TaG in Retirement

Feb 16th to 18th - DHS

2012-02-19T20:17:00.001-08:00

Feb 16th – Thurs
We had a lazy morning and then went to see if Cliff has more information about his shoulder. He is still waiting to hear from a surgeon as the CAT scan showed a broken bone. They invited us over for happy hour & dinner.
I had time to finally get out my sewing machine and shorten the sleeves on my jacket and mend an older jacket that I carry in my golf bag. At 4:30 we joined Bob & Doreen, Terry & Eileen and Jim & Swinelle at Cliff & Pauline’s. Pauline made 2 types of chili for a very nice dinner after we sat & had drinks and chatted for a while. I don’t remember if I mentioned that they opened up their park model so they have lots of room for 2 tables for dinner.
After everyone else left by 9:00, we played Sequence with Cliff & Pauline. The games went a long time but the women got a few more Jacks and won 4 games before we called it a night.

Feb 17th – Fri
We both played fairly early in the scramble, brought our clubs back and checked email before going back for lunch which was baked potatoes with tons of toppings. The wind had come up a bit while we played but it was still quite warm.
My arm bothers me a bit when I golf so with that and increasing wind we didn’t want to play another round of golf. Nothing to do but hit a casino again! We went to Morongo where they were giving away $500 in free play – 10 each hour. A guy right beside us received $500!! – but not us! We had dinner at the buffet which was really good for $10.95 each. It was bedtime by the time we got back.

Feb 18th – Sat
After breakfast we walked up to see if we could get a tee time. There was a twosome at a time about 25 minutes away so we said we would join them even though we didn’t recognize the name. We had time to come back to get our clubs, change shoes and get back to the course with time to practice a bit on the putting green.
We will not sign up again with a couple that we don’t know! The guy was SOOOO slow and the lady was a new, bad golfer. Luckily they had a cart or it would have been more painful. There was a group of 5 (who we knew) behind us – very unusual on this course – and Phyllis asked in jest when we were on the 3rd tee box if they could play through. I felt a lot better when the whole course bogged down on the 4th hole so we had to wait on every remaining hole. Terry actually had the best score since we have been here – and possibly me as well.
Gilbert & Grace were behind us and asked us to come over for a beer. Steve & Phyllis joined us and a bit later Dave & Laraine.
Next we walked over to Cliff & Pauline’s to see if they wanted to go to see Terry Fator (ventriloquist) – if we could get tickets at the door since the show was sold out. We had talked about it previously but had made no decision. We had to have a drink with them as we tried to decide. We ended up coming back for the truck, picked up Cliff & Pauline and went for Chinese food first. We drove through 2 full parking lots at the Fantasy Springs Casino and ended up finding an event parking lot. We managed to get 4 tickets at less than face value but not together.
The event venue leaves a lot to be desired. It is like a basketball court with “bleachers” on the sides and folding chairs on the floor. We were about a third of the way back on the floor and Cliff & Pauline were almost to the back on the floor. Luckily there are big screens on each side as it is too far from the stage to see details. We saw a Fator DVD a few times so were familiar with some of the material but new puppets were a lot of fun. The show was about 1 ½ hours which was plenty for the hard chairs.
We didn’t even stay to gamble!

Feb 13th to 15th - DHS

2012-02-16T08:36:00.000-08:00

Feb 13th – Mon
Games on the computer, reading, email and a short visit with Debbie took up the morning. Then we went to visit our good friends from Bellevue – Bob & Sue – who are staying for the month of Feb in a condo in Rancho Mirage. We talked non-stop and went out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant.
Bob & Sue visited us here last year and saw our buddy burner and bucket light. We were delighted to hear that Bob made both items for their kids and he had a great time doing so. The recipients were duly impressed!

Feb 14th – Tues
We played in a Valentine’s tournament this morning with Larry & Barb and Jim & Debbie. It was an alternate shot format with 3 couples in each group. There was a light breeze & cooler temperatures which called for slightly warmer clothes. None of our group did particularly well golfing but luckily we enjoy each other and had a good time anyhow.
We all came back to our place for hot rum, etc and then went back to the activity hall for a great lunch at 1:00. There are some very talented cooks in this park and it is amazing what comes out of the kitchen for these events.
We saw Cliff when we went for lunch and he had his arm in a sling. He fell when he was playing tennis and needs more tests to see if there are broken bones in his shoulder.

Feb 15th – Wed
Terry played in the men’s club golf this morning at 7:35. It turned out to be a good time as the wind didn’t come up until 9. We went to check on Cliff but they weren’t home so we came back and hung around until just before noon when we went to the hall for an owner’s appreciation lunch. Lunch was chicken, beans, coleslaw, rolls and pop. We kind of had to eat & run as tickets were issued in ½ hour increments so everyone wouldn’t get there at once and only 200 people can be seated in the hall. Everyone was hoping for good weather so we could eat outside but it was too cool & breezy.
Due to the just mentioned weather, we headed for a casino after lunch. Didn’t do so well but it gave us something to do. I was making dinner (perogies & onions) when the power went out. Of course we still had our battery operated lights & propane stove so we were OK but when it appeared the power wasn’t coming back on immediately, Terry got out the generator. Larry called just a bit later. They don’t have a generator and their batteries aren’t charging so I invited them over for dinner. Perogies were new to them but they are not picky eaters and both enjoyed the meal.
I made our new favorite dessert – 3-2-1 cake with ice cream. If anyone wants the recipe, send an email or a comment on the blog.

Feb 10th to 12th - DHS

2012-02-13T12:55:00.001-08:00

Feb 10th – Fri
We had a lovely morning for the golf scramble and were looking for shade when we were finished. We came back to the rig where I caught up the blog and checked email before we returned to join the rest of the golfers for lunch.
We ran some errands and then basically had a lazy afternoon and evening. The wind that was forecast came up late in the evening.

Feb 11th – Sat
My wind chimes probably drove the neighbors crazy last night as it was very windy. We went to the activity hall for a pancake breakfast before doing some shopping. We went to GolfSmith to redeem 2 $10 coupons that we received in a golf tournament. I needed a glove and Terry finally found a driver that he was convinced he had to have. We found a dumpster with cardboard boxes for buddy burners and picked up a few groceries on the way home.
The wind was still blowing like crazy but we decided to go ahead with our buddy burner workshop. We set up tables, chairs and the propane stove before Jim & Debbie, Ted & Maureen, Jerome & Gloria and Bob & Janine showed up about 1. The “off side” of the 5th wheel has a storage shed at the back and a hedge along the side (as all the sites here have) so it was somewhat sheltered from the wind. The guys were cutting cardboard on the tailgate of the truck and pressed the gravel into the dirt as they walked so we got sandblasted every once in a while when a gust of wind swirled past the truck. Oh well, we washed the grit out of our mouths with beer and carried on!
Everyone brought drinks & snacks. The sun moved away and it got cool about 4 so everyone headed for home. We had an early dinner and as quiet an evening as the wind allowed.

Feb 12th – Sun
I think the wind is making sure that we stick to our decision to not come back to Desert Hot Springs next year! We were being lazy when Larry knocked on the door and asked if we wanted to go to the COD with them as it usually is not windy in that part of the valley. We quickly said yes and walked to their site to join them.
Barb got the visors that she wanted and Larry got a red shirt for the Valentine golf tournament this week. We stopped for a burger and then made a few stops looking for Chinese BBQ pork that Barb was sure she had seen at a grocery store – no luck. We had a drink with Larry & Barb before heading back to our rig to sort out clothes to do laundry. The laundry room was empty when we got there so it didn’t take long to finish. Then we relaxed for another quiet evening – except for the wind.

Feb 6th to 9th - DHS

2012-02-10T10:42:00.001-08:00

Feb 6th – Mon
After a nice breakfast we headed to the Augustine Casino, one of the 6 in the area that we have not visited this year. I started right out by winning a bit and continued to cover Terry’s losses as well as my allowance. We received $2 vouchers for food and had a great late lunch of burger combos (burger, fries & drink) for $4.50 each – hard to beat.
On the way back we stopped at a WalMart for a few items. Dinner was artichokes.

Feb 7th – Tues
I played golf with the ladies’ club this morning – ended up winning $5 for 2nd low net in the 1st flight. I made an early lunch and then we went to The Alley – import & gift store – in Palm Springs. We are looking for a hummingbird feeder as the string came undone when Terry hung it up and it broke. No feeders but we got a shaker for our chocolate martinis.
We were heading back and made a turn that took us past the Spa Casino so we had to stop! I did OK again and we ended up $115 ahead – finally! Terry did contribute to the winnings right at the end since I told him he had to stop before he lost what he had won!
We were home just in time for Terry to BBQ steaks in daylight. I went to the “Dress a Child” project at 7 – starts at 6:30! – and worked for an hour.

Feb 8th – Wed
On our way to a casino this morning, we stopped at Big Lots to get a hummingbird feeder. The casino didn’t treat us as nicely as the last time so we went to the last of the 6 nearby casinos – Fantasy Springs – since it was on the way home. No luck there either.
When we drove in, the road past our site was blocked with tow trucks, a pickup and a car. Terry walked up to see what was going on – someone lost his front wheel when he was turning into his driveway – and Jim across the street asked us to join them and a group of people for happy hour.
When it got dark, Terry brought over a buddy burner so now we have a buddy burner “workshop” happening on Saturday so everyone can make one. The bucket light was also a hit but people can make them on their own.
Dinner was late followed shortly by going to bed!

Feb 9th – Thurs
We walked to the activity center for lunch tickets and tried to pick up the mail but it was being sorted. Then we did some shopping – hair goop at Sally’s Beauty Supplies, buddy burner tins at Goodwill after looking at a few other stores. We ran into Pauline & Eileen in Big Lots.
We stopped for a burger for lunch and picked up some 3-in-1 oil for the hair clippers at a local hardware store. We went back for the mail and saw Gilbert on the way back. He invited us for happy hour so we sat outside to read & watch TV until then.
There was a fairly large group at Grace & Gilbert’s – Cliff & Pauline, Bob & Doreen, Terry & Eileen, Jim & Swinelle and us of course. I left at 6 to make dinner and called Terry when it was ready. We just had time to gobble it down and put on our dancing shoes to head to a dance here in the park.
The dance was sold out so the floor was crowded. After the music finished, we chatted with Don & Doreen who were seated beside us so we were the last to leave.

Feb 3rd to 5th - DHS

2012-02-06T09:25:00.000-08:00

Feb 3rd – Fri
We played in the golf scramble this morning with perfect weather. Wind had been forecast but we were happy that it didn’t show up. I had quite a bit of time before lunch so I posted the blog and read a newspaper before going back to join Terry for the lunch that is included with the scramble. I chatted with a couple from Kelowna – Neil & Bev – before lunch.
Cliff saw Terry earlier and asked if we wanted to play golf in the afternoon so we joined him and Terry C. at 1:30 to hack our way around the course. Actually, I got the best score which said more for the guys’ bad scores than a good one for me.
At 4:30 we went to Larry & Barb’s for happy hour. We were joined by Bob & Cheryl who were across the street from Larry & Barb. We ate enough appies to spoil our appetite but not enough to be dinner so I threw something together when we got back.

Feb 4th – Sat
We went to the COD this morning. It is a weekly outdoor market held at the College of the Desert. We had a sandwich there for an early lunch and then continued on to a BevMo store looking for chocolate martini mix which they had. Costco was right next door so we picked up a few items there and also stopped at Trader Joe’s. We bought a bottle of Scotch for Larry so we delivered it when we got back and had a drink with them. We dropped in on Neil & Bev and chatted with them for quite a while before heading home for dinner.
There was a night golf tournament with glow balls but we forgot to sign up. About 7:30 we walked to the last green to see how it was all going. There were 4 glow sticks marking the edge of each green, a flashing marker on the flag and a glow circle lighting the cup. It was a best ball format with each team getting 5 glow balls and 2 sets of flashing lights to put on their carts or bags so other golfers knew where they were. Each golfer had a lighted rope “necklace”. It was fun seeing the lights moving on the fairway and then hearing a ball being hit and finally seeing the lighted ball rolling somewhere. There were still some teams teeing off so we wandered to #1 tee as well. There was a bar set up in the activity center so we had a drink with friends that played golf. Everyone thought it would be cold and bundled up but the weather cooperated again and there was no wind so it was very pleasant.

Feb 5th – Sun
After breakfast I sorted clothes and we went to the laundry room. It is very small and was busy but enough washers were available after a few minutes wait. We passed some time working on a puzzle, didn’t have to wait for dryers and finished the necessary chore just after noon.
Terry played a game on the computer, I read a while and then Judy dropped by for a short visit. We went to see Larry & Barb and asked them to come over for appies & drinks and to watch the Super Bowl which started about 3:30. It was an interesting game to watch as the score was close. None of us were cheering for either team but we enjoyed watching, eating & drinking.
When the game was over, we turned on America’s Funniest Videos and watched that for 1 ½ hours before Larry & Barb left. Clean up, ice cream for “dinner” and to bed to watch TV.

Jan 31st to Feb 2nd - DHS

2012-02-03T11:00:00.001-08:00

Jan 31st – Tues
I had an 8:48 tee time for golf with the ladies. We played a game called NOSE which means you only count holes that start with those letters – Nine, One, Six, Seven & Eight. Unfortunately, my worst holes were 1 & 6. When I got home, Terry was just starting to wash the truck & take out the hitch in preparation to haul furniture so I worked on the computer.
Next was a trip for lunch & groceries. It was still early in the afternoon so we stopped at the Spa Casino downtown – and donated more money! It was a bit of a mess for a while as the computer went down so when you pushed the “cash out” button, a message came on the screen saying a manual payout was needed. The slot employees were running like mad and then you had to take a receipt to the cashier to be paid. It probably slowed the bleeding!
We checked with Cliff & Pauline and they hadn’t made a decision on furniture so we settled in for a quiet evening.

Feb 1st – Wed
Today was Terry’s turn for golf with “3 clubs and a putter”. He had an early tee time and I was just finished with the blog, email and putting a pork shoulder in the crock pot when he got back. We walked to Cliff & Pauline’s and found that Cliff was still on the golf course. We had coffee with Pauline and examined their overgrown yard.
We were just ready to leave and get furniture when Terry C. showed up to work on the satellite dish again even though Cliff wanted to hire a Shaw tech to get things working. After trying unsuccessfully to get a TV signal, we all went for lunch at a Mexican restaurant in DHS. We continued on to Revivals where Cliff & Pauline bought the couch & loveseat that they looked at previously. Both pieces fit in the truck by turning one upside down on the other which made the loading & unloading a challenge. Sliding glass doors had to be removed to get them in the park model and then they were finally in. Terry thinks he is getting old!!
We positioned the furniture – subject to future rearrangement – and I headed home to pull pork as Jim & Debbie were coming for dinner. We talked nonstop over drinks, dinner & more drinks.
When we drove back from getting the furniture, the sky was really dusty looking to the west and it got very windy which lasted into the night.

Feb 2nd – Thurs
We played golf this morning with Larry & Barb. The forecast was for wind starting in the afternoon and a slight breeze came up as we were finishing. Larry & Barb came over for pulled pork sandwiches for lunch which we ate outside in the lovely sunshine.
We walked to Cliff & Pauline’s to see how their satellite dish hookup & activation was going. Jim had a Shaw tech come out so Cliff had him come to their place which was a good thing as it took a long time to activate the receiver.
We went to DHS for a bit of shopping and then went to Cliff & Pauline’s for dinner. We were joined by Terry & Eileen. Eileen has been suffering from a cold or sinus infection so they left shortly after dinner. We played Ponytail Canasta and the ladies won again after the guys were ahead for a couple of hands.

Jan 28th to 30th - DHS

2012-01-31T11:45:00.001-08:00

Jan 28th – Sat
I sorted through meat in the freezer that needs to be eaten and found a large package of chuck steak that would work great in the crockpot with cocktail onions & mushroom soup. After breakfast we went for a “walk & talk” and also signed up for next week’s golf. Russ & Carol told us about some yard/rummage sales down Dillon Road a bit so we went to check them out. They were pretty picked over by that time and we didn’t find anything interesting.
Next on the agenda was laundry and we hit a good time at the laundry room. On the way back we stopped and asked Gilbert & Grace over for dinner & cards. Gilbert was helping Cliff put down wood flooring but Grace said they would be happy to join us.
Before we played Canasta, we showed pictures of our Maui trip. The last time we played Canasta, the guys were very lucky with wild cards. This time Grace & I managed to win even though we didn’t get our canasta in 7s (5000 points!) twice.

Jan 29th – Sun
We had no plans for today so that translates into a casino trip. We went to Casino 29 and were there for several hours before losing our allowances – and then some!
We went to examine the new floor at Cliff & Pauline’s and ran into Russ & Judy as we were leaving so we joined them for a drink. Terry just had time to snack on some chips before he went to play Texas Hold’em. I read a book and warmed up leftovers for dinner. When Terry got back – didn’t win anything – he warmed up leftovers for his dinner.

Jan 30th – Mon
Terry got out bikes out this morning and we went riding to see people. We chatted for a while with Larry & Barb. Larry has conjunctivitis (pink eye?) and spent a lot of time yesterday getting to see a doctor and getting some medication. He said he was feeling better. We picked up our forwarded mail and went through it. We went back & forth a couple of times to Cliff & Pauline’s motor home and their recently purchased park model but we didn’t find them at either place.
Just after we got back, Cliff came over to ask if we could pick up some furniture when they buy it. We invited them over for dinner which is why we were trying to find them in the first place. Cliff & Terry C. were installing and setting up a satellite dish for Cliff so they were a little later coming over than they thought they could but – who cares! After drinks, appies & dinner we taught them Ponytail Canasta. We were very even through 3 hands, Pauline & I pulled away by catching the guys without their 7’s and we ended up winning.

Jan 25th to 27th - DHS

2012-01-28T09:12:00.000-08:00

Jan 25th – Wed
Terry played golf with the men’s club at 7:45 this morning and I enjoyed a bit of lazy time in bed before getting up to putter around and do the large blog entry for yesterday & Monday. I had just finished the blog when Terry got back – not a great game - and I made breakfast. I had a couple different partial loaves of bread and some thin buns in the cupboard when we went to Maui and none of them had mold! So I could actually make some meals without going to the grocery store.
We went for a walk which took us a long time to actually get anywhere as we kept stopping to talk to people. We ended up having a beer with Russ & Judy and then going next door to see Cliff & Pauline’s park model that they purchased while we were away. Actually, Terry was needed to help put up a beam where they opened up a wall so our timing was good.
I helped Judy & Laraine dip strawberries in chocolate while Terry worked at Cliff’s. Grace joined us women for a drink and then she & I went to pay for a golf tournament and stopped to see Bob & Doreen’s just purchased park model on the way. On the way back, we chatted for a while with Larry & Barb.
Back at Cliff & Pauline’s park model, I helped Terry C. put up some furring strips before we all stopped work due to lack of light. I actually had enough ingredients in the cupboard & freezer to make dinner then we dropped in on Larry & Barb for a chat & a drink.

Jan 26th – Thurs
Terry realized last night that his phone was no longer on his belt so he went to Cliff’s new place and crawled underneath again to recover it. Then he stayed to help with the construction. I went to the park kitchen to help Barb with lunch prep. Along with Laraine, we chopped coleslaw and made individual jello desserts for 160+ people. Terry had returned just before me so we got in the dirty truck and went shopping. First I checked at the hair salon and could go back in 15 minutes for a haircut. I have used this stylist previously and she did her usual good job. Then we went to WalMart, grabbed a burger for lunch and got groceries. We looked for a pink shirt for Terry for tomorrow’s golf tournament but no luck.
I took a couple of small loads of clothes to the laundry room and went next door to the kitchen to pull pork while the clothes were washing. There were 5 of us in the kitchen so we made short work of the job & cleanup.
Since we had a late lunch, we had a small dinner and then went to a dance here at the park. Matt Jenkins lives in the park and plays at the dances. He plays very danceable music and there was full house with a crowded dance floor. We were joined by Gilbert & Grace, Dave & Laraine and Russ & Judy so we had a lot of fun.

Jan 27th – Fri
We played in the Rally for the Cure golf tournament this morning at 8:24. Three teams play together in an alternate shot format. 2 of the par 3’s are KPs – one for women and one for men – so the alternate shot is waived for those holes. Make sense?! It is just for fun and to raise money so we didn’t even keep score.
When we finished, I got my good bread knife and we went to the kitchen to slice 15 dozen buns for lunch. Then we went to Leon & Marilyn’s for a drink along with Ronald & Diane who were the others in our golf group. It was back to the kitchen for me where the lunch prep was in full swing. The menu was pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, chips & a pickle slice with individual servings of jello mixed with Cool Whip and topped with a chocolate dipped strawberry for dessert. About 1:30 the “assembly line” started with Barb & Laraine assembling & cutting sandwiches, Mary & I putting the sandwiches on a plate and adding chips and Judy & Grace adding coleslaw & pickles. Phyllis was the “runner” getting whatever was needed and placing opened buns in place for Laraine & Barb. We had about 10 people serving the plates to 176 diners.
There were many items being raffled and auctioned so we didn’t finish until nearly 4. Luckily we were not on the cleanup committee! We went to see Jim & Debbie who just bought a new 5th wheel. Of course they had to pour us a drink and we visited for an hour before coming home and settling in for the rest of evening.

Jan 23rd to 24th - Maui to Palm Springs

2012-01-25T09:39:00.000-08:00

Jan 23rd & 24th – Mon & Tues
Kathy & I made a large breakfast before Terry went golfing with Skip & Kathy, Pat & Donna, Dean and Lance. I went shopping with Debbie and Claudine. We went to Savers (like Goodwill) which Claudine loves and to Ross before stopping for a few groceries. Back at Claudine’s condo, we helped put food & suitcases where they belonged as Claudine & Lance and Pat & Donna moved to a different unit this morning and it hadn’t been cleaned yet.
We had just relaxed with snacks and a drink when the golfers arrived and joined us for a couple of drinks.
We had leftovers from last night but decided to thaw some steaks to go with rice fried with lots of veggies, garlic toast and sautéed mushrooms & onions for a great dinner. I had packed in the morning so we just had to finish a few items to be ready to head to the airport about 8. Luckily there was no wait to check our bags because by the time we went through security and walked the long halls to the departure gate, our plane was boarding. Yep, we were on the red eye back to Seattle.
The flight was long and uncomfortably warm with a couple of “beverage services” to break the boredom a bit. Terry slept on & off and I read most of the time. There wasn’t much turbulence but it was a little bouncy when we landed at 6:00 am PST in Seattle. We took the train to our departure terminal where we got coffee and a bagel for me. We had a 3 hour layover so Terry took a nap on a row of seats at the departure gate and I read some more.
We were a few minutes late leaving for an uneventful flight back to Palm Springs. This time it was cool enough in the plane to leave our light jackets on – better than too warm. It was very windy when we hard landed in Palm Springs. Stairs were set up at the rear door of the plane in addition to the jetway so we got off quickly only to wait & wait for the bags to arrive.
Larry picked us up and then we went to Smart & Final to get Barb who was grocery shopping. She is in charge of the luncheon on Friday for a golf tournament so she had 2 carts of groceries and was just ready to check out. We helped them unload the groceries and put them in fridges in the park kitchen and then we took them for a late lunch at Carl’s Jr. since neither we nor they even had breakfast.
We opened up the rig, reset the satellite dish, unpacked bags, downloaded pictures to the computer and hit the recliners. After a bit I put captions on pictures, we watched all the videos we took on the zip line trips and then I made a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner. It was quite early (7:30?) when we decided to watch TV in bed and it didn’t take too long for both of us to fall asleep. Terry had many catnaps – not too refreshing – since we first started our trip back but I was operating on no sleep.

Jan 20th to 22nd - Maui

2012-01-23T20:56:00.000-08:00

Jan 20th - Fri
We lazed around and had a nice breakfast. Terry & Skip went zip-lining again with some of our group who weren’t here for the first trip. They went later than we did the first time and it wasn’t cold. Kathy & I had Skip drop us off at a shopping center. We shopped, had a lovely, leisurely snack & drink at Longhi’s bar and then walked back 2 miles to the condo - it took us 45 minutes. It was quite hot and parts of the road were in full sunlight.
We changed into swimsuits and hit the pool to cool off. We had time to sunbathe (Kathy) and read (me) before the guys got back as they stopped for a drink.
We met “the entire group” (13 of us) for dinner at Café au Lei to celebrate Terry‘s birthday. We sat at adjoining tables with the women at one table and the men at the other. The women were noisier than the men until after a couple of drinks and then the men got a little rowdy. When we got back I tried without success to get a red wine stain out of Terry’s new T-shirt before we all crashed.

Jan 21st - Sat
We had some fruit for breakfast and then met “the group” for lunch & then golf at The Dunes. We had 12 players and we grouped 4 guys, 4 women and a mixed foursome of us and Lance & Claudine. It was very windy for the entire game. Our group didn’t do very well but we had fun - sometimes!! We all gathered for a couple of drinks and then carried on to Fred’s for Mexican food.
We got back about 8:40 and we all went to bed! A full day wears out the senior citizens!

Jan 22nd - Sun
We started by meeting 4 others for breakfast at a nice restaurant with an ocean view. We made a quick grocery store stop and came back to the condo where Kathy & I did some food prep for the 9 guests we were having over for dinner and the guys watched a golf tournament on TV. There was quite a bit of frozen meat so we figured having people over was a good way to use some up. We also took time to watch turtles & whales.
Just after golf finished and a football game started, our guests started arriving. Most of the guys watched football and the ladies enjoyed the lanai, whale watching and taking pictures of the sunset. Dinner was quite good if I do say so myself!
After the last guests left we played a game of Wizard and Kathy won!!!!

Jan 19th - Maui

2012-01-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

Jan 19th - Thurs
We left just after 8 to go on a snorkeling boat trip. The departure point was not very far away but it was a good thing that we left early as the road was closed due to a bad car accident and we had a slight detour. Then we had to wind our way through a huge, beautiful hotel resort to the beach. There were 11 people from the group that we know here.
The large catamaran had been out for an early morning run and we watched the guests unload which was a little unnerving as we realized we had to get on the same way. The captain timed the waves and brought the boat near the sandy shore so the passengers could climb down 2 parallel sets of stairs into the surf and then wade ashore. Since we had to walk the opposite way through the breaking waves, an employee passed out small garbage bags to keep our towels, etc dry as we loaded.
We started by lining up the 60 or so passengers into 2 single file lines and waded into the water. When a larger wave came in, the employees had everyone back up while it cleared and then move forward again. I expressed my concern about losing a contact in the procedure but even though I lost my footing trying to move quickly, an employee kept me from going down completely.
We all moved to the cabin for a short safety talk and continental breakfast as we moved to Molokini crater. We all got snorkel equipment and had to wait just a bit to get a good site to tie up. Some brave people jumped off the side of the catamaran but most of us climbed down the stairs, put on flippers and eased into the clear, clear water. An employee did a reef tour and identified fish for those who wanted to join her. In 45 minutes we all reboarded and had a snack as the captain moved to the other side of the crater so we could snorkel in a different area without having to swim all the way over. This was a good thing as Terry & I were both getting leg cramps from the flippers. After this snorkel session of another 40 minutes, lunch was served and the bar opened - unlimited maitais and beer included in the price. We then moved to Turtle Town, saw a couple of whales on the way but not many turtles.
The captain unloaded us at an alternate beach with smaller waves and we just walked off the stairs into a foot or so of water. Passenger vans were waiting to take us back to the hotel and our cars.
Back at the condo, we all showered to get the salt off and Kathy & I started getting everything ready for our pupu party. At 4, everyone started arriving and we ended up with 15 people counting us & Skip & Kathy. We had a great time drinking, eating, talking, laughing & taking pictures. Everyone left about 8, we cleaned up and then played a game of Wizard before calling it a night. Kathy is determined to win a game of Wizard before we leave!!

Jan 16th to 18th - Maui

2012-01-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

Jan 16th - Mon
We had lots of time for coffee & breakfast before heading to the middle of the island to play golf at Kahili GC. The guys even picked up some cleaning & groceries while Kathy & I cleaned up breakfast dishes and I posted my blog.
Our tee time was 10:56 and the sun was very hot. Shade & water were necessities. The group ahead of us was kind of slow and Terry & I hit our usual share of bad shots but other than that it was fun.
More friends of Skip & Kathy’s arrived today so we stopped for a drink with Lance & Claudine, Ken & Cheryl, Pat & Donna and Jessica. Back at the condo we made a great steak dinner and then played a game of Wizard.

Jan 17th - Tues
We went for breakfast this morning and tried an island specialty called Loco Moko. It is a patty of sticky rice, a hamburger patty, brown onion gravy and an over-easy egg on top. I had the mini (one of each) and Terry & Skip had the normal order with 2 of each. I would order it again.
At 10:30 we joined 6 others (Pat & Donna, Jim & Carol, Dean & Debbie) for golf at the nearby Wailea Blue GC. Terry & I did not have good games. I think part of my problem was playing 18 holes 2 days in a row as I am not used to it and just wear out. The golfers and 3 more people - Lance, Claudine & Jessica - had a couple of drinks at the golf course bar and then we all went to Jim & Carol’s hotel room for another drink before walking to Longhi’s restaurant for dinner. It was very expensive for the small servings of good, tastefully presented food. We were going to play Yahtzee when we got back but made the mistake of sitting around first which let Terry fall asleep.

Jan 18th - Wed
Skip & Kathy looked after some business on the computer & phone while I got breakfast ready to the point where Skip could make his special French toast. Then it was off to do a bit of shopping at a mall and then the grocery store. The whole group will be coming here tomorrow for pupus & drinks so we made a list of food and have to get the ingredients.
Before we went to Safeway, we had to stop for a drink at Longhi’s bar at the mall. When we got back and unpacked the groceries we had cheese, salami & crackers for “lunch”. Then Kathy & I put together some appies. The guys finally went to the beach with boogie boards and braved the waves. The boards were too small and Skip dragged on the sand when he tried to ride a wave into the beach. Kathy & I were ready to go to the pool when the guys came back so we all took a short swim to cool off.
We played Yahtzee and Wizard while cooking dinner and relaxed with some TV before going to bed early. It is amazing how tiring a lazy day can be!

Jan 13th to 15th - Maui

2012-01-16T11:51:00.000-08:00

Jan 13th - Fri
The guys were kind of subdued today so it was a good thing that we didn’t have much planned. At 10, Skip & Kathy and Terry & I went to look at a condo that they considered when they were looking for a place to rent here. The rent was VERY high so they wanted to see what you got for your money. We saw a 3 bedroom unit on the 5th floor facing the ocean but you couldn’t even see the beach and you had to walk past other buildings in the complex quite a ways to get to the beach. Prices in that large complex are from $800 to $4000 PER DAY!
Then we all enjoyed whale watching and people watching from the patio. The patio/balcony on this 3rd floor unit goes all across the width of the living/dining room and has sliding glass doors & screens that disappear into 4 foot sections on both sides of the room. The whales are very active and we can see them spouting & breaching all day. Kathy & I went for a walk on the beach and found that the water was cooler than we expected by seeing the number of people in the water and the length of time they stayed in.
At 3 we went to a restaurant at a nearby golf course to have a drink and pupus - appetizers to most people. We played 3 games of Wizard (card game) when we got back and then made a nice late dinner.

Jan 14th - Sat
We went on a road trip to Lehaina today. We are staying on the southwest coast (Makena) and Lehaina is on the northwest coast. We actually drove past Lehaina and did some sightseeing first. Kathy’s brother Dave told her about a place for great hamburgers so we drove all over town looking for a parking spot and then found the restaurant - The Cool Cat Café. Dave was right, the burgers were great. We felt the need to walk and settle lunch so we first checked out a huge banyan tree in a park across from the restaurant and then walked & shopped down and back up the main street.
We stopped at a grocery store for a few items and then played more Wizard before making a late, light dinner. The whales were active again and interrupted the card games many times. Larry wanted to play another game of Wizard after dinner and we ended up going to bed after midnight.
The temperature here has been in the low 80’s but with quite high humidity so Kathy & I take turns mopping our brows. A slight breeze is welcome and does not feel at all cool.
I have to make a correction. What I have been calling a patio is really a lanai!

Jan 15th - Sun
Kathy thought Sunday deserved a nice breakfast so we did potatoes, bacon, eggs & toast. We were just enjoying the view & whales when a housekeeper came and was going to vacuum so we all grabbed a beer - Kathy’s orders! - and went for a walk on the beach to get out of his way. He was still finishing up when we got back so we went to the pool area for a short while.
We had cheese & crackers and such for “lunch” and played another game of Wizard. Skip & Terry took Larry to the airport at 2:30 and picked up a few groceries - again - on the way back. We played a new card game “3 to 13” while the ribs were cooking. After dinner we played Yahtzee with me winning 3 games out of 4 - just had to include that bit of info. It rained a bit before we went to bed.

Jan 10th to 12th - Maui HI

2012-01-13T10:55:00.001-08:00

Jan 10th - Tues
Yes, I know there is a gap before this entry but things weren’t all that exciting and I am not going to fill in the pieces.
Our plane left at 7 this morning on the first leg of our trip to Maui. We had a stop in San Francisco on the way to Seattle. Alaska Air changed their flights after we made our reservations so we had a 5 ½ hour layover in Seattle instead of 3 hours. We talked to someone at the Alaska service desk and got permission to use the “Boardroom” (VIP lounge) while we were waiting. We had coffee, salad & soup there and then had fish & chips in the concourse shortly before we left for Maui at 5.
We had good weather and a tail wind so we landed early, got our bags and were picked up by Terry’s brother Skip and his wife Kathy who asked us to join them here. We didn’t stay up too late as we had a long day and were dealing with a 2 hour time change.

Jan 11th - Wed
It’s a good thing that our internal clocks were still 2 hours ahead as we had an 8 o’clock tee time this morning. We were joined by 4 friends of Skip & Kathy’s. Just as we got to the golf course, it started to rain lightly which produced a beautiful rainbow. The rain stopped after a couple of holes. The course was tough but we had a great time and then we all went to the restaurant at the golf course for a nice lunch.
We stopped at a couple of stores looking for dill weed - no luck! - and came back to the lovely condo on the beach where we are staying. We relaxed on the patio and watched the ocean before our golfing friends joined us for a drink. We had a late dinner and called it a day.

Jan 12th - Thurs
We had enough time for a nice breakfast before heading out for another adventure. We joined 5 members of the family who joined us for golf to go zip lining. We drove over an hour to get there and ended up at an elevation of 4200 feet. The web site suggested wearing long pants and the cool weather at that height almost made us wish that we had taken their advice.
Our group of 13 people got fitted with harnesses and walked less than ½ mile to the first zip line which was short but a good introduction to the whole process. A short walk brought us to the second line (across the same gully) which had a much steeper drop off. The third line was a little longer and fast enough that the fence behind the landing area was padded in case you didn’t get stopped quick enough. At each line, there was one employee at each end to hook you to the line and to stop and unhook you at the other end. The fourth line was longer yet and required the employee at the finish to stop you with a wood block on the cable. Then we had to cross the gully on a narrow suspension bridge to the final line which is unique in the zip line companies on Maui and is called the pendulum. You go very fast across the gully, past the landing dock and up the line which is fastened very high on a large tree. Some people actually hit the block on the end of the cable just before the tree. Gravity takes you back down past the landing dock again and part way back over the gully. After a pause, you head back to the landing dock. The employee grabs the feet of taller riders and has shorter riders grab a long pole to stop them and direct them to a rolling ladder to unhook and climb down. Whew!! A van picked us up for a short ride back to where we started and we got rid of our harnesses and helmets. The whole adventure was wonderful!
We stopped in Paia for lunch, stopped at a couple more stores, finally found dill weed and came home. We had time for a drink on the patio before Skip & Terry left for the airport to pick up their friend Larry who lives on the Big Island. Terry, Skip & Larry were teenage friends so they had a lot of fun reminiscing - which requires quite a bit of alcohol to keep the throats lubricated! We had a late dinner and the guys finally called it quits at 1:30

Jan 4th to 6th - Desert Hot Springs

2012-01-07T19:08:00.000-08:00

Jan 4th – Wed
This was the quietest day that we have had for a long time. I called to wish sister Marg a Happy Birthday and chatted for quite a while. Terry nearly wore out the mouse playing games on the computer. After lunch we went shopping for a few groceries and I am still looking for some blouses - no luck. One more birthday call, this time to Ernie.
We sat outside watching TV & reading until it got too dark for reading for me and then too cool for Terry. Dinner & more TV & reading took up the rest of the evening.

