A Special Birthday – Weather We Asked For

Park Place RV Park

Saturday, Mar. 11^th arrived with the warmest morning yet. We had windows open all night and the duvet rolled up at the bottom of the bed for the first time in a long while. It didn’t drop below 63F/17C. Today’s high was 79F/26C and we reached it under mostly cloudy skies. 😉 It’s what we’ve been asking for so you’ll hear no complaints here.

Our morning walk
Our morning sky

Bill stayed home this morning and after Gibbs and I took our walk, he studied for the hours before lunch. Studying for what? Check out his blog here to find out what it’s all about. I went to the clubhouse to work on the puzzle and Susan and I soon had it finished. Woops, I forgot to get a picture until I was tearing it down later. 

The layers have prety much grown out
After these longer pieces were trimmed,
2" made a big difference

After our walk, I went to the bathroom and saved myself at least $20. My hair has not been trimmed since we left home in October and it was looking pretty scraggly. Rather than pay the salon to trim just a couple of inches off the bottom, I did it myself. Much better!

This is the best, freshest bread we've had

We were out of bread (and we don’t much care the bread down here – the crusts are so crumbly) so I drove to Roadrunner Market for a loaf of our favourite French loaf. Then we had some for lunch with a few other things. 😊 I sat with Bill at the table for moral support as he registered for his exam. He would read the 35 questions slowly a couple of times, and when necessary resort to his binder of notes, to respond to the multiple choice queries.

Goofy Gibbs
and sleepy Gibbs
He was a good boy while
Daddy took his exam

Wow! The questions were tough but he impressed me by coming out at the end with a great. When the screen prompt came up to say he had passed, I could see the relief sliding off his shoulders. He was so worried (I was not at all and told him so often during the course of the last few days) that he would not pass. I’m proud of what he accomplished. ♥ Congratulations, my love.

Ready for the meal tomorrow

I walked over to the clubhouse around 2 and when I noticed 4 pool players, I put this morning’s puzzle away and began a new 500 piece scenic one from the box. There are only 3 left and we’re done all 10. 😊 I have to brag a bit, in 2 hours, I have completed close to a third of it. This morning, I got out my green nail polish, in honour of St. Patrick, and painted my nails. All of my nails.

This afternoon, we went for
a family walk

Tomorrow, we have a potluck dinner at the clubhouse and I never miss an opportunity to get silly in celebrating any occasion. 

The top one was finished
The bottom one started this morning

Back home at 4, we had grilled bacon cheeseburgers for supper. Nothing else is ever required as they are very filling and delicious. We did reach our forecasted high today and it will be a little easier sleeping tonight with a drop to only 54F/12C. That should be perfect!

Supper

This was a great day and even greater for Bill to have his exam behind him. I hope you’ve enjoyed your day as well. Today is a special day as our youngest grandson turns 4! We made a Facetime to the Alberta family but Easton wasn't feeling good so didn't chat. However, his sweet little sister, Hadley, at 2, kept the conversation going in between her cheeky little grins. ♥ Happy Birthday, Easton!

Usually full of all little boy things............

Today, on his birthday, he just wasn't up to par
Good thing his parents had his birthday party last weekend.
Good night Easton and everyone else!

Thank you for stopping in.

Sliding Through Sunday, Back on Track, Special Birthday

Paisley, On

We were up later last night, watching our movies, so we slept in on Sunday, Jan. 24^th. It was 8:10 when I first woke and looked at my watch. First thing on the agenda was sorting the dirty laundry and Bill carried it down to start the wash. We made our coffee and tea and returned upstairs to read blogs and catch up on Facebook. We called Marilynne soon after and made sure she was up-to-date with our week and visa versa. She is doing well in Fort Erie, On.

It was a crisp morning for a walk so I waited until almost noon

Next on the list was to call Bill’s little sister, Liz. Today is a special #60 for her and she and her husband were just discussing that BIG number. I gave her a perk when we were talking to her and told her there would be more discounts now in restaurants and stores. 😊 She said she hadn’t thought of that. Nothing else really changes, does it? We’re just stepping into another decade when we turn 50, 60 then….yikes!

Happy Birthday, beautiful Liz!

In between laundry loads we connected by Facetime with Jess, Matt, Easton and baby Hadley. Looks like they are all healthy and happy. Easton has the rosiest cheeks ever, that little guy is a goer. Today, he wasn’t as shy and chattered more, even giving us demonstrations of what an elephant, dog, chicken and monkey do. The cutest ones were his elephant and his baby, where he screwed up his eyes and rubbed them with scrunched fists. 😊 Such a cutie, he is.

