We Made it to Silent Valley

Hello my friends, 
I'm sorry it has taken me so long to report on our travels and activities since we left Benson, AZ, but here goes.
From Benson we went to the Elks lodge in Casa Grande for two nights of dry camping.  The folks there are so very nice, and always welcome us back.  On Thursday night they had a chili dog dinner and their Queen of Hearts drawing.  One ticket is drawn, and if it is your ticket, you get to pick a sealed envelope from the board.  If the envelope you select has the Queen of Hearts card, you win the money collected from the sales of tickets.  If it isn't won, the money rolls over for the next week.  Jim's ticket was drawn.  This was just before our 36th anniversary, so he chose envelope 36.  To cut to the chase, he was NOT the big winner, but he did win $50.00 for participating.  It was very exciting to even be drawn.  We have not received the money yet, as they will send him a check, but it should be coming soon.  
Then we went to an RV Park called Leaf Verde in Buckeye, AZ.  It was a very nice, clean park but this time of year, it was almost empty. 

 This cute little trailer was our closest neighbor.  You can't see it very well, but behind the BIG palm tree, he has a small, potted palm tree at each end of his trailer!  The  picture on the right shows how WIDE some of the sites are.
There was a Wal-Mart store about one mile away, so I had to shop.  I decided that our bedroom needed to be lightened up, so we did just that.

 

We got a new quilt and pillow shams and aqua blue curtains.  I think it looks great!  I found this storage unit for in the closet, and it works very well.  Before we  had a hanging thing with open "pockets" but stuff fell out all the time.  This is perfect.  It did require me to pare down again, which is always a good thing to do.  I had way too many dish towels and place mats anyway.  Then I decided we should replace the ugly, gray hall runner rug with something nicer.


This only made me want to lighten and brighten up the living room. That's how it goes; when you start one project, it leads to another. Then we got some nice blue curtains for the windows over the couch.

After that we ordered an area rug that was tan and brown and blue stripes, and matching ones for under the table and dog food dishes.  But later I decided even those were too dark.  Diane likes them so she is going to buy them for her 5th wheel trailer.  I have a new set coming, maybe today that are a nice textured blue.  I'll include that picture next time.  After a one night stop in a park in Blythe, CA on May 27th, we made it here on the 28th.  We found a wonderful site and got everything set up in a few hours.

The park was really full over the holiday weekend, but not too bad now.
Our very dear friends, Diane & Jim came over to welcome us, and she

  brought me an amazing gift.  I am usually NOT one to buy collector's plates, but this one is so beautiful that it actually left me speechless, and those of you who know me, know that doesn't happen very often!!!


It has been great being back here with Diane & Jim.  We missed them so much while we were traveling.  I'm still hoping that they will come to Arrey with us next February.  I'm sure that if they do, they will decide that they also want to reside there before long.  It was also really nice going to church here at Silent Valley too.  Pastor James and his wife Judi are terrific people.  Last night we attended a 50's party and potluck dinner they hosted.  It really was a BLAST!  We had 1950's food too.  I made macaroni and cheese with diced Spam in it, and it was quite a hit.  Diane made a delicious pineapple upside down cake.  I can't remember the last time I had that!  I haven't downloaded the pictures and videos from that yet, but they will be included in my next blog posting.  We played a neat kind of game of charades.  You drew one card from each of four stacks.  You had to act out the clues from each card in order, to made a funny statement.  They were hilarious!  Also, we had the name of a famous person from the 50's pinned to the back of our shirts, and we had to ask "yes or no" questions to try to figure out who we were.  I was Lucille Ball and Jim was Gary Cooper.  It was a great party.  In August they are going to do a Luau themed party.  Guess I have to get me a grass skirt and a coconut bra!!! Jim already has a nice Hawaiian shirt.

If you recall, we had a lot of problems during, and after our trip last year from Arrey to Menifee.  I don't wish to recount all of the difficulties we had, both on the road and after we got to Wilderness Lakes, including IT, which lasted almost four months.  However, I do want to discuss the power of prayer.  We have always prayed for safe travels for us and all the people on the roadways when we begin each travel day.  This year we decided to be more specific in our prayers, asking Jesus to watch over us AND our little home on wheels.  We asked Him to keep us safe, and to keep our motorhome from having any kind of mechanical problems.  We know Jesus is our personal Lord and Savior, and He wants us to be safe, healthy and happy.  He wants to help us in big and small ways, if we just ask Him to help.  We begin each day with a prayer of gratitude for all He has given us.  We pray for His help and guidance throughout each day, and before going to bed, we thank Him for all He has given us that day.  You can't have a real relationship with Jesus if you don't get to know Him.  You need to read His word in the Bible and talk to Him through prayer. Remember, Bible stands for:
Basic
Instructions
Before
Leaving 
Earth
  At this point I wish to remind you that He has a plan for each of us.  If you ask Him for something that is not right for you, or not in agreement with His plan for you, He will not give you what you asked Him for.  This is NOT a bad thing.  You need to remember that what He has planned for you is better than what you may have wanted.  He always answers prayers, but in His way, and in His time.  Trust Him always. I recently saw something cute but true.  It said:  I am a FROG.  That means that I will:
Forever
Rely
On 
God

Are you a FROG?  Life is tough enough, but if you feel you have no one you can rely on...that's really sad.  Wouldn't you rather live your life KNOWING that God is always there for you?

Have a nice day and a blessed life.