"Winter" 2012 in Arizona
Three families in our neighborhood have purchased an older tractor to help with local clean-up and home landscape projects. It is one "spiffy" tractor now that neighbor Rudy used his magic for a fresh paint job!

Three weeks were spent boon-docking west of Quartzsite, AZ. We enjoyed gathering with many friends and our Escapees Gold Miners and Prospectors (P&MD) group. Here Ken is busy with a dry wash hole in which he found a respectable amount of "color".

The Parsons were organizers for the annual P&MD Coin Hunt held at the Quartzsite City Park. The event was a memorial to our club member and friend Ed who passed away last Dec. His wife Joyce (right) joined Joanne in passing out awards. Gay (center) won the #1 Junk Jock trophy (an environmental award for finding and removing garbage metal while detecting for coins.)

We then headed south to Yuma and spent "a few minutes" in Algadonas, Mexico. We are always intrigued with the farms of Yuma...vegetables, cotton, etc. Doesn't this lettuce field and the farmer's home look beautiful?

Heading back east toward Arizona City on I-8 we encountered an immigration check. For some reason they weren't interested in our profile!

We always enjoy friends visiting. Here other retired WSP'ers and their wives joined us for Valentines dinner!

A great treat for the Parsons was the first visit from family. Mary and her daughters came to check out the sunshine!!!

Heydon, age 8 months on the day they arrived, had great fun with grandpa's glasses (That's why they are missing in this photo) and checking out his eyes, ears, etc.

One of the sweetest moments of life is having a baby in arms that gently goes off to slumber-land. Grandma Joanne's heart is thumping :-).

Among the weekend activities shared with our visitors was watching the parachuting at nearby Sky Dive Arizona. Yikes...Mary wanted to go! We hear it is a real thrill!

The Annual Arizona City Daze included a parade that Ken significantly worked on. Here friends Rudy and Sandy drive the new Willy's that Rudy just built.

Of course grand daughter Harlow was most impressed with the 4-legged transportation at Arizona City Daze.

Mary and daughters truly enjoyed the visit with Ken's sister and brother-in-law who live about 5 miles north of us.

The highlight of the entire trip was likely the pool that Terry and Dard invited us to visit. This was Heydon's very first swim!

A visit to Tucson and the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum was a great day! Harlow learned about the area including how the dinosaurs died (Ice Age but she told us later that they got "snowed on".)

This is a great educational museum with many inter-active displays for children of all ages.

The animals, "creepy-crawlers", and plant life are beautifully displayed in this natural desert setting.