Luke Air Force Base Air Show

Today we attended the Luke Air Force Base Open House which included an amazing air show.  The base hosts this event every other year, and we were lucky enough to get to see it.  The weather couldn’t have been better.  It was overcast which kept the temperatures in the 70s and made it easier to look up into the sky.  It wasn’t too cloudy to see the planes perform.

They estimated that about 200,000 people would attend.  The event was free, but parking was very limited so there was little choice but to pay $10 for parking.  After quite a long walk, we got to the runways where the show was held.  There were many planes on display to look at and tour.

The airshow started at 11:00 am and lasted until 4:00 pm.  We brought our little stools to sit on and found a place close to the main viewing area to sit.

Sixty year old Chuck Aaron is the only pilot licensed by the FAA to perform aerobatics in a helicopter.  I would have never believed a helicopter could fly upside down and do rolls.

This is an F-22 fighter jet.  Wow, was it loud!

They called this the Heritage Flight.  It represented planes from different eras in the history of the Air Force.

The Army’s Golden Knights Parachute Team put on quite an amazing demonstration.  It’s unbelievable that they can land on a small x on the ground.  They jump out of the plane at 12,500 feet where it is zero degrees and winds were 50 mph.  They fall at about 120 mph until they open their chute.  What a rush that must be.  No thanks!!

 

 

 

But, the highlight of the show was definitely the Air Force Thunderbirds.  The precision of these pilots is incredible.

Here are a few shots of them in action.  I didn’t get the best shots.  They’re so fast!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday we attended a baseball game between the Brewers and the LA Dodgers at Camelback Ranch Park in Glendale, AZ.  It’s a huge facility where the Dodgers and White Sox train during spring training.  It was built 3 years ago.  It was the biggest crowd we’ve seen so far with over 12,000 in attendance.  The game ended in a tie after 10 innings.  After that, they quit playing.

They had some very interesting landscaping around the park.  There were many stone walls all around made out of chain link fence boxes with rocks inside.  I’ve never seen that before.

I’ll leave you with a picture of Saturday’s Super Moon.  It was party cloudy so it wasn’t the best full moon I’ve ever seen.  However, since the media hyped it so much, I have to put in a picture.  After all, the moon won’t be this close to earth again for another 18 years.

This quote was in the RV Workers on Wheels Newsletter today.  It made me think of all the people who told us they could never do what we’re doing because of all the what ifs.  What if you get sick, what if it doesn’t work out, etc. etc.  As I told them, it’s a calculated risk we’re willing to take.  We refuse to live in fear.

Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem more afraid of life than death. ~ James F. Byrnes

An Evening Game

On Wednesday evening we went to Peoria Park to watch the Brewers beat the Seattle Mariners 5-4.  It was another nice ball park.  Most spring training games are played during the day, however this was a night game.  Since it was also spring break this week, there were tons of kids there.  Right before the game started, we witnessed yet another fantastic sunset.

On Thursday we watched the Brewers beat the Chicago White Sox at home by a score of 4-0.  It sure looks like the Brewers will have a great team this year.  Hopefully, their regular season will be as successful as their spring training season.

Thursday was a “Thirsty Thursday” game.  For $20 you get a reserved seat, a beer and a visor.  It also happened to be St. Patrick’s Day.  There was a large crowd at the game.  The Brewers really went all out for the event. 

The players wore green caps, and a leprechaun led warm up stretches.

They were serving green beer, and even the logo behind home plate was green.

It was another hot day, and we were glad to be sitting in the shade.  After the game, we went to Fatburger for supper.  I had never heard of the place, but Groupon was offering a special so I purchased it.  Since it was my first purchase on Groupon, I got a $10 credit which made the entire transaction free.

Fatburger is a fast food restaurant made to look like a diner.  They serve hamburgers, a chicken and a turkey sandwich.  We each ordered a sandwich with onion rings, Kevin had a soda and I had a shake.  The total bill was $23, but it only cost us $1.92 because we had the coupon. 

The food was decent, but definitely overpriced for a burger joint.  I didn’t really care for the breading on the onion rings, it was a bit too crunchy and dry.  The best part of the meal was the banana shake.

Today Kevin watched NCAA basketball and I did some virtual assistant work.  It was a good day for Wisconsin teams, they both won.

Welcome to new followers John and Sandy and Nantucketbreezes.  We’re happy to have you join in our adventures!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

My Heart Breaks

The images from Japan are just heartbreaking.  I can’t imagine the terror and suffering those people experienced.  And now, they have to worry about radiation.  It sure makes me appreciate our good fortune even more. 

