Mar 27th to 30th - Mesa

Mar 27^th – Wed

We started out with a visit to a bank and then to KMart where I got a couple more blouses.  Next we went to Kohl’s on an unsuccessful attempt to find something to go with a pair of burgundy/purplish pants that I bought in a weak (dumb?) moment.  Then another shopping expedition to WalMart to stock up on items that we won’t have to worry about for a while once we hit the road.

After putting everything away, I made lunch and then Terry delivered some chairs to Larry & Suz for a get-together later.  Dennis & Gloria stopped by to chat for a while.  Just before 3 we went to the courtyard to listen to the Brookharts duo.  I took videos of several line dances so hopefully we can review & practice them during the summer.

We went to Dennis & Gloria’s for dinner right after the music was done at 5.  I helped Gloria make chicken thighs with Yoshida sauce which they had once at our place and loved.  When we finished eating, we all went to Larry & Suz’s and joined the party in progress which was to introduce Larry’s sister-in-law Faye to some of us in the park.

We had a scare and a bit of a wakeup call after the party.  Ron, Terri, Sue & Duane came over on Brian & Bev’s golf cart which is being stored at Ron’s right now.  When they left, Duane was standing on the back and bouncing back & forth.  When they got to Duane & Sue’s rig and turned a corner, Duane fell off and hit his head.  He was incoherent and breathing strangely so Ron called an ambulance which was here by the time we loaded up chairs and drove back.  Duane was talking but could not remember the date or day of the week which is not uncommon with us retirees!  So the ambulance attendant asked different questions.  Duane did not remember falling off the cart and had a big lump on his head so they took him to a hospital and Sue rode along.  CAT scans & x-rays showed nothing wrong so they took a cab back a few hours later as they thought none of their friends should be driving after drinking to pick them up.

Mar 28^th – Thurs

Terry left early to golf with Ron, Bob & Bob.  I puttered around doing whatever I wanted (!) and then went shopping.  When I was closing the back door on the truck, I noticed that a decorative molding strip was loose on the bottom edge so I put a piece of double-sided tape underneath so it wouldn’t come off.  I had fun running around but didn’t buy much.

I was waiting for Terry to get back so we could go to lunch in the courtyard.  He finally got back about 1:30 and he had gone for lunch with Ron & Terri!  I asked why he didn’t call me and he said he didn’t want to bother me while I was shopping!  So I made my own lunch.

We went to listen to music in the courtyard and did some line dances.  Lovely weather.  We had a light, early dinner and then Pender & Donna picked us up to go to a dance at Sun Life which is another RV resort not far away.  Richard & Nancy joined us there.  The line dancers at Sun Life do very different dances so Nancy would start something that we knew and the 4 of us did our own thing.

Mar 29^th – Fri

I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then we joined a group on the street saying goodbye to Bob & Darlene.  They didn’t leave until close to 10 so we had a nice chat with everyone while we were watching them get packed up.

I showed Terry the problem with the moldings on the truck yesterday so he talked to Mike who owned a repair shop.  Mike recommended that we take the truck to an auto body shop so that is what Terry did.  Mike picked Terry up on his motorcycle so Terry didn’t have to walk the few blocks back.

We went again to the courtyard for music & dancing.  I put meat & potatoes in the crockpot and asked Ron & Terri to join us for dinner.  We barely finished when people started arriving for another impromptu gathering.  We had stored some chairs at Dennis & Gloria’s so Terry took the dining chairs out of our rig.  I think we ended up with about 15 people and finally shut it down about 10.

Mar 30^th – Sat

We are leaving tomorrow so Terry got up early and started packing up.  We had a lot done by the time we had to pick up Dennis & Gloria to go for breakfast at Mickey D’s in Apache Junction.  We stopped at JoAnne Fabrics on the way back so I could get some thread.

I did laundry while Terry continued with getting everything ready to get on the road again.  We went to the courtyard at 1 for music that was OK but not suitable for dancing.  I left when it finished shortly after 3 and did some cleaning & dinner prep.  Terry came back at 4 which is when Cleo & Roger stopped to have a drink and say goodbye.  Larry & Julie arrived shortly after.  Just as we were about to eat when everyone left, Sue came over and said some people were getting together at their place so we ate and joined them.