Jan 5th – Thurs
I wanted to go to the outlet stores down Hwy 10 a ways so I suggested that I drop Terry off at the nearby casino and shop by myself. All I did was get totally discouraged by the lack of anything that I wanted and the fact that anything I liked did not fit. Time for a diet!!??
I went back to the casino, found Terry and we proceeded to lose our allowances. We stopped for a hamburger for a late lunch. When we got back, we saw that Larry & Barb were just parking so we gave them some time to set up and went over to say hi. They were going to Russ & Judy’s so we didn’t stay long.
At 4:30 I went to the laundry room and asked Terry to start dinner at 5:30 by turning the heat on under a pan of chicken thighs & Yoshida sauce. I said he had to watch it and turn it way down once it boiled. When I got back, I could smell the burned odor as soon as I got out of the truck. The chicken was fine but the stove was a burned, sticky mess. The extra bad news was I finally really cleaned the stove top about 2 weeks ago!

Jan 6th – Fri
Terry’s scramble tee time was 8:18 so he left about 7:45. I got to stay in bed for a while as my tee time was 9:38. Luckily I went up about ½ hour early as my group was second up on the 1st tee. The tee times at the end of the scramble overlapped some other times and we were encouraged to play as quickly as possible without affecting our games. A sunny day and great golfing partners made for a wonderful game even though we ended up 2 over. Lunch at 12:30 was a good hamburger & all the trimmings.
We were driving out when we saw Larry & Barb were home so we stopped to tell them that we made a tee time for tomorrow. We visited a bit and ended up inviting them over for drinks & dinner. We made a quick trip for groceries and I put a pork loin in the crock pot. Cliff & Pauline had just set up across the wash so we had to go say hi and have a beer with them and Terry & Eileen.
After dinner, we all went to the hall for a “Show & Dance”. A trio played mostly horns and presented a “musical revue of songs that shaped our lives” for the first hour and then some dance music for 40 minutes after a break. The dance music was OK but not exactly our cup of tea.

Dec 31st to Jan 3rd - Mesa to Desert Hot Springs CA

2012-01-04T10:18:00.001-08:00

Dec 31st – Sat
We left at 11:40 to go to Filly’s as the band North Star is playing from 1 to 5. We wanted to get a table for a group but ended up with only 8 seats as there were a lot of people there already. We could have grabbed a table on the upper level but we wanted to be closer to the dance floor & band. Ernie & Dianne, Larry & Julie and Neal & Judy joined us. I think about 80% of the people there were from our park as the band leader Steve Stairs lives in the park and we were all there to support him.
We left at 3 and stopped at a couple of stores looking for steaks for dinner tomorrow. We had leftovers for dinner and at 8:30 went to Fiesta community center for a New Year’s Eve gathering. When we got there, a few tables of people were playing cards and some musicians were just setting up so we decided to go to a casino instead. It took us until midnight to finally lose our allowances. We saw quite a few fireworks on the drive home.

Jan 1st – Sun
We didn’t have much to do to get ready to leave so we finished up and then went for a walk to say goodbye to a few people that we didn’t see yesterday. After we pulled in the slides we checked tire pressure and had to get out the pump to top up the 5th wheel tires. We told everyone that we would leave at 10 and we pulled out at 9:59.
Traffic was light so the drive was easy. We stopped for diesel at a truck stop just before Quartzsite and paid less than our last fill in Mesa - $3.76. When we got to Clem & Marlene’s, they were working on a bathroom remodel in their garage and were happy to drop what they were doing to get us parked. We sat the rest of the afternoon to catch up on everything and then I made a nice steak dinner but used their BBQ, dishes and – best of all – dishwasher!

Jan 2nd – Mon
Marlene made a very good breakfast. We watched the Rose Bowl parade during and after breakfast until it ended at 11. We stopped at Spotlight 29 casino on the way to our RV park where Terry lost his allowance and I came out $10 ahead.
There were 2 rigs in line to check in but it didn’t take long to get our paperwork done. The “parkers” were all busy and since we had been here before we were told to go ahead and park ourselves which we prefer. The sites here are narrow but we could park a long ways back and put the electric post between 2 slides which leaves us lots of room to park the truck and enough space for chairs in front of the outside TV.
After setting up we took a walk to see who was here. We ended up having a drink with Terry & Eileen. We didn’t have lunch so I was starting an early dinner when Gilbert & Grace came over. When they visited us in Mesa they said they would make us dinner when we arrived but they weren’t home the couple of times we walked past their place. They told us to come over in ½ hour so we used the time to get the local channels changed on our satellite.
We had a nice dinner and then taught Gilbert & Grace to play Ponytail Canasta. Unfortunately for Grace & I, the guys were lucky with cards and won every hand.

Jan 3rd – Tues
Terry borrowed a rake from Gilbert to smooth out the rocks before putting down our mat. He put out chairs, etc and then we washed the outside of the windows. We back up to a wash so our rear blind will be open most of the time which requires a clean window. A neighbor across the road – Alice - dropped by to introduce herself.
After breakfast we went to sign up for the golf scramble on Friday and buy a punch card for golfing. We made a tee time for 1 and stopped to see Leon & Marilyn who bought a park model last March. We had a beer with them and then hurried back to get our clubs.
The golf course is in mediocre shape but the weather was wonderful so it was nice to play. Once again we didn’t have lunch so we sat outside watching TV and I made a salad to tide us over until dinner. We asked some neighbors over but it didn’t work for them so they will come over tomorrow.

Dec 29th to 30th - Mesa

2011-12-31T09:33:00.001-08:00

Dec 29th – Thurs
We started the day with a visit to the laundry room. While the clothes were washing, we walked around to see some people. When everything was put away it was time to go to the courtyard again for an early lunch. The grill has a fairly large menu, a daily special and pretty good food. Their chicken strips, hamburgers, fries & onion rings are very good. Today we were joined by Dennis & Gloria.
We went to WalMart looking for socks for me but their display is more than half empty. They won’t be restocking until after inventory so I will have to look later. Shortly after we got back we went to the courtyard to get a table to listen to music. A popular group was playing at 3 and even at 2:20 there were a lot of people there. We were joined by Duane & Sue, Bob & Maria, Erika and Ron & Terri who just got back today.
Duane, Sue & Terry came up with a plan to have dinner at Duane & Sue’s. They provided steak, baked potatoes & veggies and we brought a salad, wine and Texas toast. We played a game of Canasta which the guys won with a lot of luck getting the right cards!

Dec 30th – Fri
It was another beautiful morning to play bocce ball. There were 32 people which meant 8 players on a couple of courts since there are only 6 courts. I made breakfast for lunch when we got back. Terry was packing stuff up outside and I finally did some cleaning.
We returned chairs that we borrowed from Julie the whole time we were here and went to get propane. Then it was lazy time until we joined Ron & Terri for a drink in the last of the sunshine of the day. We picked up them and Dennis & Gloria to go the Eastern Super Buffet for dinner which was delicious as usual.
We are leaving tomorrow morning for Desert Hot Springs and staying with Clem & Marlene in Quartzsite for one night on the way which is why I am posting just 2 days on the blog. HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone – my next post will be in 2012.

Dec 26th to 28th - Mesa

2011-12-29T08:33:00.001-08:00

Dec 26th – Mon
We skipped bocce ball again and rode our bikes around to do some errands in the park before going shopping. Yes, the day after Christmas is a dumb day to go shopping!! We went to Total Wine to stock up on inexpensive booze as it costs more in California. We made a stop at Costco for coffee and grabbed a hot dog for lunch. Then it was on to the mall and JC Penneys where I spent a lot of time finding a light jacket and a couple of shirts.
At 4 we went to a pot luck organized by Glo and held in a room in the clubhouse. There were about 20 people and we played games before & after eating. The gathering broke up before 7 so Dennis & Gloria came over for a game of Canasta which the guys won.

Dec 27th – Tues
The weather is beautiful right now which is fortunate as we set up an outside party for tonight. I made some more candy coated pretzels and our neighbors Jerry & Erika helped us set up some chairs & tables. Then Sue, Erika & I decided to go shopping as Sue had missed out on the “spend $25, get $10 off” at Penneys. Sue & Erika both bought items at Penneys but I didn’t find anything else. At Stein Mart I got some shoes and Erika got a great little jacket & jeans. It was a lot of fun.
When Terry first invited people for our party, he said 5:00 but we changed it to 6:00. Unfortunately, we didn’t know where one couple live to tell them the change so Mel & Wanda showed up at 5 – no big deal as others showed up before 6.
We set out 5 buddy burners which were ignored for a while as everyone stood around in groups chatting and then eating all the snacks that everyone brought. Duane started playing his guitar & singing and Henry showed up a bit later to join him. We actually let them take a break and enjoy the mulled wine that Jerry brought out again. Ernie & Dianne came late and added another guitar to the group. By now it was getting fairly cold so the last partyers helped us clean up a bit and left about 10:30.
We counted 45 people including us so it was fairly loud group. We warned the manager beforehand that we were having a party with buddy burners in case someone reported a fire again. All our immediate neighbors attended or were invited so we didn’t worry about the noise.

Dec 28th – Wed
We played bocce ball this morning and it was so warm that I wished I had worn short sleeves instead of a light sweatshirt. We played with Dennis & Gloria and had 2 close games with each team (Terry & Gloria, Dennis & I) winning one game. We stopped at the courtyard on the way back for lunch at the grill and were joined by Ron & Rea.
As we were riding our bikes back, we saw a special “motorcycle” (Stallion) that Terry loves so he flagged down the driver when he came back and we chatted with him for a while. We were at Duane & Sue’s at the time and Ernie & Dianne stopped to see the bike also so we had a little visit with them.
We packed up our minimal Christmas decorations and Terry returned chairs, etc and organized the storage areas while I read for a while. I printed out a coupon for Kohl’s and was still looking for underwear so we went to a different store. In the time it took me to sort through the racks of underwear to find the right style & size, Terry picked up 4 shirts. We were surprised to see an additional 15% senior discount added to the coupon 15%. Then I had a $10 certificate from a previous purchase so the trip was worthwhile.
We went to a Watering Hole (dance) from 4 to 6 and then took it easy for the rest of the evening.

Dec 23rd to 25th - Mesa

2011-12-25T19:06:00.000-08:00

Dec 23rd – Fri
The sun was shining but there was a breeze which made it too cool for us wimps to play bocce ball this morning. After breakfast we made another trip for groceries and then I finished up my baking.
We went to listen to music in the courtyard but the singer cancelled as it could not be moved inside and it gets too cool by 5 when it finishes. After dinner we drove around and delivered plates of goodies to friends. We stopped for a while to visit with Phyllis and Terry fixed a light for her – turns out there were no bulbs in the fixture!!
At 9, Neal called to see if we were home and he & Robin came over. They had just finished playing poker and Neal won so he was wound up. We decided to play cards and we taught them the new form of Canasta that we have been playing. The guys didn’t do too well and we finally decided to quit the second game after 2 hands as the guys were finally ahead and we were all tired since it was close to midnight.

Dec 24th – Sat
Duane & Sue dropped in for a mid-morning chat. Shortly after they left, Dennis & Gloria took a break from a walk and stopped to see us.
Then we finally got moving and went shopping for groceries and to find a new pot for melting wax. After I dealt with the groceries, we took Erika for a walk to see the tortoises. It was too cool and they were both sleeping in one house. We continued walking and showed Erika some amenities in the park that she had missed on her many walks. Jerry was making lemon & orange juice so we all sat in the sun and had vodka & fresh OJ when we got back.
By now it was past time to join Duane & Sue for a drink. As soon as the sun disappeared we moved inside. Terry & Duane initiated our new wax pot and filled Duane’s new buddy burner. After Sue’s appetizers were gone, we decided to put together a shared dinner to continue a fun evening.

Dec 25th – MERRY CHRISTMAS
I had just finished showering about 9 when Duane knocked on the door to deliver some warm scones for our breakfast. Before I finished getting ready, the water in the park was shut off. We have a nearly full tank of fresh water so we turned on our water pump and carried on. We figured it might be a problem for people in park models who were making Christmas breakfasts & dinners.
Gloria called to ask us over for coffee so I cut short a phone call to Marg, finished mixing up cookies to put in the fridge and we joined Dennis & Gloria sitting in the sun in front of their place. The water in the park came back on when we were there having coffee.
When we got back, I baked & frosted the cookies and Terry continued his duel with games on the computer. I made mashed potatoes, put them in the crock pot and put together a big platter of goodies.
We went to Ernie & Dianne’s for dinner along with Dennis & Gloria, Garry & Steph, Dianne’s daughter Annette, her husband Mike and their kids Danni & Kayah. We ate dinner about 4 and it was nice enough to set the tables up in the carport. We all sat around and “digested” before having dessert. We got home just before 8 and Terry immediately got into bed to watch TV.

Dec 19th to 22nd - Mesa

2011-12-23T08:49:00.001-08:00

Dec 19th – Mon
It was a little cool this morning but nicer at 10 to play bocce ball. I made breakfast for lunch and we were just finishing when Ernie & Dianne dropped by. After they left and I cleaned up the dishes, we went shopping as the cooler weather has made us realize we need more long pants. It took 3 stops to find jeans for both of us and a few groceries.
We were eating dinner at 5:30 when Dianne called to say their guests had moved to a condo and did we want to come over in an hour to play cards. Of course we did! We weren’t quite as late this time – we left at 12:30. The bad news is the guys won all 3 games!

Dec 20th – Tues
I got my hair cut at 9 and then we went to do laundry. I visited the library and worked on a puzzle while it was washing and Terry picked up our forwarded mail and got water. After putting everything away I thawed out the last of the pulled pork and made sandwiches for lunch.
We were to pick up Mike & Susie at the airport at 1:10 and they called at 12:50, just as we were leaving, to say that they were landing. We were just arriving at the airport when they called again to tell us which side of the terminal and we were able to circle to the north side and pick them right up.
Neal called as we were driving as asked if I could help Robin. She was in the park kitchen making cookies for an orphanage and people in the military. She didn’t want to ask for help so Neal took the initiative and I was happy to work with her for an hour and a half as she had to be out of the kitchen by 3. We worked non-stop and had it all cleaned up & loaded in her car just in time.
Gloria was having a drink with Terry when I got back. Dennis got a cold just as he was getting over 2 weeks of “intestinal distress” and Gloria had to get out of the house.
We got gussied up a bit and went to the ballroom for the park sponsored Christmas dinner. We had a nice prime rib dinner and then were entertained by “Mrs. Claus” which was fun.
Terry asked some people to come over afterwards so we got out the chairs & buddy burner. It was very pleasant to sit out with Duane & Henry on guitars providing the entertainment until 10:30. Luckily we have only one immediate neighbor who did not attend so we didn’t worry too much about noise.

Dec 21st – Wed
We played bocce ball at 10 and then went out for breakfast. We stopped for groceries on the way home so that I can do some Christmas baking.
First Dennis & Gloria then Mike & Susie and Duane & Sue stopped by to chat and it was nice enough to sit out in the sunshine. I did some baking, Terry printed personal cards for Ernie & Dianne and played computer games and we generally had a quiet late afternoon & evening.

Dec 22nd – Thurs
I continued with baking and Terry cussed out his favorite game on the computer as he couldn’t win today. I worked on our email Christmas card and finally got it sent to everyone.
Just before 3 we went to listen to music in the courtyard but were expecting it to be moved inside as it was fairly cool. A note on the door said it was outside so we came back to get warmer jackets and sat in the sun in the courtyard which was very pleasant. Our usual group was not there so we got to know Mel & Wanda and Iris & Chris a little better.
After dinner we went to Dennis & Gloria’s to play canasta with them and Duane & Sue. The women had all the luck and won 2 games. All of us except Duane have colds so when the cold meds wore off we all took turns coughing every time we laughed.

Dec 16th to 18th - Mesa

2011-12-19T15:41:00.000-08:00

Dec 16th – Fri
Terry’s coughing didn’t totally disturb us until 6:30 so I gave him daytime cold capsules and we slept until 9. He went to a class on gambling tips and I updated the blog and started backing up pictures on the computer.
After a late breakfast, we rode to Dennis & Gloria’s to see their new name plaque in front of their park model and ended up chatting with them for a while. The weather was lovely so we rode around the park and stopped to talk with Duane, Sue & Bob.
Billy & Lauri saved seats for us at the “music in the courtyard moved into the ballroom” at 3 but there wasn’t a large crowd. After dinner, Dennis & Gloria and Dave & Glo came over to play Canasta. I hate to report that the guys won!

Dec 17th - Sat
Terry had another bad bout of coughing about 4 this morning and we finally got settled down with cold meds for him and Excedrin for my headache. This made us late getting up and going again but the calendar was pretty empty so that was no problem.
We went out for a late breakfast and stopped at a couple of swap meets on the way back as the weather was nice for wandering around. We went to some thrift stores and found bags to take our golf clubs on the plane when we go to Hawaii in January.
Clouds were moving in and the temperature was dropping by the time we got back so once more the awning was stored. Terry put steaks on the BBQ early so he could cook in the daylight and we were just finished eating when Duane & Sue stopped in to chat.
We went to a dance here at the park from 7 to 10. I was still coughing and congested so I encouraged Terry to dance with other women sometimes.

Dec 18th – Sun
I don’t know how Terry times his coughing until the morning hours – cold meds again at 6:30 and then a bit more sleep. After a while I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
The weather returned to cloudy & cool – rain overnight – so we had to make a trip to a casino. We played steadily for several hours before finally giving up our allowances and heading home. We picked up Duane & Sue and introduced them to Fat Willy’s for wings. TV & phone calls wrapped up the evening.

Dec 13th to 15th - Mesa

2011-12-16T10:14:00.001-08:00

Dec 13th – Tues
It is rainy again this morning. After breakfast we went to see how Dennis & Gloria are doing as Dennis has been sick for a couple of weeks. He is feeling better but still not 100% so he went to a doctor who recommended more tests (of course!) and gave him a stronger anti-diarrhea medication. Then we walked to Dan & Carol’s to deliver show tickets. We would normally ride our bikes but the seats are very wet as the rain started earlier than expected yesterday and I didn’t get the plastic bags on the seats.
We met Carol’s mother and visited with her & Carol. Dan arrived home, took his mother-in-law to the hairdresser and came back to chat with us. We were going to leave but it had started to rain again so we waited until Dan had to pick up his mother-in-law and he dropped us at home.
We hurried through the rain to listen to music in the ballroom at 3. At 5:15 Ernie & Dianne picked us up again for another trip to the Arizona Opry. The show tonight was Traditional Christmas and dinner was chicken. We had excellent seats and enjoyed the music performed by the multi-talented cast.

Dec 14th – Wed
I had a sore throat yesterday evening and it looks as if it’s the start of a cold. We had a lazy morning and I worked on the pictures on the computer after resting on the recliner and then the couch.
I took some cold capsules in time to feel human for a dance from 4 to 6 as we had already purchased tickets. Then Phyllis took us and Larry & Julie to dinner at the Duchess, a nearby bar/restaurant. Our neighbors last year walked there for dinner so they didn’t have to drive home after a couple of drinks. The food was ample and good.

Dec 15th – Thurs
Terry had coughing fits last night so it was another lazy morning and then a trip to get cold medication, a few groceries and DVDs to back up the pictures. When we got back, our neighbors Gerry & Erika were sitting out in the sun in an area protected from the slight breeze. We joined them and then Dennis & Gloria came over with drinks in hand. Duane & Sue walked by so we added them to the gathering.
At 4:30 or so we went with Duane & Sue to the Casino Arizona for another show. We went early enough to have a roast beef sub that is available most days in the entry area of the casino. It is a good deal for $5 for the sandwich, chips & au jus. We gambled a bit before lining up for show seating. The show this time was the Christmas edition with impersonators doing a good job of Elvis, Dean Martin, Shania Twain, Natalie Cole and The Four Tops.
When we were waiting for the show, we saw Neil & Robin who had just flown back from attending Neil’s father’s funeral in Omaha. Robin was on a winning streak and even after the show she was going strong. I lost my allowance and hung around with Robin before finding Terry and heading home.

Dec 10th to 12th - Mesa

2011-12-13T08:17:00.001-08:00

Dec 10th - Sat
We did laundry this morning and worked on a puzzle while it was in the washers. Terry decided we should look for another Kohl’s as the one I went to had only 3 pairs of undies that I finally decided would be OK. We stopped for a burger for lunch on the way to the store. At the store, luckily we saw the line up for the cash registers before we did any shopping and we walked right back out. A Saturday a couple of weeks before Christmas is not the time to shop!
We visited with Dave & Glo, Billy & Lauri and Sue before Ernie & Dianne picked us up at 5:15 to go to the Arizona Opry which is quite a ways out in Apache Junction.
Barleen’s Arizona Opry is a well known dinner & a show attraction in this area. Dianne made reservations in the spring so we had excellent seats right up front. The entire staff – including entertainers – serves dinner to up to 508 guests in 35 minutes. Dinner is roast beef on even days and chicken on odd days. Our roast beef was superb and the Country Jamboree show was even better. Some of the musicians are members of the Barleen family and all are very versatile on instruments and singing. An intermission allows people to visit the gift shop and get root beer floats if you have any room left after dinner. We were home about 10:30.

Dec 11th – Sun
The day dawned clear & sunny which was perfect for Neal & Judi’s brunch at 11 this morning. They also invited Larry & Julie, Billy & Lauri, Ed & Millie and new acquaintances Rob & Terri.
Judi is a very good cook and loves to decorate so the tables were as beautiful as the food was good. Bloody Marys and champagne – mimosas if desired – started and ended the gathering. We actually moved into the shade after eating as it was too warm in the sun.
It was after 3 when we left which was time for a nap before TV, dinner and a long phone call to sister Marg.

Dec 12th – Mon
We woke early to rain so Terry went out and put the chairs further under the awning. A bit later, the awning was rattling in the wind so Terry pulled the awning most of the way in. When we got up the awning came all the way in and the chairs went under the 5th wheel.
We went to the Casino Arizona to get 12 tickets for a show on Thursday. Again we stayed to gamble a bit and Terry won enough to put our original allowance back in his pocket and to keep him going for a while. We stopped for a late breakfast on the way home and shopped at a couple of stores.
Back at the park, we hunkered down with computer games, cookie baking and reading to pass the wet afternoon. At 4:30ish we went to Ernie & Dianne’s for dinner. She bought a crock pot and made my roast beef with gravy recipe. Their son-in-law and granddaughter (Mike & Kaya) are visiting. Also there were Garry & Steph and Dave & Sandi so it was quite a houseful.
After a good dinner and visiting, we dodged the raindrops & puddles walking back and went to bed to watch TV rather than turning on the furnace and staying up.

Dec 7th to 9th - Mesa

2011-12-10T07:47:00.001-08:00

Dec 7th – Wed
It was cold this morning but was nice and warm in the sunny end of the courts when we played bocce ball at 10. We forgot that we were supposed to go to another park with Ernie & Dianne but they had to wait for a carpenter so it all worked out OK. We went to a Country Store at nearby Good Life RV park. It is also a Cal-Am park but they have a much larger ballroom that is filled with vendors and a few overflow into another activities room. We saw our neighbor Judy from when we stayed there for a week about 3 years ago.
We all went for a nice lunch at Red Mountain Café and returned to the park so Ernie could oversee the work being done for them. We made a trip for a few groceries, sat around watching TV for a while and decided the empty afternoon called for a casino trip.
Our money lasted until 7:30 at the Lone Butte casino. I had enough leftovers from dinner last night to make a very easy dinner for us.

Dec 8th – Thurs
We attended the coffee & doughnuts meeting in the ballroom this morning. The Camping World representative sponsored the session and he always brings items to raffle. Our lack of luck held out and we didn’t win anything!
We did some bike riding and visiting, had lunch and then went to find a Stein Mart store. The first one that I found online was closed and we didn’t find the second as I was so sure the first one was there that I didn’t write down the exact address.
We went to another music- in-the-courtyard that was moved to the ballroom. The singer was Curtis who lives in this park and is a great performer. There was a large crowd and the floor was filled three times with line dancers.
I had a huge pork roast in the crock pot to make pulled pork. It is a new recipe and turned out great.

Dec 9th – Fri
It was cold last night with frost on our table this morning. We played bocce ball again this morning and loved the sunshine and total lack of wind. Terry’s court was the last to finish so it was nearly lunch time by the time we got back.
After a pulled pork sandwich, we went to Costco to pick up my contacts and a couple of other items. Dennis & Gloria came over to visit and then we all went to Duane & Sue’s to have appies & drinks before the Christmas parade. The parade went right by Duane & Sue’s site at 4:30 and then we picked up our chairs and moved to Ernie & Dianne’s site to watch the parade again as it came by the clubhouse. We stayed there until about 6.
We invited Duane & Sue and Bob & Maria over for dinner. I made chimichangas with the pulled pork and we topped them with Salsa Salad – yum!

Dec 4th to 6th - Mesa

2011-12-07T14:02:00.001-08:00

Dec 4th – Sun
We and Ernie & Dianne tried a different restaurant (Hackers) for breakfast. It is in Apache Junction and we had to wait to get in. It was good but other places are just as good with not such a long line to get in.
Neil asked Terry to come over and try some gold sluicing with Neil’s friend Steve. Then Terry joined them to go to a casino and I went shopping at Kohl’s. I got back about 4 with a few items and Terry returned just in time to grab a quick bite of leftovers before we went to play cards with Ernie & Dianne.
We learned a new variation of canasta (ponytail?) at Dave & Glo’s so we taught Ernie & Dianne.
The guys won the first game and the women won a hard fought second game so we started the tie-breaker game at 11:00. The women finally won the third game at 1:40. Our sites aren’t very far apart so we fell into bed at 1:45. Terry’s feet were like ice cubes which is very unusual so I made him put socks on so he could get to sleep!

Dec 5th – Mon
When Terry was on his way to the casino yesterday, he got a phone call from Judy Hunt who has a park model in the Sands RV in Desert Hot Springs. Her, her husband Russ and Gilbert & Grace were staying in a condo in Scottsdale and wanted to see us. Terry suggested dinner today but when I called this morning we all decided lunch would work better.
We made a trip to Casino Arizona to get tickets for a show and ended up losing some money on the slots. We stopped at a grocery store on the way back and I had just finished lunch prep when our visitors arrived. We had a great time catching up before lunch and then went on a tour of the park. We took them to Total Wines where everyone picked up a supply of alcohol. On the way back we stopped at a Big Lots so Grace could buy a narrow table like the one we have between our chairs. We transferred all their purchases to their car and they were on their way about 4:30.
Shortly after they left, Duane & Sue dropped by with drinks in hand. As they were leaving about 5:30, Sue said she had a pork roast in the oven and asked us to join them for dinner. We had a nice dinner, said to heck with line dancing and taught them how to play Wizard which Sue won.

Dec 6th – Tues
I made jelly biscuits for breakfast and then Dave brought over 2 freshly made empanadas which he said should be eaten while they were warm. Glo made the Spanish/Mexican treat and they were very good.
We rode our bikes to visit Larry & Julie and Billy & Lauri stopped in while we were there. We went to see Dennis & Gloria to see if they feeling better since they both had some intestinal distress going on for a few days. Gloria is OK but Dennis is waiting for a lot of cold sores to heal before going anywhere. We stopped at Ernie & Dianne’s to check out the progress of some work they were having done in their Arizona room.
We had a light lunch and relaxed before going to listen to music which again was moved from the courtyard to the ballroom due to continuing cool weather. The band (North Star) is popular so a lot of people attended and we danced a lot. I had a beef roast in the crockpot so we asked Ernie & Dianne and Phyllis to come for dinner with the condition that we were going to line dance lessons at 7. We finished eating and doing dishes in time for us and Ernie & Dianne to go line dancing. We stayed until 8:30 or so for additional instruction in a couples dance. Dave & Glo stopped by for a nightcap.

Dec 1st to 3rd - Mesa

2011-12-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

Dec 1st – Thurs
Needless to say, Terry wasn’t feeling too chipper today. Moe came by just before 10 to see if we wanted to join him for breakfast but that didn’t sound at all good to Terry and I already ate a muffin so we passed on the invitation.
Right after Terry left at 11:30 to take Moe to the airport, Ernie & Dianne stopped by. As they were leaving, they ran into Steph who was delivering Christmas cards and she came in to chat. We were joined for a while by Sue.
Steph was still here when Terry returned so he made some soup but his queasy stomach only tolerated a small bowl. We took it easy the rest of the afternoon and went to listen to music at 3. It poured rain early this morning and was still cool so music was in the ballroom instead of the courtyard. We did a couple of line dances but the music was generally slow and didn’t get the crowd dancing too much.
Dinner, dessert & TV filled the evening.

Dec 2nd – Fri
It’s a good thing that we didn’t have to be at bocce ball doesn’t until 9:45 as the early hours were our only “down” time today. Bocce ball lasted until 11:30 today and then I made pancakes & eggs for lunch. Next it was time to do laundry. Even then we multitasked – I got books at the library and worked on a puzzle and Terry went to get DEF for the truck.
After putting away the laundry and making the bed, we went to Costco where I ordered contacts and we got some coffee. We were going to stop for a few groceries on the way back but made a quick stop at Big Lots instead.
Music in the courtyard at 3 was moved into the ballroom again as it was pretty cool. We danced a bit and stayed after 5 for a few minutes to chat with Sue & her friend Maria. When we were at the ballroom, Dave & Glo invited us over to play cards so I made dinner as fast as I could and we walked to their place around 6:30.
We played Pegs & Jokers and Ponytail Canasta and drank chocolate martinis. Yes, even Terry who yesterday wasn’t going to drink for a month was drinking the martinis. We got home about 12:30 as we had to determine the Canasta winners (the women!).

Dec 3rd – Sat
After breakfast, we went shopping for a few groceries, dropped them off so the ice cream wouldn’t melt and went to WalMart for a couple of items. When we returned, we went visiting on our bikes. Julie wasn’t home so we chatted with Larry and gave Bandit his treat. We talked for quite a while with Phyllis and discovered that it was raining when we went to leave. It is only about a minute from there on our bikes so it’s not like we got very wet.
We relaxed and watched golf and I did some dinner prep. Ernie & Dianne came over about 3:30 so we could play some cards before dinner. After dinner, we all went to a dance here at the park.
We arrived first at the dance and found we were seated with some people who don’t dance much but were sitting at the end of the table which makes it harder to get out and dance. Ernie & Dianne had tickets for a different table so we changed to that table and when Duane & Sue and their friends Bob & Maria arrived, we had them change to our table too. Good company, good band, good evening.
We all went to Ernie & Dianne’s for a nightcap when the dance ended at 10 and we got home at 11:30.

Nov 26th to 30th - Mesa

2011-12-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

Nov 26th – Sat
We went early to WalMart to get groceries and a cable for the new TV. Turned out we didn’t need the cable, just switched around the existing leads so Terry took the cable back. After breakfast Terry helped Moe again with his TV and I made an apple tart and did some cleaning. We were expecting my cousin Pat and her husband Rick today but weren’t sure what time. Pat called Terry using Skype a couple of days ago and the voice quality wasn’t very good so he just knew they would get here this afternoon and stay 2 nights.
Dennis & Gloria were visiting when Pat & Rick arrived just after 4. We got them parked right next to us and got happy hour going. Julie joined us for a while before I made dinner for us and Pat & Rick. We were relaxing after dinner when Ernie & Dianne stopped by. They, Julie and Dennis & Gloria met Pat & Rick this year on Jan 1st so friendships were renewed.

Nov 27th – Sun
Pat & I went to Kohl’s – Pat got some good buys! - while Rick & Terry went to Camping World. We met back at the park where we made a quick lunch and then we all went to the Mesa Marketplace where Pat & Rick picked up several items that they were looking for. We made a quick stop at Costco on the way back to buy hard-boiled, peeled eggs that I ended up not needing as Dianne brought deviled eggs to our get together at 3.
Larry & Julie, Dennis & Gloria, Neal, Moe, Billy & Lauri and Ernie & Dianne all came for the Appy Happy Hour(s). After a few people left, we made the circle smaller and lit a buddy burner. The day was beautiful but it cools down quickly when the sun sets. We moved inside with Rick & Pat at 7 to watch a couple of TV shows that Pat likes.
I made a quick stir fry for dinner for Rick, Terry & I. Pat is successfully dieting and had enough appetizers to serve as dinner.

Nov 28th – Mon
We took Rick & Pat to visit Julie & Larry and Ernie & Dianne and go through their park models. R&P picked up some books at the library and pulled out about 10:30 for their next stay in Tucson.
Terry helped Moe finish his TV installation while I puttered around and worked on the computer. It was another lovely day so Moe bought us burgers for lunch at the courtyard. We were very lazy the rest of the day and didn’t even go to line dancing lessons.

Nov 29th – Tues
We went on a bus trip to Bucky’s casino in Prescott. We were walking with Dennis & Gloria to the boarding spot at the Fiesta flag poles when the buses came towards us down the wrong road. The gate attendant sent them to the main flag poles so we got on the bus and directed the driver out the main entrance and back around to the gate they used originally for the easiest way to Fiesta. We stayed on the bus and got good seats at the front.
We arrived at Prescott at 10, got our players’ cards and hit the slots. At noon we picked up our bag lunches and discovered that the people on the 3rd bus had just got through the line at the players’ club. At 3:30 we took the bus downtown and shopped a bit with Dennis & Gloria. We had ordered dinner in the Office restaurant when we saw Dan & Carol and Moe on the other side of the street. They had looked in the restaurant but couldn’t see us behind a booth. We changed to a larger table and they joined us. They even got their dinner before we did – more of the bad luck that we experienced at the slots!
We got back on the bus at 5:30, picked up gamblers at the casino and were at the park at 8 after going through the Valley of Lights. The easiest gate was locked so we had to circle around to the main gate. The driver stopped in front of the office before going to Fiesta so we had a shorter walk home. The other buses didn’t let anyone off until they were at the Fiesta flag poles.

Nov 30th – Wed
We played bocce ball this morning in absolutely beautiful weather. Unfortunately, the forecast is for cooling and rain. I made breakfast for lunch and then we went visiting on our bikes. I had Terry pull out the bin with our few Christmas decorations and I put up garlands and our little fiber optic tree.
We were talking with Duane & Sue when Moe tracked us down and asked to use a phone. Gloria showed up and said Dennis was not feeling well so she was trying to find someone to use his Poker Run ticket. We talked Moe into borrowing Dennis’ bike and going with us.
The Poker Run started at 3 in the courtyard where we got instructions and our first card. There were 3 stops (with wine & snacks) to get cards. At the miniature golf course, you had to get a hole in one to get a card. At the bocce ball courts a group of 4 or 5 had to throw balls with the person closest to the yellow ball getting a card. This was repeated until everyone in the group had a card.
We finished at the courtyard with our final card, hot dogs & beer. The best hand received $40, $30 for second and $20 for third. This was the first poker run in the park so the activity director asked everyone for ideas for changes for the next one. We and 8 others tried out the new comfy wicker furniture grouping by the pool and lit the “gas & glass” fire pit in the center of the table.
We dropped off our bikes, made a drink and went with Moe to Duane & Sue’s. Friends of theirs arrived today and were there for dinner. Before we knew it, Sue had thawed out extra steaks and made dinner for all of us.
We moved back outside and Terry got a buddy burner going. I was getting cold and had enough to drink so I came home at 9:15. Terry finally came home at 12:45 when I had had just enough sleep to lay awake for a long time.

