Dec 25th to 28th - Mesa

Dec 25^th – Merry Christmas

We joined a group for a now annual gathering at the pool at 10:00. Two years ago there were 6 or 8 hardy people in the hot tub and this year there were several groups totaling around 50 people. But today was a gorgeous day to be at the pool. We went initially with long pants and sleeves. When we got too hot we came back, changed into swim suits and returned to enjoy both the pool and the hot tub.

I made a sweet potato dish for later but otherwise we were pretty lazy until we went for happy hour at 2 & dinner at 3. It was hosted by Julie and Tina and they set up tables in Jim & Caroline's park model next door to Terry & Tina. Jim & Caroline are not here right now but gave permission to use their carport which was perfect – especially later when it cooled down and a couple of propane heaters kept it comfortable. Neal & Judy, Jerry & Becky and Brad, Clare & Shannon also joined us. After dinner, Bill & Beth, Ray & Vivian and Thelma came for dessert, drinks & lots of laughs.

We got home about 9:30 and were very happy that we turned on the electric mattress pad before we left.

Dec 26^th – Fri

Terry left at 8:15 for golf. They had a frost delay – initially supposed to be 2 hrs but ended up an hour late – so he didn't get back until after 2. While he was gone, I enjoyed being lazy & puttering around. Dennis & Gloria stopped by to print boarding passes for Julie & River who leave this evening.

Jeff Stephens was in the courtyard and we danced a lot. Beautiful sunshine and a bit cool in the shade. When we walked back we stopped to say hello to Doug & Delores who arrived late yesterday. I had a ham in the crock pot so I asked them to come for dinner. They were happy to do so as they hadn't gone grocery shopping yet. They left about 8 so they could go get a few groceries.

Dec 27^th – Sat

I made a late breakfast for lunch after we were very lazy in the morning. We tend to get up later when the rig is cold. A bit later in the afternoon we went to Reese & Diane's to pick up the last Spyder Santa “costume” and ended up having a drink and chatting with them.

There was no dance here so we joined a group from VVV at a dance at Good Life which is very close and another CalAm park. The band was Junction 87 – country music and we did a line dance to nearly every song. The ballroom is large and the attendance much smaller than here so there was lots of room to dance.

Dec 28^th – Sun

Another lazy morning before we headed out for some errands. We dropped the “Santa” tote at Dale & Sharon's for storage in their shed. We had lunch at the 5 'n Diner. We went to Power Square and got slacks & a shirt for Terry for the New Year's dance. Then we wandered through Superstition Springs mall and finally found a pair of earrings for me. A stop at Fry's for groceries and then home.

We found baby back ribs for $1.99 a pound. Duane & Sue walked by after playing pool so we asked them to join us for dinner. I added more ribs to the pot and we had a good dinner. Then we played a hard fought game of Ponytail Canasta which the guys won by 80 points.

Dec 21st to 24th - Mesa

Dec 21^st – Sun

Terry went to help Tina & Terry move Julie & Larry's big couch out and move in a replacement couch & chair that were temporarily in the storage shed. The sliding door had to be removed and the guys had a hard time getting it back in so it ended up taking a couple of hours. I used the time to catch up the blog and do some cleaning.

We used the motorcycle to deliver the rest of our Christmas goodies – beautiful weather once it warmed up in the afternoon. We fixed a broken hinge on a compartment on the motorcycle. The compartment came open when Terry stopped a while ago and he hit it with his leg when he got off the bike. We bought a $20 little bottle of glue at the Mesa Market and it appeared that the plastic was one that the glue did not work on! Bob brought over some bonding material that you knead before using to activate and we put it behind the hinge. Then we had to go to Home Depot to replace the tube of material and get one for future use for us.

I made a nice dinner for a change!

Dec 22^nd – Mon

We took the toy hauler in for warranty work this morning and then carried on to have breakfast at the Waffle House. On the way back we stopped at WalMart for groceries.

