Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!
I am writing this post a little early because I hope on Thanksgiving Day you are all enjoying family and friends and NOT spending time on Internet activities.  There was a TV news report on a local AZ station on restaurants that are trying to get customers to disconnect from their phones during a meal by placing boxes, baskets, and other containers on the table to house their cell phones and offering discount incentives if you do!  So I hope you unplug this holiday and enjoy the joys that surround us!
PS  It is OK to call missing family members AFTER the meal 😉

We have been busy and I cannot really tell you with what.  There was a huge garage sale event at North Ranch this past weekend and Darrel and I managed to walk almost 6 miles looking at stuff.  Ok, we live in a RV so we have to purchase select stuff -- Darrel found an electric Weber grill so we can limit the propane use on our portable one and I found an NuWave2 induction cookplate for inside cooking as we try not to use our propane stove.

And most importantly, we found a couple stocking caps because the mornings have been chilly (OK, 44+ degrees, I understand isn't chilly to some) and we cannot seem to find our KS stocking caps that are probably in storage.  Most of the time I get to say, nope, we don't have room as we look at others treasures!

We have more fix-it issues that have come up -- we are hoping it is just a thermostat on the hot water heater but it seems to run all the time unless we turn it off at the switch -- that started on Sunday 11/18 and we are still waiting on the replacement bathroom vent fan, which hopefully will arrive this week??  I only THOUGHT we were getting away from home maintenance, I guess I did --- it is RV maintenance.  😛

We have added neighbors behind us (Sandy & Tom, from Oregon) and across the street from us (Sue & Ernie and Patch, the Border Collie from Montana) -- one day I watched the owner of the lot cut the "limbs" off the palm trees (there is probably a correct term like frond, or branch or dead leaves, etc.) but limbs work for us Midwest snowbirds that have trees.

Here's a couple of pics -- these "limbs" are really huge, and high up --- I thought, no way for Darrel to cut those off!

You can see his ladder and he used a reciprocating saw to cut those suckers.  Also he used a rope to tie them to pull to the ground!  He has 3 trees on this lot so he worked 2 days.

A little closer shot of the pile growing on the ground and he still had the tree behind and one you cannot see in this pic to trim!

OK, I am easily entertained -- but it was mesmerizing to watch him cut those down.  The palms looked nice and groomed when all trimmed, nice and green, too.  Someone told me you have to be careful cutting those because a professional trimmer was smothered under the limbs!!

I plan to add a Flora and Fauna blog post as soon as I get out and focus on some of the flora in the park.  So many different things I am not used to seeing -- as for the fauna, that may have to wait as I am not quick enough to catch those quail running across the street or the rabbits that take off and scare me to death as I am walking.  We do not see as many lizards with the chilly nights and thank goodness, the mosquitos are GONE!!!  But I will keep trying!  Of course, we still hear the coyotes at night.

OK, I am wrapping this up, too much chatting, not enough pictures!  I will try to dazzle you with more in the next few weeks.

We send many thanks for all our loving family and friends that stay connected with us on our journey and are truly blessed in our life!

Happy Thanksgiving Blessings,

Susan & Darrel

Arid Arizona and lots of sunshine!

Hello Readers,
We are settling into AZ and I can tell you, being only a state away from the California wildfires kind of puts it into perspective. My heart goes out to those people losing their homes (and some, their lives). I try not to dwell on them but the knowledge is there in the back of my mind.  I know when we were in CO, I thought about the CO fires, but anything still burning while we were there was way north of us and I didn't worry too much about them where we parked.

We are getting some of the heavy winds which are fueling those fires (Santa Anna winds) and the wind will howl around the RV slides.  I think, I'm not in KS but those winds (which can be coolish) remind me of old man winter.  I actually had on a sweatshirt this morning (brrr 52 degrees : )

Any hoo, on to better things.... Here's a few pics to share:

While in Prescott (my favorite town so far), there is a white "P" on the mountainside, as Prescott sits in a valley between a couple of small ranges.  Darrel is so proud as he claims the "P" for Pendergast!!

(NOTE:  He also claimed the "D" in Del Norte, CO on the mountainside for Darrel -- he just thinks they know he is visiting: )

A slightly better view as we are driving by.

My Canon camera isn't the best to take long range pics or after dusk/dark pics but I did try to catch the crescent moon one night that showed up in the sky.  It was kind of neat to watch it move across the night sky.

