Dec 22nd to 26th - Mesa

Dec 22^nd – Tues

We made a run to Total Wine this morning and really stocked up. We stopped at WalMart on the way back.

MCY was moved into the ballroom because of cold and rain-threatening weather. Jeff Stephens provided music for line dancing. Line dance lessons was a review of all the dances that we have learned this season so we did a lot of dancing. Terry was tired for some reason so I told him to go home & rest!

Dec 23^rd – Wed

Claude & Val were coming for dinner so I got a roast & veggies in the crock pot. They arrived in plenty of time for MCY (which was moved inside again) so they admired our new home and we did some catching up before going to the ballroom. We asked Al & Brenda and Leo & Lynn to join us there as Claude & Val know them from an RV park in Mexico. They all got to do a lot of chatting while Terry & I did some line dancing – and Val joined us for a couple of dances.

After dinner, Al & Brenda came over for a drink. Dennis & Gloria stopped in for a while as they were waiting for their dinner to cook. Lots of fun & laughs.

Dec 24^th – Thurs

First order of business – make deviled eggs for later. I wanted some plastic storage boxes to organize the storage area under our bed so we went to BigLots. Then a trip to WalMart to get some long pants for Terry. We have had too much cold weather and we threw out most of his grungy old jeans. While we were there we saw Ernie & Dianne and their granddaughter Kayah. They were coming to the park and Kayah loves motorcycle rides so Terry took her for a spin around the park before we all went to Brad & Clare's for a cookie decorating party. I made a batch of candy coated nuts for tomorrow and then it was on to Dennis & Gloria's for a Christmas Eve gathering & dinner.

Three propane heaters kept us comfy in their carport and we had the unexpected pleasure of a “parade” of golf carts led by a team of reindeer on the first cart. If laughter is indeed good for you, we should all be very healthy!

Dec 25^th – MERRY CHRISTMAS

For the first time in many years I didn't have to cook for Christmas dinner. We had a lovely, lazy morning before going to Ernie & Dianne's daughter Annette's house in Queen Creek. Kayah is Annette & Mike's daughter. Also there were Annette's daughter Danielle (Danny/Sissy) and friends Fred & Grace who we have met many times.

Turkey was in the oven and all the other prep work was done so we could enjoy chatting – and watching little dog Gizmo/Gizzy in constant motion catching & retrieving his Christmas present of new tennis balls. I even got to color with Kayah after dinner!

Dec 26^th – Sat

Back to the real world – laundry – and a late Christmas present when a guy found my laundry card which I left in a washer and asked if anyone there knew who it belonged to. We had come back to the rig but our friend Diane was still there and called to make sure it was mine and that we would be back soon to claim it.

After all the laundry was put away, we made a trip to Fry's for groceries. While we were waiting for dinner to cook, I heard a siren and then saw a huge plume of dark smoke not far from us at the north end of the park. Terry went to check it out and it was a house fire on the other side of University which borders the park on the north side.

Dec 15th to 21st - Mesa

Dec 15^th – Tues

So I obviously spent quite a bit of time catching up the blog this morning!

We picked up Phyllis Kasper and Dennis & Gloria to go to Chen's in Fountain Hills for lunch. We timed the trip so we could first watch the fountain go on at noon (every hour for 15 minutes) and then we all had a very good lunch.

We were back in plenty of time for MCY with Van Arlon. Then more line dancing at lessons at 7:00.

Dec 16^th – Wed

One of our favorite chores this morning – laundry! We made some little sleighs out of candy (as seen on Facebook) which turned out really good. After dancing to the Brookharts in the courtyard, we went to Ray & Viv's with some other friends to continue the fun. Good thing Viv put out some snacks as we were there for quite a while! A couple of propane heaters kept us warm outside.

Terry had just a tad too much to drink so he went to bed when we got home while I had a grilled cheese sandwich and stayed up a while.

Dec 17^th – Thurs

Once again we gave coffee & doughnuts a pass and goofed off for a few hours. On Tuesday Paul asked if Terry would give his wife Yvonne a surprise motorcycle ride for her birthday today. Then I suggested to Paul that we could leave in his car when Terry & Yvonne took off and meet them for lunch. Paul loved the idea and invited 2 other couples as well. It all turned out great except Terry didn't realize how far the restaurant was so they were a little late. Bobbie got to ride back on the motorcycle. We had to laugh about Terry going out the gate with one woman and back in with another and neither one was his wife!

We went to MCY with Guilty Pleasures. It was cool but not cold. A few weeks ago we were looking for shade and now we are looking for a sunny spot.

Dec 18^th – Fri

We realized that we needed more candy sleighs as we were giving them out as our Christmas greeting this year so we went shopping for more “ingredients”. We made a dozen more and did a few deliveries before MCY with Road Runner.

At 6 we walked to the end of the block for dinner at Dan & Robin's. They also invited Larry & Suz, Duane & Sue and Bob & Gail. After dinner we were dancing in the living room when Neal & Robin dropped in. Great evening!

Dec 19^th – Sat

We were the first group at golf this morning. We were paired with Rick & Janet which was a lot of fun as this was the first time that we played with them and it was nice getting to know them a bit more. Rather than going to a restaurant, we all returned to the courtyard for lunch. We set up 3 tables with extra chairs and made sure there were propane heaters going. We decided to order lunch as soon as another group got there so the staff wasn't trying to make all the food at once. It worked out really well as MCY is from 1-3 on Saturday so we also had some entertainment.

We had time to rest before going to the Saturday night dance with Reign-N-Country.

Dec 20^th – Sun

We woke up with no heat – both propane tanks were empty. Terry always leaves one open & one closed but he opened both when we had a problem with the furnace a while ago so he had to get both filled.

We rode with a group of motorcyclists to Filly's for lunch. We were the only Spyder in the group of 13 bikes but Ralph & Elsie caught up just as we were parking. Ralph had a new battery installed and didn't know initially if they would join us.

The weather was perfect to sit outside to eat. However, the whole experience wasn't perfect. There is a $1.00 per person charge if a band is playing – even it the band is inside as it was today. Then an 18% gratuity for groups of more than 8. Our food took a while to arrive even though the place was not nearly full and 2 orders of fries were ice cold. We have always enjoyed Filly's but will have to check out some other places.

When we went to leave, Ralph's new battery wouldn't start his bike. We tried jumping from our battery with no luck so Elsie & Ann (who rode with Al) stayed at Filly's while Al took Ralph back to the park to get Ralph's motorcycle trailer.

We delivered a few more sleighs and took it easy the rest of the day.

Dec 21^st – Mon

Some of our computer games have “specials” for December so we had a lovely lazy morning. Danced with Tiana Ricardi at MCY. Harlan & Barb came over to deliver their Xmas present to us and we enjoyed a drink with them. Other parts of the day - ????

Dec 6th to 14th - Mesa

Dec 6^th – Sun

Once again I am not believing how far behind I am with the blog!!! Good thing I have our park activity calendar for reference.

Ron & Terri are getting ready to leave for just over a month. We will miss them! Ernie & Dianne are also leaving but not coming back as they sold their park model. They will be staying at their daughter's (Annette) house in Queen Creek until the end of December.

Trish organized a goodbye dinner at the Chinese buffet for Ernie & Dianne. About 40 friends were gathered at the restaurant to surprise them. They were expecting to meet just us there. They will really be missed!

Dec 7^th – Mon

We took Ron & Terri to the airport this morning. Easy drive using the HOV lane. On the way back Terry figured we should go to the casino for breakfast. We did end up having breakfast for lunch there!

Harry Matthews was playing in the courtyard at 3. Terry went but I stayed home to rest a bit before going to the AZ Opry. Dianne organized a group as usual and we rode with Bob & Gail. The Opry has undergone a huge change with many new musicians who are great. There were quite a few empty seats but the show was great and hopefully word will get out and they will be fully booked again.