We helped new friends – Harlan & Barb – move Julie's old couch to their new park model. It is unfurnished so they were happy to get the couch.

After MCY with Guilty Pleasures and line dancing, we picked up Phyllis and Larry & Julie to go to dinner at China City buffet. Phyllis has been wanting to take us out so we finally picked a date & place. We had our usual good dinner there.

We got back about 7:15 and walked over to see changes that Ernie & Dianne have made to their AZ room. Dianne asked if we had time to play some cards so we did. We split the games with the guys winning the first and the ladies the second. It was after 11:30 when we got home and had to crawl into a cold bed as we forgot to turn on the electric mattress pad.

Dec 23^rd – Tues

We got a little bit of a late start this morning. We were still having coffee & playing computer games when Gary Kullman stopped to visit. He is a friend of Dennis & Gloria's who was here previously. He was still here when Dennis & Gloria stopped in to invite us to dinner on Christmas Eve.

I made mustard sauce & boiled eggs for deviled eggs for Christmas Eve in between making breakfast. We went to a couple of places to pick up the CalAm Santa costumes in order to store them in one place. We ended up missing one so will have to go back.

We made a trip to Fry's for groceries and then headed to the courtyard for music & dancing. I didn't have a plan for dinner so we ate at the courtyard. We weren't home too long when Neil & Robin stopped to deliver a goodie box. Of course we had to have a drink with them. They were still here when Dennis & Gloria came over since their company (daughter Julie & grandson River) had gone to Brian & Bev's park model where they are spending the nights. We decided to pass on line dance lessons and enjoy our friends instead. When they left I worked on the blog but obviously didn't get it done.

Dec 24^th – Wed

Fry's was totally out of whole cranberry sauce that I need for tomorrow so we hoped on the bike for the couple of blocks to Albertson's who were also out. We continued on to Safeway who had a huge display of the canned sauce. We got a couple of other items and went next door to the Dollar Store to get a Santa hat for me. Then we stopped for a quick burger in the same shopping center.

When we drove back into the park, Allan was on their Spyder on the main road so we followed him instead of turning on our street. We passed Ralph & Elsie just leaving the post office on their Spyder and they joined us so we had an impromptu, very short, little parade! We stopped to check out another Spyder but the owners are in Alaska right now.

I finished up the deviled eggs before we walked across the street to Brad & Clare's at 2:00 for a cookie decorating party. Cookie decorating has been their family traditional since Clare was a child. Their daughter Shannon is here for a visit so they decided to include a lot of their friends in the tradition. They had tables & chairs from the party wagon and everything set out – cookies, frosting and oodles of decorations. Most people decorated at least one cookies. I did a couple “fancy” ones and then one more for Terry to eat. The weather was absolutely perfect as was the whole concept. They also had individually wrapped & “bow-ed” rice krispie squares that looked wonderfully festive before they were gobbled up.

Ralph & Elsie stopped by for a drink a few minutes after we got home just after 4:00. Then it was off to Dennis & Gloria's for dinner. They had a couple of propane heaters to make the carport cosy and we had a great meal with good friends.

Terry wanted to take the motorcycle for a little ride to show off the lights he put on it but we didn't get too far. We stopped at Tina & Terry's where they were playing dominoes with Jerry & Becky. They had finished a game so we joined them for another drink – or 2!

Dec 17th to 20th - Mesa

Dec 17^th – Wed

It rained during the night but quit in time for the Christmas parade in the park. Terry wiped down the motorcycle and we put on the decorations. Our group started on our street which was handy as everyone could put on the finishing touches and I could get any bits & pieces that were needed. We made Santa faces on our windshields and they were very well received by everyone along the parade route. We had 6 bikes with faces and one smaller bike with the “Cal Am Can Ams” sign. There were coffee & cookies in the ballroom after the parade. We won second prize which was a $50 gift certificate for Costco. We still haven't decided what to do with it!

Five of us rode slowly down University to Mesa Regal (another CalAm park) and we rode a lot of the streets honking our horns and waving at the few people on the street or in cars. Then we went to Towerpoint (CalAm park) and did the same. Here there were more people outside and we got lots of smiles & waves.

