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Greasewood Flats

Donna was up early yesterday. She had a table at the Orangewood Shadows RV Resort Country Store. The Country Store is a Saturday morning swap meet for the residents of the RV park. Donna had a table with some of her books. I stopped in for a plate of biscuits and gravy for breakfast.

After breakfast, I posted to the blog, then dumped and flushed our holding tanks. Before I knew it, it was noon and Donna had returned from the Country Store.

A few days ago, I wrote about meeting Mike and Kim at Lucky Lou’s. They’re in the process of selling their house and hitting the road in a fifth-wheel RV. One of the things they mentioned to me was fact they would be leaving their friends behind. They asked me how we cope with it.

We never looked at it as leaving our friends behind. We knew we’d be back for a visit. The cool thing is that we get to see friends all over the country that we may not have had a chance to see in previous years. We have also made many new friends in the RV community. It’s amazing how we cross paths with people we’ve met in our travels.

We took advantage of the rental car by driving up to Greasewood Flats in the DC Ranch area of Scottsdale. This area was originally settled around 1900 and was a large cattle ranch. The owner of the cattle ranch, E. O. Brown, used the DC brand on his cattle. The ranch eventually encompassed 43,000 acres. Thus the name DC Ranch.

Greasewood Flats was originally an old bunkhouse on DC Ranch. Around 1955, Doc Cavalliere bought 45 acres of land around the bunkhouse. He developed it into a hideaway to take retreats from downtown Scottsdale. Over the years, it was known by various names – it was called Pinnacle Peak Patio, then Reata Pass before becoming Greasewood Flats (the name was derived from all of the greasewood bushes on this flat area of desert). It’s one of the last rustic cowboy haunts in Scottsdale.

We went there to meet up with our friends, Bob and Sini. We first met them when we were neighbors at Mission Bay RV Resort in San Diego last year. Since then, we’ve kept track of their travels through Europe on their Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Then they drove their motorhome from Edmonds, Washington to Florida. They’ve crossed the south and are now parked west of Cave Creek. Greasewood Flats was a great place for us to meet up as it’s about halfway between their current site and ours.

Sini, Bob and Donna at Greasewood Flat

Sini, Bob and Donna at Greasewood Flats

We arrived late. Road construction had the ramp from Gilbert Road to the Loop 202 closed. We had to take a zig-zag detour route that put us about a half hour behind schedule. We eventually got there and saw Bob’s vintage Chevy K5 Blazer in the parking lot. We found them seated at a table near the outdoor dance floor.

We caught up with each other and dined on green chili cheese burgers at the table. A musician was playing on the bandstand and a couple of people hit the dance floor. It was a little hot for dancing if you ask me.

Bandstand at Greasewood Flat

Bandstand at Greasewood Flats

After lunch, we took a walking tour of the area. The place is packed with old ranch implements, mining equipment and even an old 50-caliber quad anti-aircraft gun. There’s a corral in back with horses and burros.

Cafe and bar at Greasewood Flat

Cafe and bar at Greasewood Flats

Old tractor with two PTOs

Old tractor with two PTOs

Fire tanker next to wood chopping area

Fire tanker next to wood chopping area

The area around Greasewood Flats has grown into an affluent residential development. This will be the end of Greasewood Flats. They will be closing down in a couple of months and the land will be developed into more housing. Progress kills another cool hangout.

We followed Bob and Sini to the small community of Cave Creek. We parked in the old downtown area and walked through the shops looking at all of the tourist trinkets and also looked at antique furniture. We stopped at the Rare Earth gallery and looked at gem stones, petrified wood and huge rock art displays. The rock garden in the back featured a huge rock crystal that was split in half and serves as a pair of tables with a glass table top. It’s yours for the bargain price of $175,000!

 

Rock tables - $175,000 price tag

Rock tables – $175,000 price tag

After walking and shopping for a few miles, we stopped for liquid refreshment (coffee and espresso for everyone but me – I had a beer). Then we drove to the outskirts of town and had dinner at Harold’s Cave Creek Corral. This is a western-themed restaurant and saloon featuring barbeque meats. I had the half rack of babyback ribs. Donna had tilapia poached in salsa. Bob and Sini split a huge barbeque combination plate. It was a lot of food and we had leftovers to bring home.

