Br-r-r-! I know we have it good compared to some parts of the country, but southern Arizona’s January has been noticeably colder and damper than usual. We woke many mornings to find the water line coming into our rig frozen. Here in the SW desert, the day’s lowest temperature occurs at sunrise, about 7:30a.m. The highest temperature is not until late afternoon, about 4:00p.m.; then it plummets when the sun sets.
Despite the weather, we have been able to put 1,000 miles on our Harley. We cruise the winding back roads, enjoying the eroded mountains staked with mining claims, valley vistas stretching on for miles and washes and draws waiting for the rains of the monsoons of July to arrive. We love the range of greens of the mesquite trees, creosote bushes, pinion oaks and alligator juniper. Cactus of all kinds are beginning to display their colorful blooms. The distinctive call of thousands of sand hill cranes native to Alaska and the NW Territories can be heard as they “winter over” on the nearby Wilcox Playa. While we were at the Quartzsite Rally, we cycled north to Lake Havasu City to see the London Bridge and south to Yuma where date shakes are so good!
We are about to fly back to New England for a few weeks. Our beloved Victor died on New Years’ Eve at 92 years young. Wally will spend some time with his mother in the Augusta, Me area as she moves into the next steps of her life. My Aunt Venessa is about to join a group touring South Africa, so will be spending time with my Aunt Chesla, who has been with her sister in the Springfield , MA area recuperating from various health issues. We are both looking forward to these impromptu visits with family. When we return on Feb. 27, we’ll have 11 days to prepare for our driving trip to the East Coast. Baby Girl Ellis is due March 25 and we want to be close by to earn our wings as Grandparent Helpers. Can’t wait!
Love, Darcy and Wally
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Another Adventure-----2007
For all of you who follow our paths the following is our Holiday letter...The year has been busy but you all don't want to hear it all,so this is a summary
2006 Darcy and Wally’s “We can’t be almost 60!?! Year
Jan. Returned to Lot 280 at our SKP Co-op Park in Benson, AZ in our 1958 bus conversion. Smooth trip keeping as far south as possible. Warm welcomes greeted us …activities abound.
Feb. Traveled 6 hours west to join the Quartzsite Gathering of 100,000 rigs dry-parked in SW Arizona’s Mojave Desert. Flea Market heaven. Back in Benson, made forays into the SE Arizona’s Sonoran Desert with 4WD Club. Hiked the Dragoon and Chiricahua Mtns.
Mar. Discovered a smaller rig-let for sale in our park; just right for Mexico and U.S. National Park campgrounds. How many rigs do we need? Just one more.
Apr. As Co-op members, Wally set up a new woodworking shop; Darcy worked on landscaping improvements, enjoying the desert plants as they began to bloom.
May Grand Canyon, South to North Rim…here we come! Then on to Utah’s Bryce Canyon and Zion Nat’l Parks. Our 24 year old nephew joined us from Maine, leading the way on long hikes.
June Warm weather allowed us to return to Maine on the northern route. We enjoyed reunions with friends in CO,WY, SD,IA and OH. We were smitten with the beauty of the SD Black Hills and Badlands.
July Began building workshop with studio/storage space on Maine lake property next to Darcy’s parents cottage. Looked forward to evening card games on Oric and Lois’s front porch.
Aug. Construction project progressing well. Rejoiced at news that our first grandbaby was on the way!
Sept. A surprise invitation found us flying into Anchorage for a 12-day RVing adventure with four friends. The magnificence of Alaska’s wilderness is indescribable.
Oct. Loved being back at the NC Home for Children as volunteers. Four couples from our Heifer Ranch days joined us for a month of “home improvements” and kid care.
Nov. Kicked off the holidays with parents-to-be Erin and Brett getting their baby act together.
Dec. By day we cruised the back roads from NC to AZ on our new Harley motorcycle. Our pick-up truck served as support vehicle as we tented and enjoyed outdoor cooking many nights.
