Are you a slave to trends?

Aug. 29-Sept. 9, 2013 Jennifer's Driveway - Bozeman, MT

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"Life is a mentor…it teaches you whether you want to learn or not"

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BROWSING THE WWW: Which leads to Pet Peeve Trends & debt...

We have just been "chillin" here in our heavenly RV spot. I'm catching up on blog reading and also adding new blogs to my list. One of which is Living the RV Life. They also have a podcast that I have downloaded, but not listened to yet. They are not FT yet, but are in the process of purging and eventually selling their house. Unfortunately, the RV life chose them as opposed to them choosing the RV Life. Well, maybe they did choose the RV life instead of apartment life.

They were discussing life's lessons learned the hard way. If only they had listened to what their parents tried to teach them about $. I am so thankful my Father's & Mother's frugalness rubbed off on me. Dad was very careful with money and dishing it out. Mom never asked for much, always bought things on sale, and kept to her budget and allowance. I'm not as strict with money as my Dad, but more of a compromise. I saved, but I still had fun. I worked overtime when I was still young and had little other responsibilities. Yes, I made financial mistakes. I sold my first house because I was "lonely". If I had kept that house, I would be much, much better off financially than we are now. So instead of having enough money put away to purchase a house if that's in our future with cash, we'll only be able to put a 70% downpayment, unless we find a really good deal somewhere.

I've mostly had used vehicles and ran them until there was just too much work that needed to be done. My one new vehicle I bought, a Ford Fiero. I limited my car price to $10,000. and that's what I stuck to. I wanted my payments to be within reason. The Fiero only lasted 60,000 when the engine blew. I swore I would never have another car payment again and I haven't.

We didn't have granite counters in our kitchen. We had the same almond formica counter that matched the almond cabinets when we bought the house in 1989 until we sold it in 2012! No kids in the family so they held up fairly well. 

We did not need top of the line stainless steel appliances. In fact, I HATE going with trends. I liked my almond fridge, and my almond stove and my almond dishwasher. They matched. Why would I want a big industrial looking silver thing among my almond backdrop?

I had a co-worker who had a house built a couple of blocks away from the house he lived in. This new house was "the biggest house on the block". He would tell us that over and over. Was I impressed? Not! After 5 years in this brandy new house, his wife decided they needed Corian countertops. Yep, I'm dating myself, but Corian was the "must have" new thing for countertops. So a new home and they are spending thousands to replace their countertop. I'm sure she has now replaced again to granite. But oh, if you look at the home buying shows, granite is now passe! You want butcher block or tile. Wasn't butcher block popular a few decades back? I will not be a slave to trends. Especially now that I'm older, I enjoy doing what I want, wearing what I want.

Even in my early twenties when Calvin Klein jeans were the thing to have, I refused! Why pay $40. (back in the 80's) for a pair of jeans, when I could have a knock off for $10? 

No Harley's for me. I am perfectly happy with my Suzuki Intruder Cruiser. 

No McMansion for us. Scott had a small ranch and I had a Cape Cod house. 

Our furniture was replaced when it wore out, not because we wanted to redecorate. 

No credit card debt. I pay off our card in full every month & always have since establishing credit. Our credit card is just a convenience so we don't have to carry cash. 

We bought a used 5th wheel and a used pick up truck. Both in great condition and a total cost of $50,000. which is what I budgeted.

Our wedding was held in our back yard. We had a catered cook out. I made the bridesmaids' outfits, I made the silk flower arrangements, I made the ring bearer pillow, I made my veil. Total cost of wedding in 1994? Priceless of course...well actually $2500.00. Nope, I wasn't going to go into debt for ONE DAY, for a dress I would never wear again, to "impress" friends. Nope,not me. I had so many compliments afterward saying it was one of the best weddings they attended. They didn't have to dress up, it was relaxed, with lots of music, drinks and good food and atmosphere. Yep, priceless!

And because of keeping my credit in check, not having to have what is trendy, not having a showcase home, we were able to retire at 55 as planned, come away from our house with a profit for the future and now are living debt free, responsibility free. Ahhhh yes priceless.

