The Days are Zipping By

Yuma, Arizona

On Wednesday, Dec. 11^th we were up before 6:30 and by 7:30 both Bill and I were out the door for a morning walk. I was pleased that my sweetie was joining me and we had a nice walk surrounding the park and down into the Yuma Estates section. This is where the ‘permanents’ live in their units, 5^th wheels, travel trailers, motor homes and park models, all covered with those huge rv shelters. I neglected to get a picture of the complex. I really didn't get many pictures at all today so I'll share some of the overload from yesterday.

A pretty sunrise

We then walked up to the bocce ball area and took some measurements of their smaller courts. Bill and I talked about making one at the Ridge and this has given us a good idea. On the way back, we chatted briefly with a fellow at the Eagle fifth wheel from Ontario. We like to know where our fellow Canadians are from. They are from the Oshawa area and we shared our future travel plans with each other.

The park is decorated with interesting
old things

This guy likes to play in the mud, obviously

Close to our site, we saw and chatted with Jo-Anne (& Higgy) and I asked her if she was going to join me for the Beginner line dance class at 9. At first, she said no, she had some paperwork to do (for back home) and then at 8:45, she texted that she would go along. Yay! It was the only day of the week when the beginner’s class was held, all the rest are advanced. So, we walked up to the Western Country clubhouse together.

This one is cute.

Jo-Anne had a good time, learning one dance after the other and even though we can easily forget what we’ve learned after leaving, she learned the most popular basic Electric Slide and will be able to put it to use on any dance floor, to any music. After the hour, our hearts were pumping and we’d worked up a sweat for sure. The walk back was a necessary cool down and at our sites, we parted ways.

                                      These ladies do well at remembering

                                                       all the steps.

I changed into shorts and took my bullet proof coffee out to the picnic table. In the sun, I read through the White Sheet, the Yuma booklet and the Los Algodones booklet that the park staff gave us upon arrival. I’m just getting some ideas, new or old, about what we can do over the next month. I texted Ken and Kim and basically invited ourselves to Happy Hour at their spot in Pilot Knob RV Resort. LOL

I thought I was in for a sad story
but.............not so!

Around 1, I walked to the clubhouse and worked on the 2,000-pc puzzle with 'Don'. Apparently, Don is always working on puzzles and so I joined him. Bill wanted to fuel up so he drove to Kim and Ken's site. They were waiting for us. 

A happy group in part sun, part shade

Even Higgins relaxed under Kim's chair

We sat under their awning, behind the sun shade and enjoyed drinks, laughs, warmth and conversation together. It was 4:30 or so when we packed up our chairs and coolers and drove back to Yuma Lakes. It was a ‘scenic’ route showing Bob the way into some key shopping areas from that direction for when we are at P.K.

And on the drive home, the sun started setting

Bill lit the Weber and grilled 2 farmer sausages for our supper and inside I warmed the buns and prepared our salad. Supper was good. Actually, the sausage on a bun with sauerkraut, mustard and onions was delicious! 

After dishes we watched a pre-recording of The Voice and Madame Secretary. Both were good for evening entertainment and after I finished my blog, I read some of my book while Bill watched a movie and went to bed around 10.

And then we had a little ice cream for dessert
and I had choke cherry syrup (jelly that didn't work out)
on mine
Delicious!
Good night y'all!

Another wonderful day in our lives. Thank you for stopping by!

At Last, Laundry Got Done – Yard Sale-ing with Rob, Valentine’s Dance

On Saturday, Feb. 9^th it was 7 when we both got up. Laundry was the plan for the day so with it already sorted, we loaded it in the truck and Bill drove me back to the clubhouse right away. I didn’t obey the rules, instead using up 3 washers instead of the recommended 2 but didn’t see the sign until later. No worries. Any questions? I used 2 and Bill used 1. 😊 After helping me load the clothes in, Bill left and I walked around the park for my morning exercise. 

Beautiful morning sunrise

At the end of my walk, I stopped at home and made a tea to take back with me while I waited. It was only 47F but a very calm day with no wind. The sky was blanketed in clouds so we may not reach our 65F today. I worked on the puzzle while waiting for the clothes to dry and texted Bill to come and help fold. Rob had been over and asked Bill if we wanted to join them as he took Pat around to find craft sales.

