Arizona Market, S/W Exchange and Dentist Appointment Made

Winterhaven, CA

I can’t believe that I slept in until 7:30 on Friday, Feb. 7^th! I knew I saw 5 am but then nothing for an hour and a half. Bill was already downstairs drinking his coffee. He greeted me with “Good morning, sleepyhead”. I deserved that but I must have been tired. The night and early morning was filled with dreams, I just can’t remember details.

My first picture today is of the Arizona Marketplace sign
We were there by 5 minutes to 9

There was no time for a walk this morning so after my tea, we left the Suite at 8:30 to pick the ‘kids’ up. We were all going to the Arizona Market today. I guess it is true, there IS no rest for the wicked! Ha ha Once at the market, Kim and I wandered together and left the guys to do their own perusing. I didn’t buy much but I did pick up the bicycle basket I’d seen before. It was a great price and I couldn’t pass it up. It will have to come off each time we pack up to move but it just slips over the bars. No need to screw it in place.

The kitchen store is in this mall

Kim found some sweet deals and came home with some nice things in the clothing category. 😊 She is so petite that anything looks good on her, in her colour tones. I’m sure she’d look great in my shades too but ‘it isn’t me’, she says. When we left the market, Keith with a chair under his arms and Bill with new wheel covers for the Suite, we drove to Southwest Exchange. I wanted to kick up their 20 cm copper frypan that I’d seen for under $10. Got that and I was a happy camper!

When we returned, we noticed the couple from across the lane
were packing up to leave
We'd really just gotten to talk with them a bit ago
Bill and Cheryl live in Elephant Butte, NM and were heading home to
some nice weather
Hopefully, we'll meet again next winter

Lastly, Kim and I took a saunter through the Kitchen Store (although it isn’t called that). It is very pricey but fun to walk through anyway. The owner is an elderly gentleman and a very polite one. One last stop at Fry’s for milk and we were headed home. It was 12 noon when we pulled in and I immediately shed a layer and walked up to the clubhouse to sign us up for 5$ burger night. 

Brunch in the new copper pan

I used my new frypan to cook bacon and eggs and after dishes, we crashed. Bill stretched out in his chair and after starting my post, changed into shorts and took my blanket for the lounge chair and book outside. Aaah. Beautiful day! No wind and a lovely 68F/20C going up to 75F today. I relaxed outside and an hour later, I had to turn my chair so as not to face the sun. It was hot! It is amazing how 72F feels more like 80 down here.

My new bike basket

At 3:00 we walked up to the Wilson’s site for Happy Hour with our cooler of drinks, our chairs and our dishes for supper. Keith arrived a bit later and we chatted it up in the partial shade until it was 4:30, time to walk to the clubhouse for Burger night. I had ordered a hot dog tonight and took a chance on getting the bun. I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to eat it on the left side of my mouth so took a knife in preparation of having to cut it up on my plate.

5 of us waiting for our table number to be called

As it turned out, I did fine. After a couple of bites, the rest was easy. They had macaroni salad, not my favourite, so I passed on that. Instead, I had lettuce, pickles and tomato on my plate and then a chocolate brownie for dessert. It is never too much food, but enough to fill us at the same time. We walked back together and said goodbye to Keith and then Ken and Kim on our way.

Another nice $5 meal

At home, I sat and worked on my blog post. Bill and I found an interesting program last night about a Dr. who helps people with skin problems. It isn’t pleasant but it is reality and for the time being, we are caught up in it. It is pretty amazing what can be done with deformities. 

Walking back from the clubhouse

The rest of the evening was pretty quiet between tv and our books. This was a great day with more relaxing than the previous week. We are happy that tomorrow and Sunday are days with nothing planned. I’m hoping to just get really lazy.

Over the fence, the sun sets

And the sunset through the fence
I like this picture better

 I have my appointment made for Dr. Eva and have a week to bide my time before I go. I just want to baby it a bit until then, by chewing on my left side. I hope many of you’ve had the nice weather in your neighbourhood too. There is more coming!

Our site from the west
with the moon in the clear blue sky behind us
Good night!

Thank you for your visit today. We are doing great!

Arizona Market with the Boys, Small Expenditures, Movie Time with Bill

Pilot Knov RV Resort, Winterhaven, CA

Thursday, Jan. 9^th was a day with a new plan. Bill and I were taking Keith and Dave to the Arizona Market for their first time. They loved Los Algodones, the atmosphere, the vendor stalls and the food so we were pretty sure they would enjoy this slower paced flea market too. I tagged along today though. It was a windy morning making the 51F seem a tad cooler but with a mostly clear sky.

