May 26th to 29th - Mesa to Show Low

May 26^th – Tues

We went out first thing and got the change of address faxed to the passport office. Terry got ambitious and switched everything to his new golf bag and cleaned both sets of clubs at the same time. After a late breakfast, we took the truck to pick up my repaired golf club and then got a few items for dinner.

I wanted a dry erase board to “inventory” the canned goods stored under the bed so we went to BigLots where we found one and a few other items of course.

We were watching TV just before dinner when the picture started breaking up. Terry did some checking and found that the AC/DC adapter was not working so we made a quick trip to Camping World to buy a new one.

May 27^th – Wed

We did laundry this morning in our usual “back & forth” manner and fit breakfast in between washing & drying. I cut Terry's hair and then we took the truck for some shopping at Costco and WalMart. Then find places to fit everything. We will be a bit further from shopping at Show Low so we are trying to think of items that we will need and may not be able to find easily. Terry talked me into a rice cooker/crockpot but it is staying in the 5^th wheel. Terry also succumbed to a tool kit in a nice case which he secured to the wall where it is readily available and doesn't take up valuable storage space.

I put a roast in my little crock pot when we got back from Costco and we were playing computer games when Bonnie called to ask us out for dinner. She picked us up and we went to Applebee's for a nice dinner. The roast will be dinner tomorrow! Bonnie came in for a drink afterwards and we had a lovely visit with her.

May 28^th – Thurs

We got things ready to go before going to coffee & doughnuts this morning. Hugs goodbye, load the bike and we were on our way to Show Low shortly after 9:00. We tried to call the owner of the lot we are renting as we approached Juniper Ridge Resort but there was no answer so we checked in, found the lot and set up. There was a different phone number on the storage shed so we called and the owners showed up from another area in the park.

We went exploring on the motorcycle and to buy dance tickets but the activity office closes at 2 so will have to check tomorrow. There are many houses and lots for sale in the park. Also a lot of vacant properties so owners may not have arrived for the season yet.

Our lot is situated so the toy hauler provides shade on the patio in the afternoon. We took advantage of warm but not hot weather to enjoy a drink & computer games outside before dinner.

May 29^th – Fri

We were pretty lazy this morning and finally went to the activities office at 11:30 to find out that ticket sales are only from 9 to 11 on Tuesday thru Friday! Apparently we can buy tickets at Monday morning coffee & doughnuts. We took the truck today for lunch, some more exploring & a bit of shopping. And of course a short visit to the casino!

We stopped at the admin office on the way back to get a mail box key which resulted in 2 trips as the first key did not work. There is a security gate at the entrance (past the admin office) which requires 7 keys to be pressed to release the gate. If someone is just ahead, the instructions say not to follow through the open gate as it is only supposed to stay open for 20 seconds. So you wait and it doesn't immediately close and then you get to decide whether to go or wait and then enter the code. I guess every place has its kinks!

It is really nice to open windows for a nice breeze and not have to run the AC. It was a little warm when we got back today so we were outside again. Lots of people walk by with their dogs and everyone waves or says hi. One guy asked what part of Spokane we were from and it occurred to Terry after he left that our license plate holder says Idaho. When the guy came back, Terry asked how he knew we were from Spokane and he said he just took a guess since a lot of people from Washington buy trucks in Idaho.

May 23rd to 25th - Mesa

May 23^rd – Sat

I caught up the blog and we played a lot of computer games since we each bought 24 hours of unlimited games on Farm Heroes! We drove the bike all over the park looking for someone to bug and ended up sitting in the middle of our street chatting with Bonnie, Colleen & Lynette who were running around in Bonnie's golf cart.

BBQ for dinner and a quiet evening.

May 24^th – Sun

A typical lazy morning followed by lunch at Burger King.

We stopped by Mark & Colleen's and found Mark installing shade panels on the side of their carport. He had quite a job with inconsistent spacing of posts, out of line posts and improperly installed decorative “posts” that he had to remove. The panels that were done looked really good. They invited us to join them, Bonnie & Lynette for dinner so we went to get a couple of steaks, I made “cookies & cream” for dessert and we headed back over.

We had another lovely evening and learned a new card game called “Sticks” that we won't add to our collection of games. We played Newfie Bingo with poker chips to show them how it is played.

