Here Comes the.........Heat

Park Place RV Park

On Saturday, Feb. 21st I dragged out of bed at 'almost 7:30'. I had another night full of dreams but complicated ones that left me shaking my head to clear them out. Gibbs, at one point, early after we went to bed, found himself in right under my curled legs.

Good morning!
Our security system works great!
(almost free!)

When I woke and realized it, I moved closer to Bill but couldn't drop off until Gibbs moved. Funny, how you just need to stretch your legs.......when you can't! We had our breakfast, well, a cup of tea for me and some yogourt, and set about our last volunteer day. Bill and Gibbs on the cart and me in the office.

A new puzzle and today's progress.

I finished the sign I made for the park and then put the puzzle away and opened the new box. Oooh, this one will be another treat! We received another new booking and he will be arriving later today for a month. Nice to fill those spots during the season. It makes the managers happy! 😀

I think Sue likes the sign
I put in the park office.
It is free standing.

After lunch, I opened things up again and worked on making a  birdy (thanks Nancy for the suggestion) for my framed flower picture. The puzzle is always available but Deb was popping over for a wee lesson on how to use the quilling comb. 

After my shift, I took a walk
around the block.

At 3, almost on the dot, our arrival pulled in and Bill got him situated on his site. I did some more puzzling, which is nice but seeing the sun shining outside made me long for it.  When we finished today's shift, since Bill had already taken Gibbs for his walk, I struck out on my own. 🚶‍♂️

This guy was just cruising along slowly,
enjoying the day,

I walked around what I used to call the 'middle' block. It felt good and now that we should have some steady warm days, I hope to keep it up - daily. I prepared birthday cards for our upcoming birthdays next month and finished my tea.

The Arizona Lupine are everywhere.
Not quite as pretty as our back home,
but these are wild and lovely to see!

I'm not sure, but outside of
Arizona Sun Resort is what I think
is a new Bougainvilla.

I couldn't resist being a bit playful
with the camera.

Unfortunately, the winds over the last
4 days was playful too and this gazebo
didn't survive. 

For supper,  Bill grilled his bacon cheeseburgers. To stay on track, I had mine in a tortilla and it was delicious! It has been a great day. Easy peasy. We reached a pleasant high of 71F/19C with very little wind.

I miss the bun but this was very good!

Bill popped our gazebo back up and our 'host' neighbours behind us returned. We'll enjoy our next 6 days off!

The last word (behind the post) of this
quote is: 
Nap.
Good night!

Thank you for your visit.

Stuck in the Middle with You

Park Place RV Park

On Friday, Feb. 20th (how did we get so close to the month's end?!) it was 7:15 when I woke, ready to get up.  Bill was downstairs getting breakfast when I came down after washing and getting dressed. I had my blog to finish, I was tired last night and in bed at 9:30.

Good morning!
This should have been yesterday's
picture - bad hair days.

We were supposed to get some relief from the winds today and although it started out calm, they picked up again throughout the morning. Not near as bad, which was a blessing. I was inside all day so it didn't much matter to me. Unfortunately, that meant hardly any pictures!

Bill and I volunteer our assistance 3 days out of 9 and he woke up this morning asking me if this was our last day. 🤭 Well, no, just our 2nd. When it is so quiet in the park, it is even harder to stick around when 'on call'. So, I understood his query but we're stuck in the middle today.

We finished it!
Wait until you see the next one!

The day went fine, I finished the puzzle early since Renee had left me an area to complete. We make a good team so I don't always deserve all the puzzle credits. She helped me with this one for which I was grateful. 

I took 2 reservations for a month each and fielded one other phone call. Bill and Gibbs did their park run and Bill went for the mail at Ironwood Outpost. I was able to finish my clubhouse pictures with Mod Podge so they are now secure for a long time. I hope.

A pretty sky this morning.

Bill walked Gibbs before 4 and we closed up shop for another day. The sun is warm and the winds have dropped off considerably. For supper, we had fish and chips....I opted out of the fries, trying to be good with the carbs. (again)

We reached a lovely, sunny 65F/16C and a promise of warmer temperatures throughout our coming days. Yes! We had an after hours call for a one night stay but they weren't going to be able to arrive before darkness and changed their mind for a closer (to them) stopover.