Forgive the dirty windshield but this is my first shot
of today's sunshine as we pulled into Arizona Market

We always advise first timers of the covered tents and open ends which allow cool/cold air to blow in. Dress reasonably warm, we say. We were up before 7 and each had our showers, coffee and tea. Neither of us were hungry at 8 so didn’t eat. We picked the boys up at 8:30 at their sites and had a leisurely drive across to the market. Arriving at 9 is a great time, the parking lot is never anywhere near full and you can walk through each row unencumbered.

As we arrived and throughout our hour and a half at the market
the military jets were doing constant flyovers
That is what Dave is looking at
Boy, were they loud!!

Bill and I split up right away as did the other two. I wanted to replace my brown sun hat with a new one because of the material. I like my old one but it has more straw-like material than the newer nylon/plastic ones. The straw has been catching my hair each time I take the hat off so I was on the hunt. For $6 how can anyone go wrong with a nice flat-back hat for sitting in a chair? It didn’t take me long, tried on about 4 after choosing a colour and had the help of another female customer. Perfect!

I managed to capture oneof the fighter jets before
he disappeared from sight

It is a great time to be at the market if you don't like crowds
and waiting in line for service

That hat paid for itself as I received 3 gentlemen's compliments and a few approving looks as I walked through the tents. Ha ha, that is always nice to hear and especially after just buying a new hat! Apparently, I made a good choice! 

My old one is still in okay shape, so maybe for garden working at home

But the new one is easier on my hair
and looks prettier

I found a few things at Wally’s World for the kitchen and then at another booth, I found large towel clips. These were seen quite a lot on the beach in Akumal and around the pool to hold towels to chair backs. I’ve wanted some ever since.

A bunch of big chair clips

I also needed a bell for my bike
Got it!

This is an illusion
A quick look at the squash looks like it is standing on end

Lastly, I bought a couple of peppers and the smallest spaghetti squash I could find for $2 total. When I was done wandering all of the rows, I sat in one of the food courts in the sun and waited until the guys were done. Both Dave and Keith found some nice deals and came out with a bag or two. 

Bill and Keith are just dark shadows as they head in the other direction

Bill purchased some roof sealing tape that he will use on the next calm day in the hope of sealing the ‘not-so-imaginary’ leak we’ve witnessed in our hall closet.

Lots of vendors sell the same things
but prices can vary so shop around

We left there and drove to the Honda ‘toy’ store so Keith could buy a shorter atv whip for on the dunes and then to a Chevron to fill a portable gas can. The guys were happy that we were going to Fry’s grocery store and we all came out with some purchases there too. We loaned them one of our points cards to get in on any of the available deals that they could. Lastly, just before heading back home, Bill drove to the Yuma Palms Mall to J.C. Penney’s. Our pick up order was ready. 2 new bath sheets and 2 hand towels to match the others we bought in-store.

When we returned home, you can see the wind speed
in the top right corner of our weather station
23 mph and teeny tiny print shows 24 mph in the last hour

It took longer than I’d planned and longer than it should of because of one person in front of me. Grrr! Never fails. She was trying to return two things that were showing up nowhere on her receipt or her credit card. Personally, I think she was trying to pull a fast one and who knows? Maybe she got away with it as she walked out with the two items in a new bag. Come to think of it, they weren’t in a bag in the first place, just loose in her cart. LOL

These red breasted birds are all around our site
But I still don't know what they are
Do you?

 It was 12:30 before we left the mall because of the delay but everyone was happy for the morning outing. These guys love flea markets! Dave frequents our Keady Market back home near Owen Sound too, so that’s interesting. Bill and I each had a coffee and bacon and eggs for breakfast. It tastes quite good when I’m hungry even if I do have to prepare it myself! Bill suggested putting the dishes in the dishwasher to utilize it once before we leave here.

Look at that little pose as she/he looks in the window at us

Then we sat. One of the things I was going to purge is a lap table. Our neighbor back home, when we had our sticks and bricks home, gave it to me. She was down-sizing and I thought it would come in handy. Needless to say, it got stored at the end of the sofa and I forgot about it. Never used it. After getting things ready for the ‘sale that didn’t happen’ yesterday, I decided to keep it and try it with my laptop in my chair.

And then a profile pose for us

Today, that is what I’m typing on. Perfect! Also, with these new chairs, it has a nice easy reachable storage area right behind me. Clouds are rolling in now, around 2:00, and with the 22-25 mph winds, I’m encouraged to stay right here inside. Bill had a little snooze and I started my blog post for the day. I moved on to organizing my pictures into folders. Then I began looking at pictures from our 2011 trip out west. 