I said a definitive YES but strongly recommended to Bill that he stay home. He does not enjoy this type of hopping around at all and definitely is not into Yard sales so he happily agreed to stay behind and work on his model. So, between putting clothes away, Bill and I shared the task of frying bacon and eggs for breakfast and then he scooted me off while he did dishes. Play time for me!

The digital scales were like new, still in the box

Rob took his book along and became our ‘driver’. What a sweet guy! I knew it was the only way I’d be able to take advantage of this type of shopping and enjoyed it very much. We found some great deals but never made it to a Craft sale at all. Too much fun was had! Pat was also pleased with her purchases and free stuff. Back home, I showed Bill my haul for under $12.

new floppy beach hat

A free set of new Digital bathroom scales that actually appear to be very accurate, a 2^nd hand set of Radio Shack walkie talkies and most importantly, a Cancun hat! I had fun. Pat found a large box of food stuff that a nice gentleman had put out marked Free. It wasn’t that it was outdated, his wife had returned from a cruise they were on, in a sickly state and he was just emptying cupboards of things they wouldn’t eat. Bonus for us, we got a lot of different things including 10 boxes of the sugar-free, low carb Jell-o we’ve been buying recently. 

We finally told Rob that we’d had enough and returned home a couple of hours later. I told you Rob was a sweet guy! (Just don’t tell him I told you so!) Bill was happy with my finds. I had pulled chicken thighs out for supper tonight but we needed something in the meantime. I made myself a cup of java and we had a toasted tomato sandwich for a change.

While out, Rob drove to Fortuna de Oro, the nicer sister park next door. Pat came out of the Activities Centre with more information than what we’ve received here after a week. They are holding a Valentine’s Dance tonight at their beautiful Clubhouse and as ‘residents’ of Sundance, we are welcome as well for the same price. A discussion will ensue with Rob and Pat before we decide if we’ll attend. It was fun last year with Tom and Deb and the oldies music sounds appealing.

Today's sunset came and this was the first appearance of the sun all day

In the mood, I boiled water and mixed up some lime Jell-o before settling myself in my chair. I enjoy not only the idea of this no sugar, low carb dessert treat but also the yummy flavor. It is so easy to make, maybe because it is a 2-stage recipe. The Jell-o does have to set for 4 hours so you can mix the cream and cheese at any time. Next, I Googled a recipe for doing the thighs in the Instant Pot. (remember: I’m a newbie) Once that was done, I sat and relaxed with my crocheting.

When it was decided that we were all interested in the dance tonight, I hopped in the shower after taking Clemson out for a walk. Now if I can just get in that pretty red dress I bought back in November. Of course, we’re getting fancy! It’s a Valentine’s Party. I planned supper after finding an easy recipe so with fingers crossed, I prepped the chicken with a rub of paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Wish me luck!

Voila!

I sautéed in oil first to brown both sides of the thighs, scraped the bottom to loosen the brown bits with water, added the trivet and chicken, turned the valve to ‘sealing’ and set on Manual for 6 minutes. The thighs had no bone so this time was recommended. I question my next step but I hit Cancel once the cooking process clicked to Keep Warm. This turned the machine OFF. Hmm. Mixed instructions in my manual. I timed a 10-minute Natural Release and by then there was no pressure left.

First dance

The thighs were done perfectly so I did something right. I just wasn’t sure if I was to leave it on Keep Warm during the natural release. It seemed the pressure released throughout the cook process without it even being on ‘venting’ but most importantly, I did not lift the lid until the thing-a-ma-jiggy dropped down. It was a good practice run and we were able to eat the food! I made a Caesar salad on the side and that was supper tonight!

Rob and Pat kicking it up with the rest of them

Boy, we sure dress up nice! We met outside at Rob’s truck at our agreed upon time and we almost didn’t recognize each other. 😊 Rob drove to Fortuna de Oro RV Park right next door and the place was already packed at 6:45. It was a $5 entry and you could bring your own drinks if you chose, which we did. Luckily, when we walked in, they set up another table so we were able to sit together and then added 3 more tables after that. What a fantastic turn out!

