Back to Arizona

We leave today to go back to Arizona and pick Blue up at the kennel.

Near the Alberta border we see this cloud with a pink glow.

New construction near Edmonton.

Sunset on the airplane.

We sign an agreement to purchase.

We will be buying 10 acres of land beside the Imhoff’s house.

The Imhoff’s home

Our new home of 10 acres.

Wiener Roast on Boxing Day.

The Imhoff family has a tradition of a wiener roast on Boxing Day. It was Great!!!

Thank-you Imhoffs.

Christmas Day

We start off on Christmas Morning at the Imhoffs in Paradise Hill for the gift opening.

Shelby received a new video game.

Shaylene getting ready to open her stash.

Kevin and Shannon opening gifts.

Shaylene opening her box in a box in a box etc.

Rufus the cat, enjoying the box.

Supper at the Meyers house in St.Walburg.

Merry Christmas Imhoff Family.

Christmas Eve in Paradise Hill, Saskatchewan.

Tonight we have supper at the Imhoffs just out of Paradise Hill. Then off to Church for Christmas Eve Mass with Shelby in the Nativity Play as a shepherd. Then back to the Imhoffs for the opening on one gift each.

Shelby picked the toy we bought for fun, an old fashioned wooden balloon powered boat.

Off to the Phoenix Airport to go home for Christmas

We are off to Saskatchewan for 9 days to spoil the grandchildren. We have a direct flight into Edmonton, then we get to drive 4 hours to home.

Blue on the Couch.

Sunset on our street in Palm Creek.

Our Christmas Decorations at the park.

Also my assignment for photo club.

Blue has a hard day of PLAY on a rainy day in Palm Creek.

Taken at the closest dog park.

Three dogs have a good game of tease at the largest dog park in Palm Creek.

Photos around Palm Creek.

We start the day with Blue helping to make the bed.

Then a few photos in the area between golf course hole 9 and 10 in the park.

Bethlehem Walk at a local church in Casa Grande.

Tonight we took Bob and Laurie to the Bethlehem Walk at a local church.

The hard life at Palm Creek Golf and RV Park.

We tend to get very busy here in the park. An good example is today.

I played a round of golf then we went to a post thanksgiving pre Christmas pot luck supper two sites down.

Another hard day.

Art in the Alley

Tonight we went to  Art in the Alley in downtown Casa Grande, Az.

They shutdown a couple for streets for a street fair and a show and shine.

The lighting is poor in the street so I only have one photo of the entertainment area.

Off to Palm Creek Golf and RV Park.

Today we start our 4 month stay at Palm Creek Golf and RV Park at Site 1513.

Some of the new construction in the park is a relocation of the ball diamond and 24 new pickle ball courts.

Quartzite

Today we did some shopping and some sightseeing.

But first the wash beside our campsite.

Other campsites at the BLM land.

Then Blue helps me tighten a few loose bolts.

Then Blue talks me into a ball throw.

Then off to be tourist.

Way back in the day, before he was the president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis had the hot idea to import camels from the Middle East and use them as beasts of burden for the army in the American Southwest.

A Syrian trainer by the name of Hadji Ali accompanied the first caravan of camels. Like many immigrants in Arizona, it seems (SEE: The Lost Dutchman of Superstition or Chink Smiley of Tombstone), he was given a different handle and instead called "Hi Jolly."

Hi Jolly went on to lead camels through the Mojave Desert, even saving people from attacking Native Americans. Apparently he drew his scimitar and cried, "Bismillah!" (or "In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful!"), to which the Natives quickly retreated. 

When the camel project was inevitably left forgotten following the eruption of the Civil War (it was also determined that camels and U.S. soldiers or their horses didn't get along very well), Hi Jolly continued living in the area until his death in 1902.

He is buried beneath a pyramid of various kinds of local stone, topped with a camel's silhouette (that looks much like the one imprinted on the cigarette packages) in Quartzsite off the 10 Freeway, and down a short dirt road.

Hi Jolly was actually one of two Middle Eastern caretakers imported for the project - the other being Greek George (you see what I mean about the name changes?) - however, GG was hanged for supposedly aiding a criminal and was not granted a grave marker as grand

End of the day. ( Blue MUST bury his bone)

Then the sunset.

Road trip to Quartzite.

We left for Quartzite this morning to a slow beautiful drive to the Interstate.

Blue is in his usual position.

We camped north of Quartzite on BLM land.

Our campsite.