The Adventures of Fric and Frac: Adventure 206: Covered Wagon RV Park/Phoenix, AZ/Post J

Winter Home of Happy and Forey Hardt.

After a normal morning, we spent another great day in paradise valley (Almost literally). First, let me describe what a normal morning means. Stumpy wakes up about 5:30 A.M. and moves to the front room where she snuggles under the hand knit wool comforter, reads Facebook, does a crossword, writes in her journal, heats a muffin in the microwave along with a steaming hot cup of Starbuck's instant. Then she does her knee exercises (She's a good girl). And sometimes she watches an episode of Downton Abbey or reads. She calls all this activity her quiet time. Meanwhile, I stretch myself across the expanse of our bed and begin my deepest sleep of the night (It is also the time I begin my technicolor dreamscapes). About seven, even here in Glendale, the furnace kicks on for a little bit. By then, Judy is a little chilled so she comes back to bed (Which is very warm because I've got a hot body-that's not a pun or a resume) and we snuggle for a half hour or so. About eight, we get up, wash our faces with a steaming hot wash cloth (An amazingly feel good experience) and brush our teeth. I then make the bed, get dressed and swallow my pills. Judy makes breakfast (Starting with Costa Rican style coffee) while I study Spanish. We eat our thin gruel of oatmeal, semel with cheddar cheese and strawberry jam, orange slices, and a second cup of coffee. We then play our cribbage game, which usually includes taunts, jibes, scorns, jests, and other smack talking events. After breakfast, I spend about an hour working on the Tai Chi form, and then I dry the dishes. This routine has become just that, which amazes us a little bit because you'd think retired folk would live a life exempt from routine. Nevertheless, after our morning, we seek whatever adventure we can find. Today, we drove way over to the other side of the valley to see Happy and Forey Hardt, our friends of old. They have been full time RVers for quite some time now, and they are spending at least their third winter in the Phoenix area. They are staying at a fabulous RV park just South of Fountain Hill that borders the Apache Indian reservation. Last season, Happy woke up at four-thirty and stood in line just to get the spot (Site 101) they've parked their motorhome in. It is facing forward (One of the few drive ins), and it has a commanding view of the desert and a set of mountains in the distance called 'The Four Peaks'. While the RV park is outside the city, it has the benefit of being surrounded by the mystic beauty of the raw desert, the freshness of the smog free air, and a sense of solitude (If you ignore the hundred or so others who stay there). Judy and I had a great drive through Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, and finally, Fountain Hill, a distance of about forty miles to get to the Hardt's place. It gave us an entirely different perspective. The further we got from Phoenix proper, the prettier it got. Happy, although she may demure, is an excellent cook and hostess. She fixed us a delightful lunch of shrimp salad bedded on fresh greens and spinach, garnished with hard boiled eggs, artichokes, asparagus spears, tomato wedges, and hearts of palm. She used a lemon flavored olive oil she got from a small vineyard in Queen Creek. We sat in the perfect desert air, cooled by a gentle breeze, and shared stories of our kids (And what not). I was so relaxed, I almost dozed off for a minute. Sadly, Judy and I had to battle the 'go home from work traffic' back across town. We made it safely, although the radio announcers suggested there were accidents everywhere around us. In terms of adventure, it couldn't have been better: an exquisite lunch, stimulating conversation, breathtaking scenery, and good friends, all of which suggest that life is good, especially today.