Family Time in Fresno

Spent a little over a week in Fresno. Karen came down from Richland for a week with Anne Marie and her family. We spent lots of time and meals together. Karen cooked awesome spaghetti. Tim and Anne Marie, of course, made gourmet meals. Karen flew out of Fresno on Saturday. That's where this picture was taken. Our next assignment is Sekiu, Washington. We'll be there at the end of the month.

Blue Angels at NAF El Centro

It's almost time for the annual Blue Angels Air Show at El Centro. They practice most days and we just smile and watch. The air show will be March 16, 2013 from 10AM to 4PM.

Quilt of Valor

Every year the women here at the Naval Air Facility El Centro RV Park create a "quilt of valor" to be donated to the organization of that name. These quilts go to wounded warriors. They mean so much to our service men and women who have been wounded. This is a picture of this year's quilt and some of the women who contributed to it.

Anza Borrego State Park

We took a day trip to the little mountain town of Julian (sorry, no pictures) through Anza Borrego State Park. It was the last few days before the New Year, and everyone was there. Ocotillo Wells was full of off road vehicles of all types. It was sunny. As we climbed the hills, the clouds moved in. When we got to Julian, 4000 ft., it was 35* and sleeting!

Julian was wall to wall people, dressed in heavy clothes. We found a small restaurant where we could eyeball tables until someone vacated. Just as our food arrived, a table became available. We were with Dan and Afsie Miller, our good friends from Irvine, on the other side of the mountains. Pulled pork sandwiches with french fries, onion rings or fried zucchini. Comfort food!

On the way back we went through Ocotillo. Lots of jumping or "teddy bear" cactus. Cute and cuddly to look at, but deadly if you get near them. The needles literally jump out on you and are verry painful. We will go back in the spring when the Ocotillo, the long spindly plants in the first picture, become green and have orange or red flowers. Just beautiful. So stay tuned. We'll be here at NAF El Centro through March.

Winter at El Centro Naval Air Facility

It's been so long since we have updated our blog that I really don't know where to start. We are spending the winter for the first time in the desert southwest. As the picture shows, we're at the Naval Air Facility in El Centro, CA, the winter home of the Blue Angels. We are about twenty miles from the Mexican border and sixty miles west of the Colorado River and border of Arizona. We are not camp hosting, we are guests in the RV park on base.

There is a lot to do. The people here take trips to Yuma and San Diego. They have potluck meals and parades. They decorate and pretend that stuff around us is snow. Just kidding. The average high temperature here in winter is 70 degrees. So for my four seasons husband, this is quite an adjustment. This second picture is of Palm Oasis RV Park, where we are staying. The picture was taken at dawn. Beautiful time on the desert. Temperature that morning was 53 degrees.

Memorial Day at Park Sierra

New kid in the campsite

Our table at the Memorial Day Barbecue

The clubhouse set up for the barbecue

Air Bear and a friend introducing Memorial Day celebrations

Anne Marie celebrated her 50th Birthday on April 30. She makes 50 look wonderful