There were quite a few people arriving & leaving and as usual we were the last to leave.   We had just got back when Richard & Nancy came back from getting a cell phone repaired and stopped to say goodbye.  I made 3-2-1 cake for all of us and we ended up chatting for over an hour.

Mar 24th to 26th - Mesa

Mar 24^th – Sun

Darlene set up 5 tee times for this morning and we played with Rick & Vi.  The weather was perfect and the greens were as wicked as ever.  Our first tee time was 8:03 so we were at Red Robin for lunch by shortly after noon.  The restaurant was really busy and we had to wait a long time for our food.  Our waiter even brought out 4 baskets of sweet potato fries to take the edge off our hunger!

I caught up the blog & email while Terry watched TV with his eyes closed.  Then he decided it was time for a visit to a casino since we had nothing else on the calendar.  I wasn’t really in the mood to go and this feeling was reinforced when I lost my money fairly quickly and froze in air conditioning while Terry kept playing.

We stopped at McDonalds on the way home to get a burger for Terry and a milkshake for me which turned out to be a bad choice as I was just getting warmed up!

Mar 25^th – Mon

We went out for a late breakfast and then did some shopping for clothes.  We ended up with 2 shirts for Terry and 3 pairs of shorts and a shirt for me.  We also had to find a certain snack for later today.

At 2:30 we rode our bikes with Ron & Terri to a birthday party.  After we went to Rancho’s pool area and found no one there, we remembered hearing that it had been moved and went to Fiesta community center where it was taking place.  It was a 65^th party for Diane LeBlanc and was a lot of fun.  There was music, the Walker Sisters line dance (women & men dressed as women using walkers in a dance), the lawn chair marching group, Mary playing a couple of songs on her flute, line dancing and other goofy, fun stuff.  Then we were all fed fried chicken & salads for an early dinner followed by birthday cake.  We had to be out by 6 as the domino group had the room booked.

When we got back, a few people were at Bob & Darlene’s so they invited us over for a drink.  After a while, Rick & Vi came past on a walk so they joined us along with Bob & Sandy who were also at the birthday party.  That’s how parties start here!

Mar 26^th – Tues

We rode over to see Richard & Nancy this morning as they have the same 5^th wheel as us and they had been shopping for décor items.  We ended up visiting for about an hour.  We stopped to see Larry & Julie on the way back. 

I made sandwiches for lunch and then Terry helped Ron move his storage unit to Brian & Bev’s park model where it will stay for the summer.  I went to exchange books at the library and Terry went to listen to music in the courtyard.  After I brought the books back, I joined Terry for a while.

At 4 we went to Bob & Sandy’s for happy hour & pizza for dinner.  Also there were Ron & Terri, Bob & Darlene and Mike & Susie.  We had a great time with non-stop talking, good eats and super friends.  We were home in time to watch the results show of DWTS.

Mar 21st to 23rd - Mesa

Mar 21^st – Thurs

I got a crock pot full of meatballs & BBQ sauce on the go for the 4^th Street Farewell party this afternoon & evening.  Groups of people kept gathering & chatting.  The party wagon was delivered and there was lots of help to set up tables & chairs and some traffic cones to block traffic.  Terry & Ron set up Brian & Bev’s shade “tent” (it is currently stored at Ron’s site) for the musicians.  It will provide some shade and a spot to hang the bucket light when it gets dark.

The party started at 3 and people began arriving a little early.  Residents of 4^th Street and a few others made dinner food and everyone else brought light appetizers.  We drank, visited and ate appies until 5:30, consolidated remaining appies to one table and brought out dinner so we could eat at 6 in the daylight.  Someone counted 73 people at one point and I think a few arrived later.

Duane(guitar), Ernie(guitar), Dianne(bass guitar) and Don(fiddle) provided music before and after dinner.  Don is visiting Ernie & Dianne and had his 90^th birthday a couple of days ago when he & his wife Doreen arrived from Dawson Creek.  A few other guests also sang.

We added a buddy burner for more light – heat was not needed.  We danced on the street and had a wonderful time.  Park managers Kevin & Nancy stopped to check things out just in time to join us for dinner.

The music finished at 9 and we had lots of help putting away tables & chairs.  About 16 of us gathered at Ron & Terri’s afterwards for a nightcap and party postmortem.

