Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Faywood Hot Springs, Faywood, NM
We stayed there for a while. Since I didn't feel like going in, never really caring for hot tubs, and detesting them since the incident of 2001, I wandered around and took pictures. Here is the path to the outhouse:
As we were leaving, an old man with a shock of vertical white hair disrobed (completely) and sank into the hot pool He had such a look of total bliss on his face I wanted to snap a picture, but I didn't want to be rude.
The next morning I promised that I would go in too. As we approached the pools, I heard this loud clicking. The closer we got, the louder it got. Finally, I saw what it was and ran back to the trailer to get my camera. It was the sound of thousands of bugs eating! No one staying at the place had ever seen them before, and they flocked in just about when we arrived. They weren't just outside the pools, they were also in the showers, toilets, everywhere.
Anyway, we skirted them and went into the clothing optional pool area again. This time, Brian and Zorah both took the option. I didn't. A few people came in, saw us there, and left. Brian told me it was because I was wearing my suit, and they didn't want to make me uncomfortable. I told him that was a spiel to get me to take my suit off.
When the fourth person came and left, and Ian went back to the trailer, I decided to call his bluff. He was right. After that other people came into the pools. The water was actually nicer without the suit on. The adobe surfaces acted like Velcro to the swimsuit material. Still, I didn't stay in long. Though it was better than a hot tub, no chlorine, and softer water, it was still a hot tub, if you know what I mean.
Eventually we got dressed and went to have lunch and to decide what to do with the rest of the day. What we did turned out to be my favorite part of the whole trip. Not just in New Mexico, the whole entire trip.
Benson KOA, Benson, AZ
Who would ever think that such aan average sign could cause such elation! The rest of the trip was uneventful. We started getting tired of driving as we approached the Arizona-New Mexico border, and decided to stop at the KOA in Benson, Arizona. What is Benson? Well, it's a small town close to the Arizona-New Mexico border! We didn't stay and see the town, really.
And I saw this one lovely flower in a sea of dry dirt.
The campground's swimming pool was really interesting. They had those big spool bases for umbrellas, and a solar heating system I hadn't seen before, but which made perfect sense. An area by the pool was fenced off, and inside were black hoses laid in coils which ultimately emptied into the pool. Isn't that neat? I kind of felt like taking a picture of that too, but thought it would be way too geeky, even for me. Zorah enjoyed the pool immensely.
The next morning, we got up early and headed out to New Mexico, but not before taking a picture of Zorah next to our friendly Cochise. They had different tribes for the different sections of the park. They look kind of alike!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
My Litte Princess
Trying to limit the amount of activities she does which reinforce the importance of image, I have her trace letters, read a book by herself, or other random, more mentally challenging and productive tasks before allowing the dress up stuff. At first I told her if she could find the dress up games herself, she could play. She figured that out within 2 minutes. She went to Google, which is her home page, typed a "d", and "dress up games" came up on the auto complete. Then she clicked search and found the ultimate guide to dress up games.
What's the point? Well, she ended up at a few sites which actually sold dress up clothes, and has been asking for a new dress (or costume). I said she could save up her money to buy one, but that we wouldn't since she doesn't need a new dress. Then we opened her kitty bank, and I tried to explain the value of the coins and add them all together. I am hoping if we do this regularly she will start to get more math. And what motivation! A sparkly Disney costume with which to plague us! She will want to wear it everywhere if she actually ends up saving enough to get one.
So what is she doing right now? She is on eBay looking at princess costumes. LOL.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Desert's Edge RV Village, Phoenix, AZ
October 15-22, 2006
So we found this place called Desert's Edge RV Village as we traveled down the road. Air cards are very handy when you don't have a plan.We stayed there for a week, and really loved both the park and the city.
Our first night there, we were a bit confused. Luckily, Michelle, a resident of the park, led us to the open overnight spaces. Brian, Ian, and Zorah headed to the pool immediately after setting up. I met them there afterward, unsuited. Having been to uncounted swimming pools on our trip, as you must know from my rant early on, I have to say that this one was great. It was a combination of curious and attractive; attractive for the smooth stones forming the patio in which the pool was situated, curious for the yellow and purple paint job on the walls. Maybe the owner was an alumnus of Williams. Maybe the University of Arizona has those colors. Who knows. Not me!
As we were driving to dinner that night, we noted that the Arizona State Fair was running while we were there. So, of course, we had to go. On their ad on the web, they advised to try any food which is fried or on a stick. The next day, or the day after, we set out.