We have Quail that fast walk, run, and fly when you startle them, or they startle you!  I was trying to catch them as I had 3 or 4 out my door, but they were too fast for me.  I liked the "night view of the lot and dusk closing in fast.

Night time seems so different here than in Kansas, I'm not sure what makes it seem different, but the sky lights up with the last rays of sun, with glorious sunsets in hundreds of colors ... then it goes dark, with a quiet dignity.  It feels peaceful....

On a funny note, Darrel was gifted with this metal detector (gold, of course) figurine in true Arizona dress code - I placed him outside our RV among the cacti for the true effect of "detecting".

 Couldn't resist the side view -- of course, the beverage is a Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi 😆

Better run -- bedtime draws near.... yes, the Pendergast's still keep an early bed time.  Oh, and I am so glad we are now on "Mountain time" with the end of Daylight Saving Time.  It is much nicer to call people and not worry about being too late, or for me, too early!

Love,

S & D (I have this logo on our contact card)

PS  We got a notice from the dealer that there is a recall on our RV for the brakes.  Just another Fix-it thing that will need to get scheduled at a dealership (not the Darrel, fix-it guy) -- not sure when that will happen as we are miles from the nearest Keystone dealer and you just don't "move" this baby on a whim 😖

RV Fix-It continues

Hello Family & Friends,
Well, once again, we are in fix-it mode on the RV.  I truly cannot believe that a "new" RV can have so many issues and it isn't just us.  We have met several travelers on our journey with the same issues and "war" stories.  I am so surprised that this is the case and I am so glad that Darrel is "handy" and saw fit to bring lots of tools to help us repair the problems.  I need to point out that we are so lucky that Becker Auto & Trailers as our dealer, has been awesome in solving our problems and getting repair parts to us in a speedy manner.  I am sure when I call, there are groans that I never hear : )

So our fix it lists includes:

• the drawer that the slide-out "caught" when I ran out the slide to setup -- I need to check to make sure objects that may have shifted in travel are back in their place before moving the slides out!  (I need to remember to use a flashlight because it can be dark in the RV).
• the garage 1/2 bathroom vent fan motor is not working -- we have a replacement on the way.
• the check valve on the holding water tank leaked, so we have replaced the pump and filter which meant cleaning out the front bay and Susan wiggling into to assist.

Darrel has modified our pantry storage to create some extra storage.  He is adding partitions to give us extra storage.  Another thing he manufactured after some suggestions, hanging racks in the garage over the seating area.  We can hang our jackets, motorcycle gear and work clothing which helps organize items.

We also have purchased some items like wheel covers (see pictures below) which help with the sun not checking the tires.  Arizona sun can be brutal so these are recommended to protect the tires.

We also purchased an additional step handle for the front step.  Darrel likes the front step since it is a more solid step with a 4th tread and feet that support to the ground.  The handle helps you grab hold for safety up or down.  We have this type of step for the patio but the front step didn't come with one.

Here's some pics of Darrel at work and the what the work space looks like under construction:

Darrel even brought a workmate bench, which folds, so he can have a space to construct.

We really enjoy our lot "patio" space and the portable flag pole that Danny M. gifted us.

Tools of the fix-it trade laid out for easy access

Inside the RV -- it is under construction with the drawers out while repairing.

Fixing the "slide-out" damage

Extra storage space when Darrel is done adding the partition

Work space requires kneeling mats, tape measure and other tools, scattered

But the central vac is handy for the clean up tasks -- this is our "household" vacuum for the RV, pretty handy to reach most of the space.

So you can see we've been busy.  As soon as the vent fan gets here we will have that to put in so we aren't done yet but closer.  We do take time off to take walks, grocery shop and a trip or 2 to Prescott or Surprise and I am playing Pickleball with a women's group here in the park.  Never played before but the ladies are very helpful and I am making progress.

So I will close this post for now -- we wish you all well and will keep you posted on our happenings!

Love,

Susan & Darrel

October Happenings in AZ

Hello Family & Friends,
It has been a couple of weeks since I last posted (sorry for the lapse), time just seems to fly by.  I'll try to remember things that have happened and get you caught up.

We are at North Ranch (an Escapees 55+ community) -- the park has park homes (kind of a modular home, fairly small) and also bigger houses and then "lots" where people park their RV (from Class A's to 5th wheels, and everything in between).  We have met a lot of nice people and more arrive each day back to their "winter" home.

