Winter Arrives in Quartzsite

Park Place RV Park

On the last day of January, Tuesday the 31^st, we woke up to the real winter in the Q. We’ve had chilly days this month for sure, but today, we woke up to a brisk wind, mostly cloudy skies and a cool 44F/6C. No snow, so we still aren’t complaining too loudly. 😊 Everyone I’ve heard talking about it in the park agrees that this is one of the coldest days this month. All because of the wind. Brrr.

A little blue sky through the clouds this morning
It was cold so we walked fast

Bill hopped in the shower first thing and Gibbs and I bundled and went for a walk. The clothes were sorted for laundry and when I returned, I walked over with the basket. I needed to use the door code to get in the clubhouse since the office doesn’t open until 9. With 2 loads in the washers, I returned at 8:30 to wait for them to finish and made my tea and oatmeal.

You know how Gibbs has always sat behind me in my chair?
Well, look closely
Peekaboo!

Bill wasn’t flying in this wind and cold but he headed to the club’s ‘Hangar’ at Jim’s place so he could do some Presidential duties and use a tool from Jim’s workshop. The place is open to all flyers to do work on their planes at any time, no cost to the members. 😊 No wonder Bill loves this club so much! I switched the loads to the dryers and worked on the puzzle while they dried.

finished this morning

Susan and I finished the existing puzzle to find one piece missing. Funny, because there was a note in the box where I’d written that I completed it last March and it was complete. Puzzling (haha), eh? I knew it was familiar but didn’t think I’d done it before. LOL I started another one after Susan left and I’ve opened another can of worms! The border is ridiculous!

I bought these two rubber mats yesterday
at Tyson Wells and got rid of the
clear plastic carpet matting

After lunch at home with Bill, I went back to try and make heads and/or tails out of it but it isn’t easy. Robert and Adele joined me around 2:30 and she and I did our best to sort it out. Robert worked on the easy parts in the middle, but he stayed out of our way. Her words, not mine. 😊 At home around 3:30, I made Bill and I a cup of tea and we relaxed for the remainder of the day. I did go out with Gibbs briefly but it was too chilly to go too far. I know, ‘Wimp!’

A pretty picture of friendship
I thought it would be a good one

The 4 regulars playing Pokeno
Some serious pennies being bet here 😂

Side border is done
Top and bottom - in progress

I started a new book, this one by Mitch Albom called ‘The Stranger in the Lifeboat’. I’d heard bits and pieces of it in one of his podcasts and it intrigued me enough to buy the book for myself for Christmas. For supper, we had Uncle Ben’s rice with wieners, broccoli and corn. Not much of a nutritional meal but it was filling and tasted just fine. We cleaned up the pots and Bill loaded the dishwasher. 

It has been a pretty quiet day.

Bill and Gbbs read the Quartzsite pamphlet

A sweet picture of our sweet little bum

Warmer weather is forecasted to arrive starting tomorrow with some nice weather for the beginning of February. We didn’t get the rain last night and this morning the sky showed no signs of it appearing. We dodged that bullet but areas to the south of us got quite a bit of it. The winds today were from the north, between 12 and 17 mph but not enough for us to have to pull the roof in on our gazebo. 😉

Our farenheit forecast

For our back home followers
the Celcius version
Either way, it gets better

Good night!

Thank you for popping in.

Starting the Work Week with Lovely Sunrise Photos

Park Place RV Park

Monday, Jan. 30^th we were starting a new week but soon about to close off another month. This has been 2 months of us being in the park and that is just crazy to me! The time is literally zipping by. Gibbs and I walked and because I noticed the clouds and pretty sky over the Plomosa Mountains, I steered him across the desert. I hope you don't mind that I share a few of those photos, I didn't take many other pictures today.

When I saw the east sky, I knew it would be
a pretty sunrise

Even looking to the west
I like the way the shadows make the mountains
look black

I wanted to be sure to capture the sun popping up this morning, because it would be different than what has been ‘normal’ for a few days. It was quite mild this morning with a temperature of 50F/10C and no wind so it was a pleasant walk even without much sun. The sky was mostly blanketed in clouds an that’s what we expected all day. The forecasted rain for today was pushed back towards the evening/overnight and even tomorrow.

I can't pick a favourite
they were mere minutes apart

Bill was able to go flying and after I had my oatmeal and a tea, I went to the clubhouse for Ladies’ Poker Pool. The same 4 of us played again this morning and the scores pretty much were no surprise. I lost pretty badly today with Patti not far behind but it wasn’t for lack of trying. 😊 It was still a lot of fun and I had, like the others, a lot of great shots. Picking the best hand of cards seems to be the ticket.

