Settling In

We really are settling in and are finding some time to relax into our 'new normal' lifestyle.  David has actually organized and reorganized the basement storage.  He was kind of amazed at how much more room you have when you put all of the little items in a storage bin.  How many years have I been trying to explain that to him...ah well I just hope this organizing bug keeps biting him.

I have not yet had my sewing machine out to work on any of the projects that I hauled along, but it will come.  How oh how can I take up time sewing when there is so much else to do.....like......

Taking a trip to a mining ghost town. 
 In its heyday, Swansea was self-sufficient. It had a general store, a hospital and a post office until the 1920s, an auto dealer, a tennis court, a dairy (hay came from Chandler), a barber, and electricity and indoor plumbing.  This however is pretty much all that is left.

This is a pretty interesting tidbit-In the 1930s, when Swansea fell one short of the number of children (10) needed to form a school, a 5-year-old was admitted to the first grade to reach the goal. The town built a wooden schoolhouse and hired a teacher.

This is one of the buildings left partially standing.  I have no clue what it was but the windows are interesting.

  Over the lifetime of the mine, it produced $2 million to $4 million worth of copper, its fortunes rising and falling with the price of copper and the market crash of 1929.

David finds the need to stick his nose in every hole in the rocks that we find.  This appeared to be the start of a mine that just didn't go very far

 There are quite a few of the 'real' mines around and all are covered.

It's a great hiking spot as well, miles and miles of roads and paths to choose from.  We had the dogs and it was hot so we didn't hike far but I did start to walk down the path between these two piles of pilings until I heard the familiar sounding rattle.  I decided to take the cue, turned around and hurried back to David and the dogs.  I guess warm dark colored rocks are not the place to be at this time of year.  It makes me want to put my feet up on the couch just thinking about it!

 There may not have been much let of the town but the scenery was great.

And who can be on a sewing machine when you have jack asses running through your neighbor's yards! 

They really are as cute as can be but when they get this close to your motorhome you just hope that one doesn't get pissed at another and they start kicking.  Those hooves could do some damage to a coach or vehicle

And because they are so cute it isn't easy to resist feeding them, like this fella just did

But then you run the risk of them not only depending on humans but becoming a nuisance and raiding planters....

They are fun to watch and photograph.

And then new friends of ours from Canada (where else do people come from but Canada and Minnesota...HA) asked us to take them to a drop off point so that they could float down the river in their kayaks.

Mark and Collen ready to go

And floatin down the river

They said that it was absolutely beautiful and will be going again soon.  Don't be surprised Mark and Collen if we don't just tag along with you.

Tomorrow I head back to MN for a few days to find my Pop some new digs.  He has decided that it is time for him to live in a place where he can receive assistance on a daily basis.  Len and Kelly are looking for places that will be near them and think they have found a good one.  It will be nice for all of us to know that he is in a safe environment.  AND I get to spend some time with my MN girls.  A while back when talking to Lenny on the phone I asked if Julia wanted to say hi....nope she did not.  It seems she is not happy with her grandpa and I for being gone so long, she was in fact mad at us.  Nice to know that they love you but what a heart breaker!  And when her dad told her I was coming tomorrow the first thing she asked was, "and Grandpa too"!  Nope not gramps and not the puppies but gramma all by herself!  Gotta love those grands.