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.