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.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
June 14th to 17th - 100 Mile
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
June 11th to 13th - 100 Mile
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.
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.
Friday, June 10, 2011
June 8th to 10th - 100 Mile
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
June 5th to 7th - 100 Mile
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.
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.
Saturday, June 04, 2011
June 2nd to 4th - 100 Mile House
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.
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.
Thursday, June 02, 2011
May 30th to June 1st - 100 Mile
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.
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.
Monday, May 30, 2011
May 27th to 29th - 100 Mile House
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.
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.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
May 23rd to 26th - Logan Lake to 100 Mile House
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.
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.
Monday, May 23, 2011
May 20th to 22nd - Summerland & Logan Lake BC
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.
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.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
May 17th to 19th - Spokane
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.
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.
Monday, May 16, 2011
May 13th to 16th - Spokane
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.
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.
Friday, May 13, 2011
May 10th to 12th - Spokane to Missoula
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
May 6th to 9th - Hillsboro to Spokane
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.
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.
Friday, May 06, 2011
May 3rd to 5th - Brookings, Florence, Hillsboro
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Apr 30th to May 2nd - Eureka to Brookings OR
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.
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.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Apr 27th to 29th - Redding to Eureka CA
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!
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!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Apr 24th to 26th - Sparks to Redding CA
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.
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.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Apr 21st to 23rd - Las Vegas to Hawthorne
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.
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.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Apr 19th to 20th - Las Vegas
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Apr 16th to 18th - Las Vegas
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.
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.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Apr 13th to 15th - Las Vegas to Pahrump
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Apr 11th to 12th - Las Vegas
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 Рand walked and walked and walked! We went into every large casino/hotel, admired the d̩cor & 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”!
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 Рand walked and walked and walked! We went into every large casino/hotel, admired the d̩cor & 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”!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Apr 8th to 10th - Mesa to Las Vegas
Apr 8th – Fri – Mesa
Gloria came with us to the Mesa Marketplace where we had breakfast before shopping. We got a vase to fill a blank spot and Gloria got a fruit picker so we were both happy. When we got back we did laundry and stopped on the way back to visit with Phyllis who was one of Terry’s dance partners last fall. She broke her hip but is walking now and waiting for a clearance from her surgeon so she can drive when she gets home.
Dennis & Gloria came over for a drink so Dennis could see our new purchase. At 7 we went to their place to play cards with Steph & Garry as well.
Apr 9th – Sat – to Las Vegas
We got up early and were on the road at 7:15. It is so nice to travel on a weekend and not worry about rush hour traffic. We stopped to fuel up the truck and ourselves in Kingman and as we climbed a little hill out of there hit some snow. We slowed to 20 mph and put on the four-way flashers for 2-3 miles until we were down the hill and the snow stopped. There were warnings about high winds on the Hoover Dam bypass bridge and a sign recommended that high profile vehicles not go over the bridge but we had no problems at all.
We are staying at Main Street Station RV park again. It is very basic but has full hookups, is inexpensive ($19) and is within walking distance of Fremont Street. When we went to the hotel to register, we stayed and gambled for a couple of hours and came out even. After dinner, we walked to Fremont St and played slots for several hours and spent $29 which is cheap entertainment.
Apr 10th – Sun – Las Vegas
The RV park is right beside a freeway but the traffic noise is not bad especially since it was cool enough to have the windows closed. In fact it was downright cold yesterday.
We had coffee and then drove to the Rio casino and parked in their parking garage. We had breakfast there, gambled and then walked to 2 other casinos. Next we drove to the strip and found parking at Mandalay Bay. By the time we finished gambling there, I was ready to head for home and watch some of the Masters golf tournament on TV. Unfortunately, it was nearly over by the time we got back.
After dinner, we walked back to Fremont Street to gamble and watch CRAZY people. Terry won $269 on a bonus playing 40 cents so that will help even things out while we are here.
Gloria came with us to the Mesa Marketplace where we had breakfast before shopping. We got a vase to fill a blank spot and Gloria got a fruit picker so we were both happy. When we got back we did laundry and stopped on the way back to visit with Phyllis who was one of Terry’s dance partners last fall. She broke her hip but is walking now and waiting for a clearance from her surgeon so she can drive when she gets home.
Dennis & Gloria came over for a drink so Dennis could see our new purchase. At 7 we went to their place to play cards with Steph & Garry as well.
Apr 9th – Sat – to Las Vegas
We got up early and were on the road at 7:15. It is so nice to travel on a weekend and not worry about rush hour traffic. We stopped to fuel up the truck and ourselves in Kingman and as we climbed a little hill out of there hit some snow. We slowed to 20 mph and put on the four-way flashers for 2-3 miles until we were down the hill and the snow stopped. There were warnings about high winds on the Hoover Dam bypass bridge and a sign recommended that high profile vehicles not go over the bridge but we had no problems at all.
We are staying at Main Street Station RV park again. It is very basic but has full hookups, is inexpensive ($19) and is within walking distance of Fremont Street. When we went to the hotel to register, we stayed and gambled for a couple of hours and came out even. After dinner, we walked to Fremont St and played slots for several hours and spent $29 which is cheap entertainment.
Apr 10th – Sun – Las Vegas
The RV park is right beside a freeway but the traffic noise is not bad especially since it was cool enough to have the windows closed. In fact it was downright cold yesterday.
