start? I'll start with the most important thing we've done and that's sell our home in Anchorage. Last summer we went up and spent a month nonstop 12 hours a day getting it fixed up and cleaned up. My brother that was living there neglected it so we had our job cut out for us. We sold it last September. Next fun thing was taking our grandson, Raymond and his brother Dylan on a couple of awesome vacations. Last year we went to California to Knott's Berry Farm (boy has that changed!) and Universal Studios. Also Palm Springs and some waterparks along the way.   This summer the boys are coming here for 2 weeks then we are traveling to Kansas City to meet up with their mom and their 2 little brothers. Then after Worlds of Fun there we're off to Washington D.C. to a time share that our friends let us use that has an indoor waterpark and outdoor one. In October we drove to Colorado to visit our son, Raymond who was working there (now he's in Park City, UT) and then to Nebraska to visit little Raymond and the whole family. We had a wonderful time. We got a new car to do all this in and gave Raymond the Subaru. Ed and I are still working part time at the golf courses and hope to quit next year and get back to traveling in our RV. (which is now a 1997 Rexhall class A). So that's it for this installment.

Dylan & Raymond at Universal Studios

The boys swimming at Casa Grande

Me and Ed in Colorado, brrr....

Hopefully this is our last RV. We don't need a campground for this one
 

Bye for now, Vicki

Merry Christmas!

Well, we're still alive and doing great! I know it's been awhile, but with facebook now that seems to take more of my time. First, Merry Christmas everybody!  I hope all is well for anyone reading this. Second, we sold our truck and camper last month. We thought a lot about it and realized we never used our truck as a truck and had the camper on it without taking it off for over a year. So with the grandkids getting older we thought we would go back to a motorhome. We picked up a 1997 class A Rexhall 29ft. with only 29,900 miles and it was stored in California and under covered parking here for a year and looks and runs great. We got to save some money from the deal so that's good too.

Otherwise, Ed and I are still working part time at golf courses and getting in some golf and we will be taking the RV to Quartzite in a couple of weeks for a few days. They are getting ready for their big rock show and flea market. The population can get up to 100,000 rvs scattered around the desert.

That's about it. Nothing overly exciting going on down here, just enjoying our retirement and soaking up the sun! So that's it for now. Many hugs and kisses to all, Vicki

VACATION TIME WITH THE GRANDKIDS!

This might of been the best vacation ever! Our grandsons Raymond and Dylan came to visit from Nebraska and we didn't stop having fun for a minute. First we drove to Carlsbad, California for 5 days of adventures starting with the ocean. The boys had never seen it or been in the ocean and we're ecstatic. Then the next day we went to Legoland. Raymond and Dylan collect legos (the intricate ones) and this was a dream come true. They also had several rides to go on, making for a wonderful day. The next day we went to Legoland Waterpark and it was perfect. The weather was in the 70's and the waterpark is made for grade school age kids so we didn't have to worry about them and could enjoy ourselves and spend the day in the water and on water slides. For the last day we went down to San Diego to Sea world. I'd been there as a kid and couldn't believe the changes. The shows were incredible and they had some fun rides too.

Back in Phoenix we recooperated while the kids spent time with Great Grands, who spoiled them rotten. They also got to spend 2 days with the other Great Grands (my parents are divorced and have both been remarried for years). We all went down to our friends (Gordon and Cheryl) home in Casa Grande and spent 3 days swimming and playing around and just enjoying being with our grandkids. We taught Raymond to swim and threw quarters in the pool for them to get.

They're back in Nebraska now and we're already thinking of what we could do next year. I miss them every day! Well, that's all for now, much love to all, Vicki

Time To Update!

Time definitely flys by! I don't even know where to start. First of all, I'm working again. This time at one of our golf courses as a starter. It's part time, minimum wage and free golf. It's been a couple of months and it's a fun job 99% of the time.

Next, our son Raymond came to live with us and lasted 3 months. He's now back in Anchorage and looking for a job. Keep your fingers crossed!

We've been going on 2 day trips when we can and the Grand Canyon was one of them. We've never hiked around some of the rim and really enjoyed doing it. We also went to Tucson and saw the Desert Sonoran Museum and Old Tucson movie studio. Our friends from Anchorage came down the end of March for Ed's 65th birthday and we spent several days with them at their new house in Casa Grande. They got a great price for it and then put in a pool. So we golfed, went to the Casa Grande Ruins and lazed around the pool.

