Garage Sale Day – No Sale? Bill Putters Around

Pilot Knov RV Resort, Winterhaven, CA

On Wednesday, Jan. 8^th it was a day for ‘park residents’ to place items out on their site if you wanted to sell things. I’d been gathering a few things that we have in the Suite that we don’t need or use any more so decided to put them out. We weren’t going anywhere anyway. It doesn’t much matter what, if anything sells, it is a step in the right direction to purging. If no sale, with the exception of 4 things, they will all go in a load to Goodwill.

All set up for the sale that didn't happen

 The day was sunny and bright again with a slight wind varying between 2 and 7 mph. We’d slept in until 7:30 so rather than head out for a walk, I started pulling things together. Bill had some caulking to do on the Suite so set about doing that until he couldn’t find his caulking gun. Drat! He has two and was sure he’d brought one along. Bummer. He’ll pick one up tomorrow in Yuma. He moved on to something else today. Around 10:30, I made myself a bullet proof coffee and got things out for breakfast.

Bill worked outside on the Suite for the morning

Today, we had omelettes for a change and they were quite fat and filling. Again, it must have been too soon for me to eat at 11 as I wasn’t hungry. Bill came in off the roof and I cleaned up afterwards since he was working and I wasn’t. I saw 1 or 2 people stop and check out our table, but very briefly so at 11:30 I went out and packed things up. No sale. The items were coming back inside only temporary until we head into Yuma next. Hey, it was worth a shot!

My little book

Oh-oh, this is not good

 I changed into more suitable attire for this warm day, going from long pants to capris at least. Maybe I’ll work on the puzzle a bit, maybe I’ll visit the pool again. We’ll see, the whole afternoon awaits! Maybe I won't do anything other than read. 

The pool was nice today
Surprise!

We chatted a bit with Jo-Anne and Bob when they returned from town (?) and made plans to meet for the pool at 1:30. Three of us walked up and since Bill wasn’t interested today, he minded the forts and had a snooze. He’d worked most of the morning up on the roof of the Suite, cleaning the taped edges, prepping for the next step. There were only a couple of people at the pool but a very chatty lady whom Bill and I had met a couple of days ago.

Sitting outside after the pool
Cooling down with my book

She took up conversation mostly with Bob as they were both in the pool so Jo and I were happy about that. Sometimes, it is just too much and you have to be your own control ‘board’ on how much you want to listen to.  After the very knowing lady and her husband filled us in on more than we needed to know, they left. We enjoyed the sun and I'd had just one quick dip in the pool. Remember, we don’t have humidity so that sun is just the ticket for me. Otherwise, I’d be in and out like a yo-yo to keep cool.

Bob showered and returned home around 3 and Jo-Anne and I hung around until closer to 4. Back home, I changed and sat with Bill who was pages away from finishing his book, Swimsuit. I remember the last half as being very addicting too. It was warm inside so I opted to sit outside with my own book, The Reversal, by Michael Connelly. It is one of the Lincoln Lawyer stories with Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch so I’m already hooked after only 3 chapters. LOL

I mixed up the meatloaf and put the pot in the sling

Cooked for 25 minutes, 10 min. NR

It was when I was outside that I got a phone call. An 800# which for us can mean a number of things. Namely a call we don’t take, but rather let it go into voice mail if it is legit. They left a message and it was RBC Visa wanting us to call regarding our American Visa. Bill called right away and we discovered that our card had been hacked. The charge for over $1,000 was not made by us. It had not gone through, RBC Visa caught it so they were able to cancel it.

While supper was cooking, I ran out a couple of times watching
the sun set

Unfortunately, that also meant cancelling our cards and issuing us new ones. Darn! We are so grateful that they are on the ball and took care of it. Our new cards will be shipped here via UPS over the next 3 business days. While I contemplated supper, the original plan scrapped, Bill walked up to say hello to Keith and Dave and make sure they were still on board to go to the Arizona Market tomorrow with us.

I zoomed in for this one

To the east, the moon hangs in a still blue sky

I started meatloaf and got it going in Madame IP. What to have with it? We need to go shopping and get more salad and veggies but for tonight, I’ll have broccoli and Bill will have corn. Not the best for keto but better than rice or potato. We were eating by 6 and the evening was a quiet one. There is a new program starting tonight that I might record or watch to see if it is something worth following.

And the sun dips below the horizon

Supper turned out really good as meatloaf nights usually do. Bill enjoys it and never has a complaint. This time, for some reason, there was more liquid than normal so I may adjust a quantity or cook time in the future. For dessert, we each had one last dish of custard before clearing the dishes up. While I finished working on my post, Bill turned on an old movie that we both enjoy. You’ve Got Mail is a fun one to watch with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It was a quiet evening and a wonderful day.

Successful meatloaf dinner again

Tonights meal was finished off with custard - Yum
good night!

Thank you for dropping in!

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

Pilot Knob, Winterhaven, CA

Awake before the alarm on Friday, Jan. 3^rd, 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. 26^th 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!