Dec 8^th – Tues

We decorated our motorcycles for the parade again. We had the Santa faces from last year but needed something for the theme of the parade which was “States & Provinces”. We all got together at Ralph & Elsie's to make large versions of our license plates using foam core board. Everyone did something different and they turned out great. We had Washington(2), Tennessee, Michigan, Oklahoma & Ontario.

We went to MCY with North Star. Santa made an appearance as well. I had dinner ready in the crockpot so we could go to line dance lessons at 6:30.

Dec 9^th – Wed

I had a haircut scheduled for noon so we had a lazy morning. We had time for a bit of shopping before going to MCY with music by Wayne & Deb. Then more laziness & TV after dinner.

Dec 10^th – Thurs

Terry played golf early this morning. I considered going to Coffee & Doughnuts as Camping World was the sponsor but the propane tank ran out and by the time I switched it over and got the furnace going again, I was too darn lazy. Besides, I had a book to finish!

Ann came over with a sweatshirt that needed a bit of mending. She asked earlier if I could do it and since Bruce was golfing with Terry it worked out well today. The mending job took only a few minutes (even had the correct thread already on the machine) so we had coffee & chatted. I had the truck today so we decided to go to Home Depot for hand & foot cream and also went to BigLots. We got back just as the guys were unloading the clubs in front of our site.

I just had time to put together an appy for a block party at 3. We stayed there for an hour to meet neighbors & eat and then went to the courtyard for the last hour of MCY. Only a late, light dinner required.

Dec 11^th – Fri

Truly lazy morning today! Love it! We eventually went shopping for candy to throw during the parade and also picked up a pizza at Papa Murphy's.

We danced to HotFoot in the courtyard from 3 to 5. Papa Murphy's pizza requires baking so I cut the large pizza in half and cooked it in the convection oven. The crust was darker on one side than the other and the bottom was not crisped so I put slices in a fry pan to finish them up. Not too bad.

Dec 12^th – Sat

We dug out warm clothes and decorated the bike for the parade. So fun milling around on the street & drinking “spiked” coffee waiting for the parade to start. The parade entries line up on 3 streets and we were near the beginning so we didn't even have to move to another street. It had rained during the night and it was very cool. When we finished at the ballroom we considered walking back a bit to watch the rest of the parade but people began “disbanding” a couple of streets back so we just went to the ballroom for cookies, hot drinks & door prizes.

Our “Sunday” golf group played today so we joined them for lunch hosted by Brad & Clare. We finished in time to catch the tail end of MCY with Fall River.

A very light, leftovers dinner before going the Saturday night dance with music by North Star. Terri wasn't here to save a table so we got to sit with a different group and danced the night away! Ray & Vivian, Harry & Cathy and Duane & Sue came over for a drink after the dance.

Dec 13^th – Sun

After coffee & games, I made the remaining pizza for lunch. This time I put the pizza on a cookie sheet instead of the paper tray provided and it was a bit more browned on the bottom.

I experimented with cooking baby back ribs in a crockpot/steamer rather than boiling them outside. They were quite meaty so I cut them apart a bit before Terry put them on the BBQ. We will go back to the usual way of cooking ribs!

Joyce came by with an offer of oranges, grapefruit & lemons so after a short visit I walked back with her up to get a small bag of fruit.

Dec 14^th – Mon

I used some refrigerator biscuits from Terri to make a pull-apart type bread for breakfast. Turned out pretty good. While the oven was hot I made a crust for a dessert to be completed later. Of course we had to go shopping for ingredients first. We made a stop at Costco to order contacts and pick up a few items.

I finished putting together the dessert and then we headed to the ballroom where MCY was moved inside due to rain & cold weather. Our favorite musician – Rich Mancini – provided the music so we had a great time dancing. The ballroom filled up pretty good as word spread. An email was sent out with the change of venue but not everyone got the message right away.

We went to dinner at Dennis & Gloria's along with Duane & Sue. After a delicious dinner we played Ponytail Canasta which the women won. Another great evening with friends!

Dec 3rd to 5th - Mesa

Dec 3^rd – Thurs

Terry golfed this morning and had lunch afterward so I had time to do whatever I wanted which included VVV coffee & doughnuts, a couple of trips to fill 4 gallon jugs with water, some light cleaning, getting out decorations for motorcycles for the Xmas parade and of course playing computer games. Terry was back in plenty of time for MCY and line dancing with Sam and The Band.

I made dinner and we actually stayed home for an evening!

Dec 4^th – Fri

We did laundry this morning and I started a big pot of split pea soup. Terry got burgers from McDonalds for lunch. A bit later we took the motorcycle to get a jumbo muffin tin. We tried Fry's first. They carry them but were out of stock so we went to WalMart where Terry dropped me at the door and I was in & out with the tin in a few minutes so we were in time to go to MCY and dance to Dakota Kid from 3 to 5.

The muffin tin and the pea soup were for a Soup Fest put on by Larry & Suz at 5:30. Many people (about 20?) bring soup and others bring appies and dessert. Larry & Suz had the Fiesta Community center all set up with decorated tables and a long serving table for the soup complete with extension cords to plug in all the crock pots. The muffin tins are an excellent way to sample several soups. After we ate we had a gift exchange where you can select a gift or steal from someone who has already opened a gift. Larry & Suz were dressed as Mr. & Mrs. Claus and Larry provided hilarious commentary the whole time.

Dec 5^th – Sat

We had lovely weather for golfing this morning. Jackets came off after only a few holes. After golf we all went for lunch at The Hub where we were joined by a couple of spouses who don't – or couldn't - golf. I was ready to kick back for a while and Terry went visiting.

Unfortunately we didn't check the calendar and forgot that we were supposed to go to Joey & Lynne's for a drink & snacks. Fortunately, they are just across the street and Lynne came to get us! Ron & Terri and Bob & Dar were also there. They left to get ready for the dance tonight and so Terri could go early to get our group a table. We moved inside to have another drink and then went to the dance where 3 Speed provided the dancing music and we had popcorn for dinner!

Nov 30th to Dec 2nd - Mesa

Nov 30^th – Mon

Two quiet mornings in a row! The weather is remaining cool so it is nice to “hibernate” in front of the fireplace. I finally made breakfast for lunch and then we did a bit of shopping – hat ornamentation which we found at Big Lots and something for a gift exchange which we didn't find but we did get new jeans for Terry since this is “long pants” weather and we tossed most of his old, beat up jeans.

We went to MCY from 3-5 where we danced to Midnight Moon.

Dec 1^st – Tues

Hard to believe that we have been here for 3 months! Terry got a blue ray DVD player to we had to set it up. Not as easy as it sounds as everything has to be plugged in behind the 48” TV which is mounted on the wall above the fireplace. We even had to put the TV back up so Terry could go to Home Depot for a short extension cord to complete the installation. Luckily it did work once it was all back together!

We danced to Armour Gomez at MCY this afternoon. He was here last season and we saw him at Show Low in June – good music. We got chicken strips at the courtyard when we left and I added a salad for dinner. I wanted something quick as we were going to line dance lessons at 6:30.

Dec 2^nd – Wed

Back to shopping. We decided to go to Kohl's since my $30 & 25% off need to be used by the 6^th. I was looking for shoes but the shoe department was a total mess and no salespeople were in sight so we went to the Kohl's at Signal Butte. We found our gift exchange item and I got 4 “golf” shirts (my usual garb) for a total of $12.72. We stopped for a burger for lunch and then continued shoe shopping with no luck.

I put together devilled eggs for later and Terry checked out Dueling Pianos in the courtyard. He didn't stay long! We were relaxing when Lawrence stopped by. He is the brother of a guy (Tom) who we met last season when someone thought he looked like Terry. Lawrence looks like Tom so we had to get a picture of the 3 of them a week or so ago before Tom left for Mexico. Then Elsie & Ralph joined us. Coats required but we sat outside.