Mar 22^nd – Fri

Eight couples went for a bike ride & lunch.  We loaded bikes on vehicles and drove to Tempe Lake where we parked under the freeway and unloaded the bikes.  Then we rode past one end of the lake, past a golf course, around another little lake, partway back and then across a bridge which put us on a path on the other side of the lake.  We rode into Tempe a couple of blocks and had lunch in the outdoor patio at Rula Bula which is an Irish pub & restaurant.  After lunch, some of us rode around the other end of the lake and some cut across on the pedestrian bridge to get back to the vehicles.  Another wonderful outing.

We had time for a short rest before getting ready for a farewell dinner & dance here in the park.  Dinner was at 6 so we went at 5:30 to get seated at assigned tables and found no numbers on the tables.  We keep running into small glitches this year and hope things get more organized next year.  Music was provided by North Star and we even started some line dances.  We were ready to hit the sack when it ended at 10.

We said goodbye to Brad & Clare as they are leaving early tomorrow.  They are storing their trailer in Mesa as they won’t use it much in the summer and plan on being back here next season.

Mar 23^rd – Sat

No rest again today.  We left shortly after 7 for a few items at the Mesa Marketplace.  It is supposed to open at 7 but when we arrived there were only a few booths open.  We had breakfast while we waited for more vendors to arrive.  I got my golf sandals and 2 other small items and we headed back.

I sorted out the laundry while Terry moved chairs outside & to the middle of the room in preparation for carpet cleaning.  We put clothes in washers and came back for a while.  I returned dishes left from Thursday and went back to put clothes in the dryers.  When I walked back, the carpet cleaners had arrived ½ hour early so it was a good thing that Terry stayed at the rig.  By the time I came back with all the laundry in the truck, the carpet cleaners were done & gone.  We didn’t want to walk on the wet carpet so we left the clothes in the truck.

We went to the courtyard for lunch but forgot it was Saturday and food is not normally served on the weekends.  But something new has been added and they have one or two items available.  Today it was hamburgers and hotdogs so we each had a hamburger.  The bar, however, is open!  Ernie & Dianne were playing music in the courtyard from 1 to 3 today along with Bill, Wayne & Deb which is why we were there.  We danced quite a bit which worked better once I made a trip to change shoes.

Nancy (line dancing friend) wanted to show our 5^th wheel to her husband Richard and by the time they got here from the courtyard, there was an impromptu happy hour starting at our place.  By the time I finished with them in the rig, there were 9 people outside so they stayed for a drink.

Larry came over (Julie is in Laughlin) and wanted to watch basketball so Ron took him next door, found the game and left him happily watching his beloved Gonzaga team.

We had planned dinner using leftovers from Thursday so we set up a couple of tables at Don & Deb’s.  Also there were Ron & Terri, Bob & Darlene and Duane & Sue.  After eating, I came back to put away laundry & make the bed.  Then I took over dessert to end the evening.

Mar 18th to 20th - Mesa

Mar 18^th – Mon

Terry went golfing with Ron, Bob C, and Dennis at Kokopelli GC.  I went golfing with Darlene, Terri and Diane (Darlene’s back yard neighbor) to Royal Palms which is a short, 9 hole course.  We were back by 11 and Diane invited us over for a beer which tasted really good with spicy Clamato juice.  We were joined by Diane’s husband Allen.

I had great plans to do some housework or something constructive but the rest of the time until Terry returned just slipped by.  At 3 we went to listen to Fall River in the courtyard and then at 5 went for dinner at Duane & Sue’s.  Ron & Terri joined us for a drink before we ate.  We watched the first episode of DWTS and didn’t have enough time or energy to play cards.

Mar 19^th – Tues

I gave Terry a haircut and talked to Marg on the phone before we left at 10 to pick up Dennis & Gloria to go to Ft. McDowell casino.  They took advantage of an online special which gave them each $50 slot play for $25 on their new cards.  After they got their cards, we ate breakfast and then split up to gamble.  I had a very bad day, Terry went up & down and Dennis & Gloria ended up $ ahead.

