Text Box: We hope everyone had a great start to 2008!!  Well, many people spend New Years at great parties, or going to 42nd street in NYC, or staying home with a loved one, perhaps in front of a nice warm fire place.  In New Years gone by, we too have done some of the above.  So you may ask, what ever possessed us to celebrate the entrance of 2008 in the middle of the cold Arizona Desert, coaches circled around a campfire like the pioneer wagons of old, and nothing around except saguaro cactus, rocks, an occasional coyote, and 30 of our HR friends.   We even managed to pick the coldest January in years in Arizona.  But you know what, we had a great time!!!  Ed a]& Laura and Walt & Judy picked out the site for the gathering and instructed all of us to bring a couple of cords of wood for the camp fire and some canned vegetables for the hobo stew.  That big pot was used to make the stew and the next day some great hot apple cider!  We all divided up the cooking of biscuits, etc to make it easier.  Much time was spent around the camp fire keeping warm and socializing.  Our coach generators got a good work out.  The game players managed to have their fun by taking turns playing in one coach or the other.  We even managed to celebrate David’s birthday out there.  This is the Quartzite area, know for thousands of boon-dockers each Winter as well as  great shopping  with hundreds of vendors  selling anything you may want. It is also the location for the largest stone and gem show.  Most are all in tents.  Well, this marks the end of our Christmas \ New Years Celebrations.  Some people are continuing to remain in the area, as we are, which will mean we will be able to continue getting together from time to time.  We are already looking at our trip back east starting in February.  We  were here in Arizona  for the Super Bowl and we are floating on a cloud with the results of the Giant’s game even if we didn’t have tickets !  The year 2008 is starting out to be a great year!

Text Box: Smith Family Newsletter January 2008

Text Box: Well, all together, I think we have spent about a little better than three months in Mesa and Apache Junction areas.  We have done some local touring around the greater Phoenix area and I have to tell you that this place really ‘grows on you’!  We certainly got more rain than is usual, and it has been colder than usual, but it really didn’t matter.  The rain has changed the desert floor into a green carpet, which I have never seen before and I personally like it on the cool side.  It really is a great place to spend the Winter.  There are lots of things to do and see.  We went to the movies, theater presentations, museums, tours, great choices of restaurants, shopping, and all the city type of things to do.  In addition, it is easy to get around, with great roads and highway system.  The city park system is what surprised me the most.  There are good size parks throughout the whole area that are well used for walking and bird watching along the water ways.  Their water system is well thought out, using recycled water for the wild life to use in the parks.  One can also walk the trails along side the canals as well.  You only have to go a short distance to South Mountain Park, the largest urban park in the US.  All at once you find yourself over 1,000 feet in elevation, with a magnificent view of downtown Phoenix and The Greater Phoenix Area with the mountains as a back drop!  The city has grown in leaps and bounds and when driving around, you will see a real mix of types of residential settings, large tracks of desert lots, productive farming, and small horse and cattle ranches.  A couple of times a week, when you open your door, the morning breeze will have a distinct ‘farm smell’.   The area has grown quite rapidly and the growth of the infrastructure has had some difficulty keeping up.  I have selected some pictures of the parks for you to get a flavor of what we see.  Starting at the top left, a picture taken of the greater Phoenix area including downtown Phoenix.  Next is a picture of the green desert floor at South Mt. Park.  The bottom left is the view of Four Peaks taken from Ironwood RV Park, where we stayed in Apache Junction.  Bottom right is Fountain Hills Park in Scottsdale, with our jeep parked in front of fountain.

Text Box:   Bringing In 2008

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