We went to Jerry & Becky's “Silly Hat” party at 6. Everyone brought appies – and drinks of course – and recorded music was provided by Bruce which meant we had to line dance. A good – no, make that great – time was had by the nearly 70 guests.

Nove 25th to 29th - Mesa

Nov 25^th – Wed

Terry golfed this morning which gave me time to catch up the blog. There was a planned power outage from 9 to 3 today which of course didn't bother me much especially since I leave the laptop plugged in so it was charged up. I went shopping and finally found a belt and an electric mattress pad. I didn't even realize but there was a promotion at Kohl's with $15 Kohl's cash for each $50 spent so I got a $30 certificate and one for 25% off an entire shopping trip. I can use them both on the same purchase from Dec 2^nd to 6^th so will have to remember to do so.

When Terry got back we went to the courtyard for a Manager's Happy Hour from 3 to 5 with 25 cent beer & wine. There was a large crowd and The Brookharts provided great music for dancing. We sat at one of the couch/firepit areas for a while afterwards.

Nov 26^th – Thurs

Happy Thanksgiving! I didn't even have to cook as my contribution was a pumpkin pie from Costco which I forgot to mention that we stopped & got when we were with Dennis & Gloria on Tuesday. The dinner was organized by Phyllis & Dave and Margie & Bill and was held at the bocce court from 1 to 5. The weather was not supposed to warm up higher than 60 but we were pleasantly surprised to find the forecast wrong and enjoyed quite a bit higher temps. Most people played bocce before dinner which was at 3. As usual after a big turkey dinner, we were pretty lazy for the rest of the evening.

Nov 27^th – Fri

Terry had a couple of things that he wanted to get at Harbor Freight and we woke up early so we were in the truck shortly after 7 – almost unheard of unless golf is involved. After Harbor Freight we stopped at Target and got some blue, ? rope lights. Then we went to the Marketplace to get a couple of decals to put on our sliding glass doors into the garage so someone doesn't walk into a door sometime. We thought the vendor was on the first or second row. We entered about 1/3 of the way down the first row and started walking. After the first, second & third rows we figured it was on the part of the first row that we missed so we went down the end and all the way down the first row. Still no vendor so back to the 4^th row where we found it about halfway down. Terry had 6400 steps on his FitBit as we were walking back to the truck! Good trip though as we both got sunglasses as well.

We continued east to Mickey D's for breakfast. When we got back, we put out the new lights and decided we really needed to get 2 more strings. I saw that the shelf was empty behind the boxes that we got at Target so we took the motorcycle to another Target store and got more lights.

We went to MCY from 3 to 5 and line danced. The band (Triplicity) started with rock 'n roll and then put on some cowboy hats for country music which brought out more dancers. Right after MCY we went to Moe & Trish's for dinner along with Bob & Dar. One more time – good friends, good food, lots of laughs.

Nov 28^th – Sat

We had slightly later tee times this morning which was good as it was cool. Unfortunately there were a couple of groups ahead of us who were walking so play was a bit slow. Bruce & Ann were hosting lunch and for a change we were looking to sit in the sun rather than the shade. By the time everyone got back from golfing and we finished lunch, it was 3 o'clock.

We went to a dance with Road Runner from 7 to 10. They play a lot of rock 'n roll so we danced less than usual. Maybe we were tired?!

Nov 29^th – Sun

We had a quiet morning as the Grey Cup festivities didn't start until 2:30. Terry did a bit of running around on the motorcycle and I put together a potato casserole for dinner. I also had a nice long phone call from my sister Marg.

At 2:30 we went to Brian & Bev's park model where everything was set up in the carport to watch the football game. Across the street at Larry & Suz's there were chairs & propane heaters for the people (mostly women) who didn't want to watch the game as there is not enough room to seat everyone in front of the TV. Also, this prevents the chatting of non football fans from disturbing the hard core fans!

We had appies before the game started and ate dinner at half time. In the past we have had dinner after the game but it gets too late and too cold. We had turned on the mattress pad before leaving so we crawled into our nice warm bed to watch TV when we got back.

Nov 16th to 23rd - Mesa

Nov 16^th – Mon

I am totally shocked at how far behind I am in the blog! I was thinking 5 or 6 days!

We went to Ft McDowell casino at 9 with Don & Susan. Rather than having breakfast at the casino, we “donated” some money and then introduced Don & Susan to Chen's Chinese Restaurant in Fountain Hills. They loved it as much as we do.

It was very cool with possible rain so MCY was moved into the ballroom. Tiana Ricciardi sings and teaches line dances if people want to learn. We did some dances that we already know and a couple that she taught. Unfortunately the notice that music moved inside went out rather late so there weren't a lot of people there.

Nov 17^th – Tues

We have been doing a lot so we skipped line dancing at Towerpoint and had a nice, late breakfast at home for a change. I wanted a baking dish that would be similar in volume to a 9x13 pan but would rotate in the convection oven. We went looking and found one at a Corning store after checking a couple of other stores.

We went a bit early to MCY as North Star was playing and they are popular. Lots of line dancing and fun with friends. After dinner we went to line dance lessons with Bob & Bobbie. We missed the first evening of a 4 week session but picked up the dances OK.

Nov 18^th – Wed

It was time for a visit to Total Wine today. We were also looking for folding patio chairs and found some at a Big 5. We were waiting for our favorite chairs to be back in stock at but decided to give up and get chairs that have a little side table and can be pulled up to a table for eating. Big 5 had some on sale and they were $5 less than the marked price when we checked out! We also each got a “chipper” golf club. I have thought about getting one and tried Lynne's when we golfed on Sunday.

We went to the courtyard early to get a table in the shade and then dance to Rich Mancini.

Nov 19^th – Thurs

We golfed at Las Colinas with Joey & Lynne. There was another foursome from here in front of us and we all stopped for lunch at Uncle Bear's after golf. Terry plays Las Colinas fairly often and says it is his favorite course so I wanted to try it. I did enjoy the course and lunch was good.

Seemed like we barely had time to catch our breath and change clothes before we went with Ron & Terri to a dinner show with the Rhythm Cats. George Staerkel left the AZ Opry and started this new group. We left a little early as Ron & Brian wanted to look at a golf cart on the way but it wasn't there any more so we had lots of time to find the new location at the Gold Canyon Golf Resort. The new venue leaves a little to be desired but the show was excellent.

Nov 20^th – Fri

Once again line dancing at 10 at Towerpoint bit the dust! This time I had a valid excuse – we had to get stuff ready for a park-wide patio sale tomorrow. Lots of stuff so it took a while to organize & price everything. We took a break for MCY with Wayne & Deb.

Nov 21^st – Sat

We were up early to get everything put out on tables for the sale that started at 8 but we had some shoppers quite a bit earlier. Terri, Elsie and Bob & Gail had some items also so we put everything on the empty site between us & Ralph & Elsie. We sold a lot but Terry was out spending money as I was taking it in! Joyce came over to talk about buying a group housewarming gift for Brad & Clare and shortly after Terry heard about a nearly new patio heater for sale so he took off and got it. Used twice and the full propane tank was available also. So then Joyce had to run around with a card to sign and money to collect.

We wrapped up the sale just before noon and went to the courtyard for lunch before dancing from 1 to 3 with Jeff Stephens who is now one of the members of the Rhythm Cats. He played a little longer but we had to leave to attend Brad & Clare's open house at their park model which they purchased late last spring. Of course not everyone was ready to quit so we sat out with a group after that party.

Nov 22^nd – Sun

The Saturday golf group played today due to activities yesterday. Cool in the morning but warmed up nicely. We all went to Fuddrucker's for lunch.

After a brief rest, we did some grocery shopping and got a propane tank filled. Raspberries & ice cream for dinner!

Nov 23^rd – Mon

We were having Dennis & Gloria and Ernie & Dianne over for dinner & cards so we set up the garage with a large round table and 6 plastic patio chairs. It worked really well.

