Official AZ Homeowners

Hurray! We did it! After signing a stack of papers literally 2 inches thick (Steve measured!), on Wednesday morning, we now own a solar home on four acres in St. David, AZ, or at least we will in 30 years. We moved out of our real estate agent's front yard and out to our little house on the prairie, umm, desert. We spent the rest of Wednesday unloading the trailer we has hauled from Salt Lake with some things to make the place livable and semi-comfortable--a bed, dishes and pots and pans, a camping table and chairs, TV and DVD player and a couple of living room chairs. None of us (dogs included) slept very well the first night--too many new creaks, hums, and other house sounds. Last night was a little better.

Yesterday was getting-established-in-the-community day. We went to the power company and got the electricity in our name, established an account at the local credit union, got library cards. We met our nearest neighbor, Keith, and his dogs, Lobo and Tramp. Keith is an old motorcycle guy/ex-hippie who scrounges around in the desert for downed mesquite and manzanita, and makes really beuatiful rustic furniture that he sells in upscale shops in the little tourist towns around here.. He had a really cool bar stool that I thought would look great in our kitchen. He would give them to us wholesale at $125 apiece, but we need three, so I'll have to think about it.
And save my pennies.

Today we went shopping and spent a couple hundred dollars on little things--shampoo, laundry detergent, paper towel holder, shower curtain rod, etc. It's amazing how fast that stuff adds up. We are also getting used to all the new appliances, and running into a few problems. I've cooked on a gas range all my life and this one is electric--definitely a learning curve.l The dishwasher and fridge are great, with the ice cube dispenser far superior than the one in our SaltLake house.
The shower controls in both bathrooms needed some tweaking. The installer had set them so the handle wouldn't go past warm, apparently so we wouldn't accidentally scald ourselves, probably for liability purposes. Steve and Glenn, the general contractor, were able to take fix them, so we can have nice hot showers instead of lukewarm ones. Our new washer, however, is another story. It's a front loader, and when it tries to spin, it makes horrendous noises and bucks and shakes halfway across the room. Doesn't matter how large, small, heavy, or light the load--it does the same thing. Luckily, being brand-new, it's under warranty. The good news is that there's an authorized service person right in Benson. The bad news is that his repairman is out sick, so we'll have to wait until Monday to get it looked at. I counted my undies and have enough to get by until then.

Our son Chris and his girlfriend, Sharon, are coming up for the weekend. We're looking forward to showing them around.

Unexpected Fun

Yesterday, we had planned to go to the Bluegrass Festival in the park in Benson. We had taken the dogs for a hike in the wash near where we're staying, messed around for a little while, and finally wandered into Benson in the early afternoon for the festival. When we got there, close to 1 p.m., we discovered that it ended at 4:45, admission was $12 apiece, and you had to bring your own lawn chairs if you didn't want to sit on the grass. Didn't seem worth it, so we left, stopped at the Benson Ice Cream Stop for hot fudge and banana shakes, and decided to take a Sunday drive to see some of the country instead. We drove down a little country road, through a town (smaller than St. David, which is pretty small) called Pomerene; we were headed toward the mountains when we saw a small sign in the middle of a cluster of mailboxes on a side road, pointing the way to something called Gammon's Gulch and a donkey rescue center. Intrigued, we turned in, and soon found ourselves at a parking lot to what looked like a set for Western movie. We were the only car in the lot, but got out to have a look, and were met by the owner and proprietor, James "Jay" Gammon. It WAS a Western movie set, lovingly built by Jay, and furnished with antiques from 1870 to the early 1930's that Jay has scrounged from all over Arizona or had donated. All the buildings are "real," not just fronts, and are mostly very old buildings that were ready to be torn down that Jay discovered, took apart, and reassembled here. Jay's father was chief of security for John Wayne in the 1960's, and Jay has been around the making of westerns all his life, as a set designer and a bit player. If you remember the John Wayne movie "Rio Bravo," the little Mexican boy leading the funeral procession and beating on a drum was Jay. Gammon's Gulch has been the setting for many movies, mostly independent student films, but also some for the History Channel and some Hollywood ones too. Jay has met and worked with many Hollywood actors and had an opinion about them all: Val Kilmer--"very hard to work with, full of himself;" Kurt Russell--"the worst. Thought he was better than everyone else;" Peter Coyote--"toilet mouth, but a really nice guy;" Sam Elliott--"great guy, really friendly and down-to-earth." Jay took us on a personal tour of all the buildings, talking a mile a minute about where everything came from, and obviously very proud of his little town. He even played us a tune on the honkey-tonk piano in the saloon as well as a number on the banjo. He and his wife live on site, in the Grand Hotel at the end of the street. The price for our personal tour? Seven dollars each, payable only after the tour was finished and only if we liked what we saw. We did both, and left smiling, promising to spread the word and bring our friends. The donkey rescue next door is only open for tours by appointment only, but we took the phone number and will save it for another visit.