When we got back about 2:30, I made devilled eggs for later and then we went to the courtyard to listen & dance to Curtis.  We had time to have a quick drink with a group at Bob & Darlene’s before going to line dancing lessons which tonight included happy hour snacks that we ate before & between reviewing most of the 19 dances that we learned this year.  It finished later than usual and then we helped put away chairs & tables. 

Darlene & Bob and Ron & Terri were still outside so we took over a couple of chairs and joined them.  Brad & Clare returned from walking their dogs and came over.  I think it was about 10 when it was too cool to enjoy being outside and too late to get a jacket.

Mar 20^th – Wed

We made a trip to Costco & Walmart this morning and had a late breakfast when we got back.  Dennis & Gloria stopped by to see our new camera as they also need one and thought it sounded like a good deal.  We walked to get water and some stamps.

Just before 3 we went to listen to Van Arlon in the courtyard.  He plays country music which the line dancers like so we danced quite a bit.  We had to leave a bit early to join Ron & Terri, Bob & Darlene and Brad & Clare at the Chinese buffet.

After dinner we went to 3^rd Street to join a party in progress at Ray & Viv’s (neighbors of Dennis & Gloria).  A karaoke machine & deejay provided the entertainment.  They throw this potluck party each year and we were told that about 100 people attended this year.  It was warm enough to enjoy sitting out until it wrapped up at 9.

Mar 14th to 17th - Mesa

Mar 14^th – Thurs

After coffee, we got on our bikes to deliver some party invitations which took a long time as it included visits.  We also made a stop to reserve our site for next season – Sept 9^th to Jan 1st for the $695 fall special and Jan/Feb/March.  We probably won’t arrive that early in Sept but we have the option.

We sat outside and watched golf for a while and then moved inside with the AC on.  We had an early dinner and then headed to the patio at the Ranchos pool to listen to music.  Ernie & Dianne have been playing for several weeks and we have never made it to see them.  Their friend Bill was also playing – he started the weekly session – and today Wayne & Deb (they perform in the courtyard) also joined them for a wonderful evening.

They started playing about 6, had one short break and quit after 9.  Some line dancers arrived after it started so we could follow them in some dances.  I know a lot of the dances but not well enough to get going on my own.  It was Larry’s (of Larry & Suz) birthday so Suz brought brownies with MANY candles which we enjoyed at the break.  We had 12 at our table and 6 more friends at another table when we could not extend our circle.  It was a magical evening with perfect weather, wonderful music and amazing friends.

We went for a nightcap – water for me, believe it or not! – at Ron & Terri’s with Bob & Darlene and Duane & Sue.  We couldn’t stay TOO late as Ron & Bob are golfing in the morning.

Mar 15^th – Fri

We went to the end of the street to Duane & Sue’s site to watch the St Patrick’s Day parade and found that Sue had made pancakes and biscuits – with homemade raspberry jam – for breakfast for anyone who wanted to eat.  We watched the parade go by and then we put our chairs back and went to Ernie & Dianne’s to watch it a second time.  The highlight of the parade was several golf carts decorated as the “Royal Canadian Air Farce”.  The fronts of the carts had large red plastic buckets as the fuselage and operating ceiling fans as propellers.  Small wings & tails were added along with many Canadian flags.

After the parade, we decided to go to a casino.  We stopped on the way for a bad sandwich at Subway.  The casino was quite busy but we found enough machines to eat up our allowances again.  We shopped for a camera before coming home for dinner.  Our current camera suddenly decided to take continuous pictures every time it was turned on.  I did some digging in the manual and online and couldn’t find anything to try so we figured it would be nearly the same price to buy a new camera as getting the old one fixed.

Mar 16^th – Sat

We continued our camera shopping this morning.  We stopped at Target where the model we are leaning towards was $179.  Then we saw the same one at WalMart for $159 but they didn’t have any in stock.  They sent us to Chandler – about 10 miles – to another WalMart where we bought the same Samsung with 18x optical zoom for $129.  We stopped at Fry’s for a few groceries and filled up with diesel.

We had a short time to rest before I made dinner and then we went to a dance.  The band was “Come Back Buddy” who played earlier this year and we had a great time.  The band played for 3 hours without a break which is what they did last time.  It really keeps the momentum of the dance going.