I didn't go to MCY as I was cooking and I'm not fond of Dan the Music Man. Everyone arrived just after 5 and we first sat outside to enjoy a drink before dinner. Ernie & Dianne sold their park model and will be leaving in a month which makes us very sad. They just couldn't justify the expense with the devalued Canadian dollar and they have a condo in Kelowna which is one of the least ugly areas in BC for the winter.

I made seafood lasagne for dinner and then we played Ponytail Canasta. We were nice to each other (!!) and the ladies won one game and the guys won one. Tons of fun and lots of laughs.

Nov 24^th – Tues

It was Dennis' birthday today and Gloria asked us to golf with them and then go to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Gloria thought our tee time at Royal Palms was 10:30 but when we got there early we found it was at 10:40. Luckily the tee box was empty so we got to start early. Royal Palms is a short 9 hole course which Terry has not played. It is lovely & green with strategically placed ponds waiting to gobble golf balls. The weather was perfect and the golf was fun. Notice that I didn't say that the golf was perfect!!

Lunch was good and we all took our cheesecake home as we were full but Gloria insisted that if you go to the Cheesecake Factory you have to order dessert.

Terry went to MCY with Guilty Pleasures and I rested for a bit and then joined him. I chatted with Gary Kullman and then Bob rather than dancing – a nice change. We joined a group around a fire pit after the music. When we got back, Linda & Bill's motorcycles were parked in front of our place and they were over at Ralph & Elsie's so we made a drink and joined them. When Bill & Linda left, we left Ralph & Elsie to eat dinner and we went to Dennis & Gloria's as a group was supposed to be there having a birthday drink with Dennis. The group was next door at Duane & Sue's so of course we sat down for a bit. When Duane & Sue were ready for dinner we went back to Dennis & Gloria's. Whew!!!

Nov 9th to 15th - Mesa

Nov 9^th – Mon

Here I go again trying to remember a week's worth of fun! After coffee & games we decided to go to Ft McDowell casino as Terry was needing his slot fix! We had lunch in the snack bar first (very good sandwiches and burgers) and proceeded to win & lose in the usual fashion.

We had a light dinner before going to MCY from 6 to 8 with Harry Mathews. The courtyard was already quite full when we got there so we sat with Colleen & group who were having her birthday celebration a little early.

After MCY we joined a rowdy group around a propane firepit at Bob & Dar's.

Nov 10^th – Tues

We skipped going to line dancing at Towerpoint so we could attend the grand opening at 11 of the new shuffleboard courts and the redo of the putt putt golf course. The park provided burgers & brats for lunch along with beverages including wine & beer. Of course there was a huge turnout and a chance to say hi to more friends who have recently arrived at VVV.

We went to MCY with Dakota Kid which means lots of line dancing. Barely time for a bite to eat before going to line dance lessons led by Bob & Bobbie.

Nov 11^th – Wed

Terry went golfing with the guys. I phoned my brother Bob to wish him Happy Birthday and had a nice long chat with him. I don't talk to him often so it is good to catch up. I continued my organizing by cleaning up a couple of shelves in the pantry and then put together a salad for later.

We went to a gathering at 3:30 hosted by Moe & Trish, Duane & Sue and Vic & Jackie. It was held at the bocce courts so we played before eating the yummy planned “pot luck” dinner. I say “planned pot luck” as dishes are coordinated to avoid several potato dishes and no dessert. Another great afternoon/evening with super friends.

Nov 12^th – Thurs

The Camping World ambassadors (Larry & Wandella) sponsored coffee & doughnuts this morning. There was a huge turnout as they bring lots of items for door prizes. I won a goodie bag from the VVV sales department and Terri got one of the gifts from Camping World.

We had plenty of time to do laundry before going to the courtyard to dance to Reign-n-Country. We had a few people over after MCY to have a drink, sit around the buddy burner and a couple of people had to check out our rig.

Nov 13^th – Fri

We skipped line dancing at Towerpoint again as we were feeling lazy! We spent the morning with games, Terry buzzing here & there on the motorcycle and me puttering around in the kitchen. We went for a few groceries at WalMart and had lunch at McDonald's while we were there.

At 3:30 we took Ron & Terri and Bob & Dar with us to Milo & Laverne's in Queen Creek. We filled the back of the truck with chairs and other belongings. We were stopped at a light just before getting on the freeway when a young lady knocked on the window and said our tailgate was open. Oops. Terry ran back and found some items on the tailgate but we didn't lose anything.

Milo & Laverne are from B.C. and know quite a few people who come to VVV for the winter so their entire guest list was from here. It was another pot luck dinner with lots of great food and the weather was perfect to sit outside by a huge propane fire pit. I was the DD going home which was good for a lot of ribbing & laughs as Terry sat in the middle of the front seat in the truck.

Nov 14^th – Sat

Terry cleaned up the motorcycle and I put dinner in the crock pot so we were ready to go for a ride at 11. We went to Fountain Hills with Bob & Claudia, Ralph & Elsie and Reese & Diane. We had lunch at Chen's – as good as usual – and then went through the huge art & craft sale that is held twice a year in Fountain Hills. It was not as hot as previous years so it was very enjoyable to wander up & down the vendor tents.

Diane wasn't feeling well and they had to leave early. When the rest of the group got back we had a drink at Ralph & Elsie's where we were joined by Joe & Jean. After dinner we went to a dance in the ballroom. The Brookharts provided the music which was varied and very danceable which meant we didn't sit out many dances. They didn't even take a break so that was 3 hours of great exercise.

Nov 15^th – Sun

It was a cloudy, cool day for golf and the last 3 groups got wet as it started to rain just as we were leaving the parking lot. Lunch was at Bill & Beth's park model. Beth had tables & chairs set up and then had to wipe them all down and we helped move some under cover next door and the rest of the group ate on the porch or inside. Good lunch again.

We were definitely ready to kick back & relax for the rest of the afternoon. I made dinner and had it in the oven when Moe & Trish stopped by with information on an outing this week. We persuaded them to stay for a drink so we had a nice chat with them.

Nov 4th to 8th - Mesa

Nov 4^th – Wed

I made breakfast before going for a haircut at 12:30. Not sure what we did for the rest of the afternoon.

At 4:00 we dried off the bike and went to Ron & Mary's for dinner. We had a lovely dinner & evening with them. Had to wipe rain off the bike again before going home but at least it wasn't still raining.

Nov 5^th – Thurs

Terry played golf this morning and I went to coffee & doughnuts with Terri & Dar. Then I had some time to leisurely reorganize the cupboards & drawers in the bathroom. Love to get that sort of thing done.

I had the truck so I did some shopping as I was looking for things that might have been to much to carry in the bike. Turns out I didn't get much. When I came back just after 1:00, there was a sign saying power was out in part of the park from 1 to ? due to something being replaced.

At 3 when MCY was to start, the power was still out but when it came back on around 4 Van Arlon was there to play and we were there to dance.

Nov 6^th – Fri

Ron & Terri had their concrete poured this morning so Terri asked if I would take videos of the work. It is obvious that the crew has done this before! We were a little surprised to see a woman driving the big cement truck and carrying the metal trough extensions.

We went to line dancing at Towerpoint at 10. It was cool enough that I put on long pants but was wishing I hadn't when I danced in the sun. Jean gave us another bowl of stew so we enjoyed it for lunch – yum!

We went to MCY (not the best singer) and weren't too hot sitting in the sun. Just needed shade if you were facing it directly. Ken & Susie have been wanting to see our rig but Ken had to play poker so Susie came over anyhow. Bill & Linda were out for a walk and joined us along with Larry & Julie.

Nov 7^th – Sat

Golf tee times started at 9 but we were delayed by a tournament in front of us. I was put with 3 guys – Ron, Terry & Bob C. - and I had a good game with a birdie for a change. The nice thing about the birdie is that it was on a green with a really wicked hole placement on a slope and if my putt had missed I could just a easily putted a couple more times.

