Window Shopping for Fun, Smaller Happy Hour Again, Happy Birthday

Quartzsite, AZ

On Friday, Jan. 24^th we were up together by 7 and when Bill’s coffee was finished, we went for our walk. Nothing better than watching that beautiful sun come up over those mountains. We counted 10 rv’s in line to dump with more coming so told Bob and Jo-Anne that when we returned to camp. They were packing up and leaving today and by the time we got back, they were ready to say goodbye. After hugs, I made sure to visit Higgins in the truck to get and give my hug and kiss to the little guy.

Another pretty start to the day

We knew there would be wispy clouds most of the day
but this sun was still ever present making it very warm

These saguaros in the sunlight were healthy and beautiful

I planted a couple of rocks the other day
One was picked up but this one was still here

This was a surprise to us as we didn’t know they had planned to move on until yesterday after Happy Hour. I’m under the impression that we’ll meet up again in a couple of weeks and we all wished them farewell and safe travels. Bob has family in the Palm Springs area so they’ll get a nice tour around there. Bill and I each had a bowl of oatmeal and he and Keith took turns having a shower. Then we all drove into town to do our yearly window shopping at the RV show.

Bye Higgins!

Bye guys!

We like walking through some of the motor homes and then some of the 5^th wheels. After going a few together, Keith wandered off on his own to Tyson Wells for some flea market shopping. Bill and I eventually made our way over there as well and each found an article of clothing for a really nice price. Turns out, as we found out from Ken later, the owner of that booth is selling out. That’s why the deals were so good. 😊 Works for us!

There were a few nice motor homes but this Solitude was the best
5th wheel we've seen
Front bedroom, Centre kitchen, Back raised living room
giving this huge under belly storage
No, we're not in the market!

When we left there, we made a couple of other stops. One was to get our 5-gal jug of water filled, a whole $1! Next Bill drove out to Jim Colwell’s place so I could get a few pictures of the place. Jim is who the Quartzsite flying field is named after and he and his wife have quite the amazing ‘shop’ (for lack of a better word) at their residence in the Q.

this is Jim's residence and shop on Datig Ave.
Nancy, see the quilt over the door to her shop?

Jim entertains his hobby of rc planes in a large section and his wife does the same with the other portion of the shop with her quilting. Wow! That is all I can say to go along with the few pics I took.

The quilt in process

Her sewing room

Upstairs where you really had to duck your head
his storage are
I don't know if you can see all the wings staged on the right
and fusilages' nose down in a rack in the centre
but there was no shortage of plane parts up here

From there we drove home. I felt whooped and hungry so when we got home, rather than having bacon and eggs, Bill made himself a peanut butter and cheese bun and I made up another taco with all my own fixings. It was filling along with my coffee. 

Bill and Jim poke through a couple of new kits
that were purchased from an auction estate

Look up

Look way up
This is a personal collection

 There weren’t enough dishes to worry about so Bill went out to help Keith work on one of his planes. He’d had a problem with it in yesterday morning’s flight. Next thing I knew, they were loading it up to go back to the ‘shop’ where Jim has an open repair shop, with all the tools and materials, for any club member. Both Keith and Bill have paid the $10 yearly fee to join.

The still bustling town of Quartzsite and the mountain
can be seen over the tent tops
The Big Tent is on the far left, all the rest
are Tyson Wells' vendors

Back at camp, Bill and Keith worked on Keith's plane
before taking it into town

I was quite content here at home and had no responsibility to anyone other than myself. Ken and Kim had just returned before they left so I wouldn’t be here alone. Not that that would have been a problem in daylight. At night, it would be a different story. I got so engrossed in my book outside in the sun that I may very well finish it tonight. It is such an enjoyable read! Kim joined me with her book but we ended up chatting for most of the time.

My lunch taco and cottage cheese

When Ken, Tom and Deb walked over with their chairs, one of the smallest H.H.’s in a while took place. The party broke up before 5 and with Big Red not between us and the western sky, both Kim and I had sun on our patios until it dropped below the mountain. 