I had a nice creamy Iced Coffee Chata
while watching the movie

Looking at the pictures of Winterset, Iowa with both of us at the famous Roseman Bridge, I had to watch the movie.  So, I pulled out our copy of Bridges of Madison County and told Bill I wanted to watch it. I could have gone upstairs if he wasn’t interested but he was. He loves that movie almost as much as I do. So, we closed blinds and had a drink together watching Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep fill our screen with some very touching moments. *sigh*

Meryl (Francesca) and Clint (Robert)

When the movie was over, we decided it would be easy to reheat the meatloaf and clean it up tonight. The wind was very strong, now reaching gusts of 31 mph, too strong to barbecue so Weber remained sitting on the ground where we put him before the garage sale set up. I fried mushrooms and warmed a can of brown beans. I know they aren’t keto but for tonight, we made the exception and it filled us. We didn’t need dessert.

Me at the Roseman Bridge in 2011

The cafe that was in the movie
This is on Main Street, Winterset, Iowa

Me, sitting on Clint's stool

And there he is, as Robert, on the same one
Why is everyone looking at me?

We’ll do a big grocery shopping trip on Monday or Tuesday before leaving the park and salad will be included on that list. Today, we just got the ‘must haves’, creamer, milk and some yogourt. Supper went down well and we put the dishes in the dishwasher and set it to run. It needs to be used occasionally and we haven’t used it since we arrived here in the park. This was a great day. Those are really stacking up! The morning was busy and we enjoyed scooting around the market again.

A very filling meal tonight
Good night everyone!

I hope you enjoyed your day and that you didn’t get blown away! Especially, I say that to our friends out in the desert!

Thank you for stopping by!

Good Day for a Birthday, Shopping, Dinner at Lin’s, Happy Hour

Yuma Lakes RV Resort, Yuma, AZ

It was Thursday, Dec. 12^th. Today is our 3^rd oldest grandson’s 18^th birthday. There was a bit of a distraction from that though because in our own neighbourhood, we were celebrating our friend, Bob’s birthday too. Happy Birthday, Braeden, I hope it has been a fantastic day! We know he would have received our card by now.

The sky started out a lot like it ended

This is the Yuma Palms Estates
that I talked about yestrday

 I was up at 6 and in the shower immediately. Bill got up as I finished and we had our morning brew together while reading blogs. By the time we were finished, it was light enough for a walk. Once more I was pleasantly surprised when he put his shoes on and joined me. We had a lovely walk, around a wider perimeter of the park, down by the lake, out the main lane and around the block surrounding the park. We met Jo-Anne and Higgins at one point and walked together briefly.

Back home, Bill had some cereal and I had some oatmeal for breakfast. We had a plan to meet Ken and Kim at the Arizona Market after 9 but rather than sharing transportation with Bob and Jo-Anne, Bill and I said we would take two vehicles as we wanted to shop afterwards. That was true, but there was a bit of finagling on the sly involved there. We’d told Jo that we would pick up a cake for Bob’s special day on the way home.

These are a few more historic wagons in the park

The sunrise and the road around the park
Two shadows today. :)

We arrived at the market shortly after 9 and it was a typical market day. The sun was warm outside but inside under the tents and in the shade, it was quite cool. We had all dressed warmly enough and enjoyed perusing the vendors. Bill and I found a few things, including a blood pressure monitor. We’ve thought about it a few times but today, the price and the vendor was just right for us.

The Arizona Market when we left

Not jam packed in the parking lot
but more than when we arrived

 Bob and Jo-Anne left first to do some shopping of their own and we hung around for another 20 minutes or so. We said goodbye to Ken and Kim and invited them back to Yuma Lakes to pass time until dinner time. We relaxed until 1 and Bob drove us in to Lin’s in Yuma. K & K had to drive separately, again, too bad we can’t all fit in one vehicle. I enjoyed Lin’s much better today than previous times because I wasn’t so irresponsible with the food.

I had 2 plates of food and 1 of dessert, but my choices were more sensible and the plates not so full. It made a big difference in how I felt when we left. For a great price of $10.49 p.p. + a 10% discount for seniors, how can anyone complain about this lunch? 

1st serving
pork ribs, shrimp, chicken balls, seafood salad, ramon noodles & fish
and an enchilada

corn, octopus, stir fry beef, green beans, fried potatoes, zucchini
honey chicken, shrimp salad

Dessert
tapioca, peaches, jello, cherry bananas (for my buddy, Pat)
and a macaroon

Some of the others were quite full and uncomfortable so back at our site for Happy Hour, we just relaxed with a drink of some kind. Just before 4, Jo-Ann, Kim and I came to our Suite to get the cake out, cut and lit for Bob.

A nice friendly dinner for Bob

I don’t know if he was surprised when we came out singing Happy Birthday but I do know that by then we all magically found room for a piece of the fudgy cake. The ‘party’ broke up around 5 and Ken and Kim left for Pilot Knob before dark. Since we didn’t need supper, I took a bottle of water up to the puzzle room where I worked away for about an hour. It is coming together and between Mr. Puzzle (Don) and I, we are making headway.