We all went for lunch at The Hub and we were joined by some spouses who didn't golf. The place was packed as usual on the weekend but we had a good lunch washed down by $7 pitcher of beer. Needless to say we needed a rest when we got back.

We went to a dance at 7 with music by Tory Edwards (fiddler) and his band. They are good but take a couple of long breaks. Luckily they play recorded music and we still danced during the breaks. Ralph & Elsie and Chris & Anne joined us around a buddy burner for a nightcap.

Nov 8^th – Sun

We had a quiet morning and a yummy, late breakfast. We took the bike to get a few groceries and ran around a bit looking for “party picks” which we finally found back at Fry's where we had shopped first.

I had to make a couple of items for a party today. It had a Hawaiian theme so I made Spam kabobs – a cube of Spam and a pineapple chunk on the previously mentioned party picks. They looked nice on a green platter and disappeared quickly – who knew?!!

The party was held at the Rancho's pool & patio and hosted by Dennis & Gloria. A lot of the guests played in the pool first, everyone ate as much as they wanted and some people danced to music by Bruce & Duane. A super evening all around!

Nov 1st to 3rd - Mesa

Nov 1^st – Sun

Good thing we didn't have too much fun last night as we golfed at 8 this morning. I was in a cart with Trish and we always have a good time. We have gone back to taking turns making lunch for the group rather than spending too much time & money at a restaurant. We put in $10 per couple and 2 couples (OK, mostly the women) decide what they want to make. Today was Dar & Terri's turn and we had a great lunch as usual.

We were relaxing when Elsie came over to invite us for dinner along with their friends Jim & Sherry and Bob. Jim & Sherry still work (nasty word!) and rent out their park model for part of the year. Bob is Sherry's dad who we have met previously and we enjoyed getting to know him better.

Nov 2^nd – Mon

I started the day with coffee and oatmeal/raisin cookies from lunch yesterday – yum!! We had to do laundry so I started separating the clothes when Terry said the “Country Store” was in the ballroom this morning so laundry was put on hold. It took us a long time to get through as we kept stopping to talk to friends – especially some who had just arrived.

When we got back I finished up sorting and we headed to the laundry. We walked back intending to have a late breakfast while the clothes washed. I had started cooking some onions & peppers when Ron & Ria stopped to see us – and the new rig of course. They went next door with Terry to see Ron & Terri's park model and I went back to put clothes in the dryers. We finally were finished with the laundry and just about finished eating “breakfast” when Don & Susan stopped.

At 3 we went to MCY and did some dancing but not as much as usual as the music was not quite as good for dancing as normal. We sat out with Ron & Terri and Bob & Dar before coming in for dinner. Larry & Suz had arrived during MCY so we walked over to say hi and have a chat. We were ready to leave when Harry & Cathy stopped so we finally called it a day.

Nov 3^rd – Tues

Terry had a sore back and was feeling lazy so I picked up Barb & Harlan to go to line dancing at Towerpoint. It was a bit cooler and there was often a nice breeze so it was nicer dancing outside than on previous hot days. 

Terry helped Ralph trying to get his hot water working correctly and I enjoyed some down/alone time with a bit of puttering to ease my conscience about not being productive!

At 3 we went to MCY to listen to Dueling Pianos. The 2 guys are great pianists and decent singers. Last year they brought “empty” grand pianos which held their electronic pianos but this year they didn't carry along all that unnecessary baggage.

Right after MCY we went to dinner at Dennis & Gloria's. Brad & Clare arrived today so Gloria made dinner for all of us. Same as usual – good food, great friends!!

Oct 29th to 31st - Mesa

Oct 29^th – Thurs

We remembered to go to coffee & doughnuts at 8:30 – nothing much new & exciting. I caught up the blog and Terry hooked up to Ralph & Elsie's 5^th wheel to level it as it was off from side to side after the slides were out. I spent quite a bit of time browsing on the Grand Design forum while Terry went to get some information on electric blinds. Our big windows and the 2 on the end of the slide have pull down blinds but we have to stand on the dining chairs or recliners to pull them down & put them back up.

We went to Bob & Dar's for dinner along with Dennis & Gloria. Dar had set a table up outside and we were enjoying a drink when the wind came up and the temperature dropped so we moved everything inside. After dinner we played cards and I won one game and Bob won one. Great evening.

 

Oct 30^th – Fri

We went to line dancing at 10:00 at Towerpoint and then stopped for lunch at Red Mountain Cafe – so so food this time. We ran a couple of errands before coming back to enjoy a little “down” time. MCY was moved to 6-8 again and it was great dancing to The Brookharts in cooler weather.

We were walking out of the courtyard and saw Ernie & Dianne coming towards us. They had just arrived so we came back to our place where we were joined by Pender & Donna, Terri and Ralph & Elsie. Tours of our rig, drinks & lots of catch-up & laughs. Howie & Gina had invited us to their place after MCY so we headed there when everyone left. We were just in time to enjoy chatting with them and a few of their remaining guests.

Oct 31^st – Sat

Bill & Linda sent an email to us & Ralph & Elsie suggesting a motorcycle trip to Fountain Hills for lunch. We shined up the bike and Terry had time to rush out for fuel before everyone was ready to leave. Bill & Linda each have a Spyder so we were a caravan of four bikes. We detoured by the lake & fountain before lunch and only had to wait 10 minutes for the fountain to shoot up at noon. It goes for 10 minutes at the top of the hour. I got a nice shot for FB.

We had lunch at Chen's Chinese restaurant. We have been there before and it is inexpensive and very good. We came back on a different route (Bush Hwy) for a little change of scenery.

We made a trip to Total Wine where we found the parking lots packed. Note to self – don't go there on the weekend! We made a couple of stops looking for plastic spiders for me for the Halloween dance tonight.

We are not costume lovers but we made a small effort for the dance. Not everyone was in costume and some had gone all out. We had our usual great time.

Oct 24th to 28th - Mesa

Oct 24^th – Sat

We golfed at 8 this morning with the Saturday group organized by Dar. We were paired with Jim & Grace. We were picking Phyllis up at the airport at 12:40 so we were the first group to play. Good thing because the play ahead of us was slow and the plane was 10 minutes early. After dropping Phyllis off we went to McDonald's for lunch as we were starving. The rest of the golfers went to OTG (On The Green) for lunch and Moe & Trish did not return until after we were back – slow service.

We went cruising around the park on the motorcycle in the late afternoon and someone called to us to stop as we went past a motorhome with 4 people sitting outside. It was Al & Brenda and their friends Leo & Lynn. Al & Brenda are from Midway B.C. and we met them briefly at Rock Creek through our friends Claude & Val. They follow our blog so knew we were in VVV and knew we had a Spyder. The 2 couples go to San Carlos MX in January and will stay here until then. We had a beer with them and a nice visit – the first of many I am sure.

Oct 25^th – Sun

Here I go again! I don't remember too much about this lazy day. We had a visit from Carolyn for a hello hug and a tour of our rig. We joined Dennis & Gloria for a drink before going for dinner. Jerry & Becky wandered by so they came for dinner at the Chinese buffet as well. Of course we had to have another drink after dinner.

Oct 26^th – Mon

After a coffee & goofing off we went to move Ralph & Elsie's 5^th wheel to their site. First we had to go to the office to request a ranger for an escort from storage to the site. They are stricter about it this year – sure had the lady in the office confused about what we wanted to do but Pat was the ranger who answered the call and she knew what we were doing. No problem backing it in and Eladio even came over with a compliment on how well we worked together. Not hard when the driver is good – and listens when I say stop. Terry was doing a bit of setup on the 5^th wheel when Rosemary stopped by for a tour of our new home.

We went to MCY at 3 with Reign-n-Country. We stayed after 5 chatting with a group until our umbrella was the only one left for the work campers to tie up.

