Christmas 2014 - Ground Hogs Day 2015

Christmas 2014 - Ground Hogs Day 2015!  Where did the time go?  SLOW DOWN - we are having way too much fun!

Here we are midway between Phoenix and Flagstaff in a small valley nestled between 2 mountain chains called Camp Verde, AZ serving at a ranch for disabled adults - Rainbow Acres.  What a highlight for our holidays and while on our “off time” we have been helping our daughter’s family get ready for a move from Flagstaff to Tucson.  Vince has been extended a lead pastorate position at a Nazarene Church and Sarah will be taking a position with a veterinary clinic.  Not only that but our 3rd grand daughter was born Dec. 28th so it has been busy, busy, busy to say the least.  We have been able to still fit in a few sightseeing excursions and a few days of sickness - blah!  I hope we are getting that out of the way for 2015 early and do not have to buy another box of Kleenex nor cold medicine for a long time.  You would think that both Wayne and I would have lost at least 10 lbs. this project just blowing our noses!

Palmer Center of Rainbow Acres

Celebrating Christmas with the Carotenuto's

The weekend after Christmas we kept Evangeline so Mama & Daddy could bank some sleep, rest and possibly fit in a “date night”!!!!  NOT - Abigail decided to come fast and furious in a record time of 2 1/2 hrs - this just may be life defining - no grass will grow under that girl’s feet!  She is so cute in her own special way - dark hair, blue eyes and a smirk to boot!

Abigail Grace born 12/28/14

We have had the privilege of hosting Miss E several times since we arrived in New Mexico last September.  She calls our dwelling “the Bus” and we have had so many fun memorable experiences.  From taking a bath in the shower, eating pop corn with G’Pa to many walks to see farm animals from New Mexico to Arizona!  Even tho we have had snow there has not been one visit that did not include a trip to the park - the child is obsessed with a swing!  The child has literally grown up before our eyes in 6 months and we will miss her like crazy the minute we drive off.

 Popcorn with my g'pa

G'pa remembers how to play with play dough!

Our first sightseeing trip was up to the small ghost/mining town of Jerome.  Dodging puddles and snow mounds was fun but after perusing the menu of the Haunted Hamburger we decided that for that price we could eat many hamburgers in the valley and enjoy just as much!  The town is so old that it amazes every time we go back that the whole thing has not dropped off the side of the mountain.  Definitely interesting mining history along with indian remnants scattered around.  Eclectic and artsy is a good way to describe it.

Always feeling like you are falling off the side of the mountain in Jerome!

If you love this you are way too old for your own good!

3 1/2" snow on New Year's Day - 14" in Flagstaff

The Verde Canyon Railway was next.  No matter the season, this train ride is a MUST.  Definitely worth the price and you will want to go first class for the food and entertainment.  Was not real thrilled with the trip through the tunnel but in order to get from point A to point B you have to!  Eagles in flight and eagles aboard - the local aviary rescue had one aboard our ride and we were able to go to one of the outside cars to view the demonstration.  They do this the first Saturday of every month, so it is the best time to book your trip. A 4 hr. roundtrip excursion was just what we needed for much R & R.  The scenery just after a snow was incredible.

Verde Canyon Railway - 4 hrs. of gorgeous scenery any time of year

A hitch hiker on our train ride

And of course Sedona is just as gorgeous as ever.  Yesterday we hiked to Chicken Point via The Little Horse Trail (about 5 miles round trip)……you can’t beat the view.  It is beyond my comprehension how people get their jeeps up there and I really don’t want to know!  Bicyclists everywhere and I even asked one fella - “does your mother know you are doing this”?  He laughed - if I were his mother I would have cried!  Again, beautiful creation by our God.  He still continues to amaze me.

Red Rocks of Sedona - always beautiful

The January 2015 project:  Rainbow Acres, Camp Verde, AZ.  These are God’s special people - the ones who live here as well as the ones who work and volunteer.  Wayne & I were the only couple here during January so we were able to work together for all but one week.  We pulled up carpet located in 4 houses underneath the serving bar and replaced with ceramic tile; refinished the wood countertops in the medical treatment area for 6 houses; repainted 3 rooms in the volunteer building and replaced several electrical outlets; various repairs at the barn area; and this past week Wayne was in the wood working shop cleaning, assessing/repairing equipment and overall revamp.  I was in the craft room enjoying the company of 4 other volunteers and many ranchers that were working on various projects.  I learned a new craft - button art and shell art.  FUN - it really was not classified as work in my opinion but just being available to the ranchers for help and making projects to be sold at future events.  It amazes me how the professional volunteers have been able to bring out talents that these ranchers never knew they had.  From music, art, life skills, crafts to computers and literary creations.  Their world is greatly expanded here at Rainbow.

