The journey to Arizona

Here are a few of the things we saw on our journey to Arizona.
We saw hundreds if not thousands of wind generators. they went
on for miles. It was in southern Minnesota just before we got to Holland.




we saw a lot of harvesting along the way. huge combines and
semi trucks to haul it away. There was huge cattle and dairy
farms, and equally large stacks of hay.







This was in Colorado Springs,Co, right next to Pikes Peak. we ended up taking
a few parking spaces to fit our long load in.


That next morning when we left the wind was crazy strong. this is pictures of the dust
that went with it. poor Dale had to fill the gas tank in that. his mouth was so full of dirt
that it took most of a bottle of water to wash it down.





We started seeing antelope in the fields. it was fun watching for them.


We saw one of the blades for those large wind generators on a semi. it gives you
a different perspective when you see it that close.



We saw many beautiful vistas along the way. it would be fun sometimes to go back
and see more of them up close when we have time.





Finally we started seeing cactus north of Phoenix.


This is a street in Phoenix

Home With A New Address

Well we have unpacked a lot of the stuff we will be needing in the new apartment, and we have set up our aquarium and the fish are very happy and doing great. Our plants are enjoying the sun shine and warm weather out on the patio.

We took a drive the other day to see what the area looks like , Phoenix has and abundance of water and you see it all over.

They have been putting up hay this week and our apartment faces the fields, so it has been fun watching the activity around us .

They grow many different crops in our area , mostly hay and cotton.

Moving Day - UFF DA !

Well that day has arrived, and after many months of planning and speculating we picked up the truck and car hauler and headed over to the storage shed that contained what's left of our earthly possessions. We were joined by Jenni, who came to help and say good bye, and so the three of us went about the task of sorting and fitting everything into each little spot in the truck.
It did not take as long as we thought and in a few hours we were heading back to Ryan and Erinn's home to find a spot for the remainder of the things. We had just a few more boxes to load and it took each of us to offer a idea as to how we can get things to fit. In time we had the door of the truck shut and we took the evening to rest our tired muscles.
The next day we spent time getting the good old camper (and our home away from home ) a well deserved cleaning and preparation for it's winter storage. We had to remove the items that we will bring to Arizona and winterize it for its last stay in a Minnesota winter, for we will be back next year to drive it to it's new home.
And so if everything goes as planned we will be heading out Monday morning.

Bittersweet Farewell

Well we knew this time was coming , in all of our plans and preparations we knew the day would come when we would face our family and friends and say good bye and be off on our next adventure together as a couple .We knew that the day would come when we would be alone together as it was so many years ago when we began our first adventure as a young married couple.

In 30 years we have experienced many of life's greatest pleasures, and that would be the lives of our cherished children and their new families. As much as we would want our whole family to be with us all the time we knew life does not work that way , and eventually each member would decide to leave us and start their own family, thus the family tree grows branches.

After raising our kids we needed to take a look at our lives and say to ourselves "whats next kiddo", want to try something different , how about a warmer climate with no snow and cold ? remember when we talked about moving to some place warm.

The decision was made a few years ago to go for it , and now here we are pulling up some of those tree roots and transplanting them in Arizona. Some ask " how can you leave your family" and our answer is that we are not leaving our family, our family will be with us at all times. We look at this change as not a separation of family but an extension of it .

When two people come together as a couple they dream dreams and share ideas knowing that some of the dreams will have to be on hold till you raise your family and fulfill your responsibilities to your children, but in time you can return to your thoughts and dreams, and if they are still strong , you build on it.

Leaving our friends is very hard ,but we know that in time we will be meeting new ones and by that our world gets bigger.

As hard as it will be to drive away from our family and friends the thought of this new adventure is so exciting and scary at the same time. And as always our home ,no matter where it is ,will always be a home for the family.

Many of you have said " now we have a place to visit in the winter" and so we are going to hold you to it .

See you in Arizona, love to all

our new home

We hit the ground running when we got to Arizona on Tuesday. we landed at 8:00 am and by 10:30 we were looking at the first apartment. over the first three days we looked at eight properties. Each one had good features. Too bad we couldn't put all the best together
for the perfect one. we struggled to figure out which one had the most benefits that worked for us plus size and price. we agreed that the one at Crystal Springs in Avondale- a two bedroom , two bath 1196 square foot apartment-had the most to offer. It is on the first floor and faces east south east. it has a nice size patio/balcony. we have a few pictures of the model,the pool and the buildings.It is nice to have this part done so that we know we have a place to come to.

Once we get settled in down here we will start looking a home to purchase