And now back to Bobby & Sue's blog

"6 lessons you can take away from our experience 

1. Model yourselves after those that have true financial independence and who practice budgeting and do not use credit. 

2. Don’t try to keep up with the Jones’.   Ask yourself, “if the Jones’ jump off a cliff, would I.” 

3. Stay away from credit schemes that play to your instant gratification mode. They ‘bank’ on your lack of discipline to pay off charges and incur penalties, late fees and high interest rates that compound daily.  If it sounds to good to be true, it is. 

4. Budgeting only works if you use it.  When learning to budget utilize a proven budgeting tool. We use the personal budget software, You Need a Budget. 

5. If your budget includes paying off debt, stay diligent.  When we first started our budget to get out of debt we had to downsize expenditures where we could. Entertainment was cut, eating out was cut, cable was turned off, credit cards were not used, and we only had one car."

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RV TIP:
While I was reading Long Long Honeymoon blog, they mentioned a great easy tip to help make setting up easier and quicker. They created a cute little video snippet. Check it out.
The things I take for granted about my hubby. He has been using this tip since our 2nd trip out in the RV.

The rear scissor jacks need to be extended to stabilize the RV. On our 5th wheel, it is done with a tool/wrench? similar to what you use to loosen the nuts on a tire. Instead, Scott uses his battery operated drill with a special socket attached. It's called Camco Leveling Scissor Jack Drill Socket. So instead of winding and winding and winding by hand, you just use the socket and drill and 20 seconds it's done!
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RV LIFE:
I spent a good part of the other day rearranging my Where we've been & reviews page on this blog. While reading one of the many blogs, I was looking at their review page. It was according to State. Well duh! what a concept! That was so helpful! My Reviews were in chronological order. Anyone who is just interested in RV park reviews would find it a PIA to have to scan through them to find ones they are interested in. So I've now switched my RV Park review page according to state. I think that will benefit readers much better.
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SIGHTS:
American Computer Museum - Bozeman, MT
Our rating 4 out of 5
Scott would have probably rated it 5 out of 5. A lot of interesting stuff. From the history of communication up through modern times. There is a replica of one of the original telephones, a switchboard (remember Lilly Tomlin as Ernestine, the telephone operator?), some home furnishings from the 30's and up, old computers, etc.

Remember this calculator? I do. You had to stick a pen type point into those slights to add.

This is before even my time. This is a vacuum cleaner. It works like a pump.You pull the the top stick up to pull up the dirt.

This is an actual sign from a hotel after they installed electric lighting.

Robby the robot

The Terminator

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BOOK REVIEWS:
Rattlesnake Crossing by J.A. Jance
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good enough mystery and definitely kept my interest. I really enjoy a book when I get to know the characters well. This book seems to just skim over character development. Maybe because they are on going characters and if I had read previous books I would know them better?
I enjoyed reading about the areas where scenes were taken place since recently visiting AZ.



Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Kate Winslet did an excellent narration. But unfortunately I felt the story was drawn out. It started out interesting and I was drawn into the situation, but then on and on and on years go by with not much happening.


Master of the Game by Sidney Sheldon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book captures you from the very first page. I was so excited with anticipation! Great, great character development. So many side scenarios going on. Manipulation, hatred, mental illness, skewed thinking, the innocent, love, riches, history, family drama and so on.
I could not put this book down! I wanted to keep reading because so much was happening! Just let me find out will Jamie survive? will revenge be completed? What will Eve do next. Will her sister, Alexandra suspect anything? Who will be the heir to the family business?

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WHERE WE'RE GOING:
? Mammoth Campground, Yellowstone, WY (Tentative)
Sept. 6-15, 2013 Horseshoe Bend Campground NFS, Lovell, WY (Tentative)
Sept. 16-30, 2013 Wheels West RV Park, Custer, SD