Back "Home" in Benson

We are back in Benson (actually, St. David), ready to close on our new home. Yep, we bought it! We got an amazing deal--apparently the builder had several spec homes that weren't moving in this market, and wanted to sell before it went into foreclosure. It was originally listed at $214,900 when it went on the market in October, dropped to 189,000 in January, and had just dropped again to 179,000 when we looked at it for the second time in early March. We made an offer of 167,500, figuring that would give them room to counteroffer, but they accepted the offer as written. We couldn't believe it! So, for the past month, we've been mailing and emailing paperwork back and forth to the mortgage company, the realtor, and the title company. The amount of paper is staggering--we half more than a half inch worth of copies! Things certainly have changed since the last time we bought a house (20 years ago). Both the realtor and the lender agree, saying that it gets worse every year. Some of it I can understand, but some of it is totally ridiculous. The lender actually required a "motivation letter" saying why we wanted to buy a house in Arizona. Why that is any of their business is anyone's guess. Anyway, all is well; our closing is scheduled for Wednesday, but may happen a day early, which would be great.

We arrived here on Tuesday for the home inspection and final walk-through on Wednesday. We parked the RV on the property Tuesday night, but, because of liability issues, the realtors didn't want us staying on the property after that one night until it's officially ours, even though it was ok with the owner. Sydney, our realtor, offered her front yard as an alternative to $30plus a night in an RV park, and we gratefully accepted. She lives on 15 acres, has a huge yard, horses, and two dogs who welcomed Ellie and Tex like long-lost pals. There is a lot to see and do around this area, and we've been doing day trips here and there. Once we close and have the keys to the house, we'll be moving some things in. Although we won't be moving here permanently for at least a year, we'll be making lots of trips down with stuff, and working on building a storage building and a garage/workshop.

The pictures in this post show a couple of views of our house and some of the flora on our property. The barrel cactus are starting to bloom, and prickly pear and cholla won't be far behind. There are lots of little desert wildflowers in purple, yellow, and white. The mesquite, which in the winter looked black and dead, like they had been in a fire, are beginning to green up too. The elevation is 4000 feet here--too cold for saguaro and citrus, but I can have my favorite ocotillo. My mom said she'd buy me one as a housewarming present (Thanks, Mom!).

Update on the Benson House

Today is Friday, March 5th. We forewent (is that a word?) the drive on the Apache Trail with the Cuatros folks to come into Apache Junction and take care of business. We have been proceeding on the Benson house. Sydney, our agent, emailed us copies of all the legal documents, disclosure forms, well and road maintenance agreements, etc., and it all looks good. We are trying to get ahold of her to set up an on-site meeting with the builder so we can get more info about how all the solar stuff works, warranties, and so forth. We've contacted a lender, and, while we haven't formally applied for the loan, it looks like we won't have any trouble qualifying. Our plan, if it works out, is to drive back to Benson and meet with the builder on site Monday, and, if things still look good, make an offer soon after that.

Sadly, Chris and Sharon had made other plans for this weekend and won't be able to join us for a reprise of the Boulder Canyon hike. However, we offered to lead any interested Cuatros Estados folks who want to come, and it looks like we may have a few takers. That will be tomorrow, as Sunday we hope to be leaving for Benson.

Hiking in Boulder Canyon

Today is Thursday, March 4th. I got up this morning and met Edith for our birding walk around the campground loops. We saw quite a few birds, including some Lesser Goldfinches, lots of cactus wrens perched atop saguaros, a couple of cardinals, a White-Crowned Sparrow, a beautiful hummingbird with an irridescent red throat, a Gila Woodpecker, and tons of grackles. We watched one of the cactus wrens fly into his (or her?) nest in a cholla, and, with the binoculars, could see his tail sticking out and his head peeking out to look at us. Very cute! I will try to get back and take a picture with the sort-of-telephoto and see if I can get a decent one.I also learned to identify the chattering call of the cactus wren.

