Quartzsite again?

I can't think of a better way to get away from Facebook, Twitter, blogs and the like than another trip to Quartzsite, Arizona. This time we hauled our vintage 1959 Shasta, "Cove" camp trailer and parked it in our empty RV space. Our usual January RV friends who stay in the space bought a house in Havasu City. They have gone "up-town" on us, but hopefully when they get back from their permanent home in northern California, we can visit their second home in February.

In the meanwhile, here are some pictures of life in the fast lane at Quartzsite, Arizona.



Early morning moon at our little homestead



1959 Shasta "Cove" camp trailer






The Theme of the interior is Betty Boop and Highway 66

























We call our little trailer "The Bunkhouse" just in case someone needs a place to sleep. It can also double as "The Dog House" which I seem to be in most the time. "Ya all come and visit someday!"

Write on,

Mittster

Q!

For those of you who are familiar with Quartzsite, Arizona, the picture above exemplifies the quirky mass of folks from all over the U.S.A. and Canada who descend on this special spot in the desert not far from the Colorado River and California on Interstate 10 in the winter.

The pictures below exemplify the real Quartzsite, Arizona. This is the Quartzsite that excites my wife and me the most. That is not to say we don’t like shopping at the multitude of vendors who dot the landscape and all the yard sales that pop up each weekend. We do – but the best part is our small homestead we call our second home. We have quail, Mexican and Ring Neck doves, humming birds, Cooper and Red Tail hawks, assorted lizards, and occasionally, coyotes who visit us looking for food. The coyotes are looking for bird dinner or better yet, Chihuahua steaks. We watch our dogs carefully when they are walking with us.

There is talk in Quartzsite that the city and county are trying to rid the town of vendor tents and the like. This may or may not be true, but from our perspective, the real lure of the area is the winter weather and motor home visitors who love to enjoy life. All of us are very sociable and like to meet new people who become winter friends. While we all scatter to the four winds in the summer, you can bet we all look forward to meeting again the next winter – God willing and the creek don’t rise!




Meet "Pickles," our Meyer's parrot. He is heading toward me for food and since he is a cannibalistic demon bird, a finger will do quite nicely!




Sunrise in the desert is so very special. We have doves waiting patiently for us to spread seed out in front of the motor home. This is a morning ritual that happens every day we are in Quartzsite until our departure for the summer.




Speaking of breakfast, Gonzo, our older Chihuahua (named after the former D-backs' baseball star), waits not so patiently for food. You can barely see Taco, our rescue Chihuahua, with his white head sticking out of the covers to the upper left.




My wife, Sandy, is holding Taco and Gonzo while standing next to an African Sumac tree we planted while in Quartzsite this trip. Planting trees is something we both feel strongly about. Someday after we have left the planet, this tree will still be standing tall and proud, providing it survives the long, hot summers. I travel to Quartzsite once a month in the summer to water trees and check the motor home.




We found this outdoor U.S.A. flag wall picture at a swap meet and decided it must be attached to our shed door between two palm trees that are guaranteed not to die in the summer.




Trust me when I tell you I did not look this good while digging the hole for the African Sumac. The ground is like concrete!




There are four new signs in Quartzsite that were paid for by a grant along with new road paving, plantings and bus stop benches. Signs of progress I suppose – I will miss the old Quartzsite that we have been coming to for many years. But still, progress is not all bad…is it?




Sandy took this picture while we were driving along the Colorado River on a day trip. There is still much unspoiled land in the southwest deserts. You can see the lake behind Parker Dam in the foreground. God, we love this part of the world – I guess you can call us desert rats for sure.

I’m just saying Happy Thanksgiving,

Mittster

Quartzsite Time!

Why go to Quartzsite, Arizona, in the winter? Because it’s warm, that’s why! Need I say more?