We had coffee and then drove to the Rio casino and parked in their parking garage. We had breakfast there, gambled and then walked to 2 other casinos. Next we drove to the strip and found parking at Mandalay Bay. By the time we finished gambling there, I was ready to head for home and watch some of the Masters golf tournament on TV. Unfortunately, it was nearly over by the time we got back.
After dinner, we walked back to Fremont Street to gamble and watch CRAZY people. Terry won $269 on a bonus playing 40 cents so that will help even things out while we are here.
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Apr 5th to 7th - Mesa
Apr 5th – Tues
Steph told us about a couple of park models that were selling for $2000 or less so Terry thought we better check them out and maybe buy one and rent it out - !? The first one that we saw was old but very clean and included only some furniture. Steph had bought the washer & dryer as hers still work but need babysitting & manual intervention. Terry called Julie (who we met here last fall) to see if they wanted to rent it and she said she wanted to buy it. She & Larry stayed 3 months here in a very small motor home and had an accident on their way home to Spokane so they didn’t know what they would do this winter.
We took Dennis & Gloria and Ernie & Dianne to Hobby Lobby to look for a small coffee table for Gloria and a couple of small items for us. No coffee table and all we got was a basket for magazines. Dennis & Gloria came over to take measurements & pictures of our coffee table so they can build one this summer at home.
After an early dinner, I talked to Julie and said we could go to the park model, take some pictures and email them to her daughter. We just had time to do that before going to play bocce ball with a group of friends. The bocce ball court is lighted and the weather from 6:30 to 8 was just beautiful.
Julie definitely wants to buy the park model.
Apr 6th – Wed
After breakfast, we talked with Dennis & Gloria and then Ernie & Dianne to get information about transferring the title for a park model. We went to see Ed – the owner of the park model that Julie is buying – but he was taking a nap so we went to help Garry & Steph move out their old washer & dryer and move in the new ones. Later, when Terry was talking to Ed and Garry was changing the dryer plug, I talked to Julie while I was in the park model so I could answer any questions. She and all her friends are so excited about them getting this unit. Their daughter Natalie and her husband are going to come down with them in August and bring all their stuff in their toy hauler.
We made a quick trip to Costco (and grabbed lunch while there) and then I put together some appetizers for later. At 4 we joined Ernie & Dianne and Garry & Steph at Dennis & Gloria’s for a farewell happy hour(s) for Ernie & Dianne. It’s a good thing we were in a covered patio as it rained - at times very hard. The wind was blowing also and we had a hard time getting Dennis’ new buddy burner to light.
At 7 we dashed back through rain, changed to long pants and drove across the park to play LCR and Chase the Ace at Dan & Carol’s place – along with the other 6 from our earlier gathering.
Apr 7th – Thurs
We went to Denny’s for breakfast with Ernie & Dianne before they headed home to Kelowna. We got tickets for a potluck dinner here tonight and then had to go to the store for a couple of ingredients to make baked beans as our contribution. Dennis & Gloria came by on their bikes to tell us about an open house to show off a park model remodel so we had a look and then showed them the unit that Julie is buying and talked to the sellers a bit.
Dennis & Gloria came over to visit for a bit before we all went to the potluck. The park provided fried chicken and we had a wonderful choice of side dishes brought by a large crowd of diners. After we ate, the activities director had a slide show of pictures taken in the park during the past season. We stopped briefly at Dennis & Gloria’s to eat part – we were too full! - of the root beer floats provided for dessert and came home.
Steph told us about a couple of park models that were selling for $2000 or less so Terry thought we better check them out and maybe buy one and rent it out - !? The first one that we saw was old but very clean and included only some furniture. Steph had bought the washer & dryer as hers still work but need babysitting & manual intervention. Terry called Julie (who we met here last fall) to see if they wanted to rent it and she said she wanted to buy it. She & Larry stayed 3 months here in a very small motor home and had an accident on their way home to Spokane so they didn’t know what they would do this winter.
We took Dennis & Gloria and Ernie & Dianne to Hobby Lobby to look for a small coffee table for Gloria and a couple of small items for us. No coffee table and all we got was a basket for magazines. Dennis & Gloria came over to take measurements & pictures of our coffee table so they can build one this summer at home.
After an early dinner, I talked to Julie and said we could go to the park model, take some pictures and email them to her daughter. We just had time to do that before going to play bocce ball with a group of friends. The bocce ball court is lighted and the weather from 6:30 to 8 was just beautiful.
Julie definitely wants to buy the park model.
Apr 6th – Wed
After breakfast, we talked with Dennis & Gloria and then Ernie & Dianne to get information about transferring the title for a park model. We went to see Ed – the owner of the park model that Julie is buying – but he was taking a nap so we went to help Garry & Steph move out their old washer & dryer and move in the new ones. Later, when Terry was talking to Ed and Garry was changing the dryer plug, I talked to Julie while I was in the park model so I could answer any questions. She and all her friends are so excited about them getting this unit. Their daughter Natalie and her husband are going to come down with them in August and bring all their stuff in their toy hauler.
We made a quick trip to Costco (and grabbed lunch while there) and then I put together some appetizers for later. At 4 we joined Ernie & Dianne and Garry & Steph at Dennis & Gloria’s for a farewell happy hour(s) for Ernie & Dianne. It’s a good thing we were in a covered patio as it rained - at times very hard. The wind was blowing also and we had a hard time getting Dennis’ new buddy burner to light.