Luke Air Force Base is located nearby in Surprise, AZ and we hear jets quite frequently flying during the day and sometimes evening hours as well.  One night we were sitting on the couch watching TV (it was dark) and this big BOOM, went off -- I mean, it shook the RV and I think what, earthquake?? I called the people that helped us get the lot rented here, and asked, what was that?  I guess it was a sonic boom from the jets when they break the speed of sound.  They had never heard one that loud.
We have experienced a few more since that big one, but not nearly as loud, thank goodness.

I have a few pics to share so that you aren't just reading all the time....

Arizona has amazing colorful bushes, you know me and purple!

Trying on hats for the heat, OK, too fancy for me to wear, either direction!

Really a dark night with a full moon in the sky, you can kind of see the light strand under the truck.  The second picture shows it better -- we put the rope lights under truck and RV to keep the "desert" critters away... don't need any electrical wiring issues or unwelcome guests.

We went to Prescott, AZ and you pass through Yarnell, AZ (there was a terrible forest fire which killed the Granite Hotshots when the winds changed the fire direction).  We haven't seen the memorial yet but stopped in the town at the hardware store which has everything, including the bathroom sink!  Hope to explore the town and visit the memorial soon.

On up the mountain at an elevation of 6,000+ ft is Prescott (so far my favorite town to visit).  There is a historic downtown square with Whiskey Row street.  It has a lot of unique stores (and tourist gift shops).  The square has a courthouse and a nice memorial to Veterans.

Prescott has "short" four seasons and will most likely get snow sometime this season.  The temperatures are always 5-10 degrees cooler than Congress (elevation around 2,000 ft).  I hope to persuade Darrel to make the trip when snow is on the ground -- probably NOT!! : )

Fall in Prescott

I have to tell you that AZ has some outstanding rainbows -- I guess when you don't get much rain (I think the next 3-4 months predict about 1" for the entire month), the rainbows get a chance to really shine!

Rainbow outside of Surprise, AZ

Guess I had better run, I'm sure there is more to tell, like the coyotes that howl at night or when emergency vehicles run by in the day -- I've seen a couple on the desert that surrounds the park, and that we got to catch up with Topeka friends (Gail and Virle Cox) who in their travels to CA were near us and met for lunch and a catch up chat, oh, and that Susan is playing pickle ball here at the park (more on that later, I'm sure)

.... so stay tuned as I try to be more faithful in posting.  We think of all our Topeka and Kansas connections often and keep you in prayers.... we are doing well.

Love,

Susan & Darrel

Catching up from AZ

Hello Family & Friends,
We have still be settling in and getting acquainted with North Ranch.  The last week people have been arriving back for the winter.  Plus we have had so much rain -- I guess it is the rainiest October on record and we are expecting more over the weekend.

Also, there has been snow in the higher elevations like Flagstaff and other cities closer to the Grand Canyon.  Actually the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is closed except the visitor's center and another office area but those will close at the end of October.

We have been ordering items needed for the RV, had a check value go bad so the water leaked past the city water connection and the fresh water holding tank.  The pump/value arrived but the filter that bypasses is it dripping so we have that coming end of this week.  We ordered rodent preventive pouches that you put in the bins and we use Peppermint oil to offend their noses. 

Have made a few trips to Harbor Freight to get "solar" light ropes that flash and a spotlight to put on the flag so we can leave it out all night.  We put the flashing solar light ropes under the RV and under the truck at night so that again, the desert rodents don't visit us to live and chew on electrical wires.

But I have taken a few pictures of the sunsets (when not raining) and during one rain shower there was a rainbow that appeared!  I've included that as well.

Sun setting on the mountains (overlook the empty lot for sale : )

The skies just turn to pinkish purple and the reflection on the mountains is gorgeous

I think it was ending the rain or starting the rain, not sure!

Saturday (10/13) was either raining or sprinkling all day -- we watched a couple movies.

As you can see, the clouds are descending upon the mountain tops

Gray skies over the mountains

Once again, I am hanging out of the truck trying to capture the rainbow, look carefully in the middle of the pictures right under the clouds.