Best wishes for 2007. May the journey for you and yours be memorable. Much love, Darcy and Wally

2006 Darcy and Wally’s “We can’t be almost 60!?! Year
Jan. Returned to Lot 280 at our SKP Co-op Park in Benson, AZ in our 1958 bus conversion. Smooth trip keeping as far south as possible. Warm welcomes greeted us …activities abound.
Feb. Traveled 6 hours west to join the Quartzsite Gathering of 100,000 rigs dry-parked in SW Arizona’s Mojave Desert. Flea Market heaven. Back in Benson, made forays into the SE Arizona’s Sonoran Desert with 4WD Club. Hiked the Dragoon and Chiricahua Mtns.
Mar. Discovered a smaller rig-let for sale in our park; just right for Mexico and U.S. National Park campgrounds. How many rigs do we need? Just one more.
Apr. As Co-op members, Wally set up a new woodworking shop; Darcy worked on landscaping improvements, enjoying the desert plants as they began to bloom.
May Grand Canyon, South to North Rim…here we come! Then on to Utah’s Bryce Canyon and Zion Nat’l Parks. Our 24 year old nephew joined us from Maine, leading the way on long hikes.
June Warm weather allowed us to return to Maine on the northern route. We enjoyed reunions with friends in CO,WY, SD,IA and OH. We were smitten with the beauty of the SD Black Hills and Badlands.
July Began building workshop with studio/storage space on Maine lake property next to Darcy’s parents cottage. Looked forward to evening card games on Oric and Lois’s front porch.
Aug. Construction project progressing well. Rejoiced at news that our first grandbaby was on the way!
Sept. A surprise invitation found us flying into Anchorage for a 12-day RVing adventure with four friends. The magnificence of Alaska’s wilderness is indescribable.
Oct. Loved being back at the NC Home for Children as volunteers. Four couples from our Heifer Ranch days joined us for a month of “home improvements” and kid care.
Nov. Kicked off the holidays with parents-to-be Erin and Brett getting their baby act together.
Dec. By day we cruised the back roads from NC to AZ on our new Harley motorcycle. Our pick-up truck served as support vehicle as we tented and enjoyed outdoor cooking many nights.
Best wishes for 2007. May the journey for you and yours be memorable. Much love, Darcy and Wally

Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Welcoming 2006
It is hard to believe that 2005 is over and another year has started. As many of you know we sold our house this past summer so we are finally "free as little birds as we can be". Since doing so we have been on a dead run...We had 4 weeks to move out so as you can guess they we hectic.
We spent time at the lake property getting ready to build a cottage but neither of us is in any hurry to start. We did get the septic system in and preparations were made for the power to be brought in this spring but who knows what we will do next.
In October we spent 6 weeks at the Presbyterian Home for Children in Black Mountain,NC with three other couples we have volunteered with at the Heifer Ranch in Arkansas. We had a great time and accomplished many projects. If your of the volunteer kind and are looking for a great place to donate your time and talents check out www.presbyterianhomeforchildren.org. It is in a great location, with great staff and of course great kids who need you!
After leaving the Children's home it was my(Wally)most excellent adventure! I went to truck driving school......yes truck driving school ! I had a ball. There were five in my class 3 men and 2 women and we all became family before it ended. I was in school from 7:30 am until often after 8:30 in the evening geting all the classwork and driving in. I graduated on December 30 with Darcy, Erin and Brett, and campgroud friends there to watch the momentous occasion. During my time in class and on the range Darcy has been busy finally getting to do many of the things she has been waiting to have time to do....She transcribed and published a series of stories from the 40's as told by her father. She then refinished and wove shaker style seats ino two old North Carolina chairs she found at a flea market, worked on a stained glass project, did some watercolor painting, and caught up on some sewing. She has enjoyed the time in the campground. The owners and other campers have become like family...
We spent both holidays with Erin and Brett and with Brett's family..A good time was had by all!
