WHAT A WEEKEND!

Friday, January 15 – Had our usual morning walk, today with a twist.



As we walked down one of the trails, we came on a sign



It was too chilly for them to be strutting themselves this morning. We will stop back later.

We finished walking through the Tyson Wells Flea Markets downtown Quartzsite today. Took 4 days to see them all. We had the air conditioner on in the car, yesterday and today! We did buy a new Mexican Train game today. One Paul was looking for....saved $20.

We also went to Celia's Rainbow Garden…part of the Quartzsite City Park. (If you get the time, please visit Celia’s link above. The story is amazing.)

From Celia's mother......Celia was a miracle baby. Having tried to have a child for many years and being told it would never happen, I had given up trying and made peace with it. Then, out of the clear blue, I found myself pregnant at 37 years old. It was quite a shock for both of us. I found out I was pregnant on Christmas Eve 1985, and before I had even had a chance to get into maternity clothes, Celia decided to make her entry on Good Friday, March 28, 1986.1 was only 23¼ weeks pregnant, so when she was born, the doctors said she would not make it. She came into this world weighing only 670 grams or 1 ¼ pounds, and was Canada’s smallest surviving baby in both weight and gestation at that time.

After her death on October 25, 1995, Paul Winer, the naked bookstore owner, and his wife,needed to find a way to give back to the community some of the love they had shown us. They got permission from the town council to plant a botanical garden in her memory in the town park in October of 1996, a year after her death. What started out as a small nature trail has grown over the past 6 years into a mosaic of beauty, like a patchwork quilt made by many loving hands and hearts. A garden of plants, cactus, and trees with memorial plaques in remembrance of friends, family and others.

Celia is not buried here



A little child’s garden


An example of a tribute to a loved one.


Really cool cacti everywhere.


More neat pictures from the garden.

On the way back, we stopped at the bakery. It is just a little place but has tons of delicious breads, donuts, cookies, etc. They have delicious old fashion donuts. The kind Paul loves!





Another beautiful day in the 80's. We'll be sitting around the campfire tonight enjoying each other's stories. Tomorrow is the big day.....THE MAIN EVENT starts in the huge circus tent. It one of the largest RV Shows in the country.

Saturday, January 16 – Heard Coyotes in the area last night. Quite a few howling at the moon. They say to watch your pets. These Coyotes will come right in camp for a tasty treat!

We got ready and went to the Big Tent Event. We hurried through because Bill Adams of Internet Anywhere was coming by to upgrade our TV satellite this afternoon. The crowd was huge. It took a while to get from one end of the tent to the other. There are four separate walkways so there are tons of vendors to see. We did buy a few things (a new freshwater hose, a break-a-way wire for the toad, and an electric heater) but overall we were disappointed with the RV Show. There wasn't as many RV items as we envisioned. Lots of jewelry, clothing and food demos going on.





Recognize the guy in the black jacket?



People beginning to arrive.

    
At 1 p.m. Bill Adams arrived and installed a new Winegard Trav'ler Slimline Satellite. This replaces the dome satellite we had that never worked. We were using a dish we set up on a tripod. It worked pretty good but when we boondock at Walmart, we can’t set up the dish. This new dish is completely automatic. With the push of one button it opens up, locks on the the satellite, and is ready for TV viewing. Pretty slick!










I also took our tow bar into Blue OX Tow Systems to have it serviced. They recommend this every five years.

Are last item on today's agenda was the campfire. Tonight we had a Chile cookoff. Marsha prepared a very delicious recipe. I personally thought it was very good, and the best on the table. But she didn't win....I believe it was a little too spicy for some of the judges. Karla won. Congratulations!

Karla receiving her prize from our leader, Sandie.



We had the traditional “burn your mortgage” event to officially welcome us to full-timing and received our Class of 09 diplomas.

The group presented a gift to Sandi, our class president, for all the work she did in organizing our little get together. Thanks for all your time in planning such a great week of activities.



Sunday, January 17 - Went for our morning walk. Beautiful walking in the desert with the sun coming up.



We headed up to the Nellie E. Saloon Desert Bar. The "Nellie E Saloon" (DESERT BAR) is situated in the Buckskin Mountains, in Parker, Arizona, on land that was an old mining camp. The "Nellie E Saloon" is located 5 miles off the Cienega Springs Rd exit on Hwy-95. We had to drive down 5 LONG miles down a dirt road. They are open Labor Day weekend through Memorial Day weekend, Saturdays and Sundays only from high noon till sunset, and holidays during these months. THE BAR IS CLOSED DURING THE HOT SUMMER MONTHS. They are open one night only, New Years Eve, if it falls on a weekend.
The pictures below show the beautiful landscape.



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The saloon is powered by solar, with electricity stored in batteries and run through inverters. There was a good band playing and the dance floor was full all day. Here are some pictures of our group and some of us dancing.

Our group



Paul and Marsha….how cute



Don and Joyce



Ed and Linda



They are only open from high noon to dusk. All kinds of 4 wheelers, bikers, and people from Quartzsite enjoy the unique atmosphere.

The 5 miles of road looks like.



The outside of the building.



Bridge over to bar.



One of the eating/drinking areas.


These pictures are in the ladies restroom. Very unique! The first two are inside. The bottom left is looking out the windows….no pane in the windows….and yes that is Paul and Eric. The bottom right is the view from the mountain looking into the restroom. Very interesting what you can see looking in.









Here are some pictures of the entrance to the inside bar, the bar, the outside bar and the dance area.









The church was started in 1993, completed in 1996 and dedicated in October. The church is made of solid steel and the walls and ceiling are made of the same stamped tin used inside the bar and the roof is made of copper. The names inscribed on the plaques in the church are people who donated money to help build the church. The church is a unique place for weddings and a great photo spot.

There are no services held in the church and all religions are welcome.



More pictures of The Desert Bar.

Thanks for visiting. Y’all come back again!