And bill and I got into the swing as well

The band, ‘Old Time Rock ‘n Roll Band’ was the same as last year and these 5 guys are awesome. The familiar tunes never faltered with the exception of a couple of breaks. Where else can you go where dancers are on the floor from the first note of the night to the very last one? Us retired folk love to dance! We had a great time and enjoyed the dessert feast that was put on by the park midway through the evening. At 10:15 it was done and over with and so were most of us. A great time was had by all.

This was an early morning picture to the west

After a few minutes of ‘coming down’ from the dancing and the wine, we went to bed. It was 10:45. What a wonderful day!

Thank you for stopping in.

House of the Rising Sun, A Slovenly Day, Walks, Pool, Happy Hour, Valentine’s Dance

I was awake on Saturday, Feb. 10^th at 5:30 first. Checked the clock and thought “nope, too early”. Who knows if I dropped off but I must have for a few minutes here and there because small snippets of different dreams flitted in my memory. At 6:30 I was fully awake but forced myself to stay put until 7 before I slipped out from under the covers.

the moon and I say good morning!

I noticed some low, very low-lying clouds on the eastern horizon when I opened the shades so slipped into my hoody and shoes for a walk. No sound from Clemson indicating that he was ready to go out so I exited. What a gorgeous morning at 57F already. My destination today was to reach the most easterly side of the park so headed in that direction. I didn’t meet anyone until after I’d reached the end and followed the lane back.

The park is still in slumber so I played with the settings

Bill wasn’t up yet so I tiptoed around and put the Keurig on for my tea. Turning on my phone’s Hotspot I checked for comments on my blog post and then got lost reading our blogger friend’s posts. Bill came down the stairs a few minutes after 8. Clemson didn’t follow until closer to 8:30. How some nights he can go 12 hours without a piddle and other nights he is up through the night just makes him more and more human.

It was pretty even before the sun rose over the mountains

The park sweeper, there is definitely money here

We think is the kind of cactus we had in a pot in our home for
5 or 6 years in our Southwestern themed living room
That was BEFORE we made our decision to come down
It was just a fantasy then

Clubhouse, puzzle room

Lots of puzzles but haven't found books yet
Don't need them, just like to check them out anyway

Nothing exciting in our tree behind us this morning but it is certainly a gorgeous day. 

From our House of the Rising Sun

The almost lime green in the Palo Verde tree behind us is so brilliant, I love looking at their smooth bark. We sat at our laptops and did a bunch of stuff. I cut the pink grapefruit I bought at Luz’s Cactus Ranch in half for Bill and I to share. A pre- breakfast treat.

Yummy, need to pick more up

We had a white one yesterday and it was very good. There was a time, 8 years ago when Bill couldn’t eat them because he was on Lipitor, a cholesterol med. Now, thank goodness, he has that under control, no more meds and can eat them whenever he wants. Today, will be a slow day. We have no where to be and only the pool to visit, Happy Hour at 4.

I fried 3 eggs at 9:30 to go with our leftover bacon from yesterday, which I warmed in the microwave for 30 seconds. After cleaning up dishes, we went for a walk over to the Resort Home Centre with our entry to a contest they have for Quartzsite visitors. You could win a month stay here if you were the lucky one. That would be just fine too.

We toured their 3 show homes
We entertain the idea of owning one one day

We chatted with Christy, volunteer Workcamper for Cal*Am home sales. What a nice lady to talk to, very pleasant and excitable about the homes. She isn’t a sales person so that made it nicer, just like Bill and I when we work the RV shows back home. People feel comfortable without the pressure. We perused the 3 models next door and we’re duly impressed.

this is for our Dryden friends
Know him?

Back at the Suite, we tossed ‘dreams’ around and ‘what ifs’ just for the ‘hell of it’. I was going to say ‘halibut’ but didn’t know if my humour would be received the way I meant it. Ha! Bill sat to read for a while and I wrote, the thing I do second best. It was a treat to hear from our friend, Jim, from back in Ontario, in the snow and cold. He really didn’t need to hear that we would be hitting 90F today but we hope he enjoyed the conversation just as much as we did. Thanks for calling, Jim!

