Desert Messenger

26 www.DesertMessenger.com March 19, 2014 GRANDS FROM PAGE 1 RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER thank you! By Jane Finley (Gypsy Jane) writer * artist * teacher * traveler THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CARRY ME KICKING AND SCREAMING OUTTA THIS PLACE! On Monday, October 21, 2002, feeling a bit sad and apprehensive, I placed the pink cosmos in the hand of my guardian angel on my dash- board, put on my rose-colored glass- es, and MADE myself leave Seattle. It is always this way -- this leaving. If I've stayed some place more than a week, I have to drag myself kick- ing and screaming outta there. And I had things planned to en- courage my leaving: the $3.95 buf- fet on Mondays at the Lucky Eagle Casino in Rochester, Washington that friends in Port Angeles had raved about. And the next day, Tuesday, lunch at my favorite res- taurant: Mary McCrank's in Cheha- lis, Washington. It's an old mansion with good home cookin', and I never miss eating there on my way to and from Seattle. The beautiful fall col- or along the highway beckoned me onward. It was a gorgeous day; the sun was shining (in Seattle!). The autumn leaves were there on every ribbon of highway, kind of pulling me on and on and on. All this, but it was still hard to leave. When someone asks me the question, "What's the hardest thing about your travel? I always reply, "Leaving." The only reason I was able to leave Port Angeles, Washington after four wonderful months there this summer was that the weather turned rainy in early October. Then I headed to Seattle, and the only reason I was able to leave there was that it got really cold in mid-October. Without heat in my camper, I had to head south and warmer weather. (My pattern seems to be if it's sunny and warm, I stay. If it's too cold or too hot or rainy, I leave.) I asked myself, "Why is it AL- WAYS so hard to leave a place?" I know the answer. It is something that we live with throughout our lives: the unknown. No matter how bad something is (e.g., relationship, job, city), we hang on and on and on because changing -- moving into the unknown -- is always worse. We KNOW what's HERE; we don't KNOW what's THERE. That's when I stop and give myself a good talking to. I remind myself that it's ALWAYS this way when I leave a city. After all, I wouldn't be in a city for a while if I didn't LOVE it; now would I? And, most impor- tant of all: The NEXT place will be just as wonderful and maybe even harder to leave. Yes, I know that to be true. It's happened over and over and over again...in Durango, Colorado; in North Conway, New Hampshire; in Tallahassee, Florida; in Port Angeles, Washington and many more towns along the way. It was still hard to leave Seattle, that is, until I was about one-half hour out of town. Just that quickly I had left Seattle and my wonderful four months in Port Angeles, Wash- ington behind. I was eager to get on to my next destination -- not at all sure what that would be. I was looking forward now....not back. I thought of where I might go and started getting excited about all the possibilities. I was glad to be back on the road. Jane's book is called WANDERINGS: Living the Ordinary Extraordinarily (Stories from the Road). This column consists of stories from the book. Traveling with Gypsy Jane day, March 5th escorted by La Paz County Sheriff and Quartzsite Police Dept. Over 70 VFW Riders accompanied the Wall down Main Street, amid cheering fl ag-wav- ing crowds lining the streets, and looped around town to its desti- nation at Desert Gardens Show Grounds on Kuehn. The Opening Ceremony was held Friday, March 7th and closing Ceremony was held Sunday, March 9th. At 360 feet in length, the AVTT Wall is the largest traveling replica of the original Vietnam memorial Wall located in Washington, D.C. It is an 80 percent scale reproduction which stands eight feet tall at its apex and doesn't leave out a single name featured on the original wall. Organizer Bob "Gunny" St. Ger- main, of Gunny's Military Museum of Quartzsite, displayed Vietnam era military equipment and uni- forms along with military vehicles from Bouse VFW Post 2357. Bouse Elementary students shared the meaning of the 13 folds of the U.S. fl ag during the opening ceremony (see photo Page 20) and Vietnam veteran Von Glasgow performed "50,000 Names Carved in the Wall", and dignitaries spoke to the crowds gathered. Between The Wall, Pancake Breakfasts, Town-Wide Yard Sales, GRAND Bingo, 50's Dance, A Senior/Craft Fair, PNQ's Rock Auction, Concerts by Rex Allen Jr., Paul Winer and Beyond the Ashes, and the Guinness attempt for the World's Largest Human Letter "Q", visitors and residents had a very busy four days in Quartzsite! The GRAND Finale was the Guinness record attempt of the World's Largest Human Letter "Q" held Sunday, March 9th at the QIA. Participants began checking in early Sunday morning, to at- tend the Community Service with Beyond the Ashes concert followed by a brunch. 631 participants were counted and participated, however 625 were offi cially recorded by the Stewards. Grandmas and Grand- pas in sky blue shirts lined up in the shape of a "Q" outside in 80+ degree temperatures. Judi Clark, of Horizon Community Bank, was the offi cial Witness for the attempt. Organizers will submit the docu- mentation for Guinness to verify, which can take up to 12 weeks. Photos of the attempt are available for purchase at the QIA Mon-Fri. 9am-noon. The Guinness Attempt Coordina- tor, John Hendrix, of the QIA, left the state unexpectedly to attend to his dying sister. Organizers said they were amazed at how many Volunteers "jumped in to help" at the last minute. Hendrix is also the inspiration behind The GRAND Gathering, but missed all the events. Hendrix told Desert Mes- senger he'll be back in time for the board's meeting "with some new ideas for next year!" See photos on Page 20. For more photos visit www. Facebook.com/ TheGrandGathering. The GRAND Gathering is a joint venture of Quartzsite's oldest and youngest non-profi t organizations (the QIA and Proud Neighbors of Quartzsite "PNQ"), both dedicated to the betterment of the Commu- nity of Quartzsite and the region. In true community spirit, coopera- tion between Town of Quartzsite offi cials, administration and many local organizations produced an exceptional event for the commu- nity and visitors alike with four full days of GRAND fun, entertainment and town-wide events. For more information visit www.TheGrandGathering.com. Across from McDonald's • Quartzsite NEED CASH? Jim Buys GOLD! Broken Jewelry, Old Teeth, Coins, Nuggets, etc. 1240 W. Main Street STAY UP TO DATE Quartzsite Events Online: www.VisitQuartzsite.com

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