I walked out and met Jo-Anne and Higgy in the area so we walked back together. It was so mild, still 66C, I do believe one of the mildest evenings we’ve had yet. We were expecting a full moon tonight but after the pretty pink sky performance, the clouds made that impossible to see.  

I picked up 3 more books from the shelves and brought them back for future reading. This was a fantastic day! I’m looking forward to line dancing in the morning and then after that……….probably a quiet day. Tonight, I needed a snack around 8 so cooked up some buttered popcorn. Yum, that hit the spot.

Happy Birthday, Bob
Good night from Yuma Lakes!

Thank you for popping by today! Your comments are always a treat for me to read.

Laundry, Keady, Last Happy Hour and Campfire for a Couple of Weeks

The Ridge

On Tuesday, Aug. 13^th I slept until 7 and rose shortly after. It was a wonderful night and even Bill said he slept well as well. Missing yesterday afternoons nap worked well for him! Bill made me a tea and loaded the very full basket of dirty clothes in Ptooties for me. I was alone in the Laundromat with the exception of about 25 houseflies. Geesh! I meant to bring the fly swatter.

I thought of our sweet friend, Loree this morning
celebrating her birthday today
She loves seeing  the cows

I loaded 3 washers and began swatting the pests with the Durham fair pamphlet. Coming out the victor over about 15, I settled down and finished my book. So, James Patterson writes some awesome books. “You’ve Been Warned” is good but not his best work. I did find it captivating enough to finish it but was pretty sure it wasn’t one for Bill. Back home, I initialed it inside the front cover and set it aside for Lynn who also enjoys his books.

Our 2nd trip to Keady with Kim and Ken was successful
Busier than heck but we don't mind 

The umbrella clothesline was full with only about 6 or 8 clothes pegs leftover. That is the biggest laundry load we’ve had in a long time but that’s okay. We’ve been busy and other than a pair of work shorts, we hadn’t run out of clothes to wear yet. Bill finished cutting the front field and the corral, we read some blogs and then we drove into Keady Market at 9:30. We were happy Kim and Ken joined us.

This little piggy was such a cutie pie!
We bought our cushion and chair covers here

As soon as we arrived at Keady, we were stunned by how busy the streets were. It was a gorgeous day and not only was the place packed but there were many more vendors out today. We decided to split up and go our separate ways with an hour time slot to meet at the front entrance. Bill had luck right off the bat when 2 booths in he found his sandals for the October Cancun wedding. Then he set off to find his Crocs.

We love the cushion cover

 I searched for the wedding, not too hard, just waiting for that perfect dress to convince me that it was the ‘one’. By the time we were meeting Kim and Ken, I had our peameal bacon and 2 dresses. Yes, with Bill’s vocal and visual opinion, we agreed that we found my dress. No pictures of that one though. The other is a striking blue and will be lovely on the beach

And the new chair covers are a nice change

We just pulled in the lane when Elvis turned in behind us. He was at the neighbours and wanted to tell us that the farmer was cutting the wheat fields. Our clothes were going to get dusty. Plus, he had a couple of things he wondered if we were interested in. He didn’t stick around and we were all hungry so had some lunch. The clothes were dry and I brought the clothes in from the line.

My clothes would have been fine as the wind was blowing to the west

We enjoy watching the big machines behind us

Next will be the baler

Bill and Ken moved the half barrels of scrap wood up here to our wood pile. I will transfer it into the black storage box. Then they moved the pails of stone from our car shelter down to the area beside his Hangar. They had a plan and by the end of the day it would be closer to fruition. 

My job is to transfer it neatly into the black box
Some magic might be afoot!

Kim and I sat in the shade of their rig and watched the guys before they joined us. When Rob, Pat and Lynn drove up the lane it was the perfect time for Happy Hour. Our last one together for a while.

My view of our happy gang

Kim brought out some snacks
Hummus, crackers and cheese
It was GOUDA! (Good-a)

And then I handed the camera to Bill

Bye guys!

As usual the laughter and the stories made the time zip by and even after we said our goodbyes to the 3 of them, the 4 of us remained sitting until 6:15. Before they left, we all went down to upright and move the shelter framing. Then woops! Supper time! 

Delicious!

It was a late meal for us since I did pork ribs in Madame IP. By the time dishes were done, after a wonderful feast with Caesar salad, Bill wasn’t out to light the campfire until after 8.

Goodnight sun

Another one of Bill's wonderful fires

Hello moon

Ken and Kim joined us and we enjoyed one more last evening together. There would be no rush for them in the morning which is nice that they can take their time. Another great day for the books and blogs. I hope you had a wonderful one as well on this glorious summer day.

And almost a full moon
Ken wanted to see the meteor shower
but it wasn't going to be until 4 am

Time for bed
Goodnight Mr. Moon

Thank you for your visit too!