Dec 1 – I am no longer able to modify entries after I post them so on the 26th when I actually did post the 22nd to the 25th, I deleted, changed and re-added the 19th to the 21st. I was sure I checked that both entries were there but maybe I didn’t check or something happened with 2 posts so close together. Sorry Georgia & Claude and anyone else who wondered why there was such a long gap!!!!

Nov 22nd to 25th - Mesa

2011-12-01T09:06:00.001-08:00

Nov 22nd – Tues
We ordered a couple of things online, I caught up the blog and we generally goofed off this morning. Then we got even lazier and went to the courtyard grill to have taco salads for lunch.
At 2:30 Claude & Val picked us up to go see friends Tim & Kim in Scottsdale. We were supposed to go on Sunday but Tim was sick so Kim asked us for dinner today. The guys sat outside by a nice crackling fire while the gals enjoyed talking about all sorts of topics that were not of interest to men.
We got back in time for Val & me to watch most of the final DWTS show. Terry & Claude went to see Moe to tell him about a couch that Kim & Tim have for sale and to take measurements – turns out it won’t fit. Claude also wanted to talk to Moe about Verizon wifi. Claude & Val are staying in Casa Grande and Claude wanted to get going so Val didn’t get to see the end of DWTS but I called her as soon as the winner was announced.

Nov 23rd – Wed
It’s only been a week since we did laundry but I figured the next couple of days will be busy and I wanted it out of the way. This time after we started the washers we got more money put on the laundry card and went to Fry’s to use an ATM. We are sooo busy that we have to multitask!!!!
Moe arrived as we were having a sandwich and joined us for a piece of pie. Then we went with him to a couple of Hobby Lobby stores to buy 10 pound slabs of wax with 40% off coupons. We use the wax in our buddy burners so we all bought 2 slabs each.
Just after 3 we went to Dennis & Gloria’s for a birthday party for Dennis & Billy. Their birthdays are actually tomorrow but we didn’t want the party on Thanksgiving. There was a wonderful group of 25 friends. Gloria provided hamburgers & fixings and everyone else pitched in with other food. Duane, Ernie & Dianne brought their guitars and had the diehards dancing and singing for a couple of hours.

Nov 24th – Thurs – HAPPY THANKSGIVING
I put a turkey in an electric roaster at 7 and went back to bed to watch TV for a while. Gloria signed up as host for a table in the ballroom and invited us, Ernie & Dianne, Bob & Peggy, Duane & Sue and Moe to fill the table. She also divided up the cooking chores and I got the easy job of cooking the turkey (provided by the park) and making gravy. Gloria also decorated and set the table this morning with some help from Peggy.
At 12:30 the ballroom opened again for everyone (19 tables of 10 people) to begin arriving and setting out the food. Just after 1:00 someone said grace and we got down to the serious job of stuffing our faces. I took home the dirty plates & cutlery to wash as I had done so little cooking.
Terry bought a paper this morning so we went through all the ads – even though we don’t need much! – and I actually read the paper which I don’t get to do often. After a while we took Gloria’s dishes & cutlery back and visited with them. As usual, we thought we would not want to eat for the rest of the day but it was wonderful to have some leftover turkey for sandwiches for dinner. We found a movie on TV and ended up watching two.

Nov 25th – Fri
Terry took Dennis to find a place to look at a leak in his truck and then picked him up after he took the truck in. I had pumpkin pie and an orange for breakfast and went to the ballroom to help put up Christmas decorations. Unfortunately, the decorating committee quit so there wasn’t much leadership and we had different decorations from last year so we couldn’t just put them up where they were previously. I worked from 9:30 to 2 with a short break for a piece of pizza for lunch.
Just as I was walking back, I saw Terry getting into Moe’s car & flagged them down. Moe bought the 26” TV from our outside compartment and he & Terry had been taking the old TV out of the bedroom and putting in the flat screen. A bit later I rode my bike over to have a look at their handiwork. They just had to get the old molding cut and were heading to Ernie’s as he had his table saw out. Dennis & Gloria came over to say that their truck would be done at 3:30 so we sat outside – a bit cool in the shade with a breeze – and chatted. At 3:30 I picked up Dennis and dropped him off to get his truck. I thought I would have some time to enjoy a drink and my book but I had barely got settled when Terry returned and wanted to go buy a bigger TV for the compartment. Off we went and got what he wanted – 37” Vizio – at Costco. We had stopped at WalMart first but they were out of stock so we just picked up some chicken for dinner.
We had just started to eat dinner when Duane & Sue came over with drinks in hand so we ate while we talked with them. Then Dennis & Gloria showed up and joined the party. Finally, Robin walked over and of course joined us also. Everyone was gone by 9:30.

Nov 19th to 21st - Mesa

2011-11-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

Nov 19th – Sat
There were patio sales in the park today so we got going fairly early on our bikes to check them out. We bought a shrub trimmer (for the hedge at Desert Hot Springs) and 2 sleeves of golf balls – big spenders!! We came back for breakfast and then looked after Laurie’s sale – with a few items from us & Julie – so Lauri could go “shopping” with Julie.
We were just ready to leave Lauri’s when Phyllis called for help. She was replacing a light in her bathroom light bar when the socket pushed into the bar and she didn’t know what to do. Her usual helpers weren’t home so she called Terry. It only took a few minutes to take out 4 screws, secure the socket and replace the bar & bulbs. We stayed to chat with Phyllis and met 2 of her neighbors – Jill & Karen – who had been to a craft sale so we had to check out what they had for sale. Jill makes bags & purses and Karen makes hand-painted wooden ornaments with intricate details. We ended up buying a bag from Jill that can be used for a “booze” bag or a beach bag.
Dennis called to say that Gloria was not feeling well and could we find someone to use their dance tickets. Terry got on his bike and ended up giving them to Mike & Susie. I was watching the President’s Cup on the Golf Channel and seeing the Sunday morning singles matches from Australia.
We went to a dance from 7 to 10 and had our usual good time getting plenty of exercise.

Nov 20th – Sun
We picked up Mike & Susie at 8:30 to take them to the airport. They will be home in Minnesota – brrrr – until Dec 20th. We went past Moe’s to see if he was feeling better but even though his car was there he wasn’t home. I told Terry that he had probably walked over to our place and sure enough, as we headed to our site we met Moe coming back. He was happy to join us for breakfast so we went to Mickey D’s in Apache Junction. The restaurant was packed but the service was fast & friendly as usual.
On the way back we stopped at a Swap Meet. Unlike the Mesa Marketplace, this place has way more used items than new and we had fun wandering through in the sunshine. We went past Larry & Julie’s, Neal & Judy’s and Billy & Laurie’s after we dropped off Moe but none of their vehicles were there.
Terry was antsy as we had nothing planned so we went to Duane & Sue’s to see if they wanted to join us on a casino run. They were being lazy and weren’t showered yet but we waited for them and went to a couple of casinos. At the first casino (Lone Butte) we gambled – and lost! – enough to get a coupon for a huge hamburger for $7.77. The waitress tried to tell Terry that one burger was enough for 4 people but he wouldn’t listen. We ended up taking the second 10 inch hamburger home! At the next casino (Wild Horse), Duane won $400 and we continued to lose even though Terry sat on the same machine for 3 hours.

Nov 21st – Mon
We joined the bicycle club at 8:00 to ride nearly 6.5 miles for breakfast and then ride 4.5 miles back. I had to take off my light jacket halfway to the restaurant. We went to the Country Store for a bit and saw Ernie & Dianne there so I asked if Dianne would come and help me figure out how to get to Val Vista’s site on Facebook. It turns out I was finding the “sales” site rather than the “activities” site so with some help from Dianne’s daughter & text messaging we are set up.
I was ready to heat up the meat from the leftover hamburger when Dennis & Gloria stopped by. After chatting for a while we decided to go shopping after we had lunch.
We went to Sam’s Club & Costco. We wanted something from Sam’s Club and don’t have a card and Gloria wanted an item from Costco but doesn’t have a card so we used each others’ cards. We ended up going to two Sam’s stores as the first one was really small.
We bought a round table for Sandy and delivered it when we got back. We stayed there for a drink and then joined Dennis & Gloria for dinner. I skipped line dance lessons to watch the final DWTS dance episode with Dennis & Gloria. Terry & Moe came over after dance lessons to have pumpkin pie for dessert.

Nov 16th to 18th - Mesa

2011-11-19T17:35:00.001-08:00

Nov 16th – Wed
We played bocce ball this morning in absolutely perfect, sunny-but-not-too-hot weather. After “breakfast for lunch”, I sorted out the laundry and we threw the clothes in the washers then walked to the ballroom so I could shop the women’s clothing sale and buy nothing. Back to the laundry room to dry the clothes which left me enough time to make up some devilled eggs while Dennis & Gloria visited with us.
We went to Ernie & Dianne’s for happy hour at 3 with a lot of other people - I will not try to list them all here. Of course we were the last to leave around 6:30. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV, playing computer games and chatting with Susie for a while.

Nov 17th – Thurs
Coffee & doughnuts this morning didn’t last as long as usual since the managers & activities director were not there. Nelda, the activities manager, did a good, concise job of making necessary announcements. We chatted with our “backyard” neighbors – Jerry & Erika – who are from Kelowna and are renting a park model for a couple of months.
We rode around on our bikes and did some visiting and then went for a few groceries and got the truck washed. At 2:30 we went to the courtyard to have a hamburger before listening to Curtis sing from 3 to 5. After that we went to Ed & Millie’s for a drink & snacks. Ed owned the park model that we helped Julie buy so Julie & Larry and their friends Terry & Tina were also there.

Nov 18th – Fri
I played golf & had lunch with Sandy, Susie & Joyce this morning while Terry played bocce ball and then had breakfast with Moe. We boiled baby back ribs before going to listen to music in the courtyard from 3 to 5.
We had Dennis & Gloria and Dave & Glo over for dinner. We cleaned up the dishes and we all went to Dennis & Gloria’s to play Pegs & Jokers. We played two games with Dennis & Gloria’s rules and one game with Dave & Glo’s rules which are only slightly different but very confusing when you mix them in one evening. The girls won 2 games, the guys won 1 (this is in here for future reference!!).

Nov 13th to 15th - Mesa

2011-11-16T08:07:00.001-08:00

Nov 13th – Sun
Just as I was finishing my phone call to sister Marg, Moe & Trish came by so Trish could say goodbye to us. She is flying back to Vancouver today to go back to work for 2 months and then will be retiring.
Ron & Terri joined us for a shopping trip to a golf store and a sporting goods store. Terry thinks he needs a new driver and he tried some out but didn’t buy one. As we were heading back, Ron asked if there was an Applebee’s nearby to have wings for a late lunch. We insisted that Fat Willy’s was the place for wings so that is where we went. Ron & Terri agreed that Fat Willy’s is indeed the place for wings.
Just before 6 we picked up Ernie & Dianne and Dennis & Gloria to go to a show at the Arizona Casino. We stayed for a bit after the show to do some gambling. Terry was going up & down on a machine and moved to the next one over when it was vacant. Dianne sat down on the machine that Terry had been playing and won $74 which she was smart enough to take home.

Nov 14th – Mon
We picked up our forwarded mail and quickly went through it before we rode our bikes around trying to find Margaret to return a corkscrew. We visited Julie, Tina & Terry to see how they liked the NASCAR races that they attended yesterday, made a stop to wish Billy & Lauri a Happy Anniversary and then it was time for a sandwich for lunch.
We made a quick trip to Costco to buy what may be my new favorite item there – hard-boiled, peeled eggs. Sounds weird & lazy but when you want to make devilled eggs and only have fresh eggs that won’t peel they are wonderful. We made another stop at Fry’s to deposit a check and get a jicama which turned out to be awful.
I had a short time to make devilled eggs and put chips & salsa in bowls to take to a happy hour(s) at Mike & Susie’s new park model. The gathering was to say “have a nice trip, we’ll miss you” to Ron & Terri who are going home for 6 weeks.
We ate enough appies that we didn’t need dinner before immediately going to line dancing lessons at 7. After the regular lessons we stayed for a special class on the Wooden Nickel partner line dance. Duane (I have been misspelling his name!!) & Sue came back with us for a nightcap.

Nov 15th – Tues
Terry left at 7 to play golf with Ron, Moe & Bob and I stayed in bed to finish reading a book. I enjoyed my time cleaning up the kitchen, sorting out a couple of drawers and messing around on the computer. I had just eaten a light lunch when they returned. Ron & Terri have cleaned out their fridge and were going to the courtyard for lunch so we joined them and Terry had a burger there also. While we were at the community center, we bought dance tickets for Sat and then tracked down some people to tell them there was room left at the table.
At 3 we went to listen to music in the courtyard. The weather has warmed up so it was perfect to sit there in shorts. We had to leave early at 4:30 to take Ron & Terri to the airport. We hurried back to go with a group to the Chinese buffet to celebrate Stephanie’s birthday. We all returned to Ernie & Dianne’s to digest and eventually have a small piece of birthday cake.

Nov 9th to 12th - Mesa

2011-11-13T14:59:00.001-08:00

Nov 9th – Wed
We played golf at Sunland Village East with Moe & Trish. It is an 18 hole, short course which suits me fine. We had a coupon for 2-for-1 green fees so it was a bargain at $21.60 each with a cart. Our tee time was 11:25 but they were running late so we got free buckets of balls and warmed up (wore out!?) on the driving range. It was cool in the morning but warmed up and I wished I hadn’t worn long pants.
We finished our round just in time to grab our drink bag and go to an afternoon dance as we already had tickets. We had to rehydrate and rejuvenate with a drink so we didn’t dance every dance as usual.
Then we took Dwayne & Sue to the Chinese buffet that we like so well. They also enjoyed it and were happy that we introduced them to it.

Nov 10th – Thurs
Terry left to play golf with Ron, Mike & Bob at 7:30 and I left for golf at 7:50. I played the short Dreamland course with 6 others and Terry played Las Colinas. Most of my group had breakfast afterwards and Terry’s foursome stopped for burgers & beer.
After Terry & group returned, we visited with Ron & Terri and Mike & Susie. Then Dennis & Gloria and Moe & Trish arrived for a BBQ. The park was having a steak fry but we decided we didn’t want to go since we have been to 2 since we have been here and one was not very good. Ron & Terri came over later and said the steak fry was a huge mess with too many tickets sold (there is a large shuffleboard tournament going on here all this week) and not enough organization. The baked potatoes weren’t done (same as the first one we went to!) and they ran out of cookies for dessert (definite no-no!). At our BBQ, everyone brought & cooked their own meat, Gloria brought perfectly baked potatoes and Trish made a yummy salad so we had a great meal.
Dwayne & Sue came over and Dwayne played his guitar & sang. We persuaded them to bring over the meat that they were going to BBQ at home and they joined us for dinner. They left early as Dwayne is a hockey fan – yes, they are Canadians – and there was a game on at 8:30.
We had a couple of buddy burners going and someone reported that we had a fire so Kevin (manager) stopped by to see what was going on. As soon as he saw the buddy burner he said we were fine and to continue having fun.

Nov 11th – Fri – HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOB!
Birthday boy Bob is my brother so I had a nice long phone chat with him this morning. Stephanie stopped by for a visit and then I got a haircut at the salon here in the park. We went for a bike ride and chatted with a few people.
At 3:30 we went to Larry & Julie’s for a gathering to welcome their friends Terry & Tina. Unfortunately, the couple that Terry & Tina were riding with from the airport got lost so we had to leave before they got there to have dinner at Moe & Trish’s. Julie invited quite a few people so we got to visit with everyone before we left.
Trish made a great dinner and we had our usual fun time with them.

Nov 12th – Sat
After coffee and some computer “work”, we rode over to see Terry & Tina at Julie’s. On the way back we saw what we thought was a line for the hamburger fry but found out there weren’t many people in line at all so we propped our bikes against a wall and had lunch. The hamburger fry was $6 each and included a burger, fried onions, all the other toppings, baked beans, chips, a can of pop and an ice cream bar. Ernie & Dianne arrived just as we were finishing so we stayed and talked with them as they ate.
We did some shopping and then rode our bikes to see Moe & Trish. Dennis & Gloria came over to say goodbye to Trish and then Moe & Trish’s neighbors Bill & Linda joined us for “men outside”, “ladies inside”. When we got back, Ron & Terri invited us over for mango & vodka and we were joined shortly by Mike & Susie. I made a quick dinner and we went to a dance with the Needham Twins providing great music. We sat with Dennis & Gloria and Ron & Terri. Moe & Trish, Ernie & Dianne and Dwayne & Sue were also there but across the room. There were a couple of line dances with the floor filled with dancers including some beginners from the Monday night class. The good thing about dancing nearly every dance is that it doesn’t leave much time for drinking! The bad thing it that drinking makes you thirsty!
When the dance ended at 10, Terry invited Ernie & Dianne, Ron & Terri, Dwayne & Sue and Margaret & Lou (line dance instructors) over for a nightcap. To our surprise it was raining when we left the ballroom. Oh well, we all got cozy under the awning and had a great time until midnight.

Nov 6th to 8th - Mesa

2011-11-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

Nov 6th – Sun
We went to check out brunch in the courtyard but it had been canceled. We met Moe & Trish doing the same thing so we went out to eat with them. We walked back from their site and stopped to visit Phyllis. I worked on the blog while Terry played a couple of games of pool with Ron & Dwayne.
At 4 we went to Billy & Lauri’s for a chili dinner. Neal & Judy and Larry & Julie were also there. The weather has cooled down so we were searching for a chair in the sun rather than in the shade. We ate early and because of the temperature we headed home about 6.
After plugging in the electric mattress pad, we went to see Dennis & Gloria. They were just getting ready to eat so we had a drink and then watched Amazing Race with them. Rather than turn on the furnace when we got back, we crawled into our nice warm bed and watched TV.

Nov 7th – Mon
We went to the office to buy dance tickets and wandered through the “Country Store” in the ballroom. Terry finally found a reasonably narrow leather belt so he was happy. The vendor makes them all the same length, measures your old belt and cuts the new belt to length and punches holes while you wait. We walked over to see Moe & Trish, came back and had breakfast and did the laundry before going to the grocery store. On the way back, we drove to a golf course and made a tee time for Wednesday.
We got back just in time to make a drink – hot rum for me! – and go to the courtyard to listen to music. The entertainer was supposed to be on the calendar but the font was too large and he got bumped so there were very few people. We made a couple of phone calls and ended up with a group of 2 tables. The singer was very good so I hope he is rebooked sometime.
We had dinner and then went to line dance lessons. There was a large crowd with a lot of beginners including Moe & Trish, Dwayne & Sue and Dianne & Ernie. They all came back with us for a drink and to watch the second hour of DWTS.

Nov 8th – Tues
Trish & Moe stopped by for some information and to use our computer & phone to make a dentist appointment to look at Moe’s sensitive tooth. Terry & I went to WalMart for a few items and then to Waffle House for a late breakfast. We visited Garry & Steph who just arrived yesterday and then went to Casino Arizona to get tickets for another show. Of course we had to gamble a bit while we were there and were a bit late for music in the courtyard. There was a bigger crowd than yesterday – the weather was better but still cool enough for jackets – and we danced a bit.
Dennis & Gloria had us and Dianne & Ernie over for dinner. We played a game of Arizona Rummy and watched the elimination show of DWTS.

Nov 3rd to 5th - Mesa

2011-11-06T15:01:00.000-08:00

Nov 3rd – Thurs
I still don’t know how Terry can ride his bike back from Albertson’s with a box of doughnuts in one hand! Dennis & Gloria stopped by for a short visit. I went for a walk with Val to take Tucker to the dog park and on the way back we ran into Terry delivering a table to our friend Phyllis. We made a trip for diesel (up to $3.99 at one station, we got it for $3.69 since we get 10 cents off a gallon for shopping at Fry’s) and groceries. After putting everything away and having a sandwich, we rode to Garry & Stephanie’s park model and hosed off the siding, patio & driveway as they are arriving soon. It just occurred to me that I forgot to mention that I did the same thing for Ernie & Dianne when Terry was golfing on Tuesday.
Dennis & Gloria stopped by about 3 with drinks in hand. They knew that Claude & Val were coming for dinner so they were just going to visit for a while. Moe was picking up his wife Trish at the airport today and taking Cal to stay with friends in Casa Grande so we left a note on their door to join us for dinner if they got back in time. They did get back in time to come over and have dinner with us and we had a great evening.

Nov 4th – Fri
Terry had to take Neil to the airport at 7 this morning so we were awake a lot during the night thinking we might sleep through the alarm. Terry picked him up early and then Robin called and asked me to call Terry right away as Neil had left his cell phone at home.
I played golf with 7 others and we didn’t include Terry as we didn’t think he would get back in time. It turned out that he got back just before we all left but we didn’t know that the course would allow fivesomes so he didn’t come. It was a short 9 hole course and Terry joined Ron, Terri, Susie & I for breakfast there after our game. The other players were Bob &Sandy (friends of Ron & Terri) and Dwayne & Sue.
When we got back, we went to the “Women’s Expo” in the ballroom. It was the first event of a fundraiser for the “Susan G Komen Race For the Cure” cancer foundation. There were about 50 vendors and a Bra Art exhibit in the billiards room. Bras were decorated and given descriptive names (Jungle Jugs, Boo-bees, Power Lifter) by individuals & groups. I took a turn giving out goodie bags at the door while Terry joined a group listening to music in the courtyard.
For dinner we joined Moe & Trish and Dennis & Gloria at Fat Willy’s. Moe was having fun and asked us all over for a nightcap.

Nov 5th – Sat
There was a big dust, rain & wind storm last night so we were awake several times. We went with Trish & Moe to the Mesa Marketplace this morning but first I wiped dust off all surfaces and vacuumed the floor. We had breakfast there and walked every aisle. The main mission for Trish was a runner & rug for their motor home and she got them and a few other items as well. She was also delighted to get a start on her Christmas gift shopping. From there we went to Total Wine and had a late lunch in SanTan Village mall. Ernie & Dianne came over just after we got back and then Dennis & Gloria popped in. They had been working on the little “garden” in front of their park model and were picking cactus spines out of their fingers. When they all left I sent Terry to the store for ice cream and I cleaned tables & chairs outside as the dust & rain made a huge mess.
We had a short time to rest before Moe & Trish came over for a drink and dessert (which was dinner) before we all went to a dance here at the park. It was the 2nd event in the fundraiser for “Susan G Komen for the Cure” and everyone was encouraged to wear pink. The musicians all donated their time so there were 5 different groups or individuals for our dancing pleasure. As usual, Terry danced nearly every dance and I got to rest a few times when he danced with Phyllis or a lady sitting behind us whose name we never did find out. The 10 people at our table – Moe & Trish, Ernie & Dianne, Dwayne & Sue, Ron & Terri and us – were all Canadians except for Terry.

Oct 30th to Nov 2nd - Mesa

2011-11-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

Oct 30th – Sun
Terry took Moe, Cal and Claude to Total Wine as everyone needed to stock up on booze. I think it was a good thing that they had a pickup to bring back their purchases! I sewed the panels into my flared “hippie” pants, hand washed Terry’s $1 shirt from the rummage sale (turned out it was 100% silk) and splashed bleach on a black T-shirt for my costume since we couldn’t find tie dyed shirts.
At 12:30 we took Claude, Val, Moe & Cal to Filly’s which is a bar & restaurant in Apache Junction. We met Larry & Julie, Billy & Lauri, Dwayne & Sue and Dennis & Gloria there but it turned out there was no band as we were led to believe. We sat outside until flies drove us inside to eat our lunch.
We went to the pool when we got back and then I made apple crisp. I think the smell attracted people as we ended up with Ron & Terri, Mike & Susie, Dwayne & Sue and Claude & Val dropping by for drinks. Luckily we brought leftover chicken strips from Filly’s as they were dinner along with the apple crisp.

Oct 31st – Mon
Terry ran around this morning helping people get tickets for the Halloween dance tonight while I painted peace symbols on my T-shirt and did some very rare ironing. After a late breakfast, we visited with Billy & Lauri and Julie & Larry. I started taking treats to Larry’s dog Bandit and it only took him twice to look for a treat each time I show up.
We waited for Ron & Terri to finish lunch and took them to see the tortoises in the park. We took an old head of cauliflower to feed them and the larger tortoise crunched up a large piece in a hurry. However, it seemed to act as an aphrodisiac as he then “climbed aboard” the smaller tortoise! We continued on to the bocce ball court and played a game to teach Ron & Terri. It was very hot playing in the full sun so we headed to the pool when we got back. A lot of other people had the same idea so there was a large chatting circle of women and one of men.
We had a drink with Dennis & Gloria on our way back and then were joined on our patio by Claude & Val, Moe and Cal. We just had time to have dinner and put on our hippie costumes for the dance.
There was a full house for the dance with music provided by a DJ. Most people got into the hippie theme with some non-hippie costumes and a few non-costumed people. We danced a lot and had a great time. Claude & Val and Dwayne & Sue stopped at our place for a nightcap.

Nov 1st – Tues
Terry played golf this morning and I enjoyed visiting Sue, cleaning, working on the computer and watching MY favorite shows on TV. I made hamburger hash as last time Terry golfed he didn’t eat anything. He got back just before 3 and had eaten a hot dog but was hungry enough to eat an early dinner and rush over to the courtyard to listen to music (3-5) and have a drink. Larry & Julie had saved us a seat and we crowded in chairs for Claude & Val, Neal, Cal and Moe.
It was fairly hot and a large group was listening to the music at the pool so, as we were leaving, Terry decided he needed to go for a swim. He handed me his phone, wallet, belt, keys, sandals & shirt and jumped in. We missed DWTS last night and I wanted to watch the results show so we headed home.

Nov 2nd – Wed
I was just finished the breakfast dishes when Dennis & Gloria stopped and had coffee with us. They were just riding away on their bikes as Moe and Cal drove up so they had coffee & chatted. Claude arrived for a cup of coffee, left for a bit and came back with Val. By the time everyone left it was 12:30 and we went shopping with Claude & Val.
First we went to Camping World. Since I have been there often, I took the opportunity to stay outside and phoned to wish Aunt Jessie a Happy Birthday. We carried on to Costco where we snacked on samples and then had a hot dog after checking out – except I had an ice cream bar covered with chocolate & nuts!! We made a quick stop at WalMart and headed home.
We were just in time to go to the pool party here in the park. Dennis & Gloria and Dwayne & Sue had saved a seat for us in the “splash zone”. It turned out to be warmer than we expected so we came back to change into swim suits and get rid of wallets & phones. It was a lot of fun with lots of squirt guns and splashing of course. Claude asked about the “no splash zone”. We explained that it was to protect the band & their equipment and the few people who did not want to get wet. When he called them wimps I went to Dave (who had been active in the pool) and asked him to get Claude – and they did get him wet!!
A group, including us, stayed in the hot tub for a while after the party officially ended at 6. I heated some leftovers for Terry and made Mexican pizzas for our dinner and we watched Survivor.

Oct 25th to 29th - Mesa

2011-10-31T09:37:00.001-07:00

Oct 25th – Tues
Dennis had to take his truck in for some repairs so Terry brought him back. Then Terry had a hankering for doughnuts and made a quick trip to Albertsons. Dennis & Gloria came over to visit for a while and after they left we went to the pool. We came back and threw burgers on the BBQ for a late lunch, then went to the courtyard to listen to music and dance a bit. We ended the day at Dennis & Glo’s where they taught us to play a board/card game called Pegs & Jokers.

Oct 26th – Wed
We had our mail forwarded so waded through all the junk and made a couple of phone calls to get off mailing lists. We rode our bikes to visit some people before having breakfast for lunch.
We did a bit of shopping and I tried on a couple of bathing suits – YUK!! This should motivate me to get some exercise!
We were chatting with Ron & Terri when Dennis called to say his truck was finally done. I stayed with Gloria (and Larry & Julie) while Terry took Dennis to get the truck. While they were gone, former neighbors of Gloria’s (Carl & Lois) dropped by and joined the party. Terry arrived with 2 pizzas (!?) as he had seen a guy waving a sign for $5 large pizzas at Little Caesars.
After everyone else left, we moved inside and played Pegs & Jokers with Dennis & Gloria. It got very windy so Terry made a quick trip to put in our awning and close windows.

Oct 27th – Thurs
Terry played a great game (90) of golf this morning and I went to the church rummage sale with Julie. I got pink shirts for both of us for a dance next week and a pair of pants to modify for the Halloween dance. Then we went to a fabric store for a couple of items.
Before going shopping, I cooked some chicken that I thawed a couple of days ago and then made rice when I got back so dinner would be easy. When Terry got back at 2:20, he hadn’t eaten anything all day so we had an early dinner before going to listen to music in the courtyard. The new entertainer started out with his music drowning his voice but as he adjusted his equipment and we had a couple of drinks he sounded better. The weather cooled down today so we danced quite a bit. Then we rode over to Neal & Robin’s where we watched the World Series and played Sequence.

Oct 28th – Fri
We went to the office to buy tickets for a dance before we tackled the laundry. After we put everything away, we visited a while with Ron & Terri and watched a new neighbor get parked. The neighbor had a toy hauler and had to unload his motorcycle before parking. The bike had a dead battery so Terry & Ron ended up helping him pull the bike out and then slow it on the ramp. When they (Greg & Joan) were set up they came over with bags of apples as a thank you.
We decided to have a group over to watch the last game of the World Series and have drinks and an appy dinner. After riding around and inviting everyone, we went to a grocery store and I cooked and set out snacks. We ended up with a fun, loud group with a few people who actually watched the game. Julie & Larry were the first to arrive at 4:20 and Ron & Terri were the last to leave at 9:30.
At 4:09, Val called to say they were about 60 miles out near Payson but they didn’t make a reservation and the office closed at 4. Terry hoped on his bike and got a site arranged for them. Before they arrived and with the “party” well underway, I looked up and saw our friend Moe standing beside the patio. We knew he would be here but didn’t know when. He has been travelling in his new-to-him motor home with a friend (Cal) for a couple of weeks. He was trying to figure out how to get an internet connection when he heard our voices!! We sent him back to get Cal and join the party. Terry was showing him how to get back to his site when a golf cart passed him leading Claude & Val to their site. Terry hopped into the golf cart, helped them get parked and told them to come on over. Another Montana 5th wheel parked next to Greg & Joan and Dwayne & Sue joined us after they walked by and Terry spotted them. In addition to the people mentioned, the following also were here – Dennis & Gloria, Neil & Robin, Neal & Judy, Mike and Greg.

Oct 29th – Sat
We took Claude & Val to the church rummage sale (Val got a dress for Halloween and we bought half price candles for buddy burners), stopped for a late breakfast and went to the Mesa Marketplace where we walked all the rows and everyone bought something.
We went to see Moe’s motor home and introduced him & Cal to Billy & Laurie since they are across the street from each other. Billy & Terry helped Moe program his TV to get channels from the antenna. Moe joined us in the pool and then he & Cal and Claude & Val came over for drinks and hamburgers. We started telling embarrassing and/or funny stories about ourselves and had a ton of laughs.

Oct 22nd to 24th - Mesa

2011-10-25T12:35:00.001-07:00

Oct 22nd – Sat
We went to the Mesa Marketplace fairly early this morning so it wouldn’t be too hot there. I bought new Dawg’s sandals as I discovered in Yuma that too much direct sunlight (or just heat) makes them shrink. Gloria’s sandals shrunk from being in their park model here over the summer. We stopped at WalMart on the way back.
After lunch we went to the pool for quite a while as it seemed really hot even though it didn’t reach 100 today. We visited Dennis & Gloria and then we all went to Neal & Judy’s for dinner. Also there were Larry & Julie, Billy & Lauri and Kathy & Dennis. Kathy has a park model right behind Neal & Judy and they figured they better invite her as we are kind of loud!

Oct 23rd – Sun
Neal brought our tables and chairs back but he didn’t bring the storage bags so we rode our bikes over to get them. Then we stopped to visit with Larry & Julie. A bit later Dennis & Gloria came over and we watched a football game outside with them. Just before that game was done, Ron & Terri came over and stayed to chat and watch another football game. Mike & Susie joined us part way through the 2nd football game.
They all left and we watched a World Series game and had dinner.

Oct 24th – Mon
Terry left at 6:15 for a 6:45 tee time with Ron, Mike and Bob (he and his wife Sandy came in yesterday and are friends with Ron, etc). I sort of dozed for a while longer and then did emails and called sister Marg. I was still chatting with her when Terry returned about 10.
We went to pick up baby backs on sale and stopped at Arby’s for an early lunch. After packaging the ribs for the freezer, we went to Best Buy to look at cameras. We picked the brains of a couple of very knowledgeable employees and then went to Costco where we bought the same brand (Panasonic) camera that we saw at Best Buy but with more features for less money.
We went for a short swim and then rode to Larry & Julie’s. Billy & Lauri were there so after chatting a bit we all decided to go to Fat Willy’s for “$5 hamburger Monday”. Neal & Judy also joined us. Fat Willy’s was very crowded but we all had good meals and cold beer and were home in time to miss just a couple of dances on DWTS. You have to remember that a lot of shows start on Central time here in AZ.

Oct 19th to 21st - Mesa

2011-10-22T12:52:00.001-07:00

Oct 19th – Wed
My horrible haircut finally grew out enough to visit the stylist here in the park. She cut my hair last year and did as good a job today. Then we did the laundry before going to the first “watering hole”. It is an afternoon (4-6) dance in the ballroom and there were more people than I expected. An enjoyable country band played mostly danceable music.
As soon as we got back, we picked up Dennis & Gloria to go for wings at Fat Willy’s. Larry & Julie also joined us there.

Oct 20th – Thurs
We attended the coffee & doughnuts manager meeting this morning and then rode our bicycles around the park and visited people. When we were nearing our rig, we saw Gloria standing on the entrance road so we went to see what was up. They were waiting for Direct TV to install a satellite dish and had seen the truck drive by on the wrong road and were trying to flag him down. Terry took off on his bike and eventually found the guy in the wrong section of the park and led him back to Dennis & Gloria’s. Apparently Direct TV had the wrong phone number and then the guy said he couldn’t get a signal from where they wanted the dish installed so they cancelled Direct and called Cox cable.
We joined a group for the first “music in the courtyard” with Curtis Knox entertaining. Terry danced a couple of line dances but the dance area was in the sun and I was already sweating just sitting in the shade. Terry invited everyone (Billy & Lauri, Larry & Julie, Dennis & Gloria) over after for a strawberry daiquiri so the party continued at our place for a while.

Oct 21st – Fri
We went with Billy & Lauri to Fort McDowell casino to play bingo. It is a little boring as the bingo machines do everything and all you have to do is yell bingo. Unfortunately, none of us got to do that! We ate a late lunch there at the intermission and then headed right back after bingo ended. There was an Oktoberfest celebration in the courtyard so we joined some friends to listen to music & have a drink. A group was going to look at Julie’s park model but we came back and then took some tables over to Judy for dinner tomorrow.
We sat out & watched TV for a while and just as I was making a light dinner, Neil & Robin came by. Robin had a snack with us and then we moved back outside and played a couple games of Wizard.

Oct 16th to 18th - Mesa

2011-10-19T13:42:00.001-07:00

Oct 16th – Sun
We were heading to Costco for a couple of items and decided to stop for breakfast first. On the way back we picked up some items at WalMart. We were watching TV outside when Dennis & Gloria arrived and drove by our place first. They didn’t stay long as they were anxious to check out their park model which they only had for a week before they left last spring.
We had previously invited Dennis & Gloria for dinner the day they arrived so they returned with a drink in hand within a couple of hours. They had only eaten breakfast as well so we ate dinner early and enjoyed catching up on news.