Bill was reading his book inside and I sat outside for a bit. We’ve put both a/c units on in the Suite to keep it a moderately comfortable temperature inside. We have the service and it isn’t costing us anything, so why not? While up at the Home Centre earlier, Christy gave us information about the Valentine’s dance tonight at the North Hall. For $5 per person, we’ll definitely go for the evening. All she had to say was ‘chocolate desserts’ and I was in!

someone took their Lincoln to the pool

Funny, how plans changed. I thought we’d go up to the pool at 1 o’clock for an hour and a half and be back in time for a nibble and then wait for Tom and Deb to join us. Well, I felt so tired reading outside that I came in and lie down on the sofa. If it wasn’t for Bill’s snoring to wake me, I don’t know how long we’d have slept. It was 1:15 when I opened my eyes. Woops! So, we changed into our bathing suits and walked over to the pool.

There was quite a crowd at the pool and all of the recliners were taken so we set up at a table, which was just fine with us. The wind had picked up so we put our awning in before we left home, just in case. We swam around for a bit and when Bill got chatting with a couple of guys, or rather they got chatting to him, I swam to the end and climbed up the steps at the deep end.

Once the chill of the windy air (oh my goodness, it had to be 80F) dried my legs, the sun was once again warm. We noticed the wispy clouds had moved in across the sky as well. We read our books and then at 3:10 walked back to the Suite. I texted Deb to suggest an earlier Happy Hour since we would be home. The two of them arrived around 3:30 and we had a nice catchup from our last time we saw each other.

The sky was a picture perfect painting

We discussed meeting at the North hall for the Valentine’s Dance and said our goodbyes. Bill and I had planned on fish and chips but I had to have my shower first. By the time that was done, I trimmed my bangs, ironed a shirt and all that, it left an hour to eat and clean up. Hmmm. How does hot dogs sound? Bill had 2 and I had one with my second wiener on the side. Save room for desserts and drinks.

Lots of tables empty when we arrived so we picked one in the corner away
from the speakers
the place was decorated nicely and it reminded us that the guys had a few days
left before Valentine's Day!
(I know my sweetie is ahead of the game on that one)

It really felt nice to dress up a bit and have a night out again, with friends. We secured a table and Deb and Tom arrived very soon after. Upper Room was the name of the band and we could tell from their warmup/guitar tuning etc. that they were going to be an entertaining group with some great tunes. And they did not let us down. From the first song, the dance floor was inhabited.

It soon filled up

It became a bit of a game between the 4 of us, naming the bands that originally sang the songs since 80% of the music was from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Mostly from our teen years (’69 to ’73) and that was wonderful! We had a great time and even though I didn’t finish the bottle of Yellow Tail Merlot, I made a darn good stab at it. While dancing, which we did a fair bit, I kept the effects at bay but I was a little giddy coming home.

Our good friends, Deb and Tom, joined us

You know who we are!

We drove out the Main Gate so we could drive back in our entrance and realized oh-oh, gates close at night. To exit, they open on a sensor but to return you have to use a code. The code is in the Suite. Hmm. Luckily, the entrance we needed to come in by, had a manual slide across gate. I felt fits and giggles bubbling to the service as I got out and slid it open so Black Beauty could enter. As I closed it behind us, woops! I ran the wheel over my foot. Had I not been so ‘medicated’ (ha ha) I’m sure this would have hurt like heck!

And the dance floor never got a break
I like that kind of evening/music

Classy touches
We could have left the drinks at home
Bar prices were $2 per drink, no matter what it was

Back home by 10:15 (the band quit at 10 on the dot) we sat and read for an hour while I drank a bottle of water. I didn’t want to regret this wonderful evening. I had a great time. We had a great time! It was mere minutes after my head hit the pillow and I was gone. What a fun day.

They kept bringing these little desserts out
There were 3 kinds of cheesecakes which is my favourite

I asked the fellow at our next table if he'd take a picture of us
good friends, good times
CHEERS! 

Thanks for following our adventures, even though they don’t seem like much is going on, we have fun, we meet people and we are getting the best out of our life. Please leave a comment if you wish to. I read and respond to them all.