Oct 27^th – Tues

Terry woke up with a very sore hip and was hobbling severely. No idea what the heck caused it. I picked up Ron & Mary to go to line dancing at Towerpoint. When I got back Terry was sitting outside watching TV and was still limping so I gave him a couple of pain pills that I take for headaches.

We went out for lunch and found Burger King closed for remodeling so we went to Albertsons for a few groceries and something for lunch. After lunch we were playing computer games and Terry suddenly said his hip didn't hurt any more. Sure enough when he got up he wasn't limping. Very weird.

We went to Jim & Grace's at 4 for “chili & smokies” along with a bunch of our friends. We had to leave early for a birthday party for Irene that started at 6. Rich Mancini was providing music so we got to dance. Great party!

Oct 28^th – Wed

Terry golfed today so I puttered & enjoyed my alone time. I even rode the motorcycle the short distance to Albertson's for one ingredient for dinner and picked up ice for Terri at McDonalds. When Terry got back we had some leftover chicken for a late lunch before going to MCY at 3.

Ralph & Elsie arrived today so I had dinner in the crockpot and they joined us right after MCY. Good food, good drinks, great friends!!

Oct 20th to 23rd - Mesa

Oct 20^th – Tues

It felt good to update the blog today. We went to line dancing at Tower Point, had lunch there on the plaza and then watched a demo of line dances done by our instructor and his dancing partner.

Terry got antsy mid afternoon so we made a trip to White Horse Casino which we wish we hadn't. It was the worst we have done at a casino for a long time. Dennis & Donna were here to drop off their motor home so we got hugs and they “toured” our new home before we had a drink with them, Ron & Terri and Bob & Dar.

After dinner we walked over to see the pieces that Harlan (Fatzinger) built for their park model. He is an amazing carpenter and made a buffet to replace a desk in the kitchen area, a desk for the AZ room and a storage cabinet over the toilet in the half bath. Of course we had to stay to enjoy a Moscow Mule!

Oct 21^st – Wed

Ron & Terry went golfing this morning so I went with Terri to return an item to Costco and pick up some folding chairs. Then I got a little ambitious and vacuumed & mopped the floors. From 12:30 to 2:30 was a Renters & RVers party put on by the sales department. We had a whole table of friends, drank too much wine and had a nice lunch. From there it was time to regroup and head to the patio for 3 to 5 Music in the Courtyard (MCY) where the drinking & fun was in addition to the line dancing.

Moe & Trish and Duane & Sue arrived today so Terry decided we needed a happy hour at our place and started inviting people when MCY was done. I have no idea how many showed up as I was busy with tours of our home for a while. When everyone left I made a sandwich for Terry for dinner & we were done.

Oct 22^nd – Thurs

We started with coffee & doughnuts in the ballroom and then hit the laundry room. Terry helped Ron set up his satellite dish and I did some cleaning up & organizing here & there in the rig. After lunch we relaxed & goofed off – lovely!

Gloria & Dennis had a happy hour(s) at their place to properly welcome Moe & Trish and Duane & Sue. The weather was perfect to sit out of the sun in the carport and still be warm. This is a lovely time of year here. A small group of diehards stayed until 9:30 and of course we were part of that group.

Oct 23^rd – Fri

We went to line dance lessons/exercise class at Towerpoint from 10 to noon. The instructor actually calls it Happy Hour as he is not teaching entire dances all the time but rather sequences of at least 3 different steps that we do to music. The instructor is excellent and we get a lot of exercise in the 2 hours. Today it was outside under a big canopy and some of us were partly in the sun which was pretty hot. When we got back, Bob and Harlan helped us remove the cover from Ralph & Elsie's 5^th wheel in preparation to move it from storage in a few days. Leftovers for lunch and then some down time.

Doug & Delores came by for a visit and then Dennis & Gloria stopped in and had a drink with us. We went to MCY from 6 to 8 for 2 more hours of line dancing. Some of the music in the courtyards have been changed from 3-5 to 6-8 as it is cooler. We have been getting good turnouts.

Sept 8th to Oct 20th - Mesa

So - another catch-up blog entry for “only” a month & a half but what a busy time!
We had to get a new back tire on the bike and then we took it in for some modifications so hot air doesn't blow so much on your feet. Luckily the hot air modification was covered by a Cal-Am recall. Each of these things involve Terry riding the bike and me following in the truck to pick him up and then the reverse when we got the bike back. On one of the trips we stopped at Famous Footwear and were lucky enough to find a pair of sandals on clearance for Terry. Considering how much he likes to shop for shoes this is a great deal.

We were still looking for a new rig so we made a trip to Surprise to look at a Momentum that we had seen in Mesa but was advertised for a lower price in Surprise. Unfortunately it was a 2015 with only 2 axles and the salesman was obnoxious. As all my facebook friends know, we did buy a new toy hauler which was a huge undertaking.

We traded in both the Montana and the little toy hauler so we first had to empty everything out of the toy hauler and were lucky enough to be able to stash it all in Neal & Robin's storage trailer. We unloaded everything from the underneath storage in the Montana and made a huge “Beverly Hillbillies” pile under, on and around the round table on the patio. Then we covered it all with a couple of tarps and tied it with rope. We packed up most of the Montana – except clothes, toiletries & stuff in the fridge and put the boxes in the underneath storage so we could just move from there to the underneath storage in the new rig and put away when we got parked on our site.

We “signed on the dotted line” on Monday Sept 14^th and took the toy hauler in on Tuesday. There was someone looking at it to buy before we left the lot. We took the Montana in on Wednesday with the intention of leaving it there for the day so they could move the satellite dish to the new rig and then we would move stuff over and take our new house back. We were eating a late breakfast when the salesman called to say they could not move the satellite as it involved more than they thought (we asked if someone wanted to come and see it beforehand!) so we hustled back to figure things out. The whole deal was going to blow up if we didn't pay another $1000 so we offered to pay half (which was supposed to buy a back up camera!) and they said OK. Unfortunately, by now it was too late to move the satellite and the best installer was off on Thursday so we ended up grabbing some bedding, clothes & toiletries and hauling the little toy hauler back so we had a bed for a couple of nights. When we got here we discovered that we didn't have a 30 Amp outlet on our site and had no conversion plug (packed in the Montana) but we had enough cords to reach our neighbors' (Ron & Terri) power box so we were good.

On Thursday we went back to move stuff over to the Momentum. It was being prepped and had a space beside it so they could pull the Montana up in the opposite direction so our doors were together. When the fork lift set down the Montana and went to back out it got stuck in loose gravel and it took a couple of guys over an hour to get it out. In the meantime, we were moving everything – Terry lugging the boxes from underneath storage and me moving clothes, etc that had not been packed up. Do I need to say that it was close to or at 100 degrees? At least the AC was on in the Momentum but had a hard time cooling things down with the door open all the time. Back to the little toy hauler for the night and then in to pick up the new rig on Friday. Of course it wasn't done when we got there but we did get it late in the day and Terry put it into our site with no problem.

Now the real work started with trying to figure out where everything was going to go. We had to put in extra shelves in the kitchen cabinets – LOVE Home Depot being so close and being so obliging about cutting lumber – get towel rods for the bathroom and cut down the board under the mattress since we had a king replaced with our queen and the dealer won't cut down the board as “it will void a warranty on that part of the rig”! Yup, I got the same information when I emailed the manufacturer about it. Talk about CYA! We built a simple desk in the garage for the computer and assorted papers that need a home. I have a stainless steel fridge so I can finally use magnets to post necessary items such as the monthly activity calendar and a grocery list. I will have to try hard not to let it get too junky!

We had a lovely break when we joined a bunch of friends on a music cruise on Saguaro Lake. We had dinner first – on land - and enjoyed music by Saguaro Sunset as the sun set (how appropriate!). Tons of fun. Lots of people were returning for the winter season so it wasn't all work. We had music in the courtyard a couple of times from 6 to 8 since it was so hot.

