Oct 13th to 15th - Mesa

Oct 13th – Wed - Mesa
We spent a lot of time today getting everything together to renew my passport which of course is Canadian. I filled in the form on the computer and messed up (I know, hard to believe!) before I got it printed and had to fill it out all over again. Then I needed photos – not so easy in the US to get the size required for a Canadian passport. First we went to a CVS pharmacy but they did not have a Canadian template. Then we tried a post office and IF they could have done it we would have needed an appointment. They suggested a Motophoto store – the first one was no longer there and the second had moved and left a phone number to make an appointment. After getting more ideas from a phone book, we decided it was time for a late breakfast. After eating, we found a nearby Walgreens store with a new employee who found that, yes, they did have a Canadian template but we would have to cut the pictures. I think I can handle that. She took a couple pictures which did not work and took another one. Then we wandered around the store for 20 minutes and she was still on the phone as she had a problem with the printer so we left. We stopped at a UPS store and were told that normally they do passport photos but their camera was broken! So on to another Walgreens store where we found a very knowledgeable employee and got the pictures in about 10 minutes. We got back in time to put everything together and get to the post office here which is only open until 2.
From 4 until 6 we all went to an afternoon dance which they call The Watering Hole. There was a band which looked country and played a mix of music – mostly danceable which provided my second workout of the day. BYOB which keeps the cost down.
I made a light dinner and we went to bed early to watch TV which results in Terry falling asleep and me reading for hours!

Oct 14th – Thurs – Mesa
I went to the gym earlier than usual this morning so I would have time to decompress (quit sweating!) and clean up before going for coffee & doughnuts. Anyone see a problem with “gym” and “doughnuts” in the same sentence?
Then it was time to do laundry again and luckily a short water outage was fixed by the time we got everything sorted out. I made lunch and had time for a quick visit to the library & puzzle room before we picked up the group for a trip to an Eagles club to play bingo.
Bingo started at 3 and we had plenty of time to get cards and learn the ropes before it started. It was kind of expensive - $1 per card per game and $5 for the last game (10 games total) – but there were not too many players so the odds of winning were better than at big games I guess. Terry won one game ($50) and I split one win ($26.50) so we came out ahead but the rest of our group did not win. Pitchers of beer were only $3.25, the AC was nice & cool and Julie could smoke there so it was an OK activity.
Dinner & TV for the rest of the evening.

Oct 15th – Fri – Mesa
I vacuumed this morning while I was still in my sweaty workout clothes. We had our mail forwarded so we went through that and then made a trip to the bank, the grocery store and the produce market.
The temperature did not reach 100 today but it was still plenty warm and called for a trip to the pool. Billy & Lauri and Larry & Julie were shopping so we were out of the pool by the time Billy & Lauri headed over there.
At 4 we all went to an Octoberfest dinner & dance here at the park. Our rent package included 5 complementary parties and this was the first. There was a 2 man band – accordion & drums – that was very good. They played “oompa” music before dinner, switched to slower, quieter dinner music and then kicked it up again for dancing. Dinner was brats, hot potato salad, sauerkraut & German chocolate cake. We received 2 tickets each for wine or beer but then they just opened another keg of beer and more wine and opened up the bar. We danced until 7 when the band quit and by then most of the tables were totally cleared and stacked with chairs.
We make fun of the early hours kept by a lot of the residents of RV parks in the sun belt but we are picking up the habit. We went to bed at 8:30 to watch TV and I know Terry didn’t see the end of the program.