Sandie & Jim

No fishing probably for a couple of months. Which is really going to be tough - on ME.

Jim comes home tomorrow morning. We are so excited. Still can't drive. But he feels great. No pain except for a little bit where the incision is.

Jim wants to go riding with you. He is still at rehab and is bored out of his mind. He sees the surgeon on Monday and hopefully he'll say he can come home. The problem is he's really beginning to feel good but they still won't let him walk down the hall without somebody with him. He has no problems with the stairs but they think they should keep him for two weeks regardless. Went to Superstition Skies tonight and Diana and Phil were there. Diana said she had a good time meeting up with Marti and Paul and seeing Jeri and Terry again. No, Jim couldn't go so Paul went with me. He's in Mesa for the month.

Jim's surgery was a success according to the doctor. Jim is feeling really lousy so I'm not sure he'd agree but we'll give him a few days before we ask him. I am so impressed with the doctors and this hospital. Oasis Hospital is new - only opened last June and it is strictly a Spine and Orthopedic Surgical Center. Seems strange to go to such a specialized "hospital". No emergency room, no sick people. Just people needing bones and backs fixed or replaced. You guys have fun in Yuma. Wish we were going to Da Boyz with you.

Denise stayed at this park and she really liked it also.

So Don, what do we have to do to get you to Q earlier next year?

Eric and Karla are only going to be here for about a week. Not sure where they are headed from here but I'll find out tonight.

Back in AJ. Thanks guys for the great time at Q. Met some really wonderful new people who fit right in with this insane group of ours. Getting ready for the surgery next Tuesday. Tomorrow night we're going to party with Eric and Karla, Paul and hopefully Sue and Paul at Superstition Skies.

Had a great lunch with Freddy and Delcie today. We sat and talked for over three hours. Hated to have to come home. They are headed your way tomorrow. Carol and Doug (she posts as Carol A) are also headed over that way. They plan on parking with the 2007 group but if you get a chance to say hi to them that would be great.

Wahoo!! We're going to have lunch on Friday with Freddy and Delcie down in Casa Grande. Sure looking forward to seeing them again. Tomorrow is Jim's nuclear stress test.

I'm sad. We're back in Apache Junction and it's getting cold. How depressing is that. But Jim has lots of doctor appointments and a couple of things I want done before he has surgery. So here we are. It is nice to have electricity and to be able to really take a shower. But I sure do miss everybody.

Toni and Doug just pulled in. We'll get them parked properly in the morning. But sure am glad they got here safe and sound.

Yea Carol. So glad to see you posting. Keep it up. Just heard from Toni and they will be here early afternoon.

Happy Anniversary you guys. Jim and I are just 20 years behind you.

Thanks for all the kind words and prayers from everybody. We are in Quartzsite and when we finally got on the road today it really was an uneventful trip. Thank goodness. I am just going to chill and do nothing. Jim will find something to putter with or Jerry and he will just get in trouble. Coming back tonight in the dark after dinner with Jeri & Terry, we turned left at the sign (see Jeri's post). Right across the road from this sign on the right side is a sign that says - line starts here for dump. Follow that road through two small washes and then turn left by the Bounder. (Hopefully he'll still be parked there cause he's my guide as to where to turn left.) We're just a little further down the road on the left. We have a Montana fifth wheel with Montana license plates. Denise has a motorhome toyhauler (can't remember the make) and a Harley. Jeri & Terry will have their Monaco, their trailer with the ATVs, and a screen room (I think). With lots of yellow all around so we shouldn't be too hard to find. Sure am looking forward to seeing everybody who can make it.

Hey Lee - just remember if you and I are at Quartzsite at the same time there's some spaghetti in the works for you.

Not sure it's a story I want to tell. But here goes. We hitched up to pull out this morning. Pulled around the corner and Jim wanted to check the brake line. Got back in and decided that he'd drive slowly through the park to adjust the new brakes. We made the next turn and hear this thump. Hitch came undone and dropped the fiver on the truck bed. Now - it could have been a whole lot worse than it is. We could have been going down the highway. And because the generator rides underneath the hitch the fiver dropped mainly on the generator instead of the truck. We need to replace our tail gate but it still closes. The sides of the truck bed are fine. But the generator was destroyed. Broke the gas tank and we had gas running everywhere on the road. Jim was eventually able to get the fiver hitched up again and back we went to our site. Jim had to clean up the gas and suction out the gas that was still in the generator. Really smelled bad out here for awhile and I warned everybody not to light a match. Then he went on a search for a new generator. Many hours later we finally found at Cabela's clear over in Glendale. So now the plan is (yea right!) is to hitch up in the morning and head to Q. But first we have to make sure the new generator will fit around the hitch. It's a little bit taller than the old one so we don't know for sure. It got dark before we could check it out tonight. And that's my exciting news.

Not going to make Q today but will definitely be there tomorrow.

You know, it just never fails. Every time we are trying to get ready to go someplace something goes wrong. Last time it was the front jacks. This time it's the propane valve, the one that switches from one tank to the other. It wouldn't be such a big deal because Jim can just swap out the tanks. However, with him having back surgery in a couple of weeks, we need to get it fixed. Jim can do it so he is replacing the valves and hoses and whatever else is going on. We are still hoping we will be out of here by noon tomorrow to get to Q. Keep your fingers crossed for us. I'm feeling better today but still don't have any energy so it's slow going for me. I still don't have a voice but hopefully tomorrow. I did get all the laundry done.

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone. Terry, I was so excited to hear your good news. Best Christmas present every. Jim got his present today. I've lost my voice.

We're still planning on landing in Q next Tuesday. No ice here but lots of wind. Christmas day is supposed to be beautiful. I can hardly wait. Hopefully see some of you next week.

Congrats Toni and Doug. Glad everybody is doing so good. Joe - A/C running - I don't think so. It's not that warm. But I'm sure glad that rain has stopped at least for a day or so.

Linda - as hard as it is for me to say it, yes you'll have to take us off the list. Sorry about the cornbread and onions. We are planning to come over about the 28th and hopefully stay for about ten days. I really want to meet and see as many people as we can. That way Dave and Millie won't have to move to the hospital room.

Thanks for the good wishes guys. No fusion for Jim - and that's the really good news. He's having a minimally invasive laminectomy. He'll be in the hospital two or three days and may or may not need physical therapy. We were referred to this doctor by our good friend Faye who had this done. She was like a new person afterwards. The surgeon works for DISC - the Desert Institute for Spine Care. We have high hopes.

Bill and Jan are in Casa Grande. We're going down there for dinner with them tomorrow night so I'm going to try and show her how to use the map. Wish me luck. Or I'll ask her if she wants to be taken off. You know that chalk that Jeri uses all the time. Well, it's now in my hand. We aren't going to make Q this year. And I am disappointed. But Jim has back surgery scheduled for January 10 and will be out of commission for a month or so. Even though it breaks my heart not to be able to join you guys, if Jim can walk again it will be worth it.