south for the Winter of 2013/214

It's good to be back on the WWW

May 31 - Jun 13, 2013 (2 weeks) - Diamond Lake RV Park, Diamond Lake, OR

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RV LIFE:
Oh, it's good to be back connected to the Web! We are still in the middle of "nowhere"! Even more so than we were on the Coast in Port Orford.  There are no convenience stores close by. The only close restaurant is at the Lodge and they just sell pricey sandwiches. The nearest grocery store in 45 miles away and the nearest Walmart is 85 miles away. But who cares? I've got WiFi internet!
Since we are not near a grocery store, this is a good opportunity to clean out items in our freezer. Since Scott does the majority of the cooking, he gets the majority space in the freezer. So my little section has 2 boneless chicken breast, 2 bubba burgers, and 3 pieces of salmon. I cooked Black Bean Chicken (from a sauce packet) & over beet pasta that I purchased back in Mammoth Lakes. Last night was a Bubba Burger...yum. I've still got 4 meals in the freezer.
I always have broccoli in the fridge. I love to steam it in the microwave and add it to salads. Only one more meal of broccoli left. Then on to canned veggies. We'll head out to the grocery store when we visit Crater Lake, since that will put us almost half way there. I could last quite a while with just items on hand. I can just pick through things and that's dinner. Scott likes DINNER, meaning sit down to a meal with protein, veggie, starch. But I've got internet!
This morning I was trying to catch up on blogs I follow, I find I'm starting to comment more on blogs. I like getting comments, so I assume others like it also.
Merikay of Merikay's Dream blog is just about ready to start Full timing. She asked for opinions about memberships. So I guess that's an opportunity for me to let you know about what groups we belong to.
Good Sam: Only $25./yr
This is our most important membership (besides Escapees). Cheap membership, many benefits. 10% off park fees & we find the majority of parks accepts Good Sam, up to 30% off Camping World and many times free shipping! But our best part is the RV Plus card! Read my review and description on my 2/15/13 post.
Harvest Hosts: Only $25./yr.
Free overnights at approved wineries & farms. Some have basic hook ups and others are boondocking. I love visiting wineries and farm markets and this is a great opportunity for a free overnight. I'm no longer a member, because hubby prefers campgrounds. Sigh.
Passport America: $44./yr
50% discount at parks, but usually many restrictions such as discount only weekdays, or discount only good for 2 nights, etc. Many parks accept Passport America, even if they don't advertise it. Best to check Passport America website. PA website can show participating parks along your route also.
Nat'l Forest Annual Pass: $80./yr , $10./yr if over 62, Free for military and disabled.
Whether you camp or just visit Nat'l parks, this comes in handy. To enter Grand Canyon is $25. Many other parks are $10-$15. It all adds up.
Escapees: $70./yr  But until July 31 the membership is 1/2 price to celebrate their 35 yr. anniversary. You can also receive a discounted rate if you are a member of GS, PA, or Woodalls.
We domicile in TX and use their mail forwarding. If you are joining just for the camping discount, probably not worth it. There are quite a few campgrounds that discount 15% for Escapees. Escapees also have a few of their own parks with a deeper discount, but I haven't been impressed by them so far. Have only been to a couple. And another reason we are Escapees members is because they have lobbyist fighting to keep our lifestyle legal. Meaning, with Homeland Security, our nomadic lifestyle is at risk because we don't have a physical address.The Dahl's (RV Sanity) commented,  "I feel I need to add to their numbers for their legislative efforts on behalf of fulltime RVers." Escapees has fought the gov't to enable certain addresses be acceptable as a "physical address".
CCRVOC (Cedar Creek RV Owners Club): $25./yr.
If you own a Cedar Creek brand RV, this is a great club to join. The members are friendly without being pushy. They are very helpful! They have great rallies. Shout out to Ray, Lee & Lee, and AG & Maryanne.
Whatever brand you own, it's a good idea to join their owner's club. Wealth of information, good contacts, and usually fun times.
BROWSING THE WWW://
Brad & Suzanne of RVing & Travels blog, are exploring NC and mentioned fog on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is a beautiful area of the country and well worth a trip out there if you have plans to head East.
This brought back memories for Scott & I. I guess fond memories now that it is so long ago.  We drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway for our Honeymoon in 1994. We rode our motorcycles and tent camped. Ahh, to be young...well, we weren't that young. We married when we were 38 years old. We had a small tent, sleeping bags, tarp, one burner stove. It rained a few of the days and we hit some terrible, terrible fog. When riding, Scott would lead and I would follow. I couldn't even see Scott's rear light, so just imagine trying to ride a motorcycle on winding and sometimes hairpin turns along the ridge and not being able to see what's ahead of you. We stayed at a different campsite every night, so that meant unpacking, setting up camp, sleeping on 1" foam mattresses, then breaking down camp and packing it all back on our Suzuki 800 Intruders with canvas saddle bags and lots of bungee cords.

