Friday, March 18…Painting Pictures (Adele)

   We finally have answers to our questions about the water pumps and canals, thanks to Jeremy who lives in the little community across the road from the campground.  Yesterday he was outside his house and Kim walked over to ask him if he knew anything about the canal system around here.  Yes, he did as he used to work on a farm. 

  Here’s what we learned:  Central Arizona Irrigation and Drainage District is a county run program that regulates the water/pumps/canals.  The pumps we see down Picacho Hwy do not pump the water from a well head; they pump water from the larger irrigation canals down by Harmon Rd to the smaller canals near the pecan groves. The water in the larger canal is pumped from the Colorado River and oddly sometimes fish end up in the larger canals.  Each farm is allocated a certain amount of water per year and they decide when to use it.  However if the rainfall during the monsoon season is light then the allocation amount can be cut back.  After almost 7 years of wondering, now we know.

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   I have found my people on the FB Birding page I joined last night.  Kindred spirits! A fun place to share my pictures/videos and enjoy the bird pictures that others are posting. 😎

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   Last night was a frustrating night for Kim…there was a glitch with his equipment which meant to salvage the night he had to re-do the darks 3 times.  So he got to bed very late.  I let him sleep while I went out for a walk today.  It was probably about 8 and the day was still deliciously cool.  It got hotter throughout the day but the morning hours were very comfy.

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   Today was Seniors Day at the Pinal Country Fair and we took advantage of the $4 admission fee.  Last two years there was no fair due to COVID but it’s back on this year.  Gotta love small town fairs…and when I say small think a quarter of the size of the Emmet County Fair, maybe even smaller.  But there are 4-H animals, rides, and expensive greasy food…everything one would expect at a county fair.

   We had lunch, walked around, rode the Ferris wheel and topped off the fair experience with a funnel cake on our way out.  I’m not a fan of the rides but I can handle the Ferris wheel if the car doesn’t sway too much.  Today’s experience on the big wheel was just fine.  Oh, and we saw Wesley and Sandra there. 

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   Returned to camp in plenty of time to make the Paint ‘n Sip activity at the clubhouse.  This Paint ‘n Sip involved watching a video and then using masking tape and paints to create our masterpieces on canvas.  Paint spatulas, paintbrushes, sponges and cotton balls rounded out the supplies and it was up to the imagination of each person as to how to proceed.  Thirteen attended and it seemed like everyone had a good time although based on  some comments maybe not all the masterpieces will be making the trip home with the respective artists but our artwork will and because wall space in the camper is at a minimum I’ll hang them somewhere in the house.  I like my picture.

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   There is someone over in the little community who is impressed with the performance and sound of his/her vehicle.  Nothing really wrong with that except that they choose to rev the engine, spin the tires and, by the sounds of it, do donuts out in the desert at about 8:30 or 9 in the evening…every freakin’ night!  Come on, dude, is there a reason this can’t be done during daylight hours?    

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I call myself A Creative, capital A, capital C…meaning that I have this need to create things.  It’s wired into me. At home I feed it by sewing, baking, taking pictures/making videos, painting rocks, making up stories about Ivan the Snowman and so much more.  And when we take a break from Michigan life by

heading out to Arizona the need to create doesn’t stop; however, my creative options are fairly limited. Writing, taking pictures/creating videos for the grandkiddos and rock painting are all still easily doable while away from home.  I manage to keep my hands busy. 

   Right now my side of the table is littered with paints, markers, paintbrushes, Q-tips, and currently rocks in progress.   Now that I have the correct type of paint it’s so much more enjoyable.  Just need to be a little picky about the rocks. 

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   The 40 Days of Lent challenge:  Make a donation today.   We discussed this and decided to see what opportunities were put before us.  Since we spent some of the day at the fair and the rest of the day either walking or hanging in the camper, opportunities weren’t real abundant.  However, there is the KOA Care Camp, an opportunity for children with cancer to “enjoy care-free time focusing on fun, friends and activities at sleep-away camp instead of on their illness.

    The Care Camps Trust provides financial support to 125+ special nonprofit camps located throughout the United States and Canada. These facilities are fully-equipped with the necessary medical supplies and volunteer professional staff to care for campers’ cancer-related needs.

   Even though staff members volunteer their time and services, expenses for these programs are still quite substantial. Costs include medications, medical equipment, utilities, insurance and transportation, plus those for camping program basics such as meals and recreation equipment. (From the KOA Care Camps website)

   Thursday night Bingo supports the Care Camp…the pot is split between the Bingo winner and Care Camp.  And there have been other activities here at camp whose proceeds go to Care Camp.  So we made a donation to the KOA Care Camp.