Catalina Camping

Does it seem odd to you that ten normal people in their sound minds would opt to camp in Tucson during the month of January?  When the temps were expected to be in the low teens in the morning?  Well, I have to admit it that we were asking ourselves the same question on Monday and Tuesday when it was very cold and windy.  But, we had made our reservations months ago, and all of us were too stubborn or too cheap (maybe both) to back out. 

Here is part of our caravan pulling into the campground on Monday, Jan. 14th: Jerry & Sandy, Norm and Landi, followed by Doris and Gary in their coach.  I had to be quick to get this picture since Don had just pulled into our site and I was jumping out of the truck so I could capture the moment (without getting run over).

On Monday and Tuesday, it was way too cold to hike, bike or even sit outside by the RVs.  We hooked up to electricity and our little heater ran constantly until Wednesday afternoon.  We even managed to squeeze all ten of us into our 5th wheel trailer on Monday night for spaghetti dinner and then in Jerry and Sandy's trailer on Tuesday for chili.  We were quite cozy those two afternoons, but it worked.  None of us missed a bite, even if we didn't have a table to sit at.

By Weds. morning, a bunch of us were on our bikes, ready for more than exercising just our arm muscles so we could put food into our mouths.

 Above is a picture of Norm and Landi on their personal "Tour de Tucson".  Doris caught up with the rest of us later down the road.  The weather wasn't too bad as long as we bundled up and had gloves on.

What else did we do?  Jerry had built a corn hole game board, so there were games going on the next few days.  Jerry just stood back and let me attempt to get one of those bags into the hole.  I know why now he was so relaxed....he is an excellent player and he had no worries that I would beat him!

 Sandy stood aside while Doris showed off her form.  Never mind that she was going over the imaginary foul line.  At least there is no buzzer or light that goes off if we went beyond the line!

It's Gary vs Gary here.  Gary MacFarlane looks like he is trying to tell his partner where he wants the bag to go.  I can't remember whether Don or Jerry was his partner or who won.  At least all of us were getting some form of exercise.

I think the dinner bell just rang.....you can see Gary, Don, Jerry and Gary sauntering over from their game to greet our visitors.

Thursday:  Buck, Janice, Ray and Elaine arrive for our turkey dinner.

Elaine checks out some of the food and Jerry waits behind her.  Camping doesn't always mean hamburgers or hot dogs on the grill.  We had appetizers, turkey, gravy, dressing, 2 kinds of potatoes, green bean casserole, 2 types of cranberries, rolls and two desserts!  It looked like a restaurant buffet alongside Doris and Gary's coach. 

Ray took this picture of us after our meal.  It was lovely that afternoon: warm, sunny and no wind at all.

Janice and Doris stopped for a moment to smile for me.

Elaine had baked two cakes to help Ray, Gary and Jerry celebrate their birthdays.  Looks like Jerry was trying to figure out what type of cake he was holding.

                                                                                            

On Friday, a long time friend, Nellie Galloway, came out to visit us.  Nellie had gone to grade school at Redeemer with Doris and Sandy.  Gary's family lived next door to her family when they were young. I didn't know Nellie until high school but she ended up playing the organ for our wedding!  All six of us graduated from Flowing Wells high school.  From the left: Sandy (1966), Sherry (1965), Doris (1963), me (also 1963), Nellie (1962) and Gary (1961).  Nellie recently retired and it was wonderful seeing her again after all these years.  As it turned out, this was the last time we got to see Gary before the Lord called him home.  We're grateful for all the good times we got to spend with him.

Goodtimes with Gary

My dear brother-in-law, Gary Sherwood, was called home on Saturday, January 26th, one day before his 70th birthday.  He will be sorely missed by Doris, his sons, grandchildren, extended family members and what you could call as "oodles" of friends.  Don and I were glad that we got to camp at Catalina State Park again last week with Doris, Gary and their all time favorite dog, Molly.

As you can see from some of the pictures below, Gary loved his beer.  He even proved that beer and chocolate cake DO go together!  He sometimes surprised us with his antics, other times amazed us with his history knowledge and all things that related to Arizona.  For years, Gary and Doris led tours in Tucson, and if you were one of the lucky ones, you got to go on their van.  He would amuse the tourists with Tucson trivia and anecdotes of people he knew and worked with.

 Jerry and Gary toast each other at Buckskin State Park in January, 2011.  I can't remember if Gary had any of the cake, but I do know for certain that he finished his beer!

Doris was the one who captured his heart, and she knew also how to keep a rein on him!  Here she demonstrates her famous technique of "What were you thinking of, Gary?"