We are now,January 3rd, in Sioux Falls, SD finishing up on the transferring of residency. SD has tax advantages over other states, no state income tax. We arrived here on Jan 1st and spent the day in Watertown with friends. We went to the Redlin Arts Center in Watertown to view the over 150 original oil paintings done by native son, Terry Redlin. If you are ever in this area it would be worth your while to stop and see it, and believe it or not it is free! www.redlinart.com
Where are we going from here? Good question? It is nice not to have to be anywhere! Our thoughts at this point are to either head for the gulf coast or to head to AZ. I would like to drive truck and do something to help out the Katrna victims so we probably will head to the coast region to see what we can do and where we could stay. We will keep you posted.
We spent time at the lake property getting ready to build a cottage but neither of us is in any hurry to start. We did get the septic system in and preparations were made for the power to be brought in this spring but who knows what we will do next.
In October we spent 6 weeks at the Presbyterian Home for Children in Black Mountain,NC with three other couples we have volunteered with at the Heifer Ranch in Arkansas. We had a great time and accomplished many projects. If your of the volunteer kind and are looking for a great place to donate your time and talents check out www.presbyterianhomeforchildren.org. It is in a great location, with great staff and of course great kids who need you!
After leaving the Children's home it was my(Wally)most excellent adventure! I went to truck driving school......yes truck driving school ! I had a ball. There were five in my class 3 men and 2 women and we all became family before it ended. I was in school from 7:30 am until often after 8:30 in the evening geting all the classwork and driving in. I graduated on December 30 with Darcy, Erin and Brett, and campgroud friends there to watch the momentous occasion. During my time in class and on the range Darcy has been busy finally getting to do many of the things she has been waiting to have time to do....She transcribed and published a series of stories from the 40's as told by her father. She then refinished and wove shaker style seats ino two old North Carolina chairs she found at a flea market, worked on a stained glass project, did some watercolor painting, and caught up on some sewing. She has enjoyed the time in the campground. The owners and other campers have become like family...
We spent both holidays with Erin and Brett and with Brett's family..A good time was had by all!
We are now,January 3rd, in Sioux Falls, SD finishing up on the transferring of residency. SD has tax advantages over other states, no state income tax. We arrived here on Jan 1st and spent the day in Watertown with friends. We went to the Redlin Arts Center in Watertown to view the over 150 original oil paintings done by native son, Terry Redlin. If you are ever in this area it would be worth your while to stop and see it, and believe it or not it is free! www.redlinart.com
Where are we going from here? Good question? It is nice not to have to be anywhere! Our thoughts at this point are to either head for the gulf coast or to head to AZ. I would like to drive truck and do something to help out the Katrna victims so we probably will head to the coast region to see what we can do and where we could stay. We will keep you posted.
Monday, March 21, 2005
South East Arizona Adventures
Early in January we celebrated our one-year anniversary of being lease holders in the Saguaro Co-op RV Park in Benson, Arizona. In 1999 our name was #200 on the "Hot List" for membership. After 5 years, we were the lowest number to bid one of the 300 lots. Our high desert location is an excellent location for Jan./Feb. When we head off for another project, we put our Lot #280 into the Rental Pool and the income earned pays for our share of the park’s yearly maintenance and operations fee. Our park family is diverse and friendly. Activities abound every day. Hiking, Bridge, Pegs and Jokers, Danish Card Making have been some of our favorites, along with evening entertainment.
Benson is surrounded by the Dragoon, the Chiricahua and the Whetstone Mountains. Cochise Stronghold, about 30 minutes drive from the park in the Dragoons, offers a splendid 3 ½ mile climb. In the late 1800’s, an Apache tribal family led by Chief Cochise hid from the U.S. Army in the boulder-strewn mountain terrain for ten years to avoid being captured and transported to a reservation in Florida. While hiking the Chiricahua National Monument one hour from the park, we were at the crossroads of four major environments. On the cooler northern slopes grow the Ponderosa Pine and Douglas Fir, typical of the Rocky Mountains. Sunny southern slopes have Apache and Mexican Pinion Pine from Mexico’s Sierra Madre Range. Yuccas and sotol from the Chihuahuan Desert co-exist with agaves and prickly pear cactus from the Sonoran Desert. Neon green lichens adorn the pinnacles, while ferns thrive in the shade. Towering rock formations stand as sentinels over the forest. Stories telling about the clash of cultures between the Chiricahua Apaches and the westward-moving pioneers abound. We have yet to experience the trails for off-road exploration in the Whetstones, but we were very impressed with the pristine Karchner Caverns.
