OCEAN TO OCEAN BRIDGE AT FIRST LIGHT

In the Northern U.S. when it snows, the white coverlet erases all faults and provides beauty. Here in Yuma, especially in the poor part of town, water is scarce and people don't have lawns. The dirt blows, they still crop dust here and the air quality is suspect. But, in the early morning light, all hard scrabble is erased and the half light provides beauty just like the snow.
We traveled to the Ocean to Ocean Bridge at first light for this photograph of the historic Yuma Crossing. This bridge was built in 1915 as the first bridge that allowed travel by car from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean by the southern route. Early morning moonlight reflects on this narrow section of the Colorado River. In territorial days, even without a bridge, this was one of the only places to get across this wild and raging river, which is now tamed to a low flow. It's just a trickle by the time it reaches Mexico.
The weather is beautiful, Jim the snowbird is chirping a happy song and all is well on the western frontier.
Saw, and recommend, A Civil Action, with John Travolta, which we saw last night.

YUMA LIBRARY, AND FRIENDS

Each day finds us at Yuma Public Library to check email and post a blog. That is, all days except Sunday. Upon arrival I look with envy at this beautiful library and fervently wish it were located in Calaveras County. The inside is a marvel as well and yet, we have yet to spend a day lolling around the place, perusing and losing oneself in a book or two. But the temptation is strong and I'm determined to have one complete library day before I leave Yuma. Hmmmm. Strangely enough, on the road, the relaxed lifestyle, the hours fill up and I never get done what I would wish to each day.
Currently, I'm working on Bob Gambol's rambles in South America. At one point, he was returning to his hotel at dusk and he saw a guy walking towards him. It was a rough and tumble town so he crossed the street. The guy crossed as well, his intent clear. Bob waited until the guy was 50 feet from him, reached in his pocket and brought out his hand in the shape of a pistol and said as loud as he could, "BANG!" The guy took off running. Altercation averted. Rather amazing.
Jim and I talked about characters we've known. (Bob his one of his rambling friends who backpacked the world from 1991 to 1997.) As we talked I realized, I've known many characters in my life and I'm so grateful to have crossed paths with them. As a writer, I hope to get them all down on paper. (Some of them are my own family members.)
Adios

DENTAL WORK AND ALGODONES

Yesterday was the big day. I was supposed to go for a short appointment and have my final crowns inserted. Ohhhhhh, boy. We arrived in Algondones, Mexico at Dr. Deni Salinas' office at 9 A.M. but didn't leave until 6:00 p.m. It was a looooooong day. Nothing serious, just sending my crowns back to the lab, and waiting, and fitting, and waiting, etc.
So I have a new smile and got to eat some of the best tamales I've ever had. Tamale makers in this area put green olives in their tamale and I love the flavor. I also got my haircut at Judy's in Garza Plaza and saw some interesting metal sculpture. Ever the wanna be arteeste, I habitually photograph artwork. Its been a long time habit. Hope you enjoy.

PLASTIC BAGS AND TURNING JIM GREEN, YAH!!

Mary the environmentalist is a strong, incurable greenie. I recycle and complain if other's don't. So, I haul out my mesh bag and the grocers here in Yuma look at me as though I'm a strange critter. I reuse and carry plastic bags so they get a second go around. Jim keeps counting his plastic bag stash under the refrigerator (10,000 of them I"M sure.) "We're gonna run out of garbage bags, he fears." HAH! Now places to recycle in Yuma are not very plentiful. So, I called the Chamber, the Visitors Bureau and the Solid Waste Dept. and lo, they DO recycle here. And, I asked about gleaning and much to my surprise, they glean here in Yuma, too. Oh, now I'm happy! Jim says, we better get over to recycling pretty soon or I won't be able to see out the back window. He has to get greener. The recycle bag is getting so full it is blocking his vision. (chortle) I've taken over his refrigerator until he doesn't recognize it. Now all the space in the Bronco. And this morning I declared that I would be carrying a plastic bag with me on the bike to pick up cans that people throw out. Ohhhhh! Groan-
Poor Jim. He doesn't have a clue what's in store for him. He doesn't know about my hobby of collecting photos of art work including benches.
Oh joy!

PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE ABOUT FIRE ALARMS

I have a friend, Richard Patton, who is a veritable crusader against the current fire alarms installed in most homes. He crusades against them because they are ineffective. He worked in the industry for years and knows of what he speaks. To condense the danger I'm repeating information from this website: www.hbsslaw.com/smokedetectors . Another is www.smokealarmdisclosure.org
Early warning is the key to surviving smoldering fires, the deadliest kind of home fire. Ionization technology to sense the presence of smoke is slow to warn, if it warns at all, especially smoldering fires which typically happen while occupants are sleeping. Most smoke detectors work on the principle of ionization. Smoke particles enter the chamber and the alarm triggers. Burning toast for instance, generates a lot of small particles and sounds the alarm. But smoke particles from a burning couch, for instance, are large and fewer in number and don't set off your alarm. Having a detector that doesn't work efficiently lulls you into a false sense of safety. And, in fact, many lives are lost each year because the industry continue to sell devices that don't do the job they were intended to do.
I'm an activist and that is a part of my personality, so message delivered.
On the personal front, Jim and I enjoyed a bike ride and picking fresh organic oranges. I also completed an interview with Bob Gambol who backpacked to 128 countries and one Sultanate in six years, in his fifties. He visited communist countries and places where tourists didn't and couldn't go. He avoided the usual European destinations. An amazing feat.