On my bike I painted a flag saying "Just Married" and Scott had a sign saying the same thing bungeed on his packs. We did stay one night at a hotel on the Parkway. That was for our official Honeymoon Night. We splurged and got a room with a fireplace. The next day, back on the bikes and tenting.
On the way home to NJ, I had had enough of bad weather and constant packing and unpacking. The riding on nice days was great though. Sure enough, our ride to NJ was in a Nor'Easter! Lots of heavy rain, high winds. I told Scott that we WILL make it to NJ tonight. He knew what Debbie said goes! Up Route 81 we travel. This is a multi lane highway, but an easy ride, well not in a Nor'Easter. And not once you hit the Washington, DC beltway. We hit that at rush hour. Bumper to bumper in this miserable weather. Very nerve wracking with good reason. That was a very dangerous ride. Our motorcycles only had that one small rear light. We were not very visible to other cars. So even being the experienced riders we were, we had to worry about cars and trucks not seeing us.

So even though we had rain suits and waterproof boots and gloves, the chill still got to us, especially me. But I can be one tough Bi...oops, I mean one tough Lady! We stopped for gas and Scott asked if I still wanted to get to NJ. I said y y y y yes. Scott thought that was a very bad idea and finally started to disagree with me. He said, "Talk to me without chattering".
"I I I  c c c c caaaan't." That was it. He was ready to defy my wishes! Horrors! He's in trouble now! Scott told me I was showing signs of hypothermia. I had a cup of hot coffee, but still couldn't stop ch ch ch chatterrrrring.
There was a motel next to the gas station and we checked in. We had planned to take an alternate bridge other than the Delaware Memorial. We knew on that large of a bridge, our bikes would be blown around. When we turned on the news, we heard our alternate bridge was closed because of the storm. So even if I somehow had persuaded or badgered him enough to drive on, we still wouldn't have made it to NJ that night.
But wait! There's more!
After this stressful, strenuous, miserable day of riding motorcycles, we were famished. Hey, look, there's a Chinese Restaurant next door! I LOVE Chinese food. Now I'm starting to be glad we stopped. We ordered our Chinese food and were told the typical "ten minute". Now remember, we are 38 yrs. old. There is a bar in the restaurant. WE NEED A DRINK!!!! We're not driving tonight, just walking to the motel. Let's both get a shot of something STRONG! We order two Grand Maniers.
"Can I see I.D. please?" Huh????? We are 38 years old. I don't need this "compliment" right now. Scott had his since he needed his wallet to pay. I left all that at the motel. No I.D., no service. That was the end of my rope. I turned to Scott, looked up into his loving face and said, "This has been a shitty honeymoon." Poor Scott, he felt so bad. It was definitely an experience.
But wait! There's more!
Scott just reminded me that through all this, I was suffering from a massive toothache. When we got home, I needed a root canal!
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TELEVISION:
Have you seen, Rock My RV on the Travel Channel? If you're into RV'ing whether big fancy rigs, or smaller used rigs, this is an interesting show.
Scott and I are always imagining a nicer rig, but in reality, we have done so many mods to make it ours, I wouldn't want to start all over again.
This show basically guts your RV and installs your wish list items. They even paint or wrap the outside.
One episode, the RV was used for Charity. They didn't need a bed, so they changed the bedroom into a lounge area. They take out the bed and uh oh, problems. The slide mechanism is in the way. They acted like this was unexpected, which drove me nuts. If you work on RV's you KNOW there is a slide mechanism under the bed slide. I guess they needed drama for the show.
I couldn't watch when our bedroom was gutted to install flooring. It stressed me so bad. Will he know how to put everything back? in WORKING order? Yes, he did and all was well.
Anyway, check the show out.
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PETS:
Devin is again going nuts, NUTS, NUTS, here at Diamond Lake. There are critters all over the place!
1. There are cute little squirrels running all around. The other morning a squirrel was trying to take our cotton tablecloth. He was tugging and tugging. I finally had to shoo him away. But that little adorable critter was determined. I had put the tablecloth away, so the critter decided to try to drag Devin's "dead dog" toy away. This toy was 2-3 times bigger than the squirrel. Scat! Now the dog is put away.
2. There's also Belding's Ground Squirrels, or as one local called them "Go Unders".