 Obviously, he was a quick learner and it was all smiles after the demonstration.

 One of those demos was all that it took.  His "time out" included sitting outside their coach, sipping on a Margarita; one of the few times it was something other than a Bud.

Back in 2010, six of us traveled back to Illinois to meet up with other Bollmeier cousins.  Here we are with June, Dale and Mary at the restaurant in New Baden, Illinois.

 Can you see that all the rest of us are tasting wine.  Guess who is the only one with a beer mug?  Ten guesses and the first nine don't count!  I don't know what Gary said, but it sure put a surprised look on Doris' face.

For those of us who knew him well, Gary and Doris were the perfect match for each other.  She did the work and he supervised.  When they camped, it was Doris who set up and took down most of the stuff. She did the dumping of the RV tanks, much to the chagrin of Don and Jerry, who always wondered why they weren't as lucky as Gary when it came to that task.

Looks like Gary was in his supervisor stance as Doris did the hula hoops at New Belgium Brewery.

 Hmm....I wonder what Gary MacFarlane was telling Gary S?  Doris looked a bit concerned...

 Looks like it was all fine in the end.  After all, this was taken at a brewery in Ft. Collins.  That had to be one of Gary's favorite places to visit.  After all, the beer samples were free!

I just wonder if St. Peter was waiting for you at the pearly gates with a bucket of Bud in his hand.  Maybe  that brand is Bud Heavenly Light, especially made just for you.  Miss you and may you rest peacefully in the room that the Lord prepared just for you.

Lessons Learned

This post is dedicated today to Jerry White, my brother-in-law who turned "59" today for the umpteenth time!  He is quiet, soft spoken and has a slight southern drawl, but don't let that mislead you.  He can also be very sneaky at times!

If he ever asks you if he can borrow your camera, think TWICE about saying yes.  Let's just say he is very creative, focusing on items I would never think of in a million years.  I discover these little gems after I've downloaded the pictures off my camera.   It had me laughing when I saw some of the last bunch that he took while we were at Catalina State Park.  Don and I went for a bike ride and he said he wanted to take a picture of both of us on our bikes.  Somehow, that picture never showed up.  Hmm......wonder how that happened?

Here are a few that did:

 Trash.  I think he was fascinated by the colored clamps that held the line on the trash container.

                                                The back of Don's head, up nice and close.

Nice picture of the campsite, if you're a monkey hanging upside down from a tree limb!

I think this could be labeled as "pop art".  So much better than the bird poop picture that he took while we were traveling in Oregon a couple of years ago.   Maybe I've learned my lesson this time and will carefully guard the camera whenever he comes near.  On the other hand, I would miss out on some of his amazing pictures that give me a chuckle when I look at them!  At least I don't have to pay to have these developed.  Thank goodness for digital cameras!  And happy birthday to you, Jer.

Danish Trivia

Here are some tidbits about Denmark.  First of all, most people have a hard time finding this tiny nation on the map, since it's about half the size of Maine.  Sarah and Hanne's home town is so close to the border that you can see Germany from their hillside church in Bov.

Think your taxes are high?  They pay 48% in taxes and the state takes out 8% for the state church, which is Lutheran.  The church pastors are paid by the government, not the people who attend the church.   The government pays Sarah to complete her higher education, not the other way around.  All their medical bills are covered since they are socialistic, but dental care is their responsibility.


Both Sarah and Hanne were amazed at the selection of items in the grocery stores, especially coffee.  If you want Danish coffee, there is only one choice: plain black.  No Hazelnut,  French Vanilla, Pumpkin Spice, Peppermint, etc.  nor any flavored creamers.  We sent them home with boxes of my favorite Gevalia coffees, including Chocolate Raspberry and they made a trip to Frys to get some Peppermint Mocha before going home.

Like to put a meal in your Crockpot so the meal is ready when you get home?  Can't do that in Denmark. They don't have Crockpots.  There is no frozen, pre-made pie dough either.  Everything is made from scratch.  Maybe one reason for no frozen pie dough is because the really don't have pie over there.   While they were with us, I made  a lemon pie and a pecan pie, plus we did have pumpkin pie for our early Thanksgiving dinner.   One of the great things is that they have very few fast food places, even in Copenhagen.  The small towns have none.  I think they eat healthier because they don't load up on french fries or calorie laden cheeseburgers.

When Sarah ordered a latte at McDonald's in Tucson, she was peppered with all sorts of questions:  a) hot or cold?  b) plain, Hazelnut, Vanilla, Sugar free Vanilla or Caramel?  c) nonfat or regular?   She turned to me and stated that all she wanted was a latte!  In Denmark, she wouldn't have had to go through 3 rounds of questions before they finally put her order in!  Too many choices!