At 7 we dashed back through rain, changed to long pants and drove across the park to play LCR and Chase the Ace at Dan & Carol’s place – along with the other 6 from our earlier gathering.
Apr 7th – Thurs
We went to Denny’s for breakfast with Ernie & Dianne before they headed home to Kelowna. We got tickets for a potluck dinner here tonight and then had to go to the store for a couple of ingredients to make baked beans as our contribution. Dennis & Gloria came by on their bikes to tell us about an open house to show off a park model remodel so we had a look and then showed them the unit that Julie is buying and talked to the sellers a bit.
Dennis & Gloria came over to visit for a bit before we all went to the potluck. The park provided fried chicken and we had a wonderful choice of side dishes brought by a large crowd of diners. After we ate, the activities director had a slide show of pictures taken in the park during the past season. We stopped briefly at Dennis & Gloria’s to eat part – we were too full! - of the root beer floats provided for dessert and came home.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Apr 2nd to 4th - Mesa AZ
Apr 2nd – Sat – to Mesa AZ
We got an early start this morning and were in Quartzsite to join Clem & Marlene for breakfast at 9:30. After a good breakfast and catching up, we were on the road about 11 for an uneventful trip to Val Vista Villages RV park where we stayed last Oct through Dec.
It was very hot so we set up, put on our swim suits and headed to the pool where we ran into Ernie & Dianne. After a cooling dip and changing out of our suits, we went to Dennis & Gloria’s new park model where we met Harold & Laurie and then were joined by Ernie & Dianne.
I just had time to put together cheese & crackers as our contribution to snacks for a pool party here at the park from 6-8. It was well attended by fun-loving crazies, some with water guns which meant most people got wet at one or another. There was a band, games in the pool and even dancing on the small spots not taken up by tables & chairs. Terry had waaaay too much fun so we crashed when we got home just after 9.
Apr 3rd – Sun
We were up but not moving too fast when Stephane stopped by this morning to see if we wanted to play cards this evening. We visited a bit with Dennis & Gloria and then with Neil & Robin before riding with them to Filly’s for lunch. Garry & Steph went earlier and saved tables but there were 14 of us so some people had to sit in the sun which was very hot. We only stayed for a few dances after the band started at 1 as it was just too hot.
We went to the produce market and grocery store. Terry cooked a steak on the BBQ for himself but I wasn’t too hungry after a big lunch so just had salad & garlic bread. Then it was off to Ernie & Dianne’s to play cards with them & Steph and later Garry – Arizona Rummy and Golf.
Apr 4th – Mon
It cooled off nicely last night. We have a street light right by our site so it is very bright with the window & blinds open for air. We will be avoiding this site in the future.
After breakfast, Terry took the bikes off the rack and we rode around looking at sites and reserved one for mid Sept through Dec again. Out of curiosity, we also looked at a park model for sale. Even at quite a low price there is no way we could imagine anyone buying it as it was such a mess and so claustrophobic with small tip-outs, not slide-outs.
After lunch we made a trip to Camping World as we had a gift card with an unknown balance that we thought we should spend before it expired. We got a collapsible ice bucket that Dennis had told us about.
When we got back we joined a group at the pool for “bobbing” and sunning. We had time for a drink with Dennis & Gloria before going to Fat Willy’s with them, Ernie & Dianne and Harold & Laurie.
Dennis was watching a basketball game so Gloria came over to watch DWTS. It was so nice to sit outside and watch the TV in our storage compartment. Dennis joined us to have strawberries & dip for dessert.
We got an early start this morning and were in Quartzsite to join Clem & Marlene for breakfast at 9:30. After a good breakfast and catching up, we were on the road about 11 for an uneventful trip to Val Vista Villages RV park where we stayed last Oct through Dec.
It was very hot so we set up, put on our swim suits and headed to the pool where we ran into Ernie & Dianne. After a cooling dip and changing out of our suits, we went to Dennis & Gloria’s new park model where we met Harold & Laurie and then were joined by Ernie & Dianne.
I just had time to put together cheese & crackers as our contribution to snacks for a pool party here at the park from 6-8. It was well attended by fun-loving crazies, some with water guns which meant most people got wet at one or another. There was a band, games in the pool and even dancing on the small spots not taken up by tables & chairs. Terry had waaaay too much fun so we crashed when we got home just after 9.
Apr 3rd – Sun
We were up but not moving too fast when Stephane stopped by this morning to see if we wanted to play cards this evening. We visited a bit with Dennis & Gloria and then with Neil & Robin before riding with them to Filly’s for lunch. Garry & Steph went earlier and saved tables but there were 14 of us so some people had to sit in the sun which was very hot. We only stayed for a few dances after the band started at 1 as it was just too hot.
We went to the produce market and grocery store. Terry cooked a steak on the BBQ for himself but I wasn’t too hungry after a big lunch so just had salad & garlic bread. Then it was off to Ernie & Dianne’s to play cards with them & Steph and later Garry – Arizona Rummy and Golf.
Apr 4th – Mon
It cooled off nicely last night. We have a street light right by our site so it is very bright with the window & blinds open for air. We will be avoiding this site in the future.
After breakfast, Terry took the bikes off the rack and we rode around looking at sites and reserved one for mid Sept through Dec again. Out of curiosity, we also looked at a park model for sale. Even at quite a low price there is no way we could imagine anyone buying it as it was such a mess and so claustrophobic with small tip-outs, not slide-outs.