Mar 17^th – Sun

The first of our 4 groups of golfers teed off at 8:30 this morning.  I went to put my golf sandals on when we got to the course and found that one had a broken strap so I had to wear my Dawgs.  I could possibly use that as an excuse for a less than stellar game – but I really didn’t do too badly.  Terry lost his grip on a club once today but his hand is doing well.

We went for lunch again at Red Robin and got home stuffed to the gills at 2:30.  At 3:00 we went to Bob & Peggy’s for a “ND gin bucket tasting” – aka happy hour get together.  As usual, we were with the last group of people to leave about 5:30.

We were sitting outside watching TV in the nice, cool air when Dan & Carol, Ray & Laura and Brenda dropped by so Carol could show the others our bucket light and get a picture for another friend.  They stayed for a quick drink and a demonstration of the buddy burner.  It is so fun to have spontaneous gatherings.

Mar 11th to 13th - Mesa

Mar 11^th – Mon

I talked Terry into going for a walk this morning.  We didn’t go as far but it took us longer as we stopped to chat a couple of times.  We had some errands to do and it ended up taking the rest of the morning.  We stopped for a burger for lunch and then ended up having to go out on another errand.

We went to the courtyard to listen to music for a while but had to leave to go to Dennis & Gloria’s for dinner.  Also joining us for dinner were Bob & Darlene and Duane & Sue.  After drinks and a nice dinner, we played a card game called Newfie Bingo.  We have played it a couple of times and you can end up losing or winning a lot of change.  We ended with dessert and a lot more laughs.

Mar 12^th – Tues

Terri came over this morning to plan a “good-bye” party for next week and then Darlene & Sue joined us.  It seems early but some people are leaving in just over a week.  While Terri was still here, we both made reservations in Las Vegas for 3 days when we leave.  Also, Terri couldn’t order an item online with a Canadian credit card so I ordered it for her.

Claude & Val arrived for a visit just after noon.  We chatted for a bit and then went to the courtyard for lunch.  There wasn’t a table in the shade when we arrived but we moved to the shade as soon as a table was empty.  After lunch we sat outside to visit some more and Dennis & Gloria came over as they met Claude & Val previously and wanted to say hi.  Claude & Val left to visit friends at Mesa Regal and Rick rode up on his bike and joined us.  Vi has been sick and had a relapse today so she was sleeping & trying to get better.

We were inside relaxing and I was trying to decide if we needed dinner when we realized it was time to go to line dance lessons.  We reviewed dances for 45 minutes and then tried to learn 2 new dances with lots of steps.  We were ready to watch TV before hitting the sack.

Mar 13^th – Wed

We got the laundry going early and found lots of available machines.  We were done by 9:30 and headed out for another errand.  Back at the rig, I made breakfast for lunch while Terry fixed our propane heater with a new regulator sent to us from the store where we bought the heater.  It was way better than driving 40 miles each way to get it fixed or replaced.

We were just getting ready to get the truck washed (before going to listen to music & line dance at Mesa Regal) when Don & Joanne walked up.  They are friends from Logan Lake BC and stayed here for a couple of weeks last spring.  They are staying at another Cal-Am park in Gold Canyon – Canyon Vistas – and came here with another couple who are also visiting friends in this park.  We can line dance any day but don’t get to reconnect with friends every day so we sat outside and caught up for a couple of hours.

We went to our courtyard to catch the last of the music by North Star.  Our table was the last to leave and we had workers hovering around waiting to put away folding chairs!  We had finished dinner and watching Survivor when Cleo & her friend/dancing partner Roger stopped by for a visit.  We enjoy kibitzing with them on the dance floor and had a really nice chat.  

Mar 7th to 10th - Mesa

Mar 7^th – Thurs

I finally got in gear and went for a walk this morning.  The weather was perfect at 8:00 for shorts and a T-shirt.  A bit later we went for a bike ride on the same route and found that I walked 2 miles.  Unfortunately the weather is due to change tomorrow so I won’t get into the walking habit too quickly!

When I got back, I had to call DirecTV as we had the lack of sound problem again.  This time the tech support person decided to send out a technician tomorrow.  I caught up the blog & emails and then made sandwiches for lunch.

We rode to Julie & Larry’s and I loaded a tax program on their computer.  Julie is doing so well with her breathing problem.  She pretty much only uses oxygen at night now.  We had some time to relax and then went to the courtyard.  The band was Plan B – loud & not our favorite music.  We had to leave early as Dennis & Gloria were picking us up at 5 to go to dinner.