I didn't think this picture would turn out so pretty
but I love it!

Saugeen River in all its winter glory

When I moved the last load of clothes from washer to dryer, I bundled up and went for my 45-minute walk. I took my ski poles as I wanted to walk through the park along the river. It was -6C/21F but there wasn’t too much of a wind so I was toasty in my winter attire. The park road is cleared by the plows now as they take their dump loads of snow way back in. The hardest part to walk is beyond the gates at the far end. I really had to work to get through the snow buildup.

The plows have cleaned this wide lane out
making it much easier for the dump trucks PLUS
making it much easier for me to walk

I did stop for a selfie or two, but had some difficulty with the light exposure, so much white stuff all around! It was a good walk, getting my 2 miles in and when I returned, I was so hot and sweaty. A good work out for sure and I’m glad to get back in the groove. Bill was upstairs and we rested a bit after the last load was folded and put away and then went down to get some lunch around 12:30. Bill had toast and peanut butter and I had a bowl of soup and a coffee.

Can you see it through the trees?

Just a slight breeze today, which was nice

Time for a selfie!

The puzzle was calling me and there was periodic sunshine out there making the garage nice and bright. Bill sat with me for a while before coming upstairs to start a new book. It’s a good thing he has a job to go to on a daily basis, he’d go stir crazy here every day. He needs to be busy, as do most of us. I’m fortunate with my hands in so many craft pots that I find things to do on my days off during the week. At 3 or so, I was done on the puzzle for today so came upstairs to my own book.

The sun came out a few times but didn't stay long

The streets were easy to walk on as well
Here, I'm heading down the back streets from the park

Lots of icicles on the porch roof here

It was tea time around 3:30 or so and we had already decided on grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for supper. My hubby makes meal times easy more often than not. It’s up to me to try and keep us on track with eating properly but once in a while we break the rules. I have more knowledge of what’s in the freezer for meals anyway. The rest of the afternoon was in prone position on the bed. Remember, this is our recliner for the time being. 😊

There are a lot of trees hiding this residence, which is nice for privacy
but they are such pretty buildings, home and garage
that I wish they were more visible

At 6 we went down for supper. Bill made tomorrow’s lunch at the same time as preparing a cheese sandwich for grilling. I’d decided to skip the bread but made a cheese, onion and ham quesadilla instead. It fried up nicely and voila! Supper was served. We each had a piece of pie for dessert. Everything tasted great and didn’t take long.

The stone pillar at the entrance looks ancient 

Dishes weren’t much at all, just a few plates and utensils. The pans just wiped clean with a paper towel.  I thought it would be a good idea to put one of the pies in the refrigerator freezer. It will be a treat in another week again. This meant a large Ziplock bag that sealed airtight and a flat space. I had to move a few things around to set pie level (note to self: do an inventory) and made it happen.

She's coming along nicely
Oh!!! Wes moved some boxes under the table and found the missing piece
Yay!

My personalized quesadilla
no sour creamm or salsa necessary

The evening was quiet, as Sunday evenings should be. Work tomorrow and although it will be getting colder, -16C with the windchill, we aren’t expecting much, if any, snow at all. Should be a good week for both of us to make it to our jobs.

Quartzsite, AZ
Jan. 24, 2017
Our first year and we knew it was the place for us

Good night!

Thank you for taking the time to check us out!

 

Bug Invasion? More Shopping, Kitchen Gadget Store, Pool on a Hot Day, A Very Special Birthday

On Wednesday, Feb. 27^th I had one important thing on my mind. Unfortunately, waking up at 6:30 isn’t a good time to call back to Ontario (2 hours ahead of us) to wish our youngest grandson a Happy Birthday. Nathan, my son’s only child, turns 9 today. He is a handsome, smart and very tall and slim young fella and would already be at or on his way to school by the time Grandma got her butt out of bed.

Good morning Wednesday

So, after making my tea (knowing I was already too late), I sat and texted Patrick. I wanted him to know that Nathan was at least thought of first thing. A man of few words, especially when he is working, he responded that he would let him know tonight. He suggested a good time for me to call tonight and have a Facetime with the young lad. I just have to remember 2 hours earlier.

And there he is, my youngest grandson
Happy Birthday 9 year old!

