Hi Jolly Parade, Camelpalooza and Nancy Arrives!

Park Place RV Park

On Saturday, Jan. 11^th Bill was up really early. Well, 30 minutes sooner than his usual wake up time. 😊 He and Duncan were driving to Palm Springs, CA for a day at an RC auction. There were other club members going so Duncan drove with Bill from here, saving a bit on fuel consumption by leaving BB behind.

Good morning!

I had my own plans with Patty today. The Hi Jolly Parade was on this morning at 10 and because I would be driving Black Beauty, I told her we’d leave at 9 so I could be sure to get a good parking spot near the end of the parade route. Once Bill informed me that we could park at Moon Mountain Mail’s lot (it was closed today), I wanted to get there before others knew that.

Before the parade

We were there in plenty of time with no problem but I just didn’t know and was a bit nervous. Rather than sit with our books, not sure if Patty even had hers, we chose to walk down Moon Mountain Ave instead. 😊 It was a lovely walk and by the time we returned to the truck, I was quite hot and began disrobing. Ha ha, de-layering.

The fun begins and Ainsley isn't missing
one bit! (well, she did fall asleep later. 💓)

We set up chairs on the sidewalk and before the parade started, it was a surprise to be nudged by Ken, Kim, Sara and the wee new babe, Ainsley. They watched the parade with us and we all walked down to the corner to see what vendors had on display. Jess was set up in a sunny spot with a smile on her face. I hope she made some sales; her wares are so nice. There were a lot of nice offerings.

It was a fun little parade
Even a few unco-ordinated camels.

A few interesting vehicles.
The Camel Express is our town 'taxi'.

On the way home, I stopped at DG Market for bread and milk, but we left after standing in line for 10 minutes and then finding out the debit/credit machine wasn’t working. LOL Back home, it wasn’t 10 minutes before Nancy was directed into her spot. 😊 I got a hug and helped her level her little home. It’s great to see her again.

I was impressed with this large turnout
for the Lost Dutchman walk

I made myself a sandwich and then we caught up a bit later when she came over with an ice cream treat. These drumsticks are deadly – where can I get them? Walmart, she says. ♥ Bill and Duncan returned around 1:30 and we exchanged stories from our day. We all had a pleasant one. After a few chit chats/visits back and forth, Nancy, Cooper, Gibbs and I went for a spin around the park.

This beautiful horse did circles ahead of the camels
just to pass the time.

But, most impressive were the 8 camels
who stole the show.
There were 3 more who didn't walk, they were the ones
you could pay to ride.

As we walked back, these people found
2 Gambel Quail who had flew into power lines.
They were just stunned and soon perked up. 💗

For supper, we were stumped, neither of us too hungry. What to have, what to have? We settled on clam chowder and it went down pretty nicely. Bill had his drumstick (from Nancy) and if I need to, I’ll have a cheesecake square. 😊 Our tv is acting up, the downstairs one, so Bill hooked up the dvd for me to watch a movie. That works for me until we can figure things out.

Top right picture is where I parked this morning.
Perfect!
Left and bottom picture, Nancy returns and is
set up just across the lane.

We had winds pick up again this afternoon so I popped the gazebo top down and watched it flop. LOL We reached a sunny 67F/19C today with an even cooler day tomorrow. This is not like January in Quartzsite but still far better than what is going on all around us. It was a good day.

I had the drumstick in the afternoon
and the soup for supper.
Wrong order, I know. Teehee.
Both were yummy.
Good night!

Thank you for your visit!

Early Travel Day Seven (from the Ridge), Meeting Friends, Blew It!!

Pilot Knob RV Resort, Winterhaven, CA

We were up at 6 am on Monday, Oct. 28^th and with windows open all night, the Suite had cooled down quite nicely. It sure was warm yesterday afternoon and evening and by nightfall, it was pleasant for sleeping. We both slept well in the lot along with 6 other rv’ers. It was 50F/10C and all but the 5^th wheel beside us pulled out at the same time as us. 😊

Good morning!
On the road again. ♪♫

Today will not be such a long day for driving and it will be broken in half. We will be meeting our Illinois friends in Eloy, Az, which is about half of the day’s journey. They have a winter home in Picacho Peak RV Resort and we always count it a blessing when our paths are able to cross in the winter.

