Whew, what a busy week in Quartzsite!  I have to say for such a small town there is a lot to do here, and showing it to Kelly and Bill we saw lots of things we never got to in the first month we were here.  Also there has been tons of social activity.  Most of the folks here are leaving the 28th or 29th so lots of people are getting together to spend time or see last minute things.  The only negative time this week was our trip to Phoenix to Aspen Dental.   Previously I had blogged about our trying to use Aspen’s Dental’s network to solve our dental needs and I had some mixed success.  This time though we were driving 2 hours to Phoenix to get Lee setup in their system.  I tried to make an appointment for an extended cleaning with them and explained we were coming a long distance but they absolutely refused.  So long story short when we got there they refused to clean Lee’s teeth because of lack of time and then after my initial exam refused to clean mine as well.  I immediately called their 1-800 number for patient concerns and was told I would get a call back in 48 hours.  No phone call.  So I will never be going there again.  The only positive to using them was that your patient files were on their national network and you didn’t have to go through the new patient rigmarole every time.  This office hygienist, Sunshine, refused to accept the patient records on file because “80% of the time the other offices misdiagnosed people.”  Ok so that’s enough for me, and on the drive back we said screw it, and decided to get it done in Mexico. 

We had plans to go with Ellen, Mario, Kelly, and Bill to Mexico the next day anyway and I reached out to Ellen and explained the problem.  Not only did she make it a priority for us to see a dentist, she sat in with Lee during his cleaning the entire time.  The dentist (who was smoking hot, per Lee) spoke great English, but Ellen sat there with him anyway, just in case.  Such a wonderful friend, and we had a terrific experience.  It was $25 for the cleanings and we learned they fill cavities for $40 and offer teeth whitening for $150.  The prices were great, the office was clean, and she was incredibly professional.  Can’t ask for more than that.  We are already starting to reach out to our bosses in Alaska to see if there is an office close by so we can make cleaning appointments now for the summer and hopefully get some minor work done.  By no means am I satisfied with any dental solution I have found, but at least Mexico opens up more options.   We also had a fabulous lunch and I got another $6 haircut.  Kelly also got an eye exam and ordered some glasses saving around $400 in the process since she has a complicated prescription.  Very productive day, and Ellen and Mario were kind enough to shephard the newbies through the process. 

Mexico days are long days, but more excitement was to come. Jo and Ben drove 7 hours each way from San Bernadino where they are on a contract just to spend the weekend with us.  They made it there by 8pm and we all had some drinks, sat around the fire, and caught up.  It’s so amazing to me what people will do to see each other in this lifestyle and we were all super grateful they came.  In the morning we had lunch at a fantastic breakfast place, Bad Boys Cafe Ben had heard about.  I had probably passed it 10 times and never even seen it and was I missing out.  This is my kind of diner and had wonderful prices, great service, and was clean as a pin…no small feat in this dusty environment.  Lee and I had huge breakfasts, coffee, and bottled water for $13 total.  Loved, loved, loved it and give it my highest recommendation. 

Afterwards we came back and chatted for a bit then in the afternoon we went out to Beer Belly’s Adult Day Care.  This is a popular bar right in the middle of the vendor tents downtown and I had never been there.  It was nice and cool in the shade and the music was really good, plus the place had a good vibe.  Best of all this fantastic home made ice cream stand is right next door and I had a terrific creamy vanilla cone.

Then we  all went back and prepared for our big Margarita/Dance Party night. I set up a little dance area and prepared my music and Bill set up his bar.  Cori organized a taco dinner and everyone chipped in on either something either to eat or a mix for the drinks.   It was a great time, the only bummer being I had sprained my ankle on the Palm hike and really couldn’t dance on it. (I did get some excellent free medical care from Jo and Ben). We switched over to 70’s music (which made Jim VERY happy) and hung out by the fire until late in the evening.  Jim and Barb actually stayed awake until 9:30pm so I guess it was a good party 🙂

It was a great night and then in the morning the Class of 2014 gathered for a brunch.  Kelly organized it and the spread was amazing then Cori and Lee worked together to get a group picture of us all.  It’s been such a good time this week and so glad we got to experience Q with Kelly/Bill and Jo/Ben.  Also Looking forward to heading back to Tuscon and doing some exploring and then New Mexico!!!

 

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