YUMA AGRICULTURE

Yuma is an agriculture area. We see vast fields of lettuce, kale, cabbages and alfalfa plus orchards of citrus and dates. Packing houses with iconic names like Dole and US Packing Company are evident about the area.
Sheep in herds of undulating wool are visible in the background as the individual sheep cruise the fence lines and seem less sensitive to traffic.
We drove out to the edge of town, crossed the Colorado River that put us in California for a couple hours as we visited Bob Gambol and man who lived and worked in Las Vegas at one point in his life. He claimed that people, when they found out his name, advised him that it was a lucky name and he should put a lot of money out there. He wisely didn't. Some of those quirky superstitious gamblers did. Much to their chagrin.
Bob Gambol is a WIN, a rambler like Jim, and an interesting individual who back-packed 128 different countries over a period of six years. He avoided the most traveled spots, such as Europe. He chose instead, the off beat, small towns, communist countries and revisted Viet Nam where he spent two years at war.
The wandering culture of the RV world is an interesting phenomena that I have yet to explore fully and to understand.
But, I'm working on it.
Chaio

Learning From Grandchildren

Mason Matzek is my grandson, age 14, handsome and intelligent. When he and his brother were little, they could do things on my computer that I couldn't do. Now that I have a blog, it shouldn't have surprised me that Mason adeptly located my "boy friend's" blog. We see those emails that make the rounds reminding us of how our current generation has never lived in a world without computers, cell phones, DVD's and a technical array of things that didn't exist when our generation was well into middle age. In fact, I am currently at Brownie's Cafe in Yuma, where they provide internet service to communicate. Another unheard of service just a few short years ago. I once stayed with the boys in Washington and couldn't watch the television set without getting them up from their beds to show me how to turn it on and use the remote. Am I dating myself? I am! And you, and you, and you, too!
Ah, but it is so much fun to have grandsons. Thank you Mason for the opportunity to say hello on my blog. And, P.S. Send me a picture by email so I can post it. Lvgram

MORE RUMMAGING THROUGH THE PAST YEAR

My house burned down to the ground while I was at school in 1947. The bus driver drove up to the still smoking coals of what had been a two room log cabin in Hardwood, Michigan, looked at it from his driver's seat, than drove back to the bus stop at a cross road, about a half mile in the direction we had just come. He dropped myself and my siblings off on the road, and drove away. Neighbors Bernice Cousineau and Patsy Robinson were also dropped at that stop and I flew down the road to Cousineau's, bravely ignoring their bull, which terrified me, waiting for no one. My siblings opted for Robinson's house. It was a traumatic time and we soon removed a couple days later to Massey's place, a tiny two room shack with a chicken coup my dad turned into a bedroom. From there, he sold our land and got a job in the city of Escanaba and I never saw my childhood friends, Bernice and Patsy again. However, after several years of trying to find me, out of the blue several months ago, I received a call from Patsy Robinson Whitfield. She and Bernice were determined to track me down and finally succeeded. What joy and happiness that call gave me. We will meet again in September of 2009. What they conveyed to me is that the event was traumatic to them as well, for they had a friend and it was as though I had disappeared, as I truly did, and they always wondered what ever happened to me and my family. Interestingly, I had never considered the perspective of my young friends. I imagine there was a bond to this event that kept them considering after 60 plus years. And I, too, thought many times of them. Our friendship can pick up where it left off, those many years and miles ago.

On the ramblin front, Jim and I biked on the canal now that the weather is clement and we spot these peacocks along the road periodically. Beautiful, aren't they?

Rummaging Through The Year

The mind has a way of flashing from subject to subject. That agility is envious when one is applying memory to the task. What challenge for memory than rummaging over the previous year searching for kernels of significance and, woe be me, those kernels were scant or sorrow filled as in niece Kim's untimely death and the loss of dear friends from long ago; the economy affecting people we love negatively. Some years are like that, only the mundane moves you from point A to point B. Then, something wonderful happened, Jim Jaillet rambled into my life. Significance? Unknown!
For the time being, such a major distraction takes on a disproportional importance and I must ask forgiveness if I overburden everyone with my current passion. But, you will have to admit he has great power to make me laugh as he squeezes the last drop of New Year's champagne from the bottle. We share date shakes after visiting a date farm. We had a date with dates?

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009

A new year importunes new beginnings and that auspicious promise is most meaningful as Jim and I open the cover to a new life with each other and a new book just begun.

HAPPY
HAPPY
NEW
YEAR