They look like squirrels with very short, non fluffy tails. I thought they were Prairie dogs, but nope, Ground Squirrels. They are really driving him nutso. They dig holes all over.






3. Sightings of what I thought were chipmunks, I've now learned are Gold-Mantled Ground Squirrels.

4. I even saw some kind of Weasel/Ferret!
Then add to all this cuteness, there are the pests.
5. Huge ants
6. Yellow jacket type bees
7. Flies
8. Midges, known as the "blind mosquito" because they do not bite.
Excerpt from: Crater Lake Institute 
"It's early evening, the wind dies, and near the edge of the marsh a few small flying insects rise. Soon joined by others, the swarm increases and increases and increases until the mass of insects forms a long symmetrical top-shaped mass that swirls about emanating a strong, screaming hum audible at a distance of 100 yards. Cows refuse to eat. Automobile radiators clog. People become nauseated and have trouble breathing.
Where could this happen? Belize, the Mosquito Coast? The swamps of the Congo? The banks of the great gray-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever trees? Give up? It's the Klamath marsh!"
Devin certainly crashes at night. Normally the dogs nap during the day except when we take them for walks or hikes. But Devin is on the look out for critters, and then he's trying to catch bugs in flight, or he's swatting them away with his paw or twitch of an ear. No napping for this guard dog!

While walking the dogs, I have to have a really strong hold on Devin. He will suddenly pull to get to a cute little critter. This is a beautiful area and I've enjoyed walking the dogs on the shore of Diamond Lake. Yesterday, I let them do some wading. I love seeing them so happy in the water. Huh?
Deeeeeeviiiiiiiin! COME! Who would have thought he would have left the fun of the water to chase a critter? I did not have a good handle on him and off he went. Lyla is in the water and being the senior girl she is, she was having a difficult time getting out of the water. I'm pulling on her collar. No luck. I may have to jump in a pick her up and out of the water. I finally guide her over to a lower drop and she barely jumps back on land. Now where did that SOB go?!!! There he is about 150' to my left. He sees me and crosses the street. This road is not well traveled, but when there is traffic, it is 50mph traffic. A car is coming. I'm dragging Lyla behind and in the middle of the street, I'm motioning for the car to slow and pointing to Devin. Thankfully, they car did slow and thankfully, Devin did not go back into the street. There he goes, up over the levee towards the campground and also out of sight.  I call him again and say "Come". He pokes his head over and looks down at me. I say "Good Boy" in a happy voice and come, again. Miracles never cease! He came to within 5' of me. But 5' is just as bad as 50' if he dashes away when I get closer. I stayed very calm, and kept telling him he's a good boy and to stay. He laid down!!! Oh my Gosh! I think he sort of came back to me! I'm so excited. It's a slow progress but it is progress.
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BOOK REVIEW:
Play Dead by Harlan Coben
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my gosh! What a great book! I could not put it down. I read all day and the next! I have read 12 of Harlan Coben's books. I have rated all 4 or 5 stars. Nice to have an author whose books are consistently great.
This is a murder mystery, love story, and family saga. The Author knows just when to switch back to another character's story. The book is one cliffhanger after another cliffhanger. I NEEDED to continue to read, so I could return back to the previous storyline with the cliffhanger to find out what happens, only to have the current storyline leaving another cliffhanger returning to resolve the other cliffhanger. His writing is constantly keeping you excited and wanting for more. He then reveals only enough to start all over again and keep you on the edge. Just call me Horse and "Play Dead" the carrot.