We stopped for lunch at a small cafe (RaVeS) in the building used by the catering services of CalAm. We kind of overwhelmed them but ended up with good sandwiches, chips & a cookie. When we got back I did a few repairs to beards & eyes caused by wind when we drove.

MCY was moved inside due to cold weather and we danced to the music of Wayne & Deb. Then dinner and a quiet evening.

Dec 18^th – Thurs

Terry was lazy again and stayed in bed watching TV when I went to coffee & doughnuts. I even brought him a doughnut since there were plenty left over. I guess lots of people have gone home for the holidays.

Ernie & Dianne stopped in to deliver an invitation and we had a nice chat over a cup of coffee/hot chocolate. After breakfast for lunch, we went grocery shopping. I put ingredients in the crock pot for a new chocolate/peanut candy recipe and then we took the motorcycle for a couple of errands. The temperature was quite cold this morning but it was comfortable riding with a jacket on.

Duane & Sue were sitting outside when we returned so we made a drink and joined them. By the time the sun went down and Duane lit the propane fire pit, we were joined by Dan & Robin, Bob & Gail and Peter & Barb.

I finished the candy – recipe is a keeper – and made dinner.

Dec 19^th – Fri

I made a couple batches of peanut brittle before we went to the Mesa marketplace this morning. We had breakfast there first and then bought some things as we wandered the aisles.

We returned items to the toy hauler and made sure everything was secured as we will be taking it in for some warranty work next week. On the way back we picked up bags of cans from Terry & Tina to add to the horseshoe club recycle can in front of our rig. Of course we had to chat for a bit.

We went by Larry & Julie's to see how they were doing and ended up helping Terry & Tina with some window toppers and modifying a rail to hang vertical blinds. Now it was time for MCY with The Breeze and line dancing. It was lovely sitting in the sun – no hunting for shade at this time of year.

Computer games, dinner & TV in the evening.

Dec 20^th – Sat

I had help with the laundry today. We were just finishing a late breakfast after putting clothes in the dryers when Nancy called saying Billy needed help unloading the CanAm they just bought so Terry took the motorcycle there while I went back to the laundry room. Terry arrived to help load up and I suggested that he could drive & park the truck while I rode the bike back. Have to get a bit of practice when I can!

I needed a few more candy ingredients so we made a trip to Fry's and then I made 3 more batches of peanut brittle since once batch got a little overcooked. We went on the motorcycle to deliver some candy but didn't get too far as Ralph & Elsie figured it was time for a drink and a nice visit.

We got back just in time to change clothes and take chairs & drinks to Jerry & Becky's as they asked us over for dinner before the dance tonight. Larry & Julie, Terry & Tina and Bill & Beth were also there. Comeback Buddy played for the dance. They do 50's, 60's & 70's rock & roll type music - much of which is still suitable for two stepping. We only did a couple of line dances.

Dec 13th to 16th - Mesa

Dec 13^th – Sat

We believed the weather forecast for rain & cold weather and canceled our group golf game this morning. It was a good decision as it was cold and the course would have been soaked. I used some of the morning to catch up on the blog.

The rest of the day has pretty much slipped my mind – again! We went to the AZ Opry for the first time this season. It was the Christmas show with enough changes from last year to be a new show to those of us with failing memories. Instead of alternating chicken & beef dinners, they are now serving smaller portions of each meat with every meal.

Dec 14^th – Sun

We went to Neal & Judi's for their annual Christmas brunch. Judi does a beautiful job of decorating tables and makes wonderful food. A propane heater took part of the chill off and some people chatted in the sunshine in the street after eating.

We stuck bits of the decorations for the bikes back on before delivering them to the rest of the group that will be in the parade. Of course trips around the park on the motorcycle end up with short visits here & there as well. We made a trip to WalMart which included some chicken for dinner as I was feeling lazy.