It was warming up nicely, but not too quickly yet, and just after crossing the Continental Divide (4,585’ elevation) we jumped the state line into Arizona. Now the sightings of rocky piles, excuse me, more like ‘boulder’ piles along the I-10W. This is picture worthy country, no matter where you look and we love this view. We also watched for and soon started seeing Saguaros, Teddy Bear and Staghorn Cholla cacti. ♥

There they are!
Our favourite cactus.
The most expressionable cactuc.
Look at those arm gestures in the left bottom photo. 💖

We stopped at a Rest Area around 8:30 MDT, which soon changed to 7:30 MST. It was a bit confusing at first but not for long. I messaged my sister back home to confirm their time and informed her that were now 3 hours behind them. LOL She is even more confused! Ha ha, sorry Donna! The elevation rose to 5,020’ before it began dropping off and the temperature hit 81F by 9:00. Okay, that WAS quick!

Picacho Peak
I'd love to live on a street called
Sunshine Blvd. 😍

What the time change did was make us a bit early to meet our friends but it gave us time to fuel up at the Flying ‘J’ (one of the highest prices yet at $3.47/gal with a Good Sam card) and open up the Suite for Gibbs. We walked into Denny’s and our friends arrived shortly after. 😊 It was great to see them, they both look awesome!

Nancy and Ken

As usual, our meal at Denny’s was very good. We all cleaned up our plates with no ‘take home’. Wow! Ken and I had the Mile High Denver Omelette, Nancy had the Veggie Omelette and Bill had a Classic breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausage etc. Yum. We said our goodbyes just before 1 pm and were pulling out at the top of the hour. Bill hopped on I-10W which took us to I-8W towards our next destination.

Must be the year for blown tires.
Friends of ours had two on their way down
this fall too. 

We drove for an hour and it happened again. Must be the year for tires to blow. Yes, the second one on the driver side blew causing my mechanic-do-it-all hubby to fix it on the highway side of the Suite once more. He knows what steps to take and all I did was take Gibbs out and in, offered help turning the crank to drop the spare and then crank it back up when he finished. ☹

We were soon on the road again.
Thankful, as it could always be worse.

This little guy was as good as gold today.
He didn't lie down all day but for a lot of it, he did,
AND he actually stopped panting for the last 2 hours.
What's going on? 💘💘💘

I felt helpless but kept an eye on traffic. Today, they were pretty good, moving over when they could. No slow downs though unless they couldn’t move, SOME, slowed down. Others are just clueless. Within 45 minutes, Bill had the spare on and we were moving along quite nicely. There is damage to the skirt over the tire so Bill duct taped it on as best he could for now, and we made it to our destination in Winterhaven, CA.

Clouds sometimes make the sky.
This jet flew over, F35 or Raptor?

Pilot Knob RV Resort is where we’ll stay until Friday, Nov. 1^st and we’re happy to have this break again. The office was closed but our envelope packet was ready for us so we pulled into site #203, a pull through. It is crazy windy, we’d noticed the sand/dust blowing off in the distance as we made our way here on I-8W. We are facing west to east so other than the whistling through the open windows and the blinds clattering, we are solid. 😊

Arrival in Yuma and then at Pilot Knob RV Resort.
Lots of wind, as you can see from the trees
and Old Glory at the clubhouse entrance.

Because we had a big lunch, we only snacked for supper. Gibbs, on the other hand, ate all of his food and cheese bits that somehow fell into his dish. ♥ It has been a great day. Seeing our friends again was the icing on the cake. The temperature reached another high of 93F/34C today. We had a good drive today with the obvious exception. You can check out Bill's blog here. 

Lovely view from our back window tonight.
Good night to you all!

Thank you for stopping by.

Meet-Up with Friends, Hobby Switcharoo

The Ridge

On Wednesday, Aug. 21^st I didn’t have to work anywhere so took my time getting up and dressed. Bill was up as per his usual time and had Gibbs out by 6. That little guy for as much as has to drink and piddle, drink and piddle, he lasts all through the night from 11:30 to 6. We think that is pretty good. 😊 Bill left around 7:30 and I sat with Gibbs and my tea.

Good morning!
I hope you managed to get a better shot of the Super Moon
last night than I do. My timing was off.

With my games done, I washed, dressed and we went outside to greet the day. It was cool, only 6C/45F when we got up, so Bill ran the furnace through a couple of cycles. I was washing a few things up in the sink when I noticed that our gray tank was full so went out and pulled the lever. We (namely Bill) keeps forgetting to leave it open after dumping the black. 😊 I left it open when I finished, since it is set up to drain away slowly.

Gibbs and I enjoyed a bit of time outside
although it was a cool wind early on
No Moonflowers to show today
but there are buds on the horizon.

