Friends, Early Thanksgiving Dinner and a Project

We were delighted to have two couples of RV friends arrive yesterday and park near us at the Davis-Monthan AFB FamCamp. All six of us enjoyed dinner at Mama Luisa’s Italian Restaurant and continued with conversation for a couple of hours. Below, L-R: Sandy Kruty, Don, Ed Kruty, Lynn Waite, Mickey Waite, me.

Today, with Sandy and Ed departing for their winter home in the Escapees North Ranch Rainbow Park near Congress, AZ, and Mickey a bit under the weather, Don and I attended an early Thanksgiving dinner in the FamCamp. Don cooked a big pot of green beans flavored with bacon and onions. We thought they were yummy, and evidently others did too, because when we left the pot was empty. Turkey and ham were provided, and attendees brought a dish to share. The weather was perfect, sunny and about 70 degrees. And there was a good turnout.

Picnic tables were set with decorations, both under the shade and beyond in the sunshine.

We were encouraged to write something we are thankful for on a leaf and pin it on a tree. Don and I both mentioned Health.

Lora Cowan, FamCamp manager, made announcements. She and her staff and volunteer hosts have made a huge difference in the way the place is run this year. I tell her and everyone I encounter how well they’re doing every time I see them.

Don and I enjoyed meeting and chatting with Bob and Barbara, seated next to us. The guys were a lot more interested in the announcements than they look!

All the food was delicious and we had to take a nap later to recover!

A few days ago I finally tackled a project I’ve been planning for a long time. The small lamp we bought in Newfoundland last year for our dash was having a shade problem. The supporting plastic was cracking and breaking, and the blue fabric was starting was also tearing off.

I carefully took off the fabric and plastic and ended up with a rack and a hoop which I cleaned to get the adhesive off.

After cleaning them up, I started crocheting a cover, using a skein of yarn I bought early this summer and a pattern I found online that I could adapt. A couple of hours later, voila’ – a new lampshade!

Life in the Slow Lane

In some ways it feels like time is standing still, as we’re in a holding pattern for Don’s fistula to become mature and viable for dialysis. Examinations show that it’s healing properly, so we expect everything to happen the right way, but it’s a waiting game that requires patience.

In the meantime, we appreciate his progress in regaining his strength and mobility. He no longer needs a walker at all (stored 4-wheeler, donated the other), and we take at least 2, and usually more, walks every day with Gigi. He still has trouble using his right hand, with about 50% of total use as measured by the PT folks. But he has managed to cut and eat all types of food, even using a knife with his right hand, clean and polish the motorhome using the long pole and Aero wash/wax pads (I still do most of the lower portion), install a female end on a 50amp RV extension cord, make many meals both in the kitchen and the outside BBQ, clean and vacuum floors, and YES even wash dishes! Yea Don!

We love the lack of hot temps in the desert now, but Mother Nature has given us a few cold days and some rain lately. We wish the weather could hit a happy medium and stay there, but we also know that’s not possible. So we’re just happy not to have violent weather like some parts of the country have had. And when we have clouds we usually see great sunsets.

We enjoyed attending the first Escapees regional luncheon in Benson on Nov. 11. The City Grille at San Pedro Golf Course has great food as well as great views of a duck pond and the golf course, and we had a good turnout of about 25 people. It was nice to see lots of familiar faces.

Since Don was in a coma in the hospital on our anniversary June 13, we decided to have a late celebration on Friday Nov. 13 (our wedding day was also a Friday). We’ve been curious about a restaurant on Houghton Rd. that we’ve driven past several times. I looked it up and found it was called McGraw’s Cantina, and boasts “The Best Views In Tucson.” I was thinking it was a fancy place with fine dining that requires you to dress up, but when I checked the web site I discovered it’s far from that. It’s more a locals’ hangout that promised to get louder and rowdier the later the night became. Glad we were there early enough that the bar crowd wasn’t too noisy. And we got a nice table by an open widow with a great view. The ribs we ordered tasted pretty good, too.

Here’s a view of the dining room, and there are other pictures on the web site (click the link above).

The FamCamp at Davis-Monthan is getting a lot fuller now that fall is here, and the new section across the road is open. But there are still enough empty sites to give us elbow room. We enjoy walking Gigi around the park and chatting with other dog owners and letting the dogs get acquainted. This neighbor wasn’t outside, but we saw a toy poodle looking out the driver’s side window and an interesting yard decoration. There’s an Escapees decal as well, so we’ll have to meet these folks.

Because the weather is sometimes a little chilly, I thought Gigi could use a hand-knitted wool sweater. She didn’t seem bothered when I put it on her, but she walked a little funny the first few yards. It was hard to get a good picture while she was moving, but you can see the sweater pretty well. I might make her another one that will give her more coverage, but I had a limited supply of this yarn. I put velcro tabs on the collar and the belt so it’s easy to put on and take off, and included a buttonhole to attach the leash to her harness underneath.

Gigi got a good health report from the vet but needs to have her teeth cleaned, so we’ll make an appointment for that soon. She has become quite comfortable in the motor home, and has taken over the sofa as her own special spot. We now have it covered with a washable throw.

She also loves the “doggy window” supplied by Tiffin.