After lunch we made a trip to Camping World as we had a gift card with an unknown balance that we thought we should spend before it expired. We got a collapsible ice bucket that Dennis had told us about.
When we got back we joined a group at the pool for “bobbing” and sunning. We had time for a drink with Dennis & Gloria before going to Fat Willy’s with them, Ernie & Dianne and Harold & Laurie.
Dennis was watching a basketball game so Gloria came over to watch DWTS. It was so nice to sit outside and watch the TV in our storage compartment. Dennis joined us to have strawberries & dip for dessert.
Friday, April 01, 2011
Mar 30th to Apr 1st - DHS
Mar 30th – Wed
While Terry played golf with the men’s club, I worked on the computer and checked out several parks as we still haven’t decided exactly where we are going when we leave here on Saturday.
Terry did some packing and I cleaned windows & screens. After lunch we went to play golf. It was too warm for a lot of people so the golf course was fairly empty which resulted in a nicely paced game.
After dinner, our neighbors Jim & Debbie asked us to join them, Eldon & Elaine and Chuck & Faye for a drink as Jim & Debbie are leaving tomorrow.
Mar 31st – Thurs
We were on the golf course this morning when Carie phoned to ask us over for drinks & burgers. We had time to do laundry and make a quick stop to see Leon & Marilyn’s park model. They got possession today and are cleaning and painting ceilings before they go home.
We went to Desert Pools RV park to see Gary & Carie at 3:30. We went to the natural mineral water pool until we were all pruney. Their site was in shade when we got back so it was wonderful to sit out for drinks, snacks and dinner – and to catch up on news.
April 1st – Fri
Terry’s team won some money in the golf scramble again. My team ended up with 3 players as someone did not show up. We did OK without a low handicap player and had a lot of fun.
There was no breeze and was very hot even at 8:40 when we teed off.
We stood around – in the shade – for a while and had a beer and chatted with other golfers. Then we called Louis & Judy and went to Agua Caliente casino for about 3 hours. I was way down, got back up and ended up losing my allowance. Terry was doing OK and finally won enough so we were $20 ahead. Sounds like a winning day to me!
I had just enough time to put together an appetizer before going to Ron & Sharon’s for our last happy hour this season. Afterwards we went out with Larry & Barb for a so-so Chinese dinner.
While Terry played golf with the men’s club, I worked on the computer and checked out several parks as we still haven’t decided exactly where we are going when we leave here on Saturday.
Terry did some packing and I cleaned windows & screens. After lunch we went to play golf. It was too warm for a lot of people so the golf course was fairly empty which resulted in a nicely paced game.
After dinner, our neighbors Jim & Debbie asked us to join them, Eldon & Elaine and Chuck & Faye for a drink as Jim & Debbie are leaving tomorrow.
Mar 31st – Thurs
We were on the golf course this morning when Carie phoned to ask us over for drinks & burgers. We had time to do laundry and make a quick stop to see Leon & Marilyn’s park model. They got possession today and are cleaning and painting ceilings before they go home.
We went to Desert Pools RV park to see Gary & Carie at 3:30. We went to the natural mineral water pool until we were all pruney. Their site was in shade when we got back so it was wonderful to sit out for drinks, snacks and dinner – and to catch up on news.
April 1st – Fri
Terry’s team won some money in the golf scramble again. My team ended up with 3 players as someone did not show up. We did OK without a low handicap player and had a lot of fun.
There was no breeze and was very hot even at 8:40 when we teed off.
We stood around – in the shade – for a while and had a beer and chatted with other golfers. Then we called Louis & Judy and went to Agua Caliente casino for about 3 hours. I was way down, got back up and ended up losing my allowance. Terry was doing OK and finally won enough so we were $20 ahead. Sounds like a winning day to me!
I had just enough time to put together an appetizer before going to Ron & Sharon’s for our last happy hour this season. Afterwards we went out with Larry & Barb for a so-so Chinese dinner.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Mar 27th to 29th - DHS
Mar 27th – Sun
We took Moe and Larry & Barb on a tour to Anza Borrego Springs and the state park of the same name. We drove down the by the Salton Sea and made a loop through the park and back to Hwy 111 in Palm Desert. We drove around a very nice RV park with a golf course as we thought we might like to stay there. The higher rates (minimum $30 per day if you stay 30+ days) and the distance from any large city made us change our minds.
We stopped at the park visitors’ center and decided not to go on any hikes. The climb out of the park provided some wonderful views and lots of yellow wild flowers. The ocotillo plants were also in full bloom.
We ended up at the Elephant Bar for a nice, late lunch and got home about 4. The wind was blowing here so of course Terry wanted to go to a casino. He also wanted to see if he could repeat his winning streak but that didn’t happen. Moe went with us and enjoyed spending his $25 free play and some of his own money.
Mar 28th – Mon
We woke to the lovely lack of sound which was no wind. Terry had arranged to get our 5th wheel washed & waxed at 11 so I took off and got a haircut. I think the stylist wanted my cut to last until we come back next year as it is very short! Then I picked up some groceries and got back just after the rig was done. When I opened the door to get the groceries, a large bottle of Roses’ lime juice fell out and smashed on the concrete parking pad – yuk.
Moe is leaving tomorrow so he brought over groceries from his fridge or that he could not fit into his stuffed little car and I had to find room to put it all away.
