Oct 30th to Nov 2nd - Mesa

Oct 30th – Sun
Terry took Moe, Cal and Claude to Total Wine as everyone needed to stock up on booze. I think it was a good thing that they had a pickup to bring back their purchases! I sewed the panels into my flared “hippie” pants, hand washed Terry’s $1 shirt from the rummage sale (turned out it was 100% silk) and splashed bleach on a black T-shirt for my costume since we couldn’t find tie dyed shirts.
At 12:30 we took Claude, Val, Moe & Cal to Filly’s which is a bar & restaurant in Apache Junction. We met Larry & Julie, Billy & Lauri, Dwayne & Sue and Dennis & Gloria there but it turned out there was no band as we were led to believe. We sat outside until flies drove us inside to eat our lunch.
We went to the pool when we got back and then I made apple crisp. I think the smell attracted people as we ended up with Ron & Terri, Mike & Susie, Dwayne & Sue and Claude & Val dropping by for drinks. Luckily we brought leftover chicken strips from Filly’s as they were dinner along with the apple crisp.

Oct 31st – Mon
Terry ran around this morning helping people get tickets for the Halloween dance tonight while I painted peace symbols on my T-shirt and did some very rare ironing. After a late breakfast, we visited with Billy & Lauri and Julie & Larry. I started taking treats to Larry’s dog Bandit and it only took him twice to look for a treat each time I show up.
We waited for Ron & Terri to finish lunch and took them to see the tortoises in the park. We took an old head of cauliflower to feed them and the larger tortoise crunched up a large piece in a hurry. However, it seemed to act as an aphrodisiac as he then “climbed aboard” the smaller tortoise! We continued on to the bocce ball court and played a game to teach Ron & Terri. It was very hot playing in the full sun so we headed to the pool when we got back. A lot of other people had the same idea so there was a large chatting circle of women and one of men.
We had a drink with Dennis & Gloria on our way back and then were joined on our patio by Claude & Val, Moe and Cal. We just had time to have dinner and put on our hippie costumes for the dance.
There was a full house for the dance with music provided by a DJ. Most people got into the hippie theme with some non-hippie costumes and a few non-costumed people. We danced a lot and had a great time. Claude & Val and Dwayne & Sue stopped at our place for a nightcap.

Nov 1st – Tues
Terry played golf this morning and I enjoyed visiting Sue, cleaning, working on the computer and watching MY favorite shows on TV. I made hamburger hash as last time Terry golfed he didn’t eat anything. He got back just before 3 and had eaten a hot dog but was hungry enough to eat an early dinner and rush over to the courtyard to listen to music (3-5) and have a drink. Larry & Julie had saved us a seat and we crowded in chairs for Claude & Val, Neal, Cal and Moe.
It was fairly hot and a large group was listening to the music at the pool so, as we were leaving, Terry decided he needed to go for a swim. He handed me his phone, wallet, belt, keys, sandals & shirt and jumped in. We missed DWTS last night and I wanted to watch the results show so we headed home.

Nov 2nd – Wed
I was just finished the breakfast dishes when Dennis & Gloria stopped and had coffee with us. They were just riding away on their bikes as Moe and Cal drove up so they had coffee & chatted. Claude arrived for a cup of coffee, left for a bit and came back with Val. By the time everyone left it was 12:30 and we went shopping with Claude & Val.
First we went to Camping World. Since I have been there often, I took the opportunity to stay outside and phoned to wish Aunt Jessie a Happy Birthday. We carried on to Costco where we snacked on samples and then had a hot dog after checking out – except I had an ice cream bar covered with chocolate & nuts!! We made a quick stop at WalMart and headed home.
We were just in time to go to the pool party here in the park. Dennis & Gloria and Dwayne & Sue had saved a seat for us in the “splash zone”. It turned out to be warmer than we expected so we came back to change into swim suits and get rid of wallets & phones. It was a lot of fun with lots of squirt guns and splashing of course. Claude asked about the “no splash zone”. We explained that it was to protect the band & their equipment and the few people who did not want to get wet. When he called them wimps I went to Dave (who had been active in the pool) and asked him to get Claude – and they did get him wet!!
A group, including us, stayed in the hot tub for a while after the party officially ended at 6. I heated some leftovers for Terry and made Mexican pizzas for our dinner and we watched Survivor.