The days were sunny, but the weather unpredictable, a lot like the fifty-five plus community. Back down at the Prickly Pear bands played five days a week from about four p.m. until seven. The endless stream of shitty music hurt my ears, drove me nuts and made me embrace the rumor of a new Metallica album in the spring. This was pre-"snowbird" season (October-December), or the calm before the storm.
When it rained in the Phoenix/Mesa area a.k.a. "the valley" or when the wind blew too harshly, everything shut down. I lived the majority of my life in Michigan, where we drove to fucking work in six or more inches of snow. I survived even when the vehicle could barely muster enough to get through snow drifts. When I heard that Arizona and the Valle Del Oreo community hunkered down in their park models which gave a sense of entitlement, or large behemoth RV's which also encouraged some people to act snobbish, I was shocked. Work would virtually shut down at the grill. I would go in and stand around to collect a paycheck on these days.
When the sun shined, the residents crawled out of their respective homes, hop on bikes, golf carts, side by sides, and anything in between. The walkers, joggers, groups of neighbors powerwalking, staggered out into the streets, zig-zagging in and out of cars. Some smiley, some just plain grouches who wore pus faces. Some waved and some would just ignore the fact that you were behind the wheel of a heavy motor vehicle (if you were driving), that's why I walked to work, rain or shine.
In a nut shell, I didn't think that this place was truly meant for me, but I was obligated. I didn't have too much in common with the residents. My connections with my fellow full timer RV'ers got me through most of the negative. If Arizona was trying to sell itself to Maria and I, it failed, miserably, in the first few weeks. I gave the state a chance, and continued. After all, energy is derived from both the plus and negative. There were many places for us to explore, and my cousin had invited us to Tucson for Christmas, so there was that to look forward to. I just hoped that Arizona would get its shit together, and put on its best sales face, and soon.
Join me next week on the blog for more great times at the Prickly Pear!
Tim Eagle
Find out where RV travel, exploring, DIY and writing at the Dark Nest Travels YouTube channel here: Dark Nest Travels.
Tim Eagle is an author of the novellas Stolen Seed and Krae. He lives full time, on the road, with his wife, Maria and their dog, Cocoa. He grew up in Michigan and is inspired by the dysfunction, insanity, and nepotism of rural America. His books are available on Amazon, godless and this site timeaglefiction.com Thanks for reading, tune in next week for the next chapter...