I had pretend spaghetti with
my fish. With lots of butter,
salt and pepper, I like it!

Supper was good and when it was done, we chatted with 'our' youngest daughter, Jess. An update and just hearing her voice is always great. She's a way out and up there in Alberta, bearing the cold, bitter winter. This has been a great day!

So, time for a memory picture.
This is our visit to Nancy's former home
in Vail, Az on Feb. 20, 2018.
Here she is with Cooper's sibling,
Jessie.
Good night!

Thank you for popping by.

Settling Down, Quiet Days in the Park, Hockey?

Park Place RV Park

It was 5:55 am when I first looked at the clock on Thursday, Feb. 19th. It was a great night sleep intermingled with some dreams. I remember Gibbs being in one of them and when I moved, the little bum moved to a nestled spot between my legs. Never a comfy spot for me but for puppies, they love it.

Good morning!
It was a day to work inside,
with gusty winds again outside.

I waited out the next hour and dozed a bit. I knew Gibbs was being patient, wiggling a bit, scratching a bit but waiting for his Daddy to make the 6 o'clock move. It was 6:10 and they both were awake. Obviously, I was too, but I rolled over and dozed again for another hour.

I do love the morning cuddles and games with our little guy. The way he snugs up close and just drops his head on our chest/neck is too cute. Then a bit of playtime as he noses under the duvet and waits for my laughter. 💖 Then he runs down and finds a toy. Today, it was Rocky the racoon.

Gibbs relaxes at home
after lunch.

I decided on my 1 gr of carb bread toasted with p.b. this morning for breakfast with my tea. Being in the office all morning means no munching so I wanted to alleviate any hunger pangs. Bill and Gibbs did the park rounds and I walked over to open up.

At 4:50, this huge gust of wind had
visibility at one point reduced to nil.
I couldn't even see the clubhouse.
Within 20 seconds this was the shot I got.

It was quiet so after my online games, I worked on the puzzle, chatting with Bette and Sue. At 11, the Canada/US game for the gold came on so we put the tv on in the clubhouse to watch. I don't watch sports, really - ever, but it would be cool if these women came home with a win. Therefore, I'm watching.

After sandwiches for lunch and a deision re tonight's supper, I went back over. Bill and Gibbs had their snooze. The winds have settled down a bit, today should be the last day. I don't like the dust that is stirred up but our Suite is never dust-free even on the calmest days..........a bit of rain would be nice.

And 20 seconds after that,
still windy but the dust had
settled.

However, just a bit. I wouldn't appreciate 3 days of precipitation either! So, being inside all day turned out to be a good thing as the winds gusted more and more throughout the daylight hours. After closing up shop at 4:30 (had to go back to help Larry) the wind gusted to 13.2 mph all in a moment's notice.

I'm glad I was drinking my tea instead of taking Gibbs for his walk! I decided we'd stay put this afternoon. For supper, I browned some ground beef with chopped onions, peppers and celery. Then I opened a can of beans. Really challenging, right?

Ground beef, veggies, cheese and
beans made a quick filling meal
with a slice of my bread.

There would be no night flying tonight but game night is still on. An early meal sits well on these nights. There were 7 of us tonight, and we played Rumnikub. It ended just before 9 and I brought up the rear next to Bette. Win some, lose some, right?

When I walked over at 6, this was
the sky.

As always, we had a fun time. This was still a windy day and the clouds in the dark evening sky prevented me from seeing the 5 planets to the west that were supposed to be visible tonight. Maybe I just missed them. 

Maybe some of you saw this?

We reached 64F/16C today. It was a great hockey game even though Canada only walked away with Silver. Both teams played really well with no fights! Way to go!

When all the game tiles ended up on the
floor, Renee, silly gal, got down under the
table to push them our way.
Such a trooper!
Good night!

Thank you for your visit. It was a great day.

Digging our Heels in Even Deeper! Bad Hair Days

Park Place RV Park

On Wednesday, Feb. 18th it seemed that the crank was turned a few more notches and the winds were increased again. Bill said it wasn't bad when he and Gibbs went out at 6, 'feels mild', he said. So, I knew we were going to Walmart in Parker first thing, and put my long comfy dress on.