May 25^th – Mon – Memorial Day

I forgot to mention that I called the passport office on Thursday and was pleased to find out that I could send a fax with a different address but I figured I better wait in case they processed the passport on Friday and it would get to Show Low before us.  I checked again with the passport office and they were waiting on a Fax with a new address! So Terry climbed over the counter in the 5^th wheel to get the printer and I put the information together that they needed. Then we drove all over town looking for a place that was open to send a Fax – no luck! Included in our driving was a stop at the PGA Golf store to have one of my clubs repaired. Luckily they were open including the repair shop. Terry got a new golf bag.

We stopped to pick up a bucket of chicken, I made an apple slaw, we put on our swim suits and went to join 12 others at the Rancho's pool for lunch and swimming. Also there were Mark & Colleen, Bill & Beth, Neal & Robin, Bonnie, Lynette & her daughter Tara with her daughter Eva, and Mark & DJ. It was a perfect afternoon with great friends and good food. We took our speaker and tablet and even did a couple of line dances beside the pool!

May 20th to 22nd - Mesa

May 20^th – Wed

We went to the office to sign up for another week and while we were there Terry commented on the huge weeds on the lot where we are staying. A short time later, 2 workers showed up with shovels to uproot the weeds and then came back to rake them all up when we went shopping. First we stopped for lunch at “Souper! Salad!” which was right beside a Staples where we were going to start shopping. It is a soup/salad buffet which I have enjoyed previously and Terry put up with for me! At Staples we saw a wire shelf but didn't get it right away since we were on the bike. After going through Tuesday Morning we went back to buy the shelf and came home to hang it up.

Now we needed 3 baskets or boxes to hold the “junk” that will be moved from the table to the shelf. We again took the bike to WalMart, another Staples, Kmart & BigLots with no success. At Hobby Lobby we were on our way out when Terry spotted some perfect boxes – 60% off! We were smart enough to leave Terry's helmet at home and could fit 2 boxes in that compartment and I got to hold to other one. When we got back we found out that they were indeed perfect and just had to rig up a bungee to hold them in place when we travel.

Terry was having problems with his Kindle and trying to buy promotions from games. First we searched the net for answers and finally ended up talking to a guy at Amazon who was wonderful. We had to deregister the credit card, totally delete the Amazon account and then set everything back up again. The support person was very patient and when he didn't have to ask how to spell “Sprague” we found out that he was based in the Tri Cities in WA.

May 21^st – Thurs

We went to coffee & doughnuts this morning. There was a small group as some people were going on a trip on the Desert Belle. Nothing exciting going on.

We went back to the casino and this time I was smart enough to take a book so I had something to do after I lost my money!!  When we got back, we called a lady in Show Low to rent their lot for the month of June.  Then we went to see if Robin still wanted to play golf tomorrow and ended up staying to play cards again. Neil is going to golf as well since he had made a mistake on an appointment that he thought was tomorrow. Robin brought out containers of yummy fruit which ended up being dinner since we weren't too hungry when we got home. We did end up with a dish of ice cream a bit later!

May 22^nd – Fri

Neil & Robin picked us up at 6:50 to play golf at Greenfield Lakes GC. The weather was absolutely perfect and we all had decent games. We decided to go to Joe's Farm Grill for an early lunch rather than joining the rest of the golfers at the Duchess. There was quite a large group today which makes it hard for the cook to get everyone's orders out sort of together and we wanted to see this new place based on Neil & Robin's recommendation.

The Farm Grill is on Ray Rd east of Greenfield. You can eat inside or outside under HUGE trees. We actually ended up having breakfast – except for Neil who had an egg on his burger so I guess it was breakfast! Then we walked around the rest of the grounds and through the second restaurant which had a different menu. Nice place, will return sometime.

We stayed at Neil & Robin's and played cards for a few hours. We had a couple of hours to relax and have a burger before going to a dance at Tower Point. Reign 'n Country was playing and we like to dance to them. A few people joined us on some line dances and we joined a couple of theirs. We sat with 2 people – Jack & Sandy – who were very nice and we enjoyed talking with them.

May 17th to 19th - Mesa

May 17^th – Sun

After a lazy morning we went to Ft McDowell casino since we were able to get our “$40 slot play for $25” offer. It took a long time to call it quits today. I had put a roast in the crock pot so we stopped to pick up some sweet potatoes and then had an early dinner and a quiet evening.

