Friday, January 3, 2020

Early Dentist Appointment, Pool Day, Friend’s Arrival, Burger Night


Pilot Knob, Winterhaven, CA
Awake before the alarm on Friday, Jan. 3rd, Bill was up out of bed soon after 6 and in the shower. I stretched and rolled over for a few more precious minutes before I also got up. Today, we had an 8 o’clock dentist appointment in Los Algodones for cleaning. We had our first hot drink and hopped in Black Beauty at 7:20. We didn’t have far to go this morning and arrived in the almost empty parking lot around 7:35. I’ve never seen it quite so vacant before.

Morning sunrise on the way to Los Algodones


For the first time, we parked directly in front of our entrance to Mexico, behind the handicapped parking spaces. 

The almost empty parking lot to the west
Those metal barred gates are where we enter Mexico
We've never parked so closely before
There weren’t many ‘solicitors’ there to greet us for pharmacy, dental or eyeglasses and we walked through the vendor sidewalks with mostly morning greetings. Business was just beginning which meant a lot of merchandise was not even out yet. We reached the dental office early, no surprise, but Dr. Eva and George had not arrived yet. They pulled up together a couple of minutes after 8.

The birds on the wire are gathered, waiting for the crowds
to crowd the lot in the same manner
We both went in at the same time and my cleaning went without a hitch. Just a little reminder to clean better between my upper molars. I can do that! Bill, didn’t get off so lucky and needs a root canal. Darn! He will have a couple of appointments, starting on Monday, to take care of an abscess first and then the dental work once that has healed. As we’ve said, you don’t want to hear you need dental work done but if you must, Mexico is the place to have it taken care of.

If you've ever entered Los Algodones, this gate will
look familiar

Not just a pharmacy but the most popular one
You can buy your alcohol here too

The park near Dr. Eva's office, just opening for business

Dr. Eva Urena's building

A picture in the courtyard of my sweetie

This is how they mark reserved parking spaces
When we left there, we walked back through Snowbird Alley and wished our Mexican friends, Marlon Brando (the painter), his sidekick and then Andy, our greeter, Happy New Year. Such nice guys and nice that they never seem to forget us. We went into the Purple Liquor store and priced Tequila, Vodka and Bill’s Appleton’s Rum but they couldn’t sell anything before 10 am. We’ll be back on Monday, or at least Bill will be.

Bill's favourite store

One of mine here in Arizona
Timing was perfect, so early, when we returned as there was no one in line and two guards on duty. We left Mexico and drove into Yuma. First stop was the CVS. We each withdrew some cash at the Allpoint’s ATM where we don’t pay a service fee. Then we drove to the Drive-through Liquor store. I love this store; it is worth parking and walking inside.

I've been meaning to get this picture since we arrived 
The owner has a section down one aisle that is always 50% a variety of alcohol. In that section, you’ll find many wines, many tequila’s, vodkas, rums and so on. I found a 1.75 litre bottle of vodka for 9.99 and a 750 ml bottle of Calico Jack’s Chocolate coconut rum for $5. At that price I just had to buy it to try it. 😊 We left there and Bill drove a little further to Harbor Freight. He wanted to cash in on a sale item and I nipped into the .99¢ store in the same strip.

Get a kick out of this sign on our W.Hwy 80
 Then we headed home. It was 10:05 when we pulled into the park. I could’ve joined the Poker Pool game that started at 10 but I really didn’t feel up to it at this point. I felt more like taking it easy so Bill went in and signed us up for Burger/Dog night. If we don’t have to cook or clean up after supper, I’m in for $5 each. After we got home, we realized that the wind had died considerably. Bill stood the barbecue and table back up and I started cooking bacon and eggs inside.

After dishes, we took a walk up to the office to see about reserving our spot for February by paying for the month. That was a ‘no can do’ so we’ll just have to take our chances that we get the same spot when we return. If not, we’ll find something suitable. You can’t always get what you want, right Mick? We were waiting for our friend, Keith, to arrive so took a walk down Hwy 80 in the hopes that we’d see him arrive on the overpass.

