Flamingo on a Stick

The Birthday Girl! I've been contemplating this post ever since we arrive back in Iowa. We got here by way of Smith Center KS where we had some work done at the Excel Service Center. A new air conditioner, gray tank, slide seals and adjustment and we were on our way.  They do a great job there but it was definitely a bill. Our spot outside the bay at the service center I'm 4!! Add caption We arrived back in Iowa in time for both John's birthday and our granddaughter Evie's 4th birthday. It has been so great to see her, Mitch and Jen again. Soon we hope to see our older son Gabe and his wife Melissa. They live in NW Iowa and hope to make it here in a couple weeks. It's also good to see old friends again. A good friend Steph is recovering from chemo and it was so good to see her and hear her CT scan looked good at the end of treatment. My BFF (as the kids say) Trudy and I are back to regular coffee sessions and have a trip to Galena planned next w

We are actually back in Iowa now but I wanted to tell you about a couple places we stopped on the way from Tucson to Iowa. The first is Elephant Butte State Park in Elephant Butte NM. This is one of my favorite places. I'm always worried when I go someplace like this, that I love, that this time it won't meet my expectations but no worries there; it is still one of my favorites. View from our campsite The campground we stay in is actually about 8 miles north of town at South Monticello Point. The main part of the state park is in town and is ok, but this campground we feel outshines those by a mile. Now, for RVers, I need to tell you this is not a park to come to expecting lots of activities. In fact, it is just the opposite: a restful very serene place. A perfect spot to recharge. It is surrounded by mountains and buttes with a wonderful 360 degree view. We had a pull thru with a view of the reservoir. What I love most about this place is the quiet. It had little sou