Half-rack of babyback ribs

Half-rack of babyback ribs

As it turns out, we’ll be meeting up down the road again. Bob and Sini should be at Mission Bay RV Resort in San Diego when we arrive there in April.

 

Bragging Shirt

We kept the coach as cool as possible yesterday. We didn’t let the interior warm up too much in the morning. We deployed the windshield curtains and pulled the shades down on the sunny side of the coach. The outside temperature reached the mid-80s by the afternoon, but we didn’t need to run the air conditioners. The discounted monthly rate here at Orangewood Shadows RV Resort doesn’t include electricity. Our usage is metered and we’re billed separately for electricity. We don’t use much unless we’re running the heat pumps/air conditioners.

I rode the scooter over to Tempe. I wanted to check out a store at the Tempe Marketplace, which is a large outdoor mall. I used to shop at BevMo there when we lived here in Mesa. BevMo is sort of a big box liquor store. They have a huge selection of beer, wine and liquor at discount prices. I heard that Total Wine had opened a store near BevMo. I wanted to compare the two stores. I had’t shopped at Total Wine before, but I was told it’s another big box liquor outlet worth exploring.

I found the Total Wine store. It’s huge with a large variety of beverages, just like BevMo. They have a tasting area, the store was clean and well laid out and I found my favorite Blue Ice potato vodka there at a reasonable price. I think they must be cutting into BevMo’s market share. I went over to BevMo to compare pricing. Total Wine had better prices and a larger variety of liquor on the shelf. Total Wine wins.

While I was at BevMo, I saw Old South Tomolives on the shelf. The eight-ounce jar was priced at $5.99. I remembered a Cost Plus World Market in the Tempe Marketplace so I stopped there. They had Old South Tomolives on sale for $2.39. I stocked up and should be good for months.

When I returned, Donna and I went down to the pickleball courts. We were signed up for lessons at 1pm. We arrived early and warmed up, hitting the ball back and forth. The husband and wife instructor team showed up just before 1pm along with another beginner couple. We learned the rules of the game and did some practice drills. Then we played a game against the other beginner couple. Pickleball is a lot of fun. It’s like a racket sport (tennis, racquetball) mixed with ping-pong. You use a paddle to hit a large plastic ball on a short outdoor court. You don’t have to be especially athletic as you don’t cover as much court as tennis and the ball moves slower. It’s still competitive though and I was feeling the strain in my legs from stopping and starting forward and back and shuffling from side to side. An hour on the court was enough as it was getting hot out. I’ll be shopping for a nice pickleball paddle!

Later, I scootered Donna to the Enterprise rental car agency. We wanted a car for the weekend. Enterprise often has a weekend special – three days for $9.99/day. They were supposed to deliver the car, but were slammed and couldn’t send someone over until much later. We wanted to go to the Red, White and Brew for happy hour and dinner. On a Friday, that means showing up by 4pm or forget about a seat at the bar. I dropped Donna off at the Enterprise and rode over to Red, White and Brew to claim our seats.

Donna had a glass of red wine and ordered the Mussels Vin Blanc (green-lipped mussels sauteed with white wine, butter and garlic). I had the New Yawka pizza paired with Guinness stout. The food was great as always.

Mussels Vin Blanc

Mussels Vin Blanc with crostini

I was wearing my California Western School of Law Dad T-shirt so I could brag about my daughter, Shauna. She will graduate from Cal Western on May 1st. Last summer, she worked as an intern at the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, DC. While she was there, she networked and made contacts. She went back to DC in November and had meetings with key contacts and set up a job interview. Yesterday, she accepted an offer from a prestigious international law firm to work in securities litigation and compliance. She will work at the Washington, DC and New York City offices. She has to finish school and pass the bar exam before she starts. She’s one of the top students in her class, so passing the bar won’t be a problem for her.

Bragging shirt

Bragging shirt

Today, we’ll take the rental car and drive up to Cave Creek. Our friends, Bob and Sini, just  pulled in yesterday. We met Bob and Sini at Mission Bay RV Resort last year. They’re from Edmonds , Washington. We’ve kept in touch and look forward to getting together for lunch today.