Most folks don’t like the heat, but I love it. When summer starts to fade, I start thinking about our little casa in Quartzsite. Sure it gets cold there sometimes in the winter, but nothing like northern Arizona. A decent motor home with a carport can be cozy and warm, especially if you have Direct TV so momma can watch The Young and the Restless while I am out hunting meteorites. Life is good….




We bought this beautiful lot through an owner financed smoking deal.







This is the motor home we bought before the 2009 stock market crash. Later we knew we could never sell the fuel guzzler, so we turned it into a park model thinking if things got really bad we could super downsize and move to Quartzsite.







We added a storage shed and some great looking metal palm trees.







The carport almost broke the bank, but we knew without it the motor home would be trashed by UV rays. It is twenty degrees cooler under the roof in the summer and the low winter sun hits the right side of the coach, thus keeping it warmer.







I transplanted four mesquite trees from a lot across the street that was being dozed, but unfortunately only two made it through the following summer even though I watered them once a month. Most of the time it was around 118 degrees and I loved working in the heat while sweating like a stuffed hog! I managed to keep the neighbor’s transplanted palms trees alive. When I arrived in July, they (the palm trees) were yellow instead of green, but the day after I watered them they were again bright green and smiling!










Let us not forget Paul Winer who owns the only book store in Quartzsite. I wish someone would water him. He appears to be dying of the vine!

I'm just saying,

Mittster

Not Quartzsite Again!

Well, here I am again…stuck in the middle of “old folks” village, Quartzsite, Arizona. A few years ago I couldn’t even spell senior and now I are one. To make things worse, my free Internet here has disappeared, and that means I have to go down to the Senior Citizens’ Center for an Internet connection. Please tell me it isn’t so; it’s like looking into a mirror of truth when I go there and I can’t get used to the image I see. I better get used to it – May 13 is my 50th high school reunion and that mirror isn’t going to lie either! I’m not complaining about my place in life. In fact, I wouldn’t go back one second. Besides, even If I could, you can bet I would just screw up at a different level.

I remember when my mom was 68 and she complained that her body was falling apart at the seams while still housing a brilliant mind. I don’t know if my mind is brilliant, but you can bet it can still write a mean murder mystery – although I can’t find my truck keys half the time. My wife complains that men don’t age like women; she maintains that if men had babies, they too would look much older. That may be true, but I will not go to my grave with a pristine, unused body, and that is as it should be.

I find myself looking forward to conversations with my peers. Perhaps that is a sign that I am finally becoming comfortable with my age. I remember not too long ago when I didn’t like talking to people my own age because I didn’t want to admit that I was a senior. Besides, what could they tell me I didn’t already know? How silly is that, you are what you are. My peers also have a huge storehouse of knowledge that should be shared before they leave the planet. Holy crap, it really isn’t all about me, is it – when I learned that, I was able to release many things that made me anti-social.

This time of the year is a great time to be in Quartzsite. The traffic is much less congested because most of the vendors have packed up their tents and left along with all the motor home dealers. There are a few tents left, but even they will be getting out of Dodge before the desert heats up like a cheap frying pan. It won’t be long and this place will be a ghost town with only the hardiest souls staying to brave the 118 degree plus temperatures. It’s surprising how many seniors live here permanently now. You can bet they don’t go outside often and when they do, it’s only for a short while to stock up on grub and drink.

I will be coming back once a month throughout the summer to water trees and check on our small homestead. Personally, I love the heat and enjoy sitting in the afternoon shade sipping a cold soda while sweating like a stuffed pig in a sauna. Once a desert rat, always a desert rat; you can take the man out of the desert, but you can’t take the desert out of the man. I was watching Laurence of Arabia last night and I can understand why he (Laurence) loved the Arabian Desert so much. The Sonora Desert affects me much the same way, and it also explains why the back of my neck resembles old shoe leather….

Well, I’m off to the “old folks’ hangout” to get this blog posted and shoot the bull with the regulars. I may even learn something new today, which is usually the case.

Write on,

Mittster

Quartzsite: Arizona Dream Land

PICTURES SAY A THOUSAND WORDS