So, one of my younger brothers (I have 5 younger brothers) is waiting for Escrow to close on his home in Kingman, AZ.👏👏 I am SO HAPPY for him!! (And a little tiny bit jealous, to be honest)!! He is ecstatic! He beat me out of California. We have talked about leaving for a few years now, he beat me to the punch.🙃
Out travels began with the need to get our twin grandsons back to their dad in Sahurita, which is South of Tucson, AZ, so they could continue their studies. Their mom, my daughter, Muneca (Spanish for doll, is pronounced “Moon-Ye-ka”), arranged with their father to meet us in Quartsite, which is a good half-way point. We got there first, so we decided to get out to stretch our legs. We walked around exploring the desert landscape. Across the highway was a little storefront shop with piles of various rocks gem stones and minerals for sale. We just peered, but didn’t cross. Before we knew it, their dad pulled up. We exchanged pleasantries while the boys took their items from our RV and loaded them into their dad’s SUV. After bidding our farewells and squeezing hugs, off they went.
Sidebar: Our grandsons are seniors in high school. Remil was voted “Homecoming King” earlier this year. He and his brother Reign are scheduled to graduate next month, in May. However, it looks like they will have to finish their studies at home because of this covid-19 virus. AND, at this point, it doesn’t appear that they will have a prom, grad night or a graduation ceremony. It is not the worst thing in the world but those activities mark a transition in young people’s lives. It is an accomplishment, a passage into “young adulthood” so to speak. To celebrate their graduation and achievements we had scheduled a family vacation to Hawaii (in June), but it appears that we will have to postpone until this pandemic is over. Well, as long as they are healthy and happy, all is well.😁 (LeLahni is their 25 year old sister who joined us for the trip.)
Well, after the boys left with their dad down Highway 40, we headed up Highway 95 to Kingman, AZ. Our goal, to see my brothers soon to be home. 🏡 🏜 While driving up the highway my daughter and granddaughter revealed that they had never been to Lake Havasu. WELL, since it was on our way, we stopped to stretch our legs.
Sidebar: Prior to any of us leaving Bob mentioned having a BBQ. He said he would grill some meat; and we agreed to bring a nice big green salad, and a couple of sides.
When we arrived in Kingman, Bob was grilling some rib eye steaks and country style spare ribs. (YUM-YUM!) After hours on the road, we were hungry! When we hopped out of Shorty, we could smell the fragrant smoke from the meat on the grill! 🥩 Ray, the current owner welcomed us and gave us a tour of the house highlighting some of the latest repairs and upgrades that he and his worker Pi had completed. This single story ranch style home has four bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, two of which are master suites, with their own bathroom. The big fireplace is see through, in that it greets you in the living room as well as the other side of the wall in the family room. There is new carpet throughout. One of my favorite features in this home is the Arizona sunroom; which also has a hot tub. (I would grace this room with ALOT of Plants!) The home sits on just under an acre of land, and is zoned for 🐴horses and 🐔🐣 chickens! It needs some work, but has great bones. The front of the house has a circular gravel drive and plenty of room to park. A portion of the back yard is fenced and has some grass, but beyond the fence it is full on desert, complete with cactus, 🏜 wild bushes and flowers,🍀🌼 cottontail rabbits,🐇 hummingbirds, lizards,🦎 a wide variety of song birds 🐦and quail. The quail are really cute!
After the tour with Ray, while the steaks continued to accost our nostrils, we prepared the salad, a side of corn, beans, and tortillas. Bob had some chips and other snacks available too. We all sat and ate and chatted. All of us; Ray, his wife, Pi, my brother Bob, husband Craig, daughter Muneca and granddaughter LeLahni. We were all hungry; and then we were FULL, happy and tired.
After a GOOD nights sleep I woke up about 7 a.m. brewed some coffee and joined my brother in his yard enjoying our morning brew. He shared some of his home improvement and landscape ideas with me. Besides landscaping, one idea he has is to design a dirt track for his ATV. That will be some great family fun!! He will build a tool shed and an additional garage along with some interior painting and gardening.
My brother Bob is a divorced man, who doesn’t need a four bedroom home; but, he wanted to have plenty of room for family and friends to visit. 😉 He, like my dad was, is very handy with his hands. He loves to build things and is particularly good with wood. He has more tools than ANYONE I personally know. He has a big, trusting, generous heart. He is an overall good guy. I am so proud of him and am very happy for this new phase in his life. I KNOW as soon as he is a little settled, I will be visiting.😍
Well, the time to return to California was upon us. We bid our farewells and left Bob’s about 1 p.m. We stopped for a bite to eat, and pressed forward. Our drive home was relatively uneventful except for some very high🌬 winds. We could feel gusts of wind push Shorty to and fro and I could see Craig holding the steering wheel with both hands; not his usual one hand casually holding the wheel while his other taps his leg to the beat of whatever song is playing. No, he was holding that wheel securely with both hands. Muneca and I had both wanted to drive for a bit sometime during the trip, but Craig decided to stay at the wheel because of the high winds.😍
As we entered California the sky and weather began to change. The winds had died down and in the distance the sky began to get cloudy, we could see big, dark rain clouds forming.
BUT, what really got my attention was the lack of vehicles on the freeway! It was a little eerie. Never ever in my life had I seen so few vehicles on a California freeway.
Like I said, it was eerie. However, the lack of vehicles on the road gave me a sense of peace and calm. I didn’t get the usual “anxious” feeling I get when we are on these over-crowded California freeways. My little silver lining to this pandemic.😉
Well, we arrived home safely and unpacked. I needed this little getaway! Shorty will get cleaned inside and out in the morning. He is my little home away from home. Until next time; stay safe and stay healthy. Peace.✌
Road Trippin' with the Green's 