Good morning!

Hmmm, it doesn't feel too mild to me but with my sweater wrapped nicely around me, it was okay. Bill was kind enough to drop me off at the door to the store which I appreciated very much. Today was a drive for Black Beauty, to clean the exhaust filter, plus we needed a few groceries.

Here we go with even more
tempestuous (my word of the week) skies.

We left before 8 and were back before 10. It was a good quick trip. I debated joining Coffee Hour but decided to stay put and do some quilling until lunch. I suggested toasted bacon sandwiches and Bill jumped at the idea. Rosy, air fried the bacon for us. 

The picture above this one,
was taken seconds before it
and looking to the north.
Seems like another world.

That was delicious! Bill had a Quartzsite Desert Flyers meeting in the clubhouse this afternoon so for at least an hour after eating, I stayed home. When the meeting was over, I walked over to work on the puzzle. It almost felt like withdrawal! ha ha, not really.

Whenever we come down this highway,
depending on Bill's speed,
I want to go 'wheeeee!'

I worked away until a few minutes after 4 and walked back home. I finished my project with the exception of using Mod Podge on it for protection. Then I'll share it. For supper, Rosy was hard at it again and air fried our sausage.

Looking out our back window
towards the southeast,
this dust blew in from the parking lot
across from Arco.
One more day of this.

Bill had his in a bun and I had mine on my plate with cauliflower rice as a side. I need to at least pretend I'm doing better with my diet! It all tasted good and we cleaned up the few pots and settled in for the evening. 

The question to Gibbs was:
" have you got Poppy and Goat with you?"

What I didn't see was that he
had 'Boomerang' too!
💖

Last night I watched a movie, The Trials of Cate McCall and it was enjoyable. Tonight, I found an episode of Survivor 45 on live tv that I haven't seen. I know next week we start with Survivor 50 so this is a warm up. 

This is a real challenge but it
is fun at the same time.

The winds never let up at all today, but we had some sunny periods reaching 65F/16C. We have a few cooler days in store before the heat returns and stays. We're loving it here, amidst the dust. 😄 It has been a great day.

Supper was good.
Love that sauerkraut!
Good night!

Thank you for stopping in.

 

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Park Place RV Park

On Tuesday, Feb. 17th we woke up once again to what is bound to be another wild, windy day. I know it isn't as bad here as it is elsewhere but it is still pretty gusty! Bill didn't even attempt to go to the field, knowing full well that no one else would be there either. 

Good morning!

Windy but still shorts and tees weather.

It was a quiet morning here, so I decided to strip the bed for the wash. Also, our 2 chair quilts needed to be done. I usually like to hang them on the line behind the clubhouse but with the winds and the dust, they could end up worse. 

Walking back through our neighbours site.
They had to take their toy hauler back to
Phoenix for the 3rd (?) time for repairs.
It's brand new!
Hope the winds didn't cause any issues for them.

Our grounding sheet cannot go in the dryer or in the direct sun, so I brought it home with the other things tumbled dry. I stretched the grounding sheet over the shower bar, after I finished showering (🤭), and let it dry all day.

You might remember this flower design.
I'm still wrestling with it. With a free frame,
I covered the inappropriate message and
asked Bill to trim the bottom to fit.
I still think that I'm going to add more green
to fill in the leaves. Then, maybe I'll be happy with it.

                                      😉😆

I started a new quilling project for the clubhouse, that's all I will say now and Bill did his own thing, as did Gibbs. After my shower, I had no plans to go for a walk with Gibbs, sorry little guy, so we had lunch together. While they dozed, I walked over for Pokeno.

After lunch, it was Pokeno time!
I didn't come home too sad, I hope to win
it back next week!

Linda from Gold Star RV Park joined me as did 6 others. We always have such a good time, laughing a lot, no liquid embellishments required. 😂 Last week, I came home a winner, with a full bucket of pennies. Today, not so much, but it was still fun and not a huge loss. Bill was not much help in the lucky department today.

Renee made progress on the puzzle
today.

I worked on the puzzle with Renee after our game ended at 2:45 and returned home around 4:15. I debated taking Gibbs for this walk too, the winds were really gusting. However, we did go and with the sun shining down on us, it was a pleasant enough walk.