Oct 17th – Mon
We picked up Billy and made a trip to Total Wine this morning. Later we went looking for something to wear for Halloween but ended up with an air pump and a slow cooker instead. My crock pot had a crack in the bottom which looked as if it went all the way through so I didn’t want to take a chance on a meal, and possibly the countertop, being ruined.
We walked over to Dennis & Gloria’s – with a drink in hand of course – and Terry ended up helping Dennis raise the window awnings on their large living room windows.
We had a quiet evening with dinner & DWTS.

Oct 18th – Tues
After breakfast, we went to find a car wash as you can’t wash your vehicles in the park. We found a full service wash that did an excellent job and now Terry will be able to keep the truck clean with dry wash. Then we carried on to a casino where it didn’t take too long to lose our allowances.
We stopped for a late lunch on the way back, turned on the AC in the stifling hot 5th wheel and sat outside to read & watch TV. Dennis & Gloria stopped in for a visit and to tell us about their efforts to find a bigger TV that would still fit in the spot available. Eventually Terry made us all a drink and then Ron & Terri from next door joined us. A bit later, Julie came over in her golf cart and had everyone in stitches as she was in fine form.
We had some leftovers for dinner and watched DWTS.

Oct 13th to 15th - Mesa

2011-10-16T09:24:00.001-07:00

Oct 13th – Thurs – Mesa
We went to the weekly coffee & doughnuts this morning. There was an addition to the agenda today – a troupe of 11 to 15 year old girls & boys performing numbers from a musical that they will be putting on at the Mesa Arts Center. Their singing, dancing and acting skills were very good.
We went to Camping World for the light bulbs we needed and went out for a late breakfast.
Then we kind of “took the rest of the day off” with TV, reading & a bit of cleaning.

Oct 14th – Fri – Mesa
Our RV park is tearing down some rental units (the “Casitas” part of Val Vista Villages) and selling furniture, fixtures & kitchen items. We went there at 8 to see if there was anything that we had to have and luckily found nothing! We then rode our bikes over to Neil & Robin’s where Robin was getting ready for work and Neil was doing some projects on his day off. We helped Neil install vent covers, make a buddy burner and make a bucket light. Next we stopped at our rig for a hose nozzle & broom and cleaned up Dennis & Gloria’s carport & “garden” as they will be arriving soon.
After a late breakfast, we did a bit of shopping and then went to the pool as it is still hot. For dinner, we attended a steak fry here at the park. There was an entertainer – The Wolfman – who sang constantly and enjoyably for the 2 hours that we were there. Larry & Julie and our new neighbors Ron & Terri came over for a drink afterwards and we sat around the buddy burner even though the heat from it was definitely not needed.

Oct 15th – Sat – Mesa
We are getting into a wonderfully lazy morning routine with Terry getting up for coffee & to play games on the computer and then I hang out in my PJ’s to read, watch TV, putter around and/or have coffee.
Terry talked to a few people about going to the casino for a stage show so he rode around on his bike to get money or casino cards from participants. We went to the casino to get the tickets (free with a casino card) and ended up spending money on the slots. We stopped for a few groceries on the way back and had an early dinner since all we ate was cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
At 5:30, we left with Ron & Terri for the casino. Seating started at 6 and there was already a line after Terri got a casino card and we chatted with Neil & Robin who were having a yummy looking sandwich that we will have to try some time. Larry & Julie and Neal & Judy also joined us. The show was 4 singing impersonators (Elvis, Dean Martin, Stevie Nicks and Tina Turner) and a comedian. It was very well done in a nice little Vegas-style showroom.
We didn’t stay to gamble and were home shortly after 8:30.

Oct 10th to 12th - back to Mesa

2011-10-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

Oct 10th – Mon – to Mesa AZ
We left at 5:50 for the 413 mile drive back to Mesa. The weather was clear & sunny and got down to 33 degrees near Gallup. We stopped for diesel & a breakfast sandwich and then took a casino break just south of Payson. We gained an hour and pulled in to Val Vista Villages about 2.
Larry & Julie drove by in their golf cart as we were starting to set up and said they were at the big pool. We finished all the setup and some cleaning and headed to the pool with large glasses of strawberry daiquiri. We came back to relax a bit outside and have leftovers for an easy dinner. Terry was falling asleep in his chair outside so we moved in to watch TV for a bit.
It is in the high 80’s today and 100 degrees is forecast for Wed & Thurs. The nights are cooler though so the AC won’t be needed then, I hope.

Oct 11th – Tues – Mesa
Long pants take way more room than shorts in the laundry basket so it was time to do laundry this morning. Neil stopped by to chat for a while just as we got back. One of the lights above the kitchen counter blew out so we went looking for a new one. It looks like an automotive bulb but you can’t find them at auto supply stores and we couldn’t remember where we found them previously.
We took it easy the rest of the afternoon and then went to Neal & Judy’s for spaghetti dinner. Billy & Lauri and Larry & Julie were also there and we had our usual good time. I think we are still running on New Mexico time so went to bed early.

Oct 12th – Wed – Mesa
We rode around on our bikes this morning and stopped briefly to see the changes Neal has made to their 5th wheel. We visited with Larry & Julie and then with Billy & Lauri where I said that I would help them sew curtains for the front window of their motor home. The lining in their old curtain is in shreds and they couldn’t handle the $900 - $1300 estimate and 8 weeks to get new curtains. They had already bought 8 black-out curtain panels and were prepared to buy a sewing machine or just tack them up as the afternoon sun beats into that large window.
Billy went to the store for thread and we came back for the sewing machine. There was a nice breeze so we weren’t too hot working in the shade outside. I only had to rip out 2 seams and everything went quite well with Terry, Billy & Lauri eager to help. We started just after 12 and finished about 5:30. The curtains are pleated and have a 2 level hem just for additional fun. Larry & Julie had joined us by then (back from the pool!!). Laurie ordered pizza and we had some premade turkey kabobs that needed to be used so we put them on the BBQ. I forgot to mention that the guys had started drinking beer part way through the project but Lauri & I waited until we were done to hit the wine.

Oct 7th to 9th - Albuquerque

2011-10-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

Oct 7th – Fri – Albuquerque
We caught the bus at 6:30 this morning but again there was too much wind for the balloons to fly. They are all special shapes today which makes them harder to pilot and affected more by windy conditions. Five Navy parachutists put on a nice little show with smoke and stacked parachutes.
We went back to the Sandia casino where I broke even but Terry lost his allowance. The night glow was cancelled due to rain so we had happy hour at Dave & Margo’s and then we all went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. The traffic was terrible to get there and we found out later that a power line had come down across all lanes of I25.
Dave & Margo came over to visit after dinner. When they opened the door to leave about 9, we discovered a lake beside our rig. Just a corner of the mat was showing and the generator was sitting in water. Terry went out in the still pouring rain and put the generator up on a small table.

Oct 8th – Sat – Albuquerque
The mass ascension this morning was iffy because of the wet launch field. It is all grass and soaked from the rain yesterday and last night. They finally got permission to fly so quite a few took off.
We had breakfast when we got back and then went with Dave & Margo to an Art & Craft sale. We weren’t impressed with the $7 entrance fee but decided it was worth it as there were many beautiful and unique items there. Then we went to the Hard Rock casino where Dave & Margo got $25 free play on their new players’ cards. I showed Margo a slot machine that I like to play and darned if she didn’t win over $80 on it without even spending all her free play. Just before we met up to leave, I won back most of my allowance and Terry didn’t even spend all of his. Dave turned his $25 free play into $7 to take home!
Happy hour was at David & Phyllis’ at 4 and then we all caught a bus to the launch field where there was a very successful night glow and a great fireworks display. The line for the buses to come back was huge so Dave & Margo and we walked back. David is having knee replacement surgery this winter so they waited for a bus. It was a long, busy day so it didn’t take us long to hit the sack.

Oct 9th – Sun – Albuquerque
We decided this morning that we will stay here tonight and drive all the way back to Mesa tomorrow rather than rush packing up to get on the road after the morning session.
When we went out to catch the bus, we saw about a dozen balloons that had joined the “Morning Show” balloons that go up to check the winds at different altitudes. It was still quite dark and the glowing balloons were spectacular. It was a beautiful sunny morning (but cool so we wore our layers and heavy coats) and the mass ascension was amazing. It took over an hour to get all the balloons launched. When we got back, a few balloons were landing in a field in the middle of where all the RVs are parked.
Terry put the bikes back on the rack and started the generator to charge the batteries so I took advantage of the power and vacuumed. We and Phyllis went to the Hard Rock casino as she didn’t use all her free play on her first visit. We all lost!! I made brownies when we got back and we all got together for a pot luck steak dinner. The weather was beautiful so we sat out for drinks and enjoyed a buddy burner after dinner.

Oct 3rd to 6th - Mesa to Albuquerque NM

2011-10-07T09:21:00.001-07:00

Oct 3rd – Mon – Mesa
We were the only people in the laundry room this morning and got that chore out of the way easily. We made a trip to Costco for coffee – and a few other items before we got out the door – and then picked up some groceries & fueled up the truck.
We packed everything up in preparation for our trip to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. Laurie figured I didn’t need to cook dinner today so she asked us, Larry & Julie and Neal & Judy over for dinner. The slight breeze was blocked by their motor home and a neighbor so it was very warm again. We got home in time to watch the 2nd hour of DWTS as it starts at 7:00 in this area.

Oct 4th – Tues – to Albuquerque NM
We left at 6:45 for the 425 mile trip to Albuquerque. We headed north to Payson and hit I40 at Holbrook so we didn’t run into any rush hour traffic slowdowns. The highway really climbs to Payson and the Mogollon Rim and ends up at an altitude of over 7000 feet. Just before Gallup NM, there was an accident on an overpass on the freeway. Traffic was diverted off an exit and right back onto the freeway. As we were passing the overpass, we could see a fifth wheel up on the side rails of the towing truck which was at right angles to the road and up against the guard rail. Behind it a ways was a semi with the truck also at a right angle to the road (but facing the other way) and the trailer pushed right up to the truck at more than 90 degrees. It is a good thing that we could get around by the exit ramp as the traffic was backed up quite a ways.
The traffic had just got spaced out when everyone started braking and moving to the left lane. This time it appeared as if a small closed utility trailer had come off the hitch and someone had smacked into the back of it. The next slowdown was for road work. It sprinkled, cleared up and poured on & off to Bernalillo (arrived at 2:00) and the Santa Ana Star casino where we met Dave & Margo (from Walla Walla) and Dave (David for differentiation) & Phyllis who are new friends that we met at Camping World in Mesa.
We all visited in Dave & Margo’s MH for a while and then discussed what to do for dinner. The rain was causing a river in front of Dave & Margo’s doorway so I offered to cook dinner for everyone rather than walking to the casino. By the time we finished dinner, the rain had let up so we all went to gamble for a while. Margo won a bit, I made $50 and Terry came out $35 ahead so it was a fun night. We were the last to get back at 11:45.

Oct 5th – Wed – Albuquerque
We all went to the casino for the $2.99 breakfast before leaving about 10 for the balloon park. This is when I discovered that we forgot about the time change and it was really 12:45 when we got back last night. I wondered why Dave knocked on our door at 6:40 this morning!
We checked in and got settled in our spots. It doesn’t take long to set up when you are dry camping.
Dave & Margo and we walked to the balloon park and looked through the few vendors that were open. We all had tired feet by the time we walked back. There are no balloon activities this evening so we all went to the Sandia casino where the others got $25 free play when they signed up for a players’ card. We ate dinner at the buffet and then scattered to gamble. We all took our own vehicle so we didn’t have to leave at the same time and again we were the last to return but not by much. I had lost almost all my money when I started to win on a machine and cashed in $60. Terry, “broke”, found me shortly after and I switched to a different machine where I continued to win. When that “streak” ended, I moved again, gave Terry more money and I won some more. I ended up with enough to cover both our allowances and $25 extra which we consider a good time.

Oct 6th – Thurs – Albuquerque
We all caught the shuttle to the balloon field at 6:15. The wind was blowing so it wasn’t decided yet if the special shapes balloons would be able to fly. Some of us got breakfast burritos and we all wandered around taking pictures of the balloons which were inflated but now unable to take off due to increasing winds. Suddenly, the wind gusts picked up and the balloons were deflated in short order. We wandered through vendors’ tents and then all caught a golf cart shuttle back to the Balloon Museum where we wandered around some more. We caught the shuttle bus back to the RV parking, amazed that it was only 10:30. The day is long when you start so early!
After we all had something to eat, Margo drove the girls to Tinkertown Museum which is on the Sandia Peak Road. I have been there previously but I enjoyed it just as much the second time. We continued on to Sandia Peak where we hurried to the first viewpoint in a gale force wind, took one picture and headed back to the car. The aspens along the road are bright yellow and look beautiful against the dark green evergreens.
We passed a Trader Joe’s on the way back so Terry & I returned for bruschetta mix & a baguette for appetizers. Margo made a delicious broccoli/cheese soup and David & Phyllis brought a couple of pasta dishes for a pot luck dinner. We thought the night glow would be cancelled but then heard it wasn’t so we ate quickly and went to the balloon park. By now the wind had gotten worse so only 2 balloons inflated. Fireworks were still planned but they had to wait until the second balloon was down & packed away so we headed for the buses. Just as we got there, the fireworks started but we came back anyway as it was too cold.

Sept 30th to Oct 2nd - Mesa

2011-10-03T09:57:00.001-07:00

Sept 30th – Fri – Mesa
We got up early to put everything back together while it was sort of cool. At Camping World, we had to take almost everything out of the large storage compartment to allow access behind removable panels. We put smaller items in the back seat of the truck and slid large items under the 5th wheel. We just dumped the large items back in when we picked it up so we took out everything, threw some things out, reorganized & labeled before repacking. After putting the shelf back in the large cupboard above the TV, we did the same sorting & reorganizing.
Now it was time for a nice breakfast and then a trip to the grocery store after putting away the awning & sun shade as the wind came up.
After putting away groceries and trying out some new iced tea Kcups (for the Keurig coffee maker), we rode our bikes to see what everyone was up to. Julie & Larry were just getting ready to join Billy & Laurie at the pool so we came back to change and joined them. We met a younger couple (Neal & Maria) who are staying at the park while he works in the area. They are from Utah but move around where his job takes him. We stayed quite a while before coming back for a cool drink & dinner.

Oct 1st – Sat – Mesa
Terry went to help Larry secure his propane tanks and I stayed home to work on the computer and read. I was just about to get on my bike and see what was going on when Terry came back for a drill bit. He didn’t have the right size so I went with him to Home Depot for a bit and another concrete block as he broke one. Park model propane tanks have to sit on a concrete pad (blocks are OK) and be secured with a chain to a post in the ground. I guess this prevents them from falling over in an earthquake!! Terry started early so it would be the coolest but by now he was in the full sun and sweating like crazy. He got it done and we all sat in the shade and downed ice water.
I had invited “the group” over for dinner and had put a pork roast in the crock pot. Then I found out that the other 6 had pork roast last night so I got some meat out of the freezer and switched to stroganoff. We made a trip to the grocery store and I made dessert, an appetizer and got the meat cooking while Terry set up tables with chairs borrowed from Julie. This left us time for a cooling dip in the pool and time to relax before company arrived – Billy & Laurie, Larry & Julie and Neal & Judy. Our shade screen worked great and the sun was down before we ate so it was tolerable if not totally comfortable.

Oct 2nd – Sun – Mesa
We returned Larry & Julie’s chairs this morning and visited with them and Billy & Laurie for a bit. Terry was a little antsy so we ended up going to Arizona Casino and decided that we would not be going back there any time soon. They have very few penny machines and even those require a bet of more than we usually spend. We played for a while with no luck.
We stopped at WalMart for some tie downs for the awning and came back to watch a golf tournament on TV. At 5:30 we went to Neal & Judy’s for dinner. They have very little shade in the afternoon and there was no breeze so it was hot. After a nice dinner, we & Julie went to the pool to cool off. We met a couple (Jim & Eileen) from Wisconsin and enjoyed talking with them. They are renting a park model for 3 months so we look forward to seeing them again.

Sept 28th & 29th - Mesa

2011-09-30T12:12:00.001-07:00

Sept 28th – Wed – Mesa
Neil arrived at 7:40 this morning as Terry is going to pick up their new-to-them 5th wheel in Tucson. Neil left his car keys with me which turned out great as I could go do laundry before Robin & her sister Terri got here. They didn’t arrive until about 2 which gave me time for some cleaning mixed with reading. After dropping a package off at the post office, we drove around to pick a spot for them to park their 5th wheel. The office had given them a couple of choices and Robin had looked at some others so we checked them all out and went to the office to see what was available. By this time Neil was calling for the site number. Terry tried to back into Robin’s first choice but couldn’t get in because of the lack of driveways across the street to pull into. The second choice just down the street worked out fine and we got the rig parked. Robin thought they had 3 slides but it turned out they have 4 and it is a 2005 version of our 5th wheel.
We rushed home so Terry could shower and change before we went to a steak fry at Mesa Regal which is another park owned by Cal-Am. It is not far away so we got there in plenty of time to join Billy & Laurie, Julie & Larry and Bob & Marlene before dinner was served. Curtis Knox, who lives here in Val Vista Villages, sang for entertainment and a bit of dancing after dinner in Mesa Regal’s large ballroom.
We were home not long after 7 to crash & relax.

Sept 29th – Thurs – Mesa
We were up early to pack up the 5th wheel and have it at Camping World by 8 to have a satellite dish installed. We left chairs, bikes, sewer hose, etc at our site and hoped it would all be there when we got back. At Camping World, our “advisor” came out to look at the rig and get instructions. When he saw a TV in a slide he left and said he would be back in a couple of minutes. 15 minutes later, Terry went looking for him just before he turned up with 2 installers who said it was a much bigger job than the estimate. The advisor disappeared to work up a new quote while we hooked up to leave as extra money was not in our plans. We waited quite a while for the advisor to show up and finally told another guy that we were leaving and would call. By now it was after 9.
We came back, set everything up again, had a light breakfast and headed back to Camping World. They said it would cost an additional $550 for labor and we said “no thanks”. We had kind of a dilemma though because we already signed up for 2 years of Direct TV. So we went to the other, larger Camping World which is further away but still in Mesa. Terry happened to talk immediately to the service manager. As soon as Terry mentioned the extra labor because of the TV in the slide, he said he could make everything right and do the job for us for no more than the original quote. Sure enough, they printed an estimate (less than the original) and asked if we could bring in the rig immediately as their satellite guru was available all afternoon. It took us 40 minutes to be back with the 5th wheel which is quite good considering it is almost 15 minutes to drive each way.
When he looked at our rig, the installer immediately said that it was constructed very “stoutly” and he knew why the other guys didn’t want to do the job. We went for lunch, came back to the park to check our stuff and visited Julie & Larry. Their friends Neal & Judy arrived today so we said a quick hi to them and then went for a swim as I was smart enough to put our suits in the truck. We were just about back to Camping World when they called to ask if we were close by as they were ready for us to hook up and pull the rig out to program the satellite. The exhausted installer had worked through his lunch and got it all done in 4 ½ hours instead of over 8 hours that the first place wanted. We had to call Direct TV to activate the receivers which took a while & 2 Direct TV representatives. Finally, at 6 o’clock and another hour overtime for the installer, we paid our bill and were on our way.
We got set up, put the clothes on the bed back in the cupboard used for the satellite controller and bedroom receiver and enjoyed an icy cold strawberry daiquiri. The rest of the mess from the cupboard over the TV and the basement storage will wait until tomorrow.

Sept 25th to 27th - Mesa

2011-09-28T11:06:00.001-07:00

Sept 25th – Sun - Mesa
We were watching a golf tournament on TV this morning when Terry noticed that it was pouring rain in the bright sunlight. We could only see a few fluffy clouds so it was a surprise. The rain was accompanied by gusty wind but didn’t last too long.
About 1:00, Julie stopped by to say that Billy & Laurie had just arrived and she invited us over to catch up with their news and have a drink. We had a sandwich and headed over there. About 4:30, we all decided to go to Fat Willy’s for happy hour appetizers & beer.
We took everyone in our truck, dropped them at their sites when we got back and took it easy the rest of the evening.

Sept 26th – Mon – Mesa
Terry rode his bike to Albertsons to get doughnuts for breakfast. I thought he was taking a long time and it turned out that he couldn’t get the bike lock open and walked back. We went back in the truck and cut the lock off with a hacksaw without anyone questioning us. I asked Terry later why he didn’t call me and he said that he was ticked off at the time and didn’t think of it.
We got more sun screen fabric and added a piece to the bottom so it goes to the ground. We had so much fun that we sewed one part twice! We got another long pole to put in a bottom pocket and weigh it down but the wind still blew it around so Terry fastened it to some stakes.
We make our first visit to the veggie market where we got raspberries for 99 cents a carton, a whole, beautiful cauliflower for 88 cents and 2 lbs of strawberries for $1. Maybe we will start eating more healthy food!
We went to the pool with everyone and talked with a younger couple (Bob & Marlene) who own a park model across from where we stayed last year. They are not retired yet so they use it for a week a couple of times a year and then rent it out for the 6 month winter season. Larry & Julie stopped by for a drink afterwards and we enjoyed sitting out on our newly shaded patio.

Sept 27th – Tues – Mesa
For breakfast, we really enjoyed 2 cartons of raspberries with toast made from cinnamon bread that Robin gave us. Terry got into a different pattern on the game he plays on the computer so he played a lot this morning while I read a book. It wasn’t too hot yet so we went for a long bike ride around the park. We chatted briefly with Julie & Larry and then stopped at Billy & Laurie’s and stayed for a while to visit.
At 3 we went to a free Happy Hour here in the ballroom. The park provided wine, beer, pop and snacks. Unfortunately, there were also tables set up so we sat with our friends rather than mingling and meeting new people or greeting acquaintances from last year. I did visit for a short while with Tom & Arlene and Tom & Callie who we met last year.
Julie had invited us all over for dinner so we came back for our “refreshment” bag and went to their place for burgers. She also invited Bob & Marlene and we all enjoyed getting to know them a bit better.

Sept 22nd to 24th - Mesa

2011-09-25T11:47:00.001-07:00

Sept 22nd – Thurs –Mesa
We started the day with the coffee & doughnuts manager’s meeting in the ballroom. Then I finally figured out who to contact (Winegard, the dish manufacturer) to get Direct TV in our rig and talked to a very helpful lady. In a home setting, you just call one of the many DirecTV 800 numbers and they will set you up and send out an installer with the equipment. Obviously, this does not work with RVs. We went to Camping World after talking to Winegard and made an appointment to take our rig in next Thursday to have the dish installed. They also have the receivers and get a code from Winegard so Camping World is paid by Winegard for the receivers that we get for free for signing a 2 year contract. Now you see what we have been going through!
We didn’t have lunch and had a couple of coupons so we went to Fat Willy’s for wings & beer. We could only use one coupon at a time but we were there at happy hour so 2 orders of 10 wings, an order of nachos and two 25 oz beers only cost $14 – and we were both stuffed.
As soon as the sun went down, we went for a bike ride around the park. Near the end of the ride we stopped to chat a bit with Larry & Julie and ended up riding 4 miles.

Sept 23rd – Fri – Mesa
We lazed around this morning and then took our sewing machine and tool box to Larry & Julie’s. First I cut out and sewed a round tablecloth which Julie finished by running elastic through a casing to pull the tablecloth under the edge of the small dining table. Then we tried to figure out how to cut two round table cloths out of a king size sheet that Julie discovered was the right color for side tables in her outdoor seating area. Terry & I thought we had it figured out and ended up with one huge circle – don’t even ask how we did it! We cut two smaller circles out if it which was the best we could do even from the start. I zigzagged the edges and they are fine even thought they don’t go right to the floor. We sat down to admire our work and I noticed a runner on the table that was too long so had to shorten that as well. Actually, I shortened it twice as I didn’t check to make sure both sides were the same length to start with.
While Julie & I were sewing, Terry was helping Larry put a new seat on his bicycle. It is an old bicycle and the seat is too high for Larry but the seat post is rusted in place so even Terry’s best efforts could not move it. Terry also worked on some motion sensor lights that have minds of their own.
We were outside and were all very hot so Terry suggested going for banana splits and Wanda found us a Dairy Queen. Julie is not a big eater but she finished her banana split. We continued on to Total Wine to restock the liquor cabinet and stopped to introduce Julie to Hobby Lobby.
Back at the park, we dropped off Larry & Julie and then all met at the pool shortly after. When we were walking back about 4:30, Neil & Robin (met here last year, they stopped to see us in Spokane) were driving in to see us. They are looking for a 5th wheel to park here so they aren’t staying in the park yet. We were chatting & having drinks when Julie & Larry came by after having a couple of drinks at the pool. As it got later, I put out a few snacks to soak up some alcohol. When everyone left about 8, I made hamburgers that I had already thawed and then we crashed.

Sept 24th – Sat – Mesa
Knowing it would be hot again, we got up reasonably early and went to the Mesa Marketplace. About half the vendors were not there or not open so it only took us about 1 ½ hours to wander through and buy a decorative bowl for the dining table. One the way back, we stopped at Safeway for the baby back ribs that were on sale and bought a couple of whole chickens in the clearance bin. Pat, you would have loved the final price of 49 cents a pound!
Back at the rig, I stuffed the ribs into the freezer and put most of the 2 chickens in the crock pot. Then it was time for breakfast-for-lunch.
The late afternoon sun comes right under our north facing awning so Terry figured we needed an 8 foot curtain rod and some shade cloth. We went first to Big Lots and discovered that the longest curtain rods were 7 feet and too heavy anyhow. We carried on to Home Depot for shade cloth but they only had pre-packaged lengths so we went to Lowe’s where we found rolls of fabric and bought only as much as we needed. As we walked into Lowe’s, I saw a guy checking out with a tall, green “stick” so Terry asked him where he found it. It turned out to be a plastic stake for gardening which was 8 feet long, sturdy and lightweight – perfect for our needs. We made another stop at Fry’s for some groceries that I didn’t want to buy at Safeway.
I got out my sewing machine and we made the sun screen which was a bit of a challenge as it starts in the triangular space between the awning and the awning arm. I sewed a rod pocket along the top and then doubled the top portion by sewing on the triangle that we cut off. Now we want to add another removable section as the sun is still hot when it comes under the bottom.
We put on our suits and went to see if Julie & Larry were going to the pool. Julie was not feeling too well today (she blames us for how much she drank!!) so we went and cooled off by ourselves. I made good chimichangas with the tender chicken from the crock pot.

Sept 19th to 21st - Mesa

2011-09-22T12:27:00.001-07:00

Sept 19th – Mon – Mesa
Neither of us slept well and finally at 4 am I told Terry he might as well turn on the TV. Sure enough, about ½ later he was sleeping again while I finally got to sleep about 6 and felt OK at 7:45 when we both woke up. Larry stopped by for coffee and picked up some tickets for all of us for a steak fry and entertainment later in the week.
After breakfast we went to register and were pleased that they didn’t charge us for last night. I think they were expecting quite a few rigs in today and were happy to get one out of the way early. I don’t like drinking tap water here so one of Terry’s chores is to ride his bike a few blocks and refill plastic water gallons for 25 cents each which he did this morning. Then we reuse water bottles as I hate throwing away dozens of plastic water bottles – and just as much hate throwing away the money to buy so many!
We finished setting up mats, tables & chairs and then went to get a burger for lunch. The Wendy’s we went to was amazingly inefficient but we finally got our food. Then it was off to the laundry room where we had the entire large facility to ourselves. After putting everything away and making the bed, we cooled off in the pool where we met a couple (Dennis & Susan) who are from the Seattle area and have a manufactured home in the Ranchos area of this park. They live here permanently and just leave for the two hottest summer months.
I caught up & posted the blog before we went to Larry & Julie’s for dinner. They put a ceiling fan in their carport/patio so we sat outside for drinks (mostly ice water!) and dinner.

Sept 20th – Tues – Mesa
After breakfast, we were heading for Camping World but got sidetracked at Big Lots & K-Mart along the way. K-Mart had a huge clearance with items at $3.99 so it took us quite a while to look through everything. Terry got 4 pairs of shorts and I got a couple of items. We got an estimate at Camping World to get a satellite dish installed on the roof and came back to the park.
The weather is continuing hot so we joined Larry & Julie in the pool and then they came over for dinner. Julie smokes so after a while inside, we moved outside where it wasn’t too bad in the shade if you didn’t move around too much. I served dinner inside and then we went back out for a nightcap of Fireball which turned into two and too much to drink again. Guess we are all slow learners.

Sept 21st – Wed – Mesa
We went to IHOP for breakfast and then stopped at Kohls where I finally did something I hate & tried on bras. I know – TMI!! But I did buy a couple that were on sale and used $15 in coupons so they weren’t obscenely expensive. When we got back, we changed into our bathing suits and checked with Larry & Julie who were still recovering from over-imbibing yesterday and not interested in swimming. At the pool we chatted with Faye who has a home here in the park.
When we were at Larry & Julie’s, we saw an ad for baby back ribs so we went to Safeway only to find out that the sale starts on Friday. Oh well, we got some steaks at a great price in their “use-by date nearing” bin and had a good dinner.

Sept 16th to 18th - San Diego to Mesa AZ

2011-09-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

Sept 16th – Fri – San Diego
We decided to stay here a couple more days so we walked over and paid before we went to Balboa Park which is a very large “park” near downtown SD. It has 14 museums, 8 gardens, 6 performing arts centers, 8 cultural centers, restaurants and a visitor’s center. The San Diego Zoo is also a part of Balboa Park but we didn’t go there. We are not museum people but we went through one that was free – not our thing at all! The huge wood lath botanical building was lovely and we enjoyed the desert garden. Just wandering around in the perfect temperature and taking pictures was very enjoyable – more for me than Terry!
We went to Costco and had a late lunch there. Then we went to a couple of WalMarts looking for shorts for Terry. We bought him a pair in Yuma and he decided he really likes them but we didn’t find any here. Then it was back to the rig to watch TV, work on the computer and relax.

Sept 17th – Sat – San Diego
We used the computer to find the nearest Chev dealer, let Wanda direct us there and got DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) as a message told us we were low a few days ago. We looked for another casino but it turned out to be a card room so we returned to the Sycuan casino where I was so lucky. Neither of us was lucky this time but it took us several hours to lose our allowance.
We filled up with diesel and ran the truck through a wash on the way home. We didn’t have lunch so I made an early dinner when we got back and then we did some chores so we can leave early tomorrow.

Sept 18th – Sun – to Mesa AZ
We are really loving Wanda after spending 5 days on the San Diego freeways and the trip out of the city was easy. It helped that it was Sunday and there was no rush hour traffic when we left just before 8.
We stopped at the Quechan Casino in Yuma for breakfast (easy access, halfway through the trip, large parking lot) and spent a few dollars on the slots. We arrived at Val Vista Village at 3:30 and set up in site 115 where we will stay until Jan 2nd. We are actually a day early for the fall special but the park takes Passport America so we will pay ½ price for one night.
At 4:30 we packed up our “refreshment” cooler and rode our bikes to Larry & Julie’s park model. We helped put the deal together last year for them to buy it. They have been here for 2 weeks cleaning and moving in a truck load of stuff they brought from Spokane. We checked everything out, had a few drinks and went to Fat Willy’s for dinner about 7. There we each had a large beer with the food. We headed home when we got back from dinner (Terry only crashed once on his bike!) and hit the sack. We’d had way too much fun!!

Sept 13th to 15th - San Diego

2011-09-15T20:49:00.001-07:00

Sept 13th – Tues – to San Diego/Chula Vista CA
We researched RV parks in the San Diego area and decided that we didn’t want to spend a minimum of $44 per night for a site. Then I thought to look for Elks Lodges and found one in Chula Vista (just south of San Diego) for $23 a night.
We were waylaid by a casino about 60 miles from San Diego – can’t resist $10 free play – and arrived here about 1:00. We set up, had lunch and enjoyed the cooler weather while we deleted undesired channels from over 100 channels on cable TV. I washed the outside of all the windows that I can reach from the step stool which prompted Terry to clean the lower part of the 5th wheel. Then I spent time on the computer finding out what we might want to do here – and how much it is going to cost starting with $69.99 for SeaWorld.

Sept 14th – Wed – San Diego
We started with a visit to Costco to see if they had a discount card for San Diego attractions but they don’t have it right now. Then we stopped at a tourist center and got a lot of information. We drove a bit south and then up the Silver Strand Blvd to Coronado where we walked around the town for a while.
We were going to grab some lunch until we saw the line and kept on going to another casino. At the first machine that I chose, Terry asked me why I was playing it as it was not a usual choice. We were really happy with the result in a short time as I won a bonus of $1,050.00!! It was so exciting! Our luck did not continue so we had lunch and then went to another casino and didn’t do well there. By now it was time to head home and relax.
The weather is very nice here. We are so delighted to not have the AC running day & night.

Sept 15th – Thurs – San Diego
After breakfast, we went to SeaWorld which is one of the most talked about San Diego attractions. We got a coupon for $20 off each entry so it “only” cost $99.98 for both of us after we paid $14 for parking. We watched a really fun sea lion show and then went immediately to get a good seat for the killer whale show which again was very good. The first 16 rows are in the “soak zone” and people really did get soaked. I would like to think that the whales get a kick out of splashing people as they did a good job.
Next we got a mediocre hamburger & sandwich and shared a bottle of water for lunch which only cost $25.50! How do families afford outings like this? Then we spent more hours wandering around, took a little “gondola” ride and a ride up a huge tower in a revolving, closed platform. When we got out after sitting in the truck on the way back, we certainly knew we had stood and walked a lot today.

Sept 10th to 12th - Yuma

2011-09-12T20:05:00.001-07:00

Sept 10th – Sat – Yuma
After we got going this morning we did laundry here in the park. The laundry room is not air conditioned so we went to the library and finished a jigsaw puzzle while the clothes were washing. Then we went shopping and I found a bathing suit and a pair of shorts for Terry. Not much to show for all the time we spent.
We went to Lutes Casino (which is not a casino) for a late lunch. Next was a stop at WalMart for a few groceries and then home.
By now it was time to cool off with a frozen margarita. Since lunch was so late, we had chocolate & watermelon for dinner.
It was quite breezy all day which blew a lot of dust everywhere. We considered washing the truck but figured it wouldn’t stay clean long enough to make it worth the effort.

Sept 11th – Sun – Yuma
After coffee and a late breakfast, I put a roast in the crock pot and we went shopping. I have been wanting to make a runner for the dining table so we headed for Joann Fabrics. Before we got there, I decided to stop at Bed Bath & Beyond for ideas. We ended up buying a runner and a placemat so I could make some modifications to the runner. When we got back, we decided that it wasn’t going to work so we went back to BB&B to exchange the runner for a shorter one and get more placemats.
The rest of the afternoon was lazy. We had an early dinner and went to the pool about 7:30. The maintenance people had done their magic with the cold water exchange and the pool was quite a bit cooler than it has been. Terry only waded in to his waist and then went in the hot tub while I enjoyed the insulating effect of my fat reserves and floated around the pool.