Apparently, the Chinese stand had read this blurb and decided to do it one better. Fried and on a stick! Woohoo! Everything on a stick! I'm not sure whether I forgot to keep looking for stick foods, or if these were only the most amusing of a myriad.
The first attraction we came across was a ski lift which went from one end of the fair to the other. I suppose it makes sense. There aren't many ski lifts in Arizona, I would imagine. Zorah and I got into the ticket both line while Brian got a drink. There, behind us, a bit of a drama unfolded. A young couple with their two children were behind us in line, but daddy had disappeared. He came back with a beer. Mom started cursing him out, asking if he wanted to go to jail again, grabbed the beer our of his hand and dumped it on the pavement. The rest of the time they muttered at each other, a counterpoint to the happy sounds of the fair. I didn't take their picture.
After the ski lift, where I took the food on a stick pictures, we went on the big slide. Zorah went once with me, then once with Brian, then insisted on going all by herself! It was a proud moment to watch her struggling up the ramp with a mat bigger than she was.
She held up the line, until a little girl about ten years old helped her the last third of the way up. Curiously, there were two big teenage boys behind her up the ramp who never offered to help. On second thought, maybe that's not so surprising. Heh, heh. Anyway, she loved it.
We went to the petting zoo at the fair as well, which, surprisingly, had quite a variety of animals! Not only the standard farm animals, but zebras, a giraffe, and other oddities. Well, oddities on a farm. One sad alpaca stood out from the rest. Why? Behold!
The poor thing was done up like a poodle! I know that they harvest an alpaca regularly for its wool, but they should at least allow it to maintain its dignity in the process, don't you think?
After this, Zorah went on a pony ride, which she loved. Not at first.
She was a little hesitant, but quickly felt at ease. She wanted to ride again, but then she saw the next creature with a saddle. I was glad, because I got to go on it with her, and it was so much fun! It's not like we went very fast, but the camel's humping gate would probably have gotten pretty uncomfortable at high speeds. We just got led along, as in the pony ride. It was great. Let's cross the Sahara!
Zorah was getting hot and tired not long after our camel ride. It really was hot! We had some ride tickets left, and Brian saw a log flume, so he and Zorah went on it. I didn't want to all go together in case we got really wet. This seems to happen a lot when I go on a water ride. Why? I don't know. I was worried that Zorah wouldn't like it. Lately, she hasn't liked having wet clothes. No need to worry though; they only got lightly sprinkled with water during the ride, and Zorah wanted to go again with me.
So I gave Brian all my stuff, and Zorah and I went on. I hadn't been watching the ride at all except their log, but I figured there was a likelihood of getting soaked. One time Brian and I went on one of those 8 person raft rides at Six Flags and were the only ones who got wet on that whole raft. And not just wet, soaked. Every single water feature of the ride landed only on us. As expected, a similar thing happened in this situation. The first plunge was fine. Then all of a sudden, a huge wave splashed over us from behind! The ride operator had timed the release of the log on the top slope so that all the water would spray onto Z and me. When we came out of there, Zorah was upset and I was amused, but soaked through to my skin. Brian was jealous. He had wanted to get that wet when he went on. I offered to change clothes with him, but he didn't want to. Anyway, we headed home soon after that. It was great to be able to put on warm, dry clothes.
The next morning, Zorah and I went for a walk to the office to settle up, when we saw a small rental RV had pulled up. Inside were about 6 adults and 10-13 kids! It was an RV version of a clown car! Of course, Zorah wanted to go over and say hello, as she does with almost everybody, and she played with the kids for a while. I brought my camera over, and a bunch of the kids crowded around me asking if I could take their picture.
I didn't mind. The beauty of digital cameras! These three families were here for the kids' grandmother, who was ill. We left shortly after that for a motorcycle/truck ride with our neighbor, who had recently retired. Unfortunately, they were gone when we came back.
The ride was great, though. As I said, our neighbor invited Brian to ride with him through the Arizona desert. He had recently retired and had bought a toy hauler trailer as well. He and his wife had been traveling around the country, and he often plotted out bike rides. Brian agreed to join him, and suggested that the three of us follow in the truck, then have a picnic. So we rode off, and finally ended up in a state park for lunch. It was a bit difficult to find the place, and we stopped a couple of times to look at the map. Here is Brian being happy to be riding his bike:
Yes, the sign says "Road Weenie".