Today’s Jell-o Plans went to Hell in a Hand Basket, Birding, Dancing Shoes

Saturday, Feb. 4^th started out gorgeous and sunny. Well, after the sun came up over the mountain to our east, that is. I was up at 6:30 as usual and sleeping and dreaming in Dubai. Aaah, nope, actually I’m still here in this beautiful park. Our new sheets were 'heavenly' to sleep on.

sporadic clouds today

I made my tea and logged on to read blog posts from my friends. Before too long Clemson and Bill got up and joined me. It was a cool 43F outside and a comfy 66 inside. There was no wind again early this morning so of course I had big plans for the day. First, a long walk into D, E and F sections in the park.

My sunflower goes everywhere with us

That didn’t transpire. After our tea and coffee, we decided to drive into Idyllwild since it was going to be the only sunshine we’ll see for three days. Idyllwild is a small community further up the winding road about 15 miles.

Surrounded by the San Jacinto mountains it is manned by locally owned shops and offers hiking up into the boulders of Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks. Where is our friend Gerry from  Tuckers Adventures when we need him? Apparently, Idyllwild is a must see and since we need diesel too there is more than one reason to go.

I had to drag myself and my zoom lens away from the back window of the Suite to go and have my shower. The birds around our place were drawing our attention. When I finished, Bill had grabbed his camera and was outside capturing the ‘frequent flyers’ himself.  This was around 9 am.

Blue Blackbird

Bill spotted this robin, I'm sure he is from Durham!
He looks familiar.

digging, digging digging

Acorn Woodpecker

Well, 2 and a half hours later we realized that this was not the day to take our drive. While outside, Bill was soon approached by the 3 Californians across the road and I do believe they covered everything from soup to nuts. Or, wheels to dishwashers to drones.

Bill, Bill, Pat and Jeff

What a bunch of characters they are, we had fun chatting it up with them. The five of us hit it off tremendously.

Peregrine falcon

While Bill was showing the boys our Suite at their request, I found myself drawn across the lot to see this magnificent fellow. He was perched up here approximately 120’ from out site. I just happened to look in the right direction.

Time for preening

Almost willing him to move as I approached so I could catch him in flight, my heart was racing as he took off and swooped to the ground towards a couple of innocent squirrels searching for acorns. 

He seemed to have no fear of me as I got within 5’ of him to snap some pictures. Luckily, his prey would not be caught today.

We grabbed a nibble for lunch and Bill had his shower. At least we’ll be ready for the jaunt into town tomorrow if we decide to go to Idyllwild. After Bill and Clemson had their snooze and I read a few chapters outside in the sun, we walked up to the main gate to the ATM. We figured we’d need some cash if we were to purchase anything in the park, better to be prepared.

We heard from a fellow camper that Saturday night at the Watering Hole there would be entertainment so decided to go to the Ranch House for dinner and stay to see about the music. Yay! No cooking tonight or either of us. Clemson got his legs stretched again before we left and off we went on foot around 5:30ish.

Our happy little camper

Dance podner?

I love the look in the Ranch House/Watering Hole. More of the natural wood in this building and we felt quite comfy settling in for our fish and chips. 3 pcs. of pollock and either tator tots or fries was a great deal for $9.99. Only two staff were working tonight and every night apparently and quite honestly, they ran that place like clockwork.

Served with flowered lemon and edible orchids

The bartender manned the bar and took and served the meal orders, up and down the steps tending to the customers. The chef was busy behind the scenes, occasionally making an appearance to deliver food. What a beautiful presentation he made of a simple fish and chip dinner!

Of course, it was too much food for me so I had the remainder boxed up to go and we moved on down to the main level near the bar and Tom who would be our evening entertainment. Before too long our new friends and neighbours, Robin, Jeff and Pat joined us.

Pat trying to get Pat off the chair for a dance
He put on the brakes really fast!

Tom, providing us with excellent music

 The evening couldn’t have gone better and I’m glad our day went the way it did, or we wouldn’t have met or got to know these wonderful guys. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had so much fun, drinking, dancing and laughing. It seems like we’ve known Jeff and Pat forever. To be honest, I am as comfortable with them as I am with my own flesh and blood. Another bond I hope we don’t break.

A dance with my man and Tom in the background

Sadly, they are pulling out Sunday with their two motor coaches. It is true that life is short and whether plans change for whatever reason, we all learn to enjoy each and every day to the fullest. Often there are unexpected surprises with each turn.

Memories from a fun evening

Thank you for tagging along with me. I love to hear from you!