Week before Christmas Ride

Favorite breakfast in Algodones, Mexico.  The potatoes are cut when you order, everything fresh.  The tortillas are made there on the grill. Exceptionally good!

Going to hit 70 degrees today, so Pat and I are off on the Burgman to attend the Tamale Festival in Somerton.  We had a great ride and all round good day!

3 blocks, both sides, 40 some tamale vendors of many varieties!  Long lines!

Sweet corn and green chili's inside the corn husks.  The cup is full of Mexican Chocolate with Cinnamon & Coffee.  Ummm, good!

Nice wall painting.

Sherm liked the pottery cup, so he bought one full of chocolate.

Spanish eyes!

This elementary school Mariachi Band was unbelievably good!  They were totally professional quality.  

The "fiddlers" were fantastic, their hands were a blurr.

This band was as good as those we heard in Guadalajara!

We rode through some citrus orchards, some lettuce fielsd, and even a few acres full of friendly little sheep.

One of several Swap Meets near Yuma.  Nice hats!

Socks must be a popular sell, there were 3 or 4 large booths full of them.

Pinata's for Christmas

Both ladies and men's shoes are popular here in this swap meet.  

Don't know why someone would want socks with diabetes!  Seems like healthy ones would be a lot better.....

Friut, vegegables, clothing,  electronic equipment,  hardware, and just about anything else you can think of is for sale here.  And lots of food vendors.

Big dog collars?  Maybe too heavy for Julie!

Probably a dozen booths with lady clothes

Looked like about 7 inch stilleto's 

There were 6 little Chihuahua's here for sale.  By the time we left, they were down to 2.  They were asking $150 but were negotiating a lot.  2 months old.

A cute little female.  They can steal your heard!

All the grilled hot dogs are wrapped in bacon.

The mannequin on the end used to be a pole dancer in real life.

These are the small ones.  They the large "dogzilla" ones, and also polish sausages.

There was a lady sitting in this booth paint thes pictures.  She would paint on what you brought in, or on rocks, or about anything.

These were painted on pink flagstone slabs

Pat and I sharred this plate.  Since we're going to a Potluck in the  park this evening, we didn't want to eat too much.

I w 

Mexican pastry 

American donuts.  Look at the size of the Texas donut compared to the ones of regular size.........

All the vendors has some different food, would be nice to be young and hungry so you could sample them all.

Anna, "yesterday's bride".  She worked hard today preparing some nice Chinese dishes for the park potluck this evening.

Getting ready to serve the meat and potatoes.  The rest is "on your own"

Was too busy eating to take many pictures.  The meal is over, everyone is pleasantly stuffed!

This lady hasn't missed a pot-luck at Lynda Vista for the last 8 years!

Good neighbors Mickey and Laurie are doing a little trimming.  A chilly morning!

One of the old septic tanks that was removed truned into a muddy sink hole in this carport after the recent rain.  The contractors were pulled off a different job to come back to add some dirt and compact it.

I wanted some dirt added to the front of our house where we plan to put in artificial truf next week.  The workers didn't speak any English, so I didn't pursue getting it done right now. 

We spent each Friday evening at the Bard, CA Community Building, listening to music.  There were 12 musicians there tonight.

Were short some of the regulars tonight because of them being out of town for  Christmas.  Those that were here, did an exceptionally good job.

Following the "Sing" we always end the evening at the Mad Chef in Old Town Yuma.

For several years, Amber has been our favorite waitress.  She got a few more "decorations" last Summer.  She's saving her money to go to truck driving school.  Excellent waitress, with a good sense of humor!

Christmas Season in Yuma

Pat got a haircut yesterday (12-9-11) and a new style.  Turned out good!
(to see the lastest pictures, scroll down)

12-12-11.  Headed to Casa Grande to see the VA eye doc. Was  going to ride the scooter, but there's a high percent possibility of rain today.  Redd is going with me.

Hot Sauce!  Sophia's in Gila Bend

Redd has had several surgeries on his face and head  (and other parts) this last summer.  He's doing well, on the road to recovery.

I REALLY like this picture!

The junction to Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point).  Good memories from down there.

The prices have gone up, but the food is still excellent here at Sophia's

The desert is waiting for the rain that's coming.  It's been a very dry year out here.