We went to Pier de Orleans where we joined Rick & Vi and Harold & Lauri.  We were seated in a smaller dining room and had it to ourselves for the whole dinner.  The food was OK but the drinks were very pricey.  We probably will not return.

Mar 8^th – Fri

Rain was supposed to show up this afternoon but it started about 11 last night and there was a HUGE roll of thunder early this morning.  Cooler weather calls for baking so I made muffins and banana bread.

The DirecTV guy showed up at 8:15 and sat in his truck for a while which gave Terry time to get up & dressed.  Of course, when we turned on the TV when he was here, the sound came on.  He said it could be the receiver, the cable or the TV.  The box has to get a signal back from the TV saying everything is synced up and ready to send.  After some discussion, he said he would replace the receiver but he only had an older model as ours was quickly replaced by very small units that do everything.  We were OK with that and the tech also showed Terry how to add our outside TV to the satellite remote.

Terri needed Rick & Vi’s site number which we didn’t know so I walked over with her to tell them about golf on Sunday.  The rain obediently quit while we walked.  At 11:50 we took Terri to pick up Ron at the airport.  Ron threw his suitcase in the back of the truck but moved it inside when Terry said it was really wet in the back.  It was a good thing because we went through a monster downpour on the drive back.  A couple of times we passed cars that threw water on the windshield and you couldn’t see for a moment.  By the time we exited the freeway on Val Vista, the rain stopped and you could see blue sky.

Brad & Clare took their trailer in to get the axles replaced and were just setting up when we got back.  Brad was moving really quickly and was done by the time big clouds moved in and dumped rain. 

We had nothing else planned for the day so we went to the Lone Butte casino.  The parking lot indicated that there would be lots of people inside.  It was hard to find a suitable slot machine and none of them were good to me.  We did hang in for several hours and got one of the monster hamburgers to go so I just had to warm up the fries & meat when we got home.

When we got back, wind had blown our mat and tipped over some chairs & small tables.  Also, the large cardboard box for recycled cans that sits by our tripod was lying by our steps.  I guess we missed a big wind storm while we were in the casino.

Mar 9^th – Sat

We went to get water and saw that there were patio sales in the park so we had to get our bikes and check them out.  At the first one that we stopped at, I got about 50 long, taper candles to use in buddy burners.  We stopped to visit Larry & Suz and meet their son Scott who is visiting for a few days.  It is too bad that the weather is so awful while he is here.  We didn’t find anything else to buy at the patio sales.

After lunch we went shopping for a few miscellaneous items that of course could not all be found at the same store.  We didn’t do too much the rest of the afternoon.  We had soup for dinner and then went to a dance here at the park.  The band is not our favorite but they really kick up the energy when they play for a dance so it was a lot of fun.

Mar 10^th – Sun

Hooray – the sun is back!  It was still cool this morning but warmed up quite nicely.

We had breakfast before we joined 14 others to play golf at 11:00.  We had 2 foursomes of men and 2 of women.  I really do enjoy playing golf with women.  Because of the problem with Terry’s hand, this is the first time that we have played in 1 ½ months and it felt great.  Terry thought he could play his usual decent game and didn’t do as well as he thought he should.  I was a little more realistic and wasn’t too disappointed with my game.

Ten of us went to Red Robin for late lunch/early dinner after the golf game.  Then we were so full we crashed in front of a golf game on TV.  Duane & Sue came over for a drink but they played golf too so only stayed for a short time.  TV and a long phone call to sister Marg filled the rest of the evening.

Mar 4th to 6th - Mesa

Mar 4^th – Mon

We rode our bikes to say goodbye to Don & Susan but they had already left.  We saw that the Country Store was going on so we wandered through it and didn’t buy anything.  I made breakfast, we chatted with Dianne when she returned our badges that she used to buy dance tickets for friends who are arriving soon and then Dennis dropped in to shot the breeze while Gloria was getting her hair cut.