On a funny note, Brad & Mickey's cat, Archie (you've seen his picture when in Ute) is a very turf protecting cat....Mickey bought a plastic, black cat to see what he would do with a "sibling".... we didn't get to see his reaction but it wasn't pretty -- then Archie continued to knock it away from its shelf perch.  

So now the Pendergast's have a low maintenance cat, that is currently guarding our driveway.

He is a creepy looking cat with red eyes and was perching on my computer one day!

Stay tuned for more explorations from the traveling Pendergasts!

Wintering in AZ,

Susan & Darrel

Hello to Congress, AZ

Hello Readers,
We arrived at North Ranch, Congress, AZ on Thursday, October 4.  We left Ute Bluff on Wednesday and traveled to Gallup, NM.  The RV park we stayed in was USA RV and it was a busy park.  We had a lot change and was concerned we wouldn't be able to get out before noon, but were able to get on the road around 9AM.

Once crossing into Arizona, we gained an hour since AZ doesn't follow Daylight Saving Time -- so for you on MT time, we are 1 hour earlier and for you on CT, we are 2 hours earlier and for you on ET, we are 3 hours earlier --- so I will try not call some one at 11PM when we are still up at 8-9PM  😃  Remember, this will only last until Daylight Saving Time ends Nov. 4 --- then we will be on MT!  Confusing, I know.

Friday we headed into Surprise, AZ which is just north of Phoenix to do some shopping at Harbor Freight, Walmart and ate some great Chinese!  Traffic is busy, busy.... and I think most everyone I saw were retirees!!

Saturday we spent time unloading the RV and getting everything setup for our extended stay until late April or early May --- haven't made a commitment to when we will leave -- definitely before the heat is on.

Here's some pics of our lot with Zoe & Bo on it -- it is dark at night as they do not have any street lights in the park (awesome!) and you can see the stars shine brightly and hear the coyotes howl!

Zoe looks so big on the lot and we sit up high -- Bo has his own parking space!

Right behind Bo, is a storage shed we can use with an extra refrigerator.

This is from the garage end of Zo, we have lots of nice landscaping with cacti, of course.

Right behind the patio, is a gazebo,

it has a table & 4 chairs, plus a cover, once we get it on.

This is the driver's side of Zo with the patio up, we have nice a nice concrete pad to park.

The yard is small rock with a nice landscaping of cacti and patio blocks and pavers.

When I stand at the top stairs by the living area, I can see the mountains (background of pic)

The lot right across is empty right now until the other RV'ers return in the next couple of weeks.

As  you can see, a little better shot of the mountain range to the north of North Ranch.

Hope everyone is doing well, we are tired but glad to have such a nice, warm place to stay for the winter.  We will keep you updated on our exploration activities!

Love,

Susan & Darrel

Ute Bluff Lodge Goodbyes

Hello Readers,

If you have been following the national weather, Hurricane Rosa delayed our departure from Ute Bluff Lodge for a couple of days (we were also awaiting a package so it worked out).  We had a reservation outside Albuquerque, NM overnight on Monday .....but..... the rains from Rosa were supposed to hit Arizona hard (which it did) late Monday night and Tuesday.  We were unable to stay for 2 nights as they were booked for the Balloon Festival that happens Oct. 6-14, so we found another place in Gallup, NM to stay and with our delayed departure, we will spend 1 night before heading on to Congress AZ.

We have packed our RV, done extra laundry and actually hooked up to the truck so all we have to do on Wednesday morning is pull in the slides, plug into the truck and raise the jacks.  We spent extra time on cleaning the holding tanks and added fresh water so we have that in case we need to stay at a Walmart parking lot (you never know)???

We want to give a big thank you to Christian and Margareta Grill, owners of Ute Bluff Lodge (check out their website -- for our extended stay.  We have really enjoyed our time here and all the experiences we have had -- as first timers on the RV full time road, their hospitality has been truly appreciated.

I decided to trek up the Bluff one more time to way goodbye until next year as we are planning to return to follow up with the adventure from 2018.

Our RV is just in front of the Bluff and you can see me really tiny in upper middle of the picture.

Darrel, the cameraman, caught me waving goodbye (or hi??)

Headed done the Bluff, which is the long way around as I am NOT a mountain goat!

We will keep you posted on our journey back through New Mexico and across Arizona to Congress and North Ranch, for our winter stay.

We wish you all well, be safe and enjoy!

Love,

Susan & Darrel