Kim and Ken

Bill texted at 5 to say they were on their way home but I had no cause to move until they returned. Supper was just burgers so he lit the Weber closer to 6. I was happy for Keith that he was able to get things back up and running.

Deb and Tom

And soon the small group departed

I made up a salad for our supper (you know, the open bag deal) and had my burger without a bun and also ate my leftover dog from yesterday’s lunch. It was a tasty supper and whether we needed it or not, we each had a dish of Caramel pecan ice cream. Yum, it has been a while. 

I had a clear view of the sun dropping without moving at all

Burger, dog and salad

Dessert

I’ll have to walk extra tomorrow to pay for it! Many rv’s have pulled out over the last couple of days, although in town it was still very busy. Hopefully, I will be able to post my blog tonight.

This cloud was intriguing as it went through
changes from the sunset

I took more pictures than this but you
get it :)

As I was taking pictures, someone else was doing the same
Ha ha

 I downloaded pictures and moved them into Picasa. I played my Scrabble games online and the rest of the evening is history. I hope you’ve enjoyed your day as much as I have. The weather at 73F was gorgeous!

Good night all!

One more thing about today. It is Bill's youngest sister's birthday.

Liz and her newest grandson
Happy Birthday Liz!

Thank you for dropping by!

Morning Flurry, Not the White Kind, Lovely Day in all Ways

Pilot Knob RV Resort, Winterhaven CA

On Tuesday, Jan. 7^th I glanced at the clock at 6:30 and rolled over next to Bill. Next thing we knew, it was 7:20! I knew with Bill’s plans for this morning that he wasn’t going to be walking with me, so I got the coffee/tea things out and headed out. I did just a tad over a mile this morning as I wanted him to have good food in his stomach. When I returned, just before the sun popped, I made him some bacon and eggs.

I knew I went in just before the sun popped
but this is still pretty

He was washed and ready by 8:30 and at 8:45 we both pretty much went out the door. I’d noticed that a new Exercise/Strength/Weight training class was on our schedule for the first time. It was for 9 am in the clubhouse and shuffleboard was also starting up (member generated) at 10 on Tuesday’s. I've learned not to wait for someone to join me for certain things so I walked in and joined Diane’s class. There were 8 of us, a nice size group and  workout was slow-paced, designed for seniors.

You wouldn’t think that simple arm and leg bends and stretches would give your muscles a work out but I’m here to tell you that at this age, they do. It wasn’t ‘just for ladies’ either and we had one lady’s husband in the group as well. The shuffleboard was just outside the clubhouse door so I just stopped there and until Allie came, it was just LaDonna and Rod. We played 3 games until about 11:15 and that was enough. I was starving! Oh yes, I was on the winning team twice. I was hot today!

My lunch today

This morning, Jo-Anne and Bob went across to Los Algodones for her last dental appointment and when I heard a dog running and panting behind me, I was surprised to see my little buddy, Higgins. I didn’t know they were back yet. Back at the Suite, I pulled a frozen pack of chicken hearts out of the freezer and the last portion of quiche out of the fridge. Lunch! It was good and hopefully filling enough to last throughout the day. Day 7 and neither Bill or I have collapsed from not eating the food we’re used to. Never fear, there will be occasional rewards if we do well.

When purging, I came across these two placemats
A beautiful gift from our friends, Brenda and Randy
They are so pretty so I was saving them for an 'occasion'
Silly me - this life is an occasion and we're using them daily now

I cleaned up dishes and finished my coffee before getting to work. Tomorrow is Garage Sale day in here and I have a few things to put out. There are a couple of cupboards to go through. Kitchen cupboards. This has already been a flurry of activity this morning but it has been fun! I was surprised that I’ve decluttered so well in the past, over the past summer, I guess. The under the table hutch had very few items to put out for the sale. Everything else is keeper stuff.