Diane came over and we made invitations for Ernie's birthday party in January.

Dec 15^th – Mon

I was making deviled eggs for later when Phyllis stopped in for a short visit.

We went for a late breakfast at Red Mountain Cafe where I enjoyed their crunchy French toast. We went to WalMart for a few more groceries and candy to throw during the parade. We waited to get the candy as the weather forecast has included rain for Wednesday. Today it looked like the rain would be later so hopefully the parade will happen.

We picked up a sign for the parade and delivered it to Allan & Diane. We ended up chatting with them long enough that Allan decided it was time to have a drink.

After dancing to the Brookharts in the courtyard, we changed clothes and went to Jerry & Becky's Ugly Christmas Sweater party. They reserved 2/3 of the new multipurpose room in the fitness complex. We all brought heavy appies and music was provided by Bruce & Duane. Lots of creativity showed in the ugly sweaters.

Dec 16^th – Tues

Don & Susan picked us up at 8:30 for a trip to the casino. After getting coupons and eating breakfast, we all went our own ways to whip the slot machines into shape. Unfortunately that didn't happen!

We relaxed & played free computer games when we got back and I got some dinner started on the stove and then put it in the crock pot. Van Arlon was playing in the courtyard and Bobbie was there to suggest line dances so we danced a lot. We ended up eating there as well since the Tuesday special was steak and/or chicken fajitas that looked & tasted great.

I put our dinner in the fridge and we rested before going to line dance lessons.

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Dec 10th to 12th - Mesa

Dec 10^th – Wed

Haircut time for Terry this morning before going for a bike ride. We and Duane & Sue are going to stay overnight at the Apache Gold Casino & Hotel so the weekly motorcycle riders decided to ride there and have lunch. Twelve bikes with 14 riders pulled out at 11:45. It is a large group to keep together so we had to pull over to regroup a couple of times. Three of the bikers left the group for a different destination.

By the time we parked and got to the restaurant, the buffet was closing in 10 minutes (at 2:00) so we all ordered from the menu. It took a long time to get our mediocre food. Duane & Sue were delayed by a pool tournament and arrived just before we got our food. They had a quick lunch before leaving home so they had a drink while we ate. We got our bags and registered at the hotel. Sue asked for a room close to ours and we ended up with adjoining rooms so we sat and had a drink before going back to the casino.

My allowance was going down fast before I hit a couple of machines that gave everything back – and then some. Terry was doing OK with ups & downs. We went back to the grill for a a late dinner since we discovered that the steak house was a 5 minute walk away. Again not bad but not special food. I lost my “then some” money after dinner!

Dec 11^th – Thurs

We had coffee before heading back to the casino and Duane & Sue joined us there a while later. No choices so we went back to the grill for breakfast where we used points on our casino cards to reduce the cost of the meal. Too bad I also lost the rest of my allowance but Terry didn't!

We checked out of the hotel just before 11 and hit the road. Really nice weather and we only had to zip our jackets all the way up when we climbed up a bit.

We stopped at Superstition Views (upscale RV resort owned by CalAm) on the way back and went through several model homes. They are modular homes (not park models) that are finished outside once they are set on the lots. They are 14, 16 or 18 feet wide and 45 feet long so feel very spacious. They are set on lots wide enough to customize with a double driveway or single driveway and motor home parking. Unlike park models you can add almost anything – second bedroom/bath, garage, shop, breezeway, covered motor home parking - and even a rooftop patio. Very interesting and a fun thing to do.

I have a cold – again!!! - so I stayed home when Terry went to MCY. I needed to rest a bit since we went to John & Gloria's for dinner at 6. We had a great dinner and a lovely evening. Terry put a hurt on a bottle of Scotch that John bought for him so I drove him home on the motorcycle.

Dec 12^th – Fri

I coughed a lot last night but we had things to do so had to carry on. We went shopping – Costco for coffee, WalMart for groceries, a crock pot, and cough medicine – before stopping at 5 'n Diner for a late breakfast. Back home I started a pot of split pea soup for a “Soupfest” dinner hosted by Larry & Suz.

