We escaped the cold of Massachusetts and flew to Yuma, Arizona for two weeks of sunshine and visiting with our winter friends at Westwind and Araby Acres.
We floated in the pool every day, sipped piña coladas, and soaked up much-needed Vitamin D. We spent a day in Mexico, shopping in Los Algodones, where Joe visited his dentist and we enjoyed lunch, live music, and beers before heading home. We read, Sarah painted, and we grew a few new freckles.
Can you spot sun-safe Sarah in the pool?
We found a new caretaker for Cornelia and said our goodbyes to our faithful RV home. She kept us safe and comfortable for four winters and we will miss her, but she is going to be well-loved by her new owner and will continue to live in the desert.
This winter we were kept busy with puppy training, in addition to our usual schedule of fun in the sun with our snowbird pals. Most days, we would head to the pool around lunchtime for a floating visit with friends. Stories were spun and jokes were shared and we all had a good time not shoveling snow.
Joe golfed on a few occasions and thought about joining the pickleball craze, but they start playing at 8:00 a.m. which is way too early to be bouncing around competitively!
Sarah quilted, joined a crafty card-making group, and painted a bit. We both read a lot of books and on colder evenings, watched Arizona PBS Check, Please and Finding Your Roots.
We flew back east for a long weekend visit with our grandchild to watch the Super Bowl. A quick road trip to Newport Beach for Joe to attend his Football Dinner gave Journey a chance to stick her paws in the Pacific Ocean.
We are grateful for another winter in the southwest desert. Thanks to all who came to visit us this season!
Historians and biblical scholars now believe that the honey referenced in the Book of Exodus refers not to bees’ honey but to the syrup prepared from dates. Turns out that the best way to preserve this highly nutritious fruit is to soak, cook, extract and reduce its syrup. As one of the oldest foods cultivated in the Mediterranean region, it makes complete sense that a reference to abundance would include good date production.
Medjool (Arabic majhūl) dates are known as the king’s fruit, once reserved only for royalty. These dates are large and sweet. Almost a century ago, California growers imported eleven medjool date palms from Morocco and nine survived, spawning the spread of date farming in the southwest United States.
Why are dates so expensive? It is a labor-intensive commercial crop, with farmers devoting most of their land to female date palms (which produce the edible fruit) and keeping just a few males or even purchasing the pollen when it is time to pollinate the female flowers. After the fruit buds form, each strand is thinned to allow better air circulation and bigger fruit. By August, the fruit bundles are bagged to protect from birds, insects, and dust. Dates are harvested by hand in the fall, sorted, graded, and sent to cold storage.
We learned all about date farming with a visit to Martha’s Gardens, here in Yuma. After sharing a delicious date shake by the courtyard fountain, we headed home taking the road less traveled.
After 1.5 miles of sketchy sandy trails, we determined the large CAT bulldozer parked on the trail was a good indicator that we were not on a sanctioned road! We carefully re-traced our tracks in the dust and made it back out to the secure pavement. Watch the video below of this adventure for Mike the van!
We welcomed 2022 in Yuma, Arizona. Santa brought us some bikes and a new portable propane firepit for us to enjoy outdoor living in the desert. We got our porch set up (photo above) with twinkly lights so we can read outside in the evenings. Sarah will likely add some more artistic touches as the winter goes on!
new-to-us bicycles
Mike and Cornelia waiting for Santa
Trainspotting
Wetlands restoration project at Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area
Great Egret is just one of many birds rehabilitating the wetlands
Where in the world are the Gills? 