Larry was going to join us for golf at 2:15 but he & Barb had played this morning and he decided not to play again. While we were waiting to tee off, we watched a group of 3 men ahead of us who waited until the group ahead of them were off the green before they teed off. We thought they were “heavy hitters” but 2 of them totally flubbed their shots and one used an iron to tee off but only got to the 100 yard marker. I wanted to cancel our game rather than be frustrated following them but Terry said we should just wait which turned out to be great as we were paired with Marty & Mary. I played scramble once with Marty but Mary thought she was not a good enough golfer to play with the ladies’ club. When we finished the game, we went to Marty & Mary’s for a quick drink before going to Larry & Barb’s for dinner.
Moe joined us for a wonderful dinner made by Barb. She called the main dish “Fiesta Chicken” and I can get the recipe for anyone who wants it.
We came home to watch DWTS and I made my usual long weekly phone call to sister Marg.
Mar 29th – Tues
Barb, Mary, Marilyn and I formed a group to play with the ladies’ club this morning and we all marveled at the wonderful weather and how lucky we are to be enjoying this lifestyle. I did some dinner prep, made breakfast and had time to read for a while before going back to the golf course.
Friends Claude & Val are staying in Indio and joined us for golf & dinner. They got stuck in a huge traffic jam caused by an overturned hay truck and just made it for our tee time at 1. I did so much worse than my game this morning – go figure!
We sat out for drinks & snacks and then moved to the other side of the rig for a larger area in the shade to have dinner outside. It cooled down when the sun disappeared so we came inside for more chit chat before they left about 8.
We took Moe and Larry & Barb on a tour to Anza Borrego Springs and the state park of the same name. We drove down the by the Salton Sea and made a loop through the park and back to Hwy 111 in Palm Desert. We drove around a very nice RV park with a golf course as we thought we might like to stay there. The higher rates (minimum $30 per day if you stay 30+ days) and the distance from any large city made us change our minds.
We stopped at the park visitors’ center and decided not to go on any hikes. The climb out of the park provided some wonderful views and lots of yellow wild flowers. The ocotillo plants were also in full bloom.
We ended up at the Elephant Bar for a nice, late lunch and got home about 4. The wind was blowing here so of course Terry wanted to go to a casino. He also wanted to see if he could repeat his winning streak but that didn’t happen. Moe went with us and enjoyed spending his $25 free play and some of his own money.
Mar 28th – Mon
We woke to the lovely lack of sound which was no wind. Terry had arranged to get our 5th wheel washed & waxed at 11 so I took off and got a haircut. I think the stylist wanted my cut to last until we come back next year as it is very short! Then I picked up some groceries and got back just after the rig was done. When I opened the door to get the groceries, a large bottle of Roses’ lime juice fell out and smashed on the concrete parking pad – yuk.
Moe is leaving tomorrow so he brought over groceries from his fridge or that he could not fit into his stuffed little car and I had to find room to put it all away.
Larry was going to join us for golf at 2:15 but he & Barb had played this morning and he decided not to play again. While we were waiting to tee off, we watched a group of 3 men ahead of us who waited until the group ahead of them were off the green before they teed off. We thought they were “heavy hitters” but 2 of them totally flubbed their shots and one used an iron to tee off but only got to the 100 yard marker. I wanted to cancel our game rather than be frustrated following them but Terry said we should just wait which turned out to be great as we were paired with Marty & Mary. I played scramble once with Marty but Mary thought she was not a good enough golfer to play with the ladies’ club. When we finished the game, we went to Marty & Mary’s for a quick drink before going to Larry & Barb’s for dinner.
Moe joined us for a wonderful dinner made by Barb. She called the main dish “Fiesta Chicken” and I can get the recipe for anyone who wants it.
We came home to watch DWTS and I made my usual long weekly phone call to sister Marg.
Mar 29th – Tues
Barb, Mary, Marilyn and I formed a group to play with the ladies’ club this morning and we all marveled at the wonderful weather and how lucky we are to be enjoying this lifestyle. I did some dinner prep, made breakfast and had time to read for a while before going back to the golf course.
Friends Claude & Val are staying in Indio and joined us for golf & dinner. They got stuck in a huge traffic jam caused by an overturned hay truck and just made it for our tee time at 1. I did so much worse than my game this morning – go figure!
We sat out for drinks & snacks and then moved to the other side of the rig for a larger area in the shade to have dinner outside. It cooled down when the sun disappeared so we came inside for more chit chat before they left about 8.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Mar 22nd to 26th - DHS
Mar 22nd – Tues
The normal sign up & competition for the ladies’ golf club is done for the season – not enough women left who are interested – so the pro shop just reserves some tee times starting at 8 and you show up if you want to play. I played with Barb & Carolyn. It was beautiful for the first 4 holes and then got windy and quite cool.
Moe was visiting & drinking coffee with Terry so I made breakfast burritos for all of us. At 2 we went to the hall for a function but there was a sign on the door saying it started at 2:30. Bill & Carolyn, Larry & Moe were also with us so they all played table shuffleboard as we waited while I worked on a puzzle.
In the hall, all the pillowcase dresses that we made on Tuesday evenings were on display and there was coffee & goodies. Then a pair of underpants was put with each dress and the set was packaged in a zip loc bag marked with an approximate size in preparation for distribution in Uganda. Our park made 206 dresses and the neighboring park made 60.
At 4:30 we joined Larry & Barb and Moe for happy hour(s) at Bill & Carolyn’s. We sat out until about 7 and then moved inside until we finally left at 8:30.
