The Great Tree Sales MisAdventure

Valley View Christmas Trees
Sierra Vista, Arizona

October 11 through December 27, 2009

Living at a pumpkin patch. Beginning sales.

     Life in a parking lot. We are camped at the Sierra Vista Mall in Sierra Vista, Arizona. What a difference from the beautiful green environment of our summer home in Oregon. Tall trees replaced with tall parking lot lights. Sounds of the McKenzie River have been replaced with traffic noise and emergency vehicle sirens. The desert winds, star filled skies at night, and fantastic sunrises and sunsets are here as well. We so missed seeing sunsets living under the canopy of forest in Oregon.

     We are working for Valley View Christmas Trees selling pumpkins and Christmas trees out of a temporary tent on a gravel lot next to Home Depot and Dillards. The sales lot will be open from 9-9, seven days a week until Halloween and once again from around Thanksgiving through Christmas eve with tree sales.

     JoEllen has made a scarecrow and a witch for one of our picture displays. Straw bales and a couple of signs and other decor make up the ambiance of the pumpkin patch. Lots of little ones and their parents come by for Jack-O-Lanterns and pictures.

      Strong winds overnight Tuesday, October 27th results in a surprise for us. As we huddle in the 5th wheel trailer, rocking, swaying, and praying for safety, we watch in horror as just after midnight, the corner of the tent lifts. Within 30 seconds the tent falls down covering our inventory of orange globes. Shortly thereafter, the port-a potty skids across the lot and falls onto our checkout table.

      This was an unanticipated mess to say the least. All the electric lights will need to be replaced; stock moved out from under the unsafe structure for the days sales. The handy ATV was called into duty several times Wednesday. At around 4 PM a crew sent from Albuquerque arrives and has a new tent installed by 9:30. Clean up and move back under the big top for opening at 9 AM on Thursday.

     We close the gates around 6 PM on trick or treat day. Total of 1744 pumpkins sold and only around 130 left over, most of them small pumpkins. We eat some of the leftovers.

November 1st, sales over.

      "The Town too Tough to Die," Tombstone was perhaps the most renowned of Arizona's old mining camps. When Ed Schieffelin came to Fort Huachuca (wah·CHEW·kuh) with a party of soldiers and left the fort to prospect, his comrades told him that he'd find his tombstone rather than silver. Thus, in 1877 Schieffelin named his first claim the Tombstone, and rumors of rich strikes made a boomtown of the settlement that adopted this name.

     Days of lawlessness and violence, which nearly had then-President Chester A. Arthur declaring martial law in Tombstone and sending in military troops to restore order, climaxed with the infamous Earp-Clanton battle, fought near the rear entrance of the O.K. Corral, on October 26, 1881. Over the course of 7 years the mines produced millions of dollars in silver and gold before rising underground waters forced suspension of operations.

      Truly a Historical American Landmark, Tombstone is America's best example of our 1880 western heritage, which is well preserved with original 1880's buildings and artifacts featured in numerous museums.

      We spend time wandering around the town and have lunch and attend a hanging at Big Nose Kate's Saloon. We once again visit the Bird Cage Theater, this time looking for ghosts. Check out the picture David captured (below) of a woman ghost face reflected in the nightstand mirror. We take a walking tour underground and see the workings of the Good Enough silver mine. This is a fun day and full of MisAdventure!

      This merman exhibition is located inside the Bird Cage Theater. The describtion reads that this is a member of the family of nereid that inhabited the China Sea many centuries ago. This specimen having been captured in the Gulf of Tonquin about 500 miles from Hong Kong. It belonged to the species of herbivorous cetacean. They occasionally wandered into the more northern seas and invariably caused great excitement among seamen. They were quite frequently seen by Arab and Greek seamen years ago, but they are now an almost extinct type of animal life. This specimen is about 16 inches long and well abused from age.

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