Gibbs and I hung out, once it warmed up a bit, and enjoyed sitting in the sun for a while. There were still clouds but that sun, when it came out from behind them, was beautiful and hot. I thought I would do some weed trimming and got set up to do that when I couldn’t find the fuel mix for my trimmer. Hmpf! Both mine and Bill’s trimmer were M T. So much for that idea, obviously it wasn’t meant to be.

The Hibiscus is making up for it. 
Woops, the picture is on its side.

At a few minutes past 11, I was on my way in to Tim Horton’s. I was meeting our friends, Lori and Roland, from Dryden for lunch. They’d hopped on their bikes a couple of days ago and decided to take a trip to south/midwestern Ontario to visit friends and enjoy some time away from home. 😊 A cool week to ride but they have heated gear so were fine. I was very happy to be able to see them and sorry Bill had to work.

Broccoli soup, steeped tea and flat bread
All were very good although we didnt expect the bread.

I am terrible at selfies, I said.....
but we got a laugh and a fun picture
anyway.

We had soup and a drink before they hopped on their Indians and headed off, further south. I stopped at Foodland for some French fries, which were on sale until tomorrow. Bill likes his fries. ♥ 

Two Indians wait for them
Travel safely, friends!

Back home, Gibbs got his medicine, and we walked down for the mail. This time it was my parcel that arrived. We didn’t want to come inside yet so he sat on the step and I went to the Bunky. Time to finish some rocks.

It sure didnt take me long to finish
my rocks today!

Since I ordered and received my acrylic markers, I wanted to try them out. Gibbs wanted to come inside (surprise, surprise!) so I brought my stuff inside to work on them. 😊 Boy, now I’m surprised with how this will change this hobby of mine! It will be so much nicer to carry the markers south rather than my paints. I can get a bit more detailed and certainly save myself a lot of time. I’m quite pleased.

I love cuddle times like this
Although, it did mean supper was later
than usual. I hated to disturb him.

Bill was home from work by 4:30 and I started supper around 5. Tonight, a sirloin tip beef roast in Madame IP with potatoes and a vegetable. This should be our last cool night before it turns warmer again, so we can get back to barbecuing soon. Don’t I sound optimistic! However, the roast dinner was wonderful and we have leftovers for another meal.

It was a lovely Sunday meal
on a Wednesday.

This was a wonderful day; meeting up with dear friends is the best, isn’t it? ♥

I managed to get some weeding done
in the small gardens

This one is so full of Evening Primrose
so it didnt take long.

I was surprised to see another Gladiola was 
flowering in the shovel. 💗
We reached a mediocre 17C/66F today
and warmth returning tomorrow.
Good night!

Thank you for your visit today.

Sunday = Laundry Day, Meeting Friends for Lunch

Park Place RV Park 

On Sunday, Feb. 11^th it was 7:10 when we all got up. As usual, the boys had been out already for the morning walk and they both came back to bed. 😊 We sorted laundry and walked over around 7:30 to the clubhouse. Patti was already inside cleaning the floors etc., she was the early bird today!

Good morning!
My timing was perfect again this morning
as I walked out of the clubhouse.

Bill left for the flying field around 8:30 and Gibbs and I went for our walk around the same time. When we returned, I had about 10 minutes before it was time to retrieve the clean clothes. I folded one load and I had to wait an extra 15 minutes for the heavy items. While waiting, I started a new puzzle. This one will be going home when it is done. My sister and her hubby have a Harley so they can do it next winter. 😊

We reached a high of 57F/14C
It didn't feel that warm, although it looked gorgeous!

When Bill got home, he walked over to carry the basket home for me and I stayed to get the border done.  I think this will be an interesting one, at least better (easier?) than the HORSES! Ha ha. 

I finished the border just before noon.

I chatted with our friends, Rose and George, from Lake Havasu City and since they were in town for the gold show at the QIA centre, we were able to meet up for lunch at Mountain Quail Café. We hadn’t seen George yet this winter so it was very nice to get together

Bill's clubhouse and fries.
So elegantly displayed. 😀

My farmers omelette with home fries.
Yummy.

I’m sure we’ll see them once more before we head for home in April. It was nice meeting their friends from back home, near Chatsworth. I had breakfast for lunch and it was nice not to have to cook it! The meal was great, as always, we’ve never reported being disappointed there. We parted ways around 2:30 and on the outing, dropped a couple of greeting cards in the mail box at the post office.

I didn't get a picture of our friends, darn!

The sky was still lovely when Gibbs and I walked the park
at 5ish.