Winding Down Here, More Stepping, Finding Friends, Time at the Pool

Yuma Lakes RV Resort, Yuma, AZ

On Friday, Dec 13^th we were up together at 6:30. There were some low-lying clouds so it remained dark outside until about 7:10. After Bill had his coffee, we went for our walk together. We were curious to see where new friends have planted themselves in the park so did another perimeter walk. Dave and Cheryl of The View from Here arrived yesterday.

A pretty picture looking west this morning

We will all be leaving here Sunday and moving to Pilot Knob for Christmas. I assume right now that they will be there through Christmas. We found their site and I left a painted stone on the running board of their truck as we walked by. Woops, meant to take a picture. Back home, I had my tea and walked up to advanced line dancing for 9 o’clock. On the way, I crept up close to Dave and Cheryl’s rv and snapped the picture I missed getting earlier.

And the sun comes up starting another great day

 This is the last day I will be able to attend the line dance class as they only do it through the week. I stumbled a bit with a few more new dances but I had fun and they weren’t critical at all of me. Taking the time to show me some of the challenging steps in the middle of a dance didn’t fizz on any of them. Nice people. As I was leaving, I told them that it was my last class because we were leaving on Sunday and they all said exactly the right things to make me feel good. 😊

The Cedar Creek and truck of our friends

When I returned to the Suite, Bill wasn’t around so I waited a bit, thinking he was next door. He’d told me that he wanted to eat breakfast when I got back so we could head into Yuma Market as early as possible. When he wasn’t home by 10:10, I texted him, asking where he was. He was visiting D & C and returned soon after. We had bacon and eggs, did dishes and hopped in Black Beauty by 11. The market parking lot was fuller than yesterday and we had one destination to check out inside.

We went in search of the vendor that was not open yesterday and then wandered a bit down one of the aisles. Soon, we left the market and drove to Walmart for some milk and more salad fixings. While there it made sense to check out chair covers, hoping to find another one like the one we bought from Debbie’s garage sale here. No luck and these things aren’t cheap! Gosh, we wish she’d had two the same. Back home, I changed into my bathing suit and texted Jo-Anne that I was going to the pool. She responded that they were already up there.

The pool was wonderful and so was the sun

I walked up and since Bob was in the hot tub chatting with some guys, she offered me his lounger. There weren’t any others available and he didn’t mind sitting in a regular patio chair when he came over. Thanks Bob! The first thing I did was get in the pool and float around for a few minutes to get wet. Jo-Anne and I stretched out in the sun for half hour before they left to go back. They’d already been at the pool for over an hour.

Here is the progress we're making on that 2,000 pc. puzzle

Alone, I stayed and read my book, flipping from stomach to back getting the full coverage, don’t ya know! At 3:00 I took another dip in the pool, then the hot tub before heading back around 3:15. The water was lovely today. Bill, Bob and Jo were all over at the neighbours' for Happy Hour so after changing, I took my chair and drink to join them. There were 5 doggies running around, making friends and getting neck rubs where ever they could. They were fun to watch. 

Treat time
Looks like but no, it isn't Clemmy's ghost up on his hind legs

Nice people, but I don't know their names

They all own motor homes

The conversation was such that I really didn’t participate and after an hour and a bit, I was chilled and took my chair home. Sometimes H.H. just don’t interest me. No offense. I made myself a cup of creamy tea at 5 and sat with my book. Bill returned soon after and the rest of the group also went their separate ways. At 5:45, I started supper. We had Caesar salad and shrimp poppers done in the air fryer. They were really tasty!

Higgy was played out, under Jo-Anne's chair for a nap

After dishes, Bill sat watching Live PD while working on the White Sheet crossword puzzle. I’d done all I could so I like to get his responses. He filled in a few as well. Today on the way back from Yuma, we stopped at the Park Office and picked up 2 tickets for the 50’s dance tomorrow night at the clubhouse. Erma, one of my teacher’s at dance class, was taking the cash and issuing tickets. I had a few laughs with her and her husband. She’s such a nice lady.

Back home, the sun was setting

I snapped a picture of the group from our bedroom window
after I returned

Tomorrow, I figure will be a pretty relaxing day. I’m thinking I’ll go to the pool and perhaps do a load of sheets and towels at the laundromat at some point but not much else. We won’t be quite as close to the laundromat at Pilot Knob so may as well take advantage, right? This has been a great day. The weather couldn’t have been any better, rounding out around 74F/23C mid-afternoon. We call that pretty much perfect!  

These little shrimp poppers are very good and only
took a few minutes (5 or so) to cook

Oh!Two other nice things happened today. Bill's sister, my sil, who volunteers in the kitchen at the Hospice in Stratford where our friend George is right now, stopped in to introduce herself. She stayed for a short visit and met Suzie as well. Thank you, Carol for taking the time to say 'hey' to our friend, when we are unable to. Check out his blog at geosuzie.blogspot.com to meet Carol.

And Happy Birthday to our blogger friend, Shirley! 

Thank you for your visit today!