May 18^th – Mon

We left just before 8 for about a 3 hour drive to Show Low to check out some RV parks. Show Low is at a higher elevation than Mesa and has slightly cooler temperatures which makes it popular in the summer. We stopped at the visitor center and picked up a bunch of info which we looked at as we had an early lunch.

We went to Juniper Ridge resort and connected with a salesman right away which turned out to be a good thing as he drove us all around so we could see lots that could be rented. All lots are privately owned with many park models & larger homes as well as RV sites. The activity that interests us the most is line dancing 3 days a week from 9:00 to noon. We tried to find another park and ended up at the Hon-Dah casino where we spent some time and not much money. As we headed back we found & checked out 2 other parks. We stopped at Golden Corral (Terry never remembers that he doesn't like it!) for dinner.

May 19^th – Tues

Neal stopped by for coffee and a nice chat this morning while we were still goofing off and playing computer games. After a late breakfast, we went shopping/browsing at several stores including the huge American Furniture store just to see what it was all about. We were actually looking for a small cabinet to place at the end of the kitchen counter to provide a bit more counter space beside the only electric outlet in the “kitchen”.

When we got back we decided we could use a small table that we aren't using any more to make a shelf so that is what we did. It was a bit of a challenge and an evolving project but it turned out pretty good.

Just as we finished and hadn't even cleaned up everything yet, Neal & Robin came by to see where we wanted to go to dinner with them. We sat & chatted for a while and then went to Casa Ramos for a good dinner. Then went to their place to learn & play a new card game called “7”. It was fun even though Neal & I got badly beaten.

I called the passport office this morning and was told that someone had made an entry in my file on Friday that they had received the pictures but that was all they could tell me and suggested a call tomorrow would be too soon to know any more!

May 13th to 16th - Mesa

May 13^th – Wed

We were on the road before 8, stopped for doughnuts and then diesel. We got to VVV before noon and signed up for a week. We are parked in 116 (Ron & Terri's spot) as someone was going to be coming into 114. Terry had to climb over things in the 5^th wheel to get some items that we forgot including the hair clipper which we used right away.

We went to Bill & Beth's before going to a spaghetti dinner at 5 here in the park. Bonnie insisted that we take back the tickets that Terry won before we left. Our table was called first to get dinner but we didn't even finish eating when we HAD to get up to line dance to Rich Mancini. We had a great time but were disappointed and slightly surprised that a lot of people left before it ended at 7.

Of course a group was not ready to quit so we went to Bonnie's to continue the party. Rich even joined us for a while. The weather has cooled down a bit so it was wonderful to sit outside.

May 14^th – Thurs

I called the passport office as the pictures were delivered yesterday morning. The person I spoke with confirmed that the envelope was indeed there and then told me that the 20 working days processing time started over! I told her that a prior employee told me that it wouldn't take long to complete the passport once the pictures arrived as most of the processing had been done. I had some steam coming out my ears when I abruptly ended that conversation!

Terry went to get the truck cleaned up while I got a haircut from Holly. Then it was time to do 2 weeks worth of laundry. It was quiet the rest of the afternoon & evening.

May 15^th – Fri

We went golfing at Greenfield Lakes GC with a group from VVV. We left here before 7 and ended up golfing with Jerry and Mark & DJ. It is a pretty casual golf course so a group of 5 was not a problem and we were able to easily keep up to the group in front of us. We forgot to get a score card which was good as neither of us played particularly well. I did pull off some good putts and parred 4 holes. Terry finished in fine form on the second par 5 with a 330 yard drive and a second shot that rolled up on a little hill behind the green. No eagle but he did get a birdie.  All the golfers went to The Duchess restaurant for breakfast/lunch after the game.

It's a good thing that we played golf early as there was lot of rain in the afternoon. This is very unusual in May so the TV stations all aired stories about the rain and the snow in the northern areas of AZ. It was a good thing that we didn't plan to BBQ for dinner.

We went to Total Wine as we realized that we didn't stock up enough for the summer! We stopped at Dick's sporting goods looking for a Golf Buddy. They were out but said Van's would probably have them. We tried to follow their instructions and finally turned on the GPS to find a different location which did have the unit. It was raining so hard when we stopped that I stayed in the truck while Terry ran into the store.

May 16^th – Sat

It continued to rain most of the night – or at least it was raining every time I woke up. It was still fairly cool when we went to the Marketplace a bit later in the morning. We stopped at In 'N Out for burgers for lunch and then did a bit of shopping including Costco.

