Pancho & Marie

Aloha Everyone,

Another interesting neighbor at this RV park were Pancho and Marie.

 

The previous night, it rained heavily for several hours. In the morning, I looked out and noticed two clothes lines strung between pine trees with bedding items were being dried.

Pancho, a large towering man (but then most people towers over me) was affable and approachable. He and his wife Marie are serious bikers from Maryland. The couple love the Northern Arizona topography.  They were tenting and it seems that their tent is not water proof. To my comment of their predicament, Pancho  shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's just rain. No big deal! The sun will dry them."

This is a "downtime" for J.J. and me. Taking advantage of the mostly pleasant weather, excellent WiFi, the two of us are spending a great deal of time catching up with our reading, studying and planning our next big overseas' trip.

Here are some of the meals we've enjoyed in the past 7 days.

Aloha -- Cathi

Compact But Equipped JUCY RV

Aloha Everyone,

Whenever J.J. and I see bright green and magenta colored JUCY Mini RVs, our curiosity perks up. In nearly 95% of the time, campers who chose JUCY are adventurous and interesting people. They also tend to be Europeans. We met a number of Swiss, Germans, Scandinavians and occasionally Australians. 

If is an economic way to see the USA. There is a rooftop bed as well as the seats in the van that converts into a bed.

Glen is a former police officer who studied Shotokan Karate under famous masters, Sensei Hirokazu Kanazawa and Sensei Mikio Yasuhara. Glen also taught Karate in Japan and has studied other martial arts including kendo, Tai chi and archery.

Owner of the Suffolk Academy in Suffolk, England, Glen was a previous coach of the UK National Karate team.

http://suffolkacademy.com/

Gary is a close friend and a Karate student of Glen. The two friends are about midway through their tour of the USA.  After the USA, Gary will continue his travels in Asia for another 7 months, visiting and studying various forms of martial arts.  Glen on the other hand will return to England.

They were about to cook lamb for dinner. Here is a photo of their fully-equipped outdoor kitchen.

Aloha -- Cathi

Selective Attention and Awareness

Aloha Everyone,

Jeff did a lesson in his class about the importance of paying attention and being aware.

Please watch these two short video clips and test your selective attention and awareness.

Aloha -- Cathi

Don't Deprive Others of the Joy of Giving

Aloha Everyone,

"For it is in giving that we receive." -- Francis of Assisi

"Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

We have been taught that our true purpose in life is to help others to better their lives. One receives more when giving. My Mother's life is richer because of her serving her community as a volunteer for over 45 years. Giving sincerely from your heart with no expectation of thanks or reciprocation can result in true blessing and happiness.

During our recent visit, Bunny shared with J.J. and me the following story.

"I was doing volunteer work for a community with my music. I did this for free with no intention of getting anything in return. Then one day, the person in charge gave me some money. I tried to refuse saying that I volunteer for the pure joy of giving and I do not want any payment.

The woman scolded me by saying "What's wrong with you? You get joy by sharing your music. So why would you want to deprive others the same joy of giving!"

Bunny told us that this message struck her core and she has learned to accept others' genuine act of kindness.  

Aloha -- Cathi

Total Solar Eclipse, Return to Flagstaff

Aloha -- Cathi

The total solar eclipse was visible 65-miles-wide from Oregon to South Carolina. (Photo from internet, courtesy of Cameron de Silva, for ABC News)

J.J. and I decided watch in Honu in Bunny and James' comfortable and spacious driveway. With excitement and anticipation we waited and waited. It never got dark at 68 percent in Show Low.

I am sure animals and birds are much more sensitive to such occurrences. Almost precisely at 10:38 am, the birds flew as if possessed and dogs barked incessantly at invisible intruders.

For the two of us, it was a nonevent but our friends witnessed this incredible happening in Bend, OR, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO, Peachtree, GA and even in Schenectady, NY.

Holbrook is located in Navajo County about half way between Show Low and Flagstaff. For our lunch stop, J.J. spotted a cafe near the West entrance to I-40. Dusty parking lot with the signage being held up by wire. It did not look very promising.

A Navajo man looking rather shy seated us at one of 6 tables. His hard leather-like skin the color of dark chocolate looked as if he has lived under the blazing Arizona sun all his life. He apologized that he was filling in for a waitress and carefully copied the items J.J. and I pointed in the menu.

Our simple Mexican dishes with no adornment were far better than their presentation. But what made our lunch stop memorable was the owner/chef, Robert. He came out to greet us. With a booming, commanding voice suitable for an operatic tenor, he transformed the place into fine-dining! J.J. left a very generous 30% tip for our quiet and nameless server.

Back at KOA Flagstaff, we met an interesting father and son. Mark now works for a construction firm. He was a builder, contractor and real estate broker who sold his own custom built homes. Bob, Mark's son is a middle school teacher in Madison, WI. He recently earned his Master's and will be working as an Assistant Vice Principal. His wife is studying veterinary medicine at the University of Wisconsin. The twosome were on their way to Vegas for Bob to return to Madison and for Mark to pick up his wife at the airport.

So you can see how the four of us found mutually interesting topics. Over the camp fire we also talked of retirement and travels until it was nearly 10:00 pm, way pass my bedtime.

Aloha -- Cathi