Sept 12th – Mon – Yuma
Another “coffee & later breakfast” morning. I altered the runner for the table and then vacuumed while Terry moved the furniture for me. I did other miscellaneous cleaning while Terry emptied tanks and flushed the black tank. Lovely, domestic chores!
We went to WalMart for groceries and checked out Smart & Final for baby backs but they didn’t have a good price on them today. They did have boneless, skinless chicken breasts at 50% off which I took advantage of. The sell-by date is today but I will freeze them anyhow.
After I put away groceries and packaged the chicken for the freezer, I made an early dinner since we skipped lunch again.
Terry had to move the truck for a motor home to back in next door but it was too big for the site just like we were so he moved across the street. Then about ½ hour later he pulled out and headed towards the office – not sure what happened with the other site. At the same time that he pulled in, a wind & thunder storm came up and dust & leaves were blowing everywhere. We took out the garbage and saw drifts of dirt in the corners of the pool.
I spent time this morning unsuccessfully trying to identify the large trees in the RV park by searching the internet. We stopped at the office to ask and they said they were Fica trees. Not ficus as he spelled it for me. Will have to look it up.

Sept 6th to 9th - Yuma

2011-09-10T10:17:00.001-07:00

Sept 6th – Tues – Yuma AZ
Terry was wide awake about 3:30 and I finally told him to turn on the TV about 5. We were on the road just after 7 for a nearly 300 mile drive to Yuma. The last couple of times that we went through Tucson, there was a lot of construction on freeways. That is all done now and it was an easy trip past the city even though it was rush hour.
We are at the Rivers Edge RV resort in Winterhaven. As the name indicates, it is right on the Colorado River but the best thing is huge trees lining the rows of RV sites. There were actually too many low branches in the first site we were assigned so we checked with the office and moved to the neighboring site. After a late lunch, we went to WalMart for some groceries & inexpensive AZ liquor.
We put everything away and then went to a casino which is probably too close to the RV park. It is being remodeled so that will discourage us from visiting too often. The bad news is that the other casino is also close to this park!! I sent an email yesterday to the dentist in Algodones and have not received an answer yet so we might just have to make a trip there and find out what is going on.

Sept 7th – Wed – Yuma
Still no email answer from Algodones so after cinnamon rolls for breakfast, we drove to the border with the thought that we would go see if the dentist is even open at this time of year. There were so few cars in the parking lot that Terry decided he didn’t want us to be the only 2 tourists in town and turned around. Of course the 2nd casino is on the way back so we had to check it out. We stayed for several hours before finally giving up our allowances.
When we were driving here, I noticed in the mirror that the wheel well trim was vibrating too much. We checked and found a broken stabilizing strut so we went to Home Depot for some metal to replace it. Then a stop at Fry’s for margarita mix & tequila as we really enjoyed the drinks that Brenda brought over.
As we knew it would be, it is very hot here so we headed to the pool. The water is just cool enough to be refreshing. A guy came by and said every 3 days or so they drain the pool down a couple of feet and add the coldest water they can get – make that the coolest water.

Sept 8th – Thurs – Yuma
I talked Terry into getting up early and going for a walk around the campground. We weren’t quite early enough as the sun had just come up and it was warm already. There are a lot of areas along the river that campers have fixed up with pavers, fire pits & benches so it looks like a lot of the winter visitors gather there.
When we got back, Terry made & put on the new stabilizing struts. He replaced one that was not broken as the new ones he made are sturdier. I took the opportunity to clean the air conditioning filter and outlet. A couple of parts are removable but one grid had to be cleaned one little square at a time – no wonder I don’t do it more often.
After a late breakfast, we went to the third casino in Yuma. As often happens, I played a long time on the first half of my money and the second half disappeared in a hurry. Terry did a little better. At 4 we had an early dinner at the casino restaurant which was very reasonably priced thanks to a $3 off coupon for each of us.
We went to the pool again to cool off. It is a huge pool but only 5 feet at the deep end. I don’t know who would use the large expanse of 3 to 4 foot depths.

Sept 9th – Fri – Yuma
Terry is still waking up quite early so he gets up & plays computer games so I can sleep a little longer. I am quite liking it! Then I laze around in my PJs, have coffee & read for a while. (Sound familiar, Pat?) The walk yesterday was too hot to repeat it.
We had our mail forwarded so we walked to the office to pick it up and then went through it all. Next was a trip to get my hair cut. I decided WalMart was OK but I sure was wrong this time. I am pretty much scalped and am happy that we won’t be seeing anyone we know soon! We made a few stops looking for a bathing suit for me. Terry was actually willing to go to some more stores but I wasn’t in much of a mood to try on more suits so we came back and tested the frozen margaritas.
Later in the evening, there were flash flood warnings for La Paz & Yuma AZ counties. I did mention that we staying right on the Colorado River and La Paz county is upriver from us! The river would have to rise many feet to be a danger however.

Sept 3rd to 5th - San Antonio to Benson AZ

2011-09-06T06:54:00.000-07:00

Sept 3rd – Sat – San Antonio
We got up reasonably early and headed to a large flea market – Trader’s Village. The idea was to get there before it got too hot but that didn’t work as it was sweltering by 9. We have been to a Trader’s Village in Ft. Worth but this one is brand new and quite a bit nicer. We spent some time chatting with a couple who make & sell craft items, mainly wood. They rent their space which has pull down doors so they don’t have to set up & break down every weekend. We bought a few items but didn’t stay for salsa dance lessons.
On the way back, we stopped at another open air market but it didn’t take us long to realize there was nothing there that we were remotely interested in looking at let alone buying. By now it was after 12 so we headed to IHOP for breakfast and then back to the park.
I posted my blog and we watched TV before deciding that the pool would feel really good. We ended up staying for about an hour and talking with a couple from Houston. Then the familiar drinks, dinner & TV.

Sept 4th – Sun – to Balmorhea TX
We left at 8 to start heading out of Texas. We decided to go to Yuma and visit the dentist and a dermatologist in Algodones – and once Terry has a destination he is on the way!
We are kind of in the middle of nowhere on I10. We stopped at a PA park for $10 a night. Another rig pulled in behind us and the lady said we had met on the highway – which was correct, we passed them twice as we stopped once for diesel. After we set up, Terry went over and asked them (Doug & Brenda) to come over for a drink. They hadn’t had any lunch so we chatted for a bit and Brenda said she would start dinner and make frozen margaritas for all of us. I had some Chinese pork sliced when they came over, then they went back for dinner and we had just finished some leftovers when Brenda came back with a notebook to write down some of the places we told them about. They are from the very southern part of Louisiana (Houma) and are just starting on a trip to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon and Utah. They are proud to be Cajuns and took my teasing about their accents with a laugh. We talked non-stop until nearly 10 and hugged good-bye with promises to try to get together sometime.

Sept 5th – Mon – to Benson AZ
It was pretty much a long boring drive today. We left at 8, stopped a couple of times for diesel and stopped for a late lunch. We wanted fuel where we stopped last night but it was $4.21 a gallon. 30 miles down the road it was $3.80.
We are at a PA park in Benson but it isn’t much to speak of. It is just far enough off the freeway so you don’t hear much traffic noise. The good thing is it has cable TV which suited us just fine as all we wanted to do was relax as we don’t usually drive so long in a day.
We came back into Mountain time zone and since Arizona doesn’t go on daylight savings time, we gained 2 hours and were going to bed just after 7 – by the clock, not by our bodies.

Aug 31st to Sept 2nd - San Antonio

2011-09-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

Aug 31st – Wed – San Antonio
After a lazy morning with coffee and then breakfast, we went to find a Camping World which turned out to be 40 miles north in New Braunfels. The freeways the entire way are lined with businesses so it seems like San Antonio doesn’t quit even though there are smaller municipalities in between.
We got a quote for a satellite system in our 5th wheel, reeled with shock and said “no thanks, not right now”. Even though the rig is wired for satellite, they said they put in their own wiring as there are too many times when staples and screws are run through the wiring which causes lots of troubleshooting time. We stopped at WalMart for a few groceries on the way back.
There is a “book trading” library here so I browsed through it and exchanged half a dozen books. The rest of the afternoon & evening was spent trying to keep cool (the pool helps), having dinner and watching TV.

Sept 1st – Thurs – San Antonio
Lounging in my PJs in the morning is getting to be a habit! This morning I sorted through paperwork and dealt with most of it by tossing, filing or getting on the computer. After a late breakfast, I gathered up the laundry and we went to the laundry room here at the park. Of course we hit it with all the washers in use. I borrowed a magazine from the lounge and waited, so no one else would slip in before us, and got all the washing started. There were lots of dryers so no wait for them and then we put everything away and made the bed.
Terry had his mouth set on baby backs for dinner so we made a trip to an H.E.B. grocery store. The chain is all over in this area but we haven’t been to one and wanted to check it out. The one we went to is huge and includes all the non-grocery items common in big chain stores. It was very busy and had a most confusing check-out area but we got our ribs and a few other items.
There was no way I was going to boil ribs inside and put all that humidity into the air so Terry set up the stove & BBQ on a picnic table. Then he figured he should keep an eye on the stove so he got out a chair and sat in the shade – which is still very hot – while the ribs boiled and then while they were on the BBQ. I enjoyed my book and made the rest of dinner inside.
About 8 we decided it would be nice to cool off in the pool. This time there were several others also enjoying a swim. We stayed just long enough to cool off.

Sept 2nd – Fri – San Antonio
This morning I took time to do some cleaning that rarely gets done and then made breakfast before we went for a drive. We stopped at a few stores in a futile search for a swim suit for me.
Back at the rig we decided to scan more photos into the computer. This hot weather gives “rainy day activity” a new meaning! We were so close to finishing the album that we worked until 6:30 to finish it and did 514 pictures. After dinner I turned all the pictures the right way up while Terry was taking a nap.

Aug 29th to 30th - San Antonio TX

2011-08-31T08:11:00.001-07:00

Aug 29th – Mon – to San Antonio TX
When we set up yesterday, we noticed a badly worn spot on a tire on the 5th wheel. When we had the work done on the rig and got 2 new tires, we knew one tire was wearing slightly on the inside so Terry has them turn it around and put it on a different axle. It might have been out of balance (trailer tires aren’t generally balanced) because now a strip on the side about a foot long had no tread left. So we started the day by changing the tire which certainly beats changing it on the side of the road after a flat. Then shortly after we got going, the “check engine” light came on. This happened a few months ago and a Chev dealer had to reset the computer so we figured that would be the case again as no other message showed up.
Our drive was only 90 miles and once again we thanked Wanda for getting us through the maze of highways to the southeast corner of San Antonio. Actually the address is Elmendorf but we are only 15 minutes from downtown SA in Braunig Lake RV Resort which does have its own little lake.
The first thing we did after lunch was find a tire shop. Amazingly enough, a Discount Tire that the park employees told us about had the tire we needed in stock. They were incredibly busy but we weren’t in a big hurry and Terry did have them balance the tire. There was no Chev dealer nearby so we returned to the park and relaxed for a while before deciding to check out the pool. It is a little ways from our site and the temperature was a toasty 109 so we drove rather than walked. Immediately, we got a message on the DIC saying “Cleaning DPF, keep driving until this message goes off” so we headed for the freeway while I dug out the manual. I found out that DPF is “diesel particulate filter” and cleaning happens often and unnoticeably. But sometimes it needs more cleaning which results in the message and can take up to 30 minutes of CONTINUOUS driving above 30 mph with no extended idling which meant we were in the perfect place on the freeway. After 15 minutes, we turned around and the message – and the check engine light - obediently went off less than 10 minutes later – YES, one more glitch handled!
Now it was time to head for the sparkly clean pool where the water temperature was perfect. I can’t figure out how they keep it cool enough in this heat. There are a lot of rigs in this park but only a young woman & her small son were in the pool with us. I think most of the tenants are living here full time.
After we were sufficiently wrinkled, we headed back to the rig for drinks, dinner & TV.

Aug 30th – Tues – San Antonio
After breakfast we went “downtown” where the Riverwalk and the Alamo commemoration site are located. The office here had told us about a place to park which at $10 for a day is the cheapest price. We wandered to the Riverwalk and took a boat tour. We did this the last time we were here but again it is amazing how much you forget especially when the guide is spouting facts for 35 minutes. A young family sitting next to us was from Spokane.
Even though the temperatures were climbing rapidly, we walked a lot along the river and then through a multi-story shopping complex. We sat at a table outside to have a beer and watch the ducks, pigeons & carp snap up any bits of food.
It was too hot to do much more so we tried to find a couple of places to check out FTA (free to air) but they were both not there any more. So we stopped at a Big Lots and came back to the park where we hit the pool again. This time there was one young lady sunbathing and 3 people came just as we were leaving. Then it was time for another quiet evening.

Aug 26th to 28th - Carlsbad NM to Kerrville TX

2011-08-28T18:49:00.001-07:00

Aug 26th – Fri – to Carlsbad NM
After replacing the landing jack clips and moving to the dump to empty our waste tanks, we were on the road about 9. This meant we avoided rush hour traffic which can be pretty bad in Albuquerque. Terry thought we would take I25 south to I10 but when I checked on the GPS, it was almost 100 miles further than going about 40 miles east on I40 and then south on 285 – thank you Wanda!
We stopped for diesel in Vaughn, for a sandwich in a rest area somewhere south of that and pulled into Carlsbad RV & Campgrounds just after 2. The temperature was 103 so after setting up and drinking a glass of ice water, we checked out the indoor “heated” pool. I still can’t figure out where they got cold water for the pool as I could not run enough water to get cold water in our tap! It took Terry a while to ease into the pool but it was very refreshing.
On the way back to our rig, we paused to speak to a couple who had just checked in and who we had passed on the highway earlier today - we recognized their tow car. We told them that we were going to the bat flight this evening at Carlsbad Caverns and they decided to go as well. The bat flight program started at 7 and the bats started flying out of the cave about 7:40. It was very disappointing as there is a much smaller colony this year due to dry conditions and fewer mosquitoes for the bats to eat. Last year the bats looked like smoke coming out of the cave and formed visible “clouds” as they flew away.
It was still 91 degrees when we got back at 8:30 but the AC was doing a good job.

Aug 27th – Sat – Carlsbad
We lazed around a bit and had breakfast before we went back to Carlsbad Caverns. We walked down the Natural Entrance and then did the loop around the Big Room. We have done this before and it is amazing how much you don’t remember. It is so incredible that we have Senior Passes and get into national parks for free as it certainly encourages us to repeat these visits. The 2 larger elevators are being renovated but there weren’t a lot of people so we didn’t have to wait to take the elevator 750 feet back to the top. Even a wait would have been better than walking back out the Natural Entrance – 1 ¼ miles with an elevation gain of 800 feet.
Back in town, we filled up with diesel and stopped for a hamburger for lunch. We relaxed for a while and did some research & emails on the computer and then went to WalMart for some ingredients for dinner.

Aug 28th – Sun – to Kerrville TX
I personally think we are crazy – heading east & south in the summer when nearly everywhere in the country is having hotter than usual temperatures.
We left at 8 intending to stop at Sonora Caverns but decided we had enough caves for a while and carried on to By the River RV Park & Campground just outside of Kerrville and just off I10. We did stop for fuel & lunch in Ozona (!!) but otherwise just cruised along the freeway and kept the AC going. There is not much to see in the part of Texas that we drove through.
Apparently a lot of snow birds stay in the Kerrville/Fredericksburg area of Texas because of the low prices and moderate temperatures. The employee who checked us in was from Colorado and didn’t know the winter temps here however.
We are in a large, shady spot on a sluggish fork of the Guadalupe River. When we set up, it was 104 outside and 100 inside. We sat outside in the shade for a while to give the AC time to get the inside cooled off, took a walk to the river proper and then crashed inside. We got a bit of a thunder/rain storm which really turned up the humidity and definitely convinced us to watch TV inside for the rest of the evening.

Aug 22nd to 25th - Bernalillo

2011-08-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

Aug 22nd – Mon – Bernalillo
I researched on the computer for oil change places and we went to find one. On the way we saw a WalMart and decided to try it again. This time the employee knew how to find the torque that he needed (a large chart that the other store should have had?) and there was no one in line. Getting an oil change at WalMart also gives you something to do while you are waiting!
As we were going to our next errand, we realized that we could get a $2.99 breakfast at the casino and since it was after 10 it was a good idea. Of course it cost us a bit more with some gambling but not much.
We went to a trailer supply place that a neighbor in the park told us about to get new spring-loaded clips for the landing jacks. One of them broke when we were in Canon City and the repair shop welded it but it didn’t slide well and Terry didn’t trust it. At the store we discovered that there are 2 sizes and we didn’t know our size so off we went to find an RV dealer with a Montana. We finally found one and decided not to buy their clips at $59.00 a pair but went back to the first place to buy them for $33.
On the way back we had to go right past another large casino. The weather was very hot and air conditioning sounded good so we stopped. I did OK and slowed the losses even if I didn’t cover Terry completely. Back at the rig we turned on the air & TV and enjoyed a drink before dinner. We stumbled onto a TV program called “American Ninja”. It was an entertaining 2 hours about 10 Americans trying to complete an obstacle course in Japan.

Aug 23rd – Tues – Bernalillo
After coffee & a bowl of fruit, we went to see the camp host and pay for our site. It costs $22 a night and includes 50 amp electric & water. There is no sewer but there is a dump in the park. We figure it is a good price and we can pay an extra $5 to wash the 5th wheel so we will stay a few more days. We ended up chatting with the host (Nancy) and a city employee – this is a city owned campground – for quite a while.
The water pressure disappeared late yesterday and was still bad this morning. Terry checked every connection as it seemed as if there was more water at the tap than in the rig. When we talked to Nancy we found out they had the same problem and then we saw a short item on TV that said Bernalillo lost a water pump so we knew it wasn’t just us. But that put a crimp in the plans to wash the rig.
I made breakfast about 11 and then we went to check out a golf course that we can see from the campground. We had to go past the casino to get there and decided on the way back that we could play golf tomorrow morning (when it is cooler) or we could spend the money in casinos. You can probably guess what we chose!! Yep, the casino again where we played a long time on half our normal allowance.
We had more water when we returned so Terry got everything out and washed the 5th wheel. I cleaned one recliner and washed the fan blades (embarrassing!) before helping Terry by using a long handled squeegee to wipe off the water.
We were just finishing when a neighbor moved in. We found out that they (Bob & Leah) lived in Pierre SD and lost their home in the recent floods. Of course in an area that rarely floods, they did not have flood insurance so they bought an older motor home & tow vehicle and are heading for San Diego for a new start. We invited them to join us for hamburgers for dinner which we were able to enjoy outside in our private casita which is another reason why we like this park.

Aug 24th – Wed – Bernalillo
Here is something you haven’t heard for a while – jelly biscuits for breakfast. Then we did more cleaning & organizing & visiting with neighbors before finding a laundromat. Yesterday laundromats and car washes were closed in Bernalillo due to the water pump problem.
Then we felt we deserved a break and headed once more to the nearby casino as they had specials today for 50 & “better” card holders. Terry once again won some money and kept us going for the rest of the afternoon.
About 4:30 we decided to take advantage of the half price, very good buffet for us older folks.
We came back to the rig expecting it to be cool from the air conditioning that we left running. Oops, Terry cannot read the thermostat and just turned on the fan so it was HOT.
There have been thunderstorms and flash flood warnings all over New Mexico since we have been here but we are not in an area affected by the floods. We had a bit of rain in the evening – naturally since we washed the rig!

Aug 25th – Thurs – Bernalillo
There was a lot of lightning, thunder and short rain storms last night. We didn’t sleep too well so were lazy and watched TV in bed before getting going. After breakfast, I backed up files on the computer and worked on expenses while Terry washed the outside of the windows on the 5th wheel. The weather is still very hot so this time we set the air conditioner correctly before going for a drive and then stopping for groceries & misc items at WalMart.
We have been looking at the Atlas and browsing the internet to decide where we are going from here and finally decided that we are going back to San Antonio TX. The weather was cool and rainy when we stopped there previously so we want to check it out again.

Aug 19th to 21st - CO to NM

2011-08-22T07:03:00.001-07:00

Aug 19th –Fri – to Salida
We continued with the waiting and trying to contact the insurance company. We did the coffee & doughnuts in the park again this morning and then back to the repair facility where Terry told me about a waiting room so I didn’t have to sit outside on a hard bench to read. The wheels finally got there about 3 but then we had to wait some more while someone went to get lug nuts and then made another trip to get the correct size of lug nuts!
Our rig was finally pulled out about 4:30 and we were on our way west. We were about 7 miles out of town and just about to lose cell coverage when the service manager called and said our microwave turntable was sitting in the office. I said we would be back, we found a place to turn around and headed back. Just as we were pulling off the highway, we saw the service manager turning around to go back to the shop as he saw us. We lost cell coverage as I was talking to him and he didn’t hear that we were coming back. So we got the turntable and headed out once again.
We ran out of water in the rig this morning and I asked Terry a couple of times to find a way to put some water in but in the relief of getting everything done he forgot. So we drove past a few dry camping areas to a campsite that we had seen on our previous trip to Salida. We pulled in only to find that they did not have any vacancies. We passed WalMart and finally decided that since it was close to 7 we better not drive further hoping to find a place to stay. We returned to WalMart, went in and bought 3 gallons of water and stayed there overnight.

Aug 20th – Sat – to Great Sand Dunes National Park
Terry returned a socket for the new lug nuts that he bought at WalMart (wrong drive size) and we were on our way fairly early. We went through Alamosa and then west & north to just before Sand Dunes Park to an RV park that we found in a brochure. We had no trouble getting a spot as all the UFO people (!?) are camping in the tenting area.
We set up, put some water in the fresh tank, did some cleaning and had a late breakfast. A young couple on a motorcycle who camped beside us was leaving. They had broken a latch on a storage box and lost their map so we gave them a map and a strap with Velcro to hold the box together. Then we went to Great Sand Dunes Ntl Park a few miles away. We watched a film, browsed through the visitor center and drove to a parking area where a lot of people head into the dunes. We had sandals on and they are not recommended as the sand gets very hot so we took pictures and came back.
Then it was back to Alamosa for diesel, a socket and an oil change. I guess 2 out of 3 is OK. We tried to get an oil change at WalMart (only place in town to get one on Sat afternoon) but they did not have the specs for the drain plug torque (rig is too new?!!) so they couldn’t do it. We got some steaks for dinner, hit a rain storm on the way back and relaxed. The rain was over by the time we got back to our site so Terry didn’t get wet when he BBQ’d the steaks and we were able to go for a nice walk after dinner.

Aug 21st – Sun – to Bernalillo NM
We woke up early as we went to bed early so we were on the road just after 8. We went back to Alamosa and then pretty much straight south. We drove through several rain showers on the way but most of the areas looked like they needed rain. It would have been a 4 hour drive but we stopped for lunch and a little gambling at a casino.
We got set up at the Coronado Campground where we have stayed before. Then we decided that we didn’t have quite enough gambling so we went to the Santa Ana Star Casino which is way too close to the campground.
It was time for happy hour when we got back and then dinner.

Aug 16th to 18th - Canon City

2011-08-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

Aug 16th – Tues – Canon City
We got going early this morning to get the 5th wheel into the repair shop at 8. Then we stopped at WalMart to get coffee & doughnuts and went to a nice city park to enjoy them. We walked up & down the old historic downtown area of Canon City but some stores didn’t open until 10 so it didn’t take us too long.
Next we went to Colorado Springs to pick up replacement tires. We were waiting for insurance approval to get wheels in Denver but didn’t hear anything so stopped at Costco for lunch & shopping and came on back. The problem with the mag wheels is that our design is no longer made. The repair shop found one in Elkhart, Indiana but the cost of the wheel and the air freight to get it here in less than 3 weeks was prohibitive so the service manager asked the insurance company to buy 5 new wheels for less money.
We hung around the repair shop when we got back – I sat in the shade and read a book and Terry put pressure on the employees by hanging around & pacing. They pulled our 5th wheel out beside the shop so we could stay in it overnight. The gate is locked at 5:30 so we walked to the nearby WalMart and got chicken for dinner. We do get some TV reception here but not very good and few channels. But our cell phones and wifi access work!!

Aug 17th – Wed – Canon City
Again we were up early as the repair guy said he would arrive at 7:30 and he did. The manager’s daughter was going to pick up the wheels in Denver so we went for a drive west to Salida. Just past the RV park where we were staying, the road drops quickly to the level of the Arkansas River which runs through the Royal Gorge. It was a lovely drive to Salida where we stopped at a tourist information place and then went for breakfast. They also had a “historic” downtown area so we parked to see what was there. The first thing we saw was the Arkansas River running right along the edge of town with a little bridge with a cement rail perfect for leaning on and watching kayakers practice rolls in rapids. We continued on up & down the street, wandering through several fun stores and buying nothing.
We still had lots of time to kill so we made a loop south then east to Westcliffe, Wetmore & Pueblo. We had just filled up with diesel in Pueblo when the service manager called and said the insurance company would not approve the new wheels and told him to “buy one that matches the best”! One we got headed back, I called the insurance rep only to be told that she works 7:30 to 4 EST and it was now 2:01 so I got her voice mail.
Back in Canon City, we found out that the wheel fender & decal had not arrived today so they pulled the body guy off our rig since it couldn’t be finished until tomorrow anyhow. So more reading & more pacing and we are back in our rig in the repair facility lot. Terry is outside right now probably rehearsing what he will say to the insurance rep tomorrow.
I don’t think I mentioned that the “n” in Canon has an accent ‘ ᷃ ‘ (which I can’t get inserted in the blog) which makes the name pronounced “Canyon” – like the ‘pina’ in front of ‘colada’.

Aug 18th – Thurs – Canon City
This entry will sound much like yesterday’s. Up early to be ready to pull in the slides when the mechanic showed up at 7:30, then try to call the insurance rep and then try to figure out what to do all day. We had received an email from the insurance rep which didn’t help much so we left to go to Cripple Creek to the casinos. About 5 miles down the road I suggested that maybe an email would get through so we turned around, got our computer, sent a response and continued on to Cripple Creek. When we got there and had cell coverage again, we had a voice mail from the insurance rep but of course got her voice mail again.
Thursday is Senior’s day at one casino so we took advantage of bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast & coffee for breakfast for $2.22 each before we proceeded to lose our allowances. We headed back to Canon City and the repair shop for reading & pacing. Do you see a pattern here?
About 2:30 we decided to go to Dairy Queen for ice cream and of course go the phone call we were waiting for as we were driving. Terry stated our case to the insurance rep and she agreed that they would pay for tires and she would look into the wheel situation. We went back and told the service manager about this development and then went for ice cream.
The wheel fender & decal arrived but the molding around the hot water tank arrived with bends in it so another one should be here tomorrow. The side metal is installed & painted, the wheel fender is installed and we are back in the parking lot for the night. We are on the opposite side of the repair facility and we get 6 clear TV channels and are plugged into 30 Amp so can run the air conditioner. Considering that it is still in the high 80’s at 8 o’clock, that is a good thing.
We have high hopes that we will be out of here late tomorrow afternoon.

Aug 13th ot 15th - Canon City

2011-08-15T17:57:00.000-07:00

Aug 13th – Sat – Canon City
I stayed in bed and read while Terry drank coffee and started watching another movie. Then I decided that it was time to figure out how to secure our recliners so they don’t turn and rock when we travel. We have tried several variations of crossing the existing straps but nothing works really well and a blanket between the backs of the chairs will not stay in place. We bought some fleece fabric so I added elastic to secure it over one chair. Terry got out a box with various straps, moved some D-rings and figured out that we needed a couple more rings.
We headed into town to get them and to visit the repair place to see what is happening with our parts. The main service guy was not in but another guy said the wheel well skirt will not be a problem to get but the mag wheels are not easy to find. We went to a couple of places looking for the D-rings – and found them - stopped at Verizon for some information and came back to the park where I made a late, light lunch.
Terry wanted to talk to the service guy who was due back about 3 so he went back to town while I caught up on expenses. The service guy ended up not getting back to the shop so we don’t know any more.
We were going to have all-you-can-eat ribs at a nearby restaurant and were told that they sold out last week so we should get there about 4. There were few cars there at 4 so we came back and had a drink. We drove by again at 5:30 and there were still not many customers so we decided to go to the Fireman’s Ball instead which the owner of the park told us about. It was held at a bar & restaurant just down the street and had a buffet dinner and a dance later. After we ate, we found out that the band didn’t start until 9. We didn’t want to sit & drink until then so we came back to the rig for a while and then went back for the dance. We had a beer while we waited for them to set up, listened to 2 songs and decided that we were definitely too old even though the music was supposed to be from the 60’s & 70’s.

Aug 14th – Sun – Canon City
We left early to drive to Manitou Springs just west of Colorado Springs to take the cog railway up Pike’s Peak. We had lots of time to stop for breakfast at a pancake house. We saw cars parked all along the narrow, hilly road up to the railway station so when we saw a parking lot advertising $5 parking near the station, we pulled in. After we picked up our tickets, we discovered a free lot for train customers a little further up the road!
Our train left a few minutes late at 10:45 for the nearly 9 mile, 1 hour & 20 minute steep ride to the top. There was a very personable “conductor” on our car who pointed out things to see, provided little history lessons and included a few jokes. We sat across from a young couple who live in Denver and enjoyed talking with them.
We had about 35 minutes at the top to walk around, take pictures and visit the gift shop and snack bar. I had read on the website that it would be cool at the 14,100 foot elevation so we wore long pants and took light jackets which we were glad to have. You can drive up the mountain on a toll road and a lot of vehicles were parked at the top. A 13 mile hiking path also goes up the mountain and a lot of in-shape, ambitious people walk up or hike at least part of the way.
It started to rain when we were going down. We went to The Garden of the Gods but just drove through and took pictures rather than get out in the rain for closer shots. We stopped for a hamburger and then came back via Cripple Creek and visited a casino that we missed last time! Terry started out winning money while I slowly lost. Then we turned around with Terry giving back the money he won and me winning a bit but not keeping it. When we were walking out, I had $10 left so we each took $5. I lost mine and Terry turned his into $20 so we cashed out and drove home. We got home about 8:30 and had ice cream for dinner.

Aug 15th – Mon – Canon City
Terry got up fairly early and played games on the computer. I read for a while in bed and finally got up and got going. After breakfast, we made yet another trip into town to the repair shop. I sat on a bench and had a lovely long chat with cousin Pat while Terry waited to talk to the service manager and then paced around waiting for me to get off the phone to tell me that we had to come in later in the afternoon. We stopped at Radio Shack to get some information about Dish Network which was a waste of time. Back at the rig Terry did some research on the computer while I did some cleaning and then made lunch.
I got the use of the clubhouse to do a couple more loads of laundry. Terry carried it over and then left to go to the repair shop again. I had just finished when Terry came back and said we would take the 5th wheel in tomorrow morning for the sheet metal work, stay in it in the yard of the RV/repair place tomorrow night and then they would paint on Wednesday. We will also probably have to drive to Colorado Springs and maybe Denver to pick up tires and wheels so we can get on the road again soon.
I think blown tires are part of our life right now. We were coming back from town today and a truck going the other way blew a tire just as we passed it. Terry jumped and swerved and I wasn’t sure if the tire was ours or his for a moment.

Aug 10th to 12th - Canon City

2011-08-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

Aug 10th – Wed - Canon City
When we set up yesterday we discovered another casualty of the tire blowout – our microwave turntable fell on the floor and broke. Since we don’t have phone service, we took the MW model number and insurance contact information to the service guy at Royal Gorge Truck & RV and then went to WalMart where luckily the insurance rep called while we were in cell phone range.
It took a while to wander through WalMart as they had some clearance sales and then we got some groceries.
I made lunch after putting everything away and then we were back out again to check out things to do in the area. We are staying about 1 mile from Royal Gorge which has rafting, zip lines, train rides and museums. Pike’s Peak is also not too far away. We can’t really make any reservations until we have more definite dates on our repairs but we got lots of information.
Back at the park, we went to check out the laundry room and get some quarters. The lady working at the desk asked how long we were staying and when we said a week she told us that she would give us a key so we could use laundry facilities at the clubhouse instead. It was a nice building with TV so we could relax on comfy couches while waiting for the laundry instead of running back & forth to check on it. There was only 2 washers & dryers so by the time we finished it was time for happy hour & dinner.
We get no TV in our rig so we bought a couple of inexpensive DVD’s with multiple movies and watched 3 of them.

Aug 11th – Thurs – Canon City
An employee at the Royal Gorge visitor center told us yesterday about an early, discounted ticket for the Royal Gorge bridge that could be purchased between 7 & 8:30 but could be used all day for the rest of the facilities that opened at 10 or 10:30. Since it is nearby, we went about 8 and bought tickets and then came back to the rig and had breakfast before going back to spend a few hours in Royal Gorge park.
We watched some rafters go down the Arkansas River and saw a tourist train in the bottom of the gorge before we rode the incline railway to the bottom of the gorge. There are 2 “trains” on tracks that go down the side of the gorge. Actually, one goes down while the other comes up. There are viewing platforms at the bottom and you can take as long as you want before catching a train back up. Then we walked across the suspension bridge over the gorge and took pictures. Vehicles can also cross the bridge but it is mainly pedestrians and “golf” carts.
We found some shade to watch a short, comic performance by a young lady and then found the building for a ½ hour magic show. By now we were ready for lunch so we got a BBQ pork sandwich which left a lot to be desired.
The employee at the tourist center had suggested that we ride the tram over and take the bridge back but the tram wasn’t running yet when we walked over the bridge so we found you why she made that suggestion. The walk to the tram (past a “zoo” with buffalo & elk and a petting zoo) was very uphill and it had gotten hot. If you forget that you are hanging 1000 feet over a canyon by a cable with 15 other people in the car, the tram ride is a fun 4 minutes.
We went back to town to check for messages on the phone and to make a quick stop at WalMart. Then it was time for a visit to Dairy Queen for some cooling ice cream on the way back to the RV park.
We were watching more movies with windows open and fans on when it started to rain. We closed all the windows except 2 that slant open rather than slide but they got closed shortly when it started to pour rain and the wind pushed the rain in those windows as well. We lost power for a short time and there were streams of water running down all the hills in the park. We certainly made a good decision to view Royal Gorge in the morning.

Aug 12th – Fri – Canon City
We took advantage of slack time this morning to clean & organize the large cupboard above the TV. It is amazing how long you can search for things before you decide to do something about it!
Then we went to Cripple Creek via Guffey. Guffey is a small, old, western town where everything is an antique store or looks like one. Cripple Creek is an old mining town which has been restored with small casinos. The entire main street is lined with casinos, hotels & restaurants. Buses bring people from Colorado Springs as you can get to the town from the east (Colorado Springs) or the southwest the way we came. We made a circle so the return trip was not as long. The road climbs to over 9000 feet which makes you think you would be in the mountains but there is a lot of level ground and ranches with small hills around them.
We left at 10 and got back at 7:30 so it was a full day. We had lunch there and Terry won enough money to keep himself in the black but not me. I had put meat & gravy in the crock pot so was able to get dinner on the table pretty quickly. Terry went to the office and rented movies to fill the evening.

Aug 9th - Canon City CO

2011-08-10T08:58:00.000-07:00

Aug 9th – Tues – to Canon City CO
We had a little mishap today. About 25 miles north of Colorado Springs on I25, we blew a tire on the 5th wheel. I was on the phone at the time and heard & felt the “explosion”. The bad news is that it took out or damaged quite a bit of the skirting around the tires.
The highway has a shoulder wide enough to drive on and we were able to pull up a bit to a gravel area and get off a little further. Terry started to walk back to get a large piece of tire off the left freeway lane when a police car pulled up behind us so we set to changing the tire. At this point, the first police car moved into the right freeway lane to force all the traffic to the left lane so we didn’t have to worry about getting hit. A second police car picked up more debris and then parked in the median with his lights on to warn traffic. It was the back, left tire that blew so we pulled the front tire up on a ramp and then jacked the back axle up a bit. We had traffic backed up for a long ways so Terry was really sweating trying to get it done quickly – and was helped by the 80+ temperature.
I got on the GPS & phone looking for RV repair places in Colorado Springs and we found one that wasn’t backed up 2 or 3 weeks. We were there for 1 ½ hours and the guy was still trying to finish the estimate so Terry got mad and we left. We were heading for Canon City anyhow so we carried on – with no spare as the Goodyear dealer in Colorado Springs would have had to order a tire. In Canon City, we drove past the RV park where we thought we were going to stay and said “no way”. This put us right in front of an RV dealer &service place so we pulled in. A very nice, knowledgeable service guy looked at the damage and said he could fix most of it right away by fabricating & painting but would have to order the fender skirt & decals.
We drove about 10 miles further to an area with many RV parks, picked Prospector’s RV and registered for a week. After we set up, we discovered that there is no Verizon access here! We headed back to town to file an insurance claim and get something to eat as we had eaten nothing all day and by now it was 4:30. While I waited on hold with the insurance company, Terry went into WalMart and got dinner.
Back at the RV park, we set out chairs and a table in the shade of a lovely tree right beside our site and had a much deserved drink with dinner.
I normally don’t post just one day on the blog but since we have no phone access, I thought it would be nice for people to know where we will be for a week. We are using the park wifi so at least we are not totally cut off from technology.

