Christmas Greetings 2024

 

Christmas Greetings 2024

Our travels have once again brought us to the Arizona desert for the month of December. And while tall and prickly saguaros,

dry and rocky landscapes,

 

and brightly decorated RVs

don't quite evoke that same holiday feeling as skiing past snow-laden evergreens did in our past life,

we have been able to appreciate the best gift of Christmas ...

The Gift of Friendship! 

We, once again, reconnected with our travel buddies, Joanne and Gary. They spend the winter at an RV resort in Tucson, Arizona and have warmly included us in all the fun. I love having a personal "social director"! From pickleball ... to bike rides ... to game nights ... to local sight-seeing outings ... to special dinners out ... to happy hours around the pool ... to "girlfriend" time, we appreciate friendships like this that are formed whenever travel paths cross, because ...

Random Meetings Form the Best Friendships!

We're grateful for the friendships formed this year ...

during our Habitat for Humanity builds,

at language exchanges in Colombia,

while serving as volunteer English teachers in the Medellin neighborhood of Manrique,

during meet-ups with other Hymer van owners,

and while spending time at our current location in Tucson, Arizona.

New Friendships ... New Family

 This year the most memorable of all friendships were those formed during the wedding celebration of our son, Adam, and his beautiful wife, Shannon.

From the pre-wedding festivities,

to the post-wedding party,

it was a weekend with beautiful memories made

while celebrating with family, friends,

... and a sharply dressed pug!

The Hometown Gift of Friendship

While we won't be back in Minnesota for the holidays, we're grateful for all the ways our family and friends shower us with the gift of friendship when our travels bring us to their home.

For open driveways and welcoming smiles,

"International" food time with our children,

birthday celebrations,

lake cabin weekends,

wedding gatherings,

conversations on the hiking trails,

personal cello concerts,

camping camaraderie,

endless laughter,

reminiscing,

fun,

and the support

 of dear family and friends,

we are truly grateful!

While we may not have room for a Christmas tree, our gifts are overflowing. We realize that wherever we roam,

🎝🎜 "Faithful friends who are dear to us,

Gather near to us once more" 🎝🎜

Thank you for your kindness during the past year and know that your friendship is our most cherished gift!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love, Chris and Doug

Just Chillin' in Desert Hot Springs

We enjoyed some fabulous yet fast-moving travels during the last few months. But as winter approaches, the days get shorter and the sun sets earlier thanks to that "beloved" November time change. 

Dark by 5:30 ...

Really, Mother Nature is that necessary???

With the earlier sunsets, we found it more difficult to drive, site-see, and find an overnight camping spot before dark. We were also feeling a need to slow down our travel pace.

Time to change things up a bit.

We fondly remembered our extended visit to the Palm Springs area in the spring of 2017 ... the amazing desert hikes followed by a relaxing soak in the spring-fed hot tubs. After checking around, we found Caliente Springs Resort to be the perfect place for ...

Chillin' for a month in Desert Hot Springs.

The resort offered a well maintained club house complete with a large, naturally heated pool, four hot tubs with temps varying from 95 to 104 degrees, and a variety of activities ranging from yoga to water aerobics to pickleball.

Doug determined that there would "probably" be sufficient activities to keep his "energizer bunny" busy during the day. And I determined that an evening soak in the hot tubs would prevent my travel partner from deciding to get ready for bed as soon as the sun set. 

Highlights of our month in the desert included ...

 Desert and slot canyon hikes,

Hanging out with these characters straight out of a Dr Seuss book at Joshua Tree National Park,

Taking a stroll through the cute but not-so-cuddly cholla cactus garden,

Finding "interesting" desert creatures,

Bike rides into nearby Desert Hot Springs where ...

pastry shops make deciding very difficult,

Short trips to nearby Palm Springs where ...

restaurants, street fairs, parades, music, and fireworks enticed us as we strolled along its palm tree lined streets,

Colorful fruits and veggies that were available each week at the many local farmers markets ...

and a colorful worship community that helped us brush up on our Spanish each week.

As the sun sets

on our last day in the desert,

and we take our last evening soak in the mineral pools,

... we're grateful for nature's beautiful oasis

... that welcomed us to just chill for a while in Desert Hot Springs.