I slipped out for a walk and Bill dozed in his chair at 7:30. He was up with Clemson at 4:30 for a piddle and then up for good an hour later, I think. Again, I am so grateful for my sleep habits. We finished our drinks and since our little guy was fast asleep again on the bed, we slipped out and into town. Fry’s was our first stop to pick up the remaining 6 or 8 items there and then on to Wal-Mart for another handful of things.

pretty skies to the north west so I knew the clouds
would move off today

The last stop, just before returning home, was at the AZ Minimall to the Kitchen gadget store. It has another name but that is the name that was suggested to us. It is actually a lot of stores in one area with merely a painted line on the floor separating them. Kind of reminds me of Less Nessman from WKRP. It was indeed a fun store and I’m glad we stopped enabling us both to wander through. Bill found a couple of things and so did I. Some prices were higher than Southwest Exchange but some were lower.

Adding decor to the Event Centre/Office
I think we might have paid for these

Back at home, I was starving so while Bill loaded a propane tank in Black Beauty, I got stuff out for breakfast. He wanted to get right back in before they closed for the noon hour. Off he went and I put things away and would start cooking in half hour, hoping to time it close to his return. You just never know how big the line-ups will be at the propane stops. I changed into my bathing suit in the hopes of securing a lounge chair when I went back to the pool after lunch. Eat and run, yah.

And these critters are starting to appear by the dozens around the front of the park

 Bill wasn’t too long getting propane and by the time my poached eggs on toast was ready, he walked in the door for his. Good timing. After we ate, he shooed me off to the pool, offering to clean up the dirty dishes. I didn’t waste any time, grabbing my pool noodle and setting off. I don’t usually ask Pat to join me since she doesn’t like the sun sitting part BUT she does love the water, so I debated. When I arrived and there were only about 5 sunbathers in attendance, I found a chair and texted her. I could save the lounger beside me if she was coming.

Especially in the games area - yeuch!

Pat replied in the negative which surprised me on this hot day, thinking she would have loved a dip and then she could sit for a bit before heading back. I enjoyed my time there though, and actually got a lot of my book read.

The views from my chair

There ensued a water volleyball game around 2:15 which got noisy but because I’d learned to take ear plugs with me, it didn’t interfere with my reading or dozing one tiny bit. At 2:30 I left the area and it was interesting that all chairs were filled. I’m glad I went early.

Water volleyball
They were having a great time and still left lots of
room for others to swim at the ends

Back home, Rob was sitting out at their site and my sweetie was sitting out at ours, both with their books. He told me that Clemson hadn’t moved off the bed for supper yet so rather than disturb him, I sat and read some more in the shade with Bill. 

What have you got for me Mama Pat?

 At 3:15 he was ready to eat so Bill fed him and we accepted Rob’s invite to Happy Hour today. That is the kind of day we had, warm even in the shade at 78F. I wanted to Facetime with Nathan at 7 so at 5 settled myself on my laptop.

Clemson likes Happy Hours at Rob and Pats

Patrick, my son, was later getting home from work so things were set back a bit and the video call was placed at 5:45. It was nice to see Patrick’s face and then Nate’s. He was involved in his new present, Bumblebee the transformer car. I, at least, knew who that was! Sometimes they talk about things we know nothing about but I was on the ball with this one! It was a very cool toy and I understand his excitement to have it after seeing the movie.

Another early morning picture of the promising sky
The sky cleared right on time around 10 am

For supper, it was simple, with just loaded bacon cheeseburgers and a piece of cake for dessert. This cake goes on my ‘favourite’s’ list since other than cheesecake, I’m not a cake lover. I took a couple of pieces over to Rob and Pat for their dessert as we’ll need help eating it. Dishes didn’t take long to clean up and I worked on my blog post. With only a day left here, Bill went out to put some fresh water in our tank for Friday’s travel day. We’ll be ‘on the road’ Friday night at a Walmart.

I do love the sunbursts

The rest of the evening was with our books and in front of the tv. My crochet project is in the final stages so I may leave it alone tonight. This has been a wonderful day, I’m happy to get a couple of pool days in before we leave. I hope you are also enjoying this fantastic weather.

Thank you for your visit.