So, I won’t complain that it is supposed to be 90 degrees today :)   We actually turned on the air yesterday for a few hours.  This desert sun heats things up quickly.  The nights are beautiful!

I think it’s about time to start heading north.  We’ll be leaving Arizona a week from Thursday and making our way through New Mexico for a few weeks.  I’ve been in touch with a former co-worker from Germantown, Maria.  She lives in Taos, and we hope to meet up with her and her husband. 

We plan to be in Racine, Wisconsin on April 18th to have some repair work done on the RV.  Once we’re done there, we will head to Derge County Park in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.  We will be camphosting there for the summer.  And, the good news is that Kevin has been hired by Dodge County to be the maintenance person at the park.  He will get paid 24 hours a week to mow the lawn and other projects.  So, we get our site for the camphosting and some income from the maintenance position.  Good deal!

I’m very much looking forward to spending Easter with my family.  It will be great to see them all again! 

On Sunday we went to the Litchfield Park Art and Culinary Show in the Park.  There were quite a few booths with some amazing art.  We didn’t buy a thing, but I love to see the works created by the talented artists.  There were also some cooking demonstrations by local chefs.  It was pretty hot, so we didn’t stay to watch.  I forgot my camera, so no pictures today.

The RV park is starting to empty out.  Only about half the sites are occupied.  Although, this week is spring break for school kids in this area.  We have definitely noticed more kids in the park.  It seems many of their families have off-road vehicles, so there must be trails near here.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

More Baseball

Last Monday we met up with our friends, Paul and Anne, and their son, Andrew, at Goodyear Baseball Park to see a game between the Brewers and the Cincinnati Reds.  Paul and Anne were in Arizona for a week’s vacation.  It was so nice to see them again.  I can’t believe how big Andrew is getting!

Both baseball teams from Ohio use the Goodyear ball park for their spring training facility.  It’s another very nice park. 

We purchased lawn seats again, and enjoyed sitting in the sun. It was quite windy that day.  The Brewers won 15-2 with 25 hits.  It was a great game.

On Wednesday we all attended a game at the Brewer’s home park at Maryvale.  The Brewers lost that game to the LA Dodgers, but we still enjoyed another beautiful day.  The weather has been absolutely amazing.  It’s been in the mid to high 80s every day for several days and the forecast is for more of the same.  It cools off so nicely at night, we don’t need to use the heat or the air.  Awesome!

On Wednesday Kevin and Paul went golfing in Phoenix and had a good time.  Other than that we’ve just been taking walks, riding our bikes, and hanging out.  I have been working a few hours each day at my online virtual assistant job.  It’s going pretty well, and it’s nice to be able to earn a little extra.

We’ve now attended six baseball games with a few more on tap next week.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Surprise

Yesterday we headed about 30 miles north to the city of Surprise, Arizona to attend a game between the Brewers and the Texas Rangers.  Surprise is a newer city and looked like a very nice community.  There were great looking schools, neighborhoods, shopping areas and parks.  It looked like a nice place to live.

The ball park is home to spring training for the Rangers and the Kansas City Royals.  It’s quite a bit bigger than the park the Brewers play at.  I’m not sure I liked that.  The Brewers park has such an intimate feel to it.  You feel like you can practically reach out and touch the players.

We bought lawn seats for $7 each.  It was another hot day.  Luckily, some high clouds were overhead.  The clouds along with a slight breeze made sitting in the sun pleasant.  There was no shade available for the lawn seating.  That’s not a good thing.

Here’s the view from behind home plate.  We’re sitting on the grass behind left field under the scoreboard. 

Here’s the view of the stadium from where we were sitting.

Sometimes during spring training teams will play split squad games which means the team is split in half, and both groups will play a game.  Yesterday the Brewers played split squad games.  Only 3 starters were at the game we were at.  The Rangers were playing their full squad.  They were also in the World Series last year (although they didn’t win), so they’re a good team.  The Brewers lost 8-1.  Oh well, we still had a good time.

On Saturday we went to a Brewers home game at Maryvale.  It was Robin Yount bobble head day.  The first 2,500 fans received a bobble head from last season.  The attendance was almost 6,000, and the Brewers did not disappoint.  They beat the Los Angeles Angels 2-1.