Driving there is also quite different.  Sarah had to take driving lessons and pay $2000 for a license before she could go out on the roads.  Cars cost about 2-3 times there than they do in the U.S.  Even with all the differences, Business Week Magazine said that the 2008 World Survey showed that Denmark is home to the most contented citizens in the world.  There is no stress at all when you order a latte or coffee in Copenhagen.  The waiting lines would sure be diminished, that's for sure, since each person wouldn't have to answer three sets of questions!

Doin' the Touristy Thing

We did one last sweep of Southern Arizona a few days before Sarah and Hanne went back to Denmark.     Don and the girls were goofing off again as we walked to the Bisbee Coffee Company for a cup of coffee and what else.....a Danish!

After a brief walk up and down one of the streets, we headed over for the mine tour.  

Sarah and Hanne decided to show off their new outfits, complete with blue hard hats!  They look pretty spiffy, if I do say so myself.  They sure couldn't find those great coats in Copenhagen.

We wore jackets under the yellow slickers and were glad for the warmth.  It is cold down in the mine all year long.  Hanne checked out one of the excavations once we reached the first stope.  Makes me glad I wasn't a miner during the early 1900's.  Way too cold, dark and dirty for me!

 Ten guesses what this is, and the first 9 don't count.  This was the two seater portable potty.  One thing for sure, guys wouldn't spend their time reading on one of these.  Can you imagine how cold the seats would have been?  And just think of the poor fellow who was in charge of this and having to dump it.

By the looks of Sarah's expression, she is ready to head back to the entrance and some sunshine.

 After the tour, we drove around parts of Bisbee, following the tourist Jeep.  Many of the roads are one way and quite steep.  After all, most of them were built in the late 1800's, way before large trucks and cars were around.  I bet the early settlers here kept in shape by just walking up and down the staircases set into the hillsides.

Our next stop was the historic town of Tombstone.  Although still very interesting, it has lost some of its old time western town flavor.  The main road in town has been paved and it has become very commercialized.  They should have left the dirt road.  Who ever saw a movie of Wyatt Earp or Doc Holiday walking down a paved street?  Progress is not always a good thing.  There were still guys dressed up in period costumes roaming around, but also missing were sporadic standoffs and gunfights.

After stopping for a bite to eat in Benson, we headed back to Sandy and Jerry's home.  We relaxed and  enjoyed a meal of wine (made by Jerry), salad and pizza on their back patio, watching the sun set.  Jerry had stoked the chiminea and the fire kept us warm until it got dark outside.

Tucson Trails

We headed to the southern part of Arizona the second week that Sarah and Hanne were here.  We are always grateful to have relatives with extra bedrooms so we can visit and stay overnight without having to pay for a hotel room.  First on our agenda was doing a couple of hikes at one of our favorite places, Catalina State Park.

Sarah is showing off her Mom's new Apple IPad that they got at Arrowhead Mall.  It would have cost them 3 times as much if they purchased it in Denmark.  The man at the Apple store even showed them how to change it over to a Danish keyboard.  The Danish and Norwegians also use the vowel  "æ" .

I was amazed at how clear the pictures turned out on the IPad.  Sarah could take a picture and post it almost immediately to Facebook!  We were on the Romero Ruins trail when Sarah wanted to have her picture taken by the big saguaro and the mountains in the background.  Just so happened that I had my camera along.  Her wish was  granted!

I think goofing around for pictures is part of the Hartlev heritage.  Sarah and Hanne were always smiling and laughing while they were here.  

A view of the Catalina Mountains from one of the trails.  The weather that day was perfect for a hike.

Afterwards, we headed to Doris and Gary's house.  They had never met my cousins and we enjoyed getting together with family members and friends.  As always, there was plenty of good food.

Don, Sarah and Doris relax by the pool.

Jannie and Doris attended to the hamburgers grilling outside.  It got a bit smoky a few times, but everyone enjoyed the "flame broiled" burgers.

Sarah was showing pictures of her travels to Janice and Elaine.  At 24, she is a world traveler, spending months in New Zealand, Thailand, Hanoi, and both North and South Vietnam as well as most of Europe. Don and I are both amazed at how brave she was to travel to remote parts of 3rd world countries, even hiring a guide to get to remote villages by the China border.  When she is not in school, she is working and saving money to fund her travels.

Buck and Sandy celebrated their birthdays while we were there.  And no, they aren't 2!  The only candle Doris could find was that one!  Hey, it's the thought that counts, right?!