Shady Upgrade

The past two days have been pretty low-key for me. Donna, on the other hand, was up early on Thursday and spoke to a gathering of a few hundred residents here at the Orangewood Shadows RV Resort about maximizing storage in a small space.  She’s kept herself busy doing final prep to re-release an update of her book How to Declutter and Make Money Now.

I read outside for a while on Wednesday. Donna managed to tear herself away from her laptop and went out for a bike ride. I rode the scooter over to the Apache Wells RV Resort, where we stayed last year. I was looking for our former neighbor, George, from Wisconsin. I found his rig in the same space as last year, but he wasn’t home. I left a card on the windshield of his Jeep. I hope we can connect again soon. While I was at Apache Wells, I helped myself to some of the citrus fruit they put out (I made a small donation). I brought home grapefruit, oranges and lemons.

Wednesday evening Donna made Asian-inspired baked chicken thighs. It was a tasty dish.

Baked chicken thighs with organic baby spinach

Baked chicken thighs with organic baby spinach

Thursday was more of the same. I finished reading North to the Night by Alvah Simon. It’s a gripping tale of an incredible voyage to the Arctic Circle that Alvah and his wife, Diana, made aboard their 36′ sailboat. The winter was spent trapped in ice with months of extreme cold and darkness. Alvah bares his soul in his account of that winter. I don’t think I could ever write that honestly and expose all my fears, darkest thoughts and inner feelings. He doesn’t pull any punches.

Pat from Sun Dancer Shades stopped by at 2pm. We had an appointment for him to measure our windshield and front side windows. He made a pattern and will use it to create custom shades for our coach. The material he uses is a heavy-duty shade cloth that will block 90% of the UV from sunlight. This will keep the coach cooler and protect the interior. The shades allow you to see out in the daytime, but you can’t see in from the outside. I opted to have the shades mounted with twist locks on the coach, rather than with snaps. Most people go for snaps – I think they like the low profile. The twist locks look more utilitarian. I like the twist locks because they’re secure and you don’t have to tug at snaps every time you remove the shades. He’ll come back in a couple of weeks to install the twist locks on the coach and mount the shades.

After Pat left, I scootered over to Lucky Lou’s and had a cold one with the guys. There was a couple there, Mike and Kim, that  Donna and I met there last year. They were interested in hearing about full-timing. They bought a 1-ton Dodge Ram 3500 and are planning to hit the road with a fifth- wheel trailer as soon as they sell their house here in Mesa. We talked for a while before I headed back home.

Donna prepared another new recipe for dinner. She made Thai pork and squash soup. It was made with ground pork, cubed butternut squash, red curry paste, and fresh ginger and coconut milk and topped with fresh basil and jalapeno. It was a hearty soup and quite filling. Donna said she wished she had made it spicier, but I thought it was just right.

Thai pork and butternut squash soup

Thai pork and butternut squash soup

The weather has been warm and sunny with light winds of less than 8 mph. Today should be more of the same with the temperature reaching the low 80s. Donna and I have a pickleball lesson scheduled at 1pm. We got rained out last week!

All About the Water

Yesterday’s project of the day was an easy one. When we were at the FMCA Convention in Redmond, Oregon, I bought new filters for our water supply from The RV Water Store ( I don’t have any affiliation with this business, but they’re friendly and have good stuff). Their site will tell you everything you want to know about water filtration and more.

I bought a standard-size dual-canister system. The water supply goes through a five-micron 10-inch polypropylene sediment filter in the first canister. This removes any solids (dirt, metal, minerals etc.) larger than five microns. The water then travels to the second canister  through a five-micron fiber block-carbon filter. This removes contaminants and chemicals that affect taste.

Dual filter canisters - spanner for dis-assembly in the foreground

Dual-filter canisters – spanner for disassembly in the foreground

I started using this system when we arrived in San Diego last September. I checked the sediment filter last month when we came to Arizona. It looked good at that time. The RV Filter Store says the sediment filter should last three to four months. It’s been a little over four months, so I thought I should replace it.

The canisters came with a plastic spanner that is used to unscrew the canister from the top. I turned off the water supply and relieved the pressure by loosening the hose fitting. Then I unscrewed the canister from the lid and pulled the filter cartridge out. It was indeed time for replacement. The filter media was discolored all the way through.

New sediment cartridge on the left, used cartridge on the right.