Gibbs was so good each time
I just said 'wait' and he'd stop until he heard
the 'click'. 💓

Back home, Bill had vacuumed the Suite, giving me a break, since he was home first. We had lunch and took a drive into Tyson Wells to peruse a couple of vendors tents. The Kitchen Tent was not open for some reason and, of course, it was one I wanted to stop into. Another time, I need a new spatula. We slipped over to Main St. and I found a few food items at Ken’s Grocery Tents. I'll get a picture for tomorrow's post of the mats we bought for under our table and chairs. 

then the grand finale

It was around 2:30 when we returned and I went over to see if the new puzzle was being worked on. Robert and Adele started it last night and had the border done (it was already separated in a baggie) on which I gave her high credit. Susan and I worked on it alone and managed to get a lot done. I picked this puzzle again and it was a pretty easy one with nice big interlocking pieces. At 4:30, we parted ways and I came home to take Gibbs out for a short walk.

A circus puzzle
I can't take credit for much of this
Susan did the top half

There were a few drops of rain and the temperature began to drop. Hamburger stew was on the menu so I let Madame IP do her thing. Potatoes, carrots, celery and onion were added to the pot with the ground beef and broth. It smelled so good while it was cooking and it tasted just as good. Supper was later but it was filling and worth the wait. Next time, I need to cut back on the liquid, we ate it in soup bowls.

Late afternoon, the sky, which had cleared out off and
on earlier, was again covered in clouds

After loading the dishwasher, we finished watching America’s Got Talent All-Stars and I finished writing this post. Today was a fun day. We visited Tyson Wells again and saw the difference a day makes. Yesterday, with the show on its last day, the streets were packed. Bill was there. We are still up and down with our weather but we are still happy to be here. I hope you can all say the same! I had a brief 'texting' chat with my laundromat boss back home and they are doing well. Nice to hear from Kaitlin. 

Supper turned out pretty good
It was runnier than I'd hoped but still a 
good hearty meal. 
Good night!

Thank you for the visit. Your comments are always welcome and read.

A Quiet Day in our Neighbourhood

Park Place RV Park

Sunday, Jan.29^th we were up at different times. I think Bill came back to bed after taking Gibbs out but I’m not clear on that. I do know that he was downstairs by the time I woke up. I was up last night past my normal 10 pm bedtime so was still quite sleepy this morning. I did manage to drag myself out of bed at 7:30 though, which is pretty usual. 😊

Probably by now, you're tired of seeing 
the morning pictures, which all look the same,
but I'm not!

Gibbs and I walked and when we returned, Bill was just heading to the field. It was a clear blue sky and 40F/4C but very calm to start. When I brought him home, I slipped out again right away for my walk. I’ve been really slack over the last few days and my steps and probably physical being paid for it. I know it is a good form of exercise for me.

When I finish writing my blog at night,
Gibbs is usually in my chair
Notice his relaxed position, the legs made me laugh

We didn't get far on this road and he stopped
but took me around the outside perimeter of
the park
Almost as if "we're going the wrong way, Mom"

I walked to Main Street and reached my destination, the Roadrunner Market. I picked up a loaf of fresh French bread, the only reason for the walk, but I also cashed in my Power Ball ticket while there. I was expecting $4 towards my next quick pick but instead she handed me $12. Woohoo! I was surprised but used half of it for a couple of lines. I’m sure we’re just supporting the lottery system but it’s worth a shot. 😊

This is the house on Main St.
that I've shown you before
Bob's friend, I think
I love the fence along the Chevron's lot

Quite the build!

I had my tea and some cereal before sitting with Gibbs with my book. It is getting really hard to put it down. I walked to the puzzle room around 9:30 and found Adele and Susan sitting at the table. We worked together on it and when Bill returned from the field early, he helped put a few pieces in as well. The girls moved to play pool and I finished the puzzle on my own.

It's a nice picture and was a fun puzzle

It was time to return home for lunch. We had some of the fresh bread, mine with a salad plate and Bill had his in a sandwich. It is so good! ♥ Since the puzzle was done, I stayed home for the afternoon. 

Sitting outside as long as the sun was out,
was great

It's pretty quiet out there for reading

I sat in the tent with my book, a couple of times and when the clouds began moving in across the sky, I moved inside into the warmth. Gibbs and I went for another walk, after my tea, and I got a couple of pictures of the early evening sky.