Painting one of three volunteer rooms

Removal of carpet & replaced with ceramic tile in 4 houses

Stocking one of the new houses

Making crafts to be sold

We have 2 days of helping the Carotenuto’s get packed and then we are off to our next project just west of Phoenix - Standing Stones, Wickenburg, AZ.  A retreat center for “hurting pastors” - this will be a new experience.  After that on to Trinity, TX just outside of Houston and then to NC once again.  Some of you are aware that there was an attempt for a break-in at our house in NC so we are eager to get back there just to do some minor repairs and try to push the sale of the house.  It is not easy being on the road constantly worrying about a dwelling you have left.  Although our son has taken excellent care of the premises our desire is to be rid of it!  God’s timing is best…….tick, tick, tick!

Laguna Beach, Simi Valley & Sun Valley, California - Nov./Dec. 2014

Laguna Beach, CA is a must see by anyone wanting to see the sights along the Pacific Coast.  The weather was beautiful for the 3rd week of November and the flowers were gorgeous - even the state parks along the coast revealed beautiful scenery while the rest of the US was beginning to experience the dreaded winter months.  It is amazing how houses are built close to the edge of cliffs overlooking the ocean - now I know why flood insurance is so high.  Wayne did a close inspection of the makeup of these mounds and pulled out a few boulders…….this is why you hear about so many mudslides, etc. in California.  Here the bike trails were awesome along the beaches.  It was hard to believe it was November.

We were able to visit the Capistrano Mission and the surrounding sights.  Amazing historical beginnings of these now huge metropolis’s with the church going in to small gatherings to educate the children and meeting spiritual needs of the local people.  If only we still realized how powerful God can be in our societies…….instead we have pushed God to side and said “we can do it ourselves”.  

We ate at some pretty incredible restaurants and did most of our Christmas shopping because the variety of stores in Newberry Springs, CA is nil!  Sometimes we just have to venture into the big cities to make sure America still exists out there!  A dose of the traffic told us that living out in the desert (middle of nowhere) and serving Jesus is still the best place to be!!!!!

Roy & Sue Anderson accompanied us to Simi Valley and Sun Valley the 3rd weekend in December.  It was so much fun to just act like we were “double dating” and just enjoy the sights that were close by once again.  Do you miss Ronald Reagan as much as we do?  We miss him even more after visiting the Reagan Library in Simi Valley - a must see if you ever get to the Los Angeles area.  We have been told that out of all the presidential libraries this one is the best.  We were even able to go aboard “Airforce One” and “Marine One” - never new that is what the helicopter was called.  

Before leaving that weekend we ventured over to Sun Valley to hear the Saturday Matinee of the Christmas Cantata at John MacArthur’s church - Grace Community.  Now that is what I call an “uptown” experience!!!!  They do it up right.  At one point there was even a smaller choir echoing in the back of the auditorium.  The children’s choir was about 60 children - incredible.  So well behaved and well trained.  Two hours non-stop of professional, well pleasing to our Lord music.  A gorgeous stage and stately………just a little taste of Heaven here on earth.

We are now in the Flagstaff, AZ area enjoying our daughter’s family.  Sarah & Vince brought into this world our third granddaughter - Abigail Grace - on December 28th.  She is beautiful and God has given us an adorable group of granddaughters.  They are precious in His sight and both sets of parents are diligently bringing them up in the admonition of our Lord.  Praise Jesus, we are blessed beyond measure.

Evangeline (Big Sister) kissing Abigail (Little Sister)

We will be in the area - Camp Verde, AZ for the month of January working a SOWER project - Rainbow Acres, a home for disabled adults.  I will not hold back when I tell you - it’s COLD!  Burrrrrrrr………14 inches of snow in Flagstaff last Thursday and 4 inches in Camp Verde and the temps are well, let’s say, way down there!  We have learned to keep a faucet dripping at night in order not to have frozen pipes………it happened, only once, and unthawed quickly with no damage!  Thank you Lord.  So, that being said we have learned that coming from the Mojave’ Desert was not as bad as it seemed - at least it was warm and sunny!!!!! 