Again I stayed home to rest & finish the soup while Terry went to the courtyard. I had everything ready to load in the truck when he got back and we went to Larry & Suz's party in the Fiesta ballroom. They had round tables set up & decorated, Suz was a great elf and Larry looked very dapper in shirt, slacks and a Christmas apron. There were 60 guests to attack about 15 crock pots of soup, salad, bread & crackers. Of course we started with appetizers and ended with dessert. Then it was time to draw numbers for the $10 gifts brought by each couple with the usual opportunity to steal an opened gift. Everyone got into the spirit with oohs & aahs as a gift was opened and suggestions about which gift to steal. Since we started at 5 we were home around 9. My cough medication worked great!

Dec 6th to 9th - Mesa

Dec 6^th – Sat

It is our turn to make lunch after golf tomorrow so we did some prep – wash potatoes for baking, pick up plates & crock pot from the toy hauler & slice onions are a few things that come to mind. Breakfast at home today.

We went shopping for stuff to decorate our CanAm for the park Christmas parade and to look for something to wear to an “ugly Christmas sweater” party. Linda (CanAm owner) dropped in to talk about the parade and liked my idea for decorating so we are going to try to turn it into reality on Monday morning.

I was making dinner when Terry walked over to borrow a roaster oven from Gloria. On the way back he saw Bob & Sandi and Henry & Diane sitting in Bob & Sandi's gazebo and they asked us over for a drink. Put dinner on hold, have a drink and a good chat, finish dinner & gobble it down, change clothes and go to a dance here in the park – phew!

The band was Tory Edwards who is an amazing fiddle player. Unfortunately they started 20 minutes late at max volume, took two 20 minute breaks and included one “rock” set which is not our favorite. We saw the band earlier this year at Mesa Regal and really enjoyed them so were disappointed. However, the line dance group claimed an end of the dance floor and did a lot of dances.

Dec 7^th – Sun

I got potatoes in the roaster oven and corn & meat into crock pots before going golfing this morning. The course was really wet nearly the whole game so balls didn't roll very far once they hit the grass and started throwing up a rooster tail of water.

When we got back, I discovered that the potatoes weren't done so I put some in the microwave and took some to Terri to put in her microwave. Terry set up tables & chairs so we could all sit at some type of table to eat. We were pretty much ready with lunch when people started arriving at 12:30. The backed potato lunch was well received & enjoyed by everyone – or at least they were all polite enough to say so!! – and the rice krispie squares totally disappeared. Thanks to Sandi, Ann & Terri for doing dishes!

We went to see Ralph & Elsie to discuss the Christmas parade and then stopped at Dale & Sharon's to see if they wanted to join us in the parade. We got there close to 4:00 and finally left just before 8 after sitting around a propane fireplace in their carport/sitting area drinking beer & wine and talking non-stop. We had been invited to a party at the bocce courts but didn't make it there. I made dessert for dinner!

 

Dec 8^th – Mon

Linda, Elsie & Sharon arrived at 10 to make decorations for our CanAms. It took a little figuring before we got down to serious “construction”. We sent the guys to the store a couple of times for more supplies. We took a break for lunch and then worked until it was time to put stuff away and head to the courtyard at 3 to listen to Rich Mancini who we really enjoy and he now knows which dances we like for line dancing.

A quiet evening for a change?

Dec 9^th – Tues

Golf and laundry this morning - you can probably guess who did which activity! I did my usual walking back & forth and had a nice chat with Diane in the laundry room. Somewhere along the line I put a roast in the crock pot.

I was going to walk to Albertson's for more exercise but decided I needed to practice driving the motorcycle outside the park so I took it to get a couple of yams. It is only a block away so I took a longer route back and did just fine. I stopped to let Elsie know that we have one more CanAm in the parade and dropped off a phone number with Al.