We actually went for a walk to see if Neal & Robin were home but they weren't. We came back and got the motorcycle and went cruising around the park. Bruce & Ann stopped by after their golf game and had a drink with us. Then it was time for dinner & TV.

May 8th to 12th - Parker

May 8^th to 12^th – Parker

Our “routine” in Parker is exactly that – routine! - and not exciting. The weather has remained the same – hot & windy. We take the motorcycle each day to the big town for a visit to the casino and some shopping. A few more people showed up for the weekend but no one to visit with.

We did play 18 holes of golf on Friday. We arrived right after a large group so we went back after an hour and then followed the group. Play was slow but not too bad until the back nine. There was a single golfer behind us and he joined us for 4 holes. The fairways had been plugged so any roll was interrupted by rock hard dirt pebbles. Not a good golf experience for $40 per person!

Facebook friends will know that my latest passport pictures have been delivered by SLOW mail. We mailed the pictures on Apr 27^th, they arrived in Los Angeles Apr 29^th and didn't leave there until May 4^th.  They left Louisville twice (?) on the 5^th, left Hamilton Canada 1 ½ hours later and left Montreal Canada 3 hours after that. No mention of customs yet!  On May 12^th they were processed through Custom Clearance sort facility in Canada – no town included. Two hours later an entry noted “Custom clearance processing completed”. 

We are heading back to Mesa and VVV tomorrow as we paid for a week here and we are mega bored.  As I mentioned previously, I have to sign for my passport when it is delivered by FedEx. Beth called to say that my new driver's license showed up so we can pick that up. We also forgot a couple of important items – FitBit charging cables and hair clippers. We can stay for 7 days at half price with Passport America and maybe my passport will show up by then. At least we have friends, a pool and some activities starting with the spaghetti feed and DANCE with Rich Mancini.

May 5th to 7th - Yuma to Parker

May 5^th – Tues

We stopped at the casino for breakfast and a little slot play again before my 11 o'clock appointment at the dentist. Yet another young lady popped the temporary crown off, did a bit of scraping to clean up the post and then out came the needle. I asked why numbing was needed and she said they have to get the crown way down in the gum which they proceeded to do so with all the equipment bumping on my sore mouth. It ended up taking an hour to complete.

We stopped again at the casino on the way back to return a bit of money that we took with us this morning!

We went to WalMart for a few items, stopped at Best Buy to see if they sell charging cables for FitBits – we left ours behind and no they don't carry them!!! - and headed back for R&R and an early dinner.

May 6^th – Wed

We have another problem with my passport. All completed passports are sent by FedEx and require the signature of the person who the passport belongs to. We are going to have to return to Mesa to take delivery of the passport! The latest passport pictures have not been delivered yet and we have to hang around somewhere so we decided to go to Parker for a week.

We stopped for lunch in Parker and then set up in La Paz County campground on the Colorado River where we have stayed previously. We spent part of the afternoon at the casino and then shopped at WalMart. My mouth is still sore but a nice cold drink soothes it somewhat!

May 7^th – Thurs

We had discussed going golfing early this morning but Terry said the decision was mine and I chose not to go. We were quite happy with that decision when the wind really picked up about 7:30. Also, who would think that you could end up with sore muscles in your leg from a dental appointment? On Monday when I was in the chair so long, my leg cramped really badly and of course I couldn't tell anyone and couldn't do anything about it so the calf muscle has been very sore.

After the usual morning putzing around and then lunch, we returned to town. We had to go back to WalMart as a cable that we bought yesterday had a defective connector. Then it was back to the casino to take advantage of free play for seniors and to see if we could add to our small winnings from yesterday. Nope!! We drove around to find an RV supply store to get a bubble level and came back.

The wind got even stronger in the late afternoon & evening. We did take a walk around the park but otherwise stayed inside watching TV (get lots of cable channels), doing computer stuff and otherwise being lazy.

Apr 29th to May 4th - Mesa to Yuma

Apr 29^th – Wed

Laundry this morning and then we continued moving stuff to the toy hauler. It was also a chance to clear out old food that sits in the back of cupboards, fridge & freezer. I was able to leave the freezer doors open after we transferred everything and it was the easiest defrost ever. I could just pry the frost buildup a bit and it came right off.

