Desert Messenger

June 18, 2014

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June 18, 2014 www.DesertMessenger.com 11 Traveling with Gypsy Jane Pattie's RV Park OPEN YEAR-ROUND! LARGE LOTS! 455 E. Main St., Quartzsite Walk to shopping! ~ Laundromat ~ RO Water ~ Thrift Shop ~ Delights Gifts & Antiques 928-927-4223 - PROPANE SALES - Open 7 days/week 7am-5pm Pets & Children Welcome! by Jane Finley writer * artist * teacher (stretching, exercise, relaxation, meditation) Escaping Quartzsite --Payson, AZ Leaving Quartzsite, for me, is like pulling apart two very strong magnets. It's a hard pull because the attraction is so strong. Each fall I arrive earlier, and each summer I leave later. For the hun- dredth time: I LOVE IT HERE! Amazingly, there are people who live in Quartzsite year round. As I prepare to leave for the summer (June 14), it is way above 100 degrees. How can any- one stand to live here in the summer? I managed up to now because I bought an air conditioner this year. What I didn't think about was traveling with- out air conditioning in my truck -- al- ways at least 20 degrees hotter inside the cab. And it was only June! This high heat continues through July, August, and September -- sometimes 'til mid October. (November is pleasant, and then Quartzsite goes right into winter -- sometimes below freezing at night. Then March and April are pleasant, April being the prettiest month when the desert bursts into bloom.) Sitting here in my folding chair by the side of my camper with my feet propped up, I begin to relax after a grueling day of travel yesterday. Even though I had completed most of the page-long tasks for leaving Quartzsite for the summer, it still took me more than three hours to get everything done. There are some things that must be put off until the last minute: turning off the water, electric- ity, and propane; covering the front door; emptying the frig to the camper and then stuffi ng the frig with wadded up newspapers; eating breakfast; and fi nally a last shower on the way out. I was up before six yesterday, and it was 9:30 before I stopped for an iced coffee on the way out of town -- a spe- cial treat since I stopped drinking coffee years ago. I fi gured I needed something to keep me awake during the long, hot drive to Payson, AZ. The temperature reached 110 degrees during the day. You can imagine how hot it was in- side my truck without air condition- ing. When the temperature reached its peak, I kept hoping I wouldn't pass out from the heat. Heaven help anyone who has car trouble during this heat wave. They would perish in minutes. This thought crossed my mind several times as I watched my gas gauge go down and my engine temperature gauge go up. "If the indicator gets above half way, SEE GYPSY PAGE 16 Memorial Day, 2014 Below: Following the ceremony at the Hi Jolly Cemetery, Dennis Dole of VFW Post 769, spoke at the Plaque Rededication Ceremony on May 26, 2014 at Town Park. The plaque is dedicated in memory of M/Sgt. Arlo J. Makestad, U.S. Army Retired, Served with the 467th A.A.A. AW Bn. 3rd Armored Division under General George Patton in the Arizona and California Desert Training Center before landing on Omaha Beach in France, June 6, 1944. In 1967 and 1968 he served as an Adviser to the Republic of South Vietnam Army. Served his country from December 1942 until August 1973. With Pride he was a member of The Veterans Association of Quartzsite. The plaque was made possible by family and friends and The Veterans Association of Quartzsite. Quartzsite VFW Post 769 hosted the Memorial Day Ceremony at Hi Jolly Cemetery, May 26, 2014.

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