See the flag in the centre of the photo?
We went from zero winds to this
but at least from the southwest

For supper, Bill grilled the last 2 Pork Apple Sausages from Nancy and I made a salad and boiled a large potato. Yum! After clean up, I worked on my blog and then sat to finish my book. This has been a nice quiet day and we managed to reach a cooler than yesterday high of 63F/17C.

Supper was good and for dessert, we had
applesauce and a couple of chocolate chip cookies
Good night!

Thanks for the drop in!

Happy and Happy Hour

Park Place RV Park

On Saturday, Jan. 28^th Gibbs and I started our day with our usual walk. It was sped up a bit because it was still a very chilly morning – despite the clear sunny sky. 😊 Again, 37F/2.7C is mild to folks back home, but to us, it’s a little unusual in January and not what we’re used to here. Instead of my walk, I’m coming up with a lot of reasons why not to go, I had my shower after my tea and then, my hair was wet so I went to the puzzle instead.

Another great day on the horizon

Our afternoon was scheduled so this would be my only time to work on it today. Bill left for the flying field after 8 and it was looking to be a gorgeous calm day. Yay! ♥ I was the only person at the puzzle and finished sections that Robert had started and made huge progress until I left at 11:45. Bill wasn’t back yet so it meant he was having a good morning. All good things. Bill was happy doing his thing and I was happy doing mine.

I worked on the puzzle
Bill brought me fresh oranges and grapefruit
from one of the guys at the field

For lunch, I had a plate with more good things, meat, cheese, cottage cheese, avocado, celery and an apple. It was filling and to top it off, we had a glass of tomato juice with our meal. 😊 I gave Gibbs the last 3^rd of his Yak cheese stick to chew on but he was more interested in burying it than eating it right now. He and I went outside while Bill showered and sure enough, in the tent, Gibbs buried it quite well in the gravel. I love watching this process.

Gibbs buried his yak cheese stick
in a pile of stones

We packed a cooler bag with a couple of drinks, loaded our chairs and drove in to the tent for one last visit. The Big Tent closes tomorrow and that is when things start to thin out about. We’ve already noticed a lot of checkouts at the park. We had a hard time finding a parking spot near the tent so ended up in what at home we call the ‘back 40’. That’s okay, we just entered from the opposite end. I was intent on one thing only and that was to get more Yak Cheese bones for our little boy. 😊

The  back entrance to the Bigtent
Top right: this booth had hose little things
that slip into the holes of your clogs
Bottom right: a poor view of the busy tent

Top picture: the 'back 40' parking lot
Bottom pictures: driving through Tyson Wells

We headed out around 2 and found Deb and Tom at Roadrunner BLM for a mid afternoon happy hour. It was so great to see them again, as usual. They are 2 of our regular full-timers and we are glad to get in a few meetups each winter while we are all down here doing what we love. It was no surprise to us when Dave and Cheryl drove up shortly after, as I had invited them this morning to join us. They’ve met D & T before so it was a nice reunion for all of us.

Happy people at Happy Hour

Three hours on this beautiful afternoon, after lots of chatter and laughter (plus our pictures) we left for home. It was time to start supper so Bill looked after fries and I looked after the fish. We were finished eating and cleanup by 6:45, we don’t spend a lot of time at the dinner table like some people do. 😊

Supper
Good night!

This was a fun day, puzzling, time with Gibbs and with my sweetie and our other rv friends. We’ll see them all again soon. It won’t likely last but we reached a warm high of 64F/18C today with little to no winds. ♥

Thank you for taking the time to stop by.

Filling the Fridge and Cupboards

Park Place RV Park

On Friday, Jan. 27^th after Bill took Gibbs out, he didn’t come back to bed. Gibbs joined me but because our government pensions had been deposited into our accounts overnight, he was downstairs doing the banking. Bill is the financial officer of the household. When I got up at 7:30, he was ready to fill me in on the details of how the funds had been moved. 😊

Good Friday morning!

First things first, I took Gibbs around the park perimeter and then was prepared to listen while having my cup of tea. Hmm, maybe that was the other way around. I’ve forgotten already. The sky was clear blue and that meant the sun was in full force BUT it was still quite chilly on my legs and through my lightweight gloves. It was 36F/2.2C so I skipped my walk.

Remember our friends remote cars?
This is the little ramp they created for them to go up
Impressive!