New sediment cartridge on the left, used cartridge on the right

I cleaned out the canister and reassembled it with a new cartridge. We should be good to go for another four months. Next time, I’ll replace the sediment cartridge and the carbon filter as well. The carbon filters are supposed to last up to twelve months, depending on the water quality.

We also have a granular carbon filter with KDF in the water line to a dispenser on our kitchen sink. This filter will remove lead and heavy metals and “polish” the drinking water. The KDF is an alloy of zinc and copper that prevents bacteria from forming in the filter when it isn’t used regularly. Since we have whole-house water filtration through the dual-canister system, Rick at the RV Water Filter Store tells me the inline filter under the sink should be good for at least two years.

Donna rode the scooter over to Lana Jansen’s house in our old neighborhood while I was working on the filter. She needed Lana’s landline phone for a call from Real Simple magazine. They were recording a pilot podcast about cleaning.

Last night, Donna cooked a pan-seared salmon filet with ginger and scallions sauteed in olive oil. She served it with forbidden rice and roasted brussel sprouts with sherry vinegar. It tasted great, but it nearly killed me.

Salmon filet with sauteed ginger and scallions

Salmon filet with sauteed ginger and scallions

I posted about my throat cancer surgery and treatment in this post. The removal of the tumor in my throat left scar tissue and pockets in my throat. Certain foods are difficult for me to swallow. The forbidden rice caught in a pocket in my throat last night. This brought on a coughing fit and I began to choke. I was feeling pretty panicky before I was able to dislodge the rice.

Today we’re in for more sunny, warm weather. Time to get the bikes out again.

 

More About Doors

Yesterday was the first of February. It seems like we just celebrated the new year! We had sunny skies for Super Bowl Sunday in Phoenix. This was a welcome change from all of the rain we had since Monday.

I puttered around after sleeping in. I refreshed the nectar in the hummingbird feeder. We finally have birds visiting it. I relaxed and read a bit before turning on the TV for all of the Super Bowl hoopla. The game turned out to be a competitive and interesting contest. I’m still trying to understand Seattle’s last play. Why throw the ball from the two-foot line when you have Marshawn Lynch in the backfield?

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned the hardware used in our cabinets. Today I’d like to describe it further. When we’re traveling down the road, we want our cabinets to be securely closed. Our cabinets have clever hinges, clasps and struts. The spring-loaded struts primarily hold the doors open, but due to their mounting geometry, they also provide some resistance when the door is initially opened until they go over center and hold the door open.

The hinges have a roller on a spring. When the cabinet is closed, the roller contacts a cam-shaped tab and rolls around it to a detent in the closed position. The spring holds the roller in the detent, providing resistance to opening the cabinet. The spring tension is light though and the roller will come out of the detent and roll around to the open position without too much effort.

Hinge with roller

Hinge with roller

Now we have resistance from the roller on the hinge and the geometry of the strut. Next, there is a spring steel tab formed in the shape of a diamond mounted to the door. On the cabinet we have a pair of spring-loaded plastic rollers. The diamond-shaped tab fits between the two rollers. They give way when the door is closed and the diamond-shaped tab snaps inbetween them.

Tab on cabinet door

Tab on cabinet door

Rollers for door tabs

Rollers for door tabs

With the geometry of the struts, the roller in the detent on the hinge and the spring-loaded clasps on the cabinet, the door is held securely in the closed position. No worries of it opening as we roll down the road.

These are the kind of little details that make a coach durable and suitable for full-time use.

Today is shaping up to be another fine weather day. We expect the high temperature to reach the mid-70s this afternoon under clear skies. Time to get the bicycles out again.

Mystery Ducks

I rode my mountain bike up Eastern Canal yesterday before noon. The canal runs diagonally to the northwest from University Drive. I crossed Adobe, Brown Road, Lindsay Road and McKellips before I reached the intersection of Old Gilbert and Gilbert Road. From there, the canal makes a turn to the northeast. I followed it for a while, then turned back.

I was surprised when I saw fish in the canal. At first, I only saw the water swirl as the fish would dart away from the side of the canal as I approached. Then I got a good look at a white amur. The canal is operated and maintained by the Salt River Project (SRP) which is the local power utility. They have a permit to stock the canals with white amur fish, which are non-native. The fish must be contained in the canals to prevent them from proliferating and competing with native species. In the canals, they control aquatic plant growth as they are voracious eaters of aquatic plants.