Dave & Phyllis and Ron & Terri showed up later in September so it was nice to have neighbors on the street. Actually Eladio Guiterrez was here early and is just a few sites down from us but leaving at the end of December. Bob & Dar are also here on our street now.

We had to make a trip to Total Wine with Ron & Terry and then we took them and Joe & Jean to At Home as they had never been there. We bought blue rope lights which turned out to be greenish so we had to return them. We got more blue at Big Lots and they were less greenish but still went back and exchanged for white. We are kind of picky about the color as we have blue lights on the Momentum and the others clashed.

We had to get someone to complete the satellite TV hookup as the RV dealer just installed the dish and hooked it up to the input but didn't hook up the boxes to each TV. The installer at the RV dealer also thought he was doing us a favor by putting in a splitter so we could easily switch from satellite to antenna to park cable. Direct TV's Genies don't work with splitters so it took a couple of guys nearly 4 hours to figure everything out. Luckily they had given us an estimate and we paid only 50% more.

Canadian Thanksgiving was October 12^th so Terri & I organized dinner for 38. We had a bit of a challenge finding frozen turkeys but Smart & Final had them. Dinner turned out excellent as usual. We moved tables for eating onto the side of the street that was shaded by a couple of park models as it was still very hot.

We had a hectic few hours on Friday the 16^th. We were supposed to move a trailer from storage to a site at 4:00 and we got a phone call a 3:10 from Barb Fatzinger saying they were stranded in Wickenburg. Their car developed engine problems and they were towed into Wickenburg. They had a Uhaul filled with stuff and their Suburban was full including a wire kennel for their 2 dogs. They couldn't rent a vehicle that would tow the Uhaul so they wondered if we could possibly come get them. Terry went down the street to Eladio who agreed to move the trailer from storage. Then Terry left for Wickenburg and I stayed to coordinate the trailer move which was a good thing since there wouldn't have been room for one more passenger coming back from Wickenburg. I had dinner ready when they returned about 7:00 (rush hour traffic!) and then we helped unload everything so the Uhaul could be returned the next day. I don't believe there was a 4 cubic inch empty space anywhere in that trailer. It was a marvel of packing!

We had the first golf outing of the Whiskey Row Hackers on Sunday the 18^th. It was followed by lunch at the Duchess bar & grill as The Hub messed up Dar's plans for us to eat there. So nice to get back into some of our fun activities including line dancing at Tower Point a couple of times and hopefully the rest of the winter.

Thanks to Claude & Elaine for kicking me in the butt to catch up the blog!! Once again I will try to keep up but I am sure that once again I will fall behind!

Aug 24th to Sept 7th - Las Vegas to Mesa AZ

Aug 24^th to 26^th – Las Vegas NV

Short drive to Main Street Station RV park. We did our usual gamble, eat, walk to Freemont, etc. We took the bike (hot weather!) looking for a WalMart one day and ended up at a different casino for a while. Robin & Neil Umatum were housesitting in Vegas and invited us to a pool party on Wednesday. We had a very nice time catching up with them and meeting Robin's sister and her husband. Oh yeah, we had good food too but never did get in the pool!

Aug 27^th to 29^th – Prescott AZ

We are scouting for a summer RV park. Prescott (rhymes with biscuit) is at 5200 feet so it doesn't get so hot in the summer. It is a big enough town that it offers several versions & multiple locations of all needed amenities (including a casino unfortunately!). We stayed at the Elks club which is in Prescott Valley about 8 miles from downtown Prescott. There were no full hookups available but we could park beside the building with 110 electric and we had fresh water in our rig.

On Thursday we took the bike to Jerome on a winding, hilly road that we cleverly bypassed with our 5^th wheel a couple of years ago. We had a late breakfast and headed back in pretty hot weather. We checked out a couple of large RV parks and put our names on a waiting list for a site for next summer at one of them. They have quite a few scheduled activities during the summer and the staff seemed very friendly & helpful.

On Friday evening we went to a dance at the Elks club and had a great time dancing to country music. We joined in a line dance and found out that a group goes to 3 different locations to line dance each week.

Saturday morning we wandered through a big swap meet close to the Elks club and were looking for shade. Terry's Fitbit band bubbled again so we put Best Buy in the GPS and headed the bike into town. I saw some big, black clouds shortly after we got on the highway and just as we decided/hoped that were going in a different direction it started to rain. A few seconds later it poured! We had rain gear but saw we weren't too far from Best Buy. Unfortunately, we hit every traffic signal and the GPS had a hard time getting us through a shopping center and onto another road so we were totally soaked when we got there. It took a while for Terry to get his new FitBit and the rain had stopped but we weren't even out of the parking lot when it started again. This time we did put on rain gear just to keep us warmer since we couldn't get much wetter. The rig looked like a Chinese laundry when we got back!

 

Aug 30^th to Sept 7^th - Mesa

We debated about checking out Payson for a summer RV park but decided it was just too small and probably not cool enough so headed for “home”. It wasn't a very long drive so we had time to unload stuff from the toy hauler and then park it in storage. Everything was OK with the 5^th wheel.

We went in Monday morning to register and found out that there was a baked potato lunch so I took the bike to Albertsons for a topping (creamed corn) and we joined friends for lunch & hugs. Tuesday was salad lunch day and, more importantly, haircut day for me! A salesman took us around on a golf cart to look at park models that have been turned over to the park rather than the owners paying rent for the next year. Of course they are older places but Terry thought we might get one cheap, fix it up a bit and rent it out. Think that phase passed!!

Wednesday we stopped at the RV place that fixed warranty issues on our toy hauler when we saw that they had XLR toy haulers. Terry talked to a factory rep about the issues with fitting the Spyder in the 385AMP and we have to send him the bike specs. We started Thursday with coffee & doughnuts and found out that we will get to meet the new managers at a “meet & greet” lunch on Tuesday. Joe & Jean came over Thursday for happy hour (supposed to be more but wires got crossed so Mark & Colleen, Bill & Beth and Lynette came a bit later) and then we all went to Rooster's for line dance lessons.

Grocery shopping Friday and I put a roast in the crock pot as Larry & Julie were arriving today and we invited them for dinner. They came over early as it was so hot in their park model and they figured it would cool down by the time they got back. After dinner Julie called to say it was still hot in the house so we went over and still couldn't get cool air. Luckily it was quite cool outside so I managed to get some windows open and cooler air going through the place. In the meantime, Larry & Terry were trying to open the shed but the key wouldn't open the door (or at least the key they thought was the shed key!) and no other key would work.

On Saturday, Julie ended up calling a locksmith for the shed and we tried all sorts of things with the AC including research on the internet before deciding they would need a repair guy. Turns out it was a lack of freon. The guy couldn't find a leak but they have cool air. On Sunday we made a trip to Verizon to find out why our bill was higher than expected. I asked why I couldn't see all the details on the computer that the tech was seeing and she said my phone number was the account manager but Terry's phone number was the owner. Apparently the account manager doesn't get to see everything! We went to Ft McDowell casino for a while and then to Chen's Garden restaurant in Fountain Hills for a late lunch/early dinner.

On Monday Natalie sent a message asking if we could help Julie with her phone so we walked over and found Julie trying on clothes so she could see what to get rid of so she can fit in things she brought with her. Her phone took a bath in a glass of Coke (quick stop in the car, phone slides off the console!) and still worked but only when plugged in so it seemed the battery was toast. Terry opened it up & wiped everything, then messed around with an old phone of Julie's and dug out an old phone of ours. Later Julie called to say the phone worked without being plugged in – go figure. Al & Linda dropped by to visit and we discovered that we forgot to go to a potluck lunch that we signed up for! Better get our calender marked – and it would help if we knew what day of the week it is!

Bonnie invited us over so we joined her group when Al & Linda left. The guys sat outside while the ladies enjoyed the AC inside. We ate, drank & laughed for hours – perfect party. We even did one line dance and Bonnie showed off her baton twirling expertise!