Benson is surrounded by the Dragoon, the Chiricahua and the Whetstone Mountains. Cochise Stronghold, about 30 minutes drive from the park in the Dragoons, offers a splendid 3 ½ mile climb. In the late 1800’s, an Apache tribal family led by Chief Cochise hid from the U.S. Army in the boulder-strewn mountain terrain for ten years to avoid being captured and transported to a reservation in Florida. While hiking the Chiricahua National Monument one hour from the park, we were at the crossroads of four major environments. On the cooler northern slopes grow the Ponderosa Pine and Douglas Fir, typical of the Rocky Mountains. Sunny southern slopes have Apache and Mexican Pinion Pine from Mexico’s Sierra Madre Range. Yuccas and sotol from the Chihuahuan Desert co-exist with agaves and prickly pear cactus from the Sonoran Desert. Neon green lichens adorn the pinnacles, while ferns thrive in the shade. Towering rock formations stand as sentinels over the forest. Stories telling about the clash of cultures between the Chiricahua Apaches and the westward-moving pioneers abound. We have yet to experience the trails for off-road exploration in the Whetstones, but we were very impressed with the pristine Karchner Caverns.
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Christmas Trip
Here we go again……another New Year. We can still remember just waiting to get to be 21 so we could go out and celebrate all night long… and now if we can stay awake until 10:00, we have done well. Where did all those years go? Actually we were awakened by the flurry of fireworks at midnight, made wishes for a more peaceful year in 2005, then fell right back to sleep.
Our holidays have been spent with our folks in Florida. We made the 1100 mile trek from middle of Arkansas in our newly-acquired 1989 Ford F-150. It didn’t take long to discover that loose items don’t stay put in the back of a pick-up truck, so our first Christmas gift was a work box to store our belongings in as we travel. We had a lovely week of visiting with June and Victor (90 years young now!) leading up to Christmas. Then on to Oric and Lois to make some post-hurricane repairs during daylight hours, then rousing games of cards in the evenings.
We will be heading back to the bus in Arkansas early in the week and preparing to make an 1100 mile trip west to Arizona. We have received word that The Heifer Ranch was blanketed in 5 inches of snow on Christmas Day, quite unusual for that part of the world. We will enjoy our lot in the Saguaro Escapee Motor Home Park in Benson for a week before we return to our jobs selling water purification systems at a huge RV Show in Quartzsite, on the California border. We look forward to reuniting with many friends-of-the-road who will migrate to that spot…the largest flea market in the world… for late January and early February. Great fun!
Until next time, best wishes for 2005. Love, Darcy and Wally
Our holidays have been spent with our folks in Florida. We made the 1100 mile trek from middle of Arkansas in our newly-acquired 1989 Ford F-150. It didn’t take long to discover that loose items don’t stay put in the back of a pick-up truck, so our first Christmas gift was a work box to store our belongings in as we travel. We had a lovely week of visiting with June and Victor (90 years young now!) leading up to Christmas. Then on to Oric and Lois to make some post-hurricane repairs during daylight hours, then rousing games of cards in the evenings.
We will be heading back to the bus in Arkansas early in the week and preparing to make an 1100 mile trip west to Arizona. We have received word that The Heifer Ranch was blanketed in 5 inches of snow on Christmas Day, quite unusual for that part of the world. We will enjoy our lot in the Saguaro Escapee Motor Home Park in Benson for a week before we return to our jobs selling water purification systems at a huge RV Show in Quartzsite, on the California border. We look forward to reuniting with many friends-of-the-road who will migrate to that spot…the largest flea market in the world… for late January and early February. Great fun!