Aug 7th & 8th - Idaho Springs CO

2011-08-09T08:29:00.001-07:00

Aug 7th – Sun – to Idaho Springs CO
We left about 8:30 for our long 53 mile drive to Westminster CO where we were going to stay at an Elk’s Lodge. When we arrived and looked around, the only sites available were very narrow or in the overflow parking lot with electric only so we decided to continue on to Idaho Springs which is west of Denver. We are staying at Cottonwood RV situated on a little creek about a mile off I70 – very peaceful.
We had trouble getting cable TV so the owner came over and put a new end on our cable which solved the problem. After a late breakfast sandwich, we headed to Black Hawk which is 14 miles away and consists of casinos. Like a lot of Colorado that we have seen so far, you drive through narrow, winding canyons with a stream to get there. It doesn’t open up too much so the casinos are all multi-storied and backed into excavated holes in the mountains. We parked in a parking garage which always makes Terry nervous with our big truck but it was high enough and the slots were just wide enough to wiggle into.
We spent the rest of the day and into the evening going from one casino to another. We earned points at one casino to get 4 free buffets (with all-you-can-eat king crab) which we took advantage of for dinner. We weren’t doing too well on the slots but I won a bit of money right before dinner which lasted us until we left about 8.

Aug 8th – Mon – Idaho Springs CO
Yep, we headed back to Black Hawk this morning. We were going to have a breakfast buffet but we were about 10 minutes too late. We checked and found out that the buffets earned yesterday had to be used yesterday so we gambled to get enough points for lunch today. We thought we had enough but found out it was “double points” day so we went back to the slots. On the third spin on a machine, Terry hit a bonus and got $446.90 with his 40 cent bet!
After lunch we continued our casino hopping and gathered cards for our collection. I was not doing well but Terry was pretty lucky. At a machine that we had not played before, he got one symbol across the whole screen and won $100.00!
After dinner that was paid for by coupons from yesterday, we drove to Central City which is just a mile or so away and is more casinos. They are older, smaller casinos and we were pretty much gambled out so we drove through the town – very “restored” and picturesque – and came back a different way on the “Central City Parkway”. This road does not follow a canyon but ends up on the side of a mountain with lovely views and 8 percent grades down to I70.

Aug 4th to 6th - Loveland CO

2011-08-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

Aug 4th – Thurs – to Loveland, CO
I kind of misjudged reporting the altitude yesterday – Rawlins is at 6800 feet. We headed to Colorado today. The snow fences we saw yesterday were half of what we saw today. A lot of them are a newer design with posts in the ground and a vertical fence rather than slanted sections with braces on the lee side. As we approached the south side of Wyoming, there was more grass and huge herds of cattle.
We found a PA park in our book but they did not have a space for us for 3 days. They called a park just down the road so we are at the Canyon Valley Campground just west of Loveland. It is a small park off the main road so I expect it to be quiet tonight.
After we set up and had a late lunch, we went back to Loveland so I could get a much overdue haircut. As we walked into WalMart, it started to rain but stopped by the time we were done. We made one more stop at a hardware store before heading back to the campground to relax and have a good dinner.

Aug 5th – Fri – Loveland
I packed a lunch and we went to Rocky Mountain National Park. A couple of miles down the road we entered a narrow, steep-walled, scenic canyon containing the Big Thompson River. We went through Estes Park (a town) and entered the park. I took this opportunity to get my Golden Age Pass as I am officially an “old fart” according to the federal government.
We drove along the Trail Ridge Road which is the only road through the park. We only went part way through – to the highest point on the road which is 12,183 feet. We saw a herd of elk beside the road and had to brake suddenly to avoid running over a coyote who knew he had the right of way crossing the road. The scenery is stunning and the Trail Ridge Road would cause some of our friends to look the other way when the edge of the road is looking over a canyon. Terry suggested that we come through Steamboat Springs and pull the 5th wheel through the park – what a mistake that would have been!
We found a picnic table to have our lunch and as we were eating the wind came up and dark clouds moved in. We continued to where we were going to go for a walk but when we saw a sign saying the parking lot was full and we would have to take a shuttle, we turned around and went back to Estes Park where it was much warmer than the 55 degrees on top of mountain.
We wandered up & down the main touristy street of Estes Park and bought a decorative item for the empty wall beside the steps up to our bedroom.
We had a new neighbor at the RV park and we enjoyed talking to them (Charlie & Deloris) before and after dinner.

Aug 6th – Sat - Loveland
We had a piece of molding and a panel partially pop off in the kitchen so Terry got working on that first thing this morning. It had only been stapled and the wood behind did not even go the entire length of the panel so Terry put in some screws and glued the molding on to cover the screws. Of course he was working in the small area behind the counter so it wasn’t easy.
Then we went to hang our new wall hangings and 2 of the 3 had keyhole cutouts for screws upside down. So we had to make a trip back to Estes Park (22 miles) and exchange them for correct ones.
We explored more of Loveland and found it is quite a large city. We had a couple of small items to pick up at different stores, got diesel ($3.75) and had lunch. We drove past our RV park to see what was up the road and found very nice, large houses and lots of horses & boarding farms.
Back at the rig, we hung our wall art which took a while as the 3 pieces had to be level & equidistant apart and secure. We were both kind of cranky which got interesting sometimes!
We thought we were going to get a rain shower to cool things down but it only amounted to a few drops so it remains hot tonight. Our neighbors toured the park today and we talked to Charlie for a bit this evening.

Aug 1st to 3rd - Thermopolis & Rawlins WY

2011-08-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

Aug 1st – Mon – Thermopolis
We went golfing with Dennis this morning. It was a 9 hole course and Dennis rented a cart but we decided to walk. Unfortunately, we started too late so it got really hot and the course was hillier than we thought so we got a workout – and it didn’t do much for our games.
In the afternoon we went for a drive. We drove through the bison grazing area in Hot Springs State Park and saw the small buffalo herd from a distance. We walked through a park to swinging bridge but just as we were starting across, the wind came up and we decided to go back. Dennis wanted to make a buddy burner so we stopped at a few stores looking for cans & candles without any success. We also made the mandatory stop at a grocery/liquor store.
Thermopolis is a small town which has the world’s largest hot spring. There are 2 water parks with slides, pools and hot tubs which are all supplied by the hot springs. There is also a small facility with an indoor and outdoor pool that you can use for free for a 20 minute soak each day. Excess water from the hot springs runs through the park and creates mineral terraces before running into the river.
After dinner, Dennis & Susie came over again to visit and enjoy the buddy burner. Actually, Dennis found a small tin and enough candles to almost fill his own buddy burner.

Aug 2nd – Tues – Thermopolis
We slept in a bit this morning and then did laundry before going out to do some more exploring. We stopped at a visitor center and picked up some information. We walked up & down the main shopping block in town, browsed through some stores and found a tin & some candles for another buddy burner for Dennis. Terry discovered some energy and cleaned up the outside of the 5th wheel when we got back.
We figured we better at least try the mineral water while we are here so we put on our bathing suits and went to the small hot pool facility. You have to sign in, separate to go to the men’s & women’s sides for a shower and meet in the pool. Luckily part of the outdoor pool was in shade as it was very hot today. The water in the pool was 102 degrees so the attendant opened a valve to heat it up a bit. “Pool” may be misleading as it is 3 ½ feet deep all over and has concrete benches built into the bottom. Seemed just like another hot tub to me except some of the 27 minerals stink.
We were sitting out before dinner when Dennis & Susie were doing laundry so they joined us for a bit when it was done. We had a late dinner and called it a night.

Aug 3rd – Wed – to Rawlins WY
We enjoyed the picturesque Wind River Canyon on the way to Riverton and a casino this morning. I continued my losing ways while Terry hung onto his money until we had lunch. Then it all disappeared and we continued down the road to Lander and towards Laramie.
Obviously there is snow & wind in this part of the country because there are miles & miles of snow fences along the roads. There are also several places with barriers that close off the highway when it’s impassable. We crossed the Continental Divide a couple of times and were at 6600 feet for a while. But that didn’t keep it from being hot.
We are in the RV World Campground in Rawlins. We had a brief rain shower which cooled things down a bit so we are comfortable with windows and door open.

July 29th to 31st - Deer Lodge to Thermopolis WY

2011-08-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

July 29th – Fri – to Deer Lodge MT
We are taking a rather odd route but we look at the Atlas and find an area that we haven’t explored and if it is kind of in the right direction and has something that we would like to see, that is where we go. We took Hwy 12 from Orofino to Missoula and then hopped on I90 to Deer Lodge where we are staying at Indian Creek Campground.
The drive and scenery on Hwy 12 was lovely. We followed the Clearwater River for a long way and then the Lochsa River. The road condition was excellent and there was little traffic. We stopped in Lolo (edge of Missoula) for fuel and lunch and lost an hour as we changed to Mountain Time.
After we set up, we drove into town to find a tire dealer. When we left Orofino this morning, Terry noticed a nail or screw in a back tire in the truck but we weren’t losing air so we figured we would wait until we were at a tire shop to pull it out. When we got to the tire dealer, I got out to spot the nail as Terry drove but it was no longer in the tire! We figure it was just a short nail and it was in the thick part of the tread. So we drove down the main street and stopped at a grocery store for a few items on the way back.
It is clear and very warm here. We had the AC on when we were out but turned it off when we returned as it is too noisy and there is a nice breeze.

July 30th – Sat – Deer Lodge
We went to 5 museums here that are all covered by the same admission fee. The largest is an old prison that was in use for over 100 years and was closed in 1979. A good job has been done of making a self-guided tour of the buildings & grounds. Attached to the prison is a car museum with 140 restored cars. Across the street is a toy museum (mostly dolls), a Western museum with a (non-working) bar in the back and a pioneer museum (?) that also had wood carvings done by one man over his lifetime. Many of the carvings were horse-drawn wagons, sleighs, etc. A replica of a 20 Mule team was 9 feet long.
We stopped at a hardware store and a couple of grocery stores before heading back to the rig with fried chicken for a late lunch/early dinner. After eating, we went to a nearby car wash and cleaned up the truck. Back at the RV park we cleaned the inside, the windows and any missed spots. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing, watching TV and checking out places on the computer to see when we leave here.

July 31st – Sun – to Thermopolis WY
We had planned to stay in Cody today but it was pretty early when we got there so we kept going to Thermopolis. Just as we left Cody, we hit road construction and a very bumpy gravel road. A sign said the construction was for 10 miles and Terry was ready to turn around and take a longer route when we hit pavement again. There were a few more short gravel stretches before a return to smooth pavement. When we started driving, it was 72 degrees and climbed to 91. We also climbed to 6200 feet which is not hard to do when so much of Montana & Wyoming is at or near 4000 feet.
We are at the Eagle RV park just out of town. After we set up, we sat outside with a drink. A neighbor (Dennis) was having trouble opening his motor home door so Terry dug out his tool box to help. After dinner, Dennis and his wife Susie came over to visit. Their granddaughter, who lives with them, came over a couple of times between watching movies. We sat out until just after 10 when rain drops made us decide that we were done.

July 25th to 28th - Sandpoint to Orofino ID

2011-07-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

July 25th – Mon – to Sandpoint ID
Terry’s brother Skip and his wife Kathy very recently moved to a house that they had built at Dover Bay development on Priest River. We wanted to see the house and told them that we would help them move or finish moving when we came to visit. But they really worked hard so there wasn’t too much to do when we arrived this morning. By the time we took a tour, it was time for lunch.
Terry & Skip went shopping for a light bulb for a pendant light over the kitchen island and did some sightseeing in the area as well. It only took about ½ hour to figure out how the replace the light bulb and then I noticed a cover broken on a second light. Kathy & I puttered around while Skip showed Terry how everything in the house – security system, lighting, TVs – is controlled on his Ipad. When he is in Palm Springs he can turn lights on & off to make their house in Sandpoint look occupied.
A guy on a backhoe was leveling their lawn areas and we were smart enough to start happy hour outside on the deck on the side where he was working and we were yelling over the noise. Almost as soon as we moved to the other side, he was done for the day!

July 26th – Tues – Sandpoint
I helped Kathy do some organizing in her kitchen while the guys made a trip to hardware & lighting stores. They got back just in time to help Kathy & I move furniture in the great room. The new layout was mostly my idea and luckily everyone thought it worked better.
Then it was time for shopping – bank & groceries – for Kathy & I. The guys were watching a movie when we got back so we made a late lunch and then Kathy & I worked on unloading boxes in their office after Terry & I figured out how to put hangers in file drawers for 2 rows of file folders. Delivery people brought bedroom furniture and a dining table this afternoon so we enjoyed a salmon dinner on a table rather than at the kitchen island – which is not a hardship!
In one guest bedroom, we ended up moving the new bed to a different wall and making a couple of other small adjustments to the room. Skip bought a new movie today so I watched it and the others napped on & off. It was a very weird movie – Source Code – so I think they had the right idea.

July 27th – Wed – Sandpoint
S&K had an appointment with their security guy this morning. It was nice & sunny with possible PM showers so we decided to golf at Priest Lake. Of course the security guy was late but with Skip’s fast driving we were only 10 minutes late for our tee time.
The golf course is very challenging. Skip & Kathy looked at the course yardage and we decided that the guys would play the blue tees (farthest back) and Kathy & I would play yellow which is basically white (normally what Terry would play) with a couple of shorter holes. This was a mistake as a lot of the holes had water & weeds to hit over, a lot were very narrow and the white/yellow was just too much for me.
Then on the 7th hole it started to rain. We finished the 9th hole, pulled the carts under a tent and went in for a drink. Actually, we ordered our 2nd drink before the rain stopped so we took it with us and finished the round. Anyone who has golfed with me knows that I HATE rain so I was not a real happy golfer – but the 2 drinks made it somewhat better!
Back at Skip & Kathy’s, happy hour continued and was followed by an excellent steak dinner with steaks cooked to perfection by Skip on the BBQ which was just connected to gas this morning. Then we taught S&K to play Wizard and didn’t get to bed until after midnight which is quite late for 4 old farts!

July 28th – Thurs – to Orofino ID
We had a nice breakfast with Skip & Kathy and were on our way at 10. We were going to stop at the Costco in Coeur d’Alene but there were too many RVs and boats in the parking lot so we kept on going.
We decided to go south out of CDA and then maybe across Hwy 12 to Missoula so we stopped at the CDA Casino. The machines teased us and let us play quite a while before gobbling up our money. We had an early dinner at a restaurant in the casino where we have previously enjoyed County Fried Steak. We didn’t enjoy it today and I wasn’t shy about saying so to the waitress and on a survey card that we were given for comments on their new menu.
Then it was a nice drive to Lewiston where we stopped for fuel and then carried on to Orofino to the Clearwater Crossing RV park. The RV sites are backed up to the Clearwater River and every site has a concrete “patio” & picnic table so you can relax and watch the river glide by. This is a Passport America park so is very reasonable at $15.58 including cable TV.
The drive along the Clearwater River from Lewiston was very pretty with very little traffic. I also enjoyed the fields in the Palouse area before we got to the casino.

July 21st to 24th - Walla Walla, Burbank

2011-07-25T07:44:00.001-07:00

July 21st – Thurs - toWalla Walla
We headed to Walla Walla this morning to attend Terry’s Mom’s funeral. We successfully navigated some narrow lanes on the freeway in Spokane where a lot of road work is underway and arrived at the Blue Valley RV park about 12:30. After registering and setting up, I made lunch and then we went for a drive to locate the cemetery and the funeral home. We picked up a flower arrangement and a bit later went back to the funeral home for the viewing. I found it very bizarre and hope not to have to attend one again! No one else was there so we didn’t tarry long.
Back at the rig, we changed into shorts, turned on the ceiling fan, opened windows and enjoyed a drink and the warm weather. The RV park is next to a golf course so we walked to check it out and chatted with some fellow campers on the way back. The park has cable TV so we OD’d on HGTV and the Golf channel.

July 22nd – Fri
We hung around the rig in the morning, had strawberry shortcake for breakfast and bacon & eggs for lunch.
Ella Mae’s funeral was at 1. Attendees included friends of Don & EllaMae’s from when they lived in Pasco, firefighter co-workers of Terry’s brother Harry, our friends Bill & Georgia and of course all the kids and many of the grandkids. It was a gravesite service with beautiful weather.
After the service, most of us went to The Depot restaurant for a light lunch hosted by Don. It was very nice to meet old friends of the family and to visit with relatives that we don’t see too often.
Then we just let down and relaxed for the rest of the day. We made a quick trip for a few groceries and took another walk to the golf course and around the park but that was it.

July 23rd – Sat – to Burbank WA
Terry had coffee and I had a light breakfast before we headed about 35 miles to see friends Dave & Margo at their lot overlooking the Snake River. They have a house in Walla Walla but they are going to sell it, use the lot in the summer and continue to go south in the winter. They had a huge shop built last winter and have made a flat spot to park their motor home so they work on the lot most of the week and go back to mow their lawns in Walla Walla.
We parked in front of the shop, set up and gave Dave & Margo the “grand tour” of our 5th wheel. Their neighbor Art came by as we were finishing so we sat outside to have coffee & banana bread and visited. The lot is just upstream of Ice Harbor Dam which forms a wide spot called Sacajawea Lake. We walked down to the river and went through the day park, the marina and the RV park. It was quite a bit more exercise walking back up but by then it was time for happy hour. Margo made us all dinner which we ate outside after moving a table into the shade. Then it cooled down quickly so we moved inside for dessert.

July 24th – Sun
Today was the first day this summer that I put shorts on first thing in the morning – it was a gorgeous day. I made jelly biscuits & fruit for all of us for breakfast and after lazing around a while we went to wander around at Ice Harbor Dam (notice the ambitious verbs?!). When we got back, it was time for a snack for lunch followed by moving chairs occasionally to stay in the shade as we talked and enjoyed the view.
We put some beer in a cooler and drove down to the park. Art had asked us to go out on his little houseboat but another couple was with them so we just cooled our feet in the water and then sat in the shade and continued chatting and people watching.
We came back about 5:30 so I could marinate pork chops for my turn to make dinner. The evening cooled off suddenly again about 9:30 so we went our separate ways about 10.

July 18th to 20th - 100 Mile to Spokane

2011-07-21T09:13:00.001-07:00

July 18th – Mon
We left Marg’s at 9:40 this morning, dumped the tanks at the sani station in town and then pulled into the car wash to get rid of a layer of dust on the 5th wheel and lots of dirt on the truck. It was raining when we finished and pulled out of the car wash!
The drive was uneventful and we decided to take a slightly different route down the east side of Okanagan Lake which is winding but nice. We stopped for lunch in Merritt and stayed at Rock Creek where we camped with a group of friends a few years ago.

July 19th – Tues
We walked across the highway and played a 9-hole round of golf this morning. The grass was very wet and neither one of us had a good game but we had the requisite couple of good shots to keep us golfing. We were meeting Bill & Georgia at Sullivan Lake so we continued through Grand Forks and crossed the border at Cascade. It must have been a slow, boring day for the customs agent as he looked in the rig and then had Terry open the slides so he could check the living room. Terry said he spent more time commenting on the rig & amenities than checking anything.
To get to Sullivan Lake, we went south to Colville (where we bought groceries and had lunch), then east to Tiger/Ione and north to a few mile from the Canadian border. There are 3 forest service campgrounds and when we talked to Bill he wasn’t sure where we would find a spot but figured we would be OK with cell phones. Wrong!! There is no Verizon service there so we drove around – in the rain – the campground loops and didn’t find Bill & Georgia. We decided to head back towards Spokane and finally got cell service where we had several messages from Georgia saying they were waiting for us at Tiger. We didn’t have any other ideas of where to stay and we finally ended up at the Spokane RV Park beside the Deer Park golf course. It is a lovely setting, it was warm enough to sit outside for dinner and we are with good friends so all is good.

July 20th – Wed
Georgia brought Terry a bowl of raspberries from her garden and we really enjoyed them for breakfast. We chatted a while with Bill & Georgia before we all packed up to leave. We set up at the Elks Lodge in Spokane, ran a few errands and then went to the casino for a few hours – to the delight of the casino rather than us.
It was time for happy hour and dinner when we returned so we had a quiet evening. The weather was dry and pleasantly warm.

July 15th to 17th - 100 Mile

2011-07-17T22:22:00.000-07:00

July 15th – Fri
We had an real mix of projects today.
Several years ago when Marg made a trip to France, she bought some sheer curtain panels that we finally hung in her bathroom window. It looks so good that we wish we had gotten around to it years ago.
Last winter a young man staying with Marg was using the tractor to clean the barn and knocked a wall out by a couple of inches. Marg cleared away sheep “excrement” with the bucket on the tractor and we finished clearing with shovels while Terry stood 20 feet away and asked how we could stand the smell! Marg pushed the wall back in with the tractor and we hammered in some big nails so it won’t happen again. Then we did some more building realignment and pushed a small hay shed back into place and beefed up the supports.
Marg & Terry used a heavy metal device to pound in the 2 posts that we couldn’t reach with the tractor a few days ago. I got to hold the wire aside and replace the staples – tough job!
After lunch we put in 3 new posts by the lagoon, tightened barbed wire at the top and wove slats through page wire to straighten it. Then Marg lifted Terry on the platform on the tractor so he could tie a rope to a dead tree to persuade it to fall in an unnatural direction and avoid the lagoon. We wondered why we fixed the fence before we cut down the tree! But the tree avoided the fence by about 3 feet, Marg cut it up and I carried the rounds to Terry so he could split them.
Next it was on to a tree that fell over a fence but hung up in a tree on the other side of the fence. Marg supported the tree with the tractor while Terry cut it down, then we piled all the limbs & sections of tree on the platform to dump on the burn pile. Terry & I continued on the ATV from there to make a tour of the fences looking for signs of bear. When we got back, Marg was just driving up to the house with all the split wood on the tractor so we helped her stack it for immediate burning. Yes, Dad has started a fire in the upstairs wood stove many mornings to take the chill off even in July.

July 16th – Sat
Terry, Marg & I left right after breakfast to go to Lone Butte to pick up the boat motor that was repaired and to visit a hardware store to get a rechargeable screwdriver that Terry just had to have. We stopped at a little farmer’s market and got a few items and then returned to 100 Mile for more shopping & lunch. Groceries, paint for Dad, animal feed, plywood & nails were on the agenda.
We were having company for dinner so once we unloaded all the purchases, I started dinner preparations and Marg did some cleaning. Janet & Bill arrived first and we had time for a nice visit with them before Al & Cecile arrived. We had time for a couple drinks and much talking before Ralph & Gina got here after Ralph got off work. We had an unusual menu for dinner but everyone either enjoyed it or was kind enough to say they did! It was a lovely evening.

July 17th – Sun
Marg was a little rough with the platform on the tractor when she was supporting the tree on Friday so it was time to rebuild rather than patch. Terry started work on that while Marg & I became mechanics and tried to find out why Dad’s ATV wouldn’t start. It happened a week or so ago when Marg was in Merritt. Terry charged the battery and cleaned the battery connections but couldn’t get it to start. Marg talked to the mechanic who fixed the boat motor and he told her one thing to try which didn’t prove anything. We decided to reclean one battery terminal which turned into a huge job as the connector was broken which led to multiple trips for parts & tools, parts dropped & lost, wires connected incorrectly (me!!) and dismantling of the front of the ATV to put a cover in correctly. But it started!!
After lunch I helped Terry build the platform and Marg went bear hunting again with still no sight of the bear but just evidence of trees & stumps pulled apart. Marg & I put in a support for a shelf in the shop which led to organizing pieces of lumber and sweeping the shop floor. Somewhere in there we also cleaned up her electrical bits & pieces drawer and we also managed to do 3 loads of laundry.
We are leaving here tomorrow and heading back to Spokane and then Colorado. We will also be making a trip to Walla Walla as Terry’s Mom passed away last night and we will be attending her funeral.

July 12th to 14th - 100 Mile

2011-07-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

July 12th – Tues
Marg, Terry & I repaired fences this morning. A corner post needed to be pounded in some more & braced and then we had to add on a section of page wire to fill in where an old, temporary gate had been. Then I walked along the same fence checking the posts as Marg knew there were more that were loose. When I found a loose post, Marg maneuvered the tractor in with the post pounder, we took out the staples, hit the post a couple of times and put the staples back in. Due to the slope of the ditches, we couldn’t fix 2 posts so we will have to return and do them manually. The amount of rain this year has made it a good time to fix posts as the ground is softer than usual and the posts will go in further than in the normal dry ground.
After lunch we dug out the bottom of a broken corner post in a corral, put in a new post and a couple of new boards. Then we went to a fence between Marg & a neighbor where a corner post was breaking because of trees coming down on the wires a couple of years ago. It is a huge job to replace a corner post so we put a new post in right beside the old one and fastened the two together. On the way to this repair job, we stopped to cut up and haul away a tree that had fallen over another fence.

July 13th – Wed
After getting Dad going on a new project in the shop, we loaded up supplies & tools on the tractor & ATV to repair yet another corner post in the furthest corner of Marg’s property. Before we could get going, it started to rain so we waited until after an early lunch to go out.
There was no way that we could get the tractor in to put in a new post right at the corner so we put in 3 posts as close to the corner as we could get, braced them together and transferred the electric wires to the new posts. This left a gap in the electric wires between the old post & new post but we will fill it in with page wire and one electric wire on top. Rain was threatening so we hooked up the electric fence with temporary wire, checked that the current was OK and headed back in. Marg has to take the tractor through the brush to get to this location and saw evidence of a bear in the property – rotten trees & stumps clawed apart to get at bugs. This is the field where the sheep are grazing right now so it is a worry. Terry & I followed her back on the ATV and then made a loop along another fence but didn’t see the bear.
Marg & I went golfing this evening but first Marg got insurance for her truck and I picked up a prescription refill for Dad. We didn’t get rained on while golfing but neither of us had a good game.

July 14th – Thurs
Marg & Terry went to finish the corner fence while I got out my sewing machine to do some mending and alterations for Marg & Dad which I finished just in time to get lunch on the table.
After lunch, we were preparing to go out for some more fencing when it started to rain. Terry worked on a puzzle while Marg & I found a curtain rod and used some pillow shams for a curtain in the guest room – you’re welcome, Pat & Rick! The rain let up so we went to the lagoon (septic pond) to replace 3 posts that had totally rotted. We ended up also picking up a load of branches and cutting down a dead tree and hauling it away.
Just as we finished, Nicole arrived with her nephew & his wife (Guy & Monique) who are visiting from France. We chatted with them for a while and then the rain returned as they were leaving. But it was time for happy hour and dinner.
I got ambitious after dinner and baked a big batch of cookies.

July 9th to 11th - 100 Mile

2011-07-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

July 9th – Sat
We finished the last 3 sheets of roofing, trimmed the strapping boards and put the last fascia board on the shed this morning. We also cut and installed boards to secure siding (metal roofing) on one gable end. After lunch, we went to town to get the roofing and got one end installed.
Dad made blocks for us to use under the jacks & stabilizers on our 5th wheel. Terry was going to make them but we decided it was a perfect project for Dad and he did a great job.

July 10th – Sun
We finished the second gable end this morning and then had to return all the tools & supplies to their correct places which was a job in itself. We picked up all the scrap wood and dumped it on the burn pile, replaced pallets used under lumber and cleaned up in general.
We finished a jigsaw puzzle after lunch while we were waiting for Al & Cecile who were coming to visit. They didn’t see our 5th wheel when they were here previously so they got the grand tour and also viewed the completed shed. Dad gave them one of his little side tables so now he can build another one!
When Al & Cecile left, I went to check the greenhouse & garden and was watering some flower pots when it started to rain so we all came inside to read & watch TV.
After dinner the weather was beautiful again so we mowed the lawn in the garden, in front of the greenhouse and in the fire pit area.

July 11th – Mon
We made a trip to town to return one sheet of roofing and stopped at the liquor & grocery stores. Our plans for today were to rent a pressure washer to clean the back deck but Dad pointed us in another direction when he mentioned a mess in a small section of trees between the drive and the shop. We have talked about cleaning it up so that is what we worked on.
When we got back from town, Dad had sharpened the chain saw and filled it with gas & oil. Terry found a way in with the tractor and then he started cutting down trees. Some had already fallen and hung up in other trees, some were dead and some were bent from the ice storm a few years ago. We piled everything on the platform on the tractor and Dad made the trips to create a new burn pile fairly close by but it was a challenge to get the tractor in & out of the standing trees.
Terry was hurting from using the chainsaw so much & loading the heavier logs so we quit about 3:30. He also had a branch snap in his eye and that was bothering him a lot. OK, I was also happy to have an excuse to quit!
Marg got home about 5. She & I looked at the new shed after I did chores and it passed inspection.

July 6th to 8th - 100 Mile

2011-07-08T20:39:00.000-07:00

July 6th – Wed
We made good progress on the shed today. We put up 8 sheets of roofing and most of the metal siding. Terry might have dug deep for energy and put up more roofing but the batteries for the cordless drill had to be charged. Buck & Snow went “out for lunch” today with Buck tethered and Snow wandering free as she is a sucker for grain and easy to get back into the corral.
We also hung a couple of bat houses that Dad built earlier this year. Information that I found on the internet said to hang them at least 12 ft. above the ground so it is a good thing that Terry could lift me with the platform on the tractor.

July 7th – Thurs - Happy Birthday to Me!
Terry insisted that we take today off because it is my birthday and I didn’t protest too much. We played golf at Marmot Ridge in 100 Mile in the morning with only a few drops of rain and temperature warm enough that we were both in short sleeves. A group with beginners in front of us let us play through so we were able to move along at a nice pace.
Then we went to Williams Lake where we stopped at a couple of stores for small items, had lunch and then went to the casino. I fairly quickly lost most of my allowance and then started winning. Terry was also losing and joined me on the machines that were doing OK. Eventually I gave back all the casino’s money but kept what I started with. Terry didn’t do so well but we both had fun.
I had left some dinner for Dad to warm up so we went to a restaurant in 100 Mile for dinner to end a lovely day. When we got back about 7:30, I did the chores and then found that Dad hadn’t eaten dinner yet as he said he couldn’t find anything so I heated the leftovers for him.

July 8th – Fri
It was cold this morning but after breakfast we went out to work on the shed. We were standing in the barn which was a huge wind tunnel and decided that we could wait until it warmed up a bit and came back inside. Terry played games on the computer and I puttered around doing bits & pieces. I picked a huge handful of lettuce from Marg’s garden as it has gotten way ahead of us. Dad was in the shop painting some little tables that he made.
After lunch, we went back out as it had warmed up a lot. I lifted Terry with the tractor so he could put in the top row of screws in the roofing. He had to do this from inside the barn as the shed roof is the same pitch as the barn roof and starts only a little way below the barn eves which meant he would have to lie on his stomach on the shed roof to reach the top row. This did not sound too safe. We finished the metal siding which had previously been on the outside of the barn. Unfortunately, the barn is 5 inches longer than the outside of the shed (don’t even ask!) so we had to cut off the last sheet of siding just to keep things interesting.
Next we made a trip to make a couple of adjustments to the outhouse that we built. The guys didn’t put it together as we had planned so we trimmed a panel and added stops for the door that we forgot to include. Then we cut leveling boards for our 5th wheel and Marg’s motor home before hanging the last bat house.

July 2nd to 5th - 100 Mile

2011-07-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

July 2nd – Sat
We got the rest of the trusses up today and of course nothing can be easy. As I said before, the shed is being added to the side of the existing hay barn. The top of the side of the barn had metal siding which we removed so there is no consistent place to secure the trusses. We had to be quite innovative to get them up. After lunch we put up some knee braces and figured out where the boards had to go to reuse the metal siding and put screws in the same holes. I ran the tractor a couple of times and haven’t knocked Terry off the scaffold yet!
We had to quit early in the afternoon as Marg was going to a party and had to prepare snacks. Terry & I headed to town with a varied to-do list – return unused cement, buy fasteners for the outside of the trusses, get paint for Dad, hit the liquor store & grocery store, refill prescriptions for Dad, return carpet samples (store closed for the weekend), pick up Marg’s mail (post office closed!) and get wheat for the chickens. I had a roast in the crock pot so we enjoyed a drink while I made the rest of dinner.
After dinner, I asked Terry to bring Marg’s motor home to the house so we could plug it in and cool the fridge as she is leaving tomorrow to volunteer at the Merritt Mountain Music Fest. First we had to assemble a hitch stinger with the right size ball as Marg is dropping off Rick & Pat’s utility trailer on the way to Merritt. Same thing, nothing is easy!!

July 3rd – Sun
I helped Marg a bit loading up her motor home and we took a tour on the ATV to decide where the sheep would pasture next. Terry & I couldn’t get the strapping on the shed roof as we need more lumber and can’t get it until tomorrow. But we got some boards on the side that will be below the siding, put up some bracing in the trusses and figured out exactly how many boards we need and what size. This was all while hiding from rain showers.

July 4th – Mon
We hooked up Ralph’s trailer (still parked here waiting for Ralph to pick it up) and went to buy lumber. We got rough cut boards and fascia boards at one place and 2x4s & nails at another. After unloading, we decided to have an early lunch rather than working for a short time and then stopping for lunch.
We got the bottom fascia board up and almost finished the strapping before Terry ran out of steam. He had to climb over the trusses and walk on the bracing to nail the boards so he was working hard. I was happy to be the gofer & board trimmer rather than the monkey & nailer.

July 5th – Tues
OK – Terry was right and can say “I told you so” as I didn’t buy enough nails yesterday so we had to go shopping again. But we also returned the carpet samples, picked up the mail, filled gas & diesel containers and got suet blocks for the birds.
We finished putting up the strapping and cut off the boards on one end before lunch. After lunch, we recut most of the boards (oops!), put on the fascia board, put up 2 sheets of metal roofing and put up 4 boards for the siding on the side wall. Again, Terry had to work hard to climb on the trusses and use a heavy drill for the screws in the roofing. The rechargeable drill doesn’t last very long and our electric drill – which we thought we could use - is not powerful enough for the roofing screws.
We quit early, loaded up all the garbage and made a trip to the dump. Then Terry got a burst of energy and cut down a dead tree that Dad kept saying was spoiling his view. He cut it into stove lengths but we left the cleanup until we have the right attachment on the tractor loader.
Dad has been in a painting mode – deck chairs and anything else that doesn’t move. Terry said he was going to hide the truck so it didn’t get painted!

June 29th to July 1st

2011-07-01T20:07:00.001-07:00

June 29th – Wed
We got out and worked on setting the support posts for the shed this morning. We made a slight mistake on the first post so it took a little longer than it should so we only got 2 done before lunch. The shed will only be 9 feet high on the outside but it would have taken longer to get 14 foot posts so we are dealing with 16 foot 6x6 posts. And keep in mind that we are all “senior citizens”!! I did have a short lesson in driving the tractor and didn’t run over anything or anybody.
After lunch we set the other 2 posts and cut the first 3 boards to support the trusses. We were sent inside by a couple of rain showers so before we could put up the boards we had to quit so Marg & I could get ready to go golfing. I put cabbage rolls in the oven for Terry & Dad’s dinner while Marg did the chores and we headed for town hoping that the rain was over.
We did get a few light showers on the golf course but it wasn’t too bad. I did mediocre and Marg did worse – partly due to rain jackets I’m sure!