Aug 18th to 23rd - NV, UT, NV

Aug 18^th – Tues

After coffee & goofing off, we went to Reno for a late breakfast and some more slot play. No, we don't really get tired of casinos unless they are beating us up really bad!!

Then it was time to do laundry in a REALLY nice laundry room at the RV park. Terry helped carry everything and then I sent him back so I could enjoy a book while the clothes were washing & drying.

Put away, make the bed, etc. I had started dinner before doing laundry so I finished it up and we had a nice quiet evening.

Aug 19^th – Wed

We got a fairly early start and continued to head east to Wells NV. We got a message that the truck needed DEF so we found a WalMart for that and a few other items. I had us going in the wrong direction for an RV park but we saw a decent place just off the highway and checked in for a couple of nights.

Not too much exciting for the rest of the afternoon & evening!

 

Aug 20^th – Thurs

After coffee and breakfast, we went for a bike ride to Angel Lake which is not too far from Wells. You get to the bottom of some mountains and then climb on switchbacks for 4 miles to a beautiful lake with a backdrop of lovely mountains. We went there 6 years ago but earlier in the year when there was still a lot of ice on the lake which didn't keep people from fishing.

When we got back we stopped at the golf course to see if we could play. The course is just down the road from the RV park so they let us take the golf cart to the RV park to pick up our clubs – hard to carry them on the bike and we hadn't unhooked the truck. Small towns are great!

The course is 9 holes with different tee boxes to play 18. It is fairly long and the wind was quite strong so we played the same tee boxes for both 9's. We haven't played golf since we left Mesa so we were tired. Back to the RV park to drop off the clubs and pick up the bike. Quite a day. Of course the cook's day wasn't done!! Actually we had a salad when we got back and then dinner later.

Aug 21^st Fri

If anyone is looking at a map you may think that we are traveling in odd directions since we went to Logan UT today. The reason was to look at the XLR 385AMP toy hauler again.

We headed NE out of Wells on 233 which is a lonely, straight highway. It changes to 30 in Utah and has miles & miles of hay fields with large rectangular bales which are generally destined for shipping overseas on ships.

When we got to Logan we looked unsuccessfully for an RV site and finally had lunch and went to the RV dealer. We were so disappointed to find that the width might be doable for the Spyder but there is not enough available length due to the width and a corner cabinet. We didn't really check the length previously as the toy hauler part is supposed to be 12 feet but that is apparently not so.

Now we were back to trying to find an RV park. Let me say again that Terry is VERY good at backing & turning! We saw solid traffic on I15 so we ended up somewhat east in Coalville at an RV park that Terry spotted from the highway. It was just fine and we were happy to be settled for the night. We didn't take the bike out so I worked around it to make dinner which we ate outside.

Aug 22^nd – Sat

We had a shorter driving day headed south, stopped for fuel & lunch along the way and stopped in Mesquite NV. We didn't have an RV park in mind when we stopped at the Casablanca Hotel & Casino. We saw signs for an RV park by the hotel but ended up at a narrow road with no obvious end or exit so we just parked and went in to the hotel/casino. We inquired at the registration desk and found out that there was an RV park so we got a site and went to park. The site was a short pull through that Terry had to back into due to trees & power posts so we parked in a big corner site and went back to the hotel where the very nice clerk said we could stay where we were with no additional charge. Smart lady since we would gamble & eat here!!

Hot weather so we went to the lovely pool to cool off. There was a shady area on one side with a ledge for sitting which was perfect. The bad thing was we didn't take any money to buy a drink at the bar! Of course we had to spend some time and a few dollars at the casino later.

Aug 23^rd – Sun

We had a lovely relaxing morning and then went for a nice brunch (mimosas included) at the hotel/casino. We followed that up with some slot play and then carried on to another casino down the highway a bit. We stopped at a grocery store for some items – limited to what we can carry in the bike and on my lap. We actually drank a large bottle of water while we were shopping and had the clerk ring it up and throw the bottle away!

After I put stuff away, we put on our suits and went to the pool which is just a short walk away. This time we took money and got very good – and expensive! - raspberry margaritas. By the time we finished our drinks we were cooled off and ready to head back for drinks, computer games & something to eat.

Aug 14th to 17th - OR, CA, NV

Aug 14^th – Fri

We originally were going to leave today but we saw that there was a dance at the Elks club so we decided to stay another day. It turned out to be a drizzly, cool day so we “hibernated”. We happened to tune to a TV station that had multiple shows of “Brain Games” and “Stupid Science” which explained the scientific reasons for dumb stunts going wrong. The shows were all fascinating and/or funny. Terry spent a lot of time on the computer looking for the toy hauler that interests us.

The dance was great! Dinner was available from 5:00 to 7:30 and the dance started at 7:00 which was when we arrived. We found 2 stools at the corner of the bar which was perfect as we could see everything and get out to dance easily. A husband & wife duo provided good music and we were told that they have played there for 20 years. Line dance lessons are given at the Elks so we joined a couple of their dances and then just did ones we knew by ourselves. The instructor came over to talk and ask where we learned to dance. At the end of the dance, we chatted with a couple (Ted & Janet Cook) who dance beautifully. Turns out they stay at VDO for part of the winter and Ted has come to VVV occasionally. It is so fun to dance again!!

Aug 15^th – Sat

We packed up, had to move to dump tanks, loaded the bike and headed south to destination unknown. We left the coast and headed towards I5 on a road (42) that we have not taken before as indicated by the lack of a green line on our map. We hit I5 just north of Canyonville so our break/lunch stop was Two Feathers Casino! For a change we both did OK and not only did we not lose our allowance, we made money!

We still hadn't decided where to stop, just to continue south. By Ashland I was searching for RV parks and we unfortunately found one! We pulled into the driveway and saw tents and, if it was the 60's, hippies everywhere. No where decent to turn around but Terry managed an amazing driving feat and got us headed out. “Mellow” people were standing around watching and complimenting Terry. The next place I found had an answering machine saying the office was closed but didn't mention that they had no vacancies so again Terry had to do a nifty back up turn around. Third time lucky? Nope! A dubious, messy place right beside the freeway. Could have had chickens running around. By now Terry didn't even want me to select a park in the GPS so we passed a decent looking park in Yreka. We exited to find it and had ANOTHER backing turn at an intersection where the road we were on said “no rigs over 50 feet total” and the other road stretched to infinitely over the hills. We did end up finding the park and as we stopped at the closed office, a nice guy pulled up on an ATV and led us to a very welcome pull through site. Time for a much needed drink before dinner.

Aug 16^th – Sun

I figured we needed a decompress day after yesterday so we went to the office and paid for last night & tonight. After a bit we took the motorcycle and found a WalMart for a few groceries including ingredients for a big burger that Terry was craving. I made a late breakfast when we got back and then entered a couple of days in the blog.

The weather was sunny but not too hot so we enjoyed sitting outside and being lazy. The burgers cooked on the BBQ were yummy!

We mistakenly thought both propane tanks were empty this morning so Terry went to the office to ask about getting them filled. They called someone who did the filling but he & his wife were on their way to a birthday party and said they would contact us when they returned. Guess they got back late because they didn't show up.

Aug 17^th – Mon

We loaded up and stopped at the propane filling station where we got both tanks filled/topped up.

Our tentative destination was Reno and we ended up in Sparks at a park where we have stayed previously. We encountered some road construction that had a sign warning of possible 30 minute delays but our line of traffic started moving just after we got there so it wasn't too bad. We were looking for somewhere handy for lunch but didn't spot anything easy in/easy out so went to the RV park & set up.

We took the motorcycle and went to a casino where we first had lunch. A coupon with offers for first time card members was misleading so after a bit of slot play we went to Harrahs. Thanks again to our GPS as some road construction messed us up.

We did better on the slots and a decent bonus for Terry put money back in his pocket. Back at the RV park we sat outside with a drink and then got out salami (thanks Doug & Delores!!), cheese & crackers for dinner since lunch was so late.