Until next time, best wishes for 2005. Love, Darcy and Wally
Monday, November 29, 2004
November
As we made or plans to drive from Little Rock Arkansas to Asheville, NC for Thanksgiving we also arranged to carry with 2 gallons of ranch fresh goats milk. Erin and Brett having been trying their hand at soap making and goats milk soap is one of the best. I have been involved with goatsmilk cheese making so I shared that receipe with Erin and Brett. The two projects turned out with spectacular results. We four enjoyed a special time of fellowship with Brett's parents Janet and John eating southern delicacies and playing Mexican Train Dominoes.
When word reached us that a family member had died in Maine on Thanksgiving afternoon, our attention turned to getting to Augusta in time to give support to Wally's sister April her children and grandchildren. Erin and Brett put their experienced travel skills to good use for us locating reasonably priced flights and motel accomodations. By Friday night we were in Nashville, TN and by 3PM Saturday we had arrived in Portland, Me. Round trip flights into Portland on Thanksgiving week-end ranged from $200-$2000.00 dollars so driving to Nasheville not only put us within 6 hrs of Littlerock for the return trip but also offered the best rates. George Cooper Dipman will be greatly missed by family and friends. He had a zest for life and a love for family that set a strong example for all who knew him. He taught us all to cherish every momment.
Upon our return to Arkansas Wally and I portrayed Joseph and Mary on the way to Bethleham, the second of 5 scenes in a Living Nativity here at The Ranch. I sat astride a donkety for two hours kept Mystic exercised, well patted, and happily chomping on alfalfa. During the two-night event 1335 people began ther season with us at Heifer International. What a blessing that was! Sharing our life-on-the-road with you is a blessing for us......Thank you for caring
Love Wally and Darcy
When word reached us that a family member had died in Maine on Thanksgiving afternoon, our attention turned to getting to Augusta in time to give support to Wally's sister April her children and grandchildren. Erin and Brett put their experienced travel skills to good use for us locating reasonably priced flights and motel accomodations. By Friday night we were in Nashville, TN and by 3PM Saturday we had arrived in Portland, Me. Round trip flights into Portland on Thanksgiving week-end ranged from $200-$2000.00 dollars so driving to Nasheville not only put us within 6 hrs of Littlerock for the return trip but also offered the best rates. George Cooper Dipman will be greatly missed by family and friends. He had a zest for life and a love for family that set a strong example for all who knew him. He taught us all to cherish every momment.
Upon our return to Arkansas Wally and I portrayed Joseph and Mary on the way to Bethleham, the second of 5 scenes in a Living Nativity here at The Ranch. I sat astride a donkety for two hours kept Mystic exercised, well patted, and happily chomping on alfalfa. During the two-night event 1335 people began ther season with us at Heifer International. What a blessing that was! Sharing our life-on-the-road with you is a blessing for us......Thank you for caring
Love Wally and Darcy
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Thanksgiving
Ranch News
It is hard to believe that we are into our 5th week at the ranch already. Many of our fellow volunteers are ending their stay at the ranch and moving on to other adventures. We will miss all of them as each one brings something special to our experience. Most of them are young adults and their enthusiasm and commitment is inspiring. They keep us old folks young.
I have been finishing the erection of the vehicle storage building. The only thing left to do is to install the power and then install some lighting. I am not sure what I will be doing next but there is never a shortage of things to do. Darcy has been busy getting the gardens ready for winter. She has been leading work crews planting, mulching and pruning. You wouldn’t think that there is much to do in the gardens in the fall but it is amazing how much has to be done.
Off to Erin and Bretts
After spending the evening in Little Rock looking at the new Clinton Presidential Library we left for Asheville, NC. After a 13 hour drive we arrived for our week long stay with Erin and Brett. It is always fun to spend time here in Asheville with so many things to see and do.
We wish all of you a very special Thanksgiving Day. We would ask that you think about all the people in the world who will be hungry on our Thanksgiving Day and do somethig about it. Contribute your time and or money to your local food bank or to our favorite mission Heifer International.
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