June 30th – Thurs
Marg was going to spend the day with her friend Jane but that got canceled. We thought we might get more work done on the shed but the weather had other plans in the form of rain so Marg, Terry & I made a trip to Kamloops. We had to return some incorrect electrical tape that we bought and that could not be returned without our credit card. This was a flimsy excuse to do some other shopping and visit the casino.
The trip to the casino was fun with Terry & Marg coming out money ahead and Terry making enough to cover my losses and then some. Actually, I covered some of my own early losses with small winnings just before we left. We had told Dad that we would be home by dinner but that didn’t happen. We stopped at the grocery store in 100 Mile and got home about 8:30.

July 1st – Fri
This may be a holiday (Canada Day) for most people but not for us since we took yesterday off. In the morning, we put up the 3 support boards that we had already cut and cut the remaining 3. It took us longer than it should have as we kept having to move into the barn to wait out rain showers & downpours.
After lunch, we put up the other 3 boards, cut off the tops of the posts – Marg on the chainsaw and Terry on the tractor – and put up one truss. This time we were interrupted by a ewe & lamb grazing contentedly in the yard when they should have been in a field. We got them into the correct spot then I checked the fence and filled the water trough while Marg sharpened the chain saw. Francis & Nicole stopped by to pick up eggs and visit for a while so it was a good time (4:30) to stop for the day.
We had taken out baby backs for dinner which Terry finished to perfection on the BBQ.

June 24th to 28th - 100 Mile

2011-06-28T20:21:00.000-07:00

June 24th – Fri
We picked up groceries and material for the shed this morning. First 2x10’s and 2x6’s, then trusses and metal roofing on top then we stopped for some paint and paint thinner. Terry & I unloaded all the material and then I helped Dad finish painting the old plow while Terry cleaned up the trailer.
After lunch we dismantled the outhouse and loaded it on the utility trailer. It rained a couple of times this morning but the lawns dried enough that we could mow. It was still threatening to rain again so we went full out with Terry on the mower and me on the weed eater doing the garden, between the house & greenhouse and the picnic area out back. It didn’t rain!!

June 25th – Sat
We took the outhouse to Rick this morning but he wasn’t there when we arrived. We walked down a hill to where he is situating his vacation place, walked back up and decided to come back later. We had just left his driveway when we passed him & 2 friends coming back so we turned around and went back. We were prepared to help them put the outhouse together but the spot for it wasn’t quite ready and they were looking for things to do so we unloaded it, headed back and unhooked the trailer.
We picked up Dad and went to Francis & Nicole’s to drop off their bags of sand/gravel and back to Rick’s to give him some nails and a door latch that we had forgotten.
Rick Tate (Pat’s husband) arrived in the late afternoon and Marg & Pat got home just after 5. We had a good evening hearing about Marg & Pat’s trip.

June 26th – Sun
Marg, Rick & Pat were going to go fishing but the weather didn’t look too promising so they decided to wait and go later or tomorrow. Marg & Pat unloaded and cleaned up the motor home and I got ambitious and mowed an area by the chicken house that was grown up at least a foot high with mostly weeds. Actually, Terry took over the mowing while I got the weed eater and trimmed it up. Terry got the gas weed eater and we cleaned up some grass under the electric fence as the reading was a little low. Then we took the ATV and unhooked a section of fence that had a lot of weeds and didn’t need to be electrified right now. That made a big difference in the strength of the fence. Terry went to town and washed the mud off the truck and then finished it up here.
Marg & I were out for a walk to check the sheep pasture when we saw a 5th wheel coming along the road. Our friends Terry & Judy Huber were supposed to call us so we could meet them and lead them to Marg’s but their phone wouldn’t work. Luckily, I had sent them instructions but unfortunately I said “Beechwood” instead of “Birchwood” so they were a little confused but found us. We got them situated, they set up and then joined us for happy hour & dinner.
We lit a fire out back in the firepit and made hamburgers on the BBQ. Hardier souls sat out until after 9 in one of the first warm evenings since we have been here.

June 27th – Mon
Quille dropped in for coffee and a short visit this morning while we were eating breakfast. Marg, Pat & Rick hooked up the boat and went fishing. Terry, Terry & Judy and I went for a drive to Mahood & Canim Falls. It was a beautiful walk to the falls and bug repellant kept us from getting eaten by mosquitoes. On the way back, we went to Howard Lake where the others were fishing. They had a little mishap and messed up the motor when launching the boat so Rick was rowing when we saw them. They only caught one fish which Marg delivered to Nicole.
We stopped at the house to take some lamb chops out of the freezer and then went to town where we first had a late lunch at A&W. Then we got some groceries, stopped at the tourist center and stopped at the drugstore for more bug spray.
By the time we got back it was nearly time for happy hour. Dad spent the day building & painting a little table to set drinks on at the picnic area.
Terry & Judy brought steaks & corn so we had a great dinner again. A bit later, Terry, Terry & Judy & I took the 2 ATV’s and made a tour around the farm.

June 28th – Tues
Terry & Judy and Rick & Pat left about 10. Marg took the boat motor to a friend to get it repaired while Terry & I removed some boards from the hay barn in preparation for the new shed. There were 2x10’s fastened on with Ardox nails (not meant to be removed) so Terry really had his work cut out for him. I don’t know how to run the tractor yet so he positioned the “scaffolding” on the forks and then climbed up to work which made him more tired as he had to keep moving it.
After lunch, Marg joined us to put on the 2x10’s which will support the trusses. They are rough-cut green boards so they are really heavy. We had to put on 2 layers with each layer secured with lag bolts. It took us all afternoon to put up 6 boards. Dad built another table for the picnic area.

June 21st to 23rd - 100 Mile

2011-06-23T19:50:00.001-07:00

June 21st – Tues
We need to put a mark on the calendar – today was the only day that we can remember in the last month where there was no rain!
We decided to golf in the morning rather than wait for a possible afternoon rain shower. There were very few people on the course so we didn’t have to wait behind anyone and we had a nice round and tied again – from the blue tees. We had told Dad to make himself lunch so we stopped for a burger on the way home.
Terry built the door for the outhouse and I helped Dad fix the wagon which broke when it slipped when he was trying to get it out the door and onto his ATV. Then I helped Terry with the door before calling it a day.
I decided to put Buck & Snow to graze a small area in front of the barn so Terry helped me put up 2 gate sections. I came out through a small gate with a hook-type latch and figured it was tough enough to latch that escape artist Buck couldn’t open it. Wrong!! I checked a couple of times and they were grazing nicely but after dinner the little gate was open, Snow was nearby and Buck was nowhere to be seen. I got grain, a halter and a rope and Terry & I took off on the ATV to find Buck. He was all the way over to the neighbors – in our field – visiting their horses. We weren’t successful in catching him. Terry finally swung the rope in frustration and Buck took off and ran all the way back to the barn and was looking innocent when we caught up. It’s amazing how much extra work I can make for us!

June 22nd – Wed
Finished door, figured out door framing, blade for painting, hair cut, carpet store, bank, liquor store, hardware store, dinner al & ceciles
We finished the outhouse door and spent quite a bit of time figuring out the framing. The door is 7 feet tall and 30 inches wide (the owner Rick is 6 ft 8 inches tall so Terry didn’t want him to have to duck and the tray for the composting toilet is 25 ½ inches wide) so it takes up most of the front of the building. Terry used the tractor to bring in a blade for the tractor that needs painting and Dad started to clean it up. He didn’t want to spray paint it so I finished the clean up and did just a bit of painting since the wind was blowing and I had no desire to become John Deere green.
Terry & I worked a bit after lunch and then went to town as I needed a haircut. He couldn’t go further without some hinges so he came with me and we went to the hardware store, the bank, the liquor store and a carpet store. Marg needs new carpet but didn’t want to get it until her old cat died which she did a couple of weeks ago. I brought home a couple of carpet samples just to get her thinking about it.
We went to dinner at Al & Cecile’s. They bravely had a barbeque and the weather was great. Also there were Nicole, Francis Green, Steve & Val and Quille. We sat out & ate outside and only moved in when mosquitoes were bothering Cecile.

June 23rd – Thurs
We finally finished the front of the outhouse. Terry brought in an old plow that sits out by the entrance gate so Dad could repaint it. We had a lot of the sand/gravel mix (that we got for concrete) left over so we had to get it out of the utility trailer. We put some in bags for Francis and for Marg and then spread the rest in a low area in front of the porch and on the driveway. Terry was worn out as he had to shovel the sand to the back of the trailer first in order to lift the hitch onto the ATV.
After lunch we put line in the gas weed eater and I started picking up sheep shit in the area where we will be building the shed. I knew this would be a problem when I let the sheep graze the area but I couldn’t see the grass going to waste. I had just gotten nicely started cleaning up when it started to hail and then poured rain. We finally made a dash for the house on the ATV. I had Terry let me off at our rig and spent some time doing an overdue cleaning. Then I came in and continued cleaning in the house. Terry was playing games on the computer and Dad was doing crosswords.
Our neighbor Ralph delivered lumber (from the store that he manages) on his trailer just before we were going to eat dinner. We will use the trailer tomorrow to pick up more lumber so Terry just had him park the trailer in the barn. After dinner, Terry went out and unloaded it.

June 18th to 20th - 100 Mile

2011-06-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

June 18th – Sat
We had a slack day today as it rained all day and we accomplished nothing. If it wasn’t for the chores and walking to our rig, we wouldn’t have got even a breath of fresh – wet - air. I was playing a game on the computer (rare for me) and Terry came over and asked if we had had lunch! I asked what time it was and was very surprised when he said 1:30. Dad was napping in front of the TV so I waited a bit until he woke up and then put together a snack for lunch as I had a roast beef in the crock pot for dinner and didn’t want to totally spoil our appetites. Weird day!!

June 19th – Sun
We got going early this morning so we could place the final footing for the shed posts and then mix & pour the concrete. It all went fine. Then I decided it would be good to put the sheep on the pasture around the hay barn since we won’t be working there for a few days and won’t have to worry about opening a gate all the time. We put up temporary fence panels to close off the barn and the sheep were happy. Shortly after, I saw lambs around the post holes and sure enough, when we looked later, there were 3 little hoof prints in the wet concrete in one of the footings. We finished the morning by picking up a couple of dead trees that Terry had fallen when we were completing the new fence.
After lunch, we took the tractor, 2 fence posts and 2 bluebird houses to neighbor Reg’s place where we put in the posts to thank him for working on the tractor. When he saw how easy the posts went in, he had us put in 4 small posts so he can build a fence to keep deer out of his garden. Hopefully this is the end of putting in posts for a while so we took the pounder off the tractor and then pretty much took the rest of the day off. Dad took apart a toy buckwagon that he built a few years ago and got a new coat of paint on most of it.
We had our usual light sprinkle of rain in the evening.

June 20th – Mon
Terry was puttering around on the outhouse construction this morning so I took the opportunity to clean the fridge. Something sticky had been spilled and it was past time to get it cleaned up. The sun was nice enough that Dad was sitting in the sun and petting Sage and a cat (Uncle).
Terry & I got the roof built for the outhouse. It is a bit of a challenge building it in pieces and making sure it can all be nailed together when it is assembled on site.
After lunch, we displayed our optimism that the sunshine would last and loaded our golf clubs in the truck. But first we went to see Marg’s neighbor Ralph who is going to pick up the trusses, roofing and 6x6’s for the shed. We had rain checks for some bird seed that was on sale so we picked it up next and the salesman pointed out the rain clouds moving in. Sure enough, it started to rain. Luckily, we were sitting in the golf course parking lot waiting to see if it was going to rain. We picked up some DEF at the Chev dealer since we couldn’t get enough the last time we filled it up, went to the grocery store and then headed home. Dad hauled another load of wood this morning and then put a second coat of paint on the wagon while we were gone.

June 14th to 17th - 100 Mile

2011-06-17T20:06:00.001-07:00

June 14th – Tues
We got half the wire stapled to the posts this morning and I cleaned up more debris before it was behind the fence. We put in the last 3 posts and then came in for lunch. Dad was busy hauling in more firewood.
After lunch we got the rest of the wire up including a section that we had to rescue from the scrap pile as we didn’t need enough to buy 2 rolls. Dad worked on the tailgate from the utility trailer that we removed a couple of days ago as it was falling apart. We had cut a new piece of plywood and Dad replaced the rotten wood and gave it a coat of paint. Once again a rain shower caused us to stop a little early which was OK as we were invited to Nicole & Francis’ for dinner and we had to shower and change clothes.
Nicole made very good pizza for dinner and we were joined by Marg’s neighbor Reg who fixed the tractor. When we were sitting & chatting after dinner, it rained really hard. It let up as we were leaving at 9 and there was a gorgeous rainbow for us to admire.

June 15th – Wed
It was cold and overcast this morning. We put up the metal gate in the new fence, cut down 2 more dead trees, unloaded gear from the ATV and decided it was too miserable to work outside. Terry played computer games while I did laundry and pulled out the sewing machine for some mending & alterations. Dad put a second coat of paint on the tailgate and made himself a new cane.
After lunch, I finished my sewing and made cookies. I haven’t made this recipe for several years and now I know why – it makes 8 dozen soft chocolate cookies that you sandwich with a cooked filling to end up with 4 dozen yummy cookies.
I called to say that I wouldn’t play golf this evening as it was just too cold and found out that ladies’ golf was canceled as too many women were wimping out or watching the final of the Stanley Cup. I had taken cabbage rolls out of the freezer for Terry to make for him & Dad so I had an easy dinner to prepare. Quille came over about 6 to watch the hockey game with us. I almost wished I was golfing in the cold rather than watching the Canucks get soundly beaten.

June 16th – Thurs
Terry & I finished a couple of jobs by putting up electrical tape on the new fence and on the remainder of a fence along the road. We are building an outhouse for Quille’s friend Rick so we cut plywood and left Dad working on the floor. We helped him finish it up and then took over the job as it is just too big for him. We have to build it in pieces and assemble it at his place as we couldn’t move the completed building. We are figuring it out as we go along so we just got one side done. We also got the new tailgate installed on the trailer which involved grinding off the screws on an old broken hinge, drilling new holes though metal and putting on a new hinge. Dad went back to hauling & stacking wood and is doing a great job of that.
When I was doing the chores this morning, I twisted my foot and hobbled around all day. It was swollen and pretty painful by the evening but I could walk on it.

June 17th – Fri
Dad hauled in more wood while Terry & I continued working on the outhouse. We built the 2nd side and the back and tacked it all together. After lunch, we hooked up the utility trailer and went shopping. We got some groceries, a yard of gravel/sand mix for concrete, bags of cement and paid for trusses & metal for the new shed. When we got back, we mowed the lawn in the garden area and then I talked Terry into putting 2 of the forms for footings into place for the shed.
The weather was nice today until showers late in the evening. Luckily my foot was much better this morning than last night.

June 11th to 13th - 100 Mile

2011-06-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

June 11th – Sat
We were back to falling trees and cleaning up. Terry got a good workout cutting stumps down to ground level. In the past, too many stumps have been left and make it tough to get the tractor through some areas. Rain threatened so we stopped early for lunch. Dad had the great idea to repaint the gates at the entrance to the farm so we brought them into the carport for him to scrape and paint. He finished putting hanging brackets on the 2 feeders that he built, got in more wood and worked on the gates.
After lunch, we continued with the trees and cleanup. Ron & Steve from down the road came to pick up Steve’s boat which was stored in Marg’s barn so we visited with them for a bit. We got our daily rain about 7. At least I don’t have to spend time watering the garden.

June 12th – Sun
We had to put the fence post pounder on the tractor this morning and had a couple of problems. Marg didn’t tell us where to find the sleeves for the drawbar so Terry decided to put the new drawbar on the post pounder which is a very heavy, unwieldy piece of equipment. We managed the job with a large jack and the courage of the ignorant. Then we had to jack it up even more to hook it to the tractor. It turned out that Marg had put a retaining pin in the wrong position and the pounder settled during the winter which made it too low.
The posts actually went in quite well thanks to all the rain softening the ground. But it was a challenge for Terry to maneuver the tractor around all the stumps, trees and uneven ground to back up to the correct position for each post. In a couple of cases he had to move to the opposite side of the fence as the front wheels were in a hole and we couldn’t get the post in far enough. We can’t have things too easy!
Dad was busy too. He continued painting the gates and brought in more wood.
We got a phone call from Marg. She & Pat are in Golden and had rented bicycles for the day so they are having a good time.

June 13th – Mon
The overcast sky this morning prompted us to go to town for several errands – bird seed, liquor, groceries, metal gate and paint. By the time we got back it was too late to work on the fence before lunch so we just puttered around doing small things. Then it was back to the fencing project where we put up three braces, cleaned up more debris from the old snake fence and rolled out the wire. Rain threatened so we quit the fence and I touched up some paint on the gates that Dad was working on and put the second coat on one side of the second gate. The paint dries very quickly so we were able to hang the gate and admire another job well done.
We watched the Canucks lose again to Boston and then watched rain pour down.

June 8th to 10th - 100 Mile

2011-06-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

June 8th – Wed
We worked on the puzzle and did a few small things this morning before we got a call saying the tractor parts arrived at Williams Lake. We quickly finished what we were doing, changed clothes, told Dad we were leaving and Marg, Terry & I headed to Williams Lake. We stopped at a feed store, a hardware store and the tractor dealer. Then to WalMart for a few items and lunch at McDonalds before stopping at the casino on the way home. Terry & I lost $20 each but Marg doubled her $40 and actually walked out with the winnings.
We stopped on the way home to drop the parts off with the neighbor who fixed the tie rod and who still had the tractor. He said he would work on it tomorrow morning.
I rushed to boil eggs & potatoes to make potato salad for Dad & Terry’s dinner and helped Marg in the greenhouse & garden while they cooked. I threw the salad together, gave Terry instructions for dinner and Marg & I went golfing. I didn’t do as well as last week but did OK. This week we had to keep track of putts and I got 14 which is pretty good. The lowest total was 12.
When we got home, we noticed tracks turning into the drive and realized it was tractor tires. Reg had fixed the power steering lines and delivered the tractor.

June 9th – Thurs
I helped Marg with some final loading of the motor home and then we made an inspection tour of the pasture to determine when the sheep had to be moved. She came back after driving a couple of miles as she remembered that she didn’t have a receiver in the MH and she will be towing Rick & Pat’s trailer.
Terry put the bucket on the tractor and we headed to the new fence location which is close to the house. We tied a string to show us the fence line and to determine which trees had to come out. One tree would have fallen into the lagoon (septic pond) so Terry lifted me in the bucket, I tied a rope to the tree, ran the rope around a tree and I pulled on the rope to redirect the tree as Terry cut it down. We didn’t get it to fall exactly where we wanted and of course it hung up in some other trees but it was nowhere near the lagoon. Oh well, we are experienced in this situation with dead trees that fall over and with our tree clearing a couple of years ago after an ice storm. The area where it fell had a lot of dead trees so we started falling & clearing them out. We had a break for lunch and continued to work until Terry’s back said STOP about 4:00. Marg plans on being gone for 10 to 14 days so we don’t have to get this done all in one day.
The sheep were grazing in the field where we were working and a gate that we would be using had to be closed so I decided to switch the sheep to a new field this afternoon rather than tomorrow. It is so fun to see them attack a new field of grass but you have to open the gate and get out of the way so you don’t get run over! This also allows us to open a gate from the main road which has been a pain to open & close every time you go anywhere.
The weather was beautiful today. The wind came up a bit later in the evening and there was a very brief hail storm but all is quiet again.

June 10th – Fri
We attacked the tree clearing again this morning. Our age & inactivity is sure showing up in this job! Dad started hauling firewood to stack in the carport since all the staining is done.
Just as we were finishing lunch, it started to pour rain. Terry had to dash out and move the ATV under the carport so everything on it wouldn’t get soaked. We started another jigsaw puzzle while we waited for the rain to stop – and it did stop so we continued falling trees.
It started to drizzle again about the time Terry’s back gave out so we changed clothes and went to town for a few items at the hardware store and at the grocery store. We got home in time for me to do chores and Terry to fix drinks. We watched the Canucks beat the Bruins (Stanley Cup) and fit dinner in at the start of the second period.

June 5th to 7th - 100 Mile

2011-06-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

June 5th – Sun
This might be a day of rest for some people but not for us. After Marg left to go fishing with Quille (Terry emptied rain water out of the boat and put the motor back on), Terry & I added electrical tape to another section of fence. It didn’t take long as we could use the existing insulators and we ran out of tape halfway through. Then we got the gas weed-eater, added the metal blade and cleared the right of way between the road and Marg’s fence. I had some long handled limb trimmers and cut the willows & wild roses that were too close to the fence for Terry and the ones just behind the fence. We took a break for lunch and Terry’s back held out just long enough to finish the job. Dad had a request for 2 feeders that hang on a fence or barn stall so he was happy in the shop.
Chores, a couple loads of laundry and dinner finished the rest of my work day. Marg & Quille had a great day fishing and brought home 10 Kokanee & 4 trout.

June 6th – Mon – HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD
We are still without the tractor and waiting for a call from Williams Lake saying that the parts are in and we can pick them up.
Terry & I went made a trip to town to pick up posts to replace rotten braces at the entrance gate and made stops at the liquor store, grocery store & service station. After lunch we replaced the braces and were just finishing when brother Bob drove in to have dinner with us for Dad’s birthday. Marg was cleaning her motor home so I helped with that and did some other quick cleaning in the house and some dinner prep.
Francis & Nichole, Al & Cecile, Quille & Gail and Toni & Micheal joined us for turkey dinner. We had a great time as usual with all these good friends. It was so nice during the day that Marg & I were wearing shorts but by the time we went to bed it was raining again.

June 7th – Tues
Breakfast was a little later as Bob had fallen back to sleep and was late getting up! He left for home (Pemberton) about 10 and we went out to get some work done before it started to rain. We had time to make calculations and place one form for footings for a side shed on the hay barn when the rain sent us inside. Terry worked on a jigsaw puzzle, Dad was in the shop and Marg & I planted baskets in the greenhouse.
We lingered over lunch and didn’t finish until nearly 2. By now a steady rain had settled in so Terry & I worked on the puzzle and Marg got things ready to load in the motor home before going for a physio appointment at 4:30.
With breakfast and then lunch being late, we didn’t eat dinner until 8 which makes the evening very short.

June 2nd to 4th - 100 Mile House

2011-06-04T21:45:00.001-07:00

June 2nd – Thurs
Marg took the motor home in for an oil change, Terry followed in the truck so they could leave it there rather than waiting and they got the page wire for the new fence on the way home. I spent the time they were gone on the computer.
After lunch, Marg took her truck to drop Dad off for a blood test and take Terry to drive the motor home back. I stayed home and did some cleaning. Dad had to wait over an hour for his blood test so I had dinner prep done by the time they got back.

June 3rd – Fri
Marg, Terry & I went to the Farmer’s Market this morning, stopped at the grocery store & liquor store and at the lumber yard for wood to build an outhouse for Quille’s friend Rick . We had told Dad that we would be back in time for lunch but he didn’t trust us and was eating a sandwich when we returned at 12:15. I made lunch while Terry & Marg unloaded the wood.
A section of fence between Marg and her neighbors Ralph & Gina had taken a beating by their horses and Buck in the winter so that was our project this afternoon while Marg worked in the garden and Dad worked in the shop. We removed existing insulators and replaced them with insulators that will carry electric tape which can be seen – and respected – by horses & deer. We also left the electric wire as Marg discovered that the tape cannot carry the necessary load. We were severely attacked by mosquitoes but got the job done.
Marg went to Quille & Gail’s for dinner and we put hamburgers on the BBQ.

June 4th – Sat
Breakfast was a little later than usual this morning. Marg had to get a haircut so Terry & I loaded up the ATV, replaced 3 brace boards at the power line gate, secured the wire on 3 posts and wove lath strips into sections of page wire to tighten and straighten it. Then we went out and hooked up the power on the fence we worked on yesterday. There was only one short which didn’t take us too long to find. We were hanging up Marg’s collection of old tools on the porch (taken down a couple of years ago in anticipation of new paint which was just finished yesterday) when Marg got home and helped. This made lunch quite late as it was a bigger job than we thought trying to get everything back where it had been previously.
We worked in the garden and watered everything trying to empty a water barrel so Terry & Marg can connect 2 barrels to collect rain water and use it in the garden. Then Marg had the bright idea of going golfing to see if we could beat Terry. Didn’t take us long to change clothes and load up the clubs. The weather was perfect and Terry & I were smart enough to put on insect repellant so the mosquitoes only ate Marg. We all played from the blue (men’s) tees and Terry & I tied and beat Marg by only 2 strokes. It took us just over 1 ½ hours for the 9 holes so we were back in plenty of time to boil baby back ribs for dinner.
Francis & Nichole stopped by just as we were finishing the dishes. They brought some bedding plants for Marg and are going to take an excess rooster to become their dinner some day.

May 30th to June 1st - 100 Mile

2011-06-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

May 30th – Mon – 100 Mile
I took a little extra time with the morning chores and started cleaning out the little barn where Buck (pony) and Snow (donkey) are hanging out when it is raining. Marg & Terry hooked up a utility trailer and went to town to run some errands. We had a phone call saying the old water pump was TU and that they had replacements in stock – oops, had to order one when they got there today but they did come back with a sensor to turn off the pump if the water runs out.
They stopped for a few groceries and got posts for the new fence.
While they were gone, I caught up the blog & email, watched the farrier trim Buck & Snow’s feet and helped Dad in the shop. Terry, Marg & I ended up finishing the first stage of the project that was frustrating Dad – another large planter.
After lunch, we all puttered around (puzzle, shop, greenhouse, laundry, baking). I filleted and deboned the Kokanee that Marg caught and we had a gourmet dinner with fish cooked on the BBQ, jasmine rice, salad and fresh beer batter bread.

May 31st – Tues – 100 Mile
Terry & I finished the jigsaw puzzle this morning and I helped Marg get the recyclables ready to go. Marg had an appointment for physiotherapy for her shoulder so she ran errands before & after. Dad had started a new project in the shop so Terry & I went to town and found the visitor center open today. Terry picked up some information for Gary, we went to the post office to mail it and then went to the grocery store.
After lunch we worked in the shop to finish the planter. We were checking Marg’s measurements of the new fence when Marg got back and joined us. She was right that it is 400 feet long – no, she doesn’t pace in metric. Then we adjusted the boat trailer. First we removed the motor, pulled the boat (12 ft aluminum) off the trailer and realized that the bunks were falling apart. So into the shop with the bunks to drill holes in metal brackets and put in new screws. We put the bunks back on in a new position, put the boat back on the trailer and started adjusting with Terry under the trailer and Marg & I lifting the boat as needed. We got it all done just as it started to rain. Marg did chores while I prepared BBQ pork for an appetizer with our drinks. Dinner was leftovers so not too much work.

June 1st – Wed – 100 Mile
Marg took her truck in for an oil change this morning. Terry decided to add guides on the boat trailer so he raided Dad’s BBQ parts stash and found perfect pieces for the job. He cut them to length, we added carpet padding and installed them with u-bolts. A precisely cut – seriously! - piece of plywood holding a swivel seat in the boat had broken so we found plywood, used the old one as a template and got it installed also.
Marg got back after lunch – her 10:00 appointment didn’t mean much – and we installed the new water pump. It only took about 4 trips on the ATV to the shop for more tools & materials. And it works! I put together a potato/onion/ham casserole for Terry & Dad’s dinner as Marg & I were going golfing. We rushed to change clothes, get my clubs & a cart out, give Terry dinner directions and get to the golf course.
A huge wind gust came up shortly after we started (shotgun start at 5:30) but the rain held off until the last hole. Marg’s whole team showed up today so she played with another team with a missing player and I played with her team as usual. The team that Marg was playing with started as a “b” group (2 teams on the hole) and was behind a hole with 2 teams so they were the last team to finish and they got quite wet. The ladies that I played with were almost done eating when we got to the restaurant. Marg bought a pie today but we hadn’t specifically told Terry & Dad that they could have some so they thought it was for something special and didn’t cut into it. We all had pie when we got home.

May 27th to 29th - 100 Mile House

2011-05-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

May 27th – Fri – 100 Mile
It rained again this morning so we didn’t do anything constructive. Marg left about 11 to go to Williams Lake with her friend Jane. After lunch the rain quit so we changed from the bucket to the forks on the tractor and went to work removing an old snake (zig-zag) pole fence that we will replace with a page wire fence. There are a lot of trees in the area so Terry had to put his driving skills to work to maneuver the long poles through gaps that were shorter than his load. We had to get out the chain saw and cut some poles in half as they were in an area with too many trees. We got the whole fence removed just in time for chores, happy hour & dinner. We still have to clean up bark, rotten parts and accumulated debris before we put up the new fence.

May 28th – Sat – 100 Mile
I thought a tractor tire looked odd yesterday and it turns out that a young man using the tractor bent the tie rod. Also, Marg forgot to tell us that the same young man had abused the tractor enough that the power steering hose fittings were leaking and she had ordered new parts in Williams Lake. Marg & Terry took the tractor to a neighbor who has a 500 pound press as he thinks he can straighten the tie rod.
Marg was helping with a fund raiser in town this today so I helped Dad finish the planter. After lunch, Dad put verathane on the planter while Terry & I went to town. We went to the visitor center to get some information for Terry’s brother Gary but it was closed. We made a couple of stops to find some mats for our rig to save the carpet from all the dirt we track in while we are here and then came back. Quille arrived about 3:30 with a boned, marinated, rolled leg of lamb to put on the BBQ for dinner. It was supposed to be done on the spit but Marg couldn’t find all the parts this morning. So we put a rack over a pan of water, tented the meat with foil and put it on the BBQ.
Gail and Rick (Quille & Gail’s neighbor) arrived for dinner before Marg got home. The Hospice fund raiser consisted of 15 teams of 4 competing in The Amazing Challenge which was based on The Amazing Race from TV. They started at 9 and the last team did not finish until 3 so they were all very tired. There was a minimum contribution of $200 per team so even though it took a lot of planning and volunteers, it was a good event for Hospice.
We had a thunderstorm & a downpour before the meat was done so Marg turned the BBQ around so it was under a little roof by the back door and we could continue cooking without getting soaked. Terry is not fond of lamb so we had a steak for him and we all enjoyed a great dinner and good company.

May 29th – Sun
There was a little fog this morning but it soon turned warm & sunny and stayed that way – lovely! - so Marg & Quille went fishing at Ruth Lake. We didn’t get much done in the morning but got busy after lunch. Terry & I washed the truck as you could barely see what color it was under the mud. It is amazing how heavy rain does NOT wash mud off a vehicle! Then we mowed & used the weed eater in & in front of the garden and in the picnic area in the back. We couldn’t get the self propelled lawn mower to start so we got some exercise pushing the other mower.
We helped Dad prep some boards for another planter and left him to start building it while we took an ATV for a tour around the property. We found a dead calf twisted up in the back fence so we had to open a gate to interrupt the power to the electric fence, remove the calf and restore the power. When we got back, Dad was not at the shop and his ATV was not at the house so we took another little ride to look for him. We crossed paths and he came back with Sage (Marg’s dog) who had heard him & left us.
Marg got home just after we finished dinner and right behind friends Francis & Nichole. She brought home 3 Kokenee and 1 trout from a good day fishing. Marg made some phone calls about the dead calf and got a return call a bit later. We were kind of embarrassed when the calf turned out to be a moose calf. It was a light tan color and its legs were all tangled in the wires and obviously we didn’t really look too close. It explained why a mother cow wasn’t hanging around as I thought it should be.

May 23rd to 26th - Logan Lake to 100 Mile House

2011-05-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

May 23rd – Mon – Logan Lake
After breakfast made by Pat, I put in a load of laundry and we hung around until their grandchildren Landon & Ryleigh had been dropped off by their Dad and picked up by their Mom. Next we drove to town and went for a walk around the lake. We drove so we could stop at the grocery store on the way back – and I also had to check out the Bargain Store.
Pat made lunch and then the guys napped while Pat & I put food together for a gathering this evening. Rick had just fallen asleep when Claude & Val stopped by for a short visit. They had been in Whistler to watch their granddaughter win a dance competition and were picking up their dog Tucker from “babysitters” Lynden & Charlie.
About 5, friends Ian & Patsy and Lynden & Charlie came over for appy hour – ie “lots of snacks make up dinner”. We had our usual great time. After they left about 10 and we cleaned up, Pat wanted to play cards and Rick was nice enough to extend his bedtime for 2 hands. We will finish the game tomorrow.

May 24th – Tues – Logan Lake
We had coffee and banana/chocolate chip cake with Pat for breakfast, Terry & Rick dug out all our golf clubs and we went to Kamloops. First, Rick had a doctor’s appointment which didn’t take long. Then we went to Princess Auto to get some fencing items for Marg and went next door to check out Price Matters, a Big Lots type of store. We wanted some items but decided to come back as our list included frozen food.
While we were shopping, it started to rain so we decided to cancel the golf game and go to the casino where Pat got to play a while before losing her money but Terry & I just donated quickly. We ate the lunch we had packed, went back to Price Matters, stopped at The Superstore for diesel and a few grocery items and headed home.
We had a roast in the crock pot so Pat put veggies in to roast in the oven and we finished our card game – a win for Pat & I - and played another game where the guys were back to their good luck with wild cards and won again.
Rick taped DWTS from an eastern TV feed so we watched the “good parts” of the 3 hour finale in about half an hour. Then we watched the end of “Idol” and called it a night.

May 25th – Wed – to 100 Mile House
We had coffee with Pat & Rick and headed north about 9. It rained last night and off & on today. We encountered heavy fog for a few miles before Ashcroft. We dumped our tanks in 100 Mile and continued to sister Marg’s in heavy rain. We drove into her place by the “back way” (old power line easement) so we could drive into our parking spot and not have to turn or back too much and possibly dig ruts and get stuck. It took a while to get parked as her yard requires several boards under one set of tires and a lot of extension on the front jacks to get us nearly level. We left the rest of the setting up until after lunch.
I helped Marg with a spreadsheet on her computer that she uses for her tax information and before we knew it it was time to leave for ladies’ day golf. The rain had stopped and we had not cancelled by 2:00 pm so we felt obliged to play. While we were waiting on the first hole, we huddled under a tree as a downpour passed over. Unfortunately we couldn’t hide from all the rain so we got fairly wet. It was “3 clubs & a putter” which is fun. Golf was followed by dinner & prizes – Terry got to reheat leftovers for him & Dad. Terry & Dad dumped out a jigsaw puzzle, turned over all the pieces and got a start on the edge.

May 26th – Thurs – 100 Mile House
Marg was planning on going fishing today but Quille had forgotten an appointment so they cancelled. Good thing as it rained most of the day.
The water pump at the corral had quit working so we had to pull it up. It is quite a procedure as the submersible pump is attached to the plastic hose and you pull up everything with a rope attached to the pump. Terry pulled it up with the rope, Marg guided the pipe up & over the fence and I pulled the 100 feet of pipe out into the field as it came up. We detached the pump and Marg & Terry took it to town to be tested. They did a bit of shopping and picked up a new fridge that Marg had ordered to replace one in the basement that quit. While they were gone, I worked on a large planter with Dad in the shop.
After lunch it just kept raining so we didn’t do much besides work on the jigsaw puzzle that Terry & Dad started last night. I did get a load of laundry done and ran back & forth several times to the rig to bring in stuff that we will need while we are here. Marg went to Quille’s so I made dinner for Terry, Dad & me.