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June 14 -23, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR

WA, ID, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/214

Local eats

Mar. 28 - Apr. 10, 2013 Dead Horse Ranch State Park - Cottonwood, AZ

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RV LIFE:
Cough, cough, hak, cough, spit.
 That's the sound cutting into my beautiful peaceful afternoon. Our neighbor has been having coughing fits. It's very disturbing.

I've spent almost every day outside. I love Arizona in the Spring! I enjoy a cool morning walk with the dogs, then have some coffee, read, catch up on blogs and then head outside. While outside, I have some wine, read, catch up on blogs. Ahhh, what a life!

Bloggers:
While on my afternoon walk with the dogs, I had seen a truck that said 
How can you forget a name like that! I knew about their blog Boyinks 4 Adventure, although don't really follow it. They are a family of four living on the road in an RV for a year. So I shot them an email stating we were in the same park and just wanted to say "hello". They emailed back explaining they were just visiting Dare You 2 Move bloggers, who are also a family (of 5) RV'ing for a year. I met Kevin of Dare You 2 Move, while on our morning walk with the dogs. As I was walking toward him, I knew who he was but too shy to say anything. Kevin stopped, looked at us and said, "Can I ask you an question?", I answered, "Yep, that's me". We laughed, spoke shortly about meeting bloggers, etc. and on our way to finish our walk. They have a huge 5th wheel. I guess for 5 to LIVE in it semi-comfortably, you need as much room as you can pull.
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PETS: 
Devin has been having a blast trying to catch the little lizards scurrying around our site. He's also been keeping a careful eye on the silly quail running across the road.
I'm not sure if I mentioned the present I picked up for Devin while in Tucson. Nope, not biscuits, nope, not a tennis ball, nope, not squeaky toy...

 A kiddie pool! And yes, the water is brown. I can only change the water so much. While we were at Four Paws Kingdom in NC last year, we couldn't keep Devin out of the pool. He was very entertaining.

So even if Devin doesn't have Doris to play with, at least he's got the pool to wade in. He also is lucky enough to have Cottonwood Dog Park, just 2 miles from our RV site.

Those two dogs in the background are my Irish Setter, Devin and a local Irish Setter. They both can't keep out of the water buckets.

This is our English Setter, Lyla pleading with the woman to Pleeeeeeease, give me a treat that's in your backpack.

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DOG PARK REVIEW:

Cottonwood Riverfront Dog Park

My rating 3 out of 5

Size: Fairly large park, probably about an acre. L shaped which makes me have to get off my fat you know what to check on my dogs when they go around the corner.

Water: Water is only supplied in one end of the park. The dog "bowls" are really large plastic 5 gallon tubs that spackle, etc come in. This makes it difficult for small dogs to get a drink or even for large dogs if they are not filled to the brim.

Poop bags: No bags officially supplied, but park goers have hung up totes with plastic grocery bags stuffed in them. 

Shade: There is some shade. Remember this is Arizona, so don't expect too much for shade.

Land: grass, flat

Seating: Very little seating for such a large area. A couple of cement garden benches.

Atmosphere: I've been there three times during the week, and people have been nice as well as the dogs.

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FOOD:
Nope, not happening yet. I thought I was going to start cooking more, but that hasn't developed...yet. I am a put together something in the fridge in 5 minutes kind of girl. Scott is the plan it out, go to the grocery store specifically for what he wants to cook, start it too late to have for dinner (for Deb). Scott doesn't mind eating at 9pm. I'm in bed by then, maybe not asleep, but all comfy in my jammies.

The Southwest has definitely started to influence my way of eating.  My new must always haves now are tortillas, which are thin flat breads/burrito wraps
 and pico de gallo, which is tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice. I've been on a vegetable wrap kick, consisting of cabbage slaw mix, avocado, & pico de gallo wrapped in a tortilla. How can something so simple be so delicious!?

