We met a Bunch – The Bayfield Bunch!

An exciting meeting with a fellow RVer/Blogger/Photographer – Al and Kelly, Meeting Red and Jeanie and a wonderful time at Silverado Ranch with Legendary Belle Starr. I wish it was just a little warmer though

Breakfast in the Club

Friday, January 22, 2010 – Woke up this morning to a tiny home. The slide-outs were still pushed in, giving us a little space to roam. I wonder – can you do that in a normal house – just push some rooms in?
Looking at my laptop I realized I have a conference call in 10 minutes. Now that I am laid off, work seem to pick up more than what I had working full-time. Mystery ways  of Life, go figure. I just hope we will have enough projects to keep a steady income.
Got that part done, as Patti woke up and pushed out our house again – except the one slide that is broken. Time was running and we were excited to meet Al and Kelly this morning. Bisbee Breakfast Club, or BBC in short, is couple miles down the road so when it was time to go , I did not take anything with me. Even not my camera which turned out to be a huge mistake. I figured we will come back here before we will go anywhere, but as you will find out – we didn’t.
We arrived the BBC few minutes before noon. The place was packed, and we had to register and wait for a table. Al and Kelly were not there yet. Few minutes later I saw their car approaching (know the car from a picture on their blog) and a minute later they were in.
Al and Kelly are a very precious couple, we felt we could connect with them right away. Experienced kind and down to earth. We did not have a problem finding what to talk about, just did not know what to talk about first! If you follow The Bayfield Bunch blog you will immediately notice that Al loves photography, and sure enough Al did not forget his Nikon D-50 and Point & Shoot Canon. So on top of all other common things any RVers have to talk about, it was great to meet a Camera Enthusiast as well. Al took some great photos (like he always does) and you can see them here.

Seeing Starr

We sat and had a great talk over breakfast, and Patti was anxious to see the Starr – Belle Starr. Al suggested that we will go to Belle’s right away. Kelly had to pick up couple things at the grocery store so we followed Al and Kelly to the store and from there to the ranch.
I was so sorry not having my camera with me. I am sure I mentioned it 3,4,5 times (maybe more) while we were there, so no pics for you today :( not in this blog – but luckily Al took some great photos as I motioned earlier, and you can see them in his blog. You will also get to read a great blog – so twice the charm!.
The Ranch is heaven for us, and in particular for Patti – packed with animals that Patti loves so much. Horses Donkeys, chickens, Peacocks, birds… Patti felt like a kid in a candy store.
Patti and Al went ahead and fed the animals while Kelly and I stepped in to meet with Belle. What a charming lady! she might be 82 but she sure acts so much younger – what a great sense of humor, positive attitude and as sharp as can be. I was impressed!


Belle had some minor issues on her desktop, and I tried to get things going for her. Uninstalled some unneeded software, cleaned some partially installed utilities (HP installs so much stuff when you try to set up a printer, that it takes forever to get rid of it). Reinstalled her email client and changes some setting on the browser. Nothing major, but enough to earn a smile on her face :)
Belle has so many stories and so much to tell, that one can fill a blog just with that. So I won’t ruin it for you and let Belle tell you the stories directly at Belle’s blog.

Never stop dreaming

Belle has a dream – she wants to have the a ranch a place that people would come and have fun – carriage rides, trail rides, even weddings. To be honest – the place has a great potential. It is westerns style wild and charming, but there is a lot of work to do. The outside building has to be renovated, electricity and sewer should be updated to support this operation, but with the right person (investor or partner) that might share the same vision – that is not impossible. The beautiful land, the horses, the carriage, the trails – are all there. Just needs the right push.

A Charming 7

Shortly after Patti and Al came in after feeding the animals, Jeanie and Red joined us. Red is a retired electrician that helps Belle setting up all the electrical chaos she has in her Ranch. So many people tried to help and with good intention created a mess that is being resolved step by step. Red is a pro, and knows exactly what to do.
Red and Jeanie are also RVers. Red had built an RV from a refrigerated unit to accommodate for Jeanie’s disability. Red also has a blog – but this morning I could not find the address. I will find out the address and add it here to this blog. This is a very interesting story on how he made this RV. His dedication is beyond limits. A person to admire.
Back on track – we sat all the seven if us at Belle’s den, off her kitchen – Belle Starr, Al and Kelly, Red and Jeanie, Patti and I. We had the greatest time talking about so many different things. Patti got connected with Jeanie and Belle, and I just liked them all :) I admire Red, and feel I have so much in common with Al – it was just a great time for me. Maybe Kelly and Al will have some time one evening going out and sit in a relaxed atmosphere on a glass of wine or beer.
Later in the afternoon Al and Kelly had to go back to their home, and Red just came back from a trip he had made to the city to buy a new Multi-Meter, as he forgot his in the rain. Water and Electronics don’t mix well, he said. We stayed with Belle, Red and Jeanie until after dark, and finally left home at about 7:30pm or so.

Cold, Black and White

Saturday, January 23, 2010 – It was a cold night, and the two heaters we have could not keep up the temperature. We had to turn the furnace on, and together with the other two electrical heaters, the temp finally climbed to a comfortable 70. Following this cold black night came a cold white morning. Yes – you read it right. We had snow all around us, on the ground, in the mountains around, and cold cold outside.

To the ranch again

After a warm chocolate flavored Oat meal breakfast we took Moe and drove to Belle again. This time – with the camera. so the pictures you see in this blog were all from today, Saturday.
Patti and I fed all the horses, Donkeys, Birds, Dogs, Ants and worms and everything else. It was a little cold outside and sleet fell from time to time from a dark cloud that happen to pass by.
Red and Jeanie are preparing to leave today, so Patti and I stayed a little while with Belle and had a nice chat.
On the way back I got stopped by a state patrol trooper and got a speeding ticket. The speed limit dropped from 65 to 55 just short distance before I was stopped, and since the area was still rural, I am sure many drivers are missing it, and they had a trap tight there. Here goes another $150 that I am sure I could have found a better use for. Ouch..
We came back home, and Patti did not feel that well. She fell asleep while I ran to Douglas to pick up a prescription from Wal-Mart. This time I drove very carefully, just be the speed limit, causing a trail of frustrated drivers driving behind me.
A little catch up on emails, blogs and work, and that’s it. No dinner tonight, Patti is resting in bed. Hope she feels better tomorrow, as we promised Belle that we will be back to feed the horses.