Colorado

Happy Birthday Bro

by Ingrid

Grand JunctionWe’ve been happily camped at James Robb State Park Fruita Section located west of Grand Junction, Colorado for a little over a week now.  I think Al and I are finally settling into the RV life and joke about living on “RV time”.  I’ll admit the move took a lot more out of us than we ever could’ve imagined.  In retrospect, I wish we had gone about this move and change at a slower pace.  Moving is nothing new to us, but the major downsizing was overwhelming beyond words.

We arrived in Grand Junction just in time to help my brother celebrate his birthday.  He has a favorite Japanese Restaurant that he and his wife frequent in downtown Grand Junction.  Al and I aren’t fans of Sushi but do enjoy other Asian dishes accompanied by a little Sake and plum wine.


The Farmer’s Mart is held every Thursday evening throughout the summer in downtown Grand Junction.  The city closes several blocks to automobile traffic and the streets are lined with easy-up tents hosted by various vendors and entertainers.  The multitude of vendors marketing their products includes everything from wine by local wineries to a special blend of Bloody Mary Mix (a favorite of my brother’s…..do I hear birthday gift?), to a variety of food products, crafts, local veggies, fruits, etc.  Some of the local store fronts even offer specials.


After a delicious meal at the Suehiro Japanese Restaurant complete with Al and me sampling lots of Sushi (I’m still not a fan), we head to the streets to meander amongst the vendors and listen to the various musicians entertaining the crowds.   The skies looked threatening but fortunately the storm held at bay long enough for us to enjoy a wonderful evening.

Brother & Al perplexed!

 

The four of us had a great time and I loved being able to celebrate my brother’s birthday with him.

This past week in Grand Junction has whizzed by and Tuesday we’ll head to Ridgeway State Park for 8 days.   My brother and his wife will join us in their new travel trailer for four of those days.  We’re all looking forward to getting in a little biking, hiking, and lots of R & R.  We may even try to coax Mark over at Box Canyon Blog to take us on one of those beautiful hikes that he shares with fellow bloggers (His photos are always stunning)……  That is if we’re not too busy “watching the shade move”….. my sister-in-laws response to me when I asked her what she wanted to do while we were at Ridgeway State Park 😀

James Robb State Park
James Robb State Park Fruita Section

We’ve loved our time here at James Robb State Park but are already looking forward to moving on.  So if any of you are near Ridgeway State Park July 23 – 31 feel free to stop by and say “Hey”.

 

 

 

20 thoughts on “Happy Birthday Bro”

  2. You sound really relaxed and laid back these days. Happy birthday to your brother. I would have eaten your sushi for you. I had a laugh at Bill’s nuts. It’s such an ambiguous sign. 😀

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  4. Oh I wish I was closer… I think we would get on like a house on fire… I love your posts I really do, and it just makes our change seem so far off… we’ve had an offer on the house, but we are pushing for more… not really a sellers market at the moment, but we’ll hang out for our price…

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    1. No doubt, the four of us would have a blast together. Who knows what kind of trouble we’d get ourselves into though….lol.
      Hey, hold out for the price. We stuck our feet in the mud in the negotiations and got what we wanted. We were surprised to get our number in such a short time. Patience and it’ll all come together 🙂

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  5. I was in Grand Junction last summer – it’s a nice town but it was so HOT! You look like you’re camped in a beautiful site. I love farmer’s markets!

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    1. Yep, it’s a bit too hot for us as well. A/C in the rig runs all day. We’re heading to higher ground tomorrow for a week in hopes of cooler temps. It is very pretty around here though!

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    1. Al managed to make that popcorn disappear in short order. Yep you and my brother can enjoy your sushi. I’m fussy when it comes to fish. Hoping to get in some good hiking here soon!

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  7. You have no idea how I envy you two…After the last 2 years, I could dump the whole shibang, sell out and get a new RV to live in full time…I’m trying to talk Dennis into at least trying it for one year before selling…as soon as we get our “elders” in some safe assisted living…SHEESH!!!! Have a cocktail by the fire for us!!

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    1. When we did the four month snowbird thing, we weren’t considering or even talking full-time. The thought evolved. For us, we knew we didn’t want to stay in Pueblo West, but we didn’t know where we wanted to move to. So now we’re off to explore.
      Sending well wishes on the “elder” front. Over the last 2 1/2 years we lost my mom, the dog, and both of Al’s folks……difficult, so I feel for you.
      I would recommend the 4-6 month get away with the rig you have. My folks did 6 and 6 …. 6 months at the house in Illinois and 6 months on the road. Worked great for them.

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    1. Ah, another year older? Our daughter loves sushi too. There was an item or two I thought was pretty good. Just won’t be in the ‘love’ category for me! All the more for you 🙂

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  9. Good to hear you are settling in to this relaxing way of life. I think your sister-in-law has the right idea for us at times. It does take a while to get into that living attitude over the vacation hurry up see everything mind set. We went from three day stays to a week, then ten days, and then to a month. We realized we needed extra time to just hang out and do household chores and relax. Life sure is good:)

    Hope you are able to get a special hiking tour with Mark.

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  11. I think I could downsize to an RV fairly easily. Mainly because I’ve suffered several wipe-outs in my life down to nothing but the clothes on my back due to natural disasters. It kind of breaks the ties to material possession. My husband is a different story though.When he travels he takes so much luggage that he throws out his back getting it out of the car. He keeps everything….and I do mean everything. He eyes RVs with the same look that a cat has when you pick them up and approach the bathtub intending to bath them.

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    1. Yep, when life throws you those curve balls it’s amazing what we find ourselves capable of. My mother-in-law would be aghast with us living in an RV….my folk’s were encouraging as some of the best years of their lives were touring the country in their motorhome. I guess we’re lucky to be able to choose.

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