Mar 23rd – Wed
Terry did very well at golf this morning and finally got a score less than 40 – he got 38. He tied with another guy but they played “ghost holes” where the score from 2 random holes are thrown out and the other guy had a higher score than Terry on one ghost hole so Terry got second.
After a late breakfast we made a tee time and played with our neighbors Jim & Debbie. We had Moe over for dinner and then Larry & Barb joined us to play cards.
Mar 24th – Thurs
Another windy day and another visit to a casino – Morongo this time but it did not treat us very well. In fact it kicked our butts!
I was just about to dish up an early dinner when Moe dropped by so we had a drink with him and then had dinner.
Mar 25th – Fri
We were supposed to play in the scramble but the wind continued all night and was still ridiculous at 7 so we cancelled and then went out to breakfast. Next was laundry where I had to wait for a couple of washers so it took longer than usual but there were people to visit with and a puzzle to work on for a bit. Tough players were still coming in from the scramble but nearly half of the 84 people who had signed up didn’t play.
At 4:30 we and Larry & Barb went to Moe’s for happy hour(s). He will be leaving soon and wanted to use up food & booze so we all had too much to drink – but since laughter is good for your health we should all be fine.
Mar 26th – Sat
I am happy to hear people saying that there is an unusual amount of wind this year as I would hate to think that it will be this windy next year.
We went for doughnuts this morning and enjoyed them with our coffee. Around 10:30 we headed for WalMart but part way there figured it would still be windy when we got back so we detoured past the Spa Casino. There was a rodeo going on near the casino so we had to hunt for a parking spot but the wind had disappeared in Palm Springs so it was nice walk.
Terry covered my losses again and we came out $100 ahead. That might have been partly due to the fact that we had to get back for a dinner date so he didn’t have a chance to lose his winnings.
We went for dinner at Leon & Marilyn’s along with the couple who are renting the park model that Leon & Marilyn bought this year. We had a very nice evening.
The normal sign up & competition for the ladies’ golf club is done for the season – not enough women left who are interested – so the pro shop just reserves some tee times starting at 8 and you show up if you want to play. I played with Barb & Carolyn. It was beautiful for the first 4 holes and then got windy and quite cool.
Moe was visiting & drinking coffee with Terry so I made breakfast burritos for all of us. At 2 we went to the hall for a function but there was a sign on the door saying it started at 2:30. Bill & Carolyn, Larry & Moe were also with us so they all played table shuffleboard as we waited while I worked on a puzzle.
In the hall, all the pillowcase dresses that we made on Tuesday evenings were on display and there was coffee & goodies. Then a pair of underpants was put with each dress and the set was packaged in a zip loc bag marked with an approximate size in preparation for distribution in Uganda. Our park made 206 dresses and the neighboring park made 60.
At 4:30 we joined Larry & Barb and Moe for happy hour(s) at Bill & Carolyn’s. We sat out until about 7 and then moved inside until we finally left at 8:30.
Mar 23rd – Wed
Terry did very well at golf this morning and finally got a score less than 40 – he got 38. He tied with another guy but they played “ghost holes” where the score from 2 random holes are thrown out and the other guy had a higher score than Terry on one ghost hole so Terry got second.
After a late breakfast we made a tee time and played with our neighbors Jim & Debbie. We had Moe over for dinner and then Larry & Barb joined us to play cards.
Mar 24th – Thurs
Another windy day and another visit to a casino – Morongo this time but it did not treat us very well. In fact it kicked our butts!
I was just about to dish up an early dinner when Moe dropped by so we had a drink with him and then had dinner.
Mar 25th – Fri
We were supposed to play in the scramble but the wind continued all night and was still ridiculous at 7 so we cancelled and then went out to breakfast. Next was laundry where I had to wait for a couple of washers so it took longer than usual but there were people to visit with and a puzzle to work on for a bit. Tough players were still coming in from the scramble but nearly half of the 84 people who had signed up didn’t play.
At 4:30 we and Larry & Barb went to Moe’s for happy hour(s). He will be leaving soon and wanted to use up food & booze so we all had too much to drink – but since laughter is good for your health we should all be fine.
Mar 26th – Sat
I am happy to hear people saying that there is an unusual amount of wind this year as I would hate to think that it will be this windy next year.
We went for doughnuts this morning and enjoyed them with our coffee. Around 10:30 we headed for WalMart but part way there figured it would still be windy when we got back so we detoured past the Spa Casino. There was a rodeo going on near the casino so we had to hunt for a parking spot but the wind had disappeared in Palm Springs so it was nice walk.
Terry covered my losses again and we came out $100 ahead. That might have been partly due to the fact that we had to get back for a dinner date so he didn’t have a chance to lose his winnings.
We went for dinner at Leon & Marilyn’s along with the couple who are renting the park model that Leon & Marilyn bought this year. We had a very nice evening.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Mar 17th to 21st - DHS
Mar 17th – Thurs
We were very lazy this morning so I was making cinnamon rolls when a newer acquaintance – Louis – came by so we could set up a time to get together with them. After eating, we went for a walk to check for tee times, made sure we were signed up for a table for the dance and visited with a couple of people for a while. We ended up walking quite a lot. Moe came back with us and sat outside watching TV with Terry while I caught up on the blog.
At 4:30 we went to Larry & Barb’s for their annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner of corned beef & cabbage – of course. Also there were their neighbor Jerry, Ron & Sharon, Moe & Trish and Dave & Laraine. After another good dinner, we all went to the last dance of the season here at the park. A lot of people attended so the floor was quite crowded.