Ron wasn’t totally comfortable with Terri taking him to the airport and driving back herself (!?) so we drove them to the airport.  Ron is going to a trade show in Las Vegas for a few days.  When we got back, Terry saw an empty afternoon & evening so it was off to a casino.  We went to Vee Quiva casino which is quite a ways out and which we will not visit again.  It is not very big and was crowded.  We are not heavy gamblers and prefer penny slots.  There weren’t a lot of penny machines and people would save their spots by leaving a bit of money on the machine and putting ashtrays on the chairs. 

We stopped at KFC for a bucket of chicken since it was nearly 7:00 and I didn’t feel like cooking.

Mar 5^th – Tues

The weather continues to warm up but cooler weather and even some rain is expected by the end of the week.  Just after lunch, Dennis & Gloria picked us up to go see Bill & Lauri’s new condo.  They were at the department of motor vehicles when I called and expected to be back in ½ hour.  We were there in about 45 minutes and waited a while for them to get back.  It’s a good thing we were there as Bill had a desk in a big box in the back of their car and it took the 3 guys to wrestle it inside.

We checked out the condo, had a beer & chatted and then toured the amenities in the development.  It is a nice place with a little patio that faces a lawn and the back of the community center which means there are no neighbors looking in through the sliding glass doors.

We headed to the courtyard to listen to Curtis when we got back.  We danced a bit and then shared a Reuben sandwich since we were going to line dance lessons.  We arrived at dance lessons as Bob & Bobbie were setting up their equipment and Bob immediately started reviewing dances that we were having trouble with.  We just reviewed dances rather than learning any new ones so we got a good 1 ¾ hour workout.  Luckily we had leftover chicken so Terry could have a snack when we got back.

Mar 6^th – Wed

Terry took the splint and tape off his fingers this morning and it is looking OK.  The middle finger bends straight down instead of to the side which is great.   The middle knuckle looks slightly swollen but hopefully that will go away with some use & ice packs.

Our living room TV has come on with a picture but no sound for the last three mornings.  A reset fixed the problem twice but it would not reset today so I called DirecTV support and finally talked to a person.  Unfortunately, by the time he was on the line, the reset that we did with the automated support had finally finished and the sound came on so he couldn’t – or wouldn’t – do any more.  Will see what happens tomorrow as the problem only occurs in the morning.

Dennis stopped by for coffee after he dropped Gloria off for a meeting.  While he was still here, Rick stopped by and had coffee also.  I was finally making an early lunch – no breakfast – when Ernie & Dianne came over.  We put lunch on hold and chatted with them for a while.

After lunch, we went grocery shopping.  After putting everything away, I had time for some dinner prep before going to listen to music in the courtyard.

We went a little early as it was hot and we wanted a seat in the shade.  Lots of others had the same idea but we got a table beside Larry & Julie whose table was only partly in shade.  Van Arlon was the singer and he does mostly country music suitable for line dancing.  We joined in on a lot of dances.  Ron started counting the dances that Terry was doing and he ended up with 8 ½ different dances.  The ½ was for a dance that he didn’t quite master.

Dennis & Gloria came over for dinner & cards.  I had sweet & sour pork ready and just had to cook rice and put dressing on a salad.  We played ponytail canasta before having dessert.  The guys had a large, early lead but the women snuck up and won.

Feb 28th to Mar 3rd - Mesa

Feb 28^th – Thurs

Terry went with Mike to help him pick up his utility trailer and then hook it to his motor home.  Mike had his gall bladder removed a short time ago and still should not be lifting anything heavy.  They had to go to Queen Creek so I had time to finish up on the computer and make soft tacos for lunch.

We went to Fry’s for a few groceries that we forgot last time and filled up with diesel.  Then we went to Ft McDowell casino to meet some friends – Terry & Judy from Vernon.  We were there earlier than the others and had fun winning some & losing some and we also saw Don & Susan from our park.  We were also joined by Mike & Edie (friends of Terry & Judy and who we met in Albuquerque) and Butch & Shawn (also friends of Terry & Judy and who live in Summerland BC).  We were all going to have dinner at the $9.99 all-you-can-eat crab buffet until we saw the lines and found out how long it would take to be seated.  Instead, we waited nearly ½ hour to get into another restaurant.  There wasn’t a table large enough for all of us so we sat with the women at one table and the men at another one across the room which was really fun for gabbing.