I also saw a large common carp. The fish was big enough to resemble an eel. Its long, slender body with a dorsal fin that ran almost the length of the body gave this impression.

I stopped at one point and snapped a photo of a couple of ducks with my smartphone. These ducks were large – their bodies were a little bigger than the average mallard. They were dark, with brown on their sides and dark iridescent feathers on their back. When I returned home, I looked in my field guide and online but had no luck identifying these ducks. I’ve never seen them before. Anyone have any idea what they are?

Mystery ducks

Mystery ducks

Donna had an appointment for lab work and left around noon. A few rain showers fell while she was out. Later, she took off again for a book signing in Phoenix. By the time she left around 4pm, it was raining steadily.

The rain continued overnight and it looks like we have a rainy day ahead. I think I’ll hang out and read an Elmore Leonard western that I started yesterday.

Taking Care of Batteries

Yesterday, Donna drove to Phoenix around 10:30am. She went to the National Bank of Arizona Conference Center where the Phoenix Chapter of the American Marketing Association holds their monthly meetings. Donna did a presentation on “Organizing Yourself for Success” for about 55 attendees. She’s had this event on her calendar for about 10 months.

While she was away, I decided to tackle a job I’ve been putting off. It was a warm and relatively windless day, perfect for cleaning the battery banks and compartment. We have two banks of batteries in our coach.

One bank is made up of two 12-volt batteries connected in parallel. The output voltage of batteries connected in parallel doesn’t change; (i.e., two 12-volt batteries in parallel produce 12 volts). However, the available amperage is equal to the sum of the two batteries. These 12-volt batteries in our coach are sealed, maintenance-free lead/acid batteries. They’re used for starting the engine and also power some of the instruments in the dash panel. These batteries are designed to provide a high current for a short period of time, such as the demand of a starter motor.

The other battery bank in our coach is made up of four 6-volt deep-cycle batteries. The battery wiring on this bank is a little more complicated. Two pairs of batteries are wired in series. Wiring them together in series increases the voltage output – two 6-volt batteries in series produce 12 volts. The current capacity (amperage) doesn’t change. In effect, two 6-volt batteries are wired together to create a large 12-volt battery. The two pairs of batteries are then connected together in parallel to create a larger 12-volt battery with a high-amperage capacity.

These batteries are designed to handle smaller loads for longer periods of time. They can be discharged to less than 50% capacity without harm. These batteries are typically used in golf carts or small forklifts. Our coach uses this battery bank to meet the household 12-volt needs (lights, vent fans, etc.) and also power the inverter which can provide 120-volt alternating current for most of the household appliances and other items plugged into the electrical outlets. These batteries are lead/acid type and require the electrolyte level to be monitored and topped up periodically with distilled water.

The charging cycle on the deep-cycle 6-volt batteries can produce hydrogen gas due to electrolysis of the water in the electrolyte, causing some of the water to evaporate from the cells. This gassing of the battery also leaves residue on the battery case and compartment. Dust, dirt and other road grime clings to this residue. It’s not only unsightly, it can be corrosive. Our batteries are charged by the inverter/converter whenever we are hooked up to an electrical power outlet or our generator is running.

I haven’t had to add much water to our batteries, but it doesn’t take much gassing to create a mess. I haven’t cleaned the batteries and compartment in the last 12 months and 6,000 miles, which is when we bought this coach and had all new batteries. They were overdue for cleaning. I used baking soda and water. The baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) created a base solution to neutralize the battery acid residue.

Battery clean up - baking soda, water brush and cloth

Battery clean-up kit – baking soda, water, brush and cloth

A little elbow grease with a brush and cloth cleaned the batteries and compartment.

Dirty battery banks

Dirty battery banks

Battery banks after cleaning

Battery banks after cleaning

I need to add a coating to the terminals and metal tray to prevent corrosion, but the compartment is looking good now.

While I was at it, I washed our cargo trailer. I thought it was a good time to do it since it wasn’t windy. Unfortunately, there was just enough wind to carry overspray from the trailer onto our coach and our neighbor’s rig. I washed carefully, but couldn’t avoid overspray. I ended up wiping down our coach and our neighbor’s rig with microfiber cloths to prevent water spots.