Our winter here was incredibly awesome. There was only 4 days of frost and the rest were perfect! We've been really enjoying semi-retirement and doing little things to make our home more special.

So that's it. I'm sure I probably forgot something, but I know it was nothing earth-shattering. If anyone sees this, know that I think about how this all started and the friends I've made. Love to all, Vicki

Family Reunion

Where does the time go? I can't believe it's been two months since I've been on here. We had a wonderful reunion with the family on my Dad's side and I saw some relatives that I hadn't seen in 20 plus years. The best part was that we brought our son Raymond from Michigan and his son, Lil Ray along with his brother Dylan down from Nebraska for the reunion. It was over too fast and they're back home now and there's a little empty spot in my heart till next time.

I realized by writing this that my life is pretty settled now and there's not a lot of exciting things going on. Ed is working his part-time golf job and I have been doing yard work and fixing up the house and putting all of our pictures on the computer. I decided to do away with all the photo albums except the really old pictures and just have everything on discs and saved on hard drives. So what this boils down to is this is going to be my last post for awhile. I feel that a couple of times a year I'll get on here and write about what's up. If anyone still reads this, know that my love and good thoughts are with you and your families. Bye for now, Vicki

Triple Arches along the Going to the Sun Highway

Back in the U.S.

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last blog! I forgot the email and password and just found it yesterday. We headed back south from Alaska the end of last month, taking our time and making some scenic stops. We went through Jasper and Banff National Parks in Canada and then in Montana stopped at Glacier National Park. We took our motorcycle on the "Going to the Sun Highway" and let me tell you that was an experience we'll never forget. It was under destruction and mostly one lane. We were close to the end of a very long row of cars in bumper to bumper traffic. And of course this was at the very edge of the road overlooking an incredible drop. I'll find a picture and put it in here too.

Now we are in Panguitch, Utah helping our friends at the KOA here until after Labor Day then we'll head down to Arizona. This other picture is of Capitol Reef National Park. We took a day drive through there today and down Scenic Highway 12. As always, it was gorgeous! So now I feel better. Sorry to neglect all my readers. Bye for now, Love, Vicki & Ed

Donnelly Creek State Campground

Last week we made a camping loop. We started out at Byer's Lake campground by Denali then went to Fairbanks and next Donnelly Creek which is below Delta Junction. These are a couple of our favorite places and we wanted to make sure to visit them. It looks like next week we will start heading back to Arizona. Ed is in Homer with Gordon today (July 21) and tomorrow and this weekend they will take Gordon's boat out, which is a Sea Sport. They are going to fish for halibut and sight see. Cheryl (Gordon's wife) and I have plans to have some fun this weekend and get things ready for our trip back down. So that's it for now, Vicki

Portage Glacier

We got lucky, the weather here was great. This place is either windy and rainy or nice-no in between. We had a wonderful time here and our next stop is Byer's Lake. Now we are in Fairbanks and then on south towards Anchorage tomorrow after a couple of campground stops along the way. So that's it for now. Love to all, Vicki and Ed

Our son Raymond

A couple of days ago, Raymond moved to Lansing, Michigan to be with his girlfriend Erin. My grandson is in Nebraska now, so I'm running out of reasons to visit here. Ed's kids have come to Arizona to see us and we are getting our house cleaned out so my brother and his wife won't need us around for anything either. I wish Alaska could be closer so we could be snow birds and come up here every summer. With this weather, it's making me not miss it so much though. June is supposed to be our best month here-what happened? Next week we head down to Cooper Landing to do some camping. And then we have to do more house stuff along with helping chop down some beetle kill trees at our friends house on the hillside. We're hoping to fish too. This summer is going by way too fast! That's all for now, Love to everyone, Vicki & Ed

Kenai Lake, Quartz Creek Campground

In between weeding out the house, we found time for a motorcycle ride down to Cooper Landing. Good weather has been scarce so when it's nice we've been taking advantage of it. Next weekend we are going to have a huge garage sale, and of course it's supposed to rain. I want to be done with it though, so I don't care. Also, my son Raymond is going to move to Michigan this week, so we've been going through all his stuff. Needless to say we've been busy. Can't wait to relax and enjoy our stay!

