Desert Messenger

teachers and athletes and tradesmen. You just may not recognize them for who and what they once were. It's an easy thing to look at an old person and not give them any thought. They're old. They've been old so long they're probably used to being old. Why is it so easy to forget that once they were our age? Once they had a life beyond being cared for in a facility for the elderly. Once they may have accom- plished things we could only dream of. Once they had dreams and goals of their own. There was a time their lives were quite possibly not much different than our own. And one day our lives could just possibly be similar to theirs now. Any one of those reasons gives us good cause to take a second look at the elderly who need care. An extra second to stop and visit. To stop and listen. To stop and encourage. One day it just might be you or me who needs that kind word and listening ear. And if and when that day comes it would be a great accomplishment for any of us to handle that time of life as graciously as our off road moms Juani- ta and Norma. Thank you ladies for being our moms and for continuing to be an inspiration to us all. Sherri Kukla is the edi- tor and co- p u b l i s h e r of S&S Off Road Maga- zine. She along with her husband, the guy-in- t h e - g a r a g e , are also the founders and directors of Thunder- ing Trails off road camp for inner city kids in Southern California. She can be reached at ssormag@gmail.com or www.ssorm.com. 12 www.DesertMessenger.com May 3, 2017 Available at QUALITY RV 70 E. Main St. • Quartzsite The BIG YELLOW BUILDING! 928-927-3490 • 360-531-0257 cell - 2 NEW HOMES FOR SALE Arizona West Tammy Carty Associate Broker ABR, CNE Harcuvar- $ 90k 1 bed and 1 bath well with garage and RV hookup. Salome- $ 39K 5th wheel cover, well, garage WOW price! Wickenburg, AZ 928-684-2222 • Cell 623-693-1677 • SalomeHomes4SalebyTammy.com www.TammySellsWickenburg.com $ 350.00 per denture when purchasing an upper and lower Dental Laboratory Service, LLC Call: 623-444-4013 Goodyear, AZ http://www.DLSAZ.com FREE CONSULTATIONS Same Day Dentures and Custom Premium Partials and Dentures • US Military Trained with 30 plus Years Experience • 1000's of Satisfi ed Customers • Extractions & Implants by Licensed AZ Dentist DENTURES Old Folks Homes That's what they used to call them when I was a kid. By "they" I mean my grand- parents. And my parents. Long before "they" were old enough to be considered old folks. My grandparents would likely still use that phrase if they were around. And my parents? Well only my mom is left and she lives in one of those places her parents would have called an old folks home. She just doesn't know what it's called. Or what I'm called for that matter. But she's always happy. And almost always smiling. And for that we can thank the awesome caregivers and staff at the assisted living facility, that place that once might have been called the old folks home. I sadly have to admit I never gave much thought to the people who reside in facilities for the elderly. But that's all changed. For the past few years I've given it a lot of thought. Juanita and Norma are two friends who met in a care facility. You wouldn't know it to look at these two ladies, but in their earlier lives they both played important roles in the off road industry. Norma and her late husband Bob, were the owners of Dirty Bob's, a buggy shop in Glamis, California, for over two decades. Her son and daughter-in-law shared some interesting information with us about Norma's life. Norma and her husband who went by the nickname "Dirty Bob" started visit- ing the famous Glamis Sand Dunes in 1968 and every trip they made out there became a longer and longer stay. Even- tually, they decided to move there from Hemet, California in 1971 and start their business, Dirty Bob's Buggy Boutique. Norma worked the counter, taking care of customers and also ordered all of the parts. They operated their business in Glamis until 1992. Norma loved to ride with Dirty Bob in his six-seater buggy. And Juanita? Oh, she would have loved to ride an off road motorcycle. That was her dream many decades ago. But it proved to be an impossible dream, as she didn't have the skill or quite enough courage to get the bike moving faster than 1-2 mph. Thankfully anoth- er dream of her's did come to fruition and that was to start up a typesetting service when she was in her 50's. Back in the stone-age, before computers. She needed help running that busi- ness and once I was trained to help her it was only a matter of time before the guy-in-the-garage and I realized that with the typesetting equipment avail- able to use, our idea to start an off road publication to help promote some local racing could really happen. To look at Juanita and Norma now, you wouldn't know they were once in- strumental in running or contributing to off road businesses. They look like two happy elderly ladies content to live in a care home, along with the hundred or so other residents. But take a look around the dining room. You'll see veterans and school Sherri's Turn Juanita & Norma

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