#17 Feb 2014 Ralph and Linda's Highlights!

Ralph and I had personal highlights in Mesa.

When we searched for a motorhome Ralph really wanted a diesel but conceded that we could not justify the additional cost. He agreed that a Ford V10 motor is the best gas engine and it has given it’s best on the hills and mountains since we left Surrey. Some hills we ascended slowly as Ralph doesn’t want to push the engine. We have thousands of miles to cover in the future.

In Camp Verde we saw an RV identical to ours and I made the “mistake” of pointing out that they had a decal with “Powered by Banks”. Before we left Surrey Ralph talked about a Banks upgrade to the exhaust and transmission but he had put the idea in the back of his mind until I noticed the decal. We discussed the idea extensively for a few days in Mesa until Ralph found a Banks authorized dealer and asked for a quote. Now we had to make a decision!

When we were driving I could feel Ralph’s concern about how hard the engine was working on hills. OK, we would proceed with Banks upgrade. The RV went into the shop Monday afternoon and we were fortunate that Sue and Bob have a hide-a-bed couch that we used for 2 nights. Wednesday February 12th, our 42nd anniversary, Ralph came back with “More Power URH, URH, URH”. Who remembers Tim Allen in Home Improvement with duct tape and always wanting more power? Ralph does!

My highlight was the Desert Botanical Garden with a special event showcasing glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly. Anywhere that we travel I am always watching the flowers, trees and gardens we pass. We both enjoy the fabulous glass creations by Chihuly and have seen a few over the years but nothing like this exhibit. We arrived at the garden by 10:30 and Ralph thought (hah, hah) that we would be there a couple of hours.

We enjoyed lunch on the patio and I kept going with Ralph following “patiently”. By mid afternoon he went for a nap in the car and I followed my camera wherever the next photo op presented itself. We had a great dinner on the garden patio and waited for dusk and the garden lights to come on. A spectacular day for me.

We are having a great time "retiring" and this next photo is our view of the future - calm and bright!