Benson, Arizona

Good morning one and all,

We left the Casa Grande Elks Lodge yesterday.  It was a very busy day, as we had to drive over Treckle Rd to a Chevron gas station, and then farther up that road to a campground where we could empty our tanks, before leaving Casa Grande to make our way here to Benson, AZ.  Before I close the page on our last stop, I wish to share more about our stay at the Elks lodge.  Some people say BPOE means the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, which of course it really does, but it also has another meaning.  That would be BEST PEOPLE ON EARTH.  We have stayed at probably 30-40 Elks lodges in the course of our travels.  Without exception, we have been treated like old friends returning, or better.  We are warmly greeted by members and officers alike.  At many lodges Jim has been giving the lodge's pin, which he proudly pins onto one of his caps.  Many lodges give us our first drink for free.  At a lodge in New Jersey, we were given a free dinner while we were there.  If we have needed help finding a place to get some kind of service, the members have gone out of their way to be helpful to us.  Elks truly are among the very Best People On Earth.  
Our stay at Casa Grande was no exception.
 This beautiful sign in the lodge was made by one of the members there.  Is that amazing, or what?

 This one of the very nice and cheerful bartenders at the lodge.  Her name is Teresa, and she is a really hard worker.  Like our home lodge, this one is open and busy everyday of the week.  They have all kinds of activities and fund raisers for their charities, and we were pleased to see that no matter how busy they were, they always had a smile for us each time we came in.  This is Jim with his new buddy, Mike. 
He sat by us whenever we came in, and he was always pleasant and glad to see us.  There were several ladies that I chatted with, but they didn't want their pictures taken for the blog. 
 This is a picture of Robert, I apologize for not getting his last name, but he is the Leading Knight of the lodge, and a very nice person.  After we were visited by the Exalted Ruler, who told us that they have lodge pins for sale, we decided that Jim would purchase one that day.  When Robert saw Teresa bring over the box of pins to show us, Robert came over and said he would like to buy Jim whichever pin he wanted!  In return, Jim made a donation to their Americanism fund.  We have had good experiences at all the Elks lodges we have visited, but this is one we will surely visit again, whenever we are in this area.  Our thanks and best wishes to ALL of the wonderful people we met in Casa Grande Elk Lodge 1957.

After the stops we made in the morning, we arrived here at Benson at Valley Vista RV Resort at 12:02pm, and got all set up by 1:45 pm.  It has been quite windy, so we didn't put out the awning or screen room.  We will only be here a week, so I doubt if we will put them out.  It was only 37 degrees outside when we woke up this morning..............brrrrrr.  I had been surprised yesterday to find out we have cable TV here in this park.  We had already set up the satellite dish for the TV in the living room.  The reception is great, and we like that it gets our TV programming from So. Cal......but it's also on Pacific Standard Time, so we have to stay up later to get the programs we like to watch.  With the TV in the bedroom hooked up to the local cable, we get shows on Arizona time, and they show the programs an hour earlier anyway, so that makes it two hours earlier than on the living room TV.  For example, on Monday nights we like to watch Scorpion, which is on CBS at 10 pm in So. Cal.  That means it starts at 11 pm on the living room TV, but it's broadcast here in Arizona at 9 pm!  That may not seems like any big deal, but yesterday we were very tired after our busy day, so we were happy to watch TV earlier (and in our comfy bed with the electric blanket on too!) and get to bed by 11 pm instead of well after 12:30 am.
We were extra tired because not only did we have to make the extra stops yesterday morning, but after we got set up and had lunch we went to WalMart for a few groceries before dinner time.  Also I stripped the sheets off the bed and put fresh, clean sheets on it.  After dinner we both got showers and that felt really good.  When one is dry camping, which means without access to fresh water or a place to dump the water you use..................you can't shower as often as you would like to.  Nuff said!

Later today I will get out and about to take some nice pictures to post of this beautiful, and historic little town, and this nice RV park.  We'll be here for a week, so we look forward to a nice relaxed time here, before we move on to New Mexico.

Just as the wonderful folks at the Casa Grande lodge welcomed us graciously, I encourage each of you to offer kindness and hospitality to the people you meet along your journey in life.  It costs you  nothing to say hello or smile at someone, and it just might help them through a difficult day.  Please remember, as I've said before, we never know what someone else may be struggling with today, but we can always be kind to others we meet.  We have all been put on this earth for a reason, and maybe the person you meet today is the person YOU were meant to help.  Every morning I wake up with gratitude that I wake up next to the most wonderful man I have ever met.  I thank God every morning  for the blessings He has given to us.  Then I ask Him what he wants of me today.  Most days, He tells me that He has everything under control and tells  me to have a great day!  And most days are great because of all He has given us.  By that I do not mean things money can buy.  We don't have a lot of money to buy stuff, but we really don't need much.  Living in a small space (this is after all, our "tiny house") means whenever we get something new.....something old has to go! Jim likes to say that every time I buy a new item, I throw out some piece of his clothing, but that's not really true either.  Hahaha!  However, to get back on topic, when I refer to all that God has given us I don't mean material things.  I mean He has given us reasonably good health for our ages, good friends and wonderful family members who love us, our beloved dogs that Matt rescued for us.  We have our tiny home, Marylou, named after my mom, because she wanted to travel with us.  We have been able to visit amazing places and meet so many delightful and interesting people along the way.  We have seen such awesome scenery along the way, because of the incredible artistry of our beloved Lord and Savior.  We are  very truly blessed and for all of our blessings we are incredibly grateful.  Please, dear ones, count your blessings everyday.  Don't dwell on what you don't have because God knows what you need, and He will provide it if you only ask it of Him.  Have a perfectly awesome day everyone!!!