Valley Vista, Benson AZ & Brother David's, Sierra Vista AZ 3/28/11 - 4/4/11

We left St. David and went to Valley Vista, just down the road in Benson AZ. We stayed there for only four days before we went on to my brother, David's, in Sierra Vista. I was really lazy about taking pictures at Valley Vista, but we had a nice time there. We got really nice sites at the very back of the park and our back window faced the desert where we could watch all of the "critters."

We arrived at David and Kari's on my birthday, so the first thing we did was go to dinner! Of course, David let someone there know it was my birthday and so the waiters brought me a little cake and sang to me (while my face turned red!) That afternoon, Terry surprised me with a little portable ice maker. It is so cool! (That was a play on words--did you get it?) Now we can have ice whenever we need it.


Dave has a really nice pool and they uncovered it while we were there. Unfortunately, the water hadn't heated up enough to enjoy swimming in it yet. Dave has rigged up a black plastic hose heating system that works pretty well to heat it, but it takes a few days.

Terry always saves a project or two to do while we are at David's house. He has so many nice tools to do things with (plus a lot of expertise advise and help) that it makes it easier to do there. It only took Terry and Ron most of the day to change a serpentine belt on the Red Hippo. (If they could have read directions better it would have been much easier!)

We and Ron & Alice went to a hummingbird banding while we were in Sierra Vista. It was so fun to watch. They catch these fragile little birds in traps and then do several statistical things with them, including weighing them, and then they put a tiny little band around their leg for tracking purposes.

After they get everything done with them, they choose a person (none of us were chosen) and put the hummingbird in their hand and let it fly away. Some sit a bit before they fly away, and some just take off right away. They say that if they leave a "deposit" in your hand that it will bring you good luck! That never happened with any that we saw fly away, but I am sure it is true.

David has built a great barbecue in his back yard and he cooked us some great brats one night.

We had a good meal with Kari, Alice, Ron, Terry, Dave, and Blake.

I can't believe Blake will be 16 this summer. He is anxious to get his driver's license. Here he is with Max.

As usual, we had a great time staying at David's for a few days. As long as he doesn't kick us out, we hope to keep this up as an annual stay. I mean, where else can we park with hospitality like barbecue meals cooked for you, a fully stocked garage at your disposal, water, electricity, and a private bathroom with a black toilet! Thanks Dave, Kari, and Blake!