South Rolly Lake Campground

Last week we stayed at South Rolly Lake for several days. This has always been one of our favorite campgrounds, made even better now that the road leading in has been paved. It was 6 miles of washboard gravel. Of course it rained almost every day except the day we left, but we still had a great time and had a campfire going a good amount of time. Now we are starting to weed through all the stuff in our home here, which is a whole garage full of boxes. That's where we're off to today, so everyone have a great weekend! Love, Vicki & Ed

The Official Start of the Alaska Highway

This is in Dawson Creek yesterday-the start of the Alaska Highway. We're in Fort Nelson now, getting ready to go to Laird Hot Springs. It rained all night and we have wind with the rain today. The weather is supposed to improve tomorrow though. Probably no internet for a while, so blog down the road a ways. Hugs and Kisses, Vicki & Ed

STARTING OUR ALASKA TRIP

We arrived in Panguitch, Utah this week to help our friends, the owners of the KOA here. They don't have any help this summer and we came by to work with them to get everything ready for a busy season. On Tuesday we'll continue on our trip. We've looked ahead and are going to get rained on pretty much. Oh well, at least we're not in a tent. So long, Love, Vicki & Ed

Day Trip to Sedona, Arizona

In between getting ready for our trip up to Alaska and having company, Ed's son and our friends from Anchorage, we managed to squeeze in a nice bike ride up to red rock country. It's funny, I always thought that Sedona was so beautiful, but after spending so much time in Panguitch, Utah which is right next to Bryce N.P. and also Zion N.P., Sedona wasn't too impressive. It still made for a great ride and it was nice to just take it easy. We leave for our big trip on about May 15th and will spend a week at the Panguitch KOA. The owners didn't get any work campers this year so we will give them a break before we head up north. That's it for now, I'll keep everyone updated. Hugs and Kisses to all, Vicki & Ed

Sunset in Quartzite, Arizona

Downsizing and Becoming more fuel efficient!

Well, we decided to sell our 5th wheel trailer and get something smaller and easier to take out when we just want to go without a lot of fuss. When we come up to Alaska this summer we will bring our new camper and also a cargo trailer we got. The trailer is to bring down some of our stuff and then sometimes when we go camp we can bring the motorcycle with us. We took our maiden voyage to Quartzite, AZ so we could update the camper. We bought, and a company called Solar Bills, installed a 190 watt solar panel, inverter and wall display to make our lives a little less complicated. The solar panel will make it so we can run small appliances and a TV without using a generator. So that's it for now, see you down the road! Love, Vicki & Ed

Our New Brick Wall

As you can see, we finally got finished with all our improvements. Actually, it was 2 months ago, but now I'm getting around to posting it for posterity. The wall made a huge difference in our yard. It's a lot quieter and more private too. Of course we have firewood for our chimenia and also for when we go camping. Last week, our friends that own the Panguitch KOA came down to visit us for a few days and brought us a trailer of more wood, so you can triple that. We bought another log rack and had to make one too. In Utah wood is much cheaper. It was only $100 for a cord. Ed picked up a golf cart for them to take back since their's was falling apart. It was one that they didn't use at the golf course Ed worked at and he got a killer price for it.

Otherwise, not to much going on here, except great weather of course. So, that's it for now. Love to everyone, Vicki & Ed

Christmas in Alaska

I had the best time in Anchorage, Ak for Christmas. We went to H2oasis water park, a movie, out to eat at Humpy's and the museum. Lil Ray's Birthday was December 28th, he's now a big 7 years old and as he said "it was the best ever". I loved every minute of being with my family. I'm so lucky to be blessed with a wonderful family. Happy New Year to all my friends and loved ones. Vicki

Perfect weather and not so perfect golf!

Our son Daniel came to visit for a long weekend on the 12th of November. We golfed twice and sucked, except I got a birdie for the first time. The sad thing was out of 2 days I didn't par once. Oh well, it was still fun . As you can see the morning was cool at 50 degrees at 7am. My parents golfed with us and as usual, my step-dad, Jack, was awesome. At age 78 he has a 9 handicap. Even his bad shots look good to me! We also went shopping and ate out at Rock Bottom which is micro-brewery/sports bar/restaurant. The food was incredibly good and the prices very reasonable. So that's it for now. Love you all and miss you, Vicki