Although I wanted to work on the puzzle, the Superbowl game was on in the clubhouse and no way, no how would I sit through football!  😂😂 I sat in the gazebo in my lounge chair with my book instead. I stayed for about 45 minutes until it got too chilly and came inside for a cup of tea.  The sun was disappearing. Bill was also reading his book about the Aeronca Sedan, the airplane he is building back home. A 2022 Christmas gift from yours truly. ♥

My Sweeties.
I think Gibbs is getting a story read to him.

Because lunch was late, we aren’t too hungry for supper so I made Bill a grilled cheese and I had a bowl of broccoli cheddar soup with one of my rolls from the freezer. Yum. It wasn’t a lot but it was plenty enough for us. 😊 I finished my book this afternoon and obviously, my review was 4 star. I didn’t want to put this one down. I’ll drop it off at the clubhouse library in the morning.

My soup wad DEElicious!

The other night I watched the movie Radio with Cuba Gooding Jr. as I’d never seen it before. I laughed a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the true story. I wonder what I’ll find tonight. This has been a good day. Peaceful and we had sun and clear skies all day long That is definitely an improvement. Gibbs and I walked around 5 and the wind was still cool but we have a warmer day on the horizon tomorrow.

Looks like we were just starting a puzzle
last year on this day. ♥
Good night y'all!

Thank you for the visit!

Damp Sunday, Laundry, Parker and Laughin’ Out Loud

Park Place RV Park

On Sunday, Jan. 21^st we had another full day. When we got up around 6:30, we sorted laundry. It was a bit wet from the intermittent overnight rain but we walked over to the laundromat in the dark between the drops. 😊 There would be no flying for Bill this morning so when the clothes were dry, before 8, he walked back and helped fold. Nice to be done with that chore by 8:30.

So, last night Gibbs sat with me instead of upstairs
with his Daddy.
In these 3 different shots, you can see that he is very
interested in the movie too. ♥

This morning, Bill was home to help
me do the laundry.
That sky isn't fit for flying. 

A couple of days ago we’d mentioned to Nancy that we were going to Walmart in Parker to get our groceries today so she was game to come along. It wasn’t even 9 when we left the park. Good time to go as the store wasn’t too busy. We had a cart full and Nancy just a few bags when we left. The rain hadn’t done much since we got up this morning but the sky was cloud-filled, threatening a shower at any given time.

This afternoon we reconnected with friends we met
in Feb 2017.

I was hungry when we got home and unloaded so we had ham salad sandwiches. The best part of my morning was discovering that Walmart now carries my seeded Keto bread!! I am so tickled that I don’t have to make it last like I’ve been doing. 😊 After lunch, Bill and Gibbs had a bit of a doze and I walked over to the clubhouse to swap out the 2 decks of cards we use in Poker Pool. They are pretty old and tend to stick to each other.

This is today's fun Happy Hour(s)
3 pictures so I made sure everyone got in the shot.
L to R in left hand picture:
Kelly, Bill, Jeff, Judy, Bill, Pat, Mindy.
L to R in bottom right hand picture:
Bill, Pat, Jeff, Mindy, Kelly, the 'good' Karen, Patsy.
We'll see you all next year!

I communicated back and forth with Pat, our ‘Silent Valley’ friend and left the house around 1:30 to find them at the Q View RV Park. What a reunion! We haven’t laughed like that in a long time. We had 7 years to catch up and if that doesn’t make us realize how time flies, nothing will. It was a great Happy 2 ½ hours before we hugged and said our goodbyes for this year. Now we know they come every year, we will be sure to keep in touch. ♥

Pat and Jeff
you can just tell that they are a couple of
great guys from this picture.
So great to see them again!

Mindy made these yummy
Christmas treats and
we helped her eat some of them up.

The dampness in the air remains and we are expecting another day of this kind of weather. Strangest winter yet, we think. We agreed on a simple supper. Now that we have lots of bread and cheese, it’s grilled cheese for us tonight! Because it felt chilly, I had a cup of tea and Bill had a hot chocolate. 

Top pix: Gibbs dropped Stuffy and 
growled at him to get back up.
Bottom: our little ham with Nancy

Nancy popped over to chat before supper and then Gibbs and I went for our walk. He surprised me when he carried the little green ball that Nancy gave him the whole way. 😊

He may have carried that ball for our walk
but back home, it was time to chew it to pieces. LOL

Supper was good and we watched some tv after everything was cleaned up for the night. Bill and I watched a couple of episodes of Reacher and have one more to catch us up-to-date. This was not a very warm day, high of 60F/14C, but we had a lot of fun regardless. Meeting up with friends whom we never thought we’d bump into again was such a treat!

That sky looked confused all day.

Tonight's supper was quick and filling.
Good night!

Thank you for popping in. Your comments are always welcome.