I have to tell you a funny thing I overheard a young woman say.  My family has on occasion accused me of not having common sense.  I always tell them that extremely brilliant people often lack a bit of common sense :)

This young woman must have been extremely brilliant based on her comment.  As she walked by, she said: “It must be Robin Yount day.  That must be why so many people brought their bobble head dolls.”  Obviously, she arrived too late to get one, but come on.  Too funny!

Other than attending games, we’ve been taking it easy.  We road our bikes to the grocery store on Friday and did a little laundry.  I know, tough life :)

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Ball Game Number Two

Yesterday we attended a game at Maryvale Park watching the Brewers take on the Chicago Cubs.  The final score was 12 to 5 in favor of the good guys. 

What a great day.   Our team beat the hometown rivals, and the weather was fantastic with sunny skies and a high of 79 degrees.  This time we sat on the grass on the third base side so the other side of our body got the sun.  About half way through the game, we actually moved to the shade.  That sun gets hot!

Here’s the lawn seating across from us on the first base side.  You can see how there is a huge area where fans can sit on the grass and enjoy the games for a great price and soak up the rays.  This lawn seating goes around the entire outfield.

I must admit, the people watching was quite interesting.  All I have to say is that some of the female Cubs fans had some very interesting outfits!

We have heard so much about the beauty of the desert when it is in bloom in spring.  I’m not sure when that’s supposed to happen, but so far I haven’t really seen anything that I would call blooming.  I did notice that after the rain last weekend, the desert seems to be getting a fine green carpet growing on it.  It’s nice to see this green out there rather than all the brown we’ve seen the past few months.

I’ve picked up two virtual assistant clerical jobs over the last few months.  So, today was spent working online and earning a bit.  Both of these jobs are still in the initial stages, but I see potential for growth.  We’ll see how it goes.

The key to success is having dreams. The mark of success is living them. ~ Unknown

A Great Day At The Ball Park

Yesterday we attended the Milwaukee Brewers Spring Training Opening Day Game at Maryvale Park against the San Francisco Giants.  It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the mid 60s and sunny.  When the sun shines here in Arizona, it feels warmer than the temperature indicates, as long as the wind isn’t blowing too strong.

The ball park sells lawn seats for $8.  A few years ago when we were out here, we learned that you can sit on a grass hill all around the outfield and get a very good view of the game.  We brought our blanket and thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the sun and watching the game.

As you can see, there wasn’t a very big crowd.  We were actually surprised there weren’t more people for the opening game.  We’ve heard from other people, that no one objects if you go sit in the stands if you buy lawn seats.  Obviously, it would have to be an unsold seat :)  As it gets hotter, we may try sitting in some of the shaded seats if we get too hot.

For now we were happy to sit on the grass and enjoy the sun.  We sat behind right field hoping to catch a Prince Fielder home run.  No such luck this time.  This was a split squad game so half the team was playing at the White Sox facility.  Our squad lost.  Oh well, we’re going again tomorrow.  They play against the Cubs.  It should be fun!

Even the racing sausages were in attendance.  And my favorite, Bratwurst, won.

We had some coupons for a fast food restaurant named Weinerschnitzel.  We’d never heard of it so we gave it a try after the game.  They mostly serve chili dogs.  I had a polish sandwich, and Kevin had a chili dog, chili hamburger and chili fries  He shared some fries with me :)  The food was okay, but nothing to get excited about.  We won’t go back.  We actually prefer to eat at home.  I rarely have a meal at a restaurant that I think was better than what we make at home.  And it’s usually much more expensive!

Today we road our bikes to Wal-Mart.  It’s about a 3 mile round trip.  I have a carrying pouch on the back of my bike so we were able to buy a few items.  Such an exciting day.

Merikay asked about KW hours.  Here’s what we’ve learned.  Most campgrounds charge extra for electricity if you rent by the month.  In Yuma we paid 16 cents per KW hour.  Here we’re paying 9 cents.  Obviously, rates differ greatly.  If we run everything on electric including an electric heater, we use about 30 KW hours a day.  If we run the furnace and water heater on gas, we use about 12 KW hours a day.  Depending on the price of propane, it’s usually cheaper to run heating elements on propane.  Someone told us the formula to figure it out is that one gallon of propane is equal to 22 KW hours of electricity.  So, based on that we’re currently running our water heater on electric, but using the furnace for morning heat because it is more efficient than an electric heater.  Hopefully, that explains things.  It’s probably clear as mud :)

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!