After Donna returned from her speaking engagement, we drove over to the Cactus Grill at the Mesa Regal RV Park. A happy hour meet-up of RVillage members was scheduled there from 3pm to 6pm. We arrived a little before 4pm. The place was packed! It was much larger than we imagined and all of the outdoor tables were filled. It was standing room only. We searched around and asked a couple of servers if they knew where the RVillage group was located. No luck. We gave up and drove over to Lucky Lou’s where we had drinks and dinner with Leendert, Pat, Stan, Jackie, Mike and Jodi. It was good time.

Today we have cloudy skies. The temperature should reach the mid 70s. Tonight, rain is supposed to move into the area. Donna is speaking and doing a book signing at Changing Hands book store in Phoenix this evening. She’s also meeting some colleagues for an early dinner prior to the signing. It might be a good day for a bike ride.

Flank Steak

The sun was hidden behind a heavy overcast Monday afternoon. It wasn’t raining, but it was threatening to rain at any moment. Around 2:30pm, Donna took an Uber ride to a hotel on South Power Road, about 10 miles from here.

She checked into the hotel so she could do interviews with radio stations from coast to coast via telephone. She’s promoting her new book, Clear the Clutter, Find Happiness. She had six hours scheduled with radio stations and needed a landline to avoid dropped calls or dead batteries. On Tuesday, her day started before the sun came up.

It rained overnight and we had a few showers Tuesday morning. By 11am, it cleared up as the clouds scuttled off to the east.

I rode the scooter over to Rubio’s Grill on the corner of Baseline and Power Road. The hotel shuttle dropped Donna off there at 12:30pm and we met for lunch. After enjoying our lunch out on the patio, we scootered a couple of miles west to the Hertz rental car agency.

Donna picked up a car so she can drive to Phoenix for a speaking engagement at a meeting of the Phoenix Chapter of the American Marketing Association. She’ll keep the car until this weekend as she has more speaking events this week.

I have a few chores to catch up on while she’s out today. Later, we’re planning to go over to the Mesa Regal RV Park for a happy hour with fellow RVillage members. Our friends that we met in San Diego, John and Sharon, are at the Sun Life RV Resort next to Mesa Regal. We hope to catch up with them at the happy hour today.

Yesterday, I picked up a pound and half of flank steak at Midwestern Meats. This market was recommended by several people for their superior cuts of meat. Donna had a recipe for Brazilian Steak that called for skirt steak or flank steak. It seems to me that flank steak was a cheaper cut of meat when I was young. It was often served as London Broil. Nowadays, with the popularity of fajitas, stir-fries and such, flank steak commands a high price. It can be a tough cut of meat, so it’s best cooked very hot and seared to rare or medium rare and sliced across the grain.

She served it over organic spinach with heirloom cherry tomatoes a garlicky butter sauce. It was delicious and the leftover steak will be nice on a salad.

Brazilian Steak

Brazilian Steak

 

Mesa Flea Market

Can’t complain about yesterday’s weather. It was a warm, sunny day with the temperature topping out at 80 degrees. Donna went out for a 20-mile bike ride before noon. She said it was a little breezy – she had a headwind as rode east. Of course, that gave her a nice tailwind when she circled back. But the breeze was nothing like the gusty winds we had on Saturday.

After her bicycle ride, we rode the scooter to the Mesa Market Place on East Baseline Road. It was about 15 miles from here. Mesa is a big city – the largest city by area in Arizona. The Mesa Market Place is a huge flea market. It has four covered breezeways, each a mile and a quarter long. The Mesa Market Place has been in operation since 1996 and attracts many snowbirds who spend the day wandering through the vendor stalls.

 

Mesa Market Place breezeway

Mesa Market Place breezeway

Our first order of business was lunch. Donna had a bowl of chili and I had two hard shell tacos. The chili was good, the tacos were ordinary. From there we were on a mission to find local raw honey. I want to  continue taking daily doses of local honey to try to combat the effects of pollen allergies. It seems to work, I haven’t had nearly as much allergy trouble as I had last year at this time.

We found someone selling local honey after asking one of the vendors. He directed us to the south end of breezeway “C”. The woman selling the honey told us she has been in the same stall for the past seven years! She’s phasing out of the honey business though and will focus on selling her aprons and other handmade items of clothing.