Redd remembers stopping here with his family back in the mid-50's, just before it closed.  Now it's abandoned, but looks like someone from the surrounding ranch may be doing some repairs on the building.  It was an old service station.

A deep grease pit, corrals and loading chutes in the back.  This was a busy place, but was closed up in the late 1950's.

The pump at the old water well.

The rain started.  We're on a back road off I-8, going into Casa Grande.  These goats are smart enough to get out of the rain

Some friendly sheep.

The later it got, the more happy I was to have taken the "Green Lizard".  Lots of wind and heavy rain in places.

Appointment is over.  Lunch was good, and a milkshake in Gila Bend on the way home was good.  Sun going down near Tacna, AZ.  Got back to Yuma at 6 PM.

They have some very special privey's out here in the dessert.  This is a seat going into an especially nice one!

We found a new Farmers Market today, this is one of the  booths.  He had  many, many antiques in here.

Couldn't let a birthday go by without a short ride.  Julie went with me.  Palo Verde (green sticks) is the Arizona State tree.  Parked in front of a large one.  Next to the old Apache Hotel.  Riding at 71 doesn't fee much different than it did at 70.

Redd works every day outside at the Hotel.  Now, he's starting to clean or organize some of the inside.  This is in the dining room.

This was a bedside table that came out of the Hotel Del Sol.  Probably from the 1920's or 30's.  Redd has been restoring it.

A corner in the old Lobby.  Antiques every where you look.

Birthday Dinner

The ribs were excellent.  There were 6 sauces to choose from, tried some of each.

The walls are decorated with all sorts of fun stuff.  We ate here on Pat's birthday, so I chose it too.

The "Pit Crew" truck for Famous Dave's.

This used to be cheap Muscatel.  Someone squirted in some CO2 to make it bubbly, and changed it's name to Moscato.  Now they can sell it for 3 times as much.

Poinsettas are usually the Christmas flower, but in Arizona, they favor Orchids!  And lots of them!

Misc. Yuma pictures

Nice car parked by the American Legion Hall where we had breakfast today.

Checker in Fry's.  His hat has battery operated lights that flash.

Wonderful food!  Fresh seafood, (cooked and raw), fresh fruits, puddings, yogurt, etc.  And, they sell about 20 flavors of hard Mexican Ice Cream.  Skid and Sandy have been here to sample the goodies! 

4 December 2011.  The usual cloudy skies of Yuma :-)  I was on the scooter today, this balloon was following me along 3rd Street.   Blue on Blue.

We've had this BBQ (a Stok) for a week,  used it 3 times.  Tried Pizza on a center stone last night, that didn't work too well.  But, these T-bones were EXCELLENT.  The Applewood chips put up a nice smoke, and we used a prime rib rub on the meat. Can't remember having anything much better :-)

Blue on Blue.  Yuma sky on December 4, 2011.  Taken from my motorcycle.

Our good friend Ev fell down today, she landed pretty hard.  Knees and hips are very sore.  Bummer.

First attempt to cook a roast in the charcoal BBQ.  Other than being a little tough, it tasted all right.  All the other food was much better.  Dale and Ev shared dinner with us.  A real sacrifice considering her battered body. :-)

Sunset over a lettuce field in the Imperial Valley

Janet & Bonnie sing a duet in the Bard Community Building.  There are "Sings" here in Bard, California every Friday night during the snowbird season

Amber, or favorite waitress in Yuma, takes our order.  She can handle 20 people as easily as 6.  Excellent service here at the Mad Chef.

Jim & Bonnie Adams.  A very talented couple!  They both play several instruments, and sing beautifully!

Yuma has 2 Farmer's Markets in the West area.  One in Old Town, and this one at the Yuma Palms outside Mall.  This booth sold many different kinds and flavors of Pasta

Nice morning, but not a lot of people out.  The one on Tuesday in downtown Old Town us usually packed with customers and lookers

Hot new item this year.  "Naked Sandals".  Couple different booths were selling them.

This couple added some good entertainment

Pat bought this bowl.  The lady that sold it was at artist.  She uses real leaves in the mold, after it's set and trimmed, she paints them.  She also did some nice SW designs, but this one with the leaves caught Pat's eye.  They are "one of a king"

There was a booth selling organic vegetables grown in gallon jugs in a green house.  We picked up this small egg plant, and a very expensive sort of purple tomato.  I hope they taste good!  (the cactus isn't organic)