I wish I could remember the name of the state park, something beginning with an R, I think. Anyway, we made sandwiches and drank apple seltzer or beer. The trees out there were interesting. Even the trunks were green. I took a picture of one with Zorah underneath it, but you can't really see the color of the trunk. It really just looks kind of brown here, I think.
Oh, well. Still, I loved the desert landscapes. Twisted trees on a backdrop of red orange and blue. Of course, what did I do? Took a black and white photo. I took some color ones, too, but they didn't come out as well as this. 
If you leave a comment, I can post one of the lesser color photos. Or you can copy, paste, and print my photo, and color it in yourself! A blog activity!
Anyway, it was time to head out again to Texas to visit some friends. Bye, Phoenix!
Friday, December 29, 2006
Off on the road to Arizona
like a bright blue lake in the midst of the red rock desert,
or a face peering out from a cliffmaintained, in me at least, a definite sense of wonder.
Anyway, we finally peeled ourselves away from Vegas. We really did stay there way too long. Why? I'm not really sure. Maybe it was the total change from what we were doing, which was getting away from the pitfalls of civilization. Maybe it was just the relief of having a place, no matter how strange, becoming familiar. Who knows. Anyway, we left.
We had no specific destination. We just knew we would be heading through Phoenix. So we plotted a route and figured we would see how long we could stand to drive before we hit a point of interest. To get to Arizona from Vegas, the best way was to go by way of the Hoover Dam. We didn't stop, but traffic was so bad due to tourists and road blocks caused by high terrorist warning levels or whatever that thing is called, that it was almost like stopping.
On the way to the dam we had to pull the truck into a special inspection area where they had us stop and open a compartment or two before waving us through. This really didn't strike me as a shining example of national security. The dam was interesting. I guess it was designed when Art Deco was all the rage. Even if not, that was the style they picked.
In stark contrast to the old design were odd pulleys, and half finished towers for a road that will bypass the winding, clogged road which we drove on, and which right now is the only way through. They made for neat pictures!
Friday, December 08, 2006
Circus Circus KOA, Las Vegas, NV V
So it’s been so long since we were in Vegas that I am having a bit of difficulty deciding what to include and what to leave out. And to be honest, I am having more than a bit of difficulty remembering what we did. After the first few days of being there, I stopped taking so many pictures. I guess that when you have been in a place long enough, it becomes mundane. Nevertheless, I will do my best to give an amusing account of this time, which I hardly remember. For the most part, we swam, ate Japanese food, and walked around. I don’t know why, but the family somehow has become addicted to sushi and hibachi. I gave a long spiel a while back about how we were on a tour of swimming pools and playgrounds. It actually evolved into a pool, playground, and Japanese steakhouse tour.
The funny thing about Vegas, though, is that as odd a place as it is, it was very easy to get comfortable there. We kept deciding to leave then staying another day, or two days, or three days. I guess that happens to a lot of people who go there. When Brian was playing poker one night, the dealer asked him: “Do you live here?”
“Well, we came to visit for a week and have been here for three,” Brian laughed.
The dealer replied, “See that dealer there? He came for a weekend ten years ago. That dealer was on vacation for a week. He’s been here seven years.” I think he may have kept pointing people out after that. Who knows.
One day we came back to the trailer, and there was this little boy sweeping the parking lot with a little broom. Zorah went to say hello, then immediately grabbed our broom and joined him in sweeping.
Later on, he came back, but they tired rather quickly of the brooms, so I pulled out a bag of balloons, strained my jaw blowing one up, and gave it to them. They batted it around until it popped.As you may know, Zorah likes to squeeze herself into boxes and other small places. One day she decided that she wanted to be in our storage ottoman. Then, she wanted to be tucked into it, which I did with the following results.
Silly Zorah!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Circus Circus KOA, Las Vegas, NV IV
Anyway, Brian headed back over to the foosball room at the Riviera, and Ian and I took Zorah to the Adventuredome, an indoor amusement park within the Circus Circus complex. There, we bought all-day bracelets for the rides. Z was a bit dismayed to have a grey bracelet, but that was quickly overshadowed by her excitement at going on the hot air balloon shaped ferris wheel and the carousel, which she had been eyeing since we arrived in Vegas. We had also found out that the clown shows were held in the Adventuredome, so her anticipation at finally seeing some clowns was at an all time high.