After dinner I spent some time with Terry & Judy before they left for their hour+ drive to Buckeye.  The others left right after dinner.  Then it was just Terry & I.  We both played machines that are normally busy all the time and ended up not leaving until 10:30 – a little poorer but not bad for so much “entertainment”.

Mar 1^st – Fri

Pick oranges, beer at L&S discuss buddy burners, lunch at 2:30 in courtyard, Gloria ankle operation, came by later in golf cart.

Gloria went for a procedure this morning to scrape her ankle joint.  We stopped by to find that all went well and she was sleeping.

We went to Ernie & Dianne’s to see if they wanted to pick oranges.  Ernie had just loaded up their vehicle with their sound equipment and needed a shower before leaving in a while and Dianne’s bike had a flat tire so she joined us in their car.  We and Dennis (down our street) borrowed Dennis Collins’ fruit picker and rode our bikes to the remainder of the old orchard where we picked citrus once before.  We picked an orange from a tree with lots of fruit and tasted it to make sure we were getting the sweet variety before we filled our bags.  We ended up with 9 grocery bags and Dennis’ backpack and shared oranges with lots of friends.

When we delivered oranges to Larry & Suz, it was close enough to noon to enjoy a beer and discuss making buddy burners.  Suz bought a tin but it was too small so they will have to go shopping again.

Dennis borrowed Brian & Bev’s golf cart (which is currently stored at Ron & Terri’s) so Gloria can get around while she is wearing an “air boot” and healing.  They came for a short visit before we headed to the courtyard to have a late lunch and then stay to listen to music.  We were shifting chairs into the shade – lovely! 

Even though we had a late lunch, Terry figures he needs another meal so I made a chicken Caesar salad quite a bit later.

Mar 2^nd – Sat

I made jelly biscuits before Larry & Suz and Don & Susan came over at 9 to make buddy burners.  They had gone shopping for tins & wax but the tins were too large which means a large flame and burning lots of wax.  Suz had a small cookie tin that she had in the freezer so we decided to make that one to show them the process.  After it was finished we sat around in the lovely sunshine and chatted.

Terry took Dennis & Gloria’s dance tickets to the activity center and got their money back as Gloria obviously won’t be dancing tonight.  Then we walked to their place to return the money.  Dan & Carol were visiting and were intending to come to our place next so we took a shortcut through empty sites while they rode their bikes around the corner to our site.  After showing them our rig, we all sat outside and enjoyed a beer.  When they left they were talking about making a buddy burner and a bucket light for their boat in Ontario where they live in the summer.  We hadn’t had anything to eat since our jelly biscuits so Terry made a quick trip to McDonalds while I made devilled eggs for later.

Darlene is still not feeling well so she returned their dance tickets just before Suz talked Don & Susan into going to the dance.  Now we got on our bikes and tracked down Patti who collects tickets at the dances to ask her to save the tickets for Don & Susan. 

We were just a bit late for a happy hour at Gord & Joyce’s down the street from us.  Their friends Jerry & Terri are going to be staying in Gord & Joyce’s motor home for a few weeks while Gord & Joyce make a trip to Canada and they wanted Jerry & Terri to meet some people and especially some golfers.  It was warm enough that we were moving chairs into the shade.

Not done yet!  We had a little bit of time to breathe and sit outside watching a bit of TV before going to the dance.  We got the tickets for Don & Susan and had a good time.

Mar 3^rd - Sun

After having coffee & lovely sweet oranges, I had a nice long phone visit with sister Marg.  Then I put a roast in the crock pot for dinner and headed to the laundry room.  We timed it right and got 4 washers right away.  We filled up water bottles and walked back home.  Terry was on the computer when I took my book and returned to put the clothes in the dryers.  He came back to help hang, fold, load the truck and drive back.  We were done putting clothes away and making the bed by 11:30 and had a breakfast burrito for lunch.

I did some more dinner prep before we delivered the new buddy burner to Larry & Suz and tried to find Susan to give her some recipes that I printed for her.  Then we stopped to see Dennis & Gloria.  She is doing really well.  Pain medication affects her equilibrium so she quit taking it yesterday and can walk much better.

We had a short time to relax before Ernie & Dianne came for dinner.  We had a nice chat before dinner and played Ponytail Canasta afterwards.  The guys are going to be hard to live with after they won both games by a small margin.