We went golfing at Lone Tree GC with Bruce & Ann. We had a 12:08 tee time but got off early as they weren't very busy. It was another nice course and another challenge for me as I just don't golf enough longer, 18 holes. It was a good thing that we played early as we had to go back for Terry's sunglasses and then get to the pool party at VVV which started at 5. Not too many people in the pool and no squirt guns. The music was not exceptional but the company of friends outweighs most negatives.

We weren't done when the pool party broke up. A group of us went to Bill & Beth's for a happy hour(s) in their back yard. Bruce brought his guitar and another good time was had by all.
 

Apr 30^th – Thurs
We went to coffee & doughnuts this morning and Terry won the draw - 2 tickets to a spaghetti feed which we can't use so he gave them to Bonnie.

We finished up moving a few items to the toy hauler and closed up the fifth wheel. Terry closed the bedroom slide and then loaded the bed with the items that need to be stored for the summer – fold down benches from the toy hauler and a table. He also moved the propane tanks inside since the compartment does not lock and the rig is uncovered this time.

We joined some friends at Ft. McDowell casino at 11:30. We left in time to get home, make a drink and go to Sun Life for “music in the ballroom” where Dakota Kid was playing. We did a lot of dancing – line and 2-steppin. There were 11 of us from VVV and a decent turnout from Sun Life. Then 7 of us went to China City Buffet for dinner. Nothing like cramming in a lot in one day!

 

May 1^st – Fri

We pulled out to load the bike and Bruce & Ann walked over for a final hug. We will certainly miss them.

We hit the road about 9:00 for our short trip to Yuma. We stopped for fuel and a sandwich and checked into River's Edge RV park in Winterhaven at 12:30. A flawless parking job by Terry and we were set up in a short time. It was hot but this park has large trees which provide shade in the afternoon. The last time we stayed here we ended up with ants in the rig so we will keep an eye out for the little buggers.

Drinks, dinner and a walk around the park for a little exercise.

May 2^nd – Sat

After coffee & computer games this morning we took the bike into Yuma. We drove around a bit before having something to eat and then finding that the flea market is not open at this time of year. Nothing else to do besides go to the Paradise Casino.

I won a bit as soon as we got there which is good & bad. Good because I have some of “their” money to play with and bad because we are not going to leave right away with $ in our pocket! We played for several hours and I ended up even while Terry left them his allowance.

We stopped on the way back for an item for dinner and had a quiet evening. We are situated on our site so we can open the window and watch TV from lawn chairs outside.

May 3^rd – Sun

Terry cleaned up the bike while I made a late breakfast and then we headed to the Quechan Casino which is way too close to this park. Again we both did OK – I broke even and Terry nearly covered his losses from yesterday.

It was too far & too hot to ride for groceries so I thawed some steaks and figured out dinner. Terry got out the BBQ and it was nice enough to sit in the shade and dine outside.

May 4^th – Mon

Today was the reason for being here and the one I was dreading – a trip to the dentist in Algodones. We stopped first for an inexpensive ($4.99 ham & eggs) breakfast at Quechan Casino and still had time for a little slot play. Surprise – small wins again.

We arrived at the Nava Dental Clinic before my 11:00 appointment but they got me in right after I filled out the standard health questionnaire. They started with cleaning which took a long time as the young lady first had to chart all the fillings & crowns in my teeth which are many. I also missed a cleaning last year and had wicked plaque which I pretty much knew from sensitive gums. So the cleaning took over an hour! An x-ray confirmed that I would need a root canal on my broken tooth which has a huge filling and was scheduled for a crown. I had a 15 minute break while the root canal specialist set up his equipment. Terry was already pacing & impatient!

The root canal guy ground out the old filling and was very methodical so it seemed like forever until he was done. He put in a springy gizmo designed to keep your mouth open and this stayed in place the rest of the time I was there!! I was informed that I would need a temporary crown today and could come back tomorrow for the final crown. Another young lady worked on the temporary crown which seemed more like a permanent one in time & fitting.

I had to wait about 20 minutes for the dentist to be available to do the “readings” for the permanent crown. They make the crowns in the office which is mainly why I switched to this dentist. He was not the least bit gentle which was really tough on my already sore gums & mouth. I finally got out at 4:40 – 6 HOURS in the chair!!

We went into Yuma to get something to eat and fuel up the truck. I was not the least bit interested in eating right away so dinner was takeout from Carl's Jr. After a couple of aspirin and a lot of water, I finally nibbled some food and then hit “the hard stuff”. Really looking forward to going back tomorrow – NOT!!!