May 20th to 22nd - Summerland & Logan Lake BC

2011-05-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

May 20th – Fri – to Summerland BC
We packed up, dumped the tanks and were on our way at 8:20 under beautiful, clear skies. We stopped at the duty free store to get a couple of bottles of booze since we had left everything behind and didn’t have any problems after a 5 minute wait at the border. We did have to throw out the few veggies that I hadn’t taken to Georgia but we knew that would happen. Terry hoped that if we had a few things to throw out that we wouldn’t be subjected to any kind of search – seems like it worked.
We stopped for a hamburger for lunch and were set up in Auntie Jessie’s driveway shortly after 2. We checked out her house and were starting to catch up on everything when cousin Cheryl and her 2 daughters Ashley & Drew stopped by for a while. Then it was time to make cabbage rolls for dinner.

May 21st – Sat – Summerland
Auntie Jessie had been up for hours by the time I went in for a shower. We weren’t that late, she usually gets up very early. First I had to put on the shower head and after the shower had to wipe up the floor as the shower curtain was not installed. Auntie Jessie moved back into her house after having it rented out and there was a lot of damage and more work than she can handle in a short time. She had a shower curtain which was too big so after coffee we cut it in half and I took it to the rig to sew the raw edges so she now has 2 curtains. Terry & I made short work of putting up the rod & curtain. Next we moved one picture and hung a new one – again easy for us but not so easy for Jessie. Then it was on to the garage where we carried her winter tires and a small freezer into the basement.
Auntie Jessie had to go to a grand re-opening of the bakery in town that she & Uncle Tom used to own and we had to take her since her car was blocked by our 5th wheel. We left her to cut the cake and walked to cousin Cheryl & her husband Paul’s natural food store where cousin Terry also works so I was able to chat with her for a while.
Next on the list was shopping trip to Penticton. I won’t include the whole story but after lunch and a stop for Jessie to buy bras (!!) we finally got a mattress, box spring and a frame loaded on our truck and headed back – with a stop for produce on the way. We carried her old mattress & box spring downstairs (split entry, 2 sets of stairs), dismantled the old head/foot board and took it downstairs , carried in the new mattress and set it up on the new frame from which we had to remove the casters as the bed was too high for petite Jessie to get up on easily. Then we reassembled the head/foot board and set up the bed in the basement.
We didn’t have too much time for a short break and dinner prep before cousin Glen, cousin Kelly & wife Sam and Cheryl, Paul, Ashley, Drew and youngest daughter Adrianna arrived for dinner. We had lots of hugs – hello and goodbye - and a good dinner.

May 22nd – Sun – to Logan Lake
It poured rain last night and was cloudy this morning when we left just after 9. We parked our truck & 5th wheel in a WalMart parking lot in Westbank where Ernie & Dianne (met in Mesa) picked us up for breakfast. They are not familiar with Westbank so we drove over the bridge to Kelowna where they live and had breakfast at a De Dutch restaurant. The restaurant was very busy which was great as it gave us time to chit-chat. We were back at our truck and on our way across The Connector to Merritt at 11:20.
Cousin Pat was at a movie with daughter Morgan so Rick helped us wiggle our 5th wheel into their back driveway. Our slides are so close to the porch on one side and the fence on the other that we have to walk around to the front door rather than down the side of the rig to the back door. After Rick had a sandwich for lunch, we all went for a walk. No matter the route, you always have to come back uphill to the house so we all took a little rest to look over the town on the way back.
After drinks and a good dinner (thanks in part to Rick!) we settled down to a serious game of Hand & Foot Canasta. The guys won and I thought their luck and the women’s bad luck could not possibly last so suggested another game. You would think I would know from casinos that bad luck does last so the lack of wild cards for Pat & I meant the guys won again. Oh well, we are here for a couple more days so a rematch is possible.

May 17th to 19th - Spokane

2011-05-19T21:02:00.001-07:00

May 17th – Tues – Spokane
The rain did not materialize today so we didn’t get any more pictures scanned. We made a trip to Costco to pick up some new contacts and have a hot dog, picked up the mail and got Terry’s new driver’s license, got a new trial contact from Shopko and dropped off our bikes to get them tuned up.
We went to Skip & Kathy’s (Terry’s brother) for dinner. We always have a good time and a good dinner with them and today was no exception. We also got to see our nephews Shane & Nick for a short time. Terry had a little bit too much fun so I got to drive home.

May 18th – Wed – Spokane
I baked muffins this morning while Terry played games on the computer. Then he went to see his brother Gary at White’s Boots and took him to lunch. I defrosted the freezers, talked for quite a while to Julie and watched TV.
When Terry got back, we went to WalMart and then picked up our bikes which we checked out with a little ride around the parking lot when we returned. It was $152 well spent. Bill & Georgia let us know that they would be later for dinner than we expected so we had time to go to the Elk’s Lodge for a drink. Except that the first time you go in for a drink, the second drink is free so of course we had 2 drinks.
Bill & Georgia came over just after 5 for dinner. I thought we would play cards but we seemed to have a lot to talk about so never got around to cards. We sent a box of booze home with them to store for us as we have too much to take into Canada.

May 19th – Thurs – Spokane
We had to get color ink for our printer this morning and then took more booze and some vegetables to Bill & Georgia. Claude told us that they had to give up all their vegetables at the border so I would prefer to give them to Georgia. We made a quick stop at Fred Meyer on the way back.
Larry & Julie (met in Mesa, live here) came over for lunch. We helped them buy a park model earlier this year when we returned to Mesa for a week. Lunch & drinks lasted until after 5. Mary stopped by to pick up a jacket that she left when they came for dinner on Saturday.
I had kept a few beers for lunch but we didn’t drink them so Terry took them to a small group that was having a pot luck dinner at a covered shelter near our rig and chatted with them for a bit.
Because of our late lunch, we had a very light dinner and relaxed with TV.

May 13th to 16th - Spokane

2011-05-16T21:48:00.001-07:00

May 13th – Fri – back to Spokane
We packed up, dumped our tanks at the dump station, headed back to Spokane and stopped again at the 50,000 Silver $ bar for a good breakfast. We are staying at the Elks club just north of I90 & Pines. It is on a hill with quite a nice view of the city and is $95 for a week.
After we set up, we ran a couple of errands which included a grocery store as we invited friends Mike & Mary to come for dinner tomorrow. We also got an email from Neil & Robin (met in Mesa) which said they would going through Spokane on Sunday or Monday so I called to say we would be here and would love to see them. They said they should arrive late tomorrow.
The weather is lovely with a storm coming in so we put baby backs on the BBQ for dinner. Then Terry was antsy so we went to Northern Quest casino. We had been there quite a while when we ran into Mary. Anyone who knows the size of the casino knows that it is quite a coincidence to see someone there by accident.

May 14th – Sat – Spokane
I watched some cooking shows on TV this morning while Terry played games on the computer. I did some dinner prep before we found a laundromat and washed a couple of loads. I was on the phone a couple of times with Robin. They were making good time and were going to be here about 6:30 so Terry went to a grocery store for some more pork chops so they could join us for dinner.
Mike & Mary arrived right on time at 4. We showed off our home and had drinks and snacks before Neil & Robin got here at 6:30. We all enjoyed each other’s company and dinner. Mike & Mary had to leave fairly early so we played Wizard with Neil & Robin. On one of our phone calls, I had asked Robin if they would like to stay overnight with us and they said yes so we all finally went to bed about 12:30.

May 15th – Sun – Spokane
We got up fairly early and enjoyed a cup of coffee before all going to Shari’s for a good breakfast. When we got back, we taught Neil & Robin how to play Sequence – and Robin & I showed the guys how the girls win 3 out of 4 games! Neil & Robin left about 11.
It was very windy all last night and remained windy but fairly warm today. With rain in the forecast, we headed for the CDA Casino where it took us several hours to lose our allowance. We had to run through a heavy rain back to the truck.
We spent the rest of the afternoon & evening listening to the rain, watching TV and working/playing on the computer.

May 16th – Mon – Spokane
The word for the day is RAIN. I goofed off & watched TV while Terry played games on the computer this morning. In the late morning, we decided to actually do something and resumed our job of scanning pictures from our albums into the computer. We took a break for lunch and then worked all afternoon to finally finish one album – 567 pictures. It feels good to get that much done. We have 1 ½ albums left to go so if the rain continues as forecast, we may actually finish in the next couple of days.

May 10th to 12th - Spokane to Missoula

2011-05-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

May 10th – Tues - Spokane WA
Terry got up early to golf with Bill, Georgia rode with them to the golf course and walked back and I shampooed our carpets with Georgia’s carpet cleaner. I also hung Georgia’s laundry on the line and got a load of ours in her washer before they all returned.
Then we were off to run errands – mail, licenses, etc. Terry had to renew his driver’s license and was afraid that they would make him change from our mail box address as that is what happened to me last year. But the guy just verified that the address hadn’t changed and gave him a new one. We went to the social security office so I could apply for retirement. After waiting for ½ hour, I was told that they could make an appointment for me to do so and it would be in about 2 weeks – or I could apply by phone or on the internet. When we got back, I filled out the online application and when I was done it informed me that I would have to take my green card to a social security office to finish the application!!
We had another shared dinner made mostly by Georgia and then we all went for a walk to check out the sewer construction. After dessert went home to watch TV as Terry wasn’t going to last long.

May 11th – Wed - to Missoula MT
We have a fridge recall and some small warranty items to get done on the 5th wheel so we are making a trip to Missoula. We could have had the work done in Spokane but we have been really happy with the service department in Missoula and so-so with the one in Spokane. We may not get in until Friday but we are nervous about not being able to get out of Bill’s yard if excavation gets started.
It was a beautiful day for the 180 mile drive. We stopped at the 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar (used to be 10,000 – guess that’s inflation!) for breakfast and set up at Bretz RV. We gave our “laundry list” to the service department and he said he could get us in on Friday.
We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with neighbors & reading, then dinner & TV.

May 12th – Thurs – Missoula
We were being lazy and watching TV in bed this morning when a guy with a tractor came to take our 5th wheel into the shop – what happened to our Friday appointment? They probably thought we were terrible as it was 9:20 local time but only 8:20 on all our clocks. After Terry was sure that they knew what the problems were, we went to find a social security office to show them my green card. We got an address from a phone book and drove 4 ½ miles to find a new address posted on the door. Wanda took us back nearly to Bretz for the new location. But it was not very busy, the employees were very nice and we were done in no time.
Next was a stop at WalMart where I ended up getting a much needed haircut. Then fuel stops – first for the truck and then for us. A bit later, Terry was antsy so we made a trip to Costco for some items that we didn’t know we needed.
Back at Bretz, I read while Terry wandered & paced. We looked at some new 5th wheels like ours and found some changes that we did not like. About 4 our rig was done & back in the parking spot. A neighbor, Steve, came by and we had drinks with him. I had him bring over his computer & camera to put a picture on his wallpaper and then had him stay for dinner since his wife is visiting grandkids and he is here alone.

May 6th to 9th - Hillsboro to Spokane

2011-05-10T06:53:00.000-07:00

May 6th – Fri – Hillsboro
After a nice late breakfast, we went to Costco to renew our membership and buy a few items. Then we found a Chevy dealer which was really close. When we were driving here, the “check engine” light came on. A lot of the information for this light in the manual mentioned emission control so we thought it might have something to do with the new DEF. The service guy was very nice and they weren’t super busy so they were able to get the truck right in and on the computer. There were 3 suspect sensors but apparently they were all “electrical” rather than a problem so they flashed (reset?) the system, took it for a test drive and sent us on our way. It was also all covered under warranty so that was good.
I wanted to find a WalMart but when we started following Wanda’s directions we realized how long it would take us and decided to go to a closer Fred Meyer instead. It was raining when we got back so we just hibernated and watched blossom petals from a huge tree behind us fall like snow.

May 7th – Sat – Hillsboro
It was cool & rainy this morning so we stayed late in our cozy bed. I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast, worked on the computer a bit and then we went to see Terry’s Mom and her husband Don. They now live in a small, detached “apartment” behind Terry’s sister Cindy’s house. It was being built when we were last here and it is lovely. Terry’s Mom is in a wheelchair so it was designed – by Cindy’s husband Tim – to be wheelchair accessible. We spent a few hours with them, left for a bit to get propane and a couple of grocery items and then went back to have dinner with them, Cindy and Cindy’s friend Kimberly.
It is very nice to be staying at the Elks as we are only about 4 miles from Cindy’s rather than the 20 miles when we stayed here last year.

May 8th – Sun – Hillsboro to John Day
I got up early to make Danish Puff and Pigs-in-a-Blanket for brunch at Cindy’s. The Danish Puff takes an hour to bake so I had to get an early start even though we didn’t leave until just after 10. Terry’s nephew Trevor and his wife Janine dropped by to say hi before we ate. Of course EllaMae & Don were there as well as Cindy’s daughter Amy, her husband Ryan and their 2 month old baby boy Cillian (hard C).
After brunch, we sat around & visited and were entertained by Cillian. We decided to leave about 3:30 and also decided to get out of Portland today rather than fight rush hour traffic tomorrow morning. So we fueled up and were on the road at 4:30. We stayed at the Corp of Engineers park on the John Day river which was great for the overnight stop – especially since our Golden Age pass halved the cost to $11.

May 9th – Mon – to Spokane
We dumped our waste tanks on the way out of the park and headed east on I84. We called Bill & Georgia to see if the “Hughes RV Park” was open for the season and they said we were welcome to stay but to be aware that road grinding for a sewer project was beginning on their street today.
We stopped for fuel and lunch in Connell and arrived at B&G’s around 2:30. We had set up and had a beer in the lovely sunshine when Bill & Terry went for a walk to check out the construction and met B&G’s son Dennis coming to get his boat out of their garage. Unfortunately, it was directly behind where we parked so we had to move the 5th wheel. This took us up to dinner time which Georgia provided. After dinner, we walked down the street and watched the grinding process – yes, they were still working and didn’t stop until about 9. We watched DWTS at B&G’s and headed back to our rig.

May 3rd to 5th - Brookings, Florence, Hillsboro

2011-05-06T10:54:00.001-07:00

May 3rd – Tues – Brookings
We made a quick trip for a few groceries and I did some dinner prep before making breakfast. Craig came to the RV park about noon and we went with him to golf at Salmon Run GC where we were joined Bill, a friend of Craig. The course is very different and, if possible, too challenging. It is narrow with a lot of blind holes, creeks across fairways, gullies and steep side hills. You have to keep carts on the paths so in several places where you want to lay up for a shot across a creek, you have to walk quite a ways to your next shot and then walk back to the carts which really slows down the game. Luckily, there weren’t a lot of people on the course but with the guys constantly hunting for balls in the rough – OK, I lost some too – the round took us 5 ½ hours.
Cathy and her dogs Maya (an adorable Papillon) and Ryan (an exuberant Boxer) were waiting at the RV park when we returned. We had a lot of catching up to do so it was nonstop talking, eating & drinking until they left just after 10. Luckily, Cathy doesn’t drink alcohol so Craig left his truck and Cathy was the designated driver.

May 4th – Wed – to Florence OR
We got a fairly early phone call from Craig asking if we found Cathy’s cell phone as she couldn’t find it. Sure enough, it had dropped from her pocket when she was sitting at the table so we put it in his truck as they weren’t coming in until after we were planning to leave.
The drive along the coast was beautiful. We stopped at a casino in Coos Bay for breakfast and lost $20 in slot machines.
There were no other rigs in the Elks RV parking so we got a huge pull-through spot, registered and got set up. We found a car dealer where we bought DEF for the truck as the warning message told us we had 300 miles left before our speed would be restricted. It was quite cold & windy which, as everyone knows by now, meant a trip to another casino where we each got $10 free play. I went up & down on my free play and gave Terry more money when he lost his allowance. As often happens, he started winning and by the time I was starving and ready to go, he had more than covered our losses for the day. As we were walking out, I saw a favorite machine that I wanted to try (!!!) and he sat down at one that we had never seen before. I lost my $5 and he turned his into $25 so we headed back.
There was a Papa Murphy’s pizza right across from the Elks lodge so I talked Terry into pizza for dinner. This is one of the few types of pizza that he sort of likes.

May 5th – Thurs – to Hillsboro OR
Terry filled up the DEF and we headed north again for more lovely scenery along the coast. We turned inland at Lincoln City and stopped at Spirit Mountain Casino which is much larger than the last time – several years ago – that we were there. We were going to stay overnight but after gambling for quite a while and having lunch, we decided to continue on to Hillsboro which is a suburb of Portland. Again, we are at an Elks lodge, this time for $10 a night. By the time we set up & registered, it was time for happy hour, dinner & TV.

Apr 30th to May 2nd - Eureka to Brookings OR

2011-05-03T09:32:00.001-07:00

Apr 30th – Sat – Eureka
We went to Old Town, wandered through stores and checked out the harbor. It was still windy & cool but not bad for strolling. When we got back, our neighbor was cleaning his 5th wheel so Terry figured he should dry wash the truck while I worked on the computer. The next thing I knew, Terry was also cleaning the 5th wheel so I took pity on him and washed the outside of the windows.
By now it was time to relax and have dinner. This RV park also includes cable TV so we can find something decent to watch.

May 1st – Sun – to Brookings OR
It was a lovely morning for a short drive along the coast. We can certainly tell that we have moved into a rainy part of the country with all the greenery everywhere. We set up – we are the only rig in the Elks RV park – registered and had lunch. We went for a little drive, stopped at Fred Meyers to pick up one small item and came out with a basket full. When we bought our 5th wheel, we had the king bed exchanged for a queen and had to buy a comforter. The one we got was inexpensive and not exactly the right colors so I remedied that today!
We came back to drop everything off and then since the wind came up we went to a casino again! Terry finally found a machine that paid some money so we left a few hours later with $40 ahead, 2 small soft cooler bags and 2 6-packs of pop.

May 2nd – Mon – Brookings
I intended to walk to Fred Meyers for doughnuts this morning but it started to rain before I was ready to go so we drove. There is a laundry room with 2 washers & dryers here at the Elks so I got a bit of exercise by walking back & forth to get 4 loads done.
We are planning to see friends Craig & Cathy while we are here. They stopped in Medford on their way home from their usual winter “south” and Craig called about noon to say that he stopped for fuel and then his truck wouldn’t start but he was waiting for AAA. A couple of phone calls later and he said they were on their way with new batteries. The old ones turned over but wouldn’t catch. We had offered to go to Medford and tow their 5th wheel to their home in Gasquet but luckily – for them – that wasn’t necessary.
The weather cleared up so we went exploring. This included a stop at the Azalea Garden for a walk & pictures and a drive along the waterfront at the Coast Guard basin.

Apr 27th to 29th - Redding to Eureka CA

2011-04-30T10:22:00.001-07:00

Apr 27th – Wed – Redding
We checked out a small golf course nearby and thought we might play after we tracked down some reasonably priced diesel. Of course, there is no reasonably priced diesel in California – especially right now! If the prices keep going up, when a pump shuts off at $75 your tank will be ¼ full rather than ½ full!
We decided that since the bikes were already off that we would go for another bike ride instead of unloading the golf clubs. The weather remained beautiful and the trail was just as enjoyable the second time. We sat outside to watch the TV in the compartment and Terry put a couple of steaks on the BBQ for an excellent dinner.

Apr 28th – Thurs – to Eureka CA
We took highway 299 over the mountains to the coast. It was very windy and hilly with a couple of road repair delays. There is some type of tree/shrub that is covered with purple flowers right now and there were lots of them along the road. We stopped in a pullout so I could get a picture and I discovered that there are only flowers on the limbs – no leaves.
We are at an Elks club again and staying for 3 nights. I made sandwiches before we registered and then we went for a drive. We had some rain when we were driving and it remained cool & windy so we stopped at a tourist bureau and just explored in the truck rather than walking anywhere.

Apr 29th – Fri – Eureka
It was sunny but still cool & windy so we had a lazy morning and went exploring again. Eureka is not right on the ocean but on a large bay. The ocean can be accessed by driving across a couple of bridges and then walking over the dunes. Even here we found a casino to pass some time – and to get diesel at the lowest price that we have seen here - $4.54.
We stopped at a fish market and got fresh Dungeness crab for an exorbitant price, picked up some rolls, made a salad and had a marvelous dinner. Dinner was early since we didn’t have lunch which justified the Chocolate Pudding Cake I made later for dessert!

Apr 24th to 26th - Sparks to Redding CA

2011-04-27T09:55:00.001-07:00

Apr 24th – Sun – to Sparks NV
It was nice to sleep in cool temperatures last night. We were walking to the casino to get coffee & breakfast when we noticed a sign advertising breakfast on the Elks club and went there instead. It was very busy and it was nice to see young families rather than just older members. They cooked part of the breakfast to order – choice of eggs, bacon, pancakes, potatoes – and you helped yourself to juice, coffee, sausage links and biscuits & gravy. It was a very good value for $6.00.
It didn’t matter that we didn’t leave until 9:30 as we had a short drive to the Sparks Marina RV park. It is a very nice place and the employees are friendly & helpful – and, yes, there actually is a small lake & marina nearby. After setting up and scanning over 200 cable channels on both TVs, we went for a drive and ended up at the Western Village Inn & Casino not too far away. I won some money right away and it kept me going for a long time. Terry found $2 Blackjack tables so switched from slots that weren’t good to him. There were hourly drawings for 10 $100 bills so we stayed through the last drawing at 4 o’clock (didn’t win!) and came back for dinner.
After dinner, we went to John Ascuaga’s Nugget as we had remembered it from a visit long ago. It is a totally different place now – huge & impersonal – but Terry found a $5 Pai Gow poker table and enjoyed that.

Apr 25th – Mon – Sparks – HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DOUG!
It was fairly cold this morning so we were slow to get going. After breakfast, we headed to Reno. We went to the Circus Circus casino – what else did you think we would do?! – and wandered and gambled for a while. Then to the Silver Legacy casino with much the same activity. There is a huge, fascinating, three-story, mechanical “contraption” in the center of the casino that is meant to represent the mining heritage of the area. On the way back to the RV park, we found a grocery store. Since we didn’t have lunch, we started with artichokes and carried on to a fairly early dinner.
I knew Terry was a little antsy so I suggested that he go back to the closest casino and play some 21. That left me to read and watch HGTV in peace!

Apr 26th – Tues – to Redding CA
We left at 9 for the 200 mile drive to Redding. The air is so clear in the Reno area and the sunny day made the drive lovely. Wanda did the usual great job of directing us to the Redding Elk’s club where we are staying. It is a beautiful facility with 20 RV sites. We set up and went into the bar to register. We had to have a beer and then very good hamburgers for a late lunch – accompanied by the second beer which is free.
We took the bikes off, put our shorts on and rode a trail right along the Sacramento River to the Sundial Bridge. The bridge is for pedestrians and has a unique construction method using a single tall, thin (sundial) support on one end with cables from there attached to the bridge deck. The trail is lovely with trees arching over in some spots and dogwood trees in full bloom. We rode 7 miles.
We sat outside for a while and then went to a grocery store for a few items that we forgot last time. Terry chatted with some neighbors. Of course, all the people staying here are Elk’s members so it is really interesting to talk to them and hear about other Elk RV parks.
The site here includes cable TV and Terry found a different, competition type show called Top Shot where people compete with different weapons – pistols, rifles, crossbows, etc. There were several episodes in a row and it was quite entertaining.

Apr 21st to 23rd - Las Vegas to Hawthorne

2011-04-24T13:18:00.001-07:00

Apr 21st – Thurs
We hugged Claude & Val goodbye about 9:30 and then headed to a nearby casino. We were going to have the breakfast buffet but they only have breakfast on weekends. We thought about waiting for the lunch buffet, but shortly after it opened at 11, we moved on (with money ahead) to a small casino which had a breakfast special that we took advantage of. This small casino had older machines so we didn’t stay long after eating. It was quite windy and we didn’t have other plans so of course we ended up at the huge Boulder Station casino. I hit a reasonable bonus on the first machine that I played there so we were able to stay for quite a while and for the whole day we spent $40. With the price of fuel this is not much more than a day trip!
The rest of the evening was relaxing, dinner, phone calls & TV.

Apr 22nd – Fri
What we thought would be a bit of sewing to fix a sagging curtain turned out to be a job that entailed removing the valence and re-stapling a Velcro strip that supports the curtain on the inside. Since the chairs moved out, I figured it was a good opportunity to vacuum and was just finishing when Billy & Lauri asked if we wanted to join them at Arizona Charlie’s for breakfast. They moved to our park this morning and of course we said we would join them. It is hard to beat $3.99 for ham or steak, eggs, potatoes & toast.
We can’t leave a casino without playing something so we each took $10. I picked a machine and Terry sat down beside me. I lost $5 while he turned his $5 into $45. As he was cashing in his ticket, I picked another machine and cashed out with my original $10. Again, Terry played a machine beside me and turned $5 into $43. Since we were with Billy & Lauri, we actually left with the money in our pockets.
I did 3 loads of laundry and did some cleaning. Terry went to an RV supply store and got a new clip for the sliding door on the wardrobe & installed it. We went to B&L’s to get some pictures as the battery on my camera was not fully charged when we went to Valley of Fire. I ended up putting a lot of their pictures on a DVD and then showing Lauri how to backup pictures using Picasa.
Just as we were finishing dinner, Billy came over and asked if we wanted to watch “The President’s Speech” with them. We have heard a lot about it so went to watch it. I really enjoyed it and so did Terry but he prefers “action” films. Our great host even provided popcorn!

Apr 23rd – Sat – to Hawthorne NV
We headed north this morning and ended up at the parking lot of a casino for a free night of dry camping. We paid an exorbitant $4.69 for diesel in Tonopah and had lunch there.
After putting out the slides, we went for a short walk and saw an Elks club with 3 camping spots but didn’t feel like moving. We lost a few dollars in the casino and went back to the rig. Terry hooked up the generator so he could watch TV and chatted with some neighbors while he was outside. Shortly after dinner, we put away the generator and watched TV in bed for a while as the TV in the bedroom is DC.

Apr 19th to 20th - Las Vegas

2011-04-21T08:54:00.001-07:00

Apr 19th – Tues
Another lazy morning followed by a busy afternoon and evening. Mid-morning, Claude & Val were going to WalMart so we tagged along. On the way I had to introduce Val to Big Lots where they got a couple of items and we bought a table to put between our recliners. We were using a small, “under sofa” table which was just a bit too small. After WalMart, we stopped to show them Sam’s Town and were just in time to have a beer and enjoy the water show in the courtyard right beside the bar.
We each had a late lunch and then we picked them up at 5. First we drove down and back on the strip where there were lots of people. Then we parked by Main St Station, went in there to get our parking fee refunded and went to Fremont Street. Claude & Val got players’ cards at the Four Queens which gave them 2-for-1 vouchers for the restaurant which we promptly used. We had a short wait to be seated but the long was much longer when we finished dinner.
We saw the 9 o’clock show on Fremont, gambled through the 10 o’clock show, – Claude did very well!! – watched the 11 o’clock show and headed home.

Apr 20th – Wed
Well, we ran out of superlatives again today. We picked up Billy & Lauri at their RV park at 9 and drove 55 miles to Valley of Fire State Park NE of here. It is another area of red rocks – and white rocks and striped rocks and grey rocks. It is incredible to see the nothingness of Nevada landscape change to this amazing area. We were stopping every few hundred yards to take pictures as there was a different view when you moved just a little bit. We went on one walk of ½ mile round trip to see the Mouse Hole (natural basin of water) and decided that was the only walk we needed to take as most of the trail was sand hiding treacherous rocks and it was quite hot. We found a shaded picnic table for our lunch and then wandered through the visitor’s center which is in the middle of the park.
We met a couple from Germany when we stopped in a campground and ended up giving them the name of a place to stay in Las Vegas and some information about Alaska. They shipped their small motor home from Brussels and will be touring the US & Canada for 8 months.
We made a total loop again for this trip so we came back near Lake Mead. We discussed taking a detour to walk on the new bypass bridge at Hoover Dam but we were all tired and decided to leave that for another time.
However, we weren’t too tired to have a beer when we dropped off Billy & Lauri. We had a short time to dump the sand from our shoes and I washed it from my feet before going to Claude & Val’s for a nice dinner. We came home to watch Survivor so Terry could fall asleep watching it in bed instead of at Claude & Val’s.

Apr 16th to 18th - Las Vegas

2011-04-19T10:43:00.001-07:00

Apr 16th – Sat - back to Las Vegas
We had a short drive today so we went for breakfast at the casino after saying farewell to Bill & Georgia. It is hard to beat $2.99 for bacon, eggs & pancakes. My player card was upgraded to “silver” which included $10 free slot play which I had to use. Then we redeemed points for baseball caps.
As I mentioned, Bill &Lauri went to Las Vegas so we went to the park where they said they were going to stay. When we were checking in, we asked if we could be close to them and found out that they weren’t here. When we called them, Bill said there was no room when they got here and they were down the road at a “marginal” park with very reasonable rates. We decided we would like to be with them so we drove there, drove through the park and came back to the original park – Road Runner RV park.
After we set up and had a late, light lunch, we went to a flea market that Lauri mentioned. It is inside which was good as the weather was very warm. We stopped at a grocery store on the way back. After dinner, we went to Boulder Station Casino for a while. It is huge! We went out the wrong door when we left, walked halfway around the building, went back in and found the right door so we could find the truck!

Apr 17th – Sun – Las Vegas
We were lazy this morning and did laundry when we finally finished coffee & breakfast and got moving. After more “being lazy”, I made a late lunch and we headed to Sam’s Town Casino. It is another huge place with 3 parking garages, several restaurants, shops and a waterfall park in the center. Neither one of us did well on the slot machines. We stopped at a Big Lots – surprise!- on the way back and then had an evening of TV and reading.

Apr 18th – Mon – Las Vegas
At 9, Billy & Lauri picked us up for a trip to Red Rock Canyon which is about 20 miles west of Las Vegas. We drove into an “old west” town but there was nothing going on so we drove right back out. We did see burros – including a cute baby – on the way.
The visitor center at Red Rock Canyon state park is wonderful. We watched a 30 minute movie about the area and discovered that some of the red hills are sand dunes that fossilized and oxidized (rusted!). There are several informative areas outside the visitor center and a tortoise exhibit. Next up was a 13 mile scenic drive that ends up back at the main road. The 2 lane road has one-way traffic so you don’t have to worry about cars coming at you. We stopped at several look-outs to “ooh & aah” and take pictures. We enjoyed a picnic lunch at a stop with picnic tables. The weather was windy and much cooler than we expected so we didn’t go on any hikes. We made a large loop for the entire trip so we saw different areas of Las Vegas.
Claude & Val arrived at this park to stay for 3 days. Terry greeted them, supervised the parking and told them to come over when they were set up. I decided to make dinner for all of us and sent Terry to the store for a couple of grocery items. We had a lovely evening catching up and then watching DWTS.

Apr 13th to 15th - Las Vegas to Pahrump

2011-04-15T21:47:00.001-07:00

Apr 13th –Wed - to Pahrump NV
We all walked to Fremont St and had a $1.99 breakfast special (2 eggs, potatoes & toast). While Bill & Georgia were getting players’ cards, I won $10 on a slot machine and when we were going to the restaurant, I found a $5 bill on the floor. We shopped in a souvenir store, went to Main St Station to check out and returned to the park to pack up.
We left about 11:30 for the 55 mile drive to Pahrump where we are staying at Terrible’s Lakeside. This park is very popular with snowbirds as it is on a route from southern California to Canada so we weren’t able to get sites together. In fact, we are on opposite sides of the little lake but there is a lovely path by the lake. I had a little extra work to do when we set up as a jar of pickled asparagus had tipped over and the juice dripped all over the fridge.
We took B&G on a tour of the town and stopped at WalMart for a few items. I called Billy & Lauri and discovered they were already here and were going to the casino so we dropped off B&G and went to the casino which is very close to our site. We gambled a bit and then B&G and Billy & Lauri joined us at our rig for happy hour(s).

Apr 14th – Thurs - Pahrump
We went to the casino for breakfast and saw Billy & Lauri there so they joined us. We gambled until I figured I better get back and put dinner in the crock pot. Bill & Georgia had flat tires on their bikes so Terry helped Bill fix them and I rode over when I was done with dinner prep. We all went riding around the park and added Billy for one lap which included a stop at the office for some information.
Points on our casino cards were multiplied by 7 today so we went back and gambled a bit more. We ended up with enough points to get 2 sweatshirts and didn’t spend too much more than it would cost to actually just buy them!
B&G and Billy & Lauri came over for dinner with everyone bringing food so it wasn’t too much work for anyone. A slight breeze kept it cool enough that we spent the evening inside.

Apr 15th – Fri - Pahrump
Bill & Georgia came over even before I was out of the shower. No, they were not that early, we were lazy! They had eaten breakfast so Georgia went back and Bill joined us for another coffee when we went to the casino for breakfast again. Billy & Lauri left this morning for Las Vegas.
We had earned points gambling and the casino didn’t have some items in all sizes so we and B&G went to Terrible’s in town to see what they had. We gambled a bit more – Bill won money! – and redeemed our points for a shirt and plastic storage containers.
Next was another stop at WalMart. When we got back, Terry helped Bill hook up a longer sewer hose and program his TV and then I helped him download pictures from his camera to his new laptop. Back at our place, Terry chatted with some neighbors and then 3 neighbor couples and B&G ended up at an impromptu happy hour here. Dennis & Judy, Larry & Donna and Hal & Sharon travel together and are all from Washington state.
We went for dinner at the casino with B&G and then stayed for a drawing at 7. There were also drawings at 8 & 9 but we didn’t go back as we were busy trying to backup pictures using Picasa on Bill’s computer. We had a problem which turned out to be a bad DVD so it took a while.

Apr 11th to 12th - Las Vegas

2011-04-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

Apr 11th – Mon – Las Vegas
We went to Fremont St, had a breakfast buffet (not so good), gambled a bit and then walked back to the RV park as Bill & Georgia (friends from Spokane) were arriving today. As we were walking down the street, I told Terry that it would be funny if we saw them driving towards us as that is how their GPS should have taken them. Then I saw them turning around in a parking lot near the RV park so Terry took off running to catch them and direct them to the park as it is hard to find. We went to Main St Station to get them registered and changed their site to one near us. While we were there, we saw John who has a park model next to where we stayed in Mesa last fall – small world!
We sat and caught up with B&G and then walked back to Fremont St. We gambled, people watched, shopped a bit, ate dinner and watched a couple of the light shows on the overhead “canopy”. We also watched people on zip lines that are set up above the pedestrian mall of Fremont St. They start from a platform 67 feet above ground and go 850 feet to a lower platform. A couple of lightweight riders didn’t make it to the end so an employee hooks up to the line, goes out to the rider and pulls himself and the rider back in hand-over-hand. We end up back to our place for a nightcap.

Apr 12th – Tues – Las Vegas
I made breakfast for all of us before we drove to Mandalay Bay on the strip. We parked there and started walking – and walked and walked and walked! We went into every large casino/hotel, admired the décor & size and gambled a bit at some. The new Wynn property is very impressive and huge. We tried to get out a different way than we entered and ended up walking in a very long circle through all the conference rooms.
We didn’t have lunch and we were all starving so we settled for a buffet at Harrah’s – again just OK. We went to Harrah’s as we didn’t want to pay $45 for the buffet at Wynn’s even though we got $10 free play there and all walked out with money except Terry.
Now we had the long walk back on crowded sidewalks. The monorail doesn’t go far enough and would cost $5 each to ride so that wasn’t a good option. At Excalibur we could finally get on a tram and ride to Mandalay Bay so we could rest our weary feet & legs.
We were back in time to have a drink, watch DWTS and put our feet up.
Bonnie – Georgia says “HI”!