Bill gets a picture of Keith's arrival
We returned to the Suite and I changed into my bathing suit. This was my time to go to the pool and Bill walked back up with me. More waiting for him and finally around 2 pm, Keith pulled into the park with his truck camper and trailer. His friend arrived a few minutes later in his own rv and cargo trailer. They each came to ride the dunes and Keith also to do some rc flying with Bill. We were both happy to see them arrive safely.

Oh yes, and Oreo right there in the window too
They left home (Ontario, Canada) on Dec. 26th and spent 3 nights in Tuscon, AZ. They made really good time and are pretty tired. Happy Hour was at Jo-Anne and Bob’s place and thankfully it was warm enough to meet outside. Tonight, there were 6 of us. 

Higgins sleeps at Happy Hour in the shade


At 4:30 we said goodbye and Kim, Ken, Bill and I walked up to the $5 Burger night. Tonight, I had a hot dog and what a great wiener that was! I ended up not eating the bun but truly enjoyed the Scalloped Corn and the homemade cookie.

Bill and Oreo share a hug
Introductions and they realized
they went to school together
Oreo, an energetic pretty dog
We had a bunch of laughs and walked back by 6. Bill knocked on Keith’s door to introduce him to our friends and what a small world it is. Kim and Keith went to the same school, 3 years apart, back home, so the 3 of them knew a few of the same places and possibly crossed paths of some of the same people. We chatted for a while and Kim and I walked across to the fence to capture another beautiful Arizona sky.

I know you won't mind that I was capturing these pictures

Eventually, we returned to the Suite where I proceeded to work on my blog post for the day. Bill turned Live PD on that was our entertainment for part of the evening. This was a full, fun day and the weather co-operated very well! A few nice days have graced us with their presence.

Good night!

Thank you for stopping by!

14 comments:

  1. That was a fast trip to Mexico!! It’s funny how often we run into people we know. Sorry for the trips to the dentist though. Maybe a taco or two would make it better!!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, we'll definitely spend more time there when appointments aren't involved.
      Thanks, Bill wasn't too pleased with the outcome but can't be helped. :)

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  2. A full day for sure. Looks like you had a fast trip down across the border.
    Looks like another great bunch there at the park. Great sunset photos.

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    Replies
    1. Are the days shorter? ha ha, some days sure seem like it!! We are just having way too much fun!

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  3. A fast trip south of the border, then meeting friends, eating out and a great sunset. That was a fun filled day.
    Be Safe and Enjoy the warmth.

    It's about time.

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    Replies
    1. It was a great day, just taking care of business in Mexico and home to relax.

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  4. I think that would have been strange to see the parking lot at Algodones so empty and to walk along the streets that early. That chocolate coconut rum sounds yummy!

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    Replies
    1. It was strange for me, never been there so early before.
      I'm anxious to try the rum on the rocks!

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  5. It's a small world, isn't it? That's impressive that the two of them would meet after all this time.

    I'm starting to think I need to go to Mexico - I need dental work and even with my coverage it's expensive here in Canada.

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    Replies
    1. It was funny when they started talking about the same schools. :)
      Mexico is great for dental work. Some people have enough coverage at home in Canada so don't go here unless something happens but we have no coverage so this is perfect for us. No complaints either. The dentists all have their certificates from the U.S.

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  6. Oh my!! A root canal. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Hope all goes well. The colours are so bright in Los Algodones. Great picture of Bill in the courtyard. Was a beautiful day and looks like many more to come.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, root canal, no fun for me. Jo-Anne had one done on Friday and it was easy, painless and she was very pleased. I love the colours in L.A. too.
      I like the picture of Bill too. :)

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  7. I'm impressed with your dedication to detailed daily posts in your blog!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you F.G. I appreciate your comment. :)
      I know some days it is harder than others and some days it is late but I try!

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