So, I emptied a cupboard and re-adjusted the shelf

The overhead cupboards above our chairs – same thing. I use those storage containers at different periods of the year. Next cupboard was our dvd/cd/book storage. It is on the right-hand side of the fireplace and the shelf that Bill made for it is on a tilt. The weight of the dvd sets and my ‘books to read’ were just too heavy and have broken a few of the tabs. So, I emptied it, sorted cds and removed a Rubbermaid container used to hold them.

Things are rearranged and back in place
Better organized

Things went back in much nicer without that tub and for now, it is much more organized. Back home in the spring, Bill might remove the shelf holder strips altogether but I managed to put the shelf back in straight with a lighter load of cds sitting on it. That purging produced a few cds to sell. I don’t think I have any more cupboards to purge or sort so I sat back and waited for Bill. He texted around 1 that they were on their way home.

The winds while we were at the pool
were non-existent for the most part

We sat together and chatted for a while catching up on each other’s morning. The guys had a great time in Los Algodones and couldn't thank Bill enough for taking them. Then I headed up to the pool. Jo-Anne wasn’t interested in going today, which is perfectly fine, so about an hour later Bill came along for a swim. We spent a couple of hours up there and it was nice that Keith soon wandered over for a dip in the pool. We kind of had a Happy Hour there but with water instead of alcohol. 😊 We all left around 4:30 and walked back. It is a balmy 72F still at 5 pm.

And look at this sky

We are loving this weather and it was nice to hear that Keith also is falling in love with Arizona heat and this park as well. For supper, I’d planned quarter pound Beef Franks from Sam’s Club. They look so good and I believe that is what I had on Friday up here at the park’s burger/dog supper. Yum! They just need to be heated so Bill warmed up the Weber around 5:30. Inside, I steamed another chunk of cabbage and cooked some mixed vegetables for Bill.

While Bill started the Weber, I caught a bit of the
sun going down

Supper was very easy and very good

Another guilt-free dessert

We were eating supper, including some Creamy Jell-o, before 6 and done dishes soon after. Tonight is our night for tv so we started at 6 watching the new season's first episode of NCIS. Our favourite. There is also FBI, one we watched last season, and FBI, Most Wanted, a brand new one. More start next week so we don’t want to get too caught up in anything new. Why they all have to be Tuesday night is beyond me!

The sky was pretty to the west

This has been a busy but really nice day. The weather was perfect from beginning to end and the wind, although very present at times, didn’t amount to much all day.

I obviously missed a pretty sunset
This is looking north to the mountains
Good night from Pilot Knob!

Thank you for your visit today. Your comments are always welcome!

And the Sun and Warmth Returns, Visitation/Memorial in Stoney Creek

We wake up Wednesday, June 7^th to beautiful, gorgeous, brilliant, sunshine! I was dreaming again and it was one of those reoccurring ones. I always seem to dream about getting lost (direction-wise) or getting left somewhere not able to reach Bill. My deep-rooted fear perhaps?

Last night at The Ridge

I was up at 7:15 and opened all the blinds in the Suite. By the time I poured my tea, Clemson was up and went out for his morning business. Realizing how warm the sun was, even though it was only 10C in the shade, I turned the inverter on. I unplugged from electric and turned the portable panel to face east.

Clemson's get away gate

Bill slept until 8:30, my night owl, and was pleased to see the blue sky when he got up. As I finished reading blog posts I decided to try and learn a bit more about my camera. My sister, Audrey, tries to feed me valuable information. She refers me to various websites but it is still a lot of ‘tekky/camera’ speak and I’m lost before getting too far.

Depth of field, I get and now found the button, and ISO I know how to change, however changing the f-stop while in AV mode is beyond me. I’m still willing but unless it sinks in this brain, it is useless to me when outside taking pictures. LOL I don’t know how you camera guys do it.

