Change AGAIN

Yes, life is interesting and changing. Tuesday we finished our March RVICS project at Sunshine Acres Children's Home. We had worked there for 3 months and totally enjoyed the work and the group. The six couples worked together there for the whole 3 months. Seldom do the groups stay the same for that length of time but Arizona in the winter is very easy to get use to and has many things to do, the probably the best perk is the weather. It has been good!

As much as we like RVICS we were beginning to feel that the rigid schedule was more than we wanted to commit to at this stage of our lives. The work was good and enjoyable and Dad really thinks the work makes him healthier than not doing the work and I think that is true. So as an alternatie we have chosen to leave RCICS now and volunteer 2 days a week, Monday and Wednesday, from 8-3 with a morning break and lunch provided at Sunshine Acres. The heat may influence if we can stick with that but we will adjust as we go. The Acres are very flexible with volunteers. I plan on working in the Boutique and Dad will work in maintenance, probably not on big projects as he worked on with RVICS but very similar work. The picture of the Boutique isn't impressive but the items for sale are. They have been slightly used and are rather pricey. The boutique and Warehouse are not open Sunday thru Tuesday but huge amounts of donations are dropped off. The regulars come as soon as the places opens on Wednesday to see what has come in over the past 3 days. The place is a zoo. For now I, and several other volunteers, do not work with customers but we work in the back room which is stuffed with inventory. We sort, wash, organize, remove spots, (something familiar about that) and such things needed to move the inventory up to the front. Can you imagine working to organize lamp shades for hours? Not hard to do here. My supervisor knows her "elite" customer base and knows how to make "used stuff" look beautiful. And it works. Now just so I can restrain myself. All I have to do is think about all the stuff we have stored in Sioux Center and that makes the desire to buy less attractive.

Since we are a different category and one of several hundreds who volunteer we moved off the Acres and into Towerpoint Resort, quite a change. This picture shows what we have looked at from our RV the last months. The Acres started in the desert which you can see with the landscape and cactus but we also could see the highway lights which show in the picture. We were never farther than a very few miles from major roads and shopping area. Now we are only 4 miles from the Acres so we still have easy access to things we like. The cactus pictures two plants with an incredibly long life. They do not send out those arms until they are 100 years old. Does something about that make you think about Abraham? The holes in the plants make ideal cover for birds. Our RVICS couples were bird lovers and they had all kinds of feeders out and drew dozens off birds. Quite interesting.

Now we have an an entirely different view and we like this as well. Friends of ours have stayed here and highly recommended it. Of course, when the winter residents go back home every resort, church or business has a different atmosphere than the months past. The whole city makes the experience of Mesa living enjoyable. We plan to stay here and work for 6-7 weeks and then go to California. Today is 20 degrees above average so it is over 90 and, yes, that is hot even though it is so dry here that skin and hair needs to be treated differently than in Iowa. Air conditioner will get a work-out.

We are doing well. Enjoy hearing from each of you. Hope you are doing well. So many things happening in each of your lives and families, love hearing about it. Love to all, Mom and Dad. In case you can't find our new tel. # 480-703-0423. The Sioux Falls address is still our main address but it would be faster if you send mail to Towerpoint Resort, 4860 E. Main Street, Mesa, AZ 85205 for the next month.