So the first thing we did was walk around looking for the clown area. We couldn't find it, so we asked a friendly Adventuredome employee where it was. We were informed that there were no clowns to be seen. Apparently, the stage reserved for the clown acts had been requisitioned for their Frightdome event. All of October Adventuredome would be following a Halloween theme. Sigh. So, yes, believe it or not, it was impossible to see any clowns at Circus Circus. We quickly made our way over to the ferris wheel. We rode once with Zorah sitting next to me. When the ride was over, Z wanted to go again, so we flashed our bracelets and remained seated. Next, she sat by herself, then with Ian and Kwala La.
After three ferris wheel rides, I was feeling a bit dizzy, so we took a break. Ian and Z walked around while I ducked out of the Adventuredome for a smoke. I think it is the only non-smoking area of the casino. No, wait, the Midway where the circus acts perform is also.We walked around for a bit, then proceeded to the carousel. It was one of the few we have found
that didn't go too too fast. Still fast enough to make us a bit dizzy though. Are they dizzy? Or thinking? 
We rode that four times, I think, then walked around some more. There was a lot of stuff to see. Booths with useless items, an arcade, and midway games.
Zorah and Ian found bumper cars and rode that two or three times too. I think that might have been her favorite ride, and I know it was Ian's favorite. After that, Zorah wanted to try a game at the midway where you throw ping pong balls into a bowl. Depending on which color bowl it landed in, you might win a prize. Total luck. Anyway, I let her try it twice, with no luck. She took it pretty well. I wasn't sure if she expected to win something.
Afterwards, Z decided that she didn't want the pink outfit anymore for Kwala La. Fortunately, I had kept all the packaging, so I put everything back in the bag exactly as I had found it, with the exception of the tag not being attached to the dress. Then we walked back to the store. The guy looked at us rather suspiciously, but agreed that we could exchange the dress as long as it hadn't been opened. Hum. Whistle. Kwala La now has a red dress with roses on it.
Z decided to take her bracelet off after that, so our time in Adventuredome was over. Ian went back to the trailer, and Zorah and I watched a few more circus acts. In between, we walked around the games surrounding the stage. Again we came across the ping pong ball game. Zorah tried again, and this time, she won! She won a big, pink stuffed rose, which was exactly what she had wanted. Hooray! After the contortionist, Zorah asked me to try the Chicken In A Pot game.
In this one, you have to put a stuffed chicken on a catapult type thing, hit the thing with a mallet, and have the chicken fly into a pot. I got one chicken in, which meant I won a little white tiger. Zorah named him Konki. What a great name for a prize won by conking something!We ate at the Italian restaurant at the Riviera for dinner. I ordered osso buco, and gave Zorah most of the marrow since it was her birthday. Afterward Z had fun running around the foosball tournament. It was weird seeing a few people we knew and hadn't seen for years. I guess it's a bit like how it would have been if I had gone to my 15th high school reunion.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Circus Circus KOA, Las Vegas, NV III
From the central bus station we took another bus further down Las Vegas Boulevard, and finally arrived at the Children's Museum, which was located in the library. I was expecting to see that famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign, but all we saw was kind of a miniature version. Disappointing.
Anyway, the museum was great. I'm not sure if this was a good or bad thing, but since we came on a Thursday, there were no kids there since school was in. We had the run of the place to ourselves. I tried going into detail with some of the exhibits, but the place was so big and had so much stuff in it that she mostly ran around taking everything in. She put on this construction outfit and pushed a wheelbarrow around for a bit, but moved on pretty quickly.
She really liked this little bedroom, where she put on the nightgown and robe and went into the bed for a story.
Another one she spent a lot of time with was this piano that they had at the very top floor of the museum. Rising above the keyboard were all these neon things -- stars, musical notes, moons -- and when you pressed a key on the keyboard, a certain one would light up. The sounds weren't very loud, but she loved that one. I think if I actually want her to learn anything at one of these, though, we will have to find one when we settle down and go to it on a regular basis. Then she will maybe get tired of running around and will really look at the exhibits. Well, the important thing is that she had fun.As we left the museum Zorah insisted on sitting on the rocks just outside the parking lot. I had a feeling we would miss the bus if we did this, but agreed. She climbed on them for a little while, and as I had thought, we saw the bus drive by. We waited about an hour, during which she fell asleep on my lap, then I had the fun of carrying and holding her through two bus changes during rush hour. One good thing about the Las Vegas bus system is that you can buy an all day pass for $5. Was nice not to have to worry about finding change in my pocket as I was toting her around.
After about two hours of commuting, we made it to the Ford dealer and picked up the truck. Yay! I don't think anything else of note happened that day. But tomorrow would be big. It would be Zorah's 4th birthday! Whee!