Terry got back with just a little time to spare before going to MCY. The popular band North Star was playing and the courtyard really filled up. They extended music until just before 6 so I was happy that dinner was ready so we could go to line dance lessons at 6:30. There was a grand opening of the fitness center complex at 6 but we decided that dinner & line dance lessons were more important.

Nope – not done yet. Ron & Terri are leaving on Thursday for a couple of weeks so Terry decided we should have a “little” farewell gathering at 8:30. We left dance lessons a bit early and just had time to set up chairs and buddy burners before the first people arrived. We were good neighbors and had people & noise done just after 10 when we had a little quiet time with Ron & Terri.

Dec 1st to 5th - Mesa

Dec 1^st – Mon

In between computer games this morning, I took time to catch up the blog and Terry helped the guys take down tarps from the Grey Cup party. After breakfast we took the bike to Fry's for a few groceries. While I was putting away and doing a little dinner prep, Terry rode over to welcome Don & Susan who just arrived today.

A new musician in the courtyard – Paul Taylor – was very good and we got our usual work out on the dance floor. Susan was mobbed with huggers when she arrived.

Dennis & Gloria were coming over at 7:30 to print Chris' boarding pass for tomorrow so I went to few neighbors and suggested that if Chris came over also that we have a little farewell gathering. We ended up with Terri, Gail, Brad & Clare and Joe & Stella joining us for drinks, multiple conversations at once & lots of laughs.

Dec 2^nd – Tues

Gloria called fairly early to say that Chris (with help from Mom?) had the toy hauler all cleaned up and ready to go back to storage. We had lots of help to finish closing it up – dump tanks, get the satellite dish off the roof, put away loose items in the kitchen – and Terry backed into the storage slot in one go. After locking it up, we spent some time across the street with a guy who had a swivel wheel “trailer” for sale.

Now it was time to have a very late breakfast at Wild Berry. I finally drove the motorcycle around the park with Terry on the back doing a bit of coaching – like how to start the darn thing! We stopped and had a nice chat with Ralph & Elsie.

Music at the courtyard was good – Midnight Moon – and we didn't let too many songs go by without line dancing especially since Bobbie (line dance teacher) was there to suggest different dances. I had enough leftovers from yesterday for my dinner so Terry got the Tuesday special (meatloaf) at the courtyard – great solution for both of us!

There were a lot of people at line dance lessons. We learned 3 new dances – actually only one of them was new to people who took lessons last year – and had newbies turning every which way. Tons of fun. It was raining when we finished so Terry pulled the motorcycle under the awning and wiped it off. Yes, I did suggest putting the cover on earlier!

Dec 3^rd – Wed

Terry moved the motorcycle back out before taking the truck to pick up other golfers this morning. I eventually took a big bag of books to Susan and stayed to talk with her & Don for a long time. Don made me feel guilty for not posting pictures regularly so I worked on captions & deleting similar pictures and actually uploaded one album and started compiling another.

Rockafella provided good music for dancing in the courtyard. Then we went to Dennis & Gloria's for dinner along with Duane & Sue. After dinner the women allowed the men to beat us in a close game of Ponytail Canasta. It was sprinkling when we walked back.

Dec 4^th – Thurs

It poured rain most of last night so I put on my rubber boots to walk with Terri to coffee & doughnuts. Before I left, I took coffee to Terry in bed as he decided he would rather stay there & watch TV than going to the weekly meeting. The Camping World ambassadors sponsored coffee & doughnuts again and the rain actually kept the ballroom from being totally packed. We were shocked to hear that a bar of soap was thrown in each pool and someone felt they needed to take an extension cord from a light over the jigsaw puzzles. Manager Kerry said they are very committed to stopping this sort of thing and promised a “rent adjustment” for information that helps identify the perpetrators.

A Christmas parade in the park was planned for today but was canceled due to rain so we had time to goof off before and after a late breakfast for lunch. Once the rain stopped and the sun came out it warmed up nicely.

MCY was also canceled today so HH at Joe & Stella's (they are going home for 6 weeks) started slightly before the planned time of 4:00. At 5:00, we and Ron & Terri moved to Bob & Sandi's for dinner.