Afterwards, Steve and loaded the dogs into the Samurai and set off to find a trailhead. I remembered seeing by Canyon Lake as we drove in yesterday. It was about 2 miles back up the highway, right across the road from the marina. We parked the car and set out. What a beautiful hike! Good trail, varied terrain, and gorgeous views in every direction. At one point, a huge saguaro cactus had fallen over and was blocking the trail. Luckily, it had fallen a LONG time ago and has lost all its spikes--climbing over it wasn't as crazy as it looks! We talked to some people we met along the way who have hiked it before. They said it goes on for miles and miles into the Superstition Mountains. We hiked for two miles, to a little spring and pool, before turning around. With all the rain the area has had lately, the desert is really green, and there were lots of little wildflowers everywhere. Too early for cactus blossoms, though.

Back at camp now and heading out of the canyon back to Apache Junction to check on phone messages and post this. I’m going to call Chris and see if he and Sharon are interested in driving up on Saturday or Sunday and doing the Boulder Canyon hike with us.

Tortilla

Today is Wednesday, March 3rd.We left Chris’s this morning and drove to Tortilla Campground in the Tonto National Forest, on the edge of the Superstition Mountains, home of the famous Lost Dutchman Mine. The campsites are huge, with nice views of the canyon and the rocky cliffs. There’s sewer and water at each of the 70 or so campsites, but no electricity. The campground is tiered in three levels, so if feels much smaller and more intimate than it really is. The price is right--$3 a night.

We’re here for a rally with Cuatros Estados, one of the FMCA Rving groups we joined. This is our first outing with them. We got here around noon, and welcome festivities and potluck happy hour didn’t begin until four, so we quickly set up camp and, with directions from John and Mary, the campground hosts, set off for a little hike. We waded across the creek at the edge of the campground and found the trail that eventually led to the tip top of “The Boot”--a big rock formation that towers over the camp. The views from up there were stupendous in every direction. The lake is called Canyon Lake, and it’s about two miles from the campground. Can you pick out the Royal Palms in the campground? We’re in the center tier of campsites, about in the middle.

There are 12 rigs here for the rally. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming. Most of the people are long-term members and know each other pretty well, but there are two other new couples besides us. There are different activities and sightseeing in the area planned most days, but tomorrow is a free day until happy hour and fajita dinner. I’m meeting one of the other women, Edith, at 8:30 a.m. for a birding walk around the campground. She doesn’t claim to be an expert, but others say she is very knowledgeable, and I’m sure I’ll learn a lot. There are lots of birds here; I’ve already spotted several cardinals, which we don’t have in Utah. After that, Steve and I are planning to take another hike, probably from a trailhead we saw as we drove by Canyon Lake this morning.

Florence Junction to Tempe

After leaving our campsite in the desert gardens south of Florence, we proceeded another 40 or so miles northward to a BLM area near Florence Junction. It was listed in our Don Wright Free Camping Guide, but the directions were so vague that I was sure we wouldn’t be able to find it. “From the junction of Highway 60 and Highway 89, head past the rest area on the north, past a tree on the south, cross the railroad tracks, go south through a gate about a mile.” The highway was 79, not 89, and we saw a rest area but no tree. Just past the railroad tracks was an unmarked dirt road with a cattle guard and gate. Miracle of miracles! About a mile back were lots of nice campsites. We chose one by some big trees next to a dry wash. It had a campfire ring and a fair amount of trash; I cleaned up the trash and Steve scouted for firewood, and we had a nice spot with a campfire. There was less cactus for the dogs to pick up, but there were cows. Ellie’s herding or guarding instinct kicked in, and she patrolled our perimeter, carefully herding the cows away anytime they got too close to camp. Tex found the cows, or rather cowpies, irresistible. He would go out on patrol and come home brown and smelly from rubbing himself. We had to bathe him not once but twice. He hates baths, and felt very sorry for himself.

From that campsite, it was only about an hour and half to our son, Chris’s, in Tempe. We arrived Saturday morning, and he and Steve spent the next several days tearing apart and then rebuilding his patio roof. I played clean up crew one day, then spent another checking out the yarn shops and quilt shops in the area. On our last evening there, we went to a really fun restaurant called Oregano’s, near ASU. The food was delicious and the portions gargantuan. Possibly the best part was the dessert--a huge half-baked peanut butter chocolate chip cookie, baked in its own little iron skillet and brought to the table piping hot with a huge scoop of ice cream on top. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Even Steve and Chris, who are not normally big on sweets, ate their fair share. I should have had the camera, but, as usual, it didn’t even occur to me to bring it along.