Christmas Eve Day and It’s Almost Perfect! Special Birthday Wishes

It was my normal time of 6:45 when I stretched and crept out of bed on Monday, Dec. 24^th, more commonly known as Christmas eve. Whoa! One more sleep! I know of 5 young grandchildren for sure who will be counting down the hours today. Possibly a couple of teens and a couple of young adults who will also be looking forward to Christmas Day nevertheless with a little less ‘Santa’ enthusiasm.

Pretty sky this morning

Heck, I’m sure there are a few adults, Moms and Dads too, who are excited for the morning’s ruckus. Others will be grateful for the holiday from all the preparations and I hope able to stay home for the main event tomorrow. We are here in sunny, hot California/Arizona with a whole different view on these couple of days. No bustling, last minute shopping, not a lot of baking or food prep and definitely no wishing for that ‘white Christmas’.

I meet Loree walking Freddy in the early hours

We’re happy, this is our choice. However, that does not mean we do not miss our children, grandchildren, parents and siblings back home. That is what I will miss today and tomorrow, that closeness. I couldn’t be in a nicer place on Christmas morning though, in my sweetie’s arms, it’s all I ever wish for during this wonderful blessed season.  We may not have family, but we have surrounded ourselves by friends, here in the southwest states. Life is wonderful!

Headed west this morning down a quiet road

And I saw this pretty thriving Desert Sunflower for Daddy

I walked in the opposite direction today and explored another area of the desert. It wasn’t as long of a walk but I was keyed up to get back and read some blog postings before grabbing a bite to eat. We were on schedule for our second morning of Bocce ball and we walked up with Rob, Pat and Ron. What fun, we do love this game! When we finished the comradery at the court, it was 11:30 and we walked back for some lunch.

Bill and Pat watching their partners at the opposite end

Trying to throw it perfectly
What form! Ha ha

Pat tries for a knock out

Ron's first time playing and he did really well!
Love the Red Skelton legs here 

Rob looks right on track with this one

I warmed up some of my soup and finally tasted it along with the coffee Bill made for me. Yum, it turned out very tasty and I don’t think I’d even added salt or pepper. I’m always watchful for teeny chicken bones and did indeed find a couple but I enjoyed it. I have another 3+ cups in the fridge and about 6 cups in the freezer. That will last me for quite a while. While eating, we called our friend, Derrick, at his work to wish him and Kathy and the other staff a Merry Christmas.

My soup was great!

Today, is not only Christmas eve. It is a special birthday besides. If you can imagine having a birthday on the 24^th of December. Bill’s 3^rd daughter celebrated one today. It was nice to talk to her on the phone and wish her a Happy Birthday in person. I hope it was a fantastic day, Krystal! 

Happy Birthday you beautiful young lady!

Thank you for the ‘gift’. 😊 The rest of the day was pretty much ‘do what you want’ so after lunch, Pat and I walked up to the library and worked on the puzzle. We made some headway, which is always difficult on a new puzzle. Getting started.

I’d changed into my bathing suit before we went and at 2:30 Pat walked back home while I went to the pool. A few laps back and forth, a hot tub dip and then 45 minutes lounging in the chair was just what I needed. We know that the weather is going to change after today so I wanted to get another swim in while the 74F temps were still here. I walked back for 3:30 Happy Hour at George and Suzie’s and we took our drinks and chairs to join the gang.

It was more fun watching Ron get a picture today
than actually taking my own of Happy Hour

The usual joviality took place until 5 when we split up and headed home to make supper. Bill lit the Weber and I hopped on the bike for a run up to the garbage before he put the burgers and bacon on. We were eating by 5:30 and that included a nice portion of spaghetti squash for me. Bill had his bun and a very juicy looking bacon cheeseburger and I loaded my burger up on the plate.

Sitting where I was, I had a good view of Bill's flags

Before dishes, we called our friends back home, Jim and Sharon, and caught them before they leave tomorrow for a Christmas adventure with family. It was nice to hear their voices. It isn’t easy catching our children at home on this busy night so will wait and hope to make personal calls in the morning before their fun-filled day begins. 

Simple but yummy supper

Bill and I sat and watched the recorded version of The Christmas Train together. A nice Christmas eve story. We shared a bowl of hot buttered popcorn too!

You would think this sky would have led to a
beautiful sunset but the clouds were gone
and I missed the performance anyway

This has been a fun day for us and yet it didn’t involve a lot of any one thing. We have friends around us and we are spending this special night together with our little boy snuggled beside us. I hope your evening turns into everything you wish for too.

Hoping this jolly fellow did this under your tree today
Merry Christmas!

Thank you for the visit!