We’d decided yesterday to go to Parker and stock up on groceries at Walmart. There is a Safeway across the street but Walmart has everything we need, including the ink tanks for our printer and subsequently the best price too. We indeed stocked up and walked out with everything on the list for less than $200. Gotta’ love that. The line ups were long enough with people doing the same thing, carts much fuller than ours, so we used the self-checkout.

Driving into Parker
Look at that view!
Every town should have mountains surrounding it

Bill used the Allpoint ATM at the CVS store to withdraw some cash and we were home by 11:30. Putting things away was fun, the freezer is jammed full and that puts the ‘chef’ at ease for upcoming meals.

We managed to get a few good deals
These thighs for 4 meals - $5.82??? Wow!
Also, bacon, fish, ground beef, sausageand burgers

After a wrap for lunch, I went to the puzzle until 2:30. Gibbs and I sat outside in the sunny bits peeking in the gazebo while I read. He is quite heavy on my left arm, the way he likes to sit with us, so I put him in after an hour and made my tea to go back out on my own. 😊 Our big chairs are quite cozy.

this is a nice puzzle to work on
No frustration here

For supper, Bill grilled bacon cheeseburgers and we relaxed for the evening. My book is so good that I wanted to read it tonight. That meant starting and finishing my blog asap. I didn’t take many pictures today so I may have to bring some forward from past memories. This has been a nice day with the shopping out of the way.

Burgers, loaded

Finished off the ice cream
good night

Thank you for the visit.

It’s Been a Good Day

Park Place RV Park

Thursday, Jan. 26^th brought fairly strong winds again so Bill didn’t go flying. Probably none of his members did either. There were gusts between 18 and 27 mph throughout the morning. Gibbs and I walked first thing but I quickly decided that I wasn’t going to brave the cold winds any longer than I had to. Instead, I stayed inside, rather than walking on my own, and had my tea.

There is that morning boost
regardless of the temperature and the wind

Shortly after 9, I went to the clubhouse to work on this ridiculously hard puzzle. Not too often do I voice my frustration with a puzzle but this one is making me wish it was done. 😊 We're blaming Susan for choosing it. Ha ha. I worked on it for 20 minutes until the girls arrived for Poker Pool. Barb, Adele, Susan and I were the only players today as Patti was busy in the office. Thursday is her day to work and it is very busy – still.

I had to share this picture from last evening
Gibbs was in his playful mood, as I described yesterday,
and slipped behind Bill's chair and laid down
waiting for us to say something

I didn’t win again, however, I made some really good shots and it was a hoot, as usual. Home at noon, I was hungry so I warmed up a bowl of my steel cut oatmeal. Don’t laugh, I didn’t eat anything for breakfast before I left and with blueberries, it qualified as a tasty lunch for me. Bill made a sandwich for himself and he and Gibbs had their nap beside me.

for once, I'm grateful for the shine down
the centre of the picture
Don't look too close, more than a few pieces
are incorrect but they all fit!

 I didn’t rush anywhere after we ate, instead I delved into my Michael Connelly book. I’m usually too tired at night to read so I managed a few chapters of The Law of Innocence. At the clubhouse around 2, I finished the puzzle. I have to admit that it isn’t 100% accurate though. Between the browns, greens and blues, I couldn’t figure ‘heads or tails’ so just did the best I could. The girls had given up so I wasn’t feeling guilty at all.

The next puzzle should be easier
all interlocking and all different shapes

I walked away from the new puzzle
leaving it like this

I moved it to the other table after taking a picture and began a new one. An easy 1000 piece that shouldn’t take too long and would give our brains a bit of a break. 😊 Back home at 3:30, I took Gibbs for a walk in the wind. We stopped and watched Kobus and Carol Ann ‘play’ with their rock-climbing remote-controlled cars. Fun!

Kobus had never met Gibbs so quickly put
his remote down to give him lots of lovin' 
They don't have pets, after losing cats
but who knows how long that will last 😂
they each have a remote car so I watched
for a while as they climbed this rock

We’ve popped our tent roof own again and the wind, from the north, has blown a side in as well. This is making us wonder about how it will fare on The Ridge. Hmm. For supper, I fried Swai fish, the leftover potatoes and cooked corn for our vegetable. I added cottage cheese to my plate and it was all quite delicious.

After clean up, I watched the last of Celebrity Jeopardy while working on my blog. Bill went upstairs to find something more interesting. 😊 This has been a cool day for sure adding to the number of unusual weather days we’ve already had this winter.

Supper was quite good!
Good night

The wind should stop this evening and hopefully stay away for a while.

Thank you for popping in.