With several sets of friends in Phoenix, we routed here for several days to see them.
Our first stop was a two-night stay in Fred’s grade school friend’s driveway. Actually, we parked Charley in the driveway then had a fabulous stay with Jim and Jean in their home — long hot showers, a comfortable bed with lots of room on both sides, and their laundry room were most particularly appreciated! We left their driveway after two days and moved into an RV resort a few miles away — we live by the rule that guests, like leftovers, go bad after a few days — but we got together with them a couple more times, including a fabulous final night dinner with them and their kids.
We really enjoyed our time with Jim and Jean and left with a big box of citrus from their backyard trees — are you joking?!? — yummy!
Another great evening was spent with my Chicago-moved-to-Phoenix girlfriend, Susan, and her boyfriend, Brad. After visiting us in Charley and seeing how we’ve been living for the past nearly-two years (I think Susan was in shock after seeing how little room I have for my clothing and otherwise living area!), we went over to Susan’s condo and enjoyed a most-wonderful evening beginning with snacks and cocktails followed by a scrumptious dinner and desert to accompany our Oscar watching. I miss cooking (and drinking!) with Susan — we Chicago girlfriends shared so many great evenings together!
Another friend we met up with is a college buddy of mine, Curtis G. Curtis and I met in the dorms as college freshmen and we’ve been in touch on and off over these thirty-ahem years. Two things come to mind when I think about Curtis — his lust for life and his Lolly. Lolly is Curtis’ 1987 Jeep and the two of them have traveled nearly 405,000 miles since coming together all those years ago. He had the engine rebuilt at 206,000 miles, and now continues to travel all over the country, turning heads wherever he goes. As the photos show, Lolly is covered with tchotchkes that Curtis has collected from friends and admirers. They’ve come from 27 countries, and include everything from Disney princesses to hockey pucks to State Trooper badges to a whale vertebrae. A string of white lights ties them all together and ensures that Lolly can be enjoyed in the evening as well as in the daytime. It was great seeing Curtis and I’m sure we fellow adventurers will meet up somewhere someday again.
Visiting friends along the way — one of the best parts of our journey….