Pretty little yellow flowers

Our pond weeds are almost reaching the surface

So, Bill finished his coffee and I pulled the plug on the gray water tank. It was full and needed to be drained before my shower. Our fresh water tank is below 50% so my sweetie is going to fill the bladder this morning. He will fill the small propane tank today so I can barbecue also while he is away. With the weather turning nice, I’m sure I’ll be doing that.

Full barbecue tank

Filling our fresh water tank

 He wants to make sure I have everything I need before he departs for a couple of days. My hero. I remember when we lived at the house in London, for the first few years I dreaded using the barbecue. I don’t know why, it was just always ‘Bill’s job”. Maybe I thought it would blow up or something. Who knows?  I’m happy to know how and to be comfortable with our Weber Q.

I've mentioned our corral a number of times
This is a view of it from the top
No horses, though

With all these jobs done, Bill hopped in the shower. Clemson and I walked down the lane to mail a letter. He needed to stretch his long legs before we left him alone for 7 hours. We have backups in case something were to happen, we know people who don’t live too far away who would come and get him.

This bumble bee was loving my geraniums

We left the Suite after a light breakfast and although the gps took us a different way than we’d originally thought, we arrived in Stoney Creek at the Funeral Home at 2:30. We travelled Hwy 10 for the most part until catching the 410, then the QEW and so on. We knew we’d come home a different way.

Through Priceville, then Flesherton

Pretty town of Shelburne

Some plates make me chuckle

 It was a nice little reunion for Bill and I, seeing many of his cousins and Aunt Ruthie. These are all relations on his Mom’s side of the family. So, Glen, Gary, Greg, Uncle Ray’s sons. Cheryl, Maryann, Heather, Donna Marie, Colleen. Gary’s son, Raymond and Constance. I think I’ve mentioned everyone we knew. We were sad to have just missed Peter and Kelly. Darn!

Orangeville

After the afternoon visitation ended, we were invited back to Uncle Ray’s house where Glen lives for a drink and something to eat before heading home. This was really nice, we were both hungry and the food was delicious. Thank you, Cheryl and MaryAnn.

These are awesome skyscrapers! 25 - 30 stories high

The Burlington Skyway

We left the house on Pottruff Rd. and took Queenston to the QEW. We couldn’t believe the traffic coming from the other direction! We were very glad to be heading north.

The QEW was packed coming the other way

 We crossed over the Burlington skyway and I captured a few pictures of Lake Ontario and even the CN Tower off in the distant haze.

A little intimidating! 

Beautiful wild flowers

Fergus

Newest Arthur water tower

When we saw the traffic advisory that there was a slow down AFTER Guelph Line, we were grateful to be turning off ONTO Guelph Line. This would take us home the route we wanted which included Hwy 6 through Fergus, Arthur, Varney and Durham.

Donald Brown Funeral Home

This was an absolutely gorgeous day and we enjoyed the blue skies and sunshine even though we were in a vehicle for most of it. We’re glad we took the time to go to the visitation since Uncle Ray did not wish to have a funeral. It was a nice quiet celebration with his closest family members.

We arrived home at 7:10, a much shorter time period than our drive out. 

Coming up the drive we noticed not one, not two but three female turtles off to the side digging nest holes. My goodness, we are overrun! I love it. 

One, two

Three, all in a  row

 Then when we got to our gravel parking site, one special greeter sitting there waiting for us. As we looked each other in the eye, I snapped this picture.

He/she is so cute!!

We didn’t need supper tonight since we ate just after 4 but Bill barbecued up 4 burgers. He will take two for his supper tomorrow night and leave two for me for Thursday and Friday night supper. We set about packing the rest of his stuff up so he will be able to leave for London by 6 am.

I hope you have had a great day. I have included last night’s stunning sunset at the beginning of my post as well as tonight’s gorgeous display below.

An early shot of tonight's portrait

And The Ridge says goodnight

Thank you for reading along. Your comments are always welcome.