Billy Wardle Happenings

 I couldn't get very good pictures with my phone.  I could see the eclipse great through my monocular, which was really cool.  At its height only a drop of light was peaking through; but I could see the shadow of the moon with the monocular.  It was quite the show.  I tried to zoom in with my camera, but there was not enough light so it got grainy.  The eclipse was at its peak at about 2 a.m. and lasted for almost an hour before is started to come back.  This was early in the morning 11/19/2021.  This is the view I recorded.

 Out side of Chloride, about  mile and a half past Chloride, up a pretty rough dirt road, are the Chloride murals.  The are also known as the Roy Purcell murals as he is the artist who painted them.  They were painted in 1966.  Roy Purcell took time off to work in the mines in the Cerbat Mountains from his graduate studies in fine arts at Utah State University.  While in the area he completed the murals.  They have worn well, but I understand Purcell and his family recently visited the area to touch up the murals.   I took my car up about a third of the way and then thought the road was too rough to pass so walked the rest of the way.  However others did take their cars all the way.  The hike has some gain in elevation so was a bit difficult. View of mine on stone Not a mural but quartzite vein in I think granite Art in the rocks

 Canyon Shadows is a park on the west side of Kingman.  It is off of Crestwood, just north of Gordon.  The park is long and narrow and follows a wash.  In fact after the park, on the west side across the street, the wash continues up the hill and makes a nice hike.  In meanders between the back yards of the houses, as does the park itself.   This park has many amenities: horse shoe pits, picnic areas, playground and sidewalks for walking from one end of the park to the other.  Going beyond the park, hiking up the wash is a bit rough with rocks, but it does present with some nice views.

 We finally made our first venture to Great Wold Lodge.  This was the first week in October.  It was an experience.  We went with Caleb and Annie and their family.  The slides were fun; even though the lazy river wasn't running.  There were a couple of slides that were not running as well.  Todd had a great time going down the slides.  There were a couple slides that required group tubes.  Sheri and I went on this.  I was going backwards and it seems we went down a deep drop which caught me unawares.  There was a small slide place for Hadley to play.  The wave maker was fun.  There were also lots of water play toys for squirting water.  They gave us ears for each of us.  The hotel was very maculate.  The nicest I have stayed in for some time.  It was a suite with two different bedrooms and then a pull down bed in the living area.  It also had a small kitchen.  There were also facilities in the hotel, miniature golf, rope course and games.  The lodge was crowded but fun.

   In moving to Kingman, Sheri and I decided to start over on much of our furniture.  As such we moved needing to get new furniture.  We purchased a sleep number bed in Cupertino before we moved, and it is to be delivered when the house is completed.   In Kingman the best furniture store we have found is  Arizona Furniture .  They seem to have reasonable prices, and then are always willing to lower the price even more.  I really liked their couch with remote control recliners.  However Sheri went with an overstuffed sectional with an ottoman.  We found a very nice dining table which will suit us.  It comes with six chars and has drawers in the table.  We also purchased a matching entertainment center to have a place to put the t.v.  In Manteca Jeremy had made as built in console.  Arizona Furniture is located north of town on highway 66.  They are to deliver when we can move into our house. Home Style Furniture  is at the corner of Beverly and Stockton Hill Road.  They have some very i

 One thing unique about Kingman is the quantity of antique stores.  It seems in the downtown area there is a store or two to every block.  They have a wide variety of items and themes. Of note is the thrift store with a focus on pets, Pawsitively Charming Thrift Store .  This store starts with many items useful for pets.  It also has many used books and movies, but also a very good selection of old pots and knick knacks.  I was impressed with a set of three black ceramic pots.  They also had a few Native American trinkets, kitchen utensils and seasonal items.  They had candy around the store with a note saying free.  I picked a Tootsie pop for later.  There was a set of pottery I liked.  (4th Street) Almost next door was an intriguing store,  Vagabonds Trinkets and Treasures , which likewise offered a variety of items, including art work and home decor items as well as a section with minerals and rocks.  This store is also listed as a thrift store.  (4th Street) Across the street is a