Green Hike I shall miss

The SW is dry, so dry the humidity is something like 4%.  Yes when we were there looking over Sierra Vista, Hereford, Naco and Bisbee my skin did get dried out but I don't care.  I will miss the lush green of Manning Oregon on a May rainy, cold, damp day and just these photos will be enough to remind me why I stayed and why I left after 60 years. 

                 

Rainy, rainy, rainy Art Day

I have a friend/brother who is amazing painter.  He has a small little apartment in downtown and he paints.  "I wait till 8 or 9pm after drinking a lot of coffee and I paint.  After midnight is best as it is so quiet in the middle of the city.  I am cozy and content and I paint then.  I force myself to go to sleep at 2am but could stay up all nite painting".  He does not like the sun so you can see a few grey clouds added in here and there.  That's OK and Thanks friend for this lovely, blue wonder.  Reminds me of the skys of Bisbee. 

Another Pre-Leaving-One-Last-Visit to Portland before the adventuer to Bisbee

Portland, Oregon....funky, quirky, hippy vib, Portlandia zone going on.  Always find something cool to look at.  Took another nice walk in Portland with brother Steve and found more stuff to take pics of......reminds me of Bisbee only smaller...

The Party that wasn't and then was with a Buzzard

Some nice friends invited us to a party for Memorial Day only we showed up on the wrong day and not a soul around.  Stood around eating our deviled eggs I made - 2 big plates worth and some great chewy brownies,  Kinda nice just the 3 of us looking over the 9 acres our friend bought in the country.  Then made the best of the day and stopped back at the Oregon City Falls while eating the eggs, all gone by the time we got back to downtown Portland.  Went back 2 days later for the fun and partying and the Buzzard.  How long has it been since you have seen one? Well this guy was at least 1/4 mile away sitting and looking at us.  Maybe, just maybe he could smell the roasted pork, the baked beans and all the other amazing food, oh yummm for the amazing potato salad and was waiting for the right time to dive right in along with us. 

The potluck buzzard of 2013

Deviled eggs anyone?

Enjoying the view in rural Clackamas County Oregon.

Oregon City Falls where the Indians once fished for Salmon.  Amazing....

 

Bisbee V-Wee

Bisbee - Vweee...Not it's not in Bisbee yet but could be...

Pony Express in the wide open county - Blue Skys

Favorite place here in Eastern Nevada.....old Pony Express route......Super quiet, clean air and amazing views.  And the road leads to Bisbee, where else?

 

Record Lows in the NW - Bisbee here we come

Snow forecasted for the mountains here in the NW.  It is cold and wet so Bisbee is looking better and better.  Gutters in but so much rain leaking in one area till the GG - Gutter Guy come back tomorrow......yikes....please hurry up.  Yes that is my creation to get the water from draining into the basement.  Neighbors peeked out their window as this old Manning country girl figuring in out on her  own.....update.....11:12pm...has poured and poured for the last couple hours.  So once again get ready to re-plant that garden....  Summer now comes to the NW by July 1st.  Update 5/24, 5/25 still raining and raining and raining.....Still pouring and pouring 5/26.....buckets of rain...yikes!

Getting the house ready to sell...scary and $$$$$$

You know that little RV park in Naco Arizona, right on the border looks pretty good now.  They are only charging $250 for a park space.  Not going worry about home repairs anymore....yikes....roof got done JUST in time for the down pour of our Lovely May Days....don't let the blue sky fool you...brrrrrrr
it's 83 in Bisbee everyone....and 52 here in Washington State....

 

 

You know how it is working with contractors...at least we found some really good ones off Angie's List.  Was impressed with the roofing crew.  Took 2 days, 15 hours total to tear off the roofing and put the new one on.....just in time for the rain to start pouring.....I can hear it hitting the new roof and happy to be inside.  

One of the last visits to one of my favorite towns Portland, Oregon....Portlandia!

Oh I guess I am just trading one funky town with a lot better weather for a dear one, rainy one.  Wish I could stay. Portland really gave Funky it's name don't you think....
Portland in the Spring...ahhh

View from the Williams's Arizona Safeway

Ya I think this guy was trying to tell us something about the area.  Pure Funk, I'am ready so let the funkiness begin.....all roads lead to Bisbee don't they?

Thanks Sienna for teaching me simplicity

Thanks so my friend Sienna for the lesson of simplicity.

 

 

Gosh what a feeling to have pretty much everything you own in a 10 x 10 space.

 

 Took 19 small truckloads of possessions to the thrift store! Surprised how PAINLESS it was.  Oh ya I stopped briefly over a few things but all and all got the stuff out of here.  Exhilarating really, less is best. Feels free and super good.  yay!

Funky Tucson

Tucson is cool, a little like a Portland Oregon only smaller funk section of town and of course the weather.  Same Portlandia hipster thing going on with an old West quality.  Maybe a little Fuji too.  Anyhow great murals and hippies hanging all around. 

Monument Valley - Spiritual is the word

Hubby was nice enough to drive an extra couple miles out of our way to see Monument Valley.  We didn't go the entire 17 miles of the park as the van was a rental.  Anyhow got super inspired while there.  Spiritual is the word. 

Motel 6 was....well the pits...Walmart not so bad

We had the dogs with us...you know they are our kids really....so trying to get a motel...at the last minute without reservations....will cost ya about $200 after all the fees....so Motel 6 here we come.  Ya they left the light on for us and every drug dealer in Sierra Vista.  Not to trash SV, great little town, friendly people.  However where we stayed was like staying on the worst section of 82nd Ave. in Portland,,,,yikes!  Oh but we had some guidance as we met a great gal there, Maggi.  She had been staying at the M6 for a couple months, just retired, packed her bags and on her way to her new home...somewhere and somehow ended up at on the 2nd floor. Said she was there to watch the birds.  Southern Arizona has a super bird thing going on, hummingbirds center, etc.  After a couple days we got to know her pretty well and she let us know where the drunks were, the hookers and the drug deals going down.  Each had their own "section" of the motel.  If you wanted a lady for the night try hanging around the pool, need a drinking buddy? try by the ice machine and the drug dealers were on the south side of the building.  Sure enough we got a lovely little room on the south side and for the first night got NO sleep.  They moved us up to the 2nd floor right above the managers office.  Somehow I felt a little safer....I guess.....

 

 

Did you know that you can stay overnight in the parking lot of some Walmarts? Ahhh 7am in Green Valley Arizona.  Was OK except one of the employees at 3am came along sweeping all the popcorn I tossed out for the birds right beside the van.  It's open all night and you can use the bathroom, just don't wash up in them the notice says.  We saw quite a few RV and looked like some poor homeless folks living out of their station wagon.  Went to sleep thankful for what we had for the night, cold as it was. 

 



 

Tonto National Park

Another over the top park in Utah I think...oh gosh I will have to check.  Any how you can see why the 1/2 mile to the top is worth it, easy walk really.  Go for it if you can.  It is on the way to Bisbee you know, well all roads lead to Bisbee. 

 

Of course we saw the Grand Canyon

Hey and ho for those international visitors here a few pics of the Grandest Grand Canyon.  3rd time there, never get tired of the view.  Whoa and whew.  Northern Arizona.  Always wanted to stay on "The Rim" in the quaint log cabins, maybe one day...