Mar 18th – Fri
Another golf scramble this morning where neither of us won any money. We had a good fried chicken lunch and then went grocery shopping. I was planning on an appetizer that included pickled asparagus which we usually buy at Costco. Of course they did not have any today and neither did any of the 4 more stores that we tried. So I had an hour to make devilled eggs for a gathering at 4:30 at Louis & Judy’s site.
Also there were Terry & Eileen and 2 other couples who we have seen but never met - Leroy & Sonia and Garth & Margie. It was quite windy but warm so we sat outside to drink & eat until the sun went down and it cooled off. We all fit cozily inside to continue the gabfest. Judy & I discovered that we had both programmed computers so we had a great time “speaking our own language”.
We came back to drop stuff off and then walked over to see Moe & Trish – and of course Moe poured us another drink! Trish is leaving tomorrow to go back to work so we wanted to say goodbye.
Mar 19th – Sat
The wind was wicked last night and continued today. Yes, according to a lot of people, there is more wind this month than usual.
Of course the wind left us no choice but to go to a casino – Spotlight 29 this time. We ended up spending our allowances but took a long time to do so. We stopped at a WinCo grocery store – still looking for picked asparagus. They had some very small jars for too much money so I decided to make my own and bought the ingredients that I was missing.
After dinner, I pickled the asparagus before getting my nose into a good book.
Mar 20th – Sun
After breakfast we walked up to check things at the clubhouse and made a tee time. Terry C. was just finishing his tennis games so he said he would join us. Moe was doing laundry and could also play. We had time to wash the truck inside & out before playing golf at 12:30.
We invited Terry & Eileen to come down in a bit for a drink, stopped to talk to a couple (Chuck & Faye) at the end of our street (haven’t met them before) and invited them to come over as well. We passed our neighbors Jim & Debbie on the street and invited them. Now Terry was in party mode so we also invited Eldon & Elaine, Barb & Larry and Leon & Marilyn. Our neighbor Paul also came by for a while. Luckily it was warm so we sat out until the last people left about 7:30.
Mar 21st – Mon
We had a tee time with Leon & Marilyn at 8:30 this morning but it rained at 8 and was iffy so we made a new tee time for 10:30 and came back to our place for coffee & cinnamon rolls. At 10:30 it was windy & cool but we didn’t get any rain during the round.
We had to get a few groceries so we grabbed a hamburger while we were out, then I made some appetizers. Terry’s brother Skip & his wife Kathy and their friends – and ours – Pat & Donna came over at 3 for drinks, appies and to see our new rigs. It was pouring rain when they arrived and remained very cool so we stayed inside for a wonderful visit.
We were very lazy this morning so I was making cinnamon rolls when a newer acquaintance – Louis – came by so we could set up a time to get together with them. After eating, we went for a walk to check for tee times, made sure we were signed up for a table for the dance and visited with a couple of people for a while. We ended up walking quite a lot. Moe came back with us and sat outside watching TV with Terry while I caught up on the blog.
At 4:30 we went to Larry & Barb’s for their annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner of corned beef & cabbage – of course. Also there were their neighbor Jerry, Ron & Sharon, Moe & Trish and Dave & Laraine. After another good dinner, we all went to the last dance of the season here at the park. A lot of people attended so the floor was quite crowded.
Mar 18th – Fri
Another golf scramble this morning where neither of us won any money. We had a good fried chicken lunch and then went grocery shopping. I was planning on an appetizer that included pickled asparagus which we usually buy at Costco. Of course they did not have any today and neither did any of the 4 more stores that we tried. So I had an hour to make devilled eggs for a gathering at 4:30 at Louis & Judy’s site.
Also there were Terry & Eileen and 2 other couples who we have seen but never met - Leroy & Sonia and Garth & Margie. It was quite windy but warm so we sat outside to drink & eat until the sun went down and it cooled off. We all fit cozily inside to continue the gabfest. Judy & I discovered that we had both programmed computers so we had a great time “speaking our own language”.
We came back to drop stuff off and then walked over to see Moe & Trish – and of course Moe poured us another drink! Trish is leaving tomorrow to go back to work so we wanted to say goodbye.
Mar 19th – Sat
The wind was wicked last night and continued today. Yes, according to a lot of people, there is more wind this month than usual.
Of course the wind left us no choice but to go to a casino – Spotlight 29 this time. We ended up spending our allowances but took a long time to do so. We stopped at a WinCo grocery store – still looking for picked asparagus. They had some very small jars for too much money so I decided to make my own and bought the ingredients that I was missing.
After dinner, I pickled the asparagus before getting my nose into a good book.
Mar 20th – Sun
After breakfast we walked up to check things at the clubhouse and made a tee time. Terry C. was just finishing his tennis games so he said he would join us. Moe was doing laundry and could also play. We had time to wash the truck inside & out before playing golf at 12:30.
We invited Terry & Eileen to come down in a bit for a drink, stopped to talk to a couple (Chuck & Faye) at the end of our street (haven’t met them before) and invited them to come over as well. We passed our neighbors Jim & Debbie on the street and invited them. Now Terry was in party mode so we also invited Eldon & Elaine, Barb & Larry and Leon & Marilyn. Our neighbor Paul also came by for a while. Luckily it was warm so we sat out until the last people left about 7:30.