We sat outside – in a screen gazebo – for drinks & appies before moving inside for a nice dinner. We stayed later than Ron & Terri and crashed as soon as we got home.

Dec 5^th – Fri

We took Joe & Stella to the airport at 8:30 and stopped for groceries at Fry's on the way back. Groceries included doughnuts & a bagel for breakfast which we haven't had for a long time.

After putting everything away, I mixed computer games with food prep for Sunday and some light cleaning. Reese stopped by to show us his new CanAm Spyder which he bought yesterday.

Just after 2 we went to the courtyard and had lunch. The singer – Michael Ewing aka the AZ Cowboy – started early so we were soon settling our lunch with line dancing.

We came back to drop off our drink glasses and took the motorcycle to the Fiesta Community Center for a happy hour put on by the sales office for “Rvers and Renters”. It was already packed when we got there but there was room for a couple of chairs at a table with some friends. Ron & Terri and Brian & Bev arrived after some people left so they sat next to us. We ended up being the last group to leave. We helped put chairs away and sales rep Debra said we could take home part boxes of wine if we folded tables so we did that too.

We toured around a bit on the way back to look at Christmas lights in the park and ended up stopped to see Phyllis. We were just in time to help her change a light bulb in a fixture over her bed. She called her friend MaryEllen to join us so we had a nice chat and shared the wine with them.

Nov 28th to 30th - Mesa

Nov 28^th – Fri

Another forgotten, uneventful morning & early afternoon!!

We were just getting ready to leave early for MCY when Reese & Diane stopped by to talk about CanAms so we fixed them a drink first. They both have motorcycles but Diane's new bike is a bit too big & powerful so she is uneasy about riding it. Reese was thinking about giving up both bikes and getting a Spyder but he had never been on one so Terry let him drive ours and they went for a short ride. When they left they were going to “crunch numbers” and probably go back to the dealer for a test drive & negotiation on a CanAm.

North Star was in the courtyard today and we were lucky enough to have Terri saving chairs for us as we were just a bit late. North Star is very popular and they play lots of “line danceable” music so we obliged and filled the new big dance floor.

Dennis & Gloria asked us to join them for dinner at China City so I didn't have to cook.

Nov 29^th – Sat

We were paired with John & Gloria for golf this morning so we picked them up. I had my best front 9 ever and then totally fell apart on the back 9 which is when Gloria really kicked in. The guys ended up with the same score and actually the same score on each 9.

Larry told us that a new Total Wine store opened in the shopping center near the Mesa Market so we went looking for it. After driving the whole place, we called Larry and he said he hadn't actually been there but saw an ad in the paper. At this point we went to the store at Superstition Springs and ended up having to wait for an employee to restock 2 items that we needed. By this time John & Gloria's dog had been home long enough so they canceled on lunch plans and we dropped them off before going to a Mexican place just down University Ave. Turns out the new Total Wine store is in the Tempe Marketplace.

Dirty clothes were overflowing the basket so we had to do laundry since tomorrow will be busy but first we took the motorcycle to Fry's for laundry soap and a few groceries. We pretty much goofed off the rest of the afternoon & evening. Dennis & Gloria stopped in for a visit.

Nov 30^th – Sun

Terry took his ladder at 8:30 to help set up for a Grey Cup party today. The guys hung huge tarps on the side & front of Brian & Bev's carport/patio to act as a wind break and to block the light so everyone could see the TV better. The 40 or so guests started arriving with appies about 2:30. The game was scheduled to start at 4 (3:00 PST in Vancouver where it was played) but by the time all the hoopla was over the kickoff was at 4:30.

Most of the women are not big football fans so we sat across the street at Larry & Suz's where tables & chairs were set up for dinner. After the sun went down we appreciated 2 big propane heaters. Some of us ran back & forth (or used Gloria's golf cart!) to make our contributions for dinner at the end of the game. Time for bed & TV when we got home.