Finishing up at Ironwood - December 2014

This is our last week in California.  I am really going to miss this place.  The desert grows on you believe it or not and the people here at Ironwood Christian Camp are incredibly resourceful and every time we meet someone new it is so good to know that in eternity we will be sharing scenery that everyone will enjoy, might even have a little desert!  I have captured a few pics of things you don't normally see in the desert nor would you anticipate that you would.  They say to come back in the Spring - the flowers are beautiful, hard to imagine but I will do just that one day - I need proof!  On my walk this afternoon I ran across these two in bloom - reminds me of that saying - bloom right where you are.  You don't normally see this in the desert!

We heard that night before last Walt and Betty saw 2 Bobcats in their front yard.  Walt said one of them jumped in a tree in their front yard, clearing easily at least 10 ft. high.  Now I am just a little nervous on my walks.  I clap my hands periodically and sing real loud!  Now if that don't scare them I don't know what would!  They probably think that cat has a weird growl!  I did see a coyote one day on my walk when I rounded a curve.  I scared him as bad as he scared me!  He took off towards the mountain.

 A white picket fence on a cloudy day - you don't normally see this in the desert!  We have had 2 bouts of rain so far and tomorrow we are suppose to get more - very unusual.

Sunrise on a cloudy day in the desert is worth waking up early for - sunsets are gorgeous.

 A stage coach - just arrived, anyone for a ride?

 30+ of these have become my new friends - they now whineeeeee when they see me coming.  They wait for me every afternoon to pick up leftovers that fell over the fence during feeding to put either in their mouth or in their trough!

 Many of the staff here at Ironwood have small children.  You don't see many of these signs in the desert!

 Notice anything unusual at the left back base of this teepee skeleton?  An air conditioner!  In the summer when it is 110+ degrees this skeleton has a covering on it and I would guess it gets quite warm inside so the local indians (aka campers) have elected to have a cool teepee!

 A tennis court in the desert you say?  Yep, this camp even offers tennis to their campers and staff.

 Now this is very unusual.  If you are familiar with what a fooseball table is, this is a human sized one.  Each person mans a spot and hangs from the ceiling with straps.  He can not let go and can only kick the ball as far as his strap will allow him to go.  A Human Fooseball Court!  Each end has a trap that you will want to kick your ball to make points for your team.  The imagination of these westerners is BIG!

 Now this is what I call a BBQ pit.  Notice the grate on the top that is lowered onto the coals in the metal box.  I would imagine you could cook anything from a pig to a mountain lion.  With a little BBQ sauce and slow cooking' all day - OH YEAH!

Last but not least, a tree nursery, yes, a tree nursery!  They start small aspen saplings and when they reach about 4-5 ft. tall they transplant around the camp.  Every tree on this camp was started by the original people who created this camp 40 years ago and ever since then.  It really is amazing what you can do in the desert.

There are only 2 of us couples here this month.  Here we are enjoying hot fudge sundaes at Peggy Sue's one Thursday (Sower Friday) afternoon.  Don't tell our kids but it served the purpose of our dinner that day.  That's how good we've been!

We will leave next week after a trip to Los Angeles this weekend to see the Reagan Library and John McArthur's church for their Christmas Cantata Matinee on Saturday.  Sunday we will pack up the "house" and Monday let her roll back down Hwy. 40 East this time to Camp Verde (half way between Phoenix and Flagstaff.  We are all eagerly awaiting the arrival of little Miss Abigail Grace (Carotenuto).  We are hoping Mama keeps her in the oven till mid-January!

Our son-in-law was offered the lead pastor position at a Nazarene church in Tucson, Sarah is now waiting for an official offer from a veterinary practice in Tucson as well.  They anticipate moving Feb/March of 2015.  I know that they will miss many friends they have made in Flagstaff but it will be fun to watch God work in their lives in Tucson and how He will use them to bring others to Himself there in that area.

Next week I will post pics of our 2 trips to LA - Laguna Beach, Simi Valley and Sun Valley.