After working on the underwater
'fish' puzzle, I was seeing fish in the sky!
Or is it a helicopter?

For supper, breaded shrimp and fries for Bill and I had the shrimp with butternut squash. The squash was from the freezer but it was pretty good all the same. Keeping fresh vegetables in the fridge, when I'm the only one eating them, can sometimes be a waste of money. 

Dave and Joan's 5th wheel in storage here.
I do really like the picture on the front
from Bayfield, Ontario, Canada

The meal was good, interrupted just once with a distress call to help someone get OUT of their rv. They can tell their own story about that! We cleaned up the dishes and I finished my blog. 

Yum, supper was good!

I will have to find something else to watch tonight, I finished the final episode of Gilmore Girls last night. I'm smiling, really happy smiles. 💕💖 We reached a windy high today of 70F/19C under mostly sunny skies. A pretty good day, all in all.

PS - Black Beauty got a shower today! 😍

Tonight's sky, to the west and east.
Good night!

Thank you for visiting!

Poker Pool Time, Some Puzzling, Happy Hour & WINDS!

Park Place Rv Park

On Monday, Feb. 16th there was a dream still filtering around in my rattled brain when I woke at 6:30. Gibbs was beside me in bed so I knew they'd been up and out already. Didn't hear a thing, just the way I like it. Got my usual face wash, "I love you too, Gibbs".

Good morning!
Tempestuous sky this morning.

Bill was almost ready to go to the field by the time I came downstairs after washing and dressing. He knew it was going to be windy day so wanted to try for an early flight before that happened. I finished my tea and took Gibbs for a walk around 8:30. It felt chilly so I was happy I chose my fleece jacket.

A couple of varieties here of
the Desert Sunflower.
Love how Gibbs looks like he's smelling the 'roses'.
He's actually checking pee mail underneath.

I prepped my to-go mug and walked over at 9:15 for our pool game. Only 5 of us today, we missed Linda! We finished up at noon and Bette and I tied for the win! I'm not usually anywhere near the top.......3rd is the best I've done this winter, I think. We had fun, as usual, and parted ways for lunch.

At the Ice Cream Social yesterday,
I had chosen this puzzle.
It was nice that a few others sorted the
border and flipped the pieces!

I had some cabbage stew for lunch and put the rest in the freezer. It's probably enough for 3 or 4 more meals. Bill didn't get home until 1 so made himself a sandwich. I went to the clubhouse for a little over an hour and worked on the next puzzle. A lot of blue in this water scene so it should be a challenge.😉

I managed to get the border,
except for one piece, finished and
start on the inside. This will be
a fun one!

I was back home at a bit before 3 waiting for guests to arrive for Happy Hour. Tom, Deb, Ken and Kim were very obliging, sitting under our canopy with the wind flapping the 2 sides Bill had put in place. When it got uncomfortable, we moved out to the patio mat. Not as warm but it was nicer.

At Happy Hour, we started under the
canopy but the sides flapping were annoying.
Look at that dusty mess out in the desert
not far at all from the park.

It is never a dull moment when we are all together and we enjoy the company. My lime margarita was yummy but had to drink it slowly. They are 12.5% alcohol, so I might 'halving' my alottment. Tasty but a bit deadly. Funny  because we were all just talking about alcohol and its effects on us. LOL 

Gibbs' ears tell the wind story.
He's so good at H.H.

The pre-requisite Happy Hour
photo.

We had chicken thighs, mashed potatoes and mixed veggies for supper. I needed a good meal tonight. It has been a great day. Fun with friends throughout the whole day so we are grateful. This lifestyle is being very kind to us. 

A Sunday meal on a Monday.
Delicious!

We reached a very windy high of 72F/20C and before we came in for the night, Bill dropped the canopy down to its lowest level to protect it from the gusts. So far, the highest of 14.5 mph recorded here but a chance of 23 mph before the day is done. We believe it is the result of storms in certain areas of California. 

When we moved out to the patio,
Bill lowered the sides and before we came
inside, tucked the chairs underneath.
It is all safe now.
Good night!

I hope everyone remains safe.

Thank you for your visit.