Local honey

Local honey

As we wandered back to the north side where we were parked, we found a vendor with local salsa. The Arizona Byers Salsa is sugar-free, made by the Byers family here in Mesa. We tried a couple of samples and bought two jars of the medium to hot salsa. They don’t have anything without hot in the description. They also have Ghost Pepper salsa that I wasn’t brave enough to try.

Arizona Byers salsa

Arizona Byers salsa

We were back home around 3pm. The marketplace is fun, but you would need a full day to get through it all. I’m not sure it’s something I could spend a full day at though. We did see another flea market, the Apache Trail Flea Market, on the way home. We’ll have to check that out.

Donna has a doctor appointment this morning. We’ll take the scooter. This afternoon, she’s checking into a hotel room a few miles from here. She has a series of live and taped radio appearances scheduled by her publisher, Storey Publishing, to promote her new book Clear the Clutter, Find Happiness. She needs a landline to connect reliably with radio stations over the course of six hours.

It’s supposed to rain this afternoon, around 3pm. If the rain holds off, I will scooter Donna to the hotel, otherwise she’ll take a cab.

The Monastery

Donna has had a number of projects tying her to her computer lately. While she worked on Friday, I attended a fun event. My friend, Leendert Hartoog is retiring from Boeing after 30 years of service next month.

Boeing is downsizing their helicopter division here in Mesa, Arizona. They’ve offered early retirement packages to a number of employees. These retirements will take place in January, February and March of this year. The soon-to-be retirees organized a get-together on Friday afternoon for the guys leaving and a number of previously retired colleagues also attended. Leendert invited me to join them at The Monastery at Falcon Field at 3pm.

The Monastery is a unique place. They have an indoor restaurant/bar and an outdoor one. You can order food off the menu or grill it yourself outdoors! The property includes a large outdoor barbeque area with a sand volleyball court.  While we were there, a group of college-age kids were playing volleyball and enjoying beer in the sun.

Sand volleyball court at The Monasery

Sand volleyball court at The Monastery

We sat at a table with Patrick, another Boeing employee and one of the Red, White and Brew regulars. Patrick didn’t get a retirement package and plans to work for another five years. We enjoyed good local draft beer and I heard stories of “the old days” at Boeing. It sounded a lot like some of the experiences I had in the corporate world at Volkswagen of America.

Leendert on the left with the Boeing group

Leendert on the left with the Boeing group

Friday night, Donna prepared a cast iron pan-seared garlicky flank steak served over bok choy and carrots. I really like bok choy, especially when it retains a bit of crunch after cooking. The flank steak was prepared with a quick marinade and a pan sauce made with the steak drippings, beef broth and soy sauce. Very tasty! We enjoyed leftover steak on a salad the next day.

Beef with bok choy

Garlicky beef with bok choy

We had clear, blue skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 70s on Saturday, but it was windy. The wind was from the northeast at 10-15mph with gusts over 20mph. We scrapped bicycling plans and spent most of the day as homebodies. Donna spent the day catching up on work after taking a few days off this week – she did a 7.4-mile hike with a group of park residents on Tuesday morning and we were out most of the day on Wednesday.

While she worked, I dumped and flushed our tanks and did a little clean-up. I relocated our hummingbird feeder to the bedroom window on the passenger side. It was at the left front of the coach, but I think there was too much activity in that area from our neighbors, keeping the hummingbirds away. We’ll see if they come to the feeder now.

After lunch, we went for a walk around the park and stopped at the pickleball courts. The courts were empty. Donna and I found paddles in the equipment box and a ball and knocked the ball back and forth for a while. We think pickleball might be fun. We signed up for lessons next Friday.

Last night, Donna prepared flax and almond crusted chicken. She pounded the chicken breasts before spreading a thick marinade of almond butter, olive oil, and spices over the breasts. After resting for 30 minutes, she patted the mixture of ground flax seed and almond meal over both sides of the chicken breasts then baked them. Another great recipe – and more leftovers for salad today!

Flax and almond crusted chicken

Flax and almond crusted chicken

The weather guessers are calling for fine weather today with a high of 80 degrees. We might head over to the Mesa Marketplace – it’s a big outdoor flea market in east Mesa that’s open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.