Mar 21st – Mon
We had a tee time with Leon & Marilyn at 8:30 this morning but it rained at 8 and was iffy so we made a new tee time for 10:30 and came back to our place for coffee & cinnamon rolls. At 10:30 it was windy & cool but we didn’t get any rain during the round.
We had to get a few groceries so we grabbed a hamburger while we were out, then I made some appetizers. Terry’s brother Skip & his wife Kathy and their friends – and ours – Pat & Donna came over at 3 for drinks, appies and to see our new rigs. It was pouring rain when they arrived and remained very cool so we stayed inside for a wonderful visit.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Mar 13th to 16th - DHS
Mar 13th – Sun
After I caught up on the blog, we finally sat down and filed our income tax return. We were driving out when Cliff ran over from the golf course and asked us to dinner. We had bought tickets for the Tappers’ Show but decided that would be a donation to the group and we would go to dinner.
We went to WalMart and got the oil changed in the truck and bought groceries. By the time we got the groceries put away it was almost time to go to Cliff & Pauline’s. We had a very good dinner, played a couple games of Golf and a couple games of Sequence.
Mar 14th – Mon
I decided that I better get serious about buying new PJs before my old ratty ones totally fall apart so we went shopping. I did find what I needed. We did not have lunch so I ran into a grocery store for steaks while Terry filled the truck with expensive ($4.15) diesel.
We had a great, early dinner and then had Larry & Barb over for brownie sundaes since they had also eaten early.
Mar 15th – Tues
I had an OK round of golf this morning. At noon we went to Cliff & Pauline’s for their farewell hamburger party. They had a large group and everyone was searching for shade when they finished eating. They got out their Ladder Golf game and a few people played. Unfortunately, the party came to an early end when Cliff got a phone call saying his brother Glen, who has been in the hospital for a while, was not doing well so Cliff & Pauline, Gilbert & Grace and Bob & Doreen decided to leave tomorrow rather than in a week as originally planned. I know all the names & connections are hard for readers to remember, but Cliff & Grace are brother & sister and Doreen is their cousin.
We helped Cliff & Pauline clean up & start packing up stuff and then Terry went to help Bob. About 4 we, Cliff & Pauline and Bob & Doreen went to Terry & Eileen’s for a farewell drink.
Mar 16th – Wed
Terry had an early tee time this morning. I got up just in time to say goodbye to Cliff & Pauline, Bob & Doreen and Grace. Then I got busy and had the laundry almost ready to go in the dryers when Terry finished golfing. I made breakfast when we finished the laundry and a bit later we went to play golf. Unfortunately, the wind had come up suddenly so Larry & Barb said they wouldn’t golf and then we and Moe & Trish also opted out.
With several hours before dinner, Terry figured we needed to go to a casino so we went to Morongo and came back with $40 more than we took.
This evening was the Awards Banquet for the men’s & women’s golf clubs. Happy hour at 5 was followed by a steak dinner at 6 and then all the awards. It was still early when we were done so a group went to Moe & Trish’s for a nightcap(s). We finally left about 11.
After I caught up on the blog, we finally sat down and filed our income tax return. We were driving out when Cliff ran over from the golf course and asked us to dinner. We had bought tickets for the Tappers’ Show but decided that would be a donation to the group and we would go to dinner.
We went to WalMart and got the oil changed in the truck and bought groceries. By the time we got the groceries put away it was almost time to go to Cliff & Pauline’s. We had a very good dinner, played a couple games of Golf and a couple games of Sequence.
Mar 14th – Mon
I decided that I better get serious about buying new PJs before my old ratty ones totally fall apart so we went shopping. I did find what I needed. We did not have lunch so I ran into a grocery store for steaks while Terry filled the truck with expensive ($4.15) diesel.
We had a great, early dinner and then had Larry & Barb over for brownie sundaes since they had also eaten early.
Mar 15th – Tues
I had an OK round of golf this morning. At noon we went to Cliff & Pauline’s for their farewell hamburger party. They had a large group and everyone was searching for shade when they finished eating. They got out their Ladder Golf game and a few people played. Unfortunately, the party came to an early end when Cliff got a phone call saying his brother Glen, who has been in the hospital for a while, was not doing well so Cliff & Pauline, Gilbert & Grace and Bob & Doreen decided to leave tomorrow rather than in a week as originally planned. I know all the names & connections are hard for readers to remember, but Cliff & Grace are brother & sister and Doreen is their cousin.
We helped Cliff & Pauline clean up & start packing up stuff and then Terry went to help Bob. About 4 we, Cliff & Pauline and Bob & Doreen went to Terry & Eileen’s for a farewell drink.
Mar 16th – Wed
Terry had an early tee time this morning. I got up just in time to say goodbye to Cliff & Pauline, Bob & Doreen and Grace. Then I got busy and had the laundry almost ready to go in the dryers when Terry finished golfing. I made breakfast when we finished the laundry and a bit later we went to play golf. Unfortunately, the wind had come up suddenly so Larry & Barb said they wouldn’t golf and then we and Moe & Trish also opted out.
With several hours before dinner, Terry figured we needed to go to a casino so we went to Morongo and came back with $40 more than we took.
This evening was the Awards Banquet for the men’s & women’s golf clubs. Happy hour at 5 was followed by a steak dinner at 6 and then all the awards. It was still early when we were done so a group went to Moe & Trish’s for a nightcap(s). We finally left about 11.
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