FOOD PRODUCT REVIEW:
El Super Leon Pepitoria Mixed Seed
My rating 5 out of 5
This is similar to a brittle only lighter and not as difficult to eat or bad for your teeth. This is a rice cake size but thin wafer that is easy to break and chew. The Pepitoria I had was mixed seed which consisted of peanuts, sesame seed, almond, pumpkin seed, coconut and sugar. Simple ingredients and DELICIOUS. I picked this up at the local convenience store reviewed below.
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RESTAURANT REVIEW:
Verde Lea market, Cottonwood, AZ
Our rating 4 out of 5
This is basically a convenience store with a grill. But oh the food they make! We had passed by this while driving into town and laughed because it looked like a small family run...run down...market. We weren't going to set foot in there until I read reviews on Yelp. We ventured in and was pleasantly surprised. Your typical convenience store items as well as beer and wine. They had a deli case filled with pre-made wraps and sandwiches. With so many pre-made they must be expecting a good business to sell all that. Sure enough, as I was looking over the menu, some regulars stopped in and all they had to do was give a couple of hand signals and the woman behind the counter knew exactly what they wanted. I asked if they sold tortillas and she said, "Just a second, I have one coming off the grill now". She gave me a freshly made delicious tortilla. I was sold! Who gives samples anymore?
I then asked what Horchata was. Again, she gave me a generous sample to try. Yum! Horchata is a cold rice milk beverage. It tasted like liquid rice pudding. Delicious.
We ordered a chicken Torta and a Carne (beef) Torta. Love the roll it was served in. Nice hearty sandwich.

Chicken Torta

I bought a package of homemade tortillas that were on display at the register. I will crave these when we move on out of this area. They are wonderful. I'm using these tortillas to wrap all my meals with.
Overall a friendly place with delicious food. There are also a few tables in the middle of the store if you want to eat in.

Georgie's Cafe, Cottonwood, AZ
Our rating 3.5 out of 5

Nice bright atmosphere. I like the way the tables have different print material and then covered tightly with a heavy vinyl. Looks clean but homey because of the fabric.
Wait staff was very nice.
We were here for breakfast.
Corned beef hash was real corned beef, which was nice, but the hash itself was unremarkable.
Eggs over easy cooked perfectly.
Home fries were fresh sliced potatoes grilled. Very simple but whatever seasoning they may add, just gives the right touch.
Pancakes were average. I probably would not order again, but not because they were bad, just that I'll wait for a lighter, fluffier pancake somewhere else.
Coffee was good for a little homey restaurant.
A decent breakfast at a decent price. We would return.

The Tavern Grille, Old Cottonwood, AZ
Our rating 4 out of 5
This is really a nice sports bar with booths around the walls. Many, many TV's but the sound was off, so didn't bother us. Scott was happy to watch hockey while we waited for our meal.
Wait staff was very good. Our waiter was efficient and there was a bus girl that as soon as a plate was empty and pushed aside, she stealthly passed by and cleared it away.
We don't usually order alcoholic drinks but for some reason Bloody Mary's called to us. I highly recommend the Bloody Mary. Rich, thick, with a bite. A big hunk of celery stalk, 2 olives on a pick and a slice of lemon and a slice of lime on the rim. A great looking Bloody Mary as well as a great tasting Bloody Mary.
There were so many interesting items on the menu, but we can only eat so much. We opted for onion rings and French onion soup as appetizers.
Onion rings: above average. The onions were not as sweet as I'd like. The ranch style dipping sauce was very watered down. When we dipped the rings in it, the dressing just slipped off.

Onion rings

French onion soup: heart and absolutely excellent.
House Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette dressing: Nice salad with fresh sliced mushrooms. Dressing was light and pleasant.
Prime Rib: Very, very tender. Unfortunately, it was not as tasty as others we've add. It needed a more robust rub or seasoning.
Stuffed Meatloaf: Disappointing. According to other reviews this was good, so I ordered. Bland all the way around. When I finally found the cheese (by sight), I never really tasted it. Supposed to  be wrapped in bacon, but I barely tasted that also.

Stuffed meatloaf & cheesy mashed potatoes

Cheese mashed potatoes: Good. Although they were doctored up instant, they were doctored up nicely.
I upped my rating from 3 to 4 simply because the wait staff was excellent and I'm intrigued by the menu. I would return just to try other items on the menu.
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WHERE WE'RE GOING

Apr. 11 - Apr. 17, 2013 Trailer Village - (Part of Grand Canyon Park), AZ

Apr. 18 - Apr. 24, 2013 Meteor Crater RV Park - Winslow, AZ

NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014