Bob & LeeAnn road trip 2023

There are a lot of fancy RVs here, but this one looks ready for anything! Just a few of our treasures. I am not usually attracted to the surf board and car resin cabachons, but these bulls-eye surfite pieces were calling to me. The large blue/green stone is a new one to us. It looks just like chrysocolla and malachite, but it isn't. It's cornitite mined in it's own mines in Africa. There are two rose cut sapphires and two pieces of moldavite, which is a glass formed from a meteor impact (according to people who are knowledgeable about crystals it is very powerful). We're ready for another beautiful sunset. So Beautiful! On the road back to Tucson for the Gem and Rock show. We took a route around Phoenix. Phoenix is HUGE! Raleigh on steroids, and spread out for miles and miles and miles.

There are a lot of RV models here. We had fun looking at the different layouts and we each chose a favorite. But,the RV show is a little disappointing. I was interested in a bedding system that makes making an rv bed easier; but they are not here. I was expecting a lot of RV organization ideas, but other than plastic food storage it's all about connectivity, solar power, work/stay opportunities, and assorted pain relief (that does tempt me). But we did get literature on electronic locking. Charlie is having a great time playing ball in a big, dry clean area. There is no photo editing in this photo. The colors are beautiful. However, in the next photo I did edit to try to show the colors more accurately. The moon was orange and the night sky was deep blue around the moon and fading higher in the sky. It was really gorgeous and I wish I could have a true photo of it as it was. And Bob says "Hi"

There are tons more people here than last year. Bob and I expect sensory overload with the RV show on one side of the road and Gem and Rock show on the other! But, we did not visit anything yesterday. We filled up water and gas then picked a spot and set up camp. Charlie was very happy. He was finally able to play ball until he was totally worn out. It had been raining and this beautiful rainbow formed as we set up camp. We both love the desert mountain landscape and this sunset was gorgeous! I found a schedule of events that we plan to go to over the next few days. Hopefully, everything anyone could need to make an RV trip comfortable; I have a list. And, there are RV's set up all over town that we can look at if we have time. And then across the street to find some pretty rocks to make pretty jewelry.

Mon. Jan.22, 2024 We didn't plan to do a blog this year. We thought we would just post on facebook, but didn't really want to do a diary type post on facebook, so here we are. The trip so far has been a bit of a chore. Not nearly as much fun as last year when we stopped to visit with kids and grandkids along the way. We did have ice again, ugh! Some of the campgrounds have been significantly disappointing. Heritage RV in Augusta didn't have a bath house! That was a first for me. Toomsuba KOA is Missippi was nice, gratefully, since that was where we were iced in. Midland, Tx. is dry and dusty and darn cold, ugh, couldn't wait to get out of there. Deming, N.M. looks like a nice town but I chose the wrong campground ($25.00 a night so I shouldn't be surprised). Finally we are seeing mountains in the distance, trees and shrubs; yeah! The highlight of the week was in Abilene, Tx where we visited with a fellow marine and friend that Bob served with some years ag...

We've had a couple family members get in touch and we realized it's been 10 days since the last blogpost. So, catching up. . . Finally! I picture of Bob and Lauren. We stopped to visit Lauren over last weekend. We had a great time doing some antiquing and she and her friends took us out to Toad Sucks Bucks, a Arkansas River bank joint with great steaks and live music. We had a blast. Next stop, Mom's house. Mary lives in Illinois just east of St. Louis. It was a great visit with Mom and Bob's sister Eileen, husband Jeff and grandbaby Preston, but no picture (we did it again!) We are making our way home. Currently at the Kentucky Horse Park Campground where there is a 3 yr. old horse event happening which sounds very interesting. Tonight,Townsend, Tn. where we will be visiting Bob's daughter, Tabetha, husband Jeremy and kids, Ayla and Jayden. We'll head to Raleigh for an overnight to visit Meadow, and Jason and Jess. On Wed. head home with a st...

We spent one day in Gallup, New Mexico. The town is lined with Native American Art Galleries (many are like museums), jewelry fabrication supply shops, and Native American craftspeople. In a supply shop Bob struck up a conversation with another shopper who answered questions about choosing shell material. The mans name is Bruce Joe. He is a well known, accomplished Native American jewelry artist. We also met one of my Native American jewelery heros, Lyndon Tsosie. Lyndon is a award winning jeweler who teaches in workshops and online videos. We moved on to Santa Fe on Friday, March 10. BLM camping reviews for the area mentioned roaming dogs and people- we made reservations at Sata Fe Skys RV park! These photos are from the park. Metal yard art is common here. These pieces are in the campground. We were winging our visit to Santa Fe. FYI: the Georgia O'Keefe museum tickets are 30 days advance The Art Museum and History Museum are closed on Mondays. We were happy to b...