Jan 19th to 22nd - Yuma

Jan 19th - Tues - Yuma
We went to the casino for 2-for-1 breakfast this morning. The original plan was for Marg to get her $10 free play for her January birthday, play slots for a while and then go to Algodones. By the time we were done gambling, we decided that we would get to Algodones just in time to line up to get back through customs so we didn’t go.
Marg needed some saw blades so we had to find the Harbor Freight store on the way home - thanks Wanda. Marg & I went for a bike ride before Aunt Jessie & Ed arrived for dinner. It started to pour rain when they were here and they had to tiptoe around puddles when they left.

Jan 20th - Wed - Yuma
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TERRY!!
We made it to Algodones this morning. We knew that Aunt Jessie & Ed were going there also for a dental appointment but we were very surprised to pull into a parking spot and see them getting out of their truck in a parking spot right in front of us. We all wandered & shopped until just before noon. They had to return to their truck to feed their dog so we all left at the same time - no line.
We stopped at the casino to take advantage of $10 free play for 55+ players - of course! We all spent our $10 and more. We finished in time to have a late buffet lunch.
Marg & I went for a bike ride and worked on jigsaw puzzles while Terry got propane and diesel. Just as Marg & I were getting back, Charlie & Julie came over for happy hour. Since we had such a late lunch, no dinner was needed.

Jan 21st - Thurs - Yuma
It rained all night. Terry had to wade to get to the truck and back it up to where Marg & I could get in on dry ground. We had very cleverly made plans to go shopping today and since it was Marg’s last day here we carried on.
We dropped Terry off at the Paradise Casino and met Aunt Jessie & Ed at the shopping mall. We were late - I hate being late & it was my fault!! - so when we arrived and Ed knew that Jessie was in good hands he went home. The weather was nasty! I dropped Jessie & Marg off at the front door of stores and then parked the truck which is a chore for me since it is so long & I don’t drive it much. Reversed the process when we were done. What a sweetie!!
We had a late lunch at Olive Garden and went to pick up Terry. The usual road to the casino was closed due to flooding so I had to get back out and take the only other way in that I knew - and Terry was waiting outside. We took Jessie back to her RV park and then stopped at WalMart where Terry finally had something to eat at McDonald’s while Marg & I shopped.
When we got back to our RV park, we drove by Bob & Karen’s to invite them over for drinks. I didn’t want to get my feet wet to knock on their door so Terry drove the truck up beside their window where they were sitting. As we continued through the park, we were laughing and exclaiming over the amount of water everywhere. Our neighbor Rich was getting pulled out of a ditch by the golf course as he couldn’t tell the road from the ditch since it was all under water. When we turned the corner to our street, it was totally covered in water but not very deep. Most streets here are one-way so I called Karen to tell them how to avoid the ditch by the golf course and to drive our street the wrong way and miss most of the flooding.
Karen’s dream has been to live on a golf course so they bought a park model here. Unfortunately, they don’t take possession until Feb 1st when we will be leaving so we probably won’t even get to see it.
Marg didn’t have a cake for her birthday earlier this month and neither did Terry so we had cake with Bob & Karen which was our dinner.

Jan 22nd - Fri - to Palm Springs & back
We left at 7 to take Marg to Palm Springs to catch her flight back to Vancouver. We allowed time again to stop for breakfast at the Red Earth Casino and of course Marg had to get a card and free play - sound like a pattern here? Terry & I lost $10 each but Marg was doing OK so we each took another $10. Terry immediately started building up on a machine while I quickly lost $5. Then I switched to a machine like the one Terry was playing. About the time that Marg was done, both Terry & I started winning. We finally HAD to leave and were $63 ahead.
We made good time to Palm Springs until we got off the freeway and then traffic backed up. Did I mention that I HATE to be late?! We did get Marg there in time even though it took about ½ hour to go just over 3 miles.
We figured that since we did OK at the casino that we might as well try another one on our way home. We each ended up with $20 free play which we spent along with the $20 each that we started with earlier. We grabbed a hamburger at the McDonald’s in the casino and headed out about 4:30. But wait - I still had $10 (that Terry gave me when he won a bit) in my pocket and decided to play another machine. I spent less than $4 when I hit a bonus and won $84 - playing 25 cents! I immediately cashed out $90 to cover our losses for the day and then some!
It started raining shortly after we left but we drove out of it fairly quickly. We thought the rain would end up in Yuma later but it didn’t. The roads in the park were mostly clear of water but there were still extra “water hazards” on the golf course.